cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Matched-pair noninferiority trials using rate ratio: a comparison of current methods and sample size refinement

In this article, we consider the establishment of noninferiority between a reference test and a new test with respect to the ratio of sensitivity and/or specificity. We first review two (one-sided) noninferiority tests, namely the logarithmic transformation test and the Fieller-type test, and their associated sample size formulae proposed for matched-pair designs when the null hypothesis is of a specified nonunity rate ratio. Different methods for implementing these one-sided noninferiority tests are reviewed. They include (1) the sample-based method, (2) the constrained least-squares estimation method, and (3) the constrained maximum likelihood estimation method. We conduct a simple empirical study to evaluate the performance of various tests/methods. In summary, statistics based on constrained maximum likelihood estimation always control the actual type I error rate much better than other statistics. Moreover, the corresponding approximate sample size formulae are valid asymptotically in the sense that the exact powers associated with the approximate sample size formulae are generally close to the prespecified power level. Methods based on constrained maximum likelihood estimation are illustrated with a real example from a clinical laboratory study.
Psychological features in persons at risk for familial Alzheimer's disease.

Persons at risk for inherited neurodegenerative diseases may experience symptoms of anxiety and depression because of concern over the possibility of developing the disease in the future. The purpo...
Integration of intermittent resources with price-responsive loads

This paper concerns the near-real time supply and demand balancing problem in the changing electric energy industry. In particular, potential dispatch problems in the presence of hard-to-control wind and solar power have emerged as the key industry concern. Our work evolves around the idea that the more predictive information about wind power output is known and the more carefully this information is included dynamically, the more effective integration of intermittent power will be. In this paper we recognize that a combination of predicted wind power and ahead-of-time knowledge of customers' willingness to adjust their consumption at a price could result in even more effective system-wide supply and demand balancing. We generalize our recent work which is based on the look-ahead model-predictive control approach to the wind power integration. A Markov model for predicting wind power is used to determine the optimal amount of wind power to be sent to the grid in order to balance demand while accounting for the limiting ramping rates of other power plants. As expected, utilizing the full wind power output is sub-optimal and different technologies will be needed to utilize this clean energy resource fully as it is made available. Different storage technologies as well as adaptive demand-side response are such key candidates. In this paper we generalize our recently proposed look-ahead model predictive dispatch to integrate the price-responsive demand. We show using the IEEE 14 bus example potential benefits from simultaneous dispatch of both conventional power plants characterized by their inherently limiting ramping rates and the price-responsive demand characterized by its demand function. A comparison is made to the dispatch without active demand-side adaptation.
Anaphylaxis and histamine shock in mice.

SummaryAfter the injection of H. pertussis vaccine, according to the genetic differences of mice, some strains of mice develop sensitivity to antigen, others to both antigen and histamine.
Evaluation of Activator Solutions, Motility Duration, and Short‐Term Storage of Paddlefish Spermatozoa

Milt from paddlefish (Polyodon sparhula) was collected, examined for motility, and pooled. Six different solutions (dechlorinated tap water, ovarian fluid, bacteriostatic water, distilled water, 0.9% sodium chloride saline water, and milt plasma) were examined for activation and duration of spermatozoal motility. Most solutions except saline solution and milt plasma promoted activation of spermatozoa. Dechlorinated tap water was found to be the best activator with significantly longer duration of spermatozoal motility than the other tested solutions. Saline solution and milt plasma appear to be useful as carrier solutions because of their property of maintaining inactive, viable spermatozoa. Paddlefish milt in three treatments was evaluated for chilled storage [without additives (MF); with 500 IU penicillin and 500 mg streptomycin mix in milt plasma (MP); and 0.9% saline solution (MS)]. The three treatments were stored at 2.4 ± 0.9 C in a precooled, moisture-saturated oxygen environment and observed every 24 h for 9 d. Motility of activated spermatozoa in MS (7 d) was significantly longer than MF or MP treatments (7 d). Spermatozoa in MS had the longest chilled storage time (8 d).
Effect of Sedimentation on Ice-Sheet Grounding-Line Stability

Sedimentation filling space beneath ice shelves helps to stabilize ice sheets against grounding-line retreat in response to a rise in relative sea level of at least several meters. Recent Antarctic changes thus cannot be attributed to sea-level rise, strengthening earlier interpretations that warming has driven ice-sheet mass loss. Large sea-level rise, such as the ≈100-meter rise at the end of the last ice age, may overwhelm the stabilizing feedback from sedimentation, but smaller sea-level changes are unlikely to have synchronized the behavior of ice sheets in the past.
Robotic single-incision sigmoid colectomy: initial case series

Single-site surgery has gained significant interest in minimally invasive surgery, especially in the field of colon and rectal surgery. Robotic surgery has been found to provide a stable platform and better triangulation, minimizing instrument collision. Robotic single-incision sigmoid resections done at George Washington University Hospital were reviewed. Data including age, gender, body mass index (BMI), operative time, estimated blood loss, morbidity, and length of hospital stay were collected and reviewed. A total of four patients underwent single-incision robotic colectomy (SIRC) of the sigmoid colon. All cases were done for diverticulitis. One patient required an extra port site due to extensive adhesions. One patient experienced postoperative atrial fibrillation requiring cardioversion. This initial review demonstrated that SIRC is safe and feasible.
Self-Focused Attention and Post-Event Processing: Relevance to Social Performance Anxiety and Social Interaction Anxiety.

