cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Der bakteriophage T4 als genetisches Modellsystem

Dieses Kapitel gibt zusammen mit den Kap. 5 und 6 einen Uberblick uber einige der best-untersuchten Bakteriophagen. Der Zweck dieser drei Kapitel ist, die Grundstruktur genetischer Prozesse zu zeigen, indem einige der einfachsten genetischen Systeme als Beispiele vorgefuhrt werden. Im Kap. 1 wurde unterschieden zwischen Phagen, die immer virulent sind, und solchen, die ihre lytische Reaktion masigen konnen und Lysogene bilden. Die Kap. 4 und 5 beschaftigen sich mit den intemperenten (d.h. virulenten) Phagen, wahrend im Kap. 6 die Probleme der Lysogenie diskutiert werden. Die Einzelheiten wie die Regulation der Stoffwechselaktivitaten, die in diesem Kapitel besprochen werden, verschieben wir bis zum Kap 12.
Bounds on the sum of domination number and metric dimension of graphs

Let G be a graph with vertex set V (G). The domination number, γ(G), of G is the minimum cardinality of a set S ⊆ V (G) such that every vertex not in S is adjacent to a vertex in S. The metric dime...
On the Distribution of Angular Velocity in Gaseous Envelopes Under the Influence of Large-Scale Horizontal Mixing Processes*

An attempt is made to determine the limiting zonal wind distribution in the atmosphere which would result from intense, thermally driven, lateral mixing processes. The total thickness of that portion of the atmosphere which effectively participates in the perturbations responsible for the large-scale lateral exchange has a thickness of the order of magnitude of 20 km, while the distance between pole and equator is about 10,000 km. In view of the small value (1/500) of the ratio between these dimensions the atmosphere is considered as a thin shell in which the vertical dimension may be neglected. It is assumed that the mixing process is associated with a tendency towards equalization of the vertical component of the absolute vorticity. On this basis it is possible to account for some of the more striking features of the zonal wind distribution at the tropopause level. Assuming a similar type of lateral mixing to occur in the surface layers of the sun it is possible to account for the observed distribution ...
Dietary Supplements and Nutritional Approaches Used for Rheumatoid Arthritis Self-Management

The autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), leads to joint pain and inflammation. Pharmaceutical drugs, including methotrexate, as well as antibodies directed against inflammatory cytokines ...
Responding to Bad Press: How CEO Temporal Focus Influences the Sensitivity to Negative Media Coverage of Acquisitions

Management scholars have demonstrated that CEOs look to cues provided from external stakeholders when determining the direction and timing of strategic action. Research has focused on “hard” forms ...
Relationships between resting heart rate, heart rate variability and sleep characteristics among female collegiate cross-country athletes.

Even though sleep has been shown to be influenced by athletes’ training status, the association with resting heart rate and heart rate variability remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to compare the changes in and relationships between resting heart rate, heart rate variability and sleep characteristics across a female collegiate cross-country season. Ten NCAA Division I collegiate female cross-country athletes (mean ± SD; age, 19 ± 1 year; height, 167.6 ± 7.6 cm; body mass, 57.7 ± 10.2 kg; VO2max, 53.3 ± 5.9 ml kg-1 min-1) participated in this study. Resting heart rate, heart rate variability and the percentage of time in slow wave sleep were captured using a wrist-worn multisensor sleep device throughout the 2016 competitive cross-country season (12 weeks). Linear mixed-effects models and magnitude-based inferences were used to assess differences between each week. Pearson product moment correlations were used to investigate relationships between variables. Resting heart rate at the end of the season, specifically during weeks 10–12 (mean ± SE; week 10, 48 ± 2; week 11, 48 ± 3; week 12, 48 ± 3), showed a practically meaningful increase compared to the beginning of the season, weeks 2–4 (week 2, 44 ± 2; week 3, 45 ± 2; week 4, 44 ± 2). Higher resting heart rate (r = 0.55) and lower heart rate variability (r = -0.62) were largely associated with an increase in percentage of time spent in slow wave sleep. These data suggest that when physiological state was impaired, meaning the physiological restorative demand was higher, the percentage of time in slow wave sleep was increased to ensure recovery. Thus, it is important to implement sleep hygiene strategies to promote adequate slow wave sleep when the body needs physiological restoration.
Mandibular Tori Limiting Treatment of Carcinoma of the Upper Aerodigestive Tract.

