cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Static quenching of tryptophan fluorescence in proteins by a dioxomolybdenum(VI) thiolate complex

Abstract The binding of cis-dioxobis(dithiocarbamato) molybdenum(VI) with the proteins bovine serum albumin, human serum albumin, lysozyme, and free tryptophan was studied using fluorescence spectroscopy and Stern–Volmer kinetics. The quenching of tryptophan fluorescence was determined to be static with binding constants on the order of 104–105 M−1, and with a binding site number of one. The interaction was studied over a range of temperatures, and the binding was found to be exothermic with a negative change in entropy. Quantum chemical calculations were also conducted to identify optimal spatial contacts and the resulting energetic contributions between the complex and free tryptophan.
Slow flow past periodic arrays of cylinders with application to heat transfer

Abstract Solutions for the slow flow past a square and a hexagonal array of cylinders are determined using a somewhat non-conventional numerical method. The calculated values of the drag on a cylinder as a function of c , the volume fraction of the cylinders, are shown to be in excellent agreement with the corresponding asymptotic expressions for c ⪡ 1 and for c → c max , the maximum volume fraction. These solutions are then used to calculate the average temperature difference between the bulk and the cylinders which are heated uniformly under conditions of small Reynolds and Peclet numbers.
Managing an Open Access, Multi-Institutional, International Digital Library: The Digital Library of the Caribbean.

Developing an Open Access, multi-institutional, multilingual, international digital library requires robust technological and institutional infrastructures that support both the needs of individual institutions alongside the needs of the growing partnership and ensure continuous communication and development of the shared vision for the digital library as a whole. This article explains the methods and factors that have led to the Digital Library of the Caribbean's success in building the necessary infrastructure, following the initial planning to the current stage of development, along with how challenges were met and the challenges that remain.
A rapid, novel High Performance Liquid Chromatography method for the purification of Glutathione S-transferase: An application to the human placental enzyme

Abstract A simple High Performance Liquid Chromatography procedure is detailed for the purification of Glutathione S-transferase. The human placental transferase was used to assess its potential. Unlike conventional methods of purification, the procedure is rapid and resolution of the various forms is achieved in less than 20 min. Since recovery is essentially complete, it is possible to isolate different minor forms. Three forms, one major and two minor, were separated. The major form represented about 97% of the total recovered activity and exhibited a specific activity of 254.94 μmoles/min/mg protein with a purification of 1342-fold. Electrophoresis of the major form revealed the presence of a single band, suggesting homogeneity.
Simultaneous Peak and Average Power Optimization in Synchronous Sequential Designs Using Retiming and Multiple Supply Voltages

In this paper, we present a combination of basic retiming and multiple voltage scheduling (MVS) techniques in order to optimize dynamic peak power as well as average power consumption in synchronous sequential circuits under timing constraints. First, we devise a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation for the problem of scheduling for optimal peak and/or average power consumption through a unification of retiming and MVS techniques. Then, to alleviate the problem of variable explosion in MILP, we present a two-stage algorithm for peak and average power optimization. First, power-oriented retiming is proposed to restructure the input SDFG in order to achieve parallelization to favor nodes with high power consumption followed by an MILP formulation for peak and/or average power optimization using MVS technique.
Microsystems for biomedical and sensing applications

Biomedical and sensor applications are growing apace and present a new set of challenges for integrated circuit and system designers. In this session, five papers representing advances in these research areas will be presented.
Effect of internal optical loss on threshold characteristics of semiconductor lasers with a quantum-confined active region

We develop a general approach to including the internal optical loss in the description of semiconductor lasers with a quantum-confined active region. We assume that the internal absorption loss coefficient is linear in the free-carrier density in the optical confinement layer and is characterized by two parameters, the constant component and the net cross section for all absorption loss processes. We show that, in any structure where the free-carrier density does not pin in the presence of light generation, the free-carrier-density dependence of internal loss gives rise to the existence of a second lasing threshold above the conventional threshold. Above the second threshold, the light-current characteristic is two-valued up to a maximum current at which the lasing is quenched. We show that the presence of internal loss narrows considerably the region of tolerable structure parameters in which the lasing is attainable; for example, the minimum cavity length is significantly increased. Our approach is quite general but the numerical examples presented are specific for quantum dot (QD) lasers. Our calculations suggest that the internal loss is likely to be a major limiting factor to lasing in short-cavity QD structures.
The Knowledge-Inducing Culture — An Integrative Framework of Cultural Enablers of Knowledge Management

Organisational cultural factors are key to knowledge management effectiveness. Existing research on cultural factors that facilitate knowledge management has been fragmented. This paper proposes a theoretical framework that integrates existing research on cultural factors that influence knowledge management. This framework incorporates three cultural categories: cultural factors related to the orientation to knowledge, cultural factors related to the orientation to people and cultural factors related to the orientation to work. Each category influences knowledge management in a different way, related to the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainability of knowledge management. This framework has significant implications for practice and research.
The effect of conviction on the legitimate income of criminals

Abstract I show that for many crimes the effect of reduced income from conviction constitutes a major penalty and that the absolute size of this penalty seems to be positively related to the level of the criminal's preconviction income.
Bacteriology in the etiopathogenesis of pouchitis.

