cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
ENSO and seasonal sea-level variability – A diagnostic discussion for the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands

The El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) climate cycle is the basis for this paper, aimed at providing a diagnostic outlook on seasonal sea-level variability (i.e. anomalies with respect to the Climatology) for the U.S.-Affiliated Pacific Islands (USAPI).
Information Processing Changes Following Extended Stress

The psychological states and cognitive performance capacities of military participants were assessed prior to and following 1 week of field training at a Navy Survival, Evasion, Resistance, and Esc...
Effect of Changes in Cycle Length on Diastolic Depolarization Produced by Ouabain in Canine Purkinje Fibers

Isolated canine papillary muscle-false tendon tissue preparations stimulated at a cycle length of 630 msec were treated with ouabain (2.1 x 10-7M) until an increase in the slope of diastolic depolarization of Purkinje fibers was produced. Then the effects of changes in cycle length on the slope were tested. Sustained shortening of the cycle length increased the slope, and sustained lengthening had the opposite effect. An abrupt decrease in cycle length caused by a stimulus during phase 3 of a driven beat induced an increase in the slope of diastolic depolarization for one or more subsequent cycles. This procedure occasionally led to the spontaneous generation of an action potential which propagated into surrounding tissue. Suspension of stimulation often was followed by spontaneous beats. Shortening of the cycle length decreased the time of onset and increased the number and frequency of spontaneous beats. These effects were correlated with increases in the slope of diastolic depolarization. The diastolic...
A new nonlocal nonlinear diffusion of image processing

Abstract A novel nonlocal nonlinear diffusion is analyzed which has proven useful as a denoising tool in image processing. The equation can be viewed as a new paradigm for the regularization of the well-known Perona–Malik equation. The regularization is implemented via nonlinearity intensity reduction through fractional derivatives. Well-posedness in the weak setting is established. Global existence and convergence to the average holds in the purely diffusive limit whereas an interesting dynamic behavior is engendered by the presence of nontrivial equilibria as the intensity of the nonlinearity is increased and comes close to the one of Perona–Malik.
Terra Cognita I: The lowest (known) mass squared splitting

We summarize the results presented in the parallel session Terra Cognita I, focused on discussing neutrino oscillations driven by the lowest mass square splitting. Two sessions were dedicated to discuss: a) experimental efforts to improve the precision of astrophysical factors, solar neutrinos and long baseline reactor antineutrinos measurements, b) phenomenological and theoretical role of the solar oscillation parameters and the possible subleading effects.
The effect of marihuana on pituitary-thyroid activity in the rat.

Systemic injection of marihuana distillate extract, of whichΔ 9-tetrahydrocannbinol (Δ 9-THC) is the major single constituent, inhibits the release of radioiodine from the thyroid gland of the rat. Administration of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) resulted in increased output of iodine in animals pretreated withΔ 9-THC. These data suggest that reduced TSH secretion is the primary cause of the thyroid inhibition induced by THC. Bilateral electrolytic lesions in the region of the medial mammillary nuclei of the hypothalamus prevented the decrease in pituitary-thyroid activity induced by THC, whereas lesions in the rostral hypothalamus did not effect the response. These results indicate that THC inhibits pituitary-thyroid function due to an action on neurons in the caudal hypothalamus. The possibility is discussed that these effects are due to stimulation of specific inhibitory centers rather than depression of neurons responsible for tonic release of TSH. Marihuana appears to have a similar action to morphine in modifying pituitary-thyroid function.
Epicuticular lipids of the desert tenebrionid beetle, Eleodes armata: Identification of the branched hydrocarbons

Abstract The epicuticular branched hydrocarbons of the tenebrionid beetle, Eleodes armata consist of 2-methylalkanes, internally branched monomethylalkanes and dimethylalkanes. The 2-methylalkanes range from 27 to 33 carbon atoms, the internally branched monomethylalkanes range from 28 to 36 carbon atoms and the dimethylalkanes range from 33 to 46 carbon atoms. The hydrocarbon composition is compared to a number of other Tenebrionidae. Differences in branched hydrocarbon compositions of summer collected and winter collected E. armata are discussed.
Specular reflections: developments in astronomical speckle-imaging techniques

It is now twenty years since the pioneering work of Antoine Labeyrie gave the technique of stellar speckle interferometry to the astronomical community. Subsequently, the field has exploded with many new insights, ideas and innovations. This paper reflects upon and discusses these developments. In particular, the extremely powerful speckle imaging techniques such as triple correlation analysis or speckle masking are reviewed. Image reconstruction algorithm developments are considered. The recent developments in the area of imaging using pupil masking, aperture synthesis and phase-closure techniques are also discussed.
Quasi-steady problems in freezing soils: I. Analysis on the steady growth of an ice layer

