cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Actin filaments and the spatial positioning of mRNAs

Filamentous actin has been shown to play a major role in the control of mRNA expression. Previous work emphasized RNA-cytoskeletal interactions using biochemical fractionation. More recently, in situ hybridization at the light microscopic and ultrastructural levels has shown that actin, in particular, is directly associated with mRNAs. It is proposed that these interactions play a major regulatory role in how the mRNA is spatially sequestered within the cytoplasm and provide a mechanism for its regulation (Singer, 1992).
Blind Source Separation Using Graphical Models

We summarized our approaches for separating voices from mixed recordings. In the single channel case, a priori learned basis functions are used to model the temporal structure of the speech signals. A maximum likelihood approach is used to separate a voice from jazz music given only one mixed channel. In case of two microphones, the problem of separating two voices recorded by two microphones has been tackled. The mixing coefficients, time delays and reverberation coefficients are estimated using the maximum likelihood or infomax approach. The two approaches can be combined in a graphical model since both methods can be represented as data generative models where learning involves the representation of signals via the basis functions and inference involves the estimation of sources. The inference part in case of the single channel is nonlinear and linear in the two channel case.
Pulmonary toxicity in paediatric patients with relapsed or refractory Hodgkin lymphoma receiving brentuximab vedotin

Brentuximab vedotin (Bv) is becoming increasingly important in the treatment of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), with improved outcomes and an overall favourable toxicity profile. However, Bv is associated with severe pulmonary toxicity when combined with bleomycin, suggesting that additive toxicity may be an important consideration. Furthermore, little has been published on tolerability in paediatric patients. We retrospectively evaluated the occurrence of pulmonary toxicity of Bv in 19 paediatric and young adult patients with relapsed or refractory HL. Patient characteristics, baseline health status, treatment regimens including cumulative doses of Bv, bleomycin, gemcitabine, radiation and carmustine, and the occurrence of pulmonary toxicity were collected. Seven (36·8%) of the 19 patients were treated with Bv. The odds of pulmonary toxicity were 4·0-fold higher (95% confidence interval 0·55-29·18) in patients exposed to Bv compared to unexposed patients in univariate analysis (P = 0·17). Similar results were found in multivariable analysis. Pulmonary toxicity occurred frequently in our cohort and was more common in patients who received Bv than in patients who did not receive Bv, although this was not statistically significant. Because patients with HL are exposed to a myriad of therapies with potential for pulmonary toxicity, continuing to evaluate the risk associated with Bv is critical.
Squamous cell carcinoma-A rare pancreatic exocrine malignancy

A 65-year-old Caucasian female presented with abdominal symptoms and obstructive jaundice. She reported a significant pancreatic cancer history in her family. Her CT of the abdomen and pelvis showed 3.9 × 3.5 cm centrally necrotic mass within the pancreatic head, occluding the superior mesenteric and splenic veins; peripancreatic lymph nodes were enlarged, and there were many hepatic lesions. She underwent biopsy of the hepatic lesions showing metastatic tumor cells, arranged in the form of nests, with enlarged and hyperchromatic irregular nuclei with some nucleoli and moderate eosinophilic cytoplasm. Immunohistochemical staining on cancer cells was positive for CK7, P40, GATA3. These findings were concerning for poorly differentiated metastatic squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). PET-CT showed no other hypermetabolic lesions, suggestive of another primary except pancreatic head with SUV of 17.8, hepatic metastasis and 1 cm right retroperitoneal lymph node. The patient was diagnosed with metastatic SCC of the pancreas. Contrary to the well-known genetic mutations of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the data on pancreatic SCC-related mutations is limited; however, one such mutation is BRCA-2 exon 15 germline mutation reported in a locally advanced SCC of the pancreas. The index patient is one of those rare cases in which a significant family history of pancreatic cancer was reported. We believe that some familial mutation could be responsible for this finding, i.e., occurrence of pancreatic cancer in multiple family members. Further research is necessary to explore such association.
Panel Session: UNESCO’s “Information for All Programme”

The Information for All Programme was established in 2001 to foster debate on the political, ethical and societal challenges of the emerging global knowledge society and to carry out projects promoting equitable access to information. It reflects the growing awareness that information is playing an increasing role in generating wealth and development, and that participation in the “global knowledge society” is essential for social and individual development.
Injury-induced cold sensitization in Drosophila larvae involves behavioral shifts that require the TRP channels Pkd2 and Brv1

