cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Team Leadership and Trust to Assess Project Performance in Higher Education: An Empirical Study

Leaders have a significant role in teams and groups, as they affect employee performance, motivation, and productivity. Given the significant position that leaders occupy in teams and group projects, this paper argues that it is important to simultaneously examine how trust in a leader, team interactions, and team performance interact with each other. Specifically, we formulated three hypotheses: First, we predicted a positive relationship between the level of trust that team members have in their team leader and the level of team performance; second, we predicted a positive relationship between the level of trust in a leader and the level of team interactions; last, we predicted that increased trust in a leader will increase team interactions and team performance. To test the model, we utilized data from 112 MBA students engaged in a web-based simulation game wherein students develop and execute the strategies for manufacturing and distributing a product. We used structural equation modeling to test these hypotheses. Our results support the importance and value of leader trust in team interactions. The results also indicate that team interaction positively influences team performance. However, they do not support our hypothesis that trust in a leader will positively influence team performance.
Complex Cases and Legitimation Inference: Extending the Toulmin Model to Deliberative Argument in Controversy

A warrant may be grounded in personal testimony, technical method, or public consensus. The justified choice of a field, in authorizing the warrant and providing further extension of support constitutes a legitimation inference. Complex cases evolve when there are a surplus of good reasons as potential support for a claim, and a choice must be made either to select a single ground for the claim or to advance independently valid reasons, differentially grounded, as support. Complex cases enter the realm of controversy when not all relevant grounds offer the same degree of support or point in the same direction, and a choice to select some grounds and discard others must be justified. The justification of the selection of grounds constitutes a legitimation warrant—a missing element of the Toulmin model.
Studies on the characterization of the sodium—Potassium transport adenosine triphosphatase: Purification and properties of the enzyme from the electric organ of Electrophorus electricus

Abstract The (sodium + potassium)-activated adenosine triphosphatase (NaK ATPase) from the electric organ of Electrophorus electricus has been purified by a procedure similar to that previously worked out in this laboratory. This consists of extraction of microsomes with the nonionic detergent, Lubrol WX, under optimal concentrations of detergent and protein, in the presence of ATP, and stabilization of the Lubrol extract further with Na and a commercial phospholipid preparation, Asolectin. This is followed by further purification by zonal centrifugation, which also removes free Lubrol. The final step is a novel ammonium sulfate fractionation (1, 4). The purified enzyme has a specific activity of 1200 μmoles phosphate/mg protein/hour. Unlike the microsomes or the Lubrol extract, the purified enzyme is highly stable, losing only 20–25% of its activity on storage at 0 °C for 30 days and losing no activity on freezing and storing at −70 °C. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis in 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate shows that 90–95% of the protein in the purified enzyme consists of a 93,000 molecular-weight protein and a 47,000 molecular-weight protein. The higher molecular-weight protein is the catalytic subunit of the enzyme, since it becomes phosphorylated on incubation with Na, Mg, and [γ- 32 P]ATP. The lower molecular-weight protein is a glycoprotein, since it stains with periodic acid-Schiff reagent. Milligram quantities of each protein can be obtained in pure form by chromatography on Sephadex G-150 equilibrated with 0.1% sodium dodecyl sulfate. The yield of purified enzyme from the microsomes is 50%. The kinetic parameters of the purified enzyme are reported in some detail and they resemble very closely those of the purified enzyme from the rectal gland of Squalus acanthias and the partially purified enzyme of beef brain (16), in spite of the fact that these three species are widely separated in evolution.
Abstract MP67: Lactation Duration and Subsequent Intima Media Thickness in Women During Midlife Controlling for Pre-pregnancy Cardiometabolic Risk Factors: The CARDIA Study

Background: Greater lactation duration has been associated with lower incidence of the metabolic syndrome, and self-reported type 2 diabetes and heart disease in women later in life. Two retrospective studies reported higher carotid artery intima-media thickness among parous women who never or inconsistently breastfed, but no clear association with duration. However, lactation history was recalled many years later and heart disease risk factors were not measured before pregnancy. We hypothesized that lactation duration has a graded inverse association with subclinical atherosclerosis in women during mid-life independent of pre-pregnancy cardiometabolic risk factors. Methods: We examined 846 women (46% Black), aged 18-30 years at enrollment in 1985-1986 (baseline) in the biracial Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study. Women included delivered 1 or more live births from 1986-2005, had no history of heart disease or diabetes before pregnancies, and had maximum common carotid intima media thickness (ccIMT, mm) measured in 2005-2006 at ages 38-50 years. Lactation duration was recalled within 1 to 4 years of delivery. We categorized women into four lactation groups according to cumulative duration for all post-baseline births; 0- 10 months (n=205). Multiple linear regression models estimated mean ccIMT (95% CI) among lactation categories adjusted for pre-pregnancy cardiometabolic risk factors [BMI, systolic blood pressure (SBP), HDL-C, HOMA-IR], parity, socio-demographics (age, race, education), and smoking. We also assessed weight gain and change in SBP as mediators of the lactation and ccIMT association. Results: Increasing lactation duration showed a graded inverse association with mean ccIMT; differences between >10 months vs. 0<1 month groups ranged from -0.062 from the unadjusted model (p<0.001) and -0.029 from adjusted models (p=0.046) that included pre-pregnancy risk factors and other covariates. Weight gain and SBP change during the 20-year follow up slightly attenuated (~10%) the ccIMT-association with increased lactation duration. Conclusions: Greater lactation duration is associated with lower mean ccIMT independent of cardiometabolic risk factors measured before pregnancy, parity, socio-demographics and smoking. Lactation may have lasting favorable effects on cardiometabolic risk factors for heart disease.
Pollutant Deposition to Individual Leaves and Plant Canopies: Sites of Regulation and Relationship to Injury

