cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visualization and Analysis of Clickstream Data of Online Stores for Understanding Web Merchandising

Clickstreams are visitors' paths through a Web site. Analysis of clickstreams shows how a Web site is navigated and used by its visitors. Clickstream data of online stores contains information useful for understanding the effectiveness of marketing and merchandising efforts, such as how customers find the store, what products they see, and what products they purchase. In this paper, we present an interactive visualization system that provides users with greater abilities to interpret and explore clickstream data of online stores. This system visualizes the effectiveness of Web merchandising from two different points of view by using two different visualization techniques: visualization of sessions by using parallel coordinates and visualization of product performance by using starfield graphs. Furthermore, this system provides facilities for zooming, filtering, color-coding, dynamic querying and data sampling. It also provides summary information along with visualizations, and by maintaining a connection between visualizations and the source database, it dynamically updates the summary information. To demonstrate how the presented visualization system provides capabilities for examining online store clickstreams, we present a series of parallel coordinates and starfield visualizations that display clickstream data from an operating online retail store. A framework for understanding Web merchandising is briefly explained. A set of metrics referred to as i>micro-conversion rates, which are defined for Web merchandising analysis in our previous work (Lee et al., Electronic Markets, 2000), is also explained and used for the visualizations of online store effectiveness.
The British Museum Encyclopedia of Native North America

The British Museum Encyclopedia of Native North America. Rayna Green with Melanie Fernandez. Indiana University Press, 1999. 213 pp., index, index of individuals, maps. 273 illustrations.
Effect of External Distractions

Distractions are a major contributor to automobile crashes, almost one-third of which are thought to be caused by distractions external to the vehicle. Increasingly, external distractions include video billboards, marquees, and variable message signs placed above and beside the highway. It is known that distractions outside the vehicle, especially video billboards, have effects on various vehicle control measures, such as the minimum headway distance to a braking lead vehicle, and that novice drivers and experienced drivers spend equally long times looking at distractions outside the vehicle. In contrast, experienced drivers are much less likely than novice drivers to take long glances at distractions inside the vehicle. This finding raises two questions. First, why are experienced drivers taking such long glances at an external distraction when they are not willing do so when a secondary task arises inside the vehicle? Second, if experienced drivers are sacrificing some of their ability to monitor visibl...
A Culture of Human Rights in East Asia: Deconstructing 'Asian Values' Claims

During the “Arab Spring,” the Chinese government instigated a series of harsh crackdowns on the exercise of free speech, a human right, to crush any budding protests. To justify its human rights violations, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has persistently raised the theory of cultural relativism, asserting that Asian cultures do not support all the rights articulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Various scholars have written extensively on rights in Asian cultural paradigms, but this article focuses particularly on the diverging representations of “Asian values” advanced by different political regimes since the creation of the Universal Declaration.Culture and politics are often intricately entwined. In some ways, political posturing may be the true impetus behind the PRC’s cultural relativism argument. This article points out the contrary positions taken by the PRC and its predecessor, the Republic of China (RoC), on universal human rights, although both regimes share the same cultural roots. To further dissociate politics from culture, this article compares the PRC’s position against two societies, one that is culturally similar (Japan) and one that is politically similar (the former Soviet Union). Although culturally similar, Japan’s position on human rights diverges in many ways from that of the PRC. On the other hand, the PRC’s stance on cultural relativism replicates that of the former Soviet Union. Given the inconsistent support for a purported theory on “Asian values” despite cultural ties, one can conclude that the PRC’s justifications for cultural relativism depend heavily on its political philosophy, rather than shared cultural values.
Retroactive application of the new kidney allocation system to renal transplants performed in the ECD/SCD era

The kidney allocation system (KAS) aims to improve deceased donor kidney transplant outcomes by matching of donor allografts and kidney recipients using the kidney donor risk index (KDRI) and recipient estimated post-transplant survival (EPTS) indices. In this single-center study, KAS was retroactively applied to 573 adult deceased donor kidney transplants (2004-2012) performed in the extended criteria/standard criteria donor (ECD/SCD) era. Donor KDRI and recipient EPTS were calculated, and transplants were analyzed to identify KAS fits. These were defined as allocation of top 20% allografts to top 20% recipients and bottom 80% allografts to bottom 80% recipients. On retroactive calculation, 70.2% of all transplants fit the KAS. Transplants that fit the KAS had inferior 1- and 5-yr patient survival (95.5% vs. 98.8%, p = 0.048, and 83.4% vs. 91.7%, p = 0.018) and similar 1- and 5-yr graft survival compared to transplants that did not fit the KAS (91.3% vs. 94.1%, p = 0.276, and 72.7% vs. 73.9%, p = 0.561). While EPTS correlated with recipient survival (HR = 2.96, p < 0.001), KDRI correlated with both recipient (HR = 3.56, p < 0.001) and graft survival (HR = 3.23, p < 0.001). Overall, retroactive application of the KAS to transplants performed in the ECD/SCD era did not identify superior patient survival for kidneys allocated in accordance with the KAS.
Content validation of a novel robotic surgical simulator.

