cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Dimensions of price salience: a conceptual framework for perceptions of multi‐dimensional prices

Purpose – The purpose of this article is to conceptualize dimensions of price salience. Price salience influences price perceptions and deal evaluations. This is especially true when a price consists of more than a single number (multi‐dimensional prices). Yet, the very notion of what makes a price salient remains unanswered. By providing a clear conceptualization of different dimensions of price salience and their influence on price perception, we integrate and extend extant research findings.Design/methodology/approach – By drawing on extant research on price salience and salience in general, the paper develops a framework of how different dimensions of price salience are defined and influence price perception.Findings – The paper identifies the four basic dimensions of price salience: visual, semantic, computational, and magnitude salience. It is argued that each dimension has a unique influence on price perceptions.Research limiations/implications – Although widely employed as a key variable in pricin...
Prediction of recovery, dependence or death in elders who become disabled during hospitalization.

BACKGROUND Many older adults become dependent in one or more activities of daily living (ADLs: dressing, bathing, transferring, eating, toileting) when hospitalized, and their prognosis after discharge is unclear.
ARE NANOPARTICLES POTENTIAL MALE REPRODUCTIVE TOXICANTS? A LITERATURE REVIEW

The rapid advancement of nanotechnology has prompted the need to investigate the health effects of nanoparticles and nanomaterials. The current focus of health and safety investigations has targeted routes of exposure and potential deposition, translocation, and adverse effects in primary and major secondary target organs. Few studies have looked at deposition in reproductive organs, and even fewer have assessed potential adverse effects on germline cells. This review summarizes the current published research on deposition/translocation of nanoparticles to the testes and male germline cells, and the potential cytotoxic effects. Six research articles were identified. Three articles pertained to deposition/translocation of nanoparticles in the testes, two pertained to cytotoxicity of nanoparticles on male germline cells, and one study assessed deposition and bioaccumulation of nanoparticles in the testes, and potential for adverse reproductive outcomes in successive offspring. While research into the potent...
Heat sensitization for control of grey mold of strawberry fruits by gamma irradiation

Abstract Control of the postharvest grey mold disease (Botrytis cinerea) of strawberry fruits by gamma irradiation is improved by prior heat sensitization. The resulting synergistic interaction between heat and radiation achieves a level of fungus inactivation that could not be obtained, without excessive fruit injury, by either treatment alone. Even heat treatments designed only for sensitizing the fungus, not inactivation, must provide precise control of time and temperature to avoid fruit injury. It was demonstrated that heating sensitizes B. cinerea to irradiation more than irradiation sensitizes to heating. A partial desensitization of the fungus has been associated with delays between heating and irradiation.
An expert database system for ornamental plants

Abstract The application of expert database technology to agricultural information retrieval applications is illustrated with a database on ornamental plants. The database, called PALMS, includes text, computer graphics and digitized images. The database is organized using an object-oriented knowledge representation technique and includes an integrated natural language processing capability. The current status and long range potential of the approach is evaluated.
Libidinal Currents: Sexuality and the Shaping of Modernism

This study argues that modern fiction, from Kate Chopin and Virginia Woolf to William Faulkner and Doris Lessing, surges with libidinal currents. The most powerful of these fictions are not merely about sex; rather, they attempt to incorporate the workings of eros into their narrative forms. In doing so, these modern fictions of sexuality create a politics and poetics of the perverse with the power to transform how we think about and read modernism. Challenging overarching theories of the novel by mapping the historical contexts that have influenced modern experimental narratives, Joseph Allen Boone constructs a model for interpreting sexuality that reaches from Freud's theory of the libidinal instincts to Foucault's theory of sexual discourse. A study of the links between literary modernity and the psychology of sex, this text is a survey of modernist fiction, gay studies/queer theory, feminist criticism, and studies in sexuality and gender.
Test routines and monitoring for a large counter experiment

Abstract Some recent multichannel scintillation-counter experiments are so complex that the use of test routines and fault monitoring becomes essential. In a recent experiment, it was desired to initially align the system, provide continuous calibration during the experiment, and rapidly locate the cause of threshold drift or catastrophic failure. A test and monitoring system was devised in which synthesized pulses are injected into several points of the system, and the operation is automatically compared with the desired response. If the system performance does not agree within prescribed limits, an alarm sounds. Through a program that varies the amplitude of the test signal, one can check coincidence-circuit threshold and feed-through characteristics. By programming delay between input pulses, the resolving time can be measured. Several novel monitoring devices have been developed which allow one to assess the display of a large volume of information at a glance. One unit for reading time delays involves the use of a cathode-ray-tube raster display, another unit for reading binary information employs a transistor-driven incandescent lamp panel.
Microstructures, phases, and properties of low melting BaO–B2O3–ZnO glass films prepared by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract With the motivation to employ BaO–B2O3–ZnO for high performance capacitors by using viscous flow/liquid phase sintering, the microstructures, phases, and dielectric properties of BaO–B2O3–ZnO films prepared by pulsed laser deposition were examined as a function of heat-treatment. The glass transition temperature (Tg) and crystallization temperature of the films are ~ 536 °C and 640 °C, respectively. The phases in the films are quite complicated after heat-treated above 700 °C until 900 °C where the film is dominated by a single phase. Zn concentration is reduced after heat-treatment at high temperature due to segregation and evaporation. The dielectric constant of the film decreases with the increasing heat-treatment temperature, probably due to Zn reduction, Si diffusion, and crystallization of the film. Experimental data shows that ~ 700 °C is the optimal temperature to use the low melting glass BaO–B2O3–ZnO to make high performance capacitors by viscous flow/liquid phase sintering.
Developing a Metadata Strategy

