cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
GraphChi: large-scale graph computation on just a PC

Current systems for graph computation require a distributed computing cluster to handle very large real-world problems, such as analysis on social networks or the web graph. While distributed computational resources have become more accessible, developing distributed graph algorithms still remains challenging, especially to non-experts.In this work, we present GraphChi, a disk-based system for computing efficiently on graphs with billions of edges. By using a well-known method to break large graphs into small parts, and a novel parallel sliding windows method, GraphChi is able to execute several advanced data mining, graph mining, and machine learning algorithms on very large graphs, using just a single consumer-level computer. We further extend GraphChi to support graphs that evolve over time, and demonstrate that, on a single computer, GraphChi can process over one hundred thousand graph updates per second, while simultaneously performing computation. We show, through experiments and theoretical analysis, that GraphChi performs well on both SSDs and rotational hard drives.By repeating experiments reported for existing distributed systems, we show that, with only fraction of the resources, GraphChi can solve the same problems in very reasonable time. Our work makes large-scale graph computation available to anyone with a modern PC.
Influence of Wine Packaging on Consumers' Decision to Purchase

Abstract The purchase of a bottle of wine is often a challenging decision for most consumers. The marketing of a wine's package, which consists of several interrelated cues (bottle shape, color, closure, and label design), interfaces with the key factors of the consumer's experience, knowledge of wines, self-confidence and the occasion at hand to form buying decisions. Some consumers know what they want and select a wine based on their experience or the wine's packaging cues. Other consumers examine a bottle's label to satisfy their information requirements. Using a self-administered questionnaire, this study evaluated the effect that the wine packaging has on the consumers' decision to purchase. Results showed that respondents placed great significance on the overall label and bottle packaging and that wine labels were intimidating, with females more concerned about making a wine buying decision.
Age-dependent intrathecal opioid escalation in chronic noncancer pain patients.

Background. Age and gender may exert important influences on opioid responsiveness and chronic pain. These effects have not been explored in the setting of chronic intrathecal (IT) opioid therapy. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of age and sex on IT opioid requirements during the first year after implantation of an intrathecal drug delivery system (IDDS) in chronic noncancer pain patients. Design. Retrospective study. Methods and Patient Population. In this retrospective study, 135 chronic noncancer pain patients consecutively implanted with IDDSs for opioid therapy had their first year postimplant records examined. Results. Similar pain relief was achieved at 12 months after implant in both age groups. Relative to the dose at implant, younger patients had significantly higher rates of IT opioid dose escalation compared with older patients at 12 months (750 ± 450% in patients ≤50 years old vs 195 ± 120% in patients >50 years old, P < 0.001). Oral opioid consumption was significantly decreased at 12 months in the older patient population (140 ± 89 to 62 ± 35 mg/day at 12 months, P < 0.001, n = 85), while in the younger patient group, there was no change in oral opioid consumption (128 ± 81 mg/day to 105 ± 140 mg/day at 12 months, P = 0.65, n = 50). Gender-based analysis (55% males and 45% females) revealed similar reductions in pain scores during the first year postimplant. Oral opioid consumption was significantly higher in females (126 ± 138 mg) vs males (79 ± 89 mg) at 12 months postimplant; however, IT opioid dose escalation at 12 months postimplant was not statistically different between males and females. Conclusion. IT opioid dose escalation occurs more steeply in the younger (under 50 years old) IDDS patient population without a concomitant significant decrease in oral consumption of opioids. Age-dependent changes may have important clinical implications on the effectiveness of IT opioid therapy in noncancer pain and its potential complications.
Bryology at The New York Botanical Garden, past and present

Bryology has been a field of study at The New York Botanical Garden since its founding. Brief biographical sketches are provided for Elizabeth Gertrude Britton, Robert Statham Williams, and William Campbell Steere. The important bryological collections that have been acquired by NY are enumerated with a brief explanation of the circumstances.
PriSM: discovering and prioritizing severe technical issues from product discussion forums

Online forums provide a channel for users to report and discuss problems related to products and troubleshooting, for faster resolution. These could garner negative publicity if left unattended by the companies. Manually monitoring these massive amounts of discussions is laborious. This paper makes the first attempt at collecting issues that require immediate action by the product supplier by analyzing the immense information on forums. Features that are specific to forum discussions, in conjunction with linguistic cues help in capturing and better prioritizing issues. Any attempt to collect training data for learning a classifier for this task will require enormous labeling effort. Hence, this paper adopts a co-training approach, which uses minimal manual labeling, coupled with linguistic features extracted using a set-expansion algorithm to discover severe problems. Further, most distinct and recent issues are obtained by incorporating a measure of 'centrality', 'diversity' and temporal aspect of the forum threads. We show that this helps in better prioritizing longstanding issues and identify issues that need to be addressed immediately.
Analysis of prognostic variables in hyperthermia treatment of 161 patients

