cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Internet Use for Seeking Health Information Among Young Women

To examine the influence of race/ethnicity on seeking health information from the Internet among women aged 16-24 years, the authors conducted a self-administered survey on 3,181 women regarding their Internet use and obtaining information on reproductive health (menstruation, contraception, pregnancy, sexually transmitted infections) and general health from the Internet. The authors performed multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between race/ethnicity and online health-related information seeking after adjusting for covariates. Racial/ethnic disparities were noted in overall Internet use and its use to locate health information. Overall, more White (92.7%) and Black (92.9%) women used the Internet than did Hispanics (67.5%). More White women (79.2%) used it to find health information than did Blacks and Hispanics (70.3% and 74.3%, respectively). Compared with White women, Blacks and Hispanics were less likely to seek information on contraception [(OR 0.73, 95% CI 0.58-0.91) and (OR 0.75, 95% CI 0.61-0.92)] and more likely to seek information on pregnancy tests [(OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.28-2.18) and (OR 1.40, 95% CI 1.09-1.81] and sexually transmitted infections [(OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.11-1.73) and (OR 1.25, 95% CI 1.01-1.54)], respectively. With regard to general health issues-such as how to quit smoking, how to lose weight, alcohol/drug use, mood disorders, and skin disorders-Blacks, but not Hispanics, were significantly less likely to seek online information than were Whites. Disparities in the way that women from different backgrounds use the Internet for health-related information could be associated with overall health awareness.
Conservative loads on shells

Generalized load vectorsp and edge load vectorsF are denned in terms of the body force and surface on a shell. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived forp andF, and therefore the body force and the surface force, to be conservative. It is shown for example thatp must satisfyp i=P ijk q j,1 q k,2+Q 1 q j,2−Q 2 q j,1+R i whereq is the generalized position vector andP ijk, Qi,j 1 and Qij 2 are skew tensors. The case of hydrostatic pressure is examined in detail.
Spirituality in the workplace

The rapid growth of spirituality in the workplace and organization generally, topically and applications, is of major importance for enterprise leaders, HR officials, organizational members and change agents. After providing a working definition of “workplace spirituality” some of the dynamic factors are identified which are contributing to its fast growth. This discussion includes some of the key behavioral ideas and models providing a foundation for these developments. Several case type summaries illustrate the richness and potency of spirituality applications in organizations. The concluding section provides a brief speculative discussion of future developments.
Scattered Light And Fluorescent Photomechanics

A new technique for determining the stress state in a three-dimensional transparent body is described. This method involves cast-ing dye molecules into a model material and using the fluorescent light to analysis the stress state. The techniques of scattered light photoelasticity and speckle interferometry are considered and the enhancement of these techniques by the use of fluorescent is reported. The amount of illumination is greatly increased and the wavelength red-shifted, which eliminates the undesirable boundary halo; however, at the expense of a loss of coherence and a degree of depolarization of the light. Rhodamine 6G dye molecules are cast into gelatin, epoxy resin (PLM-4) and urethane rubber (Solithane 113) model materials. The light scattering, fluorescent, and fringe formation processes of each material is investigated. It is observed that even for the standard scattered light photoelastic materials without dye molecules the scattering is not Rayleigh, but rather has a large amount of wavelength broadening, the center wavelength, is red-shifted, and a high degree of depolarization occurs. A theory of photoelastic fringe formation for fluorescent materials is proposed. Experimental results are presented and the use of digital image processor in filtering background illumination is shown to greatly enhance fringe visibility.
A global communication optimization technique based on data-flow analysis and linear algebra

Reducing communication overhead is extremely important in distributed-memory message-passing architectures. In this article, we present a technique to improve communication that considers data access patterns of the entire program. Our approach is based on a combination of traditional data-flow analysis and a linear algebra framework, and it works on structured programs with conditional statements and nested loops but without arbitrary goto statements.The distinctive features of the solution are the accuracy in keeping communication set information, support for general alignments and distributions including block-cyclic distribu-tions, and the ability to simulate some of the previous approaches with suitable modifications. We also show how optimizations such as message vectorization, message coalescing, and redundancy elimination are supported by our framework. Experimental results on several benchmarks show that our technique is effective in reducing the number of messages (anaverage of 32% reduction), the volume of the data communicated (an average of 37%reduction), and the execution time (an average of 26% reduction).
Optimal design of an electrostatically actuated microbeam for maximum pull-in voltage

We consider optimizing the shape of a capacitive micro-beam for maximum pull-in voltage. The problem is discretized using finite elements. The normal flow algorithm is used to trace the nonlinear voltage displacement curve and find the pull-in point. Optimal width and thickness distributions are obtained for different beam boundary conditions using a resizing scheme based on optimality criterion. The results indicate that substantial increase in pull-in voltage can be achieved by varying the width and/or thickness distribution.
Using an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) Gas Turbine Engine to Start the LSD-41 Class Diesel Engines

