cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Method to Use Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris 91404 to Improve Milk Fermentations

Abstract Leuconostoc species are frequently used in mesophilic cultures to produce aroma during milk fermentations. Leuconostoc mesenteroides ssp. cremoris 91404 was selected as an aroma producer in preparation of experimental cultured buttermilk based on low diacetyl reductase activity, citrate utilization and high diacetyl production under acidic conditions, growth characteristics, and compatibility with Lactococcus strains. However, no diacetyl was detected in buttermilk that was made in the traditional commercial manner. Simple and direct GLC analysis without prior processing was applied to quantify volatile compounds in milk that had been fermented with Leu. mesenteroides ssp. cremoris and Lactococcus lactis ssp. cremoris . Fortification of ripened buttermilk with sodium citrate resulted in a significant increase of diacetyl and acetoin production during buttermilk storage (5°C for 2 wk). Surplus of citrate, low pH (pH 4.5 to 4.7), a sufficient number of active nongrowing aroma producers, air incorporation during curd breaking, and low temperature storage facilitated citrate metabolism toward production and conservation of flavor during 2 wk of storage. Incorporation of a ropy Lc. lactis ssp. cremoris strain 352 in starter culture significantly improved the texture and appearance of experimental cultured buttermilk.
Mn-Doped Zn 2 SiO 4 Phosphors Synthesis Using Flame Spray Pyrolysis

Zn2SiO4:Mn2+ particles are used as green phosphors in plasma display panels and cathode ray tubes. In this study, we report the synthesis of zinc silicate phosphors by flame spray pyrolysis using different Zn-sources and under different process conditions. The XRD and luminescence measurement showed the phosphors prepared from Zn-nitrate source to have better crystallinity and emission characteristics. The luminescence properties of the phosphor particles were found to improve both at higher methane flow rates during pyrolysis and at higher annealing temperatures.
Molecular interferometric imaging.

Common-path in-line shearing interferometry, combined with pixel-array imaging, provides a surface metrology that achieves 15 pm surface height resolution. An eighth-wave thermal oxide on silicon generates a reference wave locked in the condition of phase quadrature for phase-to-intensity conversion that makes surface height or index variations directly detectable by an imaging system. The scaling surface mass sensitivity for the surface metrology application is Sscal=7 fg/mm under 40× magnification with a molecular resolution of approximately 12 IgG molecules within a pixel, limited by the surface roughness of the substrate. When applied to reverse-phase immunoassays in an antibody microarray format under 7× magnification, the current limit of detection is 10 ng/ml for 1 hour incubation, limited by biological and chemical variability. The biosensor is compatible with real-time binding measurements under active flow conditions with a binding dynamic range per well of 103 and a mass sensitivity of 2 pg/mm2.
Likelihood-based gene annotations for gap filling and quality assessment in genome-scale metabolic models

Genome-scale metabolic models provide a powerful means to harness information from genomes to deepen biological insights. With exponentially increasing sequencing capacity, there is an enormous need for automated reconstruction techniques that can provide more accurate models in a short time frame. Current methods for automated metabolic network reconstruction rely on gene and reaction annotations to build draft metabolic networks and algorithms to fill gaps in these networks. However, automated reconstruction is hampered by database inconsistencies, incorrect annotations, and gap filling largely without considering genomic information. Here we develop an approach for applying genomic information to predict alternative functions for genes and estimate their likelihoods from sequence homology. We show that computed likelihood values were significantly higher for annotations found in manually curated metabolic networks than those that were not. We then apply these alternative functional predictions to estimate reaction likelihoods, which are used in a new gap filling approach called likelihood-based gap filling to predict more genomically consistent solutions. To validate the likelihood-based gap filling approach, we applied it to models where essential pathways were removed, finding that likelihood-based gap filling identified more biologically relevant solutions than parsimony-based gap filling approaches. We also demonstrate that models gap filled using likelihood-based gap filling provide greater coverage and genomic consistency with metabolic gene functions compared to parsimony-based approaches. Interestingly, despite these findings, we found that likelihoods did not significantly affect consistency of gap filled models with Biolog and knockout lethality data. This indicates that the phenotype data alone cannot necessarily be used to discriminate between alternative solutions for gap filling and therefore, that the use of other information is necessary to obtain a more accurate network. All described workflows are implemented as part of the DOE Systems Biology Knowledgebase (KBase) and are publicly available via API or command-line web interface.
Nonuniversal breakdown behavior in superconducting and dielectric composites

We discuss the critical current density J/sub c/ of composites where a fraction p of the material is superconducting and the dielectric breakdown electric field E/sub c/ of composites where a fraction p of the material is metallic. Both of these nonlinear processes are characterized by power-law behavior near the percolation threshold p/sub c/, J/sub c/proportional(p-p/sub c/)/sup v/ and E/sub c/proportional(p/sub c/-p)/sup y/. The exponents v and y are nonuniversal, depending strongly on both the dimensionality and microstructure of the composite.
Arsenic Curiosa and Humanity

