cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A cross-sectional study of the use and effectiveness of the Individual Development Plan among doctoral students.

Background: The Individual Development Plan (IDP) was introduced as a tool to aid in career planning for doctoral trainees. Despite the National Institutes of Health and academic institutions creating policies that mandate the use of IDPs, little information exists regarding the use and effectiveness of the career planning tool. Methods: We conducted a multi-institutional, online survey to measure IDP use and effectiveness. The survey was distributed to potential respondents via social media and direct email. IDP survey questions were formatted using a five-point Likert scale (strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree and strongly disagree). For data analysis purposes, responses were grouped into two categories (agree versus does not agree/disagree). The data were summarized as one-way frequencies and the Pearson chi-square test was used to determine the statistical significance of univariate associations between the survey variables and an outcome measure of the effectiveness of the IDP. Results: Among all respondents, fifty-three percent reported that they are required to complete an IDP while thirty-three percent reported that the tool is helpful to their career development. Further, our data suggests that the IDP is most effective when doctoral students complete the tool with faculty mentors with whom they have a positive relationship. Respondents who are confident about their career plans and who take advantage of career development resources at their institution are also more likely to perceive that the IDP is useful for their career development. Conclusion: Given the nuanced use and effectiveness of the IDP, we call for additional research to characterize the overall use and effectiveness of the IDP and to determine whether there are unintended negative consequences created through the use of the tool. Furthermore, we recommend an enhancement of career development infrastructure that would include mentorship training for faculty in order to provide substantially more career planning support to trainees.
The epistemic parity of testimony, memory, and *perception

Extensive literatures exist on the epistemology of testimony, memory, and perception, but for the most part these literatures do not systematically consider the extent of the analogies between the three epistemic sources. A number of the same problems reappear in all three literatures, however. Dealing simultaneously with all three sources and making a careful accounting of the analogies and disanalogies between them should therefore avoid unnecessary duplication of effort. Other than limits on the scope of which memorially- and testimonially-based beliefs should be included in the Parity Thesis, I argue that most of the disanalogies that different philosophers have proffered between the sources do not mark distinctions among the universes of possible testimonially-, memorially-, and perceptually-based beliefs regarding the explanation of those beliefs' epistemic status. I first criticize the suggestion that perception is a generative epistemic source, while testimony and memory are not; I propose and defend counterexamples in which testimony and memory produce new beliefs. Next, I criticize a variety of distinctions that have been drawn between testimony and perception, taken chiefly from the reductionist-antireductionist literature on testimony. I criticize the suggestion that the conceptualization of content and the transparency of experience affect the epistemologies of testimony and perception in different ways. Regarding memory and testimony, I advocate modeling testimony on the legal relationship of a principal and an agent, arguing that law's apparatus used to analyze such situations suggests that using others' epistemic services in testimony will supply the same epistemic benefits and burdens as if we had performed those epistemic tasks personally and then relied only on memory. I apply this analysis to the transmission of defeaters in testimony. I argue that memory does feature the epistemic equivalent of a perceptual image and that both perceptually- and memorially-based beliefs can concern either the past or the present. Finally, I construct a set of six transformations that turn individual possible instances of perceptually-, memorially-, or testimonially-based beliefs into individual possible instances of the other two types of beliefs without changing the structure of those beliefs' epistemologies.
Overview of Network Inference

Inferring a causal link is useful in many applications, from medicine to economics to engineering. If some A can cause some B to take on a high value (where A could be a gene in our context, a market intervention in economics, or a design element in engineering), then preventing B from taking such a value can be done by removing some B, by removing some A or by interfering with the link from A to B. Conversely, making B achieve a higher value can be done by adding more B, adding more A, or enhancing the efficiency of the link from A to B.
High School Student Information Access and Engineering Design Performance.

Developing solutions to engineering design problems requires access to information. Research has shown that appropriately accessing and using information in the design process improves solution quality. This quasi-experimental study provides two groups of high school students with a design problem in a three hour design experience. One group has access to the internet while the other does not. Quality of design solution was measured and the two groups were compared. Solution quality did not change significantly. Student information requests were categorized and the most commonly requested piece of information related to cost of materials. Students spent substantially more time in the design process with internet access.
Work Teams Research

Research relevant to work teams conducted since 1985 is reviewed with specific reference to whether or not it has addressed five key boundary conditions. These boundary conditions include sampling strategies, team contextual effects, organizational contextual effects, task and technology, and temporal influences. It is determined that strong progress in several areas of theory and research on work teams is being made but some areas still require increased attention. Directions for future theory and research are suggested.
Evidence for a major gene for cortical cataract.

