cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sizing of disbonds at a thin-layer substrate interface from spectral peaks

An ultrasonic through transmission technique is used to inspect the interface of a thin layer and a substrate. An experiment is performed using a specimen constructed of a 0.040 inch (1.02 mm) polycarbonate layer bonded by an adhesive film to an aluminum plate. Circular flaws are induced with paper placed between the adhesive film and the polycarbonate layer to create disbonds. The flaws range in size from 0.5 inches (12.7 mm) to 0.067 inches (1.70 mm) in diameter. A through transmission ultrasonic inspection technique, which uses a flat transducer as a transmitter and a focused transducer as a receiver, is employed. Time signals from the receiving transducer are recorded for each flaw, transformed to the frequency domain by use of a fast Fourier transform (FFT), and are linearly deconvolved with the FFT of the time signals of the aluminum plate alone. The peaks of the resulting frequency response functions for each flaw predict the resonant frequencies of the flaws. The area of the thin layer above a disbond is modeled as a thin plate which is excited by the incident ultrasonic wave motion at its edges. The resonance peaks at the center of the plate are related to the size of the flaw. The principal result of the paper is that, based on the theory presented here, the size of the disbond can be obtained from measurements of the resonance peaks.
LIFTING REPRESENTATIONS OF KNOT GROUPS

Given a representation of a classical knot group onto a quotient group E/A, we address the classification of lifts of that representation onto E. The classification is given first in terms of classical obstruction theory and then, in many cases, interpreted in terms of the homology of covers of the knot complement. Applications include the study of dihedral, metacyclic, and metabelian representations. Properties of the restrictions of lifts to the peripheral subgroup are also studied.
SCATTERING TIME ENGINEERING IN QUANTUM-BASED ELECTRONIC DEVICES

The interplay between geometrical confinement and materials considerations can efficiently reduce phonon-assisted transport, enabling scattering time and dissipation engineering in quantum devices. In resonant tunneling (RT) structures, quenching of phonon-assisted transmission leading to considerable reduction of the off-resonance valley-current is shown to occur in interband devices. In structures of low dimensionality such as quantum wires, electron-phonon scattering exhibits size effects and intersubband resonances which modulates the drift velocity and conductance of one-dimensional systems. Quantum dot nanostructures offer large flexibility for reduction and modulation of dissipative processes such as oscillatory hopping conductance induced by acoustic phonons in linear chains of quantum dots or negative differential resistance curve shaping in RT through quantum dot arrays.
Design and implementation of a vacuum-compatible laser-based subnanometer-resolution absolute distance measurement system

We describe the design and implementation of a vacuum compatible laser-based absolute distance measurement gauge with sub-nm resolution. The present system is compatible with operation in the 10{sup -8} Torr range and with some minor modifications could be used in the 10{sup -9} Torr range. The system is based on glancing incidence reflection and dual segmented diode detection. The system has been implemented as a focus sensor for extreme ultraviolet interferometry and microlithography experiments at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's Advanced Light Source synchrotron radiation facility and 1{sigma} operational measurement noise floor of 0.26 nm has been demonstrated.
MAXIMIZING THE HUMAN CAPITAL EQUATION IN LOGISTICS: EDUCATION, EXPERIENCE, AND SKILLS

Hiring and retaining the best employees - human capital - is a challenge. This recent study addressed the long-standing problem of finding sufficient numbers of quality logistics managers to fill logistics jobs. The research examined how education, experience, and job skills influence performance of these managers, and how performance in turn influences the worth of the manager to the firm. As hypothesized, job skills were found to be good predictors of both logistics manager performance and worth. However, neither experience nor education was found to significantly affect performance. Managerial implications are also provided.
Observer variation in the detection of acetabular bone deficiencies

To determine observer variation in the detection of acetabular bone deficiencies, 42 pairs of frontal (AP) and lateral hip radiographs and CT studies for total hip arthroplasty patients obtained within an average of 4 weeks of each other were reviewed separately by five radiologists and one orthopedic surgeon. Interobserver variations were calculated for each individual reading the films using kappa values. The individual film readings were then compared with a consensus reading of the CT data. When separate observers were analyzed, agreement on plain film readings was slight to fair (av. kappa=0.1440±0.1047). The individual observers were not able to give readings which were very consistent with the CT consensus reading, resulting in a low sensitivity (65%) and specificity (74%) for acetabular defect classification with plain radiographs. The identification of acetabular bone defects from the AP and lateral views of the hip is highly subjective and variable from observer to observer.
Which serial killers commit suicide? An exploratory study

In a sample of 483 serial killers, 6.2% were documented to have committed suicide. Those who committed suicide were found to come from more dysfunctional homes characterized by more psychiatric disturbance in the parents. The sexual acts involved in the murders by the suicides seemed to be more deviant in some aspects, such as committing more bizarre sexual acts or more often taping the murder.
Expression of mRNAs of multiple growth factors and receptors by astrocytes and glioma cells: detection with reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction.

