cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health OpenCourseWare

The need for public health knowledge is ever increasing, but the educational options have been limited to coursework delivered by academics to individuals who can afford the cost of tuition at public health institutions. To overcome this disparity, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (JHSPH) has joined the Massachusetts Institute of Technology‐initiated OpenCourseWare (OCW) movement to publish and share its collection of course content with the public at no charge. The JHSPH OCW project began in 2005 with funding support from the Hewlett Foundation. Its publishing process was integrated into the school‐wide web supplement system for managing course content. To date, content from more than 60 graduate‐level courses has been published, drawing an average of 40,000 visitors per month. OCW provides resources for faculty and students, both within and outside JHSPH in their pursuit of public health education. An OCW Image Library was created to provide object‐level access to illustrations produced b...
Incident coronary artery calcium among postmenopausal women

Recent studies have shown that individuals with 0 coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores have very low risk of coronary heart disease. In the Healthy Women Study, we evaluated development of new CAC among postmenopausal women (n=272) over a 6-year period, age 62 at the 1st and 68 at the 3rd electron beam tomography (EBT) examination. At the 1st EBT, 155 of 272 (57%) women had 0 CAC. By the 3rd, 56 (36%) of these women had developed new CAC, including 38 with >or=5 Agatston units. There was practically no regression from having CAC at the 1st EBT to no CAC at the 3rd EBT. The risk of developing new CAC over 6 years among women with 0 CAC on their 1st EBT was strongly and significantly related to presence of both aortic calcium and carotid plaque at the time of 1st EBT. Baseline premenopausal risk factors, age 47, apolipoprotein B, body mass index (BMI) and triglycerides, were significant predictors of incident CAC as were the changes in BMI and low density lipoprotein cholesterol between premenopause and the 1st post exam, age 53. Risk factors measured premenopause and change in risk factors from premenopause to the 1st post exam and the extent of subclinical disease in other vascular beds are primary determinants of the risk of developing incident CAC in women over a 6-year period.
The effect of flight on the taste threshold and carbohydrate utilization of Phormia regina Meigen

Abstract The threshold of Phormia regina to glucose has been shown to decrease with increasing duration of flight. The rate of fall of threshold increased at high temperatures and decreased at low temperatures, and an attempt was made to relate this effect to the rate of energy expenditure by measuring the wing-beat frequency of flies at various temperatures. Wing-beat frequency measurements indicated a positive correlation with temperature, and it was concluded that threshold decrease was in some way related to energy expenditure. Estimations of carbohydrate depleted from the blood and tissues during starvation and flight indicated that blood sugar, crop sugar, and glycogen depletion per se were not directly related to threshold decrease. Estimations of total carbohydrate depletion during flight revealed no simple relationship between decrease in threshold and the expenditure of energy. Injection of glucose into exhausted flies enabled them to resume flight almost immediately; injections did not bring about changes in threshold. Exhausted flies which had been injected with glucose, and which had also been fed with a measured amount of sugar, appeared to utilize injected sugar first to resume flight. While injected sugar was being used, removal of sugar from the gut was retarded and the threshold remained high. It was concluded that a high threshold could be maintained, even over a period of high energy expenditure, while the gut contained a large quantity of sugar.
The Generalized Cell Mapping Method in Nonlinear Random Vibration Based Upon Short-Time Gaussian Approximation

This scheme provides a very efficient and accurate way of computing the one-step transition probability matrix of the previously developed generalized cell mapping (GCM) method in nonlinear random vibration
A Data-Centric Approach for Integrated Data Center Management

In this paper, we present the Daffy data model and messaging framework for data centers. The model is a hybrid model, combining physical, structural, geometrical, and logical modeling techniques. The messaging scheme has excellent performance and allows for the loose coupling of the various framework components. The framework bridges the gap between facilities and IT domains and enables the holistic, cross-domain management of data centers. The framework supports rich visualization, cross-domain queries and sophisticated cross-domain autonomic control systems.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Transcendental Geometric Programs

This paper treats a class of posynomial-like functions whose variables may appear also as exponents or in logarithms. It is shown that the resulting programs, called transcendental geometric programs, retain many useful properties of ordinary geometric programs, although the new class of problems need not have unique minima and cannot, in general, be transformed into convex programs. A duality theory, analogous to geometric programming duality, is formulated under somewhat more restrictive conditions. The dual constraints are not all linear, but the notion of degrees of difficulty is maintained in its geometric programming sense. One formulation of the dual program is shown to be a generalization of the chemical equilibrium problem where correction factors are added to account for nonideality. Some of the computational difficulties in solving transcendental programs are discussed briefly.
Arachidonic Acid in Platelet Microparticles Up-regulates Cyclooxygenase-2-dependent Prostaglandin Formation via a Protein Kinase C/Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase-dependent Pathway

