cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Numerical Smoothing and Filtering in N Dimensions

The processing of naturally occurring information (e.g. the examination of the visual field by a pattern recogniser) can be significantly simplified if the raw information is initially processed in such a way as to enhance those features that are important with respect to the given task whilst attenuating the spurious or undesired information. A convenient method of specifying what information is to be removed and what preserved in, for example, the class of one-dimensional signals typified by the output from a microphone is to use the Laplace transform to generate a suitable realisable filter whose frequency characteristics can be easily and accurately specified. A severe drawback associated with using these filters however is that, unavoidably with the class of signals mentioned above, the impulse response function is asymmetric. This asymmetry is responsible for the well-known phase shift effect produced by electrical filters. Such filters can be derived and analysed by means of the one-sided Laplace transform, the one-sidedness resulting from the limitations imposed by physical realisability. This note describes a method of using the one-sided Laplace transform to produce N-dimensional, approximately spherically symmetric filters. Although these are derived in numerical form they can be produced just as readily by means of actual hardware provided the appropriate data scanning is carried out. The method is compared with the mesh operator approach and its relative merits are enumerated. The effect of these filters, which operate recursively, is demonstrated by their application to the enhancement of fingerprint images—a notoriously difficult cleaning-up problem. Fingerprints, by virtue of their almost constant width line structure have a very narrow two-dimensional band-width. Thus it is possible, by centring a band pass filter on the dominant frequency for a given fingerprint, to remove a great deal of the spurious data that is inevitably included by the data-capturing process. (Received July 1970)
The effect of training volume and intensity on improvements in muscular strength and size in resistance‐trained men

This investigation compared the effect of high-volume (VOL) versus high-intensity (INT) resistance training on stimulating changes in muscle size and strength in resistance-trained men. Following a 2-week preparatory phase, participants were randomly assigned to either a high-volume (VOL; n = 14, 4 9 10–12 repetitions with ~70% of one repetition maximum [1RM], 1-min rest intervals) or a high-intensity (INT; n = 15, 4 9 3–5 repetitions with ~90% of 1RM, 3-min rest intervals) training group for 8 weeks. Pre- and posttraining assessments included lean tissue mass via dual energy x-ray absorptiometry, muscle cross-sectional area and thickness of the vastus lateralis (VL), rectus femoris (RF), pectoralis major, and triceps brachii muscles via ultrasound images, and 1RM strength in the back squat and bench press (BP) exercises. Blood samples were collected at baseline, immediately post, 30 min post, and 60 min postexercise at week 3 (WK3) and week 10 (WK10) to assess the serum testosterone, growth hormone (GH), insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF1), cortisol, and insulin concentrations. Compared to VOL, greater improvements (P < 0.05) in lean arm mass (5.2 � 2.9% vs. 2.2 � 5.6%) and 1RM BP (14.8 � 9.7% vs. 6.9 � 9.0%) were observed for INT. Compared to INT, area under the curve analysis revealed greater (P < 0.05) GH and cortisol responses for VOL at WK3 and cortisol only at WK10. Compared to WK3, the GH and cortisol responses were attenuated (P < 0.05) for VOL at WK10, while the IGF1 response was reduced (P < 0.05) for INT. It appears that high-intensity resistance training stimulates greater improvements in some measures of strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men during a short-term training period.
Learning Sequences in the Acquisition of Mathematical Knowledge: Using Cognitive Developmental Theory to Inform Curriculum Design for Pre-K–6 Mathematics Education

ABSTRACT—Using Central Conceptual Structure theory as an heuristic, learning sequences in the acquisition of number knowledge are described in three forms that bridge theory and practice: as a four-stage theoretical progression, as items on a developmental test created to test the theoretical progression, and as learning objectives in a curriculum designed to teach math concepts and skills implied in the theoretical progression. Other aspects of the theory that were used to create teaching methods and materials for the Number Worlds curriculum are also described, as are some of the outcomes of this theory-based program.
Manganese‐Induced Triplet Blinking and Photobleaching of Single Molecule Cyanine Dyes

Organic fluorescent probes are used for a myriad of applications including imaging and the study of dynamics and kinetics of biological macromolecules. However, they are susceptible to blinking and bleaching, which complicate data analysis and limit observation time of single molecule experiments. It is thought that transitions into triplet states, and formation of other dark states from the triplet, result in blinking, and are the first step in photobleaching reactions. Recently, however, dark states have proved useful with the emergence of super resolution imaging techniques, which highlight the importance of understanding the nature of blinking and bleaching. Previously, we reported on our observation that TAMRA dye conjugated to DNA experiences an increased intersystem crossing rate when in the presence of Mn2+. In recent work, we investigated the effect of Mn2+ on commonly used cyanine dyes Cy3, Cy3B, and Cy5. As for TAMRA dye, transient absorption and fluorescence correlation spectroscopy experiments confirm the formation of the triplet state of these cyanines in Mn2+ buffers. The significant structural differences between the rhodamine TAMRA and the investigated cyanines suggest that triplet formation in the presence of Mn2+ is a universal phenomenon. Given the wide-ranging use of Mn2+ in biophysical studies_it is often substituted for Mg2+ in mechanistic studies of polymerases and restriction enzymes_and the prevalence of fluorescence-based single molecule techniques, these results underscore the importance of understanding the photophysical origin of dark states. Additionally, it may be useful to use Mn2+ to control the triplet state lifetime in super-resolution imaging applications.
Modeling Multiscale Heterogeneity and Aquifer Interconnectivity