Study Type – Therapy (case series) Level of Evidence 4 OBJECTIVE • To assess the content validity of an early prototype robotic simulator. Minimally invasive surgery poses challenges for training future surgeons. The Robotic Surgical Simulator (RoSS) is a novel virtual reality simulator for the da Vinci Surgical System. PATIENTS AND METHODS • Participants attending the 2010 International Robotic Urology Symposium were invited to experience RoSS. Afterwards, participants completed a survey regarding the appropriateness of the simulator as a teaching tool. RESULTS • Forty-two subjects including surgeons experienced with robotics (n= 31) and novices (n= 11) participated in this study. • Eighty per cent of the entire cohort had an average of 4 years of experience with robot-assisted surgery. • Eleven (26%) novices lacked independent robot-assisted experience. The expert group comprised 17 (41%) surgeons averaging 881 (160–2200) robot-assisted cases. Experts rated the ‘clutch control’ virtual simulation task as a good (71%) or excellent (29%) teaching tool. • Seventy-eight per cent rated the ‘ball place’ task as good or excellent but 22% rated it as poor. • Twenty-seven per cent rated the ‘needle removal’ task as an excellent teaching tool, 60% rated it good and 13% rated it poor. • Ninety-one per cent rated the ‘fourth arm tissue removal’ task as good or excellent. • Ninety-four per cent responded that RoSS would be useful for training purposes. • Eighty-eight per cent felt that RoSS would be an appropriate training and testing format before operating room experience for residents. • Seventy-nine per cent indicated that RoSS could be used for privileging or certifying in robotic surgery. CONCLUSION • Results based on expert evaluation of RoSS as a teaching modality illustrate that RoSS has appropriate content validity.
SV40 gene expression is modulated by the cooperative binding of T antigen to DNA

Abstract We analyzed the DNA binding properties of wild-type simian virus 40 large T antigen and found that the protein binds cooperatively to three tandem sites at a regulatory region of SV40 DNA. One consequence of this T antigen:DNA interaction is the specific repression of SV40 early RNA synthesis in vitro. We mapped a region of 85 base pairs that is necessary and sufficient to initiate early SV40 transcription in vitro. This promoter region lies directly adjacent to the third T antigen binding site but does not include the "TATA" sequence. To determine how T antigen interacts with its binding sites to repress RNA synthesis, we analyzed transcription directed by a variety of wild-type, mutant and hybrid template DNAs. Our findings suggest that the cooperative binding of T antigen to its sites is directly responsible for inhibiting the initiation, rather than blocking elongation, of early RNA synthesis. A model is presented to explain the role of T antigen binding in the regulation of viral transcription and DNA replication during SV40 lytic infection.
Increased longevity of hematopoiesis in continuous bone marrow cultures and adipocytogenesis in marrow stromal cells derived from Smad3−/− mice

Objective To determine the role of Smad3 in modulating hematopoiesis, continuous bone marrow cultures were established from Smad3 −/− mice, and the longevity of hematopoiesis and extent of adipogenesis in the supportive hematopoietic microenvironment were compared to those from cultures of control, Smad3 +/+ or heterozygous Smad3 +/− mice. Materials and methods Long-term bone marrow cultures (LTBMCs) were established from Smad3 +/+ , Smad3 +/− , or Smad3 −/− mice. On a weekly basis, the number of cobblestone islands, number of nonadherent cells, confluence of the adherent cells, or CFU-GEMM colonies was determined. Bone marrow stromal cell lines were established and cobblestone island production on these cell lines determined in the presence of nonadherent cells from week-42 Smad3 −/− or week-4 C57BL/6J LTBMCs. Results Initial proliferative capacity of the LTBMCs was similar in all groups through week 20, at which time there was an increase in cobblestone islands and production of nonadherent cells and CFU-GEMM colonies in the Smad3 −/− group. By week 28, only the Smad3 −/− LTBMCs had significantly maintained increased production of these parameters. Maintenance of cobblestone islands indicative of the most primitive hematopoietic progenitor cells persisted past 45 weeks in Smad3 −/− cultures. The Smad3 −/− stromal cell line also demonstrated increased support of cobblestone island production when incubated with nonadherent cells from week-42 Smad3 −/− or week-4 C57BL/6J LTBMCs. Evaluation of adipocytogenesis in stromal cells showed significantly greater accumulation of adipocytes in lines from Smad3 −/− than from Smad3 +/+ mice. Conclusions These data provide evidence for a significant effect of deletion of the Smad3 signaling pathway in increased hematopoiesis in LTBMCs and support the negative regulatory influence of TGFβ signaling on adipocytogenesis and long-term hematopoiesis in vitro.
Thermal-hydraulic analysis for wire-wrapped PWR cores

