cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mobile network-aware social computing applications: a framework, architecture, and analysis

Advanced socio-technical systems especially handheld and mobile devices are no longer esoteric; rather they are a part of daily life for billions of people worldwide endowing a sense of every time connectedness that helps in realizing the ideology behind social computing applications (such as, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, YouTube, SecondLife, etc.), i.e., sharing whatever-whenever. With larger bandwidths (3G/4G/WiMax capabilities), powerful processing capabilities, better displays, and user friendly and even haptic interfaces, mobile platforms have shown a promising future for social computing applications. However, advances in web technologies (such as HTML5, AJAX, etc.) have led to the development of complex set of applications with rich user-interfaces that demands a nimble and robust architecture for social computing applications that is adaptive to the network constraints and bottleneck issues. This has resulted in a favorable playground for mobile-aware social computing applications offering practitioners and researchers key architectural challenges with numerous fledgling opportunities. In this article, we elaborate upon the challenges and provide a framework for incorporating cross-layer interaction between social network applications and wireless network capabilities. Specifically, we address the problem of delivering social network content to mobile devices with the required QoS. We propose a generic framework that addresses this issue. We also discuss some suitable wireless network protocols that could be utilized to provide QoS for the delivery of content generated by social computing applications and for reliable interactions between mobile users and social computing applications followed by possible future research directions.
An Exploratory Study of Internship Practices in Hospitality Education and Industry's Perception of the Importance of Internships in Hospitality Curriculum

(1997). An Exploratory Study of Internship Practices in Hospitality Education and Industry's Perception of the Importance of Internships in Hospitality Curriculum. Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Education: Vol. 9, No. 4, pp. 46-51.
Definitive Primary Therapy in Patients Presenting With Oligometastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer

Purpose Although palliative chemotherapy is the standard of care for patients with diagnoses of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), patients with a small metastatic burden, "oligometastatic" disease, may benefit from more aggressive local therapy. Methods and Materials We identified 186 patients (26% of stage IV patients) prospectively enrolled in our institutional database from 2002 to 2012 with oligometastatic disease, which we defined as 5 or fewer distant metastatic lesions at diagnosis. Univariate and multivariable Cox proportional hazards models were used to identify patient and disease factors associated with improved survival. Using propensity score methods, we investigated the effect of definitive local therapy to the primary tumor on overall survival. Results Median age at diagnosis was 61 years of age; 51% of patients were female; 12% had squamous histology; and 33% had N0-1 disease. On multivariable analysis, Eastern Cooperate Oncology Group performance status ≥2 (hazard ratio [HR], 2.43), nodal status, N2-3 (HR, 2.16), squamous pathology, and metastases to multiple organs (HR, 2.11) were associated with a greater hazard of death (all P P =.043). Conclusions Definitive local therapy to the primary tumor appears to be associated with improved survival in patients with oligometastatic NSCLC. Select patient and tumor characteristics, including good performance status, nonsquamous histology, and limited nodal disease, may predict for improved survival in these patients.
Incorporation of lysine-6-C14 into the protein of the adult boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis

Abstract The incorporation of lysine-6-C14 was observed at regular intervals for 24 hr after it was injected into the haemocoele of the boll weevil, Anthonomus grandis Boheman. As the concentration of amino acid diminished in the free amino acid pool, it rose in the protein fraction. However, the concentration in the pool tended to reach equilibrium at a relatively high level after 4 hr, whereas that in the protein fraction levelled off at about 8 hr. The lipoprotein fraction was labelled quickly, within the first hour, and lost its activity as quickly. Probably at least part of the labelled lysine was incorporated into the lipoprotein fraction before it was incorporated into the protein fraction.
LEAD UPTAKE OF GRAPEFRUIT JUICES STORED IN CANS AS DETERMINED BY FLAMELESS ATOMIC ABSORPTION SPECTROSCOPY

The effects of juice acidity, storage time, and temperature on the lead content of canned grapefruit juice were determined. Freshly processed juice had a lead concentration of 0.06 ppm. Average lead levels increased to 0.19 ppm after 17 wk storage and did not change significantly thereafter. After 52 wk storage, composite juice lead concentrations ranged from 0.13–0.26 ppm. These levels are within the FAO/WHO Food Standard Program limits. Storage temperature had no significant effect on ultimate juice lead concentrations. The major factor in determining ultimate lead levels was the surface area of solder exposed to the juice. Juice pH was also a factor with the more acidic juices having a slightly greater lead content. These findings suggest that measures to reduce interior solder surface area in cans should reduce the lead content.
Customized altitude-azimuth mount for a raster-scanning Fourier transform spectrometer

Applications of the Army Research Laboratory Mobile Atmospheric Spectrometer Remote Sensing Rover required development of a customized computer-controlled mount to satisfy a variety of requirements within a limited budget. The payload was designed to operate atop a military electronics shelter mounted on a 4-wheel drive truck to be above most atmospheric ground turbulence. Pointing orientation in altitude is limited by constraints imposed by use of a liquid nitrogen detector Dewar in the spectrometer. Stepper motor drives and control system are compatible with existing custom software used with other instrumentation for controlled incremental raster stepping. The altitude axis passes close to the center of gravity of the complete payload to minimize load eccentricity and drive torque requirements. Dovetail fixture mounting enables quick service and fine adjustment of balance to minimize stepper/gearbox drive backlash through the limited orientation range in altitude. Initial applications to characterization of remote gas plumes have been successful.
Adaptive motion compensation in MRI: accuracy of motion measurement.

