cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Entrepreneurship paradigm and economic renaissance in Africa

– This Guest Editorial provides contextual insight to the contributions in this special issue that addresses entrepreneurship and economic growth challenge confronting Africa. Although the contributors come from various academic disciplines and adopt different perspectives, they are united in their singularity of focus on entrepreneurship as a pathway for African future. The paper aims to discuss these issues. , – The papers in this special issue adopt different methodological approaches that help to provide a composite insight to the multidimensional entrepreneurial challenges facing Africa. They review published materials from the government sources and international agencies. They draw heavily on the literature in the field of entrepreneurship. , – African countries have made significant progress in stimulating economic growth in recent years. However, they still have a long way to go in terms of institutionalizing entrepreneurial paradigm to foster self-regenerating development. Africa needs to do more by leveraging public policy for entrepreneurial development as a pathway for expanding economic opportunities and alleviating poverty. A policy framework designed to anchor entrepreneurial culture in the economy is a key to African economic renaissance in the twenty-first century. , – The originality and value of the papers in this issue hinge critically on the all too often ignored proposition that African countries need to embrace a proven approach to development that is both broad based and citizen driven. Entrepreneurial paradigm will empower citizens to take not only full responsibility, but more importantly inalienable ownership, of the development process. This is the only way to ensure that the ongoing much celebrated growth in Africa is sustainable.
Parallel, segregated Cs+- and K+-filled one-dimensional tunnels in Cs2K2Mo8P12O52

Abstract The reaction of Cs2MoO4, K2MoO4, MoO3, Mo, and P2O5 in a mole ratio of 1:1:4.33:1.33:6 in an evacuated silica tube for 48 hr at 900°C yields dichroic crystals (green when viewed parallel to the normal of the {010} sets and yellow when viewed parallel to the normal of the {001} sets) of Cs2K2Mo8P12O52. The crystals are monoclinic, space group P2 1 c (#14) with a = 6.388(2), b = 18.901(2), c = 18.805(2)A, β = 92.07(2)°, and V = 2269.11(9)A3. The framework consists of (MoO6) octahedra, (PO4) phosphate, and (P2O7) pyrophosphate groups and contains two different types of parallel tunnel: a large tunnel in which an ordered array of Cs+ and voids are found and a smaller one filled with K+.
Prolongation of a visual afterimage with systematic alternation of room illumination

The present study investigated the effect of changing room illumination on perceived afterimage duration. Subjects observed a light pulse and reported upon their perception of a resultant afterimage. This afterimage was first produced and observed in the dark and was continually viewed in this environment until it was reported to have disappeared. The room lights were then turned on, and the subjects reported if the afterimage reappeared and, if it did, on its persistence. Upon the afterimage’s disappearance in the lighted environment, the room lights were turned off and, again, subjects reported upon the afterimage. This systematic alternation between dark and light room environment continued until subjects no longer reported perceiving an afterimage. It was found that such alternation prolonged afterimage duration, with four illumination changes appearing to be the maximal number for producing the effect.
Conservation laws in asymptotically separable quantum mechanics

Abstract A notion of chronological disorder is introduced to explain the physical reason why many familiar conservation laws should not be regarded as sacrosanct and valid for all times. Their disappearance as absolute laws in an asymptotically separable theory is a desirable feature, rather than a difficulty, of the theory.
On the Hopf decomposition

Abstract In the paper we extend the Hopf decomposition to positive operators in Banach lattices. Let E be a Banach lattice, let E′ be the dual of E, let T: E → E be a positive operator, and let T′ be the dual of T. We define two conservative ideals IC, BC in E, E′, respectively, and two dissipative ideals ID, BD in E, E′, respectively. We prove that BC and BD are projection bands (in E′), and that if E has order continuous norm, then ICand ID are projection bands, as well. The major result of the paper is that if E has order continuous norm, and if E′ has a T′-subinvariant weak order unit e, then the projection of e on BD is also T′-subinvariant. We conclude the paper by proving that our extension is a natural one and by applying our construction to positive contractions of order complete AM-spaces with unit.
Divergence of mycorrhizal fungal communities in crop production systems

