cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Women, work, and well-being : the importance of work conditions

This study investigates the role of work conditions in mediating the effect of employment status on married women's psychological well-being. Employed wives and full-time homemakers are compared on characteristics of their daily work activities and the consequences of these work conditions for psychological well-being. Using data from a national survey of employed wives and homemakers, I find that full-time housework involves more autonomy, more interruptions, greater physical effort, more routine, fewer time pressures, and less responsibility for matters outside one's control than paid work. Differences in work activities between employed wives and homemakers also have direct implications for well-being. Two of the dimensions examined--the extent to which the worker is responsible for things outside her control, and the amount of routine entailed--are associated with greater depressive symptoms among women, regardless of work status. It appears that, as compared to employed wives, full-time homemakers benefit from having less responsibility for things outside their control. Employed wives appear to benefit from having less routinized work than homemakers. As a result of the different configurations of their work characteristics, employed wives and homemakers experience on average similar levels of depressive symptoms.
| V cb |, | V ub |, and HQET at CLEO

I report results from the CLEO collaboration on semileptonic B decays, highlighting measurements of the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements |V cb | and |V ub |. I describe the techniques used to obtain the recent improvements in precision for these measurements, including the use of the b→ sγ photon spectrum to reduce hadronic uncertainties in semileptonic B decays. I also report new measurements of |V cb | using the inclusive semileptonic branching fraction ${\cal B}(B\to X e \nu)$ and of |V ub | through study of the q2 dependence of B→πlν and B→ρlν. PACS: 12.15.Hh Determination of Kobayashi-Maskawa matrix elements – 13.20.He Decays of bottom mesons
A model for the dispersion of particulate or gaseous pollutants from a network of streets and highways

Abstract A mathematical model has been developed for predicting the atmospheric transport of particulates of any size distribution and of gaseous pollutants. The sources are finite length line segments representing a network of city streets and rural highways. The model can be used to predict the dispersion of pollutants in any region of flat terrain. The inputs required for the model are the coordinates of the highway segments, traffic counts, and meteorological conditions. The model has been used to estimate the distribution, in the vicinity of Urbana-Champaign, Illinois, of lead emitted from automobiles. The region has an area of 168 sq. miles and includes both rural and urban sources. The model is used to interpret results of a sampling program in a following paper.
Introduction to the special section on dependable network computing

Dependable network computing is becoming a key part of our daily economic and social life. Every day, millions of users and businesses are utilizing the Internet infrastructure for real-time electronic commerce transactions, scheduling important events, and building relationships. While network traffic and the number of users are rapidly growing, the mean-time between failures (MTTF) is surprisingly short; according to recent studies, in the majority of Internet backbone paths, the MTTF is 28 days. This leads to a strong requirement for highly dependable networks, servers, and software systems. The challenge is to build interconnected systems, based on available technology, that are inexpensive, accessible, scalable, and dependable. This special section provides insights into a number of these exciting challenges.
Extracorporeal Photopheresis and Recombinant Interferon Alfa 2b in Sezary Syndrome: Use of Dual Marker Labeling to Monitor Therapeutic Response

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the role of recombinant interferon alfa 2b (rIFN-a) as adjunct immunomodulatory therapy in patients with Sezary syndrome who were considered unlikely to respond to ExP alone. Six patients were treated with rIFN-a in doses ranging from 3 to 20 million units three times weekly in addition to two consecutive photopheresis treatments every 4 weeks. In addition, to better measure the effect of treatment on circulating neoplastic T-cells, cryopreserved lymphocytes were studied by two-color immunofluorescence and flow cytometry, using anti-CD4 combined with anti-CD29, anti-CD45RA, or anti-CD7. Minimal clinical improvement was observed in 4 patients treated with low doses of rIFN-a (3 to 5 million units TIW), and the response was sustained in only 1 patient. However, a clinically significant and sustained improvement did occur in 1 patient after the dose of rIFN-a was increased (20 million units TIW). Although the encountered toxicity profile from combined ExP/rIFN-a therapy was similar to that expected for ExP or comparable doses of rIFN-a given separately, treatment was discontinued in 2 patients because of adverse effects. Three antibody pairs, i.e., CD4+CD7-, CD4+CD29+, and CD4+CD45RA- subsets, appeared to be useful to monitor changes in blood Sezary cells during treatment. We conclude that the combination of ExP and low doses of rIFN-a does not appear to be effective for patients with advanced Sezary syndrome in this small patient series. However, escalation of interferon dose may be beneficial as shown in one patient, but it cannot be discerned whether the response was due to a combination of therapies, or whether the same therapeutic response would have been achieved with the higher doses of rIFN-a alone. Moreover, while none of the antibody pairs is unique for Sezary cells, the CD4+CD7- subset in appropriate patients provided a good objective measure of response and correlated well with visual Sezary cell counts.
A single-item measure of health-related quality-of-life for HIV-infected patients in routine clinical care.

