cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Kafka's Writing Machine: Metamorphosis in the Penal Colony

Kafka's "In the Penal Colony" is a problematic story, largely because of the conflicting interpretations it has received: does its famous machine dispense grace or torture? Is Kafka giving us a parable of Old vs. New Law? How does the "liberal" explorer or the "liberal" reader assess the Officer's impassioned pleading for the Machine and the kind of justice it serves? A strange kind of coherence emerges, however, when one focusses on the central unifying motif of the story: understanding. The tale itself is little more than the Officer's desperate effort to make the explorer-reader understand; the machine itself makes its victim understand the nature of justice. Language is, of course, a primary vehicle for understanding, and Kafka's story dramatizes two radically opposed languages: verbal and physical. All efforts to bridge the distance between people, between matter and spirit, seem to fail, at least insofar as spoken language is concerned; the machine's mission is to create physical language, an unmediated script which is the reality of which it speaks. By writing the crime onto and into the flesh of the criminal, the machine offers a sublime and frightening figure of "visceral knowledge," of the open self as the opened self. By entering into the machine himself, the Officer undergoes the classic Kafka metamorphosis: he becomes the prisoner, and he thereby suffers knowledge. The entire parable may be seen as an illustration of the writer's yearning for a language so potent that the reader would experience, "in the flesh," the writer's words. Kafka's own narrative techniques aim at precisely such a metamorphosis in the reader. This article is available in Studies in 20th Century Literature: http://newprairiepress.org/sttcl/vol7/iss1/3 KAFKA'S WRITING MACHINE: METAMORPHOSIS IN THE PENAL COLONY Arnold Weinstein Brown University
Dehydration in Model Systems: Cellulose and Calcium Pectinate

SUMMARY Cellulose, containing some resistant hemicelluloses, was prepared from the phloem of carrot tap-roots, and a similar extraction procedure was used for cotton fibers. A calcium pectinate gel was also made, and all three materials were dehydrated at two different rates and stored for 6 months. Proportionate crystallinity was determined on the basis of differences in moisture content, water vapor sorption, X-ray diffraction intensity, iodine adsorption, enzymatic digestibility, and density. In all cases, dehydration resulted in an increase in crystalline content of the samples, rapid dehydration seeming to produce somewhat greater crystallinity than slow dehydration. (Some spurious results with calcium pectinate are discussed.) Uniformly, all materials became more crystalline on standing, and the products of the two different drying rates attained virtually the same crystallinity values, per sample type, after 6 months. Calcium pectinate had the highest amorphous content, carrot cellulose the next highest, and cotton cellulose the lowest.
Heat Transfer and Pressure Drop Correlations for Twisted-Tape Inserts in Isothermal Tubes: Part I—Laminar Flows

Laminar flow correlations for f and Nu m are developed based on experimental data for water and ethylene glycol, with tape inserts of three different twist ratios. The uniform wall temperature condition is considered, which typifies practical heat exchangers in the chemical and process industry. These and other available data are analyzed to devise flow regime maps that characterize twisted-tape effects in terms of the dominant enhancement mechanisms. Depending upon flow rates and tape geometry, the enhancement in heat transfer is due to the tube partitioning and flow flockage, longer flow path, and secondary fluid circulation; fin effects are found to be negligible is snug-to loose-fitting tapes
A medical motif for teaching computer graphics in context

In conjunction with Eurographics 2009 and SIGGRAPH, a working group explored the nature and role of teaching computer graphics in context. One issue identified in that forum was acquiring the resources necessary to embed a real-world context into a computer graphics course. This work describes an infrastructure subset for embedding a medical motif into a senior-level computer graphics course.
Effect of growth hormone on the DNA content of muscles of young hypophysectomized rats.

Recent studies have shown that the amount of DNA in skeletal muscles of rats increases during the early weeks of life. This increase in DNA appears to be dependent upon the pituitary gland. In view of these findings, experiments were conducted to determine if pituitary growth hormone could alter the amount of DNA in various muscles of young hypophysectomized rats. Rats were injected intraperitoneally with, bovine growth hormone or saline for 1 or 7 days. When a 7 day treatment period was used, injections were given once daily. Following treatment, the amount of DNA in the rectus femoris, gastrocnemius, pectoralis major and diaphragm was measured. Treatment of the animals for 1 day with growth hormone had no effect on the amount of DNA in these muscles. However, following 7 days of treatment with the hormone, the amount of DNA in each of the muscles was markedly elevated. Since there was a concomitant increase in muscle weight, the concentration of DNA in terms of μg/mg of wet muscle was not altered signif...
Infrastructure anchor bolt inspection program with NDE applications