SUMMARY This paper covers the steps in building a metadata repository, including modeling the information needs of your community, selecting and adapting a metadata standard, documenting your metadata, populating the database, and sharing your metadata with other repositories and metadata initiatives. In addition, advances and options that can be applied to metadata for multimedia, particularly video, are presented.
Rhabdom changes in the shrimp, Palaemonetes.

The fine structure of the principal compound eye of the shrimp, Palaemonetes, was studied under conditions of light and dark adaptation. Ommatidium structure and the response of pigmented cells to dark adaptation are similar to the situation in other decapod crustaceans. Light and dark adapted eyes differ in that the rhabdom changes its shape; morphological evidence suggests a possible sequence of events involving production, utilization, and degradation of photoreceptor membrane, a discontinuous process occurring only during changes from light to dark and dark to light. A hypothesis of membrane turnover is proposed.
Transfusion-transmitted cytomegalovirus (CMV) infections in a murine model: characterization of CMV-infected donor mice

BACKGROUND: Donor and recipient mechanisms that modulate the incidence and severity of transfusion-transmitted cytomegalovirus (TT-CMV) are unclear. The kinetics of murine CMV (MCMV) infection in the peripheral blood of donor mice were investigated to determine the utility of this model for studying TT-CMV. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: BALB/cByJ mice, experimentally infected with Smith strain MCMV, were killed at serial time points up to 28 days after infection. Peritoneal exudate cells (PECs), peripheral blood white blood cells (WBCs), plasma, and marrow were tested for MCMV DNA with quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), replication-competent virus with quantitative culture, and transcription of viral genes with reverse transcription (RT)-PCR targeted at the immediate-early 1 (ie1) gene. RESULTS: PECs, macrophages infected by MCMV shortly after intraperitoneal inoculation, demonstrated high mean levels of MCMV DNA (105-107 genome equivalents [geqs]/105 PECs), virus production (101-104 infectious virions/105 PECs), and ie1 gene transcription, demonstrating productive infection. In contrast, while MCMV loads averaged 104 to 106 geqs per 105 peripheral WBCs, all WBC samples were uniformly negative for MCMV ie1 expression by RT-PCR and for culturable virus, consistent with latent MCMV infection. Plasma and marrow showed lower viral loads than WBCs and PECs and were all negative by culture and RT-PCR analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Following experimental MCMV infection, murine peripheral blood WBCs appear to be latently infected with virus (MCMV DNA–positive; MCMV RNA–negative; MCMV culture–negative), similar to the latently infected human monocytes in peripheral blood of CMV-seropositive donors. These donor kinetics suggest that the experimental MCMV system can be used to effectively model the mechanisms of TT-CMV infections in humans.
PICOSECOND FLUORESCENCE DECAY TIME MEASUREMENTS OF NUCLEIC ACIDS AT ROOM TEMPERATURE IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION

— We report the room-temperature fluorescence decay times of calf thymus DNA when native and when 16% of its guanine residues are methylated at theN–7 position. The samples were excited with single, 25 ps, 266 nm laser pulses from a frequency-quadrupled Nd: YAG laser. Fluorescence was detected with a streak camera-optical multichannel analyzer system that has a time jitter of about 2 ps. For DNA and methylated DNA we detected a major component that has a decay time of about 10 and 20 ps, respectively. A second component has a corresponding decay time of about 65 and 80 ps and makes a contribution of0–10% and20–40% depending on the transmission characteristics of the emission filter employed. In contrast, the decay time of 7-methyl GMP, which contains the same fluorophore as methylated DNA, is approximately single exponential and has a decay time of180–210 ps depending on the emission filter. The absence of a pronounced time delay between the fluorescence decay profiles of the nucleic acids and the exciting light pulse points against the formation of excited-state complexes (excimers).
Analysis of altered protein expression patterns of Chlamydia pneumoniae by an integrated proteome-works system.

