cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Practical Theory for Practitioners in the Field: CMM and DST Interface

Practitioners work with people in the field and need to address many dynamics happening simultaneously. This differs from research within the confines of a controlled environment. Research confirms theory, theory generates knowledge and all of this can inform practice. There has been a dualistic framing and approach to theory and practice and this paper explores the concept of “practical theory” as a way of bringing theory to the field. Practice needs to be eclectic and practitioners may use more than one theory when facing complex issues and dynamics. Two practical theories that have been developed and have received increased attention over the years are dynamical systems theory (DST) and coordinated management of meaning (CMM). This paper explores the interface between the two theories and how their practical applications complement and support each other providing a robust resource for practitioners working in the field addressing complex conflict and sustainable peace issues.
Analysis or Purification? An Institutional Assessment of U.S. Financial Analyst Recommendations

The work of financial analysts is a critical element of claims of market efficiency. However, most of what we know involves correlating analyst recommendations with market results. Surprisingly, the work product of this occupation has never been subjected to close scrutiny. For these purposes, functional accounts that accept the analyst's expertise as a given are contrasted with insights from the professionalization literature and institutional theory. Results from a content analysis of analyst recommendations do not support conventional value-added interpretations. Not only are analyst opinions socially constructed, but they also are subject to a thin margin of credibility. We suggest that analysts' are engaged in the purification of information. In this process, managerial self-interest is discounted by the supposed independence and objectivity of analysts. Implications for the understanding of the capital markets, accounting information and the accounting profession are offered.
Robust Burn Control of Fusion Reactors with Modulation of Refueling Rate

An integrated 0-dimensional plasma-control code, ASH, has been developed and employed to study the possibility of controlling the burn condition of an ITER-type fusion reactor by modulating the refueling rate. A key feature of this study is the incorporation of robust control theory to allow for modeling uncertainties. A constant gain proportional feedback controller is synthesized; the values of feedback gains are obtained by the H{sub {infinity}} algorithm. With this control method, modulation of the refueling rate alone can potentially stabilize fusion burn with the alpha confinement time {tau}*{sub {alpha}} = 11{tau}{sub E}, or controller delay {tau}{sub delay} = 1.5{tau}{sub E}, or D-T recycling ratio 98%. These limitations are fairly restrictive, indicating that added control, e.g., via input power modulation, may be necessary.
Dynamische Modelle zur Analyse und Optimierung von Geschäftsprozessen

Unter massivem Kostendruck wachst in unseren Unternehmen der Bedarf an Methoden und Werkzeugen, um betriebliche Umstrukturierungen im Sinne von Lean Production und Lean Enterprise zu unterstutzen.
A preliminary investigation of rare variants associated with genetic risk for PTSD in a natural disaster-exposed adolescent sample.

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and social factors. Numerous studies have demonstrated genetic variation associated wit...
Characteristics of Dark Matter

To make sense of dataset and theoretical representation for the universe; first, standard model of cosmology i.e., Cold Dark Matter that requires around 96% of the universe is composed of unknown material that cannot be directly observed.
Buyer Valuation Uncertainty and Firm Information Provision Strategies

This chapter reviews research on buyer valuation uncertainty originated from information asymmetry between the firm and consumers, and the firm’s information provision strategy. Before purchase, consumers could be uncertain about the product’s vertical attributes, i.e., quality uncertainty, and/or the product’s horizontal attributes, i.e., fit uncertainty. For each type of uncertainty, we discuss the firm’s inventive and instruments to disclose information, as well as other mechanisms to reveal information that help consumers resolve such valuation uncertainty. We then review recent literature on advance selling and opaque selling strategies, where the firm benefits from creating consumer valuation uncertainty. We conclude the chapter with discussions on future research directions.
Take a deep breath and wake up: The protean role of serotonin preventing sudden death in infancy

Recordings from infants who died suddenly and unexpectedly demonstrate the occurrence of recurring apneas, ineffective gasping, and finally, failure to restore eupnea and arouse prior to death. Immunohistochemical and autoradiographic data demonstrate a constellation of serotonergic defects in the caudal raphe nuclei in infants who died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). The purpose of this review is to synthesize what is known about adaptive responses of the infant to severely hypoxic conditions, which unleash a flood of neuromodulators that inhibit cardiorespiratory function, thermogenesis, and arousal and the emerging role of serotonin, which combats this cardiorespiratory inhibition to foster autoresuscitation, eupnea, and arousal to ensure survival following an hypoxic episode. The laryngeal and carotid body chemoreflexes are potent in newborns and infants, and both reflexes can induce apnea and bradycardia, which may be adaptive initially, but must be terminated if an infant is to survive. Serotonin has a unique ability to touch on each of the processes that may be required to recover from hypoxic reflex apnea: gasping, the restoration of heart rate and blood pressure, termination of apneas and, eventually, stimulation of eupnea and arousal. Recurrent apneic events, bradycardia, ineffective gasping and a failure to terminate apneas and restore eupnea are observed in animals harboring defects in the caudal serotonergic system models - all of these phenotypes are reminiscent of and compatible with the cardiorespiratory recordings made in infants who subsequently died of SIDS. The caudal serotonergic system provides an organized, multi-pronged defense against reflex cardiorespiratory inhibition and the hypoxia that accompanies prolonged apnea, bradycardia and hypotension, and any deficiency of caudal serotonergic function will increase the propensity for sudden unexplained infant death.
Socioeconomic status, mindfulness, and momentary associations between stress and smoking lapse during a quit attempt.

