cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The impact of information technology on individual and firm marketing performance

The perceived impacts of information technology use on firm marketing organization performance are examined. A theoretical model is presented linking organizational and end-user traits, information quality, system/service quality, industry traits, and tasks performed using a system to perceptions of organizational performance impacts through ease of system use, perceived individual performance impacts (i.e. perceived usefulness), attitudes toward using the system, and system use. The empirical examination uses a mail survey of US marketing executives to collect the data. The quantitative technique used is structural equation modeling. The results indicate that measures of organizational traits, individual traits, information quality, system/service quality, and tasks performed using the system impact perceived performance of the marketing organization mediated individual performance impacts (i.e. perceived usefulness), attitudes toward using the system, and system use. Managerial implications and conclusions are presented based upon these results.
User-Centered Design of Course-Based Portfolios for Mechanical Engineering Student Learning

One challenge for engineering educators is to design appropriate educational curricula that address both students’ needs and educators’ expectations. It is therefore important for the engineering education community to think about how to include students and faculty into the assignment design process. In this paper we discuss our use of user-centered design (UCD) principles, including early focus on users, empirical measurements, and iteration design, to design course-based portfolio (CBP) assignments for mechanical engineering students. To support the assignment design decisions, we collected early information about mechanical engineering students’ learning needs and educators’ expectations. Based on the design considerations that we identified for portfolio design, the CBP assignment is designed to ask students build a persuasive document and identify the connections between the course and mechanical engineering discipline. We measured our design by piloting the assignment with students and getting feedback from faculty in the Mechanical Engineering Department; this feedback reflects the effectiveness of the CBP and leads to design iterations and tradeoffs. We also identified several students’ learning opportunities and formed these opportunities into hypotheses to evaluate the impacts of course-based portfolios on students learning in the next formal study. This research demonstrates a successful practice of using user-centered design principles to design a course-based portfolio assignment for mechanical engineering students.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Brides, Maids, and Prostitutes: Reflections on the Study of 'Trafficked' Women

This essay critically examines the blurred boundaries – or the analytical shadow lines – in scholarly and popular conceptualizations of Asian women migrants. I ask what women who migrate from the global South to the North as maids, brides, or sex workers have in common? How important are the commonalities and the distinctions between them? When are such blurs warranted, and what are the implications of such blurs for women’s self-perceptions and life experiences, for feminist scholarship, and for immigration policies? Drawing from ethnographic field research among Chinese and Filipina correspondence brides, Filipina domestic workers, and from the wider literature on sex workers, this essay considers some of the problems with a ‘trafficking’ framework, and considers the analytical and ethnographic possibilities that emerge with closer examination of the real and imagined shadow lines between sex workers, domestic workers, and migrant brides.
Proteolytic activation of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II: Putative function in synaptic plasticity.

Abstract Rat forebrain Ca 2+ /calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II (CaM-kinase II) in isolated postsynaptic densities (PSD) was subjected to limited proteolysis with chymotrypsin or μ-calpain, a Ca 2+ -dependent protease. Incubation of the kinase with either protease resulted in a three- to fivefold enhancement of total kinase activity and solubilization of Ca 2+ /calmodulin (CaM)-independent activity from the PSD. Maximal enhancement of CaM-kinase II activity was observed when autophosphorylated or Ca 2+ /CaM-bound forms of the enzyme were proteolyzed. Analysis of the proteolytic products by Western blotting with a polyclonal antibody raised against soluble CaM-kinase II indicated that both proteases generated several immunoreactive fragments between 21 and 32 kDa. However, unlike chymotrypsin, μ-calpain degraded only a small fraction of the intact kinase subunits. 125 I-labeled CaM overlays indicated a major CaM-binding fragment of approximately 23 kDa in μ-calpain digests of purified cytosolic CaM-kinase II. This fragment was also shown to contain the regulatory autophosphorylation site (Thr-286(α)/287(β)) of the kinase. Immunoblotting with antibody to the catalytic domain of the kinase indicated that there was a single active fragment of approximately 30 kDa in the μ-calpain digests. Analysis of the crude digests on a Superose-6 FPLC column also indicated that the Ca 2+ /CaM-independent activity resided in a fragment of approximately 30 kDa. This catalytic fragment did not bind to CaM-Sepharose. Thus, μ-calpain appears to cleave CaM-kinase 11 into a 30-kDa catalytic domain fragment and a 23-kDa regulatory domain fragment. A putative mechanism for persistent regulation of synaptic events by such a proteolytic activation of CaM-kinase 11 is discussed.
Four Archetypal Shadows: A Look at the Dark Side of Public Organizations

Unfortunately, there are a significant number of public servants who dislike their work Many of these people experience a sense of alienation that makes them feel separate from themselves and others. Using Jung's theory of psychological type and Keirsey and Bates's four temperaments as his starting point, the author gives shape to the alienation that many public employees experience by presenting four archetypal `shadows" that affect the behavior of organizational employees. The four shadows presented are the self-seeking careerist or the alienated intuitive thinker, the regulator or the alienated sensate judger, the manipulator or the alienated intuitive feeler, and the philistine or the alienated sensate perceiver. None of the people who are profoundly affected by these shadows affirm life, instead they engage in death-denying and ultimately self-destructive behaviors.
Paleocene mammals and faunal analysis of the Chappo Type Locality (Tiffanian), Green River Basin, Wyoming

