cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Five years of Web site evolution

From its inception in 1999 to its fifth anniversary in 2003, the Web Site Evolution (WSE) series of workshops have provided a forum for researchers and practitioners to present original work on subjects related to the disciplined evolution of large-scale Web sites. This paper summarizes some of the key themes that have appeared in the first five years of WSE events. Emerging research challenges for the next few years are also outlined.
Magnetothermal Properties of Dy5(SixGe1-x)4 Alloys

A study of a series of Dy5(SixGe1−x)4 alloys using dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, magnetization, heat capacity, and x-ray powder diffraction techniques revealed that the variation of the magnetic properties and crystal structure with composition is similar to that observed in the Gd5(SixGe1−x)4 system, except that the magnetic ordering temperatures are lower. The magnetic phase transition temperatures vary from ∼ 46 K (Dy5Ge4) to ∼ 137 K (Dy5Si4). The intermediate ternary phase Dy5(Si3Ge) undergoes a first order magnetic phase transition at ∼ 65 K. The value of magnetic entropy change for this composition is quite large (−34 J/kgK for magnetic field change from 0 to 5T), compared to the values for the two end members (−7 for Dy5Ge4 and −12.5 J/kgK for Dy5Si4). The Dy5(SixGe1−x)4 alloys, where 0.67≤x≤1, may be useful magnetic refrigerant materials in the ∼50 to ∼160K temperature range.
Where “Fat” and “Sexy” Intersect

Although a glance at the lady-bedecked, ruddily accented covers of Big Big Love: A Sex and Relationships Guide for People of Size (and Those Who Love Them) by Hanne Blank and Fat Sex: The Naked Tru...
Effect of fluorocitrate on cerebral oxidation of lactate and glucose in freely moving rats.

Glucose is the primary carbon source to enter the adult brain for catabolic and anabolic reactions. Some studies suggest that astrocytes may metabolize glucose to lactate; the latter serving as a preferential substrate for neurons, especially during neuronal activation. The current study utilizes the aconitase inhibitor fluorocitrate to differentially inhibit oxidative metabolism in glial cells in vivo. Oxidative metabolism of 14C-lactate and14C-glucose was monitored in vivo using microdialysis and quantitating 14CO2 in the microdialysis eluate following pulse labeling of the interstitial glucose or lactate pool. After establishing a baseline oxidation rate, fluorocitrate was added to the perfusate. Neither lactate nor glucose oxidation was affected by 5 μmol/L fluorocitrate. However, 20 and 100 μmol/L fluorocitrate reduced lactate oxidation by 55 ± 20% and 68 ± 12%, respectively (p < 0.05 for both). Twenty and 100 μmol/L fluorocitrate reduced 14C-glucose oxidation by 50 ± 14% (p < 0.05) and 24 ± 19% (ns), respectively. Addition of non-radioactive lactate to 14C-glucose plus fluorocitrate decreased 14C-glucose oxidation by an additional 29% and 38%, respectively. These results indicate that astrocytes oxidize about 50% of the interstitial lactate and about 35% of the glucose. By subtraction, neurons metabolize a maximum of 50% of the interstitial lactate and 65% of the interstitial glucose.
A novel γ-secretase assay based on detection of the putative C-terminal fragment-γ of amyloid β protein precursor

Alzheimer's disease is characterized by the deposits of the 4-kDa amyloid beta peptide (A beta). The A beta protein precursor (APP) is cleaved by beta-secretase to generate a C-terminal fragment, CTF beta, which in turn is cleaved by gamma-secretase to generate A beta. Alternative cleavage of the APP by alpha-secretase at A beta 16/17 generates the C-terminal fragment, CTFalpha. In addition to A beta, endoproteolytic cleavage of CTF alpha and CTF beta by gamma-secretase should yield a C-terminal fragment of 57-59 residues (CTF gamma). However, CTF gamma has not yet been reported in either brain or cell lysates, presumably due to its instability in vivo. We detected the in vitro generation of A beta as well as an approximately 6-kDa fragment from guinea pig brain membranes. We have provided biochemical and pharmacological evidence that this 6-kDa fragment is the elusive CTF gamma, and we describe an in vitro assay for gamma-secretase activity. The fragment migrates with a synthetic peptide corresponding to the 57-residue CTF gamma fragment. Three compounds previously identified as gamma-secretase inhibitors, pepstatin-A, MG132, and a substrate-based difluoroketone (t-butoxycarbonyl-Val-Ile-(S)-4-amino-3-oxo-2, 2-difluoropentanoyl-Val-Ile-OMe), reduced the yield of CTF gamma, providing additional evidence that the fragment arises from gamma-secretase cleavage. Consistent with reports that presenilins are the elusive gamma-secretases, subcellular fractionation studies showed that presenilin-1, CTF alpha, and CTF beta are enriched in the CTF gamma-generating fractions. The in vitro gamma-secretase assay described here will be useful for the detailed characterization of the enzyme and to screen for gamma-secretase inhibitors.
Using the pi-Calculus to Model Multiagent Systems

