cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Production of free quarks in the early universe

A model of the q-q-bar interaction which avoids complete confinement is employed to calculate the number of free quarks which survive from the early universe. For a free-quark mass M or approx. = 10 GeV, the number per nucleon is given by ln(q/N) = ln(q-bar/N) = -M/kT/sub asterisk/ + 2ln(M/kT/sub asterisk/) + C, where the constant C approx. = 20. Quarks of such mass freeze out of equilibrium during the quark-hadron transition at a temperature 0.2 < or approx. = T/sub asterisk/ < or approx. = 0.4 GeV/k, which for instance predicts 15 < or approx. = M < or approx. = 30 GeV if (q + q-bar)/N approx. 10/sup -20/.
Connexin43 mRNA contains a functional internal ribosome entry site

A reporter gene construct was used to study the regulation of connexin43 (Cx43) expression, the major gap junction protein found in heart and uterus, in transfected cell lines. The construct had the firefly luciferase gene under the control of the Cx43 promoter. Inclusion of the 5′-untranslated region (UTR) of the mRNA in the construct increased luciferase expression by 70%. A bicistronic vector assay demonstrated that the Cx43 5′-UTR contains a strong internal ribosome entry site (IRES). Deletion analysis localized the IRES element to the upstream portion of the 5′-UTR.
Thermotolerant nalidixic acid-resistant mutants of Escherichia coli

Nalidixic acid-resistant mutants ofEscherichia coli CGSC #6353 capable of growth at 48°C were obtained by mutagenesis withN-methyl-N′-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine. Cotransductional analyses employing phage P1 indicated that the mutation resulting in the phenotype of growth at 48°C is an allele of thegyrA structural gene. Similar thermal inactivation kinetics were observed for ribosomes isolated from a thermotolerant (T/r) mutant grown at both 37°C and 48°C and from the parental strain grown at 37°C. Cell-free extracts prepared from the T/r mutant grown at 48°C exhibited a sharp increase in protein synthesis at 55°C, whereas this effect was not displayed by extracts from the mutant or parental strains grown at 37°C. In addition, preincubation at 55°C enhanced protein synthesis at 37°C up to 15-fold in an extract prepared from the T/r mutant grown at 48°C, whereas comparable values were 2.6- to 3.0-fold for extracts from the mutant and parental strains grown at 37°C.
The effect of an electric field induced by a time-dependent ring current on the particle drift motion

Abstract The effect of an electric field induced by a rapidly decaying ring current on the motion of charged particles in the magnetosphere has been investigated using Euler potentials. For a model consisting of the earth dipole and the symmetric ring current, the electric field satisfies the condition E . B = 0 . Under this circumstance, the E × B drift of the particle can be identified as the motion of the magnetic field lines and vice versa. The time dependent electric field induced can be evaluated in a Spherical polar coordinate system by the formula E = ∂β ∂t ∇α − ∂β ∂t ∇β where α and β are Euler potentials. A model calculation on the particle drift velocity v D = E × B / B 2 shows that the radial component of the drift velocity is in good agreement with those deduced from whistler duct studies.
Sensitivity and specificity of the Braden scale in the cardiac surgical population

Abstract Purpose: A descriptive study was conducted to investigate the sensitivity and specificity of the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Ulcer Risk in a cardiac surgical population. Patients and Setting: A convenience sample of 337 pressure ulcer-free patients undergoing cardiothoracic surgery at a large midwestern national referral center were enrolled in the study. Methods: Systematic skin and Braden Scale assessments were completed independently on the day of surgery and on postoperative days 1, 3, and 5. The presence of a pressure ulcer was determined and classified using the 4-stage scale developed by the WOCN Society. Results: Sixteen patients (4.7%) developed a total of 22 pressure ulcers. Sensitivity and specificity of Braden scores were calculated for the day of surgery and for postoperative days 1, 3, and 5. The established Braden “cutoff” score of ≤16 to identify those “at risk” had poor specificity and sensitivity in this patient population. The appropriate cut-off score varied by hospital day. A preoperative Braden score of 22 correctly classified 50% of the pressure ulcer-positive patients. The appropriate cutoff scores on postoperative day 1, 3, and 5 were 13, 14, and 20, respectively. Those scores correctly classified 67% of the pressure ulcer-positive patients on postoperative day 1, 57% on postoperative day 3, and 50% on postoperative day 5. Conclusion: These results illustrate that optimum prediction of pressure ulcer risk can only be accomplished with reassessments and determination of the Braden cutoff score or scores that are reflective of the patient's changing clinical condition throughout the hospitalization.
Matched savings accounts: A study of youths' perceptions of program and account design

