cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
On the impossibility of predicting the behavior of rational agents

A foundational assumption in economics is that people are rational: they choose optimal plans of action given their predictions about future states of the world. In games of strategy this means that each player's strategy should be optimal given his or her prediction of the opponents' strategies. We demonstrate that there is an inherent tension between rationality and prediction when players are uncertain about their opponents' payoff functions. Specifically, there are games in which it is impossible for perfectly rational players to learn to predict the future behavior of their opponents (even approximately) no matter what learning rule they use. The reason is that in trying to predict the next-period behavior of an opponent, a rational player must take an action this period that the opponent can observe. This observation may cause the opponent to alter his next-period behavior, thus invalidating the first player's prediction. The resulting feedback loop has the property that, a positive fraction of the time, the predicted probability of some action next period differs substantially from the actual probability with which the action is going to occur. We conclude that there are strategic situations in which it is impossible in principle for perfectly rational agents to learn to predict the future behavior of other perfectly rational agents based solely on their observed actions.
Validation of nuclear reaction models of 180 MeV proton-induced fragmentation of 27Al

Abstract Kinetic energy, angular distribution, and isobaric cross section data for A = 7–25 fragments formed in p + 27 Al reaction at bombarding energy of 180 MeV are compared with the calculations of the Binary Cascade Model (BIC), the Cascade Exciton Model (CEM), JQMD/PHITS, as well as the Statistical Model with Final State Interaction (SMFSI). For completeness, the kinetic energy spectra of light particles (n, p, α) formed in p + 27 Al reaction at bombarding energy of 156 MeV are also presented. A general agreement between the data and predictions of these models is found. However, disagreement with the data for the yields of light-mass fragments as well as near-target fragments is also found and discussed. The importance of this comparative study to simulation and analysis of radiation effects on microscopic electrical components operating in space is also discussed.
Predicting Academic Performance: The Impact of Expectancy and Needs Theory

Abstract Many approaches to the explanation/prediction of student performance have been presented in the literature. In this study, both expectancy theory and needs theory variables are used to predict college student performance—that is, overall GPA. The average valence variable from the expectancy theory model was found to be the best overall predictor of actual academic performance. Although exhibiting low internal reliability measures, need for autonomy scores were also found to be highly explanatory. Need for achievement was unexpectedly not a significant predictor of actual performance for this student group.
Effect of iron supplementation to cottonseed meal diets on the growth performance of channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus.

Abstract Three basal diets containing 0, 27.5, and 55% solvent-extracted cottonseed meal (CSM) as replacements of 0, 50, and 100% of solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM) on an equal nitrogen basis were each supplemented with three levels (40, 336, and 671 mg) of iron (Fe) from ferrous sulfate heptahydrate (3×3 factorial experiment). Each diet was fed to juvenile channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus in triplicate aquaria twice daily to apparent satiation for 10 weeks. Dietary levels of CSM significantly affected weight gain (WG), feed intake (FI), feed efficiency ratio (FER), protein efficiency ratio (PER), and apparent protein utilization (APU), with diet containing 27.5% CSM provided the best performance. Total replacement of SBM by CSM decreased weight gain and feed consumption, possibly due to toxic effect of free gossypol. Supplementation of dietary iron from iron sulfate heptahydrate at a 1:1 weight ratio of iron to free gossypol had no effect on gossypol toxicity. Histological examinations of fish f...
Problems and possibilities in the study of American immigration and ethnic history.

noted, adequately describing the course and effects of immigration would involve "no less a task than to set down the whole history of the United States". In the three decades that followed the publication of Handlin's remarks historians fulfilled only one side of his dictum. Many scholars examined the role of the immigrants and their offspring at various times and places in American history, but the study of immigration and ethnicity remained marginal to the overall interpretation of the nation's past. Although its subject matter is the peopling of a nation and the shaping of a nationality, the study of immigration and ethnicity has thus far provided neither an integrative approach for recounting the story of the United States nor a framework for analyzing the special character of the society. It has not offered a unifying theme on a par with the development of the two-party
Mass Spectrometric Determination of Zirconium from a Resin Bead

Abstract A sensitive, isotope dilution technique has been developed for the analysis of sub-microgram amounts of zirconium. The analysis is based on the increased thermal ion emission for Zr adsorbed on a single anion resin bead. Zr is isolated from a solution containing the sample and a highly enriched 94Zr (96%) spike. The determination is made possible by using a high-sensitivity pulse-counting 2-stage 30-cm radius mass spectrometer. The detection limit depends upon the amount of the isotope spike added and the desired precision. Fifty nanograms of zirconium (sample plus spike) produce sufficient ion signals for reliable isotopic analysis so that fission Zr can be measured with blank correction to a precision of 3%. By this method for fission Zr in spent reactor fuel particles, contamination from normal Zr and Mo can be corrected out by making isotopic measurements before and after spiking and scanning masses 90 and 95 during analysis. Since neither masses 90 nor 95 are stable fission products, their p...
Automated parking surveys from a LIDAR equipped vehicle

