cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Single and Power-Combined Linear E-Band Power Amplifiers in 0.12- $\mu$ m SiGe With 19-dBm Average Power 1-GBaud 64-QAM Modulated Waveforms

This paper presents a set of wideband, fully integrated E-band power amplifiers (PAs) designed in 0.12- $\mu \text{m}$ silicon-germanium (SiGe) BiCMOS and working in the range of 60–75 GHz. The single PA is based on common-emitter (CE) driver stages followed by a CE output stage. A three-stage and four-stage versions of the single-PA as well as four- and eight-way combined variants of the four-stage PA are measured and compared. The single, four-way, and eight-way combined PAs achieve saturated output powers of 16, 19.5, and 24 dBm with peak power-added efficiencies (PAEs) of 18%, 11%, and 12%, respectively. Modulated waveforms are passed through each amplifier and data rates as high as 32 Gb/s are demonstrated for all amplifiers when driven in the linear mode. Measurements of how error-vector magnitude (EVM) and PAE degrade versus output power are presented and it is demonstrated that the eight-way combined PA can deliver 17–20 dBm of average power in a 64-quadratic-amplitude modulation, 1-Gbaud waveform (6 Gb/s), with an EVM of −32 to −24 dB and a PAE of 3%–5% without predistortion. To the author’s knowledge, this is the first paper reporting detailed measurements of PA EVM and PAE versus output power at these frequencies.
Automating the Classification of Urban Issue Reports: an Optimal Stopping Approach

Empowering citizens to interact directly with their local governments through civic engagement platforms has emerged as an easy way to resolve urban issues. However, for authorities to manually process reported issues is both impractical and inefficient; accurate, online and near-real-time processing methods are necessary to maintain citizens’ satisfaction with their local governments. Herein, an optimal stopping framework is proposed to process urban issue requests quickly and accurately. The optimal classification and stopping rules are derived, and significant reduction in time-to-decision without sacrificing accuracy is demonstrated on a real-world dataset from SeeClickFix.
Developing games that capture and engage users

Developing games that can capture and engage users is not an easy process. The game industry, a multi-billion industry, is composed of many companies delivering a variety of games and adopting many different business and software development models. One trend that started to appear within the industry in recent years is the use of data to guide the design process and provide insights on different aspects of production, including software development, usability, monetization, and marketing, to mention a few. In this technical briefing, I will concentrate on the role of data in the game software development process and how data can be used to derive design and development insights. I will use case studies of collaborative work we have accomplished with different game companies as examples to demonstrate the utility of the approach.
Mutation in DNA Polymerase Beta Causes Spontaneous Chromosomal Instability and Inflammation-Associated Carcinogenesis in Mice

DNA polymerase beta (Pol β) is a key enzyme in the base excision repair (BER) pathway. Pol β is mutated in approximately 40% of human tumors in small-scale studies. The 5´-deoxyribose-5-phosphate (dRP) lyase domain of Pol β is responsible for DNA end tailoring to remove the 5' phosphate group. We previously reported that the dRP lyase activity of Pol β is critical to maintain DNA replication fork stability and prevent cellular transformation. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the human gastric cancer associated variant of Pol β (L22P) has the ability to promote spontaneous chromosomal instability and carcinogenesis in mice. We constructed a Pol β L22P conditional knock-in mouse model and found that L22P enhances hyperproliferation and DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) in stomach cells. Moreover, mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs) derived from L22P mice frequently induce abnormal numbers of chromosomes and centrosome amplification, leading to chromosome segregation errors. Importantly, L22P mice exhibit chronic inflammation accompanied by stomach tumors. These data demonstrate that the human cancer-associated variant of Pol β can contribute to chromosomal instability and cancer development.
Programmable mode conversion and bandgap formation for surface acoustic waves using piezoelectric metamaterials

A spatially reversible and programmable piezoelectric metamaterial concept is introduced for the manipulation of surface acoustic waves to achieve on-demand wave mode conversion and reflection. The concept uses an array of inductive-shunted piezoelectric elements (with gradually varying inductors in space) attached to the surface of an elastic propagation domain. The value of each inductor directly controls the phase velocity of the Rayleigh wave locally as quantified through unit cell band diagram analysis that guides the design process. By varying the spatial inductance distribution, the proposed piezoelectric metamaterial domain can be programed to convert incident surface waves into bulk shear waves or reflect them completely. The location of surface-to-bulk wave mode conversion or wave reflection can be tailored by means of the inductance distribution, and the directional behavior in space can be reversed. The proposed concept may enable novel surface acoustic wave devices and filters, via digital or analog programmable shunt circuits.
Phase I study of Topotecan, a new topoisomerase I inhibitor, in patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia

