cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distortion-Induced Fatigue in Steel Bridges: Causes, Parameters, and Fixes

Distortion-induced fatigue in steel bridges is a continuing problem for bridge engineers. Accordingly, a cumulative review and discussion of scholarly literature on this topic as well as focused analytical research aimed at studying bridge system performance when various retrofit techniques are applied to connection details are described herein. Driving forces behind distortion-induced fatigue are presented, including the effects of bridge system geometry and specific detail geometries. Retrofit techniques including positive attachement, back-up transverse stiffeners, slotted connection stiffeners, and removal of lateral brace elements were studied analytically to determine effectiveness. Results from finite element analyses are presented showing relative success of various retrofit techniques. Appropriateness of retrofit techniques under various conditions is disseminated.
The Complexity of Some Topological Inference Problems

We give some lower bounds on the description, sample, and computational complexities of the problems of computing dimension, homology, and topological type of a manifold, and detecting singularities for a polyhedron.
High Electron Mobility W-doped In2O3 Thin Films

High electron mobility thin films of In2−xWxO3+d (0≤ x ≤ 0.075) were prepared by pulsed laser deposition. The highest mobility polycrystalline and textured films show mobility >110 cm2/Vs on both amorphous SiO2 and single crystal yttria-stabilized zirconia substrates. The carrier density is in the range 1–3 × 1020 cm−3 at room temperature. The W dopant concentration for films with optimized electrical properties was x ~ 0.03.
A Vacuum Ultraviolet, Supersonic Jet Absorption Spectrometer

A technique for recording high-resolution, broadly tunable absorption spectra in the ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) is described. A supersonic expansion is used to prepare molecules in a rovibrationally cold distribution of states, and a dispersed broad-band deuterium (D2) lamp is used for excitation. The attenuation of light due to absorption is measured with the use of dual gate detection during pulsed valve-on and valve-off periods. The VUV light beam, after crossing the supersonic expansion, is frequency down-converted with a scintillator-coated exit window, and the resulting light intensity is measured by boxcar integration or photon counting. A simple sample delivery system and complete software control of the experiment make this system a routine laboratory spectrometer. Sensitivity and resolution are discussed, and the device is demonstrated for the molecules NH3 and CH3I.
Distribution of GAD-immunoreactive neurons in the first (SI) and second (SII) somatosensory cortex of the monkey

The distribution of neurons immunoreactive for glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD), the synthesizing enzyme of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), was examined in the first (SI) and second (SII) somatosensory cortex of monkeys. GAD-like immunoreactive (GAD-LI) somata and puncta were present in all layers of SI and SII. All GAD-LI somata were identified as non-pyramidal neurons and were most numerous in layer IV of SI and in layer III of SII. Layer IV of SI also contained the highest density of GAD-LI puncta. In SII, GAD-LI puncta were distributed more homogeneously and did not show a dense band of labelled puncta in layer IV. The major and minor diameters of GAD-LI somata in SII ranged from 6.9 to 26.2 micron and from 6.2 to 19.0 micron, respectively. The major diameters of GAD-LI somata in SII were significantly smaller than those in SI in layers I, III and IV. Differences between the distributions of GAD-LI puncta and somata in SI and SII may be accounted for by differences in the number and/or distribution of different types of GABAergic neurons. Functional differences of neurons in SI and SII may be related to the differences in GABAergic inhibitory mechanisms and reflected in the distribution of GABAergic neurons.
Comparison of reproductive integrity in the stamen hair and root meristem of Tradescantia paludosa following acute gamma irradiation

Abstract In this study the inactivation of the essentially single-cell system of the Tradescantia stamen hair was compared with the changes reflected in the cell population of the aerial root meristem following acute exposure to gamma radiation. Floral buds of Tradescantia paludosa (clone B2-2) having immature stamen hairs were irradiated with exposures ranging from 35 to 150 R. Flowers scored 10 to 16 days post irradiation showed a decrease in the number of normal hairs per filament which was proportional to the exposure. Since loss of the reproductive integrity of the terminal cell results in a stunted hair, the dose-response obtained was considered to represent single-cell survival. Active aerial roots of the same species were also irradiated at exposures ranging from 50 to 400 R. The number of cells comprising the meristem at 4 days post irradiation was determined for each exposure. Cell counts showed a decrease in the cell population of the meristem proportional to the exposure. The survival curves obtained for the essentially single-cell stamen hair system and for the cells comprising the root meristem did not differ significantly in either intercept or slope. Since the interphase chromosome volumes of the terminal stamen hair cells and the cells of the root meristem were not significantly different, it was concluded that no radioresistance was conferred to the cells of the root meristem by virtue of their close contact with each other and possible intercellular connexions within the tissue.
Political Culture and Political Preferences

