cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Preoperative assessment of the pancreas in multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1.

Many serologic and radiographic modalities are used for monitoring multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN 1) patients for pancreaticoduodenal neuroendocrine tumors (PNETs). We compared serum markers and imaging studies obtained preoperatively with the gross pathology and immunohistochemical findings and correlated preoperative testing with postoperative outcome. From 2000 to 2008, 52 MEN 1 patients [32 (62%) female; median age = 43 years, range 19–74 years] underwent 56 pancreatic operations [49 (88%) distal pancreatectomies] for suspected PNETs. Preoperative serum markers [human pancreatic polypeptide (HPP), gastrin, and glucagon] and imaging [CT, 111In pentetreotide scintigraphy, and endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)] were compared to the pathologic findings. Postoperative serum markers and survival were followed. Human pancreatic polypeptide had the highest agreement between an elevated serum level and positive tumor immunostaining (83% vs. 50% agreement for gastrin vs. 67% agreement for glucagon). Preoperative CT had 81% sensitivity and positive predictive value (PPV) of 97% for PNETs. 111In pentetreotide scintigraphy had 84% sensitivity and PPV of 96%. Preoperative endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) had 100% sensitivity and PPV, with close correlation (r s = 0.93) between the largest lesion seen on EUS and pathology. Median follow-up was 4.3 years (range = 0.1–10.9 years). Overall survival was 89% at 5-year follow-up. Our study substantiates EUS as providing the highest preoperative sensitivity and PPV in assessing the presence of PNETs in MEN 1 patients. CT and octreotide scintigraphy can yield both false-positive and false-negative results. HPP, gastrin, and glucagon were the most commonly measured tumor markers in our series but did not always correlate with immunostaining. With an aggressive surgical approach, satisfactory rates of biochemical improvement and long-term survival were observed.
The lay of the language: surveying the cartographic characteristics of language maps

Although visible in research in the 1980s and 1990s, works concerning language-mapping issues are recently rather absent. This is an unfortunate oversight given current GIS capability and its poten...
Irving's ADVENTURE OF THE GERMAN STUDENT

Few if any sketches in Washington Irving's Tales of a Traveller (1824) have garnered as much attention as “The Adventure of the German Student.” Though Irving scholars have been obsessed with Gottf...
Solubility, Diffusivity, and Permeability of Gases in Phosphonium-Based Room Temperature Ionic Liquids: Data and Correlations

Reported are the solubility, diffusivity, and permeability data for various gases in five phosphonium-based ionic liquids at 30 °C, as determined with a lag-time technique. The ionic liquids have a viscosity range of 200−3000 cP. The gas solubilities and diffusivities of the phosphonium-based ionic liquids are of the same magnitude as the gas solubilities for the more familiar imidazolium-based liquids. The gas diffusivity appears to be inversely proportional to the viscosity with an average power of 0.35 for the phosphonium-based ionic liquids. This is in contrast to the power of 0.6 for the imidazolium-based ionic liquids, suggesting that the viscosity−diffusivity relationship varies for different classes of ionic liquids. Despite the generally higher viscosities of the phosphonium-based RTILs compared to the imidazolium-based RTILs, the similarity in thermodynamic and transport properties allows the consideration of the phosphonium-based RTILs as low-cost alternatives for reaction media or separation a...
Remote diagnosis design for a PLC-based automated system: 1-implementation of three levels of architectures

To troubleshoot the equipment installed in geographically distant locations, equipment manufacturers and system integrators are increasingly resorting to remote diagnosis, thereby achieving savings in cost and time for both customers and manufacturers. Remote diagnosis involves the use of communication technologies to perform fault diagnosis of a system located at a site distant to a troubleshooter. Several frameworks for remote diagnosis have been proposed, incorporating advancements such as automated fault diagnosis, collaborative diagnosis, and mobile communication techniques. Furthermore, standards for different levels of remote diagnosis exist. However, there has been relatively little research on the application of these levels of remote diagnosis architectures to diagnose failures in a discrete automated system. This paper is the first of two parts of a design for remote diagnosis for a programmable logic controller (PLC)-based discrete automated system. It investigates experimental variables, infrastructure, and hardware and software used for diagnosis in order to empirically validate the use of hierarchical levels of remote diagnosis architectures by experts to remotely diagnose failures in a PLC-based automated assembly line. Common failures in automated assembly systems were identified and duplicated. The suitability of each level of architecture for diagnosing different types of failures was evaluated based on ratings from experts in the field of automation. The experts opined that the architecture with the most advanced capabilities was most suitable for diagnosing failures related to measured or monitored system variables. For failures purely related to system hardware that could not be monitored, an architecture with basic capabilities was preferred.
A Biweight Prediction Interval for Random Samples

