cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
System-level performance gains of per-antenna-rate-control (S-PARC)

Currently, there is a high level of interest in MIMO antenna systems, such as per-antenna-rate-control (PARC), for enhancing the data rates for the HSDPA provision of the WCDMA standard. Recent studies have shown that PARC may be improved by adaptively selecting the number of transmitted substreams (the MIMO mode) and the antenna subset from which the substreams are transmitted to better match propagation conditions. In this paper we evaluate the system-level performance of S-PARC for HSDPA. We show that S-PARC achieves significant gains with respect to conventional (non-selective) PARC as well as receive diversity systems, even in the presence of spatially correlated fading. We demonstrate the importance of MIMO mode and antenna selection in correlated fading, and show that without it, a performance loss with respect to receive diversity can occur.
A Test for Differential Flatness by Reduction to Single Input Systems

For nonlinear control systems (p inputs), we present a test for flatness. The method consists of making an initial guess for p-1 of the flat outputs, which may involve parameters still to be determined. A choice of functions of time for the p-1 outputs reduce the system to one with a single input. For single input systems the problem of flatness has been solved and thus leads to the identification of the last flat output, or to obstructions to flatness under the hypotheses. We demonstrate the method for a coupled rigid body in ℝ2 and for a single rigid body in ℝ3.
Regulation by nerve growth factor and protein phosphorylation of Na/K/2Cl cotransport and cell volume in PC12 cells

PC12 cells possess a bumetanide-sensitive Na/K/2Cl cotransport system similar to that found in other cell types. Between 10-15% of the total 86Rb influx in these cells is mediated by this pathway under normal conditions. The cotransporter has affinities of 16.5 mM for Nao and 0.7 mM for Ko, is absolutely dependent on Clo and is loop diuretic inhibitable (benzmetanide > bumetanide > piretanide > furosemide). The cotransporter can be activated (up to 8-fold) by cell shrinkage or (up to 4-fold) by treatment with the protein phosphatase inhibitors okadaic acid (EC50 approximately 650 nM) or calyculin A (EC50 approximately 8 nM). Cell shrinkage is followed by a bumetanide-sensitive regulatory volume increase as determined in cell sizing experiments. Calyculin A rapidly elevates normal cell volume in a diuretic-inhibitable manner. Cotransport activity and cell volume are also increased by nerve growth factor (NGF) treatment. The effect of NGF on cotransport rate is biphasic, with an initial rapid approximately 2.5-fold increase followed by a prolonged plateau, and is blocked by pretreatment of the cells with K252a (IC50 approximately 30 nM). By contrast, agents that raise cAMP or phorbol esters lead to an inhibition of cotransport, indicating that the NGF effect is not mediated by stimulation of either cAMP-dependent protein kinase or protein kinase C. Long term NGF treatment (> 2 days) leads to neurite formation and a maintained approximately 2-fold increase in cotransport activity. Bumetanide treatment does not affect the ability of cells to extend neurites, nor is the growth rate of cells in normal medium affected by the diuretic. These results suggest that the cotransport system in PC12 cells is acutely regulated by protein phosphorylation and dephosphorylation as well as cell shrinkage and that cotransport activity may be up-regulated during neuronotypic differentiation.
Laboratory study related to the production and properties of pig iron nuggets

Pig iron nuggets were produced in a laboratory-scale furnace at Michigan Technological University. The process was intended to replicate Kobe Steel's ITmk3 direct ironmaking process. These nuggets were produced from pellets that were made from a mixture of iron oxide, coal, flux and a binder and heated in a furnace with a chamber temperature of 1450{sup o}C. The pellets then self-reduced to produce a solid, high-density, highly metallized (96.5% Fe) pig iron. During the nugget production process, a separate liquid slag phase formed that cleanly separated from the molten metal. The physical and chemical properties of the pig iron nuggets were similar to pig iron produced by blast furnaces, which is distinct from direct reduced iron (DRI).
Adolescent smoking: A review of prevalence and prevention

This review critically evaluates the extensive literature on the epidemiology and prevention of adolescent smoking. Trends in adolescent smoking attitudes and behavior as well as the immediate and long-term health consequences of adolescent smoking are discussed. The factors associated with adolescent smoking and several smoking interventions are analyzed. Suggestions are made for improving the evaluation of future programs designed to prevent adolescent smoking.
Continuous and Steady-State Nutrient Absorption by Intact Plants

The choice of growth medium for studies of root processes entails a compromise between authenticity and repeatability. Soil has some obvious advantages: it can most closely approximate natural edaphic conditions; its heat capacity, matric potential, and ion-exchange capacity buffer the rhizosphere from rapid changes in temperature, water availability, and nutrient concentrations. Unfortunately, soil presents a complex medium that is not amenable to standardization or to direct observation. Artificial substrates permit standardization but still present observational difficulties: separating roots from sand, vermiculite, or perlite is stressful, not only for the roots, but for the investigator. To avoid such difficulties, most studies of root processes have employed solution culture or hydroponics.
Ion pair liquid chromatography method for the determination of thiamine (vitamin B1) homeostasis