Abstract From 1977–1982, 161 patients were treated using hyperthermia as an adjuvant in Phase I trials. Microwave applicators (MW), capacitively coupled plates (RF plates), interstitial localized current fields (LCF), and magnetic induction heating (MI) techniques were used together with radiation in 135 patients, with chemotherapy in 10 patients, and alone in 16 patients. Tumor volume response categories were no response (NR, less than 50% decrease); partial response (PR, 50% ⪕ volume decrease p = .001), and in CR + PR vs NR ( p p = .193). In the patient group treated with hyperthermia and radiation, multivariate analysis revealed that a set of three variables had prognostic importance for CR: technique ( p = .011), radiation dose ( p = .019), and tumor volume ( p = .001, negatively correlated). A good correlation also existed between CR and the minimum tumor temperature averaged over all treatments, TMIN (P p = .017) and TMAX correlated positively with volume ( p = .026). In fewer than 50% of patients could minimum T > 40.7°C be achieved. Our conclusions are: 1) TMIN, tumor volume, radiation dose, and heating technique have prognostic value for initial response; 2) variation in CR vs technique reflects variation in tumor volume treated and in minimum temperature achieved with these techniques; and 3) acute toxicity of treatment is infrequent, but serious toxicity is possible with the interstitial technique.
The FRET signatures of noninteracting proteins in membranes: simulations and experiments.

Forster resonance energy transfer (FRET) experiments are often used to study interactions between integral membrane proteins in cellular membranes. However, in addition to the FRET of sequence-specific interactions, these experi- ments invariably record a contribution due to proximity FRET, which occurs when a donor and an acceptor approach each other by chance within distances of ~100 Au. This effect does not reflect specific interactions in the membrane and is frequently unappreciated, despite the fact that its magnitude can be significant. Here we develop a computational description of proximity FRET, simulating the cases of proximity FRET when fluorescent proteins are used to tag monomeric, dimeric, trimeric, and tetra- meric membrane proteins, as well as membrane proteins existing in monomer-dimer equilibria. We also perform rigorous exper- imental measurements of this effect, by identifying membrane receptors that do not associate in mammalian membranes. We measure the FRET efficiencies between yellow fluorescent protein and mCherry-tagged versions of these receptors in plasma-membrane-derived vesicles as a function of receptor concentration. Finally, we demonstrate that the experimental mea- surements are well described by our predictions. The work presented here brings additional rigor to FRET-based studies of membrane protein interactions, and should have broad utility in membrane biophysics research.
Evaluation of a Mobile Computerized Grain Feeder for Lactating Cows Grazing Grass Pasture

The objective of this study was to evaluate a mobile computerized grain feeder for use to feed individually Holstein cows grazing grass pasture. Thirty-two Holstein cows averaging 95 d of lactation and 39.3 kg/d of milk were rotationally grazed on predominantly Dactylis glomerata pastures for 9 wk starting in early May. Cows were blocked according to parity, days of lactation, and milk yield. Cows were randomly assigned to a control group in which cows were individually fed grain twice daily at milking or to a group that was offered grain four times daily using a mobile grain feeder in the pasture. Cows in both groups were offered 1 kg of grain/3 kg of milk; pasture was the only source of forage. Cows fed using the mobile grain feeder consumed less grain than did control cows (9.3 vs. 11.3 kg/d) and tended to yield less milk, but with a higher fat content. A separate analysis was conducted using data from only those cows that were fed using the mobile grain feeder and that consumed, in four relatively equal amounts, at least 75% of the allotted grain of their respective pairmates (7 per group) in the control group. When cows that were using the mobile grain feeder consumed amounts of grain comparable with that of the controls, more frequent grain feeding did not alter milk yield or composition. Plasma samples (five per cow per treatment) were collected at 2-wk intervals to measure glucose, urea N, and nonesterified fatty acids (NEFA). Plasma glucose and urea N were not affected by treatment and averaged 54.9 and 19.9 mg/ dl for all cows, respectively. Cows fed grain using the mobile feeder had higher (212.4 vs. 170.5 meq/L) concentrations of NEFA than did control cows, but, when cows consumed greater than 75% of their allotted grain from the mobile feeder, concentrations of NEFA were similar. The mobile grain feeder can be used to feed cows individually on pasture; however, adaptation of the cows to the mobile grain feeder appears to be important.
Optic guidance of locomotor behavior in the land snail, Otala lactea

Abstract Given equal choices of light (40 foot candles) and dark (0.13 foot candles) visual fields (elevation 30°, width 45°), the Moroccan land snail, Otala lactea, Mu¨ll., moves towards and enters dark fields. The wider the dark sector for a constant height, the more likely is the entry. Probability of entry changes monotonically proportional to width. Presented with a 45° dark sector in a surrounding ring of light, intact O. lactea differ highly significantly in locomotor behaviour from blinded specimens. They do not differ from specimens unilaterally blinded nor with crushed anterior tentacles. Anterior tentacles appear to have no photosensory function in this experimental setting. Camera lucida drawings of typical paths suggest O. lactea can orient with respect to a target as small as 221/2° × 30° at 25 cm distance. Pertinent literature is reviewed and discussed with emphasis on the issue of uncertainty in photic responses of several species of land snail.
Optimization of multi-image pose recovery of fluoroscope tracking (FTRAC) fiducial in an image-guided femoroplasty system

