cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Strategies for "minimal growth maintenance" of cell cultures: a perspective on management for extended duration experimentation in the microgravity environment of a Space station

How cells manage without gravity and how they change in the absence of gravity are basic questions that only prolonged life on a Space station will enable us to answer. We know from investigations carried out on various kinds of Space vehicles and stations that profound physiological effects can and often to occur. We need to know more of the basic biochemistry and biophysics both of cells and of whole organisms in conditions of reduced gravity. The unique environment of Space affords plant scientists an unusual opportunity to carry out experiments in microgravity, but some major challenges must be faced before this can be done with confidence. Various laboratory activities that are routine on Earth take on special significance and offer problems that need imaginative resolution before even a relatively simple experiment can be reliably executed on a Space station. For example, scientists might wish to investigate whether adaptive or other changes that have occurred in the environment of Space are retained after return to Earth-normal conditions. Investigators seeking to carry out experiments in the low-gravity environment of Space using cultured cells will need to solve the problem of keeping cultures quiescent for protracted periods before an experiment is initiated, after periodic sampling is carried out, and after the experiment is completed. This review gives an evaluation of a range of strategies that can enable one to manipulate cell physiology and curtail growth dramatically toward this end. These strategies include cryopreservation, chilling, reduced oxygen, gel entrapment strategies, osmotic adjustment, nutrient starvation, pH manipulation, and the use of mitotic inhibitors and growth-retarding chemicals. Cells not only need to be rendered quiescent for protracted periods but they also must be recoverable and further grown if it is so desired. Elaboration of satisfactory procedures for management of cells and tissues at "near zero or minimal growth" will have great value and practical consequences for experimentation on Earth as well as in Space. All of the parameters and conditions and procedural details needed to meet all the specific objectives will be the basis of the design and fabrication of cell culture units for use in the Space environment. It is expected that this will be an evolutionary process.
Stratification of injury severity using energy expenditure response in surgical infants.

Abstract Aim of Study: Injury severity stratification has important clinical outcome significance and can influence nutritional management. Although surgery alone has been shown not to increase measured energy expenditure (MEE) substantially, large increases in MEE can result from severe underlying acute illness, which frequently necessitates surgery (like sepsis or intense inflammation). The authors hypothesized that the magnitude and duration of the MEE response to surgery associated with a severe preoperative acute injury would exceed that of surgery in which no substantial preoperative stress was present, thus representing an index of overall injury severity in surgical infants. Methods: MEE (kcal/kg/d) was determined on postoperative days (POD) 2, 5, and 8 in 12 infants (average age, 47 days) after two separate injury insults (at least 8 days apart). In each patient, one operation resulted in a peak serum C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration of less than 6.5 mg/dL (low stress), and the second operation, preoperatively associated with sepsis or a major inflammatory insult, resulted in a peak CRP of more than 6.5 mg/dL (high stress). Data were paired so that each child served as his or her own control. The initial basal protein-calorie delivery was similar in both groups. Main Results: The mean peak CRP values were 14.1 ± 10.7 mg/dL (high stress) and 4.1 ± 2.3 mg/dL (low stress) and returned to normal levels earlier (before POD 8) after injury insult in the low-stress group. Analysis of energy expenditure on POD 2 demonstrated significantly elevated mean MEE values in the high-stress group (58.0 ± 12.2 kcal/kg/d v 39.4 ± 9.5 kcal/kg/d in the low-stress group; P = .0001). In contrast, analysis of POD 8 energy expenditure showed significantly lower mean MEE values in the high-stress group (50.7 ± 12.0 kcal/kg/d) v (66.4 ± 15.1 kcal/kg/d in the low-stress group; P = .0118) group. Conclusion: The early (POD 2) hypermetabolic response to injury as determined by MEE effectively differentiated the two stress groups. This finding suggests that acute underlying illness is an important determinant of postoperative MEE. Furthermore, in the low-stress group, serial CRP levels returned to normal earlier, associated with significantly greater late (POD 8) MEE values. Because MEE is directly proportional to growth rate in healthy infants, and growth is retarded during acute metabolic stress, these findings suggest that increased energy is utilized for growth recovery following the earlier resolution of the acute injury response in the low-stress group. These data indicate that serial postoperative MEE can be used to stratify injury severity and may be an effective parameter to monitor the return of normal growth metabolism in surgical infants.
Note on a statement in A. Wintner's analytical foundations of celestial mechanics

Disproof of Wintner analytical foundations of celestial mechanics regarding binary collision in three body problem
A peer-to-peer system as an exchange economy

