cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sulindac increases colonic tumors in mice with Apc, Mlh1 and Apc/Mlh1 mutations.

3159 We previously reported that sulindac had a dual effect on tumor development in Apc min/+ mice, inhibiting tumors in the small intestine and increasing tumors in the large intestine (Carcinogenesis, 22:1871-1875, 2001). In this study we investigated this dual response in mice with a single Apc1638+/− or Mlh1+/− targeted mutation, and in compound mice with Mlh1+/−Apc1638+/− double mutations. All mice were fed control AIN-76A diet with or without 0.02% sulindac for 6 months. The results were as follows: (1) in Apc1638+/− mice tumor incidence in the small intestine decreased after feeding the sulindac diet (0% after sulindac vs 63% before, P
Immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced inflammatory arthritis: identification and management

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have proved to be groundbreaking in the field of oncology. However, immune system overactivation from ICIs has introduced a novel medical entity known as immune-...
Augmenting the effect of professional development on effective instruction through professional communities

This study addresses gaps in the research about the effect of professional development (PD) quality on effective instruction by taking a broad perspective when defining professional learning of tea...
Search Engine for Heterogeneous Internet of Things Systems and Optimization

The Internet of Things (IoT) now thoroughly suffuses our world, building on network communication and software technologies to increasingly interconnect sensors and actuators for unprecedented data collection. Yet, massively distributed IoT systems may be isolated in traditional intranets, creating unnecessary redundancy between different organizations that fulfill the same functions. To address these issues and develop an IoT Search Engine that can fully cope with the challenges of modern IoT deployment, in this paper we propose an IoT search engine platform using Python-based COAP (Constrained Application Protocol) which can discover and subscribe IoT sensors within the coverage of IoT search engine gateways. The search engine can retrieve data from sensors of different IoT systems, which we demonstrate using a traffic dataset to simulate autonomous vehicle queries. Our implementation also includes two designed algorithms to demonstrate mechanisms for data and data optimization.
La Desigualdad En América Central Durante Los Años Noventa

Este trabajo pretende examinar dos preguntas: ?como y por que cambio la distribucion de los ingresos en los paises de America Central en los anos noventa?, y, ?por que estan los ingresos distribuido en una manera mas equitativa en Costa Rica en comparacion a los otros paises de la region?. Para buscar respuestas a estas preguntas, se usa una tecnica, basada en la estimacion de ecuaciones de remuneracion, que mide la magnitud de la desigualdad debido a diferentes caracteristicas personales y del puesto de trabajo. La direccion de los cambios en la desigualdad del ingreso en los paises Centroamericanos en los anos noventa no es clara. Solamente Costa Rica presenta un deterioro claro en la distribucion del ingreso. En los otros paises, los resultados dependen de la medida de la desigualdad y del preceptor que se utilice. Pero bajo de estos cambios brutos, se encuentran fenomenos comunes en todos los paises en los mercados de trabajo. El aumento en la dispersion de las jornadas de trabajo, es el fenomeno que se identifica con el mayor impacto negativo sobre equidad. Se identifican dos causas importantes de los diferentes niveles de desigualdad entre Costa Rica y el resto de los paises de America Central. Primero, la educacion esta mas igualitariamente distribuida en Costa Rica que en el resto de la region. Segundo, las diferencias salariales entre las zonas urbanas y rurales son mas bajas en Costa Rica. Estos resultados implican que las politicas Costarricenses de la universalizacion de la educacion primaria y de proveer aun a las comunidades rurales mas aisladas de infraestructura economica y social son tambien causas importantes de las diferencias n la desigualdad entre Costa Rica y el resto de Centroamerica.
Study of the displacement transition in SF6 + Kr binary films on graphite using infrared spectroscopy and ellipsometry

Abstract The hysteretic displacement of an SF6 monolayer on graphite by Kr was studied using infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy supplemented by ellipsometry. The SF6 molecule has a strong IR-active vibrational mode (ν3) at 948.0 cm−1. The coverage and local density of the SF6 monolayer are inferred from the ν3 absorption peak area and the blue shift of the ν3 mode, respectively, the latter due to dynamic dipole coupling between SF6 molecules in the layer. Throughout the temperature range 65.3 to 110.2 K, a first order transition with large hysteresis was found in the SF6 monolayer displacement-recovery cycle driven by Kr spreading pressure. The hysteresis is asymmetric, with displacement going to completion at a sharp pressure, while the initial ~10% of recovery occurs much closer to the displacement pressure than the pressure allowing full recovery, especially above 95 K. Over the temperature range studied, an upper limit of 0.25% on the solubility of Kr in the SF6 layer was determined by the absence of a significant change in the collective vibrational mode frequency preceding displacement. Above 92 K, spectra indicate a small solubility of SF6 in the Kr monolayer, up to 4% approaching displacement of the Kr layer at T ≥ 98 K. Below 74 K the kinetics of SF6 displacement to bulk is sufficiently slow that the monolayer is readily compressed to a metastable bilayer covering half the surface, with both layers apparently 2 × 2 commensurate with the graphite substrate. The decay time constant of the confined bilayer to bulk SF6 crystallites is about 4 h at 65.3 K.
Learning to code and the acquisition of computational thinking by young children

