cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Option Demand and Consumer's Surplus

In a recent comment Millard F. Long attempted to bastardize Weisbrod's conceptualization of option demand.' He attempted to strip away its legitimacy by holding that it is nothing more than the "unrecognized son of that old goat, consumer surplus." It is argued here that Long achieved his aim in this regard by setting up a conceptual experiment where option demand could not possibly exist. Testing for it and finding it lacking, he thereby sentenced Weisbrod to wear the "scarlet letter." This note is intended to restore his good name. Weisbrod originally indicated that option demand might be present where two conditions exist: (1) where demand is uncertain and infrequent, and (2) where alteration of production plans is prohibitively costly in the short run. Where such conditions exist, he held, it is possible that individuals who do not plan to use a facility or service might be willing to pay something to insure that the item will be available in case they later change their minds. Since in the course of natural events many such individuals do not change their minds, some revenues are never collected, hence output is never extended to optimal levels. Weisbrod unnecessarily illustrated his argument with examples all of which displayed discreteness properties (i.e., should a park or hospital operating in the red be permitted to close, etc.). It was perhaps these examples which turned Long's attention toward discreteness and led him to declare that "option value . . . is closely related to the conditions of the option;" hence, "the option value is exactly the expected consumer surplus from consuming the good at the terms specified in the option." This led him to conclude that "option value, like consumer surplus, is only of importance for discrete changes in a commodity for which there is no good substitute." Missing from Long's entire discussion is any allusion to the critical condition explicitly stipulated in Weisbrod's original article:
Is there a place for sedationless colonoscopy

Usedated colonoscopy is routinely available in many parts of the world. In the US, only educated professionals appear to be knowledgeable enough to request the unsedated option. Colonoscopists have also been willing to perform unsedated colonoscopy when a patient presents without an escort after undergoing bowel purge preparation. While the actual side-effects of sedation are minimal, the escort requirement and time burden of sedation are barriers to the uptake of screening colonoscopy in the US. The recent trend of deep sedation with propofol for screening colonoscopy increases the efficiency of the colonoscopists at significant costs (e.g. anesthetist reimbursement). The options of as needed and on demand sedation permit patients to complete colonoscopy without sedation. The latter appears to be potentially less coercive. Nurses with experience in the unsedated options recognize the benefit of the quick turn-around of the examination room and shortened occupancy of the recovery area. Discharge planning can be optimized due to absence of amnesia. Patients completing unsedated colonoscopy have given their endorsement of the options. Pain and discomfort continue to limit the success rate of cecal intubation to about 80%. A recently described water method (warm water infusion in lieu of air insufflation combined with removal of all residual colonic air by suction and residual feces by water exchange) has the potential of decreasing procedural discomfort and enhancing cecal intubation in unsedated colonoscopy. The availability of the novel water method assures colonoscopists that high success rate of cecal intubation can be achieved in the unsedated patients.
How widespread is adult neurogenesis in mammals

It is widely accepted that adult neurogenesis occurs in the hippocampus and olfactory bulb in the mammalian brain, but whether it is restricted to these areas remains controversial. Gould discusses evidence for and against neocortical neurogenesis in the adult, emphasizing some key methodological issues.
Follow-up of Papanicolaou smears diagnosed as atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance

In the first year since the institution of the Bethesda system at UCDMC, 549/7,388 (7.43%) Papanicolaou (Pap) smears were diagnosed as having an epithelial abnormality. One hundred ninety-three of the 549 (35.1%) of the abnormal smears received an ASCUS diagnosis, representing 2.61% of the total volume. Follow-up was obtained on 124/193 (64.2%) and consisted of colposcopy with biopsy in 38.3%, one repeat Pap smear in 51.2%, and two or more repeat Pap smears in 10.5%. Follow-up revealed a squamous intraepithelial lesion (SIL) in 29.1%, ASCUS in 12.9%, and no evidence of an epithelial lesion in 58.0%. Review of the original ASCUS Pap smear from the group with no epithelial lesion on follow-up showed increased inflammation plus metaplasia and/or reactive changes in 69.5% and ASCUS in 19.5%. This study demonstrates that a significant percentage of ASCUS Pap smears represent SIL. However, many Pap smears with reactive, inflammatory changes are misclassified as ASCUS and would be best diagnosed under "Reactive/Reparative Changes" in the Bethesda system. Careful attention to criteria for ASCUS and inflammatory and reactive atypia is recommended to avoid misclassification and to make this category more meaningful to the clinician.
Metal induced cleavage of amide bonds. Part 3. Cleavage of aromatic amides and isolation of [cis-α-Co(trien) (salicylamide)](ClO4)2 (I), Co(tren)(pyrazine-2-carboxylato)](ClO4)2·2H2O (II) and [Co(tren)(pyrazine-2,3-dicarboxylatomonoamide)](ClO4)Cl (III)

