cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A System that Translates Conceptual Structures into English

Conceptual Structures (CS) is a modern, structural knowledge representation language that is gaining popularity across diverse applications. Although simple in notation, large graphs are a potential source of confusion for the human user. In this paper, we describe an implemented system that can translate arbitrarily complex CS graphs into plain English statements. The system can assist the user in interpreting graphs that result from long reasoning chains of the Unified Reasoning Process' (URP) reasoning mechanism, and in validating the correct parsing of the graphs when entering propositions to the URP. The system has been successfully incorporated into the URP system support tools.
Markov chains and spectral clustering

The importance of Markov chains in modeling diverse systems, including biological, physical, social and economic systems, has long been known and is well documented. More recently, Markov chains have proven to be effective when applied to internet search engines such as Google's PageRank model [7], and in data mining applications wherein data trends are sought. It is with this type of Markov chain application that we focus our research efforts. Our starting point is the work of Fiedler who in the early 70's developed a spectral partitioning method to obtain the minimum cut on an undirected graph (symmetric system). The vector that results from the spectral decomposition, called the Fiedler vector, allows the nodes of the graph to be partitioned into two subsets. At the same time that Fiedler proposed his spectral approach, Stewart proposed a method based on the dominant eigenvectors of a Markov chain -- a method which was more broadly applicable to nonsymmetric systems. Enlightened by these, somewhat orthogonal, results and combining them together, we show that spectral partitioning can be viewed in the framework of state clustering on Markov chains. Our research results to date are two-fold. First, we prove that the second eigenvector of the signless Laplacian provides a heuristic solution to the NP-complete state clustering problem which is the dual of the minimum cut problem. Second, we propose two clustering techniques for Markov chains based on two different clustering measures.
Mapping ocean outfall plumes and their mixing using autonomous underwater vehicles

This paper reports on our experiences developing methods to survey an ocean outfall discharge plume using an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV). . The mobility of an AUV provides a significant advantage in surveying discharge plumes over traditional boat-based methods, and when combined with optical and oceanographic sensors, provides a capability for both detecting plumes and assessing their mixing in both the near and far-fields. Unique to this study is the optical sensing of of the presence of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (CDOM) in the discharge plume for quantitatively assessing the dilution ratio of the plume water. This capability is demonstrated for two Publicly Operated Treatment Works (POTWs) located offshore San Diego, California that have significantly different environmental settings and operating parameters. The first is the South Bay Ocean Outfall (SBOO) operated by the International Boundary Water Commission (IBWC) whose discharge is located in approximately 30m deep water at a flow rate of 28 million gallons per day (MGD). The second discharge is the Point Loma Ocean Outfall (PLOO) which discharges at approximately 90m with a nominal volume flow rate of 250 MGD. The methodologies for planning the AUV missions to sample the discharge plume, characterizing the plume using the signals measured by the onboard oceanographic and optical sensors, and use of those data in predictive models is outline. The results suggest that even in variable oceanic conditions, properly planned missions for AUVs equipped with appropriate sensors can accurately characterize and track ocean outfall plumes with high spatial resolution more effectively than traditional methods.
Multi material topological optimization of structures and mechanisms

Multi-material 3D-printing technologies permit the freeform fabrication of complex spatial arrangements of materials in arbitrary geometries. This technology has opened the door to a large mechanical design space with many novel yet non-intuitive possibilities. This space is not easily searched using conventional topological optimization methods such as homogenization. Here we present an evolutionary design process for three-dimensional multi-material structures that explores this design space and designs substructures tailored for custom functionalities. The algorithm is demonstrated for the design of 3D non-uniform beams and 3D compliant actuators.
Genetic algorithm based neural network approaches for predicting churn in cellular wireless network services

Marketing research suggests that it is more expensive to recruit a new customer than to retain an existing customer. In order to retain existing customers, academics and practitioners have developed churn prediction models to effectively manage customer churn. In this paper, we propose two genetic-algorithm (GA) based neural network (NN) models to predict customer churn in subscription of wireless services. Our first GA based NN model uses a cross entropy based criterion to predict customer churn, and our second GA based NN model attempts to directly maximize the prediction accuracy of customer churn. Using real-world cellular wireless services dataset and three different sizes of NNs, we compare the two GA based NN models with a statistical z-score model using several model evaluation criteria, which include prediction accuracy, top 10% decile lift and area under receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve. The results of our experiments indicate that both GA based NN models outperform the statistical z-score model on all performance criteria. Further, we observe that medium sized NNs perform best and the cross entropy based criterion may be more resistant to overfitting outliers in training dataset.
Pulling yourself up again: Women's choices and strategies for recovering and maintaining self‐esteem

This paper reports possible solutions to problems with self‐esteem based on in‐depth interviews with 59 adult women. Analysis of the interviews revealed three overall strategy themes important for constructing and maintaining positive self‐esteem: (a) communicating and learning in relationships, (b) taking individual action, and (c) changing/maintaining an internal self‐perspective through self‐talk. The women used the strategy themes together, supporting a more holistic approach to self‐esteem than developed previously. The important role of one's internal self‐perspective is explained— how the women use self‐talk, integrated with the other strategies, to address potentially self‐esteem threatening or affirming situations.
Fishing for an ECG: a student-directed electrocardiographic laboratory using rainbow trout.

