cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Determinants of public support for EU membership: Data from the Baltic countries

Focusing on individual-level determinants of public support for EU membership, this paper brings the literature on Western European integration to bear on the Eastern and Central European accession. Existing theories have focused on utilitarian expectations, political values, and domestic politics as determinants of public attitudes toward European integration. The paper discusses the applicability of the proposed theories and measures in the Eastern European context and develops a model that identifies micro-level economicexpectations, support for democratic norms, trust in the national government, and perceptions of ethnic tension as possible determinants of public support for EU membership. These propositions are tested with survey data from Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, using logistic regression. The results lend strong support to the expected gains and domestic politics hypotheses but suggest that individual competitiveness, a frequently used proxy for economic expectations, may be a poor predictor of attitudes toward the EU in the CEE context. Perceptions of increased ethnic tensions were found to decrease minority supportfor EU membership in Latvia, the Baltic country that has pursued particularly stringent citizenship and minority policies. Identification with democratic norms did not influence opinions in Latvia and Estonia, while having an unexpected negative effect on the attitudes of the Lithuanian public.
THE MECHANISM OF COLCHICINE INHIBITION OF MITOSIS. I. KINETICS OF INHIBITION AND THE BINDING OF H3-COLCHICINE.

H3-colchicine of high specific activity (2.5 curies per mM) was prepared in order to study the mechanism of colchicine inhibition of mitosis in cultures of human cells, strain K.B. No direct effects on the duration of the cell cycle or macromolecular synthesis were demonstrable at a concentration of colchicine which completely inhibited mitosis. The radioactive compound was bound to the cells at a rate proportional to colchicine concentration. The binding appeared to be reversible since the radioactivity of the cells reached a maximum value for a given concentration and was slowly lost after resuspension of the cells in fresh medium. A suitable exposure to colchicine produced accumulation of metaphase-blocked mitoses after the colchicine was removed from the medium. An exposure of 6 to 8 hours at 10-7 M was sufficient to block essentially all the cells in metaphase, thus indicating that colchicine is bound to the majority of interphase cells. The data are in quantitative agreement with a mechanism involving reversible binding of colchicine to a set of cellular sites. Based on the correlation between the time of first appearance of blocked mitoses and the radioactivity per cell, it is suggested that if a critical fraction (3 to 5 per cent) of the sites are complexed, the cell is unable to form a functional mitotic spindle.
Does amount of weight gain during pregnancy modify the association between obesity and cesarean section delivery

Background: Two-thirds of reproductive-aged women in the United States are overweight or obese and at risk for numerous associated adverse pregnancy outcomes. This study examined whether the amount of weight gained during pregnancy modifies the prepregnancy body mass index (BMI)-cesarean delivery association. Methods: A total of 2,157 women aged 18-45 who participated in the 2008-2009 North Carolina Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System had complete information on prepregnancy BMI, maternal weight gain, and mode of delivery on infant birth certificates. Logistic regression was used to obtain odds ratios (ORs) and 95 percent confidence intervals (CIs) to model the association between prepregnancy BMI and cesarean delivery, and a stratified analysis was conducted to determine whether maternal weight gain was an effect modifier of the prepregnancy BMI- cesarean delivery association. Results: Obese women had 1.78 times the odds of cesarean delivery as compared with women with a normal BMI (95% CI: 1.44-2.16). When adjusted for race/ethnicity, live birth order, household income, and education, the association increased in magnitude and remained statistically significant (OR = 2.01, 95% CI: 1.63-2.43). In stratified analyses, the obesity-cesarean delivery association persisted and remained statistically significant among all maternal weight gain categories. Conclusions: Health care practitioners should stress the importance of achieving a healthy prepregnancy weight and gaining an appropriate amount of weight during pregnancy to reduce the risk of cesarean delivery and other adverse pregnancy outcomes. (BIRTH 41:1 March 2014)
The thermohaline forcing of the Gibraltar exchange