The exchange of gases across the atmosphere-leaf interface is a subject of fundamental importance in applied and basic research in the plant sciences. This exchange is a subset of the more general phenomenon of gas-liquid interactions (Danckwerts, 1970), which have been applied to a range of environmental issues (e.g., Liss and Slater, 1974). However, the exchange at the atmosphere-leaf interface is somewhat unique because the deposition surface is physiologically active, and is highly variable in its capacity to function as a sink. At the level of the individual leaf, an example of the uniqueness of foliar gas exchange is carbon dioxide (C02) assimilation, in which the focus has been the degree to which gas-phase (e.g., stomata) and liquid-phase (e.g., carboxylation) processes govern CO2 assimilation (Farquhar and Sharkey, 1982).
Addressing the Requirements of ASCI-class Systems

The talk will discuss IBM’s strategy for ultra-large scale systems such as those required for the US Department of Energy’s ASCI (Accelerated Strategic Computing Initiative) program. We will give a brief overview of the systems that will address performance requirements of up to 10 TFLOPS over the next two years, and discuss the future evolution of the RS6000/SP system architecture.
Radiation Pressure in Nova Ejecta

The main features of the spectral evolution of novae consist of: 1. An overall increase in absorption line velocities and emission line widths as a function of time past maximum light. 2. The subsequent appearance of an absorption line system at roughly twice the velocity of the previous absorption line system. 3. Some absorption line systems apparently consist of multiple absorption components at different velocities.
Toward Better Surface Tracking for Fluid Simulation

Representing moving surfaces as polygonal meshes offers a unique set of advantages as well as challenges. In his dissertation, the author attempted to address several of the difficulties traditionally associated with explicit surface tracking. In later research, he and his colleagues sought to address one of the main challenges in incorporating an explicit surface tracker into an existing Eulerian fluid simulation system: the potential for resolution mismatch between the surface and the simulation. This article discusses issues of numerical robustness in geometric queries when dealing with moving explicit surfaces and summarizes the work by other researchers that has been undertaken concurrently and subsequently to the author's dissertation work.
Failure of polystyrene in tensile and cyclic deformation

The failure of polystyrene in cyclic deformation has been examined and compared with the fracture mechanisms involved in simple tension. The fatigue response can be divided into three discrete life ranges. In the short and intermediate life regions, fracture occurs by the processes of craze formation, craze growth, crack nucleation and crack propagation in a manner analogous to tensile failure. The primary influence of reversed straining is manifest as an acceleration of the crack formation stage of failure. In long life (low stress) fatigue, failure modes dissimilar to the documented craze breakdown pattern of crack nucleation are noted.
Preparation and Characterization of Dispersed Rh2O3 on Tetragonal ZrO2.

Abstract Samples of well-dispersed hexagonal Rh 2 O 3 on tetragonal ZrO 2 have been prepared by the code composition of the nitrates at 900°C. A comparison of the stability towards reduction of the bulk and dispersed Rh 2 O 3 products demonstrates the influence of an interaction between the dispersed metal oxide and the support.
A Lagrangian treatment of certain nonlinear clustering problems

Abstract A clustering problem is described in which the objective function, involving both within and between subset distances in order to induce separation between clusters and yield a realistic measure, is highly nonlinear and difficult to analyze. By fixing the number of within group distances, however, a linear objective function is achieved and the problem becomes of the more common set partitioning kind. With the further assumption of collinear objects, yielding an important subclass of problem, the SPP matrix is unimodular and the simplex method suffices to solve the integer programming problem. A Lagrange relaxation on the constraint for the number of within group distances allows, then, the nonlinear clustering problem to be solved exactly - up to the occurrence of gaps - as a sequence of LP's. An implementation for small problems using the MPSX of IBM is presented, as are the results from various examples. For the non-collinear case the mapping of data into a single dimension is discussed as are strategies for solving larger problems. The behavior of the Lagrangian - generated function values is examined and found to be exploitable. Useful approximations in the event of gaps are found to be easily computed.
A Mixed Methods Content Analysis of the Research Literature in Science Education

In recent years, more and more researchers in science education have been turning to the practice of combining qualitative and quantitative methods in the same study. This approach of using mixed methods creates possibilities to study the various issues that science educators encounter in more depth. In this content analysis, I evaluated 18 studies from science education journals as they relate to the definition, design, and overall practice of using mixed methods. I scrutinized a purposeful sample, derived from 3 journals (the International Journal of Science Education, the Journal of Research in Science Teaching, and the Research in Science Education) in terms of the type of data collected, timing, priority, design, the mixing of the 2 data strands in the studies, and the justifications authors provide for using mixed methods. Furthermore, the articles were evaluated in terms of how well they met contemporary definitions for mixed methods research. The studies varied considerably in the use and understa...
The Two Envelope Paradox