A number of methods involving indicator geostatistics were combined in a methodology for characterizing and modeling multiscale heterogeneity. The methodology circumvents sources of bias common in data from borehole logs. We applied this methodology to the complex heterogeneity within a regional system of buried valley aquifers, which occurs in the western glaciated plains of North America and includes the Spiritwood Aquifer. The region is conceptualized as having a hierarchical organization with three facies assemblage types (large-scale heterogeneity) and two facies types within each assemblage (small-scale heterogeneity). We statistically characterized the sedimentary architecture at both scales, formulated indicator correlation models from those characterizations, and used the models to simulate the architecture in a multiscale realization. We focused on the interconnectivity of units creating higher-permeability pathways. Higher-permeability pathways span the realization even though the proportion of higher-permeability facies is less than the percolation threshold. Thus, geologic structures as represented in the indicator correlation models create interconnectivity above that which would occur if the higher-permeability facies were randomly placed. This amount of interconnection among higher-permeability facies within the multiscale realization is consistent with that suggested in prior hydraulic and geochemical studies of the regional system.
The Association of Serotonin Transporter Genotypes and Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor (SSRI) Associated Sexual Side Effects: Possible Relationship to Oral Contraceptives

Objective To study the relationship between functional variants in the serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI)-associated sexual dysfunction. Methods One hundred fifteen subjects aged 18–40 years and currently being treated with an SSRI for depression were assessed for clinical variables known to affect sexual well-being. SSRI-associated sexual difficulties were assessed with the Changes in Sexual Functioning Questionnaire (CSFQ). Subjects were subsequently genotyped for the SLC6A4 promoter region (5HTTLPR) insertion/deletion variant and a variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in the second intron. Results The 5HTTLPR insertion/deletion variant was associated with sexual dysfunction in this study sample [odds ratio (OR) ¼ 2.7; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 6.4; p ¼ 0.02]. The relationship between promoter genotypes and sexual well-being differed in males and females and was related to whether females were taking an oral contraceptive (OC) medication. Females with the ll genotype were nearly eight times more likely to be categorized as having sexual dysfunction if they were taking OCs, while no relationship was observed in those not taking OCs. Conclusions These results suggest that a functional variant in the serotonin transporter gene is associated with sexual difficulties in persons taking an SSRI for depression. This relationship may differ by sex and be dependent on OC status in females. Copyright # 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Promoting International Humanitarian Law: Strong States and the Ratification of the ICC Treaty

The establishment of the International Criminal Court presents nation-states with a fairly novel opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to international humanitarian law, or to signal their displeasure with its development and the risks it poses to their sovereignty and foreign policies. The aim of this paper is to analyze the incentive structure of states to ratify the ICC treaty—the Treaty of Rome—in order to better understand the means by which some states promote the principles of international humanitarian law. We argue that economically powerful states with a normative commitment to and foreign policy interests in the advancement of international humanitarian law in general, and the ICC in particular, are their chief advocates and through their economic influence are able to persuade other nations to ratify the Treaty of Rome. We find that states with exemplary human rights records are the most supportive of the ICC, and that the more susceptible a nation is to economic pressure from stronger s...
Midlife Concerns of Women: Implications of the Menopause

Except for the adult stages described by Erikson, adult development has received little attention until the past few years. Recent work by Neugarten,1,2 Levenson and associates,3 Gould,4 Barnett and Baruch,5 and others has focused attention on the middle years as a time of development and change rather than a static period or one whose major dynamic is toward aging and death.
Trauma-Informed Care for Children in the Child Welfare System An Initial Evaluation of a Trauma-Informed Parenting Workshop

An essential but often overlooked component to promoting trauma-informed care within the child welfare system is educating and empowering foster, adoptive, and kinship caregivers (resource parents) with a trauma-informed perspective to use in their parenting as well as when advocating for services for their child. In this first evaluation of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network's trauma-informed parenting workshop (Caring for Children who Have Experienced Trauma, also known as the Resource Parent Curriculum), participant acceptance and satisfaction and changes in caregiver knowledge and beliefs related to trauma-informed parenting were examined. Data from 159 ethnically diverse resource parents were collected before and after they participated in the workshop. Results demonstrate that kinship and nonkinship caregivers showed significant increases in their knowledge of trauma-informed parenting and their perceived self-efficacy parenting a child who experienced trauma. Nonkinship caregivers increased on their willingness to tolerate difficult child behaviors, whereas kinship caregivers did not show a significant change. Participants also demonstrated high levels of satisfaction with the workshop. Although these preliminary results are important as the first empirical study supporting the workshop's effectiveness, the limitations of this study and the directions for future research are discussed.
Jews and Genes

