cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effect of an educational intervention on the perceived risk of breast cancer.

OBJECTIVE: To appraise women’s perceived risk of developing breast cancer and the effects of a physician’s educational intervention on this perception.
Digital video and its impact on terrestrial broadcasting

It is suggested that the technical feasibility of digital HDTV (high-definition television) for terrestrial broadcasting seems to be within reach. However, to launch a successful HDTV broadcasting service, the viewing public will have to be educated and they will have to experience a paradigm shift of what to expect from terrestrial delivery. They will be subjected to, and part of, a revolution. It is concluded that in the end, the willingness to accept the unfamiliar aspects of this new service may be what ultimately determines whether the revolution will be successful or whether it will simply produce a rebellion against changing that which is familiar and comfortable. >
A student project in software evaluation

Properly educating computer scientists involves teaching effective means to properly engineer a system. An important part of such engineering work is ensuring that the computing system is both useful and usable. While many systems out there today are difficult to use, performing usability engineering on a system during its development has been shown to be an effective way to make a system more usable. The problem is fitting practical experience into the curriculum. This paper discusses a case example of how a team of undergraduate students learned to take a software system during its developing stages and perform effective usability engineering following the "thinking out loud" methodology.
Fundamental noise in MEMS force sensors

In recent years, MEMS devices have been developed for a wide variety of applications. Many of the signals that these sensors are intended to detect are expressed as forces that stress or deflect the micromechanical structure. As sensors are miniaturized, these forces naturally become smaller, and techniques for detection are required to improve. As the force sensing capabilities of MEMS devices have improved, it has become possible to apply these devices to interesting scientific experiments on biological systems.
The occurrence of cataleptic phenomena in children

Summary Following a compilation from the literature of the observation of cataleptic phenomena in children, six cases seen at the Harriet Lane Home are reported. In all patients, ranging in age from sixteen months to nine years, the catalepsy was closely associated with some infectious or toxic disease (otitis media, measles, mumps, typhoid fever, lead encephalitis, rheumatic heart disease, and chronic dysentery). In one instance, the catalepsy followed febrile convulsions; in another it was coincidental with angioneurotic edema; and in a third definite hysterical features were present. Four of the patients were mentally retarded. In all cases, the catalepsy was part of a dysergastic reaction, that is, of those psychopathologic changes which are apt to occur in the course of infectious and toxic diseases.
On the singularities and a Bernstein property of immersed stable minimal hypersurfaces

We prove: (1) a classification theorem for certain singularities of weak limits of immersed stable minimal hypersurfaces of arbitrary dimension and (2) a Bernstein theorem for complete immersed stable minimal hypersurfaces of dimension \(\leq 6\).
Effects of inhibitory compounds in lignocellulosic hydrolysates on Mortierella isabellina growth and carbon utilization.

C-isotope TCA cycle abstract Oleaginous fungus Mortierella isabellina showed excellent lipid conversion on non-detoxified lignocellu- losic hydrolysate. This study investigated the effects of inhibitory compounds (furfural, hydroxymethyl- furfural, and ferulic and coumaric acids) in lignocellulosic hydrolysate on M. isabellina growth and lipid production. M. isabellina can tolerate furfural (1 g/L), hydroxymethylfurfural (2.5 g/L), ferulic (0.5 g/L) and coumaric acid (0.5 g/L) with normal growth rates. Synergistic effect of these inhibitors (2 g/L furfural, 0.4 g/L hydroxymethylfurfural, 0.02 g/L ferulic acid and 0.02 g/L coumaric acid) moderate- ly reduces total fungal growth (by 28%), while the presence of these inhibitors has minor impact on cell lipid contents and lipid profiles. In the presence of inhibitory compounds, 13 C-tracing has revealed that M. isabellina can simultaneously utilize glucose and acetate, and acetate is mainly assimilated for synthesis of lipid and TCA cycle amino acids. The results also demonstrate that glucose has strong catabolite repres- sion for xylose utilization for biomass and lipid production in the presence of inhibitors.
Effects of fentanyl and droperidol on canine left ventricular performance.

The effects of fentanyl and droperidol on left ventricular performance were evaluated in the neurally intact dog right-heart-bypass preparation under conditions of constant cardiac output, arterial pressure, and heart rate. Fentanyl, .01 and .02 mg/kg body weight, and droperidol, 0.5 mg/kg, did not
Consequences of shrub expansion in mesic grassland: Resource alterations and graminoid responses