The LSD-41 Whidbey Island Class of Amphibious dock landing ships are powered by two Colt-Pielstick PC2.5V Block 16 cylinder Main Propulsion Diesel engines. These engines represent the largest diesels in the U.S. Navy. Currently, they are started without the use of a mechanical starter, by injecting 100 cfm [47.2 LPs] of 3,000 psig [206.9 barr] high pressure air, reduced to 425 psig [29.3 barr] directly into one block of eight engine cylinders. Naval Surface Warfare Center, Carderock Division (NSWCCD) was tasked to perform a proof of concept test that would demonstrate the capability of an Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) gas turbine engine to start these large, medium speed diesel engines.This paper will present the background, installation and initial testing for this proof of concept test. The background section will discuss the test philosophy, the LSD-41 Land Based Engineering Site (LBES) and initial prototype testing. The installation section will discuss the modifications made to the LBES for this test and the characteristics and specifications of the test hardware. The testing section will discuss the test plan and the test procedures.This paper will not present any results or data analysis from this proof of concept test. Test site availability and equipment procurement delays postponed the start of this test until March, 1996. Therefore, the test results will be discussed at the upcoming Turbo Exposition conference.Copyright © 1996 by ASME
Further Examples of Steric Inhibition to Cyclopropyl Conjugation in α,β-unsaturated esters

Das UV.-Absorptionsmaximum des α, 7β-ungesattigten Esterchromophors wird in Cyclopropylacrylsaureestern durch den Dreiring bathochrom um ca. 24 nm verschoben [2]. Durch die Substitution mit Methylgruppen in den γ-(2a, b), α- und γ-(3a, b) sowie β- und γ-Stellungen (1a, b) wird gezeigt, dass dieser auxochrome Effekt stark von der Konformation abhangt und sogar negativ werden kann, wenn die fur die Konjugation optimale bisektriche Lage von Dreiring und Doppelbindungsebene sterisch destabilisiert wird.
Mixing in a multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM) for flash nano-precipitation

Abstract Rapid precipitation of both organic and inorganic compounds at high supersaturation requires homogenous mixing to control the particle size distribution. We present the design and characterization of a new multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM). The four-stream MIVM allows control of both the supersaturation and the final solvent quality by varying stream velocities. The design also enables the separation of reactive components prior to mixing. Finally, the design enables mixing of streams of unequal volumetric flows, which is not possible with alternate confined impinging jet mixing geometries. We characterize the mixing performance of the MIVM using competitive fast reactions (the so-called “Bourne reactions”). Adequate micromixing is obtained with a suitably defined Reynolds number when Re > 1600 . The experimental results are compared to computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of the fluid mechanics and parallel reactions in the MIVM. Excellent correspondence is found between the simulation and the experimental results with no adjustable parameters. The CFD simulations provide a powerful tool for the optimization of these complex mixing geometries.
Ohmic blanching of mushrooms

Mushrooms that are to be canned are typically blanched for long times to preshrink them. Our objectives were to compare the weight and volume loss of mushrooms during blanching under conventional and ohmic heating conditions and to investigate waveform and frequency effects of ohmic heating. In our setup, it was possible to heat mushroom caps with ohmic heating to above 70C in 40 s while maintaining a 50% solid mushroom content in water. Weight loss predicted using previously published kinetic models, and internal mushroom temperature data suggested that substantially greater shrinkage occurred than attributable to temperature alone. Shrinkage predictions were more consistent with experimental values when the temperature of the surrounding medium was used as a basis, suggesting that some combination of thermal and nonthermal permeabilization mechanisms may be in action. Ohmic blanching offers the advantage of being able to maintain a high solids content during blanching compared to the use of excessive amounts of water (60 kg/400 L) in conventional blanching. Frequency and waveform did not affect the weight loss during ohmic blanching in the range studied. Ohmic heating may have potential for this application due to its rapid, volumetric heating rates, and the enhancement of mass transfer even at relatively low temperatures.
The Polysialyltransferases Interact with Sequences in Two Domains of the Neural Cell Adhesion Molecule to Allow Its Polysialylation

Abstract The neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) is the major substrate for the polysialyltransferases (polySTs), ST8SiaII/STX and ST8SiaIV/PST. The polysialylation of NCAM N-glycans decreases cell adhesion and alters signaling. Previous work demonstrated that the first fibronectin type III repeat (FN1) of NCAM is required for polyST recognition and the polysialylation of the N-glycans on the adjacent Ig5 domain. In this work, we highlight the importance of an FN1 acidic patch in polyST recognition and also reveal that the polySTs are required to interact with sequences in the Ig5 domain for polysialylation to occur. We find that features of the Ig5 domain of the olfactory cell adhesion molecule (OCAM) are responsible for its lack of polysialylation. Specifically, two basic OCAM Ig5 residues (Lys and Arg) found near asparagines equivalent to those carrying the polysialylated N-glycans in NCAM substantially decrease or eliminate polysialylation when used to replace the smaller and more neutral residues (Ser and Asn) in analogous positions in NCAM Ig5. This decrease in polysialylation does not reflect altered glycosylation but instead is correlated with a decrease in polyST-NCAM binding. In addition, inserting non-conserved OCAM sequences into NCAM Ig5, including an “extra” N-glycosylation site, decreases or completely blocks NCAM polysialylation. Taken together, these results indicate that the polySTs not only recognize an acidic patch in the FN1 domain of NCAM but also must contact sequences in the Ig5 domain for polysialylation of Ig5 N-glycans to occur.
Habitual entrepreneurs: Possible cases of entrepreneurship addiction?

