cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Making it happen: Keeping precarious workers’ experiences central during COVID-19

[...]COVID-19 is a global event that is different from anything we have experienced. Contractors also generally lack federal employment protections, such as those covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, as well as employee benefits, like paid sick leave (e.g., Tran & Sokas, 2017). Suggested Sources for Gig Work Literature Reviews Field/discipline Sample outlets Human factors, human-computer interaction, and information systems Computers in Human Behavior;New Technology, Work and Employment;The Association for Computing Machinery’s conferences on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI) and Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW);The Association for Information Systems’ conferences (e.g., Americas Conference on Information Systems (AMCIS)) Sociology, socioeconomics, and economics Research in the Sociology of Work book series;Journal of Sociology;New Technology, Work and Employment;Work, Employment, and Society;Society for the Advancement of Socioeconomics (SASE) conference;National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER) working papers Law, labor, and employment relations Comparative Labor Law & Policy Journal;The Economic and Labour Relations Review;Transfer: European Review of Labour and Research;Cornell’s DigitalCommons@ILR white papers and Cornell’s journal ILR Review;International Labor Organization (ILO) issue briefs, working papers, and reports Note. Of special note in gig economy research, recent discussions have called into question the correspondence of company-sponsored research with nonsponsored research, as well as with workers’ lived experiences (Scheiber, 2020), so considering data collection or acquisition methods may be especially important here.
Control of Cell Proliferation: Is the Default State of Cells Quiescence or Proliferation?

The control of cell proliferation in multicellular organisms remains a perennially controversial subject in experimental biology. In this essay, we examine the historical background and the rationale adopted by diverse theoretical and experimental research programs aimed at explaining how and why cells proliferate. We examine the premises that favor the notion that cells in multicellular organisms require direct stimulation from the outside (a task attributed to alleged growth factors) or from the inside (through the elusive action of oncogenes). Our analysis suggests that neither growth factors nor oncogenes directly stimulate the proliferation of cells. Based on evolutionary precedents, theoretical considerations and empirical data we posit instead that proliferation is the default state of all cells; thus, a search for extra- and intra-cellular inhibitory constraints promises to be productive when explaining this basic property of cells within the context of normal and abnormal developmental biology.
Dual-Arm Needle Manipulation with the da Vinci ® Surgical Robot Under Uncertainty

This paper proposes a path correction method for surgical robotic systems performing needle handoff manipulations as part of autonomous execution of surgical suturing. During handoff motions, the position and orientation of the needle is subject to perturbations from the idealized planned pose due to uncertainties in camera-robot calibration and needle localization. If, after a perturbation, the system needs to perform subsequent needle regrasp(s), but the robot still follows the originally planned trajectory out of the path planner [1], it has a lower chance of gripping the needle properly. In order to accommodate these unpredictable needle pose perturbations, the proposed path correction method works locally to direct the needle from the wrong pose to the original pose by partial replanning of the robot motion. The reliability of the proposed method is evaluated with three sets of experiments in a simulation environment.
Mesarovician Abstract Learning Systems.

The solution methods used to realize artificial general intelligence (AGI) may not contain the formalism needed to adequately model and characterize AGI. In particular, current approaches to learning hold notions of problem domain and problem task as fundamental precepts, but it is hardly apparent that an AGI encountered in the wild will be discernable into a set of domain-task pairings. Nor is it apparent that the outcomes of AGI in a system can be well expressed in terms of domain and task, or as consequences thereof. Thus, there is both a practical and theoretical use for meta-theories of learning which do not express themselves explicitly in terms of solution methods. General systems theory offers such a meta-theory. Herein, Mesarovician abstract systems theory is used as a super-structure for learning. Abstract learning systems are formulated. Subsequent elaboration stratifies the assumptions of learning systems into a hierarchy and considers the hierarchy such stratification projects onto learning theory. The presented Mesarovician abstract learning systems theory calls back to the founding motivations of artificial intelligence research by focusing on the thinking participants directly, in this case, learning systems, in contrast to the contemporary focus on the problems thinking participants solve.
The Qualitative Manifesto: A Call to Arms

What are the prospects for those who engage in qualitative inquiry? The leading figure in the qualitative community, Norman Denzin, provides a "call to arms" for researchers in this brief, provocative book. Denzin asks for a research tradition engaged in social justice, sensitive to identity and indigenous concerns, brave to risk presentation in forms beyond traditional academic writing, and committed to teaching this to their students and colleagues. He outlines a cogent, inclusive blueprint for the future of the field. This is an important work for anyone engaged in qualitative inquiry.
Robust Control of Particulate Processes

This chapter focuses on robust control of particulate processes described by uncertain population balances. The objective is to develop a general method for the synthesis of practically-implementable robust nonlinear controllers that explicitly handle time-varying uncertain variables (e.g., unknown process parameters and disturbances) and unmodeled dynamics (e.g., fast actuator and sensor dynamics not included in the process model). The robust nonlinear controllers enforce stability in the closed-loop system and attenuation of the effect of uncertain variables on the outputs, and achieve particle size distributions with desired characteristics (e.g., PSDs with desired total mass, mean particle size).
Lithium/Water Interactions: Experiments and Analysis

