cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On a Class of Operators of Finite Type

This paper studies some class of pure operators A with finite rank self-commutators satisfying the condition that there is a finite dimensional subspace containing the image of the self-commutator and invariant with re- spect to A ∗ . Besides, in this class the spectrum of operator A is covered by the projection of a union of quadrature domains in some Riemann surfaces. In this paper the analytic model, the mosaic and some kernel related to the eigenfunctions are introduced which are the analogue of those objects in the theory of subnormal operators.
An adaptive video multicast scheme for varying workloads

Periodic broadcast and scheduled multicast have been shown to be very effective in reducing the demand on server bandwidth. While periodic broadcast is better for popular videos, scheduled multicast is more suitable for less popular ones. Work has also been done to show that a hybrid of these techniques offer the best performance. Existing hybrid schemes, however, assume that the characteristic of the workload does not change with time. This assumption is not true for many applications, such as movie on demand, digital video libraries, or electronic commerce. In this paper, we show that existing scheduled multicast techniques are not suited for hybrid designs. To address this issue, we propose a new approach and use it to design an adaptive hybrid strategy. Our technique adjusts itself to cope with a changing workload. We provide simulation results to demonstrate that the proposed technique is significantly better than the best static approach in terms of service latency, throughput, defection rate, and unfairness.
A radial basis network for seismic signal discrimination

An application of the radial basis function network to seismic waveform classification is presented. The network performs generalization and discrimination of input patterns using an external teacher. Modifications to this scheme are described. They include: (1) changing the size of the spheres; (2) using a random walk scheme during testing; (3) gradually decreasing the initial radii to avoid overlap of two distinct regions; (4) a conflict resolution mechanism; and (5) a simple means of decreasing the sphere radius. The applications to seismic signals include using the moments over a sliding window and the first several points of a wavelet. The speed of training of this network exceeds that of backpropagation with the same error rate.
Coding for higher-order partial-response channels

Partial-response maximum-likelihood (PRML) methods are now being adopted in many digital magnetic recording systems. It is expected that as linear densities continue to increase, there will be a need to use 'extended' PRML techniques. In fact, commercial systems incorporating extended partial-response target channels, denoted EPRML and EEPRML, employing the EPR4 transfer polynomial h(D) equals 1 plus D minus D2 minus D3 and the EEPR4 transfer polynomial h(D) equals 1 plus 2D minus 2D3 minus D4, respectively, have recently appeared. Among these systems, several apply the rate 2/3, (d,k) equals (1,7) runlength-limited code, originally designed for use with peak-detection, in combination with a detector trellis structure reflecting the d equals 1 constraint. In the EEPR4 case, the d equals 1 constraint is known to provide a coding gain of 2.2 dB, unnormalized for the rate loss, relative to the uncoded channel. In this paper, we describe a nested family of code constraints, properly containing the d equals 1 constraint, intended for use on the EEPR4 channel. These constraints are shown to have the same distance-enhancing properties as the d equals 1 constraint. They permit the design of practical codes for EEPR4 that offer the same coding gain as the (1,7)-coded system, but with higher achievable code rates. The paper concludes with the construction for such a code which, having rate 4/5, offers a 20% increase over the 1,7) code.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Cellular Senescence and the Cell Cycle

Normal cells in culture can be grown for only a limited number of cell divisions after which they exhibit morphological changes and cease proliferation, a process termed cellular senescence or cellular aging (1). Hayflick and Moorhead (2) reported this finding with human fibroblasts over 30 years ago, and it has been subsequently confirmed by many investigators using cells from different tissues and species. The failure of cells to grow beyond this limit is an inherent property of the cells that cannot be explained simply by inadequate media components or growth conditions (1, 2). The key determinant in the life span of cells in culture is the number of cell doublings, not the length of time in culture (1). Normal cells transplanted serially in vivo also exhibit a finite life span, suggesting that cellular senescence is not a cell culture artifact (3). Several lines of evidence suggest that the aging of cells in culture may be related to the aging of the organism (1, 4). These lines of evidence, although not conclusive, provide provocative support for the hypothesis that aging of cells is related to the aging process of the organism.
Large-scale cooperative task distribution on peer-to-peer networks

Large-scale systems are part of a growing trend in distributed computing, and coordinating control of them is an increasing challenge. This paper presents a cooperative agent system that scales to one million or more nodes in which agents form coalitions to complete global task objectives. This approach uses the large-scale Command and Control C2 capabilities of the Resource Clustered Chord RC-Chord Hierarchical Peer-to-Peer HP2P design. Tasks are submitted that require access to processing, data, or hardware resources, and a distributed agent search is performed to recruit agents to satisfy the distributed task. This approach differs from others by incorporating design elements to accommodate large-scale systems into the resource location algorithm. Peersim simulations demonstrate that the distributed coalition formation algorithm is as effective as an omnipotent central algorithm in a one million agent system.
Bandwidth brokering and dynamic resource allocation in DiffServ domains for heterogeneous applications

