cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
PKCβII specifically regulates KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel membrane localization.

The slow voltage-gated potassium channel (IKs) is composed of the KCNQ1 and KCNE1 subunits and is one of the major repolarizing currents in the heart. Activation of protein kinase C (PKC) has been linked to cardiac arrhythmias. Although PKC has been shown to be a regulator of a number of cardiac channels, including IKs, little is known about regulation of the channel by specific isoforms of PKC. Here we studied the role of different PKC isoforms on IKs channel membrane localization and function. Our studies focused on PKC isoforms that translocate to the plasma membrane in response to Gq-coupled receptor (GqPCR) stimulation: PKCα, PKCβI, PKCβII and PKCe. Prolonged stimulation of GqPCRs has been shown to decrease IKs membrane expression, but the specific role of each PKC isoform is unclear. Here we show that stimulation of calcium-dependent isoforms of PKC (cPKC) but not PKCe mimic receptor activation. In addition, we show that general PKCβ (LY-333531) and PKCβII inhibitors but not PKCα or PKCβI inhibitors blocked the effect of cPKC on the KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel. PKCβ inhibitors also blocked GqPCR-mediated decrease in channel membrane expression in cardiomyocytes. Direct activation of PKCβII using constitutively active PKCβII construct mimicked agonist-induced decrease in membrane expression and channel function, while dominant negative PKCβII showed no effect. This suggests that the KCNQ1/KCNE1 channel was not regulated by basal levels of PKCβII activity. Our results indicate that PKCβII is a specific regulator of IKs membrane localization. PKCβII expression and activation are strongly increased in many disease states, including heart disease and diabetes. Thus, our results suggest that PKCβII inhibition may protect against acquired QT prolongation associated with heart disease.
Toward a linguistically informed, responsive and embedded pedagogy in secondary literacy instruction

Learning in secondary content areas involves at least some interaction with complex disciplinary texts. The engagement requires discipline-specific reading/writing skills that go beyond those stude...
Validation of Bicycle Level of Traffic Stress and Perceived Safety for Children

The level of traffic stress (LTS) methodology was developed to measure, track, and improve the suitability of bicycle networks. Thanks to the simplicity of its data needs and interpretation, LTS ha...
Mechanical, optical and gas transport properties of poly(perfluoro-2-methylene-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane) membrane containing perfluoropolyether as a plasticizer

Abstract To improve the flexibility of poly(perfluoro-2-methylene-4-methyl-1,3-dioxolane), perfluoropolyether was added as a plasticizer to the dioxolane polymer. The glass transition temperature (Tg) of the polymer/plasticizer blend is in the range of 125–130 °C, which is slightly lower compared to that of pure dioxolane polymer due to the addition of perfluoropolyether. The blended polymers have low refractive index (1.328–1.333) and exhibited extraordinary optical transmittance within the visible and near-infrared regions. Stress–strain curves of polymer blend films were obtained, and tensile strength as well as Young’s modulus were calculated. Film flexibility and elongation were improved significantly by the addition of the perfluoropolyether. These enhanced mechanical properties could be beneficial for potential applications of the perfluoropolymers such as plastic optical fibers and gas separation membranes. Membranes made from the perfluoropolymer/plasticizer blends show increased permeances for gases (CH4, N2, H2, CO2) and slightly reduced gas selectivities as the amount of perfluoropolyether is increased.
Book review of "Bodies in flux: scientific methods for negotiating medical uncertainty" by Christa Teston (2017). University of Chicago Press.

At the time of this writing, the New York Times reports that more than 10,000 people have died from the coronavirus worldwide. Healthcare systems across the globe are struggling to keep up with the number of cases being confirmed each day. Over 50 studies on the virus were published in January 2020 as scientists worked to better understand it and potentially develop a vaccine (McFall-Johnsen, 2020) but there has not yet been a vaccine developed. While this is not the only global health crisis happening in early 2020, it is likely the one to which many readers have paid closest attention. We cannot know now the impact the spread of the coronavirus will have on the globe and yet individuals and organizations are currently working to transform uncertainty about the virus into evidence that governments and the public can use to make actionable decisions. While the book under review here does not deal with the coronavirus specifically, it does engage with issues of key importance related to the coronavirus: those of medical certainty and those of medical uncertainty.
Heading toward Equality, Preservice Teachers’ Interventions to Change Students’ Conceptions of the Equal Sign

Research indicates that a large percentage of students have misconceptions of the equal sign and that this can be detrimental to their mathematical pursuits as they progress through algebra. In ord...
A Case Report of Nebulized Tranexamic Acid for Post-tonsillectomy Hemorrhage in an Adult

Author(s): Poppe, Michael; Grimaldo, Felipe | Abstract: Introduction: Post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage is a potentially life-threatening, postoperative complication that is commonly encountered in the emergency department (ED).Case Report: Herein, we describe the case of a 22-year-old male who presented to the ED with an active post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage. He rapidly became hypotensive and experienced an episode of syncope. Immediate interventions included intravenous fluids, emergency release blood and nebulized tranexamic acid (TXA). After completion of the nebulized TXA, the patient’s bleeding was controlled.Conclusion: To our knowledge, this is the first case in the emergency medicine literature that describes the use of nebulized TXA in an adult to achieve hemostasis in post-tonsillectomy hemorrhage.
Object attachment as we grow older