The interaction of molten-lithium droplets with water is studied experimentally. In one set of experiments, droplets of ∼10- to 15-mm diameter are injected into a vessel filled with water. The reac...
In Search of Sensitivity in Network Optimization

This paper concerns the following questions regarding policy synthesis in large queueing networks: (i) It is well known that an understanding of variability is important in the determination of safety stocks to prevent unwanted idleness. Is this the only value of high-order statistical information in policy synthesis? (ii) Will a translation of an optimal policy for the deterministic fluid model (in which there is no variability) lead to an allocation which is approximately optimal for the stochastic network? (iii) What are the sources of highest sensitivity in network control? A sensitivity analysis of an associated fluid-model optimal control problem provides an exact dichotomy in (ii). If an optimal policy for the fluid model is ‘maximally non-idling’, then variability plays a small role in control design. If this condition does not hold, then the ‘gap’ between the fluid and stochastic optimal policies is exactly proportional to system variability. Furthermore, under mild assumptions, we find that the optimal policy for the stochastic model is closely approximated by an affine shift of the fluid optimal solution. However, sensitivity of steady-state performance with respect to perturbations in the policy vanishes with increasing variability.
Amino Acid Sequence and Sequence Variability of the Amino-terminal Regions of Lysine-rich Histones

The amino acid sequence has been determined for the first 72 residues of a lysine-rich histone from rabbit thymus. These are the residues contained in a fragment released from the histone by treatment with N-bromosuccinimide. Peptides derived by tryptic, thermolysin, and chymotryptic digestion of this 72-residue fragment were used to reconstruct the total sequence. Analysis of the sequence revealed some unusual aspects of the structure of the fragment, which comprises about one-third of the histone molecule. Thirty of the first 40 residues are accounted for by lysine, alanine, and proline; this portion of the fragment includes sequences of 4, 2, and 3 consecutive basic residues. The last 32 residues contain all the hydrophobic amino acids (valine, isoleucine, leucine, tyrosine) of the fragment but have few basic residues and no prolines. The NH2 terminus of the histone is acetylated. Comparison of the sequence of the NH2-terminal half of this lysine-rich histone with the entire sequences of the slightly lysine-rich and arginine-rich histones shows that all three have similar characteristics, that is, an NH2-terminal region rich in basic amino acids and a COOH-terminal portion rich in hydrophobic residues. Tryptic peptides from the NH2-terminal N-bromosuccinimide fragment of two other thymus lysine-rich histones have been isolated. These peptides (with partial sequences) were aligned by direct identity or analogy with the complete amino acid sequence of the NH2-terminal N-bromosuccinimide fragment of the lysine-rich histone studied previously. It was found that there were from 7 to 14 amino acid differences between fractions. One of the amino acid interchanges eliminates a major phosphorylation site.
The Cause of Action - A Reply

The continuation of the argument started in the December issue of this REVIEW 1 and answered in the February issue by Dean Clark 2 is not entirely unnecessary, due to the fact that the opposition has substituted champions on me. I am sure that little is to be gained by the simple reiteration of statements previously made. Certainly the intelligent reader can take the existing evidence and determine what are the issues, and what is his choice. But something, I believe, is to be gained by an attempt to summarize the results and check up on the substance of Dean Clark's answer. I have no illusion that anything I say may convert him, Mr. Arnold, nor anyone else wedded to the position taken. But despite the fear expressed by Dean Clark in his last paragraph, that too much talk about the subject will induce evil results I am convinced that if the various positions can be stated in intelligible terms the results will be plain gain. I find it hard to believe that Dean Clark means what he says, because I have found no evidence that either he or Mr. Arnold has been willing to submit his views on the subject to the quiet oblivion of academic circles. The implication seems to be that talk is all right if we limit it to the right people, and I doubt that he means that. But I see no reason to believe that the lawyers and judges of this country are going to be seriously misled by anything less than a full discussion of the problem. As to the merits of the case, I find in Dean Clark's answer renewed evidence in support of my criticism, that is-that this "pragmatic" definition is not definition but reformation, and that it is based upon an impossible philosophy of legal behaviorism. There is additional evidence that it ignores the Code of Procedure. I cannot refrain from repeating at this point that I am intensely interested in procedural reform, and that I have no objection even to a peaceable revolution against the Code of Procedure. I still question the necessity of a revolution; and I question, on the merits, this proposed substitution. I see no reason to believe, and I certainly find none advanced, that the change proposed is a desirable or workable one. My opinion still is that a decent and workable system of procedure cannot be set up based on a legal philosophy which denies the validity of the procedural concept itself. I think that we shall be much better off if we do not have to talk about pro-
Evaluating the incident user design in the HIV population: incident use versus naive?