Cardiac physiology is emphasized in many undergraduate physiology courses, but few nonmammalian vertebrate model systems exist that 1) can be studied fairly noninvasively, 2) are well suited for co...
Protonation-Dependent Structural Transitions of the Calcium Pump Studied by Microsecond Molecular Dynamics Simulations

We have performed microsecond molecular dynamics (MD) simulations to investigate the protonation-dependent structural transitions in the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase (SERCA). Changes in protonation states of acidic residues in the Ca2+-binding sites of SERCA associated with proton countertransport play an essential role in the structural transitions between high (E1 state) and low (E2 state) Ca2+-affinity conformations. In particular, deprotonation of Ca2+-binding sites plays an essential role in activation as it facilitates the conversion from E2 to E1 states of SERCA. However, the mechanism by which protonation-dependent structural transitions facilitate activation of the pump is still unclear. Here, we performed 3.6-μs all-atom MD simulations of protonated and deprotonated SERCA starting from the crystal structure of the inactive E2 state. We observed that protonation of residues Glu309, Glu771 and Glu908 lock SERCA in a conformation similar to the crystal structures of the E2 state. Upon deprotonation, metal ion binding from the solution containing KCl assists partial formation of Ca2+-binding site I, which results in kinking of transmembrane helix 5 at positions Ser766-Ser767. We found that kinking of helix 5 induces structural changes that propagate rapidly to the transmembrane and cytoplasmic domains, destabilizing the E2-like structure of the pump and populating an intermediate state stabilized by binding of lipid molecules to a non-annular site located between transmembrane helices 3 and 5. We propose that nonselective metal ion binding following deprotonation of SERCA initiates protonation-dependent destabilization of the E2 state and eventual formation of the partially active E1 state of the pump. This work was supported by the AHA (12SDG12060656 to L.M.E.-F.), the NIH (GM27906 to D.D.T.) and the Minnesota Supercomputing Institute.
Tobias Wolff's Old School: Truth, Lies, Fiction, and the American Boarding School

This essay traces the connections between Tobias Wolff's life writing, his fiction, and the life writing of Wolff's brother, Geoffrey Wolff. It examines the links within Wolff's writing and life and between the characteristics of the American boys' prep school environment and a tendency to lie about the self, and it argues that Wolff conceives of fiction paradoxically as both refuge from and extension of those instincts of deceitful self-projection.
Phloem-specific expression of the pumpkin fruit trypsin inhibitor

Vascular exudates of Cucurbita maxima (Duch.) contain a group of highly conserved serine proteinase inhibitors collectively called Pumpkin Fruit Trypsin Inhibitors (PFTIs) that prevent proteolytic activity of trypsin or chymotrypsin. Polyclonal antibodies raised against PFTIs were used to immunolocalize these low-molecular-weight proteins within the phloem tissue and to study their developmental expression. The inhibitors were translocated throughout the transport phloem and were present in vascular exudates collected from both source and sink tissues throughout the plant. During the early stages of vascular development, PFTIs accumulated specifically in sieve element–companion cell complexes of the phloem tissue. Transcripts were initially detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in seedlings 1 d after germination and the protein detected 24 h later. Pumpkin fruit trypsin inhibitors were present in both cell types of differentiating and translocating sieve element–companion cell complexes. The inhibitors were detected in the phloem of the bicollateral vascular bundles, but the protein was most consistently localized within the cortical and bundle-associated extrafascicular phloem.
Somatostatin: a new therapeutic option for the treatment of chylothorax.

Background: The standard treatment of chylothorax in pediatric intensive care today includes conservative therapy with fat-free nutrition, total parenteral nutrition and, if this is not successful, operative treatment (pleurodesis, ligation of the duct, pleuroperitoneal shunt). Patients: We describe four patients who were not in a suitable condition for operative treatment and who were treated with continuous infusion of somatostatin. Results: In three patients, chylothorax ceased with the continuous somatostatin infusion without side effects. One patient was treated without success. Conclusions: Somatostatin is a therapeutic option for treatment of chylothorax and could reduce surgical intervention and hospitalization time, as well as allow earlier enteral feeding.
Immunohistochemical evaluation of erbB-2 and p53 protein expression in benign and atypical human meningiomas