(1994). The Two Envelope Paradox. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 101, No. 5, pp. 417-419.
Fluid budgets at convergent plate margins: Implications for the extent and duration of fault-zone dilation

Faults at convergent plate boundaries are important conduits for fluid escape, and recent evidence suggests that fluid expulsion along them is both transient and heterogeneous. For the Nankai and Barbados convergent margins, we have used numerical models to investigate the long-term partitioning of expelled fluids between diffuse flow and flow along connected high-permeability fault conduits. For a simple case of spatial heterogeneity, we estimated the extent of high-permeability conduits necessary to maintain a balance between incoming and expelled fluids. For the case of transient expulsion, we constrained the duration of elevated permeability required to balance the fluid budgets. Comparison of modeled and observed geochemical profiles suggests that the initiation of connected flow conduits is delayed with respect to the time of accretion into each accretionary complex and may be related to burial below a critical depth, either where the overlying wedge is sufficiently thick to prevent fluid escape to the sea floor or where sediments behave brittlely.
X-ray absorption near edge structure (XANES) studies of the distribution of low-lying unoccupied states in PdCl2

Abstract L edge absorption spectra of PdCl 2 have been obtained with synchrotron radiation. These results are compared with those of Pd metal. It is found that their near edge structure can be understood qualitatively on the basis of dipole transition and the conventional description of bonding in these systems.
Perampanel for the Control of Drug-Resistant Partial-Onset Seizures in Patients 12 years and Older

Recent developments in the treatment of seizure disorders have been focused on medications with novel mechanisms of action. One such medication is perampanel, a first-in-class, noncompetitive, α-amino-3-hydroxyl-5-methyl-4-isoxazole-propionate (AMPA) receptor antagonist recently approved for the adjunctive treatment of partial seizures in patients 12 years of age and older when other antiepileptic medications have failed. The drug has demonstrated efficacy in several clinical trials, and appears to exert its anti-seizure activity in a dose-dependent manner. The drug has a half-life of approximately 105 hours suggesting the medication might be a logical option for individuals who have difficulty with adherence to medications that require multiple daily doses. Because of changes in serum concentration when enzyme-inducing antiepileptic drugs are employed concurrently, escalations in the initial dose of perampanel are recommended. Adverse events reported with perampanel use tend to be mild to moderate. However, psychiatric side-effects, including hostility and aggressive behavior, have been noted in some patients resulting in the inclusion of a warning on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labeling.
Association of caffeine metabolites in umbilical cord blood with IUGR and preterm delivery: A prospective cohort study of 1609 pregnancies

Purpose To examine the association between IUGR and preterm delivery (PTD) and fetal caffeine exposure when estimated by serum caffeine and paraxanthine in umbilical cord. Methods Prospective cohort study conducted in Connecticut and Massachusetts specifically testing the relation of caffeine and its metabolites, measured in cord blood (ng/ml) to IUGR (N = 1606) and PTD (N = 1609). Important covariates were controlled for in logistic regression models. Ridge regression for generalized linear models was used to control for collinearity among metabolites. All metabolite analyses were done blind to consumption data and reproductive outcomes. Results We observed a 24% increase in risk for IUGR per paraxanthine quartile change (Ridge adjusted OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.10, 1.39), while caffeine was protective for IUGR: Ridge adjusted OR 0.87 (95% CI 0.78, 0.97) per quartile change. When the ratio of paraxanthine:caffeine was modeled, there was a 6-fold increase in risk for IUGR for every one-unit increase in the ratio (MLE adjusted OR 6.03; 95% CI 2.14, 17.03). There was an 18% increase in risk for preterm delivery per paraxanthine quartile change (Ridge adjusted OR 1.18; 95% CI 1.05, 1.33). Caffeine was not associated with PTD nor was the paraxanthine:caffeine ratio. Maternal self-reported caffeine consumption during the third trimester was not associated with either outcome. Conclusions Paraxanthine, rather than caffeine, may increase risk for IUGR and PTD. These findings may explain the equivocal literature evaluating reported consumption only. More research to replicate and extend these findings which have relevance to other health outcomes is warranted.
Racial disparities in the content of primary care office visits.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about racial disparities in primary care at the level of the office visit.
The most-energetic traveltime of seismic waves

Abstract In tomographic image processing of seismic data, the first-arrival traveltime (FATT) is often different from those of more energetic wavefronts in realistic media. Since the traveltime of most-energetic wavefront (METT) dominates the data, computing the METT is recognized as an essential element in modern seismic imaging techniques. Solving the full wave equation is extremely expensive to be impractical even for large-size computers to carry out; the solution of the eikonal equation for which the corresponding amplitude is continuous is conjectured to be the METT.
THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING HISTORICAL: CIVIL ENGINEERS AND THEIR HISTORY

