cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Proceedings of the 38th SIGCSE technical symposium on Computer science education

Welcome to the Northern Kentucky area and the 38th SIGCSE Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education.We are pleased to present the proceedings of SIGCSE 2007. It includes papers, panels, special sessions, posters, workshops, and birds-of-a-feather sessions that reflect the broad array of interests of computer science educators. For the first time this year, our program of 35 workshops is entirely on site and, like the rest of our program, covers a diverse range of topics. As you enjoy the presentations and discussions, we also hope that you will take advantage of what the area has to offer. The symposium venue is just across the Ohio River from downtown Cincinnati and minutes from several riverfront area attractions, many of which are within walking distance.Two SIGCSE Awards for Outstanding Contributions to Computer Science Education will be presented at the symposium this year. Judith Gal-Ezer, Professor of Computer Science at the Open University of Israel, will receive one of the awards and will deliver the keynote address on Thursday, March 8th. The other award will be made posthumously to John Hughes, Professor of Information and Communication Technology at the University of Technology, Sydney, Australia. We are also pleased to honor John Impagliazzo, Professor of Computer Science at Hofstra University, with the SIGCSE Award for Lifetime Service.We have two additional distinguished invited speakers. Grady Booch, IBM Fellow, will make a presentation at our Friday plenary session. Jonathan Schaeffer, Professor and Chair of Computing Science at the University of Alberta, will address us at our Saturday luncheon.This year, we accepted 108 of 316 papers, an acceptance rate of 34%. Each paper received at least five reviews. We accepted seven panels, a 47% acceptance rate, and 16 special sessions, a 64% acceptance rate, with all panel and special session proposals receiving six reviews. We saw a significant increase in workshop submissions and accepted 35 of the 65 submitted. All workshops likewise received a minimum of six reviews. Faculty posters and birds-of-a-feather submissions received careful review as well.In addition to the technical sessions, the symposium features several vendors and vendor sessions. In the large exhibit hall, you can examine and experiment with the latest in instructional software, hardware, and publications. A number of events are co-located with the symposium including the Workshop for Department Chairs, the SIGCSE Doctoral Consortium, CRA-W Workshop, and the ACM SIGCSE Student Research Competition.
Dynamic Solution Injection: a new method for preparing pptv–ppbv standard atmospheres of volatile organic compounds

Abstract. Proton Transfer Reaction-Mass Spectrometry (PTR-MS) and thermal desorption Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) allow for absolute quantification of a wide range of atmospheric volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with concentrations in the ppbv to pptv range. Although often neglected, routine calibration is necessary for accurate quantification of VOCs by PTR-MS and GC-MS. Several gas calibration methods currently exist, including compressed gas cylinders, permeation tubes, diffusion tubes, and liquid injection. While each method has its advantages and limitations, no single technique has emerged that is capable of dynamically generating known concentrations of complex mixtures of VOCs over a large concentration range (ppbv to pptv) and is technically simple, field portable, and affordable. We present the development of a new VOC calibration technique based on liquid injection with these features termed Dynamic Solution Injection (DSI). This method consists of injecting VOCs (0.1–0.5 mM) dissolved in cyclohexane (PTR-MS) or methanol (GC-MS) into a 1.0 slpm flow of purified dilution gas in an unheated 25 ml glass vial. Upon changes in the injection flow rate (0.5–4.0 μl min−1), new VOC concentrations are reached within seconds to minutes, depending on the compound, with a liquid injection flow rate accuracy and precision of better than 7% and 4% respectively. We demonstrate the utility of the DSI technique by calibrating a PTR-MS to seven different cyclohexane solutions containing a total of 34 different biogenic compounds including volatile isoprenoids, oxygenated VOCs, fatty acid oxidation products, aromatics, and dimethyl sulfide. We conclude that because of its small size, low cost, and simplicity, the Dynamic Solution Injection method will be of great use to both laboratory and field VOC studies.
Pedestrian Safety at Intersections Under Control of Permissive Left-Turn Signal

This research investigated the impacts of pedestrians on the safety performance of intersections with permissive left-turn signal control by conducting three studies: traffic engineers' survey, field traffic-conflict study, and historical crash-data analysis. The results of this research demonstrated that pedestrian volume, opposing through-vehicle volume, left-turn-vehicle volume, and intersection width in the opposing direction were significant contributing factors to the safety of pedestrians under permissive left-turn signal control. The T-intersection was found to be more dangerous than the four-leg intersection was for operation of a permissive left-turn signal. Finally, this research suggested that conducting traffic-conflict studies could be an effective alternative for safety analysis because of the high correlation between the data on collected historical crashes and the observed traffic conflicts at the eight intersections studied.
Enhanced Nondipole Effects in Low Energy Photoionization

It is found that electric-dipole--electric-quadrupole $E1$- $E2$ interference effects at low photon energies, of the order of tens of eV, in photoelectron angular distributions can be significant, comparable to, or even larger than, effects at energies of hundreds to thousands of eV, owing to quadrupole autoionizing resonances. This is illustrated both for Ne $2p$ photoionization around 51 eV and Ar $3p$ photoionization around 33 eV, where random phase approximation with exchange calculations are performed with allowance for correlations in both dipole and quadrupole channels.
The infiltrated radiopharmaceutical injection: dosimetric considerations.