We present a formal framework that uses the π-calculus for modeling multiagent systems. A process algebra in general is a term algebra used as an abstract programming language that stresses the composition of processes by a small set of process operators. The π-calculus in particular allows one to express systems of processes that have changing communication structure. We explicate the agent abstraction as a π calculus process that persists through communication actions. Our principal task here is to show how the π-calculus can be used to model certain aspects that have already been specified for a major multiagent system. We also sketch how a π-calculus framework supports development activities in this context, and we suggest how various general aspects of multiagent systems may be modeled in this framework.
Promoting Reflection among Science Student Teachers using a Web-based Video Analysis Tool

AbstractRecent efforts to design teacher education experiences using reflection as a philosophical orientation (Abell & Bryan, 1997) have shown that such experiences are influencing the way that teachers think about their practice, specifically teachers’ personal beliefs about teaching and learning. In this paper, we introduce the design and implementation of a video analysis tool that we are using to promote self-reflection and collaborative reflection in capstone courses for student teachers. Our use of this video analysis tool, VAT (VAT.uga.edu/), is based on a theoretically grounded rationale that draws on the parallels between conceptual change teaching (Posner, Strike, Hewson, & Gertzog, 1982) and coaching reflective practice. The description of our VAT implementation in student teaching courses is organized according to the three elements of the parallels between conceptual change learning and reflection in teacher development. In addition, we discuss the central role and necessity of student teach...
Integrin α1β1 Mediates a Unique Collagen-dependent Proliferation Pathway In Vivo

Activation of integrins upon binding to extracellular matrix proteins is believed to be a crucial step for the regulation of cell survival and proliferation. We have used integrin α1-null mice to investigate the role of this collagen receptor in the regulation of cell growth and survival in vivo. α1-deficient animals, which are viable and fertile, have a hypocellular dermis and a deficiency in dermal fibroblast proliferation as embryos. In vitro analysis of α1-null embryonic fibroblasts has revealed that their proliferation rate is markedly reduced when plated on collagenous substrata, despite normal attachment and spreading. Moreover, on the same collagenous matrices, α1-null fibroblasts fail to recruit and activate the adaptor protein Shc. The failure to activate Shc is accompanied by a downstream deficiency in recruitment of Grb2 and subsequent mitogen-activated protein kinase activation. Taken together with the growth deficiency observed on collagens, this finding indicates that the α1β1 is the sole collagen receptor which can activate the Shc mediated growth pathway. Thus, integrin α1 has a unique role among the collagen receptors in regulating both in vivo and in vitro cell proliferation in collagenous matrices.
Analyzing unstructured text data: Using latent categorization to identify intellectual communities in information systems

The Information Systems field is structured by the research topics emphasized by communities of journals. The Latent Categorization Method categorized and automatically named IS research topics in 14,510 abstracts from 65 Information Systems journals. These topics were clustered into seven intellectual communities based on publication patterns. The technique develops categories from the data itself, it is replicable, is relatively insensitive to the size of the text units, and it avoids many of the problems that frequently accompany human categorization. As such LCM provides a new approach to analyzing a wide array of textual data.
Dry‐matter yield and nitrogen‐15, Na+, Cl‐, and K+ content of tomatoes under sodium chloride stress 1

Abstract Crop yield and nutrient uptake are often impaired under salt, water, or both stress conditions. This study was designed to gather further information concerning NaCl stress effects on these components. Therefore, dry‐matter yield, nitrogen (total and 15N) uptake, Na+, Cl‐ and K+ content of leaves, stems, and roots of tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum Mill., cv. ‘Columbia') plants subjected to NaCl stress were studied in a greenhouse. Saline treatments consisted of 0.3 (control), 4.3, and 8.3 bars osmotic pressures. Plants were 80 days old at the start of salt and 15N treatments, and each plant was in a pot containing 1.8 kg of washed quartz sand. The 15N as K15NO3 solution was provided to plants at 10‐day intervals over a 30‐day period. Plants were harvested at 5‐day intervals during the 30‐day 15N treatment period. Dry‐matter production, total‐N, and 15N uptake at final harvests were significantly lower for saline treatments as compared with a control. There was a 46% reduction in leaf dry weights...
Transient overexpression of cyclin D2/CDK4/GLP1 genes induces proliferation and differentiation of adult pancreatic progenitors and mediates islet regeneration

The molecular mechanism of β-cell regeneration remains poorly understood. Cyclin D2/CDK4 expresses in normal β cells and maintains adult β-cell growth. We hypothesized that gene therapy with cyclin D2/CDK4/GLP-1 plasmids targeted to the pancreas of STZ-treated rats by ultrasound-targeted microbubble destruction (UTMD) would force cell cycle re-entry of residual G0-phase islet cells into G1/S phase to regenerate β cells. A single UTMD treatment induced β-cell regeneration with reversal of diabetes for 6 mo without evidence of toxicity. We observed that this β-cell regeneration was not mediated by self-replication of pre-existing β cells. Instead, cyclin D2/CDK4/GLP-1 initiated robust proliferation of adult pancreatic progenitor cells that exist within islets and terminally differentiate to mature islets with β cells and α cells.
Theories of Adsorption and the Technique of its Measurement

