cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Educational technology associations as change agents: a case study

This research addressed the role of educational technology associations as change agents within education with particular emphasis on issues of advocacy and leadership. Using a poststructural feminist lens and the metaphor of interview and analysis as storytelling, it explored the perspectives of nineteen individuals belonging to a national level educational technology association. This research addressed a single research question: How do the various stakeholders (staff, volunteers, and members) in an educational technology association describe the organization’s contribution to the educational system in terms of its role as a change agent? Data for this research were collected over twelve months and were taken from four main sources: the researcher’s journal, individual interviews, observations, and association publications (both internal and external). Data from the interviews, observations, and documents were analyzed over the course of the year-long data collection process using a modified constant comparative method. The trustworthiness of this research should be considered in light of poststructural epistemological concepts of substantive contribution, aesthetic merit, reflexivity, impact, and expression of reality. The results indicated that the participants have a complex relationship with their educational technology association and that ideas of change agency, advocacy, and leadership play an important role in how they perceive that organization and how they experience their own involvement with it. Regardless of the nature of their engagement, the association’s staff, volunteers, and members perceive it as an instrument of and an ally for improving teaching and learning through the medium of educational technology. They also experience their connection to the association as both a support for and reflection of their professionalism. The participants believe that the association offers a number of benefits that make membership worthwhile and at the same time, provides important benefits to the discipline and to education as a whole. They also perceive their association as a leader and an advocate for educational technology, not just as a teaching tool, but as a medium for transforming teaching and learning.
A simulation tool for analysis of alternative paradigms for the new electricity business

Various proposals have been made for new paradigms for operating the restructuring electrical system. One of the key challenges associated with this restructuring is to effectively analyze and evaluate the effects these alternative paradigms may have on major aspects of power system operations, including the so called ancillary services. The paper provides preliminary results on the development of a simulation tool to perform this analysis. Since power systems are ultimately governed by the laws of physics, the heart of the tool is a power system simulation engine, valid over a simulated time frame of minutes to days. The modular structure of the tool then allows other packages to be superimposed on this structure to represent different proposed paradigms. Integration of effective visualization into an interactive simulation environment is then used to gain understanding and insights concerning the attributes of each paradigm.
Clinical significance of bcr-abl gene rearrangement detected by polymerase chain reaction after allogeneic bone marrow transplantation in chronic myelogenous leukemia.

In chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML), amplification of a segment of bcr-abl messenger RNA (mRNA) by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) can be used to detect minimal residual disease after bone marrow transplantation (BMT). Previous studies have shown that this sensitive technique can often detect small numbers of leukemia cells in patients who are otherwise in complete remission. Nevertheless, the clinical significance of PCR positivity remains unclear because the majority of patients with PCR-detectable bcr-abl mRNA can remain disease-free for prolonged periods after allogeneic BMT. In the present studies, we applied PCR to detect bcr-abl-positive cells in 100 serial blood or BM samples from 24 patients with CML who underwent CD6 T-cell-depleted allogeneic BMT. After BMT, bcr-abl mRNA could be detected in 20 patients (83.3%) during complete cytogenetic or clinical remission. Patients in whom PCR positivity was sustained over time had a higher probability of CML relapse than patients in whom PCR was intermittently negative (P = .0095, log rank test). PCR detection of bcr-abl transcript between 2 and 10 weeks post-BMT also was associated with a high probability of subsequent relapse (P = .023, log rank test). In eight selected patients, we used a titration assay of the PCR-amplified product to estimate the number of residual tumor cells in each clinical sample post-BMT. PCR results in four patients showed a continuing increase in the number of tumor cells from early posttransplant until either cytogenetic or clinical relapse could be detected by conventional methods 1 to 2 years later. In contrast, PCR detected either no leukemia cells or relatively low and stable numbers of residual tumor cells throughout the follow-up period in four patients who remained in clinical remission. These results show that detection of the bcr-abl transcript by PCR after allogeneic BMT in patients with CML has important prognostic value. Estimation of the number of tumor cells in serial analyses can also be used to detect proliferation of the residual leukemic population. Sensitive detection of minimal residual disease can be used to assess the effectiveness of the transplant preparative regimen and to direct and evaluate further therapy post-BMT, before the development of overt relapse.
The world problem: on the computability of the topology of 4-manifolds

Topological classification of the 4-manifolds bridges computation theory and physics. A proof of the undecidability of the homeomorphy problem for 4-manifolds is outlined here in a clarifying way. It is shown that an arbitrary Turing machine with an arbitrary input can be encoded into the topology of a 4-manifold, such that the 4-manifold is homeomorphic to a certain other 4-manifold if and only if the corresponding Turing machine halts on the associated input. Physical implications are briefly discussed.
The Comprehensive Guide on How to Read a Financial Report by John A. Tracy and Tage Tracy

Good things come in threes. Standard financial reports have three components: the balance sheet, the income statement, and the statement of cash flows. Balance sheets show assets (what a company ow...
Adventures with Stream Mosses—a Fontinalis Point of View. Part II: Reproduction

Fontinalis is well known for its rarity in producing spores. First, this is a dioicous moss – its males and females are separate plants (Figure 1 and Figure 2). It lives in the water, often fast-moving water. When the sperm leave the antheridium, they are faced with a flowing medium. Since the male plant most likely got where it is by a fragment lodging against a rock, it is likely that all the neighbors are males too. These tiny sperm must brave the big waters of the stream to locate a female. Then they must stop at just the right place so they can swim against the current to reach the archegonium. Or not.
Autologous Pubovaginal Sling for the Treatment of Concomitant Female Urethral Diverticula and Stress Urinary Incontinence.