Parking surveys provide quantitative data describing the spatial and temporal utilization of parking spaces within an area of interest. These surveys are important tools for parking supply management and infrastructure planning. Parking studies have typically been performed by tabulating observations by hand, limiting temporal resolution due to high labor cost. This paper investigates the possibility of automating the data gathering and information extraction in a proof of concept study using a two-dimensional scanning Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) sensor mounted on a vehicle, though the work is compatible with other ranging sensors, e.g., stereo vision. This study examines parallel parking in the opposing direction of travel. The ranging measurements are processed to estimate the location of the curb and the presence of objects in the road. Occlusion and location reasoning are then applied to determine which of the objects are vehicles, and whether a given vehicle is parked or is in the traffic-stream. The occupancy of the parking area, vehicle size, and vehicle-to-vehicle gaps are then measured. The algorithm was applied to an area with unmarked, on-street parking near a large university campus. Vehicle counts from 29 trips over 4 years were compared against concurrent ground truth with favorable results. The approach can also be applied to monitor parking in the direction of travel, eliminating the possibility of occlusions and simplifying the processing.
Generalization of deferred imitation in 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old infants using visual and auditory contexts.

Abstract This study investigated the generalization of deferred imitation in 6-, 9-, and 12-month-old infants across auditory and visual contexts. The task involved testing for the imitation of demonstrated actions on an animal puppet 24 h later. There were two independent variables defined by the background music and room of the infant's home on the test day relative to the music and room present on the demonstration day. 6-month-olds generalized imitation only when the music and room on the test day were identical to their learning environment 24 h earlier. 9-month-olds were able to generalize deferred imitation across a change in music but not a change in room. 12-month-olds were able to defer imitation across both a change in the room with the same music as well as a change in both the room and music. These results reveal that the similarity between the contextual conditions of encoding and retrieval across multiple contexts determine whether infants generalize and, furthermore, the necessity of such a similarity decreases with age.
Subepicardial steal and reduction of myocardial oxygen consumption by adenosine.

Abstract The direct effects of adenosine on cardiac oxygen balance, hemodynamics and regional myocardial perfusion were studied in isolated canine hearts. Intracoronary infusion of adenosine produced a dose-dependent shift in the transmural distribution of coronary blood flow away from left ventricular subendocardium and a reduction in myocardial oxygen consymption (MVO2). The data suggest that adenosine may partially decrease MVO2 by a redistribution of flow from a high to low oxygen-extracting region of the myocardium.
Statistical Relationship of Morsal to Bucco-lingual, Approximal and Sulcal Caries in Rats

The correlation of morsal with sulcal, bucco-lingual and approximal caries scores of rats was compared. The morsal with bucco-lingual plus approximal correlation was significantly better than the morsal with sulcal correlation. When reporting rat caries, sulcal scores should be reported alone; morsal scores should be grouped with bucco-lingual and approximal to demonstrate total smooth surface lesions.
Jonah and Applied Psychoanalytic Dialogue: Introduction

This introduction to a series of fascinating papers on the biblical book of Jonah provides a brief schematic outline of the narrative as well as an orientation to the place of the book in the Jewish liturgy. An explanation is given for why a secular psychoanalytic audience might well be interested in such an effort at applied psychoanalysis. This rationale has to do with the story's universal as well as particularistic significance. Jonah himself may be viewed as attempting to escape from dialogue, but this lively and engaged psychoanalytic dialogue examines and debates the meaning of his story.
A forecast on the future of hybrid wafer scale integration technology

Any detailed discussion of high performance packaging for the next generation electronics systems must include both hybrid wafer scale integration (H-WSI) and monolithic wafer scale integration (M-WSI). A H-WSI circuit is a multichip module (MCM) that contains 20-50 chips with at least ten times the maximum functionality that can be readily achieved in one complex chip. A M-WSI circuit is a monolithic semiconductor (silicon generally) chip that contains a large number of cells that in total contain at least ten times the functionality that can be readily achieved in one complex chip. These devices could be called a system on a chip. This paper describes the driving forces behind WSI technologies, defines where the H-WSI technologies are today and forecasts where these are likely to evolve to in the future. >
Physiological studies on pea tendrils. I. Growth and coiling following mechanical stimulation.