Meningiomas arise from the arachnoidal cells surrounding the brain and are one of the most common tumors of the central nervous system. These tumors are known to be hormonally modulated and may occur in association with breast carcinoma. Overexpression of the erbB-2 oncogene product and mutation of the tumor suppressor p53 gene are considered causal driving forces in the pathogenesis of adenocarcinomas of the breast. To determine whether abnormal expression of these genes also plays a role in the pathogenesis of meningiomas, we analyzed the expression of the erbB-2 and p53 proteins in 17 atypical and 35 typical meningioma tissue specimens by immunohistochemistry. The staining intensity was assigned a relative value of 0 to 5+, where 5+ denoted confluent immunoreactivity, 4+ to 1+ denoted varying degrees of focal positivity, and 0 denoted no evidence of staining. Levels of p53 and erbB-2 immunohistochemical staining were then correlated with tumor histology. For p53 immunoreactivity, typical meningiomas had a median staining score of 1.0, compared to 4.0 for atypical meningiomas (P < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test). For erbB-2 immunoreactivity, typical meningiomas had a median staining score of 5.0 compared to 1.0 for atypical meningiomas (P < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U test). The inverse relationship between levels of erbB-2 and p53 immunoreactivity was found to be statistically significant (P < 0.0001, ANOVA). Expression of the erbB-2 protein was not associated with gene amplification or the presence of activating mutations in the transmembrane region of the protein. These findings may improve our understanding of the molecular events that occur in the neoplastic transformation of meningothelial cells. The patterns of erbB-2 and p53 immunoreactivity may prove to be useful markers with which to identify potentially more malignant meningiomas.
Determination of the geometric structure of alkali induced reconstructions of Au(110)

The Au(110) surface can be made to reconstruct by the adsorption of alkali metals. We report the results of structural studies of two such reconstructions, namely the cesium induced (1 × 3) surface and the potassium induced c(2 × 2) structure.
Real Estate Brokers and the Market for Residential Housing

This study explores the role of the real estate broker in the housing market. A model of the demand for broker services by both sellers and buyers is developed and conditional logit estimates are presented. Evidence relating to the effects of the brokerage industry on housing market transactions also is presented. Brokers do not seem to affect the prices of the houses they sell. But they do influence the level of housing consumption by buyers.
Paradoxical behaviour of mechanical and electrical networks

WE describe here a network of strings and springs in which cutting a string that supports a weight results in a rise of the weight at equilibrium. In an analogous electronic circuit of passive two-terminal devices (resistors and Zener diodes), adding a current-carrying path increases the voltage drop across the circuit. These systems are mechanical and electrical analogues of a paradox of congested traffic flow1,2. Along with similar hydraulic and thermal analogues, they show how non-intuitive equilibrium behaviour can arise in physical networks made up of classical components.
Transconjunctival Müller muscle recession with levator disinsertion for correction of eyelid retraction associated with thyroid-related orbitopathy.

● PURPOSE: To evaluate the efficacy of transconjunctival Muller muscle recession and graded levator disinsertion for eyelid retraction in patients with thyroid-related orbitopathy (TRO). ● DESIGN: Retrospective consecutive case series. ● METHODS: Medical record review of 78 TRO patients (107 eyelids) who underwent surgery for upper eyelid retraction in a 5-year period was performed. Main outcome measures were anatomic and functional success, minimal reflex distance (MRD), lagophthalmos, eyelid asymmetry, and patient discomfort. ● RESULTS: One hundred seven eyelid retraction surgeries were performed on 78 TRO patients (63 women, mean age 49 years); mean follow-up time was 16.7 months. Upper eyelid position, lagophthalmos, exposure keratopathy, and patients’ discomfort markedly improved after surgery (P < .001). Marginal reflex distance (MRD1) decreased an average of 2.6 mm from 6 mm pre-operatively to 3.4 mm post-operatively (P < .001); lagophthalmos decreased an average of 0.6 mm from 1.3 mm pre-operatively to 0.4 mm post-operatively (P .006) Failure rate was 8.4%, most improved with a second surgery. Overcorrection was noticed in three cases (2.8%). Eyelid asymmetry improved from a mean of 1.0 mm pre-operatively to 0.4 mm post-operatively (P .001); more than 80% of patients showed eyelid asymmetry of 1 mm or less. ● CONCLUSION: Transconjunctival Muller muscle and
Participation of the poverty community in health care planning.

Abstract The serious consideration of poverty consumer participation in health services planning and implementation is a thoroughly contemporary idea, as yet incompletely validated or evaluated. Experience to date with respect to the identification of the community, the means by which community will is expressed in this setting, the division of responsibility between professional and consumer for planning and implementation, and some critical factors in this interaction are reviewed. Coupled with the recognition of social and cultural differences between middle-class professionals and poverty area consumers, and certain practical matters of differing priorities, needs, and capabilities, it is the immense economic potential of the health project in the poverty community which dominates the problems of co-operative planning and management.
Trading places: Examining leadership competencies between for‐profit vs. public and non‐profit leaders

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify differences, if any, that exist in leadership style, behaviors, and competencies to drive performance between public/non‐profit and for‐profit organizational leaders. Design/methodology/approach – The study describes the results of in‐depth interviews with leaders in small to medium‐sized organizations in California. Approximately half of the leaders work in non‐profit and public organizations, while the other half work in for‐profit companies. Findings – The findings reveal both similarities and differences between the two groups. Originality/value – The results are a first step in examining the key leadership competencies required for success in each sector and serve as a springboard for future research.
Reversible reduction of coordinated carbon monoxide by permethylzirconocene hydrides. Synthesis and reactivity of a bridging diruthenium zirconoxy carbene complex

