cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Breadth or depth? A content analysis of the use of public relations theory

Abstract In a 2003 content analysis of scholarly public relations journal articles, Sallot, Lyon, Acosta-Alzura and Jones stated that, although no dominant paradigms had yet emerged, scholarship and theory building in public relations was well on its way. Entering into this project, the authors expected to see public relations at a stage where the majority of public relations research and scholarly journal articles were focusing on a centralized body of theory as the field entered the first decade of the 21st century. The results of the study presented in this article, however, suggest that this expectation was unduly optimistic. The evidence demonstrates that, after more than three decades of scholarly efforts, it is still not the case that public relations has enough of a central focus in its research and theory building to be deemed a mature discipline.
Thermal unimolecular isomerization of 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.2.0]hexane, 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.1.1]hexane, and 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.1.0]pentane

The thermal isomerization of the title compounds was studied in the vapor phase. Over the temperature range from 445.1 to 477.5°K, 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.2.0]hexane underwent a homogeneous unimolecular reaction to 2,5-dimethyl-1,5-hexadiene, the rate constants being represented by the equation: k = 1.86 × 1011 exp (−31000 ± 1800/RT) sec−1. Over the temperature range from 630.0 to 662.2°K, 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.1.1]-hexane also underwent a unimolecular isomerization to the same product, the rate constants being given by the equation: k = 8.91 × 1014 exp (−56000 ± 900/RT) sec−1. The pyrolysis of 1,4-dimethylbicyclo[2.1.0]pentane gave 1,3-dimethylcyclopentene-1 and 2,4-dimethyl-1,4-pentadiene in the ratio of 9:1. The former reaction was influenced by surface effects but the latter was not. The rate constants for the formation of 2,4-dimethyl-1,4-pentadiene fitted the equation: k = 1.66 × 1017 exp (−57400 ± 3100/RT) sec−1. The effect of the two methyl groups at the bridgehead positions in these molecules in influencing the rate of decomposition is discussed in terms of the non-bonded repulsive forces between the substituents.
Beyond the Born approximation in one-dimensional profile reconstruction

A new method of one-dimensional profile reconstruction is presented. The method is based on an extension to the Born approximation and relates measurements of the scattered field to the Fourier transform of the slab profile. Since the Born and our new approximations are most valid at low frequency, we utilize superresolution to recover high-frequency information and then invert for the slab profile. Finally, we vary different parameters and examine the resulting reconstructions.
Brillouin scattering from a phonon avalanche

Abstract Microwave acoustic phonons generated during a phonon avalanche in a paramagnetic crystal have been detected by means of the optical technique of Brillouin scattering. The avalanche was generated in Ni-doped MgO during the direct paramagnetic relaxation of the ΔM = 1 transitions of Ni2+. An expression for the minimum detectable avalanche phonon excitation was derived and compared with the observed values for the transverse acoustical modes. The measurements showed a peak avalanche phonon temperature of 103 to 104 °K.
Breast Feeding and Weaning Practices in Relation to Nutritional Status of Under-5 Children in North Bangladesh

This survey was conducted among 200 rural families in northern Bangladesh in August 1982 to determine breastfeeding and weaning prectices and to relate these to socioeconomic factors and to the nutritional status for children under 5 years of age. The nutritional status of children is significantly better in the landowning business and fishing families than in the families of day laborers and subsistence farmers. The mean age of introduction of solid foods was 13.5 months which is high. Significant improvements in nutrition could be made by encouraging the feeding of rice and other solids from a much earlier age. Weaning was prolonged and breastfeeding was only ceased when the mother became pregnant again. Use of cows mild as a supplementary food was associated with good nutritional status. Mid-upper arm circumference was found to be a good indicator of low weight-for-height status.
A NOTE ON VARIABLE REPLACEMENT RATES IN URN MODELS

(1998). A Note on Variable Replacement Rates in Urn Models. The American Mathematical Monthly: Vol. 105, No. 8, pp. 764-765.
Molecular recombination following conjugation in Escherichia coli.

Abstract Molecular events accompanying genetic recombination after conjugation in Escherichia coli have been studied using density-labeled F − bacteria and 3 H-labeled Hfr bacteria. DNA was isolated from a culture of mated bacteria and was fractionated by sequential CsCl density-gradient centrifugation. A fraction of the DNA was isolated which contained both 3 H and density labels. This “recombinant DNA” was subjected to sonication and denaturation procedures, and the fragments so produced were studied by CsCl density-gradient centrifugation. The recombinant molecules which were isolated had the following properties: 1. (1) Both of the F − strands made before mating appeared in at least some of the molecules. 2. (2) Both of the pre-existing F − strands were replaced in the region where the 3 H-labeled DNA was inserted. 3. (3) Several small segments of 3 H-labeled DNA were inserted near one another. 4. (4) The 3 H-labeled and density-labeled DNA segments appeared to be joined mainly by non-covalent bonds.
Genetic effects of a large-scale Spartina alterniflora (smooth cordgrass) dieback and recovery in the northern Gulf of Mexico