It has been shown that magnetic resonance image data can be corrected for the effects of motion by using retrospective adaptive techniques which employ navigator (NAV) echoes. We demonstrate the accuracy with which NAV echoes can measure motion, as well as the independent nature of the respective view-to-view and intraview corrections. © 1991 Academic Press. Inc.
Environmental interests in trade policy: Institutional reform and the North American free trade agreement

Abstract National environmental organizations played two roles during negotiations of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Adversarial environmental organizations threatened to defeat NAFTA by forming coalitions with labor and other interest groups opposed to its passage. Accommodating environmental organizations used their formal and informal access to pro-trade policy elites to negotiate provisions which included environmental concerns in NAFTA without jeopardizing the overall goals to expand economic activity. Both groups explored the political sequence of events responsible for linking environmental issues to trade poicy negotiations. Despite unprecedented gains for environmentalists in NAFTA, it is not certain whether the new role of environmentalists will result in continued progress in efforts to reconcile trade and environmental policy goals.
Hand-assisted laparoscopic splenectomy for isolated ovarian cancer recurrence.

The majority of patients with advanced ovarian cancer will recur. In selected cases, surgery for isolated recurrences, especially those involving the spleen, has been reported to be associated with prolonged survival [1]. Minimally invasive surgery has gained increasing recognition for its value as a diagnostic tool at the time of second-look surgery and in the primary stage of ovarian cancer [2,3]. The application of handassisted laparoscopic surgical principles has enabled us to expound the limits of minimally invasive surgery. Despite these advances, the use of minimally invasive surgery in the recurrent setting has not been frequently described. We previously reported our experience with 6 patients who had undergone laparoscopy or hand-assisted laparoscopy for presumed ovarian cancer involving the spleen [4]. Our series demonstrated that this approach is safe and feasible in the management of select patients.
Enigmatic GPCR finds a stimulating drug.

GPR17 is an orphan G protein–coupled receptor involved in orchestration of oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in the central nervous system. In this issue of Science Signaling , Hennen et al . used a signaling pathway-unbiased screen to identify two small molecule activators of this receptor. One of these, MDL29951, was carried forward to illustrate GPR17-dependent activation of Gαi- and Gαq-promoted signaling pathways in cell lines expressing recombinant GPR17, whereas no effect was observed with previously proposed but dubitable agonists (uracil nucleotides and cysteinyl leukotrienes) of this receptor. Conversely, MDL29951 did not activate any of the known uracil or adenine nucleotide-activated P2Y receptors or cysteinyl leukotriene receptors. Gαi- and Gαq-dependent signaling responses also were observed in primary rat oligodendrocytes in the presence of MDL29951. Moreover, MDL29951 diminished myelination in primary oligodendrocytes isolated from heterozygous mice but had no effect on myelination in oligodendrocytes from GPR17 knockout mice. Effects of a small-molecule GPR17 agonist observed during oligodendrocyte differentiation support the idea that development of antagonists of GPR17 is a rational goal for elaboration of pharmacotherapies in demyelinating diseases.
Christian Democracy and Social Modernism in Italy during the Papacy of Pius X

Historians of Italian Christian Democracy have traditionally paid rather scant attention to the period 1903-1914, the years of the papacy of Pius X. Their lack of interest in this era cannot fully be explained by the scarcity of available official documents. The archives of the Vatican also keep under lock and key the documents pertaining to Leo XIII, the predecessor of Pius X. Yet volume after recently published volume has dealt with the Leonine period of Italian history. Interest in the papacy of Leo XIII is understandable in view of the fact that intellectual ferment in that era produced many of the sustaining ideas of Italian Christian Democracy. The Leonine period also saw in action for the first time some of the future leaders of Italian Christian Democracy. But the intellectual ferment had abated during the papacy of Pius X, who declared as contrary to Roman Catholic doctrine some of the ideas openly debated in Italian Catholic circles during the period of Leo XIII. The new pope transformed the Leonine garden of ideas into a desert and called it the Kingdom of God. And what of the leaders of nascent Italian Christian Democracy? Romolo Murri was excommunicated and forever lost to Italian Catholic Action. And Luigi Sturzo withdrew almost completely from the national scene and went into a selfimposed exile in Caltagirone, a tiny Sicilian town where he became deputy mayor. In the experiences of Murri and Sturzo we may see the symbols of the fate that befell Italian Christian Democracy under the heavy hand of Pius X. His ideas, his directives, his influence appear negative and his reign a regression rather than an advance when they are seen within the context of the history of Italian Christian Democracy; hence they are usually ignored by historians. Or if not ignored, the era of Pius X becomes a brief chapter, an interval before the drama progresses to its denouement with the appearance of the Partito Popolare, the Italian Catholic political party, in 1919. An intermission it may seem, but behind the curtains were men on the stage, and a close look at them shows that they were acting out a drama just as serious as any. Hegelian or Marxian imperatives that view success, positive action, as the criterion of historical importance, might reduce the influence of Pope Pius X to insignificance because it was negative. But it was an historical influence nevertheless, and it cannot be ignored. This article attempts to fill an apparent gap in the history of Italian Christian Democracy by building tentative syntheses from the evidence in scattered and often marginal writings on the particular problems confronted by Christian Democrats during the era of Pius X. Almost all these writings are characterized by a rather one-sided orientation: they usually connect the history of Italian Christian Democracy with the problems created by Italian unification and with the
Binary Pulsar PSR 1913 + 16: Model for Its Origin