Abstract Reaction of the binuclear ruthenium complex [CpRu(CO) 2 ] 2 , 2 , (Cp = η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) with Cp * 2 ZrH 2 , 1 , (Cp * = η 5 -C 5 (CH 3 ) 5 ) produces the carbene complex CP 2 Ru 2 (CO) 2 (μ-CO)(μ-CHOZr(H)Cp * 2 ), 3 , in which the zirconoxy carbene occupies a bridging position, and the ruthenium Cp ligands are mutually trans . The complex undergoes a fluxional process on the NMR time scale at room temperature whereby the inequivalent pairs of Cp and Cp * ligands are exchanged. A value of Δ G ‡ = 14.0(2) kcal mol −1 has been determined for this process from the coalescence temperature (−4°C at 90 MHz). The hafnium analogue exhibits a similar value (14.4(2) kcal mol −1 at +5°C). The ZrH addition to the carbonyl is reversible at 25°C, regenerating 2 and the zirconium hydride, which can be trapped with reagents such as CO, CH 3 I and CF 3 CO 2 H. Lewis acids, on the other hand, induce the transfer of a second hydride from zirconium with concurrent CO cleavage, yielding the bridging methylene complex Cp 2 Ru 2 (CO) 3 (μ-CH 2 ). A modified procedure for the conversion of [CpRu(CO) 2 ] 2 to Cp 2 Ru 2 (CO) 3 (CH 2 ) with LiHBEt 3 in non-polar solvents is also reported.
Autonomous Detection of Aerosolized Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis

We have developed and tested a fully autonomous pathogen detection system (APDS) capable of continuously monitoring the environment for airborne biological threat agents. The system is designed to provide early warning to civilians in the event of a terrorist attack. The final APDS will be completely automated, offering aerosol sampling, in-line sample preparation fluidics, multiplexed detection and identification immunoassays, and orthogonal, multiplexed PCR (nucleic acid) amplification and detection. The system performance (current capabilities include aerosol collection, multiplexed immunoassays, sample archiving, data reporting, and alarming) was evaluated in a field test conducted in a Biosafety Level 3 facility, where the system was challenged with, and detected, a series of aerosolized releases containing two live, virulent biological threat agents (Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis). Results presented here represent the first autonomous, simultaneous measurement of these agents.
Clofibrate and nafenopin (SU-13437): effects on plasma clearance and tissue distribution of chylomicron triglyceride in the dog.

Adult male dogs, which received orally for 21 days either no drug, 75 mg/kg/day of clofibrate or 25 mg/kg/day of nafenopin, were injected iv with14C-labeled chylomicron-lipid, essentially chylomicron-triglyceride fatty acid, at 0.2 g of fat per kilogram body weight. At times from 2–160 min after injection, samples of blood, liver, skeletal muscle and adipose tissue were removed, weighed and assayed for14C-lipid content. Also, in other dogs treated for 14 days, samples of skeletal muscle and adipose tissue were removed before and after treatment by biopsy for measurement of lipoprotein lipase activity. Chylomicron-14C was cleared more rapidly from the plasma of nafenopin-treated and to a lesser extent of clofibrate-treated dogs than controls. Thet 0.5 for clearance was ca. 31 min for control, 12 min for nafenopin-treated and 20 min for clofibrate-treated dogs. The total skeletal muscle mass of nafenopintreated animals took up 40–50% of the injected chylomicron-triglyceride during the first 20 min after injection, as compared with ca. 25–30% for clofibratetreated and 20–25% for control dogs. Also in treated dogs lesser percentages of the cleared chylomicron-14C appeared in the liver soon after injection and more in adipose tissue at later times. These observations could be related partially to a measured ability of clofibrate to increase adipose tissue lipoprotein lipase activity (ca. 50%) and of nafenopin to increase a lipase activity of skeletal muscle (ca. 20%). These data suggest that clofibrate and particularly nafenopin lower plasma triglycerides by increasing their clerance by the peripheral tissues.
Random loose packings of uniform spheres and the dilatancy onset

The random-loose-packing fraction of uniform spheres at the limit of zero gravitational force is determined to be 0.555\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.005. This structure corresponds to a sphere packing at its rigidity-percolation threshold. The onset of dilatancy was also measured to be at approximately the same packing fraction. Preliminary evidence also indicates that shear thickening of suspensions with macroscopic spheres and a negative pore liquid pressure develops at the rigidity threshold. These provide further evidence that a hard-sphere glass transition could exist in the packing fraction range of 0.555 to 0.645.
Ag/AgCl-Loaded Ordered Mesoporous Anatase for Photocatalysis

Thin films of ordered mesoporous anatase have been prepared using a dip-coating procedure. Silver nanoparticles were introduced into the mesopores using wet impregnation followed by heat treatment....
Cell viability and nucleic acid metabolism after exposure of HeLa cells to excess thymidine and deoxyadenosine