The article comments on two books, "Abraham's Children: Race, Identity and the DNA of the Chosen People," by Jon Entine. Grand Central Publishing, 2007, 432 pages, and "Jacob's Legacy: A Genetic View of Jewish History," by David Goldstein. Yale University Press, 2009, 176 pages. It comments on the genetic basis of ethnic identity, and raises questions of genetic identity in general.
Management of Posterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

As mentioned earlier (Chap. 19), posterior ischemic optic neuropathy (PION) is of three types: (1) arteritic PION due to giant cell arteritis, (2) non-arteritic PION due to other causes, and (3) surgical PION, attributable to a surgical procedure. Therefore, the management of PION depends upon the type of PION. In all cases other than surgical PION, the most important first step in persons aged 50 years or older is always to rule out GCA, as in AION [1–3].
Loss of miR-203 regulates cell shape and matrix adhesion through ROBO1/Rac/FAK in response to stiffness

Breast tumor progression is accompanied by changes in the surrounding extracellular matrix (ECM) that increase stiffness of the microenvironment. Mammary epithelial cells engage regulatory pathways that permit dynamic responses to mechanical cues from the ECM. Here, we identify a SLIT2/ROBO1 signaling circuit as a key regulatory mechanism by which cells sense and respond to ECM stiffness to preserve tensional homeostasis. We observed that Robo1 ablation in the developing mammary gland compromised actin stress fiber assembly and inhibited cell contractility to perturb tissue morphogenesis, whereas SLIT2 treatment stimulated Rac and increased focal adhesion kinase activity to enhance cell tension by maintaining cell shape and matrix adhesion. Further investigation revealed that a stiff ECM increased Robo1 levels by down-regulating miR-203. Consistently, patients whose tumor expressed a low miR-203/high Robo1 expression pattern exhibited a better overall survival prognosis. These studies show that cells subjected to stiffened environments up-regulate Robo1 as a protective mechanism that maintains cell shape and facilitates ECM adherence.
Fungistatic action of hair fat on Microsporon audouini.

SummaryHair fat of adults contains free saturated aliphatic fatty acids which inhibit the growth of M. audouini in concentrations of 0.0002 to 0.001%. Preliminary chemical analyses of the still impure fractions, molecular weight estimations, and the range of fungistatic activity indicate that the fraction contains saturated aliphatic fatty acids between C7 and C11.
Capacity Planning under Clinical Trials Uncertainty in Continuous Pharmaceutical Manufacturing, 1: Mathematical Framework

Unlike traditional batch-based pharmaceutical manufacturing, where the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) and the final drug product are often produced in different facilities at different locations, novel continuous pharmaceutical manufacturing strategies enable the production of both the API and the final drug product in the same integrated facility. The capacities of such integrated continuous facilities must be determined for potential products in the face of clinical trials uncertainty. Given a portfolio consisting of potential products in the development stage, the goal of capacity planning is to ensure the availability of enough production capacity to meet the projected demands of products, which vary from the launch to the peak-demand periods. To address this problem, we propose a multiscenario, multiperiod, mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) formulation that takes into account uncertainty in the outcome of clinical trials. We illustrate the proposed framework using several examples. The ...
Community-based participatory research with Mexican migrants in a new rural destination: A good fit?

In this article, we offer our reflections on our community-based participatory research (CBPR) project in partnership with Mexican migrants in a new rural destination of the Rocky Mountain West. To...
Sildenafil in heart failure with reactive pulmonary hypertension (Sildenafil HF) clinical trial (rationale and design)

In this article, we present the rationale and design of the Sildenafil HF trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02304705). We will randomize patients with heart failure and reactive pulmonary hypertension (pulmonary capillary wedge pressure > 15 mmHg, pulmonary vascular resistance > 3 Wood units) into two groups: the treatment group receiving sildenafil 20 mg 3 times a day and a matching placebo group. The duration of intervention will be 3 months. The primary outcome is 6-minute walk distance. Key features of this trial include (1) that reactive pulmonary hypertension is an inclusion criterion, (2) that patients will be enrolled regardless of left ventricular ejection fraction, and (3) that clinical stability in the 3 months preceding enrollment is not required.
More About Locality and Data Labels for Insects

In the September 1967 issue of the ANNALS, R. H. Arnett described the system which he uses for retaining information to be associated with insect specimens. The problem involved is a very real one—essentially being that of development of effective techniques for information gathering and retrieval. A number of different systems for dealing with the predicament have been advocated in the past and new solutions are still being discussed. The references given will be found useful in reviewing the general area encompassed. In spite of the fact that the difficulties have long been recognized, entomologists as a whole have lost (and continue to lose) much information because we have not adequately utilized such procedures.
Intestinal Anisakiasis. Report of a Case and Recovery of Larvae from Market Fish

