cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gravitational wave emission from oscillating millisecond pulsars

Neutron stars undergoing r-mode oscillation emit gravitational radiation that might be detected on earth. For known millisecond pulsars the observed spindown rate imposes an upper limit on the possible gravitational wave signal of these sources. Taking into account the physics of r-mode evolution, we show that only sources spinning at frequencies above a few hundred Hertz can be unstable to r-modes, and we derive a more stringent universal r-mode spindown limit on their gravitational wave signal, exploiting the fact that the r-mode saturation amplitude is insensitive to the structural properties of individual sources. We find that this refined bound limits the gravitational wave strain from millisecond pulsars to values below the detection sensitivity of next-generation detectors. Young sources are therefore a more promising option for the detection of gravitational waves emitted by r-modes and to probe the interior composition of compact stars in the near future.
Quarter-Cycle Switching Control for Switch-Shunted Dampers

Significant interest has been generated by the possibilities of active vibration control through the implementation of state switching, with a specific implementation embodied through piezoceramic shunting. A state-switched absorber (SSA) is a vibration absorber that has the unique ability to change its resonant state amongst multiple distinct resonant states while in motion, thereby increasing the effective bandwidth over that of a single frequency device and thereby allowing control of multi-frequency, transient, and time-varying disturbances. In contrast, a switch-shunted damper (SSD) is a variant of an SSA that is used to increase the damping of the structure to which the damper is applied. Active vibration control applications discussed in the literature indicate the potential advantages of SSDs which employ piezoelectric ceramics as switchable springs with control algorithms that require switching states at points of non-zero strain. However, consideration of the constitutive equations for piezoelectric materials indicates a discontinuity in the electrical and mechanical conditions imposed by switching the stiffness at non-zero strains. A prototype SSD has been built and tested to experimentally investigate switching control logic and electrical and mechanical discontinuities at switching points; experimental measurements with this prototype SSD indicate that quarter-cycle switching algorithms which include switching states at a condition of maximum strain yield enhanced damping effectiveness but also leads to the generation of potentially undesirable mechanical transients.
The Province of Sophists: An Argument for Academic Homelessness

Scholars in our field frequently explore issues of positioning and disciplinary identity, thus revealing insecurity about our institutional value. We must realize that our homelessness within the academic neighborhood is a position of strength, not weakness. As knowledge grows increasingly specialized, our ability to position ourselves in various places within an institution gives us administrative flexibility, marketability, and proximity to the fields that we study.
Refinement of the structure of PEEK fibre in an orthorhombic unit cell

Abstract The crystalline structure of oriented fibres of poly(ether-ether-ketone) (PEEK) has been analysed by X-ray diffraction and refined by the ‘linked-atom least-squares’ procedure. The conformation of chains, consisting of a six-aryl ring unit, is approximated by the refinement of a two-aryl ring unit within the orthorhombic unit subcell with dimensions: a=7.83±0.02 A , b=5.94±0.01 A and c=9.86±0.04 A . Certain constraints imposed by Pbcn space group symmetry are relaxed during refinement. The results of the two-ring refinement indicate that a single torsion angle can be used to describe the conformation of the six-ring unit. The torsion angle corresponds to the average tilt of the phenylene rings out of the (100) face, and the best fit is obtained with an angle of 37°. The simulated powder diffraction pattern based on the atomic coordinates of the six-ring unit matches very closely previously reported patterns for a variety of PEEK specimens. The analysis supports and extends to oriented fibres the previously reported finding that space group Pbcn is a valid representation for the structure of PEEK.
Resistance Through Consent? Occupational Identity, Organizational Form, and the Maintenance of Masculinity Among Commercial Airline Pilots

Recent theories underscore the indefinite, conflicted, and discursive character of labor identity and resistance, highlighting local practices and meanings. This article examines an empirical and p...
Crystal Structure of Human Adenovirus at 3.5 Å Resolution

Rational development of adenovirus vectors for therapeutic gene transfer is hampered by the lack of accurate structural information. Here, we report the x-ray structure at 3.5 angstrom resolution of the 150-megadalton adenovirus capsid containing nearly 1 million amino acids. We describe interactions between the major capsid protein (hexon) and several accessory molecules that stabilize the capsid. The virus structure also reveals an altered association between the penton base and the trimeric fiber protein, perhaps reflecting an early event in cell entry. The high-resolution structure provides a substantial advance toward understanding the assembly and cell entry mechanisms of a large double-stranded DNA virus and provides new opportunities for improving adenovirus-mediated gene transfer.
Dynamic Document Clustering Using Singular Value Decomposition