A new method for reversed phase HPLC determination of thiamine and its major in vivo phosphorylation products, thiamine monophosphate (TMP) and thiamine pyrophosphate (TPP), was developed using tetrabutylammonium hydroxide as the ion-pairing agent. The separation was performed on a Phenomenex Kinetex EVO C18 column with a gradient of a phosphate-buffered aqueous solution of the ion-pair reagent and methanol. The duty cycle for the assay was 13 min and pyrithiamine was successfully used as the internal standard for the first time in a thiamine HPLC measurement protocol. Detection of the fluorescence derivatives of the analytes as well as the IS allowed for lower detection limits in order to support biological applications in cell culture models. The linearity, sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and precision of the method were evaluated and met the requirements specified by the US Food and Drug Administration. The calibration curves proved to be linear and the method was validated over the range from 1.0–4000 nm for both cells and the media where complete recovery of the analytes was also achieved. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Needle-implantable, wireless biosensor for continuous glucose monitoring

Unlike non-invasive and minimally invasive continuous monitoring of glucose (CGM) devices, invasive devices require less rigorous calibration and exhibit smaller subject-to-subject variability. Biorasis, Inc. and the University of Connecticut are developing a totally implantable CGM device. Glucowizzard™ is engineered at the smallest possible footprint (0.5 × 0.5 × 5 mm). This miniaturization is made possible by utilizing light both for powering and wireless communication. In addition, Glucowizzard™ utilizes “smart” hydrogel coatings intended for localized release of various tissue response modifiers for effective control of negative tissue responses. The use of light-based powering and communication together with advanced microelectronic design rules has allowed the fabrication of truly miniaturized CGM device. The drug delivery coating has enabled substantial reduction of negative tissue responses for up to 1 month in small as well as large animals (rats and minipigs). The functionality of Glucowizzard™ has been demonstrated in vivo in both rats and minipigs.
Is an increase in CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio in lymph node fine needle aspiration helpful for diagnosing Hodgkin lymphoma? A study of 85 lymph node FNAs with increased CD4/CD8 ratio

An elevated CD4/CD8 T-cell ratio on flow cytometry (FCM) analysis has been reported in the literature to be associated with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL). The purpose of our study was to determine the diagnostic significance of an elevated CD4/CD8 ratio in lymph node fine needle aspiration (FNA) specimens.
The inability of polyamines to maintain ribosome structure and function

Abstract Upon dialysis of ribosomes against solutions of spermidine or putrescine, the polyamine is bound to the ribosomes with concomitant displacement of an equivalent amount of Mg2+. Replacement of greater than 70% of the bound Mg2+ by polyamines causes a precipitous loss in phenylalanine polymerizing activity of the ribosomes. Thus, it would appear that a critical level of Mg2+ is required for maintenance of ribosome function. This requirement for Mg2+ cannot be fulfilled by the polyamines putrescine and spermidine. In addition to alterations in activity, replacement of Mg2+ by polyamines induces changes in the physical properties of the ribosomes, as judged by sedimentation and viscosity measurements and ribonuclease sensitivity.
Self-compensating interface system for high-performance MEMS inertial sensors

The next generation of navigation sensors, which includes microaccelerometers and microgyroscopes, presents high challenges in developing sensitive interface circuits. The shrinking sensor dimensions lead to small output signals that must be processed by the interface electronics. This paper presents a novel interface circuit that can be applied to both fully-differential capacitive and piezoresistive sensors. An equivalent Blumlein Bridge circuit is implemented on CMOS using a novel feedback loop that balances the signals applied to the transducer electrodes. Charge injection is drastically reduced by a double sampling method and a novel adaptive feedback loop that incorporates a compensation switch. The charge injection is reduced to a level below the thermal noise of the opamp. In addition, the feedback loop that is used for reducing the charge injection eliminates supply drift errors. Resolution and stability levels of 10-8 with a supply variation of 10% are achieved.© (1996) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Contact Zones Development Theory and the “Cultural Turn”

Development theory presupposes historical specificity, but has not appropriately dealt with historical change. This inadequacy became more evident in the 1970s when history and other social sciences experienced a paradigmatic shift incited by the “cultural turn.” Motivated by this shift, mainly its emanating concept of “contact zones,” the paper adds to the literature occupied with the directions development theory may take in order to grapple with historical change as a result of the interaction between agency and structure.JEL Classification: B41, F50, O10
Dioxygen Binding to Dinuclear Iron Centers on Methane Monooxygenase Models

Dioxygen binding to the active site of dinuclear iron centers of methane monooxygenase (MMO) is analyzed with the extended Huckel method. The best geometry is set by good interaction of the frontier orbitals of the diiron unit with π* of dioxygen. The μ-η1:η1-O22- mode was calculated to be the most favorable mode for binding of dioxygen to the active site of MMO.
Secretion of a growth inhibitory factor by ZR-75-1 human breast cancer cells.

