cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
External validity and factor structure of individual and group workload ratings

ABSTRACTWork teams experience workload from the group dynamics in addition to the usual sources of individual workload. This study had three objectives: to assess the responsiveness of new rating scales for group workload (GWL), investigate their component structure, and determine if changes in workload occur as the team matures. Participants (360 individuals, 44 groups) engaged in an emergency response (ER) simulation in the form of a board game; team size, game difficulty (one versus two opponents), and time constraints were varied. ER teams rated workload after each of two sessions using the NASA Task Load Index (TLX) and GWL. GWL was most responsive to larger task demands and reflected changes in coordination demand over time. Components reflected mixtures of TLX and GWL scales and suggested that self-organising processes were operating.
An investigation into the range dependence of target delineation strategies for stereotactic lung radiotherapy

The “gold standard” approach for defining an internal target volume (ITV) is using 10 gross tumor volume (GTV) phases delineated over the course of one respiratory cycle. However, different sites have adopted several alternative techniques which compress all temporal information into one CT image set to optimize work flow efficiency. The purpose of this study is to evaluate alternative target segmentation strategies with respect to the 10 phase gold standard. A Quasar respiratory motion phantom was employed to simulate lung tumor movement. Utilizing 4DCT imaging, a gold standard ITV was created by merging 10 GTV time resolved image sets. Four alternative planed ITV’s were compared using free breathing (FB), average intensity projection (AIP), maximum image projection (MIP), and an augmented FB (FB-Aug) set where the ITV included structures from FB plus max-inhale/exhale image sets. Statistical analysis was performed using the Dice similarity coefficient (DSC). Seventeen patients previously treated for lung SBRT were also included in this retroactive study. PTV’s derived from the FB image set are the least comparable with the 10 phase benchmark (DSC = 0.740-0.408). For phantom target motion greater than 1 cm, FB and AIP ITV delineation exceeded the 10 phase benchmark by 2% or greater, whereas MIP target segmentation was found to be consistently within 2% agreement with the gold standard (DSC > 0.878). Clinically, however, the FB-Aug method proved to be most favorable for tumor movement up to 2 cm (DSC = 0.881 ± 0.056). Our results indicate the range of tumor motion dictates the accuracy of the defined PTV with respect to the gold standard. When considering delineation efficiency relative to the 10 phase benchmark, the FB-Aug technique presents a potentially proficient and viable clinical alternative. Among various techniques used for image segmentation, a judicious balance between accuracy and efficiency is inherently required to account for tumor trajectory, range and rate of mobility.
Depth Profiling of Phosphorus in Silicon Using Cesium Bombardment Negative SIMS

One of the most often used n-dopants in silicon solid state technology is phosphorus. Unfortunately, its analysis by SIMS at the trace level (≤1017 at/cm3) has been limited by sample contamination from the vacuum system. Any hydrogen-containing species which condense onto the sample will create 30SiH sputtered molecular ions which interfere with the detection of 31P if one cannot separate the species through use of high mass resolution. Previous efforts [1,2] at SIMS profiling of P in Si with oxygen bombardment had detection limits of approximately l×lO18 at/cm3. The SIMS instrument at RCA Laboratories [3] maintains a pressure of 10−10 torr in the sample chamber, but cannot form a primary ion beam of oxygen ions. An oxygen jet is used on most samples which require an oxide surface layer to enhance positive secondary ion yields. However, this technique cannot be used when analyzing for P in Si because the oxygen unavoidably will contain enough H20 to produce a significant 30SiH signal. To circumvent this problem, advantage was taken of the high negative ion yield of P under Cs+ bombardment [4], and a surface ionization Cs+ primary ion source was developed [5]. Thus, taking advantage of the clean sample environment of the instrument and using Cs bombardment negative SIMS, it was hoped that P in Si could be depth profiled at trace concentrations.
Christiaan Barnard's views on euthanasia.

In 2017, we celebrated the 50th anniversary of the world's first human heart transplant, carried out by South African surgeon Christiaan Barnard (Figure 1) in Cape Town on December 3, 1967. Althoug...
SCIENCE AND DEVELOPMENT

Highly industrialized nations mostly achieved their high states of development at a time when technology was mainly mechanical, simple in principle, and easily comprehended by intelligent people without a science background. Substantial support of basic research was not generally a factor in development. Developing nations today face a very different situation where modern technology is esoteric and complicated. To develop in this environment, developing countries require high quality educational programs under girded by basic research efforts in order to provide a cadre of people who can understand the various technological innovations that might be undertaken and the side effects of those technologies. In both developing and developed nations, scientists can be expected to act as advocates both for and against particular technological enterprises, but this diminishes the stature of scientists in general as objective, unbiased authorities. Since policy makers cannot in general evaluate the scientific arguments, they have no means of obtaining objective, unbiased evaluations of technological proposals. A mechanism is needed to provide objective scientific evaluations to policy makers, and to separate these evaluations from the views of the scientist-advocates.
Erzählungen und die partizipative Governance der Grünen Nanotechnologien. Methodologische und methodische Überlegungen

