cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enabling Engineering Performance Skills: A Program to Teach Communication, Leadership, and Teamwork*

Freshman Engineering Program. This minor providesengineering undergraduate students with formal training and acredential in complementary performance skills necessary for suc-cess in today’s workplace. This interdisciplinary program is de-signed to improve the ability of engineering graduates to work onteams, to be effective communicators, to be socially adept, and tobe prepared for leadership roles.Five courses compose the minor. Three of these courses arenew and custom-prepared for engineering students, while theother two may be selected from a limited list of courses that providein-depth training on supervision, cultural diversity, and interper-sonal interaction. This multi-disciplinary program takes a novelapproach in the subject matter presentation and in the method ofcoaching students to use these skills. In the custom courses, stu-dents receive instruction and are placed in mini-practicums. Tocomplete the minor, students participate in a full practicum in asocial service setting.This paper discusses assessment; course development; programbasis and development; strategies for implementation of this newprogram; integration between engineering, counseling psycholo-gy, and human services; and student, faculty, and industry re-sponse to the program. The collaboration makes this programtransportable to other institutions as it is dependent on having in-stitution expertise in the disciplines of counseling and human ser-vices rather than having engineering educators with expertise inthese fields. Our experience with establishing this collaborationwill also be discussed.
The many facets of SC function during C. elegans meiosis

Sexually reproducing organisms rely on meiosis for the formation of haploid gametes. This is achieved through two consecutive rounds of cell division (meiosis I and II) after one round of DNA replication. During the meiotic divisions, chromosomes face several challenges to ultimately ensure proper chromosome segregation. Unique events unfold during meiosis I to overcome these challenges. Homologous chromosomes pair, synapse, and recombine. A remarkable feature throughout this process is the formation of an evolutionarily conserved tripartite proteinaceous structure known as the synaptonemal complex (SC). It is comprised of two lateral elements, assembled along each axis of a pair of homologous chromosomes, and a central region consisting of transverse filaments bridging the gap between lateral elements. While the presence of the SC during meiosis has been appreciated now for 50 years (Moses, Biophys Biochem Cytol 2:215–218, 1956; Fawcett, J Biophys Biochem Cytol 2:403–406, 1956), its role(s) remain a matter of intense investigation. This review concentrates on studies performed in Caenorhabditis elegans, a powerful system for investigating meiosis. Studies in this organism are contributing to the unraveling of the various processes leading to the formation of the SC and the various facets of the functions it exerts throughout meiosis.
γ-Aminobutyric acid activation of36Cl-flux in rat hippocampal slices and its potentiation by barbiturates

Abstract γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA) increases the rate of36Cl- efflux from preloaded rat hippocampal slices in a dose-dependent manner (EC50: 400 μM). This action has the pharmacological specificity expected of activation of GABA receptor in that it is mimicked by the agonists muscimol and 3-aminopropanesulfonic acid, and blocked by the antagonists bicuculline and picrotoxinin. GABA uptake inhibitors, nipecotic acid and 2, 4-diaminobutyric acid, fail to increase36Cl- flux. Pentobarbital produces a dose-dependent activation (EC50 = 1.5mM) of36Cl- efflux with maximal response greater than that of GABA. The effect of pentobarbital can be mimicked by 1, 3-dimethylbutylbarbiturate, secobarbital, (+)hexobarbital but not (−)hexobarbital, and is blocked by bicuculline and picrotoxinin. Pentobarbital and the other active barbiturates also potentiate the action of GABA. Phenobarbital does not have any effect independently or in combination with GABA. It is suggested that GABA increases36Cl- permeability by activation of a postsynaptic receptor which is in turn functionally copupled to a barbiturate receptor.
A Rapid Microlensing Event in the Q0957+561A, B Gravitational Lens System

We reanalyze brightness data sampled intensively over five nights at two epochs separated by the quasar lens time delay to examine the nature of the observed microlensing. We find strong evidence for a microlensing event with an amplitude of 1% and a timescale of 12 hr. The existence of such rapid microlensing, albeit at low amplitude, imposes constraints on the nature of the quasar and of the baryonic dark matter.
Recent advances in the fish by‐products industry

In recent years the fish by‐products industry has grown more rapidly than any other segment of the world's fisheries. Production of fish meal, the primary product of the industry and an important feed ingredient, rose from 1,525,000 metric tons in 1958 to 5,080,000 metric tons in 1968. This tremendous increase in production was the result of improved fishing methods, expansion of established fisheries, and the development of new fisheries, particularly the anchoveta fishery of Chile and Peru. Although markets for fish meal were severely disrupted during the early part of the expansion, they subsequently exhibited a high order inelasticity and provide the basis for profitable operations.
Learning from laboratory-induced falling: long-term motor retention among older adults

