cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
What can mixed martial arts do for you? A content analysis of life skills youth can develop through participation in mixed martial arts

In Canada, the growing popularity of youth participation in mixed martial arts (MMA) may be attributed in part to MMA schools marketing their programs as a vital way for youth to develop life skills (e.g., positive thinking, stress management, anti-bullying skills, self-confidence, social skills). While anecdotal sources promote the idea that youth develop life skills from their participation in MMA, few empirical studies indicate martial arts positively impact youths’ development (Lakes & Hoyt, 2004). The purpose of this study was to identify the life skills that MMA clubs suggest they are developing and explore how clubs suggest these skills are being facilitated. Data was collected from websites of 20 MMA gyms in Southern Ontario that offered youth programming. Data was analyzed using content analysis methodology (Krippendorff, 1980). Website information, key words and descriptions about life skills development and process of life skills development at the specific MMA gym was located on the website and recorded. Additionally, information regarding the gym’s program philosophy, mission statement and program design was also collected. All schools promoted that they could increase youth participants’ self-esteem or self-confidence. Most MMA schools promoted their ability to develop character; however, the specific aspects of the character they claimed to develop were not identified. Finally, MMA school websites commonly identified that youth programs led to improvements in self-discipline, respect and social skills. Interestingly, life skills commonly identified in past youth sport development research (i.e. leadership, sportsmanship, were not identified as outcomes of participation in MMA Hansen et al., 2003). Further research is necessary to determine if and how child and youth MMA programs are following through on their claims of life skills development exploring the development of life skills in youth MMA. Acknowledgments: Social Sciences Research Council of Canada Sport Canada
Effects of early break intervals on musicians’ and nonmusicians’ skill learning:

We measured the extent to which motor skill performance is advantaged by break intervals that include varied types of cognitive activity interposed early in a training session, directly comparing the performances of musicians and nonmusicians. Participants (N = 118; 59 music majors, 59 nonmusicians) learned a 5-element keypress sequence on a digital piano during 12 min training sessions. Participants in three conditions took a 5 min break after 3 min of practice, and either practiced a new 5-element sequence (Break-motor), memorized word pairs (Break-word pair), or conversed with the proctor (Break-talk). Those in the fourth condition took no break (No-break). Participants were tested 12 hr later, following a night of sleep. Participants made significant performance gains across training and test, but musicians significantly outperformed nonmusicians at all timepoints. Nonmusicians made greater percentage gains than did musicians over the 5 min break interval and overnight, and participants in the Break-m...
Factors Contributing to Orphan Works Vis-À-Vis a Viable Solution

The purpose of this dissertation is to characterize the status of Orphan Works in the digital Era and to recommend possible solutions. Firstly, I would discuss the Eldred v. Ashcroft with an aim to comprehend why copyright term has always been extended as such extension is contributing towards accumulation of Orphan Works. In the next chapter, I discuss The Shawn Bentley Orphan Works Legislation and try to analyze if searching the authors are worth blocking the knowledge. The current complexity of Copyright Law does little to inhibit the growth of infringing behavioral patterns to Orphan Works, henceforth, is Google Book a feasible solution? In my third chapter I attempt to problematize the Google Books Settlement and discuss its attributes. After discussing the aforementioned, I draw the conclusion that it would be in Congress’s best interest to pass the Orphan Work Legislation if Google Books settlement is a failure. If not, treatment of Orphan Works in other parts of the world can be used by US as an example (more of a risk analysis measure) and incorporate them in the Copyright Act.
Factors Contributing to Wort Nitrogen. II. Effects of Malting Time and Gibberellic Acid on Endopeptidase and Exopeptidase Activities12

Malts grown for 1–5 days were used for comparison of several proteolytic enzyme activities with published data on the release of N compounds during malting and mashing. The activities of carboxypep...
Throughput Measures for Delay-constrained Communications in Fading Channels

Fading channels, often seen in wireless systems, provide an unfavorable environment for reliable communications. Current methods for evaluating the performance of fading channels include ergodic capacity and 2-capacity. Ergodic capacity quantifies the ultimate reliable communication limit of the fading channel. It is only achievable with infinite coding delay, making it impossible to achieve in practice. 2-capacity, achievable with finite coding delay, does not provide a measure of error-free communications performance. Since practical communication systems are delay-constrained, it is possible to retransmit codewords when errors occur. We provide a new analysis framework that accounts for codeword retransmission in the analysis of fading channels. We introduce new measures, maximum zero-outage throughput and maximum 2-throughput, that predict the performance of practical systems and show that ergodic capacity and 2-capacity are special cases of our definitions. We also provide a measure that characterizes the performance of a system with more complex receiver design, using “incremental diversity” to improve
Quantitative Fractographic Analysis of Fracture Origins in Glass