1. Although glial cells in culture are known to secrete growth factors and are also known to be responsive to some of them, detailed comparisons are difficult because the bulk of information was based on various animals of origin, developmental stages, growth properties, culture age, and culture conditions.
Diffraction theory of frequency- and time-domain scattering by weakly aperiodic truncated thin-wire gratings

An arbitrarily illuminated truncated nonuniform thin-wire grating produces a scattered field that can be synthesized by superposition of the fields radiated by the currents induced on each wire element. For weak departures from periodicity and for quasi-plane-wave conditions of incidence the combined effect of the individual induced radiations exhibits beam structure that can be interpreted in terms of truncated locally adapted Floquet modes plus Floquet-modulated edge diffractions that are due to the truncations. This interpretation is tied directly to the fields produced by a truncated aperture source distribution, provided that this distribution bears the local Floquet-mode (FM) imprint. The equivalence between the two formulations is established by Poisson summation, which converts the finite sum of individually radiated scattered fields into a series of truncated wave spectra (the Floquet modes) plus truncation contributions (the edge diffractions). The analysis is carried out for two-dimensional geometries, with reliance on high-frequency asymptotics applied first to the Poisson spectral integrals in the frequency domain and subsequently to the Fourier inversion into the time domain. The result is a new hybrid diffracted-ray–FM algorithm valid throughout the near, intermediate, and far zones of the total grating aperture in the frequency domain and yielding time-domain Floquet modes with novel features and interpretation. The quality of the ray-mode algorithm is assessed by comparison with reference data generated by direct numerical techniques. Because the diffraction-oriented analysis clarifies the spectral connection between individually radiated fields that are due to localized sources and globally radiated fields that are due to the collective effect of these sources, the resulting algorithm may be helpful in the design of frequency- and time-domain grating components for the control of radiative coupling.
Autonomous Exploration and Mapping of Flooded Sinkholes

In this paper, we describe the control, navigation, and mapping methods that were developed for a hovering autonomous underwater vehicle that explored flooded cenotes in Mexico. The cenotes of Sistema ZacatA³n in Tamaulipas, Mexico are flooded sinkholes, exotic geological formations with unique water chemistry. The largest, ZacatA³n, is over 300-m deep. None of the cenotes were mapped before the present DEPTHX project. The goals of the DEPTHX project were to construct metrically accurate three-dimensional maps of the cenotes, and to collect environmental data, imagery, water samples, and core samples. The unknown extent of the cenotes, together with the challenging scientific mission, spurred the development of a robotic vehicle that autonomously, with no communications to the surface, built accurate three-dimensional maps using sonar and collected a variety of scientific data, including core samples from the cenote walls. In this paper, we describe the design, implementation, and testing of the robot software, as well as the results from mapping four cenotes of Sistema ZacatA³n.
Neurobiology of injury to the developing brain

Owing to improved survival rates of premature newborns, the number of very low birth weight infants is rising. Preterm infants display a greater propensity for brain injury caused by hypoxic or ischemic events, infection and/or inflammation that results in prominent white matter injury (WMI) than infants carried to full term. The intrinsic vulnerability of developing oligodendroglia to excitotoxic, oxidative and inflammatory forms of injury is a major factor in the pathogenesis of this condition. Furthermore, activated microglia and astrogliosis are critically involved in triggering WMI. Currently, no specific treatment is available for this kind of injury. Injury to the premature brain can substantially influence brain development and lead to disability. Impairment of the main motor pathways, such as the corticospinal tract, in the perinatal period contributes substantially to clinical outcome. Advanced neuroimaging techniques have led to greater understanding of the nature of both white and gray matter injury in preterm infants. Further research is warranted to examine the translational potential of preclinical therapeutic strategies for controlling such injury and preserving the integrity of motor pathways in preterm infants.
Classification of crystalline interfaces by means of the O‐lattice method

SUMMARY The different kinds of crystalline interfaces can be classified by means of the O-lattice method. Two groups of parameters have to be known for the description of an interface. The first group concerns the structures and the relative orientation of the adjoining crystals and the second group deals with the position and orientation of the interface. The O-lattice method allows one to deal with the two groups of parameters independently. This method gives a description of the interface in terms of dislocations, and hence of the possible relaxation in the boundary. Different kinds of interface will be discussed and illustrated by electron micrographs.
Program burn algorithms based on detonation shock dynamics: discrete approximations of detonation flows with discontinuous front models