Abstract This paper presents data from a qualitative study of a youth savings account program. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 youth ages 14–19 between November 2004 and February 2005 who were participants in the SEED national demonstration project. Our findings focus on youths' perceptions of program design, including recruitment and enrollment, savings goals, direct deposit mechanisms, staff–participant interactions, financial education, and fund withdrawal process. Participants were generally positive about comfort and trust with the agency and staff, perceptions of the match structure, and the opportunity to begin the process of savings. Direct deposit, while overall viewed favorably, was seen as problematic when income streams were interrupted by seasonal employment. Both online and workshop based financial education programs were often viewed as boring and repetitive. Following the presentation of findings, our discussion centers on implications for policy and program design.
What's Reality Got to Do with It?: Projective Processes in Adult Intimate Relationships

Freud and Klein describe projective processes—projection, projective identification, and the repetition compulsion—that cause interpersonal distortions not only in the psychotherapy relationship but in adult intimate relationships as well. Winnicott's theory of the use of an object describes a way of relating that is free of the distortions of projection, opening up the possibility of differentiation between intimate partners. Two case examples illustrate how addressing projective processes assisted one patient in extricating herself from a psychologically abusive relationship and helped a couple in treatment to move from object relating to object use. It is argued that the use of these psychoanalytic theories has an important role within a modern relational social work practice.
Dependence of generalized oscillator strengths of H2O on momentum transfer

Abstract Experimental results on the dependence of generalized oscillator strengths of water on momentum transfer, showing the appearance of extrema and characteristic features in the electron scattering spectra are reported and discussed.
Multiple Hypotheses Testing Procedures in Clinical Trials and Genomic Studies

We review and compare multiple hypothesis testing procedures used in clinical trials and those in genomic studies. Clinical trials often employ global tests, which draw an overall conclusion for all the hypotheses, such as SUM test, Two-Step test, Approximate Likelihood Ratio test (ALRT), Intersection Union Test (IUT) and MAX test. The SUM and Two-Step tests are most powerful under homogeneous treatment effects, while the ALRT and MAX test are robust in cases with nonhomogeneous treatment effects. Furthermore, the ALRT is robust to unequal sample sizes across endpoints. In genomic studies, stepwise procedures are used to draw marker-specific conclusions and control family wise error rate (FWER) or false discovery rate (FDR) at the same time. FDR refers to the percent of false positives among all significant results and is preferred over FWER in screening high-dimensional genomic markers due to its interpretability. In cases where correlations between test statistics cannot be ignored, Westfall-Young resampling method can be employed to generate the joint distribution of P-values under the null and maintain their correlation structure. Finally, the GWAS from a clinical trial studying microvascular complications among Type 1 diabetes patients is used to illustrate various procedures.
Madden-Julian variability in NCAR CAM2.0 and CCSM2.0

The Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO) dominates tropical variability on time scales of 30–70 days. During the boreal winter/spring it is manifested as an eastward propagating disturbance, with a strong convective signature over the eastern hemisphere. Here, 20–100 day bandpass filtered outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) for the months of November–March from the National Center for Atmospheric Research Community Atmospheric Model Version 2.0 (NCAR CAM2.0) and the Community Coupled System Model Version 2.0 (CCSM2.0) models is projected onto the observed patterns of MJO convection. This provides for the analysis of the models within a standard framework. Additionally, only analyzing years when the lead/lag relationship of the simulated principal components lie in the observed phase-space better isolates the simulated MJO signal. CCSM2.0 yields a better representation of the MJO than CAM2.0 due to the presence of air-sea interaction. Even so, the amplitude and spatial extent of the intraseasonal convection are underestimated relative to observed OLR, with a pronounced underestimate of the near-equatorial convection. Due to the development of a split inter-tropical convergence zone in the western Pacific, which is independent of the MJO, the models are precluded from representing the low-level moisture convergence that is central to the eastward propagation of the MJO. Once the systematic model error is remedied the underlying capability of the models to simulate the MJO will be possible.
Continuous renal replacement therapy amino acid, trace metal and folate clearance in critically ill children

We hypothesized continuous veno-venous hemodialysis (CVVHD) amino acid, trace metals and folate clearance impacts nutrient balance. Critically ill children receiving CVVHD were studied prospectively for 5 days. Blood concentrations (amino acids, copper, zinc, manganese, chromium, selenium and folate) were measured at CVVHD initiation, and Days 2 and 5. CVVHD clearance, losses and nutrient balances were calculated on Days 2 and 5. We studied 15 children aged 7.7 ± 6.7 years. Nitrogen balance was negative on Days 2 and 5. Amino acid clearances ranged from 2.8 to 51.1 ml/min per 1.73 m2. CVVHD losses corresponded to 20% of intake. Days 2 and 5 balances were negative for selenium, but positive for other trace metals. Folate clearance was 16 ml/min per 1.73 m2 on Days 2 and 5 and serum concentrations decreased significantly from initiation to Day 5 (P < 0.05). Nutrient losses by CVHHD may impact adequate nutrition provision.
High performance RISC systems

Abstract The paper surveys and compares some of the recent commercial high-performance RISC systems. Particular attention is given to the Motorola M88000, Intel 80860 and 80960, Sun SPARC, AMD 29000 and the MIPS R3000.
Tampon absorbency, composition and oxygen content and risk of toxic shock syndrome