Falls in older adults are a major health and societal problem. It is thus imperative to develop highly effective training paradigms to reduce the likelihood of falls. Perturbation training is one such emerging paradigm known to induce shorter term fall reduction in healthy young as well as older adults. Its longer term benefits are not fully understood, however. The purpose of this study was to determine whether and to what degree older adults could retain their fall-resisting skills acquired from a single perturbation training session. Seventy-three community-dwelling older adults (≥65 years) received identical single-session perturbation training consisting of 24 slips. This was delivered through unannounced unlocking (and mixed with relocking) of low-friction movable sections of the walkway. A single retest was subsequently scheduled based on a three-stage sequential, pre-post-retest design. Outcome measurements, taken upon the first (novel) and the 24th (final) slips of the initial session and the retest slip, included fall-or-no-fall and stability (quantified by the shortest distance from relative motion state of the center-of-mass and the base-of-support to the limits of stability) at instants prior to (proactive) and after (reactive) the onset of the slip. The training boosted subjects’ resilience against laboratory-induced falls demonstrated by a significant reduction from 42.5 % falls on the first slip to 0 % on the 24th slip. Rate of falls which occurred during the laboratory retest remained low in 6-month (0 %), 9-month (8.7 %), and 12-month retest (11.5 %), with no significant difference between the three time intervals. Such reduction of laboratory-induced falls and its retention were attributable to the significant training-induced improvement in the proactive and reactive control of stability. This unique pre-post-retest design enabled us to provide scientific basis for the feasibility of a single session of perturbation training to “inoculate” older adults and to reduce their annual risk of falls in everyday living.
FREE VIBRATIONS OF BEAMS WITH GENERAL BOUNDARY CONDITIONS

A simple and unified approach is presented for the vibration analysis of a generally supported beam. The flexural displacement of the beam is sought as the linear combination of a Fourier series and an auxiliary polynomial function. The polynomial function is introduced to take all the relevant discontinuities with the original displacement and its derivatives at the boundaries and the Fourier series now simply represents a residual or conditioned displacement that has at least three continuous derivatives. As a result, not only is it always possible to expand the displacement in a Fourier series for beams with any boundary conditions, but also the solution converges at a much faster speed. The reliability and robustness of the proposed technique are demonstrated through numerical examples.
Introductory Biology Labs…They Just Aren’t Sexy Enough!

AbstractThe typical introductory biology curriculum includes the nature of science, evolution and genetics. Laboratory activities are designed to engage students in typical subject areas ranging from cell biology and physiology, to ecology and evolution. There are few, if any, laboratory classes exploring the biology and evolution of human sexual behaviour. Contemporary research in sperm competition provides a template for engaging students in a ‘sexy’ subject at a practical level. We describe and evaluate a laboratory exercise in which students develop and test simple hypotheses about sperm competition in humans. This activity encourages students to think about the nature of science, while they design meaningful experiments in the evolution of human mating systems. Post-laboratory assessment revealed that this exercise was successful in meeting its stated goals, engaging students, stimulating discussion and encouraging thoughtful critique.
Elements of a theory of simulation II: sequential dynamical systems

We study a class of discrete dynamical systems that is motivated by the generic structure of simulations. The systems consist of the following data: (a) a finite graph Y with vertex set {1,...,n} where each vertex has a binary state, (b) functions F"i:F"2^n->F"2^n and (c) an update ordering @p. The functions F"i update the binary state of vertex i as a function of the state of vertex i and its Y-neighbors and leave the states of all other vertices fixed. The update ordering is a permutation of the Y-vertices. By composing the functions F"i in the order given by @p one obtains the sequential dynamical system (SDS):[F"Y,@p][email protected]?i=1nF"@p(i):F"2^n->F"2^n.We derive a decomposition result, characterize invertible SDS and study fixed points. In particular we analyse how many different SDS that can be obtained by reordering a given multiset of update functions and give a criterion for when one can derive concentration results on this number. Finally, some specific SDS are investigated.
USING OIL SPILL DISPERSANTS ON THE SEA

ABSTRACT Primary consideration in this critical review was given to treating oil spills at sea with the intent of reducing the environmental impact of that oil if it should reach the shore. The general conclusions reached were: In carefully planned and monitored laboratory and sea tests, oil has been effectively dispersed; but at many field tests and at accidental spills, reported effectiveness has been low—perhaps because of poor targeting and distribution of aerial sprays, because the oils were too viscous to be dispersable, or the observations of effectiveness were inconclusive. The acute lethal toxicities of dispersant formulations currently in use are usually lower than those of the more volatile and soluble fractions of crude oils and their refined products; hence the toxicity of dispersed oil is due primarily to the oil and not to the dispersant. Sublethal effects of dispersed oil observed in the laboratory occur in most cases at concentrations comparable to or higher than those expected in the wat...
Critical phenomena in metallic one-component liquids.