The purpose of this study was to define, in a phase I study in leukemia, the maximally tolerated dose (MTD), major toxicities, and possible antitumor activity of Topotecan, a new topoisomerase I (topo I) inhibitor. Topotecan was delivered by a 5-day continuous infusion every 3 to 4 weeks to patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia, at doses ranging from 3.5 mg/m2 to 18 mg/m2 per course. Twenty-seven patients were treated, including 17 patients with acute myelogenous or undifferentiated leukemia, 7 with acute lymphocytic leukemia, and 3 with chronic myelogenous leukemia in blastic phase. Severe mucositis was the dose-limiting toxicity occurring in two of five patients treated with Topotecan 11.8 mg/m2 per course; a third patient had prolonged myelosuppression. At the MTD of 10 mg/m2 per course, 1 of 12 patients had severe mucositis and 5 had mild-to- moderate mucositis. Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and prolonged myelosuppression were uncommon. Three patients (11%) achieved a complete response, two (7%) had a partial response, and one (4%) had a hematologic improvement. The overall complete plus partial response rate was 19%, and 24% in acute myelogenous or undifferentiated leukemia. A novel in vitro assay that quantifies Topotecan-stabilized topo I-DNA complexes in patient samples was used, which demonstrated heterogeneity in the ability of Topotecan to interact with topo I, the intracellular target of Topotecan. This phase I study defined the MTD of Topotecan to be 10 mg/m2 by continuous infusion over 5 days every 3 to 4 weeks in patients with refractory or relapsed acute leukemia. Severe mucositis was the dose-limiting toxicity. Future studies will define the precise activity of Topotecan in different leukemia subsets, its efficacy in combination with other antileukemic drugs, and correlations between Topotecan-induced topo I-DNA complex formation and individual patient response to Topotecan.
Investigating the effect of binning on causal discovery

Binning (a.k.a. discretization) of numerically continuous measurements is a wide-spread but controversial practice in data collection, analysis, and presentation. The consequences of binning have been evaluated for many different kinds of data analysis methods, however so far the effect of binning on causal discovery algorithms has not been directly investigated. This paper reports the results of a simulation study that examined the effect of binning on the Greedy Equivalence Search (GES) causal discovery algorithm. Our findings suggest that unbinned continuous data often result in the highest search performance, but some exceptions are identified. We also found that binned data are more sensitive to changes in sample size and tuning parameters, and identified some interactive effects between sample size, binning, and tuning parameter on performance.
176 Source of social support and post-injury depression and anxiety among college student-athletes

Purpose To examine the effects of different sources of social support (team vs. family/friends) during recovery from injury on post-injury depression and anxiety symptoms among college student-athletes. Methods College student-athletes from two Big 10 universities were prospectively enrolled at the beginning of the 2007–2008 through 2011–2012 sport seasons and followed for injury. Depression and anxiety scores were assessed at baseline and at multiple time points post-injury until return-to-play. Linear mixed models were used to examine the effects of social support from family/friends or from the team (coaches, athletic trainers, and teammates) during recovery, along with satisfaction with the support received, on changes in post-injury depression and anxiety scores. Results A total of 597 injuries (sustained by 397 athletes) were included in the analysis. Of these injuries, 67% occurred in males, 39.9% occurred during football, and 11.9% were concussions. Average depression and anxiety scores at baseline were 10.7 and 41.3, respectively. Results showed that the quantity of social support received from family/friends during recovery significantly influenced post-injury depression scores (β=0.60, p=0.028). No such relationship was found between social support received from the team and depression scores. Furthermore, overall satisfaction with social support received during recovery, regardless of the source of social support, was negatively associated with post-injury scores in depression (p Conclusion College student-athletes’ satisfaction with the social support received from both family/friends and one’s team post-injury was negatively associated with post-injury depression and anxiety scores. Although family/friends are often a major source of social support post-injury, future efforts are needed to increase social support from one’s team, which in turn may help mitigate the risk of depression and anxiety post-injury. Significance Social support from family/friends or one’s team post-injury may help college student-athletes cope with the psychological impact of injury, reducing post-injury depression and anxiety symptoms.
The statistical properties of raw knock signal time histories

Abstract Traditional processing of knock signals reduces each recorded time history to a single scalar knock intensity metric for each engine firing, thereby losing all information relating to the phasing and evolution of knock over the combustion period. In this work, a statistical analysis of raw knock cylinder pressure and accelerometer signal time histories has been performed showing how the nonstationary stochastic characteristics of these signals evolve as a function of crank angle, and as a function of spark timing. The data are shown to closely approximate a cyclically independent process whose 2-dimensional covariance function captures both the non-stationary deterministic processes taking place within a cycle as well as the stationary random variations from one cycle to the next. A (time-varying) dual-Gaussian model for the distribution of these cyclic variations was fitted to the data, thereby enabling them to be characterized as the sum of knocking and non-knocking populations. The parameters of the model, which describe these populations separately, provide further empirical insight into the knock process.
Major Federal Environmental Decisions, 2015

This paper describes key environmental decisions issued by federal courts during the 2014-15 term, focusing on developments at the appellate level in the D.C and Third Circuits. Parts I and II focus on constitutional and statutory developments, respectively.
Sociodemographic diversity in cancer clinical trials: New findings on the effect of race and ethnicity.

