cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Some antecedents of directional fractionation: effects of "intake-rejection", verbalization requirements, and threat of shock on heart rate and skin conductance.

Following recent contradictory claims in the literature regarding the phenomenon of directional fractionation, the present study was designed to investigate variables related to this differential patterning of autonomic response. Heart rate (HR) and skin conductance (SC) were recorded from 89 male students who either attended to flashing lights or worked a subtraction problem under threat-of-shock or no-shock conditions. Effects of instructions to verbalize later were also investigated. While significant task differences were demonstrated which were consistent with the directional fractionation hypothesis, instructions to verbalize later affected neither HR nor SC. Threat of shock significantly elevated HR during the task only for Ss attending to flashing lights. However, threat of shock significantly raised HR and SC levels immediately after instructions (and preceding the task) when combined with instructions for subtraction. Results were contrary to arousal theory, supportive of Lacey's theory of an “intake-rejection” dimension, and contrary to Campos and Johnson's verbalization findings.
Trajectory classes of depression in a randomized depression trial of heart failure patients: a reanalysis of the SADHART-CHF trial.

Abstract Objective The objective of this article was to determine whether, in drug intervention trials, growth mixture modeling (GMM) is able to identify drug-responsive trajectory classes that are not evident in traditional growth modeling approaches. Methods We reanalyzed acute phase (biweekly data up to 7 occasions) and longitudinal (12 months) data on the 469 patients in the SADHART-CHF study of the safety and efficacy of sertraline for depression in patients with heart failure. GMM was used to identify the trajectory classes present in the treatment and placebo groups, based on Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores. Results Two distinct trajectory classes were identified in the treatment group: (1) chronic depressives (12%), who remained depressed through the treatment phase; and (2) responders (88%), who had scores indicating nondepression at the conclusion of the acute phase. At baseline, chronic depressives were distinguished by higher Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores, the presence of implantable cardioverter defibrillators, and a history of anxiety. During follow-up, they were more likely to have unstable angina. Only responders remitted (70%). Three distinct trajectories were identified in the placebo group: (1) moderating depressives (19%), (2) temporary improvers (13%), and (3) responders (68%). At baseline, the classes differed in mean Hamilton Depression Rating Scale scores, responders' scores falling between the other 2 classes, and the proportion with renal disease. Only remission differed at follow-up: responders (76%), moderating depressives (21%), and temporary improvers (3%). Where the traditional analytic approach found improvement from moderate to mild depression but no significant treatment effect, GMM found response in 20% more people in the treatment group than in the placebo group. Conclusions Unlike conventionally used, standard analytic approaches, which focus on intervention impact at study end or change from baseline to study end, GMM enables maximum use of repeated data to identify unique trajectories of latent classes that are responsive to the intervention. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00078286.
The Children Left Behind: The Impact of Parental Deportation on Mental Health

The current report describes the results of the first known study examining the impact of parental deportation on the mental health of children using psychometrically reliable and valid assessment instruments. Participants reported on the current internalizing and externalizing problems of children under their care using the Spanish language version of the Child Behavior Checklist and completed a trauma history and demographic questionnaire that asked specifically about parental deportation status. Children with a deported parent (n = 23) were significantly more likely to display externalizing and internalizing problems than children whose parents were not deported or in the process of deportation (n = 52). Associated demographic characteristics and trauma history were controlled in these analyses. The results are discussed in the context of evolving immigration policy in the United States.
Chromosomes in old age: A six year longitudinal study

This first longitudinal study on aged subjects confirms previous cross-sectional observations of increasing aneuploidy with advancing age in women but not in men. In this study of 17 aged twins (mean age 89.7 years), 11 women and 6 men, spanning an interval of approximately 6 years between examinations, only women showed a significant increase in hypodiploidy (also hyperdiploidy and monosomy C). This increase in hypodiploidy was not due to a high frequency of chromosome loss in a few subjects but rather was exhibited by most of the subjects. While men showed a loss in G-group chromosomes during this 6-year interval, that loss was not statistically significant. These findings confirm for the first time by means of longitudinal follow-up that women and not men, even in the ninth decade of life, show a significant increase in hypodiploidy.
Disseminated Histoplasmosis in a Patient With Sarcoidosis: A Controversial Relationship and a Diagnostic Dilemma

The diagnosis of sarcoidosis in patients with disseminated histoplasmosis remains controversial. It has been suggested that the immune abnormalities in sarcoidosis predispose one to disseminated histoplasmosis. Two cases have been reported that indicate a possible relationship between the two diseases. This is a case of sarcoidosis complicated with disseminated histoplasmosis in which the controversial relationship between the two diseases is emphasized and the available medical literature is reviewed.
Personality Correlates of Achievement Imagery: Theoretical and Methodological Implications:

Certain scoring procedures for the McClelland-Atkinson projective measure of achievement motivation were examined. Traditionally, achievement imagery (AI), task imagery (TI), and unrelated imagery (UI) responses have been scored as though they form a continuum, with AI indicating high achievement motivation and UI low motivation. The findings indicate that the three responses are non-monotonic; on selected personality variables, Ss responding predominantly with AI were similar to those with UI responses. Both AI and UI Ss were significantly different from those responding predominantly with TI. Implications of these findings for research design and for the meaning of achievement motivation are discussed.
Observations of Channel Reciprocity in Optical Free-Space Communications Experiments

