cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The use of particle simulation in contact mechanics

A particle approach to a contact mechanics problem is illustrated by simulation of the motion of a gel which falls on a flat, hard surface. Examples of gel jiggling are described and discussed. Only scientific PC capabilities are required.
Near-IR MCD of the nonheme ferrous active site in naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase: correlation to crystallography and structural insight into the mechanism of Rieske dioxygenases

Near-IR MCD and variable temperature, variable field (VTVH) MCD have been applied to naphthalene 1,2-dioxygenase (NDO) to describe the coordination geometry and electronic structure of the mononuclear nonheme ferrous catalytic site in the resting and substrate-bound forms with the Rieske 2Fe2S cluster oxidized and reduced. The structural results are correlated with the crystallographic studies of NDO and other related Rieske nonheme iron oxygenases to develop molecular level insights into the structure/function correlation for this class of enzymes. The MCD data for resting NDO with the Rieske center oxidized indicate the presence of a six-coordinate high-spin ferrous site with a weak axial ligand which becomes more tightly coordinated when the Rieske center is reduced. Binding of naphthalene to resting NDO (Rieske oxidized and reduced) converts the six-coordinate sites into five-coordinate (5c) sites with elimination of a water ligand. In the Rieske oxidized form the 5c sites are square pyramidal but tra...
A Conceptual Model for Analysing Discrete Alternative Franchising Portfolios: Design and Validation

Franchising, one of the most dynamic forms of modern business, is rapidly becoming oversaturated with competitors. The phenomenal growth in franchising has created a need for the development of more sophisticated methods for evaluating franchising opportunities. This paper proposes a two-stage conceptual model; composed of a probabilistic capital budgeting criterion for determining the value and risk of individual franchises, and a 0-1 integer programming criterion for optimizing the resultant portfolio of discrete alternative franchises. The conceptual model is validated using actual data provided by a United States-based cable television franchisor.
A Method for Harvesting Mass Cultures of Tetrahymena pyriformis

SYNOPSIS. A centrifugation procedure for removing Tetrahymena from mass cultures is described. This method offers the following advantages: (a) inexpensive apparatus, (b) the short period of time required for harvesting large numbers of cells, (c) lack of cellular damage, (d) the ability to obtain proven dilution with regard to the culture fluid, (e) nearly quantitative recovery of the cells, and (f) the ease of assembling and disassembling the apparatus for cleaning.
The Therapeutic Effects of Singing in Neurological Disorders

MUSIC MAKING (PLAYING AN INSTRUMENT OR SINGING) is a multimodal activity that involves the integration of auditory and sensorimotor processes. The ability to sing in humans is evident from infancy, and does not depend on formal vocal training but can be enhanced by training. Given the behavioral similarities between singing and speaking, as well as the shared and distinct neural correlates of both, researchers have begun to examine whether singing can be used to treat some of the speech-motor abnormalities associated with various neurological conditions. This paper reviews recent evidence on the therapeutic effects of singing, and how it can potentially ameliorate some of the speech deficits associated with conditions such as stuttering, Parkinson9s disease, acquired brain lesions, and autism. By reviewing the status quo, it is hoped that future research can help to disentangle the relative contribution of factors to why singing works. This may ultimately lead to the development of specialized or "gold-standard" treatments for these disorders, and to an improvement in the quality of life for patients.
Review article : Malignant hyperthermia: a review for the cardiac surgical team

Malignant hyperthermia is an inherited skeletal muscle disorder. A malignant hyperthermia crisis is triggered by volatile anaesthetics and many drugs and has an extremely high mortality rate when not treated. This paper describes the aetiology, clinical manifestations and treatment of this disease and outlines the correct procedure for patients who are susceptible to a malignant hyperthermic crisis.
The dark side of computer operations: implementing user policies

Computer centers today aren't like the computer centers in the good ol' days. Back then, users came to the window and handed us their keypunched cards. The computer operator stacked them on top of a batch of other cards in the card stacker with a divider card, and we all patiently waited. A half a day later the user would come back to see if his cards had been batch processed yet. He asked the status of his job, the operator told him, and the user accepted his word for it. When the user finally did get his cards and printout, he was grateful and amazed at the all-powerful computer and at the cooperation of the computer operator. Life was so simple.The computer center of 1987 is altogether different. The computer is merely taken for granted, and the distressed operator takes abuse that defies description. What went wrong? When did the operator lose control of his little kingdom? Why is it becoming increasingly difficult to implement policies?In the old days, users accepted the operator's word for everything, mainly because they had no choice. Today, nearly every user has his own terminal or microcomputer right on top of his desk. The user can easily monitor the operator's every move. The user is able to determine which jobs are waiting in which queue and how long they've been waiting. If the user is really alert, he can tell if a job has been waiting an unusually long time, and possibly if the operator is asleep at the wheel. And to add to the operator's grief, the user can take it one step further by “notifying” the delinquent operator via console messages that his work could stand improvement. In the time it takes the operator to respond to the irate user, the operator could have put the printer on line or repaired whatever damage was occurring without any prompting from the user. In an environment of 2000 plus users, responding to console remarks can be a full-time occupation.And responses to users must be handled diplomatically. After all, the comments that are made are all right there in black and white—there is no denying the unintentional sarcastic overtones in the response. When life was more tranquil, it was simply our word against theirs.
Pairwise interaction processes for modeling cellular network topology

