cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Data mining framework for batching orders in real- time warehouse operations

Warehouse activities play a key role in the final customer service level. From the warehouse processes, order picking is the major contributor to this category overall expenses. Order batching is commonly employed to improve the resources efficiency. Several heuristics have been proposed for the order batching problem, most of them developed for static batching, although scarce research has been focused on dynamic batching via stochastic modeling. We present an a novel approach to the problem developing a framework based on machine learning application directly to historical order batches data; gaining valuable knowledge regarding how are the batches formed and what attributes are the most meaningful in this process. This knowledge is then translated into simple batching decision rules capable of batch orders in a real-time scenario (dynamically). The framework was compared to FCFS heuristics and single picking; the results indicate higher performance.
The Design and Implementation of the Clouds Distributed Operating System.

Clouds is a native operating system for a distributed environment. The Clouds operating system is built on top of a kernel called Ra. Ra is a second generation kernel derived from our experi- ence with the first version of the Clouds operating system. Ro is a minimal, flexible kernel that pro- vides a framework for implementing a variety of distributed operating systems. This paper presents the Clouds paradigm and a brief overview of its first implementation. We then present the details of the Ro kernel, the rationale for its design, and the system services that consti- tute the Clouds operating system.
Apparatus with Electronic Crowbar for Chemical Investigations of Exploding Wire Phenomena

An apparatus suitable for investigations of chemical phenomena during the explosions of wires in various gaseous atmospheres has been developed. Electrical energy of 6900 J maximum was used to explode a variety of metals, as well as graphite filaments. A new “crowbar” system is included which will reroute the normal restrike current of an exploding wire through a circuit not containing the sample wire. Time to the initiation of the “crowbar” may be varied from 4 to 200 µsec. This new technique provides an additional variable for investigating the various mechanisms of exploding wire phenomena. The extent of chemical reaction at any point in the explosion process can now be determined.
The role of electromagnetic interactions in nuclear physics

The “meson presence in nuclei” is discussed. Exchange-current corrections to nuclear magnetic g-factors can be connected to the local effective mass by $$\delta g_l (r) = - \frac{1}{3}\{ 1 - \tfrac{m}{{m*}}(r)\} \tau _3 \circ$$
Identification of Products of the Uridinediphospho-N-acetyl-d-Glucosamine Oxidoreductase System from Citrobacter freundii ATCC 10053

Uridinediphospho- N -acetyl glucosamine is converted to one or more uridine-diphospho-4-keto-6-deoxy-2-acetamidohexose derivatives by an enzyme from Citrobacter freundii ATCC 10053. Borohydride reduction of reaction products followed by acid hydrolysis yielded several amino sugars. Two of these were identified as fucosamine and quinovosamine by chromatography and ninhydrin degradation.
A Pilot Study of In Vivo Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy of Upper Tract Urothelial Carcinoma.

Abstract Purpose: Tissue diagnosis of upper tract urothelial carcinoma (UTUC) is limited by variance in tumor sampling by standard ureteroscopic biopsy. Optical imaging technologies can potentially improve UTUC diagnosis, surveillance, and endoscopic treatment. We previously demonstrated in vivo optical biopsy of urothelial carcinoma of the bladder using confocal laser endomicroscopy (CLE). In this study, we evaluated a new 0.85-mm imaging probe in the upper urinary tract and demonstrated feasibility and compatibility with standard ureteroscopes to achieve in vivo optical biopsy of UTUC. Materials and Methods: Fourteen patients scheduled for ureteroscopy of suspected upper tract lesions or surveillance of UTUC were recruited. After intravenous (IV) administration of fluorescein, CLE was performed using a 0.85-mm-diameter imaging probe inserted through the working channel of standard ureteroscopes. Acquired confocal video sequences were reviewed and analyzed. A mosaicing algorithm was used to compile a ser...
Application of FDTD to the analysis of indoor coverage

Application of FDTD (with companion UPML) to the coverage analysis of empty and filled (with wooden desks) indoor scenarios is explored and results compared, both in time and frequency domains, with those obtained via ray tracing along with UTD field calculations. Results of FDTD simulated coverage of an usual office space, locus of an ongoing digital TV experiment at 804 MHz, further illustrate the potentiality of the method.
A Review of “It Still Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office“

“It Still Takes a Candidate” is a well-known maxim in politics. The 40-year reign of a Democratic Party majority in the House of Representatives ended in 1994. One obstacle to a Republican majority...
Stochastic analysis of solute transport in heterogeneous, dual-permeability media