Unbranched tendrils arising from the fifth node of light grown Alaska pea plants were found to reach maturity at the age of 10 days. Such tendrils, when stroked, coiled rapidly. They remained maximally irritable for at least 3 days.Coiling was separable into 2 components, curvature (measured in degrees) and elongation. Coiling reached a maximum from one-half to 3 hours after tactile stimulation. This maximum is followed by a decrease, then by a further increase up to 48 hours.The optimum temperature range for curvature was 16 to 30 degrees after 2 hours and 16 to 20 degrees after 20 hours. Curvature was minimal and elongation optimal at a pH of 6.6. Both curvature and elongation were greater in white light than in darkness.Severing the dorsal vascular bundles decreased coiling, whereas severing the ventral bundles had no effect. Amputation of the tip of an excised tendril increased curvature but decreased elongation. In some cases, coiling of tendrils in situ was followed by curvature of the subjacent stem.Various growth substances produce effects on elongation and curvature of tendrils in vitro, in light and dark. CCC and GA decrease curvature in the light and increase curvature in the dark and elongation in the light and in the dark. Kinetin decreases curvature in the light, increases it slightly in the dark and has no effect on elongation. IAA increases elongation in the light and in the dark at concentrations above 10(-6)m. At lower concentrations, curvature was increased in the light and decreased in the dark.These data are discussed with a view towards explaining the coiling event.
Effects of captopril on left ventricular structure and function in SHR with established hypertension

While antihypertensive therapy is considered to be an important clinical intervention in hypertensive patients, its effects on cardiac structure and function have not been intensely evaluated. In this study we tested the hypotheses that lowering blood pressure (BP) with the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril, would: 1) normalize left ventricular mass and increase the cardiocyte mitochondria/myofibrils volume (Vmito/Vmyo) ratio; and 2) not compromise peak ventricular performance. We treated 16-week-old SHR and WKY with captopril (40–80 mg/kg) and hydrochlorothiazide (500 mg/l) via their drinking water. After six weeks of treatment peak cardiac performance was measured during rapid volume overload. Tissue samples from the left ventricular wall were analyzed by electron microscopy and stereology. Captopril lowered BP in SHR and WKY but had no affect on the left ventricular/body weight ratio. The only intracellular change in treated SHR was an increase in sarcoplasmic volume density. Treated WKY exhibited decreased midmyocardial mitochondrial volume density. At peak cardiac output, acceleration of flow and cardiac index were not affected by treatment. Stroke work at peak cardiac output was decreased in the treated groups due to a decrease in mean arterial pressure. In addition, captopril treatment resulted in a shift of the cardiac output (CO)-left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) curves, such that LVEDP at peak cardiac output was approximately 50% less in the treated groups compared to their respective control groups. Although captopril was efficacious in lowering BP, it is suggested that lowering BP with this agent does not, at least within six weeks, lead to a reversal of hypertrophy or to a significant alteration in the volume densities of myofibrils and mitochondria. However, an important effect of this antihypertensive drug which may be of clinical significance, is that it leads to a leftward shift of the CO-LVEDP curve in both hypertensive and normotensive rats.
An Adaptive Middleware for Context-Sensitive Communications for Real-Time Applications in Ubiquitous Computing Environments

Context-sensitivity is an important expected capability in applications in ubiquitous computing (ubicomp) environments. These applications need to use different contextual information from the user, host device, on board sensors, network, and the ambient environments to systematically adapt their actions. In addition, some context-sensitive applications may use specific contextual conditions to trigger impromptu and possibly short-lived interactions with applications in other devices. This property, referred to as context-sensitive or context-aware communications, allows applications to form short-range mobile ad hoc networks consisting of mobile and stationary devices, sensors, and other computing resources. Real-time applications, especially those having reactive behavior, running on embedded devices and requiring context-sensitive communications support, pose new challenges related to systematic representation of specific contexts, associations of contexts with real-time actions, timely context data collection and propagation, and transparent context-sensitive connection establishment. An object-based middleware can be effective to meet these challenges if such a middleware can provide a well-defined development framework as well as lightweight runtime services. In this paper, an adaptive and object-based middleware, called reconfigurable context-sensitive middleware (RCSM) is presented to facilitate context-sensitive communications in ubicomp environments. To facilitates context-sensitive communications, RCSM provides a context-aware interface definition language for specifying context-sensitive interfaces of real-time objects, an object container framework for generating interfaces-specific context-analyzers, and a context-sensitive object request broker for context-sensitive object discovery and impromptu connection management. RCSM is adaptive in the sense that depending on the context-sensitive behavior of the applications, it adapts its object discovery and connection management mechanisms.
On Hermitian Mapping for Direction-of-Arrival Estimation of Coherent Cyclostationary Signals

By constructing the cyclic autocorrelation matrix with Hermitian property, a Hermitian mapping method (HMM) is proposed which is appropriate for both cyclic MUSIC and conjugate cyclic MUSIC in this paper. By exploiting the cyclostationarity of the signals of interest (SOIs), this approach not only allows to select uncorrelated desired signals ,but also has a better performance in the presence of multipath propagation.Theoretical analysis is presented and shows that the Hermitian mapping method achieves a larger effective aperture of the array. Finally, simulation results show the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Table of percentage points of ratios of linear combinations of order statistics of samples from exponential distributions

A form of the distribution function of ratios of linear combinations of order statistics of samples from an exponential distribution is given. From the distribution, tables of percentage points of the statistic for α = .05, .95, and n = 3(1)50, and for censoring up to five observations are presented. Use of the tables is made to find critical values of the most powerful scale and location invariant test of exponentiality against uniformity, and also to find critical values for a test of outliers in an exponential population.
Design of Quick-Returning R-S-S-R Mechanisms