Abstract Cultures of the human mammary carcinoma line ZR-75-1 secrete a growth inhibitory factor (GIF) that, when diluted, slows the growth of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 cells. Undiluted “conditioned” media prevents cell division from occurring in both human breast cancer lines. ZR-75-1 cells are unaffected by this factor. The amount of GIF in the culture media is related to the confluency of the ZR-75-1 cells. The activity of this GIF is not altered by DNAse or RNAse but is destroyed by heating or trypsin. Growth inhibition is 85–90% reversible if conditioned media is replaced with fresh media.
Optimal extrapolation of pion-nucleon scattering: The σ term re-examined

Abstract Using a new technique of analytic extrapolation we have determined A π N (+) at s = u = M 2 and, for the first time, made a realistic estimate of the extrapolation error. The value A (+) = 189 ± 14 GeV −1 , implies σ NN = −46 ± 140 MeV.
Disclosure policy: A discussion of Leuz, Triantis and Wang (2008) on ''going dark'' $

Abstract LTW (2008) examine firms withdrawing from the SEC reporting system but continuing to trade on Pink Sheets. The paper finds that Sarbanes-Oxley increased the propensity of firms to go dark but, counter to conventional wisdom, had no significant effect on the rate of going-private transactions. Agency costs, as well as poor growth opportunities, proximity to financial distress, and increased compliance costs arising from SOX increase the propensity to go dark. Suggestions to improve the empirical implementation and interpretation involve including additional control and more suitable explanatory variables, and more attention to causation issues and to the quantification of economic significance.
Efficient Steady-State Volatile Organic Compound Removal from Air by Live Bacteria Immobilized on Fiber Supports

Abstract Fibers are suggested for bacterial immobilization in trickle-bed bioreactors used for the removal of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from air. Fiber-based bioreactors retain up to 200 to 300 mg of dry biomass per 1 g of support, which is a much larger value than that of traditional, granule-based bioreactors. Air pollutant removal efficiency for fiber-based bioreactors remains high with large inlet pollutant concentrations or space velocities (lower contact times). Efficient removal is achieved not only for a water-miscible substrate (ethanol), but also for some less water-soluble compounds, such as ethyl acetate and styrene. Specific pollutant elimination capacity per unit fiber-based biocatalyst volume (up to 4000 g/m3-h) exceeds those of biological air purification methods and is comparable to chemical methods. Unlike granule-based biocatalysts, oxygen limitation for pollutant biodegradation is not observed. Evidence obtained shows that the higher air purification efficiency is due to the gr...
Modelling and analysis of split and merge production systems with Bernoulli reliability machines

Many production systems have split and merge operations to increase production capacity and variety, improve product quality, and implement product control and scheduling policies. In this paper, we present analytical methods to model and analyse Bernoulli split and merge production systems with circulate, priority and percentage split/merge policies. The recursive procedures for performance analysis are derived, the convergence of the procedures and uniqueness of the solutions, along with the structural properties, are proved, and the accuracy of the estimation is justified with high precision.
Critical decisions for ERP integration: Small business issues

Small enterprises are facing significant challenges to become suppliers of bigger customers due to the excessive costs associated with accessing a vast market of potential customers. It is essential for small businesses to adopt an ERP system to maintain control of their operations and to compete globally. An ERP implementation is expensive and risky for all businesses, but it is still more challenging for small businesses, which have particular characteristics. We identified from archived literature, key decisions necessary in selecting and implementing an ERP system. While these critical decisions are applicable to all types of businesses, the focus of this research was to recommend the best practices for each one of these key decisions for small businesses. We interviewed six small businesses to recommend best practices for the critical decisions: (1) project team structure, (2) implementation strategy, (3) database conversion strategy, (4) transition technique, (5) risk management strategy and (6) change management strategy. Our results indicate that these best practices greatly enhanced the success of an ERP implementation for small businesses. Further, we recommend studying the impact of ERP systems on the small business' participation in supply chain management.
Synthesis routes to metal matrix composites with specific properties: A review

Abstract Metal matrix composites (MMCs) are successful materials with attractive mechanical properties. The ceramic part contributes to high strength, hardness and stiffness, and the metal part gives the material high fracture toughness and good wear properties. They can be synthesized via completely different routes. In this review is described: (1) Formation from a liquid metal phase and an oxidizing gas phase; (2) hot-pressing of sol-gel prepared precursor and finely distributed metal and (3) reaction bonding of powders using a metal of the metal oxide. The early products formed at short processing time and low temperatures have different structures, but the end products formed at maximum temperatures and reaction times have practically identical microstructures, independent of the synthesis route.
Making sense of keratospeak. IV. Classification of refractive surgery, 1992.

