cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Aeroelastic analysis of advanced propellers using an efficient Euler solver

A 3D Euler solver is coupled with a 3D structural dynamics model to investigate flutter of propfans. A hybrid scheme is used to reduce computational time for the Euler equations and a normal mode analysis is used for flutter calculations. Experimental and calculated flutter results are compared for an advanced propeller propfan which experienced flutter at transonic tip relative velocities. The predicted flutter calculations are in close agreement with the experimental data. A structural damping value of 0.5 percent was required to predict the behavior observed in the experiment. Computations show that the flutter behavior is dominated by the second mode, but coupling with the first mode is required. The addition of other modes to the calculations did not affect the flutter behavior.
An analysis of the errors found in broadband filter radiometry

Abstract A joint project to monitor the spectral distribution of daylight was instituted between the Smithsonian Radiation Biology Laboratory and the National Physical Laboratory of Israel. The purpose of this project is to gather sufficient data to study the variations in spectral quality due to natural seasonal and atmospheric variations at various geographical locations. This analysis shows that using good equipment one can determine the spectral quality of daylight in 100 nm bands and determine the various ratios of these bands with errors less than 4 per cent.
A New Strategy for Studying Spatial Aptitude.

A new approach to testing for and training in spatial aptitude is described. Figurai analogy problem terms from the cognitive abilities test are photodigitized and arrayed in zones on the computer screen; they can be seen only when selected with the mouse (i.e., one at a time). Viewing patterns and durations can then be analyzed to assess problem encoding and solution strategies. Implications are discussed.
Coherent and partially coherent vortex beams in turbulence

The evolution of the scintillation and topological charge of coherent and partially coherent vortex beams in turbulence is analyzed. The possibility of using such beams in optical communications is discussed.
An exploratory study of morphological errors in children's written stories

This exploratory study provides descriptive information about the use of morphologically complex words in the story writing of second and third graders, some with and some without learning disabilities (LD). The purpose was to determine how commonly and how accurately children used inflections, derivations, and compound words spontaneously in their writing. The results showed significant differences by grade level and group (LD and Non-LD) in the frequency with which morphologically complex words are used. The LD second graders were less accurate than their peers in their use of morphological markers; both LD and Non-LD third graders had high levels of accuracy. In addition, examination of morphological markers that children use in written but nor oral language showed growth from second to third grade. The results suggest that the second and third grades may be a transitional period, in which the children are consolidating their knowledge of inflected forms and just beginning to use derived forms in their spontaneous writing. Reasons that children might make morphological errors in writing and problems that might be addressed in future studies are discussed.
Discrete M3-M4 intracellular loop subdomains control specific aspects of γ-aminobutyric acid type A receptor function.

The GABA type A receptor (GABAAR) is a member of the pentameric ligand gated ion channel (pLGIC) family that mediates ionotropic neurotransmission. Residues in the intracellular loop domain (ILD) have recently been shown to define part of the ion permeation pathway in several closely related members of the pentameric ligand gated ion channel family. In this study, we investigated the role the ILD of the GABAAR α1 subunit plays in channel function. Deletion of the α1 ILD resulted in a significant increase in GABA EC50 and maximal current amplitude, suggesting that the ILD must be intact for proper receptor function. To test this hypothesis, we conducted a mutagenic screen of all amino acids harboring ionizable side chains within this domain to investigate the contribution of individual charged residues to ion permeation. Using macroscopic and single channel voltage-clamp recording techniques, we found that mutations within a subdomain of the α1 ILD near M3 altered GABA apparent affinity; interestingly, α1(K312E) exhibited reduced partial agonist efficacy. We introduced point mutations near M4, including α1(K383E) and α1(K384E), that enhanced receptor desensitization. Mutation of 5 charged residues within a 39-residue span contiguous with M4 reduced relative anion permeability of the channel and may represent a weak intracellular selectivity filter. Within this subdomain, the α1(K378E) mutation induced a significant reduction in single channel conductance, consistent with our hypothesis that the GABAAR α1 ILD contributes directly to the permeation pathway.
Sex sex guilt and contraceptive use revisited: the 1980s.