Tampon use has been identified as a major risk factor for toxic shock syndrome, although the etiologic role of tampons is not clearly understood. Two epidemiologic studies conducted to date have reported an association between tampon absorbency and risk of toxic shock syndrome. This finding is not corroborated by laboratory studies, however, which have suggested that absorbency may be a marker for other characteristics that create an environment conductive to the elaboration of toxic shock syndrome toxin 1. We used data from the previously reported Tri-state study to estimate simultaneously the effects of tampon oxygen content, absorbency and chemical composition. Although the data are sparse, oxygen content was more strongly associated with risk of toxic shock syndrome than either absorbency or chemical composition. The results suggest that it may be possible to develop a highly absorbent tampon that is not associated with a high risk of toxic shock syndrome.
SPECIES OF OCEANIC DINOFLAGELLATES IN THE GENERA DISSODINIUM AND PYROCYSTIS: INTERCLONAL AND INTERSPECIFIC COMPARISONS OF THE COLOR AND PHOTON YIELD OF BIOLUMINESCENCE1

SUMMARY We have examined aspects of the bioluminescence of 5 clones of Dissodinium, 1 clone of Pyrocystis acuta, 4 clones of Pyrocystis fusiformis, and 5 clones of Pyrocystis noctiluca. All clones produced the same color bioluminescence with an intensity peak near 474 nm. The in vivo emission spectra of these clones agreed with those previously determined, for 4 other species of marine dinoflagellates. The amount of light emitted by the dinoflagellates in scotophase when mechanically stimulated to exhaustion was determined for most of the clones. The largest species, P. noctiluca and P. fusiformis, emitted 37–89 × 109 photons cell−1 and 23–62 × 109 photons cell−1, respectively, about a thousand, times as much light as Gonyaulax species. Pyrocystis acuta emitted 3–6 × 109 photons cell−1. Three of the 5 clones of Dissodinium were bioluminescent. The range for 3 clones was 5–13 × 109 photons cell−1. All 5 clones of Dissodinium are morphologically distinct. Both the clones of Dissodinium and Pyrocystis produced much higher numbers of photons per cell nitrogen (ca. 7–50 times) than Gonyaulax polyedra or Pyrodinium bahamense. The data suggested that enzyme turnover occurred in the reactions producing light during mechanical stimulation of Dissodinium and Pyrocystis species.
Evidence for a role for calcium in immunosuppression by tumor cells in vitro

Abstract The anti-SRBC response of normal, syngeneic splenocytes in the presence of cells from various tumors (Moloney leukemia spleen cells and methylcholanthrene-induced rhabdomyosarcoma cells (MC)) was tested in vitro in different culture media: RPMI 1640, BME with Hanks balanced salt solution (MEM), and CMRL 1066. The tumor-associated cells expressed an immunosuppressive effect, the degree of which varied with the culture medium used. Whereas spleen cells cultured in RPMI in the presence of tumor-associated cells were highly inhibited in their response to SRBC, those cultured in MEM were not. A full 5 to 10 times more tumor cells were required to achieve the same degree of immunosuppression in MEM. There appeared to be a correlation between the degree of immunosuppression obtained and the Ca 2+ concentration of the medium. Thus the immunosuppressive effect of tumor-associated cells was greatest in cultures with RPMI 1640 (0.4 m M Ca 2+ ), lesser in MEM (1.27 m M Ca 2+ ), and least in CMRL 1066 (1.8 m M Ca 2+ ). Furthermore, if the Ca 2+ content of RPMI 1640 was increased to 1.4 m M Ca 2+ by the addition of CaCl 2 , the percent suppression to the anti-SRBC response in vitro mediated by the addition of tumor cells decreased to the level found in MEM. Increasing the Mg 2+ content of RPMI had no effect on tumor-mediated immunosuppression. Tumor cell replication and RNA synthesis were comparable in all media tested, regardless of Ca 2+ concentration. In view of the increasing evidence for a role for Ca 2+ in lymphocyte activation, we postulate herein that the Ca 2+ content of the medium plays a role in the manifestation of immunosuppression by tumorassociated cells in vitro .
Expected transition costs based on a Markov model having fuzzy states with an application to policy selection

In this paper we develop a criterion for decision making when the process being observed is a Markov chain having fuzzy states. That is, due to imprecision in the data and/or the reporting mechanism, the decision maker is not certain of the current state of the process. An application to the problem of policy selection illustrates this approach to decision making
Partial Characterization of Circulating Inhibin-B and Pro-αC During Development in the Male Rhesus Monkey1

Gel filtration chromatography and ELISAs for inhibin-B and pro-αC were used to examine the circulating forms of inhibin in the neonatal (age 2–6 weeks), juvenile (age 1–2 yr), and adult male rhesus monkey. In all samples, isoforms of inhibin-B of 26–36K and 150K were found. Both forms were significantly greater in the adult. Theα -subunit assay detected major peaks at 45–60 and 29–31K, and a minor peak of greater than 100K. As for inhibin-B, the major forms of inhibin pro-αC were highest in adulthood. Inhibin-B and pro-αC were measurable in peripheral plasma at age 1 week, increased with the neonatal rise in plasma FSH, and then decreased but remained detectable through age 1 yr. Values in adult males were higher than at any time during the first year of life. Finally, mean values of plasma inhibin-B and pro-αC in five monkeys, based on multiple blood samples drawn between age 1 week and 1 yr, were rank ordered and were found to be highly positively correlated (r = 0.96), suggesting that inhibin levels in...
Association of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with coronary heart disease risk across categories of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol: the atherosclerosis risk in communities study.