This work focuses on the steady-state and transient thermal-hydraulic analyses for PWR cores using wire wraps in a hexagonal array with either U (45% w/o)–ZrH1.6 (referred to as U–ZrH1.6) or UO2 fuels. Equivalences (thermal-hydraulic and neutronic) were created between grid spacer and wire wrap designs, and were used to apply results calculated for grid spacers to wire wrap designs. Design limits were placed on the pressure drop, critical heat flux (CHF), fuel and cladding temperature and vibrations. The vibrations limits were imposed for flow-induced vibrations (FIV) and thermal-hydraulic vibrations (THV). The transient analysis examined an overpower accident, loss of coolant accident (LOCA) and loss of flow accident (LOFA). The thermal-hydraulic performance of U–ZrH1.6 and UO2 were found very similar. Relative to grid spacer designs, wire wrap designs were found to have smaller fretting wear, substantially lower pressure drop and higher CHF. As a result, wire wrap cores were found to offer substantially higher maximum powers than grid spacer cores, allowing for a 25% power increase relative to the grid spacer uprate [Shuffler, C.A., Malen, J.A., Trant, J.M., Todreas, N.E., 2009a. Thermal-hydraulic analysis for grid supported and inverted fueled PWR cores. Nuclear Technology (this special issue devoted to hydride fuel in LWRs)] and a 58% power increase relative to the reference core.
Gene therapy for brain tumors: The fundamentals

Abstract BACKGROUND Over the past two decades, significant advances have been made in the fields of virology and molecular biology, and in understanding the genetic alterations present in brain tumors. The knowledge gained has been exploited for use in gene therapy. OBJECTIVE The purpose of this article is to present an introduction to the field of brain tumor gene therapy for the practicing clinician. RESULTS A variety of gene therapy strategies have now been used in the laboratory and in clinical trials for brain tumors. They can be divided into five categories: 1) gene-directed enzyme prodrug (“suicide gene”) therapy (GDEPT); 2) gene therapy designed to boost the activity of the immune system against cancer cells; 3) oncolytic virus therapy; 4) transfer of potentially therapeutic genes—such as tumor suppressor genes—into cancer cells; and 5) antisense therapy. GDEPT is the strategy that has been most extensively studied. CONCLUSIONS To date, gene therapy has been found to be reasonably safe and concerns related to adverse events such as insertional mutagenesis have not been realized. Although patients have not been cured, the development of this therapy could still be considered to be at an early stage. Current research is addressing factors that could be limiting the successful clinical application of gene therapy, which remains an intriguing experimental option for patients with malignant brain tumors.
Lack of dominant lethality in rats treated with polychlorinated biphenyls (Aroclors 1242 and 1254).

Abstract The possible mutagenicity of the polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) was investigated using the dominant lethal test. Aroclor 1242 was given to male Osborne-Mendel rats by oral intubation in a single dose of 625, 1250 or 2500 mg/kg, or in five daily doses of 125 or 250 mg/kg. Aroclor 1254 was given by oral intubation in five daily doses of 75, 150 or 300 mg/kg. The rats were then mated with untreated females for the following 10–11 wk. An additional group of male rats given five daily doses of Aroclor 1254 at 150 mg/kg was starved overnight before admittance of females. In a feeding study, males were given Aroclor 1254 at a dietary level of 25 or 100 ppm for 70 days and then were mated with untreated females for 1 wk. Triethylenemelamine (TEM) was used as the positive control compound. Results, except for those obtained with TEM, showed only random, unrepeatable effects that were not related to dose or to the stage of spermatogenesis.
A note on starting the Newton-Raphson method

Determination of a suitable initial estimate for a root of an equation ƒ(x) = 0 by means of computing the roots of a sequence of related equations is described.
A NEW MOUSE IMMUNOGLOBULIN: IGG3

A new subclass of mouse IgG for which we propose the name IgG3 has been shown to have a mol wt of 150,000 consistent with an L2H2 structure, and is present in normal mouse serum at a concentration of 0.1–0.2 mg/ml. Its molecular weight, low carbohydrate content, glycopeptide analysis, and C-terminal analysis are all typical of the IgG class. The intact protein had a strong tendency to form noncovalent aggregates with itself which were dissociable in acid. Upon papain digestion an Fab fragment of 47,000 mole wt was generated along with an Fc fragment which was insoluble at neutral pH. As for its biology, the protein did not fix complement, was not cytophilic for γG2 receptor sites on macrophages, and did not show passive cutaneous anaphylaxis. It was very efficiently transported across the placenta so that its concentration in the newborn was twice that in the serum of the mother, compared to the concentration of IgG1 and IgG2 proteins which were only present at one-third the concentration of that found in the serum of the mother. The Fc fragment of this protein reacted with and was solubilized by the staphylococcal A protein which also precipitated the intact immunoglobulin. In addition, the myeloma protein which was the prototype for this γG subclass exhibited binding activity for levan which was localized to the Fab fragment.
Four-Part Proximal Humerus Fractures: Evaluation and Treatment

Four-part proximal humerus fractures represent a difficult entity in the management of upper extremity trauma. Most of these fractures are not amenable to operative fixation; thus, surgical address is necessarily one of fracture arthroplasty. Timely reestablishment of the Gothic arch using a fracture-specific prosthesis leads reliably to anatomic tuberosity osteosynthesis. Hence, shoulder arthroplasty for fracture should be considered an augmented osteosynthesis, with precise prosthetic implantation supplementing anatomic tuberosity reconstruction. Further investigations are ongoing regarding the use of specific fracture implants and biologic substrates in an attempt to improve further the rate of tuberosity healing in the older patient population after this operation.
Phenologic and Tissue Distribution of Sesquiterpene Lactones in Cultivated Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.)