ABSTRACT The Chappo Type Locality in southwestern Wyoming has produced an extensive Tiffanian (late Paleocene) mammalian fauna. Thirty-three genera and 39 species of mammals are represented at Chappo, including three newly recognized taxa, a ?lipotyphlan insectivore Palaeoryctes cruoris, sp. no v., an erinaceomorph insectivore Cedrocherus aceratus, sp. nov., and an arctocyonid condylarth Lambertocyon gingerichi, sp. nov. Comparison with other middle and late Tiffanian localities suggests that Chappo represents a transitional Ti3–Ti4 fauna. The presence of mature paleosol horizons at Chappo indicates deposition on a distal floodplain. Faunal analysis (including body size distribution, trophic structure, and taxonomic diversity) indicates that the Chappo sample consists of small- to medium-sized mammals dominated by omnivores and insectivores. The relatively low frequency of frugivores indicates less forested, more open conditions. Diversity indices suggest that middle Tiffanian mammalian diversity was only...
Synaptic junctions isolated from cerebellum and forebrain: Comparisons of morphological and molecular properties

Synaptic junction (SJ) fractions have been isolated from rat cerebellum which are similar to forebrain SJs on the basis of morphology and enrichment of synaptic structures. The polypeptide compositions of SJ fractions were analyzed by one- and two-dimensional SDS-gel electrophoresis and stained by the silver technique. Equivalent numbers of proteins that possess similar relative mobilities (Mr), isoelectric points and staining intensities were present in cerebellum and forebrain synaptic fractions. A few prominent differences were observed between cerebellum and forebrain synaptic fractions; cerebellum SJs contained a 240 K protein that was not detected in the forebrain and the 52,000 K, major PSDp protein was present in forebrain SJs in amounts that are approximately 5-fold greater than in cerebellum SJ fractions. The identity of the cerebellum mPSDp was verified by electrophoretic mobility, peptide fingerprinting and [125I]calmodulin binding. Differences between various synaptic fractions in mannose containing glycoproteins were examined by the binding of [125I]concanavalin A (Con A) to gels. On the basis of apparent molecular weights, the glycoproteins in forebrain and cerebellum SPMs were very similar. In contrast, however, the prominent glycoproteins that reside in the postsynaptic junctional membrane of forebrain SJs were undetectable in SJ fractions isolated from cerebellum. SJ fractions from cerebellum contained their own distinct group of Con A binding glycoproteins. SPM and SJ fractions from forebrain and cerebellum were examined for receptors for excitatory (aspartate, glutamate and kainic acid) and inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitters and the benzodiazepine analog flunitrazepam. On the basis of relative receptor contents, SJ fractions isolated from either brain region were qualitatively similar and bound significant amounts of excitatory and inhibitory transmitters. These findings support the notion that SJs from cerebellum contain a distinct class of synaptic elements that are in large part derived from asymmetric, type I synapses.
Micro-Dissecting Dual-Probe Testicular Tubule Assay

We report on a microfabricated silicon probe integrated with an ultrasonic actuator and polysilicon strain gauges for Microdissection TEsticular Sperm Extraction (TESE) surgery. Insertion experiment was performed on rat testis tissue and by sensing the strain we were able to ascertain the size of the sperm-carrying microtubules in the sample. This information is important in Microdissection TESE to distinguish tubules with and without fertile sperm, eliminating large incision currently required for optical spermatazoa localization. Experimental data on tissue rigidity measurements indicate that the micromechanical assay can also be used for minimally-invasive testicular cancer detection.
Similarities and differences on the MMPI between women with bulimia and women with alcohol or drug abuse problems

This study compared the MMPI MacAndrew Scale, mean profile, mean scale scores, and codetypes of women with bulimia and women with alcohol or drug abuse problems. Women with alcohol or drug abuse problems scored significantly higher on the MacAndrew Scale and several mean MMPI scale scores than women with bulimia. However, mean MMPI profiles and distribution of MMPI codetypes were similar between these two groups.
Repair of complete atrioventricular canal in infancy.