The existing observational data for the binary pulsar PSR 1913 + 16 are sufficient to give a rather well-defined model for the system. On the basis of evolutionary considerations, the pulsar must be a neutron star near the upper mass limit of 1.2 solar masses (M·). The orbital inclination is probably high, i≥ 700, and the mass of the unseen companion probably lies close to the upper limit of the range 0.25 M· to 1.0 M·. The secondary cannot be a main sequence star and is probably a degenerate helium dwarf. At the 5.6-kiloparsec distance indicated by the dispersion measure, the magnetic dipole model gives an age of ∼4 x 104 years, a rate of change of the pulsar period of P ∼2 nanoseconds per day, and a surface magnetic field strength ∼⅓ that of the Crab pulsar. The pulsar is fainter than an apparent magnitude V∼+ 26.5 and is at least ∼80 times fainter than the Crab pulsar in the x-ray band. The companion star should be fainter than V ∼+ 30, and a radio supernova remnant may be detectable near the position of the pulsar at a flux level of ≤10 janskys. Important tests of this model will be provided by more accurate measurement of P and by a careful search for a faint supernova remnant.
Imperfect randomized algorithms for the optimal control of wireless networks

We consider a joint randomized scheduling, congestion control mechanism for general wireless networks. We allow for a set of imperfections in the operation of the randomized scheduler to account for potential errors in its operation. These imperfections enable the design of a large class of low-complexity and distributed implementations for different interference models. We study the effect of such imperfections on the stability and fairness characteristics of the system, and explicitly characterize the degree of fairness achieved as a function of the level of imperfections. Our results also reveal the relative importance of different types of errors on the performance of the system, and provide valuable insight to the design of distributed controllers with favorable fairness characteristics.
Posture in the management of esophageal atresia: variations on a theme by Dr. E. B. D. Neuhauser.

Abstract Following a suggestion made by Dr. E. B. D. Neuhauser many years ago, an investigation was carried out to ascertain why infants with esophageal atresia tend to suffer from collapse of the right upper lobe after thoracotomy. It was found that the neonate's bronchial tree does not differ anatomically to any marked degree from that of adults but that when the infant is lying flat on his back, contrast medium instilled into the trachea will invariably run first into the right upper lobe. Pathological considerations and clinical experience have shown that nursing these infants in the prone head-down position will prevent aspiration to a very marked degree and a special frame has been constructed to facilitate the nursing procedure.
A mixed yeast-bacteria process for the aerobic conversion of poultry waste into single-cell protein

A mixed yeast-bacteria process was developed to convert poultry waste into a high protein feedstuff. A uricase producing strain ofCandida utilis was utilized with the, natural flora of the poultry manure. Molasses was used as carbon source. Variation of C/N consumed ratio with dilution rate was investigated and the product quality was compared with the other feedstuffs.
Effect of atrial natriuretic factor and fate of cyclic-guanosine-monophosphate in the rat kidney

The mechanisms whereby atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) induces natriuresis are not clarified. Here, the effects of ANF and the cGMP analogue, 8-bromo-cGMP, on Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in microdissected segments from rat medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (TAL) were evaluated. ANF-induced cGMP accumulation and the cellular handling of intracellularly produced cGMP were also investigated, by measuring the accumulation of extracellular cGMP in suspensions of tubules from outer medulla, enriched in TAL, and of isolated glomeruli. ANF dose-dependently inhibited Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in isolated TAL in a parallel fashion with increasing cGMP accumulation in OM tubules. For both parameters, pharmacological concentrations (> or = 10(-6) M) of ANF were needed to induce a significant effect. 8-Bromo-cGMP mimicked the inhibitory effect of ANF. The increase in the intracellular cGMP level in response to ANF was dose-dependently reflected in the extracellular level. This finding contrasted with that in the glomerular preparation, where cGMP in response to ANF accumulated entirely intracellularly. Also in glomeruli, high (> or = 10(-6) M) concentrations of ANF were needed to induce a significant effect on cGMP accumulation. In conclusion, ANF inhibited Na+, K(+)-ATPase activity in TAL and the effect was mimicked by 8-bromo-cGMP. cGMP, produced in response to ANF, was extruded from the tubular epithelial cells, but not from glomeruli.
Comparative Age-Determination Techniques for White Sturgeon in California