Aaron Wildavsky has argued that it is theoretically more useful to think of political preferences as rooted in political culture than to entertain alternative bases such as schemas or ideologies. In the APSA presidential address in which he made his case, Wildavsky also advocated a program of research on political cultures, and welcomed “challenges and improvements.” David Laitin accepts the invitation; he variously takes issue with Wildavsky's concept of political culture.
A Mutation in UL15 of Herpes Simplex Virus 1 That Reduces Packaging of Cleaved Genomes

Herpesvirus genomic DNA is cleaved from concatemers that accumulate in infected cell nuclei. Genomic DNA is inserted into preassembled capsids through a unique portal vertex. Extensive analyses of viral mutants have indicated that intact capsids, the portal vertex, and all components of a tripartite terminase enzyme are required to both cleave and package viral DNA, suggesting that DNA cleavage and packaging are inextricably linked. Because the processes have not been functionally separable, it has been difficult to parse the roles of individual proteins in the DNA cleavage/packaging reaction. In the present study, a virus bearing the deletion of codons 400 to 420 of U(L)15, encoding a terminase component, was analyzed. This virus, designated vJB27, failed to replicate on noncomplementing cells but cleaved concatemeric DNA to ca. 35 to 98% of wild-type levels. No DNA cleavage was detected in cells infected with a U(L)15-null virus or a virus lacking U(L)15 codons 383 to 385, comprising a motif proposed to couple ATP hydrolysis to DNA translocation. The amount of vJB27 DNA protected from DNase I digestion was reduced compared to the wild-type virus by 6.5- to 200-fold, depending on the DNA fragment analyzed, thus indicating a profound defect in DNA packaging. Capsids containing viral DNA were not detected in vJB27-infected cells, as determined by electron microscopy. These data suggest that pU(L)15 plays an essential role in DNA translocation into the capsid and indicate that this function is separable from its role in DNA cleavage.
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Medicare Data and Stroke Research: Goldmine or Landmine?

Stroke, a major public health problem in the United States, is the country’s fourth leading cause of death and a leading cause of serious disability. There are an estimated 6.8 million stroke survivors in the United States, with ≈795 000 people having a new or recurrent stroke annually.1 Its high prevalence and the functional deficits resulting from stroke impose a large burden on patients, their families, the healthcare system, and society. This is especially true among the elderly, for whom cerebrovascular diseases (stroke and transient ischemic attacks) are the second leading cause of hospitalization.2,3 Of those hospitalized with stroke, two thirds are aged ≥65 years; half are ≥70 years. With the aging of the population, the absolute number of elderly people with stroke is expected to increase in the coming decades.4 The availability of national Medicare data relevant to the care and outcomes of older patients with stroke in the United States represents a valuable, yet largely untapped, resource. Medicare is the largest health insurance program in the United States, providing coverage for hospital, skilled nursing facility, home health, and hospice care, as well as outpatient services and prescription drugs, to millions nationwide. Approximately 52.3 million (≈1 in 6) Americans were enrolled in Medicare during 2013, including 43.5 million of those aged ≥65 years; by 2030, the program is expected to serve >81 million people.5 Stroke is one of the 10 highest contributors to Medicare costs.6 The estimated direct medical cost of stroke in the United States in 2012 was $71.6 billion, with an additional $33.7 billion in indirect costs attributable to loss of productivity (2010 dollars); these estimates are projected to triple by 2030.4 There is a growing need for evidence-based knowledge about organizational strategies, structural characteristics, and healthcare policies that …
The Effects of mTOR-Akt Interactions on Anti-apoptotic Signaling in Vascular Endothelial Cells

Recent studies have determined that mTOR mediates the activation of the protein kinase Akt in several cell types, but little is known about the association between mTOR and Akt in vascular endothelial cells. Furthermore, the functional significance of mTOR/Akt signaling has not been characterized in the endothelium. In these studies we treated endothelial cells with the mTOR inhibitor rapamycin, and we found that it decreases Akt phosphorylation and activity, as determined by phosphorylation of its substrate glycogen synthase kinase-3. This effect of rapamycin on Akt phosphorylation could not be demonstrated in endothelial cells transfected with a rapamycin-resistant mTOR construct. Also, in the presence of rapamycin, vascular endothelial growth factor, tumor necrosis factor, and insulin failed to phosphorylate Akt, further indicating that mTOR regulates Akt activation in endothelial cells. The activation of Akt is well established to mediate pro-survival signals. In part this is mediated via the phosphorylation and inactivation of the pro-apoptotic Akt substrates Foxo1 and Foxo3a. We find that rapamycin totally blocks vascular endothelial growth factor and Akt-inducible phosophorylation of these transcription factors in endothelial cells. Furthermore, inhibition of Akt activity by rapamycin increased the number of endothelial cells undergoing apoptosis after serum withdrawal as well as after stimulation by vascular endothelial growth factor or tumor necrosis factor. Taken together these observations demonstrate first, that mTOR regulates the phosphorylation and activation of Akt in endothelial cells and, second, that a major effect of mTOR inhibition in endothelial cells is to suppress Akt-inducible pro-survival signals.
Shallow impurity states in semiconductors—the early years

