cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Stability of a Fluid Surface in a Microgravity Environment

We introduce a stochastic model to analyze in quantitative detail the effect of the high-frequency components of the residual accelerations onboard spacecraft (often called g jitter) on the motion of a fluid surface. The resid- ual acceleration field is modeled as a narrow-band noise characterized by three independent parameters: its intensity G2, a dominant frequency Q, and a characteristic spectral width T1. The white noise limit corresponds to QT —> 0, with G2T finite, and the limit of a periodic g jitter (or deterministic limit) can be recovered for QT —> , G2 finite. Analysis of the linear response of a fluid surface subjected to a fluctuating gravitational field leads to the stochastic Mathieu equation driven by both additive and multiplicative noise. We discuss the stability of the solutions of this linear equation in the two limits of white noise and deterministic forcing, and in the general case of narrow-band noise. The results are then applied to typical microgravity conditions. STOCHASTIC model is introduced to describe the high- frequency components of the residual accelerations onboard spacecraft (often called g jitter). The model is incorporated into the equations governing fluid motion, and the stability of a surface of discontinuity between two fluids of different density is analyzed. The linear stability of this surface is governed by the stochastic Mathieu equation, driven by both multiplicative and additive noise. We study the range of parameters in which the solutions of the stochastic Mathieu equation are stable and apply the results to a water-air surface in typical microgravity conditions. We find that the component of g jitter normal to the surface at rest couples non- linearly to the surface displacement and can lead to parametric in- stability. On the other hand, the two parallel components appear additively, and we show that they do not modify the linear stability boundaries associated with the normal component. A certain amount of attention has been paid recently to model- ing g jitter as a periodic function of time,1"3 but little attention has been paid to the more realistic case in which the effective accelera- tion spectrum contains a band of frequency components and is ran- dom in nature. Early work in this direction by Antar 4 considered the stability of the Rayleigh-Benard configuration under a random gravitational field with a uniform frequency spectrum (white noise). Later, Fichtl and Holland5 used a stochastic description to study the distribution of impulses that would exceed a prescribed threshold. We introduce a general model for g jitter, also based on a sto- chastic description,6 with a spectrum that is similar to residual ac- celeration spectra measured in space missions. The model, which we call narrow-band noise, is characterized by three parameters: the mean intensity of the fluctuations G2; their characteristic angu- lar frequency Q; and the characteristic width of the spectrum (peaked at Q) ir1 (Ref. 7). In the limit ^T -> 0, with D = G2T finite, narrow-band noise reduces to white noise of intensity Z), whereas
Effect of selected motive-incentive conditions upon development of strength through an isometric training program.

Abstract This study was made to determine the influence of five selected motive-incentive conditions upon the effectiveness of a 6-week isometric training program for the development of strength in the elbow flexor muscle group. Data were obtained from an initial test, from each training session, and from a final test. The mean gains in best strength scores from the initial to the final test were statistically significant (p = .05) for all five motive-incentive groups. No significant differences (p = .05) were found between the mean of the scores for the five motive inventive groups obtained during the first training session, during the last training session, from the final test, and from the cumulative scores for the 12 training sessions.
The tricornered Gene, Which Is Required for the Integrity of Epidermal Cell Extensions, Encodes the Drosophila Nuclear DBF2-Related Kinase

During their differentiation epidermal cells of Drosophila form a rich variety of polarized structures. These include the epidermal hairs that decorate much of the adult cuticular surface, the shafts of the bristle sense organs, the lateral extensions of the arista, and the larval denticles. These cuticular structures are produced by cytoskeletal-mediated outgrowths of epidermal cells. Mutations in the tricornered gene result in the splitting or branching of all of these structures. Thus, tricornered function appears to be important for maintaining the integrity of the outgrowths. tricornered mutations however do not have major effects on the growth or shape of these cellular extensions. Inhibiting actin polymerization in differentiating cells by cytochalasin D or latrunculin A treatment also induces the splitting of hairs and bristles, suggesting that the actin cytoskeleton might be a target of tricornered. However, the drugs also result in short, fat, and occasionally malformed hairs and bristles. The data suggest that the function of the actin cytoskeleton is important for maintaining the integrity of cellular extensions as well as their growth and shape. Thus, if tricornered causes the splitting of cellular extensions by interacting with the actin cytoskeleton it likely does so in a subtle way. Consistent with this possibility we found that a weak tricornered mutant is hypersensitive to cytochalasin D. We have cloned the tricornered gene and found that it encodes the Drosophila NDR kinase. This is a conserved ser/thr protein kinase found in Caenorhabditis elegans and humans that is related to a number of kinases that have been found to be important in controlling cell structure and proliferation.
Merging engineering and art: What are the real lessons?