Introduction The incident user design is the preferred study design in comparative effectiveness (CER) research. Usually, 180–365 days of exposure free time is adequate to remove biases associated with inclusion of prevalent users. In HIV research, the use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) at any time in the past may influence future treatment choices and CER results; thus, identifying naive as opposed to incident users is of importance. We examined misclassification of antiretroviral naive status based on Medicaid administrative data through linkage to the UNC CFAR HIV Clinical Cohort (UCHCC). Methods We identified Medicaid patients with incident exposure to common first-line ARV regimens between 2002 and 2008 that were also patients enrolled in the UCHCC. We calculated the proportion of antiretroviral naive patients based on the UCHCC, among patients identified as having incident exposure in Medicaid and examined factors associated with being antiretroviral naive in both data sources using logistic regression to generate prevalence odds ratios and associated 95% confidence intervals. Results Of the 3500 Medicaid patients with incident antiretroviral (ARV) exposure, 1344 were also enrolled in the UCHCC. In this sample, 34% were antiretroviral naive at the time of first exposure in the Medicaid data based on the UCHCC. In multivariable models, higher CD4 cell counts and log HIV RNA values were associated with being antiretroviral naive in both data sources. Conclusions Administrative data are an important source of information related to HIV treatment. As the construction of a durable and long-lasting HIV treatment plan involves knowledge of current and past antiretroviral therapy, augmentation of this data with comprehensive clinical cohort information is necessary. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Penile sclerosing lipogranulomas and disfigurement from use of "1Super Extenze" among Laotian immigrants.

ABSTRACT Introduction Subcutaneous penile injection of various oils for penile augmentation has been described among men in Laos. We have now treated three Laotian immigrants with penile disfigurement secondary to sclerosing lipogranulomas, also known as paraffinoma, induced by injection of a mineral oil compound marketed as “1Super Extenze,” which they purchased in the United States. Aim This series describes the clinical course and management of complications associated with the use of “1Super Extenze” in three Laotian men. Methods Surgeons excised all grossly affected tissue and performed reconstruction using skin grafting, Z‐plasty, and tissue advancement, respectively. Tissue from the penile shaft of each patient and a local lymph node in one patient was examined microscopically. Mass spectroscopy was performed on an aliquot of “1Super Extenze.” Main Outcome Measures Urinary function, sexual function, and cosmesis of the three reported cases, chemical composition of “1Super Extenze,” and microscopic analysis of penile and regional lymphatic tissue. Results Short‐term cosmetic and functional outcomes were acceptable after surgical intervention. Histologic findings consistent with sclerosing lipogranulomas were seen in specimens from affected subcutaneous and lymphatic tissue. “1Super Extenze” proved to be composed of mineral oil with tocopherol acetate (vitamin E). Conclusion Injection of “1Super Extenze” into the penile shaft results in sclerosing lipogranulomas, which can cause severe sexual and urinary complications. Surgical resection of all grossly involved tissue with appropriate reconstruction can mitigate these problems. This series supports previous recommendations in the literature that men should avoid the use of non‐medical foreign bodies and fillers as means of penile augmentation. Manny T, Pettus J, Hemal A, Marks M, and Mirzazadeh M. Penile sclerosing lipogranulomas and disfigurement from use of “1Super Extenze” among Laotian immigrants. J Sex Med **;**:**–**.
Extralunar dust in apollo cores

Nuclear tracks high density in Apollo core small silicate crystals, discussing extralunar dust and photospheric iron-hydrogen ratio
Negative, infinite, and hotter than infinite temperatures

We examine the notions of negative, infinite and hotter than infinite temperatures and show how these unusual concepts gain legitimacy in quantum statistical mechanics. We ask if the existence of an infinite temperature implies the existence of an actual infinity and argue that it does not. Since one can sensibly talk about hotter than infinite temperatures, we ask if one could legitimately speak of other physical quantities, such as length and duration, in analogous terms. That is, could there be longer than infinite lengths or temporal durations? We argue that the answer is surprisingly yes, and we outline the properties of a number system that could be employed to characterize such magnitudes.
The Status of Training and Development in U.S.-People's Republic of China Joint Ventures

Abstract A random sample of 177 U.S.-People&s Republic of China joint ventures was selected from 705 such undertakings identified. The questionnaire was based on three forms of Training Magazine&s annual survey. It was translated into Chinese, and cross-translated to insure accuracy, after validation by U.S. managers with experience in China and Chinese business experts. After many follow up efforts, a response rate of 36% was achieved. The survey revealed types of training currently offered and planned during the next two years, and the methods used. Comparisons were made with similar studies conducted in the United States and the Republic of Korea.
Confluence of Building Information for Design, Construction and Management of Buildings