Background:Mandibular tori are a rare cause of difficult direct visualization of the upper aerodigestive tract. In the setting of aerodigestive tract pathology necessitating direct visualization, r...
The Science Gateways Community Institute: Collaborations and efforts on international scale

Abstract The Science Gateways Community Institute (SGCI), opened in August 2016, provides free resources, services, experts, and ideas for creating and sustaining science gateways. It offers five areas of services to the science gateway developer and user communities: the Incubator, Extended Developer Support, the Scientific Software Collaborative, Community Engagement and Exchange, and Workforce Development. While all these areas are available to US-based communities, the Incubator, the Scientific Software Collaborative and the Community Engagement and Exchange also serve international communities. We aim to reach out and support gateways on an international scale by forming and deepening collaborations with partner organizations and coalitions beneficial and/or related to the science gateways community. Research topics are independent of national borders and researchers spread worldwide can benefit from each other’s research results, software, data and from lessons learned — via online materials and publications or at international events. The gateway community has long benefited from this type of exchange. This paper will present related work describing the benefits of international collaborations generally, and specifically as they relate to science gateways. We go into detail regarding SGCI’s ongoing work on an international scale and its work planned in the near future.
Metastatic Kaposi Sarcoma

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a distinctive type of vascular neoplasm that can involve any anatomic site and it is virtually always associated with human herpes virus-8 (HHV8) infection. HHV8, also known as Kaposi sarcoma-associated herpes virus, is uniformly expressed in KS lesions. The virus is distributed worldwide and the prevalence in the general population is variable, being highest in sub-Saharan Africa where more than 40 % of the population is infected. Seropositivity for HHV8 is less than 10 % in United States, northern Europe, and certain countries of Asia. The virus is transmitted via sexual or nonsexual routes. Infection with HHV8 is not sufficient to trigger KS, and other factors are involved in the pathogenesis including angiogenic factors, cytokines, and viral proteins expressed during latent and lytic phases of the viral life cycle. HHV8 likely infects progenitor cells of either blood vessel or lymphatic endothelium and usually establishes a latent infection. Kaposi sarcoma most often arises in the setting of immunodeficiency and particularly human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. In patients with HIV, the transactivator of transcription (TAT) protein has mitogenic and modulating effects on KS cells and thus has a pathogenic role in these patients.
Changes in Expectations to Marry and to Divorce Across the Transition to Adulthood

Marriage and divorce expectations predict family life and personal outcomes. Understanding how expectations are associated with varying characteristics over emerging adulthood (ages 18–28 years) wi...
Conditional desirability: comments on Richard Bradley’s decision theory with a human face

Richard Bradley’s landmark book Decision Theory with a Human Face makes seminal contributions to nearly every major area of decision theory, as well as most areas of formal epistemology and many areas of semantics. In addition to sketching Bradley’s distinctive semantics for conditional beliefs and desires, I will explain his theory of conditional desire, focusing particularly on his claim that we should not desire events, either positively or negatively, under the supposition that they will occur. I shall argue, to the contrary, that permitting non-trivial desirabilities for events whose occurrence is known or assumed is both more intuitively plausible and more theoretically fruitful than Bradley’s approach. In the course of the discussion I will contrast Bradley’s broadly evidentialist picture of decision theory with my own more orthodox causal approach.
Chapter 2 – Batch Reactors

This chapter presents a quantitative description of batch reactors. It also “derives” the variables which control a chemical reaction conducted in a batch reactor. This chapter includes a discussion about specifying the proportionality constant, i.e., the reaction rate constant, which quantifies the relationship between chemical reaction rate and concentration. This chapter uses the saponification of ethyl acetate to demonstrate the various procedures for specifying the reaction rate constant.
Chapter 36 – Annual Schedules

Annual schedules of reproduction, migration, and plumage molt evolve to cope with varying environmental predictability, and respond to environmental cues for timing and coordination. Species' schedules may include many or few distinct phenotypic stages; more stages increase tolerance of environmental extremes but decrease temporal flexibility. Proximate factors regulating stages include long-term (photoperiod, endogenous rhythms) and short-term (food, temperature, social factors) predictive information. Response to photoperiod depends on encephalic photoreceptors, an endogenous circadian cycle of light sensitivity, and a transduction system linking these to gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion, all in the deep brain. Responses to other cues are less well studied, but may either be signalized, depending on sensory processing of the cue, or direct, through metabolism. Effects of these nonphotic cues are usually supplementary to photoperiod (i.e., act in a series, or hierarchy), but in some temporally flexible species different cues may be interchangeable (i.e., may act in parallel). Scheduling of stages can have carryover effects that impact fitness by influencing performance in subsequent stages, even across years. Thus, coordination among stages is as important as coordination with the external environment. Timing mechanisms also affect how populations are affected by climate change; reliance on photoperiod can lead to mismatches between timing of life cycle stages and phenology of the modified environment. Population-level consequences then depend on the rate populations evolve to track the changing environment. Some survival-enhancing processes, such as immune function, must be maintained across all life cycle stages, and trade-offs exist between investment in immunity and energy-demanding life stages such as reproduction, migration, and molt.
Conclusions and Prospects for the Next Quarter Century

