cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Association between higher levels of sexual function, activity, and satisfaction and self-rated successful aging in older postmenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether measures of successful aging are associated with sexual activity, satisfaction, and function in older postmenopausal women. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study using self-report surveys; analyses included chi-square and t-tests and multiple linear regression analyses. SETTING: Community-dwelling older postmenopausal women in the greater San Diego region. PARTICIPANTS: One thousand two hundred thirty-five community-dwelling women aged 60 to 89 participating at the San Diego site of the Women's Health Initiative. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic information and self-reported measures of sexual activity, function, and satisfaction and successful aging. RESULTS: Sexual activity and functioning (desire, arousal, vaginal tightness, use of lubricants, and ability to climax) were negatively associated with age, as were physical and mental health. In contrast, sexual satisfaction and self-rated successful aging and quality of life remained unchanged across age groups. Successful aging measures were positively associated with sexual measures, especially self-rated quality of life and sexual satisfaction. CONCLUSION: Self-rated successful aging, quality of life, and sexual satisfaction appear to be stable in the face of declines in physical health, some cognitive abilities, and sexual activity and function and positively associated with each other from age 60 to 89.
Millimeter-wave radiation generated via plasma three-wave mixing using high-current density counter-streaming electron beams

Electron-beam-excited, counterpropagating electron plasma wave (EPWs) interact nonlinearly through the plasma three-wave mixing process to generate electromagnetic radiation at twice the plasma frequency. Radiation saturation is not observed up to beam current densities of 2 A/cm/sup 2/, where the peak power is 8 kW. To investigate the saturation mechanism and maximize the radiation generation efficiency, plasma-cathode electron beams, which can provide up to 20 A/cm/sup 2/ at 30 kV, have been installed. The counterpropagating EPW topology required for three-wave mixing was created using a single high-current-density electron beam by means of a backscattering process. When the background plasma was generated by electron-beam-gas impact ionization, the current density threshold for single-beam radiation emission was about 12 A/cm/sup 2/. Scaling experiments have explored the two-beam and single-beam radiation generation processes. >
Multivariable Analysis and Controller Design for Coordinated Multi-Axial Motion Control

An effective and formal design procedure for the design of coupled controllers for coordinated multi-axial motion control applications is described here. The design procedure relies upon representation of the system dynamics using task-based coordinates along and orthogonal to the desired contour in motion space. The multivariable system dynamics, when represented thus, are diagonally dominant or can be made so by the addition of dynamic precompensation. Moreover, performance measures of interest such as contouring error and tracking error are strongly and directly related to diagonal elements of the precompensated system transfer function matrix. The multivariable controller design problem thus reduces to a number of single loop controller design problems, each of which is strongly linked to one of the performance measures of interest mentioned above. The controller design for these single loop problems is performed here using frequency domain methods. The resulting controllers, when implemented in the actuator-based coordinate system, are time-varying coupled dynamic compensators. The time variation of the controllers is directly related to the time-variation of the desired motion coordination. The design procedure is applied in the paper to improve the performance of a simulated bi-axial motion control system for high speed motion, by controller design.
Microstructural Analysis of Cold-Sprayed Ti-6Al-4V at the Micro- and Nano-Scale

The microstructure of cold-sprayed Ti-6Al-4V is unlike the structure resulting from any other processing technique. The unique characteristics are derived from the solid state thermomechanical processing of predominantly martensitic feedstock powders. During deposition, these powders undergo high strain rate deformation, leading to shear band-induced transformation of martensitic grains into nano-scale martensite, equiaxed alpha structures, and nanostructured alpha grains. The resultant microstructure evolution is dependent on the magnitude and direction of shear undergone by the particles. The specific structure and mechanism for formation of these regions will be discussed in detail using nanohardness mapping, scanning electron microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy.
Fully elastic multimodality image registration using mutual information

We show that mutual information based registration over vanishingly small neighborhoods is equivalent to a particular form of gradient matching. Using the expression for the mutual information in terms of image gradients, we develop a voxel-wise registration algorithm that maximizes the sum of local mutual information between two images around all voxels. The similarity criterion does not require estimation of probability densities, and yields an analytical derivative suitable for gradient-based optimization methods. Simulation results indicate that the method achieves accurate nonlinear registration between different modality images from two different individuals.
Immunostimulatory Defective Viral Genomes from Respiratory Syncytial Virus Promote a Strong Innate Antiviral Response during Infection in Mice and Humans