One of the current trends in engineering education is the completion of design projects by multi-disciplinary teams, as being representative of the work environment students will inhabit upon graduation. As a stimulus for creativity, partnerships with truly diverse disciplines are touted as an avenue for innovation and divergent thinking. But are they? In order to explore this concept, two mechanical engineering professors partnered with a clinical art professor, whose specialty is three-dimensional kinetic sculpture. The goal was to conduct a mass collaboration exercise with approximately 60 students over two art projects in a junior-level design class, with the outcome a finished version of the artist's vision. Reflective summaries from both mechanical engineering professors contrast both the strengths and weaknesses from a developmental perspective for the students involved in this pedagogical exercise. Additionally, the artist provided summative feedback that was analyzed, as well as answers to specific questions provided by the individual student groups regarding their own reflections on the experience and their personal growth. In closing, both professors offer suggestions for best practice for reaching across disciplines, as well as revisions of the current practice for enhanced pedagogical success.
Induction of Inflammasome-dependent Pyroptosis by Carbon Black Nanoparticles

Inhalation of nanoparticles has been implicated in respiratory morbidity and mortality. In particular, carbon black nanoparticles are found in many different environmental exposures. Macrophages take up inhaled nanoparticles and respond via release of inflammatory mediators and in some cases cell death. Based on new data, we propose that exposure of macrophages (both a macrophage cell line and primary human alveolar macrophages) to carbon black nanoparticles induces pyroptosis, an inflammasome-dependent form of cell death. Exposure of macrophages to carbon black nanoparticles resulted in inflammasome activation as defined by cleavage of caspase 1 to its active form and downstream IL-1β release. The cell death that occurred with carbon black nanoparticle exposure was identified as pyroptosis by the protective effect of a caspase 1 inhibitor and a pyroptosis inhibitor. These data demonstrate that carbon black nanoparticle exposure activates caspase 1, increases IL-1β release after LPS priming, and induces the proinflammatory cell death, pyroptosis. The identification of pyroptosis as a cellular response to carbon nanoparticle exposure is novel and relates to environmental and health impacts of carbon-based particulates.
The Fate of Nebuchadnezzar: Curiosity and Human Nature in Hobbes

This paper makes a case for the centrality of the passion of curiosity to Hobbes’s account of human nature. Hobbes describes curiosity as one of only a few capacities differentiating human beings from animals, and I argue that it is in fact the fundamental cause of humanity’s uniqueness, generating other important difference-makers such as language, science and politics. I qualify Philip Pettit’s (2008) claim that Hobbes believes language to be the essence of human difference, contending that Pettit grants language too central a place in Hobbes’s psychology. Language is, for Hobbes, a technology adopted on account of curiosity. Further, curiosity is necessary not only for linguistic but also for scientific activity. Only after what he calls original knowledge has been gathered are names employed to generate the conditional propositions that constitute science. Finally, curiosity can resolve another puzzle of Hobbesian psychology that Pettit leaves unanswered: our tendency towards strife. Hobbes believes that insofar as human beings have an implacable hunger for knowledge of the future, we are unable to rest content with present gains and must always aspire to secure the best possible outcome for ourselves.
Prior distribution for item response curves

The paper examines the use of the ordered Dirichlet prior for binary logistic item response models. This prior is based on the investigator's prior information about the probabilities of correct response to items from examinees at several ability levels. The effect of the prior is examined in terms of the posterior mode of the item parameters computed via the EM algorithm. An illustration is used to explore the application of a 1981 ACT math test to form a prior that is then used on a similar 1987 test. A novel feature of the paper is the emphasis placed on the entire item response curves, rather than the item parameters per se. Detailed computational expressions for the three-parameter logistic model are summarized in an Appendix.
The Frustrating Study of Foreign Policy Analysis

The Changing Politics of Foreign Policy. By Christopher Hill. Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 416 pp., $75.00 cloth (ISBN: 0-333-75421-2), $24.95 paper (ISBN: 0-333-75423-9). The Changing Politics of Foreign Policy is an important book and an important contribution to the general study of the dynamics of foreign policy. In short, Christopher Hill provides a valuable and badly needed synthesis of a large and growing body of thought and work in the area of foreign policy analysis. As Bernard Cohen (1957:2), one of the classic students of the field, noted long ago in The Political Process and Foreign Policy , “while there may be widespread recognition of the desirability of knowing more about how foreign policy is made, it is a far from simple task actually to build up a useful body of relevant knowledge.” Although we have an occasional review article, textbook, or edited volume, no quality-authored book has attempted to provide a synthesis—and thus demonstrate the extent to which we have built up “a useful body of relevant knowledge”—until now. But Hill's high aspirations and the difficulty of the task as noted by Cohen also make The Changing Politics of Foreign Policy very frustrating at times. By its very nature this book is not going to satisfy everyone in every way, including probably Hill himself. This frustration helps explain why such a synthesis and multidimensional perspective is rarely attempted, and why it is so much easier, and often professionally rewarding, to specialize or hyperspecialize by studying one facet or part of the larger foreign policy process. Overall, Hill deserves to be congratulated for his effort and accomplishment. Hill lays out a number of objectives in his preface to The Changing Politics of Foreign Policy . First, he seeks to “persuade any practitioners and general readers…that there already exists a useful frame of analysis which can help them make sense of particular …
Explicit generalization of Lagrange's equations for hybrid coordinate dynamical systems