This concluding chapter reflects briefly upon the overarching themes surrounding the economic geography of foreign direct investment (FDI) in former Yugoslavia. In doing so, it examines common issues across the region of study and sets forth some plausible scenarios for FDI over the upcoming decades. Most of the countries in this volume lost at least one decade vis-a-vis other Central and Eastern European (CEE) states due to military conflict followed by various degrees of political and economic isolation. In the wake of the global financial crisis (GFC), they continue to struggle to converge socioeconomically with the core of Europe. Policymakers throughout the region view FDI as a means to help provide necessary capital to overcome this gap. FDI to the former Yugoslavia continues to be affected differentially by recent events, as well as country-specific prospects for EU integration and a shift toward new origins of FDI such as China and Turkey. These developments will continue to shape the landscape, composition, and impact of FDI in the region over the next quarter century.
Revitalizing the Forgotten Uniformity Constraint on the Commerce Power

Employing a straightforward textual reading of the Commerce Clause, which, unlike various other constitutional clauses, does not expressly mandate uniform regulation, the Supreme Court has recently declared that Congress is free to enact commercial regulations that apply in some states, but not in others, or that explicitly treat some states differently than others. This Article seeks to call that conclusion into question, and in the course of doing so, to explore the proper roles of history and text in constitutional decisionmaking. From a historical perspective, the desire for uniformity was both the precipitating factor in the creation of the federal commerce power and a fundamental limitation upon that power. Fearing that Congress would use the commerce power as a means of discriminating in favor of some states at the expense of others, the Constitutional Convention ratified a provision intended to preclude Congress from enacting nonuniform regulations of commerce. For purely stylistic reasons, that provision was ultimately broken into two different clauses: the Port Preference Clause and the Uniformity Clause, but the framers understood those clauses to be one in purpose, and to have the combined effect of categorically prohibiting the nonuniform exercise of the commerce power. Because the framers narrowly conceived the commerce power as extending only to the imposition of excises and duties and the regulation of navigation and shipping, their decision to divide the mandate against the nonuniform regulation of commerce into two, more narrowly drawn clauses seemed inconsequential. The Uniformity Clause, which requires all excises and duties to be uniform throughout the United States, and the Port Preference Clause, which precludes Congress from enacting regulations of navigation or shipping that favor the ports of one state over those of another, were sufficient in their day to fully protect against the nonuniform exercise of the commerce power. In today's world, however - a world in which the commerce power has achieved a drastically broader ambit - if we continue to read the Uniformity and Port Preference Clauses narrowly and literally, and if we fail to imply a general uniformity constraint on the commerce power, then we fatally undermine the fundamental constitutional principle that pervaded the Constitutional Convention that Congress must not be permitted to use the commerce power to favor some states at the expense of others. This Article contends that we should interpret the Constitution in a manner that preserves this fundamental precept and ensures that it remains relevant and vital in the twenty-first century and beyond.
Fatal COVID-19 ARDS associated with incomplete AEC1 differentiation from the transitional state without senescence or fibrosis

Abstract COVID-19 ARDS is associated with prolonged respiratory failure and high mortality, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. ARDS results from injury to the alveolar epithelial cell (AEC) barrier; clinical recovery requires epithelial regeneration. During physiologic regeneration, AEC2s proliferate, exit the cell cycle, and transiently assume a transitional state before differentiating into AEC1s; transitional cells persist with ineffectual AEC1 differentiation in pulmonary fibrosis. It is unknown why transitional cells differentiate into AEC1s during physiologic regeneration but persist with ensuing scar in fibrosis and whether incomplete AEC1 differentiation from transitional cells without fibrosis may underlie prolonged respiratory failure in COVID-19 ARDS. Immunostaining of postmortem COVID-19 ARDS lungs revealed abundant transitional cells. They were typically cuboidal or partially spread, occasionally flat, but rarely expressed AEC1 markers. They formed organized monolayers on alveolar septa without fibrosis. Immunostaining and/or meta-analysis of scRNAseq datasets revealed that transitional cells in two mouse models of physiologic regeneration, COVID-19 ARDS, and fibrosis express markers of cell cycle exit but only in fibrosis express a specific senescence marker. These data suggest that in COVID-19 ARDS, physiologic AEC1 differentiation from transitional cells is incomplete, thus underlying prolonged barrier permeability and respiratory failure, but as in physiologic regeneration, is ongoing without fibrosis.
Gallium Arsenide Photonic Integrated Circuit Platform for Tunable Laser Applications

An active-passive integration technique for operation near a wavelength of 1030 nm has been developed on a gallium arsenide (GaAs) photonic integrated circuit platform. The technique leverages quantum wells (QWs) that are slightly offset vertically from the center of the waveguide, and selectively removed prior to upper cladding regrowth to form active and passive regions. The active region consists of indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs) QWs, gallium arsenide phosphide (GaAsP) barriers, GaAs separate confinement heterostructure layers, and aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) cladding. Fabry Perot lasers with various widths were fabricated and characterized, exhibiting high injection efficiency of 98.8%, internal active loss of 3.44 cm−1, and internal passive loss of 4.05 cm−1 for 3 μm wide waveguides. The 3 μm, 4 μm, and 5 μm wide lasers demonstrated greater than 50 mW output power at 100 mA continuous wave (CW) current and threshold current as low as 9 mA. 20 μm wide broad area lasers demonstrated 240 mW output power, 35.2 mA threshold current under CW operation, and low threshold current density of 94 A/cm2 for 2 mm long lasers. Additionally, these devices exhibit transparency current density of 85 A/cm2 and good thermal characteristics with T 0 = 205 K, and Tη = 577K.
Single Fiber EMG

