cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Associations of maternal diet with infant adiposity at birth, 6 months and 12 months.

Objectives To assess associations between maternal prenatal diet quality and infant adiposity. Design The design was a prospective birth cohort. Setting We used data from the Nurture study, a cohort of women and their infants residing in the southeastern USA. Participants and exposure assessment Between 2013 and 2015, we enrolled 860 women between 20 and 36 weeks’ gestation. After reconsenting at delivery and excluding women with implausible calorie intakes, we measured dietary intake using the Block food frequency questionnaire, and assessed diet quality using a modified Alternate Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010), which assessed intake of 10 food categories, including fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts/legumes, fats, meats, beverages and sodium (excluding alcohol). Outcomes We assessed birth weight for gestational age z-score, small and large for gestational age, low birth weight and macrosomia. Outcomes at 6 and 12 months were weight-for-length z-score, sum of subscapular and triceps skinfold thickness (SS+TR) and subscapular-to-triceps skinfold ratio (SS:TR). Results Among mothers, 70.2% were black and 20.9% were white; less than half (45.2%) reported having a high school diploma or less. Among infants, 8.7% were low birth weight and 8.6% were small for gestational age. Unadjusted estimates showed that a higher AHEI-2010 score, was associated with a higher birth weight for gestational z-score (β=0.01; 95% CI 0.002 to 0.02; p=0.02) and a greater likelihood of macrosomia (OR=1.04; 95% CI 1.004 to 1.09; p=0.03). After adjustment, maternal diet quality was not associated with infant adiposity at birth, 6 or 12 months. Conclusions Although poor maternal diet quality during pregnancy was not associated with infant adiposity in our study, maternal diet during pregnancy may still be an important and modifiable factor of public health importance.
Near-Linear-Phase IIR Filters Using Gauss-Newton Optimization

In this paper, we present a simple optimization-based method for designing near-linear-phase IIR filters based on the Gauss-Newton method, and we explore its benefits over symmetric FIR filters. We demonstrate IIR low-pass filters with lower group delay, lower order, and lower magnitude errors than corresponding FIR filters while still maintaining a phase response linearity of R2 ≥ 0.99 in the passband. Such filters can be beneficial in applications where approximate, rather than exact, linear phase is sufficient. Code is available on the author’s website.
Visualizing Cancer: A Transdisciplinary Art and Biology Collaborative

It would be safe to say that nearly every student enrolled in college knows someone who has been impacted by cancer. After all, cancer killed nearly 8.2 million people worldwide in 2012 (World Cancer Report, 2014). Using this fact as the impetus for change we decided to make cancer the focus of a “transdisciplinary” (Marshall, 2014) collaborative effort to simulate a reciprocal-learning experience between undergraduate biology and visual art students attending a university in Southeastern Michigan. The goal of the 2015 project was to create an active and authentic collaboration utilizing the university visual art and biology curricula. By engaging and connecting scientific and artistic critical thinking processes, we wanted to know: Could we design a class structure that would enable collaborative teams of art and biology students to create a visual model that represents a hallmark of cancer designed so that the model could also stand alone on artistic merit? In other words, could cancer visualization be transformed into works worthy of gallery display while maintaining scientific accuracy? In this paper we discuss the planning, implementation, results, and impact this work has had upon the way we now envision transdisciplinary collaboration.
A Challenge to Consultation Research and Practice: Examining the "Culture" in Culturally Responsive Consultation.

Consultants have a critical role in serving individuals from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds across a variety of settings. For the past 30 years, consultation research has explore...
Using Memes in the Classroom as a Final Exam Review Activity

Innovative methods to engage students in their own learning process are being developed as further evidence is collected on how people learn. The advancement of technology and social media is one m...
Does importance influence confidence in organic food attributes

Abstract Previous studies have established that consumers have a significantly higher willingness to pay (WTP) for organic foods over their conventional counterparts. Not fully understood is how consumers view the importance of the required attributes of organic, how confident they are that the organic label reflects these attributes, and how these two factors interact and influence WTP. This study used non-hypothetical auction experiments to examine these issues with a sample of 128 consumers from the general population. Participants first entered their WTP for conventional and organic versions of four different foods selected in different categories (dairy, meat, vegetable) to cover the different possible organic attributes. They were then asked to rate their importance level in, and confidence of, seven required attributes of USDA organic (e.g. no synthetic pesticides, non-GM). The specific goals were to examine the relationship between importance and confidence ratings, and to determine if confidence ratings can be predicted by importance and how confidence in turn influences WTP. For the former, importance ratings for all organic attributes were found to be significantly higher than corresponding confidence ratings. Results from a simultaneous equation system then showed that higher importance ratings significantly increased confidence ratings, while higher confidence increased marginal WTP for all four organic food products. These findings suggest WTP for organic foods is more complex than typically perceived, with it relying heavily on how important consumers see each attribute and their confidence that they are really getting those attributes with their purchases.
Abstract 4236: A subtype-specific T-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals determinants of T-cell dysfunction in CAR T-cell therapy resistance

Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy has been a major success for B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (B-ALL), yet recent clinical trials suggest that approximately 20% of patients do not respond to therapy and 40% of initial responders relapse within a year. We hypothesize that intrinsic T-cell factors are a major contributor to early therapeutic failure to CAR T-cell therapy. In particular, since most protocols do not select for T-cell subtypes, the heterogeneity in T-cell composition likely plays a major role in CAR T-cell engineering and confounds functional and clinical correlative studies. In order to characterize the molecular phenotypes of T-cells underlying therapeutic response, we performed subtype-specific transcriptomic profiling of clinical T-cell populations in 71 patients treated with CAR T-cell therapy at the Children9s Hospital of Philadelphia. We obtained clinical T-cells via clinical leukapheresis prior to CAR T-cell engineering, used FACS to separate T-cells into five subtypes per patient (Naive, Stem Cell Memory, Central Memory, Effector Memory, and Effector), and performed RNA-Sequencing on all 355 samples. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most comprehensive transcriptomic profiling of clinical T-cells in CAR T-cell therapy to date. We found that a higher proportion of CCR7+CD62L+ naive and early memory T-cell phenotypes associates with longer clinical T-cell persistence (HR: 3.25 [1.37-7.89], P = 0.006), and that combining proportions of these populations with CCR7-CD62L-CD45RO+CD95+ effector memory T-cells has the greatest prognostic value (HR: 4.82 [1.89-12.32], P Citation Format: Gregory M. Chen, Changya Chen, Rajat K. Das, Yang-Yang Ding, Bing He, Hannah Kim, David M. Barrett, Kai Tan. A subtype-specific T-cell transcriptomic atlas reveals determinants of T-cell dysfunction in CAR T-cell therapy resistance [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 4236.
The effect of socially supportive church ministry on children's prosocial behavior: An experimental study of Latin American Protestant Congregations.

The church is commonly assumed to scaffold individuals' socially supportive relationships and prosocial behavior. If true, that would make the church an important support for individual development and community change, facilitating and fostering healthy relationships and positive interactions with others. In this study, we analyzed experimental data collected from 30 churches in three Latin American countries to assess the impact of an intervention targeting relational ministry practices on 6- to 14-year-old children's perceived support and prosocial behavior. Data were collected from children before (n = 710) and after (n = 612) the intervention in treatment (n = 25 churches) and control (n = 5 churches) conditions. Results indicated that the introduction of socially supportive practices in church children's ministries increased children's prosocial behavior, an effect mediated by changes in perceived support. Implications for children's development and the church as a means of community change are discussed.
Survival motor neuron deficiency slows myoblast fusion through reduced myomaker and myomixer expression

BACKGROUND Spinal muscular atrophy is an inherited neurodegenerative disease caused by insufficient levels of the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein. Recently approved treatments aimed at increasing SMN protein levels have dramatically improved patient survival and have altered the disease landscape. While restoring SMN levels slows motor neuron loss, many patients continue to have smaller muscles and do not achieve normal motor milestones. While timing of treatment is important, it remains unclear why SMN restoration is insufficient to fully restore muscle size and function. We and others have shown that SMN-deficient muscle precursor cells fail to efficiently fuse into myotubes. However, the role of SMN in myoblast fusion is not known. METHODS In this study, we show that SMN-deficient myoblasts readily fuse with wild-type myoblasts, demonstrating fusion competency. Conditioned media from wild type differentiating myoblasts do not rescue the fusion deficit of SMN-deficient cells, suggesting that compromised fusion may primarily be a result of altered membrane dynamics at the cell surface. Transcriptome profiling of skeletal muscle from SMN-deficient mice revealed altered expression of cell surface fusion molecules. Finally, using cell and mouse models, we investigate if myoblast fusion can be rescued in SMN-deficient myoblast and improve the muscle pathology in SMA mice. RESULTS We found reduced expression of the muscle fusion proteins myomaker (P = 0.0060) and myomixer (P = 0.0051) in the muscle of SMA mice. Suppressing SMN expression in C2C12 myoblast cells reduces expression of myomaker (35% reduction; P < 0.0001) and myomixer, also known as myomerger and minion, (30% reduction; P < 0.0001) and restoring SMN levels only partially restores myomaker and myomixer expression. Ectopic expression of myomixer improves myofibre number (55% increase; P = 0.0006) and motor function (35% decrease in righting time; P = 0.0089) in SMA model mice and enhances motor function (82% decrease in righting time; P < 0.0001) and extends survival (28% increase; P < 0.01) when administered in combination with an antisense oligonucleotide that increases SMN protein levels. CONCLUSIONS Here, we identified reduced expression of muscle fusion proteins as a key factor in the fusion deficits of SMN-deficient myoblasts. This discovery provides a novel target to improve SMA muscle pathology and motor function, which in combination with SMN increasing therapy could enhance clinical outcomes for SMA patients.
Advanced Automatic Target Recognition (ATR) with Infrared (IR) Sensors