Abstract This paper presents the author's recollections of the early years (roughly the early and middle 1950's) of the science of shallow impurity states, with emphasis on the theoretical aspects. It concludes with some reflections from the vantage point of today.
Global field interpolation for particle methods

A common problem in particle simulations is effective field interpolation. Field interpolation is any method for creating an accurate representation of a given continuous field by a linear combination of overlapping basis functions. This paper presents two techniques for field interpolation, based on a radial basis function (RBF) formulation using Gaussians. The application in mind is vortex methods, where one needs to determine the circulation (or strength) of individual vortex particles with known position and scale to represent a given vorticity field. This process is required both to initially discretize a given vorticity field, and to replace a configuration of particles with another for the purposes of maintaining spatial accuracy. The first technique presented is formulated as an RBF collocation problem, and obtains a solution accurately and with excellent algorithmic efficiency by means of a preconditioned iterative method. The preconditioner is a sparse approximation, based on localization, to the dense coefficient matrix of the RBF system. The second technique uses approximate solutions to the reverse heat equation, recognizing that the standard regularization used in vortex methods (estimating particle strengths using the local value of vorticity multiplied by particle area/volume) corresponds to a Gaussian blurring of the original field. A single time step is used, thus avoiding amplification of high frequencies, and accurate solutions are produced using explicit finite difference methods. Computational experiments were performed in two dimensions, demonstrating the accuracy and convergence of the proposed techniques. Application in three dimensions is straightforward, as radial basis function interpolation is neutral to dimension, but will require more computational effort.
Instantaneous velocity profile measurements in a turbulent boundary layer

Abstract Instantaneous wall shear stress and streamwise velocities have been measured simultaneously in a flat-plate, turbulent boundary layer at moderate Reynolds number in an effort to provide experimental support for large eddy simulations. Data were obtained using a buried-wire, wall shear gage and a hot-wire rake positioned in the log region of the flow. Fluctuations of the instantaneous U + versus Y + profiles about a mean law of the wall are shown to be significant and complex. Peak cross-correlation values between wall shear stress and the velocities are high, and reflect the passage of a large structure inclined at a small angle to the wall. Estimates of this angle are consistent with those made by other investigators. Conditional sampling techniques were used to detect the passage of various sizes and types of flow disturbances (events), and to estimate their mean frequency of occurrence. Events characterized by large and sudden streamwise accelerations were found to be highly coherent throughou...
Emergency Coronary Endarterectomy

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION Four patients who underwent emergency coronary endarterectomy for acute myocardial infarction are reported. One patient was resuscitated and restored to normal cardiac rhythm for 52 hours. The potential, technique, and indications for this type of procedure in the treatment of coronary heart disease are reviewed.
Real-time application of scheduling quasi-min-max model predictive control to a bench-scale neutralization reactor

Scheduling quasi-min-max model predictive control is an MPC algorithm to control nonlinear systems. In this paper, real-time application of the scheduling quasi-min-max MPC algorithm to a bench-scale pH neutralization reactor is presented. The control performance is compared with multilinear model-based MPC and a scheduling IMC-PID controller.
A Randomized Clinical Trial of an Inactivated Avian Influenza A (H7N7) Vaccine

Background Concern for a pandemic caused by a newly emerged avian influenza A virus has led to clinical trials with candidate vaccines as preparation for such an event. Most trials have involved vaccines for influenza A (H5N1), A (H7N7) or A (H9N2). Objective To evaluate dosage-related safety and immunogenicity of an inactivated influenza A (H7N7) vaccine in humans. Design One hundred twenty-five healthy young adults were randomized to receive two doses intramuscularly of placebo or 7.5, 15, 45 or 90 µg of HA of an inactivated subunit influenza A (H7N7) vaccine (25 per group), four weeks apart. Reactogenicity was evaluated closely for one week and for any adverse effect for six months after each dose. Serum hemagglutination-inhibiting and neutralizing antibody responses were determined four weeks after each dose and at six months. Results Reactogenicity evaluations indicated the vaccinations were well tolerated. Only one subject developed a ≥4-fold serum hemagglutination-inhibition (HAI) antibody response and a final titer of ≥1:40 four weeks after dose two and only five subjects developed a neutralizing antibody rise and a final titer of ≥1:40 in tests performed at a central laboratory. Four of the five were given the 45 or 90 µg HA dosage. A more sensitive HAI assay at the study site revealed a dose-response with increasing HA dosage but only 36% in the 90 µg HA group developed a ≥4-fold rise in antibody in this test and only one of these achieved a titer of ≥1:32. Conclusion This inactivated subunit influenza A (H7N7) vaccine was safe but poorly immunogenic in humans. Trials registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00546585.
Continuous peripheral nerve blocks

