cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Linking groupthink to unethical behavior in organizations

This paper is designed to do four things. First, the paper discusses the importance of groupthink in contributing to unethical behavior. Second, the paper discribes how groupthink contributed to unethical behavior in three organizations (Beech-Nut, E. F. Hutton, and Salomon Brothers). Third, symptoms of groupthink (such as arrogance, overcommitment, and excessive loyalty to the group) will be presented along with two methods for programming conflict (devil's advocate and dialectic) into an organization and group's decisions. Finally, the paper introduces some prescriptions for reducing the probability of groupthink.
Cooperative network construction using digital germlines

This paper describes a study in the evolution of cooperative behavior, specifically the construction of communication networks, through digital evolution and multilevel selection. In digital evolution, a population of self-replicating computer programs exists in a user-defined computational environment and is subject to instruction-level mutations and natural selection. Multilevel selection links the survival of the individual to the survival of its group, thus encouraging cooperation. The results of experiments using the Avida digital evolution platform demonstrate that populations of digital organisms are capable of constructing communication networks, and that these networks can exhibit desired properties depending on the selective pressures used. We also show that the use of a digital germline can significantly improve evolvability of cooperation.
The potential aboveground carbon storage of north American forests

To assess the possibility of using C offset as a method of sequestering CO2 produced by the burning of fossil fuels, it is necessary to have accurate estimates of C reservoirs and fluxes. Recent studies have shown that estimates of C commonly used in the past are too large, and this may lead to confusion about the global C budget. Field data used in recent estimates of present C storage for the North American boreal and eastern deciduous forest biomes were reanalyzed to estimate their maximum potential C storage. The original data were collected using a stratified two-stage cluster survey sampling design. The reanalysis suggests that the boreal forest and eastern deciduous forest could sequester possibly as little as 13.4% (3.0 Pg) and 18.5% (1.5 Pg), respectively, more C than they presently store. These estimates represent the potential increase in C storage under present conditions, if the study areas were allowed to revert back into forests.
Effect of sensitization in US heart transplant recipients bridged with a ventricular assist device: Update in a modern cohort

Objective Preformed anti-human leukocyte antigen antibodies have been associated with prolonged wait times and increased mortality in orthotopic heart transplantation. We used United Network for Organ Sharing data to examine panel reactive antibody titers in patients bridged to transplant with left ventricular assist devices. Methods This was a retrospective review of the United Network for Organ Sharing dataset for all patients bridged to orthotopic heart transplantation with a HeartMate II or HeartMate XVE (Thoratec Corp, Pleasanton, Calif) from January 2004 to December 2009. Patients were primarily stratified by device type and secondarily grouped for comparisons by high (>25%) versus low (0%) panel reactive antibody activity (class I and II). Outcomes included survival (30-day and 1-year), treated rejection in the year after orthotopic heart transplantation, and primary graft dysfunction. Cox proportional hazards regression examined 30-day and 1-year survival. Results A total of 871 patients (56.1%) received the HeartMate II device, and 673 patients (43.9%) received the HeartMate XVE device. Patients with high panel reactive antibody had longer duration on the wait list (205 days [interquartile range, 81–344] vs 124 days [interquartile range, 51–270], P = .01). High panel reactive antibody class II was more common in patients with the HeartMate XVE device (51/547 [9.3%] vs 42/777 [5.4%], P P Conclusions This is the largest modern study to examine the impact of detailed panel reactive antibody information in patients bridged to transplant. High panel reactive antibody levels do not affect drug-treated rejection episodes in the first year post-orthotopic heart transplantation; however, there is an associated higher rate of primary graft dysfunction, regardless of device type. Highly sensitized patients bridged to transplant experience excellent survival outcomes after orthotopic heart transplantation.
Infanticide in Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni in the Kakamega Forest, Kenya: Variation in the Occurrence of an Adaptive Behavior

Infanticide by males is widespread across mammals and especially prevalent among primates. Considerable research has examined how fitness benefits can explain the occurrence of this behavior; less is known, however, about intrapopulation variation in its occurrence. We evaluated 10 infanticides by males in wild blue monkeys according to the sexual selection hypothesis. To explore intrapopulation variation in occurrence of infanticide, we compared these cases to 38 cases that were contextually similar but in which infanticide did not occur. We examined male reproductive benefit, infant age, maternal parity, postconception estrus, group defense, available mating partners, and context of takeover. We based comparisons on daily or near daily records of male presence in the study groups, infant birth dates, and male-female sexual interactions. Infanticides followed predictions of the sexual selection hypothesis: males were unlikely to kill their own offspring, the period for the mother’s return to conception was reduced by half, and males increased their chance of siring her next offspring. Difference in male reproductive benefit, costs, and motivation did not fully explain the observed variation in infanticide occurrence. Infants were more likely to be spared if they were older when a male first arrived, or if their mother had mated with the male in the second month after conception. The most important determinant of infant fate, however, was male identity, a finding consistent with 2 scenarios: 1) an infanticidal tendency may be influenced by a genetic polymorphism that is not fixed in this population or 2) infanticidal behavior may be a conditional male strategy. Further research on intrapopulation variation in infanticidal behavior should focus especially on characteristics of males.
A PARADIGM FOR SOCIAL CAPITAL

