cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Social Responsibility and Operational Risks in Merger and Acquisition Decisions

We study how corporate social responsibility (CSR) impacts a manufacturer’s decisions on mergers and acquisitions (M&As). M&As are accompanied by significant changes in organizations and operational systems, and the decision of M&A may be affected by potential challenges and operational risks in post-M&A integration. CSR may bring a broad set of corporate values to address these challenges. To empirically investigate the role of CSR in M&A decisions, we estimate bootstrap-based conditional logit models using secondary data from 2005-2016. We find that a firm’s CSR score is positively associated with its acquiring possibility as CSR promotes a long-term perspective on value-creation, facilitates integration across organizations, and buffers against risks of failures. We also find such positive impact can be extended to cases when firms are lean in operations and when the purposes of M&As involve innovation or emerging market expansion. Our extended analyses further show that the beneficial role of CSR is primarily driven by the corporate governance dimension, instead of social or environmental dimension. Theoretical and managerial insights are also discussed.
Pre-growth conditions and strain diversity affect nisin treatment efficacy against Listeria monocytogenes on cold-smoked salmon.

Abstract Listeria monocytogenes is a human pathogen that is commonly found in environments associated with cold-smoked salmon. Nisin is a natural antimicrobial that can be used as a food preservative. While nisin is active against a number of Gram-positive bacteria, including L. monocytogenes, environmental stresses encountered in cold-smoked salmon processing facilities might affect L. monocytogenes' nisin susceptibility. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of seafood-relevant pre-growth conditions and L. monocytogenes strain diversity on nisin treatment efficacy on cold-smoked salmon. Six L. monocytogenes strains representing serotypes most commonly associated with cold-smoked salmon (1/2a, 1/2b, and 4b) were initially pre-grown under a number of seafood-relevant conditions and challenged with nisin in growth media modified to represent the characteristics of cold-smoked salmon. The pre-growth conditions with the lowest mean log reduction due to nisin and the highest strain-to-strain variability were selected for experiments on cold-smoked salmon; these included: (i) 4.65% w.p. NaCl (“NaCl”); (ii) pH = 6.1 (“pH”); (iii) 0.5 μg/ml benzalkonium chloride (“Quat”); and a control (“BHI”). Cold-smoked salmon slices with or without nisin were inoculated with L. monocytogenes pre-grown in one of the conditions above, vacuum-packed, and incubated at 7 °C. L. monocytogenes were enumerated on days 1, 15, and 30. A linear mixed effects model was constructed to investigate the effect of pre-growth condition, day in storage, serotype, source of isolation as well as their interactions on nisin efficacy against L. monocytogenes. Compared to pre-growth in “BHI”, significant reduction (P
Relationships between nonappearance self-discrepancy, weight discrepancy, and binge eating disorder symptoms

Self-discrepancy (i.e., perceived differences between one’s actual self and personal standards) has been associated with binge eating disorder (BED) symptoms. However, little is known about how weight discrepancy (i.e., the difference between one’s actual and ideal weights) interacts with or is distinguished from nonappearance self-discrepancy (discrepancy unrelated to weight or shape) in predicting BED severity. The current study examined how these two forms of discrepancy independently and interactively relate to BED and associated symptoms to elucidate how facets of self-discrepancy may operate to precipitate and maintain BED. Adults with BED (N = 111) completed questionnaires and interviews prior to treatment that assessed self-discrepancy (computerized selves) and weight discrepancy (assessed during the Eating Disorder Examination [EDE]) as predictors of global eating disorder (ED) symptomatology (EDE Global score), depression (Beck Depression Inventory), anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory), self-esteem (Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale), and ED-related impairment (Clinical Impairment Assessment). Multivariate regression models indicated nonappearance self-discrepancy and weight discrepancy were not significantly related to the severity of global ED symptoms, but both independently predicted impairment (ps < 0.05). Nonappearance self-discrepancy, but not weight discrepancy, was also associated with higher depression (p = 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), and lower self-esteem (p < 0.001). These findings suggest distinct associations of weight discrepancy and nonappearance self-discrepancy with ED and related symptoms, as well as each of these constructs’ relevance to everyday functioning in BED. The results also highlight potential avenues for future research to examine mechanistic pathways by which self-discrepancy influences BED severity. V, descriptive cross-sectional study.
Factors Affecting the Academic Achievement of Marketing Students

A study of a graduating class of seniors in marketing examined factors associated with successful academic achievement using, first, a required comprehensive examination, and second, overall GPA. A number of potential variables were investigated for their relevance to achievement, grade-related, school-related, comprehensive examination-related, work-related, extra curricular-related, and demographic. Many did not seem to be associated. Overall, academic aptitude and past academic performance seemed to be the most important predictors of achievement.
What Can Help a Fashion Retailer: Disclosing Supplier Names or Supplier Sustainability Conditions?

