cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessing the Agreement among Pavement Condition Indexes

Pavement condition indexes are numerical indicators of the structural and material integrity of a pavement. Because these indexes appear to be similar (essentially a 0–100 scale, with 100 indicating ideal condition), it can be tempting to use different indexes for comparing the performance of pavement networks in different states or jurisdictions within a state. To ascertain the level of agreement among these condition indexes, six pavement condition indexes from five DOTs in the United States are discussed and compared using distress and ride quality data obtained from the Pavement Management Information System of the Texas Department of Transportation. The computed scores were compared visually (using scatter plots) and statistically (using paired t -test). The results provide empirical evidence that there are significant differences among seemingly similar pavement condition indexes.
Boolean Biology: Introducing Boolean Networks and Finite Dynamical Systems Models to Biology and Mathematics Courses

Since the release of the Bio 2010 report in 2003, significant emphasis has been placed on initiating changes in the way undergraduate biology and mathematics courses are taught and on creating new educational materials to facilitate those changes. Quantitative approaches, including mathematical models, are now considered critical for the education of the next generation of biologists. In response, mathematics departments across the country have initiated changes to their introductory calculus sequence, adding models, projects, and examples from the life sciences, or offering specialized calculus courses for biology majors. However, calculus-based models and techniques from those courses have been slow to propagate into the traditional general biology courses. And although modern biology has generated exciting opportunities for applications of a broad spectrum of mathematical theories, the impact on the undergraduate mathematics courses outside of the calculus/ordinary differential equations sequence has been minimal at best. Thus, the limited interdisciplinary cross-over between the undergraduate mathematics and biology curricula has remained stubbornly stagnant despite ongoing calls for integrated approaches.We think that this phenomenon is due primarily to a lack of appropriate non-calculus-based interdisciplinary educational materials rather than inaccessibility of the essential underlying mathematical and biology concepts. Here we present a module that uses Boolean network models of the lac operon regulatory mechanism as an introduction to the conceptual importance of mathematical models and their analysis. No mathematics background beyond high school algebra is necessary to construct the model, which makes the approach particularly appropriate for introductory biology and mathematics courses. Initially the module focuses on modeling via Boolean logic, Boolean algebra, discrete dynamical systems, and directed graphs. The analysis of the model, however, leads to interesting advanced mathematical questions involving polynomial ideals and algebraic varieties that are beyond the mathematical proficiency of most biology students but are of interest in advanced level abstract algebra courses. These questions can also be used to map a path toward further research-level problems. All computations are carried out by computational algebra systems and the advanced mathematical theory implemented by the software can be covered in detail in abstract algebra courses with mathematics students. Biology students and students in lower level mathematic courses, on the other hand, can view the implementation as a “black box” and focus on the interpretation and the implications of the output.The module is available from the authors for classroom testing and adoption.
Piezoelectric Energy Harvesting with a Clamped Circular Plate: Analysis:

Energy harvesting using piezoelectric materials is not a new concept, but its small generation capability has not been attractive for mass energy generation. For this reason, little research has been done on the topic. Recently, increased interest in wearable computer concepts and remote electrical devices has provided motivation for more extensive study of piezoelectric energy harvesting. The theory behind cantilever-type piezoelectric elements is well known, but the transverse moving plate elements, which can be used in energy generation from pressure sources is not yet fully developed. The power generation in a pressure-loaded plate depends on several factors. Among them, the thickness of each layer is important, as is the electrode pattern used. In this article, two clamped circular plate structures, a fully electroded unimorph, and a so-called regrouped electrode unimorph, are modeled. These models are then used to calculate energy generation with varying thickness ratios. The results of this analysi...
Penicillin amidase is activated for use in nonaqueous media by lyophilizing in the presence of potassium chloride

Penicillin amidase was shown to catalyze the transesterification of phenoxyacetic acid methyl ester (POME) with 1-propanol in organic solvents. The enzyme was found to be over 750-fold more reactive in hexane upon lyophilizing in the presence of KCl (to produce an enzyme preparation containing 98% (w/w) salt and 1% (w/w) each of enzyme and phosphate buffer), and 225-fold activation in the more hydrophilic acetonitrile. This activation was strongly dependent on solvent hydration so that in tert-amyl alcohol containing 3% (v/v) added water, the salt-containing preparation was two-fold slower than the salt-free preparation. This behavior was opposite of that observed with the known lyoprotectant trehalose, indicating that salt activation is mechanistically distinct from lyoprotection. This work represents the first demonstration of dramatic salt activation of a nonprotease.
Liver-directed therapy for neuroendocrine liver metastases

Abstract: Neuroendocrine tumors are relatively uncommon neoplasms presenting with a wide spectrum of clinical behavior. Many patients may present with or develop liver metastases from neuroendocrine tumors, which significantly influences prognosis and the potential for symptoms. Data suggest that some patients may have symptomatic relief and oncologic benefit from liver-directed therapy for neuroendocrine tumor metastases. Surgical resection, tumor ablation, transarterial therapy such as bland embolization, chemoembolization and radioembolization, as well as liver transplantation have been studied as liver-directed therapies. Data continue to emerge to help guide selection of treatment modality for an individual patient. The spectrum of behavior of neuroendocrine metastases and heterogeneity in the literature are a challenge to arriving at cohesive recommendations for all patients.
Game theoretic analysis of users and providers behavior in network under scarce resources

