cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract B9: A health disparities and clinical trials advocacy partnership to reduce colorectal cancer among Pacific Islanders in Southern California

Introduction: Pacific Islanders (PIs) are indigenous people from the Pacific who experience enormous cancer disparities in colorectal cancer (CRC) in Southern California, with incidence rates of 55/100,000 among PI males and 60/100,000 PI females, compared to only 40/100,000 among non-Hispanic white (NHW) males and 50/100,000 NHW females. Yet no programs outside of Hawai9i exist to assist PIs with accessing early CRC detection, diagnosis and treatment services. Methods: Patient navigation offers support and guidance to underserved populations, and in 2010 a NCI Community Cancer Center Program hospital (SJO: St. Joseph Hospital of Orange) and a Community Network Program (WINCART: Weaving an Islander Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training) instituted a community-based participatory research (CBPR) partnership for Chamorros, Marshallese, and Samoans in Orange County, California. The unique CBPR navigation effort involves three bilingual/bicultural PI health educators (at three WINCART affiliated community-based organizations) and a PI lay navigator (at SJO) to (1) effectively navigate PI men and women to a medical home in order to participate in CRC screening; (2) assisting patients with positive or suspicious findings to access additional diagnostic services, treatment and clinical trials advocacy; and (3) to ensure patient receives appropriate re-screening and diagnostics ideally in a St. Joseph Hospital community based medical home. Results: Preliminary activities have included development of clinical-community protocols for enrolling and tracking patients from screening through treatment, clinical trials education in a colorectal prevention trial as applicable and development and translation of culturally tailored CRC educational materials (including a flipchart, bookmark, and resource list) into the three PI languages. These materials and protocols have been pre-tested with PI adults age 50+ years, and are being implemented to assess improvements in regular screenings/re-screenings (when needed), diagnosis, and support services that a patient or family may need to ensure completion of treatment plans, with comprehensive data on navigated patients to be entered into SJO9s existing navigator database. Conclusions: This is the first PI-specific CBPR navigation program in the continental U.S. and is based upon a partnership between two disparity-oriented institutions/programs (SJO and WINCART) to address the many critical factors (including mitigating the inability to pay for services, or to qualify/pay for healthcare insurance and clinical trials education) related to accessing culturally competent cancer care for PIs. Our CBPR navigation effort holds the potential to become a model for other clinical-community partnerships that aim to expand cancer services to small, ethnically distinct populations in the U.S. Citation Information: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2010;19(10 Suppl):B9.
Polyketal microparticles: a new delivery vehicle for superoxide dismutase.

There is currently great interest in developing microparticles that can enhance the delivery of proteins to macrophages. In this communication, we present a new acid-sensitive polymer for drug delivery, poly(cyclohexane-1,4-diyl acetone dimethylene ketal) (PCADK). PCADK is designed to hydrolyze, after phagocytosis by macrophages, in the acidic environment of the phagosome and enhance the intracellular delivery of phagocytosed therapeutics. Other key attributes of PCADK for drug delivery are its well-characterized degradation products and straightforward synthesis. PCADK hydrolyzes into 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol, a compound used in food packaging, and acetone, a compound on the FDA GRAS list. PCADK was synthesized using the acetal exchange reaction between 1,4-cyclohexanedimethanol and 2,2-dimethoxypropane, and could be obtained on a multigram scale in one step. The hydrolysis kinetics of the ketal linkages in PCADK were measured by 1H NMR and were determined to be pH-sensitive, having a half-life of 24.1 ...
On the dirichlet problem for an improperly elliptic equation

We consider the problem of solvability of an inhomogeneous Dirichlet problem for a scalar improperly elliptic differential equation with complex coefficients in a bounded domain. A model case where the unit disk is chosen as the domain and the equation does not contain lower terms is studied. We prove that the classes of Dirichlet data for which the problem has a unique solution in the Sobolev space are spaces of functions with exponentially decreasing Fourier coefficients.
Peptidolipins B-F, Antibacterial Lipopeptides from an Ascidian-derived Nocardia sp

A marine Nocardia sp. isolated from the ascidian Trididemnum orbiculatum was found to produce five new lipopeptides, peptidolipins B-F (1–5), which show distinct similarities to the previously reported L-Val(6) analog of peptidolipin NA. Synthetic modification of peptidolipin E (4) was used to determine the location of an olefin within the lipid chain. Advanced Marfey’s method was used to determine the absolute configurations of the amino acids. Peptidolipins B (1) and E (4) demonstrated moderate antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus (MSSA).
Evaluation of 2 types of external skeletal fixation for repair of experimental tibial fractures in foals.