Mycorrhizal fungi are present in all arable soils and colonize nearly all crops and weed pests of crops. They may be involved as mutualists or pathogens of crops in well known but poorly understood phenomena such as crop rotation and green manure effects on soil productivity. Crop change effects on mycorrhizal fungal community parameters were evaluated in three field experiments. In Experiment 1, soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr. cv. Douglas) was grown continuously or rotated with corn (Zea mays L.), milo (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench), or fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb cv. Johnstone) for two years, then soybean was grown on all plots. Continuous soybean plots were dominated by Gigaspora spp., while rotated crops were dominated by Glomus spp. Differences in communities and community indices of continuous soybean and rotated plots were reduced after growing soybeans on rotated plots. In Experiment 2, a fescue sod was plowed and pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum Leeke) or crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis (L.) Scop.) grown. Both hosts resulted in great changes in populations of individual species, decreases in community dominance, and increases in community diversity and equitability. Crabgrass also resulted in reduced species richness. In Experiment 3, tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) or fescue was planted on adjacent tracts of land with a long-term history of either fescue (30 yr) or sorghum-sudangrass (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench. x S. sudanense (Piper) Staph.) (3 yr). The long-term cropping history had major effects on the mycorrhizal fungal communities which were related to the expression of mycorrhizal stunt disease of tobacco. Changes occurred in these communities in response to either current-season crop. These experiments suggest that crop rotation causes large changes in mycorrhizal fungal communities, that these changes may be involved in the rotation effect on soil productivity, and that design of cropping systems should take mycorrhizal fungal communities into consideration.
Women on the edge of crime: Crack cocaine and the changing contexts of street-level sex work in New York City

In this paper, we attempt to examine, engender and contextualize the theses that (i) “women's emancipation escalates [women's] crime and violence” and (ii) “women's drug use escalates [women's] crime and violence”, by drawing on ongoing ethnographic fieldwork in relation to women crack smokers and the changing contexts of street-level sex work in New York City. The paper attempts to illustrate how the position of women crack smokers can only be understood by locating their lives, their illicit drug use and their income-generating activities within the context of a specific set of localized socio-economic and cultural developments. We suggest that observations from our research refute the theses that women are becoming more criminal and/or violent in the context of either their consumption of crack cocaine or their alleged “emancipation”.
Acoustic characteristics of female tracheoesophageal speech.

An acoustical description of speech and voice produced by 10 female tracheoesophageal (TE) speakers is provided. In light of results from earlier descriptions based on male TE speakers, and based o...
128 N-METHYL-D-ASPARTIC ACID CAN BE USED TO PARTIALLY REPLACE BOVINE SERUM ALBUMIN IN CULTURE MEDIUM

One major obstacle in mammalian embryo culture has been unidentifiable biological contaminants in the media due to the inclusion of Bovine Serum Albumin (BSA) or Fetal Bovine Serum. The goal of this study was to remove BSA from culture media and develop chemically defined media based off the embryo’s biological and physiologic makeup. We evaluated the presence of message in various stages of porcine embryos and found that the message for the ionic glutamate receptor, N-Methyl-D-aspartic acid (NMDA) increased about 3-fold from oocyte to blastocyst. Thus, this study was conducted to determine if the addition of NMDA (0.5 mm) would improve development of embryos in an already chemically defined medium. Slaughterhouse derived ovaries were aspirated, cumulus–oocyte complexes were identified and then matured for 42 h in M199 base medium supplemented with EGF, FSH, and LH. Metaphase II oocytes were selected and fertilized in modified Tris buffered medium with 0.25 × 106 mL–1 frozen–thawed porcine semen for 5 h. Presumptive zygotes were then transferred to Porcine Zygote Medium with 0.3% BSA (PZM3) or 0.1% PVA (PZM4). After 28 h, cleaved embryos were selected and embryos were placed into treatment groups: (1) PZM3, (2) PZM4, or (3) PZM4 + 0.5 mm NMDA. Embryos were cultured in 5% CO2, 5%O2, 90% N2 until Day 7. For this experiment the number of cleaved embryos cultured in each treatment group were 260 for group 1, 220 for group 2 and 300 for group 3. Percentage of development to blastocyst was determined and analyzed with SAS Proc GENMOD Procedure (a,b P < 0.05). The percentage developed to blastocyst was (1) 47.5% a, (2) 29.6% b, and (3) 36.1% a,b, respectively. Total cell number of the blastocysts was determined by using Hoechst nuclear stain and statistically analyzed by SAS Proc GENMOD Procedure. The average cell number for the treatment groups was (1) 25.8 a, (2) 19.6 b, and (3) 22.9 a,b, respectively. Culture without BSA significantly reduced development to blastocyst and total cell number; however, with the addition of 0.5 mm NMDA there was no significant difference from media containing BSA. This indicates that NMDA can be used to partially replace BSA to form a chemically defined media. Funded by a grant from the USDA NRI 2006-35203-17282.
Development and implementation of a carboplatin desensitization protocol for children with neurofibromatosis, type 1 and hypersensitivity reactions in an outpatient oncology clinic.

Neurofibromatosis, type 1 (NF 1), is a relatively common disorder. Children with NF 1 are at much greater risk for the development of optic pathway tumors, which are sometimes treated with chemotherapy. As a result, many oncology centers and clinics are now seeing and treating NF patients. One of the most frequently used drugs is carboplatin. However, as many as 30% of NF patients may develop a reaction to carboplatin, which can include anaphylaxis. This often results in the cessation of the medication and treatment protocol. At the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia a desensitization protocol has been instituted with children who have had such reactions and whose tumors have demonstrated a positive response to the treatment. The desensitization process is quite complex and requires an interdisciplinary approach. However, it is the nursing personnel that are key to the successful coordination and delivery of such a protocol in an oncology outpatient clinic on a regular basis.
Studies on memory: spontaneous return of memory in 6-hydroxydopamine-treated mice and its relation to cycloheximide-induced transient amnesia.