Abstract Background Models of health disparities highlight stress among low socioeconomic status (SES) smokers as a barrier to cessation. Recent studies suggest that mindfulness may improve cessation outcomes by reducing stress during a quit attempt. The current study examined associations of SES and mindfulness with ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) of stress and smoking lapse during a quit attempt. Methods EMAs (N = 32,329) were gathered from 364 smokers engaged in a quit attempt. A multilevel structural equation model estimated within person paths from momentary stress to subsequent smoking lapse. Between person paths estimated paths from a latent variable for SES and mindfulness to stress and smoking lapse, the indirect effect of SES and mindfulness on lapse through stress, and moderation of within person stress-lapse associations by SES and mindfulness. Results Within person estimates found that momentary increases in stress predicted increased risk of subsequent smoking lapse. Between person estimates found that lower SES was indirectly associated with greater risk for smoking lapse through increased stress; and, higher mindfulness was indirectly associated with lower risk for smoking lapse through reduced stress. Additionally, higher SES participants, who reported lower stress during the quit attempt, showed a stronger relationship between momentary increases in stress and risk for subsequent smoking lapse. Conclusions Among low SES smokers engaged in a quit attempt, both SES and mindfulness uniquely influenced smoking lapse through their influence on stress. Findings support reports that mindfulness presents a promising intervention target to reduce stress and improve cessation outcomes among low SES smokers.
Rethinking Human Potential From a Talent Development Perspective

Historically, the potential of a person has been perceived as fixed and primarily inherited, thus, different from achievement. Current thinking broadens our view of human potential, not as a fixed ...
Innovative high-temperature ammonium bifluoride fusion and rapid analysis of elements with nuclear forensic value.

Abstract High-temperature ammonium bifluoride (ABF) fusions were evaluated for potential use in rapid dissolution of post-detonation nuclear debris. The ABF fusion was carried out in a Pt crucible which allowed evaluation of higher fusion and evaporation temperatures. The high-temperature ABF fusion dissolution method was evaluated using geological reference materials: USGS QLO-1a Quartz Latite, USGS SDC-1 Mica Schist, and NIST 278 Obsidian Rock. The optimized dissolution method involved a 10 min fusion at 540 °C, a 5 min reflux in 8 M HNO3, an evaporation at 300 °C and final dilution into 45 mL of 2% (v/v) HNO3. The final solution was filtered after heating at 105 °C using a hotblock. This dissolution method was simple, requiring only a hotplate or hotblock, filtered samples were available for ICP-MS analysis or radiochemical separation within 150 min, and was found to have high (>90%) recovery for many isotopes of interest in nuclear forensics applications. U and Pu in the dissolved material was separated using TEVA and UTEVA extraction chromatography columns, a process which resulted in >90% recovery. An irradiated U tracer was spiked into the material prior to dissolution and analyzed for recovery of major fission products and 239Np. The monitored radionuclides had recoveries of greater than 90%, except for the volatile radioiodine isotopes.
The Post-15M Condition: Liminality and Multitude in Spanish Graphic Narratives

Since 2007, the emergence of graphic narratives in the public sphere has coincided with the precarious conditions of the economic crisis and the subsequent politicization of civil society in Spain. Dapena visualizes forms of politicization and social mobilization within the Spanish state in works such as Cuaderno de Sol by Enrique Flores and Acampada BCN 15-M by Sagar Fornies. This politicization has affected graphic narrative in Spain and its attempted legitimation as a cultural field, which has resulted in the recurrence of imaginaries of the economic crisis in cultural production. Dapena analyzes the links and continuities of precarization in post-15M graphic expressions in order to point out a new emancipatory grammar of the graphic narrative.
4 From Public Sphere to Personalized Feed: Corporate Constitutional Rights and the Challenge to Popular Sovereignty

What might a society look and feel like in which the free expression rights of for-profit corporations eclipse and override persons' rights to privacy, and interests in fair political representation? And how might the acceleration of current trends toward corporate personhood erode the autonomy of actual persons? This chapter explores these questions through two prisms: U.S. jurisprudence of corporate free speech rights, and an imaginative evocation of one fictional world this jurisprudence is leading towards. The first section makes the case that many aspects of American legal culture pave the way to a public sphere in which corporations have far more meaningful political agency and capacity for planning than citizens or even political parties. The second section introduces the setting of M.T. Anderson’s Feed, a dystopian novel with surprisingly rich insight into the habits of mind and character that would naturally thrive in an automated public sphere (and kaleidoscopic personalized feeds) even more dominated by for-profit corporations than our own. We conclude by reflecting on the fragility of opportunities for autonomous self-creation when communications are increasingly monitored, shaped, and monetized for profit.
Age of hypertension onset in multiple sclerosis patients.