[1] A Eulerian perturbation method is applied to study the influence of medium heterogeneity on nonreactive chemical transport in a saturated, fractured porous medium under steady state flow conditions. A dual-permeability model is used to describe the flow and solute transport in the fractured medium [, 1993a, 1993b]. The model involves two overlaying continua at the macroscopic level, a fracture pore system, and a less permeable matrix pore system. Solute advection and dispersion take place in both pore systems. A first-order mass diffusion model is used to describe the mass diffusion between fracture and matrix regions. The hydraulic conductivities in both fracture and matrix regions, Kf and Km, and the interregional mass diffusion coefficient, a, are assumed to be spatial random variables to account for heterogeneity of the medium. A closed form analytical solution for the mean concentrations in the fracture and matrix regions is explicitly given in Fourier and Laplace transforms and numerically inverted to real space via fast Fourier transform. The simulation results demonstrate the significant effects of heterogeneous distributions of Kf, Km, and a on solute transport process. Sensitivity studies show the dominant influence of heterogeneity in fracture in comparison with that in matrix. In some special scenarios of heterogeneity the dual-permeability model can be simplified to a mobile/immobile model [, 2000] or a one-domain model [, 1993]. The developed analytical solution provides a general tool to investigate the effects of various heterogeneities on solute transport in fractured porous media and to analyze the errors introduced through various model simplifications.
Evaluating Sustainability: Soap versus Biodiesel Production from Plant Oils

Herein we describe a series of experiments for the undergraduate organic laboratory curriculum in which various plant oils (soybean, rapeseed, and olive) are subjected to saponification and transesterification reactions to create a set of compounds that can function as soaps or as fuels. The experiments introduce students to and asks them to critically evaluate concepts of sustainability and green chemistry, microwave versus conventional heating, and their understanding of chirality–prochirality, and stereochemistry. Unexpectedly, because of the comparison between soap and biodiesel production, the experiment also revealed misunderstandings about catalysis.
Differentiation of primary human fibroblasts into tissue macrophages by the Snyder-Theilen strain of the feline sarcoma virus is associated with endoreduplication, a 1,9 translocation, phenotypic stability, and apoptosis

We have previously reported the conversion of human fibroblasts to tissue macrophages by transduction with the Snyder-Theilen feline sarcoma virus [ST:FeSV (FeLV)]. The ST:FeSV-induced macrophages were largely configured as spherical cells, each with an extensive network of microvilli. Nuclear alterations included the appearance of three sub-populations within these mononucleated macrophages consisting of diploid (19%), tetraploid (43%), and octaploid (38%) cells. A karyotypic analysis revealed a 1,9 translocation in a small, dividing, subpopulation within the diploid fraction of the ST:FeSV-induced macrophages. Clonotypic assays demonstrated the conversion of all individually expanded, cloned fibroblasts, to macrophages following transduction with ST:FeSV. None of the converted macrophages reverted to the fibroblastic cell phenotype as determined by co-expression of v-fes and the receptor for the macrophage colony stimulating factor (CSF-IR). The ST:FeSV-induced macrophages did not form colonies in agar, nor did they form tumors in athymic mice. They appeared to undergo apoptosis after 4-6 weeks in culture. The findings pertain to the heterogeneous nature of tissue macrophages and their recruitment process during normal conditions, and in response to inflammatory stimuli.
The impacts of quality and productivity perceptions on the use of software process improvement innovations

Numerous software process improvement (SPI) innovations have been proposed to improve software development productivity and system quality; however, their diffusion in practice has been disappointing. This research investigates the adoption of the Personal Software Process on industrial software projects. Quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal that perceived increases in software quality and development productivity, project management benefits, and innovation fit to development tasks, enhance the usefulness of the innovation to developers. Results underscore the need to enrich current technology acceptance models with these constructs, and serve to encourage project managers to adopt formal SPI methods if developers perceive the methods will have positive impacts on their productivity and system quality.
Infrared and Raman spectroscopy of uranyl (hexafluoroacetylacetonate)2 adducts in the vapor and condensed phases

Abstract The vapor phase mid-infrared spectra and solution phase far-infrared and Raman spectra have been measured for a series of volatile uranyl (hexafluoroacetylacetonate)2 adducts. Using 18O-isotopic labelling and correlations with spectra of adducts possessing trifluoroacetylacetonate and acetylacetonate ligands, a more complete set of assignments has been made, especially for the low-frequency metal-ligand vibrations. The tetrahydrofuran (THF) complex is unusual in that the UO2 symmetric stretch possesses anomalously high infrared intensity, which is ascribed to perturbation of the UO2 moiety by steric interactions with the α-CH2 group of the adduct.
The impact of evaluation scenario development on the quantitative performance of speech translation systems prescribed by the SCORE framework

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA) Spoken Language Communication and Translation for Tactical Use (TRANSTAC) program is a focused advanced technology research and development program. The intent of this program is to demonstrate capabilities to quickly develop and implement free-form, two-way, speech-to-speech spoken language translation systems allowing speakers of different languages to communicate with each other in real-world tactical situations without the need for an interpreter. The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), with support from the Mitre Corporation and Appen Pty Limited, has been funded by DARPA to evaluate the TRANSTAC technologies since 2006. The NIST-led Independent Evaluation Team (IET) has numerous responsibilities in this ongoing effort including collecting and processing training data, designing and implementing performance evaluations, and analyzing the test data. In order to design and execute fair and relevant evaluations, the NIST IET has employed the System, Component and Operationally-Relevant Evaluation (SCORE) framework. The SCORE framework is a unified set of criteria and tools built around the premise that, in order to gain an understanding of how a technology would perform in its intended environment, it must be evaluated at both the component and system levels and further tested in operationally-relevant environments while capturing both quantitative and qualitative performance data. Since an evaluation goal of the TRANSTAC program is to capture quantitative performance data of the translation technologies, the IET developed and implemented SCORE-inspired live evaluation scenarios. The two developed forms of live evaluation scenarios have unique impacts on the quantitative performance data. This paper presents the TRANSTAC program and SCORE methodology, as well as the evaluation scenarios and their influence on system performance.
What do catastrophic visual binding failures look like