This paper investigates the relationship between different types of transparency information (supplier versus sustainability) and its effect on consumers’ online purchasing behavior for clothing (willingness to pay and likelihood to provide a firm with additional business). In our research, supplier transparency consists of the disclosure of a supplier’s name, location, and number of workers whereas sustainability transparency consists of the disclosure of a supplier’s payment of factory wages, use of sustainable materials, and reduction in energy usage. Results from online experiments show that, when a product’s quality is known to be high, supplier and sustainability transparency information have no significant difference in terms of their impact on consumer purchasing behavior. In fact, either type of information could be used to increase consumers’ likelihood to provide a firm with additional business, but neither type of information is effective in increasing consumers’ willingness to pay. However, if a product’s quality is unknown, only sustainability transparency information will impact consumer purchasing behavior. In fact, in this scenario, sustainability transparency information will both increase consumers’ willingness to pay and their likelihood to provide a firm with additional business. Overall, this research contributes to the growing interest in sustainable operations and marketing literatures on how the type and nature of information presented to consumers can affect their perceptions and behavior.
Firm-specific risk and equity market development

Abstract We show that the increase in firm-specific risk in the US stock market is the result of new listings by riskier companies. In addition, our results explain why prior researchers have found that growth opportunities, profit margin, firm size, and industry composition (among other factors) are related to increases in firm-specific risk. The new listing effect is not driven by small companies becoming riskier but instead by a riskier sub-sample of the economy becoming publicly traded. These results are consistent with prior research that documents time trends in financial market development.
Integrating Large Datasets in Outcome Research: A Case Example

Existing datasets can be especially useful in counseling outcome research. Institutional or governmental resources such as electronic medical, educational, social services, and criminal justice rec...
Tropical cyclone occurrence dates in the North Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins: climatology, trends, and correlations with overall seasonal activity

Tropical cyclones (TCs) are major meteorological hazards for coastal communities around the world. Among the most active TC development basins are the North Atlantic (NATL) and the eastern North Pacific (ENP), both of which bring impacts to the USA and other countries of North America. This research assesses the climatology of occurrence dates of nth (e.g., 1st and 2nd,) TCs and hurricanes in both basins, as well as occurrence dates of accumulated cyclone energy thresholds. We use statistical methods to develop a base climatology of occurrence dates and assess their trends over time, as well as correlate early season nth TC and hurricane occurrence dates with overall seasonal activity. We find that the climatologies of NATL and ENP occurrence dates exhibit similarities but unique differences that relate to the TC climatologies of their basins. In addition, we find that NATL nth TC occurrence dates generally have been trending earlier with time, while no trends were identified for the ENP or for hurricanes in either basin. Lastly, we find that early season TCs possess the ability to postulate overall seasonal activity in both basins, the strongest correlations in each basin coming from the 3rd and 4th TCs in the NATL and the 5th and 6th TCs in the ENP. Results of this study have utility in improving seasonal TC forecasts for the NATL and ENP made by 1 September and 1 August, respectively, as well as providing a baseline for modeling studies.
A neuropsychosocial signature predicts longitudinal symptom changes in women with irritable bowel syndrome.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder of brain-gut interactions characterized by chronic abdominal pain, altered bowel movements, often accompanied by somatic and psychiatric comorbidities. We aimed to test the hypothesis that a baseline phenotype composed of multi-modal neuroimaging and clinical features predicts clinical improvement on the IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) at 3 and 12 months without any targeted intervention. Female participants (N = 60) were identified as "improvers" (50-point decrease on IBS-SSS from baseline) or "non-improvers." Data integration analysis using latent components (DIABLO) was applied to a training and test dataset to determine whether a limited number of sets of multiple correlated baseline'omics data types, including brain morphometry, anatomical connectivity, resting-state functional connectivity, and clinical features could accurately predict improver status. The derived predictive models predicted improvement status at 3-months and 12-months with 91% and 83% accuracy, respectively. Across both time points, non-improvers were classified as having greater correlated morphometry, anatomical connectivity and resting-state functional connectivity characteristics within salience and sensorimotor networks associated with greater pain unpleasantness, but lower default mode network integrity and connectivity. This suggests that non-improvers have a greater engagement of attentional systems to perseverate on painful visceral stimuli, predicting IBS exacerbation. The ability of baseline multimodal brain-clinical signatures to predict symptom trajectories may have implications in guiding integrative treatment in the age of precision medicine, such as treatments targeted at changing attentional systems such as mindfulness or cognitive behavioral therapy.
The Relation Between Baseline Slow Wave Sleep and the Slow Wave Sleep Response to Alcohol in Alcoholics

Important advances in the psychophysiological studies of sleep, triggered by the breakthroughs of Aserinsky and Kleitman (1953) and Dement and Kleitman (1957), led to investigations of the possible relevance of such studies to psychopathology. In alcoholics, striking departures from normal sleep psychophysiology were observed during and following acute intoxication and withdrawal (see reviews by Johnson, 1971, Gross et al., 1971, Williams and Salamy, 1972 and Gross et al., 1974). The disturbances observed in alcoholics involved the rhythmicity and composition of sleep. Prominent among the disturbances of sleep composition were those involving Slow Wave Sleep (SWS).
What Have We Learned from Our Research? Making Sense of the Impact of Protestant Religiosity on the Academic Achievement of Urban Latina/o Youth