We have identified, analyzed, and quantified differential protein expression profile of five C. pneumoniae proteins, Adk (adenylate kinase), AhpC (thiol-specific antioxidant), CrpA (15 KD cysteine rich protein), Map (methionine aminopeptidae), and Cpn0710 (hypothetical protein) under normal versus persistent growth conditions induced by interferon-γ, at different time intervals of their replicative cycle by successfully employing the latest proteomic analysis tool, PDQuest 2-D analysis software. We have also determined that this software represents a reliable analytical tool for mapping protein expression patterns in C. pneumoniae. Keywords: proteomics • protein expression • PDQuest software • Chlamydia pneumoniae • 2-D gel analysis
Interactions of High Milk Yield and Reproductive Performance in Dairy Cows

Abstract Correlations between reproductive traits and measures of milk yield indicate that higher yield is associated phenotypically and genetically with reduced reproductive performance in lactating cows. Numerous recent studies have reported that reproductive performance is compromised, primarily through delayed ovarian activity and reduced conception rates, by the demands of high milk yield. However, daily managerial decisions to obtain efficient reproductive performance have considerable impact. Management can offset depression in fertility, because high yielding herds often achieve the fewest days open. Selection for milk yield has increased blood concentrations of somatotropin and prolactin, stimulators of lactation, and decreased insulin, a hormone that is antagonistic to lactation and may be important for normal follicular development. These changes in hormone concentrations promote higher milk yield but may be potentially detrimental to other physiological functions, such as reproduction, if the management is not adequate to meet the metabolic demands of lactation. Timing and magnitude of negative energy balance apparently interact to determine the extent to which negative energy balance alters hypothalamic secretion of GnRH and its effect on gonadotropin secretion and, therefore, ovarian secretion of progesterone, which affects expression of estrus and support of the uterus during early pregnancy.
A theory of least-squares target-specified virtual dimensionality in hyperspectral imagery

Virtual dimensionality (VD) has received considerable interest in its use of specifying the number of spectrally distinct signatures, denoted by p. So far all techniques are eigen-based approaches which use eigenvalues or eigenvectors to estimate the value of p. However, when eigenvalues are used to estimate VD such as Harsanyi-Farrand-Chang’s method or hyperspectral signal subspace identification by minimum error (HySime), there will be no way to find what the spectrally distinct signatures are. On the other hand, if eigenvectors/singular vectors are used to estimate VD such as maximal orthogonal complement algorithm (MOCA), eigenvectors/singular vectors do not represent real signal sources. Most importantly, current available methods used to estimate VD run into two major issues. One is the value of VD being fixed at a constant. The other is a lack of providing a means of finding signal sources of interest. As a matter of fact, the spectrally distinct signatures defined by VD should adapt its value to various target signal sources of interest. For example, the number of endmembers should be different from the number of anomalies. In this paper we develop a second-order statistics approach to determining the value of the VD and the virtual endmember basis.
Approaching the millennium: perinatal problems and software solutions.

Abstract Strategic planning for rational development of perinatal computing capabilities for the year 2000 should be driven by anticipated trends in (1) the health care business, (2) computer technology and (3) medicine, as well as (4) the needs of perinatal practitioners. In the USA, health care is the fastest growing segment of the economy. This will produce increasing attention from hardware and software developers, and vendors, and will lead to a proliferation of computing platforms, operating systems and specific medical application software. Desktop computers, already capable of 20 million instructions per second (MIPS) with massive storage capacities, will continue to evolve and fall in price. Increasingly, perinatologists will develop software packages to facilitate patient care in their own environments. All of these trends will lead to severe fragmentation in medical computing. Simultaneously, however, the need for integrated institutional computer-based data access for quality assurance and fiscal and operations management will increase. Perinatal care will be more regionalized, complex and rigorous with new clinical trial- and effectiveness research-based interventions, as well as molecular diagnosis and therapy. To practice appropriately, clinicians will need to be familiar with computer capabilities. Having been exposed to computer-aided instruction (CAI) at the undergraduate and postgraduate levels, they will expect on-line access to detailed and accurate patient information with linkage to laboratory, radiology and other medical databases, as well as to reference databases, such as Medlines and the Oxford Database of Perinatal Trials. Artificial intelligence (AI) software may support perinatal decision making; computerized professional and facility billing will be available. Realization of this vision for perinatal computing for the millennium very likely will be based on an infrastructure of networked distributed-computing with parallel processing network servers and interfaces to “meta-systems” to achieve an integrated medical informatics environment.
Distorted-wave calculations of dielectronic recombination cross sections in the Li isoelectronic sequence

The dielectronic recombination cross sections associated with the 2s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2p transition in the Li-like ions ${\mathrm{B}}^{2+}$, ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}$, and ${\mathrm{O}}^{5+}$ have been calculated in the distorted-wave approximation. We compare calculated cross sections to selected doubly excited configurations of the type 2pnl in ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}$ in pure LS coupling, intermediate coupling, and a configuration-average approximation. The LS-coupled results are about 33% low as compared to intermediate coupling for low and intermediate values of n and l, while the configuration-average approximation agrees quite well with the intermediate-coupled results for relatively low values of n or l, but tends to overestimate the intermediate-coupled cross sections at intermediate values of n or l. All three methods should agree at high values of n or l. In addition, we calculate the total cross sections associated with the 2s\ensuremath{\rightarrow}2p excitation for all three ions using the configuration-average approximation, and we compare our results to merged electron-ion beam measurements of the cross sections for ${\mathrm{B}}^{2+}$ and ${\mathrm{C}}^{3+}$. The sensitivity of these cross sections to experimental conditions is also examined.
Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Effects of New and Emerging Antidiabetic Agents

