cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Participatory Storytelling, 3D Digital Imaging and Museum Studies: A case study from Sicily

The aim of this paper is to demonstrate how the participatory and crowdsourcing project #iziTRAVELSicilia can be a significant tool in the dissemination of 3D models on cultural heritage. This project has been recognized as a best practice in the co-creation of cultural value, both in regional digital marketing and digital promotion and valorization through digital storytelling and crowdsourcing the interpretation of cultural heritage. Since its inception, thousands of people produced over 180 audio guides for cultural heritage sites. In this paper we briefly present the project and the case of the Archeological Museum ‘Paolo Orsi’ in Siracusa (Italy), as better practice in dissemination of digitized cultural heritage through platforms such as Google Street View and izi.TRAVEL, which can be used to disseminate 3D models such as those made by USF IDEx for the ‘Paolo Orsi’ Museum.
Using human factors to achieve patient and family-centered care

Abstract Rapid advances in technology and health information technology (HIT) are changing the reality of the patient experience and pushing the boundaries and expectations for both providers and health systems. Health systems are now focused on and invested in optimizing the safety, quality, outcomes, and efficiency of patient care. This state remains elusive and unattainable without the application of human factors, the science that focuses on understanding how individuals function within their surroundings. While human factors have been increasingly applied to the work that clinicians do, such as examining and improving electronic health records (EHRs), these methods are not as readily applied to the roles patients play in their own care. This is a critical missed opportunity. Human factors methods provide the tools to understand how patients engage with health care and how to optimize this interaction to improve health outcomes.
The role of acromial morphometry in the development of acromial stress fracture following reverse total shoulder arthroplasty.

BackgroundIndications for reverse total shoulder arthroplasty are expanding, and postoperative acromial stress fractures are a troubling postoperative complication. The purpose of this study was to...
An epidemiological survey of visceral leishmaniasis in Artux City of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region during 2005-2008

Objective To find out the epidemiological situation of the visceral leishmaniasis in Artux city of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region from 2005 to 2008.Methods Through physical examinations(palpation on liver,spleen),the survey was made among the villagers and the primary and middle school students,the common knowledge about control and prevention of visceral leishmaniasis was propagated.Meanwhile,steps were taken to mobilize the village medical staff and villagers to provide relevant clues of the suspected patients or the dying victims.Visits were paid to cured patients.Taking the past-year patients families as the centre,the anti-lambda-cyhalothrin was sprayed in a 50-meter-radius around the previous patients house and corral.Results From 2005 to 2008,there were 41 visceral leishmaniasis cases in all.Among them,33 cases had been found in 14 888 persons investigated,8 patients went to see the doctor by themselves,the number of such cases each year were 15,10,6 and 10.The age below 20 years old accounted for 80.49%(33/41),and above 21 years old accounted for 19.51%(8/41).Among the 41 treated cases,there were 35 cases cured,4 cases recurred and 2 cases dead.Through many kinds of promotional activities,10 000 leaflets,1 000 posters and 3 500 folding plates were provided in order to propagandize how to prevent visceral leishmaniasis.More than 585 persons were trained among the patients families,their neighbors,the village cadres and teachers.From 2005 to 2008,insecticides were sprayed to about 90 000 m2 around 348 families.Before spraying,41-70 sandflies could be killed per hour per one person,after spraying,only 2-21 sandflies could be killed per hour per one person.Conclusion The visceral leishmaniasis is still prevalent in Artux City.Spraying insecticides and massive investigation and treatment before the sandfly season could reduce the origin of infection and transmission vectors so as to control the disease. Key words: Artux City of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region; Visceral leishmaniasis(kala-azar); Epidemiological survey
Growth Factors and Atherogenesis

Although the advanced atherosclerotic lesion demonstrates tissue degeneration, early lesion formation is an intimai proliferative process that involves the smooth muscle cell as the proliferating cell of the fibrous plaque. They synthesize the connective tissue matrix and accumulate much of the lipid characteristic of this lesion.
State Sponsorship of Religiously Motivated Terrorism: A Deadly Combination

This study investigates the outcomes of suicide terrorism by examining the interaction between religious ideology and state sponsorship. Specifically, we are interested in how state sponsorship may...
Air Pollution, Neonatal Immune Responses, and Potential Joint Effects of Maternal Depression.

Prenatal maternal exposure to air pollution may cause adverse health effects in offspring, potentially through altered immune responses. Maternal psychosocial distress can also alter immune function and may increase gestational vulnerability to air pollution exposure. We investigated whether prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with altered immune responses in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) and potential modification by maternal depression in 463 women recruited in early pregnancy (1999–2001) into the Project Viva longitudinal cohort. We estimated black carbon (BC), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), residential proximity to major roadways, and near-residence traffic density, averaged over pregnancy. Women reported depressive symptoms in mid-pregnancy (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and depression history by questionnaire. Immune responses were assayed by concentrations of three cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α), in unstimulated or stimulated (phytohemagglutinin (PHA), cockroach extract (Bla g 2), house dust mite extract (Der f 1)) CBMCs. Using multivariable linear or Tobit regression analyses, we found that CBMCs production of IL-6, TNF-a, and IL-10 were all lower in mothers exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 during pregnancy. A suggestive but not statistically significant pattern of lower cord blood cytokine concentrations from ever (versus never) depressed women exposed to PM2.5, BC, or traffic was also observed and warrants further study.
Effects of post-washing on pretreated biomass and hydrolysis of the mixture of acetic acid and sodium hydroxide pretreated biomass and their mixed filtrate.