This chapter describes the dual impact of Protestant religiosity on the academic achievement of urban high school Latina/o youth. The youth we interviewed for this study suggest that active membership in a faith-based organization enhances the relationships they have with college-going adults who attend the same church. In turn, these adults provide youth with important advice, such as college enrollment strategies and navigating adolescence. Additionally, these youth also spoke about the extent to which their belief in God compelled them to do well in school. Implications for urban education and Latina/o youth are also discussed within the scope of these findings.
Knowledge and Intelligence in Drug Design

Publisher Summary Ackoff and Emery's dual nature of knowledge provides a useful framework for the understanding of medicinal chemistry and how it enables chemists to be productive. Ackoff and Emery propose that knowledge consists of at least two different senses: possession of facts (or awareness of a state of affairs) and possession of skills. By considering drug design as a process, the core of medicinal chemistry knowledge can be abstracted as the possession of facts and the possession of skills. The possession of facts encompasses the knowledge gained by understanding the probability of predicted and observed properties of the chemical structure in relation to its desired properties. The possession of skills is the knowledge required to efficiently navigate the optimization path to achieve the desired balance of properties. Each new piece of information—whether the crystal structure of a drug bound to a protein or the identification of a labile site of reactive metabolite, or the general physicochemical properties of drug-space—further restricts our hypothesis space in drug design. Practical skills such as the mastery of design tactics or parallel chemistry methods help the medicinal chemists efficiently navigate a pathway through hypothesis space. Therefore, by understanding and formalizing how knowledge is generated and used in medicinal chemistry, a methodology to rationally improve the efficiency and effectiveness of drug designs can be developed.
A Task-Based Evaluation of the TRAINS-95 Dialogue System

This paper describes a task-based evaluation methodology appropriate for dialogue systems such as the TRAINS-95 system, where a human and a computer interact and collaborate to solve a given problem. In task-based evaluations, techniques are measured in terms of their effect on task performance measures such as how long it takes to develop a solution using the system, and the quality of the final plan produced. We report recent experiment results which explore the effect of word recognition accuracy on task performance.
Evaluation of cesarean section hysterectomy as a sterilization procedure.

Abstract One hundred and ninety-eight consecutive cesarean hysterectomies are reviewed of which 109 were indicated and 89 were for sterilization. The morbidity and complication rates (29 per cent) were similar for both groups. Positive correlation of morbidity was noted in patients who were in labor for more than 8 hours, in those with a preoperative hemoglobin of less than 10 Gm., and in those where closure of the vaginal cuff or subtotal hysterectomy without drainage was performed. The desirability of a sterilization procedure is not indication for primary section followed by hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is not recommended as a form of sterilization at time of cesarean section since the risk of morbidity and complications, both physical and psychological, decidedly outweigh the potential benefits.
Effect of the size distribution of magnetic nanoparticles on metastability in magnetization relaxation

We theoretically examine metastability occurring in magnetization relaxation for magnetic nanoparticles with size distributions. An array of magnetic nanoparticles is simulated using a spin $S=1$ ferromagnetic Blume-Capel model on a square lattice. The particle size distributions give rise to distributions of magnetic anisotropy. Including the distributions, we perform kinetic Monte Carlo simulations of magnetization relaxation at low temperatures for the Blume-Capel model. We compute the average lifetime of the metastable state from the simulations and the absorbing Markov chains method in the low-temperature limit. We also carry out similar simulations and calculations for a constant value of magnetic anisotropy for comparison. Our results suggest that the lifetime of the metastable state is determined by the smallest particle for a given system, and that the lifetime with size distributions obeys a modified Arrhenius-like law, where the energy barrier depends on even temperature and standard deviation of the distributions as well as magnetic field and magnetic anisotropy.
Investigations in Western South Dakota and Northeastern Wyoming

The field work on which this report is based was carried out during the summer of 1948 by a field unit of the Missouri Valley Project, River Basin Surveys, Smithsonian Institution. The unit consisted of Mr. J. M. Shippee and myself; we were assisted during part of the time by Messrs. H. F. Wilson, S. J. Phelps, and R. F. Worden of Hot Springs, South Dakota. Investigations covered the four-month period from June 1 through September 29. Five proposed reservoir sites in the Cheyenne Basin were investigated more or less intensively. All are Bureau of Reclamation projects, in various stages of development, located in or near the Black Hills of western South Dakota and northeastern Wyoming. Angostura Reservoir received much more thorough exploration than the others; work at this site forms the basis for the present report. Edgemont and Keyhole reservoirs are omitted because the data from them have not yet been evaluated. Pactola and Johnson Siding reservoirs, alternate projects, were unproductive and require no discussion.
Protein Kinase C in Normal and Pathologic Myocardial States

