cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
18 – Useful radiation effects

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the applications of radiation. Radiation in the form of gamma rays, beta particles, and neutrons is used in science and industry to achieve desirable changes. Radiation doses control offending organisms including cancer cells and harmful bacteria, and sterilize insects. Diseases such as cancer can be treated by gamma rays, food spoilage is reduced greatly by irradiation, medical supplies are rendered sterile within plastic containers and sewage sludge can be disinfected by irradiation. Moreover, new and improved crops are produced by radiation mutations and the sterile insect technique has controlled insect pests in many areas of the world. Radiation also serves as a catalyst in the production of certain chemicals and properties of fibers and wood are enhanced by radiation treatment. Desirable impurities can be induced in semiconductor materials by neutron bombardment. The scattering by neutrons provides information on magnetic materials, and interference of neutron beams is used to examine surfaces. Scattered neutrons yield estimations of location and size of minute biological structures and finally, synchrotron X-rays are required for detailed study of biological molecules. Thus, radiation has several useful applications in science, medicine, and social and economic aspects of life.
Do Stock Analysts Influence Merger Completion? An Examination of Postmerger Announcement Recommendations

This paper investigates the effects of analyst recommendations issued after a merger announcement on deal completion. We find the probability of completion increases decreases with the favorability of acquirer target recommendations. Results from instrumental variables tests support causality running from recommendations to merger outcomes. Additional tests suggest that these relations are driven by target shareholders reassessing the merger offer in response to movements in acquirer and target valuations. We also find that favorably recommended firms in a proposed merger underperform following deal resolution, suggesting that investors overreact to postmerger announcement recommendations. This paper was accepted by Wei Jiang, finance.
Sharing pro-marijuana messaging on social media: The moderating role of legislation.

This study investigates whether recreational marijuana legislation and perceived social norms (descriptive and injunctive) affect college students’ propensity to share pro-marijuana messages. We ex...
Concurrent asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in adult ED patients: A national perspective.

Abstract Objectives Emergency department (ED) visits for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) are common. The designation of Asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) has been used to describe patients with features of both diseases. Studies show that ACO patients may be at increased risk of poor outcomes relative to patients with either disease alone. We sought to characterize ED visits and ED-related outcomes of patients with ACO compared to patients with Asthma or COPD alone. Methods We conducted a secondary analysis of the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NHAMCS, 2005–2018) characterizing ED visits in patients ≥35 years of age with Asthma Only, COPD Only or ACO. We performed univariable and multivariable analyses adjusting for demographics to assess relevant ED outcome variables. Results From 2005 to 2018, there were an estimated 8.15, 17.78 and 0.56 million ED visits for Asthma Only, COPD Only and ACO, respectively. ACO patients were younger than COPD Only patients (mean age 50.18 versus 61.79; p Conclusions ACO patients appear to differ demographically from patients with either disease alone in the ED. After adjustment for these demographic differences, ACO patients appear to differ with respect to several ED variables, notably respiratory therapies; however, clinical outcomes including admission and mortality rates appear to be comparable between groups.
Stabilized leapfrog scheme run backward in time, and the explicit O(Δ t)2 stepwise computation of ill-posed time-reversed 2D Navier–Stokes equations

Richardson's leapfrog scheme is notoriously unconditionally unstable in well-posed, forward, linear dissipative evolution equations. Remarkably, that scheme can be stabilized, marched backward in t...
Towards the Ideal Revolutionary Shi’i Woman: The Howzevi (Seminarian), the Requisites of Marriage and Islamic Education in Iran

The ethnographic fieldwork I conducted in Iran reveals how some religious conservative howzevi (seminarian) women understand marriage and motherhood as constitutive of idealized womanhood. For them, the pursuit of marriage and motherhood simultaneously enables their participation in the highest levels of Islamic education and their religious and political authority in Iran. Such aspirations imposed both regulatory and emancipatory effects on the howzevi’s life. Two self-imposed practices I observed from women were the practice of asking permission from the husband, and having the desire to marry a man whom she expected would want to be asked for permission. I underline the hidden yet enabling aspects of these practices. I show what a system of mutual exchange of responsibilities between nafaqeh (full financial provision) and eta’at (obedience) look like as features of a howzevi marriage. I argue that it was precisely the howzevi’s observances of this mutual exchange and other constraints that facilitated her educational, social and political mobility.
The Effects of Nucleotides on the Expression of β-Adrenergic Adenylate Cyclase Activity in Membranes from Turkey Erythrocytes

