cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Managing market risk with conditioning information

Excess market return is regressed onto lagged, standardised economic variables. The sign of the forecasted return is used as an input to two market timing models that are run on out-of-sample data during the period 1983–2004. Evidence of market timing ability and superior risk-adjusted performance for the long/short and long-only timing models is demonstrated. Standardised variables appear to have more forecasting power than raw variables. By conditioning on the levels of economic variables with respect to their recent history, market timing leads to better management of market risk and economically significant investment out-performance. Specific applications of Portable Beta are discussed.
IL-2 gets with the program

Many aspects of the CD8+ T lymphocyte response are 'programmed' by inductive stimuli during primary activation. A recent Nature paper shows that interleukin 2 signals endow CD8 T cells with the capacity for secondary population expansion during priming.
Advances in nonlinear optical crystals

The building blocks available to the laser source designer for various applications such as LIDAR are continuing to progress, especially with regard to the availability of significantly improved nonlinear optical (NLO) crystals and their coatings. These crystals enhance the performance of laser systems, providing wavelength shifting and tunability with ever increasing output power across the spectral range extending from ultraviolet through the terahertz region. Progress in the development of NLO crystal growth and processing techniques at the Air Force Research Laboratory, comprising both in-house and contractual components, will be presented. The optical characteristics of many of the 'workhorse' crystals continue to improve. For example, zinc germanium phosphide (ZGP), which became the material of choice for 2-micron pumped wavelength-tunable laser sources with average powers greater than 1 watt, continues to improve in terms of transparency and laser damage threshold. In addition, the search continues for NLO crystals that may be pumped by Nd:YAG lasers and generate longer-wavelength laser output through 5 microns. Several compounds are presently being investigated including AgGaGeS 4 and AgGaGe 5 Se 12 . Related to these bulk-crystal developments, surface preparation techniques and motheye surface structures continue to be developed. Since future laser trends are toward all-fiber systems, a new effort began earlier this year on nonlinear optical fiber for super continuum generation. Finally, NLO crystals are being studied for the generation and detection of terahertz radiation. In the presentation, recent advances in the materials development will be reviewed, and the direction of future efforts in this area will be forecast.
Development of a management information system for crisis intervention programs

The implementation of a client contact reporting system for a statewide network of crisis intervention programs is described. Attention is given to the rational and underlying priorities for the system as well as describing some unintended uses. A brief status report is also presented.
Retrospective dry bulk density estimates from southeast Indian Ocean sediments. Comparison of water loss and chloride-ion methods

Abstract Knowledge of absolute accumulation rates permits quantitative comparison between and within sediment components from cores of differing age and lithologic character. Dry bulk density is an essential parameter in the calculation of absolute accumulation rates. Dry bulk density measurements require a wet-volume term and are best made when a core is first recovered. Such measurements were not routinely made on Eltanin cores from the southeast Indian Ocean. In an effort to recover this information we have estimated the dry bulk density of sixty samples from five Eltanin cores using a water loss method and a chloride-ion method which is independent of the state of desiccation of the cores. Based on the consistency of the results using these two independent methods we feel confident in our estimation of dry bulk density. Comparison of dry bulk density and %CaCO 3 allowed us to develop the following non-linear regression equation for estimating the dry bulk density based on %CaCO 3 , a more easily and accurately measured property: =3.104x10 3 (%CaCO 3 ) 2 +2.176x10 −3 (%CaCO 3 )+0.430 This equation can be used to estimate dry bulk density to within ±0.097 g cm −3 , thus providing the information needed to reliably calculate absolute accumulation rates. Our Indian Ocean dry bulk density equations are different from those developed by similar techniques for the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans indicating that different lithologies necessitate the development of regional equations.
Improved resolution of earthquake source parameters from long-period surface wave inversions

Abstract Source centroid location optimization moment tensor inversions of long-period fundamental mode surface wave spectra. Joint inversions of Rayleigh and Love wave spectra are used to find source moment tensors for the 18 October 1989 Loma Prieta, California, earthquake ( M w = 6.9) and the 22 April 1991 Valle de la Estrella, Costa Rica, earthquake ( M w = 7.6). For the Loma Prieta event, the focal mechanism at the optimal centroid location is consistent with that at the epicenter, and both agree with independent information. For the Costa Rica event, the solution at the optimal centroid location is consistent with geodetic and body wave observations, whereas the solution found for the epicenter is not. We conclude that optimizing for centroid location in spectral inversions is possible and improves the determination of long-period surface wave source parameters.
The effect of controlled ion bombardment on the electronic structure of the Si(0 0 1) surface