Der folgende Beitrag will im Anschluss an die konzeptionellen Uberlegungen meines voranstehenden Beitrages zur narrativen Diskursanalyse einige Hinweise bzgl. der Frage- und Analyseperspektive sowie der Methodik geben und dies anhand von Beispielen aus dem Bereich der partizipativen Governance der Wissensproduktion im Feld der Nanotechnologien illustrieren. Dabei geht der Beitrag von der Annahme aus, dass sich narrative Diskursanalyse und Konzepte der Governance-Forschung fruchtbar verbinden lassen konnten, ohne dass die notwendige Begrundungsarbeit an dieser Stelle geleistet werden konnte. In der deutschen Governance-Diskussion – dies sei dem Leser zur Hintergrundinformation vorausgeschickt – bezieht sich der Begriff der Governance zumeist auf Prozesse nicht-hierarchischer Handlungskoordination, in komplexen, oft polyzentrischen Handlungs- und Entscheidungsstrukturen, in denen sowohl staatliche als auch nicht-staatliche Akteure involviert sind oder sein konnen. Zumeist in Absetzung zum Begriff der Steuerung betont der Governance-Begriff die Bedeutung institutioneller Regelungsstrukturen bei der Strukturierung und Koordination von Handlungen und Praktiken. Dies gilt auch fur die Governance der Wissensproduktion. Ohne dies an dieser Stelle genauer begrunden zu konnen, nehme ich jedoch erstens an, dass Governance-Prozesse nicht nur auf Kooperation und Konsensbildung beruhen, sondern in hohen Mase durch Konflikt und Dissens gepragt sind, wobei prinzipiell auch nicht die produktive Rolle von Dissens zu unterschatzen ist. Zweitens mochte ich behaupten, dass narrative Diskurse, die durch einen Konflikt der Interpretationen uber die Angemessenheit von Innovationsprogrammen gepragt sind, nicht nur die Prozesse der Handlungskoordination von Stakeholdern und anderer am Diskurs teilhabender Akteure strukturieren, sondern bereits bei der Konstitution eines entsprechenden Politikfeldes und der diesbezuglichen Strukturierung der Definitionsverhaltnisse – dies umgreift u. a. agenda-building und agenda-setting Prozesse) – sowie bei der Legitimation der innovationspolitischer Programme eine zentrale Rolle spielen. Insofern bildet die Annahme, dass auch im innovationspolitischen Feld der so genannten Nanotechnologien zivilgesellschaftliche Akteure an dem konflikthaften Prozess der Wissens- und Technikproduktion teilhaben, die Hintergrundthese der folgenden im Wesentlichen illustrativen Zwecken dienenden methodischen und methodologischen Uberlegungen. Die anschliesende Diskussion will jedoch keinerlei Anspruch erheben, die Breite und Dynamik des trans- und international sich vollziehenden nanotechnologischen Governance-Diskurses erfasst zu haben. Ebenso wenig rekurriere ich an dieser Stelle auf die aktuell diskutierten Probleme der Governance-Forschung.
USE OF EXTENDED TOPOLOGY IN MODELING SENSORY PROJECTIONS

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the use of extended topology in modeling sensory projections. The chapter also explores the notions of set-valued set mappings, closeness, continuity, and neighborhoods as related to receptive fields and the metric used by the visual system to guide saccadic eye movements. Erlandson and Fleming have shown that the saccadic control process can be modeled as a satisfaction controller with the basis for the satisfaction control action being an uncertainty regarding the position of a target's image on the retina. The size of the uncertainty set depends on the retinal position, increasing with increasing ganglion cell receptive fields. Classical topology has several shortcomings when considered as a modeling framework for sensory projections and information processing. The uncertainty sets described by Erlandson and Fleming tended to decrease with target presentation time, that is, the time a target is visible on the retina.
Mixed graphical models for integrative causal analysis with application to chronic lung disease diagnosis and prognosis

Motivation Integration of data from different modalities is a necessary step for multi-scale data analysis in many fields, including biomedical research and systems biology. Directed graphical models offer an attractive tool for this problem because they can represent both the complex, multivariate probability distributions and the causal pathways influencing the system. Graphical models learned from biomedical data can be used for classification, biomarker selection and functional analysis, while revealing the underlying network structure and thus allowing for arbitrary likelihood queries over the data. Results In this paper, we present and test new methods for finding directed graphs over mixed data types (continuous and discrete variables). We used this new algorithm, CausalMGM, to identify variables directly linked to disease diagnosis and progression in various multi-modal datasets, including clinical datasets from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). COPD is the third leading cause of death and a major cause of disability and thus determining the factors that cause longitudinal lung function decline is very important. Applied on a COPD dataset, mixed graphical models were able to confirm and extend previously described causal effects and provide new insights on the factors that potentially affect the longitudinal lung function decline of COPD patients. Availability and implementation The CausalMGM package is available on http://www.causalmgm.org. Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Scale and co-management outcomes: assessing the impact of collaborative forest management on community and household resilience in Ghana.

