cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Pulverized-coal combustion research at Brigham Young University

Abstract This review paper presents a comprehensive summary and analysis of research work conducted principally at the Brigham Young University Combustion Laboratory over the past decade. An attempt is made to set forth the philosophy and foundations for the laboratory research, which include commitments to both measurement and modeling of complex combustion processes. Recent work has emphasized pulverized-coal processes. The review paper reports past results, together with some recent, previously unpublished results, and provides an integration and summary of key findings. Information from independent investigators is also included or referenced where comparisons are made or where similar work provided clarification. Among the most significant results include the following: (1) measurement of local properties (e.g. velocity, concentration, temperature, mixing rate) from reacting and nonreacting gaseous and particle-laden flows for a variety of test conditions. These data provide a basis for determining controlling processes and for evaluating comprehensive coal reaction models; (2) development and application of comprehensive pulverized-coal combustion models for premixed and diffusion flames; (3) evaluation of combustion models by extensive comparisons with detailed profile data from this and other laboratories. Research needs and concerns in each area of activity are also identified, and future possible laboratory directions are considered.
p53 Mutation in Inflammatory Breast Cancer Cell Lines.

Background: Inflammatory breast cancer (IBC) is the most aggressive manifestation of primary breast cancer and represents 1% to 2% of primary breast cancer in the United States. IBC is characterized by an acute inflammation of the skin of the affected breast generally believed to be caused by blockage of the dermal lymphatics by tumor emboli. Wild type (WT) p53 is a tumor suppressor gene, which induces apoptosis and p53 mutations are associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer. Compared with locally advanced breast cancers, IBC patients have higher levels of mutated p53 protein that has been associated with more aggressive tumors, anthracycline resistance, shorter progression free survival, shorter overall survival, and less favorable long-term outcome. The aim of this study was to determine if there are unique genetic variations in IBC cell lines that would provide specific genetic p53 mutations that could be exploited for targeted therapy with the intent of improving response to treatment and overall survival in IBC.Materials and Methods: Genomic DNA was extracted from six breast cancer cell lines (MDA-453, SUM149, MCF-7, KPL4, MDA321, and SUM190) and the immortalized human mammary epithelial cells (HMLE) using the Qiagen DNA Blood Mini Kit (Valencia, CA). Among the 6 breast cancer cell lines, KPL-4, SUM149 and SUM190 are IBC cell lines; MDA231 and SUM149 have basal-like phenotype; MCF-7 has wild-type p53; SUM190 and KPL-4 are Her2 amplified. The DNA purity and concentration were determined by spectrophotometric measurements of absorbance at 260nm and 280 nm. Polymerase chainreaction (PCR) was performed to amplify the fragments of exons 2-11 of the p53gene using consensus primers. The PCR products were scanned and identified using the Agilent Bioanalyzer 2100. DNA sequencing was performed on PCR products in the ABI PRISM 310 Genetic Analyzer. The BLAST search was used to identify p53 mutations compared with the reference sequence, X54156, from Genbank.Results: We screened 2-11 exon sequences of the p53 gene in the 7 human breast cell lines. We identified two IBC cell lines (SUM149, SUM-190) with a p53 gene alteration that predicted a change in the encoded protein, SUM149 at exon 7 (ATG to ATA, Met-237-Ile) and SUM190 at exon 9 (CAG to TAG, Gln -317-stop). Both mutations have been previously reported. Five nonsense mutations were identified in two other cell lines, MDA-453 and MDA321. No mutations were identified in KPL4 and HMLE cells.Conclusions: The p53 mutation profile in breast cancer cell lines suggests an additional biological feature for the characterization of IBC. Furthermore, these data support the previously reported association between p53 status and chemo- and radioresistance in this disease responsible for poor prognosis. Therapies directed to restore p53 function should be explored in IBC models and in clinical trials. Citation Information: Cancer Res 2009;69(24 Suppl):Abstract nr 3161.
OSM: Prioritized evolutionary QoS optimization for interactive 3D teleimmersion

Different 3D tele-immersive (3DTI) activities pose different prioritized requirements for application and network-level quality of service (QoS) to ensure a strong quality of experience (QoE) for participants. Some applications put heavy weight on audio quality, some consider higher quality for upper body video streams, and some seek very low end-to-end interactivity delay. In addition, a variation in streaming content may arise in the 3DTI space due to the participants' change in interests (e.g., view change). Therefore, there is a need for an adaptive multistream, multisite 3DTI session management strategy that is not only unobtrusive, but also optimizes prioritized QoS parameters in 3DTI content distribution based on user activity and content variation. To address this next generation session management problem, we revisit the design space of multistream and multisite 3DTI session layer. We present an evolutionary 3DTI session optimization approach using Open Session Management (OSM) architecture that uses a global view of participants and overlays network conditions to optimize QoS parameters. Experimental results with PlanetLab traces show that our optimization process is unobtrusive, and the optimized TI sessions provide higher satisfaction to the participants (in some cases up to 50p higher) compared to the current solutions in the 3DTI space.
portal Vein Thrombosis After Laparoscopic Sigmoid Colectomy for Diverticulitis : report of a Case