This article originally appeared in the Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy. The version of record is available at Springer via: http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/0889-8391.28.1.72
Sufficient optimality criteria in nonlinear programming for generalized equality-inequality constraints

Sufficient optimality criteria of the Kuhn-Tucker and Fritz John type in nonlinear programming are established in the presence of equality-inequality constraints. The constraint functions are assumed to be quasiconvex, and the objective function is taken to be pseudoconvex (or convex).
Granitic Plutonism and Metamorphism, Eastern Alaska Range, Alaska

Plutonic rocks in the eastern Alaska Range were emplaced in Late Pennsylvanian time (282 to 285 m.y. B.P.) and during two distinct intervals in Cretaceous time (105 to 117 and 89 to 94 m.y. B.P.) Development of a large plutonic-metamorphic complex, consisting of diorite and quartz diorite intimately associated with banded gneiss and other metamorphic rocks, apparently occurred during Late Triassic to Middle Jurassic time (163 to 199 m.y. B.P.). A smaller plutonic-metamorphic complex is Miocene in age (17 m.y.). The younger Cretaceous plutons are recognized only in the regionally metamorphosed Devonian and older terrane north of the Denali fault. Plutons of the older Cretaceous and Pennsylvanian events are restricted to Pennsylvanian and younger terrane south of the Denali fault and are associated with coeval volcanic rock assemblages. The major plutonic-metamorphic complex is also restricted to the terrane south of the Denali fault and may relate to collapse of an upper Paleozoic volcanic arc in Triassic time followed by syntectonic magmatism in Jurassic time. The Miocene plutonic-metamorphic complex may reflect the time of initial movement along the Denali fault. Porphyry copper deposits are associated with the Cretaceous plutons south of the Denali fault. The source of the copper may be subjacent copper-rich basalt flows (Nikolai Greenstone) of Triassic age.
Delivery of influenza vaccine to non-elderly persons with cardiovascular disease, with varying national supply of vaccine: a decision analysis.

Influenza immunization rates among nonelderly persons at high risk for influenza are far below target levels in the United States. Provision of influenza vaccine at subspecialty practices can target high-risk patients, particularly during influenza vaccine shortages. We conducted a decision analysis to explore the potential effects on nonelderly cardiac patients’ immunization rates of improving vaccine availability, standing orders rates, and physicians’ vaccine recommendation rates in cardiology, primary care, and other medical subspecialty outpatient practices. We considered 2 supply circumstances (sufficient versus 50% of needed supply), and also incorporated community and hospital-based vaccine delivery as well as patient acceptance in the model. With sufficient vaccine supply, optimized performance of cardiology practices (maximum vaccine availability, strong physician recommendations, and standing orders) yielded greater improvement in vaccine coverage rate than with separately optimized performance...
Plateau Potentials Drive Axonal Impulse Bursts in Insect Motoneurons

Intracellular recordings were made from the soma of the `fast' coxal depressor motoneuron of the hind leg of the cockroach Periplaneta americana under current- and voltage-clamp. In response to depolarizing current injection, this neuron was able to generate plateau potentials that were able to far outlive the duration of the applied depolarization. These events constitute an inherent membrane property of the neuron because they could be evoked in somata that had been surgically isolated from other parts of the neuron (the soma is devoid of synaptic contacts); these experiments also showed that the soma of this neuron can participate in the generation of plateau potentials. The amplitude of these events at the spike-initiating zone was sufficient to evoke action potentials that correlated 1:1 with axonal impulses recorded extracellularly from the axon of the neuron. The ability to generate plateau potentials is associated with a region of negative slope resistance in the current--voltage relation of the neuron. Ion substitution experiments showed that the plateau potentials recorded from this neuron are calcium dependent. Our observations show for the first time that an insect motoneuron can produce plateau potentials. Accordingly, bistable membrane properties may play a role in shaping motor output in insects.
A transitive random network model

Abstract Empirical networks often show substantial transitivity. Transitivity can be explained in terms of transaction costs and in terms of the instability of unbalanced interactions. Random network models described in the literature usually consist of independent arcs only. This paper describes a homogeneous, transitive random network model. In this model a collection of arcs is dependent if some arcs contain joint vertices. Expressions are given for the exact probability that a given arc exists and for the transitivity index (i.e. the probability that arc be exists, given that arcs ab and ac exist). The exact distribution of the number of arcs that contain a given vertex is given. Asymptotic results for networks with large numbers of vertices are studied. Finally a heterogeneous and a dynamical version of the model are described.
Cultural Dimensions of Authenticity in Teaching.