Purpose. To examine the possible presence of a major gene determining susceptibility to cortical cataract. Methods. The percentage of the lens area involved with cortical opacity, summed over both eyes, was evaluated in 1275 individuals from the Beaver Dam Eye Study. After adjusting.fpr the effects of age and sex, these measures of cortical cataract were subjected to sibling correlational analysis, commingling analysis, and segregation analysis. The Box and Cox power transformation was applied to the data for the commingling and segregation analyses. Using regressive models, four modes of transmission were examined, and under each mode three hypotheses and a general model were fitted by maximum likelihood and compared. Results. Sister-sister and brother-brother correlations of the adjusted measures of cortical cataract are significant and similar; the brother-sister correlation is not significantly different either from these correlations or from zero. Two commingled distributions give the best fit to the data, especially after power transformation. Under each of four modes of transmission, the hypothesis that best fits'the data is one in which there are only two distributions (and, hence, dominance under rhendelian transmission), the power transformation parameter is fixed at the estimate obtained from commingling analysis, and there is residual sibling correlation. The data thus suggest the existence of a major effect for cortical cataract. Random environmental influences can be rejected as a cause of this major effect. Our analysis indicates the existence of a significant effect of sex on the residual variance. Allowing for this, the data suggest transmission of a single major gene, though this may not be the sole cause of the commingled distributions. Conclusions. Assuming a common variance for the two sexes, a single major gene can account for 58% of the variability of age- and sex-adjusted measures of cortical cataract. With the variance sex dependent, a major gene can account for 75% and 45% of the total variability among males and females, respectively. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 1995; 36:227-235.
Product Costing: Heterogeneous Products

The purpose of this chapter is to study how the typical accounting system constructs product cost statistics when the organization produces heterogeneous products. This material is important for two reasons. First, all costing environments are variations on this theme. Understanding issues and techniques in this environment paves the way for a broader understanding of the product costing art.
Dialogic Reading and Adapted Dialogic Reading With Preschoolers With Autism Spectrum Disorder

An adapted alternating treatments design, replicated across two books, was used to examine the effects of Dialogic Reading delivered using traditional paperback books and technology-enhanced books ...
Long-lasting income shocks and adaptations: Evidence from coral bleaching in Indonesia

Abstract This paper explores how people adapt to climate shocks, specifically coral bleaching, that have long-lasting impacts on income. Caused mainly by abnormally high sea surface temperature, coral bleaching has significant effects on marine resources. Using panel data from Indonesia and exogenous variations in bleaching, I observe that fishery households in affected areas experienced a decrease in income relative to other households. Although consumption expenditures did not decline significantly in response to these income shocks, these households reduced their protein consumption in the short and long runs. Regarding labor market outcomes, the affected households tended to substantially increase their labor supply and switch industries only in the long run.
Poetic Explorations of Cisgender Privilege: How Teacher Candidates Learn to Advocate for Gender Non-Conforming Youth.

Undergraduate students training to become educators—unfamiliar with schooling and student populations beyond their alma mater—center on their own PK-12 milieu, rather than challenge their dispositi...
Diagnosis and management of delusional parasitosis.

Delusional parasitosis is a monosymptomatic hypochondriacal state that causes great suffering for the patient and great suffering for those around them. Dermatologists are experts in the diagnosis of cutaneous disease and frequently encounter such patients. This review provides an overview of the diagnosis and management of delusional parasitosis and the differential diagnosis.
Air Stagnation Cases in the Eastern United States during 1984

Abstract The number and location of stagnation days within the eastern United States, as estimated mainly from a surface geostrophic-wind criterion, is presented by month and for the year 1984. The number of “grid point days” of stagnation was considerably less in 1984 than in 1981 and 1983, and only Slightly more than in 1982. Thus, 1984 must be considered a year with relatively little stagnation. The stagnation episodes that did occur were almost an in the Southeast.
Linear Model for Reentry Time Prediction of Spacecraft in Low-Eccentricity, Low Earth Orbits

A linear model and associated algorithm for the time prediction of uncontrolled atmospheric reentries is presented for spacecraft in low-eccentricity, near-circular low Earth orbits, specifically a...
Particulate Air Pollutants and Trajectories of Depressive Symptoms in Older Women.

ABSTRACT Objectives Although several environmental factors contribute to the etiology of late-life depressive symptoms, the role of ambient air pollution has been understudied. Experimental data support the neurotoxicity of airborne particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter of ≤2.5 μm (PM2.5), but it remains unclear whether long-term exposure is associated with late-life depressive symptoms. Our secondary aim was to explore whether the observed associations between exposure and depressive symptoms are explained by dementia risk. Design, Setting, and Participants Prospective community-dwelling cohort study from the Women's Health Initiative Study of Cognitive Aging (1999–2010). Our analyses included 1,989 older women (baseline age 73.3 ± 3.75) with no prior depression or cognitive impairment. Measurements Participants completed annual assessments of depressive symptoms (15-item Geriatric Depression Scale). Average ambient PM2.5 exposure at the residential location was estimated by spatiotemporal modeling for the 3-years preceding each neuropsychological assessment. Participants underwent separate annual examinations for incident dementia defined by DSM-IV. Latent-class mixture models examined the association between PM2.5 and identified trajectories of symptoms. Results Six trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified. Across all women, PM2.5 exposure was positively associated with depressive symptoms. The effect was especially strong in two clusters with sustained depressive symptoms (n = 625 sustained-mild [31%]; n = 125 sustained-moderate; [6%]). Among those with sustained-moderate symptoms, the estimated adverse effect of PM2.5 exposure was greater than that of hypertension. Among women without dementia, associations were modestly attenuated. Conclusion Long-term exposure to ambient fine particles was associated with increased depressive symptoms among older women without prior depression or cognitive impairment.
Speeding up AutoTuning of the Memory Management Options in Data Analytics

