cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Peculiar motions in the universe

A summary of the observational status of measurements of peculiar velocities in the local universe is given. Special emphasis is devoted to the discussion of applications of the Tully-Fisher technique and its limitations. Preliminary results are presented regarding the motions of two samples of galaxies with measured peculiar velocities: one including 24 clusters of galaxies and a second of field objects, the latter being used to test for large amplitude bulk flow in the peculiar velocity field.
Multipath TCP over LEO satellite networks

Low earth orbit (LEO) satellite networks like Iridium have played a pivotal role in providing ubiquitous network access services to areas without terrestrial infrastructure because of their potential for global coverage and high bandwidth availability. With low orbit and short range as compared to geostationary satellites, LEO satellites are accessible by mobile devices with limited transmission power and small gain antennas. The drawback, however, is that LEO satellites move fast across the sky with average contact time in the order of 10 minutes, thus requiring frequent handover from one satellite to the next. To achieve smooth handover and efficiently utilize constellation capacity, we propose to use Multipath TCP (MPTCP) in LEO systems and maintain parallel, simultaneous connections between terrestrial handpoints via multiple satellites. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of using MPTCP over LEO satellite networks and propose a framework of MPTCP-Routing design. Then the performance of this protocol is evaluated through simulation. We show that compared to traditional “single-path” TCP, MPTCP significantly improves throughput performance and prevents the interruption of transmission during handover. Furthermore, we show that our MPTCP-Routing interaction is essential for the end-to-end session to quickly recover from handover.
X-Ray Sources in Globular Clusters

The program of x-ray observations of globular clusters being conducted with the Einstein X-ray Observatory is described. A survey of some 30 clusters has been completed using the HRI detector and yielded one new source down to luminosities Lx > 1034 d 10 2 erg s-1 (d10 is distance in 10 kpc units). Preliminary results are reported for a more sensitive survey (Lx ≲ 1033 d 10 2 erg s-1) now being conducted with the IPC; four possible new sources have been found in the first 32 clusters observed. A related search for diffuse emission from stars in globular clusters is also in progress using much longer IPC exposures. Detailed studies of several luminous, globular cluster sources, including the x-ray burst from Terzan 2, are described. Finally, the major effort to locate precisely (≲2 arcsec) the x-ray sources with respect to the cluster centers is discussed. Sources of systematic error and the required optical studies of globular cluster structure are reviewed. Preliminary results appear to rule out the possibility that the globular cluster sources are massive black holes, although the statistical tests are somewhat model dependent. Implications of the plausible binary systems for cluster core evolution are mentioned.
Do Surgeons and Gastroenterologists Describe Endoscopic Retrograde Cholangiopancreatography Differently? A Qualitative Study

Introduction Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) is a technically challenging procedure performed by both surgeons and gastroenterologists. There is controversy in the field regarding the training necessary to perform ERCP. Widely disparate requisite volumes of experience to achieve proficiency have been published by representatives of each specialty. The basis for these differences has not been fully explored, with particular reference to the cognitive mindset of the different specialties. Methods Structured cognitive task analytic interviews were conducted with 7 expert gastroenterologists and 4 expert surgeons from 4 institutions, each of whom performs ERCP as a common procedure in their clinical practice. A qualitative analysis and grounded theory approach was used, focusing specifically on duct cannulation as a critical procedural element. Transcripts were analyzed using Atlas.ti software. Results The qualitative analysis of 11 transcripts identified 173 unique codes from a total of 653 quotes. In all, 5 themes were found to describe the codes: judgment, teaching, techniques, principles, and equipment. Significant differences were noted between gastroenterologists and surgeons across these themes. Gastroenterologists placed emphasis on issues of judgment including rationale, and emphasized explanation and clarification in teaching. Surgeons placed more emphasis on use of visual cues, and emphasized technique and equipment nuances. Conclusion The data suggest that gastroenterologists deconstruct ERCP competence based on application of rules and rationale through reflection. Surgeons focus more on visual and tactile cues in task deconstruction, and may be more likely to measure proficiency based on technical response to such cues. Based on this study, it is proposed that both specialties might have complementary roles in training therapeutic endoscopists.
Conrad for Sale: Some Wear at Extremities; Otherwise Fine

In a recent issue of Rare Books & Manuscripts Librarianship , Allen and Patricia Ahearn published an article on the pricing of rare books and manuscripts. The advice they gave was circumspect and useful, clearly emanating from their long careers in bookselling. My own research has taken me into the world of the publication and sales of the works of Joseph Conrad; and while most of what the Ahearns had to say about pricing is excellent, I have found that in the particular case of Conrad, we can see how the market shifts from one pricing principle to another. What I . . .
Weak “phase transitions” in asymptotic properties of lattice sums

Two classes ofn-dimensional lattice sums are shown to exhibit a weak form of a “phase transition” in their asymptotic properties. Both classes depend on two parameters such that the leading term in an asymptotic limit of one parameter is independent of the structure of the lattice in one domain of the second parameter and dependent on the structure in an adjacent domain, with a “boundary point,” or “transition temperature,” between the two domains.
Creep of decarburized and aged 214Cr-1 Mo steel☆