Professionals who are involved in design, construction and occupancy phases of a building not only generate information that must eventually be used by other building professionals, but also they themselves must use data and informationprovided by others such as product manufacturers, planning departments, etc. The integration of information and data through all phases of the life cycle of a building is important as it impacts the work done by a large number of constituents in the building industry. Seamless integration of such information has been a bigger concern for those who are downstream users of the data generated by the architect as he/she designs a building. Such downstream users can range from structural engineers to construction managers, from facility managers to building asset managers. More recently, the considerable increase in the design and operationof intelligent buildings that incorporate a very wide range of technologies has rendered this coordination more important than ever.
Clustering and symbolic analysis of cardiovascular signals: discovery and visualization of medically relevant patterns in long-term data using limited prior knowledge

This paper describes novel fully automated techniques for analyzing large amounts of cardiovascular data. In contrast to traditional medical expert systems our techniques incorporate no a priori knowledge about disease states. This facilitates the discovery of unexpected events. We start by transforming continuous waveform signals into symbolic strings derived directly from the data. Morphological features are used to partition heart beats into clusters by maximizing the dynamic time-warped sequence-aligned separation of clusters. Each cluster is assigned a symbol, and the original signal is replaced by the corresponding sequence of symbols. The symbolization process allows us to shift from the analysis of raw signals to the analysis of sequences of symbols. This discrete representation reduces the amount of data by several orders of magnitude, making the search space for discovering interesting activity more manageable. We describe techniques that operate in this symbolic domain to discover rhythms, transient patterns, abnormal changes in entropy, and clinically significant relationships among multiple streams of physiological data. We tested our techniques on cardiologist-annotated ECG data from forty-eight patients. Our process for labeling heart beats produced results that were consistent with the cardiologist supplied labels 98.6% of the time, and often provided relevant finer-grained distinctions. Our higher level analysis techniques proved effective at identifying clinically relevant activity not only from symbolized ECG streams, but also from multimodal data obtained by symbolizing ECG and other physiological data streams. Using no prior knowledge, our analysis techniques uncovered examples of ventricular bigeminy and trigeminy, ectopic atrial rhythms with aberrant ventricular conduction, paroxysmal atrial tachyarrhythmias, atrial fibrillation, and pulsus paradoxus.
Mitigating supply chain disruption: the importance of top management support to collaboration and flexibility

Today's lean globally disbursed organisations need to be able to react quickly to supply chain disruptions. One method of planning for adequate response is to engage in a strategic planning process that increases organisational flexibility. In this study, we examine the relationship between collaboration and flexibility, the relationships of information technology use and comprehensive planning to collaboration, and the effect of top management support on each of those variables. Our results give both academicians and practitioners an understanding of how these processes fit together to enhance an organization's ability to react to supply chain disruptions. Managers can use the information to prioritise resources throughout the planning process.
An Entropy Approach to Tesla's Discovery of Wireless Power Transmission

Following an entropy approach, the electric current can be postulated as a flow of electromagnetic waves that has an electric potential. Such postulate is verified in this article by results of experimental measurement then it is applied to review Tesla’s discovery of wireless power transmission. Tesla discovered the wireless transmission of electric power during his operation in an entirely new domain of physics based on abrupt discharging of electrostatic charges. He realized that electrons were not responsible for such discovered phenomena. So, he called the new energy as “Radiant Electricity”. He didn’t identify that the true nature of electric current was a flow of electromagnetic waves that can be normally radiated through air. So, he proposed the term “Aether gas” to describe the discovered transfer of the electric charges by radiation from his designed tower, though air, to specified receivers. Following an entropy approach, the nature of the discovered radiated energy can be identified as electromagnetic waves that have an electric potential. So, the followed approach succeeds in eliminating the confusing observations of Tesla’s measurements in his famous experiment and the confusions found in modern literature that deals with such energy as an “Ambiguous Radiant Energy”.
Investigations of High-Speed Civil Transport Inlet Unstart at Angle of Attack

The unstart transient of a high-speed civil transport mixed compression axisymmetric inlet at Mach 2 and 2-deg angle of attack was investigated numerically by using a three-dimensional time-accurate Navier‐Stokes solver. The Baldwin ‐Lomax algebraic turbulence model and an extrapolation uniform mass bleed boundary condition for the slot bleed were employed. It is observed that, when an angle of attack is imposed, the e ow on the leeward side has a stronger compression than that at zero angle of attack. The strong compression reduces the Mach number upstream of the terminal shock and therefore makes the shock move upstream e rst on the leeward side. The initial shock motion starts with the bifurcation of the terminal shock. The lower part of the split shock is stable because of the centerbody bleed, whereas the top part of the shock continues to travel upstream. When the terminal shock on the leeward side passes the bleed region, a separation is induced by the shock /boundary-layer interaction on the shoulder of the inlet centerbody, and the entire inlet is brought to unstart. The overall computed e owe eld phenomena agree qualitatively with the experimental observations.
A Vision System with Real-Time Feature Extractor and Relaxation Network

