cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Relativists and Absolutists: Grand Strategies in a World of Fractured Norms

The current widespread renewed interest in the development of grand military-political strategies is a function of a rapidly changing global configuration of powers. From the bipolarity of the Cold War, which by its very construction limited either the United States or the Soviet Union from constructing much less implementing a unilateral framework, we have moved to a political and economic environment in which a variety of nations in parts of the world that did not figure into the power equations of the past century, invites such analysis. This article draws attention to factors profoundly limiting a grand strategy at the global level. It further indicates that the source of such push for grand strategy derives from inherited doctrines, largely of 19th European origin, which continue to emphasize absolutist doctrines based on theology, history and ideology. They are increasingly dysfunctional formulas in a relativistic universe of political systems and military technologies. The emergence of economic Diaspora in place of “three worlds of development” also serves to weaken approaches derived from imperial doctrines and political approaches that are no longer the monopoly of conventional armed forces. The essay concludes with the belief that one older element that continues to display cachet is diplomacy and face to face human initiatives. Bargaining rather than blustering may be the order of the age. In this, it is Metternich rather than Hegel that may prove a better source of negotiating a complex multi-national world order.
Intrinsic Defects in CD8 T Cells with Aging Contribute to Impaired Primary Antiviral Responses

Aging is associated with altered immune responses, particularly with a diminished CD8 T cell response. Although both intrinsic and extrinsic factors are hypothesized to impact this decreased T cell response, the direct evidence of an intrinsic deficiency in virus-specific CD8 T cells is limited. In this study, a TCR transgenic (Tg) P14 mouse model was utilized to compare the activation and proliferation of the Tg CD8 T cells of young and aged P14 mice upon stimulation with antigen or infection with virus. The proliferation of purified Tg CD8 T cells of aged mice was significantly lower than that of young mice when cultured in vitro with both the LCMV specific peptide and antigen presenting cells from young wild type mice. In addition, expression of the activation markers, CD69, CD25, and CD44, was delayed on Tg T cells of aged mice after stimulation. Importantly, while adoptive transfer of purified Tg CD8 T cells of young or aged mice into young wild type mice resulted in expansion of the Tg CD8 T cells of both ages after LCMV infection, the expansion of the Tg T cells from aged mice was significantly decreased compared with that of the Tg T cells from young mice. However, while the number of IFN-γ secreting Tg CD8 T cells from aged mice was significantly decreased compared to that of young mice, the percentages of Tg CD8 T cells producing IFN-γ were similar in young and aged mice, demonstrating that proliferation, but not function, of the Tg CD8 T cells of aged mice was impaired. Importantly, chronological age alone was not sufficient to predict an altered proliferative response; rather, expression of high levels of CD44 on CD8 T cells of aged mice reflected a decreased proliferative response. These results reveal that alterations intrinsic to CD8 T cells can contribute to the age-associated defects in the primary CD8 T cell response during viral infection.
TU‐D‐I‐609‐04: Effect of Reader Variability On Improvements in Breast Cancer Detection Rates

Previous investigations have demonstrated variability among radiologists in the interpretation of screening mammograms. This presentation will discuss the extent of this variability and its effect on clinical trials that compare the conventional screening‐film mammography and new technologies such as full‐field digital mammography (FFDM) and computer‐aided detection (CADe). We will present data on breast cancer detection rates at the conventional screen‐film mammography of over 500 practicing community radiologists in the US. By postulating a large improvement in the cancer detection rate that would be achieved with a hypothetical new technology, we predicted the cancer detection rate that would be observed in a hypothetical clinical trial comparing the new technology and the conventional screen‐film mammography. Despite a large postulated improvement in the cancer detection rate, it is difficult for clinical trials to demonstrate this improvement. Variability among radiologists in the observed cancer detection rates is an important cause for this difficulty. Clinical trials need to include large samples of radiologists in addition to large samples of patients to achieve sufficient statistical power to detect an improvement in the breast cancer detection rate in screening mammography. FFDM and CADe clinical trials, many of which appear to lack statistical power, will be discussed. Educational Objectives: 1. To understand the sources and extent of variability in radiologists' breast cancer detection rates in screening mammography. 2. To understand the impact of reader variability on clinical trials that compare imagingtechnologies in screening mammography. 3. To understand the need to sample a large number of radiologists in addition to sampling a large number of patients to demonstrate an improvement in breast cancer detection rate in screening mammography. 4. Financial Disclosure: C Metz and R Schmidt are shareholders of R2 Technology, Inc.
Rapid sliding contact on a highly elastic pre-stressed material