The demand on mobile data usage is exponentially increasing since the introduction of iPhones in 2007. The network became congested as millions of users tried to browse website and social networks, send e-mail, stream multimedia, and transfer file simultaneously. An immediate solution for the providers will be to change their pricing strategy with the goal of slowing down heavy users and decreasing the bandwidth demand. From the users' standpoint, network providers must constantly upgrade their infrastructure to accommodate new applications and devises. However, upgrading the infrastructure will be costly for the provider. A provider will prefer a minimum investment to upgrade the network while attracting the maximum number of customers. On the other hand, without regular upgrade of the network from the provider, there may be more congestion, more delays, and generally a low QoS at the user's dissatisfaction. Moreover, users that experience bad connection will be tempted to switch providers. We analyze the dynamic communication market and the users and providers' interactions in the framework of repeated game theory. We consider noise in user monitoring. We also compare two scenarios: individual and independent actions of users as opposed to the collective actions of users. For a collective action, a database aggregating users' QoS through a binary vote (good or bad QoS) needs to be implemented. The users keep their provider if and only if their majority reports a good QoS. This research shows that if the users collaborate, their bargaining power is increased.
SU-FF-J-23: An Image-Intensity Modification Method to Deal with Non-Correspondence Problem in Deformable Image Registration of the Gaseous Rectum

Purpose: The goal of this study is to develop an image intensity modification method together with the intensity based deformable registration algorithm for auto‐segmentation of the rectum on daily CTimages. In CT‐guided prostate cancerradiotherapy, the planning CTimage may contain an empty rectum while there may exist bowel gases in the rectum on any given treatment day (daily CT). The intensity based image registration algorithms alone were insufficient to produce the correct spatial transformations for all objects, especially for the rectum since there was no one‐to‐one correspondence in the gaseous region. Material and Methods: In this study, we proposed a diffusion‐based deformable image registration algorithm combined with an automatic intensity modification method that introduces artificial gas pockets in the planning CT based on prior knowledge of the previously contoured rectum. This will allow for the establishment of correspondence between the two CTimages. A multi‐grid method was used for solving the nonlinear partial differential equation for the displacement field, and this displacement field was used to map the manual rectum contours from the planning CT to the daily CT. 30 CTimages with the largest bowel gas fillings from 15 prostate cancer patients were chosen to test the algorithm. Results: The intensity modification technique is demonstrated to be effective in correctly delineating the daily rectum. Compared with the deformable image registration method without rectum image modification, the average volume overlap index was improved from 50.6% to 71.2%. This was visually verified by overlaying the segmented contours onto the daily CTimages.Conclusion: We developed an effective auto‐segmentation technique for rectum using a deformable image registration algorithm combined with an image intensity modification method. The approach is fully automatic and capable of handling the special non‐correspondence problem in CTimages of prostate cancer patients.
Rectangular spatial decomposition methods for parallel simulated annealing

Research on VLSI placement has extended the standard sequential simulated annealing technique to two multiprocessing variants. In one technique, processors perform moves on disjoint partitions of locally-stored circuit grids. In the other, processors perform simultaneous moves on a shared grid. Our research explores new techniques in the first category—called spatial decomposition algorithms.We describe the impact of cell mobility and cost-function errors in parallel simulated annealing. We show that changing the partition shape can affect these measures, and the quality of the final result. We also show a trade-off: execution speed vs. increased cell mobility and decreased cost-function errors.We present four rectangular decomposition methods. Using two circuit examples, we compare their convergence properties to that of a “standard” random spatial decomposition technique. Runs were performed in a simulated RP3 environment.One method we developed, “sharp random rectangles,” converged better than the other techniques we studied. On one example, sharp random rectangles on 8 processors converged better than standard sequential algorithms. This promising technique allows us to increase the stream-length, and thereby reduce execution time.The authors continue their research to better quantify cell mobility and cost-function errors, and to run the rectangular algorithms on other types of multiprocessors to obtain speed-up information.
3-D segmentation of the rim and cup in spectral-domain optical coherence tomography volumes of the optic nerve head