Extreme object attachment in adults can form as a way to compensate for a lack of interpersonal attachment or as a symptom of hoarding disorder; however, normative levels of object attachment also exist across the lifespan. Although the importance of secure interpersonal attachment as a protective factor for older adults has been well established, research into object attachment in older adults is still a nascent field. As individuals age, they inevitably experience a series of cognitive, emotional, and physical changes that may influence their attachment to objects. Life events may impact the way that we view our possessions, particularly over time. Given individual differences, multiple pathways may affect normative object attachment as we age.
Closed Ecological Systems

Long term life support requires the use of a closed ecological system. The attainable degree of closure is determined by the extent of conversion achieved in the waste recovery system. Organisms used in such systems must be reliable, useful, and integrable. Strictly speaking, a completely closed ecological system implies a photosynthetic component, because oxygen is produced biologically only through photosynthesis. However, the same result can be attained by substituting electrolysis of water for photosynthesis in the production of oxygen. Photosynthetic systems generally have algae as the green plants, whereas nonphotosynthetic systems use bacteria of the genus Hydrogenomanas as the key organism. An integrated life support system consisting of a mammal (mouse or mice), algae, and bacteria, and named Microterella by the writers, was developed and used by the writers to demonstrate that closed ecological systems (in the strict sense) are suitable for life support in space. The development of the Algatron, a growth unit of which a mechanically rotated algal-bacterial culture is an essential feature, considerably enhances the practical feasibility of the Microterella system.
Abstract LB083: Characterizing colon and prostate cancers with comorbid chronic kidney disease in NHANES

In the US, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) is estimated at 30 million, or approximately 15% of the population. Compared to Caucasians (CA), African Americans (AAs) have a higher prevalence of CKD, and faster decline in kidney function. Relationships between low socio-economic status (SES), area-level social disadvantages, and CKD are well documented. In cancer patients, CKD impedes overall survival, treatment, and surgical outcomes. Given the link between kidney disease preceding cancer, as well as the higher risk of mortality for cancer patients with CKD, the goals of this research were to identify the tumor types most associated with CKD prevalence and to elucidate the modifying effects of age, race, gender, and lifestyle/environmental measures on these relationships. Using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), we generated cross-sectional associations between CKD and various cancer types for the years of 2007-2018. After exclusion for age under 18 years, non-AA or non-CA race, or incomplete information for exposure (CKD) or outcome (cancer), a nationally representative, weighted sample of ~25,000 subjects was included in the analysis. CKD was defined as estimated glomerular function (eGFR) Citation Format: Michael Behring, Dawna Nelson, Tina Vazin, Ram Alagan, Seela Aladuwaka, Manoj Mishra, Tariq Shafi, Orlando Gutierrez, Upender Manne. Characterizing colon and prostate cancers with comorbid chronic kidney disease in NHANES [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2021; 2021 Apr 10-15 and May 17-21. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2021;81(13_Suppl):Abstract nr LB083.
Transient complete heart block: a case report of a rare complication of tricuspid valve infective endocarditis.

Background Right-sided tricuspid valve (TV) endocarditis can be difficult to identify and may be under-recognized in the absence of traditional risk factors. While generally identified with aortic valve pathology, infective endocarditis that extends beyond the leaflets of the TV have been reported to cause conduction disease. Case summary We present the case of a 63-year-old patient who presented with haemodynamically unstable complete heart block requiring temporary venous pacemaker support. Despite the absence of traditional risk factors or significant valvular disease on transthoracic echocardiogram, she was found to be persistently bacteraemic and subsequent transoesophageal echocardiogram identified large vegetation on the septal leaflet of the TV. Conduction disease was noted to reverse with antibiotic therapy and resolution of bacteraemia. Discussion Although rare, right-sided endocarditis involving the triangle of Koch may present with conduction disease due to local inflammation and mechanical compression. Conduction disease associated with right-sided disease appears to be readily reversible with medical therapy and temporary device support may be appropriate in the acute setting.
Vulnerability of IDH1-Mutant Cancers to Histone Deacetylase Inhibition via Orthogonal Suppression of DNA Repair.