Incremental document clustering is important in many applications, but particularly so in healthcare contexts where text data is found in abundance, ranging from published research in journals to day-to-day healthcare data such as discharge summaries and nursing notes. In such dynamic environments new documents are constantly added to the set of documents that have been used in the initial cluster formation. Hence it is important to be able to incrementally update the clusters at a low computational cost as new documents are added. In this paper the authors describe a novel, low cost approach for incremental document clustering. Their method is based on conducting singular value decomposition (SVD) incrementally. They dynamically fold in new documents into the existing term-document space and dynamically assign these new documents into pre-defined clusters based on intra-cluster similarity. This saves the cost of re-computing SVD on the entire document set every time updates occur. The authors also provide a way to retrieve documents based on different window sizes with high scalability and good clustering accuracy. They have tested their proposed method experimentally with 960 medical abstracts retrieved from the PubMed medical library. The authors’ incremental method is compared with the default situation where complete re-computation of SVD is done when new documents are added to the initial set of documents. The results show minor decreases in the quality of the cluster formation but much larger gains in computational throughput. Dynamic Document Clustering Using Singular Value Decomposition
Synthesis and photoelectrochemical properties of nanoporous iron (III) oxide by potentiostatic anodization

We report the synthesis of self-organized nanoporous iron (III) oxide (haematite) via potentiostatic anodization of iron foil. Dependent upon the applied potential and electrolytic composition, the pore diameters range from 50 to 250 nm with a pore depth of approximately 500 nm. We examine the effect of electrolytic composition, anodization bath temperature and applied potential on the dimensions of the as-synthesized nanoporous structure. Crystallization and structural retention of the synthesized structure are achieved upon annealing the initial amorphous sample in a nitrogen atmosphere at 400 °C. The crystallized nanoporous film, having a 2.2 eV bandgap, exhibited a net photocurrent density of 0.51 mA cm−2 in 0.5 M H2O2+1 M NaOH at 0.6 V versus Ag/AgCl under simulated AM 1.5 sunlight. Factors limiting the photoresponse and strategies of improvement are discussed.
Role of Oxidative Stress and the Glutathione System in Loss of Dopamine Neurons Due to Impairment of Energy Metabolism

Alterations in the glutathione system and impairment in energy metabolism have both been implicated in the loss of dopamine neurons in Parkinson's disease. This study examined the importance of cellular glutathione and the involvement of oxidative stress in the loss of mesencephalic dopamine and GABA neurons due to inhibition of energy metabolism with malonate, the reversible, competitive inhibitor of succinate dehydrogenase. Consistent with previous findings, exposure to malonate for 24 h followed by 48 h of recovery caused a dose-dependent loss of the dopamine population with little effect on the GABA population. Toxicity was assessed by simultaneous measurement of the high-affinity uptake of [3H]dopamine and [14C]GABA. Total glutathione content in rat mesencephalic cultures was decreased by 65% with a 24-h pretreatment with 10 microM buthionine sulfoxamine. This reduction in glutathione level greatly potentiated damage to both the dopamine and GABA populations and removed the differential susceptibility between the two populations in response to malonate. These findings point to a role for oxidative stress occurring during energy impairment by malonate. Consistent with this, several spin-trapping agents, alpha-phenyl-tert-butyl nitrone and two cyclic nitrones, MDL 101,002 and MDL 102,832, completely prevented malonate-induced damage to the dopamine neurons in the absence of buthionine sulfoxamine. The spin-trapping agents also completely prevented toxicity to both the dopamine and GABA populations when cultures were exposed to malonate after pretreatment with buthionine sulfoxamine to reduce glutathione levels. Counts of tyrosine hydroxylase-positive neurons verified enhancement of cell loss by buthionine sulfoxamine plus malonate and protection against cell loss by the spin-trapping agents. NMDA receptors have also been shown to play a role in malonate-induced dopamine cell loss and are associated with the generation of free radicals. Consistent with this, toxicity to the dopamine neurons due to a 1-h exposure to 50 microM glutamate was attenuated by the nitrone spin traps. These findings provide evidence for an oxidative challenge occurring during inhibition of energy metabolism by malonate and show that glutathione is an important neuroprotectant for midbrain neurons during situations when energy metabolism is impaired.
RecA-Dependent Cleavage of LexA Dimers

A critical step in the SOS response of Escherichia coli is the specific proteolytic cleavage of the LexA repressor. This reaction is catalyzed by an activated form of RecA, acting as a co-protease to stimulate the self-cleavage activity of LexA. This process has been reexamined in light of evidence that LexA is dimeric at physiological concentrations. We found that RecA-dependent cleavage was robust under conditions in which LexA is largely dimeric and conclude that LexA dimers are cleavable. We also found that LexA dimers dissociate slowly. Furthermore, our evidence suggests that interactions between the two subunits of a LexA dimer can influence the rate of cleavage. Finally, our evidence suggests that RecA stimulates the transition of LexA from its noncleavable to its cleavable conformation and therefore operates, at least in part, by an allosteric mechanism.
Stimulating the development of mechanism-based, individualized pain therapies

Biomedical science has greatly improved our understanding of pain in recent decades, but few novel molecular entities that address fundamentally new pain mechanisms have entered the clinic, despite dramatically increased pharmaceutical investment. Indeed, virtually all new analgesics approved over the past 25 years are derivatives or reformulations of opioids or aspirin-like drugs, existing drugs given for a new indication or older drugs given by a different route of administration. Here, we discuss factors contributing to this lack of innovation in therapies for pain and advocate public-private partnerships (PPPs) to translate new knowledge into more efficacious and safer treatments.
Multidisciplinary design and optimization (MDO) methodology for the aircraft conceptual design