A rigid smooth indentor slides at a constant sub-sonic speed on a half-space of an isotropic compressible neo-Hookean material that is initially subjected to a pre-stress aligned with the surface. A dynamic steady-state situation of plane strain is considered and, following Beatty and Usmani and Green and Zerna, is viewed as contact-triggered infinitesimal deformations superposed upon finite deformations due to pre-stress. The neo-Hookean material treated behaves for small strains as a linear elastic solid with Poisson's ratio 1/4. Exact solutions for both deformations are presented and, for a range of acceptable pre-stress values, these illustrate the anisotropy induced by pre-stress and a critical sliding speed corresponding to the Rayleigh speed. Imposition of the unilateral Signorini conditions of contact show that the Rayleigh speed is the upper bound for sub-sonic sliding. For pre-stress levels that fall outside this range, however, either a negative Poisson effect occurs, or a Rayleigh wave does not exist and the Signorini conditions cannot be satisfied for any sub-sonic speed.
La fusion des macrophages : partenaires des cellules somatiques et cancéreuses ?

La fusion est un mecanisme fondamental utilise par les organismes multicellulaires. Elle joue un role essentiel au cours du developpement physiologique. Ainsi, la fusion est-elle le premier evenement a l’origine meme de la vie lors du contact fusionnel entre spermatozoide et ovocyte. La fusion des myoblastes en myotubes participe, par la suite, a l’organisation musculaire definitive. La fusion est egalement rencontree au cours de processus pathologiques. Les virus en ont fait leur quotidien pour attaquer leurs cellules cibles. La fusion macrophagique est un evenement incontournable pour l’obtention de cellules osteoclastiques et de cellules multinucleees, partenaires essentiels dans des affections comme l’osteoporose ou les maladies inflammatoires chroniques. Pourtant, les mecanismes moleculaires impliques dans ces differents evenements sont assez mal connus. Un regain d’interet est neanmoins recemment apparu lorsque des cellules derivees de la moelle osseuse ont ete retrouvees differenciees en types cellulaires varies dans des tissus leses. En effet, la fusion entre une cellule d’origine myelomonocytaire, potentiellement macrophagique, et une cellule residente de l’organe lese semble etre a l’origine de cette plasticite inattendue. Dans cet article, Agnes Vignery revisite la fusion macrophagique et les differentes proteines qui semblent la controler avant de s’interroger sur la participation et la pertinence d’un mecanisme equivalent au cours de la cancerogenese ou de la regeneration tissulaire…
Uncompensated Costs and Indigent Health Care: Volunteers and a Community Services Budget

With thirty-seven million people now without medical insurance, private insurers have argued that caring for those unable to pay for the services they need or without insurance is a public responsibility and not an overhead cost. However, tax-conscious voters have limited the ability of governments to spend more for health. An additional and sometimes overlooked possibility for dealing with uncompensated care is the responses that local communities can make. A community services budget framework that includes the inputs of volunteers makes large-scale and sophisticated responses possible through forms of collective organization outside the usual public programs. This framework, applied to one community, illustrates the responses that are possible and the policy questions that must be addressed to expand the options for dealing with the challenge of uncompensated medical care.
On several conjectures from evolution of dispersal.

We address several conjectures raised in Cantrell et al. [Evolution of dispersal and ideal free distribution, Math. Biosci. Eng. 7 (2010), pp. 17–36 [9]] concerning the dynamics of a diffusion–advection–competition model for two competing species. A conditional dispersal strategy, which results in the ideal free distribution of a single population at equilibrium, was found in Cantrell et al. [9]. It was shown in [9] that this special dispersal strategy is a local evolutionarily stable strategy (ESS) when the random diffusion rates of the two species are equal, and here we show that it is a global ESS for arbitrary random diffusion rates. The conditions in [9] for the coexistence of two species are substantially improved. Finally, we show that this special dispersal strategy is not globally convergent stable for certain resource functions, in contrast with the result from [9], which roughly says that this dispersal strategy is globally convergent stable for any monotone resource function.
Just enough measurement: A proposed paradigm for designing medical instrumentation

Our research group hypothesizes that one way to provide low-cost healthcare delivery efficiently is through the use of a large number of inexpensive sensors that can provide meaningful medical data. Typical development of medical instrumentation pursues increased resolution and higher accuracy - accompanied by a corresponding increase in cost; it is no secret that high costs impose a heavy burden on healthcare. We seek to invert the adage that quality is more important than quantity by extracting high quality biomedical information from a large quantity of low-cost measurements, and to demonstrate this using measurement instrumentation developed in our lab for extra-clinical assessment and rehabilitation tools. This will be discussed in terms of our initial experiments in evaluating balance and postural stability. This is an area of critical clinical importance: 2.6 million non-fatal fall injuries in persons over age 65 resulted in direct health care costs of $19 billion (in 2000) in the U.S., and the number of persons over age 65 in the U.S. is projected to more than double between 2000 and 2030.
An extremal problem for least common multiple