In the mesic grasslands of the central United States, the shrub Cornus drummondii has undergone widespread expansion in the absence of recurrent fire. We quantified alterations in light, water and N caused by C. drummondii expansion in tall-grass prairie and assessed the hypothesis that these alterations are consistent with models of resource enrichment by woody plants. Responses in graminoid species, particularly the dominant C 4 grass Andropogon gerardii, were concurrently evaluated. We also removed established shrub islands to quantify their legacy effect on resource availability and assess the capability of this grassland to recover in sites formerly dominated by woody plants. The primary effect of shrub expansion on resource availability was an 87% reduction in light available to the herbaceous understorey. This reduced C uptake and N use efficiency in A. gerardii and lowered graminoid cover and ANPP at the grass- shrub ecotone relative to undisturbed grassland. Shrub removal created a pulse in light and N availability, eliciting high C gain in A. gerardii in the first year after removal. By year two, light and N availability within shrub removal areas returned to levels typical of grassland, as had graminoid cover and ANPP were similar to those in open grassland. Recovery within central areas of shrub removal sites lagged behind that at the former grass- shrub ecotone. These results indicate that the apparent alternative stable state of C. drummondii dominance in tall-grass prairie is biotically maintained and driven by reductions in light, rather than resource enrichment. Within areas of shrub removal, the legacy effect of C. drummondii dominance is manifest primarily through the loss of rhizomes of the dominant grasses, rather than any long-term changes in resource availability. C. drummondii removal facilitates grassland recovery, but the effort required to initiate this transition is a significant cost of woody plant expan- sion in mesic grasslands. Prevention of woody plant expansion in remnant tall-grass prairies is, therefore, a preferred management option.
Downlink outage predictions for cellular radio systems

A general model for predicting downlink outage due to co-channel interference in cellular radio systems is presented. The model accounts for path loss, log-normal shadowing, Rayleigh fading, and vehicle velocity. The outage predictions are obtained by computer simulation. Various outage control techniques are evaluated, including cell sectoring, transmitter control, and hands-off. It is shown that down link power control is quite useful when hand-offs are used, and that shadowing can have a large effect on the outage predictions. The outage predictions are applied to a digital cellular system that uses quadrature differential phase shift keying (QDPSK) modulation and Reed-Solomon (RS) coding. It is shown that the performance of a coded digital cellular system is largely limited by rapidly moving vehicles. >
"Oh dear stacy!": social interaction, elaboration, and learning with teachable agents

Understanding how children perceive and interact with teachable agents (systems where children learn through teaching a synthetic character embedded in an intelligent tutoring system) can provide insight into the effects of so-cial interaction on learning with intelligent tutoring systems. We describe results from a think-aloud study where children were instructed to narrate their experience teaching Stacy, an agent who can learn to solve linear equations with the student's help. We found treating her as a partner, primarily through aligning oneself with Stacy using pronouns like you or we rather than she or it significantly correlates with student learning, as do playful face-threatening comments such as teasing, while elaborate explanations of Stacy's behavior in the third-person and formal tutoring statements reduce learning gains. Additionally, we found that the agent's mistakes were a significant predictor for students shifting away from alignment with the agent.
Calibration and data reduction in microprocessor based process chromatographs

A process gas chromatograph system is described which employs microprocessors in the analyser and data processor to sample and digitise the detector signal, and measure peak height or area by five different methods. Additionally, three methods of baseline correction and five methods for calibration and calculation of results are user programmable from a panel with alpha numeric display using an interactive conversational dialogue with the operator. Some considerations relating to noise filtering and non-zero baseline correction are discussed.
A Clusterwise Bilinear Multidimensional Scaling Methodology for Simultaneous Segmentation and Positioning Analyses

Abstract The segmentation–targeting–positioning conceptual framework has been the traditional foundation and genesis of marketing strategy formulation. The authors propose a general clusterwise bilinear spatial model that simultaneously estimates market segments, their composition, a brand space, and preference/utility vectors per market segment; that is, the model performs segmentation and positioning simultaneously. After a review of related methodological research in the marketing, psychometrics, and classification literature streams, the authors present the technical details of the proposed two-way clusterwise bilinear spatial model. They develop an efficient alternating least squares procedure that estimates conditional globally optimum estimates of the model parameters within each iteration through analytic closed-form expressions. The authors present various model options. They provide a conceptual and empirical comparison with latent-class multidimensional scaling. They use an illustration of the ...
Proteomics of protein post-translational modifications implicated in neurodegeneration

Mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has developed into a battery of approaches that is exceedingly adept at identifying with high mass accuracy and precision any of the following: oxidative damage to proteins (redox proteomics), phosphorylation (phosphoproteomics), ubiquitination (diglycine remnant proteomics), protein fragmentation (degradomics), and other posttranslational modifications (PTMs). Many studies have linked these PTMs to pathogenic mechanisms of neurodegeneration. To date, identifying PTMs on specific pathology-associated proteins has proven to be a valuable step in the evaluation of functional alteration of proteins and also elucidates biochemical and structural explanations for possible pathophysiological mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases. This review provides an overview of methods applicable to the identification and quantification of PTMs on proteins and enumerates historic, recent, and potential future research endeavours in the field of proteomics furthering the understanding of PTM roles in the pathogenesis of neurodegeneration.
Engineering cost & schedule lessons learned on NCSX