Results of a questionnaire about sexual activity contraceptive practice sexual attitudes and guilt administered to 18-19 year old college women in 1983 were compared to similar testing of cohorts from 1973 and 1978. The subjects were history students at the University of Texas; the questionnaire was the Mosher True-False Sex-Guilt Inventory. There was an increase in sex guilt a decrease in sexual activity and an increase in effective contraception between 1978 and 1983. Sexual behavior and contraception returned to the same level as in 1973 and attitude toward sex was more conservative than in the prior cohorts. The hypothesis that high sex guilt scores would be associated with use of less effective contraception the "emotional inhibition hypothesis" was upheld. The results were interpreted to mean that sexual activity follows social norms but high sex guilt may cause a switch from effective methods such as the pill to ineffective methods such as withdrawal or no method at all.
The effect of temperature on the fatty acid and phospholipid composition ofCephalosporium falciforme andCephalosporium kiliense

The effect of temperature on the lipid composition ofCephalosporium falciforme andCephalosporium kiliense, causative agents of maduromycosis, was investigated. The fungi were grown at 28.5 C and 37 C in a chemically defined medium. The lipids were solvent extracted, purified on Sephadex, and separated into their component classes by silicic acid column chromatography. Five lipid classes were found: (a) sterol esters, (b) triacylglycerides, (c) free fatty acids, (d) sterols, and (e) phospholipids. Fatty acids were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography and phospholipids by thin layer chromatography. Temperature induced changes of varying degrees occurred in both the fatty acid phospholipid fractions of each organism.
How Cultural Orientations Create Shifting National Security Coalitions on Nuclear Weapons and Terrorist Threats in the American Public

Scholars have used cultural theory (CT) to explain risk perceptions and opinion formation across an impressive array of public issues, ranging from environmental, regulatory, and energy policy to public health and economics. Although disparate, all these issues concern domestic policies. This article breaks with this trend by exploring the extent to which CT can help scholars better understand public beliefs about national security. Of critical importance in debates about national security are perceptions of individual versus collective threat and the appropriate role of authoritative institutions in protecting society from these threats. Because CT provides a framework that explicitly addresses these dimensions, national security issues provide an illuminating canvas for evaluating the theory's explanatory utility.
Microstructural effects on quasi-static fracture mechanisms in AlLi alloys: the role of crack geometry

Abstract The influence of aging treatment on fracture toughness was investigated in a high purity AlLiCuZr alloy. It was found that variations in microstructural features and slip characteristics induced by the tempering treatment give rise to marked differences in crack morphology among the aging conditions during quasi-static fracture. The underaged microstructures promote severely branched cracks during the onset of fracture and subsequent crack growth. In contrast with this, the overaged tempers tested at comparable yield strength levels result in a linear crack profile. Such differences in the local mode of crack advance seem to account for a significant proportion of the microstructural effects on fracture in this material. Accordingly, a crack-deflection-modified fracture toughness parameter is used to characterize the effects of microstructure on quasi-static fracture by incorporating local mixed-mode stress intensity calculations for the non-linear crack profiles developed in underaged structures. The role of crack deflection in the fracture of aluminum alloys is detailed and correlations between microstructure and deflection characteristics are explored.
Nature of abortive transformation in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Disruption mutagenesis by homologous recombination in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is carried out by transforming-DNA fragments containing the target gene disrupted by a selectable marker. A large number of transient (abortive) transformants are often formed that may hinder the isolation of integrants containing the gene disruption. We show that abortive transformants result from re-circularization of the linear transforming-DNA in vivo. Their number was greatly reduced when the cut DNA could not readily re-ligate, either by digestions that gave non-compatible or blunt ends, or by de-phosphorylation. In addition, true integrants could be readily distinguished from abortive transformants through replica plating onto selective media. Enhanced disruption-mutagenesis was also observed when non-compatible ends were generated in an ARS-containing insertion vector.
Adsorption of brownian hydrosols onto a rotating disc aided by a uniform applied force

Abstract The interaction-force boundary layer method is employed to estimate the steady-state rate of deposition under the action of a spatially uniform, applied force field. A simple algebraic equation was derived which predicts values of the rate within ±20% of those computed from a numerical solution of the complete transport equation—including van der Waals attraction, double-layer repulsion, an externally applied force field, fluid motion, diffusion, and the position-dependence of the particle's mobility and diffusion coefficient. This approximation provides a good estimate of the rate whenever the diffusion boundary layer is thick compared to the range of the interaction forces or when aU/ D ∞ ≤ 0.01, where a and D ∞ are the particle's radius and diffusion coefficient, respectively, and U is the normal component of the undisturbed fluid velocity evaluated one particle radius from the disc's surface.
DSS in context

Abstract This paper describes the broad context in which the relevance of DSS can be assessed. DSS deals with a class of information handling activities that are goal or problem driven rather than procedure driven. These systems are one of several kinds of information systems to improve the performance of information workers in organizations. With this foundation, DSS are portrayed as systems resulting from the convergence of an evolution in data processing developments and an evolution in modeling efforts and techniques.
Querying independent databases

Abstract We propose a simple method of providing integrated access to a collection of preexisting, heterogeneous databases connected over a computer network. The user is presented with a collection of unmerged local schemas that have been translated into the relational model. He then expresses his query as selections and projections on some abstract concept. Although the abstract concept may not be explicitly represented in any of the underlying local schemas, the user must be able to relate it to relations in the local schemas in terms of “is-a” relationships. The system then determines how to present some approximation of the desired information to the user.
Surface forms and grammatical functions: past tense and passive participle use by children with specific language impairment.