We formulate a peer-to-peer system for filesharing as an exchange economy: a price is associated with each file, and users exchange files only when they can afford it. This formulation solves the free-riding problem, since uploading files is a necessary condition for being able to download. However, we do not explicitly introduce a currency; users must upload files in order to earn a budget for downloading. We discuss existence, uniqueness, and dynamic stability of the competitive equilibrium, which is always guaranteed to be Pareto efficient. In addition, a novel aspect of our approach is an allocation mechanism for clearing the market out of equilibrium. We analyze this mechanism when users can anticipate how their actions affect the allocation mechanism (price anticipating behavior). For this regime we characterize the Nash equilibria that will occur, and show that as the number of users increases, the Nash equilibrium rates become approximately Pareto efficient.
Pulmonary Pseudolymphoma Presenting as a Solitary Nodular Density with an Air Bronchogram

This case report describes a 73-year-old woman who presented with a solitary nodular chest density due to pseudolymphoma. The entity is of interest in that the tumor has a characteristic roentgenographic appearance and a benign prognosis.
Geochemistry and hydrothermal alteration of the Kern Mountains plutonic complex, White Pine County, Nevada and Juab County, Utah

The Kern Mountains plutonic complex is composed of multiple intrusions referred as the Cove, Tungstonia and Hoodoo Canyon plutons, whose emplacement was structurally controlled. The plutons are members of the calc-alcaline granite series, leucogranite type that are relatively alkali rich. The complex is of epizone (4–10 km) and was emplaced during Jurassic time into the carbonates and quartzite of Paleozoic age. Trace and major element data indicate that the complex was derived from the partial melting of rocks similar to Canadian Shield rocks. Analysis of variance of chemical data suggets that hydrothermal solutions carried K2O, Na2O and SiO2 and raised the levels of original oxides in the plutons. Hydrothermal activity is evidenced by the occurrence of second generation muscovite, potassium feldspar and quartz in the complex and tungsten and sulphide mineralization in the area.
Long-range SL (2) Baxter equation in N = 4 super-Yang-Mills theory

Relying on a few lowest order perturbative calculations of anomalous dimensions of gauge invariant operators built from holomorphic scalar fields and an arbitrary number of covariant derivatives in maximally supersymmetric gauge theory, we propose an all-loop generalization of the Baxter equation which determines their spectrum. The equation does not take into account wrapping effects and is thus asymptotic in character. We develop an asymptotic expansion of the deformed Baxter equation for large values of the conformal spin and derive an integral equation for the cusp anomalous dimension.
Improved decision-support making for selecting future traffic signal controllers using expert-knowledge acquisition

Transportation agencies are facing the decision-making problem while selecting traffic signal controller that corresponds to the needs of their future signal system. The complexity of this problem originates from the current level of controller standardization, market-driven competition, responsibility for long-term operation, and scale of investment. This paper presents an improvement of methodology and a decision-support system (DSS) for selecting traffic signal controllers. DSS bases upon Analytical Hierarchy Process, and is developed as an application in MS Excel. The main improvement is the component for expert knowledge acquisition for assignment of criteria weights. The graphical user interface and supporting analytical engine based on fuzzy logic are developed to enhance the expert knowledge acquisition. Paper presents application interface and analytical engine with an example. Possibilities for further research should provide potential for greater flexibility of this application to aid in decision-making for other equipment selection.
A Process Oriented Manufacturing System Simulation to Measure the Effect of Shop Control Factors

The objective of this paper is to develop a framework for comparing job shop control policies through simulation analysis. A process based simulation model is developed that uses an object oriented data structure. This paper argues that inventory in a job shop should be divided into three categories, and each category's value would be a more useful performance measure for comparing alternate control policies. An experimental design is presented for determining the appropriate shop control rules that combines the major aspects of shop control decisions. The simulation model is flexible and allows specification of an y number of work stations and job types. The model can accommodate both static and dynamic job processing schemes. The model also outlines statistical procedures to compare alternative shop control policies and provides a hierarchical procedure for selecting these rules. The model's applicability is illustrated by testing some shop control rules in a benchmark job shop.
The relation of lightning‐discharges to changes in the electrical field

C. T. R. Wilson, Schonland, Craib, and others have published reports based on investigations in England and in South Africa which indicate that thunder-storms are bipolar with the upper pole positive in a majority of cases. The mechanism of the thunder-storm as described by Simpson, and based on his breaking-drop theory, requires that the anterior active portion of the cloud, where convection currents of ascending air are formed, shall be positively charged. Above and to the rear of this active area there is a less concentrated negative charge. This theory has been elaborated by Humphreys and recent field investigations by Banerji at Bombay are in general agreement with it.
Construction of Tn4001 lac derivatives to be used as promoter probe vectors in mycoplasmas

