cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Collaborative workflow assistant for organizational effectiveness

Knowledge intensive process vary widely due to the variation in the specifics of the incoming request and uncertainty in handling and processing that request. Traditional management systems with pre-defined workflows are less effective for enabling these kinds of organizational workflows. Consequently, less structured tools for ad-hoc collaboration, such as Email or activity management systems [8, 16] are used instead because of the flexibility they permit at execution time. However, these ad-hoc collaborative tools are not as capable of capturing best practice knowledge in a manner that is suitable for reuse in similar contexts and future executions of the workflow. We propose to mine knowledge-intensive workflow executions in order to capture and codify best practice knowledge that can be reused to assist and enhance decision making during future executions.We present a model of a dynamic system and a method for knowledge-intensive workflow enactment that captures ad-hoc applications of tacit knowledge as the work is carried out. Our framework is illustrated using a critical and commonly occurring process in industry called the Architecture Life-Cycle (ALC) management process. This process reviews technological changes made to the installed Information Technology (IT) architectures to meet the evolving requirements of the business. We illustrate how our framework allows participants to locally enhance the ALC, by enabling each individual to perform their work in the best way and recording their intentions explicitly using framework mechanisms that relate activities, work products, transitions, and constraints. We illustrate the axioms that filter out best practices that have been observed during executions and feed them back to the collaborators to guide and improve future executions.
Elastic analysis of some punch problems for a layered medium

Abstract The problems of flat-ended cylindrical, quadrilateral, and triangular punches indenting a layered isotropic elastic half-space are considered. The former two are analyzed using a basis function technique, while the latter problem is analyzed via a singular integral equation. Solutions are obtained numerically. Load-deflection relations are obtained for a series of values of the ratio of Young's modulus in the layer and substrate, and for a variety of punch sizes. These solutions provide an accurate basis for the estimation of Young's modulus of thin films from the initial unloading compliance observed in indentation tests, and are specifically relevant to axisymmetric, Vicker's, and triangular indenters. The results should also be of interest in foundation engineering.
An exploration of connections between a mother and her unborn in preterm labor.

The purpose of this special feature is to elaborate on a unique physician–patient interaction between a neonatologist and a pediatrician established during the pediatrician's personal experience with the onset of labor between 22 and 23 weeks’ gestation. As the two are both versed in conventional aspects of neonatal care including prenatal counseling, the neonatologist thought that he had more to offer the expectant mother holistically. Thus, he decided against approaching her as an information source and contribute to the customary data-dumping format that can be both frightening and dehumanizing. Instead, he wanted to focus on her individual experience of pregnancy and the healing aspects of care. The most important lesson received from the interaction is the value of being present with another. This sense of ‘being with’ applied to the neonatologist and the mother from their initial phone conversation to their in person times, and to the mother with her unborn permitting interaction in a meaningful way. Fostering each of those connections in alternative ways was valuable in this prenatal experience.
Immediate pain response to interlaminar lumbar epidural steroid administration: response characteristics and effects of anesthetic concentration.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Interlaminar LESIs are commonly used to treat LBP or radiculopathy. Most studies focus on the long-term outcomes of LESI. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the immediate effects of fluoroscopically guided LESI on LBP/radiculopathy including low- or high-strength anesthetic response. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The procedure notes, post-procedure records, and imaging records dedicated spine nurse assessments, and imaging records were retrospectively evaluated in 392 fluoroscopically guided LESIs performed in 276 patients (nonrandomized, nonblinded; 131 males, 145 females; average age, 56 years) with LBP/radiculopathy using either low- or high-strength anesthetic (80 mg of methylprednisilone mixed with bupivacaine [0.25% or 0.5%]). Post-procedure documentation of the patient9s pre- and postprocedure VAS pain-scale level were tabulated. RESULTS: Single LESI was performed in 199 patients, with multiple LESIs in 77 (193 injections). Low-strength bupivacaine (0.25%) was used in 237 injections, with high-strength (0.5%) in 155. Complete to near-complete immediate pain relief ( 80% residual), with partial relief in the remainder. No statistical difference was noted between low- and high-anesthetic strength or between single- and multiple-injection patients. In multiple-LESI patients, consistent pain relief response was noted in 39 of 77 (50.6%) patients, with improving LESI response in 20.8%, deteriorating LESI response in 19.5%, and variable response in 9.1%. CONCLUSIONS: An immediate pain-extinction response is identified after LESI, which appears independent of anesthetic strength. This observation may relate to pain origin and/or pain nociceptor afferent pathway in an individual patient and potentially relate to treatment response.
Metastatic signet ring cell carcinoma presenting as a thyroid nodule: report of a case with fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Metastatic carcinomas to the thyroid are quite rare in daily cytology practice. However, when present they may produce a diagnostic dilemma, particularly when they share some morphologic similarities with primary thyroid lesions and when occurring in patients with occult malignant history. Herein, we report a case of metastatic gastric signet ring cell carcinoma to the thyroid. Our patient presented with an isolated right thyroid nodule, which was clinically considered to be a primary thyroid neoplasm. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) cytology of the nodule revealed a cellular specimen with cohesive fragments and scattered individual neoplastic cells. The neoplastic cells had enlarged nuclei, fine chromatin, and inconspicuous nucleoli. Nuclear crowding, molding, and grooving were prominent. Intranuclear inclusion-like clearance was identified. Some tumor cells also had eccentric nuclei, creating a signet ring cell appearance. The colloid was scant. These cytological features may be seen in cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma or signet ring cell follicular adenoma; however, the presence of the signet ring cells is unusual in primary thyroid lesions and raises the possibility of a metastatic lesion to the thyroid. In our case, the tumor cells were positive for AE1/AE3, mucicarmine, and periodic acid-Schiff, but negative for thyroglobulin and thyroid transcription factor-1. The patient was also found to have a 3.7-cm mass in the distal esophagus/proximal stomach. Biopsy of this mass showed an invasive signet ring cell carcinoma. The purpose of our study is to discuss the cytological features and the differential diagnosis of this unusual thyroid FNA case. Diagn. Cytopathol. 2010;38:597–602. 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Energy reduction in small cell networks by a random on/off strategy