Glaucoma is a group of diseases which can cause vision loss and blindness due to gradual damage to the optic nerve. The ratio of the optic disc cup to the optic disc is an important structural indicator for assessing the presence of glaucoma. The purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a method which can segment the optic disc cup and neuroretinal rim in spectral-domain OCT scans centered on the optic nerve head. Our method starts by segmenting 3 intraretinal surfaces using a fast multiscale 3-D graph search method. Based on one of the segmented surfaces, the retina of the OCT volume is flattened to have a consistent shape across scans and patients. Selected features derived from OCT voxel intensities and intraretinal surfaces were used to train a k-NN classifier that can determine which A-scans in the OCT volume belong to the background, optic disc cup and neuroretinal rim. Through 3-fold cross validation with a training set of 20 optic nerve head-centered OCT scans (10 right eye scans and 10 left eye scans from 10 glaucoma patients) and a testing set of 10 OCT scans (5 right eye scans and 5 left eye scans from 5 different glaucoma patients), segmentation results of the optic disc cup and rim for all 30 OCT scans were obtained. The average unsigned errors of the optic disc cup and rim were 1.155 ± 1.391 pixels (0.035 ± 0.042 mm) and 1.295 ± 0.816 pixels (0.039 ± 0.024 mm), respectively.
Primary intrasellar schwannoma: Case report

A case is presented of a primary intrasellar and suprasellar schwannoma mimicking a pituitary tumor clinically, endocrinologically, and radiographically.
Effects of failure: Alternative explanations and possible implications

Is failure1 as devastating as popular opinion and humanist psychologist imply (Glasser, 1969)? Is there conclusive evidence to support the prevalent practice of minimizing the amount of failure students experience? Are the levels of success associated with the use of programmed materials, inflated grades, and mastery learning techniques ensuring optimum student motivation and cognitive development? A review of theories and research related to the effects of failure suggests that these are not naive questions and cannot be given simplistic answers. Rather, such a review leads one to conclude that educators who teach by the maxim, “Nothing succeeds like success,” at least sometimes may be doing students more harm than good.
Editorial: The Critical Role of Behavioral Research for Improving Adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure Therapies for Sleep Apnea

Nearly 20 years ago I (David Dinges) was asked by my sleep medicine colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine if I would join them in developing studies of adherence to contin...
Exploring Mechanical, Physical and Chemical Aspects of Virus Swelling and Assembly Using Elastic Network Normal Mode Analysis

The construction of physical models for virus capsids that utilize the simple elastic network description for strain induced by local structural distortions is reviewed. Following, a brief overview of normal mode methods and computational schemes that yield information regarding the dynamics of viral capsids and their response to structural perturbations is given. Finally, these approaches will be illustrated via applications to the swelling of several viruses, with attention focused on the similarities and differences in the pathways of conformational distortions that arise for capsids with different quasi-symmetry T numbers. Examples to be discussed include a T 1⁄4 3 virus (CCMV), a capsid displaying T 1⁄4 4 quasi-symmetry (NwV) and a T 1⁄4 7 capsid (HK97).
Suitability of upwind-biased finite difference schemes for large-eddy simulation of turbulent flows

We have simulated flow past a circular cylinder at a Reynolds number of 3.9 X 10 3 using a solver that employs an energy-conservative second-order central difference scheme for spatial discretization. Detailed comparisons of turbulence statistics and energy spectra in the downstream wake region (7.0 < x/D < 10.0) have been made with the results of Beaudan and Moin and with experiments to assess the impact of numerical diffusion on the flowfield. Based on these comparisons, conclusions are drawn on the suitability of higher-order upwind schemes for LES in complex geometries.
Evaluation of termination rate by the free volume thoery in radical polymerization.

Kinetic data on the radical polymerization of methyl methacrylate are treated in terms of termination rate equations based on Stokes law and the reptation model. The values of k/kp2 obtained are independent of initiation rate, where k corresponds to the rate constant of the diffusion-controlled reaction between segment radicals and kp is the propagation rate constant. When x (conversion) is less than 0.5, an equation as k/kp2∝exp (−1.1/Vf) (Vf, free volume) is obtained. When x>0.5, k/kp2 deviates from such an equation. This deviation may show that the propagation rate decreases with increasing in x, since this rate becomes diffusion-controlled.
Stochastic Ordering of Interference in Large-Scale Wireless Networks

Stochastic orders are binary relations defined on probability distributions which capture intuitive notions like being larger or being more variable. This paper introduces stochastic ordering of interference distributions in large-scale networks modeled as point processes. Interference is a major performance-limiting factor in most wireless networks, thus it is important to characterize its statistics. Since closed-form results for the distribution of interference for such networks are only available in limited cases, it is of interest to compare network interference using stochastic orders, for two different point processes with different fading or path-loss scenarios between the interferers and the receiver. In this paper, conditions on the fading distribution and path-loss model are given to establish stochastic ordering between interferences. Moreover, Laplace functional ordering is defined between point processes and applied for comparing interference. Monte-Carlo simulations are used to supplement our analytical results. The useful applications of this research are also provided.
Preparation of Microfiber and Smooth Film Conducting Polymer Electrodes

As part of a long-range effort involving the design and fabrication of electrodes for in vivo use, we describe herein a method for the production of conducting polymer fibers with diameters on the order of a few micrometers. This method has been shown to be applicable to several different combinations of monomers [pyrrole, N-methylpyrrole, 3-methylthiophene, poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)], deposition substrates (Pt, stainless steel), and dopant ions (dodecyl benzene sulfonate, perchlorate, chloride, polymethylmethacrylate). Cyclic voltammetric characterization shows that the background current is minimal, and normal behavior is seen for the ferri/ferrocyanide couple with the exception of a slightly increased peak separation. An ancillary benefit of these studies is the production of extremely smooth films of these polymers, even in cases where the films are up to 20 μm thick.
Kinetics of channelized membrane ions in magnetic fields