A continuous peripheral nerve block—also termed “perineural local anesthetic infusion”—involves the percutaneous insertion of a catheter adjacent to a peripheral nerve, followed by local anesthetic administration via the catheter, providing anesthesia/analgesia for a prolonged period of time. The most-common indication for continuous peripheral nerve blocks is analgesia following painful surgical procedures; but, they are also used for inducing a sympathectomy and vasodilation following digit transfer/replantation, a vascular accident, limb salvage, or peripheral embolism; treating intractable hiccups; alleviating the vasospasm of Raynaud’s disease; and treating chronic pain such as phantom limb pain, cancer-induced pain, complex regional pain syndrome, and trigeminal neuralgia. Continuous peripheral nerve blocks may also provide pain control during medical transport, or awaiting surgical correction. The most common catheter insertion techniques include electrical stimulation and ultrasound-guidance. Long-acting local anesthetic is usually the sole infusate, and is optimally delivered with a continuous basal infusion with available patient-controlled bolus doses. Benefits are dependent upon analgesia improvement, and include decreasing pain, supplemental analgesic consumption, opioid-related side effects, sleep disturbances, patient dissatisfaction, time until discharge readiness, and actual hospitalization duration. Additional possible benefits include improvements in ambulation/functioning and an accelerated resumption of passive joint range-of-motion. Most benefits occur during the infusion itself, but a few studies suggest prolonged benefits following catheter removal in some cases. Minor complications occur at approximately the incidence as for single-injection peripheral nerve blocks; but, major risks including nerve injury are extraordinary uncommon.
Acid Rain Revisited

Letters from: [ Charles R. Frink ][1] [ James W. Kirchner ][1] [ Gene E. Likens, et al . ][1] The continuous record of the chemistry of bulk precipitation and stream water since 1963 at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest in New Hampshire is unique ([1][2]). It affords an invaluable
Sample size requirements for training high-dimensional risk predictors

A common objective of biomarker studies is to develop a predictor of patient survival outcome. Determining the number of samples required to train a predictor from survival data is important for designing such studies. Existing sample size methods for training studies use parametric models for the high-dimensional data and cannot handle a right-censored dependent variable. We present a new training sample size method that is non-parametric with respect to the high-dimensional vectors, and is developed for a right-censored response. The method can be applied to any prediction algorithm that satisfies a set of conditions. The sample size is chosen so that the expected performance of the predictor is within a user-defined tolerance of optimal. The central method is based on a pilot dataset. To quantify uncertainty, a method to construct a confidence interval for the tolerance is developed. Adequacy of the size of the pilot dataset is discussed. An alternative model-based version of our method for estimating the tolerance when no adequate pilot dataset is available is presented. The model-based method requires a covariance matrix be specified, but we show that the identity covariance matrix provides adequate sample size when the user specifies three key quantities. Application of the sample size method to two microarray datasets is discussed.
THE BINDING OF MYOGLOBIN BY PLASMA PROTEIN

When added to dog plasma in vitro and in vivo , myoglobin was bound to plasma protein in a concentration which, maximally, averaged 21 ± 6 mg. per cent. Electrophoretically, bound myoglobin was separated from free myoglobin and migrated between alpha-2 and beta globulin. The electrophoretic characteristics of protein-bound myoglobin were similar to, although not identical with, those of protein-bound hemoglobin. The maximal binding capacity of plasma for myoglobin was less than for hemoglobin, which averaged 123 mg. per cent. At concentrations below the maximal binding capacity, from 15 to 50 per cent of the myoglobin was in the free, unbound state, differing from hemoglobin which was completely bound at all concentrations below the binding capacity. When myoglobin and hemoglobin were added together to plasma, hemoglobin appeared to interfere with the binding of myoglobin or to replace it at the binding sites. Myoglobin, however, did not appear to interfere with the binding of hemoglobin. These observations suggested that myoglobin and hemoglobin were bound at least in part by the same protein. When myoglobin was given intravenously, free myoglobin was excreted in the urine, whereas protein-bound myoglobin was not excreted. This suggests that protein-binding contributes to or determines the apparent renal threshold to myoglobin.
Whole Brain Radiation Therapy With Hippocampal Avoidance and Simultaneously Integrated Brain Metastases Boost With Helical Tomotherapy: A Planning Study