Background/Objective:Hypertension (HTN) is common in multiple sclerosis (MS), and it is associated with poorer outcomes. We sought to characterize HTN age at onset (AAO) by MS status.Methods/Result...
The Construction of a Genetically Encoded, Phage-Displayed Cyclic-Peptide Library

Due to the great potentials of cyclic peptides as therapeutic agents, several phage-displayed peptide libraries in which cyclization is achieved by the covalent linkage of cysteines have been previously demonstrated to identify cyclic-peptide ligands for therapeutic targets. While problems remain in these cysteine conjugation strategies, we have invented a phage display technique in which its displayed peptides are cyclized through a proximity-driven Michael addition reaction between a cysteine and an amber-codon-encoded Ne-acryloyl-lysine (AcrK). Using a randomized 6-mer library in which peptides were cyclized at two ends through a cysteine-AcrK linker, we demonstrated the successful selection of a potent ligand, CycH8a, for histone deacetylase 8 (HDAC8). We believe this approach will find broad applications in drug discovery.
A Review of Sensors and Machine Learning in Animal Farming

Livestock is the primary source of meat, dairy, eggs, leather, wool, etc. Because of increased demand, increasing herd size maintained by fewer manpower is becoming important. Precision Livestock Farming (PLF) utilizing digital technologies such as smart sensors, advanced controls, intelligent robotics, Internet of Things (IoT), big data and machine learning has been emerged to make the animal farming process automated and economically and environmentally sustainable. Animal Farming now requires intelligent techniques to monitor animal welfare and predict animal health 24/7 in real-time. Big data gathered by the IoT devices and sensors are processed with machine learning for prediction and control. This paper reviews the latest sensor technologies and machine learning techniques that can be used as a decision support tool for making the animal farming process more profitable and insightful.
Electrogenerated Chemiluminescence (ECL) Quenching of the Ru(bpy)32+/TPrA System by the Explosive TNT

ABSTRACT We report the quenching behavior of 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene (TNT) on the electrogenerated chemiluminescence (ECL) of the Ru(bpy) 3 2+ /TPrA [bpy = tris(2,2′-bipyridine), TPrA = tri- n -propylamine] system at a Pt electrode in acetonitrile containing tetra- n -butylammonium perchlorate supporting electrolyte. Effective ECL quenching of the system upon the addition of TNT was observed, with a Stern-Volmer constant of 2 × 10 4 M −1 . The quenching constant calculated from the Stern-Volmer plot was found to be 2.1 × 10 10 M −1 s −1 which suggests the efficient quenching of ECL by TNT. The competitive processes of consuming TPrA free radicals and Ru(bpy) 3 + species (produced as a result of reduction of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ by TPrA ) by TNT largely contributed to this quenching, in which the consumption of Ru(bpy) 3 + by TNT was more favorable than that of TPrA free radicals. TNT was also found to quench the fluorescence of Ru(bpy) 3 2+ , with a Stern-Volmer and a quenching constant of 5.2 × 10 3 M −1 and 5.5 × 10 9 M −1 s −1 , respectively. This collisional (dynamic) based fluorescence quenching process contributed approximately one quarter of the overall ECL quenching efficiency. The present ECL quenching scheme could be used to detect TNT at submicromolar levels.
Climate Justice Beyond Equity: The Flourishing of Human and Non-Human Communities

Given the innovations in the field of political theories of justice in the past couple of decades, in particular those dedicated to the relationship between recognition and justice, procedural justice, and especially around the broadly encompassing capabilities theory of justice, it is surprising that so few of these approaches have been applied to the field of climate justice. The task in this essay is rather straightforward: to explore how a capabilities approach to justice can be applied to a conception of climate justice. The point is to explore how climate justice, in both theory and practice, can include but exceed primarily distributive frames, and incorporate ways of addressing the broad impacts of climate change on human communities and the natural world. The argument here has a number of elements. First, recent climate justice literature has begun to move away from a singular focus on equity-based approaches, and into issues of environmental and development rights. While these rights-based notions are important developments in that they begin to focus on people’s everyday lives, I argue that a capabilities approach to justice can both encompass and clarify a range of issues central to this recent literature. Second, a notion of climate justice based in capabilities can accommodate the wide-ranging demands of climate justice movement groups. This is not only about the issues raised by these groups, but also about the subject of justice itself, which is often the community as well as the individuals within it. And finally, the argument here is also about the need to move beyond a strictly human bias in considerations of climate justice. A capabilities approach can be applied to what both human and non-human individuals and communities need in order to function, and so can offer a broad theory of justice that is applicable to multiple impacts of climate change. The essay begins with an overview of current theories of climate justice, ranging from those focusing on historical responsibility, to those based on equitable pollution shares, to those that espouse development and environmental rights. I will then lay out a basic overview of the capabilities approach to justice, as developed by Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum. A discussion of the demands of the climate justice movement follows, and those demands are put into a capabilities framework. Finally, I examine two key ways that a capabilities approach can be expanded beyond human communities, or two different frameworks for including the impacts on the natural world in a broad capabilities-based theory of climate justice. Ultimately, the goal is a framework of climate justice that addresses both human and non-human communities, and the natural systems that sustain them.
Spontaneous mediastinal emphysema.