Ordinary vision is considered a binding success: all the pieces and aspects of an image are bound together, despite being processed by many different neurons in several different cortical areas. How this is accomplished is a key problem in visual neuroscience. The study of visual binding might be facilitated if we had ways to induce binding failures. A particularly interesting failure would involve a loss of the physical integrity of the image. Here, we identify conditions that induce such perceptual failures (e.g. the melting together of equiluminant colored images and the fragmentation of retinally stabilized images) and we suggest that these should studied using electrophysiological measures of binding.
High Dynamic Range Imaging Concept-Based Signal Enhancement Method Reduced the Optical Coherence Tomography Measurement Variability

Purpose. To develop and test a novel signal enhancement method for optical coherence tomography (OCT) images based on the high dynamic range (HDR) imaging concept.
Patterns of differences between the maximum weights of lift acceptable to experienced and inexperienced materials handlers.

Maximum acceptable weight of lift (MAL) data were collected on 74 inexperienced students and compared with data previously collected for 74 experienced (industrial) materials handlers under identical experimental conditions to determine the patterns of differences in the MAL of the two groups. The results revealed that while students and industrial workers did not differ significantly in their physique and isometric strength exertion capabilities, there were statistically significant differences in the weights the two groups were willing to lift for regular 8 h shifts. Male students, on the average accepted 11% less weight than industrial males; female students accepted 6% less weight than industrial females. For 12 h shifts, the MAL differences between the two groups narrowed down to within 2%. The reductions in MAL with lifting frequency, box size, and lifting height for inexperienced and experienced workers were found to be similar. When the psychophysical methodology is used, inexperienced students te...
Absence of functional and structural homology of natural and recombinant human leukocyte interferon (IFN-α) with human α-ACTH and β-endorphin

Abstract A comparison of the amino acid sequence of one human recombinant IFN-α (IFLrA) with either human β-endorphin or ACTH reveals only a minimal and insignificant degree of homology. Also, synthetic ACTH, β-endorphin and β-endorphin-(1–15) have no antiviral protective effects on human fibroblasts and cannot inhibit the neutralization of the antiviral effects of natural IFN-α by an antiserum directed against the interferon. Anti ACTH and Anti β-endorphin do not neutralize the antiviral effects of IFLrA, and radioimmunoassays of partially purified natural IFN-α and pure IFLrA do not reveal any evidence of α-MSH or β-endorphin-like material in the interferons. These results demonstrate an absence of functional and structural homology of natural and recombinant IFN-α with ACTH and β-endorphin.
Synthesis and chemotherapeutic effects of ethyl bis-(2, 2-dimethyl)-ethylenamido phosphate. A preliminary report

The title compound, a new analog of the experimental anticancer agent, AB-132, was synthesized and tested against a spectrum of transplanted animal tumors. It was found to have significant chemotherapeutic activity in all of the tumor systems studied. In these assays, the new compound was a much more effective antitumor agent than AB-132.
Effect of cysteamine on redox-sensitive thiol-containing proteins in the duodenal mucosa.

Recent studies from our laboratory demonstrated that Egr-1 is upregulated in the rat duodenal mucosa during cysteamine-induced duodenal ulceration and that antisense egr-1 oligonucleotide aggravates the duodenal ulcers. This study was aimed to determine the effects of cysteamine on redox-sensitive Egr-1 transcriptional activity and on other thiol-containing proteins such as redox factor-1 (Ref-1) and thioredoxin (Trx). Here we demonstrate for the first time that cysteamine increases the expression and nuclear translocation of Egr-1, Ref-1, and Trx, and activates binding of Egr-1 to DNA. Moreover, we also show that Egr-1 forms a complex with other redox-sensitive transcription factors (e.g., AP-1, AP-2, NFATc, Sp1, PAX-5, MTF-1, c-Myb, and CREB) in rat duodenal mucosa and that cysteamine enhances the formation of these complexes. The antioxidant ebselen markedly elevated the nuclear Ref-1 expression and Egr-1/DNA binding, and decreased the ulcerogenic effect of cysteamine as did catalase. Thus, redox-sensitive signaling systems seem to play an important role in cysteamine-induced duodenal ulceration.
Accessory mitral valve in an adult population: the role of echocardiography in diagnosis and management

Accessory mitral valve is a rare congenital abnormality and is an unusual cause for subvalvular left ventricular outflow tract (LVOT) obstruction. It is detected first in children and is very rarely noticed in adults. The most common clinical presentation is symptomatic LVOT obstruction. We present a case series of 5 adult patients with varying clinical presentations in which the accessory mitral valve was diagnosed using echocardiography. Three patients presented with varying degrees of symptomatic LVOT obstruction, one presented with recurrent transient ischemic attack and stroke, and one patient was incidentally diagnosed during echocardiography to exclude endocarditis. Accessory mitral valve should be suggested in patients with LVOT obstruction.
Effect of Organizational Climate on Youth Outcomes in Residential Treatment.