Abstract This longitudinal study examined changes in Computational Thinking (CT) skills in first and second grade students exposed to a developmentally appropriate coding curriculum. The “Coding as Another Language” (CAL) curriculum spans seven weeks and uses the KIBO robot to engage students in learning that integrates programming and literacy concepts. We compared children receiving CAL (N = 667) to a control group (N = 181) who participated in typical classroom activities without coding (No-CAL). TechCheck, a validated “unplugged” CT assessment suitable for young children regardless of their coding experience, was used to measure CT. Over the course of the study, children who received CAL-KIBO improved on TechCheck (Mchange = 0.94, p
Supreme Court Amicus Brief of Civil Procedure and Securities Law Professors in Support of Petitioner, California Public Employees' Retirement System, No. 16-373

Amici curiae law professors (Janet Alexander, Stephen Burbank, Kevin Clermont, John Coffee, Jr., James Cox, Scott Dodson, David Engstrom, Jonah Gelbach, Norman Spaulding, Benjamin Spencer) filed this brief in the United States Supreme Court in support of petitioner in California Public Employees' Retirement System v. ANZ Securities, Inc., No. 16-373, regarding the applicability of American Pipe's protective tolling rule to statutes of repose in the federal securities laws. The brief uses original data to offer simple empirical estimates of the likely efficiency costs of a decision by the Court limiting American Pipe's reach.
Dual-source and prospective gated low dose neonatal cardiac computed tomography in evaluation of congenital heart disease

Abstract Background There are very limited studies describing radiation dose using prospective gated dual-source Cardiac CT in neonates. Objectives The aim of this study is to describe the radiation exposure parameters in newborns using modern fast CT scanner (prospective gated dual-source technique) and the role of CT scan in providing useful information for optimal management planning. Methods Retrospective review of 60 neonates who underwent cardiac CT at our Children's Hospital between November 2019 to November 2020 using the Siemens Somatom Force Dual-Source scanner (Siemens Medical Solutions, Malvern, PA, USA) and prospective gated technique. Patient demographic information, total dose length product (DLP), computed tomographic dose index volume (CTDIvol), patient average heart rate during the scan, indication for the study and patient diagnosis were reviewed. The estimated effective radiation dose was calculated using a previously published conversion rate. Both quantitative and qualitative image quality was evaluated at satellite workstation. Results Median effective radiation dose for the computed tomographic angiography (CTA) was 0.31 mSv. The median total DLP was 8 mGycm and median CTDIvol was 2.46 mGy. The average image noise was 23 with calculated average signal to noise ratio of 22 and average contrast to noise ratio of 19. The qualitative image quality was excellent or good in all of our study subjects with no repeat CT scan needed due to image quality. Conclusion Using newer generation dual-source fast scanners with prospective ECG-triggered technique, cardiac CT can be done with very low dose in neonates. Cardiac CT provides better understanding of complex congenital heart disease for optimal management planning when echocardiography does not answer the clinical question.
Designing a fibrotic microenvironment to investigate changes in human liver sinusoidal endothelial cell function

The deposition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins by hepatic cells during fibrosis leads to the stiffening of the organ and perturbed cellular functions. Changes in the elasticity of liver tissue are manifested by altered phenotype in hepatic cells. We have investigated changes in human liver sinusoidal endothelial cells (hLSECs) that occur as the elastic modulus of their matrix transitions from healthy (6kPa) to fibrotic (36kPa) conditions. We have also investigated the role played by Kupffer cells in the dedifferentiation of hLSECs. We report the complete loss of fenestrae and the expression of CD31 at the surface as a result of increasing elastic moduli. LSECs exhibited a greater number of actin stress fibers and vinculin focal adhesion on the stiffer substrate, as well. A novel finding is that these identical trends can be obtained on soft (6kPa) substrates by introducing an inflamed microenvironment through the addition of Kupffer cells. hLSEC monocultures on 6kPa gels exhibited fenestrae that were 140.7±52.6nm in diameter as well as a lack of surface CD31 expression. Co-culturing hLSECs with rat Kupffer cells (rKCs) on 6kPa substrates, resulted in the complete loss of fenestrae, an increase in CD31 expression and in a well-organized cytoskeleton. These results demonstrate that the increasing stiffness of liver matrices does not solely result in changes in hLSEC phenotype. Even on soft substrates, culturing hLSECs in an inflamed microenvironment can result in their dedifferentiation. Our findings demonstrate the interplay between matrix elasticity and inflammation in the progression of hepatic fibrosis.
Children’s Play as a Context for Managing Physiological Arousal and Learning Emotion Regulation

