cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Qualitative and Ethnographic Evaluation

Rist (1980), in his article “Blitzkrieg Ethnography: On the Transformation of a Method into a Movement,” expresses a number of concerns about the decline in quality of the conceptualization, process, and products of ethnographic research in education simply because the approach was “in vogue.” Rist claims that “The term ‘ethnographer’ is now being used to describe researchers who neither studied nor were trained in the method.” Rist raises other concerns such as researchers conducting hit-and-run research rather than designing and conducting longitudinal studies; researchers having simple description as the end in itself rather than exploration of the underlying cultural framework and deep meanings of participants; multiple-researcher multisite research focusing on breadth rather than single-ethnographer, single-site designs focusing on in-depth understanding; and entrance into a research site with preformulated research problems and concepts resulting in a predetermined approach to data collection and analysis rather than allowing them to emerge from extensive time and interaction with participants at the site. Rist predicted that as the number of untrained researchers and evaluators employing this method grows, the rationale for using the qualitative approach will be undercut, the resulting reports will be of poor quality, and disenchantment with the qualitative approach will be inevitable.
The Boundary Node Method

This chapter presents applications of the boundary node method (BNM) in three dimensional (3-D) linear elasticity. Following a brief introduction, and a section on surface approximants, derivations of the BNM and the hypersingular BNM (HBNM) are presented in Section 3. This is followed by a section describing error estimation and adaptivity with the BNM and the HBNM. Numerical results for selected examples are included throughout the chapter.
Shift in Activity and the Concept of Persisting Tendency

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on shift in activity and the concept of persisting tendency. Analysis of shift in activity is an important part of the development of behavior theory. Knowledge of the processes that take place in the interval between the onset of a stimulus and the occurrence of an activity is fundamental to an understanding of shift in activity. Shift in activity can be analyzed by the discrete random process and the continuous deterministic process models. At a molar level, there seem to be sharp differences between stimulus-bound theories in which stimuli are viewed as the “causes” of responses and tendency theory in which stimuli effect changes in the strength of tendencies, but tendencies are responsible for the existence of activities. The immediate cause of an event must be active at the time the event begins to occur. But at the time a habit action is evoked, the reinforcing event may be long past, that is, it may no longer exist; and something which does not exist can scarcely be the cause of anything. Thus, the immediate cause of habit-mediated action evocation must be a combination of: (1) the stimulus event; and (2) a relatively permanent condition or organization left by the reinforcement within the nervous system of the animal.
Dickens and the daughter of the house

Acknowledgements Introduction Part I. Making Fictions: 1. The uncanny daughter: Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, and the progress of Little Nell Part II. On Not Committing Adultery in the Novel: 2. Dombey and Son: the daughter's nothing 3. Hard Times and A Tale of Two Cities: the social inheritance of adultery Part III. The Daughter's Portion: 4. Bleak House and the dead mother's property 5. Amy Dorrit's prison notebooks Part IV. A Violent Conclusion: 6. In the shadow of Satis House: the woman's story in Great Expectations 7. Our Mutual Friend and the daughter's book of the dead Notes Index.
Application of Discrete Time Quantized Data Controllers to Nonlinear Systems

A new method for the digital control of a nonlinear, continuous time system is presented. The digital controller is called a discrete time quantized data (DTQD) controller. The DTQD controller uses a table look-up algorithm to determine the desired control effort. In order to minimize the number of table entries, a hystersis scaling process is proposed. This scaling process also reduces the possibility of limit cycle phenomena in the system response. The result is a reliable and low cost controller.
On the location of fracture in brittle solids—II

The fracture produced in a slender rod, when a compressive stress pulse reflects from a free end as tension, has often been used to measure the tensile strength of brittle solids. In the present paper it is shown that the distribution of fracture location, when many such tests are made with a rectangular pulse of fixed stress level, may be used to deduce the distribution in strength of the material. The procedure is illustrated using tests on glass rods.
Microstructural characterization of glass and ceramic simulated waste forms

Glass is currently the primary waste form candidate for immobilization of Hanford high level radioactive wastes from three generations of nuclear fuel reprocessing. Several chemically varied waste types must be immobilized, including sludges and highly concentrated liquids, and each may require a chemically different but optimum glass composition to fix the appropriate set of radionuclides. Efforts are also underway to evaluate the application of ceramic forms as an alternative to glass for the fixation of Hanford defense waste. Results of laboratory scale studies for fixation of these wastes into glass (1) and ceramic (2) forms have been reported and the studies are continuing.
What is this Thing Called Space? – Art and Spatial Imagination

Notes on the role of mental spaces in meaning production and signification. The aesthetic sign is presented as a special case, which also may have been the original case in human evolution. A pictorial example is given.
Fas-Mediated Modulation of Bcr/Abl in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Results in Differential Effects on Apoptosis