Abstract Nociceptive sensitization involves an increase in responsiveness of pain sensing neurons to sensory stimuli, typically through the lowering of their nociceptive threshold. Nociceptive sensitization is common following tissue damage, inflammation, and disease and serves to protect the affected area while it heals. Organisms can become sensitized to a range of noxious and innocuous stimuli, including thermal stimuli. The basic mechanisms underlying sensitization to warm or painfully hot stimuli have begun to be elucidated, however, sensitization to cold is not well understood. Here, we develop a Drosophila assay to study cold sensitization after UV-induced epidermal damage in larvae. Larvae respond to acute cold stimuli with a set of unique behaviors that include a contraction of the head and tail (CT) or a raising of the head and tail into a U-Shape (US). Under baseline, non-injured conditions larvae primarily produce a CT response to an acute cold (10 °C) stimulus, however, we show that cold-evoked responses shift following tissue damage: CT responses decrease, US responses increase and some larvae exhibit a lateral body roll (BR) that is typically only observed in response to high temperature and noxious mechanical stimuli. At the cellular level, class III neurons are required for the decrease in CT, chordotonal neurons are required for the increase in US, and chordotonal and class IV neurons are required for the appearance of BR responses after UV. At the molecular level, we found that the transient receptor potential (TRP) channels Polycystic kidney disease gene 2 (Pkd2) and brivido-1 (brv1) are required for these behavioral shifts. Our Drosophila model will enable a sophisticated molecular genetic dissection of genes and circuits involved in cold nociceptive sensitization.
The Cost of Routine Follow-Up in Total Joint Arthroplasty and the Influence of These Visits on Treatment Plans.

Introduction. Many physicians recommend annual or biennial visitsafter total hip and knee arthroplasty (THA and TKA). This studysought to establish the cost of a post-operative visit to both the healthcare system and patient and identify if these visits altered patientmanagement. Methods. A prospective cohort study was conducted using patientspresenting for follow-up after THA or TKA from April throughDecember 2016. All surgeries were performed by a single orthopaedicsurgeon in Wichita, Kansas. All eligible subjects that met the inclusioncriteria received and completed a questionnaire about the personalcost of the visit and their assessment of their function and outcomeafter total joint arthroplasty. The physician also completed a questionnairethat examined the cost of the visit to the health care systemand whether the clinical or radiographic findings altered patient management. Results. Fifty-six patients participated with an average length of follow-up of 4.5 ± 4.1 years since surgery. The average patient cost was$135.20 ± $190.53 (range, $1.65 - $995.88), and the average visit timefor the patient was 3.9 ± 2.9 hours. Eighty percent of patients reportedno pain during the clinic encounter, and 11% reported loss of function.Eighty-four percent thought the visit was necessary. Physician timefor each visit lasted 12.9 ± 3.7 minutes (range, 10 - 20 minutes). Only9% of patient encounters resulted in an alteration in patient management.This occurred at an average follow-up time of 3.6 ± 1.8 yearsafter the index procedure. The average cost of each visit to the healthcare system at large was $117.31 ± 60.53 (range, $93.90 - $428.28). Conclusions. The findings of this study advise total joint patients andorthopaedic surgeons regarding the cost of routine post-operativeappointments and whether these visits alter patient management.The majority of the routine follow-up visits after THA and TKA didnot result in an alteration in patient management, but added substantialcost to the health care system. Kans J Med 2018;11(3):59-66.
Information Age Technology, Industrial Age Laws

The United States patent system was born during the Industrial Age — at a time where the focus was on promoting innovation in machines, and tangible means of changing the world. With the dawn of the Information Age, innovation is increasingly intangible. The industrial age laws, as currently interpreted, are not well-suited for the changing and evolving technological world. Information age innovators face challenges at the United States Patent and Trademark Office, through the judicial system and at the United States International Trade Commission. It is time for a change in the system to reflect the realities of modern technology. Adequate protection is not currently provided for intangible innovations. This lack of protection has wide-ranging implications, especially now as data processing is increasingly migrating to “the cloud,” geographic boundaries are eroding, and intangible technology is advancing in importance. The industrial age laws can incentivize innovation in the information age — and it is time to recognize this before private ordering subsumes the public interest.
Prognostic Value of Labs Ordered on Patients Hospitalized with COVID-19.

Background: Hospitalists at our institution have taken on most non-intensive care unit (ICU) coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) care. Based on sparse research, our institution developed a protocol...
US industrial sector decoupling of energy use and greenhouse gas emissions under COVID: durability and decarbonization