Exploitation of DNA repair defects has enabled major advances in treating specific cancers. Recent work discovered that the oncometabolite 2-hydroxyglutarate (2-HG), produced by neomorphic isocitrate dehydrogenase 1/2 (IDH1/2) mutations, confers a homology-directed repair (HDR) defect through 2-HG–induced histone hypermethylation masking HDR signaling. Here, we report that IDH1-mutant cancer cells are profoundly sensitive to the histone deacetylase inhibitor (HDACi) vorinostat, by further suppressing the residual HDR in 2-HG–producing cells. Vorinostat downregulates repair factors BRCA1 and RAD51 via disrupted E2F-factor regulation, causing increased DNA double-strand breaks, reduced DNA repair factor foci, and functional HDR deficiency even beyond 2-HG9s effects. This results in greater cell death of IDH1-mutant cells and confers synergy with radiation and PARPi, both against cells in culture and patient-derived tumor xenografts. Our work identifies HDACi9s utility against IDH1-mutant cancers, and presents IDH1/2 mutations as potential biomarkers to guide trials testing HDACi in gliomas and other malignancies. Implications: IDH1-mutant cells show profound vulnerability to HDACi treatment, alone and with PARPi and radiation, via HDR suppression, presenting IDH1/2 mutations as biomarkers for HDACi use in gliomas and other malignancies.
Asymptotic properties of correlation-based principal component analysis

Abstract It is a common practice to conduct principal component analysis (PCA) using standardized data, which is equivalent to applying PCA to the correlation matrix rather than the covariance matrix. Yet little research has been done about such differences in the context of high frequency data. This paper bridges this gap. We derive the analytical forms of the asymptotic biases and variances for the estimators of the integrated eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Furthermore, we propose a novel jackknife-type estimator of the asymptotic variance of the integrated volatility functional estimator. This new variance estimator shows much better finite sample performances compared to other existing ones. This paper also proposes several statistical tests for some commonly tested hypotheses in the literature. Simulation results show that one will get misleading results if one uses the analytical results of the covariance case when applying PCA on the correlation matrix.
Helpless Giants: The National Parks and the Regulation of Private Lands

The national parks are among the few unambiguous triumphs of American public policy. Carved out of a vast public domain that was being cruelly exploited and recklessly given away, the parks stand as a rare monument of national concern for posterity. Yet the decision to establish the parks as distinctive public lands has itself produced difficulties, for, although the parks alone were set aside to be conserved "unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations,"1 the parks do not stand alone. On their borders, and sometimes in their midst, are private landholdings, which are subject to no such protective mandate. While activities on neighboring lands have always created some problems for park managers, as even the earliest reports from Yellowstone reveal,2 the adverse impact of these activities on the parks has become a major issue only in recent years. The early parks were enclaves within a huge and largely unused public domain; they were protected by their own isolation. Often they were surrounded by national forest land that had itself been set aside for protection by the Forest Service in its halcyon days. Today, however, most new units of the parks system3 are created in close proximity to major population centers. They are frequently the last fragments of unspoiled scenery that remain easily accessible to millions of urban residents.4 Even in the West, intensive develop-
The modification of behavior modification

Child-rearing is a trendy, cyclical business, and Drabman and Jarvie9s paper in this issue of Pediatrics1 indicates the returning popularity of behavior modification approaches. A strict behaviorist believes that Man is an animal all of whose being is determined by external pressures of various sorts, and he or she studies only observable behavior. In the extreme, this point of view eliminates innate psychological drives, the unconscious, self-determination, etc., while presuming all thoughts, beliefs, and actions are by-products of physical events in the body and/or in the external world. John Locke9s belief that the newborn infant is a blank slate onto which life writes the script is an example of this position.
Paper Money, the Popular Press, and Morality in Late Eighteenth Century America

We examine central monetary policy issues as identified in the United States popular press circa 1787. Rather than a study of the functioning of the colonial monetary system, we consider the thinking about the monetary system. Of particular interest is the use of (pseudo) moral arguments for and against paper money, thus illustrating money as a social institution, requiring a process of "working out" social issues. The arguments, encased as they are in moral rhetoric, include the distrust of paper money, issues of the political integrity of the money, and intemperance and inchastity as encouraged by the use of paper money.
Berne Without Borders: Geographic Indiscretion and Digital Communications (Stephen Stewart Memorial Lecture, Intellectual Property Institute London U.K., Oct. 29, 2001)

This lecture examines the role of borders in the Berne Convention at the time of the treaty's first passage in 1886, and today. The later 19th century was an era of increasing commerce and communication among countries whose domestic production and reproduction of works of authorship had vastly increased, thanks in part to new technologies, such as photography, lithography, and high-speed printing. But at that time, the frontiers between nations often frustrated authors' hopes for control over, or at least compensation for, the international exploitation of their works. Authors' rights ceased at their national boundaries; the world beyond foreboded not dragons, but pirates. At the inception of the 21st century, thanks to digital communications, authors are again encountering a world of increased international commerce in works of authorship, a world in which the persistence of national borders, and the disparate national regulation they entail, may seem even more frustrating than before. (Though, admittedly, the consequences of disparity are less dire than before; today, in lieu of expiration of protection, authors primarily face inconsistency of protection.) Moreover, the simultaneous and geographically pervasive nature of digital communications may undermine some basic rules of the Berne Convention. While the Berne Convention was designed to mute the significance of international boundaries, much of its structure presumes those borders. Their effective absence may provoke perverse results. This lecture will consider the extent to which Berne relies on national boundaries. It will also suggest measures that might be taken to alleviate the unintended consequences of the application of Berne's rules to the geographically indiscreet communication of copyrighted works, especially by digital media.
Peeling and sharpening multiwall nanotubes