Purpose/Objective(s): To evaluate the feasibility of using tomotherapy to deliver whole brain radiotherapy (WBRT) with hippocampal avoidance, hypothesized to reduce the risk of memory function decline, and simultaneously integrated boost to brain metastases to improve intra-cranial tumor control. Materials/Methods: Ten patients treated with radiosurgery and WBRT were replanned on tomotherapy using original CT scans and MR-CT fusion defined target and normal structure contours. Individually contoured hippocampus and amygdale were used as dose-limiting structures (<6Gy); the whole brain dose was prescribed at 32.25 Gy to 95% in 15 fractions and simultaneous boost doses to individual brain metastases were 63 Gy to lesions ≥ 2.0 cm in maximum diameter, and 70.8 Gy to lesions < 2.0 cm. Plans were generated with a field width (FW) of 2.5 cm, and in five patients with FW of 1.0 cm. Plans were compared regarding prescription isodose to target volume (PITV) ratio, target coverage (TC), conformation number (CN), homogeneity index (HI), and mean normalized total dose (NTDmean). Results: A 1.0 cm compared with 2.5 cm FW significantly improved the dose distribution. Mean PITV ratio improved from 1.75 ± 0.61 to 1.48 ± 0.37. Whole brain homogeneity (HI) improved by 32% (p < 0.0004) due to the sharper dose gradients afforded by a smaller FW. NTDmean to the hippocampus was 5.9 ± 1.3 and 5.8 ± 1.9Gy2, for 2.5 and 1.0 cm FW, respectively. Mean treatment delivery time for 2.5 and 1.0 cm FW plans was 10.2 ± 1.0 and 21.8 ± 1.8 minutes. Conclusions: Composite tomotherapy plans achieved 3 objectives: homogeneous whole brain dose distribution equivalent to conventional WBRT; conformal hippocampal avoidance; radiosurgicallyequivalent dose distributions to individual metastases.
Collective organizational engagement: : Linking motivational antecedents, strategic implementation, and firm performance

We present a comprehensive theory of collective organizational engagement, integrating engagement theory with the resource management model. We propose that engagement can be considered an organiza...
Synthesis and degradation of liver proteins in young and old rats

Abstract The report describes the study of the in vivo synthesis and degradation of ferritin as an example of an intracellular liver protein, albumin, as an example of a protein secreted by the liver, and total liver protein in young and old rats. In addition, possible age changes in the amounts of these proteins were investigated. Several biochemical changes occur with age. 1. 1. There is twice as much ferritin and about 4 times as much iron in old rat liver ferritin as in livers from young rats. 2. 2. The accumulation of ferritin in old rats appears to be due to a decreased rate of degradation. 3. 3. Albumin synthesis is increased in old rats. 4. 4. Albumin synthesis in young rats can be increased by removing blood from the animals. Old rats do not respond to the removal of blood by increased albumin synthesis. Finally, there is a labeling pattern of ferritin with time which is different from that of total liver protein suggesting two distinct steps, synthesis of subunits and assembly into ferritin molecules. The results suggest that in order to study age-related changes one should consider changes in specific proteins that might be masked if only total proteins are investigated. In addition, certain changes might become apparent only if the system is manipulated, in our case, induction of albumin synthesis by removal of blood from the animal
Respiratory control during nipple feeding preterm infants

The present study was designed to investigate the development of respiratory control during feeding in premature infants. Cardiorespiratory disturbances during feeding were evaluated with polygraphic monitoring in 24 premature infants within 1 week of beginning nipple feeds. During the initial study, 15 infants exhibited one or more episodes of short apnea (greater than or equal to 10 sec) and three infants exhibited prolonged apnea (greater than or equal to 20 sec). Bradycardia developed in seven infants; apnea and decreases in oxygen saturation invariably preceded the development of bradycardia. In contrast, short apnea occurred during sleep in five infants and associated bradycardia developed in four infants. Occurrence of apnea during sleep was significantly lower than that observed during feeding (P less than 0.05). Subsequently, 18 of these infants were reevaluated 7-10 days later. Seven infants developed one or more episodes of short apnea, five developed prolonged apnea, and four developed bradycardia. These occurrences were not significantly different from those observed during the initial study (P greater than 0.05). Short apnea persisted during sleep in four infants during reevaluation. Most of the apneic episodes in both studies were mixed apnea. The high frequency of cardiorespiratory disturbances during the first 2 weeks of nipple feeding indicates that in most preterm infants respiratory control during feeding is still immature at the postconceptional age of 35-36 weeks.
Adaptation of memory depth in the gamma filter

Gamma filters are a special class of generalized feedforward filters where feedbacks are allowed only locally. The authors present the conditions for the selection of optimal parameters which are the weights and the memory depth of the filter. The conditions for these two set of parameters are decoupled from each other. This allows a matched filter implementation which gives an estimate of the memory depth. >
Export channel design: The use of foreign distributors and agents

Because many manufacturers are unable to integrate vertically into global distribution, the nonintegrated market entry modes of foreign distributor and agent are frequently used. Unfortunately, little is known about choosing efficiently between distributor and agent because research has only partially examined the importance of transaction and production costs in determining institutional arrangements. To specify efficient channel design, this article develops and tests hypotheses linking the characteristics of export exchange to the cost-minimizing mode of export channel governance. Based on a sample of 269 manufacturers, results suggest that market diversity, type of transaction-specific asset, and production cost economies all affect the choice between foreign-based agents and distributors. The article concludes with the implications of these results for export management and future export research.
Afrocentricity in O Movimento Negro Unificado