Data applications can tolerate an initial delay before packet transmission begins. It is possible to take advantage of this initial delay to reduce the energy required to operate the small access points (SAPs) and decrease transmission power in small cell networks. To demonstrate the trade-off between delay and transmit power, we consider a simple access scheme and analyze the distribution of the user equipment's (UE's) transmit distance. In the demonstration, there are a sufficient number of small cells to handle the peak traffic load. In order to reduce average power consumption, a number of SAPs are turned off during lower demands. The power consumption can be reduced further by turning all of the SAPs on and off, rather than selecting a subset and leaving them off. Since many SAPs are turned off at low traffic profile, UEs may be able to save energy by delaying their transmissions and waiting for a closer SAP to become available, thereby reducing transmission power. We analyze energy-efficiency versus delay trade-off, investigate optimality conditions for UE's transmit power and verify our analytical results via simulations. Results show that i) Instead of turning SAPs off for a long period, turning them on and off continuously and taking advantage of initial delay to connect a c yield an order of magnitude reductions in the transmit power, and ii) reduces the mean power consumption of SAP.
Alcohol use in the year before marriage: alcohol expectancies and peer drinking as proximal influences on husband and wife alcohol involvement.

Background: Models of adolescent alcohol involvement that include individual difference, family, and peer risk factors indicate a significant association between the drinking of adolescents and that of their peers. Peer drinking influences, however, have not been investigated extensively in integrative models of adult drinking. The purpose of this study was to test a model of adult drinking that incorporated the potentially important risk factor of partner drinking and in which proximal risk factors (peer drinking, alcohol expectancies) were hypothesized to be strongly associated with adult alcohol use and to mediate relationships between more distal risk factors and drinking. Methods: Couples (n= 389) were assessed at the time of their first marriage. Separate, self-administered questionnaires were completed at home by both husbands and wives. Distal risk factors included family history of alcoholism, antisocial behavior, and depressive symptomatology. Substantive relationships were tested in a model that included spousal associations with respect to distal risk factors, proximal risk factors, and drinking. Results: Findings demonstrate the unique association of alcohol expectancies and peer drinking with adult alcohol use. Of particular relevance is the significance of the social network as a correlate of adult drinking. A peer network characterized by a higher level of alcohol involvement was strongly associated with heavier drinking among both men and women. This relationship was independent of sociodemographic and individual difference factors, alcohol expectancies, and partner's drinking. Results also demonstrate the similarity between husband and wife drinking, an association that cannot be attributed to assorting with respect to the other risk factors. Conclusions: The social network continues to significantly impact drinking behavior in adulthood. The relevancy of peer and partner drinking influences to adult alcohol involvement suggests that the immediate social environment may have a prominent role in the continuity/discontinuity of heavy or problem drinking during the transition to marriage.
Influence of dieldrin on serotonin turnover and 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid efflux in mouse brain

Abstract Chronic administration of dieldrin failed to produce any alteration of brain serotonin, norepinephrine or dopamine in mice, but caused an increase in 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid levels. The turnover rate of serotonin was unaffected by dieldrin. The probenecid induced accumulation rate of 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid was considerably lowered in dieldrin-treated mice. The results suggested a possible influence of dieldrin on 5-hydroxyindole acetic acid efflux from mouse brain.
Potential fire behavior in pine flatwood forests following three different fuel reduction techniques