Fas-R is expressed constitutively in CD34(+) cells of patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML); Fas-R triggering results in decreased proliferation rate due to apoptosis of clonogenic cells. We have already shown that alpha-interferon (IFN-alpha) enhances Fas-R expression on CML progenitor cells, thus increasing their sensitivity to Fas-R agonists. Although it appears that IFN-alpha can prime CML cells for the effects of Fas, the response to IFN-alpha in vivo is not a constant feature in CML patients. We studied the mechanisms of Fas-mediated apoptosis in 11 patients suffering from CML in chronic phase and tried to see whether there was a correlation between in vitro inducibility of apoptosis in CD34(+) CML cells after Fas-R triggering and the clinical response to IFN-alpha. After priming with IFN-alpha, Fas triggering resulted in in vitro suppression of hematopoietic cell growth in seven of eight patients who had optimal hematologic response to IFN-alpha; in the same conditions, no inhibitory response to Fas-R agonist was observed in cells from three of three patients who proved to be poor responders to IFN-alpha. In responders to IFN-alpha, Fas-R agonist induced dose-dependent apoptosis of CD34(+) cells; this effect was associated with a decrease in the bcr/abl protein level. In cells derived from patients with a poor response to IFN-alpha, the rate of apoptosis in culture remained unchanged in the presence of Fas-R agonist and no bcr/abl downmodulation was observed. Finally, we measured bcr/abl mRNA by quantitative reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and found that decreased bcr/abl protein after Fas triggering was not associated with decreased amounts of specific mRNA, a finding which is consistent with a posttranscriptional regulation of the bcr/abl protein expression. It appears that Fas-mediated downmodulation of p210 bcr/abl restores susceptibility to apoptosis of CML cells; in addition, in vitro studies on CML cells may predict response to IFN-alpha treatment.
Assessing the relative influence of surface soil moisture and ENSO SST on precipitation predictability over the contiguous United States

This study assesses the relative influence of soil moisture memory and tropical sea surface temperature (SST) in seasonal rainfall over the contiguous United States. Using observed precipitation, the NINO3.4 index, and soil moisture and evapotranspiration simulated by a land surface model for 61 years, analysis was performed using partial correlations to evaluate to what extent land surface and SST anomaly of El Nino–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) can affect seasonal precipitation over different regions and seasons. Results show that antecedent soil moisture is as important as concurrent ENSO condition in controlling rainfall anomalies over the U.S., but they generally dominate in different seasons with SST providing more predictability during winter while soil moisture, through its linkages to evapotranspiration and snow water, has larger influence in spring and early summer. The proposed methodology is applicable to climate model outputs to evaluate the intensity of land-atmosphere coupling and its relative importance.
Stochastic Optimization, Stochastic Approximation and Simulated Annealing

The sections in this article are 1 Robbins–Monro Stochastic Approximation 2 Stochastic Approximation with Gradient Approximations Based on Function Measurements 3 Simultaneous Perturbation Stochastic Approximation 4 Simulated Annealing 5 Concluding Remarks 6 Acknowledgements
Notas sobre aves de Colombia, I

Durante varios anos, en el periodo de vacaciones escolares o en otras circunstancias, he visitado algunas regiones del pais, especialmente las de Villavicencio, San Gil y Cucuta, haciendo una interesante y abundante coleccion ornitologica. En San Gil (Santander) obtuve dos especies nuevas para la ciencia: Arremon schlegeli canidorsum Zimmer (1941) y catharus aurantiifrons inornatus Zimmer (1944): En el mismo lugar observe los primeros ejemplares de Heleodytes minor bicolor Pelzeln, trogloditida descrita en 1875 y que los ornitologos conocen solamente por las pieles que fueron adquiridas en el comercio, habiendose ignorado hasta hoy en que region de Colombia habita esta subespecie. No son menos notables otras dos especies rarisimas que colecte en San Gil; la una es Cypseloides cherriei Ridgway, descrita en 1893 y conocida hasta el presente por dos ejemplares solamente, los cuales fueron obtenidos en la cumbre del Monte Irazu en Costa Rica, segun me lo informa el distinguido ornitologo americano, doctor John T. Zimmer. La otra especie es el Thryotorus macrurus Allen, descrita en 1889, cuyo tipo y ejemplar unico conocido no tiene indicacion de localidad definida; es una de las llamadas "pieles de Bogota” y sin duda fue traida a esta ciudad desde algun lugar mas o menos apartado, acaso del mismo Departamento de Santander.
Elaboration and Attitude Strength: The New Meta‐cognitive Perspective

The effect of elaboration (i.e., information processing) on attitude strength has been a key prediction of some of the most influential theories of persuasion over the past few decades. This article provides a new look at this relationship. After reviewing support for the notion that structural processes (i.e., knowledge acquisition, structural consistency, and attitude accessibility) drive the effect of elaboration on attitude strength, we examine recent work investigating the role of meta-cognitive factors in this domain. Based on recent evidence, we propose that the effect of elaboration on attitude strength depends largely on people’s perceptions of their own elaboration and their beliefs that more elaboration produces better judgments that can be held with greater certainty. We highlight the role of naive theories in these effects, suggesting that they might be more malleable than previously known, and call for future research into some of the important remaining questions in this area that have yet to be fully explored.
Infinite-dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi equations with large zeroth-order coefficient