Three aromatic amides were allowed to interact with cis -[dichloro(N 4 )Co] + cations in water solutions at controlled pH ranging from 7.0 to 7.5. N 4 is a linear or a branched tetra-amine, such as trien or tren (trien = 1,4,7,10-tetraazadecane; tren = tris-(2-aminoethyl)amine). In one case(II), the effective result is displacement of the cis -dichloride ligands, amide hydrolysis and trapping of the generated carboxylate as a bidentate ligand to the cobalt amine fragment. In two others ( I and III ), the amide was trapped intact as a bidentate ligand to cobalt in which the NH 2 fragment was dangling, unbound. These results are in line with previous studies carried out here on metal-induced amide and peptide hydrolyses. The products were isolated and characterized by NMR and X-ray diffraction. In all of our previous work the amides were aliphatic. We wanted to determine whether similar metal-induced hydrolytic cleavage would occur with aromatic amides. The answer is that the results depend on the conditions in which the reactions are carried out – details are given below. It is notable that in all three cases, some of the perchlorate oxygens are directly atop the π clouds of the aromatic rings, as discussed in the text. For example, in compound ( III ) three of the oxygens are over the π cloud at average distances of less than 3.5 A.
Thermal leakage from beneath sedimentary basins—an experimental test of the contribution of convective flow structures

In many places heat flow decreases towards the edges of young submarine sedimentary basins, and toward basement outcrops within them. Perhaps this fact contains some information on the thickness and permeability of the convective zone in the ocean crust. A laboratory experiment was conducted by covering 88% of an 8 m2 porous bed with an insulating layer made up of polymethylmethacrylate slabs. Heat flow through these slabs was obtained by pushing a thermistor-tipped snake between them and the bead-and-water porous bed beneath. At all convective fluxes studied from 24 to 2987 W, heat-flow depression only extended one-half of the porous-bed thickness into the insulated zone. The proportion of the total heat flux passing through the insulated area declined from 62% near the onset of convection to 27% at the highest fluxes attained. However, the flux transported convectively to the base of the insulating layer remains close to the value expected from the temperature difference, in spite of the larger flux delivered to the thermally-exposed zone nearby. The ability of the experimental apparatus to deliver the two separate fluxes is due to its highly-conductive, constant-temperature base: enhanced heat transfer due to cold flows from the thermally-exposed area leaves enough physical space for the modest plume flux needed by the resistive cover. Were the bottom boundary resistive, as in nature, the high heat flux from the exposed area would depress the surface-temperature of the base and thus the flux available for the insulated zone. There appears to be no mechanism in the porous flow itself that causes heat flow depression away from the edge of the resistive zone, and thus the marine heat-flow data contain little information about the thickness of the permeable zone in the oceanic crust.
Thermal analysis of the evaporation of compounds used in aromatherapy using thermogravimetry

Abstract Thermogravimetric analysis is often used to evaluate the evaporation phenomenon of several substances. The present study was designed to characterize the vaporization characteristics of three essential oils; lemon oil, lavender oil and cinnamon oil and their several components. All three oils represent multi-component systems, whereas their main components represent single component systems. Linalyl acetate was used as the calibration compound and the coefficient of vaporization was obtained as 7×107 (SI system). The order of reaction was first determined for each of the compounds under study. Vapor pressure curves were then plotted using Langmuir and Antoine equations for the compounds, which represent single component systems, undergoing zero-order non-activated evaporation processes. The vapor pressure curves obtained were statistically quantified along with the calculations for the Antoine constants using SPSS version 10.0 software. The energies of activation for cinnamon oil, lemon oil and lavender oil were found to be 45.10, 33.2 and 33.9 kJ/mol, respectively.
Export Channel Integration Strategy and Performance: A Contingency Approach

Adopting the lenses of transaction cost, agency, internationalization process, and resource-based theories, we propose a contingency model to explain the link between export channel integration and performance. The proposed contingency approach resolves prior inconsistent results in the export literature regarding the effectiveness of export channel integration. The paper suggests theory-based matching strategies for four contingencies based on levels of environmental uncertainty and similarity. Export channel integration is effective under conditions of high market similarity and either low or high environmental uncertainty. Under other conditions, exporters should not integrate. We discuss these with suggestions for research, and for managers developing international strategy.
GTP depletion synergizes the anti-proliferative activity of chemotherapeutic agents in a cell type-dependent manner

Mycophenolic acid (MPA) depletes intracellular GTP by blocking de novo guanine nucleotide synthesis. GTP is used ubiquitously for DNA/RNA synthesis and as a signaling molecule. Here, we made a surprising discovery that the anti-proliferative activity of MPA acts synergistically with specific chemotherapeutic agents in a cell type-dependent manner. In MDA-MB-231 cells, MPA shows an extremely potent synergy with 5-FU but not with doxorubicin or etoposide. The synergy between 5-FU and MPA works most effectively against the highly tumorigenic mammary tumor cells compared to the less tumorigenic ones, and does not work in the non-breast cancer cell types that we tested, with the exception of PC3 cells. On the contrary, MPA shows the highest synergy with paclitaxel but not with 5-FU in SCC-25 cells, derived from oral squamous cell carcinomas. Mechanistically, the synergistic effect of MPA on 5-FU in MDA-MB-231 cells can be recapitulated by inhibiting the RNA polymerase-I activity and requires the expression of nucleostemin. This work reveals that the synergy between MPA and anti-proliferative agents is determined by cell type-dependent factors.
History of analytical chemistry in the U.S.A.