Despite remarkable declines in US cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality over the last several decades, the prevalence of risk factors such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension remains high, associated with increasing obesity rates. Although optimal glycemic control remains a primary focus to decrease the disease burden, the FDA has issued guidance recommendations for documenting cardiovascular disease-related safety with research trials on new antidiabetic agents with more demanding requirements compared to past approval of existing therapies. This review will discuss the public health impact of type 2 diabetes, specifically with comorbid hypertension; mechanisms of action of the newest antidiabetic drug classes; and preliminary findings and potential clinical significance of the favorable blood pressure and body weight effects of the sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors and glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonists; and additionally discuss two recent large cardiovascular outcome trials with dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors.
RANDOMIZED, MULTICENTER TRIAL OF INHALED NITRIC OXIDE AND HIGH FREQUENCY OSCILLATORY VENTILATION IN SEVERE PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN (PPHN). • 1315

RANDOMIZED, MULTICENTER TRIAL OF INHALED NITRIC OXIDE AND HIGH FREQUENCY OSCILLATORY VENTILATION IN SEVERE PERSISTENT PULMONARY HYPERTENSION OF THE NEWBORN (PPHN). • 1315
The permanence of temporary migration : The structural embeddedness of Japanese-Brazilian immigrant workers in Japan

For many decades, Japan was the only advanced industrial country in the world that did not rely on unskilled foreign labor. For many observers, the Japanese case demonstrated that a country could fully industrialize and sustain high levels of economic growth without becoming dependent on large populations of immigrant workers. Instead of importing immigrants, Japan was able to meet its increasing demand for unskilled labor power by effectively mechanizing and rationalizing production and further utilizing untapped sources of labor (female and elderly workers). Because of the country's insistence on ethnic homogeneity and its refusal to accept unskilled foreign workers, Japan had been forced to optimize domestic labor productivity and supply, creating a highly efficient and competitive industrial system capable of economic expansion without immigration. This implicitly sustained a “myth of Japanese uniqueness”—the notion that Japan's economic system was unique because it was based on distinctive Japanese ethnocultural qualities.
Plastic teeth extraction: the iconography of Haya gastro‐sexual affliction

This article examines the contemporary appearance of plastic teeth, a disease of infants and children, among the Haya of northwest Tanzania. It relates the symptoms to the cultural symbolism of bodily processes and conditions, and further grounds those processes in broad transformations in the Haya political economy. This assessment of a particular affliction specifically attempts to assess the meaningful and symbolic nature of commodities and commoditization as intimate, experiential aspects of rapid social change. [East Africa, Haya, symbolism, illness, bodily process, commodities]
From brain states to mental phenomena via phase space transitions and renormalization group transformation: proposal of a theory.

On the premise of the ontology of personhood as a complex dynamical system, consisting of brain, body and the behaviorally relevant segment of environment, I suggest that the theory of Renormalization Group Transformation of Statistical Physics provides a conceptual framework that can account for subjective mental phenomena by enabling the epistemic access to physical brain states.
Effect of via arrangement on electromigration performance

Despite the theory of electromigration is well understood, it is still none trivial to meet all the qualification requirements as technology scales. This paper addresses the impacts of via configuration on electromigration from both physical and statistical point of view.
Early shear and tensile strength of composite to etched alloy.

Abstract Design of test configurations to measure interfacial strengths between composite luting cement and etched alloys in shear and in tension, was the major objective of this work. Previous investigations of bond strengths in these systems have been primarily restricted to tensile testing. The test systems developed in this study were used to evaluate bond strengths between two brands of composite luting cement and one non-precious casting alloy. No statistically significant difference was found between the combination of products tested in either the shear or tensile modes.
The Impact of Time Orientation on Consumer Innovativeness in the United States and India

This study empirically examines the relationship between consumers' time orientation (past, present, and future orientation) and innovativeness, employing data collected from 484 participants from the United States and India. The results reveal that past and future orientations negatively affect consumers' innovativeness, and that national culture moderates the effect of present time orientation on innovativeness. More specifically, present orientation affects innovativeness in the United States but not in India. The findings also indicate that American respondents have higher levels of past orientation, future orientation, and innovativeness than Indian respondents. Theoretical and managerial implications of this research are also discussed.
Iodinated Analogs of Trimetoquinol as Highly Potent and Selective β2-Adrenoceptor Ligands