In this paper I examine children’s play as a context for managing physiological arousal and learning to regulate strong emotions. I define emotion regulation as the process by which children monitor and control their emotional states and their expression to adapt to different social situations or demands. Age trends and gender differences in emotion regulation problems and competencies are described. I then review the development of play, deprivation studies, and the biological functions of different forms of play in primates before discussing children’s play. Vigorous social play benefits children by promoting the development of communication, perspective-taking and emotion regulation skills. For boys especially, rough-and-tumble play in early childhood provides a scaffold for learning emotion regulation skills related to managing anger and aggression.
Enhanced passivation integrity test for improved passivation failure detection

The passivation or glassivation of a die seals the top metallization of a micro device from moisture and mobile contaminants. It also prevents the die from mechanical and chemical damage during final assembly. Because of its importance, the passivation should be care fully assessed for thickness, cove rage and integrity. A passivation integrity test is usually performed to check the structural quality of the passivation film on new process developed devices. However, as the complexity of top metallization increases/becomes denser and as metallization dimension shrinks, detection of passivation defect (e.g. pinhole, cracks, etc.) would be a challenge using the standard passivation integrity test. Hence, by enhancing the standard passivation integrity test procedure, the detection of passivation flaws can be easily eased.
AN ACTUALIST'S GUIDE TO QUANTIFYING IN

espanolDesarrollo un metodo para simular cuantificacion sobre objetos meramente posibles. El metodo es aceptable desde la perspectiva de un actualista modal. EnglishI develop a device for simulating quantification over merely possible objects from the perspective of a modal actualist ---someone who thinks that everything that exists actually exists.
The impact of role variables on IS personnel work attitudes and intentions

This study examines the antecedents of job satisfaction, commitment, and turnover intentions for 229 information systems (IS) personnel employed within several industries. The antecedents studied include boundary spanning, role ambiguity, and role conflict. A model of these variables was built and tested using path analysis. Role ambiguity was found to be the most dysfunctional variable for IS personnel, accounting for 10.3%, 20.2% and 22.2% of the variance in turnover intentions, commitment, and job satisfaction. This information is used to make recommendations to IS management. Finally, recommendations and directions are suggested regarding future research.
Does Our Universe Allow for Robust Quantum Computation

An approach for analyzing quantum decoherence may help push the boundaries of quantum computing.
Framing Trade‐offs: The Politics of Nuclear Power and Wind Energy in the Age of Global Climate Change

This article outlines recent debates over nuclear energy and wind farms in an age of growing concern about climate change. Proponents of these technologies have used “trade-off” frames to promote these technologies in the face of current and potential opposition to them. This article examines the nature and limits of the trade-off frames being used and their probability of success. We argue that using the language of trade-offs is generally a suboptimal framing strategy: trade-off frames remind the public of the costs associated with particular policies, and therefore play into the hands of policy opponents. However, policy advocates may turn to them when the costs of a technology are well known and are perceived as high. In such cases, trade-off frames may help to justify controversial policy solutions. Like any frames, the trade-off frames used in the debate over climate change solutions both illuminate and obscure the deeper issues involved in energy policy reform.
Fatty Emaciation: A Case Report of Suspected Fat Overload Syndrome in Oral Refeeding

Refeeding syndrome has been observed in patients receiving nutrition after a prolonged period of malnourishment and is characterized by multiple metabolic derangements. Besides hypophosphatemia and hypoglycemia, lipemia has been described in association with parenteral nutrition administration to the malnourished. The authors describe one anorexic patient who developed lipemia during oral refeeding, followed by a precipitous drop in hematocrit suggestive of fat overload syndrome.
Bringing Reality to the Introductory Marketing Student

Introductory marketing students can certainly learn the fundamental marketing concepts and principles in the classroom. However, if students are to appreciate fully the complexities and the importance of marketing decision-making they should experience marketing in the business world. This article describes a project which has been used for the past four years to accomplish this end.
Influence of reactant gas vapor pressure on the electrical properties and the electroluminescent efficiency of GaAs0.62P0.38

A number of workers have shown that the vapor pressure of the reactant gases strongly influences the electrical properties of GaAs vapor grown in the ASCI3 system. This paper presents the results of a study of the effects of the variation of vapor pressures on GaAs0.62P0.38 grown in the hydride synthesis system. The material was analyzed using Hall effect measurements taken as a function of temperature from room to liquid helium temperatures, and using test electroluminescent diodes. A least squares fit was made to the Hall effect data using a model which includes the effects of two valley conduction to obtain densities of donors and acceptors and donor ionization energies. Increasing reactant gas pressure causes a decrease in donor and acceptor densities as ND, NA∞ P -2.5 which is slower than the P−4 observed by DiLorenzo in the ASCI3 system. The ionization energy of the donors was quite high (100 meV) for the high and low pressures, and were less than 10 meV for the intermediate pressures. Hall mobilities at room and liquid nitrogen temperatures were best for material grown at intermediate pressures and the electroluminescent efficiencies of unencapsulated test diodes increased from 0.05 per cent at the extremes to above 0.1-0.2 per cent at the intermediate pressures. These variations are consistent with varying Si incorporation rate and varying density of point defects with varying reactant gas vapor pressure.
Cointegration and causality between macroeconomic variables and stock market returns