An algebraic method is presented to synthesize quick-returning R-S-S-R mechanisms which satisfy the given time-ratio and follower oscillation angle requirements. In these designs, the three parameters, which define the follower spheric joint, satisfy a quadratic condition. When the shaft angle between the input and output shafts is zero, this quadratic condition reduces to the equation of a circle which is a familiar classical result for the planar case. The solution space for the quick-returning R-S-S-R linkage is such that, for each set of choices for crank length a 2 , follower axial distance S 4 , and initial follower angle φ0 , there are four sets of follower length a 4 , initial crank angle θ0 , crank axial distance S 2 , and coupler length a 3 . These designs are screened so that they do not have branch defect, have transmission angle values in a given range, and have reasonable link length proportions.
Aeroacoustic Analysis of Fan Noise Reduction with Increased Bypass Nozzle Area

An advanced model turbofan was tested in the NASA Glenn 9-by 15-Foot Low Speed Wind Tunnel (9x15 LSWT) to explore far field acoustic effects of increased bypass nozzle area. This fan stage test was part of the NASA Glenn Fan Broadband Source Diagnostic Test, second entry (SDT2) which acquired aeroacoustic results over a range of test conditions. The baseline nozzle was sized to produce maximum stage performance at cruise condition. However, the wind tunnel testing is conducted near sea level condition. Therefore, in order to simulate and obtain performance at other operating conditions, two additional nozzles were designed and tested one with +5 percent increase in weight flow (+5.4 percent increase in nozzle area compared with the baseline nozzle), sized to simulate the performance at the stage design point (takeoff) condition, and the other with a +7.5 percent increase in weight flow (+10.9 percent increase in nozzle area) sized for maximum weight flow with a fixed nozzle at sea level condition. Measured acoustic benefits with increased nozzle area were very encouraging, showing overall sound power level (OAPWL) reductions of 2 or more dB while the stage thrust actually increased by 2 to 3 percent except for the most open nozzle at takeoff rotor speed where stage performance decreased. Effective perceived noise levels for a 1500 ft engine flyover and 3.35 scale factor showed a similar noise reduction of 2 or more EPNdB. Noise reductions, principally in the level of broadband noise, were observed everywhere in the far field. Laser Doppler Velocimetry measurements taken downstream of the rotor showed that the total turbulent velocity decreased with increasing nozzle flow, which may explain the reduced rotor broadband noise levels.
Emetine and the alternative splicing of Bcl-X: where to next?

Interference with the alternative splicing of apoptotic factors offers an innovative and specific mechanism to target malignant cells. In this issue of Chemistry & Biology , Zhou et al. [1] report on the regulation of the alternative splicing of Bcl-x pre-mRNA in response to emetine, a potent protein synthesis inhibitor, as well as define a major player in the signaling mechanism.
Psychosocial Issues during an Expedition to Mars

In The New Martians,the crewmembers undergo a great deal of psychological and interpersonal stress during their return home, in part prompted by the actions of a mysterious presence on board. Of course, no one knows for sure if such a presence will actually materialize during a real Mars expedition! But psychosocial issues will nevertheless affect a Mars crew due to the isolation, confinement, and long separation from family and friends that will characterize such a mission. In what follows, many of these issues will be reviewed, followed in each section by illustrations from the novel.
The politics of small things

A distinctive dimension of political life, power as the capacity for people to act in concert, was a key in understanding one of the major transformations of the late twentieth century—the democratic aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet empire in central Europe. In this paper, the way this dimension—the politics of small things—provides alternatives in the United States is analyzed. A new media regime, with significant interactions between virtual and embodied social interactions, has opened up the opportunity for a new democratic politics. The antiwar movement and the Dean campaign are shown to have constituted alternative political possibilities for those critical of hegemonic discourses and practices.
A thermally targeted c-Myc inhibitory polypeptide inhibits breast tumor growth.

Although surgical resection with adjuvant chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy are used to treat breast tumors, normal tissue tolerance, development of metastases, and inherent tumor resistance to radiation or chemotherapy can hinder a successful outcome. We have developed a thermally responsive polypeptide, based on the sequence of Elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), that inhibits breast cancer cell proliferation by blocking the activity of the oncogenic protein c-Myc. Following systemic administration, the ELP – delivered c-Myc inhibitory peptide was targeted to tumors using focused hyperthermia, and significantly reduced tumor growth in an orthotopic mouse model of breast cancer. This work provides a new modality for targeted delivery of a specific oncogene inhibitory peptide, and this strategy may be expanded for delivery of other therapeutic peptides or small molecule drugs.
TellMe: learning procedures from tutorial instruction