Human respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a major cause of severe respiratory illness in children and susceptible adults. RSV blocks the development of the innate antiviral immune response and can grow to high titers in the respiratory tract. Here we demonstrate that immunostimulatory defective viral genomes (iDVGs) that are naturally generated during RSV replication are strong inducers of the innate antiviral response to RSV in mice and humans. In mice, RSV iDVGs stimulated the expression of antiviral genes, restricted viral replication, and prevented weight loss and lung inflammation. In human cells, the antiviral response to RSV iDVGs was dominated by the expression of IFN-λ1 over IFN-β and was driven by rapid intranuclear accumulation of the transcription factor IRF1. RSV iDVGs were detected in respiratory secretions of hospitalized patients, and their amount positively correlated with the level of expression of antiviral genes in the samples. Infection of explanted human lung tissue from different donors revealed that most humans can respond to RSV iDVGs and that the rate of accumulation of iDVGs during infection directly correlates with the quality of the antiviral response. Taken together, our data establish iDVGs as primary triggers of robust antiviral responses to RSV and provide the first evidence for an important biological role for naturally occurring iDVGs during a paramyxovirus infection in humans.
Non-Hertzian conformal contact at wheel/rail interface

The Transportation Technology Center conducted an investigation to study non-Hertzian conformal contact, roller conformal contact, and Hertzian counterformal contact at the wheel/rail interface. The computational results show that a significant error (up to 72 percent) in both stress distribution and contact area may be produced by using the approximate Hertzian conformal solution to solve non-Hertzian conformal contact, which is the current practice in most vehicle dynamic simulation models. An even greater error (up to 400 percent) may be produced by using the Hertzian counterformal solution to solve non-Hertzian conformal contact. The study also shows that, in elastic contact, the separation function of two contact bodies plays a dominant role in the determination of contact stresses and area. It is not proper to present the separation function by a quadratic function in non-Hertzian conformal contacts. >
Expression of the vitellogenin gene in female and male sea urchin

Abstract Expression of vitellogenin, the yolk protein precursor, is strictly regulated during development. In previous studies on a variety of organisms, vitellogenin gene expression has been shown to be restricted to one or two tissues in adult female animals. In this report we show that, in contrast, sea urchin vitellogenin is synthesized in both females and males. To identify sea urchin vitellogenin, we raised antibodies specific for the major yolk protein. We show here that a 155-kDa polypeptide, immunoprecipitable by the antibody to the major yolk protein, is synthesized in the intestines of female and male sea urchins and also in ovaries and testes. This 155-kDa polypeptide is converted to a 195-kDa vitellogenin in each of these tissues; further modification to yield the 180-kDa major yolk protein occurs only in the ovary. We have also identified a vitellogenin cDNA clone and used it to study vitellogenin mRNA production. An abundant 5.1-kilobase mRNA was found in the tissues containing vitellogenin. Our results suggest that vitellogenin may serve the following two functions in sea urchins: its classical role as a yolk protein precursor and an unidentified function required by adults of both sexes.
Properties of a purified nuclear topoisomerase from l1210 cells.

A nuclear type I topoisomerase from mouse leukemia L1210 cells has been partially purified and characterized. The sedimentation coefficient of the enzyme by velocity sedimentation is 4.3 S, consistent with a globular protein of 68 kDa. Enzyme activity is stimulated 20-fold in the presence of magnesium over that achieved in KCl alone. The enzyme is completely inhibited in the presence of the berenil congeners HOE 13548 and 15030 while berenil itself caused only partial inhibition at concentrations below 200 micrograms/ml. An acid soluble protein of 30 kDa (by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis) co-purified with the topoisomerase but could be separated by precipitation in a low salt buffer. This protein, as well as a protein of similar characteristics, histone H1, stimulated topoisomerase activity over a narrow concentration range. The role of topoisomerase in the DNA strand scission observed in L1210 cells following exposure to intercalating agents remains conjectural as the purified enzyme did not produce nicks in plasmid DNA in the presence of adriamycin.
On-chip circuit to monitor long-term NBTI and PBTI degradation

Abstract A circuit for on-chip monitoring bias-temperature instability (BTI) degradation of CMOS devices, which distinguishes between NBTI and PBTI, is described. Intended for long-term monitoring of field-installed systems, the measurements are performed entirely on chip, and reported through digital scan chains. The circuit measures the frequency degradation of conventional inverters, and separately measures the degradation due only to NBTI and only to PBTI. The measurement time is very short compared to off-chip measurements. The operation of the circuit is demonstrated with examples from polysilicon gate technology and high-k/metal-gate technology.
Digitalis-Induced Bundle-Branch Ventricular Tachycardia Studied by Electrode Catheter Recordings of the Specialized Conducting Tissues of the Dog

Electrode catheter recordings of the bundle of His (H), the right bundle branch (RB) and the left bundle branch (LB) were obtained in 15 dogs without thoracotomy during sinus rhythm and digitalis-induced ventricular tachycardia. During sinus rhythm an H-RB-LB sequence was recorded. This sequence was unchanged during atrial stimulation at rapid rates or during cardiac slowing by vagal stimulation. In 10 of 15 cases of digitalis-induced ventricular tachycardia the LB potential preceded the onset of ventricular depolarization (QRS), and an LB-H-RB sequence was recorded. These findings indicated that during ventricular tachycardia the pacemaker was located in the left bundle branch and the bundle of His was retrogradely depolarized. In 5 of 15 cases of digitalis-induced ventricular tachycardia the H, LB and RB potentials were recorded after the onset of ventricular depolarization. These findings suggested that the pacemaker was located in the Purkinje fibers.
Graphical techniques for planning changes in production capacity

