cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Nonoverlapping domain decomposition method with preconditioner from asymptotic analysis of steady flow in high contrast media

We present a nonoverlapping domain decomposition method for steady flow in high contrast heterogeneous media modelled by an elliptic equation with coefficients that have very large amplitude variat...
Intraindividual Variability of Sleep Opportunity Attitudes, Perceived Norms, Perceived Behavioral Control, and Intentions.

Background Recent research has used the theory of planned behavior (TPB) to predict sleep. However, this research has focused on between-person effects and has failed to capture the intraindividual variability of sleep-related attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions. Purpose The current study sought to characterize the between- and within-day patterns of these constructs. Methods Participants (N = 79) completed a 1 week ecological momentary assessment protocol in which they reported their attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control, and intentions toward nightly sleep opportunity four times per day. Results Analyses revealed both between- and within-day variability of these constructs, with perceived behavioral control and intentions demonstrating greater variability than attitudes and subjective norms. Mixed linear models revealed that attitudes and subjective norms significantly increased throughout the week, while perceived behavioral control and intentions significantly decreased throughout the day. Conclusions The between- and within-day patterns of the TPB constructs highlight important methodological considerations and provide insight into the potential refinement of sleep promotion efforts.
Introduction: On Not Taking the Hyperlink for Granted

Book description: "Links" are among the most basic—and most unexamined—features of online life. Bringing together a prominent array of thinkers from industry and the academy, The Hyperlinked Society addresses a provocative series of questions about the ways in which hyperlinks organize behavior online. How do media producers' considerations of links change the way they approach their work, and how do these considerations in turn affect the ways that audiences consume news and entertainment? What role do economic and political considerations play in information producers' creation of links? How do links shape the size and scope of the public sphere in the digital age? Are hyperlinks "bridging" mechanisms that encourage people to see beyond their personal beliefs to a broader and more diverse world? Or do they simply reinforce existing bonds by encouraging people to ignore social and political perspectives that conflict with their existing interests and beliefs? This pathbreaking collection of essays will be valuable to anyone interested in the now taken for granted connections that structure communication, commerce, and civic discourse in the world of digital media. See more at: http://www.press.umich.edu/297297/ hyperlinked_society#sthash.APFUH8ip.dpuf Disciplines Communication | Communication Technology and New Media This book chapter is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/410
Hard Work and Heart Work: First-Generation Undocu/DACAmented Collegians, Cultural Capital, and Paying-it-Forward

This critical ethnography highlights how first-generation Latinx undocu/DACAmented collegians who are members of a social and advocacy student organization at a public, historically white instituti...
Retinopathy and Risk of Kidney Disease in Persons With Diabetes.

Rationale & Objective Retinopathy and chronic kidney disease (CKD) are typically considered microvascular complications of diabetes, and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases are considered macrovascular complications; however, all may share common pathological mechanisms. This study quantified the association of retinopathy with risk of kidney disease and compared with the association with cardiovascular disease in persons with diabetes. Study Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting & Participants 1,759 participants in the ARIC study who had diabetes at visit 4 and underwent retinal examination at visit 3. Exposure Retinopathy. Outcome Prevalent CKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] 30mg/g), incident CKD, incident end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), incident coronary heart disease (CHD), and incident stroke. Analytical Approach The cross-sectional association of retinopathy with prevalent CKD and albuminuria was assessed by logistic regression. The associations between retinopathy, incident CKD, incident ESKD, incident CHD, and incident stroke were examined using Cox proportional hazards models. Seemingly unrelated regression was used to compare the strength of association between retinopathy and outcomes. Results During the median follow-up period of 14.2 years, 723 participants developed CKD, and there were 109 ESKD events, 399 CHD events, and 196 stroke events. Compared with the participants without retinopathy, participants with retinopathy were more likely to have reduced eGFR (OR, 1.56 [95% CI, 1.09-2.23]) and UACR>30mg/g (OR, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.24-2.10]). Retinopathy was associated with risk of incident CKD (HR, 1.22 [95% CI, 1.02-1.46]), ESKD (HR, 1.69 [95% CI, 1.11-2.58]), CHD (HR, 1.46 [95% CI, 1.15-1.84]), and stroke (HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.03-1.97]). A stronger relationship was found between retinopathy and CHD when compared with retinopathy and CKD (P=0.03); all other associations were similar. Limitations Retinal examination and kidney measurements were taken at different visits. Conclusions The presence of retinopathy was associated with higher prevalence of kidney disease and higher risk of incident CKD, ESKD, and CHD. These results may suggest that a similar mechanism underlies the development of retinopathy and other adverse outcomes in diabetes.
Offline Repeatability Correlates with Real-Time Performance of Pattern Recognition Controllers

Previous studies have shown that offline classification accuracy does not always correlate with real-time performance. However, the relationships between real-time performance and other offline measures, such as feature space metrics, are not clearly understood. We evaluated controller performance in intact limb (ITL) and amputee (AMP) subjects using online and offline tests in four limb positions and with three limb loads. We quantified the Pearson correlation coefficients between three offline metrics (offline accuracy, repeatability index, separability index) and four real-time metrics (completion rate, remaining time, movement efficacy, stopping efficacy). Our results showed that repeatability index had the strongest correlations with all real-time metrics (ITL: r \(\ge \) 0.91, AMP: r \(\ge \) 0.68). This suggests that pattern recognition control algorithms and training protocols should aim to optimize repeatability as opposed to accuracy or separability.
Screening for depression with the PHQ-9 in young adults affected by HIV.