The intention of this chapter is to identify the sources of failure in glass, prescribe the analysis techniques available and suggest ways of improving the strength of glass. Most of the chapter will be devoted to analyzing fracture surfaces and from them deducing the origin and state of stress at failure.
Male Accessory Sexual Glands Secretions and their Antithetical Role in Immunosurveillance

Abstract Insemination, pregnancy and malignancy represent antithetical roles of the immune system in distinguishing ‘self’ from ‘non-self’. In studies of autosensitization to the prostate and other male accessory sexual glands (MASG) and secretions of reproduction, coagulo-prostatic fluid, a MASG secretion of laboratory animals, and human seminal plasma (SePl) have been shown to be immunosuppressive. Among other potential factors, this immunosuppressive activity is suggested to be associated with transglutaminase activity. Based on these observations, the MASG secretions have been hypothesized to play an immunoantithetical role, contributing to the maintenance of tolerance to inseminated spermatozoa, the foetus and concomitantly by the same means to the development of aberrant and retrogenic cellular alterations and their “unchecked” exacerbation. Endogenous to the prostate, SePl, with its admixture of MASG secretions and immunosuppressive properties, may be that unique milieu which may explain the predilection for the development of benign and malignant tumours of the prostate when compared to the rare occurrence of tumours in other MASG. Intraprostatic suppression by endogenous secretions may also contribute to the poor immunological response in males to urogenital infections. While acquisition of immunosuppressive factors in SePl as a consequence of certain “life-style” orientations and sexual practices or the infusion of common immunosuppressive factors, e.g., transglutaminase, present in antihaemophiliac factors, to haemophiliacs may contribute to aberrations of immune function and subsequent sequelae observed in the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.
Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy: A rare pediatric head and neck lesion

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumors of infancy are rare tumors arising from the neural crest and typically present during the first 12 months of life. The majority involve the facial bones, although melanotic neuroectodermal tumors of infancy of the skull and extremities have been observed with less frequency, as in the present case. This entity may initially be presented to the dermatologist as a scalp mass and should be considered in the differential diagnosis of infants with rapidly growing head and neck lesions.
Nobody’s talking to the mentees

Although researchers support the notion that college- and university-sponsored mentoring programs effectively academically transition and retain postsecondary students from a variety of sociocultur...
Robust myelin quantitative imaging from multi-echo T2 MRI using edge preserving spatial priors.

Demyelinating diseases such as multiple sclerosis cause changes in the brain white matter microstructure. Multi-exponential T2 relaxometry is a powerful technology for detecting these changes by generating a myelin water fraction (MWF) map. However, conventional approaches are subject to noise and spatial in-consistence. We proposed a novel approach by imposing spatial consistency and smoothness constraints. We first introduce a two-Gaussian model to approximate the T2 distribution. Then an expectation-maximization framework is introduced with an edge-preserving prior incorporated. Three-dimensional multi-echo MRI data sets were collected from three patients and three healthy volunteers. MWF maps ob-tained using the conventional, Spatially Regularized Non-negative Least Squares (srNNLS) algorithm as well as the proposed algorithm are compared. The proposed method provides MWF maps with improved depiction of brain structures and significantly lower coefficients of variance in various brain regions.
Central limit theorem for descents in conjugacy classes of Sn

Abstract The distribution of descents in fixed conjugacy classes of S n has been studied, and it is shown that its moments have interesting properties. Fulman proved that the descent numbers of permutations in conjugacy classes with large cycles are asymptotically normal, and Kim proved that the descent numbers of fixed point free involutions are also asymptotically normal. In this paper, we generalize these results to prove a central limit theorem for descent numbers of permutations in any conjugacy class of S n .
Pharmacists' Knowledge, Perceptions, and Practices Regarding Herbal Medicine.

Introduction: With the increase of herbal medicine sales and a lack of reliable information available to consumers, it is important for pharmacists to be knowledgeable about these products and have the ability to effectively counsel on their uses and risks. The purpose of this study was to: 1) assess community pharmacists’ knowledge, perceptions, and practices regarding herbal medicines, 2) understand the impact pharmacists may have on their patients’ herbal medicine use, and 3) gauge what practices could be improved. Methods: An anonymous survey was distributed to community pharmacists through email, social media, and in-person at local pharmacies. The survey consisted of general background questions, questions assessing perceptions and practices regarding herbal medicine, and a ten-question true/false quiz to assess knowledge. Survey data was collected and assessed using Qualtrics and Excel. Results: Of the 127 community pharmacists who completed the survey, only 34% were confident in their ability to effectively counsel patients on herbal medicines. Approximately 50% of pharmacists reported never or rarely asking patients about herbal medicine use and 80% reported never or rarely documenting herbal medicine use. Only 25% of pharmacists reported that they always discuss side effects and 19% reported that they always discuss herb-drug interactions when patients are using herbal medicines. The average quiz score assessing knowledge of herbal medicines was 6.06 out of 10. Conclusions: It is important for community pharmacists to be knowledgeable about herbal medicines and prepared to educate patients to ensure safe medication use. Pharmacists need to acknowledge the use of herbal medicine in their patients and always discuss potential side effects and herb-drug interactions. It is also important that pharmacists know where they can find reliable information on herbal medicines and use evidence-based resources when possible. Article Type: Student Project
Tests for Network Cascades via Branching Processes