Abstract The steady growth of a segregated ice layer in freezing soils is studied mathematically under three distinct and representative hypotheses on the properties of the frozen fringe, chosen among many such hypotheses reported in the literature. It was found that the condition of steady growth is determined by the temperature gradient in the unfrozen part of the soil at the 0 (°C) isotherm and the temperature gradient in the ice layer at the interface between the ice layer and the frozen fringe in all three hypothetical models studied. The transport equation of water in the frozen fringe was found to be the major factor determining the condition of steady growth. This is the first of a two-part presentation on the subject; the experimental aspects of the study will be presented in a second paper.
NASA selects asteroid mission for New Frontiers Program

[1] NASA has selected an unmanned mission to study and return samples from a carbonaceous asteroid as the third mission in its New Frontiers Program, the agency announced on 25 May. The Origins-Spectral Interpretation-Resource Identification-Security-Regolith Explorer (OSIRIS-REx) is scheduled for a 2016 launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla., and a 2023 return to Utah's Test and Training Range. It will be the first U.S. mission to return samples from an asteroid to Earth and the first to return asteroid samples that could help scientists understand organics on Earth. The mission aims to sample the approximately 1900-foot-diameter asteroid, 1999 RQ36, which is named for the year it was discovered. This asteroid is “kind of a time capsule from 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system formed,” according to OSIRIS-REx principal investigator Michael Drake, director of the Lunar and Planetary Laboratory at the University of Arizona, Tucson, which NASA selected to lead the mission. The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md., is managing the mission, and Lockheed Martin will build the spacecraft. The mission is expected to cost $800 million, excluding the $1 billion launch vehicle.
Scenario clustering and dynamic probabilistic risk assessment

Abstract A challenging aspect of dynamic methodologies for probabilistic risk assessment (PRA), such as the Dynamic Event Tree (DET) methodology, is the large number of scenarios generated for a single initiating event. Such large amounts of information can be difficult to organize for extracting useful information. Furthermore, it is not often sufficient to merely calculate a quantitative value for the risk and its associated uncertainties. The development of risk insights that can increase system safety and improve system performance requires the interpretation of scenario evolutions and the principal characteristics of the events that contribute to the risk. For a given scenario dataset, it can be useful to identify the scenarios that have similar behaviors (i.e., identify the most evident classes), and decide for each event sequence, to which class it belongs (i.e., classification). It is shown how it is possible to accomplish these two objectives using the Mean-Shift Methodology (MSM). The MSM is a kernel-based, non-parametric density estimation technique that is used to find the modes of an unknown data distribution. The algorithm developed finds the modes of the data distribution in the state space corresponding to regions with highest data density as well as grouping the scenarios generated into clusters based on scenario temporal similarities. The MSM is illustrated using the data generated by a DET algorithm for the analysis of a simple level/temperature controller and reactor vessel auxiliary cooling system.
Arsine: absence of developmental toxicity in rats and mice.

Abstract Arsine gas is a potent hemolytic agent but the effects of exposure to tolerated concentrations on pregnancy and prenatal development have not been reported. In the present evaluation, groups of bred mice and rats were exposed to arsine at concentrations of 0.025, 0.5, or 2.5 ppm on Gestation Days (gd) 6 through 15. Animals were killed on gd 17 (mice) or on gd 20 (rats) and endpoints of maternal and developmental toxicity were evaluated. In rats, maternal spleens were enlarged in the 2.5 ppm group and there was a decrease in packed red cell volume in pregnant rats. Fetuses weighed more than in the control group but other endpoints of developmental toxicity were not affected by arsine exposure. In another experiment involving separate groups of rats, the arsenic content of maternal blood and fetal livers increased with increasing atmospheric arsine concentrations, as assessed on gd 20. In mice, maternal spleen size was significantly increased in the 2.5 ppm group. The number of live fetuses, mean fetal body weight, and percentages of resorptions or malformations per litter were not affected by arsine exposure. In conclusion, arsine at atmospheric concentrations that caused increases in maternal spleen size and measureable levels of arsenic in maternal blood and fetal livers did not adversely affect endpoints of developmental toxicity.
The effect of PS-K, a protein bound polysaccharide, on immune responses against allogeneic antigens

A single dose of PS-K administered to C57B1/6J mice after immunization augmented both the humoral and cellular allogeneic responses against P815 tumor cells. PS-K addition to primary alloantigen sensitization cultures (C57B1/6J spleen cells against X-irradiated P815 cells) resulted in augmented 3H-thymidine uptake and cell mediated cytolytic acitivity. Ten daily administrations of PS-K to DBA/2J mice after implantation of a mammary tumor of DBA/2HaDD origin results in increased tumor regression and prolonged survival of the mice. PS-K addition to human mixed lymphocyte cultures caused an augmentation of both cell mediated cytolytic activity and 3H thymidine uptake. The dose dependence of the PS-K effects were described by a bell shaped curve and PS-K did not appear to affect the day of peak development of the various responses. The effects were consistently greater if PS-K was administered at the same time or after antigen presentation. Thus, the immunoaugmenting effects induced by PS-K were similar in each model system tested.
Extending the time scale in molecular dynamics simulations: Propagation of ripples in graphene