Abstract Background Cancer clinical trials (CCT) offer significant potential benefit, not only for future patients but also for enrolled participants, yet a very small minority of cancer patients participate, resulting in low levels of enrollment that have stalled clinical trials dramatically. Though many have endeavored to study this phenomenon, relatively little research has explored the demographic factors which may affect CCT enrollment. Understanding patient demographics is critical to optimizing enrollment, evaluating generalizability, and ensuring equity of CCT. Methods To better understand the effect of social determinants of health on CCT enrollment, the authors constructed a multivariable logistic regression model to analyze data collected in the last ten years in the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Survey, an annual national survey conducted among the non-institutionalized adult population of the U.S. Results In multivariable regression analysis, enrollment varied significantly with sociodemographic factors. Individuals of higher income, Hispanic ethnicity, and younger age were most likely to participate in CCTs. Enrollment did not vary significantly by educational attainment. Conclusion Our multivariable analysis indicated people of color are more likely to participate in CCT, perhaps demonstrating that structural barriers shape participation more than race alone. Efforts to improve CCT enrollment may benefit from a shift in focus towards access to care by alleviating structural and financial barriers to enrollment.
Microfluidic deep mutational scanning of the human executioner caspases reveals differences in structure and regulation

The human caspase family comprises 12 cysteine proteases that are centrally involved in cell death and inflammation responses. The members of this family have conserved sequences and structures, highly similar enzymatic activities and substrate preferences, and overlapping physiological roles. In this paper, we present a deep mutational scan of the executioner caspases CASP3 and CASP7 to dissect differences in their structure, function, and regulation. Our approach leverages high-throughput microfluidic screening to analyze hundreds of thousands of caspase variants in tightly controlled in vitro reactions. The resulting data provides a large-scale and unbiased view of the impact of amino acid substitutions on the proteolytic activity of CASP3 and CASP7. We use this data to pinpoint key functional differences between CASP3 and CASP7, including a secondary internal cleavage site, CASP7 Q196 that is not present in CASP3. Our results will open avenues for inquiry in caspase function and regulation that could potentially inform the development of future caspase-specific therapeutics.
Advancing Laryngeal Adductor Reflex Testing Beyond Sensory Threshold Detection.

Flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing with sensory testing (FEESST) is a promising clinical tool to assess airway integrity via the laryngeal adductor reflex (LAR). The current clinical protocol relies on sensory threshold detection, as relatively little is known about the motor response of this sensorimotor airway protective reflex. Here, we focused on characterizing normative LAR motion dynamics in 20 healthy young participants using our prototype high-pressure syringe-based air pulse device and analytic software (VFtrack™) that tracks vocal fold (VF) motion in endoscopic videos. Following device bench testing for air pulse stimulus characterization, we evoked and objectively quantified LAR motion dynamics in response to two suprathreshold air pulse stimuli (40 versus 60 mm Hg), delivered to the arytenoid mucosa through a bronchoscope working channel. The higher air pressures generated by our device permitted an approximate 1 cm endoscope working distance for continual visualization of the bilateral VFs throughout the LAR. Post hoc video analysis identified two main findings: (1) there are variant and invariant subcomponents of the LAR motor response, and (2) only a fraction of suprathreshold stimuli evoked complete glottic closure during the LAR. While the clinical relevance of these findings remains to be determined, we have nonetheless demonstrated untapped potential in the current FEESST protocol. Our ongoing efforts may reveal LAR biomarkers to quantify the severity of laryngeal pathology and change over time with natural disease progression, spontaneous recovery, or in response to intervention. The ultimate goal is to facilitate predictive modeling of patients at high risk for dysphagia-related aspiration pneumonia.
Predicting Advertising Persuasiveness: A Decision Tree Method for Understanding Emotional (In)Congruence of Ad Placement on YouTube

By applying the computational method of decision trees, this research identifies the most decisive attributes enhancing ad persuasiveness by examining the contextual effects of emotional (in)congru...
Paradoxes of Gendered Political Opportunity in the Venezuelan Transition to Democracy

