cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Toxic Polyneuropathy Produced by Methyl N-Butyl Ketone

A polyneuropathy affecting a large number of workers was recently observed at a plant producing plastic-coated and color-printed fabrics. Epidemiological data suggested strongly that methyl N-butyl ketone (MBK) was responsible for the outbreak. This hypothesis is now supported by the development of a peripheral neuropathy in chickens, rats, and cats exposed to MBK at atmospheric concentrations of 200 to 600 parts per million, 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Although the animals were exposed continuously and the affected workers were exposed intermittently, the averages of the total number of hours of exposure for development of the peripheral neutropathy in the animals and workers were remarkably close.
Impact of irrigation methods on LSM spinup and initialization of WRF forecasts

Irrigation represents the largest consumption of freshwater in the United States and has been shown to modify local hydrology and regional climate. This study utilizes both the Land Information System (LIS) and the Weather Research and Forecasting model (WRF) to investigate changes in land-atmosphere interactions resulting from drip, flood, and sprinkler irrigation methods in the Southern Great Plains. Five-year irrigated LIS spin-ups are used to initialize two-day WRF forecasts in relatively dry and wet years (2006 and 2008, respectively). The offline and coupled simulation results show that both LIS spin-ups and LIS-WRF forecasts are sensitive to irrigation and irrigation methods, as exhibited by significant changes to temperature, soil moisture, boundary layer height, and the partitioning of latent and sensible heat fluxes. Dry year impacts are greater than those in the wet year suggesting that the magnitude of these changes is dependent on the existing precipitation regime. Sprinkler and flood irrigation schemes impact the LIS-WRF forecast the most, while drip irrigation has a comparatively small effect.
Dynamics of Nonlinear and Dispersion Managed Solitons

The relation between the fundamental parameters of energy and temporal duration of ultrashort pulses, under the condition of varying the average dispersion, are demonstrated both theoretically and experimentally in a solid-state femtosecond mode-locked laser. An asymptotic theory for nonlinear and dispersion managed solitons agrees well with the experimental data and demonstrates that the dominant factor in the pulse dynamics arises from the equilibrium established between the nonlinear Kerr effect and linear dispersion. Solitons are fascinating nonlinear phenomena that arise widely in physics. Solitons have a finite, localized energy and propagate unchanged. They form from the competition between linear dispersion and the nonlinear index of refraction. Surprisingly, when the sign of the linear dispersion periodically varies, as in long distance fiber communications, a new breed of soliton forms. The change in the sign of the dispersion causes these so-called dispersion managed (DM) solitons to temporally broaden and recompress or ‘‘breathe’’ as they propagate [1]. The prevalence of DM solitons has generated significant research toward understanding their behavior [2‐5]. To experimentally characterize the propagation dynamics of DM solitons, a medium amenable to systematic changes in the linear dispersion is required. Such characterization has proven difficult partly because of the complexity in systematically varying the linear dispersion. The ultrashort optical pulses propagating in solid-state modelocked lasers are also dispersion managed. However, the method by which these pulses are dispersion managed allows for systematic control over the cavity dispersion and thus, provides a near ideal environment to undertake such studies. In addition, these pulses experience a periodicity in the nonlinear refractive index, known as nonlinear management. Recent theoretical work in understanding their dynamics has shown novel behavior that is distinct from that of classical solitons [4]. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of the systematic varying of the group velocity dispersion for a nonlinear and dispersion managed soliton. We show remarkable agreement between experiments and the DM theory of solitons for the scaling of the fundamental pulse properties of energy and temporal duration for the ultrashort pulses in a mode-locked laser. This study advances the understanding of the dynamics of the DM system in ultrashort pulsed mode-locked lasers, which have numerous important applications that rely upon pulse stability [6 ‐10]. In the classical theory of solitons, the nonlinear � ^ � ^
Modeling and analysis of retinoic acid induced differentiation of uncommitted precursor cells

Manipulation of differentiation programs has therapeutic potential in a spectrum of human cancers and neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, we integrated computational and experimental methods to unravel the response of a lineage uncommitted precursor cell-line, HL-60, to Retinoic Acid (RA). HL-60 is a human myeloblastic leukemia cell-line used extensively to study human differentiation programs. Initially, we focused on the role of the BLR1 receptor in RA-induced differentiation and G1/0-arrest in HL-60. BLR1, a putative G protein-coupled receptor expressed following RA exposure, is required for RA-induced cell-cycle arrest and differentiation and causes persistent MAPK signaling. A mathematical model of RA-induced cell-cycle arrest and differentiation was formulated and tested against BLR1 wild-type (wt) knock-out and knock-in HL-60 cell-lines with and without RA. The current model described the dynamics of 729 proteins and protein complexes interconnected by 1356 interactions. An ensemble strategy was used to compensate for uncertain model parameters. The ensemble of HL-60 models recapitulated the positive feedback between BLR1 and MAPK signaling. The ensemble of models also correctly predicted Rb and p47phox regulation and the correlation between p21-CDK4-cyclin D formation and G1/0-arrest following exposure to RA. Finally, we investigated the robustness of the HL-60 network architecture to structural perturbations and generated experimentally testable hypotheses for future study. Taken together, the model presented here was a first step toward a systematic framework for analysis of programmed differentiation. These studies also demonstrated that mechanistic network modeling can help prioritize experimental directions by generating falsifiable hypotheses despite uncertainty.
Feature fusion and label propagation for textured object video segmentation