A series of trimetoquinol (1, TMQ) analogs were designed and synthesized based on the lead compound 2, a diiodinated analog of trimetoquinol which exhibits improved selectivity for β2-versus β1-adrenoceptors (AR). To determine the influence of 1-benzyl substituents of trimetoquinol on β2-AR binding affinity and selectivity, we replaced and/or removed the 3‘-, 4‘-, and 5‘-methoxy substituents of trimetoquinol. Replacement of the 4‘-methoxy group of 2 with an amino (21c) or acetamido (15) moiety did not significantly alter β2-AR and thromboxane A2/prostaglandin H2 (TP) receptor affinity. Substitution with a 4‘-hydroxy (18) or -iodo (21b) group did not significantly alter β2-AR affinity, but greatly reduced TP receptor affinity (380- and 1200-fold, respectively). Further, the β2-AR can accommodate larger substituents such as a benzamide at the 4‘-position (26b). Other monoiodo derivatives (24, 26a) have similar or slightly lower affinity to both β2-AR and TP receptor compared to their diiodo analogs. Interes...
Programmable digital filter workstation for electrical engineering students

A programmable digital filter workstation is discussed that provides classical analysis and design tools for the electrical engineering student. Further, through the data acquisition system, the student can test the design on actual audio signals online. With the provision of this feature within a single workstation, the user receives instant feedback as to the quality of the digital filter design. Some examples of digital filter design and actual time responses are presented to illustrate the features of the workstation. >
An Auto-tuned Method for Solving Large Tridiagonal Systems on the GPU

We present a multi-stage method for solving large tridiagonal systems on the GPU. Previously large tridiagonal systems cannot be efficiently solved due to the limitation of on-chip shared memory size. We tackle this problem by splitting the systems into smaller ones and then solving them on-chip. The multi-stage characteristic of our method, together with various workloads and GPUs of different capabilities, obligates an auto-tuning strategy to carefully select the switch points between computation stages. In particular, we show two ways to effectively prune the tuning space and thus avoid an impractical exhaustive search: (1) apply algorithmic knowledge to decouple tuning parameters, and (2) estimate search starting points based on GPU architecture parameters. We demonstrate that auto-tuning is a powerful tool that improves the performance by up to 5x, saves 17% and 32% of execution time on average respectively over static and dynamic tuning, and enables our multi-stage solver to outperform the Intel MKL tridiagonal solver on many parallel tridiagonal systems by 6-11x.
Performance analysis of image processing algorithms for classification of natural vegetation in the mountains of Southern California

The earth's forests fix carbon from the atmosphere during photosynthesis. Scientists are concerned that massive forest removals may promote an increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, with possible global warming and related environmental effects. Space-based remote sensing may enable the production of accurate world forest maps needed to examine this concern objectively. To test the limits of remote sensing for large-area forest mapping, we use Landsat data acquired over a site in the forested mountains of southern California to examine the relative capacities of a variety of popular image processing algorithms to discriminate different forest types. Results indicate that certain algorithms are best suited to forest classification. Differences in performance between the algorithms tested appear related to variations in their sensitivities to spectral variations caused by background reflectance, differential illumination, and spatial pattern by species. Results emphasize the complexity between the land-cover regime, remotely sensed data and the algorithms used to process these data.
Insights into the Role of GILT in HLA Class II Antigen Processing and Presentation by Melanoma

Metastatic melanoma is one of the deadliest of skin cancers and is increasing in incidence. Since current treatment regimens are ineffective at controlling and/or curing the disease, novel approaches, such as immunotherapy, for treating this malignant disease are being explored. In this review, we discuss potential melanoma antigens (Ags) and their role in utilizing the HLA class II pathway to elicit tumor Ag-specific CD4+ T cell responses in order to effectively induce long-lasting CD8+ antitumor memory. We also discuss the role of endolysosomal cathepsins and Gamma-Interferon-inducible Lysosomal Thiol reductase (GILT) in Ag processing and presentation, and at enhancing CD4+ T cell recognition of melanoma cells. This review also summarizes our current knowledge on GILT and highlights a novel mechanism of GILT-mediated immune responses against melanoma cells. At the end, we propose a strategy employing GILT in the development of a potential whole cell vaccine for combating metastatic melanoma.
The non-linear feedback shift-register as a built-in self-test (BIST) resource

Properties of nonlinear-feedback shift registers (NLFSRs), are studied and their suitability as built-in self-test (BIST) components in VLSI circuits is investigated. The feasibility is discussed of mapping fault-free circuit-under-test response to one of the least frequently occurring signatures within the signature space of the n-stage NLFSR. A number of illustrations are offered that justify the serious consideration of NLFSRs as components for use in BIST applications. >
Providing Ethics a Space on the Page Social Work and Ethnography as a Case in Point

Critics have faulted reports of qualitative research in social work for not adequately describing ethical issues such that readers can evaluate them. This article provides detailed information abou...
Influence of silica reinforcement upon the glass transition behavior of acrylic polymers