On International Women's Day in March 1958, ten thousand women gathered in the largest stadium in Caracas to celebrate the fall of the dictatorship of Major Marcos Perez Jimenez and to commemorate the many women who had taken an active role in opposing it. This gathering was the first mass meeting following the demise of authoritarian rule. Despite the array of political views represented in the audience and on the dais, unity was stressed by every speaker. Women had struggled against the dictatorship united, and united they would promote their own rights in the fledgling democracy. But within a year, the women's group that had sponsored the rally disbanded. Women did not hold another nonpartisan meeting for sixteen years, and then only when the United Nations' International Women's Year in 1974 galvanized the two thousand participants. During the first thirty years of democracy in Venezuela, women held no more than 5 percent of congressional seats and few of the decisionmaking positions in political parties. What happened to Venezuelan women's capacity to organize in the new democracy? Answering this question will shed light not only on the experience of Venezuelan women but also on a troubling paradox of participation in Latin America: women mobilize politically under even the most repressive forms of authoritarian rule, but in the transition to democracy, they demobilize. In country after country, Latin American
Some Effects of the UV Radiation From White Dwarfs on the Accretion of Interstellar Hydrogen

We have carried out preliminary hydrodynamic calculations of the accretion of interstellar hydrogen by white dwarfs, and we are beginning to study the effects of the ionizing UV radiation from the star upon the flow. Even for velocities as low as ~2.82 km s -1, with a stellar temperature T eff = 10,000 K, the parameter values we have selected for the trial calculations discussed here, the HII region around the star is highly distorted. For this case, we find that the ionizing radiation does reduce the accretion rate of hydrogen, by about a factor of three. Further work is in progress and will be reported elsewhere.
A Quantum Leap: Jews from Afar Off

On May 25, 2075, during my final year at Cal State Megaversity, I was lucky enough to be granted an opportunity of getting a first hand look at two distinct periods in Jewish history. Our school had recently purchased two more “Quantum Leaper” time machines to add to an already sizable inventory. With this in mind Dr. Shaffer, Professor of Jewish Studies, decided to take advantage of her influence with the College of Post-Einsteinian Science, and acquired the use of several Quantum Leaper time machines for us to use in connection to our final assignment before graduation. Our exam specifically directed us to travel on the Quantum Leaper back into time, selecting two periods in American history from which to examine. From each period our mission was to interview a number of American Jews in order to determine a general portrait regarding the faith, religion, identity, family life, value and their relationships relative to this study for all American Jews living in the chosen period of inquiry. The dates I chose to survey were 1985 and 1955. My goal was to get a hands-on understanding of Jewish values, their similarities and their differences, while also comparing them to the impressions I had already acquired through my historical journey of Judaism.I began my investigation by first compiling ten questions that would give me the most complete picture of Jewish thought relative to my own historical interest in Judaism. I specifically asked Jews from both time periods the same questions: 1) What is the message implicit in the Torah? 2) What does it mean to be a Jew? 3) What religious traditions do you practice? 4) If you are a good Jew, does that also mean you believe in God? If you don’t have to believe in God to be a good Jew, why not? 5) In the Jewish family, what is the role of the father? The mother? 6) How would you characterize your relationship with non-Jews? 7) Is the history and the legacy of your people important to you, and if so, why? 8) How would you characterize your relationship to God? 9) How do the values of the gentile appear differently from the values of the Jew? 10) As a Jew, what is the most important fact to remember?Though I would have liked to ask additional questions, I was reluctant to do so as a result of other pressing time considerations. Thus, I had to live with the answers I received from these ten questions.I was able to interview a total of 30 American Jews: fifteen from each period. Though the rules of statistics require 30 random subjects for each experiment in order to make an intelligent inference about a particular population, I decided that for this assignment a total of 30 would be enough.One of the more striking results that shaped my impression of Jews and their thoughts came from two of the fifteen subjects I interviewed in 1985. The first was a female. Her answer to the question: “What is the message implicit in the Torah”?
Stability analysis of interconnected nonlinear systems under matrix feedback

This paper explores the stability analysis problem for nonlinear systems which have general linear feedback interconnections. Systems are often modeled in this manner in the study of decentralized control because many communication topologies can be modeled and analyzed using connections to graph theory. We present necessary conditions for stability of a classification of interconnected systems, and we give some examples to provide insight into this problem. These conditions are related to positive definiteness of matrices associated with the feedback interconnection, and specialize to the common case where the Laplacian matrix of a graph represents the communication topology of the system.
Effects of sodium fluoride on HeLa cells. I. Growth sensitivity and adaption.