Studies of gene expression in mycoplasmas has been difficult, because the elements involved in gene expression remain relatively undefined. In order to be able to examine these regulatory elements in vivo, derivatives of Tn4001 containing the promoterless Escherichia coli lacZ reporter gene have been constructed. A Tn4001lac derivative, Tn4001.2062.2lac, transforms Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Acholeplasma strain ISM1499. Approximately 3% of the M. gallisepticum and 8% of the Acholeplasma ISM1499 transformants appeared to generate lacZ fusions based on blue colony formation on XGal-containing media. However, placement of lacZ into an IS256 arm of Tn4001 resulted in a derivative that transformed at a frequency about 3-7-fold lower than that of wild-type Tn4001. Another Tn4001lac derivative, Tn4001.2065, possesses a plasmid, as well as lacZ, in the IS256 arm. This construct was designed to permit the direct rescue of adjacent chromosomal sequences that are driving the expression of lacZ contained within the transposon. These constructs should be useful in locating and defining the upstream elements involved in mycoplasma gene expression.
Electron microscopy of incontinentia pigmenti.

Electron microscopic examination revealed common features, although to varying extent, in all three stages of incontinentia pigmenti. All three stages showed (1) dyskeratosis; (2) phagocytosis of dyskeratotic cells and of melanosomes by macrophages; and (3) presence of melanophages in the upper dermis. Dyskeratosis and phagocytosis were most pronounced in stage II, and presence of melanophages in stage III. In addition to these common features, stage I showed an intraepidermal blister containing eosinophils. In stages II and III Schwann cells were found frequently in the dermis close to the dermoepidermal junction with extensions above the basal lamina, where they phagocytized melanosomes. It is concluded on the basis of their ultrastructural features that all three stages of incontinentia pigmenti are related to each other and that the pigmentary incontinence is a phagocytic phenomenon.
Piloting Collaborative Learning Activities in a Sustainable Construction Class

Collaboration skills are increasingly necessary to succeed in today’s rapidly evolving, complex, and multi-disciplinary construction workforce. As these skills are being called upon more explicitly in the construction industry and other higher education settings, need exists for a deeper understanding of how construction education can provide graduates with collaborative skills. However, classroom activities incorporating collaborations skills—communication, conflict resolution, decision-making, or problem solving—tend to be underrepresented in many construction classes. This research documents and analyzes two teaching activities developed and implemented by the authors where students work in teams in different learning environments to perform explicit tasks. Team performance was recorded, along with student self-assessments. Piloting such activities provides valuable lessons learned that highlight the role of performance metrics, team diversity, learning environment, and observation and assessment in co...
Thermal expansion of selected graphite-reinforced polyimide-, epoxy-, and glass-matrix composites

The thermal expansion of continuous carbon-fiber reinforced composites with epoxy-, polyimide-, and borosilicate glass-matrices has been measured and compared. The expansion of a rubber-toughened epoxy-matrix/P75S carbon-fiber composite was very different from the expansion of two different single-phase epoxy-matrix/P75S composites, although all three had the same stacking sequence. Reasonable agreement was obtained between measured thermal expansion data and results from classical laminate theory. Microdamage in the graphite/polyimide laminate, induced by 250 cycles between −156 and 121°C, caused a 53% decrease in the coefficient of thermal expansion. The thermal expansion of the graphite/glass laminate was not changed after 100 thermal cycles from −129 to 38°C; however, a residual strain of about 10×10−6 was observed for the laminate tested.
Organizational conflicts affecting technology commercialization from nonprofit laboratories

Organizational conflict mediates management and innovator interest in commercializing technology. Issues (or circumstances) resulting from conflicting goals should be considered by companies in developing policies toward laboratory‐generated technology. These issues include where the technology was developed, relationship with the laboratory′s activity, “deliberateness” of the discovery, protectability, exclusive rights, processes versus products, maturation necessary, and cost to commercialization. Companies must weigh these issues in deciding to work with laboratories on innovations or continued commercial development.
Phosphorylation of arabinosyl guanine by a mitochondrial enzyme of bovine liver

Abstract Extracts of mitochondria isolated from bovine liver were shown to phosphorylate araG, forming araGMP as the sole product. When other nucleosides were used as competitors with araG as the substrate for phosphorylation, deoxycytidine, deoxythymidine and guanosine were not significantly inhibitory. However, the phosphorylation of araG was blocked by deoxyguanosine, deoxyadenosine and deoxyinosine. Deoxyguanosine was shown to be a competitive inhibitor of araG phosphorylation (apparent K i for deoxyguanosine = 9 μ M; apparent K m for araG = 66 μ M). Likewise, araG was determine to be a competitive inhibitor of mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase activity (apparent K m for deoxyguanosine = 16 μ M; apparent K i for araG = 55 μ M). These data suggest that the two nucleosides were phosphorylated by the same enzyme. Disc gel electrophoresis showed that the phosphorylating activity for araG migrated with deoxyguanosine kinase activity. The pH profiles of the araG and deoxyguanosine kinase activities were dissimilar. The optimum pH for deoxyguanosine kinase was 5.5; for araG kinase, it was 8.0. Collectively, these data suggest that araG is phosphorylated by mitochondrial deoxyguanosine kinase; however, separate forms of the enzyme or different reaction conditions may be involved in the optimal activities of the two catalytic events.
Three-Dimensional Semiperiodic Line Contact-Periodic in Contact Length Direction

