cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of a nitrifying biofilm on local oxygen fluxes across a micro-porous flat sheet membrane

Experiments were designed to characterize the oxygen transfer across a micro-porous, flat-sheet membrane with and without a nitrifying membrane-aerated biofilm (MAB). Clean membrane oxygen transfer was quantified via average mass transfer coefficients and local fluxes calculated from profiles of dissolved oxygen (DO) along the membrane length. Stoichiometric calculations and DO profiles were used to characterize oxygen transfer with a nitrifying MAB. Comparison of the local fluxes with clean and biofilm coated membranes revealed that oxygen transfer was decreased in upstream sections of the membrane during cultivation of an MAB due to reduced advection and/or turbulence near the membrane surface. By contrast, oxygen transfer was increased in downstream sections of the membrane via bacterial respiration. Oxygen fluxes generally decreased in the downstream direction with biofilm coated membranes; however, variability in biofilm structure and membrane coverage altered this trend on several occasions. Furthermore, biofilm structures were observed to form via sloughing and settling of biomass at the membrane surface. This suggests that reactor configuration may have a significant influence on oxygen transfer rates in membrane-aerated biofilm reactors (MABR).
Short-course versus long-course chemoradiation in rectal cancer--time to change strategies?

There is significant debate regarding the optimal neoadjuvant regimen for resectable rectal cancer patients. Short-course radiotherapy, a standard approach throughout most of northern Europe, is generally defined as 25 Gy in 5 fractions over the course of 1 week without the concurrent administration of chemotherapy. Long-course radiotherapy is typically defined as 45 to 50.4 Gy in 25–28 fractions with the administration of concurrent 5-fluoropyrimidine-based chemotherapy and is the standard approach in other parts of Europe and the United States. At present, two randomized trials have compared outcomes for short course radiotherapy with long-course chemoradiation showing no difference in respective study endpoints. Late toxicity data are lacking given limited follow-up. Although the ideal neoadjuvant regimen is controversial, our current bias is long-course chemoradiation to treat patients with locally advanced, resectable rectal cancer.
Degree-of-Freedom Gain From Using Polarimetric Antenna Elements

Polarization could be the last resource to be exploited for space-limited devices. Over the past years, theoretical studies and experimental work present different conclusions on the potential increase in the number of degrees of freedom from polarization. This paper attempts to unify the different conclusions and provide a mathematical framework that can be applied to any array geometry and channel scattering condition. It shows that the degree-of-freedom gain from using polarimetric antenna elements ranges from 2 to 6 and the gain depends on the array geometry and the channel scattering condition. Sampling techniques and vector multipole decomposition are applied to derive the results.
Quality circles and production/operations management: Concerns and caveats

Abstract There has been a growing interest by American production and manufacturing organizations in the concepts and techniques being used by Japanese managers. In particular, quality circles have been found to be valuable in some companies and have thus been seen by many as being the answer to the declining productivity in companies in the United States. However, there is considerable concern by these authors that an indiscriminate acceptance of the quality circle concept may result in a series of problems for many organizations attempting its use. Although quality circles did not appear in the United States until implemented by Lockheed Missile and Space Company in 1974, their growth has been extremely rapid. It was estimated in 1980 by I.A.Q.C., that the number had grown to over 3,000 circles in U.S. companies. This widespread interest in quality circles comes, in part, from the almost deceptively simple concept of organizational intervention with the primary objective to increase productivity and quality of the production/ manufacturing sector through direct employee participation. Within this context, QCs appear to succeed in tapping into several dimensions of organizational behavior which are potentially related to improved organizational functioning: individual motivation, group process, and managerial decision-making. However, a number of questions do exist about the use of quality circles in the production of goods and services in this nation. Some of these concerns are described under the headings of: Cultural Considerations; White Collar Effectiveness; Motivational Forces; Effectiveness of Quality Circles; Introduction of Quality Circles; and Quality Circle Longevity. This paper presents some implications and caveats for the use of quality circles as a basis for improving quality and productivity: 1. 1. A diagnosis of the organization to ensure that an organizational development intervention is appropriate. 2. 2. A realistic expectation of what QCs can do and how quickly. 3. 3. Quality circles should not be introduced into organizations under extreme stress. 4. 4. QCs should not be forced into an organization. 5. 5. Program costs must be considered. 6. 6. Management should not expect completely perfect results but that there will be failures and some circles will not have a long life. This article attempts to provide an objective analysis of the quality circle concept as a method for improving productivity and quality. The concept of quality circles is sound with real successes evident. It is necessary for a company attempting to use quality circles to have a strong degree of commitment by management to respond to the involvement of their employees.
Parsimonious basis selection in exponential spectral analysis.