This study examined the association between organizational climate and changes in internalizing and externalizing behavior for youth in residential treatment centers (RTCs). The sample included 407 youth and 349 front-line residential treatment staff from 17 RTCs in Illinois. Youth behavior was measured using the Child Functional Assessment Rating Scale. Organizational climate was measured via the Areas of Worklife Survey. Using hierarchical linear modeling, results demonstrated that a higher perception of person-job match on community among front-line staff was associated with more improvement on youth externalizing behaviors. Counter-intuitively, higher person-job match on fairness and workload were each associated with less improvement on internalizing and externalizing behavior. These results offer several potential implications for residential treatment leadership, front line workers, policymakers, youth, and researchers.
Short-pulse oscillator development for the Nd:glass laser-fusion systems

This paper describes the development of an actively mode-locked and Q -switched (AMQ) Nd:YAG oscillator system that generates a single pulse at 1.06 μm in the range of 100 ps to 1 ns, with energy of \sim 250 \mu J, and with good stability and reliability. A stable single axial mode Q -switched oscillator is also described that generates a long smooth pulse out of which pulses in the ns range are sliced. Synchronization of these two oscillators is also discussed.
Is Greenberg's "Macro-Carib" viable?

In his landmark work Language in the Americas, Greenberg (1987) proposed that Macro-Carib was one of the major low-level stocks of South America, which together with Macro-Panoan and Macro-Ge-Bororo were claimed to comprise the putative Ge-Pano-Carib Phylum. His Macro-Carib includes the isolates Andoke and Kukura, and the Witotoan, Peba-Yaguan, and Cariban families. Greenberg's primary evidence came from person-marking paradigms in individual languages, plus scattered words from individual languages collected into 79 Macro-Carib 'etymologies' and another 64 Amerind 'etymologies'. The goal of this paper is to re-evaluate Greenberg's Macro-Carib claim in the light of the much more extensive and reliable language data that has become available largely since 1987. Based on full person-marking paradigms for Proto-Cariban, Yagua, Bora and Andoke, we conclude that Greenberg's morphological claims are unfounded. For our lexical comparison, we created lexical lists for Proto-Cariban, Proto-Witotoan, Yagua and Andoke, for both Greenberg's 143 putative etymologies and for the Swadesh 100 list. From both lists, a total of 23 potential cognates were found, but no consonantal correspondences were repeated even once. We conclude that our greatly expanded and improved database does not provide sufficient evidence to convince the skeptic that the Macro-Carib hypothesis is viable
MicroRNA involvement in esophageal carcinogenesis

MicroRNAs (miRs) have recently emerged as a novel class of gene expression regulators. The number of studies documenting an altered miR expression pattern in cancer continues to expand rapidly. Critical information is continuously gained regarding how aberrantly expressed miRs contribute to carcinogenesis. Current studies provide evidence that analyses of miR expression patterns have potential clinical applications toward developing tumor biomarkers to identify the presence and dissemination of esophageal cancer, as well as to assess tumor chemosensitivity or radiosensitivity. The incidence of esophageal cancer is on the rise, and this disease continues to portend a poor prognosis. The current review addresses ways in which altered miR expression contributes to esophageal carcinogenesis, along with how recent discoveries may be applied clinically.
Probing Dynamic Responses of the Extracellular Matrix to Coupled Mechanical and Chemical Inputs

The extracellular matrix (ECM) is an important cellular component that provides structural support for cells that form the various connective tissues in the body and has been linked to various important cellular processes. One major, ubiquitously expressed ECM protein, fibronectin (FN) has been well documented to play an important role in the ECM, but most studies have investigated FN and its assembly and structural organization mainly through chemical stimulation. The ECM though likely experiences multiple modes of stimulation such as mechanical and chemical inputs. Since cells and the ECM may experience mechanical and chemical stimulation, we examined how NIH 3T3 fibroblasts altered their ECM in response to applied mechanical and chemical stimulation. Mechanical stimulation revealed an increase in FN matrix formation and secretion as reflected by immunofluorescence as well as FN localization around the cell periphery. Coupling of mechanical stimulation with chemical stimulation via inhibition of Rho activity revealed the same behavior as cells exposed purely to mechanical stimulation. This study is among the first to show the effect of coupled modes of stimulation on the ECM and show a purely mechanics-induced stimulation of ECM formation. These results have implications in a variety of fields including mechanotransduction, biophysics and bioengineering.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Effects of Different Fluorine Dopants on the Properties of the Tin Oxide Window Layer and CdTe/CdS Solar Cell