Abstract Introduction National cholesterol treatment guidelines include a low level of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol ( Methods We investigated the association of HDL and LDL-cholesterol with incident CHD events (fatal or nonfatal CHD) over 14 years of follow-up among 13,615 adults aged 45 to 64 years in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Results A total of 966 (7.1%) participants had a CHD event during follow-up. After adjustment for age, race, sex, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption, systolic blood pressure, waist circumference, chronic kidney disease and physical activity, a graded association was present between progressively lower levels of HDL-cholesterol and higher CHD risk, overall ( P P Conclusions These data suggest a graded association exists between lower levels of HDL-cholesterol and CHD across the full range of LDL-cholesterol levels. As interventions targeting HDL levels are developed, the combinatorial effects of lower HDL levels with various levels of LDL-cholesterol should be examined.
Probing QCD with heavy quark bound states

Abstract A spin-averaged interquark potential exhibiting the full content of perturbative QCD at short distances is discussed. Using the measured charmonium and bottomonium bound state levels and their leptonic widths, we find Λ M S = 250 ± 100 MeV in the effective four-quark theory. Observation of toponium states would not significantly improve the precision of this QCD scale parameter determination. The reason basically is that an increase in Λ MS correlated with an upward shift of all the heavy quark masses can result in very little change in the observables.
Susceptibility of Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) to Entomopathogenic Nematodes (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae).

Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) and entomopathogenic nematodes (Rhabditida: Heterorhabditidae and Steinernematidae) are two soil-dwelling biological control agents used to manage western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and fungus gnats Bradysis spp. (Diptera: Sciaridae) in glasshouses. Growers often use multiple natural enemies to achieve economic control, but knowledge of interactions among natural enemies is lacking. We conducted a laboratory bioassay to test the pathogenicity of four commercially available nematode species—Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar (Rhabditida: Heterorhbditidae), Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) (Rhabditida: Steinernematidae), S. feltiae (Filipjev), and S. riobrave Cabanillas et al.—to third instar and adult D. coriaria. Third instars were three times more susceptible than the adults to the entomopathogenic nematodes. Mortality for D. coriaria adults and third instars treated with S. feltiae and H. bacteriophora was lower than the mortality for D. coriaria adults and third instars treated with S. carpocapsae and S. riobrave. Neither infective juvenile foraging behavior nor size correlates with D. coriaria mortality. Dalotia coriaria appears to be most likely compatible with applications of S. feltiae and H. bacteriophora.
Examination of the nature of lattice matched III–V semiconductor interfaces using computer simulated molecular beam epitaxial growth I. AC/BC interfaces

Abstract A previously developed computer simulation of molecular beam epitaxial growth of III–V semiconductors based on the configuration dependent reactive incorporation (CDRI) model is extended to allow for two different cation species. Attention is focussed on examining the nature of interfaces formed in lattice matched quantum well structures of the form AC/BC/AC(100). We consider cation species with substantially different effective diffusion lengths, as is the case with Al and Ga during the growth of their respective As compounds. The degree of intermixing occuring at the interface is seen to be dependent upon, among other growth parameters, the pressure of the group V species during growth. Examination of an intraplanar order parameter at the interfaces reveals the existence of short range clustering of the cation species.
Influence of Spatial Resolution on Diurnal Variability during the North American Monsoon

Abstract Diurnal variability is an important yet poorly understood aspect of the warm-season precipitation regime over southwestern North America. In an effort to improve its understanding, diurnal variability is investigated numerically using the fifth-generation Pennsylvania State University (PSU)–NCAR Mesoscale Model (MM5). The goal herein is to determine the possible influence of spatial resolution on the diurnal cycle. The model is initialized every 48 h using the operational NCEP Eta Model 212 grid (40 km) model analysis. Model simulations are carried out at horizontal resolutions of both 9 and 3 km. Overall, the model reproduces the basic features of the diurnal cycle of rainfall over the core monsoon region of northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States. In particular, the model captures the diurnal amplitude and phase, with heavier rainfall at high elevations along the Sierra Madre Occidental in the early afternoon that shifts to lower elevations along the west slopes in the evening. A...
A Randomized Prospective Comparison of Antibiotic Tissue Levels in the Corpora Cavernosa of Patients Undergoing Penile Prosthesis Implantation using Gentamicin Plus Cefazolin Versus an Oral Fluoroquinolone for Prophylaxis