In the design of explosive systems, the generic problem that one must consider is the propagation of a well-developed detonation wave sweeping through an explosive charge with a complex shape. At a given instant of time, the lead detonation shock is a surface that occupies a region of the explosive and has a dimension that is characteristic of the explosive device, typically on the scale of meters. The detonation shock is powered by a detonation reaction zone, sitting immediately behind the shock, which is on the scale of 1 mm or less. Thus, the ratio of the reaction zone thickness to the device dimension is on the order of 1/1000 or less. This scale disparity can lead to great difficulties in computing three-dimensional detonation dynamics. An attack on the dilemma in the computation of detonation systems has led to the invention of subscale models for a propagating detonation front that we refer to herein as program burn models. The program burn model does not resolve the fine scale of the reaction zone; instead the goal is to solve for the hydrodynamics of the inert product gases on a coarse grid scale, which is insufficient to resolve the physical reaction zone. We first show that traditional program burn algorithms for detonation hydrocodes used for explosive design are inconsistent and yield incorrect shock dynamic behavior. To overcome these inconsistencies, we discuss a new class of program burn models based on detonation shock dynamic theory. This new class yields more consistent and robust algorithms that better reflect the correct shock dynamic behavior.
The application of scanning electron microscopy for the characterization of powders

Abstract The examination of powder surfaces is limited in optical microscopy due to its short depth of focus, and in transmission electron microscopy due to sample preparation requirements. A relatively new and fast developing technique-scanning electron microscopy—offers many features most attractive in the study of powders in metallic and nonmetallic systems. The unique advantages of the scanning electron microscope include direct examination, a very large depth of focus, a wide range of magnifications, minimal or no sample preparation, a low specimen current, and sufficient resolution for most work involving direct examination of powder surface. The principle of operation of SEM is briefly discussed. The results of examination of 12 metal and alloy powders by the SEM and optical microscope are presented and compared. The SEM should be very useful in the field of powder studies in providing information pertaining to size, shape, surface topography and texture, porosity and pore shape, surface contamination, oxides and absorbed layer on surfaces, microstructure and agglomeration tendencies.
A Fokker-Planck analysis of photovoltaic systems

Abstract The battery state-of-charge, S ( t ), of an arbitrary photovoltaic system is analyzed as a Markov process driven by random white Gaussian perturbations of periodic insolation and load-demand profiles. A Fokker-Planck equation for the probability density function of S ( t ) is derived, and S ( t ) minus its mean is recognized as a nonhomogeneous Wiener-Levy process. The Fokker-Planck equation is solved under conditions of no barriers, one absorbing barrier, and two absorbing barriers, and the resulting probability density functions are used to obtain bounds on the complementary cumulative distribution function for the first passage time, x( t )=P{ T > t }, to the completely discharged or totally charged state. Limiting expressions for these bounds as t → 0 and t → ∞ are obtained, and their asymptotic values are compared. Finally, a simple system is analyzed to provide insight into the meaning of the equations developed.
An improved data integration methodology for system biology

Pooling P-values from independent experiments has been proven to improve power of statistical tests. Instead of assigning equal weight to each dataset, Hwang et al. proposed a data integration methodology for system biology, labeled Pontillist, to pool data using weighted P-values so as to maximize the number of significant genes discovered. Pontillist uses simulated null distribution of the weighted combination statistics. We have found several fatal statistical errors in Pontillist, and provide a correction to them. Also, Pontillist is intrinsically computationally inefficient requiring substantial, sometimes even prohibitive, computing time for convergence at low significance levels. We propose a new approach for optimal combination of P-values by using the approximated theoretical distribution of the Fisher's, Logit and Z omnibus combination statistics to estimate the P-value of weighted pooled statistics. Our computationally efficient approach guarantees convergence at any significance level, and produces accurate pooled P-values.
Organization of convection and monsoon forecasts

In this paper we address the issue of monsoon forecasts in relation to the organization of convection. Given a physical initialization procedure, within a data assimilation, it is possible to use the detailed distribution of rainfall from mesoconvective precipitating elements to define the initial state of a global model. If that is carried out using a very high resolution model then the initial state can carry within it an organization of convection within the resolvable scales. Then the impact of physical initialization on the maintenance and prediction of tropical weather such as the monsoon can be determined. Lacking such an initialization, one can expect the convectively driven energetics to be biased, and a slow degradation of the forecasts can follow. Several examples of forecasts at different resolutions are discussed here. The main findings of this study are that improved forecast results are obtained when physical initialization is invoked where the observed rain and the model resolution are comparable, i.e. the footprint of the highest resolutions rainfall estimates obtained from satellite based data sets (principally we use the SSM/I instrument over the oceans). At this resolution, we note that the model is able to carry an organization of convection in the initialization and in the forecasts through the medium-range time scale. We have compared our results of monsoon studies at a resolution T255 with those at resolution T62. The transform grid separation at the resolution T255 is approximately 50 km and at the resolution T62, it is approximately 200 km. We find that the model at the higher resolution (T255) performs better and has more realistic energy conversions for the convectively driven synoptic scale monsoon. An organization of convection, at the synoptic scales, is not seen in the forecasts at lower resolutions, T62, where the rainfall patterns are generally much broader and tend to be more zonal. Such organization appears more realistic at the resolution T255. Variances of the energy conversion, calculated in the two-dimensional spectral space, from physically initialized short range forecasts at the higher resolution are seen to be largest on the scales of the monsoon. Similar calculations for the reanalyzed fields at lower resolutions show the spectral distribution of variances to be biased towards local Hadley scale overturnings.
Repeat Measurements Analysis of Dental Data