A small proportion of radiopharmaceutical administrations are extravasted from the injection site to the surrounding tissue. Of interest is the resulting absorbed dose. This investigation was undertaken to determine the biologic behavior and subsequent dosimetry of selected radiopharmaceutical infiltrations using a rat model. Subcutaneous injection of 99mTc-microspheres, 99mTc-MDP, 67Gacitrate, and 201Tl-chloride were studied. Three adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were injected subcutaneously at three seperate sites on the shaven backs of the animals for each agent studied (i.e., nine sites per agent). The rats were imaged and the resulting data were analyzed by computer immediately after injection and at various intervals up to 5–6 h, and again at 24 h. Particulate subcutaneous 99mTc-microspheres exhibit essentially no diffusion of tracer from the injection site, whereas non particulates showed a biexponential release pattern. Radiation burdens in rad/mCi (mGy/MBq) due to an infiltrate volume uniformally distributed over a 5 g mass for 99mTc-microspheres, 99mTc-MDP, 67Ga-citrate and 201Tl-chloride were 59.4(16.0), 13.6(3.7), 32.9(8.9) and 92.2(24.9), respectively. The radiobiological risk associated with these radiation burdens are below that needed to produce severe skin reactions when distributed within a 5 g mass.
Sentiment Analysis for intelligent ratings management

This paper investigates the problem of rating propagation in composite systems. We propose a method for reputation distribution among component services in Web service composition environments. The main idea lies in providing component services with the appropriate amount of share received for the overall rating. The amount should be proportional to the contribution and performance of the component service. The method ensures that any component service is neither over rated at the expense of a higher performing component nor penalized due to a low performing component. We make use of the textual information present in the service reviews to extract different aspects and their individual sentiments to provide a better rating distribution mechanism. The proposed method attempts to accurately distribute the rating so that it closely reflects the performance of each component in the system. The experimental results show the applicability of our approach and the improved ranking distribution.
Carbon dioxide enrichment and water stress interaction on growth of two tomato cultivars

If atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration continues to increase, plant growth and crop yield could be affected. New Yorker and Better Boy cultivars of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) were used to investigate possible intraspecific variation in the response of crop species to increased CO2. Because precipitation and temperature are predicted to change with the increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration, the response of the two cultivars to the interaction between CO2 and water stress was also examined. Seeds of the two cultivars were germinated and grown under controlled environmental conditions, in either 350 or 675 μ1 CO2/1.The plant water status of the two cultivars was inherently different but was little affected by the CO2 concentration when the plants were well watered. When water was withheld for 5 days the total leaf water potential and osmotic potential decreased in both CO2 treatments but less rapidly in high CO2 than in low. Under low CO2 total leaf water potential decreased to a lower value than osmotic potential. The differences were due, at least in part, to the reduced stomatal conductance and transpiration rate under high CO2.Increased CO2 ameliorated the detrimental effects of drought stress on plant growth. The results indicate that increased CO2 could differentially affect the relative drought resistance of species cultivars.
Combining High-Speed Cameras and Stop-Motion Animation Software to Support Students’ Modeling of Human Body Movement

Biomechanics, and specifically the biomechanics associated with human movement, is a potentially rich backdrop against which educators can design innovative science teaching and learning activities. Moreover, the use of technologies associated with biomechanics research, such as high-speed cameras that can produce high-quality slow-motion video, can be deployed in such a way to support students’ participation in practices of scientific modeling. As participants in classroom design experiment, fifteen fifth-grade students worked with high-speed cameras and stop-motion animation software (SAM Animation) over several days to produce dynamic models of motion and body movement. The designed series of learning activities involved iterative cycles of animation creation and critique and use of various depictive materials. Subsequent analysis of flipbooks of human jumping movements created by the students at the beginning and end of the unit revealed a significant improvement in both the epistemic fidelity of students’ representations. Excerpts from classroom observations highlight the role that the teacher plays in supporting students’ thoughtful reflection of and attention to slow-motion video. In total, this design and research intervention demonstrates that the combination of technologies, activities, and teacher support can lead to improvements in some of the foundations associated with students’ modeling.
Relict shoreline features at Cockburn Island, Ontario

Cockburn Island, Ontario (45°55′ N, 83°20′ W), holds at least six sets of elevated lake bluffs, scarps and bar deposits that mark distinctive water planes above the Nipissing Great Lakes water plane (∼198 m). These relict shoreline features occur at elevations that correspond closely with the elevations of others at nearby St. Joseph Island and in eastern upper Michigan. Together, the elevations and relative locations of steep relict bluffs suggest a proto-Cockburn Island once interrupted the surface of proglacial Lake Algonquin. The islet appears to have emerged and grown through a period of uplift and a sequence of lowering water levels. The highest relict shoreline (280.2 m) is correlated with the Main phase of Lake Algonquin. Lower shorelines at Cockburn Island cannot be correlated consistently, so additional work is required.
Health beliefs and vaccine costs regarding human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination among a U.S. national sample of adult women.