An integrated design and optimization methodology has been developed for the conceptual design of an aircraft. The methodology brings higher fidelity Computer Aided Design, Engineering and Manufacturing (CAD, CAE and CAM) Tools such as CATIA, FLUENT, ANSYS and SURFCAM into the conceptual design by utilizing Excel as the integrator and controller. The approach is also demonstrated to integrate with many of the existing low to medium fidelity codes such as the aerodynamic panel code called CMARC and sizing and constraint analysis codes, thus providing the multi-fidelity capabilities to the aircraft designers. The higher fidelity tools bring the quantitative aspects of a design such as precise measurements of weight, volume, surface areas, center of gravity (CG) location, lift over drag ratio, and structural weight as well as the qualitative aspects such as external geometry definition, internal layout, and coloring scheme early in the design process. The performance and safety risks involved with the new technologies can be reduced by modeling and assessing their impact more accurately on the performance of the aircraft. The methodology also enables the design and evaluation of the novel concepts such as the blended and the hybrid wing bodies (BWB and HWB). Higher fidelity computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and finite element analysis (FEA) allow verification of the claims for the performance gains in aerodynamics while ascertaining risks of structural failure due to different pressure distribution in the fuselage as compared with the tube and wing designs. The approach is shown to eliminate the traditional boundary between the conceptual and the preliminary design stages, combining them into one consolidated preliminary design phase. Several examples for the validation and utilization of the Multidisciplinary Design and Optimization (MDO) Tool are presented using mission for the Medium Altitude Long Range/Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.
Effects of 6-N-propyl-2-thiouracil on growth, hormonal profiles, carcass and reproductive traits of boars.

Neonatal 6-N-propyl-2-thiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroidism reduces body weight but increases testicular size in adult male rodents. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of prepubertal PTU treatment on boars. For Experiment I, boars (n=28) were randomly allotted to eight pens. Each pen received one of four PTU doses (0, 0.01, 0.03 and 0.1% in a basal diet) between 28 and 56 days of age (DOA). Due to a lack of difference among three PTU treatments, PTU-treated boars were pooled. Boars treated with PTU had lower (P<0.05) ADG during treatment, lighter (P<0.05) BW after 56 DOA and less (P<0.05) developed epididymides at 154 DOA. For Experiment II, boars (n=19) were randomly allotted to six pens. Each pen received one of three PTU treatments orally as: control (carrier), PTU-I (0.002% BW of PTU daily between 7 and 70 DOA), or PTU-II (0.002% BW of PTU daily between 28 and 91 DOA). During treatment, PTU-treated boars had lower (P<0.05) serum T4 levels, rectal temperature, feed intake and ADG. Boars treated with PTU had lower (P<0.05) BW between 63 and 154 DOA but higher (P<0.05) gain/feed between 105 and 133 DOA. Boars treated with PTU had less (P<0.05) developed epididymides and sperm count per gram testis at 238 DOA. These results suggest that prepubertal PTU-induced hypothyroidism had significant effects on growth, hormonal profiles, and reproductive traits of boars; however, it does not appear to be an effective method for increasing testis size and sperm production of commercial boars.
Predominance of Ground over Ceiling Surfaces in Binocular Rivalry

The superiority of ground surfaces over ceiling surfaces in determining the representation of the visual world, demonstrated in several studies of visual perception and visual search, has been attributed to a preference for top-away projections resulting from ecological constraints. Recent research on binocular rivalry indicates that ecological constraints affect predominance relations. The present study considered whether there is a difference in predominance between ground and ceiling surfaces. In Experiment 1, we examined whether a ground surface would dominate a ceiling surface when one surface was presented to each eye. In Experiment 2, we used an eye-swapping paradigm to determine whether a ground surface would come to dominance faster than a ceiling surface when presented to the suppressed eye. The eye-swapping paradigm was used again in Experiment 3, but the ground and ceiling planes were replaced with frontal planes with similar variations in texture density. The results of these experiments indicate that ground surfaces are predominant over ceiling surfaces, with this predominance affecting both the dominance and suppression phases of binocular rivalry. This superiority of ground planes is independent of image properties such as the increase or decrease in texture density from the lower half to the upper half of the images.
Effects of expertise differences in synchronous social Q&A

Synchronous social question-and-answer (Q&A) systems match askers to answerers and support real-time dialog between them to resolve questions. These systems typically find answerers based on the degree of expertise match with the asker's initial question. However, since synchronous social Q&A involves a dialog between asker and answerer, differences in expertise may also matter (e.g., extreme novices and experts may have difficulty establishing common ground). In this poster we use data from a live social Q&A system to explore the impact of expertise differences on answer quality and aspects of the dialog itself. The findings of our study suggest that synchronous social Q&A systems should consider the relative expertise of candidate answerers with respect to the asker, and offer interactive dialog support to help establish common ground between askers and answerers.
A next generation internet state management framework

In the next generation Internet architecture, more functionality in the form of "services" and packet processing features will be placed inside the network rather than on end-systems. This trend will increase the amount of network state information maintained by the systems inside the network. We present a framework for structuring and managing network state information that can be used in the next generation Internet architecture.
Bioequivalence evaluation of epinephrine autoinjectors with attention to rapid delivery.

