cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Teaching and Evaluation in an Integrated Curriculum

Many schools of management are revising their curricula to present an integrated, cross-functional focus. This should prepare graduates to perform well in organizations of the future. This article describes how a team of MBA faculty members developed an integrated management curriculum. Rationales for developing an integrated curriculum are described. Detailed design processes and delivery methods are presented. Techniques for student and faculty evaluation are included. Advantages and disadvantages of integrating curricula are discussed. Finally, implications of teaching in this manner for organizational behavior faculty members are presented.
The Endowedge and Kilt Techniques to Achieve Additional Juxtarenal Seal during Deployment of the Gore Excluder Endoprosthesis

The proximal 4 mm of the Gore Excluder endoprosthesis are scalloped. Our purpose is to describe our initial experience of a novel technique, referred to as the “endowedge,” that takes advantage of this scalloped configuration in aneurysms with short proximal necks. The technique utilizes a balloon in the renal artery to aid alignment of a scallop and allow additional juxtarenal seal. A retrospective review of aneurysms treated with the endowedge technique at our institution was initiated. Renal balloons were placed via the brachial approach. Excluder endografts were deployed by flowering the first one or two rings, then advancing upward against the inflated balloon during completion of deployment. In patients with dumbbell-shaped morphology, an aortic cuff was deployed in the distal seal zone prior to the main body (kilt technique). Eight patients were identified, three of whom underwent an adjuvant kilt procedure. Average preoperative proximal neck length was 8.5 mm (range 6-12). Average additional juxtarenal seal was 2.3 mm. Mean follow-up was 5 months (range 2.5 weeks to 9 months). There were no type I endoleaks. There were two type II endoleaks. Average aneurysm size decreased from 6.0 to 5.5 cm. No aneurysm has enlarged or ruptured. We conclude that the endowedge technique allows additional juxtarenal seal during endograft placement. Our early results suggest that this technique may allow for safe treatment of aneurysms with short necks.
A representation theorem for higher level reduced Witt rings

In [6] Becker and Rosenberg defined the reduced Witt ring WAK) of a formally real field K, with respect to a higher level preorder Tin K. WAK) is a subring of the ring C(X,, @) of continuous c-valued functions on the space X, of signatures of K which are trivial on T, and is built up from higher level T-forms over K. This higher level reduced theory is a natural generalization of the reduced theory of quadratic forms over fields. Spaces of Signatures were introduced in [18] to provide an abstract framework for the higher level reduced theory over fields, along the lines of Marshall’s Spaces of Orderings [13-H] treatment of the classical reduced theory of quadratic forms. There are many advantages to this axiomatic approach. It allows for a unified study of reduced Witt rings over fields and skew fields (Powers has shown that Becker and Rosenberg’s study of higher level reduced Witt rings can also be carried out over skew fields [22]). The absence of technical considerations such as valuation theory not only yields simpler proofs of known results, but also new results about the theory over fields [ 183. The Space of Orderings version [ 151 of the result which we prove here has found application in real algebraic geometry, and we hope that our abstract higher level result might also prove useful in this context. The question which concerns us here is the so-called representation problem: given FE C(X, @), how can we tell if F=f for some f~ W(X)? This has been solved for the higher level reduced Witt ring of a field by Becker and Rosenberg [6] (see [S] also), and in the case of Spaces of Orderings by Marshall [15], both solutions being generalizations of the original representation theorems of Becker and Brlicker [4, 5.31 and Brown and Marshall [9, 4.21 (in the context of the reduced quadratic form theory over fields). Under a 2-power assumption we simultaneously extend all of these representation theorems to our abstract higher level setting. This entails studying fans and more importantly a generalization called quasifans. We not only obtain a common proof of the representation 105 0021-8693/88 $3.00
Origin of glutamate-decarboxylase (GAD)-containing cells in discrete hypothalamic nuclei

Glutamate decarboxylase activity (GAD) was assayed in discrete hypothalamic nuclei in the rat following lesions of the major afferent pathways from hippocampus, amygdala, midbrain, septum, thalamus and globus pallidus. None of these lesions led to a marked decrease in GAD activity in selected nuclei. After total deafferentation of the medial-basal hypothalamus GAD remained unchanged in the median eminence but fell markedly in the ventromedial and arcuate nuclei. In these two nuclei a decrease of GAD still occurred following partial deafferentation from lateral and posterior hypothalamus, but not from anterior and preoptic areas. These results indicated that most GAD-containing cells have their origin inside of the hypothalamus. In this region GABAergic neurons are likely to be short interneurons providing intrahypothalamic connections. Such connections are suggested from lateral and posterior hypothalamus onto the medial basal nuclei.
The effects of diffusional relaxation on the creep strength of composites

Abstract The creep strengthening imparted by reinforcements is shown to be limited by diffusional assisted flow. Diffusional flow is demonstrated to be rapid at low strain-rates and small particle sizes, causing the strengthening to be eliminated. However, a critical reinforcement aspect ratio is identified, above which the strengthening can be retained. This aspect ratio is sensitive to the allowable strain-rate, the reinforcement radius and the temperature. Predictions are validated by comparison with experimental data obtained for γ-TiAl reinforced with Ti2AlC-platelets.
Risk Taking and Sensitivity to Punishment in Children with ADHD, ODD, ADHD+ODD, and Controls