Abstract Objective Health beliefs have been found to be significant predictors of vaccine acceptability and uptake, including attitudes about HPV vaccine. In this study, we examined whether the predictive strength of health beliefs varied as a function of vaccine cost among adult women. Methods During April 2009, data were collected from a nationally representative internet sample of 1323 US-resident women aged 27–55 years. Participants completed items related to sociodemographics, health beliefs, and HPV vaccine acceptability. Acceptability was measured at three levels of cost: free, $30/dose, and $120/dose. Results Multiple linear regression (MLR) revealed that health belief variables accounted for 29.7% of the variability in overall HPV vaccine acceptability. However, there was a linear and significant decrease in R2 values from 0.31 for a free vaccine, to 0.25 for a $30/dose vaccine, to 0.11 for a $120/dose vaccine. Conclusion The results confirm previous findings that health beliefs predict HPV vaccine acceptability. However, the predictive strength of the association decreased with increasing cost. These findings suggest that interventions designed to increase vaccination by modifying health beliefs may have limited effect unless cost is minimized as a barrier.
A theoretical look at the direct detection of giant planets outside the Solar System

Astronomy is at times a science of unexpected discovery. When it is, and if we are lucky, new intellectual territories emerge to challenge our views of the cosmos. The recent indirect detections using high-precision Doppler spectroscopy of more than 100 giant planets orbiting more than 100 nearby stars is an example of such rare serendipity. What has been learned has shaken out preconceptions, for none of the planetary systems discovered so far is like our own. The key to unlocking a planet's chemical, structural, and evolutionary secrets, however, is the direct detection of the planet's light. Because there have been as yet no confirmed detections, a theoretical analysis of such a planet's atmosphere is necessary for guiding our search.
Fatigue Calculation of Risers Using a Van Der Pol Wake Oscillator Model With Random Parameters

Vortex induced vibrations of long distributed structures (risers and mooring cables) is an inherently complicated phenomenon in which due to the riser multi-mode excitations, various combinations of traveling and standing wave patterns along the length is observed. These observations are made based on a series of model scale experiments conducted on a riser for both uniform and linearly sheared flow cases. In these model scale experiments, strain and acceleration measurements are conducted at selected points along the riser. The contour plots of amplitudes of oscillations in these experiments show a mainly traveling wave behavior for linearly sheared flow cases and a mainly standing wave one for the uniform flow cases. In order to model the vortex induced vibrations of the riser used in these experiments, a wake oscillator model is used. In this model, the riser is assumed to be a tensioned string and the wake dynamics is represented by a Van der Pol oscillator whose driving force is in parallel with the riser acceleration. Randomness in the current, added mass and lift coefficients is taken into account by considering random parameters for the wake oscillator model. By using the proper parameters in this wake oscillator model, its results can be compared with the experimental ones. The comparison is made in terms of dynamical behavior (traveling waves versus standing waves, amplitudes and frequencies of oscillations) as well as the fatigue life calculations. The statistics of fatigue life calculations based on the experimental reconstruction compares well with those of the model results showing that the theoretical model can predict fatigue damage of the riser fairly well.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Spectral methods for the Euler equations - The blunt body problem revisited

The present use of the Chebyshev spectral collocation method, in conjunction with shock-fitting, to solve the blunt-body problem gives attention to the boundary and the shock-acceleration equations. The crux of these procedures is the use of the characteristic compatibility relations to compute the body pressure and shock velocity. It is shown that converged solutions are obtainable without artificial smoothing, and that spectral accuracy is achieved.
Hopfield networks and scheduling problems

In this paper we present a neural generator method that uses a neural network to generate initial search points for a discrete heuristic. We demonstrate the method for the subset-sum problem (SSP), and consider the SSP to be typical of the sub-problems that a scheduling algorithm must solve while on route to solving an entire scheduling problem. The neural generator method hinges on using the continuous valued activations of the neural system to select a corner of the n-cube that can be used to initialize a discrete search. This can be done at each neural iteration, resulting in many discrete searches over the source of a single neural run. Without the discrete heuristic, the selected corners can be interpreted as instantaneous neural solutions and the best-so-far tabulated as the neural system runs. This allows the neural system to be terminated without losing the full effort of the run, and should the network be run until convergence, the best-so-far result is at least as good as the convergent corner, and usually better. With the discrete heuristic, a search is launched from the instantaneous neural solutions, greatly improving the overall results (again keeping the best-so-far). The results are presented for an n equals 25 SSP. © (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Behavior of a steel liner-and-bolts system under very high thermal and mechanical loading