Abstract Background Major depressive disorder (MDD) is common among young adults with perinatally acquired HIV (YAPHIV), however it is often underdiagnosed and untreated. The PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 are widely used screening instruments for MDD. This study evaluates the accuracy of recommended PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 cut-scores of 10 and 3 for YAPHIV and YA who were perinatally HIV exposed but uninfected (YAPHEU). Methods The PHQ-9 was administered to participants (n = 203) in a longitudinal cohort study using the DISC-IV as the gold standard for diagnosing depression. PHQ-9 and PHQ-2 sensitivity and specificity were calculated. ROC curves were constructed for the overall sample and YAPHIV and YAPHEU subsamples. Results Almost all participants were Black and Latinx, ages 18–29. Overall, the recommended PHQ-9 cut-score of ≥10 yielded a sensitivity of 0.47 (95%CI [0.23,0.72]) and specificity of 0.86 (95%CI [0.80, 0.91]). Results indicate that PHQ-9 cut-scores of 7 and PHQ-2 cut-scores of 2 increased sensitivity to 0.76 (95%CI [0.50, 0.93]) and 0.71(95%CI [0.44,0.90]), and decreased specificity to 0.72 (95%CI [0.65, 0.79]) and 0.73 (95%CI [0.66, 0.79]) respectively. Among subsamples, existing PHQ-9 cut-scores were more accurate for MDD diagnoses in YAPHEU (N = 11) than YAPHIV(N = 6). No race/ethnicity or age differences were found. Limitations Participants were recruited from clinics in NYC and may not reflect all YAPHIV and YAPHEU. Without a white HIV comparison group, no conclusions could be made on the impact of race/ethnicity on optimized PHQ-9 cut-scores. Conclusions Using tailored cut scores for HIV-affected populations may increase identification of those experiencing or at risk for MDD. Given the need for increased depression screening in HIV care, use of optimized cut-scores could benefit at-risk populations in the US and globally.
Structural Modifications of Drug Candidates: How Useful Are They in Improving Metabolic Stability of New Drugs? Part I: Enhancing Metabolic Stability

The drug discovery process in the pharmaceutical industry has undergone a sea change in the last decade due to advances in molecular biology. The design of drugs with optimal potency, pharmacokinetic properties, and less toxicity is challenging given the opposing requirements for absorption and metabolism. This article discusses structural modification of drug candidates. Keywords: drug discovery; molecular biology; drug development; drug metabolism; structural modification
BEHAVIOR AND MAXIMUM STRENGTH OF METAL COLUMNS.

By means of digital computer simulation, the complete load-deformation history of a column may be obtained. Thus, about 1,000 simulated column tests have provided a basis to establish systematically the maximum strength and to study the behavior of both straight and initially crooked columns for various yield point steels and a typical aluminum alloy. The effects of residual stress, alone or in combination with initial crookedness, are systematically evaluated for steel columns.
Mutual coupling in an array of Vivaldi antennas with wide instantaneous bandwidth

Future antenna arrays in radar systems will require wide instantaneous bandwidths. As a result, the mutual coupling in these arrays will need to be characterized in the time domain rather than by the traditional narrow band steady state approaches used today. This paper presents results of time domain mutual coupling investigation of a wideband linear Vivaldi array. It is shown that the coupling effects between the elements distort the signal to some extent; however for moderately wideband signals this array can provides reliable signal transmission/reception with minimal dispersion.
Intuitive Politics: How Moral Intuitions Shape Political Identities and Behavior

In this paper, I lay the groundwork for a new understanding of the origins and consequences of individual political predispositions. Borrowing from recent work in moral psychology, I adopt an intuitionist model. The theory suggests that a diverse set of deep moral intuitions – concerns for care, fairness, loyalty, respect, and purity – structure and constrain cognition in important ways. When individuals are confronted with political stimuli, flashes of positive or negative affect are causally prior to rational considerations. Because it offers a way to open the “black-box” of political predispositions, this new perspective has the potential to structure an integrated theory of individual attitudes and political behavior. I test the claims of the theory with nationally representative survey data collected in 2008. I develop hypotheses that link the intuitions to political orientations and behavior. With estimates of individuals’ moral intuitions derived from a multidimensional item response model, I demonstrate the hypothesized relationships between intuitions and political identification. Individual differences in moral intuitions accounts for differences in partisanship, partisan stability and vote choice in primary and general elections. My results show that the intuitionist model has the potential to greatly increase our understanding of how individuals interact with the political world.
Stock market responses to bank restructuring policies during the East Asian crisis