Abstract We compared growth patterns of clavicles, cleithra, opercles, medial nuchals, dorsal scutes, and pectoral fin ray sections from white sturgeon Acipenser transmontanus in California. The legibility and interpretability of growth patterns, ease of collection and processing, and relative precision of age estimates were evaluated for each structure with data collected on skeletal structures and morphometric measurements of 147 individuals ranging in size from 31 to 224 cm total length. Various methods were used to elucidate growth zones (thin-sectioning, oil and water clearing, staining, and X-ray radiography) to determine the most useful ageing technique for each structure. All calcified structures contained concentric growth zones that increased in number with the size of the fish and were interpreted as annual events. There was a direct linear relationship between size of the structures and size of the fish. Pectoral fin sections were the most practical ageing structure in terms of ease of collect...
Visualization of an unwound DNA duplex

Certain dyes1,2 and drugs3,4 with planar aromatic components can intercalate these into stacks of base pairs and thereby bind tightly to DNA duplexes. Intercalation at one site usually precludes intercalation between the base pairs immediately adjacent5. This exclusion implies that two distinct nucleoside conformations are needed in the dinucleoside phosphates which include the intercalation site. The simplest distinction would involve no more than quantitative differences in the (usually anti) conformations at the glycosidic bonds6. This could be reinforced by additional, qualitative differences in the furanose ring puckerings (C-2′-endo and C-3′-endo)7. For the most pronounced difference there could be qualitative differences (syn and anti) in the conformations of the glycosidic bonds as well as in the conformations of the sugar rings. The model discussed here is an example of this most emphatic distinctiveness, as the nucleosides at the 5′ ends of the intercalation sites are C-3′-endo and syn and at the 3′ ends are C-2′-endo and anti. X-ray diffraction analysis suggests that a completely unwound allomorph of the DNA duplex can persist in oriented fibres when stabilized by certain platinum-containing intercalators. In the untwisting of (usually) right-handed DNA double helices, unwound duplexes are presumably fleeting intermediates.
Ab initio calculation of the structure and infrared spectra of the van der Waals complex H 2 O·F 2

Abstract The equilibrium structures, binding energies and infrared spectra were computed using the ab initio molecular orbital theory for the weakly bonded van der Waals complex H 2 O·F 2 . The most stable state was found to possess an effectively planar (as defined by Cooke et al. (Angew. Chem., Int. Ed. Engl., 36 (1997) 129)) C s structure with the monomers bonded through the Lewis acid-base type interaction. The zero-point HHO inverting motion could overcome the low barrier of a planar configuration and as a result, produces the spectroscopic features observed in the previous microwave measurement. Several intense far infrared vibrational modes were predicted. A considerable uncertainty, arising from the ill-represented harmonic force field presumed by the ab initio theory, was identified for the vibrational analysis. Finally, the quartic centrifugal distortion constants were estimated.
Irreducible modules and parabolic subgroups

Summary It seems desirable, from the point of view of finite group theorists, to develop further the representation theory of finite Chevalley groups in the characteristic of their definition (say, p ) by focusing attention on the full array of p -local subgroups (that is, the parabolics) rather than the usual single Borel or Cartan subgroup. The following observation may be regarded as a generalization to arbitrary parabolic subgroups of the standard result [3, Theorem 39(d)] for a Borel subgroup, namely, that in an irreducible module, the subspace fixed by a maximal unipotent subgroup is 1-dimensional, and so affords an irreducible module for a Levi complement, which is an (abelian) Cartan subgroup. It seems natural to state the result first for algebraic groups.
TRIPLET ENERGY MIGRATION BETWEEN CARBONYL CHROMOPHORES IN MICELLAR SOLUTION

— Triplet energy transfer from acetophenone, propiophenone and isobutyrophenone to γ-methylvalerophenone has been examined in micellar solution using laser flash photolysis techniques. The kinetics of the processes are controlled by the rates of sensitizer exit from the micelle and by the distribution of energy acceptors in the micellar phase. The photosensitized Norrish Type II cleavage in sodium dodecyl sulfate micelles provides an example of efficient quantum harvesting; the biradical produced in the reaction has a lifetime of 92 ns, which suggests that the biradical resides in a polar hydroxylic environment.
Uncertainty principles and ideal atomic decomposition