The cyclotron resonance model for channel ion transport in weak magnetic fields is extended to include damping losses. The conductivity tensor is obtained for different electric field configurations, including the circuital field E phi normal to the channel axis. The conductivity behavior close to the cyclotron resonance frequency omega c is compared to existing Ca2+-efflux data in the literature. A collision time of .023 s results from this comparison under the assumption that K+ ions are transiting in a 0.35 G field. We estimate a mean kinetic energy of 3.5 eV for this ion at resonance. This model leads to discrete modes of vibration (eigenfrequencies) in the ion-lattice interaction, such that omega n = n omega c. The presence of such harmonics is compatible with recent results by Blackman et al. [1985b] and McLeod et al. [1986] with the interesting exception that even modes do not appear in their observations, whereas the present model has no restriction on n. This harmonic formalism is also consistent with another reported phenomenon, that of quantized multiple conductances in single patch-clamped channels.
Metallography of fatigue crack initiation in an overaged high-strength aluminum alloy

Crack initiation was observed by optical microscopy using Nomarski interference contrast during fatigue cycling of an overaged 2024 aluminum alloy. The number of cracks more than five microns long at any given fraction of the fatigue life, and the distribution of cracks among various possible initiation sites, both depend on the applied stress amplitudeσa). The crack density at failure falls from approximately 300/mm2 when σa is 90 pct of the yield strength, to less than I/mm2 when σa is less than 60 pct of the yield strength. Cracks may begin in the matrix, in grain boundaries, or at constituent particles. At all stress amplitudes, however, the most common initiation sites areβ (Al7Cu2Fe) constituent particles. At low stress amplitudes in particular, fatigue cracks develop from the interface between closely-spaced fragments of β particles broken during prior processing (cluster sites). The stress-raising effect of voids which often occur at cluster sites may be responsible for their effectiveness in initiating fatigue cracks.
The critical role of STIM1-dependent Ca2+ signalling during T-cell development and activation.

T lymphocytes are key cellular effectors of adaptive immunity able to recognize a virtually limitless number of antigenic peptides and mount an immune response. Ca2+ signals are crucial to the development and activation of T cells and Stromal Interaction Molecule 1 (STIM1) has been identified as a critical modulator of intracellular Ca2+ levels in T cells. Although the role of STIM1 in T cell activation has been extensively investigated, the role of STIM1 in T cell development has been somewhat controversial. Indeed, deficiencies in STIM1 expression and function lead to both developmental defects associated with the development of autoimmunity yet also interfere with T cell activation leading to severe combined immunodeficiency signifying a multifaceted role of STIM1 in T cell physiology and pathophysiology.
Treating an Interdisciplinary Allergy: Methodological Approaches to Pollen Studies for the Historian of Early Africa

The interdisciplinary task of reconstructing early African history demands more than a passing familiarity with many fields of knowledge. Not least among these is geography, in its broader conception as the pursuit of an understanding of physiographic processes and the role(s) played by people in shaping and responding to these processes. A standard beginning in many a history book takes the reader through annual rainfall figures, topographic generalities, and, perhaps a cursory pedological overview of the region in which the people(s) under study live. Rarely are these introductory remarks integrated into the historical narrative. We are too often left to ourselves in determining the relevance, for example, of a bi-modal rainfall to the local agriculture in a subregion of open grasslands and woody savanna ecotones on black clay valley bottoms. We trust these are data relevant to our understanding of the region's agriculturalists.Many readers may know that such an area will be subject to heavy soil waterlogging during the wetter months. They may also realize that mound and ridge construction are excellent responses to the risks of root-drowning such waterlogging poses to crops such as beans, and as well, that the indigenous African grain crops Sorghum spp. and Pennisetum spp. can withstand waterlogged soils for brief periods without suffering significant loss of yield (Purseglove 1972:269-71). What is likely to be poorly understood are the forces of ecological and cultural change that have been at work in such an environment transforming the very nature of its vegetational cover and soil profile. In short, a historical perspective is necessary so that we do not run the risk of presenting Africa's ecological background in the same unchanging light as colonial ethnographers did Africa's past.
Signaling Via the Interferon-α Receptor in Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia Cells