Abstract Let A be a set of natural numbers, and let [ A ] h denote the set of all least common multiples [ a 1 ,…, a h ] with a i eA . If ne [ A ] h for all sufficiently large integers n , then A is an asymptotic LCM basis of order h . If n ∉[ A ] h for infinitely many n ⩾1, then A is an asymptotic LCM nonbasis of order h . The nonbasis A is maximal if A ∪{ b } is an asymptotic LCM basis of order h for every natural number b ∉ A . In this paper the structure of all maximal asymptotic LCM bases of order h is determined.
Identification of vitellogenin in the ant, camponotus festinatus: Changes in hemolymph proteins and fat body development in workers

Vitellogenin has been identified in the ant Camponotus festinatus, both in queens and workers. In the workers, it is already present before adult eclosion in low concentrations (less than 1 microgram/microliter hemolymph). Vitellogenin and vitellin are immunologically identical and are composed of a single type of apoprotein with an apparent Mr = 185,000. The molecular weight of the native molecules was estimated as approximately 460,000 by pore limiting gradient electrophoresis. Vitellogenin was detected as a major protein in the hemolymph of young workers, both under queenright and queenless conditions. Thus, in spite of their sterility in the presence of the queen, C. festinatus workers are able to synthetize vitellogenin which is identical both in size and immunologically to the queen vitellogenin. About 6-7 weeks after adult eclosion, however, vitellogenin was usually undetectable in the hemolymph of queenright workers, particularly the minor workers, while it constituted about 30% of total protein in queenless workers. Protein concentration in the hemolymph of queenless insects increased up to 20-fold as compared to 1-day-old insects. Queenless workers also developed large amounts of perivisceral fat body, while queenright workers, particularly the minor workers, showed a dramatic fat body regression about 6 weeks after emergence.
Production possibility frontiers in phototroph:heterotroph symbioses: trade-offs in allocating fixed carbon pools and the challenges these alternatives present for understanding the acquisition of intracellular habitats

Intracellular habitats have been invaded by a remarkable diversity of organisms, and strategies employed to successfully reside in another species’ cellular space are varied. Common selective pressures may be experienced in symbioses involving phototrophic symbionts and heterotrophic hosts. Here I refine and elaborate the Arrested Phagosome Hypothesis that proposes a mechanism that phototrophs use to gain access to their host’s intracellular habitat. I employ the economic concept of production possibility frontiers (PPF) as a useful heuristic to clearly define the trade-offs that an intracellular phototroph is likely to face as it allocates photosynthetically-derived pools of energy. Fixed carbon can fuel basic metabolism/respiration, it can support mitotic division, or it can be translocated to the host. Excess photosynthate can be stored for future use. Thus, gross photosynthetic productivity can be divided among these four general categories, and natural selection will favor phenotypes that best match the demands presented to the symbiont by the host cellular habitat. The PPF highlights trade-offs that exist between investment in growth (i.e., mitosis) or residency (i.e., translocating material to the host). Insights gained from this perspective might help explain phenomena such as coral bleaching because deficits in photosynthetic production are likely to diminish a symbiont’s ability to “afford” the costs of intracellular residency. I highlight deficits in our current understanding of host:symbiont interactions at the molecular, genetic, and cellular level, and I also discuss how semantic differences among scientists working with different symbiont systems may diminish the rate of increase in our understanding of phototrophic-based associations. I argue that adopting interdisciplinary (in this case, inter-symbiont-system) perspectives will lead to advances in our general understanding of the phototrophic symbiont’s intracellular niche.
Predicting 1-Year Mortality Rate for Patients Admitted With an Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease to an Intensive Care Unit: An Opportunity for Palliative Care

The objective of this study was to develop a model to aid clinicians in better predicting 1-year mortality rate for patients with an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease admitted to the medical intensive care unit (ICU) with the goal of earlier initiation of palliative care and end-of-life communications in this patient population. This retrospective cohort study included patients from a medical ICU from April 1, 1995, to November 30, 2009. Data collected from the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation III database included demographic characteristics; severity of illness scores; noninvasive and invasive mechanical ventilation time; ICU and hospital length of stay; and ICU, hospital, and 1-year mortality. Statistically significant univariate variables for 1-year mortality were entered into a multivariate model, and the independent variables were used to generate a scoring system to predict 1-year mortality rate. At 1-year follow-up, 295 of 591 patients died (50%). Age and hospital length of stay were identified as independent determinants of mortality at 1 year by using multivariate analysis, and the predictive model developed had an area under the operating curve of 0.68. Bootstrap analysis with 1000 iterations validated the model, age, and hospital length of stay, entered the model 100% of the time (area under the operating curve=0.687; 95% CI, 0.686-0.688). A simple model using age and hospital length of stay may be informative for providers willing to identify patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with high 1-year mortality rate who may benefit from end-of-life communications and from palliative care.
The Implementation of Smoking Cessation Counseling in Substance Abuse Treatment