Percutaneous femoroplasty [1], or femoral bone augmentation, is a prospective alternative treatment for reducing the risk of fracture in patients with severe osteoporosis. We are developing a surgical robotics system that will assist orthopaedic surgeons in planning and performing a patient-specific, augmentation of the femur with bone cement. This collaborative project, sponsored by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), has been the topic of previous publications [2],[3] from our group. This paper presents modifications to the pose recovery of a fluoroscope tracking (FTRAC) fiducial during our process of 2D/3D registration of X-ray intraoperative images to preoperative CT data. We show improved automata of the initial pose estimation as well as lower projection errors with the advent of a multiimage pose optimization step.
Pesticide Risk Communication, Risk Perception, and Self-Protective Behaviors Among Farmworkers in California's Salinas Valley

Agricultural pesticide use is the highest of any industry, yet there is little research evaluating farmworkers' understandings of the health risks chemical exposure poses. This study examines pesticide education, risk perception, and self-protective behaviors among farmworkers in California's Salinas Valley. Fifty current and former farmworkers were interviewed for this research. Despite several potential barriers to risk communication (e.g., language differences and nonuniform methods of pesticide safety training), the respondents understood many of the potential health consequences of exposure while holding elevated levels of risk perception relative to the general public. They received information on the health effects of pesticide exposure from both grower-based training and personal social networks; however, the respondents continued to participate in unnecessarily risky behaviors.
College Students, Piracy, and Ethics: Is there a Teachable Moment?

This study explores the nature of piracy prevention tools used by IT departments in the Florida State University System to determine their relative effectiveness. The study also examines the opinions of the Information Security Officer in terms of alternative piracy prevention techniques that do not involve legal action and monitoring. It was found that most institutions do not use a formal piece of software that monitors for infringing data. Furthermore, institutions agreed that students lack proper ethics and concern over the matter of copyright, but were not fully convinced that other prevention methods would be effective. The authors conclude that monitoring techniques are a short-term solution and more research must put into finding long-term solutions.
Cholecystokinin Stimulates Formation of Shc-Grb2 Complex in Rat Pancreatic Acinar Cells through a Protein Kinase C-dependent Mechanism

Cholecystokinin (CCK) has recently been shown to activate the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) cascade (Ras-Raf-MAPK kinase-MAPK) in pancreatic acini. The mechanism by which the Gq protein-coupled CCK receptor activates Ras, however, is currently unknown. Growth factor receptors are known to activate Ras by means of adaptor proteins that bind to phosphotyrosine domains. We therefore compared the effects of CCK and epidermal growth factor (EGF) on Tyr phosphorylation of the adaptor proteins Shc and its association with Grb2 and the guanine nucleotide exchange factor SOS. Three major isoforms of Shc (p46, p52, p66) were detected in isolated rat pancreatic acini with p52 Shc being the predominant form. CCK and EGF increased tyrosyl phosphorylation of Shc (251 and 337% of control, respectively). CCK-stimulated tyrosyl phosphorylation of Shc as well as Shc-Grb2 complex formation was significant at 2.5 min, maximal at 5 min, and persisted for at least 30 min. Finally, SOS was found to be associated with Grb2 as assessed by probing of anti-Grb2 immunoprecipitates with anti-SOS. Since MAPK in pancreatic acini is activated via protein kinase C (PKC), we studied the effect of phorbol esters on Shc phosphorylation and found 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate to be as potent as CCK. Furthermore, GF-109203X, a PKC inhibitor, abolished the effect of 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate and also the effect of CCK but not the effect of EGF on Shc tyrosyl phosphorylation. CCK-induced tyrosyl phosphorylation of Shc was found to be phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase-independent, and CCK did not cause EGF receptor activation. These results suggest that formation of an Shc-Grb2-SOS complex via a PKC-dependent mechanism may provide the link between Gq protein-coupled CCK receptor stimulation and Ras activation in these cells.
Anharmonic impurity modes in a 1-D lattice with two-body potentials

Abstract The dynamics of a light impurity in a 1-D monatomic lattice with standard two-body potentials is studied. For sufficiently large amplitude the frequency crosses into the plane wave spectrum and the localized impurity mode becomes a resonant mode. A localized dc expansion of the lattice around the impurity accompanies the vibrational excitation in either case.
Diamond abrasion properties of plasma-deposited silicon oxide films