Spontaneous mediastinal emphysema, an apparently uncommon disorder of children, is characterized by precordial pain, unusual crunching sounds heard over the precordium during auscultation, subcutaneous air palpable in the neck, and the presence of mediastinal air on the chest roentgenogram. CASE REPORT A 13-year-old male adolescent had worked all afternoon mowing lawns. When his gas-powered mower stalled, he restarted it by pulling the starter cord vigorously and frequently. After the evening meal, he clipped a hedge by hand. Within one hour, he developed severe substernal pain. He had a sense of substernal pressure. He felt "... as if I were going to explode," and thought he was having a heart attack.
Considering Music Lyrics and Imagery in the Sexual Health of Black College Students: A Pilot Study

Sexual risk taking and potential sequelae such as sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, may be related to music videos that display suggestive imagery and lyrics. The purpose of this pilot ...
Sexing skulls using discriminant function analysis of visually assessed traits

The accuracy of sex determinations based on visual assessments of the mental eminence, orbital margin, glabellar area, nuchal area, and mastoid process was tested on a series of 304 skulls of known age and sex from people of European American, African American, and English ancestry as well as on an ancient Native American sample of 156 individuals whose sex could be reliably determined based on pelvic morphology. Ordinal scores of these sexually dimorphic traits were used to compute sex determination discriminant functions. Linear, kth-nearest-neighbor, logistic, and quadratic discriminant analysis models were evaluated based on their capacity to minimize both misclassifications and sex biases in classification errors. Logistic regression discriminant analysis produced the best results: a logistic model containing all five cranial trait scores correctly classified 88% of the modern skulls with a negligible sex bias of 0.1%. Adding age at death, birth year, and population affinity to the model did not appreciably improve its performance. For the ancient Native American sample, the best logistic regression model assigned the correct pelvic sex to 78% of the individuals with a sex bias of only 0.2%. Similar cranial trait frequency distributions were found in same-sex comparisons of the modern African American, European American, and English samples. The sexual dimorphism of these modern people contrasts markedly with that of the ancient Native Americans. Because of such population differences, discriminant functions like those presented in this paper should be used with caution on populations other than those for which they were developed.
Regulation of gene transcription by the histone H2A N-terminal domain

Histone N-terminal domains play critical roles in regulating chromatin structure and gene transcription. Relatively little is known, however, about the role of the histone H2A N-terminal domain in transcription regulation. We have used DNA microarrays to characterize the changes in genome-wide expression caused by mutations in the N-terminal domain of histone H2A. Our results indicate that the N-terminal domain of histone H2A functions primarily to repress the transcription of a large subset of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genome and that most of the H2A-repressed genes are also repressed by the histone H2B N-terminal domain. Using the histone H2A microarray data, we selected three reporter genes (BNA1, BNA2, and GCY1), which we subsequently used to map regions in the H2A N-terminal domain responsible for this transcriptional repression. These studies revealed that a small subdomain in the H2A N-terminal tail, comprised of residues 16 to 20, is required for the transcriptional repression of these reporter genes. Deletion of either the entire histone H2A N-terminal domain or just this small subdomain imparts sensitivity to UV irradiation. Finally, we show that two residues in this H2A subdomain, serine-17 and arginine-18, are specifically required for the transcriptional repression of the BNA2 reporter gene.
Constraint-based planning and control for safe, semi-autonomous operation of vehicles

This paper presents a new approach to semi-autonomous vehicle hazard avoidance and stability control, based on the design and selective enforcement of constraints. This differs from traditional approaches that rely on the planning and tracking of paths. This emphasis on constraints facilitates “minimally-invasive” control for human-machine systems; instead of forcing a human operator to follow an automation-determined path, the constraint-based approach identifies safe homotopies, and allows the operator to navigate freely within them, introducing control action only as necessary to ensure that the vehicle does not violate safety constraints. The method evaluates candidate homotopies based on “restrictiveness”, rather than traditional measures of path goodness, and designs and enforces requisite constraints on the human's control commands to ensure that the vehicle never leaves the controllable subset of a desired homotopy. Identification of these homotopic classes in off-road environments is performed using geometric constructs. The goodness of competing homotopies and their associated constraints is then characterized using geometric heuristics. Finally, input limits satisfying homotopy and vehicle dynamic constraints are enforced using threat-based feedback mechanisms to ensure that the vehicle avoids collisions and instability while preserving the human operator's situational awareness and mental models. The methods developed in this work are shown in simulation and experimentally demonstrated in safe, high-speed teleoperation of an unmanned ground vehicle.
Sliding mode cooperative motion control of dual arm manipulators

