cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AuAg alloy nanomolecules with 38 metal atoms

Au38−nAgn(SCH2CH2Ph)24 alloy nanomolecules were synthesized, purified and characterized by MALDI TOF mass spectrometry. Similar to 25 and unlike 144 metal atom count AuAg alloy nanomolecules, incorporation of Ag atoms here results in loss or smearing out of distinct UV-vis features. We propose that the short and long staples contain Au atoms, while the inner core consists of both Au and Ag atoms.
CTLA4 blockade expands FoxP3+ regulatory and activated effector CD4+ T cells in a dose-dependent fashion

Cytotoxic T lymphocyte-associated antigen 4 (CTLA4) delivers inhibitory signals to activated T cells. CTLA4 is constitutively expressed on regulatory CD4(+) T cells (Tregs), but its role in these cells remains unclear. CTLA4 blockade has been shown to induce antitumor immunity. In this study, we examined the effects of anti-CTLA4 antibody on the endogenous CD4(+) T cells in cancer patients. We show that CTLA4 blockade induces an increase not only in the number of activated effector CD4(+) T cells, but also in the number of CD4(+) FoxP3(+) Tregs. Although the effects were dose-dependent, CD4(+) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells could be expanded at lower antibody doses. In contrast, expansion of effector T cells was seen only at the highest dose level studied. Moreover, these expanded CD4(+) FoxP3(+) regulatory T cells are induced to proliferate with treatment and possess suppressor function. Our results demonstrate that treatment with anti-CTLA4 antibody does not deplete human CD4(+) FoxP3(+) Tregs in vivo, but rather may mediate its effects through the activation of effector T cells. Our results also suggest that CTLA4 may inhibit Treg proliferation similar to its role on effector T cells. This study is registered at http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00064129, registry number NCT00064129.
THE GIANT NUCLEAR DIPOLE RESONANCE

We have applied the collective description of nucleon interactions to the investigation of the giant dipole resonance in heavy nuclei. Our method follows closely that developed by Bohm and Pines for the treatment of electron-electron interactions in metals. We start with a system of individual nucleons, interacting via short-range two-body forces, and investigate to what extent these forces lead to collective behavior.
Component Content Management: Shaping the Discourse through Innovation Diffusion Research and Reciprocity

Component content management (CCM) is profoundly changing technical communication (TC) work, yet TC scholars have been largely absent from the CCM discourse that is shaping that work. This article explores the notion of reciprocity as a way for scholars to gain agency in the CCM discourse. The author argues that innovation diffusion studies can provide rich opportunities for enacting reciprocity. She offers her own CCM diffusion study to demonstrate the potential value of this model.
Insulin binding to plasma membranes

Insulin binding to plasma membranes from rat epididymal fat pad, liver, brain and human red blood cell membranes was estimated by the displacement of [125I]-insulin by native insulin. Membranes isolated from rat epididymal fat pad bound more insulin than rat liver plasma membranes. Rat brain and human red cell membranes bound essentially no insulin. Glucose bound to fat pad membranes and this binding was decreased by insulin. The binding of labeled insulin was reduced in proportion to the relative concentration of labeled and unlabeled insulin. Maximum insulin binding required the presence of Na+, K+ and glucose. The binding of insulin was not altered by the insulin derivatives: sulfonated B chain, reduced-reoxidized insulin and oxidized B chain. The binding of insulin was inhibited in proportion to the concentration of added guinea pig anti-insulin serum. An increase in insulin binding was obtained following treatment of fat pad membranes with either phospholipase C or trypsin.
Comparison of spherical and non-spherical particles in microchannels under dielectrophoretic force

This paper focuses on the computational and experimental study of dielectrophoretic (DEP) force based manipulation of spherical and non-spherical particles by taking into consideration of both electrokinetic effects and particle hydrodynamics. The model is first validated with conventional dipole moment theory. The movements of a spherical polystyrene particle and a rod-shape particle under a non-uniform electric field created by a pair of non-symmetrical electrodes in a microfluidic channel are studied, and a good agreement between the simulation and experimental results is obtained. Both experimental and simulation results reveal that the rod-shape particle experiences larger DEP force and moves faster than spherical particle with a similar mass. It was also interestingly found that the shape-dependent DEP force distribution on the microscale rod particle results in its unique behavior, which cannot be captured by traditional DEP theory.
Critical energy for photopolymerization of ceramic suspensions in acrylate monomers

Abstract The critical energy dose E c required for photopolymerization of silica and alumina suspensions in acrylate monomers was measured for a large series of suspensions, and contrasted with a model that based on the assumption that E c is the dose necessary to exhaust the polymerization inhibitors. The major predictions of the model were in good agreement with the data: E c is inversely proportional to photoinitiator concentration, directly proportional to inert dye concentration, and directly proportional to the concentration of inhibitors.
Building Project Scope Definition Using Project Definition Rating Index