AbstractPurpose: We performed a prospective randomized trial comparing the efficacy, safety and cost of parenteral antibiotics and oral fluoroquinolones for prophylaxis in penile prosthesis surgery.Materials and Methods: We prospectively randomized 20 consecutive patients undergoing penile prosthesis surgery to receive ofloxacin orally or gentamicin and cefazolin parenterally followed by cephradine orally. Intraoperatively corpora cavernosa tissue and simultaneous peripheral serum samples were evaluated of antibiotic levels. Median followup was 16 months (range 8 to 21, mean 15.35).Results: There were no implant losses or reoperations and complications were comparable in the 2 groups. The difference in mean serum-to-tissue ratios of ofloxacin versus the combination of cefazolin and gentamicin was statistically significant (p less than 0.03). The minimum inhibitory concentrations of ofloxacin met or exceeded those of the 2 most common offending organisms, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Escherichia coli, in...
Gillnet selectivity of small coastal sharks off the southeastern United States

Abstract Gillnet selectivity parameters for the Atlantic sharpnose, Rhizoprionodon terraenovae , blacknose, Carcharhinus acronotus , finetooth, Carcharhinus isodon , and bonnethead, Sphyrna tiburo , sharks were estimated from fishery-independent catches in multi-panel gillnets with stretched mesh sizes ranging from 8.9 to 14.0 cm in steps of 1.3 cm, with an additional size of 20.3 cm. Mesh selectivities were estimated using a maximum-likelihood model, which fits a gamma distribution to length data for each mesh size using the log-likelihood function. The Atlantic sharpnose and finetooth shark exhibited the broadest selection curves. Peak selectivities for the Atlantic sharpnose were reached from 750 mm FL for the 8.9 cm mesh to 1150 mm FL for the 14.0 cm mesh in 50 mm FL increments per mesh. Peak selectivity for the finetooth shark was reached at 550 mm FL for the 8.9 and 10.2 cm meshes, increased to 650 mm FL for the 11.4 mesh, and 750 mm FL for the 12.7 and 14.0 cm meshes. Selectivity was highest at 1150 mm FL for the 20.3 cm mesh. The bonnethead and blacknose shark exhibited narrower selection curves, with peak selectivity occurring at 450 mm FL for the 8.9 cm mesh, 750 mm for the 12.7 cm mesh in 100 mm FL increments per mesh. Maximum selectivity for the 20.3 cm mesh was 950 and 1050 mm FL for bonnethead and blacknose shark, respectively. The θ 1 values for blacknose and finetooth shark were most similar (140.58 and 141.25), whereas the value calculated for Atlantic sharpnose was the highest (211.95) and that for the bonnethead (131.77) was the lowest. Values calculated for θ 2 , a parameter that describes the variance of sizes by mesh, ranged from 27,259 for the bonnethead to 189,873 for the finetooth shark. Although gillnets used in this study were not directly constructed for use in estimation of gillnet selectivities, information on mesh selectivities estimated herein has direct applicability to commercial gillnets with meshes of similar sizes.
Analysis of multiple sampler systems with finite pulse width, open loop

The Laplace transform method has been applied to the analysis of multiple-sampler systems. The method of analysis is based on a contour integral, which is derived from the Laplace transformation, and which mathematically describes the operation of a sampler with finite pulse width. This contour integral referred to as p-transformation in references 1 and 2 is employed for the exact analysis of linear multiple-sampler open-loop systems with finite pulse width. It is shown that by a combination of a few fundamental steps it is possible to treat any open-loop system. These steps have been outlined and simple examples given to demonstrate their application. The technique is general, no restriction being imposed on the number or the periodicity of samplers present. It may be applied to systems with delayed samplers, and periodic samplers with different periods and pulse widths, as well as to systems which include nonperiodic samplers both with respect to period and/or pulse width. In each case the solution is exact and in systems with periodic samplers it can always be expressed in a closed form. The limiting cases are also considered. As a consequence of these, a method is obtained for analysis of open-loop sample-data systems with zero pulse width which include two or more samplers.
An information measure of association in contingency tables

Linfoot (1957) introduced an informational measure rI of correlation between two random variables X and Y. The measure rI is based on the information gain r0 in knowing that X and Y are mutually dependent with a given bivariate density function as compared with the original knowledge that X and Y are statistically independent. In the present paper, an asymptotic form of the information measure rI, denoted by r ˜ I , is derived in terms of Pearson's (1904) chi-square for contingency tables. Hence r ˜ I is suggested as an information measure of association in contingency tables. On comparing r ˜ I with Pearson's classical coefficient of contingency P, it is found that r ˜ I ⩾ P. This is a desirable property of r ˜ I , since Lancaster and Hamdan (1964) demonstrated that P underestimates the product-moment correlation coefficient in contingency tables with broad categories. The asymptotic variance of r ˜ I is derived and compared with the asymptotic variance of P.
MISTRUST AND MISCONSTRUAL IN UNION‐MANAGEMENT RELATIONSHIPS: CAUSAL ACCOUNTS IN ADVERSARIAL CONTEXTS