Abstract This paper describes the execution of the CONVEX Liner Add-On to the DIAMOND FORTUNE low-yield cavity test of the Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA). CONVEX stands for COntained Nuclear Vessel EXperiment. It is a joint concept to three Department of Energy Laboratories (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, and Sandia National Laboratories) and the DNA. It concerns the design of underground chambers where repeated low-yield nuclear explosions could be conducted. The approach proposed by the first author in the early 1980s was to engineer a steel-lined rock cavern where the steel liner would be pre-stressed against the rock by tendons and/or bolts. These would daylight in tunnels surrounding the main cavity. From there, they could be initially tensioned, and retensioned if needed, after each test. The CONVEX Liner Add-On to DIAMOND FORTUNE consisted of anchoring a 1.4m square, 2.5 cm thick steel plate to the wall of the cavity, using a 5.08 cm dia center bolt and four 2.54 cm dia corner bolts. The bolts daylighted in a “run-around” drift surrounding the cavity, and separated from it by a 9 m thick rock pillar. The liner plate, the bolts and the rock pillar were equipped with 23 gages to describe the thermal and mechanical response of the system during pretensioning, during the dynamic loading phase, and post-test. Particular emphasis was given to obtaining the response both upon loading and during the rebound of the system, in order to determine whether the plate ever separated from the rock. So, the main operational objectives of this project were to acquire response data of the system under nuclear loading and to ascertain the status of contact between the steel plate and the rock, as shown by plate-rock contact pressure data and bolt tension data. The instrumentation and data acquisition system performed extremely well. Data were recorded during the dynamic phase; plate temperature was monitored for several hours after the test; and the remaining tension was obtained run-around drift. The test data indicated that the operational objectives had been met and that the concept of a steel-lined rock cavity could provide for reusable test beds for repeated low yield nuclear events. The results of this experiment can be used to guide the design of liner systems subjected to very high mechanical and thermal loads.
Profile of the RPS Quality Process

Describes the quality process established by RPS, a road transport company which is a leader in the small package delivery market. Regional quality involvement teams (RQIT) were set up with the aim of training every full‐time employee. This was seen as a total commitment to quality. Customer feedback systems help RPS to find out exactly what the needs and wants of the customer are. The level of service is measured against 12 customer quality indicators (CQI) which also help the company to set quality‐related goals. A “cost of unquality” programme measures the cost of mistakes. Concludes by saying that this quality process shapes their activities, guides their development and identifies their goals.
Discipline Disproportionality among Hispanic and American Indian Students: Expanding the Discourse in U.S. Research.

While disproportionality in discipline referrals and discipline action has been fairly well established among African American students in the United States, especially males in urban school districts, little research has looked at disproportionality among American Indian and Latino students. This paper uses a large dataset from the State of Arizona, with rich data on American Indian and Latino students, to explore if and how these students are being disproportionately referred for discipline and if and how these students are being punished more harshly for lesser violations than their peers. Results indicate that disproportionality in discipline referrals and in violation to action relationship for American Indians is on par with those of African Americans. Latino students were shown to be nearly proportional to their population.
THE RELATION OF THE SPLEEN TO BLOOD DESTRUCTION AND REGENERATION AND TO HEMOLYTIC JAUNDICE : XIII. THE INFLUENCE OF DIET UPON THE ANEMIA FOLLOWING SPLENECTOMY.

The anemia which develops after splenectomy is most marked in animals on a mixed table scrap diet of meat, bread, cereals, and vegetables, which is essentially a cooked diet. Control studies in which a unilateral nephrectomy precedes splenectomy demonstrate that the anemia is not due to operation, hemorrhage, or accidents of convalescence but develops only in the absence of the spleen. The results of studies of the influence of food containing a large amount of iron in presumably easily utilizable form, as in raw beef spleen, do not support the view that the anemia is due to lack of iron in the food. Observation on the influence of a diet of raw meat as contrasted with cooked meat shows a more severe anemia in animals on the cooked diet and suggests the possibility that heat alters some substance which, in the absence of the spleen, the body cannot utilize. A final conclusion in regard to this point must, however, await the results of more detailed studies now in progress.
Marketization and universalism: Crafting the right balance in the Turkish healthcare system:

Turkey is undertaking comprehensive reforms in its healthcare sector which bring about a major transformation in the boundaries between the public and private sectors. As in many transition and lat...
Cognitive Curriculum Practices in Preschool Programs: Implications for Teacher Preparation

Abstract This study provides a profile of preschool teachers' concepts of young children's cognitive development, educational objectives related to cognitive development, and curriculum practices in this area. A related goal of the study is to relate teachers' conceptualization and practices with regard to cognitive development to current thinking in the field as exemplified in NAEYC's Developmentally Appropriate Practice (DAP) guidelines. Preschool teachers were surveyed regarding concepts, goals, and practices related to cognitive development. Inconsistencies were found in early childhood teachers' conceptualization of young children's cognitive functioning. However, chi-square analyses indicated that teachers' definition of cognitive development, their educational goals in that area, and the types of activities provided were significantly related. This consistency was based on an environmental-learning theory perspective, an approach which is not congruent with that advocated in NAEYC's DAP guidelines....
A Controllability-Stabilizability Result for the NASA-IEEE Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (S.C.O.L.E) Configuration