It is well established that IFN α has significant clinical activity in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML). This cytokine has been used for many years in the management of patients in the chronic phase of the disease, but the mechanisms by which it induces growth inhibitory effects in CML-cells have not been elucidated. Understanding the signaling mechanisms by which the Type I IFN receptor transduces growth inhibitory signals in BCR-ABL expressing cells should prove very valuable, as it may result in the design of new, more specific pharmacological compounds that target the same cellular cascades. Recent evidence indicates that, in addition to the classic IFN-activated Jak-Stat pathway, the Type I IFN receptor engages in its signaling cascade the CrkL-adapter protein, which is also a substrate for the kinase activity of the BCR-ABL oncogene. In addition, it appears that activation of a member of the Map kinase (MAPK) family of proteins, the p38 MAPK, is essential for the generation of the...
A Physiologically Based Pharmacokinetic (PBPK) Model for Predicting the Efficacy of Drug Overdose Treatment With Liposomes in Man

Physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models were developed for design and optimization of liposome therapy for treatment of overdoses of tricyclic antidepressants and local anesthetics. In vitro drug-binding data for pegylated, anionic liposomes and published mechanistic equations for partition coefficients were used to develop the models. The models were proven reliable through comparisons to intravenous data. The liposomes were predicted to be highly effective at treating amitriptyline overdoses, with reductions in the area under the concentration versus time curves (AUC) of 64% for the heart and brain. Peak heart and brain drug concentrations were predicted to drop by 20%. Bupivacaine AUC and peak concentration reductions were lower at 15.4% and 17.3%, respectively, for the heart and brain. The predicted pharmacokinetic profiles following liposome administration agreed well with data from clinical studies where protein fragments were administered to patients for overdose treatment. Published data on local cardiac function were used to relate the predicted concentrations in the body to local pharmacodynamic effects in the heart. While the results offer encouragement for future liposome therapies geared toward overdose, it is imperative to point out that animal experiments and phase I clinical trials are the next steps to ensuring the efficacy of the treatment.
C-4 SYMMETRY EFFECTS IN NUCLEAR ROTATIONAL MOTION

We discuss the appearance of \ensuremath{\Delta}I=2 staggering effects in the \ensuremath{\gamma}-ray energies of some superdeformed bands as due to the mixing of a series of K bands. These bands are described by the rotational Hamiltonian of a symmetric top having a fourfold symmetry axis. Using the known properties of superdeformed bands we have found limits to the possible values of the model parameters by the analysis of effective moments of inertia, deviations from the I(I+1) rigid-rotor behavior and B(E2) values. Our results indicate that the value of ${\mathcal{I}}_{3}$, the moment of inertia due to the ${\mathit{Y}}_{44}$ deformation, is close to that expected for a rigid ellipsoid.
Retrieval of attribute information as a function of processing depth

The effects of processing depth on retrieval of attribute information was investigated using a modified probe-recognition procedure. Subjects decided whether a probe word was a synonym, a homonym, identical to, or not related to any word of a previously presented three-word set. Depth of processing was manipulated by priming with a dimensional cue prior to the presentation of the study set. The dimensional cue specified the relation in question between probes and potential target words in each study set. Effects were assessed relative to unprimed conditions where subjects had the dimensional relation specified during probe presentation. The probe word followed the three-word set by a 0-, 10-, or 30-sec filled or unfilled delay. Priming effects were reflected in reaction time but not recognition accuracy, with degree of effect related to level of processing. Synonyms were affected most, homonyms next, identity least.
F2-isoprostane generation in isolated ferret lungs after oxidant injury or ventilated ischemia

Pulmonary edema develops when pulmonary blood flow is interrupted, then restored. Because the lung is not always hypoxic when ischemic, mechanisms of pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury are likely to differ from systemic organs, where reactive oxygen species generated during reperfusion mediate organ dysfunction. We previously showed that pulmonary vascular permeability of isolated ferret lungs increased prior to reperfusion, if ventilation was maintained while blood flow was impaired. To determine whether reactive oxygen metabolites generated during ischemia mediated ischemic injury, we measured tissue levels of F2-isoprostanes as an index of lipid peroxidation, 30 min after administration of glucose (5 mM)-glucose oxidase (GOX, 0.1 U/ml), or after short (45 min) or long (180 min) ventilated ischemia, in isolated ferret lungs. Osmotic reflection coefficient for albumin (sigma alb), an estimate of vascular protein permeability, was measured in the same lungs. Tissue F2-isoprostanes increased 375% after exposure to glucose-GOX in association with a 42% decrease in sigma alb, and administration of catalase (CAT, 100,000 U) and superoxide dismutase (SOD, 25,000 U) completely attenuated this lipid peroxidation. In contrast, tissue F2-isoprostanes increased only 60% following 45 min of ischemia, then did not increase additionally. sigma alb was not altered by 45 min of ischemia, but decreased 72% following 180 min of ischemia. CAT+SOD did not alter F2-isoprostane formation during ischemia, but partially attenuated vascular injury. These results suggest that tissue levels of F2-isoprostanes reflect lung lipid peroxidation, but that F2-isoprostane generation does not directly increase vascular permeability following ventilated pulmonary ischemia.
Magnetic Susceptibility of Manganese Selenide

The susceptibility-temperature relation for the antiferromagnetic compound MnSe was measured over a range of temperatures between 70\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C and -196\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}C. Evidence was found of a large thermal hysteresis and a dependence of susceptibility on field strength. A tentative theory is advanced to explain the thermal hysteresis in terms of three phases which possess different susceptibilities.
Open market share repurchases and the free cash flow hypothesis G35