Timely and proper injection of epinephrine is critical to prevent serious consequences relating to anaphylaxis. In a recent bioavailability study comparing epinephrine delivery from the Auvi-Q™ and EpiPen® epinephrine autoinjectors, the Auvi-Q failed to meet the bioequivalence threshold when using partial area under the curve (AUC) analyses based on zero to Tmax recommended for highly variable drugs such as epinephrine. Peak plasma epinephrine concentrations for the EpiPen occurred 10 minutes (median Tmax) after dosing, while peak concentrations for the Auvi-Q occurred 20 minutes after dosing. Though bioequivalence may be concluded for Cmax, AUCinf, and AUC0–t, for fast-acting therapeutics used to treat life-threatening conditions, such as epinephrine, additional pharmacokinetic parameters such as AUC zero to Tmax may be important to evaluate when assessing bioequivalence.
Atoll decompositions of graphs

An island decomposition of a graph G consists of a set of vertex-disjoint paths which cover the vertex set of G. If the endpoints of the paths are mutually nonadjacent, then we have an atoll decomposition. We characterize graphs requiring two paths in an island decomposition yet having no atoll decomposition. Results are given relating atoll decompositions to cutpoints and Hamiltonian blocks.
An Empirical Examination of the Structural Dimensions of the Service Recovery System

This study identifies the structural dimensions that constitute a service recovery system. We employ a structured scale development process to introduce, define, and operationalize seven distinct first-order constructs (i.e., structural dimensions) of service recovery. Potential constructs and their items are identified from the literature, experts and practitioners are employed to refine scales, and psychometric properties are tested using data from a sample of 158 service providers. Constructs such as those developed here should prove to be useful as researchers strive to incorporate operational notions into service recovery studies and to move toward systematic recovery prescriptions for service providers. Accordingly, the results presented herein can provide a springboard for future research on service recovery while also providing practicing managers with a diagnostic tool against which to benchmark existing recovery systems.
Seasonal Values of Selected Blood Parameters of Farm-Raised Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus) in the Mississippi Delta

Hematocrit, sodium, chloride, potassium, calcium, glucose, and pH were measured in whole blood of 1,522 channel catfish collected from 3 commercial food-fish ponds in the Mississippi Delta. Samples were collected from March 1995 to March 1996 to monitor seasonal fluctuations. A total of 10-20 fish were arbitrarily collected with snag lines from each pond on each sample day. The mean monthly hematocrits fluctuated seasonally from a low of 14.5% in midwinter to a high of 25.7% in midsummer (annual x ¯5 21%, SE 5 0.15). Sodium levels were consistent throughout the year with a mean (SE) of 134 (0.13) mM/liter. Mean chloride values for the year were 120 (0.14) mM/liter but increased to 132 mM/liter in midwinter. By March 1996, the chloride levels had returned to levels observed during spring 1995. Potassium and glucose levels varied throughout the year with means of 4.43 (0.06) mM/liter and 26.9 (0.46) mg/dl, respectively, and coef- ficients of variation of 51.8% and 63.3%, respectively. Calcium and pH values were fairly stable with means of 1.31 (0.004) mM/liter and 7.13 (0.004), respectively. All parameters except glucose and potassium may be adequately evaluated with a sample size of 25 or less. These data were collected to provide baseline information for ongoing pond health studies. The commercial catfish industry has undergone rap- id expansion in recent years. With the increasing de- mand for catfish, farmers have intensified production resulting in higher stocking and feeding rates. Con- current with this increase in production, the industry has experienced an increase in fish health problems. These changes reflect those experienced by other ani- mal agriculture industries with the development of in- tensive production systems. An understanding of the normal values for healthy animals and identification of predictors of the onset of health problems may enable the fish health specialist to intervene before major losses occur. This study was designed to collect data on normal blood parameters in channel catfish (Ictalurus punc- tatus) reared under commercial conditions in the del- ta region of Mississippi, where 58% of the domestic catfish pond acreage is located. 27 Published data on channel catfish blood parameters are limited and do not include values throughout the year from fish in levee-type ponds in the Mississippi Delta. Clinical pathology values have been reported for the channel catfish 3-5,13,28,29 and have been previously summa- rized. 12
Search for novel contrast materials in dual-energy x-ray breast imaging using theoretical modeling of contrast-to-noise ratio.