Abstract Effects of post-washing [one-volume water (I-VW) or double-volume water (Ⅱ-VW)] on pretreated hemp and poplar biomass and enzymatic hydrolysis of the mixture of HOAc and NaOH pretreated biomass and their mixed filtrate were investigated. Compared to I-VW, Ⅱ-VW increased 3.76–6.80% of glucan content in NaOH pretreated biomass, diminished lignin recondensation, and heightened cellulose-related FTIR peak intensities, crystallinity index, and lignin removal. The pH of mixed filtrate was around 4.80, precipitating the NaOH soluble lignin partially. Although Ⅱ-VW showed lower lignin recoveries than I-VW, their FTIR characteristics were equivalent to the commercial alkali lignin. Enzymatic hydrolysis at solid loadings of 2.5–10% (w/v) demonstrated that I-VW and Ⅱ-VW had marginal variations in sugar concentration and conversion efficiency, indicating that I-VW is sufficient for post-washing pretreated biomass. Glucose concentration exhibited a quadratic correlation with solid loading and hemp biomass reached the maximum glucose (43.88 g/L) and total sugar (57.08 g/L) concentrations with I-VW.
Migrant Mobilization for Homeland Politics: A Social Movement Approach

From the campaign of Chilean exiles all over the world to overthrow the regime of Augusto Pinochet in the 1970s to the contemporary mobilization of the Kurdish diaspora in Western Europe, various cases demonstrate the persistence of homeland ties among migrants, especially those who experienced repression and displacement by the government in their countries of origin. Diverse frameworks and concepts in both the humanities and the social sciences have been deployed to explain the involvement of migrants in politics in their home countries, from “long-distance nationalism” to “transnational activism.” Each points to different dynamic processes and causal mechanisms. In recent years, scholars have advocated the use of a social movement framework in the analysis of migrant mobilization, despite the marginalization of such studies in theory development. In this article, I examine the concepts put forward by the political process model (PPM) as they apply to the analysis of migrants' involvement in politics in their native land. I propose ways for PPM to be useful in the explanation of the dynamics and processes of homeland-oriented migrant mobilization.
Conflict and Consensus in Great Barrington: remembering W. E. B. Du Bois

W.E.B. Du Bois was one of the most influential and controversial scholar-activists of the twentieth century. His legacy includes, in addition to his best-known book, The Souls of Black Folk, shelves full of path-breaking scholarly works, novels, plays, pageants and essays. He is best remembered, however, for his political work, as a co-founder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, editor of its journal The Crisis, and a co-convener of Pan-African Congresses that paved the way for the decolonization of Africa, to name but a few of his accomplishments. This man of distinction was born in 1868 in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. One would think that his birth community would take pride in him as their most world-famous son. However, in 1969 attempts to dedicate a memorial park to Du Bois were met with vociferous and threatening opposition from some in the community. This article describes the significance of the memorial park, the circumstances surrounding the controversial dedication ceremony and work that has since sought to confront the racial and political opposition to Du Bois in the town of his birth.
Venn Symmetry and Prime Numbers: A Seductive Proof Revisited