The statistical analysis of trials in which individuals are evaluated repeatedly at several time points is examined. For the case in which correlations between observations follow a specified pattern, a conservative F test is applied to test for the effects of time and for the interaction between time and treatment groups.
Constructing Unemployed Job Seekers as Professional Workers: The Depoliticizing Work–Game of Job Searching

Unemployed Americans overwhelmingly describe their predicament as an individual and private challenge, and not as a public issue with structural causes and political solutions. This case study utilizes participant observation and in-depth interviews at a support organization for unemployed white-collar workers to explore the concrete dynamics that render the structural and political dimensions of unemployment beyond discussion. Whereas the existing literature focuses on the role of ideology in shaping subjective understandings of unemployment, my ethnographic data indicate that the lived experience of job searching is critical to understanding why individualist ideologies resonate with unemployed job seekers. Engagement in the process of job searching is analyzed as a type of work that generates an absorbing “work–game.” Playing this game depoliticizes unemployment by channeling the players’ practical energies towards strategic decision-making and individual level maneuvers and away from larger structural contexts. The depoliticizing effects of the game endure even after job seekers cease to play. For job seekers who encounter obstacles to finding employment in the labor market and become discouraged, the process of playing the game generates the experience of being a loser, and thus reinforces individualized understandings of unemployment.
Mechanism of Intraparticle Synthesis of the Rotavirus Double-stranded RNA Genome

Rotaviruses perform the remarkable tasks of transcribing and replicating 11 distinct double-stranded RNA genome segments within the confines of a subviral particle. Multiple viral polymerases are tethered to the interior of a particle, each dedicated to a solitary genome segment but acting in synchrony to synthesize RNA. Although the rotavirus polymerase specifically recognizes RNA templates in the absence of other proteins, its enzymatic activity is contingent upon interaction with the viral capsid. This intraparticle strategy of RNA synthesis helps orchestrate the concerted packaging and replication of the viral genome. Here, we review our current understanding of rotavirus RNA synthetic mechanisms.
Effects of varied conductor prep movements on singer muscle engagement and voicing behaviors

The purpose of this study was to examine whether certain nonverbal conductor gestures might trigger varied motor behaviors in choristers as indicated by acoustical data and measurement of extrinsic...
Altruism is a form of self-control

Some commentators have argued that all particular altruistic acts are directly caused by or reinforced by an internal emotional state. Others argue that rewards obtained by one person might reinforce another person's altruistic act. Yet others argue that all altruistic acts are reinforced by social reciprocation. There are logical and empirical problems with all of these conceptions. The best explanation of altruistic acts is that – though they are themselves not reinforced (either immediately, or delayed, or conditionally, or internally) – they are, like self-controlled acts, part of a pattern of overt behavior that is either extrinsically reinforced or intrinsically reinforcing.
Does corticosteroid therapy affect the survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus

The hypothesis that corticosteroid therapy is responsible for the striking improvement in survival of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was investigated with two approaches: Of 250 published papers on SLE, 52 were chosen for the first analysis because they included sufficient information on diagnostic criteria and survival but were not limited to patients selected for a particular target organ. From each article percent survival by series, average duration to death, and 1 and 5 year survival curves were abstracted. Each statistic showed linear improvement in survival since the 1930s without a significant change (P greater than 0.10) in slope for the time period following the introduction of corticosteroids. The second analysis examined the effect of corticosteroid therapy on 142 patients with SLE followed at the Massachusetts General Hospital between 1922 and 1966. Although the steroid use was conservative, the patients' survival, from year of entry, was comparable to the 52 abstracted series. A prognostic index was used to stratify patients admitted in the steroid era (after 1950) for life table analysis of survival with and without steroids. Steroids had no discernible effect on overall survival in low and medium risk groups. Use of steroids was associated with improved survival among high rish patients (P less than 0.05).
Ultrafast optical switching of terahertz metamaterials fabricated on ErAs/GaAs nanoisland superlattices