Objective To describe our experience with concomitant repair of urethral diverticula and stress urinary incontinence (SUI) with autologous pubovaginal sling (PVS). Methods A retrospective chart review between January 2006 and 2013 identified 38 women undergoing concomitant diverticulectomy and rectus sheath PVS. Patient demographics, presenting symptoms, prior urethral surgery, concomitant procedures, postoperative outcomes, and complications were evaluated. Results The mean duration of symptoms was 56.7 months. Eleven patients presented with recurrent diverticula and 5 patients had prior SUI surgery (3 midurethral slings, 1 PVS, and 1 bulking agent). One patient had a prior urethrolysis. All other slings were cut or excised at the time of surgery. All women had demonstrable SUI on cough stress test or urodynamics. The mean follow-up was 12.7 months. All postoperative voiding cystourethrograms were negative for contrast extravasation. One patient required prolonged (>4 weeks) suprapubic tube drainage for urinary retention. Four others required an additional 1 week of suprapubic tube drainage. Eighteen patients (47%) reported mixed urinary symptoms. Of these, 9 had complete resolution, whereas 9 experienced significant improvement. Overall, 97.3% reported resolution of their dysuria, dyspareunia, and pain symptoms and 90% reported complete resolution of their SUI symptoms. There were 2 urethral diverticula recurrences and 2 SUI recurrences. Perioperative complications, including hemorrhage, sling erosion, or urethrovaginal fistulas, were not observed. Conclusion Concomitant PVS placement is a safe and effective treatment option for SUI in patients undergoing urethral diverticulectomy. The risks and benefits should be weighed and management individualized.
On the use of combinability functions for intelligent defuzzification

We suggest a new approach to the problem of defuzzification. This approach is a knowledge based approach in that it uses knowledge in terms of a combinability function to help to more intelligently guide the defuzzification process. This approach makes use of a view of the defuzzification process as a kind of clustering problem and uses the basic idea used in the mountain clustering method. >
Improving the Prediction of Clinical Outcomes from Genomic Data Using Multiresolution Analysis

The prediction of patient's future clinical outcome, such as Alzheimer's and cardiac disease, using only genomic information is an open problem. In cases when genome-wide association studies (GWASs) are able to find strong associations between genomic predictors (e.g., SNPs) and disease, pattern recognition methods may be able to predict the disease well. Furthermore, by using signal processing methods, we can capitalize on latent multivariate interactions of genomic predictors. Such an approach to genomic pattern recognition for prediction of clinical outcomes is investigated in this work. In particular, we show how multiresolution transforms can be applied to genomic data to extract cues of multivariate interactions and, in some cases, improve on the predictive performance of clinical outcomes of standard classification methods. Our results show, for example, that an improvement of about 6 percent increase of the area under the ROC curve can be achieved using multiresolution spaces to train logistic regression to predict late-onset Alzheimer's disease (LOAD) compared to logistic regression applied directly on SNP data.
Parametric Decomposition of Monomial Ideals, II

Abstract Let x 1 ,…, x d be an R -sequence in a commutative ring R and let I be a monomial idea (so I is generated by elements of the form x 1 e 1 ··· x d e d , where each e i is a nonnegative integer). The main results of this paper: (a) establish a practical formula which computes the monomial length of I when Rad( I ) = Rad(( x 1 ,…, x d ) R ); (b) determine necessary and sufficient conditions for the intersection of finitely many monomial ideals to again be a monomial ideal; (c) show that if C , the set of all monomial ideals in R that contain I , is closed under finite intersections, then each ideal J in C has a unique decomposition as an irredundant finite intersection of ideals of the form ( x τ(1) a 1 ,…, x τ( h ) a h ) R , where τ is a permutation of {1,…, d }, h ∈ {1,…, d }, and a 1 ,…, a h are positive integers; and, (d) give additional results for certain form rings and Rees rings of R , related to the unique parametric decomposition theorem.
Proton Reactivity and Electronic Structure of Phenoxyl Radicals in Water