Should civil engineers be interested in the history of their profession? The paper affirms this question as it examines different approaches to the history of civil engineering. Biographical or her...
Interferon-γ Promotes Vascular Remodeling in Human Microvascular Endothelial Cells by Upregulating Endothelin (ET)-1 and Transforming Growth Factor (TGF) β2

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a complex disease characterized by vascular alterations, activation of the immune system and tissue fibrosis. Previous studies have implicated activation of the interferon pathways in the pathogenesis of SSc. The goal of this study was to determine whether interferon type I and/or type II could play a pathogenic role in SSc vasculopathy. Human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HDMVECs) and fibroblasts were obtained from foreskins of healthy newborns. The RT Profiler PCR Array System was utilized to screen for EndoMT genes. Treatment with IFN-α or IFN-γ downregulated Fli1 and VE-cadherin. In contrast, IFN-α and IFN-γ exerted opposite effects on the expression of α-SMA, CTGF, ET-1, and TGFβ2, with IFN-α downregulating and IFN-γ upregulating this set of genes. Blockade of TGFβ signaling normalized IFN-γ-mediated changes in Fli1, VE-cadherin, CTGF, and ET-1 levels, whereas upregulation of α-SMA and TGFβ2 was not affected. Bosentan treatment was more effective than TGFβ blockade in reversing the actions of IFN-γ, including downregulation of α-SMA and TGFβ2, suggesting that activation of the ET-1 pathway plays a main role in the IFN-γ responses in HDMECs. IFN-γ induced expression of selected genes related to endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), including Snail1, FN1, PAI1, TWIST1, STAT3, RGS2, and components of the WNT pathway. The effect of IFN-γ on EndoMT was mediated via TGFβ2 and ET-1 signaling pathways. This study demonstrates distinct effects of IFN-α and IFN-γ on the biology of vascular endothelial cells. IFN-γ may contribute to abnormal vascular remodeling and fibrogenesis in SSc, partially via induction of EndoMT.
TOTAL EXTERNAL REFLECTION OF GAMMA-RAYS AND MÖSSBAUER SPECTROSCOPY

Guides for γ-rays can be constructed by using total external reflection. Radiation incident at grazing angles less than a critical angle θc ≈ λ (Nee2/πmec2)1/2 may be nearly completely reflected depending upon the surface quality and the absorption coefficient. Sample guides have been constructed from long small-diameter glass laboratory tubing of good straightness. Determination of the transmission vs. position, as a source was moved across a diameter, provided a technique that greatly helped adjustment of successive sections to colinearity. Observation of an unbroadened 57Fe γ-ray resonance between a source and absorber separated by such a γ-ray guide demonstrated that the reflection process is essentially elastic. Computer calculations have analyzed the properties of guides of square cross-section which would be assembled from plates of float glass supported in a vacuum pipe. A large guide constructed in this way could facilitate an improved measurement of the gravitational red-shift. The proportionality to λ2 of the effective aperture of capture by a guide gives to it the properties of a low-pass filter. A bundle of small capillary tubing placed between a source and a detector resulted in a striking reduction in the intensity of high energy radiation reaching the detector relative to that of low energy. Use of lead glass reduced the direct penetration of the high energy γ-rays through the glass and also increased the aperture for low energy by increasing the critical angles.
Regulation of matrix contraction in chronic venous disease.

Abstract Objective The role of TGF-β 1 in venous ulcer healing and the signalling cascades regulating dermal fibroblast function are poorly understood. To elucidate these processes, we hypothesized that TGF-β 1 facilitates wound healing by increasing chronic venous insufficiency (CVI) induced matrix contraction via intracellular cross-talk between TGF-β 1 and the ERK-1/2 MAP kinase signalling cascades. Methods Fibroblasts isolated from calf biopsies (LC) of patients with different severity of CVI (CEAP, Clinical Etiological Anatomical Pathological classes) were seeded into 200 μl collagen gels under isometric conditions. Fibroblasts from neonatal foreskins (HS68), non-CVI patients (NC), and the ipsilateral normal thigh of each CVI patient (LT) served as controls. Thirteen patients with CVI (class 2, n = 5; class 4, n = 5; class 6, n = 3) and 2 non-CVI controls (NC, n = 2) were included in the study. All experimental conditions were determined by dose–response and time-course experiments. Gels were cultured with/without 0.1 ng/ml TGF-β 1 and with/without 50 μM PD98059 (MEK and downstream-MAPK inhibitor). Additional patient fibroblasts were transfected with constitutively active Ras (pCMV-Ras) or an empty vector (pCMV-β) with/without 0.1 ng/ml TGF-β 1 and with/without 50 μm PD98059. The collagen gels were released after 4 days and the percent contraction was determined by area measurements using image analysis. Differences in α-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA) and ERK-1/2 MAPK (phosphorylated and total) protein levels were analyzed with western blotting. Results Gels seeded with CVI fibroblasts contracted more than HS68, NC and LT fibroblasts. Inhibition of MAPK and/or stimulation with TGF-β 1 increased the contraction of LC gels compared to unstimulated controls. Agonist induced gel contraction correlated with CVI disease severity. α-SMA protein expression in LC fibroblasts increased with MAPK inhibition with/without TGF-β 1 stimulation, and correlated with the degree of gel contraction. Transfection with pCMV-Ras (activator of ERK-1/2) inhibited gel contraction; this inhibition was not reversed by addition of TGF-β 1 . Transfection with the pCMV-β empty vector had no effect on gel contraction. Conclusions TGF-β1 stimulation of CVI patient fibroblasts grown in 3D collagen gels results in conversion to a contractile phenotype through upregulation of α-SMA, and in enhanced gel contraction. Inhibition of MAPK further increases gel contraction, while Ras activation of ERK-1/2 inhibits TGF-β1-induced gel contraction. These responses correlate with increasing CEAP severity. CVI fibroblast mediated gel contraction is therefore regulated through cross-talk between the ERK-1/2 MAPK and TGF-β 1 signalling cascades. These data identify potentially clinically relevant therapeutic molecular targets that could enhance matrix contraction and thereby improve venous ulcer wound healing.
On the energy conversion during geostrophic adjustment