Background: Pouchitis is the most common long-term complication in ulcerative colitis that follows restorative proctocolectomy. Clinical evidence suggests that dy
En1 and Wnt7a interact with Dkk1 during limb development in the mouse.

Abstract Wnt signaling plays an essential role in induction and development of the limb. Missing digits are one consequence of the reduced Wnt signaling in Wnt7a null mice, while extra digits result from excess Wnt signaling in mice null for the Wnt antagonist Dkk1. The extra digits and expanded apical ectodermal ridge (AER) of Dkk1-deficient mice closely resemble En1 null mice. To evaluate the in vivo interaction between En1 and the canonical Wnt signaling pathway, we generated double and triple mutants combining the hypomorphic doubleridge allele of Dkk1 with null alleles of En1 and Wnt7a. Reducing Dkk1 expression in Dkk1d/+Wnt7a−/− double mutants prevented digit loss, indicating that Wnt7a acts through the canonical pathway during limb development. Reducing Dkk1 levels in Dkk1d/dEn1−/− double mutants resulted in severe phenotypes not seen in either single mutant, including fused bones in the autopod, extensive defects of the zeugopod, and loss of the ischial bone. The subsequent elimination of Wnt7a in Dkk1d/dEn1−/−Wnt7a−/− triple mutants resulted in correction of most, but not all, of these defects. The failure of Wnt7a inactivation to completely correct the limb defects of Dkk1d/dEn1−/− double mutants indicates that Wnt7a is not the only gene regulated by En1 during development of the mouse limb.
Assessing the Performance of Municipal Police Services Using Data Envelopment Analysis: An Exploratory Study

GOVERNMENT at all levels—federal, state, and local—is becoming increasingly interested in performance measurement. At the national level, federal departments are busily engaged in gearing up for implementation of the Government Performance and Results Act of 1993 (Public Law 103-62). The Act requires federal departments to develop performance measures, with an emphasis on outcome performance measures, for their various programs beginning with FY 1998 (GAO 1995). At the state level, Florida, Texas, and Maine have launched their own major performance measurement initiatives (Texas State Auditor’s Office 1997; Florida Office 1997; State of Maine 1997). Several states (e.g., Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, and Minnesota) are busily engaged in statewide and community “benchmarking” programs (FCGAP 1996a). Three of the better known benchmarking efforts are “Oregon Options” (Oregon Progress Board 1994), “Minnesota Milestones” (Minnesota Planning 1996), and “Florida Benchmarks” (FCGAP 1996b). The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB), in conjunction with a select group of state and local governments, has also been experimenting for some time now with performance measurement, or what Assessing the Performance of Municipal Police Services Using Data Envelopment Analysis: An Exploratory Study
Steel, Administered Prices and Inflation

I. Introduction, 16. — II. "Administered prices," 18. — III. The problem in steel, 20. — IV. Interdependence of costs and prices, 21. — V. Price determination in steel, 23. — VI. The crisis of 1959, 29. — VII. Public policy, 35. — Epilogue, 38.
Pet Possession and Well-Being in Elderly Women

The purpose of this article is to identify factors related to subjective well-being in the elderly. Structured interviews were conducted with 1073 white married women aged 65-75 living in Maryland ...
A brief water excursion: introducing computer organization students to a water driven 1-bit half-adder

This paper describes our experiences in incorporating a brief discussion of simple computations powered by water into the standard Computer Organization course. We describe our goals in introducing this concept to students, our methods for doing so, and our subsequent experiences in building a working 1-bit half-adder powered by water. We also describe a set of videos and Flash animations that can be used by others who wish to quickly demonstrate water based computations to their students via the world wide web.
Apathy, but not depression, reflects inefficient cognitive strategies in Parkinson's disease.

Background The relationship between apathy, depression and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) is still controversial. The objective of this study is to investigate whether apathy and depression are associated with inefficient cognitive strategies in PD.
Electron Transition Current Density in Molecules. 2. Ab Initio Calculations for Electronic Transitions in Ethylene and Formaldehyde

We present the first examples of ab initio calculations of electron transition current density (TCD) for vibrational transitions in molecules. The non-Born−Oppenheimer (non-BO) theoretical expressi...
A new art-based neural architecture for pattern classification and image enhancement without prior knowledge