We used the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) to examine risk taking and sensitivity to punishment, two relevant aspects of behavioral inhibition, in 203 school-age children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), ADHD+ODD, and controls. Participants earned points on the BART by pumping 30 separate balloons that exploded at variable intervals. No points were earned on a trial when a balloon exploded. The number of pumps across all balloons estimated risk taking and the reduction in pumps following balloon explosions was interpreted as an indicator of sensitivity to negative punishment. We found that all groups significantly differed from one another on risk taking. The ADHD+ODD group pumped the most, followed by the ODD, ADHD, and the control group, respectively. For sensitivity to negative punishment, all groups performed differently, with the ODD group showing the least sensitivity to an exploded balloon, followed by the ADHD, control, and ADHD+ODD groups, respectively. Children with ADHD+ODD demonstrated significantly different patterns of risk taking and sensitivity to negative punishment than children with either ADHD-only or ODD-only. ADHD youth with comorbid ODD had the greatest levels of risk taking, but they were also the most sensitive to negative punishment. The relationship between ADHD and ODD, as well as the nature of comorbidity in constructs related to risk taking and related behaviors, are discussed.
Subcellular distribution of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol in rat brain

Abstract Δ9-Tetrahydrocannabinol-3H (Δ9-THC-3H), administered intracisternally, is distributed almost equally among particulate fractions of rat brain homogenates with only a small proportion in the supernatant fraction. Similar distribution of Δ9-THC-3H is found when the drug is added directly to brain homogenates. Most of the metabolites of Δ9-THC-3H, however, are found in the supernatant fraction, but synaptosomes retain significantly greater amounts of polar metabolites than do other particulate fractions. After incubation with synaptosomes in vitro, exceptionally high tissue/medium ratios were found for Δ9-THC-3H accumulation. This accumulation was not prevented by metabolic inhibitors and was not temperature dependent. The results indicate that significant amounts of Δ9-THC and its polar metabolites can be concentrated in synaptosomes by nature of the drug's lipophilic properties.
Molecular determinants of species-specific agonist and antagonist activity of a substituted flavone towards the aryl hydrocarbon receptor

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) mediates the toxicity of dioxins and related xenobiotics. Other chemicals also bind the AhR to elicit either agonist or antagonist responses. Here we used site-directed mutagenesis within the ligand binding domain of murine AhR to probe for specific residues that might interact differentially with the antagonist 3’-methoxy-4’-nitroflavone (MNF) compared with the prototypical agonist TCDD. Reduced 3 H-TCDD binding, dioxin-response element (DRE) binding, and transcriptional activity were observed for several point mutants. One mutation, R355I, changed the response to MNF from antagonist to agonist. Notably, Ile is the residue found in the guinea pig AhR, towards which MNF has partial agonist activity in contrast to its strong antagonist activity in mouse. A similar reversal of response to MNF was observed in chimeric AhRs in which the C-terminal region of mAhR was replaced with the guinea pig C-terminal region. These data demonstrate that different amino acids can be important in binding of different AhR ligands and can mediate distinct responses. The ultimate response of the AhR also depends on how other portions of the receptor protein are functionally coupled to the initial ligand binding event.
Collapse of the US newspaper industry: Goodwill, leverage and bankruptcy:

The study examines financial factors that magnified the collapse of the US newspaper industry in the mid-2000s when advertising revenues plummeted. The study shows how goodwill, debt and leverage m...
Optimal scaling of TOF-SIMS spectrum-images prior to multivariate statistical analysis

Time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (TOF-SIMS) is capable of generating huge volumes of data. TOF-SIMS spectrum-images, comprising complete mass spectra at each point in a spatial array, are easily acquired with modern instrumentation. With the addition of depth profiling, spectra can be collected from up to three spatial dimensions leading to data sets that are seemingly unlimited in size. Multivariate statistical techniques such as principal component analysis, multivariate curve resolution and other factor analysis methods are being used to meet the challenge of turning that mountain of data into analytically useful knowledge. These methods work by extracting the essential chemical information embedded in the high dimensional data into a limited number of factors that describe the spectrally active pure components present in the sample. A review of the recent literature shows that the mass spectral data are often scaled prior to multivariate analysis. Common preprocessing steps include normalization of the pixel intensities, and auto- or variance-scaling of the mass spectra. In this paper, we will demonstrate that these pretreatments can lead to less than satisfactory results and, in fact, can be counterproductive. By taking the Poisson nature of the data into consideration, however, a scaling method can be devised that is optimal in a maximum likelihood sense. Using a simple and intuitive example, we will demonstrate the superiority of the optimal scaling approach for estimating the number of pure components, for segregating the chemical information into as few components as possible, and for discriminating small features from noise.
Procedural refinements in the N‐Demethylation of morphine and codeine using phenyl chloroformate and hydrazine