Results of operative repair of complete atrioventricular canal defects (CAVCD) are improving due to: general advances in pre-, intra-, and postoperative care; a better understanding of the relevant pathological factors, principally of the left atrioventricular (A-V) valve; a clearer definition of the path of the specialized conduction tissue; and the recognition of associated defects such as single left ventricular papillary muscles, ventricular hypoplasia, with or without malalignment of the common A-V valve, coexistent ventricular septal defects, and double orifice left A-V valves. Forty-eight patients underwent repair from July 1980 through July 1984. Three patients died early and 2 late after the operation. One patient with an additional posterior ventricular septal defect (VSD) remained in complete heart block. Three patients required reoperation for residual left A-V valve regurgitation and 1 for a residual VSD. In 20 recatheterized patients, mitral regurgitation was moderate in 4 and severe in 2. Pulmonary artery pressure (pulmonary/systemic arterial systolic pressure ratio) remained unchanged in only 1 patient with significant A-V valve regurgitation. To avoid the development of pulmonary vascular obstructive disease, and based also on the trend of decreasing operative mortality and morbidity rates, primary repair of CAVCD is recommended within the first year of life.
Mortality of Ips lecontei attracted to ponderosa pine trees killed with cacodylic acid.

The Arizona five-spined engraver, Ips lecontei Swaine, attacked ponderosa pine trees poisoned with a fast-acting silvicide containing cacodylic acid (dimethy]arsenic acid). The density of attack and subsequent mortality of the brood and attacking adults varied considerably with the time of year the trees were poisoned. August-treated trees attracted the greatest density of attacks, and the rate of beetle mortality was higher than in trees poisoned at any other time of the year.
Regiospecificity and stereospecificity in the enzymatic conjugation of glutathione with (+/-)-benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxide.

Abstract 13 C-NMR analysis of the glutathione conjugates formed from (±)-benzo(a)-pyrene 4,5-oxide-4,5- 13 C by a purified glytathione transferase from little skate ( Raja erinacea ) liver demonstrated that equivalent amounts of the positional isomers (4,5-dihydro-4-hydroxy-5-glutathionylbenzo(a)pyrene and 4,5-dihydro-4-glutathionyl-5-hydroxybenzo(a)pyrene) were formed. Separation of these conjugates by HPLC and subsequent 13 C-NME studies showed that only one diastereoisomer of each positional isomer was formed by the skate enzyme, each enantiomer of the arene oxide having produced only one of the two possible positional isomers. The non-enzymic reaction of (±)-benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxide with glutathione produced the four possible stereoisomers resulting from trans addition to the epoxide ring. This was also true when rat liver cytosol was used as the source of transferase activity. The data demonstrate that skate liver glutathione transferase 4 has high substrate regiospecificity and stereospecificity for (±)-benzo(a)pyrene 4,5-oxide.
Method for obtaining the Raman spectrum of a thin film on a metal surface

Abstract A system for securing the laser-Raman spectrum of a thin layer on a reflecting metal surface is discussed. The general design considerations are specifically illustrated for a thin layer on silver using a 4880 A laser exciting line. For this case the optimum angle of incidence for laser illumination is calculated to be 70° and the optimum angle for collection of the Hainan-scattered light is around 60° from the surface normal. The sensitivity of the method is illustrated by showing two lines from the Raman spectrum of a 50 A-layer of benzoic acid on a silver film.
The role of carbon dioxide in light-activated hydrogen production by Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

Light-activated hydrogen and oxygen evolution as a function of CO2 concentration in helium were measured for the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. The concentrations were 58, 30, 0.8 and 0 ppm CO2. The objective of these experiments was to study the differential affinity of CO2/HCO 3 - for their respective Photosystem II and Calvin cycle binding sites vis-a-vis photoevolution of molecular oxygen and the competitive pathways of hydrogen photoevolution and CO2 photoassimilation. The maximum rate of hydrogen evolution occurred at 0.8 ppm CO2, whereas the maximum rate of oxygen evolution occurred at 58 ppm CO2. The key result of this work is that the rate of photosynthetic hydrogen evolution can be increased by, at least partially, satisfying the Photosystem II CO2/HCO 3 - binding site requirement without fully activating the Calvin-Benson CO2 reduction pathway. Data are presented which plot the rates of hydrogen and oxygen evolution as functions of atmospheric CO2 concentration in helium and light intensity. The stoichiometric ratio of hydrogen to oxygen changed from 0.1 at 58 ppm to approximately 2.5 at 0.8 ppm. A discussion of partitioning of photosynthetic reductant between the hydrogen/hydrogenase and Calvin-Benson cycle pathways is presented.
Sequence variation in DOCK9 and heterogeneity in bipolar disorder.