This paper presents a method for realizing cooperative control of dual-arm manipulators (RM-10A by Remotec Inc.) handling the same object in the presence of dynamic parameter uncertainties of both robots and object. When multiple robots handle the same object, both the position and the internal forces between the robots and the object should be controlled. In this paper, a sliding mode controller is derived for trajectory tracking of object position and internal forces. To show the effectiveness of the proposed controller, numerical simulations are performed for 12 axis dual-arm manipulators.
Styles of mental imagery in blind adults

Two tests of mental imagery were administered to six blind and four sighted subjects. One test, involving pictorial imagery, required subjects to imagine a checkerboard of which only certain squares, specified by the experimenter, were filled in; the other test was similar but emphasized nonpictorial imagery, requiring subjects to imagine a three-dimensional assemblage of small cubes. In both cases, the subject's task was to name a common object which the imaged pattern resembled. It was found that the greater the proportion of life for which each of the blind subjects had been without sight, the less was his or her pictorial score, expressed as a proportion of total imagery score. This suggests that the nature of mental imagery slowly changes following the loss of sight. Relative facility with the two types of imagery also varied from one subject to another within the sighted group; hand movements used by some of them as an aid to imagery may have been a factor in producing this variation.
Effect of luteinizing hormone (LH), PGE2, 8-EPI-PGE1, 8-EPI-PGE2, trichosanthin, and pregnancy specific protein B (PSPB) on secretion of progesterone in vitro by corpora lutea (CL) from nonpregnant and pregnant cows.

Secretion of progesterone by Day 14 bovine corpora lutea (CL) of the estrous cycle and Day 200 CL of pregnancy was evaluated in vitro to determine what regulates secretion of progesterone by CL of pregnancy. Weights of Day 200 CL of pregnancy (4356 ± 223g) were heavier when compared to Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle of Brahman cows (3643 ± 128g; p ≤ 0.05); however, both Day 14 and Day 200 minced CL slices secreted similar basal amounts of progesterone per unit mass (p ≥ 0.05). Secretion of progesterone in vitro by Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle was increased at 4 and 8 h (p ≤ 0.05) by 10 or 100 ng/mL luteinizing hormone (LH) and did not differ between doses (p ≥ 0.05). Progesterone secretion in vitro by Day 200 CL of pregnancy was not increased (p ≥ 0.05) by LH at 4 or 8 h. However, progesterone secretion in vitro by Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle or Day 200 CL of pregnancy was increased (p ≤ 0.05) at 4 h by 10 or 100 ng/mL PGE2, which did not differ by dose or reproductive status (p ≥ 0.05). At 8 h, Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle secretion of progesterone in vitro was increased (p ≤ 0.05) by both doses of PGE2 but only at 8 h by 100 ng/mL from Day 200 CL of pregnancy (p ≤ 0.05). Secretion of progesterone in vitro was not affected (p ≥ 0.05) by 10 or 100 ng/mL 8-Epi-PGE1 or 8-Epi-PGE2 at 4 or 8 h from Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle or Day 200 of pregnancy. Trichosanthin increased (p ≤ 0.05) secretion of progesterone in vitro by 10 ng/mL at 4 h and at 8 h by Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle or at 8 h by Day 200 CL of pregnancy but trichosanthin at 100 ng/mL did not affect (p ≥ 0.05) secretion of progesterone in vitro by Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle or Day 200 CL of pregnancy at 4 or 8 h. Pregnancy specific protein B (PSPB) increased (p ≤ 0.05) secretion of progesterone in vitro at 4 and 8 h by Day 14 CL of the estrous cycle and did not differ between incubation times (p ≥ 0.05). PSPB increased secretion of progesterone at 4 h but not at 8 h (p ≥ 0.05) by Day 200 CL of pregnancy. These data suggest that PGE2 or PSPB but not LH, 8-Epi-PGE1 or 8-Epi-PGE2 regulates luteal secretion of progesterone by bovine CL at mid-pregnancy. In addition, it is suggested that weights of bovine CL of pregnancy increase to compensate for a lack of placental secretion of progesterone.
Effects of sequential injections of hepatocyte growth factor and insulin-like growth factor-I on adult rabbit extraocular muscle.

Purpose To determine whether hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) and insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) have synergistic effects in promoting extraocular muscle fiber growth and force generation. Methods A superior rectus muscle of adult rabbits was treated with either a single injection of HGF or sequential injections of HGF followed 1 week later by IGF-I. One week after HGF alone and 1 week after the IGF-I injection, the superior rectus muscles from treated and control orbits were examined for alterations in force generation as well as changes in myofiber size. Results Injection of HGF alone did not result in changes to muscle force, specific tension, or myofiber cross-sectional area; however, it did result in a significant increase in numbers of satellite cells. Sequential injection of HGF and IGF-I resulted in significantly increased force, specific tension, and myofiber cross-sectional areas as well as increased numbers of satellite cells. Conclusions Preinjection with HGF augments the treatment effect of IGF-I. This synergistic effect is likely a result of HGF-induced activation of satellite cells and should allow a reduction in IGF-I dosing required to produce a given increase in extraocular muscle force generation.
Polyelectrolyte Multilayer Formation on Neutral Hydrophobic Surfaces