Abstract We suggested previously that cycloheximide-induced transient amnesia was due in part to side-effects of the antibiotic on the central adrenergic system at the time of testing and that spontaneous return of memory depended upon recovery of the adrenergic system. To test these possibilities, mice chronically depleted of brain catecholamines (CAs) by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) were trained in an avoidance-discrimination task and tested for spontaneous return of memory. Contrary to our hypothesis, amnesia at 24 hr after training was followed by recovery of memory by 72 hr, which indicates that recovery of memory can occur independently of adrenergic recovery. Injection of α-methyl-para-tyrosine immediately after training prevented return of memory at 72 hr, suggesting that the residual CAs remaining after 6-OHDA are necessary for memory to spontaneously return at this time.
Correlates of Subordinate Attributions of Supervisory Influence

Several studies have shown that supervisors' influence over subordinates is derived from upward influence in the organization. However, little is known about subordinate attributions connected with perceptions of supervisory influence. Data about 398 first- and second-level supervisors from a nationwide insurance organization revealed that perceived supervisory influence was significantly related to perceptions of supervisory effectiveness, influence over valued rewards and the task, and one's feelings of personal influence.
Mother-caregiver expectations for function among survivors of childhood brain tumors.

Children diagnosed with brain tumors increasingly survive to adulthood, although they do so with needs often requiring continued parental caregiving. We sought to describe the nature of caregivers’ expectations about survivors’ function and how expectations connect to ongoing management and decision-making. Forty-five qualitative interviews with mother-caregivers were conducted and coded for themes related to expectations for their adolescent/young adult children living post-childhood brain tumors. Five main themes emerged as integral to mother-caregiver expectations: realizing a difference in the survivor, noticing limitations to independence in the survivor, memories of learning about clinical prognoses as understood from consent meetings and education, managing these realizations, and acknowledging unresolved challenges. Caregiver expectations are influenced by both initial clinical interactions and contemporary family dynamics and require individual- and family-specific survivorship planning. As caregiver expectations can influence management behaviors that impact outcomes and possibly independence, implications for clinician-caregiver shared decision-making are substantial.
Fast design space exploration for MPSoC architectures

Design space of a system on chip (SoC) with multiple processor cores (MPSoC) is huge, and its architecture exploration is very time consuming. Trace driven simulations can accelerate the exploration effectively and various traces have been proposed to reuse some simulation results of one configuration for others with similar parameters. However, the traces are not independent, and each of them has different generation and access overheads. This paper presents a framework to describe the relationships of various traces in an MPSoC, where a simple time estimator is provided to select traces that minimize the overall exploration time. In our experiments, 2∼3 order speedup can be simply achieved once the traces are appropriately chosen.
Molecular Basis for Variable Expression of Merozoite Surface Antigen gp45 among American Isolates of Babesia bigemina

Immunization with the merozoite surface glycoprotein gp45 induces protection against challenge using the homologous Babesia bigemina strain. However, gp45 B-cell epitopes are highly polymorphic among B. bigemina strains isolated from different geographical locations within North and South America. The molecular basis for this polymorphism was investigated using the JG-29 biological clone of a Mexico strain of B. bigemina and comparison with the Puerto Rico, St. Croix, and Texcoco strains. The molecular size and antibody reactivity of gp45 expressed by the JG-29 clone were identical to those of the parental Mexico strain. gp45 cDNA and the genomic locus encompassing gp45 were cloned and sequenced from JG-29. The locus sequence and Southern blot data were consistent with a single gp45 copy in the JG-29 genome. The JG-29 cDNA expressed the full-length protein recognized by the gp45-specific monoclonal antibody 14/1.3.2. The genomes of the Puerto Rico and St. Croix strains of B. bigemina were shown to lack a closely related gp45-like gene by PCR using multiple primer sets and by Southern blots using both full-length and region-specific gp45 probes. This genomic difference was confirmed using unpassaged isolates from a 1999 disease outbreak in Puerto Rico. In contrast, the Texcoco strain retains a gp45 gene, encoding an open reading frame identical to that of JG-29. However, the Texcoco gp45 gene is not transcribed. These two mechanisms, lack of a closely related gp45-like gene and failure to transcribe gp45, result in generation of antigenic polymorphism among B. bigemina strains, and the latter mechanism is unique compared to prior mechanisms of antigenic polymorphism identified in babesial parasites.
New methods for separating causes from effects in genomics data.