Abstract A conceptual framework for understanding the exchange through Gibraltar and its thermohaline forcing is presented. The Mediterranean Sea annually produces a dense water mass that sinks and accumulates above the level of the sill until the internal pressure gradient generated through the Strait is sufficiently strong to force it out at a rate equal to the rate of its mean interannual production. The dense water forced out creates a sea-level drop through the Strait that drives a compensatory inflow of surface Atlantic water. The two-way exchange can be calculated geostrophically by requiring that the baroclinic outflow equal the opposing barotropic inflow plus the net water balance of the Basin. Bottom friction acts as a retarding force for the outflow and reduces the geostrophic flow by roughly a half. The exchange was calculated from the steric heights derived from a series of historical hydrographic transects across the western Alboran Sea and the eastern Gulf of Cadiz. Bottom Ekman frictional parameters were estimated from the current-meter data of the Gibraltar Experiment. The mean outflow determined from these data was ∼0.84±0.3 Sv. It is shown that time-dependent fluctuations of the sea level can generate an additional, net mass exchange through a `barotropic pumping' mechanism that increases the outflow by ∼50% to 1.26 Sv. This fluctuating flow component is susceptible to hydraulic control during the percentage of the time that the combined outflow (or inflow) achieves a supercritical state. This combined outflow suggests an interannual mean value of ∼96 cm/yr for the internal water balance the annual value of which has little direct effect on the exchange due to the ∼9-year e-folding time for draining the reservoir of dense water accumulated to ∼180 m above the depth of the sill. This relatively stable accumulation of dense water provides the steady force for the exchange from seasonal to interannual time scales. However, significant variability in the exchange on weekly to seasonal time scales exists owing to the variability in the Basin's internal circulations, that supply the dense water to and evacuate the Atlantic water from the western Alboran, together with the variability in the sea-level fluctuations that drive barotropic-pumping exchange. In addition, variations in the amplitude of the exchange are damped by negative feedback loops that exist due to the interdependency between the exchange and the force generating it. This interpretation of an exchange buffered from the variability in its meteorological forcing and responsive to the variability in local potential energy suggests that any objective to detect a response to climatic trends in the Strait of Gibraltar should be coordinated with observations of the sea level, internal potential energy, water-mass characteristics, and air–sea interaction both locally and within the Basin and its sub-basins.
Pavement Maintenance Planning at the Network Level with Principal Component Analysis

Pavement management relies on the evaluation of the condition of pavement at different times during the life of the structure. The combination of condition indicators and the knowledge of how they are used in any pavement condition model is fundamental for pavement rating. To handle complexity and information redundancy, this paper proposes the principal-component analysis (PCA) to evaluate the relative importance of different types of distresses on the condition assessment for flexible pavements, and to use relevant condition features to establish criteria for pavement management. The important outcomes in applying the PCA approach were: even with the dimensionality reduction dictated by the variance, there was limited loss of information with regard to the section condition that did not affect the overall objective of pavement management; also, information redundancy was minimized.
The joint decision to manage earnings through discretionary accruals and asset sales around insider trading: Taiwan evidence

This study assesses the joint decision of multiple earnings–management tools around insider trading. The Taiwanese evidence indicates significantly higher magnitudes of both discretionary accruals and asset sales before insider selling. In addition, to investigate the endogenous relationship between discretionary accruals and asset sales, this study develops a set of simultaneous equations and includes the inverse Mill’s ratio as a regressor to account for firms that choose not to use asset sales. The results indicate a marginal complementary correlation between discretionary accruals and asset sales before insider selling. Further tests find this complementary correlation becomes stronger when accompanying abnormal insider selling. The findings support the view that insiders consider both tools jointly and adjust them as complements to meet their directional earnings management objective.
Synthesis of cyclic and acyclic βγ-unsaturated car☐ylic acids Via an E1-type ionization/elimination of β-lactones

Abstract Cyclic and acyclic ketones were converted in three steps into 3-alkenoic acids, bearing a variety of substituents in the α -position. The sequence, involving ionization/elimination of a β-lactone, affords high yields of pure products uncontaminated with conjugated isomers. Support for an El-type mechanism is also provided.
Selection and Evaluation of Empirical Research in Technology Assessment

Technology assessment involves application of the scientific method to the practice of medicine. Finding all of the assessment reports in a given field is not an easy task. Proper evaluation of those assessments requires the conduct of a prospective experiment in which the sources and results are blinded when the choice is made of papers to exclude and to include, and the process should be carried out in duplicate. There are several available data bases for carrying out the search, but because of indexing problems they should be supplemented by reference to the bibliographies of pertinent published articles. Clinical trials included in meta-analyses should be graded by quality and thus facilitate sensitivity analyses. Attention must be paid to the possibility of publication bias. Finally, the advent of meta-analysis makes it desirable to begin randomized controlled trials in areas of uncertainty, even when there is no possibility that individual investigators will encounter enough patients to draw valid conclusions.
The Effect of Surface Motion on Forced Convection Film Boiling Heat Transfer

The growth in demand for high-quality metallic alloys has placed greater emphasis on the predictability of cooling methods used in manufacturing processes. Several methods involve forced convection film boiling, which can occur on metallic strips or plates cooled by water jet impingement or on strips inside cooling jackets of continuous annealing processes. Since surface temperatures are typically well above the boiling point of water, a substantial portion of the surface area can involve film boiling. The strip or plate speed often exceeds the water velocities and strongly influences boundary layer development in the vapor and liquid. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the effect of plate motion on heat transfer in the film boiling regime. Conservation equations for mass, momentum, and energy have been solved by the integral method for film boiling in forced convection boundary layer flow on a flat isothermal plate in motion parallel to the flow direction. Unlike previous studies, which have shown that heat transfer is chiefly governed by the plate and subcooled liquid temperatures, heat transfer is shown to also depend on the plate velocity. For large velocities, the importance of radiation heat transfer across the vapor layer is reduced. However, when themore » velocities of the plate and liquid are oppositely directed and of nearly equal magnitude, radiation across the vapor layer can become significant, even at low plate temperatures.« less
Controlling electronic properties of wafer-bonded interfaces among dissimilar materials: A path to developing novel wafer-bonded devices