Application of proton reactivity in modeling the electronic structure of reactive chemical intermediates, interpreting their resonance Raman spectra in aqueous solution, and testing theoretical procedures has been demonstrated. The case of phenoxyl radicals (p-XC6H4O•), for which there has been persistent disagreement between the structural models derived from purely spectroscopic arguments and ab initio MO calculations, is discussed. It has been shown that the neutral p-aminophenoxyl (X = NH2) radical deprotonates in basic aqueous solutions (pKa = 14.5), implying a highly zwitterionic structure with formal positive charge on amine nitrogen, an amide-like CN bond (⩽1.33 A), and near planarity of the molecular geometry. The radical protonates at oxygen, rather than nitrogen, the proton dissociation constant (pKa = 2.2) corresponding to ∼36% negative electronic charge on the O atom and a CO bond length of ∼1.267 A. This chemical model of the radical structure contrasts with the ab initio UNO-CAS/6-31G* (pyr...
Aluminum-sensitive degradation of amyloid β-protein1–40 by murine and human intracellular enzymes

Abstract Both amyloid β protein (Aβ) and aluminum (Al) have been implicated in Alzheimer's disease. Recently, Aβ has been found to be produced by peripheral tissues as well as by the CNS and to cross and accumulate in the vascular bed of the brain, which comprises the blood-brain barrier (BBB). This raises the possibility that blood-borne Aβ may be a source of Aβ within the CNS. Al has been shown to alter the structure and function of Aβ, to inhibit the class of enzymes (metalloproteases) associated with the processing and degradation of Aβ, and to alter the permeability of the BBB to peptides of similar size to Aβ. Therefore, Al could alter the access of blood-borne Aβ to the CNS either by changing the permeability of the BBB or by affecting enzymatic degradation. We examined the effect of Al on both of these parameters and found that Al did not alter the permeability of the BBB to Aβ radioactively labeled with 125I (I-Aβ) even after correction for in vivo degradation. However, Al did enhance clearance and degradation of I-Aβ in the circulation but not in the brain. Alterations in clearance can indirectly affect the CNS accumulation of circulating substances by modifying their presentation to the brain. In vitro studies of intracellular enzymatic activity of lysates of mouse and human erythrocytes (RBC) showed that Al could inhibit degradation of I-Aβ through a mechanism antagonized by calcium and dependent on the concentrations of RBC lysate and Al. Analysis by high performance liquid chromatography showed that Al acted primarily by inhibiting the initial degradation of I-Aβ to a peptide intermediate without inducing the aggregation of I-Aβ under the conditions of these studies. No difference was found in sensitivity to Al between RBCs from patients with Alzheimer's disease and age- and sex-matched controls. The ability of Al to alter the degradation of Aβ suggests a way in which these two potentially neurotoxic substances might interact in conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
Tying Television Comedies to Information Literacy: A Mixed-Methods Investigation

Abstract Many components of Information Literacy (IL) are too massive to be addressed in a single instruction session, yet an introduction to these concepts is essential for students' academic careers and intellectual development. This study evaluates the impact of applying excerpts from television comedies that illustrate ACRL's Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education to library instruction sessions for first-year students. Pre- and posttest results from 193 subjects and interview data from two focus groups indicate that television comedies can be integrated into one-shot instruction sessions to demonstrate IL concepts in an accessible and dialogue-provoking manner.
Corticotropin releasing hormone increases apparent potency of adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation of cortisol secretion

Abstract Hypothesis : Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) has a regulatory effect on cortisol secretion in addition to its classic effect of stimulating adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) secretion. Review : There is growing evidence of ‘long-loop' and paracrine adrenal stimulation by CRH. Data from a study of the ovine-corticotropin releasing hormone (oCRH) stimulation test in 13 sexually abused girls and 13 normal controls was used in Montecarlo simulations of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, to get estimates of adrenal sensitivity to ACTH and cortisol elimination kinetics before and after oCRH administration. In both controls and sexually abused girls, ACTH had an apparent greater effect on cortisol secretion after administration of oCRH compared to its effect during the baseline period. This lends support to the hypothesis and suggests that it should be tested experimentally.
Assessing the impact of NCAA scandals: an exploratory analysis

This article studies the impact of athletic scandals in higher education by examining changes in key variables including overall enrolment, number of freshman applications, overall charitable contributions, alumni charitable athletic contributions and corporate charitable athletic contributions. This exploratory study involved a case analysis of 15 universities covering an 8-year period that had been placed on NCAA probation for infractions involving their men's basketball and football programmes during the 1998?2005 academic calendar years. Preliminary results indicate that athletic scandal does negatively impact overall charitable giving and overall enrolment and that the impact is long-term in nature. However, contrary to our expectations, we found that scandal had a positive impact on alumni athletic contributions, corporate athletic contributions and total freshman applications. A set of managerial implications for colleges and university administrators as well as future research is discussed.
Mode suppression in metal filled photonic crystal vertical cavity lasers