The discovery of molecular pathways is a challenging problem and its solution relies on the identification of causal molecular interactions in genomics data. Causal molecular interactions can be discovered using randomized experiments; however such experiments are often costly, infeasible, or unethical. Fortunately, algorithms that infer causal interactions from observational data have been in development for decades, predominantly in the quantitative sciences, and many of them have recently been applied to genomics data. While these algorithms can infer unoriented causal interactions between involved molecular variables (i.e., without specifying which one is the cause and which one is the effect), causally orienting all inferred molecular interactions was assumed to be an unsolvable problem until recently. In this work, we use transcription factor-target gene regulatory interactions in three different organisms to evaluate a new family of methods that, given observational data for just two causally related variables, can determine which one is the cause and which one is the effect. We have found that a particular family of causal orientation methods (IGCI Gaussian) is often able to accurately infer directionality of causal interactions, and that these methods usually outperform other causal orientation techniques. We also introduced a novel ensemble technique for causal orientation that combines decisions of individual causal orientation methods. The ensemble method was found to be more accurate than any best individual causal orientation method in the tested data. This work represents a first step towards establishing context for practical use of causal orientation methods in the genomics domain. We have found that some causal orientation methodologies yield accurate predictions of causal orientation in genomics data, and we have improved on this capability with a novel ensemble method. Our results suggest that these methods have the potential to facilitate reconstruction of molecular pathways by minimizing the number of required randomized experiments to find causal directionality and by avoiding experiments that are infeasible and/or unethical.
File system measurements and their application to the design of efficient operation logging algorithms

File system operation in a transparently fault-tolerant system that uses checkpointing and message logging is discussed. Logging messages to disk is one of the primary performance costs of such systems. The author has measured the file system operations performed on large timesharing systems running Unix in terms of the level of concurrency (number of consecutive operations that do not change the state of the file system). By performing much of the data analysis online within a modified Unix kernel, statistics were collected over a long period of time with a substantial variation in system load. Using this data, it is demonstrated that a technique called null logging can reduce the number of messages logged to disk by a factor of 10 to 25, depending on the workload. This reduces the overhead of the fault-tolerance mechanism and allows a large fraction of file system operations to commit instantaneously. >
A Method for the Chemical Synthesis of 14C-Labeled Fatty Acyl Coenzyme A's of High Specific Activity

A simple and reliable method, based on that described by W. Seubert (1960, Biochem Prep. 7, 80-83), has been developed for the chemical synthesis of radioactive acyl coenzyme A’s. I-14C-labeled fatty acids (palmitic, oleic, and linoleic) are converted to their acyl chlorides with oxalyl chloride. The [l-14C]acyl chlorides are then condensed with a two- to three-fold molar excess of coenzyme A in a bicarbonate-buffered tetrahydrofuran solution to form the corresponding [l-14C]acyl coenzyme A’s. The overall yields are near 75%, and the purities are greater than 90% based on spectral, chromatographic, and enzymatic properties. During the course of studying a very lowactivity enzyme system in brain which utilizes [14C]acyl CoA as substrate, it became necessary to synthesize this labeled compound at a very high specific activity. A number of chemical and enzymatic methods have been described for the preparation of acyl CoA (1-9). However, none of the procedures was suitable for our purpose. Most of the chemical methods require an excess of the fatty acid derivative to esterify limiting amounts of CoASH, with an unacceptably low conversion of the costly radioactive fatty acid to product. In the enzymatic methods, utilizing acyl-CoA synthetase, the yields are low (60%) and the product is probably contaminated by other lipids (1,2) unless lengthy procedures are first employed to purify the enzyme (3). We have successfully used the procedure originally described by Seubert (4,5) to prepare nonradioactive acyl CoA, but when the procedure was scaled down for the preparation of radioactive acyl CoA and excess acyl chloride was not used, yields became low and erratic. Some modifications were therefore necessary to prepare radioactive acyl CoA. We have examined the conditions for the synthesis of acyl CoA in detail with the objective of obtaining a high rate of conversion of radioactive fatty acids to acyl CoA’s. By the use of an excess of CoA and by the inclusion of a bicarbonate buffer for pH control, we have developed a method for the preparation of high specific activity [lJ4C]acyl CoA’s, both saturated and unsaturated, with reproducible yields. The reaction conditions and detailed methods are described here.
Understanding engineering work and identity: a cross-case analysis of engineers within six firms

To better equip engineers to enter a dynamic technological and economic environment, educators must improve their understanding of the wide-ranging work of engineers and the flexible skills it demands. To that end, we studied engineering practice in six firms of varying size and industry. We analyzed the similarities and differences of engineering practice across these sites, and gathered narrative examples of what it means to be an engineer at these locations. Our data indicates more similarities across sites than differences. Although workplace cultures differed, most engineers saw their work similarly. They saw their work as problem solving, almost always done in explicitly organized teams or in informal collaboration with others. Engineers cited clear communication as the most important skill, with budgets and time limitations generally noted as the most significant constraints. Engineers generally valued solving a problem, learning, and working in a team more than other aspects of their jobs. This un...
Psychological Coercion in Human Trafficking An Application of Biderman’s Framework