Sums of decaying real exponentials (SDREs) are frequently used in models of time-varying processes. First-order compartmental models are widely employed to describe mass transit in chemical and biological systems. In these models the evolution of compartment concentration versus time is represented as the convolution of an input function with an SDRE. In exponential spectral analysis (ESA) the nonlinear problem of estimating the SDRE rate constants is replaced by the linear estimation of the coefficients of a preselected set of exponential basis functions (EBFs). This work addresses the problem of selecting the number of EBFs and the rate constant of each basis element. Basis dimension is established via model selection, in which approximation error and parameter redundancy are the criteria. The latter is estimated via simulation of the fitted model over multiple noise realizations. A constrained Cramer-Rao lower bound is derived for ESA parameters. The resulting parsimonious ESA algorithm (PESA) ameliorates the inherent problem of non-uniqueness in ESA parameters. Consequently, sets of time series may be compared in a statistically meaningfully way in terms of physically or physiologically significant parameters. PESA is applied to compare the retention of two radiotracers in the artificially perfused rabbit heart.
An Explication of Social Norms

This article identifies four factors for consideration in norms-based research to enhance the predictive ability of theoretical models. First, it makes the distinction between perceived and collective norms and between descriptive and injunctive norms. Second, the article addresses the role of important moderators in the relationship between descriptive norms and behaviors, including outcome expectations, group identity, and ego involvement. Third, it discusses the role of both interpersonal and mass communication in normative influences. Lastly, it outlines behavioral attributes that determine susceptibility to normative influences, including behavioral ambiguity and the public or private nature of the behavior. The study of norms is of particular importance to communication scholarship because, by definition, norms are social phenomena, and they are propagated among group members through communication (Kincaid, 2004). Communication plays a part not only in formulating perceptions about norms (as when people use the preponderance of a behavior depicted in the media to form their perceptions about the prevalence of the behavior), but also in acting as a conduit of influence (when people base their decisions to act in a situation on the support for their actions that is communicated to them). This article is based on the premise that, given the centrality of communicative processes in propagating information about norms, its inclusion would enhance the explanatory power of theories of normative influences. The purpose of this article is to explore the intersection between social norms and communication by specifying the meaning of norms, delineating the moderators in the relationship between norms and behavior, and highlighting some of the attributes of behaviors that determine their susceptibility to normative influences.
The therapist routing and scheduling problem

In a majority of settings, rehabilitative services are provided at healthcare facilities by skilled therapists who work as independent contractors. Facilities include hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and assisted living centers and may be located throughout a wide geographic area. To date, the problem of constructing weekly schedules for the therapists has yet to be fully investigated. This article presents the first algorithm for supporting weekly planning at the agencies that do the contracting. The goal is to better match patient demand with therapist skills while minimizing treatment, travel, administrative and mileage reimbursement costs. The problem was modeled as a mixed-integer program but has several complicating components, including different patient classes, optional weekly treatment patterns and a complex payment structure that frustrated the use of exact methods. Alternatively, a parallel (two-phase) greedy randomized adaptive search procedure was developed that relies on an innovative dec...
Infrared divergences in three-dimensional gauge theories

The loop expansion in massless three-dimensional gauge theories develops infrared divergences starting at the two-loop level. However, we show that the divergences in QC${\mathrm{D}}_{3}$ which arise through the three-loop level (${g}^{6}$) can be removed by using a residual gauge freedom in covariant $\ensuremath{\alpha}$ gauges. Divergences in gauge-invariant amplitudes arise at ${g}^{8}$ order, as shown explicitly for the Wilson loop. Massless scalar QED develops a gauge-invariant singularity at order ${g}^{4}$, which can be canceled by changing the perturbative vacuum.
Medical intelligent system for assisted living — Proof of concept

Today's technologies can help reduce inefficiencies and improve the quality of medical care while increasing the patient's treatment comfort. A good example is geriatric care. Many seniors live independently and wish to continue living independently as much and as long as possible. Unfortunately the cost for traditional assisted living increases disproportionately in relation to care and monitoring costs. Often patients need to be monitored constantly to reduce risk. Until now, this meant that older people needed to stay longer in the hospital, permanently live in a retirement home or need family help to visit the doctor repeatedly. The intelligent systems are an evolution of the traditional approach of stand-alone medical devices. Applied to the healthcare domain they represent a solution for these problems. This paper aims to present a Proof Of Concept of an Assisted Living system based on powerful, specialized, cloud-connected devices that enable doctors and patients to work together to remotely monitor vital signs, exchange information, communicate, and even alert relatives, all in real time.
Energize your accounting class with a simulation that's fun for students

Abstract One way for students to become more actively involved in their classes is for educators to design instruction that requires student participation. Frequently, at the university level, participative learning exercises are viewed either as inappropriate or unmanageable. The job-cost simulation outlined in this article can be performed in a 50-minute class period. Students work in teams to perform a real task and cost the output of their efforts. The exercise raises a number of provocative issues regarding standard costing and quality control, and, perhaps best of all, occurs in a spirited, enlivened class session.
Two-step split-junction SAR ADC