Differentiated Services (DiffServ) is an important mechanism for providing quality of support on Internet. Even though DiffServ has demonstrated its stream classifications ability, the lack of an efficient network resource management mechanism is still a dilemma for this architecture. To address the mentioned problem, this paper proposes two new bandwidth brokering approaches that by using the network availability information along with the DiffServ priority discipline accomplish an efficient dynamic stream allocation mechanism within the DS domain (DiffServ domain). They are able to address intelligently the network resources based on the users priorities and the application requirements. These two new approaches use the DifServ class-based information provided by the queueing mechanism in order to estimate the link congestion for each stream type. By analyzing this data our mechanisms can choose the suitable path that best satisfies the user requirements and privileges. The results presented successfully demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed mechanisms and their advantages over other existing approaches.
The Evolutionary Genetics of Emerging Viruses

RNA viruses are the main agents of emerging disease. To understand how RNA viruses are able to jump species boundaries and spread in new hosts it is essential to determine the basic processes of evolutionary change in these infectious agents. RNA virus evolution is largely shaped by very high rates of mutation. This, coupled with potentially enormous intra- and interhost population sizes and continual replication, allows the rapid production of genetic diversity, including those mutations that facilitate host adaptation. However, high mutation rates also act to constrain aspects of RNA virus evolution, as the majority of mutations, including many at synonymous sites, are deleterious, which in turn places an upper limit on genome size. Ironically, although RNA viruses are characterized by their mutation rates, these rates may not be high enough to allow the onset of quasispecies dynamics, in which natural selection acts on the viral population as a whole.
Women's lives: pressure and pleasure, conflict and support.

Caring relationships are central to women's lives, producing conflict and support, pressure and pleasure. In this paper I explore how caring relationships in family and work contexts influence women's health in complex ways. Evidence from many studies suggests that women remain healthy despite multiple demands and that caring relationships have positive effects on women's health.
Tracing ridge regression coefficients

Ridge regression is a parameter estimation method used to address the collinearity problem frequently arising in multiple linear regressions. The methodology defines a class of estimators indexed by a non-negative scalar parameter, k. When utilizing ridge regression, the analyst eventually chooses a particular value of k which, in turn, uniquely determines the regression parameter estimates within the ridge class. Many such methods of determination, both deterministic and stochastic, have been proposed and evaluated in the literature. A plot of the ridge regression estimates as a function of k, the so-called ridge trace, is often used in the selection process. In this article, one such criterion, the square of the correlation coefficient of the actual dependent variable and its predicted values, is examined. It can be used, along with a ridge trace and other quantitative measures, as another important tradeoff between using ordinary least squares estimates and estimates from the ridge class. WIREs Comp Stat 2010 2 695–703 DOI: 10.1002/wics.126 For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website.
Intraseasonal surface cooling in the equatorial western Pacific

Abstract Three idealized models for the surface structure of the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) were summarized from observations, numerical simulations, and theories, which demonstrate contrasting phase relationships of surface variables. To explore which model represents the most commonly observed features of the MJO in the western Pacific, in situ observations from moored buoys and satellite data were used to construct composite time series for components of surface fluxes of heat, momentum, and buoyancy during intraseasonal cooling episodes, defined as periods when the ocean loses heat through the surface. The composites show a near in-phase relationship among maxima in net surface cooling, latent heat flux, precipitation rate, wind stress, westerly wind, and minima in solar radiation flux and net buoyancy flux. The phase of net buoyancy flux is determined by the net heat flux, whereas its magnitude is substantially compensated by freshwater flux. During the composite cooling episode, both the oceani...
The Compromised Cargo Container: Terror in a Box