Intestinal anisakiasis refers to the accidental infection of humans by a marine nematode as a result of eating raw fish which contains larval stages of the nematode sub-family Anisakinae. The symptoms mimic appendicitis or regional enteritis and most cases are diagnosed post-operatively. This patient developed acute intestinal symptoms two weeks after eating raw salmon. A degenerating 150 micron larva accompanied by acute inflammation and granulation tissue was found in an adhesive band which extended from her jejunum to her omentum. Examination of a single salmon obtained from the same market where the patient shopped resulted in the recovery of 5 viable larvae, and confirmed the impression that anisakine infection of market fish is common. A related species (Phocanema) causes infestation, but not symptomatic disease. Although common in countries where raw fish is routinely eaten (e.g., Japan), its frequency is not proportional to the size of the group at risk, suggesting that predisposing factors influence the course of exposure. Preventative measures include freezing at -17 degrees for 24 hours.
Mediated Development: A Vygotskian Approach to Transforming Second Language Learner Abilities

The authors point to systemic-theoretical instruction (STI), which underscores the importance of abstract conceptual knowledge in schooling, and dynamic assessment (DA), in which mediators and learners function cooperatively, as examples of the theory–practice relation envisioned by Vygotsky (1987). This article proposes an interactional framework to bridge STI and DA. Mediated development (MD) emphasizes mediator–learner dialogic interaction in which the aim is not to assess emerging capabilities but rather to guide learner appropriation of concept-based instructional materials as symbolic tools for thinking. The researchers situate MD in relation to the broader Vygotskian second language research tradition, while also acknowledging the contributions of Israeli researcher Reuven Feuerstein (Feuerstein, Feuerstein, & Falik, 2010). Feuerstein's work to promote general cognitive abilities among learners with special needs closely parallels Vygotsky's research and was influential in developing this proposal of MD. The authors discuss principles of the framework and illustrate them through close analysis of excerpts of mediator–learner interactions from an STI program to teach the English tense-aspect system in a university-level ESL academic writing program. Analysis reveals the value of mediator guidance in helping learners to recognize the relevance of instructional materials and to begin to use them as tools during communicative activity.
Molecular Paradigms of Infectious Disease: a Bacterial Perspective

A paradigm can be defined as a collection or set of logically related assumptions, concepts, propositions, or practices that orient thinking and research. Molecular Paradigms of Infectious Disease: a Bacterial Perspective is about the molecular paradigms of infectious disease that have emerged over the last 10 years. More specifically, a group of 29 scientists discuss in 15 chapters their viewpoints on the rather complex cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie bacterial virulence and the infectious disease process. This book is part of a series entitled Emerging Infectious Diseases of the 21st Century.
Adult Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Mediators on the Run

The critical care nurse can no longer view adult respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) as a single organ dysfunction. ARDS may be the triggering event or the end result of a systemic inflammatory response. This article focuses on the research examining the cellular and humoral mediators precipitating the pathophysiologic processes seen in ARDS. An examination of assessment cues for early diagnosis and continued evaluation of the progression of acute lung injury and the systemic reponse are explored. Concluding the article is a critical analysis of supportive and experimental treatment modalities and their impact on patient outcome.
Large-Scale Sequencing of Plant Small RNAs

Deep sequencing technologies have become very powerful tools in the identification and quantification of small RNAs involved in gene regulation. Small interfering RNA (siRNA) and miRNA are two classes of DCL-dependent small RNAs known to affect phenotype, developmental regulation, and various traits in plants. These small RNAs function by selectively repressing gene expression mainly by guiding cleavage, resulting in degradation of target transcripts. In this chapter, we describe a method for preparation of 5(')-phosphate-dependent small RNA libraries, a hallmark of RNase III-like DCL products, for high-throughput sequencing, and recommendations for small RNA analysis. This method is useful for determining small RNA involvement in critical pathways in plants, identifying and quantifying novel small RNAs, and examining small RNA global expression patterns.
What Should Be Measured? Instruments

This chapter reviews the noteworthy instruments which are presented as examples depicting consumer distress, symptoms, disorders, and the functioning of roles from the perspective of different observers. This functioning is used to organize the discussion of potential outcome measures. Different kinds of distresses are also considered as the probable symptoms of psychiatric disorders. The Mental health scale is destined to assess heterogeneous well-being, distress, and symptoms. Depression, anxiety, and interpersonal sensitivity scales are the direct measures of distress and psychological pain. The hostility scale has implications for the well-being of others in the client's environment. The current symptoms scale consists of seven scales linked to the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders. This chapter also discusses a number of measuring instruments along with their relative strengths and weaknesses. Self administering measures of distress and symptoms are recommended for assessing consumer pain and distress. Public gatekeepers and case managers are also considered as essential sources of information about consumer functioning and role performance.
CHAPTER 4 – An Introduction to Ethics