Abstract We have studied the effects of controlled ion bombardment on the electronic structure of the Si(0 0 1) surface. The surface was exposed to various doses of Ar + ions accelerated towards the surface at 500 eV. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of the irradiated H-terminated Si(0 0 1) surface reveal the appearance of peaks that are associated with the presence of cleaved Si bonds. Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) spectra of the irradiated Si(0 0 1)2 × 1 surface show that the dimer dangling-bond surface state decays monotonically with increasing dose. These results, coupled with previous scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) studies, indicate that the breaking of dimers, and possibly the creation of adatom-like defects, during ion irradiation are responsible for the changes in the electronic structure of the valence band for this surface.
Molecular transform quantization of enzyme surface probes

Inhibition of enzyme function by series of appropriate substrates is the first step in the classical approach to definition of the reactive or binding sites on an enzyme surface. Several years ago, M. I. Kabachnik and his colleagues published inhibition rate data for acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) by phosphonates and phosphates. Some of the phosphonate data has been reexamined from a structure-activity point of view using the square root of the integrated molecular transform as a unitary structure descriptor. Linear regressions showed good correlation in the BuChE case; less adequate correlation were manifested with the AChE data. This is attributable to the predominantly lipophilic nature of the interaction between BuChE and substrates as compared to AChE, where electronic factors may have a prominent role. The correlation further suggest a different, but nontrivial, mode of action between the respective enzymes and their substrates. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
5-aminosalicylic acid preparations in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease

Multiple new 5-aminosalicylic acid preparations have joined sulphasalazine in our armamentarium of agents for the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease. Rowasa enemas are clearly an advance in our ability to treat distal ulcerative colitis. Oral 5-ASA analogues are equivalent to sulphasalazine in maintaining ulcerative colitis in remission but may have some increased efficacy in high doses for treating mild to moderate active ulcerative colitis. These agents are particularly useful in the sulphasalazine-intolerant individual. Some of the new 5-ASA preparations have been found to be helpful in the treatment of active Crohn’s disease. There is hope that the newer agents having distal small bowel drug release may be beneficial in maintaining Crohn’s disease in remission.
Striatal muscarinic receptors are associated with substance P and somatostatin containing neurons.

Abstract The cellular localization of muscarinic acetylcholine binding sites (mAChr) in relation to immunohistochemically characterized cell populations within the rat caudate nucleus has been determined using in vitro autoradiography of the reversible antagonist ligand, quinuclidinyl benzilate ([ 3 H]QNB). The pattern of autoradiographic silver grain deposition in the striatum was contrasted with the localization of two peptide-containing neuronal populations in the striatum. Substance P-immunoreactive somata demonstrated prevalent association of mAChr binding sites, as did somatostatin-immunoreactive cells. Substantially more striatal muscarinic binding sites were aggregated over the somatostatin interneuron population of the caudate nucleus than were associated with the substance P somata in concurrently performed experiments. This data further substantiates the heterogeneity in organization of the caudate nucleus, and the results are discussed in relation to the processing of information within this basal ganglia region.
Enhancing Classroom Communication between Teacher and Student

(1997). Enhancing Classroom Communication between Teacher and Student. Journal of Physical Education, Recreation & Dance: Vol. 68, No. 5, pp. 26-28.
Conversion of methanol to hydrocarbons: III. Methylation, ethylation, and propylation of benzene with methanol

Abstract Methanol is converted to hydrocarbons (and water) over HZSM-5 zeolite catalyst in the presence of 1–8 M excesses of benzene. Methanol products are primarily aliphatic hydrocarbon gases and C 1 to C 4 aliphatic substituents on the aromatic ring. Methylation of benzene to produce toluene increases as the feed ratio of methanol/benzene decreases. Mild conditions minimize aromatic ring production from methanol. Molar distribution of the methylene group (CH 2 ), in the product, is tabulated according to carbon number. Methane plus methyl substituents on the aromatic ring measure C 1 ; ethane, ethylene, and ethyl ring substituents measure C 2 , etc. At temperatures up to 325 °C, methylene distribution in the product is methyl = ethyl > propyl ⪢ butyl. Above 350 °C, methyl ⪢ ethyl > propyl. This distribution of the methylene group, under mild conditions, may be a measure of the early production of light olefins, from methanol, within the zeolite pores.
Chirurgie des sarcomes des tissus mous des membres et de la paroi du tronc

En 20 ans, le taux de controle local des sarcomes des tissus mous est passe d’environ 70 a 80 %, grâce entre autres aux progres de la chirurgie. En dehors des centres specialises, la prise en charge des sarcomes reste encore insuffisante, en particulier au moment initial. Ce papier detaille les pieges a eviter au moment du diagnostic, comment proceder a la biopsie. La chirurgie d’exerese est une chirurgie reglee, dont la place doit etre discutee dans un cadre de prise en charge pluridisciplinaire. Une exerese intempestive peut compromettre les chances de guerison. Elle est evaluee selon le systeme de la maladie residuelle (R), qui aide a mieux adapter le traitement complementaire.
Magnetic resonance imaging of differential compartmental function of horizontal rectus extraocular muscles during conjugate and converged ocular adduction