A refined, rapid procedure for the preparation of normorphine and norcodeine in 80-90% yields is described.
Distant Friends: The United States and Russia, 1763-1867

In the initial volume of a three-volume study, historian Norman Saul presents a comprehensive survey of early Russian-American relations. Drawing upon more than two decades of research in secondary and documentary publications as well as archival materials from the United States, the Soviet Union and Britain, he reveals new details about contacts between the two countries between the American Revolutionary War and the purchase of Alaska in 1867. His conclusion is that the early relationships - diplomatic, cultural, scientific, economic and personal - between the two countries were more extensive than had been reported before, more important and more congenial. In the 18th and 19th centuries the US and Russia had a lot in common, Saul notes, and many of those similarities persist today. Both countries, in part because of geographic size, faced problems in developing their natural resource. Both countries were economically dependent on systems of forced labour - slavery in the US and serfdom in Russia. Reform resulted in freedom without land for American slaves, and land without freedom for the serfs. Then, as now, Russia looked to the US for help with technology. Saul shows that differences also persist. The United States was geographically isolated and developed in relative peace, while Russia developed within the reach of the European powers and, consequently, worried more about defence. As is still the case, the Russian goverment seemed autocratic to those whose rights were guaranteed by the US Constitution, and deal-making between citizens of the two countries was hampered by the Russian belief that Americans were materialistic and deceitful and by the American notion that Russians were slow, bureaucratic and expected to be bribed. At a time when United States-Soviet relations have taken yet another dramatic turn, it is more important than ever to trace - and to understand - the history of the relationship of these two countries. As Saul shows, parallel developments of the late 18th to mid 19th centuries in some ways foreshadow parallel developments into the two superpowers in the mid 20th.
Chemisorption-Isotherm Measurements at Electrode Surfaces by Quantitative High-Resolution Electron Energy Loss Spectroscopy

The chemisorption isotherm of benzoquinone at a well-defined Pd(100) surface was obtained by quantitative high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). Extraction of surface-coverage information from HREELS required the normalization of integrated peak intensities to compensate for differences in the backscattered electron flux brought about by the organic adlayer. A common procedure rests on a match of the elastic-peak heights, but it fails for organic adsorbates since those introduce surface roughness that result in a higher stream of inelastically scattered electrons. A more accurate method is based on the equalization of the incident electron beam currents. This is attained only when the background intensities integrated over a peak-free spectral region are set equal to one another. The HREELS-generated isotherm was compared with that acquired by thin-layer electrochemical measurements; excellent agreement was observed.
Collagen shields and intraocular drug delivery: concentration of gentamicin in the aqueous and vitreous of a rabbit eye after lensectomy and vitrectomy.

Five albino New Zealand rabbits underwent bilateral lensectomy and vitrectomy. All left eyes were fitted with a collagen shield that had been soaked for 5 min in 2.0 mL of gentamicin solution (40 mg/mL for IV use). Right eyes were treated with fortified gentamicin drops (13.6 mg/mL) every 30 min for 12 hrs. Aqueous and vitreous specimens were obtained at the following time intervals: 1, 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 hrs. We found the gentamicin concentrations to be higher in the aqueous of all eyes treated with fortified gentamicin drops. Only those eyes treated with fortified gentamicin drops attained a therapeutic drug level (4μg–9μg/mL) in the aqueous. Therapeutic drug levels were not attained in the vitreous of either treatment group.
The Domino Theory and International Politics: The Case of Vietnam

I would like to acknowledge the perceptive comments and suggestions of David Goldfischer, Terry Nardin, and Stephen Van Evera.
Poly(vinyl chloroformate) and derivatives: Preparation and properties

The polymerization and copolymerization of vinyl chloroformate is described. Polymerization is initiated at 0 and −80°C. with boron alkyls, yielding high molecular weight poly(vinyl chloroformate). The polymer prepared at −80°C. is laterally ordered. The homopolymer is soluble and surprisingly stable to water and can be oriented in fiber or film form. Films of poly(vinyl chloroformate) undergo facile postreaction with compounds with labile hydrogen atoms such as alcohols, amines, and phenols. Aqueous ammonium hydroxide gives a copolymer containing approximately equal numbers of hydroxyl and urethane side groups. With gaseous ammonia a quantitative yield of poly(vinyl urethane) is obtained. Diamines react to give crosslinked polymers. Products are described briefly. The related derivatives of vinyl chloroformate (vinyl cyanoformate, vinyl t-butyl carbonate, and vinyl urethane) were prepared from vinyl chloroformate. Polymerization of the first two monomers is initiated by tri-n-butyl boron; the vinyl urethane polymerizes spontaneously at 100°C. Poly(vinyl t-butyl carbonate) is crystalline; poly(vinyl cyanoformate) and poly(vinyl urethane) are amorphous.
An approach to the automated determination of host information value

Enterprise networks are comprised of thousands of interconnected computer hosts, each of which is capable of creating, removing, and exchanging data according to the needs of their users. Thus, the distribution of high-value, sensitive, and proprietary information across enterprise networks is poorly managed and understood. A significant technology gap in information security is the inability to automatically quantify the value of the information contained on each host in a network. Such insight would allow an enterprise to scale its defenses, react intelligently to an intrusion, manage its configuration audits, and understand the leak potential in the event that a host is compromised. This paper outlines a novel approach to the automated determination of the value of the information contained on a host computer. It involves the classification of each text document on the host machine using the frequency of the document's terms and phrases. A host information value is computed using an enterprise-defined weighting schema and applying it to a host's document distribution. The method is adaptable to specific organizational information needs, requires manual intervention only during schema creation, and is repeatable and consistent regardless of changes in information on the host machines.
Ethanol neuronotoxicity in the embryonic chick brain in ovo and in culture: interaction of the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM).