In 1985,I published in theArchivesthe first of a series of articles describing keratospeak—a classification and terminology of refractive corneal surgery. 1 Two more recent articles on the terminology of corneal topography and laser corneal surgery have been published. 2,3 Since then, refractive surgery has changed in three major ways. First, the number of techniques of refractive corneal surgery has increased markedly. Second, different procedures now ride the wave of popularity; epikeratoplasty has fallen off and excimer laser is riding high. Third, cataract surgery with intraocular lens (IOL) implantation has increasingly emphasized the reduction of postoperative spherical and astigmatic refractive errors, particularly with the introduction of multifocal IOLs and intraoperative transverse keratotomy. Intraocular lens implantation in phakic eyes is again under evaluation for the treatment of myopia (Table). Even the definition of a successful result is changing. Many consider a refractive result of ±1.00 diopter a useful yardstick,
Direct and interactive effects of cardioplegic arrest and protamine on myocyte contractility.

Background. Cardioplegic arrest with rewarming and protamine administration have been implicated in causing transient left ventricular dysfunction perioperatively. However, whether interactive effects between cardioplegic arrest and rewarming with protamine occur with respect to myocyte contractile processes remains unclear. Accordingly, using an isolated myocyte model, the present study tested the hypothesis that simulated cardioplegic arrest with rewarming and protamine would have direct and interactive effects on myocyte contractile function. Methods. Left ventricular isolated myocyte contractile function was examined using computer-aided videomicroscopy under normothermic conditions (37°C, cell medium; n=183) and after simulated hypothermic, hyperkalemic cardioplegic arrest with rewarming (4°C, 24 mEq/L K + , 2 hours; then 37°C, cell medium, 5 minutes; n=268). Myocyte function was then examined in the presence of protamine (10 to 40 μg/mL) under normothermic conditions (n = 102) and after cardioplegic arrest with rewarming (n = 175). Results. Myocyte contractile function decreased by 43% from baseline after simulated cardioplegic arrest with rewarming. Under normothermic conditions, protamine (20 μg/mL) reduced myocyte contractile function by 43.9% ± 4.3%, whereas myocyte contractile function decreased by only 31.1% ± 2.7% with protamine (20 μg/mL) after cardioplegic arrest with rewarming. Thus, the negative effects of protamine on myocyte contractility were attenuated after cardioplegic arrest when compared with normothermic conditions. Conclusions. The present study demonstrated that simulated cardioplegic arrest with rewarming and protamine have direct and interactive effects on myocyte contractile function, which are not additive or synergistic.
The market value impact of indirect ties within technology alliances

Researchers have typically studied the relationship between technology alliances and market value from a direct tie or dyadic perspective. Yet any given technology alliance is typically embedded in a network of indirect ties created by the alliance partners’ relationships with other firms. We argue that whether an indirect tie enhances or detracts from the market value a firm creates in a technology alliance depends upon factors related to inter-firm competencies at both an alliance- and partner-level of analysis. Empirical analysis of abnormal stock returns reveals support for the hypothesized contingent relationship between indirect ties and value creation within technology alliances. Theoretically, the paper clarifies opposing perspectives in the literature regarding the performance implications of indirect ties and identifies market value as a hitherto unrecognized effect associated with this type of tie. Managerially, the findings improve marketers’ ability to leverage the complex interactions that occur between technology alliances in a value-creating manner.
Extreme Lateral Disc Herniation: Diagnosis by Computed Tomographic Scanning

Extreme lateral disc herniation with compression of the nerve root as it exits through the foramen has been a recognized entity for a number of years. Until recently, this diagnosis was made infrequently except at the time of operation. Reported here are 12 cases of root compression from disc herniation at the level of the pedicle or farther laterally in the foramen (extreme lateral disc herniation). Diagnosis and localization of the root compression were determined preoperatively in 11 of 12 cases based on the computed tomographic (CT) scan appearance of the lesion. Myelography was performed in 9 cases and was interpreted as normal in 6 and abnormal in 3 instances. In each of the 3 abnormal studies, the actual abnormality was at a different level than that predicted by the myelogram. The clinical presentations in these patients were not distinct except that a positive straight leg raising test was present in only 7 of 12. Preoperative knowledge of the site of nerve root compression as delineated by CT scanning was essential in planning the operative procedure. It prevented unnecessary exploration of uninvolved levels and directed the surgeon to the far lateral site of the herniation. Illustrative examples are presented.
STS: Where the Marxist Critique of Capitalist Science Goes to Die?