The East Asian crisis began in Thailand in mid-1997 when an ailing financial sector, a slowdown in exports, and large increases in central bank credit to weak financial institutions, triggered a run on the baht. Then the crisis spread to other countries in the region, as common vulnerabilities, and revaluations of risk in emerging markets, triggered large capital flows. To better understand the impact of different policy responses to financial crises, the authors investigate how stock markets in East Asian countries reacted to the initial policy announcements of bank, and financial restructuring - especially how banking, and non-financial sectors in Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia, and Thailand, fared in response to announcements of different restructuring measures. They find that prices of bank stocks, responded positively to announcements about government guarantees of bank liabilities. Non-financial companies gained in value when guarantees were announced, but their stock prices were negatively affected by announcements favoring public re-capitalization schemes, and generous liquidity support programs. Possibly the market was concerned that public funds per se, would not restore the health of the financial sector - that they would not be sufficient, or would not be used to restructure bank balance sheets, and operations, and allow banks to engage in meaningful corporate restructuring. The announcements of increased public support, have been viewed as a signal that the financial institutions were in a financially weaker position than previously thought.
Thermal expansion of Ce3Bi4Pt3 at ambient and high pressures.

${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ is a cerium compound that exhibits a hybridization gap and concomitant semiconducting behavior in the coherent ground state. Using neutron powder diffraction, we have determined the variation of the lattice constant with temperature at two pressures (P=${10}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ and 17.7 kbar), and determined the bulk modulus and atomic mean-square displacements for ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ and its normal analog, ${\mathrm{La}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$. The thermal expansion \ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\beta} in ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ exhibits a maximum at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathrm{max}}$=50 K at ambient pressure. Below 50 K, the bulk modulus \ensuremath{\Delta}B is proportional to T\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\beta}. We apply a Gr\"uneisen analysis, under the assumption that the free energy exhibits T/${\mathit{T}}_{0}$(V) scaling. The Gr\"uneisen parameter deduced from the ratio \ensuremath{\Delta}B/T\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\beta} is consistent with the value \ensuremath{\Omega}=36 deduced from the pressure variation of ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathrm{max}}$. The analysis allows us to predict the temperature dependence of the 4f specific heat (\ensuremath{\Delta}C\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\beta}/\ensuremath{\Omega}), which thus has a maximum at 50 K and a high-temperature entropy nearly equal the expected value R ln6. We argue that the maximum at 50 K reflects an (indirect) hybridization gap of order 100 K. We show further that the lattice constant anomaly \ensuremath{\Delta}${\mathit{a}}_{0}$ is proportional to the effective moment T\ensuremath{\chi}; this suggests that a relationship known to be valid for antiferromagnets, namely \ensuremath{\partial}(T\ensuremath{\chi})/\ensuremath{\partial}T\ensuremath{\propto}\ensuremath{\Delta}C where \ensuremath{\Delta}C is the specific heat, may be valid for ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$. Finally, we show that the temperature dependence of the mean-square atomic displacements is nearly identical for ${\mathrm{Ce}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ and ${\mathrm{La}}_{3}$${\mathrm{Bi}}_{4}$${\mathrm{Pt}}_{3}$ and can be fitted by a simple Debye-Waller model; hence the expansion anomaly does not affect the average lattice dynamics.
Using Correspondence Analysis to Combine Classifiers

Several effective methods have been developed recently for improving predictive performance by generating and combining multiple learned models. The general approach is to create a set of learned models either by applying an algorithm repeatedly to different versions of the training data, or by applying different learning algorithms to the same data. The predictions of the models are then combined according to a voting scheme. This paper focuses on the task of combining the predictions of a set of learned models. The method described uses the strategies of stacking and Correspondence Analysis to model the relationship between the learning examples and their classification by a collection of learned models. A nearest neighbor method is then applied within the resulting representation to classify previously unseen examples. The new algorithm does not perform worse than, and frequently performs significantly better than other combining techniques on a suite of data sets.
Dorsal and intermediate neuronal cell types of the spinal cord are established by a BMP signaling pathway