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate whether current economic activities in Korea can explain stock market returns by using a cointegration test and a Granger causality test from a vector error correction model. This study finds that the Korean stock market reflects macroeconomic variables on stock price indices. The cointegration test and the vector error correction model illustrate that stock price indices are cointegrated with a set of macroeconomic variables—that is, the production index, exchange rate, trade balance, and money supply—which provides a direct long-run equilibrium relation with each stock price index. However, the stock price indices are not a leading indicator for economic variables, which is inconsistent with the previous findings that the stock market rationally signals changes in real activities.
The Longer The Shifts For Hospital Nurses, The Higher The Levels Of Burnout And Patient Dissatisfaction

Extended work shifts of twelve hours or longer are common and even popular with hospital staff nurses, but little is known about how such extended hours affect the care that patients receive or the well-being of nurses. Survey data from nurses in four states showed that more than 80 percent of the nurses were satisfied with scheduling practices at their hospital. However, as the proportion of hospital nurses working shifts of more than thirteen hours increased, patients’ dissatisfaction with care increased. Furthermore, nurses working shifts of ten hours or longer were up to two and a half times more likely than nurses working shorter shifts to experience burnout and job dissatisfaction and to intend to leave the job. Extended shifts undermine nurses’ well-being, may result in expensive job turnover, and can negatively affect patient care. Policies regulating work hours for nurses, similar to those set for resident physicians, may be warranted. Nursing leaders should also encourage workplace cultures that...
Practical Guidance and Ethical Considerations for Studies Using Photo-Elicitation Interviews

Photo-elicitation is a qualitative interviewing technique that has gained popularity in recent years. It is the foundation for photovoice projects and is a tool well-suited for community-based participatory research. Photo-elicitation yields rich data, and interview participants say these interviews encourage community awareness and engagement. This article draws on 9 studies, conducted by researchers at 3 institutions (the University of Pennsylvania, the Philadelphia Veterans Affairs Medical Center, and the Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth) in partnership with community-based organizations and students, in which 303 participants completed photo-elicitation interviews. We offer 8 practical suggestions for overcoming challenges encountered during photo-elicitation research and for managing ethical concerns about the use of visual data in public health research. Our guidelines can inform study design, protocol development, and institutional review board approval.
Stress, Social Resources, and Depression among Never‐Married and Divorced Rural Mothers

While the impact of single parenting on women and children has long been a concern, very little research has focused on single parents living in rural areas. Based on a probability sample of 508 single mothers aged 18-39 living in rural Northern New England, the present study: (1) examines the impact of several domains of stress on mothers' depression, (2) considers potential buffering effects of social resources, and (3) identifies variations in conditions and outcomes for divorced and never-married mothers. Findings highlight the importance of multiple forms of stress exposure, showing independent significant effects of lifetime adversity, recent life events, and chronic stressors on current depressive symptoms. Although emotional support reduces depression, neither support nor living arrangements moderate the impact of recent and current stressors. Divorced women experience more stress exposure, greater vulnerability to stress, and do not benefit from family support to the same extent as never-married mothers. Possible differences in the meanings that divorced and never-married mothers attach to current life circumstances are discussed. Language: en
Tactile sensitivity and muscle strength in newborn boys and girls

Three samples of newborns were measured on tactile sensitivity (using an aesthesiometer) and two indices of muscle strength (prone head reaction and grip strength). There was no sex difference found in tactile sensitivity. When the probabilities of all three samples were combined, sex differences were found in prone head reaction and grip strength, with boys showing greater strength than girls. Chubbiness and weight were negatively related to tactile sensitivity for boys in one of the three samples. Weight did not account for the sex differences in strength.
Cosmic rays and particle physics at extremely high energies

Abstract Cosmic ray extensive air shower observations can give clues about the properties of high-energy particle interactions above 1015 eV, in addition to giving information about the primary cosmic ray spectrum at these energies. A brief review of recent high energy accelerator data and its theoretical interpretation is given to explain the necessity for obtaining information from cosmic rays about hadronic interactions beyond machine energies. In particular, it is shown that recent measurements of the energy dependence of total cross-sections and of production cross-sections suggest some sort of threshold behavior in the 1000 GeV region. Studies at higher energies are required to understand the nature of this behavior. The use of air shower data for this purpose is illustrated by comparing shower size us depth measurements with the expectations of various models of strong interactions.
Scenario-Based Robust Optimization of Regional Water and Wastewater Infrastructure

AbstractUncertainties facing water planners and designers include changes in demand resulting from community growth (temporal and spatial), per capita water use, public perceptions, and regulations. One of the most powerful and intuitive ways to represent these uncertainties in the planning stage is to use scenarios. A scenario represents a realization of the system’s random parameters. Scenario-based analysis provides organizational flexibility by planning for multiple potential future scenarios, each of which may be, although is not necessarily, associated with a probability of occurrence. In this study, a scenario-based multiobjective optimization model for robust optimal design of regional-scale water and wastewater infrastructure is presented. The proposed methodology is demonstrated with an application to the planning of a decentralized water supply and reuse system for a new development area in metropolitan Tucson, where sustainable water supply is a significant issue.
Satellite-Based Estimates Of Heavy Precipitation