Activation of platelets results in shedding of membrane microparticles (MP) with potentially bioactive properties. Platelet MP modulate platelet, monocyte, and vascular endothelial cell function, both by direct effects of MP arachidonic acid (AA) and by its metabolism to bioactive prostanoids. We have previously reported that platelet MP induce expression of cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostacyclin production in monocytes and endothelial cells. To elucidate further the molecular mechanisms that underlie MP-induced up-regulation of COX-2 expression, we investigated the response of a human monocytoid (U-937) cell line to platelet MP stimulation. In U-937 cells, MP-induced COX-2 expression and eicosanoid formation is prevented by pharmacological inhibitors of protein kinase C (PKC), PI 3-kinase, mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)/extracellular signal-regulated kinase, and p38 kinase. Treatment with the PI 3-kinase inhibitors wortmannin and LY294002 also blocked MP-induced p42/p44 MAPK, p38, and JNK1 phosphorylation. Conversely, platelet MP stimulation of U-937 cells results in direct activation of PKC, p42/p44 MAPK, p38 kinase, and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) as well as activation of the transcription factors c-Jun and Elk-1. However, MP failed to activate the cAMP response element. Activation of U-937 cells by MP induces translocation of classical (PKCβ), novel (PKCδ) and atypical (PKCζ and PKCλ) isozymes of PKC from the cytosol to the membrane, with concomitant activation of downstream MAPK. While MP-induced activation of p42/p44 MAPK and p38 kinase is transient, a sustained activation of JNK1 was observed. Although PKC activation is required for MP-induced p42/p44 MAPK, activation of the stress kinases p38 and JNK1 was PKC-independent. The fatty acid fraction of the MP accounted for these effects, which were mimicked by MP AA. Rather than acting directly via nuclear receptors, MP AA activates COX-2-dependent prostaglandin production by a PKC/p42/p44 MAPK/p38 kinase-sensitive pathway in which PI 3-kinase plays a significant role. MP AA also stimulates transcriptional activation of COX-2 as well as c-Jun and Elk-1.
Materials for nontraditional study and the natural learning of adults

If we are indeed on the threshold of becoming a learning society, the preparation and selection of materials that will encourage successful learning through the lifespan is of unusual importance.
Direct measurement of the forces between complementary strands of DNA

Interaction forces between single strands of DNA were measured with the atomic force microscope by a procedure in which DNA oligonucleotides were covalently attached to a spherical probe and surface. Adhesive forces measured between complementary 20-base strands fell into three distinct distributions centered at 1.52, 1.11, and 0.83 nano-newtons, which are associated with the rupture of the interchain interaction between a single pair of molecules involving 20, 16, and 12 base pairs, respectively. When a third long DNA molecule was coupled between complementary surfaces, both intra- and interchain forces were observed. The intrachain interaction resulting from the molecule's elasticity manifested itself as a long-range cohesive force.
OVERVIEW OF RECENT STUDIES AT IPST ON CORRUGATED BOARD EDGE COMPRESSION STRENGTH: TESTING METHODS AND EFFECTS OF INTERFLUTE BUCKLING

Several recent series of investigations were conducted on corrugated board performance in the areas of: loaded container endurance in cyclic humidity, predictive models for edge compression strength (ECT), effects of lightweight facings, measurement of transverse shear rigidity, effects of adhesive level, and out-of-plane crushing on ECT. The course of this program prompted exploration and review of several aspects of ECT testing methods: specimen height, test duration, and fixture-clamping effects. In this review, ECT values are shown to be influenced by the combination of the selected testing technique with the specific structural and strength characteristics of the board being tested. The effect of specimen height on selected single wall C-, E-, F-, and N-flute boards is measured and rationalized using a simplified beam-theory approach. Apparent loss of ECT in a C-flute crushed board is explored to determine whether mitigation is possible by selection or modification of testing method. Investigations of platen speed effects on C-flute substantiate previous work. Lightweight facings on A- and C-flute corrugated boards are observed to display localized buckling, which affects the ECT value. An analytical model that combines the measured bending stiffness of the facings and the compression strengths of the fluting and facings provides an improved predictive accuracy and is applied to a series of laboratory and commercial corrugated boards.
Influence of the Restriction of Individual Dietary Components on Longevity And Age-Related Disease of Fischer Rats: The Fat Component and the Mineral Component

The influence of restricting either the fat or the mineral component of the diet to the same extent as they are restricted in the life-prolonging, food-restriction paradigm but without restricting calories was studied in regard to longevity and age-related pathologic lesions of barrier-maintained male Fischer 344 rats. Neither the restriction of fat nor the restriction of mineral influenced the median length of life or maximum life span as indicated by the age of the 10th percentile survivors. Restricting the dietary fat did retard the development of chronic nephropathy and associated lesions, but it also increased the prevalence of lymphoma and leukemia. The development of chronic nephropathy was not significantly affected by restricting the mineral component of the diet.
Energetics of Domain Walls in the 2D t-J Model