Abstract We examine the underlying psychological processes that may motivate habitual entrepreneurs to engage in entrepreneurship repeatedly. By drawing on the psychology literature on behavioral addictions, such as workaholism and Internet use, we develop a framework that defines the symptomatology of what we identify as a “behavioral addiction to entrepreneurship.” Through interviews with two habitual entrepreneurs, we demonstrate how these addiction symptoms manifest in the entrepreneurial context. We also demonstrate how psychological, emotional, and physiological aspects of the entrepreneurial experience reinforce a behavioral addiction to entrepreneurship. Our theorizing offers insights into the psychological origins of repeated engagement in venture creation activities and yields insights into possible “dark side” of entrepreneurship outcomes.
General monotone functions and their Fourier coefficients

Abstract We develop results on general monotone functions, and use these to extend classical results in harmonic analysis of Hardy and Littlewood. This also generalizes work of Askey and Boas, Sagher, and Liflyand and Tikhonov.
Peak Non-Gaussian Wind Effects for Database-Assisted Low-Rise Building Design

Current procedures for estimating the peaks of the stochastic response of tall buildings to wind are based on the assumption that the response is Gaussian. Those procedures are therefore inapplicable to low-rise buildings, in which time histories of wind-induced internal forces are generally non-Gaussian. In this paper, an automated procedure is developed for obtaining from such time histories sample statistics of internal force peaks for low-rise building design and codification. The procedure is designed for use in software for calculating internal force time series by the database-assisted design approach. A preliminary step in the development of the procedure is the identification of the appropriate marginal probability distribution of the time series using the probability plot correlation coefficient method. The result obtained is that the gamma distribution and a normal distribution are appropriate for estimating the peaks correspond- ing, respectively, to the longer and shorter tail of the time series' histograms. The distribution of the peaks is then estimated by using the standard translation processes approach. It is found that the peak distribution can be represented by the Extreme Value Type I ~Gumbel! distribution. Because estimates obtained from this approach are based on the entire information contained in the time series, they are more stable than estimates based on observed peaks. The procedure can be used to establish minimum acceptable requirements with respect to the duration and sampling rate of the time series of interest, so that the software used for database-assisted design will be both efficient and accurate.
Analysis of optical bistability in a nonlinear distributively coupled resonator

A nonlinear distributively coupled resonator (NDCR) used as a bistable element is studied. The resonator is an integrated optics implementation of a nonlinear Fabry-Perot resonator with a variable reflectivity mirror. Under certain conditions, the intensity-dependent reflectivity and tuning of the resonator contribute constructively and enhance nonlinear properties of the device. Numerical methods are used to optimize NDCR design parameters and show that the critical intensity required for onset of bistability is reduced by 30% relative to a comparable regular Fabry-Perot. Similarly, the minimum required index change is reduced by 10%. >
Noise analysis for noncontact vital sign detectors

A method for analyzing the overall noise performance of vital sign detectors is introduced. For demonstration purpose, the noise analysis on a quadrature direct-conversion vital sign detector is performed. The detector is divided into three sub-systems including RF Front-end amplifiers, mixer with LO, and baseband amplifiers. The noise characteristics of the sub-systems are studied individually and combined to form the overall noise evaluation of the detector. The study on mixer sub-system results in a key design consideration of mixer. The signal-to-noise ratio at the sampler input is defined as the output SNR and is used to measure the overall noise performance of the vital sign detectors. The effect of output SNR on vital sign detection is presented. Tradeoff between output SNR and detection distance is verified by the experimental results.
Emotion cognition interaction in personality development: A discrete emotions, functionalist analysis.

In this paper we take a discrete emotions approach to personality development. We suggest that individual differences in affective organization, acquired during the course of development, result in affect-specific biases in expressive patterns and idiosyncratic perceptual organizations. These affective biases, which have a pervasive influence on a wide domain of individual and interpersonal behaviours, contribute to psychological continuities that we identify as emotional traits. An array of data in support of this proposition is detailed. We propose a developmental model of how such affective organizations may be established initially, and the mechanisms by which they become consolidated over time. A final section discusses broader implications for developmental theory.
Predicting the pathway involved in post-translational modification of Elongation factor P in a subset of bacterial species