A Spacecraft Control Laboratory Experiment (SCOLE) has been proposed in reference [9] to evaluate control laws for flexible spacecrafts. This configuration consists of a large antenna attached to the Space Shuttle orbiter by a flexible beam. A non-linear distributed parameter mathematical model is offered in reference [9]. A slightly different version of that model is adopted here. We follow the formulation of references [5] and [3], where elastic displacements are given relative to coordinate axes fixed to the shuttle body. Another difference is that we assume no inherent structural damping (see reference [5] for a discussion about the importance of this point). Thus the goal is to determine if the control system can be designed in such a way that the desired behavior can be obtained without having to rely on the system damping.
MicroRNA‐dependent regulation of DNA methyltransferase‐1 and tumor suppressor gene expression by interleukin‐6 in human malignant cholangiocytes

Although the inflammation-associated cytokine Interleukin-6 (IL-6) has been implicated in cholangiocarcinoma growth, the relationship between IL-6 and oncogenic changes is unknown. IL-6 can increase expression of DNA methyltransferase 1 (DNMT-1) and epigenetically regulate the expression of several genes, including microRNAs (miRNAs). DNMT-1 up-regulation occurs in hepatobiliary cancers and is associated with a poor prognosis. To understand the potential regulation of DNMT-1 by IL-6 dependent miRNAs, we examined the expression of a group of miRNAs which have sequence complementarity to the 3′-UTR of DNMT-1, namely miR-148a, miR-152 and miR-301. The expression of these miRNAs was decreased in cholangiocarcinoma cells. Moreover, the expression of all three miRNAs was decreased in IL-6 over-expressing malignant cholangiocytes in vitro and in tumor cell xenografts. There was a concomitant decrease in expression of the methylation-sensitive tumor suppressor genes Rassf1a, and p16INK4a. Using luciferase reporter constructs, DNMT-1 was verified as a target for miR-148a and miR-152. Precursors to miR-148a and miR-152 decreased DNMT-1 protein expression, increased Rassf1a and p16INK4a expression and reduced cell proliferation. Conclusion These data indicate that IL-6 can regulate the activity of DNMT-1 and expression of methylation-dependent tumor suppressor genes by modulation of miR-148a and miR-152, and provide a link between this inflammation-associated cytokines and oncogenesis in cholangiocarcinoma.
Quantifying the Performance of Protein‐Resisting Surfaces at Ultra‐Low Protein Coverages using Kinesin Motor Proteins as Probes

Surfaces resistant to protein adsorption are very desirablefor a variety of applications in biomedical engineering andbionanotechnology, since protein adsorption is often the firststep in a cascade of events leading to systems failure. Initialefforts to create adsorption-resistant surfaces succeeded in re-ducing the adsorption by 80% compared to untreated surfacesto 100 ngcm
Controlling Rapid Change Through Systems Engineering the Organization

A new approach to change management has been developed and applied at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It's main focus is on aligning the organization with the strategic plan; and understanding the internal organizational relationships that impact change, which ultimately determine an organizations ability to be transformed and renewed The new approach regards the strategic plan of a company as the standard by which progress and achievement are measured. Purposeful interventions should generate a company movement along a strategic course, and tracking that movement is essential for managing change. This paper presents an overview of DYNOMO, or the DYNamic Organizational MOdel which was developed to assist in the measurement and analysis of organizational state. The paper concludes with summaries of two applications.
Cortical granule exocytosis is triggered by different thresholds of calcium during fertilisation in sea urchin eggs

In sea urchin eggs, fertilisation is followed by a calcium wave, cortical granule exocytosis and fertilisation envelope elevation. Both the calcium wave and cortical granule exocytosis sweep across the egg in a wave initiated at the point of sperm entry. Using differential interference contrast (DIC) microscopy combined with laser scanning confocal microscopy, populations of cortical granules undergoing calcium-induced exocytosis were observed in living urchin eggs. Calcium imaging using the indicator Calcium Green-dextran was combined with an image subtraction technique for visual isolation of individual exocytotic events. Relative fluorescence levels of the calcium indicator during the fertilisation wave were compared with cortical fusion events. In localised regions of the egg, there is a 6s delay between the detection of calcium release and fusion of cortical granules. The rate of calcium accumulation was altered experimentally to ask whether this delay was necessary to achieve a threshold concentration of calcium to trigger fusion, or was a time-dependent activation of the cortical granule fusion apparatus after the ‘triggering’ event. Calcium release rate was attenuated by blocking inositol 1,4,5-triphospate (InsP3)-gated channels with heparin. Heparin extended the time necessary to achieve a minimum concentration of calcium at the sites of cortical granule exocytosis. The data are consistent with the conclusion that much of the delay observed normally is necessary to reach threshold concentration of calcium. Cortical granules then fuse with the plasma membrane. Further, once the minimum threshold calcium concentration is reached, cortical granule fusion with the plasma membrane occurs in a pattern suggesting that cortical granules are non-uniform in their calcium sensitivity threshold.
A General Treatment of Uncertainties in Batch Process Planning