Abstract A graphical procedure is developed for deciding when to change from single shift production to double shift production, and vice-versa. The changeover times must satisfy the rule that the ratio of orders filled from inventory to orders filled from back-order equals the ratio of the back-order cost to the inventory cost. The ‘ inventory/ back-order’ rule is illustrated with cumulative production and cumulative demand curves.
Sex Hormones and Prostatic Pathology

The purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether estrogenic hormones in amounts above normal could be demonstrated in the urines of patients having prostatic enlargement or prostatic tumors. Estrus-producing substances occur in the male, as has been shown for the testis by Brouha and Simonnet (1) and Fellner (2); for the blood by Frank and Goldberger (3) and Hirsch (4); and for the urine by Laqueur and de Jongh (5), Loewe et al. (6), and Fee et al. (7). Other workers have observed the presence of gonadotropic hormones in the male urine, and several methods for extracting such agents have been employed, as reported by Allen et al. (8), Loewe (9), Glimm and Wadehn (10), Frank et al. (11), and Katzman and Doisy (12). A possible significance of the occurrence of gonadotropic hormones in the urines of males has been suggested by the work of Lacassagne (13), Burrows and Kennaway (14), and more recently Burrows (15) and deJongh (16). These workers have observed that injecting or painting of mice with solutions of folliculin, estrin, or ketohydroxyestrin produced a squamous keratinizing epithelium in the prostate. Prolonged administration was essential to induce this result. Burrows has discussed the possibility of hyperplasia and metaplasia in the prostates of elderly men being due to an excess of estrin in the system, inasmuch as these changes resemble the experimental changes induced in mice. In view of the small dosages employed by Burrows, there seems to be no objection to the hypothesis that an altered sex hormone balance may exist in patients suffering with prostatic enlargement or with malignant prostatic conditions. Data as presented here, however, do not indicate any greatly increased amount of the female sex hormones or of the prolans in the urines of male patients having prostatic tumors. The urinary findings cannot be compared in value to the findings noted for water-soluble estrus-producing hormones in the urines of patients suffering with teratoma testis as reported by Zondek (17), Ferguson (18), Cutler and Owen (19), or with chorionepithelioma testis as observed by Heidrich et al. (20) and Fortner and Owen (21).
Optomechanical design and analysis for the LLCD space terminal telescope

An earth-based ground terminal and a lunar orbiting space terminal are being developed as part of NASA's Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration program. The space terminal is designed to minimize mass and power requirements while delivering high data rates using a four-inch aperture telescope and a 0.5 watt beam. Design challenges for the space terminal include providing telescope pointing stability to 4 μrad RMS and diffraction-limited wavefront quality. Conflicting design requirements including stress, LOS jitter, mounting errors, and thermal distortion were balanced to meet performance requirements in the presence of operational vibration and thermal disturbances while assuring that the system will survive the launch load environment. Analysis techniques including finite element analyses, closed-loop LOS jitter simulations, and integrated optomechanical analyses were utilized to evaluate and drive proposed design solutions to the final telescope configuration.
Interaction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum with Z-lines during myogenesis in amphibian skeletal muscle

Electron microscopic examination of developing myofibrils in regenerating skeletal muscle of Rana pipiens tadpole tails reveals that sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) is in regular and close association with Z-lines of young sarcomeres before transverse tubules have formed alongside the myofibrils. SR is also associated with M-lines of young sarcomeres but on a less regular basis than with Z-lines. Counts of the number of contact sites of SR with Z-lines, M-lines and combined A- and I-bands of longitudinally sectioned sarcomeres of young myofibrils confirms the visual impression that the SR associates with a relatively much greater frequency with Z-lines and M-lines than with other regions of the sarcomere. This suggests the formation of a specific bond between SR and Z- and M-lines. Serial transverse sections of developing myofibrils were examined in order to determine whether Z-lines displayed SR association at all stages in their formation. Of fifty discrete Z-lines that were examined, only four smaller Z-lines appeared to lack SR association. An examination of a comparable number of more diffuse Z-bodies representing an earlier stage of Z-line formation suggests that no more than one-half of these Z-bodies were accompanied by SR. These observations support the conclusion that SR does not initiate formation of Z-line precursor elements, but rather associates with Z-lines as they condense from more diffuse Z-bodies.
The efficacy of cryotherapy in the postoperative shoulder

We report the results of an outcome study that used visual analog scales to evaluate the efficacy of cryotherapy in the postoperative shoulder. This prospective study included 50 consecutive patients admitted to the hospital for at least one night after anterior shoulder stabilization, rotator cuff repair, or total shoulder replacement. The patients were randomized: 25 were fitted with a cryotherapy device in the operating room, and 25 were not. Otherwise, postoperative treatment was identical for the two groups, including types of analgesic agents given. Visual analog responses were converted to numeric values by simple measurement techniques. The scales assessed pain, comfort, sleep, analgesic use, and overall satisfaction. On the night of the operation the pain was less severe and occurred less often in the cryotherapy group Those in the cryotherapy group slept better on the night of the operation and perceived the need to use pain medicine less often in comparison with those in the noncryotherapy group. By postoperative day 10 patients in the cryotherapy group reported their shoulders hurt less often and with less severity. Swelling was less, and shoulder movement hurt less during rehabilitation, enhancing the rehabilitative effort. Cryotherapy offers a number of benefits of care of patients in the immediate postoperative period.
Strategic Voting Equilibria under the Single Nontransferable Vote.