Line contact problems, such as those seen in spur gears and cam-roller follower systems, are often simplified with the plane-strain assumption and thus modeled by two-dimensional equations. However, in order to address the effects of roughness and textured surfaces, three-dimensional modeling is necessary. The challenge arises when the contact domain is several orders of magnitude greater than the grid size needed to properly describe the surface roughness or texture. Considering the surface geometry of a socalled "line contact," the contact domain is nonperiodic in contact width direction, but it can be treated as periodic in the contact length direction-semiperiodic line contact problem. Thus, only a section of the entire contact domain is used as the computational domain with a much-reduced size. Based on an in-depth investigation of available algorithms, DC-FFT S and DC-CC-FFT algorithms are proposed. The DC-FFT S algorithm is a modified discrete convolution and fast Fourier transform algorithm with superposition of influence coefficients. The DC-CC-FFT algorithm is a hybrid fast Fourier transform based algorithm, which combines the discrete convolution-FFT and the continuous convolution-FFT methods. The proposed algorithms are used to solve three-dimensional displacement, contact pressure, and stresses for line contact problems. The results are compared with the other available algorithms from literature. The accuracy and efficiency of different algorithms are discussed.
Effect of Y2O3 additions on the plasticity of sintered Cr2O3

We have carried our constant strain-rate compression tests on polycrystalline Cr2O3 and Cr2O3 doped with 0.09 wt. % Y2O3 to establish whether there exists an effect of Y2O3 on the plasticity of Cr2O3. This study is motivated by previous work on the oxidation of alloys containing reactive-element additions. In that work, it has been observed that the addition of oxygen-active elements, such as Y to alloys that form Cr2O3 or Al2O3 oxide layers upon exposure at high temperature, strongly enhances the adhesion of the oxide layer to the base alloy as compared with alloys without reactive-element additions. We have found that at 1200°C (1) chromia exhibits limited plasticity at high temperatures, and (2) the presence of Y in the oxides does not enhance plasticity compared with addition-free oxides.
Aqueous electrodeposition of Ge monolayers.

The electrodeposition of germanium on Au(111) in aqueous solutions has been investigated by means of cyclic voltammetry, Auger electron spectroscopy, and in situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM)...
Intrathecal methysergide antagonizes the antinociception, but not the hyperalgesia produced by microinjection of baclofen in the ventromedial medulla of the rat

Microinjection of baclofen, a gamma-aminobutyric acidB (GABA[B]) receptor agonist, in the nucleus raphe magnus (NRM) or nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis pars alpha (NGCpalpha) of the rat produces antinociception at doses of 0.1-1.0 ng and hyperalgesia at doses of 30-150 ng in the tail-flick test. The antinociception is proposed to result from disinhibition of spinally-projecting neurons in this region that contain serotonin. The hyperalgesia is proposed to result either from inhibition of these neurons or from disinhibition of a serotonergic pain facilitatory pathway that also originates in this area of the ventromedial medulla. To determine the involvement of bulbospinal serotonergic pathways in the biphasic effects of baclofen, rats were pretreated intrathecally with either 30 microg of methysergide or saline. Ten minutes later, either saline, 0.5 ng or 150 ng of baclofen was microinjected in the NRM and NGCpalpha, and alterations in nociceptive threshold were assessed by the tail-flick and hot-plate tests. Intrathecal pretreatment with methysergide prevented the increase in tail-flick latency produced by 0.5 ng of baclofen, but did not prevent the decrease in tail-flick latency produced by 150 ng of baclofen. Neither dose of baclofen altered hot-plate latency and this lack of effect was unchanged by methysergide. These data support the idea that the antinociceptive effect of low doses of baclofen in the tail-flick test is mediated by disinhibition of a bulbospinal serotonergic projection and release of serotonin in the spinal cord. These data also suggest that the hyperalgesia produced by high doses of baclofen does not result from disinhibition of a serotonergic pain facilitatory pathway, but rather from direct inhibition of tonically-active pain inhibitory neurons in the NRM and NGCpalpha.
THE SURFACE TENSION OF PHYSIOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS : DIFFICULTIES OF MEASUREMENT AND INTERPRETATION.