Abstract Treatment of HeLa S-3 cells with excess thymidine (2 mM) caused blocking of DNA synthesis, which resulted in a synchronization of the cells after removal of thymidine. Continued synthesis of RNA and protein suggests an “unbalanced growth” syndrome with a deficiency in the deoxycytidylate moiety analogous to states induced by 1-β- d -arabinofuranosyl cytosine or 5-fluorodeoxyuridine. Exposure of cells to excess deoxyadenosine produces a loss of cell viability accompanied by an inhibition of DNA, RNA, and protein synthesis.
Boundary-enhanced sedimentation due to settling convection

Abstract Sedimentation rates are significantly enhanced when the process occurs in containers of certain shapes or orientations. For example, sedimentation in a conical vessel or a tilted tube may be several times faster than sedimentation in a vertical tube of the same height. This enhancement results from a naturally occurring convection. Monodisperse particles were observed during settling from a viscous, incompressible, and Newtonian fluid contained beneath an upward-pointing cone. At particle concentrations of about 0.05 per cent by volume, convective velocities reach ten times the particle settling velocity, and sedimentation is complete in 40 per cent of the time necessary in a vertical tube. Continuum fluid mechanics successfully models this settling convection. The mechanism is particle momentum transfer to fluid. The model requires numerical solution but its functionality can be investigated in terms of dimensionless parameters.
An Extension of Hall's Theorem

Let \( (A_i) _{i \in I} \) and \( (B_i) _ {i \in I} \) be two (possibly infinite) families of finite sets. Let cl(P) denote the closure of the set \( P := \{ ({A_i}, {B_i} ): i \in I \} \) of the pairs with respect to the componentwise union and intersection operations. Then there exists an injective map \( {\displaystyle \bigcup _ {i \in I}} A_i \rightarrow {\displaystyle \bigcup _ {i \in I }} B_i \) such that \( f (A_i) \subseteq B_i \) for every i if, and only if, card \( (A) \leq \) card (B) for every pair \( (A, B) \in cl (P) \).
Cysteine thiosulfonate in cystine metabolism.

Abstract A sulfur-containing amino acid was observed in mammalian cystine metabolism, in vitro and in vivo , which we have characterized as 2-amino, 3-(thio-thiosulfonate)propionic acid (cysteine thiosulfonate). Its biosynthetic pathway appears to initiate with the cleavage of cystine by cystathionine γ-lyase to form thiocystine, which undergoes sulfinolysis to form cysteine thiosulfonate.
Social Support Expectations and Strategic Ambiguity in Parent–Young Adult Child Divorce-Related Stressor Conversations

With communication privacy management and the divorce disclosure model as guiding frameworks, this study identified the stressors postdivorce families discussed as they mature, elucidated the types of social support parents and young adult children expected regarding divorce-related stress, and tested whether motivational and contextual factors prompted parents' use of strategic ambiguity while discussing stressors. By examining parent–child divorce-related stressor conversations in a controlled lab setting, results indicated that a decade after parental divorce, families continued to manage a variety of stressors. Additionally, parents and young adults had strong expectations for nurturant, informational, and tangible support from one another. Yet, social support expectations did not affect parents' self-reported use of strategic ambiguity nor children's perceptions of parents' communication.
In vivo evaluation of a hollow fiber liver assist device

Orthotopic liver transplantation is the only effective form of therapy currently available for patients with fulminant hepatic failure (FHF). The use of an extracorporeal (EC) liver assist device (LAD) may result in improved presurgical clinical management. Alternatively, patients treated with LADs could avoid the transplantation procedure if they are able to regenerate a critical mass of hepatocytes that will sustain functional viability. In this study, the efficacy of a prototype hollow fiber LAD seeded with rabbit hepatocytes was assessed in vivo by the use of two different animal models: (1) normal rabbits injected with diazepam or lidocaine, and (2) a galactosamine (Gal)-intoxicated rabbit model of FHF. The EC LAD clearly decreased the blood levels of the two drugs and significantly generated diazepam and lidocaine metabolites indicating the maintenance of active P450 forms in the cellular component of the devices. A 6-hour EC treatment significantly increased the survival time and delayed the onset of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) in the Gal-intoxicated rabbits. Histological evaluations of postmortem livers showed greater hepatocyte regenerative activity in the animals treated with hepatocyte-seeded LADs than in the two control groups, e.g., rabbits not treated or treated with unseeded devices. These findings support the concept that a microporous hollow fiber LAD seeded with rabbit hepatocytes is able to sustain drug detoxification in vivo as well as to modify the course of FHF in a well-characterized animal model.
Loud Silence ‐ Performing the Research Interview, Listening to Black Women’s Stories in the Academy and Beyond