Transverse or oblique midshaft tibial osteotomies were created in 11 foals. The osteotomies were repaired during the same procedure using external skeletal fixation in either full splint or 3-dimensional (3-D) tent configurations. Four of the six foals receiving the full splint fixator recovered to full soundness; two were euthanized because of complications. The foals receiving the 3-D tent configuration would not bear weight on the limbs and consequently suffered significant secondary fracture disease. These foals were euthanized for humane reasons before the scheduled termination of the project. The full splint configuration is considered a viable option for use in foals less than 150 kg with fractures that are not amenable to other proven methods of repair.
Partial suppression of the LexA phenotype by mutations (rnm) which restore ultraviolet resistance but not ultraviolet mulability to Escherichia coli B/r uvrA lexA

Abstract In Escherichia coli, lexA mutations eliminate expression of UV-inducible functions, causing pleiotropic effects which include sensitivity to ultraviolet (UV) light and loss of UV mutability. Selection for UV resistance, after 5-bromouracil (BU) treatment of E. coli B/r uvr A lexA-102 , has yielded derivatives more resistant than lexA but still refractory to UV mutagenesis. The mutation responsible for the UV-resistant UV-nonmutable phenotype ( rnm ) is cotransducible with malB to about the same extent as is lexA-102 and is tightly linked to lexA-102 in at least one strain. The rnm mutation may therefore be an intragenic partial suppressor of the LexA phenotype. In addition to increased UV resistance and lack of UV mutability, rnm strains show improved ability to perform postreplication repair and to control postirradiation DNA degration compared to the lexA parent. We ascribe the properties of rnm mutants to their having reacquired control of Exonuclease V activity without having reacquired UV-inducible error-prone postreplication repair. We relate our results to current interpretations of UV mutagenesis and to models of coordinate regulation of UV-inducible functions.
Recycling of tire-curing bladder by ultrasonic devulcanization

The recycling of butyl rubber-based tire-curing bladder was carried out by means of a grooved barrel ultrasonic extruder. Die pressure and ultrasonic power consumption were measured as a function of flow rate and ultrasonic amplitude. Gel fraction and crosslink density of the ultrasonically devulcanized rubber were substantially reduced. In turn, this led to some reduction in gel fraction and crosslink density in the revulcanized rubber. These findings were correlated with dynamic properties and the cure behavior of the devulcanized rubber. The mechanical properties of the revulcanized rubber, dependent on processing conditions during devulcanization, were compared with that of the virgin vulcanizate. Good mechanical properties of revulcanized rubber was achieved with 86 and 71% retention of the tensile strength and the elongation at break respectively, and with modulus increased by 44%. The devulcanized rubber was found to contain tiny gel particles of a wide size distribution with a predominant size of <4 μm. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 46:8–18, 2006. © 2005 Society of Plastics Engineers
3-D CT scan measured bony deficiency of the facial skeleton in progressive hemifacial atrophy

Romberg's disease, or hemifacial atrophy, is a well known but rare disorder of unknown etiology. The literature is replete with descriptions of the soft tissue deformity and its correction; however, there is little information about the bony abnormalities with comparison to the soft tissue deficit. Five patients with moderate to severe progressive hemifacial atrophy were evaluated by 3 dimensional CT scan reformatting. Atrophy of bone and soft tissue was noted in all patients in the study.
Quadratic stability with real and complex perturbations

It is shown that the equivalence between real and complex perturbations in the context of quadratic stability to linear, fractional, unstructured perturbations does not hold when the perturbations are block structured. For a limited class of problems, quadratic stability in the face of structured complex perturbations is equivalent to a particular class of scaled norms, and hence appropriate synthesis techniques, coupled with diagonal constant scalings, can be used to design quadratically stable systems. >
The use of AlphaLISA technology to detect interaction between hepatitis C virus-encoded NS5A and cyclophilin A

Cyclosporine A (CsA) is an immunosuppressive molecule that also impedes replication of hepatitis C virus (HCV). CsA inhibits isomerase activity of cellular-encoded cyclophilin proteins, of which cyclophilin A (CypA) in particular is required for HCV replication. Evidence suggests that the HCV-encoded NS5A and NS5B proteins may govern dependence of the virus on CypA-mediated isomerase activity, although the molecular mechanisms involved are unclear. However, association of NS5A and NS5B, with CypA has been reported, raising the possibility that direct interaction between these proteins facilitates HCV replication. In the present study, mammalian two-hybrid and AlphaLISA technologies were utilized to detect interactions between NS5A and NS5B, with CypA. AlphaLISA analysis revealed associations between NS5A and CypA using purified proteins, and in cell lysates prepared from co-transfected cells. Importantly, the NS5A-CypA interactions were sensitive to CsA in a dose-responsive manner and an isomerase mutant of CypA interacted with NS5A less efficiently than wild-type CypA. These findings correlate the anti-HCV properties of CsA with an ability of the compound to disrupt NS5A-CypA interactions in vitro and in vivo, whilst providing the basis for development of assay platforms suitable to screen compound libraries for novel inhibitors of the NS5A-CypA interaction.
The dream experience, a systematic exploration

The dream experience, a systematic exploration, by Milton Kramer, New York & London, Routledge, 2007, 243 pp., £31 (hardback) This is the book of one of the founders of modern sleep and dream resea...
Cognitive and behavioral changes related to symptom improvement among patients with a mood disorder receiving intensive cognitive-behavioral therapy