Abstract A computer modeling study to determine the potential fire behavior in pine flatwood forests following three fuel hazard reduction treatments: herbicide, prescribed fire and thinning was conducted in Florida following the 1998 wildfire season. Prescribed fire provided immediate protection but this protection quickly disappeared as the rough recovered. Thinning had a similar effect on fireline intensity. Herbicides produced a dramatic decrease in fireline intensity from year 2 to 6 but had little effect on fire severity, thus increasing the likehood of root kill resulting in tree death if wildfire occurs during drought conditions. Treatment combinations, such as thinning and herbicide may provide immediate and long-term fireline intensity reductions as long as forest managers take into account each alternative’s strengths and weaknesses.
Characterization of ligand-binding systems by continuous affinity distributions of arbitrary shape

Abstract We have developed computer programs for characterization of ligand-binding systems in terms of continuous affinity distributions of arbitrary shape based on a numerical finite difference method. This method provides an excellent initial estimate of the affinity distribution, which can be further refined by means of nonlinear least-squares curve fitting. The method has been extensively tested for several cases including receptor heterogeneity, cooperativity, and for several examples of experimental design (e.g., ligand concentrations), and various levels of random and systematic experimental errors. The results provide a guide to experimental design, and indicate limits to the resolution obtained by ligand-binding studies, irrespective of the method of analysis.
Design considerations of a software interface incorporating two techniques for transmitting digital data

Abstract A software interface has been developed, linking the NICOLET BNC-12 computer of a Bruker WH-90 NMR spectrometer system to the DECsystem-10 computer. A modified delta modulation method is examined as a data transfer technique. Preliminary results show this process facilitated data transmission for both free induction decays and for Fourier transformed spectra.
Analytical techniques for the determination of chemical exchange rate constants with application to the creatine kinase reaction

Abstract A method for determining biochemical exchange rates for analysis of inversion recovery experiments is described. As used in the current application, the technique involves fitting multiexponential equations to the magnetization recovery curves for PCr and ATP. From the parameters of the exponential fits expressions for the forward and reverse rate constants are derived. Results obtained with this technique were compared with inversion transfer and with previously published results using saturation transfer. The addition of a third exchanging species was also investigated and found to have no significant effect on the calculated values for the forward and reverse rate constants. In addition, the feasibility of using an abbreviated 6-point sampling strategy was evaluated; values for the rate constants were similar to those obtained using all 21 data points. The results of this study indicate that chemical exchange rate constants can be determined using inversion recovery techniques which avoid many of the difficulties associated with selective excitation methods.
Development Of Technology For Downhole Steam Production

Two concepts for down-hole production of steam for drive operations have been selected for comparative development. The 2 designs differ in method of transferring heat from hot combustion gases to produce steam. A low pressure combustion design transfers energy to water through a heat exchanger thus enabling the combustion process to be conducted at a pressure less than the injection pressure; a high pressure combustion design mixes the combustion gases directly with water, resulting in the injection of steam and combustion gases into the reservoir. The comparative development program has included analysis of energy efficiency, computational examination of recovery, core recovery experiments, and field evaluation.
Investigating fatty acids inserted into magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers using EPR and solid-state NMR spectroscopy.

Abstract This is the first time 2 H solid-state NMR spectroscopy and spin-labeled EPR spectroscopy have been utilized to probe the structural orientation and dynamics of a stearic acid incorporated into magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers or bicelles. The data gleaned from the two different techniques provide a more complete description of the bilayer membrane system. Both methods provided similar qualitative information on the phospholipid bilayer, high order, and low motion for the hydrocarbon segment close to the carboxyl groups of the stearic acid and less order and more rapid motion at the end towards the terminal methyl groups. However, the segmental order parameters differed markedly due to the different orientations that the nitroxide and C–D bond axes transform with the various stearic acid acyl chain conformations, and because of the difference in dynamic sensitivity between NMR and EPR over the timescales examined. 5-, 7-, 12-, and 16-doxylstearic acids spin-labels were used in the EPR experiments and stearic acid-d 35 was used in the solid-state NMR experiments. The influence of the addition of cholesterol and the variation of temperature on the fatty acid hydrocarbon chain ordering in the DMPC/DHPC phospholipid bilayers was also studied. Cholesterol increased the degree of ordering of the hydrocarbon chains. Conversely, as the temperature of the magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers increased, the order parameters decreased due to the higher random motion of the acyl chain of the stearic acid. The results indicate that magnetically aligned phospholipid bilayers are an excellent model membrane system and can be used for both NMR and EPR studies.
Nonlinear behavior of polycrystalline piezoceramics