We study an efficient texture segmentation model for multichannel videos using a local feature fitting based active contour scheme. We propose a flexible motion segmentation approach using fused features computed from texture and intensity components in a globally convex continuous optimization and fusion framework. A fast numerical implementation is demonstrated using an efficient dual minimization formulation. The novel contributions include the fusion of local feature density functions including luminance-chromaticity and local texture in a globally convex active contour variational method, combined with label propagation in scale space using noisy sparse object labels initialized from long term optical flow-based point trajectories. We provide a proof-of-concept demonstration of this novel multi-scale label propagation approach to video object segmentation using synthetic textured video objects embedded in a noisy background and starting with sparse label set trajectories for each object.
The amino-acid content of perilymph and cerebrospinal fluid from guinea-pigs and the effect of noise on the amino-acid composition of perilymph.

Abstract Free amino acids have been determined in the inner-ear perilymph and cerebrospinal fluid of the living, anesthetized guinea-pig by high-performance liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. A ventrolateral surgical approach has been used to collect both perilymph from the apical turn of the cochlea and cerebrospinal fluid from the fallopian canal after removal of the facial nerve. Fourteen amino acids and 11 other primary-amine fractions have been detected in perilymph and cerebrospinal fluid. The concentrations of glycine and alanine were found to be 3 to 4 times higher in perilymph than in cerebrospinal fluid. The concentrations of all of the amino acids determined, including the presumptive neurotransmitters glutamic acid, aspartic acid, glycine, and taurine, were similar for the perilymph taken from noise-exposed animals compared with that from animals kept in silence, suggesting that none of these amino acids is the ‘auditory nerve-activating substance’ (a candidate for the primary, afferent auditory transmitter) detected electrophysiologically by Sewell, Norris, Tachibana & Guth ( Science, N.Y. 202 , 910–912, 1978).
Life-Cycle Cost Comparison of Asphalt and Concrete Pavements on Low-Volume Roads; Case Study Comparisons

The costs of pavement construction, maintenance, and rehabilitation are primary factors considered by most local agencies in the selection of pavement type [hot-mix asphalt concrete (HMAC) or portland cement concrete (PCC)] for new construction. The optimal use of agency funds for any given project can be determined only through an economic analysis of all associated agency costs and the performance of the pavement. Life-cycle cost analyses were performed on HMAC and PCC highway pavements in Olmsted and Waseca Counties, Minnesota. The Means Heavy Construction Historical Cost Index and the Minnesota Department of Transportation Surfacing Indices were used to convert all expenditures over time into equivalent constant-dollar values. Direct comparisons were made on roadway sections with similar traffic volumes, ages, and environmental conditions. For Olmsted County, the favored pavement type depended somewhat on the cost index values that were used in the analysis; however, index selection had no effect on the outcome for the Waseca County comparisons. When the results were normalized for traffic volumes (i.e., cost per lane mile per million vehicles carried), PCC pavements were clearly more cost-effective in all Olmsted County cases and all but one Waseca County case, regardless of the cost index value used. PCC pavements generally incurred significantly lower maintenance and rehabilitation costs than HMAC roadways in both counties.
Nonmonotonic magnetic field and density dependence of in-plane magnetoresistance in dilute two-dimensional holes in G a A s / A l x Ga 1 − x As

We studied low temperature $(T=50$ mK) in-plane magnetoresistance of a dilute two-dimensional hole system in GaAs/AlGaAs heterostructure that exhibits an apparent metal-insulator transition. We found an anisotropic magnetoresistance, which changes dramatically at high in-plane fields ${(B}_{\ensuremath{\Vert}}\ensuremath{\gtrsim}5$ T) as the hole density is varied. At high densities where the system behaves metallic at ${B}_{\ensuremath{\Vert}}=0,$ the transverse magnetoresistance is larger than the longitudinal magnetoresistance. With decreasing the hole density the difference becomes progressively smaller, and at densities near the ``critical'' density and lower, the longitudinal magnetoresistance becomes larger than the transverse magnetoresistance.
Engaging Around Neighborhood Issues: How Online Communication Affects Offline Behavior

This paper describes how online conversations about crime amongst local residents impact offline behavior. We conducted a three-year study in five middle to low-income geographically-bound communities (defined as police beats), where we observed community meetings for two years, interviewed 45 residents, and performed qualitative content analysis on over 7,000 online messages on community-based email lists and web forums. Interviewees reported that community-based online communication influenced how they 1) protect themselves and their property to avoid victimization and 2) participate and engage in local in-person civic engagement initiatives. This paper provides insights into the relationship between online and offline behavior and implications for designing community-based ICTs that effectively address local issues.
Rescaling of variables in back propagation learning

Abstract Use of the logistic derivative in backward error propagation suggests one source of ill-conditioning to be the decreasing multiplier in the computation of the elements of the gradient at each layer. A compensatory rescaling is suggested, based heuristically upon the expected value of the multiplier. Experimental results demonstrate an order of magnitude improvement in convergence.
Integrative clinical experience: an innovative program to prepare for internship.