Abstract It is found that for a continuously stratified fluid which remains so during the geostrophic adjustment, the energy conversion ratio γ (≡ΔKE/ΔPE) is ½, in contrast to the value of ⅓ for a two-layer fluid. Since the two-layer fluid is an asymptotic limit of a continuously stratified fluid, it is deduced that γ decreases smoothly from ½ to ⅓ when density discontinuities are formed during the adjustment. Furthermore, the total energy released during the adjustment is found to be inversely proportional to the dimensionless horizontal scale (scaled by the baroclinic radius of deformation) characterizing the density variation in the initial state.
Resuscitation practices in cardiac surgery.

During the past decade, there has been an increasing recognition that cardiac surgery patients have different resuscitative needs than other medical and surgical patients who experience in-hospital cardiac arrest. The special resuscitative needs of cardiac surgery patients were addressed in the 2010 European Resuscitation Council Guidelines for Resuscitation in the section reviewing cardiac arrest in special circumstances and the 2010 American Heart Association (AHA) Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care in Special Situations. To date, the most comprehensive and current analysis of survival to hospital discharge after an inhospital cardiac arrest included 84,625 patients at 374 hospitals, 79.3% of whom had asystole or pulseless electrical activity and 20.7% of whom had pulseless ventricular tachycardia as their initial rhythm. Although that study excluded patients in operating rooms, procedural suites, and emergency departments because of their distinct clinical circumstances, the risk-adjusted rate of survival to hospital discharge was 22.3% in 2009, markedly improved compared with 13.7% in 2000. Given the continuous monitoring of patients in the intensive care units (ICUs), which decreases the risk of an unwitnessed cardiac arrest and the delay to initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), cardiac arrests in ICUs represent a subgroup within the in-hospital cardiac arrest group. Although the postcardiac arrest survival rates among the patients in ICUs have varied widely (0%79%), cardiac surgery patients seem to fare better. From 2 separate studies, the survival to discharge among cardiac surgery patients who experienced an in-hospital cardiac arrest was 60% to 79%, with 45% to 69% survival at 1 year follow-up. The differences in survival after a cardiac arrest in the cardiac surgery ICUs compared with other in-hospital cardiac arrests are likely related to the high incidence of cardiac arrests resulting from reversible causes, underscoring the need for, and importance of, a protocolbased, standardized approach to CPR in the cardiac surgery ICU.
Fasciola hepatica: Immunisation of rats by intraperitoneal injection of adult fluke antigen in freund's adjuvant

Abstract Intraperitoneal injections of rats with freeze-dried, adult Fasciola hepatica material, which had been resuspended in phosphate-buffered saline and emulsified in Freund's incomplete adjuvant, reduced fluke burdens by 48 to 81% following oral infection. The addition of Bordetella pertussis to the adjuvant antigen emulsion enhanced the protection slightly (but not to a statistically significant degree); fluke antigens with B. pertussis s alone induced no protection.
Committed to Oprah, Homer, or House: Using the investment model to understand parasocial relationships.

People can develop close relationships with media figures viewed on television. Across two studies we examined the extent to which satisfaction with, alternatives to, and investments in such parasocial relationships (PSR) account for feelings of commitment toward favored television characters. In Study 1, satisfaction and investments positively predicted commitment to fictional television characters while the alternative of not following any television character negatively predicted commitment to the PSR. In Study 2, we tested the bases of the investment model as predictors of commitment to fictional (e.g., Homer Simpson) versus non-fictional (e.g., Oprah Winfrey) television characters. As in Study 1, for both fictional and non-fictional characters, commitment level was significantly predicted by levels of satisfaction and investments. However, the alternative of not following any character was significantly associated with commitment only for fictional characters. Results support the use of the investment model to understand processes underlying PSRs.
Intermittent locomotion as an optimal control strategy