Children with specific language impairment (SLI) use past tense -ed in fewer obligatory contexts than younger normally developing children matched for mean length of utterance (MLU). In this study,...
Surface-Induced Optical Anisotropies of Single-Domain (2 x 1) Reconstructed (001) Si and Ge Surfaces.

We report surface-induced optical anisotropy spectra of clean $\left(2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1\right)$ reconstructions of (001) Si and Ge surfaces, using oxygen exposure to separate contributions from dimers and steps. For Ge, the line shape is relatively simple and collapses uniformly with oxygen exposure. For Si, the results are more complicated and H termination must be considered as well. The clean-surface data of both Si and Ge are incompatible with a purely surface-to-surface transition model.
Segregation during cleavage of a factor determining endodermal alkaline phosphatase development in ascidian embryos

Localized alkaline phosphatase activity (EC 3.1.3.1) develops progressively in endodermal tissues of the presumptive digestive system in Ciona intestinalis embryos. It was first detected histochemically at late gastrulation, and a puromycin sensitivity period coincident with this time suggests that new alkaline phosphatase is synthesized. Embryos in which cell division was blocked with cytochalasin B at early cleavage stages up to the 64-cell stage, eventually differentiated strong alkaline phosphatase activity in certain cells at each cleavage-arrested stage. The maximum cell numbers and their positions were identical to those of the previously known endodermal cell lineage. Actinomycin D did not prevent development of endodermal alkaline phosphatase when administered from fertilization onwards, nor did other inhibitors of RNA synthesis (chromomycin A3, cordycepin, and daunomycin). There is probably a preformed maternal mRNA for endodermal alkaline phosphatase present in the unfertilizec Ciona egg. Either this RNA itself, or some related translation factor, is localized in the egg cytoplasm and segregated during early cleavages into the endodermal cell lineage of the embryo.
Continuous Pulse Amplitude Monitoring of Infrainguinal Bypass Grafts in the First 24 Postoperative Hours

To evaluate continuous pulse amplitude monitoring (CPAM) as a method for early postoperative graft surveillance following infrainguinal bypass surgery, a prospective observational study was carried out in 34 consecutive infrainguinal bypass grafts. CPAM tracings were compared with pre- and postoperative pulse palpation, ankle/brachial index (ABI) measurements, and pulse volume recordings (PVR). The utility of each method was defined by its ability to demonstrate graft patency in the first 24 hours. Pulse palpation was considered a useful monitoring tool if a postoperative pedal pulse was found in the absence of palpable preoperative pulses. The ABI qualified in this respect if a postoperative increase of at least 0.25 could be demonstrated; for PVR tracings an increase of at least one category was required. The utility of CPAM was established by an increase of at least 5 mm compared to the preoperative values. There were no early graft failures. We were therefore unable to calculate the ability of the studies to predict graft failure. The percentages (95% confidence limits) for which pulse palpation, ABI, and PVR were found capable of demonstrating graft patency were 50% (range 34% to 66%), 53% (range 36% to 70%), and 71% (range 54% to 83%), respectively. CPAM appeared to be far superior to these three methods with a utility of 94% (range 81% to 98%;p<0.05). Patient and operator acceptability of CPAM was high. Skin pressure problems are a potential risk if the CPAM probe is left attached to the skin for more than 24 hours. CPAM was a valuable and reliable means of monitoring infrainguinal vascular reconstructions. Apart from being inexpensive, continuous, objective, and simple, CPAM is noninvasive and painless. It is advisable to remove the probe 24 hours after surgery, when the most crucial period for graft monitoring has passed.
Similarity Relationships in the Marine Atmospheric Surface Layer for Terms in the TKE and Scalar Variance Budgets

Abstract Measurements of the momentum, heat, moisture, energy, and scalar variance fluxes are combined with dissipation estimates to investigate the behavior of marine surface layer turbulence. These measurements span a wide range of atmospheric stability conditions and provide estimates of z/L between −8 and 1. Second- and third-order velocity differences are first used to provide an estimate of the Kolmogorov constant equal to 0.53 ± 0.04. The fluxes and dissipation estimates are then used to provide Monin–Obukhov (MO) similarity relationships of the various terms in the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) and scalar variance (SV) budgets. These relationships are formulated to have the correct limiting forms in extremely stable and convective conditions. The analyses concludes with a determination of updated dimensionless structure function parameters for use with the inertial–dissipation flux method. The production of TKE is found to balance its dissipation in convective conditions and to exceed dissipation...
Investigating the impact of a minimalist in-home energy consumption display