We consider a network setting where branches form under the null of normal periods and larger branches form under the alternative. Our goal is to distinguish abnormally large branches, which we term cascades, from the common branches formed under the null. Call detail records provide the motivating example, as large call branches form after disruptive events, yet call branches also form during normal periods. We introduce a formal statistical testing framework to distinguish between branches formed under the null and alternative based on expected branch size. After defining the characteristics of edge formation under the null, we derive the expected size and variance of branches using the machinery of branching processes. We introduce a test statistic that compares observed average branch size to expected branch size under the null, which allows us to quantify the probability a cascade has occurred. Our test statistic is semiparametric, consistent, and asymptotically distributed standard normal under the null. Using call detail records from Yemen, we find a significant calling cascade occurred after the Presidential Palace was bombed in 2011. Lastly, we employ our statistic for event detection and successfully detect key violent events during the 2011 Yemeni Revolution.
A call for student pharmacist education on vaping and vaping device use.

Abstract Introduction The use of vaping devices, including e-cigarettes, has been steadily increasing in recent years, especially among younger populations. Commentary With many vaping devices on the market and misconceptions about the safety of vaping, there is a substantial amount of information that healthcare professionals need to know. As a response to this growing public health concern, doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) curricula should include opportunities for students to learn more about vaping, vaping devices, associated health outcomes, and role in smoking cessation. Implications Incorporating faculty driven content, active student learning, cessation counseling, service learning, and/or co-curricular opportunities focused on vaping education and vaping device use into PharmD curricula will better prepare student pharmacists to counsel patients on this increasingly prevalent topic.
The neotropical genus Sporrongia Gumovsky (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), including two new species and the first biological record

Two new species of Sporrongia Gumovsky (Eulophidae: Entedoninae), S. marginata sp. nov. from Costa Rica and Mexico, and S. niveicornis sp. nov. from Peru, are described and compared to the single previously known species, S. tobagoiensis Gumovsky. Sporrongia marginata has been reared from galls on the legume Andira inermis (Leguminosae). This is the first biological record for the genus and an indirect indication of possible gall induction by S. marginata.
Fundamental Rights—Comparison of the Approaches in the Canon Law and in the Civil Law

The Code of Canon Law of 1983 came up with a list of obligations and duties of the Catholic faithful. This list is analogical to those of the charters of fundamental rights and freedoms found in the documents of international law and in the constitutions of democratic countries. the inspiration of church law by civilian law was a reality from the very beginnings of the development of Canon Law: first by Roman Law, in the modern world by complex codifications of civil law, and after Vatican II also the idea of universal human rights. The specifics of the Catholic Church in relation to a democratic state is the incorporation of the subject of law into the Church through baptism which brings, above all, duties and obligations. Thus the catalogue which may now be seen in the Code contains first and foremost a list of duties, not rights, which are not stressed in the modern state. In fact, the modern state has very few demands; often just the payment of taxes and compulsory school attendance. The article deals with the individual obligations and rights found in the Code of Canon Law and compares them with their analogies in constitutions. The concept of civil and canonical norms tends to get closer primarily in the case of inspiration by natural law, whereas the obligations of the faithful represent a specifically ecclesiastical goals, for which no analogy in civil law can be found. After all, the supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls, indeed, the state does not have such a supernatural goal.
Minoru Yamasaki and the Fragility of Architecture