Abstract Creep-rupture tests were made at 566°C on 2 1 4 Cr-1 Mo steel that had been decarburized in sodium or thermally aged in an inert atmosphere for 26 500 h. The rupture strengths (rupture life as a function of stress) for both conditions were below the average for the rupture strength of the annealed 2 1 4 Cr-1 Mo steel. The difference was greatest for short rupture times. At long rupture times the rupture strengths of the aged and decarburized steels approached the minimum for annealed steel. This approach of properties could be explained by changes in microstructure that occur in 2 1 4 Cr-1 Mo steel during elevated-temperature exposure.
Transforming properties of the huntingtin interacting protein 1/platelet-derived growth factor β receptor fusion protein

We have previously reported that the Huntingtin interacting protein 1 (HIP1) gene is fused to the platelet-derived growth factor beta receptor (PDGFbetaR) gene in a patient with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia. We now show that HIP1/PDGFbetaR oligomerizes, is constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated, and transforms the murine hematopoietic cell line, Ba/F3, to interleukin-3-independent growth. A kinase-inactive mutant is neither tyrosine-phosphorylated nor able to transform Ba/F3 cells. Oligomerization and kinase activation required the 55-amino acid carboxyl-terminal TALIN homology region but not the leucine zipper domain. Tyrosine phosphorylation of a 130-kDa protein and STAT5 correlates with transformation in cells expressing HIP1/PDGFbetaR and related mutants. A deletion mutant fusion protein that contains only the TALIN homology region of HIP1 fused to PDGFbetaR is incapable of transforming Ba/F3 cells and does not tyrosine-phosphorylate p130 or STAT5, although it is itself constitutively tyrosine-phosphorylated. We have also analyzed cells expressing Tyr --> Phe mutants of HIP1/PDGFbetaR in the known PDGFbetaR SH2 docking sites and report that none of these sites are necessary for STAT5 activation, p130 phosphorylation, or Ba/F3 transformation. The correlation of factor-independent growth of hematopoietic cells with p130 and STAT5 phosphorylation/activation in both the HIP1/PDGFbetaR Tyr --> Phe and deletion mutational variants suggests that both STAT5 and p130 are important for transformation mediated by HIP1/PDGFbetaR.
Toward a Contingency Theory of Leadership Based upon the Consideration and Initiating Structure Literature

Abstract The Ohio State Leadership Studies have been criticized on grounds that they lack a conceptual base, and fail to take situational variables into account. This article reviews the published literature involving the leader behavior dimensions “Consideration” and “Initiating Structure,” for the purpose of developing some situational propositions of leader effectiveness. Among the variables found by researchers to significantly moderate relationships between leader behavior predictors, and satisfaction and performance criteria are the following: subordinate need for information, job level, subordinate expectations of leader behavior, perceived organizational independence, leader's similarity of attitudes and behavior to managerial style of higher management, leader upward influence; and characteristics of the task, including pressure and provision of intrinsic satisfaction. The article concludes by presenting ten situational propositions, and linking them to form two general postulates of leadership effectiveness.
Walk like a Man, Talk like a Woman: Teaching the Social Construction of Gender.

The authors describe a pedagogical exercise that conveys the multilayered properties of gender to undergraduate students. They propose a simulation that demonstrates the social constructiveness of gender, maintaining that gender should be conceptualized and portrayed as a process, system of stratification, and social structure. The authors begin by detailing the theoretical premises that guide their conceptualization of gender. Next, they move to the simulation exercise they use to demonstrate their conceptualization, furnishing detailed instructions to successfully implement the exercise and providing suggestions to guide class discussions emerging thereof. The authors conclude by detailing the results of an assessment showing the learning gained through the exercise. This article addresses the lacunae in the sociology of gender, created in particular by the limited nature of scholarship on the teaching of gender as a social construction.
Insulin Resistance and Coronary Heart Disease in Nondiabetic Individuals

The goal of this review was to summarize evidence supporting the view that insulin resistance/compensatory hyperinsulinemia play an important role in the pathogenesis of coronary heart disease (CHD) in nondiabetic individuals. Results of case–control and epidemiological studies in nondiabetic individuals will be reviewed to examine the link between insulin resistance/compensatory hyperinsulinemia, associated abnormalities, and CHD. The primary focus of the review will be on the central role that dyslipidemia plays in the link between insulin resistance/compensatory hyperinsulinemia and CHD. Additional issues to be addressed include the following: (1) the relationship among obesity, insulin resistance, and CHD; (2) a listing of other abnormalities that contribute to risk of CHD in insulin-resistant individuals; and (3) discussion of the importance of differential tissue insulin sensitivity in the development of abnormalities that increase CHD risk in insulin-resistant, nondiabetic individuals. The informat...
Chip-level microarchitecture trends

