cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
From bound and gagged to swimming in the water of life: How God breaks and heals Ezekiel:

Ways of reading the Israelite prophetic literature have often focused either on the historical process by which the scrolls developed or the final forms of the scrolls as literary compositions. Integrating these approaches offers possibilities for more synthetic ways of reading the prophetic scrolls. Two particular aspects of the book of Ezekiel promise the possibility of such integration. First, examining the prophet as a narrative character presents a portrait of Ezekiel as the victim of his own announcements of judgment. Second, placing the narrative character in the context of the trauma suffered by the Israelites in the Babylonian period demonstrates that the scroll uses Ezekiel’s own traumatic experience to renegotiate the understanding of sin, guilt, and punishment in the wake of national tragedy.
Selective Reactivity of the Phosphorus−Chlorine and Carbon−Chlorine Bonds in Cyclic Chlorocarbaphosphazenes: An Unusual Activation of a Carbon−Nitrogen Bond in Trialkylamines†

Acyclic tertiary amines such as triethylamine and tri-n-propylamine used as HCl scavengers in nucleophilic substitution reactions of cyclic chlorocarbaphosphazenes [N3PC2Cl4 (I) and N3P2CCl5 (II)] with (CF2)n(CF2CH2OH)2 [n = 0 (III) or 1 (IV)] are found to undergo a facile C−N bond cleavage with the regiospecific substitution of the dialkylamino groups on the ring carbon atoms of the carbaphosphazene. In the case of cyclic amines such as 1-methylpiperidine and 4-methylmorpholine, the cleavage was found to occur regiospecifically at the N−CH3 bond, resulting in the ring substitution of the cyclic secondary amino group on the dicarbaphosphazene ring carbon atoms. The polyfluoro diol III forms a spirocyclic ring exclusively at the phosphorus site in compounds [CF2CH2O]2PN3C2[N(C2H5)2]2 (1), [CF2CH2O]2PN3C2[N(C3H7)2]2 (2), [CF2CH2O]2PN3C2[NCH2(CH2)3CH2]2 (3), and [CF2CH2O]2PN3C2[N(CH2)2O(CH2)2]2 (5) along with the formation of carbon-substituted carbaphosphazenes, Cl2PN3C2[NCH2(CH2)3CH2]2 (4) and Cl2PN3C2[N(C...
TH‐SAMS‐332‐03: Design and Performance Evaluation of Cone Beam CT Systems : Cone Beam Angio CT

Conebeam CT using C‐arm mounted large area flat panels (FPs) is becoming more commonly used in neuro‐ and body‐interventional suites. The ability to visualize vascular geometry in 3D along with soft tissueduring an intervention is providing information that may increase accuracy, shorten procedure time and may even change the course of treatment. However, acquisition of the projection data required for volume imaging requires dose to the patient, and understanding the trade‐offs between acquisition parameters, dose and image quality is critical to the appropriate adoption of this imaging technique. Unlike conventional CT, the beam length in conebeam CT can cover the entire length of the object to be imaged or can be varied with the use of collimation, and the concept of CTDI is not, therefore, the metric of choice for measurement of dose. In addition, most C‐arm conebeam CT systems use a short‐scan (pi plus fan‐angle) acquisition, and the dose distribution within the object is not cylindrically symmetric. Finally, since FP design has been optimized for fluoroscopy, image quality when used for CT must be carefully evaluated. This lecture will describe a dose metric that is appropriate for conebeam CT and allows direct comparison with the CTDIw of conventional CT. A perception study using the CATPHAN 600 phantom for a range of acquisition parameters will be described, and the relationships between kVp, image noise, dose and contrast perception will be discussed. Research sponsored by Siemens Medical Solutions AG, AX Division, by NIH grant R01 EB003524 and by the Lucas Foundation. Educational Objectives: 1. Understand how differences in acquisition geometry between conebeam and conventional CT affect dose distribution and dose measurement. 2. Understand how contrast perception in conebeam CTimages depends on acquisition parameters.
Platelet inhibitors and antioxidant vitamins in cardiovascular disease

Considerable research attention has focused on the possible roles of platelet inhibition, principally using aspirin, and antioxidant vitamins in reducing the risks of cardiovascular disease. Data from large-scale randomized trials indicate that aspirin reduces subsequent vascular events among patients with prior myocardial infarction, stroke, transient ischemic attacks, or unstable angina, as well as among patients with acute evolving myocardial infarction. In primary prevention trials, the Physicians' Health Study showed a clear benefit in decreasing risk of a first myocardial infarction in men; the data on stroke and total number of deaths from vascular causes are inadequate. The Women's Health Study, a trial now under way among apparently healthy women, will provide direct evidence on the balance of risks and benefits of aspirin in primary prevention. Antioxidant vitamins are hypothesized to decrease cardiovascular disease risk by several mechanisms, including inhibition of oxidation of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and decreasing uptake into the coronary endothelium. Promising results have emerged from observational studies, which show that people with high intakes of antioxidant vitamins through diet or supplements have lowered risks of cardiovascular disease; however, unknown or unmeasured factors associated with high antioxidant vitamin intake may explain all or part of the observed associations. Randomized trials to provide reliable data are now ongoing among apparently healthy men and women, as well as among survivors of prior cardiovascular disease events.
An investigation of some variables affecting impact resistant thermoplastics