Abstract Purine nucleotides augment catecholamine-induced activation of adenylate cyclase in the turkey erythrocyte plasma membrane. This effect occurs with greatest sensitivity for GTP (Km 1.4 x 10-8 m). The nucleotides do not change the Km for isoproterenol but increase the adenylate cyclase activity for any given stimulatory concentration of isoproterenol. The basal adenylate cyclase measured in the absence of hormone is unaffected by the nucleotides. The increment in enzyme activity is specifically a β-adrenergic function because it is completely blocked by propranolol, a β-adrenergic blocker, and unaffected by phentolamine, an α-adrenergic blocker. It is proposed that GTP enhances adenylate cyclase by altering the interaction between hormone and receptor. The interaction between tritiated isoproterenol and the catechol-specific site of the β-adrenergic receptor complex is not affected. It is therefore proposed that the receptor site specific for the ethanolamine function of the catecholamine molecule is influenced by the nucleotides.
A theoretical approach to C4ISR architectures

Within army transformation towards the future force concept, C4ISR architectures play the central role in the evolution of the systems and the doctrine. The scope and size of C41SR has increased significantly over the past few years, and material developers are trying to evolve their C4ISR architecture concepts and development methods to be able to satisfy these trends. In the process, they are discovering that many of the methods and processes used in the past are not adequate to handle the increased scope and size, as well as the compressed development timelines. The C4ISR architecture framework is at the center of all developments, that provides the templates (called "views") of how to capture C4ISR system design information, and it's intended operational use. While this framework is still valid, the current use of the framework lacks the rigor and consistency of a theoretical systematic approach of how to generate and interrelate the underlying design data. In this paper we present a rigorous mathematical framework augmenting the existing architecture framework, to provide a systematic way of capturing and generating the C4ISR system design data and translating it in standard architecture framework views. The approach starts with defining a metamodel of the design, which is used to capture the system of systems (SoS) design parameters, the sub-system design parameters, and their relationships with the operating requirements. We then define the C2, communications and sensor requirements/capabilities of the system, and through a rigorous mathematical framework of relating this data with operational data about the intended use, we create a set of analytical expressions that generate data which when put in the appropriate format form the basis of the C4ISR architecture views. This way we have full traceability between the system design and the architecture framework views. This approach is rigorous, systematic, and can generate all the data and the architecture views in much shorter timelines and greater consistency and accuracy, while providing a much more robust basis for the design.
A Model of Return Volatility with Application to Estimating Relative Risk Aversion

We estimate a monthly return volatility model that allows for the abrupt changes in volatility often observed in returns data. Using this model we are able to identify key months likely to correspond to draws from a high volatility regime. Using our model in conjunction with Merton's (1980) model relating expected risk premia to risk we obtain reasonable estimates of the coefficient of relative risk aversion.
The protein tyrosine phosphatase, Shp2, is required for the complete activation of the RAS/MAPK pathway by brain-derived neurotrophic factor

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and other neurotrophins induce a unique prolonged activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) compared with growth factors. Characterization and kinetic and spatial modeling of the signaling pathways underlying this prolonged MAPK activation by BDNF will be important in understanding the physiological role of BDNF in many complex systems in the nervous system. In addition to Shc, fibroblast growth factor receptor substrate 2 (FRS2) is required for the BDNF-induced activation of MAPK. BDNF induces phosphorylation of FRS2. However, BDNF does not induce phosphorylation of FRS2 in cells expressing a deletion mutant of TrkB (TrkBDeltaPTB) missing the juxtamembrane NPXY motif. This motif is the binding site for SHC. NPXY is the consensus sequence for phosphotyrosine binding (PTB) domains, and notably, FRS2 and SHC contain PTB domains. This NPXY motif, which contains tyrosine 484 of TrkB, is therefore the binding site for both FRS2 and SHC. Moreover, the proline containing region (VIENP) of the NPXY motif is also required for FRS2 and SHC phosphorylation, which indicates this region is an important component of FRS2 and SHC recognition by TrkB. Previously, we had found that the phosphorylation of FRS2 induces association of FRS2 and growth factor receptor binding protein 2 (Grb2). Now, we have intriguing data that indicates BDNF induces association of the SH2 domain containing protein tyrosine phosphatase, Shp2, with FRS2. Moreover, the PTB association motif of TrkB containing tyrosine 484 is required for the BDNF-induced association of Shp2 with FRS2 and the phosphorylation of Shp2. These results imply that FRS2 and Shp2 are in a BDNF signaling pathway. Shp2 is required for complete MAPK activation by BDNF, as expression of a dominant negative Shp2 in cells attenuates BDNF-induced activation of MAPK. Moreover, expression of a dominant negative Shp2 attenuates Ras activation showing that the protein tyrosine phosphatase is required for complete activation of MAPKs by BDNF. In conclusion, Shp2 regulates BDNF signaling through the MAPK pathway by regulating either Ras directly or alternatively, by signaling components upstream of Ras. Characterization of MAPK signaling controlled by BDNF is likely to be required to understand the complex physiological role of BDNF in neuronal systems ranging from the regulation of neuronal growth and survival to the regulation of synapses.
An even-parity/odd-parity formulation for deterministic transport calculations on massively parallel computers (U)

We have developed a highly parallel deterministic method for performing time-dependent particle (neutron, gamma-ray, or thermal radiation) transport calculations on arbitrarily connected 3-D tetrahedral meshes. The standard discrete-ordinates method, which is used to solve the first-order form of the transport equation, is extremely cumbersome to apply on such meshes and is based upon a mesh sweeping algorithm that is highly sequential in nature. A serial 1-D code for the CRAY-YMP and a parallel 1-D code for the CM-2 (Connection Machine) have been written to test our basic method. Comparisons between these two codes have shown that our new even/odd parity method is highly parallelizable.
Transplant versus resection for the management of hepatocellular carcinoma meeting Milan Criteria in the MELD exception era at a single institution in a UNOS region with short wait times.