Few figures in the American arts have stories richer in irony than does architect Minoru Yamasaki. While his twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center are internationally iconic, few who know the icon recognize its architect’s name or know much about his portfolio of more than 200 buildings. One is tempted to call him America’s most famous forgotten architect. He was classed in the top tier of his profession in the 1950s and ’60s, as he carried modernism in novel directions, yet today he is best known not for buildings that stand but for two projects that were destroyed under tragic circumstances: the twin towers and the Pruitt-Igoe housing project in St. Louis. This book undertakes a reinterpretation of Yamasaki’s significance that combines architectural history with the study of his intersection with defining moments of American history and culture. The story of the loss and vulnerability of Yamasaki’s legacy illustrates the fragility of all architecture in the face of natural and historical forces, yet in Yamasaki’s view, fragility is also a positive quality in architecture: the source of its refinement, beauty, and humanity. We learn something essential about architecture when we explore this tension of strength and fragility. In the course of interpreting Yamasaki’s architecture through the wide lens of the book we see the mid-century role of Detroit as an industrial power and architectural mecca; we follow a debate over public housing that entailed the creation and eventual destruction of many thousands of units; we examine competing attempts to embody democratic ideals in architecture and to represent those ideals in foreign lands; we ponder the consequences of anti-Japanese prejudice and the masculism of the architectural profession; we see Yamasaki’s style criticized for its arid minimalism yet equally for its delicacy and charm; we observe Yamasaki making a great name for himself in the Arab world but his twin towers ultimately destroyed by Islamic militants. As this curious tale of ironies unfolds, it invites reflection on the core of modern architecture’s search for meaning and on the creative possibilities its legacy continues to offer. Beautifully illustrated with over 100 color illustrations of Yamasaki’s buildings, this book will be of interest to students, academics and professionals in a range of disciplines, including architectural history, architectural theory, architectural preservation, and urban design and planning.
Normalized Analytical Model of Stresses in a Surface Mounted Permanent Magnet Rotor

With the current trend towards high-power density electric machines, rotors are being pushed closer to their structural limits. While finite element analysis tools are capable of calculating rotor stresses, there exists a need for accurate and rapid analytical modeling for use in population-based machine design optimizations. This paper presents an analytical model for calculating the stresses due to centrifugal and thermal loading in a surface mounted permanent magnet rotor retained using a composite rotor sleeve. The primary contribution of this paper is the normalization of this model by the outer rotor radius and its use to identify normalized design trends. Using rotor tip speed, the results from the normalized model can be generalized to analyze machines for a wide range of rated speeds. A method for determining optimal rotor sleeve geometry is presented and a generalized design case study is used to validate this model with a finite element analysis tool. Finally, the relationship between maximum rotor tip speed, magnet thickness, and temperature rise is demonstrated using the normalized model. This relationship illustrates an important trade off between magnetic loading and rotor tip speed.
Potential Impacts of CO2 Injection on Deep-Sea Biota

Efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions are increasingly looking to the oceans, either through iron fertilization programs (see this week9s Policy Forum by Chisholm et al.) or through COinjection into the deep sea. In their Perspective, Seibel and Walsh investigate how such deep-sea disposal may affect organisms that live in these environments. They warn that even small perturbations in COor pH may have important consequences for deep-sea ecosystems and for global biogeochemical cycles. Detailed studies into these effects are needed before the risks and benefits of deep-sea carbon storage can be assessed appropriately.
Studies on phage development. II. The maturation of T4 phage in the presence of puromycin.

Abstract Maturation of T4 can proceed in the presence of 5-methyltryptophan or puromycin. Puromycin inhibits phage protein synthesis within a few seconds, thus limiting the amount of phage precursor material available for maturation. After the arrest of protein synthesis, maturation continues unabated until the limiting protein precursor is depleted. At least one protein, the tail fiber protein, is depleted. Phage protein maturable in the presence of puromycin appears about 5 minutes before maturation begins. The level of the maturable material reaches a maximum at the beginning of maturation. This level is taken as a measure of the size of the pool of complete sets of maturable phage protein. The bulk precursor protein begins to accumulate 3 minutes earlier than serum blocking proteins (SBP) and forms a pool about twice as large as the pool of SBP.
The Effect of Task Uncertainty and Decentralization on Project Team Performance

This paper investigates relationships among task uncertainty, level of centralization, and project team performance. Team performance is measured in three dimensions: cost, time, and quality. Adopting an information processing view and contingency theory, the authors discuss tradeoffs among the three performance dimensions of a project team. Results from the simulation study indicate that, under high task uncertainty, a decentralized team performs better in terms of cost and time, but a centralized team performs better in terms of quality. Under low task uncertainty, there is no performance difference between a centralized team and a decentralized team in terms of cost and time, but a centralized team performs better in terms of quality. The paper suggests that researchers pay attention to the relative impact of centralization and decentralization on different dimensions of organizational performance, and managers adopt an organizational structure that performs better in a performance dimension that counts more to enhance overall performance.
GABAB Receptor Coupling to G-proteins and Ion Channels