We show that it gives an exact solution of the temporal part of the MD equations for up to quadratic terms in atomic displacements in the interatomic potential. Higher-order terms are then included by iteration. We will refer to our technique as Green’s function in molecular dynamics GFMD. This technique should be applicable to all physical, chemical, and biological systems where MD is used. In certain class of problems in which the atoms vibrate about an equilibrium site, GFMD gives exact results in the harmonic approximation. Examples of such class of problems are phonon transport, thermal conduction etc., in disordered or finite solids and low-dimensional material systems for which MD has to be used because analytical solutions are not available even in the harmonic approximation. For nonlinear vibration problems, depending upon the anharmonicity, GFMD can accelerate MD by about 8 orders of magnitude, and model processes at microseconds. In other classes of problems in which the atoms are itinerant, such as diffusion or crystal growth, GFMD can be used iteratively and should still accelerate MD by a significant amount. Consider a set of N interacting atoms. We label the atoms by indices L and L. We assume a Cartesian frame of reference and denote the position vector of atom L by rL at t = 0. We denote the displacement and velocity of atom L at time t by uL ,t and cL ,t, respectively. As in classical MD, we need to solve the following equation for u:
Locus equation encoding of stop place: revisiting the voicing/VOT issue

Abstract This study explored the consistency of locus equation slopes to serve as phonetic descriptors of stop place in CV utterances across voiced versus voiceless aspirated stops. Using traditional locus equation measurement sites for F2 onsets, voiceless labial and coronal stops had lower locus equation slopes relative to their voiced counterparts, whereas velars failed to show voicing differences. When locus equations were derived using F2 onsets for voiced stops that were measured closer to the stop release burst, comparable to the protocol for measuring voiceless aspirated stops, the slope differences across voicing were greatly minimized. This methodological factor, rather than an underlying phonetic-based explanation, provides a reasonable account for the observed flatter locus equation slopes of voiceless labial and coronal stops relative to voiced cognates.
Monitoring radionuclides in subsurface drinking water sources near unconventional drilling operations: a pilot study.

Abstract Unconventional drilling (the combination of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling) to extract oil and natural gas is expanding rapidly around the world. The rate of expansion challenges scientists and regulators to assess the risks of the new technologies on drinking water resources. One concern is the potential for subsurface drinking water resource contamination by naturally occurring radioactive materials co-extracted during unconventional drilling activities. Given the rate of expansion, opportunities to test drinking water resources in the pre- and post-fracturing setting are rare. This pilot study investigated the levels of natural uranium, lead-210, and polonium-210 in private drinking wells within 2000 m of a large-volume hydraulic fracturing operation – before and approximately one-year following the fracturing activities. Observed radionuclide concentrations in well waters tested did not exceed maximum contaminant levels recommended by state and federal agencies. No statistically-significant differences in radionuclide concentrations were observed in well-water samples collected before and after the hydraulic fracturing activities. Expanded monitoring of private drinking wells before and after hydraulic fracturing activities is needed to develop understanding of the potential for drinking water resource contamination from unconventional drilling and gas extraction activities.
Electrophoretic patterns of proteins from isolated synapses of human and swine brain

Abstract Subcellular fractions of synapses which have been isolated from human and swine brains by three different fractionation techniques have four major proteins of identical molecular weights. There are numerous other proteins in lesser quantities which also appear identical for the two species. The similar mobility patterns for fractions predominating in synaptic complexes or synaptosomes and microsomes indicate that there is no major specific protein in either fraction and that the major protein constituents are common for these subcellular fractions.
Positive effects of testosterone and immunochallenge on energy allocation to reproductive organs

A number of studies have suggested the incompatibility of simultaneous increases in immune and reproductive functions. Other research has indicated that immune responses may be modulated depending on the relative benefits of increased survival and prospects for current and future reproduction. We tested the hypothesis that energy allocation to reproductive and other organ systems is not affected by testosterone level and energy expenditure on immune functions. Adult male white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) with or without elevated testosterone levels and with or without immunochallenges were tested. Testosterone treatment was associated with reduced humoral immune response indicating immunosuppressive effects, reduced masses of gastrointestinal organs, reduced corticosterone level, increased kidney and seminal vesicle masses, and increased hematocrit. Immunochallenge was associated with increased resting metabolic rate and testes and seminal vesicle masses. Reproductive organ masses were greatest in immunochallenged mice with exogenous testosterone. Simultaneous increases in energy allocation to immune and reproductive structures may be an adaptive response that would enhance survival and current prospects for reproduction.
Non-non-crossings in molecular potential energy curves