Diamond abrasion properties of plasma-deposited silicon oxide thin films are described. Abrasive coatings are made only when excess of oxygen is present in the plasma during deposition. It is shown that diamond abrasion on plasma-deposited silicon oxide is a chemical process in which diamond is oxidized by oxygen present in the film in excess of the SiO2 stoichiometry. Surface contamination such as some metals, that can tie up the oxygen, or water, that can prevent it from getting into close contact with diamond, decreases the abrasion rate.
Increasing nontraditional career choices in women: Relation of attitudes toward women and responses to a career intervention

Abstract This study examined whether 80 college women, grouped according to their scores on the Attitudes Toward Women Scale (AWS; J. T. Spence, R. Helmreich, & J. Stapp 1973 Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society, 2, 219–220), were differentially affected by a videotape career intervention. The videotape was entitled “Women: Choices and Changes,” and it focused on career development, broadly defined. It was developed as part of Project Born Free. A variety of outcome measures were used, including a brief measure of career decidedness, a measure of the traditionality of the women's own career choices and of the career choices they selected for their hypothetical daughters. In addition, two measures of self-efficacy were used, the Vocational Self-Efficacy Scale (Hackett & Betz 1981) and the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale (K. M. Taylor & N. E. Betz 1983 Journal of Vocational Behavior, 22, 63–81). The results indicated that AWS scores were related to the traditionality of the careers chosen for the subjects' hypothetical daughters and to self-efficacy. Increases were found for the Career Decision Making Self-Efficacy Scale and on career decidedness. Careers chosen by the women for themselves and for their daughters were more non-traditional after the videotape intervention. These results are discussed and their implications for career counseling and future research are examined.
Trace element and isotope geochemistry of zoned calcite cements, Lake Valley Formation (Mississippian, New Mexico): insights from water-rock interaction modelling

Abstract Regionally extensive, pre-Pennsylvanian, meteoric zoned calcite cements from the Mississippian age Lake Valley Formation (New Mexico) comprise three major zones, zones 1, 2, and 3, each with a distinct isotope and trace element geochemistry. Zone 1 has the highest Mg, 18O, and 13C contents, zone 2 intermediate values and greatest Mn and Fe, and zone 3 has the lowest trace element, 18O, and 13C values. Covariation of C and O isotopes for the three zones define an inverted “L”-shaped trend, and covariations of Mg-Mn and Mg-Fe define “L”-shaped trends, all suggestive of rock evolution curves resulting from water-rock interaction. These covariant trends were the impetus for quantitative mass balance modelling of water-rock interaction. Iterative mass balance modelling of covariations of stable isotopes (C and O) and trace elements (Mg, Mn, Fe) of these zoned cements implies that water-rock interaction progressively decreased (water/rock ratios increased) during precipitation. Cementing waters for the oldest cement zone (zone 1) resulted from water/rock ratios in the range of tens to a few hundred, whereas the youngest cement (zone 3) resulted from water/rock ratios in the 100's to 1000's. The modelling also implies that differences in geochemistry of the cement zones cannot be explained solely by changes in water/rock ratios, but require greater 18O, and greater Ca and Mg concentrations in input waters that evolved to zone 1 precipitational waters than those for zones 2 and 3. Zones 2 and 3 can reasonably be modelled using input waters with the same isotopic compositions, the same Ca concentration, and for some zone 2 cement the same Mg concentrations. The minimum Mg/Ca ratios in input waters is constrained by the lower Mg “plateau” in Mg-Mn space, and is about the same for all three zones, about 1/25. The maximum Mg/Ca ratios (about 1 20 ) occurred in zone 2 input waters. Mn-Fe covariations also show an “L”-shaped trend, a trend whch fits neither a simple water-rock interaction model, nor a simple Eh model. A model is proposed in which Eh and limited Mn sources determine the amount of Fe and Mn available in solution to partake in water-rock interaction. Water-rock interaction modelling provides one useful approach to quantitatively interpreting isotopic and trace element data from diagenetic carbonates to gain a clearer understanding of evolution of diagenetic fluids.
Dispersion along fiber tracts and in the coupling between tracts and a cortical network.

Abstract Dispersion in a neuronal cortical network was modeled using CSMP, a Continuous Systems Modeling Program. The signal dispersion over pathways was simulated by use of a serial product approximating the convolution integral. The program was written in a sufficiently general format to be applied to a variety of biological signals. Calculated signals from a fiber tract and activation of a cortical network were compared with experimental data from cats. The network consists of excitatory cells in a forward limb which send collaterals to interneurons that, once excited, feed back to inhibit the excitatory cells. The model was consistent with data from neuronal assemblies in the prepyriform cortex and fibers in the lateral olfactory tract.
Common microfronts and other solitary events in the nocturnal boundary layer