Summary Phenolic and tissue distribution of seven sesquiterpene lactones (STLs), 4,5-dihydroniveusin A, argophyllin B, argophyllin A, 15-hydroxy-3-dehydrodesoxytifruticin, niveusin B, 1,2-anhydridoniveusin A and an unidentified epoxide, in cultivated sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), have been determined by a high-performance thin-layer chromatography and UV-reflectance scanning densitometry analysis. Leaves and flower heads were the major tissues in sunflower accumulating STLs, while the roots, stems, cotyledons, pollen, and achenes did not contain detectable STLs. The total STL amount per leaf increased from bottom to top leaves, while STL concentration (per gram fresh mass basis) was highest in top followed by bottom and then middle leaves. The total STL amounts in floral tissues were less than those in leaves but were highly concentrated on the top surface of disk florets forming a chemical defense to protect achene development from insect herbivores. Non-polar STLs (15-hydroxy-3-dehydrodesoxytifruticin, niveusin B, and 1,2-anhydridoniveusin A) were more abundant in early growth stages but were then dominated by polar STLs (4,5-dihydroniveusin A, argophyllins A and B, and an unidentified epoxide), especially argophyllin A, after four weeks of growth. Age-related expression of STL content in sunflower reveals an interesting phenomenon of secondary metabolism where 15-hydroxy-3-dehydrodesoxytifruticin may be the first stable STL and argophyllin A a final metabolite of STL biosynthesis.
The electronic structure of resonance stabilized dicyanocarbene and carbonylcarbene

Abstract Molecular wavefunctions for C2O and C3N2 have been computed by the extended Huckel and by the INDO methods. Both procedures lead to a linear triplet ground state for the two molecules. In C2O there is a charge shift in the σ-framework toward oxygen but the opposite effect takes place in the π-orbitals, with the result that the total charges are primarily located on the carbons (negative on the terminal atom, positive on the middle atom). The reactivity of the compound with olefins is then analyzed; INDO calculations on the biradical intermediate resulting from the reaction of ethylene with C2O indicate a charge transfer of 0·11e to C2O, essentially due to the polar effect of oxygen. These results point to an electrophilic character for the compound, in agreement with the observations of Bayes et al.6 The π-bond order for the CC bond in C3N2 is found to be remarkably small (1·05), which explains the low resistance to bending around the central atom. The zero-field splitting parameters derived from the spin densities are in good agreement with the values obtained from the ESR spectrum.
Electron injection and acceleration at nonlinear shocks: Results of numerical simulations

We present results of numerical simulations of electron injection and acceleration at nonlinear high Mach number shocks. The electrons are assumed to be heated at the thermal subshock to an energy E(sub inj), which is treated as a free parameter, above which they are injected by self-generated whistlers to momentum m(sub p) x V(sub A). This injection mechanism requires Mach numbers greater than (43/(beta(sub -)))(((k T(sub e))/(E(sub inj)))(exp 1/2)), where T(sub e) and beta (sub -) are the upstream electron temperature and plasma beta parameter. Above m(sub p) x V(sub A) electrons are trapped in the shock by Alfven waves. In the proton precursor region the Alfven waves are assumed to be generated by protons accelerated at the shock, and have nonlinear intensities. Below GeV, however, electrons of a given rigidity propagate faster than protons with a similar rigidity and therefore diffuse to regions ahead of the proton precursor. In those regions the Alfven waves are generated by the electrons themselves. The diffusion coefficient appears to increase with decreasing acceleration efficiency. As a result, the number of electrons accelerated to energies GeV and above and, hence, the electron to proton ratio, depend only weakly on the extent of electron heating at the subshock. The negative feedback also renders the electron spectra insensitive to shock compression ratio and smoothing length scale. The estimated e/p ratio at GeV is between approximately 1%-10%.
Effect of cooling condition on the internal field distribution function of amorphous FeSiB alloys

Abstract Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and Mossbauer spectroscopy (MS) were used to investigate the effect of cooling conditions on the thermal and structural stability of amorphous alloys. The results indicate that the stability of amorphous FeSiB alloys increases with increasing cooling speed in the region of critical quenching rate at which the amorphous alloy is formed. The variation of the cooling speed can only slightly change the structure of the FeSiB amorphous alloys.
Protein kinase Cα as a heart failure therapeutic target

Heart failure afflicts ~5 million people and causes ~300,000 deaths a year in the United States alone. Heart failure is defined as a deficiency in the ability of the heart to pump sufficient blood in response to systemic demands, which results in fatigue, dyspnea, and/or edema. Identifying new therapeutic targets is a major focus of current research in the field. We and others have identified critical roles for protein kinase C (PKC) family members in programming aspects of heart failure pathogenesis. More specifically, mechanistic data have emerged over the past 6-7 years that directly implicate PKCα, a conventional PKC family member, as a nodal regulator of heart failure propensity. Indeed, deletion of the PKCα gene in mice, or its inhibition in rodents with drugs or a dominant negative mutant and/or inhibitory peptide, has shown dramatic protective effects that antagonize the development of heart failure. This review will weigh all the evidence implicating PKCα as a novel therapeutic target to consider for the treatment of heart failure. This article is part of a special issue entitled "Key Signaling Molecules in Hypertrophy and Heart Failure."
Effect of elastic interaction on nucleation: I. Calculation of the strain energy of nucleus formation in an elastically anisotropic crystal of arbitrary microstructure