Background Management of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in the Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) exception era remains regionally variable. Outcomes were compared for patients undergoing transplant versus resection at a single institution in a UNOS region with short wait times for organ availability.
Assessment of platelet function

Objective – To review the current in vivo and in vitro tests of platelet function (PF) currently available and applicable to companion animals. Data Sources – Scientific reviews, case reports, original clinical and laboratory research publications, and recent veterinary research conference proceedings. Human Data Synthesis – Disorders of primary hemostasis are very common in human medicine. These include inbornerrorsofPFandgranulestoragecontents,primarydiseasemechanismsthatalterPF,disorderssecondary to surgical interventions, and the effects of anticoagulant medications. Knowledge of PF disorders and the optimal method for assessment must be known to understand the mechanism and to monitor the process or drug therapy. Veterinary Data Synthesis– Interest in the study and treatment of primary coagulopathies in clinical veterinary patients has resulted in a surge of recent publications and scientific research presentations. A translational approach that uses laboratory and point-of-care tools to uncover the pathophysiologic mechanisms in the patient with defects in primary hemostasis allows the clinician to plan the diagnosis and treatment more effectively. Summary – Primary hemostatic disorders are being more commonly recognized in clinical veterinary practice. Thediagnosis of plateletdysfunction may be obtained via point-of-care analyzers that use relativelysmall blood samples and have a quick turnaround time. Recent investigations may lead to a better understanding of the pathophysiology of PF disorders and potentially the optimization, or discovery, of novel treatments. Conclusions – The assessment of PF can be completed through in vivo and in vitro point-of-care techniques as well as by submission of blood samples to more specialized platelet biology laboratories. The information obtained including the physical examination and clinical manifestations of a hemostatic disorder, as well as the benefits of each testing modality, must be known prior to the diagnostic investigation of a patient with a coagulopathy.
One-shot cost conscious digital signal processing

The paper summarizes the approach to teaching digital signal processing at the University of Ottawa. The paper is restricted to one fourth-year all-inclusive course which tries to cover all the basics of DSP while introducing students to software/hardware tools and applications. The author believes that based on a balanced combination of DSP packages, high level programming (using C) and hardware components; it is possible to achieve the objectives in the limited time available.
Deoxynucleotide-interconverting enzymes and the quantification of deoxynucleoside triphosphates in mammalian cells

We have demonstrated that methanol extracts of human cells are heterogeneous with regard to content of dNDP (deoxynucleoside diphosphate) and dNMP (deoxynucleoside monophosphate) kinases. The presence of these enzymes can affect the reliability of techniques used to measure intracellular pools of deoxynucleotides. An optimized extraction procedure and enzymic assay for dNTP species in haematopoietic cells are described which provide sensitivity to measure 0.1–40pmol of dATP, dTTP and dGTP, and 1.0–40pmol of dCTP. The extraction and assay give linear results with (2.5–15)×106 nucleated cells and (0.1–1.5)×109 red blood cells. Under these conditions, extracts equivalent to ~0.5×106 nucleated haematopoietic cells catalyse the phosphorylation of 0–8% of dNDP and dNMP standards to dNTP and incorporate them into deoxynucleotide polymer under circumstances where 100% of an equimolar dNTP standard would be incorporated. By contrast, extracts of 0.4×106 HeLa cells totally converted dADP, dTDP and dGDP into dNTP with subsequent polymerization. Conversion of dCDP was somewhat less efficient. The results demonstrate conclusively that the activities of deoxynucleotide interconverting enzymes differ in different types of human cells. They can interfere with assay of nucleotides, but may not do so in many types of cell extracts. In particular, dNTP concentrations can be measured in human haematopoietic cells after extraction with 60% (v/v) methanol and are not artificially elevated by deoxynucleotide interconversions. It is apparent that extraction and assay procedures for measurement of dNTP species should be analysed for each cell type in order to minimize contaminating enzyme activities and ensure accuracy of dNTP quantification.
The Effects of Inquiry Teaching on Student Science Achievement and Attitudes: Evidence from Propensity Score Analysis of PISA Data