Microfronts with abrupt changes of temperature and/or wind vector are found to be common for weak winds and thin stable boundary layers. In this study, microfronts and their parent structures on time-scales of minutes or tens of minutes are sampled from fast-response tower measurements of temperature and the three velocity components during FLOSSII. Cold microfronts are generally characterized by rising motion, followed by stronger stratification and weaker turbulence. Sinking warm air prior to the cold microfront, followed by rising cold air after the microfront passage, corresponds to conversion of kinetic energy to potential energy. This conversion requires a source of external energy for maintenance of the circulation. The shallow cold microfronts appear to be often related to deeper fast-moving disturbances in the horizontal velocity field. Warm microfronts generally lead to stronger wind and turbulence after the microfront passage. Gust microfronts induce rising motion in advance of the microfront. Solitary waves cause little net change of temperature and are systematically embedded within larger-scale deeper disturbances at this site. The sensitivity of the results to the sampling window width and sampling criteria is examined. Copyright © 2010 Royal Meteorological Society
Implications of short-term memory for a general theory of memory

Abstract : A dichotomy of human memory into immediate memory and long-term memory (associative memory, habit) has been widely accepted for many years and has been formally stated by some theorists. This assumed dichotomy of the phenomena of short-term memory and long-term memory is examined and rejected in this paper. First, a number of current issues in learning theory are restated as issues about the formation, storage, and retrieval of memory traces, and the major issue is identified as the question whether short-term memory and long- term memory are points on a continuum, or a dichotomy. Then this major issue is examined in the light of data from recent studies in which the recall of single to-be-remembered alphanumeric items followed a single or very few repetitions. Finally, the issue is examined in the light of new data that relate the slope of the short-term forgetting curve to the number of elements or recoded chunks in the to-be-remembered unit, and also new data that confirm and extend Hebb's finding that there is a specific accumulative strengthening effect of repetitions in the immediate memory situation involving to-be-remembered units beyond the span of immediate memory of human subjects. The principal consequence of the conclusion that a continuum, rather than a dichotomy, is involved in short-term and longterm memory is the rejection of the postulate of autonomous decay of traces in the case of shortterm memory and acceptance of the postulate of permanence of traces, once formed, throughout all varieties of memory. (Author)
Separation of Ground State and Transition State Effects in Intramolecular and Enzymatic Reactions. 2. A Theoretical Study of the Formation of Transition States in Cyclic Anhydride Formation

Ab initio gas phase calculations at the RHF/6-31+G(d) level have been used to define the geometries of the transition states for the intramolecular displacement reactions with monophenyl esters of glutaric (I), succinic (II), and 3,6-endoxo-Δ4-tetrahydrophthalic (III) acids to provide the corresponding anhydrides plus phenolate. As determined experimentally, the rate determining step was found to involve transition states in which phenoxide is departing. Intrinsic reaction coordinate (IRC) calculations from transition state toward reactant and product sides provided intramolecular ion−molecule complexes (IIMC) of I and II and the tetrahedral intermediate of III and the product ion−molecule complexes (IMC) of the phenoxide and anhydride of I, II, and III. Vibrational frequency calculations were performed for all stationary states. Single point calculations using an electron correlation method and different solvation methods were performed on optimized reactant side gas phase geometries. The transition stat...
Differentiation, object relation, and “microprocesses” of identification through the mother–infant bodily relationship

Abstract The mother–infant relationship is viewed through the lens of their primarily-bodily interaction. A conceptually organizing developmental line is used to describe movement from global/undifferentiated states, through greater differentiation, and on to integration of the differentiated units. Aspects of Mahler's work, and the current author's revisions and elaborations of that work, are drawn upon to describe early merger experiences (the “global/undifferentiated” state) for the infant, this state being present notwithstanding the simultaneous presence of significant indicators of differentiation. Bodily bases for the progressively more complete move into a differentiated awareness of self-other boundaries are also described. And finally, by drawing on ideas from both attachment theory and object relations theory, the development of an “integration” of the mother/infant pair–an “integration” through the relationship between them–is described. In this latter discussion, primary attention is given to the role of identification (of infant with mother) as a process that binds the two together. In this most fully developed section of the paper, three “microprocesses” of identification are offered as taking place through: (1) the mother's organizing or disorganizing overlay upon the infant's functioning, (2) the mother's “magnification” of unconsciously selected specific conflictual processes, and (3) “appeal” processes in the child (the “magnetism” of unsettled inner states) that selectively adopt offerings from the surround to be internalized.
Postoperative management for colics