BACKGROUND Linkage of bipolar disorder to a broad region on chromosome 13q has been supported in several studies including a meta-analysis on genome scans. Subsequent reports have shown that variations in the DAOA (G72) locus on 13q33 display association with bipolar disorder but these may not account for all of the linkage evidence in the region. OBJECTIVE To identify additional susceptibility loci on 13q32-q33 by linkage disequilibrium mapping and explore the impact of phenotypic heterogeneity on association. METHODS In the initial phase, 98 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) located on 13q32-q33 were genotyped on 285 probands with bipolar disorder and their parents were drawn from families in the NIMH Genetics Initiative consortium for bipolar disorder (NIMH1-4) and two other series. Fine scale mapping using one family series (NIMH1-2) as the test sample was targeted on a gene that displayed the highest evidence of association. A secondary analysis of familial component phenotypes of bipolar disorder was conducted. RESULTS Three of seven SNPs in DOCK9, a gene that encodes an activator of the Rho-GTPase Cdc42, showed significant excess allelic transmission (P=0.0477-0.00067). Fine scale mapping on DOCK9 yielded evidence of association at nine SNPs in the gene (P=0.02-0.006). Follow-up tests detected excess transmission of the same allele of rs1340 in two out of three other sets of families. The association signals were largely attributable to maternally transmitted alleles (rs1927568: P=0.000083; odds ratio=3.778). A secondary analysis of familial component phenotypes of bipolar disorder detected significant association across multiple DOCK9 markers for racing thoughts, psychosis, delusion during mania and course of illness indicators. CONCLUSION These results suggest that DOCK9 contributes to both risk and increased illness severity in bipolar disorder. We found evidence for the effect of phenotypic heterogeneity on association. To our knowledge this is the first report to implicate DOCK9 or the Rho-GTPase pathway in the etiology of bipolar disorder.
Tissue disposition of doxorubicin in experimental animals

Doxorubicin was administered via peripheral vein to rabbits with or without VX-2 carcinoma and to rats with 13762 mammary adenocarcinoma. In rabbits, the doxorubicin tissue levels showed a decreasing order as follows: kidney, spleen, lung, heart, marrow, liver, gut, tumor, muscle, and fat. In rats, the order of doxorubicin concentration in organs from high to low appeared similar, except lung concentration was closer to spleen and kidney; and doxorubicin level in fat was higher than that in muscle. When different doses of doxorubicin were given, the tissue concentrations were proportional to the dose. At 24 hr after administration, the concentration of doxorubicin in liver was much higher in rats that received the drug injected directly into the hepatic artery or mesenteric-portal vein than in those that received the drug via the peripheral vein. In the discussions, our results in rats and rabbits were compared with what had been reported in the literature of tissue uptake studies in mice, dogs, and patients.
Women with lung cancer: impact on quality of life.

The purpose of this study was to describe disruptions in quality of life (QOL) in women suffering from lung cancer, the leading cause of cancer-related death in the United States. QOL was measured with the CARES-SF. Symptom distress was measured with the modified Symptom Distress Scale, and functional status was measured with the Karnofsky Performance Status Scale. Sixty-nine women with lung cancer participated in a one-time data collection. The typical subject was under 65 years of age, married, has had primary or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer for over 12 months, had limited disease, and was not currently receiving treatment. Subjects had greater disruptions in global QOL and its dimensions compared to a normative heterogeneous female cancer sample. The most prevalent serious disruptions were fatigue, difficulty with household chores, worry about ability to care for self, and worry about cancer progression. The global CARES-SF score was moderately correlated to functional status (r=0.69,p=<0.001), and to symptom distress (r=0.72,p=<0.001). Symptom distress was associated strongly with the physical subscale of QOL (r=0.80,p=0.001) and significantly but less strongly with all other dimensions of QOL. Significantly greater differences in disruptions of quality of life occurred in women younger than 65 years (p=0.04), women with recurrent disease (p=0.003), and women with low income (p=0.008). In stepwise regression, symptom distress predicted 53% of the variance followed by functional status (59%) and recurrence (63%) when QOL was the outcome variable.
Egg strings in Euchirella pseudopulchra (Aetideidae) and comments on constraints on egg brooding in planktonic marine copepods

Abstract Adult female Euchirella pseudopulchra Park, 1976 from the California Current System bear a pair of unusual linear ovisacs or “egg strings.” Each membrane-bound, single file row of eggs contains 11–14 relatively large ova. Calculations suggest that the geometric arrangement of single file rows of eggs could facilitate oxygen diffusion in O 2 -deficient waters. The presence of ventrally carried egg masses in E. pseudopulchra and other members of the Calanoida appears to be associated with evolutionary loss of the fifth swimming legs (P5) in the adult female. We hypothesize that loss of the female P5 would improve hydrodynamic thrust during escape responses and reduce the probability of loss of ventrally brooded ova. We re-examine the relationship between egg size and body size for planktonic marine calanoid and cyclopoid copepods from the mesopelagic and epipelagic zones and compare the advantages of brooding versus broadcast-spawning life histories. The size distribution of adult females of 43 egg-brooding copepod species is bimodal, comprising a number of small-bodied species and large-bodied species, with only one intermediate-sized species (between 10–100 μg C). The size distribution of 75 broadcast spawners includes a large number (41) of intermediate-sized species. The interrupted size distribution of the egg-brooding species probably reflects enhanced predation risk to intermediate-sized copepods of carrying attached egg masses in the epipelagic zone.
Investment and financing activity following calls of convertible bonds