To realize the full potential of multiwall carbon nanotubes in applications such as biological and scanned probes, it is desirable to develop techniques for controlling their shape and geometry. Here we describe a method by which the outer layers of a multiwall nanotube can be successively removed at the end to produce what is effectively a sharpened structure.
Toward a Policy of Heterogeneity: Overcoming a Long History of Socioeconomic Segregation in Housing

This article focuses on the exclusionary effects of land use regulation on housing availability and cost. Recent research by economists and others highlighting such effects is examined. The histories of parallel efforts to provide housing for low- and moderate-income families as well as persons with disabilities are reviewed. The article recommends that legislation be enacted that elevates affordable housing for low- and moderate-income to a level of national concern similar to national policies favoring efficient transportation, as well as protecting coastal and wetland areas and endangered species.
L-Type Calcium Channel-Mediated Plateau Potentials in Barrelette Cells During Structural Plasticity

Development and maintenance of whisker-specific patterns along the rodent trigeminal pathway depends on an intact sensory periphery during the sensitive/critical period in development. Barrelette c...
An implementation of the codelet model

Chip architectures are shifting from few, faster, functionally heavy cores to abundant, slower, simpler cores to address pressing physical limitations such as energy consumption and heat expenditure. As architectural trends continue to fluctuate, we propose a novel program execution model, the Codelet model, which is designed for new systems tasked with efficiently managing varying resources. The Codelet model is a fine-grained dataflow inspired model extended to address the cumbersome resources available in new architectures. In the following, we define the Codelet execution model as well as provide an implementation named DARTS. Utilizing DARTS and two predominant kernels, matrix multiplication and the Graph 500's breadth first search, we explore the validity of fine-grain execution as a promising and viable execution model for future and current architectures. We show that our runtime is on par or performs better than AMD's highly-optimized parallel library for matrix multication, outperforming it on average by 1.40× with a speedup up to 4×. Our implementation of the parallel BFS outperforms Graph 500's reference implementation (with or without dynamic scheduling) on average by 1.50× with a speed up of up to 2.38×.
A regulatory circuitry comprised of miR-302 and the transcription factors OCT4 and NR2F2 regulates human embryonic stem cell differentiation

Multiple levels of control are in play to regulate pluripotency and differentiation in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). At the transcriptional level, the core factors OCT4, NANOG and SOX2 form a positive autoregulatory loop that is pivotal for maintaining the undifferentiated state. At the post-transcriptional level, microRNAs (miRNAs) belonging to the miR-302 family are emerging as key players in the control of proliferation and cell fate determination during differentiation. Here, we show that the transcriptional factors OCT4 and NR2F2 (COUP-TFII) and the miRNA miR-302 are linked in a regulatory circuitry that critically regulate both pluripotency and differentiation in hESCs. In the undifferentiated state, both OCT4 and the OCT4-induced miR-302 directly repress NR2F2 at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional level, respectively. Conversely, NR2F2 directly inhibits OCT4 during differentiation, triggering a positive feedback loop for its own expression. In addition, we show that regulation of NR2F2 activity itself relies on alternative splicing and transcriptional start site choice to generate a full-length transcriptionally active isoform and shorter variants, which enhance the activity of the long isoform. During hESC differentiation, NR2F2 is first detected at the earliest steps of neural induction and thus is among the earliest human embryonic neural markers. Finally, our functional analysis points to a crucial role for NR2F2 in the activation of neural genes during early differentiation in humans. These findings introduce a new molecular player in the context of early embryonic stem cell state and cell fate determination in humans.
Practical Uses of Literacy-Embedded Play Centers

Literacy-Embedded Play Centers (LEPC) are important components of preschool classrooms. These centers encourage the development of literacy skills in an environment that promotes play and interaction with literacy tools. By highlighting the process teacher candidates used to plan, construct, and implement LEPC, a framework for development is featured. Ideas for the use of LEPC in Head Start classrooms and accommodations for diverse learners are included. Implications for including families in the activities are presented.
Theoretical Interpretation of Small-Scale Filaments of Light Originating from Moving Focal Spots

A simple theory is given to explain the many different features of small-scale filaments under various experimental conditions. It is shown that the observed filaments are the consequences of moving foci. Under appropriate conditions, a focal spot can move in the forward direction with a speed faster than light. As a result, the light pulse emitted from the filament at the end of the nonlinear medium has a much shorter duration than the input pulse, and shows a characteristic spectral broadening. Because of its high intensity, a moving focal spot also leaves behind it a temporary track of field-induced refractive index. Light trailing after the focal spot can then be partially trapped in the track. Trapping over an appreciable distance is possible if the velocity of the forward-moving focal spot is not much higher than the light velocity.
Risk Factors for Shoulder and Elbow Injuries in Adolescent Baseball Pitchers