Measurement of health-related quality-of-life (HRQL) captures dimensions of health not otherwise assessed. However, HRQL measurement is time-consuming and difficult to incorporate into a routine clinical care setting. The purpose of this study was to assess the construct validity, discriminative ability, and feasibility of administering a single-item health status measure (EVGGFP) of HRQL rating health as excellent, very good, good, fair, or poor among HIV-infected patients in routine clinical care. Patients attending an urban HIV specialty clinic completed a survey assessing their current symptom burden, HRQL as measured by EVGGFP and by a 7-domain, 21-item HRQL instrument (HRQL-21), and sociodemographic factors (n = 269). Patients were predominantly men (91%), 27% reported a history of intravenous drug use, and over half had some college education. We used multiple regression analysis to examine the association between HRQL assessed by EVGGFP and the HRQL-21. We compared the discriminative ability of EV...
Wave-Vector-Dependent Dielectric Function for Si, Ge, GaAs, and ZnSe

The longitudinal wave-vector-dependent dielectric function $\ensuremath{\epsilon}(\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\mathrm{q}})$ is calculated for Si, Ge, GaAs, and ZnSe. The energy eigenvalues and wave functions which are used have been obtained from energy-band calculations based on the empirical pseudopotential method. Explicit results are given in the [1, 0, 0], [1, 1, 0], and [1, 1, 1] directions in the range $0\ensuremath{\le}q\ensuremath{\le}(\frac{4\ensuremath{\pi}}{a})$. A comparison is made between the present results and the results of other calculations. Some comparisons with experiment are also made.
Investigation of forbidden transitions in argon ions.

An attempt has been made to observe the visible forbidden argon coronal lines at 553.6 nm (Ar X), 691.7 nm (Ar XI), 847.6 nm (Ar XIII), and 441.2 nm (Ar XIV) in a deuterium-argon plasma produced in a large theta pinch. The electron temperature (250 eV) and the electron density (5 by 10 to the 16th power per cu cm) were measured by Thomson scattering of ruby laser radiation. This temperature is adequate to produce ionization stages up to Ar XIV, as was verified by photographic observation of Ar XIV lines. No line corresponding to the coronal lines was observed from the high-temperature plasma, but lines with wavelengths very nearly identical to those of two of the forbidden transitions were observed; these lines were due to allowed transitions of Ar II in a cooler portion of the plasma. Calculation of rate coefficients in the Coulomb-Born approximation shows that for laboratory experiments, electron collisions are much more important than radiative decay in depopulating the upper state of the forbidden lines.
The human immunodeficiency virus-infected infant. A diagnostic dilemma.

Congenital infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has a profound effect on growth and development of the newborn. As is typical for congenitally acquired infections, the symptoms in the young infant are distinct from those observed in older children and adults. Although HIV-infected infants have been studied for half a dozen years, 1,2 and detailed descriptions of the natural course have appeared in the literature, 3-5 many issues related to maternal-fetal transmission are poorly understood. In this issue of AJDC , Johnson and coworkers 6 report a prospective study of 20 infants born in the Baltimore, Md, area to HIV-sero-positive women. The infants were observed for a minimum of 18 months to determine the natural history of congenital HIV infection. The study fails, however, as did previous studies of congenital HIV infection, to address the maternal-fetal factors that affect virus transmission from the mother to the offspring and to take
Primarily Peaceful: Nurturing Peace in the Primary Grades.

Conflict is a very real part of relationships that occur on global, national, and local scales, as well as in daily interpersonal relationships. This article details the relevance of peace studies for children in the primary grades, both in terms of current events and in classroom applications. Suggestions are presented for addressing this topic through an ecological approach that includes the establishment of a peaceful learning environment and the development of a diversified, literature-rich curriculum. Readers are invited to explore developmentally appropriate approaches for teaching conflict resolution strategies, as a venue for helping students to cultivate the skills and dispositions to live and learn peacefully with one another.
Change of activity and substrate specificity of human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase by oxidation.

Abstract Human glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase contains about 18 sulfhydryl groups per active dimer (MW = 110,000, and it does not contain S–S bridges. Chloromercuribenzoate stoichinmetrically and reversibly inactivates the enzyme. Oxidation of the enzyme by hydrogen peroxide induces a reduction of enzyme activity, an alteration of the substrate specificity, and an increased anodal electrophoretic mobility. The oxidized enzyme can use 2-deoxyglucose 6-phosphate, deamino NADP, and NAD far more effectively than the native enzyme. Oxidation of the enzyme by air at pH 8.0 does not induce a significant loss of enzyme activity or an alteration of the substrate specificity, although about 70% of the sulfhydryl groups of the enzyme are oxidized by the treatment.
Increased occlusal vertical dimension in adult monkeys