Abstract The staged financing hypothesis of Mayers [Mayers, D., 1998. Why firms issue convertible bonds: The matching of financial and real investment options. Journal of Financial Economics 47, 83–102] predicts that investment and financing activity will increase following in the money convertible bond calls. The prediction for out of the money convertible calls is different: no increase is expected. We study the rate of both corporate investment and external financing around forced conversions using benchmarks that are analogous to those recommended by Barber and Lyon [Barber, B., Lyon, J., 1996. Detecting abnormal operating performance: The empirical power and specification of test statistics. Journal of Financial Economics 41, 359–400]. We also examine the cross-section of changes in investment and financing activity. Conversion-forcing firms exhibit an increase in both capital expenditures and debt financing around the year of the convertible bond call; however, the same result holds for the sample firms that conducted out-of-the-money convertible calls. Further, there is no relation between changes in investment activity and changes in debt issuance at the firm level. The evidence is inconsistent with the notion that forced conversions serve as a catalyst for staged financing and investment.
Functional and evolutionary morphology of woodpeckers

Bock, W.J. 1999. Functional and evolutionary morphology of woodpeckers. In: Adams, N.J. & Slotow, R.H. (eds) Proc. 22 Int. Ornithol. Congr., Durban. Ostrich 70 (1): 23–31. Woodpeckers are the first example of adaptive evolution by Natural Selection mentioned by Darwin who commented that their' feet, tail, beak and tongue' are ‘so admirably adapted to catch insects under the bark of trees’. Over the ensuing decades, the adaptiveness and evolution of these diverse woodpecker features has been examined by many workers but with limited success. A major problem was that these evolutionary explanations were not supported by logically prior functional explanations. Structures of the toes, hind limb and tail are associated with climbing. All forces acting on the climbing bird can be determined with the Method of Free-Body Analysis, which together with measurements of hind limb and tail features and of the tree surfaces used by different species, will permit understanding of the evolution of climbing adaptations. ...
Two-Dimensional Speech-Signal Modeling

Traditional approaches in speech-signal processing analyze short-time frames of the signal (e.g., the short-time Fourier transform). Findings from auditory neurophysiology coupled with image processing principles, however, have motivated an alternative 2-D processing framework in which 2-D analysis is performed on the time-frequency distribution itself. This paper develops a 2-D model of speech in local time-frequency regions of narrowband spectrograms using sinusoidal-series-based modulation. Our model is shown to distribute vocal tract and onset/offset content based on source information (e.g., noise and voicing) in a transformed 2-D space, thereby explicitly representing different classes of energy modulations commonly observed in spectrograms. We demonstrate the model's ability to represent speech sounds by developing and evaluating algorithms for analysis/synthesis of spectrograms. As an example application, we demonstrate the utility of the model for co-channel speaker separation using prior pitch information of two overlapping speakers. Finally, our separation scheme based on 2-D modeling is compared against a reference (frame-based) sinusoidal separation system using both prior and estimated pitch.
Differential vowel duration associated with children's word-final fricative deletion.

This study assessed whether 3 children, 5 to 6 years old, who deleted word-final fricatives preserve the voicing contrast for those fricatives by producing differential duration of the preceding vo...
Who's overworked and who's underworked among radiologists? An update on the radiologist shortage.

PURPOSE: To use weighted data and information on hours worked to investigate further the market for radiology services by analyzing the extent to which radiologists wanted less or more work in 2003. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Weighted data were used from the American College of Radiology's 2003 Survey of Radiologists. A statement on the survey cover sheet indicated that responses would not be individually identified, and responses were processed by an outside contractor for enhanced assurance of confidentiality. The authors analyzed workloads and the desired workload changes for radiologists who wanted less work, those who wanted more work, and those who sought no change in their workload. Multivariate regression analysis was also used to identify the probable causal links between characteristics of radiologists and the practices they work in and their desire for a workload change. RESULTS: The net average workload change sought was approximately 0.1% of the current workload and was not significantly differen...
Experimental Closed-Loop Flow Control of a von Kármán Ogive at High Incidence

The asymmetric vortex regime of a von Karman ogive with a fineness ratio of 3.5 is experimentally studied at a Reynolds number of 156,000. The wake of an axisymmetric bluff body is an ideal candidate for active feedback flow control because minute fluidic disturbances and geometry perturbations near the tip of the ogive get amplified through the flow’s convective instability. The resulting disturbance interacts with the quasi-steady vortex location and produces a deterministic port or starboard asymmetric vortex state (i.e., side force). Accurate control or manipulation of this asymmetric vortex state holds the potential for increased maneuverability and stability characteristics of slender flight vehicles. For implementation of an active feedback flow-control system, plasma actuators at the tip of the ogive are used as the flow effector, and surface-mounted pressure sensors are used to estimate the vortex configuration in real time. A linear time invariant model developed from open-loop experimental test...
Effect of Sand Distribution on Erosion in Annular Three-Phase Flow