In industry, cellular tower locations have primarily been modeled by a deterministic hexagonal grid. Since real deployments are rarely regular, the even spacing between nodes in the grid and constant Voronoi cell areas make the hexagonal grid unrealistic. In this paper we use tools from spatial statistics to show that a purely random node placement and a hexagonal grid distribution with the points perturbed also have unrealistic spatial relationships between nodes, and that pairwise interactions between nodes are necessary, and in most cases sufficient, for modeling spatial qualities of cellular networks. We detail the benefits of using pairwise point interactions in modeling both a coverage-centric tower deployment and a capacity-centric tower deployment. We propose using pairwise and saturated pairwise interaction point processes from the Gibbs process family of point processes: the Strauss Hardcore process for inhibitive point patterns and the Geyer Saturation process for clustered point patterns. Due to its relationship with the coverage areas, we also propose that the Voronoi cell area distribution can be used as a test statistic in general spatial modeling of cellular networks.
Inhibition of Matrix Metalloproteinase Activity Inhibits Smooth Muscle Cell Migration but Not Neointimal Thickening After Arterial Injury

Smooth muscle cell (SMC) migration and replication are important for neointimal formation after arterial injury. Migration of SMCs requires degradation of basement membrane and extracellular matrix surrounding the cell, and our previous work has shown a correlation between expression of two matrix-degrading metalloproteinases (MMPs), MMP-2 and MMP-9, and smooth muscle migration into the intima in the balloon catheter-injured rat carotid artery. In the present study, an MMP inhibitor, GM 6001, was administered to rats for various times after balloon injury of the carotid artery. Inhibition of MMP activity resulted in a 97% decrease in the number of SMCs that migrated into the intima by 4 days after injury, and lesions growth was retarded by continuous treatment with GM 6001-treated rats was 0.035 +/- 0.008 mm2 compared with 0.095 +/- mm2 in the control group. Neither intimal nor medical SMC replication rates were decreased by GM 6001 treatment, supporting our hypothesis that the decrease in lesion size was due to inhibition of MMP-mediated migration and not inhibition of replication. By 14 days after injury, however, intimal area and SMC number were the same control and inhibitor-treated rats. An increased rate of SMC replication in the GM 6001 rats (replication rates at 10 days were 56.7 +/- 10.0% in the GM 6001 group and 16.97 +/- 1.73% in the control group) contributed to "catch-up" growth of the neointima. Thus, it appears that inhibiting SMC migration with MMP inhibitors is not sufficient to inhibit lesion growth, and lesion size eventually catches up to control via increased SMC replication.
A method for solar sailing in a low earth orbit

Abstract It has been widely accepted that solar sails are incapable of operating in low earth orbits due to drag from the residual atmosphere overcoming the sunlight induced thrust. This limitation seems to require that a solar sail always maintain an altitude greater than approximately 1000 km above the earth’s surface. Placing a sail at this altitude first requires a fairly large launch vehicle which increases the cost of any proposed solar sail mission or proof of concept flight. The inability to access low altitudes also has effectively negated the possibility of using a solar sail as a low cost orbital transfer vehicle. This paper describes a new configuration of solar sail that will allow operation in high inclination earth orbits from under 350 km circular out to interplanetary space. Two possible sail configurations are described and their operation, advantages over previous sail designs and limitations are discussed. Spacecraft drag reduction technique involving the use of a shield made of a solar sail like material is developed.
Misfolded BRICHOS SP-C mutant proteins induce apoptosis via caspase-4- and cytochrome c-related mechanisms.

Several mutations within the BRICHOS domain of surfactant protein C (SP-C) have been linked to interstitial lung disease. Recent studies have suggested that these mutations cause misfolding of the ...
SU‐GG‐T‐307: Multi‐Institution Comparison of Varian Linac Electron Commissioning Data: Application to Eclipse Generalized Gaussian Pencil Beam Algorithm Commissioning