A breakthrough in understanding the nature of wafer-bonded interfaces is reported. The DC-behavior of a wafer-bonded heterojunction between In 0.53 Ga 0.47 As (InGaAs) and In 0.1 Ga 0.9 N (InGaN) is investigated by using a wafer-bonded vertical electron transistor (BAVET) structure with an In 0.52 Al 0.48 As (InAlAs) gate-barrier-layer. It is demonstrated that the Fermi-level of the InAlAs layer influences the wafer-bonded-interface properties (WBIP) during the wafer-bonding of InGaAs to InGaN. Specifically, by using a high p-doping in the InAlAs layer, a dramatic improvement in the WBIP and consequently, a high-breakdown for a BAVET is demonstrated.
Prenatal cocaine exposure increases synaptic localization of a neuronal RasGEF, GRASP-1 via hyperphosphorylation of AMPAR anchoring protein, GRIP.

Prenatal cocaine exposure causes sustained phosphorylation of the synaptic anchoring protein, glutamate receptor interacting protein (GRIP1/2), preventing synaptic targeting of the GluR2/3-containing alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid-type glutamate receptors (AMPARs; J. Neurosci. 29: 6308–6319, 2009). Because overexpression of GRIP-associated neuronal rasGEF protein (GRASP-1) specifically reduces the synaptic targeting of AMPARs, we hypothesized that prenatal cocaine exposure enhances GRASP-1 synaptic membrane localization leading to hyper-activation of ras family proteins and heightened actin polymerization. Our results show a markedly increased GRIP1-associated GRASP-1 content with approximately 40% reduction in its rasGEF activity in frontal cortices (FCX) of 21-day-old (P21) prenatal cocaine-exposed rats. This cocaine effect is the result of a persistent protein kinase C (PKC)- and downstream Src tyrosine kinase-mediated GRIP phosphorylation. The hyperactivated PKC also increased membrane-associated GRASP-1 and activated small G-proteins RhoA, cdc42/Rac1 and Rap1 as well as filamentous actin (F-actin) levels without an effect on the phosphorylation state of actin. Since increased F-actin facilitates protein transport, our results suggest that increased GRASP-1 synaptic localization in prenatal cocaine-exposed brains is an adaptive response to restoring the synaptic expression of AMPA-GluR2/3. Our earlier data demonstrated that persistent PKC-mediated GRIP phosphorylation reduces GluR2/3 synaptic targeting in prenatal cocaine-exposed brains, we now show that the increased GRIP-associated GRASP-1 may contribute to the reduction in GluR2/3 synaptic expression and AMPAR signaling defects.
A versatile statistical analysis algorithm to detect genome copy number variation

We have developed a versatile statistical analysis algorithm for the detection of genomic aberrations in human cancer cell lines. The algorithm analyzes genomic data obtained from a variety of array technologies, such as oligonucleotide array, bacterial artificial chromosome array, or array-based comparative genomic hybridization, that operate by hybridizing with genomic material obtained from cancer and normal cells and allow detection of regions of the genome with altered copy number. The number of probes (i.e., resolution), the amount of uncharacterized noise per probe, and the severity of chromosomal aberrations per chromosomal region may vary with the underlying technology, biological sample, and sample preparation. Constrained by these uncertainties, our algorithm aims at robustness by using a priorless maximum a posteriori estimator and at efficiency by a dynamic programming implementation. We illustrate these characteristics of our algorithm by applying it to data obtained from representational oligonucleotide microarray analysis and array-based comparative genomic hybridization technology as well as to synthetic data obtained from an artificial model whose properties can be varied computationally. The algorithm can combine data from multiple sources and thus facilitate the discovery of genes and markers important in cancer, as well as the discovery of loci important in inherited genetic disease.
Pituitary receptor binding activity of active, inactive, superactive and inhibitory analogs of gonadotropin-releasing hormone.