Abstract Growth of HeLa cells in monolayer cultures was inhibited by fluoride concentrations of 20 ppm or greater and approximately 45 ppm completely eliminated cell growth. Fluoride inhibition of growth was not associated with an altered cell size or a decrease in cell attachment to the culture vessel. The toxicity of fluoride was not markedly altered by changing the calcium and magnesium concentration of the medium, by growth in an atmosphere of 5 per cent CO 2 —95 per cent N 2 instead of 5 per cent CO 2 —95 per cent air, or by growth in different cell media. Growth inhibition by fluoride was caused by a reduced growth rate which probably resulted from a metabolic defect in these cells. HeLa cells that were exposed to gradually increasing concentrations of fluoride in the medium continued to grow in fluoride concentrations that were at least twice as high as those required for complete inhibition of growth in normal stock cultures.
CT image sequence processing for wood defect recognition

Explores a nondestructive testing application of X-ray computed tomography (CT) in the forest products industry. This application involves a computer vision system that uses CT to locate and identify internal defects in hardwood logs. The knowledge of log defects is critical in deciding whether to veneer or to saw up a log, and how to position a log so that the boards sawn from it will have as much clear face as possible. To apply CT to these problems requires efficient and robust computer vision methods. This paper addresses the issue of efficient image filtering for suppressing unwanted detail in CT log images. In particular, it describes an image filtering method based on a spatial adaptive least squares filter. Simple in structure and efficient in computation, this filter is not based on assumptions about a signal model, but rather on a fixed filtering structure. In conjunction with image segmentation and region growing procedures, the new filter is used in the machine vision system to produce well defined regions that represent areas of potential wood defects. >
Constitutive roles for inducible genes: evidence for the alteration in expression of the inducible hsp70 gene in Antarctic notothenioid fishes

Previous research on the Antarctic notothenioid fish Trematomus bernacchii demonstrated the loss of the heat shock response (HSR), a classical cellular defense mechanism against thermal stress, cha...
Uranium reduction in sediments under diffusion-limited transport of organic carbon.

Costly disposal of uranium (U) contaminated sediments is motivating research on in situ U(VI) reduction to insoluble U(IV) via directly or indirectly microbially mediated pathways. Delivery of orga...
Building service relationships: It’s all about promises

Her research focuses on customer evaluations of service, service quality, and service delivery issues. She has published in theJournal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, Journal of Retailing, and theInternational Journal of Service Industry Management. She is coauthor of the textServices Marketing (McGraw-Hill, forthcoming).
Rendering a subcritical Hopf bifurcation supercritical

It is demonstrated experimentally and theoretically that through the use of a nonlinear feedback controller, one can render a subcritical Hopf bifurcation supercritical and thus dramatically modify the nature of the flow in a thermal convection loop heated from below and cooled from above. In particular, we show that the controller can replace the naturally occurring chaotic motion with a stable, periodic limit cycle. The control strategy consists of sensing the deviation of fluid temperatures from desired values at a number of locations inside the loop and then altering the wall heating to counteract such deviations.
Modulation and sensitivity limits for backscatter receivers

This paper discusses how a low-powered RFID tag or sensor mote's backscatter modulation scheme - limited in ways that conventional digital wireless systems are not - may be adapted to the peculiar non-white noise properties of a backscatter receiver's radio frequency electronic chain to maximize detection. The analysis and results in this paper enable longer-range operation of today's passive, or semi-passive RFID tags as well as future backscatter sensor links that operate in higher frequency bands.
“An Extreme Sense of Destiny”: Bob Dylan, Affect, and Final Causation

Abstract: Bob Dylan has explicitly suggested on numerous occasions that he possessed “an extreme sense of destiny,” which has been the primary driving force in the development of his music and his identity. This article traces Dylan’s and his milieu’s articulation of final causation in its various inflections and demonstrates that this causal mode is intimately connected to an affective epistemology in Dylan’s experience. Through abstract philosophical reflection (shown here to parallel closely the ideas of philosophers like William James and Henri Bergson) and the relation of particular occasions of final causation, Dylan suggests a worldview that offers an alternative to what he perceives as the “madness” produced by “pure materialism” (2004).
Clients Without a Cause: Is There a Legal Right to Effective Treatment?

This article considers the legal right to effective treatment. Such a cause of action is distinguish able from the estabhshed right to treatment because the standard of care ensured by the latter is so minimal Tort law of negligence, law of the fiduciary, and contract law were explored. The outcome suggests there is little legal basis for social work to assume a right to effective treatment.
Nasolabial rotation flaps based on the upper lateral lip subunit for superficial and large defects of the upper lateral lip.

Background Reconstruction of the defects of the upper lateral lip is still one of the most difficult challenges for plastic surgeons. No method specific to the superficial and larger defects of the upper lateral lip has been proposed before. Nasolabial rotation flaps based on the upper lateral lip subunit for superficial and large defects of the upper lateral lip are proposed. Methods In six patients reported here, rotation flaps shaped to replace the subunits of the upper lip were used to repair defects. Three men and three women presented with unilateral superficial, large defects (occupying 50 percent of an upper lip subunit). The defect and upper lateral lip ratio ranged from 50 to 100 percent (average, 65 percent) in this series. All lesions were partial-thickness. Result Follow-up for all patients was 6 to 13 months (average, 6.8 months). No flap loss was noted. No patients had infection, hematoma, nerve injury, or secondary revision. The results were satisfactory. Conclusions Nasolabial rotation flaps based on upper lateral lip subunits are reliable for reconstructing large, superficial defects of the upper lateral lip. Because they preserve the normal facial appearance with minimal donor-site morbidity, excellent aesthetic reconstructive results are easily achieved by appropriate patient selection and preoperative planning.
Molecular basis for regulatory subunit diversity in cAMP-dependent protein kinase: crystal structure of the type II beta regulatory subunit.