Previous investigations of strategic voting equilibria in mass electorates have looked only at single-member districts. I shall investigate such equilibria in multimember districts operating under the single nontransferable vote system. What appear to be the most natural equilibria conform to the M + 1 rule, according to which strategic voting in M-seat districts produces exactly M + 1 vote-getting candidates in equilibrium, any others having their support totally undercut. This result provides the beginnings of a formal underpinning for Reed's recent extension of Duverger's Law to the Japanese case. The model also generates specific and empirically testable hypotheses concerning the exceptions to the M + 1 rule that one ought to expect in equilibrium. I test these hypotheses with Japanese data. Finally, the model also reveals a type of strategic voting that is specific to multimember districts. I use Japanese data again to explore the empirical importance of this kind of strategic voting.
Solving the Policy Implementation Problem

When Republican legislators in Arizona failed to approve educational vouchers in four consecutive legislative sessions, a charter school program was approved as a compromise. The charter school policy was written during a special summer session and within three years, over 30,000 students were enrolled in 260 charter schools across the state. Republican policy makers, who failed to enact voucher legislation, proclaimed the charter school program to be an overwhelming success and protected it from amendments by Democrats and potential actions of bureaucrats that could have altered the policy intent. Research on the implementation of policy indicates that state and local implementors frequently undermine or alter legislative intentions. However, when Arizona policy makers approved the charter school policy, they overcame this persistent implementation phenomenon and, in fact, succeeded in preserving the legislative intentions in the working program. This policy study analyzes how they were able to achieve this elusive result. Key policy makers attended to four significant features of policy implementation in creating the charter school policy: communication, financial resources, implementor attitudes, and bureaucratic structure. Manipulating these key variables allowed policy makers to reduce implementation slippage.
Perceptual-motor attributes of mental retardates: a factor analytic study

19 items of the Purdue Perceptual-motor Survey were administered to 99 mentally retarded children and young adults of mean IQ 52.3. Factor analyses of the item scores of the total sample, and of a ...
High-amplitude folding of linear-viscous multilayers

Abstract High-amplitude folding of viscous multilayers during shortening can be analyzed with a theoretical solution motivated by first-order theoretical analysis of folding by Raymond Fletcher and Ronald Smith. The solution method can better match boundary conditions along irregular interfaces than the first-order method, so it increases the range of slopes over which linear-viscous folding theory can be applied. In our method, rather than solving algebraically for a small number of constants in the flow equations, we numerically solve for a large number of constants, the values of which are chosen so that they minimize errors in matching conditions at the interfaces in a least-squares sense. A similar method has been applied to problems of density instability involving a single deformable interface with bonded contacts; however, we extend the method to include shortening parallel to interfaces and many deformable interfaces so that we can deal with problems of multilayer folding. Contacts between the layers can be firmly bonded, slip freely, or slip with viscous resistance. We use the solution to produce high-amplitude folds in single layers embedded in soft media, and in simple repetitive multilayers confined above and below by stiff or soft media. We show that the folding of linear-viscous multilayers can largely reproduce the gross forms of some small folds in the Huasna syncline in the central California Coast Range as well as the Berry-Buffalo syncline in the central Pennsylvania Appalachians. However, the sharp, chevron-like forms in these natural examples are notably missing in the simulations based on linear-viscous theory.
The ancestry and wing venation of the Hymenoptera

Few problems in insect wing venation have brought forth such a mass of contradictory explanations and opinions as the question of the interpretation of the hymenopterous wing. In only a few cases are either the premises or the interpretations remotely similar; most of them are radically different. Due to these discrepancies it seems advisable to reopen the question for further analysis. By way of introduction the more fully explained interpretations will be presented briefly. A more complete summary is given by Rohwer and Gahan (1916).
The effect of oral topical anesthesia on the characteristics of voice.