Revue historique decrivant les progres de la chimie analytique depuis 1850 jusqu'a nos jours aux Etats-Unis
Pharmacology of proton pump inhibitors

The gastric H,K-ATPase is the primary target for the treatment of acid-related diseases. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are weak bases composed of two moieties, a substituted pyridine with a primary pKa of about 4.0, which allows selective accumulation in the secretory canaliculus of the parietal cell, and a benzimidazole with a second pKa of about 1.0. PPIs are acid-activated prodrugs that convert to sulfenic acids or sulfenamides that react covalently with one or more cysteines accessible from the luminal surface of the ATPase. Because of covalent binding, their inhibitory effects last much longer than their plasma half-life. However, the short half-life of the drug in the blood and the requirement for acid activation impair their efficacy in acid suppression, particularly at night. PPIs with longer half-life promise to improve acid suppression. All PPIs give excellent healing of peptic ulcers and produce good results in reflux esophagitis. PPIs combined with antibiotics eradicate Helicobacter pylori.
Color bleaching and oxygen diffusion in a niobium phosphate glass

Abstract The color of niobium phosphate glasses ranges from clear to deep blue depending on their thermal history. In this study, a glass with the nominal composition (mole %) 23K 2 O·40Nb 2 O 5 ·37P 2 O 5 was treated in oxidizing and reducing atmospheres at temperatures around T g (730 °C) and the color at room temperature was analyzed using optical spectroscopy. Electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy shows that the blue color is associated with the presence of Nb 4 + ions, which oxidize to Nb 5 + in the clear glasses. Bleaching kinetics were determined from a series of heat treatments below T g in flowing oxygen, and analyzed with an diffusion model that indicated an activation energy of 150 ± 31 kJ/mol.
Orientation to community mental health for clinicians in training.

Many of the principles and practices of community mental health are compatible with valid clinical training and offer perspectives and context within which training can flourish. This article addresses some of these considerations and outlines some of the training opportunities that focus on the substantial common ground between the two fields. Some of the reluctance of clinical training institutions to develop training in community mental health can be understood as stemming from an awareness of the complexities of training required to develop a community mental health specialist. If the focus is on a basic orientation to the field of community mental health for the clinician, rather than specialty training, the total program can be enriched, rather than diminished, and the commonalities between the fields expanded.
Structural evolution of Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascreus Mons: Tharsis region of Mars

Analysis of Viking Orbiter data suggests that Arsia Mons, Pavonis Mons, and Ascreus Mons, three large shield volcanoes of the Tharsis volcanoes of Mars, have had similar evolutionary trends. Arsia Mons appears to have developed in the following sequence: (1) construction of a main shield volcano, (2) outbreak of parasitic eruption centers on the northeast and southwest flanks, (3) volcano-tectonic subsidence of the summit and formation of concentric fractures and grabens, possibly by evacuation of an underlying magma chamber during eruption of copious lavas from parasitic eruption centers on the northeast and southwest flanks, and (4) continued volcanism along a fissure or rift bisecting the main shield, resulting in flooding of the floor of the volcano-tectonic depression and inundation of the northeast and southwest flanks by voluminous lavas locally forming parasitic shields. In terms of this sequence Pavonis Mons has developed to stage (3) and Ascreus Mons has evolved to stage (2). This interpretation is supported by crater frequency-diameter distributions in the 0.1- to 3.0-km diameter range.
DEA evaluations of the efficiency of organizational forms and distribution systems in the US property and liability insurance industry

The efficiency effects of different forms of ownership (stock versus mutual) and types of marketing system (agency versus direct) are studied using 1989 data for the US property-liability insurance industry. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) results are obtained from the recently developed RAM (Range Adjusted Measure) model and then extended for comparison with studies by others. Using agency theory (and like approaches) these studies assume that operations all occur only on the efficient frontier. The need for that assumption is obviated by using operations provided by DEA to project all observations onto their efficient frontiers. A use of (non-parametric) rank-order statistics then produces results which differ from these other studies.
Source placement error for permanent implant of the prostate

The performance of ultrasound (US) and fluoroscopic-guided permanent 125I source implant of the prostate using CT identification of the source positions has been evaluated. Marker seeds were implanted during the planning study to assist in the alignment of the US and CT prostate volumes for treatment planning and to guide the placement of needles. The relative positions of the needles and marker seeds were checked by fluoroscopy. A postimplant CT study was used to input the radioactive source positions and to register the sources relative to the preimplant CT and US prostate volumes and the planned source distribution. Source placement errors observed were categorized as: (1) source-to-source spacing differences; (2) needle placement error, both depth and position; and (3) seed splaying, particularly near the prostate periphery. Errors due to source splaying and spacing were in part attributed to prostate motion. Later refinements included fixed-spaced string sources, for which placement errors were smaller than for unattached sources. However, source placement errors due to needle placement error and prostate motion remained unchanged.
A hierarchical Bayesian model for combining multiple 2 x 2 tables using conditional likelihoods