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses ethical theory in the context of agriculture. Ethical foundations, known or unknown, are used to form the reasons for action; the reasons why one do what one do. Discussion of foundational ethical principles is essential if agricultural practice is to change in the sense that some of the problems agriculture practice causes are to be reduced or solved, and if public challenges to agricultural practice are to diminish. For agriculture, ethical lapses are often identified by outsiders whom agricultural folk claim don't really understand the essentiality of agriculture and its production technology. Outsiders, it is claimed, demand a higher standard than they practice. Besides, it is argued, some values must be sacrificed (for example, environmental quality) to higher values (for example, increasing production) if agriculture is to progress toward fulfilling its primary task: feeding the world. Agricultural people often argue that they are not the only ones guilty of ordering values. Further, moral dilemmas are common in agriculture and one needs an ethical foundation to help decide between two choices where each has strong supporting arguments. The next generation of agriculture's practitioners, scientists, and teachers should be equipped with the intellectual tools that are required to guide decisions about agriculture's existing and future ethical dilemmas. To support the central idea of ethics, discussion introduces arrays of theories, including ethical egoism, social contact, and utilitarianism.
A Partitioned-Modeling Approach for Domain-Transition Problems

Domain-transition problems are characterized by an evolving local change of deformation mechanisms from an originally uniform deformation field. Localization, turbulence, shock and solidification are some examples of current interests in engineering. Various approaches have been proposed to model specific domain-transition phenomena. Localization or shear banding, for example, has been a hot topic during the past several decades because a significant amount of energy dissipation is associated with the evolution of localization. Much research has been conducted in experimental, theoretical and computational aspects of localization problems, as recently reviewed by Chen and Schreyer [1]. Although promising analytical and numerical approaches exist in the current literature, there are still some pressing limitations that prohibit the successful prediction of localization phenomena in general. Among the continuum models proposed, for instance, the experimental means to identify model parameters and to understand the physics behind boundary conditions is not sufficient for higher-order models; mode-I failures can not be properly regularized by the Cosserat approach; and the slow loading rates as in the cases of creep and relaxation can not be well-specified by rate-dependent local models. And also, there exists a gap between continuum models and fracture mechanics approaches.
Modeling of Central Reactivity Worth Measurements in Lady Godiva

The central reactivity worth measurements performed in Lady Godiva were duplicated using TWODANT, a deterministic neutron transport code, and the 16-group Hansen-Roach cross-section library. The purpose of this work was to determine how well the Hansen-Roach library predicts the reactivity worths for a fast neutron system. Lady Godiva is a spherical uranium metal (93.7 wt% [sup 235]U) critical assembly with a neutron flux distribution dominant in the first five groups of the Hansen-Roach energy structure (0.1 MeV and up). Provided that the cross sections of the replacement material do not undergo large variations (less than an order of magnitude) in any of the aforementioned groups, the calculated reactivities were within 10% of the experimental values. For cases where the reactivities were outside this range, a large variation in the cross section was found to exist in one of the groups, which was not fully accounted for in the Hansen-Roach group structure. However, even in the cases where the agreement between calculation and experiment was not good, the calculated reactivity appeared to be an extremum in that the effect was found to be either more negative or more positive than the experimental value.
Towards Scheduling Virtual Machines Based On Direct User Input

We propose a new approach to scheduling virtual machines (VMs) on a provider CPU that is unique in that is based around the use of direct user input. In our system, a user's VM is scheduled as a periodic real-time task. The user can instantaneously manipulate his VM's schedule using a joystick. An on-screen display illustrates the current schedule's cost and indicates when the user's desired schedule is impossible due to the schedules of other VMs or resource constraints. We report on a user study of our prototype system that reveals that even a naive user is capable of using the interface to our system to find a schedule that balances cost and the comfort of his VM. Good schedules are user- and application-dependent to a large extent, illustrating the benefits of user involvement.
Redefining refugees: Interpretive control and the bordering work of legal categorization in U.S. asylum law

States engage in a variety of border enforcement practices to reassert control over migration and territory in spite of international human rights obligations. State responses to asylum seeking are illustrative of the subsequent movement and proliferation of borders far from the territorial borderline. While the refugee category delineates to whom states have obligations to protect, less research has examined the bordering work achieved through legal interpretations of the refugee category. Based on an analysis of asylum case law, specifically two foundational cases involving Salvadoran asylum seekers to the U.S. in the 1980s, Matter of Acosta (1985) and Sanchez-Trujillo vs. INS (1986), this paper argues that legal interpretations of the refugee definition are acts of interpretive control, or discursive tactics designed to contain human mobility and circumscribe the human rights of those with access to U.S. territory. The case studies illustrate how defining and redefining the refugee category was critical to constructing Central American “feet people” as illegally present in the U.S. and thus legitimate targets of spatialized tactics of exclusion including deportation and detention. Through analysis of these cases, the paper illustrates that legal definitions are not a static backdrop against which other forms of bordering work occurs, but dynamic sites in which legal discourse both responds to and produces socio-spatial relations, delineating the threshold of humanitarian categories and thus the meaning and consequences of cross border movement for specific groups of people.
Unique Modification of Membrane Structure by Lithium: A Molecular Dynamics Study