Splints which opened the vertical dimensions on all posterior teeth in five rhesus monkeys were studied over a period of 3 to 36 months. Findings were as follows: 1. The increased vertical dimension of occlusion did not have a pathologic effect on the TMJs. 2. The posterior teeth attached to the splint and the teeth opposing the splint were intruded into the alveolar processes. 3. The nonoccluding incisor teeth extruded, but the epithelial attachment remained close to the cementoenamel junction. 4. The vertical dimension as measured between the markers in the bones of the mandible and maxillae gradually returned toward the pretreatment vertical dimension, although complete closure to this position was not accomplished during the time period of the experiment. 5. The relationship between the epithelial attachment and the cementoenamel junction remained undisturbed by the experiment. 6. After completion of growth, there appeared to be a definite tendency for rebound to the normal pretreatment vertical dimension following increase of the vertical dimension. This was recorded by measurable movements of the teeth.
A lateral line analogue in cephalopods: water waves generate microphonic potentials in the epidermal head lines of Sepia and Lolliguncula.

Many cephalopods have lines of ciliated cells on their head and arms. In the cuttlefishSepia and the squidLolliguncula, electrophysiological recordings clearly identify these epidermal lines as an invertebrate analogue to the mechanoreceptive lateral lines of fish and aquatic amphibians and thus as another example of convergent evolution between a sophisticated cephalopod and vertebrate sensory system. Stimulation of the epidermal lines with local water displacements, generated by a vibrating sphere, causes receptor potentials that have many features known from lateral line microphonic potentials. The minimal threshold of the head lines is 0.2 μm peak-to-peak water displacement (calculated at the skin surface) at 75–100 Hz.
Determination of optimum laser parameters for cartilage reshaping in porcine septum using Nd:YAG laser (λ=1.32 μm)

In this study, a computer-controlled instrument was designed and constructed in order to systematically evaluate the effect of laser dosimetry on shape change during laser- mediated cartilage reshaping. Porcine nasal septal cartilage specimens, stripped of periocondrium were cut (25 x 5 x 2 mm) using a custom guillotine microtome and bent into a cylindrical shape (7.38 mm bend radius) using a jig constructed from aluminium tubing and high tension wire. Each specimen was irradiated (Nd:YAG laser λ= 1.32 μm, 6-10 W, 2-16 s pulse duration, 31-51 W/cm2) in five distinct regions using a pattern that maximized cooling between laser exposures. Real-time measurements of tissue optical properties and surface temperatures were recorded during each laser exposure as these features correlate with the onset of stress relaxation and shape change. After irradiation, each specimen was re-hydrated in saline solution (15 minutes), removed from the jig, and photographed with a digital camera. The radius of curvature of the specimen was compared to the radius (7.38 mm) of the reshaping jig. Optimal reshaping (greatest degree of curvature) was observed at 6W, with an irradiation time of 16s, or alternately at 10W, with an irradiation time of 8s.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Aicardi syndrome: a morphologic description with particular reference to intracytoplasmic inclusions in cortical astrocytes.

Aicardi syndrome is characterized by agenesis of the corpus callosum, infantile spasms, and ocular anomalies. Very few morphologic descriptions have been made of the central nervous system of children with this syndrome. We performed a postmortem examination of the brain of a 13-year-old girl with clinically well-documented Aicardi syndrome. Gross examination revealed a small brain (745 g) with the right cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres smaller than the left. There was agenesis of the corpus callosum, and ectopic gray matter was scattered throughout the cerebral hemispheres. Both choroid plexus and arachnoid cysts were present. Microscopic examination revealed indistinct cortical layering and multiple foci of ectopic gray matter. The cerebellar sections were altered by focal atrophy with gliosis and Purkinje cell dropout. Multiple sections of cerebrum contained astrocytes with coarse, paranuclear, eosinophilic inclusions. Electron microscopy, immunohistochemistry, and special stains further defined the...
Joint consideration of energy-efficiency and coverage-preservation in microsensor networks

This paper presents an energy-efficient and coverage-preserving communication protocol which distributes a uniform energy load to the sensors in a wireless microsensor network. This protocol, called Distance-based Segmentation (DBS), is a cluster-based protocol that divides the entire network into equal-area segments and applies different clustering policies to each segment to (1) reduce total energy dissipation and (2) balance the energy load among the sensors. Therefore, it prolongs the lifetime of the network and improves the sensing coverage. Moreover, the proposed routing protocol does not need any centralized support from a certain node which is at odds with aiming to establish a scalable communication protocol. Results from extensive simulations on two different network configurations show that by lowering the number of wasteful transmissions in the network, the DBS can achieve as much as a 20% reduction in total dissipated energy as compared with current cluster-based protocols. In addition, this protocol is able to distribute energy load more evenly among the sensors in the network. Hence, it yields up to a 66% increase in the useful network lifetime. According to the simulation results, the sensing coverage degradation of the DBS is considerably slower than that of the other cluster-based protocols. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Interactions of Estradiol and Calcitonin on the Rat Skeleton