Automatic Target Detection (ATD) and Recognition (ATR) are critical for video analysis and image understanding for many military and commercial applications deployed on satellites and UAV platforms. Infrared (IR) sensors can be used to detect targets during day and night time but there are few effective ATR algorithms that can exploit these sensors. Several years ago, Defense Systems Information Analysis Center (DSIAC) released an ATR Algorithm Development Image Database containing a large collection of mid-wave infrared (MWIR) imagery with multiple military and civilian vehicles as labelled targets. With the DSIAC database, we have developed AI models, which combine layers of the open-source You Only Look Once (YOLOv2) detection model with customized Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) feature extraction layers. The CNN layers are trained to extract the key features of the vehicle targets from the IR images. YOLOv2 provides target detection, classification, and localization. We have trained and tested the CNN YOLOv2 models with four different military and civilian vehicles (T72, ZSU -23-4, SUV, pickup truck) at distances ranging from 2,000m to 5,000m. Our ATR results with IR datasets show high mean average precision (mAP) between 97.25%-99.5% for day and night time images at distances of 2,000m to 5,000m. That is, we can both reliably detect and recognize different targets with only a few missed detections, and without a falsely recognized target (e.g., mistakenly classifying a civilian vehicle as a military vehicle) from as far as 5,000m. This work represents significant progress in being able to perform ATR at all times (day and night).
Expanding pneumatocele in an ELBW infant

Abstract Pneumatoceles are gas-filled cysts that can develop within lung parenchyma, often as the result of barotrauma. Pneumatoceles in extremely low birth weight (ELBW) premature infants present unique challenges, particularly when conservative management fails. We present a case of an enlarging pneumatocele that resulted in severe hemodynamic compromise which required surgical intervention. We review the described interventional techniques for pneumatocele management in the EBLW population and their indications.
Passive Morphing of Solar Powered Flying Wing Aircraft

High Altitude, Long Endurance (HALE) aircraft can achieve sustained uninterrupted flight time if they use solar power. Wing morphing of solar powered HALE aircraft can significantly increase solar energy absorbency. An example of the kind of morphing considered in this paper requires the wings to fold so as to orient a solar panel to be hit more directly by the sun’s rays at specific times of the day. In this paper solar powered HALE flying wing aircraft are modeled with three beams with lockable hinge connections. Such aircraft are shown to be capable of morphing passively, following the sun by means of aerodynamic forces and engine thrusts. The analysis underlying Nonlinear Aeroelastic Trim And Stability of HALE Aircraft (NATASHA), a computer program that benefits from geometrically exact, fully intrinsic beam equations, and a finite-state-induced flow model was extended to include the ability to simulate morphing of the aircraft into a “Z” configuration. Because of the “long endurance” feature of HALE aircraft, such morphing needs to be done without relying on actuators and as near zero energy cost as possible. The emphasis of this study is to substantially demonstrate the processes required to passively morph a flying into a Z- shaped configuration and back again.
Overview of Recent Tritium Target Filling, Layering, and Material Testing at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Support of Inertial Fusion Experiments

The Tritium Science and Engineering (AET-3) Group at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) performs a variety of activities to support Inertial Fusion (IF) research - both to further fundamental fusion science and to develop technologies in support of Inertial Fusion Energy (IFE) power generation. Inertial fusion ignition target designs have a smooth spherical shell of cryogenic Deuterium-Tritium (DT) solid contained within a metal or plastic shell that is a few mm in diameter. Fusion is attained by imploding these shells under the symmetric application of energy beams. For IFE targets the DT solid must also survive the process of injecting it into the power plant reactor. Non-ignition IF targets often require a non-cryogenic DT gas fill of a glass or polymeric shell. In this paper an overview will be given of recent LANL activities to study cryogenic DT layering, observe tritium exposure effects on IF relevant materials, and fill targets in support of IF implosion experiments. (authors)
RECRUITMENT OF COMMUNITY-RESIDING YOUTH INTO STUDIES ON AGGRESSION