The purpose of this paper is to present satellite-GOES based methodologies for analyzing and forecasting (short range) precipitation from convective systems, extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones. Currently, satellite-derived precipitation estimates and 3-hour precipitation trends for convective systems, extratropical cyclones and tropical cyclones are computed on the NESDIS Interactive Flash Flood Analyzer and transmitted via AFOS to Weather Service Forecast Offices, Weather Service Offices and River Forecast Centers. These estimates and trends aid hydrologists and meteorologists in their evaluation of heavy precipitation events.
The Methodological Unboundedness of Limited Discovery Processes

Though designers must understand systems, designers work differently than scientists in studying systems. Design engagements do not discover whole systems, but take calculated risks between discovery and intervention. For this reason, design practices must cope with open systems, and unpacking the tacit guidelines behind these practices is instructive to systems methodology. This paper shows that design practice yields a methodology which applies across forms of design. Design practice teaches us to generate ideas and gather data longer, but stop when the return on design has diminished past its cost. Fortunately, we can reason about the unknown by understanding the character of the unbounded. We suppose that there might as well be an infinite number of factors, but we can reason about their concentration without knowing all of them. We demonstrate this concept on stakeholder systems, showing how design discovery informs systems methodology. Using this result, we can apply the methods of parametric design when the parameters are not yet known by establishing the concentration of every kind of factor, entailing a discovery rate of diminishing returns over discovery activities, allowing the analysis of discovery-based trade-offs. Here, we extend a framework for providing metrics to parametric design, allowing it to express the importance of discovery.
Discrimination and Dress Codes in Urban Nightlife

The “velvet rope racism” of nightclubs means celebrating Black music while keeping young Black men off the guest list.
A Monte Carlo Model for On-Line Neutron Capture Prompt Gamma-Ray Analysis of Coal in Transmission Geometry

A Monte Carlo simulation model has been developed to predict the unscattered gamma-ray intensities of an in situ neutron capture prompt gamma-ray analysis system for assaying the elemental concentrations of material that move on a conveyor belt. The model incorporates all pertinent neutron and photon interactions for the assay of coal and all variance reduction techniques necessary to make every history a success. Prompt gamma-ray intensities from all elements of interest over a range of elemental compositions of the sample matrix are calculated in one execution of the program. The calculated results are verified with experimental results on a coal sample in a test configuration that is spiked with variable amounts of sulfur and titanium as two sample elements of interest. The model is expected to be very useful for the optimum design and calibration of on-line neutron capture prompt gamma-ray analysis systems operating in the conveyor belt geometry.
Computational studies of inclusion phenomena and synthesis of a novel and selective molecular receptor for 1,4-disubstituted benzenes and 4,4'-disubstituted biphenyls

A new tetracationic molecular receptor has been synthesized and studied by semiempirical molecular orbital theory. This novel macrocycle, 14+, derived from pentacyclo[5.0.0.0.2,60.3,1005,9]undecane-8,11-dione (PCU-8,11-dione), structurally resembles cyclobis(paraquat-p-phenylene), 24+, in which a xylyl group has been replaced by a PCU unit. This derivatization effectively increases the size and flexibility of 14+ and changes its electronic, dynamical, and binding properties. A conformational search using Osawa's corner flapping technique and the PM3 semiempirical method identifies eight unique and low-energy 14+ conformers. The principal regions of structural variation occur in the bipyridinium torsion and in the ethylene bridges between PCU and the tetracationic unit. The inclusion complexes of 14+ with 1,4-disubstituted benzenes and 4,4‘-disubstituted biphenyls have been studied by PM3. The first shell of solvation is approximated by the explicit inclusion of 12 acetonitriles in the computed supramolecu...
Lessons learned from teaching reflective software engineering using the Leap toolkit

After using and teaching the Personal Software Process (PSP) (W.S. Humphrey, 1995) for over four years, the author came to appreciate the insights and benefits that it produced. However, there were some general problems with the PSP. These problems led him to begin work on an alternative software process improvement method called reflective software engineering. Like the PSP, reflective software engineering is based upon a simple idea: people learn best from their own experience. Reflective software engineering supports experience based improvement in developers' professional activities by helping the developer structure their experience, record it, and analyze it. Unlike the PSP, reflective software engineering is designed around the presence of extensive automated support. The support is provided by a Java based toolkit called "Leap" . The kinds of structured insights and experiences users can record with Leap include: the size of the work product; the time it takes to develop it; the defects that the user or others find in it; the patterns that they discover during the development of it; checklists that they use during or design as a result of the project; estimates for time or size that they generate during the project; and the goals, questions, and measures that the user uses to motivate the data recording.
Flow localization models — a review

Abstract This review describes the various modelling approaches to the problem of shear localization. Four types of models have been identified: flow softening, deformation heating, textural softening and void nucleation softening. Additionally included is flow localization involved in the fracture process which describes the state of understanding of the relationship between shear instability and fracture toughness. A major conclusion drawn is the fact that the critical strain to shear localization is significantly influenced by the inclusion type, size, shape and distribution. Few experimental data pertinent to the nucleation event have been published. To a first approximation, it can be said that the destabilizing influence of void formation is increased with decreasing critical interfacial stress to void nucleation and will control the extent of the localized void profusion and the promotion of plastic instability and the ease of microcrack extension.
Crystallization and preliminary X-ray studies of Escherichia coli glycerol kinase.