The administration of estradiol (E) to intact male rats caused retardation of body and skeletal growth with an increase in skeletal mass relative to body weight. Overall rates of mineral uptake and resorption as reflected by the uptake and release of 85Sr from the skeleton were unaltered by E-treatment, although the distribution of radioisotope indicated reduced mineral uptake by the shaft and a decrease in resorption by the metaphysis. Plasma calcium levels were significantly decreased by E-treatment by 0.3 to 0.7 mg per 100 ml, in 2 of 4 experiments. The hypocalcemic effect of exogenous calcitonin (CT) was partially or totally attenuated by E-treatment. The antagonistic effect of E on CT action could not be localized to a particular anatomical site, although the data suggested a selective effect on the metaphysis. In comparable experiments on thyroparathyroidectomized (TPTX) rats maintained by parathyroid extract and L-thyroxine, a 2-fold increase in the rate of bone resorption occurred following E-trea...
Neglected fathers: limitations in diagnostic and treatment resources for violent men

Abstract In its examination of violent activity within the family, current literature assumes a “pecking order” exists: Larger and stronger family members attack those who are smaller and weaker. Adult males are usually studied as primary maltreaters of spouses, while females are considered mainly responsible for physically abusive behavior with children. Use of this perspective has led to neglect of male abusers, who injure half of the mistreated children in the United States. Through assessment of 66 studies of child abuse published during a 5-year period, this paper documents the lack of attention abusive fathers have received. Twenty-eight of these studies included only mothers, while two dealt exclusively with fathers. Most of the 36 remaining two-parent studies did not discuss sex differences. No diagnostic categories consistently differentiated male from female abusers. No study discussed specialized treatment needs of women and men. This survey suggests that the therapeutic field considers the child's mother the primary responsible parent, even though she may not be the perpetrator of violence in the family. As a result, inadequate treatment resources have been made available to maltreating fathers. The survey points to the need for much more comprehensive research comparing male and female maltreaters.
Recent population adherence to and knowledge of United States federal nutrition guides, 1992–2013: a systematic review

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans dictates the federal nutrition programs, policies, and recommendations of the United States. Corresponding nutrition guides have been established to help educate the public about the dietary intake patterns recommended in these guidelines as well as to ameliorate the US obesity epidemic and its health-related outcomes. The purpose of this systematic review was to summarize population adherence to and knowledge of these guiding US nutrition guides issued since 1992, including the Food Guide Pyramid, MyPyramid, and MyPlate. Of the 31 studies included in the review, 22 examined adherence, 6 examined knowledge, and 3 examined both adherence and knowledge. Across studies, adherence to nutrition guides was low, with participants consuming inadequate levels of fruit, vegetables, and dairy in particular. Knowledge of nutrition guides increased over time since publication and decreased with age of the participants. An association between knowledge of and adherence to nutrition guides was not found. Disparities in knowledge and adherence existed across demographic groups. Based on these findings, it is suggested that federal dietary guidance can be strengthened by increasing dissemination of nutrition guides to the public and tailoring promotional activities to specific demographic and socioeconomic groups.
Are Active Shootings Temporally Contagious? An Empirical Assessment

“Active Shootings,” which include shootings in public, confined areas such as schools, often traumatize communities and attract intense media coverage. Proposed policy responses to the phenomenon, such as concealing information as to casualty counts and even the identities of shooters, often suppose that active shootings are “contagious,” in that previous occurrences can enhance the likelihood of subsequent occurrences. This study marks the first attempt at assessment of the contagiousness of the active shooting phenomenon, and deploys a statistical model—the series hazard model—that is well-suited to the substantive issue of contagion as well as the fine-grained nature of the active shooting data. Results indicate that the hazard of observed active shootings was a function of the number of active shootings that preceded them in the previous two weeks.
Renormalization-group analysis of weak-flow effects on dilute polymer solutions

A Gaussian polymer chain in the presence of hydrodynamic interactions and subjected to steady linear flows is investigated renormalization-group theoretically. To order e(=4-d, d being the spatial dimensionality) and to the lowest nontrivial order in the flow strength, we consider the hydrodynamic effect on the mean-square end-to-end distance. From our general formula, we extract results for the physically interesting cases of shear and elongational flow. In the light of recent experimental results there is a possibility that the Gaussian model is of limited validity, even below the stretching transition.
Large City Interaction in the US Urban System