Summary Objectives/Hypothesis Although oral topical anesthesia is used routinely before rigid laryngeal endoscopy, no study has determined whether oral topical anesthesia changes voice quality. Our goal was to determine the effects of topical anesthesia on voice. Study design Prospective cohort study. Methods Adult patients presenting to a laryngology practice who required rigid laryngeal endoscopy as part of the routine clinical visit were eligible for the study. Voices were recorded before and after oral topical benzocaine (14%)/butamben (2%)/tetracaine (2%) (ie, cetacaine) spray. Consensus auditory perceptual evaluation of voice (CAPE-V) protocol was used for the voice recordings and was the primary outcome measure. Recordings were presented randomly to two blinded speech-language pathologists specialized in voice. Secondary outcome measures were fundamental frequency ( F 0 ), jitter, shimmer, and noise-to-harmonics ratio (N/H) on sustained /i/ and speaking F 0 . Results One hundred two patients participated in the study. There was no significant difference in CAPE-V measurements before and after topical anesthesia for all six attributes: overall severity ( P = 0.145), roughness ( P = 0.214), breathiness ( P = 0.761), strain ( P = 0.053), pitch ( P = 0.301), and loudness ( P = 0.320). There was no significant difference in jitter ( P = 0.315), shimmer ( P = 0.942), N/H ( P = 0.128), and speaking F 0 ( P = 0.320). F 0 /i/ decreased by a mean of 4.8Hz, which was statistically significant ( P = 0.003), but probably not clinically significant. Conclusion There was no clinically significant voice change after oral topical anesthesia.
The internal security subsystem

Internal security processes protect all levels of living systems from error and disruption produced by internal and external factors. Such processes allow organizations to survive and evolve in a hostile environment. An internal security subsystem may be present at each level of organization recognized for living systems: cell, organ, organism, group, organization, society, and supranational system. In order for internal security processes to be effective, they must ordinarily maintain steady relationships with the other 19 processes which are critical to living systems (Miller, 1978). Optimal levels of security effectiveness exist which maximize the probability of system success. Too much security results in rigidity so the system cannot evolve or adapt to environmental changes, while too little security results in chaos so the system cannot survive. A catastrophe model can be used to describe the relationships between probability of system success, system health, and effectiveness of security processes.
Modifying smoking behavior through stimulus control: A case study

Abstract An attempt was made to explore the effects of environmental manipulation on two long-term cigarette smokers. Control of smoking behavior was gradually shifted to specific isolated stimuli. Following dramatic reductions in smoking behavior other contingencies were applied which resulted in complete cessation of cigarette consumption. Two control subjects who stopped “cold turkey” failed to maintain the non-smoking behavior beyond several months while both experimental subjects are still not smoking at a 1-yr follow-up. Results are discussed in terms of environmental contingency control, slow gradual reduction of the behavior and individual differences.
Emergency Ulcer Surgery

The rate of elective surgery for peptic ulcer disease has been declining steadily over the past 3 decades. During this same period, the rate of emergency ulcer surgery rose by 44%. This means that the gastrointestinal surgeon is likely to be called on to manage the emergent complications of peptic ulcer disease without substantial experience in elective peptic ulcer disease surgery. The goal of this review is to familiarize surgeons with our evolving understanding of the pathogenesis, epidemiology, presentation, and management of peptic ulcer disease in the emergency setting, with a focus on peptic ulcer disease-associated bleeding and perforation.
A linear dichroism study of the orientation of aromatic protein residues in magnetically oriented bovine rod outer segments.

— Linear dichroism measurements using magnetic field oriented bovine visual rod outer segments have been made in the UV and visible spectral regions. The results indicate that the planes of the aromatic amino acid residues of rhodopsin tend to be oriented normal to the membrane plane both before and after bleaching. In contrast, the retinal chromophore which tends to be oriented with its absorption oscillator parallel to the membrane plane before bleaching is randomly oriented about 10min after bleaching whereas the membranes remain oriented. Estimates of the anisotropy in the diamagnetic susceptibility of rhodopsin aromatic residues indicate that the anisotropic magnetic properties of these protein residues are sufficient to account for the observed orientation of visual rod outer segments in a homogenous magnetic field.
Fabrication of poly(ethylene glycol): gelatin methacrylate composite nanostructures with tunable stiffness and degradation for vascular tissue engineering

Although synthetic polymers are desirable in tissue engineering applications for the reproducibility and tunability of their properties, synthetic small diameter vascular grafts lack the capability to endothelialize in vivo. Thus, synthetically fabricated biodegradable tissue scaffolds that reproduce important aspects of the extracellular environment are required to meet the urgent need for improved vascular grafting materials. In this study, we have successfully fabricated well-defined nanopatterned cell culture substrates made of a biodegradable composite hydrogel consisting of poly(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate (PEGDMA) and gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) by using UV-assisted capillary force lithography. The elasticity and degradation rate of the composite PEG-GelMA nanostructures were tuned by varying the ratios of PEGDMA and GelMA. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) cultured on nanopatterned PEG-GelMA substrates exhibited enhanced cell attachment compared with those cultured on unpatterned PEG-GelMA substrates. Additionally, HUVECs cultured on nanopatterned PEG-GelM substrates displayed well-aligned, elongated morphology similar to that of native vascular endothelial cells and demonstrated rapid and directionally persistent migration. The ability to alter both substrate stiffness and degradation rate and culture endothelial cells with increased elongation and alignment is a promising next step in recapitulating the properties of native human vascular tissue for tissue engineering applications.
Working toward a third space in the teaching of elementary mathematics