ObjectiveTo examine the relationship between cognitive and behavioral changes associated with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and treatment response in an intensive partial hospital (PH) setting.MethodsStudy participants were 105 patients with mood disorders receiving treatment in a private psych
Advocacy and Enumeration Counting Homeless People in a Suburban Community

Enumerating or estimating the numbers of homeless people has become an important research activity in the past few decades. The methodologies of almost all efforts to count homeless people have been closely linked to advocacy activities such as providing shelter and food to those in need. Yet the effect of advocacy work on estimating or enumerating homeless populations has not been much examined in the enumeration literature. This work reviews the methodology of enumeration as it has been influenced by the work of advocates both in general terms and through examining the methods used to conduct a study of a suburban homeless population in New York in 1994. Enumeration methods that overtly take local advocacy activities into account can provide an enriched assessment of homelessness as it exists in relation to surrounding structural conditions. In this case, advocacy work actively prevented literal homelessness for most families in the local community.
Concentration dependence of solvent self‐diffusion coefficients

The concentration dependence of solvent self-diffusion coefficients is examined near the pure solvent limit. It is shown that it is possible to explain an apparently anomalous concentration dependence for the solvent self-diffusion coefficient at high penetrant mass fractions within the framework of the free-volume theory of transport.
Insulators and promoters: closer than we think

Insulators prevent promiscuous gene regulation by restricting the action of enhancers and silencers. Recent studies have revealed a number of similarities between insulators and promoters, including binding of specific transcription factors, chromatin-modification signatures and localization to specific subnuclear positions. We propose that enhancer-blockers and silencing barrier-insulators might have evolved as specialized derivatives of promoters and that the two types of element use related mechanisms to mediate their distinct functions. These insights can help to reconcile different models of insulator action.
NMDA receptor-mediated long-term alterations in epileptiform activity in experimental chronic epilepsy

When epileptiform activity is acutely induced in vitro, transient partial blockade of N-methyl-d-aspartic acid (NMDA) receptor-mediated calcium influx leads to selective long-term depotentiation of the synapses involved in the epileptic activity as well as a reduction in the probability of further epileptiform activity. If such selective depotentiation occurred within foci of epileptic activity in vivo, the corresponding long-term reduction in seizure probability could form the basis for a novel treatment of epilepsy. Continuous radiotelemetric EEG monitoring demonstrated modest acute anticonvulsant effects but no long-term reductions in the probability of spontaneous seizures after transient partial blockade of NMDA receptors (NMDAR) during ictal and interictal activity in the kainate animal model of chronic epilepsy. In vitro, depotentiation was induced when NMDAR were partially blocked during epileptiform activity in hippocampal slices from control animals, but not in slices from chronically epileptic rats. However in slices from epileptic animals, depotentiation during epileptiform activity was induced by partial block of NMDAR using NR2B- but not NR2A-selective antagonists. These results suggest that chronic epileptic activity is associated with changes in NMDA receptor-mediated signaling that is reflected in the pharmacology of activity- and NMDA receptor-dependent depotentiation.
Headscarves, accommodation and the problem of joint costs

A central project of race-conscious progressive thought has been to establish that racial minorities have distinctive norms, perspectives, voices and cultural practices that might contribute to ‘diversity.’ The implicit presumption underlying the accommodationist account of discrimination is that group cultural differences are natural and authentic expressions of individual conscience and identity and that failure to accommodate these differences is a form of tyranny. Here, as in Michel Foucault's account of sexuality, we find a ‘repressive hypothesis’: power is exercised through censorship and repression, justice entails nothing more than the absence of repression, a willingness to let human nature take its course and embrace the mysterious and beautiful forces that already surround and define us. But what if our era is defined less by the repression of group difference than by its production? And what if – as in Foucault's analysis – the repressive hypothesis itself is one of the mechanisms by which thi...
The Treatment of Minor Depression with St. John’s Wort or Citalopram: Failure to Show Benefit over Placebo

This paper presents new data addressing two important controversies in psychiatry: the construct of Minor Depression (MinD) and the efficacy of St. John’s Wort for milder forms of depressive disorders. Data are from a three-arm, 12 week, randomized clinical trial of investigating the efficacy of St. John’s Wort (810 mg/day), citalopram (20 mg/day), or placebo for acute treatment of MinD. Due to a high placebo response on all outcome measures, neither St. John’s Wort nor citalopram separated from placebo on change in depressive symptom severity, quality of life, or well-being. However, systematic assessment of potential adverse effects (AEs) led to three important observations: (1) prior to the administration of study compound, 60% of subjects endorsed items that would be characterized as AEs once study compound was administered, (2) St. John’s Wort and citalopram were each associated with a significant number of new or worsening AEs during treatment, and (3) using a structured interview for identifying AEs at baseline and during treatment is informative. MinD was not responsive to either a conventional antidepressant or a nutraceutical, and both compounds were associated with a notable side effects burden. Other treatment approaches for MinD should be investigated.
Development of Management Policies for an Environmental Contingency Allowance: Facilitating the Understanding of Complexity and Uncertainty