Purpose: To point out clinically relevant issues in the commissioning process of the Eclipse Generalized Gaussian Pencil Beam (GGPB) algorithm and to post a multi‐institution comparison of Varian linac electron commissioning data. Research was performed to quantify the accuracy of commissioning a treatment planning system using either Varian “golden beam data” or common data for several linacs. Using such data may be a useful option for clinics installing or replacing a linac, with the need to make the transition with minimal down time. This work seeks to address whether or not such techniques are clinically acceptable. Method and Materials: Graphical techniques were used to compare the electron commissioning data from multiple independent Varian linacs. The performance of the Varian “golden beam data” for beam modeling using the Eclipse GGPB algorithm was examined by comparing calculations to measured dose distributions as well to calculations made with a fully commissioned pencil beam algorithm in CMS Xio. Results: Depth dose curves from the various independent linacs were typically found to be within a 3 mm distance to agreement, with the Varian “golden beam data” falling within an approximate 5 mm distance to agreement. Comparisons between CMS Xio and Eclipse showed that Eclipse depth dose profiles are less smooth and tend to contain calculation algorithm artifacts. Conclusion: Although good agreement was found between the commissioning data of the clinics in this study, special care should be taken when using data from another linac to commission a treatment planning system. With careful adjustment of the modeling parameters in the treatment planning systems it may be possible to achieve calculation accuracy that is within a clinically acceptable tolerance. However, if optimal accuracy is desired, a full set of commissioning data should be collected for the specific linac being modeled.
The Viking Solar Corona Experiment

The 1976 Mars solar conjunction resulted in complete occultations of the Viking spacecraft by the sun at solar minimum. During the conjunction period, coherent 3.5- and 13-cm wavelength radio waves from the orbiters passed through the solar corona and were received with the 64-m antennas of the NASA Deep Space Network. Data were obtained within at least 0.3 and 0.8 R sub s of the photosphere at the 3.5- and 13-cm wavelengths, respectively. The data can be used to determine the plasma density integrated along the radio path, the velocity of density irregularities in the coronal plasma, and the spectrum of the density fluctuations in the plasma. Observations of integrated plasma density near the south pole of the sun generally agree with a model of the corona which has an 8:1 decrease in plasma density from the equator to the pole. Power spectra of the 3.5- and 13-cm signals at a heliocentric radial distance of about 2 R sub s have a 1/2 power width of several hundred hertz and vary sharply with proximate geometric miss distance. Spectral broadening indicates a marked progressive increase in plasma irregularities with decreasing ray altitude at scales between about 1 and 100 km.
Non-Fermi liquid behavior in chemically-substituted f-electron compounds

Abstract Certain chemically substituted f-electron compounds exhibit non-Fermi liquid behavior in their low-temperature physical properties and appear to constitute a new class of strongly correlated f-electron materials. In this paper, we update the experimental situation for the archetypal Y 1− x U x Pd 3 system and briefly describe recent experiments on the U 1− x Th x Pd 2 Al 3 system.
Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgical Procedures: The Mayo Experience

Objective To describe an initial 3-year experience with video-assisted thoracic surgical procedures (VATS) at Mayo at Mayo Clinic Rochester. Design We review the cumulative data on 771 VATS performed between June 1, 1991, and May 31, 1994, and assess the applications for this technique. Material and Methods The indications for VATS, our techniques used, and the associated mortality and morbidity are summarized. In addition, the frequency of conversion of VATS to open procedures and the reasons for choosing this strategy are discussed. Results The 771 study patients (401 male and 370 female patients) had a median age of 62 years (range, 7 to 96). For all VATS, we used one-lung general anesthesia, without carbon dioxide insufflation. Indications for performing VATS were a pulmonary nodule in 333 patients, pleural effusion in 208, pulmonary infiltrate in 117, pneumothorax in 51, mediastinal mass in 22, pleural mass in 17, air leak in 13, and other in 10. The procedure was a wedge excision in 352 patients, examination of the pleural cavity in 128, pleural biopsy in 86, talc pleurodesis in 85, wedge excision and mechanical pleurodesis in 46, decortication in 27, excision of a mediastinal mass in 12, sympathectomy in 4, and other in 16. The rate of conversion of VATS to thoracotomy was 33.1x and and did not change throughout the period of the study. The most common reasons for conversion were to complete a resection of a malignant lesion or to remove a deep nodule. The overall operative mortality was 1.9x. Complications occurred in 43 patients (8.3x) who underwent VATS without conversion to an open procedure and included prolonged air leak in 14, respiratory failure in 8, pneumothorax in 6, and atrial fibrillation in 5. The median hospitalization was 5 days (range, 1 to 104). Conclusion VATS is safe and useful for selected thoracic conditions. We favor conversion to thoracotomy when curative resection of a malignant lesion is intended.
Use of AlloDerm in type I tympanoplasty: a comparison with native tissue grafts.