Abstract We analyze the anisotropic elastic interaction of a nucleating particle with an arbitrary pre-existing coherent microstructure. Under the assumption that the length scale of the microstructure is considerably larger than the size of the nucleus, their elastic interaction energy can be expressed as a linear function of the nucleus’s volume, and combined directly with the chemical nucleation driving force in the classical nucleation theory. Using cubic → cubic and cubic → tetragonal transformations as examples, we evaluate the elastic energy associated with the formation of a nucleus in a pre-existing microstructure. It is found that, similar to other stress-generating crystalline defects, coherent precipitates could have a significant effect on the spatial location of nuclei, resulting in correlated nucleation where the existing particles dictate where the new particles appear. This effect seems to be generic for nucleation in coherent solids and it could be responsible for the formation of self-organized morphological patterns during coherent transformations.
Ethnic Differences in the Imaginary Audience

Elkind and Bowen's study was used as a basis for examining ethnic differences in the Imaginary Audience Scale (IAS) and its two subscales, the Abiding Self (AS) and the Transient Self (TS). Eighty-five Sioux and 100 Caucasian adolescents in the 7th, 8th, 11th, and 12th grades were administered the IAS. Some of Elkind and Bowen's findings were replicated. Ethnic differences were found in correlations between the IAS and measures of self-concept. No ethnic differences in IAS scores were found for younger adolescents; however, older Caucasian adolescents had lower AS scores than older Sioux adolescents. The need for more research on the IAS with different racial and cultural groups was discussed.
Bayesian Inference for Animal Space Use and Other Movement Metrics

The analysis of animal movement and resource use has become a standard tool in the study of animal ecology. Telemetry devices have become quite sophisticated in terms of overall size and data collecting capacity. Statistical methods to analyze movement have responded, becoming ever more complex, often relying on state-space modeling. Estimation of movement metrics such as utilization distributions have not followed suit, relying primarily on kernel density estimation. Here we consider a method for making inference about space use that is free of all of the major problems associated with kernel density estimation of utilization distributions such as autocorrelation, irregular time gaps, and error in observed locations. Our proposed method is based on a data augmentation approach that defines use as a summary of the complete path of the animal which is only partially observed. We use a sample from the posterior distribution of the complete path to construct a posterior sample for the metric of interest. Three basic importance sampling based methods for sampling from the posterior distribution of the path are proposed and compared. We demonstrate the augmentation approach by estimating a spatial map of diving intensity for female northern fur seals in the Pribilof Islands, Alaska.
Nitrogen starvation promotes biodegradation of N-heterocyclic compounds in soil

Abstract Mineralization studies were performed to examine the impact of N deprivation on microbial utilization of the N-heterocyclic herbicides, atrazine and cloransulam-methyl (C-M). Soil depleted by 130 years of cropping to Zea mays without fertilization was contrasted to soil from the same site regularly receiving fertilizers. Long-term N deprivation promoted rapid degradation of atrazine and the C-M pyrimidine ring, whereas no significant effect was observed on degradation of the C-M phenyl ring. When a sandy soil naturally low in N was used, addition of 5 or more μg NH4–N/g soil suppressed mineralization of the C-M pyrimidine ring. These findings provide insight into organic N availability and suggest broad implications for the effect of exogenous N in degradation of heterocyclic herbicides.
Deactivation kinetic parameters of nickel sulfur poisoning during benzene hydrogenation

Intrinsic deactivation kinetic parameters of a commercial nickel/Kieselguhr catalyst (Ni-0104T) were determined by poisoning of the benzene hydrogenation reaction with 1-propanethiol from 68 to 120 °C. Mercaptan concentrations of 75, 79, 115, and 290 ppm were used. The reaction was carried out at initial conversions of below 6% within a bed diluted with glass beads to achieve better temperature control. A procedure to measure the deactivation kinetic parameters based on the cyclohexane molar concentration is described in detail. Poisoning values of the preexponential factor and activation energy were found to be 1.45 × 10-4 (Pa·s)-1 and 3.87 kJ·mol-1, respectively, and were comparable with integral reactor data and parameters previously found for thiophene poisoning.
Image reconstruction in thermoacoustic tomography with compensation for acoustic heterogeneities

Thermoacoustic tomography (TAT) is an emerging imaging technique with great potential for a wide range of biomedical imaging applications. It is customary in TAT to assume that the object is acoustically homogeneous, which can result in image artifacts in medical applications. In this work, we investigate an iterative reconstruction approach for TAT that can compensate for acoustic heterogeneities via inversion of a generalized Radon transform imaging model. We demonstrate numerically that the generalized Radon transform model can be inverted uniquely and stably by use of only half of the acquired measurement data. The effects of imperfect knowledge of the acoustic heterogeneity map are also investigated.© (2005) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Jordan-algebraic approach to potential-reduction algorithms

We consider the linear monotone complementarity problem for domains obtained as the intersection of an affine subspace and the Cartesian product of symmetric cones. A primal-dual potential reduction algorithm is described and its complexity estimates are established with the help of the Jordan-algebraic technique.
Testing in Nontraditional Curriculum Areas

_ The use of standard procedures for measuring student learning in nontraditional curriculum areas provides tangible evidence of achievement as well as a unique instructional opportunity, according to these writers.
Relation between left ventricular dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmias after myocardial infarction.