Despite its undoubted toxicity, arsenic is a much-used element, finding applications in agriculture, industry, and medicine. Arsenic as a poison has a prominent role in plays and novels as well as in real life. In medicine, arsenic was so widely used in the 19th century as a cure-all that it has been termed a “therapeutic mule.” Some arsenic compounds are still used in the treatment of parasitic disease. Moreover, in a striking development for a material regarded as a carcinogen, arsenous trioxide (brand name, Trisenox) was recently approved for treatment of leukemia. Arsenic has had a profound overall impact on human lives.
Coupled Thermo-Piezoelectric-Mechanical Model for Smart Composite Laminates

A coupled thermo ‐piezoelectric ‐mechanical model of composite laminates with surface bonded piezoelectric actuators, subjected to externally applied loads, isdeveloped. The governing differential equationsare obtained by applying the principleof freeenergy and variational techniques. A higher-order displacement e eld is used to accuratelycapturethetransversesheareffectsinlaminatedcompositeplatesofarbitrarythickness.Adoubletriangular function expansion that satise es the boundary conditions is used as a solution. Both thermal and mechanical loads are considered, and the effect of actuation is studied. Composite laminates of various thickness and lengths are analyzed.Thethermalcouplingisshowntohavesignie canteffectsinbothquasi-staticandactiveresponseanalyses. Nomenclature aT = cE=T0 bij = dielectric permittivity cE = heat capacity cijkl = elastic constants Di = electric displacement vector di = thermal‐piezoelectric coupling constants Ei = electric e eld eijk = piezoelectric constants kij = thermal‐mechanical coupling constants L1 = displacement operator matrix L2 = piezoelectric operator matrix l1 = thermal operator vector N1
Characteristics of target interaction with high power UV laser radiation

Abstract Thermal conduction, mass ablation rate, pressure and preheat were investigated in the interaction of a frequency tripled Nd: glass laser of power 0.-0.2 TW with flat targets. In the range 10 13 −10 15 W cm 2 for 400 ps pulses we find: (a) thermal conduction may be described by a flux limiter f = 0.04 ± 0.01; (b) the mass abaltion rate depends on the incident laser irradiance as m = 4.4 × 10 5 (I/10 14 ) 0.53 g cm -2 s -1 ; (c) the pressure near the ablation surface increases approximately linearly with irradiance and is about 70 Mbar at 1015 W/cm2, and (d) preheat as evidenced by Kα X-ray line emission is significantly lower than in λ = 1.05 μm irradiation.
Self-assembly of resins and asphaltenes facilitates asphaltene dissolution by an organic acid

Asphaltene precipitation occurs in petroleum fluids under certain unfavorable conditions, but can be controlled by tuning composition. Aromatic solvents in large quantities can prevent precipitation entirely and can dissolve already precipitated asphaltenes. Some polymeric surfactants can dissolve asphaltenes when added at much lower concentrations than required by aromatic solvents. Other dispersants can truncate asphaltene precipitation at the sub-micron length scale, creating stable colloidal asphaltene dispersants. One particular asphaltene dispersant, dodecylbenzene sulfonic acid (DBSA), can do both, namely: (1) stabilize asphaltene colloids and (2) dissolve asphaltenes to the molecular scale. Acid–base interactions are responsible for the efficiency of DBSA in dissolving asphaltenes compared to aromatic solvents. However, many details remain to be quantified regarding the action of DBSA on asphaltenes, including the effect of petroleum fluid composition. For instance, resins, naturally amphiphilic components of petroleum fluids, can associate with asphaltenes, but it is unknown whether they cooperate or compete with DBSA. Similarly, the presence of metals is known to hinder asphaltene dissolution by DBSA, but its effect on colloidal asphaltene stabilization has yet to be considered. We introduce the concepts of cooperativity and competition between petroleum fluid components and DBSA in stabilizing and dissolving asphaltenes. Notably, we find that resins cooperatively interact with DBSA in dissolving asphaltenes. We use UV–vis spectroscopy to investigate the interactions responsible for the phase transitions between unstable suspensions, stable suspensions, and molecular solutions of asphaltenes.
Note on the equivalence of the Routh and Hurwitz methods of approximation

A method of reduction based on the use of Hurwitz polynomials is shown to be equivalent to other methods of reduction which are based on the Routh table.
Phase transitions and compressions of solid CH4, CD4 and O2☆