Suppose a discrete-time signal S(t), 0/spl les/t<N, is a superposition of atoms taken from a combined time-frequency dictionary made of spike sequences 1/sub {t=/spl tau/}/ and sinusoids exp{2/spl pi/iwt/N}//spl radic/N. Can one recover, from knowledge of S alone, the precise collection of atoms going to make up S? Because every discrete-time signal can be represented as a superposition of spikes alone, or as a superposition of sinusoids alone, there is no unique way of writing S as a sum of spikes and sinusoids in general. We prove that if S is representable as a highly sparse superposition of atoms from this time-frequency dictionary, then there is only one such highly sparse representation of S, and it can be obtained by solving the convex optimization problem of minimizing the l/sup 1/ norm of the coefficients among all decompositions. Here "highly sparse" means that N/sub t/+N/sub w/</spl radic/N/2 where N/sub t/ is the number of time atoms, N/sub w/ is the number of frequency atoms, and N is the length of the discrete-time signal. Underlying this result is a general l/sup 1/ uncertainty principle which says that if two bases are mutually incoherent, no nonzero signal can have a sparse representation in both bases simultaneously. For the above setting, the bases are sinusoids and spikes, and mutual incoherence is measured in terms of the largest inner product between different basis elements. The uncertainty principle holds for a variety of interesting basis pairs, not just sinusoids and spikes. The results have idealized applications to band-limited approximation with gross errors, to error-correcting encryption, and to separation of uncoordinated sources. Related phenomena hold for functions of a real variable, with basis pairs such as sinusoids and wavelets, and for functions of two variables, with basis pairs such as wavelets and ridgelets. In these settings, if a function f is representable by a sufficiently sparse superposition of terms taken from both bases, then there is only one such sparse representation; it may be obtained by minimum l/sup 1/ norm atomic decomposition. The condition "sufficiently sparse" becomes a multiscale condition; for example, that the number of wavelets at level j plus the number of sinusoids in the jth dyadic frequency band are together less than a constant times 2/sup j/2/.
A latent class analysis of job satisfaction and turnover among practicing pharmacists.

Abstract Background Research on job satisfaction and turnover using latent class analysis (LCA) has been conducted in other disciplines. LCA has seldom been applied to social pharmacy research and may be especially useful for examining job situation constructs in pharmacy organizations. Objective The objective of the study was to determine the probability of turnover among practicing pharmacists using LCA. Methods Using a cross-sectional descriptive design, 2400 randomly selected pharmacists with active licenses in Florida were surveyed. A model was created using LCA, then fit indices were used to determine whether underlying “job satisfaction clusters” were present. Once identified, these clusters along with the covariate practice site were modeled on a distal outcome turnover. Results A 5-class model appeared to best fit the data: a “pseudo-satisfied” class that contained 8% of the sample, a “career-goal” class that contained 11% of the sample, a “satisfied class” that contained 44% of the sample, a “job-expectation” class that contained 3% of the sample, and an “unsatisfied class” that contained 17% of the sample. In terms of predicting the distal outcome “turnover,” the calculated odds ratios indicate that compared with class 3 or the satisfied group, class 2 was 14 times more likely, class 4 was 17 times more likely, and class 5 was 26 times more likely to state that they do not intend to be employed with their current employer 1 year from now. Conclusion The LCA method was found to be effective for finding relevant subgroups with a heterogeneous at-risk population for turnover. Results from the analysis indicate that job satisfaction may be parsed into smaller, more interpretable and useful subgroups. This result holds great promise for practitioners and researchers, alike.
Designing polymer surfaces via vapor deposition

Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD) methods significantly augment the capabilities of traditional surface modification techniques for designing polymeric surfaces. In CVD polymerization, the monomer(s) are delivered to the surface through the vapor phase and then undergo simultaneous polymerization and thin film formation. By eliminating the need to dissolve macromolecules, CVD enables insoluble polymers to be coated and prevents solvent damage to the substrate. Since de-wetting and surface tension effects are absent, CVD coatings conform to the geometry of the underlying substrate. Hence, CVD polymers can be readily applied to virtually any substrate: organic, inorganic, rigid, flexible, planar, three-dimensional, dense, or porous. CVD methods integrate readily with other vacuum processes used to fabricate patterned surfaces and devices. CVD film growth proceeds from the substrate up, allowing for interfacial engineering, real-time monitoring, thickness control, and the synthesis of films with graded composition. This article focuses on two CVD polymerization methods that closely translate solution chemistry to vapor deposition; initiated CVD and oxidative CVD. The basic concepts underlying these methods and the resultant advantages over other thin film coating techniques are described, along with selected applications where CVD polymers are an enabling technology.
Fourth-generation quark masses and Fritzsch mass matrices from Abelian family symmetry

We examine possible mass relations resulting from Fritzsch-type mass matrices for quarks in left-right-symmetric models with an Abelian family symmetry. While the three-generation model predicts no realistic mass relation, six possible schemes exist in the presence of a fourth generation of quarks (t',b'), with realistic constraints on the quark masses. The most attractive scheme predicts (${m}_{b\mathcal{'}}$-${m}_{b}$)(${m}_{t\mathcal{'}}$-${m}_{t}$)\ensuremath{\simeq}(${m}_{\mathrm{sb}}$${m}_{b}$${\mathcal{'}}_{\mathrm{ct}\mathcal{'}}^{13}$@B. When combined with the experimental constraints on the \ensuremath{\rho} parameter, this leads to ${m}_{t}$\ensuremath{\le}68 GeV, ${m}_{b\mathcal{'}}$\ensuremath{\le}46 GeV, and 145 GeV\ensuremath{\le}${m}_{t\mathcal{'}}$\ensuremath{\le}310 GeV.
Extending the testimony problem: evaluating the truth, scope, and source of cultural information.