Portal vein thrombosis is a very uncommon complication after laparoscopic surgery. Although only one case of portal vein thrombosis has been reported after laparoscopic colectomy, there are several reports of mesenteric vascular occlusion after other laparoscopic procedures. We present a case of portal vein thrombosis in a patient with no other demonstrable hypercoagulable states or risk factors, who underwent an uneventful laparoscopic sigmoid colectomy. Because alteration in coagulation may occur after establishing a pneumoperitoneum, we suggest that heparin prophylaxis may be advisable to avoid these kinds of complications, especially if a past history of coagulable disorders is present.
Evidence for a cephalic site of action of high magnetic fields on the behavioral responses of rats

Static high magnetic fields (MFs) from 7 T to 9 T can elicit behavioral responses in rodents such as suppression of rearing, locomotor circling, and acquisition of a conditioned taste aversion (CTA). MF exposure also induces c-Fos expression in the visceral and vestibular nuclei of the brainstem, suggesting the stimulation of some sensory pathways. It is not clear, however, if the effects of the MF are caused by exposure to the uniform maximal field at the center of the magnet, or by exposure to the steep field gradients along the bore of the magnet during the rat's placement. In addition, the site of action within the rat is unknown. In an attempt to limit MF exposure to rostral or caudal portions of the rats' body, we exposed male and female rats at different positions within the bore of a 14.1-T superconducting magnet ranging from 2 cm (1.6 T at the head) to 155 cm (0.05 T at the head), with the center of the bore at 65 cm (14.1 T across the whole body). This approach also allowed us to expose rats to the maximal field strength (14.1 T) vs. the maximal field gradients (54 T/m). To assess both immediate and delayed behavioral effects, locomotor and CTA responses were recorded. A small but significant CTA was seen after exposure of the head to the lowest MF tested (0.05 T at 155 cm). Graded effects were seen, however, with greater circling and CTA acquisition as the MF strength increased at the rostral end of the rat. This suggests a cephalic site of action. Furthermore, maximal circling and CTA were induced after exposure to the uniform center field, and not after exposure to high field gradients on either side of the center. This suggests that the behavioral responses seen after MF exposure are a consequence of the uniform static field at the center of the magnet, and are not caused by passage through, or exposure to, the vertical field gradients. Female rats responded similarly to male rats, although magnet-induced CTA appeared resistant to extinction in female rats.
The Learning Zone in New Product Development

New information is the fuel that allows organizations to innovate. Yet the generation of new information may yield little benefit if existing practices prevent the firm from integrating new insights effectively. This study provides evidence that existing knowledge has both an enhancement effect that improves the firm's ability to benefit from new information, and an inhibition effect that lowers its motivation to learn. Firms that utilize a moderate level of existing knowledge benefit from new information more than firms that rely too little or too much upon existing knowledge. We call this optimal circumstance the “learning zone.” Furthermore, we find that the moderating effects of existing knowledge are stronger for new products of lower novelty that provide a similar learning context. In addition, as novelty increases, the prominence of the enhancement effect increases, whereas the inhibition effect becomes less prevalent. Highly novel products that are able to utilize existing knowledge are therefore most likely to benefit from new information. Existing technical knowledge is also found to inhibit the use of new information to a greater degree than market knowledge. The findings suggest that organizations should evaluate their reliance on existing knowledge and create a learning zone that provides the best condition for innovation.
Methionine modification impairs the C5‐cleavage function of cobra venom factor‐dependent C3/C5 convertase

The complement-mediated lysis of guinea pig erythrocytes by cobra venom factor (CVF) decreased by 50-60% within 2 min of treatment with 5 mM sodium periodate at 0 degree C. This loss of activity paralleled modification of 3-4 Met; other amino acids and sugar residues of the oligosaccharide chains were not affected. Treatment with N-chlorosuccinimide or chloramine-T under conditions that specifically modified 3-4 readily-oxidizable Met also caused 50-60% loss of CVF activity. The secondary structure of CVF was not altered by these modifications. Methionine-modified CVF (MetCVF) supported the cleavage of factor B by factor D with equal efficiency as that of untreated CVF to form C3/C5 convertase (MetCVF,Bb) of the alternative pathway. MetCVF,Bb and CVF,Bb were indistinguishable with respect to C3 cleavage. However, the C5-cleavage ability of MetCVF,Bb was significantly lower than that of CVF,Bb. These results suggest the involvement of Met in CVF binding of C5.
Isolation of chromosomes