Abstract This article points out a new aspect of approximate calculations of molecular potential curves. Two curves that cross in an exact solution of the electronic wave equation may avoid each other when an approximate method is used. This is in direct contradiction to the usual interpretation of the von Neumann-Wigner non-crossing rule. Examples of this behavior are shown in one-electron systems. The question is, to what extent are calculated avoidances real, and to what extent are they artifacts of incomplete calculations? We suggest that this question is unanswered at present and mention possible molecules for critical theoretical investigations.
Mesmer, the franklin commission, and hypnosis: A counterfactual essay

The author reviews the social and scientific context for both Mesmer's theory of animal magnetism and the evaluation of that theory by the Franklin Commission. If Mesmer had never lived, someone else would have introduced magnets into medicine; and if the Franklin Commission had never met, someone else would have found the theory of animal magnetism invalid. Mesmer's theory was an imperfect analogy conditioned by the scientific vocabulary of his time, and the Franklin Commission's debunking of his theory left Mesmer's effects both unchallenged and unexplained. Both Mesmer and the Franklin Commission suffered from the fact that in their time scientific psychology was not merely unavailable but considered impossible.
Liver localization of [99mTc]MDP in a case of metastatic malignant melanoma

Abstract Extraosseous tumor uptake of bone imaging agents is a fairly frequent phenomenon but the exact mechanism of the phenomenon remains uncertain. We are reporting a case of uptake of [ 99m Tc]MDP in malignant melanoma metastatic to the liver and present a gamut for the localization of bone imaging radiopharmaceuticals within the liver. The proposed mechanisms of uptake in hepatic tumors are reviewed.
Preliminary development and testing of DRIS soil norms for soybean production 1

Abstract The Diagnosis and Recommendation Integrated System (DRIS) has proven to be a useful tool for the identification and correction of nutrient limitations in plants. The basic tenets of the approach as they apply to development of soil norms are discussed. Diagnostic norms based on Mehlich I extractable P, K, Ca, and Mg were developed for coarse‐ and fine‐textured Ultisols employing data banks containing 1000 and 1500 observations, respectively. Differences in “optimum” nutrient ratios between the two soil types appeared to be due to regional liming and fertilization practices based on the amount of clay in the plough layer. DRIS soil norms accurately diagnosed nutrient limitations at low yield levels but were not successful at higher yield levels, indicating that factors other than those considered may be more limiting. Soil nutrient balance is not critical in determining yields on the highly weathered soils of the southeastern United States at yield levels less than 3,000 kg ha‐l except when the le...
Post-pollen-germination barriers to seed set in sweet-potato

Three sweet-potato crossing combinations selected for good pollen germination were characterized by a moderate to high amount of failure of tubes to pass from stigma to style. The number of tubes penetrating the style was about 6 times the number of seeds produced. Ovules of compatibly pollinated flowers were divided into two classes, by size. Larger (probably fertilized) ovules matured into seeds, whereas smaller (probably unfertilized ovules) dried into scales. Besides the incompatibility barrier in sweet potato, which inhibits pollen-germination, a physiological or mechanical barrier between stigma and style is hypothesized. Pollen tube growth is not appreciably inhibited within the style. A third barrier between stylar penetration and mature seed development is postulated but not identified. However, the mechanism does not appear to be due to embryo abortion. Seed abortion leads to small, weak and inviable seeds, and thus represents a further reproductive loss.
Structures and energies of low-lying doublet excited states of N3 from accurate configuration interaction calculations

The low-lying doublet excited states of the azide radical (N3) have been studied at a highly multireference ab initio level of theory including basis sets up to augmented quadruple-ζ quality. A full hypersurface scan under C2v restrictions for five low-lying bent N3 states (2A2, 2A1, 2B1, and two 2B2) revealed a highly complex potential surface manifold with many stationary points, conical intersections and multiple surface crossings, all of which have been characterized at a high level of theory. The behavior of these states is discussed, especially as a function of the NNN angle. At least two new low-lying pathways on the excited surfaces leading from the linear to the cyclic-N3 region were found, both involving the components of the degenerate excited 2∏u state of linear N3.
NetDev: an object-oriented framework enabling network programming for students and researchers

Pursuing network programming requires breaking through the barrier that most operating systems present at the transport layer. The reasons for the existence of this barrier are both security and convenience. The data link and network layers provide services such as address resolution and routing to the end user. In addition, users programming at these layers can easily spoof addresses, presenting a security risk.For the teacher and researcher, this barrier quickly becomes problematic. Networking students are familiar with the concepts at the lower layers and have a natural curiosity about the software that operates at those layers. Research into lower layer protocols necessitates pealing away the existing layers to replace them with experimental software. Implementing security software depends upon being able to intercept and sometimes inject packets at a low level in the hierarchy.An object-oriented framework for pursuing network programming at all layers above layer 1 is presented. This framework is realized as an open source project[5], providing an object-oriented class library that allows capturing packets at the lowest layers and injecting arbitrary packets into the network. It also includes a library of classes to model various protocol headers. Each class in this library includes the ability to parse a captured packet as well as build a packet from its component fields. This package has been implemented both in Java, using the JNI [14], and in C++.Uses for this framework are discussed, including a summary of a two M.S. projects that have been completed. Current work includes the development of ARP caching and basic routing table maintenance and manipulation. In addition, a number of packet editors exist that allow students to hand-craft packets for injection into the network. Future areas of exploration are outlined.
Reflections on Some SPSSI Issues