This paper reconsiders James S. Coleman's concept of social capital. The concept has gained wide use and acceptance in sociology since its first publication, but, Coleman's own writings on the subj...
Analysis of the Hardness and Elastic Modulus Distribution in a High Strength Steel Welded Joint by Nanoindentation

Nanoindentation technique was employed to study the hardness and elastic modulus for different regions in the welded joint of high strength steel. And the variation in mechanical behavior at micro scales was analyzed combined with microstructure observation. Experimental results showed that both maximum hardness (4.11GPa) and maximum elastic modulus (210.3GPa) were obtained in the coarse grained HAZ and the corresponding microstructure was granular bainite. While the weld metal and fine grained HAZ had similar values of hardness and elastic modulus, and corresponding microstructures were acicular ferrite and polygonal ferrite respectively.
An aspect of the use of a spectral neutron intensity standard

Abstract The effect of neutron detector bias variations on the low energy ( E n 7 Li(p, n) 7 Be in a thick metal target, is empirically described in a simple way.
Portable phase measuring interferometer using Shack-Hartmann method

A real-time inspection is useful and effective to optimize lens aberrations of excimer-exposure sytem, which can expose patterns less than 100 nm. We have developed a portable i.e., compact and lightweight phase measuring interferometer (P-PMI), which can be attached to a stage of the exposure system during real-time monitoring the aberration of the projection lens mounted on the exposure system. Measured repeatability of the wavefront measurement is ab out 0.1 mλ and tool-to-tool difference is 0.6mλ. Measured wavefront during adjusting a projection lens agree dwell with a simulated result. LWA was successfully optimized using P-PMI data.
Third world states and fluid sovereignty: development options and the politics of sustainable ocean management

Abstract As land resources become exhausted or less valuable, Third World states are integrating coastal and marine regions into their development strategies. Given current industrial practice, increased development in these regions have negative environmental consequences, and there is increasing pressure to address these. Third World states’ management of their marine and coastal areas is shaped by factors such as fugitive resources, changing or indeterminate marine boundaries, economic vulnerability and evolving environmental regimes. These factors contribute to fluid sovereignty and affect states’ ability to exercise authority, autonomy and control. This paper uses the case of the Wider Caribbean Region to illustrate that the net result of fluid sovereignty is diminished ability to sustainably manage ocean and coastal resources.
Evaluation of cleansing devices in the maintenance of interproximal gingival health.

This study consisted of 24 dental students, who 10 days prior to the start of the experimental period, were thoroughly scaled and given instructions in the use of a rubber tip stimulator, unwaxed dental floss, and a modified Bass brushing technique. On day 0, the subjects had reached a high level of interproximal gingival health as measured by intracrevicular exudate flow and loe's Gingival Index. Subjects were then randomly divided into 4 groups which were to brush; brush and floss; brush and rubber tip; and brush, floss and rubber tip. Evaluation was performed on days 0, 9, 15, and 33 using Loe's Gingival Index, Podchadley's Plaque Index, and gingival exudate flow. The results of this study indicate that interproximal gingival health can be maintained in motivated patients with initially healthy gingivae (for at least several weeks) with proper use of the modified Bass brushing technique alone.
Linking the Organizational Health of Middle Grades Schools to Student Achievement

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between student reading achievement and the organizational health of five middle grades schools in North Carolina. The theoretical framework was based upon Hoy and Feldman's definition of organizational health, which links healthy school climates to improved learning environments and increased student achievement. A mixed-methods sequential research design was used. Data analysis revealed a moderately positive relationship among the five schools' overall Organizational Health Inventory for Middle Schools index scores and student reading scores.
Effect of planting date and inoculum level on incidence and severity of powdery scab on potato

Powdery scab incidence and severity was examined on six potato cultivars planted at two different dates in a naturally infested field. There were two sub-plots; one where seed was exposed prior to planting to spores ofSpongospora subterranea from scabby peels, which were then added to the furrow at planting, and another where seed was exposed only to natural inoculum within the field. The later planting data reduced incidence and severity, but there were no differences between sub-plots. All cultivars became infected, but ‘Rosa’ was the most susceptible and ‘Katahdin’ the most resistant.
Discharge Chamber Plasma Potential Mapping of a 40-cm NEXT-type Ion Engine *