Many solutions used towards building autonomous (or, self-driving) data processing systems today are trying to leverage the “black box” algorithm of Bayesian Optimization (BO) both due to its wider applicability and the theoretical guarantees provided on the quality of results produced. The black-box approach, however, could be time and labor-intensive; or otherwise get stuck in a local minima. We study an important problem of auto-tuning the memory allocation for applications running on modern distributed data processing systems. A simple “white-box” model is developed which can quickly separate good configurations from bad ones. To combine the benefits of the two approaches to tuning, we build a framework called Guided Bayesian Optimization (GBO) that uses the white-box model as a guide during the Bayesian Optimization exploration process. An evaluation carried out on Apache Spark using industry-standard benchmark applications shows that GBO consistently provides performance speedups across the application workload with the magnitude of savings being close to 2x.
Astrocytic glutamate transporters reduce the neuronal and physiological influence of metabotropic glutamate receptors in nucleus tractus solitarii.

Astrocytic excitatory amino acid transporters (EAATs) are critical to restraining synaptic and neuronal activity in the nucleus tractus solitarii (nTS). Relief of nTS EAAT restraint generates two o...
Whole-exome sequencing reveals a long-term decline in effective population size of red spruce (Picea rubens).

Understanding the factors influencing the current distribution of genetic diversity across a species range is one of the main questions of evolutionary biology, especially given the increasing threat to biodiversity posed by climate change. Historical demographic processes such as population expansion or bottlenecks and decline are known to exert a predominant influence on past and current levels of genetic diversity, and revealing this demo-genetic history can have immediate conservation implications. We used a whole-exome capture sequencing approach to analyze polymorphism across the gene space of red spruce (Picea rubens Sarg.), an endemic and emblematic tree species of eastern North America high-elevation forests that are facing the combined threat of global warming and increasing human activities. We sampled a total of 340 individuals, including populations from the current core of the range in northeastern USA and southeastern Canada and from the southern portions of its range along the Appalachian Mountains, where populations occur as highly fragmented mountaintop "sky islands." Exome capture baits were designed from the closely relative white spruce (P. glauca Voss) transcriptome, and sequencing successfully captured most regions on or near our target genes, resulting in the generation of a new and expansive genomic resource for studying standing genetic variation in red spruce applicable to its conservation. Our results, based on over 2 million exome-derived variants, indicate that red spruce is structured into three distinct ancestry groups that occupy different geographic regions of its highly fragmented range. Moreover, these groups show small Ne , with a temporal history of sustained population decline that has been ongoing for thousands (or even hundreds of thousands) of years. These results demonstrate the broad potential of genomic studies for revealing details of the demographic history that can inform management and conservation efforts of nonmodel species with active restoration programs, such as red spruce.
Photomovement of Aquatic Organisms in Response to Solar UV

Photomovement in response to sunlight has been reported in many species of planktonic organisms. The literature includes numerous studies of vertical migration patterns of planktonic species, but relatively few studies examine the role of solar UV in influencing these movements. Studies by Cowles and Brambel (1936), Hasle (1950, 1954) and Barcelo and Calkins (1979) suggest that UV light may influence movements during the day, particularly avoidance of the surface at midday. These daily movement patterns were observed to change in varying climatic conditions e.g. the amount of cloudcover, intensity of irradiance, etc. changed the distribution pattern (Hasle 1950, 1954; Eppley et al. 1968; Goff 1974). Other examples of this phenomenon were reported by Cowles and Brambel (1936) in which they observed that Gonyostomum were distributed lower in a pond on bright clear mornings than on other somewhat less bright mornings, while on cloudy mornings the maximum counts were at the surface. Agamaliev and Bagirov (1975) also observed a similar pattern by ciliates in the Caspian Sea. Barcelo and Calkins (1979) examined various external and internal environmental factors (i.e. light, temperature, wind, etc.) to determine if it is indeed sunlight, solar UV, or some other factor which is most important in influencing the vertical distribution of certain aquatic species. In this particular study the distribution of the ciliate, Coleps was examined and low correlation was found between the location of the animals and wind, temperature gradients, food gradients, etc. On the other hand, irradiance factors (both total solar irradiance and the UV-B component of sunlight) showed high correlations with the location of the protozoan, in good agreement with the aforementioned studies.
Gravitational wave signatures of lepton universality violation