Abstract Background: Cyclic AMP binding domains possess common structural features yet are diversely coupled to different signaling modules. Each cAMP binding domain receives and transmits a cAMP signal; however, the signaling networks differ even within the same family of regulatory proteins as evidenced by the long-standing biochemical and physiological differences between type I and type II regulatory subunits of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. Results: We report the first type II regulatory subunit crystal structure, which we determined to 2.45 A resolution and refined to an R factor of 0.176 with a free R factor of 0.198. This new structure of the type IIβ regulatory subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase demonstrates that the relative orientations of the two tandem cAMP binding domains are very different in the type IIβ as compared to the type Iα regulatory subunit. Each structural unit for binding cAMP contains the highly conserved phosphate binding cassette that can be considered the "signature" motif of cAMP binding domains. This motif is coupled to nonconserved regions that link the cAMP signal to diverse structural and functional modules. Conclusions: Both the diversity and similarity of cAMP binding sites are demonstrated by this new type II regulatory subunit structure. The structure represents an intramolecular paradigm for the cooperative triad that links two cAMP binding sites through a domain interface to the catalytic subunit of cAMP-dependent protein kinase. The domain interface surface is created by the binding of only one cAMP molecule and is enabled by amino acid sequence variability within the peptide chain that tethers the two domains together.
The ternary subsystem indium bismuthide-bismuth-tin

The system In Bi-Bi-Sn has been investigated by thermal analysis, metallographic, and X-ray procedures. No ternary compound was encountered, and a ternary eutectic composed of a Sn-rich solid solution, Bi, and InBi occurs at 77.5 ± 0.5° C. It contains 18 wt % Sn, 12% Bi, and 70% InBi. The solid solubilities at the Bi and InBi ends of the phase diagram are very restricted, but the Sn-rich solid solution contains 55 wt % Sn, 14% Bi, and 31% InBi at the eutectic temperature.
Special Section: Online Coordination and Interaction

Robert O. Briggs is Director of Academic Affairs for the Institute for Collaboration Science and Professor of Marketing and Management at the University of Nebraska. He earned his Ph.D. in Management and Information Systems from the University of Arizona in 1994. He researches the theoretical foundations of collaboration and applies his findings to the design and deployment of new collaboration technologies and work practices. He is a codeveloper of the collaboration engineering discipline, and coinventor of the ThinkLets design pattern language for collaboration processes. He has published more than 100 scholarly works on theoretical, experimental, and technical aspects of collaboration.
Role of Nitric Oxide in Regulating Aldose Reductase Activation in the Ischemic Heart

Aldose reductase (AR) catalyzes the reduction of several aldehydes ranging from lipid peroxidation products to glucose. The activity of AR is increased in the ischemic heart due to oxidation of its cysteine residues, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To examine signaling mechanisms regulating AR activation, we studied the role of nitric oxide (NO). Treatment with the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester prevented ischemia-induced AR activation and myocardial sorbitol accumulation in rat hearts subjected to global ischemia ex vivo or coronary ligation in situ, whereas inhibition of inducible NOS and neuronal NOS had no effect. Activation of AR in the ischemic heart was abolished by pretreatment with peroxynitrite scavengers hesperetin or 5, 10, 15, 20-tetrakis-[4-sulfonatophenyl]-porphyrinato-iron [III]. Site-directed mutagenesis and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry analyses showed that Cys-298 of AR was readily oxidized to sulfenic acid by peroxynitrite. Treatment with bradykinin and insulin led to a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent increase in the phosphorylation of endothelial NOS at Ser-1177 and, even in the absence of ischemia, was sufficient in activating AR. Activation of AR by bradykinin and insulin was reversed upon reduction with dithiothreitol or by inhibiting NOS or PI3K. Treatment with AR inhibitors sorbinil or tolrestat reduced post-ischemic recovery in the rat hearts subjected to global ischemia and increased the infarct size when given before ischemia or upon reperfusion. These results suggest that AR is a cardioprotective protein and that its activation in the ischemic heart is due to peroxynitrite-mediated oxidation of Cys-298 to sulfenic acid via the PI3K/Akt/endothelial NOS pathway.
Leakage analysis of the EVOLVE first wall