The glass transition temperatures (Tg) of poly(acrylic acid), poly(methyl acrylate), and poly(ethyl acrylate) filled with submicron particulate silicas and silicates have been measured by dynamic mechanical spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The peak temperatures of the damping factor (tan δ) and the dynamic shear loss modulus (G″) were shifted by an amount which depended upon the quantity and type of filler added to each polymer. The temperatures corresponding to the step discontinuity of specific heat also shifted, but to a lesser extent than those measured mechanically. The degree of Tg shift per unit of volumetric filler addition increased with polymer pendant group polarity for both measurement methods. Utilizing a Tg-crosslinking analogue, a model was developed that related positive Tg shifts to polymeric segmental adsorption onto filler surfaces. This model also incorporated negative contributions to the Tg shift from energy storage mechanisms arising from particle–particle interactions, as well as corrections due to effective surface area available for polymer adsorption.
Tropical Waves and Tropical Depressions

Tropical waves can be very difficult to locate on synoptic maps, especially in the western Pacific and in the Southern Hemisphere. Such waves, referred to as tropical waves, easterly waves, African waves, etc., are perturbations of the tropical easterlies that propagate westward, at a phase speed of roughly 5–7° longitude/day, sometimes accompanied by clouds and precipitation and pressure changes. Tropical waves can be identified in satellite imagery. The amount of precipitation that a small island in the path of the wave receives is not always proportional to the strength of the wave, as evidenced by the amount of cloudiness seen in the satellite imagery. This is because the amount of cloudiness and weather associated with the wave can change quickly and because rainfall tends to be organized into mesoscale systems which may or may not move directly over the island weather station. Tropical waves moving off the African coast into the eastern Atlantic usually have little convection due to the relatively cold waters and the dry air flowing off the Sahara Desert to the north of the wave. These waves may be tracked across the eastern Atlantic in satellite imagery by following an “inverted-V” cloud pattern, as pointed out by Frank (1968). The inverted-V pattern indicates a perturbation in the wind field possessing a weak vorticity maximum.
GIS-Based Indices for Comparing Airline Flight-Path Vulnerability to Volcanoes

Volcanic ash can cause physical damage to an aircraft to the point of mechanical and electrical malfunction. In the event of an ash plume, aircraft would likely be diverted or grounded, leading to economic losses. This article presents two indices to compare the economic vulnerability of flight paths to volcanic ash plumes. The first index includes three factors for a flight path: wind direction, distance to the volcano, and flight-path attributes (i.e., number of flights per day, number of potential passengers, and average ticket cost). The second index compares the threat posed by different volcanoes to an airline flight-path network. A case study is presented for two airlines in the northwest United States to a Mt. Adams eruption. The results show that although the first airline has more flight paths in the region, the second airline is slightly more vulnerable due to the spatial relationships of its flight paths to the volcano and their attributes.
Effects of inorganic adsorbents and cyclopiazonic acid in broiler chickens

Previous studies with cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) have indicated that this mycotoxin strongly adsorbs onto the surface of a naturally acidic phyllosilicate clay (AC). The objective of this study was to determine whether AC (and similar adsorbents) could protect against the toxicity of CPA in vivo. Acidic phyllosilicate clay, neutral phyllosilicate clay (NC, or hydrated sodium calcium aluminosilicate), and a common zeolite (CZ, or clinoptilolite) were evaluated. One-day-old broiler chicks consumed diets containing 0 or 45 mg/kg CPA alone or in combination with 1% AC, NC, or CZ ad libitum from Day 1 to 21. Body weight, feed consumption, feed:gain, hematology, serum biochemical values, and enzyme activities were evaluated. Compared to controls, CPA alone reduced body weight at Day 21 by a total of 26% and resulted in a significantly higher feed:gain ratio. Toxicity of CPA was also expressed through increased relative weights of kidney, proventriculus, and gizzard. Also, there were some alterations in hematology, serum biochemical values, and enzyme activities. Treatment with inorganic adsorbents did not effectively diminish the growth-inhibitory effects of CPA or the increased weights of organs, although there was some protection from hematological, serum biochemical, and enzymatic changes produced by CPA. The results of this study suggest that in vitro binding of CPA to clay does not accurately forecast its efficacy in vivo; the reasons for this discrepancy are not clear, but they may be related to differences in clay binding capacity and ligand selectivity for CPA in vitro vs in vivo. Predictions about the ability of inorganic adsorbents to protect chickens from the adverse effects of mycotoxins should be approached with caution and should be confirmed in vivo, paying particular attention to the potential for nutrient interactions.
Africa in American Sociology: Invisibility, Opportunity and Obligation