Since 2008, MIT Lincoln Laboratory has performed a series of field demonstrations of high-bandwidth optical free-space links. Bi-directional scintillation fading measurements have shown near-unity correlation coefficients in all air-to-ground tests.
Health resource allocation and quality of care measurement in a social policy framework

An activity analysis production function, linking the structure, process, and outcome of medical care, is introduced. The model, based on a semi-Markovian conception of the disease process, is designed to determine that allocation of inputs among programs which maximizes expected improvement in population health status. Reflected in such prescriptions are the expected efficacy of alternative treatments and population preferences among program outcomes. Based on the model, two system-oriented indexes of the quality of medical care are defined. This allocation methodology represents a particular application of a more general “social policy model,” a potentially useful paradigm for the evaluation of public programs generally.
Southeast Colorado heritage tourism

Southeast Colorado heritage tourism, edited by Hartmann, R., Denver, CO, Wash Park Media, 2009, 180 pp., $45 (paperback), ISBN 9780982303528 This collection of essays, edited by Rudi Hartmann, is a...
Commercial bank stocks, interest rates, and systematic risk

Abstract This study examines the effect of interest rate changes on bank equity values. Several versions of the market model were specified and estimated. The results indicate that bank systematic risk differs during periods of changing interest rate levels. In addition, bank portfolio betas appear to increase with time and are positively correlated with interest rates.
Protection by plasma proteins against condensed tannin-mediated platelet activation.

Condensed tannins isolated from cotton bracts are potent platelet agonists. They promote the secretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine from washed bovine platelets with an EC50 of 35 μg/ml. However, when platelet-rich plasma was used in lieu of washed platelets, the potency of tannin was decreased over 50-fold. Reconstitution experiments demonstrated that some component in the plasma was responsible for the diminished potency of tannin. Fractionation of platelet-poor plasma suggested that albumin may be the inhibitory plasma component. Confirmation of this hypothesis was obtained from the finding that purified serum albumin at physiologic concentrations inhibited the tannin-mediated release of platelet 5-HT by more than 70%. These data suggest that any activation of platelets which may occur in vivo by the tannins present in inhaled cotton dust would require higher tannin concentrations than would have been predicted from our previous studies using washed platelets.
Locus of control, relative discontent and hypertension

It was hypothesized, based on a means-ends motivational framework, that the combination of high discontent and a perceived external locus of control would be related to hypertension. — Four hundred and eight American black men and women in a six city sub-sample of a national sample of American urban blacks comprised the sample. Locus of control and discontent were measured during the national sample survey; blood pressure readings were taken during a second interview. — The hypothesis was supported for the entire sample and for men, but not for women analyzed separately.
Utility maximization with partial information

Abstract In the present paper we address two maximization problems: the maximization of expected total utility from consumption and the maximization of expected utility from terminal wealth. The price process of the available financial assets is assumed to satisfy a system of functional stochastic differential equations. The difference between this paper and the existing papers on the same subject is that here we require the consumption and investment processes to be adapted to the natural filtration of the price processes. This requirement means that the only available information for agents in this economy at a certain time are the prices of the financial assets up to that time. The underlying Brownian motion and the drift process in the system of equations for the asset prices are not directly observable. Particular details will be worked out for the “Bayesian” example, when the dispersion coefficient is a fixed invertible matrix and the drift vector is an F o -measurable, unobserved random variable with known distribution.
Print Culture and the Early Quakers – Kate Peters

The author of this study has produced a model monograph on how Quakers before 1660 used printing to forward their movement. She writes for two audiences: the relatively narrow group of specialists ...
Experimental approach to the renewal of the skin surface.

THE population of epidermal cells can be regarded as a steady state system which converts various metabolites into keratin. On this basis it can be postulated that the keratin output may not exceed the metabolic input of the epidermis. In addition, if a valid comparison can be drawn between the epidermis and other steady state cellular systems1,2, variations in the magnitude of the nutritive flux may determine not only the rate of proliferation but also the steady state size of the population. This view in no way negates the possible involvement of specific growth regulatory substances3,4, nor can an unequivocal demonstration of the presence of such hormones in normal skin violate the input–output relation.
Interleukin-12: An Immunoregulatory Cytokine Produced by B Cells and Antigen-Presenting Cells

Abstract Interleukin 12 (IL-12) is a heterodimeric protein produced by B cells, phagocytic cells, and other antigen-presenting cells. IL-12 was originally purified from the supernatant fluids of human EBV-transformed cell lines and later observed to be produced by the large majority of such cell lines, especially and at high levels from those derived from AIDS-associated lymphomas. However, phagocytic cells rather than B cells appear to be the most important physiological producers of IL-12. There are two pathways of IL-12 induction in phagocytic cells: a T-cell-independent one, induced primarily by bacteria, bacterial products, or intracellular parasites and important in the early inflammatory response of innate resistance; and a T-cell-dependent one, induced by the interaction of CD40L on activated T cells with CD40 receptor on IL-12-producing cells (phagocytic cells and antigen-presenting cells) and important in the regulation of adaptive immunity. IL-12 induces production of cytokines, especially interferon-γ, from both T and NK cells, enhances the cytotoxic activity of NK cells and the generation of cytotoxic T cells, and has a proliferative activity on T and NK cells. Bothin vivoandin vitro,IL-12 is a powerful inducer of T helper type 1 (Th1) response, whereas it inhibits Th2-type responses.
Hybridization of DNA modified by interaction with a metabolic fragment from S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine.