An explicit generalization of the classical Lagrange's equations (for discrete coordinate dynamical systems) to cover a large family of multibody hybrid discrete/distributed parameter systems is presented. The coupled system of ordinary and partial differential equations follows directly from spatial and time differentiation of various Lagrangian functional, whereas the boundary conditions are directly established from another explicit set of symbolic variational equations. Five illustrative examples are presented. E consider a family of multibody hybrid discrete/dis- tributed parameter systems that can be regarded as consisting of a collection of interconnecte d rigid and elastic bodies. Such models are useful for dynamics and control anal- ysis of flexible spacecraft. The equations of motion are hybrid, in the sense that the rigid-body motions are described by dis- crete time-varying coordinates, and the elastic motions are described by time- and space-varying coordinates; the resulting hybrid system of ordinary and partial integro-differential equations embodies significant coupling between the rigid- body and elastic motions.1 Meirovitch2 extended the classical Lagrange's equations for hybrid systems using the extended Hamilton's principle. Al- though Meirovitch found the correct forms for the hybrid system, his equations embodied a differential operator that must be developed through integration by parts for each specific application. Also, the boundary condition operator in Meirovitch's developments must be found by integration by parts for each specific application. Berbyuk and Demid- yuk3 formulated the dynamic equations and boundary condi- tions for a specific mechanical system (two-link manipulator with one rigid link and one flexible link) by means of the extended Hamilton's principle. In deriving the kinetic energy and boundary conditions, they included the effects of end pay load. Low and Vidyasagar4 presented a procedure for deriving dynamic equations for manipulators containing both rigid and flexible links. They proposed a method for producing a compact symbolic expression for the equation of flexible manipulator systems. As they mentioned, their boundary con- ditions do not make allowance for ends that involve discrete elements, such as lumped masses and springs. Of course, Hamilton's principle can produce the appropriate boundary conditions in such cases, but the procedure is system-specific and tedious, especially when dealing with multiple-connected flexible bodies. We were motivated by Meirovitch's developments to estab- lish, at least for significant classes of systems, explicit La- grange differential equations and boundary conditions that make allowance for lumped masses, springs, and similar forces at the boundaries. In essence, we seek to symbolically carry out the integration by parts once and for all for a large class of systems. In the present paper, explicit Lagrange's equations
Cystine transport is defective in isolated leukocyte lysosomes from patients with cystinosis

The activity of a cystine transport system in lysosomes prepared from the leukocytes of patients with cystinosis was found to be deficient. In normal subjects, this system was resistant to N-ethylmaleimide and demonstrated saturation kinetics. Lysosomes from individuals heterozygous for cystinosis demonstrated a reduced maximum velocity for cystine egress from lysosomes. The rate of cystine escape from normal lysosomes was enhanced by adenosine triphosphate. The availability of normal and mutant lysosomes provides a means of investigating mechanisms of amino acid transport across lysosomal membranes.
Monetary Indexation and Revenues from Money Creation: The Case of Iceland

The effects of monetary indexation on revenues from monetization in Iceland are discussed, and the factors behind the sharp fall in monetization revenues following the introduction of indexation in 1979 are evaluated. The fiscal consequences are then examined, given that revenues from monetization have traditionally made up a substantial part of government revenues in Iceland. Different policy options are simulated using as a framework the public finance approach to inflation. The simulations focus on the relation of fiscal deficits to inflation, output, growth, and internal and external debt.
COMPLEX CHARGE RECOMBINATION KINETICS OF THE PHOTOTRAP IN RHODOSPIRILLUM RUBRUM

— The dark decay kinetics of excited phototraps in chromatophores prepared from Rhodospirillum rubrum have been quantitatively measured under two different conditions where a direct return of the electron(s) from ubiquinone to the primary donor bacteriochlorophyll cation radical is expected. One of these experimental conditions was with a frozen sample (whole cells, chromatophores, and extracted chromatophores) at 77 K, while the other was a room temperature measurement of a sample of chromatophores from which the loosely bound ubiquinone was first removed by extraction with organic solvents. Results with the latter system were also compared to those obtained with chromatophores plus 1 mM o-phenanthroline. In all cases the kinetics of charge recombination were not pseudo-first order but showed a biphasic pattern. The data at low temperature could be exactly fit by assuming that two major pseudo-first order processes were occurring with half times of 6.5 and 19 ms, 22% decaying by the faster process and 78% by the slower process. Both types of experiments at room temperature could also be fit by assuming two major pseudo-first order processes were occurring, but with somewhat slower half times, 22 and 59 ms. In this case, 20% decayed by the faster process and 80% by the slower process. An equation was developed to fit the data assuming that one ubiquinone molecule was the electron acceptor for two donor units (the duplex model), the dark decay thus taking place in two sequential steps with 50% of the oxidized donor units becoming reduced in each step. The experimental data could be exactly fit using this equation and the above parameters. The data are viewed as best supporting the duplex model for explaining primary photochemical events in these bacteria.
Impulsivity, arousal and attention