Background: Interns experience tremendous challenges on the transition from student to new physician. There is limited literature describing curriculum that enhances medical students' preparation for internship. Description: To prepare graduating medical students at our institution for the new responsibilities and stressors that they will face as interns, an elective course, Integrative Clinical Experience, was implemented. Over a 2-week period, participating medical students rotate through 1 to 3-hr modules that cover four major domains: managing acutely ill patients, teaching, communicating, and coping with stressors. Evaluation: Participants evaluated the course qualitatively and quantitatively through verbal and written feedback. Students found the course useful and educationally valuable. They also had a statistically significant increase in perceived preparedness for internship upon completion of the course. Conclusions: A 2-week, concentrated course is a feasible and effective method for raising st...
Particle filters and Bayesian inference in financial econometrics

In this paper we review sequential Monte Carlo (SMC) methods, or particle filters (PF), with special emphasis on its potential applications in financial time series analysis and econometrics. We start with the well-known normal dynamic linear model, also known as the normal linear state space model, for which sequential state learning is available in closed form via standard Kalman filter and Kalman smoother recursions. Particle filters are then introduced as a set of Monte Carlo schemes that enable Kalman-type recursions when normality or linearity or both are abandoned. The seminal bootstrap filter (BF) of Gordon, Salmond and Smith (1993) is used to introduce the SMC jargon, potentials and limitations. We also review the literature on parameter learning, an area that started to attract much attention from the particle filter community in recent years. We give particular attention to the Liu–West filter (2001), Storvik filter (2002) and particle learning (PL) of Carvalho, Johannes, Lopes and Polson (2010). We argue that the BF and the auxiliary particle filter (APF) of Pitt and Shephard (1999) define two fundamentally distinct directions within the particle filter literature. We also show that the distinction is more pronounced with parameter learning and argue that PL, which follows the APF direction, is an attractive extension. One of our contributions is to sort out the research from BF to APF (during the 1990s), from APF to now (the 2000s) and from Liu–West filter to Storvik filter to PL. To this end, we provide code in R for all the examples of the paper. Readers are invited to find their own way into this dynamic and active research arena. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Kinetic and spectroscopic requirements for the inference of chemical heating rates and atomic hydrogen densities from OH Meinel band measurements

We present the accuracy requirements for specific kinetic and spectroscopic parameters used in modeling populations of vibrationally excited hydroxyl. The requirements are based on simulations of the inference of chemical energy deposition rates and atomic hydrogen densities from satellite observations of the hydroxyl Meinel band emission rates. Improvement in the rate constants which describe the collisional removal of the high-lying υ states of OH and the reaction of highlying υ states with atomic oxygen is required in addition to improved specification of the nascent distribution of energy within OH upon reaction of atomic hydrogen and ozone. These improvements are necessary for the interpretation of Meinel band measurements to be made from a new spaceflight experiment in less than 3 years.
A New Method for Predicting Patient Survivorship Using Efficient Bayesian Network Learning

The purpose of this investigation is to develop and evaluate a new Bayesian network (BN)-based patient survivorship prediction method. The central hypothesis is that the method predicts patient survivorship well, while having the capability to handle high-dimensional data and be incorporated into a clinical decision support system (CDSS). We have developed EBMC_Survivorship (EBMC_S), which predicts survivorship for each year individually. EBMC_S is based on the EBMC BN algorithm, which has been shown to handle high-dimensional data. BNs have excellent architecture for decision support systems. In this study, we evaluate EBMC_S using the Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC) dataset, which concerns breast tumors. A 5-fold cross-validation study indicates that EMBC_S performs better than the Cox proportional hazard model and is comparable to the random survival forest method. We show that EBMC_S provides additional information such as sensitivity analyses, which covariates predict each year, and yearly areas under the ROC curve (AUROCs). We conclude that our investigation supports the central hypothesis.
Effects of chronic sodium azide on brain and muscle cytochrome oxidase activity : A potential model to investigate environmental contributions to neurodegenerative diseases