TECHNIQUES for the isolation of interphase chromosomes from nuclei of vertebrate tissues were described in 1947 by Mirsky and Ris [19]. The determination of the chemical composition of interphase chromosomes from these preparations [20, 21, 221 aided in the initial definition of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) as the genetic material. Although information in more recent years regarding nucleoprotein relationships has been obtained from other cellular fractions, such as isolated nuclei, the earlier information provided by Mirsky and Ris is often used in the interpretation of studies on chromosome structure and function. Mirsky and Ris [ 191 used a Waring blendor for cellular and nuclear disruption to isolate interphase chromosomes. This technique has been claimed by some to render nuclear and chromosomal fragmentation during the isolation procedure [ 15, 171. Others, however, regard the final preparation to consist of intact interphase chromosomes [6, 231. The degree of chromosomal fragmentation, if any, cannot be strictly ascertained. Unfortunately, techniques are not available at present to allow morphological identification of the individual chromosomes at interphase. Chromosomes in division stages have always been the cytologist’s point of reference for defining morphology. Therefore, a method has been sought for the isolation of metaphase chromosomes from cells grown in vitro. Preservation of chromosome morphology could be used as a significant criterion in the evaluation of the techniques used. Recently, a method has been described for the mass isolation of metaphase chromosomes employing a formamide treatment to provide cellular disruption [4]. Individual metaphase complements can also be isolated, free from cytoplasm, if cells are disrupted in 3 : 1, alcohol: acetic acid, fixative [24]. The present report describes several attempts to isolate metaphase chromosomes from mammalian cells grown in vitro. ’
Evidence for protein kinase C pathway in the response of human peripheral blood mononuclear cells to cholera toxin.

Abstract Cholera toxin (CT) is a potent mucosal adjuvant and is widely used for vaccine studies in animal models. However, there have been few studies that describe the immunomodulating effects of CT on cells of the human immune system. In this study, the immunomodulatory properties of CT on human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were examined to gain insights to its effects on cells of the human immune system. CT induced production of immunostimulating (IL-1β and IL-6) and immunosuppressive (IL-10) cytokines by PBMC. However, the dose–response curve of its cytokine-inducing activity did not correlate well with the concentrations of intracellular cAMP generated by varying doses of CT. The CT mode of action on human PBMC, regarding induction of these cytokines, was clarified by the use of inhibitors of adenyl cyclase, protein kinase A (PKA), and protein kinase C (PKC). 2′,3′-Dideoxyadenosine, which inhibits adenyl cyclase activity, reduced IL-1, IL-6, and IL-10 levels by 29, 15, and 28% respectively. HA1004, an inhibitor of PKA, reduced the IL-1 and IL-6 levels by 29 and 27%, respectively. The PKC inhibitor, H7, completely blocked the induction of all three cytokines by CT, suggesting a cAMP-independent mode of action for CT on human PBMC. These observations suggest that CT induces immunomodulating cytokines from human PBMC via the PKC pathway.
From pauses to clauses: Prosody facilitates learning of syntactic constituency

Abstract Learning to parse the speech stream into syntactic constituents is a crucial prerequisite to adult-like sentence comprehension, and prosody is one source of information that could be used for this task. To test the role of prosody in facilitating constituent learning, 19-month-olds were familiarized with non-word sentences with 1-clause (ABCDEF) or 2-clause (ABC, DEF) prosody and were then tested on sentences that represent a grammatical (DEF, ABC) or ungrammatical (EFA, BCD) ‘movement’ of the clauses from the 2-clause familiarization sentences. If infants in the 2-clause group are able to use prosody to group words into cohesive chunks, they should discriminate between grammatical and ungrammatical movements in the test items, even though the test sentences have a new prosodic contour. The 1-clause, control, group should not discriminate. Results support these predictions and suggest that infants treat prosodically-grouped words as more cohesive and constituent-like than words that straddle a prosodic boundary. A follow-up experiment suggests that these results do not merely reflect recognition of words in boundary positions or acoustic similarity of words across the familiarization and test phases.
Withdrawal symptoms in infants with the fetalalcohol syndrome

Six infants with dysmorphic features of the fetal alcohol syndrome presented with symptoms ofwithdrawal from alcohol similar to those observed in adults and animals. Symptoms were characterized by irritability, tremors, spontaneous seizures, opisthotonos, and abdominal distention. A comparison of symptoms is made to animal withdrawal from ethanol and to the neonatal narcotic withdrawal syndrome.
Infection and Quantitative Recovery of Salmonella Typhimurium and Escherichia Coli From Within the Lesser Mealworm, Alphitobius Diaperinus (Panzer).,

Abstract THE lesser mealworm, Alphitobius diaperinus (Panzer) has been considered only as a minor pest of grain, cereal products and related agricultural commodities although it is widely distributed throughout the world (Cotton, 1956; Harris, 1966; Lancaster and Simco, 1967). Infestations are noted frequently in damp and mouldy grain, the product having lost most of its food value prior to the insect infestation. The lesser mealworm has been noted also as a secondary but chronic problem in poultry brooder houses where it breeds and develops in feed and in corn cob litter (Gould and Moses, 1951; Harding and Bissell, 1958). It is apparent, however, that its diet in this environment is not restricted to plant products (Harris, 1966). Harris noted that the lesser mealworm bore into and apparently feed on the flesh and internal organs of moribund and dead baby chicks. During this feeding they may become contaminated with the avain leukosis . . .
Calcium diffusion: A new dating method for archeological materials