Recent evidence has implicated protein kinase C (PKC) as an important mediator underlying multiple aspects of myocardial function. We and others have recently reported that PKC is involved in Ca2+-induced inotropy, in mediating myocardial preconditioning by diverse stimuli both in animals and humans, and in the signaling processes which lead to the production of proinflammatory mediators (cytokines). The purposes of this manuscript are to explore the role of PKC in normal myocardial contraction, the role of PKC in mediating protection, the role of PKC in inflammation, and the importance of inflammation regarding myocardial injury.
Bayesian Analysis of Event History Models with Unobserved Heterogeneity via Markov Chain Monte Carlo Application to the Explanation of Fertility Decline

This article describes an interesting application of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC). MCMC is used to assess competing explanations of marital fertility decline. Data collected during the World Fertility Study in Iran are analyzed using methods developed to perform discrete time event history analyses in which unobserved heterogeneity is explicitly accounted for. The usual age-period-cohort identifiability problem is compounded by the presence of a fourth clock, duration since previous birth, and a fifth clocklike variable, mother's parity. The authors resolve this problem by modeling some of the clocks parametrically using codings suggested by alternating conditional expectation (ACE) and Bayes factors to decide which clocks are necessary. Compound Laplace-Metropolis estimates are used to compute Bayes factors for comparing alternative models. The new methods enable the authors to conclude that Iran's fertility decline was primarily a period effect and not a cohort effect, that it started before the Fami...
Possible supplemental mechanisms in the pathogenesis of AIDS

Multiple and diverse mechanisms have been proposed as supplements to the HIV-1 virus in the destruction of CD4+ cells and the pathogenesis of AIDS. But it is now realized that 100 times more CD4+ cells are infected with HIV-1 than was originally thought to be the case, and many antigen-presenting cells are infected as well. In addition to the direct cytopathic effect of the virus, one or a few supplemental mechanisms may well suffice to explain the progressive loss of CD4+ cells, e.g., the considerable variation in the virus and/or the destruction of uninfected CD4+ cells by one immunological mechanism or another. However, it is not yet possible to state confidently which additional mechanism(s) is important. Identification of the nature of this supplemental process has become essential for successful, nonharmful intervention.
Computational identification of novel biochemical systems involved in oxidation, glycosylation and other complex modifications of bases in DNA

Discovery of the TET/JBP family of dioxygenases that modify bases in DNA has sparked considerable interest in novel DNA base modifications and their biological roles. Using sensitive sequence and structure analyses combined with contextual information from comparative genomics, we computationally characterize over 12 novel biochemical systems for DNA modifications. We predict previously unidentified enzymes, such as the kinetoplastid J-base generating glycosyltransferase (and its homolog GREB1), the catalytic specificity of bacteriophage TET/JBP proteins and their role in complex DNA base modifications. We also predict the enzymes involved in synthesis of hypermodified bases such as alpha-glutamylthymine and alpha-putrescinylthymine that have remained enigmatic for several decades. Moreover, the current analysis suggests that bacteriophages and certain nucleo-cytoplasmic large DNA viruses contain an unexpectedly diverse range of DNA modification systems, in addition to those using previously characterized enzymes such as Dam, Dcm, TET/JBP, pyrimidine hydroxymethylases, Mom and glycosyltransferases. These include enzymes generating modified bases such as deazaguanines related to queuine and archaeosine, pyrimidines comparable with lysidine, those derived using modified S-adenosyl methionine derivatives and those using TET/JBP-generated hydroxymethyl pyrimidines as biosynthetic starting points. We present evidence that some of these modification systems are also widely dispersed across prokaryotes and certain eukaryotes such as basidiomycetes, chlorophyte and stramenopile alga, where they could serve as novel epigenetic marks for regulation or discrimination of self from non-self DNA. Our study extends the role of the PUA-like fold domains in recognition of modified nucleic acids and predicts versions of the ASCH and EVE domains to be novel ‘readers’ of modified bases in DNA. These results open opportunities for the investigation of the biology of these systems and their use in biotechnology.
Lentiviral Gene Delivery of vMIP-II to Transplanted Endothelial Cells and Endothelial Progenitors Is Proangiogenic In Vivo