The National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) is designed to test physics principles of an innovative stellarator design developed by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The project was technically very challenging, primarily due to the complex component geometries and tight tolerances that were required. As the project matured these challenges manifested themselves through all phases of the project (i.e. design, R&D, fabrication and assembly). Although the project was not completed, several major work packages, comprising about 65% of the total estimated cost (excluding management and contingency), were completed, providing a data base of actual costs that can be analyzed to understand cost drivers. Technical factors that drove costs included the complex geometry, tight tolerances, material requirements, and performance requirements. Management factors included imposed annual funding constraints that throttled project cash flow, staff availability, and inadequate R&D. Understanding how requirements and design decisions drove cost through this top-down forensic cost analysis could provide valuable insight into the configuration and design of future Stellarators and other devices.
Single-Channel Scattering of Spin 0 Particles, II

We now return to the radial Schrodinger equation for a more rigorous discussion of the properties of the radial wave functions and of the S-matrix elements, as functions of the momentum k and of the potential strength γ. For simplicity we first take up the case of l = 0.
Equilibrium and Nonequilibrium Polymer Micelles

Block copolymer micelles and detergent micelles have many common features. The detergent micelles are equilibrium systems. If their equilibrium is disturbed by some outside action, they reequilibrate within a very small fraction of a second. Consequently, in many studies of block copolymer micelles, it is tacitly assumed that they are also at equilibrium and that their properties faithfully reflect the underlying equilibrium thermodynamics. It is the purpose of this article to show that truly equilibrium block copolymer micelles are rare and that the equilibrium is difficult to recognize.
Multi-parametric inversion in microwave remote sensing with an artificial neural network trained with multiple scattering theory

Summary form only given. The inversion problem in remote sensing consists of multiparametric inversion from multifrequency and polarimetric remote sensing measurements. The authors performed such inversions with artificial neural networks and constrained iterative inversions trained with multiple scattering theory. They performed the inversion of four snow parameters from passive microwave remote sensing measurements with a neural network trained with the dense media radiative transfer theory. The four parameters were snow-water equivalent (or snow depth), mean-grain size of ice particles in snow, snow density, and snow temperature. The inversion was from passive microwave remote sensing measurements of five brightness temperatures: 19 GHz V-polarization, 19 GHz H-polarization, 22 GHz V-polarization, 37 GHz V-polarization, and 37 GHz H-polarization. The neural network worked very well on synthetic testing data. The authors demonstrated mapping of an entire region based on synthetic data and the inversion technique. >
Microbial diversity and stratification of South Pacific abyssal marine sediments

Summary Abyssal marine sediments cover a large proportion of the ocean floor, but linkages between their microbial community structure and redox stratification have remained poorly constrained. This study compares the downcore gradients in microbial community composition to porewater oxygen and nitrate concentration profiles in an abyssal marine sediment column in the South Pacific Ocean. Archaeal 16S rRNA clone libraries showed a stratified archaeal community that changed from Marine Group I Archaea in the aerobic and nitrate-reducing upper sediment column towards deeply branching, uncultured crenarchaeotal and euryarchaeotal lineages in nitrate-depleted, anaerobic sediment horizons. Bacterial 16S rRNA clone libraries revealed a similar shift on the phylum and subphylum level within the bacteria, from a complex community of Alpha-, Gamma- and Deltaproteobacteria, Actinobacteria and Gemmatimonadetes in oxic surface sediments towards uncultured Chloroflexi and Planctomycetes in the anaerobic sediment column. The distinct stratification of largely uncultured bacterial and archaeal groups within the oxic and nitratereducing marine sediment column provides initial constraints for their microbial habitat preferences.
Both the PPPY and PTAP Motifs Are Involved in Human T-Cell Leukemia Virus Type 1 Particle Release

In retroviruses, the late (L) domain has been defined as a conserved motif in the Gag polyprotein precursor that, when mutated, leads to the emergence of virus particles that fail to pinch off from the plasma membrane. These domains have been observed to contain the PPXY, PTAP, or YXXL motifs. The deltaretroviruses, which include bovine leukemia virus (BLV) and human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1) and HTLV-2, have a conserved PPPY motif in the C-terminal region of the matrix (MA) domain of Gag, while HTLV-1 also encodes a PTAP motif in MA. In this study, we analyzed the roles of the PPPY and PTAP motifs in the C terminus of MA in HTLV-1 particle release. Mutation of either motif (i.e., PPPY changed to APPY or PTAP changed to PTRP) reduced budding efficiencies. Particle buds and electron-dense regions of plasma membrane were observed by electron microscopy. When the locations of PPPY and PTAP were switched, particle release was eliminated. Intriguingly, the replacement of the PTAP motif with either the PPPY or YPDL motifs did not influence the release of virus particles, but the replacement of the PPPY motif with either PTAP or YPDL eliminated particle production. This indicates that the role that PPPY plays in HTLV-1 budding cannot be replaced with either PTAP or YPDL. A similar observation was made with the BLV PPPY motif. Finally, HTLV-1 particle release was found to be sensitive to proteasome inhibitors, implicating a role for ubiquitin in HTLV-1 budding. In summary, our observations indicate that (i) the PPPY motif plays a crucial role in virus budding and (ii) the PTAP motif plays a more subtle role in HTLV-1 particle release. Each of these motifs may play an important role in virus release from specific cell types and therefore be important in efficient virus spread and transmission.
The Effects of Teacher Anxiety and Modeling on the Acquisition of a Science Teaching Skill and Concomitant Student Performance.