Gauging the effectiveness of specific teaching strategies remains a major topic of interest in science education. Inquiry teaching among others has been supported by extensive research and recommended by the National Science Education Standards. However, most of the empirical evidence in support was collected in research settings rather than in normal school environments. Propensity score analysis was performed within the marginal mean weighting through stratification (MMW-S) approach to examine the effects of the level of openness of inquiry teaching on student science achievement and attitudes with the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2006 data. Weighting subjects on MMW-S weight successfully balanced all treatment groups on all selected covariates. Significant effects were identified on both cognitive and attitudinal outcomes. For student science achievement, the highest score was achieved at Level 2 inquiry teaching, that is, students conduct activities and draw conclusions from d...
ARCHITECTURE AND HYDRAULICS OF A LOWER EXTREMITY EXOSKELETON

Wheeled vehicles are often incapable of transporting heavy materials over rough terrain or up staircases. Lower extremity exoskeletons supplement human intelligence with the strength and endurance of a pair of wearable robotic legs that support a payload. This paper summarizes the design and analysis of the Berkeley Lower Extremity Exoskeleton (BLEEX). The anthropomorphically-based BLEEX has seven degrees of freedom per leg, four of which are powered by linear hydraulic actuators. The selection of the degrees of freedom, critical hardware design aspects, and initial performance measurements of BLEEX are discussed.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Activation of the rotator cuff in generating isometric shoulder rotation torque

This study compared and quantified electromyographic muscle activation of the rotator cuff with the isometric torque generated by performing shoulder rotation in various positions. Twenty healthy volunteers were tested in 29 shoulder positions. Using a Cybex II dynamometer synchronously with electromyography, surface electrodes were placed over the pectoralis major muscle and three parts of the deltoid muscle. Intramuscular wire electrodes were inserted into the four rotator cuff muscles. We found that the greatest external rotation isometric force is generated in the frontal and scapular planes in the neutral or full internal rotation positions. The sagittal, dependent, and the scapular plane with 45 degrees of elevation in rotational positions of either full or half external rotation generated the greatest torques for internal rotation isometric force. The rotator cuff muscles generated greatest electromyographic activity in neutral to midrotational positions. The scapular plane with 90 degrees of shoulder elevation in neutral rotation best isolated the subscapularis muscle. The infraspinatus-teres minor muscles were isolated in the sagittal plane with 90 degrees of shoulder elevation in a half externally rotated position. We were unable to isolate the supraspinatus muscle in any of these tested positions. These positions are recommended for manual muscle testing and for strengthening these muscles.
The British Civil Service A Political Excavation and Review

The British political and legal tradition has been no less generous in the guidance it has supplied American practitioners and theoreticians since the founding as it was to the founders themselves. Although perhaps the most notable institutions to draw the attention of students of American politics have been the British parliamentary and party systems, more than a little attention has been devoted to English administrative and civil service practices. Unfortunately, the underlying political thought that informed the English civil service reform movement of the 19th century, and that is still largely responsible for the shape of the modern British administrative service, has been lost from sight. Study of the reform movement exposes a body of thought intent on legitimating the requisites of a government equal to the ends of the modern republic, that is, safety and happiness for the people, within the confines of a social and political order that was becoming increasingly democratic The teaching left by the...
Stability and Exfoliation of Germanane: A Germanium Graphane Analogue

Graphene’s success has shown not only that it is possible to create stable, single-atom-thick sheets from a crystalline solid but that these materials have fundamentally different properties than the parent material. We have synthesized for the first time, millimeter-scale crystals of a hydrogen-terminated germanium multilayered graphane analogue (germanane, GeH) from the topochemical deintercalation of CaGe2. This layered van der Waals solid is analogous to multilayered graphane (CH). The surface layer of GeH only slowly oxidizes in air over the span of 5 months, while the underlying layers are resilient to oxidation based on X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurements. The GeH is thermally stable up to 75 °C; however, above this temperature amorphization and dehydrogenation begin to occur. These sheets can be mechanically exfoliated as single and few layers onto SiO2/Si surfaces. This material represents a new class of covalently terminated graphane analogue...
Acoustic Experience Shapes Alternative Mating Tactics and Reproductive Investment in Male Field Crickets

Summary Developmental plasticity allows juvenile animals to assess environmental cues and adaptively shape behavioral and morphological traits to maximize fitness in their adult environment [1]. Sexual signals are particularly conspicuous cues, making them likely candidates for mediating such responses. Plasticity in male reproductive traits is a common phenomenon, but empirical evidence for signal-mediated plasticity in males is lacking. We tested whether experience of acoustic sexual signals during juvenile stages influences the development of three adult traits in the continuously breeding field cricket Teleogryllus oceanicus : male mating tactics, reproductive investment, and condition. All three traits were affected by juvenile acoustic experience. Males of this species produce a long-range calling song to attract receptive females, but they can also behave as satellites by parasitizing other males' calls [2]. Males reared in an environment mimicking a population with many calling males were less likely to exhibit satellite behavior, invested more in reproductive tissues, and attained higher condition than males reared in a silent environment. These results contrast with other studies [3] and demonstrate how the effects of juvenile social experience on adult male morphology, reproductive investment, and behavior may subsequently influence sexual selection and phenotypic evolution.
Modeling of redox electrochemical MHD and three-dimensional CFD simulations of transient phenomena in microfluidic cells