Therapies that stimulate angiogenesis show promise in revascularization of transplanted or ischemic tissues. Viral macrophage inflammatory protein-II (vMIP-II) is encoded by human herpesvirus 8, and it can be both immunosuppressive and proangiogenic. However, little has been done to characterize the potential of vMIP-II-induced angiogenesis. We engineered a vMIP-II lentiviral gene vector, transduced both mature endothelial cells and progenitors, and transplanted these in Matrigel templates as an in vivo angiogenesis model. Our results show that vMIP-II promotes new, functional, branching, and segmented vessels associated with smooth muscle cells and connected with the host vasculature. Angiogenesis is enhanced through host cells as well as through transplanted vMIP-expressing endothelial cells. As a proof-of-concept for using vMIP-II in clinical applications, we showed that islets co-transplanted with endothelial cells expressing vMIP-II were revascularized and survived in Matrigel templates, whereas no islets survived under control conditions. vMIP-II up-regulates the expression of multiple proangiogenic factors that can have a synergistic effect. These include vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), kinase insert domain receptor, neuropilin 2, carcinoembryonic antigen-related cell adhesion molecule 1, interleukin-1 α , fibronectin, and integrins α 3, α 4, and α 5. These results provide the first demonstration that vMIP-II is proangiogenic in vivo and can deliver this function to endothelial progenitors as well as to mature endothelial cells through vector-mediated gene delivery.
Plowing Friction Under Harmonic Normal Loads

The influence of harmonic normal loads on sliding friction is investigated through analysis of contacts consisting of conical and spherical sliders of hard materials on softer metal surfaces. Friction for such contacts is assumed to result from a plowing component and a shearing component. Calculations and experiments show that the coefficient of friction is essentially independent of normal load for contacts with conical sliders. However, for spherical sliders the relation between the coefficient of friction and normal load is highly nonlinear. In the presence of harmonic variations in normal load, this non-linearity causes a shift in the average coefficient of friction. For ideal lubricated contacts, the shearing component of friction is very small and for this case, it is shown that the maximum average reduction in the coefficient of friction is ten percent. When the shearing component is more significant, as with dry contacts, the shift is less. For example, when the shear strength is one-sixth the hardness of the softer material, the maximum average reduction in the coefficient of friction is five percent.
Dynamics of microcantilever integrated with geometric nonlinearity for stable and broadband nonlinear atomic force microscopy

Abstract We explore the use of a nonlinear cantilever system integrating geometric nonlinearity for AFM imaging, in contrast from the traditional linear cantilever system. The intrinsically nonlinear AFM cantilever system exhibits broadband resonance over a bandwidth several times of its linear resonant frequency and possesses an intrinsic stability that virtually eliminates the instability induced by the tip–sample interactions involved in a linear AFM system, thus the artifact of image contrast reversal. The ability to realize broadband operation may extend the application of AFM to spectral analysis of tip–sample interactions across a broad frequency range at the nanoscale.
The effect of age and diabetes mellitus on serum levels of lymphotoxin

To determine whether chronic hyperglycemia or aging is associated with increased serum levels of lymphotoxin, sera were obtained from 29 insulin-treated diabetic patients and 50 healthy subjects ranging in age from 22 to 97 years old. An ELISA system specific for human lymphotoxin was developed with the lower limit of sensitivity at 76 pg/ml and interassay coefficient of variation of <7%. Serum levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha, interleukin 1 (IL-1) alpha and beta were measured with previously described ELISA system. The WEHI 164 cytotoxicity assay was used to measure bioassayable TNF-like activity. Of the 29 diabetic patients, seven had detectable serum immunoreactive lymphotoxin levels and three had bioassayable serum levels of TNF-like activity. In contrast, only one healthy subject had detectable serum lymphotoxin levels (p<0.01). Of the 22 diabetic patients who did not have detectable levels of lymphotoxin, 5 had detectable TNFα, 4 had detectable IL-1α, and none had detectable IL-1β levels. Thus, there was no correlation between serum lymphotoxin level and serum levels of TNF α, IL-1 α, or IL-1 β. Aging is not associated with altered serum levels of lymphotoxin while 24% of diabetic patients have increased serum levels of immunoreactive lymphotoxin.
Solubility and Foaming Properties of Phytate‐Reduced Soy Protein Isolate

A pilot scale ion exchange process was developed to produce a 75 - 77% phytate-reduced soy protein isolate. The solubility and foaming properties of this isolate were compared to those of control and commercial soy protein isolates as a function of protein concentration (5 and 10%, w/v), pH (3, 6 and 9) and preheat temperature (25, 60 and 80°C). Phytate-reduced soy protein extract exhibited minimum solubility at pH 4.8 - 5.0, compared to 4.2 - 4.5 for control soy extract. Phytate-reduced soy protein isolate was most soluble and functional at pH values below its isoelectric point (pH 3), whereas control and commercial soy isolates were generally most soluble and functional at pH values above their isoelectric point (pH 6 and 9).
Modeling and measurement of a micro-optic beam deflector

The use is studied of a unity-magnification micro-optic beam deflector. The defelector consists of two arrays of positively powered lenslets. The lenslets on each array are arranged in a square grid. Design criteria are based on usefulness in optical data storage devices. The deflector is designed to operate over a + or - 1.6 range of deflection angles. Modeling results are compared with interferometric analysis of the wavefront from a single lenslet pair. The results indicate that the device is nearly diffraction limited, but there are substantial wavefront errors at the edges and corners of the lenslets.
The temporomandibular joint pain-dysfunction syndrome: a frequent cause of headache.