Prior to the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, the focus of the U.S. government, in terms of homeland security, was on national missile defense or international aviation, not on the vulnerability of its ports. This lack of effective port security existed despite the radical change that had taken place in international shipping with the advent of containerization and the attendant rise of a global economy. In 2000, the warnings of the Interagency Commission on Crime and Security in U.S. Ports (the "Commission"), that "U.S. seaports are vulnerable to terrorist attacks, and such attacks have the potential to create substantial damage to seaport infrastructure, with significant national security consequences," went unheeded. The U.S. government also ignored the Commission's additional conclusion that "threats of chemical or biological assault could represent an emerging issue for national infrastructure systems such as seaports" and its recommendation "that minimum port security guidelines should be developed" in line with its findings.Just two months before the attacks on 9/11, the Acting Deputy Administrator of the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration ("MARAD") echoed the Commission's report while testifying before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. He noted that unlike "U.S. airports and land border crossings [that] have well-structured security measures, our ports do not enjoy the same level of security even though they offer unparalleled intermodal access to our nation's interior." Irrespective of such warnings, prior to the attack on the World Trade Center, the goals of port security were primarily to prevent cargo theft, counteract drug smuggling, and control any stowaway problems. After the Introduction in Part I, Part II of this Article provides a brief, historical overview of the major U.S. port security regulations prior to 9/11. It then touches briefly on the two key pieces of legislation relevant to container security, the Maritime Transportation and Security Act of 2002 (the "MTSA") and the Security and Accountability For Every ("SAFE") Port Act. Next, it will examine the success and failure of three primary, post-9/11, domestic, container-specific security measures taken to increase port security: the Container Security Initiative (the "CSI"), the 100% cargo scanning rule, and the C-TPAT. It will also address the required biometric credential pursuant to the Transportation Worker Identification Credential ("TWIC"). Part III traces the rise of the shipping container and discusses certain unique cargo security issues resulting from the expansion of containerization. Part IV then considers the potential of terrorist stowaways to breach current port security measures and threaten national security. In concluding, Part V will make some suggestions about the course the United States might want to chart in its ongoing effort to ensure the security of the nation's seaports from the dangers that terrorist compromised cargo containers pose.
Sequence-dependent cytoxicity of docetaxel and erlotinib in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC)

6084 More effective systemic treatment is needed for HNSCC. The taxoids are the most efficacious single agents identified. Epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is almost universally expressed by HNSCC tumors but inhibitors have only modest activity as single agents in clinical studies. However, the combination of the taxoids with EGFR inhibition has additive anti-tumor effects in HNSCC in vitro and in animals. Despite similar pre-clinical data in lung cancer, clinical trials showed no benefit when EGFR inhibitors were added to chemotherapy. In vitro studies in lung, breast and colon cancer cell lines demonstrate that the separation of EGFR TKI from chemotherapy and the order in which these agents are administered influences efficacy. We sought to determine if a similar sequence-dependent effect exists in HNSCC in order to help design future clinical trials with these agents. We chose three human HNSCC cell lines with diverse levels of basal EGFR expression and activation. None had EGFR mutations, which...
On the Measurement of Some Three Dimensional Effects in Cracked Bodies

Concepts associated with an integrated optical method, consisting of the tandem application of high density moire interferometry and refined frozen stress photoelasticity, for measuring three dimensional effects in cracked bodies, is briefly described. Effects included are variation in the stress intensity factor (SIF) along a crack border and loss in the stress singularity associated with linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) when cracks intersect free surfaces. Results of the application of the method to three dimensional problems are presented.
Differential regulation of type III secretion and virulence genes in Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica by a secreted anti-σ factor

The BvgAS phosphorelay regulates ∼10% of the annotated genomes of Bordetella pertussis and Bordetella bronchiseptica and controls their infectious cycles. The hierarchical organization of the regulatory network allows the integration of contextual signals to control all or specific subsets of BvgAS-regulated genes. Here, we characterize a regulatory node involving a type III secretion system (T3SS)-exported protein, BtrA, and demonstrate its role in determining fundamental differences in T3SS phenotypes among Bordetella species. We show that BtrA binds and antagonizes BtrS, a BvgAS-regulated extracytoplasmic function (ECF) sigma factor, to couple the secretory activity of the T3SS apparatus to gene expression. In B. bronchiseptica, a remarkable spectrum of expression states can be resolved by manipulating btrA, encompassing over 80 BtrA-activated loci that include genes encoding toxins, adhesins, and other cell surface proteins, and over 200 BtrA-repressed genes that encode T3SS apparatus components, secretion substrates, the BteA effector, and numerous additional factors. In B. pertussis, BtrA retains activity as a BtrS antagonist and exerts tight negative control over T3SS genes. Most importantly, deletion of btrA in B. pertussis revealed T3SS-mediated, BteA-dependent cytotoxicity, which had previously eluded detection. This effect was observed in laboratory strains and in clinical isolates from a recent California pertussis epidemic. We propose that the BtrA-BtrS regulatory node determines subspecies-specific differences in T3SS expression among Bordetella species and that B. pertussis is capable of expressing a full range of T3SS-dependent phenotypes in the presence of appropriate contextual cues.
Book Review: Covering America’s Courts: A Clash of Rights, by Toni Locy:

Toni Locy Covering America's Courts: A Clash of Rights. New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2013. 224 pp.It is rare to encounter a book that appears to be a nearly flawless fit for teaching a particular class. Indeed, for many classes, professors have a wide variety of similar texts to choose from based on their particular teaching style, specific content they want to highlight, or an author's strong writing. Toni Locy's new textbook, however, comes as close as possible to being the perfect text for a course on legal reporting. It is hard to imagine a better-written or more thorough book for those interested in teaching courses on covering U.S. courts. It is truly an exceptional text, full of excellent, practi- cal, hands-on advice on everything from how to develop and protect sources to the best way to respond to unsympathetic judges, unwelcomed subpoenas, courtroom clo- sures, and surly court security officers.The textbook is divided into four sections, which include three chapters each. The first section explores the U.S. court system and offers a brief examination of the law. The second section, one of the strongest sections of the textbook, explains legal docu- ments and where to find them-it contains incredibly helpful reproductions of sample documents. The third section offers an extremely rich and detailed examination of criminal and civil trials. The final section covers court closures, gag orders, terrorism trials, and the U.S. Supreme Court.Locy takes a practical approach, using entertaining anecdotes collected over decades of reporting to provide readers a near step-by-step process for covering state and federal cases, both criminal and civil. Locy's stories entertain, inspire, and bring her lessons to life. While many readers may think of Locy primarily for her infamous involvement with the 2001 FBI anthrax investigation when she landed in jail for refus- ing to identify her sources, this is but one story discussed in the book. While the epi- sode is informative and covered in detail, it is simply one of many used to explain a point Locy is trying to make. Locy shares many interesting stories from her time at the Washington Post, Boston Globe, and USA Today that will engage students and help them understand legal processes and terms.The textbook has many highlights, a few of which particularly stand out. Chapter three-police investigations-and Chapter four-court records-are perhaps the fin- est in the book. Each contains helpful hints illustrated by her stories, as well as sample documents and directions on how to obtain these documents. Locy clearly explains how to find information, tells her readers what to look for to understand court docu- ments, and explains how to communicate legal information in informative and inter- esting ways. Locy also warns novice reporters to not get caught up in the hype of ongoing investigations and cautions them on the dangers of becoming a pawn of law enforcement, prosecutors, or defense attorneys. …
Prenatal diagnosis of lysosomal storage diseases: A review of 23 cases

During the previous 2 yr, 23 pregnancies were monitored for the presence of 9 different lysosomal storage diseases. There were 3 possible cases of GM1 gangliosidosis, 4 of GM2 gangliosidosis Type I and one of Type II, 4 of glucosylceramidosis, 3 of sulphatide lipidosis, one of galactosylceramidosis, 2 of glycogen storage disease Type II, 2 of mucolipidosis Type II and 3 of nephropathic cystinosis. Twelve foetuses were predicted to be homozygous affected and these pregnancies were terminated. Analysis of tissues (cultured fibroblasts, brain, liver, spleen) from 11 of these foetuses confirmed the prenatal diagnosis: one foetus was lost to biochemical follow-up. Of the remaining 11 pregnancies, one terminated spontaneously (4 wk after amniocentesis). Five children have been born and considered to be unaffected by the disease for which they were at risk both by clinical and biochemical evaluation: 5 further children have not yet been tested. In 22 cases cultured amniotic cells were used for the diagnosis and sufficient cells were grown to perform the analysis before the 20th wk of gestation. In one case of mucolipidosis Type II, cells failed to proliferate in culture and cell free amniotic fluid was used for assay. It is concluded that the techniques currently employed for the above tests are diagnostic. Even so, a multidirectional approach to each diagnosis, bringing to bear all available technology in our laboratory, is still used to ensure that diagnostic errors are not made.
Oxidation with a Photolabile Carbonyl Protecting Group

A novel oxidation approach utilizing a robust photolabile carbonyl protecting group reagent (1) as the oxidizing reagent has been developed. Different from existing methods, this approach oxidizes primary alcohols to the photosensitive acetals (e.g., 3), providing another unique approach to the protected aldehydes. Thus, for the first time, oxidation and protection are achieved in one reaction. Secondary alcohols are oxidized to the corresponding ketones. Moreover, the photolabile protecting group (PPG) also oxidizes ethers and esters. The oxidation is presumably via hydride abstraction by the tritylium ion generated from 1 under acidic conditions. However, the mechanisms for primary alcohols and secondary alcohols are slightly different.
Statistical Induction in Rural Social Research