Abstract Escherichia coli glycerol kinase, a major regulatory enzyme which catalyzes the reversible MgATP-dependent phosphorylation of glycerol has been crystallized by the hanging drop vapor diffusion method at room temperature. Three different crystal forms have been obtained in the presence of glycerol and appear to be suitable for X-ray crystallographic studies. Vapor diffusion against 55% ammonium sulfate and 1% β-octyl glucoside (pH 7.0) yields rhombohedral crystals with space group R32, a = b = 277.1 A , c = 78.7 A (hexagonal indexing) containing a dimer of Mr 112,000 in the asymmetric unit ( V m = 2.64 A 3 /dalton ). Vapor diffusion against sodium chloride in the presence of 10% (w/v) polyethylene glycol (pH 6.5 to 7.0) yields two different crystal forms, both with space group P21. The first form has a = 88.1 A , b = 99.3 A , c = 114.6 A , β = 119 ° , the second form has a = 92.5 A , b = 117.6 A , c = 108.3 A , β = 93.64 ° . Addition of ADP enhances growth of the monoclinic forms. These forms appear to contain an entire tetramer of Mr 224,000 in the asymmetric unit and have Vm values of 2.28 and 2.65 A3/dalton, respectively. All forms diffract to better than 3.0 A resolution while the second monoclinic form diffracts to approximately 1.8 A.
The reaction of diorganyl diselenides and ditellurides with organic mercury compounds. A convinient method for the synthesis of unsymmetrical organic selenides and tellurides

Abstract The reaction of diphenyl diselenide with di-n-butylmercury in dioxane at refluxing temperature gave n-butyl phenyl selenide (80% yield) and metallic mercury. When the reaction was carried out at room temperature, n-butyl phenyl selenide and bis(phenylseleno)mercury were obtained. This reaction furnished a convinient method for the preparation of several organic selenides as well as tellurides.
Evidence-Based Current Surgical Practice: Calculous Gallbladder Disease

Gallbladder disease is common and, if managed incorrectly, can lead to high rates of morbidity, mortality, and extraneous costs. The most common complications of gallstones include biliary colic, acute cholecystitis, common bile duct stones, and gallstone pancreatitis. Ultrasound is the initial imaging modality of choice. Additional diagnostic and therapeutic studies including computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging, magnetic resonance cholangiopancreatography, endoscopic ultrasound, and endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography are not routinely required but may play a role in specific situations. Biliary colic and acute cholecystitis are best treated with early laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Patients with common bile duct stones should be managed with cholecystectomy, either after or concurrent with endoscopic or surgical relief of obstruction and clearance of stones from the bile duct. Mild gallstone pancreatitis should be treated with cholecystectomy during the initial hospitalization to prevent recurrence. Emerging techniques for cholecystectomy include single-incision laparoscopic surgery and natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery. Early results in highly selected patients demonstrate the safety of these techniques. The management of complications of the gallbladder should be timely and evidence-based, and choice of procedures, particularly for common bile duct stones, is largely influenced by facility and surgeon factors.
Cross-resistance of drug-resistant murine leukemias to deoxyspergualin (NSC 356894) in vivo

Deoxyspergualin, the 15-deoxy derivative of the antibiotic spergualin, is a novel guanidino analog structurally related to spermine. Deoxyspergualin has significant activity in selected experimental tumor models, and clinical trials have been initiated. Described here are in vivo evaluations of the therapeutic activity of deoxyspergualin against murine leukemia lines specifically resistant to eight clinically useful antitumor drugs. These were P388 lines resistant to doxorubicin, vincristine, L-phenylalanine mustard, cisplatin, ara-C, and methotrexate and L1210 lines resistant to 5-FU, L-phenylalanine mustard, and cyclophosphamide. Sensitivity to deoxyspergualin was evaluated in parallel comparisons of each resistant leukemia to the sensitive line from which it had been derived. All experiments were repeated at least once for confirmation of results. Responses were quantitated in terms of the change in tumor cell numbers from the beginning of treatment to the end of treatment as estimated from the median survival times of dying mice. The results indicated that P388 leukemia resistant to cisplatin (P388/DDPt) was cross-resistant to deoxyspergualin. No cross-resistance was observed in leukemias resistant to doxorubicin, vincristine, ara-C, methotrexate, or cyclophosphamide. L1210 resistant to 5-FU (L1210/5-FU) was collaterally sensitive to deoxyspergualin. Although cross-resistance was also observed in P388/L-PAM, L1210/L-PAM retained sensitivity to deoxyspergualin. Total glutathione concentrations in P388/L-PAM and L1210/L-PAM provided no apparent explanation for this unexpected result. It may be tentatively concluded that resistance to cisplatin, L-PAM, or other DNA alkylators or cross-linkers may increase the potential for cross-resistance to deoxyspergualin. This conclusion requires verification with additional alkylating agents, with drug-resistant human tumor cell lines, and with prospective clinical studies. However, it has present implications for the mechanism(s) of deoxyspergualin activity, for the selection of patients for clinical trials of this investigational new drug, and for the design of noncross-resistant drug combinations.
The dependence of the low-level equatorial easterly jet on Hadley and Walker circulations