Background: The bacterial elongation factor P (EF-P) is strictly conserved in bacteria and essential for protein synthesis. It is homologous to the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 5A (eIF5A). A highly conserved eIF5A lysine is modified into an unusual amino acid derived from spermidine, hypusine. Hypusine is absolutely required for eIF5A’s role in translation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The homologous lysine of EF-P is also modified to a spermidine derivative in Escherichia coli. However, the biosynthesis pathway of this modification in the bacterial EFP is yet to be elucidated. Presentation of the Hypothesis: Here we propose a potential mechanism for the post-translational modification of EF-P. By using comparative genomic methods based on physical clustering and phylogenetic pattern analysis, we identified two protein families of unknown function, encoded by yjeA and yjeK genes in E. coli, as candidates for this missing pathway. Based on the analysis of the structural and biochemical properties of both protein families, we propose two potential mechanisms for the modification of EF-P. Testing the hypothesis: This hypothesis could be tested genetically by constructing a bacterial strain with a tagged efp gene. The tag would allow the purification of EF-P by affinity chromatography and the analysis of the purified protein by mass spectrometry. yjeA or yjeK could then be deleted in the efp tagged strain and the EF-P protein purified from each mutant analyzed by mass spectrometry for the presence or the absence of the modification. This hypothesis can also be tested by purifying the different components (YjeK, YjeA and EF-P) and reconstituting the pathway in vitro. Implication of the hypothesis: The requirement for a fully modified EF-P for protein synthesis in certain bacteria implies the presence of specific post-translational modification mechanism in these organisms. All of the 725 bacterial genomes analyzed, possess an efp gene but only 200 (28%) possess both yjeA and yjeK genes. In the other organisms, EF-P may be modified by another pathway or the translation machinery must have adapted to the lack of EF-P modification. Our hypotheses, if confirmed, will lead to the discovery of a new post-translational modification pathway.
Numerical study of plasma formation from aluminum rods driven by megaampere currents

Recent aluminum rod experiments1,2 driven by 1-MA Zebra generator at University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) have provided a benchmark for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) modeling. The innovative ‘hourglass’ and ‘barbell’ load geometries used in the experiments made it possible to distinguish between plasma formation due to Ohmic heating, which can be studied numerically utilizing MHD codes, and plasma formation due to high electric fields, by introducing a large-diameter contact with the electrodes. This prevents the explosive electron emission (EEE) at the contacts which triggers initial plasma formation in the conventional rod explosion experiments.
Review of Richard Waterhouse’s The Vision Splendid: A Social and Cultural History of Rural Australia

David Andrew Roberts, University of New England, reviews The Vision Splendid: A Social and Cultural History of Rural Australia by Richard Waterhouse (Fremantle, W.A: Curtin University Books; 2005, pp. 320. Price AU$35 pb.).
Effect of volcanoes on the vertical temperature profile in radiosonde data

[1] Comparison of the responses of radiosonde temperatures to aerosol forcing from the Agung, El Chichon, and Pinatubo volcanic eruptions shows the expected stratospheric warming, with a maximum at 50 mbar in the tropics, and a predominantly cooling effect in the troposphere with a maximum in the middle or upper troposphere. The tropospheric cooling is greater after the Pinatubo eruption, with a significant effect on the temperature difference between the upper and lower tropical troposphere. The tropospheric coolings after El Chichon and Agung are more vertically uniform. The size of the difference between the Pinatubo and El Chichon responses is somewhat sensitive to the choice of data subset and the index used to account for the effects of El Nino-Southern Oscillation. Differential effects of volcanic eruptions on the upper and lower tropical troposphere should be considered as possible causes of differential temperature trends at those levels.
Provisioning of Deadline-Driven Requests with Flexible Transmission Rates in Different WDM Network Architectures

We investigate the problem of provisioning deadline-driven requests with flexible transmission rates in WDM mesh networks. We analyze the network's performance and cost for different node architectures and for different traffic distributions.
On the spectral coherence of nonstationary processes

It is shown that for a single path of a nonstationary process, reliable (i.e., low-variance) measurements of the degree of coherence between two spectral bands with substantial separation must be smaller than 1/2 unless the nonstationarity is of a special type. That is, the nonstationarity must be either of a known form (prior to measurement) or of a periodic nature, which is known as cyclostationarity. It is concluded that spectral correlation measurements on single time series are of highly questionable value for detection and characterization of nonstationarity, except in the special cases of cyclostationarity. >
Optimal Subcarrier-Chunk Scheduling for Wireless OFDMA Systems

In practical orthogonal frequency division multiple-access (OFDMA) systems, subcarriers are grouped into chunks and a chunk of subcarriers is regarded as the minimum unit for subcarrier allocation. Given that the number of chunks and the number of subcarriers in each chunk are predefined, we consider the optimal chunk allocation that maximizes a utility function of average user rates for a wireless OFDMA system under different power control policies. The relevant optimization problems are formulated as non-convex mixed-integer programs; yet it is shown that the optimal schemes can be obtained through Lagrange dual-based gradient iterations with fast convergence and low computational complexity under conditions. Furthermore, novel low-complexity algorithms are developed to approach the optimal strategies without a-priori knowledge of statistics of the intended wireless channels. Numerical results are provided to gauge the performance of the proposed schemes.
A Semi-Implicit Two-Dimensional Model of Estuarine Circulation