Abstract This study takes a biweight approach to providing a prediction interval for a single future observation. This problem—equivalent to the problem of estimating quantiles—is of fundamental importance in ascertaining the nature of a process. The prediction or quantile problem is difficult for a robust estimator, since much of the desired information is in the extremes of the sample, whose influence the robust estimator is designed to resist. The situation is further complicated when the population has heavy tails. The proposed biweight prediction interval efficiently extracts this information from the extremes of the sample without breaking down. It provides accurate quantile estimates or prediction even in very demanding situations, such as when the sample size is small but the desired prediction level is large. There is clearly a need for such an interval, since predictions must often be made from a limited number of observations. For example, it may be desirable to predict the crashworthiness of a...
Modeling Transportation in the Roman World: Implications for World Systems

Abstract ORBIS is a geospatial transportation network model of the Roman world, simulating historical travel patterns by modeling the major roads, rivers, and sea routes active during the Roman Empire. With such a model, historians can more accurately examine not only individual route patterns, but also emergent structures of the network as a whole. By defining traditional world systems networks as a particular movement profile for application on a geospatial transportation network, we can begin to see regions of the network using community analysis and analyze those regions for historical patterns.
Travoprost in the treatment of glaucoma

Glaucoma is one of the leading causes of irreversible blindness worldwide. Currently, intraocular pressure is the only modifiable risk factor for glaucoma and therapies aimed at reducing the intraocular pressure are the only known methods to reduce the progression of optic neuropathy. Prostaglandin analogs, including travoprost, have been shown to be the most effective drug class in reducing intraocular pressure. This article will highlight the role of travoprost in the management of glaucoma with regards to its efficacy and side effects, and in relation to those of alternative prostaglandins.
Life extension activities for the Hubble Space Telescope

With the cancellation of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Servicing Mission 4 (SM4), the HST Project will face numerous challenges to keep the Telescope operating during the remainder of the decade. As part of the SM4, the HST Project had planned to install various upgrades to the Telescope including the installation of new batteries and new rate integrating gyros. Without these upgrades, reliability analysis indicates that the spacecraft will lose the capability to conduct science operations later this decade. The HST team will be severely challenged to maximize the Telescope's remaining operational lifetime, while still trying to maximize - its science output and quality. Two of the biggest areas of concern are the age and condition of the batteries and gyros. Together they offer the largest potential extension in Telescope lifetime and present the biggest challenges to the HST team. The six Ni-H batteries on HST are the original batteries from launch. With fourteen years of operational life, these batteries have collectively lasted longer than any other comparable mission. Yet as with all batteries, their capacity has been declining. Engineers are examining various methods to prolong the life of these mission critical batteries, and retard the rate of degradation. This paper will focus on these and other efforts to prolong the life of the HST, thus enabling it to remain a world-class observatory for as long as possible.
The structure of a repressor: Crystallographic data for the Cro regulatory protein of bacteriophage λ

Abstract Crystals of the bacteriophage λ Cro repressor protein that are suitable for X-ray diffraction studies have been obtained. Preliminary crystallographic analysis reveals that the space group is R32, the cell dimensions in the hexagonal system are a = b = 91·9 A , c = 268·9 A , and there are three dimers per asymmetric unit.
Analysis of unresolved chromatograms by the absorbance ratio and sequential chromatogram ratio techniques coupled with peak suppression

Abstract The sequential chromatogram ratio (SCR) technique was successively applied or was coupled with the absorbance ratio (AR) technique to facilitate analysis of a peak of interest that was overlapped with two other peaks. First, the AR or SCR technique was used to suppress one undesired peak. This created or elongated a region of pure-component elution for the peak of interest. Then the appropriate ratio technique was applied to this region for qualitative and quantitative analysis. The AR technique allows suppression and qualitative analysis of unknown components via the absorptivity ratio. For the SCR technique, peak identity can be deduced prior to suppression and quantitative analysis. A statistical peak matching procedure that employs user-selected standards is described for the SCR technique, by which components in sequentially injected samples may be identified based on differences in retention time, tR, or in diffusion coefficient, Dm, which controls peak width. For two similarly retained analytes in sequentially injected samples, having a factor-of-two difference in Dm, the problem of reduced resolution, Rs, with a third peak was investigated by manipulating the data to simulate a reduction in selectivity factor. Below a limit, Rs = 0.38, the original two analytes could no longer be qualitatively distinguished. At this same Rs limit, the two-times difference in Dm, for two analytes having essentially zero tR-based resolution, provided equivalent qualitative discrimination of peaks as a tR-based resolution of 0.12 for two analytes having equal Dm. The classical problems of inaccurate baseline correction and run-to-run retention variation were examined, and the latter was more limiting for the SCR technique. Still, small tR shifts were adequately corrected by selecting and aligning a common peak in sequential chromatograms.
U.S. Department of Energy's Role in the Energy-Water Nexus

The Department of Energy Organization Act of 1977 (DOE 1977) combined the Federal Energy Administration, the Energy Research and Development Administration, the Federal Power Commission, the nuclear weapons program, and portions of energy-related programs from other Federal agencies into a single agency, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). DOE’s goal is to promote the development and use of reliable, clean, and affordable energy in an environmentally responsible manner, and to maintain a comprehensive, national, strategic energy plan.
Doppler Radar Motion Sensor With CMOS Digital DC-Tuning VGA and Inverter-Based Sigma-Delta Modulator