Contrast-enhanced (CE) dual-energy (DE) x-ray breast imaging uses a low- and high-energy x-ray spectral pair to eliminate soft-tissue signal variation and thereby increase the detectability of exogenous imaging agents. Currently, CEDE breast imaging is performed with iodinated contrast agents. These compounds are limited by several deficiencies, including rapid clearance and poor tumor targeting ability. The purpose of this work is to identify novel contrast materials whose contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) is comparable or superior to that of iodine in the mammographic energy range. A monoenergetic DE subtraction framework was developed to calculate the DE signal intensity resulting from the logarithmic subtraction of the low- and high-energy signal intensities. A weighting factor is calculated to remove the dependence of the DE signal on the glandularity of the breast tissue. Using the DE signal intensity and weighting factor, the CNR for materials with atomic numbers (Z) ranging from 1 to 79 are computed for energy pairs between 10 and 50 keV.A group of materials with atomic numbers ranging from 42 to 63 were identified to exhibit the highest levels of CNR in the mammographic energy range. Several of these materials have been formulated as nanoparticles for various applications but none, apart from iodine, have been investigated as CEDE breast imaging agents. Within this group of materials, the necessary dose fraction to the LE image decreases as the atomic number increases. By reducing the dose to the LE image, the DE subtraction technique will not provide an anatomical image of sufficient quality to accompany the contrast information. Therefore, materials with Z from 42 to 52 provide nearly optimal values of CNR with energy pairs and dose fractions that provide good anatomical images. This work is intended to inspire further research into new materials for optimized CEDE breast functional imaging.
BUSINESS-CYCLE FILTERING OF MACROECONOMIC DATA VIA A LATENT BUSINESS-CYCLE INDEX

We use Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to augment, via a novel multimove sampling scheme, a vector autoregressive (VAR) system with a latent business-cycle index that is negative during recessions and positive during expansions. We then sample counterfactual values of the macroeconomic variables in the case where the latent business-cycle index is held constant. These counterfactual values represent posterior beliefs about how the economy would have evolved absent business-cycle fluctuations. One advantage is that a VAR framework provides model-consistent counterfactual values in the same way that VARs provide model-consistent forecasts, so data series are not filtered in isolation from each other. We apply these methods to estimate the business-cycle components of industrial production, consumer price inflation, the federal funds rate, and the spread between long-term and short-term interest rates. These decompositions provide an explicitly counterfactual approach to isolating the effects of the business cycle and to deriving empirical business-cycle facts.
Dynamic computation migration in distributed shared memory systems

Computation migration is a new mechanism for accessing remote data in a parallel system. It is the partial migration of an active thread to data that it accesses, in contrast to data migration, which moves data to the computation that accesses it (often by making a copy). Computation migration improves performance relative to data migration, because data is not moved; as a result, it avoids sending protocol messages to keep replicated data consistent. Performance measurements of two distributed shared memory systems demonstrate that computation migration is a useful mechanism that complements data migration. Computation migration performs well when data migration does not perform well; in particular, computation migration should be used instead of data migration when writes either are expensive or dominate reads. The initial implementation of computation migration in the Prelude distributed shared memory system demonstrated that computation migration is useful for write-shared data, and that combining data migration and computation migration is useful for improving performance. The implementation of dynamic computation migration was done in the MCRL system. The decision to use data migration or computation migration in MCRL is deferred until runtime, when better knowledge of read/write ratios is available. Experiments demonstrate that computation migration should be used for writes in two application kernels. For a concurrent distributed B-tree on Alewife, using computation migration for writes improves performance by 44%, relative to pure data migration, when the operation mix consists only of inserts. In addition, experiments demonstrate that dynamically choosing between data and computation migration for reads can improve performance. For a B-tree on Alewife with 80% lookups and 20% reads, using a dynamic choice for reads improves performance 23% relative to pure data migration; always using data migration for reads only improves performance by 5%. (Copies available exclusively from MIT Libraries, Rm. 14-0551, Cambridge, MA 02139-4307. Ph. 617-253-5668; Fax 617-253-1690.)
Effect of calcium-energy supplements on calving-related disorders, fertility and milk yield during the transition period in cows fed anionic diets

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a calcium-energy supplement at calving on the incidence of calving-related disorders (CRD), fertility, BCS and milk yield in cows fed anionic diets and to establish any associations among outcome variables. In Florida, from October to December 1997, 479 cows were assigned to three groups and treated at calving as follows: Group 1: 160 nontreated cows; Group 2: 158 cows, treated orally with 60 g Ca as CaCl2; Group 3: 161 cows, treated orally with 110 g Ca as calcium propionate (510 g) plus propylene glycol (400 g). No treatment effect was detected for any of the outcome variables. An association was found between dystocia and age and retained fetal membranes (RFM). Age and RFM were associated with metritis. RFM and displacement of the abomasum were associated with ketosis. Ketosis and age were related to displacement of the abomasum. Parity, BCS, ovarian cysts, RFM and metritis were associated with fertility.
The Effects of Electronic Books on Pre-Kindergarten-to-Grade 5 Students' Literacy and Language Outcomes: A Research Synthesis.