Abstract We establish the existence and uniqueness of the C 1, 1 solution of an infinite-dimensional Hamilton-Jacobi equation defined on the space of probability measures on R d , when the zeroth-order coefficient is sufficiently large.
Fully automatic segmentation of the open mitral leaflets in 3D transesophageal echocardiographic images using multi-atlas label fusion and deformable medial modeling

The goal of this work is to develop a fully automatic method for segmentation of the mitral leaflets in 3D transesophageal echocardiographic (3D TEE) images. The method combines complementary probabilistic segmentation and geometric modeling techniques to generate 3D patient-specific reconstructions of the mitral leaflets and annulus from 3D TEE image data with no user interaction. In the model-based segmentation framework, mitral leaflet geometry is described with 3D continuous medial representation (cm-rep). To capture leaflet geometry in a target 3D TEE image, a pre-defined cm-rep template of the mitral leaflets is deformed such that the negative log of a Bayesian posterior probability is minimized. The likelihood of the objective function is given by a probabilistic segmentation of the mitral leaflets generated by multi-atlas joint label fusion, while the validity constraints and regularization terms imposed by cm-rep act as shape priors that preserve leaflet topology and constrain model fitting. The method is tested on ten 3D TEE images of human mitral leaflets at mid-diastole, using manual segmentation as the gold standard.
Multiple quantum wells for nonlinear optical applications in infrared

In this paper, we describe the development (which includes theoretical modeling, structure design, material growth, and sample characterizations) of SiGe superlattices (SL) for nonlinear optical applications in infrared. Our theoretical model predicts that the two-photon absorption coefficient in SiGe (110) SL structures can be on the order of 1 cm/KW, with very fast response (approximately 1 ps). In addition, we also show that quantum well materials with enhanced nonlinear refraction and moderate absorption offer potential advantages for applications in a lowest order Fabry-Perot etalon.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Context-dependence in an ant–aphid mutualism: direct effects of tending intensity on aphid performance

Author(s): Yoo, Ho Jung S; Holway, David A | Abstract: 1. In ant–hemipteran mutualisms, ants receive carbohydrates in the form of honeydew, while hemipterans receive protection from natural enemies. In the absence of natural enemies, however, the direct effects of tending are generally less well known. We hypothesised that with increasing tending intensity (ant to aphid ratio), aphid performance would increase initially, then decrease at high tending levels due to the metabolic cost of producing high quality honeydew.2. We tested our hypothesis in a greenhouse experiment by manipulating Argentine ant (Linepithema humile Mayr) colony size while holding constant the initial size of aphid (Chaitophorus populicola Thomas) aggregations. The two parameters associated with survival, aphid survivorship to maturity and longevity, declined with increasing tending intensity, whereas per capita birth rate and time to first reproduction showed no relationship to attendance. The intrinsic rate of increase declined only at relatively high tending levels, suggesting a nonlinearity in the effect of tending intensity.3. Tending intensity measured in the experiment was similar to that observed in free-living aggregations of C. populicola. Furthermore, the per capita recruitment rate of ants to free-living aphid aggregations was negatively density-dependent, indicating that small aggregations tend to experience the highest levels of tending intensity. This finding suggests that the aphid's intrinsic rate of increase may be positively density-dependent, mediated by the aphid's mutualistic interaction with the ant.4. In the Argentine ant–C. populicola interaction, experimental manipulation of colony size revealed a direct cost of ant attendance that was conditional upon tending intensity. Experiments that manipulate only ant presence or absence may yield an incomplete understanding of the mutualistic interaction if underlying nonlinearities exist.
Stories and Stances: Cross‐Cultured Encounters with African Folktales

This paper describes a recent initiative to incorporate folktales and legends from francophone West Africa into a college-level advanced French literary and cultural studies course. Students were asked to keep reading journals to record their reactions to various texts taken from France and francophone West Africa. An analysis of the reading journals shows that critical competencies in Western culture often do not carry over when students encounter African texts. In the same way that students make linguistic errors by translating literally from their native language to the target language, they likewise make critical errors by misapplying critical stances to unfamiliar cultural contexts.
MATERNAL ASSIGNMENT OF FETAL PERSONHOOD TO A PREVIOUS PREGNANCY LOSS: RELATIONSHIP TO ANXIETY IN THE CURRENT PREGNANCY

The degree of personhood a mother assigns to her dead fetus (i.e., whether she felt she lost a pregnancy or a baby) may help explain the meaning of a perinatal loss and the amount of anxiety experienced in a subsequent pregnancy. This descriptive study of 72 multigravidas with a history of one or two perinatal losses was conducted to understand the relationships between the assignment of fetal personhood and the influence of that assignment on state anxiety and pregnancy anxiety in a subsequent pregnancy. Assignment of personhood was significantly related to pregnancy anxiety and to the gestational age of the first loss but not to state anxiety. Understanding and responding to women's perceptions of perinatal losses and their significance for women may be one way to support them in subsequent pregnancies.
Anemia in a line of transgenic mice carrying a mutant dihydrofolate reductase gene.