We have studied the role of Bmp signaling in patterning neural tissue through the use of mutants in the zebrafish that disrupt three different components of a Bmp signaling pathway: swirl/bmp2b, snailhouse/bmp7 and somitabun/smad5. We demonstrate that Bmp signaling is essential for the establishment of the prospective neural crest and dorsal sensory Rohon-Beard neurons of the spinal cord. Moreover, Bmp signaling is necessary to limit the number of intermediate-positioned lim1+ interneurons of the spinal cord, as observed by the dramatic expansion of these prospective interneurons in many mutant embryos. Our analysis also suggests a positive role for Bmp signaling in the specification of these interneurons, which is independent of Bmp2b/Swirl activity. We found that a presumptive ventral signal, Hh signaling, acts to restrict the amount of dorsal sensory neurons and trunk neural crest. This restriction appears to occur very early in neural tissue development, likely prior to notochord or floor plate formation. A similar early role for Bmp signaling is suggested in the specification of dorsal neural cell types, since the bmp2b/swirl and bmp7/snailhouse genes are only coexpressed during gastrulation and within the tail bud, and are not found in the dorsal neural tube or overlying epidermal ectoderm. Thus, a gastrula Bmp2b/Swirl and Bmp7/Snailhouse-dependent activity gradient may not only act in the specification of the embryonic dorsoventral axis, but may also function in establishing dorsal and intermediate neuronal cell types of the spinal cord.
mir-181a-1/b-1 Modulates Tolerance through Opposing Activities in Selection and Peripheral T Cell Function

Understanding the consequences of tuning TCR signaling on selection, peripheral T cell function, and tolerance in the context of native TCR repertoires may provide insight into the physiological control of tolerance. In this study, we show that genetic ablation of a natural tuner of TCR signaling, mir-181a-1/b-1, in double-positive thymocytes dampened TCR and Erk signaling and increased the threshold of positive selection. Whereas mir-181a-1/b-1 deletion in mice resulted in an increase in the intrinsic reactivity of naive T cells to self-antigens, it did not cause spontaneous autoimmunity. Loss of mir-181a-1/b-1 dampened the induction of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis and reduced basal TCR signaling in peripheral T cells and their migration from lymph nodes to pathogenic sites. Taken together, these results demonstrate that tolerance can be modulated by microRNA gene products through the control of opposing activities in T cell selection and peripheral T cell function.
Ecological and evolutionary significance of pelagic spermatophores of vermetid gastropods

Sperm are disseminated in vermetid gastropods by spermatophores released freely into the ocean. Spermatophores from 7 species of vermetids, including 3 genera, were obtained from reproductively active males or offshore plankton tows or both. Each vermetid spermatophore consists of a sperm mass containing highly ordered eupyrene and apyrene sperm enveloped concentrically by 3 transparent capsules. Generic and specific differences occur in the size, shape and composition of the sperm mass and capsule. The complexly layered spermatophore is assembled in the male reproductive tract, which includes and elaborate set of pallial reproductive glands for capsule production. Spermatophores are liberated by males into the seawater, and there dispersed by water movements. Some of these drifting spermatophores become entangled in the mucous feeding nets of female vermetids and are then activated by feeding movements. Activation of the complex ejaculatory apparatus appears to result from an interplay of osmotic and mechanical mechanisms. Spermatophores remain viable in the laboratory for 12 to 20 h after release from the male; after 20 h, the sperm mass breaks down and the sperm become immotile. Plankton tows capture some spermatophores with motile sperm and others in which sperm are no longer active. Evolutionary implications of the relationship between production of pelagic spermatophores, sessile mode of life and other aspects of vermetid biology are discussed.
SPH for incompressible free-surface flows. Part I: Error analysis of the basic assumptions

Abstract We provide a quantitative error analysis of the fundamental assumptions of weak compressibility and kernel interpolation in SPH for incompressible free-surface flows. This provides a framework for understanding many of the existing SPH variations. Weak compressibility generates spurious high-frequency acoustic solutions. We quantify acoustic eigensolutions, demonstrating that these can dominate the dynamics (more so than the kinematics) in SPH. Kernel interpolation consistency is affected when particle distributions are non-uniform and near boundaries. We show that for non-uniform distributions obtained from the SPH governing equations, second order consistency is retained. Near the free surface, however, kernel interpolation implicitly imposes local spurious accelerations. These, in the presence of weak compressibility, are manifest in high-frequency acoustic dynamics of the order of gravity g throughout the domain. We identify instability mechanisms in the presence of density non-uniformities that result in unstable temporal growth of both depth decaying and depth oscillatory modes. The latter are also identified as spurious high-frequency SPH errors. We illustrate all of these findings in the simplest case of a hydrostatic problem. Finally, we discuss the performance of existing treatments to SPH in the context of the present findings.
ISOLATION OF ADENOSINE DEAMINASE (ADA) cDNA SEQUENCES, CONTAINING THE ACTIVE SITE, BY COMPLEMENTATION IN ESCHERICHIA COLI: 45

ISOLATION OF ADENOSINE DEAMINASE (ADA) cDNA SEQUENCES, CONTAINING THE ACTIVE SITE, BY COMPLEMENTATION IN ESCHERICHIA COLI: 45
Free agency, owner incentives, and the national football league players association

In an effort to raise salaries in professional football, the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA) has demanded that NFL owners set aside 55 percent of gross revenues to fund a union wage scale. An alternative means of raising salaries, as evidenced by the relatively higher earnings in major league baseball and professional basketball, is through a free agent system wherein players are free to sell themselves in the open market. This paper examines the NFLPA’s claim that free agency will not work in the NFL because owners lack the financial incentive to win that would induce them to bid on free agents.
The significance of father's presence for offspring survival in the monogamous California mouse, Peromyscus californicus