Investigation of calcium migration across clay-cement interfaces in building bricks and other similar artifacts ranging in age from about 68 to 3,800 yr shows that calcium diffusion coefficients in the samples9 clay layers are equivalent in all of the artifacts studied to date. Consequently, the age of the samples may be estimated from the distance that calcium migrated from the cement into the clay. To investigate the stability of clay barriers proposed for nuclear-waste containment systems, the rate of calcium diffusion from calcium-based materials (e.g., cement, plaster, and mortar) into adjacent clay-based materials (e.g., riverbed clay, mud brick, and fired clay brick) was determined from electron-microprobe analyses of Ca distribution in samples of known age. In seven samples with well-preserved clay-cement interfaces, an apparent Ca diffusion coefficient on the order of 10 −20 m 2 /s was calculated from Ca distribution in the clay layer. The resulting calcium-concentration front migrates about 9 µm in 100 yr, and can be located to ±2 µm, corresponding to about ±25 yr error. Thus, although only preliminary, these results indicate that Ca diffusion may provide the basis for a rapid and relatively inexpensive method of dating building bricks and other similar materials that have hitherto defied conventional dating techniques.
Embolization of a mesenteric artery aneurysm: Case report

Gelfoam embolization of a jejunal artery branch aneurysm was performed using an openended guidewire. The outflow vessel was embolized first, followed by occlusion of the feeding artery, to exclude collateral filling.
The effect of (o-phenanthroline)2-cupric sulfate on several properties associated with (Na+ + K+)-dependent adenosine triphosphatase

Previous studies have shown that the large polypeptide of purified (Na+ + K+)-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (NaK ATPase) reacts to form a dimer and other higher oligomeric structures of the enzyme as a result of cross-linking with (o-phenanthroline)2-cupric sulfate (CP). In the present communication, I show that both NaK ATPase activity and p-nitrophenylphosphatase (NPPase) activity decline rapidly and nearly in parallel when the enzyme is reacted with CP. Similarly, ATP binding is lost with kinetics close to those of ATPase activity and NPPase activity. The loss of ATPase activity, NPPase activity, and ATP binding occurs at a considerably faster rate than cross-linking of the large polypeptide, suggesting that CP may also be forming intrachain disulfide bonds. The binding of ouabain to NaK ATPase is also altered as a result of reacting the enzyme with CP. In marked contrast to ATP binding, however, ouabain binding is lost at a slower rate which closely parallels the rate of reaction of the large polypeptide to form cross-linked oligomeric structures.
Calhoun's constitutional economics

Calhoun's early speeches and writings argue for an expansive national government. His later works, most notablyA Disquisition on Government, argue for a strong version of states' rights, nullification, and secession. Earlier accounts of Calhoun's thought attribute this apparent contradiction to political expediency and opportunism. But I argue here that Calhoun's early nationalism was a reaction against the operation of multiple vetoes in the legislative process, requiring near unanimity to pass legislation. By 1825, however, Congress had evolved institutions that circumvented these vetoes, resulting in majoritarian redistribution. The later Calhoun opposed the legislation that followed from these circumventions and proposed an alternative form of unanimity, the concurring majority, as the appropriate corrective.
Engineering Faculty Reward Systems

In this forum article, faculty reward systems are discussed, and teaching, research, and service activities are summarized in some detail. Hopefully, discussions of this type will lead to meaningful development of desirable faculty reward systems. Successful implementation of curriculum changes, and particularly those implying a close coordination between different subjects, is demanding on faculty time and requires faculty dedication. Yet the primary role of universities has changed from education to research, with little faculty time for teaching undergraduates. In many universities, a faculty performance evaluation depends primarily on the amount of research funding generated and the number of publications, with only lip service to teaching. If our universities are going to continue to be educational institutions rather than just research establishments, and curriculum changes as advocated in recent years by many are to be successfully implemented, it is essential to have a reward system that recognizes properly the quality of all faculty activities rather than the quantity. The activities of engineering faculty can be sorted into three main categories: teaching, research, and service. Most universities, if not all, would state that faculty performance is reviewed on the basis of these three types of activities. Unfortunately, very few universities, if any, are willing to state clearly and concisely what are their performance metrics and promotion criteria. It might be easier to define, at least, the minimum requirements. That would provide a lower bound, but even this is generally unavailable today. A precise definition of the performance measures and evaluation criteria used for annual reviews, promotion, and tenure would make it easier for many faculty members to assess their status and their chances. It would also considerably simplify potential grievance hearings, which are becoming more common. On the other hand, it would reduce the flexibility of university administrations at various levels ~department, college, and university! to adapt their criteria to each individual case. What may be more important deterrents to the publication of clear reward metrics is the lack of consensus on what these should be and the difficulty in accounting properly for all possible activities involved in each one of the three main categories and assigning relative values to them. In the following, we consider these different activities.
Expression and chromosomal mapping of the mouse smooth muscle calponin gene