Several lines of transgenic mice were produced by pronuclear injection of a full-length cDNA encoding a mutant dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR, E.C. 1.5.1.3). The mutation causes altered enzyme kinetics for folate reduction as well as low affinity for methotrexate (MTX). One line of mice carrying the plasmid displays a moderate-to-severe anemia that is evident in fetuses and newborn mice and that moderates with age. RNA studies revealed high levels of transcription of the mutant gene in the fetal and adult liver, and low or absent expression in adult bone marrow. Transcription of the mutant gene was not found in the fetal liver of other pedigrees examined. The data thus suggest that expression of this mutant gene in the main hematopoietic organ of the fetus adversely affects erythropoiesis by altering the cellular environment for erythroid differentiation, and that translocation of the site of hematopoiesis to bone marrow, where the foreign gene is not expressed, leads to normalization of red cell production.
Processing and Thermal Conductivity of Carbon Nanotube-Reinforced Nickel Matrix Composites

Multi-wall carbon nanotube (MWCNT)-reinforced nickel composites have been manufactured in a bulk form by using a laser deposition technique, commercially known as the laser engineered net shaping (LENS™) process. These nanocomposites have been characterized in detail by using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and high-resolution TEM study has also been conducted on these nanocomposites to characterize the nanotube/metal matrix interface. In addition, the thermal conductivities of Ni/CNT composites deposited by the LENS™ process have been measured by using Fourier Law of conduction in vacuum. The measurement did not show enhancement of thermal properties, which is caused by the inherent formation of voids and carbide formed during the LENS™ process.Copyright © 2009 by ASME
Blood selenium levels and glutathione-peroxidase activities in university and chronic intravenous hyperalimentation subjects.

AbstractThe purpose of this study was to determine selenium concentration in erythro-cytes and plasma and to compare these values to the measured erythrocyte glutathione-peroxidase activity for a university and a long-term intravenous hyperalimentation (IVH) population. In addition, we wished to determine if these chronic IVH patients were at risk for selenium deficiency. There was a positive correlation (r = 0.67) between erythrocyte selenium levels and erythrocyte glutathione-peroxidase activities in the university population. The patients receiving IVH had significantly lower mean selenium levels in erythro-cytes and plasma and mean glutathione-peroxidase activities than the values from the university population. No correlation existed between erythrocyte selenium levels and erythrocyte glutathione-peroxidase activities in this IVH patient population. These chronic IVH patients when compared with the university population appear to be at risk for selenium deficiency.
Modeling Reinforced-Concrete Beam-Column Joints Subjected to Cyclic Loading

A model is developed to represent the response of reinforced-concrete beam-column joints under reversed-cyclic loading. The proposed model provides a simple representation of the primary inelastic mechanisms that determine joint behavior: Failure of the joint core under shear loading and anchorage failure of beam and column longitudinal reinforcement embedded in the joint. The model is implemented as a four-node 12-degree-of-freedom element that is appropriate for use with typical hysteretic beam-column line elements in two-dimensional nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures. Constitutive relationships are developed to define the load-deformation response of the joint model on the basis of material, geometric, and design parameters. Comparison of simulated and observed response for a series of joint subassemblages with different design details indicates that the proposed model is appropriate for use in simulating response under earthquake loading.
Samuel Adams’ tremor

Background: Samuel Adams (1722–1803), the American Revolutionist and brewer, is said to have had a tremor. There has not been a formal study of the clinical characteristics and progression of his tremor. Objective: To use historical accounts and original materials to document the clinical characteristics and progression of Adams’ tremor. Materials: In addition to historical accounts of Adams, the following materials were reviewed: 1) Samuel Adams’ known writings, including personal and political letters, published posthumously in a four-volume book; and 2) original letters and speeches (handwritten by Adams) that are held in collection in the Manuscripts and Archives Division of the New York Public Library. Results: Adams had a tremor that affected his hands, head, and voice. Although mild, the tremor was already manifest when Adams was in his early 40s. Adams, who was very prolific, experienced progressive difficulty with his ability to write while in his 50s and early 60s. His letters contain frequent references to his illness and reveal a penmanship that became more compromised with time. By age 71, he was forced to dictate all his correspondence. His tremor was familial, affecting his daughter Hannah and her children. Conclusions: Samuel Adams’ progressive tremor rendered him unable to write his own letters for the last 10 years of his life. Adams had one of the earliest documented cases of essential tremor.
Implementation and testing of a decision support system for public library materials acquisition budgeting