After being asked to write a comment for this historic collection, I found myself reviewing my own SPSSI involvement over a period of 10 to 15 years—as a council member, committee member (and there were some 10 of these committees), committee chairman, president, and finally as SPSSI's representative to the APA Council. Several “themes” began to emerge in my reflections.
Scalable data aggregation for dynamic events in sensor networks

Computing and maintaining network structures for efficient data aggregation incurs high overhead for dynamic events where the set of nodes sensing an event changes with time. Moreover, structured approaches are sensitive to the waiting-time which is used by nodes to wait for packets from their children before forwarding the packet to the sink. Although structureless approaches can address these issues, the performance does not scale well with the network size. We propose a semi-structured approach that uses a structureless technique locally followed by Dynamic Forwarding on an implicitly constructed packet forwarding structure to support network scalability. The structure, ToD, is composed of multiple shortest path trees. After performing local aggregation, nodes dynamically decide the forwarding tree based on the location of the sources. The key principle behind ToD is that adjacent nodes in a graph will have low stretch in one of these trees in ToD, thus resulting in early aggregation of packets. Based on simulations on a 2000 nodes network and real experiments on a 105 nodes Mica2-based network, we conclude that efficient aggregation in large scale networks can be achieved by our semi-structured approach.
Adipose-specific phospholipase as regulator of adiposity

A white adipose-tissue-specific intracellular phospholipase, which releases arachidonic acid from position sn-2 of phospholipids, was recently discovered and named AdPLA. When AdPLA was induced by feeding or by insulin treatment, the arachidonic acid released from phospholipids acted as a precursor for the formation of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Subsequent activation of the prostaglandin receptor EP3 caused decreased levels of cAMP that led to decreased lipolysis and increased adiposity. Ablation of AdPLA in knockout mice resulted in the reverse sequence of events, with a decline in arachidonic acid release and prostaglandin synthesis and an increase in levels of cAMP, leading to increased lipolysis and a decline in adiposity, even though food intake was not affected. The newly discovered AdPLA enzyme in white adipose tissue functions as a regulator of lipolysis by acting as an antilipolytic agent mediated by increased PGE2 formation and decreased intracellular cAMP.
A comment on Friedman and Rossi’s dialectical theory and the study of HIV/AIDS: a broad Marxist critique

Samuel R. Friedman and Diana Rossi have written an exhilarating essay on dialectical theory and the study of HIV and AIDS and other epidemics. They argue that we understand epidemics better when we see them as a result of the interaction between human agents, society, and nature. They draw from Marxist theory to provide a nuanced view of dialectics, which they argue is a process that, ‘‘sees wholes as fundamental parts of causal systems, change as resulting from reciprocal causation and conflicts within and between levels of analysis... and emphasizes processes rather than states of being.’’ I would only argue that causes need not be reciprocal to reflect the multidimensional nature of historical, complex, and contextual analysis of ideas and practices that have nurtured epidemics. In my view, the authors demonstrate convincingly that recognizing and eventually naming the HIV virus came from multidimensional work done by researchers on other illnesses. But more importantly, they point out that large social entities such as governments or economies are part of the process that play an important role in creating a climate of oppression, exploitation, and ideology, which in turn result either in resistance movements or the establishment of sexual networks, and other risk behaviors that continue to facilitate the progress of epidemics. The risk factors cannot be studied in isolation. A dialectical approach, from their point of view, should also take into consideration human actions as key ingredients of social praxis which respond to hegemonic structures. The authors carefully map, with great economy of language, the metabolic emergence of HIV and AIDS. They examine several themes, which are part of this complex web and provide important clues to understand epidemics: urbanization, migrations, social niches, and sexual networks. In discussing the social world where transmissions of viruses take place, the authors explore the role of capitalism in contributing to the spread of epidemics and HIV and AIDS. Beginning from
Exercise training delineates the importance of B-cell dysfunction to the glucose intolerance of human aging.