We demonstrate optical switching of electrically resonant terahertz planar metamaterials fabricated on ErAs/GaAs nanoisland superlattice substrates. Photoexcited charge carriers in the superlattice shunt the capacitive regions of the constituent elements, thereby modulating the resonant response of the metamaterials. A switching recovery time of 20 ps results from fast carrier recombination in the ErAs/GaAs superlattice substrates.
The British battalion of the international brigades and the Spanish civil war, 1936–39

In 1995 the film Land and Freedom brought the Spanish Civil War to life on screen while offering a view of the war as being a popular revolution crushed by unfettered Stalinism in the form of a regular Republican army. However, Dr Hughes here argues that the lack of unity and discipline within the Republican camp was just as much to blame for Franco's victory as the strength of Franco's forces. In ‘fact, Franco took advantage of the lack of organisation in the Republican. ranks and experienced little difficulty in outflanking the militia units defending the road to Madrid. Dr Hughes challenges the view that badly‐disciplined, poorly‐equipped, ill‐led popular militias stood any chance against Franco's Moroccan regulars and Spanish Foreign Legion. The British Battalion and the other foreign supporters for the Republican cause performed prodigious feats of bravery in these trying conditions, and the International Brigades as a whole were a great help to the Republic. But this was not enough since the Republi...
Universality of the basic interactions

Abstract We propose the unification of weak, electromagnetic and strong interactions within a gauge theory based on the chiral group of elementary fermions (quarks and leptons). Several consequences, in particular one with respect to neutral currents in the weak interactions, are discussed.
Novel cardiovascular MRI and CT methods for evaluation of ischemic heart disease

New developments in cardiac MRI and multidetector CT (MDCT) have generated tremendous excitement for both physicians and the general public. Their roles in the diagnostic algorithm of patients with suspected coronary artery disease are rapidly evolving. In addition to cardiac catheterization, nuclear imaging techniques and cardiac echocardiography, MDCT and MRI will play increasing roles in the diagnosis of ischemic heart disease. In this review we outline imaging techniques and illustrate the various applications of cardiac MRI and MDCT in the assessment of myocardial ischemia.
Temporal evaluation of effects of a model 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase inhibitor on endocrine function in the fathead minnow

Inhibition of enzymes involved in the synthesis of sex steroids can substantially impact developmental and reproductive processes controlled by the hypothalmic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. A key steroidogenic enzyme that has received little attention from a toxicological perspective is 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (3β-HSD). In these studies, we exposed reproductively-active fathead minnows (Pimephales promelas) to the model 3β-HSD inhibitor trilostane at two test concentrations (300 and 1,500 µg/L) over a 16-d period that included both 8-d exposure and 8-d recovery phases. Plasma concentrations of 17β-estradiol (E2) in females were depressed within hours of exposure to the drug and remained decreased at the highest trilostane concentration throughout the 8-d exposure. Reductions in E2 were accompanied by decreases in plasma concentrations of the estrogen-responsive protein vitellogenin (VTG). During the recovery phase of the test, plasma E2 and VTG concentrations returned to levels comparable to those of controls, in the case of E2 within 1 d. Up-regulation of ovarian expression of gene products for follicle-stimulating hormone receptor (fshr) and aromatase (cyp19a1a) suggested active compensation in trilostane-exposed animals. Effects of trilostane on HPG-related endpoints in exposed males were less pronounced, although, as in females, up-regulation of gonadal fshr was seen. Data from these time-course studies provide insights as to direct impacts, compensatory responses, and recovery from effects associated with perturbation of a comparatively poorly characterized enzyme/pathway critical to sex steroid synthesis. This information is important to the design and interpretation of approaches for assessing the occurrence and effects of HPG-active chemicals in both the laboratory and the field. Environ. Toxicol. Chem. 2011;30:2094–2102. © 2011 SETAC
The coupling of bone formation to bone resorption: A critical analysis of the concept and of its relevance to the pathogenesis of osteoporosis

The approximate equality of whole-body rates of formation and resorption over a wide range, a phenomenon frequently but inaccurately referred to as coupling, depends on the prompt and approximately complete refilling of each new resorption cavity with new bone. This focal regulation of bone balance requires an adequate supply of new osteoblasts at the right place at the right time, a process which presumably depends both on the availability of precursor cells and on some form of coupling signal. It also requires that each new osteoblast is able to make a normal amount of bone matrix, a process which is probably unrelated to coupling. The defect in bone formation that occurs in normal aging (and is exaggerated in osteoporosis) is too small a total work output by each new team of osteoblasts, so that refilling of resorption cavities is incomplete. Whether too few osteoblasts are assembled, which could result from a defect in a coupling signal or from deficiency of osteoblast precursors, or whether each osteoblast makes a subnormal amount of bone is unknown. Defective coupling, in the sense of a delay in the focal onset of bone formation after completion of resorption does occur in many patients with osteoporosis but makes only a minor contribution to bone loss. Imbalance between whole-body rates of resorption and formation in the absence of a coupling defect can also result from exaggerated depth of resorption cavities leading to perforation of trabecular plates and removal of some of the surfaces on which new bone is formed. The possible role of defective coupling in the pathogenesis of osteoporosis is still to be established.
Managerial Values and Culture: Where do Iranian Executives Stand?