Abstract The present study was undertaken to investigate the involvement of NCAM in the neuroteratogenic effects of ethanol demonstrated by us and others. In the first experiment we examined the effect of in-ovo ethanol exposure on expression of NCAM in various regions of the embryonic CNS throughout development. Chick embryos received ethanol (10 mg/50 μl/day) or saline (control) at days 1–3 of development (E1–E3), were sacrificed at various embryonic ages and whole brain (WB), cerebral hemispheres (CH) and cerebellum (CE) processed for SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The normal developmental profile of NCAM in the chick brain exhibited the same dynamics as previously reported by others. When compared to age-matched control brains, an increase was observed in expression of high molecular weight forms of NCAM in cerebral hemispheres between E8 and E10. These bands represented highly sialated (> 180 kDa) forms of NCAM. In fact, the NCAM band from ethanol-treated embryos at E8 migrated at a higher molecular weight than did its control counterpart, indicating an increase in sialic acid content. In contrast, no clear change was observed in NCAM expression in cerebellum from E10 through E20 as a result of ethanol exposure. In the second experiment, we examined the involvement of NCAM in the alterations in neuronal growth patterns observed in ethanol-exposed cultures. Neuroblast-enriched cultures derived from three-day-old whole chick embryos (E3WE) were maintained on poly- l -lysine pre-coated Petri dishes in DMEM + 5% fetal bovine serum with or without 50 mM ethanol. Cultures were fixed at 3, 6 or 9 DIV and co-stained for NCAM and neurofilament (160 kDa). E3WE cultures exhibited intense NCAM immunoreactivity at 3 and 6 DIV decreasing by 9 DIV. NCAM positive structures included all neuronal perikarya, neuritic processes and growth cones. Addition of 50 mM ethanol to the medium resulted in profound alterations in growth patterns of developing neurons which continued to exhibit intense NCAM staining. Ethanol-induced changes in the developmental profile of NCAM expression (i.e. increased sialation) in cerebral hemispheres correspond temporally with the shift in neuronal phenotype from cholinergic to catecholaminergic and GABAergic which we have reported previously. Changes in the normal pattern of cellular contact and interaction as a result of altered NCAM expression may influence establishment of neurotransmitter phenotype. Findings from this study support the view that NCAM may be involved both directly and indirectly in shaping of the CNS during development and we speculate that ethanol neuroembryotoxicity uncouples this relationship.
PAS: A Wireless-Enabled, Sensor-Integrated Personal Assistance System for Independent and Assisted Living

Advances in networking, sensors, and embedded devices have made it feasible to monitor and provide medical and other assistance to people in their homes. Aging populations will benefit from reduced costs and improved healthcare through assisted living based on these technologies. However, these systems challenge current state-of-the-art techniques for usability, reliability, and security. In this paper we present the PAS open architecture for assisted living, which allows independently developed third party components to collaborate. We discuss key technological issues in assisted living systems, such as tracking, fall detection, security and privacy; and results from our pilot study in a real assisted living facility are presented.
Topography of projections to the frontal lobe from the macaque frontal eye fields

Efferents from the frontal eye fields (FEF) to the ipsilateral frontal lobe were studied by autoradiography of tritiated tracers (leucine, proline, and fucose) in seven macaque monkeys that were used previously to describe subcortical connections. In four of the cases, tracer injection sites were confirmed by low thresholds for the electrical elicitation of saccadic eye movements. Cases were grouped as IFEF or sFEF cases according to large or small saccades that were characteristic of the injection site. Projections from the FEF terminated in five frontal regions: 1) area FD on the dorsomedial convexity; 2) area FC (containing SEF) medial to the upper limb of the arcuate sulcus; 3) areas FD and FDA along the walls of the principal sulcus; 4) area FCBm on the deep, posterior wall of the arcuate sulcus inferior to the sulcal spur; and 5) the inferolateral cortex (area FDi) on the convexity and lateral two thirds of the anterior wall of the arcuate sulcus. Projections in sFEF cases tended to be confined to medial parts of dorsomedial FD and FC and the lateral wall of the principal sulcus and inferolateral convexity. Neither IFEF nor sFEF appeared to project to the SMA or pericingulate cortex. Label in these areas was found only in the cases in which tracer spread into non-FEF areas. FEF projections terminated in column-like patches of about 500-600 pm in diameter. Labeled axons and terminals were seen in all cortical layers regardless of location in the frontal lobe. G 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Maternal mid-pregnancy lipids and birthweight