Recruitment of community-based youth into studies is challenging. We examined access issues, minority status, and personal costs of participation for a study of children with aggressive behaviors, designed to identify which ones are at risk for future violent behaviors, to identify protective factors, and to test interventions to reduce aggression. Of 1,038 contacts, 112 declined, 239 could not be re-contacted, and 124 were ineligible. Three hundred and fifty of 563 scheduled child-parent dyads completed intake assessment. Most were recruited through targeted mailings (33%) and community flyers (22%), 12% through regional news advertisement, 8% by Craigslist, and 5% through healthcare providers/clinics. Factors contributing to enrollment rates by zip code showed the percentage of Black residents per zip code and targeted mailings positively contributed (Beta = .200 & .419, respectively) and estimated transit travel time negatively contributed (Beta =.299) to enrollment rates (R2 = 0.562). Targeted mailings proved to be the most efficient strategy in successful recruitment.
Ultrasonic Inspection, Material Noise and Surface Roughness

The ultrasonic detection of subsurface flaws, such as cracks or voids, may be greatly degraded by the presence of rough surfaces [1,2]. The loss of signal-to-noise arises for three reasons. First, the randomization of the phase of the wave by the roughness may reduce the phase coherent signal from the flaw. Second, additional noise is generated directly by the reflection of the incident beam by the rough surface. Finally, the material noise is modified.
The National Marrow Donor Program. Meeting the needs of the medically underserved.

BACKGROUND The National Marrow Donor Program operates the world's largest registry of volunteer unrelated stem cell donors. In recent years, the program has focused on building a large and diverse donor file. After initial recruitment, however, months or years may elapse before a potential donor is contacted on behalf of a searching patient. Here, the author begins to explore factors that influence donor availability at the confirmatory typing stage of the search process. METHODS Over a 1-year period from March 1, 1999 through February 29, 2000, the author evaluated donor unavailability rates at the confirmatory typing stage of the search process. Unavailability rates by donor racial/ethnic group and by donor center were evaluated. To determine the consistency within individual donor centers, the author compared donor unavailability during the first 6 months of the observation period with unavailability during the second 6 months. RESULTS Donor unavailability at confirmatory typing was higher among donors registered with domestic (U.S.) donor centers. The self-identified racial or ethnic group of the donor also affected the likelihood the donor will be available when requested. Between individual donor centers, there were large differences in the overall donor unavailability. Rates of donor unavailability tended to remain consistent at individual centers over time. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that procedures used at individual donor centers may dramatically impact donor unavailability. Future initiatives should undertake to identify best practice models for donor recruitment, retention, and subsequent contacts. Cancer 2001;91:274–8. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Effect of acute posttrauma propranolol on PTSD outcome and physiological responses during script-driven imagery.

SUMMARY Introduction: Animal and human research suggests that the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may involve the overconsolidation of memories of a traumatic experience. Previous studies have attempted to use pharmaceutical agents, especially the β-adrenergic blocker propranolol, to reduce this overconsolidation. Aims: In this randomized, placebo-controlled study of the efficacy of propranolol in reducing the development of PTSD, we optimized dosages and conducted both psychophysiological and clinical assessments 1 and 3 months after the traumatic event. Forty-one emergency department patients who had experienced a qualifying acute psychological trauma were randomized to receive up to 240 mg/day of propranolol or placebo for 19 days. At 4 and 12 weeks post-trauma, PTSD symptoms were assessed. One week later, participants engaged in script-driven imagery of their traumatic event while psychophysiological responses were measured. Results: Physiological reactivity during script-driven traumatic imagery, severity of PTSD symptoms, and the rate of the PTSD diagnostic outcome were not significantly different between the two groups. However, post hoc subgroup analyses showed that in participants with high drug adherence, at the 5-week posttrauma assessment, physiological reactivity was significantly lower during script-driven imagery in the propranolol than in the placebo subjects. Conclusions: The physiological results provide some limited support for a model of PTSD in which a traumatic conditioned response is reduced by posttrauma propranolol. However, the clinical results from this study do not support the preventive use of propranolol in the acute aftermath of a traumatic event.
Strain‐Induced Alignment Mechanisms of Carbon Nanotube Networks

Random networks comprised of millimeter-long multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown unique microstructure change mechanisms under uniaxial strain. These networks can be modified into highly aligned microstructures from strain-induced plastic deformation. Applying a treatment consisting of an uncured resin as a load transfer enhancement medium leads to a dramatically increased degree of alignment and final mechanical properties of the CNT networks. The structural evolution of the CNT networks includes different modes: de-bundling, elongation to reduce waviness, sliding friction, and packing for self-assembly into large bundles. The high ductility of the treated networks, which allows the network to achieve high degrees of strain-induced alignment is mainly because the extra high aspect ratios of the individual CNT and their bundles as well as enhanced load transfer. High aspect ratio causes high degrees of entanglement and locking points between the nanotubes in the random network, which are critical to provide adequate nanotube to nanotube load transfer for ductile deformation and lead to substantially increased CNT alignment during mechanical stretching. The classical strain strengthening mechanisms used in metals and polymers such as strain hardening and crystallization of long molecular chains are discussed and compared to CNT network deformation mechanisms. The CNT network strain hardening parameter n value is as high as 0.65, over three times that of annealed low-carbon steel and more than four times of polycarbonate plastics. Strength coefficient K values for the CNT network also show high values up to roughly 450 MPa, comparable to that of annealed magnesium alloys. The results show how the high degree of alignment of CNT networks and strain strengthening can be achieved through simple uniaxial strain and load transfer medium.
Supervisory Constraint Control of Advanced Multi-Modular Nuclear Reactor Plants