Misunderstanding, or misconstrual, is a major exacerbating factor in conflict escalation and an impediment to negotiation and resolution. Laboratory work has identified characteristic errors of construal which partisans make in assessing the views of their opponents. This paper examined whether these same phenomena could be observed in a traditional real‐world conflict, that between trade unions and management. In two studies, union representatives and managers reacted first (in Study 1) to an actual contract negotiation that the two sides were involved with, and then to a hypothetical unjust act. Results revealed that the two sides indeed display many characteristic errors of construal. Specifically, union representatives underestimated management concern for harmful acts against workers, or management's sincere wish to negotiate in good faith within financial constraints, and were generally highly suspicious of management motives and intentions toward workers. Managers saw union representatives as unreasonable, and greatly overestimated union militancy and unwillingness to accept extenuating circumstances. Negotiations will be greatly improved if such misconstruals can be exposed and debunked prior to, or during negotiations.
A “meeting of the minds” — The greater illusion

Despite a superficial similarity in circumstance, the dynamics of the judicial process of contract interpretation are not equivalent to the circumstances giving rise to the Primacy Dilemma. The Primacy Dilemma involves two parties; the judicial process involves a third: the court. This distinction is critical for while Wittgenstein's expose of the Primacy Dilemma as illusion does not require that centuries of refinements to theories of contract interpretation be scrapped, it does require an abandonment of the ideal that courts “do not and cannot make contracts; courts merely enforce agreements that the parties themselves have reached.”
Agility and Perturbation Training for a Physically Active Individual With Knee Osteoarthritis

Background and Purpose. People with knee osteoarthritis (OA) sometimes report episodes of knee instability that limit their activities of daily living. The episodes of instability are similar to those reported by people with knee ligament injuries. The authors believe that modifications of interventions that are used to promote knee stability in individuals with knee ligament injuries can be used to enhance knee stability and function in people with knee OA. The purpose of this case report is to describe the development and implementation of an agility and perturbation training program that was used in conjunction with traditional rehabilitation activities for a patient with knee OA. Case Description. The patient was a 73-year-old woman with a diagnosis of bilateral knee OA. Her chief complaints were knee pain and episodes of partial“giving way” at the knee during walking, stair climbing, and participation in tennis and golf. The patient participated in 12 treatment sessions at a frequency of 2 visits per week. The rehabilitation program consisted of lower-extremity stretching, strengthening and endurance exercises that were supplemented with a variety of walking-based agility training techniques, and perturbation training techniques. Outcome. At the completion of rehabilitation, the patient was able to walk on level surfaces and stairs and return to playing golf and tennis without episodes of instability and with reduced pain. Discussion. Supplementing rehabilitation programs for people with knee OA with a modified agility and perturbation training program may assist them in returning to higher levels of physical activity with less pain and instability following rehabilitation. Further research is needed to determine the role of agility and perturbation training in people with knee OA.
TWENTY YEARS OF CHANGES IN SPATIAL ASSOCIATION AND COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AMONG DESERT PERENNIALS

I present results from analyses of 20 years of spatiotemporal dynamics in a desert perennial community. Plants were identified and mapped in a 1-ha permanent plot in Joshua Tree National Park (California, USA) in 1984. Plant size, mortality, and new seedlings were censused every five years through 2004. Two species, Ambrosia dumosa and Tetracoccus hallii, were dominant based on their relative abundance and ubiquitous distributions. Spatial analysis for distance indices (SADIE) identified regions of significantly high (patches) or low (gaps) densities. I used SADIE to test for (1) transience in the distribution of patches and gaps within species over time and (2) changes in juvenile-adult associations with conspecific adults and adults of the two dominant species over time. Plant performance was quantified in patches and gaps to determine plant responsiveness to local spatial associations. Species identity was found to influence associations between juveniles and adults. Juveniles of all species showed significant positive spatial associations with the dominant A. dumosa but not with T. hallii. The broad distribution of A. dumosa may increase the spatial extent of non-dominant species that are facilitated by this dominant. The spatial location of patches and gaps was generally consistent over time for adults but not juveniles. Observed variability in the locations of juvenile patches and gaps suggested that suitable locations for establishment were broad relative to occupied regions of the habitat, and that conditions for seed germination were independent of conditions for seedling survival. A dramatic change in spatial distributions and associations within and between species occurred after a major drought that influenced data from the final census. Positive associations between juveniles and adults of all species were found independent of previous associations and most species distributions contracted to areas that were previously characterized by low density. By linking performance to spatial distribution, results from this study offer a spatial context for plant-plant interactions within and among species. Community composition could be influenced both by individual species tolerances of abiotic conditions and by the competitive or facilitative interactions individuals exert over neighbors.
Influence of Arterial Impedance on Ventricular Function