Activity in horizontal rectus extraocular muscles (EOMs) was investigated by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of humans during asymmetric convergence to a monocularly aligned target at 15-cm distan...
Structural and electronic effects on the reactivity of carbamoylsilanes towards acrylonitrile addition

Abstract The effect of substituents on Si and N on t1/2 values in the addition of carbamoylsilanes to acrylonitrile was explored. After examination of steric and structural parameters, the best correlation was found to be that rates increased with a decrease in the ionization potential of the carbamoylsilane.
German Academic Programs in Technical Communication

While research in international technical communication has flourished during the last 10 years, there has been little published on technical communication programs outside the United States. This article addresses this need by describing 12 representative academic technical communication programs in Germany, including Germany's first master's degree program. While there are no statistics on the number of technical communicators working in Germany, tekom (Gesellschaft fur technische Kommunikation), the German professional society for technical communication, estimates roughly 4,400 members. While German academic programs in technical communication share many features with their counterparts in the United States, German academic programs do stress internships, foreign language study, and study abroad exchange programs more than technical communication programs in the United States.
Survey of Nanosecond Techiniques

In their application to high energy physics, nanosecond electronic techniques offer the experimenter the possibility of accumulating large amounts of highly selected data in the presence of intense backgrounds of uninteresting events. In this paper selected examples of recent contributions to nanosecond electronics are reviewed. Attention is given to fast logic circuits, pulse measuring and transmission techniques, and to the new components whichlhave made the circuit developments possible. A temerous look at some future prospects is attempted.
Tribological properties of diamond-like carbon and related materials

Abstract Amorphous hard carbon films are often called diamond-like carbon (DLC) owing to their hardness, extreme wear resistance, and generally low friction coefficients. The tribological properties of DLC span a wide range of values depending on the deposition condition but they have several common features: friction coefficients which are extremely low in ultrahigh vacuum or dry nitrogen but high in dry oxygen, and very high wear resistance in vacuum and in ambient atmosphere, depending however on the deposition conditions. Loss of hydrogen from hydrogenated DLC results in loss of wear resistance and an increase in the friction coefficient in vacuum. The paper will present the tribological properties of pure DLC films and related materials, in different evaluation environments. The properties will be related to the deposition method and conditions and the mechanisms proposed for explaining the very low friction coefficients of DLC will be discussed. The effects of thermal annealing on the tribological properties of DLC will also be addressed.
Agrin Downregulation Induced by Nerve Injury Contributes to Neuropathic Pain

The elusiveness of neuropathic pain mechanisms is a major impediment in developing effective clinical treatments. Here we show that peripheral nerve injury decreased agrin expression in the ipsilateral spinal dorsal horn of rats displaying tactile allodynia. SCP1, an acetaminophen analog, suppressed allodynia and promoted agrin upregulation. Preemptive treatment with SCP1 also upregulated agrin, thereby preventing neuropathic pain development. Expression of 50 kDa agrin delivered by adeno-associated virus into the dorsal horn also suppressed allodynia and hyperalgesia. Allodynia suppression was a consequence of serine residue 896/897 phosphorylation of NMDA receptor NR1 subunits in the GABA interneurons of the dorsal horn. Agrin silencing by small interference RNA, administered with either AAV-Ag50 vector or SCP1, blocked allodynia suppression, agrin upregulation, and NR1 phosphorylation. In conclusion, 50 kDa agrin modulates neuropathic pain through NR1 phosphorylation in GABA neurons. This mechanism may open new approaches for treating not only neuropathic pain, but also epilepsy, tremors, and spasticity.
A reputation-based trust model for peer-to-peer ecommerce communities [Extended Abstract]

Peer-to-Peer eCommerce communities are commonly perceived as an environment offering both opportunities and threats. One way to minimize threats in such an open community is to use community-based reputations, which can be computed, for example, through feedback about peers' transaction histories. Such reputation information can help estimating the trustworthiness and predicting the future behavior of peers. This paper presents a coherent adaptive trust model for quantifying and comparing the trustworthiness of peers based on a transaction-based feedback system. There are two main features of our model. First, we argue that the trust models based solely on feedback from other peers in the community is inaccurate and ineffective. We introduce three basic trust parameters in computing trustworthiness of peers. In addition to feedback a peer receives through its transactions with other peers, we incorporate the total number of transactions a peer performs, and the credibility of the feedback sources into the model for evaluating the trustworthiness of peers. Second, we introduce two adaptive factors, the transaction context factor and the community context factor, to allow the metric to adapt to different domains and situations and to address common problems encountered in a variety of online communities. We also developed a concrete method to validate the proposed trust model and obtained initial results, showing the feasibility and benefit of our approach.
New schools, new students, new teachers: Evaluating the effectiveness of charter schools