The 2020 response to the coronavirus pandemic has had a profound and rapid effect on social behavior, the economy, and consumption Associated declines in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions have prompted calls to action to use the pandemic experience to accelerate decarbonization Such action depends on understanding how GHG emissions reductions were achieved and whether they can be sustained In this work, we focus on the industrial sector by comparing United States (US) industrial energy consumption, CO2 emissions, and key materials production between the first two quarters (Q1 and Q2) of 2020, when pandemic response became active, relative to 2019 We show a striking decoupling between energy use and GHG emissions in the US industrial sector between Q2 2020 and Q2 2019, yet pandemic decarbonization in the industrial sector is unlikely to be durable Observations suggest three major takeaways for US industrial decarbonization: (1) efforts to decarbonize transportation will contribute to industrial decarbonization due to the large impacts of petroleum refining;(2) increasing demands for materials that use energy resources as feedstocks (e g , plastics) can result in an apparent decoupling in energy demand and GHG emissions that is not indicative of a durable pathway for reducing GHG emissions;and (3) temporary reduction in demand for industrial infrastructure materials would have resulted in greater reductions of GHG emissions than the relative change in fuels used during this period Cumulatively, while shifts that would lower GHG emissions occurred, no substantial structural changes to industrial activity were observed As such, society still requires systemic change to interdependencies on other sectors and the methods we use to produce and deploy our industrial materials
Learning Objectives for a Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Transport Curriculum Based on a National Needs Assessment

Background: Over 68,000 neonatal transports occur annually. Practicing neonatologists participate in the referral, telephone management or retrieval of patients. The American Academy of Pediatrics Section on Transport Medicine (AAP SOTM) 2013 Consensus Statement on Interfacility Transport states that transport medicine is an essential part of neonatal perinatal medicine (NPM) fellowship training. Competency in transport physiology is an American Board of Pediatrics Subspecialty (ABPS) Board Specification. However, there is wide variation in neonatal transport education and training …
Novel imaging biomarkers predict progression-free survival in stage 3 NSCLC treated with chemoradiation and durvalumab.

3054Background: The current management of stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) is chemoradiation followed by durvalumab consolidation. There are no robust biomarkers that predict benefit fr...
Treatment and survival outcomes of ceruminous carcinomas of the external auditory canal: a SEER database analysis and literature review.

Ceruminous carcinomas of the external auditory canal (EAC), encompassing adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), ceruminous adenocarcinoma (CA), and mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC), are extremely rare with little known regarding the influence of demographics, tumor characteristics, and treatment on survival. This study aimed to summarize existent data and describe prognostic factors affecting survival in ceruminous carcinoma. Cases of ceruminous carcinoma of the EAC in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database were analyzed to provide demographic, cancer-related, and treatment data and assess their influence on disease-specific and overall survival. A literature review was also performed. No significant difference in overall survival (OS) existed for localized versus regional disease, tumor type, or use of radiation therapy. In those with ACC, distant disease had a lower OS compared to regional disease. On review of the literature, local recurrence was a common finding with a low risk for nodal metastasis in ACC and CA. In conclusion, local recurrence was common despite aggressive surgical intervention (± radiation therapy); overall survival was unaffected by radiation therapy, tumor type, or local versus regional disease; and more cases of MEC are needed for analysis.
Barriers and Facilitators of Implementing a Clinic-Integrated Food Prescription Plus Culinary Medicine Program in a Low-Income Food Insecure Population: A Qualitative Study

ABSTRACT Background Food prescription and CM programs are gaining popularity as tools for (1) decreasing food insecurity; (2) increasing personal agency; (3) promoting healthy eating; and (4) reducing the risk of chronic diseases. However, there is a gap in understanding of how healthcare professionals can deliver evidence-based “how to” nutrition information that is tailored for culturally diverse, low-income populations. Objective To understand the barriers and facilitators for healthy eating among a low-income, diverse population with diabetes, and the gaps in knowledge and training needed for Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDN) to address patient barriers when implementing a food prescription and CM program in a healthcare setting. Design A series of nine focus groups were conducted: six focus groups with patients with diabetes (n=40): three in English and three in Spanish and three focus groups with RDN employees (n=17). Participant/setting A convenience sample of forty low-income food insecure patients with diabetes receiving care at a diverse, integrated, safety net healthcare system in an urban setting in Texas and convenience sample of seventeen RDN employees. Analysis All focus group transcripts were examined by independent reviewers and blind catalogued and organized into common themes and subthemes based on constant comparative methodology. Investigator group consensus was reached on emergent themes and subthemes for the respective focus groups. Results Patients reported frustration with mixed dietary messages from different healthcare providers, lack of culturally inclusive recommendations, and a desire for skills to prepare tasty and healthy food. RDNs desired more training and education in cultural humility, culinary nutrition skills, and behavioral change theory. Conclusion Our study describes how cultural humility, practical culinary nutrition skills, and consistent and coordinated messaging can help to improve patient nutrition care. Prior to implementation of a food prescription and CM program, efforts should promote training of RDN staff in culinary nutrition and related areas to increase acceptability and adherence of the program for patients.
Introduction to the Genus Mallomonas