Research on the implementation of smoking cessation counseling within substance abuse treatment organizations is limited. This study examines associations among counselors’ implementation of therapy sessions dedicated to smoking cessation, organizational factors, and counselor-level variables. A two-level hierarchical linear model including organization- and counselor-level variables was estimated using survey data collected from 1,794 counselors working in 359 treatment organizations. Overall implementation of smoking cessation counseling was low. In the final model, implementation was positively associated with counselors’ knowledge of the Public Health Service’s clinical practice guideline, perceived managerial support, and belief that smoking cessation had a positive impact on recovery. Private versus public funding and presence of a formal smoking cessation program were organization-level variables which interacted with these counselor-level effects. These results highlight the importance of organizational contexts as well as counselors’ knowledge and attitudes for effective implementation of smoking cessation counseling in substance abuse treatment organizations.
Anterior Communicating Artery Aneurysm with Bilateral Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion

A case of an anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with bilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion was reported. A 62-year-old female was admitted because of severe headache and disturbance of consciousness for 4 hours. She had a past episode of numbness of the left fingers and lips and a history of hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Computed tomography revealed subarachnoid hemorrhage and a small low density area, a probable old infarction. Cerebral angiography showed an anterior communicating artery aneurysm associated with bilateral middle cerebral artery occlusion. Distal parts of the bilateral middle cerebral arteries were visualized by the collateral blood flow through leptomeningeal anastomoses mainly from the anterior cerebral arteries and less from the posterior cerebral arteries. The aneurysm was located at the left A1-A2 junction where the hemodynamic stress due to the well-developed collateral circulation might have been great. This case indicated that the hemodynamic stress complicated with hypertension, aging, and/or diabetes mellitus might play an important role in the development and rupture of cerebral aneurysms.
Classical capacity of Gaussian communication under a single noisy channel

A long-standing problem on the classical capacity of bosonic Gaussian channels has recently been resolved by proving the minimum output entropy conjecture. It is also known that the ultimate capacity quantified by the Holevo bound can be achieved asymptotically by using an infinite number of channels. However, it is less understood to what extent the communication capacity can be reached if one uses a finite number of channels, which is a topic of practical importance. In this paper, we study the capacity of Gaussian communication, i.e., employing Gaussian states and Gaussian measurements to encode and decode information under a single-channel use. We prove that the optimal capacity of single-channel Gaussian communication is achieved by one of two well-known protocols, i.e., coherent-state communication or squeezed-state communication, depending on the energy (number of photons) as well as the characteristics of the channel. Our result suggests that the coherent-state scheme known to achieve the ultimate information-theoretic capacity is not a practically optimal scheme for the case of using a finite number of channels. We find that overall the squeezed-state communication is optimal in a small-photon-number regime whereas the coherent-state communication performs better in a large-photon-number regime.
The role of EMG awareness in EMG biofeedback learning

Underlying most research on biofeedback learning is a theoretical model of the processes involved. The current study tested a prediction from the Awareness Model: High initial EMG awareness should facilitate response control during EMG biofeedback training. Seventy-two undergraduates were assessed for forehead EMG awareness by asking them to produce target responses from 1.0 to 5.0 µV every 15 s for 16 trials. Based on this assessment, two groups (high and low awareness) were trained for 64 trials to produce these target levels with either EMG biofeedback, practice (no feedback), or noncontingent EMG feedback. A transfer task was identical to the initial assessment. During training, the biofeedback group deviated less from target than the practice and noncontingent groups. The biofeedback group was the only group to improve from initial EMG awareness activity. During transfer, only the low awareness biofeedback group remained below initial EMG awareness level. These findings can be interpreted in terms of the Two-Process Model.
Modeling of Three-Dimensional Flow and Heat Transfer in Polystyrene Foam Extrusion Dies

A three-dimensional mathematical model was developed to investigate the nonisothermal, non-Newtonian polymer flow through the dies used in the polystyrene foam extrusion process. The model, based on the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) code, Polyflow, allowed for the shear rate and temperature dependence of the shear viscosity of the blowing agent laden polystyrene melt. The model also accounted for viscous heating. The shear viscosity of the polystyrene-blowing agent mixture was measured experimentally at several temperatures. The model was used to calculate pressure, flow, and temperature distributions in two different dies used for industrial-scale extrusion of polystyrene foams. The article presents a selection of computed results to illustrate the effect of die design on uniformity of flow at the die exit, the overall pressure drop in the die, relative magnitudes of pressure drop in the land section versus the rest of the die, and temperature distribution in the die. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 2008. © 2008 Society of Plastics Engineers.
Certification codes for maliciousness detection in Physical-layer Network Coding