Computational fluid dynamics simulations of redox electrochemical magneto-hydrodynamics (MHD) covering a large parameter space have been done to establish the effects of redox species concentration, electrode area, and magnetic field strength and orientation on the limiting current. Simulations of milli-electrode and microelectrode systems show similarities and differences between the two. Potential sweep and potential step simulations using time-accurate solution algorithms enabled accurate capture of transient phenomena which is crucial to the development of lab-on-a-chip flow control applications. Power-law correlations reported in previous experimental investigations of milli-electrodes are found to be less accurate for microelectrodes and nano-electrodes suggesting possible effects of multidimensional diffusion. Further, the orientation of the magnetic field in relation to the electrode surface has a strong influence on the flow field. Interesting and complex flow features are observed in the post-processed still images and animations. This work advances redox MHD simulations by incorporating important aspects in the models that were not considered in previous models. Our simulations based on these new models provide new insight into redox electrochemical MHD.
Cytosolic androgen receptor in skeletal muscle from normal and testicular feminization mutant (Tfm) rats.

Abstract Skeletal muscle from normal adult male rats contains a cytosolic androgen receptor that is similar to that of other androgen target tissues with regard to ligand specificity and affinity for DNA. Although the receptor is not present in many androgen target tissues from rats with testicular feminization, the receptor is present in skeletal muscle from these rats. It does not, however, bind DNA. This defect represents a previously undescribed mode of expression of the mutation and may be paradigmatic for human subjects with receptor-positive androgen resistance.
Local discrete symmetry and quantum-mechanical hair

Abstract A charge operator is constructed for a quantum field theory with an abelian discrete gauge symmetry, and a non-local order parameter is formulated that specifies how the gauge symmetry is realized. If the discrete gauge symmetry is manifest, then the charge inside a large region can be detected at the boundary of the region, even in a theory with no massless gauge fields. This long-range effect has no classical analog; it implies that a black hole can in principle carry “quantum-mechanical hair”. If the gauge group is nonabelian, then a charged particle can transfer charge to a loop of cosmic string via the nonabelian Aharonov-Bohmeffect. The string loop can carry charge even though there is no localized source of charge anywhere on the string or in its vicinity. The “total charge” in a closed universe must vanish, but, if the gauge group is nonabelian and the universe is not simply connected, then the “total charge” is not necessarily the same as the sum of all point charges contained in the universe.
Parameterizing bayesian network representations of social-behavioral models by expert elicitation

Bayesian networks provide a general framework with which to model many natural phenomena. The mathematical nature of Bayesian networks enables a plethora of model validation and calibration techniques: e.g. parameter learning, structure learning, goodness of fit tests, and diagnostic checking of the model assumptions. However, they are not free of shortcomings. With regard to parameter learning, in practice it is not uncommon to find oneself lacking adequate data to reliably estimate all model parameters. In this paper we present the early development of a novel application of conjoint analysis as a method for eliciting and modeling expert opinions and for using the results in a methodology for calibrating the parameters of a Bayesian network.
Bronchial thermoplasty: A new treatment paradigm for severe persistent asthma

Patients with severe asthma represent only a minority of the total asthma population; however, they account for the majority of the mortality, morbidity, and health care-related cost of this chronic illness. Bronchial thermoplasty is a novel treatment modality that employs radiofrequency energy to alter the smooth muscles of the airways. This therapy represents a radical change in our treatment paradigm from daily repetitive dosing of medications to a truly long-term and potentially permanent attenuation of perhaps the most feared component of asthma--smooth muscle-induced bronchospasm. A large, multicentered, double-blinded, randomized controlled trial employed the unprecedented (but now industry standard for bronchoscopic studies) approach of using sham bronchoscopy as a control. It demonstrated that bronchial thermoplasty is safe, improved quality of life, and decreased frequency of severe exacerbations in the treatment group compared to the control group. Although the mechanism of action of bronchial thermoplasty is not currently completely understood, it should be considered as a valid and potentially valuable option for patients who have severe persistent asthma and who remain symptomatic despite inhaled corticosteroids and long-acting beta-2 agonists. Such patients should however be carefully evaluated at centers with expertise in managing severe asthma patients and with physicians who have experience with this promising new treatment modality.
Evaluation of lime requirement tests for minesoils.