In 1990, Wisconsin Department of Transportation found a high mast light pole with two of six anchor bolts failed. This failure along with published reports from Michigan DOT about anchor bolt failures on cantilever sign structures, raised concern about the quality and condition of anchor bolts on the Wisconsin DOT system. Wisconsin Department of Transportation implemented an Anchor Bolt Inspection Program in 1990 for cantilever sign structures, high mast light towers, interstate light towers, and signal masts. The program requires an experienced inspection team and a practical inspection approach. Inspection preparation includes review of all background information such as design plans, design computations, construction plans, shop plans, and maintenance history. An inspection plan is developed. Special emphasis is placed on determining material type, cut or rolled threads, and type of coating for anchor bolts. Inspection emphasis are on "hands on" and Nondestructive evaluation. Special emphasis is placed on visual conditions of anchor bolts (cut or rolled threads, straightness, corrosion, nut tension etc.) along with ultrasonic inspection. This program places a strong emphasis on Non Destructive Testing (NDT), especially ultrasonic. Procedures and inspection calibrations are developed from similar anchor bolt geometry and material type. Cut notches are placed in the anchor bolts at locations of possible failure. NDT inspection calibrations are performed from these bolts. Report documentation includes all design plans, pictorial documentation of structural deficiencies, sketches, nondestructive evaluation reports, conclusions, and recommendations. This program has been successful in locating failed anchor bolts and critical cracks before failure of an entire structure.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A rotating drum stimulator for scanning embossed patterns and textures across the skin

A tactile stimulator is described that moves embossed or textured patterns tangentially across the skin. Patterns constructed by standard photoetching are mounted on the outer surface of a cylinder that rotates at a selected speed and is held in contact with the skin at a selected force. The stimulator operates in several modes to meet the different requirements of psychophysical and neurophysiological experiments. The features of note are (i) relatively small size and weight; (ii) flexible automated control of drum contact with the skin, angular velocity, axial position, and contact force; (iii) monitoring of drum angular and axial location to better than 10 micron accuracy; (iv) construction with commercially available devices; (v) electronic monitoring of skin contact; and (vi) rapid drum changes (2 seconds) during psychophysical or neurophysiological experiments.
Triarylmethanes, a new class of cx50 inhibitors.

The paucity of specific pharmacological agents has been a major impediment for delineating the roles of gap junction channels formed by connexin proteins in physiology and pathophysiology. Here, we used the selective optimization of side activities (SOSA) approach, which has led to the design of high affinity inhibitors of other ion channels, to identify a specific inhibitor for channels formed by Cx50, a connexin subtype that is expressed in the lens. We initially screened a library of common ion channel modulating pharmacophores for their inhibitory effects on Cx50 gap junction channels, and identified four new classes of compounds. The triarlymethane (TRAM) clotrimazole was the most potent Cx50 inhibitor and we therefore used it as a template to explore the structure activity relationship (SAR) of the TRAMs for Cx50 inhibition. We here describe the design of T122 (N-[(2-methoxyphenyl)diphenylmethyl]-1,3-thiazol-2-amine) and T136 (N-[(2-iodophenyl)diphenylmethyl]-1,3-thiazol-2-amine), which inhibit Cx50 with IC50s of 1.2 µM and 2.4 µM. Both exhibit at least 10-fold selectivity over other connexins as well as major neuronal and cardiac voltage-gated K+ and Na+ channels. The SAR studies also indicated that the TRAM pharmacophore required for connexin inhibition is significantly different from the pharmacophore required for blocking the calcium-activated KCa3.1 channel. Both T122 and T136 selectively inhibited Cx50 gap junction channels in lens epithelial cells, suggesting that they could be used to further explore the role of Cx50 in the lens. In addition, our results indicate that a similar approach may be used to find specific inhibitors of other connexin subtypes.
Ab initio studies of the electronic structure and density of states of metallic beryllium

Hartree–Fock–Roothaan studies are reported for low-lying electronic states of metallic beryllium as modeled by a moiety of 135 beryllium atoms. The system corresponds to 16 coordination shells of a central Be with internuclear separations derived from the lattice constants of the bulk metal. The calculations become tractable by use of the full D3h symmetry of the system at both the integrals and self-consistent-field stages and by employing ab initio effective potentials for the 1s electrons of each beryllium atom. Ionization potentials, binding energies, orbital energies, electric field gradients, nuclear-electrostatic potentials, diamagnetic shielding constants, second moments, and Mulliken populations are calculated for selected electronic states. The calculated ionization potential for the lowest state agrees to within 10% of the experimental bulk work function. A density-of-states analysis for that state is reported and compared with band structure calculations.
Antiapoptotic therapies in the treatment of spinal cord injury