Conductive tin-oxide (SnO2) film is doped by group V or VII elements. Of all possible dopants, fluorine provides n-type SnO2 with the best electronic and optical properties. However, the commonly used fluorine dopant, bromotrifluoromethane (CBrF3), is a greenhouse gas. Thus, an alternative fluorine source is needed. In this work, we compared CIF3 as a fluorine dopant to CBrF3. With CBrF3 dopant, optimized carrier concentration and electron mobility values can reach to mid 1020 cm-3 and over 40 cm2/V-s, respectively. After carrier concentration saturates, the electronic mobility continues to improve with an increase of CBrF3 dopant concentration. As a comparison, to achieve similar carrier concentration, far less CIF3 dopant is required. However, the electron mobility is lower (<30 cm2/V-s) and does not improve with an increase of dopant concentration. The low electron mobility increases the optical absorption, especially of long wavelengthes. Considering CdTe/CdS solar cell efficiency, the device with a CIF3-doped SnO2 window layer provides the lower photocurrent.
Recognition Of Complex Three Dimensional Objects Using Three Dimensional Moment Invariants

A technique for the recognition of complex three dimensional objects is presented. The complex 3-D objects are represented in terms of their 3-D moment invariants, algebraic expressions that remain invariant independent of the 3-D objects' orientations and locations in the field of view. The technique of 3-D moment invariants has been used successfully for simple 3-D object recognition in the past. In this work we have extended this method for the representation of more complex objects. Two complex objects are represented digitally; their 3-D moment invariants have been calculated, and then the invariancy of these 3-D invariant moment expressions is verified by changing the orientation and the location of the objects in the field of view. The results of this study have significant impact on 3-D robotic vision, 3-D target recognition, scene analysis and artificial intelligence.
Consequences of Violence Exposures by Emergency Nurses

Emergency nurses are among the most likely groups of health care professionals to be exposed to violence. Violence exposure is the witnessing or receiving of a violent act with or without the intention to cause physical or psychological harm. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the literature in relation to emergency nurses' exposure to violence and discuss the implications for emergency nursing practice. A review of the literature was conducted using the keywords violence, emergency nursing, health care workers, and productivity. Emergency nurses exhibited anxiety, vulnerability, guilt, anger, sadness, and peer blaming following violence exposures. Violence exposures affect emergency nurses both physically and psychologically. Interventions should be developed to reduce the negative consequences of violence exposures.
Endothelial Cell Injury in Cardiovascular Surgery

In the last decade the endothelium has been shown to play a major role in regulating membrane permeability, lipid transport, vasomotor tone, coagulation, inflammation, and vascular wall structure. These critical endothelial cell functions are extremely sensitive to injury in the form of hypoxia, exposure to cytokines, endotoxin, cholesterol, nicotine, surgical manipulation, or hemodynamic shear stress. In response to injury endothelial cells become activated, tipping the balance of endothelial-derived factors to disrupt barrier function, and enhance vasoconstriction, coagulation, leukocyte adhesion, and smooth muscle cell proliferation. Although these responses likely exist as protective mechanisms, if the stimuli are severe the responses may become excessive, resulting in damaged tissue, impaired organ function, and an abnormal fibroproliferative response. Recent discoveries in the field of vascular biology have led to an expanded understanding of many of the complications of cardiovascular operations. Because of the wide impact endothelial cell dysfunction has on patients with cardiovascular disease, issues pertaining to endothelial biology are in the forefront of research that will affect the current and future practice of cardiothoracic surgery.
Initial Poststocking Mortality, Oxytetracycline Marking, and Year-Class Contribution of Black-Nosed Crappies Stocked into Tennessee Reservoirs

Abstract Initial poststocking mortality, oxytetracycline mark persistence, and year-class contribution were evaluated for black-nosed crappies, a morphological variant of the black crappie Pomoxis nigromaculatus, stocked into Tennessee reservoirs during 1997–1999. Average initial poststocking mortality was low (x = 13%, N = 44). Lake temperature and the difference between lake and hauling tank water temperatures were significant in explaining variability in arcsine-transformed mortality estimates; however, the variability explained by these factors was low (R 2 = 0.15). Oxytetracycline immersion was a highly effective marking tool; 97–100% of all crappies treated were marked, and 99% of the marks were visible 36–110 weeks after marking. All control otoliths were correctly scored as unmarked during the evaluation, and mortality rates did not differ between marked and unmarked crappies. Year-class contribution was variable across reservoirs and was highest in Normandy Reservoir (34–93% at ages 1–3). Contrib...
Photoconductivity and function properties of polyacetylene films