A decision support system has been developed to assist in public library materials acquisition budgeting and other library management decisionmaking. The system utilizes data generated by a computerized circulation system and employs linear programming for the budget allocation to maximize circulation within the constraints of other objectives established by librarians. The system was tested by librarians from the Indianapolis-Marion County Public Library, who used it to develop alternative materials acquisition budgets, which they reported as being preferred to the existing budgets prepared previously. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Determination of Cellular Lipids Bound to Human CD1d Molecules

CD1 molecules are glycoproteins that present lipid antigens at the cell surface for immunological recognition by specialized populations of T lymphocytes. Prior experimental data suggest a wide variety of lipid species can bind to CD1 molecules, but little is known about the characteristics of cellular ligands that are selected for presentation. Here we have molecularly characterized lipids bound to the human CD1d isoform. Ligands were eluted from secreted CD1d molecules and separated by normal phase HPLC, then characterized by mass spectroscopy. A total of 177 lipid species were molecularly identified, comprising glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. The glycerophospholipids included common diacylglycerol species, reduced forms known as plasmalogens, lyso-phospholipids (monoacyl species), and cardiolipins (tetraacyl species). The sphingolipids included sphingomyelins and glycosylated forms, such as the ganglioside GM3. These results demonstrate that human CD1d molecules bind a surprising diversity of lipid structures within the secretory pathway, including compounds that have been reported to play roles in cancer, autoimmune diseases, lipid signaling, and cell death.
The effect of actinomycin D on the timing of mitosis in Physarum polycephalum

Abstract The effect of actinomycin D on synchronous mitoses of Physarum polycephalum was investigated. Continuous exposure to 150 to 250 μg/ml of antibiotic never prevented the first, but only the second mitosis. The first mitosis was delayed only when the antibiotic was present for more than one half interphase. With 150 μg/ml of antibiotic, the second mitosis was prevented if the inhibitor was present for more than one and one half interphases, but occurred following a delay if the inhibitor was present for less than one and one half interphases. If the onset of mitosis was delayed, the duration of metaphase was also prolonged for several hours. Addition of actinomycin D for periods of 2 hr had much less effect on the plasmodium; the addition caused a slight delay in the onset of the next mitosis, whereas the subsequent interphase was of normal length. Approximately one hour following the addition of actinomycin D to the medium, the chromatin moved from the periphery of the nucleus towards the nucleolus; these changes were reversed about an hour following the removal of the antibiotic. These results indicate that RNAs required for mitosis are formed one to one and one-half cycles prior to that mitosis.
The Late Prehistoric–Early Historic Game Sink in the Northwestern United States

Historical data provide valuable information on ecosystem structure, function, and processes. The number of big game killed by the Corps of Discovery in 1805-1806 and recorded by Lewis and Clark suggests that ungulates were abundant in central and eastern Montana and rare in western Montana, central Idaho, and southeastern Washington during the early nineteenth century. Paleoecologists Paul Martin and Chris Szuter conclude that this difference was a function of human predation. They support their conclusion that ungulates would have been abundant in southeastern Washington had humans not hunted them by arguing that the nineteenth-century livestock industry was successful without supplemental feeding. The livestock in- dustry was, however, not consistently successful until artificial feeding was initiated. Archaeological data from eastern Washington indicate that ungulates have been taken by human hunters more frequently than small-mammal prey throughout the last 10,000 years and that ungulates decreased relative to small mam- mals coincident with changes in climate. Bison ( Bison bison ) and elk ( Cervus canadensis ) were present in eastern Washington throughout the Holocene, but bison were abundant there only during a cooler and moister period; elk have been abundant only in the twentieth century, subsequent to transplants and the ex- termination of predators. Geographic variation in the abundance of bison across Montana, Idaho, and east- ern Washington has been influenced by human predation but has also been influenced by biogeographic his- tory, habitat differences, and climatic change.
(Mixed) Perceptions of Tribal Nations’ Status: Implications for Indian Gaming

This article examines the multiple and contradictory ways that tribes, as anomalies within American governance, have been conceptualized within popular opinion and federal Indian policy. It is the inconsistent treatment tribes have received, based on these differing conceptions, that makes Indian gaming so confusing and conflictual. Tribal gaming is conducted based on rights derived from an understanding of tribes as sovereign nations represented by governments. This status and the rights associated with it appear to conflict with perceptions and treatment of tribes as wards, minorities, rights holders, and corporations. Absent unlikely action by Congress to establish greater coherency across Indian policies, widespread variation, uncertainty, and conflict will continue to characterize tribal gaming. However, an understanding of tribes as sovereign governments is slowly being institutionalized within American governance and may shift the terms through which tribal gaming is publicly discussed.
Identity, Place, Knowledge: Social Movements Contesting Globalization – By Janet M. Conway

The article presents a review of the book "Identity, Place, Knowledge: Social Movements Contesting Globalization," by Janet M. Conway.
Precocene induction of tick sterility and ecdysis failure.