A general strategy for treating uncertainties in batch process scheduling was described by Lee and Malone (Int. J. Prod. Res. 2001). The strategy is based on hybridization of the Monte Carlo simulation and simulated annealing techniques. In this paper, the same strategy was used to develop a flexible planning algorithm that handles the open-shop model of batch plant operation and the discrete demand pattern. Using the flexible planning algorithm, we can estimate the maximum capacity of a batch plant and make a capacity plan in the face of uncertainties in product demands and due dates. After the capacity planning, we obtain a flexible plan that maximizes the expected profit and has some free time as a source of future flexibility. An example solved with this flexible planning algorithm shows that it is possible to use only half of the maximum capacity of a batch process because of uncertainty. This means that, in order to reduce the future inventory costs, we should not plan to run a batch process at its maximum production capacity when uncertainty is involved. The lower apparent utilization of the flexible plan will reduce the impact of uncertainties in the future.
AlGaN/GaN-based HEMT on SiC substrate for microwave characteristics using different passivation layers

In this paper, a new gate-recessed AlGaN/GaN-based high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) on SiC substrate is proposed and its DC as well as microwave characteristics are discussed for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers using technology computer aided design (TCAD). The two-dimensional electron gas (2DEG) transport properties are discussed by solving Schrodinger and Poisson equations self-consistently resulting in various subbands having electron eigenvalues. From DC characteristics, the saturation drain currents are measured to be 600 mA/mm and 550 mA/mm for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers respectively. Apart from DC, small-signal AC analysis has been done using two-port network for various microwave parameters. The extrinsic transconductance parameters are measured to be 131.7 mS/mm at a gate voltage of Vgs = −0.35 V and 114.6 mS/mm at a gate voltage of Vgs = −0.4 V for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers respectively. The current gain cut-off frequencies (ft) are measured to be 27.1 GHz and 23.97 GHz in unit-gain-point method at a gate voltage of −0.4 V for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers respectively. Similarly, the power gain cut-off frequencies (fmax) are measured to be 41 GHz and 38.5 GHz in unit-gain-point method at a gate voltage of −0.1 V for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers respectively. Furthermore, the maximum frequency of oscillation or unit power gain (MUG = 1) cut-off frequencies for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers are measured to be 32 GHz and 28 GHz respectively from MUG curves and the unit current gain, ∣ h21 ∣ = 1 cut-off frequencies are measured to be 140 GHz and 75 GHz for Si3N4 and SiO2 passivation layers respectively from the abs ∣ h21 ∣ curves. HEMT with Si3N4 passivation layer gives better results than HEMT with SiO2 passivation layer.
Model of metabolite flux within mammary gland of the lactating cow.

Abstract A balance model of milk synthesis was developed. The model balances carbon flow into and out of the gland and generates sufficient energy and reducing equivalents to meet synthetic requirements. Calculated uptakes of glucose, acetate, and betahydroxybutyrate were sufficient to meet gland requirements. Estimated uptakes of essential amino acids were less than output in milk and had to be adjusted to balance the model. Triacylglyceride fatty acid uptake from blood plasma was less than required for milk fat synthesis. A possible uptake of other plasma fatty acids was postulated to balance the model. Availability of glucose and oxidizable substrate suggested 42% of reducing equivalents for fat synthesis were generated in the pentose cycle and the remainder (58%) by isocitrate dehydrogenase. The balance model was used to formulate a dynamic model with equations to trace fates of isotopically labeled carbons from a variety of substrates. These were used to evaluate effects of changing nutrient availability and rate constants upon patterns of tracer distribution in products and to identify experimental data required to define rate constants uniquely in the model. Additional data are required to define equations for a number of key reactions that exhibit nonlinear kinetics in vivo.
The African-American Personality: Early Conceptions

The personality traits and characteristics of African-Americans have been described, measured, and compared to those of other racial groups throughout the history of psychology in the USA. Most of the views commonly held were negative, and African-Americans were viewed as an inferior race. This study sought to investigate the early conceptions pertaining to the personality of African‐Americans, review the experimental research done in this area, and discuss the influences on and impact of these early studies.
Feldman on the Nature and Value of Pleasure

Fred Feldman is the Roger Federer of philosophy. His strokes are crisp and clean, his shots deep and penetrating, his finesse dazzling. And he makes it all look so easy! Pleasure and the Good Life is just the latest in a long line of works that are peerless in their combination of insight, rigor, subtlety, and clarity. There is a great deal in the book that seems to me absolutely right and about which I will therefore have nothing to say. In this comment, I will focus on points that continue to trouble me, despite Feldman’s best efforts at setting me straight.
Anelastic studies of hydrogen diffusion in niobium