The genus Mallomonas Perty 1851 includes unicellular organisms with one bilobed or two chlor-oplasts, an organized covering of siliceous components and two parallel and apically inserted flagella. The siliceous cell covering consists of individual plates known as scales that are imbricated and arranged in a very precise manner (Takahashi, 1978; Wee, 982; Asmund and Kristiansen, 1986; Siver and Glew, 1990). A second siliceous component, referred to as a bristle, also forms part of the cell covering. Bristles are elongated structures that are tucked under the distal portion of a scale and radiate outwards from the cell. Because bristles can rotate, their position may change relative to the longitudinal axis of the cell; they are streamlined when the cell is actively swimming and positioned closer to 90° at rest. The scales are arranged in spiral rows around the cell and aligned in a precise fashion (see Chapter II).
African-American students at Iowa State University: a preliminary test of a diversity model, 1974-1994

The focus of this study was to determine the extent to which Iowa State University, a predominantly white institution, is committed to providing an environment that is inclusive and basically bias free for African-American undergraduate students. The comments of the study will be limited to African-American students, the largest racial group at Iowa State, but similarities do exist among other ethnic groups. The researcher examined if the model institution, in this case Iowa State, has the following factors in providing a diverse and inclusive atmosphere for African-American students: 1) increasing numbers of African-American students, especially in underrepresented majors; 2) increasing general financial assistance opportumties; 3) increasing scholarship opportunities; 4) offering opportunities for professional and personal development by increasing numbers of African-American faculty and staff; 5) increasing graduation and retention rates of African-American students. The investigator developed a five-point diversity model, based on a modIfication of Richard C. Richardson's (1989) Model of Institutional Adaptation to Student Diversity (see Appendix). For the purposes of this study, the researcher examined whether Iowa State fit the model, in what areas, and then documented the findings. More specifically, this study revealed that if Iowa State has moved closer to diversity in the past twenty years. The review of the literature compared Iowa State to other mstitutions and their solutions of nurturing and retaining African-American students.
Bordenkircher v. Hayes: The Rise of Plea Bargaining and the Decline of the Rule of Law

Bordenkircher v. Hayes is not among the most famous cases in American criminal procedure, but it may be among the most important. Not so much for what happened - the Supreme Court held, unsurprisingly, that plea bargaining did not amount to "vindictive prosecution" - as for what didn't happen. Bordenkircher was tailor-made for a holding that prosecutors cannot threaten criminal punishment that has not been applied, at least occasionally, to similarly situated defendants. That holding would have spared Paul Hayes a life sentence for petty theft plus two prior felony convictions. It would have spared many thousands of defendants guilty pleas produced by what amounts to legalized extortion. It probably would have spared some innocent defendants criminal convictions. In retrospect, Bordenkircher appears to be one of the great missed opportunities of American constitutional law.
Fundamentals of the Statistical Theory of Fracture

The first important study of fracture statistics was that of Weibull. His work was based on the tacit assumption that only the component of stress normal to a crack plane contributes to its fracture, and on the use of simple analytical formulas for failure probability. Recent progress in short-term fracture includes the use of more refined fracture criteria and a search for better distribution functions for the frequency of cracks, based on micro-structural considerations. Use of the critical value of strain energy release rate as a fracture criterion leads to improved agreement with experiment. Consideration is also given to the statistics of fracture in static fatigue and in dynamic fracture.
Culture of brachyuran crab larvae using a re-circulating sea water system in the laboratory

1. Larvae ofCancer irroratus were raised in the laboratory from the first zoeal stage to the first crab stage. Five zoeal stages and one megalops stage were observed during development to the first crab stage. 2. The larvae developed to the megalops stage in salinities of 20 ‰, 25 ‰, 30 ‰ and 35 ‰, and at temperatures of 10°, 15° and 20° C. The megalops metamorphosed in all the four salinities at 15° C, and in 25 ‰ at 20° C. A temperature-salinity combination of 15° C and 30 ‰ S was found to allow maximum survival of larvae until the crab stage. The different salinities do not seem to affect greatly the duration for zoeal development, megalops development and total development to the crab stage at 15° C. 3. The larvae ofPanopeus herbstii were also raised to the first crab stage in the laboratory at 20° and 25° C and 32 ‰ S. There were four zoeal stages and one megalop stage during complete development in the laboratory. 4. A re-circulating sea water system has been designed and fabricated for cultivation of crab larvae under controlled environmental conditions in the laboratory. The larvae ofC. irroratus andP. herbstii, cultured in the sea water system, completed their development to the first crab stage.
HDBStat!: a platform-independent software suite for statistical analysis of high dimensional biology data.