One year ago, in introducing IEEE Micro’s Hot Chips 14 special issue, I pointed out that features such as low power, reliability, security, and fault tolerance delivered to the customer at affordable cost might well serve as differentiating indices to the multidimensional entity called “system performance.” A year later, I cannot but overemphasize the emerging reality of that expectation. If anything, the focus on power dissipation as a primary design constraint has sharpened, with especially intense concerns about the static (leakage) component of power in future technologies. The basic uncertainty and variance of technology-related device and interconnect parameters (both across and within individually fabricated chips) that experts envisage are causing a major rethinking of the design stack (from high-level microarchitecture to physical design and layout). In addition, there are major implications in terms of design tool support for future, technology-aware microprocessor development. This year, the Hot Chips 15 special issue is guest edited by Michael Flynn and Pradeep Dubey. Their guest editors’ introduction covers the articles selected for publication in IEEE Micro. One of the trends in high-performance microprocessor chips is the increased level of on-chip integration that the technology has made available. IBM’s Power4 had previously started the trend of multicore designs with a dual-core chip multiprocessor offering. This issue of IEEE Micro includes an article on the follow-on chip called Power5, still a dual-core solution, but with each core supporting two independent program threads for a total of four concurrently executing threads per chip. Recent announcements by other vendors depict a similar trend, with an increasing emphasis on enhancing chip-level throughput through multiple cores and threads. In these future designs, each core or thread may not necessarily aim at delivering the highest frequency or performance that is achievable for the given technology. The power “wall” is definitely a factor that could accelerate this trend, since single-core frequencies might not scale up to meet prior trends. On the other hand, the chip-level power and area budgets (especially pertaining to leakage) place a natural limit on the number of cores for a given level of core complexity. This leads to some interesting power-performance tradeoffs that would balance single-thread performance against targets for chip-level throughput, working within a given power and cost budget. Yield and reliability aspects of the design equation (in an era of technological uncertainties) make the future space of design choices even more interesting! Of course, in some markets, singlethread performance might remain the primary driver of chip-level microarchitecture design. Here, to meet performance targets at affordable cost, cooling and packaging technologies must improve sufficiently to meet the challenge. I hope you enjoy reading the leadingedge articles in this special issue. They capture some of the latest advances, trends, and challenges in microprocessor design.
Hydrogen embrittlement resistance of GRCop-84

Abstract GRCop-84 contains approximately 5.5 wt% Nb. Nb can react with hydrogen and embrittle easily. Previous work had indicated the thermodynamic possibility that Cr2Nb could react with hydrogen and form niobium hydrides in the presence of high pressure hydrogen. In this study, samples were charged with hydrogen and tested in both high pressure gaseous H2 and He environments to determine if measurable differences existed which indicate that hydrogen embrittlement occurs in GRCop-84. Tensile, notched tensile, stress rupture and low cycle fatigue properties were surveyed. High pressure H2 environment stress rupture testing resulted in a lower reduction in area than a high pressure He environment, and the LCF lives at high strain ranges fall below the lower 95% confidence interval for the baseline data, but in general no significant differences were noted either between H2 and He environment tests or between H charged materials and the baseline, uncharged extruded GRCop-84 data sets. There was also no discernable evidence of the formation of hydrides or changes in fracture morphology indicating hydrogen embrittlement occurred.
High-resolution mid-infrared imaging for disease diagnosis

Histopathology is the gold standard for disease diagnosis; however it is subject to a number of limitations. Fourier Transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopic imaging can be used to derive chemical images from tissues based on their inherent molecular composition, thereby eliminating the use of dyes and stains. FT-IR imaging represents a novel, emerging approach that can allow for accurate cell type identification which is competitive with conventional histopathological approaches and may alleviate a number of the limitations associated with current techniques. Traditionally, this approach has involved in a loss of image detail due to the sub-optimal and, compared to optical microscopy, coarse pixel size in instruments. Recent advances in high-resolution FT-IR imaging have allowed for the identification and chemical characterization of cell types and tissue structures which were previously not discernible. Here we report on the visualization of several histologic details using high-resolution IR imaging that may be critical for tissue histology and disease diagnosis.
Down looking lidar inversion constrained by ocean reflection and forward scatter of laser light.

The laser aureole at 1.06 μm resulting from the redirection of light by sea surface reflection and forward scatter through maritime boundary layer aerosols to a sensor high above the ocean surface is modeled for profiles with typical North Atlantic aerosol size distributions. The magnitude of this laser aureole is highly correlated with the optical depth for these profiles. This optical depth, estimated from the laser aureole, is used to adjust the power of the extinction–backscatter relationship in a Bernoulli-Riccati lidar inversion. Using a lognormal marine aerosol model, 150 profiles of aerosol size distributions are selected by their probability of occurrence in the North Atlantic boundary layer. For these profiles, the lidar inversion using the estimated optical depth predicted the surface extinction 5 times better than the lidar inversions using a climatological backscatter–extinction relationship.
Chemical investigations of citraconimide

