cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Banks or Development Agencies

Every individual necessarily labours to render the annual revenue of the society as great as he can. He generally, indeed, neither intends to promote the public interest, nor knows how much he is promoting it … He intends only his own gain, and he is in this, as in many other cases, led by an invisible hand to promote an end which was no part of his intention. – Adam Smith, An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations , book IV, ch. II, 1776 With growing volumes of financial flows to developing countries, how do we know whether the RDBs are fulfilling their stated mission and not competing with private capital? When all borrowing members in their respective regions are developing countries, what drives RDBs’ decision-making? Are they driven by the borrower's need for credit (even if risky for the RDB)? Or, do they prefer safer investments where they are more likely to get paid back, but also where there is a higher likelihood of other competing credit sources? Further, do the political interests of powerful donors, or the recipient's level of democracy drive loan disbursements? This chapter provides the first step in answering these questions by evaluating RDB loans according to the economic, social, and political contexts of their borrowing members. The previous chapter established a basis for the aggregate, regional level lending by the RDBs and examined the indicators for a select group of countries in each region. In this chapter, I statistically locate the RDBs’ policy (represented by loan disbursements) on the development institution to bank continuum, as represented by select socioeconomic indicators. Furthermore, in this chapter, I test whether hegemon(s) of the RDBs use their power to influence loan making. Finally, I examine the extent to which the Cold War is associated with the level of loans that borrowing member countries receive. International Financial Institutions (IFIs), including the RDBs, have been at the subject of policy debates concerning their role. The central themes of the controversy are (1) whether they meet the objectives they were created to fulfill as public institutions, which include their contributions to poverty alleviation and development, and (2) whether IFIs serve the national interests of their largest donors (hegemons), making their lending practices commensurate with donor interests rather than with institutional objectives (to the extent that they differ).
Investigation of product development tools to aid naval shipboard power systems design

Relatively new concepts such as concurrent engineering (CE) and set-based design (SBD) are being actively pursued by the US Navy to advance a paradigm shift in designing the next generation fleet of surface combatants. Collective work is ongoing toward developing a comprehensive ship design environment called the smart ship systems design (S3D) with state-of-the-art concepts and functionalities in place to visualize and evaluate early stage ship designs. This paper reports on efforts that explore and investigate well-known product development tools that could leverage development of S3D by focusing on expert validated metrics that ultimately play a pivotal role in the design of naval power systems.
Ultra-high Vacuum Studies with a Small Bakeable Mass Spectrometer

For the study of residual gases in an ultra-high vacuum system, a commercially available mass spectrometer source has been mounted in a bakeable glass envelope. The Hg-pumped system includes a dry-ice trap, two liquid N2traps in series, an ionization gauge, and the mass spectrometer. Components with masses between 2 and 200 a.m.u. can be identified, and their partial pressures measured down to between 10-10 — 10-11 mm Hg. The concentration of gaseous components has been determined as a function of degassing procedures.
Quality Assurance in Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Quality assurance represents an important function of any endoscopic practice. Each endoscopy unit should organize a monitoring process to provide the appropriate data and an administrative structure to respond to the information. This should provide the basis for continued improvement in the endoscopic practice of each unit.
Autotuning Techniques for Performance-Portable Point Set Registration in 3D

We present an autotuning approach applied to exhaustive performance engineering of the EM-ICP algorithm for the point set registration problem with a known reference. We were able to achieve progressively higher performance levels through a variety of code transformations and an automated procedure of generating a large number of implementation variants. Furthermore, we managed to exploit code patterns that are not common when only attempting manual optimization but which yielded in our tests better performance for the chosen registration algorithm. Finally, we also show how we maintained high levels of the performance rate in a portable fashion across a wide range of hardware platforms including multicore, manycore coprocessors, and accelerators. Each of these hardware classes is much different from the others and, consequently, cannot reliably be mastered by a single developer in a short time required to deliver a close-to-optimal implementation. We assert in our concluding remarks that our methodology as well as the presented tools provide a valid automation system for software optimization tasks on modern HPC hardware.
Rethinking Race: Paradigms and Policy Formation

(1995). Rethinking Race: Paradigms and Policy Formation. Amerasia Journal: Vol. 21, No. 1-2, pp. 29-40.
Evaluating the Fit of Sequential G-DINA Model Using Limited-Information Measures.