Simulation results for an etched air hole photonic crystal (PhC) vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) structure with various thicknesses of metal deposited inside the holes are presented. The higher-order modes of the structure are more spread out than the fundamental mode, and penetrate into the metal-filled holes. Due to the lossy nature of the metal, these higher-order modes experience a greater loss than the fundamental mode, resulting in an enhanced side mode suppression ratio (SMSR). A figure of merit for determining which metals would have the greatest impact on the SMSR is derived and validated using a transmission matrix method calculation. A full three-dimensional simulation of the PhC VCSEL structure is performed using the plane wave admittance method, and SMSRs are calculated for increasing metal thicknesses. Of the metals simulated, chromium provided the greatest SMSR enhancement with more than a 4 dB improvement with 500 nm of metal for an operating current of 12 times threshold.
Optimization of triple quadrupole mass spectrometer for quantitation of trace degradants of pharmaceutical compounds

Abstract LC/MS–MS is a sensitive analytical technique capable of quantifying impurities and degradation products of pharmaceutical compounds at very low concentrations. Obtaining reproducible and reliable signals near the lower limit of quantitation (LLQ) from an LC/MS–MS system requires careful tuning of the instrument as there are significantly more tuning parameters for optimization of an LC/MS–MS than for an instrument with a single mass analyzer. Using response surface methodology in conjunction with sequential design strategy, a Micromass Quattro LC triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was optimized for LLQ based on the signal-to-noise ratio ( S / N ) using the model pharmaceutical compound Azithromycin, (2 R ,3 S ,4 R ,5 R ,8 R ,10 R ,11 R ,12 S ,13 S ,14 R )-13-[(2,6-dideoxy-3- C -methyl-3- O -methyl-(alpha)- l -ribo-hexopyranosyl)oxy]-2-ethyl-3,4,10-trihydroxy-3,5,6,8,10,12,14-hepta-methyl-11-[[3,4,6-trideoxy-3-(dimethylamino)-(beta)- d -xylo-hexopyranosyl]oxy]-1-oxa-6-azacyclopentadecan-15-one. Statistical analyses determined that the tuning parameters impacting the signal-to-noise ratio were cone, capillary, extractor, radio frequency (RF) lens voltages and high mass resolution (HM Res1). A mathematical model was derived that can be used to predict the signal-to-noise ratio of Azithromycin [ M +H] + over a wide tuning range and to identify a setting which maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio. Based on this model, the optimal instrument parameters were found at low extractor voltage (17 V), medium capillary voltage (3 kV), medium cone voltage (48 V), high RF voltage (0.9 V), and medium HM Res1 (2.5). Using the optimized settings determined for Azithromycin, a standard curve for the analysis of a structurally related trace degradant (pseudo-aglycone Azithromycin) was generated from which the LLQ was determined to be 39.1 ng/mL, suggesting that the initial rate method of shelf-life prediction of pharmaceutical compounds may be tenable using LC/MS–MS.
Novel control elements in the alpha-1 tubulin gene promoter from Chlamydomonas reinhardii

Alpha-1 tubulin is the principal alpha-tubulin isotype found in the flagella of the unicellular green alga, Chlamydomonas reinhardii. Although the pattern of tubulin mRNA accumulation and utilization has been examined in some detail in Chlamydomonas (Lefebvre and Rosenbaum 1986), the transcriptional mechanisms establishing tubulin mRNA levels are not understood. To begin an analysis of the alpha-1 tubulin gene transcriptional control elements, we studied a number of promoter mutants of this gene from Chlamydomonas. These mutants, assayed by injection into Xenopus oocyte nuclei, delimit the promoter to 36 bp of DNA upstream of the cap site and 73 bp of the untranslated mRNA leader. A major rate-controlling element lies in a short GC-rich sequence positioned between the TATA homology and the mRNA cap site (position+1). A similar sequence motif has been found in the same position upstream of all four tubulin genes of Chlamydomonas (Brunke et al. 1984). A 10 bp linker insertion within this sequence abolishes transcription. A far upstream sequence, located in a fragment between-400 and-800, is an efficiency element, whose deletion inhibits transcription in vivo by about 30%. The upstream element (ue) also has the unique ability to drive RNA polymerase II (RNAPII) transcription in vivo when isolated from all downstream promoter elements, unlike any control element described to date. These results suggest that a sequence within the upstream element is an entry site for RNAPII into the tubulin transcription unit.
Structural Modal Multifurcation With Internal Resonance: Part 2—Stochastic Approach

Stochastic bifurcation in moments of a clamped-clamped beam response to a wide band random excitation is investigated analytically, numerically, and experimentally. The nonlinear response is represented by the first three normal modes. The response statistics are examined in the neighborhood of a critical static axial load where the normal mode frequencies are commensurable. The analytical treatment includes Gaussian and non-Gaussian closures. The Gaussian closure fails to predict bifurcation of asymmetric modes. Both non-Gaussian closure and numerical simulation yield bifurcation boundaries in terms of the axial load, excitation spectral density level, and damping ratios. The results of both methods are in good agreement only for symmetric response characteristics. In the neighborhood of the critical bifurcation parameter the Monte Carlo simulation yields strong nonstationary mean square response for the asymmetric mode which is not directly excited. Experimental and Monte Carlo simulation exhibit nonlinear features including a shift of the resonance peak in the response spectra as the excitation level increases. The observed shift is associated with a widening effect in the response bandwidth.
The promise of an ecological, evolutionary approach to culture and language

