cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Normalizers of nest algebras

For a nest K with associated nest algebra Ag, we define Sg, the normalizer of Ag. We develop a characterization of elements of Sg based on certain order homomorphisms of X into itself. This characterization enables us to prove several structure theorems. A normalizer of a subalgebra A of B(H) can be defined as the set of operators T such that T*AT C A and TAT* C A. Normalizers of diagonal algebras (which are typically defined so as to comprise only partial isometrics) have played an important role in the study of certain limit algebras [P]. In this paper, we examine normalizers of nest algebras. Theorem 2, the main theorem of this paper, establishes a characterization of an element of the normalizer of a nest algebra in terms of certain order homomorphisms of the nest into itself. We show that the normalizer is strongly closed, and that the order homomorphisms defined in Theorem 2 are related to the order homomorphisms defined in [EP]. We also develop a simplified characterization in the special case where JV is continuous. The latter part of the paper examines the theory of finite rank operators. Theorem 12 establishes that every finite rank element of the normalizer is a sum of rank one elements in the normalizer. We first recall some basic concepts of the theory of nests and nest algebras, which can be found in greater detail in [D]. For H a Hilbert space, a nest JA is defined to be a complete totally ordered lattice of (self-adjoint) projections. Where there is no possibility of confusion, we identify a projection with its range so that for N c K, the statement "x E H such that Nx = x" is shortened to "x C N". We actually make use of the identification in its strongest form: [D, Theorem 2.13] states that a nest of subspaces with the order topology is homeomorphic to the corresponding nest of projections with the strong operator topology. For M, N C X, M N}. Since K is a complete lattice, both Nand N+ lie in K. If N_ + N, we say that N_ is the immediate predecessor of N. If N+ + N, we say that N+ is the immediate successor of N. If N N_ is nonzero, then it is a minimal projection, or atom, in the core of J, the von Neumann algebra generated by K. A nest K is said to be continuous if it contains no atoms; it is said to be purely atomic if its atoms span H. Received by the editors June 26, 1996. 1991 Mathematics Subject Classification. Primary 47D25; Secondary 47D03. ? 1998 Armerican Mathermatical Society
Algebraic Riccati equations in zero-sum differential games

The procedure for finding the closed-loop Nash equilibrium solution of two-player zero-sum linear time-invariant differential games with quadratic performance criteria and classical information pattern may be reduced in most cases to the solution of an algebraic Riccati equation. Based on the results obtained by Willems, necessary and sufficient conditions for existence of solutions to these equations are derived, and explicit conditions for a scalar example are given.
Benefits of multiple battery levels for the lifetime of large wireless sensor networks

In large wireless sensor networks, the few nodes close to the monitoring station are likely to prove the bottleneck in the useful lifetime of the network. We examine a strategy of equipping these nodes with a larger share of the total initial energy (battery) than the others, and generalizing this notion to the rest of the network. We solve a design problem involving optimizing the network lifetime using no more than a given number of distinct battery levels, and verify the results from the model by direct simulation.
Weathering the Perfect Storm: The Seemingly Calm Central Money Market During the Great Contraction

This paper examines the behavior of all banks in New York State during the Great Contraction and their possible reasons of exit. Combining bank-level balance sheet and failure data for every bank in the state, I find that there are distinct patterns in bank exit. Mergers and consolidations peak in New York City at the height of the banking panics. The majority of liquidations in New York City occur in August of 1931, before Britain abandons the gold standard and during the banking crises in Austria and Germany. The abandonment by Britain and the subsequent increase in the discount rate seem to have had a larger effect on the liquidation rate of banks outside of New York City. Lastly, there differences in bank portfolio allocation when considering different means of exit. These differences support the findings of Calomiris and Wilson (2004) that banks could reduce risk of failure by shifting from loans to riskless assets.
Nutrient distributions in warm-core ring 82-B April?August

Abstract The chemical, physical and biological distributions of a single warm-core ring, WCR 82-B, were examined in a multidisciplinary study of the ring from March to August 1982. WCR 82-B formed in late February 1982; in April the core water of the ring was isothermal and isohaline, with a homogeneous distribution of nutrients and oxygen from the surface to a depth of 350 m. Thermal stratification occured in early May; nutrients were depleted from the surface layer after stratification. In the core of the ring (radius
Guest Editors' Note: Bayesian Approaches for Medical Product Evaluation—Today and Tomorrow

In May 2004, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) cosponsored a workshop exploring the role of Bayesian approaches in medical product evaluation, “Can Bayesian Approaches to Studying New Treatmen...
The Administrative Component in Complex Organizations

This study examines the relationship between organizational size and the proportional size of the administrative component. The hypothesis is that organizational size is directly related to the difference between the relative sizes of the clerical and managerial components–the clerical ratio minus the managerial ratio. The data, drawn from general hospitals, show that the managerial component and organizational size are negatively related, and that organizational size and the relative size of the clerical component are not related.
Estimates of spin-exchange parameters for alkali-metal-noble-gas pairs.