The single fiber electromyography (SFEMG) study is a technique developed to aid in the diagnosis of neuromuscular junction (NMJ) transmission disorders, especially myasthenia gravis (MG). It is particularly useful in cases where other test results are not sufficient for diagnosis. The goal of SFEMG is to measure impairment in NMJ transmission (manifested by increased jitter and/or blocking) which can be seen in 95–99% percent of patients with myasthenia gravis. If a SFEMG is done in a clinically weak muscle and the results are normal, then the clinician can be almost certain that the weakness is not secondary to MG or another NMJ transmission disorder.
Pharmaceuticals in grocery market fish fillets by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

Abstract Occurrences of pharmaceuticals are evident in aquatic organisms. A reproducible gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method using selected ion monitoring (SIM) has been used to determine the anti-histamine diphenhydramine (DPH), anti-anxiety diazepam (DZP), anti-seizure carbamazepine (CZP) drugs and their metabolites in grocery stores fish that were homogenized, extracted, pre-concentrated, cleaned up, and examined. Identifications of the compounds in extracts were obtained by comparing similar mass spectral features and retention properties with standards. Among nine frequently detected drugs, only DPH and DZP were observed and ranged from 0.61 to 6.21 and 1.99 to 16.57 ng/g, respectively, in fourteen fish species. These concentration values were lower than the environmental fish. Mean spike recoveries of analytes exceeded 75% with relative standard deviations (RSD)
The effects of oxygen pressure on disordering and magneto-transport properties of Ba2FeMoO6 thin films grown via pulsed laser deposition

Epitaxial Ba2FeMoO6 thin films were grown via pulsed laser deposition under low oxygen pressure and their structural, chemical, and magnetic properties were examined, focusing on the effects of oxygen pressure. The chemical disorder, off-stoichiometry in B site cations (Fe and Mo) increased with increasing oxygen pressure and thus magnetic properties were degraded. Interestingly, in contrast, negative magneto-resistance, which is the characteristics of this double perovskite material, was enhanced with increasing oxygen pressure. It is believed that phase segregation of highly disordered thin films is responsible for the increased magneto-resistance of thin films grown at high oxygen pressure. The anomalous Hall effect, which behaves hole-like, was also observed due to spin-polarized itinerant electrons under low magnetic field below 1 T and the ordinary electron-like Hall effect was dominant at higher magnetic fields.
Just Like All the Other Humans? Analyzing Images of Scientists in Children's Trade Books.

Despite the efforts of researchers and national science organizations to recruit more women and minorities into the science and engineering workforce, these fields are still largely dominated by White males. Research suggests that children's mental prototypes of the scientist include a variety of negative and stereotypical features that may contribute to decisions not to pursue a career in science among underrepresented groups. This study examines 1,656 images of scientists in children's nonfiction trade books, which are often used in classrooms and are many children's first introduction to science, to determine the extent to which these depictions perpetuate the stereotypical standard image of the scientist. Results indicate that while many elements of the stereotypical scientist image are not prevalent in these titles, gender and race are causes for concern.
Simple sequence-length polymorphism analysis.

Publisher Summary The microsatellite markers are also referred to as simple sequence-length polymorphism (SSLP) markers. This chapter discusses a standard protocol that is reliable in the amplification and visualization of these microsatellite markers. SSLP markers are analyzed using DNA sequencing gels and in high-resolution agarose gels. In analysis using DNA sequencing gels, the SSLP-containing polymerase chain reaction (PCR) product is labeled using direct incorporation of 32 P-labeled nucleotides, although 5' end labeling of one or both PCR primers can also be employed. PCR cycling is carried out in either Perkin Elmer 9600 or MJ PTC-100 thermocyclers. Finally, gels are dried and exposed to X-ray film. The actual amplified marker size sometimes differs from the published “expected” size. Such variability is attributed to allelic differences among different zebrafish genetic backgrounds. Some marker polymorphisms do not segregate in the crosses of interest—to confirm lack of segregation, appropriate positive controls should be run on each gel. Although many SSLP-containing PCR products can be observed on polyacrylamide or agarose gels, some polymorphisms may be too subtle to score reliably. Finally, if the SSLP-containing PCR products are not detected, or their signals are weak, reactions should be repeated with higher concentrations of the primers.
People's Electric: Engaged Legal Education at Rutgers-Newark Law School in the 1960's and 1970's