With an increasingly international student body in universities all over the world, there is growing contact between teachers and students from different cultures. This chapter brings cultural issues to a more conscious and explicit level so they may be examined in the light of teacher authenticity.
Multiple steady states in distillation : ∞/∞ predictions, extensions, and implications for design, synthesis, and simulation

Bekiaris et al. (1993, 1996) presented a thorough study of the existence of multiple steady states in homogeneous and heterogeneous ternary azeotropic distillation based on the analysis of the case of infinite reflux and an infinite number of trays (∞/∞ case). In this paper, first we show how the ∞/∞ analysis and predictions can be extended to quaternary mixtures. Next, the implications of these multiplicities for column design, synthesis, and simulation are demonstrated. More specifically, we show how the ∞/∞ predictions can be useful for the selection of the entrainer, the equipment, and the separation scheme. We show that, in some cases, the column operation at an unstable steady state may have some advantages. The important issue of the effect of the thermodynamic phase equilibrium on the existence of multiplicities is discussed. Using the ∞/∞ analysis, we identify entire mixture classes for which multiplicities are inherent and robust. Mixtures with ambiguous VLE data are studied; we show that in some cases a slight VLE difference between models and/or experimental data may affect the existence of multiplicities while other, major VLE discrepancies do not. Finally, we identify the key issues and the pitfalls one should be cautious about when designing or computing the composition profile of an azeotropic distillation column with a commercial simulator.
The integration of a Problem Solving Process in the first course

Introductory computer science courses should incorporate a problem solving approach as a pedagogical framework. Many first courses hand out problems to be solved and ask the students for solutions, but very few explicitly teach a problem solving methodology. The authors have developed a simple methodology called the “Problem Solving Process” (PSP) which focuses on the designing of computer programs for realistic problem situations in the introductory courses. This Problem Solving Process (PSP) is formulated to allow the integration of problem solving throughout the course. Through this integration, the course guarantees active student participation in learning about problem solving techniques as well as performing the act of problem solving.
Student Achievement in Identified Workforce Clusters: Understanding Factors that Influence Student Success

This study blends elements from two South Carolina Technical College System initiatives—Achieving the Dream and a workforce cluster strategy. Achieving the Dream is a national non-profit organization created to help technical and community college students succeed, particularly low-income students and students of color. This initiative, combined with a recent strategy that places particular emphasis on five workforce clusters (advanced manufacturing, energy, healthcare, tourism, and transportation and logistics), necessitates an exploration into student retention and achievement specific to these cluster areas, which are critical to the state's advancement in the knowledge economy. All students in this study were first-year, first-time South Carolina Technical College System students assigned to one of three cohorts based on start date (2002, 2003, or 2004). Outcomes were analyzed using backward binary logistic regression to determine academic preparedness as defined by enrollment in developmental studies...
Treatment of staphylococcal skin infections: a comparison of cephalexin and dicloxacillin

Cephalexin, given twice daily, and dicloxacillin, given four times daily, were compared in a randomly controlled study for the treatment of staphylococcal skin and skin structure infections. Among 70 evaluable patients, 57 had staphylococcal bullous impetigo. The remaining 13 patients had bullous impetigo with streptococcal or mixed streptococcal-staphylococcal cultures (6 patients), abscess (4 patients), or cellulitis with pyoderma (3 patients). Staphylococci were recovered from lesions of 64 of the 70 evaluable patients; all strains were sensitive to both cephalexin and dicloxacillin, but only 2 of the 64 strains were susceptible to penicillin G. Cephalexin and dicloxacillin proved equally effective, Treatment failures were uncommon (1 patient in each group), and recurrences (3 patients in each group) were limited to patients with bullous impetigo. In general, patients with staphylococcal bullous impetigo responded promptly, with clearing of lesions evident within the first week, but delayed healing with persistence of staphylococci in lesions was more common in the group receiving dicloxacillin. Twice-daily dosing with oral antibiotics is obviously convenient and may enhance compliance. Twice-daily therapy with cephalexin for staphylococcal skin and skin structure infections can be recommended with confidence.
Does Insulin Need a Second Messenger