Recent technology has evolved a number of dissimilar thermoplastics which under conditions of ambient temperature and impact loading show both the high modulus, which is mainly a property of brittle polymers in the glassy state, and also the impact resistance, such as may be expected of polymers in the rubbery state. Several of these special plastics were examined by electronmicroscopy and also with respect to several aspects of their mechanical behavior to establish by direct observation and inference whether or not different types of plastics exhibit some common features of structure which promote impact resistance. These observations suggest the hypothesis that special circumstances of domain heterogeneity can override many other variables of composition or molecular structures in controlling the fracture mechanism.
Reactions to Use of a Computer Screen Glare Filter

Results from three surveys of almost 200 computer workers are described. An initial survey asked about office lighting and screen glare problems, and results served as a baseline. A second survey was conducted about one-month after two thirds of the workers received a grounded, glass screen glare filter, the rest served as a control group. The final survey was conducted about one month after the remaining control group workers received their screen glare filters. Measures of illuminance and screen luminance contrast were taken at 117 workstations. Results showed that various screen image attributes and visual health measures were substantially improved with the screen glare filter. The filter minimized electrostatic shocks to workers. Most workers liked the screen glare filter and reported improved productivity.
Base sequence effects in double-helical DNA. III. Average properties of curved DNA.

The matrix-generator methods set forth in the preceding paper for treating rodlike DNA are adapted here to the calculation of average chain extension, macroscopic flexibility, and terminal residue orientation in curved duplexes. The different characteristics of curved vs rodlike chains are illustrated with the hypothetical poly[d(A5G5)] · poly[d(T5C5)] duplex. The curved helix is both more compact and macroscopically stiffer than either the poly(dA) · poly(dT) or the poly(dG) · poly(dC) chain. The calculations have also been extended to simple repetitive DNA sequences generated by synthetic ligation studies and the computed average chain properties compared with observed gel mobilities. The predicted chain extension is also checked against the measured persistence lengths of the rodlike poly[d(GC)] and poly[d(AT)] alternating copolymers, and the known cyclization tendencies of selected repeating sequences. Chains are generated from local potential energy maps describing the morphology and flexibility of adjacent base pairs. The energy maps, while approximate, are more accurate descriptors of local structure than many of the intuitive models of DNA curvature offered to date. According to the energy surfaces, the intrinsic bending of curved DNA can be traced to asymmetry in the bending of the Gs and Cs that join half-helical turn stretches of adenines in these chains. The oligo A stretches are analogous to residues of a perfectly elastic DNA that bend with equal likelihood in opposing directions. In other models of DNA curvature, the (G · C) base pairs are presumed to adopt the classical B-DNA structure, while the (A · T) base pairs are thought to be in some perturbed conformation.
Energy Consumption of a Smooth‐Top and a Conventional Electric Range in Family Meal Preparation

This study was designed to compare the energy consumption of a smooth-top range with thermo statically controlled units and a conventional electric range in preparing meals for a family of four for one week. A 21-meal menu was prepared on the top surface of each range using precise duplication of procedures. Electrical energy consumed by each range per meal was recorded in watt-hours. Total energy consumption was 11,965 watt-hours for the smooth-top and 11,850 watt-hours for the conventional range; a difference of only 0.97 percent. Operating costs would be similar for these cooking systems under controlled conditions, but actual energy consumption in home situations may vary.
Sonography of Partial-Thickness Quadriceps Tendon Tears With Surgical Correlation

Objective With the use of surgical findings as the reference standard, the purpose of this study was to describe the sonographic findings of partial-thickness and complete tears of the quadriceps tendon and to determine whether sonography can potentially aid diagnosis. Methods Three hundred eighty-nine consecutive sonographic reports (January 1996 to April 2001) of the knee/quadriceps tendon were reviewed retrospectively and assessed for subsequent surgery on the quadriceps tendon. Seven cases were thus identified. Findings at surgery (complete versus partial tears) were compared with the original sonography reports. Results All 4 partial tears and 1 of 2 complete tears were diagnosed correctly on the basis of sonography. One complete tear was described as a partial tear on the basis of sonography. In a seventh case, complete disruption of the extensor mechanism with osseous avulsion of the superior pole of the patella was identified correctly. Dynamic scanning was essential in diagnosing a partial quadriceps tendon tear in 1 case. Conclusions Sonography, including the use of dynamic evaluation, was helpful in the diagnosis of partial-thickness tears of the quadriceps tendon and may aid in differentiation of such cases from complete quadriceps tendon tears, particularly in the acute setting. The presence of scar tissue in the setting of chronic injury may represent a potential pit-fall in the assessment of partial versus complete quadriceps tears. Further study is needed to define the accuracy of sonography for detecting quadriceps tendon tears.
A dynamic light scattering approach for monitoring dental composite curing kinetics.