Estimates of frequency-shift enhancement factors, binary cross sections for spin exchange and spin relaxation, chemical equilibrium constants, and spin-exchange and spin-rotation interactions in van der Waals molecules are presented for alkali-metal atoms interacting with noble-gas atoms. These results are compared to experiments and are also presented for those pairs which have not been studied experimentally.
Effect of Inclination on the Performance of a Compact Brazed Plate Condenser and Evaporator

Abstract This study experimentally quantified the change in heat transfer and pressure drop associated with tilting a compact brazed plate heat exchanger from the intended vertical position. Both clockwise and counterclockwise rotations within a plane perpendicular to the fittings were examined. A SWEP B15 × 36 was tested as an R-22 evaporator and condenser under fixed refrigerant state conditions suitable to high-efficiency water-source heat pumps. This study showed that a substantial performance penalty occurred when the evaporator was rotated past 30° from the vertical. The evaporator heat transfer in the horizontal position was 60-75% of the vertical value. For a rotation angle of 30°, the degraded heat transfer was within 5% of the vertical value. Rotation direction and entering refrigerant state had little effect on the performance of the evaporator for rotation angles less than 60”. Only when the evaporator was rotated to the horizontal position did rotation direction and refrigerant slate have muc...
Managing speed in inclement conditions using an in-vehicle interface

This paper briefly describes a system which provides suggested safe speeds for travel during inclement weather conditions. A user study was conducted to evaluate the interpretability of the interface and its effectiveness in influencing drivers' speed choices in inclement conditions. The results indicated that even naive users were able to correctly interpret interface and adjusted their speed accordingly.
Training providers in hypertension guidelines: Cost-effectiveness evaluation of a continuing medical education program in South Carolina

Background Translation of published guidelines to clinical practice through continuing medical education (CME) can be effective at changing provider practice patterns and patient outcomes. Yet, cost-effectiveness analyses of CME interventions are rare. This study analyzed the cost-effectiveness of a CME program for improving patient hypertension outcomes relative to usual care. Methods A CME, conducted by the Carolinas and Georgia chapter of the American Society of Hypertension, the Medical University of South Carolina, and the Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention Division of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, trained primary care providers in evidence-based guidelines for hypertension prevention and control. A cost-effectiveness simulation model was created with inputs from primary data collection of program costs and secondary data analysis of the Hypertension Initiative Database for years 2000 through 2008. The data analysis consisted of a convenience sample of 8,183 patients in the Hypertension Initiative Database who saw a CME-trained provider at least once before and after the provider's training. Control patients saw providers who did not attend a CME program and were matched to CME patients using propensity score matching. Results Incremental life-years gained (LYG) for CME compared with no intervention were 0.003 per patient. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $39,494 ($19,184-$73,864) per LYG under optimistic assumptions and $54,755 ($32,423-$95,728) per LYG under pessimistic assumptions. These results were most sensitive to changes in the effectiveness of the intervention on systolic blood pressure. Conclusions The intervention is likely a cost-effective strategy to address hypertension in a real-world setting and can serve as a model for future innovations in hypertension prevention.
Optic fiber needle to probe inside the body using fluorescence ratio method

An optical fiber needle probe was developed that can be inserted into a hollow metallic needle for tumor diagnosis using fluorescence at key wavelengths for breast, kidney, liver, and brain. The optical fiber needle probe is based on fluorescence ration method which will allow to detect tumor in vivo for a real time evaluation. This method will be couple with other current modalities such as X-ray, ultrasound and MRI.
Synthesis, characterization, and magnetic properties of FeCoNi ternary alloy nanowire arrays

FeCoNi ternary alloy nanowire arrays 32–106 nm in diameter were fabricated within nanoporous alumina membranes using 15 Vrms alternating current electrodeposition at frequencies of 50, 250, 500, 750, and 1000 Hz. The magnetic coercivity and hysteresis loop squareness-ratio (Mr/Ms) were studied as functions of electrolyte composition, nanowire diameter, and nanowire aspect ratio.
Reflux esophagitis in humans is mediated by oxygen-derived free radicals☆

Abstract Background : Oxidative stress in reflux esophagitis was investigated before and after antireflux surgery. Patients and methods : Oxidative stress was studied in the distal and proximal esophagus of control patients (without esophagitis, but with other gastrointestinal disorders), of patients with various grades of esophagitis (including Barrett's esophagus), and in patients who had a Nissen fundoplication. Oxidative stress was assessed by chemiluminescence, lipid peroxidation (LP), and by measuring superoxide dismutase (SOD). Results : Chemiluminescence and LP increased with the degree of esophagitis and was highest in patients with Barrett's esophagus; SOD decreased with damage, except in cases of Barrett's esophagus associated with mild esophagitis. Chemiluminescence and LP in reflux patients were higher in the distal than in the proximal esophagus, and SOD was lower, whereas no such difference was found in controls. Findings after Nissen fundoplication were similar to those of controls. Conclusions : Reflux esophagitis is mediated by free radicals depleting SOD. Barrett's esophagus is a severe form of oxidative damage; in some patients, high SOD levels may prevent severe esophagitis. Antireflux surgery prevents oxidative damage.
Novel Mechanistic Class of Fatty Acid Amide Hydrolase Inhibitors with Remarkable Selectivity

Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) is an integral membrane enzyme that degrades the fatty acid amide family of signaling lipids, including the endocannabinoid anandamide. Genetic or pharmacological inactivation of FAAH leads to analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, and antidepressant phenotypes in rodents without showing the undesirable side effects observed with direct cannabinoid receptor agonists, indicating that FAAH may represent an attractive therapeutic target for treatment of pain, inflammation, and other central nervous system disorders. However, the FAAH inhibitors reported to date lack drug-like pharmacokinetic properties and/or selectivity. Herein we describe piperidine/piperazine ureas represented by N-phenyl-4-(quinolin-3-ylmethyl)piperidine-1-carboxamide (PF-750) and N-phenyl-4-(quinolin-2-ylmethyl)piperazine-1-carboxamide (PF-622) as a novel mechanistic class of FAAH inhibitors. PF-750 and PF-622 show higher in vitro potencies than previously established classes of FAAH inhibitors. Rath...
Niche complementarity due to plasticity in resource use: plant partitioning of chemical N forms

Niche complementarity, in which coexisting species use different forms of a resource, has been widely invoked to explain some of the most debated patterns in ecology, including maintenance of diversity and relationships between diversity and ecosystem function. However, classical models assume resource specialization in the form of distinct niches, which does not obviously apply to the broadly overlapping resource use in plant communities. Here we utilize an experimental framework based on competition theory to test whether plants partition resources via classical niche differentiation or via plasticity in resource use. We explore two alternatives: niche preemption, in which individuals respond to a superior competitor by switching to an alternative, less-used resource, and dominant plasticity, in which superior competitors exhibit high resource use plasticity and shift resource use depending on the competitive environment. We determined competitive ability by measuring growth responses with and without neighbors over a growing season and then used 15N tracer techniques to measure uptake of different nitrogen (N) forms in a field setting. We show that four alpine plant species of differing competitive abilities have statistically indistinguishable uptake patterns (nitrate > ammonium > glycine) in their fundamental niche (without competitors) but differ in whether they shift these uptake patterns in their realized niche (with competitors). Competitively superior species increased their uptake of the most available N form, ammonium, when in competition with the rarer, competitively inferior species. In contrast, the competitively inferior species did not alter its N uptake pattern in competition. The existence of plasticity in resource use among the dominant species provides a mechanism that helps to explain the manner by which plant species with broadly overlapping resource use might coexist.
A Gutta-percha Plant

IN your issue of October 19 you report a communication made to the French Academy of Sciences by Messrs. Dybowski and C. Fron regarding the cultivation of Eucommia ulmoides, a plant said by them to contain gutta-percha. I am naturally much interested in the possibility of this interesting tree, the “Tu chung” of the Chinese, becoming of economic importance, as some years ago I investigated the bark and leaves of this plant with regard to the peculiar cells containing a rubber-like substance (Trans. Linnean Society, 1892, vol. iii., part 7).
Early Eocene Cantius torresi—oldest primate of modern aspect from North America

The oldest primates of modern aspect (primates of prosimian tarsiiform-lemuriform or higher grade) are known from Lower Eocene strata of Sparnacian age in Europe1,2, Bumbanian age in Asia3,4, and Wasatchian age in North America5. These first appearances coincide on all three northern continents with initial records of Artiodactyla, Perissodactyla and other modern mammalian groups appearing approximately 53 Myr BP6,7. Here I report that a newly discovered basal Wasatchian f aunal assemblage older than any known previously includes the well-preserved dental remains of a new species of Cantius, the earliest representative of Eocene Adapidae and the oldest evidence of primates of modern aspect known from North America. This new Cantius is possibly ancestral to all later adapids, including the European Donrussellia and North American Pelycodus. Cantius torresi has premolars reminiscent of those in Omomyidae, suggesting that earlier lemuriform and tarsiiform primates were closely related and little differentiated at the beginning of the Eocene.
Squares: Additive questions and partitions

This memoir is concerned with a number of additive questions in which squares occur. For ternary additive problems with at least one square, the exceptional set is considered and it is shown that current methods cannot be sharpened substantially. In a different direction, but using cognate methods, an asymptotic formula is obtained for the number of partitions of a number into squares.
Heterotic superstring gauge residue trivialization via homogeneous CP 4 topology change

A new mechanism for the cancellation of gauge residue symmetries in the framework of heterotic superstring compactification theories is revealed. The model preserves all the string features and fits naturally in the consistent topological structure of the homogeneousCP4 Calabi-Yau manifold.
Defects that control the properties of Tl- and Hg-based superconductors