Deficits in oxidative phosphorylation have been implicated in many neurodegenerative diseases. In this study, cytochrome oxidase activity was inhibited following a 28-d systemic administration of nonlethal sodium azide via subcutaneous osmotic pumps. Quantitative enzyme histochemistry was performed on tissue sections from brain, skeletal muscle, and heart to localize cytochrome oxidase activity both globally and in regions within each tissue. Significant decreases of cytochrome oxidase activity were found in the brain and skeletal muscle but not heart. In addition, regions within each tissue were also analyzed, such as cortex and striatum in the brain and red and white fibers in skeletal muscle. The tissue specific inhibition of cytochrome oxidase by sodium azide could serve as a positive control for studies of other mitochondrial toxins in aerobically compromised cells. Therefore, chronic nonlethal sodium azide administration may provide a potential rat model for the study of mitochondrial dysfunction and the role of environmental pollutants in brain and muscle tissues affected in certain neurodegenerative diseases.
Estradiol induces both qualitative and quantitative changes in the pattern of gonadotropin-releasing hormone secretion during the presurge period in the ewe.

The follicular phase rise in circulating estradiol causes a suppression of GnRH pulse amplitude and an increase in pulse frequency before stimulation of the preovulatory GnRH surge in the ewe. Studies in which samples were collected at 10-min intervals were found unsuitable to determine whether GnRH secretion is exclusively pulsatile at this time or whether estradiol induces additional qualitative changes in the pattern of GnRH secretion that, combined with the quantitative changes, result in generation of the surge. To address these issues, GnRH was measured in pituitary portal blood and LH in peripheral blood collected at 1- and 10-min intervals, respectively, in ewes receiving no estradiol (n = 5), a luteal phase level of circulating estradiol (n = 5), or a peak follicular phase concentration of estradiol (n = 5). The results provide evidence that, in a dose-dependent manner, estradiol induces the secretion of significant amounts of GnRH between pulses and alters the shape of GnRH pulses by reducing th...
Development and prospects for bispecific antibody-based therapeutics in cancer and other applications.

Background: Progress in molecular biology for the production of bispecific antibodies (BiAbs) and the expanding knowledge on receptors on malignant and normal target cells provide the basis for developing new strategies using antibody- and/or receptor-based platform technology for the treatment of cancer and other diseases. Objective: This review provides a preclinical and clinical perspective on application of bispecific antibodies for the treatment of solid tumors, hematologic malignancies and other diseases. Methods: This review focuses on BiAb-based immunotherapy, clinical trials, alternative strategies, the challenges of technology and future applications. Results/conclusion: The successful application of a particular BiAb will depend on a thorough evaluation of the expected functional application and thoughtful engineering of structure, affinity and number of binding sites based on the desired function.
Single Electron Reduction of Cytochrome c Oxidase Compound F: Resolution of Partial Steps by Transient Spectroscopy†

The final step of the catalytic cycle of cytochrome oxidase, the reduction of oxyferryl heme a3 in compound F, was investigated using a binuclear polypyridine ruthenium complex (Ru2C) as a photoactive reducing agent. The net charge of +4 on Ru2C allows it to bind electrostatically near CuA in subunit II of cytochrome oxidase. Photoexcitation of Ru2C with a laser flash results in formation of a metal-to-ligand charge-transfer excited state, Ru2C*, which rapidly transfers an electron to CuA of cytochrome oxidase from either beef heart or Rhodobacter sphaeroides. This is followed by reversible electron transfer from CuA to heme a with forward and reverse rate constants of k1 = 9.3 × 104 s-1 and k-1 = 1.7 × 104 s-1 for R. sphaeroides cytochrome oxidase in the resting state. Compound F was prepared by treating the resting enzyme with excess hydrogen peroxide. The value of the rate constant k1 is the same in compound F where heme a3 is in the oxyferryl form as in the resting enzyme where heme a3 is ferric. Redu...
Design of Microscale Heat and Mass Exchangers for Absorption Space Conditioning Applications

This paper presents the development of a miniaturization technology for heat and mass exchangers used in absorption heat pumps. The exchanger consists of an array of parallel, aligned alternating shims with integral microscale features, enclosed between cover plates. These microscale features facilitate the flow of the various fluid streams and the associated heat and mass transfer. In an absorber application, effective vapor and solution contact and microscale features for the flow of both the solution and the coolant induce high heat and mass transfer rates without any active or passive surface enhancement. The geometry ensures even flow distribution with minimal overall pressure drops. A model of the coupled heat and mass transfer process for ammonia-water absorbers using this configuration under typical operating conditions demonstrates the potential for extremely small absorption components. The proposed concept is compact, modular, versatile, and in an eventual implementation, can be mass produced. Additionally the same concept can be extended to the other absorption heat pump components as well as for several other industries involved in multi-component fluid processes.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Developing constructive and proactive conflict management strategies in healthcare