The article reports on research concerning social dynamics, managerial values, and the impact of religion in Iranian culture, in light of the Islamic Revolution in 1979. The study, which used a survey-based approach, focused on outer- and inner-directed values, the collectivistic and individualistic work orientations of Iranian managers, and social factors that influence work values. Conformist behavior appears to be valued by managers. The study was conducted by Abbas Ali of the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Mirahmad Amirshahi of the Industrial Management Institute in Tehran.
Ring Expansions of β-Keto Lactones with Zinc Carbenoids: Syntheses of (+)-Patulolide A and (±)-Patulolide B

A one-pot ring expansion/oxidation/elimination method has been developed in which beta-keto lactones are converted efficiently to alpha,beta-unsaturated-gamma-keto lactones. The reaction can be successfully applied to a variety of ring sizes. Alkene stereochemistry is dependent upon ring size and reaction conditions. The method was applied to the synthesis of (+)-patulolide A.
Differential effects of temperature on E. coli and synthetic polyhydroxybutyrate/polyphosphate channels.

Complexes of poly-(R)-3-hydroxybutyrate and inorganic polyphosphate (PHB/polyP), isolated from the plasma membranes of Escherichia coli or prepared synthetically (HB128/polyP65), form Ca 2+ - selective ion channels in planar lipid bilayers that exhibit indistinguishable gating and conductance characteristics at 22 °C. Here we examine the gating and conductance of E. coli and synthetic PHB/polyP complexes in planar lipid bilayers as a function of temperature from 15 to 45 °C. E. coli PHB/polyP channels remained effectively open throughout this range, with brief closures that became more rare at higher temperatures. Conversely, as temperatures were gradually increased, the open probability of HB128/ polyP65 channels progressively decreased. The effect was fully reversible. Channel conductance exhibited three distinct phases. Below 25 °C, as PHB approached its glass temperature (ca. 10 °C), the conductance of both E. coli and synthetic channels remained at about the same level (95-105 pS). Between 25 °C and ca. 40 °C, the conductance of E. coli and synthetic channels increased gradually with temperature coefficients (Q10) of 1.45 and 1.42, respectively. Above 40 °C, E. coli channel conductance increased sharply, whereas the conductance of HB128/polyP65 channels leveled off. The discontinuities in the temperature curves for E. coli channels coincide with discontinuities in thermotropic fluorescence spectra and specific growth rates of E. coli cells. It is postulated that E. coli PHB/polyP complexes are associated with membrane components that inhibit their closure at elevated temperatures.
Evaluating the Validity of Educational Rating Data.

The use of trained raters has a long tradition in educational research. A standard feature of studies employing raters is the use of indicators of agreement among raters such as interrater reliability coefficients. Surprisingly, the validity of rating data has received relatively little attention, raising the undesirable prospect of ratings with satisfactory reliability but little validity. This article suggests two complementary frameworks for providing validity evidence for rating data. One conceptualizes raters as data collection instruments that should be subject to traditional procedures for establishing validity evidence; another evaluates studies employing raters from an experimental design perspective, permitting the internal validity of the study to be assessed and used as an indicator of the extent to which ratings are attributable to the training of the raters. Two studies employing raters are used to illustrate these ideas.
Mindfulness buffers retaliatory responses to injustice: A regulatory approach

We investigate the role of mindfulness as a regulatory factor by examining whether it mitigates the relationship between justice and retaliation. Drawing on theories of self-regulation, we integrate work on justice with emerging frameworks that identify mindfulness as an important work-related regulatory variable (Glomb, Duffy, Bono, & Yang, 2011). Specifically, we identify the role of mindfulness as a buffer of the ruminative thoughts and negative emotions that link injustice to retaliation. We test mediated moderation hypotheses in 2 samples. In Sample 1, two behavioral measures of retaliation are assessed in an experiment that manipulated both injustice and mindfulness. In Sample 2, we generalize our model to the field, examining employee responses regarding experiences with workplace injustice and retaliation. Results of both studies converge to support the proposed mediated moderation model that mindfulness buffers the effect of injustice on rumination and negative emotions, thus reducing retaliation. Our findings contribute to the broader literatures on self-regulation, organizational justice, and retaliation.
Performance evaluation of a hybrid ARQ protocol implementation for EHF SATCOM on the move systems