Aging has been associated with glucose intolerance, insulin resistance, hyperinsulinemia, and diminished islet B-cell function. The relative contribution of these factors to the aging-associated changes in glucose tolerance has been difficult to discern, particularly so for B-cell function, since insulin sensitivity itself is a determinant of B-cell function and, therefore, comparisons of insulin levels and responses between old and young subjects are difficult. To reduce this effect, we compared B-cell function in 14 healthy older men (aged 61-82 yr; body mass index, 21-30 kg/m2), who were exercise trained for 6 months to improve insulin sensitivity, to that of 11 healthy young men (aged 24-31 yr; body mass index, 19-31 kg/m2), who were also trained. Insulin-glucose interactions were assessed by measuring indices of insulin sensitivity (SI) and glucose effectiveness at zero insulin (GEZI) using Bergman's minimal model. B-Cell function was assessed by determining the acute insulin responses (AIR) to gluco...
Rarefied gas channel flow using the BGK model

Das Problem der Stromungsbildung in Couettestromung suspendierter Partikel in Flussigkeiten wird mit Hilfe der Theorie der Flussigkeiten mit Mikrostruktur entwickelt. Die Reaktion der Mikrostruktur auf das entwickelte Geschwindigkeitsfeld, die Grenzschicht und die resultierende Schubspannung werden untersucht.
Survey Results of Combustible Contents and Floor Areas in Canadian Multi-Family Dwellings

This paper presents the results of a survey of floor areas and combustible contents in multi-family dwellings such as semi-detached houses, town houses and low-rise apartments. The survey was primarily based on measurements and photographic information obtained from real-estate websites. This is a novel method, which reduces the effort required to conduct fire load surveys in residential buildings. In addition to quantifying combustible contents, an important objective of the survey was to determine the similarities in combustible contents and configurations of these dwellings, which could be used in designing fire experiments. The survey provided an insight into the types and quantity of combustible contents found in the dwellings, as well as the types of floor configurations and other information that are pertinent to fire issues. Typical furnishings that constituted a significant portion of the movable fire load were identified and possible values of fire load densities were calculated for rooms such as: kitchens, dining rooms, living rooms and bedrooms. The average fire load densities in various rooms were estimated to be: kitchens—807 MJ/m2; dining rooms—393 MJ/m2; living rooms—412 MJ/m2; basement living rooms—288 MJ/m2; primary bedrooms—534 MJ/m2; and, secondary bedrooms—594 MJ/m2. Although kitchens had the highest fire load densities the actual fire load (heat content) was found to be lower than bedrooms, which have a higher fire load due to the presence of mattresses, clothing and carpeting.
SU‐E‐T‐368: Effect of Oblique Beam Incidence On 3D Dose Reconstruction for Small Field IMRT QA

Purpose: To compare dose reconstruction accuracy with different oblique beam angles when 2d detector arrays are used for small field IMRT QA. Methods: 2D detector arrays are convenient to use but their low resolution limits the number of sampling points inside small radiation fields. In this study, we demonstrate that with oblique beam incidence, more points can be measured and 3D dose volume can be reconstructed more accurately. QA plans were simulated and measured using four oblique angles: 90 degree (straight incidence), 60 degree, 30 degree, and 15 degree. 3D dose volume was reconstructed based on dose measurements through back‐projection and inverse attenuation correction. Total delivering dose was calculated after rotating individual beam doses into actual beam angles. Two IMRT QA devices were used in our study, including a PTW /Octavius phantom and a Delta4 QA device. A spine SBRT plan was chosen as the study case. Gamma passing rate, mean PTV dose, and maximum dose received 2cc of spinal cord were calculated to compare reconstructed dose to original planning dose. Effects of measurement error and detector resolution were also investigated. Results: Oblique beam incidence will improve the sampling frequency of dose measurments. When the detector spacing is 10mm, 30 degree is the optimal angle for the Delta4 phantom and 15 degree is the opitmal angle for the PTW/Octavius phantom. Compared with standard straight incidence setup, QA with the optimal angle has 10% higher gamma passing rate (with 2mm/2% criteria) in both simulation and actual measurement. However, oblique incidence didn't improve QA accuracy consistently when the detector spacing is 5mm. Conclusion: Oblique incidence can be used to improve IMRT QA accuracy for 2d‐array devices which don't have sufficient spatial resolution for small field measurement.
High-risk germ cell tumors in men. High response rate and severe toxicity with cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin, and etoposide.

BACKGROUND In an attempt to improve the complete remission and cure rate of advanced, bulky, high-risk germ cell cancer in men, a "high-dose" cisplatin, vinblastine, bleomycin, and etoposide (PVeBV) regimen was introduced. METHODS Ten men with biopsy-proven germ cell tumors who had one or more poor prognostic features were treated with PVeBV. RESULTS Six of the 10 had complete remissions and are long-term survivors. The most devastating toxicity, which resulted in the death of three patients, was progressive respiratory failure. It was postulated that renal tubular injury prolonged the renal clearance of bleomycin, intensifying the patient's pulmonary exposure to this drug and increased the susceptibility to pulmonary injury at lower than expected cumulative doses of bleomycin. CONCLUSIONS Modifications of the regimen to reduce toxicity without diminishing the efficacy should be considered before PVeBV is adopted for general use.
A social learning model of conflict and cooperation in human societies

Patterns of conflict and cooperation both within and between societies may be related to the degree of cultural similarity within and between the same societies. A simple model of social learning is used to predict patterns of conflict and cooperation in hypothetical societies that differ in the roles of relatives and nonrelatives in the enculturation of children. The model is illustrated by comparing its predictions to known differences in the patterns of conflict between males inpatrilocal and matrilocal societies.
Trauma Score change during transport: is it predictive of mortality?