SEVERAL years of measurement of sorption in the University of Bristol laboratory by the simple and searching method of the sorption balance (for description see J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1924, 46, 2781, and March 1926, 48, 690) have taught us two things: First, most of the published data on the sorption of gases and vapours possess no quantitative significance because they refer to insufficiently cleaned surfaces. Second, the behaviour of a surface when cleaned from pre-existing impurities assumes a different and highly significant form. It is usually supposed that mere heating of a substance like charcoal to, say 400°, with exposure to an ordinary vacuum, will completely remove previously sorbed gases. This is by no means the case. For example, carefully prepared sugar charcoal, which had been activated by superficial oxidation at about 1200°, was given an exposure for five hours at 450° to a vacuum of 10-5 mm., and was afterwards found to sorb a maximum of 17.5 per cent, of its own weight of nitrous oxide in a protracted series of experiments. The amount of nitrous oxide sorbed was raised to no less than 26.5 per cent, by the simple expedient of re-evacuating the charcoal at 450° after its saturation with nitrous oxide, and then repeating the measurements. Similar behaviour has been observed in many other cases; for example, the observed sorption of such inert substances as hexane or decane may be increased several fold by repeating the evacuation after the charcoal has been saturated with the hexane or decane to displace other impurities from the surface.
L2E estimation of mixture complexity for count data

For count data, robust estimation of the number of mixture components in finite mixtures is revisited using L"2 distance. An information criterion based on L"2 distance is shown to yield an estimator, which is also shown to be strongly consistent. Monte Carlo simulations show that our estimator is competitive with other procedures in correctly determining the number of components when the data comes from Poisson mixtures. When the data comes from a negative binomial mixture but the postulated model is a Poisson mixture, simulations show that our estimator is highly competitive with the minimum Hellinger distance (MHD) estimator in terms of robustness against model misspecification. Furthermore, we illustrate the performance of our estimator for a real dataset with overdispersion and zero-inflation. Computational simplicity combined with robustness property makes the L"2E approach an attractive alternative to other procedures in the literature.
Genetically Distinct Populations of the Dinoflagellate Peridinium limbatum in Neighboring Northern Wisconsin Lakes

The extent to which free-living microorganisms exist in geographically isolated, genetically distinct populations is a subject of continuing debate. Some authorities contend that many microorganisms have cosmopolitan distributions, while others provide evidence that more limited geographical distribution of genetically distinct populations can occur. We report the occurrence of two morphologically similar, but genetically distinct, populations of the microbial eukaryote Peridinium limbatum (Stokes) Lemmermann from neighboring Northern Wisconsin freshwater bodies. Five strains of P. limbatum were cultured by single-cell isolation from both Crystal Lake and Crystal Bog (Oneida Co., WI). Genetic variation between the two populations encompassed 8.9% (mean of 35.4 of 397 nucleotides) of the nuclear ribosomal DNA internal transcribed spacer (ITS1 and ITS2) region. In contrast, 0.5% (mean of 2.25 of 397 nucleotides) variation was observed within the Crystal Lake population and 0.3% (mean of 1.21 of 397 nucleotides), within the Crystal Bog population. This difference between the two populations was highly statistically significant (p-value << 0.001). The extent of genetic variation between the two P. limbatum populations was greater than that reported in the literature for some morphologically distinguishable microalgal species, suggesting the occurrence of cryptic sister species. On the other hand, hybrid sequences obtained from one of the Crystal Lake strains suggest that the two populations may still be members of a single sexually compatible biological species. Our data suggest that the two neighboring P. limbatum populations may be diverging genetically under conditions of limited gene flow, suggesting a mechanism for the origin of geographically isolated, genetically distinct populations of microbial eukaryotes.
On commuting operator exponentials

We prove that, under sufficient conditions on the spectra, $$ e^Me^N\subseteq e^Ne^M\Rightarrow MN\subseteq NM , $$ where N is an unbounded normal operator and M is a bounded normal operator in the Hilbert space.
New, efficient, low-stress buck/boost bidirectional DC-DC converter

Bidirectional dc-dc converters (BDCs) are used in many applications when bidirectional energy transfer between two DC buses is needed. They are used as an interface circuit between ultra-capacitor and DC bus in a Hybrid Electric Vehicle (HEV). Since the voltage levels of the ultra-capacitor and DC bus are different, the interface circuitry must be able to increase or decrease the voltage level in each power flow direction while limiting the current. This paper presents a new bidirectional converter employing Gallium Nitride (GaN) power transistors in which Zero-Voltage-Transition (ZVT) switching is provided for all switches to dramatically reduce the switching losses regardless of power flow direction. The soft-switched GaN power transistors result in a significant increase in the efficiency of the new converter compared to that of conventional hard-switched bidirectional converters. Because of low conduction losses, and reduced current and voltage stresses the proposed converter is scalable to higher power levels. Reduced current ripple increases the ultra-capacitor life time. The operation of the converter is discussed in detail and verified using circuit simulations; the efficiency of the new converter is compared with the conventional bidirectional converters.
Real-time RT-PCR determination of viral copy number in Penaeus vannamei experimentally infected with Taura syndrome virus