In most of the traditional miniature Doppler radar systems, ac coupling is adopted between the radio frequency front-end and baseband amplifier to block the dc offset due to clutter reflection. However, ac coupling causes distortion to low frequency signals and loses the dc information, which represents slowly changing or stationary moment of the target. A dc-coupled radar sensor system using a variable gain amplifier (VGA) with software-configured digital tuning architecture is presented in this paper to realize dc tuning and dc offset calibration. Furthermore, to process the output signals from the VGA, a novel low-voltage low-power inverter-based second-order sigma-delta modulator has been developed. The frequency of mechanical motion can be detected from the spectrum of the presented modulator output digital bit stream without a decimation filter, which can significantly reduce the cost and the power consumption. Furthermore, it can potentially detect the motion amplitude using the relative strength of the harmonics in the spectrum of the output digital bit steam. Experiments show that the presented digital dc-tuning VGA can completely relieve the radar sensor from circuit saturation and the inverter-based sigma-delta modulator can perform under low voltage and low power to accurately detect the movement frequency of the target without a decimation filter. Both the presented VGA and modulator show great potential for integrating a Doppler radar sensor system into a low-power high-accuracy single chip in the future.
Connecting Teacher Beliefs to the Use of Children's Literature in the Teaching of Mathematics.

This article presents examples that illustrate how teachers use children’s literature in the teaching of mathematics. The examples are related to four curriculum ideologies that have influenced mathematics education in the USA for the last 75 years. It discusses why it is relevant to help teachers understand the ideological positions that influence their use of children’s literature during mathematics instruction, summarizes the four ideological positions, and presents results of a study of how teachers’ ideological positions relate to their use of children’s literature in the teaching of mathematics. The study examines two research questions
Crystals of the carotenoid protein from Arthrospira maxima containing uniformly oriented pigment molecules.

Crystals of a carotenoid protein from the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima have been grown in space group C2 with unit-cell dimensions a = 219.6, b = 40.3, c = 75.5 A and β = 95.5°. The crystals diffract X-rays to 2.3 A resolution and display unusual optical properties in polarized light that suggest that all of the carotenoid molecules in the crystals are oriented similarly. A slight increase in the concentration of a crystallization additive in the mother liquor induces macroscopic twinning, which is also visible when the crystals are illuminated with polarized light.
Characterization and Modification of Electrochemical Properties of Teeth

Perm selectivity of teeth was studied by membrane potential measurements. The enamel was found to have a preferential affinity for calcium and hydrogen ions. Its permselectivity could be modified by anionic compounds, such as phytate and alginate; by cationic compounds, such as protamine, polyarginine, and poly lysine ; or by an alternating coating of the above compounds.
Extracting Energy from Downdraft to Enhance Endurance of Uninhabited Aerial Vehicles

The ability of uninhabited aerial vehicles to perform drastic maneuvers enables them to benefit from wind profiles that may be unfavorable to inhabited aircraft. This paper examines optimal uninhabited aerial vehicle flights that can extract energy from downdrafts for enhancing endurance. Uninhabited aerial vehicle motions are described by a point-mass dynamic model. A downdraft wind field is modeled by a pair of three-dimensional vortex rings placed symmetrically with respect to the ground. Fundamental dimensionless parameters that affect uninhabited aerial vehicle behaviors in a downdraft are identified through the normalization of the equations and wind expressions. Uninhabited aerial vehicle flight through a downdraft is formulated as a nonlinear optimal control problem that minimizes the average thrust or power per unit time. Vehicle performance and operational limits are enforced through boundary conditions and path constraints. These optimal control problems are converted into parameter optimization problems with a collocation method and solved numerically using the sparse parameter optimization software SNOPT. Numerical solutions systematically obtained for a range of dimensionless parameters reveal four basic patterns of optimal uninhabited aerial vehicle flights through a downdraft in the vertical plane. Results demonstrate that traditional definitions of favorable winds may need to be revised for uninhabited aerial vehicles.
POLICE REFORM, TASK FORCE RHETORIC, AND TRACES OF DISSENT : RETHINKING CONSENSUS-AS-OUTCOME IN COLLABORATIVE WRITING SITUATIONS

Pedagogical and scholarly representations of collaborative writing and knowledge construction in technical communication have traditionally recognized consensus as the logical outcome of collaborat...
Two-photon absorption properties of proquinoidal D-A-D and A-D-A quadrupolar chromophores.