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to develop and evaluate a dynamic light scatteringbased method for monitoring the polymerization reaction of a light activated dental composite. Methods. Laser light back-scattered from thin disk-shaped composite samples was used to study the curing reaction kinetics. Samples were irradiated simultaneously on opposite surfaces with a 633 nm laser beam and a halogen curing lamp (320, 160, or 100 mW/cm 2 ). Dynamic laser speckle patterns were imaged onto a CCD camera at a rate of 32 frames/s for 2 min. The intensity decorrelation rate calculated from sequential speckle patterns was used to assess the rate of motion within the samples during the reaction. Results. Motion within the composite increased immediately upon the onset of light exposure for all trials. This was followed by a brief period characterized by a relatively constant high rate of motion. Finally the rate of motion decreased exponentially. The reaction acceleration, deceleration, and maximum rate were dependent upon the irradiance of the curing light source. Significance. This method monitors reaction rate and the change in reaction rate at high temporal resolution without contact. Reaction kinetics was shown to begin immediately after light exposure suggesting limited opportunity for viscous flow and stress relief.
Histological reconstruction of dental development and age at death in a juvenile gibbon (Hylobates lar)

Although research on dental development in great apes and modern humans has provided comparative models for life history, growth and development in hominin evolution, almost nothing is known about dental development in their sister group, the hylobatids. Hylobatids are of interest because they differ in important life history variables from other catarrhines of similar body mass, and can help to provide more general models for the factors underlying patterns of dental development. This study uses histological techniques to reconstruct developmental sequence, crown formation times, root extension rates, daily rates of enamel and dentine formation, and age at death in a single specimen of Hylobates lar. Thin sections were prepared of permanent mandibular teeth and analyzed by polarized light microscopy. Age at death was determined to be 2.88 yrs calibrated from a pattern of accentuated growth increments. At this age, permanent teeth in occlusion include I1, I2, and M1. Developing permanent teeth include C1, P3, P4, and M2. P3 lags behind P4 in development, and there is no indication of M3 present in the crypt. Differences between the gibbon specimen and great apes include greater prenatal development of M1, accelerated incisor development relative to molars and prenatal development of I1, no overlap between M2 and M3 crown development, shorter crown formation times, and slower root extension rates of 4-5 micron daily in the molars. Root extension rates are higher in the incisors. The periodicity of growth increments is four days, more similar to macaques than to other hominoids. Daily formation rates for enamel of 1.2-4.9 micron and dentine of 1.7-4.9 micron are similar to those reported for other catarrhines.
Flowing gas in mass spectrometer: method for characterization and impact on ion processing

Mass spectrometers are complex instrumentation systems where ions are transferred though different pressure regions and mass-analyzed under high vacuum. In this work, we have investigated the impact of the gas flows that exit almost universally in all pressure regions. We developed a method that incorporates the dynamic gas field with the electric field in the simulation of ion trajectories. The scope of the electro-hydrodynamic simulation (EHS) method was demonstrated for characterizing the ion optical systems at atmospheric pressure interfaces. With experimental validation, the trapping of the externally injected ions in a linear ion trap at low pressure was also studied. Further development of the EHS method and the knowledge acquired in this research are expected to be useful in the design of hybrid instruments and the study of ion energetics.
Scalable Softcore Vector Processor for Biosequence Applications

Currently available genome databases are growing exponentially in size, making it difficult for software analysis tools to keep up. A number of hardware accelerators utilizing special purpose VLSI (Blas, et al., 2005) or reconfigurable hardware (Hoang, 1993) have been proposed. However, they are inflexible; support for new applications usually requires a laborious redesign. None of these accelerators can be easily adapted to other applications that require differing hardware resources. The design philosophy of the softcore vector processor is based on two important goals: adaptability and performance. Instruction based execution allows programmable support for a large number of algorithms. The fact that different classes of applications require different subsets of hardware resources, argues for a customizable hardware design built from primitives. The second goal was to achieve programmability without sacrificing performance. The SVP was designed to perform competitively with full custom solutions available in the market
RadOnc: An R Package for Analysis of Dose-Volume Histogram and Three-Dimensional Structural Data

Purpose/Objectives: Dose volume histogram (DVH) data are generally analyzed within the context of a treatment planning system (TPS) on a per-patient basis, with evaluation of single-plan or comparative dose distributions. However, TPS software generally cannot perform simultaneous comparative dosimetry among a cohort of patients. The same limitations apply to parallel analyses of three-dimensional structures and other clinical data. Materials/Methods: We developed a suite of tools ("RadOnc" package) using R statistical software to better compare pooled DVH data and empower analysis of structure data and clinical correlates. Representative patient data were identified among previously analyzed adult (n=13) and pediatric (n=1) cohorts and these data were used to demonstrate the performance and functionality of the RadOnc package. Results: The RadOnc package facilitates DVH data import from the TPS and includes automated methods for DVH visualization, dosimetric parameter extraction, statistical comparison among multiple DVHs, basic three-dimensional structural processing, and visualization tools to enable customizable production of publication-quality images. Conclusions: The RadOnc package provides a potent clinical research tool with the ability to integrate robust statistical software and dosimetric data from cohorts of patients. It is made freely available to the community for their current use and remains under active development.
Quantitative analysis of sodium, potassium and calcium in gingival fluid from gingiva in varying degrees of inflammation.