Birds, fish and other animals routinely use unsteady effects to save energy by alternating between phases of active propulsion and passive coasting. Here, we construct a minimal model for such behaviour that can be couched as an optimal control problem via an analogy to travelling with a rechargeable battery. An analytical solution of the optimal control problem proves that intermittent locomotion has lower energy requirements relative to steady-state strategies. Additional realistic hypotheses, such as the assumption that metabolic cost at a given power should be minimal (the fixed gear hypothesis), a nonlinear dependence of the energy storage rate on propulsion and/or a preferred average speed, allow us to generalize the model and demonstrate the flexibility of intermittent locomotion with implications for biological and artificial systems.
A 3-dimensional, coupled, DNS, heat transfer model and solution for multi-hole cooling

Abstract A 3-dimensional, coupled, heat transfer model and solution for multi-hole cooling is described in this paper. It couples DNS calculations of the primary turbulent flow, the backside flow and the flow in the injection holes by solving the 3-D heat conduction equation for the wall with a mixed boundary condition, which leads to an iteration process to obtain a converged solution for the mean temperature in the wall and in the flow. The model is tested for both a laminar and a turbulent primary flow and the results show that the convergence to the solution is very efficient. The results obtained with this 3-D model are presented and compared with an adiabatic and a 1-D, conducting-wall, model. A non-dimensional parameter (Biot number) representing the relative importance of in-plane heat conduction in the wall is discussed. The cooling effectiveness predicted by the 3-D model is compared with experimental results at the same Reynolds number and satisfactory agreement is achieved.
Persistence of functional sympatholysis post-exercise in human skeletal muscle.

Blunting of sympathetic vasoconstriction in exercising muscle is well established. Whether it persists during the early post-exercise period is unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that it persists in human skeletal muscle during the first 10 minutes of recovery from exercise. Eight healthy young males (21.4 ±0.8 yrs, SE) performed 7 minutes of forearm rhythmic isometric handgrip exercise at 15% below forearm critical power. In separate trials, a cold pressor test (CPT) of 2 min duration was used to evoke forearm sympathetic vasoconstriction in each of Rest (R), Steady State Exercise (Ex), 2-4 min Post Exercise (PEearly), and 8-10 min Post Exercise (PElate). A 7 min control exercise trial with no CPT was also performed. Exercising forearm brachial artery blood flow, arterial blood pressure, cardiac output, heart rate, forearm deep venous catecholamine concentration and arterialized venous catecholamine concentration were obtained immediately prior to and following the CPT in each trial. CPT resulted in a significant increase in forearm venous plasma norepinephrine concentration in all trials (P=0.007), but no change in arterialized plasma norepinephrine (P=0.32). CPT did not change forearm venous plasma epinephrine (P=0.596) or arterialized plasma epinephrine concentration (P=0.15). As assessed by the %reduction in forearm vascular conductance (FVC) the CPT evoked a robust vasoconstriction at rest that was severely blunted in exercise (R -39.9 ±4.6% vs. Ex 5.5 ±7.4%, P<0.001). This blunting of vasoconstriction persisted at PEearly (-12.3 ±10.1%, P=0.02) and PElate (-18.1 ±8.2%, P=0.03) post-exercise. In conclusion, functional sympatholysis remains evident in human skeletal muscle as much as 10 min after the end of a bout of forearm exercise. Persistence of functional sympatholysis may have important implications for blood pressure regulation in the face of a challenge to blood pressure following exercise.
Commentary: Who are the Jews? New formulations of an age-old question.

This commentary contrasts two recent scholarly works on the pos- sibility of a biological basis for "Jewishness." Harry Ostrer's Legacy: A Genetic History of the Jewish People claims a strong shared genetic component of Jewish ancestry tracing to the Levant, extending so far as to suggest a biological basis for Jewishness. Nadia Abu El-Haj's The Genealogical Science: The Search for Jewish Origins and the Politics of Epistemology adopts a skeptical perspective on contemporary genetics and claims that genetic studies of the Y chromosome and mitochondrial DNA cannot be viewed as supporting a com- mon Jewish ancestry. The disagreement is consequential, and the arguments can be understood in terms of differences in the audiences, styles of reasoning, and social and political perspectives for the two works. A synthesis is proposed for helping to articulate a space between the two opposing views.
Cognitive performance following modafinil versus placebo in sleep-deprived emergency physicians: a double-blind randomized crossover study.

Objectives: Modafinil has recently been approved for the treatment of shift work sleep disorder, making it potentially available for shift-working emergency physicians. The authors' objectives were to determine whether modafinil improved cognitive performance of emergency physicians following overnight shifts and to record symptoms and subjective evaluations of the effect of modafinil on the participants. Methods: This was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study that followed CONSORT guidelines. Participants were assigned to one of two study groups, with study sessions occurring at least seven weeks apart, and received either modafinil or placebo depending on their random allocation. Testing after night shifts included a coding task and an AX version of the Continuous Performance Task, both of which test cognitive function. Participants also completed visual analog scales for three subjective outcomes, and symptoms were elicited. Results: Modafinil facilitated performance on long interstimulus-interval AX trials (F [1, 23] = 6.65, p = 0.1) and marginally reduced errors on AY trials in the Continuous Performance Task (F [1, 23] = 3.59, p = 0.07), suggesting facilitation of sustained attention, cognitive control, and working memory. Additionally, modafinil, compared with placebo, facilitated performance on the coding task at the first session. Subjective data from visual analog scales confirmed that modafinil increased perceived alertness during the simulated patient care sessions but worsened sleep onset when opportunities for sleep arose. Conclusions: Modafinil increased certain aspects of cognitive function and subjectively improved participants' ability to attend post–night-shift didactic sessions but made it more difficult for participants to fall asleep when opportunities for sleep arose.
Urban lead levels in Minneapolis: The case of the Hmong children