BackgroundThere is little evidence supporting current safety recommendations for adolescent pitchers.HypothesisPitching practices of adolescent pitchers without history of arm injury will be significantly different from those of adolescent pitchers who required shoulder or elbow surgery.Study DesignCase control study; Level of evidence, 3.MethodsNinety-five adolescent pitchers who had shoulder or elbow surgery and 45 adolescent pitchers who never had a significant pitching-related injury completed a survey. Responses were compared between the 2 groups using t tests and analyses. Multivariable logistic regression models were developed to identify the risk factors.ResultsThe injured group pitched significantly more months per year, games per year, innings per game, pitches per game, pitches per year, and warm-up pitches before a game. These pitchers were more frequently starting pitchers, pitched in more showcases, pitched with higher velocity, and pitched more often with arm pain and fatigue. They also use...
Partisan Defection and Change in the 2008 US Presidential Election

Abstract Party identification remained an important determinant of vote choice in the 2008 election. Indeed, the extent to which people voted according to their partisanship remained as exceptionally high as it had been in the 2004 election. The Democrats led in partisanship, with a greater lead than in 2004. The ANES four‐wave panel survey shows that some change occurred in the Democratic direction during 2008. The Democrats gained among most population groups, with the exception of older citizens. Obama's victory margin was due to his carrying pure independents and the growth in strong Democrats as opposed to strong Republicans. Both candidates lost the votes of some partisans who disagreed with them ideologically. The rate of defection among major‐party identifiers to the other major party hit post‐1950 lows in 2004 and 2008, reflecting increased polarization in the electorate. The partisanship shifts of young people and Hispanics could portend realignment, although that depends on their satisfaction w...
Ca-tension relationships of muscle fibers from patients with periodic paralysis.

Lateral gastrocnemius muscle biopsies from a 26-year-old man with hyperkalemic periodic paralysis and a 23-year-old man with hypokalemic periodic paralysis were studied. Both patients came from families in which older relatives had developed a vacuolar myopathy in association with their periodic paralysis. Muscle fibers were chemically skinned, and individual fibers were studied with a low-compliance strain gauge. The tension generated by fibers was studied in baths with calcium concentrations from 10(-8) mol/L to 2.5 x 10(-5) mol/L. The Ca-tension relationships and maximal tensions (normalized to fiber cross-sectional area) of fast and slow twitch fibers were indistinguishable from those found in fibers from 5 normal subjects. The results reinforce earlier findings which suggested that loss of Ca-induced myofibril contraction was not the cause of paralysis in periodic paralysis.
Cation transport systems in mitochondria: Na+ and K+ uniports and exchangers

It is now well established that mitochondria contain three antiporters that transport monovalent cations. A latent, allosterically regulated K+/H+ antiport appears to serve as a cation-extruding device that helps maintain mitochondrial volume homeostasis. An apparently unregulated Na+/H+ antiport keeps matrix [Na+] low and the Na+-gradient equal to the H+-gradient. A Na+/Ca2+ antiport provides a Ca2+-extruding mechanism that permits the mitochondrion to regulate matrix [Ca2+] by balancing Ca2+ efflux against influx on the Ca2+-uniport. All three antiports have well-defined physiological roles and their molecular properties and regulatory features are now being determined. Mitochondria also contain monovalent cation uniports, such as the recently described ATP- and glibenclamide-sensitive K+ channel and ruthenium red-sensitive uniports for Na+ and K+. A physiological role of such uniports has not been established and their properties are just beginning to be defined.
Mitigation policy: Health co-benefits

Efforts to tackle climate change have met significant financial and political barriers that have been difficult to overcome. Research now shows that such measures are justified on grounds other than mitigation of climate change.
Experimental and analytical investigation of the dynamic response of a supersonic mixed-compression inlet

Experimental and analytical investigation of dynamic response of supersonic mixed-compression inlet
Transformation reactions and recycling of carotenoids and chlorins in the Peru upwelling region (15°S, 75°W)

Abstract Total chlorins and carotenoids were measured in suspended paniculate matter, sediment trap, and zooplankton fecal pellet samples collected in the Peru upwelling region. Individual carotenoids were analyzed by high pressure liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. Fucoxanthin, diadinoxanthin, diatoxanthin, carotene, and peridinin constitute > 95% of the total carotenoid pigments in suspended paniculate matter samples. However, sediment trap and zooplankton fecal pellet samples contained significant amounts of the carotenoid transformation products fucoxanthinol, fucoxanthin 5′-dehydrate, fucoxanthinol 5′-dehydrate, peridininol and peridininol 5′-dehydrate. These samples were further characterized by high values of the ratio fucoxanthinol/total fucopigments ( f/F t ) and low values of the ratio total carotenoids /total chlorins. Three reactions are proposed to account for the formation of observed products: heterotrophic ester hydrolysis, chemically mediated epoxide rearrangement, and microbially mediated dehydration. The distribution of specific transformation products within the samples suggests that heterotrophic ester hydrolysis is a general transformation pathway operative in the water column on a wide suite of organic esters. Epoxide rearrangement and dehydration appear to occur over a longer time scale and are more typical of sedimentary environments.
Managing Knowledge-Based Resource Capabilities Under Uncertainty