Abstract Co-management – institutional arrangements that involve the sharing of power, rights and responsibilities between states and resource users – provides a framework for managing common pool resources across multiple scales. However, the scale concept has not received widespread recognition in the assessment of co-management outcomes. This study employed a mixed methods research approach to assess the impacts of collaborative forest management (CFM) on social-ecological resilience at the community and household levels in two forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Analysis of qualitative data at the community level indicated that although specific impacts of the CFM program varied within and across the various types of capital assets that shape community resilience, the overall impact of the program on both communities has been positive. At the household level, a statistical comparison of past and current household capital assets showed varying levels of decline in household conditions across the two communities during the implementation of the CFM program. It appears the modest gains from the CFM program at the community level may not have been equitably distributed at the household level. These results suggest that the impact of co-management and other conservation policies may be sensitive to the level at which observation is done. Greater recognition of the importance of scale and cross-scale interactions is needed to inform the formulation of forest policies that contribute to building social-ecological resilience across scales.
How Little Is Known: Finding Regulations from the First 100 Years of the United States

AbstractThe task of finding 19th-century regulations is not as daunting as it might initially appear. By adapting well-worn research advice about the importance of secondary sources and indexes and...
Childhood obesity and the associated roles of neighborhood and biologic stress.

Abstract Exposure to violence and obesity continues to be growing epidemics, particularly among children. Our objective was to increase our understanding of the association between neighborhood violence exposure and children's weight and how biologic stress may mediate this relation. A matched, community-recruited cross-sectional study of 90 children, ages 5–16 years, from 52 neighborhoods took place in the greater New Orleans, LA area between 2012 and 2013. Children were matched on their propensity for living in a high violence neighborhood and previous exposure to Hurricane Katrina. Primary neighborhood exposure included violent crime, operationalized as crime rates within specific radii of children's home. Rates of exposure within 500, 1000 and 2000 meter radii from the child's home were calculated. Primary outcomes were body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference, and the primary mediator was telomere length (TL), a marker of cellular aging. Significant variation in obesity and TL was observed at the neighborhood level and violent crime was significantly associated with weight status, with an increase of 1.24 units in BMI for each additional violent crime in the child's neighborhood and a significant mediated or indirect effect of TL in the crime-BMI relation (0.32, 95% bootstrapped CI = 0.05, 0.81; 32% total mediated effect). Findings strengthen existing evidence linking neighborhood violence to childhood health and identify biologic stress, indexed by TL, as one mechanistic pathway by which neighborhood violence may influence childhood obesity. Neighborhood violence may be an important target for interventions focused on reducing obesity and other stress related health outcomes in children.
Effects of ethanol and ethanol metabolites on intrinsic function of mesenteric resistance arteries

Evidence suggests that ethanol-induced hypertension is associated with increased cardiovascular responsiveness to vasopressors in vivo and enhanced reactivity of isolated arteries to vasopressors ex vivo. The underlying mechanisms are not well understood and the contribution of ethanol metabolites to vascular effects induced by ethanol consumption are unclear. Mesenteric resistance arteries were harvested from Sprague-Dawley rats. Pressure myography was utilized to test effects of ethanol, acetaldehyde and phosphatidylethanol on myogenic tone and on vasoconstriction induced by phenylephrine, arginine vasopressin (aVP), endothelin-1 and KCl. Ethanol, acetaldehyde and phosphatidylethanol concentrations were monitored during the experiments. Ethanol concentrations in the vessel bath decreased with a half-life of 25min; acetaldehyde and phosphatidylethanol concentrations remained constant. Pretreatment with ethanol dose-dependently increased the potency of phenylephrine to induce vasoconstriction 4-fold (p<0.01). These effects were comparable when arteries were pre-treated with a single dose of ethanol for 30min and when ethanol concentrations were kept constant during 30min and 60min of pretreatment. While ethanol also dose-dependently increased the potency of aVP to induce vasoconstriction 1.7-fold (p<0.05), it did not affect vasoconstriction induced by endothelin-1 or KCl. Acetaldehyde pre-treatment (30 min) dose-dependently increased the potency of phenylephrine to induce vasoconstriction 2.7-fold (p<0.01) but did not affect other vasoconstrictor responses. Phosphatidylethanol did not affect any vasoconstrictor responses. Ethanol and its metabolites did not affect myogenic tone. These data suggest that ethanol and acetaldehyde selectively sensitize intrinsic constrictor responses upon activation of vascular α1-adrenergic and/or vasopressin receptors at clinically relevant concentrations. Our findings support the concept that enhanced vasoreactivity to vasoactive hormones contributes to the development of hypertension induced by ethanol consumption. Ex vivo exposure of resistance arteries to ethanol and acetaldehyde resembles effects of chronic ethanol consumption on intrinsic vascular function, and thus could serve as test platform to evaluate interventions aimed to mitigate vascular effects associated with ethanol consumption.
INFLAMMATION OF THE VASCULAR NICHE ENHANCES LEUKEMIA-INITIATING CELL METABOLIC SWITCH