Pyrene-labeled poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH-Py) has been used to trace the conformational and depletion behaviors of polyelectrolyte chains on neutral hydrophobic Teflon-AF, octadecyltrichlorosilane, or poly(dimethylsiloxane) during assembling by the layer-by-layer deposition technique. The results are used to qualitatively describe how the final quality of multilayer thin films relies on salt stabilization. PAH-Py chains adsorb onto the surfaces in a stretched conformation and form a uniform and dense layer, confirming Dobrynin and Rubinstein's theory. Without an added electrolyte in the polyelectrolyte solutions used for building up multilayers, the PAH-Py layer was seriously depleted, and the extended chains on the surface recoiled during the assembly process, forming coagulated structures of polyelectrolyte complex. In comparison, uniform and flat multilayer thin films were achieved on the surfaces with an added electrolyte, presenting a significant role of salt stabilization on the multilayer.
Directional reflectance response in AVHRR red and near-IR bands for three cover types and varying atmospheric conditions

Surface directional red and near-infrared reflectances of bare soil, orchard grass, and fescue were extracted from a multitemporal data set to correspond to NOAA-7 Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR) scanning and illumination geometry at 30 deg latitude. Radiances were simulated at satellite altitude and a ratio vegetation index was calculated. The results show that off-nadir directional reflectance measured at the surface in the red and near-IR portions of the spectrum are approximately maintained with AVHRR viewing and illumination characteristics. The two-channel reflectance response is such that the ratio vegetation index is more constant with scan angle and atmospheric conditions than individual channels. It is shown that inclusion of atmospheric and surface reflectance data can greatly improve interpretation of AVHRR data, when knowledge of the range of atmospheric conditions and approximate directional reflectances of major cover types are known.
Creativity, Pathology, and Family Structure: A Cybernetic Metaphor

This paper describes a cybernetic metaphor as a novel paradigm for family theory, linking aspects of cybernetic epistemology as described by Bateson (1) with the tropes, major figures of speech, as defined by the linguist Jakobson (25). Jakobson describes two operations characteristics of all human discourse at many levels of organization and abstraction: the metaphoric, linking by similarity; and the metonymic, linking by contiguity. A cybernetic metaphor suggest a view of individuals as adaptive systems able to transform novelty into expectations (49) in one of two ways and thereby maintain a relationship with their context. Those who encounter contexts characterized by "dissonances" in structure and basic premises would adopt the metaphoric mode by finding similarities in apparent differences and thus learn to link separate domains. Those learning to orient themselves in a context of consistent basic premises and structure would adopt the metonymic mode, linking by temporal or spacial contiguity within an implicit assumed whole. Clinical examples and the literature on the families of symptomatic and creative individuals will be used as illustrations of this process of learning communicative modes.
Partitioned matrices and Seidel convergence

Without using spectral resolution, an elementary proof of convergence of Seidel iteration. The proof is based on the lemma (generalizing a lemma of P. Stein): If (A+A *)?B *(A+A *)B>0, whereB=?(P+L) ?1 R,A=P+L (Lower)+R (upper), then Seidel iteration ofAX=Y 0 converges if and only ifA+A *>0. This lemma has as corollaries not only the well-known results of E. Reich and Stein, but also applications to a matrix that can be far from symmetric, e.g.M=[A ij ] 1 2 , whereA 21=?A 12 * ,A 11,A 22 are invertible;A 11 +A 11 * =A22+A 22 * ; and the proper values ofA 12 ?1 A 11,A 12 *?1 A 22 are in the interior of the unit disk.
Sourcing practices and boundaries of the firm in the financial services industry

We investigate sourcing decisions related to the back-office operations of 108 processes used by financial services companies. Guided by the arguments of transaction cost economics and the resource-based and knowledge-based view of organizations, we hypothesize that service customization and volume represent two key drivers of a service company's sourcing decisions. The inherent uncertainty of service customization gives rise to the transaction cost risks of opportunism and holdups and thus favors insourcing. Moreover, the competency gained from performing high-volume back-office operations aligns with the tenets of the resource-based view, which also favors insourcing. The empirical results corroborate these theoretical expectations. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Self‐Healing of Internal Damage in Synthetic Vascular Materials