Evaluation of twelve minesoils collected from restored or abandoned surface mines in eastern Kentucky with six standard lime requirement procedures showed that one of the procedures accurately forecasted long term lime requirements. The minesoils were then evaluated for potassium choloride-extractable aluminum using the Yang exchangeable acidity procedure. When the extractable A13+ was multiplied by a factor of 2.24 it was found to also be an accurate measure for longterm limestone requirements. To bring the minesoil to pH 5.5 the results obtained using the modified Yuan procedure indicate that for each MEQ Al3+ extracted per 100 grams of minesoil 2.24 Mg of calcium carbonate (CaCO3) equivalent lime per hectare be applied. Application of lime based on this procedure and one of the standard lime procedures resulted in pH stability of the minesoils for forty months.
21 cm and 18 cm Observations of the Cygnus X-3 Radio Outburst

WE have observed the outburst of Cyg X-3 using the Owens Valley Radio Observatory (OVRO) interferometer at 21 cm and (after technical difficulties halted interferometer observations) with the 130-foot antenna at 18 cm. For much of the outburst we have observations with both systems.
Neuregulin 1 (NRG1 ) and schizophrenia: analysis of a US family sample and the evidence in the balance.

Background. Individual genome-wide linkage scans and meta-analyses support that one or more susceptibility genes for schizophrenia are located in chromosome 8p. A gene from this region, neuregulin 1 (NRG1), known to be involved with glutamatergic function, has been found to be associated in some studied samples.Method. We have examined a new combined schizophrenia sample with 136 schizophrenia families largely of European ancestry (EA) and 646 subjects with DNA. We genotyped 14 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in NRG1 including those reported to comprise schizophrenia-associated haplotypes in Icelandic, Scottish, Irish, and Chinese Han populations.Results. We found no evidence of association at a single-marker or a haplotypic level. We review methodological aspects of previous studies to enable us to put our findings into context.Conclusions. Our failure to find an association between NRG1 and schizophrenia might reflect different linkage disequilibrium (LD) patterns found in different populations, disease allelic heterogeneity, clinical heterogeneity of schizophrenia, or inadequate statistical power deriving from moderate sample size. NRG1, if a true gene for schizophrenia, accounts for a small fraction of the disease in most populations. The confirmation of NRG1 as a schizophrenia susceptibility gene will require studies with a comprehensive set of markers and in larger samples. The possibility remains that reports of NRG1 association might reflect false positives.
Emotions, objectivity and voice

Abstract Based on a participant observation of a feminist bookstore, this paper investigates interconnected issues of emotion, objectivity and the “gendering” of an academic voice. In it, I document how graduate students and other academics are taught to do research through a masculinized discourse of objectivity, ignoring the intensity and emotionality of locating ourselves in meaning-laden spaces. I argue that researchers must document, investigate and analyze their emotions along with their data, using reflexivity as a method for combining subjectivity and analytic rigor. To that end, I reexamine a “failed” research project, analyzing my emotional responses to uncover important social dynamics of the research location.
Implications of Dirac nucleon dynamics for the binding of light nuclei

Abstract A three-nucleon potential is calculated from a Dirac nucleon dynamical model which includes scalar and vector meson exchange. While improving the saturation properties of nuclear matter over those obtained with standard two-nucleon potentials, this three-nucleon potential provides extra repulsion in the A = 3,4 systems, which shifts the binding energies calculated from two-nucleon potentials alone further away from the measured values.
An Evaluation of Text-Entry in Palm OS – Graffiti and the Virtual Keyboard

The handheld organizer or personal digital assistant (PDA) is rapidly becoming a popular organizational tool, and there is a need for evaluation of alphanumeric character entry on these devices. The Palm operating system, the most common PDA operating system on the market, uses two methods for character entry, an on-screen virtual keyboard and a single-character handwriting recognition system called Graffiti. An initial experiment was conducted to investigate the character entry rates of novice and expert users of the device for the two methods of input. Experts were found to reach an average rate of 21 words per minute (wpm) using Graffiti and 18 wpm using the virtual keyboard. Novices were able to use Graffiti at a rate of 7 wpm and the virtual keyboard at 16 wpm. These character entry rates are evaluated with respect to some theoretical limitations, a predicted rate of entry based on Fitts' and the Hick-Hyman laws for the virtual keyboard, and pen and paper printing for Graffiti. The potential gain for...
Multi-Axis Electrothermal Scanning Micromirror with Low Driving Voltage

This paper presents the design, fabrication and measurement results of a multi-axis electrothermal micromirror. This micromirror employs unique bimorph actuators to achieve one-dimensional piston motion and two-dimensional rotation.
HARMONIC WAVE PROPAGATION IN AN INFINITE ELASTIC MEDIUM WITH A PERIODIC ARRAY OF CYLINDRICAL PORES

Abstract The propagation of plane harmonic waves in an elastic medium in which there is a periodic distribution of infinitely long, cylindrical pores is analyzed. The waves propagate perpendicular to the pores and the approach used is a finite element method based on Galerkin's technique. Results on dispersion, for several values of porosity, and on strain energy distributions within a typical half-cell are given. Also, as a check on the dynamic results, equivalent elastic moduli are derived by using a static analysis.
Progress in understanding the molecular pathogenesis of human lung cancer