Limited-information fit measures appear to be promising in assessing the goodness-of-fit of dichotomous response cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs), but their performance has not been examined for p...
From Tribal Hut to Royal Palace: The Dialectic of Equality and Hierarchy in Austronesian Southeast Asia

In this paper, I will compare and contrast the Austronesian symbolic elements of the two social formations within which I have conducted extensive ethnographic and archival research, that of the hi...
Connectedness of inverse limits with functions fi where either fi or fi−1 is a union of continuum-valued functions

Abstract We establish a general theorem for connectedness of the inverse limit X of an inverse sequence { X i , f i } i ≥ 1 on metric continua with surjective upper semi-continuous set-valued bonding functions, where for each i ≥ 1 , f i has a connected graph, and either f i or f i − 1 is a union of continuum-valued functions. Properties of certain set-valued functions from the factor spaces onto partial graphs in the inverse sequence imply connectedness of X.
Adherence to the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and Other Dietary Patterns May Reduce Risk of Cardiovascular Disease, Cardiovascular Mortality, and All-Cause Mortality.

BACKGROUND The Healthy Eating Index-2015 (HEI-2015) score measures adherence to recommendations from the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The HEI-2015 was altered from the HEI-2010 by reclassifying sources of dietary protein and replacing the empty calories component with 2 new components: saturated fats and added sugars. OBJECTIVES Our aim was to assess whether the HEI-2015 score, along with 3 other previously defined indices, were associated with incident cardiovascular disease (CVD), CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality. METHODS We conducted a prospective analysis of 12,413 participants aged 45-64 y (56% women) from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. The HEI-2015, Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010), alternate Mediterranean (aMed) diet, and Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Trial (DASH) scores were computed using the average dietary intakes of Visits 1 (1987-1989) and 3 (1993-1995). Incident CVD, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality data were ascertained from baseline through 31 December, 2017. We used Cox proportional hazards models to estimate HRs and 95% CIs. RESULTS There were 4509 cases of incident CVD, 1722 cases of CVD mortality, and 5747 cases of all-cause mortality over a median of 24-25 y of follow-up. Compared with participants in the lowest quintile of HEI-2015, participants in the highest quintile had a 16% lower risk of incident CVD (HR: 0.84; 95% CI: 0.76-0.93; P-trend < 0.001), 32% lower risk of CVD mortality (HR: 0.68; 95% CI: 0.58-0.80; P-trend < 0.001), and 18% lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR: 0.82; 95% CI: 0.75-0.89; P-trend < 0.001) after adjusting for demographic and lifestyle covariates. There were similar protective associations for AHEI-2010, aMed, and DASH scores, and no significant interactions by race. CONCLUSIONS Higher adherence to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans was associated with lower risks of incident CVD, CVD mortality, and all-cause mortality among US adults.
Incidence of abnormal cervical and vaginal cytology among women over age 65 years living with human immunodeficiency virus

Background Women with human immunodeficiency virus have higher rates of abnormal cervical and vaginal cytology and, subsequently, of cervical and vaginal cancers. Although professional bodies currently advocate for indefinite cytology screening for women living with human immunodeficiency virus, these recommendations are based on expert opinion, not evidence-based. In the general population, women who have never had an abnormal cytology result can cease screening at age 65 years. This is due to the relatively low incidence of dysplasia in this group and the risk of false-positive results as women age, invasive follow-up testing, and destructive treatments of lesions that are unlikely to progress to cancer. What is unclear, however, is how human immunodeficiency virus−infected women over age 65 years who have no history of abnormal cytology should be screened to maximize benefit while reducing harms of overscreening. This is a crucial question, as women over age 65 years who are living with human immunodeficiency virus comprise a rapidly growing population. Objective To describe the incidence of abnormal cervical and vaginal cytology results in women over the age of 65 years living with human immunodeficiency virus, with the goal of providing evidence for screening recommendations. Materials and Methods A retrospective chart review was performed, identifying 69 women who received gynecologic follow-up in a county hospital system in Houston, Texas, between 2000 and 2018 and who met study criteria. Incidence of abnormal cytology after age 65 was determined by analyzing all available cytology results after age 65. Demographic and clinical risk factors, including human immunodeficiency virus−specific clinical risk factors, were analyzed. Matched cervical and vaginal pathology results, if conducted, were also evaluated. Statistical analyses were conducted using Stata 15, including χ2 tests and Wilcoxon rank-sum tests for categorical and continuous variables, respectively. Estimates of the cumulative probability of developing an abnormal cytology result was calculated using the Kaplan−Meier method. Results Among 69 women with no history of abnormal cervical cytology, 12 (17%) went on to develop abnormal cytology results, including 3 (4%) showing high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions. The incidence rate was 3.5 cases per 100 woman-years (95% confidence interval, 1.58, 7.81). No demographic or gynecologic characteristics were associated with abnormal cytology. A CD4 count of Conclusion Given the relatively high proportion (4%) of women with high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions/cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 2+/vaginal intraepithelial neoplasia 2+ during the study period, we agree with current screening recommendations for continued routine Papanicolaou testing after the age of 65 years in women with human immunodeficiency virus. More evidence from larger studies is needed to solidify evidence-based screening recommendations in this unique and growing population.
Get rich or die trying… finding revenue model fit using machine learning and multiple cases