The chemical reactivity of citraconimide (3-methylmaleimide, 2) has been investigated with special emphasis being placed on the use of mild and selective reaction conditions. Particular attention has been focused on the theiotropic reactivity of citraconimide. The results indicate that the reaction of various mercaptans with citraconimide is highly regioselective resulting predominately in the geminally substituted products with the percentage of vicinally substituted products increasing as a function of the steric bulk of the alkyl mercaptan. Additional studies on the double bond of citraconimide have furnished 4-halogeno- and the 3,4-dihydro derivatives of citraconimide. Several N-substituted citraconimide derivatives have also been prepared.
Mapping Three-Dimensional Stress and Strain Fields within a Soft Hydrogel Using a Fluorescence Microscope

Three-dimensional cell culture is becoming mainstream as it is recognized that many animal cell types require the biophysical and biochemical cues within the extracellular matrices to perform truly physiologically realistic functions. However, tools for characterizing cellular mechanical environment are largely limited to cell culture plated on a two-dimensional substrate. We present a three-dimensional traction microscopy that is capable of mapping three-dimensional stress and strain within a soft and transparent extracellular matrix using a fluorescence microscope and a simple forward data analysis algorithm. We validated this technique by mapping the strain and stress field within the bulk of a thin polyacrylamide gel layer indented by a millimeter-size glass ball, together with a finite-element analysis. The experimentally measured stress and strain fields are in excellent agreements with results of the finite-element simulation. The unique contributions of the presented three-dimensional traction microscopy technique are: 1), the use of a fluorescence microscope in contrast with the confocal microscope that is required for the current three-dimensional traction microscopes in the literature; 2), the determination of the pressure field of an incompressible gel from strains; and 3), the simple forward-data-analysis algorithm. Future application of this technique for mapping animal cell traction in three-dimensional nonlinear biological gels is discussed.
Energy calibration points for clinical electron accelerators

Bremsstrahlung yield curves were obtained for the photodisintegration reactions 16O(γ,n)15O and 31P(γ,2p)29Al. In both of these curves discontinuities in slope, called breaks, occur which can be used as calibration points for energy. The 17.3 Mev break in the oxygen yield was used to calibrate the energy of the Oklahoma synchrotron. A sharp break suitable for energy calibration occurs in the yield for the phosphorus reaction at 27.6 ± 0.4 Mev.
Inhibition of stable RNA synthesis and production of a novel RNA in heat-stressed plants.

Abstract In tobacco and cowpea leaves incubated at elevated temperatures, incorporation of 32 P or 3 H-uridine into cytoplasmic rRNA and 5S RNA was inhibited while that into tRNA continued and additionally a novel RNA species of approximately 0.49 × 10 6 daltous was produced. This RNA was single stranded with a base ratio of 33/29/23/14 (A/U/C/U) and appears not to possess a poly (A) sequence. It hybridized to total plant DNA with kinetics suggesting a unique sequence origin and synthesis was suppressed by actinomycin D. Hybridization was competed by RNA from plants maintained only at 25°C, suggesting that low levels of this RNA occur in plants at normal temperatures even though it is not labeled detectably.
Preferential Binding of MyoD-E12 versus Myogenin-E12 to the Murine Sarcoma Virus Enhancer in Vitro

The MyoD family of transcription factors regulates muscle-specific gene expression in vertebrates. In the adult rat, MyoD mRNA accumulates predominately in fast-twitch muscle, in particular type IIb and/or IIx fibers, whereas Myogenin mRNA is restricted to slow-twitch type I muscle fibers. Transgenic mice expressing the avian v-ski oncogene from the murine sarcoma virus (MSV) promoter-enhancer display preferential hypertrophy of type IIb fast-twitch muscle apparently because of the restricted expression of the transgene. We tested the hypothesis that preferential interactions of MyoD, as a heterodimer with E12, with the MSV enhancer, which has six E-box targets for MyoD family proteins, could contribute to v-ski gene expression in IIb muscle fibers. A series of quantitative binding studies was performed using an electrophoretic mobility shift assay to test MyoD-E12 versus Myogenin-E12 binding to the MSV enhancer. Our results indicate that MyoD-E12 binds the MSV enhancer with higher affinity and higher cooperativity than Myogenin-E12. Interestingly, MyoD-E12 bound all of the individual E-boxes tested with positive cooperativity indicating DNA-mediated dimerization of the protein subunits.
Chemical pumping of potential visible laser transistions in bismuth monofluoride by thermal dissociation of fluorine azide