In a study designed to explore the effects of teacher anxiety and modeling on acquisition of a science teaching skill and concomitant student performance, 69 preservice secondary teachers and 295 eighth grade students were randomly assigned to microteaching sessions. Prior to microteaching, teachers were given an anxiety test, then randomly assigned to one of three treatments; a transcript model, a protocol model, or a control condition. Subsequently both teacher and student performance was assessed using written and behavioral measures. Analysis of variance indicated that subjects in the two modeling treatments significantly exceeded performance of control group subjects on all measures of the dependent variable, with the protocol model being generally superior to the transcript model. The differential effects of the modeling treatments were further reflected in student performance. Regression analysis of aptitude-treatment interactions indicated that teacher anxiety scores interacted significantly with instructional treatments, with high anxiety teachers performing best in the protocol modeling treatment. Again, this interaction was reflected in student performance, where students taught by highly anxious teachers performed significantly better when their teachers had received the protocol model. These results were discussed in terms of teacher concerns and a memory model of the effects of anxiety on performance.
Interferometric polarization-independent modulator in LiTaO/sub 3/

Polarization-independent Mach-Zehnder modulators that utilize the off-diagonal r/sub 51/ electrooptic coefficient are produced in LiTaO/sub 3/. The waveguides are formed by Zn vapor diffusion. Extinction values of 85% at 0.633- mu m wavelength are demonstrated for both transverse electric and transverse magnetic polarization using a single control voltage and thermal tuning. The relatively large voltage-length product values (VL>or=15 V-cm) attained in these devices are attributed to a weak overlap between optical and electrical field profiles. Electrode alignment and dielectric loading are critical factors for the optimization of device operation. >
Delay performances of standard and modified CEBUS schemes

The performance of the CEBUS, a local area network proposed by the Electronics Industries Association for a smart house is analyzed under varying network loads and traffic patterns. The performances of reduced complexity versions of the CEBUS scheme are compared with that of the standard CEBUS. A message's delay in a CEBUS network, at a given network bandwidth, is dependent not only on its priority but also but also on the traffic priority pattern in the network. The deleterious effects of assigning too much traffic to the highest priority are quantified by simulation analysis. It was also observed that the performance of a reduced complexity scheme was comparable to that of the standard CEBUS protocol. >
Effects of Transition Diets Varying in Dietary Energy Density on Lactation Performance and Ruminal Parameters of Dairy Cows

Forty cows and twenty heifers were used to study the effects of dietary energy density during late gestation and early lactation on lactation performance and ruminal parameters. A 2 x 2 factorial arrangement of treatments was used. During prepartum (-28 d to calving), animals were fed a low energy density diet [DL; 1.58 Mcal of net energy for lactation (NE(L))/kg, 40% neutral detergent fiber (NDF) and 38% nonfiber carbohydrate (NFC)] or a high energy diet (DH; 1.70 Mcal NE(L)/kg, 32% NDF and 44% NFC). After calving, half of the cows from each prepartum treatment group were assigned to a low energy density diet (L; 1.57 Mcal NE(L)/kg, 30% NDF and 41% NFC) or a high energy density diet (H; 1.63 Mcal NE(L)/kg, 25% NDF and 47% NFC) until d 20 postpartum. After d 20, all cows were fed H until d 70. Animals fed DH had 19.8% greater dry matter intake (DMI; % of body weight) and 21.5% greater energy intake than animals fed DL prepartum and the response was greater for cows compared to heifers. Animals fed DH had lower ruminal pH compared to animals fed DL, but no major changes in volatile fatty acid concentrations were observed. Effects of dietary energy density during prepartum on postpartum production responses were dependent on parity. Primiparous cows fed DL had higher 3.5% fat-corrected milk yield and milk fat production and percentage during the first 10 wk of lactation than those fed DH. Prepartum diet did not affect lactation performance of multiparous cows. Cows fed H had higher DMI and energy intake for the first 20 d of lactation compared to cows fed L. Diets did not affect DMI after the third wk of lactation. Milk production increased faster for cows fed H compared to cows fed L. Animals fed DL-L sequence of treatments tended to have the lowest energy intake during the first 10 wk of lactation. Prepartum treatments did not affect ruminal fermentation characteristics postpartum. Cows fed H had lower ruminal pH and higher propionate concentrations than cows fed L. No prepartum x postpartum interactions were observed for ruminal fermentation parameters. The effects of DH on prepartum DMI did not carry over to the postpartum period or influence early postpartum production. Increasing concentrate content of the diet immediately postpartum instead of delaying the increase until d 21 postpartum is associated with a higher rate of increase.in milk production and higher DMI.
Estimation of phosphorus isotherm parameters: a simple and cost-effective procedure