The management of environmental water resources continues to be a highly complex and uncertain field of natural resource management. As a result, there may be significant gaps in shared understanding of issues that are critical to decision-making. This article reports on a facilitation process leading to improved management guidelines for an Environmental Contingency Allowance in the Gwydir Valley, NSW, with an intentional focus on the communication of complex and uncertain management issues and on the integration of local non-specialist knowledge in analysis. The article includes a review of the methodological foundations of the facilitation process, including organisational learning, action research, applied systems theory and decision-support system modelling. The facilitation process includes development of a computer model which departs in some respects from a conventional decision-support system. In view of these differences and their epistemological foundation, the computer model and facilitation p...
Effect of feeding thyroprotein to dairy cattle in a subtropical environment on milk composition and production, rumen metabolism, and fatty acid composition of milk fat.

Abstract A trial using five control and five treatment animals was conducted, feeding 2.47g of thyroprotein (Protomone) per 100kg body weight for a 6-wk period. Treatments were continuous. Animals went on trial approximately two months after parturition. Concentrates were fed ad libitum to both groups. Thyroprotein was fed once daily. The adjusted mean production (kg per day) for the control and thyroprotein-fed animals was milk, 17.2 and 22.8**, 4% FCM, 17.3 and 22.4**; fat, 0.70 and 0.88**; total solids, 2.28 and 3.03**, SNF, 1.57 and 2.11*; protein, 0.62 and 0.76**. The milk protein content was significantly lower for the thyroprotein-fed animals. Rumen volatile fatty acids were significantly different. Thyroprotein feeding caused an increase in propionate and decrease in the butyrate content of the rumen. Milk fat analysis showed significant differences in the C 12 , C 14 , C 16 , and C 18 1= fatty acids. Thyroprotein feeding caused a decrease in the saturated and an increase in the unsaturated fatty acids in milk fat. Feed consumption was not significantly different. Rectal temperatures were significantly higher and body weight loss significantly greater for the thyroprotein-fed animals.
FORKHEAD BOX TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR REGULATION AND LIPID ACCUMULATION BY HEPATITIS C VIRUS

ABSTRACT We have previously shown that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection modulates the expression of forkhead box transcription factors, including FoxO1 and FoxA2, which play key roles in gluconeogenesis and β-oxidation of fatty acid, respectively. The aim of the present study was to determine the role of forkhead box transcription factors in modulating lipid metabolism. HCV infection or core protein expression alone in transfected Huh7.5 cells increased expression of sterol regulatory element binding protein 1c (SREBP-1c) and its downstream target, fatty acid synthase (FASN), which are key proteins involved in lipid synthesis. Knockdown of FoxO1 by small interfering RNA in HCV-infected cells significantly decreased SREBP-1c and FASN expression. Further, HCV infection or core protein expression in Huh7.5 cells significantly decreased the expression of medium-chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (MCAD) and short-chain acyl coenzyme A dehydrogenase (SCAD), involved in the regulation of β-oxidation of fatty acids. Ectopic expression of FoxA2 in HCV-infected cells rescued the expression of MCAD and SCAD. Oil red O and neutral lipid staining indicated that HCV infection significantly increases lipid accumulation compared to that in the mock-infected control. This was further verified by the increased expression of perilipin-2 and decreased activity of hormone-sensitive lipase (HSL) in HCV-infected hepatocytes, implying increased accumulation of neutral lipids. Knockdown of FoxO1 and ectopic expression of FoxA2 significantly decreased HCV replication. Taken together, these results suggest that HCV modulates forkhead box transcription factors which together increase lipid accumulation and promote viral replication. IMPORTANCE Hepatic steatosis is a frequent complication associated with chronic HCV infection. Its presence is a key prognostic indicator associated with the progression to hepatic fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Several mechanisms have been proposed to account for the development of steatosis and fatty liver during HCV infection. We observed that HCV infection increases expression of both SREBP-1c and FASN. Further investigation suggested that the expression of SREBP-1c and FASN is controlled by the transcription factor FoxO1 during HCV infection. In addition, HCV infection significantly decreased both MCAD and SCAD expression, which is controlled by FoxA2. HCV infection also increased lipid droplet accumulation, increased perilipin-2 expression, and decreased HSL activity. Thus, knockdown of FoxO1 (decreased lipogenesis) and overexpression of FoxA2 (increased β-oxidation) resulted in a significant disruption of the platform and, hence, a decrease in HCV genome replication. Thus, targeting of FoxO1 and FoxA2 might be useful in developing a therapeutic approach against HCV infection.
Effect of Estrogen on Lipoprotein Lipase Activity and Cytoplasmic Progestin Binding Sites in Lean and Obese Zucker Rats