Defects that affect T{sub c} in Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CuO{sub 6+{delta}} and HgBa{sub 2}CuO{sub 4+{delta}} and HgBa{sub 2}CuO{sub 4+{delta}} have been characterized by neutron powder diffraction. In Tl{sub 2}Ba{sub 2}CuO{sub 6+{delta}}, the dominant defect is interstitial oxygen between the two Tl-O planes, but Cu substitution on the Tl site also affects properties and there is evidence for a second oxygen defect for compositions in the vicinity of maximum {Tc}. In HgBa{sub 2}CuO{sub 4+{delta}}, there are two competing oxygen defects in the Hg layer. The relative concentrations of these defects switches upon passing from the underdoped region, through the maximum {Tc}, to the overdoped region. This remarkable behavior could result from a change in the topology of the Fermi surface upon passing through the van Hove singularity.
Stopping Power of Various Substances for Fission Fragments

The relative stopping power of collodion, aluminum, copper silver, and gold for fission fragments has been measured. The results are similar to those for alpha-particles of 4.5 Mev.
A METHOD OF OPTIMUM ROUTE REGENERATION

A method for facilitating the rapid regeneration of optimum routes has been presented. This method will generally result in minimum storage and minimum regeneration time while initially presenting a rather large computational problem. One alternative and complementary methodology previously developed involves a covering technique both for the identification of connectivity information, considered by Hoelzeman and Mickle, and error detection and correction, considered by Wang, Mickle and Hoelzeman. By way of contrast, this alternative requires less initial computation while in general requiring more computer storage and longer regeneration times than the method presented in this paper. The method formulated herein represents a significant advance in the state‐of‐the‐art of applied routing problems.
Aboveground biomass, surface area, and production relations of red fir (Abies magnifica) and white fir (A. concolor)

Aboveground live biomass, surface area, and net production have been estimated in two 0.36-ha stands each of white fir (Abiesconcolor), red fir (Abiesmagnifica), and mixed red and white fir in Sequoia National Park in the southern Sierra Nevada of California. Estimates are based on regressions developed from dimension analysis of 12 individuals of each fir species harvested in the adjacent Sequoia National Forest. The white fir forests are the largest and most productive of the several fir forests measured. The net production values of 1630–2200 g•m−2•year−1 are 1.3–2.7 times higher than for red or mixed fir forests and are at the high end of values reported from other highly productive coniferous forests of the western United States. The high productivity of these forests is attributable in part to the high proportion of aboveground biomass in leaves (4%), which remain on branches for up to 24 years or more, coupled with a high tolerance to shading. Production per unit leaf area is comparable to producti...
Triangulation made easy

We describe a simple and efficient algorithm for two-view triangulation of 3D points from approximate 2D matches based on minimizing the L 2 reprojection error. Our iterative algorithm improves on the one by Kanatani et al. [5] by ensuring that in each iteration the epipolar constraint is satisfied. In the case where the two cameras are pointed in the same direction, the method provably converges to an optimal solution in exactly two iterations. For more general camera poses, two iterations are sufficient to achieve convergence to machine precision, which we exploit to devise a fast, non-iterative method. The resulting algorithm amounts to little more than solving a quadratic equation, and involves a fixed, small number of simple matrix-vector operations and no conditional branches. We demonstrate that the method computes solutions that agree to very high precision with those of Hartley and Sturm's original polynomial method [2], though achieves higher numerical stability and 1–4 orders of magnitude greater speed.
TRAIL‐mediated apoptosis requires NF‐kB inhibition and the mitochondrial permeability transition in human hepatoma cells

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) induces apoptosis in a wide range of malignant cells. However, several cancers, including human hepatoma, are resistant to TRAIL. In this study, we analyzed TRAIL-induced pro- and antiapoptotic signaling pathways in human hepatoma cells. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) was found to be a critical TRAIL-induced antiapoptotic factor in the PLC/PRF/5, HepG2, and Hep3B cell lines. TRAIL-induced NF-kappaB activation was preceded by IkappaBalpha kinase (IKK) activation and IkappaBalpha degradation and depended on TRAF2, NF-kappaB-inducing kinase (NIK), IKK1, and IKK2. Accordingly, inhibition of NF-kappaB by adenoviral dominant negative (dn) TRAF2, NIKdn, IKK1dn, IKK2dn, or IkappaBsr sensitized PLC/PRF/5 cells to rhTRAIL, resulting in 40% to 50% cell death after 48 hours as compared with <10% with rhTRAIL alone. Agonistic anti-TRAIL receptor 1 and anti-TRAIL receptor 2 antibodies or combinations of both were equally efficient in inducing apoptosis as rhTRAIL, indicating that decoy receptors did not contribute to resistance toward TRAIL under the conditions of our study. TRAIL-mediated apoptosis depended on FADD, caspase 8 and 3 as demonstrated by the ability of FADDdn, CrmA, and pharmacologic caspase inhibitors to prevent apoptosis. Confocal microscopy showed the onset of the mitochondrial permeability transition (MPT) 5 hours after rhTRAIL plus actinomycin D, which was followed by cytochrome c release. The MPT was critical for TRAIL-induced apoptosis as demonstrated by the ability of pharmacologic MPT inhibitors to completely protect PLC/PRF/5 cells. In conclusion, NF-kappaB prevents TRAIL-induced apoptosis in human hepatoma through a TRAIL-activated TRAF2-NIK-IKK pathway. Inhibition of NF-kappaB unmasks a TRAIL-induced apoptotic signaling cascade that involves FADD, caspase 8, the MPT, and caspase 3.
A Terminal Area PBL Prediction System at Dallas : Fort Worth and its application in simulating diurnal PBL jets