Using the density matrix renormalization group, we calculate the energy of a domain wall in the 2D t-J model as a function of the linear hole density \rho_\ell, as well as the interaction energy between walls, for J/t=0.35. Based on these results, we conclude that the ground state always has domain walls for dopings 0 0.17, there are only walls with \rho_\ell =1. For \rho_\ell = 1, diagonal (1,1) domain walls have very nearly the same energy as (1,0) domain walls.
Using Simulation to Teach Veteran-Centered Care

Abstract The purpose of this article is to provide information about the health care needs of veterans through dissemination of a simulation scenario that can be used to educate and prepare students in schools of nursing or in clinical settings to improve the quality of care for veterans. An estimated 23 million veterans live in the United States and Puerto Rico. Only 8 million veterans are enrolled in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA). As a result, millions of veterans receive care in civilian hospitals, where nurses and other health care providers may be unaware of the many health care needs related to military service. This high-fidelity clinical simulation scenario and the discussion of unique needs of patients who are veterans are presented to improve this situation.
Applications of hypertext: technologies for higher education

THIS PAPER BEGINS with a description of our assumptions about meaningful learning in higher education and meaningful learning from hypertext. We then describe different classes of applications of hypertext to support learning including hypertext as vehicle, information access hypertexts, intentional learning environments, and knowledge construction environments. Finally, we discuss some limitations of hypertext for facilitating learning, issues and processes in evaluating meaningful learning outcomes from hypertext environments.
Molecular characterization of Salmonella enterica isolates associated with starling-livestock interactions.

Bird–livestock interactions have been implicated as potential sources for bacteria within concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). In this study we characterized XbaIdigested genomic DNA from Salmonella enterica using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE analysis was conducted using 182 S. enterica isolates collected from a single CAFO between 2009 and 2012. Samples collected in 2012 were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The analysis was limited to S. enterica serotypes, with at least 10 isolates, known to occur in both European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and cattle (Bos taurus) within this CAFO. A total of five different serotypes were screened; S. Anatum, S. Kentucky, S. Meleagridis, S. Montevideo, S. Muenchen. These samples were recovered from five different sample types; starling gastrointestinal tracts (GI), starling external wash, cattle feces, cattle feed and cattle water troughs. Indistinguishable S. enterica PFGE profiles were recovered from isolates originating in all sample types. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) was also associated with indistinguishable S. enterica isolates recovered from all samples types. These data suggests that AMR S. enterica is transmitted between cattle and starlings and that shared feed sources are likely contributing to infections within both species. Moreover we isolated indistinguishable PFGE profiles across all years of data collection, suggesting long-term environmental persistence may be mediated by starling visits to CAFO. Published by Elsevier B.V.
Melt-growth dynamics in CdTe crystals.

We use a new, quantum-mechanics-based bond-order potential (BOP) to reveal melt growth dynamics and fine scale defect formation mechanisms in CdTe crystals. Previous molecular dynamics simulations of semiconductors have shown qualitatively incorrect behavior due to the lack of an interatomic potential capable of predicting both crystalline growth and property trends of many transitional structures encountered during the $\mathrm{\text{melt}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\mathrm{\text{crystal}}$ transformation. Here, we demonstrate successful molecular dynamics simulations of melt growth in CdTe using a BOP that significantly improves over other potentials on property trends of different phases. Our simulations result in a detailed understanding of defect formation during the melt growth process. Equally important, we show that the new BOP enables defect formation mechanisms to be studied at a scale level comparable to empirical molecular dynamics simulation methods with a fidelity level approaching quantum-mechanical methods.
Functionals defined by transfinite recursion

This paper deals mainly with quantifier-free second order systems (i.e., with free variables for numbers and functions, and constants for numbers, functions, and functionals) whose basic rules are those of primitive recursive arithmetic together with definition of functionals by primitive recursion and explicit definition. Precise descriptions are given in §2. The additional rules have the form of definition by transfinite recursion up to some ordinal ξ (where ξ is represented by a primitive recursive (p.r.) ordering). In §3 we discuss some elementary closure properties (under rules of inference and definition) of systems with recursion up to ξ. Let Rξ denote (temporarily) the system with recursion up to ξ. The main results of this paper are of two sorts:Sections 5–7 are concerned with less elementary closure properties of the systems Rξ. Namely, we show that certain classes of functional equations in Rη can be solved in Rη for some explicitly determined η ξ). The classes of functional equations considered all have roughly the form of definition by recursion on the partial ordering of unsecured sequences of a given functional F, or on some ordering which is obtained from this by simple ordinal operations. The key lemma (Theorem 1) needed for the reduction of these equations to transfinite recursion is simply a sharpening of the Brouwer-Kleene idea.
Pseudo-constant logic optimization

Constant folding reduces area and enables greater parallelism, but requires circuits with constant inputs. In this work, we extend constant folding to support pseudo-constants, which are values that change with low frequency. We present a method of pseudo-constant logic optimization based on dynamically reconfigurable capabilities of FPGAs, which optimizes logic for different pseudo-constant values and then reconfigures the logic whenever the pseudo-constant changes. Although not beneficial for all logic, we show this optimization achieves up to a 1.25x increase in functional density on Xilinx Virtex 5 FPGAs.
An innovative three-dimensional approach to defining the anatomical changes occurring after short scar-medial pedicle reduction mammaplasty.