Abstract The visual field is not perceived as an array of independent picture points. Instead, it is usually seen as consisting of a relatively small number of patterns. Whenever a picture is converted from one form to another, e.g. imaged, copied, scanned, transmitted, or displayed, the “quality” of the output picture may be lower than that of the input. In the absence of knowledge about how the given picture was actually degraded, it is difficult to predict in advance how effective a particular enhancement method will be. In this paper, the formulation of a new neural architecture is presented based on adaptive resonance theory (ART), for the pattern classification and image enhancement in the presence of noise without prior knowledge. The underlying theory and the improvement of the ART model are first investigated in classifying optical character patterns. Based upon the result, the two-layer ART model is incorporated into a four-layer neural network which is proposed whereby pre-established generalized enhancement templates are used as region or contour detection exemplars in order to fill in the gaps and eliminate the noise in a pattern without any prior knowledge of the image itself.
Canonical Correlation Programs: a Comparative Analysis of Performance

This study was designed to compare and contrast generally available computer programs which provide canonical correlation analysis. The same set of data was analyzed by each of four canonical correlation programs. The four programs compared came from the Biomedical Computer Programs (BMD), Miami Multivariate Statistical Programs (Miami), Statistical Analysis System (SAS), and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Following the analyses detailed comparisons were tabulated using the following criteria: (1) Run Characteristics, (2) Limitations, and (3) Analysis Features and Options. The newer programs (i.e., SPSS CANCORR and SAS CANCORR) tended to have more features and greater versatility. However, each program had certain uniquenesses which might make it more nearly appropriate for a given analysis requirement.
A simple qualitative method for the detection of nucleases.

Abstract A simple and specific qualitative assay was developed for nucleases which degrade nucleic acids to nucleotides or small oligonucleotides. Reaction mixtures containing ethidium bromide complexed with nucleic acid lost fluorescence as the result of nucleolytic activity. The assay is adaptable for use with both deoxyribonucleases and ribonucleases, and is especially useful in detecting nuclease activity in column effluents.
Recreational Business Districts in Gulf of Mexico Seaside Resorts

Within the body of literature addressing tourism imprints upon the cultural landscape, the recreational business district (RBD) has been identified as a key component of a resort area, and the seaside has been no exception. Comprised of tourist-oriented businesses and historically focused upon the beach, incipient RBDs evolved at seaside termini of railroads, highways, and footpaths. Construction of bathhouses, casinos or beach hotels at these sites was followed by nearby clustering of secondary and tertiary recreational enterprises. Lateral expansion of coastal roads often led to RBD elongation, but RBD core areas usually remained as the central focus of tourist activity. Variations in RBD development have resulted from shifts in beach access corridors and/or ‘redevelopment’ of older resort landscapes. Along the shores of the Gulf of Mexico, the RBD persists as an artifact of the touristic landscape.
Aβ-independent roles of apolipoprotein E4 in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease

Human apolipoprotein (APO) E has three common isoforms that differentially affect lipid and neuronal homeostasis. APOE4 , the major known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease (AD), increases the occurrence and lowers the age of onset of AD. APOE4 carriers account for 65–80% of all AD cases, highlighting the importance of APOE4 in AD pathogenesis. Emerging data suggest that APOE4 contributes to AD through various pathways, some of which are dependent on amyloid-β (Aβ). Although these Aβ-dependent roles of APOE4 have been widely studied, APOE4 has detrimental effects on neurons independent of Aβ: aberrant proteolysis of APOE4 generates neurotoxic fragments, stimulates Tau phosphorylation, which disrupts the cytoskeleton, and impairs mitochondrial function.
Effect of Trapping Method on Leukocyte Profiles of Black-Chested Spiny-Tailed Iguanas (Ctenosaura melanosterna): Implications for Zoologists in the Field

When wild animals are captured for zoological research, researchers must choose a method of capture, and often this can be some form of passive, baited cage trap, or a direct capture with nets or nooses. If information on basal levels of circulating leukocytes is a goal, these two methods may provide different information, since recent evidence indicates that animals that enter cage traps experience stress, and, elevated stress hormones are known to alter leukocyte numbers in circulation by lowering lymphocyte and raising heterophil numbers. We tested this idea using a study of Black-chested Spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura melanosterna), which were captured using cage traps (𝑛=23) and noose (𝑛=27). Based on cell counts made from blood smears, iguanas caught with cage traps had significantly greater relative and absolute numbers of heterophils and higher heterophil-lymphocyte (H-L) ratios than those captured by noose. Cage-trapped animals also had a nonsignificant reduction in lymphocyte numbers. Similar trends were observed in animals captured with both methods. These patterns are consistent with the effects of stress hormones on white blood cell distributions and indicate that caution must be taken in interpreting leukocyte data from studies of wild animals captured with cage traps.
Cleavage of the polyadenylate-rich region of polyadenylate-rich RNA

Abstract The polyadenylate-rich portion of rapidly-labeled polyribosomal RNA isolated from lymphocytes or adrenal cortex was cleaved by a ribonuclease co-purifying with this RNA and retaining activity despite exposure to SDS and phenol. A ribosomal factor which inhibited the digestion of polyriboadenylate-rich RNA by the associated ribonuclease was partially purified. Cleavage of the polyadenylic acid-rich region was associated with the loss of RNA-directed binding of 3 H-met-tRNA to ribosomes, suggesting a possible role for the polyadenylic acid-rich region in mRNA translation.
Molecular basis of the potential of vitamin D to prevent cancer.