Abstract The piston-displacement technique previously described has been applied to a study of phase transitions and isothermal compressibilities of solid CH 4 , CD 4 and O 2 over the pressure range 0–19,000 kg cm 2 and the temperature range 4–120°K. Phase transitions appear as discontinuities in V (first order) or in ( dV dP ) T (second order). Solid CH 4 and CD 4 both show three phases and one triple point. The transitions appear to be of the second order, with rather large “regions of indifference”. There are isotopic differences between the two methanes. At atmospheric pressure CH 4 shows only one of the transitions, at 20.5°K, while CD 4 has both, at 22.1° and 27.2°K. There is at present disagreement between our results for CH 4 and those obtained by Stevenson. In the case of solid oxygen, the two well-known transitions have been traced to high pressure. The lower transition is evidently of the second order. The upper first-order transition has a large volume discontinuity. Some difficulty was experienced from ignition of the steel pressure chambers by the solid oxygen under high pressure. Pressure-volume relations for the three substances have been obtained at various temperatures.
Biomechanics of descending ramps

Abstract This study investigated the biomechanics of human gait while descending ramps. Fifteen young, healthy subjects (20–30 years) walked self-paced down an instrumented ramp while ground reaction forces (GRF) and sagittal plane body movements were recorded. Ramp angles were set at 0, 5, 10, 15, and 20 degrees. Joint angles for the ankle, knee and hip were found to be most affected by ramp angle during the second half of stance. The primary change in kinematics occurred at the knee while lowering the body to the next step down the ramp. Step length and period decreased as ramp angle increased; however, gait speed did not significantly change. Shear GRFs were found to increase with ramp angle. Calculated sagittal plane joint moments at the knee, and to a lesser extent the ankle and hip, were affected by ramp angle. Knee extension moments showed large increases with increased ramp angle. An increasing dorsiflexion moment of the ankle with increasing ramp angle was found during the first 20% of stance phase. These results suggest that young, healthy individuals maintain relatively constant gait kinematics, particularly during the first half of stance phase, while descending ramps. This requires significant increases in the moment at the knee as ramp angle is increased.
Atmospheric Science for Environmental Scientists

Concepts in atmospheric and environmental sciences are intimately connected, but the two disciplines are often treated as if they are only thinly interrelated. Atmospheric Science for Environmental Scientists dispenses with such unrealistic separations between the atmosphere and the environment by delving into concepts that link atmospheric dynamics, chemistry, and dispersion to the environment. With a fashionable and consistent layout, the book comprises 11 well-written chapters contributed by renowned experts in atmospheric chemistry, air pollution, climate change science, and boundary layer physics. In an uncommonly detailed fashion, the book weaves together atmospheric and environmental science concepts, especially those related to atmospheric chemistry and dispersion as well as the long-term climatic factors and short-term planetary boundary layer dynamics and physics that affect coupled biosphere-atmosphere variability.
An Indirect Adaptive Approach to Reject Multiple Narrow-Band Disturbances in Hard Disk Drives

Abstract This paper presents an indirect adaptive control scheme that rejects unknown multiple narrow-band disturbances in hard disk drive systems. The proposed algorithm first finds the model of the disturbance (the internal model) and then adaptively estimates its parameters. The design of a band-pass filter with multiple narrow pass-bands is then presented and used to construct a disturbance observer (DOB) for disturbance rejection. The proposed algorithm estimates the minimal amount of parameters, and is computationally simple. Evaluation of the proposed algorithm is performed on a benchmark problem for HDD track following.
Regularity with Interior Point Control. Part II. Kirchhoff Equations

Abstract We study the regularity of Kirchhoff equations defined on an open bounded domain Ω, dim Ω = 1, 2, 3, and subject to the action of point control (through the Dirac mass δ) at an interior point of Ω. The results of this paper are " 1 2 + ϵ" sharper in space regularity, measured in Sobolev space order, over those that can be obtained by simply using that, by Sobolev embedding, δ ∈ [ H α (Ω)]′, α 3 2 + ϵ for N = 3, α = l + ϵ for N = 2, α = 1 2 + ϵ for N = l. The approach used here is very general.
An incremental formulation for rate-independent finite rigid plasticity

Abstract This paper proposes an incremental formulation for rate-independent rigid plasticity at finite strains. A family of objective approximation of the rate of deformation tensor is developed, based on which the stress response is expressed as functions of relative strain tensors. The resulting stress response is incrementally elastic and properly invariant under superposed rigid body motions. In addition, the constitutive equations can be readily implemented into the standard strain-driven finite element framework. The methodology is also extended to the construction of approximate elastic–plastic constitutive equations. For both cases, the resulting stress response satisfies the yield condition by construction, and therefore the local return mapping is completely bypassed. The performance of the formulations is illustrated by selected numerical examples.
Correlation of vulcanizate properties with polymer–black interaction