Objective To describe associations between maternal lipids and birthweight and to determine whether pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) modifies these associations. Design Cohort study. Setting Multiple communities in Michigan, USA. Population Participants were a sub-cohort of women from the multi-community Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) study (1998–2004). Methods Maternal total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDLc), and low-density lipoprotein (LDLc) cholesterol, and triglycerides were assessed at 16–27 weeks' gestation. Women were classified as having normal (<25 kg/m2) or overweight/obese (≥25 kg/m2) pre-pregnancy BMI. Main outcome measures Sex- and gestational-age-specific body weight z-score (BWz). Results Regression models examined associations among lipids (low: 1st quartile, referent: middle quartiles, high: 4th quartile) and BWz for the total sample and stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI. In adjusted analyses (n = 1207), low HDLc was associated with lower BWz (β = −0.23, 95% CI −0.40 to −0.06), whereas high triglycerides were associated with higher BWz (β = 0.23, 95% CI 0.06–0.41). Once stratified by pre-pregnancy BMI, low total cholesterol was associated with lower BWz in normal BMI women (β = −0.25, 95% CI −0.47 to −0.03), whereas in overweight/obese BMI women, high HDLc was inversely (β = −0.29, 95% CI −0.54 to −0.04) and high triglycerides were directly associated with BWz (β = 0.32, 95% CI 0.07–0.54). Removing women with gestational diabetes/hypertensive disorders did not alter the results. Conclusions The associations between maternal lipids and BWz vary by lipid measure and pre-pregnancy BMI. Future work should examine whether lipids and pre-pregnancy BMI make unique contributions to the fetal programming of disease.
LEARNING FROM THE OUTER HELIOSPHERE: INTERPLANETARY CORONAL MASS EJECTION SHEATH FLOWS AND THE EJECTA ORIENTATION IN THE LOWER CORONA

The magnetic field structure of the ejecta of a coronal mass ejection (CME) is not known well near the Sun. Here we demonstrate, with a numerical simulation, a relationship between the subsonic plasma flows in the CME-sheath and the ejecta magnetic field direction. We draw an analogy to the outer heliosphere, where Opher et al. used Voyager 2 measurements of the solar wind in the heliosheath to constrain the strength and direction of the local interstellarmagneticfield.Wesimulatethreeejectionswiththesameinitialfreeenergy,butdifferentejectamagnetic field orientations in relation to the global coronal field. Each ejection is launched into the same background solar wind using the Space Weather Modeling Framework. The different ejecta magnetic field orientations cause the CME-pause (the location of pressure balance between solar wind and ejecta material) to evolve differently in the lower corona. As a result, the CME-sheath flow deflections around the CME-pauses are different. To characterize this non-radial deflection, we use θF = tan −1 V N VT , where VN and VT are the normal and tangential plasma flow as measured in a spacecraft-centered coordinate system. Near the CME-pause, we found that θF is very sensitive to the ejecta magnetic field, varying from 45 ◦ to 98 ◦ between the cases when the CME-driven shock is located at 4.5 R� . The deflection angle for each case is found to evolve due to rotation of the ejecta magnetic field. We find that this rotation should slow or stop by 10 R� (also suggested by observational studies). These results indicate that an observational study of CME-sheath flow deflection angles from several events (to account for the interaction with the solar wind), combined with numerical simulations (to estimate the ejecta magnetic field rotation between eruption and 10 R� ) can be used to constrain the ejecta magnetic field in the lower corona.
Distribution of swallow protein in egg chambers and embryos of Drosophila melanogaster

The Drosophila maternal effect gene swallow has a role in localizing bicoid mRNA at the anterior margin of the oocyte during oogenesis, and a poorly characterized role in nuclear divisions in early embryogenesis. We have examined the distribution of swallow protein during oogenesis and embryogenesis using anti-swallow antibodies. During oogenesis, high levels of swallow protein are present in basal nurse cell cytoplasm, although small amounts are also present at the anterior oocyte margin, the site of bicoid RNA localization. Only a small fraction of swallow protein is in a position to interact directly with bicoid RNA during localization. The asymmetric distribution of swallow protein is disrupted in swallow ovaries, in which bicoid RNA becomes unlocalized late in oogenesis. swallow protein is uniformly distributed in eggs, but becomes localized to nuclei during early mitotic divisions in early embryogenesis. swallow protein enters each nucleus at the beginning of mitosis, occupies a position complementary to that of condensed chromatin, and leaves each nucleus at the end of mitosis. We show examples of nuclear division defects in swallow mutant embryos, and suggest that the abnormal nuclear divisions in early swallow embryos reflect a second function for swallow protein that contributes to abdominal segmentation defects common in swallow embryos.
A fuzzy model for workload assessment in complex task situations

A method for combining subjective measures of workload and task characteristics is described. Data describing the human operator performance in compensatory tracking tasks at three levels of task complexities are used to develop a distribution function of fuzzy workload. The Cooper-Harper (CH) subjective judgment of task difficulty is administered to the subjects after each task completion. The final results show the relationships between fuzzy workload distribution as a function of task complexity.
Packet Switching in Radio Channels: Part II--The Hidden Terminal Problem in Carrier Sense Multiple-Access and the Busy-Tone Solution