Abstract We investigate the source of shareholder gains when open market share repurchases are announced. We find evidence that abnormal stock market returns are related to the reduction of free cash flow agency costs, which supports Jensen's free cash flow hypothesis.
THE EFFECTS OF EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION, ORGANIZATIONAL CITIZENSHIP BEHAVIOR, AND TURNOVER ON ORGANIZATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS: A UNIT‐LEVEL, LONGITUDINAL STUDY

This study addresses the issue of whether positive employee attitudes and behaviors influence business outcomes or whether positive business outcomes influence positive employee attitudes and behaviors. We hypothesize that employee satisfaction, organizational citizenship behavior, and employee turnover influence profitability and customer satisfaction. Data were gathered from the units of a regional restaurant chain via employee surveys, manager surveys, customer surveys, and organizational records. Cross-lagged regression analyses show that employee attitudes and behaviors at Time 1 are related to organizational effectiveness at Time 2. Additional cross-lagged regression analyses show no significant relationship between organizational effectiveness at Time 1 and the employee attitudes and behaviors at Time 2. These results add to the evidence that HR outcomes influence business outcomes, rather than the other way around.
"Following" or "Attracting" the Customer? Japanese Banking FDI in Europe

Using firm-level Japanese FDI data on investment into 18 European countries between 1970–2000 in all industries (banking, manufacturing, wholesale/retail distribution, and business services), this study examines if the “follow the customer” (FTC) hypothesis holds for firm-level data. The results suggest that banks do follow their customers into a foreign market, as part of a larger strategy that goes beyond the FTC theory. The firm level data show that the majority of FDI into a host country occurs after the foreign bank has established operations. Policy implications of this finding include the suggestion that host economies liberalize their financial sector early in an effort to attract banking FDI which then will attract non-banking FDI rather than the reverse.
Wine as source of iron in haemochromatosis.

THE belief that there is increased absorption of iron from a normal diet in idiopathic haemochromatosis is based on assumptions of normal dietary iron during the time the disease is developing. Studies of iron absorption late in the disease have led to conflicting conclusions1,2. This communication directs attention to wine as a possible source of increased dietary iron in haemochromatosis.
Role of C-Reactive Protein in Contributing to Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is associated with increased propensity for diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Low-grade inflammation is characteristic of metabolic syndrome. C-reactive protein, the best characterized biomarker of inflammation, is also an independent predictor of future cardiovascular events. This review outlines the role of high-sensitivity C-reactive protein in contributing to increased cardiovascular risk in metabolic syndrome by inducing endothelial cell dysfunction and activating monocytes.
Cyclopentadienyl ruthenium(II) and (III) complexes with a chelating 1,2-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane ligand

Abstract The reaction between η5-cpRuCl(PPh3)2 and 1,2-bis(dicyclohexylphosphino)methane (dcpm) gives η5-cpRuCl(dcpm). The complex is readily oxidized to η5-cpRuCl(dcpm)+. Treating η5-cpRuCl(dcpm) with silver triflate, followed by ammonia or carbon monoxide, gives [η5-cpRu(NH3)(dcpm)]CF3SO3 or [η5-cpRu(CO)(dcpm)]CF3SO3, respectively. Metathetical replacement of chloride with LiAlH4 gives η5-cpRuH(dcpm).
Emotional, Social, and Academic Adjustment of College Students: A Longitudinal Study of Retention

Prior to initial enrollment, undergraduates completed surveys assessing expectations about their college adjustment, and later completed a second survey assessing actual adjustment. Six years later inspection of academic transcripts revealed which students had dropped out and whether they had been in good academic standing or poor academic standing. Results indicated that two different sets of items best discriminated among good-standing students, the persisters (n=113) and the leavers (n=29), and among poor-standing students, persisters (n=36) and leavers (n=30). Generally, emotional and social adjustment items predicted attrition as well or better than academic adjustment items.
Effect of Mixed Ration Nutrient Density on Milk of Cows Transferred from High Production Group

Abstract Sixty cows beyond peak production were fed individually total mixed rations balanced for 31.8 kg of milk. Cows were changed abruptly when their average milk production for 6 days dropped below 27.2 kg to one of the following treatments (20 cows/each) for 4 wk: high ration balanced for 27.2 kg; medium, 22.7 kg; or low, 18.2 kg of milk production. After 4 wk all groups were changed abruptly to a total mixed ration balanced for 22.7 kg of milk production (medium) for an additional 4 wk. When switched from a ration for 31.8 kg of milk, cows fed for 27.2 kg consumed more dry matter than cows receiving medium or low and reduced dry matter intake less 1 wk after the abrupt change. Yields of milk were higher for cows switched from 31.8 kg to high and when all treatment groups were switched back to medium ration. Milk fat or protein percentage did not differ; however, yields of fat and protein were highest for cows receiving high ration. Income over feed cost during the 8-wk experimental period was $8.40 and $3.36 higher for cows fed low and high rations than for those fed medium. To maintain a consistent decline of milk in switching from a group fed a ration balanced for 31.8 kg production, nutrient density should not be decreased more than 15%.
3-Phosphoinositide-Dependent Protein Kinase-1 Activates the Peroxisome Proliferator-Activated Receptor-γ and Promotes Adipocyte Differentiation