Building on work in the area of third space theory, this study documents one teacher’s efforts to create third spaces in an elementary mathematics classroom. In an attempt to link the worlds of theory and practice, I examine how the work of other theorists and researchers – inside and outside the field of education – can create new lenses for classroom practitioners. In addition, the article provides evidence that third spaces may be more difficult to realize than others have described. Rather than forcing a third space to emerge, what this study finds more important is creating an environment that will allow third spaces to surface more organically as students and teachers engage in the everyday life of the classroom.
A bipolar 1 GHz multi-decade monolithic variable-frequency oscillator

Previous high-speed bipolar variable-frequency-oscillator (VFO) integrated circuits were based on the use of an emitter-coupled multivibrator because of its suitability for monolithic implementation, high speed, and symmetrical output waveforms. However, for emitter-coupled-multivibrator architecture, there is an inherent design conflict between maximum and minimum oscillation frequencies, making it difficult to achieve high-speed and wideband operation simultaneously. The design of a VFO that exhibits no such constraint is described. The circuit can be optimized for maximum-speed oscillation without compromising low-frequency performance. Implemented in a bipolar technology with 10-GHz peak f/sub 1/, the VFO covers a three-decade frequency range with a maximum oscillation frequency exceeding 1 GHz. >
Evaluating the Rate-Dependent Fracture Toughness of an Automotive Adhesive

Adhesives have made significant inroads into structural bonding of automobiles, but concerns remain over the integrity of these bonds under high speed loading conditions that could occur in accidents. A commercial epoxy adhesive is characterized over a wide range of crosshead rates using compact tension fracture specimens made of the neat resin. Measured fracture toughness values at room temperature decreased steadily from 2.5 MPa to roughly 1.7 MPa as crosshead speeds increased from 10−6 to 1 m/s, exhibiting similar behavior as observed in tests of bonded double cantilever beam tests reported elsewhere. Additionally, intermediate rate tests conducted at subambient temperatures showed fracture toughness values that were comparable with the high rate tests conducted at room temperature. Applications of time temperature superposition principle techniques may be suitable for predicting the fracture behavior of the adhesive studied herein. Good correlation was also found between the fracture toughness values ...
Linking the formal strategic planning process, planning flexibility, and innovativeness to firm performance

Abstract This study explores the link between financial performance and the formal strategic planning process, planning flexibility, and innovativeness of 448 firms in a multi-industry sample. The results suggest that firms' formal strategic planning processes and planning flexibility are positively associated, and each is positively related to innovativeness. In addition, innovativeness fully mediates the relationships between firm performance and the formal strategic planning process and planning flexibility.
Electromagnetic Production of Charged Vector Mesons

The Coulomb scattering, Compton scattering, bremsstrahlung, and pair production of charged particles of spin one is investigated, in comparison with spin zero and one-half. The singular role of the longitudinal meson degree of freedom in high-energy processes is emphasized. The pair production of charged vector mesons of unit and zero magnetic moment is calculated in Weizs\"acker-Williams approximation and compared with the cross section for their production by neutrinos.
'Examen d'identité': voyageur professionnel et identification diasporique chez Jean-Philippe Toussaint et Abdelkébir Khatibi

A travers la question du rapport A l'autre et A soi-meme, la lecture des romans de Jean-Philippe Toussaint et Abdelkebir Khatibi nous forcent A une analyse oA¹ l'on est appele A redoubler de vigilance face A des certitudes identitaires considerees, bien trop souvent encore, comme inebranlables et indefectibles. Jean-Philippe Toussaint et Abdelkebir Khatibi nous rendent sensibles au fait qu'en debut de ce troisieme millenaire notre identite personnelle est toujours deterritorialisee. Nos voyages, nos traversees chroniques des frontieres ne visent plus A fonder des territoires, mais nous forcent A faire en permanence l'examen de notre identite, A creer des identites diasporiques. Identitaires, nos voyages le sont parce qu'ils nous contraignent A former et reformer une carte d'identite composee d'une multiplicite d'appartenances. Identitaires, nos voyages le sont aussi et avant tout parce qu'ils nous mettent face au caractere proteiforme de notre etrangete.
Central corneal thickness in children: stability over time.