The problem of two sources wanting to share information through a potentially untrustworthy relay node is considered. The two sources transmit symbols simultaneously, and the relay node employs Physical-layer Network Coding (PNC) to forward information back to the two sources in order to increase throughput. In such a system using PNC, the relay node can easily fool the source nodes by manipulating the PNC output symbols. To enable relay maliciousness detection, a class of variable-rate codes, called certification codes, is introduced. In a certification code, redundancy is added to the source message to act as a certificate, allowing a node to determine if the relay is behaving in a malicious manner. A simple binary certification code is designed and analyzed to demonstrate the proposed approach.
Hypothalamic angiotensin release in response to all or glutamic acid stimulation of the SFO in rats

Abstract Recent evidence from our laboratory suggests that angiotensin II (AH) is synthesized, stored within cells in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus, and upon appropriate stimulation, released and rapidly converted to angiotensin III (AIII). The present investigation extends these observations by first employing a retrograde tracer to confirm a direct connection from the subfornical organ (SFO) to the PVN, and then showing that microinfusion of AH or glutamic acid into the SFO provokes release of endogenous angiotensin within the PVN. Potentially it is this release that contributes to the elevations in blood pressure and drinking that have been reported to occur with electrical and chemical stimulation of the SFO. These results represent the first evidence of releasable angiotensin provoked by the chemical activation of a neural pathway that has been histochemically demonstrated to link the SFO with the PVN and brain stem structures concerned with cardiovascular functioning.
Treatment planning for the lung cancer

This article is a letter to editor, and it doesn't include an abstract. Full text of this article is available in HTML and PDF . Cite this article as: Gill S. Treatment planning for lung cancer. Int J Cancer Ther Oncol 2014; 2 (1):020117. DOI : http://dx.doi.org/10.14319/ijcto.0201.17
Tepary Bean Flour, Albumin and Globulin Fractions Functional Properties Compared with Soy Protein Isolate

The solubilities of teparies albumin (TA) and globulin (TG) compared to soy protein isolate (SPI) were higher at pH 1–4 but similar at pH 8–12. Although SPI developed significantly higher viscosity than the tepary bean proteins, the flour (TF) and TA had significantly higher heat coagulability and foaming properties. TG did not coagulate upon heating (100°C). Also, TG formed a weaker and less stable foam and had significantly lower emulsion capacity than TF, TA, and SPI. Tepary bean proteins absorbed significantly higher amounts of fat (corn oil) than SPI.
Robotic-assisted laparoscopic microsurgical tubal anastomosis: a human pilot study☆

Abstract Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of a robotic device to perform a laparoscopic tubal anastomosis. Design: Prospective pilot study. Setting: Tertiary care medical center. Patient(s): Ten patients with previous tubal ligations underwent laparoscopic tubal ligation reversal using a robotic suturing device. Intervention(s): Tubal surgery was performed with a robotic system. A two-layered closure was used for all tubes. Four stitches of 8-0 polygalactin sutures were used for each layer. Main Outcome Measure(s): Tubal patency; secondary measures were pregnancy rates, complications, and operative time. Result(s): The procedure was completed successfully in all 10 patients. No patient required conversion to an open procedure. The mean time (±SD) required to complete the anastomosis of both tubes was 159 ± 33.8 minutes. Chromotubation at the end of the procedure showed patency in all tubes anastomosed. A postoperative hysterosalpingogram 6 weeks after surgery demonstrated patency in 17 of the 19 (89%) tubes anastomosed. There have been five pregnancies so far. There were no complications. Conclusion(s): Robotic technology can be used safely to create laparoscopic microsurgical anastomoses with adequate patency rates. Robotic technology has the potential to make laparoscopic microsuturing easier.
Anthocyanins of the Sterculiaceae

Abstract No uncommon anthocyanins were detected among 13 taxa (sig genera) of the Sterculiaceae. Floral pigments appear to be of little systematic utility in this family.
Effects of a defendant's previous psychiatric hospitalization on the judgments of simulated jurors

Simulated jurors were asked to render judgements in a case involving either a violent or a nonviolent armed robbery. The defendent either did or did not have a stated history or previous psychiatric hospitalization. The former mental patient received fewer guilty verdicts than did the nonhospitalized defendant in the nonviolent robbery condition, while no difference existed in the violent robbery condition. It was predicted that, relative to the nonhospitalized defendant, subjects would be more punitive when the former mental patient was judged guilty of the violent crime than when he was judged guilty of the nonviolent robbery. This prediction was confirmed only for male subjects. The data suggest that while males responded in terms of conventional stereotypes about the mentally ill, females did not. Results are discussed in terms of attribution of responsibility and fear reactions toward the mentally ill. Language: en
Dual input null networks

A thorough investigation is made of the properties of dual input null networks which are known to have the distinctive feature of single-element control of the notch frequency. The results show the principal advantages and limitations of such networks and also the relative merits and demerits of the parallel- T and bridged- T types.
Reverse conduction of a 100 A SiC DMOSFET module in high-power applications