Objectives: AlloDerm, an acellular human dermis allograft, has been shown to be an effective option as a tympanic membrane (TM) graft in animals and humans and has several potential advantages, including eliminating donor site morbidity, reducing operative time, and preserving native tissues for later use. We compared AlloDerm and native tissue grafts in type I tympanoplasty with regard to operative time, graft success rate, and audiologic outcome. Study Design: A retrospective chart review of tympanoplasties performed at a major tertiary referral hospital over a 31 month period, starting with the first use of AlloDerm for TM grafting at this institution. Methods: The medical charts of all patients undergoing tympanoplasty were reviewed. Only those patients undergoing type I tympanoplasty without mastoidectomy or ossicular chain reconstruction were included. These 114 patients (25 AlloDerm, 56 fascia reconstruction, and 33 fascia plus cartilage reconstruction) were compared for operative time, success rate of the graft, and change in audiologic outcome. Results: There was a statistically significant reduction in operative time in the AlloDerm group when controlled for surgeon and choice of approach. All groups showed no statistically significant difference in the success rate of the graft and closure of audiologic air-bone gap, regardless of graft material used. Conclusions: AlloDerm is an effective TM graft when used in type I tympanoplasty. It is as effective as native tissues in closing the airbone gap on audiogram as well as in graft success rate. AlloDerm may also significantly reduce operative time, depending on the surgeon’s technique. Key Words: Tympanoplasty, AlloDerm. Laryngoscope, 115:1599–1602, 2005
Distinguishing Natural Hydrocarbons from Anthropogenic Contamination in Ground Water

Differentiation between natural and anthropogenic sources of ground-water contamination by petroleum hydrocarbons is necessary in areas where natural hydrocarbons may be present in the subsurface. Because of the similarity in composition between natural and refined petroleum, the use of statistical techniques to discern trends is required. In this study, both multivariate plotting techniques and principal component analysis were used to investigate the origin of hydrocarbons from a variety of study sites. Ground-water and gas samples were collected from the Niagara Falls area and from three gasoline stations where leaking underground storage tanks had been found. Although soil gas surveys are used to indicate the presence of hydrocarbons, they were not useful in differentiating between natural and anthropogenic sources of contamination in ground water. Propane and pentene were found to be the most useful chemical parameters in discriminating between the natural and anthropogenic sources. These chemicals are not usually measured in investigations of ground-water contamination, yet analysis can be conducted by most environmental laboratories using conventional methods.
Synthesis and Structure−Activity Relationship Studies of Urea-Containing Pyrazoles as Dual Inhibitors of Cyclooxygenase-2 and Soluble Epoxide Hydrolase

A series of dual inhibitors containing a 1,5-diarylpyrazole and a urea were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as novel COX-2/sEH dual inhibitors in vitro using recombinant enzyme assays and in vivo using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced model of pain in rats. The best inhibition potencies and selectivity for sEH and COX-2 over COX-1 were obtained with compounds (21b, 21i, and 21j) in which both the 1,5-diaryl-pyrazole group and the urea group are linked with a three-methylene group. Compound 21i showed the best pharmacokinetic profiles in both mice and rats (higher AUC and longer half-life). Following subcutaneous administration at 10 mg/kg, compound 21i exhibited antiallodynic activity that is more effective than the same dose of either a COX-2 inhibitor (celecoxib) or a sEH inhibitor (t-AUCB) alone, as well as coadministration of both inhibitors. Thus, these novel dual inhibitors exhibited enhanced in vivo antiallodynic activity in a nociceptive behavioral assay.
Effect of Single-Drug Therapy on Reduction of Left Atrial Size in Mild to Moderate Hypertension Comparison of Six Antihypertensive Agents

Background—Cardiac effects of hypertension include increased left ventricular (LV) mass and LV hypertrophy, as well as increased left atrial size, a predictor of stroke and atrial fibrillation. Although literature on reduction of LV mass with antihypertensive therapy is extensive, little information is available on effects of treatment on left atrial size. Methods and Results—Patients with mild to moderate hypertension (diastolic blood pressure 95 to 109 mm Hg) were randomly allocated to treatment with atenolol, captopril, clonidine, diltiazem, hydrochlorothiazide, or prazosin in a double-masked trial. Two-dimensional targeted M-mode echocardiography was used to assess left atrial size and LV mass at baseline, 8 weeks, and 1 and 2 years. Longitudinal analysis examined changes in left atrial size from the baseline study, statistically adjusting for age, race, pretreatment left atrial size and LV mass, and serial measurements of systolic blood pressure, body weight, urinary sodium excretion, and physical ac...
A MECHANISM FOR CYCLIC ENRICHMENT OF CARBON-12 BY TERRESTRIAL PLANTS

A model is described which predicts that variations in the relative abundance of C/sup 12/ and C/sup 13/ in terrestrinl plants may be due in part to varying degrees of local cycling of carbon dinxide gas. The model emphasizes the effectiveness of transient departures from a steady state in achieving cyclic enrichment, and predicts that cyclic enrichment should be limited by the maximum concentration of carbon dioxide occurring near the plants during their diurnal cycle. Experimental data are discussed which support the model. (auth)
Distributed Language Models

Language models are used in a wide variety of natural language applications, including machine translation, speech recognition, spelling correction, optical character recognition, etc. Recent studies have shown that more data is better data, and bigger language models are better language models: the authors found nearly constant machine translation improvements with each doubling of the training data size even at 2 trillion tokens (resulting in 400 billion n-grams). Training and using such large models is a challenge. This tutorial shows efficient methods for distributed training of large language models based on the MapReduce computing model. We also show efficient ways of using distributed models in which requesting individual n-grams is expensive because they require communication between different machines.
The symptomology of temporomandibular joint disturbance.