The World Workshop in Periodontics stated that "there is a definite need for further qualitative and quantitative identification of components of the gingival fluid utilizing more refined techniques." It further noted that "gingival fluid volume and the qualitative and quantitative measurements of its components may then act as a gradient for the evaluation of the extent of gingival and periodontal inflammation."
The benefits of being gold: behavioral consequences of polychromatism in the midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum

The midas cichlid, Cichlasoma citrinellum, occurs in the lakes of Nicaragua. In semi-turbid to turbid lakes about 8% of the adults are amelanic, having lost their melanophores at various ages, and are thus yellow through red and sometimes white. The commonest hues are yellow through orange, called gold. Gold morphs ought to be selected against because they are probably conspicuous to predators and they cannot communicate by changing markings. To maintain the polymorphism, gold coloration must have offsetting advantages. Gold morphs dominate normal ones of equal size, and that improves their access to limiting resources. Gold morphs, however, do not seem to be intrinsically more aggressive but rather attain dominance through the effect of their color on their opponents. This gold effect is affected by experience; it is enhanced by sharing the color of the dominant fish in a group, and by being rare. The midas cichlid mates assortatively but imperfectly. Choice of mate is influenced by color of self and of parents and can be constrained by size-color relationship.
A 73-Year-Old Man With Hypertension and Syncope

A 73-year-old man presented to the University of Chicago Hospital Emergency Department on April 9, 1995, with a syncopal episode. The patient had been in his usual state of health until earlier that morning when he experienced an acute loss of consciousness during micturition. He fell and hit the left side of his head but sustained no other injuries. He was unable to tell how long he had been unconscious, although he thought that it had only been a few seconds. The event was not witnessed. He did not remember any premonitory symptoms such as palpitations, chest pain, dyspnea, headache, visual changes, or olfactory sensations or any confusion, grogginess, or bowel incontinence after the event. The patient had not noted any recent or remote episodes of dyspnea on exertion, orthopnea, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, dizziness, numbness or weakness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, chills, cough, abdominal pain, back pain, or lower-extremity claudication. One month before this admission, the patient had experienced a similar episode of micturition syncope, but he had not sought medical attention. The previous episode also occurred immediately after awakening and was not preceded by any unusual symptoms. His past medical history was significant for long-standing systemic hypertension, chronic atrial fibrillation, a cerebral vascular accident in 1983 without any residual defects, and a bowel obstruction due to volvulus that required surgery in 1992. He was a retired maintenance worker and part-time minister. He did not smoke, drink alcohol, or use recreational drugs. He was not taking any prescription or over-the-counter medications. His family history is significant for atherosclerosis, with his mother and father dying of myocardial infarction at ages 60 and 70 years, respectively. On physical examination, the patient was alert and oriented. He was 6 ft tall and weighed 69 kg. His vital signs included a temperature of 38.1°C, …
Deletion of the first 45 NH2-terminal residues of rabbit skeletal troponin T strengthens binding of troponin to immobilized tropomyosin.

The binding of the NH2-terminal region of troponin T (TnT) to the COOH-terminal region of tropomyosin (Tm) and the head-to-tail overlap between Tm molecules is thought to provide a pivotal link between troponin (Tn) and Tm (White, S.P., Cohen, C., and Phillips, G.N., Jr. (1987) Nature 325, 826-828). To further explore the structure-function relationship of the NH2-terminal region of TnT, we studied the binding of a 26,000-dalton TnT fragment (26K-TnT, Ohtsuki, I., Shiraishi, F., Suenaga, N., Miyata, T., and Tanokura, M.J. (1984) J. Biochem. (Tokyo) 95, 1337-1342) which corresponds to residues 46-259 of TnT2f, the major isoform of TnT in rabbit fast twitch muscle, to immobilized alpha-Tm. Both 26K-TnT and TnT2f were retained by the alpha-Tm affinity column in the presence of 150 mM NaCl. However, upon increasing the NaCl concentration 26K-TnT was eluted from the column at a higher ionic strength than was TnT. When applied alone, the binary complex of TnI and TnC (TnC.TnI) was not retained by the alpha-Tm affinity column. When applied subsequently to prebound TnT2f or 26K-TnT, TnI.TnC was retained by the alpha-Tm affinity column and eluted together with TnT2f or 26K-TnT as ternary troponin complexes. Whether Ca2+ was present or not, Tn containing 26K-TnT was eluted at a higher ionic strength than was Tn containing TnT2f, indicating that removal of the first 45 residues of TnT2f strengthens the binding of Tn to Tm. In the presence of Tm, reconstituted Tn containing 26K-TnT conferred Ca2+ sensitivity on actomyosin-S1 MgATPase, and the steepness of the pCa-ATPase relation was unchanged with respect to the actoS1 ATPase regulated by TnT2f. It is concluded that the first 45 residues of TnT2f are not essential for anchoring the troponin complex to the thin filament and do not play a crucial role in the cooperative response of regulated actoS1 ATPase to Ca2+.
Microstructure development and evolution