This paper characterizes the performance of a hybrid automatic repeat request protocol developed for use in EHF SATCOM on the move systems. The protocol consists of Reed-Solomon coding for random error correction and a selective repeat ARQ scheme for blockage mitigation. The implementation is highly configurable and includes support for features such as variable rate FEC coding, arbitrary packet lengths, framing etc. Performance results, including throughput efficiency and latency, as a function of channel conditions and protocol parameters are given.
An investigation of a criterion- referenced test using G-theory, and factor and cluster analyses

There has been relatively little research on analytical procedures for examin ing the dependability and validity of criterion-referenced tests especially when compared to similar investigations for...
Tpeak – Tend and Tpeak – Tend/QT Ratio as Markers of Ventricular Arrhythmia Risk in Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy Patients

Background Cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) increases transmural dispersion of repolarization (TDR) and can be pro-arrhythmic. However, overall arrhythmia risk was not increased in large-scale CRT clinical trials. Increased TDR as measured by Tpeak –Tend (TpTe) was associated with arrhythmia risk in CRT in a single-center study. This study investigates whether QT interval, TpTe, and TpTe/QT ratio are associated with ventricular arrhythmias in patients with CRT-defibrillator (CRT–D). Methods Post-CRT–D implant electrocardiograms of 128 patients (age 71.3 years ± 10.3) with at least 2 months of follow-up at our institution's device clinic (mean follow-up of 28.5 months ± 17) were analyzed for QT interval, TpTe, and TpTe/QT ratio. Incidence of ventricular arrhythmias was determined based on routine and directed device interrogations. Results Appropriate implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapy for sustained ventricular tachycardia or ventricular fibrillation was delivered in 18 patients (14%), and nonsustained ventricular tachycardia (NSVT) was detected but did not require therapy in 58 patients (45%). Patients who received appropriate defibrillator therapy had increased TpTe/QT ratio (0.24 ± 0.03 ms vs 0.20 ± 0.04, P = 0.0002) and increased TpTe (105.56 ± 20.36 vs 87.82 ± 22.32 ms, P = 0.002), and patients with NSVT had increased TpTe/QT ratio (0.22 ± 0.04 vs 0.20 ± 0.04, P = 0.016). Increased QT interval was not associated with risk of ventricular arrhythmia. The relative risk for appropriate defibrillator therapy of TpTe /QT ratio ≥ 0.25 was 3.24 (P = 0.016). Conclusion Increased TpTe and increased TpTe/QT ratio are associated with increased incidence of ventricular arrhythmias in CRT–D. The utility of TpTe interval and TpTe/QT ratio as potentially modifiable risk factors for ventricular arrhythmias in CRT requires further study. (PACE 2013; 36:103–108)
Data-driven monitoring design of service level and resource utilization

Business system management (BSM), or called business service management, has drawn tremendous attention in recent years. The emergence of the phenomenon is a natural development after system management practitioners realized that understanding the status of a particular IT resource is to comprehend only a small part of the big picture. To truly maximize the business value of IT investments, it is essential to know how resources affects the applications and business processes supported. Equally important is the capability to properly configure IT resource monitoring mechanism to allow system administrators to focus on critical resources with business significance. While much effort has been put into real-time monitoring and reporting mechanism, monitoring design of business systems received comparatively little attention. In this paper, we describe a data-driven approach for monitoring design for both service level and resource utilization.
Probability distribution of irradiance for the onset of strong scintillation

We calculated the probability distribution function (PDF) from simulations for an initially spherical wave propagated through homogeneous atmospheric turbulence. The onset of strong scintillation was calculated. By onset of strong scintillation, we mean conditions of weak scintillation changing to the condition of strong focusing. In addition, one case in the saturation regime was calculated. The simulations’ PDF’s are compared with several heuristic models of the PDF and are seen to progress from close to log normal for the cases of weakest scintillation to close to the log normally modulated exponential PDF (LNME PDF) for the cases of strong scintillation. The simulations’ PDF’s are not in agreement with the K PDF for any of the calculated cases. The best agreement was obtained in comparison with Beckmann’s PDF [P. Beckmann, Probability in Communication Engineering (Harcourt, Brace, & World, 1967)]. Beckmann’s PDF varies from being the log-normal PDF for weak scintillation to being the LNME PDF for strong scintillation and progresses further to the theoretically expected exponential PDF in the limit of saturated scintillation. We recommend that simulation be used to predict the irradiance PDF for plane and diverged waves in homogeneous turbulence in preference to using heuristic models. More complicated propagation cases remain in the domain of heuristic argumentation.
Alternative pathways for siroheme synthesis in Klebsiella aerogenes.