Abstract It is widely acknowledged that charter schools tend to have less experienced teachers and higher teacher turnover, but to date, little effort has been made to identify the contribution of faculty experience and retention to overall charter effectiveness. I do so using a twelve-year panel of charter and mainstream student achievement in North Carolina, focusing on the state’s middle schools. Indeed, new charter schools had twice the rate of new teachers as new mainstream schools, as well as lower rates of faculty retention. Consistent with past research, I find significant returns to charter school age in terms of math and reading achievement, and I rule out the possibility that charter maturation was driven by higher-achieving students selecting into older schools. Faculty development explains, at best, a small share of the observed maturation over the initial years of charter schools’ operation. Charters of all ages were relatively ineffective at improving math achievement, but were on par with mainstream schools at improving reading achievement by their sixth year of operation.
The linguistic and embodied nature of conceptual processing

Recent theories of cognition have argued that embodied experience is important for conceptual processing. Embodiment can be contrasted with linguistic factors such as the typical order in which words appear in language. Here, we report four experiments that investigated the conditions under which embodiment and linguistic factors determine performance. Participants made speeded judgments about whether pairs of words or pictures were semantically related or had an iconic relationship. The embodiment factor was operationalized as the degree to which stimulus pairs were presented in the spatial configurations in which they usually occur (i.e., an iconic configuration, e.g., attic presented above basement). The linguistic factor was operationalized as the frequency of the stimulus pairs in language. The embodiment factor predicted error rates and response time better for pictures, whereas the linguistic factor predicted error rates and response time better for words. These findings were modified by task, with the embodiment factor being strongest in iconicity judgments for pictures and the linguistic factor being strongest in semantic judgments for words. Both factors predicted error rates and response time for both semantic and iconicity judgments. These findings support the view that conceptual processing is both linguistic and embodied, with a bias for the embodiment or the linguistic factor depending on the nature of the task and the stimuli.
An Indirect Effect of Stat5a in IL-2–Induced Proliferation: A Critical Role for Stat5a in IL-2–Mediated IL-2 Receptor α Chain Induction

Stat5a was identified as a prolactin-induced transcription factor but also is activated by other cytokines, including interleukin-2 (IL-2) and IL-7. We have now analyzed the immune system of Stat5a-deficient mice. Stat5a-/- splenocytes exhibited defective IL-2-induced expression of the IL-2 receptor alpha chain (IL-2R alpha), a protein that together with IL-2R beta and the common cytokine receptor gamma chain (gamma(c)) mediates high-affinity IL-2 binding. Correspondingly, Stat5a-/- splenocytes exhibited markedly decreased proliferation to IL-2, although maximal proliferation was still achieved at IL-2 concentrations high enough to titrate intermediate-affinity IL-2R beta/gamma(c) receptors. Thus, defective Stat5a expression results in diminished proliferation by an indirect mechanism, resulting from defective receptor expression. Correspondingly, we show that Stat5a is essential for maximal responsiveness to antigenic stimuli in vivo, underscoring the physiological importance of IL-2-induced IL-2R alpha expression.
Mobility Benefits of Intermediate Crossovers on Contraflow Facilities During Hurricane Evacuation

A contraflow facility, in which the direction of traffic on one or more travel lanes is reversed to increase outbound capacity, is a major component of hurricane evacuation plans in many coastal states. Contraflow facilities typically are implemented when significant evacuation demand is expected (e.g., during a severe hurricane). Typical contraflow plans have one upstream crossover that routes vehicles into the contraflow lanes and one downstream crossover that routes vehicles back into the regular lanes. How can contraflow facilities best be used to optimize evacuation performance? The impact on mobility of additional intermediate crossovers between the beginning and termination points of contraflow is investigated. The proposed heuristic algorithm is the first attempt in the literature to provide a systematic approach—with iterative elimination—to determine the critical intermediate crossover locations that provide maximum improvement in evacuation performance. Results of a case study of I-64 in Hampto...
Enhancement of heat transfer in an inviscid-flow thermal boundary layer due to a Rankine vortex

Abstract The effect on heat transfer of a Rankine vortex located near a flat plate is studied analytically. The velocity field is a superposition of an inviscid, uniform flow and a secondary perturbation created by the vortex. Three different vortex configurations are analyzed : transverse, longitudinal and normal with respect to the plate. In general, an increase in the local heat transfer coefficient is observed in the downwash and a decrease in the upwash regions. The transverse vortex leads to a larger increase than the longitudinal configuration. The normal vortex has a slight decrease in the heat transfer.
Development and characterization of microsatellite loci in dioecious figs (Ficus, Moraceae)