A new architecture is proposed to reduce the power consumption and capacitor area in successive-approximation register analogue-to-digital converters (SAR ADCs). Two split-junction binary-weighted capacitor arrays are used in a coarse/fine quantisation scheme. This reduces both the power consumption and the capacitor area to a small fraction of that of the original split-junction SAR ADC.
Comparison of geometric features for object classification in aerial imagery

This paper examines the use of three feature sets for object classification in aerial imagery. The first feature set is based on affine invariant functions of the central moments computed on the objects within the image. The second feature set employed Zernike moment invariants and the third feature set utilized affine invariant functions of the central moments that are computed over a spline fit to the object boundary. The initial object locations were obtained using either a region of interest identification process based on low-level image processing techniques or a hand extraction process. A single nearest neighbor, k-nearest neighbors, and a weighted k-nearest neighbors classifier were employed to evaluate the utility of the various feature sets for both the hand extracted and region of interest identified objects. The performance of the full system is characterized via probability of detection and probability of false alarm.
The Brazilian Legislature and Political System

Preface Introduction: Brazilian Presidentialism in Historical Perspective From Presidentialism to Authoritarianism Congressional Leadership in Brazil, 1970-1986 Congressional Staff, Evolution and Structure Legislative Staffing and Congressional Performance Congress at Work The Congress as an Advocate and Educator To Write a Constitution The New Constitutional Order Conclusions: Congressional Performance and the Presidential System Bibliography Index
Alzheimer's beta-amyloid peptide is conformationally modified by apolipoprotein E in vitro

Amyloid beta-peptide (A beta) is a major component of neuritic plaques, a feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD) brains. Recently, we showed that A beta adopts two major conformational states in solution, which differ in their abilities to form amyloid. These are highly amyloidogenic conformer (A beta ac) with a high content of beta-sheet and a slowly amyloidogenic conformer (A beta nac) with a random coil conformation. Apolipoprotein E (apoE), particularly the E4 isoform, which is genetically associated with AD, binds to A beta and modulates fibrillogenesis in vitro. In the present work, the influence of apoE on the conformation of A beta peptides was studied. The results suggest that, under the conditions used, apoE enhances amyloid formation by inducing the conformational transition from A beta nac into A beta ac. We propose that an important step in A beta fibrillogenesis is the transformation induced by apoE of the soluble non-amyloidogenic into the pathological amyloidogenic conformer of A beta.
Representative Bureaucracy and Partisanship: The Implementation of Election Law

Studies of representative bureaucracy argue that public administrators hold attitudes that are generally representative of the public and will implement policy in accordance with those attitudes. However, studies of representative bureaucracy generally have not considered the partisanship of local administrators. Many local election officials affiliate with a political party, and there is concern that partisan officials will manipulate election procedures to help their party. The authors analyze a survey of local election officials about their attitudes toward provisional voting. Findings show that Democratic local election officials have significantly more positive attitudes toward provisional voting programs in highly Democratic jurisdictions and significantly less positive attitudes in highly Republican jurisdictions. No such relationship occurs for Republican administrators. In addition, positive attitudes toward provisional voting are associated with more provisional votes being cast and counted in the 2004 presidential election. This work questions whether representative bureaucracy—when it concerns partisanship—is always a desirable outcome.
Improving risk factor modification: A global approach

Despite recent advances in treating cardiovascular disease, many of the predisposing risk factors for heart disease are increasing in prevalence, raising concern that heart disease rates may rise in the years to come. When faced with the range of risk factors such as obesity, smoking, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes, the clinician needs to address all components. After assessing an individual patient’s global risk, the clinician should use a comprehensive risk-modifying strategy that incorporates therapeutic lifestyle changes and pharmacologic therapy. Key elements of lifestyle changes are individualized treatment plans and frequent follow-up, whereas approaches to improve medical therapy include using structured programs to increase awareness and implementation of risk-reducing medications. Improving risk factor modification requires a global approach, not only in addressing the spectrum of risk factors, but also in using the full range of strategies available to clinicians.
Relationship between Pain Tolerance and Kinesthetic Size Judgment

40 Ss were tested in tasks measuring pain tolerance and kinesthetic size judgment. The results demonstrated a significant relationship between the two types of performance: Ss low in pain tolerance tended to make larger errors in KSJ than Ss with higher pain tolerance. Among Ss with descending series, pain tolerance correlated negatively with degree of overestimation of the standard. The results are consonant with the hypothesis that attentional function is the relevant underlying mechanism.
Transfer and retention after habituation to rotation.