Background Many efforts in microarray data analysis are focused on providing tools and methods for the qualitative analysis of microarray data. HDBStat! (High-Dimensional Biology-Statistics) is a software package designed for analysis of high dimensional biology data such as microarray data. It was initially developed for the analysis of microarray gene expression data, but it can also be used for some applications in proteomics and other aspects of genomics. HDBStat! provides statisticians and biologists a flexible and easy-to-use interface to analyze complex microarray data using a variety of methods for data preprocessing, quality control analysis and hypothesis testing.
A hypermedia approach to document microelectronic devices

The need for real solutions to technical training on microelectronic devices increases in parallel with the complexity of the devices. In fact, more and more complex devices render traditional textual manuals less effective in their explanation of the internal architecture and dynamic mechanisms. Hypermedia documentation offers a valid solution to the problem, by including graphics and animation as communication media. Graphics in the hypermedia documentation can be used to create a graphic model of the microelectronic device, thus reducing the mental complexity of the modelling task for the user. Animation provides users with visual aids to their understanding of the dynamic processes inside the microelectronic device. This paper illustrates, for the purposes of training and education in microelectronics, a Hypermedia form of documentation for a specific microprocessor, the INMOS T9000 transputer. >
Changing the world one webpage at a time: Conceptualizing and explaining Internet activism

Researchers studying Internet activism have disagreed over the extent to which Internet usage alters the processes driving collective action, and therefore also over the utility of existing social movement theory. We argue that some of this disagreement owes to scholars studying different kinds of Internet activism. Therefore, we introduce a typology of Internet activism, which shows that markedly different findings are associated with different types of Internet activism and that some types of Internet activism have been studied far more frequently than others. As a consequence, we ask an empirical question: is this skew in the selection of cases, and hence apparent trends in findings, a reflection of the empirical frequency of different types of Internet activism? Troublingly, using unique data from random samples of websites discussing 20 different issue areas commonly associated with social movements, we find a mismatch between trends in research cases studied and empirical frequency.
Fluorescence detection of tumors early diagnosis of microscopic lesions in preclinical studies

Background. The growth of microscopic tumor lesions at or beyond treatment field margins poses a major problem in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Early detection techniques that clearly define the location or field spread of disease may improve the planning of disease treatment. Methods. In vivo fluorescence photometry is a non-imaging technique that digitally displays relative fluorescence values in volts proportional to the luminescence intensity detected by a silicon photodiode. The sensitivity of the instrument has allowed the detection of microme-tastases in preclinical studies. Results. Statistical analysis demonstrates that the photosensitizer Photofrin (dihematoporphyrin ether and/or ester) (Quadra Logic Technologies, QLT, Vancouver, B.C., Canada), currently used for photodynamic therapy, administered in doses lower than those used in clinical studies, is useful for the detection of occult disease. With the drug doses used, cutaneous photosensitivity was avoided in the animal models tested. The results in Lobund-Wistar rats with transplantable prostatic adenocarcinoma (PA-III) demonstrated the utility of this technique in detecting clinically occult disease, with a prediction rate of approximately 94% with drug doses as low as 0.25–0.5 mg/kg. Conclusions. With the use of the hamster buccal cavity model involving the initiation and promotion of premalignant and malignant conditions by 9,10 dimethyl-1,2–benzanthracene, the technique could discern these two stages of disease with significance levels that were less than 0.05 and 0.01, respectively. Cancer 1993; 71:269-76.
On the Inhibition of Bud Development and other Functions of Growth Substance in Vicia Faba

It is well known that when the growing point of a young dicotyledonons plant is removed, the axillary buds lower down the stem grow out strongly, and eventually take the place of main stem. The presence of the terminal bud thus exercises an inhibiting action on the development of the lateral buds, causing them to remain dormant. To a smaller extent the leaves also inhibit the development of buds in their axils, as was shown by Dorsal (1909). The phenomenon has been studied by many workers, among others by Snow, who found (1929, a ) that the rapidly growing young leaves in the terminal bud were the most active in inhibiting development of the axilllaries. It appears also, from our experiments, that the rapid growth of a lateral bud is accompanied by inhibition of the bud immediately below it, and a similar behaviour of opposite buds was observed by Dorsal (1926). In a brief preliminary communication (Thimann and Skoog, 1933) it was shown that the inhibiting action of the terminal bud can be imitated by applying the growth substance ("auxin" or "Wuchsstoff") to decapitated plants. These experiments, and others, will now be described more fully; further, the relation between the growth promoting action of growth substance and its effect on bud inhibition will be considered. The first evidence that the inhibition of lateral bud development might be caused by a special substance was brought forward by Snow (1929, b ). The work to be described here proves that inhibition can be caused in this way, and shows that the inhibiting substance is almost certainly identical with the hgrowth substance. Literature on the growth substance need not be discussed here (see Nielsen, 1930; du Buy and Nuernbergk, 1932; Thimann and Bonner , 1933); it is only necessary to mention that the substance promotes growth by cell elongation and not by cell division. On this account it has been principally studied in the Avena coleoptile, in which it is produced in the tip and transported in a polar manner towards the base.
Computer Security in Electronic Government: A State-Local Education Information System