Abstract This study compared the utility of four theories of impulsivity that differ in whether they attribute impulsivity-related differences in performance to differences in arousal, differences in attentional processes or differences in nonattentional processes. Based on self-report, subjects were categorized as high or low in two forms of impulsivity, dysfunctional and functional, and two forms of arousal, tense and energetic. The four theories made differing predictions about the relationship between dysfunctional impulsivity, energetic arousal, and subjects' performance on a visual search task whose attentional demands were manipulated. It was found that higher levels of energetic arousal were associated with faster performance for high dysfunctional impulsives and slower performance for low dysfunctional impulsives only when the task was attention-demanding, supporting the theory that impulsivity-related differences in performance are due to differences in the mechanisms that allocate attention. Functional impulsivity showed complex interactions with both tense and energetic arousal; these were explained in terms of the effects of tense arousal on functional impulsives' levels of cautiousness, and the effects of energetic arousal on their ability to shift attention rapidly.
Condon domains in the two-dimensional electron gas. III. Dynamical effects.

Recent experiments have observed extremely sharp and complex structures in the ac susceptibility of the Condon domain phase in a high-density two-dimensional electron gas. Understanding of these structures requires a theoretical analysis of the dynamics of domain-wall motion. The present paper offers a theoretical framework for this analysis. Two phenomena are dealt with in detail: domain-wall resonance and a bending-mode resonance similar to the helicon-wave-like state seen in superconductors.
Flame and droplet interaction effects during droplet-stream combustion at zero Reynolds number

This work presents a numerical analysis of the quasi-steady combustion of an infinite stream of droplets in the limit of infinite Damkohler number and stagnant ambient conditions. The small and large length-scale phenomena associated with the process are addressed by splitting the physical domain into near- and far-field subdomains. Within the inner subdomain, validated expressions are used during the grid generation procedure, allowing the development of appropriate finite-difference expressions and control of the distribution of points. Analytical transformations are developed and applied to the outer subdomain coordinate system in order to match the inner and outer grids along the domain interface and to properly address the outflow boundary conditions using a regularly spaced grid. A system of transformed governing equations is obtained and discretized into a coupled system of algebraic equations, which are solved by standard scientific subroutines, incorporating automatic control of error. The developed transformations are inverted and the solutions within the physical domain are obtained. Interdroplet interaction effects are presented in terms of droplet mass vaporization rate, droplet lifetime, and flame-sheet shape and position for different droplet spacings and fuels. The results indicate interaction effects present over a broad range of interdroplet spacings and are compared with theoretical and experimental ones available in the literature.
Friedman,Walter A. Fortune Tellers: The Story of America's First Economic Forecasters Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press 288 pp., $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-15911-9 Publication Date: December 2014

At the dawn of the twentieth century, financial analysis was in its infancy in the United States. Statistics representing the activity and health of businesses were not always easily attainable. Pa...
A cavity-forming mutation in insulin induces segmental unfolding of a surrounding α-helix

To investigate the cooperativity of insulin's structure, a cavity-forming substitution was introduced within the hydrophobic core of an engineered monomer. The substitution, IleA2→Ala in the A1–A8 α-helix, does not impair disulfide pairing between chains. In accord with past studies of cavity-forming mutations in globular proteins, a decrement was observed in thermodynamic stability (ΔΔGu 0.4–1.2 kcal/mole). Unexpectedly, CD studies indicate an attenuated α-helix content, which is assigned by NMR spectroscopy to selective destabilization of the A1–A8 segment. The analog's solution structure is otherwise similar to that of native insulin, including the B chain's supersecondary structure and a major portion of the hydrophobic core. Our results show that (1) a cavity-forming mutation in a globular protein can lead to segmental unfolding, (2) tertiary packing of IleA2, a residue of low helical propensity, stabilizes the A1–A8 α-helix, and (3) folding of this segment is not required for native disulfide pairing or overall structure. We discuss these results in relation to a hierarchical pathway of protein folding and misfolding. The AlaA2 analog's low biological activity (0.5% relative to the parent monomer) highlights the importance of the A1–A8 α-helix in receptor recognition.
Systematic glutamate induces degeneration of a subpopulation of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons in the rat area postrema