ABSTRACTObjective: To review current research findings in cell biology, epidemiology, preclinical, and clinical trials on the protective effects of vitamin D against the development of cancers of the breast, colon, prostate, lung, and ovary. Current recommendations for optimal vitamin D status, the movement towards revision of standards, and reflections on healthy exposure to sunlight are also reviewed.Search methodology: A literature search was conducted in April and updated in September 2007. The Medline and Web of Knowledge databases were searched for primary and review articles published between 1970 and 2007, using the search terms ‘vitamin D’, ‘calcitriol’, ‘cancer’, ‘chemoprevention’, ‘nuclear receptor’, ‘vitamin D receptor’, ‘apoptosis’, ‘cell cycle’, ‘epidemiology’, and ‘cell adhesion molecule’. Articles that focused on epidemiological, preclinical, and clinical evidence for vitamin D's effects were selected and additional articles were obtained from reference lists of the retrieved articles.Find...
Factors Affecting Therapeutic Decisions in Intermediate and Posterior Uveitis

Purpose To evaluate whether cost, insurance prior authorization, pregnancy considerations, and subspecialty practice lead to changes in therapeutic decisions among uveitis and retina specialists in the treatment of intermediate and posterior uveitis. Design Prospective cross-sectional study. Methods A total of 934 uveitis and retina specialists across the United States were surveyed via e-mail regarding their choice in long-term therapy for 3 hypothetical patients with uveitic conditions (Behcet disease, birdshot retinochoroiditis, and intermediate uveitis). Respondents were asked to select first- and second-choice therapies and then reselect first and second choices assuming cost of all options was equal to the patient and there would be no issues with insurance prior authorization. In 1 case, they were additionally asked for their treatment preferences if the patient desired a pregnancy. Outcomes of interest were differences in therapy choice based on cost/prior authorization, pregnancy, and subspecialty practice. Results One hundred and six respondents (11.3%) completed the survey; 44 were uveitis specialists and 62 retina specialists. Cost and prior authorization affected the therapy choices of uveitis specialists treating ocular Behcet disease ( P = .008). Uveitis specialists and retina specialists differed in their first choice in therapy for each vignette when cost and prior authorization were equalized ( P = .0018, P = .0049, and P = .0156). Both uveitis specialists and retina specialists changed their therapeutic choices for intermediate uveitis when pregnancy was a consideration ( P = .00001 for uveitis specialists, P = .0044 for retina specialists). Conclusions Physician decision making in intermediate and posterior uveitis is affected by cost and prior authorization concerns, pregnancy considerations, and subspecialty practice.
Site‐specific sperm agglutination and the timed release of a sperm chemo‐attractant by the egg of the leptomedusan, Orthopyxis caliculata

In Orthopyxis sperm entry apparently occurs at the site of emission of the polar bodies. If sperm are present from the time of spawning of the egg, they agglutinate head to head shortly after emission of the second polar body but only at a point on the egg surface under the second polar body. Since sperm agglutination does not occur elsewhere on the egg, it appears that this part of the surface of the egg of Orthopyxis and probably other hydromedusae is a special membrane patch which causes sperm to bind reversibly both to it, and to each other. The patch develops at a specific time during egg maturation and ceases function at or just after fertilization. Concomitant with the appearance of the patch is the production of a species-specific sperm attractant by the egg. These results imply that the egg has strict control not only of the site and timing of sperm penetration but also of the time during which sperm are attracted to the egg.
NF-κB–YY1–miR-29 Regulatory Circuitry in Skeletal Myogenesis and Rhabdomyosarcoma

Studies support the importance of microRNAs in physiological and pathological processes. Here we describe the regulation and function of miR-29 in myogenesis and rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS). Results demonstrate that in myoblasts, miR-29 is repressed by NF-kappaB acting through YY1 and the Polycomb group. During myogenesis, NF-kappaB and YY1 downregulation causes derepression of miR-29, which in turn accelerates differentiation by targeting its repressor YY1. However, in RMS cells and primary tumors that possess impaired differentiation, miR-29 is epigenetically silenced by an activated NF-kappaB-YY1 pathway. Reconstitution of miR-29 in RMS in mice inhibits tumor growth and stimulates differentiation, suggesting that miR-29 acts as a tumor suppressor through its promyogenic function. Together, these results identify a NF-kappaB-YY1-miR-29 regulatory circuit whose disruption may contribute to RMS.
Scaled electron ionization cross sections in the Born approximation