†‡ Floating emissive probe plasma potential data are presented over a two-dimensional array of locations in the discharge chamber of a 40-cm diameter ring-cusp ion thruster. The data rule out the presence of a potential-hill plasma structure downstream of the discharge cathode assembly (DCA), which has been proposed as a mechanism of high-energy ion formation leading to DCA erosion. The discharge potential structure is dominated by the magnetic circuit, which reduces the diffusion of electrons across magnetic field lines. Shorting of the discharge keeper to discharge cathode common does not have a detectable effect on the near-DCA plasma structure outside of the keeper sheath. The plasma potential structures are insensitive to thruster throttling level with a minimum as low as 14 V at the DCA exit plane increasing gradually in the axial direction, but rising abruptly in the radial direction. A sharp increase in plasma potential to the bulk discharge value (a few volts above the discharge voltage), is observed in the radial direction past the discharge keeper edge. The existence of a free-standing plasma potential structure, termed a double layer, is found to form the transition between the low-potential plume emanating from the discharge cathode and the high-potential bulk discharge plasma. Angular-dependent sputtering yield calculations are used to estimate the NEXT DCA wear rate for the operating condition of the 2000-hr wear test. The calculated erosion rate (49 µm/khr) is slightly lower than the observed keeper erosion rate in the NSTAR 2000-hr and 8200-hr wear tests. This is due to a decreased double-to-single current ratio measured in the beam of the NEXT thruster at the wear test operating condition compared to the measured ratio in the beam of the NSTAR thruster at the full-power throttle point.
Disposable plastic liners for a colostomy appliance: a controlled trial and follow-up survey of convenience, satisfaction, and costs.

Abstract Purpose: The effectiveness of a disposable liner designed for a 2-piece colostomy appliance pouch was evaluated. Design: Randomized, crossover trial with follow-up surveys. Setting and Subjects: Nineteen participants were recruited from the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona, and the surrounding community. Instruments: A Daily Colostomy Care Evaluation Record and tally sheet of times for ostomy care were designed by the authors. Methods: Participants, acting as their own controls, were randomly assigned to use either an unlined or a lined appliance for 9 days. On day 10, participants switched to the opposite regimen, which was maintained through day 18. They recorded the time required for daily colostomy care and perceptions of the lined and unlined appliances. The volume of ostomy supplies and cost were recorded at baseline, 1, 3, and 5 to 9 months after the initial trial. Results: Odor, bother, perceived severity of leakage, and partner acceptance were better with unlined than lined appliances. Half of the participants were using a liner ≥75% of the time 3 months after the trial. There was no difference in cost when lined versus unlined ostomy systems were compared. Participants who chose to use the liners indicated high satisfaction. Problems noted included an inadequate seal with the liner (58%), inadequate liner size (16%), retention of flatus by the liner (11%), and difficulty removing the full liner (11%). Conclusions: The study supports recommending liners to patients who have a modest amount of fecal output or flatus. However, patients who are unable to manipulate the seal or have a large output volume are unlikely to find the liners a convenience. Satisfaction with the liners was sufficient to warrant investigation and design of a lined device with an improved design, greater capacity, and tighter seal. (J WOCN 2000;27:272-8).
Optimal system design with MC2 linear programming: A dual contingency plan approach

Abstract Given a system design problem with multiple criteria and multiple resource availability levels, we use the multiple-criteria and multiple-constraint level (MC2) simplex method to identify a set of potentially good systems as candidates for the optimal system. Each potentially good system is a subset of a given opportunity set and optimizes the design model under some changes of resource availability levels and the unit contribution of selected opportunities. As the contribution of an opportunity can fluctuate and lead to a non-optimal solution, the optimal dual contingency plans must be constructed to cope with the fluctuation. In this paper, we present a method of effectively and systematically constructing optimal dual contingency plans for given potentially good systems by adjusting the unit contribution of the selected opportunities. International transfer pricing is used to exemplify the method.
Retained foreign bodies after surgery.

Background Medical errors during surgery are not well studied. To define risk factors associated with this type of error, we performed a case control analysis. Methods We retrospectively reviewed medical records involving the ICD-9 code (998.4) for unintentional foreign object remaining in the body during surgery and incident reports gathered by the Department of Risk Management over a 10 year period from 1996 to 2005. Thirty cases were matched with at least four randomly selected controls (131 control patients) that underwent the same type of operation during the same time period. Results Thirty patients had retained foreign objects (52% sponges and 43% instruments). The abdominal cavity was most commonly involved (46%) followed by the thoracic cavity (23%) although no body cavity remained uninvolved. Eight patients required readmission (30%), 25 patients required reoperation (83%), and there was no mortality. When compared with controls, patients with retained foreign objects were more likely to have had a greater number of major surgical procedures at the same time (2.7 versus 1.8, P = 0.004), to have multiple surgical teams (13% versus 2%, P = 0.02), and more likely to have had an incorrect instrument/sponge count recorded (13% versus 2%, P = 0.01). In multivariate analysis, factors associated with a significantly higher risk of retained foreign objects were the total number of major procedures performed [odds ratio 1.6; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.1–2.3; P = 0.008] and an incorrect count (odds ratio 16.2; 95% CI, 1.3–197.8; P = 0.02). Conclusion Retained foreign objects after surgery are associated with multiple major surgical procedures being performed at the same time and an incorrect instrument or sponge count. Identification of these risk factors using case-control analysis should influence operating room policy and reduce these types of errors.
Progression of infection and tumor development in damselfish