Electronic books (e-books) are a prevalent method for integrating technology in preschool and elementary classrooms; however, there is a lack of consensus concerning the extent to which e-books increase literacy skills in the domains of comprehension and decoding. This article assesses the efficacy of e-books with a comprehensive review method, including a systematic literature search, comparison of outcomes with effect sizes, and discussion of individual studies that met either (a) randomized-trial synthesis criteria, or (b) quasi-experimental/observational narrative synthesis criteria. Seven studies met the randomized-trial criteria and 20 studies met the quasi-experimental/observational narrative review criteria. Results from the randomized trials indicate that the effects of e-books on comprehension-related outcomes were small to medium in size. Only two randomized trials examined decoding-related outcomes, thereby preventing firm conclusions. The narrative review suggests some interactive e-book feat...
QuARES: Quality-aware data collection in energy harvesting sensor networks

Renewable energy technology has become a promising solution to reduce energy concerns due to limited battery in wireless sensor networks. While this enables us to prolong the lifetime of a sensor network (perpetually), unstable environmental energy sources bring challenges in the design of sustainable sensor networks. In this paper, we propose an adaptive energy harvesting management framework, QuARES, which exploits an application's tolerance to quality degradation to adjust application quality based on energy harvesting conditions. The proposed framework consists of two stages: an offline stage which uses prediction of harvested energy to allocate energy budget for time slots; and an online stage to tackle the fluctuation in time-varying energy harvesting profile. We implemented the application and our framework in a network simulator, QualNet. In comparison with other approaches (e.g., [9]), our system offers improved sustainability (low energy consumption, no node deaths) during operation with data quality improvement ranging from 30–70%. QuARES is currently being deployed in a campus-wide pervasive space at UCI called Responsphere[11].
Automatically Generating Term Frequency Induced Taxonomies

We propose a novel method to automatically acquire a term-frequency-based taxonomy from a corpus using an unsupervised method. A term-frequency-based taxonomy is useful for application domains where the frequency with which terms occur on their own and in combination with other terms imposes a natural term hierarchy. We highlight an application for our approach and demonstrate its effectiveness and robustness in extracting knowledge from real-world data.
Judicial Discourse as Feeling Rules: Obscenity Regulation and Inner Life Control, 1873–1956

This essay argues that U.S. judicial decisions in obscenity cases at the beginning of the twentieth century reveal a systematic social process of emotion management that supported, in ways not previously recognized, the emotional culture of the middle class and, through it, middle-class status policy. Using a grounded theory analysis on a sample of 256 U.S. federal judicial opinions between 1873 and 1956, the analysis shows how the evidentiary rules developed by judges in anti-obscenity cases at the turn of the twentieth century were actually “feeling rules” meant to penalize lust, assert social control over women via normative shame, and define normalcy as self-control over inner life.
Effect of PONNEEM# on Spodoptera litura (Fab.) and its compatibility with Trichogramma chilonis Ishii

Antifeedant and growth regulating activities of PONNEEM, an oil formulation containing neem and pungam (karanj) oils were evaluated along with individual neem and karanj oils and Nimbicidine, a commercial neem-based pesticide against fourth instar larvae of Spodoptera litura (Fab.). Among all the treatments, PONNEEM recorded the maximum antifeedant activity (88.6%) at 0.6%. Neem and karanj individual treatments as well as PONNEEM extended larval duration compared to control. Pupal weight and fecundity were significantly reduced and pupal period was greatly increased by PONNEEM treatment compared to other treatments. The PONNEEM was found to be compatible with Trichogramma chilonis Ishii, an egg parasitoid of many lepidopteran pests, at 0.15, 0.3 and 0.5% concentrations. PONNEEM did not affect the parasitoid emergence significantly at 0.3% concentration compared to control. PONNEEM also showed growth disruption activity against fourth instar larvae.
Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) select habitat based on avian predators, landscape composition, and anthropogenic features

ABSTRACT Prey species minimize the risk of predation directly by avoiding predators and indirectly by avoiding risky habitat. Habitat loss and fragmentation have been prevalent in Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter “sage-grouse”) habitat, which has necessitated a better understanding of mechanisms driving habitat use. Using multinomial logistic regression, we compared landscape attributes and anthropogenic features (indirect mechanisms) and densities of avian predators (direct mechanisms) among 792 sage-grouse locations (340 nests, 331 early brood, and 121 late brood) and 660 random locations in Wyoming, USA, in 2008–2011. Anthropogenic features included oil and gas structures, communication towers, power lines, roads, and rural houses; and landscape attributes included a normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), topographic ruggedness, the proportion of big sagebrush (Artemisia spp.), and proximity and proportion variables for forested and riparian habitats. Sage-grouse locati...
Suche im WWW: Nachfragerverhalten und Implikationen für Anbieter

Das WWW stellt infolge der wachsenden Nutzerzahlen, der weltweiten Verbreitung und der geringen, fur einen Auftritt notwendigen Investitionsauszahlungen ein immer bedeutender werdendes Angebotsmedium gerade fur junge Anbieter dar. Die vorliegende Arbeit beschaftigt sich vor diesem Hintergrund mit der Frage, welche Veranderungen im Nachfragerverhalten sich durch Nutzung des WWW als Angebotsmedium im Vergleich zum traditionellem Anbieten uber ortsgebundene Filialsysteme ergeben und welche Handlungskonsequenzen fur junge Anbieter daraus abgeleitet werden konnen.
Electrohydrodynamics of a current-carrying semi-insulating jet

Quasi-one dimensional nonlinear model of electrohydrodynamic stability and control of current carrying semiinsulating jets at supercritical and subcritical regimes
TCR signaling intensity controls CD8+ T cell responsiveness to TGF-β.