We investigated the impact of a minimal in-home Energy Consumption Display (ECD), both stationary and portable versions, on household energy awareness and consumption. We deployed the ECD in eight homes for three weeks each, providing half of the participants with a portable version and the others with a stationary one. This work presents an account of each user's experience through pre- and post-surveys, power meter data, and post-deployment interviews and results of the study, which show that users reduced energy consumption by identifying high-power devices in their home and by playfully setting conservation goals.
Divalent Metal Ion Coordination by Residue T118 of Anthrax Toxin Receptor 2 Is Not Essential for Protective Antigen Binding

The protective antigen (PA) subunit of anthrax toxin interacts with the integrin-like I domains of either of two cellular receptors, ANTXR1 or ANTXR2. These I domains contain a metal ion-dependent adhesion site (MIDAS) made up of five non-consecutive amino acid residues that coordinate a divalent metal ion that is important for PA-binding. The MIDAS residues of integrin I domains shift depending upon whether the domain exists in a closed (ligand-unbound) or open (ligand-bound) conformation. Of relevance to this study, the MIDAS threonine residue coordinates the metal ion only in the open I domain conformation. Previously it was shown that the MIDAS threonine is essential for PA interaction with ANTXR1, a result consistent with the requirement that the I domain of that receptor adopts an open conformation for PA-binding [1]. Here we have tested the requirement for the MIDAS threonine of ANTXR2 for PA-binding. We show that the toxin can bind to a mutant receptor lacking the MIDAS threonine and that it can use that mutant receptor to intoxicate cultured cells. These findings suggest that an open-like configuration of the ANTXR2 MIDAS is not essential for the interaction with PA.
Exploring vocal recovery after cranial nerve injury in Bengalese finches.

Abstract Songbirds and humans use auditory feedback to acquire and maintain their vocalizations. The Bengalese finch (Lonchura striata domestica) is a songbird species that rapidly modifies its vocal output to adhere to an internal song memory. In this species, the left side of the bipartite vocal organ is specialized for producing louder, higher frequencies (≥2.2 kHz) and denervation of the left vocal muscles eliminates these notes. Thus, the return of higher frequency notes after cranial nerve injury can be used as a measure of vocal recovery. Either the left or right side of the syrinx was denervated by resection of the tracheosyringeal portion of the hypoglossal nerve. Histologic analyses of syringeal muscle tissue showed significant muscle atrophy in the denervated side. After left nerve resection, songs were mainly composed of lower frequency syllables, but three out of five birds recovered higher frequency syllables. Right nerve resection minimally affected phonology, but it did change song syntax; syllable sequence became abnormally stereotyped after right nerve resection. Therefore, damage to the neuromuscular control of sound production resulted in reduced motor variability, and Bengalese finches are a potential model for functional vocal recovery following cranial nerve injury.
A Meddy off Cape St. Vincent. Part I: Description

Abstract A meddy, an eddy formed from Mediterranean source water, was surveyed in detail with two types of expendable profilers and a CTD instrument. The muddy comprised two distinct, vertically aligned tenses with a combined thickness of 650 m. Both lenses were stratification minima. The upper lens was warmer, fresher (12.25°C, 36.5 psu), and more circular., the lower lens was cooler, more saline (12.1°C, 36.65 psu), and more elliptical, oriented alone a northeast by southwest line. The upper lens, homogeneous out to a radius of 6 km, had a radius of maximum velocity of 9 km. Its relative vorticity was −0.85 f, and its Ertel potential vorticity, 4 × 10−12 (m s)−1, was 17 times below ambient levels due to the combined effects of negative relative vorticity and vortex stretching. The meddy contained more kinetic energy than available potential energy (energy Burger number of 2.5). Compared with historical meddies, it had a larger Burger number and a more negative vorticity Rossby number.
Correlation of Fe4+ optical anisotropy, Brazil twinning and channels in the basal plane of amethyst quartz

Abstract The biaxial absorption bands in amethyst quartz, with peaks at 2.28 eV and 3.54 eV related to Fe4+ and a peak at 3.02 eV—which is the A3 band related to the [AlO4]° trapped hole center, have orientations of maximum light absorption in the basal plane of Brazil-twinnedr-growth sectors paralleling the planes of Brazil optical twinning. Absorption minima are at 90° to the maxima in all cases. The Brazil twinning planes always parallel thea-axes(1210,etc) of quartz and in many cases also parallel planes perpendicular to ther-faces(1011,etc.). These are directions of channels in the quartz structure. The anisotropy ratio,σmax/σmin, of the Fe4+ band is that of the A2 absorption band in smoky quartz as would be expected if Fe3+ furnishes electrons to quench the trapped holes causing this absorption band. In the absence of the A1 and A2 absorption bands, the A3 absorption band width at half-maximum decreases from 1.43 to 0.36 eV indicating decreased charge-transfer character of the [AlO4]° center in the absence of the other types of Al trapped-hole centers in quartz. The key to the Brazil twinning in α-quartz are the channels which fill with large Fe3+ ions that force twinning to relieve strain in the structure. Amethyst color results only if aluminum is present substitutionally in the quartz as well as the interstitial iron plus ionizing radiation.
Size measurement of positive impurity ions in liquid helium