PREMISE OF THE STUDY Microsatellite markers for dioecious fig species, Ficus bernaysii King (section Sycocarpus), Ficus pachyrrhachis K. Schum. & Lauterb. (section Sycocarpus), and Ficus copiosa Steud. (section Sycidium) were developed to estimate gene flow among closely related fig species. METHODS AND RESULTS Loci were developed from tri- and tetranucleotide-enriched genomic libraries. The six most repeatable and scorable loci for F. bernaysii and F. pachyrrhachis were characterized in 50 individuals each of five species from section Sycocarpus. Four primer pairs from F. copiosa were screened in 50 individuals each of two species from section Sycidium. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.53 to 0.93 in loci developed from F. bernaysii, 0.25 to 0.86 in loci developed from F. pachyrrhachis, and 0.68 to 0.87 in loci developed from F. copiosa. CONCLUSIONS Amplification across the two Ficus sections was observed in seven of the ten total primer pairs.
Social Norms and Their Implications for Disability

Abstract This paper discusses how and why the norms for defining disability continue to change. This analysis illustrates the social nature of the disability and that changing norms continue to define the meaning of disability. The paper is grounded in a postmodern perspective, a notion that has only entered the field of disability in the 21st century.
Polytypism: A controlled thermodynamic phenomenon

All ZnS polytypes identified so far are listed; their Zhdanov elements show some peculiar statistical characteristics, which are attributed to their formation mechanism. During the cooling down of the crystals hexagonal domains become less and less stable while the stability of cubic domains increases. Transformations take place by the motion of Shockley partials across the basal planes which, due to the existence of screw dislocations, form an interleaved set of helical surfaces. The characteristics of the Zhdanov elements are explained in view of the above mechanism which also accounts for a number of other reported phenomena. Schneer's theory of polytype formation is discussed.
Facies Architecture and Stratigraphic Evolution of A River-Dominated Delta Front, Turonian Ferron Sandstone, Utah, U.S.A.

Abstract Facies architectural analysis of a river-dominated deltaic parasequence in the Turonian Ferron Sandstone Member, near Factory Butte, Utah, was conducted to determine the hierarchical spatial arrangement of mouth bars and their role in constructing the delta. Five architectural elements were identified using 21 measured sections, paleocurrent measurements, and bedding diagrams. They are: (1) prodelta (PF), (2) frontal splay (FS), (3) detached distal bars (DBs), (4) distributary mouth bars (DMBs), and (5) terminal distributary channels (TDCs). Lower in the parasequence, detached bars consist of proximally located cross-bedded and quasi-parallel laminated subaqueous bars that onlap the delta-front slope and grade distally into finer-grained distal delta front splays. These bars translate downstream in a progradational–aggradational–degradational trajectory and are overlapped by adjacent bars, forming a bar assemblage. These bars are interpreted to have been deposited by descending hyperpycnal flows as a decelerating axial jet. Deposition of these bars occurs at the delta-front to prodelta chokepoint, presumably due to flow deceleration. The distal bar assemblage is capped by an extensive but discontinuous shale drape, suggesting local abandonment. Upper facies assemblages show a distinct switch to predominantly cross-bedded distributary mouth bars, corresponding to a decrease in water depth, an increase in friction, and a likely transition into planar versus axial jets. This is indicated by aggrading cross-bedded distributary mouth bars that overlie the distal bars. Laterally, the mouth-bar deposits are interstratified with terminal distributary-channel deposits with prominent scour surfaces at the base. Separate distributary channels and their bars coalesce, ultimately to build the entire delta lobe. The detached distal bars prograde locally west to northwest and lack fair-weather wave-formed sedimentary structures, suggesting a local embayment along the regionally northeast prograding shoreline. Low levels of ichnofaunal diversity indicate a stressed, river-dominated setting. At the base of the section, frontal splays and detached bars, dominated by storm-driven river-flood deposits, are deposited over muddy prodelta facies. Detached bars are likely initiated about 500 meters distal of the distributary channel, in water depths of ∼ 10–30 meters, based on the thickness of the parasequence. Once this subaqueous platform is constructed by the distal bar assemblage, more proximal distributary mouth bars fill the remaining shallow-water accommodation. As the system continues to shallow, distributary channels override and scour the bars, reflecting reduced accommodation.
Engineering role models: do non-human species have the answers?