Abstract Neuronal damage in the area postrema (AP) of 12–14-week-old male rats was induced by subcutaneous administration of monosodium glutamate (MSG). An immunocytochemical method was used to visualize catecholaminergic neurons in the AP after MSG-treatment. Some tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive neurons exhibited marked signs of degeneration, while others appeared undamaged. We conclude that catecholamine-synthesizing neurons in the AP are differentially sensitive to the neuroexcitotoxic effect of systemic glutamate.
Energy expenditure, body composition, and disease risk in children and adolescents

Recent methodological advances have led to a tremendous improvement in our ability to measure energy expenditure, body composition and fat distribution in children. The availability of new and improved measurement techniques has greatly enhanced the scope of research studies in children. The key findings from the present review are as follows: total energy expenditure in young children is approximately 25% lower than current recommendations for energy intake and revised recommendations are necessary; reduced energy expenditure, however, does not necessarily explain the greater prevalence of obesity in the population as a whole or in sub-groups at greater risk of obesity; qualitative aspects of physical activity (e.g. time, intensity) may be more important than the energy expenditure of physical activity in the regulation of body composition; for body composition assessment, DXA is emerging as a technique which can substantially improve the accuracy and standardization in children; body fat begins to accumulate in the obese; waist:hip ratio or waist circumference are inadequate markers of intra-abdominal adipose tissue in children and adolescents; finally, the early accumulation of fat in the intra-abdominal region is significantly related to the development of adverse health effects, including dyslipidaemia and glucose intolerance.
Liver transplantation from controlled non-heart-beating donors: an increased incidence of biliary complications.

Background. Hepatic allografts from non-heart-beating donors (NHBD) have been cited as a means to expand the supply of donor livers. Concern exists that donor warm ischemic time in addition to subsequent cold ischemia-reperfusion injury may result in damage to sensitive cell populations within the liver. Because the biliary epithelium is sensitive to ischemia-reperfusion injury, the authors surmised that an increased incidence of biliary complications might occur among recipients of an NHBD allograft. Methods. This study was a retrospective evaluation of NHBD recipients compared to a group of heart-beating donor (HBD) recipients from a single institution. Results. Fifteen patients received a hepatic allograft from a controlled NHBD donor. NHBD and HBD (n=221) graft survival did not differ at 1 (71.8% vs. 85.4%, P=0.23) or 3 years (71.8% vs. 73.9%, P=0.68). Patient survival at 1 (79% vs. 90.9%, P=0.16) and 3 years (79.0% vs. 77.7%, P=0.8) was also similar. Major biliary complications occurred in five (33.3%) NHBD recipients; 66.6% of the NHBD biliary complications consisted of intrahepatic strictures versus 19.2% among HBD recipients (P<0.01). Major biliary complications in the NHBD recipients resulted in multiple interventional procedures, retransplantation, and death. Conclusions. Donor warm ischemic time may predispose hepatic allografts to an increased incidence of ischemic type strictures. Although graft and patient survival was similar to a cohort of HBD recipients, caution is urged with the use of these organs.
Priming effects on the perceived grouping of ambiguous dot patterns

For ambiguous stimuli, complex dynamics guide processes of perceptual grouping. Previous studies have suggested two opposing effects on grouping that are produced by the preliminary stimulus state: one that enhances grouping towards the existing structure, and another that opposes this structure. To examine effects of the preliminary state on grouping directly, measurements were made of perceived grouping of dot patterns that followed a visual prime. Three stimuli were presented in sequence: prime, target, and mask. Targets were composed of an evenly spaced dot grid in which grouping was established by similarity in luminance. Subjects indicated the dominant perceived grouping. The prime either corresponded to or opposed the prevailing organization of the target. Contrary to the hypothesis, solid-line primes biased grouping away from the structure of the prime, even when the prevailing organization of dot patterns strongly favored the primes’ structure. This effect occurred, although to a lesser extent, when primes did not occupy the same location of targets, but were presented in a marginal area surrounding the grid. Priming effects did not occur for primes constructed of dot patterns. Effects found here may be attributed to a forward masking effect by primes, which more effectively disrupts grouping of patterns matched to the prime. Effects may also be attributed to a type of pattern contrast, in which a grouped pattern dissimilar to primes gains salience. For the pattern contrast model, the partial activation of multiple grouped configurations is compared to the pattern of the solid-line primes.
Multifrequency radio images of L1551 IRS 5

L1551 IRS 5 has been observed at 15 GHz, 5 GHz, and 1.5 GHz with the VLA, and the findings are discussed. At 15 GHz, the central core is well resolved into two pointlike sources surrounded by weaker extended emission. The northern, brighter source is coincident with the peak at 5 GHz. The jet seen at 5 GHz is barely detected at 15 GHz. There is clearcut evidence for a much flatter spectral index in the extended (jet) structure than in either of the two point sources. The observed length-to-width ratio in the jet is greater than ten. It is suggested that L1551 IRS 5 is a binary system whose orbital plane coincides with the CS molecular toroid. A model of the jet is summarized in which the jet contains small clumps which dominate the 15 GHz emission.
The therapy of osteogenic sarcoma: current status and thoughts for the future.