This article explores how Afrocentricity is reflected in the Brazilian political movement, 0 Movimento Negro Unificado. Afrocentricity is a philosophy, a life-style, a worldview, a perspective, a movement, an analytical approach, and a cultural orientation. This article involves that aspect of Afrocentricity which might most accurately be labeled a philosophical perspective. The article also traces the history of the political organization called 0 Movimento Negro Unificado (MNU), the Unified Black Movement, from its inception in 1978 until 1986, a convenient cutoff point. The article begins with a discussion of Afrocentricity and how it is conceived in this study. The five "measures" which are used to constitute an operational definition of Afrocentricity are set forth. The next section establishes the context within which the MNU originated. It traces the changes the movement underwent, presents an assessment of the character the movement had assumed by 1986, and makes an evaluation of why it had acquired its particular orientation. Finally, the operational definition of Afrocentricity is applied to the MNU. This section includes an explanation of how the measures were applied, sets forth the findings based on their application, and analyzes the significance of those findings in terms of Afrocentricity and the MNU.
The Importance of Temporal Distinctiveness for Forgetting Over the Short Term

Rapidly forgetting information once attention is diverted seems to be a ubiquitous phenomenon. The cause of this rapid decline has been debated for decades; some researchers claim that memory traces decay as a function of time out of the focus of attention, whereas others claim that prior memory traces cause confusability by interfering with the current trace. Here we demonstrate that performance after a long delay can be better than performance after a short delay if the temporal confusability between the current item and previous items is reduced. These results provide strong evidence for the importance of temporal confusability, rather than decay, as the cause of forgetting over the short term.
Respite and the Internet: Accessing care for older adults in the 21st Century

Contrary to popular belief, fewer numbers of older adults today are living in extended care facilities (ECFs) and other institutional settings. Rather, adult children, adult grandchildren, and aged spouses prefer the home setting as the environment in which to provide care to older adult family members. Benefits exist with regard to the provision of care within the home setting; however, tremendous stress may be placed upon these informal caregiving systems as family members find themselves with little time for activities other than those related to the provision of care. Respite care is invaluable in alleviating and preventing the physical and psychological depletion associated with caregiving by granting family members the opportunity to relinquish temporarily the demands of providing care for someone on a continual basis. As a means of connecting family members to sources of respite care and related services, the Internet possesses significant potential. Without ever leaving the home environment and the older adult care recipient(s), family members can utilize the Internet to access information about respite care services.
A web-based platform for computer simulation of seismic ground response

The Internet provides an open environment for more efficient development and utilization of engineering software. This article presents a generic web-based platform for conducting model-based numerical simulations online. The platform distributes pre- and post-processing components to the user computer, and only retains core computational functions on the server machine. Design of this platform addresses Internet-specific issues such as supports for multiple users, integration of various programming languages or modules on both client and server sides, and the concerns of Internet traffic/security. As an implementation of this platform, a web site is developed for online execution of a solid-fluid fully coupled nonlinear Finite Element code, to conduct simulations of seismic ground response and liquefaction effects. At this web site, users can select the soil composition and input seismic excitation from built-in material/motion libraries, or define their own material properties and/or input motions. The output interface allows graphical rendering of simulation results, animations, and automated report generation. All software packages employed in this work are well tested and documented freeware, and can be easily adapted for execution of other computational codes.
Batter Up, Student On Deck : The Utility of Moneyball in Management Education

The book Moneyball: The Art of Winning an Unfair Game, by Michael Lewis, has intrigued management practitioners and researchers. This article describes the use of the book as a supplementary reading in a management course. The book was found to be a useful complement to a traditional textbook when addressing topics such as organizational change and innovation, leadership, recruiting and selection, performance management, employee development, and negotiations. A student survey was conducted to assess student perceptions. Generally, students, regardless of their level of academic success, found the book to be a useful addition to the course. Male students reported greater support for the book; however, the results from further analysis indicate that this gender difference is a function of student interest in sports. The author concludes by advocating for the use of Moneyball, while cautioning management educators to be vigilant of gender bias.
Curiosity protects against interpersonal aggression: cross-sectional, daily process, and behavioral evidence.