The specific surface activity of carbon black, as indicated by amount of rubber bound to the black during the mixing process, has been found to be the major factor in determining the modulus of the vulcanizate at high extensions. However, modulus at low extension is independent of specific surface activity and mostly influenced by other black characteristics, such as “structure” and surface area. Further, a relationship of the Guth-Gold type based upon elastic theory was applied for predicting modulus of filled vulcanizates at high extension from that of an identically cured gum vulcanizate. The relationship is where Φ is the reinforcement volume or volume fraction of filler plus volume fraction of bound polymer. This relationship was also used to calculate the actual elongation in a filled vulcanizate to compensate for that portion that does not elongate at all, and this actual extension ratio (α') was utilized in the Mooney-Rivlin equation. The Mooney-Rivlin equation is the theoretical expression for the modulus of a vulcanizate as it changes with elongation and cure level (or number of effective chains per unit volume). The equation has been successfully used previously for gum vulcanizates, but not for filled vulcanizates. With the use of the corrected elongation (α'), experiment and theory are in much better agreement than previously, and a general concept of the influence of black upon vulcanizate properties can be postulated.
NAFTA Chapter 11: “Tantamount to Expropriation”: Tantamount to Explosive

This article provides a solution to the concerns that NAFTA is not currently able to protect Foreign Direct Investment while safeguarding the environment. Concerns, NAFTA provisions, and potential solutions to the conflict are discussed as follows. Why Protection Is Needed for Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) The upside and the downside of FDI How NAFTA Protects FDI Article 1110: Expropriation and Compensation The Investor-State Dispute Mechanism How NAFTA Protects the Environment Chapter 11, The Preamble, and the Environmental Side Agreement Concerns about NAFTA Protection How Are the NAFTA Tribunals Doing? Can NAFTA Protect Both Investor and Environment? Good, Better and Best Solutions to the FDI-Environment Conflict NAFTA Choice #1: Do Nothing NAFTA Choice #2: Exemption NAFTA Choice #3: Remove the “Tantamount to Expropriation” Clause NAFTA Choice #4: Follow the US Law of Regulatory Taking NAFTA's Best Choice: Extrinsic Interpretive Guidance
Astronomical masers and lasers

A brief account is given of the discovery of the astronomical maser and laser effects in OH radicals and in molecules of water (H2O), carbon monoxide and dioxide (CO and CO2), ammonia (NH3), methyl alcohol (CH3OH), formaldehyde (CH2O), and silicon oxide (SiO). A detailed table is given of all the currently known molecular stimulated-emission lines.
Investigating the effective range of vacuum ultraviolet-mediated breakdown in high-power microwave metamaterials

Metamaterials and periodic structures operating under high-power excitations are susceptible to breakdown. It was recently demonstrated that a localized breakdown created in a given region of a periodic structure can facilitate breakdown in other regions of the structure where the intensity of the incident electromagnetic fields may not be high enough to cause breakdown under normal circumstances. It was also demonstrated that this phenomenon is due to the generation of vacuum ultraviolet radiation at the location of the initial discharge, which propagates to the neighboring regions (e.g., other unit cells in a periodic structure) and facilitates the generation of a discharge at a lower incident power level. In this paper, we present the results of an experimental study conducted to determine the effective range of this physical phenomenon for periodic structures that operate in air and in pure nitrogen gas at atmospheric pressure levels. It is demonstrated that when breakdown is induced in a periodic structure using a high-power pulse with a frequency of 9.382 GHz, duration of 0.8 μs, and peak power level of 25 kW, this phenomenon is highly likely to happen in radii of approximately 16–17 mm from the location of the initial discharge under these test conditions. The results of this study are significant in designing metamaterials and periodic structures for high-power microwave applications as they suggest that a localized discharge created in such a periodic structure with a periodicity less than 16–17 mm can spread over a large surface and result in a distributed discharge.
Tuning the Surface Structure and Optical Properties of CdSe Clusters Using Coordination Chemistry.

A series of nonstoichiometric CdSe clusters with lowest energy electronic absorptions between 409 and 420 nm has been prepared from cadmium 1-naphthoate, 2-naphthoate, 4-thiomethyl-1-naphthaote, and 1-naphthalene thiolate complexes and diphenylphosphine selenide (DPPSe). Pair distribution function analysis of X-ray diffraction data, ligand exchange experiments, and NMR molecular weight analyses suggest the nanocrystal core changes minimally among these clusters despite significant changes to their absorption and luminescence spectra. Photoluminescence excitation spectra obtained at 77 K reveal an energy transfer process between the surface-trapped excited state and the naphthalene-containing ligands that leads to ligand phosphorescence. A Dexter energy transfer mechanism is proposed to explain the observation of ligand phosphorescence on excitation of the cluster. These compounds demonstrate that cluster absorption and trap luminescence can be controlled with surface coordination chemistry.
Self-assembly of a double-helical complex of sodium.