Abstract A semi-implicit, two-dimensional (in a vertical plane) model is developed for circulation in the partially mixed estuary. Comparisons between the semi-implicit and explicit method are made in the simulation of tidal, wind-driven and density-driven circulations. In general, the two model results are in good agreement in velocity and density computation; the semi-implicit method, however, fails to simulate the surface seiche oscillation. On the other hand, the semi-implicit method is more efficient; depending on the horizontal space resolution, the semi-implicit method can result in orders of magnitude saving in computer time. Application of the semi-implicit model to the Potomac River indicates large longitudinal and vertical changes in tidal, density-driven and wind-driven circulations, which suggests that two-dimensional (in a vertical plane) modeling is essential in the transport and mixing study.
Nonprofit Collaboration and the Resurrection of Market Failure: How a Resource-Sharing Environment Can Suppress Social Objectives

Collaboration and its promotion by funders continue to accelerate. Although research has identified significant transaction costs associated with collaboration, little empirical work has examined the broader, societal-level economic outcomes of a resource-sharing environment. Does an environment that encourages collaboration shift our focus toward certain types of social objectives and away from others? This paper uses agent-based Monte Carlo simulation to demonstrate that collaboration is particularly useful when resources are rare but a social objective is commonly held. However, collaboration can lead to bad outcomes when the objective is not commonly shared; in such cases, markets outperform collaborative arrangements. These findings suggest that encouraging a resource-sharing environment can lead to inefficiencies even worse than market failure. We also demonstrate that failure to account for transaction costs when prescribing collaboration can result in quantifiably lower outcome levels than expected.
Meta-analyses of treatment standards for pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic cancer is the most lethal common cancer with an estimated 5-year survival rate of 6-7% (across all stages). The only potential curative therapy is surgical resection in those with localized disease. Adjuvant (postoperative) therapy confers a survival advantage over postoperative observation alone. Neoadjuvant (preoperative) therapy offers the potential to downstage initially unresectable tumors for resection, sterilize resection margins and decrease locoregional recurrence, and identify a subset of patients with aggressive disease for whom surgery will not be beneficial. Induction chemotherapy followed by consolidation chemoradiation is another recommended approach in those with locally advanced disease. For those who cannot be downstaged, cannot tolerate surgery, or were diagnosed with metastatic disease, treatment remains palliative with chemotherapy being a critical component of this approach. Recently, intensive combination chemotherapy has been shown to improve survival rates in comparison to gemcitabine alone in advanced disease. The past few decades have afforded an accumulation of high-level evidence regarding neoadjuvant, adjuvant and palliative therapies in pancreatic cancer. There are numerous reviews discussing recent retrospective studies, prospective studies and randomized controlled trials in each of these areas. However, reviews of optimal and recommended treatment strategies across all stages of pancreatic cancer that focus on the highest levels of hierarchical evidence, such as meta-analyses, are limited. The discussion of novel therapeutics is beyond the scope of this review. However, an extensive and the most current collection of meta-analyses of first-line systemic and locoregional treatment options for all stages of pancreatic cancer to date has been accumulated.
EFFECT OF SURGICAL UNROOFING OF A MYOCARDIAL BRIDGE ON EXERCISE INDUCED QT INTERVAL DISPERSION AND ANGINAL SYMPTOMS IN PATIENTS WITH ANGINA IN THE ABSENCE OF OBSTRUCTIVE CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE

Prior studies have shown that exercise significantly increases the rate corrected QT dispersion (QTcd) in patients with a myocardial bridge (MB), suggesting repolarization abnormalities due to ischemia in the area perfused by the bridged artery. We studied the effect of surgical unroofing on
The oxidation of cobalt based alloys containing partially dissolved particles of Si3N4 at 1000°C

The isothermal oxidation behavior of Co-Cr and Co-Cr-Si alloys with and without 5, 10, and 15 vol.% dispersions of unstable Si3N4 particles was studied in 1 atm of oxygen at 1000°C. The dispersion of Si3N4 which dissolved partially in the matrix, greatly reduced the oxidation rate of Co-Cr alloys. Silicon nitride was found to promote the formation of continuous Cr2O3 layers at low chromium concentrations. Furthermore, the unstable Si3N4 was more effective in reducing the oxidation rate than an alloy containing an equivalent amount of silicon. Additions of 15vol.% Si3N4 tended to increase the oxidation rate by forming nonprotective SiO2 particles which disrupted the protective Cr2O3 scale. The mechanism of oxidation was altered due to the Si3N4 additions. Marker experiments indicated oxygen diffusion inward via the CoO lattice, rather than a combination of both oxygen and metal ion motion which is encountered in Co-Cr alloys.
"Organizational misconduct, spillover, reputation damage and repair across alliance networks"

This paper explores the factors that shape the extent to which organizational disapproval and repair attempts impact spillover to firms within an alliance network. Using a long-term event study and random effects GLS model, we find that that social factors such as the pre-event visibility of the alliance, the tenor of post-event media coverage, and post-event repair attempts by the focal firm all strongly influence the speed of transmission and persistence of disapproval among alliance partners. We test our arguments using a sample of 229 allied firms using an event study methodology and random effects GLS regression.
Conceptual Demonstration of Ambient Desorption-Optical Emission Spectroscopy Using a Liquid Sampling-Atmospheric Pressure Glow Discharge Microplasma Source