Abstract This study examined the viral copy number as determined by real-time RT-PCR, in different tissue samples from Penaeus vannamei exposed to Taura syndrome virus (TSV). Two routes of exposure, injection and per os, were investigated. Six different body parts from each shrimp were assessed for viral copy numbers. Eight shrimp were analyzed per treatment. In addition, eight specific pathogen free (SPF) P. vannamei were analyzed and served as a negative control. The tissue samples examined included: whole tail muscle, tail muscle (shell removed), gills, pleopods, head (cephalothorax with the hepatopancreas included) and tail fan. The results from these experiments showed a significant level of difference between the SPF and the injection treatments. As was expected, there was also a significant difference between the negative control and the per os treatment groups. There was no significant difference between the viral copy number contained in different body parts from the injection experiment. These results contrasted to the per os results, in which there was a statistically significant difference between tail/gills, tail/head, tail/tail fan, whole tail/tail fan and pleopods/tail fan. The tail samples had the lower viral copy numbers, as did the whole tail and pleopods when compared to the tail fan. The mean viral copy number per nanogram of total RNA ( x cn/ng tRNA) extracted in the injection study ranged from 1.4×10 5 in the gills to 2.3×10 5 in the whole tail. In the per os experiment, the x cn/ng of extracted tRNA ranged from 2.5×10 4 in the tail muscle to 4.3×10 5 in the head. When these values are converted to mean viral copy number per gram ( x cn/g) of tissue, the values increased in range. In the injection study, the x cn/g of tissue ranged from 1.2×10 9 in the tail fan to 7.4×10 9 in the head. These values contrast to the x cn/g of tissue in the per os study in that the lowest value of 1.7×10 8 was in the tail muscle and the highest x , 1.7×10 10 , was in the head. Overall, all body parts from infected shrimp, regardless of treatment type, quantitatively analyzed by real-time RT-PCR, determined the presence of TSV.
Mechanism of acquisition of exogenous bicarbonate by internodal cells of Chara corallina.

Electrophysiological measurements on internodal cells of the alga, Chara corallina Klein ex Willd., em. R.D.W., showed that the potential across the plasmalemma was sensitive to the level of exogenous HCO3-. In alkaline solutions (pH 8) the membrane potential depolarized by 50–75 mV when exogenous HCO3-was removed from the bathing medium. In the presence of exogenous HCO3-, the membrane potential rapidly hyperpolarized when the cell was given a brief dark treatment; in the light the potential was approx.-240 mV; after the cell had been in the dark for 3–6 min the potential was -330 to -350 mV. In the absence of exogenous HCO3-the potential only hyperpolarized slowly and to a much smaller extent when cells were placed in the dark. Upon re-illuminating the cell, the potential further hyperpolarized, transiently, and then rapidly depolarized back towards the light-adapted value. (These responses were only obtained when cells were not perturbed by microelectrode insertion into the vacuole.) Analysis of membrane potential and experiments with the extracellular vibrating electrode indicated a high level of correlation between the light- and dark-induced changes in membrane potential and extracellular currents. However, when experiments were conducted in HCO3--free media that contained 1.0 mM phosphate buffer, pH 8, it was found that the dark-induced hyperpolarization of the membrane potential and the light-dependent extracellular currents could be maintained in the absence of exogenous HCO3-. These results are interpreted in terms of two basic models by which internodal cells of C. corallina may acquire exogenous HCO3-for photosynthesis. They are consistent with HCO3-being transported across the plasmalemma via an electrically neutral HCO3-−H+ cotransport system. The hyperpolarizing response is thought to be the consequence of the operation of an electrogenic H+-translocating ATPase that has a transport stoichiometry of 1 H+ per ATP hydrolyzed.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF POLYMERIC CDBR2(H2BIIM)N

The reaction of CdBr2 with (H2biim = 2,2′-biimidazole) in an aqueous solution affords the linear coordination polymer [CdBr2(H2biim)]n. An X-ray crystallographic study of this complex reveals a 1-dimensional chain in which adjacent pseudooctahedrally coordinated Cd atoms are bridged in a bis(μ-bromo) fashion. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd
Inhibition of respiratory viruses by nasally administered siRNA

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and parainfluenza virus (PIV) are two respiratory pathogens of paramount medical significance that exert high mortality. At present, there is no reliable vaccine or antiviral drug against either virus. Using an RNA interference (RNAi) approach, we show that individual as well as joint infection by RSV and PIV can be specifically prevented and inhibited by short interfering RNAs (siRNAs), instilled intranasally in the mouse, with or without transfection reagents. The degree of protection matched the antiviral activity of the siRNA in cell culture, allowing an avenue for quick screening of an efficacious siRNA. When targeting both viruses in a joint infection, excess of one siRNA moderated the inhibitory effect of the other, suggesting competition for the RNAi machinery. Our results suggest that, if properly designed, low dosages of inhaled siRNA might offer a fast, potent and easily administrable antiviral regimen against respiratory viral diseases in humans.
Political Ecology and the Geography of Science: Lesosady, Lysenkoism, and Soviet Science in Kyrgyzstan's Walnut–Fruit Forest