Poor scope definition is recognized by industry practitioners as one of the leading causes of project failure, adversely affecting projects in the areas of cost, schedule, and operational characteristics. Unfortunately, many owner and contractor organizations do a poor job of adequately defining a project's scope leading to a poor design basis. A research team constituted by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) has developed the Project Definition Rating Index (PDRI) to address scope definition in the building sector. The PDRI for buildings is a comprehensive, weighted checklist of 64 scope definition elements presented in a score sheet format. It provides a tool for an individual or project team to objectively evaluate the status of a building project during preproject planning. This paper will discuss the PDRI development process, including input from over 100 industry professionals. Key project scope definition elements will be identified. The PDRI validation procedure, involving over 50 projects,...
Micromechanical modeling of stress distribution in undulated composites under axial loading

The previously developed micromechanical model to predict the thermoelastic response of unidirectionally reinforced fibrous composites (Nayfeh and Abdelrahman, 1997) is extended for the case of undulated fiber reinforcement under axial loading. For the present purposes, the composite is modeled as a concentric cylindrical system laterally constrained such that it satisfies the periodicity condition of the unidirectionally reinforced composites. The field equations, combined with the interface, boundary and symmetry conditions, are first solved for the stress distribution in the system for cases involving straight fibers. Based upon local directions (slopes) of the undulated fibers, the linear transformation is used to obtain local stress distributions along the undulated fibers. The total stress field is found to be combinations of these local stresses and the inherent contributions obtained from the transformations of the normal loads along the undulated directions in the absence of reinforcement. The results of this modeling are compared with finite element computations for a variety of situations.
THE ECONOMISTS OF THE LOST CAUSE AND THE MONETARY EDUCATION OF JOHN R. COMMONS

Wild price swings following World War I motivated some economists and their allies to start a stable money campaign. John R. Commons joined this campaign, and the story of his participation opens a window into an historical learning episode in which the campaign, though it failed, sparked intellectual efforts and interacted with events in ways that changed beliefs about relations between central bank actions, on the one hand, and unemployment, inflation, and economic growth, on the other. The paper dwells on Commons’ role and on the long learning experience that led participants to conclusions they could not have anticipated when they embarked on their campaign.
Creating Inequality: Breaking the Rules in Debates

As both unabashed contests for power and forums for political candidates who, presumably, already have relatively substantial societal power, political debates offer a site for investigating the creation of more powerful language use for some, less powerful for others. Since the canonical debate form promises an equal distribution of turns and topic control to all debators through prespecification of practically everything that might vary in conversation (Sacks, Schegloff & Jefferson, 1974), the instances within actual debate which violate rules for prespecification are prime sites for revealing gender issues. The out of order and oddly functioning talk in six televised political debates was analysed, holding the promise of fairness of canonical debates as a yardstick. Un-rule-y talk violated rules for who was to speak (uninvited and out of turn order UNs) and what was to be happening (unexpected and oddly functioning MOVEs). UNs and MOVEs were categorised, sorted, and analysed as to where they occurred, ...
Habit-reversal: a method of eliminating nervous habits and tics.

Abstract No clinical treatment for nervous habits has been generally effective. The present rationale is that nervous habits persist because of response chaining, limited awareness, excessive practice and social tolerance. A new procedure was devised for counteracting these influences: the client practiced movements which were the reverse of the nervous habit, he learned to be aware of each instance of the habit and to differentiate it from its usual response chain and he was given social approval for his efforts to inhibit the habit. The treatment was given during a single session to 12 clients who had diverse nervous habits such as nail-biting, thumb-sucking, eyelash-picking, head-jerking, shoulder-jerking, tongue-pushing and lisping. The habits were virtually eliminated on the very first day for all 12 clients and did not return during the extended follow-up for the 11 clients who followed the instructions.
Stability of Lysine, Methionine, and Tryptophan in Dried Whey Concentrate During Storage

Abstract Samples of dried whey protein concentrate at water activities .15, .24, .31, and .41 were stored for up to 6 mo at −40, 5, 20, and 40°C. After storage the protein was hydrolyzed and the concentrations of methionine, available lysine, and tryptophan were determined by HPLC. Methionine and tryptophan contents did not change significantly during storage at any of the conditions tested. The available lysine content decreased most at the highest water activity (.41) and the highest temperature (40°C), the loss being 23% after 3 mo. Losses of lysine were influenced more by temperature than by water activity within the range of conditions tested. At temperatures of 20°C or lower, losses of lysine after 6 mo of storage were less than 8% at all water activities tested.
Collision kernels for the Waldmann-Snider equation: generalization to gas mixtures