Piezoelectric materials exhibit nonlinear behavior when subjected to large electric or mechanical loads. This strong nonlinear material behavior is induced by localized polarization switching at the domain level. In this paper, a finite element code in conjunction with a polarization switching criterion is described to model the nonlinear behavior in piezoceramics. Each element represents a single domain with a tetragonal structure. The nonlinearity is introduced in the behavior of each element by allowing it to undergo 180 degrees and 90 degrees polarization switchings. In order to simulate the real piezoceramic, which possesses a polycrystalline nature, material is modeled as a mixture of crystallites each oriented in some random direction. The mode is used to generate the dielectric and strain response of the material, i.e. hysteresis and butterfly loop. The model output is compared with experimental dat, and reasonable agreement is achieved. Behavior of the material under compressive stress, which does not cause full polarization switching, is studied to investigate the influence of compressive stress on the strain output. It is observed that strain output. It is observed that strain output of a preloaded block of piezoceramic increases for moderate electric fields but decreases for small and large electric fields.
The Effect of Thrombin Concentration on Rheology of Fibrin Networks

Fibrin networks exhibit strain stiffening behavior - at low strain their response is linear, at higher strains their response becomes progressively stiffer. It has been shown that in the low strain linear regime the individual fibers bend and avoid being strained until they reach a critical point and start to get pulled. Although many networks strain stiffen, this bending response has never been reported and is only somewhat predicted in theory. Thrombin is known to modulate the structure of fibrin networks, with lower concentrations resulting in coarse networks and higher concentrations forming dense ones. The thickness and bending stiffness of fibers in these networks should be affected as well. Performing rheology on the networks at various concentrations and imaging the structure of fibrin will give insight into the mechanical properties.
Antibody Coating and Quantitative Cultures of Bacteria in Sputum and Bronchial Brush Specimens from Patients with Stable Chronic Bronchitis

Antibody coating of bacterial isolates has been proposed as a method of identifying bacteria responsible for chronic lower respiratory infections. This study was designed to determine the specificity of antibody coating by examining bronchial secretions obtained from a group of patients with chronic bronchitis who had no clinical evidence of acute infection. Routine and quantitative bacterial cultures were performed at the same time. The bronchial brush specimens contained potentially pathogenic bacteria in all 18 patients examined, and 17 of these 18 specimens had antibody coating of bacteria. Quantitative cultures yielded greater than 104 colony forming units in only one patient and he subsequently developed a lower respiratory tract infection. We conclude that in patients with chronic bronchitis, the determination of antibody coating of bacterial isolates does not significantly increase the specificity of routine culture. Quantitative cultures of specimens obtained via the protected brush catheter are useful in identifying potential pathogens.
Active Flux Schemes

A class of active flux schemes is developed and employed to solve model problems for the linear advection equation and non-linear Burgers equation. The active flux schemes treat the edge values, and hence the fluxes, as independent variables, doubling the degrees of freedom available to describe the solution without enlarging the stencil. Schemes up to third order accurate are explored. Oscillations generated by the higher-order schemes are controlled through the use of a characteristic-based limiter that preserves true extrema in the solution without excessive clipping.
Half frame forwarding: frame-rate up conversion for tiled rendering GPU

Although the mobile industry has recently begun trending towards high quality graphics content, it is still difficult to satisfy this trend due to performance, power and thermal issue of GPU/CPU in mobile application processor.
Oligomerization of the EK18 mutant of the trp repressor of Escherichia coli as observed by NMR spectroscopy.

The regulation of the trp repressor system of Escherichia coli is frequently modeled by a single equilibrium, that between the aporepressor (TR) and the corepressor, l-tryptophan (Trp), at their intracellular concentrations. The actual mechanism, which is much more complex and more finely tuned, involves multiple equilibria: TR and Trp association, TR oligomerization, specific and nonspecific binding of various states of TR to DNA, and interactions between these various species and ions. TR in isolation exists primarily as a homodimer, but the state of oligomerization increases as the TR concentration goes up and/or the salt concentration goes down, leading to species with lower affinity for DNA. We have used multinuclear, multidimensional NMR spectroscopy to investigate structural changes that accompany the oligomerization of TR. For these investigations, the superrepressor mutant EK18 (TR with Glu 18 replaced by Lys) was chosen because it exhibits less severe oligomerization at higher protein concentration than other known variants; this made it possible to study the dimer to tetramer oligomerization step by NMR. The NMR results suggest that the interaction between TR dimers is structurally linked to folding of the DNA binding domain and that it likely involves direct contacts between the C-terminal residues of the C-helix of one dimer with the next dimer. This implies that oligomerization can compete with DNA binding and thus serves as a factor in the fine-tuning of gene expression.
A Novel Vitamin B6 Metabolite May Be a Circulating Marker of Cancer

A previously unknown metabolite of vitamin B6, tentatively identified as adenosine-N6-diethylthioether-N1-pyridoximine-5′-phosphate, accounts for up to 30% of the total intracellular vitamin B6 observed in tumor cells cultured in the presence of radiolabeled pyridoxine. When various animal and human tumor cells were incubated with radiolabeled pyridoxine, the formation of this metabolite was greatest in rapidly growing cells that were the least differentiated. If analytical methods are verified, the presence of the compound in serum may provide an indicator of in vivo tumor growth.
Inhibition of protein synthesis by chromium(VI) differentially affects expression of urokinase and its receptor in human type II pneumocytes.