Objective Curiosity is the propensity to recognize and seek out new information and experience, including an intrinsic interest in learning and developing one's knowledge. With few exceptions, researchers have often ignored the social consequences of being curious. Method In four studies using cross-sectional (N?=?64), daily diary (Ns?=?150 and 110, respectively), and behavioral experimental (N?=?132) designs, we tested the hypothesis that individual differences in curiosity are linked to less aggression, even when people are provoked. Results We showed that both trait and daily curiosity were linked to less aggressive responses toward romantic relationship partners and people who caused psychological hurt. In time-lagged analyses, daily curiosity predicted less aggression from one day to the next, with no evidence for the reverse direction. Studies 3 and 4 showed that the inverse association between curiosity and aggression was strongest in close relationships and in fledgling (as opposed to long-lasting) romantic relationships. That is, highly curious people showed evidence of greater context sensitivity. Intensity of hurt feelings and other personality and relationship variables failed to account for these effects. Conclusions Curiosity is a neglected mechanism of resilience in understanding aggression.
Does High Educational Attainment Limit the Availability of Romantic Partners

Research indicates that highly educated individuals endure hardships in finding suitable romantic partners. Romantic hardships affect social and emotional adjustment levels, leading to low self-efficacy in relationship decision making. To address the need for research pertaining to this topic, the authors explored the experiences of eight individuals purposively chosen. Conducting interviews based in qualitative methods, the authors discuss thematic patterns emerging from the study. Constraints such as lack of time and social outlets were barriers to meeting highly desirable mates.
Acoustic parameter estimation based on attenuation and dispersion measurements

In the measurement of acoustic attenuation that obeys a power-law /spl alpha/=/spl beta/f/sup n/, the traditional through-transmission method uses only the amplitude information of the recorded pulses to estimate the two parameters, /spl beta/ and n. In this paper, the authors propose a new method that utilizes both the amplitude and phase information of the pulses to estimates the two parameters by simultaneously least-squares fitting the attenuation curve and the dispersion curve. Because the parameters are estimated under additional constraints, the estimation uncertainty is reduced. Experimental results from castor oil demonstrate the advantage of this new method.
REGULATION OF RESPIRATION. —THE EFFECT UPON SALIVARY SECRETION OF THE INTRAVENOUS ADMINISTRATION OF SODIUM BICARBONATE, SODIUM CARBONATE, SODIUM HYDROXIDE, SODIUM CHLORIDE, AND SODIUM SULPHATE

In the dog salivary secretion, elicited by continuous administration of pilocarpine, is decreased by intravenous injection of sodium bicarbonate, of sodium carbonate, or of sodium hydroxide. The decrease in secretion produced by sodium bicarbonate is greater the larger the dose, and is obtained in like degree whether the bicarbonate is injected in isotonic or in hypertonic solution. The effect of sodium carbonate upon secretion is greater than that of sodium bicarbonate, and the effect of sodium hydroxide greater than that of either of the other two substances. Intravenously administered sodium bicarbonate prevents almost completely the augmenting effect upon salivary secretion of a ten minute period of re-breathing, though carbon dioxide accumulated in the re-breathing tank to the same extent as in a similar period of re-breathing without sodium bicarbonate administration. Each of the three alkaline agents increases submaxillary blood-volume flow as a rule. Sodium chloride or sodium sulphate intravenously administered in isotonic solution increases submaxillary secretion and blood-volume flow. Both agents administered in hypertonic solution decrease salivary secretion but increase more markedly submaxillary blood-volume flow. The effect upon secretion of isotonic and hypertonic solutions of sodium chloride and sodium sulphate appears to be due to the increase in blood-flow and to their influence upon the fluid available to the gland cells by withdrawal of water from the tissues. The described effects of the alkaline substances and neutral salts were obtained with the chorda tympani cut, and were not affected by cutting also the vago-sympathetic. It is suggested that the effects upon salivary secretion of intravenous injection of sodium bicarbonate, sodium carbonate, and sodium hydroxide are due mainly to changes in acid base equilibrium, in which the hydrogen-ion concentration of the interior of the cell may be a major factor. A comparison of the effects of carbon dioxide, of sodium bicarbonate, and of sodium carbonate on pulmonary ventilation, mean blood-pressure, and salivary secretion is made.
Social Interaction and Life Satisfaction: An Empirical Assessment of Late-Life Patterns

Problems of social and psychological adjustment in later life have been examined by numerous investigators. Some have found positive relationships between social interaction and personal adjustment, while others have found interaction and adjustment to be unrelated. The purpose of the research reported here was to examine how different ways of measuring interaction may affect its relationship with personal adjustment. Data were obtained in interviews with 218 noninstitutionalized persons aged 70 and older. Findings indicate that both the number of persons interacted with, and the frequency of this interaction, are of little importance for the adjustment of older people. We suggest that the quality, rather than quantity, of social interaction is crucial to understanding adaptations to old age.
Role of Forward Translocation in Nucleoside Triphosphate Phosphohydrolase I (NPH I)-mediated Transcription Termination of Vaccinia Virus Early Genes

Termination of transcription of vaccinia virus early genes requires the virion form of the viral RNA polymerase (RNAP), a termination signal (UUUUUNU) in the nascent RNA, vaccinia termination factor, nucleoside triphosphate phosphohydrolase I (NPH I), and ATP. NPH I uses ATP hydrolysis to mediate transcript release, and in vitro, ATPase activity requires single-stranded DNA. NPH I shows sequence similarity with the DEXH-box family of proteins, which includes an Escherichia coli ATP-dependent motor protein, Mfd. Mfd releases transcripts and rescues arrested transcription complexes by moving the transcription elongation complex downstream on the DNA template in the absence of transcription elongation. This mechanism is known as forward translocation. In this study, we demonstrate that NPH I also uses forward translocation to catalyze transcript release from viral RNAP. Moreover, we show that NPH I-mediated release can occur at a stalled RNAP in the absence of vaccinia termination factor and U5NU when transcription elongation is prevented.
Polarization reversal in developing countries