Abstract The diffusional behavior of hydrogen in niobium was investigated in the temperature range 300°–20°K using internal friction techniques. In the high temperature range pulse-echo high frequency measurements were used while flexural vibrations were used in the low temperature range. Using these techniques the frequency dependence, orientation dependence, and concentration dependence of the hydrogen relaxations were studied in high purity Nb and Nb-O(N) alloys. Relaxation due to two types of hydrogen complexes were observed: 1. (a) hydrogen pairs, and 2. (b) oxygen (or nitrogen)-hydrogen pairs. The hydrogen pair was shown to have an enthalpy of motion of 1265 cal/mole and an enthalpy of binding of 1490 cal/mole. The oxygen (or nitrogen)-hydrogen pair was shown to consist of a single hydrogen atom bound to the oxygen interstitial with an enthalpy of about 2000 cal/mole. The hydrogen motion enthalpy in the strain field of the oxygen atom was 3900 cal/mole. The relaxations were shown to obey a classical Arrhenius temperature dependence at high temperatures and to exhibit enhanced relaxation rates at low temperatures. The data was shown to be in agreement with the theory of Flynn and Stoneham for the diffusion of light interstitial solutes.
The data-at-risk initiative: Analyzing the current state of endangered scientific data

Examining fragile scientific data is crucial to ensuring that these data are not lost and can continue to be part of the scientific process. In order to investigate various aspects of endangered scientific data the Data-At-Risk Initiative (DARI) project has conducted three studies that provide insight into the current state of scientific data-at-risk. The three projects include (1) a metadata/system review of the of the to the Data-At-Risk Inventory, (2) focus groups with fourteen scientific scholars, and (3) surveys completed by 43 information custodians. This poster reports results from these studies, specifically how scientific scholars and information custodians view endangered data. The DARI project aims to understand the current state of endangered scientific data and to assist in the reduction of loss of valuable scientific data.
Can Democracy Survive Globalization

Democracy is far less fragile than we sometimes imagine. Although hard to establish, it is remarkably robust and is corrupted only by dint of persistent effort. Yet, as Rousseau wrote of freedom, once lost, democracy is nearly impossible to regain. Today, the forces of democracy face a new source of corruption all the more sinister because it appears so innocuous, often even identifying itself with the liberty it undermines. Having survived the nation-state and in time subordinated it to its own liberal purposes, can democracy now survive globalization? Only if democracy is globalized. At present, the encompassing practices of globalization have created an ironic and radical asymmetry: we have managed to globalize markets in goods, labour, currencies and information without globalizing the civic and democratic institutions that have historically comprised the free market's indispensable context. Put simply, we have removed capitalism from the institutional ‘box’ that has (quite literally) domesticated it and given its sometimes harsh practices a human face.
Non-adiabatic electron-lattice interactions in the copper-oxide superconductors

Transport measurements distinguish the superconductive phase from the parent antiferromagnetic and the overdoped metallic phases in La2−xSrxCuO4. For small x, holes in the CuO2 sheets form non-adiabatic polarons containing, experimentally, five Cu atoms. Within a polaron, a first-order contraction of the mean Cu-O bond length collapses the Hubbard U and transfers spectral weight from the Hubbard bands to the gap between them. In the superconductive phase above Tc, condensation into a polaron liquid produces an ɛ(k) dispersion curve, and dynamic pseudo Jahn-Teller deformations within the polaron give a Seebeck enhancement with Tmax≈140 K. The polarons order pair-wise into 〈110〉 stripes alternating with parent-phase stripes; below Tc, the stripes are perfectly ordered. In the overdoped phase, the parent phase is squeezed out; the vibronic states become homogeneous.
SU‐FF‐T‐445: Use of the Monte Carlo Method as a Comprehensive Tool for SMLC and DMLC‐Based IMRT Delivery and Quality Assurance (QA)

Purpose: To report on use of a thoroughly benchmarked MC dose calculation algorithm as an accurate tool for IMRT delivery and QA, in patient‐like media, where direct measurements for routine QA are impractical. Methods and material: We have developed a source model to investigate dosimetric effects related to MLC based delivery techniques such as step‐and‐shoot and sliding window using the DPM MC code. The model incorporates details of the Varian, 120‐leaf MLC and has been comprehensively verified against measurements in homogeneous and heterogeneous phantoms. As part of this development, we have investigated an efficient algorithm, using adaptive kernel density estimation for sampling phase space files. Using this accurate source model, we have studied beams that were sequenced with 1% and 10% fluence intervals for prostate, brain, head and neck and breast IMRT beams. Dose differences between SMLC and DMLC delivery types were evaluated in homogeneous and heterogeneous media (bone, lung and low‐density slabs) using DPM. We have also investigated dosimetric differences between optimized planned leaf sequences and actual delivered sequences, using machine log (Dynalog) files, which capture the physical leaf positions during delivery. Results: Benchmarking of the source model showed average agreement with measurements within 1%/2 mm. For a given fluence interval, calculated dose differences between SMLC and DMLC delivery techniques are different in homogeneous and heterogeneous media. Dose differences of up to 10% were found between plans developed with 1% and 10% fluence intervals for either SMLC or DMLC delivered sequences. Calculated dose differences of up to ±3cGy were observed between planned and delivered sequences (computed using the Dynalog files) for a prostate beam; these differences were in good agreement with film measurements. Conclusions: A well commissioned MC‐based dose algorithm provides a useful tool to study dosimetric issues related to fluence modulation and static versus dynamic delivery in IMRT.
Nucleoside triphosphate pool asymmetry in mammalian mitochondria