This paper reviews our ongoing efforts on designing a real-time vision system. The system consists of a real-time feature extractor and a relaxation network. The filter system is capable of performing multiple 2D non-separable filters, multi-resolution decomposition, and steerable transform. The relaxation network is capable of performing various relaxation, diffusion and minimization operations. The paper shows several vision tasks which can be implemented effectively on the vision system.
Aerobic fitness in patients with fibrositis. A controlled study of respiratory gas exchange and 133xenon clearance from exercising muscle

Aerobic fitness was evaluated in 25 women with fibrositis, by having them exercise to volitional exhaustion on an electronically braked cycle ergometer. Compared with published standards, greater than 80% of the fibrositis patients were not physically fit, as assessed by maximal oxygen uptake. Compared with matched sedentary controls, fibrositis patients accurately perceived their level of exertion in relation to oxygen consumption and attained a similar level of lactic acidosis, as assessed by their respiratory quotient and ventilatory threshold. Exercising muscle blood flow was estimated by 133xenon clearance in a subgroup of 16 fibrositis patients and compared with that in 16 matched sedentary controls; the fibrositis patients exhibited reduced 133xenon clearance. These results indicate a need to include aerobic fitness as a matched variable in future controlled studies of fibrositis and suggest that the "detraining phenomenon" may be of relevance to the etiopathogenesis of the disease.
Oxytocin enhances clearance of radiocolloid from the uterine lumen of reproductively normal mares and mares susceptible to endometritis

Summary The effects of oxytocin on the percentage of technetium 99m albumin colloid (99mTc-μAA), cleared from the uterine lumen was measured in 13 mares. Scintigraphy was performed during 4 consecutive oestrous cycles, on Day 3 of oestrus during Cycles one and 3 and 48 h after ovulation during Cycles 2 and 4. Oxytocin (20 iu) was given i.v. after the initial scintigraphy image during Cycles 3 and 4. Seven multiparous mares (Group 1) were classified as ‘susceptible’ and 6 mares (2 nulliparous and 4 multiparous; Group 2) were classified as ‘resistant’ to endometritis. All mares cleared >90% of 99mTc-μAA within 30 min of oxytocin injection. When no drug was given, Group 1 mares cleared negligible amounts of radiocolloid (<5%) and Group 2 mares cleared 50–80%. No mares showed signs of colic after oxytocin administration. It is concluded that oxytocin enhances uterine clearance of radiocolloid and may be useful for treating mares exhibiting impaired uterine clearance.
Synthesis and Characterization of Ionically Conducting Alkoxy Ether/Alkoxy Mixed-Substituent Poly(organophosphazenes) and Their Use as Solid Solvents for Ionic Conduction

A series of mixed-substituent poly(organophosphazenes) with the general structure {NP[OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH3]x[O(CH2)yCH3]2-x}n, where x = 1 and y = 2−9 was synthesized. These polymers are candidates for use as solid polymeric, ionic conduction media. The polymers were characterized by 1H, 13C, and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography, elemental microanalysis, infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. The polymers were complexed with LiSO3CF3 and ambient temperature (25 °C) ionic conductivity studies were performed with the use of complex impedance analysis. The effect of changes in the length of the alkyl component of the alkoxy groups on conductivity was examined. A maximum conductivity as a function of the concentration of lithium triflate was found for each system. The conductivity decreased with an increase in the alkyl group side-chain length. These polymers were compared to the polyphosphazene single-substituent polymer [NP(OCH2CH2OCH2CH2OCH3)2]...
Spatial learning is delayed and brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA expression inhibited by administration of MK-801 in rats.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is involved in activity-dependent plasticity and interacts with the neurotransmitter glutamate. Glutamate N-methl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor activation increases BDNF expression, while BDNF facilitates NMDA activity, with both involved in spatial learning. Administration of the NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 can impair this leaning. The interaction between NMDA and BDNF in learning is examined in this study. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats received either i.p. MK-801 or saline and were trained to locate a submerged water maze platform. Sedentary and activity yoked groups were included for biochemical comparisons. Control rats quickly learned the platform location while MK-801-treated rats learned at a significantly slower rate (P < 0.0001). In situ hybridization for hippocampal BDNF mRNA indicated significant increases in the yoked and learning groups. However, MK-801 attenuated the BDNF mRNA increase in the learning and activity-yoked conditions (P < 0.05). Administration of MK-801 to the sedentary group did not alter baseline mRNA levels. These data suggest that BDNF expression is important for NMDA-dependent learning and memory. Interestingly, learning still occurs across trials independent of the NMDA and BDNF interaction. Increases in BDNF and NMDA activity may be significant components in learning and memory, and modulation of these systems may be beneficial for developing strategies to improve cognitive function.
Participatory Risk Management: Managing Community Risk Through Games

This paper introduces the concept of participatory risk management (PRM). By involving community members and netizens in the risk management process we believe the community will become safer and participants will become smarter in dealing with risks. A PRM gaming system concept for incentivizing community risk management through rewarding play is presented as an example application of PRM.
Interband Absorption and the Optical Properties of Polyvalent Metals