Proofs are given that the cohesive energy of liquid alkali metals tends to zero at the critical point. This leads to the conclusion that, in a case of alkali metals, the Coulomb energy of interaction at the critical density is very close in magnitude to the ionization potential of the isolated atoms.
Illustration of MIMIC-Model DIF Testing with the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality

This research provides an example of testing for differential item functioning (DIF) using multiple indicator multiple cause (MIMIC) structural equation models. True/False items on five scales of the Schedule for Nonadaptive and Adaptive Personality (SNAP) were tested for uniform DIF in a sample of Air Force recruits with groups defined by gender and ethnicity. Uniform DIF exists when an item is more easily endorsed for one group than the other, controlling for group mean differences on the variable under study. Results revealed significant DIF for many SNAP items and some effects were quite large. Differentially-functioning items can produce measurement bias and should be either deleted or modeled as if separate items were administered to different groups. Future research should aim to determine whether the DIF observed here holds for other samples.
Physics of quarkonia

Abstract The advances made in the past decade in the PHYSICS of QUARKONIA are reviewed. These include QCD lattice calculations of static potentials, the use of electromagnetic transitions to elucidate the nature of spin dependent quark interactions, the confirmation of QCD multipole expansions from studies of hadronic transitions, and the determination of the strong interaction coupling constant α s from heavy quarkonia annihilation rates. Furthermore, heavy quarkonia have emerged as laboratories for new particle searches and for light quarkonia production, results from such studies are summarized. A prognosis of the future of the physics of quarkonia is also included.
Betweenness centrality on GPUs and heterogeneous architectures

The betweenness centrality metric has always been intriguing for graph analyses and used in various applications. Yet, it is one of the most computationally expensive kernels in graph mining. In this work, we investigate a set of techniques to make the betweenness centrality computations faster on GPUs as well as on heterogeneous CPU/GPU architectures. Our techniques are based on virtualization of the vertices with high degree, strided access to adjacency lists, removal of the vertices with degree 1, and graph ordering. By combining these techniques within a fine-grain parallelism, we reduced the computation time on GPUs significantly for a set of social networks. On CPUs, which can usually have access to a large amount of memory, we used a coarse-grain parallelism. We showed that heterogeneous computing, i.e., using both architectures at the same time, is a promising solution for betweenness centrality. Experimental results show that the proposed techniques can be a great arsenal to reduce the centrality computation time for networks. In particular, it reduces the computation time of a 234 million edges graph from more than 4 months to less than 12 days.
The role of thickness transitions in convective assembly

Here we examine the microscopic details of convective assembly, a process in which thin colloidal crystals are deposited on a substrate from suspensions of nearly monodisperse spheres. Previously, such crystals have been shown to exhibit a strong tendency toward the face-centered cubic structure, which is difficult to explain on thermodynamic grounds. Using real-time microscopic visualization, electron microscopy, and scanning confocal microscopy, we obtain clues about the crystallization mechanism. Our results indicate that the regions at which a growing crystal transitions from n to n + 1 layers can play an important and previously unrecognized role in the crystallization. For thin crystals, we show both from experiment and through simple modeling that these transition regions can generate specific crystal structures. In thicker crystals, the crystallization is more complicated, but the transition regions must still be considered before a complete understanding of convective assembly can be obtained.
Quartz thermal activation energy as a tool in locating lithological discontinuities in Kentucky soils (U.S.A.)

Abstract The enthalphy (ΔH) and the apparent activation energy (Ea) of the thermal inversion of soil quartz were investigated as a means of identifying lithological or age discontinuities in western and southwestern Kentucky soils. Five pedons were studied representing loess over limestone, loess over sandstone, and loess over siltstone lithological sequences. The Ea of quartz appeared to be more consistent than ΔH in marking the depth of the lithological discontinuity predicted by field morphology, particle size distribution, and Ti/Zr ratios in most pedons. In addition, three pedons formed completely in loess were analyzed, and an argument is presented that the Ea of quartz can be used to identify loess-loess contacts. The applicability of the method appears to rely on the sensitivity of Ea to reflect geothermal as well as geogenic and pedogenic alterations of quartz.
Anomalous phylogenies based on bacterial catalase gene sequences

Phylogenies based on nine prokaryotic catalase sequences demonstrate no relationship to phylogenies based on rDNA sequences or other known criteria. When this observation is considered together with the monophyletic relationship observed for eukaryotic catalase sequences, it seems likely that the catalase gene sequence has migrated repeatedly from eukaryotes to prokaryotes.
Measurements of the skull and of some of the long bones of the muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus cinnamominus)