SYNOPSIS One hundred consecutive headache clinic patients were evaluated prospectively for features of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) pain-dysfunction syndrome. The syndrome was identified in 14, mainly young women, who differed significantly in physical findings and headache associated symptoms from those with tension or vascular headache, but not in the frequency of anxiety-relieving chronic oral habits usually said to be causal. They resembled tension headache patients in their high incidence of associated depression, and most improved following treatment with physical therapy and tricyclic antidepressants. Radiologic joint abnormalities were uncommon. The TMJ pain-dysfunction syndrome appears to be a frequent, easily diagnosed, and easily treated, but usually unappreciated cause of headache distinct from other headache entities.
Heat transfer in the laminar creeping flow between parallel circular disks with eccentric inlet

W. M. ROHSENOW and H. CHOI, Heal, Mass and Momeninside vertical pipes with prescribed wall temperatures, fum Trrmsfer, p. 717. Prentice Hall, Englewood Cliffs, MS. Thesis, Kansas State College, Manhattan, Kansas (1963). (1959). P. C. Lu, A theoretical investigation of combined free 15. N. W. MCLACHLAN, Bessel Funcrions for Engineers, and forced convection heat generating laminar flow Oxford University Press, England (1934).
I Downloaded What?: An Examination of Computer Security Decisions:

Computer users are faced with seemingly minor security decisions on a daily basis. While much is known about decision-making in general, less is known about decision-making in the context of computer security. In the current experiment, 56 relatively knowledgeable computer users completed a decision-making task that included 24 scenarios which varied in terms of decision domain (computer vs. non-computer), risk (high vs. low), and gain-to-loss ratio (high gains/low losses, equal gains/losses, low gains/high losses). Results indicated that there was no difference between computer and non-computer decisions when risk and gain-to-loss ratio were held constant. However, these decision factors did interact to differentially influence decisions within each of these domains. Perception of risk greatly impacted computer decisions whereas the gain-to-loss ratio seemed to have a larger influence on the non-computer decisions. Potential directions for computer security software design, user training, and future rese...
Neighborhood Estimated Local Binary Patterns for Texture Classification

A novel texture classification approach based on neighborhood estimated local binary patterns (NELBP) is proposed. In the proposed approach, the local surrounding values of neighborhood estimated are introduced to operate binary patterns. Moreover, two different and complementary descriptors (average-based descriptor and differences-based descriptor) are extracted from local patches. Contrast experiments on Outex database and CUReT database demonstrate that the proposed NELBP is more robust to Gaussian noise than the conventional LBP for texture classification. In addition, the results also show that the combined complementary descriptor playes an important role in texture classification.
Teaching Principles of Enzyme Structure, Evolution, and Ca- talysis Using Bioinformatics

The study of enzyme function has greatly benefited from the increase in the number of gene sequences and the development of bioinformatics tools that allow for the rapid search of these vast sets of data, the integration of their results, and the linking of information regarding en- zyme families, function, chemical mechanism, and structures of homologous enzymes. Similarly, the development of free- ly available threading programs, which provide a 3-dimen- sional (3D) structural model of an enzyme of interest, have facilitated structural and functional studies that contribute to the understanding of the chemical mechanism of a target enzyme. These tools can also be used to teach basic prin- ciples of chemical biology, molecular evolution, and enzyme structure and function in silico. A training exercise for senior undergraduate students interested in working with enzymes is presented in this article. The exercise includes the use of bioinformatics programs to identify a target protein from a partial gene sequence, identify its family, and obtain a 3D model. The second part of the exercise consists of search- ing the literature database to provide a plausible chemical mechanism based on the available data from homologous enzymes.
Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence of arterial wall constituents: deconvolution algorithm and spectrotemporal characteristics

In this study, we had two objectives: (1) to develop an algorithm based on the Laguerre expansion of kernels technique for deconvoluting time-resolved fluorescence spectra; (2) to characterize the time-resolved emission of elastin and collagen, substances present in different amounts in healthy and diseased arterial wall. The transient fluorescence of purified samples excited with a Nitrogen laser pulse (3 ns) was measured at different wavelengths with an MCP-PMT and digitized at 2 Gsample/s. The deconvolution algorithm expressed the impulse response function as a weighted sum of Laguerre functions. We found that five Laguerre functions were sufficient to represent the fluorescence impulse response function for both substances. A fast-decay and a slow-decay components were identified in the impulse response function. The slow decay increased with the wavelength of emission ((lambda) ) for elastin (p < 0.05) whereas it decreased with (lambda) for collagen. The fast decay was independent of (lambda) for elastin and decreased with (lambda) for collagen. The fluorescence impulse response function can be retrieved even when the duration of the excitation pulse is in the range of the fluorescence lifetime. The dynamics of the temporal emission of collagen and elastin varies with the wavelength of emission suggesting that using temporally-resolved fluorescence spectra would improve optical analysis of the arterial wall.© (1997) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Yeast Mitochondrial Protein, Nfs1p, Coordinately Regulates Iron-Sulfur Cluster Proteins, Cellular Iron Uptake, and Iron Distribution *