Excitation of electrons between parallel or near-parallel one-electron bands in simple polyvalent metals constitutes a major source of the observed optical absorption. Much of the effect can be accounted for in a straightforward calculation of both real and imaginary parts of the conductivity, which does not require the constant-matrix-element assumption. In many cases, the magnitude and rounding of the absorption edges (singular in the absence of scattering) are quite sensitive to the phenomenological relaxation times (and hence to temperature) and to surface scattering. The sum rule for the (transverse) optical conductivity is related to the Fourier components of the weak periodic potential, and an expression is derived for the optical mass. The theory has been applied to study the optical properties of Al.
Symptomatic ring-shaped lateral meniscus: magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopy

In addition to minimizing graft site morbidity, providing stable fixation, and enabling early progressive rehabilitation, the ideal PCL reconstruction would closely simulate natural ligament function. This study retrospectively examined the 2-year postoperative outcomes of 19 athletically active patients referred with clinically symptomatic PCL-deficient knees. Preoperatively 18 patients had severely abnormal knee ligament examination scores, and one had an abnormal score (IKDC). All but one patient was confirmed negative for observable posterolateral corner injury via MRI. Eighteen patients had clinical evidence of posterolateral instability. All patients underwent double-bundle PCL reconstruction (using allograft tissue) without concomitant posterolateral corner reconstruction. Two years after surgery 100% of patients had normal (n=18) or near normal (n=1) passive knee joint motion. The results were: one-leg hop test, 58% normal, 37% nearly normal, 5% abnormal; knee ligament examination, 47% normal, 42% nearly normal, 5% abnormal, 5% severely abnormal; knee arthrometry, 2.4Â±2Â mm posterior tibial displacement; IKDC subjective assessment section, 47% normal, 42% nearly normal, 5% abnormal, 5% severely abnormal; IKDC symptom-activity level section, 47% normal, 42% nearly normal, 5% abnormal, 5% severely abnormal; final knee ligament evaluation, 47% normal, 42% nearly normal, 5% abnormal, 5% severely abnormal; Lysholm knee scoring scale, 63% excellent, 27% good, 5% fair and 5% poor. Improved stability with clinical ligamentous laxity tests and good IKDC subjective and symptom-activity results 2Â years after surgery suggest that for patients with PCL rupture and grade I or II posterolateral instability the double-bundle procedure alone sufficiently restores PCL function through a greater range of knee motion than traditional single-bundle techniques.
Efficient Support of XQuery Update Facility in XML Enabled RDBMS

XQuery Update Facility (XQUF), which provides a declarative way of updating XML, has become recommendation by W3C. The SQL/XML standard, on the other hand, defines XMLType as a column data type in RDBMS environment and defines the standard SQL/XML operator, such as XML Query() to embed XQuery to query XMLType column in RDBMS. Based on this SQL/XML standard, XML enabled RDBMS becomes industrial strength platforms to host XML applications in a standard compliance way by providing XML store and query capability. However, updating XML capability support remains to be proprietary in RDBMS until XQUF becomes the recommendation. XQUF is agnostic of how XML is stored so that propagation of actual update to any persistent XML store is beyond the scope of XQUF. In this paper, we show how XQUF can be incorporated into XML Query() to effectively update XML stored in XMLType column in the environment of XML enabled RDBMS, such as Oracle XMLDB. We present various compile time and run time optimisation techniques to show how XQUF can be efficiently implemented to declaratively update XML stored in RDBMS. We present how our approaches of optimising XQUF for common physical XML storage models: native binary XML storage model and relational decomposition of XML storage model. Although our study is done using Oracle XMLDB, all of the presented optimisation techniques are generic to XML stores that need to support update of persistent XML store and not specific to Oracle XMLDB implementation.
Chronic l-arginine treatment increases cardiac cyclic guanosine 5′-monophosphate in rats with aortic stenosis: effects on left ventricular mass and beta-adrenergic contractile reserve