A shift from traditional engineering approaches to ecologically-based techniques will require changing societal values regarding ‘how and what’ is defined as engineering and design. Non-human species offer many ecological engineering examples that are often beneficial to ecosystem function and other biota. For example, organisms known as ‘ecosystem engineers’ build, modify, and destroy habitat in their quest for food and survival. Similarly, ‘keystone species’ have greater impacts on community or ecosystem function than would be predicted from their abundance. The capacity of these types of organisms to affect ecosystems is great. They exert controlling influences over ecosystems and communities by altering resource allocation, creating habitats and modifying relative competitive advantages. Species’ effects in ecosystems, although context-dependent, can be evaluated as ‘beneficial’ or ‘detrimental’. The evaluation depends on whether effects on other species or ecosystem function are more or less desirable from a given perspective. Organisms with beneficial impacts facilitate the presence of other species, employ efficient nutrient cycling, and are sometimes characterized by specific mutualisms. In contrast, many cases of detrimental engineering are found from introduced (i.e., exotic) species and are characterized by a loss of species richness, a lack of nutrient retention and the degradation of ecosystem integrity. Species’ impacts on ecosystems and community traits have been quantified in ecological studies and can be used similarly to understand, design and model human engineering structures and impacts on the landscape. Emulation of species with beneficial impacts on ecosystems can provide powerful guidance to the goals of ecological engineering. Using role model organisms that have desirable effects on species diversity and ecosystem function will be important in developing alternatives to traditional engineering practices. © 2003 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
The Order of Widows: What the Early Church Can Teach Us about Older Women and Health Care

This article argues that the early Christian "order of widows" provides a fruitful model for Christian ethicists struggling to address the medical and social problems of elderly women today. After outlining the precarious state of the "almanah"--or widow--in biblical times, it describes the emergence of the order of widows in the early Church. Turning to the contemporary situation, it argues that demographics both in the United States and around the globe suggest that meeting the needs of elderly women will become an enormous challenge in the years to come. The order of widows illustrates a three-fold conception of solidarity that has immediate implications today. That conception of solidarity encourages us: 1) to identify the unique medical needs of elderly women (e.g., osteoporosis); 2) to find ways of overcoming their societal isolation, which can increase their risk of medical and psychological problems; and 3) to develop strategies for enabling them to remain contributing members of the community for as long as possible.
Microsatellite allele ladders in two species of Pacific salmon: preparation and field-test results

To support microsatellite data communication, we have developed a convenient method for creating locus-specific microsatellite allele ladders used to align data from different laboratories. The ladders were constructed by pooling polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products to create a template for amplification. Four ladders were field-tested in six different laboratories using different genotyping platforms. Despite substantial differences in absolute size estimates of DNA fragments, each laboratory correctly scored unknown sample genotypes according to the ladder designations. The results indicate that our simple preparation method provides reliable allele ladders in a time-efficient manner for verifying microsatellite genotypes across platforms.
Near real-time signal processing in the classroom using a sound card equipped personal computer

Many university signal-processing teaching laboratories do not have sufficient resources (both equipment and knowledgeable support personnel) to provide dedicated real-time signal-processing hardware at each student workstation position. Because of this limitation, many students must be content with using personal computers to process non-real time signals that are stored on disk and/or described by mathematical formulas. These students cannot connect a physical audio source (i.e., microphone, CD player, etc.) to a computer sound card line input, filter the source audio with a student-written software program, and play the filtered audio through the computer speakers, all in real time. This paper shows how to accomplish this task (known as full-duplex streaming) with the aid of multiple buffers that are managed by DirectSound. Using the approach outlined here, it is possible to create a PC-based, inexpensive, real-time signal-processing platform for the resource-challenged instructional signal-processing laboratory.
Race, Place, and Information Technology

What role does environment play in influencing information technology access and skills – over and above individual characteristics such as income, education, race, and ethnicity? One of the puzzles that emerged from our recent research on the “digital divide” was that African-Americans, and to a lesser extent, Latinos, had more positive attitudes toward information technology than similarly-situated whites. And yet, African-Americans and Latinos are less likely to have information technology access and skills, even when controlling for other factors such as income and education (Mossberger, Tolbert and Stansbury 2003). The research presented in this paper takes a first step toward explaining this paradox by unraveling the impact of place. One of the enduring debates in social science is what difference environment makes in shaping an individual’s opportunities. Scholars have long contended that place does matter, particularly when racial segregation and concentrated poverty are involved (Myrdal 1944; Clark 1965). More recent research shows that serious inequities persist in poor urban communities, despite decades of civil rights and fair housing legislation (Massey and Denton 1993; Kozol 1991; Kasarda 1990; Hill and Wolman 1997; Rosenbaum 1995; Wilson 1987 and 1996; Sampson et al. 2002). The information age may have transformed these existing disparities in very poor communities, particularly inner-city neighborhoods, into new barriers to technological access and skill.
AGU Headquarters Now 100% Powered by Wind

[1] On 17 January, the electricity supplied to the AGU building at 2000 Florida Avenue, NW, in Washington, D. C., was switched from primarily conventional sources to 100% wind-generated power. The AGU building uses approximately 1.8 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year at a total budgeted cost of $272,000. The increased cost through the end of 2011 is estimated to be $3900, or 1.4% of the total budgeted cost.
A pilot test of a tailored mobile and web-based diabetes messaging system for adolescents