Abstract A state–of–the–science meso–b–scale numerical weather prediction model is being employed in a prototype forecast system for potential operational use at the Dallas–Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). The numerical model is part of a unique operational forecasting system being developed to support the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Terminal Area Productivity Program. This operational forecasting system will focus on meso–b–scale aviation weather problems involving planetary boundary layer (PBL) turbulence, and is named the Terminal Area PBL Prediction System (TAPPS). TAPPS (version 1) is being tested and developed for NASA in an effort to improve 1–6–h terminal area forecasts of wind, vertical wind shear, temperature, and turbulence within both stable and convective PBLs at major airport terminal areas. This is being done to enhance terminal area productivity, that is, aircraft arrival and departure throughput, by using the weather forecasts as part of the Aircraft Vort...
Motivating Students to Not Smoke.

This study tested a new strategy, based on the Diffusion of Innovation Theory, for motivating college students to not smoke. A ninety-one item questionnaire was developed and tested, and administered before and after the study to subjects who were divided into an experimental and a control group. Didactic material on smoking and topics such as social approval, academic achievement and career success were presented to the experimental group. An analysis of covariance showed statistically significant changes in student's responses to cognitive and attitudinal statements. It also showed non-significant but positive changes in smoker's motivation to attempt cessation and in smoking behavior. It is recommended that this promising strategy be investigated further.
Popliteal-To-Dorsalis Pedis Bypass for Limb Salvage: a Case Report

This is a case report of a successful popliteal-to-dorsalis pedis artery by pass. The patient had a previous fem oropopliteal bypass which remained patent but failed to halt the ischemic disease. Distal revascularization al lowed a transmetatarsal amputation, which preserved the limb. Bypass to the level of the ankle and foot should always be considered in patients with severe ischemic disease before ampu tation is performed.
The Shedler and Westen Assessment Procedure From the Perspective of General Personality Structure

The Shedler and Westen Assessment Procedure (SWAP-200; J. Shedler & D. Westen, 2004) has received increasing support as a dimensional model of personality pathology. However, only 1 prior study has related empirically the SWAP-200 with any other measure of personality or personality disorder. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether the SWAP-200 personality disorder and personality dimension scales relate meaningfully to the domains and facets of the five-factor model (FFM; J. M. Digman, 1990) of general personality structure. Individuals (n = 94) with significant personality pathology were described on instruments of general personality and personality pathology. The results of the current study suggest that most of the SWAP-200 personality and personality disorder scales relate to the domains and facets of the FFM in a manner consistent with FFM theory and previous FFM personality disorder research. Inconsistent findings and limitations are discussed, along with suggestions for future research.
Comparison of azelastine and chlorpheniramine in the treatment of mastocytosis

Abstract Background: Azelastine, a novel antiallergic medication, was compared with chlorpheniramine maleate for efficacy and safety in the treatment of systemic mastocytosis. Methods: Fifteen subjects with mastocytosis participated in a double-blind, randomized, three-period, crossover trial, which compared an azelastine regimen of 4 mg or 8 mg every 12 hours with a chlorpheniramine regimen of 12 mg every 12 hours. Response to therapy was assessed by daily symptom scores, extinction dilution skin tests, plasma histamine levels, and global evaluations. Results: Subjects' mean wheal area responses provoked by histamine or morphine sulfate were significantly lowered by azelastine when compared with chlorpheniramine. Plasma histamine levels in subjects receiving azelastine or chlorpheniramine were not significantly different. There were no significant differences between azelastine and chlorpheniramine in individual symptom scores or global evaluations except that azelastine at both doses significantly relieved pruritus and at 4 mg significantly relieved abdominal pain and that chlorpheniramine was associated with less fatigue in comparison to azelastine at 8 mg. Conclusions: It thus appears that azelastine is superior to chlorpheniramine in suppressing skin responses to histamine and morphine sulfate and in suppressing pruritus in patients with mastocytosis. However, when all parameters are considered, neither drug is clearly superior for the treatment of patients with mastocytosis.
Crystallized verbal skills in schizophrenia: relationship to neurocognition, symptoms, and functional status.