GABA(B) receptors have been found to play a key role in regulating membrane excitability and synaptic transmission in the brain. The GABA(B) receptor is a G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that associates with a subset of G-proteins (pertussis toxin sensitive Gi/o family), that in turn regulate specific ion channels and trigger cAMP cascades. In this review, we describe the relationships between the GABA(B) receptor, its effectors and associated proteins that mediate GABA(B) receptor function within the brain. We discuss a unique feature of the GABA(B) receptor, the requirement for heterodimerization to produce functional receptors, as well as an increasing body of evidence that suggests GABA(B) receptors comprise a macromolecular signaling heterocomplex, critical for efficient targeting and function of the receptors. Within this complex, GABA(B) receptors associate specifically with Gi/o G-proteins that regulate voltage-gated Ca(2+) (Ca(V)) channels, G-protein activated inwardly rectifying K(+) (GIRK) channels, and adenylyl cyclase. Numerous studies have revealed that lipid rafts, scaffold proteins, targeting motifs in the receptor, and regulators of G-protein signaling (RGS) proteins also contribute to the function of GABA(B) receptors and affect cellular processes such as receptor trafficking and activity-dependent desensitization. This complex regulation of GABA(B) receptors in the brain may provide opportunities for new ways to regulate GABA-dependent inhibition in normal and diseased states of the nervous system.
Learning from 100 Numbers

The SIAM 100-Digit Challenge A Study in High-Accuracy Numerical Computing. By Folkmar Bornemann, Dirk Laurie, Stan Wagon, and Jorg Waldvogel. SIAM Press, Philadelphia, 2004. 318 pp. $57. ISBN 0-89871-561-X. The authors discuss a range of clever algorithms and mathematical machinery for efficient computation that they used to solve the 10 problems posed for a 2002 contest.
Transmitting additional programs in the broadcasting & TV frequency-modulated radiolink system

The paper develops a simple approach to the transmission of additional signals in the established broadcasting and TV frequency-modulated radiolink system. This approach ingeniously utilizes the high end of transmission-baseband-frequency to increase transmission capacity of the radiolink system, by adding only a few circuit boards to the original radiolink system. >
Inverting the Abstraction Mapping: A Methodology for Hardware Verification

Abstraction mappings have become a standard approach to verifying the correctness of processors. When used in a straightforward manner this approach suffers from generating extremely large intermediate terms that have to be simplified.
Physiological Concentrations of Retinoic Acid Favor Myeloid Dendritic Cell Development over Granulocyte Development in Cultures of Bone Marrow Cells from Mice

Differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors to dendritic cells (DCs) is a complex, poorly understood process regulated by cytokines, colony-stimulating factors, growth factor receptors, and transcription factors. However, nutritional factors may play an important role. Vitamin A is essential for proper immune function and is implicated in the development of myeloid lineage cells, especially granulocytes. We investigated the role of vitamin A in the differentiation of myeloid DCs. Cultures of bone marrow cells from mice stimulated with granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF) in medium with reduced serum retinol demonstrated significantly decreased DC development compared with control cultures containing retinol. Surprisingly, granulocytes predominated in cultures stimulated with GM-CSF when retinol was depleted. The addition of all-trans or 9-cis retinoic acid to cultures depleted of retinol significantly restored DCs and inhibited granulocyte development. The DC-promoting effect of vitamin A was specific to myeloid lineage development stimulated by GM-CSF because vitamin A significantly inhibited DC development stimulated by flt-3 ligand. Vitamin A also affected DC major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and costimulatory molecule expression. In response to increasing concentrations of vitamin A, the expression of MHC class II decreased on the DC, whereas the expression of costimulatory molecules increased, especially CD86. Our data suggest that vitamin A favors the differentiation of myeloid progenitors to immature myeloid DC instead of granulocytes when dietary vitamin A is adequate, and that vitamin A deficiency may compromise adaptive immune responses that depend on myeloid DC antigen presentation.
Microstructure examination of copper wafer bonding

The microstructure morphologies and oxide distribution of copper bonded wafers were examined by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and energy dispersion spectrometer (EDS). Cu wafers exhibit good bond properties when wafer contact occurs at 400°C/4000 mbar for 30 min, followed by an anneal at 400°C for 30 min in N2 ambient atmosphere. The distribution of different defects showed that the bonded layer became a homogeneous layer under these bonding conditions. The oxidation distribution in the bonded layer is uniform and sparse. Possible bonding mechanisms are discussed.
Asymptotic analogs of the Rogers-Ramanujan identities