Advanced nuclear power plants, especially multi-modular designs, will benefit from the implementation of automatic reactor control. A proposed method of non-linear supervisory constraint control is applied to a liquid metal cooled reactor (LMR) module for evaluation. The supervisory element chooses operating set points and ensures that feasibility of control is maintained using a reactivity constraint. A reactor plant model, implemented on a personal computer, is used for controller evaluation. The multi-modular control problem, and proposed supervisory constraint control structure are discussed. Transient simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed controller.
Selection in Strategic Alliance Activity:: Effects on Firm Performance in the Computing Industry

An analysis of the impact of alliance activity during the period 1989–1993 on the performance of organizations in the US computing industry reveals that: (1) the distribution of alliance activity is skewed to firms with greater market power, capacity, as well as greater technical, commercial, social and organizational capital; (2) self-selection is significant in explaining the effects of alliance activity on firm performance; and, (3) controlling for self-selection alliances creates value for the firms choosing them but they do so at a lower rate of return than do the firms’ core activities alone. We establish that without such controls, the effects of alliance activity are greatly underestimated.
Dynamics of cinacalcet use and biochemical control in hemodialysis patients: a retrospective New-user cohort design

Cinacalcet is used to treat secondary hyperparathyroidism among hemodialysis patients. Large-scale epidemiologic studies describing patterns of cinacalcet use, effects on parathyroid hormone (PTH), calcium, and phosphorous levels, and predictors of discontinuation have not been previously reported. This retrospective cohort study used a clinical database of a large U.S. dialysis provider (2007–2010) merged with administrative data from the United States Renal Data System. Among new users of cinacalcet with Medicare coverage, trends in PTH, calcium, and phosphorus were measured in 30-day intervals following cinacalcet initiation. Seventeen thousand seven hundred sixty-three eligible initiators contributed 111,047 30-day follow-up intervals. Of these, 56 % discontinued cinacalcet by month 4. Of those discontinuing, 76.3 % reinitiated. Mean values of PTH, calcium, and phosphorus decreased to recommended levels within 4 months following initiation. Proximal PTH levels <150 pg/mL were associated with discontinuation: HR = 1.23 (95 % CI: 1.12, 1.36), whereas low calcium (<7.5 mg/dL) was suggestive of an association, HR = 1.09 (95 % CI 0.91, 1.32). Being in the Part D gap period increased discontinuation risk: HR = 1.09 (95 % CI: 1.03, 1.16). Low-income subsidy status decreased discontinuation risk: HR = 0.77 (95 % CI 0.69, 0.86). Predictors of reinitiation included low-income subsidy, HR = 1.32 (95 % CI 1.22, 1.43); higher albumin level, HR = 1.23 (95 % CI 1.10, 1.36) and higher calcium level, HR = 1.26 (95 % CI 1.19, 1.33). Substantial and expected declines in laboratory values occurred following cinacalcet initiation. Early discontinuation and reinitiation of cinacalcet were common and may have occurred for clinical and economic reasons.
Context management and its applications to distributed transactions

An emerging paradigm that handles multiple locii of control in a system allows multiple program threads to work on the same task, each thread to work on a different task, or a thread to work on multiple tasks for greater design flexibility or due to system constraints such as real-time demands and a high load on tasking. We use the definition of context to capture the notion of logical locus of control. The context of the work being currently executed must be identifiable uniquely by the application, the Resource Managers and the Transaction Manager because each context represents different work. In this paper we define context management by defining a local Context Manager and its user interface. We then show why the notion of context is required to solve the problems that arise in local and distributed transaction processing due to the emerging paradigm. We present solutions to these problems in transaction processing using the proposed context management.
Comparison of stormwater runoff from sedum, native prairie, and vegetable producing green roofs