A large-scale dieback event struck marshes along the northwestern Gulf of Mexico coast during summer 2000, in apparent response to a prolonged and severe drought. Along the Louisiana coast, large areas of the dominant marsh species,Spartina alterniflora, turned brown, followed by death of at least the aboveground structures of entire plant mortality. Key ecological and genetic measures were studied in a dieback-affected marsh in southwest Louisiana (C83 marsh, Sabine National Wildlife Refuge), for which existed predieback ecologic and genetic datasets. Effects on genetic diversity only were studied in a second set of sites in southeastern Louisiana (near Bay Junop), where the dieback was more widespread. We hypothesized that stem density, live aboveground biomass, and genetic diversity would be significantly reduced compared to predieback conditions and to nearby unaffected marshes. Stem densities and biomass levels approached predieback conditions 14 months after first observance of the dieback in the Sabine marsh and were similar to or exceeded the same measures for a nearby unaffected marsh. DNA extracted from leaf samples in the Sabine and Bay Junop sites was used to construct genotype profiles using AFLPs and analyzed using the complement of Simpson’s Index (1-D), the richness measure G/N, average heterozygosity , and the estimated proportion of polymorphic genes . Genetic diversity was relatively unaffected by the dieback at either the Sabine or Bay Junop sites. Evidence from field observations and the results of the genetic analyses suggest that seedling recruitment is an important factor in the recovery of both the Bay Junop and C83 sites, although re-growth from surviving below-ground rhizomes appeared to dominate recovery at the latter site. Survival of below-ground structures, leading to the rapid recovery observed, indicates a high level of resilience of the Sabine marsh to drought-induced stress. Still, the genetic diversity ofS. alterniflora-dominated marshes may be promoted by occasional disturbance events, which produce open areas in which seedling recruitment can occur.
Biochemistry: Metal ghosts in the splicing machine.

Chemical analysis of the spliceosome's active site reveals that it is the RNA components of this enzyme complex that coordinate the catalytic metal ions responsible for production of a spliced messenger RNA. See Article p.229 The RNA- and protein-containing spliceosome complex excises introns from pre-mRNAs. On the basis of the existence of self-splicing group II introns, a type of ribozyme, it was hypothesized more than thirty years ago that the small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) of the spliceosome would catalyse splicing. However, despite decades of research, no definitive evidence for a role of either RNA or protein in splicing catalysis has been reported. Now Joseph Piccirilli, Jonathan Staley and colleagues identify the metal-containing U6 snRNA as the catalyst. Moreover, the data strongly suggest a common evolutionary origin for the spliceosome and group II introns.
A Copper Cofactor for the Ethylene Receptor ETR1 from Arabidopsis

The ETR1 receptor from Arabidopsis binds the gaseous hormone ethylene. A copper ion associated with the ethylene-binding domain is required for high-affinity ethylene-binding activity. A missense mutation in the domain that renders the plant insensitive to ethylene eliminates both ethylene binding and the interaction of copper with the receptor. A sequence from the genome of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. strain 6803 that shows homology to the ethylene-binding domain of ETR1 encodes a functional ethylene-binding protein. On the basis of sequence conservation between the Arabidopsis and the cyanobacterial ethylene-binding domains and on in vitro mutagenesis of ETR1, a structural model for this copper-based ethylene sensor domain is presented.
NAVIGATING TURBULENT TIMES: STRATEGIC GROUPS AND PERFORMANCE IN THE HOSPITAL INDUSTRY, 1983 TO 1993

This study confirms and extends previous research by providing a detailed longitudinal examination of the strategic group and performance relationship in the hospital industry from 1983 to 1993. Based on a deductive approach using Porter's (1980) typology, we find that matching strategy to environment affects hospital performance, that the appropriate match between strategy and environment changed over the 1983 to 1993 time period, and that hospitals combining a low cost and differentiation strategy (i.e., a best‐cost approach) performed well during most of the time period examined. We also find significant movement between strategic groups, thus calling into question the degree to which mobility barriers affect between group performance differences. Finally, our research suggests the existence of multiple groups following the same strategic approach, a result that calls into question the view that groups within an industry are monolithic.
Metagenome analyses of corroded concrete wastewater pipe biofilms reveal a complex microbial system

Background Concrete corrosion of wastewater collection systems is a significant cause of deterioration and premature collapse. Failure to adequately address the deteriorating infrastructure networks threatens our environment, public health, and safety. Analysis of whole-metagenome pyrosequencing data and 16S rRNA gene clone libraries was used to determine microbial composition and functional genes associated with biomass harvested from crown (top) and invert (bottom) sections of a corroded wastewater pipe.
Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Thermal Conductivity of Silicon Films Using Environment-Dependent Interatomic Potential

In this work, nonequilibrium molecular dynamics is used to predict the thermal conductivity of nanoscale thin silicon films in the thickness direction. Recently developed environment-dependent interatomic potential for silicon, which offers considerable improvement over the more common Stillinger-Weber potential, is used. Silicon films of various thicknesses are modeled to establish the variation of thermal conductivity with the film thickness. The obtained relationship between the thermal conductivity and the film thickness is compared with the results of the Lattice Boltzmann method, and sound agreement is observed.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
The Effects of Parental Tobacco and Marijuana Use and Personality Attributes on Child Rearing in African-American and Puerto Rican Young Adults