The Trauma Score, a physiologic measure of injury severity, has been used to evaluate prehospital care by comparing the score before with the score after patient transport. To assess the value of the Trauma Score when used in this way, we compared the change in Trauma Score (TS change) during transport to eventual mortality in a group of injured patients. Patients transported by helicopter to the base hospital during a 22-month period had scores obtained on arrival of the flight crew (TS initial) and again on arrival at the emergency department (TS after transport). Stepwise logistic regression was used to test the predictive power for mortality of TS initial, TS after transport, and TS change. Of 387 patients transferred during the study period, 376 patients had complete information and were included in the analysis. Approximately 75% of patients had no TS change. The best predictor of mortality was TS after transport (F = 80.94, P < .01). When TS after transport was removed as an explanatory variable, TS initial was found to have significant predictive power for mortality (F = 76.98, P < .01), with TS change adding significantly to predictive power (F = 15.02, P < .01). We conclude that because TS change is predictive of survival, it is potentially useful as an outcome measure to evaluate the impact of treatment during transport.
Primary Care Training and the Evolving Healthcare System

With growing numbers of patient-centered medical homes and accountable care organizations, and the potential implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the provision of primary care in the United States is expanding and changing. Therefore, there is an urgent need to create more primary-care physicians and to train physicians to practice in this environment. In this article, we review the impact that the changing US healthcare system has on trainees, strategies to recruit and retain medical students and residents into primary-care internal medicine, and the preparation of trainees to work in the changing healthcare system. Recruitment methods for medical students include early preclinical exposure to patients in the primary-care setting, enhanced longitudinal patient experiences in clinical clerkships, and primary-care tracks. Recruitment methods for residents include enhanced ambulatory-care training and primary-care programs. Financial-incentive programs such as loan forgiveness may encourage trainees to enter primary care. Retaining residents in primary-care careers may be encouraged via focused postgraduate fellowships or continuing medical education to prepare primary-care physicians as both teachers and practitioners in the changing environment. Finally, to prepare primary-care trainees to effectively and efficiently practice within the changing system, educators should consider shifting ambulatory training to community-based practices, encouraging resident participation in team-based care, providing interprofessional educational experiences, and involving trainees in quality-improvement initiatives. Medical educators in primary care must think innovatively and collaboratively to effectively recruit and train the future generation of primary-care physicians.
Part one: Paleoepidemiology of degenerative knee disease

Abstract Degenerative knee disease is investigated in osteological samples from three human skeletal populations. The distribution of incidence shows Eskimos are the most frequently and severely affected group, and multivariate analysis further indicates localized age‐independent patterns of degenerative involvement within the knee. It is suggested that such variation results from functional stress within the knee joint. Various modes of cultural behavior may have caused biomechanical stress to differ significantly in prehistoric peoples, and variable functional factors most probably produced the observed differences in the distribution of degenerative disease.
Robust tracking for a class of uncertain linear systems

Tracking of a specified nominal output within an arbitrary error bound in the presence of uncertainties is formulated in terms of topological neighbourhoods in the function space Lκ∞ [0, ∞). It is shown that an observer-based state-feedback controller can be constructed to effect the desired robust tracking for a class of multi-input-multi-output linear systems containing uncertain parameters. The controller and the observer gains for this structure are chosen on the basis of a quantitative pole placement. This pole placement is based on an inequality arrived at by separating the uncertain effects of the true system from a nominal set of equations containing no uncertainties. The applicability of the proposed scheme is illustrated by synthesizing a controller for a second-order system.
REVISION OF VERBESINA SECTION VERBESINA (ASTERACEAE: HELIANTHEAE)

A revisionary treatment of the insular CaribbeanVerbesina sectionVerbesina (formerly sectionHamulium) is provided. Four taxa (three species and one variety) are recognized.
Evaluation of the Effect of Subgingival Placement of Chlorhexidine Chips as an Adjunct to Scaling and Root Planing

Background: The purpose of this 9-month study was to compare the effect of scaling and root planing alone (control) to that of scaling and root planing plus application of chlorhexidine chips (test). Methods: Twenty-six subjects having two non-adjacent sites in non-molar teeth with probing depth ≥5 mm and bleeding on probing participated in this split-mouth trial. At baseline, the patients received full-mouth scaling and root planing followed by placement of chlorhexidine chips secured by cyanoacrylate at test sites and placement of cyanoacrylate alone at control sites. Test sites still ≥5 mm deep at 3 and 6 months were retreated with renewed chlorhexidine chip application. Recordings of bleeding on probing, probing depths, and clinical attachment levels were performed at baseline, after 6 weeks, and after 3, 6, and 9 months. Results: Improvements of bleeding scores, probing depths and clinical attachment levels were observed for both test and control sites at 6 weeks compared to baseline. Subsequently, all three measurements remained comparatively stable throughout the study. No differences in improvements were found comparing test and control sites. Conclusion: This study failed to observe any adjunctive effect of subgingival placement of chlorhexidine chips after scaling and root planing.
Secondary R Waves in Right Precordial Leads in Normal Persons and in Patients with Cardiac Disease