Injections of 5 pg estradiol benzoate (EB) for 5 days resulted in decreases in the rate of body weight gain in both lean (Fafa) and obese (fafa) Zucker rats. EB administration also resulted in significant induction of cytoplasmic progestin binding sites in both hypothalamic- preoptic area (H-POA) and adipose tissues from rats of both genotypes. However, EB treatment significantly decreased lipoprotein lipase (LPL) activity in adipose tissue from lean, but not obese, Zucker rats and the same treatment increased LPL activity in the uteri from lean, but not obese, Zucker rats. The data are discussed in terms of the metabolic and reproductive dysfunctions observed in the genetically obese rat. Ovarian hormones affect both reproductive and metabolic systems in a variety of species, and the interactive relations between the two major systems are currently being studied in several laboratories. This paper explores some of the effects of estrogen administration on body weight and on cellular functions in adi- pose, brain and uterine tissues from genetically obese Zucker (fafa) rats, a strain of rats with apparent deficiencies in the regulation of both metabolic and reproductive systems (1). In nonobese rats of several strains, ovar-
The Alpha, Beta, Gamma Change Typology: Perspectives On Acceptance as Well as Resistance

Over a decade after its introduction, this article looks back on reactions to the trinitarian concept of change. Two emphases dominate. Personal reactions to the concept's reception receive initial...
Vitamin A therapy for children with respiratory syncytial virus infection: a multicenter trial in the United States.

Background High dose vitamin A therapy is effective in reducing morbidity and mortality associated with measles infection. Children with acute respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection have low serum vitamin A concentrations. Methods We performed a multicenter, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of high dose vitamin A therapy among 239 children 1 month to 6 years of age to determine whether high dose vitamin A therapy would reduce morbidity associated with RSV infection. Results There were no differences between the vitamin A and placebo recipients for most clinical outcomes; however, vitamin A recipients had-longer hospital stays than placebo recipients (5.0 days vs. 4.4 days, P = 0.01) after enrollment. This effect was significant for children who were older than 1 year (who also had received the highest doses of vitamin A), particularly among those at low risk for complications of RSV infection and those enrolled during the second study season. Serum retinol levels at enrollment were inversely correlated with severity of illness. Conclusions We found no evidence of a beneficial effect of vitamin A for the treatment of RSV infection in children in the United States. There may be groups of children for which vitamin A has an adverse effect, resulting in longer hospital stays.
Writing, Rewriting, and Working Through

This article describes the process of writing about one's clinical work using the help of a writing mentor. A variety of impediments and interferences to clinical writing are examined in detail. The author demonstrates the ways that these may reflect unconscious responses in the analyst and can affect the style of the writing, ultimately obscuring clear communication to the reader. In the first half of the article, the author describes his own work as a writing mentor for analysts both during and after training, and presents detailed illustrations of the mentoring experience and the specific techniques he finds useful. In the second half of the article, the author uses the evolution of this article as a case study to show how he worked through, over several drafts, various interferences and resistances in his own writing with the help of an individual writing mentor and a writing group.
Industry/joint services automatic test project: progress report

The Industry/Joint Services Automatic Test Project had its beginning in May 1975 at a joint NSIA/AIA meeting where the Navy presented their problems associated with the growing use of Automatic Test Equipment (ATE) in the Fleet. The industry Ad Hoc Automatic Test Project for the Navy, under the auspices of five industry associations, commenced September 1975. A final report was issued April 1977, highlighting the lack of RD the final report is scheduled for issue in the spring of 1979.
Delineating the Conformational Elements Responsible for Cu2+-Induced Oligomerization of β-2 Microglobulin

β-2 microglobulin (β2m) is a small globular protein implicated in amyloid fiber formation in renal patients on long-term hemodialysis therapy. In vitro, under physiological conditions, β2m is not aggregation prone. However, in the presence of stoichiometric Cu 2þ , β2m readily self-associates ultimately leading to heterogeneously sized aggregates. As this process occurs under near physiological solution conditions where the fold is g20 kJ/mol stabilized over the unfolded state, local conformational rearrangements are critical to understanding the oligomerization of β2m. The isomerization of a conserved cis proline at residue 32 is a recognized step in this process that can be initiated by Cu2þ binding. To better understand the structural basis of metal-induced oligomerization of β2m, we set out to determine the role of individual imidazole side chains in mediating metalbindingaffinity, native state stability, and oligomerization inthe frameworkof P32A β2m. We find that P32A in the presence of Cu2þ forms a tetramer in an apparently cooperative manner. One interface of this tetramer appears to reside along an edge strand as H51 is a key residue in mediating oligomerization. Furthermore, H31 is the main Cu 2þ binding residue in P32A and has an important role in stabilizing the protein in its holo form. Importantly, Cu 2þ binding affinity in P32A is much greater than in WT. Here, we show that this strong binding affinity need not be directly coupled to oligomerization. We interpret our results in terms of the known structures of β2m apo and a reversible hexameric state of β2mholo.
Understanding Metastable Defect Creation in CIGS by Detailed Device Modeling and Measurements on Bifacial Solar Cells