The goals of postoperative management of horses with abdominal disorders are to treat pain, support the cardiovascular system, treat endotoxemia, identify and treat surgical infection, restore gastrointestinal function, and manage secondary complications (diarrhea, thrombophlebitis, laminitis). Problems encountered in the postoperative period usually represent a natural progression of events triggered by the primary lesion. To maintenance fluids in adult horses (approximately 2.5 ml/kg/hr) are added the estimate of dehydration and the estimated ongoing losses. Electrolyte derangements, specifically hypocalcemia, hypokalemia, and hypomagnesemia, can become significant in postoperative patients. Synthetic colloids can be used when fluid loss is compounded by a decreasing oncotic pressure, but are not a substitute for plasma or blood products when RBC, platelets, antithrombin or coagulation factors are needed. Potential strategies for endotoxemia are to prevent absorption, chelate and eliminate the endotoxin molecule, and manage the cascade of mediators triggered by endotoxin. Drugs used for pain management should provide a good clinical response and minimally affect gastrointestinal motility. Treatment of postoperative ileus with prokinetic agents has met with limited success in horses, and the primary focus for treatment includes fluid and electrolyte therapy and gastrointestinal decompression. Prevention of recurrence of large colon displacements includes colopexy and large colon resection, and some postoperative complications may require repeat celiotomy. Perioperative antimicrobial therapy should be broad spectrum and have minimal effects on gastrointestinal flora.
A Study of High-Temperature Heat Pipes With Multiple Heat Sources and Sinks: Part I—Experimental Methodology and Frozen Startup Profiles

A high-temperature sodium/stainless steel heat pipe with multiple heat sources and sinks was fabricated, processed, and tested. Experimental results from tests performed both under vacuum and in air are presented. The startup behavior of the heat pipe from the frozen state was investigated for various heat loads and input locations, with both low and high heat rejection rates at the condenser. No startup evaporator dryout failures were found, although the heat pipe was sonic-limited during startup in air.
Direct measurement of association and dissociation rates of DNA binding in live cells by fluorescence correlation spectroscopy

Measurement of live-cell binding interactions is vital for understanding the biochemical reactions that drive cellular processes. Here, we develop, characterize, and apply a new procedure to extract information about binding to an immobile substrate from fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS) autocorrelation data. We show that existing methods for analyzing such data by two-component diffusion fits can produce inaccurate estimates of diffusion constants and bound fractions, or even fail altogether to fit FCS binding data. By analyzing live-cell FCS measurements, we show that our new model can satisfactorily account for the binding interactions introduced by attaching a DNA binding domain to the dimerization domain derived from a site-specific transcription factor (the vitellogenin binding protein (VBP)). We find that our FCS estimates are quantitatively consistent with our fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) measurements on the same VBP domains. However, due to the fast binding interactions introduced by the DNA binding domain, FCS generates independent estimates for the diffusion constant (6.7 ± 2.4 μm2/s) and the association (2 ± 1.2 s−1) and dissociation (19 ± 7 s−1) rates, whereas FRAP produces only a single, but a consistent, estimate, the effective-diffusion constant (4.4 ± 1.4 μm2/s), which depends on all three parameters. We apply this new FCS method to evaluate the efficacy of a potential anticancer drug that inhibits DNA binding of VBP in vitro and find that in vivo the drug inhibits DNA binding in only a subset of cells. In sum, we provide a straightforward approach to directly measure binding rates from FCS data.
Ruthenium catalyst for amperometric determination of insulin at physiological pH

A ruthenium-oxide-type catalytic film (RuOx) was produced on carbon fiber microelectrodes by cycling the electrode potential between 0.65 and −0.85V vs. SSCE at 100 V s−1 in an air-equilibrated acidic solution of RuCl3. The film catalyzes oxidation of insulin in a saline buffer at pH 7.4. The minimum number of electrons transferred during the insulin oxidation at 0.65 V is 6.7. The analytical performance of the modified electrode as an amperometric detector for insulin was characterized using flow injection analysis. Linear least squares calibration curves over the range 0.10 to 1.0 μM (five points) had slopes of 72 ± 2 pA μM−1 and correlation coefficients of 0.999 or greater. The detection limit, calculated as the concentration that would yield a signal equal to three times the root mean square noise, was 23 nM and response time (t90%) was 40 ms or less. The electrode response to 0.2 μM insulin was stable for 3 days. The modified electrode was used for amperometric detection of exocytosis from individual pancreatic s-cells.
Cell Adhesion Strength Increases Linearly with Adsorbed Fibronectin Surface Density

Cell adhesion is involved in numerous physiological processes and is important to biotechnological applications, including tissue engineering and development of artificial organs. The relationship ...
Surfeit, deficit, and the set point for sodium homeostasis

In their essay, "Myth and Reality", the Frankforts deal with the nature of speculative thought, a mode of apprehension which "attempts to explain, to unify and to order experience" [1]. The concept of a set point for sodium homeostasis, first put forward by Strauss et al [2], and until recently largely forgotten, represents an excellent example. In their essay, Bon ventre and Leaf provide us with a description of a system which could function without a set point, rather than providing an alternative concept.
TIPS in Florida: is its application a result of evidence-based medicine?