Dichotomous definitions of culture and language do not generate productive questions. Instead, more progress can be made by identifying components of each that other animals might plausibly possess. The evolutionary, ecological approach advocated by Rendell and Whitehead holds great promise for helping us to understand the conditions under which natural selection can favor similar capacities in differently organized brains.
A knowledge-based system for production and distribution economics

Software for production and distribution problems has evolved from FORTRAN programs, to matrix generators, to modeling languages such as GAMS, AMPL, and Structured Modeling. One of the next steps in the evolution of this class of software is to knowledge-based systems. Such systems provide a guided interface for problem input, permit qualitative inference about the problem, and provide a means of creating the problem description in the form required by modeling languages.
A note on subtrees rooted along the primary path of a binary tree

Abstract Let Fn denote the set of rooted binary plane trees with n external nodes, for given T∈Fn let ui(T) be the altitude i node along the primary path of T, and let δi(T) denote the number of external nodes in the induced subtree rooted at ui(T). We set δi(T) = 0 if i is greater than the length of the primary path of T. We prove limn→∞ ∑i≤x/n En{δi}/∑i
The potential for developing a tactile communication system based on Blissymbolics

AbstractObjective: To be useful for tactile communication, tactile stimuli need to be discriminable from each other. The objective of this study was to determine whether raised-line renderings of Blissymbols have the capacity for being developed into a tactile communication system as measured by their tactile discriminability. Methods: Tactile discrimination of Blissymbols was measured by performance on a task in which participants were asked to feel a target raised-line Blissymbol and then to find the target within an array containing the target and raised-line Blissymbol foils. Results: The vast majority of tactile Blissymbols had tactile discrimination scores of 90% accuracy or better. Conclusion: Most raised-line Blissymbols can be tactilely discriminated from each other, indicating that they have the potential for being developed into a tactile communication system.
Age, Period, and Cohort Effects on Religious Activities and Beliefs

Abstract Despite the theoretical emphasis on religious decline in modern societies, sociologists remain divided over trends in religious activity and belief that support or refute claims of religious decline. Much of this disagreement stems from the inability to distinguish between period and cohort effects when analyzing repeated cross-sectional survey data. I use the intrinsic estimator, a recently developed method of simultaneously estimating age, period, and cohort effects, to examine changes in Americans’ religious service attendance, prayer, belief in the afterlife, and biblical literalism. Results show that regular service attendance declines, predominantly across cohorts. There are also period- and cohort-based declines in biblical literalism and a cohort-based decline in prayer. Belief in the afterlife is relatively stable across periods and cohorts. These results provide mixed support for theories of religious decline, and they demonstrate the importance of differentiating between period and cohort effects on social change.
Availability and acceptability of spruce budworm eggs to parasitism by the egg parasitoid, Trichogramma minutum (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae).

Spruce budworm egg deposition spanned 27 days during both 1979 and 1980. The egg deposition curve is essentially a normal bell-shaped distribution with a slight skew to the right. Spruce budworm eggs are most acceptable to T. minutum Riley for successful parasitism during the earlier stages of host–egg development. Parasitism rates at two different temperatures (21 °C and 27 °C) were significantly greater for 1- to 3-day-old eggs than for 6- to 8-day-old spruce budworm eggs. Major reduction in host–egg acceptability occurred after the fifth day at 21 °C and after the 4th day at 27 °C.
SU‐FF‐J‐63: Comparison of Daily Setup Corrections Using On‐Board Cone‐Beam Computed Tomography, and Two Planar Kilovoltage Imaging Systems

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to compare bony landmark‐based setup corrections derived from a linac gantry‐mounted kilovoltage (kV) imaging system that can either be used in orthogonal radiography (OBI) or kV circular orbit computed tomography(CBCT)imaging mode. A third commercial image‐guidedradiotherapy system, consisting of orthogonal room‐mounted planar x‐ray imaging system, Exac Trac (ET), was also tested. In addition to daily setup corrections, imagingdoses were compared. Methods and Materials: Both patient and phantom data were used to perform this study. Five patients were selected and couch shifts ware determined using both the OBI and ET systems. Using a pelvic phantom, intentionally introduced shifts of 0, 5, and 20 mm in the anterior/posterior (AP/PA), superior/inferior (S/I), and lateral directions, respectively, were applied. The estimated couch shifts were compared using all three Image Guided Radiotheraphy (IGRT) systems. Two cranial cases, one liver case, one lung case, and one prostate case were selected and the estimated couch shifts using the OBI and the ET systems were determined while the patient is in place. Couch shifts are not applied until all imaging modalities are performed. Results: Comparison of simulated shifts using all three imaging modalities showed a standard deviation of setup uncertainties is within 1 mm in all directions. Patients' data showed that the biggest difference is in the order 4 mm in the superior/inferior direction for liver patient and 2 mm in the superior/inferior direction for cranial patient. Conclusions: This study showed that while using 3D/3D image fusion is an excellent choice for online daily patient setup, it is possible to determine couch shift to high degree of accuracy using either 2D/2D or 2D/3D image fusion. For lung and liver patient, tracking of organ motion must be used to any imaging modality.
Undergraduate Research Experiences in Psychology: A National Study of Courses and Curricula