We consider a population of terminals communicating with a central station over a packet-switched multiple-access radio channel. The performance of carrier sense multiple access (CSMA) [1] used as a method for multiplexing these terminals is highly dependent on the ability of each terminal to sense the carrier of any other transmission on the channel. Many situations exist in which some terminals are "hidden" from each other (either because they are out-of-sight or out-of-range). In this paper we show that the existence of hidden terminals significantly degrades the performance of CSMA. Furthermore, we introduce and analyze the busy-tone multiple-access (BTMA) mode as a natural extension of CSMA to eliminate the hidden-terminal problem. Numerical results giving the bandwidth utilization and packet delays are shown, illustrating that BTMA with hidden terminals performs almost as well as CSMA without hidden terminals.
U.S. Food Aid: It's Not Your Parents' Program Any More!

Much has changed in the 50 years since modern food aid began with the enactment of U.S. Public Law 480 in 1954. Yet contemporary policy debates often become derailed by failures to appreciate the significant changes that have already occurred. This paper identifies the most important of these changes and explains how these set the stage for further desirable changes to U.S. food aid programs.
Coping with MIRV in a MAD World

Since 1965 when the problem of verifying a MIRV ban was added to the charge that MIRV was a threat to deterrence stability, the case against MIRV has remained essentially unchanged. Although MIRV was defended alternatively as a cost-effective means to cover increased Soviet targets, a hedge against Soviet ABM designs, a weapon in the domestic battle over ABM, and a bargaining chip in international negotiations, the principal charge against MIRV (counterforce threat) was never seriously disputed. Nevertheless, because of verification obstacles, both critics and supporters of the program have tended to agree that prospects for a future MIRV ban are not promising. A case is made here that MIR Ved systems themselves are not inherently destabilizing. Moreover, a practical method does exist for achieving a ban on the most destabilizing variety of MIRVs—those on land-based ICBMs. This approach, a ban or severe limitation on flight tests of missiles in a MIRVed mode, avoids the substantial verification difficulti...
Vascular Smooth Muscle Contractile Elements: Cellular Regulation

For many years the simple view was held that contractile force in smooth muscle was proportional to cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i). With the discovery that phosphorylation of myosin light chain by Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent myosin light chain kinase initiated contraction, regulation of the contractile elements developed more complex properties. Molecular and biochemical investigations have identified important domains of myosin light chain kinase: light chain binding sites, catalytic core, pseudosubstrate prototope, and calmodulin-binding domain. New protein phosphatase inhibitors such as okadaic acid and calyculin A should help in the identification of the physiologically important phosphatase and potential modes of regulation. The proposal of an attached, dephosphorylated myosin cross bridge (latch bridge) that can maintain force has evoked considerable controversy about the detailed functions of the myosin phosphorylation system. The latch bridge has been defined by a model based on physiological properties but has not been identified biochemically. Thin-filament proteins have been proposed as secondary sites of regulation of contractile elements, but additional studies are needed to establish physiological roles. Changes in the Ca2+ sensitivity of smooth muscle contractile elements with different modes of cellular stimulation may be related to inactivation of myosin light chain kinase or activation of protein phosphatase activities. Thus, contractile elements in smooth muscle cells are not dependent solely on [Ca2+]i but use additional regulatory mechanisms. The immediate challenge is to define their relative importance and to describe molecular-biochemical properties that provide insights into proposed physiological functions.
sCD4-17b bifunctional protein: Extremely broad and potent neutralization of HIV-1 Env pseudotyped viruses from genetically diverse primary isolates

Background: We previously described a potent recombinant HIV-1 neutralizing protein, sCD4-17b, composed of soluble CD4 attached via a flexible polypeptide linker to an SCFv of the 17b human monoclonal antibody directed against the highly conserved CD4-induced bridging sheet of gp120 involved in coreceptor binding. The sCD4 moiety of the bifunctional protein binds to gp120 on free virions, thereby enabling the 17b SCFv moiety to bind and block the gp120/coreceptor interaction required for entry. The previous studies using the MAGI-CCR5 assay system indicated that sCD4-17b (in concentrated cell culture medium, or partially purified) potently neutralized several genetically diverse HIIV-1 primary isolates; however, at the concentrations tested it was ineffective against several other strains despite the conservation of binding sites for both CD4 and 17b. To address this puzzle, we designed variants of sCD4-17b with different linker lengths, and tested the neutralizing activities of the immunoaffinity purified proteins over a broader concentration range against a large number of genetically diverse HIV-1 primary isolates, using the TZM-bl Env pseudotype assay system. We also examined the sCD4-17b sensitivities of isogenic viruses generated from different producer cell types. Results: We observed that immunoaffinity purified sCD4-17b effectively neutralized HIV-1 pseudotypes, including those from HIV-1 isolates previously found to be relatively insensitive in the MAGI-CCR5 assay. The potencies were equivalent for the original construct and a variant with a longer linker, as observed with both pseudotype particles and infectious virions; by contrast, a construct with a linker too short to enable simultaneous binding of the sCD4 and 17b SCFv moieties was much less effective. sCD4-17b displayed potent neutralizing activity against 100% of nearly 4 dozen HIV-1 primary isolates from diverse genetic subtypes (clades A, B, C, D, F, and circulating recombinant forms AE and AG). The neutralization breadth and potency were superior to what have been reported for the broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies IgG b12, 2G12, 2F5, and 4E10. The activity of sCD4-17b was found to be similar against isogenic virus particles from infectious molecular clones derived either directly from the transfected producer cell line or after a single passage through PBMCs; this contrasted with the monoclonal antibodies, which were less potent against the PMBC-passaged viruses. Conclusions: The results highlight the extremely potent and broad neutralizing activity of sCD4-17b against genetically diverse HIV-1 primary isolates. The bifunctional protein has potential applications for antiviral approaches to combat HIV infection.
A closed-loop gravity-driven water channel for density-stratified shear flows