We present a compensated donor-acceptor conversion model to explain the metastable light-induced changes in the performance of CIGS solar cells. In this model, compensating donors plays the role of recombination channel. Modeling using SCAPS-1D yielded reasonable fits to the I-V curves in different metastable states, matching the experimentally observed decreases in short circuit current and fill factor as well as the lack of change in open circuit voltage. Comparison of the experimental results from bifacial solar cells and SCAPS simulations strongly supports the compensated donor-acceptor conversion model both qualitatively and quantitatively.
An LQR Based MIMO PID Controller Synthesis Method for Unconstrained Lagrangian Mechanical Systems

This paper presents an LQR based procedure for the synthesis of MIMO PID controllers that is primarily intended to be applied to unconstrained Lagrangian mechanical systems. The procedure is based on an appropriate interpretation of the plant-PID-controller interconnection that leads to a static state feedback problem that can be tackled using standard methods. If, in addition, a decentralized MIMO PID controller is to be designed, then the problem turns to be a sparse-constrained static state feedback problem. To solve this problem, a simple gradient-like search method is proposed and an example is considered to illustrate the proposed methodology.
The joint nonhyperbolic moveout inversion of PP and PS data in VTI media

Nonhyperbolic moveout of P‐waves in horizontally layered transversely isotropic media with a vertical symmetry axis (VTI) can be used to estimate the anellipticity coefficient η in addition to the NMO velocity Vnmo,P. Those two parameters are sufficient for time processing of P‐wave data (despite a certain instability in the inversion for η), but they do not constrain the vertical velocity VP0 and the depth scale of the model. It has been suggested in the literature that this ambiguity in the depth‐domain velocity analysis for layer‐cake VTI media can be resolved by combining long‐spread reflection traveltimes of P‐waves and mode‐converted PSV‐waves.Here, we show that reflection traveltimes of horizontal PSV events help to determine the ratio of the P‐ and S‐wave vertical velocities and the NMO velocity of SV‐waves, and they give a more accurate estimate of η. However, nonhyperbolic moveout of PSV‐waves turns out to be mostly controlled by wide‐angle P‐wave traveltimes and does not provide independent inf...
The Bees algorithm to extract fuzzy measures for sample data

In Multi-Criteria Decision Making (MCDM), decisions are based on several criteria that are usually conflicting and non-homogenously satisfied. Non-additive (fuzzy) measures along with the Choquet integral can model and aggregate the levels of satisfaction of these criteria by considering their relationships. However, in practice, it is difficult to identify such fuzzy measures. An automated process is necessary and can be done when sample data is available. In this article, we propose to use an adapted Bees algorithm to identify fuzzy measures from sample data. Our experimental results show that our Bees algorithm is faster and provides at least similar accuracy as or better than existing algorithms.
A good thing isn’t always a good thing: Dispositional attitudes predict non-normative judgments

Abstract A common belief in social sciences is that people like or dislike stimuli based on the properties possessed by those stimuli. Therefore, stimuli with many (few) positives should be universally liked (disliked). However, differences in opinion are common, and one source of disagreement may be personality. This research demonstrates that dispositional attitudes (an individual difference in the tendency to like/dislike stimuli), are associated with qualitative attitude differences (i.e., liking rather than disliking) for stimuli across important domains such as health, business, entertainment, and politics. Qualitative attitude differences frequently predict interpersonal conflict and diametrically opposed behavioral outcomes (e.g., voting for or against a candidate). Thus, these results have implications for understanding seemingly intractable differences found in nearly all social science fields.
Behavioural correlates of low relatedness in African elephant core groups of a poached population

Poaching removed adult female elephants, Loxodonta africana , from a social system centred on kin support and female philopatry, creating a natural experiment in many matrifocal African elephant populations. We hypothesized that core groups lacking kin display less cohesion and cooperate and compete with elephants outside of their core group more frequently compared to more discriminating genetically intact core groups. We collected behavioural data on 77 known elephant core groups in Mikumi National Park, Tanzania, across three dry seasons (2003–2005) via focal group and scan sampling during transect and waterhole surveys. Pairwise relatedness was derived by genotyping females at 10 microsatellite loci. We categorized core groups as having low relatedness if their relatedness fell 1 SD below a simulation-generated threshold value; otherwise, they were considered to be highly related. We analysed indexes of cohesion, tolerance, affiliation and agonism to determine the influence of core group composition on the frequency of these behaviours. Cohesion, measured by a proximity index, was primarily driven by the actions of young adult females and was greater in core groups with an old matriarch. Between core groups, tolerance was the most frequent response. Core groups of low-related individuals displayed a higher frequency of affiliation and agonism with other unrelated core groups than did highly related core groups. Thus, less discriminating social behaviour may enable individuals that lack kin to avoid the risks of solitary foraging. However, this comes with the cost of increased agonism, potentially leading to negative consequences for these elephants.
Du Bois's Humanistic Philosophy of Human Sciences