We surveyed departments nationally to better understand the extent of scientific opportunities and experiences for undergraduate psychology students. Results showed intradepartmental variability, but overall students can expect 7 courses that offer research experiences in the typical psychology curriculum. Nonetheless, research is often not the primary course focus; some students must wait until their junior year to take such a course, and most such courses are elective, not required. We discuss implications for departments' curricula and the goals and outcomes for undergraduate education as well as future research directions.
Utopian virtues: Muslim neighbors, ritual sociality, and the politics of convivència

In this article, I explore articulations between ritual practice, public sociality, and the politics of immigration in Catalonia (Spain). I investigate phenomena associated with a vernacular interculturalist project known in Catalan as convivencia (living together), an alternative to both xenophobic and liberal multiculturalist discourses circulating in Europe. I focus on the capacity of ritual practice to shape embodied socialities between hosts and immigrants and contextualize these dynamics by asking, what congeries of history, public reasoning, techniques of sociality, and policy feed momentum toward polarization or toward pluralism?
Environmental applications of pattern recognition techniques

Abstract Lavine, B.K., 1992. Environmental applications of pattern recognition techniques. Chemometrics and Intelligent Laboratory Systems , 15:219–230. Source identification is an important problem in the area of environmental chemistry. Pollutants (e.g. processed fuels) must be related to their sources to develop effective strategies for the management of our environment. The potential of gas chromatography—mass spectrometry (GC-MS) for correlating hydrocarbon spills to suspected fuel sources is recognized by many workers. However, source identification of pollutants (e.g., typing of fuels) on the basis of their GC-MS profiles is often complicated by two factors: (1) serious colinearities and multicolinearities among the measurement variables, and (2) the confounding of the desired chemical information by experimental variables or other systematic variations in the data. Several projects that involve these effects and methods for dealing with them will be discussed.
Microsporangiate cones of Mazocarpon bensonii (Lycopsida) from the Upper Pennsylvanian of the Appalachian basin

Abstract Microsporangiate fragments of Mazocarpon bensonii cones have been discovered in the Upper Pennsylvanian, Duquesne Coal near Steubenville, Ohio. The largest fragment measures 11.5 cm long and 1.1–1.3 cm in maximum diameter. Sporophylls are arranged in low helices. The sporophyll are relatively thin and glabrous, with a lobed heel and two-zoned mesophyll. These features compare favorably with those of the megasporangiate cones of M. bensonii , and provide the basis for extending the specific concept to include microsporiange cones. Microspores of M. bensonii are similar to those of M. oedipternum . They are 48–54 μm in diameter and trilete, with prominent apical papillae. The proximal surface is psilate-granular, but conspicuous verrucae occur on the distal surface. Scanning electron micrographs of broken wall surfaces and internal views of the wall reveal that the exine is composed of a dense reticulum of interconnected rodlets. Analysis of the relative abundance of detached organs in the Duquesne coal suggests that sigillarian trees inhabited near-swamp environments, rather than the peat-accumulating habitats.
Information-Theoretic Measures of Reader Enjoyment

Two studies based on an information theory model of reader enjoyment investigated the role of syntactic and semantic unpredictability in determining readers' evaluations of journalistic prose. In each study, reader enjoyment ratings for a set of articles reporting a single news event were compared with cloze procedure results in which function-word and content-word responses were analyzed separately using entropy and cloze scoring techniques. Both studies revealed a statistically significant correlation between function-word predictability and reader enjoyment. In addition, a strong correlation between content-word unpredictability and reader enjoyment in one study supported the notion that readers prefer texts that are characterized by a high degree of semantic unpredictability.
Families or irreducible polynomials of Gaussian periods and matrices of cyclotomic numbers

Given an odd prime p we show a way to construct large families of polynomials P q (x) E Q[x], q ∈ C, where C is a set of primes of the form q ≡ 1 mod p and P q (x) is the irreducible polynomial of the Gaussian periods of degree p in Q(ζ q ). Examples of these families when p = 7 are worked in detail. We also show, given an integer n > 2 and a prime q ≡ 1 mod 2n, how to represent by matrices the Gaussian periods η 0 ,...,η n of degree n in Q(ζ q ), and how to calculate in a simple way, with the help of a computer, irreducible polynomials for elements of Q(η 0 ).
Bridging the communications gap with new students: partnerships are the key

As each crop of new students arrives at North Carolina (NC) State University, there is a tremendous amount of information about computing that needs to be delivered. There are few opportunities at NC State for university staff to communicate directly with students before classes begin. The only "live" opportunity is during New Student Orientation, held in June before the student enters the university in August.This poster session describes the Information Technology component of NC State University's orientation programs, and discusses a number of our successes as well as some areas for improvement. It discusses the partnerships that are used to deliver information to students and the advantages and disadvantages of these methods of communication. This poster session is intended for academic computing staff who are responsible for supporting students, particularly new students, who often need help getting started with their computing resources.
Spatial distribution of upper-room germicidal UV radiation as measured with tubular actinometry as compared with spherical actinometry.