Abstract We have previously described the binding of biologically active 125 I gonadotropin-releasing hormone to the 10,800 × g membrane fraction prepared from 7-day castrate adult female rat anterior pituitary glands. Specific binding with two equilibrium association constants (10 9 liters per mole and 10 5 liters per mole) was found and an equilibrium competitive binding radio-receptor assay established. In order to further characterize the gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor, 20 synthetic analogs with known bioactivity were tested in the radioreceptor assay. In vivo biological activity correlated with high affinity receptor binding but not with low affinity binding. Inhibitory analogs with no in vivo biological activity and weak antagonistic properties did not bind, while in vivo active or superactive analogs bound to high affinity receptors. These findings suggest that the high affinity gonadotropin-releasing hormone receptor binds only biologically active gonadotropin-releasing hormone like peptides and that this binding may be the initial step in gonadotropin-releasing hormone actions at the pituitary level.
Integrating communication services

The need for communication services which span multiple communication technologies is growing. Communication services are being developed in three areas: in the public switched telephony networks, on the Internet in the form of integrated multimedia including voice-over-Internet, and in private switched telephony networks in the form of enterprise computer-telephony integration applications. This article shows it is plausible to create unified services which span the Internet and public switched telephony networks, and goes on to describe Nexus, an architecture and prototype for integrated communication services.
Enzymatic Mechanism for the Escape of Certain Moths from Their Cocoons

An "escape hatch" from the cocoon of Antheraea pernyi is established by the hydrolytic action of a virtually pure proteinase which the moth first secretes and then dissolves by means of a solvent which maintains the enzyme at optimum pH. The proteinase is both synthesized and secreted by the maxillary galeae. The solvent derives from a pair of labial glands which have the form of long convoluted tubules lying alongside the foregut and opening to the exterior through a single aperture in the head.
The semiclassical modified nonlinear Schrodinger equation I: Modulation theory and spectral analysis

Abstract We study an integrable modification of the focusing nonlinear Schrodinger equation from the point of view of semiclassical asymptotics. In particular, (i) we establish several important consequences of the mixed-type limiting quasilinear system including the existence of maps that embed the limiting forms of both the focusing and defocusing nonlinear Schrodinger equations into the framework of a single limiting system for the modified equation, (ii) we obtain bounds for the location of the discrete spectrum for the associated spectral problem that are particularly suited to the semiclassical limit and that generalize known results for the spectrum of the nonselfadjoint Zakharov–Shabat spectral problem, and (iii) we present a multiparameter family of initial data for which we solve the associated spectral problem in terms of special functions for all values of the semiclassical scaling parameter. We view our results as part of a broader project to analyze the semiclassical limit of the modified nonlinear Schrodinger equation via the noncommutative steepest descent procedure of Deift and Zhou, and we also present a selfcontained development of a Riemann–Hilbert problem of inverse scattering that differs from those given in the literature and that is well adapted to semiclassical asymptotics.
Peace Operation Success: The Evaluation Framework

This article outlines and summarizes the Diehl and Druckman evaluation framework that is used in the case studies that follow. An overview of the decision template is given and the three sets of goals (core, beyond traditional peacekeeping, and peacebuilding) are introduced. Two sample framework entries (violence abatement, and restoration, reconciliation and transformation respectively) are provided as illustrations. Application to peace operations in Bosnia is also used for illustrative purposes.
Radical (3 + 2)-Annulation of Divinylcyclopropanes: Rapid Synthesis of Complex Meloscine Analogs

A radical [3 + 2]-divinylcyclopropane annulation cascade has been extended to encompass five D-ring variants of the meloscine/epimeloscine core structure. Representative ABCD tetracyclic intermediates were further elaborated with novel substituted E-rings through subsequent transformations of advanced intermediates that provided opportunities for late-stage variation of the B-ring (lactam) N-substituents which were also developed.
The sea-level fingerprint of a Snowball Earth deglaciation

Cap dolostones are thought to represent deposition from seas transgressing over formerly glaciated continental margins during Marinoan Snowball deglaciation. Nevertheless, facies associations within some cap dolostones indicate that an episode of regional regression punctuated these transgressive sequence tracts. To date, inferences of sea-level change during and after the Marinoan Snowball deglaciation have been interpreted using simple, qualitative arguments. In the present study, we explore the full spatio-temporal variability of sea-level change during Snowball deglaciation and its aftermath using a gravitationally self-consistent theory that accounts for the deformational, gravitational and rotational perturbations to sea level on a viscoelastic Earth model. The theory is applied to model Marinoan Snowball deglaciation on a generalized Ediacaran paleogeography with a synthetic continental ice-sheet distribution. We find that sea-level change following a synchronous, rapid (2 kyr) collapse of Snowball ice cover will exhibit significant geographic variability, including site-specific histories that are characterized by syn-deglacial sea-level fall or stillstand. Moreover, some sites that experience syn-deglacial transgression will continue to experience transgression in the post-deglacial phase. Taken together, these results suggest that sea-level change recorded by strata capping Snowball glaciogenic units may reflect a more complicated trajectory than previously thought, including deposition that was not limited to the deglaciation phase. These simulations, as well as others that explore the response to asynchronous melting and deglaciation phases of longer duration, demonstrate that an episode of regional regression interrupting a cap dolostone transgressive sequence tract may reflect one of several processes (or their combination): (1) near field adjustment associated with rapid local melting during an otherwise global hiatus in deglaciation; (2) post-glacial uplift of sites during a period of slowing deglaciation, and (3) a transition, at some sites, from a sea-level fall dominated by post-glacial uplift to a phase of sea-level rise due to eustasy and peripheral bulge subsidence throughout an extended (order 50 kyr or greater) Snowball deglaciation.
Venous Thrombosis and Stenosis After Implantation of Pacemakers and Defibrillators