Erosion in multiphase flow with entrained solid particles is a complex phenomenon due to existence of different flow patterns. Erosion experiments were conducted on an elbow specimen in a one-inch multiphase flow loop with gas, liquid and sand. Two different elbow specimens were used in the experiments. One placed downstream of a horizontal test section and one downstream of a vertical test section. Erosion tests were conducted at different gas and liquid velocities that showed a difference in erosion rates between the horizontal and vertical specimens. In order to better understand erosion results, the distribution of solid particles within the horizontal and vertical pipes just upstream of the elbows was measured across the pipe with a pitot probe. The results indicate that the distribution of sand in the pipe cross-section plays an important role in the erosion process due to the differences in velocities of the sand particles moving in the gas core and in the liquid film of the annular flow. It is observed that sand distribution in the horizontal test section is different than the sand distribution in the vertical test section for the same gas and liquid velocities. Therefore, the distribution of sand particles affects erosion test results. Based on these observations, a new mechanistic model has been developed to predict erosion in annular flow considering the effects of sand particle distribution and particle velocities in the annular film and gas core region. The experimental erosion results compare well with the model predictions.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Diversity of turtles across the cretaceous/tertiary boundary in Northeastern Montana

Abstract The abundant chelonian faunas of the Hell Creek and Tullock formations of McCone and Garfield counties, Montana, span the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary and provide a basis for assessing extinction and changes in diversity. Over three thousand specimens were counted on a modified minimum number basis from 510 localities. The Lancian (Maastrichtian) part of the Hell Creek Formation contains at least 19 genera and subgenera of turtles and probably a greater but undetermined number of species and comprises the most diverse fossil turtle fauna known from a single rock unit. At least 15 generic level taxa survive into the Puercan (early Paleocene) part of the overlying Tullock Formation and only one new genus appears. The magnitude of the change in diversity across the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary is less than or compaable to examples within the Tertiary and is readily explained by moderate ecological changes.
Collaborative discourse facilitates efficient communication and new learning in amnesia

In previous work we reported robust collaborative learning for referential labels in patients with hippocampal amnesia, resulting in increasingly rapid and economical communication or “common ground” with their partners (Duff et al., 2006). The current paper reports the results of discourse analysis, describing the communicative resources and practices used in extended, repeated collaborative interactions, as partners successfully referenced the target cards, managed the task itself, and engaged in non-task talk. Although amnesic pairs showed a normal rate of reduction across trials in the number of words and time-to-completion, their communicative effort was higher overall, particularly the discourse associated with task management, they exhibited a general lack of flexibility in their referential expressions, and they showed a number of striking differences in use of personal and communal knowledge and of multiple perspectives. The interactive sessions provided a potent learning environment, but also a very challenging task in the face of memory impairment. The results give insight into the acquisition of common ground and the manner in which amnesic patients accommodate their memory deficits during real-world interactions, and they have significant implications for memory intervention.
Unleashing the Wild Card for mobile payment

Mobile wallets promise a future where users do not need to carry physical payment cards. However, the slow adoption of contactless point of sales (POS) terminals by merchants limits the potential of Near-Field Communication (NFC) based payment devices. In this paper, we present Wild Card, a secure and backward compatible solution for making mobile payments at conventional magnetic stripe based POS terminals. Our solution resembles a traditional credit card in its physical dimensions and stays in the phone case. It can be programmatically set by an NFC-enabled mobile phone to any card number that the user owns. The key technologies that enable Wild Card are a fully programmable magnetic stripe, an energy harvesting system that allows the card to be charged and programmed by the phone through NFC, and a security mechanism that makes card information resilient to attacks on mobile devices. With a prototype, we evaluate the feasibility of Wild Card in terms of functionality and energy budget.
Microscopic mechanism of decomposition of Fe-doped β″-alumina

Abstract The role of conduction layers in a decomposition process of Fe-doped β″-alumina into Na-ferrite and spinel in a reducing atmosphere was investigated by means of high resolution transmission electron microscopy. The decomposition starts as diffusion of Na ions out from conduction layers of decomposing β″-alumina into surrounding β″-alumina, causing the collapsing of conduction layers. This leads to a removal of some oxygen ions which is accompanied by a change of Fe3+ ions to Fe2+ ions. The reaction further proceeds as the formation of precipitates of Na-ferrites and as the reconstruction around the conduction layers, resulting in the formation of spinel. A reverse reaction of the decomposed phases into β″-alumina occurs by annealing in air. Individual conduction layers are recreated in spinel by the flow of ions from the remaining β″-alumina and precipitated Na-ferrite, leading to the recovery into β″- alumina, along with a reverse change of Fe2+ to Fe3+.
Monosynaptic activation of a direct reticulo-spinal pathway by the dentate nucleus.

Experiments were performed to test the hypothesis that the output of the dentate nucleus can affect the excitability of spinal neurons via the reticular formation. In the first group of studies, the response of neurons in the medial reticular formation to stimulation of the dentate nucleus was investigated. In the second set of experiments, stimuli were applied in the same region of the medial reticular formation in order to determine whether neurons in the dentale nucleus could be antidromically activated from this part of the brainstem. The results indicate that the output from the dentate nucleus monosynaptically activates medial reticular neurons which project to the spinal cord. This finding, together with the observation that stimulation of the medial reticular formation can antidromically activate neurons in the dentate nucleus, demonstrates that there is an anatomical substrate by which the dentate nucleus can affect the excitability of spinal neurons via a rapidly conducting reticulospinal pathway.
A prospective comparison of fiberoptic transbronchial needle aspiration and bronchial biopsy for bronchoscopically visible lung carcinoma.