Abstract Let p( n S ) be the number of partitions of n with parts belonging to the set S; let q( n S ) be the number of partitions of n with parts distinct and belonging to the set S; let qd(n) be the number of partitions of n with parts differing by at least d. Asymptotic formulas for p( n S ) , q( n S ) , and qd(n) are derived. Using these formulas necessary and/or sufficient conditions are obtained on sets S and S′ for the various asymptotic relations p( n S ) ∼ q( n S′ ) , q( n S ) ∼ q( n S′ ) , and q d (n) ∼ q( n S ) . The last case leads to a nonexistence theorem analogous to those of Lehmer for equality. The other comparisons lead to infinite families of cases of asymptotic equality without strict equality. These new formulas can be interpreted as asymptotic analogs of classical Rogers-Ramanujan identities.
Mutational analysis of assembly and function of the iron-sulfur protein of the cytochrome bc1 complex in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The iron-sulfur protein of the cytochromebc 1 complex oxidizes ubiquinol at center P in the protonmotive Q cycle mechanism, transferring one electron to cytochromec 1 and generating a low-potential ubisemiquinone anion which reduces the low-potential cytochromeb-566 heme group. In order to catalyze this divergent transfer of two reducing equivalents from ubiquinol, the iron-sulfur protein must be structurally integrated into the cytochromebc 1 complex in a manner which facilitates electron transfer from the iron-sulfur cluster to cytochromec 1 and generates a strongly reducing ubisemiquinone anion radical which is proximal to theb-566 heme group. This radical must also be sequestered from spurious reactivities with oxygen and other high-potential oxidants. Experimental approaches are described which are aimed at understanding how the iron-sulfur protein is inserted into center P, and how the iron-sulfur cluster is inserted into the apoprotein.
Maleic anhydride modification of polyolefin in an internal mixer and a twin‐screw extruder: Experiment and kinetic model

There has been little effort. to quantitatively understand graft copolymerization in batch and continuous mixers. Little information exists on the evolution of grafting reactions with respect to residence time in an internal mixer or along the screw axis in a twin-screw extruder. In this study, maleic anhydride was grafted onto polypropylene in both an internal mixer and a twin screw extruder. The influence of residence time on degree of grafting in an internal mixer and a twin screw extruder was studied through measuring reaction yields with respect to reaction time in the internal mixer as well as along the screw axis in the extruder. The dependence of the degree of grafting with monomer and peroxide concentration was determined. A free radical kinetic model of the process was developed and compared to experiment. Kinetic parameters were determined.
Reward Optimization in the Primate Brain: A Probabilistic Model of Decision Making under Uncertainty

A key problem in neuroscience is understanding how the brain makes decisions under uncertainty. Important insights have been gained using tasks such as the random dots motion discrimination task in which the subject makes decisions based on noisy stimuli. A descriptive model known as the drift diffusion model has previously been used to explain psychometric and reaction time data from such tasks but to fully explain the data, one is forced to make ad-hoc assumptions such as a time-dependent collapsing decision boundary. We show that such assumptions are unnecessary when decision making is viewed within the framework of partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs). We propose an alternative model for decision making based on POMDPs. We show that the motion discrimination task reduces to the problems of (1) computing beliefs (posterior distributions) over the unknown direction and motion strength from noisy observations in a Bayesian manner, and (2) selecting actions based on these beliefs to maximize the expected sum of future rewards. The resulting optimal policy (belief-to-action mapping) is shown to be equivalent to a collapsing decision threshold that governs the switch from evidence accumulation to a discrimination decision. We show that the model accounts for both accuracy and reaction time as a function of stimulus strength as well as different speed-accuracy conditions in the random dots task.
Identifying Probationers with Adhd-Related Behaviors in a Drug Abuse Treatment Setting:

Increasing recognition is being given to the manifestations of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. Prospective studies have indicated that many children diagnosed with ADHD continue to have symptoms of the disorder. These often are associated with antisocial behaviors, suggesting that ADHD may be an undetected and untreated root cause of these behaviors. In the present study, indicators of ADHD were examined in a population of probationers in a court-referred drug abuse treatment setting. The results showed that 31% had symptoms indicative of ADHD and that these symptoms were associated with self-reported measures of arrest history, aggressive behavior, drug use, family atmosphere, and family mental health.
Apollo mission simulation with visual presentation

Apollo mission simulation, discussing Command Module Simulator /CMS/, onboard computer system and dynamic visual presentation via infinity- optics display
Alveolar type 1 cell response to exposure to 0.5 PPM O3 for short periods

Abstract Young male rats were exposed for 2 to 6hr to 0.5 ppm O 3 and sacrificed. Precise handling of the tissue permitted a critical evaluation of the alveolar lining epithelium immediately beyond the cuboidal epithelium of the terminal bronchiole. The Type 2 cells and endothelium in this region were very resistant to damage by O 3 , whereas Type 1 cells were severely injured. The first recognizable change was a mild swelling in the attenuated peripheral cytoplasm of the Type 1 cells. This process continued to increase in severity until it was quite pronounced. Mitochondria, both in the attenuated portions of the cell as well as those around the nucleus, became progressively swollen until they were scarcely recognizable. This was followed either by a sloughing away of the entire cell from the basement lamina or by rupture of the plasma membrane and disintegration of the cell, leaving the basement lamina devoid of an epithelial covering. The endothelium on the opposite side of the basement membrane usually remained normal in appearance.
Root diseases of grapevines in California and their control