Abstract Chemical actinometry of UV germicidal irradiation using sections of quartz tubing as compared with quartz spheres as irradiation vessels has been investigated . Vessels were either 3 mm inner diameter quartz tubing, 46 cm in length (tubular actinometry), or 1 cm quartz spheres (spherical actinometry). The vessels containing an iodide/iodate actinometric solution were suspended from the ceiling at 24 positions in a room (6 × 6 m) containing five germicidal lamp fixtures in the corners and in the center of the room. The lamp fixtures were louvered collimating the radiation in the horizontal (x, y) plane. Hence, the tubes, which span the depth of the radiation field, essentially integrate the radiation along the z-axis for a given x, y position. The pseudospatial average fluence rate obtained using tubular actinometry was 18 mW/cm2 for the volume contained in the upper 46 cm (18 inch) of the room. Spherical actinometry, which measured the fluence rate in the center of the beam, provided an average v...
Morphology and chemical termination of HF-etched Si3N4 surfaces

Several reports on the chemical termination of silicon nitride films after HF etching, an important process in the microelectronics industry, are inconsistent claiming N-Hx, Si-H, or fluorine termination. An investigation combining infrared and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopies with atomic force and scanning electron microscopy imaging reveals that under some processing conditions, salt microcrystals are formed and stabilized on the surface, resulting from products of Si3N4 etching. Rinsing in deionized water immediately after HF etching for at least 30 s avoids such deposition and yields a smooth surface without evidence of Si-H termination. Instead, fluorine and oxygen are found to terminate a sizeable fraction of the surface in the form of Si-F and possibly Si-OH bonds. The relatively unique fluorine termination is remarkably stable in both air and water and could lead to further chemical functionalization pathways.
Dorsal approach to presacral biopsy: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE AND IMPORTANCE:Biopsy of the presacral space is often awkward, technically difficult, and unrewarding when the sacrum is intact and the procedure is performed either by open operation or with computed tomographic guidance through the abdomen or perineum.CLINICAL PRESENTATION:We describe a
Midazolam potentiates thiopental sodium anesthetic induction in patients

Abstract Study Objective: To test the hypothesis that midazolam potentiates thiopental sodium-induced unconsciousness. Design: Randomized, double-blind study. Setting: A university medical center. Patients: Fifty nonpremedicated ASA physical status I and 11 adult patients scheduled for eye surgery. Interventions: Intravenous (IV) injections of thiopental sodium in doses ranging from 1.0 mg/kg to 4 mg/kg with or without the addition of midazolam 0.02 mg/kg. Measurements and Main Results: Inability to open eyes on command was used as an end point of anesthesia and the dose-response curves were determined using a probit procedure. A dose of 0.02 mg/kg, which constitutes less than one-tenth of the hypnotic ED 50 value for midazolam, potentiated thiopental sodium anesthesia. The thiopental sodium ED 50 value was decreased from 2.4 mg/kg to 1.6 mg/kg ( p 99 of 5.57 mg/kg) to 2.5 mg/kg (ED 99 of 2.37 mg/kg). Conclusions: A subhypnotic dose of midazolam potentiates thiopental sodium induced unconsciousness. This effect suggests the possibility that midazolam enhances barbiturate binding.
Non-technical correctives for high-tech systems in social service agencies

Currently, expert systems are being introduced into almost every facet of social service delivery. Because this technology is sustained by computerization, many practitioners believe that objective knowledge will be available to guide program planning. 0ften overlooked, however, is the micro-world that enables computers to operate. The presuppositions associated with this micro- world provide social life with an abstract identity. Therefore, expert systems tend to be insensitive to situational exigencies and generate precise but irrelevant information. To remedy this situation, these systems must be implemented within a reflexive environment, so that they are sensitive to the logic persons use to organize their lives. Several suggestions are made pertaining to creating a reflexive social service agency.
Creativity and liking Republicans: Ideology or outgroup support?