Abstract In this paper we generalize the collision kernel method, which had only been worked out for the test particle limit of the linearized Waldmann-Snider equations, to the general linearized Waldmann-Snider equations for non-equilibrium gas mixtures of finite concentration. By using the total angular momentum representation for the transition matrix and a suitable coordinate transformation, which takes advantage of the rotational symmetries of the kernel, the ten-dimensional collision integrals are reduced to sets of two-dimensional integrals. The transformation by Hilbert of the classical Boltzmann equation for rigid spheres to a Fredholm integral equation with symmetric kernel has thus been extended to the Waldmann-Snider equation for diatomic molecules. This transformation enables the extension of collocation methods, which have been profitably used with model Boltzmann equations, to quantum Boltzmann equations that describe the kinetic theory of gases with real molecules.
Structural fixation of spontaneous vesicles in aqueous mixtures of polymerizable anionic and cationic surfactants

Two polymerizable surfactants, cationic methacryloyloxyundecyl trimethylammonium bromide and anionic sodium 4-(ω-methacryloyloxyundecyl)oxy benzene sulfonate, have been synthesized. The microstructures formed by mixtures of these surfactants in aqueous solution include stable vesicles, the structure of which can be fixed by polymerization. Both native and polymerized vesicles are characterized using quasi-elastic and static light scattering, small-angle neutron scattering, and cryogenic transmission electron microscopy. Polymerization captures the bilayer structure without creating appreciable intervesicle cross-linking.
Soluble HLA Class I Antigens in Patients with Type I Diabetes and Their Family Members

Our objective was to study a possible contribution of MHC genes to S-HLA-I secretion in patients with Type I diabetes. Quantitatively, we used a highly sensitive enzyme-linked immunoassay to measure S-HLA-I in the serum of a total of 39 patients with Type I diabetes, as well as 36 kinships of 12 diabetic patients and 82 normal individuals with known HLA-phenotypes. S-HLA-I levels were abnormally elevated in patients or their non-diabetic relatives compared to normal controls (p < 0.0009). No complete HLA-haplotype had been identified to be correlated with high or low S-HLA-I secretion. Only the HLA-A23 or A24 (splits of HLA-A9) positive individuals sera were found to contain high S-HLA-I concentrations in all populations studied. The difference in S-HLA-I levels of HLA-A24 patients (n = 4) or their HLA-A24 positive non-diabetic relatives (n = 10) to the group of HLA-A24 normal controls (n = 15) was statistically highly significant (p < 0.0005 and p < 0.0009, respectively). The results suggests that HLA-A24 may confer additional independent risk for the disease expression in male children but not in female siblings. Nevertheless, the data implies that the patients or their non-diabetic relatives carrying the HLA-A24 have increased risk of developing ICA associated with high S-HLA-I levels compared to HLA-A24 negative probands or their kinships with low levels of S-HLA-I. This effect occurred irrespective to other diabetes related HLA-DR alleles. In summary, the results show a pronounced genetic heterogeneity of Type I diabetes with MHC control of the expression of S-HLA-I and possible involvement of hormonal factors that might potentiate a specific synthesis of S-HLA-I. The findings have implications for identifying individuals with a possible risk for developing the disease.
Affine invariant parameterization to assess local shape in abdominal organs

We present a novel method for three-dimensional (3D) shape parameterization. The approach is affine invariant and is applied to comparing local shape across abdominal organs. The inherent structure of the abdominal organs is used to generate a regular sampling of the organ's surface. 'Planar-convexity' is defined for a general 3D closed object as the property that there exists a set of parallel planes which cover the 3D space such that every intersection of a plane with the object is a singular closed planar curve. We show that this parameterization, combined with the 3D analogue of a 2D shape descriptor, successfully shown to be invariant under affine transformations and noise, can be effectively used to compare features of two closed 3D surfaces point-to-point. The technique avoids common problems with the parameterization of concave surfaces and shows great potential for analyzing and improving the automatic modeling and segmentation of abdominal organs.
Photochemical conversion of triclosan to 2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin in aqueous solution

The direct photolysis of triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol), an antimicrobial additive commonly detected in surface waters, is studied. It is found that 2,8-dichlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (2,8-DCDD) is produced in both buffered and natural (Mississippi River) water with yields ranging from 1 to 12% under a variety of conditions. This result indicates that triclosan is likely converted to 2,8-DCDD in sunlight-irradiated surface waters.
Ladders, pyramids and champagne: the iconography of health inequities