Mechanical trauma to the spinal cord triggers events resulting in the death of neurons and glia over several weeks following the initial injury. It has been suggested that the prevention of delayed apoptosis after spinal cord injury (SCI) is likely to have a beneficial effect by reducing the extent of neuronal and oligodendroglial death, which would translate into better functional outcomes. Drugs acting at different levels in the apoptotic cascade (i.e., caspase inhibitors and antiapoptotic Bcl-xL) have been shown to decrease apoptotic cell death, but benefits in functional outcomes result only when inflammation is also decreased. Furthermore, long-term antiapoptotic therapy can result in nonapoptotic death with necrotic features, which will further increase inflammation and worsen outcome. Even though neuroprotective therapies are one of the targets for the promotion of functional recovery after SCI, targeting only post-SCI apoptosis is unlikely to be as successful as more integrated interventions that ...
Critical path resources simulation and scheduling

A computerized solution to certain problems of project management, specifically, resource scheduling and resource allocation, is presented. The problem of completing a project with some quantitative combination of resources may be solved through simulation. A diagrammatic model of the project or facility, a resource simulator and a computer are used to solve the problem. The question “What if I…?” must be answered quickly, accurately and easily if project planning and scheduling are to be effective. A Critical Path Schedule is a minimum time solution which does not consider the quantity and availability of resources during each day of the project. It is, therefore, generally inadequate for day to day project management. Through resource simulation and scheduling, this deficiency may be corrected. The computer can prepare several solutions to the problem. The schedule which best meets management's project cost and project duration objectives is selected for actual use. The resource simulator is no substitute for competent management. The traditional requirements of project definition and objectives still exist. The simulator simply makes the most effective use of resources and produces a realistic work schedule.
Electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field

With the Komar mass formula we calculate the electromagnetic energy for a charged Kerr black hole in a uniform magnetic field. We find that the total electromagnetic energy takes the minimum when the Kerr black hole possesses a nonzero net charge $Q=2\ensuremath{\xi}{B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ where ${B}_{0}$ is the strength of the magnetic field, ${J}_{H}$ is the angular momentum of the black hole, and $\ensuremath{\xi}$ is a dimensionless parameter determined by the spin of the black hole. However, the Wald state with ${Q=2B}_{0}{J}_{H}$ does not minimize the electromagnetic energy.
The contingent relationship between the controller and internal audit functions in large organizations

Abstract The research literature on organizational control in large business firms does not address the inter-relationship between the controller and internal audit functions. Yet these functions are commonly used to effect control within large, diversified corporations having hierarchical management. This research uses principal-agent theory to hypothesize the need for complementary control systems for monitoring and verifying inter-manager relationships in large U.S. firms. The research findings suggest that the primary duties and responsibilities assigned to the internal audit function are related to the organization, centralization vs decentralization, of the controller function so that effective organizational control can be achieved.
Targeting GRP78 and antiestrogen resistance in breast cancer.

Faslodex ® often fail to cure these patients. Many estrogen receptor-positive tumors lose drug sensitivity, making endocrine resistance a major clinical problem. Recently, investigation into the molecular mechanisms of endocrine resistance has highlighted a causative role of the unfolded protein response in antiestrogen resistance. In particular, the master regulator of the unfolded protein response, GRP78, was observed to be elevated in endocrine-resistant breast cancer and directly affected antiestrogen therapy responsiveness. GRP78 was found to impact many different cellular processes that may affect breast cancer survival. Recently, various compounds have been reported to affect GRP78 activity and it may be advantageous to combine these drugs with antiestrogens to overcome endocrine therapy resistance.
Plasma proteomics, the Human Proteome Project, and cancer-associated alternative splice variant proteins

This article addresses three inter-related subjects: the development of the Human Plasma Proteome Peptide Atlas, the launch of the Human Proteome Project, and the emergence of alternative splice variant transcripts and proteins as important features of evolution and pathogenesis. The current Plasma Peptide Atlas provides evidence on which peptides have been detected for every protein confidently identified in plasma; there are links to their spectra and their estimated abundance, facilitating the planning of targeted proteomics for biomarker studies. The Human Proteome Project (HPP) combines a chromosome-centric C-HPP with a biology and disease-driven B/D-HPP, upon a foundation of mass spectrometry, antibody, and knowledgebase resource pillars. The HPP aims to identify the approximately 7000 “missing proteins” and to characterize all proteins and their many isoforms. Success will enable the larger research community to utilize newly-available peptides, spectra, informative MS transitions, and databases for targeted analyses of priority proteins for each organ and disease. Among the isoforms of proteins, splice variants have the special feature of greatly enlarging protein diversity without enlarging the genome; evidence is accumulating of striking differential expression of splice variants in cancers. In this era of RNA-sequencing and advanced mass spectrometry, it is no longer sufficient to speak simply of increased or decreased expression of genes or proteins without carefully examining the splice variants in the protein mixture produced from each multi-exon gene. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biomarkers: A Proteomic Challenge.
Latch-Up Control in CMOS Integrated Circuits

The potential for latch-up, a pnpn self-sustaining low impedance state, is inherent in standard bulk CMOS-integrated circuit structures. Under normal bias, the parasitic SCR is in its blocking state but, if subjected to a large voltage spike or if exposed to an ionizing environment, triggering may occur. This may result in device burn-out or loss of state. The problem has been extensively studied for space and weapons applications. Prevention of latch-up has been achieved in conservative design (~9 ?m p-well depths) by the use of minority lifetime control methods such as gold doping and neutron irradiation and by modifying the base transport factor with buried layers. The push toward VLSI densities will enhance parasitic action sufficiently so that the problem will become of more universal concern. This paper will survey latch-up control methods presently employed for weapons and space applications on present (~9 ?m p-well) CMOS and will indicate the extent of their applicability to VLSI designs.
Release of arsenic to the environment from CCA-treated wood. 2. Leaching and speciation during disposal.