This paper introduces a hierarchical Bayesian model for combining multiple 2 x 2 tables that allows the flexibility of different odds ratio estimates for different tables and at the same time allows the tables to borrow information from each other. The proposed model, however, is different from a full Bayesian model in that the nuisance parameters are eliminated by conditioning instead of integration. The motivation is a more robust model and a faster and more stable Gibbs algorithm. We work out a Gibbs scheme using the adaptive rejection sampling for log concave density and an algorithm for the mean and variance of the noncentral hypergeometric distribution. The model is applied to a multicenter ulcer clinical trial.
Fast thermonuclear ignition with two nested high current lower voltage – high voltage lower current magnetically insulated transmission lines

Abstract Fast thermonuclear ignition with a high gain seems possible with two Marx generators feeding two nested magnetically insulated transmission lines, one delivering a high current lower voltage pulse for compression and confinement, and one delivering a high voltage lower current pulse for fast ignition. With an input energy conceivably as small as 100 kJ the gain can be as large as 10 3 . The concept not only would be by orders of magnitude less expensive than laser compression and fast ignition schemes, but because of the large gain with a small yield also be more suitable for a thermonuclear reactor.
Epistemic Contextualism as a Theory of Primary Speaker Meaning

Jason Stanley’s Knowledge and Practical Interests is a brilliant book, combining insights about knowledge with a careful examination of how recent views in epistemology fit with the best of recent linguistic semantics. Although I am largely convinced by Stanley’s objections to epistemic contextualism, I will try in what follows to formulate a version that might have some prospect of escaping his powerful critique.
Conformational Heterogeneity of Karyopherinβ2 Is Segmental

Summary Karyopherinβ2 (Kapβ2) or transportin imports numerous RNA binding proteins into the nucleus. Kapβ2 binds substrates in the cytoplasm and targets them through the nuclear pore complex, where RanGTP dissociates them in the nucleus. Here we report the 3.0 A crystal structure of unliganded Kapβ2, which consists of a superhelix of 20 HEAT repeats. Together with previously reported structures of NLS and Ran complexes, this structure provides understanding of conformational heterogeneity that accompanies ligand binding. The Kapβ2 superhelix is divided into three major segments. Two of them (HEAT repeats 9–13 and 14–18), which constitute the substrate binding site, are rigid elements that rotate relative to each other about a flexible hinge. The third (HEAT repeats 1–8), which constitutes the Ran binding site, exhibits conformational changes throughout its length. An analogous segmental architecture is also observed in Importinβ, suggesting that it is functionally significant and may be conserved in other import karyopherins.
Gö 6976 Is a Potent Inhibitor of Neurotrophin-Receptor Intrinsic Tyrosine Kinase

We report here that addition of the protein kinase C inhibitor Go 6976 blocked neurotrophin-induced signaling and autophosphorylation of neurotrophin-specific tyrosine kinase (Trk) receptors, either Trk B in cortical neurons or Trk A in GT1-1-trk9 cells. The effect of Go 6976 on Trk autophosphorylation was not inhibited by 100 microM orthovanadate, suggesting that the block was not due to the activation of tyrosine phosphatases. Moreover, addition of 10-100 nM concentrations of Go 6976 inhibited either Trk B or Trk A intrinsic kinase activity in cell-free assays. Go 6976 also blocked the ability of brain-derived neurotrophic factor to promote cortical neuronal survival and the ability of nerve growth factor to promote PC12 cell survival and differentiation. These results suggest that Go 6976, besides its known inhibitory effects on lipid- and calcium-dependent isoforms of protein kinase C, can also inhibit neurotrophin signaling by directly inhibiting the intrinsic Trk.
Role-play tests for assessing social skills: Are they valid?

Two studies were conducted to examine the validity of role-play tests of social skills. Subjects in both studies were psychiatric patients. Experiment 1 examined the relationship between specific response components on the Behavioral Assertiveness Test-Revised (BAT-R) and mental health experts' ratings of overall response effectiveness and quality. Multiple regression analyses indicated that several of the response components, in combination, were highly predictive of experts' judgments. Regression patterns for positive nad negative assertion responses differed substantially. Experiment 2 examined the correspondence between responses on the BAT-R and two more natural situations: structured interviews and treatment groups. Component responses were highly correlated across BAT-R scenes. However, responses on the BAT-R were not related to responses in the other two situations. In contrast, responses in the other two situations were highly intercorrelated. Results were discussed in terms of two aspects of BAT-R procedure: validity of the specific measurements and external validity of the role-play strategy. The results were also related to previous social skills research.
Dark triad personality traits and theory of mind among school-age children