Ventricular arrhythmias occurring in the coronary care unit are not good predictors of ventricular arrhythmias or death during follow-up. However, arrhythmias detected by 24-hour electrocardiographic recordings at the time of hospital discharge are predictive of mortality over the subsequent 2 years. At discharge, only about 20% of patients have significant ventricular arrhythmias, defined as frequent or repetitive ventricular premature depolarizations. Using programmed ventricular stimulation, which can detect significant ventricular arrhythmias in patients with very little ectopy in 24-hour electrocardiographic recordings, 20% of patients have ventricular tachycardia 2 to 6 weeks after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Both diastolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction in the coronary care unit (i.e., rales or pulmonary congestion) and systolic LV dysfunction (i.e., LV ejection fraction) during hospitalization for AMI are potent predictors of mortality. Two large prospective studies examining the relations between LV dysfunction, ventricular arrhythmias and mortality concluded that mechanical dysfunction and ventricular arrhythmias are independently related to mortality. This finding provides a rationale for treating patients with frequent or repetitive ventricular arrhythmias detected near the time of hospital discharge after AMI. However, no study has yet examined whether reducing ventricular arrhythmias with antiarrhythmic drugs after AMI also reduces mortality. Lacking an answer to this question and given the frequency of adverse effects with antiarrhythmic drugs, most physicians are conservative in the treatment of patients with ventricular arrhythmias after AMI.
The hippocampal tissue slice in animal models of CNS disorders

The use of in vitro brain slice preparations has increased in the past ten years, particularly the hippocampal slice because of the dissection ease, well-defined cell layers, and self-contained afferent systems. Developing the slice as a model for screening neurotoxins is of particular interest because of the sensitivity of hippocampal neurons to chemical or metabolic insult and the need to keep animal usage to a minimum. Experiments where the slice has been used to study the neurotoxin trimethyltin are discussed, along with its use as a model for investigating the neurodegenerative problems associated with hypoxia, ischemia, and epilepsy.
Reduction of sidelobe levels in interrupted phased array antennas by means of a genetic algorithm

Interruptions in the regular lattice of a phased array antenna can lead to elevated sidelobe levels in the resulting antenna pattern. A method for reducing the sidelobe level in such an array is presented, based on the use of a genetic algorithm that modifies the element weights in the array. Results are presented for both scanned and unscanned arrays. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE, 2007.
Integrated diffusion using an acousto-optic modulator for 3D image enhancement

An electro-holographic display based on the diffraction specific computation can reduce speckle using electronic diffusion through selective addition of pseudorandom sequence. Intensity fluctuation due to the introduction of pseudorandom noise does not affect 3-D images significantly since spatial windows formed by diffused basis phase sets do not widen noticeably at low spread of the pseudorandom sequence while its features are much smaller than human visual resolution. The result shows crosstalk blur characteristic of substantial variation in the degree of diffusion among basis phase sets. Also, coherent artifacts may be produced by the interference between spatial windows if basis phase sets are sub-optimally designed.
Nine year follow-up of a case of benign liver cell adenoma related to oral contraceptives.

A case is described in which a 23-year-old woman who had been taking Enovid-E for 3 years previously developed a benign liver cell adenoma. Following removal of the adenoma the patient continued taking Enovid-E. Even after discovery 3 years later of a recurrence of the problem the patient continued with oral contraception. At some point she switched to Ortho-Novum. 3 years after cessation of oral contraception the tumor has regressed and is no longer palpable or diagnosable. The patients older sister also taking oral contraceptives also developed a liver mass. Following cessation of medication her liver mass also regressed. These 2 cases emphasize a direct relationship between use of oral contraception and liver lesions.
A four-helical super-secondary structure

Abstract A stable structure, composed of four roughly parallel α-helices, has been observed in hemerythrin, tobacco mosaic virus protein and tyrosyl-tRNA synthetase. Since the latter two interact with RNA, it is conjectured for these strucutres that the four-helical arrangement provides a common role.
Nernst effect in the vortex-liquid regime of a type-II superconductor

We measure the transverse thermoelectric coefficient ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{xy}$ in simulations of type-II superconductors in the vortex-liquid regime, using the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau equation with thermal noise. Our results are in reasonably good quantitative agreement with experimental data on cuprate samples, suggesting that this simple model contains much of the physics behind the large Nernst effect due to superconducting fluctuations observed in these materials.
Graded dose effects of angiotensin II on aldosterone production in man during various levels of potassium intake