Mounting interest in the global system of cities has led many scholars to portray large, world-class cities as control points in the global economy. From this position, they govern global banking, finance and international corporate relations with the assistance of advanced business services and telecommunications. While large cities have taken on many global functions, recent research has cast them only as outposts in the global economy and pays little attention to their role in regional and national economies. This paper explores the role of five large US cities in regional and national economies. Using primary trade data for five high-order business services, we identify the extent to which these large cities trade with other large cities of the US urban system, smaller-sized cities, and test statistically the effect that firm attributes and physical characteristics of the city system have on shaping the areal extent of large city interaction (trade). The results indicate that: trade is consistently bi...
Cyclic transformations of n-gons and related quadratic forms

Abstract This paper discusses circulants that preserve quadratic forms or that are metric dependent. Several related geometric topics are also discussed.
INFUSING TECHNOLOGY: TRANSFORMING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION

(2000). INFUSING TECHNOLOGY: TRANSFORMING EARLY CHILDHOOD TEACHER EDUCATION. Journal of Early Childhood Teacher Education: Vol. 21, No. 2, pp. 141-147.
Improve recognition performance by hybridizing principal component analysis (PCA) and elastic bunch graph matching (EBGM)

In this paper, a new type of hybrid method that hybridizes PCA and EBGM as a two-stage procedure is presented to improve recognition performance in large-scale face recognition. Among various methods in face recognition, PCA is considered to identify human faces by holistic views, while EBGM is supposed to distinguish one face from another by details, but they are both excellent representative methods due to their respective advantages. However, when the size of gallery gets large, the recognition performance of both PCA and EBGM degrades severely. To improve recognition performance with large-scale gallery, we propose a hybrid method, which preprocesses the gallery images with PCA at first stage, and produces the final result with EBGM based on the preliminary result generated by PCA. Since the hybrid method combines the advantages of PCA and EBGM, the recognition performance with large-scale gallery has been improved greatly. Experimental result shows that the hybrid method has a remarkably better recognition accuracy than either PCA or EBGM. Moreover, it seems that the larger the gallery size, the better the improvement. On the other hand, the hybrid method brings no additional computational cost, even less than EBGM.
Selective search for conjunctively defined targets by children and young adults.

Abstract Two experiments were conducted to investigate age-related differences in visual search for targets defined by the conjunction of two features. In the experiments, 7- and 10-year-old children and young adults searched visual displays for a black circle among distractors consisting of gray circles and black squares. In Experiment 1 (N=60), we compared performance in the standard search task (where an equal number of each type of distractor appeared across all display sizes) with performance in a modified search task (where the number of black squares was fixed at two and the number of gray circles increased as the display size increased). In Experiment 2 (N=60), the ratio of black stimuli to gray stimuli was varied systematically as the display size increased. Results of both experiments indicated that all participants were able to restrict search to an appropriate subset of the display rather than conduct an exhaustive search. However, the young adults were more efficient in their ability to do so than were either the 7- or 10-year-old participants. The 10-year-olds were as efficient as the young adults when the number of black stimuli in the display was relatively small. However, these children became relatively less able to restrict search effectively as the number of black stimuli increased. Discussion focused on possible preattentive and attentive processes that may change systematically with age.
Incorporating version control into programming courses (abstract only)

This workshop, aimed at instructors of introductory or intermediate courses, introduces participants to version control via two popular source code management (SCM) tools: SVN and Git. Not only is proficiency with SCM tools an invaluable skill for aspiring software developers, but version control also allows students to collaborate effectively on projects. Participants will complete hands-on activities using distributed and centralized SCM tools, learn how to integrate version control into curricula, and discuss the pros and cons of various hosting solutions. Participants will also be introduced to version50, an open-source abstraction layer that provides a common, simplified interface for SCM tools aimed at making version control accessible to novice programmers. Laptop required.
Starting the Social Media Science Communication—Online and in Fisheries

Our world is changing and, in many cases, quite rapidly. The climate, especially at the poles, is shifting. Oceans are acidifying. There are increasing conflicts over water shortages as we struggle...
Disaster medicine training survey results for dental health care providers in Illinois

ABSTRACT Background Ongoing vigilance by governments, public health agencies and health care professionals monitoring potential epidemic and pandemic outbreaks, terrorist threats and ever-present natural disasters requires the continuous evolution of comprehensive disaster response plans and teams, which include the integration of oral health care professionals. Methods The authors conducted a study in which oral health care professionals assessed their training in the American Medical Association's (AMA's) National Disaster Life Support (NDLS) courses. At the conclusion of each instructional session, the authors asked participants to complete an anonymous course evaluation form to report their impressions of the training activity. The authors included in the analysis those evaluations associated with sessions attended almost exclusively by dentists and hygienists. Results The authors derived descriptive statistics from the selected course evaluations. Overall, oral health care professionals believed that the Core Disaster Life Support (CDLS) and Basic Disaster Life Support (BDLS) courses were of great educational value, rating course impact at 9.50 and 9.29, respectively, on a scale from 1 to 10. Conclusions Statistical evaluation instruments reveal satisfaction with the all-hazards awareness training received through the AMA's NDLS disaster medicine training curriculum. Licensed oral health care professionals in Illinois accepted the utility and merits of, and benefited from, the four-hour CDLS and eight-hour BDLS certification programs. Practice Implications Dental professionals in Illinois require minimal additional training for dental emergency responder duties. The AMA's NDLS curriculum provides effective preparation for dental professionals.
Instability phenomena in tubular film, and melt spinning of rheologically characterized high density, low density and linear low density polyethylenes