We employ a level set-based geometry tracking software using a "grain continuum" representation, together with models for selected IC manufacturing processes and for microstructural evolution to study the development of grain structures. We consider electroless deposition, physical vapor deposition and grain boundary migration during curvature-driven ripening. We use an "encapsulation technique" to convert atomistic data; e.g., from Monte Carlo simulations of nucleation, to continua for input to deposition studies.
Soft error sensitivity characterization for microprocessor dependability enhancement strategy

This paper presents an empirical investigation on the soft error sensitivity (SES) of microprocessors, using the picoJava-II as an example, through software simulated fault injections in its RTL model. Soft errors are generated under a realistic fault model during program run-time. The SES of a processor logic block is defined as the probability that a soft error in the block causes the processor to behave erroneously or enter into an incorrect architectural state. The SES is measured at the functional block level. We have found that highly error-sensitive blocks are common for various workloads. At the same time soft errors in many other logic blocks rarely affect the computation integrity. Our results show that a reasonable prediction of the SES is possible by deduction from the processor's microarchitecture. We also demonstrate that the sensitivity-based integrity checking strategy can be an efficient way to improve fault coverage per unit redundancy.
What Audiologists Must Know About Cerumen and Cerumen Management

The Legislative Council of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association recently accepted several scope of practice statements, including one concerned with external auditory canal examination ...
Bayesian networks for supporting query processing over incomplete autonomous databases

As the information available to naive users through autonomous data sources continues to increase, mediators become important to ensure that the wealth of information available is tapped effectively. A key challenge that these information mediators need to handle is the varying levels of incompleteness in the underlying databases in terms of missing attribute values. Existing approaches such as QPIAD aim to mine and use Approximate Functional Dependencies (AFDs) to predict and retrieve relevant incomplete tuples. These approaches make independence assumptions about missing values--which critically hobbles their performance when there are tuples containing missing values for multiple correlated attributes. In this paper, we present a principled probabilistic alternative that views an incomplete tuple as defining a distribution over the complete tuples that it stands for. We learn this distribution in terms of Bayesian networks. Our approach involves mining/"learning" Bayesian networks from a sample of the database, and using it to do both imputation (predict a missing value) and query rewriting (retrieve relevant results with incompleteness on the query-constrained attributes, when the data sources are autonomous). We present empirical studies to demonstrate that (i) at higher levels of incompleteness, when multiple attribute values are missing, Bayesian networks do provide a significantly higher classification accuracy and (ii) the relevant possible answers retrieved by the queries reformulated using Bayesian networks provide higher precision and recall than AFDs while keeping query processing costs manageable.
Translating system specifications to VHDL

Languages based on hierarchical and concurrent state diagrams are powerful in specifying system level designs. Simulating such languages can be simplified by translating to a simulation language such as VHDL and then using available simulators. This paper describes system level abstractions commonly found in specification languages and presents semantic preserving VHDL implementations. >
Stepping up the pressure: arousal can be associated with a reduction in male aggression

The attentional myopia model of behavioral control [Mann and Ward, 2007] was tested in an experiment investigating the relationship between physiological arousal and aggression. Drawing on previous work linking arousal and narrowed attentional focus, the model predicts that arousal will lead to behavior that is relatively disinhibited in situations in which promoting pressures to aggress are highly salient. In situations in which inhibitory pressures are more salient, the model predicts behavior that is relatively restrained. In the experiment, 81 male undergraduates delivered noise-blasts against a provoking confederate while experiencing either high or low levels of physiological arousal and, at the same time, being exposed to cues that served either to promote or inhibit aggression. In addition to supporting the predictions of the model, this experiment provided some of the first evidence for enhanced control of aggression under conditions of heightened physiological arousal. Implications for interventions designed to reduce aggression are discussed.
Temperature dependence of the crystal chemistry of the oxovanadium–ethylenediphosphonate/copper(II)-2,2′-bipyridine system. Crystal structures of the two-dimensional [Cu(bpy)VO2(O3PCH2CH2PO3H)]•1.5H2O and of the one-dimensional [Cu(bpy)VO2(O3PCH2CH2PO3H)]