We report the synthesis, one- and two-photon absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence, and electrochemical properties of a series of quadrupolar molecules that feature proquinoidal π-aromatic acceptors. These quadrupolar molecules possess either donor−acceptor−donor (D-A-D) or acceptor−donor−acceptor (A-D-A) electronic motifs, and feature 4-N,N-dihexylaminophenyl, 4-dodecyloxyphenyl, 4-(N,N-dihexylamino)benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazolyl or 2,5-dioctyloxyphenyl electron donor moieties and benzo[c][1,2,5]thiadiazole (BTD) or 6,7-bis(3′,7′-dimethyloctyl)[1,2,5]thiadiazolo[3,4-g]quinoxaline (TDQ) electron acceptor units. These conjugated structures are highly emissive in nonpolar solvents and exhibit large spectral red-shifts of their respective lowest energy absorption bands relative to analogous reference compounds that incorporate phenylene components in place of BTD and TDQ moieties. BTD-based D-A-D and A-D-A chromophores exhibit increasing fluorescence emission red-shifts, and a concomitant decrease of the fluore...
Absolute frequency discrimination in the barn owl

Barn owls (Tyto alba) could discriminate sound frequency by memory. Frequency differences as small as 0.7–0.5% were easily detected. The same acuity was obtained when two frequencies had to be remembered simultaneously and distinguished from other frequencies. The response latency was proportional to the difference between the reference and test frequencies and served as a sensitive criterion for discrimination.
Learning the grammatics of quoted speech: benefits for punctuation and expressive reading

The integration of knowledge about grammar ('grammatics') within The Australian Curriculum: English could be expected to be more useful to students than grammar taught in isolation, although the potential benefits of an integrated approach to teaching grammatics remain somewhat under-researched. This paper describes a case study in which Year 2 children were taught the grammatics of quoted ('direct') speech using a language description informed by systemic functional grammar. The teaching of grammatics was integrated with literacy and literature studies, although the focus of the paper is not on instruction per se but on the benefits of instruction for children's learning. The children were able to use their knowledge of verbal Processes ('saying verbs') to improve their punctuation of quoted speech and to become more aware of using expression in oral reading of dialogue. Evidence for these claims is provided in the form of pre- and post-tests of punctuation, oral readings of a picture book and interview data. The findings are interpreted using Vygotskian theory, particularly the significance of the conscious control of 'scholarly' knowledge and the role of explicit and integrated approaches to teaching in helping students develop higher order understandings of language.
Adult Attachment, Affect Regulation, Negative Mood, and Interpersonal Problems: The Mediating Roles of Emotional Reactivity and Emotional Cutoff.

This study examined the mediating role of affect regulation among attachment, negative mood, and interpersonal problems. Participants were 229 college students at a large midwest university. Structural equation modeling indicated attachment anxiety and avoidance contributed to negative mood and interpersonal problems through different and distinct affect regulation strategies (i.e., emotional reactivity or emotional cutoff). The association between attachment anxiety, negative mood, and interpersonal problems was mediated only by emotional reactivity (not emotional cutoff). Conversely, the association between attachment avoidance, negative mood, and interpersonal problems was mediated only by emotional cutoff (not emotional reactivity). Furthermore, emotional reactivity and emotional cutoff explained 36% of the variance in negative mood; attachment, emotional reactivity, and emotional cutoff explained 75% of the variance in interpersonal problems. Attachment theory (Bowlby, 1969, 1973, 1980, 1988) represents an important theoretical perspective for understanding an individual’s experience of negative mood and interpersonal problems. The basic premise of attachment theory is that individuals’ emotional experiences with primary caregivers lead to the development of attachment security or insecurity. Attachment security or insecurity is then associated with the individuals’ ability to connect with others and cope with affective or stressful problems (e.g., Kobak & Sceery, 1988). If individuals have caregivers who are consistent in their emotional availability, they are likely to develop attachment security and can effectively cope with negative events that arise in their life (e.g., seek support from a friend). If individuals do not have caregivers who are emotionally available, individuals are likely to develop attachment insecurity and subsequently be less able to cope with stressful events in their lives (e.g., withdraw from others).
Onsager's conjecture on the energy conservation for solutions of Euler's equation

We give a simple proof of a result conjectured by Onsager [1] on energy conservation for weak solutions of Euler's equation.
Critical Review of ‘The Usability Metric for User Experience’

In 2010, Kraig Finstad published (in this journal) ‘The Usability Metric for User Experience’—the UMUX. The UMUX is a standardized usability questionnaire designed to produce scores similar to the System Usability Scale (SUS), but with 4 rather than 10 items. The development of the questionnaire followed standard psychometric practice. Psychometric evaluation of the final version of the UMUX indicated acceptable levels of reliability (internal consistency), concurrent validity, and sensitivity. Critical review of this research suggests that its weakest element was the structural analysis, which concluded that the UMUX is unidimensional based on insufficient evidence. Mixedtone item content and parallel analysis of the eigenvalues point to a possible two-factor structure. This weakness, however, is of more theoretical than practical importance, given the overall scale’s apparent reliability, validity, and sensitivity.
ANN Based Protein Function Prediction Using Integrated Protein-Protein Interaction Data

A major challenge in the post-genomic era is to determine protein function on a proteomic scale. There are only less than half of the actual functional annotations available for a typical proteome. The recent high-throughput bio-techniques have provided us large-scale protein-protein interaction data, and many studies have shown that function prediction from protein-protein interaction data is a promising way since proteins are likely to collaborate for a common purpose. However, the protein interaction data is very noisy, which makes the task very challenging. In this paper, we propose a distance matrix based on the small world property of the protein-protein interaction network. It measures the reliability of edges and filter the noise in the network. In addition, an ANN (Artificial Neural Network) based method was designed to predict protein functions on the basis of integration of several protein interaction data sets. We tested our approach with MIPS functional categories. The experiential results show that our approach has better performance than other existing methods in terms of precision and recall.
The therapeutic role of exercise in diabetes mellitus.