A visible chemical laser on the BiF(A-X) transistions at 430-470 nm can potentially be generated by the interaction of Bi-atoms with metastable species such as NF(a1Δ). Experiments were performed in which these constituents were obtained in situ by fast pulsed CO2 laser pyrolysis of FN3 and Bi(CH3)3, respectively. Time-resolved optical diagnostics were used to follow the concentrations of FN3, NF(a1Δ), Bi(CH3)x, Bi(2D) and BiF(A). The optimal concentrations of FN3 and Bi(CH3)3 were limited by NF(a1Δ) self-annihilation and Bi(2D) quenching reactions, respectively. The Bi(CH3)3 was found to be only 20 % dissociated at the peak of the NF(a1Δ) time profile and the yield of Bi-atoms from dissociated Bi(CH3)3 was determined to be approximately 5%; however, significant recycling of the active Bi/BiF species was observed at a limiting rate of 4 - 5 x 10-11 cm3/s, driven by NA(a1Δ). On the basis of these results, a peak BiF(A) concentration of 1013/cm3 was predicted by kinetic modeling and subsequently observed. The model also predicts an absolute population inversion of the BiF(A-X) transistion at high NF(a1Δ) concentration with unsaturated gains of approximately 10-3/cm. Intracavity experiments have verified that the BiF(X) ground state concentration is low enough relative to the excited state to generate at least a partial inversion, and initial evidence for an absolute population inversion has been obtained.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Ethnoracial Differences in Early Union Experiences Among Young Adult Women

This paper uses data from the 1997 cohort of National Longitudinal Study of Youth to examine racial differences in the first coresidential union experiences of young adult women in early adulthood. Young adults increasingly choose to delay marriage and opt to live with a significant other during their early adulthood years. Results from early studies of racial differences in relationship formation reported that Blacks had a higher probability that their first coresidential relationship was a cohabiting one despite a lower overall probability of being in a cohabiting relationship. Little is known about whether and how these early relationship experiences changed in the ensuing years, and the underlying causes for the racial differences in young adult union formation behaviors remain poorly understood. I use multivariate analyzes and decomposition techniques on a recent cohort of young women, between the ages of 12 and 18 in 1997, to examine the role of family background characteristics, sexual history, and economic and educational measures on the probability of an early coresidential relationship. I conclude with a brief examination of the fertility patterns surrounding that first union and the state of the union by age 24.
The Moral Ambiguity of Job Qualifications

When people seek to overcome discrimination in employment they often appeal to the principle that ‘one should be hired on the basis of qualifications alone’. But do we know what the principle means? And would applying it solve the problems of discrimination in employment? We may take the claim to mean that certain aspects of a person such as her race, religion and attractiveness that are thought to be irrelevant to almost all jobs should not be considered in employment decisions. But in this we would be mistaken. This paper argues that the concept of ‘qualification’, far from being purely descriptive, is morally loaded and a function of an employer’s choices and purposes. As a result, appealing to the principle alone cannot prevent discrimination for issues of discrimination in employment are embedded in the ethical issues of ownership, management and the social responsibilities of a business.
Parenting concerns of women with histories of eating disorders.

The current article reviews the literature on parenting among women with EDs, and outlines the process of developing an intervention addressing their parenting concerns. © 2005 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A 1V, 1mW, 4GHz Injection-Locked Oscillator for High-Performance Clocking

Injection-locked clocking (ILC) has been proposed previously to improve the skew and jitter performance while reducing the power consumption in multi-gigahertz clock distribution networks. This paper presents a new design of the injection-locked oscillator (ILO) suitable for ILC applications. It uses a transformer to generate differential signals and then directly inject them into the ILO core. It also incorporates a switched-capacitor array for frequency tuning and hence digital deskew in ILC. A 4 GHz test chip was designed and fabricated in a 0.18 mum standard digital CMOS. It consists of four ILOs driven by a balanced H-tree. Each ILO consumes less than 1 mW from a 1 V power supply. 5-bit digital deskew achieves 55 ps delay tuning range and 1.8 ps resolution. Measurement shows that only 30 fs cycle-to-cycle jitter degradation was introduced and no phase noise degradation at frequency offset up to 600 kHz.
Enhanced Broad Band Photodetection through Piezo-Phototronic Effect in CdSe/ZnTe Core/Shell Nanowire Array

The piezo-phototronic effect is of immense importance for improving the performance of optoelectronic nanodevices. This is accomplished by tuning the charge carrier generation, separation, and transport under the influence of the inner piezopotential. In this paper, a broad band photodetector is demonstrated that is based on II-VI binary CdSe/ZnTe core/shell nanowire arrays, in which photodetection is greatly enhanced by the piezo-phototronic effect. The photodetector performance under UV (385 nm), blue (465 nm), and green (520 nm) illumination infers a saturation free response with an intensity variation near two orders of magnitude, where the peak photocurrent (125 μA) is two orders higher at 0.25 kilogram force (kgf) compared to no load (0.71 μA). The resulting (%) responsivity changed by four orders of magnitude. The significant increase in responsivity is believed to arise from: 1) the piezo-phototronic effect induced by a change in the Schottky barrier height at the Ag–ZnTe junction, and in the type-II band alignment at the CdSe–ZnTe interfaces, in conjugation with 2) a small lattice mismatch between the CdSe and ZnTe epitaxial layers, which lead to reduced charge carrier recombination. This work thus extends the piezo-phototronic effect to a group II-VI binary semiconductor heterostructure and demonstrates the importance of the epitaxial interface in a core/shell nanowire photodetector.
Employee scheduling and makespan minimization in a flow shop with multi-processor work stations: a case study