One of the many challenges W.E.B. Du Bois faced in the study of African Americans was the pervasive racism that affected how social scientists acquired data on people of African descent. Moreover, the historical reality in which such data were gathered was one in which there were indications of genocidal aims on the part of the dominant population. Du Bois needed to show that African Americans should receive rigorous study and that rigorous study was a part of the struggle for African American upliftment. In his effort to address both challenges, Du Bois, in effect, developed several bases for rigorous human study that included the importance of recognizing the humanity of the subjects under study. He touched upon several central concerns in the philosophy of the human sciences including the viability of studying metastable subjects; the relationship between epistemological and ontological categories in the cultural sphere; and the lived reality of action in the face of behavioral imposition.
Urban Students Acquiring English and Learning Mathematics in the Context of Reform

Urban schools face a dilemma. Should their efforts at reforming school mathematics specifically address the status of students acquiring English? Or should urban schools assume that these students' needs will be addressed under the broader aegis of reform? This article provides a rationale as to why educators should choose the former: the danger of re-creating stratification of opportunity to learn mathematics is simply too great to ignore the status of students acquiring English. The bilingual education literature that is related to mathematics teaching fails to address critical mathematics reform issues. Yet, bilingual education research provides a foundation on which to build efforts that combine attention to bilingual education and mathematics reform. This article ends with an elaboration of ways to think about the bilingual learner of mathematics, curriculum, teaching, assessment, and evaluation where collaboration between mathematics reformers and bilingual educators could be productive.
Special session - using Rich Pictures to improve systemic thinking

Rich Pictures, as defined by Peter Checkland, pictorially and informally capture the structures, viewpoints, responsibilities, and processes of a situation and its inherent relationships. Thus, these pictures aid users to think systemically about a situation. This session will introduce systemic thinking to participants through the use of the modeling technique of Rich Pictures. Vanasupaa, Rogers, and Chen, at the 38th ASEE/IEEE Frontiers in Education Conference discussed the findings of a pilot study on the outcome of the use of Rich Pictures by materials engineering students. Initial findings indicate that using Rich Pictures can broaden students' ability to participate in systemic thinking. The session proposed here builds on the Vanasupaa et al study to introduce the potential of Rich Pictures to engineering educators. Of specific interest is the building of Rich Pictures by individuals as well as teams of individuals. The goals of this session are: (1) to introduce participants to Rich Pictures as an information modeling technique, (2) to illustrate uses of Rich Pictures for classroom settings (individual and team applications), and (3) to introduce and discuss systems thinking and its applications.
Flux-pinning mechanisms for improving cryogenic segmented mirror performance

Although large cryogenic space telescopes may provide a means of answering compelling astrophysics questions, the required increase in the primary mirror diameter presents technical challenges. Larger primaries are more flexible, and cryogenic mirrors are typically very lightly damped—the material damping is negligible, and common damping methods break down. To address these challenges, we propose placing flux-pinning mechanisms along the edges of adjacent mirror segments. These mechanisms consist of a collection of magnets and superconductors, and like flexures, they preferentially allow motion in specific degrees of freedom. Motion in nonpreferred degrees of freedom is resisted by a force analogous to a damped spring force, and the stiffness and damping can be adjusted independently. As an example, we consider simple mechanisms consisting of an inexpensive magnet and a single superconductor. These mechanisms provide increasing resistance as the magnet and superconductor—or mirror segments attached to each—come closer to colliding. These mechanisms, with typical stiffness and damping values on the order of 5000 N/m and 5 kg/s, respectively, also provide modest improvements to the mirror performance. Greater gains can be achieved by using stronger magnets or smaller separations, or by placing nonmagnetic conductive materials near the mechanism.
Active Terahertz Spoof Surface Plasmon Polariton Switch Comprising the Perfect Conductor Metamaterial

The feasibility of realizing an active terahertz (THz) switch by utilizing artificially corrugated perfect conductor metamaterials is reported in this paper by demonstrating that the strongly localized THz spoof surface plasmon polariton (SSPP) modes can be easily controlled by changing the refractive index of dielectrics inside a longitudinal metallic structure with a periodic array of grooves. Specifically, this paper shows that incorporation of electrooptical material such as a nematic liquid crystal into the plasmonic gap leads to a highly compact and efficient THz switch that is activated by a low-voltage control-signal. The optimal design of the SSPP switch enabled by this novel method shows: 1) a strong subwavelength SSPP localization; 2) relatively high extinction ratio; and 3) small damping attenuation. Furthermore, the design flexibility associated with simple micrometer-scale architecture provides a promising method toward controlling or steering the subwavelength THz signal in the future SSPP-based compact digital circuit.
Climate change in the southeastern Bering Sea: impacts on pollock stocks and implications for the oscillating control hypothesis