The skull, mandible, and five pairs of long bones from the skeletons of 125 muskrats were weighed and measured. Each bone of the pairs of long bones was weighed and measured separately. Thirteen dimensions of the skull were determined. The long bones are slightly less variable in length than the skull dimensions. There is a rather wide range of variation in the thirteen dimensions of the skull, with the length and breadth of the skull less variable than the lengths of the long bones. The coefficients of correlation show that the weight of the skull is a good index to the weights of the long bones. The skull length has likewise high correlations with the lengths of the long bones and the longitudinal dimensions of the skull, with the exception of the palatine slits. The transverse diameters are not significantly correlated with the skull length. The long bones are asymmetrical in weight and length. They are longer more frequently on the left side and all except the tibia are heavier more frequently on the left side.
Modeling the dynamics of removable and reusable piezoelectric patch-type actuators

Piezoelectric actuators are being used in increasingly complex structures. An actuator that can be removed and used again would be beneficial in testing actuator placement before the permanent actuator would be attached. Furthermore, an actuator that has similar response characteristics to the permanent actuator would be beneficial in estimating the response characteristics of the actuator before it is attached. A concept for such a removable, reusable actuator has been developed, constructed, and used. This paper describes the differences in authority among three removable, reusable actuators as compared to a permanent actuator. The permanent actuator is bonded to the host structure with only strain gauge cement. This paper also quantifies the changes in authority of the three removable, reusable actuators as they are removed several times from the host structure. When comparing removable and permanent actuators, the stiffer bonding technique typically had greater actuation authority. When comparing authority reduction of removable actuators over ten applications of the actuator, greater reduction occurred with actuators that incorporated a stiffener.
Childhood urogenital sarcoma.

A review of the five cases of urogenital sarcoma in childhood seen from 1960 to 1970 at Roswell Park Memorial Institute is presented. The courses of three patients with rhabdomyosarcoma of the prostate is instructive in indicating the value of aggressive combination therapy. One patient is apparently free of disease three months after the completion of radiotherapy, dactinomycin and vincristine. The first reported case of leimyosarcoma of the testicle is presented, with the indications for retroperitoneal node dissection and radical local resection given. The 30 month survival supports the use of intensive chemotherapy for sarcoma of the scrotal contents. A cure is reported in a case of mesoblastic nephroma of the newborn. The entity is discussed and agreement indicated with the commonly held opinion that postoperative radiotherapy and chemotherapy are not necessary.
Focusing of particles in the optical model

Abstract The behaviour of the quantal flux of neutrons in a typical optical model potential is examined as the energy is increased from 5 MeV to 30 MeV. At the higher energies the behaviour can be described quite well by geometrical optics using the classical trajectories of the neutrons. The classical focus is reproduced quantally both in its general shape and its behaviour with varying energy and potentials. There are also standing wave effects near the far edge of the nucleus which cannot be understood classically. The relative probability or reactions occuring in different angular regions and in different radial regions is estimated by integrating the divergence of the flux over these regions.
Prematurity and Uniqueness in Scientific Discovery

Here, Stent used Avery's discovery that DNA is genetic material and Watson and Crick's discovery of the DNA double helix to pursue two questions respectively: What does it mean to say a discovery is premature? And, are scientific creations any less unique than artistic creations?
Two Rapid Odor Threshold Methods Compared to a Modified Method of Constant Stimuli

Sensory thresholds are defined according to a criterion level of performance in a particular psychophysical task. Thus, thresholds are a function of both subject sensitivity and method. However, relatively few studies have directly compared methods using the same subjects and stimulus. In the current work, thresholds for amyl acetate were measured for 19 subjects using three different methods. Results from a modified method of constant stimuli, which directly measures full detection functions, served as a “gold standard” to establish validity. These results were compared to two less intensive “shortcut” methods, viz., a forced-choice ascending method of limits and a staircase procedure. Both rapid methods produced mean threshold values comparable to those from the method of constant stimuli. Thus, both methods provided a reasonable estimate of average threshold. For characterizing individual differences, the validity of both methods seemed largely limited by their reliability. The staircase procedure may outperform the ascending method of limits in characterizing individual differences, but neither method is exceptionally strong in this respect.
The influence of socioeconomic status on change in health status after hospitalization

We reviewed patients' hospital records and surveyed patients after hospital discharge to determine whether the experience of being hospitalized differentially affected the health status of persons with different socioeconomic backgrounds (as measured by income level and education level) and to determine whether the association between socioeconomic status (SES) and change in health status varied depending upon the reason for hospital admission. We studied patients admitted to six university-affiliated teaching hospitals in Massachusetts and California for chest pain (N = 797) and surgery (N = 1165). We compared the health status scores of patients for a variety of outcomes: basic activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, social activities, mental well-being, work performance and housework performance. Lower-SES patients entered the hospital with worse health status than higher-SES patients. Change in health status, statistically adjusted for case-mix, varied by reason for admission. Patients with chest pain generally reported either no improvement or a decline in functioning with the amount of decline equivalent for low- and high-SES patients. Surgical patients reported improvement in functioning following hospitalization. For several measures, lower-income surgical patients reported greater improvement than did higher-income patients, but still did not reach the same level of health status as higher-income patients.
Screening hypermethylated regions by methylation-sensitive single-strand conformational polymorphism.