Dans cet article, l'A denonce le silence des etudes sociologiques a propos de l'Afrique. En prenant pour exemple deux revues importantes dans le domaine, l'American Sociological Review et l'American Journal of Sociology, l'A montre que quasiment rien n'a ete produit depuis une quinzaine d'annees en sociologie aux Etats-Unis, et s'interroge sur les conditions d'autonomie et les capacites de ce champ scientifique
Psychosocial therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder

Immediately after experiencing a traumatic event, many people have symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). If trauma victims restrict their routine and systematically avoid reminders of the incident, symptoms of PTSD are more likely to become chronic. Several clinical studies have shown that programs of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can be effective in the management of patients with PTSD. Prolonged exposure (PE) therapy-a specific form of exposure therapy-can provide benefits, as can stress inoculation training (SIT) and cognitive therapy (CT). PE is not enhanced by the addition of SIT or CT. PE therapy is a safe treatment that is accepted by patients, and benefits remain apparent after treatment programs have finished. Nonspecialists can be taught to practice effective CBT. For the treatment of large numbers of patients, or for use in centers where CBT has not been routinely employed previously, appropriate training of mental health professionals should be performed. Methods used for the dissemination of CBT to nonspecialists need to be modified to meet the requirements of countries affected by the Asian tsunami. This will entail the use of culturally sensitive materials and the adaptation of training methods to enable large numbers of mental health professionals to be trained together.
One Decade of Self Exclusion: Missouri Casino Self-Excluders Four to Ten Years after Enrollment

For more than a decade, casinos around the world have offered self-exclusion programs (SEPs) to gamblers seeking help with their gambling behavior. Despite the proliferation of SEPs, little is known about the long-term outcomes for gamblers who utilize these programs. The current study assessed the experiences of a sample (N = 113) of Missouri self-excluders (SEs) for as long as 10 years after their initial enrollment in the Missouri Voluntary Exclusion Program (MVEP). Most SEs had positive experiences with MVEP and reduced their gambling and gambling problems after enrollment. However, 50% of SEs who attempted to trespass at Missouri casinos after enrollment were able to, indicating that the benefit of MVEP was attributable more to the act of enrollment than enforcement. SEs who engaged in complementary treatment or self-help groups had more positive outcomes than those who did not, suggesting that SEPs ought to encourage and provide information about additional support and treatment options to participants.
Practical iterated fill synthesis for CMP uniformity

We propose practical iterated methods for layout density control for CMP uniformity, based on linear programming, Monte-Carlo and greedy algorithms. We experimentally study the tradeoffs between two main filling objectives: minimizing density variation, and minimizing the total amount of inserted fill. Comparisons with previous filling methods show the advantages of our new iterated Monte-Carlo and iterated greedy methods. We achieve near-optimal filling with respect to each of the objectives and for both density models (spatial density [3] and effective density [8]). Our new methods are more efficient in practice than linear programming [3] and more accurate than non-iterated Monte-Carlo approaches [1].
Effect of Oxide Additions on Sintering of Magnesia

The effect of transition metal, alkali, alkaline-earth, and heavy metal oxide additions on the sintering of magnesia was determined by measuring bulk density and shrinkage. Polished specimens were made on selected compositions and the grain structure was photographed. The unusual effect of titanium, zirconium, silicon, lithium, iron, and zinc oxides in promoting high sintered densities is explained on the basis of the defective crystal structure produced by these additions.
Host-Primed Ebola Virus GP Exposes a Hydrophobic NPC1 Receptor-Binding Pocket, Revealing a Target for Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies

ABSTRACT The filovirus surface glycoprotein (GP) mediates viral entry into host cells. Following viral internalization into endosomes, GP is cleaved by host cysteine proteases to expose a receptor-binding site (RBS) that is otherwise hidden from immune surveillance. Here, we present the crystal structure of proteolytically cleaved Ebola virus GP to a resolution of 3.3 A. We use this structure in conjunction with functional analysis of a large panel of pseudotyped viruses bearing mutant GP proteins to map the Ebola virus GP endosomal RBS at molecular resolution. Our studies indicate that binding of GP to its endosomal receptor Niemann-Pick C1 occurs in two distinct stages: the initial electrostatic interactions are followed by specific interactions with a hydrophobic trough that is exposed on the endosomally cleaved GP 1 subunit. Finally, we demonstrate that monoclonal antibodies targeting the filovirus RBS neutralize all known filovirus GPs, making this conserved pocket a promising target for the development of panfilovirus therapeutics. IMPORTANCE Ebola virus uses its glycoprotein (GP) to enter new host cells. During entry, GP must be cleaved by human enzymes in order for receptor binding to occur. Here, we provide the crystal structure of the cleaved form of Ebola virus GP. We demonstrate that cleavage exposes a site at the top of GP and that this site binds the critical domain C of the receptor, termed Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1). We perform mutagenesis to find parts of the site essential for binding NPC1 and map distinct roles for an upper, charged crest and lower, hydrophobic trough in cleaved GP. We find that this 3-dimensional site is conserved across the filovirus family and that antibody directed against this site is able to bind cleaved GP from every filovirus tested and neutralize viruses bearing those GPs.
Navigating Face-threatening Terrain: Questioning Strategies in Cross-cultural Military Training Scenarios☆