Rutgers-Newark Law School was the most innovative, exciting, and effective law school in the 1960's and 1970's. Civil rights and liberties, 'poverty law', women's rights, employment discrimination, open housing, and public education were the foci of legal education at Rutgers - Which is the State University of New Jersey. In those two decades Rutgers-Newark - which we affectionately called People's Electric - developed a model of engaged legal education that was and is unique. No other law school of its era - and perhaps since - to my knowledge has been so thoroughly characterized by a broad progressive social agenda. Affirmative action, racial justice, women’s rights, public education, open housing, and civil liberties were the focus of the frequently landmark litigation which originated or was substantially aided by students and faculty from Rutgers Newark.The unique activism of Rutgers-Newark - a small public law school in an afflicted city - had a huge impact in the development of the law. The activist faculty and the clinics engaged law students deeply in innovative and intense litigation regarding the most important and controversial issues of the day. Students at People’s Electric learned first-hand the law-making function of the courts. They often helped make that law. No other law school in the country can begin to match its record in the 1970's. This was accomplished without endowment, without a base of high ranking or wealthy alumni, without a tradition of such activism at the school, a public law school whose tuition was nominal. Students learned from extraordinarily talented lawyers who they assisted. Their successes showed students how to succeed by really trying. We left Rutgers confident that we knew how to and could change the law, confident that we could make a difference.Graduates continued the mission in many ways. One outstanding example is the cadre who joined the Office of the Public Defender - a statewide agency - which led or participated in the defense of over two hundred capital trials from 1982-2007 when the death penalty was repealed and replaced with life without parole. There were no executions.
Functional differentiation and alveolar morphogenesis of primary mammary cultures on reconstituted basement membrane

An essential feature of mammary gland differentiation during pregnancy is the formation of alveoli composed of polarized epithelial cells, which, under the influence of lactogenic hormones, secrete vectorially and sequester milk proteins. Previous culture studies have described either organization of cells polarized towards lumina containing little or no demonstrable tissue-specific protein, or establishment of functional secretory cells exhibiting little or no glandular architecture. In this paper, we report that tissue-specific vectorial secretion coincides with the formation of functional alveoli-like structures by primary mammary epithelial cells cultured on a reconstituted basement membrane matrix (derived from Engelbreth-Holm-Swarm murine tumour). Morphogenesis of these unique three-dimensional structures was initiated by cell-directed remodelling of the exogenous matrix leading to reorganization of cells into matrix-ensheathed aggregates by 24 h after plating. The aggregates subsequently cavitated, so that by day 6 the cells were organized into hollow spheres in which apical cell surfaces faced lumina sealed by tight junctions and basal surfaces were surrounded by a distinct basal lamina. The profiles of proteins secreted into the apical (luminal) and basal (medium) compartments indicated that these alveoli-like structures were capable of an appreciable amount of vectorial secretion. Immunoprecipitation with a broad spectrum milk antiserum showed that more than 80% of caseins were secreted into the lumina, whereas iron-binding proteins (both lactoferrin and transferrin) were present in comparable amounts in each compartment. Thus, these mammary cells established protein targeting pathways directing milk-specific proteins to the luminal compartment. A time course monitoring secretory activity demonstrated that establishment of tissue-specific vectorial secretion and increased total and milk protein secretion coincided with functional alveolar-like multicellular architecture. This culture system is unique among models of epithelial cell polarity in that it demonstrates several aspects of epithelial cell polarization: vectorial secretion, apical junctions, a sequestered compartment and formation of a basal lamina. These lumina-containing structures therefore reproduce the dual role of mammary epithelia to secrete vectorially and to sequester milk proteins. Thus, in addition to maintaining tissue-specific cytodifferentiation and function, a basement membrane promotes the expression of tissue-like morphogenesis.
The Last Analysis of Slavoj Zizek

_Cogito and the Unconscious_ Edited by Slavoj Zizek SIC: A series edited by Slavoj Zizek and Renata Salecl Durham and London: Duke University Press, 1998 ISBN 0-8223-2097-5 279 pp.
Aldo-Keto Reductases and Formation of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbon o-Quinones

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the Aldo-keto reductases (AKRs) that display dihydrodiol dehydrogenase activity and their role in polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) activation. AKRs are a rapidly growing protein superfamily that is highly conserved across prokaryotes and eukaroytes. These enzymes often convert carbonyl-containing substrates to alcohols; aldehydes are converted to primary alcohols, and ketones are converted to secondary alcohols. When the carbonyl functionality is found on a natural substrate (steroid hormone or prostaglandin) or a drug or xenobiotic, conversion to the corresponding alcohol functionalizes the product for conjugation and elimination. These enzymes thus play a central role in the metabolism of endogenous substrates, drugs, xenobiotics, and carcinogens and are likely to be as important as the cytochrome P450 (CYP) superfamily in dealing with toxic insults. Currently, there are 114 members in the AKR superfamily distributed across 14 families. Strong evidence exists for the formation of stable and depurinating PAH o-quinone DNA adducts and for the formation of oxidative lesions based on in vitro measurements; however, these DNA lesions have not been detected within a cellular context. Stable overexpression of human AKRs into heterologous systems addresses this concern.
Protection from noise induced hearing loss: is prolonged conditioning' necessary?