Venous complications of pacemaker/ implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) system implantation rarely cause immediate clinical problems. The challenge starts when patients come for system revision or upgrade. Numerous reports of venous complications such as stenosis, occlusions, and superior vena cava syndrome have been published. We reviewed current knowledge of these complications, management, and their impact on upgrade/revision procedures. One study has suggested that intravenous lead infection promotes local vein stenosis. Another found that the presence of a temporary wire before implantation is associated with an increased risk of stenosis. Although data for ICD leads is based only on three studies-it suggests that the rate of venous complications is very similar to that of pacing systems, and probably data from pacing leads can be extrapolated to ICD leads. Despite 40 years of experience with transcutaneous implanted intravenous pacing systems and dozens of studies, we were unable to identify clear risk factors (confirmed by independent studies) that lead to venous stenosis. Neither the hardware (lead size, number and material) nor the access site choice (cephalic cut down, subclavian or axillary puncture) appears to affect rate of venous complications. A few factors were proposed as predictors of severe venous stenosis/occlusion: presence of multiple pacemaker leads (compared to a single lead), use of hormone therapy, personal history of venous thrombosis, the presence of temporary wire before implantation, previous presence of a pacemaker (ICD as an upgrade) and the use of dual-coil leads. Anticoagulant therapy (for other reasons than pacemaker lead) seemed to have protective antithrombotic effect.
Subinertial Dynamics on the Inner New Jersey Shelf during the Upwelling Season

Subinertial dynamics on the inner New Jersey shelf is examined using time series of the forcing agents (atmospheric pressure, wind stress, and Hudson River streamflow), adjusted sea level (ASL) along the southern part of the Mid-Atlantic Bight, and mooring data collected during the summer of 1996. High-frequency (period 1‐3 days) transient wind-driven events were evident both in ASL and alongshelf current data. ASL events propagated southward with remarkably high speed (;10 m s21) in the manner of free coastally trapped waves (CTW). However, these transients were forced by the wind events within the study domain: both ASL and alongshelf current fluctuations were coherent with the local alongshore wind stress. ASL amplitude substantially increased downshelf (southward). These transient flows propagated from the corner in the coastline formed by the southern Long Island and northern New Jersey coasts. This bend of the coastline created a discontinuity in the alongshore wind stress component that caused the generation of CTW pulses at this location. During the period of observations, enhanced buoyant flows arrived at the site of the moorings. They were associated with increased Hudson River discharge. These buoyant flows and transient wind-driven events strongly interacted: transient wind-driven currents were dramatically amplified in the buoyant water while the buoyant water was spread offshore. Amplified transient currents were not associated with the enhanced vertical shear. Lower-frequency wind forcing generated upwelling events with typical duration of 8‐10 days. During the upwelling, temperature dropped through the whole water column, but the stratification remained significant (58‐ 68C in 8‐10 m of water). Even though upwelling-favorable winds dominated, record-mean currents in the upper layer were weak (2‐5 cm s21) due to the close competition between wind and buoyancy forcing.
Position estimation at starting and lower speed in three-phase switched reluctance machines using pulse injection and two thresholds

This paper presents a method of indirect position estimation for three-phase switched reluctance machines suitable for starting and lower speed operation. Rotor position estimation is accomplished by injecting a pulse current whose amplitude is compared with two different thresholds. The rotor position of the three-phase SRM is identified in terms of six sectors for one electrical revolution of the rotor. The sector of machine operation is obtained by comparing the pulse current amplitude for the phase with the two thresholds. Each sector is unique and identifies which phase has to be used for sensing and which phase has to be used for powering the SRM. The sector information is used for both starting and continuous rotation of the SRM. This two threshold level comparison and the associated algorithm avoid the low resolution issue of position estimation with pulse injection in a three-phase SRM. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the method.
Genetic Evidence that the Acyl Coenzyme A Binding Protein AcbA and the Serine Protease/ABC Transporter TagA Function Together in Dictyostelium discoideum Cell Differentiation

The acyl coenzyme A (CoA) binding protein AcbA is cleaved to form a peptide (SDF-2) that coordinates spore encapsulation during the morphogenesis of Dictyostelium discoideum fruiting bodies. We present genetic evidence that the misspecification of cell types seen in mutants of the serine protease/ABC transporter TagA results from the loss of normal interactions with AcbA. Developmental phenotypes resulting from aberrant expression of the TagA protease domain, such as the formation of supernumerary tips on aggregates and the production of excess prestalk cells, are suppressed by null mutations in the acbA gene. Phenotypes resulting from the deletion of tagA, such as overexpression of the prestalk gene ecmB and the misexpression of the prespore gene cotB in stalk cells, are also observed in acbA mutants. Moreover, tagA− mutants fail to produce SDF-2 during fruiting body morphogenesis but are able to do so if they are stimulated with exogenous SDF-2. These results indicate that the developmental program depends on TagA and AcbA working in concert with each other during cell type differentiation and suggest that TagA is required for normal SDF-2 signaling during spore encapsulation.
Cervical Angina An Overlooked Source of Noncardiac Chest Pain