Children's learning—in the domains of science and religion specifically, but in many other cultural domains as well—relies extensively on testimony and other forms of culturally transmitted information. The cognitive processes that enable such learning must also administrate the evaluation, qualification, and storage of that information, while guarding against the dangers of false or misleading input. Currently, the development of these appraisal processes is not clearly understood. Recent work, reviewed here, has begun to address three important dimensions of the problem: how children and adults evaluate truth in communication, how they gauge the inferential potential of information, and how they encode and evaluate its source.
Exchange programs for educators: American and Russian perspectives

International exchange and training programs play a significant role in the development of international cooperation between educators from different nations. More and more teachers and school administrators participate in exchange programs and implement new curricular and instructional practices in their institutions. This paper presents findings of a phenomenological interpretive case study of the impact of international exchange programs for educators on their participants’ pedagogical practices, social status and professional careers. The study was conducted in 2005 in the US and Russia. Through observations and in‐depth interviews with 35 informants, the author compares the perception of exchange programs and their outcomes for American and Russian alumni. The findings demonstrate differences and similarities in participants’ perspectives on their roles in international programs and on the application of program outcomes.
A Co-Moment Criterion for the Choice of Risky Investment by Firms

This paper uses Taylor series expansions and the assumption of small risks to derive a co-moment criterion that firms should maximize so that the resulting equilibrium is Pareto optimal. This is done in two models of production under uncertainty: the state-of-nature (SN) model in which the firms' outputs depend on states of nature and financial markets are complete with respect to these states of nature; and the probability (P) model in which the firms' risky outputs are modeled by their joint probabilities and financial markets span the outcome space of the firms. The theoretical criterion in the SN model is market-value maximization, while in the P model it is maximization of a firm's contribution to social welfare. We show that both criteria can be transformed into a common co-moment criterion which a firm should maximize, taking as given the production decisions of other firms and the co-moment prices, which can be deduced from the security prices. The co-moment criterion provides a unifying framework for the two equilibrium models of production under uncertainty, has the merit of being based on information which is readily available to firms, and provides greater insight than the theoretical criterion into the risk characteristics of its profit stream which a firm should focus on when choosing its investment plan.
A parent training model for toilet training children with autism

Background Azrin & Foxx pioneered an intensive toilet training protocol for individuals with intellectual disability living in a residential setting. Since the development of the Rapid Toilet Training (RTT) protocol, many have replicated the efficacy, most notably in educational and outpatient treatment settings, but often training over longer periods of time. This study presents data from a parent training model that replicates Azrin and Foxx's results and training time. Method This multiple baseline across subjects design study employs an ABA design where two boys diagnosed with autism were toilet trained using a modified Azrin & Foxx intensive teaching protocol. The first subject, a 4-year-old boy, did not have a history of attempted toilet training. The second subject, a 6-year-old boy, demonstrated a history of failed toilet training attempts in both the home and school settings. The trainings were conducted in the home setting where a novel parent-training approach was implemented. Results Participant 1 was continent at the end of the second day of training, and completely toilet trained (including initiation and communication) by day 10 of the intervention. Participant 2 was continent after day 1 and completely toilet trained by day 5 of the intervention. Conclusions Long-term follow-up demonstrates maintenance of skills 3 years post training. Social validity via parent satisfaction was assessed. Limitations to the current study and recommendations for future research were discussed.
Endovascular repair of lesions involving the descending thoracic aorta.