Conceptual models are crucial for theorising, depicting and explaining population distributions of health inequities. This is because a visual conceptual model, like a map, can simultaneously organise and spur ideas and observations. Incorporating both imagery and metaphor, visual models not only illustrate key constructs and causal relationships specified by scientific theories but also provide an important tool for integrating and evaluating rapidly emerging findings and for guiding new research. It therefore is instructive to consider and contrast different sets of images appearing in the public health, policy and popular literature pertaining to (1) social stratification, (2) determinants of population health and (3) determinants of health inequities. At issue is how different types of images illuminate, or obscure, the relevant causal processes that need to be altered to improve population health and reduce health inequities. Of particular concern are conceptual confusions created when (a) models inaccurately depict the distribution of population and resources and (b) models of determinants of population health, rather than of determinants of health inequities, are used in discussions about social inequalities in health. Although perhaps a pragmatic argument can be made for use of less politically controversial imagery in policy-oriented documents, I would argue that the public's health will be better served by an iconoclastic iconography, one that clearly and unequivocally delineates the social facts of skewed distributions of power and resources and depicts the societal processes that generate and maintain these distributions and their embodiment in population levels and distributions of health, disease and well-being.
Continuous awareness: a visual mobile approach

With the proliferation of globally distributed projects, there has been an urgent need for continuous coordination and continuous awareness support. Traditional desktop-based approaches are insufficient for the requirements of continuous awareness. Team Radar Mobile takes a visual mobile approach to continuous awareness by visualizing awareness information on mobile platforms. The concept of continuous awareness and its implementation on multiple platforms are discussed. An experiment has evaluated the visual mobile approach to continuous awareness, and validated the design principles of mobile visualization.
Hormonally Mediated Modifications of Neuronal Structure, Synaptic Connectivity, and Behavior During Metamorphosis of the Tobacco Hornworm, Manduca sexta

During insect metamorphosis, each life stage (larva, pupa, adult) exhibits a largely distinct behavioral repertoire. This turnover in behaviors is accompanied by extensive remodelling of the nervous system, which is controlled hormonally. A fundamental question raised by metamorphosis is how hormonal effects on the structure and function of individual neurons ultimately produce changes in behavior. We have examined this question in the tobacco hornworm moth, Manduca sexta . During the larval-pupal transformation of Manduca , the motoneurons innervating muscles of the abdominal prolegs (larval locomotory appendages) undergo an extensive dendritic regression that is triggered by ecdysteroid hormones. Over the same time period, behaviors involving the prolegs weaken and disappear. In this review we describe experiments examining the relationship between hormonally mediated proleg motoneuron regression, and the elimination of the proleg behaviors. In the case of a simple monosynaptic sensory-to-motoneuron reflex, and a peptide-activated rhythmic ecdysis motor pattern, we suggest that the ecdysteroid-mediated regression of the motoneuron arbors contributes to the developmental loss of the behaviors. In a third example, involving the activity of another class of motoneurons during peptide-activated pre-ecdysis motor patterns, the behavioral changes apparently originate at the interneuronal rather than motoneuronal level. We conclude that the hormonally mediated dendritic regression of neurons, and resultant modifications of their synaptic connections, is one of the mechanisms that contributes to the elimination of outmodedbehaviors during metamorphosis.
Johannes Weigelt: Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and their Paleobiological Implications (translated by Judith Schaefer)

(1990). Johannes Weigelt: Recent Vertebrate Carcasses and their Paleobiological Implications (translated by Judith Schaefer) Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology: Vol. 10, 50th Anniversary - 1990, pp. 134-135.
Philosophical Logic and Artificial Intelligence

Collected in this issue of The Journal of Philosophical Logic are papers by distinguished researchers in computer science, representing some of the current work in philosophical logic that is now going on within the field of artificial intelligence. Readers of the Journal will see at once that this is research in philosophical logic, even though it originates in institutions devoted to computer science.
Mass production, infectivity, and field application studies with the entomogenous fungus Paecilomyces farinosus

Abstract Hyphal bodies (HB) of the entomogenous fungus Paecilomyces farinosus mass produced in shaken liquid cultures are infective per os and topically to Spodoptera exigua larvae. Pathogenicity of HB was greatest at pH 5.5. It was reduced by exposure for more than one-half hour to temperatures above 30°C. P. farinosus infected, killed, and produced mycelia on the surface of first-instar S. exigua larvae at a temperature—relative humidity combination as low at 15°C and 70% RH. Using two types of microdroplet applicators (droplet in the size range 1–30 and 30–90 μm, respectively) under field conditions, HB were delivered to distances of 76 m from the site of spraying. The number of HB deposited on the leaf surfaces of treated crops caused mortality of 70 to 90% in bioassayed larvae.
Macrophage uptake and recycling of ascorbic acid: Response to activation by lipopolysaccharide