Abstract The effect of prior ‘conditioning’ noise exposures on the protection from subsequent higher level exposures was studied using four groups of chinchillas. The three experimental groups were ‘conditioned’ using a 0.5 kHz octave band noise at 95 dB SPL for 6 h a day. The first group was exposed to the noise once and allowed to recover for nine days prior to the second exposure. The second and third groups were exposed for ten and twenty days respectively. The first group showed only small reductions in threshold shift (TS) following the second exposure. The other two groups showed significant reductions in TS with repeated exposures. Following the last ‘conditioning’ exposure, all three experimental groups were allowed to recover for five days before exposing them to the same noise at 106 dB SPL for 48 h. Threshold shifts recorded following the 106 dB exposure were compared against those recorded in a control group exposed only to the higher level. Each of the three experimental groups developed significantly less permanent threshold shifts than the control group. However, there were no significant differences among the three experimental groups and the differences in hair cell losses were insignificant.
Extensions and generalisations of rational and high order transformation methods

Abstract A review of previously published work extending the rational basis to include Hermite interpolation is given. New high order transformation methods are described for Hermite interpolation. The intimate connection between the two basic methods both in the construction of transformations and the construction of basis functions is highlighted and the basic high order transformation method is generalised to handle elements with an arbitrary number of sides.
Compactness of the ∂¯-Neumann operator and commutators of the Bergman projection with continuous functions

Abstract Let Ω be a bounded pseudoconvex domain in C n , n ≥ 2 , 0 ≤ p ≤ n , and 1 ≤ q ≤ n − 1 . We show that compactness of the ∂ ¯ -Neumann operator, N p , q + 1 , on square integrable ( p , q + 1 ) -forms is equivalent to compactness of the commutators [ P p , q , z ¯ j ] on square integrable ∂ ¯ -closed ( p , q ) -forms for 1 ≤ j ≤ n where P p , q is the Bergman projection on ( p , q ) -forms. We also show that compactness of the commutator of the Bergman projection with bounded functions percolates up in the ∂ ¯ -complex on ∂ ¯ -closed forms and square integrable holomorphic forms.
Turning ABET Accreditation Review Into a Continuous Improvement Process

For many engineering programs, the assessment required for ABET accreditation results in little actual improvement in the educational program and is viewed by many faculty simply as a hurdle to be overcome to maintain accreditation. Particularly tedious is the assessment of the achievement of the ABET (a-k) program educational outcomes. One innovative approach to minimize the work involved in assessing the achievement of the (a-k) program educational outcomes is based on the establishment of course outcomes for each required course along with a mapping of the course outcomes to the (a-k) program educational outcomes. Course outcomes are the required topics that are to be covered in each required course and are the topics whose achievement are normally assessed through tests, homework, quizzes, reports and presentations. Collecting data on achievement of course outcomes places little additional burden on instructors because the data is readily available in grade records normally created for each course. The mapping of course outcomes to (a-k) program educational outcomes indicates which of the (a-k) outcomes each course outcome addresses. Therefore using the course outcome achievement data provided by each instructor from their grade records and the mapping of course outcomes to (a-k) program educational outcomes, the achievement of the (a-k) program educational outcomes by the entire curriculum can be relatively easily assessed. The process of establishing and assessing course outcomes not only addresses the assessment of achievement of the (a-k) program educational outcomes but it can also easily lead to continuous improvement of the curriculum. Continuous improvement can result when assessment is done periodically and the results are discussed by faculty groups responsible for each course. The establishment of course outcomes and their achievement assessment can lead to serious dialog about what is being taught in each course and the continuity between courses. Instruction and testing are more focused and improved because faculty know they must provide assessment data for each outcome. And finally the strengths and weaknesses in the curriculum as a whole are determined when the mapping is used to assess the overall achievement of the (a-k) program educational outcomes.Copyright © 2006 by ASME
Hypercalcemia-induced upper gastrointestinal bleeding after renal transplantation☆

Hypercalcemia is common in patients after renal transplantation and may stimulate gastrin hypersecretion with associated peptic disease. We report on 2 patients with hypercalcemia and life-threatening gastrointestinal hemorrhage controlled by subtotal parathyroidectomy. Retrospective review of our last 10 patients with gastrointestinal hemorrhage revealed that all of those with normal renal function had elevated serum calcium levels. Because of the increased mortality associated with gastrointestinal hemorrhage in renal transplant patients (43%), patients prone to development of hypercalcemia may benefit from early subtotal parathyroidectomy.
VHub: Single-stage virtual network mapping through hub location