1. Data are given to show that surface tension values obtained by the ring method cannot be considered reliable when absolute values are desired. 2. Data are given to show that, in the case of solutions of semicolloids, surface tension values obtained for a definite period of time following the formation of a new interface cannot always be consistently reproduced by the ring method. 3. It is shown that in the case of solutions of semicolloids, equilibrium values are not readily obtained and should generally not be assumed to have been reached after any definite period of time. 4. The general difficulty of interpreting surface tension values obtained in the case of solutions of semicolloids, by any method, is emphasized.
Botanical garden visitors' perceptions of local climate impacts: awareness, concern, and behavioral responses

Impacts from localized changes in climate may influence the quality of a visitors' experience and, therefore, visitors' perceptions of climate impacts are a concern for resource professionals who manage nature-based leisure services. The purpose of this study was to understand the relationships between changes in local climate conditions at a community nature-based recreation area and the visitor experience. Researchers conducted a visitor use survey (N = 306) at the highly climate-impacted South Carolina Botanical Garden in the Fall of 2008. The researchers investigated the relationships between different types of visitors (e.g. local and non-local, repeat versus first-time) and their (1) awareness and concern for local climate change, (2) intentions to visit less in response to local climate impacts, (3) support for management alternatives (e.g. removing specific climate-intolerant plants), and (4) willingness to engage in civic action (e.g. donations or volunteering) in response to local climate change...
Chromatic suppression of cone inputs to the luminance flicker mechanism

Eisner and MacLeod [J. opt. Soc. Am. 71, 705-718 (1981)] showed that intense green and red chromatic adapting fields may suppress respectively the M and L cone input to the luminance mechanism by a factor considerably greater than Weber's law. We obtained evidence for such chromatic suppression by measuring complete detection contours for different ratios of red and green test lights presented in rapid flicker in the center of a uniform field. The detection contours represent thresholds as the quantal modulation of the M and L cones normalized by the quantal catch owing to the field. Luminance flicker mechanisms were identified by sections of the contours where detection was controlled by a linear sum of the M and L cone test signals. The slope of these sections indicated that intense red fields selectively suppressed the L cone input to the luminance mechanism by a factor greater than Weber's law; evidence was much less firm for an analogous suppression of the M cone input by intense green fields. The shape of the detection contours also suggests that intense red fields, which differentially light-adapt the M and L cones, may produce a moderate temporal phase-shift between the M and L cone signals. The shape of the temporal MTF of the M cone and the L cone input to the luminance mechanism may be determined at the cone stage, with the absolute sensitivity (vertical scaling) being partially dependent on selective chromatic suppression of the cone inputs owing to the intense chromatic field. Luminance and red-green chromatic temporal sensitivity functions are presented in terms of the M and L cone quantal modulations. Chromatic sensitivity progressively rises above luminance sensitivity as temporal frequency is gradually lowered below 15 Hz, with the consequence that 'contrast sensitivity' may be much higher for color than for luminance.
A Framework for Normalization of Homogeneous and Semi-homogeneous E-Lessons

An e-lesson can be of Homogeneous or Semi-homogeneous nature. Even if a subset of such e-lessons has only one module (m1) in common with other subsets, the “common module” may not contain the same array of concepts. As a result, any investigation of such e-lessons based solely on their module names is inherently flawed. Normalization of e-lessons can remove such a flaw. A set of N Homogeneous and Semi-homogenous e-lessons are considered normalized if same-name modules cover the same concepts. In this paper a framework for normalization of e-lessons is presented as the first phase of creating a mechanism for accurate e-lesson modules’ cross-referencing, indexing, retrieving, and data mining.
Comparative Study of Ground-Water Mapping Techniques

Mapping of ground-water spatial data is an important part of any geohydrologic investigation. There are three main classes of interpolators used for such mappings. The first group include simple estimators which are commonly used in practice. The second group are least-squares estimators which are basically fitting processes. The last category are Gauss-Markov estimators, such as kriging, which beside being exact interpolators, produce measures for the accuracy of the estimated field. These estimators are compared theoretically and numerically. These studies show that kriging yields relatively robust estimates. However, its suggested statistical inference method may not always produce robust estimates of the covariance function parameters. Simple estimators produce unstable results, while least-squares methods ignore local variations by fitting a single polynomial function over the whole field. For this study, water-table data from northwest Kansas are used.
Respiratory dose of inhaled ultrafine particles in healthy adults

Ultrafine particles (less than 0.10 m in diameter) are ubiquitous in the atmosphere and possess unique physicochemical characteristics that may pose a potential health risk. To help elucidate the p...
A call to those who care about Europe’s science

Better collaboration is a laudable goal, but that alone will not be enough to fix the damage caused by Europe’s falling investment, says Amaya Moro-Martin.
Predictive data-based exposition of 5 s 5 p 1 , 3 P 1 lifetimes in the Cd isoelectronic sequence