BACKGROUND Fiberoptic bronchoscopy is the most common modality used to diagnose endobronchial carcinoma. The authors prospectively compared the sensitivity of endobronchial needle aspiration (EBNA) and immediate cytologic assessment with bronchial biopsy and bronchial washing in the diagnosis of endobronchial malignancy. METHODS A prospective trial comparing the sensitivity of EBNA, bronchial biopsy, and bronchial washings during fiberoptic bronchoscopy for endobronchially visible lung tumor was conducted. The authors enrolled 65 consecutive patients with endobronchial abnormalities identified during bronchoscopy. All patients in the study underwent fiberoptic bronchoscopy that included EBNA, bronchial biopsy, and bronchial wash. The sensitivities of the individual techniques were compared. The sensitivities of bronchoscopy were also prospectively compared when multiple sampling techniques were employed. RESULTS Malignancy was present in 57 of 65 study patients. Cancer was diagnosed in 47 patients by EBNA, 42 patients by bronchial biopsy, and 36 patients by bronchial washing. The sensitivity of a strategy employing bronchial biopsy and bronchial washings was 0.82 (95% CI, 0.70–0.90). The addition of EBNA to bronchial biopsy and bronchial washings significantly increased the sensitivity to 0.95 (95% CI, 0.85–0.98; McNemar P = 0.02). Subset analysis revealed that this strategy was especially useful in cases in which lesions were submucosal or causing extrinsic compression. CONCLUSIONS There is a modest increase in the sensitivity of fiberoptic bronchoscopy in diagnosing endobronchial cancer with the addition of EBNA to bronchial biopsy and bronchial washings, especially for patients with submucosal abnormalities. Collection of EBNA, followed by biopsy and washings only if immediate interpretation of EBNA is negative or inadequate, may be the most effective bronchoscopy strategy for evaluating visible endobronchial abnormalities. Cancer (Cancer Cytopathol) 1999;87:129–34. © 1999 American Cancer Society.
Hyperspectral image compression using 3D discrete cosine transform and entropy-constrained trellis-coded quantization

A system is presented for compression of hyperspectral imagery which utilizes trellis coded quantization (TCQ). Specifically, TCQ is used to encode transform coefficients resulting from the application of an 8X8X8 discrete cosine transform. Side information and rate allocation strategies are discussed. Entropy-constrained codebooks are designed using a modified version of the generalized Lloyd algorithm. This entropy constrained system achieves a compression ratio of greater than 70:1 with an average PSNR of the coded hyperspectral sequence exceeding 40.5 dB.
Emperical Oral Antibiotic Therapy for Children with Low Risk Febrile Neutropenia during Cancer Chemotherapy

Introduction : In patient with fever and neutropenia during cancer chemotherapy who have a low risk of complications, oral antibiotic may be an acceptable alternative to intravenous antibiotics. Methods : We conducted a prospective hospital based study to the patients who had fever and neutropenia during caner chemotherapy. Only low risk patients i.e. neutropenia of less than seven days, ANC >250/cmm, without any signs of shock were included in the study. All the patients were hospitalized and given oral antibiotics Ofloxacin and Amoxy-Clav and were closely observed until fever subsided for more than 48 hours and improved from neutropenia. Results : A total of 54 cases were enrolled in the study. Out of 54 patients two patients were lost, 8 needed IV antibiotics for different reasons and 44 patients (81%) improved well with oral antibiotics only. Conclusion : In hospitalized low risk patients who have fever and neutropenia, empirical therapy with oral ofloxacin and amoxy-clav may be a safe alternative to IV antibiotics. Key words: Febrile Neutropenia, Cancer Chemotherapy, ANC. doi:10.3126/jnps.v29i1.1596 J. Nepal Paediatr. Soc. Vol.29(1) p.22-25
Use of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis to study the chromosomes of Saccharomyces and other yeasts

We describe applications of pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) techniques to experimental studies with Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Many of these techniques can also be used with other organisms with small chromosomes. A protocol for preparing chromosomal-sized DNA from yeast is given. The detection of chromosome length polymorphisms, translocations, and circular DNA on pulsed-field gels is discussed and several examples are described. Physical mapping of genes, including a recent method for determining the distance of a gene from the ends of the molecule bearing it, is reviewed. We also describe ways in which double-strand DNA breaks can be studied on pulsed-field gels and give equations that can help quantify such studies. In a final section, we discuss the use of PFGE in physical studies of genetic recombination and sister-chromatid exchange.
The Influence of Numerous Low-Intensity Spectral Lines on Band Absorptance