Abstract Abstract. The effects of male removal on offspring survival and growth were examined in Peromyscus californicus under three laboratory conditions: (1) warm ambient temperatures with food and water freely available, (2) warm ambient temperatures when parents were required to forage for food (i.e. wheel running) and (3) cold ambient temperatures with food and water freely available. The presence of the father had no effect on offspring survival in warm ambient temperatures, but father's presence enhanced infant survivorship in cold ambient temperatures and when parents had to forage to obtain food. Infants that survived, with or without their father, were similar in body mass from birth to weaning. Male care has probably evolved in P. californicus because paternal investment enhances offspring survival under natural conditions.
Environmental and stand management influences on soil CO2 efflux across the range of loblolly pine

Abstract Managed loblolly pine forests comprise an important pool in the global carbon cycle. Understanding the factors impacting fluxes from this pool, including the effects of management activities, will help provide more accurate and precise estimates of carbon pools and allow landowners and policy makers to better manage loblolly pine stands for carbon sequestration. Specific to this study, we sought to create regional models for soil CO2 efflux (Rs) using data collected from 154 plots across 11 states representing the managed range of loblolly pine in the southeastern United States. We also examined an index of heterotrophic respiration (Rh) using root free soil incubations. Additionally, these data were examined to determine the effects of fertilization and thinning on Rs and Rh index. The Rs model (R2 = 0.56) included soil temperature, latitude, a soil moisture by soil temperature effect, soil nitrogen, and bulk density variables. The Rh index (R2 = 0.45) model included soil moisture, temperature, percent coarse fragments, and elevation. Rs was not significantly affected by either fertilization or thinning, yet Rh index was influenced by both (negatively and positively, respectively). This indicates a shift in relative contributions of heterotrophic respiration and root respiration components to Rs in response to these treatments.
A Multipath Secure Routing Protocol Based on Malicious Node Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks

It is a significant challenge to design a secure routing protocol for wireless sensor network (WSN), because a WSN has dynamic topology, limited energy, confined computing ability and small memory size. This study explores the algorithm of ensuring security in routing layer for a WSN. In this paper, a multipath secure routing protocol for flat network--MDMP is proposed. Symmetric encryption and asymmetric encryption are exploited to encrypt and authenticate data in the network. Furthermore, malicious nodes will be detected out and isolates. Experiments show that MDMP provides effective immunity to a variety of attacks in WSN and better network performance.
Active Knee Rehabilitation Orthotic Device With Variable Damping Characteristics Implemented via an Electrorheological Fluid

This paper presents a novel, smart, and portable active knee rehabilitation orthotic device (AKROD) that provides variable damping at the knee joint, controlled in ways that can facilitate motor recovery in poststroke and other neurological disease patients, and to accelerate recovery in knee injury patients. The key features of AKROD include a compact, lightweight design, with highly tunable resistive torque capabilities through a variable damper component that is achieved through an electrorheological fluid (ERF) smart brake. Closed-loop torque and velocity controllers based on adaptive nonlinear control methodologies were developed and successfully implemented on the ERF brake. Preliminary testing of AKROD was performed using nine healthy subjects executing a set of isokinetic and isotonic exercises. These results were compared with exactly the same tests performed on a modern day computer controlled rehabilitation resistance machine, a Biodex System 3. The results showed comparable accuracy and repeatability between the two devices.
Effects of hot working on the microstructure of Ti-base alloys

The titanium community has diverged in its approach to thermomechanical processing depending on the subclass of alloys being studied; conventional disorder alloys as opposed to intermetallic aluminides. For conventional α/β and near-β alloys, research has centered on schemes to enhance secondary processing such as superplastic forming or net shape forging. The ability to enhance the envelope of engineering properties through controlled working operations to gain precise control of the microstructure continues to drive research. Ordered aluminide alloys remain difficult to process due to their limited ductility and high strain rate/temperature sensitivity. Isothermal and ‘near-isothermal’ processes remain crucial to successful breakdown and microstructural refinement in the Ti2AlNb ‘orthorhombic’ and the TiAl ‘γ’ systems. This overview attempts to highlight these issues using examples from recent studies on Ti–4.4Al–5Mo–2Cr–1Ni (wt.%) a high β volume fraction α/β alloy, Ti–22Al–27Nb (at.%) an orthorhombic alloy and Ti–47Al–2Nb–2Cr–1Mo (at.%) a near-γ alloy.
Predicting the relative effectiveness of direct versus indirect selection for oat yield in three types of stress environments