The bicolor damselfish (Stegastes partitus) is a tropical marine teleost naturally affected by multiple neurofibromas and chromatophoromas on South Florida reefs. Damselfish neurofibromatosis is a transmissible disease caused by a subcellular agent. Development of tumors is associated with the appearance of a series of extrachromosomal DNAs ranging in size from 1.2 to 7 kb that appear to be the genome of a small virus-like agent which we termed the damselfish virus-like agent (DVLA). This DNA was found at high copy number in most spontaneous and experimentally induced tumors. An essentially identical pattern of DNA, but with lower copy numbers, was observed in non–tumor-bearing tissue from diseased fish. Copy numbers of DVLA DNA in tumors and nontumorous tissues increased as the disease progressed from early to late stages. In healthy fish in which DVLA DNA was detected, the quantities were much lower than those in diseased fish. Healthy fish from populations with a high prevalence of disease exhibited more infected tissues than fish from populations with low levels.
The composition and structure of bovine peritubular dentin: Mapping by time of flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy

The dentin layer of the tooth is a complex mineralized tissue traversed by a closely packed system of tubules. Each tubule is surrounded by highly mineralized tissue referred to as peritubular dentin (PTD). The remaining mineralized collagen network between the tubules is the intertubular dentin (ITD). A TOF-SIMS analysis of the PTD constituents has been used to compare the PTD to the ITD. The PTD differs from the ITD not only in the degree of mineralization but also in the amount and nature of the mineral elements and amino acids. The organic matrix of the PTD consists of a unique collagen free assembly of proteins rich in glutamic acid, where the ITD organic matrix is collagen-rich and Asp-rich. The apparent concentration of organic fragment ions observed in the PTD in the TOF-SIMS negative ion mode was much higher than expected. The PTD was found to be rich in Ca2+, Na+, Mg2+, and K+. The amount of Mg2+ and K+ in the PTD was significantly reduced after deproteination, while Ca2+ and Na+ were still accumulated in the PTD. This implies that Mg2+ and K+ are mainly associated with the organic matrix rather than with the mineral of the PTD.
Light-scattering from a tenuous cylindrical matrix and the reflectance of the retinal nerve fiber layer

Evaluation of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) is important in the diagnosis of glaucoma and other optic nerve diseases. To aid understanding of the mechanism of RNFL reflectance, anatomical data were obtained from electron micrographs of cross- sections of amphibian RNFL and possible and possible scattering structures (axonal membranes, microtubules, and neurofilaments) were modeled as arrays of parallel thin fibers. Microtubules and neurofilaments are already thin fibers, and axonal membranes were decomposed into arrays of adjacent parallel fibers. Internal fields were assigned to each fiber by means of Born approximation or according to rules that depended on membrane orientation. Far field scattering was then calculated by field summation. Calculated scattering was much larger from axonal membranes than from microtubules or neurofilaments. Calculated spectra from 400- 700 nm showed increased scattering at shorter wavelengths for both axonal membranes and microtubules. Calculated backscattering from axonal membranes was approximately equal for incident light polarized parallel (TM mode) and perpendicular (TE mode) to the cylinder axis, but from microtubules TE mode scattering was less than TM mode.
The open agent architecture: A framework for building distributed software systems

The Open Agent Architecture (OAA), developed and used for several years at SRI International, makes it possible for software services to be provided through the cooperative efforts of distributed collections of autonomous agents. Communication and cooperation between agents are brokered by one or more facilitators, which are responsible for matching requests, from users and agents, with descriptions of the capabilities of other agents. Thus it is not generally required that a user or agent know the identities, locations, or number of other agents involved in satisfying a request. OAA is structured so as to minimize the effort involved in creating new agents and "wrapping" legacy applications, written in various languages and operating on various platforms; to encourage the reuse of existing agents; and to allow for dynamism and flexibility in the makeup ofagent communities. Distinguishing features of OAA as compared with related work include extreme flexibility in using facilitator-based delegation of com...
Dual microfluidic perifusion networks for concurrent islet perifusion and optical imaging