Abstract This study examined the associations between four personality dimensions associated with the dark triad (callous–unemotional traits, narcissism, impulsivity, and Machiavellianism) and theory of mind (TOM) abilities among 146 middle school children. Results of hierarchical multiple regression analyses showed narcissism to be positively associated with TOM, callous–unemotional (CU) traits to be negatively associated with TOM, and impulsivity and Machiavellianism to be unrelated to TOM. No significant interactions were found between gender and any of the dimensions of personality. The putative mechanisms linking each personality dimension with understanding of mental states in others are discussed, along with directions for future research.
Structural studies on urethane elastomers

Abstract A number of techniques have been used to study structural organization and transitions in polyether- and polyester-based urethane elastomers. Scanning thermal methods reveal three characteristic transitions common to samples of varying composition, namely, the major glass transition and two higher transitions believed due to disruption of different types of hydrogen bonding. Other transitions are assigned to melting of ester and of urethane crystallites. Light-scattering measurements on turbid polyether-based samples indicate both isotropic and anisotropic contributions to scattered intensity, the latter reflecting structural ordering on a small scale. X-Ray diffraction studies of stress-induced crystallization in the polyetherbased elastomer show reflections attributed to crystallites of polyether segments. It is concluded that separation into a domain structure occurs in both types of elastomers, but to a higher degree in the polyether-based polymers than in the polyester-based polymers, possib...
Chemical carcinogens as specific inducers of a 60-kilodalton oncofetal protein in rats

A 60-kd oncofetal protein which is released to circulation in vivo from tumor cells, or from normal tissues following carcinogen-treatment, has been evaluated against single dose regimens of 18 known chemical carcinogens and 13 known chemical non-carcinogens. The carcinogens included genotoxic and presumed non-genotoxic compounds and the blood plasma 21 days post-treatment of rats with the chemicals was measured. All carcinogens tested transiently induced the 60-kd factor, while none of the non-carcinogens, which included non-carcinogenic analogs or toxins, induced the factor. The results suggest that the early induction of this oncofetal protein may be an indicator of carcinogenicity. The induction of reversible phenotypic changes in normal cells by tumor promoters did not induce the 60-kd factor. Following the carcinogen-mediated transient induction, persistent production of the 60-kd factor occurred at later times if a tumor developed.
Harmonic source separation using prestored spectra

Detecting multiple pitches (F0s) and segregating musical instrument lines from monaural recordings of contrapuntal polyphonic music into separate tracks is a difficult problem in music signal processing. Applications include audio-to-MIDI conversion, automatic music transcription, and audio enhancement and transformation. Past attempts at separation have been limited to separating two harmonic signals in a contrapuntal duet (Maher, 1990) or several harmonic signals in a single chord (Virtanen and Klapuri, 2001, 2002). Several researchers have attempted polyphonic pitch detection (Klapuri, 2001; Eggink and Brown, 2004a), predominant melody extraction (Goto, 2001; Marolt, 2004; Eggink and Brown, 2004b), and instrument recognition (Eggink and Brown, 2003). Our solution assumes that each instrument is represented as a time-varying harmonic series and that errors can be corrected using prior knowledge of instrument spectra. Fundamental frequencies (F0s) for each time frame are estimated from input spectral data using an Expectation-Maximization (EM) based algorithm with Gaussian distributions used to represent the harmonic series. Collisions (i.e., overlaps) between instrument harmonics, which frequently occur, are predicted from the estimated F0s. The uncollided harmonics are matched to ones contained in a pre-stored spectrum library in order that each F0‘s harmonic series is assigned to the appropriate instrument. Corrupted harmonics are restored using data taken from the library. Finally, each voice is additively resynthesized to a separate track. This algorithm is demonstrated for a monaural signal containing three contrapuntal musical instrument voices with distinct timbres.
The effect of executive walk rounds on nurse safety climate attitudes: A randomized trial of clinical units

Executive walk rounds (EWRs) are a widely used but unstudied activity designed to improve safety culture in hospitals. Therefore, we measured the impact of EWRs on one important part of safety culture – provider attitudes about the safety climate in the institution. Randomized study of EWRs for 23 clinical units in a tertiary care teaching hospital. All providers except physicians participated. EWRs were conducted at each unit by one of six hospital executives once every four weeks for three visits. Providers were asked about their concerns regarding patient safety and what could be done to improve patient safety. Suggestions were tabulated and when possible, changes were made. Provider attitudes about safety climate measured by the Safety Climate Survey before and after EWRs. We report mean scores, percent positive scores (percentage of providers who responded four or higher on a five point scale (agree slightly or agree strongly), and the odds of EWR participants agreeing with individual survey items when compared to non-participants. Before EWRs the mean safety climate scores for nurses were similar in the control units and EWR units (78.97 and 76.78, P = 0.458) as were percent positive scores (64.6% positive and 61.1% positive). After EWRs the mean safety climate scores were not significantly different for all providers nor for nurses in the control units and EWR units (77.93 and 78.33, P = 0.854) and (56.5% positive and 62.7% positive). However, when analyzed by exposure to EWRs, nurses in the control group who did not participate in EWRs (n = 198) had lower safety climate scores than nurses in the intervention group who did participate in an EWR session (n = 85) (74.88 versus 81.01, P = 0.02; 52.5% positive versus 72.9% positive). Compared to nurses who did not participate, nurses in the experimental group who reported participating in EWRs also responded more favorably to a majority of items on the survey. EWRs have a positive effect on the safety climate attitudes of nurses who participate in the walk rounds sessions. EWRs are a promising tool to improve safety climate and the broader construct of safety culture.
Targeted biomarker detection via whole protein ion trap tandem mass spectrometry: thymosin β4 in a human lung cancer cell line