Adipocyte differentiation is regulated largely through the actions of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) gamma nuclear receptor and the insulin signaling pathway. 3-phosphoinositide-dependent protein kinase-1 (PDK1) serves as a critical regulatory point in insulin signaling through its ability to phosphorylate the activation loop of several protein kinase families. The present study was undertaken to determine the interrelationships between the PDK1 and PPARgamma signaling pathways, and their association with adipocyte differentiation. Coexpression of PDK1 and PPARgamma1 in 293T cells stimulated PPARgamma response element-dependent reporter gene activity in either the presence or absence of ligand. PDK1-mediated stimulation of PPARgamma1 activity was comparable in magnitude to the coactivator activated in breast cancer-1, and was blocked by either the corepressor silencing mediator of retinoid and thyroid hormone receptor or dominant-negative PAX8-PPARgamma1. Heterologous Gal4-PPARgamma1 assays indicated that PDK1 interacted with the ligand binding domain, and physically associated with PPARgamma1; however, PDK1-mediated stimulation was not dependent on phosphorylation of PPARgamma1 by PDK1. PDK1 stimulatory activity was eliminated by mutation of the alpha-helical hydrophobic motifs in PDK1, L(268)XII, and V(313)XXLL, and expression of the alpha-helical region encompassing these motifs stimulated PPARgamma response element-dependent transcription. PDK1-PPARgamma interaction was confirmed by chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis of the lipoprotein lipase and adipocyte fatty acid-binding protein promoters. In cells expressing PDK1 and PPARgamma, binding to PPARgamma response elements occurred, which was enhanced by treatment with a PPARgamma agonist. Expression of PDK1 in 3T3-L1 or COMMA-1D mammary epithelial cells promoted adipocyte differentiation in the presence of a PPARgamma agonist that was comparable to the response of PPARgamma1-transfected cells in the presence of agonist; expression of PDK1 and PPARgamma resulted in a synergistic effect. Adipocyte differentiation in the presence of a PPARgamma agonist was markedly attenuated in PDK1 null cells. These results suggest that PDK1 can function as a PPARgamma1 coactivator independently of its catalytic activity and establishes an important mechanistic link between adipocyte differentiation and the insulin signaling pathway.
Growth of denuded zone by grain boundary fluid flow in Mg alloys

Abstract A new mechanism is proposed for the growth of denuded zone and superplasticity in general. This is the flow of grain boundary fluid that has a Herschel–Bulkley behavior. Such a mechanism could provide a power-law stress dependence, a threshold stress, a grain size effect and an activation energy comparable to grain boundary diffusion.
Adaptive parallelism in compiler‐parallelized code

As moderate-scale multiprocessors become widely used, we foresee an increased demand for effective compiler parallelization and efficient management of parallelism. While parallelizing compilers are achieving success at identifying parallelism, they are less adept at predetermining the degree of parallelism in different program phases. Thus, a compiler-parallelized application may execute on more processors than it can effectively use – a waste of computational resources that becomes more acute as the number of processors increases, particularly for systems used as multiprogrammed compute servers. This paper examines the dynamic parallelism behavior of multiprogrammed workloads using programs from the Specfp95 and Nas benchmark suites, automatically parallelized by the Stanford SUIF compiler. Our results demonstrate that even the programs with good overall speedups display wide variability in the number of processors each phase (or loop) can exploit. We propose and evaluate a run-time system mechanism that dynamically adjusts the number of processors used by a compiler-parallelized application, responding to observed performance during the program's execution. Programs can thus adapt processor usage as they run, responding both to poor parallelism within certain parts of their code, and also to heavy multiprogramming loads during the execution. This mechanism improves workload performance up to 33% over one-at-a-time runs of the workload programs. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Neutrino-factory storage ring with multiple baselines

Abstract We designed a noble bow tie storage ring to provide neutrino beams for multiple neutrino detectors around the world with a baseline length of about 1000–9000 km. We present a preliminary lattice that could provide non-planar straight sections. We describe the amount of non-planarity of the third or fourth baseline and the space angles between the baselines and the local surface angles at possible site locations for neutrino factories and at the possible detector locations. We describe the detectors at the Gran Sasso Laboratory, Italy, and at the new laboratory at Carlsbad, NM.
Dual forms for constrained adaptive filtering