Exposure to chromium(VI) increases the incidence of cancer, respiratory distress, and pulmonary fibrosis. The latter is a pathological disorder characterized by decreased urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA) activity and fibrinolysis. In this study, treatment of alveolar type II cells (A549) with 1 to 5 μM chromium(VI) for 4 and 12 h decreased both the specific activity and the amount of uPA protein. Chromium reduced uPA protein levels by inhibiting protein synthesis and had no effect on uPA mRNA levels or the rate of uPA protein degradation. In contrast, both mRNA and protein levels for the uPA receptor (uPAR) were increased by treatment with concentrations of chromium(VI) that did not completely inhibit protein synthesis. The chromium-induced increase in uPAR resulted from increased message stability. These data indicate that chromium has differential effects on expression of the proteins in the pulmonary fibrinolytic cascade. The net loss of uPA activity may promote fibrosis following inhalation of chromium(VI).
Employment at will: options for managers

Executive Overview This article explores the concept of “employment at will.” In addition to examining recent court decisions on the subject, with special attention to a 1983 court decision that is the most significant ruling to date on the subject, this article also argues for U.S. managers to give up the fight to hang on to the “employment as will” concept and devote energies to dealing with the root causes of poor performances.
Impact on Cognitive Function—Are All Statins the Same?

Dementia is a major public health concern, affecting an estimated 7% of the population over 65 and 30% over 80 years of age. There is mounting evidence in the literature from meta-analyses of high-quality prospective cohort studies that statins may have a positive impact in reducing the incidence of dementia. Little is known, however, on whether certain types of statins are more impactful than others. This narrative review specifically explores the various properties of different statin types and whether these differences lead to a clinically significant differential impact on cognitive function. We critically evaluate the literature, emphasizing interesting and important new findings, and overall aim to bring the reader up-to-date on evidence-based recommendations.
Supercoil Diffusion along Stretched DNA by Brownian Dynamics

The dynamics of DNA supercoils are intimately connected to several fundamental cellular processes. Transcription is a prime example. While the rate of transcription is sensitive to the level of supercoiling, transcription produces positive (and negative) supercoils ahead of (and behind) RNA polymerase. Subject to thermal fluctuations and DNA-protein interactions, supercoils are dynamic structures which accumulate, rearrange, translocate, and dissipate. Recent single molecule studies have observed the dynamic formation, diffusion, hopping, and dissipation of supercoils. Here, we employ Brownian dynamics simulations of a discrete worm-like chain to build understanding beyond that provided by recent experimental efforts. Our computational model accounts for hydrodynamic interactions, thermal fluctuations, bending, torsion, extension, and electrostatics in stretched DNA. We perform many simulations including trajectories representing 21 kilobasepairs of supercoiled DNA over the course of about 500 ms. We observe several metrics describing the dynamics of supercoils, including: the average number of supercoils, their lifetime, first juxtaposition time, and diffusion constants. In addition, we explore the sensitivity of these quantities to DNA extension as well as sequence dependence (through the introduction of sites with elevated DNA flexibility).
Effect of hay maturity, forage source, or neutral detergent fiber content on digestion of diets containing Tifton 85 bermudagrass and corn silage

Total mixed rations (TMRs) based on corn silage (30% DM) or Tifton 85 bermudagrass hay harvested at 3.5 and seven weeks of growth and with low or high neutral detergent fiber (NDF) content were used to study the effects of hay maturity, forage source, or level of dietary NDF on in situ digestion kinetics for TMRs. Among forages, NDF and lignin concentrations decreased in the order of: Tifton 85 bermudagrass harvested at seven weeks of growth, Tifton 85 bermudagrass harvested at 3.5 weeks of growth, and corn silage, while in vitro and in situ dry matter (DM) digestion showed the opposite trend. The extent of in situ NDF digestion decreased in the order of: Tifton 85 bermudagrass harvested at 3.5 weeks of growth, (60.1%), Tifton 85 bermudagrass harvested at seven weeks of growth (45.6%), and corn silage (42.5%). Increase in bermudagrass maturity decreased (P<0.01) in vitro NDF disappearance for TMRs at 48 h of incubation from 44.7 to 38.8%. Forage source or the level of dietary NDF had no effect on the extent of in situ DM digestion for TMRs. Increase in bermudagrass maturity decreased (P<0.05) the extent of in situ digestion of DM and NDF for TMRs. After fitting the nonlinear model to the disappearance data, the TMR in which corn silage was used as the forage source had higher (P<0.05) readily digestible fraction of DM than T85 based TMRs. Digestion profiles for 3.5 weeks bermudagrass based TMRs were similar to those of corn silage based TMR.
Time-dependent accuracy of elastomer impression materials. Part I: Condensation silicones