Abstract Network virtualization allows multiple networks with different protocol stacks to share the same physical infrastructure. A key problem for virtual network providers is the need to efficiently allocate their customers’ virtual network requests to the underlying network infrastructure. This problem is known to be computationally intractable and heuristic solutions continue to be developed. Most existing heuristics use a two-stage approach in which virtual nodes are first placed on physical nodes and virtual links are subsequently mapped. In this paper, we present a novel approach to virtual network mapping that simultaneously maps virtual nodes and links onto the network infrastructure. Our VHub technique formulates the problem of mapping a virtual network request as a mixed integer program that is based on the p-hub median problem. Results from extensive simulations with synthetic and real virtual network requests show that our solution outperforms existing heuristics, including subgraph isomorphism backtracking search. Our approach requires fewer physical resources to accommodate virtual networks and is able to balance load more evenly across the network infrastructure.
oops: discovering LL(1) through objects

A grammar is suitable for top-down recursive descent parsing if it is LL(1) [1]. Deriving the algorithm to test if a grammar is LL(1) usually involves inspection of a BNF version of the grammar, representing certain adjacency relations as matrices, and finally performing some subtle computations on the matrices. It is difficult to present the problem intuitively enough so that the algorithm can be discovered by students.oops [2,3] is an LL(1) parser generator that represents an EBNF-based grammar as a tree of objects that are observed as they recognize input. The objects are also able to test if the grammar is LL(1). Distributing the algorithm over several classes makes it simple enough to be discovered during a classroom presentation.This paper discusses the new architecture of oops and the LL(1) checking and parsing algorithms and defines some extensions to EBNF which simplify some sticky language definition problems but are very simple to implement using inheritance.
Degradation mechanisms of sulfur and nitrogen containing compounds during thermal stability testing of model fuels

The degradation behavior of n-dodecane (singly or in combination with S- and N-containing dopants) was studied using a modified Jet Fuel Thermal Oxidation Tester facility between 200 and 400 C. The products were analyzed by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry. The soluble products consisted mainly of n-alkanes and 1-alkenes, aldehydes, tetrahydrofuran derivatives, dodecanol and dodecanone isomers, C21-C24 alkane isomers, and dodecylhydroperoxide (ROOH) decomposition products. The major products were always the same, with and without dopants, but their distributions varied considerably. The 3,4-dimercaptotoluene and dibutylsulfide dopants added individually to n-dodecane interferred with the hydrocarbon oxidation at the alkylperoxy radical and the alkylhydroperoxide link, respectively, while the 2,5-dimethylpyrrole dopant inhibited ROOH formation. Pyridine, pyrrole, and dibenzothiophene added individually showed few significant effects.
State feedback for nonlinear continuous-time systems: stabilization and the creation of invariant subspaces

A theory of static state feedback for multivariable continuous-time nonlinear systems is formulated. The theory applies to systems described by differential equations of the form x(t)=f(x(t),u(t)). The basic objective is to design static state feedback compensators such that the state-space trajectory of the closed-loop system is confined within a specified subspace, and the closed-loop system is internally stable. An explicit method for designing such compensators is developed. The construction of the compensators involves only quantities directly derived from the given function f. >
Effects of nicotine on oviducal blood flow and embryo development in the rat

Nicotine (5.0 mg/kg) was injected (s.c.) twice daily on Day 1 or Days 1-4 or 1-5 of pregnancy. Cumulative doses of nicotine retarded embryo cell cleavage and substantially reduced embryo cell number (saline vs nicotine: 42.5 +/- 1.7 vs 22.1 +/- 1.9 nuclei/embryo, at 12:00 h on Day 5; P less than 0.05). However, treatment for even 1 day (Day 1) significantly reduced cell number (saline vs nicotine: 42.5 +/- 1.7 vs 30.5 +/- 0.9, at 12:00 h day on Day 5; P less than 0.01). Nicotine injection also resulted in a marked and prolonged reduction in oviduct blood flow (pretreatment vs 90 min after nicotine: 0.61 +/- 0.06 vs 0.37 +/- 0.10 ml/min . g-1; P less than 0.005). The results indicate that, in the rat, even a brief exposure to nicotine, the chief alkaloid of tobacco, reduces oviducal blood flow and the rate of embryo cell proliferation. The embryo is therefore susceptible to the effects of nicotine before implantation.
Neurally Mediated Increase in Vascular Permeability in the Rat Trachea: Onset, Duration, and Tachyphylaxis

Electrical stimulation of the cervical vagus nerve of rats is known to increase vascular permeability in the trachea. In the present study, we sought to further characterize this neurogenic inflammatory response by defining the relationship between the parameters of electrical stimulation of the vagus nerve and the magnitude of the increase in vascular permeability, by determining the onset and the duration of the increase in vascular permeability, and by assessing the development of tachyphylaxis in response to consecutive periods of vagal stimulation. The extravasation of Evans blue dye in the trachea was used as an index of tracheal vascular permeability. Rats were injected intravenously with dye and their right vagus nerves were electrically stimulated. The rats were then prefused with fixative, their tracheas were removed, and the amount of ex-travasated dye in the tracheas was measured with a spectrophotometer. We found that a vagal stimulus of 5 V and 20 Hz for 15 s increased the amount of dye in t...
Examining the Relationship Between Supervisor and Management Trust and Job Burnout Among Correctional Staff