N-Terminally acetylated thymosin β4, a species implicated for use as a cancer biomarker, was identified in a human lung cancer cell line using ion trap tandem mass spectrometry at the whole protein level. Ion–ion proton transfer reactions were used for parent ion concentration/manipulation and to simplify interpretation of product ion spectra. Dissociation data for the +6 to +3 charge states are reported. As is usually the case, structural information available from the ion trap collisional activation of the protein is sensitive to parent ion charge state. Each parent ion charge state selected, however, provided sufficient information to make a confident identification. Furthermore, each charge state provided relatively rich fragmentation. Therefore, any of the charge states can be used to detect with high specificity thymosin β4 in a complex protein mixture. There are advantages associated with the rapid detection of protein biomarkers at the whole protein level, as opposed to the peptide level following protein digestion, particularly for relatively small protein and polypeptide biomarkers. Having identified and characterized the protein, product ion spectra obtained directly, without recourse to ion–ion proton transfer reactions, can be used for library matching. However, ion–ion proton transfer reactions for parent ion concentration and charge state purification are advantageous in addressing relatively complex mixtures. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Is a Trait Really the Mean of States? Similarities and Differences Between Traditional and Aggregate Assessments of Personality

Although several definitions exist, a personality trait can be defined as the average or expected value of personality-relevant behaviors. However, recent evidence suggests that, while trait questionnaires and aggregated momentary assessments of personality are highly related, they may also differ in meaningful ways. In this study, we examine the relationship between trait and mean state personality. Results indicate that these two assessment strategies, although highly related, do not show convergence (r = .39–.64) levels that would signify an equity of constructs. In line with this, these two assessment strategies show differential predictive utility. Although the pattern of this differential predictive utility suggests that measurement error may account for differences, the difference between trait and mean state personality predicts affect in a manner consistent with self-discrepancy theory. Thus, although these two constructs are highly related, the differences between trait and mean state personalit...
AC and DC performance of polymeric housing materials for HV outdoor insulators

An experimental study was conducted to investigate the performance of several polymer outdoor insulator formulations under AC and DC electrical stresses. The performance of the polymers was evaluated in terms of their charge accumulation and decay characteristics as a function of humidity, and their tracking and erosion resistance. The results obtained from this study indicate that significant differences exist in surface charging phenomena between AC and DC. A likely contribution of DC polarization processes leading to hydrophobicity loss is believed to influence additionally the performance of materials subjected to pollution and DC electrical stresses. A substantial reduction in the tracking and erosion resistance of the polymeric materials is observed with DC stresses, in comparison to AC. The poorer electrical performance of the materials stressed with DC voltage was found to be due to higher magnitudes and longer duration times of the discharge current.
Fertilizer and soil P uptake by maize, as affected by soil P level, granule size, and solubility of phosphate sources

Two greenhouse pot experiments were conducted to evaluate labelled concentrated superphosphate (CSP) and labelled dicalcium phosphate (DCP) alone and in mixtures for maize grown on soils low, high and very high in available P. On the low P soil yield of dry forage, total uptake of P and uptake of fertilizer P increased linearly with 0, 20, 40 and 80 ppm of P applied as the various fine and granular sources varying widely in P water solubility. Hence, all of these criteria were highly correlated and suitable for evaluating effectiveness of the P on the low P soil. On the soil high and very high in P, only uptake of fertilizer P, which also increased linearly with rate of application, was suitable for evaluating the sources. Total uptake of fertilizer P decreased with increase in soil P level, but relative differences among granular sources were similar at the three soil P levels. Effectiveness of the P fertilizers decreased markedly with decreasing water solubility of the granular sources on all soils; the same trend was true for the fine sources at high soil P levels.Actual uptake of fertilizer P or percentage recovery of labelled P applied was a better basis for source evaluation at high soil P levels than were calculated A values. There was little advantage in this study of labelling with 32P for P source evaluation at the low soil P level over use of multiple rates of the unlabelled fertilizers. However, labelling was essential at the higher soil P levels.
Rate-Dependent Adhesion between Opposed Perfluoropoly(alkyl ether) Layers: Dependence on Chain-End Functionality and Chain Length