Abstract DNA isolated from E. coli B cells was allowed to react in vitro with S-(1,2-dichlorovinyl)-L-cysteine and a bovine kidney lyase in order to introduce the alkylating thiovinyl fragment into the DNA [Arch. Biochem. Biophys., 153, 105 1972] . This modified DNA showed less complementary base interaction with normal DNA and RNA from the same organism. Competition experiments revealed that unmodified DNA is preferentially hybridized with its counterpart and that the modified DNA did not compete with normal DNA for complementary sites on unmodified but otherwise homologous DNA. Loss of hybridization capability of DNA was progressive with the enzymatic cleavage of DCVC and with concurrent alkylation of DNA; maximum loss (65% for DNA × DNA and 45% for RNA × DNA) was observed after about 4 minutes of reaction.
Classroom note: M-bonacci numbers and their finite sums

The note considers M-bonacci numbers, which are a generalization of Fibonacci numbers. Two new summation formulas for M-bonacci numbers are given. The formulas are generalizations of the two summation formulas for Fibonacci numbers.
Lower extremity amputation: The control series

Abstract Although various techniques to determine amputation level have become available, obvious clinical factors may yet identify patients in whom a major amputation is unlikely to heal. We have analyzed the association of multiple clinical factors with the morbidity of 1028 consecutive amputations performed in 786 patients during a 13-year period. The overall operative mortality rate was 7% (57 of 786 patients). Cardiac complications were the leading cause of death (43%). In the 729 patients surviving operation, 345 above-knee amputations (AKAs) and 626 below-knee amputations (BKAs) were performed. After operation, 15.4% of these amputations failed to heal and required proximal revision. The AKA failure rate was 9% and the BKA failure rate was 19%. Significantly higher failure rates were noted in whites, nondiabetics, and those patients with heart disease. It is concluded that major amputation continues to be associated with significant morbidity and mortality rates despite changes in perioperative care and surgical technique. Common clinical characteristics indicate high-risk patients in whom a BKA is unlikely to heal and who may benefit from prospective attempts to determine amputation level. (J VASC SURG 1986;4:321-6.)
Review of pharmacology and physiology in thrombolysis interventions

Reperfusion therapy using thrombolytic agents has been shown to be a safe and effective treatment strategy for arterial ischemia, venous thrombosis, massive pulmonary embolism, and acute stroke. Thrombolytic agents have evolved over the course of a few decades, from nonfibrin selective to fibrin-selective agents. The development and modification of these agents have resulted in improved understanding of their pharmacologic attributes, and their effects on the complex molecular events that occur during thrombolysis goal-directed therapies. The current review focuses on the physiology and pharmacology of the thrombolytic agents that have been or are currently in use for interventional thrombolysis interventions. Attention is also given to the particular role that thrombolytic agents play in the current management of peripheral vascular disease and acute stroke.
Make, wear, play: remix designs of wearable controllers for scratch games by middle school youth

Most approaches to constructionist gaming---students making their own games for learning ---have focused on screen designs. Hybrid crafting approaches that integrate crafts with digital components can extend game making beyond the screen and provide new opportunities for creative expression and learning. In this paper, we report on a workshop with middle school youth (ages 11-13 years) who were using MaKey MaKey, textiles and other conductive materials to sew and glue together wearable game controllers to play their own remixed flappy bird games in Scratch. We examined students' approaches to computing and crafting their onscreen and offscreen designs using Papert's concept of syntonicity that emphasizes resonance across multiple dimensions with children's interests. Finally, we discuss in which ways constructionist gaming can benefit from extending their designs into the physical world.
FUNCTION AND METABOLISM OF SIRTUIN METABOLITE O-ACETYL-ADP-RIBOSE