AbstractThis study analyses trends, patterns and research directions of conflict research through a content analysis of 699 research articles published between 1970 and 2006 in leading academic journals devoted to the area of health. Each article was coded for journal, year of publication, authorship, affiliations, theoretical framework, interdisciplinary perspectives, definition of conflict, type of conflict, construct of conflict, outcome of conflict, research designs, sample size and future research directions. The study seeks to assess comprehensively the development of conflict research in health literature over the past three and a half decades. By way of conclusion, the study suggests how conflict management may be a significant area of engagement for scholars and professionals in healthcare. It also offers avenues for developing constructive and proactive conflict management strategies in healthcare settings.
HTLV-I Tax self-association in optimal trans-activation function

HTLV-I Tax protein is a potent transcriptional activator of viral and cellular genes. Tax does not bind DNA directly but interacts through protein-protein contact with host cell factors that recognize the viral long terminal repeat (LTR). Domains within Tax needed for protein-protein interaction have not been fully characterized. In studying transcriptional function in yeast cells, we unexpectedly found that Tax functions optimally not as a monomer, but as a homodimer. Here we have used the one hybrid and two hybrid genetic approaches in yeast to investigate the region(s) within Tax necessary for self-association. Dimer formation was also confirmed biochemically by using electrophoretic mobility shift (EMSA) and supershift assays. Twenty two Tax point mutants were utilized to map relevant residues. Genetic results from this series of mutants revealed that a necessary region for dimerization is contained within a previously characterized zinc finger domain. Two loss-of-function Tax mutants, each poorly active when assayed individually, were found to have complementing activity when co-expressed together. This genetic complementation suggests a mechanism fortrans-activation resulting from simultaneous but non-identical contact with a responsive target by each of two Tax monomers in a dimer.
A Statistical Model for Titanium Pollution Transport and Dispersion in the Atmosphere of St. Louis.

Abstract Multiple-regression analysis techniques are applied to gain insights into the influence meteorological variables have in the transport and dispersion of stack particulate titanium pollution on the urban scale. Meteorological variables utilized in the analysis procedure are wind direction, categorized into sectors, wind speed, low-level vertical temperature gradient, and the standard deviation of the horizontal wind direction fluctuations. Physical interpretations of the associations found in the St. Louis urban setting between titanium concentrations and the derived meteorological variables corroborate present theoretical understanding of stack plume dispersion characteristics.
Simple Systematic Synthesis of Periodic Mesoporous Organosilica Nanoparticles with Adjustable Aspect Ratios

One-dimensional periodic mesoporous organosilica (PMO) nanoparticles with tunable aspect ratios are obtained from a chain-type molecular precursor octaethoxy-1,3,5-trisilapentane. The aspect ratio can be tuned from 2:1 to >20:1 simply by variation in the precursor concentration in acidic aqueous solutions containing constant amounts of triblock copolymer Pluronic P123. The mesochannels are highly ordered and are oriented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the PMO particles. No significant Si–C bond cleavage occurs during the synthesis according to29Si MAS NMR. The materials exhibit surface areas between 181 and 936 m2 g−1.
Conductivity of an impure, nonequilibrium plasma with electrothermal instabilities

Impurities and electrothermal instabilities effect on conductivity of two temperature nonequilibrium plasma
EXTRUSION CHARACTERISTICS OF IRON ALUMINIDES

Extruded rods of FeAl have been produced from ingots, rapidly solidified powders and rapidly solidified ribbons of various Fe:AI ratios. The rods made by extrusion of powders or ribbons contain numerous oxide particles aligned along the extrusion direction which arose because of prior handling in air. In contrast, rods made from ingots are relatively free of oxides. It has been found that the as-extruded grain size increased with increasing extrusion temperature and decreasing reduction ratio. However, for the same extrusion conditions, the grain size after hot extrusion of castings is significantly higher than when powder is used as starting material. Dislocation structures characterized by transmission electron microscopy have revealed that at high extrusion temperatures dislocation predominate whilst at low extrusion temperature dislocations are also observed. The density of dislocations increases with increasing aluminum content.
Reflective Listening in Heraclitus

So long as we only listen to the sound of the word as the expression of the speaker, we are not listening at all. —Martin Heidegger, Logos (Heraclitus, fr. B 50) We have all had the rather frustrat...
PACS component testing: beta and acceptance testing

The functionality and performance expectations of all PACS components must be specified at the time of purchase and tested completely upon delivery to assure customer satisfaction and successful adoption of the new technology. This process may be more elaborate if the customer agrees to serve as a Beta test site for a new component or a new revision of an existing component.A carefully designed test plan will save time at installation, will allow the customer and vendor to agree on expectations, and will assure that the installation will proceed as planned. This paper describes the test procedure used at the University of Florida to accept each PACS component, either a commercial product, or one developed in house. A set of documents contain descriptions of the pre-installation environment, sets of studies to be used in the test, installation checklist, functional usage reports, subjective evaluations, and problem reporting forms. Training and user documentation is also reviewed and 'help lists' are created to help users perform the most common functions. Although details in the documents are changed to match the type of component being tested, the general form of the test remains the same. A formal procedure for testing the functionality and performance of new equipment can save time for both the vendor and the customer and, if specified at the time of purchase, can serve to document the expectations of the customer. Following these procedures will assure a successful installation and improve customer satisfaction.
Orienting Mechanical Parts by Computer-Controlled Manipulator