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) alters the normal bone marrow (BM) vascular architecture, although several clinical trials testing vasculature-specific agents showed modest efficacy. These findings suggest that a deeper understanding of BM endothelial cell (EC)-specific pathways providing a pre-malignant/pro-tumoral niche is imperative to efficiently target angiogenesis and vascular integration. We previously generated tamoxifen-inducible transgenic mice with constitutively activated MAPK signaling in BM ECs (MAPKVCC), which displayed profound decline in HSC and progenitor potential, loss of vascular integrity and enhanced inflammation. We observed that MAPK pathway activation conferred BMECs the ability to significantly expand putative MLL-AF9 AML leukemia-initiating cells (LIC) in our ex vivo platform. Moreover, transplantation of LICs first expanded on MAPKVCC BMECs resulted in notably shorter survival of recipient mice, compared to mice receiving control BMEC-expanded LICs. MAPKVCC BMECs displayed increased glycolytic capacity at steady state and under stress conditions by Seahorse assays, as well as high respiratory capacity. MAPKVCC BMECs induced a metabolic switch in MLL-AF9 LICs ex vivo, towards increased glycolysis in both steady and stressed state and retained oxidative respiration potential under stress. We observed increased extracellular lactate levels over time in MAPKVCC BMEC single cultures as well as higher lactate levels in presence of AML, consistently with their hyperglycolytic metabolic profiles. Moreover, upregulated expression of MCT4 and MCT1, the monocarboxylate transporters mediating lactate efflux and lactate uptake, respectively, in both MAPKVCC BMECs and cKit+ AML cells ex vivo suggests the existence of a lactate shuttle, coupling BMEC-AML metabolic needs, that might support the emergence of LICs at the expenses of normal hematopoiesis.
Constructing a Sense of Purpose and a Professional Teaching Identity: Experiences of Teacher Candidates with Disabilities

Using grounded theory, we examined the ways in which undergraduate teacher candidates with disabilities developed a sense of purpose and constructed professional identities. Our findings suggest K-...
Chapter 14 – Comparative Social Behavior

This chapter highlights a variety of social systems, starting with vertebrate examples and moving on to the eusocial insects. In bird and mammal societies we emphasize the frequent presence of helpers at the nest, young animals that opt to stay and aid in tasks like food collection, nest construction, and group defense rather than start families of their own. More complete and permanent reproductive division of labor between the parents (the queen and in some species the king) and their offspring (the workers) characterizes the eusocial insects, most of which are ants, bees, and wasps. There is also often division of labor among the workers, so that individual workers specialize in specific tasks. Reproductive suppression of workers by the reproductives can be achieved by pheromones or by dominance behavior. However, kin selection predicts that workers willingly, in an evolutionary sense, give up their own reproductive capacity, so evidence of reproductive suppression is not found in all species. Workers may also police each others’ reproductive attempts. Eusocial systems provide many of the most remarkable examples of social coordination among animals.
Block Axial Checkerboarding: A Distributed Algorithm for Helical X-Ray CT Reconstruction

Model-Based Iterative Reconstruction (MBIR) methods for X-ray CT provide improved image quality compared to conventional techniques like filtered backprojection (FBP), but their computational burden is undesirably high. Distributed algorithms have the potential to significantly reduce reconstruction time, but the communication overhead of existing methods has been a considerable bottleneck. This paper proposes a distributed algorithm called Block-Axial Checkerboarding (BAC) that utilizes the special structure found in helical CT geometry to reduce inter-node communication. Preliminary results using a simulated 3D helical CT scan suggest that the proposed algorithm has the potential to reduce reconstruction time in multi-node systems, depending on the balance between compute speed and communication bandwidth.
Rapid 'mix and read' assay for scalable detection of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in patient plasma