This article (originally written as a performance piece) focuses on the lessons learned while conducting qualitative research on Black women in the academy, in particular the lessons learned from Dr Vivi South. Theoretical insights from Critical Race Theory, Queer Theory, Black Feminist Thought, and Narrative Inquiry inform the piece to create an engaging and educational experience that blurs boundaries between traditional modes of academic demonstration, performance, and storytelling. Blurring boundaries between research and practice, theory and method, social science and humanities, community and university creates a space for scholars to rethink the traditional qualitative research interview and the problems of equity in the academy.
Low-frequency electric-microfield distributions in a plasma containing multiply-charged ions: extended calculations

The formalism needed for the computation of electric microfield distributions in plasmas is extended as follows: (1) the perturbing ions and electrons in the plasma are allowed to have different kinetic temperatures; (2) two species of perturbing ions, of charge z/sub 1/ and z/sub 2/, may be present in any given proportion. Computed results are presented graphically for parameter ranges which are of interest in the study of laser-produced plasmas.
Is PM&R Teetering on the Precipice of a Dark Age?

Physical medicine and rehabilitation has had a fascinating history of creation, growth, evolution, maturation, and challenge in the 80 or so years it has existed. Today, we are on the brink of the most serious challenges ever to face the specialty. In this address, I review briefly the history of the field, show evidence of our successes, identify the many overwhelming challenges we now face, and forecast a potential doom for our field. In the end, I offer specific strategies and tactics that the field should follow to guide us to a bright and reinvigorated future.
Twelfth-Grade Student Work Intensity Linked to Later Educational Attainment and Substance Use: New Longitudinal Evidence

Long hours of paid employment during high school have been linked to a variety of problem behaviors, but questions remain about whether and to what extent work intensity makes any causal contribution. This study addresses those questions by focusing on how 12th-grade work intensity is associated with substance use and educational attainment in the years following high school. It uses 2 nationally representative longitudinal data sets from the Monitoring the Future project, spanning a total of 3 decades. One data set tracks 8th graders for 8 years (modal ages 14-22) and provides extensive controls for possible prior causes; the second, larger data set tracks 12th graders for up to 12 years (to modal ages 29-30) and permits assessment of possible short-term and longer term consequences. Findings based on propensity score matching and multivariate regression analyses are highly consistent across the 2 sets of data. All findings show that more fundamental prior problems, including low academic performance and aspirations, make substantial contributions to substance use and long-term academic attainment (selection effects), but the findings also suggest that high work intensity during high school has long-term costs in terms of college completion and perhaps cigarette use.
Mechanisms of action of major-histocompatibility-complex-linked genes affecting reproduction

PROBLEM: To provide insight into the mechanisms of action of the major-histocompatibility-complex (MHC) linked genes affecting reproduction. METHOD OF STUDY: The data were obtained using a variety of cellular and molecular techniques in experimental animals and from population genetic studies in humans. RESULTS: In the mouse, the preimplantation embryonic development (Ped) locus, whose functional gene is Q9, regulates fast and slow cleavage of the early embryo. There is also evidence for a growth and reproduction complex (Grc)- like region from serologic. molecular, and cytogenetic studies. In the human, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G gene has been associated with an increased rate of embryonic cleavage in those embryos that express the HLA-G antigen, Sharing of HLA antigens in couples has been associated with recurrent spontaneous abortions, gestational trophoblastic tumors, and unexplained infertility. Detailed mapping studies showed that the genes responsible are not the HLA genes themselves, but genes closely linked to the HLA-DR-DQ-B genes. The H LA region genes can interact epistatically with the C3 allele of transferrin to increase the incidence of fetal loss. In the rat. the Grc region, which is closely linked to the MHC, has been associated with embryonic loss, growth defects, and susceptibility to chemical carcinogens. The Grc can interact epistatically with the tail anomaly lethal (Tal) gene or the hood restriction (H re ) gene to enhance these effects. CONCLUSIONS: There are two basic mechanisms for the effects of MHC-linked genes on reproduction and development: individual gene effects (Ped [Q9]. HLA-G) and extended genetic effects (MHC-linkcd genes in the rat [Grc] and in the human). The nature of these genetic effects, particularly the MHC-linked effects, can also provide some insight into the different theories of human origins: These effects are most consistent with the monogenic theory.
Mechanisms Underlying Atrial Fibrillation

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is by far the most common sustained arrhythmia seen in clinical practice. 1 AF is associated with a doubling of mortality in both sexes and is a major risk factor for stroke. 1 Specifically, AF is responsible for at least 15% to 20% of all embolic strokes. 2 Overall, AF is thought to be the underlying cause of more than 10,000 deaths per year in the United States. Patients with AF also experience a reduced quality of life compared with controls and the general population. 3 Its prevalence doubles with each advancing decade of age, with a prevalence of 9% in persons 80 years or older. 4 Although it is now clear that AF is already a huge epidemiologic problem, estimates project an increment of 2.5fold during the next 50 years, and the projected number of persons with AF in the United States may exceed 12 million by 2050. 5 Its importance is also highlighted by the cost of AF management: AF burden has a huge impact on hospitalization costs and on overall health care. 6 It has been suggested that new antiarrhythmic drugs such as dronedarone, which has been shown to decrease hospitalizations, 7 together with implementation of guidelines to reduce the admissions that are not critical for AF care 8 may become essential to support the rapid increase in the prevalence of AF in subsequent years.
GRAIL USOs; Another in-flight quartz radiation experiment