Liking for Democrats and Republicans was indicated by 52 freshman and sophomore univer­ sity students, who were also tested for creativity by choosing polygons differing in complexity­ simplicity. Previous research has shown that creative people tend to prefer complexity. Creative students liked Republicans to a significantly greater extent than did noncreative students. There was no significant difference with regard to liking Democrats. The results support a liking-of­ outgroups explanation rather than an explanation based on political ideology. A neglected area of research is political preferences in relationship to creativity. This study investigated liking or disliking of Democrats and Republicans, as related to creativity, which was measured by score on preference for complexity-simplicity in polygons . Complexity prefer­ ences have been shown to be related to creativity from the research of Barron (1990), who used the Barron­ Welsh Art Scale, to recent work by Eisenman (1991a, 1991b, 1992, in press) using the polygons utilized in the present study. There are two obvious explanations of the possible rela­ tionship between creativity on the one hand and political preference on the other. If political ideology is the basis of choice, we should expect that creative students would dislike Republicans, since the Republican ideology seems too conservative, most of the time , to appeal to creative people . Creative people tend to be radical, experiment­ ing, and risk-taking (Barron, 1990; Eisenman, 1987, 1991a), whereas Republicans tend to be conservatives (Eisenman & Sirgo, 1991). Creative students might like Democrats, who tend to be more liberal, but they might also dislike Democrats since Democrats are not typically as radical and experimenting as creative people tend to be (Eisenman, 1991b). On the other hand , creative peo­ ple tend to be much more accepting of outgroup mem­ bers than do noncreative people. This seems to be a gen­ erallack of prejudice on the part of the creative person, such that the typical rejection of others who are different is avoided. In fact, creative people themselves are often "different," and this may result in empathy for others who are different. In Louisiana, where the data for this study were gathered, Republicans have, historically, been the outgroup and should thus be more likely rejected by noncreative students, who should, theoretically, react negatively to things that are different. Creative people should not show this kind of negative reaction to a politi
Understanding and mitigating DNA induced corrosion in porous silicon based biosensors

Porous silicon structures have been demonstrated as effective biosensors due to their large surface area, size-selective filtering capabilities, and tunable optical properties. However, porous silicon surfaces are highly susceptible to oxidation and corrosion in aqueous environments and solutions containing negative charges. In DNA sensing applications, porous silicon corrosion can mask the DNA binding signal as the typical increase in refractive index that results from a hybridization event can be countered by the decrease in refractive index due to corrosion of the porous silicon matrix. Such signal ambiguity should be eliminated in practical devices. In this work, we carefully examined the influence of charge density and surface passivation on the corrosion process in porous silicon waveguides in order to control this process in porous silicon based biosensors. Both increased DNA probe density and increased target DNA concentration enhance the corrosion process, leading to an overall blueshift of the waveguide resonance. While native porous silicon structures degrade upon prolonged exposure to solutions containing negative charges, porous silicon waveguides that are sufficiently passivated to prevent oxidation/corrosion in aqueous solution exhibit a saturation effect in the corrosion process, which increases the reliability of the sensor. For practical implementation of porous silicon DNA sensors, the negative charges from DNA must be mitigated. We show that a redshift of the porous silicon waveguide resonance results from either replacing the DNA target with neutral charge PNA or introducing Mg2+ ions to shield the negative charges of DNA.
Viscoelastic properties of κ-carrageenan in saline solution

Viscoelastic properties of κ-carrageenan in saline solution at various concentrations and pH were investigated by dynamic rheological techniques, viscosity, elasticity measurements, and IR spectrometry. The viscosity and elasticity at low concentrations of κ-carrageenan do not depend on pH, confirming that κ-carrageenan is in a disordered conformation. At 0.7% κ-carrageenan, the disordered confirmation transforms into an ordered helical confirmation with the possibility of weak-type gel formation. The transformation is also confirmed by dynamic measurements of loss and storage moduli. Furthermore, at this concentration, the viscosity and elasticity are highly dependent on pH. At higher concentrations of NaCl (0.5 M) at some pHs, we observed that storage moduli is greater than loss moduli for the entire frequency region. Hence, there is a possibility of structure transformation from weak-type gel to a somewhat intermediate gel. The lowest viscosity and elasticity were obtained at extreme pH, confirming that there are structural changes occurring at these pHs due to hydrolysis. This is confirmed by IR data.
Aspirin-induced, neutrophil-mediated injury to vascular endothelium.

Previous studies indicate that aspirin can promote neutrophil (PMN) adhesion to endothelial cells and neutrophil-mediated endothelial cell detachment. The objectives of the present study were to determine whether PMN adhesion is a pre-requisite for aspirin-induced, PMN-mediated endothelial cell detachment and whether neutrophil-derived oxidants and/or proteases are responsible for the cell detachment. Human PMNs were added to confluent monolayers of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and coincubated with or without aspirin at a clinically relevant concentration (300μg/ml). Aspirin-activated PMNs induced endothelial cell detachment, but not cell lysis. Endothelial cell detachment was always preceded by retraction of endothelial cells within the monolayer. The aspirin-induced, neutrophilmediated cell detachment was prevented by a monoclonal antibody directed against CD11/CD18 adhesion integrins on PMNs. Elastase inhibitors, but not superoxide dismutase or catalase, prevented both endothelial cell retraction and detachment. If aspirin-activated neutrophils were allowed to migrate across the monolayers, endothelial cell retraction or detachment did not occur. These studies indicate that aspirin-induced, PMN-mediated endothelial cell retraction and detachment requires PMN adhesion to the target cells and is due to neutrophil-derived elastase. Endothelial cell retraction, induced by activated neutrophils, may represent an exaggeration of a normal physiologic event, i.e., neutrophil emigration.