Abstract Objectives. We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide (NO) cyclic guanosine 5′-monophosphate (GMP) signaling is deficient in pressure overload hypertrophy due to ascending aortic stenosis, and that long-term l -arginine treatment will increase cardiac cyclic GMP production and modify left ventricular (LV) pressure overload hypertrophy and beta-adrenergic contractile response. Background. Nitric oxide cyclic GMP signaling is postulated to depress vascular growth, but its effects on cardiac hypertrophic growth are controversial. Methods. Forty control rats and 40 rats with aortic stenosis left ventricular hypertrophy ([LVH] group) were randomized to receive either l -arginine (0.40 g/kg/day) or no drug for 6 weeks. Results. The dose of l -arginine did not alter systemic blood pressure. Animals with LVH had similar LV constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) mRNA and protein levels, and LV cyclic GMP levels as compared with age-matched controls. In rats with LVH l -arginine treatment led to a 35% increase in cNOS protein levels (p = 0.09 vs untreated animals with LVH) and a 1.7-fold increase in LV cyclic GMP levels (p l -arginine treatment did not suppress LVH in the animals with aortic stenosis. In contrast, in vivo LV systolic pressure was depressed in l -arginine treated versus untreated rats with LVH (163 ± 16 vs 198 ± 10 mm Hg, p l -arginine treated rats with LVH compared with untreated rats with LVH. This effect was mediated by a blunted increase in peak systolic intracellular calcium in response to beta-adrenergic stimulation. Conclusions. Left ventricular hypertrophy due to chronic mechanical systolic pressure overload is not characterized by a deficiency of LV cNOS and cyclic GMP levels. In rats with aortic stenosis, l -arginine treatment increased cardiac levels of cyclic GMP, but it did not modify cardiac mass in rats with aortic stenosis. However, long-term stimulation of NO-cyclic GMP signaling depressed in vivo LV systolic function in LVH rats and markedly blunted the contractile response to beta-adrenergic stimulation.
The role of American intelligence in the global economy

(1995). The role of American intelligence in the global economy. International Journal of Intelligence and CounterIntelligence: Vol. 8, No. 3, pp. 359-362.
Cloning of two members of the SIRPα family of protein tyrosine phosphatase binding proteins in cattle that are expressed on monocytes and a subpopulation of dendritic cells and which mediate binding to CD4 T cells

Recent experimental studies have greatly clarified the function of cell surface molecules in the induction and modulation of T cell responses by antigen-presenting cells (APC). However, the differences in ability to stimulate T cells evident for different types and subpopulations of the same APC, such as dendritic cell subsets, is less well understood. This report details an investigation of an antigen expressed on monocytes that is also expressed on a subset of cattle afferent lymph veiled cells (ALVC). A cDNA library derived from cattle monocytes was screened with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) for expression in COS-7 cells. Using separate mAb for screening, two cDNA were cloned, the sequences of which showed a single long open reading frame encoding a predicted type I glycoprotein of 506 amino acids that contained three immunoglobulin superfamily domains and a long 112-amino acid cytoplasmic tail. We have termed this antigen MyD-1, reflecting its myeloid and dendritic cell distribution. Analysis of the EMBL database revealed that the molecule is a member of the recently described family of signal regulatory proteins (SIRP). The outeremost Ig domain was of the adhesion/receptor I-type, suggesting that MyD-1 might bind to a ligand on another cell. Evidence for this was subsequently obtained by demonstrating that COS-7 cells transfected with MyD-1 cDNA bound CD4 T cells and this binding was blocked by specific mAb. The potential importance of this interaction was supported by the finding that the proliferation of resting memory CD4 T cells to ovalbumin-pulsed monocytes was significantly reduced in the presence of mAb to MyD-1. A role for the molecule in the modulation of the monocyte/dendritic APC response is also predicted from the existence of multiple potential tyrosine phosphorylation sites in the cytoplasmic domain, including the presence of an immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif (ITIM) and the observation that the SIRP alpha family members have been shown to bind to SHP-1 and SHP-2. Together these data indicate a possible functional importance for MyD-1 in the regulation of monocyte and dendritic cell function.
Physical mechanisms associated with long range propagation of signals from ionospheric heaters

Long range (hundreds and thousands km) propagation of heater-produced signals has been studied in experiments with EISCAT and HAARP ionospheric heating facilities (A. V. Zalizovski et al., Radio Sci., 44, RS3010, 1–12, 2009; V. G. Galushko et al., Antennas Prop. Mag., IEEE, 50, 155–161, 2008) and with several globally distributed receiving sites. Two different modes of propagation can be distinguished in the signals spectra. The first one is the regular multihop ionospheric propagation of HF waves radiated by the side lobes of the heater's antenna array. A distinctive feature of the second component is strong variations in the Doppler frequency shift, which in most cases were synchronous at the different receiving sites. This effect is most likely produced by dynamic effects at the ionospheric altitudes within the main beam of the heater.
Patterns for the initiation of breastfeeding in humans.

Establishment of lactation has important biological and emotional health consequences for the newborn. Even so, substantial variation within a culture and among different cultures is seen in the onset of breastfeeding. Parametric mixture models are used to explore this variation and to uncover general human patterns for the initiation of breastfeeding. The model components reflect two hypothesized patterns of behavior. The first component is a “natural” pattern of breastfeeding that reflects, to some extent, a general mammalian behavior. The second component arises through culturally mediated behaviors that affect the initiation of breastfeeding. The model was fit by maximum likelihood to interval- and right-censored observations on 26,220 mother–infant pairs collected from 25 previously published studies of breastfeeding behavior. Both model components were clearly statistically identified. Effects of cultural and geographic covariates were found to have significant effects on all components of the model. Although there is clear evidence for two distinct patterns of behavior in the initiation of breastfeeding, the results suggest that learned behaviors play an important role in mediating even “natural” breastfeeding behavior. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 15:765–780, 2003. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The adsorption and chromatography of alkyl benzene sulfonates on charcoal