The Gravity Recovery and Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) mission successfully ended in December, 2012 after an extended science phase of over 280 days mapping the gravitation field gradient of the Moon with a precision of better than 50 E-6 g's over the entire lunar surface. The mission was performed by two tandem flying spacecraft, both of which carried a Microwave Dual One-way Ranging (DOWR) instrument that together formed a highly precise relative measure of the distance between the two spacecraft as they orbited the Moon. The precision of the radio link maintained by the DOWR instruments was derived from the frequency stability of the ultra-stable oscillators (USOs) on-board each spacecraft. The opportunity to observe the USOs frequency throughout the GRAIL mission provides a record of not only the intrinsic performance of the oscillators, but their behavior during exposure to space conditions. We describe the effect to the frequency of each GRAIL USO, A and B, resulting from the March 7th, 2012 X5.4 level solar flare, just several days into GRAIL's science collection phase. We discuss the impact of this radiation exposure, and the asymmetric behavior of two USOs coincidentally perturbed by the same space-weather event.
Fine-Grained Colour Discrimination without Fine-Grained Colour

Rene Jagnow [2012] argues that David Rosenthal's theory of consciousness cannot account for certain experiences that involve colours so fine-grained that we do not and cannot have concepts of them. Jagnow claims that an appeal to comparative concepts such as being slightly darker than cannot help Rosenthal, since, in order to apply such concepts, we would already need to be conscious of two distinct fine-grained colours. The present paper contests this claim. It appeals to the Cornsweet illusion and some other visual phenomena, in order to argue that our visual systems can and do represent brutely comparative matters.
A platform-independent tool for modeling parallel programs

Programming languages that can utilize the underlying parallel architecture in shared memory, distributed memory or Graphics Processing Units (GPUs) are used extensively for solving scientific problems. However, from our observation of studying multiple parallel programs from various domains, such programming languages have a substantial amount of sequential code mixed with the parallel code. When rewriting the parallel code for another platform, the same sequential code is often reused without much modification. Although this is a common occurrence, existing tools and programming environments do not offer much support for this process. In this paper, we introduce a tool named PPmodel, which was designed and implemented to assist programmers in separating the core computation from the details of a specific parallel architecture. Using PPmodel, a programmer can identify and retarget the parallel section of a program to execute in a different platform. With PPmodel, a programmer is better enabled to focus on the parallel section of interest, while ignoring other parallel and sequential sections in a program. The tool is explained by example execution of the parallel section of an OpenMP program for the circuit satisfiability problem in a cluster using the Message Passing Interface (MPI).
Sentence position and syntactic complexity of stuttering in early childhood: a longitudinal study.

Abstract The purpose of the present investigation was to assess longitudinal word- and sentence-level measures of stuttering in young children. Participants included 12 stuttering and non-stuttering children between 36 and 71 months of age at an initial visit who exhibited a range of stuttering rates. Parent–child spontaneous speech samples were obtained over a period of two years at six-month intervals. Each speech sample was transcribed, and both stuttering-like disfluencies (SLDs) and other disfluencies (ODs) were coded. Word- and sentence-level measures of SLDs were used to assess linguistic characteristics of stuttering. Results of the word-level analysis indicated that stuttering was most likely to occur at the sentence-initial position, and that a tendency to stutter on function words was present only at the sentence-initial position. Results of the sentence-level analyses indicated that sentences containing ODs and those containing SLDs were both significantly longer and more complex than fluent sentences, but did not differ from each other. Word- and sentence-level measures also did not change across visits. Results were taken to suggest that both SLDs and ODs originate during the same stage of sentence planning. Educational objectives: The reader will be able to: (1) describe the importance of sentence position in the occurrence of speech disfluencies, (2) describe the relation between sentence complexity and the occurrence of speech disfluencies, and (3) describe the potential role of different aspects of sentence planning on the occurrence of speech disfluencies.
Immune escape mechanisms of intraocular tumors

The notion that the immune system might control the growth of tumors was suggested over 100 years ago by the eminent microbiologist Paul Ehrlich. This concept was refined and expanded by Burnet and Thomas 50 years later with their articulation of the "immune surveillance" hypothesis. In its simplest form, the immune surveillance hypothesis suggests that neoplasms arise spontaneously and express novel antigens that are recognized by the immune system, which either eliminates the tumors or restrains their growth. Within the eye, immune responses are controlled and sometimes profoundly inhibited - a condition known as immune privilege. Immune privilege in the eye is the result of a complex array of anatomical, physiological, and immunoregulatory mechanisms that prevent the induction and expression of many immune responses. Tumors arising in the eye would seem to have an advantage in evading immune surveillance due to ocular immune privilege. Uveal melanoma, the most common and malignant intraocular tumor in adults, not only benefits from the immune privilege of the eye but also has adopted many of the mechanisms that contribute to ocular immune privilege as a strategy for protecting uveal melanoma cells once they leave the sanctuary of the eye and are disseminated systemically in the form of metastases. Although the immune system possesses a battery of effector mechanisms designed to rid the body of neoplasms, tumors are capable of rapidly evolving and countering even the most sophisticated immunological effector mechanisms. To date, tumors seem to be winning this arms race, but an increased understanding of these mechanisms should provide insights for designing immunotherapy that was envisioned over half a century ago, but has failed to materialize to date.
Linear separability and concept learning: context, relational properties, and concept naturalness.