Gary Werskey writes insightfully and sympathetically of people and events he knows well—the giants of the visible college, the heroic cadres of British radical science. Many science studies scholar...
DNA damage and cell killing. Cause and effect

The evidence supporting a cause and effect relationship between DNA damage and cell killing is examined in the light of what is currently known about the organization and replication of genomic DNA in eukaryotic cells and the radio-energetics of DNA breakage. A large disparity is identified between characteristic doses for cell killing and for the production of DNA lesions (i.e., single- or double-strand breaks). In contrast, the sensitive phase of the inhibition of DNA synthesis has a dependence on dose quantitatively similar to that of cell killing. A model is developed in which single- and double-strand breaks are associated with the inhibition of replicon initiation, whereas only double-strand breaks are primarily responsible for strand elongation. Furthermore, the model points to the replisome and the region of replicated DNA just downstream from the fork as the locus of radiation action.
High resolution time integration for SN radiation transport

Abstract First-order, second-order, and high resolution time discretization schemes are implemented and studied for the discrete ordinates ( S N ) equations. The high resolution method employs a rate of convergence better than first-order, but also suppresses artificial oscillations introduced by second-order schemes in hyperbolic partial differential equations. The high resolution method achieves these properties by nonlinearly adapting the time stencil to use a first-order method in regions where oscillations could be created. We employ a quasi-linear solution scheme to solve the nonlinear equations that arise from the high resolution method. All three methods were compared for accuracy and convergence rates. For non-absorbing problems, both second-order and high resolution converged to the same solution as the first-order with better convergence rates. High resolution is more accurate than first-order and matches or exceeds the second-order method.
NITROGEN SOLUBILITIES OF α‐LACTOGLOBULIN AND α‐LACTALBUMIN ENRICHED FRACTIONS DERIVED FROM ULTRAFILTERED CHEESE WHEY RETENTATES

The nitrogen solubilities of β-lactoglobulin and α-lactalbumin-enriched fractions derived from acid and sweet wheys were measured over a range of concentrations as a function of pH. The β-lactoglobulin-enriched fractions had relatively low nitrogen solubilities at concentrations above 5% (W/V), especially at pH 4.65. This fraction was soluble at pH 7.0 and at concentrations below 5% (W/V). The α-lactalbumin-enriched fraction had a high nitrogen solubility at concentrations of 20% (W/V) within the pH range of 3.0 to 9.0.
Learning in honeybees as a function of amount and frequency of reward

In a series of four experiments with free-flying honeybees, individual foragers were trained with targets of two different colors that contained 5 or 20 μl of 50% sucrose solution. The two targets were singly presented in quasi-random sequences on each visit, with the amount of reward to be found on each target perfectly predictable from its color. The number of training visits (4–32) was varied both within and between experiments, and so also was the relative frequency of trials with the 5- and 20-μl targets (1:1, 2:1, 3:1, and 9:1). At the conclusion of training under each condition, unrewarded responses to the targets were measured in a 10-min extinction test, with the targets presented either separately to two different groups of animals (Experiment 1) or as a pair (Experiments 2–4). When the number of training trials with each target was the same (Experiments 1 and 2), the animals responded more in extinction to the 20-μl target than to the 5-μl target, although there was a decline in the overall level of responding to both targets (an overlearning-extinction effect) as the number of training trials increased. After nine times as many, or only three times as many, training trials with the5- μl target as with the 20-μl target, the animals responded more in extinction to the 5-μl target (Experiment 3); after twice as many training trials with the 5-μl target as with the 20-μl target, there was equal responding to both (Experiment 4). The preferences shown in the choice tests of Experiments 2–4 could be simulated rather accurately on the assumptions of a model previously developed to deal with the discrete-trials choice behavior of honeybees and the further assumption that associative strength grows at a rate increasing with amount of reward to an asymptote independent of amount of reward.
Gonadal hormone feedback on pituitary gonadotropin genes

The pituitary gonadotropins LH and FSH, which act on the ovaries and testes to promote gametogenesis and sex steroid production, are regulated by changes in the levels of steroids and gonadal peptides. Steroid feedback can be positive, as demonstrated by the estrogen and LH surge at ovulation, or negative, as demonstrated by the rise in LH and FSH after gonadectomy or reductions in steroid synthesis. Modulatory effects of the steroids estrogen and testosterone may be mediated directly at the level of the pituitary cells, or by alterations in the release of the hypothalamic releasing factor GnRH. Gonadal peptides, including activin and inhibin, have been shown to have direct effects on pituitary cells to alter FSH synthesis specifically, with no effects on LH. Changes in gonadotropin subunit gene transcription and mRNA levels occur very rapidly and have profound effects on physiological levels of the hormones. In this article, the effects of the gonadal steroids and peptides as modifiers of the rat gonadotropin genes in a subunit specific manner are reviewed, and the physiological implications discussed.
Population connectivity of the Olympia oyster in southern California.