In breeding crop varieties for stress environments, it must be decided whether to select directly, in the presence of stress, or indirectly, in a nonstress environment. The relative effectiveness of these two strategies depends upon the genetic correlation (r g ) between yield in stress and nonstress environments and upon heritability in each. These parameters were estimated for grain yield of 116 random oat lines grown in nonstress, P-deficient, N-deficient, and late-planted environments. Estimates of r g between yield in nonstress and yield in P-deficient, N-deficient, and late-planted environments were 0.52±0.24, 1.08±0.16, and 0.06±0.24, respectively. No consistent relationship between heritability and environment mean yield was observed. Direct selection in the presence of stress was predicted to be superior for yield in low-P and late-planted environments, but indirect selection in high-N environments was predicted to be as effective as direct selection in producing yield gain in low-N environments. These results confirm that neither high-yield environments nor environments in which the heritability of yield is maximized are necessarily optimum when the goal is to maximize yield gain in stress environments.
TGF-β signaling to T cells inhibits autoimmunity during lymphopenia-driven proliferation

T cell-specific deletion of the receptor for transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mediated by Cre recombinase expressed early in T cell development leads to early-onset lethal autoimmune disease that cannot be controlled by regulatory T cells. However, when we deleted that receptor through the use of Cre driven by a promoter that is active much later in T cell development, adult mice in which most peripheral CD4(+) or CD8(+) T cells lacked the receptor for TGF-β showed no signs of autoimmunity. Because of their enhanced responses to weak stimulation of the T cell antigen receptor, when transferred into lymphopenic recipients, naive TGF-β-unresponsive T cells underwent much more proliferation and differentiation into effector cells and induced lymphoproliferative disease. We propose that TGF-β signaling controls the self-reactivity of peripheral T cells but that in the absence of TGF-β signals, an added trigger such as lymphopenia is needed to drive overt autoimmune disease.
On the grammar of extraction and coordination

This paper examines English unbounded dependency constructions and concludes that the syntactic mechanism responsible for extraction operates in the same way in all constructions, regardless of the structures being subordinate or coordinate. In other words, this work argues that there is a general and fully uniform mechanism behind the linkage of ‘gaps’ and their ‘fillers’ in the family of constructions that allow such unbounded dependencies. Crucially, this mechanism is devoid of exceptions, and interacts with other aspects outside the grammar of extraction to predict the Coordinate Structure Constraint, ATB extractions, parasitism, and at least certain islands. Although the underlying syntactic mechanism for extraction is argued to work in the same way for all constructions, certain parts of the grammar can locally impose additional conditions on the possible extraction patterns. Along with recent psycholinguistic and neurolinguistic research, it is argued that many apparent exceptions result from independently motivated performance factors, also observed in garden-path sentences and center-embedded constructions.
The Role of the STAS Domain in the Function and Biogenesis of a Sulfate Transporter as Probed by Random Mutagenesis

Sulfate transporters in plants represent a family of proteins containing transmembrane domains that constitute the catalytic part of the protein and a short linking region that joins this catalytic moiety with a C-terminal STAS domain. The STAS domain resembles an anti-sigma factor antagonist of Bacillus subtilis, which is one distinguishing feature of the SLC26 transporter family; this family includes transporters for sulfate and other anions such as iodide and carbonate. Recent work has demonstrated that this domain is critical for the activity of Arabidopsis thaliana sulfate transporters, and specific lesions in this domain, or the exchange of STAS domains between different sulfate transporters, can severely impair transport activity. In this work we generated a Saccharomyces cerevisiae expression library of the A. thaliana Sultr1;2 gene with random mutations in the linking region-STAS domain and identified STAS domain lesions that altered Sultr1;2 biogenesis and/or function. A number of mutations in the β-sheet that forms the core of the STAS domain prevented intracellular accumulation of Sultr1;2. In contrast, the linking region and one surface of the STAS domain containing N termini of the first and second α-helices have a number of amino acids critical for the function of the protein; mutations in these regions still allow protein accumulation in the plasmamembrane, but the protein is no longer capable of efficiently transporting sulfate into cells. These results suggest that the STAS domain is critical for both the activity and biosynthesis/stability of the transporter, and that STAS sub-domains correlate with these specific functions.
Complex permittivities of cyclomaltooligosaccharides (cyclodextrins) over microwave frequencies to 26 GHz

Abstract Complex permittivities (e*) for microwave radiation between 0.5 and 26 GHz have been determined for α-, β-, and γ-cyclodextrins in the solid state at room temperature. For the real component of e*, maxima occur near 0.6 GHz, and the relation β>α>γ is evident across the full-frequency spectrum. Dielectric loss is significant only between 5 and 12 GHz for β- and γ-cyclodextrins with maxima near 7.5 GHz.
What Has Spilled Over from Chinese Cities into Rural Industry