Argas persicus, Ornithodoros coriaceus and Rhipicephalus sanguineus were sterilized and their ecdysis inhibited by treatment with precocene, a reported anti-juvenile hormone. Precocious metamorphosis was not observed. When juvenile hormone was applied to precocene-treated nymphs, the percentage remaining in that instar increased and survival was higher. Juvenile hormone alone had no effect.
On weighted-mean schemes for the finite-difference approximation to the advection-diffusion equation

The weighted-mean scheme is a method for constructing finite-difference approximations of second-order partial differential equations of the advection-diffusion type using only the center and adjacent points in each space direction. The scheme tends to a centered-difference formulation for strongly diffusive cases and to an upstream formulation for strongly advective cases. The error of approximation is O (h 2 ) or better, when h tends to zero, and the scheme assures stability and convergence to all iterative methods no matter how large the grid size. The scheme thus makes it possible to choose the biggest grid size suitable for each specific problem thereby reducing the computing time considerably. DOI: 10.1111/j.2153-3490.1977.tb00763.x
Fluid-Structure Interaction in Bi-Leaflet Mechanical Heart Valves

In this work we focus on the fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem of a St. Jude Regent 23mm bi-leaflet mechanical heart valve (BMHV) implanted in modeled straight aorta geometry with a simplified sinus. A FSI solver based on a recently developed curvilinear grid/immersed boundary method fluid flow solver is developed. The current numerical simulation focuses on the acceleration phase within the cardiac cycle when the leaflets are opening following the incoming flow. The simulated results are compared with experimental data with regard to the leaflet kinematics as well as valve induced wake vortical structures and excellent agreement between the simulation and measurements is reported.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Developing and evaluating an interactive system for producing human-computer interfaces

Abstract The Author's Interactive Dialogue Environment (AIDE) of the Dialogue Management System is an integrated set of interactive tools for developing human-computer interfaces. AIDE is used by an interface specialist, called a dialogue developer, to implement an interface by directly manipulating and defining its objects, rather than by the traditional method of writing source code. This paper describes the structural dialogue transaction model upon which AIDE is based, describes the use of AIDE for developing human-computer interfaces, and describes an empirical study comparing use of AIDE with use of a programming language for implementing a human-computer interface. Results of this study empirically support, possibly for the first time, the claim that interactive tools for interface development, such as AIDE, can improve productivity and reduce frustration in developing interfaces over traditional programming techniques for interface development.
MICROBIOLOGICAL CONSEQUENCES OF MINIMALLY PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Microbiology is an important factor in the quality of minimally processed fruits and vegetables. Type of food, temperature, humidity, and use of modified atmosphere or low dose irradiation can influence the microecology of a food. Changes in the microbial ecology can likewise influence the ultimate safety and overall quality of fruits and vegetables. Therefore, food scientists must consider the microbiological consequences of all practices involved in production, processing, and delivery of these products.
The Formulary Decision-Making Process in a Health Maintenance Organisation Setting

The goal of a health maintenance organisation (HMO) is to provide high quality, cost-effective healthcare services and products which meet the needs of the membership. Providing and managing pharmaceutical products and services within the HMO is a major aspect of accomplishing this goal. Several decisions must be made in developing, implementing and maintaining a formulary system. The numbers of people seeking their healthcare from HMOs in the US has increased 4-fold in 10 years, and several model types of HMOs have developed, including network HMOs, group HMOs, independent practitioner associations and staff models. HMOs utilising formulary systems provided cover to 76% of enrollees in 1992. Formulary system management and decision making entails the use of open vs closed formularies and the role of the pharmacy and therapeutics (P & T) committee. Product selection takes into account efficacy, safety, costs, patient acceptance, ease of use, dosage forms, preparation requirements, stability and storage requirements and the reputation of the manufacturer and the service it provides. We list and describe various policy decisions which HMO pharmaceutical decision makers must address if the formulary system is to become an efficient tool for the HMO.
Thermal and electron-induced behavior of d6-benzene-chromium-tricarbonyl adsorbed on Ag(111)

Abstract Deuterated benzene-chromium-tricarbonyl (C 6 D 6 Cr(CO) 3 ) adsorbed on Ag(111) has been studied with electron-stimulated desorption, temperature-programmed desorption and Auger electron spectroscopy. C 6 D 6 Cr(CO) 3 adsorbs non-dissociatively at 90 K on this surface, reversibly desorbing near 300 K (monolayer) and 275 K (multilayers) without thermal decomposition. Low-energy (220 eV) electron bombardment of monolayer C 6 D 6 Cr(CO) 3 induces the decomposition of the parent molecules by breaking CrCO or CrC 6 D 6 bonds, and the production of surface-bound benzene-COCr complexes. The total decomposition cross section for this process is 2.7 ± 0.1 × 10 −17 cm 2 . These new surface complexes produced by electron impact thermally decompose predominantly near 325 K, liberating gas-phase CO and benzene and depositing Cr on the Ag(111) surface.
Percutaneous Image-Guided Biopsy of the Musculoskeletal System