SPONTANEOUS self-organization of helical and multiple-helical molecular structures occurs on several levels in living organisms. Key examples are α-helical polypeptides, double-helical nucleic acids and helical protein structures, including F-actin, microtubules and the protein sheath of the tobacco mosaic virus1. Although the self-assembly of double-helical transition-metal complexes1–15 bears some resemblance to the molecular organization of double-stranded DNA, selection between monohelical, double-helical and triple-helical structures is determined largely by the size and geometrical preference of the tightly bound metal14. Here we present an example of double-helical assembly induced by the weaker and non-directional interactions of an alkali-metal ion with an organic ligand that is pre-organized into a coil. We have characterized the resulting complex by two-dimensional NMR and fast-atom-bombardment mass spectrometry. These results provide a step toward the creation of molecular tubes or ion channels consisting of intertwined coils.
Alternative temozolomide dosing regimens and novel combinations for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma

Over the past 30 years, there has been no significant improvement in treatment outcomes for patients with advanced stage IV metastatic melanoma, and prognosis remains poor. Melanoma is known to be responsive to immunomodulatory agents, to be a highly vascular tumor, and to be fairly resistant to standard cytotoxic chemotherapy. Ongoing research is attempting to find novel combinations that may have therapeutic synergy. Alternative dose-dense schedules of temozolomide appear promising and are being actively investigated, based on their potential to overcome chemoresistance to alkylating agents and the proven activity of temozolomide in the brain. Outcomes of studies investigating single-agent temozolomide suggest that it has activity similar to single-agent dacarbazine. Other studies combining temozolomide with either interferon-alfa or thalidomide suggest that the addition of these immunomodulatory agents to temozolomide improves response rates and may improve overall survival. The best results have been achieved with the extended, daily, dose-dense temozolomide regimen. Further research is needed to determine the optimal temozolomide regimen and best combination approach for the treatment of advanced metastatic melanoma.
The link between memory performance, self-assessment, and affective status

Abstract To investigate the relationship between memory performance, self-assessment of memory, and affective status, 67 elderly females were administered a self-assessment memory questionnaire and multiple measures of affect and laboratory memory test performance. Canonical correlations indicated that the memory performance scores were not related to the affective measures nor to the scales of self-assessed memory ability. Affective status and self-assessment of memory skill were related, suggesting that investigations of memory performance which rely on self-assessment should also measure affective status.
BRST-symmetries in free string field theory

Abstract A unitary field transformation useful for examination of the BRST-symmetries in free bosonic open-string field theory is introduced. It is similar to Siegel and Zwiebach's transformation, but leads to a hermitian BRST-charge in contrast to theirs. The transformed BRST-transformation factorizes into two parts, making the gauge-unfixing procedure rather trivial. Both the minimal-type gauge-invariant action and Witten's action are dealt with.
On the construction of G -spaces and applications to homogeneous spaces

In (3), the author defined the notion of a G -space. A G -space is a weaker notion than that of an H -space. The main purpose of this paper is to present various means of constructing G -spaces. As an application of some of the techniques of (3) and of this paper (though not an application of the concept of G -space) we shall prove the following theorem: Theorem . Let G be a connected compact Lie group and let H be a connected subgroup of maximal rank. Then H 3 (G/H; Z) = 0. In fact, the Hurewicz homomorphism is trivial for odd dimensions.
Measuring Changes in the Mass of Single Subcellular Organelles Using X-Ray Microscopy

Using quantitative scanning transmission x-ray microscopy, zymogen granules isolated from pancreatic acinar cells were observed suspended in aqueous medium at 50 nm resolution. From 3.64 nm x-ray absorption data, the protein content and rate of protein efflux from individual granules were determined. This was accomplished with a specially designed silicon nitride based wet-cell that allowed continuous perfusion and monitoring of individual granules in a variety of different aqueous environments. Granules suspended in 300 mM sucrose, 5 mM phosphate buffer (pH 6.0) were observed to continuously decrease in size and protein content over a period of several hours. Sudden lysis of the granules was not observed. From the flux data, the apparent protein permeability coefficients for individual granules were determined to range from 1 - 10 X 10-10 cm/sec with an average of 4.78 +/- 3.0 X 10-10 cm/sec. We believe this is the first quantitative population profile determined for a subcellular organelle developed from measurements of individual members of the population.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Effect of the Chain-Length Compatibility of Surfactants and Mechanical Properties of Mixed Micelles on Surfaces

Force/distance curves for silicon nitride tip/flat silica or alumina coated by a layer of mixed micelles of cationic/anionic surfactant are measured by using AFM. Mixtures of SDS/CnTAB (with molecular ratios of 3:1 and 20:1) and CnTAB/SDS (with molecular ratio of 85:15) were used for alumina and silica substrates, respectively. The number of carbon atoms per CnTAB molecule, n, was in the range of 8 to 16. On the basis of the force/distance curves, the elastic modulus, E, and yield strength, Y, of surface micelles are calculated. It is shown that in surfactant mixtures containing SDS the maximal repulsive force (the barrier Fbar) at which the tip punctured the micelles, as well as the magnitudes of E and Y, attained the maximal values for C12TAB ( i.e., when the hydrocarbon chain lengths of two oppositely charged surfactants are the same). Obviously, it can be related to the highest density structure of these micelles. Note that the literature data for the surface micelles from pure CnTAB solutions demonst...
The Management of Stroke in Antiphospholipid Syndrome