As e-government projects proliferate at all levels of government, and as they transition from voluntary to mandatory participation, close examination is required, particularly the examination of security issues. The CIA (Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability) model offers a framework for examining e-government projects. This study examines the factors impacting security, using as a case study an education information system in the 2003-2004 school year. The study focuses on how CIA factors relate to a host of variables, such as school district size, software selection, technology staffing, technical competence and support, awareness of security issues, and project commitment. For the organizations participating in the project, typical factors of district size and software selection are found to be insignificant, and technical support is identified as one of the key factors promoting security.
Two Types of Wave Breaking in an Aquaplanet GCM

Abstract The characteristics of two distinct types of wave breaking in an aquaplanet general circulation model (GCM) are described. A systematic analysis of wave breaking is possible because when a baroclinic wave packet is present, the wave breaking tends to occur in the vicinity of the packet crew. Although the refractive index is strictly valid only for linear, quasigeostrophic flows, in this GCM the refractive index is shown to be useful for categorizing two types of wave breaking. Empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is performed using the refractive index obtained (by averaging over one carrier wavelength) at the center of the wave packet. Composite Eliassen–Palm fluxes and upper-level potential vorticity, corresponding to either phase of the first EOF of the refractive index, are consistent with the two types of wave breaking. It is found that the strength of the meridional shear in the upper troposphere is related to the type of wave breaking. Implications of these results for storm track ...
Language-specific patterns of vowel-to-vowel coarticulation: acoustic structures and their perceptual correlates

Abstract Three experiments tested the hypothesis that V-to-V coarticulatory organization differs in Shona and English, and that Shona- and English-speaking listeners' sensitivity to V-to-V coarticulatory effects is correspondingly language-specific. An acoustic study of Shona and English CV′CVCV trisyllables (Experiment 1) showed that the two languages differ in the carryover vs. anticipatory influences of stressed and unstressed vowels on each other. In 4IAX discrimination tests in which both Shona and English coarticulatory effects were spliced into different coarticulatory contexts (Experiment 2), Shona and English listeners perceptually compensated more (i.e., attributed more of a vowel's acoustic properties to its coarticulatory context in targeted test trials) for effects that were consistent with their linguistic experience. Similarly, when these listeners identified synthetic target vowels embedded into different vowel contexts (Experiment 3), Shona listeners compensated more (i.e., showed larger category boundary shifts) for the vowel contexts that triggered larger acoustic influences in the production study. English listeners' boundary shifts were more complicated but, when these data were combined with those from a follow-up identification study, they showed the perceptual shifts expected on the basis of the English coarticulatory findings. Overall, the relation between the production and perception data suggests that listeners are attuned to native-language coarticulatory patterns.
Tactile Inspection Performance with and without Gloves

A firm whose inspectors tactually inspected hydraulic hose was interested whether gloves would help or hinder their inspectors. Eight female subjects, while blindfolded, each inspected 600 hoses–150 for each of the four glove conditions (bare hand, surgeon's gloves, Playtex gloves, and vinyl-impregnated gloves). The subjects indicated whether the hose was acceptable, defective due to diameter, or defective due to surface roughness. The data was divided into that obtained when the hoses were acceptable and that when there was a defect.For good hoses, gloves did not affect error rate for either diameter defects or surface defects. For defective hoses, gloves did not affect error rate for either diameter defects or surface defects. Thus the decision whether or not to wear gloves can be made on other criteria (such as protection of the hand vs abrasion or chemicals). A signal detection analysis was made. Some other ergonomic suggestions for improved inspection performance are given.
A Scalable QoS Control Framework for the Next Generation IP/MPLS Core Network

As networks, services and applications converge on a common IP/MPLS backbone, carriers must manage traffic flows in a scalable way with very granular and stringent QoS requirements. In this paper, a control theory approached quantitative QoS control framework is proposed in a distributed and scalable architecture, which assembles the author's previous studies in a complete solution. The dynamic control system is constructed where a reactive estimator is employed for calculation of the packet loss probability, a recursive prediction estimation method is used to identify the parameters of the dynamic packet loss system, and a robust controller is designed for conducting the controller poles in an adaptive manner to keep the packet loss probability in desired limits. The system is designed and implemented with CORBA and J2EE technology in a distributed architecture. The performance is evaluated on the live NCIT*net2 network and the results demonstrate that the system is effective and practical.
Low-dose oral caffeine induces a specific form of behavioral sensitization in rats

The present study assessed the effects of a low dose of orally administered caffeine on sensitization of open-field behavior in rats. Rats had free access to untreated water every day or water containing 0.2 mg/ml of caffeine every other day of the 14-day experiment. On alternate days discrete movements (horizontal and vertical) and ambulatory distance were measured in open-field activity monitors. Although caffeine intake significantly decreased across test sessions in caffeine-treated rats, the number of discrete horizontal movements significantly increased. These findings suggest that low doses of orally administered caffeine induce a specific form of behavioral sensitization in rats.
Performance Evaluation of Notched Biaxial Braided Composites