Research Summary While revenue models are strategically important, research is incomplete. Thus, we ask: “What is the optimal choice of revenue model?” Using a novel theory‐building method combining machine learning and multi‐case theory building, we unpack optimal revenue model choice for a wide range of products on the App Store. Our primary theoretical contribution is a framework of high‐performing revenue model‐activity system configurations. Our core insight is the fit between value capture (revenue models) and value creation (activities) at the heart of successful business models. Contrastingly, low‐performing products avoid complex value capture (i.e., freemium) and misunderstand value creation (e.g., overweight effort). Overall, we contribute a theoretically accurate and empirically grounded view of successful business models using a pioneering method for theory building using large, quantitative data sets. Managerial Summary Revenue models are critical for product performance. Yet, the high‐performing choice is often unclear. We combine machine learning with multiple‐case deep‐dives to unpack optimal revenue model choice for a wide range of products on the App Store, a significant setting in the digital economy. Our primary insight is that high‐performing products fit value capture (revenue models) and value creation (activity systems) to form coherent business models. Contrastingly, low‐performing products avoid complex value capture (i.e., freemium) and misunderstand value creation (e.g., overweight effort and price). We also identify the importance of user resources, marketing, offline brand, and product complexity for specific revenue models. Overall, we contribute a framework for the optimal choice of revenue model and spotlight the revenue model‐activity system configurations of successful business models.
Native Cell Environment Constrains Loop Structure in the Escherichia coli Cobalamin Transporter BtuB.

Abstract The extracellular loops of bacterial outer membrane (OM) transporters are thought to sample a range of conformations in the apo state but to undergo a gating motion and assume a more defined conformation upon the binding of substrate. Here, we use pulse electron paramagnetic resonance to examine the conformations of the extracellular loops of BtuB, the Escherichia coli TonB-dependent vitamin B12 transporter, in whole cells. Unlike previous measurements carried out in vitro, the loops assume well-defined configurations in situ that closely match the in surfo crystal structures. Moreover, there is no evidence that the loops undergo significant gating motions upon the binding of substrate. The results demonstrate that the structure of BtuB is dependent upon an intact native OM environment, in which a critical component is likely to be the extracellular lipopolysaccharide. In general, this work indicates that measurements on OM proteins in reconstituted membrane systems may not reflect the native state of the protein in vivo.
Novel approach to quantify mitochondrial content and intrinsic bioenergetic efficiency across organs

Human disease pathophysiology commonly involves metabolic disruption at both the cellular and subcellular levels. Isolated mitochondria are a powerful model for separating global cellular changes from intrinsic mitochondrial alterations. However, common laboratory practices for isolating mitochondria (e.g., differential centrifugation) routinely results in organelle preparations with variable mitochondrial purity. To overcome this issue, we developed a mass spectrometry-based method that quantitatively evaluates sample-specific percent mitochondrial enrichment. Sample-specific mitochondrial enrichment was then used to correct various biochemical readouts of mitochondrial function to a 'fixed' amount of mitochondrial protein, thus allowing for intrinsic mitochondrial bioenergetics, relative to the underlying proteome, to be assessed across multiple mouse tissues (e.g., heart, brown adipose, kidney, liver). Our results support the use of mitochondrial-targeted nLC-MS/MS as a method to quantitate mitochondrial enrichment on a per-sample basis, allowing for unbiased comparison of functional parameters between populations of mitochondria isolated from metabolically distinct tissues. This method can easily be applied across multiple experimental settings in which intrinsic shifts in the mitochondrial network are suspected of driving a given physiological or pathophysiological outcome.
Resistance of the soil microbial community to land-surface disturbances of high-intensity winter grazing and wildfire.

Abstract Common land-surface disturbances in rangelands with potential to influence the resistance and resilience of the ecosystem include livestock grazing and fire. The impact of these land-use disturbances on the soil microbial community is important to understand because the soil microbial community provides and supports many ecosystem services. Conventional management of land-surface disturbances have led to a decrease in the ecosystem services provided by rangelands. To combat this decrease, alternative land-surface disturbance regimes are being investigated. Therefore, this study assessed the impact of alternative land-surface disturbances (high-intensity winter-grazing and a wildfire, compared to a widely used conventional summer-long continuous grazing on the soil microbial community measured by changes in total soil microbial biomass, soil microbial functional groups, and soil microbial diversity. The soil microbial community was evaluated at beginning of the growing season and peak growing season for two years following the treatments. Prior to the treatments, the pastures had a long history of summer-long continuous grazing. Our results indicate that the soil microbial community is resistant to land-surface disturbance treatments (high-intensity winter-grazing and wildfire) although the response of soil microbial community was influenced by the composition of aboveground vegetation. Overall, neither wildfire nor high-intensity winter-grazing caused significant impacts on the soil microbial community.
Does a Good Father Now Have to Be Rich? Intergenerational Income Mobility in Rural India