Ischemic stroke is one of the most common complications of the antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). Because of the relative lack of definitive prospective studies, there is still some debate as to whether the persistent presence of antiphospholipid antibodies (aPLs) increases the risk of recurrent stroke. There is more evidence for aPLs as a risk factor for first stroke. The mechanisms of ischemic stroke are considered to be thrombotic and embolic. APS patients with thrombotic stroke frequently have other, often conventional vascular risk factors. Transesophageal echocardiogram is strongly recommended in APS patients with ischemic stroke because of the high yield of valvular abnormalities. The appropriate management of thrombosis in patients with APS is still controversial because of limited randomized clinical trial data. This review discusses the current evidence for antithrombotic therapy in patients who are aPL positive but do not fulfill criteria for APS, and in APS patients. Alternative and emerging therapies including low molecular weight heparin, new oral anticoagulants (including direct thrombin inhibitors), hydroxychloroquine, statins, and rituximab, are also addressed.
Suicidal behavior in patients with schizophrenia is related to COMT polymorphism.

A common functional polymorphism that results in a three- to four-fold difference in catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) enzyme activity has been related to psychiatric disorders such as ultra-ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder, drug abuse and alcoholism (Lachman et al., 1996a; Karayiorgou et al., 1997; Vandenbergh et al., 1997; Papolos et al., 1998; Tiihonen et al., 1999). Several studies have also reported associations between the allele encoding the low enzyme activity COMT variant (L allele) and other-directed aggression (Strous et al., 1997; Lachman et al., 1998; Kotler et al., 1999) in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. The current study investigated whether the COMT L allele is also associated with suicide attempts in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. COMT genotypes were determined and history of suicide attempts was retrospectively investigated in a Finnish sample (n = 94) and a US sample (n = 54). Significant associations were observed between COMT genotype and suicide; specifically, history of violent suicide attempts. The COMT L allele was more frequent in subjects who had attempted suicide by violent means. These associations were significant in males but not females. These findings support a common neurobiological substrate for self- and other-directed aggression, and suggest that catecholaminergic alterations may contribute to these behaviors in schizophrenic and schizoaffective patients. Language: en
EXTREMUM SEEKING LOOP FOR A CLASS OF PERFORMANCE FUNCTIONS

The task of an extremum seeking controller is to drive or to command a system in order to extremize the value of a performance function that only depends on the present output of that system. Here, an approach for designing such a controller for cases in which the performance function is fully determined by the value of a multi-dimensional parameter is presented. The designed controller will be indeed adaptive; it will estimate the (unknown) value of the parameter, determining the performance function, and accordingly it will issue a command to the system in order to drive it to an output value that extremize the performance function. If a dither function can be found to satisfy some persistent exitation condition, then the output of the system will converge to a neighborhood of the extremizing output value.
Teacher and Parent Perspectives on Looping.

This manuscript describes the implementation of looping or continuity of care in a high-quality child care facility. Through interviews with parents and teachers, themes were identified including the advantages (stability and continuity of care, ease in transition, anticipating children's needs, parent friendships and networking) and challenges (caregivers' age group preference and skills, planning classroom activities, strained parent teacher relationship, transition from looping and philosophies, no opportunity to experience new things). The reality of implementing the practice of continuity of care and recommendation for implementation are discussed.
Community Collaboration and Public Policy Making Examining the Long-Term Utility of Training in Conflict Management

The management of conflict in organizations and communities is intrinsic to the policy development process. Many communities across the United States are searching for more effective ways of buildi...
Determination of urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenyl-glycol by liquid chromatography with electrochemical detection

The increasing popularity of urinary 3-methoxy-4-hydroxyphenylglycol (MHPG) determinations has placed a demand on clinical laboratories to provide these data. Previous methods for MHPG either exhibit unacceptable performance, are too slow, or utilize instrumentation not commonly employed in these laboratories. The liquid chromatography electrochemical detection method described here has several positive features. MHPG is isolated by extraction, separated by liquid chromatography, and quantitated at an amperometric electrode. The precision, simplicity, and relatively low cost makes this new method an ideal choice for the clinical laboratory.
Improving Information Search Using Natural Language and Direct Manipulation Tools in a Multimodal Interface

Clutter has an increasing impact on the quality of human-computer interaction, as more and more objects are represented on-screen. This study evaluated the usability of an existing, information-dense workspace, which places burdensome search requirements on its users. Direct manipulation is the standard method of search among multiple screen objects and has shown itself to be effective for point-and-act tasks. This study contrasts performance using natural language and multimodal interaction with this standard concept. The results reported here indicate that natural language is an effective search tool in a complex information workspace, because of its high level of specificity. However, regardless of its suggested merits, natural language is often criticized as being difficult to learn and utilize. The study reported here shows that users were easily able to combine modalities, natural language and direct manipulation, in a way predicted by the nature of screen clutter.
Research Digest: Tesol Topics in other Journals