Rural industry in China has played an important role in driving national economic growth and facilitating economic reform over the past two decades. One prominent feature of rural industrialization in China is its geographic concentration around urban centers. Existing literature suggests that the dynamic growth of rural industries should be examined in the context of urban agglomeration because it is an integral part of the post-reform urban expansion. This study considers three possible mechanisms: (1) capital trickle-down from state-owned enterprises in the city, (2) technology spillovers embodied in urban technical personnel moonlighting in and commuting to nearby rural firms, and (3) urban consumer market potential. Statistical analysis of a large county-level data set (1985-91) shows that cities with a large stock of technical personnel and high consumer market potential tend to foster rural nonagricultural growth in the surrounding counties, whereas cities with a high concentration of state industr...
Plasmapore-coated titanium cages for anterior cervical discectomy and fusion.

n this issue of WORLD NEUROSURGERY, Takeuchi et al. assessed fusion rates of Plasmapore-covered titanium I cervical cages compared with noncoated titanium cages in patients who received anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF). Their study was a retrospective cohort study by design and included 30 patients in the Plasmapore-coated titanium cage (PPC) group and 42 patients in the non-Plasmapore-coated titanium cage (N-PPC) group who were followed for at least 24 months. Patients underwent standard 1-level ACDF with no additional cervical instrumentation. All cages were unpacked. Patients were followed at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months by 2 independent observers using flexion and extension radiographs and thin-cut computed tomography scan. Criteria of evaluation were radiologic stabilization and solid bony fusion. There were no surgical or perioperative complications.
Estrous cycle modulation of O6-alkylguanine-DNA alkyltransferase expression in rat mammary epithelial cells

N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU)-induced rat mammary tumor incidence and tumor number per rat, is directly correlated with an increase in the circulating level of estrogen(s) at the time of carcinogen administration and subsequent mammary epithelial O6-methylguanine content. We report that, expression of O6-alkyltransferase (AGT) is also regulated by reproductive hormones in a tissue specific manner. The level of mammary epithelial cell AGT activity on estrus (0.47 pmol/mg protein) and proestrus (0.32) was significantly higher than on metestrus (0.14) (P < 0.05, estrus vs. metestrus). However, no change was observed in liver AGT activity (0.52 pmol/mg protein). In contrast, the mean level of AGT protein was not significantly different between tumors from rats injected with MNU on different days of the estrous cycle. In conclusion, the different tumor biologies resulting from carcinogen injection on different days of the estrous cycle may be partially explained by variation in levels of DNA repair activity. However, the cells in the resulting tumors did not continue an obligatory differential expression of the AGT activity consistent with their stage of initiation.
Recent developments of optical turbulence measurement techniques (Invited Paper)

With the advent of new developments in tracking, pointing, and compensation of laser beams over the past several years, a requirement has been established for increasing knowledge of optical turbulence along the propagation path. This has stimulated the development of new methodologies to sense the refractive index structure parameter (Cn 2) and derived parameters such as the transverse coherence length (r O), the isoplanatic angle (θ O), and the Rytov variance (σχ 2). A historical perspective of these methodologies and instrumentation is presented and both in situ and remote sensing techniques are discussed. Recent designs of r O meters are shown. Of particular interest is the development of techniques to derive turbulence parameters such as Cn 2, the eddy dissipation rate (e ), the inner scale (l O), and the outer scale (L O). Observational results are discussed using sodar and radar of phenomena generating turbulence including gravity wave activity, jet streams, Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities, convection, and frontal activity. Both frequency modulated-continuous wave (FMCW) and mesosphere-stratosphere-troposphere (MST) radar are discussed. New techniques and results are shown examining if the turbulent atmosphere is truly Kolmogorov (how often is the structure function represented by the r2/3 law), stationary, isotropic, and homogeneous. Emerging techniques for sensing turbulence such as optical path profilers and lidar are discussed.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Content Management in the Workplace Community, Context, and a New Way to Organize Writing

The authors report on a multiyear study designed to reveal how introducing a content management system (CMS) in an administrative office at a large organization affects the office’s writing and work practices. Their study found that users implemented the CMS in new and creative ways that the designers did not anticipate and that the choices users made in using the CMS were often driven not by technology but by the social implications the CMS held for their office. By contrasting how writers negotiated specific genres of writing before and after the CMS was introduced, the authors argue for increased attention to providing flexible technologies that enable writers to innovate new tools in response to the social needs of their writing environments. This approach must be driven by research on the implications of technology in workplace communities.
The Passions of the soul and Descartes’s machine psychology

Abstract Descartes developed an elaborate theory of animal physiology that he used to explain functionally organized, situationally adapted behavior in both human and nonhuman animals. Although he restricted true mentality to the human soul, I argue that he developed a purely mechanistic (or material) ‘psychology’ of sensory, motor, and low-level cognitive functions. In effect, he sought to mechanize the offices of the Aristotelian sensitive soul. He described the basic mechanisms in the Treatise on man, which he summarized in the Discourse. However, the Passions of the soul contains his most ambitious claims for purely material brain processes. These claims arise in abstract discussions of the functions of the passions and in illustrations of those functions. Accordingly, after providing an intellectual context for Descartes’s theory of the passions, especially by comparison with that of Thomas Aquinas, I examine its ‘machine psychology’, including the role of habituation and association. I contend that Descartes put forth what may reasonably be called a ‘psychology’ of the unensouled animal body and, correspondingly, of the human body when the soul does not intervene. He thus conceptually distinguished a mechanistically explicable sensory and motor psychology, common to nonhuman and human animals, from true mentality involving higher cognition and volition and requiring (in his view) an immaterial mind.
Computer aided generation of anisotropic constitutive expressions