Stormwater retention is one of the well-studied benefits of green roofs. A roof’s ability to retain stormwater depends on factors such as the intensity and duration of the rain event as well as substrate depth, substrate moisture content at the start of the rain event, and vegetation type, health, density and water use efficiency. Extensive green roofs used for crop production differ from traditional Sedum and prairie-covered extensive green roofs in plant density and water use efficiency, but their impact on stormwater retention has not been well studied. Three vegetation types (unfertilized Sedum and native prairie species mixes, and a fertilized vegetable and herb species mix) were compared for stormwater runoff quantity over three growing seasons and stormwater runoff quality during one growing season. The prairie covered green roofs had the lowest increase in runoff as precipitation increased, almost half that of Sedum or vegetable producing green roof treatments. Vegetation type had no effect on runoff nitrate-nitrogen (NO3 −) concentrations, but NO3 − concentrations decreased over the course of the growing season. Runoff phosphorus (P) concentrations also decreased over time in the Sedum and prairie treatments, which were lower than P concentrations from the vegetable green roof throughout the growing season. This is likely a result of the difference between amounts of NO3 − and P applied to the vegetable green roof and the needs of the crop plants in that treatment. The similarities in water retention and water quality between vegetable producing extensive green roofs and Sedum green roofs suggest that vegetable production with careful nutrient management will not have a negative impact on stormwater retention or runoff water quality.
A practical method for calculating approximate mean amplitudes of vibration without refined force fields

Abstract A practical method for calculating approximate mean amplitudes of vibration directly from experimental frequencies is tested. The procedure seems to allow the computation of mean amplitudes, whose values differ by only a few percent from reference values, without making use of a refined molecular force field.
Defect Reactions in GaP: (Zn,O)

We have observed photoinduced reactions between pairs of zinc and oxygen impurities in gallium phosphide. From photoluminescence studies we find that the nearest-neighbor (Zn, O) pairs are dissociating, after which they re-form as further separated pairs. The activation energy for the dissociation is found to be 0.60\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.07 eV for the photoinduced reaction, and 2.6\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.6 eV for the purely thermal reaction. We tentatively identify the photoinduced reaction as being due to excitation of local phonon modes by nonradiative electron-hole recombination.
Pressure induced phase transitions in some II–VI compounds

Abstract Pressure induced phase transitions have been found for a number of II–VI compounds. Transitions to a conducting state have been found for ZnS (240–245 kbars), ZnSe (165 kbars) and ZnTe (140–145 kbars). All these compounds have the zincblende structure at low pressure. It is believed that these are all solid-solid transitions. CdTe, which is also initially in the zincblende structure, has a transition with a relatively small drop in resistance at 30 kbars; at 100 kbars there is a transition to a conducting state. CdS which is initially wurtzite, has a transition with a very sharp drop in resistance at about 20 kbars. The resistance rises again and levels near 375 kbars. There is then a relatively sharp cusp at 465 kbars. This cusp makes a very good high pressure calibration point.
Optimization Models for the Scheduling of Testing Tasks in New Product Development

This paper presents several models for the optimal scheduling of testing tasks in the new product development process of an agricultural chemical or pharmaceutical company. In these industries, many of the tasks involved in producing a new product are regulatory requirements, such as environmental and safety tests. The failure of a single required test may prevent a potential product from reaching the marketplace and therefore must be explicitly included in the model. As an added complication, there are uncertainties in the costs, probabilities of success, durations of the tasks, and income resulting from introducing the new product. Given the goal of maximizing the expected net present value of the research, the scheduling problem is initially formulated as a nonlinear, nonconvex disjunctive program and then reformulated as a mixed integer linear program (MILP). It is shown that, with some simplifications, a formulation can be developed involving implicit constraints on the paths through a network repres...
A Review of Performance Metrics for Supply Chain Management

Abstract:There are hundreds of metrics that can be used to measure supply chain performance. Supply chain managers often find it difficult to select appropriate measures for their particular business or product. It is important for managers to have meaningful performance information to avoid becoming lost in a sea of data. As businesses expand into different regions and partnerships become a necessity for survival, successful managers must measure the performance of the supply chain, as well as understand the advantages, disadvantages, and limitations of the use of the supply chain. This study compiles and synthesizes important elements related to supply chain performance measurement. The results of this study can provide both managers and practitioners guidance for evaluating and measuring their supply chain effectively and, more importantly, efficiently.
Studies related to the metabolism of anabolic steroids in the horse: the identification of some 16-oxygenated metabolites of 19-nortestosterone

1. The metabolism of 19-nor[4-14C]testosterone in a thoroughbred horse has been studied and neutral urinary metabolites obtained after enzyme hydrolysis have been investigated by g.l.c.-mass spectrometry. 2. 3-Hydroxyestran-17-one, 17 alpha- and 17 beta-nortestosterone, estrane-3,17-diol (two isomers), 3,16-dihydroxyestran-17-one (two isomers), 3,17-dihydroxyestran-16-one (two isomers) and estrane-3,16,17-triol were identified in the neutral urinary extracts.
Report on Issyk-Kul biosphere reserve