[∗] Prof. N. R. Sottos Materials Science and Engineering Department University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 (USA) E-mail: n-sottos@illinois.edu Prof. S. R. White Aerospace Engineering Department University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 (USA) E-mail: swhite@illinois.edu A. R. Hamilton Mechanical Science and Engineering Department University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Urbana, IL 61801 (USA) Inspired by natural healing processes, a variety of synthetic selfhealing materials have been developed that can heal structural damage autonomously. [ 1 ] Artifi cial vascular systems, which enable multiple healing cycles, have been successfully incorporated into materials with low load bearing requirements to heal cracks in coating materials and skin-core debonding with foam crushing in composite sandwich structures. [ 2–9 ] The healing strategy in these previous demonstrations mimics that of human skin, in which a minor cut triggers blood fl ow from the capillary network in the underlying dermal layer to the wound site ( Figure 1a,b ). Cracks are confi ned to the coating material or near the skin-core interface; the vascular system is intentionally placed within regions with a low probability of failure and terminates where damage is expected to occur. Here, we explore the interaction of cracks with a vascular system embedded in a bulk structural material. In contrast to prior investigations, the integrity of the vascular network is compromised and its connectivity disrupted by the damage. Although there has been discussion of optimal vascular designs for structural materials, [ 10–14 ] we demonstrate the ability to repeatedly repair large damage volumes within a vascularized structural material for the fi rst time. The healing response of this synthetic system resembles the early stages of clotting and hard callous formation in bone injuries (Figure 1c,d ). Healing in cortical bone begins when the disruption of blood vessels leads to clotting and the formation of a hematoma that encloses the injury (Figure 1c ). The hematoma gradually mineralizes with hydroxy apatite to form a hard callus of woven bone. Angiogenesis–guided by the location of preexisting blood vessels–begins in the early stages of healing, maintaining vascular connections across the injured area. [ 15 ]
The Motivational Effects of Diminished Self-Esteem for Employees Who Experience Abusive Supervision

This research considers two theoretical perspectives on employees’ motivation associated with diminished self-esteem from abusive supervision. The self-defense view of diminished self-esteem suggests that abusive supervision motivates destructive behavior in an attempt to reassert personal control and protect victims’ self-image. The self-presentational view of diminished self-esteem suggests abusive supervision motivates behavior that attempts to signal fit with and value to the workgroup and organization. On the basis of these two theoretical perspectives, we examine how employees’ diminished self-esteem from abusive supervision can motivate destructive work behavior (i.e., supervisor-directed deviance, organizational deviance) and self-presentational behavior (i.e., putting on a facade, ingratiation). Additionally, employees’ turnover intentions, which are an indicator of employees’ psychological detachment from the organization, are considered a moderator of the effects of abusive supervision on dimin...
A theoretical model for input impedance of interstitial microwave antennas with choke

Purpose: Two important characteristics for interstitial microwave antennas used in clinical hyperthermia are: (1) a good impedance match to minimize reflected power; and (2) a good power deposition pattern which is independent of insertion depth. A major problem of the miniature coaxial dipole antennas used for interstitial hyperthermia is the fact that the impedance and power deposition patterns of these antennas change with insertion depth. One possible solution is the addition of a coaxial choke. A theoretical model for calculating the input impedance of interstitial microwave antennas having a coaxial choke is presented, which may serve as the first step in the design of such antennas. Methods and Materials: A theoretical model for calculating the input impedance of coaxial microwave antennas with and without a choke is presented using insulated antenna theory. The theoretical model was used to calculate the input impedance of several prototype antennas having various choke and feedline dimensions, and comparison was made with experimentally measured impedance measurements in tissue-equivalent phantom. Results: The choke section of the antenna is not ideal if conventional plastic insulation is used as the choke dielectric, because the desired radiating length of the antenna is significantly shorter than the quarter-wavelength in the choke dielectric. Impedance calculations based on the theoretical model correlate reasonably well with experimentally measured impedance. Based on these calculations, the effect of parameters such as choke layer thickness and choke dielectric constant are discussed for a 915 MHz antenna with choke. Conclusion: The theoretical model can serve as a design aid for optimizing choked microwave antenna designs, as well as predicting the impedance match of a given antenna design at a given insertion depth. The model allows the effect of some variables not accessible experimentally such as termination impedance to be studied, which may also be useful in the understanding of these antennas. Calculations are easily performed on a desktop computer.
O(4)-invariant formulation of the nodal liquid

We consider the $O(4)$ symmetric point in the phase diagram of an electron system in which there is a transition between ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ density-wave order and ${d}_{{x}^{2}\ensuremath{-}{y}^{2}}$ superconductivity. If the pseudospin $\mathrm{SU}(2)\ensuremath{\subset}O(4)$ symmetry is disordered by quantum fluctuations, the nodal liquid can result. In this context, we (1) construct a pseudospin \ensuremath{\sigma} model, (2) discuss its topological excitations, (3) point out the possibility of a pseudospin-Peierls state, and (4) propose a phase diagram for the underdoped cuprate superconductors.
Integration of engineered cartilage.