Abstract For developing countries, it is difficult to find income mobility studies that rely on datasets linking parents with their children. Most of the available evidence for developing countries, instead, relies on co-resident households and two-sample instrumental variables approach, and findings in the mobility literature suggest that these approaches could introduce bias in the IGE estimates. The current study rectifies this important omission for rural India, and develops strategies that will be useful for similar research in other developing countries. Using a panel dataset spanning 1994–2012, I find that the intergenerational income persistence for rural India is lower than analogous evidence from other developing countries (IGE: 0.30 [se:0.03]). However, the between-groups coefficient of 0.74, which is corroborated by repeated cross-sections from the National Sample Survey, indicates that India is progressing towards cross-caste equality, but at a disappointingly slow rate.
Mitochondrial membranes modify mutant huntingtin aggregation

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the expansion of a polyglutamine (polyQ) tract near the N-terminus of the huntingtin (htt) protein. Expanded polyQ tracts are prone to aggregate into oligomers and insoluble fibrils. Mutant htt (mhtt) localizes to variety of organelles, including mitochondria. Specifically, mitochondrial defects, morphological alteration, and dysfunction are observed in HD. Mitochondrial lipids, cardiolipin (CL) in particular, are essential in mitochondria function and have the potential to directly interact with htt, altering its aggregation. Here, the impact of mitochondrial membranes on htt aggregation was investigated using a combination of mitochondrial membrane mimics and tissue-derived mitochondrial-enriched fractions. The impact of exposure of outer and inner mitochondrial membrane mimics (OMM and IMM respectively) to mhtt was explored. OMM and IMM reduced mhtt fibrillization, with IMM having a larger effect. The role of CL in mhtt aggregation was investigated using a simple PC system with varying molar ratios of CL. Lower molar ratios of CL (<5%) promoted fibrillization; however, increased CL content retarded fibrillization. As revealed by in situ AFM, mhtt aggregation and associated membrane morphological changes at the surface of OMM mimics was markedly different compared to IMM mimics. While globular deposits of mhtt with few fibrillar aggregates were observed on OMM, plateau-like domains were observed on IMM. A similar impact on htt aggregation was observed with exposure to purified mitochondrial-enriched fractions. Collectively, these observations suggest mitochondrial membranes heavily influence htt aggregation with implication for HD.
Next-Generation Sequencing Technologies and Formalin-Fixed Paraffin-Embedded Tissue: Application to Clinical Cancer Research

Billions of tissue samples are now archived by formalin fixation paraffin embedding (FFPE) in tissue banks and hospitals around the world. For those biomarkers measured by immunohistochemistry and used today as a standard of care in cancer treatment, this method of preservation works well. However, the heterogeneous nature of the disease means that many patients do not respond or relapse under standard treatment.
Maxwell’s equations and numerical electromagnetic modeling in the context of the theory of differential forms

Abstract In the framework of classical theory, the electromagnetic field is described by the electric and magnetic vector fields, and Maxwell’s equations represent a system of differential equations with respect to these vector fields. An alternative approach to the formulation of Maxwell’s equations is based on the algebraic theory of differential forms, and it results in a very compact and symmetric system of differential form equations. I demonstrate in this paper that Maxwell’s equations appear naturally from the basic equations for the differential forms. The basic laws of electromagnetism are actually imprinted in the fundamental differential relationships between the vector fields and differential forms. The new equations contain the differentials of the flux and work of the electric and magnetic fields. This fact indicates that the electric and/or magnetic flux and work should be treated as the major characteristics of the EM field, instead of using the conventional vectorial representations. The differential form approach corresponds well to geophysical experiments, which involve, as a rule, the measurement of the flux and the work (or voltage) of electric and magnetic fields. It is shown that a similar approach can be used for effective numerical modeling of EM fields as well.
Hyperthermia Can Reduce Cytotoxicity from Etoposide without a Corresponding Reduction in the Number of Topoisomerase II-DNA Cleavable Complexes