Abstract Photoconductivity and photovoltaic effects of AsF 5 -doped and undoped trans -(CH) x films have been measured at room temperature in the wavelength region from 0.3 to 3.5 μm. The photovoltaic response threshold at 1.48 eV, measured on Schottky barrier junctions with a low work function metal, is interpreted as the single particle band-gap of trans -(CH) x . I-V and C-V characteristics of the junctions indicate that good Schottky barriers are formed between lightly doped p-type (CH) x and low work function metals. Evidence for ∼ 2 × 10 18 cm −3 deep traps in both doped and undoped trans -(CH) x is obtained from analysis of these characteristics.
Mass transit: Devising a research based marketing plan

Abstract This study presents a marketing planning procedural model that can be operationally used by marketing managers. The model enables the user to assess his company's performance on the various attributes of the marketing mix and to design a marketing program that caters to the needs of his marketplace. The model is applied here specifically to mass transit and is tested empirically. Within this context, it permits transit marketing to aim at increasing the probabilities of (i) greater usage on the part of existing riders and (ii) attracting prospects and converting them into actual customers.
Inhibition of Bacterial Conjugation by Phage M13 and Its Protein g3p: Quantitative Analysis and Model

Conjugation is the main mode of horizontal gene transfer that spreads antibiotic resistance among bacteria. Strategies for inhibiting conjugation may be useful for preserving the effectiveness of antibiotics and preventing the emergence of bacterial strains with multiple resistances. Filamentous bacteriophages were first observed to inhibit conjugation several decades ago. Here we investigate the mechanism of inhibition and find that the primary effect on conjugation is occlusion of the conjugative pilus by phage particles. This interaction is mediated primarily by phage coat protein g3p, and exogenous addition of the soluble fragment of g3p inhibited conjugation at low nanomolar concentrations. Our data are quantitatively consistent with a simple model in which association between the pili and phage particles or g3p prevents transmission of an F plasmid encoding tetracycline resistance. We also observe a decrease in the donor ability of infected cells, which is quantitatively consistent with a reduction in pili elaboration. Since many antibiotic-resistance factors confer susceptibility to phage infection through expression of conjugative pili (the receptor for filamentous phage), these results suggest that phage may be a source of soluble proteins that slow the spread of antibiotic resistance genes.
3000 horsepower superconductive field acyclic motor

A 3000 hp acyclic motor was assembled and tested utilizing superconducting field coils. The magnet assembly is designed as a quadrupole magnet, utilizing a multifilamentary niobium titanium superconductor. Each magnet coil is 18 inches in diameter and 10 inches long, and operates at rated current of 200 amperes, providing 5.8 tesla in the bore of the coils in the motor configuration. The average winding current density is 10,600 A/cm2. The acyclic motor is of a drum-type design with liquid metal current collectors, and is designed to model full-scale machinery for ship propulsion applications. Laboratory test data verified the electrical and electromagnetic design to be within three percent of the calculated values.
Women’s labour force participation and pay inequality: evidence from panel cointegration

This article examines the relationship between women’s labour force participation and pay inequality for 58 countries for the 1990–2005 period using a panel cointegration analysis. The findings show that while higher women’s labour force participation increases pay inequality in developing countries, it leads to a reduction in developed countries.
Testing the Sulfotransferase Molecular Pore Hypothesis

Human cytosolic sulfotransferases (SULTs) regulate the activities of hundreds of signaling metabolites via transfer of the sulfuryl moiety (-SO3) from activated sulfate (3′-phosphoadenosine 5′-phosphosulfate) to the hydroxyls and primary amines of xeno- and endobiotics. How SULTs select substrates from the scores of competing ligands present in a cytosolic milieu is an important issue in the field. Selectivity appears to be sterically controlled by a molecular pore that opens and closes in response to nucleotide binding. This point of view is fostered by structures showing nucleotide-dependent pore closure and the fact that nucleotide binding induces an isomerization that restricts access to the acceptor-binding pocket. Molecular dynamics models underscore the importance of pore isomerization in selectivity and predict that specific molecular linkages stabilize the closed pore in response to nucleotide binding. To test the pore model, these linkages were disrupted in SULT2A1 via mutagenesis, and the effects on selectivity were determined. The mutations uncoupled nucleotide binding from selectivity and produced enzymes that no longer discriminated between large and small substrates. The mutations did not affect the affinity or turnover of small substrates but resulted in a 183-fold gain in catalytic efficiently toward large substrates. Models predict that an 11-residue “flap” covering the acceptor-binding pocket can open and admit large substrates when nucleotide is bound; a mutant structure demonstrated that this is so. In summary, the model was shown to be a robust, accurate predictor of SULT structure and selectivity whose general features will likely apply to other members of the SULT family.
An in vivo evaluation of various perfusates employed in renal preservation.