The holistic approach to the management of diabetes mellitus necessarily involves the use of exercise as part of the diabetic person's daily plan for proper glycemic control. The incorpo ration of "wellness"principles in the education of chronic disease patient populations has featured the importance of exercise and physical fitness in disease control and maintenance. Persons with diabetes are especially likely to be assisted by the therapeutic use of exercise training that reduces the secondary risk of medical compli cations such as cardiovascular degeneration, which leads to earlier mortality. This paper summarizes normal and diabetic carbohydrate metabolism and normal and diabetic exercise physiology. Understanding these is essential so that educators can communicate effectively the importance of a personalized fitness regimen for the daily management of diabetes mellitus.
the “healthy reserve” and the “dressed native”: discourses on black health and the language of legitimation in South Africa

The need of industrial capital to generate a supply of cheap African labor led to policies which both undermined and preserved the rural support base of African farmers. The encouragement of an educated class of African workers, essential for the maturation of industrial development, was accompanied by restrictions in social and economic mobility that maintained the social dominance of whites. These conflicting strategies have produced impoverishment among both urban and rural African populations. Yet these conditions have been effaced by the construction of powerful stereotypes or myths about African urban and rural life, myths that have preserved the ideal of a healthy labor reserve, while explaining the African worker's lack of social and economic advancement in terms of their own maladjustment to industrial civilization. This paper examines the role of medical authorities in valorizing and contributing to the longevity of these myths in the face of contradictory evidence and alternative constructions of African rural and urban life.[South Africa, myths, medical ideas, legitimation]
Organochlorine Contaminants in Fishes from Coastal Waters West of Amukta Pass, Aleutian Islands, Alaska, USA

Organochlorines were examined in liver and stable isotopes in muscle of fishes from the western Aleutian Islands, Alaska, in relation to islands or locations affected by military occupation. Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus), Pacific halibut (Hippoglossus stenolepis), and rock greenling (Hexagrammos lagocephalus) were collected from nearshore waters at contemporary (decommissioned) and historical (World War II) military locations, as well as at reference locations. Total (Σ) polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) dominated the suite of organochlorine groups (ΣDDTs, Σchlordane cyclodienes, Σother cyclodienes, and Σchlorinated benzenes and cyclohexanes) detected in fishes at all locations, followed by ΣDDTs and Σchlordanes; dichlorodiphenyldi-chloroethylene (p,p′DDE) composed 52 to 66% of ΣDDTs by species. Organochlorine concentrations were higher or similar in cod compared to halibut and lowest in greenling; they were among the highest for fishes in Arctic or near Arctic waters. Organochlorine group concentrations varied among species and locations, but ΣPCB concentrations in all species were consistently higher at military locations than at reference locations. Moreover, all organochlorine group concentrations were higher in halibut from military locations than those from reference locations. A wide range of molecular weight organochlorines was detected at all locations, which implied regional or long-range transport and deposition, as well as local point-source contamination. Furthermore, a preponderance of higher-chlorinated PCB congeners in fishes from contemporary military islands implied recent exposure. Concentrations in all organochlorine groups increased with δ15N enrichment in fishes, and analyses of residual variation provided further evidence of different sources of ΣPCBs and p,p′DDE among species and locations.
Toroidal Dehn surgeries on knots in lens spaces