A firm's ability to manage its knowledge-based resource capabilities has become increasingly important as a result of performance threats triggered by technology change and intense competition. At the manufacturing plant level, we focus on three repositories of knowledge that drive performance. First, the physical production or information systems represent knowledge embedded in the plant's technical systems. Second, the plant's workforce has knowledge, including diverse scientific information and skills, to effectively operate the technical systems. Third, the firm's managerial systems embody knowledge in the form of goals, reward systems, and control and coordination systems. Taken together, we consider the technical systems, workforce knowledge, and the managerial systems as the plant's knowledge-based resource capability.Two normative models are introduced offering insight on how plant performance is impacted by investments in workforce knowledge (training) or the technical systems (process change). The models explicitly recognize that the outcome of investments in knowledge-based change is uncertain due to factors including technical problems, worker resistance, and limited financial resources. Also, we recognize that workforce knowledge may be deployed to mitigate the outcome uncertainty encountered with process change.Investments in knowledge-based change cannot be fully understood in isolation of the managerial systems. In one model, the plant manager is motivated by an incentive system that rewards the realization of a threshold goal, whereas in the other model the incentive system emphasizes the realization of meeting a particular target goal. We also investigate the impact of the manager's view of uncertainty (her willingness to absorb risk), which is influenced by the managerial systems. Results show that different characterizations of the managerial systems have a profound effect on managerial behavior and plant-level performance.
Determination of heteronuclear coupling constants via semiselective two-dimensional J spectroscopy

The earliest types of two-dimensional NMR experiments that received widespread attention were the proton-flip and the gated-decoupler experiments (Z-8). Concep tually those early experiments are rather simple to understand, but the use of those experiments in practical cases often is complicated by data storage requirements and sensitivity considerations. Only in the case where the spectroscopist is interested in determining the multiplicity of a certain carbon13 site is the use of the two-dimensional experiment straightforward, in such cases only a very low resolution of the carbon13 multiplet structure along the F, axis is necessary, and hence the data matrix can be kept small. The sensitivity will be fairly good in this application because the carbon13 intensity is spread over a maximum number of only four multiplet components. However, this application of two-dimensional J spectroscopy has been outdated by even more sensitive and experimentally more convenient “spectral editing” experiments (9-Z I). The use of the original 2D J-spectroscopy experiments for the exact determination of coupling constants requires a very fine digitization along the F, frequency axis; this leads to a very large size of the required data matrix, unless the acquisition time along the t2 axis is made very short, which in turn decreases the sensitivity of the experiment dramatically. The intensity of a certain carbon13 nucleus in this highF1-resolution application will generally be spread over a large number of multiplet components, which decreases the sensitivity even further. All problems mentioned above can be overcome by using a modified version of the proton-flip experiment in which only one proton is “flipped” by the proton pulse (which in this case is selective) in the center of the evolution period (12). This allows the accurate determination of all heteronuclear long-range couplings with this particular proton. In this communication we describe two experiments which rely on the same principle as the selective proton-flip experiment and which allow the accurate determination of either all direct ‘H-13C coupling constants by removal of the long-range splittings or the determination of all long-range couplings while removing all the direct ‘H-13C splittings. The experimental pulse scheme is set out in Fig. 1. As in the original proton-flip experiment (3, 4), broadband low power ‘H irradiation during the preparation period provides a NOE effect, enhancing the sensitivity, and high power proton noise decoupling is employed during the detection period. A carbon13 180” pulse is applied
Zirconia ceramics for excess weapons plutonium waste

Abstract We synthesized a zirconia (ZrO2)-based single-phase ceramic containing simulated excess weapons plutonium waste. ZrO2 has large solubility for other metallic oxides. More than 20 binary systems AxOy–ZrO2 have been reported in the literature, including PuO2, rare-earth oxides, and oxides of metals contained in weapons plutonium wastes. We show that significant amounts of gadolinium (neutron absorber) and yttrium (additional stabilizer of the cubic modification) can be dissolved in ZrO2, together with plutonium (simulated by Ce4+, U4+ or Th4+) and impurities (e.g., Ca, Mg, Fe, Si). Sol–gel and powder methods were applied to make homogeneous, single-phase zirconia solid solutions. Pu waste impurities were completely dissolved in the solid solutions. In contrast to other phases, e.g., zirconolite and pyrochlore, zirconia is extremely radiation resistant and does not undergo amorphization. Baddeleyite (ZrO2) is suggested as the natural analogue to study long-term radiation resistance and chemical durability of zirconia-based waste forms.
A study of psychophysical scaling in chronic pain patients