An n-Venn diagram is a Venn diagram on n sets, which is defined to be a collection of n simple closed curves (Jordan curves) C1,C2, . . . ,Cn in the plane such that any two intersect in finitely many points and each of the 2n sets of the form ∩C i i is nonempty and connected, where i is one of “interior” or “exterior.” Thus the Venn regions are all bounded except for the region exterior to all curves; each bounded region is the interior of a Jordan curve. See [6] for much more information on Venn diagrams. An n-Venn diagram is symmetric if each curve Ci is ρ i (C1), where ρ is a rotation of order n about some center (we use O for the fixed point of rotation ρ). We use Boolean notation for combinations of sets, with the 0-1 string e1e2 . . . en representing ∩C i i , where i is interior (respectively, exterior) if ei = 1 (respectively, 0). Thus 111 . . . 1 represents F , the full intersection of all the interiors, 000 . . . 0 is the intersection of all the exteriors (the unbounded region), and 100 . . . 0 represents the set of points interior to C1 and exterior to the others. In a symmetric Venn diagram, rotation of a region by ρ corresponds to a rightward cyclic shift of the Boolean string. The universally familiar three-circle Venn diagram is symmetric, as is the one on two sets using two circles. For about 40 years a major open question was whether symmetric n-Venn diagrams exist for all prime n. Henderson found one for n = 5 and also (unpublished) for n = 7. Much later, Hamburger [3] settled the case of 11, which was quite complicated, and then in 2004 Griggs, Killian, and Savage [1] found an approach that works for all primes. So we now have the strikingly beautiful theorem that a symmetric n-Venn diagram exists if and only if n is prime. But there is a small problem: Henderson’s proof, which appears to be very simple, has a gap. Here is the proof from [4]. Suppose 1 ≤ k ≤ n − 1. Since a symmetric n-Venn diagram is symmetric with respect to a rotation of 2π/n, the regions corresponding to the Boolean strings with k 1s must come in groups of size n, each group consisting of one such region and its images under repeated rotation by 2π/n. Therefore n divides (n k ) . This concludes the proof because the only n for which this is true for the specified k-values are the primes (an easy-to-prove fact of number theory; see [5]). This is a very seductive argument. The primeness arises in such a cute way that one wants it to be true. Thus the proof has been repeated in many papers in the decades since it was first published. Yet there are problems. The proof does not call upon the connectedness of the Venn regions. Without connectedness the result is false; see Figure 1 (due to Grunbaum [2]), which shows a diagram satisfying all of the conditions
Structural Requirements for the Intestinal Mucosal-Cell Peptide Transporter: The Need for N-Terminal α-Amino Group

The requirement for a free α-amino group for the intestinal peptide carrier-mediated transport was investigated. A series of dipeptide analogues without the N-terminal α-amino group [including phenyl-propionylproline, phenylacetylproline, N-benzoylproline, phenylacetyl-α-methyldopa, and hippuric acid (N-benzoylglycine)] were studied in the perfused rat intestinal segment. The absorption of phenylpropionylproline, phenylacetyl-α-methyldopa, and N-benzoylproline was concentration dependent. The transport parameters (mean ± SD) of phenylpropionylproline and N-benzoylproline were as follows: Jmax*, 0.037 (±0.019) mM; Km, 0.045 (±0.027) mM; Pc*, 0.830 (±0.130); and Pm*, 0.673 ± 0.049; and Jmax*, 1.34 (±0.24) mM; Km, 1.31 (±0.30) mM; Pc*, 1.02 (±0.11); and Pm* 0; respectively. The intestinal permeabilities of phenylpropionylproline, phenylacetylproline, N-benzoylproline, and hippuric acid (N-benzoylglycine) were significantly reduced by dipeptides and ceph-radine. These results strongly suggest that these dipeptide analogues, without an α-amino group, are transported by the peptide carrier and provide more direct evidence that a free α-amino group is not absolutely essential for the mucosal-cell peptide carrier-mediated transport.
Role of hepatic cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase in bone development (921.1)

Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (POR) is the only known electron donor for Cytochromes P450 (CYPs), heme oxygenase (HO), and dehydrocholesterol reductase in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER). Hepatic CYPs are essential for the metabolism of cholesterol, steroids, sex hormones, and xenobiotics, such as drugs and toxins. Thus, alterations in POR activity will have multiple effects on the physiological activity of multitudinous metabolites. Human mutations in POR have been reported and present as altered steroidogenic profiles, severe craniofacial and bone defects resembling Antley-Bixler syndrome (ABS). Liver-specific POR null (LCN) mice were examined to study endo- and xeno-biotic metabolism. Surprisingly, previous studies demonstrated only minor changes in plasma and intestinal lipid content of LCN mice, suggesting that lipid homeostasis is maintained despite significant hepatic steatosis. Here, we show for the first time that the deletion of POR from the liver leads to decreased bone volume in both cortical ...
Ca2+-dependent myosin II activation is required for uropod retraction during neutrophil migration

Buffering of intracellular Ca2+ transients in human neutrophils leads to reduced motility due to defective uropod detachment on fibronectin and vitronectin-coated surfaces. Since one potential target of a rise in [Ca2+]i is the activation of myosin II, we characterized the role of myosin II during motility. Treatment of neutrophils with a myosin inhibitor (2,3-butanedione monoxime), or myosin light chain kinase inhibitors (ML-7, ML-9, or KT5926) resulted in impaired uropod retraction and a dose-dependent decrease in chemokinesis following stimulation with N-formyl-Met-Leu-Phe (fMLP). Treatment with ML-9 resulted in a redistribution of F-actin and talin to the non-retracted uropods, mimicking the redistribution observed during [Ca2+]i buffering. Impairment of uropod retraction and redistribution of F-actin and talin by myosin II inhibition was only observed on adhesive substrates such as fibronectin and not on poorly adhesive substrates such as human serum-coated glass. At higher concentrations of ML-9, cell polarization was inhibited and pseudopod extension occurred radially. Using an antibody specific for serine 19-phosphorylated regulatory light chain of myosin II, regions of activated myosin II were found at the leading edge as well as the uropod in motile fMLP-stimulated cells. [Ca2+]i depletion caused a 50% decrease in the level of serine 19-phosphorylated myosin II suggesting that activation of myosin II by intracellular Ca2+ transients may be an essential step in establishing a polarized pseudopod and providing the force required for uropod retraction during PMN motility on adhesive surfaces.
Mammies and Matriarchs: Tracing Images of the Black Female in Popular Culture 1950s to Present