Experimental and theoretical values for the lifetimes of the $5s5p{}^{1}{P}_{1}$ and ${}^{3}{P}_{1}$ levels in the Cd isoelectronic sequence are examined in the context of a data-based isoelectronic systematization. Lifetime and energy-level data are combined to account for the effects of intermediate coupling, thereby reducing the data to a regular and slowly varying parametric mapping. This empirically characterizes small contributions due to spin-other-orbit interaction, spin dependences of the radial wave functions, and configuration interaction, and yields accurate interpolative and extrapolative predictions. Multiconfiguration Dirac-Hartree-Fock calculations are used to verify the regularity of these trends, and to examine the extent to which they can be extrapolated to high nuclear charge.
Exploratory Studies on Relativistic Heavy-Ion Central Collisions

Central nuclear collisions are studied with a 1.8-GeV/N /sup 40/Ar beam incident on a Pb target. Momentum and angular distributions of negative pions infer a pion temperature of 86.6 +- 3.9 MeV, and a pion-nucleon ratio of 0.21--0.24. The pion multiplicity suggests a suppression of high multiplicity events and a non-Poisson distribution. Pion interferometry analyses are performed; the relationship between pion multiplicity and the collision impact parameter is examined.
Creating value through membership and participation in sport fan consumption communities

Research question: While marketers acknowledge the critical role of developing long-term strategies that enhance the value of the organization, collaborative and co-creation service activities are gaining importance. At sporting events, sport team personnel collaborate with sport consumers to create the event experience. Sport consumers, however, rarely attend sporting events alone. Instead, sport consumers join and participate in networks of like-minded fans and engage in collaborative and co-creation consumption activities. In sports, these networks are called sport fan consumption communities. The purpose of this research is to create and test a hypothesized model of membership and participation in a sport fan consumption community and fans' behavioral intentions. Research methods: In total, 10 hypotheses were generated and tested using a sample of students and alumni (n = 627) from a large Division I-A (NCAA) university in the southeastern USA. Using confirmatory factory analysis procedures, reliabili...
Thermoelectric power of indium tin oxide films

Abstract The thermoelectric powers S of several indium tin oxide films of known carrier densities were measured in the temperature range from 120 to 300 K. Each film was studied in three states: as deposited, after annealing in forming gas at 475 K and after annealing at 575 K. All the data exhibited linear behavior when plotted as 1 S vs. 1 T . These plots yielded values of the reduced Fermi energy and its temperature coefficient for each sample. The data show an interesting correlation between these two material parameters which is not explained.
Video-based traffic monitoring system

A number of real-time video traffic monitor systems are currently being developed by the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI), Texas A&M University System, to demonstrate how new Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) technologies, such as wireless communication, ISDN communication, standard phone-line video compression technology, real-time video surveillance, and video image processing, can be better integrated. These systems were used to illustrate how video- based traffic monitoring and resource sharing can be better achieved to improve system efficiency and increase operational safety by operating agencies anywhere in the world.© (1998) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Identification of Fe4+ and Fe5+ charge-transfer photochromic absorption bands in SrTiO3

Abstract Optical absorption and the enhancement and bleaching of Fe3+ and Fe5+ electron paramagnetic resonance in SrTiO3: Al measured as a function of wavelength and time show that the photochromic absorption bands are due to electron transfer from O2- valence states to Fe4+ and Fe5+. They occur at 2.09 and 2.82 eV for Fe4+ and at 1.99 and 2.53 eV for Fe5+.
Some biochemical aspects of N-nitroso compounds

Abstract Contents. I. Introduction. II. Occurrence and carcinogenicity. III. Chemistry. A. Formation. B. Catalysis and inhibition. C. Some aspects of chemical reactivity. D. Detection and determination. IV. Metabolism and carcinogenic action. V. Therapeutic 2-haloethylnitrosoureas.
Cutaneous manifestations of cystic fibrosis: possible role of cryoglobulins.

SUMMARY A 13-year-old girl with cystic fibrosis (CF), severe lung disease, purpura on the lower extremities and with elevated serum mixed cryoglobulins is described. The possible relationship of the purpura in CF with cryoglobulinaemia is discussed.
Travel time analysis of tracers and reactive solutes in the unsaterated zone

This paper presents a Lagrangian stochastic approach for modeling field scale contaminant transport in the heterogeneous unsaturated geological environments. We derive the probability distribution function of the travel times of tracers and reactive solutes, without limiting it to be either normal or log-normal, and show how it can be used for computing the moments of solute fluxes and breakthrough curves. We also provide closed-form expressions for the travel time moments of tracers and reactive solutes characterized by linear equilibrium and non-equilibrium sorption kinetics. These expressions are useful for prediction and for interpretation of field experiments. In our derivation we account for soil heterogeneity by modeling the soil parameters, such as the saturated hydraulic conductivity and the pore size distribution parameter, as weakly stationary random space functions. Unlike previous studies, we account for the effect of the spatial variability of the water content and refrain from assuming that...
Blood physiology and oxygen transport during activity in two lizards, Varanus gouldii and Sauromalus hispidus