Osteogenic sarcoma is a rare but virulent malignancy for which significant prognostic factors have been identified. Evaluating the site, histology, size, and immunologic factors can help identify those patients at higher risk of recurrent disease. Surgical amputation is the mainstay of therapy for appropriate candidates (20% 5 year survivals). Radiation therapy alone yields 13%, and combined with surgery, 20% 5 year survivals. The efficacy of chemotherapy has not been fully evaluated but adriamycin and methotrexate have demonstrated activity of a promising degree. A protocol design to quickly and efficiently determine effective therapy for this disease could include pretherapeutic stratification, controlled trials of drugs or immune adjuvants with reevaluation at specific intervals of clinical significance.
Are African-American Male Undergraduate Retention Programs Successful? An Evaluation of an Undergraduate African-American Male Retention Program

Research indicates an alarming trend of African-American male students failing to graduate once enrolled in colleges and universities (National Center for Education Statistics 2011). In response to this problem, various universities have implemented academic programs to provide support and retention for these students. This study examines a retention program with Freshmen African-American male students in a large metropolitan university. Specifically, this article seeks to highlight the impact of retention programs on African-American male students successfully completing their first year of college. Results from a mixed method design suggest that retention programs have a positive impact on African-American male academics, with specificity to increased grade point averages.
Hollnagel’s test: being ‘in control’ of highly interdependent multi-layered networked systems

Advances in technologies for networking, sensing, and automation have resulted in multi-layered networked systems that extend information gathering, interactions across roles, and the potential for control over wider ranges. But these systems also represent a scale shift in complexity in terms of the density of interdependencies across processes and activities. In the new systems, coupling has run amok introducing new challenges about how to control processes when they are part of such highly interdependent webs. Based on the joint cognitive systems perspective, Hollnagel examines, or tests, technology changes by asking two key questions: what does it mean to be in control and how can control be amplified? Hollnagel has shown that the answers to these questions are not inherent in technology itself but rather point to emergent system properties that can and should be supported to produce success and avoid failures. This paper applies Hollnagel’s test to the reverberations of technology change that are producing multi-layered networked systems. The paper shows how being ‘in control’ of multi-layered networked systems requires the ability to navigate interdependencies and shows how ‘amplifying control’ then consists of tools that help reveal/track relevant interdependencies and help anticipate how projected actions will propagate (resonate) across interdependencies relative to goals. The end result is that a shift is underway from supervisory control to polycentric control architectures.
The Agency Line: A Neoliberal Metric for Appraising Young Women’s Sexuality

Young women’s sexuality traditionally has been marked along a gendered moralist continuum of sexual activity, ranging from virtuous (virgins) to licentious (sluts). However, this one-dimensional model cannot easily accommodate substantive changes in the norms that influence girls’ sexualities. Contemporary scholarship generated across the Anglophone West includes many signs that such a shift has occurred, ushered in by the cultural and ideological suffusion of neoliberalism. I enlist interdisciplinary and international evidence of neoliberalism’s influence on constructions of girls’ sexuality to argue that in the U.S., girls are now judged on their adherence not only to gendered moralist norms, but also to a neoliberal script of sexual agency. In addition to reviewing conceptual and empirical grounds for this claim, I consider the multidimensional normative field created by the intersection of this Agency Line with the long-standing Virgin-Slut Continuum. The primacy of agency within neoliberal discourse seems to legitimize women’s sexual autonomy and its subjective nature may permit them some control over their position above the Agency Line. But upon critical inspection it becomes clear that young women remain confined to a prescribed normative space that divides them from one another, compels self-blame, and predicates their worth on cultural appraisals of their sexuality.
The I.R. Spectra of Matrix‐isolated SiBr2 and SiCl2

The divalent silicon species SiBr2 and SiCl2 were produced by the reaction of the corresponding silicon tetrahalides with elemental silicon at temperatures between 900 and 1150°. The I.R. spectra of these molecules trapped in different matrices (Ne, Ar, N2) were observed, and the fundamentals assigned. A set of valence force constants and the bond angles were obtained from accurate measurements of chlorine and silicon isotopic splittings. Die IR-Spektren von matrix-isoliertem SiBr2 und SiCl2 Die zweiwertigen Siliciumverbindungen SiBr2 und SiCl2 wurden durch Reaktion der entsprechenden Siliciumtetrahalogenide mit elementarem Silicium zwischen 900° und 1150° dargestellt und in Matrizen (Ne, Ar, N2) ausgefroren. Das IR-Spektrum wurde aufgenommen und die beobachteten Banden zugeordnet. Durch genaue Messung der Chlor- bzw. Siliciumisotopenaufspaltungen konnten die Valenzkraftkonstanten und der Bindungswinkel bestimmt werden.
Hirschsprung's disease in association with trisomy 21 and duodenal obstruction