Sirtuins catalyze the NAD(+)-dependent deacetylation of target proteins, which are regulated by this reversible lysine modification. During deacetylation, the glycosidic bond of the nicotinamide ribose is cleaved to yield nicotinamide and the ribose accepts the acetyl group from substrate to produce O-acetyl-ADP-ribose (OAADPr), which exists as an approximately 50:50 mixture of 2' and 3' isomers at neutral pH. Discovery of this metabolite has fueled the idea that OAADPr may play an important role in the biology associated with sirtuins, acting as a signaling molecule and/or an important substrate for downstream enzymatic processes. Evidence for OAADPr-metabolizing enzymes indicates that at least three distinct activities exist that could modulate the cellular levels of this NAD(+)-derived metabolite. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, NUDIX hydrolase Ysa1 cleaves OAADPr to AMP and 2- and 3-O-acetylribose-5-phosphate, lowering the cellular levels of OAADPr. A buildup of OAADPr and ADPr has been linked to a metabolic shift that lowers endogenous reactive oxygen species and diverts glucose towards preventing oxidative damage. In vitro, the mammalian enzyme ARH3 hydrolyzes OAADPr to acetate and ADPr. A third nuclear-localized activity appears to utilize OAADPr to transfer the acetyl-group to another small molecule, whose identity remains unknown. Recent studies suggest that OAADPr may regulate gene silencing by facilitating the assembly and loading of the Sir2-4 silencing complex onto nucleosomes. In mammalian cells, the Trpm2 cation channel is gated by both OAADPr and ADP-ribose. Binding is mediated by the NUDIX homology (NudT9H) domain found within the intracellular portion of the channel. OAADPr is capable of binding the Macro domain of splice variants from histone protein MacroH2A, which is highly enriched at heterochromatic regions. With recently developed tools, the pace of new discoveries of OAADPr-dependent processes should facilitate new molecular insight into the diverse biological processes modulated by sirtuins.
Mothers' epistemologies, turn-taking, and contingent interaction with preschoolers

Abstract Mothers' epistemological perspectives were related to their turn-taking and contingency in interactions with their 3–6-year-olds. Thirty-seven mothers living in rural, impoverished, social isolation completed the Ways of Knowing (epistemological) Interview examining their understanding of the nature and source of knowledge and truth. Mother–child interactions were videotaped at home in two contexts (free-play and semistructured teaching) and coded for maternal turn-taking and contingency. Proportion and frequency of types of maternal turn-taking were analyzed using 2×3 (Context×Epistemological perspective) ANOVAs with repeated measures on Context. Mothers who believed that acquisition and development of knowledge are beyond individuals' potential (“Silenced”) provided less contingent responding to their children while their children's responding did not vary systematically. Both mothers and children took more turns during the teaching than during free-play, but proportions of different types of turns were stable across context. The relationship between epistemology and parenting beliefs and behaviors, and child outcomes is discussed.
Catecholamine metabolites in human plasma as indices of brain function: Effects of debrisoquin

Abstract Metabolites of catecholamine neurotransmitters in plasma are, potentially, an easily available indicator of brain function in man. The peripheral contribution to these metabolites was lowered by debrisoquin sulfate, a monoamine oxidase inhibitor that does not enter the brain. In the monkey, it had been shown that debrisoquin decreased peripheral production of the dopamine metabolite, homovanillic acid (HVA), without changing production by brain; production of the norepinephrine metabolite, 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenethyleneglycol (MHPG) was decreased peripherally and in brain. Low-dose debrisoquin administration in man eliminated about 80% of the peripheral contribution to HVA and MHPG in plasma, resulting in a situation in which at least 75% of these metabolites in plasma were from the brain. Under these conditions, HVA and MHPG in plasma had a significant correlation. It could also be estimated that production of MHPG by brain was reduced 55%. Debrisoquin potentially provides a method for studying brain catecholamines through their metabolites in plasma and for treating conditions of brain noradrenergic excess.
The influence of short-term adaptation of human rods and cones on cone-mediated grating visibility.

1. The influences of short-term visual adaptation of either rods or cones upon cone-mediated grating visibility were compared with their influences upon detection threshold in both the fovea and parafoveal retina. Short-term visual adaptation was induced by 20 deg diameter adapting fields (AFs) generally of 500 ms duration. The AF was either -0.5 log td in illuminance and too dim to influence cones, or 2.5 log td and bright enough to stimulate cones as well as rods. 2. In control experiments, we replicated previous results of Crawford (1947), Baker (1963), and other investigators and determined the influence of these AFs upon the detection threshold of a homogeneous test flash (TF) of 54 min of arc diameter and 10 ms duration. If the AF was 2.5 log td in illuminance and stimuli were presented foveally, TF threshold began to rise several hundred milliseconds before AF onset, was maximal when AF and TF were simultaneous in onset but was less elevated during the remaining presentation of the AF. TF threshold decreased to control value within several seconds after AF offset. These data represent a cone adaptation function since action spectra for both the test and adapting flashes adhere to the spectral sensitivity of the CIE standard luminous efficiency function V lambda. 3. If the AF was -0.5 log td in illuminance and if stimuli were presented parafoveally, the time course of TF detection threshold changes were similar to those described in paragraph 2 above. But these data represent a rod adaptation function since action spectra for both the test and adapting flashes adhered to the spectral sensitivity of the CIE standard luminous efficiency function V' lambda. In the fovea, the -0.5 log td AF had no influence upon the detection threshold of the TF suggesting complete rod-cone independence. 4. The influence of short-term adaptation upon spatial visibility was studied using a vertically oriented, 18 cycle/deg grating which was also 54 min of arc in diameter and 10 ms in duration. We determined the illuminance just necessary to see the bars of the grating (i.e. threshold grating illuminance or TGI) at various time intervals in respect to the onset of an AF. 5. Rod-stimulating (-0.5 log td) AFs, whether 0.5 or 2 s in duration, only influenced TGI after AF onset. TGI gradually decreased (i.e. an increase in sensitivity) during the first 250 ms of AF presentation and then remained stable until AF offset.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Resonance Raman scattering and scanning tunneling spectroscopy of CdS thin films grown by electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy—thickness dependent phonon and electronic properties