Abstract 1. 1. Aspects of blood physiology—hematocrit, oxygen capacity and affinity, lactate content, pH and composition of blood buffers—were investigated in the lizards Varanus gouldii and Sauromalus hispidus during activity at different temperatures. 2. 2. Although oxygen capacity and affinity, resting pH and lactate levels, bicarbonate and phosphate concentrations are nearly identical in both species, only Sauromalus sustains a decrease in blood pH during activity, accompanied by a decrease in oxygen capacity and affinity, high levels of lactate production and exhaustion. 3. 3. Non-carbonic blood buffers prevent a change in blood pH in Varanus. Lungs of great surface area facilitate exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide, and Varanus undergoes only moderate lactate generation and remains aerobic during activity.
A methodology to assess the criticality of highway transportation networks

Assessing the importance of transportation facilities is an increasingly growing topic of interest to federal and state transportation agencies. In the wake of recent terrorist attacks and recurring manmade and natural disasters, significant steps are needed to improve security at both state and metropolitan level. This paper proposes a heuristic procedure using concepts of complex networks science to assess the importance of highway transportation networks using travel time as the performance measure to assess criticality. We demonstrate the proposed technique both in a theoretical network (Sioux Falls network) and in a built-up network to assess the criticality of the major infrastructures that are used to access Manhattan in an AM peak hour. The results demonstrate the efficacy of the procedure to determine critical links in a transportation network.
Patterns of interaction as a function of the degree of leadership centralization in decision‐making groups

Decision‐making groups with centralized and decentralized leadership structures were compared in terms of communication, behavior, consensus, and two measures of satisfaction. The two types of groups differed significantly in their pattern of communication, but no significant differences between them were found for the consensus or satisfaction measures.
Extracellular enzyme production and cheating in Pseudomonas fluorescens depend on diffusion rates

Bacteria produce extracellular enzymes to obtain resources from complex chemical substrates, but this strategy is vulnerable to cheating by cells that take up reaction products without paying the cost of enzyme production. We hypothesized that cheating would suppress enzyme production in co-cultures of cheater and producer bacteria, particularly under well-mixed conditions. To test this hypothesis, we monitored protease expression and frequencies of Pseudomonas fluorescens producer and cheater genotypes over time in mixed liquid cultures and on agar plates. In mixed culture inoculated with equal frequencies of cheaters and producers, enzyme concentration declined to zero after 20 days, consistent with our hypothesis. We observed a similar decline in cultures inoculated with producers only, suggesting that cheater mutants arose de novo and swept the population. DNA sequencing showed that genetic changes most likely occurred outside the protease operon. In one experimental replicate, the population regained the ability to produce protease, likely due to further genetic changes or population dynamics. Under spatially structured conditions on agar plates, cheaters did not sweep the population. Instead, we observed a significant increase in the variation of enzyme activity levels expressed by clones isolated from the population. Together these results suggest that restricted diffusion favors a diversity of enzyme production strategies. In contrast, well-mixed conditions favor population sweeps by cheater strains, consistent with theoretical predictions. Cheater and producer strategies likely coexist in natural environments with the frequency of cheating increasing with diffusion rate.
Biomimetic macrocycle-forming Diels-Alder reaction of an iminium dienophile: synthetic studies directed toward gymnodimine.

The macrocyclic core of gymnodimine has been constructed via an intramolecular Diels−Alder reaction of an α,β-unsaturated iminium dienophile in water. The cycloaddition furnished a single exo-product, along with two endo-products. Through X-ray analysis of a suitable derivative, the stereochemistry of the exo-product was established, thereby demonstrating that its stereochemistry matches that of gymnodimine. In contrast, macrocyclization of an analogous α,β-unsaturated ketone dienophile gave only undesired endo-products. Interestingly, the imine dienophile shows remarkable stability in water.
Remarks on the Interpolation and the Similarity Problem for Nest Subalgebras of von Neumann Algebras

Abstract Given a nest subalgebra of a von Neumann algebra A and vectors f , g we give necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of an operator A in A so that Af = g . This generalizes a well-known theorem of E. C. Lance and the main result in [Anoussis (1992); Katsoulis et al. (1993)]. We also use the generalized Ringrose criterion to show that the similarity problem for continuous nests in certain crossed product factors of type III has a negative answer.
Constraints on enhanced extinction resulting from extinction treatment in the presence of an added excitor