We analyze the prospects for using gravitational waves produced in early universe phase transitions as a complementary probe of the flavor anomalies in $B$ meson decays. We focus on the left-right SU(4) model, for which the strength of the observed lepton universality violation and consistency with other experiments impose a vast hierarchy between the symmetry breaking scales. This leads to a multipeaked gravitational wave signature within the reach of upcoming gravitational wave detectors.
Comment on “Class B Scavenger Receptor Types I and II and CD36 Targeting Improves Sepsis Survival and Acute Outcomes in Mice”

We have several concerns regarding the article by Leelahavanichkul et al. ([1][1]). 1) Inappropriate use of control mice. The article stated that the SR-BI−/− mice were in a C57BL/6 (B6) background, but their cholesterol levels (∼ 280mg/dl) were abnormally high compared with the 10xB6J-SR-BI
The Will Rogers phenomenon, Breast Cancer and Race

The Will Rogers phenomenon [WRP] describes an apparent improvement in outcome for patients’ group due to tumor grade reclassification. Staging of cancers is important to select appropriate treatment and to estimate prognosis. The WRP has been described as one of the most important biases limiting the use of historical cohorts when comparing survival or treatment. The main purpose of this study is to assess whether the WRP exists with the move from the AJCC 7th to AJCC 8th edition in breast cancer [BC] staging, and if racial differences are manifested in the expression of the WRP. This is a retrospective analysis of 300 BC women (2007–2017) at an academic medical center. Overall survival [OS] and disease-free survival [DFS] was estimated by Kaplan-Meier analysis. Bi and multi-variate Cox regression analyses was used to identify racial factors associated with outcomes. Our patient cohort included 30.3% Caucasians [Whites] and 69.7% African-Americans [Blacks]. Stages I, II, III, and IV were 46.2, 26.3, 23.1, and 4.4% of Whites; 28.7, 43.1, 24.4, and 3.8% of Blacks respectively, in anatomic staging (p = 0.043). In prognostic staging, 52.8, 18.7, 23, and 5.5% were Whites while 35, 17.2, 43.5, and 4.3% were Blacks, respectively (p = 0.011). A total of Whites (45.05% vs. 47.85%) Blacks, upstaged. Whites (16.49% vs. 14.35%) Blacks, downstaged. The remaining, 38.46 and 37.79% patients had their stages unchanged. With a median follow-up of 54 months, the Black patients showed better stage-by-stage 5-year OS rates using 8th edition compared to the 7th edition (p = 0.000). Among the Whites, those who were stage IIIA in the 7th but became stage IB in the 8th had a better prognosis than stages IIA and IIB in the 8th (p = 0.000). The 8th showed complex results (p = 0.176) compared to DFS estimated using the 7th edition (p = 0.004). The WRP exists with significant variability in the move from the AJCC 7th to the 8th edition in BC staging (both White and Black patients). We suggest that caution needs to be exercised when results are compared across staging systems to account for the WRP in the interpretation of the data.
Feedback Training Improves Compliance with Sternal Precaution Guidelines during Functional Mobility: Implications for Optimizing Recovery in Older Patients after Median Sternotomy.

Patients often need to use their arms to assist with functional activities, but after open heart surgery, pushing with the arms is limited to 60 years old) (1) accurately estimated upper extremity (UE) weight bearing force of 10 lb or less and (2) if feedback training improved their ability to limit UE force and pectoralis major muscle contraction during functional activities. An instrumented walker was used to measure UE weight bearing force, and electromyography was used to measure pectoralis major muscle activity simultaneously during 4 functional mobility tasks. After baseline testing, healthy older subjects (n = 30) completed a brief session of visual and auditory concurrent feedback training. Results showed that the self-selected UE force was >10 lb for all tasks (20.0-39.7 lb [9.1-18.0 kg]), but after feedback training, it was significantly reduced (10.6-21.3 lb [4.8-9.7 kg]). During most trials (92%), study participants used >12 lb (5.5 kg) of arm weight bearing force. Pectoralis major muscle peak electromyography activity was <23% of maximal voluntary isometric contraction and was reduced (9.8-14.9%) after feedback training. Older patients may not be able to accurately estimate UE arm force used during weight bearing activities, and visual and auditory feedback improves accuracy and also modulation of pectoralis major muscle activation. Results suggest that an instrumented walker and feedback training could be clinically useful for older patients recovering from open heart surgery.
Apixaban and rivaroxaban anti-Xa level utilization for guidance of administration of andexanet alfa: a case series