This paper describes an approach to allow end users to define new procedures through tutorial instruction. Our approach allows users to specify procedures in natural language in the same way that they would instruct another person, while the system handles incompleteness and ambiguity inherent in natural human instruction and formulates follow up questions. We describe the key features of our approach, which include exposing prior knowledge, deductive and heuristic reasoning, shared learning state, and selectively asking questions to the user. We also describe how those key features are realized in our implemented TellMe system, and present preliminary user studies where non-programmers were able to easily specify complex multi-step procedures.
Streaming encryption for a secure wavelength and time domain hopped optical network

We describe a working implementation of a streaming encryption system for optical networks. The 10 Gbps data stream is encrypted on the physical level in both the wavelength and time domains. Security is obtained by applying a strong pseudo-random hopping pattern to both. The AES algorithm in counter mode is used to control the switches that implement the hopping permutations. Because of the high throughput requirements, aggressive parallelizing and pipelining techniques are used to achieve data rates of 10 Gbps. The core logic of the system was implemented on the Virtex2-XC2V1000 FPGA. Using four FPGA boards and four serializer and deserializer chips, a secure switch of 4 users over 4 wavelengths can be realized, resulting in a total throughput of 10 Gbps. This system is important as a platform for further research in the area of secure optical networks.
Lysophospholipase A activity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa type III secretory toxin ExoU

Acute lung injury in Pseudomonas aeruginosa pneumonia depends primarily on ExoU that is delivered directly into the eukaryotic cell via the type III secretion system. Recent studies demonstrated that ExoU has lipase activity, and that the cytotoxicity of ExoU is dependent on its patatin-like phospholipase domain. We investigated the phospholipase A (PLA) activity of ExoU. ExoU, but not non-catalytic ExoU- S142A , preincubated with the BEAS-2B cell lysate showed a weak increase of Ca 2+ -independent PLA 2 activity. When activated ExoU was mixed with secretory type PLA 2 , more phospholipase activity was observed, suggesting that ExoU has lysophospholipase A (lysoPLA) activity. A significant increase in lysoPLA activity was also observed. Glycerol enhanced this activity and inhibitors of iPLA 2 suppressed ExoU’s lysoPLA activity. Our results suggest that ExoU has a potent lysoPLA activity that requires the presence of the catalytically active site Ser 142 with an unknown eukaryotic cell factor(s) for its activation.
Theory and support for process frameworks of knowledge discovery and data mining from ERP systems

Existing theory has framed the process of information extraction and agglomeration, also referred to as the knowledge discovery (KD) process, as a series of strategic search decisions, subject to constraints, with the objective ot attaining a sufficient level of domain-specific knowledge for use in strategic planning. Supported by the experiences of firms representative of Client, Developer, and Third-party segments of the data mining (DM) community, this work provides an extension to this basic framework. The implications provided suggest a wealth of untapped opportunities in the area of KD research.
Self-Organizing Rules for Robust Principal Component Analysis

In the presence of outliers, the existing self-organizing rules for Principal Component Analysis (PCA) perform poorly. Using statistical physics techniques including the Gibbs distribution, binary decision fields and effective energies, we propose self-organizing PCA rules which are capable of resisting outliers while fulfilling various PCA-related tasks such as obtaining the first principal component vector, the first k principal component vectors, and directly finding the subspace spanned by the first k vector principal component vectors without solving for each vector individually. Comparative experiments have shown that the proposed robust rules improve the performances of the existing PCA algorithms significantly when outliers are present.
An Analysis of Rabbit Vitreous Collagen

Where similar techniques are employed, the properties of collagen peptides extracted from rabbit vitreous by pepsin treatment resemble those described in published reports of bovine vitreous. Further, rabbit vitreous also contains minor components that migrate on polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis more slowly than the minor la and 2α chains of rabbit cartilage. Properties of the major vitreous components suggest a mixture of the closely-related cartilage collagen chains al(II) and 3α.
In Situ Synchrotron X-Ray Diffraction Study of the Cubic to Rhombohedral Phase Transformation in Ln6WO12 (Ln = Y, Ho, Er, Yb)

The fcc-to-rhombohedral phase transformation in Ln6WO12 (Ln = Y, Ho, Er, Yb) was investigated by in situ high-temperature X-ray diffraction. The transformation was determined to be an irreversible, first-order, diffusional ordering process, which occurred over a temperature range starting at 1240°C. The transformation can be described as a shape change in the rhombohedral unit cell in the parent fcc phase, determined as elongation along the [111] axis and contraction in the (111) plane, resulting in an overall volume decrease on heating. A discontinuity in both volume per formula unit and rhombohedral angle α was observed across the transformation region for all four compositions. Trends in lattice parameters, ΔV and Δα at room and transformation temperatures were established according to Ln cation type and were found to closely mirror the cationic radii sequence of the corresponding rare earth elements.
Release of Dissolved Organic Carbon from the Estuarine Intertidal Macroalga Enteromorpha prolifera