The human beta coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, causative virus of COVID-19, has infected more than 15 million people globally and continues to spread. Widespread, population level testing to detect active and past infections is critical to curb the COVID-19 pandemic. Antibody (serological) testing is the only option for detecting past infections outside the narrow window accessible to nucleic acid-based tests. However, currently available serological assays commonly lack scalability. Here, we describe the development of a rapid homogenous serological assay for the detection of antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in patient plasma. We show that the fluorescence-based assay accurately detects seroconversion in COVID-19 patients from less than 1 microliter of plasma. Using a cohort of samples from COVID-19 infected or healthy individuals, we demonstrate detection with 100% sensitivity and specificity. This assay addresses an important need for a robust, low barrier to implementation, and scalable serological assay with complementary strengths to currently available serological platforms.
Transition from room temperature to cold-stored platelets for the preservation of blood inventories during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic has placed great strain on blood resources. In an effort to extend platelet shelf-life and minimize waste, our institution transitioned room-temperature to cold-stored platelets for administration to bleeding patients. Study design and methods We describe the administrative and technical processes involved in transitioning room-temperature platelets to cold-storage in April 2020. Additionally, we describe the clinical utilization of cold-stored platelets in the first month of this practice change, with a focus on changes in platelet counts after transfusion, hemostasis, and safety outcomes. Results A total of 61 cold-stored platelet units were transfused to 40 bleeding patients, with a median (interquartile range) of 1 (1, 2) units per patient. The median age was 68 (59, 73) years; 58% male. Median pre-transfusion and post-transfusion platelets counts were 88 (67, 109) and 115 (93, 145). 95% of transfusions were administered in the operating room; 57% cardiac surgery, 20% vascular surgery, 8% general surgery, and 5% solid-organ transplantation. Hemostasis was deemed to be adequate in all cases after transfusion. There were no transfusion reactions. One patient (3%) experienced a fever and infection within 5 days of transfusion, which was unrelated to transfusion. Median hospital length of stay was 8.5 (6, 17) days. Two patients (5%) died in the hospital of complications not related to transfusion. Conclusion Cold-stored platelet utilization was associated with adequate hemostasis and no overt signal for patient harm. Conversion from room-temperature to cold-stored platelets may be one method of reducing waste in times of scarce blood inventories. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
A new iridescent corticolous myxomycete species (Licea: Liceaceae: Liceales) and crystals on American elm tree bark in Texas, U.S.A.

A Licea species new to science is described on the bark surface of living American elm (Ulmus americana L.) cultured in moist chambers. It is characterized by an iridescent peridium on the sides of the sporangium, a black apical circular patch of globular debris, and dark reddish black spores that are smooth over half the surface and ridged-reticulate over the other half with the paler thinner wall collapsing into a coffee-bean shape. This combination of morphological characters is distinct and separates this taxon from all other species of Licea. The history of moist chamber culture use and field collection of corticolous myxomycetes is reviewed. The discovery of crystals of unknown origin on the bark surface of American elms associated with Licea species are illustrated with light microscope photography and scanning electron microscopy. Light microscope images and habit photographs were made using multi-focus imaging and computer stacking to increase depth of field and provide illustrations in color of sporangial structures of the new Licea species. This tiny short-stalked Licea approximately 100 um in height, and with distinctive external and internal morphological characters, was photographed using scanning electron microscopy. Dark-spored versus light-spored species of Licea are reviewed and compared with the most recent molecular analysis as this relates to the genus Licea. This paper is the first in a series that will document the discovery of Licea fruiting bodies of four new species on American elms in nature parks near Fort Worth, Texas.
The use of FDG-PET/CT in pediatric post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD)

1189 Objectives: The use of FDG-PET/CT in pediatric post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) Background: Post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder (PTLD) is the most common malignancy complicating solid-organ transplantation, varying between 1-2% in pediatric renal transplant patients, 2-9% in lung transplant recipients, and 11-33% of intestinal or multiorgan transplant recipients. PTLD is believed to be, in part, related to immunosuppression necessary for preventing organ graft rejection. However, PTLD is also closely associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), in that EBV-negative recipients of EBV-positive organs without preoperative immunity have a greater risk of PTLD. PTLD is more common in children, possibly because children are more likely to be EBV-seronegative prior to transplantation. FDG-PET/CT is often used to stage and evaluate treatment response in pediatric PTLD including nodal and extra-nodal involvement. This educational exhibit will review the utility of FDG-PET/CT in diagnosing and management pediatric patients with PTLD. Objectives: 1. Describe the incidence and pathophysiology of PTLD, including the three types of PTLD: mononucleosis-like early lesion, Polymorphic PTLD, Monomorphic PTLD, Hodgkin-like PTLD. 2. Discuss risk factors related to PTLD, including degree of immunosuppression, EBV serostatus, CMV serostatus, pre-transplant malignancy. 3. Review the literature regarding the use of FDG-PET/CT in diagnosing/staging PTLD, as well as the disease distribution. 4. Describe the role of FDG-PET/CT in assessing response to treatment of PTLD, including the Deauville criteria. 5. Review cases of PTLD on FDG PET/CT and FDG PET/MRI.
A Novel Fully Inkjet Printed Dual-Polarization Broadband Tuneable FSS Using Origami "Eggbox" Structure

A dual polarization ‘eggbox’-inspired frequency selective surface with cross-conductive elements that can change the frequency response of two orthogonal linear polarizations is demonstrated for the first time in this article. The additional degree of freedom from the dual-mode metamaterial in combination with the ‘eggbox’ origami structure which exploits the symmetrical planes of the metamaterial leads to an unprecedented re-configurability performance compared to traditional Miura-Ori based structures which have fewer degrees of control.
Exaggerated sympathetic and cardiovascular responses to dynamic mechanoreflex activation in rats with heart failure: Role of endoperoxide 4 and thromboxane A2 receptors.