This paper describes the development of a mixed integer linear programming model for a flow shop with multi-processor workstations. The primary objective of the model is to minimize makespan through lot-streaming. A secondary objective is to determine workforce size and schedule. A constant daily workload is assumed. The model is simple enough to be understood and implemented by managers and supervisors using readily available spreadsheet programs. An actual process, at a local insurance company handling a moderate daily level of document and payment processing, is used as a case study. The results of the case study yielded an improvement in the makespan of the current process. The model, shown in this paper to be a useful tool in the document processing industry, is generic enough to be applied to other multi-processor flow shops.
Mathematical biophysics in its relation to the cancer problem

Es wird einfuhrungsweise zuerst auf den allgemeinen Zusammenhang zwischen theoretischer und experimenteller Forschung hingewiesen, insbesondere darauf, dass die theoretische Forschung dem Experimentator nicht nur neue Probleme stellt, sondern auch die Ergebnisse vieler Versuche sinnvoll macht, unabhangig davon, ob diese Ergebnisse positiv oder negativ ausfallen. — Danach wird ein kurzer Uberblick uber einige neuere Ergebnisse der mathematischen Biophysik gemacht und es werden einige fundamentale Probleme der Krebsforschung vom Standpunkte dieser Ergebnisse diskutiert. Es wird auf eine Reihe neuer moglicher Versuche hingewiesen, welche im Lichte der mathematisch-biologischen Forschung wichtige Fragen uber die Natur der Tumoren beantworten wurden.
CHERN-SIMONS FIELD THEORY OF TWO-DIMENSIONAL ELECTRONS IN THE LOWEST LANDAU LEVEL

We propose a fermion Chern-Simons field theory describing two-dimensional electrons in the lowest Landau level. This theory is constructed with a complete set of states, and the lowest-Landau-level constraint is enforced through a {delta} functional described by an auxiliary field {lambda}. Unlike the field theory constructed directly with the states in the lowest Landau level, this theory allows one, utilizing the physical picture of {open_quote}{open_quote}composite fermion,{close_quote}{close_quote} to study the fractional quantum Hall states by mapping them onto certain integer quantum Hall states; but, unlike its application in the unconstrained theory, such a mapping is sensible only when interactions between electrons are present. An {open_quote}{open_quote}effective mass,{close_quote}{close_quote} which characterizes the scale of low energy excitations in the fractional quantum Hall systems, emerges naturally from our theory. We study a Gaussian effective theory and interpret physically the dressed stationary point equation for {lambda} as an equation for the {open_quote}{open_quote}mass renormalization{close_quote}{close_quote} of composite fermions. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}
Ultrastructurl studies of barrier restoration in epidermis of hairless mice following dimethyl sulfoxide application

Sixteen hairless mice were studied by transmission electron microscopy to determine the ultrastructural changes in epidermal barrier restoration following topical applications of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) to back skin. Samples of experimental skin were examined at 30 min, 1 h, 2 h and 3 h after the initial DMSO treatment and compared with that of control animals. At earlier time periods (30 min-1 h) the DMSO treated epidermis showed greatly expanded intercellular spaces, disrupted desmosomal attachments, and desmosomal remnants lying free within the intercellular space. Mitochondria contained droplets of lipoid material which reached maximum size in the spinous and granular layers. Cytoplasmic vacuoles were particularly prominent in the 30-min samples. Large numbers of membrane coating granules (MCG) emerged in the 1 h specimens. The MCG were laden with numerous electron-dense inner membranes which crisscrossed at various angles. Many of the MCG were observed in the process of fusion with plasma membranes of granular cells adjacent to the stratum corneum. At 2 h a process of recovery from the effects of DMSO was evident and at 3 h there was little or no difference between experimental and control epidermis.
Theory of optical properties of an excess electron in liquid helium

Abstract The excitation energies and cross sections for optical transitions of an excess electron in liquid 4 He have been computed. The Raman cross section is found to be about 10 −29 cm 2 , in disagreement with other estimates.
RADIOIMMUNOASSAY OF ANTIDIURETIC HORMONE DURING MORPHINE ANAESTHESIA

The effect of morphine anaesthesia on plasma antidiuretic hormone levels was studied in seven adult patients. Measurements of ADH showed no significant change with morphine and 50 per cent nitrous oxide. Significant elevation occurred with surgical stimulation as previously reported. Changes in urine flow with high doses of morphine are then not ADH related.
Trichocyst phenotype transformation induced by macronuclear transplantation in Paramecium tetraurelia.