Background Vascular lesions involving the thoracic aorta are often life-threatening conditions that carry significant morbidity and mortality with traditional open surgical repair. Preliminary results suggest that endovascular therapy is an effective and possibly advantageous treatment for diseases of the descending thoracic aorta. Methods Between October 2000 and May 2004, 50 consecutive patients underwent endovascular stent-grafting of lesions involving the descending thoracic aorta. Attempted stent-graft deployment was performed electively in 39 patients and emergently in 11. The pathology of electively treated aortic lesions included degenerative/atherosclerotic aneurysms (n = 24), pseudoaneurysms (n = 11), aortic dissections (n = 2), and penetrating ulcers (n = 2). Emergently treated aortic lesions were for acute rupture due to infectious (mycotic) aneurysms (n = 4), atherosclerotic/degenerative aneurysms (n = 3), acute type B dissections (n = 2), and acute transections (n = 2). Devices used include Talent (n = 45), AneuRx aortic cuffs (n = 2), custom-fabricated Gianturco-Dacron grafts (n = 2), and a modified Cook-Zenith abdominal aortic graft (n = 1). Follow-up was performed at 1-month, 6-months, 1-year, and annually thereafter. Results Primary technical success, defined as successful deployment and exclusion of the lesion without evidence of type I or type III endoleak, was achieved in 48 (96%) of 50 patients. In one patient, the procedure was terminated due to inability to access the iliac vessels. In another patient, a type III endoleak was observed at the completion of the primary procedure that required deployment of an additional stent-graft component 2 months later. Of the 49 patients who received endografts, seven underwent secondary procedures to correct endoleaks, with five of these seven requiring the deployment of additional endovascular stent-graft components. Major complications included four in-hospital deaths, with three of these occurring in patients treated emergently. Additionally, respiratory failure (n = 6), multisystem organ failure (n = 2), cerebrovascular accident (n = 2), retroperitoneal hematoma (n = 2), acute renal insufficiency (n = 1), and pulmonary embolus (n = 1) were also observed. The overall endoleak rate was 20%, with five primary (≤30 days) and five secondary (>30 days) endoleaks observed. Five of the endoleaks were treated with the deployment of one or more additional endovascular stent-graft components. Two of the endoleaks were treated with endovascular balloon remolding. Mean follow-up was 271 days. There were no aneurysm ruptures or aneurysm-related deaths. Conclusions Endovascular treatment of vascular lesions involving the descending thoracic aorta can be safely performed with low morbidity in high-risk patients. Endovascular repair may become an attractive alternative for the treatment of a wide range of pathology along this vascular territory.
Delivery Room and Early Postnatal Management of Neonates Who Have Prenatally Diagnosed Congenital Heart Disease

Advances in fetal echocardiography are providing highly accurate diagnoses of congenital heart disease prior to delivery, making it possible to plan the delivery-room management of these newborns. Knowledge of the expected transitional circulation occurring with birth and the pathophysiologic implications of congenital heart disease increases the likelihood of providing efficient and effective therapies. The majority of neonates who have congenital heart disease will not require delivery room resuscitation in excess of routine care; however, a small number of prenatally diagnosed cardiac lesions are more likely to require urgent postnatal intervention immediately following delivery. These cardiac lesions include transposition of the great arteries with intact ventricular septum and restrictive atrial septum, hypoplastic left heart syndrome with intact atrial septum, obstructed total anomalous pulmonary venous return, and complete congenital heart block. Prenatal diagnosis allows for coordination of care surrounding delivery and during the early postnatal hours.
Error in a USGS 30-meter digital elevation model and its impact on terrain modeling

Calculations based on US Geological Survey (USGS) digital elevation models (DEMs) inherit any errors associated with that particular representation of topography. We investigated the potential impact of error in a USGS 30 m DEM on terrain analysis over 27 km 2 . The difference in elevation between 2652 differential Global Positioning Systems measurements and USGS 30-m DEM derived elevations provided the comparative error dataset. Analysis of this comparative error data suggested that although the global (average) error is small, local error values can be large, and also spatially correlated. Stochastic conditional simulation was used to generate multiple realizations of the DEM error surface that reproduce the error measurements at their original locations and sample statistics such as the histogram and semivariogram model. The differences between these alternative error surfaces provide a model of uncertainty for the unknown DEM error spatial distribution. These DEM errors had a significant impact on terrain attributes which compound elevation values of many grid cells (e.g. slope, wetness index, etc.). A case study using terrain modeling demonstrates that the result of error propagation is most dramatic in valley bottoms and along streamlines. q 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Convenient method for preparing benzyl ethers and esters using 2-benzyloxypyridine

Benzyloxy-1-methylpyridinium triflate (1) is emerging as a mild, convenient, and in some cases uniquely effective new reagent for the synthesis of benzyl ethers and esters. This article provides a revised benzyl transfer protocol in which N-methylation of 2-benzyloxypyridine delivers the active reagent in situ. Observations on the appropriate choice of solvent (toluene vs. trifluoro- toluene) and the extension of this methodology to the synthesis of other arylmethyl ethers are included.
Oxidized fatty acid-protein complexes

Complexes have been formed between egg albumin and oxidized linoleic acid. Little or no complex formation could be obtained with unoxidized linoleic acid, oleic acid, or lauric acid. The amount of complexed linoleic acid could not be increased to more than 8.0% in spite of a long reaction time. The number of reactive groups (amino, sulfhydryl, and hydroxyl) in the protein of the complexes and in the original protein were found to be the same. The data seemed to indicate that a covalent linkage did not exist between the reactive groups of the protein and the lipide in complexes of this type. Strongly bound adsorption complexes were formed between alumina and oxidized lipides by a simple mixing technique. A possible structure on the basis of a large number of hydrogen bonds has been proposed for the lipide-protein and the lipide-alumina complexes and has been discussed in detail.
Designing Restorative Justice Policy: An Analytical Perspective