Smooth muscle calponin (Cnn1) is a multifunctional protein whose expression is tightly restricted to differentiated smooth muscle cell (SMC) lineages during embryonic and post-natal life. As such, Cnn1 represents an ideal locus from which to dissect out regulatory elements that control its expression and hence the mature SMC phenotype. Previous work has focused on the expression and chromosomal mapping of the rat and human Cnn1 orthologs. In this report, we describe a unique pattern of Cnn1 expression during the growth and differentiation of BC3H1 cells, a mouse cell line that has transcriptional characteristics of both smooth and skeletal muscle lineages. Actively growing BC3H1 cells exhibit Cnn1 mRNA expression, which is extinguished when these cells are induced to differentiate upon serum withdrawal. Replating differentiated BC3H1 cells restores steady-state Cnn1 mRNA levels. The down-regulation of Cnn1 mRNA during BC3H1 differentiation coincides with the induction of myogenin, a skeletal muscle transcription factor that is not present in SMC lineages. Results from cycloheximide and actinomycin D studies suggest the existence of a labile repressor protein(s) that destabilizes the pool of Cnn1 mRNA and/or silences transcription of the Cnn1 locus. Mapping of the mouse Cnn1 locus to Chr 9, which is homologous to human Cnn1 on 19p13.2 and rat Cnn1 on 8q, suggests no gross rearrangement of this locus in the BC3H1 cell line. These results are the first to show reversible expression of Cnn1 and demonstrate the utility of the BC3H1 muscle cell line as a model system for the further characterization of Cnn1 gene regulation.
An efficient light-driven P450 BM3 biocatalyst.

P450s are heme thiolate enzymes that catalyze the regio- and stereoselective functionalization of unactivated C–H bonds using molecular dioxygen and two electrons delivered by the reductase. We have developed hybrid P450 BM3 heme domains containing a covalently attached Ru(II) photosensitizer in order to circumvent the dependency on the reductase and perform P450 reactions upon visible light irradiation. A highly active hybrid enzyme with improved stability and a modified Ru(II) photosensitizer is able to catalyze the light-driven hydroxylation of lauric acid with total turnover numbers of 935 and initial reaction rate of 125 mol product/(mol enzyme/min).
Instructional Design and Intelligent Systems: Shifts in the Designer's Decision-Making Role.

In instructional design, decisions about which instructional methods to use are made well in advance of their implementation. While expert teachers select methods while instruction is underway and are well placed to adapt instruction to changing conditions, designers must try to predict ahead of time how instructional conditions will change. This is difficult to do because design procedures are non-deterministic and instructional theory is incomplete. In intelligent instructional systems, it is possible to shift certain aspects of decision-making back to the implementation phase of instruction. This enables systems to adapt to changing conditions and to present information in a variety of formats. The designer becomes less concerned with selecting methods and puts more effort into writing rules that allow systems to select methods once instruction has begun.
UNDERSTANDING THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES

‘‘The origin of new species, signifying the origin of essentially irreversible discontinuities with entirely new potentialities, is the most important single event in evolution.’’ (Mayr 1963, p. 11). In proportion to its importance, speciation is poorly understood. Meaningful facts about speciation do not come easily, so progress is made at nearly the same slow but steady pace as the process itself. Dobzhansky’s Genetics and the Origin of Species, published in 1937, and Mayr’s Animal Species and Evolution, published in 1963, remain the only major books on speciation, and the 1989 volume Speciation and Its Consequences edited by Otte and Endler was the last compilation devoted to the subject. The recent effort edited by D. J. Howard and S. H. Berlocher is a collection of 33 chapters dedicated to Guy Bush, who broke ranks while a Harvard graduate student to study sympatric speciation. We are fortunate that the celebration of his 65th birthday provided an opportunity for a major review of speciation studies. Chapters are devoted to species concepts, modes of speciation, reproductive barriers, the genetics of speciation, and hybridization. As expected, sympatric speciation gets considerable attention, and all the contributors on this subject take a decidedly favorable stance. There is a dearth of papers on plants, but the new generation of botanists is to blame, not the organizers. Molecular phylogenies have replaced the extensive biosystematic studies that were once common in botany, and plant speciation studies have suffered as a result. Drosophila retain their status as the system of choice for studying the genetics of speciation. Ecology, as usual, gets short shrift. In the summary that follows I discuss some of the major topics and make suggestions for future work.
A proposal for (slight) modification of the hughes-ingold mechanistic descriptors for substitution reactions

Abstract The term “S E Ar” is proposed to represent electrophilic aromatic substitution, leaving the term “S E 2” to refer exclusively to electrophilic substitutions where a steric course is possible. To describe the steric course of an aliphatic substitution reaction, the suffixes “ret” and “inv” are proposed, referring to retention and inversion of configuration, respectively. The rationale for these proposals is discussed.
Strategies for Human Resource Development Supporting Technology Transfer