The estuarine macroalga Enteromorpha prolifera was collected from Coos Bay, Oregon, USA during 1981, and its release of photosynthate as dissolved organic carbon (DOC) was studied using 14C as a tracer. During photosynthesis in 30‰ S sea water, with a fixation rate averaging 7.37 mg C g-1 dry wt h-1, release ranged from 0.13 to 0.57 mg C g-1 dry wt h-1 and from 1.65 to 6.23% of total fixed carbon. Release of DOC appears to be linear with time over 3 h. As exposed algae become increasingly desiccated, their photosynthetic rates decline dramatically, but upon reimmersion the highly desiccated algae lose a larger fraction of their fixed carbon than the slightly desiccated algae. This loss comes in a pulse release of DOC over the initial 15 min, followed by declining release rates. The pulse loss due to rainfall is 5 times greater than that due to tidal resubmergence, and may briefly exceed the prior photosynthetic rate. Although lowering the salinity from 30 to 5‰ does not substantially alter photosynthetic rates, it does increase the DOC release range up to 1.02 mg C g-1 dry wt h-1 and 16.10% of fixed carbon. Heterotrophic microbes from the algal habitat readily use the available DOC at about 15% h-1.
Radiofrequency ablation for treatment of renal tumors: technological principles and outcomes

Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) is a minimally invasive, energy-based, needle-ablative treatment modality that is currently being used to treat small renal masses (SRMs) and offers advantages over extirpative techniques. RFA treats SRM with heat induced by the tissue impedance to radiofrequency current emitted from a needle probe within the SRM. Currently available RFA systems use either an impedance- or temperature-based treatment algorithm to reach treatment end point while minimizing risk of carbonization. Physical limitations, such as electrical property heterogeneity and convective heat loss due to blood flow, and technical considerations should be addressed when performing RFA. Nonetheless, investigations with intermediate follow-up have demonstrated single-treatment radiographic recurrence-free rates of >90%. Future trends include the use of noninvasive imaging thermometry, electromagnetic targeting and adjuvant techniques.
Conjugated ionic polyacetylenes, 2. A new polymerization method for substituted acetylenes

Les polymeres (Cr 1 =CR 2 ) m (R 1 =C 5 H 5 N + −C 12 H 25 , R 2 =H, −C 5 H 5 N + −C n H 2n+2 (n=12, 2, 7) et [CPh=C(N + C 5 H 5 )] n et un polymere equivalent reticule sont prepares par plyaddition de bromoalcanes sur l'ethynylpyridine, sur l'ethylenedipyridine ou sur le 1,4-bis-4-pyridyl)-1,3-butadyine. Ils sont caracterises par leur spectre UV et leur conductivite al'etat dope (1,4-2,2•10 −4 S/cm)
Vertically-Integrated Three-Dimensional SOI Photodetectors

We report on the design and measurement results of three-dimensional (3D) photo-detectors in a 0.18mum silicon-on-insulator technology. The photodiodes respond to light in the range of l-200,000lux with currents of 2fA to 300pA and can be arranged in a 3D stack. The phototransistors respond to light intensities of 5-200,000lux with currents from 50fA to 2.3muA. We also report spectral data obtained from the photodiode and show that a photodiode stack can be used to extract color information without the use of color filters. The data in this paper is essential to the design of advanced imaging arrays and color sensors in 3D SOI processes.
Discrete search with multiple sensors

A stationary object is hidden in location i, i=1,2,...,K, with probability p i . There are M sensors available and each location can be searched by at most one sensor at each instant of time. Each search of a location takes one unit of time and is conducted independently of previous searches, so that a search of location i finds the object, if it is in that location, with probability α i . After each search of a location a sensor may either continue to search the same location or switch without any delay to another location. We determine optimal search strategies that maximize the total probability of successful search in N units of time, discuss an implementation of an optimal search strategy, and specify conditions under which the solution can be obtained by a forward induction argument. Finally, we discuss the relationship to multi-armed bandits with multiple plays.
Xyloglucan Deficiency Disrupts Microtubule Stability and Cellulose Biosynthesis in Arabidopsis, Altering Cell Growth and Morphogenesis

Xyloglucan constitutes most of the hemicellulose in eudicot primary cell walls and functions in cell wall structure and mechanics. Although Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) xxt1 xxt2 mutants lacking detectable xyloglucan are viable, they display growth defects that are suggestive of alterations in wall integrity. To probe the mechanisms underlying these defects, we analyzed cellulose arrangement, microtubule patterning and dynamics, microtubule- and wall-integrity-related gene expression, and cellulose biosynthesis in xxt1 xxt2 plants. We found that cellulose is highly aligned in xxt1 xxt2 cell walls, that its three-dimensional distribution is altered, and that microtubule patterning and stability are aberrant in etiolated xxt1 xxt2 hypocotyls. We also found that the expression levels of microtubule-associated genes, such as MAP70-5 and CLASP, and receptor genes, such as HERK1 and WAK1, were changed in xxt1 xxt2 plants and that cellulose synthase motility is reduced in xxt1 xxt2 cells, corresponding with a reduction in cellulose content. Our results indicate that loss of xyloglucan affects both the stability of the microtubule cytoskeleton and the production and patterning of cellulose in primary cell walls. These findings establish, to our knowledge, new links between wall integrity, cytoskeletal dynamics, and wall synthesis in the regulation of plant morphogenesis.
Infant mortality differences between whites and African Americans: the effect of maternal education.