Over the last 20 years many regional and international agreements and conventions have been signed. Interestingly, greater attention is paid to assessing the development of policies and projects as well as to capacity building. Within this context in May 1999 the Global Environment Facility (GEF) approved a partnership between the GEF Secretariat and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in order to determine the strategic position for capacity building as new ecological issues appear. Currently projects for Capacity Assessment for Global Environment Management are being implemented in 21 European countries including the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS). In Kyrgyzstan such projects began when the National Executive Agency of the Ministry of Ecology and Emergencies of the Kyrgyz Republic was appointed. The aim of self-assessment is to identify and analyse national priorities and needs for capacity increase at the individual, institutional and system levels which are necessary for the implementation of three global ecological conventions. Project main goals: (1) Assessment of priority, needs and identification of common problems within the framework of all the conventions; (2) Assessment of national country capacity in the area of implementation of the three conventions, (3) Preparation of the National Strategic Action Plan and (4) Strengthening of dialogue and cooperation among stakeholders.
Design and fabrication of low-cost ferrite circulators

Advances in microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) technology have resulted in a dramatic reduction in the size and cost of active microwave circuits over the past several years. There have been several factors which have contributed to this success, some of the principal ones being more accurate device and circuit models, efficient user-friendly design tools, improved manufacturing processes, cost-effective packaging and high-volume testing enhancements. Efforts have been recently initiated to address many of these same factors to reduce the cost and size of MMIC-compatible circulators. This paper will review recent related technical activities in the United States, much of it being conducted by members of the Ferrite Development Consortium which is sponsored in part by the Advanced Research Project Agency (ARPA). Design and fabrication of low-cost ferrite circulators Denis C Webb Naval Research Laboratory Washington, DC USA 20375-5320 Abstract Advances in microwave monolithic integrated circuit (MMIC) technology have resulted in a dramatic reduction in the size and cost of active microwave circuits over the past several years. There have been several factors which have contributed to this success, some of the principal ones being more accurate device and circuit models, efficient user-friendly design tools, improved manufacturing processes, cost-effective packaging and high-volume testing enhancements. Efforts have been recently initiated to address many of these same factors to reduce the cost and size of MMIC-compatible circulators.
Upper mantle seismic structure beneath eastern Mexico determined from P and S waveform inversion and its implications

[1] We present compressional (P) and shear (S) wave seismic velocity models for the upper mantle beneath southeastern Mexico derived from waveform inversion of triplicated seismic phases. The seismic waveform data produced by an earthquake located near the Mexico-Guatemala border were recorded by the La Ristra passive seismic array. The La Ristra seismic array consists of 54 broadband seismometers arranged linearly from west Texas to southeastern Utah. The orientation of the La Ristra array is nearly along the great circle from the event, and the distance (18.5°–26.5°) of the seismic array from southern Mexico is such that the data are ideal for investigating localized seismic structure of the upper mantle. Previous tomography and receiver function studies provide a priori knowledge of receiver-side crustal and upper mantle structure from which static adjustments were made to the seismic data. The waveforms were inverted for mantle velocity from 40 to 1000 km depth using a conjugate gradient algorithm. In the inversion, we evaluated a suite of starting models with different depths of the 410 km and 660 km discontinuities and varying velocity gradients. The best fitting models have velocity increases across the 410 km discontinuity of 6.2% and 7.3% for P and S wave velocities, respectively. The velocity jump across the 660 km discontinuity was found to be 3.3% for P waves and 6.3% for S waves. The size of the upper mantle discontinuities that we find are more in agreement with a pyrolite composition than standard reference models imply. A common feature of the best fitting models is a low-velocity zone above the 410 km discontinuity that is more prominent in the shear velocity model than the compressional velocity model. This feature may be due to partial melting induced by water release from the transition zone. The overall jump in velocity at 410 km is also larger than in previously published models with a lower gradient below. In addition, the P wave data require a small discontinuity at 490 km depth that is not resolved in the S data. Finally, the S wave data require an unusually high gradient beginning at about 600 km depth extending to the 660 km discontinuity. This feature may be due to a thermal and/or mineralogic anomaly due to a flat lying slab beneath eastern Mexico.
Some projective modules determined by sporadic geometries

Abstract We determine which known sporadic geometries have projective Lefschetz modules. An elementary lemma on local collapsibility greatly simplifies the task of verifying projectivity. The modules are analyzed when possible in terms of projective covers of individual irreducibles.
Symbols for Chromosome Numbers

IN a paper on the chromosomes of Chrysanthemum, Shimotomai1 pointed out the need for a special symbol to represent the basic number of chromosomes in genera containing polyploid species. He suggests, however, that n should be used for this purpose, and 2 being introduced as new symbols for the gametic and zygotic numbers of chromosomes respectively in a particular species. This usage has been followed by Dr. I. V. Newman in a paper2 recently issued. The need for an additional symbol for the fundamental number in a genus has been evident for some time but as n and 2n have long been in use for the haploid and diploid chromosome numbers of a species, it seems clear that they should remain unchanged, and the new symbol should be introduced for the new conception of a basic number for the genus.
Solid phase synthesis of polynucleotides. VI. Farther studies on polystyrene copolymers for the solid support