The successful transfer of technology to developing countries is recognized as highly dependent on matching the knowledge and skills of the indigenous recipients with what is required to apply the technology successfully. Strategies for ensuring a timely supply of appropriately trained human resources are examined in light of linkages between the sources of technology, the implementing/operating organization and educational/training institutions. Based on this assessment, a more adaptive strategy is suggested. It emphasizes the source/implementer linkage, adds training capabilities to it and “pulls” both users of the technology and educational/training institutions toward sharply focused needs growing out of each specific transfer activity. Seen as less effective is the more traditional “push” strategy that depends on less effective linkages and produces more generally qualified implementers whose competences tend to be out of phase with requirements. The more promising strategy is seen as capable of impr...
Development and validation of a sexual functioning measure for use in diverse women's health outcome studies.

Objective The objective of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Sexual Health Outcomes in Women Questionnaire (SHOW-Q). Study Design SHOW-Q was developed to assess the impact of pelvic problems on sexual desire, frequency, satisfaction, orgasm, and discomfort. A total of 1833 English- or Spanish-speaking women enrolled in 5 studies across the United States completed relevant items at baseline and, for 4 studies, periodically thereafter. Participants also completed measures of pelvic symptomatology and health-related quality-of-life including mental and physical component scales (MCS, PCS). Results Factor analysis revealed a 12-item scale with high internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.86) and 4 reliable subscales (α = 0.73 to 0.84). Among sexually active women, SHOW-Q scores showed statistically significant correlations ( P Conclusion SHOW-Q is a reliable, valid, and sensitive measure of sexual functioning for use in diverse women's health outcome studies.
Application-Aware Reliability and Security: The Trusted ILLIAC Approach

Security and reliability are the key attributes in building highly trusted systems. System security violations (e.g., unauthorized privileged access or the compromising of data integrity) and reliability failures can be caused by hardware problems (transient or intermittent), software bugs, resource exhaustion, environmental conditions, or any complex interaction among these factors. To build a truly trustworthy system, the designer must find ways to mitigate (avoid and tolerate) against accidental errors and malicious attacks. Trusted ILLIAC ^1 is a reliable and secure clustercomputing platform being built at the University of Illinois Coordinated Science Laboratory (CSL) and Information Trust Institute (ITI), involving faculty from Electrical and Computer Engineering and Computer Science Departments. Trusted ILLIAC is intended to be a large, demonstrably trustworthy cluster-computing system to support what is variously referred to as on-demand/utility computing or adaptive enterprise computing. Such systems require that a significant number of applications co-exist and share hardware/software resources using a variety of containment boundaries. Current solutions aim at providing hardware and software solutions that can only be described as a one-size-fits-all approaches. Todays environments are complex, expensive to implement, and nearly impossible to validate. The challenge is to provide an application-specific level of reliability and security in a totally transparent manner, while delivering optimal performance. A promising approach lies in developing a new set of application-aware methods that provide customized levels of trust (specified by the application) enforced using an integrated approach involving reprogrammable hardware, enhanced compiler methods to extract security and reliability properties, and the support of configurable operating system and middleware. Our approach is to demonstrate such a set of integrated techniques that span entire system hierarchy: processor hardware, operating system, middleware, and application.
Replacing leads by self-energies using non-equilibrium Green's functions

Abstract Open quantum systems consist of semi-infinite leads which transport electrons to and from the device of interest. We show here that within the non-equilibrium Green's function technique for continuum systems, the leads can be replaced by simple c-number self-energies. Our starting point is an approach for continuum systems developed by Feuchtwang. The reformulation developed here is simpler to understand and carry out than the somewhat unwieldly manipulations typical in the Feuchtwang method. The self-energies turn out to have a limited variability: the retarded self-energy Σr depends on the arbitrary choice of internal boundary conditions, but the non-equilibrium self-energy or scattering function Σ
Sensitivity of tsunami evacuation modeling to direction and land cover assumptions

Abstract Although anisotropic least-cost-distance (LCD) modeling is becoming a common tool for estimating pedestrian-evacuation travel times out of tsunami hazard zones, there has been insufficient attention paid to understanding model sensitivity behind the estimates. To support tsunami risk-reduction planning, we explore two aspects of LCD modeling as it applies to pedestrian evacuations and use the coastal community of Seward, Alaska, as our case study. First, we explore the sensitivity of modeling to the direction of movement by comparing standard safety-to-hazard evacuation times to hazard-to-safety evacuation times for a sample of 3985 points in Seward's tsunami-hazard zone. Safety-to-hazard evacuation times slightly overestimated hazard-to-safety evacuation times but the strong relationship to the hazard-to-safety evacuation times, slightly conservative bias, and shorter processing times of the safety-to-hazard approach make it the preferred approach. Second, we explore how variations in land cover speed conservation values (SCVs) influence model performance using a Monte Carlo approach with one thousand sets of land cover SCVs. The LCD model was relatively robust to changes in land cover SCVs with the magnitude of local model sensitivity greatest in areas with higher evacuation times or with wetland or shore land cover types, where model results may slightly underestimate travel times. This study demonstrates that emergency managers should be concerned not only with populations in locations with evacuation times greater than wave arrival times, but also with populations with evacuation times lower than but close to expected wave arrival times, particularly if they are required to cross wetlands or beaches.
A Theory of Rule-Governed Behavior and Organizational Behavior Management