BACKGROUND Three-dimensional photography of the breast offers new opportunities to advance the fields of aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. The following study investigates the use of three-dimensional imaging to assess changes in breast surface anatomy, volume, tissue distribution, and projection following medial pedicle reduction mammaplasty. METHODS Preoperative and postoperative three-dimensional scans were obtained from patients undergoing short-scar medial pedicle breast reduction. Three-dimensional models were analyzed by topographical color maps, changes in the lowest point of the breast, surface measurements, and the point of maximal projection. Total breast volume and percentage volumetric tissue distribution in the upper and lower poles were also determined. RESULTS Thirty patients underwent reduction mammaplasty (mean postoperative scan, 80 +/- 5 days). Color maps highlighted the majority of spatial changes in the central, upper poles. Reduction mammaplasty resulted in a significant decrease in the anteroposterior projection of the breast (6.3 +/- 0.2 postoperatively compared with 8.1 +/- 0.2 cm preoperatively; p < 0.01). The point of maximal breast projection was elevated in the cranial-caudal direction (4.8 +/- 0.4 cm; p < 0.01), with a corresponding elevation in the lowest point of the breast (4.8 +/- 0.5 cm; p < 0.01). Volumetric three-dimensional measurements identified a significant change in percentage tissue distribution after reduction mammaplasty (45 +/- 2 percent above the inframammary fold preoperatively versus 76 +/- 2 percent postoperatively; p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS This study is the first to demonstrate the technical feasibility and clinical utility of three-dimensional geometric data in medial pedicle breast reduction surgery. This novel approach suggests new opportunities to define long-term operative changes following various breast procedures.
Quantitative Measurement of Interface Fracture Energy in Multi-Layer Thin Film Structures

Interfacial debonding of multi-layer thin film systems can severely affect the reliability of devices. To quantitatively evaluate the interface adhesion strength, a sandwich structure four-point bending technique was developed. In the sandwich structure samples, the thin film structure of interest was diffusion bonded between two silicon substrates. A fourpoint bending method was applied to propagate a crack along the interface of interest. Two thin film systems with nominally the same structure, but processed under different conditions, were measured for their SiO2/TiN interface fracture energies. Results showed that the interface fracture energy of one system was about 50% larger than that of the other system. Cross-section TEM observations revealed that the stronger interface was also significantly rougher.
Assessing the effects of Irgarol 1051 on marine phytoplankton populations in Key Largo Harbor, Florida.

The antifouling boosting agent Irgarol 1051 is a strong inhibitor of the photosystem II (PSII) with high efficiency/toxicity towards algae. However, because some phytoplankton species are more sensitive to Irgarol than others, its persistent release into the environment could result in adverse changes in the phytoplankton community structure at heavily impacted sites such as marinas. Continuous monitoring in the Florida Keys showed Irgarol concentrations of up to 635 ng L 1 in the canal system leading to Key Largo Harbor Marina (KLH) with a sharp decrease in concentration at stations offshore from the mouth of the canal. Preliminary phytoplankton community assessments from surface water samples collected in KLH between February and August 2004 showed changes in several phytoplankton species in concordance with the increase of the herbicide concentrations. Typical responses include an increase in the abundance of
Reinvasion and Colony Expansion of Coptotermes formosanus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) After Areawide Elimination

The population recovery of Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) colonies were monitored after an areawide elimination of all detectable colonies from September 2003 to August 2005 in Louis Armstrong Park, New Orleans, LA. Six colonies reinvaded the vacant niche created by the full elimination. These colonies expanded their territories throughout the study period. This represented 43% of the original number of colonies present in the park before the elimination. To determine the mode of the reinvasion, nuptial pair establishment was monitored during the C. formosanus dispersal flight seasons. Nuptial pairs were discovered up to 1 yr after the elimination. Morphological and genetic data were collected from field colonies before the full elimination in 2002 and again in 2005 after the reinvasion of these territories by new colonies. These data were used to estimate the relative age of reinvading colonies as compared with their predecessors. It is proposed that the first three reinvading colonies detected were smaller colonies that were undetectable before the full elimination, or were older, established colonies present outside of the park, that expanded their foraging territories into the park in the absence of competition from the eliminated populations. The subsequent three colonies to reinvade seemed to be small colonies founded during or just before the study period by an imago pair after a dispersal flight into the park from outlying areas. The implications of this study on subterranean termite areawide integrated pest management strategies are discussed.
Value of Strong Ties to Disconnected Others: Examining Knowledge Creation in Biomedicine