Cervical angina has been widely reported as a cause of chest pain but remains underrecognized. This series demonstrates the varied clinical presentation of patients with cervical angina, the delay in diagnosis, and the extensive cardiac examinations patients with this condition typically undergo prior to a definitive diagnosis. Recognition of this condition in patients with acute chest pain requires a high index of suspicion and an awareness of the common presenting features and clinical findings of cervical angina.
Radiolysis of Sulfuric Acid, Sulfuric Acid Monohydrate, and Sulfuric Acid Tetrahydrate and Its Relevance to Europa

We report laboratory studies on the 0.8 MeV proton irradiation of ices composed of sulfuric acid (H2SO4), sulfuric acid monohydrate (H2SO4 H2O), and sulfuric acid tetrahydrate (H2SO4 4H2O) between 10 and 180 K. Using infrared spectroscopy, we identify the main radiation products as H2O, SO2, (S2O3)x, H3O+, HSO4(exp -), and SO4(exp 2-). At high radiation doses, we find that H2SO4 molecules are destroyed completely and that H2SO4 H2O is formed on subsequent warming. This hydrate is significantly more stable to radiolytic destruction than pure H2SO4, falling to an equilibrium relative abundance of 50% of its original value on prolonged irradiation. Unlike either pure H2SO4 or H2SO4 H2O, the loss of H2SO4 4H2O exhibits a strong temperature dependence, as the tetrahydrate is essentially unchanged at the highest irradiation temperatures and completely destroyed at the lowest ones, which we speculate is due to a combination of radiolytic destruction and amorphization. Furthermore, at the lower temperatures it is clear that irradiation causes the tetrahydrate spectrum to transition to one that closely resembles the monohydrate spectrum. Extrapolating our results to Europa s surface, we speculate that the variations in SO2 concentrations observed in the chaotic terrains are a result of radiation processing of lower hydration states of sulfuric acid and that the monohydrate will remain stable on the surface over geological times, while the tetrahydrate will remain stable in the warmer regions but be destroyed in the colder regions, unless it can be reformed by other processes, such as thermal reactions induced by diurnal cycling.
Five Major Shifts in 100 Years of Engineering Education

In this paper, five major shifts in engineering education are identified. During the engineering science revolution, curricula moved from hands-on practice to mathematical modeling and scientific analyses. The first shift was initiated by engineering faculty members from Europe; accelerated during World War II, when physicists contributed multiple engineering breakthroughs; codified in the Grinter report; and kick-started by Sputnik. Did accreditation hinder curricular innovations? Were engineering graduates ready for practice? Spurred by these questions, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) required engineering programs to formulate outcomes, systematically assess achievement, and continuously improve student learning. The last three shifts are in progress. Since the engineering science revolution may have marginalized design, a distinctive feature of engineering, faculty members refocused attention on capstone and first-year engineering design courses. However, this third shift has not affected the two years in between. Fourth, research on learning and education continues to influence engineering education. Examples include learning outcomes and teaching approaches, such as cooperative learning and inquiry that increase student engagement. In shift five, technologies (e.g., the Internet, intelligent tutors, personal computers, and simulations) have been predicted to transform education for over 50 years; however, broad transformation has not yet been observed. Together, these five shifts characterize changes in engineering education over the past 100 years.
Effectiveness of strategies to recruit underrepresented populations into cancer clinical trials

Background Certain populations, including racial and ethnic minorities and older persons, have had a history of low participation in cancer-related trials, yet there has been little information reported on recruitment strategies tailored to improve their enrollment.Methods We conducted a systematic literature review to examine the methods used to study recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer prevention and treatment trials and examined the studies that compared the efficacy and/or effectiveness of different recruitment strategies. We performed an electronic search through multiple databases including PubMed and a hand search of 34 journals. Potential studies were pulled and underwent title, abstract, and article review by at least two investigators.Results Fourteen articles examined recruitment of underrepresented populations into cancer trials and, of these, five compared efficacy or effectiveness of different strategies for recruitment of underrepresented populations into randomized or c...
White Guy Habitus in the Classroom: Challenging the Reproduction of Privilege