Leakage of lithium through cracks in the first wall (FW) of evaporation of lithium and vapor extraction was analyzed for two limiting cases, which are simplified versions of the real case, where the lithium enters the cracks as liquid and flashes to vapor phase within the FW. Leakage rates were calculated for the cases of liquid lithium flow and lithium vapor flow. Inasmuch as the coolant pressure is close to the saturation pressure, the limiting case of lithium vapor flow should be closer to reality. The impact of lithium leakage on first-wall cooling and plasma contamination is discussed.
Statistical Evidence in Discrimination Cases

SUMMARY Statistical data and analyses are used as circumstantial evidence indicating that race, gender, age or another legally prohibited factor was a significant cause of an unfavourable employment or governmental decision. This paper discusses the role of statistical evidence in the context of the legal process. Changepoint techniques to determine when an employment practice changed and Cornfield's approach to examining alleged flaws in a statistical analysis to ensure that they are sufficiently severe to affect the final inference are illustrated. The importance of understanding the underlying process before deciding on the appropriate statistical methodology is described in the context of a promotion case where the routine use of Fisher's exact test, without checking that the original hirings were fair, can lead to anomalous results.
Role of electronic partition function in quantitative SIMS using the Saha-Eggert equation

Methods of obtaining the electronic partition functionsZ were discussed with an intention to use them for the Saha-Eggert quantification in SIMS. The Lagrange's interpolation formula and the least-squares method were applied to the published values ofZ to obtain the expression for calculatingZ at arbitrary temperatures. With the aid of the Saha-Eggert equation, the secondary-ion currents from Ni-Cr and Fe-Ni-Cr alloys were converted into the elemental concentrations for the two types ofZ: those obtained with the above methods and those with the approximate fifthorder polynomials presented by de Galan and others. It was proved, from the comparison of the calculated concentrations, that the latter are valid for the quantification in SIMS using the Saha-Eggert equation. The largest error in the elemental concentrations was 22% for the Ni-Cr alloy and 7% for the Fe-Ni-Cr alloy.
A point-centered arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian hydrodynamic approach for tetrahedral meshes

We present a three dimensional (3D) arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) hydrodynamic scheme suitable for modeling complex compressible flows on tetrahedral meshes. The new approach stores the conserved variables (mass, momentum, and total energy) at the nodes of the mesh and solves the conservation equations on a control volume surrounding the point. This type of an approach is termed a point-centered hydrodynamic (PCH) method. The conservation equations are discretized using an edge-based finite element (FE) approach with linear basis functions. All fluxes in the new approach are calculated at the center of each tetrahedron. A multidirectional Riemann-like problem is solved at the center of the tetrahedron. The advective fluxes are calculated by solving a 1D Riemann problem on each face of the nodal control volume. A 2-stage Runge-Kutta method is used to evolve the solution forward in time, where the advective fluxes are part of the temporal integration. The mesh velocity is smoothed by solving a Laplacian equation. The details of the new ALE hydrodynamic scheme are discussed. Results from a range of numerical test problems are presented.
Nonlinear optical properties of CdS microspheres

Abstract The optical nonlinearity of a CdS microsphere is reported. It is shown that the observed effect can lead to a miniaturized, low power optical bistable device. The effect is due to the change in refractive index that accompanies the visible absorption near a morphological resonant mode.
Custer's Last Stand: The Anatomy of an American Myth

"Provocative, informative, fascinating, and almost incidentally a bibliographical treasure. Dippie's book is sure to enjoy the favor of all who, like me, are incurably addicted to the history and legend of the Little Bighorn."--Robert M. Utley, American West "Brian Dippie has made an impressive exploration of the folk and popular legends arising from [Custer's] famous defeat...[Custer's Last Stand] is an important contribution to an understanding of this event, so often ignored by historians and so long cherished by the American people."--American Historical Review "[Dippie shows] a flari for his subject that is frequently infectious to the reader...it is a happy review of an American phenomenon."--Pacific Historical Review "Dippie demonstrates considerable versatility as he traces the myth through the various media. His style is marked by flashes of wit...This book is an intelligent exposition of the attitudes toward an episode that is as important in cultural as it is in military history."--Journal of American History Defeat and death at the Little Bighorn gave General George Custer and his Seventh Cavalry a kind of immortality. In Custer's Last Stand, Brian W. Dippie investigates the body of legend surrounding that battle on a bloody Sunday in 1876. His survey of the event in poems, novels, paintings, movies, jokes, and other ephemera amounts to a unique reflection on the national character. Brian W. Dippie, a professor of history at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, is a well-known authority on Custer and the author of Catlin and His Contemporaries: The Politics of Patronage (Nebraska).
Lattice fluid dynamics from perfect discretizations of continuum flows