Lithium is profoundly different from other ions in the body in multiple ways. Extracellular concentrations of calcium, sodium, potassium, and hydrogen ions must be closely regulated for well-being. On the other hand, the body does not closely regulate lithium but rather adapts reasonably well to lithium concentration variation of over a thousandfold, in spite of the fact that lithium interacts with many biological molecules. This stability coupled with interactiveness implies the existence of myriad mutually compensating lithium-modulated processes, which are almost completely not understood. In this study we explore the interaction of lithium, sodium, potassium, and rubidium with bilayer membranes comprised of POPC, using molecular dynamics simulations. Lithium, but not any of the others, forms a long-lasting noncovalent bond simultaneously with the headgroup phosphate and the CO group of the Sn2 chain. This interaction significantly alters the structure and the surface area of the membrane.
The air-sea exchange of mercury in the low latitude Pacific and Atlantic Oceans

Abstract Air-sea exchange is an important component of the global mercury (Hg) cycle as it mediates the rate of increase in ocean Hg, and therefore the rate of change in levels of methylmercury (MeHg), the most toxic and bioaccumulative form of Hg in seafood and the driver of human health concerns. Gas evasion of elemental Hg (Hg 0 ) from the ocean is an important sink for ocean Hg with previous studies suggesting that evasion is not uniform across ocean basins. To understand further the factors controlling Hg 0 evasion, and its relationship to atmospheric Hg deposition, we made measurements of dissolved Hg 0 (DHg 0 ) in surface waters, along with measurements of Hg in precipitation and on aerosols, and Hg 0 in marine air, during two GEOTRACES cruises; GP16 in the equatorial South Pacific and GA03 in the North Atlantic. We contrast the concentrations and estimated evasion fluxes of Hg 0 during these cruises, and the factors influencing this exchange. Concentrations of DHg 0 and fluxes were lower during the GP16 cruise than during the GA03 cruise, and likely reflect the lower atmospheric deposition in the South Pacific. An examination of Hg/Al ratios for aerosols from the cruises suggests that they were anthropogenically-enriched relative to crustal material, although to a lesser degree for the South Pacific than the aerosols over the North Atlantic. Both regions appear to be net sources of Hg 0 to the atmosphere (evasion>deposition) and the reasons for this are discussed. Overall, the studies reported here provide further clarification on the factors controlling evasion of Hg 0 from the ocean surface, and the role of anthropogenic inputs in influencing ocean Hg concentrations.
HOW THE CUSTOMER FEEDBACK PROCESS CONTRIBUTES TO PERCEIVED CUSTOMER ORIENTATION AND AFFECTIVE COMMITMENT IN THE HIGHER EDUCATIONAL SERVICE CONTEXT

Given the current dynamics in service industries organizations are attempting to strategically create distinctiveness that leads to competitive advantage. Higher education is a unique experiential service where customer engagement implies engagement in not only the academic domain but also engagement in the total educational experience. Therefore, in order to create value in educational service delivery, there is a need for more highly developed understanding of the student-institutional intersection. The present research aims to contribute to the service marketing literature by developing and testing a model related to a broader conception of a student feedback process as a critical component of desired service outcomes. Conceived as customer feedback, student feedback to an educational institution can be positive (compliment), negative (complaint), or take the form of a suggestion or idea for an improvement to any aspect of the service provided to a person, department, or service group of the institution using multiple communication modalities. In this model perceived usefulness of the feedback process and perceived ease of use are posited to interact to influence the perceived customer orientation of the institution. Customer orientation, in turn, is posited to mediate the influence of feedback system perceptions on student affective commitment toward the institution. Model relationships are supported which have conceptual and managerial implications for strategically bonding students to universities.
Being as Iconic: Aquinas on ‘He Who Is’ as the Name for God

Aquinas claims that ‘He Who Is’ is the most proper of the names we have for God. But this attempt to ‘describe’ God with a philosophical concept like ‘being’ can seem dangerously close to creating a false conception based on our limited understanding – an idol. A dominant criticism of Aquinas’ use of this term is that any attempt to use ‘being’ to describe God will inevitably make him merely some object in our ontology alongside other beings, unacceptably mitigating God's radical transcendence and otherness. I will argue that Aquinas has a very creative response to this charge: ‘being’ stands in a unique relationship as the only concept that can ensure we do not draw God under some particular creaturely limit and thus use divine names to create an ‘idol’. In other words, ‘being’ is a special paradigm concept/term which ensures that we preserve humility in our attempts to name God.
On the Otherness That Theory Creates