Braided composites have good properties in mutually orthogonal directions, more balanced properties than traditional tape laminates, and have potentially better fatigue and impact resistance due to the interlacing. Another benefit is reduced manufacturing cost by reducing part count. Because of these potential benefits braided composites are being considered for various applications ranging from primary/secondary structures for aerospace structures [1]. These material systems are gaining popularity, in particular for the small business jets, where FAA requires take off weights of 12,500 lb. or less. The new process, Vacuum Assisted Resin Transfer Molding (VARTM), is low cost, affordable and suitable for high volume manufacturing environment. Recently the aircraft industry has been successful in manufacturing wing flaps, using carbon fiber braids and epoxy resin and the VARTM process. To utilize these VARTM manufactured braided materials to the fullest advantage (and hence to avoid underutilization), it is necessary to understand their behavior under different loading and environmental conditions. This will reduce uncertainty and hence reduce the factor of safety in the design. It is well known fact that the strength of the composite structure reduces because of discontinuities and abrupt change in the cross-section. Accurate knowledge of strength and failure mechanism of notched and unnotched composites is very important for design of composite structures. This research addresses the behavior of notched braided composites under static tensile loading.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Selective epitaxy of MOVPE GaAs using diethyl gallium chloride

Abstract Selective epitaxy is the laterally controlled growth of epitaxial material on a substrate. We have demonstrated the highly selective epitaxial growth of GaAs using diethyl gallium chloride or (C 2 H 5 ) 2 GaCl. No GaAs growth is observed on the masking material over a wide range of growth temperatures, 600 ⩽ T ⩽800°C. The edges of the selectively grown GaAs are bounded by the slow growth planes typical of the inorganic based growth techniques. By appropriate pre-growth treatment the electrical properties of the interface between the selectively grown material and the underlying substrate can be made to be very good with no interfacial potential barrier.
OXYGEN-STABLE HEMOLYSINS OF GROUP A STREPTOCOCCI III. THE RELATIONSHIP OF THE CELL-BOUND HEMOLYSIN TO STREPTOLYSIN S

The relationship of the streptococcal hemolysin which is recognized on incubation of RBC with streptococcal cells (cell-bound hemolysin, CBH), to RNA hemolysin, a representative of oxygen-stable hemolysin (streptolysin S) has been studied. A number of similarities have been found in the conditions for optimal production of each of these hemolysins, a requirement for cysteine, Mg(++), and glucose; maximal production by streptococci in the stationary phase; similar curves of pH-dependence. In both systems, the production of hemolysin was inhibited by certain antibiotics, by ultraviolet irradiation, and by sonic disruption and was absent in the same streptococcal mutant strain. The hemolytic activity of both systems was inhibited by lecithin, trypan blue, and papain. Similarities were also found in relative susceptibilities to the two hemolytic systems of erythrocytes of a number of animal species. These data support a suggestion advanced in an earlier study that a streptococcal hemolytic moiety, which can be induced by, and carried on, a number of diverse agents to comprise the group of oxygen-stable hemolysins, serves, in its original attachment to a component of the streptococcal cell, to produce the hemolytic effect recognized as the cell-bound hemolysin.
Forward area light map projection

We present a new method for soft shadow visualization. This two-stage approach generates high-quality soft shadow images by projecting sampled surface points, which are kept in a "layered area light map", onto the viewing screen. The layered area light map is created in the preprocessing stage, and is multi-layered in the sense that each map cell keeps the visibility ratio of the area light source with respect to multiple surface points at varying depth. In the forward projection stage, we project the sampled surface points in the layered area light map onto the screen buffer to attenuate a shadowless reference image in order to quickly generate the final image. Dynamic splatting and object surface-based convolution are used in the process to fill "holes" and to smooth out minor artifacts that are caused by insufficient sampling. When a series of images for a given scene are to be produced this forward projection rendering technique is much faster than ray tracing and still results in soft shadows with comparable quality.
On the origin of the intensity of the resonant raman bands of differing polarization in heme proteins

Abstract It is shown that depolarized and inverse polarized bands dominate the resonance Raman spectrum of heme proteins when the scattering derives its intensity from different electronic transitions (the α and Soret bands), while th polarized bands dominate the spectrum when the incident light is resonant with only the strong Soret band.
Anterior cervical fusion: Surgical techniques