To test whether ascorbic acid might be involved in the antioxidant defenses of inflammatory cells, we studied ascorbate uptake and recycling by quiescent and lipopolysaccharide-activated RAW264.7 murine macrophages. These cells concentrated ascorbate 100-fold in overnight culture, achieving steady-state concentrations of more than 10 mM at extracellular concentrations of 20-100 muM. This steep gradient was generated by high-affinity sodium-dependent ascorbate transport. The latter likely reflects function of the SVCT2 (SLC23A2), since this protein was detected on immunoblots. Dehydroascorbate, the two-electron oxidized form of ascorbate, was also taken up and reduced to ascorbate by the cells. Dehydroascorbate reduction required rapid recycling of GSH from GSSG by glutathione reductase. Activation of ascorbate-containing macrophages with lipopolysaccharide transiently depleted intracellular ascorbate without affecting GSH. Recovery of intracellular ascorbate required function of the SVCT2 transporter, the activity of which was modestly enhanced by lipopolysaccharide. Lipopolysaccharide treatment nearly doubled intracellular GSH concentrations over 2 h. Despite lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidant stress, this GSH increase was associated with a comparable increase in reduction of dehydroascorbate to ascorbate. These results show that macrophages maintain millimolar concentrations of ascorbate through function of the SVCT2 and that activated cells have an enhanced ability to transport and recycle ascorbate, possibly reflecting its role as an intracellular antioxidant.
An Empirical Evaluation of the Diagnostic Criteria for Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder: Problems with Sex Specificity and Validity

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder is a psychiatric disorder that reportedly affects between 3 to 8% of women. Although not an official diagnosis in the current Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, premenstrual dysphoric disorder has received increasing attention in the clinical literature, and considerable debate exists regarding the validity of this proposed condition. This study examined the prevalence of premenstrual dysphoric disorder in a sample of women and men and assessed the construct validity of the disorder. Twenty percent of women met the criteria for provisional diagnosis of premenstrual dysphoric disorder using Diagnostic and Statistical Manual criteria. In addition, 4% of men met these criteria when given sex-neutral assessment forms. Self-reported psychological distress and impaired interpersonal functioning did not predict women's likelihood of meeting the criteria for premenstrual dysphoric disorder. Results cast doubt on the sex-specificity of the diagnostic criteria of ...
Breaking Down Classroom Walls: Fostering Improved Communication and Relations Between Engineers and Tradesmen Through a Joint Semester Project

Recent engineering education research has suggested that most engineering curricula does not promote attainment of many characteristics desired in practicing engineers [1][2]. One such characteristic is effective communication with workers in other disciplines. A method to attain improved communication is simulation of workplace situations in the educational environment [3][4]. In an effort to improve communication between trades and to foster a higher appreciation for the other field, a project simulating the working relationship between engineers and machinists was implemented via a joint semester project coupling a Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machining course and an engineering design course. A significant body of knowledge exists regarding multidisciplinary education for engineering students. Nearly all of the multidisciplinary projects involve one discipline of engineering working with another engineering discipline (i.e. mechanical engineering students working with electrical engineering students). The multidisciplinary work between different disciplines of engineering students has documented benefits; however, the two groups of students are on a similar communication level. By coupling junior and senior level bachelor degree-seeking engineering students with students primarily pursuing a 1 year CNC machining certificate, many communication barriers are encountered that are not seen in typical university multidisciplinary projects. The students from the engineering class were tasked with designing a simple assembly that performs a specified function. The engineering student was responsible for generating a complete set of manufacturing prints. Each engineering student was matched with a group of two or three CNC machining students, who were responsible for manufacturing the parts designed by the engineering student. This type of collaboration closely simulates the design engineer working with the manufacturing shop floor employee in determining how a part is best produced and taking the project to completion by manufacturing and assembly of that part. Data collection methods included student surveys and instructor observations. Primary student outcomes appeared to be; 1) an appreciation for the importance of communication and, 2) greater understanding of the complete process needed to produce a product. The primary difficulties the students encountered were due to communication issues and project management breakdowns. Efforts to address these issues and other lessons learned will be discussed.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Collateral Values by Asset Class: Evidence from Primary Securities Dealers

Using data on repurchase agreements by primary securities dealers, we show that three classes of securities (Treasury securities, securities issued by government-sponsored agencies, and mortgage-backed securities) can be formally ranked in terms of their collateral values in the general collateral(GC) market. We then show that GC repurchase agreement (repo) spreads across asset classes display jumps and significant temporal variation, especially at times of predictable liquidity needs, consistent with the “safe haven” properties of Treasury securities: These jumps are driven almost entirely by the behavior of the GC repo rates of Treasury securities. Estimating the “collateral rents” earned by owners of these securities, we find such rents to be sizable for Treasury securities and nearly zero for agency and mortgage-backed securities. Finally, we link collateral values to asset prices in a simple no-arbitrage framework and show that variations in collateral values explain a significant fraction of changes in short-term yield spreads but not those of longer-term spreads. Our results point to securities’ role as collateral as a promising direction of research to improve understanding of the pricing of money market securities and their spreads. (JEL G12, G23)
Phylogenetic molecular function annotation