The input impedance of the aorta is a measure of the extent to which the arterial system opposes the ejection of blood by the left ventricle, and the same is true for the pulmonary artery and right ventricle. Arterial impedance, therefore, represents the load on the heart [4] and influences the ventricles in two ways: by affecting ventricular work and by determining the relationships between pressure and flow. The input impedance of an artery is calculated experimentally from the frequency components of observed pressure and flow waves and is expressed as a complex frequency spectrum.
Multidimensional flow, thermal, and chemical behavior in solid-oxide fuel cell button cells

Abstract The quantitative analysis and interpretation of button-cell experiments usually depends upon assuming isothermal conditions together with uniform and known gas composition within the gas compartments. An objective of the present effort is to develop computational tools to study the validity of such assumptions. A three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model is developed and applied to a particular SOFC button cell, characterizing the fluid flow, chemistry, and thermal transport. Results show that when inlet flow rates are sufficiently high, button-cell data can be interpreted using the commonly used assumptions. However, when flow rates are not sufficient, the assumptions of uniform composition can be significantly violated. Additionally, depending on operating conditions there can be significant temperature variations within the gas compartments and the membrane–electrode assembly.
The Role of Back-Pressure in Implementing Latency-Insensitive Systems

Back-pressure is a logical mechanism to control the flow of information on a communication channel of a latency-insensitive system (LIS) while guaranteeing that no packet is lost. Back-pressure is necessary for building open LISs and it represents an interesting design alternative also for closed LISs because it makes possible to realize highly modular implementations with more predictable features in terms of design overhead (area, power). In discussing the role of back-pressure, we revisit the logic of the necessary building blocks, and explain the impact of the system topology on the system performance.
Reverse gullibility and scientific evidence

A 19th century image of the medical profession's attitude toward disease transmission is introduced through Ignaz Semmelweis' hypothesis: Infection can be caused by an external agent transmitted when physicans fail to sterilize their hands between patient examinations. Semmelweis' test of his hypothesis reduced the obstetrical death rate from 18% to almost 1%. However, he was degraded, defrocked, and driven to death by a profession whose emotions contradicted the evidence. Medical professionals like to believe they are not gullible , a trait defined as being easily duped . They rightly believe in their ability to avoid the error of accepting a result not supported by adequate evidence. They are not so free of the complementary error: refusing to accept a result that is supported by adequate evidence, which might be thought of as reverse gullibility . It is just as bad a logical error and just as serious a denial of the best medical care for our patients. Clearly Semmelweis, and later Louis Pasteur and others who were disbelieved, were correct. The profession was duped by its emotional adherence to current practice. To be truly professional, let us believe our evidence rather than our biases and not suffer from reverse gullibility. (Arch Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 1996;122:600-601)
Dielectric Properties of Microporous Glass in the Microwave Region

The dielectric properties of a high-silica microporous glass were determined at 5.5 and 11.4 GHz. Two measurement methods were used to measure these properties, the resonant cavity and resonant post (Hakki–Coleman) techniques. The accuracy of the two measurement techniques was evaluated and the limiting conditions of measurement were determined. The glass, consisting of pore sizes on the order of tens of angstroms, was subjected to thermal treatments in an oxidizing atmosphere at temperatures from 300° to 1100°C, and chemical treatments in 2% and 10% HF for varying amounts of time. Heat treatment of the glass at 800°C produced a minimum dielectric constant of 2.8 and loss of 0.001. The acid treatment had little effect on the dielectric properties.
Sexual Orientation of Female-to-Male Transsexuals: A Comparison of Homosexual and Nonhomosexual Types

Homosexual and nonhomosexual (relative to genetic sex) female-to-male transsexuals (FTMs) were compared on a number of theoretically or empirically derived variables. Compared to nonhomosexual FTMs, homosexual FTMs reported greater childhood gender nonconformity, preferred more feminine partners, experienced greater sexual rather than emotional jealousy, were more sexually assertive, had more sexual partners, had a greater desire for phalloplasty, and had more interest in visual sexual stimuli. Homosexual and nonhomosexual FTMs did not differ in their overall desire for masculinizing body modifications, adult gender identity, or importance of partner social status, attractiveness, or youth. These findings indicate that FTMs are not a homogeneous group and vary in ways that may be useful in understanding the relation between sexual orientation and gender identity.
An evaluation of limited-memory sparse linear solvers for thermo-mechanical applications

We consider the performance of sparse linear solvers for problems that arise from thermo-mechanical applications. Such problems have been solved using sparse direct schemes that enable robust solution at the expense of memory requirements that grow non-linearly with the dimension of the coefficient matrix. In this paper, we consider a class of preconditioned iterative solvers as a limited-memory alternative to direct solution schemes. However, such preconditioned iterative solvers typically exhibit complex trade-offs between reliability and performance. We therefore characterize such trade-offs for systems from thermo-mechanical problems by considering several preconditioning schemes including multilevel methods and those based on sparse approximate inversion and incomplete matrix factorization. We provide an analysis of computational costs and memory requirements for model thermo-mechanical problems, indicating that certain incomplete factorization schemes can achieve good performance. We also provide empirical evaluations that corroborate our analysis and indicate the relative effectiveness of different solution schemes. Our results indicate that our drop-threshold incomplete Cholesky preconditioning is more robust, efficient and flexible than other popular preconditioning schemes. In addition, we propose preconditioner reuse to amortize preconditioner construction cost over a sequence of linear systems that arise from non-linear solutions in a plastic regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Does bioethics exist