This section presents brief synopses of empirical research and theoretical discussions in peer-reviewed journals. The aim is to disseminate findings and perspectives in fields related to TESOL and to provide access to the diverse conversations among scholars in the field.
Parameter Estimation for Probabilistic Finite-State Transducers

Weighted finite-state transducers suffer from the lack of a training algorithm. Training is even harder for transducers that have been assembled via finite-state operations such as composition, minimization, union, concatenation, and closure, as this yields tricky parameter tying. We formulate a "parameterized FST" paradigm and give training algorithms for it, including a general bookkeeping trick ("expectation semirings") that cleanly and efficiently computes expectations and gradients.
A multimodal approach to coding discourse: Collaboration, distributed cognition, and geometric reasoning

Our research aims to identify children’s communicative strategies when faced with the task of solving a geometric puzzle in CSCL contexts. We investigated how to identify and trace distributed cognition in problem-solving interactions based on discursive cohesion to objects, participants, and prior discursive content, and geometric and cooperative concepts. We report on the development of a method of coding and representation of verbal and gestural content for multimodal interactional data and initial application of this framework to a microethnographic case study of two small groups of 7 and 8-year-old learners solving tangram manipulatives in physical and virtual desktop settings. We characterize the establishment of shared reference points as “coreferences” which cohere on object, para, and meta-levels through both gesture and speech. Our analysis foregrounds how participants establish common referential ground to facilitate collaborative problem solving with either computer-supported or physical puzzles. Using multimodal analysis and a theoretical framework we developed to study interactional dynamics, we identified patterns of focus, dominance, and coalition formation as they relate to coreferentiality on multiple levels. Initial findings indicate increased communication and cohesion to higher-level principles in the virtual tangram puzzle-solving setting. This work contributes to available models of multimodal analysis of distributed cognition using current manipulative technologies for early childhood mathematics education.
Metastability and possible failure of iteration methods

The applicability of an iteration method as proposed by Efetov and Larkin to a simple model of a random field system is investigated. It is shown that the expansion parameter of the method is of order of the number of metastable states. If this number is large, as is typical for random field systems, the method produces white averages over all extrema of the Hamiltonian On applique a un modele simple de potentiel aleatoire la methode d'iteration proposee par Efetov et Larkin. On demontre que le parametre de developpement de cette methode est du meme ordre de grandeur que le nombre des etats metastables. Si ce nombre est grand, comme c'est le cas pour un systeme dans un potentiel aleatoire, la methode correspond a une moyenne blanche sur tous les extrema de l'hamiltonien
A comparison of scheduling approaches for a make-to-order electronics manufacturer

In this paper, we compare two scheduling procedures designed to minimize setup costs for a make-to-order electronics manufacturing. While setup costs are important, quick response is highly valued by the manufacturer's customers and customer service is negatively impacted when jobs spend too much time in the system. To address this issue, we simulate the factory running with the schedules produced by these two procedures and compare the output based on the age of jobs remaining unprocessed at the end of one production shift. The simulation results show that the scheduling procedure that results in the lowest setup cost does not necessarily yield the best job age distribution.
LEARNING INDIRECT ACTIONS IN COMPLEX DOMAINS: ACTION SUGGESTIONS FOR AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL

Providing intelligent algorithms to manage the ever-increasing flow of air traffic is critical to the efficiency and economic viability of air transportation systems. Yet, current automated solutions leave existing human controllers "out of the loop" rendering the potential solutions both technically dangerous (e.g. inability to react to suddenly developing conditions) and politically charged (e.g. role of air traffic controllers in a fully automated system). Instead, this paper outlines a distributed agent-based solution where agents provide suggestions to human controllers. Though conceptually pleasing, this approach introduces two critical research issues. First, the agent actions are now filtered through interactions with other agents, human controllers and the environment before leading to a system state. This indirect action-to-effect process creates a complex learning problem. Second, even in the best case, not all air traffic controllers will be willing or able to follow the agents' suggestions. T...
Physician leadership is essential to the survival of teaching hospitals

Abstract Background: Academic medical centers (AMCs) face severe financial constraints because they must now compete directly with private providers that focus exclusively on cost-effective healthcare delivery. Educational and research capacities developed at AMCs have been supported by government and third party payers, but government support is diminishing. Physicians are ill-equipped to respond to market pressures. Data sources: Analyses of cultural change and restructuring in corporate giants such as Greyhound, IBM and FedEx are relevant to teaching hospitals. To succeed, organizations must flatten hierarchy, empower staff, train leaders, and mobilize intellectual capital. Effective leadership is essential. Conclusion: Physicians must educate themselves on forces impacting the AMC, understand changes needed in the structure and processes of AMC governance and acquire competencies for leadership and management if AMCs are to survive and thrive. Surgeons should acquire competencies that will enable them to become leaders in the process of AMC transformation.
The use of infrared thermography in the evaluation of oral lesions