Andexanet alfa, a modified recombinant factor Xa (FXa), was FDA approved in 2018 for anticoagulant reversal in patients with life-threatening bleeding associated with FXa inhibitors (FXaI). The ANNEXA-4 investigators administered andexanet alfa to patients within an 18-h from last dose of oral FXaI. In practice, time from last dose is often unknown. Previous studies have shown that clearance of these agents may be impaired by renal and hepatic dysfunction, as well as drug-drug interactions. Decision for use of andexanet alfa is also complicated by its high cost, limited drug availability, and thrombotic risk. This study aimed to describe the utility of anti-Xa DOAC levels as a decision point to administer andexanet alfa. This is a case series of four patients with an anti-Xa DOAC level that received andexanet alfa for oral FXaI reversal in the setting of life-threatening bleeding or prior to procedure. Four patients were included in the study. Two patients had a known time since last dose of oral FXaI. All patients had a detectable anti-Xa DOAC levels prior to administration of andexanet alfa. Two patients had levels within the peak range, one patient had a level below the peak range, and one patient had a level above the peak range. Andexanet alfa was administered after anti-Xa DOAC level return in all patients. In our case series, obtaining anti-Xa DOAC levels prior to administration of andexanet alfa was achievable and facilitated use of reversal agents in patients with major bleeding or emergent procedural need.
Subharmonic Dynamics of Wave Trains in the Korteweg-de Vries / Kuramoto-Sivashinsky Equation

We study the stability and nonlinear local dynamics of spectrally stable periodic wave trains of the Korteweg-de Vries / Kuramoto-Sivashinsky equation when subjected to classes of periodic perturbations. It is known that for each $N\in\mathbb{N}$, such a $T$-periodic wave train is asymptotically stable to $NT$-periodic, i.e., subharmonic, perturbations, in the sense that initially nearby data will converge asymptotically to a small Galilean boost of the underlying wave, with exponential rates of decay. However, both the allowable size of initial perturbations and the exponential rates of decay depend on $N$ and, in fact, tend to zero as $N\to\infty$, leading to a lack of uniformity in such subharmonic stability results. Our goal here is to build upon a recent methodology introduced by the authors in the reaction-diffusion setting and achieve a subharmonic stability result which is uniform in $N$. This work is motivated by the dynamics of such wave trains when subjected to perturbations which are localized (i.e., integrable on the line).
Countable Models With Standard Part

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses countable models. For a fixed language the class is not an elementary class because there is no set of axioms that would guarantee that N would be isomorphic to the natural numbers. However, it is well known that there is a finite set of axioms whose models all have an initial segment isomorphic to the natural numbers with their usual arithmetic and such that the recursive sets are numeral-wise definable. The initial segment of N is called standard numbers. The chapter discusses a unique countable model in a recursively axiomatized. It has been shown that a countable model of theory will be saturated if it contains an infinite set of indiscernibles.
Place-based social action in the multimodal communication classroom: A qualitative study of an English 250 class

Working from the assumption that the composition curriculum is an ideal place for communication assignments focused on public writing within a local place, I’ve created a qualitative research study to explore ways to involve first-year composition students in social action projects that 1) help students connect local problems with an understanding of broader, systemic causes, and that 2) ask students to engage in and critically reflect on their ability to effect change on their college campus or in their local community through small, local actions using multimodal communication strategies. This study adds to the conversation about alternatives to service-learning projects and explores ways to make social action accessible and relevant to first-year composition students.
Underwater vehicles: a surprising non time-optimal path

This paper deals with the time-optimal problem for a class of underwater vehicles. We prove that if two configurations at rest can be joined by a horizontal or a vertical translation in the body frame coordinates, then there exists a shorter path. Our computations are based on the maximum principle and use that translations in the body frame coordinates are time-equivalent to paths formed by concatenations of 2-singular extremals that are proved to be non time-optimal.
Cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase (PKA) phosphorylates Ser362 and 467 and protein kinase C phosphorylates Ser550 within the M3/M4 cytoplasmic domain of human nicotinic receptor α4 subunits

Studies have suggested that the expression, translocation, and function of α4β2 nicotinic receptors may be modulated by α4 subunit phosphorylation, but little direct evidence exists to support this idea. The objective of these experiments was to identify specific serine/threonine residues on α4 subunits that are phosphorylated in vivo by cAMP-dependent protein kinase and protein kinase C (PKC). To accomplish this, DNAs coding for human α4 subunits containing alanines in place of serines/threonines predicted to represent phosphorylation sites were constructed, and transiently transfected with the DNA coding for wild-type β2 subunits into SH-EP1 cells. Cells were pre-incubated with 32Pi and incubated in the absence or presence of forskolin or phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate. Immunoprecipitated α4 subunits were subjected to immunoblot, autoradiographic and phosphoamino acid analyses, and two-dimensional phosphopeptide mapping. Results confirmed the presence of two α4 protein bands, a major band of 71/75 kDa and a minor band of 80/85 kDa. Phosphoamino acid analysis of the major band indicated that only serine residues were phosphorylated. Phosphopeptide maps demonstrated that Ser362 and 467 on the M3/M4 cytoplasmic domain of the α4 subunit represent major cAMP-dependent protein kinase phosphorylation sites, while Ser550 also contained within this major intracellular loop is a major site for protein kinase C phosphorylation.
Detection of Staphylococcal Enterotoxin in Food