Abstract The primary purpose of this investigation was to determine the role played by endoperoxide 4 receptors (EP4-R) and thromboxane A2 receptors (TxA2-R) during isolated dynamic muscle mechanoreflex activation in rats with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HF-rEF) and sham-operated healthy controls. We found that injection of the EP4-R antagonist L-161,982 (1 μg) into the arterial supply of the hindlimb had no effect on the peak pressor response to dynamic hindlimb muscle stretch in HF-rEF (n = 6, peak ∆MAP pre: 27 ± 7; post: 27 ± 4 mm Hg; P = 0.99) or sham (n = 6, peak ∆MAP pre: 15 ± 3; post: 13 ± 3 mm Hg; P = 0.67) rats. In contrast, injection of the TxA2-R antagonist daltroban (80 μg) into the arterial supply of the hindlimb reduced the pressor response to dynamic hindlimb muscle stretch in HF-rEF (n = 11, peak ∆MAP pre: 28 ± 4; post: 16 ± 2 mm Hg; P = 0.02) but not sham (n = 8, peak ∆MAP pre: 17 ± 3; post: 16 ± 3; P = 0.84) rats. Our data suggest that TxA2-Rs on thin fibre muscle afferents contribute to the exaggerated mechanoreflex in HF-rEF.
Decentralized scheduling with precedence constraints

We consider decentralized scheduling with precedence constraints (DSwP) games where a set of players are scheduling jobs to complete while a set of hard precedence constraints link the jobs of the players. The impact of these decentralized scheduling efforts can be quantified by examining the price of anarchy (PoA) and the price of stability (PoS), which measure, respectively, the ratio of social costs of the worst and best equilibrium solutions with the optimal (centralized) social costs. We demonstrate that equilibrium solutions do not, in general, exist for this class of games and prove their existence for certain classes of games. Upper bounds for the PoA and the PoS are proven to depend linearly on the sum of the processing times of the jobs across the players and we present an example to demonstrate that this bound cannot be tightened beyond the sum of the processing times divided by two.
Kidding in the Family Room: Literature and America's Psychological Class System

NO ONE WANTS TO HEAR a stage-development theory for the American class system. The very phrase "stage-development" offends half the world, let alone applying it to a national family secret ?the American class system. We don't welcome a theory that says adults can and should change; we keenly don't want to hear any theory that says whole enclaves of adults can change. We literary people nearly curl our lips at expressions like "personality change," even though in the next breath we may argue that what's needed for the ghetto is "education." Well, and what if "education" ? some sort of education, at least?is what's needed for the mentally idle, suffocating, bored middle-class American sprawled in the family room? There may be such a canny and humane kind of education already designed, already in use in the world: there may already be such a stunning intervention, if you can use the expression "intervention" in things cultural, that if our family room TV addict could experience it he or she would leave off glaring at Bill Cowher's new quarterback; he or she would abandon forever the desultory and dreamless conversations, laced with kidding. He or she would become, willfully, a serious human being. Everyone, individually or in groups, has some psychological wants that don't work out very nicely for other people. One psychological want I have noticed in privileged, educated people is their idea that nothing can change the half-educated or discultivated or totally uneducated middle class American sprawled in the family room. Oh! ?of course the ghetto person and the ghetto enclave must be educated so they can change?but the American middle-class person is off-limits. Apparently there is some thing terrifying about the idea of re-educating this type of middle-class per son. Although uneducated or half-cultivated or discultivated middle-class people are the butt of all novelists: there is not any writer I know of who wants the working-class protagonist to rise and join the sneering, kidding, cynical middle class. Non-intellectual, often non-voting, non-thinking, non-imaginative people are the villains in all literatures. We all hate the
Social marketing communication messages: How congruence between source and content influences physical activity attitudes

Purpose – This paper examines how social marketing communication messages influence physical activity attitudes when a health organization is revealed as the message source. Design/methodology/approach – This paper examines how social marketing communication messages influence physical activity attitudes when a health organization is revealed as the message source. Findings – Results from three studies using experimentally manipulated messages (Studies 1 and 3) and real TV commercials (Study 2) suggest that work-framed social marketing communication messages may be more effective than fun-framed messages when the sponsoring health organization is disclosed, versus not disclosed in the ad. Research limitations/implications – This research extends the literature on source-effects on message effectiveness by suggesting that the type of message sponsor (i.e. a health organization) may influence attitudes toward the physical activity promoted in the message content. Practical implications – The results suggest...
Design of a Quadruped Robot Driven by Air Muscles

This paper describes the development of Puppy, a canine-inspired quadruped robot driven by Festo air muscles. Puppy was designed to be a test bed for implementation and control of pneumatic muscles in legged locomotion. A two-dimensional kinematic model was developed using joint range of motion data and skeletal dimensions from large-breed canines, specifically the adult greyhound. This model was used to predict structural loads, required joint torques, muscle origin and insertion locations, and actuator lengths. Based on this study, the quadruped robot was designed with three degrees of freedom in each leg, all confined to motion in the vertical plane. Festo air muscles were mounted in antagonistic pairs and have been controlled using pulse-width modulation with closed-loop position feedback. Currently, the front legs and spine have been assembled and have successfully tracked position angles during air walking. The two legs can lift a 13.5 kg payload, nearly twice the predicted weight of the entire robot
Achievement Goals and Implicit Theories of Intelligence among Academically Talented Students