Equilibrium models used for predicting phosphorus (P) loss from a site often use the Langmuir strength of P bonding, KL and the P sorption maximum, Smax, or the Freundlich adsorption coefficient, KF, obtained from traditional isotherms, as model input parameters. The overall objective of the study was to develop a protocol to allow estimation of isotherm parameters for soils using simple extraction techniques without generating time-consuming isotherms. A threshold P saturation ratio (PSR; molar ratio of P to [Fe+Al] in an oxalate- or soil test extracting solution) is the PSR value at which P release from a soil increases abruptly. The soil P storage capacity (SPSC) indicates the amount of P a soil can hold before becoming an environmental risk: SPSC = (Threshold PSR-Soil PSR)*(Fe+Al)*31 mg kg-1. Soil samples with varying P-impact levels from four manure-impacted sites were collected by horizon (Ap, E and Bt). The PSR, SPSC and isotherm parameters (KL, KF, Smax) were determined for all soils and regression equations among various parameters evaluated. Equations were validated with soils data from three other sites. Relationship between predicted and determined parameters were significant (R2 = 0.98 for both KL and KF; 0.95 for Smax) suggesting that isotherm parameters can be obtained from P, Fe and Al in an oxalate or soil test solution without generating time- and resource-consuming isotherms.
CLINICAL OUTCOME OF RENAL TRANSPLANTATION Factors Influencing Patient and Graft Survival

The 1-year graft survival rate for primary cadaver kidney transplants performed in the US during the past 9 years was 82%, and it was 94% when living donor kidneys were transplanted. After the first year, however, half of the surviving cadaveric grafts will fail within 8 years. This late rate has not changed substantially in the past 20 years. This article describes some of the factors that affect long-term graft and patient survival rates.
Influence of carbon feedstock on potentially net beneficial environmental impacts of bio-based composites

Abstract Natural fiber composites are of increasing interest in research because of their potential to provide a low environmental impact material for applications, such as in the construction industry. In this analysis, fully bio-based composites with varying natural fiber reinforcement in a biosynthesized polymer matrix were assessed. The biopolymer was analyzed with two different carbon feedstock sources: simple carbohydrates and biogas. While both carbon feedstock sources result in the ability to cultivate rapidly renewable polymers, biogas as a feedstock source allows for use of a waste greenhouse gas emissions flow to produce a commodity. The bio-based composites were compared both on constant volume and for a decking application relative to a type of natural fiber filled petrochemical based polymer composite. When material properties and end-of-life considerations were incorporated, the biogas carbon feedstock biopolymer composites showed the potential to have a net beneficial global warming potential as well as favorable fossil fuel consumption and acidification relative to the conventional decking material, depending on natural fiber reinforcement selected. In terms of eutrophication impact, however, if byproducts from simple carbohydrate processing are considered, the simple carbohydrate feedstock biopolymer composites had the most beneficial impacts, suggesting consideration of the most critical environmental impact for the regions of production and use may be drivers for processing and selection of the bio-based composite constituents.
The Relationship between the Use of Accounting Measures in Debt and Incentive Contracts

The likelihood that tripping a debt covenant would precipitate the dismissal of top management provides an implicit incentive for managers to perform that is incremental to the explicit incentives in compensation contracts. I assess the sensitivity of the CEO’s cash compensation to earnings and earnings-based covenants in the firm’s debt contracts. When the debt contract contains an earnings-based covenant, the sensitivity of the CEO’s pay to earnings is muted. This reflects the influence of earning-based debt contract terms on the CEO’s incentives to focus on earnings. Additionally, I predict and find that the annual rebalancing the CEO’s incentives in the compensation contract varies with the intensity of the firm’s pre-existing earnings-based debt covenants. For all firms, on average a one-percentage point increase in ROA increases the CEO’s cash compensation by 3.6 percent. In contrast, in firms with earnings-based covenants, a one-percentage point increase in ROA is associated with an increase in cash compensation of only 1.9 percent.
Rewarming cardiac surgical patients: warm water vs warm air