We have measured the drift velocity of several positive impurity ions in He II in electric fields beyond the critical field for vortex-ring nucleation. The large differences in observed velocities for the various ions are satisfactorily accounted for by assuming that the ions differ in radius and hence in thermally activated escape rates from the vortex rings to which they are bound. These size differences are consistent with the low-field mobilities and are not consistent with the usual simple model for the ion structure.
Knowledge Discovery Through Experiential Learning From Business and Other Contemporary Data Sources: A Review and Reappraisal

Every day massive amount of data is generated, collected, and stored in information repositories such as databases and data warehouses. Current information technology is sufficiently mature and powerful to store any amount of raw data in an organized manner. However, finding useful patterns, trends, rules, correlations, and deviations in large amount of data, and/or making meaningful predictions from it still remains one of the main challenges of the information era. The more data one has, the more difficult it is to analyze and draw meaningful conclusions. Knowledge discovery in databases (KDD) and data mining (DM) is a field, which uses computer-based and analytic technologies to efficiently extract intelligence from data that humans need. In this article, we review the process of knowledge discovery in databases, and describe selected methodologies, methods and tools, tasks, basic learning paradigms, and applications for knowledge generation by computer learning from data instances. We also examine the current trends in the field with respect to the data types mined, data mining methods used, classes of data mining applications, as well as the data mining software used.
Effect of transannular patching on outcome after repair of tetralogy of Fallot

Among 814 patients undergoing repair of tetralogy of Fallot with pulmonary stenosis between 1967 and May 1986, transannular patching in the current era was a weak risk factor for death early postoperatively (predicted 30-day mortality, 4% with a transannular patch and 1.4% without) and is not a risk factor for instantaneous risk of death late postoperatively (predicted 20-year survival including early death, 94% with a transannular patch and 96.5% without). Ninety-six percent of surviving patients were in New York Heart Association functional class I at last follow-up, and the slight decline in this percentage as the interval between operation and last follow-up lengthened could have been due to chance alone (p = 0.24) and was no different in patients with a transannular patch. Transannular patching was a risk factor for reoperation for pulmonary regurgitation late postoperatively, but only a 7% incidence within 20 years is predicted when mild residual stenoses are beyond the patch: the incidence rises to about 20% with important distal stenoses. Inferences from the study are relevant to the indications for transannular patching and insertion of allograft semilunar valves at the time of repair.
Chemical characterization of isocyanate-protein conjugates.

Abstract The rates of reaction of toluene diisocyanate (TDI) and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) with the protein, human serum albumin, were studied. The reaction of TDI with protein was assessed by determining the total number of TDI residues bound as well as those bound in a monoureido linkage. There was a 3.5-fold greater number of residues bound in the bisureido linkage as compared to the monoureido linkage. The reaction of HDI with human serum albumin was quantified by combined assays of gas chromatography of the hexamethylenediamine formed after acid hydrolysis of the conjugate and by amino acid analyses of the protein. HDI isocyanate groups reacting with the lysyl residues and other sites on the protein molecule formed at least two reaction products, one which was easily hydrolyzable by acid and the other resistant to hydrolysis. The chemical structures proposed by these observations are similar to those of classical hapten derivatives and suggest that such derivatives may be immunogenic and/or allergenic in some workers exposed to the vapors of these reagents.
Abnormal Hemispheric Blood Flow and Metabolism in Cerebrovascular Disease. II. Therapeutic Trials With 5% CO2 Inhalation, Hyperventilation and Intravenous Infusion of THAM and Mannitol

The effects of inhalation of 5% CO2 in air, active hyperventilation, and intravenous infusion of THAM and mannitol on hemispheric blood flow (HBF) and metabolism were investigated in the ischemic hemispheres of patients with acute and chronic cerebral ischemia and in one with brain tumor. Five percent CO2 inhalation increased HBF and decreased hemispheric RQ (HRQ) in the ischemic hemisphere. Hyperventilation decreased HBF and increased hemispheric glucose consumption. THAM infusion had no effect on HBF and metabolism, and mannitol increased HBF but had no effect on metabolism in the ischemic hemispheres. In the patient with brain tumor, 5% CO2 inhalation caused an "intracerebral steal" probably as a result of increasing intracranial pressure and "squeezing" or displacing of blood from the hemisphere swollen by tumor into the normal hemisphere. Intravenous injection of mannitol increased the blood flow to the hemisphere containing the tumor by temporarily reducing intracranial pressure.
The intensity of neutrophil infiltration controls the number of antigen-primed CD8 T cells recruited into cutaneous antigen challenge sites