Abstract Three different materials of the oxovanadium–ethylenediphosphonate/copper(II)-bipyridine system [V/O/{(CH2)2(PO3Hx)2}(4−x)−/Cu(II)(bpy)] were isolated via hydrothermal synthesis from identical starting solutions with temperatures as the only variable. The phases isolated at 120 and 230 °C are both two-dimensional networks, [Cu(bpy)VO2(O3PCH2CH2PO3H)]•1.5H2O (1•1.5H2O) and [Cu(bpy)VO(O3PCH2CH2PO3)] (3), respectively, while the phase produced at the intermediate temperature of 180 °C is the one-dimensional [Cu(bpy)VO2(O3PCH2CH2PO5H)] (2). Despite the unexpected absence of correlation between temperature and dimensionality, the number of Cu(II) atoms per 1000 A3 increases in the order 2.31:2.57:2.62 for 1:2:3, as expected.
Comparing team feedback in a Team Multiple Errands Test

The purpose of this research is to better understand how the privacy and audience component of feedback influence individual and team performance. A modified version of the Multiple Errands Tests (MET), the Team Multiple Errands Test (TMET), was developed for and used to evaluate teams. In the present task, three team members were given individual shopping lists and a team shopping list within a virtual mall. The group had to work together to ensure that all of the items were purchased. An expert system offered feedback to participants during the task, and feedback was given publically or privately (privacy variable) and directed at the group or at the individual (audience variable). Individual performance and team performance scores across four sessions conducted by 10 teams were not significantly impacted by the feedback modality. However, initial analysis of communication patterns over trials and team strategy used suggest trends that would be worth exploring with additional participants. This work does demonstrate the value of the TMET test bed as a new methodology for studying team behavior.
Notice of release of 'Bannock II' thickspike wheatgrass

The USDA Agricultural Research Service announces the cultivar release of ‘Bannock II’ thickspike wheatgrass ( Elymus lanceolatus (Scribn. & J.G. Sm.) Gould [Poaceae]). ‘Bannock II’, a 5-clone synthetic, is the result of hybridization among selected genotypes from thickspike wheatgrass cultivars ‘Bannock’ and ‘Schwendimar’ followed by 2 cycles of recurrent selection. The release of ‘Bannock II’ thickspike wheatgrass expands native germplasm available to enhance the success of conservation and revegetation plantings in the Great Basin, Snake River Plain, and Columbia Plateau regions of the Intermountain US. Genetically distinct from ‘Bannock’ and ‘Schwendimar’, ‘Bannock II’ possesses greater seedling establishment and seed production then ‘Bannock’, ‘Critana’, ‘Elbee’, ‘Schwendimar’, and ‘Sodar’.
Sulfur Dioxide Adsorption on ZnO Nanoparticles and Nanorods

ZnO nanomaterials, nanoparticles, and nanorods, have been synthesized over a wide range of sizes with relatively high yield (∼90–95%). The synthesis method allows for size control by varying the amount of water used and morphology control by varying the zinc precursor (zinc acetate for nanoparticles or zinc acetylacetonate for nanorods). These nanomaterials were analyzed with powder X-ray diffraction and attenuated total reflection FTIR spectroscopy. Sulfur dioxide adsorption on nanoparticles and nanorods of different size was then investigated using volumetric measurements, transmission FTIR spectroscopy, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Nanoparticles and nanorods of several different sizes were heated to 550 °C to remove surface-adsorbed organic ligands that remained after the synthesis prior to exposure to SO2. Spectroscopic analysis revealed the formation of several surface species, including sulfate, sulfite, sulfide, and weakly bound SO2. Quantifying surface speciation as well as the total amou...
Stimulant Use Disorders

Compared with other illicit substances, stimulants are not commonly used by adolescents; however, they represent a serious concern regarding substance use among youths. This article uses methamphetamine as a model for stimulant use in adolescents; cocaine and prescription stimulants are also mentioned. Methamphetamine use among adolescents and young adults is a serious health concern with potentially long-term physical, cognitive, and psychiatric consequences. Brain development and the effects of misusing stimulants align such that usage in adolescents can more dangerous than during adulthood. It seems helpful to keep in mind the differences between adolescents and young adults when implementing interventions.
Study on improving bonding performance between uncured EPDM insulation and vulcanized EPDM insulation

A suitability modifier and its contents in ABS(basis formulas) adhesive were preferred for improving bonding performance of the adhesive,which was used between Eu(uncured EPDM insulation) and Ev(vulcanized EPDM insulation) interface when the carbon nanotubes(CNTs),silane coupler(WD),N-bromosuccinimide(NBS),N-chlorosuccinimide(NCS),glycidyl methacrylate(GMA) and adhesion promoter(ZC) were respectively used as modifiers of ABS adhesive.The results showed that the adhesive modified by ZC had well bonding performance,storage stability and thermal aging resistance.Its bonding strength was more than 3.5 MPa.
Determination of trace amounts of nickel by graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry with magnetic solid-phase extraction