To a large extent, an organization's culture is probably not based on direct-acting contingencies of reinforcement and punishment. Instead it is generally based on indirect-acting conlineencies he.. analoe to reinforcement and ounishmentl A direct- - acting contingencyTs one where the oulcome involved'in the contingency is sufficiently immediate, sizable, and probable to reinforce or punish the causal response. An indirect-acting contingency is one Ulat controls the causal response, though the outcome contingent on that response is too improbable to actually reinforce or punish that causal response. In cases where indirect-acting contingencies do control Ihe response, it seems likely that they do so through the actions of rules describing those contingencies; in other words, such control is an instance of rule-governed behavior. Thus much of the control exerted by an organization's culture is through rule governance.
Two signals that trigger NK cell aggression against tumors

When it comes to the generation of immune responses, 2 signals are better than 1. For a long time, we have known that during T-cell activation, the T-cell receptor provides signal 1, and costimulation by CD28 provides signal 2. In this issue of Blood, Gao and colleagues (page [4456][1]) now
Molecular cloning and expression of a porcine chondrocyte nucleotide pyrophosphohydrolase

Abstract The porcine 127-kDa nucleotide pyrophosphohydrolase (NTPPHase) had been previously purified from the conditioned culture media of porcine articular cartilage. Protein sequencing of an internal 61-kDa proteolytic fragment of NTPPHase (61-kDa NTPPHase) determined the 26 N-terminal amino acids. This sequence was used to amplify a DNA fragment, which was used as a probe to clone the gene encoding the 61-kDa NTPPHase from a porcine chondrocyte cDNA library. DNA sequence analysis showed the cDNA insert to be 2509 bp, corresponding to a predicted open reading frame (ORF) encoding 599 amino acids. The 26 N-terminal amino acids of the 61-kDa NTPPHase were located within the ORF immediately downstream of a putative protease recognition region, RRKRR. This is consistent with this cDNA insert representing an internal proteolytic fragment of the full length 127-kDa NTPPHase. BLAST and FASTA analysis confirmed that the deduced amino acid sequence of 61-kDa NTPPHase was unique and did not possess a high degree of homology to sequence in the non-redundant protein and nucleotide databases. Proteins that possess limited homology (
THE EQUILIBRIUM RADIUS AND THE DOMAIN OF EXISTENCE OF MICROEMULSIONS

Abstract The equilibrium radius Re of thermodynamically stable microemulsions is computed from the minimum of the free energy of formation. To compute the interfacial tension, expressions for the adsorption isotherms of a multicomponent mixture are derived. These equations account for the different areas per molecule for surfactant and cosurfactant. The thermodynamic criterion for the formation of microemulsions can be translated into the condition that the radius Re should be positive and the concentrations of surfactant and cosurfactant in the bulk phases should not exceed their maximum solubilities. When one concentration exceeds the maximum solubility then a microemulsion phase can coexist in equilibrium with other phases. When both concentrations exceed the maximum solubilities then no microemulsion forms. One concludes that the usual single nonionic surfactants can generate microemulsions only under strictly limited conditions since they have adsorption constants which are outside the range required by the thermodynamic stability considerations. The addition of a cosurfactant widens this range and hence microemulsions form. Conditions under which two or three phases coexist in equilibrium are identified.
Palliative care in BMT

The field of high-dose therapy and SCT has made many advances in the past several years and the success rates have been steadily increasing as newer therapies emerge and improvements in supportive care continue to improve patient survival and cure rates. There still remains a mortality risk for high-dose therapy and the need for palliative care becomes more apparent as the focus also incorporates quality of life in all facets of cancer treatment and care. This paper reports on the lack of literature available on palliative care into the BMT and explores areas of future research in the integration of these two fields of medicine.
An Examination of Fourth Graders’ Aesthetic Engagement with Literary Characters

Reader response, simulation, and assimilation theories offer insights to our emotional connections with characters. Findings from a study conducted with avid fourth-grade readers show that when the children feel they are next to the character, they acentrally imagine the narrative and experience sympathy. The children also participate and centrally imagine the narrative from their own or a character's point of view when they feel they are interacting with the characters. Finally, the children identify and empathize with the character as they become that character. These children's experiences highlight the validity and limitations of existing theories and help us understand how we form emotional connections with literary characters and the importance of adopting an aesthetic stance during literary reading.
Randomized trial of high-frequency jet ventilation versus conventional ventilation in respiratory distress syndrome.