OBJECTIVE To study the relationship of superior (i.e., ≥ 90th percentile), average (11th-89th percentile) or extremely low (i.e., ≤ 10th percentile) crystallized verbal skills to neurocognitive profiles, symptoms and everyday life function in schizophrenia. METHOD Crystallized verbal skill was derived from Vocabulary subtest scores from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS). Out of a sample of 165 stable outpatients with schizophrenia we identified 25 participants with superior crystallized verbal skill, 104 participants with average verbal skill, and 36 participants with extremely low crystallized verbal skill. Each participant was administered measures of attention, working memory, verbal learning and memory, problem-solving and processing speed, as well as symptom and performance-based adaptive life skill assessments. RESULTS The magnitude of neuropsychological impairment across the three groups was different, after adjusting for group differences in education and duration of illness. Working memory, and verbal learning and memory skills were different across all three groups, while processing speed differentiated the extremely low verbal skill group from the other two groups and problem-solving differentiated the very low verbal skill group from the superior verbal skill group. There were no group differences in sustained attention. Capacity measures of everyday life skills were different across each of the three groups. CONCLUSION Crystallized verbal skill in schizophrenia is related to the magnitude of impairment in neurocognitive function and performance-based skills in everyday life function. Patterns of neuropsychological impairment were similar across different levels of crystallized verbal skill.
Kinematics of the t{bar t} events in W + Jets at CDF

We compare the CDF W+n≥3 jets data with predictions using the standard model.Herwig is used to simulate production and VECBOS is used to simulate QCD W+n≥3 jets. We look at four different data sets with content varying from 20% to 75%, andexamine several kinematic variables. We conclude that the data are consistent with thestandard model.
From Discrete Electronic States to Plasmons: TDDFT Optical Absorption Properties of Agn(n= 10, 20, 35, 56, 84, 120) Tetrahedral Clusters

Time-dependent density functional theory calculations are employed to calculate the optical absorption spectra of silver tetrahedral Ag n ( n = 10, 20, 35, 56, 84, 120) clusters with emphasis on neutral and ion clusters that correspond to shell closings. For the Ag 20 cluster, the convergence properties of the spectra with respect to basis set and density functional are examined, and the most accurate results are found to be in good agreement with experimental data. The Ag n spectra evolve from molecular-like to plasmon-like with increasing n, and from this we are able to extrapolate the plasmon energy and width to the large particle limit, leading to results that are in excellent agreement with continuum electrodynamics results. The results show that for the selected tetrahedral clusters, the plasmon width does not increase with decreasing cluster size as is commonly found (or assumed) for typical cluster shape distributions.
Effect of Polymerization Temperature and Cross-Linker Concentration on Reaction Diffusion Controlled Termination

The effects of temperature and cross-linking agent concentration on reaction diffusion controlled termination have been determined for several loosely cross-linked acrylate and methacrylate systems. The systems studied were 10/90 DEGDA/sBA (10 mol % diethylene glycol diacrylate, 90 mol % sec-butyl acrylate), 1/99/40 DEGDMA/HEMA/PEG400 (1 wt % diethylene glycol dimethacrylate, 99 wt % 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate diluted with poly(ethylene glycol) 400 to 40 wt %), and 10/90 DEGDMA/OcMA (10 wt % DEGDMA, 90 wt % n-octyl methacrylate.) The effect of increased cross-linking agent concentration is to decrease the reaction diffusion parameter (R), defined as kt/kp[M], until a plateau is reached. The reaction diffusion parameter was found to increase as the polymerization temperature is increased above Tg for the methacrylate systems. However, as the temperature is decreased below the Tg for loosely cross-linked systems, R was found to also increase. This phenomenon is not readily predicted using current theory, a...
Compensation in Academic Medicine: Progress Toward Gender Equity

Background Studies have documented substantial salary disparities between women and men in academic medicine. While various strategies have been proposed to increase equity, to our knowledge, no interventions have been evaluated.
Chemical weathering in streams of a polar desert (Taylor Valley, Antarctica)

Taylor Valley is a cold, polar desert located in the McMurdo Dry Valleys, the largest ice-free area in Antarctica. For six to ten weeks a year, glacial meltwater streams flow through unconsolidated boulders and pebbles to perennially ice-covered closed-basin lakes. Because there is no overland flow or groundwater input, most chemical weathering reactions are restricted to the stream channels. Despite these limiting conditions, chemical weathering rates in the stream channels are similar to or higher than those in temperate-climate watersheds. These high rates in Taylor Valley suggest that temperature and precipitation are not the primary controls on chemical denudation. In this case, high stream discharges, high rates of physical weathering (e.g., frost action, salt weathering), and/or the interaction between the stream and hyporheic zone contribute to the high chemical denudation rates in the Taylor Valley stream channels.
Optimal Server Acquisition in Open Queueing Networks

Several production and flexible manufacturing systems can naturally be modelled using queueing networks. In this paper, we consider the problem of acquiring servers for the nodes of an open queueing network, so as to optimize the steady-state mean virtual system parameters subject to a budget constraint. A partial enumeration scheme and a heuristic method have been proposed to solve this problem. Empirical results based on randomly generated test problems are used to identify a class of problems for which the heuristic performs well.
Electrical deaths in the US construction: an analysis of fatality investigations