Siroheme, the cofactor for sulfite and nitrite reductases, is formed by methylation, oxidation, and iron insertion into the tetrapyrrole uroporphyrinogen III (Uro-III). The CysG protein performs all three steps of siroheme biosynthesis in the enteric bacteria Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica. In either taxon, cysG mutants cannot reduce sulfite to sulfide and require a source of sulfide or cysteine for growth. In addition, CysG-mediated methylation of Uro-III is required for de novo synthesis of cobalamin (coenzyme B12) in S. enterica. We have determined that cysG mutants of the related enteric bacterium Klebsiella aerogenes have no defect in the reduction of sulfite to sulfide. These data suggest that an alternative enzyme allows for siroheme biosynthesis in CysG-deficient strains of Klebsiella. However, Klebsiella cysG mutants fail to synthesize coenzyme B12, suggesting that the alternative siroheme biosynthetic pathway proceeds by a different route. Gene cysF, encoding an alternative siroheme synthase homologous to CysG, has been identified by genetic analysis and lies within the cysFDNC operon; the cysF gene is absent from the E. coli and S. enterica genomes. While CysG is coregulated with the siroheme-dependent nitrite reductase, the cysF gene is regulated by sulfur starvation. Models for alternative regulation of the CysF and CysG siroheme synthases in Klebsiella and for the loss of the cysF gene from the ancestor of E. coli and S. enterica are presented.
Corticosteroid-associated osteonecrosis: a rare, but serious, complication in uveitis.

AbstractPurpose: To examine the incidence and prevalence of osteonecrosis in uveitis patients.Methods: An electronic medical record database search was conducted to identify uveitis patients with osteonecrosis and the number at risk for corticosteroid-related osteonecrosis from 2003 to 2012. The clinical and ophthalmologic features of the uveitis patients with osteonecrosis were assessed with retrospective chart reviews.Results: Six uveitis patients with osteonecrosis were identified, comprising a prevalence of 1.5%. The incidence density was 0.19 per 100 person-years of follow-up. The uveitides included sarcoidosis, sympathetic ophthalmia, idiopathic retinal vasculitis, idiopathic chronic anterior and intermediate uveitis, Vogt-Koyanagi Harada disease, and Cogan syndrome. The duration of systemic corticosteroid treatment ranged from 6 weeks to 6 years. The potential systemic risk factors were Raynaud phenomenon, antiphospholipid and autoantibodies, sickle cell trait, and thalassemia.Conclusions: Although...
Making Sex Violent: Love as Force in Recent Hindi Films

This article shows that Indian films do more than depict violence against women; they eroticize such violence and ask male viewers to identify with heroes who use force to win the affections of their beloveds. Interviews with Indian men reveal parallels between men's understanding of ideal relationships between husbands and wives and the ideals presented in Hindi films. Participant observation in theaters shows that the usually male-dominated space of cinema halls is an arena for the male sexual harassment that films show as generating women's affections. Hence, popular films play a role in generating sexual violence in India.
Effect of Systemic Doxycycline on Alveolar Bone Loss after Periradicular Surgery

Studies in the periodontic literature have shown an average of 0.5 mm to > 1.0 mm of bone loss after full thickness flap reflection. Similar literature has revealed that the tetracycline family of antibiotics can prevent bone loss. The purpose of this study was to observe the effect of systemic Doxycycline on crestal alveolar bone loss after periradicular surgery in beagle dogs. Five beagle dogs were used in two phases of this study. In the first phase (control sides), after reflecting full thickness flaps in one mandibular quadrant, notches were placed in the enamel of the third and fourth premolar teeth using a one-quarter round bur. Using magnification, measurements were taken from the reference notches to the height of the alveolar crest. After 8 wk, flaps were reflected in the same quadrant and measurements retaken, and the amount of bone loss was then measured. In the second phase (experimental sides), the same procedure was performed on the contralateral mandibular quadrant, but the dogs were placed on 4.4 mg/kg/day of Doxycycline for 10 days after reflections of full thickness flaps. After another 8 wk, the area was reflapped and measured. There was significantly (p < 0.01) less bone loss on the Doxycycline-treated side.
Deinstitutionalization and Community Care: Social Welfare Policy as Mental Health Policy

Has deinstitutionalization failed, and if so, is it a failure of mental health policy—or of something else? Numerous articles1-5 in the news media and professional literature in the United States and the United Kingdom seem to reflect a public conclusion that the dual mental health policies of deinstitutionalization and community care are inadequate. The evidence offered includes high rates of homelessness among persons with mental illness and incidents of violence attributable to individuals having a history of contact with the mental health service system. Also cited are the confinement of disproportionate numbers of mentally ill persons in jails and nursing homes, the failure of individuals with a history of mental illness to participate in the work force, and the specter of discharged patients “smoking and rocking away their days” in quiet desperation in board-and-care homes or their own apartments.