As part of a growing engagement with science studies, political ecologists have worked to theorize environmental science. They have situated science by juxtaposing it with other types of knowledge and have attended not only to science's application but also to its production and circulation. Despite these efforts, science is portrayed in most political ecology as brought to the field site already finished, rather than constructed there through embodied practices designed for use in live scientific debates. I argue that scientists doing science transform the sites in which they work, that political ecologists have not adequately theorized field-based examples of this process, and that help can be found in the geography of science. To this end, I present a historical geography of the Lysenkoist and field-based heredity science that informed a program of forest modification in Soviet Central Asia in the mid-twentieth century. This program, which used horticultural techniques to construct forest-orchards (les...
Active ionic transport across biological membranes: possible role of electrons and protons.

THE conversion of metabolic energy into useful work is a very efficient process in biological cells. The energy in ATP is transformed into mechanical, electrical and osmotic work at efficiencies which have been calculated to approach 100 per cent for acid secretion in the stomach1, active Na+ transport in frog skin2 and sartorius muscle contraction3. These observations show that energy is converted in biological cells by a process which is not limited by a Carnot efficiency factor (about 2 per cent in warm blooded animals). The process could involve electrochemical “cold” combustion, in which chemical energy is transformed into electronic potential energy, in much the same way as the operation of a fuel cell4. Accordingly, Mitchell5,6 likened the oxido/reduction and phosphorylation processes in his chemiosmotic hypothesis to a protonic fuel cell in which ATP synthesis was construed as a vectorial reaction driven by a “proton-motive” force across the mitochondrial membrane.
Optimizing Sampling Effort for Sampling Warmwater Stream Fish Communities

Abstract We measured the variation of some commonly used fish community attributes for two warmwater stream reaches during June–October 1992 and 1993. Habitat-specific variation among samples, expressed as coefficients of variation (SD/mean) collected throughout the study ranged from 0.13 to 1.58 and were lower for community-level attributes such as species richness (total number of species) and total fish biomass than for biomass estimates of bleeding shiner Luxilus zonatus, longear sunfish Lepomis megalotis, and rainbow darter Etheostoma caeruleum. Corresponding estimates of the number of samples needed to ensure 20% precision at the 95% confidence level ranged from 2 to 245 and indicated that fewer samples are needed to precisely estimate community level attributes than to estimate individual species biomass. A significant negative relationship (P < 0.05) between coefficients of variation and predicted sampling efficiency suggested that low sampling efficiencies may increase sample variance. Significan...
Current treatment of breast cancer in the United States.

Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies among women in the United States. Based on 1, 150 cases operated by the author, 56% of all operable breast cancers were treated either by radical mastectomy or extended mastectomy and 44% were treated by modified mastectomy during the 5 year period from 1974-1978. However, in 1985, 20% of the patients were treated by partial mas-tectomy and radical mastectomy was performed on only 5% and the rest were treated by modified radical mastectomy. These changes in the treatment of breast cancer are now being seen throughout the United States.Adjuvant chemotherapy treatment has been routinely given patients in the United States who have metastases to the regional lymph nodes for the past 10 years. Currently, CMF or CMFVP combinations of chemotherapy are the most commonly used for 9 or 12 month's duration. Some institutions use anti-estrogen (tamoxifen) as adjuvant treatment for the patient who has an estrogen receptor positive tumor. Conservative treatment of breast cancer will probably increase to 25-30% of primary breast cancers in the near future in the United States, but treatment should be determined individually.
Effects of late-season ethephon applications on cold tolerance parameters of four bermudagrass cultivars.

Winter injury of bermudagrass (Cynodon spp.) is a problem across the U.S. transition zone. In an attempt to hasten the onset of autumn senescence and improve cold acclimation, ethephon (3.6 kg a.i. ha –1 ) was applied three times at 3-wk intervals beginning on 15 August in 2001 and 2002. Cultivars examined were ‘Riviera’, ‘Midiron’, ‘Princess-77’, and ‘Tifway’. Tifway exhibited greatest autumn color retention in both years. Ethephon promoted early autumn senescence as indicated by yellowing of the leaves and reduced turfgrass color during ratings in both years. Plant samples removed from plots in autumn and winter were exposed to controlled temperatures to determine those which were lethal to 50% of the material’s greenup potential (LT 50 ). Ethephon treatment did not affect freeze tolerance. Freeze tolerance of cultivars differed following seasonal acclimation. The LT 50 results were: Midiron Tifway > Princess-77. Ethephon treatment slowed greenup in both years. Measurements of proline and linolenic acid levels revealed that Midiron > Riviera > Tifway > Princess-77. Ethephon treatment did not affect linolenic acid levels; however, it negatively affected proline concentrations in Midiron and Riviera. Since ethephon had little or deleterious effects on bermudagrass cold tolerance, it should not be considered as a strategy to improve winter survival in the transition zone.
NEW DEVELOPMENTS CONCERNING WRONGFUL CONSTRUCTIVE TERMINATION