The results of extensive calculations on cross sections for electron ionization of atomic subshells are presented in a scaled form. In general, the scaling is nonclassical, i.e., does not vary inversely with the square of the ionization potential. Comparison is made of the scaled $2p$ ionization cross section with measurements on Ar and Au, and good agreement is found. Comparison is made with measurements on cross sections for electron ionization of positive ions. The conclusion reached is that for ions with outer shells of low ionization potential, the scaled atomic cross sections are inaccurate, and that for such ions the cross sections are better described by the classical scaling law.
Fusion of acoustic/seismic and GPR detection algorithms

A variety of sensors have been investigated for the purpose of detecting buried landmines in outdoor environments. Mines with little or no metal are very difficult to detect with traditional mine detection systems. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) sensors have shown great promise in detecting low metal mines and can easily detect metal mines. Unfortunately, it can still be difficult to detect low-metal mines with GPR due to very low contrast between the mine and the surrounding medium. Acoustic-seismic systems were proposed by Sabatier et.al. and have also shown great promise in detecting low metal mines. There are now a wealth of references that discuss these systems and algorithms for processing data from these systems. Therefore, they will not be discussed in detail here. In fact, low-metal mines are easier to detect than metal mines with this acoustic-seismic systems. Low metal mines that are difficult for a GPR to detect can be quite easy to detect with acoustic-seismic systems. Sensor fusion with these sensors is of interest since together they can find a broader range of mines with relative ease. The algorithmic challenge is to determine a strategy for combining the multi-sensor information in a way that can increase the probability of detection without increasing the false alarm rate significantly. In this paper, we investigate fusion of information obtained from GPR and acoustic-seismic on real data measured from a mine lane containing three types of buried landmines and also areas containing no landmines. Algorithms are applied to data acquired from each sensor and confidence values are assigned to each location at which a measurement is made by each sensor. The GPR is used as a primary sensor. At each location at which the GPR algorithm declares an alarm, a modified likelihood-based approach is used to increase the GPR derived confidence if the likelihood that a mine is present, defined by the acoustic-based confidence, is larger than the likelihood that no mine is present. If the acoustic-derived confidence is very high, then a declaration is made even if there is no GPR declaration. The experiments were conducted using data acquired from the sensors at different times. The acoustic-seismic system collected data over a subset of the region at which the GPR collected data. Results are given only over those regions for which both sensors collected data.
Ammonia-activated mesoporous carbon membranes for gas separations

Abstract Porous carbon membranes, which generally show improved chemical and thermal stability compared to polymer membranes, have been used in gas separations for many years. In this work, we show that the post-synthesis ammonia treatment of porous carbon at elevated temperature can improve the permeance and selectivity of these membranes for the separation of carbon dioxide and hydrocarbons from permanent gases. Hierarchically structured porous carbon membranes were exposed to ammonia gas at temperatures ranging from 850 °C to 950 °C for up to 10 min and the N2, CO2, and C3H6 permeances were measured for these different membranes. Higher treatment temperatures and longer exposure times resulted in higher gas permeance values. In addition, CO2/N2 and C3H6/N2 selectivities increased by a factor of 2 as the treatment temperature and time increased up to a temperature and time of 900 °C, 10 min. Higher temperatures showed increased permeance but decreased selectivity indicating excess pore activation. Nitrogen adsorption measurements show that the ammonia treatment increased the porosity of the membrane while elemental analysis revealed the presence of nitrogen-containing surface functionalities in the treated carbon membranes. Thus, ammonia treatment at high temperature provides a controlled method to introduce both added microporosity and surface functionality to enhance gas separations performance of porous carbon membranes.
A Stewart-Platform based manipulator: general theory and practical construction

The Stewart Platform is one example of a parallel connection robot manipulator. This paper summarizes work that has been done at Oregon State University over the past several years on this topic. T...
DNA sequence analysis on the IBM-PC

We have developed, for the IBM-PC microcomputer, a menu driven, interactive set of programs which provide the functions routinely used for DNA sequence data analyses.
Crystallinity and electrical properties of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon germanium by RF-PECVD for solar cell application

The deposition process of hydrogenated microcrystalline silicon germanium (μc-SiGe:H) film is developed with Applied Materials' AKT4300 PECVD system (substrate size: 600×720mm2) at the deposition rate up to 5A/s. The crystallinity and the chemical composition are characterized with Raman scattering spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The peak shift of the Si-Si transverse optic (TO) vibration modes by Raman spectra indicates the incorporation of Ge atoms. The peak of the (220) plane by the XRD also shifts to smaller 2-theta value due to increased interplanar spacing. The grain size is calculated around 80∼90A based on the (220) peak position and full width at half maximum (FWHM) and verifies that the film is microcrystalline. The temperature dependent dark and photo conductivity are measured around 1×10−7 and 1×10−5 S/cm respectively which are within the range of microcrystalline. The activation energy is deduced around 1.1∼1.2 eV. The incorporation of Ge atoms changes the crystallinity and electrical properties of the microcrystalline silicon film accordingly while maintains the deposition rate and makes it promising to improve the film quality as the absorber layer in the multi-junction solar cell.
Strategic total quality management—transformation process overview