A procedure for determining the form of polynomial constitutive expressions which describe the response of anisotropic materials is discussed. The procedure employed is such that the essential algebraic computations required may be automatically carried out by a computer program which requires only the order and symmetry of the tensors t,e1,e2,… appearing in the polynomial constitutive expression t = f(e1,e2,…), the degrees to which e1,e2… appear in this expression and the group Γ under which the expression is to be invariant. A Fortran program has been developed which covers all of the 32 crystal classes. The program currently considers only cases where the tensors e1,e2,… are first or second-order tensors but could be readily augmented to consider cases where some of the ei are higher-order tensors.
The costs of rheumatoid arthritis.

Summary The economic costs associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). a chronic. systemic. inflammatory disorder that affects many joints. are high. approximating those of coronary heart disease. The estimated prevalence of RA in the US is 0.9%. Incidence increases with age. and is highest among women in the fourth to sixth decades of life, The primary impact of RA is due to the significant morbidity associated with this disease. Mortality is increased among a poorly defined subgroup of RA patients. The average level of disability among RA patients is moderate. but 6.5 to 12% of patients are severely disabled. Between one- and two-thirds of prev iously employed patients have a reduced work capacity. Treatment primarily involves the use of nonsteroidal anti -inflammatory drugs and disease modifying <lntirheumatic drugs. Rehabilitation measures and orthopaedic surgery are also used. Total annual direct costs of RA (total charges) have been calculated to be $US5275 and $US6099 ( 1991 dollars) per patient. Lifetime medical care charges were estimated at SUS 12578 per patient (1991 dollars). The dircct costs of RA are substantial, but indirect costS have been calculated to be much higher because of extensive morbidity. The difference between the direct and indirect costs of RA is decreasing because salary increases have nOi kept pace with risin g heahhcare costs. The latter arc increasing rapidly in RA because of the use of new technology. surgical procedures. and the greater use of drugs with frequent monitoring requirements and significant toxicity. Because intangible costs such as pain form a substantial part of the overall costs ofRA but are difficult to evaluate. cost estimates inevitably underestimate the impact of the disease on individuals and society.
Effect of Hemodialysis on Intraocular Pressure and Ocular Perfusion Pressure

Importance Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) and decreased ocular perfusion pressure (OPP) are risk factors for glaucoma development and progression. Unrecognized significant IOP elevation or OPP reduction during hemodialysis (HD) could lead to glaucomatous optic nerve damage and subsequent visual loss. Objective To evaluate changes in IOP and OPP during HD. Design, Setting, and Participants A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in patients undergoing HD at an ambulatory care clinic at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Exposures Forty-nine patients (97 eyes) undergoing HD were enrolled. Exclusion criteria included preexisting corneal abnormalities, history of corneal surgery, allergy to topical anesthetic agents, and current eye infection. Nine patients had previous diagnoses of open-angle glaucoma (OAG) or suspected glaucoma. At 3 time points, IOP was measured using a pneumatonometer and blood pressure was recorded. Measurements were made with the patient in a seated position approximately 15 minutes before starting HD (T1), approximately 2 hours after starting HD (T2), and approximately 15 minutes after ending HD (T3). Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and OPP (systolic, diastolic, and mean OPP) were calculated. Main Outcomes and Measures Intraocular pressure and OPP. Results From T1 to T3, IOP significantly increased by 3.1 mm Hg (both eyes, P P = .05), and all OPP measures significantly decreased from baseline (all P ≤ .02). Using previously reported thresholds of increased glaucoma development and progression risk, 53% of the right eyes (26 of 49) and 46% of the left eyes (22 of 48) had a systolic OPP of 101 mm Hg or less, 71% of the right eyes (35 of 49) and 73% of the left eyes (35 of 48) had a diastolic OPP of 55 mm Hg or less, and 63% of the right eyes (31 of 49) and 65% of the left eyes (31 of 48) had a mean OPP of 42 mm Hg or less. Conclusions and Relevance Significantly increased IOP and decreased OPP occur during HD, bringing both to levels that increase the risk of glaucoma development and progression. Clinicians should consider HD history in patients who have glaucoma progression, even when IOP has been well controlled. Such patients may benefit from IOP and blood pressure monitoring during HD sessions to minimize OPP changes resulting from IOP spikes and/or suboptimal blood pressure.
Consistency of Regularization for Free Scalar Fields

In two dimensional constructive quantum field theory for scalar fields, it is necessary to regularize both the action and the total (Gaussian) volume. In this paper we consider the compatibility of these regularizations.