Methods are described for the extraction and serological detection of trace amounts of enterotoxins A and B in foods incriminated in outbreaks of staphylococcal food poisoning. Evidence is presented for the probable applicability of the methods for the detection of unidentified enterotoxins.
Comparison of different mass spectrometry techniques in the measurement of L‐[ring‐13C6]phenylalanine incorporation into mixed muscle proteins

Precise measurement of low enrichment of stable isotope labeled amino-acid tracers in tissue samples is a prerequisite in measuring tissue protein synthesis rates. The challenge of this analysis is augmented when small sample size is a critical factor. Muscle samples from human participants following an 8 hour intravenous infusion of L-[ring-13C6]phenylalanine and a bolus dose of L-[ring-13C6]phenylalanine in a mouse were utilized. Liquid Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS), Gas Chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (GC/MS/MS) and Gas Chromatography/Mass spectrometry (GC/MS) were compared to the Gas Chromatography-Combustion-Isotope Ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/IRMS), to measure mixed muscle protein enrichment of [ring13C6]phenylalanine enrichment. The sample isotope enrichment ranged from 0.0091 to 0.1312 Molar Percent excess (MPE). As compared with GC/C/IRMS, LC/MS/MS, GC/MS/MS and GC/MS showed coefficients of determination of R2 = 0.9962 and R2 = 0.9942, and 0.9217 respectively. However, the precision of measurements (coefficients of variation) for intra-assay are 13.0%, 1.7%, 6.3% and 13.5% and for inter-assay are 9.2%, 3.2%, 10.2% and 25% for GC/C/IRMS, LC/MS/MS, GC/MS/MS and GC/MS respectively. The muscle sample sizes required to obtain these results were 8μg, 0.8μg, 3μg and 3μg for GC/C/IRMS, LC/MS/MS, GC/MS/MS, and GC/MS respectively. We conclude that LC/MS/MS is optimally suited for precise measurements of L-[ring-13C6]phenylalanine tracer enrichment in low abundance and in small quantity samples.
Bank structure and mortgage rates: Implications for interstate banking

Abstract Competition in financial markets has been the subject of many studies in the area of market structure and performance. This paper analyzes the differences in mortgage rates between unit banking and branch banking states to consider the likely outcome of interstate banking on competition. A model of interest rate determination is developed which suggests that, at least in the mortgage market, interstate banking will, ceteris paribus , decrease competition if it lowers the number of competing firms and increases deposit concentration levels. Support is provided for the argument that only those states under statewide branching laws may receive more competitive environments from the spread of interstate banking.
Ibuprofen modulation of human chorionic gonadotropin-induced ornithine decarboxylase activity and ovulation in the rabbit ovary.

Abstract The activity of ornithine decarboxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine synthesis, increases as granulosa cells proliferate in developing follicles. Both luteinizing hormone and prostaglandins stimulate ornithine decarboxylase activity. Here, we sought to determine the relative contributions of both trophic stimuli to ornithine decarboxylase activity in the preovulatory rabbit ovary. Baseline ovarian ornithine decarboxylase activity, determined by measuring the release of CO 2 from (1- 14 C)-ornithine, was 13.4 ± 1.27 (mean ± SD) pmol of carbon dioxide per hour per milligram of protein. Treatment with ibuprofen, a prostaglandin synthetase inhibitor, led to a significant (p
GPU implementation of parallelized microwave tomography algorithm

Microwave tomography (MWT) has good potential to be used for medical imaging, however, most of MWT algorithms rely on local optimization methods and need regularization to find the a solution to inverse scattering problems. By using global optimization method for optimization, the non-deterministic nature of the genetic algorithm allows the inverse solver to avoid local minima without the use of regularization methods such as Tikhonov regularization. By not relying on regularization assumptions, high contrast areas of the imaging target can be resolved, whereas regularizations assume smooth dielectric contrast gradients. Resolving areas of high permittivity contrast is necessary to detect small tumors, less than a millimeter in length, as required for effective treatment. Our goal is to implement a fast MWT algorithm based on Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) forward solver and global optimization methods. In this regards, we propose the use of graphics processing unit (GPU) for FDTD computation. We have developed a FDTD program using NVidia's CUDA C language. The GPU implemented FDTD simulation was tested to yield 100-fold speed increase from standard Central Processing Unit (CPU) FDTD simulations.
Synthesis and Use of Novel Ether Phospholipid Enantiomers To Probe the Molecular Basis of the Antitumor Effects of Alkyllysophospholipids: Correlation of Differential Activation of c-Jun NH2-Terminal Protein Kinase with Antiproliferative Effects in Neuronal Tumor Cells