1. Although condensation silicone elastomers can be used to produce multiple dies from a single impression, one can expect changes in dimensions of dies produced from successive pours. 2. Putty/wash systems exhibit variable behavior among different brands. Some products produce a series of dies of increasing diameter over a 4-day period, while other brands may produce a series of dies whose diameters decrease as they are successively poured. 3. Light-body wash silicone impressions made in adhesive-lined custom acrylic resin trays produce dies which increase in diameter with time. 4. Putty/wash system, in general, show a greater eccentricity of dies than is seen with custom-tray/adhesive/wash systems, but there were some significant exceptions among the brands tested. 5. There does not appear to be any difference in behavior between single-wash and double-mix techniques in the condensation-silicone systems. 6. For maximum accuracy, the condensation-silicone systems should be poured as soon as possible after making the impression.
Possible strategy for the survival of marine bacteria under starvation conditions

A population of a psychrophilic marine vibrio (Ant-300) suspended at a low cell density in natural seawater (SW) or artificial seawater (ASW) showed an initial 200-fold increase in cell numbers. Ant-300 suspended in ASW at various densities showed a magnified initial increase in numbers as well as increased longevity as the population density decreased. The magnitude of the initial increase and the viability of the cells after 7 weeks continued incubation were the same whether the cells were suspended in SW, ASW amended with amino acids, or “organic-free” ASW. Continued incubation (long-term starvation) of a culture of Ant-300 at low cell densities in ASW showed that after 70 weeks over 15 times the orginal number of cells were still viable. When compared to the starvation survival of other bacceria, Ant-300 exceeds the longest reported starvation survival by at least 2.5 times. Our data indicate that Ant-300 is especially adapted for survival at low nutrient concentrations and low population densities due to a sustained increase in cell numbers that may represent a species survival mechanism for marine bacteria.
Use of mammography, Pap test and prostate examination by body mass index during the developmental period of cancer screening in Estonia.

Summary Objectives Analysis of the use of mammography, Pap test and prostate examination (palpation and/or prostate-specific antigen test) by body mass index (BMI) in Estonia. Study design Cross-sectional. Methods In total, 7286 individuals aged 16–64 years, randomly selected from the National Population Register, filled out questionnaires in postal surveys in 2000, 2004 and 2008. The target age group was 45–64 years for mammography, 25–64 years for Pap test and 50–64 years for prostate examination. The probability of using these preventive medical services within the past 2 years by BMI was analysed using logistic regression models. Potential confounding variables included socio-economic factors, health behaviour, number of outpatient visits, current self-rated health, study year and age. Results Compared with women of normal weight, the probability of mammography use was higher for overweight women [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.32, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.73], and the probability of a Pap test was significantly lower for severely obese women (adjusted OR 0.51, 95% CI 0.35–0.76). Prostate examination was independent of BMI. In 2008, mammography was predominantly performed within the screening framework for all BMI groups (highest rate in the mild obesity group, 76.2%), while Pap tests were predominantly performed following referral by a doctor (especially in the severe obesity group, 66.7%). The attendance rate for prostate examination was higher for men who rated their current health status as rather poor/poor. Conclusions In a country where population-based breast cancer screening works fairly well, cervical cancer screening is in its developmental stage and there is no screening for prostate cancer, the deciding role in referring people for preventive examinations for cervical and prostate cancer is still held by doctors. As such, they should pay particular attention to obese women, as this group has a worse prognosis for cervical cancer, and perform more prostate examinations for preventive purposes.
How microscopic boson models work

Abstract A brief survey is presented of the major types of boson expansions used in nuclear physics and the relationships between them.
Multiple 3' ends of the chicken pro α2(1) collagen gene

The precise location of the 3' ends of the chicken pro alpha 2(I) collagen gene have been identified by S1 nuclease protection of overlapping genomic fragments by calvaria poly A containing RNA and size determination of the protected fragments on DNA sequencing gels. The gene ends 300 and 306 bp and 754 and 777 bp from the translation stop codon. The two sets of ends explain the major and minor pro alpha 2(I) collagen mRNAs previously observed, which may result from either RNA polymerase readthrough of the first termination site and/or different processing sites.
Random diffusion model.