It is well established that specific binding sites for insulin are present on the plasma membranes of target tissues. In order to explain how insulin regulates a wide variety of biologic functions both on the surface of the cell as well as in its interior, it has been postulated that insulin generates a second messenger at the cell surface. To date, however, no second messenger for insulin has been identified that can carry out all of insulin's known actions. Recent studies have demonstrated that, in addition to the plasma membrane, other subcellular organelles, such as the nucleus, have specific binding sites for insulin. There is also evidence indicating that large serum proteins such as albumin, large protein hormones such as prolactin, and small protein hormones such as insulin can enter intact cells. It is hypothesized, therefore, that insulin has at least two mechanisms of action on target tissues. One mechanism entails the direct binding of insulin to the plasma membrane, which in turn leads to its well-known effects on membrane transport. The other mechanism requires the entry of insulin itself into the interior of the cell and its subsequent direct binding to subcellular organelles. This latter process then serves to mediate many of the known intracellular functions of insulin.
A comprehensive atomistic analysis of the experimental dynamic-mechanical response of a metallic glass

Abstract It is shown that assumed anelastic relaxation-time spectra can be recovered reliably from simulated loss–modulus curves that include noise by nonlinear least-squares fitting. The same method is used to obtain spectra for published experimental data on a metallic glass. The results provide a comprehensive kinetic picture of the atomically quantized hierarchy of shear transformation zones (STZs). We resolve a window of STZs consisting of 25–33 atoms, and a simultaneous fit yields the Arrhenius behavior for each size. The corresponding activation energies are 1.75–2.31 eV. The high activation energy that is often observed above Tg is shown to be an artifact of the temperature dependence of the high-frequency shear modulus. The hierarchy of STZ sizes is consistent with both α and β relaxations, suggesting that they originate from the same microscopic mechanism.
OPTICAL DEPHASING IN GLASSES: THEORETICAL COMPARISON OF THE INCOHERENT- PHOTON ECHO, ACCUMULATED GRATING ECHO, AND TWO-PULSE PHOTON ECHO EXPERIMENTS

Abstract We present a detailed theoretical analysis of three nonlinear optical dephasing experiments, the incoherent photon echo, the accumulated grating echo, and the two-pulse photon echo. It has been believed previously that these three experiments provide the same information about optical dephasing, and therefore about a system's dynamics. In systems such as chromophores in glasses, proteins, liquids, or complex crystals, in which spectral diffusion (slow time scale energy fluctuations) as well as homogeneousdephasing (fast time scale energy fluctuations) occur, it is proven that these techniques are not equivalent. While the two-pulse photon echo measures the homogeneous dephasing, the other two techniques are influenced by spectral diffusion. In general, the incoherent echo and the accumulated grating echo will measure dephasing rates which are faster than the two-pulse photon echo. The differences among the methods are calculated using a standard two-level system model of glasses. It is found that the differences depend on factors such as the pulse duration in the incoherent echo and the triplet life time in the accumulated grating echo. We also demonstrate that a combination of techiques can be used to map out the broad distribution of relaxation rates which occur in glasses and many other complex systems.
Assembling flowers and cultivating homes: labor and gender in Colombia

Assembling Flowers and Cultivating Homes: Labor and Gender in Colombia, by Greta Friedemann-Sanchez. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. 192 pp. ISBN-13: 978-0-7391-0979-3, ISBN-10: 0-7391-0979-0 (h...
Foreign Firms Listing In The U.S.: Signaling Commitment To The U.S. Market

We hypothesize that the cost associated with the listing decision – including the greater scrutiny of U.S. investors – signals the depth of the firm’s commitment to the U.S. market to potential business partners and employees, providing a form of bonding that is directed within the U.S. Firms can credibly signal their commitment to the U.S. market by listing on more prestigious exchanges that bring greater investor scrutiny and, especially, by listing directly rather than using ADRs. We find strong evidence that firms with greater sales in the U.S. and those with a greater proportion of their sales to the U.S. are more likely to list directly in the U.S; firms with greater assets in the U.S. are more likely to list directly. With the greater scrutiny for companies that list on the NYSE, we expect the hypotheses to hold for the decision to list there versus elsewhere. With the exception of sales level in the U.S., we find evidence for the relationships described above hold for the decisions to list on the NYSE.
DISCREPANT ASSUMPTIONS IN EMPIRICAL RESEARCH: THE CASE OF JUVENILE COURT SCREENING*

Much of the sociological literature on discretionary decision making in juvenile court screening makes certain assumptions: 1) that being sent to court is a harsher sanction than being diverted from court; 2) that screening decisions necessarily involve judgments about the individual juvenile offender; and 3) that official records are a useful data source for studying the processing of cases. These background assumptions may seem plausible, but my data suggest that they are quite different from the working assumptions of intake workers in juvenile courts. At least some of the time, intake workers regard court appearance as the more lenient screening option; base their screening decisions on considerations not directly related to the individual offender; and develop records that deliberately obscure their actual case handling. Their reasoning and working assumptions are discussed in detail, with an attempt to assess what it means in empirical research when researchers' assumptions turn out to be discrepant from those made by members of the system under study.
Temperature cycling improves in vivo recovery of cold‐stored human platelets in a mouse model of transfusion