Abstract Previous research on interaction has shown that most questions demand a response, which imposes a questioner's will on their addressee, impinging on the addressee's freedom of action. We have identified ways that members of the military mitigate the imposition of their questions, using hedging, false starts, changes in questioning strategy, and what we call a “help frame.” Using interactional data from a role play-based Army adaptability training, we examine differences in mitigation strategies used across different interactional contexts, including meetings with village elders, a village police chief, civilians, and suspicious diggers. In each of these contexts, the trainees adapt their questions to the characteristics of the immediate situation.
An author report: Elfreda Annmary Chatman

The main aim of this report is to become familiar with Elfreda A. Chatman and her major works and theories. She has contributed information science by producing several theories such as “the theory of information poverty,” “the normative behavior theory” and “the theory of life in the round” and implemented many studies about information seeking behavior of ordinary people. Although her major is library and information science, she focused on women in prison, the feminist movement, poor workers and janitors at large universities by using an ethnographic perception. She emphasized their information seeking behaviors in small communities and tried to describe their approach about information poverty. Also, she studied public libraries and the role of mentorship of the library leaders. The findings she found in her studies are useful not only for information science but also other disciplines such as sociology and psychology.
Influence of exogenous T4 on body weight, feed consumption, T4 levels, and myocardial glycogen in furazolidone-fed turkey poults.

SUMMARY. Ten turkey poults each were placed in one of four groups: control, thyroxine (T4), furazolidone (FZ), and FZ + T4. Thyroxine (T), at a concentration of 1 ppm, was included in the ration of poults fed T4 and FZ + T4, and furazolidone (FZ), at a concentration of 700 ppm, was included in the ration of poults fed FZ and FZ + T4 from 2 to 5 weeks of age. Levels of plasma T4 decreased significantly (P < 0.05) between 2 and 5 weeks in control and FZ poults. At 5 weeks, plamsa T4 levels were significantly (P < 0.05) lower in FZ poults than in control poults and significantly (P < 0.05) lower in the FZ + T4 poults than in the T4 poults. Exogenous administration of T4 had no effect on development of the round heart syndrome or on body weight, but significantly increased feed consumption in FZ-fed poults during weeks 4 (P < 0.05) and 5 (P < 0.001). Inclusion of T4 in the ration increased plasma levels of the hormone 12 x in both T4 and FZ + T4 poults and significantly (P < 0.05) increased myocardial glycogen content in T4 poults but not in FZ + T4 poults.
World Cup 2014 in the Twitter World

We used a big data approach to analyze U.S. soccer fans' sentiments in their tweets.Tweets were used to express joy and anticipation and to express emotions.U.S. fans' fear and anger were common and reflected U.S. team's goals or losses.Emotions in two non-U.S. games were unclear.This paper provides support for disposition theory of sport and sentiment analysis. The present project collected real-time tweets from U.S. soccer fans during five 2014 FIFA World Cup games (three games between the U.S. team and another opponent and two games between other teams) using Twitter search API. We used sentiment analysis to examine U.S. soccer fans' emotional responses in their tweets, particularly, the emotional changes after goals (either own or the opponent's). We found that during the matches that the U.S. team played, fear and anger were the most common negative emotions and in general, increased when the opponent team scored and decreased when the U.S. team scored. Anticipation and joy were also generally consistent with the goal results and the associated circumstances during the games. Furthermore, we found that during the matches between other teams, U.S. tweets showed more joy and anticipation than negative emotions (e.g., anger and fear) and that the patterns in response to goal or loss were unclear. This project revealed that sports fans use Twitter for emotional purposes and that the big data approach to analyze sports fans' sentiment showed results generally consistent with the predictions of the disposition theory when the fanship was clear and showed good predictive validity.
Molecular studies of pituitary gland differentiation.

All hormone-synthesizing cells in the pituitary gland appear to differentiate from an initially homogeneous epithelium called Rathke’s pouch, which forms as an invagination of the oral ectoderm (Levy et al., 1980). Both the anterior and intermediate lobes of the pituitary are derived from this structure, which, separates from the oral ectoderm during early embryogenesis. The separation occurs after Rathke’s pouch has contacted a ventral outpocketing of the neural tube, the infundibulum, which later becomes the posterior pituitary. The anterior wall of Rathke’s pouch then proliferates rapidly and becomes the anterior pituitary, which contains at least six different cell types synthesizing different peptide hormones; cells producing proopiomelanocortin (POMC) account for about 5% of the cells in the adult anterior lobe. The posterior wall of Rathke’s pouch differentiates into the intermediate lobe which contains only cells synthesizing POMC; however, these POMC-containing cells differ from anterior lobe POMC cells in that they process this prohormone to different end-product hormones (see below).