Secondary R waves in leads V1 or V3R are definitely abnormal if the primiary R wave is high for the age group even though the R' is small; if the secondary R wave is more than 6 mm.; or if the R'/S ratio exceeds 1. Other patterns may be found both in patients with heart disease and in normal subjects. In the abnormal cases, the QRS changes persist in leads taken below but in line with V1 and V3R; but in normal cases, the secondary R waves usually disappear in the lower leads.
Alcohol effects on variability-contingent operant responding in the rat

Male albino rats were trained by autoshaping in a two-bar operant for water reinforcement. A behavioral variability reinforcement contingency was then imposed in which variations in an unrestricted four-response sequence were required. LAG-5 contingencies (in which response sequences over the previous five sets could not be repeated) produced reliably high uncertainty scores, which were easily reversed by impositions of stereotypic response-reinforcement contingencies. Compared with saline-injected controls, subjects receiving i. p. injections of ethanol (0.5 g/kg) were found to show an increased uncertainty of responding in the LAG-5 contingency condition. In that previous findings suggest a decrease in uncertainty of responding under stereotypic contingencies, it is proposed that a drug variability-contingent dependency exists that may shed light on the brain mechanisms of behavioral variability.
Negotiating with patriarchy: South Asian Muslim women and the appeal to Sir Syed Ahmed Khan

Abstract This article explores the tensions within the nineteenth-century discourse of reform and change among Muslims of South Asia. Contrary to a commonly held view that within this discourse women were mostly invisible, this article documents a deep concern of women not only for their degraded position but also for the ill fate of their community. As most dominant historiographies of social change in South Asia have effaced Muslim women's independent activism, this article uses purdah to examine how women negotiated their identities within the context of public space. This interesting negotiation literally took place in 1884 from behind the purdah when women chose an effective strategy to act as their own advocates by documenting their voices. This historic event took place in 1884 when Sir Syed Ahmed Khan toured the Punjab, India. The article is testimony to nineteenth-century South Asian Muslim women's feminist consciousness and the contested nature of Muslim identity.
Ice crystallization in a scraped surface freezer

Abstract Ice crystal size plays an important role in determining the quality of ice cream, with small ice crystal sizes desired to enhance consumer acceptance. During freezing, nuclei formation must be promoted and ice crystal growth and recrystallization minimized to create many small ice crystals. The effects of sweetener type, draw temperature, dasher speed, and throughput rate on ice crystal size distributions during freezing of ice cream were investigated. These operating variables affect the mechanisms by which ice crystals form and ripen into the disc-shaped crystals observed exiting the freezer. Increasing the throughput rate, reducing the residence time, in the freezer allows less time at warmer temperatures where recrystallization occurs rapidly, which leads to smaller ice crystals at the freezer exit. Smaller ice crystals were also found at lower draw temperatures, since coolant temperatures were reduced, increasing the driving force for nucleation. Increased ice crystal size at draw occurred when faster dasher speeds were utilized due to the addition of frictional heat into the system causing melting of small crystals. Residence time was found to have the most pronounced effect on mean ice crystal size followed by draw temperature and dasher speed, whereas type of sweetener had no significant effect.
Target Environment Simulation and its Impact on Architecture Validation: A Case Study of Thread-Level Speculative Execution

Due to simulation overhead, validation of proposed microarchitecture enhancements may be limited to simple test scenarios, which focus on the known architectural deficiencies. These test scenarios often avoid a complete simulation of the eventual target environment in which the enhancements will be employed. A case study is presented, comparing and contrasting the performance of previous Thread-Level Speculation (TLS) proposals with that of a new, context-preserving proposal. Validation is performed within the constraints of a simulated target environment.
Paleoceanography: A new AGU journal

Even though the geomagnetic field is one of the earth's most pervasive geophysical phenomena, its origin and temporal variations are poorly understood. Satellites, which can quickly and accurately measure the field, have been used only on an occasional and opportunistic basis since 1958, when Sputnik 3 was launched. Since that time, some 13 magnetic field satellites have been launched with the last, the MAGSAT mission, lasting 7 months during 1979–1980. Detailed interpretations have been sketchy, because of the or-bits, the limited lifetime of each mission, or he infrequent nature of the missions.
The Bachmann-Howard Structure in Terms of Σ1-Elementarity

The Bachmann-Howard structure, that is the segment of ordinal numbers below the proof theoretic ordinal of Kripke-Platek set theory with infinity, is fully characterized in terms of CARLSON’s approach to ordinal notation systems based on the notion of Σ1-elementarity.