We conducted a pilot trial of a new mobile and web-based intervention to improve diabetes adherence. The text messaging system was designed to motivate and remind adolescents about diabetes self-care tasks. Text messages were tailored according to individually-reported barriers to diabetes self-care. A total of 23 adolescents with type 1 diabetes used the system for a period of three months. On average, they received 10 text messages per week (range 8–12). A matched historical control group from the same clinic was used for comparison. After three months, system users rated the content, usability and experiences with the system, which were very favourable. Comparison of the intervention and control groups indicated a significant interaction between group and time. Both groups had similar HbA1c levels at baseline. After three months, the mean HbA1c level in the intervention group was unchanged (8.8%), but the mean level in the control group was significantly higher (9.9%), P = 0.006. The results demonstrat...
An empirical model for the ignition of explosively dispersed aluminum particle clouds

An empirical model for the ignition of aluminum particle clouds is developed and applied to the study of particle ignition and combustion behavior resulting from explosive blast waves. This model incorporates both particle ignition time delay as well as cloud concentration effects on ignition. The total mass of aluminum that burns is found to depend on the model, with shorter ignition delay times resulting in increased burning of the cloud. After the Al particles ignite, a competition for oxidizer between the booster detonation products and Al ensues. A new mass-averaged ignition parameter is defined and is observed to serve as a useful parameter to compare cloud ignition behavior. Investigation of this variable reveals that both peak ignition as well as the time required to attain peak ignition, are sensitive to the model parameters. The peak degree of dissociation in the fireball is about 19 % and the associated energy can play a significant role on the dynamics of the problem. The peak degree of ionization is about 2.9 % and the energy associated with this is much lower than the other controlling factors. Overall, this study demonstrates that the new ignition model developed captures effects not included in other combustion models for the investigation of shock-induced ignition of aluminum particle clouds.
Association of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Gag with Membrane Does Not Require Highly Basic Sequences in the Nucleocapsid: Use of a Novel Gag Multimerization Assay

Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) particle production, a process driven by the Gag polyprotein precursor, occurs on the plasma membrane in most cell types. The plasma membrane contains cholesterol-enriched microdomains termed lipid rafts, which can be isolated as detergent-resistant membrane (DRM). Previously, we and others demonstrated that HIV-1 Gag is associated with DRM and that disruption of Gag-raft interactions impairs HIV-1 particle production. However, the determinants of Gag-raft association remain undefined. In this study, we developed a novel epitope-based Gag multimerization assay to examine whether Gag assembly is essential for its association with lipid rafts. We observed that membrane-associated, full-length Gag is poorly detected by immunoprecipitation relative to non-membrane-bound Gag. This poor detection is due to assembly-driven masking of Gag epitopes, as denaturation greatly improves immunoprecipitation. Gag mutants lacking the Gag-Gag interaction domain located in the N terminus of the nucleocapsid (NC) were efficiently immunoprecipitated without denaturation, indicating that the epitope masking is caused by higher-order Gag multimerization. We used this assay to examine the relationship between Gag assembly and Gag binding to total cellular membrane and DRM. Importantly, a multimerization-defective NC mutant displayed wild-type levels of membrane binding and DRM association, indicating that NC-mediated Gag multimerization is dispensable for association of Gag with membrane or DRM. We also demonstrate that different properties of sucrose and iodixanol membrane flotation gradients may explain some discrepancies regarding Gag-raft interactions. This report offers new insights into the association of HIV-1 Gag with membrane and with lipid rafts.
Correlated transient fluid pulsing and seismic tremor in the Costa Rica subduction zone

Continuous measurements of fluid flow were made over a six month period across the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica (Pacific), convergent margin utilizing osmotically-driven fluid flow meters designed to quantify both inflow and outflow rates on the order of ~10 � 5 to 3 cm/d. Significant transience in flow was observed through the surface of the forearc. Three periods of correlated flow signals were seen on the subduction forearc among three instruments located in the out-of-sequence thrust (OOST) zone over along-margin strike distances of ~30 km. Amplitudes of ground velocity recorded on collocated ocean bottom seismometers (OBS) increase during the three correlated flow events. The seismic signal has frequency characteristics that resemble volcanic and non-volcanic tremor. We hypothesize that repeated plate boundary slow slip events, potentially originating at the up dip limit of the seismogenic zone, generate the observed signals within the toe of the forearc. We propose a model in which the poro-elastic stress/strain field around a series of creep dislocations simultaneously forces flow through fracture networks in the forearc and oceanic basement rocks and induces diffuse flow through the shallow sediments. The former generates the seismic tremor-like noise recorded by the OBSs and the latter generates the flow transients recorded by the fluid flow meters. We suggest that high sensitivity fluid flow meters can be utilized to detect transient tectonic strain events in offshore environments where traditional geodetic techniques lack resolution or are not possible. D 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Performance of coded OQPSK and MIL-STD SOQPSK with iterative decoding