Abstract Throughout a professional man's academic exposure, he should have assimilated a vast spectrum of knowledge. His clinical ability is tested with each new day and its patients. The difference between mediocrity and perfection is an intangible quality in many instances residing within the patient, but the professional man's obligation is to strive for perfection in his every endeavor. This may only be achieved consistently in dentistry and medicine by a constant recall and review of the importance of the health sciences in the total appraisal of each patient.
OPTIMAL PATHS RELATED TO TRANSPORT PROBLEMS

In transport problems of Monge's types, the total cost of a transport map is usually an integral of some function of the distance, such as |x - y|p. In many real applications, the actual cost may naturally be determined by a transport path. For shipping two items to one location, a "Y shaped" path may be preferable to a "V shaped" path. Here, we show that any probability measure can be transported to another probability measure through a general optimal transport path, which is given by a vector measure in our setting. Moreover, we define a new distance on the space of probability measures which in fact metrizies the weak * topology of measures. Under this distance, the space of probability measures becomes a length space. Relations as well as related problems about transport paths and transport plans are also discussed in the end.
A class of algorithms for identification in H

Abs'traet--In this paper, a class of algorithms for the problem of system identification in ~ are investigated. These algorithms are characterized by a two-stage structure and involve a class of window functions. Some conditions in terms of properties of the window functions are derived, which guarantee robust convergence of the algorithms. Identification errors are analyzed for several common window functions. This leads to some insights into the trade-off between the error induced by approximation and that due to noise.
Relativistic corrections for nucleon-resonance configurations

Abstract Relativistic three-body theory is used to calculate the (ΔΔ) configuration of the deutron ground-state wavefunction in the one-pion-exchange approximation. Resulting relativistic effects are appreciable but do not change the nonrelativistic wavefunctions qualitatively.
Global corporate environmentalism: Theoretical expectations and empirical experience

Since the mid-1980s the concept of corporate environmentalism has taken hold among global stakeholders, promising improved environmental health and safety (EHS (2) evolving theories on EH&S performance at MNC subsidiaries in less developed countries. We suggest that over the past decade there has been a convergence of three theoretical perspectives – neoclassical, radical and ecological – toward consistent predictions of improved EH&S performances and relations with host country governments. However, important differences among the three perspectives remain in how each interprets improved EH&S performance in the context of long-term benefits to corporations, host countries, workers, local publics and the global community. While we find that the neoclassical economic perspective is most consistent with the empirical findings of our three case studies, we also note some debatable neoclassical assumptions concerning whether all stakeholders benefit mutually from superior EH&S performance. In order to gain wide acceptance beyond the corporate sector, the concept of corporate environmentalism must be expanded to include greater labor participation and accounting for ecological interests.
Penetrating Keratoplasty for Exogenous Paecilomyces Keratitis Followed by Postoperative Endophthalmitis

Three patients developed Paecilomyces lilacinus keratitis while being treated with topical corticosteroids and antibiotics. The first patient, a diabetic man, suffered superficial ocular trauma while being treated for recurrent anterior uveitis related to an iris-fixated intraocular lens. The second patient developed keratitis while being treated for anterior segment inflammation associated with herpes zoster ophthalmicus. The third patient, a woman with chronic lymphoma in remission, was receiving topical antibiotics and corticosteroids for a corneal transplant performed one year previously. All three patients underwent penetrating keratoplasty after progression to perforation or failure of medical therapy. Two eyes (cases 1 and 2) eventually required enucleation. The fungal isolates demonstrated in vitro resistance to amphotericin and natamycin with greater sensitivity to imidazole derivatives. Thus, we recommend prompt and prolonged topical treatment with miconazole or other imidazole derivatives along with avoidance of penetrating keratoplasty and corticosteroids.
Atom-Atom Scattering under Cylindrical Harmonic Confinement: Numerical and Analytic Studies of the Confinement Induced Resonance.

It was recently predicted [Phys. Rev. Lett. 81, 938 (1998)] that atom-atom scattering under transverse harmonic confinement is subject to a ``confinement-induced resonance'' where the effective one-dimensional coupling strength diverges at a particular ratio of the confinement and scattering lengths. As the initial prediction made use of the zero-range pseudopotential approximation, we now report numerical results for finite-range interaction potentials that corroborate this resonance. In addition, we now present a physical interpretation of this effect as a novel type of Feshbach resonance in which the transverse modes of the confining potential assume the roles of ``open'' and ``closed'' scattering channels.
Muonic cascade: General discussion and application to the third-row elements

The experimental data on muonic x-ray intensities for the third-row atoms (Z=11-17) are analyzed in a unified way. The deduced initial l distributions are not very far from the statistical ones; they are, however, somewhat steeper near the closed atomic shells and somewhat flatter in the middle of the shell. The K-electron refilling rate is fast increasing with Z; it is considerably smaller than the refilling rate of normal neutral atoms. The calculation shows that in these light atoms the inner electron shells (K and L) are strongly perturbed during the muonic cascade. Correct treatment of their depletion and refilling is essential. The two existing computer cascade programs are compared. It is stressed that a correct treatment of penetration effects as well as inclusion of quadrupoles in the Auger electron emission is necessary when one wants to utilize the full accuracy of the experimental data.
Pearl Harbor Christmas: A World at War, December 1941. By Stanley Weintraub. (Cambridge, MA: Da Capo Press, 2011. Pp. 216. $24.00.)