BACKGROUND: Platelet (PLT) storage at room temperature (RT) is limited to 5 days to prevent growth of bacteria, if present, to high levels. Storage in cold temperatures would reduce bacterial proliferation, but cold-exposed PLTs are rapidly cleared from circulation by the hepatic Ashwell-Morell (AM) receptor, which recognizes PLT surface carbohydrates terminated by β-galactose. We cycled storage temperature between 4 and 37°C to preserve PLT function and reduce bacterial growth. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Temperature-cycled (TC) human PLTs were stored at 4°C for 12 hours and then incubated at 37°C for 30 minutes before returning back to cold storage. PLTs stored at RT or at 4°C (COLD) or TC for 2, 5, and 7 days were infused into SCID mice and the in vivo recovery was determined at 5, 20, and 60 minutes after transfusion. RESULTS: PLTs stored for 2 days in COLD had significantly lower in vivo recoveries than RT PLTs. TC PLTs had improved recoveries over COLD and comparable to RT PLTs. After 5- and 7-day storage, TC PLTs had better recoveries than RT and COLD PLTs. PLT surface β-galactose was increased significantly for both COLD and TC PLTs compared to RT. Blocking of the AM receptor by asialofetuin increased COLD but not TC PLT recovery. CONCLUSION: TC cold storage may be an effective method to store PLTs without loss of in vivo recovery. The increased β-galactose exposure in TC PLTs suggests that mechanisms in addition to AM receptors may mediate clearance of cold-stored PLTs.
Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus to Reduce Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality: A Review of the Evidence

Cardiovascular disease accounts for the majority of deaths in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Lifestyle interventions aimed at weight loss and increased physical activity and therapy with antidiabetic drugs have proven effective in reducing the risk of new-onset diabetes in high-risk individuals. Substantial evidence also suggests that drugs that inhibit the renin-angiotensin system, namely angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers, also prolong the time to onset of clinical diabetes. An open question is whether delay of new-onset diabetes with antidiabetic or antihypertensive agents reduces cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. A large ongoing study is investigating whether therapy with an oral antidiabetic drug or an angiotensin II receptor blocker reduces the incidence of new-onset diabetes and cardiovascular events in high-risk patients.
Social aspects of high-risk notification among chromium-exposed workers

This study, based on 169 telephone interviews, explores how a sample of chromium-exposed workers responded to notification of their cohort's elevated risk of lung cancer. It is important to recognize that notified workers do not react as isolated individuals. Their responses are social, actively constructed through interaction with others, unfolding over time within a context of relationships and shared symbols that mediate the risk information. This report illustrates some of the ways that socially-based beliefs and interaction with the social environment can influence worker response, and suggests a more sociologically sophisticated concept of notification to fit the realities of workers' lives.
Differential Patterns of Change and Stability in Student Learning Outcomes in Holland's Academic Environments: The Role of Environmental Consistency

The findings of this study show wide variation in the learning patterns of college students in the academic environments of Holland’s theory and, more importantly, that such variability differs based on the level of “consistency” or “inconsistency” of the environments. Differences in the learning patterns of students in “consistent” academic environments tend to be more in alignment with the premises of Holland’s theory than those of students in “inconsistent” environments. Implications of these findings for future research using Holland’s theory to understand longitudinal patterns of change and stability in the attitudes, interests, and abilities of college students are discussed, and attention is devoted to policy development and practical implications for academic advisors, career counselors, campus leaders, and governmental and accrediting officials.
Sucrase-Isomaltase Ontogeny: Synergism between Glucocorticoids and Thyroxine Reflects Increased mRNA and No Change in Cell Migration ☆

Abstract During postnatal maturation of the rat small intestine, glucocorticoid hormones (GC) and thyroxine (T4) act synergistically to elicit a precocious increase of sucrase activity. The current work shows that the synergistic effect on sucrase activity is paralleled by increased steady-state levels of sucrase-isomaltase mRNA. The enhancing effects of T4on dexamethasone (DEX)-induced sucrase activity was seen even after prolonged treatment (9 days). Moreover, when the location of sucrase-bearing cells was examined after 2 days of hormone treatment, there was distinctly stronger immunostaining of sucrase in the presence of T4, and the sucrase-bearing cells were located on the lower quarter of the intestinal villi regardless of whether the animals received DEX or T4plus DEX. Thus, despite predictions from the literature, there was no evidence for increased migration in the presence of T4. Instead, we conclude that the synergism between the two hormones is due to greater accumulation of sucrase-isomaltase per epithelial cell.
A Dynamic Optimization Model for Distributed Databases

We present a dynamic programming formulation for solving the problem of locating files in heterogeneous, distributed computer networks. The model presented permits the access rates for information from files to vary over time, takes into account the fact that programs accessing files may only be permitted at certain nodes, and solves this general T-period problem. Special features are used to limit the growth of the state space so that a computationally feasible algorithm results. Finally, we present an example to illustrate the use of the algorithm.
Psychiatric disorder in the children of antisocial parents