Knowledge creation requires the combination and exchange of diverse and overlapping knowledge inputs as individuals interact with exchange partners to create new knowledge. In this study, we examine knowledge creation among university research scientists as a function of their professional (ego) networks---those others with whom they collaborate for the purpose of creating new knowledge. We propose that knowledge creation relies, in part, on two attributes of a researcher's professional network structure---average tie strength and ego network density---and we provide insights into how these attributes jointly affect knowledge creation. Our study of over 7,300 scientific publications by 177 research scientists working with more than 14,000 others over an 11-year period provides evidence that the relationship between a research scientist's professional network and knowledge creation depends on both ego network density and average tie strength. Our evidence suggests that both attributes affect knowledge creation. Moreover, average tie strength interacts with density to affect knowledge creation such that researchers who maintain mostly strong ties with research collaborators who themselves comprise a sparse network have the highest levels of new knowledge creation.
Embryology and Surgical Anatomy of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands

The primordial thyroid gland is first identifiable during the fourth week of gestation, beginning as an endodermal invagination of the tongue at the site of the foramen cecum (Fig. 2.1). The foramen cecum lies where the midline intersects the sulcus terminalis, which divides the tongue into anterior two thirds (oral part) and posterior one third (pharyngeal part). The thyroid diverticulum begins its descent through the tongue carrying with it the thyroglossal duct. The path of descent carries the developing gland anterior to the hyoid bone and the larynx. During the descent in the fifth week, the superior part of the duct degenerates. By this time, the gland has achieved its rudimentary shape with two lobes connected by an isthmus. It continues to descend until it reaches the level of the cricoid cartilage at about the seventh week. By the 12th week of development, thyroid hormone is secreted. The distal part of the thyroglossal duct degenerates but may remain as a pyramidal lobe.
The soft error problem: an architectural perspective

Radiation-induced soft errors have emerged as a key challenge in computer system design. If the industry is to continue to provide customers with the level of reliability they expect, microprocessor architects must address this challenge directly. This effort has two parts. First, architects must understand the impact of soft errors on their designs. Second, they must select judiciously from among available techniques to reduce this impact in order to meet their reliability targets with minimum overhead. To provide a foundation for these efforts, this paper gives a broad overview of the soft error problem from an architectural perspective. We start with basic definitions, followed by a description of techniques to compute the soft error rate. Then, we summarize techniques used to reduce the soft error rate. This paper also describes problems with double-bit errors. Finally, this paper outlines future directions for architecture research in soft errors.
Understanding the Paradox of Patient Pain and Patient Satisfaction

Pain, in all probability, is the most common symptom experienced by individuals who interact with health care providers. It is understood as a complex and highly individual experience. This complexity is reflected in the paradoxical relationship between patient satisfaction and patient reported pain scores. Using a holistic, caring approach, nurses can optimize the effect of analgesia and facilitate comfort for the person living in pain. Caring for the patient in pain begins with heartfelt compassion and intention to help the person who is suffering. The author describes how the complex relationship and interchange between the patient and the holistic nurse explains the paradox.
Close-in ground motion from the Milrow and Cannikin events.

abstract Motion of the ground induced by the CANNIKIN and MILROW nuclear explosions beneath Amchitka Island was observed at vertical arrays of subsurface stations in borings offset 90 m from the shot holes and at surface stations at distances ranging from surface zero to about 10 km. Acceleration, particle velocity, and displacement time histories were obtained: vertical components only in the vertical arrays and three orthogonal components at surface stations. MILROW results indicate Rayleigh waves in records from a horizontal range of one-half shot depth and beyond. Analysis showed the initial spall depth near 110 m, with later spallation below 150 m and between 30 and 90 m. Surface data indicate spallation extended laterally to four times shot depth. CANNIKIN data were trucated at about 1.8 sec by power circuit malfunction. Peak motion was recorded at all but the most remote CANNIKIN station before loss of power. Comparison of CANNIKIN data with those from MILROW indicate greater peak motions from the more energetic CANNIKIN explosion, but scaled peak motions from these events are similar.
Micromachined low-loss microwave switches

The design and fabrication of a micromechanical capacitive membrane microwave switching device is described. The switching element consists of a thin metallic membrane, which has two states, actuated or unactuated, depending on the applied bias. A microwave signal is switched on and off when the membrane is switched between the two states. These switches have a switching on speed of less than 6 /spl mu/s and a switching off speed of less than 4 /spl mu/s. The switching voltage is about 50 V. The switches have a bowtie shape and showed low insertion loss of 0.14 dB at 20 GHz and 0.25 dB at 35 GHz, and isolation of 24 dB at 20 GHz and 35 dB at 35 GHz. These devices offer the potential for building a new generation of low-loss high-linearity microwave circuits for a variety of phased antenna arrays for radar and communications applications.
Low Dietary Copper Increases Fecal Free Radical Production, Fecal Water Alkaline Phosphatase Activity and Cytotoxicity in Healthy Men