Thirty-five male subjects were trained in the use of a tracking device and in a hand steadiness test. The subjects were then divided randomly into three subgroups: a control group, a group rotated clockwise, and a group rotated counterclockwise. The two rotating groups performed on a rotating platform (7·5 RPM) until habituation occurred (determined by peaks on performance curves). Directions of rotation were then reversed and performance measured. Subsequently the groups performed the two tests while being rotated at 2, 5, 7·5, 10, 12·5 and 15 RPM. Two additional trials were conducted 32 and 60 days later. Results showed that transfer did occur for varying rates of rotation and for the group which trained in a counterclockwise direction. There was no significant decrement in performance after 32 and 60 days of no practice.
EXPERIMENTAL SYPHILIS IN THE RABBIT PRODUCED BY THE BRAIN SUBSTANCE OF THE LIVING PARETIC

1. Spirochaetes from the living paretic brain easily infect rabbits with experimental syphilis. 2. They constitute a virulent strain with a shorter period of incubation for the rabbit than exists with other strains.
Increased illumination uniformity and reduced photodamage offered by the Lissajous scanning in fiber-optic two-photon endomicroscopy

We compare the illumination uniformity and the associated effects of the spiral and Lissajous scanning patterns that are commonly used in an endomicroscope. Theoretical analyses and numerical simulations were first performed to quantitatively investigate the area illumination density in the spiral scanning pattern. The results revealed the potential problem of manifest photodamage due to the very high illumination density in the center of the spiral scan. Similar analyses of the Lissajous scanning pattern, which can be conveniently implemented on the same endomicroscope with no hardware modifications, showed a more uniform illumination density with about an 80-fold reduction in the peak illumination density. To underscore the benefit offered by the improved illumination uniformity, we conducted in vitro two-photon fluorescence imaging of cultured cells stained with a LIVE/DEAD viability assay using our home-built, fiber-optic, two-channel endomicroscopy system. Both the spiral and the Lissajous scans were implemented. Our experimental results showed that cells near the spiral scan center experienced obvious photodamage, whereas cells remained alive over the entire region under the Lissajous beam scanning, confirming the predicted advantage offered by the Lissajous scan over this spiral scan in an endomicroscopy setting.
The relation of post-traumatic stress symptoms to depression and pain in patients with accident-related chronic pain.

Abstract Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are a common comorbidity in patients with a history of accident-related chronic pain and depression. However, little is known regarding the influence of PTSD in contributing to the affective distress, pain experience, and disability associated with chronic pain in this population. This study used structural equation modeling to examine 3 models that assess these relations in a sample of chronic pain patients with accident-related pain. Subjects were assessed for pain experience, depressive symptoms, anxiety, PTSD symptoms, pain disability, and relevant demographic variables. Pearson correlations indicated that symptoms of depression were significantly related to more severe pain, disability, and PTSD symptoms. PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with higher disability. The model of best fit indicated that after controlling for the influence of anxiety on the dependent measures, PTSD symptoms have a direct influence on severity of depressive symptoms, whereas depressive symptoms have a direct influence on pain intensity and an indirect impact on pain intensity by way of their effect on disability. These data point to the importance of unresolved PTSD symptoms in contributing to the level of depression, pain, and disability exhibited by chronic pain patients and highlight the need to consider directed and primary treatment of PTSD in pain rehabilitation programs. Perspective This study highlights the impact of symptoms of PTSD on levels of depression, disability, and pain in patients with pain secondary to physical injury. Our results suggest that pain rehabilitation programs provide directed interventions for PTSD symptoms among this population to improve pain treatment outcomes.
Effect of calcium based fertilization on dried fig (Ficus carica L. cv. Sarılop) yield and quality

Abstract Fig tree mainly spread in regions where Mediterranean climate prevails can be grown over a wide range of soils without any significant deficiency or toxicity symptoms of plant nutrients. Surveys revealed that, however, quality is highly affected by nutrition especially N, K and Ca in fig production for commercial drying. This research work was initiated based on few studies performed on fertilization of fig. The experiment was performed between 2000 and 2002 in three fig orchards of cv. Sarilop (syn. Calimyrna) in Aydin-Turkey. Trees received seven types of fertilization as (i) untreated control; (ii) NPK (430 g N, 200 g P2O5 and 430 g K2O per tree); (iii) NPK + 70 g Ca; (iv) NPK + 140 g Ca; (v) NPK + 280 g Ca; (vi) NPK + 420 g Ca and (vii) N + 420 g Ca, Ca(NO3)2 used as the Ca source. Tested fertilizer applications showed significant differences in respect to yield and quality of fig. Basic NPK fertilization with additional 280 g Ca treatment increased overall quality by reducing the number of fruit with ostiole-end crack and sunscald. Results showed that applied fertilizers exerted significantly in reduction of cull ratio and could alleviate the negative impact of yearly drought conditions.
Fleshing out projections