Abstract An experimental model is presented for comparing warm ischemic kidneys with perfused ischemic kidneys without the added complications inherent in transplantation. In the 43 animals tested it was apparent that the perfused kidneys functioned poorly and were actually damaged by the perfusion technique when compared to the warm ischemic group with no perfusion. Addition of heparin, Xylocaine, and cooling all added to survival of the functioning parenchyma. Tetrazolium time seemed to bear little correlation to ultimate renal survival or function. A suggested method of handling harvested renal tissue should include rapid cooling and gentle flushing with a small volume of fluid containing heparin and Xylocaine.
“The Centre Cannot Hold”: Interpreting Politics and Economics in Modern Mexico

The first three months of 1994 were unkind to the Mexican political establishment. In Chiapas, the Ejercito Zapatista de Liberacion Nacional reminded the world that the brassy lustre of President Salinas' sexenio masked grave economic inequalities and a corrupt political system. When the Zapatista conflict showed signs of concluding in March, the establishment was dealt another serious blow when Salinas' hand-picked successor Luis Donaldo Colosio was gunned down at a campaign rally in Tijuana. Not since the assassination of Presidentelect Alvaro Obregon in 1928 had the ruling party's succession ritual been so utterly shaken by conspiracy theories and institutional uncertainty. In the ensuing drama to pick another presidential candidate, the
Entrapment in 2×2 games with force vulnerable equilibria

In this study, a standard procedure was used to trap subjects in iterated play of 2× 2 games. Four different games with force vulnerable equilibria were used to represent four classes of entrapment situations. Five measures of entrapment were devised: three relating to the behavior of the subject and two relating to payoffs to the entrapping experimenter. It was determined that female subjects in the deficient-defensive condition were most easily trapped. In this condition the equilibrium was not pareto optimal and the subject was making a defensive move when he fell for the trap.
CMS combined ECAL and HCAL testbeam 2006

The response of the CMS combined electromagnetic and hadronic calorimeters has been measured at the CERN H2 test beam in the summer of 2006 using pions, (anti-)protons, electrons, and muons in momentum range from 1 to 350 GeV/c. Preliminary results from the these studies will be discussed. Subdetector modules consisting of two HCAL Barrel (HB) wedges ( 2 × 20 ° ), three HCAL Outer (HO) rings (40°), one HCAL Endcap (HE) wedge (20°) and one ECAL Barrel (EB) supermodule (20°) were mounted on a movable table which enabled us to mimic the directions of particles originating from the LHC interaction point. These tests are essential for correctly reconstructing the calorimetry response, especially of jets.
From Protests to Politics: Sex Work, Women's Worth, and Ciudad Juárez Modernity

Abstract This paper combines ethnographic research with discourse analysis to discuss how the protests of women sex workers in downtown Ciudad Juarez also represent protests against a larger urban economy that valorizes the disappearance of women from urban space. In Ciudad Juarez today, these disappearances are taking place as women and girls vanish from the publicity regarding progress in the maquiladora industry. The disappearances occur as more women and girls are kidnapped and murdered, and the disappearances occur as the police remove sex workers from the downtowns of border cities long famous for prostitution. While these different types of disappearances are not equivalent—to be denied access to public space is not the same as to be kidnapped and murdered—they are knit together through a discourse deployed by the city's political and corporate elites that equates the removal of women from public space with urban development and industrial progress. By combining ethnographic research with discourse...
NT-3, BDNF, and NGF in the developing rat nervous system: parallel as well as reciprocal patterns of expression.

To obtain insight into the site and stage specificity of nerve growth factor (NGF), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) action in vivo, we compared the expression patterns of the genes for these three related neurotrophic factors as well as for the NGF receptor in developing and adult rats. Initial embryonic expression of these related neurotrophic factors approximately coincides with the onset of neurogenesis. However, the levels at which the three factors are expressed at this time and throughout the developing nervous system are dramatically different. NT-3 is by far the most highly expressed in immature regions of the CNS in which proliferation, migration, and differentiation of neuronal precursors is ongoing. NT-3 expression dramatically decreases with maturation of these regions. By contrast, BDNF expression is low in developing regions of the CNS and increases as these regions mature. NGF expression varies during the development of discrete CNS regions, but not in any consistent manner compared with NT-3 and BDNF. Despite the dramatic variations, NT-3, BDNF, and NGF do share one striking similarity--high level expression in the adult hippocampus. Our observations are consistent with the idea that NT-3, BDNF, and NGF have paralleled as well as reciprocal roles in vivo.
Optimized perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filter (PR-QMF) based codes for multi-user communications

In communications systems, the message signal is sometimes spread over a large bandwidth in order to realize performance gains in the presence of narrowband interference, multipath propagation, and multiuser interference. The extent to which performance is improved is highly dependent upon the spreading code implemented. Traditionally, the spreading codes have consisted of pseudo-noise (PN) sequences whose chip values are limited to bipolar values. Recently, however, alternatives to the PN sequences have been studied including wavelet based and PR-QMF based spreading codes. The spreading codes implemented are the basis functions of a particular wavelet transform or PR-QMF bank. Since the choice of available basis functions is much larger than that of PN sequences, it is hoped that better performance can be achieved by choosing a basis tailored to the system requirements mentioned above. In this paper, a design method is presented to construct a PR-QMF bank which will generate spreading codes optimized for operating in a multiuser interference environment. Objective functions are developed for the design criteria and a multivariable constrained optimization problem is employed to generate the coefficients used in the filter bank. Once the filter bank is complete, the spreading codes are extracted and implemented in the spread spectrum system. System bit error rate (BER) curves are generated from computer simulation for analysis. Curves are generated for both the single user and the CDMA environment and performance is compared to that attained using gold codes.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Acid-Promoted Cyclization Reactions of Tetrahydroindolinones. Model Studies for Possible Application in a Synthesis of Selaginoidine