Let M be a compact, orientable 3-manifold with ∂ M a torus. If r is a slope on ∂ M (the isotopy class of an unoriented essential simple loop), then we can form the closed 3-manifold M ( r ) by gluing a solid torus V r to M along their boundaries in such a way that r bounds a disc in V r . We say that M ( r ) is obtained from M by r -Dehn filling. Assume now that M contains no essential sphere, disc, torus or annulus. Then, by Thurston's Geometrization Theorem for Haken manifolds [ T1 , T2 ], M is hyperbolic, in the sense that int M has a complete hyperbolic structure of finite volume. Furthermore, M ( r ) is hyperbolic for all but finitely many r [ T1 , T2 ] and the precise nature of the set of exceptional slopes E ( M )={ r : M ( r ) is not hyperbolic} has been the subject of a considerable amount of investigation. The maximal observed value of e ( M )=[mid ] E ( M )[mid ] (the cardinality of E ( M )) is 10, realized, apparently uniquely, by the exterior of the figure eight knot [ T1 ]. Let Δ( r 1 , r 2 ) denote as usual the minimal geometric intersection number of two slopes r 1 and r 2 . If [Sscr ] is any set of slopes, then clearly any upper bound for Δ([Sscr ])=max{Δ( r 1 , r 2 ): r 1 , r 2 ∈[Sscr ]} gives one for [mid ][Sscr ][mid ]. For example, one can check (using [ GLi , lemma 2·1]) that for 1[les ]Δ([Sscr ])[les ]10, the maximum values of [mid ][Sscr ][mid ] are as given in Table 1. In particular, any upper bound for Δ( M )=Δ( E ( M )) gives a corresponding bound for e ( M ). (The maximal observed value of Δ( M ) is 8, realized by the figure eight knot exterior and the figure eight sister manifold [ T1 , HW ].) If M ( r ) is not hyperbolic, then it is either reducible (contains an essential sphere), toroidal (contains an essential torus), a small Seifert fibre space (one with base S 2 and at most three singular fibres), or a counterexample to the Geometrization Conjecture [ T1 , T2 ]. A survey of the presently known upper bounds on the distances Δ( r 1 , r 2 ) between various classes of exceptional slopes r 1 and r 2 , and the maximal values realized by known examples, is given in [ Go2 ]. (See also [ Wu2 ] for a discussion of the additional cases that arise when M has more than one boundary component.) In the present note we prove the following theorem, which deals with one further pair of possibilities.
The development of descending and dorsal root connections in the lumbosacral spinal cord of the postnatal rat.

Light and electron microscopy were used to study degenerating axons and synaptic endings in the lumbosacral spinal cord at different stages of postnatal development in the rat. After dorsal root section (L5-S1) or mid-thoracic hemisection of the spinal cord (T6-T8), the distribution and type of degeneration argyrophilia were studied with the light microscope over varied post-operative survival periods using a modified Fink-Heimer method (Leonard, '74). The light microscopic results were correlated with the appearance of electron dense degeneration seen using the electron microscope. The distribution of degeneration found in the lumbosacral spinal cord after dorsal root section was similar at the neonatal (4d), weanling (21d) and adult stages. At the neonatal stage, the type of degeneration argyrophilia appeared at an earlier postoperative survival period (12 hours), and was maximal at an earlier time (12-18 hours) than in older animals. The appearance of electron dense degeneration using the electron microscope matched the light microscopic findings. Electron dense degenerating synaptic knobs were found at the neonatal stage making asymmetrical contact with small dendrites in areas of the dorsal horn showing degeneration argyrophilia. No degeneration was found in the dorsal funiculus, dorsal horn or intermediate nucleus of Cajal (INC) after mid-thoracic hemisection at the neonatal stage although degeneration was present elsewhere in the intermediate gray, in the ventral gray, and in the ventral and lateral funiculi. At this stage, the type of degeneration argyrophilia and time course of degeneration in the gray and white matter was identical to that found after dorsal root section in neonatal animals. The distribution of degeneration was not mature in the lumbosacral enlargement until 15d of age and the degeneration was still immature in the dorsal horn and INC at 21d of age. Although degeneration argyrophilia and electron dense degeneration was found in the ventromedial gray (lamina VIII) and lateral gray (laminae VI-VII) at the neonatal stage, electron dense degenerating synaptic knobs were not observed in these areas until 12d of age for the ventromedial and 18d of age for the lateral gray matter even using a large number of different survival periods. Degenerating synaptic endings were first observed after mid-thoracic hemisection during the period when behavioral maturation is nearing completion in the hindlimbs, and when response depression (spinal shock) increases and response recovery decreases after mid-thoracic spinal transection (Weber and Stelzner, '77). Our data suggest that either the number of connections from descending sources increases markedly in the gray matter of the lumbosacral spinal cord during this period or connections, already present, reach a state of maturity where they can first be observed using the degeneration method of analysis.
Dynamics of the Cellular Metabolome during Human Cytomegalovirus Infection

Viral replication requires energy and macromolecular precursors derived from the metabolic network of the host cell. Despite this reliance, the effect of viral infection on host cell metabolic composition remains poorly understood. Here we applied liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry to measure the levels of 63 different intracellular metabolites at multiple times after human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection of human fibroblasts. Parallel microarray analysis provided complementary data on transcriptional regulation of metabolic pathways. As the infection progressed, the levels of metabolites involved in glycolysis, the citric acid cycle, and pyrimidine nucleotide biosynthesis markedly increased. HCMV-induced transcriptional upregulation of specific glycolytic and citric acid cycle enzymes mirrored the increases in metabolite levels. The peak levels of numerous metabolites during infection far exceeded those observed during normal fibroblast growth or quiescence, demonstrating that HCMV markedly disrupts cellular metabolic homeostasis and institutes its own specific metabolic program.
Formation of HRR profiles by nonquadratic optimization for improved feature extraction

We propose a new method for superresolution, feature-enhanced reconstruction of high range-resolution (HRR) radar profiles. We pose the problem of the formation of the HRR profiles from phase history data as an optimization problem. Resolution and feature enhancements are achieved by imposing non-quadratic regularizing constraints on the solution of the optimization problem. We present experimental results on synthetic and measured data, and compare the proposed method to currently available techniques. This analysis shows the ability of the proposed method to preserve high-resolution features such as the locations and amplitudes of the dominant scatterers in the HRR profile. This suggests that the technique may potentially help improve the performance of HRR target recognition systems.
On the mixing time of directed social graphs and security implications