The urge to theorize has been a driving force of Western intellectual tradition. It underlies academic discourse, giving the scientific enterprise its vitality. Without systematic theorizing much of contemporary culture, particularly technology, would be virtually unthinkable. Disciplines Communication This book chapter is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/asc_papers/296
Short communication: Development of a rapid laboratory method to polymerize lactose to nondigestible carbohydrates

Nondigestible carbohydrates with a degree of polymerization between 3 and 10 (oligosaccharides) are commonly used as dietary fiber ingredients in the food industry, once they have been confirmed to have positive effects on human health by regulatory authorities. These carbohydrates are produced through chemical or enzymatic synthesis. Polylactose, a polymerization product of lactose and glucose, has been produced by reactive extrusion using a twin-screw extruder, with citric acid as the catalyst. Trials using powdered cheese whey permeate as the lactose source for this reaction were unsuccessful. The development of a laboratory method was necessary to investigate the effect of ingredients present in permeate powder that could be inhibiting polymerization. A Mars 6 Microwave Digestion System (CEM Corp., Matthews, NC) was used to heat and polymerize the sugars. The temperatures had to be lowered from extrusion conditions to produce a caramel-like product and not decompose the sugars. Small amounts of water had to be added to the reaction vessels to allow consistent heating of sugars between vessels. Elevated levels of water (22.86 and 28.57%, vol/wt) and calcium phosphate (0.928 and 1.856%, wt/wt) reduced the oligosaccharide yield in the laboratory method. Increasing the citric acid (catalyst) concentration increased the oligosaccharide yield for the pure sugar blend and when permeate powder was used. The utility of the laboratory method to predict oligosaccharide yields was confirmed during extrusion trials of permeate when this increased acid catalyst concentration resulted in similar oligosaccharide concentrations.
Adhesion Molecules and Tumor Cell-Vasculature Interactions: Modulation by Bioactive Lipid Molecules

Adhesive interactions between disseminating tumor cells and the microvasculature (endothelial cells, leukocytes, platelets, extracellular matrix components, etc.) represent an essential molecular event in the metastatic process. As in the case of other metastatic determinants such as angiogenesis, proteolysis, motility and invasion, the adhesive interactions also are mediated by distinct groups of molecules, termed adhesion receptors, which are represented by four major families, i.e., integrins, the immunoglobulin supergene family, cadherins, and selectins. Many other molecules such as cell surface carbohydrates and lectins, proteoglycans, and some growth factors also possess adhesive functions under special circumstances. The relationship between adhesion and metastasis is simply exemplified by an in vitro adhesion assay utilizing tumor cells of differential metastatic potential. As illustrated in Fig. 1, B16 F10 murine melanoma cells (a high metastatic subline) demonstrated a more rapid and quantitatively greater adhesion to microvascular endothelium that F1 cells (a low metastatic subline), thus suggesting a positive correlation between the metastatic ability and adhesive ability of tumor cells. The literature is replete with examples demonstrating a cause-and-effect relationship between adhesion molecules and tumor cell metastasis. Quite convincing data have been presented for three adhesion molecules, i.e., α5β1 integrin, E-cadherin and C-CAM, which possess metastasis-suppresive functions.
The Signals of Play: An ABM of Affective Signatures in Children’s Playgroups

Ubiquitous self-organizing animal and human groups have increasingly become the focus of research by scientists interested in social dynamics. While a substantial amount of literature exists on the behavioral interaction patterns found in animal groups (see Dugatkin, 2001 for a review), there is not a comparable body of work in the social sciences. From hunter-gatherers to city-dwellers, structured gatherings of humans appear in all cultures. These groups range from married couples and co-workers to large crowds and neighborhoods, with each type having a distinct structure and ontology. Despite the variation found in the composition and evolution of these groups, it appears that humans, like a number of other species, improve their ability to adapt to environmental variability through clustering. What is not clear, however, is how discrete entities, each with unique attributes and preferences, contribute to the formation of these groups. Even less is known about the socio-developmental processes involved in these groups or the influence that these processes may have on subsequent group evolution.
The Kronecker Limit Formulas

Let f be a function on R. We shall say that f tends to 0 rapidly at infinity if for each positive integer m the function $$x \mapsto {\left| x \right|^m}f(x)$$ is bounded. We define the Schwartz space S to be the set of functions on R which are infinitely differentiable and which tend to 0 rapidly at infinity, as well as their derivatives of all orders.
Seismic Site and Soil-Structure Interaction Analysis

The relationship between free-field motions and interaction motions is discussed. Conclusions are reached regarding the likely spatial and temporal variations of free-field motions at shallow depth. Several finite element methods for soil-structure analysis are discussed including the Flexible Volume Method. This method, which employs substructuring, makes it possible to obtain solutions to a broad range of three-dimensional soilstructure and structure-soil-structure interaction problems.
Review of the Galactic Bulge