Recruitment of antigen-specific T cells into the skin is a critical initiating event during immune responses to many parasites and tumors as well as T cell-mediated, cutaneous, allergic responses and autoimmune diseases. Mechanisms directing T cell trafficking into skin remain largely undefined. Here, we show that cutaneous contact with reactive antigen induces KC/CXC chemokine ligand 1 production and neutrophil infiltration in an antigen, dose-dependent manner. The intensity of neutrophil infiltration into cutaneous antigen challenge sites, in turn, controls the number of antigen-primed T cells recruited into the site and the magnitude of the immune response elicited. The absence of responses in immune animals challenged with suboptimal doses of antigen is overcome by manipulating neutrophil infiltration that then directs antigen-primed T cell infiltration into the challenge site. This inflammation also directs T cells primed to one antigen (dinitrofluorobenzene) into the site when challenged with a completely different antigen (oxazolone). These results identify the intensity of neutrophil infiltration into cutaneous, antigen-deposition sites as a critical parameter for the level of antigen-primed T cell recruitment to mediate the adaptive immune response. This interplay between the innate and adaptive responses suggests a strategy to modulate, in a positive or negative manner, antigen-primed T cell infiltration into cutaneous inflammation sites.
P-AutoClass: scalable parallel clustering for mining large data sets

Data clustering is an important task in the area of data mining. Clustering is the unsupervised classification of data items into homogeneous groups called clusters. Clustering methods partition a set of data items into clusters, such that items in the same cluster are more similar to each other than items in different clusters according to some defined criteria. Clustering algorithms are computationally intensive, particularly when they are used to analyze large amounts of data. A possible approach to reduce the processing time is based on the implementation of clustering algorithms on scalable parallel computers. This paper describes the design and implementation of P-AutoClass, a parallel version of the AutoClass system based upon the Bayesian model for determining optimal classes in large data sets. The P-AutoClass implementation divides the clustering task among the processors of a multicomputer so that each processor works on its own partition and exchanges intermediate results with the other processors. The system architecture, its implementation, and experimental performance results on different processor numbers and data sets are presented and compared with theoretical performance. In particular, experimental and predicted scalability and efficiency of P-AutoClass versus the sequential AutoClass system are evaluated and compared.
Gender and the Civil Rights Movement . Edited by Peter J. Ling and Sharon Montieth. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press. 2004. 288 pp. $21.95

Much of the scholarship on the modern Civil Rights Movement has recaptured dramatic and poignant events through eyewitness accounts and oral narratives—from letters, speeches, newspaper editorials, press releases, and photographs that summon vivid images of fire hoses and police dogs, peaceful protestors and violent rioters. The conventional approach (or master narrative) of civil rights history has focused almost exclusively upon the individual personalities and grassroots organizations that led the fight for equal protection under the law, desegregated lunch counters, and the right to vote in local and national elections. Rather than broaden and deepen our understanding of individual and collective forms of resistance, however, such an approach often simplifies and distorts a much more complex history of black militancy and activism in the United States. Most people come to associate the modern Civil Rights Movement with the famous names, places, and events that made headlines during the turbulent 1950s and 1960s—the murder of Emmett Till in Money, Mississippi; Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott; Daisy Bates and the Little Rock Nine; Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the March on Washington; Bob Moses and Freedom Summer; Gloria Richardson and the Cambridge Movement; and Fannie Lou Hamer at the 1964 National Democratic Convention—and not the ordinary men and women who risked their lives in the face of mob violence.
Surgical Palliation for Barrett's Esophagus Cancer

Adenocarcinoma arising in the setting of Barrett's esophagus has the fastest increasing incidence of any malignancy in the United States. Advanced esophageal cancer carries an overall poor prognosis with most patients presenting with incurable disease. Over the past several years, new options have been introduced for the purpose of providing palliative therapy to improve quality of life. Stent placement is the most widely used palliative therapy and rapidly relieves dysphagia; however, distal migration continues to be a disadvantage. Laser therapy and brachytherapy are also administered but require repeated treatment sessions. Future options for providing effective therapy for endstage disease include improved stent designs to decrease migration and multimodality methods that combine several options in one treatment session. This article focuses primarily on palliation of unresectable tumors of the esophagus and gastroesophageal junction.
The Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan.