Abstract How the time-mean Hadley and Walker circulations affect the formation of a low-level equatorial easterly jet is investigated. Experiments are conducted for equinoctial conditions using a general circulation model, the Community Climate Model (CCM1), that includes a Kuo convective scheme and a lower boundary that is specified to be water at a fixed sea surface temperature (SST). Several zonally symmetric SST forcings are used to determine how various Hadley circulations affect the tropical zonal wind field. A zonal wavenumber one equatorial SST anomaly superimposed on a zonally symmetric SST distribution forces a wind field that includes both Hadley and Walker circulations. The Hadley circulation experiments produce equatorial easterlies and low-level jets on the poleward sides of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) 10° to 15° from the equator. In an experiment with a single, dominant off-equatorial ITCZ in the Northern Hemisphere, the Southern Hemisphere jet moves to within 7.5° of the equa...
Virtual Communities: Bowling Alone, Online Together

Felicia Wu Song, Virtual Communities: Bowling Alone, Online Together (New York: Peter Lang Publishing, 2009), xvii + 178 pp. $28.17 (cloth). Since 1996, the number of virtual communities within cyb...
Dichotic performance for temporally altered consonant‐vowel tokens

Eight normal subjects were tested in a dichotic consonant‐vowel identification task where synthetic tokens of the stops + [ae] ranging in duration from 40 to 296 msec were used as challenges against 296‐msec tokens from the same synthetic set. Subjects were required to identify both items in a dichotic pair. As challenge durations were reduced, their dichotic performance dropped paralleling monaural intelligibility, voiceless items being more severely affected than voiced items. Performance for the nonshortened items increased as the duration of the challenges dropped, in a manner not entirely reflecting the challenge intelligibility loss. Additionally, a “backward‐masking” effect of temporally remote vowel segments on competing consonant identification was clearly shown. [Supported by National Institutes of Health, USPHS Grant No. NH 11647‐01.]
Structure of 1.711b gm/cm3 bovine satellite DNA: evolutionary relationship to satellite I

The Eco RI fragments from the 2600 bp repeating unit of 1.711b gm/Cm(3) bovine satellite DNA were cloned in pBR322. The structure of the repeat unit was determined and compared to bovine satellite I DNA (rho CsCl = 1.715 gm/cm(3)). All of the DNA in the 1402 bp repeat of satellite I is represented in the sequence of the 2600 bp 1.711b gm/cm(3) repeat. The difference between the two repeats is due to a 1200 bp piece of DNA (INS) residing in the middle of the 1.711b gm/cm(3) repeat. The INS is AT-rich and has some repetitive components; it bears only limited similarity to the structure of eukaryotic transposable elements. We propose that the 1.711b gm/cm(3) satellite DNA arose via the amplification of a 1.715 gm/cm(3) satellite repeat altered by a 1200 bp insertion of DNA.
Probabilistic Reasoning in Data Analysis

This Teaching Resource provides lecture notes, slides, and a student assignment for a lecture on probabilistic reasoning in the analysis of biological data. General probabilistic frameworks are introduced, and a number of standard probability distributions are described using simple intuitive ideas. Particular attention is focused on random arrivals that are independent of prior history (Markovian events), with an emphasis on waiting times, Poisson processes, and Poisson probability distributions. The use of these various probability distributions is applied to biomedical problems, including several classic experimental studies.
Differential effect of HERG blocking agents on cardiac electrical alternans in the guinea pig

Beat-to-beat alternations of the cardiac monophasic action potential, known as electrical alternans, were studied at drug concentrations that have known arrhythmogenic outcomes. Electrical alternans were elicited from the heart of anesthetized guinea pigs, both in the absence and presence of drugs that inhibit the delayed rectifier K(+) channel encoded by the human ether a-go-go related-gene (HERG), and are associated with the fatal arrhythmia, Torsade de Pointes. Two other HERG inhibiting drugs not associated with Torsade de Pointes were also studied. At concentrations known to be proarrhythmic, E-4031 and bepridil increased mean alternans 10 and 40 ms at pacing frequencies </=160 ms. Terfenadine and cisapride both increased mean alternans up to 20 and 21 ms, respectively, at pacing frequencies of </=150 ms. On the other hand, verapamil and risperidone showed no increase in mean alternans while risperidone significantly reduced alternans at concentrations up to 74 times its therapeutic level. The magnitude of effect on rate-dependent alternans may allow the differentiation of proarrhythmia and non-arrhythmic HERG blockers at clinically relevant concentrations.
Integrated Traffic Signal Control Along Corridors With Multiple Intersections Near Highway-Rail Grade Crossings