Percutaneous image-guided biopsy plays an important role in the management of multiple pathologic conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. The vast majority of these conditions require histologic diagnosis to guide decision making concerning treatment. Percutaneous image-guided biopsy has supplanted open surgical biopsy as the primary modality for tissue diagnosis in this patient cohort. The safety, efficacy, and clinical outcome of percutaneous image-guided biopsy for a multitude of musculoskeletal conditions are well documented. Improvements in needle design and image guidance have continued to further the efficacy and safety of this diagnostic technique. Complications associated with percutaneous biopsy are minimal compared with those seen in open surgical biopsy, whereas diagnostic accuracy is comparable to that of surgical biopsy.
Partial characterization of cotton plants expressing two toxin proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis: relative toxin contribution, toxin interaction, and resistance management

: Laboratory studies were performed to characterize the lepidopteran toxicity of cotton plants expressing two different toxin proteins from Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt), in order to assess insect resistance management implications of a commercial, two-toxin transgenic cotton. An independent and additive interactive effect of two Bt δ-endotoxins expressed by the transgenic cotton variety 15985 was demonstrated by examining the responses of Heliothis virescens (F.), Helicoverpa zea (Boddie), and Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) larvae to field- or greenhouse-grown tissue from genetic near-isolines, which expressed Cry1A only, Cry2Ab only, or both toxins. In all cases, the Cry2Ab component was the larger contributor to total toxicity in the two-toxin isoline. Toxin-specific, quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) tests confirmed that the levels of each toxin in tissues of the two-toxin isoline were not statistically different (P > 0.05) from the levels found in the corresponding tissues of the respective single-toxin isoline. Resistance management considerations were discussed. Considering the additive interaction of toxins, a relatively simple insect resistance-monitoring procedure was proposed for the monitoring of commercial cotton varieties expressing both toxins.
Grain Impingement and Intrinsic Stresses in CVD Diamond

Intrinsic stresses in polycrystalline CVD diamond films have been related to restructuring at grain boundaries. It is speculated that reducing the interfacial energy induces an elastic tensile strain. There appears to be a correlation between the evolution of macroscopic stresses in the entire sample and localized, non-homogeneous stresses in the microstructure based on Raman Spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction pole figures. A multistep processing sequence developed previously can help reduce these stresses substantially, by using an intermediate annealing step when the diamond grains are partially coalesced. Our results suggest that small changes in the film microstructure due to annealing can reduce both homogeneous and non-homogeneous stresses.
Developing an ontology for the U.S. patent system

The past few years have experienced an explosive growth in scientific and regulatory documents related to the patent system. Relevant information is siloed into many heterogeneous information domains making it a challenging task to gather information. In this paper, we develop an ontology to standardize the representation of the patent system in order to overcome the heterogeneity and integrate information from the patent document, court case and file wrapper domains. Through a use case in the bio domain erythropoietin, we demonstrate how this ontology can be used as a tool to improve the learning curve of users gathering information across these multiple information domains. The proposed ontology provides the required semantics to develop automated tools for a variety of purposes including Information Retrieval (IR) and analytics.
Delayed onset of enhanced MK-801-induced motor hyperactivity after neonatal lesions of the rat ventral hippocampus.

Abstract Background: Abnormalities in the glutamatergic system, glutamate/dopamine/γ-aminobutyric acid interactions, and cortical development are implicated in schizophrenia. Moreover, patients with schizophrenia show symptom exacerbation in response to N -methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) antagonist drugs. Using an animal model of schizophrenia, we compared the impact of neonatal and adult hippocampal lesions on behavioral responses to MK-801, a noncompetitive NMDA antagonist. Methods: Neonatal rats were lesioned on postnatal day 7. Their motor activity in response to MK-801 was tested at a juvenile age, in adolescence, and in adulthood. We also measured binding of [ 3 H]MK-801 and the expression of NR1 messenger RNA (mRNA) in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens. Adult rats received similar lesions and were tested 4 and 8 weeks after the lesion. Results: As juveniles, neonatally lesioned rats did not differ from control rats in responsiveness to MK-801, whereas in adolescence and adulthood they showed more pronounced hyperactivity than control rats. The adult lesion did not alter behaviors elicited by MK-801. Neonatally lesioned rats showed no apparent changes in [ 3 H]MK-801 binding or expression of the NR1 mRNA. Conclusions: These results suggest that an early lesion of the ventral hippocampus affects development of neural systems involved in MK-801 action without changes at the NMDA receptor level, and they show that the behavioral changes manifest first in early adulthood.
Photoluminescence of InGaAs/GaAs pseudomorphic single quantum wells: Effect of excitation intensity