Academically talented students vary in their reasons for achievement, variation that may provide insight into differences in achievement-related behaviors (e.g., effort and avoidance of challenge) and future underachievement. There were 425 students (at or above the 97th percentile) who completed questions assessing achievement goals and personal beliefs about intelligence. Students ranged widely in learning goals that focus on understanding material and performance goals that focus on doing better than others. As learning goals became stronger, so did beliefs that intelligence can increase via effort. Of all students, 4.4% embraced performance goals and had low confidence in their intellectual ability, a combination of beliefs that can place them at risk for later underachievement.
Risky business and geographies of refugee capitalism in the Somali migrant economy of Gauteng, South Africa

ABSTRACTResearch on migrant livelihoods in South Africa reveals links between social exclusion and migrant ‘cosmopolitan tactics’, including multi-sited socialities, diverse spatial business strategies and orientations precluding integration into a ‘xenophobic’ host society. Drawing on 10 months of ethnographic research, this study explores how Somali migrants’ business practices and tactics of mobility within and beyond Gauteng Province, South Africa (which encompasses Johannesburg and Pretoria) articulate with both broader transnational flows and investments in the local economy. Since the end of apartheid, Somalis and other migrants from the Horn of Africa have carved out an economic niche in peri-urban townships where high risk and frequent movement characterise workers’ lives. The Somali enclave in the neighbourhood of Mayfair, Johannesburg, links local and national circulations of people, goods and money to international circuits of the Somali ethnic economy—an economy that also involves non-Somali ...
LNG Carrier Underwater Noise Study for Baffin Bay

Large powerful liquid natural gas carriers may soon ply Arctic waters year round„ Concern has been expressed over the impact the resulting noise will have on Arctic marine life0 This study includes estimates of LNG carrier radiated noise source levels and resulting sound levels at a given distance from the ship for a number of operating conditions. Measurements of sound propagation and ambient noise conditions in Baffin Bay are used to estimate the ship noise levels in relation to the summertime noise background»
Does Regulation Fair Disclosure affect analysts’ forecast performance? The case of restructuring firms

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate how the enactment of Regulation Fair Disclosure (Reg. FD) influences analysts’ forecast characteristics for restructuring firms. The Reg. FD requires all firms disseminate material information not only to some institutional investors and certain financial analysts, but to all market participants simultaneously. We expect that the regulatory effect of Reg. FD on financial analysts’ forecast performance would be pronounced because of uncertain earnings signals and information complexity produced by restructuring activities. Particularly, we examine how the enactment of Reg. FD affects the relationship between analysts’ earnings forecast attributes and the occurrence and magnitude of restructuring charges. Our general finding is that analysts’ forecast errors and forecast dispersion have declined in the post-FD period for restructuring firms. However, such an impact cannot be persistent with an increase in the relative magnitude of restructuring charges, the proxy for restructuring complexity. This study provides additional evidence that Reg. FD has limited private information, and attempts to provide all users with the same access to information within the context of firms reporting restructuring charges.
From the Gap to the Chasm: Gender and Participation among Non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans

This article focuses on gender and ethnic inequalities in political participation across non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans. Using a mainstream model of participation, the authors find that differences in the levels of resources, motivations, and opportunities effectively account for gender gaps within the two populations. However, this mainstream model leaves largely unexplained the chasm in participation across non-Hispanic whites and Mexican Americans. The authors incorporate socialization experiences specific to Mexican Americans to identify the roots of participatory inequality across these groups. Differences in linguistic, educational, and general assimilation account for participatory differences across Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic whites. Equalizing these factors closes the chasm in participation.
Preconversion phase modulation of input differential phase-shift-keying signals for wavelength conversion and multicasting applications using phase-modulated pumps

We demonstrate a method to use phase-modulated pumps for multicasting of return-to-zero differential phase-shift keying (RZ-DPSK) signals. The method uses phase modulation of the input signal along with the co-phase-modulated pumps prior to wavelength conversion. Nine copies of a 50 Gbit/s RZ-DPSK data signal are generated via four-wave mixing with an average conversion efficiency of ∼0 dB. An average receiver sensitivity penalty of ∼1.9 dB is observed at a bit-error rate of 10−9 with a worst case of 2.3 dB. The effects of synchronization errors and phase-modulation frequencies up to 5 GHz are investigated.
Apparent molar volumes and apparent molar heat capacities of aqueous D(+)-cellobiose, D(+)-maltose, and sucrose at temperatures from (278.15 to 393.15) K and at the pressure 0.35 MPa