Abstract The thickness dependence of electron–phonon coupling and the band gap of ultrathin CdS films deposited on Au substrates using electrochemical atomic layer epitaxy (EC-ALE) have been measured by resonance Raman scattering and scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS). Polarization dependent resonance Raman experiments indicate that electron–phonon coupling is strongly dependent on film thickness when measured using p-polarized radiation, but is essentially thickness independent when measured using s-polarized light. We find that the electron–phonon coupling reaches its limiting value at a film thickness of seven monolayers, yielding an estimated apparent exciton diameter of 2.3 nm. STS measurements of the electronic band gap of the same samples confirm this behavior. The band gap is observed to shift from its bulk value of 2.4 to >2.7 eV for a three monolayer film. The size dependence of the band gap can be described qualitatively using the strong confinement model.
Novel promoter I.8 and promoter usage in the CYP19 (aromatase) gene.

To date, 10 promoters were reported to regulate the expression of the human aromatase (CYP19) gene, giving rise to transcripts with an identical coding region but tissue-specific first exons comprising unique 5′-untranslated regions. We describe the identification and characterization of a new CYP19 exon I, designated exon I.8, in a 5′-rapid amplification of complementary DNA ends—generated library of human THP-1 monocytic cells. A construct containing exon I.8 and its 5′-flanking sequence was sufficient to drive transcription in THP-1 cells. This novel promoter was located approximately 2-kb upstream of promoter I.4 and approximately 75-kb upstream of the common splice junction. We detected several I.8-containing splice variants, 2 of which also contained a sequence from exon I.4. Analysis of human tissues revealed a unique pattern of promoter I.8 usage. The placenta contained the highest level of I.8-specific transcripts. This work underscores the complexity of the mechanisms that regulate normal and pathologic aromatase expression.
The Use of Persuasion Management Strategies by Identity-Vulnerable Consumers: The Case of Urban Heterosexual Male Shoppers

Abstract This paper investigates the relevance of Kirmani and Campbell’s [Kirmani, Amna and Margaret C. Campbell (2004). “Goal Seeker and Persuasion Sentry: How Consumer Targets Respond to Interpersonal Marketing Persuasion,” Journal of Consumer Research , 31 (3), 573–582] typology of persuasion management strategies to one group of identity-vulnerable consumers, heterosexual urban male shoppers of grooming and fashion products. Our informants use seeker strategies to refine their conceptualizations of heterosexual masculinity, or to gain expertise. In addition to the seeker strategies Kirmani and Campbell identify, our informants employ three new seeker strategies and use previously identified sentry strategies as seeker strategies. We offer theoretical and managerial insights for those interested in the shopping behavior of vulnerable consumers, and more specifically, heterosexual urban male shoppers of fashion and grooming goods.
Neutron scattering study of Na 2 C 60 in the pressure-temperature plane

${\mathrm{Na}}_{2}{\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ is the only known fulleride with divalent ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ and orientational order $(Pa3\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}$ symmetry). We investigated the phase behavior of ${\mathrm{Na}}_{2}{\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ for $0lPl4\mathrm{kbar}$ and $100\mathrm{K}lTl325\mathrm{K}$ using neutron scattering. Diffraction data indicate no change from $\mathrm{Pa}3\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}$ with applied pressure up to 4 kbar at temperatures below 200 K. In this phase, ${\mathrm{Na}}_{2}{\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ is 37% stiffer than pure ${\mathrm{C}}_{60}$ and 41% softer than ${\mathrm{K}}_{3}{\mathrm{C}}_{60}.$ However, for $Tg200\mathrm{K}$ and $Pg1\mathrm{kbar},$ the structure is transformed into a low-symmetry distorted phase. Here the peaks at low $Q$ are significantly broadened while the high $Q$ peaks are almost completely smeared out. This transformation is reversible; releasing pressure above 200 K recovers the cubic $\mathrm{Pa}3\ifmmode\bar\else\textasciimacron\fi{}$ structure.
The possibility of a (c, s) vector current and D→K∗ℓν

Abstract The properties of the K ∗ and charged lepton from the charmed particle decay D→K ∗lν are used to give some model-independent tests for the presence of a purely vector (c, s) weak current. Present data on the electron energy spectrum may suggest that the (c, s) current is not purely vector. Models for the decay and general analysis techniques are also discussed.
Multi-channel strategy in business-to-business markets: Prospects and problems