Abstract An experimental study of instabilities in melt spinning, ribbon drawdown and tubular film extrusion of moleculary and rheologically characterized high density (HDPE) low density (LDPE) and linear low density (LLDPE) polyethylenes is presented. The characteristics of the instabilities occuring in these processes are described. The draw resonance instability is found to occur in melt spinning and ribbon drawdown. Special attention is given to tubular film extrusion which has received little treatment in the literature. Three distinctive tubular film instabilities are described. These involve (i) an axisymmetric periodic fluctuation in bubble diameter; (ii) a fluctuation of frostline height and tension; (iii) a helical motion of the bubble. The characteristics and occurrence of these phenomena are discused. In the melt spinning and ribbon drawdown, th LDPE is the most stable and the broad molecular weight distribution HDPEs the most unstable. In tubular film extrusion, the LDPEs are again the most stable but the narrower distribution HDPEs and LLDPEs are much more unstable than the broader distribution HDPE. These results are discussed in terms of convected Maxwell model representations.
Characterization of CO2/carbonic acid mediated proton flux through phosphatidylcholine vesicles as model membranes

The apparent proton permeability coefficient for phospholipid vesicles measured in our laboratory (Norris, F. A. and Powell, G. L. (1990) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1030, 165-171) for proton flux initiated by rapidly lowering of the external pH (acid jump) was a linear function of the reciprocal internal proton concentration. This behavior was ascribed to the presence of the weak acid carriers, carbonic acid/CO2/bicarbonate. In the present work, a theoretical description, appropriate for proton transport by any weak acid carrier, has been developed which lends itself to novel graphical treatment permitting the separate estimation of the permeability coefficients for protons, hydroxide ions and bicarbonate. The proton permeability coefficient determined by this method was 1.8 x 10(-5) (S.E. 1.3 x 10(-5)) cm/s; that for hydroxide ion was 3.8 x 10(-5) (S.E. 5.6 x 10(-6)) cm/s and a lower limit for the permeability of bicarbonate ion, 4.3 x 10(-6) (S.E. 3.6 x 10(-7) cm/s, can be set. The presence of negative surface charge on the lipid bilayer increased the observed proton permeability coefficient in accordance with Gouy-Chapman theory. The charge was introduced by preparing vesicles containing increasing amounts of negatively charged dioleoylphosphatidylglycerol. The observed proton permeability coefficient increased and the observed permeability coefficients for hydroxide ion and bicarbonate decreased. The addition of the lipophilic cations, valinomycin-K+ and tetrabutylammonium ion increased the slope of P vs. 1/[Hi+]. These changes are analogous to those reported for the permeant weak acid uncouplers FCCP and CCCP. These studies demonstrated that CO2/carbonic acid was an effective carrier of protons across phospholipid model membranes.
Beyond arduinos: prototyping with field programmable hardware devices

Field programmable hardware has transitioned from expensive and exotic prototypes to mass-market consumer devices. We will describe two relatively low cost development tools that can fit into student research budgets. A Doppler sonar example project is presented that demonstrates the ease with which a sensor may be implemented in a mixed signal processor system.
Strictureplasty for Treatment of Crohn’s Disease: an ACS-NSQIP Database Analysis

Strictureplasty is an alternative to resection for treatment of Crohn’s disease (CD) strictures. It preserves bowel length, and specialized centers report favorable outcomes. Strictureplasty rates, however, are thought to be low, and it was recently removed from required cases for colon and rectal surgery residents. We examined operative characteristics, and trends in its use using a large national database. We examined the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (ACS-NSQIP) database from 2005 to 2012, identifying patients with CD who underwent strictureplasty. We identified patient characteristics, outcome variables, and trends in utilization of strictureplasty. A total of 9172 patients underwent surgery for CD. Two hundred fifty-six (2.8 %) underwent strictureplasty. Median preoperative albumin was 3.6. Preoperative steroid use and weight loss rates were 39 and 8 %. Rates of wound infection and organ space infection were 11 and 4 %. Rate of reoperation was 6 %. Outcomes did not change significantly over time (all p = NS). The proportion of CD operations that included a strictureplasty decreased from 5.1 to 1.7 % (OR 0.902 with each additional year, 95 % CI (0.852, 0.960), p < 0.001). Strictureplasty as treatment for CD is decreasing in the ACS-NSQIP database. Infectious complications and reoperation rates following strictureplasty are low and have not changed over time.
Range profile specific optimal waveforms for minimum mean square error estimation