Many graphs in general, and social graphs in particular, are directed by nature. However, applications built on top of social networks, including Sybil defenses, information routing and dissemination, and anonymous communication require mutual relationships which produce undirected graphs. When undirected graphs are used as testing tools for these applications to bring insight on their usability and potential deployment, directed graphs are converted into undirected graphs by omitting edge directions or by augmenting graphs. Unfortunately, it is unclear how altering these graphs affects the quality of their mixing time. Motivated by the lack of prior work on this problem, we investigate mathematical tools for measuring the mixing time of directed social graphs and its associated error bounds. We use these tools to measure the mixing time of several benchmarking directed graphs and their undirected counterparts. We then measure how this difference impacts two applications built on top of social networks: a Sybil defense mechanism and an anonymous communication system.
A categorization of small retailer research streams: What does it portend for future research?

This paper presents an extensive review of 20+ years of research on small, independent retailers. For each of 134 articles, the focus, theory, analysis, methodology, and key findings were tabled. The articles were classified into distinct streams: strategy; structure; channels; patronage; and labor. Each stream is discussed, separate themes within a stream are identified, and directions for future research within that stream are offered. Directions for future research are also suggested for the small retailing field as a whole. In particular, we address the lack of construct development and the dearth of theoretical underpinning to much of the research.
Corrosion and wear-corrosion behavior of NiTi modified by plasma source ion implantation.

Abstract The understanding of corrosion behavior in NiTi is critical for the devices using this shape-memory alloy. In order to improve the surface properties of NiTi such as corrosion resistance, plasma source ion implantation (PSII) technique was employed with oxygen as incident ions at three levels of implantation dose (5×10 16 , 1×10 17 and 3×10 17 ions/cm −2 ). Pitting corrosion and wear-corrosion behavior of control and PSII-modified Ti–50.7 at% Ni alloy were evaluated by cyclic potentiodynamic polarization and wear-corrosion measurements. Surface characterization was used to interpret the different corrosion behavior observed between control and oxygen-implanted samples. Results showed that corrosion behavior was influenced by both heat treatment and surface modification. The best pitting corrosion resistance was observed for samples with A f =21°C modified by oxygen implantation at a dose of 1×10 17 ions/cm −2 . Better wear-corrosion resistance was observed for oxygen-implanted samples.
Deletion of C-reactive protein ameliorates experimental cerebral malaria?

BACKGROUND C-reactive protein (CRP) level correlates with parasitemia and severity of malaria, but whether this reflects causality remains unknown. METHODS Using CRP-transgenic and CRP-deficient mice we compared the onset and severity of experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) induced by Plasmodium berghei ANKA (PbA). RESULTS CRP-deficient mice were most resistant to ECM. CONCLUSIONS CRP might contribute to the development of cerebral malaria, rather than protect against it.
The Effects Of State Tort Provisions And Perceptions Of Litigation Risk On Malpractice Insurance

This study is an empirical examination of the use of malpractice insurance by independent auditors. Higher insurance premiums are found in states that utilize the foreseeable third-party standard. Auditors who perceive higher litigation risk are found to be willing to bear higher insurance premiums and to opt for higher coverage. Overall, the results suggest that state tort provisions influence litigation risk and malpractice insurance is used to mitigate this risk. 1
In-between Stage Life and Everyday Life: Curtains and Their Pictorial Representations

AbstractBesides their practical function of separating stage from auditorium, or that of serving as a backdrop, curtains have been a fundamental symbol of theater spaces. Curtains, by all means, differentiate the two levels of existence between audience and actors, as well as between the real world and the stage world. This article will illuminate the intersection of theater curtains with the rhetoric of painted curtains. Curtains in theaters and curtains painted on canvas draw on similar practical and symbolic values. They both protect what is behind but at the same time they sustain the hope that what is secret behind them might be revealed at any moment. The dichotomy between inside and outside, hidden and revealed, given and withheld, which is fundamental to theater, has been a source of endless fascination for painters throughout history. The desired effects of revelation, narration, and illusionism achieved by painted curtains will be explored in selected examples from seventeenth-century Dutch pain...
Concepts and methods in infectious diseases surveillance

Nkuchia M. M’ikanatha, John K. Iskander. 296£59.99Wiley-Blackwell Publishers102014London, United Kingdom.ISBN: 978-0-470-65939-7 ![][1] The infectious diseases surveillance programs has become a challenging obligation for an effective public health system response and action that
Beta-Adrenergic Regulation of Insulin Secretion: Evidence of Tissue Heterogeneity of Beta-Adrenergic Responsiveness in the Elderly