This study uses soil lead as a means of describing the urban lead levels in the metropolitan area of the Twin Cities, and assesses the soil lead levels next to homes of neighborhoods of the metropolitan area. Lead levels of rural soils are around 5 micrograms/g. Near the city limits they increase to 25-50 micrograms/g, and in the central business district they are around 500 to 1000 micrograms/g, or over 100 times greater than in the rural areas. Many Hmong children are suffering from undue lead absorption. The homes of the Hmong children were all located in inner-city neighborhoods. Soil around these homes was compared to soils around homes of a neighborhood away from the inner city. Fifty percent of the Hmong children with lead poisoning inhabit homes which have soil lead levels of 500-999 micrograms/g and 40% live in homes with lead levels of 1000 micrograms/g or more. One home of ten in the outer city has soil lead levels above 500 micrograms/g. The lead sources of the inner city include house paint and leaded gasoline from vehicle traffic. Raising children in high lead environments as found in the Minneapolis inner city has long-term implications because of mental and behavioral deficits that are known to result from chronic exposure to lead.
Hemodynamic effects of moricizine at rest and during supine bicycle exercise: results in patients with ventricular tachycardia and left ventricular dysfunction

Abstract To evaluate the hemodynamic effects of moricizine, 20 patients with frequent nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (VT) with a mean left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) of 39 ± 14% were enrolled in a prospective single-blind, placebo-controlled study. Hemodynamic measurements were performed at rest and during supine bicycle exercise on placebo and moricizine therapy (10 mg/kg/day). Although 16 of 19 patients experienced no rest or exercise deterioration in hemodynamic parameters during drug dosing, three patients had acute deterioration of pulmonary capillary wedge pressure and cardiac index (CI) on moricizine. During follow-up of 6 ± 3 months, two subgroups were identified: 10 of 19 patients had effective long-term reduction in VT, whereas 9 of 19 patients had poor control of ventricular arrhythmia or congestive heart failure and were discontinued from the trial. Baseline EF and hemodynamic parameters at rest were similar in both patient subgroups. However, protocol dropouts had a hemodynamic response to exercise on moricizine that was significantly depressed as compared to patients with a favorable antiarrhythmic outcome (p 2 and (2) no increase in left ventricular stroke work index during supine exercise.
SU-E-T-622: Feasibility of Partial Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy for Boost Treatment of Breast Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the possible dosimetric advantage of volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) over conventional 3D conformal therapy for left breast tumor bed boost treatment. Methods: Ten patients were retrospectively planned with VMAT technology for treatment of left breast after lumpectomy. 6 patients were simulated under deep inspiration breath hold, 4 patients were free breath. In each plan, a partial ARC of 200° to 220° was used. All VMAT plans were normalized to deliver 100% of the 16Gy in 8 fractions prescription dose to 95% of PTV volume. The plans were evaluated by calculation of heart maximum dose (Dmax_heart), percentage of lung volume receiving 10% of prescribed dose (V10_lung), percentage of ipsilateral breast receiving 50% of prescribed dose (V50_breast), maximum dose (Dmax), and the location of hot spot. These dosimetric parameters were compared with those for clinical plans using conventional 3D conformal technique. Results: For these ten patients (mean breast volume 1198 cc, mean boost PTV 161 cc), the mean dosimetric parameters for ARC plans/3D plans were 8.8%/28.5% of prescription dose for Dmax_heart, 5.4%/17.7% of total lung volume for V10_lung, 35.8%/40.0% of ipsilateral breast volume for V50_breast, 111.2%/111.6% of prescription dose for Dmax. Hot spots were located inside PTV in all 10 cases for ARC plans, but only in 6 out of 10 cases for 3D conformal plans. Conclusion: Initial results suggest that partial arc VMAT plans have dosimetric advantages for breast boost treatment. The plan quality was superior to conventional 3D conformal plans. In addition, with a template of standardized ARC beam arrangement and dose constraints for optimization, treatment planning and delivery for breast tumor bed boost can be more efficient.
Effective stretching strategies for paraxial lightwave propagation simulations

Stretching computation strategies, including the hyperbolic exponential fittings along the lens interface, stretching transformations in z- and r-directions are discussed in this paper. The resulted adapted finite difference schemes are not only simple in structure, but also highly effective and efficient in the solution of paraxial Helmholtz equations for light beam propagation simulations and high performance lens designs. Cylindrically symmetric lens domains are assumed. Simulation results are given to illustrate the aforementioned numerical strategies with laboratory applications. Detailed algorithmic structures are given for immediate programming implementations and for similar lightwave propagation computation issues.
Determination of the enantiomer and positional isomer impurities in atomoxetine hydrochloride with liquid chromatography using polysaccharide chiral stationary phases