OBJECTIVES: Despite decreasing infant mortality in North Carolina, the gap between African Americans and Whites persists. This study examined how racial differences in infant mortality vary by maternal education. METHODS: Data came from Linked Birth and Infant Death files for 1988 through 1993. Multiple logistic regression models adjusted for confounders. RESULTS: Infant mortality risk ratios comparing African Americans and Whites increased with higher levels of maternal education. Education beyond high school reduced risk of infant mortality by 20% among Whites but had little effect among African Americans. CONCLUSIONS: Higher education magnifies racial differences in infant mortality on a multiplicative scale. Possible reasons include greater stress, fewer economic resources, and poorer quality of prenatal care among African Americans.
Estimated Costs of False Laboratory Diagnoses of Tuberculosis in Three Patients

We estimated direct medical and nonmedical costs associated with a false diagnosis of tuberculosis (TB) caused by laboratory cross-contamination of Mycobacterium tuberculosis cultures in Massachusetts in 1998 and 1999. For three patients who received misdiagnoses of active TB disease on the basis of laboratory cross-contamination, the costs totaled U.S.$32,618. Of the total, 97% was attributed to the public sector (local and state health departments, public health hospital and laboratory, and county and state correctional facilities); 3% to the private sector (physicians, hospitals, and laboratories); and <1% to the patient. Hospitalizations and inpatient tests, procedures, and TB medications accounted for 69% of costs, and outpatient TB medications accounted for 18%. The average cost per patient was $10,873 (range, $1,033-$21,306). Reducing laboratory cross-contamination and quickly identifying patients with cross-contaminated cultures can prevent unnecessary and potentially dangerous treatment regimens and anguish for the patient and financial burden to the health-care system.
Claudius of Turin's Organic Metaphor or the Carolingian Doctrine of Corporations

IN 1947, the eminent medievalist, Gerhard B. Ladner, advanced a concise formula for the interpretation of Carolingian political thought. Invoking the introductory words of Bishop Jonas of Orleans' De institutione regia: "that the universal church is the body of Christ, that the same Christ is its head, and that there are in it mainly two exalted persons, the priestly and the kingly,"' Professor Ladner concluded that the Carolingians replaced the Gelasian concept of the world with the church and assigned a double leadership, sacerdotal and royal, to the church. Only in the eleventh century when the Gregorians attacked the notion that the royal office formed a part of the body of Christ and once again conceived of Christian society as something else than the church, could the theory evolve that the state was a body politic, an organological or corporational selfsufficient community. Although Professor Ladner noted that the body metaphor was part of ancient political theory and was sometimes applied to political functions by patristic authors, he insisted that "it can be hardly an accident that in Christian times, before the Gregorian era, it was as a rule not applied to the state but to the church."2 Imperial writers of the late eleventh century were credited also by Ernst Kantorowicz for developing the antithesis between church and state as two separate bodies.' Otto Gierke, in a similar vein, attributed to the partisans of the empire in the Gregorian era the revival of the pre-Carolingian teaching, according to which sacerdotium and regnum represented two distinct, independent powers.4 In the past forty years Carolingian political thought came under close scholarly scrutiny. It is now quite evident that no single formula can adequately describe it. Even among proponents of the argumentum unitatis there are essential disagreements. Arquilliere and Tellenbach posited as the basic principle of Frankish political thought the absorption of the state into the church. While Tellenbach
The Backstroke framework for source level reverse computation applied to parallel discrete event simulation

We introduce Backstroke, a new open source framework for the automatic generation of reverse code for functions written in C++. Backstroke enables reverse computation for optimistic parallel discrete event simulations. It is built using the ROSE open-source compiler infrastructure, and handles complex C++ features including pointers and pointer types, arrays, function and method calls, class types, inheritance, polymorphism, virtual functions, abstract classes, templated classes and containers. Backstroke also introduces new program inversion techniques based on advanced compiler analysis tools built into ROSE. We explore and illustrate some of the complex language and semantic issues that arise in generating correct reverse code for C++ functions.
Superconductors in Applications; Some Practical Aspects

The first blush of success in the search for a new superconductor is usually a high transition temperature, Tc. However, all power applications of superconductors and most other applications requires good current carrying capacity, usually characterized by a critical current Ic, within substantial magnetic fields, usually characterized by a critical magnetic field Hc. Furthermore, a number of other characteristics must be satisfied before commercial success can be obtained, such as acceptable cost, mechanical strength, stabilizers, and appropriate insulation materials. I examine a number of superconductors, starting with the workhorse NbTi, and look at the hard road to success for the successful commercialization of a new superconductor. I also review the applications, potential and actual, in which superconductors might be used.
Islamic and Non-Islamic Origins of Mu'tazilite Ethical Rationalism