BACKGROUND Hypothermia is experienced by 60% to 90% of adult patients after surgery. The detrimental physiological consequences of prolonged hypothermia are a significant risk for cardiac surgical patients. OBJECTIVE To compare the effect of a warmed convective-air blanket with that of a warmed circulating-water blanket on the rates of increase in skin and core temperatures and on total rewarming time in patients with hypothermia after cardiac surgery. METHODS A quasi-experimental, repeated-measures design was used to study rewarming in 76 adult patients who were hypothermic after cardiac surgery. Subjects were randomized to two groups: 40 were warmed with a convective-air blanket; 36, with a circulating-water blanket. Skin and core temperatures were recorded every 15 minutes until the subject's pulmonary artery temperature reached 37 degrees C. Total time required for rewarming was the period between time of placement of the blanket and time of removal. The effects of 13 other variables on the time required for rewarming were also determined. RESULTS Both skin and core temperatures increased more rapidly in patients treated with the warm circulating-water blanket than in those treated with the convective-air blanket. The mean time required for rewarming was 45 minutes shorter in the group treated with the circulating-water blanket. The patient's age, volume of i.v. fluids received, length of anesthesia, starting core temperature, and treatment method had significant effects on the time required for rewarming. CONCLUSIONS The data suggest that rewarming with a circulating-water blanket produces normothermia more rapidly than rewarming with a warm convective-air blanket in adult patients who are hypothermic after cardiac surgery.
Population inference from contemporary American craniometrics.

Objectives This analysis delivers a composite picture of population structure, admixture, ancestry variation, and personal identity in the United States, as observed through the lens of forensic anthropological casework and modern skeletal collections. It tests the applicability of the probabilistic clustering methods commonly used in human population genetics for the analysis of continuous, cranial measurement data, to improve population inference for admixed individuals without prior knowledge of sample origins. Materials and Methods The unsupervised model-based clustering methods of finite mixture analysis are used here to reveal latent population structure and generate admixture proportions for craniofacial measurements from the Forensic Anthropology Data Bank (FDB). Craniometric estimates of ancestry are also generated under a three contributor model, sourcing parental reference populations from the Howells Craniometric Dataset. Tests of association are made among the coefficients of cluster memberships and the demographic information documented for each individual in the FDB. Clustering results are contextualized within the framework of conventional approaches to population structure analysis and individual ancestry estimation to discuss method compatibility. Results The findings reported here for contemporary American craniometrics are in agreement with the expected patterns of intergroup relationships, geographic origins and results from published genetic analyses. Discussion Population inference methods that allow for the model-bound estimation of admixture and ancestry proportions from craniometric data not only enable parallel—skeletal and genetic—analyses but they are also shown to be more informative than those methods that perform hard classifications using externally-imposed categories or seek to explain gross variation by low-dimensional projections. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Challenges of adopting new Lighting Technologies on Emerging Markets

Emerging markets and South America in particular, has quickly become the cornerstone of major automotive companies in recent years. Currently, all major players are located in the region, and this has created an excellent environment for developing market-tailored products. The trend in the design and technology community is one which allows the final customer to improve his own safety and reduce overall power consumption. Throughout the entire automotive industry, the lighting system has always had a very important role to play during its long history. In the past 50 years, vehicular lighting has achieved an important status due to its close relationship by enhancing passenger and vehicle security. In addition, there is still room for improvement in the halogen front lighting system. Particularly, it is of utmost importance to highlight the implementation of NEO (new efficient optics) from Valeo in a joint venture with Ford. This paper will show the benefits that can be achieved by adopting this technology, since it will be the first implementation in the market (Worldwide) and more important will be launched in South America, an emerging market. This technology enhances the overall headlamp performance, better package and a unique design. INTRODUTION Recently, particularly in South America, emerging markets have quickly become the trend and the market to be observed and invested on. Currently, the estimated car production for the 2009 calendar year is 2 million vehicles. It is important to highlight that the current crisis has reduced this number as well; the previous estimate was around 3 million from 2009 according to ANFAVEA’s (National Association of Vehicle Manufactures) yearly report. Also, it is worth mentioning that the market is growing in both the domestic and export segments. However, more than 85% of the domestic market is focused on B cars, which is a segment mainly driven by cost, not appearance or comfort. The challenge for the engineers is to find solutions to upgrade a particular system or to introduce a new technology into the market without affecting the vehicle’s final cost. NEO (new efficient optics) is an alternative to achieve a better performance, package and styling.
BioMEMS Education at Louisiana Tech University

A course in BioMEMS was recently taught at the senior undergraduate and graduate level at Louisiana Tech University and the Institute for Micromanufacturing. The course focused on the basic principles and applications of MEMS technology in the area of biomedical microsystems. The course was well received and had an enrollment well above that expected. Student feedback and a review of the course evaluations indicated that the course was effective in achieving its aims. A poster session involving the presentation of student design projects at the end of the course proved to be a highlight and a valuable experience for all involved. While the course proved successful, suggestions for improvement of the course are outlined and a summary of student responses is presented. An overview of a BioMEMS short course based on the University course is also presented.
THE EFFECT OF DIFFERENTIAL VIABILITY ON THE POPULATION DYNAMICS OF t ALLELES IN THE HOUSE MOUSE.