In America the non‐union employment relationship is defined by the rigid doctrine of employment‐at‐will. It is thought to have evolved from the master‐servant relationship which was a personal relationship. With the emergence of industrialisation in the nineteenth century, the personal relationship was essentially replaced by a commercial relationship. This commercial relationship needed definition commensurate with the definition of tasks and responsibilities within the factory's structured management and assembly line type processes. By 1877, employment‐at‐will became a generally accepted position in the American courts. “This doctrine embraces a rule declaring that employment for an indefinite term may be terminated at any time for any reason or for no reason by either the employee or the employer without legal liability” (Seidman, 1993:44). “Bosses could fire workers for any reason — as long as the firing is not discriminatory or retaliatory” (Iwata, 1994).
Comparison of Laparoscopic and Open Partial Nephrectomy for Duplication Anomalies in Children

Purpose: We compared the outcome of laparoscopic vs open PN for duplication anomalies at our institution.Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of all patients undergoing PN within the last 4 years.Results: A total of 34 patients (16 females) were divided into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of 20 patients undergoing open PN between 2000 and 2003, and group 2 consisted of 14 patients undergoing laparoscopic PN between 2003 and 2004. Mean patient age was 21 months in group 1 and 18 months in group 2. Diagnosis was ectopic ureter in 18 patients, ureterocele in 11, VUR in 4 and ureteropelvic junction obstruction in 1. Cystoscopy was performed as part of the procedure in 30% of the patients in group 1 and 100% of those in group 2. Simultaneous lower tract procedures were performed in 3 patients in group 1 and 2 patients in group 2. Mean duration of PN was 115 minutes for group 1 and 180 minutes for group 2. There was no significant bleeding or need for transfusion except in 1 patient in th...
Metal Insulator Structures For Multichip Modules

The technology and material choices available for MCMs are discussed in terms of a cost-yield model. The basic building blocks of MCMs are presented and viewed in terms of the number of processing steps, defect density and processing costs.
Optimal design for wave spectrum estimates

Non-stationarity in an actual wave field restricts the application of the existing methods of estimating spectra. Despite the enormous amount of research work in the past, an analyst today is still faced with the lack of a unique procedure capable of providing a spectrum estimate which can be considered as the most accurate for the wave data collected under conditions where the stationarity assumption is in doubt. In this paper a generalized method is presented for estimating one dimensional frequency spectrum considering the non-stationarity. The generalized method and the associated design relations provide an effective measure for assessing the statistical quality of spectrum estimates, and a natural criterion as to how to select an optimal sample size. Concepts are illustrated by actual wave data analysis* and the validity of the procedure is demonstrated by simulation. In a simple manner, all concepts and methods developed for the non-stationary frequency spectrum apply to the wave number spectrum with spatial inhomogeneity. For simplicity, the presentation here will be primarily directed to the frequency spectrum.
Characterization of inverted repeats from plasmid-like DNAs and the maize mitochondrial genome

Integrated inverted repeat (IR) sequences similar to those of the S plasmids have been isolated from the genomes of the normal and S type male-sterile cytoplasms of maize mitochondria. The nucleotide sequences of both the IRs and their flanking regions have distinguished and characterized several different types of repeats. The repeats may be involved in the recombinational process that occurs continuously in the mitochondrial genome. One cloned fragment, derived from a fertile revertant and containing sequences similar to S-2, does not appear to act as atypical transposable element during reversion. Several of the flanking regions examined contain a small repeat of 34 base pairs, in which a nonanucleotide segment is found with similarity to the yeast mitochondrial promoter.
Holographic microscope for measuring displacements of vibrating microbeams using time-average holography

An optical microscope, utilizing the principles oftime-average hologram interferometry, is described for MicroElectroMechanical Systems (MEMS) applications. MEMS are devices fabricated via techniques such as micro photolithography to create miniature actuators and sensors. Many ofthese sensors fmd their way into applications which rely on, or depend upon, the dynamic behavior ofthe sensor. Typical dimensions of current MEMS devices are measured in microns, and the current trend is to further decrease the size of MEMS devices to submicron dimensions. However, the smaller MEMS become, the more challenging it is to measure with accuracy the dynamic characteristics of these devices. In this paper, the theory and construction of an electro-optic holographic microscope (EOHM) for the purpose ofstudying the dynamic behavior ofMEMS devices are described. Additionally, by performing measurements within an EOHM image, object displacements are determined as illustrated by representative examples. With the EOHM, MEMS devices with surface sizes ranging from approximately 35 x400 microns down to 5 x 18 microns have been studied while undergoing resonant vibrations at frequencies as high as 2 MHz.
Dose calculation with respiration‐averaged CT processed from cine CT without a respiratory surrogate