Purpose To evaluate central corneal thickness (CCT) in children over time. Design Prospective observational case series. Methods CCT was measured by ultrasonic pachymetry in 69 eyes of 38 subjects age 3 to 14 years recruited from the Duke University Eye Center. Subjects included patients with and without glaucoma. Results For eyes on no glaucoma medication, the mean change in CCT was −1.9 ± 14 μm (n = 30; mean time between CCT measurements, 567 days). For eyes on stable glaucoma medication, the mean change in CCT was +8.1 ± 26 μm (n = 27; mean time between CCT measurements, 580 days). For eyes with a change in medical therapy between visits, the mean change in CCT was −3.8 ± 24 μm (n = 8, mean number of days between visits 723). Four eyes underwent trabeculectomy between measurements and experienced a mean change in CCT of −9.0 ± 6 μm with a mean of 1257 days between measurements. These CCT changes were not statistically significant. Conclusions CCT of children ages 3 to 14 years appears stable over a one- to two-year interval.
Taxonomic and nomenclatural notes on west Indian hypnaceae

Taxonomic investigations on the West Indian Hypnaceae have resulted in the following new taxa,Taxiphyllum gallorum, Ectropothecium aquaticum, andIrelandia (forIsopterygium robusticaule). Vesicularia in the West Indies is treated as a single species with four varieties,V. vesicularis var.vesicularis, var.rutilans (Brid.) comb. nov., var.portoricensis (Brid.) comb. nov., and var.crassicaulis (Mitt.) comb. nov.Chryso-hypnum is segregated fromMittenothamnium; the combinationC. diminutivum (Hampe) Buck is made.
Structuring and limit setting as techniques in the group treatment of adolescent delinquents.

This paper is based on the experience from the first 20 sessions with a group of severely disturbed adolescent delinquent boys. Special characteristics of the group were: marked cohesiveness, prominent use of fight and flight mechanisms, marked challenges for leadership, need to see the therapist as part of the group, and dramatic swings of rebellion and submission.In essence, three guiding principles were developed for this type of group treatment: (a) providing outlets for tension reduction, (b) formal structuring, and (c) flexible setting of limits. In the beginning, active avenues of discharge have to be provided and structured within a framework of limits. As the group progresses, it relies less on motoric means of discharge and becomes better able to verbalize feelings, particularly those of sadness and loss. Proper attention to these needs pre-eminent in such a patient population may bring a measure of therapeutic success even under trying circumstances.
Heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) overexpression in transgenic mice downregulates insulin-like growth factor binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and -4 mRNA.

An in vivo approach was taken to assess the biological significance of heparin-binding EGF-like growth factor (HB-EGF) using transgenic mice. Transgenic mice were generated using the pIRES-EGFP vector expressing a bicistronic mRNA containing both human HB-EGF (hHB-EGF) and enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) coding sequences under the regulation of the cytomegalovirus immediate–early (CMV-IE) promoter. As a marker for transgene expression, EGFP fluorescence in 5 μm tissue sections was evaluated. To confirm HB-EGF expression in EGFP-containing tissues, HB-EGF mRNA was analyzed by RT-PCR and Northern blot analysis. Protein levels of HB-EGF and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-3 (IGFBP-3), a molecule that stabilizes IGFs, which in turn helps to promote growth, were analyzed by Western blot. Also, the weights of transgenic mice were compared with the weights of wild type non-transgenic littermates over a 10-week period. EGFP fluorescence, RT-PCR and Northern analysis of a variety of tissues fr...
Development of Protective Coatings for Silicon Devices

Ceramic coatings can be effectively used as a surface protective layer for silicon-based devices due to their inertness and good mechanical properties. One challenge is to avoid the weaknesses that ceramic coatings inherently possess, i.e., low strain tolerance, brittleness, high temperature required to process the film, and difficulty to produce a uniform, dense layer. Therefore, in an attempt to process strain-tolerant ceramic coatings at low temperatures, we develop an aqueous solution precursor processing route. Nanometer scale organic coatings, fabricated by self-assembly processes on the silicon, are used as a ‘template’ to aid the subsequent deposition of hard ceramic coatings (ZrO2 ). The ceramic coatings are deposited by spin coating. The organic self-assembled monolayer (SAM) coating provides temporary strain tolerance for the overlying hard coating upon mechanical and thermomechanical stresses before being decomposed at high temperatures. Molecular level understanding of the coating microstructure and micromechanics involved in the coating processes is systematically approached via experimental tools such as AFM and nanoindenter, as well as numerical simulation.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Domain-Directed Polymerase Chain Reaction Capable of Distinguishing Bacterial from Host DNA at the Single-Cell Level: Characterization of a Systematic Method to Investigate Putative Bacterial Infection in Idiopathic Disease