Background The typical resident in surgery in the US will not care for a patient with advanced portal hypertension and will not participate in a portacaval shunt. The aim of this study is to compare the number of transjugular intrahepatic portasystemic stent shunts (TIPS) with the number of surgical shunts undertaken in the State of Florida and to assess whether these numbers are consistent with today's evidence-based medicine. Methods We examined the database of the Agency for Health Care Administration of the State of Florida from January 1, 2002, through September 30, 2005, for "intraabdominal venous shunt" (ICD-9 code, 39.1). Data collected include "case mix," "case severity," length of stay, total gross charges, and discharge status. Conclusions about longterm survival from a prospective randomized clinical trial comparing TIPS to surgical shunting were applied to this dataset to determine if the relative frequency of TIPS application in Florida was supported by evidence-based medicine. Results TIPS was undertaken more than 12 times as often as surgical shunting (860 patients versus 70 patients). After TIPS versus surgical shunts, average length of stay and hospital charges were less, but case mix, case severity, and in-hospital mortality (11.4% for each) were not different. Applying survival data from a randomized trial comparing TIPS with surgical shunting to the State of Florida database, 129 more people (p Conclusions TIPS leads to shorter hospitalizations and reduced hospital charges and is applied in numbers much greater than surgical shunts, despite evidence that suggests inferior longterm efficacy and survival. Current application of TIPS is not a result of evidence-based medicine, and application of surgical shunting is encouraged.
Broyden's method in Hilbert space

Broyden's method is formulated for the solution of nonlinear operator equations in Hilbert spaces. The algorithm is proven to be well defined and a linear rate of convergence is shown. Under an additional assumption on the initial approximation for the derivative we prove the superlinear rate of convergence.
Strategic Responses to Poor Organizational Performance: A Test of Competing Perspectives:

Two widely cited, yet disparate, theoretical views of the relationship between poor performance and subsequent organizational action appear in organizational research. The behavioral theory of the firm posits that poor performing organizations will make strategic changes in, for example, the products and services they offer. In contrast, the threat-rigidity perspective predicts rather conservative responses; poor performers are expected to rely on previous actions to reverse their poor outcomes. We examined these competing predictions using data from a regional sample of hospitals. The results offer support for the behavioral theory of the firm and no support for threat-rigidity. We derive several implications from these findings in an effort to guide future research.
Evolutionary plant breeding for low input systems

Heritable variation is at the heart of the process of evolution. However, variation is restricted in breeding for uniform crop populations using the pedigree line approach. Pedigree lines are successful in agriculture because synthetic inputs are used to raise fertility and control weeds, pests and diseases. An alternative method promoted for exploring the value of variation and evolutionary fitness in crops is to create composite cross populations. Composite cross populations are formed by assembling seed stocks with diverse evolutionary origins, recombination of these stocks by hybridization, the bulking of F1 progeny, and subsequent natural election for mass sorting of the progeny in successive natural cropping environments. Composite cross populations can provide dynamic gene pools, which in turn provide a means of conserving germplasm resources: they can also allow selection of heterogeneous crop varieties. The value of composite cross populations in achieving these aims is dependent on the outcome of mass trials by artificial and natural selection acting upon the heterogeneous mixture. There is evidence to suggest that composite cross populations may be an efficient way of providing heterogeneous crops and of selecting superior pure lines for low input systems characterized by unpredictable stress conditions.
Becoming a Member of a School Community while Working toward Science Education Reform: Teacher Induction from a Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) Perspective.

The first years of teaching can be demanding, as the novice works to gain familiarity with many aspects of professional work. Often, what they have been prepared to do in teacher education programs is not aligned with what is expected at them in schools. As a consequence, many teachers leave the profession or move away from the reform-minded practice emphasized in their preparation as they accept the norms of their new community of practice. Using cultural historical activity theory, this comparative case study explored two beginning science teachers' transition into the teaching profession and the roles a community of practice played in this transition. Findings suggest that these science teachers were influenced by the social and professional structures at their schools and by the level of institutional and interpersonal support they received from peer teachers and administrators. The extent to which these teachers became involved in the community of practices at their schools greatly influenced their instructional practice. Implications suggest that science teacher preparation and induction programs must go beyond simply emphasizing teaching and learning—they must also address strategies young teachers can use to access the support they need to be able to consistently enact reform-based practices. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed93:996–1025, 2009
Speaking Up is Hard to Do: What Can Management Do When Patient Safety is On the Line

Central line-associated blood stream infections (CLABSIs) are a leading cause of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), preventable deaths, and excess healthcare costs in U.S. hospitals. Hospital...
Myeloid and Megakaryocytic Hypoplasia in Related Standardbreds