This study examined coercive conditions experienced by trafficked persons in the context of Biderman's theory of coercion. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 12 adult women trafficked into Los Angeles County, from 10 countries, for domestic work and/or sex work. Participants described health problems they experienced in relation to their trafficking experience and their perceptions of conditions that caused health problems. Utilizing a framework analysis approach, we analyzed themes using Biderman's framework. Participants reported experiencing the range of nonphysical coercive tactics outlined by Biderman, including isolation, monopolization of perception, induced debility or exhaustion, threats, occasional indulgences, demonstration of omnipotence, degradation, and enforcement of trivial demands. Our analysis demonstrates how these coercion tactics reinforced the submission of trafficked persons to their traffickers even in the absence of physical force or restraints. Such psychological abuse creates extreme stress that can lead to acute and chronic, physical and mental health problems.
Visual Attention to and Comprehension of Television in Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disordered and Normal Boys

This study examined the effects of distracters on the television viewing of diagnosed ADHD (n = 19) and normal (n = 20) boys who ranged in age from 6 to 12 years. Subjects were videotaped watching four 7-min segments of "3-2-1 Contact," once in the presence and once in the absence of highly appealing toys. The results indicated that, while in the presence of toys, ADHD boys spent one-half as much time as control boys attending to the television. However, when toys were absent, there were no significant differences in visual attention between ADHD and normal boys. The effect of the toy manipulation was most dramatic with younger children of both groups. Recall of didactic content by ADHD boys and normal subjects did not differ significantly, even when the attention of ADHD boys was reduced. These findings suggest that ADHD children, like their normal counterparts, are active and strategic viewers of television.
Two's complement quantization in periodic digital filters

The stability of periodically shift variant (PSV) filters are studied when implemented with two's complement truncation (TCT) quantization. Block form and standard (nonblock) form implementations are considered, and two sufficient conditions are established for stability. As a special case, second-order coupled-form PSV filters are then investigated under TCT quantization. Stability regions are established within the parameter space for block implementations. Examples are given to illustrate the results.
Log-Algebraicity of TwistedA-Harmonic Series and Special Values ofL-Series in Characteristicp

Abstract We find special points in the Carlitz module related, on the one hand, to the values at s =1 of characteristic p Dirichlet L -function analogues, and on the other hand, to the values at negative integral values of s of a characteristic p Riemann zeta-function analogue. The special points are constructed with the help of a general theorem asserting the “log-algebraicity” of the “twisted A -harmonic series” associated to a rank one sign-normalized elliptic A -module. Concerning the “special point index” we prove a Kummer-type criterion and raise some Vandiver-type questions.
Bilingual Sense Similarity for Statistical Machine Translation

This paper proposes new algorithms to compute the sense similarity between two units (words, phrases, rules, etc.) from parallel corpora. The sense similarity scores are computed by using the vector space model. We then apply the algorithms to statistical machine translation by computing the sense similarity between the source and target side of translation rule pairs. Similarity scores are used as additional features of the translation model to improve translation performance. Significant improvements are obtained over a state-of-the-art hierarchical phrase-based machine translation system.
Health Educators' Knowledge of Hearing, Hearing Loss, and Hearing Health Practices

A questionnaire on hearing, hearing loss, and hearing health practices was constructed by the authors and completed by 89 school health educators in West Virginia, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Maryland. Results of their responses indicate some deficiencies in knowledge of hearing, hearing loss, and the effect of noise on hearing. Implications of these findings and suggestions for preservice and continuing education programs for school health educators are discussed.
Epigenetic mechanisms of age-dependent KIR2DL4 expression in T cells

Killer Ig-like receptor (KIR) expression is mostly restricted to NK cells controlling their activation. With increasing age, KIRs are expressed on T cells and contribute to age-related diseases. We examined epigenetic mechanisms that determine the competency of T cells to transcribe KIR2DL4. Compared with Jurkat cells and CD4(+)CD28(+) T cells from young individuals, DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibition was strikingly more effective in T cells from elderly adults and the CD4(+)CD28(-) T cell line HUT78 to induce KIR2DL4 transcription. In these susceptible cells, the KIR2DL4 promoter was partially demethylated, and dimethylated H3-Lys 4 was increased, and all other histone modifications were characteristic for an inactive promoter. In comparison, NK cells had a fully demethylated KIR2DL4 promoter and the full spectrum of histone modifications indicative of active transcription with H3 and H4 acetylation, di- and trimethylated H3-Lys 4, and reduced, dimethylated H3-Lys 9. These results suggest that an increased competency of T cells to express KIR2DL4 with aging is conferred by a selective increase in H3-Lys 4 dimethylation and limited DNA demethylation. The partially accessible promoter is sensitive to DNMT inhibition, which is sufficient to induce full transcription without further histone acetylation and methylation.
Uterine blood flow during early ovine pregnancy.