In an earlier paper, the authors presented an algorithm for finding all polyhedral solid objects with a given set of vertices and straight line edges (its wire frame). This paper extends the Wire Frame algorithm to find all solid polyhedral objects with a given set of two dimensional projections. These projections may contain depth information in the form of dashed and solid lines, may represent cross sections, and may be overall or detail views. The choice of labeling conventions in the projections determines the difficulty of the problem. It is shown that with certain conventions and projections the problem of fleshing out projections essentially reduces to the problem of fleshing out wire frames. Even if no labeling is used, the Projections algorithm presented here finds all solutions even though it is possible to construct simple examples with a very large number of solutions. Such examples have a large amount of symmetry and various accidental coincidences which typically do not occur in objects of practical interest. Because of its generality, the algorithm can handle pathological cases if they arise. This Projections algorithm, which has applications in the conversion of engineering drawings in a Computer Aided Design, Computer Aided Manufacturing (CADCAM) system, has been implemented. The algorithm has successfully found solutions to problems that are rather complex in terms of either the number of possible solutions or the inherent complexity of projections of objects of engineering interest.
An inviscid flow with compact support in space-time

There exists a nonzero weak solution to the Euler equations of time-dependent incompressible fluid flow in the plane such that this solution has compact support in space-time.
Estimates of the “true” educational distribution of the adult population of the United States from 1910 to 1960

This study provides an adjusted series of data on years of school completed by age for men and women aged 25 years and over in the United States during 1910to 1960. These data are produced by using a set of unpublished tabulations from the 1950 Census Post-Enumeration Survey (PES), which included figures on years of school completed by age and sex as reported in the PES by the PES sample and separate tabulations of years of school completed by age and sex as reported in the 1950 Census by the PES sample.
Diurnal cycle of summertime deep convection over North America: A satellite perspective

[1] High-resolution (0.1° × 0.1°) geostationary satellite infrared radiances at 11 μm in combination with gridded (2.5° × 2.0°) hourly surface precipitation observations are employed to document the spatial structure of the diurnal cycle of summertime deep convection and associated precipitation over North America. Comparison of the diurnal cycle pattern between the satellite retrieval and surface observations demonstrates the reliability of satellite radiances for inferring the diurnal cycle of precipitation, especially the diurnal phase. On the basis of the satellite radiances, we find that over most land regions, deep convection peaks in the late afternoon and early evening, a few hours later than the peak of land surface temperature. However, strong regional variations exist in both the diurnal phase and amplitude, implying that topography, land-sea contrast, and coastline curvature play an important role in modulating the diurnal cycle. Examples of such effects are highlighted over Florida, the Great Plains, and the North American monsoon region.
Sulfur and N-methylformamide from the marine red alga Erythrophyllum delesserioides

Abstract Elementant S (0.2 % dry wt) and N -methylformamide (0.2 % dry wt) were isolated from the marine red alga Erythrophyllum delesserioides .
Pilot study of directional airflow and containment of airborne particles in the size of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in an operating room.

Background Containment of airborne microorganisms to prevent transmission in a positively pressured operating room (OR) is challenging. Occupational transmission of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( M tuberculosis ) to perioperative personnel has occurred, but protection of the surgical site is of equal importance. High-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters can mitigate occupational exposure and improve air quality. Smoke plumes and submicron particulates were released to simulate aerobiology of M tuberculosis and assess impact and efficacy of particle removal in an OR suite using different HEPA filtration units and configurations. Objectives My objectives were to compare the impact of freestanding HEPA filter units, which are currently more commonly deployed inside the OR, with a novel portable anteroom system (PAS)-HEPA combination unit (PAS-HEPA) placed outside the OR and assess the efficiency of removal of particulates from an OR. Methods Smoke plume and submicron particles were generated inside an OR. Plume behavior was observed during deployment of 3 different configurations of HEPA units. Two of these involved different models of freestanding HEPA filtration units inside the OR, and the third was the PAS-HEPA unit located outside the OR. The concentration of submicron airborne particles was quantified for each configuration of freestanding HEPA and PAS-HEPA units. In addition to measurement of submicron airborne particulates, a high concentration of these was generated in the OR, and time for removal was quantified. Results Observations of released plumes, using the PAS-HEPA unit revealed a downward evacuation, away and toward the main entry door from the sterile field. By contrast, when portable freestanding HEPA units were placed inside the OR, plumes moved vertically upward and directly into the breathing zone of where the surgical team would be stationed during a procedure. The PAS-HEPA unit, working in tandem with the OR heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system, was confirmed to have removed over 94% of an initial release of at least 500,000 submicron particles/ft 3 within 20 minutes after release. Conclusion This pilot study clearly indicates that avoiding the use of freestanding HEPA filters inside an OR during a surgical procedure is prudent and consistent with Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines. A PAS-HEPA unit is effective in removing submicron particles and will enhance safety of care of a patient with an airborne infection requiring surgery.
Phosphorylation of human keratin 8 in vivo at conserved head domain serine 23 and at epidermal growth factor-stimulated tail domain serine 431