The chemotherapeutic drug etoposide (VP-16) causes the equilibrium reaction between noncleavable and cleavable topoisomerase II-DNA complexes to shift in favor of the cleavabel complex [H. Zang, P. D'Arpa, and L.F. Liu, Cancer Cells (Cold Spring Harbor), 2:23-27, 1990]. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis was used to study induction and removal of cleavable complexes in cells heated before, during, or after VP-16 treatment. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis results were evaluated both as the fraction of activity (DNA) released from the plug and as the number of double-strand breaks (DSBs) calculated from molecular weight distributions; both end points led to the same conclusions. When cells were heated at 42 degrees C during treatment with VP-16 (12 micrograms/ml up to 60 min), a slight decrease in cleavable complexes (from 30 to 20 DSBs/100 megabase pairs) was detected immediately after treatment when compared with cells treated with the drug at 37 degree C. Furthermore, heating at 42 degrees C caused a slight decrease in drug cytotoxicity as measured by less than a 2-fold increase in clonogenic survival. When cells were heated for 10 min at 45.5 degrees C prior to or after treatment with the drug, there was a reduction (approximately 50%) immediately after treatment in the number of DSBs/100 megabase pairs compared with unheated cells. The rate of removal of cleavable complexes was decreased slightly by heat. After 120 min at 37 degrees C, the number of DSB/100 megabase pairs decreased to approximately 6 for both unheated cells and those heated prior to drug treatment and to approximately 8 for cells heated after drug treatment. In agreement with a low effect of heat on the number of cleavable complexes after drug treatment, there was no significant effect of this heating protocol on drug cytotoxicity. However, heating at 45.5 degrees C prior to drug treatment at 37 degrees C protected cells from drug cytotoxicity (e.g., increased survival after 12 micrograms/ml for 60 min by approximately 100-fold) despite the similarity in the induction and rate of removal of cleavable complexes when compared with nonheated cells. Thus, when cells are heated prior to administration of VP-16, drug cytotoxicity does not correlate with the number of cleavable complexes measured either immediately after treatment or 180 min later when approximately 75% of the initial number have been removed. Finally, since hyperthermia can actually decrease drug cytotoxicity, the use of hyperthermia as an adjuvant to chemotherapy involving topoisomerase II poisons, such as VP-16, should be approached with caution.
An Identification based Matched Filtering Method for Fault Detection

This paper presents an identification-based matched filtering method for detection of fault in dynamic systems. The method essentially consists of two steps; namely, generation of residual signals using a system identification technique and processing of the residual signals through matched filters. The performance of the proposed method is compared against other known fault detection techniques.
Technology, Perversion, and Dehumanization: Response to Discussions of My Paper

In this paper, I expand my claim that technological advances are significantly altering self-definition and relationship. I address the mixed reactions to the concept of perversion and argue that, despite its problematics, the term should be retained. I respond to Kieffer’s and Coen’s request for additional clinical material and highlight Hartman’s many misreadings of my paper.
Broadband ferromagnetic resonance studies on influence of interface bonding on magnetoeletric effects in ferrite–ferroelectric composites

A systematic study has been carried out on the effects of interface bonding on the strain mediated magnetoelectric (ME) coupling in ferromagnetic-ferroelectric bilayers. The technique used involves the static electric field E tuning of the ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) in yttrium iron garnet (YIG) and lead zirconate titanate (PZT) or lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (PMN-PT). A broad band detection technique has been developed for studies over 1–40 GHz in three types of bilayers: epoxy bonded, eutectic bonded and YIG films directly grown onto piezoelectric substrate by electrophoretic deposition. The strength A of the converse ME effect (CME) defined as the ratio of the frequency shift δf in FMR in E, A = δf/E, varies over the range 0.8 to 4.3 MHz⊙cm/kV, and is the highest for eutectic bonded samples and is the weakest for epoxy bonded bilayers. The results presented here as of importance for dual electric and magnetic field tunable ferrite-ferroelectric microwave resonators and filters.
The Economic, Ethical and Cultural Effects of International Outsourcing

This study focuses on the economic, ethical and cultural effects of international outsourcing, particularly in India. Outsourcing has been castigated in the press for being a domestic job killer in the US. But such a conclusion is one-sided because it only looks at the job-loss side of the coin. Outsourcing also creates jobs by increasing economic efficiency. Another economic effect of outsourcing is to put downward pressure on prices, which benefits consumers. Part one of this paper uses economic analysis and ethical theory to examine various aspects of outsourcing. Part two examines cultural aspects. Traditionally, economic activity in India has been influenced by its caste system, which strictly limits the progression of a person from one caste to another. However, as wealth has improved the economic wellbeing of many families, parents have been able to educate their children, breaking this social barrier. This phenomenon creates a problem, as uneducated parents of educated children often see their children move from the countryside into the cities where jobs and opportunities are more available. This exposes the children to more Westernized lifestyles, creating a new rift among the families.
VIOLATING REQUIREMENTS, EXITING FROM REQUIREMENTS, AND THE SCOPE OF RATIONALITY