Root rots of grapevine in California are caused by several soilborne pathogens. While root rot in vineyards in general has been considered to be a relative minor problem, nearly all root diseases have increased in incidence and severity since the introduction of rootstocks resistant to Phylloxera. Pathogens such as Phytophthora spp. and Armillaria mellea have been known to occur for many years. However, seldom did root rot become a serious problem in vineyards. New diseases such as Petri disease caused by Phaeomoniella chlamydospora, vine decline caused by Phaeoacremonium spp. and black foot caused by Cylindrocarpon destructans have only recently been shown to occur in California. Wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae has become more prevalent in nearly all grape growing regions in California. Though losses due to actual root disease have been minor over the past 10 years, losses due to vineyard reestablishment have been large.
Process Control System Design Experiences: A Real World Approach

Hands-on, design oriented experiences have been shown to increase the visibility of the engineering profession; inspiring pre-college students to better prepare in math and science, and pursue an engineering degree. Most of these programs are successful, but they primarily focus on the creative aspects of highly specialized industries with little regard to the detail process of real world engineering design. Many students enroll in engineering programs believing the profession is solely focused on creativity and “building stuff” from a provided set of components. Once faced with the analysis and detail-oriented aspects of engineering practice, or the reality that most engineers are not employed by NASA or in robotics related industries, many students abandon engineering programs for other degree plans. The University of Texas at Tyler is using process control systems design as a theme to expose pre-college and college-level students to “common” engineering practices. This outreach program is part of a National Science Foundation funded project to provide hands-on opportunities to design, build, and test thermal/fluid based process control systems in an effort to attract and retain increased numbers of engineering students. This paper describes the proof of concept Process Control Breadboard System developed to provide a broad spectrum of students with exposure to the design of “common” engineering systems. Pre-college students come to realize that a wide range of engineering disciplines including: agricultural, chemical, electrical, mechanical, and petroleum engineering, consider process controls a part of their discipline. In addition, middle school students get exposed to the detail oriented aspects of real world engineering design; gaining experience in CAD modeling and producing bills of material prior to the hands-on build and test of their systems. Results from a variety of outreach and university level curriculum integration activities, conducted during the first two years of grant funding, will be presented, along with a summary of lessons learned and plans for future activities.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
For Better or for Worse: Using an Objective Program Assessment Measure to Enhance an Undergraduate Psychology Program

We describe how an objective form of measurement can be used to promote curriculum review, resulting in enhancements to curriculum and pedagogy. During a 4-year period, senior psychology majors took the ETS Major Field Test, and we systematically compared these results to SAT scores, grade point averages, and credits completed. Although diligent, honest, and sometimes frustrating analysis of the comparative results of our students’ performance was necessary, the positive outcomes included a more structured curriculum within the psychology major, increased collaboration among faculty, and enhanced student learning experiences.
Information Processing Design Choices, Strategy, and Risk Management Performance

We examined the relationship between information technology (IT) and organizational performance in the U.S. life/health insurance industry by applying and testing Galbraith's information processing theory and strategic contingency theory. Rather than focusing on resource allocations in IT, we instead examined the manner in which IT is deployed in organizations through information processing design choices. Our results suggest that while some information processing design choices are generally related to organizational performance, others should be matched to a specific strategic posture. For example, we found that all organizations benefit from using IT to increase cost-effectiveness. However, other uses of IT should be more closely aligned with an organization's strategy. In particular, domain offensive organizations should align their IT systems to focus on the front end of their operations and understanding customer needs, which will spur further innovation.
Displacement effect of NOM on atrazine adsorption by PACs with different pore size distributions.

This study investigated displacement of atrazine by the strongly competing fraction of natural organic matter (NOM) in batch and continuous-flow powdered activated carbon (PAC) adsorption systems. Due to the displacement effect, atrazine adsorption capacity in a continuous flow PAC/microfiltration (MF) system, where the carbon retention time is greater than the hydraulic retention time, decreased with time or NOM throughput. The capacity was lower than that measured in a batch reactor or predicted by the equivalent background compound-ideal adsorbed solution theory (EBC−IAST) method. A mathematical model previously developed to simulate the adsorption process in the PAC/MF system was modified to take into account the displacement effect. Two types of PACs were tested using a range of influent atrazine concentrations and carbon doses. The extent of atrazine displacement by NOM was found to depend on the type of PAC, while the rate of displacement was a function of PAC type as well as carbon dose. The PAC l...
Fat emulsion composition alters intake and the effects of baclofen