The concept of ambient desorption-optical emission spectroscopy (AD-OES) is demonstrated using a liquid sampling-atmospheric pressure glow discharge (LS-APGD) microplasma as the desorption/excitation source. The LS-APGD has previously been employed for elemental analysis of solution samples and particulates introduced via laser ablation in both the optical emission and mass spectrometries (OES, MS) modes. In addition, the device has been shown to be effective for the analysis of elemental and molecular species operating in an ambient desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (ADI-MS) mode. Proof-of-concept is presented here in the use of the LS-APGD to volatilize three very diverse sample forms (metallic thin films, dry solution residues, and bulk materials), with the liberated material excited within the microplasma and detected via OES, i.e., AD-OES. While the demonstration is principally qualitative at this point, it is believed that the basic approach may find application across a broad spectrum of anal...
Diffusion-tensor MR Imaging and Fiber Tractography of Congenital Malformations of the Brain

In congenital malformations of the brain,diffusion-tensor imaging(DTI) and fiber tractography(FT) can demonstrate additional findings beyond those seen with conventional MR imaging.DTI-FT often demonstrates aberrant white matter connections which can provided a better understanding of the pathogenetic mechanisms of congenital diseases.The study was focused on the neural tube closure defects,holoprosencephal,anomalies of neuronal migration,posterior fossa malformations and neurocutaneous syndrome.The aberrant fiber connections and their relationship with the clinical manifestations of congenital malformations of the brain were analyzed.
Examining programmer practices for locally handling exceptions

Many have argued that the current try/catch mechanism for handling exceptions in Java is flawed. A major complaint is that programmers often write minimal and low quality handlers. We used the Boa tool to examine a large number of Java projects on GitHub to provide empirical evidence about how programmers currently deal with exceptions. We found that programmers handle exceptions locally in catch blocks much of the time, rather than propagating by throwing an Exception. Programmers make heavy use of actions like Log, Print, Return, or Throw in catch blocks, and also frequently copy code between handlers. We found bad practices like empty catch blocks or catching Exception are indeed widespread. We discuss evidence that programmers may misjudge risk when catching Exception, and face a tension between handlers that directly address local program statement failure and handlers that consider the program-wide implications of an exception. Some of these issues might be ad-dressed by future tools which autocomplete more complete handlers.
The Increasingly Lengthy Long Run of the Law Reviews: Law Review Business 2012 – Circulation and Production

This article is the latest in a series of simple annual studies of the sales of some leading law reviews, undertaken with an eye to getting an admittedly rough and partial sense of the state of publishing in the legal academy. Over the years, the data itself has turned out to be a little bit interesting in spots. More interesting (perhaps), and more amusing and worrisome (certainly), have been the continuing small discoveries that some law reviews report relatively low paid circulation numbers to the U.S. Postal Service (which appear only in tiny-type government forms buried in the rarely read front- or back-matter of the reporting law review), but then tout higher sales numbers in promotional sections of their websites. It is reminiscent of the way some law schools have number-fudged their presentation of other kinds of data to, for example, U.S. News & World Report. The law review-school comparison might prompt the reader to wonder light-heartedly how many law school deans were once law review editors. But answering that question would be too easy, and too far afield from the focus here on publishing in the legal academy. There is, however, another question whose answer might be more interesting, and more likely to lead to intriguing comparisons. The question: How have the size and composition of law review editorial staffs changed over time, in absolute terms and in terms of their relationship to the product they put out? Possible comparisons will probably suggest themselves. This year’s report covers the usual ground relating to paid circulation and associated editorial behavior. It also offers a limited and tentative first take on the production question.
Arsenic Trioxide Plus ABT-737 Is Synergistic to Induce Apoptosis in AML Cells by Repression of Mcl-1 Protein and Inactivation of Bcl-2 Protein

Arsenic trioxide as a single agent induces remission in acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) patients with minimal toxicity but not in other types of acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In vitro, APL as compared to AML cells are more sensitive to arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis. Arsenic trioxide-induced apoptosis in APL cells results from activation of a mitochondria-mediated pathway. The Bcl-2 antiapoptotic protein family members Bcl-2, Bcl-XL, Bfl-1 and Mcl-1 block mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. In studies of several AML cell lines, we detected high levels of Bcl-2 and Mcl-1 protein, but lower or no expression of Bcl-XL and Bfl-1. Arsenic trioxide treatment decreased the levels of Mcl-1 without inducing apoptosis in AML cells suggesting that Bcl-2 would be a key factor causing arsenic trioxide resistance. We therefore hypothesize that inhibitors of Bcl-2 might restore arsenic trioxide-induced programmed cell death. In this study, the apoptotic effects of arsenic trioxide, ABT-737 (a potent Bcl-2 inhibitor) and their combination were investigated in NB4, HL-60, U937 and K562 cells. Arsenic trioxide at 1–2 μM induced apoptosis only in NB4 cells but decreased the levels of Mcl-1 in all of the four cell lines. ABT-737 at concentrations lower than 5 μM induced apoptosis in NB4, HL-60 and U937 cells but not in K562 cells which had undetectable Bcl-2 levels. Arsenic trioxide (2 μM) plus ABT-737 (0.05–0.5 μM) synergistically induced apoptosis in HL-60 and U937 but not in K562 cells as determined by PARP cleavage and Annexin V staining. Our data suggest that inhibition of Mcl-1 expression by arsenic trioxide and inactivation of Bcl-2 activity by ABT-737 leads to the synergistic apoptosis observed with this combination and is the basis for a novel treatment for AML.
Long-Term Follow-Up of IV Busulfan (Bu) with Fludarabine (Flu) vs IV Bu with Cyclophosphamide (Cy) as Pre (Allogeneic) Transplant Conditioning Therapy for AML/MDS.