Abstract DNA methylation is an important epigenetic modification that alters transcription in those genes containing CpG islands. In this report we demonstrate that the familiar technique single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) can be easily applied to bisulfite-treated DNA to detect methylation differences over large (∼250 bp) CG-enriched regions. In the methylation-sensitive SSCP (Ms-SSCP) technique, sodium bisulfite modification of DNA converts unmethylated cytosine to uracil under conditions in which 5-methylcytosine remains unaltered. Amplification of these regions to be tested is then performed using primers specific for bisulfite-treated DNA. The resulting products are then subjected to nondenaturing gel analysis. Based on differential band mobility, Ms-SSCP is able to sensitively detect alterations in methylation density and determine if unmethylated alleles are present in a sample. Ms-SSCP is a rapid and simple technique for screening multiple samples for methylation changes. It has several advantages over existing techniques, including the utilization of nanogram amounts of DNA, the avoidance of difficulties in sequencing CG-enriched regions, and the screening of multiple sites for methylation across large regions of DNA.
Kinetic analysis of drug-induced G2 block in vitro.

The data on cell-cycle effects of two prospective antitumour agents, (+)-1,2,-bis(3,5-dioxopiperazine-1-yl)propane (soluble ICRF; NSC 169780) and 1,4-bis(2'chloroethyl)-1,4-diazabicyclo [2.2.1] heptane diperchlorate (CBH; NSC 57198) were used to determine whether a modified stathmokinetic experiment could predict the effects of continuous, long-term (0-48 hr) drug exposure in an in vitro L1210 murine leukaemia cell system. Generally, continuous drug exposure of exponentially growing cells does not provide sufficient quantitative information concerning cell-cycle-phase-specific mechanisms of drug action. Alternatively, stathmokinetic experiments, which are usually limited to some fraction of one cell doubling time, provide little information about long-term drug effects. By using mathematical models constructed for this purpose, however, stathmokinetic data can predict the overall proportion of cells affected by a drug though failing to discern between various kinds of drug action (e.g. reversible v. irreversible block, blocking v. killing action, etc.), especially when it occurs in G2 phase. In addition, it can be shown that for at least one of the drugs (soluble ICRF) the stathmokinetic experiment fails to predict 'after-effects' of drug treatment which extend into the following cell cycle(s). It also becomes clear that the degradation of exponential growth characteristics of quickly dividing cells during long-term, continuous drug exposure makes prediction of cell-cycle kinetic perturbations uncertain when derived from short-duration stathmokinetic experiments. However, with care, the joint application of 'short term' (e.g. stathmokinesis) and 'long term' (e.g. continuous exposure) techniques allow adequate quantitative insight into drug-perturbed cell-cycle kinetics. The applicability of modelling techniques is discussed: in the present instance it is limited to lower drug concentrations. For higher drug concentrations, effects like increased ploidy, ineffective division, etc., make it impossible in the present study to obtain a clear picture of the kinetics.
Territoriality and testosterone in an equatorial population of rufous-collared sparrows, Zonotrichia capensis

Territorial aggression, displayed by male vertebrates in a reproductive context, is generally thought to be mediated by testosterone. The challenge hypothesis predicts that in socially monogamous species, territorial challenges should induce an increase in plasma testosterone concentrations, which will enhance aggressive behaviour and territory defence. This hypothesis is based on northern latitude birds and needs to be tested in tropical birds before it can be universally accepted. We tested the challenge hypothesis in an equatorial population of rufous-collared sparrows in Papallacta, Ecuador. This population shows an extended breeding period during which males aggressively guard territories. During the early breeding season, males were challenged with conspecific or heterospecific simulated territorial intrusions (STIs) lasting 10 min. Conspecific-challenged males responded more aggressively than heterospecific-challenged males. However, there was no increase in plasma testosterone in response to the conspecific STI. During the breeding season, males were challenged with conspecific STIs lasting 0, 10 or 30 min. Males behaved aggressively regardless of STI duration, and did not differ in plasma testosterone or luteinizing hormone concentrations. During the breeding season, males were implanted with testosterone-filled or empty silastic tubes and subsequently challenged with a conspecific STI. Testosterone implants significantly raised plasma testosterone concentrations, but testosterone-implanted males were not more aggressive than blank-implanted controls. Combined, these findings suggest that testosterone concentrations above breeding baseline are not related to territorial aggression in this population and therefore do not support the challenge hypothesis.
Religious Stage Development Among Converts to Different Religious Groups