Background. Although parents with psychiatric disorders are likely to have children with psychiatric problems, the nature of disorder risk to offspring of antisocial parents has received limited attention. Method. We examined the prevalence of common externalizing and internalizing disorders in the pre-adolescent and late adolescent offspring of antisocial parents. Lifetime diagnoses for a sample of 11-year-old twins (958 males, 1042 females) and a sample of 17-year-old twins (1332 males, 1434 females), as well as their parents, were obtained through in-person interviews. Odds ratios were calculated for the effect of the parent's diagnosis on the child's diagnosis, controlling for the effect of the co-parent's diagnosis. Results. We found that parental antisociality places the child at increased risk for developing a range of externalizing and internalizing disorders. This increase is evident by pre-adolescence and extends to a wide range of disorders by late adolescence. Each parent has an effect net any effects of the co-parent. Conclusions. Antisocial parents have children who have an increased likelihood of developing a broad range of psychiatric disorders.
Compute Pairwise Manhattan Distance and Pearson Correlation Coefficient of Data Points with GPU

Graphics processing units (GPUs) are powerful computational devices tailored towards the needs of the 3-D gaming industry for high-performance, real-time graphics engines. Nvidia Corporation released a new generation of GPUs designed for general-purpose computing in 2006, and it released a GPU programming language called CUDA in 2007. The DNA microarray technology is a high throughput tool for assaying mRNA abundance in cell samples. In data analysis, scientists often apply hierarchical clustering of the genes, where a fundamental operation is to calculate all pairwise distances. If there are n genes, it takes O(n^2) time. In this work, GPUs and the CUDA language are used to calculate pairwise distances. For Manhattan distance, GPU/CUDA achieves a 40 to 90 times speed-up compared to the central processing unit implementation; for Pearson correlation coefficient, the speed-up is 28 to 38 times.
Crystal Structure and Properties of CYP231A2 from the Thermoacidophilic Archaeon Picrophilus torridus.

The crystal structure of a cytochrome P450 from the thermoacidophile Picrophilus torridus, CYP231A2 (PTO1399), has been solved. This structure reveals a wide open substrate access channel. To better understand ligand-induced structural transitions in CYP231A2, protein−ligand interactions were investigated using 4-phenylimidazole. Comparison of the ligand-free and -bound CYP231A2 structures shows conformational changes where the F and G helices swing as a single rigid body about a pivot point at the N-terminal end of the F helix, allowing the F helix region to dip toward the heme, resulting in closer contacts with the ligand. Thermal melting data illustrate that the melting temperature for CYP231A2 increases nearly 10 °C upon ligand binding, thus illustrating that the closed conformation is substantially more stable. Furthermore, spectroscopic data indicate that the active site is stable at pH 4.5, although, unusually, the thiolate ligand to the iron can be reversibly protonated. CYP231A2 does not exhibit ...
Chief resident in pharmacy residency programs.

Purpose. The frequency of chief resident positions in pharmacy residency programs and the roles and responsibilities of such chief residents are described. Methods. A Web-based questionnaire was developed to determine the current state and interest of residency program directors (RPDs) in chief residency programs within pharmacy residency training. RPDs were identified through directories of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Results. Of the 892 surveys distributed, 34 were returned as undeliverable and 335 responses were received (effective response rate, 39.0%). Over one quarter of respondents (28.4%) had a chief resident, resident-in-charge, or other leadership position for residents at their institution. Institutions with existing chief resident programs had larger programs. Common duties of the chief resident included serving as a liaison between residents and the RPD (91.4%), coordinating resident meetings (87.1%), coordinating educational programming (45.2%), and managing residents’ schedules (44.1%). RPDs indicated interest in training programs designed to develop management skills and enhance leadership potential (72.7%). Of those RPDs whose institutions did not off er a chief resident position, 22% expressed interest in developing such a position. Programs with four or more residents were more likely to be interested in developing a chief residency program than those with smaller programs (34.3% versus 13.2%, p < 0.001). Conclusion. The majority of RPDs stated that their residency programs do not currently have a chief resident position. Programs with a greater number of pharmacy residents were more likely to have a current chief resident position or interest in establishing a chief resident position.
Optimum transmission scheme for a MISO wireless system with partial channel knowledge and infinite K factor

The optimum transmission scheme that maximizes ergodic capacity in a K/spl rarr//spl infin/ regime for 2/spl times/1 MISO systems is studied when the channel knowledge at the transmitter is characterized by a known gain imbalance and a known PDF of the phase shift between antennas. Such a channel scenario can arise in a forward link at the base station when there is a single direct path propagation. We show that the optimum transmit solution is beam-forming on the mean value of the phase shift with unequal power input to the antennas. When the phase is completely unknown, the solution reduces to a single antenna transmission.
A Deterministic approach to evaluate path loss exponents in large-scale outdoor 802.11 WLANs