Abstract Left uterine artery blood flow was monitored from conception through 61 days of gestation in 11 ewes. From the conceptual estrus peak, uterine blood flow (UBF) decreased rapidly similar to the pattern during normal estrous cycle. A sharp progressive rise in UBF occurred on day 17 or 18 when the embryo was in the uterine cornu ipsilateral to the monitored artery. The rise was delayed when the embryo occupied the contralateral cornu. The significance of these observations is discussed in the light of autopsy findings and reported ovine embryologic development.
A keynote address on concurrent programing

This paper summarizes the first twenty years of concurrent programming and identifies the major development phases as an initial hardware challenge followed by a software crisis, a conceptual innovation, and language development which in turn led to formal understanding and hardware refinement. The paper draws a parallel between this development and the present challenge of distributed computing.
Connection admission control for capacity-varying networks with stochastic capacity change times

Many connection-oriented networks, such as low Earth orbit satellite (LEOS) systems and networks providing multipriority service using advance reservations, have capacities which vary over time. Connection admission control (CAC) policies which only use current capacity information may lead to intolerable dropping of admitted connections whenever network capacity decreases. We present the admission limit curve (ALC) for capacity-varying networks with random capacity change times. We prove the ALC is a constraint limiting the conditions under which any connection-stateless CAC policy may admit connections and still meet dropping guarantees on an individual connection basis. The ALC also leads to a lower bound on the blocking performance achievable by any connection-stateless CAC policy which provides dropping guarantees to individual connections. In addition, we describe a CAC policy for stochastic capacity change times which uses knowledge about future capacity changes to provide dropping guarantees on an individual connection basis and which achieves blocking performance close to the lower bound.
Speech transcript analysis for automatic search

We address the problem of finding collateral information pertinent to a live television broadcast in real time. The solution starts with a text transcript of the broadcast generated by an automatic speech recognition system. Speaker independent speech recognition technology, even when tailored for a broadcast scenario, generally produces transcripts with relatively low accuracy. Given this limitation, we have developed algorithms that can determine the essence of the broadcast from these transcripts. Specifically, we extract named entities, topics, and sentence types from the transcript and use them to automatically generate both structured and unstructured search queries. A novel distance-ranking algorithm is used to select relevant information from the search results. The whole process is performed online and the query results (i.e., the collateral information) are added to the broadcast stream.
Validation of Simulated Earthquake Ground Motions Based on Evolution of Intensity and Frequency Content

Abstract Simulated earthquake ground motions can be used in many recent engineering applications that require time series as input excitations. However, applicability and validation of simulations are subjects of debate in the seismological and engineering communities. We propose a validation methodology at the waveform level and directly based on characteristics that are expected to influence most structural and geotechnical response parameters. In particular, three time-dependent validation metrics are used to evaluate the evolving intensity, frequency, and bandwidth of a waveform. These validation metrics capture nonstationarities in intensity and frequency content of waveforms, making them ideal to address nonlinear response of structural systems. A two-component error vector is proposed to quantify the average and shape differences between these validation metrics for a simulated and recorded ground-motion pair. Because these metrics are directly related to the waveform characteristics, they provide easily interpretable feedback to seismologists for modifying their ground-motion simulation models. To further simplify the use and interpretation of these metrics for engineers, it is shown how six scalar key parameters, including duration, intensity, and predominant frequency, can be extracted from the validation metrics. The proposed validation methodology is a step forward in paving the road for utilization of simulated ground motions in engineering practice and is demonstrated using examples of recorded and simulated ground motions from the 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake.
Cost Analysis of Point-of-Care Laboratory Testing in a Community Hospital

Point-of-care testing (POCT) is a means of providing patient services more rapidly. Most evaluations of bedside laboratory testing devices have emphasized analytical performance in tertiary care settings. In contrast, the authors compare the operating cost of POCT for glucose and an electrolyte/glucose/blood urea nitrogen chemistry panel with the cost of central laboratory stat testing in a 204-bed community hospital. In scenarios studied, POCT costs exceed central laboratory stat costs from 1.1 to 4.6 times. The more POCT is used, the greater the excess costs compared to the central laboratory. Cost analysis demonstrates that the investment in acquiring automated transport and data management systems for the authors' hospital was far less expensive than POCT for both an individual stat test and on an annual cost basis. The authors urge fiscal caution before indiscriminately implementing POCT.
Building a Biopsychosocial Conceptual Framework to Explore Pressure Ulcer Pain for Hospitalized Patients

Although pressure ulcers are a prevalent condition, pain associated with pressure ulcers is not fully understood. Indeed, previous studies do not shed light on the association between pressure ulcer stages and the experience of pain. Especially, pain characteristics of suspected deep tissue injury, which is a new category that was recently added by the National Pressure Ulcer Advisory Panel, are yet unknown. This is concerning because the incidence of pressure ulcers in hospitalized patients has increased exponentially over the last two decades, and health care providers are struggling to ensure providing adequate care. Thus, in order to facilitate the development of effective interventions, this paper presents a conceptual framework to explore pressure ulcer pain in hospitalized patients. The concepts were derived from a biopsychosocial model of pain, and the relationships among each concept were identified through a literature review. Major propositions are presented based on the proposed conceptual framework, which integrates previous research on pressure ulcer pain, to ultimately improve understanding of pain in hospitalized patients with pressure ulcers.
Serotonin Syndrome Following Methylene Blue Administration for Vasoplegic Syndrome