Insufficient information exists about the speciation of arsenic leaching from in-service chromated copper arsenate (CCA)-treated products and the overall impact to soils and groundwater. To address this issue, two decks were constructed, one from CCA-treated wood and the other from untreated wood. Both decks were placed in the open environment where they were impacted by rainfall. Over a one-year period, rainwater runoff from the decks and rainwater infiltrating through 0.7 m of sand below the decks was collected and analyzed for arsenic species by HPLC-ICP-MS. The average arsenic concentration in the runoff of the untreated deck was 2-3 microg/L, whereas from the CCA-treated deck it was 600 microg/L. Both inorganic As(III) and As(V) were detected in the runoff from both decks, with inorganic As(V) predominating. No detectable levels of organoarsenic species were observed. The total arsenic concentration in the infiltrated water of the treated deck had risen from a background concentration of 3 microg/L to a concentration of 18 microg/L at the end of the study. Data from the deck study were combined with annual CCA-treated wood production statistics to develop a mass balance model to estimate the extent of arsenic leaching from in-service CCA-treated wood structures to Florida soils. Results showed that during the year 2000, of the 28 000 t of arsenic imported into the state and utilized for in-service CCA-treated wood products, approximately 4600 t had already leached. Future projections suggest that an additional 11,000 t of arsenic will leach during in-service use within the next 40 years.
Magnetodendrimers allow endosomal magnetic labeling and in vivo tracking of stem cells

Magnetic resonance (MR) tracking of magnetically labeled stem and progenitor cells is an emerging technology, leading to an urgent need for magnetic probes that can make cells highly magnetic during their normal expansion in culture. We have developed magnetodendrimers as a versatile class of magnetic tags that can efficiently label mammalian cells, including human neural stem cells (NSCs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), through a nonspecific membrane adsorption process with subsequent intracellular (non-nuclear) localization in endosomes. The superparamagnetic iron oxide nanocomposites have been optimized to exhibit superior magnetic properties and to induce sufficient MR cell contrast at incubated doses as low as 1 microg iron/ml culture medium. When containing between 9 and 14 pg iron/cell, labeled cells exhibit an ex vivo nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation rate (1/T2) as high as 24-39 s-1/mM iron. Labeled cells are unaffected in their viability and proliferating capacity, and labeled human NSCs differentiate normally into neurons. Furthermore, we show here that NSC-derived (and LacZ-transfected), magnetically labeled oligodendroglial progenitors can be readily detected in vivo at least as long as six weeks after transplantation, with an excellent correlation between the obtained MR contrast and staining for beta-galactosidase expression. The availability of magnetodendrimers opens up the possibility of MR tracking of a wide variety of (stem) cell transplants.
An Efficient Modeling Approach for Mid-frequency Trim Effects

In traditional FE based structure-borne noise analysis, interior trims are normally modeled as lump masses in the FE structure model and acoustic specific impedance of the trim is assigned to the FE acoustics model when necessary. This simplification has proven to be effective and sufficient for low frequency analysis. However, as the frequency goes into the mid-frequency range, the elastic behavior of the trim may impose some effects on the structural and acoustic responses. The approach described in this paper is based on the structural FE and acoustic SEA coupling analysis developed by ESI, aiming to improve the modeling efficiency for a possible quick turnaround in virtual assessments. The idea is to reassemble the FE-SEA hybrid analysis results for the trimmed condition by combining radiated sound power from untrimmed body structure with trim component absorption, insertion loss data and other necessary information which can be extracted easily and quickly from an untrimmed FE model, and/or SEA model.
SYMBOLISM AND THE CULTURAL LANDSCAPE

The cultural landscape is created and transformed by human symbolic action. Environmental symbolism is one means whereby social identity and reality are created. Symbolization must be viewed as a social process. Furthermore, symbolization is shown to be a significant response to cultural stress. The general process of stress-induced symbolism can be understood in terms of accepted principles of evolutionary ecology, and from these, a continuum model of symbolization is presented. The continuum model is explicated through the analysis of the historic preservation movement in Salzburg, Austria since 1860. Specific aspects of the cultral landscape are shown to be particularly potent as sources for symbolization in response to stress. By focusing on the symbolization process and the resulting symbolic forms, the explanatory power of cultural geography can be expanded.
Obesity and injury-related absenteeism in a population-based firefighter cohort.