Myeloid and megakaryocytic bone marrow hypoplasia in association with moderate to profound neutropenia was observed in 8 young Standardbred horses sired by the same stallion; 7 horses were intermittently thrombocytopenic. Evaluation of serial neutrophil counts in 2 horses suggested that a cyclic variation in neutrophil numbers was present, that lymphocyte numbers increased when neutrophil counts decreased, and that platelet counts decreased when neutrophil counts decreased. Preliminary bone marrow cultures indicated that myeloid progenitor cells were present and that these cells were able to respond to exogenous growth factors by differentiating. A bone marrow microenvironment or growth factor defect is suspected. Seven of 8 horses died or were euthanized. One horse with moderate neutropenia and a normal platelet count has been racing for 3 years. Necropsies in 4 horses did not reveal a cause for the myeloid hypoplasia. A familial basis for the disease is suspected.
Managing varicella zoster infection in pregnancy

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection can be serious for pregnant women and their babies, although it is rare. The implications of primary VZV infection vary with the gestational age at infection. For the mother, the risk of severe illness is greatest after mid-pregnancy, when she is relatively immunocompromised. For the fetus, the risk of congenital infection is greatest when maternal infection occurs in the first or second trimester. Maternal infection is preventable by preconception vaccination.
Setting Stress Distribution in Particle Reinforced Polymer Composites

The effect of the geometric arrangement of spherical aggregates in a highly filled polymer composite (such as polymer concrete) on the setting stresses, due to resin shrink age during cure was investigated using three-dimensional finite element analysis. Simple cubic and face-centered cubic arrangements of perfect spherical aggregate were con sidered as well as a hexagonal-close-packed arrangement of hexagonal, prism-shaped aggregate. The shape of the aggregate has a very significant effect on the setting stresses. The effects of packing factor of aggregate particles were investigated. The higher the pack ing factor of spherical particles the lower the magnitude of setting stresses throughout the polymer composite system.
Program transformations to fix C integers

C makes it easy to misuse integer types; even mature programs harbor many badly-written integer code. Traditional approaches at best detect these problems; they cannot guide developers to write correct code. We describe three program transformations that fix integer problems - one explicitly introduces casts to disambiguate type mismatch, another adds runtime checks to arithmetic operations, and the third one changes the type of a wrongly-declared integer. Together, these transformations fixed all variants of integer problems featured in 7,147 programs of NIST's SAMATE reference dataset, making the changes automatically on over 15 million lines of code. We also applied the transformations automatically on 5 open source software. The transformations made hundreds of changes on over 700,000 lines of code, but did not break the programs. Being integrated with source code and development process, these program transformations can fix integer problems, along with developers' misconceptions about integer usage.
Distribution of some trace elements in the H-Coal process development unit

Abstract To understand better the distribution and fate of some trace elements in coal liquefaction plant operated in a continuous mode, a study of six typical trace elements—Cd, Pb, Cr, Cu, Mn and Ni—was initiated at the HRI-operated H-Coal Process Development Unit at Trenton, NJ. Sampling was carried out carefully and the analytical effort was designed to prevent sample contamination and produce precise analyses. The results show that the trace elements studied enter the plant and remain associated with the denser, less volatile materials. Under equilibrium conditions there does not appear to be a buildup in the PDU of those trace elements studied.
Multilayer self-assemblies as electronic and optical materials

The layer-by-layer growth of film structures consisting of sequential depositions of oppositely charged polymers and macrocycles (ring-shaped molecules) have been constructed using molecular self-assembly techniques. These self-assembled thin films were characterized with X-ray reflectometry, which yielded (1) the average electron density, (2) the average thicknesses, and (3) the roughness of the growth surface of the self-assembled multilayer of macrocycles and polymers. These observations suggest that inorganic-organic interactions play an important role during the initial stages of thin-film growth, but less so as the thin film becomes thicker. Optical absorption techniques were also used to characterize the self-assembled multilayers. Phorphyrin and phthalocyanine derivatives were chosen as one of the building blocks of the self-assembled multilayers because of their interesting optical properties.
Light-dependent Influx and Efflux of Potassium of Guard Cells during Stomatal Opening and Closing

Stomata in epidermal strips of Vicia faba opened in light and closed in darkness when floated on dilute K(+) solutions. Opening and closing, respectively, paralleled the fluxes of labeled K(+) into and out of the strips. The gain and loss of K(+) by the strips were shown by colbaltinitrite stain to be centered at guard cells. Intact epidermal cells, however, appeared to take up K(+), complicating interpretation of the data.The specific requirement of K(+) for stomatal opening in light appeared to be related to the specific uptake of K(+). There was little or no light stimulation of opening in strips on Na(+), nor was there stimulation of Na(+) uptake. The marked light stimulation of opening on K(+) was generally matched by stimulation of K(+) uptake.Anaerobiosis markedly reduced opening in leaf discs but not in strips. Under anaerobic conditions, opening in strips was not appreciably affected by 3(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (diuron) but was completely inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone plus diuron. Inhibition of opening was generally correlated with inhibition of K(+) uptake by the strips. Also stomata in strips opened well under far red light (>700 nanometers). These data suggest that photosystem I and cyclic electron flow can supply the necessary energy for K(+) uptake and stomatal opening.