It is generally agreed that many types of attitudinal incoherence are irrational, but there is controversy about why they are. Some think incoherence is irrational because it violates certain wide-scope conditional requirements, others (‘narrow-scopers’) that it violates narrow-scope conditional requirements. In his paper ‘The Scope of Rational Requirements’, John Brunero has offered a putative counter-example to narrow-scope views. But a narrow-scoper should reject a crucial assumption which Brunero makes, namely, the claim that we always violate conditional narrow-scope requirements when we do not comply with them. I show how Brunero's objection can be met by denying this claim, and I provide independent arguments in favour of denying it.
Low-cost tunneling accelerometer technology for high dynamic range applications

We have developed high dynamic range (10/sup 5/-10/sup 6/ g's) tunneling accelerometers that may be ideal for smart munitions applications. These highly miniaturized surface-micromachined devices can be manufactured at very low cost and integrated on chip with the control electronics. Fully integrated sensors may provide advantages in minimizing microphonics for high-g applications. Previously, we described initial test results using electrostatic forces generated by a self-test electrode located under a Au cantilever. We describe the testing of Ni and Au cantilever devices on a shaker table using a novel, low input voltage (5 V) servo controller on both printed wiring board and surface-mount control circuitry. In addition, we report our initial test results for devices packaged using a low-temperature wafer-level vacuum packaging technique for low-cost manufacturing.
Visual texture perception and Fourier analysis

The relationship between the Fourier spectra of visual textures (represented by four hypothetical visual channels sensitive to spatial frequencies) and the perceptual appearance of the textures was investigated. Thirty textures were synthesized by combining various spatial frequencies of different amplitudes. Twenty subjects grouped the textures into 2, 3, 4, and 5 groups based on the similarity of their appearance. The groupings were analyzed by means of linear discriminant analysis using the activity of the four channels as predictor variables. The groupings were also examined by multidimensional scaling, and the resulting stimulus configuration was canonically correlated with the channel activity. The results of both analyses indicate a strong relationship between the perceptual appearance of the textures and their Fourier spectra. These findings suport a multiple-channel spatial-frequency model of perception.
Building Research Competence in Nursing Through Mentoring

Purpose: To explore how mentoring can be used to build research competence in nursing in various professional and geographic settings. Organizing construct: The traditional concept of mentoring in interdisciplinary health professions and its application to nursing research. Methods: Literature review of MEDLINE and CINAHL databases 1990–2001 and personal reflections on mentoring and mentored experiences. Findings: Mentoring relationship models identified include: traditional mentor and protege, team, peer, inclusive, and mentoring forward. E-mentoring strategies facilitate interactions for long-distance relationships. Discrete projects, multiple mentor sources, and mutually beneficial peer relationships can enable mentoring across one's career. Psychosocial dimensions of mentoring support creative work. When scholarly productivity with funded research is the desired outcome, intense involvement of a protege with an expert researcher is essential. Conclusion: Choices among mentoring models can be made in accordance with resources, priorities, and objectives congruent with a given nursing setting and time, but optimum scholarly productivity requires experts and sustained support.
Influence of polymer coating morphology on microsensor response

Nanoscale polymeric coatings are used in a variety of sensor systems. The influence of polymer coating morphology on sensor response was investigated and it was determined that coating morphology plays a particularly important role in transducers based on optical or acoustic resonance such as surface acoustic wave (SAW) or surface plasmon resonance (SPR) devices. Nanoscale polymeric coatings were deposited onto a number of miniature devices using a "solvent-free" deposition technique known as Rapid Expansion of Supercritical Solutions (RESS). In RESS, the supercritical solvent goes into the vapor phase upon fast depressurization and separates from the polymer. Therefore, dry polymer particles are deposited from the gas phase. The average diameter of RESS precipitates is about two orders of magnitude smaller than the minimum droplet size achievable by the air-brush method. For rubbery polymers, such as PIB and PDMS, the nanoscale solute droplets produced by RESS agglomerate on the surface forming a highly-uniform continuous nanoscale film. For glassy and crstalline polymers, the RESS droplets produce uniform particulate coatings exhibiting high surface-to-volume ratio. The coating morphology can be changed by controlling the RESS processing conditions.
Cultivation of epithelial cells from human uterine ectocervix

Epithelial cells of the uterine ectocervix can be cultured directly from fresh biopsy samples as explant cultures, free of contaminating fibroblasts. Alternatively, tissue samples can be dissociated with a combination of proteases to establish primary cultures of epithelial cells. Primary cultures can be subcultured at least three times resulting in up to 20 population doublings.
The Dulles Airport Pressure Jump Detector Array for Gust Front Detection

Abstract Wind shear has long been recognized as one of the major aviation hazards in the airport environment. A principal source of dangerous wind shear is the thunderstorm gust front, a cold air outflow from the thunderstorm downdraft. The gust front is particularly hazardous not only because of the large surface wind shears associated with it, but also because of its highly localized character. Often the down-draft or downburst region producing such fronts is of the order of a few kilometers or less in dimension. As a result, vertically profiling wind shear detection techniques such as the hybrid acoustic-microwave radar system described in the companion paper by Hardesty et al. (1977) do not provide adequate total protection. In this paper we describe an array of pressure sensors installed at Dulles International Airport in Washington, D.C., to detect and monitor gust fronts that could endanger aircraft operations. The pressure sensors (designed to respond only to sudden pressure increase) are so inexp...
An Experimental and Numerical Investigation of Head Dynamics Due to Stick Impacts in Girls’ Lacrosse