Optimal waveforms for minimum mean square error range profile estimation are investigated. An idealized measurement and waveform adaptation process is developed that yields optimal scene and range specific waveforms. This process is idealized in that during each cycle of the process, a large number of dwells are required. As part of our method, a modified version of the Adaptive Pulse Compression (APC) estimation method is used to estimate the range profile after each dwell cycle. The proposed method is analogous to the APC method in that it yields a set of range specific optimal waveforms, while the APC method yields a set of range specific optimal pulse compression filters. In certain scenarios, the measurement and waveform adaptation process yields range profile estimates that are significantly better than those derived by the APC method alone.
Children and community: A reply to Jonathan Schonsheck's “Deconstructing Community Self-Paternalism”

Schonsheck attacks views which seek to justify the majority of citizens of a society passing legislation that is designed to serve the purpose of preventing their own first order preferences from changing over time (or being corrupted). The issue that I think is more important is a related one, but not precisely the same. It is not whether it is morally permissible for the majority of members of a society to pass legislation designed to prevent their own individual preferences from changing over time, but whether it is morally permissible for them to pass legislation for the sake of preventing the community's preferences from changing over time. As some people mature and acquire preferences and others die, no individual's already-formed preferences have to change for the community's preferences to change. The arguments concerning these two issues are the same, or at least similar, but putting the matter the way I do, raises the question of influencing the preferences of children. I argue that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with a community's doing this and that Schonsheck's arguments to the contrary either are not convincing, or apply in some cases but not in others.
Combinatorial gene control involving E2F and E Box family members

Various studies point to the potential role of combinatorial action of transcription factors as a mechanism to achieve the complexity of eukaryotic gene control with a finite number of regulatory proteins. Our previous work has focused on interactions involving the E2F family of transcription factors as an example of combinatorial gene control, leading to the identification of TFE3 and YY1 as transcription partners for several E2F proteins. We now show that additional E2F target genes share a common promoter architecture and are also regulated by the combined action of TFE3 and E2F3. In contrast, the thymidine kinase (TK-1) promoter is also regulated by E2F3 but independent of TFE3. Other promoters exhibit distinct specificity in the interaction with E2F proteins that includes a role for E2F1 but not E2F3, examples where both E2F1 and E2F3 are seen to interact, and promoters that are regulated by TFE3 but independent of an E2F. We propose that these examples of combinatorial interactions involving E2F proteins provide a basis for the specificity of transcription control in the Rb/E2F pathway.
Mathematical description of differential scanning calorimetry based on periodic temperature modulation

Abstract The changes needed in the mathematical description of differential scanning calorimetry caused by periodical modulation of temperature are presented. Calibration procedures and possible extensions of the method are suggested, all based on the model of scanning calorimetry without temperature gradient within the sample. The basic differential equation for heat flow under modulation conditions is solved and the steady state identified. The main advantage of modulated differential thermal analysis is the elimination of nonperiodic heat losses and gains. It is suggested that the precision of heat capacity measurement may be increased by a factor of 10 using proper calibration. The thermal analysis in transition regions is discussed.
Streptokinase-plasmin complex binds to plasminogen receptors on rat hepatocytes and human endothelium

Abstract Streptokinase is a bacterial protein used in the treatment of thromboembolic disorders. In the circulation, streptokinase rapidly forms a complex with plasminogen which then functions as a plasminogen activator. The processes involved in the clearance of streptokinase-plasmin complex (SkPI) from the vascular compartment in man remain unclear. The present study examined the interaction of SkPl with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and rat hepatocytes. SkPI was formed with 125I-plasminogen and then inactivated with di-isopropylfluorophosphate. The DIP-SkPI bound to rat hepatocytes and to HUVECs at 4°C and 37°C. Lysine displaced greater than 70% of the bound DIP-SkPI. Comparable levels of 125I-DIP-SkPl displacement were obtained with non-radiolabelled DIP-SkPI and DIP-plasmin. When the DIP-SkPI was formed with 125I-streptokinase, binding to cellular receptors was unchanged; however, 125I-streptokinase, in the absence of plasminogen, did not bind to hepatocytes or HUVECs. At 37°C, there was no evidence for cellular uptake or degradation of bound DIP-SkPI. Hepatocytes and HUVECs treated with active SkPl demonstrated increased 125I-plasminogen binding capacity. After treatment with 0.5 μM SkPl for 1 h at 4°C, the increase in plasminogen binding to hepatocytes was approximately 7-fold; the increase in plasminogen binding to HUVECs was 2.4-fold. These studies demonstrate that SkPI binds to hepatocytes and HUVECs localising pro-fibrinolytic activity near the cell surface. The interaction of SkPl with cell-surface receptors may affect the plasma clearance of SkPl in man.
A neonatal encephalopathy with seizures in standard poodle dogs with a missense mutation in the canine ortholog of ATF2