The enantiomers of a novel unsaturated phosphonocholine antitumor ether lipid were synthesized and found to have differential antiproliferative effects against epithelial cancer cell lines. The basis of the enantioselective effects on the cells was investigated in SK-N-MC and SK-N-SH neuroblastoma tumor cells. Our results indicate that the enantioselective antiproliferative potency arises primarily from the activation of the JNK signaling pathway by the ether lipids.
A Hybrid Algorithm for Simultaneous Scheduling of Production and Distribution in Multi-Echelon Structures

This paper presents a dynamic programming algorithm for simultaneous determination of production batch sizes in an assembly network and distribution batch sizes in a conjoined distribution "arborescent" network. The objective is to minimize average cost per period over an infinite horizon. Costs consist of processing costs at each node and linear holding costs for inventory. Final product demand rates may vary among the retail nodes, but at each retail node the demand rate is assumed to be known, constant, and continuous. All demand must be met; backorders are not permitted. The model can be used for a single product, or for several products that are temporarily combined for distribution, or for scheduling production in a system where several end products are produced from the same intermediate product, as in some biochemical manufacturing processes.
Research in nearly failure-free, high-reliability organizations: having the bubble

The authors note that high-reliability organizations such as nuclear power plants, air traffic control units, and aircraft carriers pose special challenges to organizational researchers. These organizations, where the consequences of failure can be catastrophic, are made relatively inaccessible to organizational research by their technical complexity and sensitivity to scrutiny. Methods for conductive research in these organizations are explicated along with the consequences of failing to bring organizational knowledge to high-reliability work units. The authors define some major characteristics of high-reliability systems and discuss how they affect research on such organizations. They address issues of entre, problem formulation, data collection, data interpretation, researcher relationships with the organizations, and product presentation. >
Predicting URF Upset of MOSFET Digital IC's

Typical input and output stages for a digital integrated circuit (IC) have been simulated using the electronic circuit analysis program SPICE2. An unwanted radio-frequency (URF) signal is injected into the circuit at the point where the output stage is connected to an input stage. The effects of varying the magnitude, the frequency, and the relative phase angle of the URF source are studied. An example of a system-level analysis based on the electronics-level simulations is also given.
Separation of Small Circular DNA Molecules from the Blue–green Alga Anacystis nidulans

THE ethidium bromide-caesium chloride (EB-CsC1) buoyant density centrifugation developed by Radloff, Bauer and Vinograd1 is useful for separating small circular DNA molecules from cellular organelles, bacterial cytoplasm and viruses, particularly when the isopycnic densities are similar to those of nuclear DNA. EB binds with small, covalently closed circular DNA causing the dye-DNA complex to form a super-coiled structure, whereas linear DNA fragments bind relatively more EB and thus are more buoyant than circular DNA in EB-CsC1 gradient. Our experiments with the EB-CsC1 gradient suggest that small circular DNA molecules exist in a blue-green alga, Anacystis nidulans, with a guanine to cytosine (GC) ratio similar to that of the chromosomal DNA. The presence of such DNA molecules may prove to be useful in characterizing the evolutionary relationship between the eukaryotes and prokaryotes.
CMIP3 Subtropical Stratocumulus Cloud Feedback Interpreted through a Mixed-Layer Model

AbstractLarge-scale conditions over subtropical marine stratocumulus areas are extracted from global climate models (GCMs) participating in phase 3 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP3) and used to drive an atmospheric mixed-layer model (MLM) for current and future climate scenarios. Cloud fraction is computed as the fraction of days where GCM forcings produce a cloudy equilibrium MLM state. This model is a good predictor of cloud fraction and its temporal variations on time scales longer than 1 week but overpredicts liquid water path and entrainment.GCM cloud fraction compares poorly with observations of mean state, variability, and correlation with estimated inversion strength (EIS). MLM cloud fraction driven by these same GCMs, however, agrees well with observations, suggesting that poor GCM low cloud fraction is due to deficiencies in cloud parameterizations rather than large-scale conditions. However, replacing the various GCM cloud parameterizations with a single physics package (the ...
Risk factors for metritis in Michigan dairy cattle using herd- and cow-based modelling approaches

Abstract A prospective study, using the Michigan portion of the National Animal Health Monitoring System, was conducted to determine disease and management factors that affect the incidence of metritis in Michigan dairy herds. A stratified random sample representing 1% of all Michigan dairy herds was observed. Data related to herd, feeding, and reproduction management, disease and environmental risk factors, and cow-based disease and reproductive data were collected monthly for a 12 month period. Cows with complete management records that were observed for at least 3 months postpartum were included in the study (85 herds, 5278 cows). A multivariate linear regression model was developed for lactational incidence of metritis by herd, and a multivariate random-effects logistic model was developed for the occurrence of metritis by cows. Significant factors associated with increased occurrence of metritis included larger herds, problem calvings, overconditioning, underconditioning, and more active reproductive management. Factors associated with reductions in metritis involved good nutritional management, and working relationships with veterinarians for disease management. Implications for the significance of these factors are discussed, with emphasis on differences in interpretation and use of results from herd and cow-based analyses.
Anatomical barriers for antimicrobial agents