To compare high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) with pressure-limited time-cycled conventional ventilation (CV), we randomized 41 infants with clinical and radiographic evidence of respiratory distress syndrome during the first day of life to receive either HFJV or CV. Standardized ventilatory protocols were used for 48 hours, after which CV was administered to both groups. Despite comparable oxygenation (arterial/alveolar oxygen tension ratio), mean air-way pressure was lower in the HFJV group (9 ± 2 vs 13 ± 2 cm H 2 O, P 2 was lower during HFJV (37 ± 3 vs 42 ± 3 mm Hg, P
Level of Income and its Distribution as Determinants of Korean Expenditure Patterns

Even though the permanent income and relative income hypotheses have been utilized in past research to explain consumer behavior, no previous attempt has been made to integrate them into one model in explaining household expenditure behavior. In this article, the hypotheses are synthesized into a single model. The model was empirically tested using data from the 1996 Korean National Survey of Family Income and Expenditures. The results indicate that household expenditure behavior is generally explained by both hypotheses when integrated in one model. However, the impact of relative income and permanent income varies by expenditure categories.
Chromosomal analysis of cultured skin fibroblasts from patients with infectious mononucleosis.

In the present study, skin fibroblasts and leukocyte cultures from patients with acute infectious mononucleosis were examined to determine if any in vitro marker chromosomes could be detected. No alterations in chromosomes could be found in fibroblasts either from the region of the typical rash or from other areas of skin. This would tend to suggest but does not necessarily prove that this tissue was not extensively involved in the disease process.
Interstitial acid glass and chlorophaeite in Iceland basalts

Abstract Rhyolitic glass occurs as an interstitial phase in Tertiary basaltic dikes from northwestern Iceland forming up to 8% of the mode. Chlorophaeite occurs as globules within the glass as well as in interstitial vugs and vesicles. The existence and textural relations of these iron-rich globules in a silica-rich glass is suggestive of liquid immiscibility such as observed in synthetic systems. Trace element data on these naturally occurring phases is, however, inconsistent with experimentally determined partition coefficients for, for example, Ti, P, and Zr in immiscible liquids indicating that the chlorophaeite does not represent an immiscible phase and is more likely an alteration product. The similarity of the interstitial acid glasses to Iceland rhyolites is suggestive evidence of an origin for at least some Icelandic rhyolites by shallow-level fractional crystallization of basaltic magmas.
The E-cadherin -160 C/A polymorphism and prostate cancer risk in white and black American men.

Purpose: We have previously reported that a C/A single nucleotide polymorphism at position −160 of the human E-cadherin gene promoter affects E-cadherin transcription. Although this single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with a number of human cancers, including prostate cancer, it is not known whether it has a role in race related prostate cancer. We hypothesized that allelic variation at this site may be associated with racial differences in the incidence and severity of prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: We analyzed the genotypes of this single nucleotide polymorphism in a total of 135 prostate cancer samples from 86 white and 49 black American men, and in 237 samples from normal healthy controls, including 120 white and 117 black men, using the polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism technique.Results: Of normal controls black men had a higher frequency of the A allele and CA genotype than white men (26.5 and 39.3 vs 22.5 and 28.3, respectively). In white men A all...
Threshold/majority logic synthesis and concurrent error detection targeting nanoelectronic implementations

Many nanometer-scale devices have been proposed and fabricated recently. Several can implement threshold and majority logic efficiently. Research has also begun on design methodologies to keep pace with the development of these devices. Specifically, a threshold logic synthesis tool (TELS) and a majority/minority logic synthesis tool (MALS) have been developed recently. In this paper, we discuss several factorization methods to enhance the efficacy of these two tools significantly. We then augment the design methodology to allow the tools to produce totally self-checking (TSC) circuits which can efficiently implement concurrent error detection. Such circuits can be used to detect run-time errors. Two schemes are used to synthesize TSC circuits - one based on the Berger code and the other on the parity code. We compare and contrast these two schemes. Experimental results establish the effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Educational Technologies for Precollege Engineering Education

Numerous efforts seek to increase awareness, interest, and participation in scientific and technological fields at the precollege level. Studies have shown these students are at a critical age where exposure to engineering and other related fields such as science, mathematics, and technology greatly impact their career goals. A variety of advanced learning technologies have emerged to enhance learning, promote hands-on experiences, and increase interest in engineering. However, creating and sustaining technology-infused learning environments at the precollege level is a challenging task, as many schools have limited resources and expertise. Moreover, while numerous technology solutions are available to support ambitious engineering-learning goals, choosing the right technology to align to program goals and resources may be a daunting task. In this work, we fill the gap between the applicability of educational implements and suitable teaching methods for precollege engineering. We present an overview of available hardware- and software-based technologies, and characterize these technologies based on criteria such as median price, the type of learning activities fostered, and the required users' expertise levels. In addition, we outline how these technologies align with deductive and inductive teaching methods that emphasize direct-instruction, inquiry-, problem-, and project-based methods, as studies have shown these methods are effective for precollege engineering education.