The ethical theory of the Mu'tazila is properly called ‘rationalism’, because it held that the values of human and divine actions are knowable in principle by natural human reason. Since this doctrine and related parts of the theory (mentioned in the next section) were the prevailing ethical theories in the major preIslamic religious cultures of Iran and Byzantium, the question easily arises, to what extent were the Mu'tazila as the first systematic theologians in Islam indebted to these cultures for their ethics?
Introduction: Democracy and its Others in a Global Polity

Democracy and the modern nation-state are coextensive. Globalization in the economic sphere and shifting and collapsing borders in the political sphere pose challenges to the nation-state and to de...
A migration model of pleasure travel

Pleasure travel has become an institutionalized feature of the social life of modern industrial societies, involving large numbers of people and a great number and variety of human organizations. Pleasure travel may be seen as a special type of migration; therefore, Everett Lee's theory of migration was used as a guideline to review the literature and as a heuristic device to construct a demographic theory of pleasure travel. The result of this effort was an inventory of propositions that summarized the conclusions of that literature. These propositions suggest that the volume of pleasure travel from place to place is related to the areal differentiation, the demographic differentiation, and the economic development of those places, as well as the relative difficulty of the intervening obstacles separating them. The propositions also suggest that streams of pleasure travel tend to follow predictable paths and that travelers are selected by various socioeconomic and demographic characteristics.
Corporate Strategies in the Global Era: The Case of Mega-hog Farms in the Texas Panhandle Region

Employing the case of the expansion of mega-hog production facilities in the Texas Panhandle region, this paper contributes to the globalization of agriculture and food literature by illustrating the strategies employed by transnational corporations (TNCs) to advance their economic and social interests and respond to emerging resistance. We argue that – rather than substantively addressing property, quality of life and environmental concerns raised by rural activists and residents – TNCs complement their hyper-mobility with corporate actions at the legitimative, political and economic levels which support their plans. At the legitimative level, hog-producing TNCs reacted to the challenges of local residents by presenting a “green” image which indicates conformity to good practices of environmental stewardship, narrows the definition of sound environmental actions and devalues opposition’s claims. Politically, TNCs modified existing environmental legislation to fit their agenda. By exercising direct control over the polity, TNCs were able to eliminate citizen participation from decision making processes concerning environmental issues. Additionally, they were able to further depoliticize environmental and property issues by shifting them from the political realm to the administrative sphere. Economically, TNCs stressed the benefits that communities received from the relocation of mega-hog operations in their areas in a context characterized by a high demand for corporate investments from other regions. Additionally, TNCs employed their economic clout to exploit communities’ needs in order to gain acceptance of corporate positions. This case study is grounded on a Critical Theory framework (Antonio 1983; Horkheimer 1972; Wiggershaus 1994). While sharing the Marxian tenets of economic domination and class struggle over of the control of the means of production, Critical Theory pays attention to the cultural and ideological sides of class domination. For Critical Theory mature capitalism is characterized by the cultural hegemony of dominant classes and the economic and ideological oppression of subordinate groups. Though the use of Immanent Critique, critical theorists document the false unity of theory and history, the claim that current social arrangements correspond to the bourgeois ideals of universal equality, justice and
Roasting breadfruit in the Pacific: A combined plant macroremain and phytolith analysis from Pohnpei, Federated States of Micronesia

In eastern Micronesia, breadfruit is an important staple crop and has probably been part of the diet since initial settlement. This paper uses combined macroremains and phytolith analysis to identify breadfruit production from a historical feature on Temwen Island, Pohnpei, Micronesia. Charred breadfruit exocarp material was recovered, indicating breadfruit roasting. Phytolith analysis from this feature does not provide direct evidence of breadfruit, but does reveal other taxa that are not present in flotation samples, demonstrating the utility of analysing multiple lines of botanical data. Thus, this project presents new botanical evidence for breadfruit and a method for approaching a more comprehensive study of cooking practices.
Percutaneous transjugular catheterization of the renal veins.

I n recent years, the importance of establishing a definitive preoperative diagnosis of renovascular hypertension has become obvious.2* 4 Certain renal artery stenoses, which appear significant by angiography, are of no etiologic consequence in hypertensive individuals. A recently introduced diagnostic test is the measurement of “renin” concentrations in the effluent of each renal vein. Use of the test necessitates that blood specimens be obtained by selective catheterization of the renal veins. A simple, practical, and safe technique of obtaining such blood specimens is described.
Pharmacologic prevention of vascular access stenosis.

Vascular access dysfunction continues to result in substantial morbidity for chronic hemodialysis patients. Pharmacologic and molecular biologic approaches to prevention of vascular access dysfunction, if clinically successful, will be cost effective and improve quality of life for chronic dialysis