The characteristics of band absorption are investigated when numerous low-intensity spectral lines occur together with any number of stronger lines. For these conditions it is shown that there is always a region of validity for the weak line and nonoverlapping line approximations, although the shape of the limiting curve in the latter case may not be simple. There is also a region of validity for the strong line approximation in most practical situations. The only exception occurs when the number of spectral lines increases very rapidly as the intensity approaches zero. The principal effects of the low-intensity lines are to introduce points of inflection in the absorptance curves and to increase the intermediate range of values of pressure and absorber concentration over which neither the strong nor weak line approximation is valid. These effects are illustrated by examples. From a study of the shape of experimentally determined absorptance curves it is possible to deduce the number of low-intensity lines in the frequency interval of interest.
THERMAL ANNEALING OF RECOIL ARSENIC ATOMS IN NEUTRON-IRRADIATED SOLID COMPOUNDS OF ARSENIC

Abstract Some crystalline arsenic compounds have been irradiated with neutrons and the resulting chemical forms of radioactive arsenic separated by the method of paper electrophoresis. Heating the neutron-irradiated compounds of pentavalent arsenic (annealing) increased the percentage of activity separable as As(V). Analogous treatment of trivalent arsenic compounds decreased the already small percentage of pentavalent arsenic observed. Traces of radioactive elementary arsenic were also observed in the irradiated solids.
Kinematic linkage of the tongue, jaw, and hyoid during eating and speech

Abstract Objective Tongue movement is temporo-spatially coordinated with jaw and hyoid movements during eating and speech. As such, we evaluated: (1) the correlation between the tongue with jaw and hyoid movements during eating and speech and (2) the relative influence of the jaw and hyoid on determining tongue movement. Design Lateral projection videofluorography was recorded while 16 healthy subjects ate solid foods or read a standard passage. The position of anterior and posterior tongue markers (ATM and PTM, respectively), the jaw, and the hyoid relative to the upper occlusal plane was quantified with the upper canine as the origin (0,0) point for Cartesian coordinates. For vertical and horizontal dimensions, separate multiple linear regression analyses were performed with ATM or PTM position as a function of jaw and hyoid positions. Results Vertically, both ATM and PTM positions were highly correlated with the jaw and hyoid during eating (median r = 0.87). The relative influence was higher for the jaw than the hyoid for ATM position ( P P = 0.04). Horizontally, tongue marker positions had moderate correlation with the jaw and hyoid during eating ( r = 0.47), due more to hyoid position than to jaw position. Overall, correlations were lower during speech than eating. Conclusion This study demonstrated distinct kinematic linkages between the movements of the jaw, the hyoid and the anterior and posterior tongue markers, as well as differing impact of the jaw and the hyoid in determining tongue movement during eating and speech.
Relationships Among Grain Hardness, Pentosan Fractions, and End-Use Quality of Wheat

ABSTRACT Grain texture (hardness) in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is a major determinant of end-usage. Variation in grain texture can be conceptually assigned to the two major hardness classes that result from the action of one major gene (Hardness) or to as-yet undetermined factors contributing to residual variation within hardness classes. Identifying the physicochemical basis of both sources of texture variation could provide a means of better controlling or manipulating this quality trait. Pursuant to this objective, the role of pentosans was examined. Pentosan fractions (membrane-associated, total, and soluble) were isolated from 13 hard and 13 soft wheat samples and their flours. Among the hard wheat samples, pentosans had a minimal role in modifying grain hardness. However, among the soft wheat samples, pentosans appeared to have a significant hardness-modifying effect that carried over into end-use quality. Among the soft wheat samples, pentosan fractions, along with wheat protein, accounted for 5...
Exenterative surgery for posterior urethral cancer

Abstract Three men with locally extensive squamous carcinoma of the bulbous urethra underwent staged surgical therapy consisting of laparotomy and ileal conduit urinary diversion followed by a second operation, anterior exenteration and total emasculation with en bloc pubectomy. All have no evidence of disease eighteen to sixty months postoperatively. The operative technique is described.
Electron microscopic observations on eosinophil leukocyte granules in dog blood

The eosinophil granules of the dog have a dense matrix with or without a light peripheral rim. Lamellated crystalloids are demonstrated in their dense matrix. The lamellation consists of alternating dark and light bands resembling crystalloids of other species. The center to center distance between the consecutive dark bands measures approximately 107 A. The crystalloids appear to take rather variable forms ranging from large, triangular to small, elongated or irregular shape.
“Slavic Studies and Slavic Librarianship” Revisited: Notes of a Former Slavic Librarian

This article revisits the author's essay in Solanus on the state of Slavic librarianship at the turn of the twenty‐first century in order to assess how the profession has changed in the interim. Trehub notes that the single most important effect of the proliferation of new library information technologies has been a gradual shift in emphasis from curation to creation. The library may no longer be the first stop in a student's research, but it remains the preferred venue for study, collaboration, social interaction, Internet use, and access to and help with specialized resources. The job of librarians—including Slavic librarians—is to build on their comparative advantage in these areas and re‐integrate libraries into the students' information workflow. The author suggests that the best way to maintain Slavic studies' viability as a discipline is to participate more fully and be represented more prominently in the technology‐driven scholarly digital initiatives that are transforming librarianship in general.