Methylene blue (MB) has been used for additional blood pressure support in patients who develop severe, refractory vasoplegia; however, MB can induce serotonin syndrome, especially when used in conjunction with other serotonergic agents. We describe a case of serotonin syndrome in a patient who received MB for vasoplegic syndrome after left ventricular assist device implantation and discuss its presentation and management.
Abstract 2552: Detection of PIGO-deficient cells using proaerolysin: a valuable tool to investigate mechanisms of mutagenesis in the DT40 cell system

Proceedings: AACR 103rd Annual Meeting 2012‐‐ Mar 31‐Apr 4, 2012; Chicago, IL A DNA damage response analysis makes use of the chicken DT40 isogenic cell line and its dozens of available mutants knocked out in various DNA repair and cell cycle pathways. While this DT40 cell system is valuable for understanding the DNA damage response to genotoxic agents, no convenient mutation assay for mutagens currently exists for this reverse-genetic system. Here we establish a proaerolysin (PA) selection-based mutation assay in DT40 cells to identify glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor deficient cells. Using PA, we detected an increase in the number of PA-resistant DT40 cells exposed to MMS for 24 hours followed by a 5-day period of phenotype expression. GPI anchor synthesis is catalyzed by a series of phosphatidylinositol glycan complementation groups (PIGs). The PIG-O gene is on the sex chromosome (Chromosome Z) in chicken cells and is critical for GPI anchor synthesis at the intermediate step. We identified that all PA-resistant DT40 cells analyzed have mutations in the PIG-O gene. This novel assay for DT40 cells provides a valuable tool to investigate the mode of action of mutations caused by reactive agents using a series of isogenic mutant DT40 cells. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 2552. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-2552
Role of PAF in zymosan-induced IL-8 release from human neutrophils

Stimulation of human neutrophils with zymosan particles resulted in a dose-response release of IL-8 in the 24 h culture supernatant, measured using a specific radioimmunoassay. IL-8 was detected after 8 h (0.11±0.08 nM) and peaked at 24 h (2.81±0.85 nM). Two distinct PAF receptor antagonists, WEB 2086 and UK 74505 produced a dose-dependent inhibition of zymosan-induced IL-8 release. This inhibitory action was maximal (68% 10−6M WEB 2086; 71% 10−8M UK 74505) when the drug was co-administered with zymosan, becoming progressively less effective when administered at increasing intervals after addition of zymosan. In contrast, a specific LTB4 antagonist, LY 255283, an IL-1 receptor antagonist and an anti-human TNFα antibody were unable to modulate the response indicating that these mediators are not involved. This study provides the first direct evidence of a central role for the phospholipid mediator PAF in the pathway of IL-8 release, following neutrophil activation by a particulate stimulusin vitro.
ASCOMAL DEVELOPMENT IN LEPTOSPHAERULINA CRASSIASCA

Cultures of Leptosphaerulina crassiasca from single ascospores formed ascostromata, indicating that the fungus is homothallic. Mycelial hyphae were septate, with uninucleate cells, and they gave ri...
Promoting effect of graphene on dye-sensitized solar cells

In this paper, a simple approach without a prereduction of graphene oxide was exploited to prepare a graphene-doped TiO2 film for dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs). The performance measurement of the DSSCs showed that the incorporation of graphene could increase the short-circuit current density and power conversion efficiency by 52.4 and 55.3%, respectively. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the performance enhancement was due to the promoting effect of graphene on electron transfer instead of the increase of dye loading in TiO2/graphene composite films. However, graphene can also absorb solar light, which could lead to the decrease of light harvest of dye molecules and thus a negative effect on the power conversion efficiency of DSSCs. Furthermore, graphene might decrease the actual dye loading on TiO2 in a TiO2/graphene film, which can also make a negative contribution to the conversion efficiency. As a result, the promoting effect of graphene is strongly dependent on its content; namely, the effi...
The Times They Are a-Changing … or Are They Not? A Comparison of Gender Stereotypes, 1983–2014:

During the past 30 years, women’s participation in the workforce, in athletics, and in professional education has increased, while men’s activities have been more stable. Have gender stereotypes changed over this time period to reflect the new realities? And, to what extent does gender stereotyping exist today? We address these questions by comparing data collected in the early 1980s to new data collected in 2014. In each study, participants rated the likelihood that a typical man or woman has a set of gendered characteristics (traits, role behaviors, occupations, and physical characteristics). Results indicate that people perceive strong differences between men and women on stereotype components today, as they did in the past. Comparisons between the two time periods show stability of gender stereotypes across all components except female gender roles, which showed a significant increase in gender stereotyping. These results attest to the durability of basic stereotypes about how men and women are percei...
Progress of Copper- recovering from Waste Printed Circuit Boards