We use renormalization group methods to derive equations of motion for large scale variables in fluid dynamics. The large scale variables are averages of the underlying continuum variables over cubic volumes and naturally exist on a lattice. The resulting lattice dynamics represents a perfect discretization of continuum physics, i.e., grid artifacts are completely eliminated. Perfect equations of motion are derived for static, slow flows of incompressible, viscous fluids. For Hagen-Poiseuille flow in a channel with a square cross section the equations reduce to a perfect discretization of the Poisson equation for the velocity field with Dirichlet boundary conditions. The perfect large scale Poisson equation is used in a numerical simulation and is shown to represent the continuum flow exactly. For nonsquare cross sections one can use a numerical iterative procedure to derive flow equations that are approximately perfect. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
Adjusting to climate change in the Lower Mekong

Abstract The Mekong Committee is the principal institution for international water resource planning in the Lower Mekong River basin. It is likely to play several important roles in helping the people of the region adjust to any future changes in climate. The Committee appears to have a high degree of institutional resiliency and should be able to adjust its planning strategies well to future climate change. In the past several decades, as a result of conflict and low levels of funding, water resource development has been relatively slow In the Lower Mekong, with few large-scale structures. However, the low level of water development in the past may actually prove to have been an asset by having provided time for considering potential adjustments to future regional climate variability and change.
Optimal schedules for single facility with two job classes

Abstract A single facility scheduling problem with jobs divided into two mutually exclusive classes is considered when the setup time depends on the class of jobs immediately preceding the job being currently processed. The jobs in a given class need not be processed together. Based on a combinatorial analysis of the problem, an algorithm is developed to obtain an optimal schedule when the objective is to minimize mean flow time. The proposed algorithm is polynomially bounded in terms of the computational effort needed to solve the problem.
Formation and breakdown of a protective layer of chromium sesquioxide on L-605 alloy at 1100 C

The formation and breakdown of a protective layer of Cr2O3 on the cobalt-base alloy L-605 during oxidation at 1100 C was evaluated. Deformed surface layers, pressure, and moisture were variables. Increasing surface deformation, decreasing pressure, and decreasing moisture increased time to breakdown. A model was deduced. The breakdown of the Cr2O3 layer was caused by a combination of growth stresses and volatilization. Breakdown exposed a chromium-depleted alloy to air, resulting in very rapid oxidation, which continued until consumption of the depletion zone was complete.
Reflection and Strategies in Rewriting Logic1 1Supported by Office of Naval Research Contracts N00014-95-C-0225 and N00014-96-C-0114, National Science Foundation Grant CCR-9224005, and by the Information Technology Promotion Agency, Japan, as a part of the Industrial Science and Technology Frontier Program “New Models for Software Architecture” sponsored by NEDO (New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization).

Abstract After giving general metalogical axioms characterizing reflection in general logics in terms of the notion of a universal theory, this paper specifies a finitely presented universal theory for rewriting logic and gives a detailed proof of the claim made in [5] that rewriting logic is reflective. The paper also gives general axioms for the notion of a strategy language internal to a given logic. Exploiting the fact that rewriting logic is reflexive, a general method for defining internal strategy languages for it and proving their correctness is proposed and is illustrated with an example. The Maude language has been used as an experimental vehicle for the exploration of these techniques. They seem quite promising for applications such as metaprogramming and module composition, logical framework representations, development of formal programming and proving environments, supercompilation, and formal verification of strategies.
Functions of to and koto-o in speech and thought representation in Japanese written discourse

Abstract This paper explores the functional differences between to quotation, the major linguistic device for marking both direct and indirect quotation, and koto-o clause, another device for marking speech and thought representation in Japanese written discourse. After defining the notions of ‘direct’ and ‘indirect’ speech, some syntactic, semantic and discoursal characteristics are discussed as we contrast the to quotation on the one hand and koto-o together with to yuu koto-o on the other. Syntactically, although koto-o clause invariably constitutes a subordinate clause, to quotation may not necessarily do so. Semantically, to quotation implies direct-orientation, often with immediate access to the verbatim speech, while o clause is more likely to co-occur with only a limited number of verbs of communication that are less directly oriented. It is argued that the availability of the to quotation and the limited usage of koto-o clause in Japanese influence the literary style where points of view can shift rather freely without disturbing the flow of discourse and where the maintenance of the point of view may be accomplished by a cross-sentential scope relation of to . In this paper, the possibilities of exploring the literary style idiosyncratic to a particular language system from a linguistic perspective are discussed.
Bridging the generation X gap in plastic surgery training: part 1. Identifying the problem

Every few hundred years in Western history there occurs a sharp transformation. Within a few short decades, society rearranges itself-its world view; its basic values; its social and political structure; its arts; its key institutions. Fifty years later, there is a new world. And the people born then cannot imagine the world in which their grandparents lived and into which their own parents were born. We are currently living through just such a transformation.