Our laboratory has reported that deoxyribonucleoside triphosphate (dNTP) pools in rat tissue mitochondria are highly asymmetric, with dGTP predominating, and that the imbalance probably contributes toward the high spontaneous mutation rate of the mitochondrial genome. Ferraro et al. (Ferraro, P., Nicolosi, L., Bernardi, P., Reichard, P., and Bianchi, V. (2006) Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 103, 18586–18591) have challenged these findings, based upon their studies of mouse liver mitochondria. Moreover, they have identified a potential artifact in the DNA polymerase-based assay for dNTPs, based upon overestimation of dGTP when GTP levels in extracts are much higher than dGTP levels. We measured ribonucleoside triphosphate (rNTP) pools in rat mitochondrial extracts and found that GTP pools exceed dGTP pools by 50-fold or less, not enough to interfere with the dGTP assay. Analysis of dNTP pools in state 3 mitochondria, after incubation with ADP and oxidizable substrates, gave similar results. We confirmed our earlier finding that rat mitochondrial dNTP pools are highly asymmetric. dNTP pools in cytosolic extracts are uniformly low, suggesting that the dNTP pool asymmetry arises within the mitochondrion. Moreover, we found rat tissue rNTP pools to be even more highly asymmetric, with ATP, for example, at least 2 orders of magnitude more abundant than CTP in liver extracts. This finding raises the possibility that transcription of the mitochondrial genome is more error-prone than transcription in the nucleus.
Strain Reorganizes Focal Adhesions and Cytoskeleton in Cultured Airway Smooth Muscle Cells

Abnormal mechanical stress on pulmonary structures is associated with increased airway resistance and impaired gas exchange as a result of increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) deposition. Using an in vitro system with cultured ASM cells, we have demonstrated that cyclic deformational strain increases ASM cellular myosin and myosin light chain kinase. To determine if these contractile protein increases were accompanied by ultrastructural changes in cells indicating phenotypic modulation, cells subjected to strain were compared to cells grown under static conditions by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and fluorescent staining. The strained ASM cells oriented perpendicular to the strain direction were more elongated and contained more actin stress fibers than identical cells grown under physically static conditions. The stress fiber bundles were thicker and reorganized parallel to the long axis of the cell. Marked increases in the numbers and lengths of focal adhesions between the cell membrane and the substratum were found by both TEM and immunostaining for talin. Mechanical strain thus increases organization of cytoskeletal elements in cultured ASM cells. Similar effects in vivo may serve to promote the expression of the contractile phenotype of cultured ASM cells independent of other in vivo factors and alter cell contractility. Increased organization of cytoskeletal elements might also increase the efficiency of signal transduction from the extracellular matrix into the cell interior.
Inhibition of Eukaryotic RNase P

Ribonuclease P (RNase P) is an essential RNA enzyme found in all phylogenetic domains that is best known for catalyzing the 5’ endonucleolytic cleavage of precursor transfer RNAs (pre-tRNAs). In bacteria, the enzyme consists of a single, catalytic RNA subunit and one small protein, while the archaeal and eukaryotic enzymes have 4-10 proteins in addition to a similar RNA subunit. The RNA has been shown to act as a ribozyme at high salt in vitro; however the added protein optimizes kinetics and makes specific contacts with the pre-tRNA substrate. The bacterial protein subunit also appears to be required for the processing of non-tRNA substrates by broadening substrate recognition tolerance. In addition, the immense increase in protein content in the eukaryotic enzyme suggests substantially enlarged capacity for recognition of additional substrates. Recently, intron-encoded box C/D snoRNAs and HRA1 RNA were shown to be likely substrates for yeast RNase P. In addition, yeast RNase P seems to be inhibited by single stranded RNA. This inhibition was shown to be specific to S.cerevisiae RNase P but not bacterial RNase P with poly-ribonucleic acid homopolymers having varying levels of inhibition (polyG>polyU>>poly A>>>polyC). This inhibition is also size dependent with larger RNA being inhibitory. In addition, the sequence specificity seen with the small homoribopolymers is lost, as larger RNA of various sequences show relatively high levels of inhibition. To further characterize the extent of RNase P inhibition by these various inhibitors, the location of the inhibitor contact is being mapped by crosslinking. Individually 6xHis tagged strains are being used to enable isolation of crosslinks induced by UV light. The characterization of the eukaryotic specific inhibitor interaction with yeast RNase P will provide further information about the evolution of the essential activity of tRNA processing.