120 Im/s of a detachment device with spring constant 1.1 10 4 N/m) using a modified surface forces apparatus with piezoelectric actuators supporting one surface. Rate dependence resulting in an increase of the adhesion by a factor up to 3 was observed when the unloading rate exceeded a critical value that was found to depend not only on the polymer sample but also on the contact time between opposed layers. At a given unloading rate, the adhesion was larger, the longer the surfaces were left in stationary contact before separation. No history dependence was observed when the unloading rate was raised and subsequently lowered. For relatively short contact times (0.01-1 s), the critical unloading rate was larger for the polymer that contained polar end groups than for unfunctionalized polymer of similar chain length, indicating a lower mobility in the former case, and thus slower initial interdigitation of the chains, since the polar end group had a preferential affinity for the underlying surface. This effect vanished for contact times of 100-500 s. For polymer chains without polar end groups, the critical value of the unloading rate was smaller, the larger the chain length, and the increase in adhesion with unloading rate was more pronounced, presumably reflecting slower relaxation of the longer chains. The rate dependence is analyzed quantitatively.
Pheromone puff trajectory and upwind flight of male gypsy moths in a forest

. Pheromone released from a point source beneath a forest canopy usually follows a non-linear trajectory as demonstrated by the paths of small, neutrally-buoyant, helium-filled balloons or puffs of smoke. Mark-recapture experiments show that few male gypsy moths (Lymantria dispar L.) follow a pheromone plume over distances greater than 80 m even though they can easily detect pheromone at that distance as indicated by wingfanning assay. The directional consistency of successive puffs of pheromone appears more important than the linearity of their trajectories in enabling males to locate a pheromone source.
Mixed basis functions for fast analysis of antennas near voxel-based human models

To support the continuing proliferation of wireless devices that operate near/on/in the human body in the UHF band (0.3-3 GHz), antenna properties (input impedance, radiation patterns, etc.) must be characterized in the presence of human models. In recent years, a significant number of different anatomically accurate high-fidelity human models have been developed for these problems (Massey et al., 34th Annu. Conf. Bioelectromagnetics Society, 2012). With a few exceptions, almost all human models developed to date are based on voxels because the underlying data sets are 2-D medical images, e.g., CT, MRI, and cross-sectional images, and because it is extremely challenging to smooth these models while maintaining their accuracy. Given the difficulty of the problem, it should be expected that voxel-based models will continue to dominate the available human models in the future. As a result, computational methods that are based on regular meshes, such as the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) and conjugate gradient FFT (CG-FFT) methods, have clear advantages for analyzing scattering from human models; in fact, these methods remain the two most popular approaches in bioelectromagnetics. When antennas must be modeled, however, the classical FDTD and CG-FFT methods constrain the antenna to conform to a regular mesh to avoid significant staircasing errors. Recently, a massively parallel and preconditioned version of the adaptive integral method (AIM) has been used to analyze antennas near human models (F. Wei and A. E. Yilmaz, Int. Conf. on Electromag. in Advanced Applicat., 869-872, 2012). The AIM approach allows irregular meshes to be used when discretizing integral equations because it introduces an auxiliary regular grid to accelerate the method of moments solution. Thus, arbitrarily shaped, located, and oriented antennas can be modeled accurately by using triangular surface and tetrahedral volume meshes when AIM is used. Discretizing voxel-based human models with tetrahedral volume meshes, however, is inefficient. It requires splitting each voxel into five or more tetrahedra and assigning the voxel's material properties to these tetrahedra; this increases the number of elements/unknowns without adding any information on material properties and boundary locations. In this article, the AIM procedure is modified to use mixed basis functions; specifically, voxel-based volume basis functions (rooftops) are used in the human model and triangle-based surface and tetrahedron-based volume basis functions are used in the antenna region. While a single auxiliary grid is used to enclose both the human and antennas models, the remaining AIM parameters (number of auxiliary grid points and the near-zone correction size assigned to the basis functions) are optimized separately for the different types of basis functions. The mixed basis functions are observed to reduce the iterative solution time by a factor of ~5-10.
Analysis of losses in high-efficiency CdTe cells

High-efficiency (/spl ges/15%) CdTe solar cells, fabricated at the University of South Florida, show favorable features in their diode junction characteristics. At any selected voltage, forward current is smaller than that reported for other CdTe cells. Variable-intensity measurements show the diode quality factor A increases gradually between 0 and 100 mW/cm/sup 2/, and is less at operating intensities than seen in other cells to date. Series and shunt resistances decrease continuously with intensity, but most of the decrease occurs below 10 mW/cm/sup 2/. Temperature dependent measurements show a 1.8 mV/K decrease in the open-circuit voltage and an approximate 1.4 V zero-temperature extrapolation. The difference between the translated light curve and dark curve in the operating range is 50 mV at higher temperatures and 70 mV at lower ones. Examination of several cells over a 3-month period shows the elimination of an increase in series resistance seen in the previous highest-efficiency cell. >
Damage-Induced Modeling of Asphalt Mixtures through Computational Micromechanics and Cohesive Zone Fracture