A consistent relationship has been demonstrated between obesity and absenteeism in the workplace. However, most studies have focused on primarily sedentary occupational groups. Firefighting is a physically demanding profession that involves significant potential for exposure to dangerous situations and strenuous work. No studies to date have evaluated the impact of obesity on risk for absenteeism among firefighters. We examined the crosssectional association between BMI and obesity and injury-related absenteeism. BMI, body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC), injury, and injury-related absenteeism were assessed in 478 career male firefighters. One hundred and fifteen firefighters reported an injury in the previous year and the number of days absent from work due to their injury. BMI was an independent predictor of absenteeism due to injury even after adjustment for confounding variables. Firefighters meeting the definition of class II and III obesity had nearly five times (odds ratio (OR) = 4.89; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 3.63–6.58) the number missed work days due to injury when compared to their normal weight counterparts and their elevated risk was greater than firefighters with class I obesity (OR = 2.71; 95% CI = 2.01–3.65) or those who were overweight (OR = 2.55; 95% CI = 1.90–3.41). The attributable per capita costs of class II and III obesity-related absenteeism over the last year were $1,682.90 per firefighter, $254.00 per firefighter for class I obesity, and $74.41 per firefighter for overweight. Our findings suggest that class II and III obesity were associated with substantial attributable costs to employers and our cost estimates probably underestimate the actual financial burden.
On Handling Dependent Random Variables in Risk Analysis

Earlier risk analysis studies emphasized the correct description of the univariate characteristics of the random variables in risk models, but more recently it is recognized that realistic risk models should also correctly describe the dependence among the variables. By reviewing some important but often overlooked statistical concepts, this paper points out some serious short-comings of the "conventional" approach of describing two dependent variables by their marginal distributions and their correlation coefficient. A "functional approach" for describing dependent variables is then presented, followed by discussions of its practicality and theoretical robustness. In short, the paper points out the necessary and desirability of the alternative approach in modelling dependent random variables.
Arginine vasopressin causes morphological changes suggestive of fluid transport in rat choroid plexus epithelium.

The experiments described herein use an in vitro preparation of choroid plexus to demonstrate that it is a vasopressin-responsive organ by morphologic criteria. Choroid plexus from rats was incubated for one hour in graded concentrations of arginine vasopressin (AVP). Within physiologic range of molar concentration, incubation in vasopressin induced a decrease in basal and lateral spaces in choroid plexus epithelial cells as well as an increase in number of dark cells. The number of cells with basal spaces decreased significantly from 82.7±9.2 in control tissue to 19±18 in tissue incubated in 10-12 M AVP; similarly, the number with lateral cellular spaces decreased from 20±8.8 to 7.6±2.2 cells in 10-10 M AVP. Dark cells increased in number from 3.8±2.6 in control conditions to 49±4 with 10-9 M vasopressin. These data suggest important effects of arginine vasopressin in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) on choroid plexus, compatible with enhanced fluid transport across choroid epithelial cells.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced colonic stricture and ulceration treated with balloon dilatation and prednisone.

Adverse effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) in the colon include ulceration, strictures, various types of colitis, perforation and exacerbation of inflammatory bowel, and diverticular diseases.1-18 We report the case of a patient with an etodolac-induced obstructing colonic stricture that was successfully treated by endoscopic balloon dilatation. It was thought that completion of ulcer healing was accelerated by a course of prednisone after cessation of the NSAID use failed to do so.
Relation between serum pancreatic isoamylase concentration and pancreatic exocrine function

Serum pancreatic isoamylase concentrations were compared to secretory and clinical evidence of pancreatic insufficiency in 19 consecutive alcoholic patients undergoing pancreatic stimulation testing for suspected pancreatic insufficiency. In patients with normal total serum amylase levels, there was a good correlation (r=0.83) between serum pancreatic isoamylase activity and stimulated pancreatic secretion of amylase and the 8 patients with a low pancreatic isoamylase concentration had markedly diminished pancreatic secretion of amylase, lipase, and bicarbonate. However, patients with elevated total serum amylase activity frequently had extremely poor pancreatic exocrine function despite normal or elevated levels of pancreatic serum isoamylase. Thus, the finding of a subnormal serum concentration of pancreatic isoamylase provides strong evidence for pancreatic exocrine insufficiency; however, a normal or elevated serum pancreatic isoamylase activity cannot be used as evidence for normal pancreatic exocrine function.
A handful of bacteria: A simple activity that engages students to think and write like a scientist