POLARIZATION REVERSAL AND THE SPATIAL DEVELOPMENT PROCESS In a recent fugitive, though reasonably well-circulated paper [21] I coined the term polarization reversal (hereafter PR). Although this clumsy inelegant phrase is merely a new name for a well-known, if underresearched, spatial phenomenon, it seems to have fired the imagination of some observers of spatial planning in developirlg countries for it has already aroused some comment and analysis [11], [14], [15], [20]. It seems appropriate to begin a dialog with these commentators and to elaborate the significance and meaning of the concept. There are no research results presented here; the paper is intended as a stimulus to research. PR may be defined as the turning point when spatial polarization trends in the national economy give way to a process of spatial dispersion out of the core region into other regions of the system. This definition requires elaboration by placing PR in the broader context of a descriptive theory of national spatial development. The urbanindustrial process of national development begins in one or two regions only, primarily because of the scarcity of investment resources. The choice of regions is determined by initial location advantages (resource endowments, or a key immobile resource such as a port) or because it was the first area opened up from outside (and this eventually converts into the greater market size of the excolonial primate city). This initial start becomes a cumulative causation process explained by increasing returns to scale and the consequent polarization of labor and any surplus capital from other regions. The core-periphery relationship is thus established (see page 77), where the core region consisting of the primate city and its hinterland dominates the rest of the space economy, called the periphery. This periphery is dominated by the core and dependent on it, and its rate of development is controlled and distorted so as to further the core's economic interests. At a more advanced stage of development, a spatial transformation begins to occur within the core region. The population and agglomeration of economic activities in the primate city become so large that a monocentric spatial structure becomes inefficient and costly. Congestion costs and rising land values induce some economic activities to decentralize to satellite centers within the core region. These centers may intercept new migrants who are attracted by job opportunities expanding at a more rapid rate than in the primate city. But this intraregional decentralization does not count as PR, because the core region (including the primate city) continues to grow at a faster rate than the rest of the country.
Molecular devices operating at terahertz frequencies: theoretical simulations and perspectives

We review dynamic simulations on a molecular device named "nanocell" proposed for THz signal processing. In this preliminary study we conclude that signals applied to nanosized gold clusters interconnecting single molecules can modulate vibrational modes in the THz spectrum of the internal coordinates defining molecular bonds. Intensities involved in natural vibrational modes, which are experimentally recoverable in spectroscopy measurements. We can recover components due to couplings between local modes, and thus we provide a computational simulation of the possibility of using molecular vibrational modes for molecular electronics. The vibration of atoms can encode information that reflects local variations of electrical dipole and polarizability.
Standing Waves in the Ocean

Standing-wave spectra, namely those which have significant energy in opposite wavenumbers, are quite common in the North Atlantic and other parts of the open ocean. In addition they occur near the centres of hurricanes and in the wakes of moving atmospheric depressions; also near steep coastlines capable of reflecting significant amounts of wave energy. Standing waves generally can have steeper slopes and larger accelerations than progressive waves, and tend to throw up spray and droplets into the atmospheric boundary layer. Detection of standing-wave conditions at large distances is made possible by the elastic waves (microseismic) that they generate in the water and sea bed and in the adjacent land. Similar waves (microbaroms) in the atmosphere detected by a directional array of infrasound sensors in the Netherlands have been used to map standing-wave energy in the entire North Atlantic.
Genotypic Selection of Age-Related DNA Rearrangements by PCR

PCR-based assays of genotypic selection can be used for explicit testing of mutagenesis-based theories of aging in humans. Some theories of aging posit that the phenotypes of aging are the result of somatic DNA mutation (Szilard 1959). However, until the advent of the polymerase chain reaction, human mutation assays were limited to assays of phenotypic selection or phenotypic screening of the mutant cells. A limitation of such assays of human mutagenesis is that a small number of genes could be surveyed, such as in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase, and also that most assays required an input of viable cells. However the invention of PCR technology allowed the selection for mutants simply based on the DNA mutation itself, i.e. genotypic selection. The advantages of mutation assays on genotypic selection have been reviewed, and they include the ability to assay mutagenesis in parts of the nuclear or mitochondrial genome for which no phenotypic selection assay is available (Cortopassi and Arnheim 1992; Arnheim and Cortopassi, 1992; Cortopassi Liu and Wang, 1996, Wang and Cortopassi, 1996; Sandy et al., 1992; Parsons and Heflich, 1997).