This study explores a new class of duplex microfluidic device which utilizes a dual perifusion network to simultaneously perform live-cell optical imaging of physiological activities and study insulin release kinetics on two islet populations. This device also incorporates on-chip staggered herringbone mixers (SHMs) to increase mixing efficiency and facilitate the generation of user-defined chemical gradients. Mouse islets are used to simultaneously measure dynamic insulin release, changes in mitochondrial potentials, and calcium influx in response to insulin secretagogues (glucose and tolbutamide), and show a high signal-to-noise ratio and spatiotemporal resolution of all measured parameters for both perifusion chambers. This system has many potential applications for studying β-cell physiology and pathophysiology, as well as for therapeutic drug screening. This dual perifusion device is not limited to islet studies and could easily be applied to other tissues and cells without major modifications.
Leadership and innovation in the administrative state

The field of public administration, as well as the social science upon which it is based, has given little serious attention to the importance of vigorous leadership by career as well as non-career public administrators. The field tends to focus on the rigidities of political behavior and the obstacles to change. To reclaim an understanding of the importance of individual leadership the author suggests the use of biography and life history. The behavior and personality of the entrepreneur is an especially helpful perspective on the connection between leadership and organizational or institutional innovation. The case of Julius Henry Cohen, who played a pivotal role in the development of the New York Port Authority, is used to illustrate the connection between the entrepreneurial personality or perspective and innovation. In the social sciences—and especially in the study of American political institutions—primary attention is given to the role of interest groups and to bureaucratic routines and other inst...
Runtime Support for Adaptive Spatial Partitioning and Inter-Kernel Communication on GPUs

GPUs have gained tremendous popularity in a broad range of application domains. These applications possess varying grains of parallelism and place high demands on compute resources -- many times imposing real-time constraints, requiring flexible work schedules, and relying on concurrent execution of multiple kernels on the device. These requirements present a number of challenges when targeting current GPUs. To support this class of applications, and to take full advantage of the large number of compute cores present on the GPU, we need a new mechanism to support concurrent execution and provide flexible mapping of compute kernels to the GPU. In this paper, we describe a new scheduling mechanism for dynamic spatial partitioning of the GPU, which adapts to the current execution state of compute workloads on the device. To enable this functionality, we extend the OpenCL runtime environment to map multiple command queues to a single device, and effectively partitioning the device. The result is that kernels that can benefit from concurrent execution on a partitioned device can effectively utilize the full compute resources on the GPU. To accelerate next-generation workloads, we also support an inter-kernel communication mechanism that enables concurrent kernels to interact in a producer-consumer relationship. The proposed partitioning mechanism is evaluated using real world applications taken from signal and image processing, linear algebra, and data mining domains. For these performance-hungry applications we achieve a 3.1X performance speedup using a combination of the proposed scheduling scheme and inter-kernel communication, versus relying on the conventional GPU runtime.
Epigenetic silencing of tumour suppressor gene p15 by its antisense RNA

Tumour suppressor genes (TSGs) inhibiting normal cellular growth are frequently silenced epigenetically in cancer. DNA methylation is commonly associated with TSG silencing, yet mutations in the DNA methylation initiation and recognition machinery in carcinogenesis are unknown. An intriguing possible mechanism for gene regulation involves widespread non-coding RNAs such as microRNA, Piwi-interacting RNA and antisense RNAs. Widespread sense-antisense transcripts have been systematically identified in mammalian cells, and global transcriptome analysis shows that up to 70% of transcripts have antisense partners and that perturbation of antisense RNA can alter the expression of the sense gene. For example, it has been shown that an antisense transcript not naturally occurring but induced by genetic mutation leads to gene silencing and DNA methylation, causing thalassaemia in a patient. Here we show that many TSGs have nearby antisense RNAs, and we focus on the role of one RNA in silencing p15, a cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor implicated in leukaemia. We found an inverse relation between p15 antisense (p15AS) and p15 sense expression in leukaemia. A p15AS expression construct induced p15 silencing in cis and in trans through heterochromatin formation but not DNA methylation; the silencing persisted after p15AS was turned off, although methylation and heterochromatin inhibitors reversed this process. The p15AS-induced silencing was Dicer-independent. Expression of exogenous p15AS in mouse embryonic stem cells caused p15 silencing and increased growth, through heterochromatin formation, as well as DNA methylation after differentiation of the embryonic stem cells. Thus, natural antisense RNA may be a trigger for heterochromatin formation and DNA methylation in TSG silencing in tumorigenesis.
Multisensor Integration for Declaring the Odor Source of a Plume in Turbulent Fluid-Advected Environments

A mission of chemical plume tracing (CPT) is to navigate an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to find a chemical plume, to trace the plume to its source, and to declare the source location. This paper presents a multisensor integration strategy for source declaration subsumed in a behavior based control architecture with several individual behaviors. The performance of the proposed strategy is evaluated using a simulated turbulent fluid environment. The results show that, for 1000 test runs, the proposed strategy reaches a success rate in declaring the odor source of 98% and an average error of the declared source location about 3.27 meters in an operation area with length scales of 100 meter. Source verification is developed using a fuzzy reasoning based segmentation algorithm to recognize the odor source in color images acquired by a visual sensor in the vicinity of the odor source.
Evidence for differences in the steroid binding domains of the glucocorticoid receptor versus the idiotype antibody