number of mules required to set a given number of families on the road to selfsupport, important as these facts are. It will require research carried on side by side with experimentation to discover capacities to master the intricate tasks of balanced farming and home-making. One must also know the attitude which the responsible members of the family will take toward obligations, especially those obligations which run over long periods of time and require steadfastness of character to insure regularity of payments. It will be necessary to discover ways and means of placing them on desirable acreages of land on a long-time tenure basis. Patterns for financial assistance and supervision must be devised and the extent of governmental and of local community responsibility estimated and set forth in working terms. The kind of knowledge necessary to attack the problem of finding families qualified for farm ownership is all too inadequately discussed. It would require as much or more space to indicate the kind of social knowledge necessary to the social reconstruction of the individual lives of those who have been broken in courage and deprived of hope by the many months of economic failure and the final desperate acceptance of relief. While it must be anticipated that there will be a small percentage of failures in any such experiment, the practical purpose of research is to reduce the percentage to the smallest possible margin. It will be seen at once that this kind of research must be done by social scientists who can work with the tireless alertness and patience of the natural scientist among his test plots, and who possess an unusual amount of insight and understanding. The quest for knowledge for its own sake motivates the true scientist at all times but the need to solve practical problems lies at the root of much of his achievement. Just now the social scientist is required to keep practical considerations in the foreground, not necessarily forgetting social theory, but utilizing the opportunity which social experimentation offers to test the results of research in a program of practical action. This program must necessarily be adjusted to new facts and be sensitive to the challenge of new trails in social discovery.
Nonlinearity and Localization in One-Dimensional Random Media

A nonlinear Fabry-Perot etalon with random inhomogeneities is modeled by a one-dimensional stochastic Helmholtz equation. An asymptotic estimate of the threshold intensity needed for optical bistability is found for homogeneous media as a function of length. In the random case localization is affected and estimates of the energy growth are derived for large lengths with fixed output. Comparisons of the theory and numerical simulations are presented.
Economics and Economic Indicators

“It’s the economy, stupid!” This internal campaign slogan developed by Democratic political strategist James Carville helped propel Bill Clinton to his victory over incumbent George H. W. Bush in the 1992 U.S. presidential election (Clinton, 2004). At the time, the U.S. economy was mired in a recession, and the American public held a cautious economic outlook. Carville smartly realized that people often make decisions based largely on how they feel about the world around them. In this case, the economy was sluggish, and some blamed then-president Bush for being out of touch. Ultimately, a majority of voters believed that Clinton represented a change and a fresh start.
Locoregional Therapy Following Neoadjuvant Therapy for HER-2+ Breast Cancer: Opportunities and Challenges

Advances in the management of patients with HER-2+ breast cancer with combinatorial targeted therapies are leading to unprecedented rates of pathologic complete response. The high rates of complete pathologic response in the breast and the axillary lymph nodes following neoadjuvant therapy are raising new questions about the role of local therapies (surgery and radiation therapy) in treating these patients. The safe elimination of surgery and radiation therapy for selected breast cancer patients would ultimately reduce the short- and long-term morbidity associated with traditional breast cancer treatments and would represent a major step forward. However, numerous technical and clinical challenges remain which will be discussed in this chapter. Collaborative efforts to address these challenges are essential to improving current therapeutic approaches for patients with HER-2+ breast cancer.
Multilevel Small-Area Estimation of Multiple Cigarette Smoking Status Categories Using the 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System.

Background: Smoking is the leading preventable cause of death; however, small-area estimates for detailed smoking status are limited. We developed multilevel small-area estimate mixed models to generate county-level estimates for six smoking status categories: current, some days, every day, former, ever, and never. Method: Using 2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data (our sample size = 405,233 persons), we constructed and fitted a series of multilevel logistic regression models and applied them to the U.S. Census population to generate county-level prevalence estimates. We mapped the estimates by sex and aggregated them into state and national estimates. We conducted comparisons for internal consistency with BRFSS states9 estimates using Pearson correlation coefficients, and external validation with the 2012 National Health Interview Survey current smoking prevalence. Results: Correlation coefficients ranged from 0.908 to 0.982, indicating high internal consistency. External validation indicated complete agreement (prevalence = 18.06%). We found large variations in current and former smoking status between and within states and by sex. County prevalence of former smokers was highest among men in the Northeast, North, and West. Utah consistently had the lowest smoking prevalence. Conclusions: Our models, which include demographic and geographic characteristics, provide reliable estimates that can be applied to multiple category outcomes and any demographic group. County and state estimates may help understand the variation in smoking prevalence in the United States and provide information for control and prevention. Impact: Detailed county and state smoking category estimates can help identify areas in need of tobacco control and prevention and potentially allow planning for health care. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 25(10); 1402–10. ©2016 AACR .
Rapid bedside method to assess changes in postoperative fluid status with bioelectrical impedance analysis.

BACKGROUND Estimates of daily postoperative fluid balance usually rely on properly recorded inputs, outputs, and daily weights or clinical signs. These may be imprecise (when poorly done) and are often considered tedious to perform. METHODS We used bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) to assess changes in body water shifts in cardiac patients after surgery. Nine consecutively admitted patients undergoing coronary artery bypass (seven men and two women; age range, 43 to 67 years) were studied. Body weight, fluid intake and output, and BIA variables (resistance and reactance) were measured daily. Relationships between body weight and changes in resistance and reactance and net change in fluid balance (in liters per day) were evaluated statistically by regression analysis. RESULTS Mean body weights changed significantly, reflecting early operative fluid accumulation and later postoperative diuresis; net fluid balance correlated poorly (r = 0.48; p less than 0.05) with body weight, whereas both resistance (r = -0.82; p less than 0.001) and reactance (r = -0.92; p less than 0.0001) correlated highly with net fluid balance. CONCLUSIONS BIA is useful as an accurate, rapid bedside method for assessing changes in hydration status sequentially after surgery in cardiac patients with complicated fluid shifts.
The Band 3 receiver (84-116 GHz) for ALMA