A method for the determination of trace amounts of Ni by magnetic solid-phase extraction( MSPE)coupled with graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometry( GFAAS) was successfully proposed. A novel type of magnetic multiwalled carbon nanotubes has been successfully synthesized and was applied as an effective sorbent material for the pre-concentration of nickel. Different parameters such as sample pH value,the flow rate of sample, sample volume, eluent concentration and volume were investigated to enhance the analytical performance. The calibration curve was linear in the concentration range of 0. 01 to 5 μg/ L. The relative standard deviation was 3. 6% at the 1. 0 μg/ L level( n = 11). The enhancement factor of the proposed method for nickel was 80. The limit of detection was as low as 1. 8 ng/ L. The proposed method is reliable,time saving and rapid,and has been used successfully in the determination of traces of nickel in standard and real samples.
Activation of glycogen phosphorylase in blood platelets.

1. In platelets incubated in vitro, glycogen phosphorylase was activated, and the degree of activation roughly corresponds to the degree of manipulation of the platelets and is greatest in the least physiologic incubation medium. 2. Activation proceeds with an increasing proportion of enzyme which is active in the absence of AMP, suggesting the action of the phosphorylase-activating enzyme, phosphorylase kinase, in platelets. 3. Total enzyme activity (activity with AMP) likewise increases and continues to increase while the AMP-independent fraction begins to decrease again, suggesting more than one activating mechanism. 4. During glycogen breakdown, and during coagulation and clot retraction induced by thrombin, glycogen synthesis was shown to continue in vitro. Clot retraction was found to be more dependent on adequate glycogen stores than was coagulation.
Letter to the editor: 1H, 13C and 15N resonance assignments of the C-terminal domain of MutY: An adenine glycosylase active on G:A mismatches

MutY from Escherichia coli is a DNA mismatch repair enzyme involved in the base excision repair pathway. It is an adenine glycosylase which removes adenine when mispaired with guanine, cytosine or 7,8dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG). 8-oxoG is a common DNA oxidative damage lesion and mutant strains of E. coli that lack MutY activity have elevated rates of G:C to T:A tranversions (Nghiem et al., 1988). Trypsin produced an N-terminal domain of residues 1–225, p26, and a C-terminal domain of 226–350, p13 (Manuel et al., 1996). The catalytic activity of the enzyme was found solely in the N-terminal domain. Recent work has determined the crystal structure of the p26 domain; the protein has a helix-hairpin-helix structural motif in common with a number of DNA glycosylases and DNA glycosylase/AP lysases (Guan et al., 1998). The crystal structure suggests that MutY utilizes a nucleotide flipping mechanism, in which the adenine is moved to an extrahelical position within the DNA, into an active site pocket where it is excised. Studies of intact MutY and the N-terminal domain show that the C-terminal domain affects substrate binding and mismatch repair activity. Manuel and Lloyd (1997) found that the largest differences between MutY and p26 in binding of natural substrates involved A:G and in mismatch activity A:C. Recent biochemical data suggest that the C-terminal domain is the principal determinant of 8-oxoG specificity (Noll et al., 1999).
The Effect of Educational Attainment on Adult Mortality in the United States.

In 2011, U.S. mortality rates reached record lows for both women and men; as a result, life expectancy at birth reached record highs: 81 years for women and 76 years for men.1 These are impressive figures. As recently as 1960, women's life expectancy at birth was only 73.1 years and men's only 66.6 years.2 Within 50 years, life expectancy at birth increased by 8 years for women and nearly 10 years for men (see Figure 1). Figure 1 US Life Expectancy at Birth by Gender, 1960-2011 Unfortunately, these increases in life expectancy mask very wide disparities among population groups. For example, remaining life expectancy at age 25—an important overall indicator of adult population health—is about a decade shorter for people who do not have a high school degree compared with those who have completed college.3 Educational attainment appears to be very important in differentiating U.S. adults’ prospects for long life. These differences represent critical health and social issues with important implications for policymakers. Because well-educated individuals have a much longer life expectancy, is such an accomplishment (or at least a substantial improvement) possible for other subgroups? The potential to reduce these educational differences in mortality and life expectancy underscores the need to accurately describe them and understand why they exist. Armed with such information, policymakers then have the evidence to ensure that U.S. adults are sufficiently educated so that no group pays a “longevity penalty.” Despite the potential to reduce educational differences in mortality, it may be overly simplistic to assume that they are easily responsive to increased future investments in the education of U.S. children. Higher levels of schooling do not necessarily cause people to live longer. Other factors, such as parental education and income, may be related to both high educational attainment and longevity among U.S. adults. If so, then even the best-intentioned policy efforts to reduce educational differences in mortality may be of little value. In short, this area of scientific inquiry and policy interest is controversial. In this Population Bulletin, we examine educational differences in U.S. adult mortality and life expectancy. We provide a balanced and up-to-date portrait of the key results and implications of research in this area. We address five major issues: What is the current association between educational attainment and adult mortality? Have educational differences in adult mortality changed over the past 50 years? Why do such wide educational differences in adult mortality now exist? What are the policy implications of recent education-mortality research? And what are the implications of recent work in this area for future education-mortality research?
Helping Neuro-typical Individuals to "Read" the Emotion of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: an Internet-of-Things Approach