Accurate network planning is critical with deployments of large outdoor wireless networks. Propagation and path loss considerations are key factors in predicting performance of wireless networks. We are currently studying large-scale wireless networks for US railway environments. In this study, both theoretical and measurement based propagation models indicate that the average received signal power decreased logarithmically with distance. The average large-scale path loss is expressed as a function of distance between the transmitter and the receiver by using a path loss exponent n and the close-in reference distance d 0 . However it is very important to select a suitable space reference distance that is appropriate for a specific propagation environment. In this paper, a deterministic approach is proposed to select an appropriate reference distance for a given propagation environment. Also a Minimum Mean Square Error (MMSE) based method is introduced to compute path loss exponents. Furthermore the comparison between the site specific measurement data collected from our testbed and the estimated values verifies the accuracy of our proposed method.
Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economies: Creating Trust, Social Capital, and Civil Society

This article reports on findings from interviews with fledgling entrepreneurs in four former Soviet republics (Belarus, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine). Analysis of the interviews was conducted against a backdrop of concepts from the literature of civil society, social capital, and entrepreneurship as applied to small business development. The main finding of the study was the unanimous claim by the entrepreneurs that trust was one of two prime requisites for success, and this in societies that had been culturally depraved for many years. From this finding, two models were developed incorporating civil society, social capital, and trust to more fully depict the entrepreneurial environment.
Teaching Planners to Deal : The Pedagogical Value of a (Simulated) Economic Development Negotiation

This paper describes a classroom exercise in which students apply negotiation and project finance skills in a simulated economic development negotiation. The goal of the exercise is that students’ experience of negotiating a deal will lead them to constructively explore concepts of “good process” and “just outcomes.” Public–private development dominates redevelopment practice, and its vocabulary—that of negotiation and contracting—has gained ascendance in the field. Trends in planning pedagogy reflect this phenomenon, but training for professional planners also needs to encompass their future roles as exercisers of situated ethical judgment.
Development Time and Predation Rate of Podisus maculiventris (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) Feeding on Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae)

Microtheca ochroloma Stal is a beetle native to South America and was introduced to the United States in 1945. Since then, M. ochroloma has become a serious pest in crucifer crops because of the lack of natural enemies. The objective of this study was to measure the predation rate and development time of the commercially available predator Podisus maculiventris (Say) feeding on M. ochroloma at four constant temperatures in the laboratory as a first step to evaluating the predator's capability as a biological control agent of the pest. Nymphal development of P. maculiventris increased from 23 d at 25°C to 99 d at 15°C. There was no development of first instar or egg hatch at 10°C. Number of fourth-instar M. ochroloma killed during nymphal development varied significantly from 65 at 15°C to 53 at 20°C because of length of the nymphal period. A mean total of 741 eggs of M. ochroloma were consumed during nymphal development at 25°C. Adult P. maculiventris preyed on nine and 12 times more fourth-instar M. ochroloma during 10 d at 20° and 25°C, respectively, than at 15°C. We conclude that P. maculiventris can develop successfully on a diet of eggs or fourth-instar M. ochroloma, but its predation and development rates will be significantly curtailed during the cool months from November to March when M. ochroloma is a key pest of organically grown crucifers in Florida.
Teacher Identity and EL-Focused Professional Learning in a Suburban Middle School

Suburban middle schools have been affected by a growing enrollment of English language learners and by the need to demonstrate that this population of students is meeting prescribed academic proficiency benchmarks. These developments necessitate cogent, English learner–focused professional learning across content areas. Using Gee’s perspective on identity, this article examines the engagement of one suburban middle school teacher in a professional learning series focused on English learner (EL) content area literacy. It highlights the impact of school-based structures and teacher discourse on professional learning, and it suggests potentially potent mediators of EL-focused professional learning in a suburban middle school setting. Overall, the study informs teacher educators’ efforts to optimize EL-focused professional learning. The article also offers a critique of Gee’s identity framework as a lens for analyzing teacher identity.
Height, weight, and body mass index of American Indian schoolchildren, 1990–1991

Abstract Objective To describe the current height and weight status of American Indian children who live on or near Indian reservations nationwide. Subjects 9,464 American Indian schoolchildren aged 5 through 18 years. Statistical analyses performed Data for height, weight, and body mass index of the schoolchildren were compared with two national reference data sets, the second National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES II) and the Mexican-American population of the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (HHANES-MA). Results The three populations were similar in height, but the American Indian children weighed more, although not at a statistically significant level, and had a statistically significant higher body mass index than the NHANES II reference population for nearly every age and sex group. The overall prevalence of overweight in the American Indian children (exceeding the 85th percentile of the reference population) was 39.3% compared with the NHANES II population and 28.6% compared with the HHANES-MA population. The overall prevalence of underweight in the American Indian sample was substantially less than the expected 15% compared with either the NHANES II or HHANES-MA population. Applications/conclusions Overweight is much more prevalent in American Indian children than among other children in the United States at all ages and in both sexes. This may have important implications for chronic disease risk and emphasizes the need for targeting obesity prevention efforts to American Indian children.
A competition-based connectionist model for information retrieval using a merged thesaurus