A closed-loop multilayer salt-stratified water channel allowing independent adjustment of velocity and density profiles has been developed for the study of stably stratified shear flows. Each of ten gravity-driven layers are adjustable for velocities from 0 to 30 cm/s and densities from 1.0 to 1.1 g/cm3. A turbulence-management section located at the inlet manifold successfully suppresses undesired turbulence due to the ten mixing layers generated at this inlet. This management section also smooths the inherent step structure of the initial velocity and density profiles. Velocity profiles can be maintained throughout an experiment, whereas density profiles change slowly in time. An inner core region of linear stable density gradient will remain stationary for a time dependent on the initial stratification, velocity profile and mixing conditions. Temperature is observed to increase at a rate near 1 °C per hour due to internal heating in the system. A description of calibration techniques and temperature-correction methods for the velocity and conductivity instrumentation is described.
Connectedness and Suicide Prevention in Adolescents: Pathways and Implications

Adolescent suicide is a major public health concern. Stressing the need for public health-based solutions, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified "connectedness" as one means of pursuing this agenda. To advance this effort in suicide prevention with adolescents, (1) consistencies and variation in the literature overtly linking connectedness to suicide thoughts and behaviors (STB) are reviewed, (2) three more specific mechanistic pathways are proposed whereby connectedness may influence STB, and (3) several implications related to use of connectedness as a public health framework for adolescent suicide prevention and intervention are outlined.
Studies on Rheomelanins V. Hemolysis Associated with the Transformation of Catechol into Rheomelanin in Human Blood

Incubation of 2 mg amounts of catechol in 5 ml samples of heparinated blood plasma from four subjects at 38 degrees C for 24 h produced plasma-soluble rheomelanins. These solutions had the brown color and the yellow-green fluorescence in ultraviolet light of 366 nm of other rheomelanins. Their differential ultraviolet and visible spectra showed a rheomelanin absorption maximum at 344 nm. Paper chromatograms of the rheomelanin-plasma solutions in 5% methanol-95% water showed elongated spots of rheomelanins with RF values of 0.82, on Whatman No. 1 paper. Using heparinated distilled water adjusted to pH 7.4 with sodium bicarbonate instead of human blood plasma gave markedly different findings from those obtained with the plasma rheomelanin solutions. Incubation of 4 mg amounts of catechol in 10 ml samples of heparinated whole blood from four subjects for 24, 32 and 48 at 38 degrees C produced rheomelanins as found in the plasma separated from the blood after incubation. The differential ultraviolet and visible spectra of these solutions revealed hemolysis caused by the catechol rheomelanins; this was more marked with longer incubations. The hemolysis was manifested by two absorption peaks at about 270 and 400 nm. Paper chromatography revealed the brown elongated spots of catechol rheomelanins with an RF value of 0.82. Other spots owing to the products of hemolysis were also present.
Is preeclampsia an independent predictor of diastolic dysfunction? A retrospective cohort study.

Abstract Objective To determine if preeclampsia is an independent predictor of diastolic dysfunction and what factors among patients with preeclampsia are associated with diastolic dysfunction. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study of patients who delivered between 2008 and 2013 at a single institution who had a maternal echocardiogram during their pregnancy or within 5months of delivery. Patients with structural heart disease, ejection fraction less than 45%, pulmonary embolus, or age over 45years were excluded. Medical records were reviewed for medical and obstetric complications and echocardiogram findings. Demographic characteristics and rate of diastolic dysfunction were compared between patients with preeclampsia and without preeclampsia. Multivariate logistic regression was performed controlling for age, ethnicity, gestational age at delivery, diabetes, preeclampsia, intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), antihypertensive use and magnesium sulfate administration. Results Sixty-six patients were identified, of which 39 (59%) had preeclampsia. Past history of preeclampsia, IUGR in the current pregnancy, antihypertensive use and magnesium sulfate use were higher in the preeclampsia group. Fifteen patients (39%) in the preeclampsia group were African-American compared to 2 (3%) in the control group ( p p =0.006). Logistic regression analysis did not reveal other independent predictors of diastolic dysfunction. In the patients with preeclampsia, history of preeclampsia with severe features and IUGR were not associated with diastolic dysfunction. Conclusions Our study supports previous findings that preeclampsia is associated with diastolic dysfunction.
Social networks and the education of children and youth

The social networks of children and youth are formed in the context of their families, peer groups, schools, and neighborhood communities. Researchers studying social networks of children and adolescents have primarily been interested in the formation of friendship relations and the impact of social location on academic achievement and social development. This article provides an introduction to social network analysis, identifies key concepts and terms associated with this research methodology, and reviews some of the major social network studies of young children and adolescents.
Developmental changes in membrane properties of chemoreceptor afferent neurons of the rat petrosal ganglia.