Dynamic phosphorylation is one mechanism that regulates the more than 20 keratin type I and II intermediate filament proteins in epithelial cells. The major type II keratin in "simple type" glandular epithelia is keratin 8 (K8). We used biochemical and mutational approaches to localize two major in vivo phosphorylation sites of human K8 to the head (Ser-23) and tail (Ser-431) domains. Since Ser-23 of K8 is highly conserved among all type II keratins, we also examined if the corresponding Ser-59 in stratified epithelial keratin 6e is phosphorylated. Mutation of K6e Ser-59 abolished its phosphorylation in 32PO4-labeled baby hamster kidney cell transfectants. With regard to K8 phosphorylation at Ser-431, it increases dramatically upon stimulation of cells with epidermal growth factor (EGF) or after mitotic arrest and is the major K8 phosphorylated residue after incubating K8 immunoprecipitates with mitogen-activated protein or cdc2 kinases. A monoclonal antibody that specifically recognizes phosphoserine 431-K8 manifests increased reactivity with K8 and recognizes reorganized K8/18 filaments after EGF stimulation. Our results suggest that in vivo serine phosphorylation of K8 and K6e within the conserved head domain motif is likely to reflect a conserved phosphorylation site of most if not all type II keratins. Furthermore, K8 Ser-431 phosphorylation occurs after EGF stimulation and during mitotic arrest and is likely to be mediated by mitogen-activated protein and cdc2 kinases, respectively.
Exploring the Links Between Racial Identity Attitudes and Psychological Feelings of Closeness in African American College Students

The relationship between racial identity attitudes and psychological closeness to various African American groups was examined in 171 African American college students at a predominantly White southeastern university. The data were collected using the Racial Identity Attitude Scale (Helms & Parham, 1985), and a scale measuring Perceived Psychological Closeness to African Americans. The closeness scale is a 14-item instrument that was found to represent (in this sample) psychological closeness to 4 African American groups. Internalized racial identity attitudes indicated positive feelings toward various groups of African Americans. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that internalized racial identity attitudes were predictive of psychological closeness to African Americans, although this varied somewhat depending on the subgroup.
Light's retention scale: Does it have content validity?

The content validity of the Light's Retention Scale (LRS) was examined by assessing the use of selected retention criteria from the scale. Results indicated that several criteria were not typically considered in retention decisions and the remaining criteria varied widely in their use. Suggestions for limitations on use of the LRS were included.
The Determination of Sodium in Alumina Using a Sodium Selective Ion Electrode

Abstract A method has been developed for the determination of sodium in alumina using a selective ion electrode. The alumina sample is dissolved in ammonium hydrogen fluoride in platinum crucibles or sintered with boric acid using either platinum, nickel, or zirconium crucibles. Either dissolution technique completely extracts all available sodium. After dissolution, and in the presence of citrate to prevent aluminum hydroxide precipitation, the pH is adjusted to 8.7 with ammonium hydroxide, and the sodium concentration is determined by a sodium selective ion electrode.
The Personal Burden of Decreased Vision-Targeted Health-Related Quality of Life in Nursing Home Residents

Objectives: To present the bother subscales of the Nursing Home Vision-Targeted Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (NHVQoL) and to examine their relationship to the original NHVQoL subscales and objective measures of visual function. Method: 395 nursing home residents completed the bother subscales. Associations between bother subscales and original subscales and objectively measured vision were evaluated. Results: Mean bother scores ranged from 1.97 to 2.30, reflecting an average rating of “a little” bother. For 20 NHVQoL items, more than 50% of participants reported “a lot” of bother. All NHVQoL original subscale scores were moderately correlated with bother subscales (p < .0001). Bother subscales and visual acuity were not highly correlated. Discussion: Nursing home residents are bothered by reductions in vision-targeted health-related quality of life. The NHVQoL bother subscales may probe the personal burden of visual problems in this population that is not captured by the original subscales...
Archaeology and World-Systems Theory

Archaeology has tremendous potential for developing world-systems approaches to non-Western and noncapitalist societies because it has the ability to both explore non-Western and noncapitalist societies with the sophistication of anthropology and to explore societies in existence long before the capitalist world-system began to evolve. I suggest that sociologists stand to gain by learning about non-Western and noncapitalist societies, particularly as they are understood by archaeologists. World-systems theory provides a common framework within which archaeologists and sociologists can both work. This article explores recent work in world-systems archaeology that sociologists might find particularly valuable.
NOT YET A WOMAN, NOT YET A MOM: THE LEISURE EXPERIENCES OF PREGNANT ADOLESCENTS