One possible dietary factor that may increase susceptibility to colon cancer is inadequate copper intake. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of low and adequate copper intakes on copper nutriture and putative risk factors for colon cancer susceptibility in healthy men. Seventeen healthy free-living nonsmoking men aged 21-52 y completed a 13-wk controlled feeding study in a randomized crossover design. The basal diet contained 0.59 mg Cu/13.65 MJ. After a 1-wk equilibration period in which the men consumed the basal diet supplemented with 1.0 mg Cu/d, they were randomly assigned to receive either the basal diet or the basal diet supplemented with 2 mg Cu/d for 6 wk. After the first dietary period, the men immediately began to consume the other level of Cu for the last 6 wk. They collected their feces during the equilibration period and during the last 2 wk of the two dietary periods for free radical and fecal water analysis. Low dietary copper significantly (P < 0.01) increased fecal free radical production and fecal water alkaline phosphatase activity. Low dietary copper significantly (P < 0.0001) decreased fecal water copper concentrations but did not affect fecal water volume, pH, iron or zinc concentrations. In contrast to the fecal analysis, hematological indicators of copper status were not significantly affected by the dietary treatments. These results suggest that low dietary copper adversely affects fecal free radical production and fecal water alkaline phosphatase activity, which are putative risk factors for colon cancer.
Observational Learning and the Emergence of Symmetry Relations in Teaching Spanish Vocabulary Words to Typically Developing Children.

One 9-year-old child was taught conditional discriminations between dictated names in Spanish and their corresponding pictures across three stimulus sets while her 10-year-old brother observed. Posttests revealed the emergence of symmetry relations in the form of oral naming skills by both children.
Characterization of the interaction between the nuclease and reverse transcriptase activity of the yeast telomerase complex.

Telomerase is a ribonucleoprotein that mediates extension of the dG-rich strand of telomeres in most eukaryotes. Like telomerase derived from ciliated protozoa, yeast telomerase is found to possess a tightly associated endonuclease activity that copurifies with the polymerization activity over different affinity-chromatographic steps. As is the case for ciliate telomerase, primers containing sequences that are not complementary to the RNA template can be efficiently cleaved by the yeast enzyme. More interestingly, we found that for the yeast enzyme, cleavage site selection is not stringent, since blocking cleavage at one site by the introduction of a nonhydrolyzable linkage can lead to the utilization of other sites. In addition, the reverse transcriptase activity of yeast telomerase can extend either the 5′- or 3′-end fragment following cleavage. Two general models that are consistent with the biochemical properties of the enzyme are presented: one model postulates two distinct active sites for the nuclease and reverse transcriptase, and the other invokes a multimeric enzyme with each protomer containing a single active site capable of mediating both cleavage and extension.
Price caps and investment : Long-run effects in the electric generation industry

Abstract This paper utilizes a dynamic framework to determine the long-run effects of price caps on electricity generation investment and spot prices. The results show that the effects of spot market price caps differ significantly based upon the market structure. In a social welfare maximization scenario, price caps will not reduce average electricity prices and may actually raise them due to the dynamic affect of price caps on investment. In addition, price caps may reduce overall investment levels and result in welfare losses if the independent system operator is forced to shed load. Therefore, since social welfare maximization will approximate a competitive outcome, the results imply that price caps should be avoided in competitive markets. In contrast, for the monopoly producer, price caps produce an indeterminate effect on overall investment, and unequivocally lower average prices, which are otherwise unbounded. Therefore, price caps are necessary to prevent unlimited price markups.
The Role of Self-Compassion in Development: A Healthier Way to Relate to Oneself

The idea that people need high self-esteem in order to be psychologically healthy is almost a truism in Western developmental psychology. Parents are told that one of their most important tasks is to nurture their children’s self-esteem. Teachers are encouraged to give all their students gold stars so that each can feel proud and special. Psychologists worry about the dangerous drop in self-esteem experienced by adolescents as they transition out of childhood and try to find ways to give teens a self-esteem boost. The assumption that high self-esteem is synonymous with wellbeing applies throughout the lifespan. The elderly benefit from high self-esteem as much as anyone, don’t they? The issue is not so simple. In the field of social psychology, scholars are starting to fall out of love with self-esteem. Yes, it is true that high self-esteem is associated with less depression and anxiety, as well as with greater happiness and life satisfaction. However, there are also some dark sides to high selfesteem. For instance, high self-esteem is strongly correlated with narcissism. Twenge [2006] argued that the emphasis placed on self-esteem in American schools and culture at large is responsible for the creation of ‘generation me’, so named because of the steady and consistent rise in narcissism levels among American college students documented since the mid 1960s. Self-esteem is also associated with the better-thanaverage effect, the need to feel superior to others just to feel okay about oneself. Research shows that most people think they are funnier, more logical, more popular, better looking, nicer, more trustworthy, wiser and more intelligent than others [Alicke & Govorun, 2005]. To be average is unacceptable in Western society, so pretty much everyone walks around wearing rose-colored glasses (at least when they are looking in the mirror). This comparative dynamic, however, the tendency to puff ourselves up and put others down, creates interpersonal distance and separation that undermines connectedness.
Coupling Evolutionary Algorithms With Nonlinear Dynamical Systems: An Efficient Tool for Excitation Design and Optimization