DGK-ζ is a negative regulator of TCR signaling that causes degradation of the second messenger DAG, terminating DAG-mediated activation of Ras and PKCθ. Cytotoxic T cells deficient in DGK-ζ demonstrate enhanced effector functions in vitro and antitumor activity in vivo, perhaps because of insensitivity to inhibitory cytokines. We sought to determine whether the enhanced responsiveness of DGK-ζ-deficient T cells renders them insensitive to the inhibitory cytokine TGF-β and to determine how the loss of DGK-ζ facilitates this insensitivity. We identified decreased transcriptional and functional responses to TGF-β in CD8(+) DGK-ζ(-/-) T cells but preserved TGF-β-mediated conversion of naive DGK-ζ(-/-) CD4(+) T cells to a regulatory T cell phenotype. Decreased CD8(+) T cell responsiveness to TGF-β did not result from impaired canonical TGF-β signal transduction, because similar levels of TGF-β-R and intracellular Smad components were identified in WT and DGK-ζ(-/-) CD8(+) T cells, and TGF-β-mediated activation of Smad2 was unchanged. Instead, an enhanced TCR signal strength was responsible for TGF-β insensitivity, because (i) loss of DGK-ζ conferred resistance to TGF-β-mediated inhibition of Erk phosphorylation, (ii) TGF-β insensitivity could be recapitulated by exogenous addition of the DAG analog PMA, and (iii) TGF-β sensitivity could be observed in DGK-ζ-deficient T cells at limiting dilutions of TCR stimulation. These data indicate that enhanced TCR signal transduction in the absence of DGK-ζ makes T cells relatively insensitive to TGF-β, in a manner independent of Smads, a finding with practical implications in the development of immunotherapies that target TGF-β.
Murphy's Law: A New Perspective for Management Accounting Research

A corollary to Murphy's Law is: The other lane always moves faster than my lane. We show that even when the law is objectively untrue, because of sampling bias, people perceive the law as true. A manager who is aware of this perceptual bias will try to structure her budget cutbacks and all other "negative compensations" in such a way that her employees perceive that the cutback applies to everyone, not just to themselves. This finding has significant implications for future management accounting research.
Towards Designing a Truthful Online Auction Framework for Deadline-aware Cloud Resource Allocation

Auction-based resource allocation mechanisms have been believed as promising approaches to effectively managing cloud resource supply and demand, and thus recently attracted substantial research interests. In this paper, we present a novel online auction framework for deadline-aware cloud resource allocation. Our framework consists of two major parts. We first design an offline auction mechanism taking into account deadline requirements from different resource requests, and further present an online framework built on top of the offline auction mechanism. Our theoretical analysis shows that both the offline and online auction mechanisms are truthful.
11 Second hand tobacco smoke exposure and changes in heart rate variability among construction workers

Objective Although it has been well defined that long-term exposure to secondhand smoke (SHS) is associated with cardiovascular mortality, the acute cardiovascular effects of SHS exposure are still being explored. The aim of this study was to examine cardiovascular autonomic response, as measured by heart rate variability (HRV), to short-term SHS exposure among boilermaker construction workers. Methods Boilermakers were recruited from a local apprentice hall where they were monitored while exposed to SHS for approximately 6 hours. A repeated measures study design was used where resting 5-lead ECGs were taken from individuals before SHS exposure (baseline), following SHS exposure (post) and the morning following SHS exposure (next-morning). The ECG recording was analysed in time (SDNN, rMSSD) and frequency (LF, HF) domain parameters in 5-minute averages. Personal SHS exposure was monitored through SidepakTM Aerosol Monitor and quantified by fine particulate matter (PM2.5). Separate linear mixed-effects regression models were used to compare post- or next-morning after controlling for baseline. Exposure-response relationships with PM2.5 were examined. Results 52 male boilermakers, including 30 non-smokers, were monitored between June 2010 and June 2012. The mean SHS exposure was 167 ug/m3. After SHS exposure post 5-minute SDNN, rMSSD, LF and HF were significantly (p Conclusion We observed a change in HRV both immediately and the next morning following SHS exposure. However, results indicated that there was no linear dose-response relationship between PM2.5 and HRV. It is unclear whether SHS-derived PM2.5 or other factors contributed to the altered cardiovascular autonomic response.
Alteration in gene expression of branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase kinase but not in gene expression of its substrate in the liver of clofibrate-treated rats