We show that military standard (MIL-STD) shaped-offset quadrature phase-shift keying (SOQPSK), a highly bandwidth-efficient constant-envelope modulation, can be represented in the form of a cross-correlated trellis-coded quadrature modulation. Similarly, we show that offset QPSK (OQPSK) can be decomposed into a "degraded" trellis encoder and a memoryless mapper. Based on the representations of OQPSK and MIL-STD SOQPSK as trellis-coded modulations (TCMs), we investigate the potential coding gains achievable from the application of simple outer codes to form a concatenated coding structure with iterative decoding. For MIL-STD SOQPSK, we describe the optimum receiver corresponding to its TCM form and then propose a simplified receiver. The bit-error rate (BER) performances of both receivers for uncoded and coded MIL-STD SOQPSK are simulated and compared with that of OQPSK and Feher-patented QPSK (FQPSK). The asymptotic BER performance of MIL-STD SOQPSK is also analyzed and compared with that of OQPSK and FQPSK. Simulation results show that, compared with their uncoded systems, there are significant coding gains for both OQPSK and MIL-STD SOQPSK, obtained by applying iterative decoding to either the parallel concatenated coding scheme or the serial one, even when very simple outer codes are used.
Quantifying the Hierarchical Organization of Compensation in Submarine Fans Using Surface Statistics

Abstract Stratigraphy is often interpreted within hierarchical, or scale-dependent, frameworks that subdivide deposits based on distinct jumps in characteristics such as duration of deposition or scale. While the interpretation is logically valid, few studies quantitatively demonstrate that the jumps exist. Rather, recent work has quantitatively shown some characteristics of stratigraphy to be fractal, or scale invariant. Compensational stacking, the tendency for sediment-transport systems to preferentially fill topographic lows, is a concept widely used in stratigraphic interpretation. Here we use the compensation index, a metric that quantifies the strength of compensational stacking in sedimentary deposits, to describe the architecture of stratigraphy exposed in outcrops of submarine-fan strata in the Carboniferous Ross Sandstone representing contrasting architectural styles: (1) predominantly lobe elements and (2) predominantly channel elements. In both datasets, the stratigraphic architecture is classified into hierarchical classes of beds, stories, and elements. Results are the following. First, at both sites we document statistically significant increases in the strength of compensation across larger hierarchical levels supporting the use of hierarchical interpretations of stratigraphy. It is therefore plausible for some characteristics of sedimentary systems to be hierarchical and others to be fractal. Second, we document that lobe elements stack more compensationally than channel elements. We interpret this pattern to document that compensation increases along a longitudinal transect through this distributive submarine fan.
Identification and quantification of diffuse fresh submarine groundwater discharge via airborne thermal infrared remote sensing

Abstract Airborne thermal infrared (TIR) overflights were combined with shoreline radionuclide surveys to investigate submarine groundwater discharge (SGD) along the north shore of Long Island, NY between June 2013 and September 2014. Regression equations developed for three distinct geomorphological environments suggest a positive linear relationship between the rate of diffuse SGD and the spatial extent of the observed coastal TIR anomalies; such a relationship provides quantitative evidence of the ability to use TIR remote sensing as a tool to remotely identify and measure SGD. Landsat TIR scenes were unable to resolve any of the 18 TIR anomalies identified during the various airborne overflights. Two locations were studied in greater detail via 222 Rn time series and manual seepage meters in order to understand why specific shoreline segments did not exhibit a TIR anomaly. SGD at the first site, located within a large, diffuse TIR anomaly, was composed of a mixture of fresh groundwater and circulated seawater with elevated levels of nitrate. In contrast, SGD at the second site, where no coastal TIR anomaly was observed, was composed of circulated seawater with negligible nitrate. Despite the compositional differences in seepage, both sites were similar in discharge magnitude, with average time series 222 Rn derived SGD rates equal to 18 and 8 cm d − 1 for the TIR site and non-TIR site, respectively. Results suggest that TIR remote sensing has the ability to identify locations of a mixture between diffuse fresh and circulated seawater SGD. If TIR anomalies can be demonstrated to represent a mixture between fresh and circulated seawater SGD, then the cumulative area of the TIR anomalies may be used to estimate the fresh fraction of SGD relative to the cumulative area of the seepage face, and thus allows for improved SGD derived nutrient flux calculations on a regional scale.
Intimate partner violence: a clinical review of screening and intervention

One in four American women will be physically assaulted or raped by an intimate partner during her lifetime. Such exposure has wide-ranging health effects. Abused women have an increased risk of cardiac, gastrointestinal, gynecologic, musculoskeletal, neurologic and psychological complaints. They also have a greater utilization of medical services and are more likely to access outpatient primary care and specialty care, emergency departments and mental health and substance abuse services than women without a history of partner violence. Most major US medical organizations recommend routine screening of all women for partner abuse. Offering abused women empathy and validation along with referral to local resources is encouraged. Physicians should also document the abuse in the victim's medical record.