Abstract Multi-channel marketing strategy has become a major force in business-to-business distribution channels, especially since the option of Internet-based online channels emerged less than a decade ago. Making products and services available to business markets via a wide array of different channels can provide increased levels of customer choice and service. But the task of coordinating and integrating multiple channels that operate at high levels of efficiency has forced managers responsible for channel management to deal with a variety of challenging issues. These include the role of e-commerce in the multi-channel structure, finding an optimal channel mix, creating synergies across channels, building strategic alliances, creating sustainable competitive advantages, managing more complex supply chains, dealing with conflict, and providing the leadership necessary to attain well integrated multiple channels.
Continued investigation of the diazotization and coupling spectrophotometric technique for the determination of aromatic amines with 8-amino-1-hydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulphonic acid and N-(1-naphthyl)ethylenediamine as coupling agents

Twenty more aromatic amines are determined by the diazotization and coupling spectrophotometric technique, with 8-amino-1-hydroxynaphthalene-3,6-disulphonic acid (H-acid) and N-(1-naphthy)ethylenediamine (N-na) as coupling agents. The following are determined by both methods: 2,4-diaminotoluene, 2-aminobenzotrifluoride, 4-benzoxyaniline, 2,4-dimethyl-6-nitroaniline, 4,5-dimethyl-2-nitroaniline, 2-amino-9-fluorenone, naphthionic acid (sodium salt), 3-aminonaphthalene-2, 7-disulphonic acid (monosodium salt), 2-aminonaphthalene-1-sulphonic acid, 4-aminonaphthalene-1-sulphonic acid and 2,4-dibromoaniline. The following are determined only by the N-na method: 5-aminosalicylic acid, 2-amino-4-nitrophenol, 4-amino-2,6-dichlorophenol hydrochloride, 2,5-dimethoxy-aniline, 4-aminothiophenol, 4,4'-diaminodiphenylmethane, 1-naphthylamine, 4,4'-diaminobiphenyl-2,2'-disulphonic acid and 4,4'-diaminostilbine-2,2'-disulphonic acid. The optimum acidities for the different aromatic amines for the N-na method vary considerably. A number of aromatic amines cannot be determined by either method.
Specific real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction for detection and quantitation of turkey coronavirus RNA in tissues and feces from turkeys infected with turkey coronavirus

Turkey coronavirus (TCoV) infection causes acute atrophic enteritis in the turkey poults, leading to significant economic loss in the U.S. turkey industry. Rapid detection, differentiation, and quantitation of TCoV are critical to the diagnosis and control of the disease. A specific one-step real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RRT-PCR) assay for detection and quantitation of TCoV in the turkey tissues was developed using a dual-labeled fluorescent probe. The fluorogenic probe labeled with a reporter dye (FAM, 6-carboxytetramethylrhodamin) and a quencher dye (AbsoluteQuencher) was designed to bind to a 186 base-pair fragment flanked by the two PCR primers targeting the 3' end of spike gene of TCoV. The assay was performed on different avian viruses and bacteria to determine the specificity as well as serial dilutions of TCoV for the sensitivity. Three animal trials were conducted to further validate the assay. Ten-day-old turkey poults were inoculated orally with 100 EID(50) of TCoV. Intestinal tissues (duodenum, jejunum, ileum, cecum), feces from the cloacal swabs, or feces from the floor were collected at 12 h, 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, and/or 14 days post-inoculation (DPI). RNA was extracted from each sample and subjected to the RRT-PCR. The designed primers and probe were specific for TCoV. Other non-TCoV avian viruses and bacteria were not amplified by RRT-PCR. The assay was highly sensitive and could quantitate between 10(2) and 10(10) copies/microl of viral genome. The viral RNA in the intestine segments reached the highest level, 6x10(15) copies/microl, in the jejunum at 5 DPI. Eighty-four intestine segments assayed by the developed RRT-PCR and immunofluorescence antibody assay (IFA) revealed that there were 6 segments negative for TCoV by both assays, 45 positive for TCoV by IFA, and 77 positive for TCoV by RRT-PCR. Turkey coronavirus was detected in the feces from the cloacal swabs or floor 1-14 DPI; however, the viral RNA load varied among different turkey poults at different intervals from different trials. The highest amount of viral RNA, 2.8x10(10) copies/microl, in the feces was the one from the cloacal swab collected at 1 DPI. The average amount of TCoV RNA in the cloacal fecal samples was 10 times higher than that in the fecal droppings on the floor. Taken together, the results indicated that the developed RRT-PCR assay is rapid, sensitive, and specific for detection, differentiation, and quantitation of TCoV in the turkey tissues and should be helpful in monitoring the progression of TCoV induced acute enteritis in the turkey flocks.
Sequential gradient-restoration algorithm for optimal control problems

Sequential gradient restoration algorithm for optimal control requiring state, control and parameter to satisfy vector differential equation, initial and final conditions
The rapid imaging renaissance: sparser samples, denser dimensions, and glimmerings of a grand unified tomography