The figure of the Mammy dominated American television in the 1940s and 1950s. As we transitioned into the twenty-first century, this imagery re-emerged as a result of the Black male in drag. Tracing the development of this figure from the 1950s to the specific case of Eddie Murphy in drag, this paper examines how Black Motherhood and the Mammy continues to be a part of the African American cinematic experience.
Initial Use of Dioximate Ligands in 3d/4f Cluster Chemistry: Synthesis, Structure, and Magnetic Studies of an Unusual [GdIII2MnIVO]8+ Complex

An unusual [MnIVGdIII2(μ3-O2−)]8+ triangular complex has been prepared from the initial use of 2,6-diacetylpyridine dioxime (dapdoH2) in 3d/4f cluster chemistry. The complex has an S = 13/2 ground state, with exchange parameters J = +0.49 cm−1 and J′ = −0.12 cm−1 [ℋ = −2J(Ŝi·Ŝj) convention] for the GdIII···MnIV and GdIII···GdIII interactions, respectively. The origin of this ground state has been rationalized by consideration of the spin frustration occurring within the complex as a function of the relative magnitude of the competing interactions.
Entrepreneur Passion And Preparedness In Business Plan Presentations: A Persuasion Analysis Of Venture Capitalists' Funding Decisions

We investigated the extent to which venture capitalists' (VCs') perceptions of “entrepreneurial passion” influence the VCs' investment decisions. We defined entrepreneurial passion as an entreprene...
Digital and Hilbert k -d trees

Abstract Digital k -d tries and Hilbert k -d trees are constructed via the alternating bits of multi-dimensional data. Both structures support dictionary and multi-dimensional search operations with time complexities competitive with standard k -d trees.
Radiative charge-exchange process in high-energy ion-atom collisions

Based on the impulse approximation, the radiative charge exchange process in high-energy ion-atom collisions is studied with an application to the collisions between protons and hydrogen atoms, as well as collisions between various uranium ions (U/sup +2/, U/sup +36/, U/sup +92/) and various target atoms (N, Ne, Ar, Kr). The dependence on the incident-ion charge state and the target atom is discussed.
Reply to Comment on "Generation of 10 11 contrast 50 TW laser pulses"

We show that the Comment of Albert et al. [Opt. Lett.31, 2990 (2006)], although being only marginally relevant to the content of the original paper [Opt. Lett.31, 1456 (2006)], misinterprets our results and leads to a wrong conclusion: that the rotation of the second crystal in the double-crystal scheme is unimportant. On the contrary, it follows from the Comment itself as well as from our experiment that the crystal rotation is the main factor in improving the efficiency.
On grain boundary disorder and the tensile ductility of polycrystalline ordered alloys: A hypothesis

Uniform, arbitrary and volume-conserving plastic deformation of polycrystalline materials requires five independent deformation modes. Where deformation is not uniform, which may be the rule rather than the exception, the requirement may be relaxed. The purpose of this note is to suggest that the tensile ductility of polycrystalline, long-range ordered alloys may require additionally that the grain boundary region be, at least, partially disordered.
The fiscal-geographic nexus: An overview of fiscal impact assessment in local policy development

Abstract Fiscal impact assessments exist to provide decision makers with the tools to make informed decisions regarding local government finances. Every type of change in a community will have a unique impact on the local economy. This impact cannot be evaluated without careful attention to the particular geographic setting of the study. Unfortunately, geography is currently underutilized in the practice of fiscal impact analysis. This paper argues that the increased application of geographic tools is a key to improving the accuracy of fiscal impact reports.
Computation of Crystal Growth Arrest by an Adsorption-Inhibition Mechanism

The well-documented global nanoscale crystal growth arrest phenomenon in which a crystal interface in the presence of adsorbates ceases to evolve everywhere and a novel local growth arrest phenomenon occurring along regions of growing nanocrystal interfaces are computed for the first time by the numerical solution to a modified, fully transient, 2D continuum model of crystal growth. In the model, the evolving nanocrystalline interface and the bulk thermal fields are calculated while allowing for the effect of growth-inhibiting interfacial adsorbates, for example, antifreeze proteins (AFPs). By modification of a linear phenomenological interfacial molecular/atomic attachment kinetic law, this model represents the adsorption-inhibition (AI) mechanism of growth arrest. Results show that if adsorbates (AFPs) are spaced less than the critical nucleus diameter along a crystal interface then the growth of a crystal is arrested globally, whereas without the adsorbates growth would continue indefinitely. Calculati...
Micromachined Deformable Mirrors for Adaptive Optics