The use of a broad-range PCR to target conserved sequences in the bacterial ribosome has long been recognized as an approach to investigating idiopathic human diseases for the presence of bacteria. An important example is rheumatoid arthritis where the hypothesis of a bacterial etiology remains viable despite failure of previous methods to identify a causative organism. Practical implementation of this strategy, however, was impeded by requirements unique to the study of these diseases. Hence, an adequately characterized method for achieving this has not appeared. We now describe such a method based on the use of a broadly reactive pair of deoxyinosine-containing primers. Detailed characterization addressing these requirements provided evidence that DNA from at least 96% of potential prokaryotic pathogens would be detected. The sensitivity was shown to approximate that of a single organism per reaction. Importantly, this sensitivity was shown to be maintained among multiple targets and to be unimpaired by a large excess of human DNA. Similar results were obtained with extracts of inflamed human synovial fluid to which as little as 0.01 pg of bacterial DNA or, alternately, a single organism per reaction was added. This method was also shown correctly to detect the causative bacteria in clinically infected synovial fluids, further documenting its applicability to such specimens. Finally, it was converted to an in situ method by which bacterial sequences were histochemically localized to Michaelis-Guttman bodies in tissue sections from a patient with malakoplakia, a poorly understood infectious disease. The broad reactivity and high sensitivity achieved by this approach translate into a high likelihood of detecting an unknown bacterium if present in a clinical specimen. Conversely, if properly controlled, the failure of this method to detect such organisms can provide evidence supporting rejection of the bacterial etiology hypothesis, an important aspect unique to this approach. For those bacterial sequences that are detected, the ability to localize them in situ would help define their histologic context and hence facilitate their pathogenetic interpretation. The present method should therefore be appropriate for use in systematically studying rheumatoid arthritis as well as a number of other important idiopathic disorders where a bacterial etiology is suspect.
Enhancement by ethanol of visually evoked responses in the goldfish optic tectum.

Abstract Flash-evoked potentials and multiple unit discharge were recorded from the superficial layers of the goldfish optic tectum, and post-flash histograms were prepared. When goldfish were intoxicated by a level of ethyl alcohol just sufficient to depress maze-learning ability, the first of three components of these evoked responses was consistently enhanced. These results indicate that ethanol can unbalance neural processes near the periphery as well as central brain mechanisms. Furthermore, the data provide a basis for suggestion that the retina might be useful as a model system for further physiological and pharmacological analysis of the mechanisms by which ethanol disrupts normal brain functions.
Chemical phenotype matching between a plant and its insect herbivore

Two potential outcomes of a coevolutionary interaction are an escalating arms race and stable cycling. The general expectation has been that arms races predominate in cases of polygenic inheritance of resistance traits and permanent cycling predominates in cases in which resistance is controlled by major genes. In the interaction between Depressaria pastinacella, the parsnip webworm, and Pastinaca sativa, the wild parsnip, traits for plant resistance to insect herbivory (production of defensive furanocoumarins) as well as traits for herbivore “virulence” (ability to metabolize furanocoumarins) are characterized by continuous heritable variation. Furanocoumarin production in plants and rates of metabolism in insects were compared among four midwestern populations; these traits then were classified into four clusters describing multitrait phenotypes occurring in all or most of the populations. When the frequency of plant phenotypes belonging to each of the clusters is compared with the frequency of the insect phenotypes in each of the clusters across populations, a remarkable degree of frequency matching is revealed in three of the populations. That frequencies of phenotypes vary among populations is consistent with the fact that spatial variation occurs in the temporal cycling of phenotypes; such processes contribute in generating a geographic mosaic in this coevolutionary interaction on the landscape scale. Comparisons of contemporary plant phenotype distributions with phenotypes of herbarium specimens collected 9–125 years ago from across a similar latitudinal gradient, however, suggest that for at least one resistance trait—sphondin concentration—interactions with webworms have led to escalatory change.
Alterations in the ontogeny and specific activity of phosphomonoesterases associated with abnormal chondrogenesis and osteogenesis in the limbs of fetuses from folic acid-deficient pregnant rats.

A transient maternal folic acid-deficiency resulted in alterations in the ontogeny and specific activity of pH-dependent phosphomonoesterases from the limbs of rat fetuses. Associated with the biochemical lesion was an anomalous pattern of chondrogenesis and osteogenesis. These results offer an explanation for the limb malformations observed in near-term fetuses and further implicate the phosphomonoesterases in cartilage and bone development.
Moorean responses to skepticism: a defense

Few philosophers believe that G. E. Moore’s notorious proof of an external world can give us justification to believe that skepticism about perceptual beliefs is false. The most prominent explanation of what is wrong with Moore’s proof—as well as some structurally similar anti-skeptical arguments—centers on conservatism: roughly, the view that someone can acquire a justified belief that p on the basis of E only if he has p-independent justification to believe that all of the skeptical hypotheses that undermine the support lent by E to p are false. In this paper I argue that conservatism does not make trouble for Moore’s proof. I do this by setting up a dilemma concerning the notion of “justification to believe” that figures in conservatism. On one understanding of justification to believe, conservatism is subject to obvious counterexamples. On another understanding of justification to believe, conservatism is consistent with Moore’s “proof” conferring justification upon its conclusion. Since these two understandings exhaust the logical space, the conservative indictment of Mooreanism fails.
Local Economic Development and Local Taxation Explaining Differential Tax Burdens across Ukrainian Local Governments

The author examines the orientation of Ukrainian local governments to their local economic development responsibilities and uses theory on local regimes, fiscal stress, and organizational capacity to explain differential tax burdens across local governments. Results of ordinary least squares regression on tax implementation by Ukrainian local governments in 1997 indicate that all three theories provide insight into the dynamics of local economic development and taxation.