The task of imaging is to gather spatiotemporal information which can be organized into a coherent map. Tomographic imaging in particular involves the use of multiple projections, or other interactions of a probe (light, sound, etc.) with a body, in order to determine cross-sectional information. Though the probes and the corresponding imaging modalities may vary, and though the methodology of particular imaging approaches is in constant ferment, the conceptual underpinnings of tomographic imaging have in many ways remained fixed for many decades. Recent advances in applied mathematics, however, have begun to roil this intellectual landscape. The advent of compressed sensing, anticipated in various algorithms dating back many years but unleashed in full theoretical force in the last decade, has changed the way imagers have begun to think about data acquisition and image reconstruction. The power of incoherent sampling and sparsity-enforcing reconstruction has been demonstrated in various contexts and, when combined with other modern fast imaging techniques, has enabled unprecedented increases in imaging efficiency. Perhaps more importantly, however, such approaches have spurred a shift in perspective, prompting us to focus less on nominal data sufficiency than on information content. Beginning with examples from MRI, then proceeding through selected other modalities such as CT and PET, as well as multimodality combinations, this paper explores the potential of newly evolving acquisition and reconstruction paradigms to change the way we do imaging in the lab and in the clinic.
Locke on Language

John Locke is the first modern philosopher to offer a comprehensive philosophy of language. After discussing Locke's aims and scope, I explore Locke's main linguistic category, signification, and the most prominent interpretations of it, including those of Norman Kretzmann and E. J. Ashworth. I then turn to the nature of the proposition and the question whether Locke can distinguish between the act of forming a proposition and the attitude one adopts toward it.
High-Frequency Ultrasonic Imaging of the Anterior Segment Using an Annular Array Transducer

Objective Very high-frequency ultrasound (VHFU; >35 megahertz [MHz]) allows imaging of anterior segment structures of the eye with a resolution of less than 40 μm. The low focal ratio of VHFU transducers, however, results in a depth of field (DOF) of less than 1 mm. The aim was to develop a high-frequency annular array transducer for ocular imaging with improved DOF, sensitivity, and resolution compared with conventional transducers. Design Experimental study. Participants Cadaver eyes, ex vivo cow eyes, in vivo rabbit eyes. Methods A spherically curved annular array ultrasound transducer was fabricated. The array consisted of 5 concentric rings of equal area, had an overall aperture of 6 mm, and a geometric focus of 12 mm. The nominal center frequency of all array elements was 40 MHz. An experimental system was designed in which a single array element was pulsed and echo data were recorded from all elements. By sequentially pulsing each element, echo data were acquired for all 25 transmit-and-receive annuli combinations. The echo data then were focused synthetically and composite images were produced. Transducer operation was tested by scanning a test object consisting of a series of 25-μm diameter wires spaced at increasing range from the transducer. Imaging capabilities of the annular array were demonstrated in ex vivo bovine, in vivo rabbit, and human cadaver eyes. Main Outcome Measures Depth of field, resolution, and sensitivity. Results The wire scans verified the operation of the array and demonstrated a 6.0-mm DOF, compared with the 1.0-mm DOF of a conventional single-element transducer of comparable frequency, aperture, and focal length. B-mode images of ex vivo bovine, in vivo rabbit, and cadaver eyes showed that although the single-element transducer had high sensitivity and resolution within 1 to 2 mm of its focus, the array with synthetic focusing maintained this quality over a 6-mm DOF. Conclusions An annular array for high-resolution ocular imaging has been demonstrated. This technology offers improved DOF, sensitivity, and lateral resolution compared with single-element fixed focus transducers currently used for VHFU imaging of the eye.
Duodenal afferent input converges onto T9-T10 spinal neurons responding to gastric distension in rats

Abstract Clinically, the overlap of gastroduodenal symptoms, such as visceral pain or hypersensitivity, is often observed in functional gastrointestinal disorders. The underlying mechanism may be related to intraspinal neuronal processing of noxious convergent inputs from the stomach and the intestine. The purpose of this study was to examine whether single low thoracic (T9–T10) spinal neurons responded to both gastric and duodenal mechanical stimulation. Extracellular potentials of single T9–T10 spinal neurons were recorded in pentobarbital anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated male rats. Graded gastric distensions (GD, 20, 40, 60 mm Hg, 20 s) were induced by air inflation of a latex balloon surgically placed in the stomach. Graded duodenal distensions (DD, 0.2, 0.4, 0.6 ml, 20 s) were produced by water inflation of a latex balloon placed into the duodenum. Of 70 deeper (depth from dorsal surface of spinal cord: 0.3–1.2 mm) spinal neurons responsive to noxious GD (≥ 40 mm Hg), 44(63%) also responded to noxious DD (≥ 0.4 ml). Similarly, 13/17 (76%) superficial neurons (depth
Hydrogen cells as narrowband geo-coronal Lyman-alpha rejection filters for astrophysical photometry

The Johns Hopkins University rocket group is seeking to develop a hydrogen absorption cell to act as narrowband H I Lyα rejection filters for ultraviolet solar blind imaging detectors. A heated tungsten filament in the cell produces free atomic hydrogen by dissociation of molecular hydrogen contained in the cell. This creates a gas that is optically thick to the Lyα , effectively filtering out incident geo-coronal Lyα emission. This suppression of geo-coronal light will in principle make possible imaging observations of astrophysical sources into the far-UV below 1200 A, down to the lithium-fluoride transmission edge near 1040A. The flux attenuation of a hydrogen cell has been measured in a vacuum monochrometer testbed. The goal is to produce a usable hydrogen cell design that can be easily mounted on a detector for photometric observations of astronomical sources in the far-UV.
Lending sociodynamics and economic instability