It is now easier to discover thousands of protein sequences in a new microbial genome than it is to biochemically characterize the specific activity of a single protein of unknown function. The molecular functions of protein sequences have typically been predicted using homology-based computational methods, which rely on the principle that homologous proteins share a similar function. However, some protein families include groups of proteins with different molecular functions. A phylogenetic approach for predicting molecular function (sometimes called "phylogenomics") is an effective means to predict protein molecular function. These methods incorporate functional evidence from all members of a family that have functional characterizations using the evolutionary history of the protein family to make robust predictions for the uncharacterized proteins. However, they are often difficult to apply on a genome-wide scale because of the time-consuming step of reconstructing the phylogenies of each protein to be annotated. Our automated approach for function annotation using phylogeny, the SIFTER (Statistical Inference of Function Through Evolutionary Relationships) methodology, uses a statistical graphical model to compute the probabilities of molecular functions for unannotated proteins. Our benchmark tests showed that SIFTER provides accurate functional predictions on various protein families, outperforming other available methods.
Examining Shades of Grey with Students: Social Justice Education in Action

The researcher undertook a critical examination of an innovative social justice education course being piloted at an urban high school in the prairie region of western Canada. The research involved observations, conversations, document analysis, and in-depth interviews with a small number of students and teachers, in order to analyze the daily experiences, challenges, and successes of a group of students and teachers who have undertaken to address issues of discrimination, social justice, and human rights in their school. This research links ongoing academic and school work by focusing attention on the experiences of a specific group of students and their teachers in a unique and promising social justice education program. Findings point to a number of strengths of the course, including the comprehensive nature of the information surveyed, the strong theme of student involvement, the passion and commitment of the teachers, their honoring the complexity of understanding current social justice issues, the appropriateness of the course to student interests and strengths, the inquiry approach taken by the teachers, and the daily use of technology and the Internet in their learning.
Plant Damage and Yield Response to the Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) on Susceptible and Resistant Winter Wheats in Colorado

Plant damage and yield response to the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), were evaluated on a susceptible (TAM 107) and a resistant (RWA E1) winter wheat, Triticum aestivum L., in three Colorado locations in the 1993 and 1994 crop years. Russian wheat aphid was more abundant on TAM 107 than on RWA E1. Russian wheat aphid days per tiller were greater at the higher infestation levels. Yield losses as a result of Russian wheat aphid infestation occurred most of the time with TAM 107 but rarely with RWA E1. Seed densities were reduced at higher infestation levels in TAM 107 at two locations. Russian wheat aphids per tiller had a negative relationship to yield in TAM 107 but not in RWA E1. In TAM 107 yield decreased as aphid densities increased, but yield remained constant regardless of initial aphid abundance on RWA E1 in all environments. Seed densities were reduced at higher infestation levels in TAM 107 at two locations. The resistance conferred by the Dn4 gene seems to be an effective management approach across a range of field conditions.
Needle-Sharing: A Longitudinal Study of Psychosocial Risk and Protective Factors

The authors examined the psychosocial correlates of needle-sharing behavior at two points in time (T1 and T2) by use of a prospective longitudinal design. Subjects were 278 male intravenous drug users, 111 of whom were HIV-positive. All subjects were given structured questionnaires by trained, ethnically matched interviewers. Pearson correlation coefficients (TS) and hierarchical regression analyses were done to examine interrelationships among T1 psychosocial domains, T1 needle-sharing, and T2 needle-sharing. T1 psychosociallpersonality factors predicting T2 needle-sharing included unconventionality, poor emotional control, and poor intrapsychic functioning. The relationship of T1 needle-sharing to T2 needle-sharing was buffered by the T1 psychosocial protective factors. The findings supported a mediational model, in which personality and peer factors predicted T1 needle-sharing, which served as the mediator for T2 needle-sharing.
Self-evaluation, creativity, and musical achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between students’ self-assessments of their musical compositions and experts’ assessments. College students (N = 54) who were enrolled in a...
The Impact of Technology Node Scaling on nMOS SPDT RF Switches

This work presents a comparison of three single-pole double-throw (SPDT) nMOS RF switches implemented in commercially available Si-based 180, 130, and 90 nm technologies. In addition, a new series-shunt switch is presented that offers a means to improve switch isolation. Measured results of these RF switches demonstrates how technology node scaling impacts RF switch design and provides insight into the complicated trade-offs between insertion loss, isolation, and linearity.
Incomplete Right Bundle-Branch Block: An Electrocardiographic Enigma and Possible Misnomer

Incomplete right bundle-branch block (IRBBB) usually is thought to be associated with abnormalities of the peripheral Purkinje system. This paper discusses the results of a study of six dogs from the same family and three nonrelated dogs with congenital IRBBB. Cardiac catheterization data were normal, and no evidence or history of cardiac disease was found before or after death. The depolarization sequence of ventricular epicardial activation was determined, and delays in right ventricular (RV) epicardial activation times were observed. Multipoint intramural electrodes were used to study intramural activation of the ventricular septum and free walls. The "electrical thickness" near the base of the RV mass was more than double that of the normal RV mass (9 vs 4 mm). Conduction along the right bundle branch (RBB) was analyzed during cardiopulmonary bypass, and electrograms recorded simultaneously from six sites along the RBB demonstrated that conduction velocity down the bundle was normal. The normal time o...
Determinants of sensitization of carotid baroreceptors by pulsatile pressure in dogs.