Bioethicists disagree over methods, theories, decision-making guides, case analyses and public policies. Thirty years ago, the thinking of many scholars coalesced around a principlist approach to bioethics. That mid-level mode of moral reasoning is now one of many approaches to moral deliberation. Significant variation in contemporary approaches to the study of ethical issues related to medicine, biotechnology and health care raises the question of whether bioethics exists as widely shared method, theory, normative framework or mode of moral reasoning.
A fast, robust and tunable synthetic gene oscillator

One defining goal of synthetic biology is the development of engineering-based approaches that enable the construction of gene-regulatory networks according to 'design specifications' generated from computational modelling. This approach provides a systematic framework for exploring how a given regulatory network generates a particular phenotypic behaviour. Several fundamental gene circuits have been developed using this approach, including toggle switches and oscillators, and these have been applied in new contexts such as triggered biofilm development and cellular population control. Here we describe an engineered genetic oscillator in Escherichia coli that is fast, robust and persistent, with tunable oscillatory periods as fast as 13 min. The oscillator was designed using a previously modelled network architecture comprising linked positive and negative feedback loops. Using a microfluidic platform tailored for single-cell microscopy, we precisely control environmental conditions and monitor oscillations in individual cells through multiple cycles. Experiments reveal remarkable robustness and persistence of oscillations in the designed circuit; almost every cell exhibited large-amplitude fluorescence oscillations throughout observation runs. The oscillatory period can be tuned by altering inducer levels, temperature and the media source. Computational modelling demonstrates that the key design principle for constructing a robust oscillator is a time delay in the negative feedback loop, which can mechanistically arise from the cascade of cellular processes involved in forming a functional transcription factor. The positive feedback loop increases the robustness of the oscillations and allows for greater tunability. Examination of our refined model suggested the existence of a simplified oscillator design without positive feedback, and we construct an oscillator strain confirming this computational prediction.
Cytological profiling: providing more haystacks for chemists' needles

Conventional high-throughput 'chemical genetic' screening seeks to identify small-molecule inhibitors of a specific protein or pathway. A recent study describes how unbiased screening of cellular morphology, followed by affinity purification to identify targets of compounds with interesting effects, can lead to the identification of novel inhibitors.
Modified Anisotropic Gurson Yield Criterion for Porous Ductile Sheet Metals

The influence of plastic anisotropy on the plastic behavior of porous ductile materials is investigated by a three-dimensional finite element analysis. A unit cell of cube containing a spherical void is modeled. The Hill quadratic anisotropic yield criterion is used to describe the matrix normal anisotropy and planar isotropy. The matrix material is first assumed to be elastic perfectly plastic. Macroscopically uniform displacements are applied to the faces of the cube. The finite element computational results are compared with those based on the closed-form anisotropic Gurson yield criterion suggested in Liao et al. 1997, Approximate Yield Criteria for Anisotropic Porous Ductile Sheet Metals, Mech. Mater., pp. 213-226. Three fitting parameters are suggested for the closed-form yield criterion to fit the results based on the modified yield criterion to those of finite element computations. When the strain hardening of the matrix is considered, the computational results of the macroscopic stress-strain behavior are in agreement with those based on the modified anisotropic Gurson's yield criterion under uniaxial and equal biaxial tensile loading conditions.
openEyes: an open-hardware open-source system for low-cost eye tracking

Eye tracking has long held the promise of being a useful methodology for human computer interaction. However, a number of barriers have stood in the way of the integration of eye tracking into everyday applications, including the intrusiveness, robustness, availability and price of eye-tracking systems. To lower these barriers, we have developed the openEyes system. The system consists of an open-hardware design for a digital eye tracker that can be built from low-cost off-the-shelf components, and a set of open-source software tools for digital image capture, manipulation, and analysis in eye-tracking applications. We expect that the availability of this system will facilitate the development of eye-tracking applications and the eventual integration of eye tracking into the next generation of everyday human computer interfaces. We discuss the methods and technical challenges of low-cost eye tracking as well as the design decisions that produced our current system.
What Does “Intending to Vote” Mean?

How accurate are responses to questions about intentions to vote in an upcoming election? Questions of this type are studied in a range of work in political science to understand the effects of other factors on political engagement, as well as in public opinion research. We analyze six phone surveys conducted over two elections which include pre-election vote intention and post-election vote validation (N=24,303). As expected, many who report intending to vote actually do not vote (13% and 54% for the two elections). More surprisingly, high rates people who predicted they would not vote actually do vote (56% and 39%). For both forms of inaccurate self-prediction, respondents were much more accurate when predicting that they would behave consistently with their past behavior than when predicting that they would behave inconsistently with their past behavior. We discuss implications for political science research, behavioral prediction, election administration, and public opinion.