The emerging notion of restorative justice loosely rests on several related, though distinct, theoretical, religious, and historical traditions. Efforts to implement restorative justice policies in the criminal processes in the United States have recently experienced a dramatic upsurge. However, successful implementation and theory testing both require careful theoretical specification, something that restorative justice currently seems to lack. This article attempts to identify heretofore unaddressed theoretical problems and offers future directions for researchers and practitioners to both ameliorate those problems and permit adequate testing and implementation. The article also describes current applications of restorative justice programs for offenders that may help clarify conceptual ambiguity.
Structure of the First Transmembrane Domain of the Neuronal Acetylcholine Receptor β2 Subunit

The recent cryoelectron microscopy structure of the Torpedo nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR) at 4-A resolution shows long helices for all transmembrane (TM) domains. This is in disagreement with several previous reports that the first TM domain of nAChR and other Cys-loop receptors are not entirely helical. In this study, we determined the structure and backbone dynamics of an extended segment encompassing the first TM domain (TM1e) of nAChR β2 subunit in dodecylphosphocholine micelles, using solution-state NMR and circular dichroism (CD) spectroscopy. Both CD and NMR results show less helicity in TM1e than in Torpedo nAChR structure (Protein Data Bank: 2BG9). The helical ending residues at the C-terminus are the same in the TM1e NMR structure and the Torpedo nAChR structure, but the helical starting residue (I-217) in TM1e is seven residues closer to the C-terminus. Interestingly, the helical starting residue is two residues before the highly conserved P-219, in accordance with the hypothesis that proline causes helical distortions at three residues preceding it. The NMR relaxation measurements show a dynamics pattern consistent with TM1e structure. The substantial nonhelical content adds greater flexibilities to TM1e, thereby implicating a different molecular basis for nAChR function compared to a longer and more rigid helical TM1.
Language as a Social Institution: Why Phonemes and Words Do Not Live in the Brain

It is proposed that a language, in a rich, high-dimensional form, is part of the cultural environment of the child learner. A language is the product of a community of speakers who develop its phonological, lexical, and phrasal patterns over many generations. The language emerges from the joint behavior of many agents in the community acting as a complex adaptive system. Its form only roughly approximates the low-dimensional structures that our traditional phonology highlights. Those who study spoken language have attempted to approach it as an internal knowledge structure rather than as a communal institution or set of conventions for coordination of activity. We also find it very difficult to avoid being deceived into seeing language in the form employed by our writing system as letters, words, and sentences. But our writing system is a further set of conventions that approximate the high-dimensional spoken language in a consistent and regularized graphical form.
Effect of aspirin on acute changes in peripheral arterial stiffness and endothelial function following exertional heat stress in firefighters: The factorial group results of the Enhanced Firefighter Rehab Trial.

Peripheral arterial stiffness and endothelial function, which are independent predictors of cardiac events, are abnormal in firefighters. We examined the effects of aspirin on peripheral arterial stiffness and endothelial function in firefighters. Fifty-two firefighters were randomized to receive daily 81 mg aspirin or placebo for 14 days before treadmill exercise in thermal protection clothing, and a single dose of 325 mg aspirin or placebo immediately following exertion. Peripheral arterial augmentation index adjusted for a heart rate of 75 (AI75) and reactive hyperemia index (RHI) were determined immediately before, and 30, 60, and 90 minutes after exertion. Low-dose aspirin was associated with lower AI75 (–15.25±9.25 vs −8.08±10.70, p=0.014) but not RHI. On repeated measures analysis, treatment with low-dose aspirin before, but not single-dose aspirin after exertion, was associated with lower AI75 following exertional heat stress (p=0.018). Low-dose aspirin improved peripheral arterial stiffness and w...
X-ray imaging of the APS storage ring beam stability effects: from the Alaskan earthquake to undulator field changes

The Advanced Photon Source (APS) 7-GeV storage ring serves as a national X-ray synchrotron radiation user facility. The stability and beam quality of the electron beam, and hence the photon beams, are monitored continuously by an array of diagnostics. In particular, X-ray imaging techniques are employed in the diagnostics sector of the ring to characterize beam position, size, and emittance. The X-ray synchrotron radiation (XSR) emitted by the electrons as they pass through the field of a dipole magnet is imaged by a pinhole camera. The images are processed by a Datacube MV200 video digitizer, and the results are provided through the EPICS platform. We have detected the effects on the beam ranging from the arrival of shock waves from the Alaskan earthquake of November 3, 2002 to the variation of the undulator fields by the users during their scans. In the latter case, the beam size effects were observed at the submicron level. Examples of beam centroid and size effects will be presented including some due to longitudinal instabilities at elevated stored beam currents.
Tracking a single fluorescent molecule with a confocal microscope

We consider the problem of tracking a single fluorescent molecule in both two and three dimensions using a confocal laser scanning microscope. An estimate of the position of the molecule is generated from the measured fluorescence signal through the use of parameter estimation theory. This estimate is used in a nonlinear controller designed both to track the position of the molecule and to provide good measurements for use in the estimation algorithm. The performance of the approach is investigated through numerical simulation for molecules undergoing diffusion and directed transport and the capabilities of the controller relative to experimental limitations are discussed.