This paper presents new dimensions for management of quality which is based on a philosophy known as strategic total quality management (STQM). STQM is based on the premise that quality should be determined on the basis of the overall performance of the firm and not solely of the product. STQM therefore takes into account criteria such as product quality, environmental safety, integrity and social responsibility. The new dimensions of quality are introduced as well as a transformation process to achieve STQM.
Evidence for two phenolic glucosides derived from L-tyrosine in sorghum seedlings

Abstract Evidence has been presented for the presence of a phenolic substance which has not been previously reported in sorghum seedlings. The substance is similar to p -hydroxymandelonitrile-β-glucose in that it is derived from D -glucose and L -tyrosine. However, glucose is not released when the material is treated with β-glucosidase although hydrolysis with 1 N H 2 SO 4 for 15 min at 100°C releases glucose and an aromatic compound which reduces silver ions under alkaline conditions. The phenolic material is also different from p -hydroxymandelonitrile-β-glucose in that it reacts with acidic 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine to form a 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone.The maximum absorption of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone is at 370 mμ. When seedlings metabolized DL -tyrosine-2- 14 C the hydrazone isolated contained 14 C. Furthermore the relative specific activity of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazone derived from this phenolic substance was approximately the same when the seedlings metabolized DL -tyrosine-2- 14 C, DL -tyrosine-3- 14 C, L -tyrosine-U- 14 C or D -glucose-U- 14 C. It is suggested the substance may be a precursor of p -hydroxymandelonitrile-β-glucose.
Challenges and proposed improvements for reviewing symptoms and catheter use to identify National Healthcare Safety Network catheter-associated urinary tract infections

Background Retrospective medical record review is used to categorize urinary tract infections (UTIs) as symptomatic, catheter-associated, and/or healthcare-associated to generate National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) surveillance and claims data. We assessed how often patients with UTI diagnoses in claims data had a catheter in place, had documented symptoms, or met the NHSN criteria for catheter-associated UTI (CAUTI). Methods Two physicians retrospectively reviewed medical records for 294 randomly selected patients hospitalized with UTI as a secondary diagnosis, discharged between October 2008 and September 2009 from the University of Michigan. We applied a modification of recent NHSN criteria to estimate how often UTIs in claims data may be an NHSN CAUTI. Results The 294 patients included 193 women (66%). The mean patient age was 63 years, and the median length of hospital stay was 7.5 days. Catheter use was noted for 216 of 294 postadmission records (74%), including 126 (43%) with a Foley catheter. NHSN symptoms were noted in 113 records (38%); 62 (21%) had symptoms other than fever. Of 136 hospitalizations meeting urine culture criteria, 17 (5.8%) met the criteria for a potential NHSN CAUTI. Conclusions Retrospective medical record review to identify symptoms and catheter use is complicated and resource-intensive. Requiring standard documentation of symptoms and catheter status when ordering urine cultures could simplify and improve CAUTI surveillance and its fidelity as a hospital quality indicator.
Modeling, design and thermal performance of a BIPV/T system thermally coupled with a ventilated concrete slab in a low energy solar house: Part 1, BIPV/T system and house energy concept

Abstract This paper is the first of two papers that describe the modeling, design, and performance assessment based on monitored data of a building-integrated photovoltaic-thermal (BIPV/T) system thermally coupled with a ventilated concrete slab (VCS) in a prefabricated, two-storey detached, low energy solar house. This house, with a design goal of near net-zero annual energy consumption, was constructed in 2007 in Eastman, Quebec, Canada – a cold climate area. Several novel solar technologies are integrated into the house and with passive solar design to reach this goal. An air-based open-loop BIPV/T system produces electricity and collects heat simultaneously. Building-integrated thermal mass is utilized both in passive and active forms. Distributed thermal mass in the direct gain area and relatively large south facing triple-glazed windows (about 9% of floor area) are employed to collect and store passive solar gains. An active thermal energy storage system (TES) stores part of the collected thermal energy from the BIPV/T system, thus reducing the energy consumption of the house ground source heat pump heating system. This paper focuses on the BIPV/T system and the integrated energy concept of the house. Monitored data indicate that the BIPV/T system has a typical efficiency of about 20% for thermal energy collection, and the annual space heating energy consumption of the house is about 5% of the national average. A thermal model of the BIPV/T system suitable for preliminary design and control of the airflow is developed and verified with monitored data.
Learning solutions for career plateaus

In this article, we propose a model for organisations to deal with career plateauism, the condition whereby many employees find that opportunities for promotions are limited or non-existent. We argue that career plateauism has become a reality instead of an exception. However, career plateauism is not a only a simple barrier but is also a multi-faceted construct. The different types of plateauism require different interventions. Organisations can better tap the capacity and potential of their employees through designing and deploying different learning solutions for the different types of career plateauism.
Application of Differential Transform Method to Heat Conduction in Tapered Fins