The anterior approach to treating cervical spine pathology has been particularly successful and was popularized by Bailey and Badgley in the 1950's for the treatment of traumatic dislocations and destructive vertebral lesions. 1 The enormous success that was observed with the anterior approach to the cervical spine led to its widespread popularity. 2–11 During the past 40 years, numerous refinements in the anterior approach for the treatment of cervical radiculopathy and myelopathy have been developed. 8 The following article is a review of the indications for anterior cervical surgery, particularly in the setting of radiculopathy and myelopathy, as well as a description of the fusion techniques preferred by the senior author.
Parental practices and educational achievement: social class, race, and habitus

A large, nationally representative database of American elementary school students was used to quantitatively assess the complex ways in which race intersects with social class, affecting parenting strategies that in turn produce various educational outcomes among children. The determinants and consequences of parental practices associated with middle‐class families – what Lareau terms ‘concerted cultivation’ – among White and African American students were examined. The findings reveal that cultural differences in child‐rearing occur along class, race, and gender boundaries.
Participant Retention in the Parents Matter! Program: Strategies and Outcome

We present a discussion of the literature addressing retention of ethnic minority samples in longitudinal studies. In addition, we describe the retention procedures implemented in the Parents Matter! Program (PMP), a community-based sexual risk reduction intervention for African American families. Finally, the results of PMP's retention strategies are presented.
Photocyclization of benzalcycloalkanone oximes. A photoannulation route to quinolines.

Abstract Photolysis of benzalcycloalkanone oxime derivatives in acidic methanol produces quinoline derivatives in good yields. A three step quinoline annulation of cyclic ketones is described.
Mapping the indoor radon potential in New York at the township level

Abstract A combination of approximately 51,000 basement-screening measurements, 6500 long-term measurements, and correlations to surficial geology was used to develop radon maps on the township level that indicate the percentage of homes with ≥148 Bq m −3 (4 pCi L −1 ) in the indoor air of basements and living areas. The indoor radon geometric mean concentration and geometric standard deviation of the mean were estimated for all towns in New York State, using both empirical and Bayesian regression techniques to combine surficial geology correlations with the measurement data. For the 342 towns with >30 measurements, results obtained using the two methods were equivalent ( r 2 = 0.96). Over 50% of the houses in 212 towns contain basement-level radon concentrations ≥148 Bq m −3 . Results of long-term living-area radon risk estimates and an earlier random survey results agreed within 20%, demonstrating that the maps can be used to reliably assess residential radon exposure. For the single county examined, a strong correlation ( r 2 = 0.96) of soil permeability with radon concentration demonstrated the utility of soil survey maps for estimating radon potential.
Large survivable nets and the generalized prisms

Abstract For a graph G with vertices labeled 1,2,…,n and a permutation α in Sn, the α-generalized prism over G, α(G), consists of two copies of G, say Gx and Gy, along with the edges (xi,yα(i)), for 1 ⩽ i ⩽ n. In [Discrete Appl. Math. 30 (1991) 229–233], the importance of building large graphs by using generalized prisms is indicated, and the connectivity of the generalized prisms is discussed. Letf(G) denote a graphical measure of G, and let F f(G) denote the maximum value of F(H) taken over all subgraphs H of G. When f is a vulnerability measure, networks G with Ff(G) = F f(G) would usually be regarded as survivable, for a knowledgeable enemy would find no especially attractive targets. In this note, we investigate sufficient conditions for Ff(α(G)) = F f(α(G)) , for any αϵS ¦v(G)¦ , where Ff is the connectivity, edge-connectivity, or the minimum degree. As a result, we obtain a method to produce large survivable networks by repeatedly taking generalized prisms, and extend some results in [Discrete Appl. Math. 30 (1991) 229–233]. Related polynomial algorithms are discussed.
Research Mentoring and Women in Clinical Psychology

The main question explored in this study is whether a woman's choice to do research during her career as a clinical psychologist is associated with having had a research mentor. A sample of 616 women, all members of the American Psychological Association holding a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, completed a survey about their experience with a research mentor. The data show that research mentoring is positively related to a woman in clinical psychology doing research and whether she, in turn, becomes a research mentor for others. The responses of the participants suggest that a model of mentoring that involves relevant training and practical experience in research may increase the likelihood that female clinical psychologists will choose to do research as part of their careers.
Microfracture and Ability to Return to Sports After Cartilage Surgery

Microfracture is a simple, effective first-line treatment for small articular cartilage defects in the knee joint. The lesions should be isolated to the articular cartilage with no loss of bone and have a circumferential shoulder of intact cartilage. Postoperative rehabilitation involves 4-6 weeks of protected weight bearing and continuous passive motion. Younger, lighter patients with a shorter duration of symptoms have better outcomes after microfracture. Femoral lesions are associated with better outcomes than patellofemoral lesions are. The repair tissue generated by microfracture is fibrous with uncertain durability, especially in more active patients. Athletes can return to sport after articular cartilage surgery, but the data regarding this are relatively limited. Optimal indications, rehabilitation, timing of return to sport, and durability of repair deserve further study in the athletic patient population.