Triamcinolone acetonide (TA), coupled to bovine serum albumin, was used to obtain a polyclonal anti-TA antibody in the rabbit. This idiotype differed from rat glucocorticoid receptor and transcortin in several respects. RU 38486, a synthetic antagonist with high affinity for the receptor, could neither bind the anti-TA antibody nor displace the idiotype bound 3H-TA. Similarly, corticosterone, the natural rodent ligand, had no affinity for the idiotype. These results imply differences in the conformation and topology of the corticoid binding domains, contrary to the current notion where all agonists and antagonists would saturate an identical configuration.
Social styles and heterosexual pair relationships

Abstract This paper reports a study of satisfaction in couple relationships as related to a dimension referred to as social style. Social style considers the pattern of relationships in an individual's social network as partly the expression of personal needs and gratification patterns. The study confirmed the hypothesis that similarity in social style between couple partners is closely associated with reported satisfaction with the relationship, due, presumably, to more similar expectations for the nature of the relationship and for the partner's behavior.
The influence of income and race on total knee arthroplasty in the United States.

Background: The associations among income, total knee arthroplasty, and underlying rates of knee osteoarthritis are not well understood. We studied whether high-income Medicare recipients are more likely to have a knee arthroplasty and less likely to suffer from knee osteoarthritis. Methods: Two data sources were used: (1) the 2000 United States Medicare claims data measuring the incidence of total knee arthroplasty by race, ethnicity, zip (postal) code income, and region (n = 27.5 million) and (2) the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) for individuals with an age of sixty years or more (n = 1926) with radiographic and clinical evidence of osteoarthritis. Logistic regression methods were used to adjust for covariates. Results: At the national level, age-adjusted rates of total knee arthroplasty in the high-income quintile were no higher than those in the low-income group (odds ratio, 0.98; 95% confidence interval, 0.96 to 1.00). Within regions, access to care was better for high-income groups (odds ratio, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.17 to 1.22). Racial disparities in arthroplasty were significant (p < 0.001); the odds ratio was 0.36 (95% confidence interval, 0.34 to 0.38) for black men and 0.45 (95% confidence interval, 0.41 to 0.49) for Asian women. There was no evidence of an income gradient for most clinical and radiographic measures of arthritis. The exception was a significant negative association between income and pain on passive motion (p < 0.05). Conclusions: High-income Medicare enrollees are no less likely to have osteoarthritis than low-income enrollees but have somewhat better access to care. Racial disparities are more important than those that are attributable to socioeconomic status. Level of Evidence: Prognostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
Sidewalk Narratives, Tenement Narratives Seeing Urban Renewal through the Settlement Movement

This essay argues that the settlement movement was inextricably bound up with the life and death of urban renewal. It traces the origins and development of the urban narratives that motivated and s...
A Nativistic Movement in Western Siberia

IN May 1904 an Altai Turk' named Chet or Chot Chelpan (Russianized as Chelpanov) received a vision in which there appeared to him a white horse carrying a rider dressed in white. This rider announced the imminent return to earth of Oirot Khan, who would lead the Altai Turks to freedom from the Russians and re-establish the ancient Oirot khanate. The natives along the Chuya River in the Altai were deeply stirred by news of this vision. They believed that a living god had appeared among them; this belief quickly associated itself with the already existent local legend that there still remained in distant places a few principalities of the fallen empire of Chingis Khan, and that in one of them lived Oirot Khan, the last descendant of the great Khan Chingis. It was also connected with a second legend, that in the 18th century a prince of the Altai, Shunni, had led his people into Russian domination and promised to return and free them if they were not happy in their new state. He had returned twice, the first time in the 1870's. His return was associated with a change in the shape of the high peaks of the Altai. In 1900 such a change had taken place, possibly as a result of an avalanche, and a Mongol lama had announced himself as the returning Oirot Khan. Nothing came of this, however, because the Russian regime acted swiftly and expelled him from the Altai.
Local and global accuracy estimates for boundary element analysis

An a posteriori error estimation strategy for the boundary element solution of two-dimensional heat conduction problem is presented. The error estimate formulation is based on the boundary element equations and employs a least squares fit of the solutions obtained from these equations. A local error estimate is evaluated for the unknown quantity in each element. The global error estimates are found from local (element) quantities. The range and accuracy of the proposed strategy is very good as demonstrated by problems containing smooth and non-smooth solutions.
Nucleation and elongation of actin filaments in the presence of high speed supernate from neutrophil lysates: modulating effects of Ca2+ and phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate

Abstract Cell motility depends on the rapid growth of cortical actin filaments whose barbed ends are capped in the resting cell. High speed supernates (HSS) of dilute neutrophil lysates contain actin monomers and/or oligomers that can be induced to polymerize by certain stimuli. We questioned whether some of the actin remaining in the supernate after high speed centrifugation exists as occult nucleation sites which can elongate when uncapped. Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) may play a critical role as an intracellular messenger in cytoskeletal rearrangement after stimulation by removing cappers from barbed filament ends. The experiments reported here examine the separate and interactive effects of PIP2 micelles and micromolar [Ca2+] on the rates of nucleation and elongation of pyrenyl-G-actin in the presence of HSS. HSS slowed the nucleation and elongation rates of gel-filtered pyrenyl-G-actin polymerized at submicromolar [Ca2+]. Under these conditions, PIP2 only slightly increased the number of nucleation sites, but delayed the slowing of the elongation rate in the presence of HSS. Nucleating activity in HSS could be induced by the addition of micromolar [Ca2+] and totally abolished by immunoprecipitation of gelsolin from HSS; incubation of HSS with PIP2 at micromolar [Ca2+] slightly decreased the number of calcium-induced nucleation sites in the supernate. Incubation of HSS with PIP2 before the addition of calcium led to a greater reduction in Ca2+-inducible nucleation sites. HSS possessed more nucleation sites after simultaneous exposure to PIP2 and Ca2+, followed by chelation of Ca2+ with EGTA, than HSS preincubated at micromolar [Ca2+] without PIP2. At submicromolar [Ca2+], PIP2 only generated a few barbed end nucleation sites in the HSS, but lessened the gradual slowing of elongation seen with HSS in the absence of PIP2, presumably by preventing capping by capping protein-β2 in the supernate. Pointed end nucleating sites in HSS, attributable to gelsolin, could be created by adding micromolar [Ca2+]. The preincubation of HSS with PIP2 in the absence of micromolar [Ca2+] decreased the number of Ca2+-inducible nucleation sites in the HSS. Under conditions mimicking the sequential rise and fall of cytosolic [Ca2+] after stimulation, PIP2 accelerated actin polymerization despite the inhibitory action of HSS by maintaining Ca2+-activated nucleation sites. These observations suggest that a possible role for PIP2 in modulating cytoskeletal growth in vivo may be to regulate nucleation sites activated by sequential changes in cytosolic [Ca2+].
Theoretical evaluation of a simple cooling pad for inducing hypothermia in the spinal cord following traumatic injury

The Pennes bioheat equation and finite element method (FEM) are used to solve for the temperature distributions in the spinal cord and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during 30 min of cooling for spinal cord injury (SCI) patients. The average CSF and spinal cord temperatures are reduced by 3.48 and 2.72°C, respectively. The 100-mm wide pad provides the desired cooling and uses the least amount of material. The presence of zero-average CSF oscillation under normal conditions decreases the cooling extent in the spinal cord due to the introduction of warm CSF surrounding the spinal cord. The temperature decrease in the spinal cord is more than doubled when the temperature at the back of the torso is lowered from 20 to 0°C. Spinal cord ischemia, often observed after traumatic spinal cord injury, promotes cooling penetration. The proposed technique can reduce the spinal cord temperature by 2°C within 30 min and may be a feasible treatment for traumatic SCI.
Dynamo: a runtime partitioning system for FPGA-based HW/SW image processing systems

The Dynamo system provides a runtime environment for mapping image processing applications to hardware/software platforms that contain a mix of processors and reconfigurable hardware. Dynamo can be used by an image analyst with no knowledge of HW/SW design. The analyst specifies the algorithms implemented in a processing pipeline and the input data. Dynamo dynamically selects the most efficient combination of hardware and software component implementations to minimize pipeline runtime, generates the source code that implements the pipeline, processes the input data using the implementation, and returns the results. We present the design and implementation of Dynamo. Our target domain is image processing pipelines. We chose image processing (IP) because many IP algorithms benefit from acceleration using reconfigurable hardware and many IP applications are structured as a pipeline, where each component can be implemented in software or hardware. Our performance modeling incorporates profiles based on experimental results and on overhead costs. Our results show that modeling of overhead costs is essential to choosing the correct implementation. We illustrate how Dynamo chooses a mix of hardware and software implementations to minimize runtime for several different image processing applications.
Cholera toxin stimulation of human mammary epithelial cells in culture.