Abstract The structure and function of cartilaginous constructs, engineered in vitro using bovine articular chondrocytes, biodegradable scaffolds and bioreactors, can be modulated by the conditions and duration of tissue cultivation. We hypothesized that the integrative properties of engineered cartilage depend on developmental stage of the construct and the extracellular matrix content of adjacent cartilage, and that some aspects of integration can be studied under controlled in vitro conditions. Disc-shaped constructs (cultured for 5±1 days or 5±1 weeks) or explants (untreated or trypsin treated cartilage) were sutured into ring-shaped explants (untreated or trypsin treated cartilage) to form composites that were cultured for an additional 1–8 weeks in bioreactors and evaluated biochemically, histologically and mechanically (compressive stiffness of the central disk, adhesive strength of the integration interface). Immature constructs had poorer mechanical properties but integrated better than either more mature constructs or cartilage explants. Integration of immature constructs involved cell proliferation and the progressive formation of cartilaginous tissue, in contrast to the integration of more mature constructs or native cartilage which involved only the secretion of extracellular matrix components. Integration patterns correlated with the adhesive strength of the disc-ring interface, which was markedly higher for immature constructs than for either more mature constructs or cartilage explants. Trypsin treatment of the adjacent cartilage further enhanced the integration of immature constructs.
Prophylactic T cell infusion after T cell-depleted bone marrow transplantation in patients with refractory lymphoma

Fifty-two patients with refractory lymphoma were prospectively treated with prophylactic T lymphocyte infusion after T cell-depleted allogeneic bone marrow transplantation, to induce graft-versus-lymphoma effect. Thirty-three patients had related donors; 19 had unrelated donors. After transplantation with marrow that had 0.8 +/- 0.4 x 10(5)CD3(+) cells/kg, T cells up to 1.75 x 10(6) CD3(+) cells/kg were given over 3 months provided > or = grade II acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was not seen. The cumulative incidence of grades II-IV acute GVHD was 69%. Twenty of 32 evaluable patients (63%) developed chronic GVHD. Ten patients (19%) died of GVHD. The Kaplan-Meier 5-year overall survival of all patients was 34%. On multivariate analyses, chronic GVHD was significant for relapse (hazard ratio of 1.7, P < 0.05), and for overall survival (hazard ratio 1.4, P < 0.001). Chemosensitivity was significant for relapse only on univariate analysis. Patients who developed chronic GVHD had 4 years median survival, compared with 9 months in patients without chronic GVHD, P < 0.001. The study shows that patients with chronic GVHD have superior survivals, most probably related to a graft-versus-lymphoma effect, which could be modulated by prophylactic T cell infusion.
Reduction in hypericin-induced phototoxicity by Hypericum perforatum extracts and pure compounds

Clinical evidence suggests that administration of Hypericum perforatum (Hp) extracts containing the photo-activated hypericin compounds may cause fewer skin photosensitization reactions than administration of pure hypericin. This study was conducted to determine whether the phototoxicity of hypericin in HaCaT keratinocytes could be attenuated by H. perforatum extracts and constituents. Two extracts, when supplemented with 20 microM hypericin: (1) an ethanol re-extraction of residue following a chloroform extraction (denoted ethanol(-chloroform)) (3.35 microM hypericin and 124.0 microM total flavonoids); and (2) a chloroform extract (hypericin and flavonoids not detected), showed 25% and 50% (p<0.0001) less phototoxicity than 20 microM hypericin alone. Two H. perforatum constituents, when supplemented with 20 microM hypericin: (1) 10 microM chlorogenic acid; and (2) 0.25 microM pyropheophorbide, exhibited 24% (p<0.05) and 40% (p<0.05) less phototoxicity than 20 microM hypericin alone. The peroxidation of arachidonic acid was assessed as a measure of oxidative damage by photo-activated hypericin, but this parameter of lipid peroxidation was not influenced by the extracts or constituents. However alpha-tocopherol, a known antioxidant also did not influence the amount of lipid peroxidation induced in this system. These observations indicate that hypericin combined with H. perforatum extracts or constituents may exert less phototoxicity than pure hypericin, but possibly not through a reduction in arachidonic acid peroxidation.
Pressure dependence of the superconducting transition temperatures of CeRu3B2 and CeOs3B2

Abstract Results are reported from an investigation of the effect of pressure on the superconducting transition temperature Tc in the two CeT3B2 (T = Ru, Os) compounds. In CeOs2B2, the ambient pressure Tc of 3.34 K is depressed linearly by pressure up to 65 kbar with dTc/dp=−7 mK/kbar. In contrast, the isoelectronic CeRu3B2, with a Tc of 1.10 K, shows an initial enhancement of Tc by pressure with dTc/dp=20 mK/kbar up to about 30 kbar. Tc goes through a maximum of 1.72 K at about 33 kbar, after which additional pressure causes a decline in Tc. An analysis in terms of the lattice and electronic contributions to these distinctly different pressure dependences is presented.
How to create a continuous learning system

Abstract The use of the problem-oriented record as a tool which accompanies the problem-oriented system makes it possible to assess what we are doing. It makes it possible, among many other things, to learn more from what we do. It is, I believe, the key to the solution of many problems that plague us and the key to an improved continuing educational system. The implementation will require the efforts of many organizations, including the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, American College of Physicians, American College of Chest Physicians and others. This is what I believe it will take to really —I mean really—teach cardiology. This is true because cardiology must be taught within the framework of a learning system . It cannot be learned outside the context of a learning system.