Pregnant adolescents are a unique group; they are not yet women and not yet mothers. Adolescent pregnancy continues to be a prominent social issue; however, little research exists concerning the le...
A Current Synthesis of the Northern Archaic

Notched-point-bearing artifact assemblages found in Alaska and Yukon have commonly been attributed to the Northern Archaic tradition. Although the term Northern Archaic is commonly applied to notched-point-bearing assemblages, its use has extended beyond original intentions. This paper reviews the formulation of the Northern Archaic as it is known today and compiles nearly 200 notched point sites in Alaska and Yukon to critically review the age, distribution, and material culture of this tradition. Radiocarbon dates from sites show that this tradition falls mainly into the range of 3000–6000 years before present. Sites cluster in mountainous areas within and beyond the spruce tree line. Microblade and burin technology appears to be important in at least 30 percent of assemblages. Subsistence revolves around caribou in all areas and inadequate evidence at present exists to suggest fishing as a major seasonal activity.
Recent advances in quartz-enhanced gas-phase photoacoustic spectroscopy

A new approach to detecting photoacoustic signals in gas media is reported. Instead of using a gas-filled resonant acoustic cavity and a microphone as in traditional photoacoustic spectroscopy (PAS) the sound energy can also be detected using a high Q piezoelectric crystal element. Quartz crystal tuning forks can be used as resonant transducer elements for photoacoustic gas sensing. Recently, we introduced a novel approach to PAS called quartz-enhanced photoacoustic spectroscopy (QEPAS). QEPAS takes advantage of the extremely high quality factor Q of quartz crystals. Feasibility experiments of a gas sensor utilizing a quartz tuning fork (TF) resonating at 32.768 kHz and a fiber coupled distributed-feedback (DFB) diode laser operating at 1.53 /spl mu/m have demonstrated a normalized detection limit of 7.2/spl times/10/sup -9/ W/Hz/sup 1/2 / using NH/sub 3/ as the target gas. This sensitivity is in the same range as the best reported result for conventional PAS. The sensitivity limiting factor of QEPAS is the fundamental thermal noise of the TF.
Applying a STATCOM for stability improvement to an existing wind farm with fixed-speed induction generators

Wind farms are becoming important distributed renewable energy resources. However, voltage stability issues with wind farms employing fixed-speed induction generators may require such systems to be augmented with dynamic compensation devices, such as STATCOM units. In preparation for deployment of a 10 MVA STATCOM at an existing wind farm in the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA) system, the STATCOM controller is to be tested through hardware-in-the-loop simulation with a real-time digital simulator, which will model both the BPA system and wind farm with high fidelity, transient models. This paper presents groundwork conducted in preparation for the dynamic testing of the controller, including studies of the stability improvement facilitated by the introduction of the STATCOM into the BPA system. The enhancement of voltage stability and induction generator stability by the STATCOM is studied analytically by power-voltage and torque-slip relationships of a simple wind power system, as well as through simulation studies with the real-time simulation to be used for testing of the controller. Simulation results from both approaches are compared and illustrate the potential benefit of the STATCOM in preventing voltage collapse caused by serious network changes, such as opening a line, as well as improvement of the Fault Ride Through capability of the wind power system.
Estimating genetic variability with restriction endonucleases.

The estimation of the amount of sequence variation in samples of homologous DNA segments is considered. The data are assumed to have been obtained by restriction endonuclease digestion of the segments, from which the numbers and frequencies of the cleavage sites in the sample are determined. An estimator, p, of the proportion of sites that are polymorphic in the sample is derived without assuming any particular population genetic model for the evolution of the population. The estimator is very close to the Ewens, Spielman and Harris (1981) estimator that was derived with the symmetric Wright-Fisher neutral model. Engels (1981) has also recently proposed an estimator of the same quantity, and he arrived at his estimator without assuming a particular population genetic model. The sampling variance of p and Engels' estimator are derived. It is found that the sampling variance of p is lower than the sampling variance of Engels' estimator. Also, the sampling variance of θ, an estimate of θ (=4Nu) is obtained for the symmetric Wright-Fisher neutral model with free recombination and with no recombination.
Dichotic recognition of musical canons: effects of leading ear and time lag between ears.