We review the molecular pathogenesis of lung cancer including alterations in dominant oncogenes, recessive oncogenes/tumor suppressor genes, alterations in growth regulatory signaling pathways, abnormalities in other pathways, such as apoptosis, autocrine and paracrine growth stimulatory loops, angiogenesis, and host immune responses, other mechanisms of genetic changes, such as microsatellite and methylation alterations, and the potential for inherited predisposition to lung cancer. These changes are related to multistage carcinogenesis involving preneoplastic lesions, and lung development and differentiation. The translational applications of these findings for developing new ways of early detection, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of lung cancer are discussed.
Algorithms for power-efficient QoS in application specific NoCs

Quality-of-Service (QoS) is a fundamental part of Networks-on-Chip (NoC) design. In application specific NoCs, guaranteed QoS is often obtained by static bandwidth reservation at design-time. The bandwidth allocation inevitably affects power-efficiency, which is crucial yet largely neglected in prior NoC QoS methods. In this work, we develop two algorithmic techniques that concurrently address power-efficiency and QoS. One is path-based integer linear programming (ILP) and the other is a negotiation-based heuristic. Both techniques support multiple user-cases. Simulation results show that our techniques significantly outperform an iterative greedy heuristic and are order of magnitude faster than conventional edge-based ILP.
Breakage characteristics of coal-water slurries

Grinding tests were conducted under various conditions to characterize the breakage characteristics of coal-water mixtures. Five bituminous coals were ground in a conventional tumbling ball mill for different times at solids concentrations of 40-70% by weight, with and without the use of a dispersant. For a given coal, the grinding rate decreased as the solids concentration increased, whereas grinding at a higher solids concentration produced a higher proportion of fines, giving a flatter distribution. However, even at the highest slurry density, the product size distribution was steeper than the broad size distribution recommended for maximum solids loading and minimum viscosity. Additional grinding tests were performed in a stirred ball mill, aiming at a two-stage grinding method for producing coal-water mixtures. On the basis of the breakage parameters obtained from the laboratory tests, simulations were performed to analyze an industrial scale two-stage grinding circuit.
Analysis of the impact of improved market trading efficiency on the speculation-hedging relation

Purpose – In this study, the author aims to examine the behavior of QQQ options at the time of the QQQ move from AMEX to NASDAQ on December 1, 2004. The author addresses the questions: is there a relation between hedging and speculation, if such a relation exists considering the improvement in market trading efficiency after the QQQ move did the relation between speculative demand for options and hedging demand for options strengthen at the time of the QQQ move, if such a relation exists does hedging activity follow speculative activity. Design/methodology/approach – The author uses the fact that deep-out-of-the-money puts are used for hedging, whereas deep-out-of-the-money calls are used for speculation. The author uses spectral analysis on QQQ options in the attempt to answer the research question. The author uses spectral analysis because the data in the study are non-normally distributed which would make parametric testing meaningless. Findings – The author finds that indeed the relation between specu...
Transcapillary exchange of indium 111-labeled anticardiac myosin Fab and thallium 201 in isolated reperfused rabbit hearts.

Background The physiologic mechanisms of111In-labeled anticardiac myosin antibody [111In]-AM) imaging are fairly well established. However, to better understand the transcapillary exchange characteristics of normal and reperfused myocardium, a standard first-pass, indicator-dilution analysis was undertaken in hearts subjected to global no-flow and low-flow ischemia.
WE‐C‐217BCD‐10: Development of High Performance PET for Animal Imaging and Therapy Applications

Purpose: A prototype small animal PET is developed with several novel technologies to measure 3D gamma‐interaction positions and to substantially improve imaging performance. Methods: Each new detector has an 8×8 array of 1.95×1.95×30 mm3 LYSO scintillators, with each end optically connected to a solid‐state photo multiplier (SSPM) array through a light guide. This dual‐ended‐readout enables the depth‐of‐interaction (DOI) measurement. Each SSPM array has 16 SSPMs arranged in a 4x4 matrix. Each SSPM has active area about 3×3 mm2, with its output read by an ASIC electronics that directly converts analog signals to digital timing pulses which encode the interaction information for energy, timing, crystal of interaction, and DOI calculations. These digital pulses are transferred to and decoded by FPGA‐based TDC for coincident event selection and data acquisition. This independent readout of each SSPM and parallel signal process significantly improve signal‐to‐noise ratio and permit applying flexible data processing algorithms. The current prototype system consists of two rotating detector panels on a portable gantry, with 4 detectors linearly packed together in each panel to provide ∼16 mm axial and variable trans‐ axial FOV with adjustable panel‐to‐panel distance. List‐mode OSEM‐based image reconstruction with resolution modeling was implemented. Both Na‐ 22 point source and phantom were used to evaluate the system performance. Results: The measured energy, timing, spatial and DOI resolutions for each crystal were around 16%, 2.6 ns, 2.0 mm and 5.0 mm, respectively. The measured spatial resolutions with DOI were ∼1.7 mm across the entire FOV in all direction, while those without DOI were much worse and non‐uniform across the FOV, in the range predominately around 3.0 to 4.0 mm. In addition, images from a F‐18 hot‐rod phantom with DOI show significantly improved quality compared to those without DOI. Conclusions: DOI‐ measurable PET shows substantially improved image performance for a compact system. National Institute of Health. University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center
Performance, resolving power, and radial ion distributions of a prototype nanoelectrospray ionization resistive glass atmospheric pressure ion mobility spectrometer.