Electrocution is among the ‘fatal four’ in US construction according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Learning from failures is believed to be an effective path to success, with deaths being the most serious system failures. This paper examined the failures in electrical safety by analysing all electrical fatality investigations (N = 132) occurring between 1989 and 2010 from the Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation programme that is completed by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. Results reveal the features of the electrical fatalities in construction and disclose the most common electrical safety challenges on construction sites. This research also suggests the sociotechnical system breakdowns and the less effectiveness of current safety training programmes may significantly contribute to worker's unsafe behaviours and electrical fatality occurrences.
The widely-distributed tumour protein, oncomodulin, is a normal constituent of human and rodent placentas

Oncomodulin, first found in tumours, turns out to be a highly conserved oncodevelopmental protein in human and rodent placentas. The human and rat placental oncomodulins were visualised immunohistochemically. The placental oncomodulins are identical to each other, and to tumour oncomodulin with respect to amino acid composition, chromatographic elution and the pattern of the peptides released by trypsin action.
Flow Visualization of Secondary Flows in Three Curved Ducts

Streak photography flow measurements are made for secondary flows in three 90-deg curved ducts of square cross section and different radii of curvature, at Dean numbers of 15,000-36,000 and radius ratios of 0.5, 2.3, and 3.0. Attention is given to secondary flow patterns for three cross sections in each bend: the inlet zero-deg plane, the midpoint 45-deg plane, and the outlet 90-deg plane. After a rapid transition region, the pressure-driven secondary flow patterns were characterized by flow moving toward the outer curved wall at the axial midplane and returning to the inner wall along the duct walls. The 0.5-radius ratio elbow was found to have the greatest influence on upstream inlet conditions.
Application design and performance evaluation for multiprocessor sensor nodes

Currently, the main components of most sensor nodes are a microcontroller and a radio. Their real-time and peak performance would be a bottleneck when executing computation-intensive tasks. Also, energy consumption may be high due to the long task-execution time. Several works [2]–[6] demonstrate that adding a coprocessor would be a solution to the problems. So far, no work have been done to analyze the performance of a multiprocessor sensor nodes with a FPGA coprocessor. In this paper, a design flow for heterogeneous multiprocessor sensor nodes is provided. Then, the performance comparison between multiprocessor and single processor sensor node's time and energy consumption is provided by executing applications on our in-house designed multiprocessor sensor node on a real testbed. The testbed results show that multiprocessor sensor node can either increase sensor node's execution speed or reduce the sensor node's energy consumption when the sensor node executes computation-intensive tasks.
Oxidation of Polyisoprene Popcorn Polymer. III. Further Studies on Water and Carbon Dioxide Production

Abstract The volatile products resulting from polyisoprene popcorn polymer oxidation were analyzed quantitatively for carbon dioxide and water, and semiquantitatively for formaldehyde. The production of these three products was a linear function of the amount of oxygen consumed in the reaction. For every mole of oxygen reacted, 0.098 mole of water, 0.038 mole of carbon dioxide, and > 0.016 mole of formaldehyde were formed. Twenty-four products were detected after extensive oxidation; the major ones being water, carbon dioxide, formaldehyde, formic acid, 2,5-hexanedione, and acetic acid. No levulin-aldehyde was identified in the products. A tentative oxidation mechanism is discussed.
Charles Bonnet Syndrome with Peripheral and Central Findings

The Charles Bonnet syndrome comprises complex vivid visual hallucinations without significant psychopathology or disturbed consciousness and has been known for several hundred years. A consensus is lacking whether eye and brain disease are necessary or exclusionary criteria for this syndrome. We describe the recent onset of complex and vivid visual hallucinations in a 73-year-old man with macular degeneration and a history of recurrent major depression. We discuss ophthalmologic and radiographic findings in the context of syndrome cause.
An easily fixed error in the Nyburg algorithm for discovering the best fit between molecules

The extremely popular Nyburg algorithm for discovering the best fit between two molecules or fragments has an error that can give a false best fit under some circumstances. This error is described, and a simple fix is provided. The original Nyburg program (BMFIT) is compared to Sippl's program of 1991.
Intrarenal blood flow: microvascular anatomy and the regulation of medullary perfusion

1. The microcirculation of the kidney is arranged in a manner that facilitates separation of blood flow to the cortex, outer medulla and inner medulla. 2. Resistance vessels in the renal vascular circuit include arcuate and interlobular arteries, glomerular afferent and efferent arterioles and descending vasa recta. 3. Vasoactive hormones that regulate smooth muscle cells of the renal circulation can originate outside the kidney (e.g. vasopressin), can be generated from nearby regions within the kidney (e.g. kinins, endothelins, adenosine) or they can be synthesized by adjacent endothelial cells (e.g. nitric oxide, prostacyclin, endothelins). 4. Vasoactive hormones released into the renal inner medullary microcirculation may be trapped by countercurrent exchange to act upon descending vasa recta within outer medullary vascular bundles. 5. Countercurrent blood flow within the renal medulla creates a hypoxic environment. Relative control of inner versus outer medullary blood flow may play a role to abrogate the hypoxia that arises from O2 consumption by the thick ascending limb of Henle. 6. Cortical blood flow is autoregulated. In contrast, the extent of autoregulation of medullary blood flow appears to be influenced by the volume status of the animal. Lack of medullary autoregulation during volume expansion may be part of fundamental processes that regulate salt and water excretion.
Wrestling's Hold on the Western World before the Great War