We analyze steady-state heat conduction in a triangular-profile fin using a relatively new, exact series method of solution known as the differential transform method. This method converges with only six terms or less for the cases considered. Its advantage is that, unlike many popular methods, it is an exact method and yet it does not require the use of Bessel or other special functions
Status Attainment Revisited The National Survey of Families and Households

Using data from the National Survey of Families and Households, this article examines factors affecting one's education, occupational prestige, and family income. The size of the data set (N = 9,643) permits us to analyze various factors pertaining to the status attainment according to the particular age group of the respondent. Because the analyses include female respondents, care was taken to incorporate the status attainment of the family along with that of the individual. The results largely support the past research in the area. Some notable findings include that (a) the effects of human capitals on education seem to be on the decline, if not uniformly, particularly regarding race and place of residence; (b) occupational prestiges are strongly affected by factors other than the respondent's own education; and (c) income is relatively unpredictable even when the respondent's marital status, education, and occupational prestiges are included as predictors.
CSP assembly reliability and effects of underfill and double-sided population

The JPL-led MicrotypeBGA Consortium of enterprises representing government agencies and private companies have jointed together to pool in-kind resources for developing the quality and reliability of chip scale packages (CSPs) for a variety of projects. In the process of building the Consortium CSP many challenges were identified regarding aspects of technology implementation. Last year, ball shear test results before and after isothermal aging were presented and compared to ball grid array packages. These package were assembled on single- and double sided printed circuit board (PWB) without and with underfill. These test vehicles are subjected to various environmental tests including four thermal cycling conditions. These cycles represent the extreme harsh accelerated testing in the range of -55 to 125/spl deg/C to a commercial requirement in the range of 0 to 100/spl deg/C. This paper presents the thermal cycling test results to 2,000 cycles performed under different environmental conditions for single- and double-sided assemblies with and without underfill.
Work-function engineering for reduced power and higher integration density: An alternative to sizing for stability in FinFET memory circuits

Data stability of static random access memory (SRAM) circuits has become an important issue with the scaling of CMOS technology. Memory arrays are also important sources of leakage since the majority of transistors are utilized for on-chip memory in today's high performance microprocessors and systems-on-chips. The use of work-function engineering to control the threshold voltage of FinFETs is explored in this paper for achieving minimum sized multi-threshold-voltage (multi-Vt) six transistor (6T) SRAM cells with sufficient data stability and lower leakage power consumption characteristics. A work-function optimization methodology for designing low power and high speed memory circuits is presented. With the proposed multi-Vt design methodology based on gate work-function engineering, the leakage power is reduced by up to 65X as compared to a standard single low threshold voltage (single- low-Vt) SRAM circuit sized for similar data stability in a 32 nm FinFET technology.
Fracture Healing Using Degradable Magnesium Fixation Plates and Screws

Purpose Internal bone fixation devices made with permanent metals are associated with numerous long-term complications and may require removal. We hypothesized that fixation devices made with degradable magnesium alloys could provide an ideal combination of strength and degradation, facilitating fracture fixation and healing while eliminating the need for implant removal surgery. Materials and Methods Fixation plates and screws were machined from 99.9% pure magnesium and compared with titanium devices in a rabbit ulnar fracture model. Magnesium device degradation and the effect on fracture healing and bone formation were assessed after 4 weeks. Fracture healing with magnesium device fixation was compared with that of titanium devices using qualitative histologic analysis and quantitative histomorphometry. Results Micro–computed tomography showed device degradation after 4 weeks in vivo. In addition, 2-dimensional micro–computed tomography slices and histologic staining showed that magnesium degradation did not inhibit fracture healing or bone formation. Histomorphology showed no difference in bone-bridging fractures fixed with magnesium and titanium devices. Interestingly, abundant new bone was formed around magnesium devices, suggesting a connection between magnesium degradation and bone formation. Conclusion Our results show potential for magnesium fixation devices in a loaded fracture environment. Furthermore, these results suggest that magnesium fixation devices may enhance fracture healing by encouraging localized new bone formation.
History of the New York University Physics Department

We trace the history of physics at New York University after its founding in 1831, focusing especially on its relatively recent history, which can be divided into five periods: the Gregory Breit period from 1929 to 1934; the prewar period from 1935 to 1941; the wartime period from 1942 to 1945; the postwar period from around 1961 to 1973 when several semiautonomous physics departments were united into a single all-university department under a single head; and after 1973 when the University Heights campus was sold to New York City and its physics department joined the one at the Washington Square campus. For each of these periods we comment on the careers and work of prominent members of the physics faculty and on some of the outstanding graduate students who later went on to distinguished careers at NYU and elsewhere.
Direct catalytic formation of acetic acid from CO2 and methane