A chromatographic procedure for the separation and characterization of sodium alkyl benzene sulfonates is outlined. It is based on properly sized activated charcoal and uses methanol with varying amounts of benzene and a small content of ammonia and water. Milligram quantities of surfactants are used and the fractions analyzed colorimetrically. The rationale of the method is established by adsorption measurements which indicate that in this system the surfactant is adsorbed by both van der Waals and ionic forces with strong dependence upon both molecular weight and structure.
ATOPIC SENSITIZATION TO FOOD IN INFANCY

There is no definitive way to distinguish a true atopic IgE mediated sign or symptom due to a food from an intolerance reaction due to irritation, enzyme deficiency or other idiosyncratic cause. The presence of IgE specific antibody against a food as demonstrated by an immediate weal and flare skin test reaction or a positive RAST is presumptive evidence of a cause and effect relationship. The younger the patient the more likely a positive RAST or skin test is to be significantly causally related to the illness. Never-the-less, in almost 100 infants at four months of age five were observed to have both a positive skin test and a positive RAST to a food, with only two having any detectable allergic illness. This observation in a prospective study of the value of a prophylaxis regimen in the prevention or amelioration of atopic allergic disease in infancy, underlines the problem of the ascertainment of allergy. Under ordinary circumstances an individual with complaints, signs and symptoms of allergic disease consults the physician to help find the cause of the illness. In our double blind prospective study of the value of a prophylaxis regimen in the infants from highly atopic families, evidence of sensitization to food usually precedes the clinical appearance of signs and symptoms of illness. Thus the concordance of disease with positive tests is much lower than is the case in clinical practise.
Improving the concurrent validity of the fear survey schedule-III

The study sought to improve the concurrent validity of the Fear Survey Schedule-III (Wolpe & Lang, 1977). A modified version was created which sought to anchor each item concretely. Explicit descriptions were given for each of the ratings, with particular attention given to the use of the 0 rating to eliminate other emotional responses. Behavioral approach tests were created for fear of snakes, blood, weapons and fire. A sample of 105 college students was compared to established norms. For women the ratings were significantly lower for 42 of 108 items. This was in agreement with their nonfearful behavioral approach scores. These results are discussed in terms of the implications for desynchrony (lack of agreement between cognitive and behavioral measures) and the measurement of fear in the general population.
Community-Level Risk Factors for Depression Hospitalizations

This study measured geographic variation in depression hospitalizations and identified community-level risk factors. Depression hospitalizations were identified from the Statewide Inpatient Database. The dependent variable was specified as the indirectly standardized hospitalization rate. County-level data for 14 states were collected from federal agencies. The Bayesian spatial regression model included socio-demographic, economic, and health system characteristics as independent variables. There were 8.5 depression hospitalizations per 1,000 residents. 8.8% of counties had hospitalization rates 33% greater than the standardized rate. Significant risk factors included unemployment, poverty, physician supply, and hospital bed supply. Significant protective factors included rurality, economic dependence, and housing stress.
Humor as a relationship‐building tool in online negotiations

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of humor in online negotiations and assess whether humor can act as a bridge for the otherwise relationship‐poor experience of negotiating via e‐mail.Design/methodology/approach – Two experimental studies are conducted, using 122 executive MBA students and 216 MBA students respectively.Findings – Study 1 demonstrates that beginning an e‐mail transaction with humor results in: increased trust and satisfaction levels; higher joint gains for the dyad; and higher individual gains for the party who initiated the humorous event. Analyses reveals that it is the exploration of compatible issues (as opposed to effective tradeoffs) – that increased the level of joint gain. Study 2 demonstrates that first offers in a purely distributive negotiation are more likely to be within the bargaining zone when e‐negotiations are initiated with humor, and the resulting final settlements in the humor condition are also more equally distributed between parties (more of ...
Channel Segmentation using Confidence and Curvature-Guided Level Sets on Noisy Seismic Images

This paper presents a new method for segmenting channel features from commonly noisy 3D seismic images. Anisotropic diffusion using Gaussian-smoothed first order structure tensors is conducted along the strata of seismic images in a way that filters across discontinuous regions from noise or faulting, while preserving channel edges. The eigenstructure of the second order structure tensor is used to generate an estimation of orientation and channel curvature. Gaussian smoothing of second order tensor orientations accounts for noisy vectors from imprecise finite difference calculations and generates a stable tensor across the image. Analysis of the confidence and direction of second order eigenvectors is used to enhance depositional curvature in channel features by generating a confidence and curvature attribute. The tensor-derived attribute forms the terms of a PDE, which is iteratively updated as an implicit surface using the level set process. This technique is tested on two 3D seismic images with results that demonstrate the effectiveness of the approach.
Crossing comfort zones

(1993). Crossing comfort zones. Communication Education: Vol. 42, When Teaching “Works”: Stories of Communication in Education, pp. 313-316.