Neonatal encephalopathy with seizures (NEWS) is a previously undescribed autosomal recessive disease of standard poodle puppies. Affected puppies are small and weak at birth. Many die in their first week of life. Those surviving past 1 week develop ataxia, a whole-body tremor, and, by 4 to 6 weeks of age, severe generalized clonic-tonic seizures. None have survived to 7 weeks of age. Cerebella from affected puppies were reduced in size and often contained dysplastic foci consisting of clusters of intermixed granule and Purkinje neurons. We used deoxyribonucleic acid samples from related standard poodles to map the NEWS locus to a 2.87-Mb segment of CFA36, which contains the canine ortholog of ATF2. This gene encodes activating transcription factor 2 (ATF-2), which participates in the cellular responses to a wide variety of stimuli. We amplified and sequenced all coding regions of canine ATF2 from a NEWS-affected puppy and identified a T > G transversion that predicts a methionine-to-arginine missense mutation at amino acid position 51. Methionine-51 lies within a hydrophobic docking site for mitogen-activated protein kinases that activate ATF-2 so the arginine substitution is likely to interfere with ATF-2 activation. All 20 NEWS-affected puppies in the standard poodle family were homozygous for the mutant G allele. The 58 clinically normal family members were either G/T heterozygotes or homozygous for the ancestral T allele. There are no previous reports of spontaneous ATF2 mutations in people or animals; however, atf2-knockout mice have cerebellar lesions that are similar to those in puppies with NEWS.
Nitrogen and phosphorus removal by wetland mesocosms subjected to different hydroperiods

Abstract The effect of hydroperiod on nutrient removal efficiency from simulated wastewater was investigated in replicate wetland mesocosms (area, 2 m 2 , planted with Scirpus californicus ). Alternate draining and flooding of sediments (pulsed discharge) increased nutrient removal efficiency compared to the continuous-flow “control”. Average PO 4 3− removal efficiency was 20–30% higher in wetland mesocosms that drained twice daily compared to the control. Inorganic N removal efficiency was less affected than phosphate removal by hydroperiod variation. At the higher NH 4 + loading rate (1.83 g N m −2 day −1 ), inorganic N removal efficiency was consistently 5–20% higher in pulsed-discharge wetland mesocosms than in the control. At the lower NH 4 + loading rate (0.9 g N m −2 day −1 ), pulsed-discharge hydrology had no effect on inorganic N removal efficiency. Twice-daily drainage exhibited average inorganic N removal efficiencies of 96% (lower N loading rate) and 87% (higher N loading) and average phosphate removal efficiencies of 81% (lower P loading) and 90% (higher P loading). Mass balance data from the continuous-flow treatment revealed that the aquatic macrophyte Scirpus californicus was the most important nutrient sink, assimilating 50% of the NH 4 + and PO 4 3− supply. The high plant productivity in the mesocosms (15.6 kg m −2 year −1 ) occurred under conditions of high light (high edge per mesocosm area) and high root contact with nutrient-rich influent (shallow, sandy substrate) and may overestimate plant uptake in larger wetlands. The addition of a nitrification-inhibitor (N-Serve) indicated that 34% of the NH 4 + supply was transformed to NO 3 − by nitrifying bacteria.
COCOA: tracking in aerial imagery

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are becoming a core intelligence asset for reconnaissance, surveillance and target tracking in urban and battlefield settings. In order to achieve the goal of automated tracking of objects in UAV videos we have developed a system called COCOA. It processes the video stream through number of stages. At first stage platform motion compensation is performed. Moving object detection is performed to detect the regions of interest from which object contours are extracted by performing a level set based segmentation. Finally blob based tracking is performed for each detected object. Global tracks are generated which are used for higher level processing. COCOA is customizable to different sensor resolutions and is capable of tracking targets as small as 100 pixels. It works seamlessly for both visible and thermal imaging modes. The system is implemented in Matlab and works in a batch mode.
Dye-doped thermoplastics for holographic data storage

Holographic data storage materials based on a dye-doped thermoplastic that could find application in professional archival and consumer applications are described. The dye is selected from the class of o-nitrostilbenes, which irreversibly bleaches under exposure to light and shows high thermal stability before and after exposure. The reduction in concentration of the dye in the host after exposure induces refractive index variations over a wide range of wavelengths and extends well away from the dye absorption peak conforming to the Kramers-Kronig relationship. The materials are injection moldable into the standard disc format and have negligible shrinkage during data storage. Samples were produced using different dyes and various concentrations in a polycarbonate host and processed on professional CD/DVD equipment. The refractive index change is as high as 0.04, with a measured instantaneous sensitivity of 0.5 cm/J and M/# = 0.3.