Nfs1p is the yeast homolog of the bacterial proteins NifS and IscS, enzymes that release sulfur from cysteine for iron-sulfur cluster assembly. Here we show that the yeast mitochondrial protein Nfs1p regulates cellular and mitochondrial iron homeostasis. A strain of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, MA14, with a missenseNFS1 allele (I191S) was isolated in a screen for altered iron-dependent gene regulation. This mutant exhibited constitutive up-regulation of the genes of the cellular iron uptake system, mediated through effects on the Aft1p iron-regulatory protein. Iron accumulating in the mutant cells was retained in the mitochondrial matrix while, at the same time, iron-sulfur proteins were deficient. In this work, the yeast protein was localized to mitochondria, and the gene was shown to be essential for viability. Furthermore, Nfs1p in the MA14 mutant was found to be markedly decreased, suggesting that this low protein level produced the observed regulatory effects. This hypothesis was confirmed by experiments in which expression of wild-type Nfs1p from a regulated galactose-induced promoter was turned off, leading to recapitulation of the iron regulatory phenotypes characteristic of the MA14 mutant. These phenotypes include decreases in iron-sulfur protein activities coordinated with increases in cellular iron uptake and iron distribution to mitochondria.
Longshore current dislocation on barred beaches

[1] We present a numerical investigation of longshore currents driven by breaking waves on barred beaches. Alongshore inhomogeneity in the wave envelope or bathymetry leads to the generation of strong dipolar structures when the waves are breaking. The dynamics of these structures transfer momentum from the bar of the beach into the trough. This study is pursued using a new model that allows long simulation times and realistic wave amplitudes. We study two idealized settings that are expected to produce current dislocation, as observed in field experiments. In one setting the current maximum is dislocated; in the other the current is diffused, but the maximum is not shifted.
The use of imposed and self-selected training packages to establish classroom teaching skills1.

Although much is known about techniques for teaching elementary pupils in the classroom, no procedures have been consistently effective in training teachers to use these techniques. In the present study, six teacher trainees were observed individually and trained sequentially to use a variety of teaching skills: praise for academic responses, praise for appropriate classroom behavior, correction procedures for incorrect academic responses, and token fines. These skills were examined under four conditions: (1) baseline sessions were taught by the trainees before any instructions on the use of the teaching skills. (2) Instruction sessions were taught by the trainees after they were given instructions describing the use of several teaching skills. (3) During each Imposed-Package session, the trainees received modelling, verbal feedback, graphic feedback, and grade and quiz contingencies on their use of a particular teaching skill. (4) During each Self-Selected Package session, a grade contingency was in effect with the trainees choosing the components (modelling, verbal feedback, graphic feedback, quiz contingency) they wanted included in their training package for a particular skill. The effects of instructions were quite varied. Large increases on three of the four skills occurred with one trainee; almost no changes occurred with another trainee; and changes with the remaining four trainees fell within these extremes. The Imposed and Self-Selected Packages reliably increased the use of teaching skills, including those skills for which instructions had not been effective. The Self-Selected Package was considered to be as effective as the Imposed Package, since the time required for training a teaching skill varied from two to nine sessions with both packages. Under the Self-Selected Package, the trainees chose from modelling, verbal feedback, and graphic feedback, but none chose the quiz contingency. Questionnaire data collected after training showed that all six trainees preferred the Self-Selected Package to the Imposed Package. The effectiveness of the Self-Selected Package, together with the trainees' preference for it, suggests that it may be desirable for teacher training programs to specify the teaching skills, arrange a contingency for performance, and allow trainees to choose which additional components are to be used in each training session.
Infrared Laser Induced Fluorescence Studies of State Mixing in Ground Electronic State Molecules

During the past several years, infrared laser induced fluorescence experiments in our laboratory have been used to probe the nature of state mixing in the C—H stretch fundamental frequency region of various organic molecules. Both total and dispersed IR fluorescence have been collected from molecules, cooled and isolated in a molecular beam, after excitation with an infrared optical parametric oscillator. Measurements of the dilution factor, which is inversely related to the number of coupled states, as a function of molecule, vibrational band, and average J value excited have yielded the result that the extent of state mixing is J dependent and scales linearly with J. The extensive body of data on the dilution factors has also provided an empirical correlation between the dilution factors and the density of rovibrational states. This relationship shows that about 70 rovibrational states/cm−1 of proper J and symmetry are necessary to ensure substantial state mixing, regardless of molecular structure. The relative energy contents of various vibrational modes after laser excitation can also be determined. A statistical mixing model has been refined to the point of being able to predict dilution factors and their J dependence as well as the relative energy contents of the modes which are involved in the makeup of the mixed excited states. This model assumes equal coupling between all the zeroth order rovibrational states that have the correct energy, symmetry, and J to couple to a given optically active state. The only adjustable parameter in this model is the average energy width over which the character of the zeroth order optically active excited state is spread, which is determined to be ˜0.05 cm−1.
Perturbation methods for solid diffusion in a Stefan problem