The association of trisomy 21 and Hirschsprung's disease (HD) is well known. In a neonate, HD characteristically presents with delayed passage of meconium and/or intestinal obstruction. However, the presence of duodenal atreasia (DA), which may present similarly, can mask the associated HD. Over an 18-year period, 17 of 135 patients with HD had trisomy 21. Three of these 17 patients presented with duodenal obstruction in the newborn period — 2 had DA and 1 a complete duodenal web. One patient developed a perforation of the jejunum 7 days after laparotomy and duodenoduodenostomy and was found to have HD while the other 2 were later investigated because of persistent unresponsive constipation and confirmed to have HD at 1 and 2 years of age. In spite of associated Down's syndrome and DA, the possibility of HD should be considered in patients who have a complicated postoperative course or persisting abnormal stooling patterns.
BAX activation is initiated at a novel interaction site

BAX is a pro-apoptotic protein of the BCL-2 family stationed in the cytosol until activated by a diversity of stress stimuli to induce cell death. Anti-apoptotic proteins such as BCL-2 counteract BAX-mediated cell death. Although an interaction site that confers survival functionality has been defined for anti-apoptotic proteins, an activation site has not been identified for BAX, rendering its explicit trigger mechanism unknown. We previously developed Stabilized Alpha-Helix of BCL-2 domains (SAHBs) that directly initiate BAX-mediated mitochondrial apoptosis. Here we demonstrate by NMR analysis that BIM SAHB binds BAX at an interaction site that is distinct from the canonical binding groove characterized for anti-apoptotic proteins. The specificity of the BIM SAHB-BAX interaction is highlighted by point mutagenesis that abrogates functional activity, confirming that BAX activation is initiated at this novel structural location. Thus, we have now defined a BAX interaction site for direct activation, establishing a new target for therapeutic modulation of apoptosis.
Stochastic atomistic simulation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon growth in combustion

Nanoparticles formed in gas phase environments, such as combustion, have an important impact on society both as engineering components and hazardous pollutants. A new software package, the Stochastic Nanoparticle Simulator (SNAPS) was developed, applying a stochastic chemical kinetics methodology, to computationally investigate the growth of nanoparticle precursors through trajectories of chemical reactions. SNAPS was applied to characterize the growth of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), important precursors of carbonaceous nanoparticles and soot, in a premixed laminar benzene flame, using a concurrently developed PAH growth chemical reaction mechanism, as well as an existing benzene oxidation mechanism. Simulations of PAH ensembles successfully predicted existing experimentally measured data and provided novel insight into chemical composition and reaction pathways. The most commonly observed PAH isomers in simulations showed the importance of 5-membered rings, which contrasts with traditionally assumed compositions involving primarily pericondensed 6-membered rings. In addition, the chemical growth of PAHs involved complex sequences of highly reversible reactions, rather than relatively direct routes of additions and ring closures. Furthermore, the most common reactions involved 5-membered rings, suggesting their importance to PAH growth. The framework developed in this work will facilitate future investigation of particle inception and soot formation and will benefit engineering of novel combustion technologies to mitigate harmful emissions.
Space-bandwidth product of some deblurring filters.

We present an estimate of the space-bandwidth product of a filter of the form W(f) = [H(f)/1[H2(f) + C(f)], which is often encountered in image processing. The estimate applies to blur functions H(f) which are similar to the linear motion blur in that they oscillate smoothly under a decreasing envelope.
Transmission electron microscope observations of the wear tracks of nickel and nickel-based alloys tested in a simulated face seal

Abstract The fine structural details of the wear tracks of nickel, nickel-chromium and nickel-molybdenum alloys tested in a simulated face seal apparatus have been observed using transmission electron microscopy. The structures are complex and varied; there are regions of extremely high dislocation density and in all materials recrystallization is prevalent, with a very fine grain size (0.1 μm or less). The nickel-molybdenum alloys had been heat-treated to develop either an ordered or a disordered structure and changes in this due to the wear process showed that in some cases the local interface temperature exceeded 900 °C.
Transition State Resonances in the Reaction Cl + H2 → HCl + H

This paper discusses converged quantum mechanical scattering calculations for the reaction Cl + H2 → HCl + H and its reverse and analyzes them for the properties of quantized dynamical bottlenecks controlling the total and state-specific microcanonical-ensemble rate constants. These rate constants show clear evidence for quantized transition states. We assign bend and stretch quantum numbers to the transition states for total angular momentum J = 0 with parity P = +1, for J = 1 with P = +1 and −1, and for J = 2 and 6 with P = +1. Then, state-specific densities of reactive states (transition state spectra) are examined to obtain a detailed picture of the reaction. A quantal estimate of the rotational constant, B, for several different transition states is obtained by comparing transition state energies at different values of the total angular momentum. These quantal estimates are in good agreement with the values calculated from the moments of inertia, and this enables us to interpret the results in terms ...
Combating Ageism with Narrative and Intergroup Contact: Possibilities of Intergenerational Connections