Stanley Weintraub has a flair for lively, anecdotal microhistory, and this is a worthy example of his style. The book is a series of vignettes, organized day‐by‐day, from December 22 through New Ye...
Individual experience and paradox in the development of small groups

This study attempts to understand individual emotional experience in the context of group development. It emphasizes the first level of abstraction of group member experience rather than individual experience over time through second-order interpretations. Data were gathered from mixed groups of 21 students, over 9 weeks, in a group process course at a large state university. Students had no prior group process training and kept weekly journals for credit. Content analysis was performed on the journals, meaning units were coded for theme, and frequencies of themes describing affective and traditional group process responses were tallied. The data clearly supported the paradoxical descriptions of group life, especially conflict, offered by Smith and Berg (1988). The data may also represent what the move toward relativistic (Sinnott, 1984) or dialectical (Riegel, 1975, 1977) thinking may look like at the individual level.
Proteomics of Pyrococcus furiosus, a hyperthermophilic archaeon refractory to traditional methods.

Pyrococcus furiosus is one of the most extensively studied hyperthermophilic archaea. Proteins from this hyperthemophile organism are extremely thermostable and are highly resistant to chemical den...
Incorporation of synthetic 1,2-diacylglycerol into platelet phosphatidylinositol is increased by cyclic AMP.

Abstract 1,2-Didecanoylglycerol (diC 10 ) is taken up by human platelets and sequentially converted to 1,2-didecanoyl-phosphatidic acid (PA 10 ) and 1,2-didecanoylphosphatidylinositol (PI 10 ). Agents that increase cyclic AMP in platelets, such as prostacyclin and forskolin, sequentially convert diC 10 to pa 10 and PI 10 . They decrease formation of PA 10 with a parallel accumulation of PI 10 . This might reflect an inhibition of phosphatidylinositol kinase.
Collaborative eScience libraries

In the context of collaborative eScience, digital libraries are one of many distributed, interoperable resources available to scientists that facilitate both human and machine collaboration: machine collaboration in the form of standards such as the Open Archives Initiative Protocol for Metadata Harvesting and human collaboration in the form of collaborative workspaces. This paper describes a set of collaborative workspaces created at the Los Alamos National Laboratory Research Library, initial patterns of use, and additional user requirements determined based on these initial patterns of use.
Strongly Comaximizable Primes

Abstract Let P be a prime ideal in an integral domain R with R lying between some Noetherian domain H and the integral closure of H . We call P strongly comaximizable if for every integer m ≥ 1, there exists a finitely generated integral extension domain T of R such that T has exactly m primes lying over P , and those m primes are pairwise comaximal. We show that if P is not contained in the Jacobson radical of R , then P is strongly comaximizable. We also show that if P is not strongly comaximizable and R is either integrally closed or quasi-local, then P satisfies a certain "Henselian like" property.
Vulvar carcinoma with metastases to the uterus

A patient with primary invasive squamous cell carcinoma of the vulva showed embolic metastases to the uterus. The metastases involved the endometrium and superficial myometrium. Tumor emboli were found in endometrial veins. No cervical or vaginal tumor was present.
Medicare Advantage: Déjà Vu All Over Again?

ABSTRACT: The Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act (MMA) of 2003 expands the role of private health plans in Medicare through prescription drug plans and a revised Medicar...
Soil phosphorus concentrations in Dane county, Wisconsin, USA: An evaluation of the urban-rural gradient paradigm

Understanding the magnitude and location of soil phosphorus (P) accumulation in watersheds is a critical step toward managing runoff of this pollutant to aquatic ecosystems. Here, I examine the usefulness of urban-rural gradients, an emerging experimental design in urban ecology, for predicting extractable soil P concentrations across a rapidly urbanizing agricultural watershed in southern Wisconsin. I compare several measures of an urban-rural gradient to predictors of soil P such as soil type, slope, topography, land use, land cover, and fertilizer and manure use. Most of the factors that were expected to drive differences in soil P concentrations were found to be poor predictors of Bray-1 (extractable) soil P, which ranged from 4 to 660 ppm; while there were several significant relationships, most explained only a small proportion of the variation. A multiple linear regression model captured approximately 37% of the variation in the data using the urban-rural gradient, topography, land use, land cover, manure use, and soil type as predictors. There was a significant relationship between Bray-1 P concentration and each of the urban-rural gradients, but these relationships explained only between 2.6% and 3.3% of the variation in P concentrations. Extractable P concentration in soils, unlike some other ecosystem properties, is not well predicted by urban-rural gradients.
Medial prefrontal activity differentiates self from close others