Recent progress on deformable mirror systems made at Boston University and Boston Micromachines Corporation is described. The mirror’s optical, electrical, and mechanical performance characteristics are summarized, and the effects of air damping on performance are described. Two applications that have employed the µDM in laser communications and retinal imaging are introduced.
Synthesis of phenyl [1-14C]acetylene and 1,4–diphenyl[1,4-14C2] butadiyne

Phenyl [1-14C] acetylene (0.012mCi/mmole) was synthesized in 12.5% yield from [1-14C] acetic acid through [1-14C] acetophenone, its semicarbazone, and 4-phenyl-[4-14C] 1,2,3-selenadiazole obtained by selenium dioxide oxidation. Oxidative coupling gave 1,4-diphenyl [1,4-14C2] butadiyne in 80% yield.
Salience of Alcohol Expectancies and Drinking Outcomes.

There is a body of research which indicates that endorsement of positive alcohol expectancies predicts alcohol drinking patterns; however, there is inconsistency in the literature regarding which particular alcohol expectancies predict drinking. Although an individual may endorse a variety of alcohol expectancy beliefs, these beliefs may not be of equal importance to drinking decisions. This study investigated whether the prediction of drinking might be enhanced by considering salience of alcohol expectancies rather than mere endorsement. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrated that expectancy salience significantly improved the prediction of total alcohol consumption above and beyond the effects of expectancy endorsement. Expectancy salience was less effective as a predictor of heavy drinking.
Performance measurement effects on organizational responses to threats

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explain how an organization’s performance measurement system can influence the appropriateness of an organization’s responses to threats. Design/methodology/approach – Inductive and deductive reasoning, drawing on major theories and on empirical findings in the management literature. Findings – An organization’s performance measurement system can influence the effectiveness of the organization’s detections of threats and the appropriateness of the organization’s responses to threats and, in these ways, contribute to the organization’s robustness and sustainability. Practical implications – Formation of an appropriate performance management system can prove critical to both detection of and responses to organizational threats. As such, an organizational performance management system can contribute to organizational robustness and sustainability. Originality/value – The idea, that an organization’s performance measurement system can influence the effectiveness of th...
Increased Yield of Bread Containing Citrus Peel Fiber

ABSTRACT Bread yield is economically important to commercial bakers. Flour was replaced with 2.5% citrus peel fiber or 0.23% pectin. Pectin increased water absorption by 0.6% in the farinograph, 2% in the mixograph, and 4% in baking. Citrus peel fiber had a greater effect, increasing water absorption by 6.5% in the farinograph, 7% in the mixograph, 6.4% in the mixolab, and 10% in baking. Citrus peel fiber strengthened dough while pectin had a weakening effect. Loaves containing citrus peel fiber had decreased loaf volume but crumb grain characteristics similar to control loaves. Pectin did not affect loaf volume but had a deleterious effect on the crumb grain. Neither citrus peel fiber nor pectin affected bread firming. Citrus peel fiber increased loaf weight by increasing water absorption, indicating that low levels of citrus peel fiber in the bread formula is an effective way to increase bread yield.
Peridialytic, intradialytic, and interdialytic blood pressure measurement in hemodialysis patients.

Hypertension is highly prevalent and frequently uncontrolled in hemodialysis (HD) patients 1, and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials show that the treatment of HD patients with antihypertensive medications is associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes 2,3 which remain a leading cause of death in HD patients 4. Nonetheless, there is no consensus on whether to lower elevated blood pressure (BP) among HD patients and to what level should BP be targeted 5,6. This is in large part due to difficulties associated with accurate assessment of BP among HD patients 7–10.
Oblique effect in stereopsis

Contrast thresholds are lower for detection of a vertical pattern than for an obliquely-oriented pattern. Is there an analogous oblique effect for the depth threshold of a stereoscopic luminance pattern? If so, why? Are the causes different from those for an oblique effect with monocular vision? To explore these issues, we used stereoscopic blurry bar (D6) luminance patterns with a peak spatial frequency of 2 or 4 cycles/degree (cpd) and either a vertical or an oblique orientation. We obtained psychometric functions for data obtained from a method of constant stimuli procedure, using 100 forced-choice trials for each datum. For each of three observers we estimated stereoacuity with a maximum-likelihood curve-fitting procedure. Subjects showed better stereoacuity for the vertical spatial patterns than for the oblique patterns. Some possible causes are that for oblique patterns (unlike vertical patterns) (1) the total vertical extent of the pattern is shrunk by a factor of sin((theta) ), where (theta) equals 90 degree(s) for vertical; (2) the pattern is 'stretched out' in the horizontal direction by a factor of csc((theta) ); (3) there are vertical as well as horizontal retinal disparities. Perhaps the resulting sparseness of horizontal disparity information or the potential vertical disparities in the oblique patterns reduce stereoacuity. To disentangle these causes, we used several different experimental conditions (e.g., elongation of oblique patterns) run in randomized blocks of trials. We will discuss these results and implications for stereopsis.
On the determination of redundancies in sociometric chains