Test results are presented of the Band 3 module integrated into the Atacama large millimeter array (ALMA) front end receiver. The 84 to 116 GHz collected signal by the Band 3 receiver is split into two orthogonal polarisations using an orthomode transducer and then down-converted to 6 GHz over 4 GHz bandwidth using sideband separating mixers with better than 10 dB of image rejection. The single sideband system's low noise of 35 to 45 K is achieved by cascading superconductor-insulator-superconductor (SIS) mixers and low noise cryogenic amplifiers that consist of three stage high mobility transistors (HEMT) operating at 4 K.
A Big Bang for Japanese Mandarins? The Civil Service Reform of 2014

ABSTRACTIn 2014, the largest reform since the US postwar occupation was enacted in Japanese civil service. It was designed as the final step of the two-decade-long effort to restructure the “1955 System,” that is, the politico-administrative system developed under the Liberal Democratic Party’s hegemony. Its purpose was to remold Japan’s independent-minded bureaucrats into the elected officials’ obedient servants. Unfortunately, the reform is unlikely to deliver expected results. The failure’s major reason concerns the fact that Japanese bureaucracy’s unusually large role in policymaking paradoxically discourages elected officials to use their major reining tool against it, namely, appointive power.
Play as a Context for Early Learning

Mother is busy with her daily housework routine of sweeping the kitchen floor. To keep Anna, her IO-month-old, occupied, she opens up the kitchen cabinet which is full of pots, pans, and baking dishes. Mother pulls out a stack of three nested pots and two wooden spoons and sets them all in front of Anna. Anna smiles and busily begins her own musical concert of spoons and pans. Mother continues her housekeeping.
Qualification of Chemically Bonded Sand Systems Using a Casting Trial for Quantifying Interfacial Defects

Chemically bonded sand cores and molds are an important part of metal casting technology and their interaction with metal (mold–metal interface) is of great interest. Currently, the metal casting industry places a strong emphasis on near-net-shape and thin wall castings, while simultaneously maintaining increasingly stringent dimensional reproducibility requirements. To efficiently and cost effectively accomplish this task, it becomes crucial to ensure or “qualify” high-quality performance at the mold–metal interface. The thermal distortion test (TDT) was used in published American Foundry Society (AFS) studies as a laboratory technique to determine the presence of anomalies and for measuring distortions in chemically bonded sand binder systems. However, these laboratory tests focus purely on sand binder system behavior, without considering the effects of actual mold–metal interfaces. While the TDT provides valuable insight, it is unable to ensure castings will be free (or contain an acceptable amount) of specific defects. Therefore, to maximize casting quality and efficiency, it becomes imperative to incorporate casting trials into a foundry’s quality control system. This will allow the occurrence of potential casting defects to be observed at the mold–metal interface. This paper presents a casting trial technique that provides three specific benefits to foundry quality control systems. First, these trials will qualify sand binder systems against a specific casting surface defect(s), such as surface roughness, veins, penetration, cuts, washes, and erosion. Second, these casting trials are implemented under constant casting, mold, process, and design parameters. This allows the casting trial(s) to provide diagnostic information (i.e., if a specific defect occurs when using a qualified sand binder system, the cause cannot be related to the sand binder system). Third, the casting trial technique provides new opportunities for data analysis and deeper system understanding. Specifically, results in this paper identify the possibility of a potential relation between TDT data (e.g., anomalies and distortions) and actual casting trial data (e.g., defects).
Consumer Experiences, the Key to Survive in an Omni-channel Environment: Use of Virtual Technology

With increasing demand of consumers for better shopping experiences and an increased number of online retailers, it is important for Omni-channel retailers to adopt and utilize several virtual technologies, which can support and complement their retailing practices. To strategically manage these technologies, it is imperative to analyze several specific cases, which utilize virtual technologies to align and implement multiple technologies in effective and efficient ways and to make synergy among those technologies. The purpose of this paper is two-fold. First, to examine how Omni-channel retailers utilize and manage several virtual technologies, which are virtual/augmented reality, virtual fitting rooms and fashion shows, and virtual salespeople, to provide satisfactory online shopping experience by overcoming problems online environments fundamentally have. Second, to provide practical implications to brick-and-mortar retailers, who have recently ventured into online retailing, in their management of various types of channels simultaneously using technologies like Internet of Things and Kiosks. Through the review and analysis of several cases, this paper provides managerial implications for practitioners to utilize virtual technologies in ways that can actually add value to consumer experiences and urge them to take mix approach toward virtual technology.
Dimensionality Of Task Design As Measured By The Job Diagnostic Survey