We show how the dynamics of economic instability and financial crises articulated by Keynes in the General Theory and developed by Minsky as the Financial Instability Hypothesis can be formalized using Weidlich’s sociodynamics of opinion formation. The model addresses both the lending sentiment of a lender in isolation as well as the impact on that lending sentiment of the behavior of other lenders. The risk associated with lending is incorporated through a stochastic treatment of loan dynamics that treats prepayment and default as competing risks. With this model we are able to generate endogenously the rapid changes in lending opinion that attend slow changes in lending profitability and find these dynamics to be consistent with the rise and collapse of the non-Agency mortgage-backed securities market in 2007/2008. As the parameters of this model correspond to well-known phenomena in cognitive and social psychology, we can both explain why economic instability has proved robust to advances in risk measurement and suggest how policy for reducing economic instability might be formulated in an experimentally sound manner.
Stress, computer-based work monitoring and measurement systems: A conceptual overview.

The design and implementation of computer-based work monitoring systems can result in changes in the organization, job and task. Electronic performance monitoring (EPM) systems are one type of change based on principles of work simplification and work rationalization. In this new work arrangement, control and coordination functions are allocated to the computer. The supervisor becomes a monitor of information and primarily provides negative performance feedback to the employee. The employee is constrained in his/her ability to use either job resources or social resources to meet the greater demands resulting from the system controlling the pace of work. It is proposed that these work arrangements provoke stress responses in employees that can result in short-term illness and potentially long-term changes in health status. Information enriched work environments are proposed as an alternative. These new work arrangements could improve job resources and social resources to manage job demands and reduce the potentially damaging stress responses. To provide a frame of reference we focus on the impact of EPM systems on the organizational and job elements involved in provoking individual stress responses. The impact of EPM systems on individual health is described using a psychosocial stress framework. Ergonomics interventions discussed include: participation in the design process; allocation of control and coordination functions between the computer and the employee; development of feedback systems; and work measurement and the development of performance appraisal systems.
Novel adaptive techniques for digital beamforming quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) receivers

This paper presents two efficient adaptive signal processing techniques for co-cancel interference suppression in digital beamforming Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) receivers. The adaptive techniques are employed at the receiver's baseband in the digital signal processor, and a time-varying weight update is automatically generated at each iteration during the adaptation process. The first method separately updates the real and imaginary parts of the weight vector along their respective gradient directions with distinctive optimum step sizes, while the second method directly updates the weight vector components as complex numbers, aiming at minimizing the error signal in th next iteration. Computer simulations are performed to validate the effectiveness of the proposed techniques. The simulation results confirm that, compared to the classic complex-valued Least Mn Square (LMS) algorithm, both proposed techniques exhibit satisfying interference suppression performance, with th second method performing slightly better than the first one.
Effects of aging on cardiovascular responses to parasympathetic withdrawal

Abstract Objectives The study was done to determine whether the effects of parasympathetic withdrawal on heart rate, blood pressure (BP), and systolic and diastolic function are altered with normal aging. Background Cardiac responses to beta-adrenergic sympathetic stimulation decline with aging as does the heart rate response to parasympathetic withdrawal, but the extent to which other responses to parasympathetic withdrawal decrease is less clear. Methods Heart rate, BP, systolic function, and diastolic filling responses to parasympathetic withdrawal induced by atropine (0.02 mg/kg) were compared in 50 healthy subjects, 28 older (ages 65 to 80 years, mean 70 years; 18 females all on estrogen) and 22 young (age 18 to 32 years, mean 26 years; 12 females) subjects, using radionuclide angiography. Results Parasympathetic withdrawal in the older group caused less of an increase in heart rate (+33 vs. +48 beats/min), cardiac index (+0.6 vs. +1.5 l/m2), systolic blood pressure (−1 vs. +7 mm Hg), and early diastolic filling rate (+1.7 vs. +2.4 end-diastolic volumes/s) (all p ≤ 0.01). At similar declines in the diastolic filling period, end-diastolic volume index (EDVI) fell substantially more in the older group (−11.6 vs. −2.4 ml/m2, p Conclusions The responses to parasympathetic withdrawal as well as sympathetic stimulation decline with aging, and both contribute to the reduced cardiovascular responses to stress with advancing age.
Sensing the Vision: Sense Making and the Social Construction of Leadership in the Branch Office of an Insurance Company

This study uses focus groups to analyze the sense making of leadership behavior at the branch office of an insurance company on the East Coast. Using an executive-level organizational initiative as an example, organizational members are asked to explore issues of leadership in their organization. The data from the study suggest that employee sense making is complex and specifically linked to positionality in the organization. As one example of how employee sense making reveals the multifaceted nature of how leadership is socially constructed in the organization, the data suggest that the role of the middle manager may be more complex than has previously been outlined in the communication literature on leadership.