Implemented in 1994, the Aquatic Conservation Strategy of the Northwest Forest Plan was designed to restore and maintain ecological processes for aquatic and riparian area conservation on federal lands in the western portion of the Pacific Northwest. We used decision support models to quantitatively evaluate changes in the condition of selected watersheds. In the approximately 10 years since strategy implementation, watershed condition scores changed modestly, but conditions improved in 64% of 250 sampled watersheds, declined in 28%, and remained relatively the same in 7%. Watersheds that had the largest declines included some where wildfires burned 30-60% of their area. The overall statistical distribution of the condition scores did not change significantly, however. Much of the increase in watershed condition was related to improved riparian conditions. The number of large trees (>51 cm diameter at breast height) increased 2-4%, and there were substantial reductions in tree harvest and other disturbances along streams. Whether such changes will translate into longer-term improvements in aquatic ecosystems across broader landscapes remains to be seen.
Data association with ambiguous measurements

We address the problem of tracking a single object in the neighborhood of several other closely spaced, similar objects where the sensor used to do the tracking may randomly measure the wrong object. Unlike many tracking scenarios, there is no other environmental clutter producing additional erroneous measurements. The objects move together, and the sensor provides one measurement at every time step, either due to the object of interest or due to one of the other similar nearby objects. This situation of having a "mixed" set of measurements of unknown origin occurs in real world systems. While we consider the mixed-measurement problem in an example scenario, the algorithms developed can be applied to any number of associated systems with little alteration.
Subphysiological compressive loading reduces apoptosis following acute impact injury in a porcine cartilage model.

Background:Acute cartilage injuries induce cell death and are associated with an increased incidence of osteoarthritis development later in life. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of posttraumatic cyclic compressive loading on chondrocyte viability and apoptosis in porcine articular cartilage plugs.Hypothesis:Compressive loading of acutely injured cartilage can maintain chondrocyte viability by reducing apoptosis after a traumatic impact injury.Study Design:In vitro controlled laboratory study.Level of Evidence:Level 5.Methods:Each experiment compared 4 test groups: control, impact, impact with compressive loading (either 0.5 or 0.8 MPa), and no impact but compressive loading (n = 15 per group). Flat, full-thickness articular cartilage plugs were harvested from the trochlear region of porcine knees. A drop tower was utilized to introduce an impact injury. The articular plugs were subjected to two 30-minute cycles of either 0.5 or 0.8 MPa of dynamic loading. Cell viability, apoptosi...
The influence of reported trauma and adverse events on eating disturbance in young adults.

Objective: Early experiences of trauma or adverse events may be associated with eating disturbance later in life, but evidence is scarce. This study examined whether reported history of adverse life events predicted eating disturbance upon college entry and prospective changes over the first semester of college. Method: First semester college students (n = 249) reported trauma/adverse event histories and completed disordered eating questions (with two factors, restriction and binging/purging) at the beginning and end of their first semester. Results: At college entry, trauma type, frequency, and overall trauma severity were related to restricted eating, and trauma type and severity was related to binging/purging. Prospective increases in reported restricted eating were predicted by trauma type. Prospective increases in binging/purging were associated with trauma type and total trauma severity. Conclusion: These data suggest that reports of past trauma and adverse events cross-sectionally predict reported disordered eating at college entry as well as prospective increases in disordered eating over the first semester of college. Research and clinical implications for these findings are discussed. © 2007 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 2008
Genotypic and Phenotypic Variation in Pseudomonas aeruginosa Reveals Signatures of Secondary Infection and Mutator Activity in Certain Cystic Fibrosis Patients with Chronic Lung Infections

Evolutionary adaptation of Pseudomonas aeruginosa to the cystic fibrosis lung is limited by genetic variation, which depends on rates of horizontal gene transfer and mutation supply. Because each may increase following secondary infection or mutator emergence, we sought to ascertain the incidence of secondary infection and genetic variability in populations containing or lacking mutators. Forty-nine strains collected over 3 years from 16 patients were phenotyped for antibiotic resistance and mutator status and were genotyped by repetitive-sequence PCR (rep-PCR), pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). Though phenotypic and genetic polymorphisms were widespread and clustered more strongly within than between longitudinal series, their distribution revealed instances of secondary infection. Sequence data, however, indicated that interlineage recombination predated initial strain isolation. Mutator series were more likely to be multiply antibiotic resistant, but not necessarily more variable in their nucleotide sequences, than nonmutators. One mutator and one nonmutator series were sequenced at mismatch repair loci and analyzed for gene content using DNA microarrays. Both were wild type with respect to mutL, but mutators carried an 8-bp mutS deletion causing a frameshift mutation. Both series lacked 126 genes encoding pilins, siderophores, and virulence factors whose inactivation has been linked to adaptation during chronic infection. Mutators exhibited loss of severalfold more genes having functions related to mobile elements, motility, and attachment. A 105-kb, 86-gene deletion was observed in one nonmutator that resulted in loss of virulence factors related to pyoverdine synthesis and elements of the multidrug efflux regulon. Diminished DNA repair activity may facilitate but not be absolutely required for rapid evolutionary change.
The global gas market, LNG exports and the shifting US geopolitical presence