Addition of cholera toxin to human mammary epithelial cultures derived from reduction mammoplasties and primary carcinomas greatly stimulated cell growth and increased the number of times the cells could be successfully subcultured. Other agents known to increase intracellular cAMP levels were also growth stimulatory. The increased growth potential conferred by cholera toxin enhances the usefulness of this cell culture system.
Adoption and resistance: reflections on human, organizational, and information technologies in picture archive and communication systems (PACS)

In research conducted at academic and community hospitals in the United States since 2001, this paper examines complex human and technological relationships employed to renegotiate behavior within hospital administrative and clinical cultures. In the planning and implementation of PACS in a four-facility hospital we will enter into what can be described as processes of "adoption" and "resistance", seemingly opposite approaches to system implementation, which I argue are in fact key responses to planning, design, and customization of imaging and information systems in a context of convergence. In a larger context of convergence known as NBIC tools (nanotechnology, biotechnology, information technology, and cognitive sciences) it has become increasingly clear to leaders in the field that it is essential to redesign organizational technologies. A novel system has little chance of being fully utilized by conventional organizational structures in an era of system convergence. The challenge of embracing a larger systems perspective lies in opening untapped potential within the healthcare enterprise by preparing the ground for reflection on new approaches to training, and bridging specialized knowledge across computer engineering, clinical decision making, and organizational perspectives for the benefit of patient care. Case studies will demonstrate how organizational and system design technologies are crucial in insuring that PACS implementation strategies can encourage the emergence of new levels of quality for patient care. The goal is to provide successful design-build models that are true to organizational specificity, persons, and clinical practices undergoing change and uncertainty.
Mechanism-based inactivation of l-pipecolate oxidase by a sulfur-containing substrate analog, 5-thia-l-pipecolic acid

Abstract 5-Thia- l -pipecolic acid, (S)-1,3-thiazane-4-carboxylic acid (6), was synthesized and found to serve as an excellent substrate for Rhesus monkey liver l -pipecolate oxidase ( l -PO) and also to cause time-dependent, irreversible inactivation of the enzyme. Data are presented demonstrating 6 is a mechanism-based inactivator of L-PO and one of the enzyme turnover products is identified as homocysteine.
Deep-Penetration Calculations for Scattering Neutrons by Importance Sampling

Neutron scatter in a homogeneous solid is modelled as a one-dimensional i.i.d. random walk with killing. Importance sampling is used to estimate the extremely small probability that the random walk crosses a large level before killing occurs. The theory of large deviations provides insight into the selection of the probability measure used in the simulations. A sample problem demonstrates the variance reduction possible when this technique is used.
Chiral synthesis via organoboranes. 41. The utility of B‐chlorodiisopinocampheylborane for a general synthesis of enantiomerically pure drugs

A general approach to the synthesis of enantiomerically pure α-phenyl amino alcohols via the asymmetric reduction of α-phenyl haloalkyl ketones or α-phenyl aminoalkyl ketones with B-chlorodiisopinocampheylborane is described. Using this approach, an improved synthesis of a potential antipsychotic, α-(4-fluorophenyl)-4-(2-pyrimidinyl)-1-piperazinebutanol in ⩾98% ee, and the broncholdilator 1-(2-methoxy-2-phenethyl)-4-(3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropyl)piperazine (eprozinol) in ⩾99% ee is achieved. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Cutaneous manifestations of Prototheca infections

Abstract The genus Prototheca comprises several species, the most prevalent of which is Prototheca wickerhamii . These achlorophyllic algae are found in the slime flux of trees and in fresh-water environs. Cutaneous infection with these microbes was first reported 30 years ago. Subsequent case reports have described other manifestations including systemic disease. Asymptomatic and stationary cutaneous plaques may be seen in otherwise healthy patients. Susceptibility to infection is ill defined but may involve an inability of neutrophils to effectively eradicate phagocytosed organisms. Characteristic morula are seen histologically. Antifungal medications are the most effective therapy.
A Novel Transcriptional Coactivator, p52, Functionally Interacts with the Essential Splicing Factor ASF/SF2

Increasing evidence suggests that pre-mRNA splicing can take place cotranscriptionally in vivo. However, insight into how these two processes are linked has been lacking. Here, we describe that a novel transcriptional coactivator, p52, interacts not only with transcriptional activators and general transcription factors to enhance activated transcription but also with the essential splicing factor ASF/SF2 both in vitro and in vivo to modulate ASF/SF2-mediated pre-mRNA splicing. Furthermore, immunofluorescence studies indicate that the majority of endogenous p52 is colocalized with ASF/SF2 in the nucleoplasm of HeLa cells. Together, these observations suggest that, in addition to functioning as a transcriptional coactivator, p52 may also act as an adaptor to coordinate pre-mRNA splicing and transcriptional activation of class II genes.
Nutritional evaluation and chemical composition of seeds from desert ironwood olneya tesota

SUMMARY The nutritional attributes of desert ironwood (Olneya tesota) seeds from three different trees were examined. The seeds contained 17–21% protein, 33–39% lipid, and large amounts of canavanine which was not extracted by traditional cooking methods. The amino acid, mineral, and sugar contents were also determined. The mean amino acid score was 38, with methionine plus cysteine the limiting amino acids. Feeding uncooked seed meal to rats results in a Protein Efficiency Ratio of 0.37 and a diet and nitrogen digestibility of 89% and 81% respectively. Cooking raised the PER.