In order to assemble mechanical parts which are initially disordered, a computer-controlled manipulator needs some procedure for orienting these parts. An apparatus is described which assists the manipulator in performing this function. The device is a dihedrally tipped open box attached to a vibrator. When placed in the box, a typical mechanical part assumes one of a small finite number of possible orientations. Once the particular orientation is established, the manipulator shifts the part into the desired orientation.
Peripheral vascular disease.

THIS report considers peripheral vascular disease under the two main divisions of diseases of the arteries and diseases of the veins. Diseases of the Arteries The surgical treatment of peripheral v...
‘Different people have different priorities’: work–family balance, gender, and the discourse of choice

This paper contributes new perspectives on the underrepresentation of female faculty in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines by identifying how faculty themselves conceptualize or make sense of the problem. We conducted in-depth interviews with 19 STEM faculty members. The interviews were employed to identify discourses faculty engage in their explanations for underrepresentation. Work–family balance emerged as the leading theme, with participants identifying many challenges thereto. As participants discussed work–family balance, they engaged a discourse of choice to frame the challenges faced by female faculty members in particular. We relate the discourse of choice to the persistence of gender inequalities in STEM departments.
Escherichia coli DNA Polymerase III Holoenzyme Subunits α, β, and γ Directly Contact the Primer-Template

Escherichia coli DNA polymerase III holoenzyme forms a stable initiation complex with RNA-primed template in the presence of ATP. To determine the linear arrangement of the holoenzyme subunits along the primer-template duplex region, we cross-linked holoenzyme to a series of photo-reactive primers. Site-specific photo-cross-linking revealed that the α, β, and γ subunits formed ATP-dependent contacts with the primer-template. The α polymerase catalytic subunit covalently attached to nucleotide positions −3, −9, and −13 upstream of the primer terminus, with the most efficient adduct formation occurring at position −9. The γ subunit contacted the primer at positions −13, −18, and −22, with the strongest γ-primer interactions occurring at position −18. The β subunit predominated in cross-linking at position −22. Thus, within the initiation complex, α contacts roughly the first 13 nucleotides upstream of the 3′-primer terminus followed by γ at −18 and β at −22, and the γ subunit remains a part of the initiation complex, bridging the α and β subunits. Analyses of the interaction of photo-activatible primer-templates with the preinitiation complex proteins (γ-complex (γ-δ-δ′-χ-ψ) and β subunit) revealed the γ subunit within the preinitiation complex covalently attached to primer at position −3. However, addition of core DNA polymerase III to preinitiation complex, fully reconstituting holoenzyme resulted in replacement of γ by α at the primer terminus. These data indicate that assembly of holoenzyme onto a primer-template can occur in distinct stages and results in a structural rearrangement during initiation complex formation.
Intelligent behaviors through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication

The last decade has seen a significant increase in intelligent safety devices on private automobiles. These devices have both increased and augmented the situational awareness of the driver and in some cases provided automated vehicle responses. To date almost all intelligent safety devices have relied on data directly perceived by the vehicle. This constraint has a direct impact on the types of solutions available to the vehicle. In an effort to improve the safety options available to a vehicle, numerous research laboratories and government agencies are investing time and resources into connecting vehicles to each other and to infrastructure-based devices. This work details several efforts in both the commercial vehicle and the private auto industries to increase vehicle safety and driver situational awareness through vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication. It will specifically discuss intelligent behaviors being designed to automatically disable non-compliant vehicles, warn tractor trailer vehicles of unsafe lane maneuvers such as lane changes, passing, and merging, and alert drivers to non-line-of-sight emergencies.
Dyspnea reproducibility in a rural Bangladesh population.

Background and Aims: Dyspnea may signal serious disease with increased morbidity/mortality. Dyspnea screening would only be valid if reproducible. The study aim was to determine the reliability (reproducibility) of assessing dyspnea through a simple questionnaire among a rural population. Methods: Participants were recruited from a Health Effects of Arsenic Longitudinal Study in Araihazar, Bangladesh. Dyspnea assessment used a questionnaire among 129 participants at two time points: at baseline and after 2 weeks to 9 months by trained physicians. All subjects were asked about the presence/absence of dyspnea in the last 6 months. At the second interview, a physician (blinded to questionnaire) conducted a clinical heart/lung examination and obtained a pulse oximeter reading. Results: Dyspnea prevalence by baseline questionnaire was 2.4%. Overall dyspnea reliability was 94% (121 out of 129). If the initial response was ‘yes’ for the presence of dyspnea, reliability was 91% (49 out of 54). For an initial response of ‘no’ for the presence of dyspnea, reliability was 96% (72 out of 75). The pulmonary examination and pulse oximeter readings were significantly more likely to be abnormal in those with dyspnea (P < 0.01). Conclusions: The reliability of a simple question on dyspnea is very high when obtained by physicians. Although validity was not the primary outcome, the increased likelihood of an abnormal chest examination or low pulse oximeter saturation for those reporting ‘yes’ to the dyspnea question suggests more significant underlying cardiopulmonary disease in those reporting recent dyspnea. Please cite this paper as: Pesola GR, Parvez F, Jasmin S, Hasan AKM R and Ahsan H. Dyspnea reproducibility in a rural Bangladesh population. The Clinical Respiratory Journal 2009; 3: 222–228.
Healing of defects in canine articular cartilage : Distribution of nonvascular α-smooth muscle actin-containing cells