Non-major students taking science courses to fulfill degree requirements may show low interest in traditional lecture-based classrooms. While professors may try to incorporate hands-on activities to the classroom to foster enthusiasm, the development of a low-cost, low-hazard scientific activity that engages students can be challenging. Moreover, teaching and evaluating critical thinking, scientific literacy, quantitative analysis and writing skills utilizing such activities require asking carefully designed questions. Here, I introduce a tested effective, inexpensive, 20-minute in-classroom microbiology deep-learning activity, and explain how it can be adapted to other disciplines of science. From one simple exercise, students conducted literature research, performed statistical analysis and made quantitative/causative conclusions. Students also learned to write, appreciate and critically analyze a scientific paper.
Empirical aspects of self-employment

Abstract We employ a switching equations model to examine the determinants of the choice of self-employment or wage and salary work and compensation in each mode of employment. Our results are surprisingly consistent with the previous literature on human capital.
Auditory Impairment in Infants at Risk for Bilirubin-Induced Neurologic Dysfunction

Classical and subtypes of kernicterus associated with bilirubin toxicity can be differentiated in part with physiological auditory measures that include auditory-evoked potentials and measures of cochlear integrity. The combination of these auditory measures suggests that bilirubin exposure results in auditory system damage initially at the level of the brainstem, progressing to the level of the VIII cranial nerve and then to greater neural centers. There is no evidence of neural damage at the level of the cochlea. Auditory neural damage from bilirubin toxicity ranges from neural timing deficits, including neural firing delays and dyssynchrony, to neural response reduction and even elimination of auditory neural responses. This condition is comprehensively described as auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder. Independent measures of cochlear function and auditory neural function up to the level of the brainstem can effectively diagnose auditory neural damage resulting from bilirubin neurotoxicity. Intervention, including cochlear implants can be effective.
Differential sensitivity of TOMAL subtests and index scores to pediatric traumatic brain injury.

The objective of the present study was to examine and compare the subtest, index, and factor scores of the Test of Memory and Learning (TOMAL), using receiver-operating characteristic curves, to investigate their sensitivity and specificity to traumatic brain injury (TBI) in children and adolescents. One hundred and fifty participants who had sustained TBI were compared to 150 controls matched on age and gender from the TOMAL's standardization sample. Results indicated that the greatest area under the curve (AUC) was for the Object Recall (OR) subtest score, the Composite Memory Index (CMI), and the attention factor score. The optimal CMI cutoff score for a TBI diagnosis was 83. When factor scores were compared, the attention factor and two verbal factors had significantly larger AUCs than the three nonverbal factors. These findings suggest that the OR subtest and CMI are most sensitive to TBI, and that when components were broken into factors with no overlapping subtests, attention and verbal memory were...
Six types of IT-business strategic alignment: an investigation of the constructs and their measurement

AbstractTop management has been concerned with IT-business strategic alignment (hereafter referred to as alignment) for the past 30 years. Consequently, alignment researchers have developed many mo...
Provenance of the Silurian Elder Sandstone, north-central Nevada

One of the principal clastic units in the Roberts Mountains allochthon of north-central Nevada is the Elder Sandstone, which may have been deposited in or about Early Silurian time. Rock fragments in the Elder Sandstone were derived from Paleozoic carbonate rock, argillite, chert, quartzite, and intermediate to basic volcanic rock. Feldspar, zircon, and quartz probably were derived initially from Pre-cambrian crystalline rocks and were recycled into the Elder Sandstone from pre-Silurian supracrustal deposits. U-Pb isotopic data indicate that detrital zircons were derived initially from a source that may have included rocks ∼2.2 b.y. old. The location of the source of detritus in the Elder Sandstone is problematical, and there is nothing in the data presented here that precludes the possibility that detritus was derived from a foreign continent.
Use of the charge-induced voltage alteration technique to analyze precursors to dielectric breakdown

Charge-Induced Voltage Alteration (CIVA) is a new scanning electron microscopy technique to rapidly localize open conductors on integrated circuits (ICs). CIVA uses a constant current source to power the IC under test and produces an image by monitoring the variation in voltage supplied to the IC as a function of electron beam position. This concept of observing supply voltage changes as in CIVA has been applied to Tunneling Current Microscopy (TCM). TCM has been used to localize oxide defects in biased, large area MOS capacitors before oxide breakdown by measuring the fluctuations in current with electron beam position. These changes are normally on the order of 10 nA. Conventional current amplifiers normally limit the applied voltage thereby reducing the operational range of the TCM technique unless special circuit modifications are employed. By using a constant current source and monitoring the voltage changes across the capacitor being analyzed, there are no voltage limitations. Signal magnitudes on the order of 5 mV have been recorded from capacitor defects using the CIVA setup. A detailed description of the CIVA acquisition system used for TCM and a comparison with conventional TCM are provided. Images of oxide defects before breakdown are presented to show that, while the two approaches are comparable and each has its own strengths and weaknesses, the CIVA approach is a superior technique for precursor localization.
Altered expression of KIF17, a kinesin motor protein associated with NR2B trafficking, may mediate learning deficits in a Down syndrome mouse model