Fear of death and institutional separation of persons of different age groups are major contributors to ageism. Drawing on research in social psychology, this article introduces two remedies that can reduce stereotypes toward older adults: The first remedy is intergenerational connections with the intergroup contact hypothesis as its theoretical underpinnings. The second remedy is use of narrative in age-heterogeneous groups. Since religious communities are among the few places in society where persons of all stages of life meet, they can, when intentionally structured, be settings with promise for intergenerational connections and play a role in counteracting ageism.
Information system evaluation by system typology

Information systems are often measured for performance and acceptance during a post-implementation review. The evaluation literature suggests a wide variety of measures to be applied to the installed system with no formal breakdown by information system type. We examine various measures of system performance and acceptance for importance according to an established system typology. A survey of managers indicates the importance of measures are found to vary by system type. In addition, the measures are examined for common structures that may assist in the development of simple standards for information system evaluation.
Management of craniopharyngioma in children: the present and future

Abstract Although controversy still exists regarding the optimum treatment of craniopharyngiomas, all neurosurgeons agree that total removal of the tumor is desirable if it can be done safely. However, successful radical excision of craniopharyngiomas remains one of the most difficult procedures in the era of microsurgery. Early enthusiasms for attempts at curative surgery were tempered, however, by the eventual realization that not only had this tumor not always been completely removed but the patients were often left severely damaged. Recognition of the morbidity of treatment led to a vogue for more conservative methods of treatment cyst aspiration and radiosurgery. The authors would like to discuss the management of childhood craniopharyngiomas for not only the present situation—the situation of today's surgery and hormonal therapy—but also for the future—new surgical strategies, new anatomical approaches, prevention of recurrence, cystic instillations, radiotherapy, and maintaining acceptable functional state hormonally and psychologically. What has been learned from our experience that might help us in the future to achieve the ultimate goal of decompressing the visual apparatus and preventing tumor recurrence at the same time as preserving normal hypothalamic and pituitary functions? In the management of childhood craniopharyngiomas, finally, we would like to list a series of questions to further increase our knowledge of the behavior of these difficult tumors: 1. Should we acknowledge that some childhood craniopharyngiomas are surgically incurable if an unacceptable disability in terms of hypothalamic damage is to be avoided? 2. Can such tumors be identified before surgical treatment is attempted? 3. Can the response of an individual tumor to radiotherapy be predicted? 4. Will the use of stereotactically focused external fractionated radiotherapy allow us to reduce the age (prevention of damaging the child's cognitive behavior)? 5. Is there a role for radiosurgery? 6. What is the role of intracyst instillation? 7. How can surgeons choose the most appropriate surgical approaches, based on the size and location of the tumors? 8. How long should endocrinological follow-up be continued before a child can be considered cured?
Interaction of purine with the prosthetic group of succinic dehydrogenase.

No data are to be found in the literature comparing on a molar basis the fluorescence, at dinucleotide and mono-nucleotide level, of the flavin peptide released from succinic dehydrogenase (SD) by tryptic digestion, neither has it been ascertained whether an internal quenching due to the purine moiety of the molecule exists in the peptide bound flavin-dinucleotide, as it does in flavin-adenine dinucleotide.
Springback in high-strength steels

A study has been made of springback after the forming of a simple flange in CRLC, SAE 950X and 980X, and a dual-phase steel; the variables investigated were material thickness, die gap, anvil radius and prior cold work. It was found that springback increased as the strength of the steel, anvil radius and die gap increased and as the sheet thickness decreased. Dual-phase steel which has tensile strength similar to that of SAE 980X steel initially had springback characteristics similar to SAE 950X steel. However, after about 15 to 20 percent cold work, the dual-phase and the SAE 980X steels exhibit similar amounts of springback. It was also noted that for a given material springback is a unique function of the material-thickness-to-anvil-radius ratio. The results of this investigation can be used to predict the variation in springback expected from the spread in strength usually observed for a given grade of steel, and to allocate the amount of springback between material and die effects when making materials substitutions.
Levels of novel hybridization in the saltcedar invasion compared over seven decades

Hybridization is proposed as one process that can enhance a plant species’ invasive ability. We quantified the levels of hybridization of 180 saltcedar plants (Tamarix spp.) of varying ages that span the history of an invasion along the Green River, Utah, USA. Plants ranging in establishment dates from 1930s to 2004 were analyzed using Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphisms. All plants sampled, even those established before the Green River saltcedars were numerous, were assigned as hybrids, not as parental types that are still found in more extreme southern and northern latitudes in the USA. Our collections either did not capture the earliest parental types, parental types have failed to persist, or the first introductions to the Green River were already hybrids. In any case, it appears that hybrids have been a dominant part of this local invasion history, from establishment through invasion spread stages.