Abstract Chronic pain patients were asked to psychophysically scale two sets of word descriptors (intensity and unpleasantness) using a crossmodality matching procedure with line length and numerical estimates. In 22 patients (group I) descriptor scaling was performed once, in another 20 patients (group II) the procedure was repeated 3 times. 72.7% of patients in group I obtained a correlation of 0.9 or higher when scaling intensity descriptors, but only 18.2% obtained this correlation when scaling unpleasantness words. In group II, an average of 85% of patients reliably scaled intensity words, but only 50% could do so for the unpleasantness descriptors. Patients who reliably judged unpleasantness descriptors generally exhibited a higher level of psychological distress (SCL-90 R). Numerical estimates assigned by patients to individual word descriptors showed a smaller range than obtained from experimental pain studies. There was unequal spacing of values of adjacent descriptors with clustering of words in the low and high ends of the continuum and large gaps in midrange. Results indicate that chronic pain patients in general show a higher incidence of impairment in rendering proportional judgments than a healthy population. In addition, they are more likely to judge pain reliably on an intensity than on an unpleasantness dimension. The difference in performance between scales persists in spite of training and could not be explained by medical history, drug intake, or demographic characteristics. Patients who are unable to render reliable judgments are easily identified. For optimal clinical use words clustering close together should be combined and additional words should be added describing midrange intensities. Conversely, psychophysical scaling techniques may be used to calibrate category or analogue scales of pain.
A new technique for the calculation of scattered radiation for 10 MV photon beams

An alternative to the Clarkson technique for calculating total scattered radiation is presented for use with 10 MV photon beams. When compared to the same field size and depth parameters, the resultant TMR values are in good agreement with results utilizing the Clarkson technique. Lengthy iterative procedures are avoided in this new scatter technique in favor of a more efficient SMR algorithm, thereby reducing the amount of required computation time. The speed and simplicity of this method make it especially amenable to use with small desk top computers and even programmable pocket calculators.
Real-time diabetic retinopathy patient screening using multiscale AM-FM methods

In this paper we present a robust and improved system for diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening. The goal of the system is to automatically screen out digital fundus photographs of diabetic patients who do not present signs of DR. This work is motivated by the large amount of diabetics in the world who do not receive their recommended eye exams, leading to widespread blindness as a complication of diabetes. The system is based on multiscale amplitude-modulation frequency-modulation (AM-FM) methods for feature extraction, and uses supervised and unsupervised methods to produce its final output, namely, a normal or abnormal grade. The most time-consuming processing routines of the system are implemented in C using a compute unified device architecture (CUDA) to produce results in real-time. The system was tested using 776 images from 388 patients (one macula-centered image from each eye). During the training phase of the system, the data was divided in 70% for training and 30% for testing. The system was tested using 20 random training/testing distributions, obtaining an average sensitivity of 89% and specificity of 59%. Analysis of sight-threatening conditions resulted in a sensitivity of 98% for these types of cases.
The Fibre Tracts of the Fore brain of the American Diamond ‐ Back Rattlesnake (Crotalus adamanteus)

Summary 1 The septa1 nuclei are larger than the corresponding cell groups in Varanus salvator or Chameleon vulgaris. 2 The corpus striatum consists of three cell groups, which are the paleostriatum, neostriatum, and the archistriatum. 3 The cortex of the forebrain has three divisions as in other reptiles, the lateral pyriform cortex, the dorsal parahippocampal cortex, and the hippocampal cortex. 4 The hippocampal and anterior commissures in Crotalus adam, nteus are similar to those of Varanus salvator. 5 The fornix is not as large or as heavily medullated as the one described in Varanus salvator by De Lange (1911). 6 A tractus cortico-archistriaticus was found, similar to the one noted by De Lange (1911) and Herman (1925) in Varanus salvator. 7 A tractus cortico-neostriaticus was noted in Crotalus adamanteus which was not, however, as large as in Varanus salvator. 8 The nuclei of the forebrainand the arrangement of the fibre tracts resemble those of the Lacertilia more closely than those of the Chelonia or the Hydrosauria.
Effect of planting sequence and time, and nitrogen on maize legume intercrop yield.

Productivity of maize (Zea mays L.) legume intercrops is determined by soil, management, and environment. Planting sequence and time and N fertilization are easily controlled management factors but their effects on intercrop yields are not well understood. Maize grown in monoculture or intercropped with polebean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) or cowpea (Vigna unguiculata [L.] Warp.) was studied for two growing seasons at Morgantown, WV. Crops were seeded in the following sequences: maize before legume, both at the same time, and legume before maize. Planting times were early May or mid June. Nitrogen was applied at 0 or 160 kg ha−1. Maize grain and forage, legume grain and forage, and total forage production were determined on a dry matter basis. Intercropping (average of all treatments) reduced maize grain and forage yields compared to maize in monoculture but had no effect on total forage production. However, total forage production was greatest when the seeding sequence was maize intercropped at the same time or before cowpea. Cowpea never produced grain, but forage production was almost double that of polebean. Maize produced most forage when seeded before the legumes, and the legumes produced most forage when seeded before maize. Early planting increased maize production and decreased legume production. Nitrogen increased maize grain, maize forage, and total forage yields but had not effect on legume forage production. It is concluded that maize/legume intercrops show promise for increasing forage production in temperate areas and more research on planting times and densities, weed control, harvesting and management is needed.
Increased Chymotrypsin Activity in AOT/Bile Salt Reversed Micelles.