The use of a matrix to represent a relationship between the members of a group is well known in sociometry. If this matrix is raised to a certain power, the elements appearing give the total number of connecting paths between each pair of members. In general, some of these paths will be redundant. Methods of finding the number of such redundant paths have been developed for three- and four-step chains by Luce and Perry (3) and Katz (2), respectively. We have derived formulas for the number of redundant paths of five and six steps; and in addition, an algorithm for determining the number of redundant paths of any given length.
Efficient Utilization of Crude Glycerol as Fermentation Substrate in the Synthesis of Poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) Biopolymers

One refined and two crude glycerol (from biodiesel production) samples were utilized to produce poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) by Pseudomonas oleovorans NRRL B-14682. A batch culture fermentation protocol including 1% glycerol and an aeration rate of 3 standard liters per minute proved best for PHB synthesis (av. yield = 1.0 ± 0.2 g/L at 48 h) and efficient glycerol utilization. PHB molecular weights decreased as MeOH concentration increased. Refined glycerol resulted in PHB polymers with number average molecular weights (M n) of 314,000 g/mol which decreased by 17 and 90% as MeOH media concentrations increased to <0.005 and 0.85%, respectively. Proton (1H) NMR demonstrated the presence of glycerol- and methoxy-based end-capping, which was confirmed by 1H diffusion experiments (DOSY analyses). NMR diffusion analyses of the PHB polymers established their diffusivities, and confirmed that their relative molecular sizes were dependent on the impurities in the glycerol. In addition, DOSY analyses indicated that each end-capped PHB polymer and the glycerol or methoxy groups bound to it had the same diffusion constants, demonstrating that they migrated together as covalent complexes. Non-covalent complexation was eliminated by physically mixing free glycerol with PHB synthesized from oleic acid; their respective diffusivities were notably faster.
Terror and truth.

During a time when the winds of war were rising in the distance, I was at a conference that focused on the interface between psychoanalytic theory and culture. Enquiring minds had come together in their attempts to explore—and perhaps better understand—some of the complexities of living in today’s world. The texts were intriguing and complex, often abstract and abstruse, inviting us to wander further in our forays. The subtext, however, was unmistakable, as themes of terror, trauma, persecution, atrocity, and the seeming inevitability of escalating war hovered at the edges of our collective consciousness. The ostensible theme of the conference was the “desire of the analyst,” but the subtheme was desire itself and how easily desire becomes perverted, denied, and demonized. I had spoken, the first morning, of how trauma disconnects us from our primary sensory experience, from knowing the “language of the body” sufficiently well to heed its cues and work within its parameters. Trauma encourages defensive occlusion of primary perception from our awareness, thereby also precluding effective, adaptive integration of and response to its signals. Later that evening I was to have an experience that brought to life quite vividly these principles, as I was confronted by an individual who had seemingly brought her trauma with her, and then reencountered and reenacted it within the confines of the conference. Klein (1946, 1952) describes quite vividly the demonization of the other: how repudiated aspects of self become persecutors, haunting and hounding us. Whatever we refuse to recognize within the self becomes projected outward, experienced as a persecuting other, taunting, mocking, and threatening us, ostensibly
Recurrent seizures alter renal function and plasma atrial natriuretic peptide levels in rats

Status epilepticus can lead to impaired renal function, which has been attributed to complications of myoglobinuria. We confirmed changes in renal function in the absence of myoglobinuria by measuring renal hemodynamics, fluid and electrolyte excretions, and plasma levels of renin and atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) before and after a 30-min period of recurrent generalized seizures in anesthetized, paralyzed rats. Renal plasma flow (RPF), renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) decreased by approximately 60% after seizures. In contrast, urinary sodium excretion, urine flow, and plasma ANP levels increased approximately threefold. Urinary potassium excretion and plasma renin levels were unchanged. Renal function is profoundly altered after 30 min of seizures, primarily due to intense renal vasoconstriction precipitating a dramatic reduction in GFR. The concomitant increases in sodium and urine excretion may be mediated by the marked increase in plasma ANP levels. The decreases in GFR and RBF might contribute to the renal failure observed in some patients after status epilepticus.
A variation on Karmarkar's algorithm for solving linear programming problems

The algorithm described here is a variation on Karmarkar's algorithm for linear programming. It has several advantages over Karmarkar's original algorithm. In the first place, it applies to the standard form of a linear programming problem and produces a monotone decreasing sequence of values of the objective function. The minimum value of the objective function does not have to be known in advance. Secondly, in the absence of degeneracy, the algorithm converges to an optimal basic feasible solution with the nonbasic variables converging monotonically to zero. This makes it possible to identify an optimal basis before the algorithm converges.
Measuring Trust among Frontline Health Workers in Rural Ethiopia