It is often suggested that there are substantial anatomic barriers to the passage of antibiotics from the circulation into tissues and fluids of the body. In fact, most capillary beds are fenestrated and allow the passage of antimicrobial agents into tissue fluids fairly readily. At equilibrium, the mean concentrations of free (unbound) antibiotic in plasma and tissue fluids over the dosing interval are equal. However, the time to achieve equilibrium may range from minutes to days, depending on the ratio of surface area to volume of the tissue fluid compartment. There are several sites in the body in which nonfenestrated capillary beds pose appreciable barriers to the diffusion of antibiotics, namely the central nervous system, the eye and the prostate gland. Only lipid-soluble drugs traverse these capillaries readily. If the nonporosity of the capillaries were the only barrier to drug diffusion in these sites, the mean concentrations would eventually be equal to those in the plasma. However, in the central nervous system and the retina of the eye, transport pumps for organic anions combine with the effect of nonporous capillaries to produce concentrations which, even at equilibrium, are lower than those in the plasma. Bulk flow may also play a role in lowering drug concentrations in the cerebrospinal fluid. In the prostate gland, pH partition may cause mean concentrations in the prostatic secretions to differ from those in the plasma at equilibrium.
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Thermal Elimination Reaction in a Poly(p-phenylene vinylene) Precursor

Sulfonium precursor routes are the most popular synthetic routes to light-emitting poly-(p-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) thin films. These routes involve a high-temperature solid-state thermal elimination reaction which yields PPV from its water-soluble precursor. The quality of PPV and hence its ultimate properties have a strong dependence on the polymerization parameters and thermal elimination conditions. The elimination reaction remains less understood. In this report, we have qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed the thermal elimination reaction using TGA, DSC, MTGA, TG-IR and transmission IR. The qualitative analysis focuses on identification of the underlying reactions and establishing the reaction sequence and reaction mechanisms. The quantitative analysis, on the other hand, focuses on the determination of the kinetic parameters of these reactions. The effect of heating rate and reaction environment on the luminescent properties of PPV have also been investigated.
A study and classification of non-linear high frequency ionospheric instabilities by coupled mode theory†

Two basic high-frequency ionospheric instabilities are discussed - i.e., the three-wave parametric interaction, and the oscillating two-stream instability. In the parametric instability, the ion-acoustic wave has a complex frequency, whereas in the oscillating two-stream instability the ion-acoustic frequency is purely imaginary. The parametric instability is shown to be the only one whose threshold depends on the ion collision frequency. A coupled-mode theory is proposed which permits study and classification of high-frequency instabilities on a unified basis.
Interpolating a topographical map of the ocean floor

Abstract Given the depth of 14 arbitrary points in a rectangular region of the ocean. our team created detailed three-dimensional and two-dimensional grid and contour maps that clearly highlighted dangerous shallows. Because the ocean floor was assumed to be smooth and without cliffs, the team chose to use a smooth surface fitting bicubic spline method to interpolate the given data. However, the team needed to first create an irregularly spaced 14 × 14 grid in the x − y plane with one grid line passing through each of the data points. The unknown points on the grid were approximated using an inverse-distance-squared scheme with factors that accounted not only for the depths of given data points, but also for trends in the change of depths between any two original data points. Once all the irregular grid points were known, either by approximation or from the original data, the team ran an IMSL bicubic spline subroutine to generate a regularly spaced, fine mesh grid of interpolated depths, which were then plotted with the aid of a Mathlib graphics program.
A Micro-Analysis Approach to Modernization Process: A Case Study of Modernity and Traditionalism Conflict

In order to achieve socioeconomic progress in a developing society, it is important that modern technology, which is Western in genesis and has evolved over the past three centuries, be imported and applied. Modern technology requires not only the instrumentalities of technology and pure science as a body of knowledge and a dominant institution, but also a social and psycho-social structure at least compatible with, if not reinforcing of, the drive towards better technology and scientific inquiry. Developing societies, however, usually have an institutional apparatus and value system which are indifferent to, incompatible with, or hostile to, modernization. A process of modification, adaptation and reform of many social institutions and values is necessary in order for these societies to appreciably benefit from the introduction of science and technology. People and organizations must also restructure their modes of behavior in productive processes so that the full productivity of modernization can be obtained. The transfer of science and technology from modern to pre-modern societies is really a process of social change within the developing society, and not solely the physical importing of equipment and scientific-technical manpower, useful as these are in the modernization process.