Traffic signal optimization for traffic signals located near highway-rail grade crossings (HRGC) can be difficult because of the complex nature of the interactions between the two systems and the necessity of considering multiple objectives, such as safety and operational efficiency. The problems are magnified when considering traffic control for corridors that have multiple intersections located near HRGCs.This paper develops a methodology for optimizing traffic signals along a highway-railway corridor while considering the dual objectives of maximizing safety and efficiency. The Highway 6 (Cornhusker Hwy) corridor in Lincoln, Nebraska was used as a test bed. The corridor was modeled in VISSIM, and was used to emulate the traffic control along Highway 6, including the preemption logic. The traffic control logic was modeled using the Vehicle Actuated Programming (VAP) in the VISSIM simulation model. In addition, the logic allows multiple train events on the railway track that runs parallel to Highway 6 to be modeled. The model was calibrated to local traffic conditions using empirical field data. The impact of train frequency, length, direction, speed, etc., on the performance of the network and pedestrian safety will be evaluated.Copyright © 2013 by ASME
Extrapolation from participatory sensing data

In this demo, a learning system, called Metis, is presented that extrapolates missing pieces in participatory sensing data. The work addresses the challenge of incomplete coverage in participatory sensing applications, where lack of complete control over participant mobility and sensing patterns may create coverage gaps in space and in time. Metis learns the underlying spatiotemporal patterns of the measured phenomenon from available incomplete observations, and uses these patterns to infer missing data. We describe the overall system design and demonstrate the system using data collected during the New York City gas crisis in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
Exploratory response of rats to stimuli of differing complexity.

The response of the rat to vertical or horizontal lines is examined. Initially, the rat prefers vertical lines but after experience with both stimuli the rat changes this preference. These results are examined for their compatibility with previous findings.
CORPORATE ETHICAL VALUES AND ORGANIZATIONAL COMMITMENT IN MARKETING

The authors explore corporate ethical values and organizational commitment in marketing. They (1) discuss corporate ethical values as a component of corporate culture, (2) review the literature on ...
Prediction of the forming limit curves of sheet materials using the rigid-plastic finite element method

Abstract An incremental rigid-plastic finite element method is used to predict the forming limit curves (FLCs) of sheet materials. In this analysis, the deforming sheet materials is assumed to obey Hill's anisotropic yield criterion and its associated flow rule. To obtain the critical strain paths in both the positive and negative minor strain regions, simulations are performed using hemispherical punch stretching of a circular blank with various circular cutoffs and various friction conditions at the tool-sheet interface. A critical slope condition derived from the computed load-displacement curve is employed as a criterion to determine the limiting major and minor strains. FLCs of several sheet materials are predicted and the results are compared with the existing experimental data.
Outcomes of Patients Initially Treated with Intravitreal Bevacizumab for Central Retinal Vein Occlusion: Long-Term Follow-Up.

AbstractBackground and objective: To assess outcomes of visual acuity (VA) and central retinal thickness (RT) in patients with macular edema (ME) secondary to central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) who were initially treated with bevacizumab and followed for up to four years. Study design/Materials and methods: In this observational case series, 51 patients with non-ischemic and ischemic CRVO who had initial treatment with bevacizumab were included. Main outcome measures were VA and RT at one year, with follow-up of up to four years. Results: Mean VA improved from 20/214 at baseline to 20/107 at one year (p = 0.0009) and this improvement was maintained clinically at four years. RT decreased from 595 μm to 339 μm at one year (p = 0.0027) and this was maintained at four years. Conclusion: Patients who received bevacizumab as initial therapy for ME from CRVO maintained VA and RT improvement for up to four years.
Explaining Bargaining Impasse: The Role of Self-Serving Biases

The authors review studies conducted by themselves and coauthors that document a 'self-serving' bias in judgments of fairness and demonstrate that the bias is an important cause of impasse in negotiations. They discuss experimental evidence showing that (1) the bias causes impasse; (2) it is possible to reduce impasses by debiasing bargainers; and (3) the bias results from selective evaluation of information. The authors also review results from a field study of negotiations between teachers' unions and school boards in Pennsylvania that both document the fairness bias in a naturalistic setting and demonstrates its impact on strikes.
Synthesis and photophysical properties of light-harvesting arrays comprised of a porphyrin bearing multiple perylene-monoimide accessory pigments.

We present the synthesis and characterization of new light-harvesting arrays containing two, four, or eight perylene-monoimide accessory pigments attached to a zinc porphyrin. Each perylene is subs...