A couple of years ago, junior faculty in our department—most of them people of color and/or women—requested a meeting with senior faculty and a senior administrator to discuss concerns they had with teaching. One of their main concerns was that they felt they were being judged negatively by students, especially when they taught emotionally charged and politically volatile courses such as social inequality or race and ethnic relations. Students, they stated, tended to ding them on course evaluations for “lack of objectivity” in lectures and assigned readings. Furthermore, they observed that students did not always give them the respect that they believed they deserved. They were concerned with these patterns, both for pedagogical reasons and because they knew that student evaluations were part of the way that they were compared to their colleagues for merit ratings, promotions, and tenure decisions. Students’ views of them were important, and they were consequential. The administrator and senior faculty acknowledged that race and gender biases on the part of students—especially in a course on social inequality, sex and gender, or race/ethnicity—tended to place faculty of color and/or women faculty at a disadvantage. Their advice was to be rigorous teachers and to insist that their students use formal and respectful forms of address (e.g., referring to the teacher as Professor so-and-so, or Dr. so-and-so, rather than by the more familiar first name address). This advice, although surely intended to help women and/or faculty of color successfully navigate often subtly racist and sexist classroom dynamics, was not satisfying. It seemed to me that by ignoring the race and gender dynamics of the classroom in which white males are the professors, we were missing an opportunity to understand an important part of the reproduction of race and gender inequalities—
A new algorithm for continuous time delay estimation using sampled data

In this paper we present a new time delay estimator that directly determines continuous time delay estimates from sampled data. The technique forms a spline-based piecewise continuous representation of the reference signal and then solves for the minimum of the sum squared error between the reference and the delayed signals to determine their relative time delay. The mathematical formulation of the proposed tracking algorithm makes it particularly well suited for application in tissue elasticity estimation, since it can easily include companding. We have performed a series of simulations using ultrasound data to test the performance of this algorithm and compare it to currently accepted delay estimators implementing a variety of sub-sample interpolation methods. Simulation results show that this algorithm significantly outperforms other algorithms in terms of jitter and bias over a broad range of conditions.
Strategies to prevent ventilator-associated pneumonia in acute care hospitals.

Previously published guidelines are available that provide comprehensive recommendations for detecting and preventing healthcare-associated infections. The intent of this document is to highlight practical recommendations in a concise format designed to assist acute care hospitals in implementing and prioritizing their ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) prevention efforts. Refer to the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America/Infectious Diseases Society of America “Compendium of Strategies to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections” Executive Summary and Introduction and accompanying editorial for additional discussion.1. Occurrence of VAP in acute care facilities.a. VAP is one of the most common infections acquired by adults and children in intensive care units (ICUs).i. In early studies, it was reported that 10%-20% of patients undergoing ventilation developed VAP. More-recent publications report rates of VAP that range from 1 to 4 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days, but rates may exceed 10 cases per 1,000 ventilator-days in some neonatal and surgical patient populations. The results of recent quality improvement initiatives, however, suggest that many cases of VAP might be prevented by careful attention to the process of care.2. Outcomes associated with VAPa. VAP is a cause of significant patient morbidity and mortality, increased utilization of healthcare resources, and excess cost.i. The mortality attributable to VAP may exceed 10%.ii. Patients with VAP require prolonged periods of mechanical ventilation, extended hospitalizations, excess use of antimicrobial medications, and increased direct medical costs.
Thermal Variations in the Hyporheic Zone of a Karst Stream

This investigation quantifies how temperatures in the streambed sediments of a karst stream fluctuate in relation to discharge, seasonal, and diurnal temperature variations as the stream passes through a karst window. Furthermore, the linkages between meteorological processes and temperature variation in the hyporheic zone are delineated. Examination of a high-resolution, three dimensional record of temperature variation in a karst stream substrate provides insight into thermal disturbances in the hyporheic zone. Temperatures in the upper portion of the hyporheic zone are strongly linked to air temperatures via the surface water. The variation is considerably less as depth increases. The annual temperature variation in the lower portion of the shallow hyporheic zone is reduced by one-third, relative to the variation observed in the surface water and upper substrate. During storm events, the upper portion (0-5 cm) of the shallow hyporheic zone is subject to a thermal regime very similar to surface stream water. However, below these depths the sharpest temperature fluctuations are effectively muted within the stream substrate. More frequent diurnal variations, particularly those associated with baseflow conditions, are also dampened within the substrate.
Effects of endometrial serpin-like proteins on immune responses in sheep.

PROBLEM: The uterine milk proteins (UTMP) are a pair of related glycoproteins that are the major secretory products of the endometrium of the pregnant ewe. UTMP are members of the serpin superfamily of serine protease inhibitors but have no known antiprotease activity. One possible role for UTMP is to inhibit uterine immune responses-UTMP inhibit mitogen and mixed lymphocyte-induced proliferation of peripheral blood lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cell activity and abortion caused by NK cell activation. Present objectives were to further evaluate the lymphocyte-inhibitory activity of UTMP and test whether UTMP modify immune responses in vivo. METHOD: One experiment demonstrated that UTMP inhibited antigen-induced lymphocyte proliferation induced by Candida albicans extract. In another experiment, ewes were immunized with OVA mixed with 3.75 mg/ml of UTMP or ovine serum albumin (OSA control). Injections of 1 mg OVA+UTMP or OSA in incomplete adjuvant were administered 6 wk later. Titers of antibody to OVA were lower (P<0.001) for ewes administered UTMP than for ewes administered OSA. Effects of UTMP on delayed hypersensitivity reactions were evaluated in three experiments using skin-fold thickness assays. RESULTS: UTMP did not inhibit the increase in skin-fold thickness caused by PHA and Mycobacterium tuberculosis but rather tended to increase the response to PHA. CONCLUSION: Results strengthen the thesis that UTMP are physiologically relevant immunoregulatory molecules. Nonetheless, effects on skin-fold responses indicate that actions of UTMP can be more complex than would be predicted based on the proteins only having a single biological effect
Idiomatic Communication and Interpersonal Solidarity in Friends’ Relational Cultures

