Rural Illinois in the 1990s: On the Rebound?

Rural areas of Illinois experienced a widespread population rebound between 1990 and 1995.2 These recent population gains in Illinois are consistent with a broader rural population growth revival nationwide. Rural Illinois gain nearly 24,000 residents between 1990 and 1995, according to recently released estimates by the U.S. Census Bureau.3 The population grew in 47 of the 74 nonmetropolitan counties in Illinois during the period. Migration to rural areas accounted for most of this population gain. Most urban areas in Illinois also gained population during the first half of the 1990s. The recent population gains in rural Illinois are modest, but they represent a significant change from the substantial population losses in the same areas during the 1980s

Refresh my memory: Episodic memory reinstatements intrude on working memory maintenance

A fundamental question in memory research is how different forms of memory interact. Previous research has shown that people rely on working memory (WM) in short-term recognition tasks; a common view is that episodic memory (EM) only influences performance on these tasks when WM maintenance is disrupted. However, retrieval of memories from EM has been widely observed during brief periods of quiescence, raising the possibility that EM retrievals during maintenance-critically, before a response can be prepared-might affect short-term recognition memory performance even in the absence of distraction. We hypothesized that this influence would be mediated by the lingering presence of reactivated EM content in WM. We obtained support for this hypothesis in three experiments, showing that delay-period EM reactivation introduces incidentally-associated information ( context ) into WM, and that these retrieved associations negatively impact subsequent recognition, leading to substitution errors (Experiment 1) and slowing of accurate responses (Experiment 2). fMRI pattern analysis showed that slowing is mediated by the content of EM reinstatement (Experiment 3). These results expose a previously hidden influence of EM on WM, raising new questions about the adaptive nature of their interaction

Algorithms for White-box Obfuscation Using Randomized Subcircuit Selection and Replacement

Software protection remains an active research area with the goal of preventing adversarial software exploitation such as reverse engineering, tampering, and piracy. Heuristic obfuscation techniques lack strong theoretical underpinnings while current theoretical research highlights the impossibility of creating general, efficient, and information theoretically secure obfuscators. In this research, we consider a bridge between these two worlds by examining obfuscators based on the Random Program Model (RPM). Such a model envisions the use of program encryption techniques which change the black-box (semantic) and white-box (structural) representations of underlying programs. In this thesis we explore the possibilities for white-box transformation. Under an RPM formulation, if an adversary cannot distinguish an original program from either its obfuscated version (whose black-box behavior has been strategically altered) or a randomly generated program of comparable size, then the white-box intent of the original program has been sufficiently protected. One proposed method of creating such random indistinguishability is by choosing (at random) a program from a size-bounded set of all semantically equivalent possibilities. Since full enumeration of reasonably sized programs is not possible, in this work we focus on obfuscators which introduce random white-box structural variation based on iterative selection and replacement. We design and develop an obfuscation framework for programmatic logic expressed as combinatorial Boolean circuits and compare six unique approaches for sub-circuit selection. We analyze the relative behavior of random and guided-random sub-circuit selection algorithms while showing their utility in producing random white-box structural variation

Palynological Differences Between the Chuckanut and Huntingdon Formations, Northwestern Washington

Pollen and spore assemblages from the Tertiary coal-bearing Chuckanut and Huntingdon Formations were studied to determine the existence and location of the southern boundary of the Bellingham Basin. Ages of deposition were determined for each formation based on the flora recovered. The age of the Chuckanut Formation ranges from Middle Paleocene at its base to Late Eocene at its top. The age of the Huntingdon in northwestern Washington is Late Eocene to perhaps Earliest Oligocene. From the evidence of palynomorph ranges, no definite age breaks were found within the Chuckanut Formation, or between the Chuckanut and Huntingdon Formations. The structure of Squalicum Mountain, located near the southern boundary of the Bellingham Basin, was determined by taking numerous strikes and dips (Pevear and Reinink-Smith, unpublished data, 1980; Patrick, unpublished data, 1981). These data suggest that there is not a major angular unconformity at the southern boundary of the Bellingham Basin as previously reported. The data obtained also show that structurally, palynologically, and lithologically the Huntingdon Formation south of the Nooksack River is indistinguishable from the top of the Chuckanut Formation; therefore all of the rocks formerly mapped as Huntingdon Formation in this area should be included in the Chuckanut Formation

The Impact of Fatigue on Medical Error and Clinician Wellness: A Vignette-Based Discussion

Fatigue-induced medical errors and complications spark concern in patients, clinicians, and policy makers, as documented by the Institute of Medicine report in 1999 that approximately 100,000 Americans die annually secondary to potentially avoidable injurious events. Over the last 2 decades, multiple organizations have advocated for the implementation of labor hour restrictions to redress physician in training fatigue and enhance patient safety. Advocates for duty hour caps in physician training programs cite the potential for improvements in patient safety, whereas adversaries allege that curtailing duty hours compromises medical education and readiness for solo practice. Sleep deprivation impairs multiple aspects of cognition, function, and capacity, including many aspects essential to the practice of medicine, e.g., cognizance, recollection, and dexterity. Resident physicians’ traditional extended duty shifts for 24–30 consecutive hours pose significant hazards not only to patients but also to the physicians in training themselves. Burnout among physicians in training occurs commonly and results from work-related stress characterized by emotional prostration, depersonalization manifest as cynicism and detachment toward patients, and diminution of personal esteem. Curtailed shift duration correlates best with improved patient care of the strategies for managing physician fatigue. Adequate supervision of residents and medical students has the potential to improve resident education and further patient safety. Night float shifts improve resident’s well-being in terms of acclimating to a consistent nocturnal schedule. Data supporting capping physician work hours demonstrates evidence of amelioration of fatigue, thereby improving physician’s quality of life; evidence supporting duty hour restriction for enhancing patient safety, decreasing medical errors, and physician training, including surgical, is mixed and more nuanced

A carbamazepine-indomethacin (1:1) cocrystal produced by milling

An X-ray amorphous mixture of carbamazepine and indomethacin transforms upon annealing to produce a novel 1:1 cocrystal, whose structure has been determined from laboratory powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) data