We study the random diffusion model. This is a continuum model for a conserved scalar density field $\ensuremath{\phi}$ driven by diffusive dynamics. The interesting feature of the dynamics is that the bare diffusion coefficient $D$ is density dependent. In the simplest case, $D=\overline{D}+{D}_{1}\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\phi}$, where $\overline{D}$ is the constant average diffusion constant. In the case where the driving effective Hamiltonian is quadratic, the model can be treated using perturbation theory in terms of the single nonlinear coupling ${D}_{1}$. We develop perturbation theory to fourth order in ${D}_{1}$. The are two ways of analyzing this perturbation theory. In one approach, developed by Kawasaki, at one-loop order one finds mode-coupling theory with an ergodic-nonergodic transition. An alternative more direct interpretation at one-loop order leads to a slowing down as the nonlinear coupling increases. Eventually one hits a critical coupling where the time decay becomes algebraic. Near this critical coupling a weak peak develops at a wave number well above the peak at $q=0$ associated with the conservation law. The width of this peak in Fourier space decreases with time and can be identified with a characteristic kinetic length which grows with a power law in time. For stronger coupling the system becomes metastable and then unstable. At two-loop order it is shown that the ergodic-nonergodic transition is not supported. It is demonstrated that the critical properties of the direct approach survive, going to higher order in perturbation theory.
Design, characterization, and testing of macro-fiber composite actuators for integration on a fixed-wing UAV

Smart materials offer several potential advantages for UAV flight control applications compared to traditional servo actuators. One important benefit is that smart materials are lightweight and can be embedded directly into the structure of a wing or control surface. Therefore, they can reduce the overall weight of the vehicle and eliminate the need for mechanical appendages that may compromise the form factor of the wing, benefits that become more significant as the size of the vehicle decreases. In addition, smart materials can be used to realize continuous camber change of aerodynamic surfaces. Such designs offer improved aerodynamic efficiency compared to the discontinuous deflections of traditional hinged control surfaces driven by servo actuators. In the research discussed in this paper, macro-fiber composite (MFC) aileron actuators are designed for implementation on a medium-scale, fixed-wing UAV in order to achieve roll control. Macro-fiber composites, which consist of piezoceramic fibers and electrodes embedded in an epoxy matrix, are an attractive choice for UAV actuation because they are manufactured as lightweight, thin sheets and, when implemented as bending actuators, can provide both large structural deflections and high bandwidth. In this study, several MFC aileron actuator designs were evaluated through a combination of theoretical and experimental analysis. The current design consists of glass fiber composite ailerons with two unimorph MFC actuators embedded in each aileron to produce upward deflection. Wind tunnel test results are presented to assess the changes in lift and drag coefficients for different levels of MFC aileron actuation. Preparations for open-loop flight testing using a Skywalker UAV with MFC ailerons are also discussed. In addition, the development of a closed-loop, autonomous flight control system for the Skywalker is overviewed in preparation for conducting simulations and flight testing of an autonomous Skywalker with MFC aileron actuators.
The temporal behavior of scale economies within A banking firm

Examining the time path of the scale economies has not received much attention until recently. Moreover, the time path of scale economies for a given firm has not been studied in the banking literature at all. Examining scale economies, either from cross-sectional or panel data, based only on a single estimate ignores the dynamic behavior (both cost- and production-wise) of a banking firm as well as of the banking industry. We study the time-varying scale economies of commercial banking firms. We employ the Kalman-filter approach in estimating the translog cost function. The Kalman filter allows the parameters of the translog cost function and therefore the scale economies to be time dependent and varying. The estimation results indicate significant variation in inter- and within-firm scale economies over time for sample banks.
Methyl mercury inhibition of synaptosome protein synthesis: Role of mitochondrial dysfunction

Abstract Possible modes of organic mercurial inhibition of synaptosome protein synthesis were investigated. CH3HgCl inhibited protein synthesis in synaptosomes harvested from both neonatal and adult rat brain cortices. Maximum inhibition occurred when incubations were performed at low synaptosome concentrations ( m CH3HgCl. Incubation of neonatal synaptosomes in a Na+- and K+-containing medium with increasing concentrations of CH3HgCl produced a decrease in [K+] and increase in Na+ content. Addition of CH3HgCl to a cell-free, K+-dependent protein-synthesizing system containing brain microsomes from neonatal rats inhibited [3H]leucine incorporation into protein. Incubation of synaptosomes in the presence of methyl mercury resulted in a dose-dependent decline in ATP. Such a decline in available ATP may account for the observed mercurial inhibition of synaptosomal protein synthesis.
Two States, Two Types, Two Actions

I agree with Barry Posen's and William Wohlforth's book jacket comments describing Rational Theory of International Politics ( rtip ) as a “must read” for students of international relations theory...
fMRI responses to emotional faces in children and adolescents at genetic risk for psychiatric illness share some of the features of depression.