We previously showed that the oxidation of branched-chain amino acids is increased in rats treated with clofibrate [Paul and Adibi (1980) J. Clin. Invest. 65, 1285-1293]. Two subsequent studies have reported contradictory results regarding the effect of clofibrate treatment on gene expression of branched-chain keto acid dehydrogenase (BCKDH) in rat liver. Furthermore, there has been no previous study of the effect of clofibrate treatment on gene expression of BCKDH kinase, which regulates the activity of BCKDH by phosphorylation. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the above issues. Clofibrate treatment for 2 weeks resulted in (a) a 3-fold increase in the flux through BCKDH in mitochondria isolated from rat liver, and (b) a modest but significant increase in the activity of BCKDH. However, clofibrate treatment had no significant effect on the mass of E1 alpha, E1 beta, and E2 subunits of BCKDH or the abundance of mRNAs encoding these subunits. On the other hand, clofibrate treatment significantly reduced the activity, the protein mass and the mRNA levels of BCKDH kinase in the liver. In contrast to the results obtained in liver, clofibrate treatment had no significant effect on any of these parameters of BCKDH kinase in the skeletal muscle. In conclusion, our results show that clofibrate treatment increases the activity of BCKDH in the liver and the mechanism of this effect is the inhibition of gene expression of the BCKDH kinase.
Effects of source and particle size on the biological availability of calcium in calcium supplements for growing pigs.

Five experiments were conducted to determine the biological availability of the Ca in high-Ca (calcitic) limestone, dolomitic limestone, oyster shell flour, gypsum, marble dust and aragonite for the growing pig, and to determine the influence of particle size of the Ca source on the bioavailability of Ca. A low-Ca, fortified, corn soybean meal basal diet calculated to contain .2% Ca and .6% P was used. This diet was supplemented with 0 or .3% Ca from either CaCO3 precipitate (the standard) or the test source of Ca. Diets were fed on an ad libitum basis to three to eight replicate pens of pigs (one or two/pen) for 35 to 42 d. Average initial weight of the pigs was 15 kg. At the end of each experiment the pigs were killed, the third and fourth metacarpals and metatarsals and the femurs were removed, and breaking strength and ash were determined. The increase in bone strength from feeding the test source of Ca relative to the increase in bone strength from feeding the CaCO3 standard was used to calculate the relative availability of Ca in the supplements. The bioavailability of Ca in calcitic limestone (two sources), oyster shell flour, gypsum, marble dust and aragonite was similar, ranging from 93 to 102%. However, the Ca in two sources of dolomitic limestone was less available (51 and 78%) than in the other sources. Particle size of the Ca sources (geometric mean diameter of .10 to .54 mm) did not influence the availability of Ca.
Business Modalities of the Inner Solar System: Planets with Potential?

The idea of considering business opportunities within the inner solar system is clearly speculative. However, the danger with most speculative opportunities is not being ahead of your time, but failing to recognize that virtually all such possibilities may be realized in time. The inner solar system is inherently more challenging in terms of prospective business activity than the Moon, Mars, or even asteroids.
Differential mode (DM) current ripple EMI noise analysis for three-phase Vienna type rectifiers

For a Vienna rectifier, the phase-leg's pulsating voltage is the source for the input current ripple and Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) noise. Double Fourier integral transform is commonly used to determine the harmonic spectrum of the phase-leg voltage so as to predict EMI noise. For three-phase, three-level rectifiers, like the Vienna rectifier, this process can be very cumbersome and can vary depending on the modulation scheme used. Moreover it doesn't give direct estimate of the current spectrum which is needed for filter design as the limits of noise current spectra are given in many EMI standards. Hence, for designing the filter for the DM noise, detailed analysis of the DM ripple current is very important. In this paper, the DM ripple current in Vienna type rectifiers using a dual stacked carrier based modulation scheme is investigated and the technique to predict the worst current ripple is developed. Based on this worst current ripple, the method of finding the attenuation requirements for EMI filter design is also described. Simulations were conducted to validate the worst current ripple predicted using the proposed technique.
The Keys II: Krausichnidae and Pallichnidae

This chapter contains updated keys, diagnoses, brief comparisons among similar ichnotaxa to identify and ichnotaxonomically classify insect trace fossils in paleosols grouped in the ichnofamilies Krausichnidae and Pallichnidae. Diagnoses are mostly modified from original ones to accommodate all ichnotaxa, to uniform the nomenclature used and to avoid any reference to extant structures or producers. Some ichnotaxonomical changes are proposed. 3D reconstructions are provided for all ichnotaxa. The chapter provides keys to separate ichnofamilies, ichnogenera and ichnospecies of Krausichnidae and Pallichnidae. It is intended to function as a guide to easily identify in the field insect trace fossils from paleosols.
Extensor Retinaculum Capsulorrhaphy (Herbert Sling)

This chapter details the steps in performing the extensor retinaculum capsulorrhaphy (the Herbert sling) procedure. A retinacular flap is created; the flap can be sutured to the periosteum of the distal radius or if radial periosteum is insufficient, suture anchors can be placed. The extensor retinaculum is imbricated in an oblique fashion from distal-ulnar to proximal-radial. Indications, essential steps, postoperative care, and sample operative dictation are included.