Dose calculation for thoracic radiotherapy is commonly performed on a free-breathing helical CT despite artifacts caused by respiratory motion. Four-dimensional computed tomography (4D-CT) is one method to incorporate motion information into the treatment planning process. Some centers now use the respiration-averaged CT (RACT), the pixel-by-pixel average of the ten phases of 4D-CT, for dose calculation. This method, while sparing the tedious task of 4D dose calculation, still requires 4D-CT technology. The authors have recently developed a means to reconstruct RACT directly from unsorted cine CT data from which 4D-CT is formed, bypassing the need for a respiratory surrogate. Using RACT from cine CT for dose calculation may be a means to incorporate motion information into dose calculation without performing 4D-CT. The purpose of this study was to determine if RACT from cine CT can be substituted for RACT from 4D-CT for the purposes of dose calculation, and if increasing the cine duration can decrease differences between the dose distributions. Cine CT data and corresponding 4D-CT simulations for 23 patients with at least two breathing cycles per cine duration were retrieved. RACT was generated four ways: First from ten phases of 4D-CT, second, from 1 breathing cycle of images, third, from 1.5 breathing cycles of images, and fourth, from 2 breathing cycles of images. The clinical treatment plan was transferred to each RACT and dose was recalculated. Dose planes were exported at orthogonal planes through the isocenter (coronal, sagittal, and transverse orientations). The resulting dose distributions were compared using the gamma (γ) index within the planning target volume (PTV). Failure criteria were set to 2%∕1mm. A follow-up study with 50 additional lung cancer patients was performed to increase sample size. The same dose recalculation and analysis was performed. In the primary patient group, 22 of 23 patients had 100% of points within the PTV pass γ criteria. The average maximum and mean γ indices were very low (well below 1), indicating good agreement between dose distributions. Increasing the cine duration generally increased the dose agreement. In the follow-up study, 49 of 50 patients had 100% of points within the PTV pass the γ criteria. The average maximum and mean γ indices were again well below 1, indicating good agreement. Dose calculation on RACT from cine CT is negligibly different from dose calculation on RACT from 4D-CT. Differences can be decreased further by increasing the cine duration of the cine CT scan.
High growth rates (>30 μm/h) of 4H–SiC epitaxial layers using a horizontal hot-wall CVD reactor

Abstract Epitaxial growth of 4H–SiC is reported at repeatable growth rates up to 32 μm/h in a horizontal hot-wall CVD reactor at temperatures between 1530 and 1560 °C. The growth rate as a function of silane (the source of silicon) flow was studied. The doping concentration was also investigated. The conversion from p- to n-type conductivity occurred when the Si/C ratio was changed from 1.0 to 1.2. Films up to 65 μm thick were grown with a growth rate of 32 μm/h. The surface roughness increased slightly for thicker films, with the occasional incorporation of carrot-like and triangular defects. The structural quality of the films, measured by X-ray diffraction, is comparable to the best results reported in the literature for 4H–SiC.
Patterning Thin Films of Poly(ethylene imine) on a Reactive SAM Using Microcontact Printing

This paper describes the patterning of poly(ethylene imine) (PEI) on a surface into structures having submicron edge resolution. This procedure consists of three steps: (1) formation of a reactive self-assembled monolayer (SAM) terminating in interchain carboxylic anhydride groups on gold and silver; (2) patterning of this SAM by microcontact printing (μCP) using a poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) stamp inked with PEI (this polymer contains primary and secondary amines that are reactive toward the anhydride groups); (3) hydrolysis of the unreacted anhydride groups with base and removal of noncovalently bound PEI. The patterned thin films of PEI are attached covalently to the SAM by amide bonds. The pendant, unreacted primary and secondary amines of the attached PEI can be used as reactive nucleophilic groups in further steps of chemical modification. This type of postmodification has been illustrated by allowing the amine groups of the covalently attached PEI to react with perfluorooctanoyl chloride, palmit...
A molecular dynamics study of the structural dependence of boron oxide nanoparticles on shape

Molecular dynamics simulation is employed to study the effect of varying nanoparticle shape on the structure of boron oxide nanoparticles. Two nanoshapes are investigated and compared: a sphere of diameter 16 A and a cube of dimension 16 x 16 x 16 A. A many-body polarization model is employed within the simulation, accounting for dipole moments induced by local electric fields. The resulting network is described by a short-range structure consisting of planar BO(3) units, while the intermediate-range structure is described by six-membered planar boroxol rings. Both the fraction of boroxol rings and their locations differ between the two nanoshapes. All planar boroxol rings within the spherical simulation are located on the interior, while planar rings within the cubic simulation aggregate to the cube walls. In addition, structural differences appear between the two shapes at longer ranges, including the formation of "layers" aligned parallel to the walls of the cube, reminiscent of both the low-density crystalline phase and the high-density amorphous form of boron oxide.
Statistical analysis of solar measurements in Algeria using beta distributions