The Olympia oyster is a useful model to study the population connectivity of estuarine invertebrates because it incorporates chemical information about the natal site into its shell before dispersal. This information can be accessed in recruits using laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry and compared with predispersal shells from possible source populations. Shelled Ostrea lurida larvae were periodically removed from adults at eight sites in four Southern California estuaries in the summers of 2006 and 2007. The ratios to calcium of copper, barium, lead, and uranium in the shells were used to distinguish among sites in linear discriminant function analyses. Jackknifed assignment accuracy by site was increased to 74% and 82% for 2006 and 2007, respectively, by grouping the eight sites into three regions. Settlement plates at each site in 2007 collected recent O. lurida recruits that were assigned to one of the three regions defined by the broods. San Diego Bay and the North County produced over 80% of the identifiable recruits in 2007, with Mission Bay producing the remaining minority. The majority of recruits to San Diego Bay were self-recruits, whereas over half of the North County recruits were unidentifiable. Patterns of connectivity varied between recruitment pulses, but a substantial portion of larvae were exchanged among estuaries separated by as many as 75 km of coastline.
Spinal cord transplants enhance the recovery of locomotor function after spinal cord injury at birth.

Fetal spinal cord transplants placed into the site of a neonatal spinal cord lesion alter the response of immature CNS neurons to injury. The transplants prevent the retrograde cell death of immature axotomized neurons and support the growth of axons into and through the site of injury. In the present experiments we used a battery of locomotor tasks to determine if these transplants are also capable of promoting the recovery of motor function after spinal cord injury at birth. Embryonic (E14) spinal cord transplants were placed into the site of a spinal cord “over-hemisection” in rat pups. Three groups of animals were used: 1) normal control animals, 2) animals with a spinal cord hemisection only, and 3) animals with a spinal cord transplant at the site of the hemisection. Eight to twelve weeks later, the animals were trained and videotaped while crossing runways requiring accurate foot placement and footprinted while walking on a treadmill. The videotapes and footprints were analyzed to obtain quantitative measures of locomotor function. Footprint analysis revealed that the animals' base of support during locomotion was increased by a neonatal hemisection. The base of support in animals with transplants was similar to control values. Animals with a hemisection rotated their hindlimbs further laterally than did control animals during locomotion. A transplant at the site of injury modified this response. Normal animals were able to cross a grid runway quickly with only a few errors. In contrast, animals with a hemisection took a longer time and made more errors while crossing. The presence of a transplant at the site of injury enabled the animals to cross the grid more quickly and to make fewer errors than the animals with a hemisection only. Animals that received the transplants demonstrated qualitative and quantitative improvements in several parameters of locomotion. Spinal cord transplants at the site of neonatal spinal cord injury result in enhanced sparing or recovery of motor function. We suggest that this transplant induced recovery of function is a consequence of the anatomical plasticity elicited by the transplants.
On the accuracy of classifying hospitals on their performance measures.

The evaluation, comparison, and public report of health care provider performance is essential to improving the quality of health care. Hospitals, as one type of provider, are often classified into quality tiers (e.g., top or suboptimal) based on their performance data for various purposes. However, potential misclassification might lead to detrimental effects for both consumers and payers. Although such risk has been highlighted by applied health services researchers, a systematic investigation of statistical approaches has been lacking. We assess and compare the expected accuracy of several commonly used classification methods: unadjusted hospital-level averages, shrinkage estimators under a random-effects model accommodating between-hospital variation, and two others based on posterior probabilities. Assuming that performance data follow a classic one-way random-effects model with unequal sample size per hospital, we derive accuracy formulae for these classification approaches and gain insight into how the misclassification might be affected by various factors such as reliability of the data, hospital-level sample size distribution, and cutoff values between quality tiers. The case of binary performance data is also explored using Monte Carlo simulation strategies. We apply the methods to real data and discuss the practical implications. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Professional Psychotherapists Vs Nonpsychotherapists: Thought Processes, Verbal Behavior, and Clients' Satisfaction:

Combining eight case studies, we compared professional people matched on age and education, but with no training in counseling (NPs), with experienced professional psychologists or psychotherapists (Ps) on verbal responses made in the session, retrospections (recalled thoughts during counseling), clients' responses, and clients' satisfaction. After the two groups independently interviewed the same coached client who presented the same problem to both, the two groups, P and NP, retrospected. Transcripts were coded on six dimensions of retrospections and on 9 clients' and 14 counselors' categories of verbal response. Interrater congruence exceeded 75% agreement. Although clients' responses to both counselors were comparable, those without training differed from trained therapists in certain styles of thought and verbal behaviors. Clients considered the latter significantly more helpful than the former. Implications for theory and practice were discussed.
Germany's Left Party.PDS and the ‘Vacuum Thesis’: From regional milieu party to left alternative?