Numerous research efforts over the past few years have documented the enhanced capabilities that Silicon Carbide (SiC) offers over Silicon based power electronic devices. Additional research work has led to vast improvements in the manufacturing of SiC based components. As a result, SiC power electronic components, primarily diodes, are now readily available and this technology promises to have widespread market impact as more complex device structures are commercially realized. Recently, the development of a 1200 V 50 A SiC DMOSFET device and its use in a 100 A power module has been documented [1]. This paper extends that research work to report on the reverse conduction characteristics of the SiC DMOSFET and the system-level benefits for high-power applications that can be achieved by operating these devices in this manner. Experimental data is presented on the 100 A module consisting of two, 50 A SiC DMOSFETs and two, 50 A SiC JBS anti-parallel free-wheeling diodes used in a high-power bi-directional DC-DC converter during buck mode operation.
Informatics Competencies: Essential for Psychiatric Nursing Practice

Computers and information technologies (IT) are rapidly changing health care. At present, health care settings are becoming more sophisticated and technologically driven. As psychiatric nurses are faced with the challenge of acquiring computer knowledge and skills in order to effectively practice, informatics competencies are essential to this acquisition. In this article, the importance of informatics knowledge and skills to the contemporary practice of psychiatric nursing is discussed, and informatics competencies deemed relevant to psychiatric nursing practice at the generalist level are presented.
Using deep structure to locate hard problems

One usually writes A.I. programs to be used on a range of examples which, although similar in kind, differ in detail. This paper shows how to predict where, in a space of problem instances, the hardest problems are to be found and where the fluctuations in difficulty are greatest Our key insight is to shift emphasis from modelling sophisticated algorithms directly to modelling a search space which captures their principal effects. This allows us to analyze complex A.I. problems in a simple and intuitive way. We present a sample analysis, compare our model's quantitative predictions with data obtained independently and describe how to exploit the results to estimate the value of preprocessing. Finally, we circumscribe the kind problems to which the methodology is suited.
Staffing Software Maintenance and Support Projects

In the past decade outsourcing a software system's support and maintenance has become relatively common across most organizations. In this paper we consider a few issues governing the staffing of support and maintenance projects from the perspective of the software service provider. Though queueing models have been used for the estimation of staffing requirements and control in the past, little attention has been paid to the service level agreements (SLAs) that most service providers have to adhere to, as part of the service contract. In this paper we consider the problem of finding the minimum staffing requirement by modeling the support environment as an M/M/s queue while including an SLA type requirement. For the same system, we show that a lower bound on the service rate exists and how it is to be calculated. We also validate certain rules of thumb that software project managers can employ in light of changing conditions and discuss the caveats to these rules of thumb.
Information technologies for comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography

Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCGC) presents information technology challenges in data handling, visualization, processing, analysis and reporting. With its significantly greater separation capacity, GCGC generates data sets that are two to three orders-of-magnitude larger than for conventional GC and that exhibit an order-of-magnitude or more distinct peaks in complex multidimensional patterns. GCGC is a much richer source of data for chemical analyses, but extracting relevant information from the large, complex data sets requires advanced information technologies. This paper reviews a range of state-of-the-art information technologies for GCGC, including graphical user-interfaces (GUIs), computer graphics for data visualization, data file formats for storage and interchange, digital image processing, image analysis and pattern recognition, data and information formats, and software architecture and engineering. D 2004 Published by Elsevier B.V.
Using camera-equipped mini-UAVS to support collaborative wilderness search and rescue teams

Current practice in Wilderness Search and Rescue (WiSAR) can be viewed as a collaborative system designed to gather and analyze information to find missing persons in remote areas. The system consists of multiple parts — various tools for information management (maps, GPS, etc) distributed across personnel with different skills and responsibilities. Introducing a camera-equipped mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (mini-UAV) into WiSAR requires autonomy and information technology that itself is an integrated intelligent system to be used by a sub-team that must be integrated into the overall collaborative system. We review component technology that offloads or supplements many responsibilities to autonomous systems, and describe how autonomy and information are integrated into user interfaces to better support distributed search across time and space. The integrated system has been developed through a series of flight tests and field trials, and has also been demonstrated to Utah County Search and Rescue personnel. Searchers have used the technology to successfully locate a simulated missing person in a wilderness area.
DEVELOPING AN INSTRUMENT FOR ELICITING CHILDREN'S DESCRIPTION OF PAIN

Expanding on the work of Melzack, Schultz, Scott, and Eland and Anderson, we devised an instrument that would elicit from school age children a description of their pain experience. After three sta...
Procedure exlining: a new system-level specification transformation

We introduce a new system-level specification transformation called procedure exlining. Exlining is the problem of replacing sequences of statements by procedure calls, which is the opposite problem of inlining. Procedures are used by system synthesis and behavioral synthesis tools to guide exploration of various high-level implementations, so exclining can greatly improve the results of synthesis. We demonstrate the usefulness of exlining on several examples.
Treatment practice and research issues in improving opioid treatment outcomes.