Abstract The direct synthesis of acetic acid from methane and carbon dioxide was investigated. Diffuse reflectance infrared Fourier transform spectroscopy (DRIFTS) experiments showed the formation of an adsorbed acetate on both a 5% Pd/carbon and a 5% Pt/alumina catalyst when the catalyst was exposed to a mixture of methane and carbon dioxide at a temperature of about 400 °C. Temperature programmed reaction (TPR) experiments showed the formation of gas phase acetic acid from carbon dioxide and methane at about 400 °C over a 5% Pt/alumina catalyst.
The Political Ecology of Campaign Contributions in Canada: A Constituency-Level Analysis

This article explores the constituency dimension of campaign financing in the 1984 and 1988 federal elections in Canada. The analysis uncovers considerable variability in the capacity of constituency parties to attract campaign donations. These variations appear to be related to the past local and regional strengths of parties, to the expected closeness of the current contest, and to whether incumbents are running for re-election. Multivariate analyses suggest that these political variables have a broadly consistent impact on fund-raising after other features of the socio-economic diversity of constituencies have been controlled.
The Impact of Learning Technologies on Higher Education

Demand for higher education has created a need for learning technologies that can accommodate the individualized needs of an increasing number of students. Thinking, learning, and memory have been studied extensively in their own right, but additional research on these topics in conjunction with advanced learning technologies is needed. Developers of computerized tutoring systems, massive online courses, and educational games will benefit from forward-thinking studies. Limitations are constantly being lifted, and research must increase in pace to ensure the integrity of upcoming learning technologies. Keywords: learning; technology; intelligent tutoring systems; MOOC
Using patient safety morbidity and mortality conferences to promote transparency and a culture of safety.

Article-at-a-Glance Background Although creating a culture of safety to support clinicians and improve the quality of patient care is a common goal among health care organizations, it can be difficult to envision specific efforts to directly influence organizational culture. To promote transparency and reinforce a nonpunitive attitude throughout the organization, a forum for the open, interdisciplinary discussion of patient safety problems—the Patient Safety Morbidity and Mortality (M&M) Conference—was created at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (Chicago). The intent of the M&M conference was to inform frontline providers about adverse events that occur at the hospital and to engage their input in root cause analysis, thereby encouraging reporting and promoting systems-based thinking among clinicians. Methods Convened under the purview of the organization's quality program, and modeled on the traditional M&M conferences historically used by physicians, the conference is a monthly live meeting at which case studies are presented for retrospective (root cause) analysis by an interdisciplinary audience. Results Since its start in 2003, approximately 60 patient safety M&M programs have been presented. Audiences typically represent a mix of physicians, nurses, pharmacists, management, therapists, and administrative and support staff. Staff perceptions of culture, as measured by the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture, showed statistically significant improvements over time. Discussion Ensuring the patient safety M&M conference program's sustained success requires an ongoing commitment to identifying events of clinical importance and to pursuing the productive discussion of these events in an open and safe forum. Patient safety M&M conferences are a valued opportunity to engage staff in exploring adverse events and to promote transparency and a nonpunitive culture.
Natural scene statistics at the centre of gaze

Early stages of visual processing may exploit the characteristic structure of natural visual stimuli. This structure may differ from the intrinsic structure of natural scenes, because sampling of the environment is an active process. For example, humans move their eyes several times a second when looking at a scene. The portions of a scene that fall on the fovea are sampled at high spatial resolution, and receive a disproportionate fraction of cortical processing. We recorded the eye positions of human subjects while they viewed images of natural scenes. We report that active selection affected the statistics of the stimuli encountered by the fovea, and also by the parafovea up to eccentricities of 4. We found two related effects. First, subjects looked at image regions that had high spatial contrast. Second, in these regions, the intensities of nearby image points (pixels) were less correlated with each other than in images selected at random. These effects could serve to increase the information available to the visual system for further processing. We show that both of these effects can be simply obtained by constructing an artificial ensemble comprised of the highest-contrast regions of images.
Derandomization of Sparse Cyclotomic Integer Zero Testing

The zero testing and sign determination problems of real algebraic numbers of high extension degree are important in computational complexity and numerical analysis. In this paper we concentrate an sparse cyclotomic integers. Given an integer n and a sparse polynomial f(x) = Ckxe(k) + ck-1xe(k-1) + ... + c1xe(1)over Z, we present a deterministic polynomial time algorithm to decide whether f(wn) is zero or not, where f(wn) denotes the n-th primitive root of unity e2piradic(-1/n). All previously known algorithms are either randomized, or do not run in polynomial time. As a side result, we prove that if n is free of prime factors less than k + 1, there exist k field automorphisms sigma1, sigma2, ... , sigmak in the Galois group Gal (Q(wn)/Q) such that for any nonzero integers c1, c2 ... , ck and for any integers 0 les e1 < e2 < ... < ek < n, there exists i so that |sigmai(ckwn ek + ck-1wn e(k-1) + ... + c1wn e(1)) | ges 1/2(k(2)log n+klogk).