Objective Down syndrome (DS), a major cause of mental retardation, affects 1 of 800 newborns. Mouse models for Down syndrome have been studied and found to have developmental and learning deficits, including the Ts65Dn (DS) mouse model. N -methyl-d-aspartate receptor NR2B subunit enhances synaptic plasticity. The up-regulation of KIF17, a motor protein that transports NR2B to the synaptic region parallels up-regulation of synaptic NR2B. Down regulation of KIF17 reflects up-regulation of less plastic NR2A subunit. We evaluated NR2B, NR2A, and KIF17 in Ts65Dn and control mice. Study Design Ts65Dn (4) and control (4) adult brains were collected; NR2A, NR2B, and KIF17 were measured by Western blot and quantified using National Institutes of Health Image software. Comparisons were made using analysis of variance, Results There was a significant decrease in KIF17 ( P = .04) level in Ts65Dn mice as compared with the control animals, but there were no significant differences in the levels of NR2A ( P = .79) and NR2B ( P = .96). Conclusion The significant decrease of KIF17 inTs65Dn animals may in part mediate cognitive defects in DS.
Optimizing style options for subresolution assist features

Sub-resolution assist features (SRAF) have been shown to provide significant process window enhancement and across chip line-width variation reduction when used in conjunction with modified illumination lithography. Work previously presented at this conference has focused on the optimization of sraf design rules that specify the predominantly one dimensional placement and width of assist features as a function of layout pitch. This paper will recount the optimization of SRAF style options that specify how SRAF are to behave in realistic two dimensional circuit layouts. Based on the work done to strike the correct balance between sraf manufacturability, CAD turnaround time, and lithographic benefit in IBM's early product implementation exercises, the evolution of sraf style options is presented. Using simulation as well as exposure data, this paper explores the effect of various two dimensional sraf layout solutions and demonstrates the use of model based verification in the optimization of sraf style options.
How much do the best colleges spend on libraries? Using college rankings to provide library financial benchmarks

Recent ACRL guidelines1 and standards2 urge academic librarians to compare selected input and output measures with peer institutions for assessment. This paper provides an example of such a comparison, using a freely available statistical tool from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).3 Applying the NCES data tool to liberal arts colleges chosen by U.S. News and World Report ( USN&WR )4 as the “Best Liberal Arts Colleges” provides one strategy for choosing financial benchmarks to target, as well as staffing and output measures for comparison. Using liberal arts colleges ranked in the top third by USN&WR , about $2,000/FTE would be the 2004 reported amount that the “best” colleges spent on library resources.
Immunomodulatory factors in cervicovaginal secretions from pregnant and non-pregnant women: A cross-sectional study

Background: Pregnant women are at an increased risk for HIV infection due to unknown biological causes. Given the strong effect of sex-hormones on the expression of immunomuodulatory factors, the central role of mucosal immunity in HIV pathogenesis and the lack of previous studies, we here tested for differences in immunomuodulatory factors in cervico-vaginal secretions between pregnant and non-pregnant women. Methods: We compared concentrations of 39 immunomodulatory factors in cervicovaginal lavages (CVL) from 21 pregnant women to those of 24 non-pregnant healthy women from the US. We used Bonferroni correction to correct for multiple testing and linear regression modeling to adjust for possible confounding by plasma cytokine concentration, cervical ectopy, total protein concentration, and other possible confounders. Cervical ectopy was determined by planimetry. Concentration of immunomodulatory factors were measured by a multiplex assay, protein concentration by the Bradford Method. Results: Twenty six (66%) of the 39 measured immunomodulatory factors were detectable in at least half of the CVL samples included in the study. Pregnant women had threefold lower CVL concentration of CCL22 (geometric mean: 29.6 pg/ml versus 89.7 pg/ml, p = 0.0011) than non-pregnant women. CVL CCL22 concentration additionally correlated negatively with gestational age (Spearman correlation coefficient [RS]: -0.49, p = 0.0006). These associations remained significant when corrected for multiple testing. CCL22 concentration in CVL was positively correlated with age and negatively correlated with time since last coitus and the size of cervical ectopy. However, none of these associations could explain the difference of CCL22 concentration between pregnant and non-pregnant women in this study, which remained significant in adjusted analysis. Conclusions: In this study population, pregnancy is associated with reduced concentrations of CCL22 in cervicovaginal secretions. The role of CCL22 on HIV transmission should now be investigated in prospective studies.
Physical properties of carbonatite magmas inferred from molten salt data, and application to extraction patterns from carbonatite–silicate magma chambers