In this article, we describe and characterize a novel ion mobility spectrometer constructed with monolithic resistive glass desolvation and drift regions. This instrument is equipped with switchable corona discharge and nanoelectrospray ionization sources and a Faraday plate detector. Following description of the instrument, pulsing electronics, and data acquisition system, we examine the effects of drift gas flow rate and temperature, and of the aperture grid to anode distance on the observed resolving power and sensitivity. Once optimum experimental parameters are identified, different ion gate pulse lengths, and their effect on the temporal spread of the ion packet were investigated. Resolving power ranged from an average value of 50 ms/ms for a 400-μs ion gate pulse, up to an average value of 68 ms/ms for a 100-μs ion gate pulse, and a 26-cm drift tube operated at 383 V cm-1. Following these experiments, the radial distribution of ions in the drift region of the spectrometer was studied by using anode...
Photocytotoxicity of a new Rh2(II,II) complex : Increase in cytotoxicity upon irradiation similar to that of PDT agent hematoporphyrin

A new type of heteroleptic dirhodium complex cis-[Rh2(μ-O2CCH3)2(bpy)(dppz)]2+ (3) was synthesized and its potential as a photodynamic therapy (PDT) agent was investigated. Although 27% hypochromicity of the absorption of 3 in the near-UV and visible regions is observed in the presence of duplex DNA, relative viscosity measurements reveal that the complex does not intercalate between the DNA bases. The DNA photocleavage with visible light by 3 proceeds via both oxygen dependent and independent mechanisms, and it is more efficient than that of related complexes. The increase in the cytotoxicity of 3 towards human skin cells is similar to that of hematoporphyrin, a key ingredient in a PDT drug currently in use. This feature makes this complex a useful candidate for further PDT studies.
Digital Access and National Character

A digital access index was associated with measures of national character (such as extraversion and individualism) for 18 industrialized nations, but statistical controls for gross domestic product per capita eliminated these associations.
Community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in the patient with HIV infection.

The prevalence of community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococus aureus (CA-MRSA) has increased alarmingly in both the general population and the HIV-infected community. We look at the background of MRSA including the mechanisms of resistance, genetics, and trends in the individual with HIV infection. Numerous studies have investigated the risk factors for CA-MRSA. Other studies have further characterized the incidence of and risk factors for MRSA infections in the HIV community. Although one might not readily associate advanced HIV infection with increased susceptibility to bacterial pathogens, a number of studies have explained the mechanisms of this B-cell-mediated susceptibility. Invasive MRSA infections have spread into communities, are increasingly prevalent, and pose a public health challenge for their containment, prevention, and treatment.
It isn't a matter of just being funny: Humor production by organizational leaders

This study explored whether organizational leaders recognize humor as part of their management style and how compatible the leaders ‘ humor strategy is with their overall communication style. Results reveal that leaders use more pro‐social humor than anti‐social humor in the workplace. Several relationships between the emotional aspects of humor production and the communicator style constructs indicate that leaders use humor as a socially acceptable communication technique to control groups and enhance their own communicator image.
The Effect of Fine Motor Skill Activities on Kindergarten Student Attention

This study explored the effect of fine motor skill activities on the development of attention in kindergarteners (n = 68) in five classes at a suburban public school in the Intermountain West through a pretest/posttest experimental group (n = 36) control group (n = 32) design. All children received the regular curriculum which included typical fine motor activities such as painting, coloring, writing, and play activities with small items. The treatment was a series of supplemental fine motor activities in which children used tongs, tweezers, and spoons to move small items. The assessment was the attention subtest of the Cognitive Assessment System (CAS) (Naglieri, J. A., & Das, J. P. (1997a). Cognitive assessment system. Itasca, IL: Riverside). A significant group × sex interaction with females positively responding to the treatment was found, suggesting that fine motor skill activities are effective in increasing female kindergartners’ attention. Further studies exploring effective materials for males and factors such as student choice and interest are needed.
Reproducibility and variability of the amount of tricuspid regurgitation with color Doppler echocardiography

The measurement of right atrial area was variable between different observers; however, quantitation of tricuspid regurgitation with color Doppler is a reproducible method with an acceptable error of measurement.