(2000). Wrestling's Hold on the Western World before the Great War. The Historian: Vol. 62, No. 4, pp. 779-797.
Undecidability and Nonperiodicity for Tilings of the Plane.

This paper is related to the work of Hao Wang and others growing out of a problem which he proposed in [8], w 4.1. Suppose that we are given a finite set of unit squares with colored edges, placed with their edges horizontal and vertical. We are interested in tiling the plane with copies of these tiles obtained by translation only. The tiles are to be placed with their vertices at lattice points, and abutting edges must have the same color. Wang raised the question whether there is a general method of deciding which finite sets of colored squares can be used to tile the plane in this way. He also discussed the relation of this problem to the decision problem for certain classes of formulas of the predicate calculus, but we shall consider only the geometrical problem here. Suppose that we have a tiling of the plane of this type which has a horizontal period. That is, we assume that the tiling remains invariant under a certain horizontal translation. There will then be a vertical strip which can be repeated to cover the plane. This strip has only a finite number of different horizontal cross sections, and hence has two which are alike. Thus the same tiles may be used to construct a tiling which has a vertical period as well as a horizontal period. A similar argument can be used even when the given period is not horizontal. That is, if a set of tiles permits a periodic tiling, then it also permits a doubly periodic tiling. In any such tiling, we can find equal horizontal and vertical periods, and hence can find a square of some size which repeats to cover the plane. Wang made the conjecture, since proved false, that any set of tiles which permits a tiling of the plane also permits a periodic tiling. He pointed out that if this conjecture were true, then we would have a decision method for an arbitrary set of tiles. Indeed, it would be sufficient to form all possible squares from the given set of tiles, starting with the smaller squares and working up, until we either reach a square which can be repeated periodically, or we find a square of a certain size which cannot be tiled at all. The latter will always happen if tiling of the whole plane
Identification of Known Drugs that Act as Inhibitors of NF-κB Signaling and their Mechanism of Action

Abstract Nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) is a transcription factor that plays a critical role across many cellular processes including embryonic and neuronal development, cell proliferation, apoptosis, and immune responses to infection and inflammation. Dysregulation of NF-κB signaling is associated with inflammatory diseases and certain cancers. Constitutive activation of NF-κB signaling has been found in some types of tumors including breast, colon, prostate, skin and lymphoid, hence therapeutic blockade of NF-κB signaling in cancer cells provides an attractive strategy for the development of anticancer drugs. To identify small molecule inhibitors of NF-κB signaling, we screened approximately 2800 clinically approved drugs and bioactive compounds from the NIH Chemical Genomics Center Pharmaceutical Collection (NPC) in a NF-κB mediated β-lactamase reporter gene assay. Each compound was tested at fifteen different concentrations in a quantitative high throughput screening format. We identified nineteen drugs that inhibited NF-κB signaling, with potencies as low as 20 nM. Many of these drugs, including emetine, fluorosalan, sunitinib malate, bithionol, narasin, tribromsalan, and lestaurtinib, inhibited NF-κB signaling via inhibition of IκBα phosphorylation. Others, such as ectinascidin 743, chromomycin A3 and bortezomib utilized other mechanisms. Furthermore, many of these drugs induced caspase 3/7 activity and had an inhibitory effect on cervical cancer cell growth. Our results indicate that many currently approved pharmaceuticals have previously unappreciated effects on NF-κB signaling, which may contribute to anticancer therapeutic effects. Comprehensive profiling of approved drugs provides insight into their molecular mechanisms, thus providing a basis for drug repurposing.
Enhanced permeability responses to inflammation in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rat venules: Rho-mediated alterations of actin cytoskeleton and VE-cadherin

Diabetes is a progressive disease that often leads to microvascular complications. This study investigates the impact of diabetes on microvessel permeability under basal and inflammatory conditions...
An evolutionary change in the information systems curriculum at the University of North Texas

Abstract The results of a survey of University of North Texas graduates who majored in Information Systems in the Department of Business Computer Information Systems are presented and discussed. The primary impetus for conducting this survey was and is the desire to stay abreast of what the market and industry demand from IS graduates in performing their employment roles, either as typical IS professionals or as managers and executives with vital IS skills. The respondents are also given the opportunity to communicate important features which need to be considered when planning the design for a future program of study in IS. Throughout this article we also discuss the objectives and rationale behind the revisions of existing courses and the creation of new courses in our IS curriculum.