A method of smoothing solar data by beta probability distributions is implemented in this paper. In the first step, this method has been used to process daily sunshine duration data recorded at thirty-three meteorological stations in Algeria for eleven year periods or more. In the second step, it has been applied to hourly global solar irradiation flux measured in Algiers during the 1987/89 period. For each location and each month of the year, beta probability density functions fitting the monthly frequency distributions of the daily sunshine duration measurements are obtained. Both the parameters characterising the resulting beta distributions are then mapped, enabling us to build the frequency distributions of sunshine duration for every site in Algeria. In the case of solar radiation for Algiers, the recorded data have been processed following two different ways. The first one consists in sorting the hourly global solar irradiation data into eight typical classes of the daily clearness index. The second one is based on the repartition of these data per month. The results of the first classification show that for each class of daily clearness index, the hourly data under consideration are modelled by only one beta distribution. When using the second classification, linear combinations of two beta distributions are found to fit the monthly frequency distributions of the hourly solar radiation data.
THE COMPARATIVE EFFECTS OF STRATEGY AND EFFORT ATTRIBUTIONS

Summary. The effects of attributing academic failure to effort or strategy were examined with the use of college students and teachers as subjects. Both the attitude and future performance of a college freshman described as receiving a GPA of 1.8 (C -) on her first semester's work were judged to be significantly more positive when poor performance was attributed to strategy in contrast to effort. A measure of perceived affect produced an interaction which indicated that college teachers, but not students, perceived affect to be more positive under effort attributions. A secondary purpose of this research was to examine the effects of having subjects judge perceived affect either before or after making judgments on attitude and future performance. Data suggest that the initial processing of affect may lead to more positive judgments of attitude and future performance on the part of teachers but less positive judgments on the part of students. The theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.
Brief Report: Under-Representation of African Americans in Autism Genetic Research: A Rationale for Inclusion of Subjects Representing Diverse Family Structures

African American children with autism are seriously under-represented in existing genetic registries and biomedical research studies of autism. We estimated the number of African American children with autism in the St. Louis region using CDC surveillance data and present the outcomes of a concerted effort to enroll approximately one-third of that population into either of two large national genetic autism registries. The results revealed that even after traditional barriers to research participation were addressed and all contacted families expressed a willingness to participate, 67% of the reachable families were disqualified from participation because of family structure alone. Comprehensive efforts—including expansion of eligibility to families of diverse structure—are warranted to facilitate the inclusion of African American children in biomedical research.
Cyber threats: a study of what middle and high school student know about threatening behaviours and internet safety

This study assessed middle and high school students’ knowledge of potential risks, appropriate use, and their behaviours on the internet and social networking sites, especially regarding behaviours that may lead to cyber bullying or contact with potential internet predators. A total of N = 4,215 middle and high school students were assessed in a northeast state using the 47 items and five dimensions of the ‘Survey of knowledge of internet risk and behaviour’ (SKIRB). The instrument assesses students’ knowledge of internet safety with social media, cyberbullying, and internet predator risks. Descriptive statistics and a t-test were generated. Major findings revealed students do not recognise the risk associated with electronic forms of communication with low appropriate responses for the knowledge dimension. An alarming number of students have admitted to being bullied in school, N = 1,200 students, n = 786 middle school students and n = 414 high school students. Finally, parental involvement overall is low; middle school 33%, high school 17%, with regard to monitoring of internet activities.
Strong association between insulin resistance in liver and skeletal muscle in non-diabetic subjects

Objective To examine the association between insulin resistance in skeletal muscle and liver in non-diabetic subjects. Research design and methods A total of 182 Mexican American subjects without Type 2 diabetes underwent an oral glucose tolerance test and euglycaemic–hyperinsulinaemic clamp performed with 3[H]glucose. Insulin sensitivity in skeletal muscle was measured as the insulin-stimulated rate of total glucose disposal during the insulin clamp divided by steady-state plasma insulin concentration (TGD/SSPI). Hepatic insulin resistance was measured as the product of basal hepatic glucose production and fasting plasma insulin concentration (HGP × FPI). Results Hepatic insulin resistance was strongly correlated (r = 0.68, P < 0.0001) with skeletal muscle insulin resistance. Thirty-eight per cent of subjects had increased insulin resistance in both liver and skeletal muscle, while 39% were insulin sensitive in both skeletal muscle and liver. Twenty-three per cent of subjects were discordant for muscle and hepatic insulin resistance (P < 0.0001). Subjects with increased skeletal muscle insulin resistance had a higher 2-h plasma glucose concentration, greater incremental area under the plasma glucose concentration curve, lower fasting plasma insulin concentration and lower rate of basal hepatic glucose production compared with subjects with increased insulin resistance in liver. Conclusion In non-diabetic subjects, insulin resistance in skeletal muscle is an important determinant of the fasting and 2-h plasma glucose concentrations and strongly correlates with hepatic insulin resistance.
Dimensional measurement of surfaces and their sampling

The number of the discrete samples for the dimensional measurement of machined surfaces and their coordinates is investigated. Counter to intuition, there need not be quadratically more samples than in the case for sampling lines or curves. To justify this novel scheme, accuracy is defined as the discrepancy of a finite point set. Then, from number theory, a particular sequence of numbers is used to compute the sampling coordinates, resulting in a number that is linear in 1D, at the same level of accuracy that is achieved by a 2D uniform distribution. Finally, experimental results of the measurement of machined surfaces modeled as random processes are compiled. coordinate measurement, optical scanning, surface roughness, lowdiscrepancy point sets