Many chaotic dynamical systems can produce time series with a wide range of temporal and spectral properties as a function of only a few fixed parameters. This malleability invites their use as tools for shaping or designing inputs used to drive a separate dynamical system of interest. By specifying an objective function and employing an evolutionary algorithm to manipulate the parameters governing the dynamics of the forcing system, the output of the driven system is made to approach an optimal response subject to desired constraints. The technique's versatility is demonstrated for two different applications: damage detection in structures and phase-locked loop disruption.
The Effect of Leadership Match on Subordinate Satisfaction in Mexican Organisations: Some Moderating Influences of Self‐monitoring

Des cadres mexicains ont repondu aux epreuves de leadership de Fiedler & Chemers mesurant le modele de contingence (l'echelle du collegue le moins apprecie et les echelles de controle des situations) et a l'echeile d'autonomie de Snyder (1974). Leurs subordonnes ont ete soumis a trois sous-echelles du Job Description Index de Smith, Kendall, et Hulin (1969): supervision, collegues et travail proprement dit. Les resultats ont fourni des elements en faveur de la validite des echelles de leadership et confirme la valeur predictive du modele de contingence pour ce qui est de la satisfaction liee aux relations avec les collegues. Mais les conclusions sont moins probantes pour la prediction par le meme modele de la satisfaction due a la supervision. L'autonomie a attenue les effets du leadership sur la satisfaction au travail. Les scores des leaders qui etaient fortement autonomes ne correspondaient pas aux predictions du modele de contingence, ce qui etait par contre le cas des leaders peu autonomes. Le role de l'autononiie dans la souplesse des leaders est analyse. Mexican managers responded to Fiedler and Chemers' Leader Match (1984) versions of the contingency model measures (i.e. least preferred co-worker scale and situational control scales) and to Snyder's (1974) self-monitoring scale. Their subordinates responded to three subscales of the Job Description Index (Smith, Kendall, & Hulin, 1969): supervision, co-workers, and the work itself. The results demonstrated support for the validity of the Leader Match scales and for the contingency model's prediction of satisfaction with co-workers, and marginal support for the contingency model's prediction of satisfaction with supervision. Self-monitoring moderated the effect of the “match” for work satisfaction. The performance of leaders who were high self-monitors did not conform to contingency model predictions, whereas the performance of low self-monitor leaders did. The role of self-monitoring in creating leader flexibility is discussed.
Ignition of aerosolized reactive particles at high heating rates

This paper presents an experimental methodology, respective heat transfer model, and initial results describing ignition of rapidly heated, aerosolized powders of different materials. The experimental setup uses a CO2 laser as a heat source. The interaction of the laser beam with particles is particle size-dependent and only a narrow range of particle sizes is heated effectively. Therefore, the heat transfer model needs to be only analyzed for the particles with this specific size, which greatly simplifies the interpretation of experiments. The powder is aerosolized inside a plate capacitor by charging particles contacting the capacitor’s electrodes. A thin, laminar aerosol jet is carried out by an oxidizing gas through a small opening in the top electrode and is fed into a laser beam. The velocities of particles in the jet are about 1 m/s. The laser power is increased until the particles are observed to ignite. The ignition is detected optically. The ignition thresholds for spherical magnesium and aluminum powders were measured. The experimental data for magnesium, for which ignition kinetics is well known, were used to calibrate the detailed heat transfer model. The model was used to evaluate the ignition kinetics for aluminum powder.
Design of a torso positioning device for pre-operative planning of breast reconstruction surgery

Breast reconstruction surgery plays a vital role in the psychological healing of many mastectomy patients. Until recently, the outcomes following breast reconstruction have been based on subjective measures and the experience of the plastic surgeon. Laser scanning is the latest technology that can produce a three-dimensional image of a patient's breasts and torso for the preoperative planning of breast reconstruction surgery. A torso positioning device, therefore, is being designed and validated that will hold patients stationary during laser scanning and standardize their positioning for pre- and post-operative comparison. The system will be used by plastic surgeons at Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Massachusetts. The ultimate goal of applying this technology to reconstruction surgery is to improve patient outcomes and prevent unnecessary revisional surgery.
SIMULATING A REGULARLY SAMPLED BUS LOCATION SYSTEM