Abstract This study was performed to evaluate the hypothesis that adrenal aldosterone output is modulated by daily potassium intake in man. Eight normotensive subjects, aged 24–38 yr, were fed 3 separate 150 mEq sodium-containing diets. Potassium content ranged from 300 mEq daily during the first week, to 80 mEq daily and 10 mEq daily for the subsequent 2 wk. On days 4 and 5 of each diet each subject took oral dexamethasone 0.5 mg B.I.D. to prevent endogenous ACTH secretion. On day 6 an infusion of angiotensin II (AII) was administered in doses of 0.1, 0.3, 1.0, 3.0 and 10.0 ng/kg/min, each lasting 30 min. Blood pressure, pulse, and plasma aldosterone and potassium were measured throughout the infusions. All at infusion rates of 3 and 10 ng/kg/min, produced significant increases in plasma aldosterone values during liberal potassium intake but not when potassium intake was 10 mEq/day. We conclude that dietary potassium in man modulates All-mediated aldosterone secretion.
Multiple stable points of a soliton fiber laser with nonlinear polarization evolution

Multiple stable points of soliton fiber lasers stabilized by nonlinear polarization evolution (NPE) are investigated analytically, numerically, and experimentally. It is demonstrated that stable operation is possible at the higher transmission peaks of NPE. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed.
Asymmetric effects of dynamic usage behavior on duration in subscription-based online service

In this article, we develop a model to predict the lifetime duration of customers for a subscription-based online content provider. In contrast to prior research, this article employs a dynamic measure of usage and compares alternate model specifications. A proportional hazard model is used with time-varying usage covariates obtained from Web logs while controlling for initial purchase characteristics such as purchase price and billing frequency. We test and find evidence for violation of the proportionality assumption in the hazard model and conclude that a stratified hazard model provides the best model fit. The results show that customers who are billed monthly for annual subscriptions maintain their subscriptions longer than do customers billed quarterly, when compared to annual subscriptions. Furthermore, dynamic changes in usage have an asymmetric effect on duration, with increases in usage having a stronger effect than do decreases in usage. Managers can use this model to identify the customers to be targeted for both retention and upgrade.
Against "Values": Reflections on Moral Language and Moral Education

It is increasingly popular to ask educational institutions to do something about values. It is also becoming possible to take substantive moral positions in schools. We have become increasingly concerned about the morals of our children. Much of the discussion of values is incoherent. Many educators contribute to the public babble about ethics because of how they talk about moral questions; they have acquired a dysfunctional and obfuscating vocabulary ("values speak") for describing ethical phenomena and ethical issues. Assertions about values are distinct from assertions about character. The question of how to form democratic character is a crucial question that society has almost stopped asking. We do occasionally put the question as one about democratic values. While "values speak" seems initially liberating, nevertheless, it easily contributes to an authoritarian outlook. Four pieces of advice to educators are offered: 1) do not let "values speak" make you deaf to the nuances of the complex moral vocabularies; 2) learn to think of a liberal arts education as part of professional training; 3) an essential moral practice is dialogue; 4) support those trends in educational reform that increase opportunities for conscientious moral dialogue among members of school communities.
TREE FAILURES, RISK AND REASONABLENESS. A COMMONSENSE APPROACH

Summary In the cities and urban areas of the world, the ageing tree populations are falling apart, causing damage to property and injuring people. Arboriculturists and foresters need to alert, warn and inform all sections of the public to the dangers of neglecting the shade trees within and adjacent to areas used by the public. To influence people effectively, contractors and consultants must keep up with the state of the art in hazard tree analysis. In America, a new programme called Tree Health Management Series (THMs ) has awakened the layman to trees as friend and foe. It has given professionals a new perspective on tree hazards and risks. The concept and narrative of THM s is paraphrased.
Role for acetylcholine in mediating effects of light on reproduction

The length of day, or photoperiod, regulates the annual cycle of reproductive activity in the golden hamster. The inhibitory effects of a short-day photoperiod on testicular function were prevented by nighttime, but not daytime, intraventricular injections of carbachol, a cholinergic agonist. Short pulses of light during the night also block short-day induced testicular regression. The findings suggest that acetylcholine may play an important role in the mechanism through which information about the light-dark environment is transferred to the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis.
A carbon-nanotube-supported graphene-rich non-precious metal oxygen reduction catalyst with enhanced performance durability

A non-precious metal catalyst for oxygen reduction in acid media, enriched in graphene sheets/bubbles during a high-temperature synthesis step, has been developed from an Fe precursor and in situ polymerized polyaniline, supported on multi-walled carbon nanotubes. The catalyst showed no performance loss for 500 hours in a hydrogen/air fuel cell. The improved durability is correlated with the graphene formation, apparently enhanced in the presence of carbon nanotubes.
Enantioselective Pathway for the Synthesis of Laurenditerpenol

Simple enantioselective routes to the two key intermediates shown above (at center) for the synthesis of laurenditerpenol have been developed using a Diels-Alder step and the same catalyst system for each.
Evolutionary rate heterogeneity of Alu repeats upstream of the APOA5 gene: do they regulate APOA5 expression?