A method of investigating head acceleration and intracranial dynamics from stick impacts in girls' and women's lacrosse was developed using headform impact experiments and a finite element head model. Assessing the likelihood of head injury due to stick-head impacts is of interest in girls' and women's lacrosse due to the current lack of head protection during play. Experimental and simulation data were compared to characterize the head acceleration caused by stick-head impacts. Validation against cadaver head impact experiments ensures that the finite element model, with its relatively simple material properties, can provide means to develop a better understanding of the intracranial dynamics during lacrosse stick impacts. Our numerical results showed the peak acceleration at the center of gravity increased linearly with impact force, and was generally in agreement with the experimental data. von Mises stresses and peak principal strains, two common literature injury indicators, were examined within the finite element model, and peak values were below the previously reported thresholds for mild traumatic brain injury. By reconstructing typical in-game, unprotected stick-head impacts, this investigation lays the foundation for a quantitative methodology of injury prediction in girls' and womens' lacrosse.
Effect of sodium valporate on hypothalamic neurons in vivo and in vitro

Abstract The effects of sodium valporate on extracellularly recorded spontaneous neuronal activity and its interaction with GABA-induced inhibition were assessed in the rat medial basal hypothalamus both in situ and in explant culture. In situ, valproate enhanced the spontaneous rate in 14 of 20 neurons sampled, 6 neurons were unaffected. In vitro, valproate had an inconsistent effect on firing rate; the spontaneous rate was decreased in 6 cells, elevated in 1, while 17 either were unchanged or demonstrated no consistent pattern of response. Both in vivo and in vitro, valproate produced a variable effect on GABA induced inhibition. In vivo, the modal response of valproate on GABA inhibition was antagonism whereas the response in vitro was less consistent, favoring no change in GABA inhibition. The results of this study suggest that valproate exerts an inconsistent action on hypothalamic neurons. These findings are in contrast to those from the cerebral cortex, suggesting that the action of valproate in the brain may be regionally specific.
Medical and Psychologic Outcome of Living Lobar Lung Transplant Donors

Background Living donor lobar lung transplantation is a viable therapy for carefully selected patients with end-stage pulmonary disease. Its success is largely dependent upon donor outcome, including both physical and emotional factors. To date, there has been little focus on psychosocial outcomes of lobar lung donors. Methods Retrospective evaluation of 15 of 20 living lobar lung transplant donors was performed. Donors underwent evaluation of pulmonary function after recovery from donor lobectomy. Participants completed two self-report questionnaires, the SF-36 Health Survey (SF-36) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), as well as an open-ended psychiatric interview. Results After lobar donation, mean forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV 1 ) decreased by 21 ± 2%, forced vital capacity (FVC) decreased by 16 ± 3%, total lung capacity (TLC) decreased by 15 ± 3%, and single-breath diffusing capacity (DLCO) decreased by 14 ± 4%. All subjects scored higher than the national average on both the physical and mental health components of the SF-36. The BDI scores showed no evidence of clinical depression. However, the subjective interviews elicited two common complaints: (1) a decline in exercise performance, not accounted for by resting lung function measurements; and (2) a dissatisfaction with the degree of acknowledgment of their donation. Conclusions Living lobar lung transplant donors enjoy generally satisfactory physical and emotional health. Donors report positive feelings about donation, but wish to be recognized and valued by the transplant team and by the recipient. Despite preservation of lung function within the normal range, some donors also experience a subjective decline in exercise tolerance. Long-term medical and psychologic follow-up appears warranted to monitor symptoms of exercise impairment and to enhance the donor experience.
Barriers and Supports for Exercise Participation Among Adults with Down Syndrome

Abstract Examined were the impact of exercise barriers and carer attitudes regarding exercise outcomes on the exercise participation of adults with Down syndrome (DS). The sample included 44 adults age 30 years and older with DS and mild to moderate intellectual disability and their carers (family members or staff). Measures included personal characteristics of the adults with DS (age, level of adaptive behavior, and health status), carer perceived outcomes of exercise for people with DS, socio-emotional barriers, and access barriers to exercising. A regression analysis was conducted with exercise frequency as the dependent variable and the above measures as the independent variables. The significant determinants of exercise participation were carers' perceived outcomes of exercise for persons with DS and access barriers. When carers perceived greater benefits of exercise and when there were fewer access barriers, the adults with DS were likely to exercise more frequently. Persons with DS were more likely...
Simulation Analysis of Truck-Restricted and High-Occupancy Vehicle Lanes