Carotid body chemoreceptors increase their responsiveness to hypoxia in the postnatal period, but the mechanism for this increase is unresolved. The purpose of the present study was to examine deve...
A Mechanism for Polypeptide Synthesis on a Protein Template

With this contribution, I am happy to take part in celebrating Dr. Fox’s anniversary. It was his invitation to the memorable Wakulla Springs Conference which became, for me, the beginning of an infatuation with origin of life problematics.
Rovibrational Intensities of the (00(0)3) <-- (10(0)0) Dyad Absorption Bands of (12)C(16)O(2).

Abstract Absolute line intensities of 12 C 16 O 2 are experimentally measured for the first time for the (00 0 3) I ← (10 0 0) II band at 5687.17 cm −1 and the (00 0 3) I ← (10 0 0) I band at 5584.39 cm −1 . The spectra were obtained using a Bomem DA8 Fourier transform spectrometer and a 25-m base-path White cell at NASA–Ames Research Center. The rotationless bandstrengths at a temperature of 296 K and the Herman–Wallis parameters are S 0 vib = 6.68(30) × 10 −25 cm −1 /(molecule/cm 2 ); A 1 = 1.4(9) × 10 −4 , and A 2 = −1.1(5) × 10 −5 for the (00 0 3) I ← (10 0 0) II band and S 0 vib = 6.07(22) × 10 −25 cm −1 /(molecule/cm 2 ); A 1 = 5.2(1.5) × 10 −4 and A 2 = −4.0(7) × 10 −5 for the (00 0 3) I ← (10 0 0) I band.
Transmission of an isolated attosecond pulse in a strong-field dressed atom

The optical properties of matter can be manipulated by coupling a strong field to an optical transition. The concepts of Autler-Townes splitting and electromagnetically induced transparency, where a control field manipulates the transmission of a probe field, have recently been extended to control the transmission of x rays. The use of a strong femtosecond pulse to control the transmission of an isolated attosecond extreme ultraviolet or soft x-ray pulse opens a new field of investigation, since the duration of the probe pulse is only a fraction of one optical cycle of the control pulse. In this paper a three-state model beyond the rotating wave approximation is formulated that treats the attosecond pulse as an initial value problem in the time domain. Two effects for spectroscopic measurements are elucidated: first the absorption profile of the attosecond pulse is split into multiple lines rather than a doublet in the high-field regime, and second the transmission of the attosecond pulse depends on the relative timing within the optical cycle of the control pulse. An analytical treatment is carried out in the time domain in contrast to the more common approach in the frequency domain. This is appropriate for the field of attosecond physics where the main interest lies in the time evolution of the fields, rather than spectroscopic studies.
Government and Business in Germany: Public Policy toward Cartels *

Through a careful analysis of public policy and opinion, Professor Marburg considers the nature, allowable range, and economic effects of those business associations designated “cartels” in German usage. Marked contrasts with American theory and practice in similar fields emerge.
Measurements of dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities of Rn-like Th 4 +

Measurements of the fine structure pattern in high-$L$, $n$ = 37 Rydberg levels of Th${}^{3+}$ have been extended and improved to allow more precise determinations of the dipole and quadrupole polarizabilities of the Rn-like Th${}^{4+}$ core of the Th${}^{3+}$ Rydberg system. The improved precision is partly due to the recent availability of theoretical calculations that limit the size of higher-order contributions to the fine structure pattern. The measured polarizabilities are ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{D}$ = 7.702(6) a.u. and ${\ensuremath{\alpha}}_{Q}$ = 29.1(1.9) a.u.
Abundance, Distribution, and Colony Size Estimates for Reticulitermes spp. (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) in Southern Mississippi

A census of 24 1-ha plots indicated an average abundance per ha of 4.42 colonies of Reticulitermes flavipes (Kollar) and 2.38 colonies of R. virginicus (Banks). Nearest neighbor analysis indicated the mean distance between colonies of R. flavipes to be 22.48 m, between colonies of R. virginicus to be 26.19 m, and between colonies, irrespective of species, to be 16.80 m. Six R. flavipes colonies were selected by a ranked-set sampling method, and the mean colony size was estimated to be 244,445 termites.
A comparative analysis of collective action frames in Nosamo and the Tea Party

Classical collective action theories assume that successful political movements must have an organization and the ability to mobilize supporters in support of a common goal. Yet the unprecedented a...