Little is known about the physical properties of carbonatite magmas, making it difficult to predict dynamic behaviour in carbonatite-bearing magmatic systems. The viscosity of calcium-rich carbonatite magma is approximately estimated from molten salt data to be 0.1 Pa s at 700–800°C, while density is estimated at 2.3−2.5 × 103 kg m−3. The corresponding values for natrocarbonatite are 0.01 Pa s and 2.0−2.1 × 103 kg m−3. It is thus possible for carbonatite to be negatively buoyant with respect to some silicate magmas. The surface tension in air of carbonatite magmas is estimated at 0.25 and 0.21 N m−1 for Ca-carbonatite and natrocarbonatite respectively. Knowledge of the interfacial tension between carbonatite and silicate liquids is critical before the formation and behaviour of silicate–carbonatite emulsions can be properly understood. Interfacial tension is constrained to < 0.09 N m−1 by the application of multiphase drop theory to experimentally-produced textures, and this value receives some support from geological observations. The mechanics of extraction from layered carbonatite-silicate magma chambers are briefly examined using the recommended density and viscosity values and the equations of Blake & Ivey (1986); the degree of eruptive mingling is dependent on which liquid was uppermost in the chamber.
Delayed Sciatic Nerve Injury Resulting From Myositis Ossificans Traumatica

A motorcyclist sustained multiple-system trauma, including a left buttock hematoma requiring decompression and evacuation. Presentation for severe hip pain and lower extremity weakness was delayed. Imaging revealed myositis ossificans traumatica compressing the sciatic nerve in the buttock. The patient underwent sciatic nerve decompression with resection of heterotopic calcification, resulting in improvement in pain and left lower extremity function. This case illustrates the contrast in differential diagnosis of peripheral nerve injury immediately posttrauma and that occurring in a slow, delayed fashion posttrauma. Myositis ossificans may be an underrecognized complication of trauma but should be considered in cases of delayed peripheral nerve injury after trauma.
High-performance wideband wireless TDMA via carrier interferometry pulse shaping

This paper explains how a novel pulse shape (referred to as the carrier interferometry (CI) pulse shape) can enable TDMA to operate over non-adjacent frequency bands (in a manner identical to its operation if all these bands were made contiguous): In this way, moderate-to-high-power wideband TDMA may be supported without interference to existing licensed bands. The proposed CI pulse shape supporting wideband TDMA corresponds to an interferometry pattern created by the superposition of N carriers (adjacent or nonadjacent in the frequency domain). This novel CI pulse shaping enables TDMA receivers to break the pulse into its frequency components and optimally recombine components to exploit frequency diversity. With the exception of a pulse shape operating over non-contiguous bands and a frequency-domain receiver design, this new system retains all the features of current TDMA systems.
Videodensitometric quantitation of aortic regurgitation by digital subtraction aortography using a computer-based method analyzing time-density curves

Abstract To assess the clinical role of computer analysis of time-density curves in the evaluation of aortic regurgitation (AR), digital subtraction aortography (DSA) and cineaortography were performed sequentially in 17 patients with varying degrees of AR (1+ to 4+) and in 4 control patients. DSA was performed at a rate of 30 frames/s on a 512 × 512 × 8 bit pixel matrix using the same total volume and injection rate, but with half the amount of contrast agent as standard cineaortography. A 30 × 30 pixel area of interest was identified in the aorta above the valve plane and in the left ventricle where the AR stream was seen. The density of both areas of interest and the ratio of left ventricular/aortic area of interest density was calculated in each frame and then plotted vs time. The ratio at the end of injection ( LV d Ao d ) had an excellent correlation with cineaortography (χ2 = 19, p
Frege on Knowing the Third Realm

Anyone who reads Frege with moderate care is struck by a puzzle about the central objective of his work. His main project is to explain the foundations of arithmetic in such a way as to enable us to understand the nature of our knowledge of arithmetic. But he says very little about our knowledge of the foundations. A full treatment of this and associated puzzles would require more room than I have here.2 I want to give a short solution to the puzzle, and then discuss one aspect of it that I find interesting. The short solution is that Frege accepted the traditional rationalist account of knowledge of the relevant primitive truths, truths of logic. This account, which he associated with the Euclidean tradition, maintained that basic truths of geometry and logic are self-evident. Frege says on several occasions that such primitive truths-as well as basic rules of inference and certain relevant definitionsare self-evident. He did not develop these remarks because he thought they admitted little development. The interesting problems for him were finding and understanding the primitive truths, and showing how they, together with inference rules and definitions, could be used to derive the truths of arithmetic. This short solution seems to me correct-as far as it goes. It does, however, leave out a lot. Frege thought that knowledge of the axioms of geometry required intuition-an imaginative or broadly perceptual capacity (1968, pp. 19-21). Knowledge of the basic truths of logic simply required reason. He regarded both types of basic truths as self-evident, but the differences between the two types of knowledge are significant. That is one complication. Another is that Frege uses a variety of terms that are translated "self-evident". His sophisticated understanding of the notion is neither psychologistic nor purely proof-theoretic. He does not mean by it what most contemporary philosophers would mean by it. His uses of it relate in interesting ways to his basic philosophical views. A third complication is that there are complex relations between Frege's appeals to self-evidence and an appeal he makes to pragmatic epistemological considerations. This appeal