May 18, 2001, was a landmark day in the history of what was once called methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) or, more recently, opiate substitution (or replacement) treatment. On that date, Federal oversight of MMT shifted from the Food and Drug Administration, the Federal regulating authority since 1972, to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse Treatment (CSAT) (DHHS, 2001). The main objective of the change in oversight is to move programs toward stricter accountability for patient outcomes, such as decreased drug use, reduced criminal behavior, and improved social functioning. Increasingly, programs will need to do more to maintain their licenses than simply adhere to the regulations governing the delivery of methadone, LAAM, and other medications for treating opioid addiction. They also will have to demonstrate that they measure and meet criteria for acceptable levels of treatment effectiveness and patient benefit. The new rules also give providers more flexibility to adopt scientifically validated outcome-enhancing practices. To reflect the emphasis on a variety of potentially effective practices that go beyond methadone maintenance, SAMHSA has instituted the label “opioid treatment program” (OTP). This article offers an OTP director’s perspective on how programs can succeed in the new era. OTPs must draw on scientific research, which has provided a wealth of studies to inform clinical practice. A key principle that has emerged is that the length of time a patient stays in treatment (“retention”) is a highly significant indicator of program quality; measured repeatedly, it is a tool for assessing progress in improving outcomes. To achieve and document greater patient retention as well as other desirable patient outcomes, many OTPs will need to make sometimes far-reaching changes in their operations and offerings. Collaboration between providers and researchers will be essential to solving the many practical problems OTPs must overcome to fully implement science-based treatments.
Bioinformatic and molecular investigation of Sirt3 expression

Background Fasting and calorie restriction cause significant metabolic changes as organisms try to maintain energy homeostasis. The mitochondrial NAD-dependent protein deacetylase Sirt3 has important metabolic effects, including promotion of fatty acid oxidation during fasting [1] and repression of glycolysis in cancer cells [2]. We sought to investigate the mechanisms by which Sirt3 is transcriptionally induced and regulated using both bioinformatic and molecular methods.
LENNARD-JONES CHAIN MIXTURES : VARIATIONAL THEORY AND MONTE CARLO SIMULATION RESULTS

The Helmholtz free energy and pressure for binary Lennard-Jones chain mixtures are derived using a variational first-order perturbation theory. The reference system consisting of a binary mixture of freely jointed tangent hard sphere chains is solved in the Percus—Yevick approximation. The optimal diameter of segments in the hard sphere chain reference system is determined by minimizing the Helmholtz free energy for the chain mixture through the Gibbs—Bogoliubov inequality. The Lennard-Jones potential is introduced via a perturbation on the reference system and uses only the interchain radial distribution function, which is solved in the Percus—Yevick approximation. This simplification is compensated for by introducing a state-independent parameter κB for pure components to account for intrachain (three-body) effects included in the simulation but omitted from the theory. A simple mixing rule is proposed to calculate mixture integrals appearing in the perturbation term. New simulation data are presented f...
Information systems at a liberal arts college: an interdisciplinary minor

In this paper, we describe the development and launch of the interdisciplinary Information Systems Minor at Washington College, a selective liberal arts college. We discuss the components of the minor, the way in which strengths and constraints of the school were balanced in the creation of the minor, and the rationale for the selection of courses. The minor is a catalog offering for the 2008-2009 academic year. Future research will track the performance of students enrolled in the minor.
A simple method for characterizing planar transmission line discontinuities on dissipative substrates

A simple, least-squares sum curve fitting technique is presented which accurately models surface currents on planar transmission lines. This approach is useful for characterizing discontinuities occurring in MICs fabricated on dissipative substrates. Numerical results for the microstrip open end on a lossy GaAs substrate are given. >
Fibrous Monolithic Ceramics: I, Fabrication, Microstructure, and Indentation Behavior

Monolithic ceramics have been fabricated from coated green fibers to create fibrous microstructures. The fibrous monoliths consist of high aspect ratio polycrystalline regions (cells) of a primary phase regions (cell boundaries) designed to improve fracture resistance. The cells are the remnants of the green fiber which consists of ceramic powder and a polymer binder. The coating applied on the green fiber forms the cell boundaries. Fabrication and microstructure are described for fibrous monoliths in the SiC/graphite, silicon nitride/BN, alumina/alumina–zirconia, alumina/aluminum titanate, alumina/nickel and Ce-TZP/alumina–Ce–zirconia systems. The SiC/graphite fibrous monolith displays noncatastrophic failure in flexure, with shear delamination along the weak graphite layers. Indentations in SiC/graphite cause cells to spall, with crack arrest and extrusion of graphite from the cell boundaries. Crack deflection and spalling of cells are also observed in alumina/alumina–zirconia fibrous monoliths. In the Ce-TZP/alumina system, transformed regions around indentations are significantly modified by the alumina-containing cell boundaries.
Modeling blower flow characteristics and comparing to measurements