We previously demonstrated early safety and efficacy of fixed-dose IV BuFlu. Here we compare IV BuFlu and IV BuCy2, with long follow-up in a large number of pts. Since pts were treated on consecutive, not randomized programs, we used pts receiving Flu-Melphalan (M) in a program spanning the time of the IV Bu-based studies to estimate/correct for this non-randomized “period” effect. Methods: 293 pts received Bu 130 mg/m2, Flu 40 mg/m2 (after April 2001; n=148); Bu 0.8 mg/kg × 16, Cy 60 mg/kg × 2 (before April 2001; n=67); Flu 30mg/m2 × 4, M 140–180 mg/m2 (FM; before and after April 2001; n=78). Patients received FM mainly based on higher age and coorbidities. Graft-vs-host dx (GVHD) prophylaxis was tacrolimus-based. Bayesian log-normal regression models were used to assess covariate- and treatment effects on survival, non-relapse mortality (NRM) and time to progressive disease (TPD). Covariates and survival model are shown in the table. The model accounts for the “period” effect, the effects of Bu-vs-FM, and Flu-vs-Cy within IV Bu pts. Patient and treatment characteristics were (BuFlu, BuCy2 and FM): median age 46 (19–66), 39 (13–64) and 54 (22–74) years. At HSCT 47%, 48% and 21% of the patients were in CR1-3. Donors were HLA-identical siblings in 53%, 79% and 41%. 30% of the Bu groups and 47% of FM had poor prognosis cytogenetics. Results: Median follow-up in months (BuFlu, BuCy2 and FM; alive pts): 30 (9–56; n=80; all but 2 pts followed for at least 1 yr), 69 (24–102; n=23) and 48 (17–89, n=25). 100-day NRM for pts in CR at HSCT was 2% and 9% after Bu-Flu and BuCy2, while 1 yr-NRM was 7% and 18%. BuFlu produced significantly better EFS (P=0.04) and overall NRM (P=0.02) than BuCy2, but TPD was similar (P=0.34). 2-yr actuarial survival (CR pts): 75% (BuFlu) vs. 50% (BuCy), P=0.01. Conclusion: After accounting for covariate and treatment period effects, there was a significant benefit to being treated with BuFlu compared to BuCy2 in spite of a higher median age and proportion of MUDs. The benefit was most evident for CR-pts due to a significant reduction in NRM, without loss of antileukemic activity due to exchanging Cy with Flu.
Rethinking the Paradigm: Modern Approach to Proximal Aortic Reconstruction Demonstrates Excellent Outcomes.

Background: Techniques for aortic surgery continue to evolve. A real-world snapshot of patients undergoing elective surgery for aneurysm in the modern era is helpful to assist in deciding the appropriate timing for intervention. We herein describe our experience with 100 consecutive patients who underwent primary elective surgery for aneurysm of the proximal thoracic aorta over a two-year period at a single institution. Methods: The majority of our patients were male, mean age 61.19 ± 13.33 years. Two patients had Marfan syndrome. Twenty-eight patients had bicuspid aortic valve. Thirty-four patients underwent aortic root replacement utilizing a composite valve/graft conduit; 23 had valve-sparing root replacements. The ascending aorta was replaced in 89 patients; 80 (89.9%) of these included a period of circulatory arrest at moderate hypothermia utilizing unilateral selective antegrade cerebral perfusion. Results: Thirty-day mortality was zero. Perioperative stroke occurred in 2 patients, both of whom completely recovered prior to discharge. No patients required re-exploration for bleeding. One patient developed a sternal wound infection. Fifteen patients required readmission to hospital within thirty days of discharge. Conclusion: Elective surgery for aneurysm of the proximal aorta is safe, reproducible, and is associated with outcomes that are superior to those seen in an acute aortic syndrome. It may be appropriate to offer surgery to younger patients with proximal aortic aneurysms at smaller diameters, even if their aortic dimensions do not yet meet traditional guidelines for surgical intervention.
Introduction to Respiratory Toxicology

Proper function of the respiratory system is essential for life. However, the respiratory system is highly susceptible to damage as a result of exposure to chemicals which interfere with normal cell physiology through discrete and variable mechanisms. These interactions can have acute manifestations that include pulmonary irritation, inflammation and in some cases respiratory failure. Alternatively, chronic effects on respiratory functions can develop and mimic or cause chronic respiratory diseases. This introductory chapter provides a brief overview of respiratory anatomy and physiology and serves as a primer for the subsequent chapters that detail more specific components of the respiratory system and mechanisms by which certain chemicals, known as pneumotoxins, adversely affect this organ system.
3D Printing for Cell Therapy Applications