Between 1967 and 1997, transit agencies in 20 cities installed automatic vehicle location (AVL) systems to improve safety, efficiency, and quality of service. The bus AVL system typically provides a means of tracking individual buses for fleet management. More recently, the AVL data have also been used to develop algorithms to predict bus arrival time, estimate link travel time, and detect incidents. Other traffic management and control applications are also being explored. Therefore, the availability of a simulation capable of mimicking a bus location system that reports vehicle location at regular, prespecified intervals is becoming increasingly important. CORSIM, an integrated freeway and surface street traffic simulation model, also simulates buses on prespecified routes and stations for given dwell time distributions and frequency of service. However, very little has been reported about CORSIM's bus simulation module. CORSIM's bus route simulation module and its drawbacks are examined, and the results of an effort to compare data collected from the Denver Regional Transportation District bus AVL system and the microsimulator for a test network are presented. Bus location data from the field and the simulation were collected at regular intervals under both recurring congestion and nonrecurring congestion conditions. Linear referencing in a geographic information system was used to extract bus location data for the test network from the AVL system, and external programs were written to collect the same data from the microsimulator. Based on the bus location data, space mean speeds were estimated and compared to evaluate the performance of the model. The results are encouraging. However, several obstacles remain and they are discussed in detail.
Impacts of copper on a lotic benthic invertebrate community: response and recovery.

ABSTRACT We examined the impact of copper on invertebrate community composition in a small stream (Pelican Brook) originating from a zebra mussel infested lake in central Minnesota. One bay of the lake was treated weekly with chelated copper during the summers of 2004 and 2005, resulting in copper levels in Pelican Brook ranging from 0.1 to 0.8 mg/L for three months each summer. Benthic macroinvertebrates were collected from two sites in Pelican Brook in spring and fall over four years (2004–2007), including one pretreatment collection (spring 2004). Samples were also collected from two reference streams (2005–2007). Ephemeroptera, Trichoptera, and Plecoptera comprised over half of the community in pre-treatment and reference stream samples. During treatment seasons, mayflies were eliminated and the community shifted to only a few taxa (Hydropsychidae and Chironomidae, primarily Orthocladiinae). Reference stream communities showed seasonal fluctuations but not the massive shifts in taxa abundance seen in ...
Separable approximation for diatomic transition operators: a variational approach

Abstract A general finite-rank separable approximation for the two-body transition operator has been obtained from the Lippmann--Schwinger variational principle. The method involves expansion of the off-shell wavefunction in a finite set of square integrable functions, and is applied to 1Σ and 3Σ potentials of H2 for thermal energies and momenta.
Two interesting biological fields: Avian influenza virus and epigenetics

The highly pathogenic avian influenza virus H5N1 attracted much attention in 2009, when the human death toll due to infection with this virus in China created a potential world-wide pandemic alert. About the same time, induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) were successfully being established and widely used for the elucidation of the epigenetic program of differentiated cells, marking a new stage in epigenetic research. To show the challenges and the latest progress in these two fields, two well-organized special topics with several review articles by leading experts in their respective fields have been published in successive volumes of Science China Series C-Life Sciences (SCLS) 2009[1,2]. The pandemic of highly pathogenic influenza A virus (H5N1), followed by the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) provoked extensive research. This special topic issue entitled “The challenges of avian influenza virus: mechanism, epidemiology and control” [1] consists of 7 review articles [3–9], one research paper [10] and one website introduction [11]. These papers not only cover the clinical aspects of avian influenza virus infection in China [3–5], but also basic research in this field [6–10], which gives a full picture of the spread of the H5N1 virus, and how it was controlled in Mainland and Hong Kong SAR, China. Also reflected in these articles are the lessons mankind in general should learn from these experiences, and what contributions in particular have been made by scholars in China. These articles on H5N1 should be highly relevant when facing other diseases, like SARS, which are caused by highly pathogenic viruses.
The genetics of disulfide bond metabolism.

▪ Abstract Disulfide bonds are required for the stability and function of a large number of proteins. Genetic analysis in combination with biochemical studies have elucidated the main catalysts involved in facilitating these processes in the cell. All enzymes involved in thiol-disulfide metabolism have a conserved active site that consists of two cysteine residues, separated by two intervening amino acids, the Cys-Xaa-Xaa-Cys motif. While these enzymes are capable of catalyzing both disulfide bond formation and reduction, they have evolved to perform one or the other reaction more efficiently. In the cytoplasm, multiple pathways are involved in the reduction of disulfide bonds that occur as part of the catalytic cycle of a variety of metabolic enzymes. In the bacterial periplasm, a system for the efficient introduction as well as isomerization of disulfide bonds is in place. In eukaryotes, disulfide bonds are introduced into proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum. Genetic studies have recently begun to rev...