Twenty, widely-varied samples of workers (n=5,945) responded to the core characteristics items from the Job Diagnostic Survey. Factor analyses identified two, three, four, and five-factor solutions...
DISTINGUISHING THE USES, FUNCTIONS, AND PURPOSES OF CLASSIC MAYA “CHOCOLATE” CONTAINERS: NOT ALL CUPS ARE FOR DRINKING

Traditionally, cups have been the primary artifact through which beverage consumption has been inferred or defined, regardless of the numerous other artifacts that may be involved in beverage production, preparation, and service. Conversely, not all cup-shaped artifacts were intended to be used as drinking vessels, nor were all of them necessarily intended to contain a liquid. For the Maya Classic period (a.d. 250–900) decorated cylinder vessels in particular, this paper shows that the residues of their former contents do not agree with epigraphers’ interpretations of what have been taken as self-referential statements about their contents and uses. This disparity between expectations and data indicates that we have misunderstood both the vessels and the text, and perhaps that we have failed to recognize one or more classes of vessels. The research presented here suggests that we need to rethink the generally accepted interpretation that all cylinders were drinking vessels and that those that are currently referred to as “chocolate” vessels were never used for the consumption of liquid cacao beverage. These results provide a new context for interpreting the use, function, and purpose of these vessels. Methods drawn from both the natural and social sciences are used to relate archaeological materials, residues of their ancient contents, their hieroglyphic texts, ceramic imagery(/iconography), and past behavior. This diversity of methods accentuates that combining data from all these sources constrains the interpretations of each, and shows that our initial expectations about vessels with hieroglyphic tags have been overly specific. Determining the functions and uses of these vessels is not as simple as we have been supposing, but distinctions that prove to be relevant give us access to more complex systems of cultural practice.
Sonderfunktionen der Phantasie (Träumen. Spielen. Schaffen)

Im Traum ist jeder Mensch ein Phantast; er erlebt in sich Bilder, deren Inhalte und Ablaufe alles real Erfahrene uberschreiten, so sehr auch ihr Rohmaterial in Erfahrungen bestehen mag; er erlebt sie mit vollem naiven Realitatsbewusstsein, da ja Kritik, Kontrolle und Widerlegung durch praktische Konsequenzen fehlen; und er hat, beim Erwachen, in aller Starke das Zweiweltengefuhl, namlich das Gefuhl des Nichtzueinandergehorens der Scheinwelt, aus der er kommt, und der Seinswelt, in die hinein er aufwacht. Auch das schnelle Entschwinden der Traumerinnerungen und das Bewusstsein, dass selbst die in der Erinnerung zuruckbleibenden Traumfetzen nur ein ganz schwaches und noch dazu verschobenes Bild von dem geben, was im Traum tatsachlich erlebt worden war — tragt zu jenem Zweiweltengefuhl bei.
Mass spectrometry: system based analysis*

Abstract Correct interpretation of measurements from Liquid Chromatography in tandem with Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS) is mostly affected by presented noise. Noise additions are produced not only by random errors (random noise) but also by influence of mobile phase (systemic noise, baseline) from Liquid chromatography. Sum of the noise and signal may produce false interpretation or hide the signal under reasonable level. The LC-MS data are complex and algorithms based only on filtering in chromatographic domain (Total Ion Current - TIC) nor only in individual mass spectra can not have performance as good as algorithms which incorporate information from both domains together. Generally, filtration using hard fixed threshold values are problematic. Its results are often inconsistent between runs, instrumentation and methods because the values from nearest threshold neighborhood may be easily missclassified. We proposed a novel method based on system approach to LC-MS data analysis. Because the presented noises have to correspond to some probabilistic distributions, it is possible to approximate the distributions and identify the parameters. Using this parameters helps to describe measurement more accurately. This information could be used in addition for filtration or for further analysis process. In this paper, LC-MS measurement data output were described according to the system approach point of view. Appropriate distributions of random noise as well as systemic noise were selected and parameters identification was described. Identified characteristics were used for probability factor evaluation. Two principles of using of this probability information were illustrated on real measurements.
Photoemission as a probe of electronic states in ultrathin magnetic overlayers: Correlation and hybridization effects.