Abstract Apparent molar volumes Vϕ and apparent molar heat capacities Cp,ϕ were determined for aqueous solutions of D (+)-cellobiose, D (+)-maltose, and sucrose at temperatures from (278.15 to 393.15) K and at the pressure 0.35 MPa. The molalities of solutions investigated ranged from (0.03 to 0.31) mol · kg−1 for cellobiose, (0.03 to 0.55) mol · kg−1 for maltose, and (0.01 to 4.00) mol · kg−1 for sucrose. A vibrating tube densimeter was used to obtain densities of solutions in order to determine volumetric properties. Heat capacities were obtained directly using a twin fixed-cell, power-compensation, differential-output, temperature scanning calorimeter. Values of Vϕ, and Cp,ϕ for the disaccharides are discussed relative to those of the component monosaccharides, where those data are available.
Dynamic point sources in laminated media via the thin-layer method

Abstract This paper presents closed-form expressions for the Greens functions associated with harmonic point sources acting within horizontally layered media. These expressions are intended for use with the highly efficient Thin-Layer Method (TLM) described elsewhere, which is now being used widely for diverse engineering purposes. Among the dynamic sources considered are point forces, force dipoles (cracks and moments) , blast loads, seismic double couples with no net resultant, and bimoments (moment dipoles) . Comparisons with known analytical solutionsfor homogenous media demonstrate the accuracy of the formulation. However, the main field ofapplication is laminated media, for which no analytical solutions can be obtained. On the otherhand, it should be noted that the computational effort in this method does not depend on whetherthe system is layered. The resulting Greens functions could be used to efficiently model elasticwaves in complex media by means of the Boundary Integral Method.
Enantiomeric Separations of N–H/N–Me Aziridines Utilizing GC and HPLC

High-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) and gas chromatographic (GC) methods were developed for the separation of enantiomers of 12 novel aziridines. The HPLC separations were performed on cyclodextrin, cyclofructan, amylose, cellulose and macrocyclic glycopeptide-based chiral stationary phases, whereas the GC separations were performed only on cyclodextrin-based chiral stationary phases. The amylose-based HPLC chiral stationary phases showed good selectivity toward the aziridines, while having low retention factors. It was shown that the HPLC generally provided better separations for most of the compounds as compared to GC. Effective enantiomeric separations for ten aziridines were developed.
13C n.m.r. study of charge transfer in alkali metal-ammonia graphite compounds

The usefulness of C-13 NMR spectroscopy and chemical shift for the study of charge transfer in graphite intercalation compounds is demonstrated. A linear relationship is established between the chemical shifts and the square root of the absolute value of the electronic charge per carbon atom. The method is applied to the ternary alkali metal-ammonia-graphite compounds. Weak solvations of electronic charges by ammonia are observed.
The Relationship Between Differential Inequity, Job Satisfaction, Intention to Turnover, and Self-Esteem

This study was an examination of differential inequity or underreward in working conditions, originating from the discrepancy between individual working conditions and those of comparative referents. In its exploration of the outcomes of inequity in working conditions, the study fills a gap in the literature because most such studies have been primarily devoted to investigations of pay inequity. Empirically, it is an investigation of elements of differential inequity as antecedents of job satisfaction and intentions to turnover and of self-esteem as a moderator of inequity-criteria relationships. Significant relationships between system and age inequity and job satisfaction and between company inequity and intention to turnover were found. Self-esteem significantly moderated the global inequity-job satisfaction and global inequity-intention to turnover relationships.
Modeling a class of 3-D objects using cycles of a graph

Abstract This paper describes a new multiple-view representation scheme for modeling 3-D planar faced objects. In this approach, each 3-D model is represented by a small set of 2-D views called the Distinct Region Views (DRV). These DRV's will comprise all the possible 2-D views of the 3-D model in the topological sense. Each DRV is decomposed into a complete set of cycles and a shape descriptor for each of the cycles is acquired. A four-level ordered rooted tree is employed to represent each 3-D model. The first level of the tree represents the object label, the second level represents all the possible DRV's, the third level represents the cycles of each DRV and the fourth level represents the shape descriptor of each cycle. The representation is suitable for recognizing 3-D objects from their 2-D views under situations such as missing lines, scaling and rotation differences and shape distortion.
A Review Paper on Aging Effects in Alloy 617 for Gen IV Nuclear Reactor Applications

To understand the response of Alloy 617 to long-time exposure conditions and to determine the supplementary data needs for structural components in Gen IV nuclear reactors, literature of aging and aging effects in the alloy was reviewed. Most of the reviewed data were produced in connection with the international research effort supporting high temperature gas-cooled reactor projects in the 1970s and 1980s. Topics considered included microstructural changes, hardness, tensile properties, toughness, creep-rupture, fatigue, and crack growth. It became clear that, for the long-time very high-temperature conditions of the Gen IV reactors, a significant effort would be needed to fully understand and characterize property changes. Several topics for further research were recommended.