Trust is a valued resource of any organization and is a necessary component of a positive, healthy work environment. In corrections, the work environment is critical to ensure the safety and security of staff, inmates, and the community. The demands of correctional work can lead to job burnout, which has been linked to psychological and physical health problems, decreased work productivity, increased absenteeism, and heightened turnover intent and turnover. Thus, it is paramount for corrections to find methods that can alleviate job burnout effectively. Three types of burnout have been identified in the literature: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a feeling of ineffectiveness. This study explored whether correctional staff trust in supervisors and management reduced burnout. Six hypotheses were proposed examining the three types of burnout and the two levels of trust. Results indicate that levels of burnout were lower when workers trusted their supervisors and management in five of the six hyp...
Effect of aging on the microglial response to peripheral nerve injury

Microglial morphology and immunophenotype have been studied extensively in aging-related neurodegenerative diseases, but to a lesser extent in the normally aged CNS, and little is known about how aging affects the ability of microglia to respond to neuronal injury. The goal of the current study was to determine if aging affects the ability of microglia to divide during the early response to facial nerve axotomy. In addition, we investigated the incidence of microglial cell death during later post-axotomy time points to determine if aging had an effect on microglial turnover. We employed DNA labeling with 3H-thymidine, TUNEL and lectin histochemistry after facial nerve axotomy in young (3 months), middle-aged (15 months), and old (30 months) Fisher344-Brown Norway hybrid rats. Proliferation of microglia in old rats remained significantly higher than in young rats 4 days after injury, suggesting that regulation of microglial proliferation changes with aging. There was no aging-related difference in microglial TUNEL staining at 7, 14 or 21 days post-axotomy. Lectin histochemistry in the unoperated facial nucleus revealed aging-related morphological changes in resting microglia, including hypertrophy of the cytoplasm with dense perinuclear staining. Aging-related differences in activated microglia on the lesioned side were more subtle, although many activated microglia of aged animals continued to exhibit dense perinuclear lectin reactivity. We propose that aging-related changes in morphology in conjunction with a less regulated proliferative response in the aged facial nucleus may be a reflection of microglial senescence.
Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited silicon nitride as a gate dielectric film for amorphous silicon thin film transistors—a critical review

Abstract Plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposited (PECVD) silicon nitride (SiN x ) is the dominate gate dielectric material for the amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) thin film transistors (TFTs) today. In this paper, the author critically reviewed several major issues in this field. Two subjects are included in the discussion: effects of SiN x gate dielectric material properties to TFT devices and the large area PECVD SiN x processes. The first subject includes: the bulk film characteristics, a-Si:H TFT performance related to the SiN x /a-Si:H interface properties, such as morphology and band gaps, the dual SiN x gate dielectric structure, and the influence of a-Si:H deposition processes to transistor performance. The second subject is concentrated on the large area PECVD SiN x processes which include uniformity, film characteristics, etc. At the end, a unified relationship between the TFT's threshold voltage and the SiN x refractive index is presented. In the conclusion, relationships among SiN x process, material, and TFT device characteristics are summarized.
Percutaneous renal cryoablation in obese and morbidly obese patients.

Objective To compare percutaneous renal cryoablation complications and outcomes in obese and morbidly obese vs nonobese patients. Methods Three hundred eighty-nine percutaneous cryoablation procedures were performed in 367 patients for treatment of 421 renal masses at our institution between 2003 and 2012. Patients were categorized into 3 groups on the basis of body mass index (BMI): nonobese (BMI 2 ), obese (BMI 30.0-39.9 kg/m 2 ), and morbidly obese (BMI ≥40.0 kg/m 2 ). Each group was retrospectively analyzed for major complications (Clavien ≥grade 3) and oncologic outcomes. Results One hundred eighty-nine renal cryoablation procedures (48.6%) were performed on nonobese patients, 161 (41.4%) on obese patients, and 39 (10.0%) on morbidly obese patients. Eleven (5.8%) major complications occurred in nonobese patients, 15 (9.3%) in obese patients, and 3 (7.7%) in morbidly obese patients. As such, there was no significant difference in the rate of major complications in obese ( P = .23) or morbidly obese ( P = .67) compared with nonobese patients. There was 1 ablation-related death from complications of urosepsis. Thirteen local treatment failures were identified, including 5 technical failures and 8 local tumor recurrences during median imaging follow-up of 18 months (interquartile range: 8-36). Six local treatment failures (3.2%) occurred in nonobese patients, 5 (2.9%) in obese patients, and 2 (4.8%) in morbidly obese patients. Again, no significant difference was noted in local treatment failure rate between obese ( P = .96) or morbidly obese ( P = .57) compared with nonobese patients. Conclusion Percutaneous renal cryoablation complication rates and short-term outcomes in obese and morbidly obese patients are similar to those in nonobese patients.