Abstract Four experiments were designed to determine if the ease with which abstract category structures are learned interacts with the specific type of knowledge that is applied to the task. Participants were tested on category structures that were or were not linearly separable, and different knowledge structures were induced by manipulating the context of the stimulus information (behavioral characteristics, descriptions of objects, occupational descriptions, and lists of preferences) and the instructions (e.g., think of the following objects in terms of their utility as a hammer). Linearly separable (LS) categories are categories that can be perfectly partitioned on the basis of a weighted, additive combination of component information. Independent cue models (e.g., prototype theories) predict that the linearly separable categories used in the experiments should be easier to learn than the nonlinearly separable (NLS) categories across conditions, whereas interactive cue models (e.g., the context model) make the opposite prediction. The experiments revealed a strong interaction between abstract category structure and knowledge structures: When the knowledge structures induced coding compatible with LS categories, the LS categories were easier to learn than the NLS categories; but when the knowledge structures induced coding compatible with NLS structures, the reverse was true. The implications of the results for classification models and constraints on category formation are discussed in terms of the form of relational coding that is induced by different knowledge structures. Independent cue and interactive cue models may only account for a narrow range of interproperty coding.
Intraneural Injection in Regional Anesthesia: What Does the Literature Tell Us?

The contemporary use of ultrasound-guidance for peripheral nerve block allows for direct imaging of the relationship of needle-to-nerve. In the past it was presumed a block needle did not penetrate the nerve, but it is now apparent that unintentional, and even intentional, needle placement deep to the outer epineurium may occur without pain, paresthesia, or stimulating motor response below 0.5 mA. It remains controversial whether needle placement just outside the outer epineurium is effective in producing block, and less likely to contribute to postoperative neurologic symptoms than intentional intraneural needle placement which may produce faster onset of blockade, and sometimes more complete or longer blockade. Since extraneural, circumferential injection of local anesthetic is effective, and since current ultrasound and other technology cannot reliably prevent an intraneural needle from penetrating a fascicle with a potential for nerve injury, the extraneural needle location is concluded to be a more appropriate location.
Effects of UV degradation on surface hydrophobicity, crack, and thickness of MWCNT-based nanocomposite coatings

Abstract Surface degradation is a common problem in polymeric coatings when they are exposed to sunlight, moisture, and oxygen. In order to reduce their surface degradation, thus keeping the coatings’ original properties, multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were added, and the coatings were exposed to UV light and salt fog for various lengths of time. At 0 days of UV exposure, contact angle values of 0%, 0.25%, 0.5%, 1%, and 2% MWCNT-based nanocomposite coatings of 75 μm (∼3 mil) thickness were between 85° and 89°. However, after 16 days of UV exposure, contact angle values of the same samples were reduced to 11°, 13°, 34°, 50°, and 54°, respectively. Longer UV exposures resulted in several microcracks on the surface of the coated samples in the absence of nanoscale inclusions, while very minimal cracks or degradation appeared on the MWCNT-loaded samples. Test results also showed that UV exposure along with salt fogging reduced the coating thickness up to 24% at 0% CNTs; in contrast, this reduction was only 7% with a 2% MWCNT coating. These results clearly indicate that MWCNTs added to polymeric coatings reduce UV degradation, lessen surface cracks, protect the film thickness, and hence increase the lifetime of the polymeric coatings.
Invasive bighead and silver carp effects on zooplankton communities in the Illinois River, Illinois, USA

Abstract Aquatic invasive species introductions are a global environmental concern. Negative effects of invasive species are often manifested in alterations of food web structure and through competition with and predation upon native species. The Illinois River, Illinois, USA harbors invasive, planktivorous bighead, Hypophthalmichthys nobilis , and silver carp, Hypophthalmichthys molitrix , and can be a model ecosystem to test for their effects on zooplankton communities. We tested for bighead and silver carp effects on zooplankton communities pre- and post-establishment within one reach of the Illinois River and among river reaches that varied in abundances of these invasive fishes. The establishment of bighead and silver carp was associated with increased rotifer abundances, while cladoceran and copepod abundances were reduced relative to pre-establishment. Cladoceran and copepod abundance and biomass were negatively associated with bighead and silver carp abundances among reaches. Total zooplankton and rotifer abundance and biomass were positively associated with bighead and silver carp abundances. Our results suggest that bighead and silver carp have changed the zooplankton community of the Illinois River which may have implications for the food web, native species, and other ecosystems poised to be invaded, such as the Laurentian Great Lakes.