This paper presents a computational micromechanics modeling approach to predict damage-induced mechanical response of asphalt mixtures. Heterogeneous geometric characteristics and inelastic mechanical behavior were taken into account by introducing finite element modeling techniques and a viscoelastic material model. The modeling also includes interface fracture to rep resent crack growth and damage evolution. The interface fracture is modeled by using a micromechanical nonlinear viscoelastic cohesive-zone constitutive relation. Fundamental material properties and fracture characteristics were measured from simple laboratory tests and then incorporated into the model to predict rate-dependent viscoelastic damage behavior of the asphalt mixture. Simulation results demonstrate that each model parameter significantly influences the mechanical behavior of the overall asphalt mixture. Within a theoretical framework of micromechanics, this study is expected to be suitable for evaluating damage-induced performance of asphalt mixtures by measuring only material properties and fracture properties of each mix component and not by recursively performing expensive laboratory tests that are typically required for continuum damage mechanics modeling.
New subband decompositions and coders for image and video compression

A review of the spectral partitioning commonly used in subband image coders and new directional subband decompositions is presented. The theoretical coding gain (TCG) is then estimated for a broad class of images, and it is revealed that for natural images, the increase in performance of the directional subband decompositions relative to the more traditional rectangularly separable decompositions is only marginal. However, if a two-band subband decomposition is performed (in the temporal dimension) of a progressively scanned video sequence, then notable gains can be achieved by encoding the high-temporal-frequency band using the directional subband decompositions. >
Prediction of child performance on a parent-child behavioral approach test with animal phobic children.

A host of factors including genetic influences, temperament characteristics, learning experiences, information processing biases, parental psychopathology, and specific parenting practices have been hypothesized to contribute to the development and expression of children’s phobias. In the present study, the authors focused on parental psychopathology (phobic anxiety) and parenting behaviors (warmth, involvement) in the prediction of child performance on a behavioral approach test (BAT). All children (n = 44) experienced a phobia of animals and were clinic referred. The youth completed two BATs: the first alone and the second one with a parent present. Overall, performance was greater on the parent-present BAT (58% of steps completed) than on the child-alone BAT (38% of steps completed), although considerable variability was present. Performance on the parent-present BAT was associated with parental warmth and involvement but not parental phobic anxiety. Implications of these findings were discussed, and t...
Exploring Functional Connectivities of the Human Brain using Multivariate Information Analysis

In this study, we present a new method for establishing fMRI pattern-based functional connectivity between brain regions by estimating their multivariate mutual information. Recent advances in the numerical approximation of high-dimensional probability distributions allow us to successfully estimate mutual information from scarce fMRI data. We also show that selecting voxels based on the multivariate mutual information of local activity patterns with respect to ground truth labels leads to higher decoding accuracy than established voxel selection methods. We validate our approach with a 6-way scene categorization fMRI experiment. Multivariate information analysis is able to find strong information sharing between PPA and RSC, consistent with existing neuroscience studies on scenes. Furthermore, an exploratory whole-brain analysis uncovered other brain regions that share information with the PPA-RSC scene network.
Impact of pathogen-directed antimicrobial therapy for ventilator-associated pneumonia in trauma patients on charges and recurrence.

Background Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) represents one of the driving forces behind antibiotic use in the ICU. In a previous study, we established a defined algorithm for treatment of hospital-acquired VAP dictated by the causative pathogen. The purpose of the current study was to evaluate the impact of this algorithm for hospital-acquired VAP on recurrence and charges in trauma patients. Study Design Patients with VAP secondary to MRSA, Acinetobacter baumannii , Pseudomonas aeruginosa , Stenotrophomonas maltophilia , or Enterobacteriaceae during 5 years subsequent to the previous study were evaluated. All VAP were diagnosed using quantitative cultures of the bronchoalveolar lavage effluent. Duration of antimicrobial therapy was dictated by the causative pathogen. If microbiologic resolution, defined as 3 colony-forming units/mL, was achieved, therapy was stopped by day 10. The remainder received 14 days of therapy. Recurrence was defined as >10 5 colony-forming units/mL on subsequent bronchoalveolar lavage performed within 2 weeks after completion of appropriate therapy. Results Five hundred and twenty-nine VAP episodes were identified in 381 patients. Overall recurrence was unchanged compared with the previous study (1.5% vs 2%; p = 0.3). There was a decrease in the number of bronchoalveolar lavages performed per patient compared with the previous study (1.6 vs 2.3; p = 0.24) and a reduction of 4.8 antibiotic days per VAP episode compared with the previous study. Both changes resulted in a cumulative reduction of $3,535.04 per patient, for a savings of $1.35 million during the study period. Conclusions Hospital-acquired VAP can be managed effectively by a defined course of therapy dictated by the causative pathogen. Adherence to an established algorithm simplified the management of VAP and contributed to a cumulative reduction in patient charges without impacting recurrence.