Research on trust, and its influence on teamwork, among health workers in low-resource settings has been understudied. We, therefore, undertook a formative study of trust among three diverse cadres of frontline health workers in Amhara region, Ethiopia. We aimed to develop a comprehensive description of trust in this setting and generate a tool to measure levels of trust within and between cadres. In-depth interviews with 30 frontline workers uncovered a core set of items that seem to define trust in this setting (character/ability/communication), including novel conceptualizations (oneness). Twenty-five items developed from formative data were pilot tested with 92 health workers. The final 10-item scale exhibited strong internal consistency across cadres (alpha>0.83). In support of criterion validity, the scale was positively associated with the sense-of-team scale (p<0.001) and accounted for greater variance in health workers' sense-of-team (Adj.R2 =0.67) than did a composite of single trust items (Adj....
Bubble nucleation in lipid bilayers: A mechanism for low frequency ultrasound disruption

Recent experiments have shown that low frequency ultrasound (LFUS) induces leakage from lipid vesicles. However, the mechanism by which LFUS disrupts the lipid bilayer structure is not clear. In this paper we develop a theoretical model to test the possibility that gas molecule partitioning from the aqueous media into the lipid bilayer core can lead to the nucleation of microscale gas bubbles. If those can, indeed, form, then their presence in the lipid bilayer and interactions with an ultrasound field can cause bilayer disruption and leakage. The model derived here for the nucleation of stable bubbles accounts for the 'surface tension' that the lipid bilayer exerts on the bubble, a result of the associated disruption of the lipid packing. The model predicts that the probability of bubble nucleation is highly sensitive to the bilayer thickness, and largely insensitive to the bilayer phase. The probability of stable bubble formation is shown to correlate with experimentally measured sensitivity of lipid bilayers to LFUS, suggesting that membrane disruption may be due to embedded bubbles that nucleated in the bilayer.
Green marketing strategies: an examination of stakeholders and the opportunities they present

As green marketing strategies become increasingly more important to firms adhering to a triple-bottom line performance evaluation, the present research seeks to better understand the role of “green” as a marketing strategy. Through an integration of the marketing, management, and operations literatures, an investigative framework is generated that identifies the various stakeholders potentially impacted through the environmentally friendly efforts of a firm. Specifically, the inter-connected nature of the core business disciplines of marketing, management (both strategy and human resources), and operations are examined as controllable functions within an organization from which strategies can be enacted to affect a firm’s stakeholders. The prior research in these areas is examined to identify potential research opportunities in marketing while also offering a series of representative research questions that can help guide future research in marketing.
Properties which influence marine fouling resistance in polymers containing silicon and fluorine

Our research strives to understand and construct polymer surfaces with no inherent power to interact with other materials, especially with the biological polymers used by marine organisms to bind themselves to objects in the sea. During the past 15 years we have synthesized polymers, formulated them into coatings, and measured their resistance to marine fouling in both static and dynamic testing. The polymer surface property which has been most frequently correlated with bioadhesion is critical surface tension (γc); in fact, a generalized relationship between γc and marine fouling has been known for more than twenty years. However, this behavior is also influenced by other bulk and surface properties of the polymer. This paper presents several alternative interpretations of the relationship between γc and bioadhesion, and uses these insights to develop requirements for polymers which refuse or resist strong bonds to other materials.
Mechanisms for the Interannual Variability in the Tropical Indian Ocean. Part I: The Role of Remote Forcing from the Tropical Pacific

Abstract A series of experiments are conducted using a coupled ocean–atmosphere general circulation model in regional coupled mode, which permits active air–sea interaction only within the Indian Ocean to the north of 30°S, with sea surface temperatures (SSTs) prescribed over the rest of the world oceans. In this paper, an ensemble of nine simulations has been analyzed with the observed SST anomalies for 1950–98 prescribed over the uncoupled region. The purpose of this study is to determine the major patterns of interannual variability in the tropical Indian Ocean that could be related to the global low-frequency fluctuations and to understand the physical links between the remote forcing and the regional coupled variations. The ensemble coupled simulations with prescribed SST outside the Indian Ocean are able to reproduce a considerable amount of observed variability in the tropical Indian Ocean during 1950–98. The first EOF modes of the simulated upper-ocean heat content and SST anomalies show structure...
From the patient perspective: The economic value of seasonal and H1N1 influenza vaccination

Although studies have suggested that a patient's perceived cost-benefit of a medical intervention could affect his or her utilization of the intervention, the economic value of influenza vaccine from the patient's perspective remains unclear. Therefore, we developed a stochastic decision analytic computer model representing an adult's decision of whether to get vaccinated. Different scenarios explored the impact of the patient being insured versus uninsured, influenza attack rate, vaccine administration costs and vaccination time costs. Results indicated that the cost of avoiding influenza was fairly low (with one driver being required vaccination time). To encourage vaccination, decision makers may want to focus on ways to reduce this time, such as vaccinating at work, churches, or other normally frequented locations.
Obstacles encountered in application of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for control of tuberculosis in a large dental center