Abstract A simple solid phase method for the synthesis of oligodeoxyribonucleotides has been developed using the phosphotriester approach. Mononucleotide coupling units are sequentially added to the polystyrene copolymer with 1% divinylbenzene and two kinds of oligonucleotides, d(CACGACCCCTCCACGT) and d(AACTGGTATTACTGGGCG), are synthesized in a relatively high yield. One cycle of the mononucleotide addition is about 70 minutes, and this method is particularly suitable for the automation of the synthesis upon availability of an automatic synthesizer.
The Internet and Beyond

One useful feature on the net is the University of Michigan Weather Underground. It provides weather forecasts for most parts of the United States and Canada, conveniently available by city, and also gives information on earthquakes, skiing conditions, and hurricane advisories. This is installed on several Gopher systems, but is also reachable by Telnet.
Oral streptococci and cardiovascular disease: searching for the platelet aggregation-associated protein gene and mechanisms of Streptococcus sanguis-induced thrombosis

Background: Pathogenic mechanisms in infective endocarditis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and cardiovascular events involve the aggregation of platelets into thrombi. Attendant infection by oral bacteria contributes to these diseases. We have been studying how certain oral streptococci induce platelet aggregation in vitro and in vivo. Streptococcus sanguis expresses a platelet aggregation-associated protein (PAAP), which contributes little to adhesion to platelets. When specific antibodies or peptides block PAAP, S. sanguis fails to induce platelet aggregation in vitro or in vivo.Methods: We used subtractive hybridization to identify the gene encoding for PAAP.Results: After subtraction of strain L50 (platelet aggregation-negative), four strain 133-79 specific sequences were characterized. Sequence agg4 encoded a putative collagen-binding protein (CbpA), which was predicted to contain two PAAP collagen-like octapeptide sequences. S. sanguis CbpA- mutants were constructed and tested for inductio...
Secondary electron emission from the entrance and exit surfaces of thin carbon foils under fast ion bombardment

The total secondary electron emission (SEE) yield from the entrance and exit surfaces of thin carbon foils under fast ion (^(16)O, ^(19)F, ^(35)Cl) bombardment has been measured as a function of the ion energy and the ion beam current intensity. Using a retarding field, the energy distribution of secondary electrons integrated over almost all angles of emission in the backward and forward directions has also been measured. It is found that total forward emission is larger than backward emission by factors of up to 2.5, 2.7 and 3.4 for ^(16)O^(+3), ^(19)F^(+3) and ^(35)Cl^(+5), respectively. It is suggested that the enhancement of forward SEE may be partly due to effects from the instantaneous charge state of the heavy ion beam in the solid in addition to the binary collisions of the projectile with individual electrons in the target. It is also shown that the total SEE yield from the entrance and exit surfaces of the target foils decreases with ion beam current intensity; this may be a beam-induced temperature effect. The total SEE yield in both the forward and backward directions is less sensitive to surface conditions for high velocity ions than for low velocity ions and the total yield from both surfaces of the foils is proportional to the ion stopping power in the target, where the constant of proportionality depends on the properties of material.
Discrete event simulation & modeling of the transportation element within a supply chain (SC)

The SC involves coordinating elements along a value chain delivering the appropriate quantities of goods and services to the right locations while meeting service level requirements and minimizing end-to-end SC costs. Transportation is a significant element of the SC that supports business operations and logistics. This presentation discusses the data collection, the process mapping of carrier delivery flows across all transportation modes and the data analysis of the simulation activity. The conversion of the data analysis outputs and process mapping into the composition of an end-to-end transportation model is described. The presentation discusses the transformation of the information into a modular and serial construct that imitates the serial nature of the transportation element while allowing the involved operations to be included in a logical, expandable and maintainable approach within the capabilities of a given simulation environment. Finally, the presentation addresses the institutionalization of the model within the SC organization.
Effects of Modality on Interrupted Flight Deck Performance: Implications for Data Link

Externally-imposed tasks frequently interrupt ongoing task performance in the commercial flight deck. While normally managed without consequence, basic research as well as aviation accident and incident investigations show that interruptions can negatively affect performance and safety. This research investigates the influence of interruption and interrupted task modality on pilot performance in a simulated commercial flight deck. Fourteen current commercial airline pilots performed approach scenarios in a fixed-base flight simulator. Air traffic control instructions, conveyed either aurally or visually (via a data link system) interrupted a visual task (obtaining information from the Flight Management System) and an auditory task (listening to the automated terminal information service recording). Some results confirm the hypothesized performance advantage of cross-modality conditions, more compelling nature of auditory interruptions, and interruption-resistance of auditory ongoing tasks. However, taken together, results suggest the four interaction conditions had different effects on pilot performance. These results have implications for the design of data link systems, and for facilitating interruption management through interface design, aiding, and training programs.