Regenerative medicine is a rapidly expanding field, which shows great promise for treating organ dysfunction and tissue loss. Stem cells have many advantages over differentiated cells and are often used as a starting material for tissue engineering applications. Four types of stem cells have been used: embryonic, fetal, induced pluripotent, and adult. Bioprinting is an innovative technology, which can use stem cells to create functional tissues and organs. Cells are combined with various materials including hydrogels to form a bioink which can be precisely deposited based on a computer-aided design model. Materials are often combined to improve the bioink characteristics such as their compatibility with the various bioprinting methods including droplet-, extrusion-, and laser-based bioprinting. There have been successes in bioprinting several tissue types such as the vasculature, cartilage, bone, liver, and cardiac. However, there are several limitations and challenges, which must be overcome prior to a wide-scale clinical application.
Micronutrient Deficiencies and Maternal Thinness

Key Points There is an important and potentially severe health and nutrition impact resulting from economic crises that are erupting around the globe, which are especially affecting the quality of diets. Such impacts can cause a disadvantage for the neuro-intellectual and physical development of an entire generation. Surveillance of changes in micronutrient status offers a sensitive means of tracking health and nutrition crises. Tracking mothers’ body mass index measurements at a population level reflects changes in food consumption better than measurements of changes in underweight children. Childhood anemia levels (reflecting iron deficiency) and maternal night blindness (reflecting vitamin A deficiency) are sensitive indicators of a change in intake of micronutrient-rich, more expensive foods.
On consensus over random networks

We consider the consensus problem for stochastic discretetime linear dynamical systems. The underlying graph of such systems at a given time instance is derived from a random graph process, independent of other time instances. For such a framework, we present a necessary and sufficient condition for almost sure asymptotic consensus using simple ergodicity and probabilistic arguments. This easily verifiable condition uses the spectrum of the average weight matrix. Finally, we investigate a special case for which the linear dynamical system converges to a fixed vector with probability one.
Synthesis, structure, and properties of Sr2CuO2Cl2.

Syntheses of single-crystal specimens and single-phase polycrystalline samples of ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cl}}_{2}$ are reported. Differential-thermal-analysis measurements indicate that this compound melts incongruently at 990 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C in air and at 970 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C in helium. Rietveld refinement of powder neutron diffraction data confirms the body-centered-tetragonal (I4/mmm) ${\mathrm{K}}_{2}$${\mathrm{NiF}}_{4}$-type structure found earlier using x-ray techniques by Grande and M\"uller-Buschbaum. The ${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$ planes are the same as in (tetragonal) ${\mathrm{La}}_{2}$${\mathrm{CuO}}_{4}$, but the out-of-${\mathrm{CuO}}_{2}$-plane oxygens in the latter are replaced by Cl. The temperature dependences of the lattice parameters and thermal factors are reported; the tetragonal structure is retained from 300 K down to at least 25 K. Electrical-resistivity measurements exhibit essentially insulating behavior near room temperature, with ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{\mathrm{ab}}$\ensuremath{\simeq}3000 \ensuremath{\Omega} cm and ${\ensuremath{\rho}}_{c}$\ensuremath{\simeq}6.5\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{5}$ \ensuremath{\Omega} cm.
MNTG: an extensible web-based traffic generator

Road network traffic datasets have attracted significant attention in the past decade. For instance, in spatio-temporal databases area, researchers harness road network traffic data to evaluate and validate their research. Collecting real traffic datasets is tedious as it usually takes a significant amount of time and effort. Alternatively, many researchers opt to generate synthetic traffic data using existing traffic generation tools, e.g., Brinkhoff and BerlinMOD. Unfortunately, existing road network traffic generators require significant amount of time and effort to install, configure, and run. Moreover, it is not trivial to generate traffic data in arbitrary spatial regions using existing traffic generators. In this paper, we propose Minnesota Traffic Generator (MNTG); an extensible web-based road network traffic generator that overcomes the hurdles of using existing traffic generators. MNTG does not provide a new way to simulate traffic data. Instead, it serves as a wrapper over existing traffic generators, making them easy to use, configure, and run for any arbitrary spatial road region. To generate traffic data, MNTG users just need to use its user-friendly web interface to specify an arbitrary spatial range on the map, select a traffic generator method, and submit the traffic generation request to the server. MNTG dedicated server will receive and process the submitted traffic generation request, and notify the user via email when finished. MNTG users can then download their generated data and/or visualize it on MNTG map interface. MNTG is extensible in two frontiers: (1) It can be easily extended to support various traffic generators. It is already shipped with the two most common traffic generators, Brinkhoff and BerlinMOD, yet, it also has the interface that can be used to add new traffic generators. (2) It can be easily extended to support various road network sources. It is shipped with U.S. Tiger files and Open Street Map, yet, it also has the interface that can be used to add other sources. MNTG is launched as a web service for public use; a prototype can be accessed via http://mntg.cs.umn.edu .