Only a few studies have dealt with the relationship between faith development theory and conversion or apostasy, though some have called for these studies. In this study, I compare religious judgment and religious stage transformations of 47 converts, focusing specifically on four case studies of conversions to Christianity, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Unitarian Universalists. The research was conducted from 2001 to 2006 in the midwestern United States and utilized religious dilemmas, narrative biographical interviews, and content analysis. It was found that there was a close affinity between a person's conversion or apostasy narrative and their trajectory of religious judgment.
The Marshall Plan as Tragedy

Five distinguished scholars offer separate commentaries on the article by Michael Cox and Caroline Kennedy-Pipe. All of the commentators reject the broad interpretation and many of the specific arguments put forth by Cox and Kennedy-Pipe. They point out several crucial issues that are omitted from the article and raise questions about the authors' sources, use of evidence, and selective invocation of secondary literature. They regret that Cox and Kennedy Pipe seem to dwell on a large number of the same matters that preoccupied radical revisionist historians in the 1960s. They argue that although Cox and Kennedy-Pipe offer a more sophisticated version of revisionism, their article suffers from many of the same shortcomings. Most of the commentators believe that the Marshall Plan merely reflected a division of Europe that was already well under way rather than being the precipitating cause. In that sense, the debate on the origins of the Cold War needs to go well beyond the issues raised by Cox and Kennedy-...
Automatic transformations between geoscience standards using XML

As models and analysis tools for geoscience applications become increasingly complex, they allow researchers to manipulate larger, richer, and more finely-grained datasets, often gathered from diverse heterogeneous sources. These complex models and analysis tools provide scientists with opportunities to investigate phenomena in much greater depth, but this additional power is not without cost. Often this cost is expressed in the time required on the part of the researcher to identify, gather, and transform the data necessary to satisfy the demands of their data-intensive computational tools. In addition, it can be difficult to extract all of the meaningful contents of the datasets when metadata is missing, nonstandardized, or in a format unfamiliar to or incompatible with the user application or analysis tool. The evolution of XML standards has simplified this problem by providing domain-specific methodologies for creating self-describing datasets. The evolution of XML standards has also presented the challenge of choosing the best standard for each scientific domain and associated community of interest (COI); however, the process of selecting or creating a domain-specific XML data format standard can be extremely contentious. In addition, many researchers require information compilation from diverse datasets that are stored using differing standards. This research effort presents a mechanism for automating transformations between scientific standards using XML with a focus on the application of the technology to the diverse geoscience XML standards while maintaining the integrity associated with the datasets. This technological capability minimizes the impact of committing to a particular XML standard by providing the flexibility to transform data between standards either to update or change the standard, to bring datasets into conformance for a particular application or data portal, or to transform data to increase its usability for new COIs while maintaining data integrity. ility for new COIs while maintaining data security standards.
The porcine remnant kidney model of chronic renal insufficiency.

Background The purpose of the present study was to develop and characterize a porcine model of chronic renal insufficiency created by renal artery embolization. Methods The model was created using 42 castrated juvenile male pigs (7–8 months old) in two parts (pilot (N = 10) group, definitive (N = 26) group, and control group (N = 6). In the pilot group, the embolization procedure was optimized with respect to the size of polyvinyl acrylide (PVA) particles, coils, and amount of kidney embolized. The animals were followed serially for 4 weeks after the embolization procedure to determine the renal function and hypertensive response. In the definitive group, these results were extended to later time points and a left total nephrectomy and a right partial nephrectomy (remnant) were performed and these animals were followed for 28 to 84 days. Results The kidney function after the embolization was characterized by acute deterioration in renal function, followed by improvement, and “stable” chronic renal insufficiency with statistically significant elevation in creatinine and BUN being observed until day 42. The mean arterial blood pressure remained significantly elevated until day 7 after which it began to decrease to pre-embolization value. The remnant kidney developed fibrosis in the tublointerstitial compartment as it hypertrophied and increased its weight which remained significantly elevated after embolization. Conclusions A reproducible remnant kidney model of chronic renal insufficiency in pigs was developed. In this model, stable renal insufficiency develops by 4 weeks that lasts until 12 weeks.
The telecommunication and information industries: US patent policy and the criterion of non-obviousness