Abstract A portion of the macronucleus of wild-type cells of Paramecium tetraurelia was removed and was injected into cells homozygous for the ftA mutation. The ftA mutants make defective trichocysts and are unable to perform normal trichocyst exocytosis. After injection, approx. 30% of the surviving cells show a phenotype shift from mutant to wildtype. This shift is stable during subsequent vegetative growth until clonal death. If, however, the hybrid cell lines are brought to autogamy (which discards the existing macronucleus and forms a new one from sexual products derived from a micronucleus), then the lines revert to the ftA phenotype. Since micronuclei were not transplanted, the phenotypic reversion after autogamy is to be expected, and demonstrates that the transformation affects the macronucleus only. A second series of injections involved transfer of a portion of the macronucleus from cells homozygous for the trichocyst ptA mutation into ftA host cells. These two mutations are genetically complementary, so the injection should be genetically equivalent to forming a double heterozygote. Approx. 20% of the injection survivors shift to wild-type. This shift is also vegetatively stable unless autogamy occurs; after autogamy, reversion to the ftA phenotype is seen. These results show that a portion of a macronucleus can be successfully transplanted from one cell to another and that, in the host cytoplasmic environment, normal gene expression and replication of a transplanted macronucleus does occur. The technique of macronuclear transplantation is significant to studies of the macronuclear contribution to clonal aging, and to studies on genetic control over trichocyst development.
Cell division: timing the machine.

During cell division everything must happen at the right time, or errors occur. A common cellular control device, protein phosphorylation, is now shown to time the assembly of a key part of the division machinery.
The Phylogeny and Systematics of the Family Thaumastocoridae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera)

The recent acquisition of considerable unworked material from several museums together with our personal collections in the little known family Thaumastoeoridae has led us to review the taxonomic relationships within the family, to characterize two new genera and seven new species, and to investigate the systematic and phylogenetic position of the family.
Evaluating the role of prophylactic gastrostomy tube placement prior to definitive chemoradiotherapy for head and neck cancer.

Purpose To determine the effect of prophylactic gastrostomy tube (GT) placement on acute and long-term outcome for patients treated with definitive chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced head and neck cancer. Methods and Materials One hundred twenty consecutive patients were treated with chemoradiotherapy for Stage III/IV head and neck cancer to a median dose of 70 Gy (range, 64–74 Gy). The most common primary site was the oropharynx (66 patients). Sixty-seven patients (56%) were treated using intensity-modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). Seventy patients (58%) received prophylactic GT placement at the discretion of the physician before initiation of chemoradiotherapy. Results Prophylactic GT placement significantly reduced weight loss during radiation therapy from 43 pounds (range, 0 to 76 pounds) to 19 pounds (range, 0 to 51 pounds), which corresponded to a net change of − 14% (range, 0% to − 30%) and − 8% (range, +1% to − 22%) from baseline, respectively ( p p p Conclusions Although prophylactic GT placement was effective at preventing acute weight loss and the need for intravenous hydration, it was also associated with significantly higher rates of late esophageal toxicity. The benefits of this strategy must be balanced with the risks.
A method-of-moments formulation for describing hydrodynamic dispersion of analyte streams in free-flow zone electrophoresis.

In this work, a method-of-moments formulation has been presented for estimating the dispersion of analyte streams as they migrate through a free-flow zone electrophoresis (FFZE) channel under laminar flow conditions. The current analysis considers parallel-plate based FFZE systems with an applied pressure-gradient along the channel length for sample and carrier electrolyte transport, and an external electric field in the transverse direction for enabling the electrophoretic separation. A closed-form expression has been derived using this mathematical approach for describing the spatial variance of sample streams as a function of their position in the separation chamber at steady state. This expression predicts that the hydrodynamic dispersion component in an FFZE assay scales as Pex2 where Pex denotes the Peclet number based on the analyte's transverse electrophoretic migration velocity rather than its longitudinal pressure-driven flow speed as expected in transport processes induced by a pressure-gradient. Interestingly however, the coefficient multiplying this dimensionless group, i.e., 1/210, is identically equal to the constant preceding the square of the relevant Peclet number in the latter case (i.e., Peclet number based on the longitudinal flow speed). It must be noted that while the mathematical analysis reported in this work is only valid for FFZE systems in the absence of any unwanted Joule heating, pressure-driven cross-flow and/or differences in the electrical conductivity between the sample and carrier electrolyte, it can also be applied to numerically estimate the effect of these factors on the separation resolution of the assay.
Methamphetamine-induced vascular changes lead to striatal hypoxia and dopamine reduction

Methamphetamine (meth) is a potent psychostimulant known to cause neurotoxicity. Clinical reports suggest meth abuse is a risk factor for Parkinson’s disease. We investigated changes in the blood brain barrier and cerebral vasculature as a mechanism underlying this risk in rats treated acutely and trained to self-administer meth. We observed blood brain barrier leakage in rats treated acutely with meth. Hypoperfusion in the striatum was detected with acute and chronic meth treatment and associated with hypoxia. This was correlated with reductions in striatal tyrosine hydroxylase in rats trained to self-administer meth. These findings suggest a new mechanism of meth-induced neurotoxicity involving striatal vasoconstriction resulting in hypoxia and dopamine reductions leading to an increased risk for Parkinson’s disease for meth abusers.
Oversampling smoothness: an effective algorithm for phase retrieval of noisy diffraction intensities