The APOA5 gene, located in the APOA1/C3/A4/A5 gene cluster, is a key regulator of triglyceride metabolism. ApoAV plasma concentration is much lower as compared to other apolipoproteins such as apoCIII and apoAI. This is due in part to the fact that the APOC3-enhancer, which up-regulates transcription of the APOA1, APOC3, and APOA4 genes, does not increase expression of the APOA5 gene. We postulated that intervening Alu repeats in the APOA5-APOA4 intergenic region gene might be blocking action of the APOC3-enhancer over the APOA5-promoter. To search for evidence of functional significance of the intervening Alu sequences, we estimated nucleotide substitution rates of 21 pairs of Alu elements in the APOA5-APOA4 intergenic region by comparing published sequences of human and chimpanzee. Also, we scanned the intergenic region for the presence of binding sites of the insulator protein CTCF. Seven out of the nine found CTCF binding sites were located in the first half of the intergenic region. Five out of those seven CTCF binding sites were placed inside Alu elements. Based on their substitution rates, we found two clearly defined groups of Alu sequences: a slow-evolving group (mean 0.98 ± 0.18) and a fast-evolving group (mean 2.74 ± 0.54). Alu repeats with lower substitution rate tended to be located up to 14-kb upstream of the APOA5 gene, to belong to the oldest J-family and to have an opposite orientation to the APOA5 gene. Some Alu sequences may have functional relevance on the regulation of the APOA5-gene expression.
Quantitative NDE of Advanced Composites Using Ultrasonic Velocity Measurements

Modelisation du composite comme un ensemble de strates transversalement isotrope d'orientation connue. Determination d'une procedure numerique sur la base d'un programme disponible dans le commerce. Exemples
IDENTIFICATION OF PLATINUM-118

An unstable even-even neutron-deficient platinum isotope with a half-life of 10.3\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.4 days has been prepared and assigned a mass number 188. The decay of this isotope results in unstable iridium 188, which in turn decays to a known excited state in stable osmium 188.
Cholinergic and dopaminergic blocking agents modulate water intake elicited by deprivation, hypovolemia, hypertonicity and Isoproterenol

Abstract In order to identify and differentiate separate components of an overall drinking system on neurochemical grounds, a few neuropharmacological blocking agents, already shown to affect the mediation of some thrist-related behaviors, were tested against a wide range of manipulations that elicit drinking behavior. Peripheral injections of scopolamine, an anticholinergic agent, or haloperidol, a catecholamine blocking agent with pronounced antidopaminergic actions, substantially reduced the water intake of rats induced to drink by periods of deprivations or by subcutaneous injections of either hypertonic saline, polyethylene glycol, or isoproterenol. When a combined injection of both scopolamine and haloperidol was given, hypovolemic and isoproterenol-induced drinking were almost entirely eliminated, but salt-aroused or deprivation-induced drinking were not totally abolished. In control studies, eating behavior elicited by either food deprivation or peripheral injection of 2-deoxy-d-glucose was not affected by these blocking agents. These experiments suggest that activation of cholinergic and dopaminergic neurons within central thirst-related systems are important physiological events underlying drinking behavior.
The emerging field of nanotube biotechnology

Nanoparticles are being developed for a host of biomedical and biotechnological applications, including drug delivery, enzyme immobilization and DNA transfection. Spherical nanoparticles are typically used for such applications, which reflects the fact that spheres are easier to make than other shapes. Micro- and nanotubes--structures that resemble tiny drinking straws--are alternatives that might offer advantages over spherical nanoparticles for some applications. This article discusses four approaches for making micro- and nanotubes, and reviews the current status of efforts to develop biomedical and biotechnological applications of these tubular structures.
The infrared spectrum of selenoketene

Abstract Mid-infrared FTIR spectra of argon matrix isolated selenoketene-d0 and selenoketene-d1 have been recorded. These transient species were prepared by flow thermolysis of the corresponding 1,2,3-thiadiazoles. With the aid of ab initio predictions of the vibrational frequencies and intensities, six of the nine fundamentals have been identified for each isotopomer. The spectra are dominated by a very intense C-C stretching band; the other fundamentals are significantly weaker and more difficult to assign.
High and low affinity binding sites for endothelin on cultured rat glomerular mesangial cells.

Abstract Endothelin contracts glomerular mesangial cells, thereby influencing glomerular size and filtration rate. Here, we demonstrate the presence of two ET-specific binding sites on cultured rat mesangial cells with Kds of 0.76 and 44.70 nM, and maximal binding capacity (Bmax) values of 6.78×10 2 and 27.60×10 2 binding sites/cell, respectively. Binding of [ 125 I]-ET was maximal at 120 min at 4°C, stable for the subsequent 60 min, and selective. No competition for binding was observed with >1000-fold concentrations of atrial natriuretic peptide, angiotensin II, arginine vasopressin, nicardipine, or nifedipine. The presence of specific receptors for ET on glomerular mesangial cells suggests a major role for this peptide in the regulation of glomerular filtration rate.
On the lowest eigenvalue of the Laplacian for the intersection of two domains

If A and B are two bounded domains in Rn and λ(A) γ(B) are the lowest eigenvalues of — Δ with Dirichlet boundary conditions, then there is some translate, B x, of B such that λ(A Bx)< λ(A) + λ(B). A similar inequality holds for. There are two corollaries of this theorem: (i) A lower bound for supx volume (A Bx) in terms of λ(A), when B is a ball; (ii) A compactness lemma for certain sequences in W 1,p(Rn).