We examine the fundamental roles of the d-d correlation and s-d hybridization in determining the electronic structure, as probed by photoemission (PE), of one monolayer of Co on Cu(001). We show that the interface hybridization between the electrons in narrow (Co d) and wide (Cu s) bands can induce significant changes to features driven by correlation effects in the PE spectrum (PES). An exact diagonalization approach using and going beyond single-particle results is employed in the calculation. We conclude that it is crucial to include both the d-d correlation and the s-d hybridization in a many-body model for understanding and interpreting the PES. Calculated results are compared with available experimental data.
Support Vector Machines for Image Spam Analysis

Email is one of the most common forms of digital communication. Spam is unsolicited bulk email, while image spam consists of spam text embedded inside an image. Image spam is used as a means to evade text-based spam filters, and hence image spam poses a threat to email-based communication. In this research, we analyze image spam detection using support vector machines (SVMs), which we train on a wide variety of image features. We use a linear SVM to quantify the relative importance of the features under consideration. We also develop and analyze a realistic â€œchallengeâ€ dataset that illustrates the limitations of current image spam detection techniques.
The cicadas (Hemiptera: Cicadidae) of Panama including the description of six new species, three new combinations, one new synonymy, and nine new records.

The known cicada fauna of Panama is identified. Procollina quadrimaculata n. sp., P. stigmosa n. sp., Guyalna woldai n. sp., Herrera nigratorquata n. sp., H. sigillata n. sp. and Conibosa megalopercula n. sp. are described as new. Proarna germari Distant, 1905 n. syn. is shown to be a junior synonym of Proarna invaria (Walker, 1850). Pacarina championi (Distant, 1881) is returned to Proarna Stal, 1864 to become Proarna championi Distant, 1881 n. comb. again. The first records of Proarna invaria (Walker, 1850), Guyalna bogotana (Distant, 1892), Dorisiana cachla (Distant, 1899), Ollanta modesta (Distant, 1881), Pacarina schumanni Distant, 1905, Majeorona truncata Goding, 1925, Herrera lugubrina lugubrina (Stal, 1864), Calyria cuna (Walker, 1850), and Calyria telifera (Walker, 1858) are provided. The records for Ollanta modesta (Distant, 1881) are the first records of the genus Ollanta Distant, 1905 for Panama. The records for Calyria cuna (Walker, 1850), and Calyria telifera (Walker, 1858) are the first record of the genus Calyria Stal, 1862 and the Tribe Parnisini Distant, 1905 in Panama. Previous records of Dorisiana metcalfi Sanborn Heath, 2014 (= Cicada viridis Olivier, 1790), Carineta fasciculata (Germar, 1830), and Selymbria stigmatica (Germar, 1834) are considered to be misidentifications of G. bogotana, C. maculosa (Torres, 1948), and S. pluvialis (Ramos Wolda 1985) respectively so that D. metcalfi, C. fasciculata, and S. stigmatica are removed from the cicada fauna of Panama. The Panamanian record of Dorisiana semilata (Walker, 1850) is shown to be a mistake and the species is removed from the faunal list as well. The currently known Panamanian cicada fauna is comprised of 54 described species along with six species from the literature that remain undetermined from 22 genera, seven tribes and three subfamilies. Bergalna xanthospila (Germar, 1830) is reassigned to Dorisiana Metcalf, 1952 to become Dorisiana xanthospila (Germar, 1830) n. comb. Fidicinoides flavibasalis (Distant, 1905) is reassigned to Guyalna Boulard Martinelli, 1996 to become Guyalna flavibasalis (Distant, 1905) n. comb.
Developing and piloting a serious game to educate children about over‐the‐counter medication safety

Objective Misuse of over-the-counter (OTC) medications among children is a growing public health and medication safety problem. Serious games are increasingly being used to foster healthy self-management behaviors and decision-making among children. We developed and pilot-tested using a serious game to educate children about OTC medication safety. Methods Students (aged 15–17) at a public school serving grades 6–12 in Western Pennsylvania were recruited to play the game. Open-ended questions were asked following gameplay to obtain participants’feedback about ease of play and additional changes that would be needed to improve the game. Gameplay was video recorded using a screen recording software to observe participants’ behaviors while playing the game. Participants OTC medication safety knowledge was assessed before and after gameplay using pre/post questionnaires. Key findings All the participants liked the game, reporting that it was easy to navigate and fun to play. Gameplay screen recordings revealed at least three areas that would need to be redesigned for the game to be more engaging and effective. Seven out of the nine participants (78%) changed their answer to at least one question on the OTC medication safety post-test survey compared to their pretest answers. There was an increase in the percentage of correct answers in the post-test survey for questions asking about correct dosing and active ingredients. Three responses remained unchanged and the percentage of correct answers for the post-test survey decreased for questions about the drug facts label and side effects. Conclusion This pilot suggests that a serious game may influence participants’ knowledge and attitude about OTC medication safety. Further research is needed to examine the potential of using serious games to teach children about safe medication use and negative consequences of inappropriate use.
Lenin on the Train

The work under review is highly readable and engaging for both the specialist and non-specialist. With the corrections and emendations noted below, it could serve advanced undergraduates and beginn...