Thickened oil-in-water emulsions are useful model foods in rat studies due to their high acceptance and similarity to foods consumed by humans. Previous work from this laboratory used oil-in-water emulsions thickened with a biopolymer blend containing starch. Intake and effects of baclofen, a GABA-B agonist that decreases fat intake and drug self-administration, were reported, but the contribution of starch was not assessed. In the present study, intake and effects of baclofen were assessed in rats using emulsions prepared with two fat types (32% vegetable shortening, 32% corn oil) and thickened with three biopolymer blends. One biopolymer blend contained starch and the other two did not. Daily 1-h intake of the vegetable shortening emulsion containing starch was significantly greater than the other emulsions. When starch was added to the emulsions originally containing no starch, intake significantly increased. Baclofen generally reduced intake of all emulsions regardless of starch content and stimulated intake of chow. However, effects were more often significant for vegetable shortening emulsions. This report: (1) demonstrates that products used to prepare thickened oil-in-water emulsions have significant effects on rat ingestive behavior, and (2) confirms the ability of baclofen to reduce consumption of fatty foods, while simultaneously stimulating intake of chow.
Rod–coil block copolymers: An iterative synthetic approach via living free‐radical procedures

A modular approach has been developed for the synthesis of rod-coil block copolymers involving the initial preparation of a macroinitiator based on the rod block followed by the growth of the coil segment with living free-radical procedures. The key feature of this strategy is the utilization of an alkoxyamine group from the beginning of the synthesis, which serves as a solubilizing group and ensures that each rod block contains a single initiating fragment. Using this approach permits block copolymers based on insoluble biphenyl ester oligomers to be conveniently prepared with coil segments that range from styrenes to acrylates to 1,3-dienes. The tendency of the rod segments to crystallize is strongly dependent on the weight fraction of the rod segment and the chemical nature of the coil segment. Rod-coil molecules containing at least 25-35 wt % polystyrene or poly(n-butyl acrylate) coil segments show a two-dimensional hexagonal arrangement of rod aggregates, as characterized by transmission electron microscopy and small-angle X-ray scattering. Polyisoprene block copolymers exhibit a lamellar microstructure with short rigid domains in which the rod units lie in an interdigitated smectic C arrangement.
Anticardiolipin antibody in patients on maintenance hemodialysis and its association with recurrent arteriovenous graft thrombosis

To investigate the relationship between dialysis access thrombosis (arteriovenous grafts [AVG] and arteriovenous fistulas [AVF]) and the presence of elevated concentration of immunoglobulin G-anticardiolipin antibody (IgG-ACA), we conducted a cross-sectional study of all patients, in a single dialysis facility, who had a minimum of 6 months of uninterrupted hemodialysis. Episodes of thrombosis of AVGs and AVFs in the preceding 30 months were documented and each patient's IgG-ACA titer was determined. Sixteen of 74 patients with AVGs (22%) had a raised titer of IgG-ACA compared with only one of 17 patients (6%) with AVFs. In the patients with AVGs the odds ratio for patients with raised IgG-ACA titer to have experienced two or more episodes of thrombosis, compared with none or only one episode, was 3.7 (95% confidence interval, 1.2 to 11.8; P < 0.04). No events of AVF thrombosis were encountered during the same period. We conclude that in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing hemodialysis, there is a greater prevalence of elevated IgG-ACA titer in patients with AVGs than in patients with AVFs, and this in turn is associated with increased odds of having had recurrent AVG thrombosis.
The nanofibrous architecture of poly(l-lactic acid)-based functional copolymers

It remains a challenge to synthesize functional materials that can develop advanced scaffolding architectures for tissue engineering. In this study, a series of biodegradable amphiphilic poly(hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylate)-graft-poly(l-lactic acid) (PHAA-g-PLLA) copolymers have been synthesized and fabricated into nano-fibrous scaffolds. These copolymers can be further functionalized, are more hydrophilic, and have faster degradation rates than the PLLA homopolymer, which are advantageous for certain tissue engineering applications. First, PLLA-based macromonomers were prepared by using functional hydroxyalkyl (meth)acrylates (HAA) as initiators. The PHAA-g-PLLA copolymers were then synthesized using free radical copolymerization of PLLA-based macromonomers and HAA. Nano-fibrous architecture was created using a thermally induced phase separation technique from these functional PHAA-g-PLLA copolymers. The nano-fibrous structure mimics the architecture of natural collagen matrix at the nanometer scale. The effects of the macromonomer composition, copolymer composition, blending ratio, and solvent selection on nano-scale structures were studied. In general, the nano-fibrous structure was created when the amount of HAA in the macromonomer was low. By increasing the amount of HAA in the macromonomer, microspheres with nano-fibrous surfaces were obtained. Further increasing the amount of HAA led to the creation of microspheres with leaf-like surfaces. These PLLA-based materials had much faster degradation rates than the PLLA, and could be completely degraded from several weeks to a few months depending on their composition and molecular weight. Furthermore, the PHAA-g-PLLA copolymers possess functional hydroxyl groups, which can be used to couple with bioactive molecules to control cell-material interactions. Therefore, these biodegradable functional copolymers have the design flexibility to fabricate various biomimetic materials for tissue engineering applications.