Consider a one-dimensional, two-phase Stefan problem where one phase is a semi-infinite solid and the second, a semi-infinite liquid, and where the dependent variable represents a diffusive impurity concentration. Assume that the diffusion coefficient for the solid phase is much less than that for the liquid and that temperature is constant in space. In this paper, singular perturbation techniques are used to study this problem when the movement of the solid-liquid interface is governed by a thermodynamic perturbation in time which is large compared to the solid diffusion coefficient. Asymptotic expansions for the solid impurity concentration are given for solids that decay, grow, or have both periods of growth and decay. It is shown that when the thermodynamic perturbations lead to decay, the boundary layer in the solid impurity concentration is substantially narrower than in the absence of the thermodynamic perturbations. The significance of this narrowing is illustrated using the liquid-phase epitaxial...
Piecewise-linear-signal representation

A new method for representing a signal is provided. An exact representation of a piecewise linear approximation of the signal with a finite number of basis functions is presented.
Development and validation of a HPV-32 specific PCR assay.

Background Human Papillomavirus-32 (HPV-32) has traditionally been associated with focal-epithelial-hyperplasia (FEH). It is also present in 58% of oral warts of HIV-positive individuals whose prevalence is increasing. Current methods for the detection of HPV-32 are labor-intensive and insensitive so the goal of this work was to develop a highly sensitive and easy to use specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay.
HIV vaccine design: insights from live attenuated SIV vaccines

The International AIDS Vaccine Initiative has established a consortium to elucidate mechanisms of protection conferred by live attenuated simian immunodeficiency virus vaccines in monkeys. Here, the strategies defining key components of the protective immune response elicited by these vaccines are discussed.
Teaching reciprocal imitation skills to parents of young children with autism supports socially valid parent engagement with their children1

What is the effectiveness of parent-implemented reciprocal imitation training (RIT) with young children with autism. Abstracted from: Ingersoll B. & Gergans S. (2007). The effect of a parent-implem...
Improving Computational Efficiency for Personalized Medical Applications in Mobile Cloud Computing Environment

Mobile computing and cloud services are two technologies that have gained momentum in recent times. The proliferation of mobile computing devices and network connectivity has made it an attractive platform for delivering personalized services in many business domains including healthcare. Personalized health and wellness mobile applications have computational and data requirements that are necessitated by the localized processing needs of the application. The on-demand provisioning capability and elasticity of cloud services combined with the local processing capability of mobile devices can provide an ecosystem for pervasive access to health information. In this study we explore some of the specifics of these health and wellness applications. We introduce promotion algorithm as a mechanism to efficiently process data points locally by mobile devices. This algorithm can take advantage of the local processing power of smart phones and help reduce communication costs between mobile endpoint and cloud-based long-term data services. Experiments were performed using an Android smart phone for real time data acquisition of more than 10 million data points and a Linux server in a private cloud over 4G network simulating a health service. Results showed that the proposed algorithm could help preserve battery life by a factor of 10 and reduce data communication time by a factor of 20 as a result of utilizing local computation on a mobile device.
Evidence for a paralytic venom in the intertidal snail, Acanthina spirata (Neogastropoda: Thaisidae).

Abstract A paralyzing substance has been isolated from the hypobranchial glands and salivery-accessory salivary gland complex of Acanthina spirata , a predatory intertidal muricacean gastropod from southern California.
Catalyst−Nanostructure Interfacial Lattice Mismatch in Determining the Shape of VLS Grown Nanowires and Nanobelts: A Case of Sn/ZnO

Vapor-liquid-solid (VLS) is a well-established process in catalyst-guided growth of nanowires. The catalyst particle is generally believed to be in liquid state during growth, and it is the site for adsorbing incoming molecules; the crystalline structure of the catalyst may not have any influence on the structure of the grown one-dimensional nanostructures. In this paper, using tin particle guided growth of ZnO nanostructures as a model system, we show that the interfacial region of the tin particle with the ZnO nanowire/nanobelt could be ordered (or partially crystalline) during the VLS growth, although the local growth temperature is much higher than the melting point of tin, and the crystallographic lattice structure at the interface is important in defining the structural characteristics of the grown nanowires and nanobelts. The interface prefers to take the least lattice mismatch; thus, the crystalline orientation of the tin particle may determine the growth direction and the side surfaces of the nanowires and nanobelts. This result may have important impact on the understanding of the physical chemical process in the VLS growth.
Synthetic C-Nucleosides

Abstract Novel C-nucleosides have been prepared by elaboration of the aldehyde functionality in 2,5-anhydro-3,4,6-tri-0-benzoyl-L-mannose.