The upstream renaissance in the United States that has resulted from the successful application of new technologies in the exploration and development of shale gas has generated ripples through the global gas market. The US is soon to become a significant exporter of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is remarkable given conventional wisdom just a decade ago was that the US would become a substantial importer of LNG. As this new market reality takes hold, the geopolitical position of the US is also evolving. But, the manner in which this emerging position of strength may be maximized is a subject of debate. In the paper, we argue that simply accelerating US LNG exports does not convey the same benefits as successfully promoting liberalization of global gas markets, particularly when considering the geopolitical priority of easing European dependency on Russian natural gas.
Exploring Assessment Processes in Specialized Schools for Students Who Are Visually Impaired

In this qualitative study, various professionals in specialized schools for students who are visually impaired provided information on assessment tools; how information was used to plan Individualized Education Programs; and their opinions on the reliability, validity, and usefulness of various measurements. The implications of the findings for policy guidelines and high-stakes decisions are explored.
Drugs that enhance central serotoninergic transmission diminish elective carbohydrate consumption by rats.

Abstract We previously showed (Science 198:1178, 1977) that fenfluramine or fluoxetine, drugs thought to enhance serotoninergic transmission, selectively decrease the rat's consumption of carbohydrates, without affecting protein intake, when animals are given simultaneous access to diets differing in protein (5% vs 45%) and carbohydrate contents; in contrast, d-amphetamine lacks this selective effect. Present studies affirm this relationship using another serotoninergic drug, MK-212, and show that the suppression of carbohydrate intake occurs whether the test diets contain variable amounts of protein, or carbohydrates, or of both nutrients. Evidence is presented that rats given diet mixtures containing various proportions of carbohydrates have the ability to regulate their carbohydrate intakes (i.e., to choose to eat amounts of each diet that, taken together, will give them a desired proportion of carbohydrate), and that this ability is independent of whether or not the carbohydrate consumed has a sweet taste. It is proposed that serotoninergic neurons comprise part of a behavioral feedback loop, whereby the consumption of carbohydrate (which, by altering plasma amino acid patterns, accelerates serotonin synthesis in brain neurons) diminishes the rat's subsequent tendency to consume additional carbohydrates. Drugs that enhance central serotoninergic transmission can probably be substituted for dietry carbohydrate to activate this behavioral loop.
Impact of the immune system and immunotherapy in colorectal cancer

The development of cancer is a multi-step process involving the gradual loss of regulation over the growth and functional capabilities of normal cells. Much research has been focused on the numerous cell intrinsic factors that govern this process; however, recent attention has turned to understanding the cell extrinsic factors in the tumor microenvironment that appear equally critical to the progression and treatment of cancer. One critical component of the tumor microenvironment is the immune system and it has become increasingly evident that the immune system plays an integral role in preventing and promoting the development of cancer. Understanding the immune cell types and pathways involved in this process has enabled the development of novel biomarkers for prognosis and accelerated the development of immune-based therapeutics, both of which have the potential to forever change the treatment paradigms for colorectal cancer (CRC). In this review, we discuss the impact of the immune system on the initiation, progression and treatment of cancer, specifically focusing on CRC.
Fluid intake and bladder cancer in UTAH

A population-based, incident case-control study was conducted in Utah to assess the relationship between fluid intake and bladder cancer. Cancer cases (n = 419) were identified through the Utah Cancer Registry, and controls (n = 889) were obtained through random digit dialling and the Health Care Financing Administration. After adjustment for cigarette smoking, age, sex, history of diabetes, and history of bladder infections using multiple logistic regression analysis, total fluid intake was not found to be related to bladder cancer development. Specific fluids related to bladder cancer risk were milk intake (OR = 0.64) and caffeinated coffee intake (OR = 1.60). A linear trend for a dose-response protective effect was observed for milk, while coffee increased risk only when 40 or more cups were consumed per week. Alcohol increased risk only when consumed at high levels (over 3.64 ounces or 103 g per week) by people who never smoked cigarettes (OR = 2.37). Likewise, tea consumption in non-cigarette smokers increased bladder cancer risk (OR = 2.25). Results from this study suggest that types of fluids consumed may play a role in the development of bladder cancer. Furthermore, it is hypothesized that the dietary components of these beverages may be related to the development of bladder cancer.
Controlled study of pimozide vs. placebo in Tourette's syndrome

This double-blind, crossover, prospective study compared the efficacy and safety of pimozide to placebo in 20 patients with Tourette's syndrome (TS). The study included a 2–week drug-free period, random assignment to pimozide or placebo for 6 weeks and crossover to the alternate medication for a second 6–week period. Multiple dependent measures of efficacy at endpoint by the clinician, patient and judges were all highly significant (most p values = 0.0001). Adverse reactions, commonly encountered with antipsychotic drugs, were related to dosage and generally could be managed by careful titration of dosage and use of antiparkinson drugs, except for an abnormal ECG in one patient. This study confirms previous reports in the literature that pimozide is an effective drug for the treatment of TS. Future controlled studies should be conducted to evaluate whether pimozide is more effective and has less adverse effects than haloperidol and other drugs.