Numerous studies have reported the efficacy of high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane restriction and truck lane restriction implemented independently, but the simultaneous use of both restrictions on an urban freeway corridor raises numerous operational and safety issues. This research study analyzed the operational and safety experience of an 83-mi corridor of I-95 in South Florida that has both HOV and truck lane restriction. Results of a field-validated VisSim simulation model showed that high-occupancy vehicles and automobiles gained significantly more travel time savings and speeds on the restricted lanes than on the general lanes. Also, vehicle queue lengths around critical merging and diverging areas increased significantly as the percentage of trucks increased. Results indicated that during peak traffic conditions right lanes had higher lane occupancy than left lanes, whereas during off-peak traffic conditions center lanes carried more vehicles per lane than the outermost lanes; these results suggest ...
Standard and saturation transrectal prostate biopsy techniques are equally accurate among prostate cancer active surveillance candidates

Objectives To examine the ability of standard and saturation transrectal prostate biopsy techniques to predict appropriate candidates for active surveillance. Methods Between 2005 and 2007, 500 consecutive patients underwent transrectal ultrasound-guided biopsy by a standard template (12 cores) or saturation template (≥18 cores, median 27 cores), with subsequent radical prostatectomy. Using the criteria of Gleason score ≤6, clinical stage T1 or T2a, prostate-specific antigen <10 and ≤33% of cores involved, 218 patients were potential candidates for active surveillance. Pathology results from the prostatectomy specimens were used to determine the accuracy of each biopsy technique. Biochemical failure after prostatectomy was evaluated using logistic and Cox proportional hazards regression. Results A standard biopsy was carried out for 124 patients and saturation biopsy for 94 patients. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of median age (P = 0.14), preoperative prostate-specific antigen (P = 0.52) and clinical stage (P = 0.23). Similar rates of Gleason score ≥7 at the time of radical prostatectomy were found, with 14% for standard biopsy and 15% for saturation biopsy (P = 0.70). Upstaging was shown in two standard biopsy patients (1.6%) and no saturation biopsy patients (P = 0.62). A multivariate analysis adjusting for prior prostate biopsy, preoperative prostate-specific antigen and clinical stage showed no difference in the rate of upgrading based on biopsy technique (P = 0.26). During follow up, 5-year biochemical failure-free survival estimates were not significantly different (P = 0.11). Conclusions In men with prostate cancer, standard and saturation transrectal prostate biopsies techniques are equally predictive of candidates for active surveillance.
Using solution phase hydrogen/deuterium (H/D) exchange to determine the origin of non-covalent complexes observed by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry: in solution or in vacuo?

Electrospray ionization (ESI) is a soft ionization technique that is able to transfer intact ions, as well as solution phase non-covalent complexes into the gas phase. With small molecules that have a high tendency to form hydrogen bonds, the observation of non-covalent complexes by ESI-MS can be the result of a non-specific interaction, due to the nature of the electrospray process. Special precautions and additional steps should be performed to identify the origin of the complexes observed with ESI-MS, and we have utilized solution phase hydrogen/ deuterium (H/D) exchange as a method to determine the specificity of the complexes. By comparing the average number of exchanges for the monomer subunits to the average number of exchanges for the complex, one can distinguish if a specific complex is formed in solution. In this paper we have investigated non-covalent complexes of some common chemotherapy agents: paclitaxel, doxorubicin, and etoposide by ESI-MS. By using the solution phase H/D exchange, we were able to identify several specific drug—drug complexes. Thus, solution phase H/D exchange combined with ESI-MS provides for a convenient method in ascertaining the specificity of non-covalent complexes as being formed in solution or in vacuo.
Generation of Two Forms of the γ‐Aminobutyric AcidA Receptor γ‐2‐Subunit in Mice by Alternative Splicing

gamma-Aminobutyric acidA (GABAA) receptors are multisubunit ligand-gated ion channels which mediate neuronal inhibition by GABA and are composed of at least four subunit types (alpha, beta, gamma, and delta). The gamma 2-subunit appears to be essential for benzodiazepine modulation of GABAA receptor function. In cloning murine gamma 2-subunits, we isolated cDNAs encoding forms of the subunit that differ by the insertion of eight amino acids. LLRMFSFK, in the major intracellular loop between proposed transmembrane domains M3 and M4. The two forms of the gamma 2-subunit are generated by alternative splicing, as demonstrated by cloning and partial sequencing of the corresponding gene. The eight-amino-acid insertion encodes a potential consensus serine phosphorylation site for protein kinase C. These results suggest a novel mechanism for the regulation of the GABAA receptor by protein phosphorylation.