The objective of this study was to evaluate the types of tissue resulting from spontaneous healing of surgically created defects in adult canine articular cartilage up to 29 weeks postoperatively, with specific attention directed toward the presence and distribution of cells containing the contractile actin isoform, alpha-smooth muscle actin. Two 4-mm diameter defects were made in the trochlear groove to the depth of the tidemark in 20 adult mongrel dogs. The areal percentage of specific tissue types in the reparative material was determined histomorphometrically. Immunohistochemistry was employed to evaluate the percentage of alpha-smooth muscle actin-containing cells. The results showed that approximately 50% of the chondrocytes in the superficial zone of the uninvolved articular cartilage expressed alpha-smooth muscle actin. A significantly lower percentage of alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive chondrocytes appeared in the uninvolved deep zone. Notably, the deep zone adjacent to the defect contained a greater percentage of such cells than in the uninvolved deep zone. Also of interest was that a greater percentage of nonvascular cells in the hyaline cartilage and fibrocartilage of the reparative tissue contained alpha-smooth muscle actin-positive cells, compared to the fibrous tissue in the defects. The findings of this study revealed that canine articular cartilage has some potential for spontaneous regeneration, including integration with the calcified cartilage zone. By 29 weeks, up to 40% of an areal cross section of an untreated full-thickness chondral defect was found to fill with hyaline cartilage, with up to 19% judged histologically similar to articular cartilage. The results warrant further consideration of the role of alpha-smooth muscle actin in chondrocytes in normal articular cartilage and in reparative tissue.
Gain stabilization of scintillation and Cerenkov spectrometers at high counting rates

Abstract A photomultiplier gain stabilization system, capable of operation at rates well over 5×10 4 pulses/s, is described. Pile-up and dead-time effects, which hamper conventional systems at such rates, are minimized through the use of a fast-gated charge sensitive integrator directly coupled to the photomultiplier anode. Deviations in the time-averaged response to a reference light pulser are fed back to control the high-voltage supply. Rapid fluctuations due to variations in average dynode current are reduced through the use of active voltage divider chains. Stability, tested with a large NaI(Tl) crystal viewed by five photomultiplier tubes, is better than 0.7% over 24 h, and for counting rates charging from a few hundred counts/s to over 2×10 5 counts/s.
Subliminal Exposure to Death-Related Stimuli Increases Defense of the Cultural Worldview

Three experiments reported here provide empirical support for the hypothesis derived from terror management theory that unconscious concerns about death motivate allegiance to cultural beliefs Study 1 contrasted exposure to a subliminal death-related stimulus, a standard mortality-salience treatment, and a neutral subliminal stimulus, and found that both the subliminal and the standard reminder of mortality led to more favorable evaluations of people who praised subjects' cultural worldview and more unfavorable evaluations of those who challenged it Study 2 replicated this finding by comparing the effects of exposure to subliminal death stimuli and subliminal pain stimuli Study 3 contrasted subliminal death stimuli, supraliminal death stimuli, and subliminal pain stimuli and found that only subliminal death stimuli produced these effects
Prognostic indicators of functional outcomes in first time documented acute stroke patients following standard dysphagia treatment

Purpose. To explore prognostic factors specific to the speech language pathology scope of practice that may be related to the functional outcome of stroke patients with dysphagia.Method. The prognostic factors analysed for 100 stroke patients with dysphagia included the swallowing portion of the Functional Assessment Measure (SFAM) at discharge as the dependent variable, and age, severity of stroke, cognitive status, length of stay, amount of individual treatment, and the SFAM, Food Texture, and Liquid Consistencies at admission as the independent variables. Correlation analysis, linear regression and descriptive statistics were used to analyse these variables.Results. Variables that had significant influences on the SFAM discharge levels included the admission ratings of the SFAM, Food Texture, Liquid Consistency, Cognitive FIM levels and length of stay. Amount of individual treatment received was also noted to be significant. Subject age, lesion site and lesion type did not reach significance in correla...
Nuclear Labeling of Coccidioides posadasii with Green Fluorescent Protein