Separation and purification methods for the waste printed circuit boards were briefed and an eco- friendly method for copper was stated in this paper. In this study,the circuit boards were handled in laboratory by physical dismantling,shear force breaking dissociation,shaking table sorting and pyrometallurgy process which was environmental and economical. The results developed rational and eco- friendly method for utilization of waste printed circuit boards.
238 ARE TRANSPERITONEAL PERMEABILITIES TO WATER AND SOLUTES EQUIVALENT FOR MICE AND RATS

Mechanistic studies of alterations in peritoneal transport are facilitated by the development of transgenic mice, but the majority of transport studies have been carried out in rats. To correlate results between species, we hypothesized that mouse transport parameters, normalized to the peritoneal contact area, would be similar to those of the rat. To address this, we affixed small ({223}10 mm dia.) plastic chambers to the serosa of the abdominal wall of anesthetized CD1 and C57bl mice. The chamber constrained transfer across the area of the chamber base and facilitated mixing, volumetric, and concentration measurements versus time for mannitol, serum albumin, and osmotic and hydrostatic pressure-driven convection. The mass transfer coefficient of mannitol (MTCM) and of serum albumin (MTCBSA), hydrostatic pressure driven flux (JP), and osmotic filtration (JOSM) were calculated from the time-dependent volume and concentration data. All parameters have units of μL/min/cm2 and were compared to previously derived parameters from SD rats with a one-way ANOVA. There were no significant differences in the following (mean 6 SE): MTCM (CD1, 3.20 6 0.38, n = 7; C57bl, 2.34 6.41, n = 6; rat 2.72 6.25, n = 19; NS), JP (CD1, 0.42 6 0.19, n = 6; C57bl, 0.45 6 0.18, n = 6; rat 0.51 6 0.20, n = 9; NS), or JOSM (CD1, 0.92 6 0.35, n = 6; C57bl, 0.49 6 0.35, n = 6; rat 1.72 6 0.35, n = 6; NS). Only the MTCBSA demonstrated statistical difference: (x102: CD1, 9.52 6 2.34, n = 6; C57bl, 6.73 6 1.92, n = 7; rat 12.4 6 1.4, n = 17; p = .05). We conclude that use of a transport chamber to eliminate the variable peritoneal transfer area normalizes calculated transport characteristics and facilitates comparison between rodent species.
Studies on the Antibacterial Activities of Extract of Crotalaria ferruginea Grah

Objective To study the antibacterial activities of different solvent extracts of Crotalaria ferruginea Grah.Methods By the agar diffusion and dilution method,minimal inhibitory concentration(MIC) and inhibitory circle of the extract were determined.Results The antibacterial activity of the extracts was different to different microbes.Conclusion Crotalaria ferruginea Grah has good antibacterial activity in vitro.
Stillbirths from adrenal demedullated mice subjected to chronic stress throughout gestation.

A paucity of experimental data exists relating the effect of chronic stress experienced throughout gestation to the incidence of stillbirths. Dornhorst & Young (1952) demonstrated that low, pressor dosages of epinephrine and norepinephrine administered intravenously to gravid rabbits and guinea-pigs produced vigorous uterine contractions with concomitant cyanosis of the placenta and decreases in both foetal heart-rate and blood-pressure. They interpreted their findings as indicating the action of these hormones to be on the placental vasculature and not the blockage of uterine vessels supplying the placenta. Since the secretion of the adrenal medullary hormones is part of the organism9s stress response, the findings of the Dornhorst & Young investigation provide evidence for a mechanism which might be used to account, in part or whole, for the deleterious effects to prenatal development arising from maternal stress. The present investigation undertook to test this hypothesis by determining the incidence of stillbirths from adrenal demedullated and non-adrenal demedullated mice subjected to stress throughout gestation or allowed a stress-free gestation.
Unbiased Monte Carlo Estimation of the Reciprocal of an Integral

A method to provide an unbiased Monte Carlo estimate of the reciprocal of an integral is described. In Monte Carlo transport calculations, one often uses a single sample as an estimate of an integr...
Time and Job Satisfaction

This … [study] undertakes description and exploratory analysis of the social interaction which took place within a small work group of factory machine operatives during a two-month period of participant observation. The factual and ideational materials which it presents lie at an intersection of two lines of research interest and should, in their dual bearing, contribute to both. Since the operatives were engaged in work which involved repetition of very simple operations over an extra-long work-day, six days a week, they were faced with the problem of dealing with a formidable ‘beast of monotony’. Revelation of how the group utilised its resources to combat the ‘beast’ should merit the attention of those who are seeking solution to the practical problem of job satisfaction, or employee morale. It should also provide insights for those who are trying to penetrate the mysteries of the small group.