Coherent diffraction imaging (CDI) is high-resolution lensless microscopy that has been applied to image a wide range of specimens using synchrotron radiation, X-ray free-electron lasers, high harmonic generation, soft X-ray lasers and electrons. Despite recent rapid advances, it remains a challenge to reconstruct fine features in weakly scattering objects such as biological specimens from noisy data. Here an effective iterative algorithm, termed oversampling smoothness (OSS), for phase retrieval of noisy diffraction intensities is presented. OSS exploits the correlation information among the pixels or voxels in the region outside of a support in real space. By properly applying spatial frequency filters to the pixels or voxels outside the support at different stages of the iterative process (i.e. a smoothness constraint), OSS finds a balance between the hybrid input–output (HIO) and error reduction (ER) algorithms to search for a global minimum in solution space, while reducing the oscillations in the reconstruction. Both numerical simulations with Poisson noise and experimental data from a biological cell indicate that OSS consistently outperforms the HIO, ER–HIO and noise robust (NR)–HIO algorithms at all noise levels in terms of accuracy and consistency of the reconstructions. It is expected that OSS will find application in the rapidly growing CDI field, as well as other disciplines where phase retrieval from noisy Fourier magnitudes is needed. The MATLAB (The MathWorks Inc., Natick, MA, USA) source code of the OSS algorithm is freely available from http://www.physics.ucla.edu/research/imaging.
A novel immunohistochemical method for evaluation of antibody specificity and detection of labile targets in biological tissue

Immunohistochemistry is a key tool for analyzing target molecule localization within tissues. However, accurate results require an antibody that can distinguish between similar compounds. We present a simple immunohistochemical method that can also be used to rapidly evaluate antibodies' specificities. We demonstrate this technique with serotonin, an extremely labile compound. Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5HT) is an important neurotransmitter regulating normal cognition and several mental disorders, as well as tumor growth, cardiopathology, and embryogenesis. Immunohistochemical detection of serotonin is commonly used as a neuronal cell marker and to provide crucial information on serotonin's role as an embryonic morphogen. It is necessary to be able to distinguish serotonin from closely related molecules with significantly different biological activity. Using our method, we identify antibodies that are specific for serotonin and show that some commercial 5HT antibodies often used to identify serotonergic cells in published papers are not 5HT-specific. These data demonstrate the necessity of specifically testing antibodies (especially in areas of high clinical relevance such as 5HT). We also illustrate detection of serotonergic cells in embryonic tissue using our technique. This method offers a number of general advantages for testing specificity of antibodies to any biological molecule, and helps avoid false positives and negatives during immunohistochemistry.
Scattering estimation from digital breast tomosynthesis guiding near infrared spectral tomographic reconstruction

X-ray image pixel intensity and optical scattering are compared for 11 normal subjects to assess the feasibility of using X-ray imaging as a surrogate for optical scattering in NIR spectral tomography. Digital breast tomosynthesis exams, as well as twenty single point reflectance measurements of optical breast scattering are compared for a wide variety of breast sizes and densities to determine if scattering can be accurately predicted based on x-ray attenuation. If implemented, x-ray based scattering estimation will decrease exam time and cost as well as simplify the design of a newly developed integrated near infrared spectral tomography and digital breast tomosynthesis imaging system.
The Effects of Exchange Rate Volatility on U.S. Imports: An Empirical Investigation

In this paper we obtain and interpret new estimates of the short- and long-run influence of exchange-rate volatility (or risk) on the import flows of the United States, in the generalized floating exchange-rate period. The major finding is that there is a significant long-run negative effect of exchange-rate volatility on the volume of imports, as well as, a significant short-run negative effect. Therefore, it can be argued that exchange-rate volatility will have significant effects on the allocation of resources by market participants and that policy-makers can no longer rely on an import demand with only conventional variables for long-term international trade planning, forecasting and policy formulation. [F14, F31]
Permutations, signs and the Brownian bridge

Abstract Let B(t), 0⩽t⩽1 be a Brownian Bridge, and let f:[0,1]→{+1,−1} be a non-random, measurable function. Then for every t⩾0 the following holds: P max 0⩽s⩽1 |B(s)|⩾t ⩽P max 0⩽s⩽1 | ∫ 0 s f(u) d B(u)|⩾t ⩽P max 0⩽s⩽1 |B(s)|⩾ t 2 . The result follows from a discrete-time maximal inequality for signs via weak convergence. We will present applications of this result in the area of mathematical finance.
Evaluation of database access paths

An evaluation system which estimates the performance of database access paths is presented. The system is based on a generalized model of access paths and is applicable to most access paths for searching a database system. The study brings to light many subtle but important parameters which can have a significant effect on the performance of the access paths, and which, then, must be taken into consideration in the selection of such paths.