Abstract Background: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have designated five categories of workplaces as carrying higher than normal risk for exposure to tuberculosis (TB): “health care facilities” is one of these categories. To assist all health care facilities in developing an appropriate and effective control plan, the CDC has listed various components to be included in the overall plan—however, the components needed cannot be determined until the level of risk has been determined. The published criteria for risk assessment are more appropriately applicable to a hospital-based facility. In complying with CDC's guidelines and adopting the recommended components of the TB control program at a large, educational, ambulatory care dental facility, several obstacles were identified. Methods: As part of the risk assessment for TB transmission and to determine the significance of purified protein derivative of tuberculin (PPD) skin-test conversions observed among the student and employee populations, we implemented a strategy that consisted of surveying all accredited dental schools in the country, performing a controlled PPD screening study involving predoctoral dental students in their junior year, and reviewing and evaluating all patient registration records for the same period. Results: Forty-four percent of the dental schools contacted agreed to participate in the survey. Of these, 58% had no information available on student PPD conversion rates and 29% either had no data available yet or were unwilling to share their information. Three schools (12%) that had some data and were willing to share it reported PPD conversion rates for faculty, students, or staff of 1% to 2%. The student PPD study showed a 10.7% conversion rate, but the registration record reviews showed no convincing evidence of patients with active TB having been registered at the dental school for the period of the student PPD study. Conclusion: Development of a TB control program relies heavily on assessment of risk within a health care facility. The sporadic reports of PPD conversion rates among dental care workers are not adequate to determine the magnitude of exposure to TB in educational dental settings. Further studies are necessary to establish the true risk and to assist dental care facilities in developing TB control programs.
A Test of Two Methods of Recall for Violent Events

This project took advantage of an opportunity to test the comparability of two different methods for collecting self-reports of violent incidents. Using a life events calendar (LEC) approach, we collected data from individuals about violent incidents that occurred within a 1–3-year prior time period. These individuals had been research participants in a previous study that collected information about violent incidents using prospective, weekly interviews. Results using the LEC method were compared with the weekly self-reports of violence for an overlapping recall period. This allowed us to see how well the recall of violent incidents at a later date mapped onto reports obtained within seven days of any incidents. Overall results show a significant amount of under-reporting using the life-event calendar methodology compared to the weekly interview approach, but some higher concordance of reporting was found for serious rather than minor violence.
Bridging the Gap Between Mind and Body: A Biobehavioral Model of the Effects of Guided Imagery on Pain, Pain Disability, and Depression

Chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) is a common and complex disorder associated with declines in physical health and functional status, emotional well-being, and quality of life. To best address the complexity of this condition, research and clinical practice for CNCP should be guided by a framework incorporating both biologic and psychologic factors. This article presents a biobehavioral model of chronic pain that hypothesizes mechanisms related to the effectiveness of a complementary therapy, guided imagery (GI), for this population. Using the research-to-model/theory strategy, we mapped findings from published reports of interdisciplinary research into physiologic and psychologic aspects of the nature and mechanisms of pain, as well as the use of GI for pain, to build the model of GI's effects on pain, pain disability, and depression. In the model, these outcomes of GI for persons experiencing CNCP are mediated by psychologic (pain self-efficacy and pain beliefs) and physiologic (immune-mediated analgesia and sickness response) variables. A biobehavioral approach to nursing phenomena will advance understanding of health and health-related issues and has the potential to improve outcomes through delineation of mechanisms underlying relationships between psychologic and biologic factors. Increased consumer use of complementary therapies to treat pain, the current cost-driven health care system, and the mandate for evidence-based practice support the need to validate the efficacy of such therapies. This empirically derived model provides a framework for practice and research for nurses and other health care providers to promote health, function, and well-being in persons with CNCP.
Cefuroxime-induced immune hemolysis

Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia (IHA) is rare but is being reported with increasing frequency. The most commonly cited cause of drug-induced IHA has been receipt of second and third generation cephalosporin antibiotics. We report the first case of IHA associated with cefuroxime administration.
Work-family balance and academic advancement in medical schools

Objective This study examines various options that a faculty member might exercise to achieve work-family balance in academic medicine and their consequences for academic advancement.
How to creatively communicate Microsoft.NET technologies in the IT curriculum

This paper discusses the creative methods used to teach Microsoft Visual Studio.NET in our College program. The techniques included overlapping of course coverage to provide continuity and implementation of projects that incorporated several different technologies with direct real world application. Although problems and difficulties were encountered, the strength of the techniques, benefits to students, solutions offered and programs implemented produced positive results that could be replicated in other College programs.The future of these programs lies in the advancement of these technologies that will continue to provide students with the opportunity to integrate various programming, Web and mobile technologies into real world projects that can directly impact their communities. The addition of such a Service Learning component will enhance the effectiveness of the course instruction and provide the students with a sense of civic responsibility while benefiting the local community partners.