This paper investigates a network-based information retrieval model using diagnostic inferencing techniques. A basic inference network in information retrieval consists of two component networks: the document component and the query component. In our approach, there is a layer of nodes corresponding to the documents, and a layer of nodes corresponding to the index terms extracted from the document set, with links connecting documents to the related index terms 1. A thesaurus is used to provide concept categories; these categories are represented by another layer of nodes, with links connecting the index terms and the related categories 2. The query component uses a symmetric structure. Each query causes markings of category nodes, hence markings of the related index term nodes, in the document component of the network. In our previous work, we adapted a competition-based connectionist model for diagnostic problem solving to information retrieval. In this model, documents are treated as “disorders” and user information needs, represented by the marked index term nodes, as “manifestations”. A competitive activation mechanism is then used which converges to a set of disorders that best explain the given manifestations. Our experiments showed that the retrieval performance of this model is comparable to or better than that of various information retrieval models reported in the literature. In this paper, we report further enhancements of the model by using a merged thesaurus.
Immersion Versus Transcendence How Pictures and Words Impact Evaluative Associations Assessed by the Implicit Association Test

Research indicates that words activate high-level construal (processing that highlights central, goal-relevant features of events) whereas pictures activate low-level construal (processing that highlights idiosyncratic, peripheral features). We examine how these differences between words and pictures impact evaluative associations. Research has demonstrated that high-level relative to low-level construal promotes evaluative associations that enhance self-control, promoting associations that link smaller proximal rewards (temptations) with negativity and larger-distal rewards (goals) with positivity. Examining dieting as a self-control conflict, we find that words promote sensitivity to goal-relevant dimension of stimuli (i.e., health) while pictures promote sensitivity to temptation-relevant dimension of stimuli (i.e., taste) among those concerned with dieting in a single-category implicit association test (SC-IAT). An additional study finds that changing the presentation format of the IAT from pictures t...
Guidelines for reporting statistics in journals published by the American Physiological Society: the sequel

we scientists rely on statistics. In part, this is because we use statistics to report our own science and to interpret the published science of others. For some of us, reporting and interpreting statistics can be like reading an unfamiliar language: it is awkward to do, and it is easy to
Effects of Humidity and Elevated Temperature on the Density and Thermal Conductivity of a Rigid Polyisocyanurate Foam Co-Blown with CCl3F and CO 2

Measurements of density and apparent thermal conductivity are pre sented for specimens cut from rigid polyisocyanurate (PIR) foam co-blown with trichlorofluoromethane (CCl 3F) and carbon dioxide (CO2) Eight specimens, nominally 580 by 580 by 27 mm, were prepared from two boards (1.2 by 2.4 m by 50 mm) of foam laminated with permeable facers. Four specimens were placed in an ambient condition of 22°C and 40% relative humidity (RH). The other four speci mens were each placed in one of the following environments: 1) 60°C and < 10% RH; 2) 60°C and 40% RH; 3) 60°C and 60% RH; and 4) 60°C and 75% RH. Mea surements of apparent thermal conductivity at 24°C were conducted over a period of 372 days at approximately 50-day intervals. Curves of specimen mass, volume, density, and thermal conductivity versus time are presented, and the implications of changes in these properties are discussed.
Adjuvant management of rectal cancer: the more we learn, the less we know.

Two decades ago, the adjuvant management of rectal cancer was less complex and far less controversial. Patients in the United States underwent surgery, commonly by blunt dissection, and if there was pT3 and/or pN1-2 disease, they received 6 months of postoperative fluouracil (FU)-based chemotherapy with pelvic radiation during months 3 and 4 (combined-modality therapy). Subsequent randomized and nonrandomized trials have taught us manynewlessons.Amongthesearetotalmesorectalexcisionasthe preferred surgical technique 1 ; at least 12 examined nodes to accurately determine the nodal stage 2 ; the relationship of local failure notonlytostagebutalsotothelocationofthetumorintherectum and the presence of a positive circumferential margin 3 ; and the subsets of patients with pT3N0 of pT1-2N1 disease who may not require postoperative radiation. 4 Furthermore, for patients with cT3 and or N disease, the German trial confirmed that preoperative combined-modality therapy has significantly improved local control, caused less acute short and long-term toxicity, and increased sphincter preservation compared with postoperative combined-modality therapy. 5