Concern about impacts of climate change in the Bering Sea prompted several research programs to elucidate mechanistic links between climate and ecosystem responses. Following a detailed literature review, Hunt et al. (2011) (Deep-Sea Res. II, 49, 2002, 5821) developed a conceptual framework, the Oscillating Control Hypothesis (OCH), linking climaterelated changes in physical oceanographic conditions to stock recruitment using walleye pollock (Theragra chalcogramma) as a model. The OCH conceptual model treats zooplankton as a single box, with reduced zooplankton production during cold conditions, producing bottom-up control of apex predators and elevated zooplankton production during warm periods leading to top-down control by apex predators. A recent warming trend followed by rapid cooling on the Bering Sea shelf permitted testing of the OCH. During warm years (2003–06), euphausiid and Calanus marshallae populations declined, post-larval pollock diets shifted from a mixture of large zooplankton and small copepods to almost exclusively small copepods, and juvenile pollock dominated the diets of large predators. With cooling from 2006–09, populations of large zooplankton increased, post-larval pollock consumed greater proportions of C. marshallae and other large zooplankton, and juvenile pollock virtually disappeared from the diets of large pollock and salmon. These shifts in energy flow were accompanied by large declines in pollock stocks attributed to poor recruitment between 2001 and 2005. Observations presented here indicate the need for revision of the OCH to account for shifts in energy flow through differing food-web pathways due to warming and cooling on the southeastern Bering Sea shelf.
Secondary cleft lip nasal reconstruction: state of the art.

Abstract Objective: This paper summarizes the state of the art in secondary cleft lip nasal reconstruction, distilled from the many papers written on the subject and from the author's experience with many of those procedures over the past 25 years. Methods: The evaluation starts with the skeletal base and the need for LeFort 1 or alveolar bone grafting is discussed. The boney dorsum is next evaluated and a “monobloc” osteotomy considered. The cartilaginous dorsum follows and a “spreader-strut” graft is entertained. The tip cartilages are approached with either an open Potter or Dibbell preferred or replacement conchal graft if the tip has been destroyed by previous surgery. The skin envelope is then adjusted using methods described by Tajima, Dibbell, and Bardach.
Principles of Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy

Despite the completion and publication of the results of three well-designed and conducted phase III randomized trials that revealed the superiority of intraperitoneal, compared to intravenous cisplatin-based chemotherapy employed as primary chemotherapy of small-volume residual advanced ovarian cancer [1–3], there appears to be limited use of this approach outside the setting of clinical trials and major academic medical centers. While a variety of explanations can be offered to this somewhat discouraging state of affairs, it is reasonable to speculate that many clinicians do not fully appreciate the underlying rationale and basic principles supporting this method of drug delivery in the management of ovarian cancer. Such considerations actually provide strong support for the validity of the outcomes observed in the completed randomized trials.
Effect of Message Interactivity on Product Attitudes and Purchase Intentions

ABSTRACTSocial media increasingly allows consumers to interact with businesses, although the effects of this novel technology in the context of public relations are under-examined. Consistent with the ideas proposed by the Elaboration Likelihood Model, the present study conducted a 2 × 3 online experiment with a sample of 131 participants to examine the effect of message interactivity and source authority on consumers' ad attitudes, brand attitudes, and purchase intentions. Message interactivity had a positive effect on ad effectiveness via the indirect pathway of perceived informativeness. These findings relate to the ELM in that they suggest that users processed information more centrally than peripherally, or that interactivity had a larger effect on consumer attitudes than authority. Theoretical and practical implications of study results are discussed.
Role of eicosanoids in staphylococcal alpha-toxin-induced lung injury in the rat

We investigated the role of arachidonic acid-derived eicosanoids in staphylococcal alpha-toxin (alpha-T)-induced lung injury. Bolus injection of 200 and 500 micrograms alpha-T into isolated perfused rat lungs resulted in increased pulmonary perfusion pressure followed by lung weight gain. Inhibition of pressure change with papaverine (10(-4) M) failed to abolish lung edema. Furthermore, alpha-T increased the permeability-surface area product in papaverine-treated lungs and caused marked endothelial cell injury and interstitial edema as documented by electron microscopy. alpha-T dose dependently increased lung tissue thromboxane B2 (TxB2) levels and leukotriene C4 levels. In lungs given 0, 200, and 500 micrograms of alpha-T, TxB2 (in micrograms/g wet lung) values were 16.3 +/- 2.8, 25.0 +/- 3.0, and 54.2 +/- 6.2; and leukotriene C4 values were 4.6 +/- 1.1, 6.7 +/- 1.2, and 22.1 +/- 3.8, respectively. Inhibition of cyclooxygenase enzyme with indomethacin (10(-5) M) or lipoxygenase enzyme with 2(12-hydroxydodeca-5,10-dinyl)-3,5,6-trimethyl-1,4-benzoq uin one (AA861, 10(-5) M) attenuated the vasoconstriction and prevented lung edema due to low dose (200 micrograms) but not high dose (500 micrograms) alpha-T. The protective effect of these inhibitors on lung edema is in part due to decreases in alpha-T-stimulated venoconstriction because alpha-T-induced increase in lung microvascular pressure was attenuated by indomethacin and AA861 pretreatment. We conclude that both eicosanoid-dependent and eicosanoid-independent mechanisms contribute to alpha-T-induced lung edema in the rat.