A key question in psychology and neuroscience is the extent to which the neural representation of others is incorporated with, or is distinct from, our concept of self. Recent neuroimaging research has emphasized the importance of a region in the medial prefrontal cortex [MPFC; Brodmann’s area (BA) 10] when performing self-referent tasks. Specifically, previous studies have reported selective MPFC recruitment when making judgments about the self relative to a familiar but personally unknown other. The present event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging study extends these findings to judgments about personally known others. Subjects were imaged while making trait adjective judgments in one of the three conditions: (i) whether the adjective described the self; (ii) whether the adjective described an intimate other (i.e., a best friend); or (iii) whether the adjective was presented in uppercase letters. Making judgments about the self relative to an intimate other selectively activated the MPFC region previously implicated in the self-processing literature. These results suggest that while we may incorporate intimate others into our self-concept, the neural correlates of the self remain distinct from intimate and non-intimate others.
Asthma inhaler use and barriers in a population-based sample of African-American and White adolescents

Background There is little information on inhaler medication and barriers to use among a population-based sample of adolescents and whether possible variations in asthma treatment by ethnic group exist. Objective We describe the prevalence of inhaler use and identify barriers for proper use of asthma medication in a population-based sample of adolescents of which 34% are African-American. Methods A cross-sectional survey using the ISAAC (International Survey of Asthma and Allergies in Children) questionnaire was conducted in a school population-based sample (n = 2056) of 13 to 14-year-old eight grade students in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg, North Carolina public school system. Questions were asked about symptom prevalence, asthma diagnosis, inhaler use, and barriers to care. Results Fourteen percent of the children (296/2056) reported using an inhaler in the last 12 months with no differences among African-American children and white children. Twenty-six percent of inhaler users were not allowed to carry their medication on their person while at school. Girls were more likely to be allowed to carry their inhalers at school and diagnosed asthmatic girls had a higher prevalence of wheezing in the last year (47%) compared with diagnosed asthmatic boys (35%). Smoking prevalence was higher in inhaler users (26%) compared to the study population (19%). Conclusions Inhaler use is high in this population. Adolescents using inhalers need to reduce their smoking levels. Schools need to reevaluate their policies on the use of inhalers at school.
Flagellar adhesion in chlamydomonas induces synthesis of two high molecular weight cell surface proteins

Because our previous studies (Snell, W.J., and W.S. Moore, 1980, J. Cell Biol. 84:203- 210) on the mating reaction of chlamydomonas reinhardtii showed that there was an adhesion-induced turnover of proteins whose synthesis is induced during aggregation. Analysis by SDS PAGE and autoradiography showed that proteins of 220,000 M(r) and 165, 000 M(r) (designated A(1) and A(2) respectively) consistently showed a high rate of synthesis only in flagella or flagellar membrane-enriched fractions prepared from aggregating gametes. Since the two proteins were soluble in the non-ionic detergent NP-40 and were removed from intact cells by a brief pronase treatment, it is likely that A(1) and A(2) are membrane proteins expose on the cell surface. A(1) and A(2) were each synthesized by gametes of both mating types (mt(-) and mt(+)) and synthesis of these two proteins could be detected in the normal mating reaction (wild type mt(-) and mt(+)), in mixtures of mt(-) and impotent mt(+) gametes (which could aggregate but not fuse), and in mixtures of gametes of a single mating type with isolated flagella of the opposite mating type. Cells aggregating in tunicamycin, an inhibitor of protein glycosylation, lost their adhesiveness during aggregation and did not synthesize the 220,000 M(r) protein but instead produced a protein (possibly an underglycosylated form of A(1)) of slightly lower mol wt. The 220,000 and 165,000 M(R) proteins appeared to be flagellar proteins and not cell wall proteins because A(1) and A(2) did not co-migrate with previously identified cell wall proteins, and synthesis of the two proteins could not be detected in flagella-less (bald-2) mutant cells. Analysis of the adhesive activity of sucrose gradient fraction of detergent (octyl glucoside)-solubilized flagellar membranes revealed that fractions containing A(1) and A(2) did not have detectable adhesive activity. The possibility remains that A(1) and A(2) are adhesion molecules whose activity could not be measured in the assay we used. Alternatively, the 220,000 and 165,000 M(r) proteins may be inactivated adhesion molecules or else they may be flagellar surface proteins involved only indirectly in the adhesion process.
Joint-space adaptive control of robot end-effectors performing slow and precise motions