A musical canon consists of two melodic lines with the second part copying the first exactly after some time delay. Right-handed adults listened to canons presented dichotically at time delays between the ears of 2, 4, and 8 sec. Presentation rate varied from 1.0 to 4.4 notes/sec in one part. Different groups of subjects heard the canons with the left or the right ear leading. The subject’s task was to tell whether a given stimulus was a canon or not. Control stimuli were noncanons by the same composer. Musically experienced subjects performed better at the task than inexperienced subjects. Short time lags were easier than long, and the effect of lag was more pronounced with the right ear leading. In the light of previous evidence of functional ear asymmetry in music perception, these results suggest that whenever possible subjects use a strategy of selecting out small chunks of the lead-ear melody for short-term memory storage and later comparison with the trailing melody. The auditory system processing information from the right ear is especially good at focusing on small chunks. But this strategy is particularly vulnerable to time lag; hence the interaction of lead ear and time lag.
Epstein-Barr Virus Lytic Cycle Reactivation

Epstein-Barr virus, which mainly infects B cells and epithelial cells, has two modes of infection: latent and lytic. Epstein-Barr virus infection is predominantly latent; however, lytic infection is detected in healthy seropositive individuals and becomes more prominent in certain pathological conditions. Lytic infection is divided into several stages: early gene expression, DNA replication, late gene expression, assembly, and egress. This chapter summarizes the most recent progress made toward understanding the molecular mechanisms that regulate the different lytic stages leading to production of viral progeny. In addition, the chapter highlights the potential role of lytic infection in disease development and current attempts to purposely induce lytic infection as a therapeutic approach.
Safe limits on voltage reduction efficiency in GPUs: a direct measurement approach

Energy efficiency of GPU architectures has emerged as an important aspect of computer system design. In this paper, we explore the energy benefits of reducing the GPU chip's voltage to the safe limit, i.e. V min point. We perform such a study on several commercial off-the-shelf GPU cards. We find that there exists about 20% voltage guardband on those GPUs spanning two architectural generations, which, if "eliminated" completely, can result in up to 25% energy savings on one of the studied GPU cards. The exact improvement magnitude depends on the program's available guardband, because our measurement results unveil a program dependent V min behavior across the studied programs. We make fundamental observations about the program-dependent V min behavior. We experimentally determine that the voltage noise has a larger impact on V min compared to the process and temperature variation, and the activities during the kernel execution cause large voltage droops. From these findings, we show how to use a kernel's microarchitectural performance counters to predict its V min value accurately. The average and maximum prediction errors are 0.5% and 3%, respectively. The accurate V min prediction opens up new possibilities of a cross-layer dynamic guardbanding scheme for GPUs, in which software predicts and manages the voltage guardband, while the functional correctness is ensured by a hardware safety net mechanism.
Radiobiological impact of dose calculation algorithms on biologically optimized IMRT lung stereotactic body radiation therapy plans

The aim of this study is to evaluate the radiobiological impact of Acuros XB (AXB) vs. Anisotropic Analytic Algorithm (AAA) dose calculation algorithms in combined dose-volume and biological optimized IMRT plans of SBRT treatments for non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients. Twenty eight patients with NSCLC previously treated SBRT were re-planned using Varian Eclipse (V11) with combined dose-volume and biological optimization IMRT sliding window technique. The total dose prescribed to the PTV was 60 Gy with 12 Gy per fraction. The plans were initially optimized using AAA algorithm, and then were recomputed using AXB using the same MUs and MLC files to compare with the dose distribution of the original plans and assess the radiobiological as well as dosimetric impact of the two different dose algorithms. The Poisson Linear-Quadatric (PLQ) and Lyman-Kutcher-Burman (LKB) models were used for estimating the tumor control probability (TCP) and normal tissue complication probability (NTCP), respectively. The influence of the model parameter uncertainties on the TCP differences and the NTCP differences between AAA and AXB plans were studied by applying different sets of published model parameters. Patients were grouped into peripheral and centrally-located tumors to evaluate the impact of tumor location. PTV dose was lower in the re-calculated AXB plans, as compared to AAA plans. The median differences of PTV(D95%) were 1.7 Gy (range: 0.3, 6.5 Gy) and 1.0 Gy (range: 0.6, 4.4 Gy) for peripheral tumors and centrally-located tumors, respectively. The median differences of PTV(mean) were 0.4 Gy (range: 0.0, 1.9 Gy) and 0.9 Gy (range: 0.0, 4.3 Gy) for peripheral tumors and centrally-located tumors, respectively. TCP was also found lower in AXB-recalculated plans compared with the AAA plans. The median (range) of the TCP differences for 30 month local control were 1.6 % (0.3 %, 5.8 %) for peripheral tumors and 1.3 % (0.5 %, 3.4 %) for centrally located tumors. The lower TCP is associated with the lower PTV coverage in AXB-recalculated plans. No obvious trend was observed between the calculation-resulted TCP differences and tumor size or location. AAA and AXB yield very similar NTCP on lung pneumonitis according to the LKB model estimation in the present study. AAA apparently overestimates the PTV dose; the magnitude of resulting difference in calculated TCP was up to 5.8 % in our study. AAA and AXB yield very similar NTCP on lung pneumonitis based on the LKB model parameter sets we used in the present study.