The threshold pressure of single baroreceptor units is decreased after compared with before exposure to pulsatile pressure according to previous studies in our laboratory. The purpose of the present study is to characterize the determinants of sensitization of arterial baroreceptors by pulsatile pressure. Carotid sinus nerve activity was recorded in dogs anesthetized with chloralose. Two indexes of baroreceptor "sensitivity" were obtained by comparing nerve activity before and immediately after exposure of the isolated carotid sinus to pulsatile pressure for periods up to 10 minutes. Sensitization occurred 1) when the threshold pressure of single baroreceptor units determined with a slow nonpulsatile ramp decreased after as compared with before pulsing and 2) when multiple unit activity increased after as compared with before pulsing at various mean levels of static pressure. Sensitization was evident after pulsing at mean pressure of 50 and 100 mm Hg, but not at 150 and 200 mm Hg, and was caused by the pulsatile change in diameter or deformation and not by the pulsatile change in wall tension. The magnitude of the effect was directly related to the duration of the pulsing period and to the frequency and amplitude of the pressure pulses. The sensitization could not be explained by increased diameter (sonomicrometers) or strain of the carotid sinus at the same pressure after pulsing; thus, there was an increase in "strain sensitivity" that outlasted the period of pulsing by up to several minutes. In most experiments the shift from static to pulsatile pressure at 50 and 100 mm Hg caused an increase in nerve activity, yet sensitization occurred after pulsing when one would have expected postexcitatory hyperpolarization or depression of activity upon return to static pressure. The sensitization was not caused by the release of prostacyclin from the endothelium since it was not reduced after endothelial denudation or inhibition of cyclooxygenase with indomethacin (30-80 microM) or ibuprofen (250 microM). We speculate that sensitization of baroreceptors by pulsatile pressure may contribute to the decreased sympathetic activity after periods of elevated pulse pressure (e.g., after exercise). We also propose that the decreased sensitivity of baroreceptors after acute elevation of arterial pressure (acute resetting) may be offset in part by the sensitizing effect of increased pulsatile stretch.
Effects of extended speaking on resonance of patients with cleft palate.

Abstract Groups of listeners and rating scales were used to study the effects of extended speaking on resonance and voice quality in eight adults with cleft palate and mild to moderate hypernasality and a matched group of noncleft adults, with normal resonance and voice quality. Authors interpret their findings as indicating that resonance changes were greater and vocal quality changes less, for the cleft group, but that changes were not extensive nor always in the direction of increased hypernasality or decreased vocal quality.
Cross-Coupled ILC for Improved Precision Motion Control: Design and Implementation

This paper presents an improved method for precision motion control by combining individual axis iterative learning control (ILC) and cross-coupled ILC (CCILC) into a single control input [1]. CCILC is a new method in which a multiaxis cross-coupled controller (CCC) is reformatted into a single-input single-output (SISO) ILC approach. Applying the techniques of ILC to CCC enables learning of the cross-coupled error which leads to a modified control signal and subsequent improvements in the contour trajectory tracking performance. In this paper, performance of the combined ILC and CCILC system is compared to existing control systems through computer simulations and experimental testing on a microscale robotic deposition (mu-RD) system [2]. Sufficient stability and convergence properties for the combined system are presented along with a modified approach for determining monotonic convergence of systems that are computationally challenging. The combined design is shown to enhance the precision motion control of the mu-RD system through performance improvements in individual axis tracking and contour tracking.
The Science-Practice Gap Among Recreation Managers With HR Responsibilities

Researchers across management fields continue to recognize the importance of conducting research that matters to practitioners (e.g., Nowicki & Rosse, 2001; Ford, Duncan, Bedeian, Ginter, Rousculp, & Adams, 2003) yet continue to point out the schism that exists between needs of practitioners and research interests of academics. This paper presents the results of a research study conducted to explore the use and knowledge of sound HR hiring practices among leisure service professionals in NY State. Findings indicate that leisure service managers lack a sufficient amount of HR-specific knowledge to do their jobs soundly from a legal perspective.
Evaluation of Nitrogen Utilization in Patients Receiving Total Parenteral Nutrition