A new structure for constrained adaptive filtering is proposed. It is based on a "dual" solution of the constrained minimization problems that arise in optimal broadband adaptive array processing. The dual solution is unique in the sense that its update equations involve the Lagrange multipliers rather than the adaptive filter weights. The dual approach is shown to be applicable to two types of adaptive filtering (or beamforming) problems. One is the linearly constrained power minimization beamformer and the other is the norm constrained robust beamformer. In each case, the equations defining the dual structure are derived, and the convergence of the resulting iteration is analyzed. Simulation results are included to illustrate the performance of the dual algorithms compared with the primal methods. It is shown that the convergence and computational complexity of the dual algorithms are similar to that of RLS-type algorithms. >
The effects of A- and C-fiber stimulation on patterns of neuropeptide immunostaining in the rat superficial dorsal horn

The present study determines the effects of sciatic nerve stimulation at intensities that activate A-fibers alone or both A- and C-fibers on immunostaining for substance P (SP), cholecystokinin-octapeptide (CCK-8), galanin (GAL), dynorphin (DYN) and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) in the superficial dorsal horn of the rat spinal cord. The goal of this study is to provide a more precise spatial localization of the sites of release or accumulation of these compounds in relation to specific types of stimuli. Following A-fiber stimulation, there was no significant change in immunostaining for any of these compounds. However, A- and C-fiber stimulation resulted in major changes. For SP, CCK-8, GAL and DYN there was a large and significant loss of immunostaining in medial regions of the dorsal horn. This is the area where sciatic nerve primary afferent fibers terminate and the depletion is probably correlated with activity in these fibers. By contrast, VIP immunostaining is increased in the lateral part of the superficial cord, which is outside of the central sciatic afferent fiber terminations. This indicates that the increase is not in the fine sciatic sensory axons that are directly stimulated. As a final point, the fact that C-fiber but not A-fiber stimulation causes marked changes in the immunocytochemical distribution of all these compounds is further evidence, albeit indirect, that they are involved in nociceptive information processing.
Fragmentation differences of quark and gluon jets at Tevatron

We present the results on fragmentation differences of quark and gluon jets obtained by CDF at . We compare the multiplicities and momentum distributions of charged particles in two data samples: dijet data and photon+jet data. These two samples have a different quark/gluon jet content, which allows a measurement of the inclusive properties of gluon and quark jets. The results are compared to the earlier measurements obtained at e+e- collisions and to the re-summed perturbative QCD calculations.
Effects of dopamine on canine intrarenal blood flow distribution during hemorrhage.

Effects of dopamine on canine intrarenal blood flow distribution during hemorrhage. Renal blood flow distribution was measured in control dogs, dogs given dopamine, hemorrhaged dogs, and dogs hemorrhaged plus infused with dopamine with a modification of 85 Kr washout. Kidneys injected with 85 Kr through a renal arterial cannula were removed at several specific intervals after injection, rapidly frozen, and sectioned transversely so that pieces of tissue could be isolated and counted for radioactivity. In the normotensive animals, dopamine appeared to produce a mild vasodilatory effect in the subcortical outer medulla (flow increased 50%). Hemorrhage reduced renal regional flow throughout the kidneys. Subcortical outer medullary flow, however, appeared to be proportionately better maintained than were the more peripheral renal regions, so that all regions had similar flows. Hemorrhaged animals receiving dopamine infusion had statistically significantly higher cortical blood flows than did the animals simply hemorrhaged. From this study, it is impossible to determine if the cortical vasodilation during hemorrhage was a direct or indirect effect on the renal vasculature; however, improved perfusion of the renal cortex during hypotension may partially explain the improved renal function reportedly produced by dopamine infusion in patients in shock. Effect de la dopamine sur la distribution intrarenale du debit sanguin au cours de l'hemorragie chez le chien. La distribution du debit sanguin renal a ete mesuree chez des chiens controles, des chiens recevant de la dopamine, des chiens soumis a une hemorragie, et des chiens soumis a une hemorragie et perfuses avec de la dopamine, au moyen d'une technique utilisant une modification du lavage du 85 Kr. Les reins injectes avec 85 Kr au moyen d'une canule arterielle renale ont ete preleves a differents intervalles apres l'injection, rapidement congeleles et coupes transversalement de sorte que des morceaux de tissu ont pu etre isoles et leur radioactivite comptee. Chez les animaux avec une pression arterielle normale la dopamine parait produire un effet vasodilatateur modere dans la medullaire externe sous-corticale (augmentation du debit de 50%). L'hemorragie reduit les debits regionaux dans les reins. Cependant le debit de la medullaire externe sous-corticale parait proportionnellement mieux maintenu que celui des regions plus peripheriques de telle sorte que toutes les regions ont des debits similaires. Les animaux hemorragiques qui recoivent de la dopamine ont des debits corticaux significativement superieurs a ceux des animaux seulement hemorraigiques. Il est impossible, a partir de cette etude, de determiner si la vasodilatation corticale au cours de l'hemorragie est un effet direct ou indirect sur le systeme vasculaire renal. L'amelioration de la perfusion du cortex renal au cours de l'hypotension peut, cependant, expliquer partiellement l'amelioration de la fonction renale qui a ete attribuee a l'administration de dopamine chez des malades en etat de choc.