The remarkable polymorphism at the T locus in natural populations of the house mouse, Mus musculus, has been shown by Dunn and his collaborators (Dunn, 1953, 1957, 1960; Dunn and Suckling, 1956) to be maintained by a balance between selection and an abnormal segregation mechanism. Homozygotes for various mutant alleles (designated as tw) found in wild populations are either unconditional lethals or male sterile. The effective sperm pool of heterozygous males, however, contains between 85% and 99% t bearing sperm so that the loss of the mutant t alleles in homozygotes is counter-balanced by their increase from the segregation in heterozygous males. Bruck (1957) and Dunn and Levene (1961) gave the theoretical equilibrium frequency of mutant t alleles for the lethal and male-sterile case, respectively, as functions of the intensity of the distortion of genetic ratios in the sperm pool. In particular, if q is the equilibrium frequency of the t allele and m is the proportion of t bearing sperm in the genetic pool of heterozygous males
Transient absorption microscopy of monolayer and bulk WSe2

We present an experimental investigation on the exciton dynamics of monolayer and bulk WSe2 samples, both of which are studied by femtosecond transient absorption microscopy. Under the excitation of a 405 nm pump pulse, the differential reflection signal of a probe pulse (tuned to the A-exciton resonance) reaches a peak rapidly that indicates an ultrafast formation process of excitons. By resolving the differential reflection signal in both time and space, we directly determine the exciton lifetimes of 18 ± 1 and 160 ± 10 ps and the exciton diffusion coefficients of 15 ± 5 and 9 ± 3 cm2/s in the monolayer and bulk samples, respectively. From these values, we deduce other parameters characterizing the exciton dynamics such as the diffusion length, the mobility, the mean free path, and the mean free length. These fundamental parameters are useful for understanding the excitons in monolayer and bulk WSe2 and are important for applications in optoelectronics, photonics, and electronics.
An empirical examination of the mediating influence of time management on the relationship between adult attention deficit and role stress

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to conduct an empirical examination of the mediating influence of time management (TM) on relationship between adult attention deficit (AAD) and role stress (RS). Design/methodology/approach – In total, 117 actively employed business graduate students completed a self-report measure of RS and identified two close associates, one of which completed an observer version of the Brown Attention Deficit Scale while the other complete an observer version of a TM measure. Product moment correlations were used to test the hypotheses that AAD, TM and RS were associated. The Sobel test of mediation was used to test the hypothesis that TM mediated the relationship between AAD and RS. Findings – AAD, TM and RS are associated with each other and TM partially mediates the relationship between AAD and RS. Research limitations/implications – Research study is limited by a measure of AAD that may not fully represent all the key symptom clusters and an indirect workplace sample. Furthe...
Accelerating Orthogonal Space Sampling with Replica Exchange with Solute Tempering (REST2) through a Generic Implementation in NAMD

We extend the applicability of Replica Exchange with Solute Tempering (REST2) to accelerate orthogonal space sampling of biomolecular recognition simulations through a robust and generic implementation in molecular dynamics software NAMD. The rescaling procedure of force field parameters controlling REST2 “hot region” is implemented into NAMD at the source code level. A user can conveniently select hot region through VMD and write the selection information into a PDB file. The rescaling keyword/parameter is written in NAMD Tcl script interface that enables an on-the-fly simulation parameter change. REST2 is implemented within communication-enabled Tcl script built on top of Charm++, thus communication overhead of an exchange attempt is vanishingly small. Such a generic implementation facilitates seamless cooperation between REST2 and other modules of NAMD. Three challenging applications including native REST2 simulation for folding-unfolding transition of solvated peptide (AAQAA)3 starting from an extended state, Free Energy Perturbation/REST2 calculation for absolute binding affinity of T4 Lysozyme-pxylene complex and Umbrella Sampling/REST2 Hamiltonian exchange for free energy landscape calculation of SH3 domain-p41 peptide binding complex were carried out on IBM Blue Gene/Q computer to demonstrate efficacy of REST2 based on the present implementation. For the (AAQAA)3 system, alpha-helix contents in agreement with experiment are observed within 200ns simulation; for the T4 Lysozyme-pxylene binding complex, accurate sampling of rotameric states orthogonal to the thermodynamic axis results in binding free energy in excellent agreement with experiment; for SH3 domain-p41 peptide binding complex, REST2 significantly accelerates the convergence of PMF by enhancing structural reorganization along the reaction path.
Trends in the delivery route of twin pregnancies in the United States, 2006-2013 $