Aging is associated with reduced beta-adrenergic receptor (beta-AR) function in several tissues. If this age effect on beta-ARs also applies to the pancreatic B-cell, it would result in relatively unopposed alpha-adrenergic inhibition of insulin secretion with adrenergic stimulation during stress states. This study compared insulin secretory responses to beta-AR stimulation (multiple IV doses of isoproterenol) with cardiac and circulating mononuclear lymphocyte (MNL) beta-AR responses in 9 healthy, non-obese young subjects, and 9 healthy, non-obese old subjects. We found no age-related decrease in the relationship between isoproterenol dose and insulin response. In contrast, the old subjects had significantly reduced heart rate responses to isoproterenol and generally lower MNL beta-AR function. We conclude that pancreatic B-cell beta-AR mediated function is not impaired in the elderly, suggesting that heterogeneity of tissue beta-AR mediated function exists in this population. Diminished pancreatic islet beta-AR mediated function does not appear to be a mechanism that predisposes healthy older individuals to the development of stress hyperglycemia.
Affectivity and job satisfaction: a meta-analysis

OF THESIS AFFECTIVITY AND JOB SATISFACTION: A META-ANALYSIS by James J. Connolly Florida International University, 1998 Miami, Florida Professor Chockalingam Viswesvaran, Major Professor The goal of this investigation was to examine the affective determinants of job satisfaction. Correlations between afifectivity and job satisfaction measures were examined by cumulating research findings across studies. Measurement of affectivity in this study focused on five constructs, (1) negative affectivity, (2) positive affectivity, (3) affective disposition, (4) positive & negative affectivity, (5) all afifectivity measures combined. The correlations between these five constructs and job satisfaction were meta-analyzed. The mean correlation corrected for coefficient alpha in both the afifectivity and job satisfaction measures were: .49 for positive affectivity (N= 3,326, k= 15), -. 33 for negative affectivity (N= 6,028, k= 25), .36 for affective disposition (N= 1,415, k= 7), .39 for positive & negative afifectivity (N= 9,354, k= 40), and .38 for all measures of affectivity combined (N= 10,769, k= 47). Results indicated that 10% 25% of variance in job satisfaction could be due to individual differences in affectivity. No strong moderator variables were found. Implications for a Dispositional and situational source of job satisfaction
Some Parameters of Benzoylphenyl Urea Toxicity to Beet Army worms (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Five benzoylphenyl urea insect growth regulators, diflubenzuron, penfluron (2,6-difluoro-N-[[[4-[trifluoromethoxy]phenyl]amino]carbonyl]benzamide)BAY SIR 8514 (2-chloro-N-[[[4-[trifluoromethoxyl]phenyl]amino]carbonyl]benzamide), EL 1215 (2,6-dimethoxy-N-[5[4[pentatluoroethoxy]phenyl]1,3,4-thiadiazo1-2yl] benzamide), and UC 62644 (2,6-difluoro-N-[[[4-[3-chloro-5-trifluoromethy1-2-pyridiny1-oxy]-3,5-dichlorophenyl]amino]carbonyl]benzamide) were tested against Spodoptera exigua (Hubner) in laboratory bioassays. The order of LC50 values was UC 62644 > penfluron > EL 1215 > diflubenzuron > BAY SIR 8514 with a 35 ✕ difference between the most and least toxic chemicals. Small differences in toxicity were observe between WP and T formulations. Treatments at the first 2 in stars and the 4th-instar indicated that these age classes were nearly equally susceptible. Diflubenzuron, penfluron, and BAY SIR 8514 were tested in 4th-instar topical biossays. Penfluron showed the highest toxicity in the topical bioassays.
Evolutionary divergence and character displacement in two phenotypically-variable, competing species.

Theoretical studies of character displacement lead to the view that evolutionary divergence depends primarily on incomplete utilization of available resources. Those models which incorporate constraints preventing complete utilization of resources, even in the absence of competitors, all predict character displacement. Those models which allow greater flexibility of resource use within a species predict correspondingly less divergence. Indeed, Matessi and Jayakar (1980, 1981) based their conditions for occurrence of character displacement on underutilization of resources. I extend a model used by Slatkin (1980, 1983) and Taper and Case (1985) which allows each species to fully utilize its resources in the absence of competitors. I concentrate on the biologically reasonable case in which the species, though similar, differ in their ecological characteristics. As a result of this greater biological realism, I arrive at a different conclusion regarding the conditions which lead to character displacement. The presence of a variety of biological differences between species-including as a subset those which result from resource underutilization-leads to divergence with respect to a quantitatively inherited character, due to interspecific competitive interactions. The resulting displacement can be large and depends little on the parameters chosen. The only exception, involving a character with very low heritability, occurs when the non-interactive phenotypic differences are much greater than those associated with studies of character displacement in natural populations. Thus, under conditions comparable to those encountered in the field, involving similar yet not identical species, evolutionary divergence is a consequence of interspecific competition.
Examining Pedagogical Content Knowledge of an Expert Band Director Teaching Lips Slurs

The purpose of this case study was to describe how one band director used pedagogical content knowledge while working with beginning-band students to help them develop the skill of playing brass li...