Three Pavlovian fear conditioning experiments with rats as subjects explored the effect of extinction in the presence of a concurrent excitor. Our aim was to explore this particular treatment, documented in previous studies to deepen extinction, with novel control groups to shed light on the processes involved in extinction. Relative to subjects extinguished on the target CS alone, Experiments 1 and 2 found across a range of parameters that any appreciable effect of facilitated extinction due to the concurrent excitor was submerged by generalization decrement going from extinction to testing. In Experiment 3 we used different durations for the target and concurrent stimuli in order to discourage configuring and an ABC renewal design to increase sensitivity, and observed diminished renewal resulting from extinction in the presence of a second excitor. Our findings suggest that there are distinct limits to the observation of extinction in the presence of an excitor and identifies some of the sources of these limitations.
Detection of stereochemical nonrigidity in a metal tetrahydroborate and estimation of the barrier: 1H nuclear magnetic resonance study

Slowing of the dynamic interchange of bridge and terminal hydrogens in a metal tetrahydroborate has been observed for the first time in the low temperature 1H n.m.r. spectra of (C5H5)3UBH4; at coalescence, ΔG* is ca. 5·0 ± 0·6 kcal mol–1(21 ± 2·5 kJ mol–1).
Circuit theory for spatially distributed microwave circuits

A spatially distributed radio-frequency (RF) circuit, microwave, or millimeter-wave circuit does not have a global reference node as required in conventional nodal analysis. Instead, local reference nodes associated with ports are required. This paper adapts modified nodal analysis to accommodate spatially distributed circuits, allowing conventional harmonic balance and transient simulators to be used.
Recent advances in electrostatic microactuators for mirror steering

The design and fabrication of electrostatic actuators for micro-mirror systems in telecommunications, scanning, and display applications has advanced enormously over the past few years. These advances were largely stimulated by the telecommunication bubble of the early 2000's. Early micro-mirror systems utilized parallel plate actuation schemes that suffered from inherent pull-in stabilities and required high operation voltages of several hundred Volts. The continuous need for micro-mirror systems that deflect at high angles with low voltage drives (< 50 V) have resulted in a number of solutions. Innovative techniques such as the utilization of parametric analog torque amplification, raised side electrodes that suppress pull-in and magnify torque, high energy density vertical comb drives, and mechanical motion multiplication schemes all contribute toward these goals. This paper reviews recent progress in this area and discusses current technical challenges.
On Designing Contracts to Guarantee Enforceability: Theory and Evidence from East-West Trade

This article suggests how the literature on East-West trade and the choice of contracts can be integrated into recent work on the theory of the multinational corporation and contract enforceability. By using the properties of foreign direct investment as a benchmark, it explains why one type of contract tends to prevail over another. The explanation rests on the premise that because of the prohibition on FDI, contracts are used which most closely replicate the benefits of intra-firm trade, while providing managerial and risk-shifting services to the eastern partner.
Simulation training: what are real questions that must be answered?

The paramount aim of the authors’ investigation was to analyze the impact of high-fidelity simulators as an adjunct for endovascular training of general surgery residents. Specifically, this study focused on general surgery resident perspectives on the value of a simulator-based endovascular training program using various measurement tools. General surgery residents, representing the full spectrum of the postgraduate clinical years (years 1–5), participated in a focused endovascular training course on aortoiliac, renal, and carotid artery disease. Didactic lectures, computer training modules, hands-on exposure to endovascular instruments and procedure simulators, along with self-learning course materials all were components of the course. Although course participants completed precourse and postcourse questionnaires, knowledge-based testing, and simulator metric testing, more than a third of the participants did not complete the important endovascular simulator metric testing. Therefore, with no provision made by Passman et al for such substantial drop-out rates and noncompliance, the results of the study possibly could reflect a selection bias. It cannot be assumed that the 17 residents would have had the same performances on the metric testing. Also, with such a small sample size, the necessary stratification could not be performed to determine if the specific postgraduate level had any significant effect. In addition, concluding that the general surgery residents found focused simulator-based endovascular training “valuable” does not attempt to answer the more critical questions such as: (1) Does the simulator meet the specific education objectives? (2) What are the measures that can be incorporated to track performance over time? (3) What are the specific metrics that will predict that performance improvement on the simulator will correlate with improved technical performance in the actual surgical setting? and (4) What is the long-term benefit of simulator training? Investigative studies now need to address these essential questions. Perhaps the most important question that remains unanswered is the following: What is the method for determining the impact of educational interventions on clinical outcomes?
Reconstructed Wavefronts and Communication Theory

A two-step imaging process discovered by Gabor involves photographing the Fresnel diffraction pattern of an object and using this recorded pattern, called a hologram, to construct an image of this object. Here, the process is described from a communication-theory viewpoint. It is shown that construction of the hologram constitutes a sequence of three well-known operations: a modulation, a frequency dispersion, and a square-law detection. In the reconstruction process, the inverse-frequency-dispersion operation is carried out. The process as normally carried out results in a reconstruction in which the signal-to-noise ratio is unity. Techniques which correct this shortcoming are described and experimentally tested. Generalized holograms are discussed, in which the hologram is other than a Fresnel diffraction pattern.