In this topic discussion paper, the legal and public policy issues surrounding the ''novel'' and ''non-obvious'' criterion that the US Patent and Trademark Office uses in awarding a patent are explored. The application of the latter criteria for granting a patent - that the invention be ''non-obvious'' - has been a significant concern for many firms in the telecommunications and information industries. Following an introduction discussing the Constitutional basis of intellectual property rights and the criteria employed by the US Patent and Trademark Office in awarding patent rights, this paper will explain the modern evolution of the legal expression ''non-obviousness'', up to, and including, the most recent patent appeals case (and potentially the one having the most far-reaching impact on patent granting) heard by the US Supreme Court, KSR International Co. v. Teleflex. Inc. et al. In the next section, a review of three major national policy reports on reforming the US patent system (two national reports and one by an academic economist) - focusing on the expert recommendations pertaining to the implementation of the legal expression of ''non-obviousness'' - is undertaken. Lastly, the final section of the paper offers a patent policy discussion associated with the latest interpretation of the ''non-obviousness'' criterion, and explains possible policy effects on the competitive environment of the telecommunications and information industries.
Integrated Sensing and Processing Acoustic Resonance Spectrometry (ISP-ARS) for Sample Classification

This research introduces a novel process analytical technique, integrated sensing and processing acoustic resonance spectrometry (ISP-ARS), and compares ISP-ARS with conventional full-spectrum ARS for the characterization of solid fuel premixes used in a new pill safe designed to protect narcotics. In ISP-ARS, the acoustic excitation waveform is the analog implementation of the chemometric weight function, encoded for this work on an MP3 player and used to distinguish between fuel samples, sparing post-collection multivariate computation. In effect, the detector directly outputs the sample identity. Repeated measurements of batches of similar fuel mixtures over time produce an automatic projection of similar spectra into corresponding three-dimensional probability density contours, thus, forming the analyte classification directly. For the characterization of ten different fuel mixtures, full spectral ARS resulted in a median intermixture distance in multidimensional standard deviations (MSDs) of 185.1, while ISP-ARS resulted in a median MSD distance of 81.3. The median cross-validation MSD was 1.41 for the ARS and 1.58 for the ISP-ARS. Distances in MSDs greater than three are considered separable, and MSDs less than three are indistinguishable. The classification procedure correctly identified all samples for both analytical techniques. ISP-ARS is an effective, simpler, and more rapid alternative to full spectrum ARS that can be implemented with a commercial MP3 player and used as an inexpensive spectrometric sensor for dynamic data-driven application simulations (DDDAS) and process analytical applications.
Sexual function after childbirth in Nigerian women

This study addresses the postnatal sexual health of Nigerian women which has been largely understudied. Using a self-administered questionnaire a longitudinal survey of 122 married primiparas at 6 weeks 3 months and 6 months postpartum was carried out at the Kwale Zonal Hospitals Delta State of Nigeria from October 2000 to April 2001. (excerpt)
A generalization of the fractal/facies model

In order to generalize the fractal/facies concept, a new stochastic fractal model for ln(K) increment probability density functions (PDFs) is presented that produces non-Gaussian behavior at smaller lags and converges to Gaussian at larger lags. The model is based on the classical Laplace PDF. The new stochastic fractal family is called fractional Laplace motion (fLam) having stationary increments called fractional Laplace noise (fLan). This fractal is different from other fractals because the character of the underlying increment PDFs changes dramatically with lag size, which leads to lack of self-similarity. Data also appear to display this characteristic. In the larger lag size ranges, approximate self-affinity does hold. The basic field procedure for further testing of the fractional Laplace theory is to measure ln(K) increment distributions along transects, calculate frequency distributions from the data, and compare results to appropriate fLan family members. The variances of the frequency distributions should also change with lag size (scale) in a prescribed manner. There are mathematical reasons such as the geometric central limit theorem, for surmising that fLam/fLan may be more fundamental than other approaches that have been proposed for modeling ln(K) frequency distributions.
Social Reciprocity Interventions

Social reciprocity refers to the ongoing interactional process between infants and their primary caregivers. The process is set into motion as the infant gives signals or behavioral cues to a parent, who interprets and responds to these cues. The parent in turn gives signals that the infant gradually learns to read. This mutual learning to understand and respond to each other's cues from the core of a complex interactional system that influences the child's development. Infants and young children with disabilities may be limited in their abilities to give signals and to respond to the signals of others. Similarly, parents may have difficulty interpreting the cues of infants who respond in an atypical manner. Social reciprocity intervention can strengthen the ability of children with disabilities and their parents to read and respond to one another. Occupational therapist, physical therapist, and speech/language pathologists can apply the social reciprocity model to strengthen parent-child interactions.
CHASING R0: UNDERSTANDING THE EFFECTS OF POPULATION DYNAMICS ON THE BASIC REPRODUCTION NUMBER

Preparation for pandemic events depends heavily on understanding specific disease characteristics and predicting the dynamics of a particular outbreak. The basic reproduction number, R0, is an established epidemiologic statistic that provides an indication of secondary infections in the early stages of an outbreak. Assigning a specific value of R0 to a given disease may be misleading. While an estimate of R0 can be calculated after an outbreak has occurred, it is questionable that the same disease will manifest itself in a similar manner under different geographical and/or demographic circumstances. R0 values for a given disease are often represented as a single number or a narrow range of numbers. The experiments discussed in this paper support evidence that a change in population-dependent parameters may affect the value of R0, even though the disease parameters stay constant. When the contact rate, subpopulation interaction, or neighborhood size is adjusted, R0 values fluctuate accordingly. This suggests that the value of R0 is too complex to be attributed to a specific disease with no consideration of other factors that influence the course of disease spread.
Effect of Sampling Line Characteristics on the Dynamic Monitoring of Fluid Concentrations