This study examined the relationship of interpersonal solidarity to various aspects of idiomatic communication in friends’ relational cultures. A pilot study determined that the typology of idiom functions used in past investigations of romantic relationships could be extended to friendship. The idioms described functioned to name activities, emotional states, objects, and places; communicate affection; manage confrontations; accomplish greetings and goodbyes; reference the self, partner, or other individuals; issue requests and insults; and denote sexual matters. In the main study, 114 females and 117 males each identified a close same-sex friend, completed the Interpersonal Solidarity Scale, and filled out an idiom report form for each idiom that had emerged in the friendship. The majority of the 1,380 idioms reported were verbal, used in public contexts, and used in more than just the one friendship described. For both sexes, solidarity was positively correlated with five idiom categories: activities, affection, confrontation, nicknames for self, and objects. In addition, solidarity correlated positively with place, requests, nicknames for friend, and sexual references for females and with emotions, greetings/goodbyes, labels for others, and teasing insults for males. For both sexes, solidarity was related to the total number and breadth (diversity) of idioms reported, as well as to other features of friends’ idiomatic codes. A subset of the idiom variables collectively accounted for over one third of the variance in, solidarity. Support was also found for several hypothesized sex differences in the structure and use of idiomatic codes. Associations among idiom function, channel, patterns of use, and relational consequences were also explored.
Attention and the Evolution of Hollywood Film

Reaction times exhibit a spectral patterning known as 1/f, and these patterns can be thought of as reflecting time-varying changes in attention. We investigated the shot structure of Hollywood films to determine if these same patterns are found. We parsed 150 films with release dates from 1935 to 2005 into their sequences of shots and then analyzed the pattern of shot lengths in each film. Autoregressive and power analyses showed that, across that span of 70 years, shots became increasingly more correlated in length with their neighbors and created power spectra approaching 1/f. We suggest, as have others, that 1/f patterns reflect world structure and mental process. Moreover, a 1/f temporal shot structure may help harness observers’ attention to the narrative of a film.
Central pontine myelinolysis with meticulous correction of hyponatraemia in chronic alcoholics.

Central pontine myelinolysis is a demyelinating disorder that arises due to osmolar disturbances in the cerebral microenvironment characterised by loss of the myelin sheath of neurons. The diffusion-weighting imaging sequence of MRI is the most sensitive diagnostic imaging modality for myelinolysis. The rapid correction of hyponatraemia by >20–25 mmol/L/48 h has been known for a long time as a prime cause of osmotic demyelination. Various other comorbidities in hyponatraemic patients are well known that can lead to osmotic demyelination such as alcoholism, hypoxaemia, severe liver disease, malignancy, burns, liver transplantation and malnutrition. Chronic alcohol abusers with additional liver disease and malnutrition have altered osmotic equilibrium at baseline that predisposes them to osmotic demyelination. We suggest a more cautious and meticulous approach should be followed in these patients to avoid the dreaded complication.
Lagrangian and Eulerian correlations and energy spectra of geostrophic velocities

An analysis is made of the dispersion of the end-points of geostrophic trajectories initiated daily at 0000Z for the International Geophysical Year, 1958, at 500 mb over Seattle, Washington. Computations of the yearly mean of the Lagrangian autocorrelation coefficients and eddy diffusivities show that the Lagrangian integral time scale, ·, is equal to 5·0 × 104 sec. It is found that the zonal, x, and meridional, y, components of eddy diffusivity are respectively Kx = 5·90 × 1010 cm2 sec−1 and Ky = 2·30 × 1010 cm2 sec−1. Spectral analysis of the kinetic energy of the Lagrangian geostrophic velocities shows that the kinetic energy densities of both the zonal and meridional components of the geostrophic winds generally increase from high to low frequency with a peak of the meridional component occurring at the frequency of 0·01 cycles hr−1. Analyses are also made of the Eulerian autocorrelation coefficients and energy spectra of the geostrophic velocities. It is found that the Eulerian integral time-scale, ϵ−1, is equal to 9·4 × 104 sec, making the ratio of the Lagrangian and Eulerian time-scales near 0·5.