For sins that I have been unable to identify, I have been asked to give a review talk on the Galactic bulge. This is a subject to which I have not been very close in recent years, so that I have been able to approach it with a fairly open mind, though I must acknowledge a lot of generous help from Mike Rich, Don Terndrup, and Jay Frogel. But any errors, and especially any prejudices, are purely my own. And in my reading I have undoubtedly missed some important papers, but I hope that their authors will forgive me.
Phosphorus sorption on tropical soils with relevance to Earth system model needs

Phosphorus (P) availability critically limits the productivity of tropical forests growing on highly weathered, low-P soils. Although efforts to incorporate P into Earth system models (ESMs) provide an opportunity to better estimate tropical forest response to climate change, P sorption dynamics and controls on soil P availability are not well constrained. Here, we measured P and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) sorption isotherms on 23 soils from tropical Oxisol, Ultisol, Inceptisol, Andisol, and Aridisol soils using P concentrations from 10 to 500 mg P L−1, and DOC concentrations from 10 to 100 mg DOC L−1. Isotherms were fit to the Langmuir equation and parameters were related to soil characteristics. Maximum P sorption capacity (Qmax) was significantly correlated with clay content (ρ = 0.658) and aluminium (Al)- or iron (Fe)-oxide concentrations (ρ = 0.470 and 0.461 respectively), and the DOC Qmax was correlated with Fe oxides (ρ = 0.491). Readily available soil characteristics could eventually be used to estimate Qmax values. Analysis of literature values demonstrated that the maximum initial P concentration added to soils had a significant impact on the resultant Qmax, suggesting that an insufficiently low initial P range could underestimate Qmax. This study improves methods for measuring P Qmax and estimating Qmax in the absence of isotherm analyses and provides key data for use in ESMs.
Unveiling the Identity of PIN from the Flash Crash: Illiquidity or Information Asymmetry?

This paper extends the original PIN framework to explicitly allow for the coexistence of liquidity shocks and fundamental news, both of which can lead to order imbalances. The pseudo market makers submit contrarian orders in the event of liquidity shocks and thus move the stock prices back to the fundamental level. Consequently, the conventional PIN measure consists of one component driven by the informed traders who receive the fundamental news and another component due to pseudo market makers who arrive upon liquidity shocks. During the flash crash on May 6, 2010, there is a nearly ten-fold market-wide increase in the illiquidity component of PIN but there is a lack of uniform increase in the information asymmetry component, based on the estimation of the extended PIN model for common stocks listed on NYSE and AMEX. In contrast, the original PIN model disallows liquidity shocks and thus overestimates the extent of asymmetric information. In addition to introducing a conceptually more pure measure of asymmetric information than that is previously available, this paper also contributes to the literature through methodological improvements to the PIN estimation and provides the recipe to eradicate the numerical overflow and underflow problems and impute the daily PIN series from repeated estimations of quarterly PINs.
Why not be pluralists about explanatory reduction

Borsboom et al. convincingly argue that, from their symptom network perspective, mental disorders cannot be reduced to brain disorders. While granting that network structures exist, I respond that there is no reason to think they are the only psychiatric phenomena worth explaining. From a pluralist perspective, what is required is not a full-scale rejection of explanatory reductionism but a critical attention to the circumstances of its application.
Oil Price Volatility & Macroeconomic Fluctuations: Recent Evidence from Mexico

This research intends to identify the relationships between growth and key macroeconomic variables in Mexico, with a primary focus on the fluctuations in crude oil prices. Using a multiple linear regression model, the paper examines the impact of variables such as the export value, crude oil price volatility, current account balance, and industrial performance on the real GDP growth, in addition to crude oil price growth. In contrast to the mixed results reported in the literature, this study identifies a positive correlation between the growth rate of crude oil price and Mexico’s GDP. The paper concludes with a discussion on the ongoing petroleum regime reform that may shape the future of Mexico.
MP32-15 CIGARETTE SMOKING IS ASSOCIATED WITH ADVERSE PATHOLOGIC RESPONSE AND INCREASED DISEASE RECURRENCE AMONG PATIENTS WITH MUSCLE-INVASIVE BLADDER CANCER TREATED WITH CISPLATIN-BASED NEOADJUVANT CHEMOTHERAPY AND RADICAL CYSTECTOMY

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES:Smoking may be implicated in mechanism of resistance to cisplatin-based chemotherapy in bladder cancer and other solid malignancies. However, evidence suggesting a nicot...
A Simple, Inexpensive Needle Assembly for Peripheral Nerve Stimulation and Neural Blockade

Shielded needles can be purchased commercially, but they are relatively expensive and often unavailabie when needed. A design for a simple, inexpensive shielded needle assembly is presented as an alternative to ready made examples.