A novel approach is developed and demonstrated to characterize the sampling line effects during dynamic monitoring of fluid concentrations. The "sampling line" in this study refers to all components between the point of fluid sampling and the point of analyzer sensor. In general, sampling lines introduce errors in measurements by altering the sample properties due to the fluid transport in the line as well as the adsorption and desorption of fluid constituents on the surfaces of the sampling components that come into contact with the sample fluid. A methodology based on a sampling line simulator is developed for taking these effects into account and correcting the measurements. The model is validated by direct experimental measurements using several different analyzers under various conditions. The sampling line simulator can be used to analyze the effect of various sampling configurations and operating conditions; this would be helpful in the design of sampling lines and their location. An algorithm is proposed that can be used to convert concentration values measured and reported by the analyzer to the concentration values at the point of sampling that are the actual and desired values.
The difference between a photon's momentum and an atom's recoil

We analyze the recoil shift for atoms in Gaussian laser beams and microwave cavities. The frequency shifts from the transverse photon recoils must be understood for the most accurate atom interferometers and atomic fountain clocks.
Test of Time-Reversal Invariance Using the Mössbauer Transmission of the 73-keV Transition in Ir 193

The real and imaginary parts of the $E2\ensuremath{-}M1$ mixing ratio of the 73-keV transition in ${\mathrm{Ir}}^{193}$ have been determined in an arrangement that requires no correction for Faraday rotation. The values $\mathrm{Re}\ensuremath{\delta}=+0.556\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.010$ and $\mathrm{Im}\ensuremath{\delta}=(+0.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2.1)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ result in a phase angle between $E2$ and $M1$ of $\ensuremath{\eta}=(+1.1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}3.8)\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, thus showing no evidence for $T$ non-conservation.
Investigation into the kinetic properties of immobilized lignin peroxidases

Abstract Mixtures of lignin peroxidase isozymes were immobilized onto controlled-pore glass (CPG) beads through three different functional groups (free amino groups, free carboxylate groups, or the aldehyde groups of the metaperiodate-oxidized carbohydrate portions of the proteins) and catalytic properties of the immobilized proteins were determined. Some loss of activity occurred in all immobilized samples, but relatively high activities were maintained with enzymes immobilized via the modified carbohydrate moieties. The effectiveness of using the immobilized enzymes to treat anthracene and pulp mill bleach plant effluent was tested. Bleach plant effluent precipitated onto the aminopropyl-CPG beads inactivating the enzymes, probably due to reactions with free amino groups. In contrast anthracene was rapidly and completely degraded by the immobilized lignin peroxidases.
Reduced-system analysis of the effects of serotonin on a molluscan burster neuron

The mathematical model described in Bertram (1993) is used to carry out a detailed examination of the manner in which the neurotransmitter serotonin modifies the voltage waveform generated endogenously by burster neuron R15 of Aplysia. This analysis makes use of a reduced system of equations, taking advantage of the slow rate of change of a pair of system variables relative to the others. Such analysis also yields information concerning the sensitivity of the neuron to brief synaptic perturbations.
Structural and compositional analyses of the phycobilisomes of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002. Analyses of the wild-type strain and a phycocyanin-less mutant constructed by interposon mutagenesis.

The phycobilisomes and phycobiliproteins of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 wild-type strain PR6000 have been isolated and characterized. The hemidiscoidal phycobilisomes of strain PR6000 are composed of eleven different polypeptides: phycocyanin α and β subunits; allophycocyanin α and β subunits; α subunit of allophycocyanin B; the allophycocyanin β-subunit-like polypeptide of Mr 18 000; the linker phycobiliprotein of Mr 99 000; and non-chromophore-carrying linker polypeptides of Mr 33 000, 29 000, 9000, and 8000. Several of these polypeptides were purified to homogeneity and their amino acid compositions and amino-terminal amino acid sequences were determined. Analyses of the phycobiliproteins of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7002 were greatly facilitated by comparative studies performed with a mutant strain, PR6008, constructed to be devoid of the phycocyanin α and β subunits by recombinant DNA techniques and transformation of strain PR6000. The absence of phycocyanin did not greatly affect the allophycocyanin content of the mutant strain but caused the doubling time to increase 2–7-fold depending upon the light intensity at which the cells were grown. Although intact phycobilisome cores could not be isolated from this mutant, it is probable that functionally intact cores do exist in vivo.