Atypical or delayed emotion processing has been repeatedly reported in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); the overwhelming research focus has been on examining the level of their impairments to perceive emotions via (mostly static) facial expressions and body movement. While it is difficult for them to read others' emotions (including those with ASD); it might be just as challenging for neuro-typical (NT) individuals to recognize their emotions. Instead of pursuing a deeper understanding down the path on the expressive abilities of individuals with ASD, in our on-going study, we focus on the integration of a naturalistic multi-sensory environment (including a facial expression recognition module through Kinect V2's HD Face API) to help NT individuals "read" the emotions of children with ASD. In this short report, we focus on our system design and offered some early insights derived from initial testing on the potential of such environment.
Building Autonomic Systems for IT Service Management

A large fraction of total cost of ownership for IT systems comes from service and labor costs (80% as estimated by Gartner Group). However, most prevailing practices in IT services are ad-hoc with low productivity. Although modeling and optimization techniques have been widely used in IT infrastructure management, their adoption in IT service management has limited success due to high uncertainties resulting from complex tasks and large human skill variance. This talk explores the principles and methodologies for building autonomic systems that enable a systematic and feedback-based approach to model and optimize IT service management. Particularly, I will discuss the design and deployment of a staffing (staffing levels, shifts, and skills) self-optimization system that uses the simulation-optimization techniques to enable accurate staffing decision-making, coupled with the feedback-based model validation techniques to address the unique service modeling challenges of employing massive data with large inaccuracies. The developed system has been deployed within the IBM's globally located delivery organizations and resulted in improved resource usage, delivery efficiency, and service quality over a large number of service delivery teams. I will conclude this talk by discussing the future challenges and opportunities of growing autonomic computing capabilities in the IT service management space.
Low temperature autoignition of conventional jet fuels and surrogate jet fuels with targeted properties in a rapid compression machine

Abstract The autoignition characteristics of conventional jet fuels (category A) and alternative fuels with targeted properties (category C) are investigated using a rapid compression machine and the direct test chamber charge preparation approach. The category C fuels were purposefully built to anticipate special property variations that generally occur in alternative fuels. Ignition delay measurements were made to examine the effects of these unique fuels at low compressed temperatures (625 K ≤ Tc ≤ 735 K), a compressed pressure of Pc = 20 bar and equivalence ratios of ϕ = 0.25, 0.5 and 1.0 in synthetic dry air. Chemical makeup of the fuel shows insight into the effect of the amount of branching in isoalkanes and aromatic influences on autoignition. The results show noteworthy variability in the ignition properties at these low temperature and lean conditions. This variability may impact combustion performance when the engine is running outside the normal operational map or for new engine architectures in the future.
CNS Impact of Perinatal HIV Infection and Early Treatment: the Need for Behavioral Rehabilitative Interventions Along with Medical Treatment and Care

There is growing concern that although the more severe forms of HIV-associated neurologic deficits are reduced following highly active anti-retroviral therapy (HAART), mild to moderate cognitive disorders may persist for years after HAART initiation and this may occur despite complete plasma viral suppression. According to the UNAIDS 2014 report, there were 3.2 million children living with HIV around the world at the end of 2013 and 91 % of these resided in sub-Saharan Africa. In the same year, only 24 % of children who needed antiretroviral treatment (ART) received it and 190,000 children died of AIDS-related illnesses. We propose that behavioral interventions are needed in combination with medical treatment and care in order to fully address the needs of children and adolescents in Africa living with HIV. In early childhood, caregiver training programs to enhance the developmental milieu of the child with HIV can enhance their cognitive and social development and that such interventions are both feasible and well-accepted by the local population. For school-age children, computerized cognitive rehabilitation training can be an entertaining and engaging way to improve attention, working memory, and problem solving skills for children with HIV. Further dissemination and implementation science work is needed for arriving at cost-effective strategies for scaling up such behavioral interventions in African resource-constrained settings, given that the vast majority of HIV-affected children and youth worldwide presently live in sub-Saharan Africa.
Improving the Big East Conference Basketball Tournament

ABSTRACTThe Big East Conference basketball tournament is a four-day, 10-team, knockout tournament that is used to decide which team receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA basketball tournament. Through data-based modeling, we show that the current tournament format is not very effective in determining the true best team. Specifically, by considering a variety of alternate formats, we find that certain formats that exclude all but a handful of teams substantially outperform the current format in determining the true best team. We also find that among formats that involve all ten teams, a format in which the top two seeds each receive two byes is relatively effective. We show that our conclusions are robust to several key modeling choices. We also investigate the effectiveness of the tie-breaking scheme used by the Big East Conference, finding that it is little better than random and may even favor weaker teams.