This study was conducted to quantitate the degree of inflammation associated with oral lesions by using infrared thermography. It was reasoned that the increased vascularity associated with inflamed tissue may result in measurable increases in surface temperature. One subject with normal oral mucosa and three subjects with oral lesions of varying causes were studied with a thermal video system, using an infrared imager and microprocessor. A clinical photograph of each subject was obtained. Multiple thermograms were made in a temperature range of 30.0 C to 34.2 C at a sensitivity of 0.2 C. Photographs were taken on different occasions to determine whether the temperature readings could be duplicated and to test the accuracy of each reading. The normal surface temperature of the control subject's mucosa was significantly cooler than were the temperatures of the inflamed areas in the subjects with lesions induced by chemotherapy. The temperature of the areas of stomatitis was consistent (subject 3, mean = 33.7 C; subject 4, mean = 33.9 C). The necrotic center of a traumatic ulcer inhibited measurement of an underlying inflamed base and, thus, was equivalent to the control in temperature (subject 1 (control), mean = 31.9 C; subject 2 (necrotic lesion), mean = 31.7 C). These results suggest that infrared thermography may provide a means to quantitatively assess the degree of mucosal inflammation.
Immunohistochemical Study to Demonstrate Sarcocystis Neurona in Equine Protozoal Myeloencephalitis

A 5-year (1985-1989) retrospective immunohistochemical study was conducted using an avidin-biotin complex (ABC) immunoperoxidase method to demonstrate Sarcocystis neurona in histologically suspect cases of equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM). Primary antibodies against S. neurona and S. cruzi were utilized for the ABC technique. The findings were compared with those from cases in which the organisms were detected by examination of hematoxylin and eosin (HE)-stained neuronal sections. HE-stained sections detected the presence of the organisms in 20% of the suspect cases; whereas the ABC technique confirmed the presence of S. neurona in 51% and 67% of the cases by S. neurona and S. cruzi antibodies, respectively. A review of clinical case histories showed that 21/47 (45%) of the EPM horses with parasites in the tissue sections had prior treatment with antiprotozoal drugs and/or steroids. Using the test results of S. neurona and S. cruzi as a standard reference, HE test sensitivity based on examination of up to 30 neuronal sections per case was only 25%, and test specificity was 91%.
Blood protein-bound iodine in the fowl.

EARLY studies of serum or plasma protein-bound iodine (PBI) showed it to be a reliable and valuable criterion of thyroid state in humans (1, 2). Subsequent studies have largely confirmed this observation, and, in the opinion of some clinicians, PBI “is probably the single most reliable test of thyroid function” (3). In recent years, workers interested in the physiology of domestic mammals have studied blood PBI in relation to other characteristics of physiological and economic importance. Long et al. (4) found significant breed differences in PBI of dairy cattle, and also noted that calves had higher PBI levels than cows. Burns et al. (5) reported a highly significant correlation between PBI and metabolic rate in bulls. In beef calves, there is apparently an optimum PBI level associated with the best rates of gain (6), while in Hampshire swine, a significant negative correlation between PBI level and average daily gain has been reported (7). In a study of adrenal cortex-thyroid relationships in ketotic co...
Retrieval Expectations Affect False Recollection: Insights From a Criterial Recollection Task:

People use retrieval expectations to guide the accuracy of recollection attempts. This retrieval monitoring process minimizes illusory or false recollection, especially when the to-be-remembered events are distinctive. Our work with a criterial recollection task reveals that this monitoring process primarily depends on qualitative features of recollected information, an aspect of memory that can be dissociated from traditional measures of recollection frequency and familiarity. Neuroimaging and brain damage studies further indicate that this monitoring process relies on prefrontal regions that coordinate memory retrieval. This research helps explain why older adults are sometimes more susceptible to false recollection. More generally, this research highlights the importance of different kinds of recollected events and corresponding retrieval expectations in determining memory accuracy.
Victim receiver response to ultrawideband signals

A class of time-dithered ultrawideband (UWB) systems is modeled and simulated from an analytic description of the system. These simulated time waveforms and Fourier spectra results are analyzed to show the effect of a receiver's intermediate frequency (IF) bandwidth (BW) on peak and average power. The peak and average power curves provide the basis for establishing a normalized bandwidth correction factor (BWCF) curve and equation. The BWCF is used to estimate peak power over a range of BWs from average power measurements made in a 1 MHz BW. Peak and average power are computed and compared over BWs from 0.3 MHz to 100 MHz for both pre and post detection. The 50% dithered case is also compared to a non-dithered periodic system which exhibited constant power curves as a function of IF BW below the pulse repetition rate (PRR) of 10 MHz. All of the curves increased linearly in power with, BW on log-log plots. Peak power increased more rap idly than average power above the PRR for all cases.