This two phase study evaluates nitrogen utilization by the body as a function of fixed caloric intake but different nitrogen loads. Nitrogen use by the body was estimated from measures of nitrogen balance, net protein utilization, and urea accumulation rate. Phase 1 of this study included 411 measurements of nitrogen use in 120 patients assigned, according to clinical condition, to receive one of the four following therapies: dextrose (D) 25%, amino acids (CAA) 4.25% (Group 1); D 35%, CAA 4.25% (Group 2); D 25%, CAA 21.3% (Group 3); or D 35%, CAA 21.3% (Group 4). Forty patients in Phase 2 were assigned in a randomized, prospective, double blind manner, to receive one of the following regimens; D 35%, CAA 2.75% (Group 5); D 25%, CAA 2.75% (Group 6); D 35%, CAA 4.25% (Group 7); or D 25%, CAA 4.25% (Group 8). In Phase 1, positive nitrogen balance was achieved with the exception of Group 3 where neither the estimated caloric nor nitrogen needs of the patients were met. It appeared that protein utilization was maximal in patients receiving the therapy of highest calorie:nitrogen ratio (Group 4). Phase 2 patients achieved positive nitrogen balance to the same extent (p greater than 0.05) and although net protein utilization improved from 53 to 71%/d as the calorie:nitrogen ratio was increased, the differences were not significant (p greater than 0.05). There was a significant improvement in total iron binding capacity in Phase 2 patients (p less than 0.01) that was most prominent at the lower concentrations of amino acids (high cal:n ratio) (Groups 5 and 6). Smaller amounts of nitrogen appear adequate in producing a positive nitrogen balance and may be better utilized in hospitalized patients if the patients' caloric requirements are achieved.
Multidecadal variability of atmospheric methane, 1000–1800 C.E.

[1] We present a new high-precision, high-resolution record of atmospheric methane from the West Antarctic Ice Sheet (WAIS) Divide ice core covering 1000–1800 C.E., a time period known as the late preindustrial Holocene (LPIH). The results are consistent with previous measurements from the Law Dome ice core, the only other high-resolution record of methane for this time period, and confirm most of the observed variability. Multidecadal variability in methane concentrations throughout the LPIH is weakly correlated or uncorrelated with reconstructions of temperature and precipitation from a variety of geographic regions. Correlations with temperature are dominated by changes in Northern Hemisphere high latitude temperatures between 1400 and 1600 C.E. during the onset of the Little Ice Age. Times of war and plague when large population losses could have reduced anthropogenic emissions are coincident with short periods of decreasing global methane concentrations.
The method of finite spheres for wave propagation problems

We present in this paper the development and use of a novel and promising numerical scheme, the method of finite spheres, for the analysis of wave propagations. The solution of two-dimensional linear elastic and visco-elastic waves is considered. The procedure does not require a mesh and hence avoids element distortions. We discuss the construction of the interpolations in which harmonic functions are included to make the method effective for the analysis of wave propagations. A simple and efficient numerical integration scheme is proposed and the solution effort is evaluated versus using the standard finite element method. Several numerical examples are used to demonstrate capabilities of the method.
Synthesis of Resorcinol Formaldehyde Aerogel Using UV Photo-Initiators for Inertial Confinement Fusion Experiments

Resorcinol formaldehyde (R/F) aerogels have been used in a variety of laser targets for Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) experiments in the form of thin films, cast shapes such as cylinders and cubes, and hollow and solid microspheres. Besides ICF experiments, R/F aerogel can be used for capacitors, batteries, thermal insulation, absorption/filtration media, and chromatographic packing applications. Traditionally, R/F aerogel is synthesized using a 2-step (base/acid catalysis) polycondensation reaction. We have developed a novel process to synthesize the R/F aerogel using free radical UV initiator at room temperature in 10 minutes using a UV light source. This paper will review this process, which was developed to synthesize R/F aerogels using UV-free radical initiators. Scanning electron microscopy results will also be discussed to show that the aerogel pore structure is similar to traditional R/F aerogels. Fabrication of solid and hollow microspheres for ICF experiments using this R/F aerogel synthesis technique and the technique’s limitations will also be discussed.
Sources of Variation in Insect Density on Lupinus arboreus Sims: Effects of Environment, Source Population and Plant Genotype

Abstract Temporal and spatial variability in herbivory can be influenced by plant genotype, environmental conditions and their interactions. However, few studies correctly control for the relative influence of these factors. Here, I report results from a reciprocal common garden experiment designed to tease apart the effect of local environmental variation and plant genotype on the abundance of four insect species: Dasineura lupini (Felt), D. lupinorum (Gagne), Epinotia infuscana (Walsingham) and Orgyia vetusta (Boisduval). Full-sib/half-sib families of Lupinus arboreus Sims were made within three different natal populations; replicates from each lupine family then were transplanted back into common gardens located in each of the three parental populations. In two separate years I measured how insect density varied between local environments, within a population of related lupine and among the three populations of lupine. For each insect species, local environment influenced density substantially and micr...