The synthesis of various substituted bicyclic lactams by an acid-induced Pictet−Spengler reaction of tetrahydroindolinones bearing tethered heteroaromatic rings is presented. The outcome of the cyclization depends on the position of the furan tether, tether length, nature of the tethered heteroaromatic ring, and the substituent group present on the 5-position of the tethered heteroaryl group. A one-pot procedure was developed to efficiently prepare tetrahydroindolinones containing tethered furan rings. In a typical example, the reaction of furanyl azide 26 with n-Bu3P delivered iminophosphorane 27, which was allowed to react with a 1-alkyl-(2-oxocyclohexyl)acetic acid to provide the desired furanyl-substituted tetrahydroindolinone system 29. Treatment of 29 with trifluoroacetic acid afforded the tetracyclic lactam skeleton 30 found in the alkaloid (±)-selaginoidine.
R70-1 A Note on Computing Time for the Recognition of Context- Free Languages by a Single-Tape Turing Machine

Although considerable progress has been made in the understanding of the more "algebraic" properties of context-free languages, the quantitative aspects of the recognition and parsing of context- free languages are still far from well understood. It was shown by Kasami and Younger that for every context-free language there exists a multitape Turing machine which recognizes this language and uses no more than n3operations to process input words of length n. For one-tape Turing machines Hartmanis showed, using the Younger algorithm, that every context-free language can be recognized in n5operations. This result has now been improved in the paper under review. It is shown, by a careful implementation of the Torii–Kasami–Ozaki algorithm on a one-tape Turing machine, that every context-free language can be recognized in n4operations. Again, just like for the n3operation multitape result, it is not known how good this time bound is. On the other hand, the authors have been able to show in this paper that for linear context-free languages n2is the least-upper time bound for their recognition on one-tape Turing machines. This is done by showing that every linear language is n2-recognizable, and by recalling that there are linear languages whose recognition requires n2 operations on a one-tape machine.
On the Rational Form of Auger Drilling Bits

The problem of increasing the useful life of cutting-type auger drilling bits by providing the working parts (blades) with a rational profile and through strengthening treatment of the material of the body is considered.
RGS4 Inhibits Gi-Mediated Cardiac Survival Pathways

G protein signal transduction pathways regulate important aspects of cardiovascular physiology including systemic blood pressure, cardiac growth and cardiac contractile function. Regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins are a large family of GTPase activating proteins (GAPs) that promote the deactivation of heterotrimeric G proteins. RGS4 is a widely-expressed RGS family member that promotes the deactivation of Gi and Gq proteins in vitro. Overexpression of RGS4 in murine heart antagonizes the development of cardiac hypertrophy that occurs in response to pressure overload. Mice were generated that lack RGS4 and these animals appeared normal at birth and were fertile. Rgs4 / mice had normal cardiac structure and function at 12 weeks of age, and they exhibited a normal left ventricular hypertrophic response to pressure overload by transverse aortic constriction. In response to experimental myocardial infarction by ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery, rgs4 / mice exhibited reduced pathological remodeling when compared to wild type mice. Furthermore, rgs4 / mice exhibited significantly reduced left ventricular infarct size after ex vivo ischemia-reperfusion injury. To determine whether enhanced Gi-mediated signaling was responsible for the cardiac phenotype of rgs4 / mice, ex vivo cardiac adenosine infusion studies were performed. In these studies, rgs4 / mice exhibited increased sensitivity to adenosine-mediated depression of cardiac contractile function. These results suggest that RGS4 inhibits ligand-stimulated Gi signaling in myocardium and antagonizes Gi-mediated cardiomyocyte survival pathways.
Educational Attainment and Cohort Change Among Conservative Protestants, 1972–2004

A growing literature examines how conservative Protestants have made status gains relative to mainline Protestants over the past three decades. The results of these studies are inconclusive: by some measures conservative Protestants have achieved socioeconomic parity, in other accounts significant discrepancies remain. This article examines the relationship between religion of origin and educational attainment, highlighting the significance of both religious background (rather than adult affiliations) and cohort change in understanding religious stratification. The findings are somewhat mixed: while conservative Protestants born since 1960 are no less likely to finish high school than their mainline counterparts, the negative effect of a conservative Protestant background on college completion remains virtually unchanged for cohorts born before 1940, between 1940 and 1959, and between 1960 and 1972, even when controlling for family background. Conservative Protestants are keeping pace with the educational gains made by mainline Protestants in the postwar era, but other factors associated with a conservative Protestant background still exert a negative influence on educational attainment.