Thermal management for high performance electronic systems such as servers and I/O boxes has become increasingly challenging due to the ever growing demand for higher computing performance and packaging density. Proper modeling, design and characterization of the cooling system have become critical to the overall system performance, reliability and energy consumption. Air moving devices such as blowers (centrifugal fans) are key components of the air-cooled electronic systems. This paper focuses on the flow characteristics of blowers and the impact on the system air flow distribution. To capture the flow characteristics, different levels of numerical modeling methodology are considered using a commercially available tool. It is demonstrated that a simple compact model, typically used in system level models, is not sufficient to resolve the air flow distribution near the exhaust. A more detailed model which includes the actual geometry of the blower blades resolves the body forces using MRF and predicts the flow distribution with better agreement with measurement data. Comparing the different modeling methodologies for systems of different impedance characteristics, a general guideline is subsequently proposed.
Deterring without Dominance: Discouraging Chinese Adventurism under Austerity

Even as events in Iraq, Syria, and Ukraine have captured the attention of U.S. foreign policy elites, the United States faces key questions about its military position in Asia. In the face of growi...
The Current Status of Psychoanalysis

Presented here is an overview of current challenges and controversies regarding psychoanalysis as a science, competing psychoanalytic theories, convergent and divergent trends in psychoanalytic technique, psychoanalytic education, psychoanalysis as a profession. Among other issues stressed are the importance of the relation of psychoanalysis to the University, the research implications of competing theoretical and technical orientations, the need to reexamine the structure of psychoanalytic education, and the importance of international cross-fertilization in expanding the application of psychoanalysis to other fields.
How Important Is Pricing in Competitive Strategy

Most economic theory relating to business behavior emphasizes pricing. Also, the economist traditionally attempts to explain marketing strategy in terms of monopolistic and competitive market struc...
Studying up (and down) the cultural heritage preservation agenda: Observations from Romania:

This article argues that researchers involved in cultural heritage preservation need to adopt an inclusive ethnographic research methodology that pays attention to how power, class and status shape communities. Based on field research in Ghimes-Fǎget, Romania, it discusses the factors that influenced residents’ choice of ethnic identity and focuses on why the Hungarian identity was chosen as the most visible public representation of the town, when residents could have chosen from a variety of other identities. Local efforts to preserve culture, history and self ‘in one direction’ were shaped by the current socio-economic reality in Ghimes. The article suggests that identity is informed by shifting power relations between ethnic groups and not simply by the more powerful ethnic group in the community. Finally, the article discusses why one recently proposed ‘culturally responsive research methodology’ could not support any kind of legitimate preservation agenda in Ghimes-Fǎget or any other community.
Genetic Algorithms for Path Planning in a Room with Obstacles

When an individual enters a room, he/she knows how to plan his/her path to a desired point in the room, avoiding any obstacles on the way. The individual generates a mental map of the room, based on his or her sensing of the environment, and uses this map to find the optimal path. This task is not trivial for a robot. Even if the map of the environment is somehow made available for the robot, the robot is still required to plan its path. The general problem of path planning for autonomous robots is defined as the search for a path which a robot (with specified geometry) has to follow in a described environment, in order to reach a particular position and orientation B, given an initial position and orientation A. Our approach is to use genetic algorithms to search for a viable and preferably the optimal solution to the problem. We use chromosomes that encode the entire path using a set of discrete steps taken in directions encoded by 3-bit genes. This unique approach requires us to make some modifications to the general genetic algorithms technique, such as varying mutation probability and variable chromosome length. Our approach allows us to plan a path for any amount of obstacles and works particularly well in cases where the number of obstacles is small.
The epochs of dinosaurs and fossil eggs from Zhejiang Province

Dinosaur and egg fossils were found in 12 Upper Cretaceous basins of Zhejiang Province,and in some basins both dinosaur and egg fossils were observed.Except for Jinqu Basin where dinosaur fossils were found in Zhongdai Formation of Lower Qujiang Group,dinosaurs and egg fossils in all other basins were exclusively produced in the middle and upper strata,i.e.,Chaochuang and Fangyan Formations of Yongkang Group,Jinhua and Quxian Formations of Qujiang Group,and Liangtoutang and Chichengshan Formations of Tiantai Group.According to characteristics of biostratigraphy,isotopic data(101-90Ma) and positive polarity paleomagnetism,the authors consider that the age of some fossil eggs in Zhejiang is Late Cretaceous,whereas the age of Faveoloolithidae may be the end of Cretaceous.Researches on dinosaurs and dinosaur egg fossils of Zhejiang Province are of great significance in the subdivision of the Upper Cretaceous strata in Zhejiang Province.