The ‘vacuum hypothesis’ became fashionable in the late 1990s to explain the continuing upturn in the PDS's electoral fortunes. It posited that the PDS had begun to occupy an ideological void on the left of the German party system that had opened up with the rightward shift of the governing SPD and Greens. However, although the subsequent election results offered at best qualified support for this thesis, party reformers in the PDS remained its proponents because it pointed the communist successor party towards a continuing process of programmatic modernization. In part it was the failure of the PDS to meet the expectations of the vacuum thesis that led the party in 2005 to join forces with dissident Social Democrats in western Germany.
Evaluating the impact of cannibalization on fleet performance

Organizations that utilize fleets of expensive repairable equipment are faced with numerous challenges related to the specification of maintenance policies and the allocation of maintenance resources. The associated maintenance decisions can have a drastic impact on fleet performance. Due to the significant acquisition costs associated with the components that comprise the units of equipment in the fleet, cannibalization is often used in the absence of available spare parts to enable fleet maintenance managers to satisfy fleet performance constraints such as readiness requirements. This research is focused on the development and analysis of a closed-network, discrete-event simulation model that is used to assess the impacts of cannibalization, small spare parts inventories and maintenance-induced damage on a fleet of systems. Using numerical examples, we demonstrate the comparison between cannibalization and the investment in limited spare parts inventories. We evaluate fleet performance using average readiness and total maintenance cost. Specifically, we demonstrate that investments in spare parts inventories can reduce the need for and value of cannibalization. However, our results also support the use of cannibalization as a low-cost alternative to investing in expensive spare parts. We also explore the impact of damage induced by maintenance on fleet performance. Specifically, we demonstrate that maintenance-induced damage can reduce the benefit of cannibalization while drastically increasing maintenance expenditures. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Exact values for crystallization temperatures at different heating rates from isothermal transformation times

Abstract A method is presented by which the transformation temperatures at different heating rates can be predicted exactly from isothermal transformation measurements. Incubation periods for detectable (initial) crystallization and times to peak crystallization were studied under isothermal conditions for Metglas 2826 using a differential scanning calorimeter. The data obtained were used to predict transformation temperatures at different heating rates. The predicted temperatures showed excellent agreement with experimental non-isothermal transformation data for Metglas 2826.
Electron and Proton Beam Testing of Pixelated Solid State Detectors

Abstract The biasing of guard rings in pixelated ion implanted silicon solid state detectors is often given little analysis as to the potential detrimental effects associated with capacitive coupling of the response of the pixel element to the guard ring and vise versa. This has been demonstrated and illustrates the importance of using beam testing to measure the angular response of particle instruments. We describe herein the development cycle of the Fixed Sensor Head (FSH) instrument, an imaging electron spectrometer that will be flown on the US Air Force's Demonstration and Science eXperiment (DSX) mission. During its construction, the FSH was tested using particle beams many times and each test yielded an important result that contributed to the design of the instrument before being delivered in August 2010. After several lower energy ( 30 keV ) beam calibration tests at Hanscom Air Force Base demonstrated that the FSH was performing very well, a final, higher energy ( 150 keV E 1 MeV ) beam test at the Goddard Space Flight Center was almost skipped due to budget and scheduling constraints. This final test illuminated a major problem with the biasing of a detector guard ring that would have been difficult if not impossible to track down on orbit. The problem was easily fixed, but serves to highlight the importance of biasing of guard rings properly, and the necessity of testing instruments across the entire range of possible stimuli that they may encounter.
What did Kramers and Kronig do and how did they do it

Over time the account of how the Kramers–Kronig (dispersion) relations between the real and imaginary parts of response functions were derived in 1926 and 1927 has been transmogrified into anecdotes about what might have been done but was not. Although Kramers obtained both members of a pair of relations, Kronig obtained only one. Both authors appealed to specific models of an atomic gas rather than to the general arguments about linearity, causality and analyticity in modern model-independent derivations. Kramers merely speculated on whether the specific results he obtained might have a more general validity. Neither author showed that a signal cannot travel faster than cin any medium for which the dispersion relations are satisfied. Indeed, they did not mention, even obliquely, signal speeds and causality. Despite their magical aura, Kramers–Kronig relations are translations into somewhat cryptic frequency language of statements clearer in time language.
Practical Considerations to Setting Up a Radiology CME Conference: How We Do It

The authors describe our experience in planning, organizing, and running a radiology CME conference at a hotel (rather than at a stand-alone conference or convention center). Much of the information described should also be useful for other medical and nonmedical conferences. This experience should provide new conference organizers with useful information to ensure a more efficient and successful conference, so there are fewer "If I knew then what I know now" moments over the years.
Grafting analysis of the periodic albino mutant of Xenopus laevis

Abstract The differentiation of normal and mutant (aP/aP) Xenopus laevis melanophores in chimerae was analyzed to determine the tissues affected by this mutation. Normal melanophores in mutant host tissue differentiate in mutant host tissue prior to those of the mutant host. These normal melanophores were initially normal in appearance, but, after the differentiation of the mutant host's melanophores, they became indistinguishable from their host's melanophores. These normal melanophores persist in more than normally punctate form after the disappearance of the mutant host's melanophores in late larval life. Parabiosis and head transplants between mutant and normal embryos did not affect the character of either type of melanophore developing in tissue of its own genotype, indicating that the hormonal control of melanophore differentiation is not affected by the mutation. Therefore, the periodic albino mutant affects the capacity of the mutant melanophore to differentiate and the ability of the mutant skin to support normal melanophore differentiation.
Mycorrhizal colonization of Palafoxia feayi (Asteraceae) in a pyrogenic ecosystem