Abstract Objectives To determine the trends of cesarean delivery rate among twin pregnancies from 2006 to 2013. Study design This is a population-based, cross-sectional analysis of twin live births from United State birth data files of the National Center for Health Statistics for calendar years 2006 through 2013. We stratified the population based on the gestational age groups, maternal race/ethnicity, advanced maternal age (AMA) which was defined by age more than 35 years and within the standard birth weight groups (group 1: birth weight 500–1499 g, group 2: birth weight 1500–2499 g and group 3: birth weight >2500 g). We also analyzed the effect of different risk factors for cesarean delivery in twins. Results There were 1,079,102 infants born of twin gestations in the U.S. from 2006 to 2013, representing a small but significant increase in the proportion of twin births among all births (3.2% in 2006 versus 3.4% in 2013). The rate of cesarean delivery in twin live births peaked at 75.3% in 2009, and was significantly lower (74.8%) in 2013. The rate of the twin live birth with the breech presentation increased steadily from 26.3% in 2006 to 29.1% in 2013. For the fetus of the twin pregnancy presented as breech, the cesarean delivery rate peaked at 92.2% in 2010, falling slightly but significantly in the ensuing 3 years. The results demonstrated that the decrease in cesarean delivery rate was due to fewer cesareans in non-Hispanic white patients; all other ethnic subgroups showed increasing rates of cesarean delivery throughout the study. Gestational diabetes, gestational hypertension, previous cesarean delivery and breech presentation were all significant risk factors for cesarean delivery during the entire study period. Induction of labor and premature rupture of the membranes were associated with lower rates of cesarean delivery in twins. Conclusion The recent decrease in the cesarean delivery rate in twin gestation appears to be largely attributable to a decline in cesarean among pregnancies complicated by breech presentation in non-Hispanic white women, and may reflect a health care disparity that deserves further research.
Thomas Cook Group on the Brink (A, B, and C Cases)

When Harriet Green became CEO of the Thomas Cook Group (TCG), the venerable U.K.-based travel services company, in July 2012, the firm was in distress: it had lost £600 million in the last three quarters and its stock price had fallen from 230p to 9p over the last two years. Green, an industry outsider, quickly needed to design and implement a turnaround plan to save the company. Rather than fixing TCG’s over-leveraged balance sheet, which would only prolong the decline, Green decided to start with a strategy-led turnaround aimed at fixing the company’s structure and operations. Only after the turnaround was underway did she want to restructure the firm’s balance sheet. This approach, however, was risky as the firm headed into the critical fall trading season when the firm had to pre-buy hotel and airline capacity before selling that capacity as packaged vacations in the winter. Green announced her turnaround plan — known as the “13 Big Decisions” — in September 2012, approximately six weeks after joining the firm. The key questions facing investors, employees, and other stakeholders were: was this the right plan, was she the right person, and, ultimately, would the plan work?This case has three pedagogical objectives. First, it illustrates the process of "taking over." In particular, it describes what Green did in her first 45 days as CEO of TCG. Second, it illustrates a large-scale restructuring/turnaround plan that entails both financial and strategic transformations. Third, it allows students to analyze not only the content of the restructuring plan, but also the process used to implement the plan. The B and C cases describe what happened during the first and second years after the turnaround plan was put in place. The sequential nature of the cases allows students to analyze the plan's execution and to see its results over time.
Micromachined bulk acoustical-wave RF filters

We present the performance of RF filters based on thin film bulk acoustical resonator (FBAR) technology for wireless communication applications. The filter is fabricated using surface micromachining processes and is hermetically sealed using wafer-level packaging with solder bumps on each electrical terminal, ready for flip-chip assembly. The size of the filter is less than 1 mm/sup 2/ and the height is less than 0.35 mm. The typical broadband attenuation is better than 35 dB and passband insertion loss is less than 2 dB. The small size and good temperature stability make FBAR filters ideal choice for handset applications.
An NMR Study of Pin1- Histone H1 Interactions

Pin1 is an essential Peptidyl-prolyl isomerase (PPIase) that catalyzes cis-trans prolyl isomerization in proteins containing pSer/Thr-Pro motifs. It has an N-terminal WW domain and a C-terminal PPIase domain. Pin1 targets pSer/Thr-Pro motifs by its WW binding domain and catalyzes isomerization through its PPIase domain. Recently, Pin1 was shown to modify the conformation of phosphorylated Histone H1 and to stabilize the chromatin-H1 interaction by increasing its residence time. The Pin1/Histone H1 interaction plays a key role in pathogen response in infection and cell cycle control; therefore, anti-Pin1 therapeutics is an important target for treating infections as well as cancer. The H1 Histones (H1.0-H1.5) each contain several potential Pin1 recognition (pT/pS)-P motifs. To understand this interaction fully, we have investigated how both the isolated WW domain and full length Pin1 bind to these H1 Histone substrates. NMR spectroscopy has been used to measure the binding affinities of Pin1 with select H1 sequences (H1.1, H1.4 & H1.5), and the inter-domain dynamics upon binding theses sequences have been measured. We observe different Kd values depending on the histone binding site, suggesting that energetics play a role in guiding the Pin1-Histone interaction. Relaxation data has revealed that bound Pin1 can behave as two independent domains connected by a flexible linker, or as a single rigid molecule, depending on the Histone H1 sequence. In the long term, we believe these studies will help to reveal not only the specifics of the Pin1-Histone H1 interaction, but also how Pin1 interacts with its substrates in general.