Abstract The effect of excitation intensity on the photoluminescence spectra of pseudomorphic InGaAs/GaAs single quantum wells grown by molecular beam epitaxy is examined. Even at moderate excitation intensities, saturation of the exciton population and band-filling is observed. The band-filling leads to luminescence involving higher sub-bands, and the energies obtained are used to estimate the band offsets at the quantum well interfaces.
Imaging Mass Spectrometry of Intact Proteins from Alcohol-Preserved Tissue Specimens: Bypassing Formalin Fixation

Imaging mass spectrometry is becoming a key technology for the investigation of the molecular content of biological tissue sections in direct correlation with the underlying histology. Much of our work has been done with fresh-frozen tissue sections that has undergone minimal protein degradation between the time a tissue biopsy is sampled and the time it is snap-frozen so that no preserving or fixing agents need to be added to the frozen biopsy. However, in many sampling environments, immediate flash freezing may not be possible and so we have explored the use of ethanol-preserved, paraffin-embedded tissue specimens for proteomic analyses. Solvent-only preserved tissue specimens provide long-term preservation at room temperature, generation of high quality histological sections and little if any chemical alteration of the proteins. Using mouse organs, several key steps involved in the tissue dehydration process have been investigated to assess the potential of such preserved specimens for profiling and im...
Regional Differences in the Effects of Chronic Ethanol Administration on [3H]Zolpidem Binding in Rat Brain

A strong association has been observed between [ 3 H]zolpidem binding and the presence of γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA A ) receptor mRNA for α 1 -, β 2 -, and γ 2 -subunits in specific brain regions. This correlates with observed sensitivity of individual neurons to zolpidem and ethanol in these same regions. Previous studies using homogenate binding approaches showed small alterations in [ 3 H]zolpidem binding levels after chronic ethanol exposure. This study was undertaken to ascertain if there is regional specificity of the effects of chronic ethanol administration on [ 3 H]zolpidem binding levels. Chronic ethanol administration induced small, but significant alterations in [ 3 H]zolpidem (5 nM) binding in the inferior colliculus, substantia nigra, and the medial septum. [ 3 H]Zolpidem binding was increased in the inferior colliculus and substantia nigra, and decreased in the medial septum. No significant differences in [ 3 H]zolpidem binding were noted in any other brain area analyzed, including the cortex and cerebellum. These findings show that chronic ethanol administration has small effects on [ 3 H]zolpidem binding, although they occur in a site-specific and bidirectional manner. Moreover, there is no correlation between changes in [ 3 H]zolpidem binding and alterations in GABA A receptor subunit expression.
Violence among African Americans: A Conceptual Assessment of Potential Explanations

An overwhelming majority of studies examining the relationship between race and criminality uses racial composition as a proxy for cultural context or simply race effects without actually specifyin...
Importance of glutathione in the acquisition and maintenance of sperm nuclear decondensing activity in maturing hamster oocytes

Sperm nuclear decondensing activity in mammalian oocytes is dependent upon the maturational state of the oocyte. It is maximal in mature, metaphase II oocytes and minimal or absent in immature germinal vesicle (GV) and fertilized pronuclear oocytes. Previous studies suggested that this difference may be due to the relative ability of an oocyte to reduce the protamine disulfide bonds in the sperm nucleus. The results of this study show that mature hamster oocytes contain significantly more glutathione (GSH), about 8 mM, and hence more disulfide reducing power, as compared with GV (4 mM) or pronuclear (6 mM) oocytes. Furthermore, the acquisition of sperm nuclear decondensing activity by maturing oocytes can be prevented or delayed by blocking GSH synthesis with L-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine during the early stages of oocyte maturation. This is the first evidence that modulation of GSH levels during oocyte maturation and fertilization may be a mechanism by which sperm nuclear decondensing activity is regulated.
Characterization of maize endosperm-derived suspension cells throughout the culture cycle and enhancement of tissue friability

Batch suspension cultures derived from developing maize (Zea mays L.) endosperm were examined throughout the culture cycle to determine the interaction between the tissue and the medium in relation to sugar transport and the effect of subculturing procedures on growth and friability. The growth rate and friability were improved by increasing the frequency of subculture or by physical screening during transfer. An increase in the conductivity of the medium preceded a decrease in fresh weight associated with tissue senescence. Sucrose in the medium was rapidly hydrolysed, and fructose was depleted more rapidly than glucose. Tissue sucrose concentration expressed on a dry weight basis was higher during the middle of the growth cycle, but hexose, starch, zein, lipid, and soluble protein levels changed very little. The medium pH declined from 5.2 to about 4.5 within one day of subculture. Medium pH changed to 4.5 within one day regardless of initial pH (3.0 to 7.0), indicating regulation of external pH rather than passive acidification. Results are consistent with studies of sugar uptake by these cultures, and indicate that cell clump size can be manipulated without exogenous auxin. The characterization of this tissue line establishes its suitability as a model system for studies of sugar transport and other biochemical events in developing maize endosperm.