: Coccidioidomycosis is a mild to life-threatening disease in otherwise healthy humans and other mammals caused by the fungus Coccidioides spp. Understanding the development of the unique dimorphic life cycle of Coccidioides spp. and its role in pathogenesis has been an area of research focus. However, nuclear behavior during the saprobic and parasitic life cycle has not been studied intensively. In this study, green fluorescent protein (GFP) was fused to histone H1 and introduced into Coccidioides posadasii (C. posadasii) strain Silveira to monitor the nuclear behavior of the fungus during the saprobic and parasitic stages of the life cycle. We constructed an Agrobacterium tumefaciens–mediated transformation (ATMT) vector that had in its T-DNA region a hygromycin-resistance gene as well as the fused histone H1-GFP gene under the control of the histone H3 promoter of C. posadasii. More than 30 hygromycin-resistant transformants were obtained and 23 were purified to homozygosity through multiple passages of the original transformants on hygromycin-containing media. One strain (VFC1420) transformed with a single copy of the fusion histone H1-GFP gene was selected for cytological studies. Strong nuclear-localized GFP signals were observed in arthroconidia, hyphae, as well as in spherules and endospores developed in vitro. Thus GFP can be used to study the expression pattern of potential virulence genes identified in serial analysis of gene expression (SAGE) or expressed sequence tags (EST) libraries, and could be a useful tool to monitor disease development in the murine model.
Time-efficiency of nondermatologists compared with dermatologists in the care of skin disease.

Abstract Background: It has been suggested that using an established primary care doctor potentially could be a more efficient use of physician time than a new visit to a dermatologist for patients seeking care for skin diseases. Objective: We test the hypothesis that seeing an established primary care doctor for a skin problem is a more efficient use of physician-time resources than a new visit to a dermatologist. Methods: The duration (in minutes) of outpatient visits for dermatologic conditions was obtained from the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 1990 to 1994. To control for the complexity of visits, the analysis was limited to the 62% of these visits in which a single dermatologic condition was the only condition being treated. Results: For all outpatient dermatologic visits combined, dermatologist visits for patients 18 years old or younger were 1.5 minutes (12%) shorter than nondermatologist visits, and dermatologist visits for patients older than 18 years were 3.1 minutes (20%) shorter than nondermatologist visits. Compared with nondermatologists, dermatologists have a shorter average visit duration for new, first-time patient encounters and for encounters with established patients. A significant difference in outpatient visit duration does not exist when comparing new, first-time visits for dermatologists to established visits for nondermatologists ( P = .3). Conclusion: A visit to an established primary care provider for treatment of a skin problem is not a more efficient use of physician resources than a new or return visit to a dermatologist. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1999;40:194-9.)
Scaling Laws for Plasma Concentrations and Tolerable Doses of Anticancer Drugs

General scaling laws are developed for projecting measurements of the plasma concentrations of anticancer drugs from laboratory animals to humans and among humans of different sizes. Associated scaling laws for critical drug doses are established from these laws. Broad categories of single and periodic i.v. bolus dosings are considered. Validity of the relations is shown using measurement from the literature for several well-known cytotoxic agents. The scaling theory is also shown to apply to novel anticancer drugs now available or presently under development, as represented by the p.o. administered prodrug capecitabine, the gene silencing inhibitor zebularine, and the blood vessel inhibitor bevacizumab. Scaling considerations for the modern practice of combination chemotherapy are also discussed.
The Drug-Laden Balloon: U.S. Military Assistance and Coca Production in the Central Andes*

Objective. This article explores the empirical effects of U.S. drug policy on coca cultivation in the Central Andes. We assess the impact of U.S. military assistance on the production of coca in the Central Andes, while controlling for other explanatory variables that influence coca cultivation. Method. Using data from 1980–2001 for Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru, we perform a pooled cross-sectional time-series analysis. Results. The effects of U.S. military assistance on coca cultivation are not uniform across the Central Andes. Coca production decreased in Bolivia and Peru and increased in Colombia. Total coca production in the Central Andes, however, remained unchanged. Conclusion. This study is consistent with existing literature that points out the obstacles governments face as they attempt to suppress illicit goods. Specifically, our empirical findings support the idea of the “balloon effect,” whereby government efforts to “squeeze” illicit trade in one area result in the expansion of that trade elsewhere.
Study of the performance of a transparent and reconfigurable metropolitan area network

The transport performance of an optically transparent regional-size ring network testbed with circumference of 280 km, based on metro-area optimized optical layer components and fiber, is demonstrated under dynamic traffic conditions. For the longest transmission path, excellent transmission performance is achieved using cost-effective directly modulated signals. Network reconfigurability is achieved using add-drop modules that are commercially available as of this writing. We show that the dynamic nature of the network does not affect the system performance. In particular, we show that electronic gain control of erbium-doped amplifiers is capable of managing switching transients in amplified metro-scale networks.