Abstract A normal-phase isocratic chiral liquid chromatographic method has been developed and validated for atomoxetine hydrochloride. In addition to the S -enantiomer of atomoxetine, the conditions separate both para and meta positional isomers and the phenyl des-methyl analog. Method development strategies included (a) evaluation of polysaccharide-based chiral stationary phases with nonaqueous mobile phases, (b) the use of an octyl stationary phase with a sulfated-β-cyclodextrin mobile phase additive, and (c) capillary electrophoresis using a single isomer heptakis-6-sulfato-β-cyclodextrin modifier. All three approaches yielded acceptable conditions for the separation of atomoxetine from related molecules with the former fully validated and the latter two held as alternatives if needed. The final method conditions employing a Chiralcel OD-H column and mobile phase of hexane/IPA/DEA/TFA (85/15/0.15/0.2, v/v/v/v) at 1.0 mL/min have been fully validated with acceptable specificity, linearity, accuracy, repeatability, intermediate precision and quantitation limit.
A completeness theorem for the linear stability problem of nearly parallel flows

Abstract A completeness/expansion theorem, analogous to that of DiPrima and Habetler (D-H), is proved for the equation governing the linear stability of nearly parallel flows, to which the D-H theorem does not apply. It is also proved that only a finite number of eigenvalues with negative real parts can occur. Both results are based on a theorem of Gohberg and Kreǐn.
How photobleaching affects dosimetry and fluorescence monitoring of PDT in turbid media

The observation of photobleaching is affected by the tissue optics. The apparent time constant for photobleaching at a particular irradiance of light is related to the true photobleaching constant, D, in J/cm2 by a factor which depends on the tissue optical properties, especially at the wavelength used to excite fluorescence. We report in vivo experimental measurements of protoporphyrin IX (PPIX) photobleaching in subcutaneous rat tumors which suggest tentative values for D of about 105 +/- 23 J/cm2 during 630 nm irradiation. The effect of such a photobleaching constant on the photodynamic dose, P, in photons/cm3 absorbed by PPIX, was calculated. We estimate that an initial PPIX concentration of about 0.2 (mu) g/ml is required such that P reaches twice the toxic threshold photodynamic dose, Pth, which is assumed to be similar to the 8.6 X 1017 value cited for PhotofrinII. The above estimates are subject to further investigation. This paper presents the mathematics underlying the process of photobleaching and its observation based on fluorescence monitoring.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The simultaneous, ascending auction: dynamics of price adjustment in experiments and in the UK3G spectrum auction

We develop a model of the behavior of bidders in simultaneous ascending auctions based on two principles: principle of surplus maximization and principle of bid minimization. These principles lead to models of both price dynamics and equilibration, leading to disequlibrium structural equations that can be used for estimating bidder values. The intention behind the development of this methodology is to provide an auctioneer a method of extracting information during an auction about possible closing prices. We benchmark the performance of the model with data from experimental auctions and then apply it to the UK UMTS or Third Generation Mobile Auction.
Vacuous jaw movements induced by acute reserpine and low-dose apomorphine: Possible model of parkinsonian tremor

Abstract Coadministration of the monoamine-depleting agent reserpine with a low dose of apomorphine has been shown to result in high levels of vacuous jaw movements in rats. Two experiments were conducted to study the pharmacologic and motoric characteristics of the vacuous jaw movements induced by 5.0 mg/kg reserpine plus 0.1 mg/kg apomorphine. The first experiment was undertaken to determine whether the vacuous jaw movements induced by reserpine plus apomorphine could be reduced by coadministration of the muscarinic antagonist scopolamine. Injections of scopolamine produced a dose-related decrease in vacuous jaw movements induced by reserpine plus apomorphine, with the two highest doses (0.5 and 1.0 mg/kg scopolamine) producing significant differences relative to the control group that received reserpine plus apomorphine. In the second experiment, a slow-motion videotape system was used to study the temporal characteristics of the vacuous jaw movements induced by reserpine and apomorphine, and to study the effects of 1.0 mg/kg scopolamine on these movements. Most of the vacuous jaw movements shown by rats treated with reserpine and apomorphine occurred in rapid bursts of jaw movement. Analysis of the interresponse times (i.e., time between each jaw movement) showed that most of the jaw movements had a local frequency in the range of 2.86–6.67 Hz. Cotreatment with scopolamine significantly affected several measures of jaw movements. Thus, the vacuous jaw movements induced by reserpine plus apomorphine can be reversed by anticholinergic treatment, and these movements tend to occur as periodic oscillations of the lower jaw with a frequency of 3–7 Hz. Vacuous jaw movements in rats share some characteristics with parkinsonian symptoms and may represent an animal model of parkinsonian tremor.
Oxygen in a tidal river: Low tide concentration correlates linearly with location

Abstract Low tide dissolved oxygen concentration correlates with location along the course of the Duplin River, Georgia, a lagoon type tidal river. Concentration generally decreases with distance upstream, although the reverse situation also occurs. The relationship is linear and can be used predictively. The influence on this relationship of tidal circulation, in situ oxygen consumption and production, and rainfall is discussed.