Although a number of factors have predictable effects on mycorrhizal colonization, determining generalized patterns for some variables have remained elusive. In particular, fire has been identified as a major event that may influence plant–mycorrhiza interactions, yet efforts to date have yielded contradictory results. Here, we assess the impact of fire on mycorrhizal colonization in Palafoxia feayi, a plant commonly found in the fireswept, nutrient-poor scrub community of central Florida. We determined soil nutrient conditions and percent colonization patterns for plants growing in replicate plots that were burned 1 to 15 years previously. The results showed a negative relationship between mycorrhizal colonization and time since fire, but there was no effect of fire return interval (lapsed time between successive fires). Soil nutrient analyses corroborated previous studies and showed no change in soil nutrients following fire. In contrast to previous studies of mycorrhizal colonization in Florida scrub, we conclude that fire can affect arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi colonization and we speculate that this is mediated by light availability.
Role of polyamines in the growth of hormone-responsive experimental breast cancer in vivo.

We have provided evidence for a critical role of polyamines in the growth of the hormone-responsive N-nitrosomethyl-urea (NMU)-induced rat mammary tumorin vitro. The present experiments were designed to test whether polyamines are involved in the growth of this experimental tumorin vivo. To test this hypothesis, groups of rats bearing NMU-induced mammary cancers were randomly allocated to receive no treatment or escalating doses of the polyamine biosynthesis inhibitor α-difluoromethyl-ornithine (DFMO) (0.5%, 1%, 2%, 3% in drinking water). DFMO inhibited tumor growth in a dose-dependent fashion and consistently reduced tumor putrescine level. To evaluate the time dependency of this effect, additional groups of rats received either no treatment or 2% DFMO for 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. At all times DFMO suppressed tumor putrescine level as well as spermidine to spermine ratio. Finally, exogenous administration of putrescine (200 mg/kg/i.p./day × 21 days) given concomitantly with DFMO restored tumor growth, partially repleted tumor putrescine level, and raised the spermidine to spermine ratio to control levels. Putrescine, given alone, had no significant effect on either tumor polyamine levels or tumor growth. Except for modest weight loss, no major toxicity was encountered. These results indicate that polyamines play an important role in the growth of the NMU rat mammary tumorin vivo. The interaction between polyamines and hormones in supporting NMU mammary tumor growthin vivo remains to be elucidated.
Geographic Uncertainty in Environmental Security

This volume contains 17 papers presented at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Fuzziness and Uncertainty held in Kiev, Ukraine, 28 June to 1 July 2006. Eleven of the papers deal with fuzzy set concepts, while the other six (papers 5, 7, 13, 14, 15, and 16) are not fuzzy. A reader with no prior exposure to fuzzy set theory would benefit from having an introductory text at hand, but the papers are accessible to a wide audience. In general, the papers deal with broad issues of classification and uncertainty in geographic information.
Polyanion-mediated mineralization — a kinetic analysis of the calcium-carrier hypothesis in the phytoflagellatePleurochrysis carterae

Polyanions are postulated intermediates in biomineralization because they sequester large numbers of calcium ions and occur in high concentrations at mineralizing foci in distantly related organisms. In this study mineral ion and polyanion metabolism was examined inPleurochrysis carterae to determine whether polyanions function as intermediate calcium-carriers during coccolith (mineralized scale) formation. In this organism mineralization occurs intracellularly in coccolith-forming saccules, and mature coccoliths are extruded through the plasma membrane into the coccosphere. The polyanions (acidic polysaccharides known as PS-1 and PS-2) are synthesized in medial Golgi cisternae and transported to the coccolith-forming saccule prior to the onset of mineral deposition; they also cover the mineral surface of mature coccoliths. Pulse-chase experiments with45Ca2+ and14CO3− show the calcium uptake into the coccolith-forming saccule is much slower than carbonate uptake. The extended intracellular half-life of calcium ions destined for the coccosphere suggests that calcium is initially sequestered in more distal Golgi elements (perhaps in association with the polyanions) and enters the coccolith-forming saccule only after passage through the endomembrane system. This is consistent with previous cytochemical studies showing that the polyanions are complexed with calcium prior to mineral deposition. It has been suggested that polyanions may be degraded at the mineralization front in order to free calcium ions for precipitation with available carbonate or phosphate ions. However, this study demonstrates that the polyanions are not degraded; essentially all PS-1 and PS-2 are eventually secreted with the mineral phase into the coccosphere. The kinetics of mineral ion and polyanion secretion are consistent with a polyanion-mediated calcium transport; however, the manner in which calcium might be sequestered by and freed from the polyanions is still obscure.