A joint-space adaptive control scheme is developed for controlling the position of a 6-degree-of-freedom robot end-effector that performs precise motion within a small workspace and was built to study autonomous assembly of NASA hardware. The slave arm of a telerobotic system is controlled. The techniques developed will be applied in space. The design of the adaptive controller is based on the concept of model reference adaptive control and the Lyapunov direct method under the assumption that the robot motion is slowly time-varying. Computer simulation results of the developed control scheme applied to a 2-d.o.f. robot end-effector are presented. >
Feedback linearization of robot manipulators and riemannian curvature

In this paper we discuss the problem of feedback linearization of rigid robot manipulators. We have shown previously that a necessary and sufficient condition for exact linearization of such systems under a nonlinear coordinate transformation in the state and input space is that the Riemannian curvature tensor associated with the robot inertia matrix vanish identically [17]. Moreover the coordinate transformation is given as the solution of an easily characterized system of partial differential equations. We first review the result from [17] and then discuss the idea of approximate feedback linearization, i.e. feedback linearization of a simplified model. Approximate feedback linearization is useful in this context since the class of robots that satisfy the conditions for exact linearizability is limited. We will show a connection between approximate feedback linearization based on Riemannian curvature and both the imaginary robot concept of Gu and Loh [12] and thepassive computed torque of Anderson [3].
New Insights Into Tissue Macrophages: From Their Origin to the Development of Memory

Macrophages are the main effector cells of innate immunity and are involved in inflammatory and anti-infective processes. They also have an essential role in maintaining tissue homeostasis, supporting tissue development, and repairing tissue damage. Until few years ago, it was believed that tissue macrophages derived from circulating blood monocytes, which terminally differentiated in the tissue and unable to proliferate. Recent evidence in the biology of tissue macrophages has uncovered a series of immune and ontogenic features that had been neglected for long, despite old observations. These include origin, heterogeneity, proliferative potential (or self-renewal), polarization, and memory. In recent years, the number of publications on tissue resident macrophages has grown rapidly, highlighting the renewed interest of the immunologists for these key players of innate immunity. This mini-review aims to summarizing the new current knowledge in macrophage immunobiology, in order to offer a clear and immediate overview of the field.
BOOK REVIEW: READING AND MATH COMING TOGETHER IN THE CLASSROOM

In the public schools, especially at the middle and secondary levels, teachers of reading and mathematics often live in separate worlds. They typically have different planning periods and, if asked, will admittedly acknowledge that, with the exception of reading math word problems, there seem to be very few links between the two subject areas. We, the reviewers, both teach a required content reading course for undergraduates who plan to teach in the middle and secondary schools. In addition, we have both conducted research centered on content literacy issues and teachers' perceptions of literacy strategies in the content areas. Through our teaching and research, we have come to understand that mathematics majors generally have the most difficult time connecting their content to literacy issues, and it is not uncommon to hear them complain that "This is
Health Care Provider Perspectives on Informal Supporters’ Involvement in HIV Care

Positive social support has been associated with medication adherence and slowed disease progression among people living with HIV. The nature of support within the medical context itself has not been adequately investigated, however. The purpose of our study was to describe HIV health care providers' perspectives on informal supporter-oriented health care and whether and how the involvement of patients' adult informal supporters in health care and health care decision making is helpful or beneficial. We conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with 11 HIV specialists between March and September, 2005. Using directed qualitative content analysis, we first describe the frequency and course of others' involvement and the type of support provided. We then situate these findings within the context of role theory and consider the meaning they have in terms of the negotiated relationships among and between patients, providers, and informal supporters. Finally, we provide research and clinical recommendations based on these findings that are designed to improve patient care.
Aldosteronomas—State of the Art

Primary aldosteronism (PA) is the most common cause of secondary hypertension in nonsmokers. Widespread screening of unselected hypertensives has identified PA in as many as 15% of patients. With such screening efforts using the PAC/PRA ratio and PAC, the widespread prevalence of the disease has become apparent while the relative percentage of APA has decreased. PA is confirmed by demonstrating lack of aldosterone suppressibility with sodium loading. Subtype evaluation is best achieved with high resolution CT scanning and AVS in the appropriate setting. In patients with PA and a unilateral source of aldosterone excess, laparoscopic adrenalectomy is the treatment of choice with excellent outcomes and low morbidity as compared with older open approaches. Patients with IHA, or those not amenable or agreeable to surgery, are best managed with a MR antagonist.
Layout optimizations for double patterning lithography

Deep sub-wavelength lithography is one of the most fundamental challenges for future scaling beyond 32nm as the industry is currently stuck at the 193nm lithography. Many ingenious technologies/tricks are developed to push the limit of 193nm lithography, e.g., immersion lithography and computational lithography. But they may not be sufficient for 22nm patterning. Meanwhile, next-generation lithography, such as EUV (Extreme Ultra-Violet) lithography may not be available for mass production in the near future. As a practical solution, double patterning lithography (DPL) has become a leading candidate for 22nm (and likely 16nm) lithography process. DPL poses new challenges for overlay control, layout decomposition, and up-stream physical designs. In this paper, we will discuss some recent advancements and challenges in layout decompositions and DPL friendly layout optimizations.