Abstract Background Fronto-limbic regions of the brain including the sub-genual (sgPFC) and medial prefrontal (mPFC) cortices are central to processing emotionally salient and hedonic stimuli (Mayberg, 2009) and implicated in depression. The relevance of cortico-limbic models of emotion and reward processing in children with genetic risk for psychiatric disorders has not been assessed. Methods Here we studied adolescents at risk for schizophrenia (HRS) and controls (HC) using an event-related fMRI continuous affective appraisal task. HRS were divided into sub-groups based on the presence or absence of negative symptoms (Miller et al., 2003), HRS_NS + and HRS_NS − respectively. Brain responses to positive, negative and neutral emotional stimuli were estimated. Results Consistent with observations in the depressive phenotype, for positively valenced stimuli, HRS_NS + (relative to HC and HRS_NS −) were characterized by hypo -responsivity of the sgPFC and the mPFC, but hyper -responsivity of the mid-brain. sgPFC and mPFC signals were coupled across groups. Limitations Such studies can benefit from larger sample sizes, though our observed effect sizes were in the moderate to large range. Conclusions Children and adolescents at risk for psychiatric illness and who evince reliably present negative symptoms show brain responses to socially rewarding stimuli similar to those observed in depression. Studies in at-risk children and adolescents may be important in understanding how early manifestations of depression-like characteristics impact brain function.
Web information systems: introduction to the minitrack

The scope of web-based applications has grown enormously, encompassing now four general kinds of Web-based systems: (1) Intranets, to support internal work, (2) Web presence sites that are marketing tools with the goal of reaching consumer outside of the firm, (3) Electronic Commerce systems that support consumer interaction, such as on-line shopping, and (4) a blend of internal and external systems to support business-to-business communication, commonly called Extranets.Thus, the web platform has transformed itself in the few years from a mere marketing presence to a platform that can support all facets of organizational work. As a result, more important IS efforts are geared towards exploiting the benefits of this platform, leading to the development of information systems based on Web technology, what we call "Web Information Systems" (WISs) [1]. We believe that this type of systems will become as commonplace as client/server systems did a decade ago, but with an exponentially higher impact on our lives, if anything, simply because the WWW has the potential of reaching a much wider audience than client/server systems based on proprietary networks.
Floral entrepreneurs: Kudzu as agricultural solution and ecological problem

The history of claimsmaking by applied scientists about kudzu (Pueraria lobata) in the American South reveals three distinct periods: a period of enthusiasm when kudzu was defined as an agricultural solution (1917–1953), a time of disenchantment when kudzu was defined as an ecological problem (1954–1984), and a period of tempered enthusiasm when new uses for kudzu were proposed (1985‐present). Experts framed scientific findings within a social context of assumptions about the usefulness of applied science, controlling kudzu, kudzu's Japanese origins, and Southern race relations. Thus, claims about kudzu illustrate the construction of applied scientists’ claims.
Racial and Ethnic Recidivism Risks: A Comparison of Postincarceration Rearrest, Reconviction, and Reincarceration Among White, Black, and Hispanic Releasees

Despite a large and rapidly growing Hispanic population in the United States, few researchers have attempted to examine what happens to Hispanic offenders once they have been released from criminal justice control. The present study helps fill this gap by examining differences in the likelihood of recidivism between White, Black, and Hispanic prison releasees using three different recidivism measures: rearrest, reconviction, and reincarceration. The authors use Bureau of Justice Statistics data that track a cohort of offenders for 3 years after their release in 1994 from state and federal prisons. Overall, the study findings show that White releasees have the lowest levels of recidivism and Black releasees have the highest levels of recidivism, net of important legal factors associated with recidivism risk; Hispanic recidivism levels are between those of White and Black releasees. Any conclusions drawn about the relative recidivism risk of Hispanic releasees vis-a-vis Black and White releasees must, howev...
Low overhead program monitoring and profiling

Program instrumentation, inserted either before or during execution, is rapidly becoming a necessary component of many systems. Instrumentation is commonly used to collect information for many diverse analysis applications, such as detecting program invariants, dynamic slicing and alias analysis, software security checking, and computer architecture modeling. Because instrumentation typically has a high run-time overhead, techniques are needed to mitigate the overheads. This paper describes "instrumentation optimizations" that reduce the overhead of profiling for program analysis. Our approach applies transformations to the instrumentation code that reduce the (1) number of instrumentation points executed, (2) cost of instrumentation probes, and (3) cost of instrumentation payload, while maintaining the semantics of the original instrumentation. We present the transformations and apply them for program profiling and computer architecture modeling. We evaluate the optimizations and show that the optimizations improve profiling performance by 1.26-2.63x and architecture modeling performance by 2-3.3x.
Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) for a 3-D Flexible Wing

The formulation and implementation of an optimization method called Simultaneous Aerodynamic Analysis and Design Optimization (SAADO) are extended from single discipline analysis (aerodynamics only) to multidisciplinary analysis - in this case, static aero-structural analysis - and applied to a simple 3-D wing problem. The method aims to reduce the computational expense incurred in performing shape optimization using state-of-the-art Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) flow analysis, Finite Element Method (FEM) structural analysis and sensitivity analysis tools. Results for this small problem show that the method reaches the same local optimum as conventional optimization. However, unlike its application to the win,, (single discipline analysis), the method. as I implemented here, may not show significant reduction in the computational cost. Similar reductions were seen in the two-design-variable (DV) problem results but not in the 8-DV results given here.