Abstract Enzymatic activity of chymotrypsin in AOT reversed micelles is facilitated by the addition of a bile salt cosurfactant, sodium taurocholate (NaTC). NaTC diversifies the interfacial properties of the reversed micelles and increases their water capacity, resulting in a more favorable environment for enzymatic catalysis. The reaction velocity for the hydrolysis of the substrate N -glutaryl- l -phenylalanine p -nitroanilide ( N -GPNA) by chymotrypsin more than doubles when NaTC is added to AOT reversed micelles in heptane. The enzymatic reaction obeys Michaelis–Menten kinetics in AOT/heptane reversed micelles over the range of NaTC concentrations studied and within a concentration range of 0.05–0.30 mM N -GPNA. NaTC causes changes in the enzyme turnover number, k cat , the Michaelis constant, K M , and the catalytic efficiency of the enzyme, k cat / K M , that are generally consistent with increased enzymatic activity. Similar effects are seen in dodecane, suggesting that exchange of reactants and products among aqueous pools is not a rate-limiting factor in this system.
Secretin enhances [14C]erythritol clearance in unanesthetized dogs.

To determine the effect of secretin infusion on clearance of inert markers into bile, unanesthetized dogs fitted with Thomas cannulas received continuous infusions of [14C]erythritol and [3H]inulin throughout study. Taurocholic acid administered sequentially at 9.0, 20.0, and 40.0 μmol/min enhanced [14C]erythritol clearance, and GIH secretin (3 units/min) administered along with TCA (40.0μmol/min) increased [14C]erythritol clearance from 4.9±1.2 ml/10 min to 6.8±1.3 ml/10 min (P<0.001), but simultaneously measured [3H]inulin clearance was unaltered. Secretin alone also increased [14C]erythritol clearance but did not alter [3H]inulin clearance. The increase in [14C]erythritol clearance per unit increase in bile flow was less during secretin infusion than TCA. Thus, secretin increases [14C]erythritol transport through restricted channels, probably distal to the canaliculi. [14C]Erythritol may not be an accurate marker for canalicular bile flow in dogs during secretin infusion.
Development of an Array of Liquid Scintillators to Measure the Prompt Fission Neutron Spectrum at LANSCE

Abstract Higher quality measurements of outgoing prompt neutron spectra from neutron-induced fission as a function of the incoming neutron energy are needed. These data can be used in designing new fast reactors, predicting criticality for safety analyses, and developing techniques for global security applications. As part of the program to measure the prompt fission neutron spectra (PFNS) from the fission of 239 Pu at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center, we are developing a new array of liquid-scintillator detectors. This array will be used to measure the PFNS over a range of outgoing neutron energies from approximately 600 keV to 12 MeV and incident neutron energies from 0.5 to 30 MeV. A complete characterization of the detectors and the array as a whole will be carried out, targeted at understanding the light-output curves, efficiencies, and the neutron multiple-scattering backgrounds.
Are We Ready for Sexual Reorientation Therapy in the U.S. Military? A Response to David W. Lutz

In his paper “The Catholic Church, the American Military, and Homosexual Reorientation Therapy,” David W. Lutz ultimately concludes that it is “appropriate, and highly ethical” for the American military to offer reorientation therapy to help homosexuals overcome “the vice of sodomy.” The major thrust of his paper, however, is to call for abandonment of the “Don’t Ask/Don’t Tell” policy currently in place in the military. Lutz’s paper covers much ground, and this review begins by examining whether such a wide view is necessary for the ultimate conclusions. It goes on to ask whether Lutz has omitted to mention important considerations bearing on this issue, and whether Lutz’s call for the introduction of reorientation therapy is a serious call or a symbolic response to homosexual activities. Lutz fails to address essential issues such as the actual experiences of other nations having homosexuals in the military, and issues regarding what constitutes “reorientation therapy,” the latter leading to questions a...
How effective are traditional dietary and exercise interventions for weight loss

ABSTRACTHow effective are traditional dietary and exercise interventions for weight loss? Med. Sci. Sports Exerc., Vol. 31, No. 8, pp. 1129-1134, 1999. Health care professionals have used restrictive dieting and exercise intervention strategies in an effort to combat the rising prevalence of obesity
PM = EM ? Partially massless duality invariance

We show that higher spin, maximal depth, partially massless systems defined in d = 4 de Sitter space enjoy Maxwellian electric-magnetic duality. These photonlike models can also couple to charged matter.
Infanticide: contrasting views

Background: The subject of infanticide is met with complex reactions. Paradoxically, the very same society that practices gender selection may also prosecute a mother for killing an infant. The author reviews historical, cultural, and political views on infanticide.