This study assessed the effect of the interrelationship of mothers’ and fathers’ tobacco and marijuana use with their personality attributes on some of their child rearing behaviors. We used a longitudinal design to analyze the data of 258 males and females who were seen four times over a 13-year period from early adolescence through young adult parenthood. Thirty-one percent of the multiple regression analyses revealed significant interactions between the effect of tobacco or marijuana use and a personality attribute on child rearing. The majority of these significant interactions suggested that protective personality characteristics were offset by substance use risks resulting in less adequate child rearing. If these results are substantiated in an experimental intervention, it suggests that having resilient personality attributes does not protect against the negative effects of tobacco or marijuana use on child rearing.
DunceCap: Compiling Worst-Case Optimal Query Plans

Modern data analytics workloads frequently involve complex join queries where the pairwise-join-based algorithms used by most RDBMS engines are suboptimal. In this study, we explore two algorithms that are asymptotically faster than pairwise algorithms for a large class of queries. The first is Yannakakis' classical algorithm for acyclic queries. The second is a more recent algorithm which works for any query and which is optimal with respect to the worst-case size of the output. We introduce a query compiler, DunceCap, which uses these two algorithms and variations on them to produce optimal query plans, and find that these plans can outperform standard RDBMS algorithms as well as simple worst-case optimal algorithms by an order of magnitude on a variety of queries.
The diffusional and osmotic water permeability of the hindgut cuticle in larval Sarcophaga bullata

Abstract The diffusional water permeability (PD) and the pressure filtration coefficient (LP) of isolated larval hindgut cuticle of the fleshfly, Sarcophaga bullata, were measured using tracer techniques coupled with a simple mathematical model system based on equations of non-equilibrium thermodynamics. Data obtained from the model system were matched to experimental tracer data by means of a mathematical optimization scheme. The following parameter values were obtained: PD for tritiated water = 1.02 × 10−6 cm-sec−1, and LP = 9.18 × 10−11 cm3-dyn−1-sec−1. These results are now being used to determine reflection coefficients (σ's) and solute mobilities (ω's) for the cuticle system in an attempt to gain an understanding of the mechanisms controlling solute and water movements across the hindgut wall.
Multicomponent evaporation of single aerosol droplets

Abstract Diffusion-controlled evaporation rates of submicroscopic aerosol droplets were measured by suspending single charged two-component droplets in an electric field in a laser beam. The droplet size was determined as a function of time by comparing the profiles of the scattered light (intensity versus angle) with Mie theory. The evaporation kinetics for droplets of dioctyl phthalate and dibutyl phthalate of various initial compositions are shown to agree with a theoretical analysis based on ideal solution behavior and diffusion of the individual species in the surrounding inert gas.
Heritage of the senses: Collective remembering as an embodied praxis

Tourist sites are seen not merely as stages where tourists perform, but as the physical platforms for collective reflection and articulation of group identities. In the context of a Byzantine exhib...
Thessaly variant of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase.

A new variant of the erythrocytic enzyme Glucose-6-phosphate Dehydrogenase was detected in two unrelated Greek individuals. The variant was designated G6PD Thessaly. It is characterized by normal levels of G6PD activity in the red cells and electrophoretic migration slower than G6PD B on phosphate and T.E.B. buffers while faster than G6PD B on Tris-HCl buffer. In addition, the Thessaly variant has distinctly decreased affinity for NADP.
Frequent Amyloid Deposition Without Significant Cognitive Impairment Among the Elderly

Objective To characterize the prevalence of amyloid deposition in a clinically unimpaired elderly population, as assessed by Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, and its relationship to cognitive function, measured with a battery of neuropsychological tests. Design Subjects underwent cognitive testing and PiB PET imaging (15 mCi for 90 minutes with an ECAT HR+ scanner). Logan graphical analysis was applied to estimate regional PiB retention distribution volume, normalized to a cerebellar reference region volume, to yield distribution volume ratios (DVRs). Setting University medical center. Participants From a community-based sample of volunteers, 43 participants aged 65 to 88 years who did not meet diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer disease or mild cognitive impairment were included. Main Outcome Measures Regional PiB retention and cognitive test performance. Results Of 43 clinically unimpaired elderly persons imaged, 9 (21%) showed evidence of early amyloid deposition in at least 1 brain area using an objectively determined DVR cutoff. Demographic characteristics did not differ significantly between amyloid-positive and amyloid-negative participants, and neurocognitive performance was not significantly worse among amyloid-positive compared with amyloid-negative participants. Conclusions Amyloid deposition can be identified among cognitively normal elderly persons during life, and the prevalence of asymptomatic amyloid deposition may be similar to that of symptomatic amyloid deposition. In this group of participants without clinically significant impairment, amyloid deposition was not associated with worse cognitive function, suggesting that an elderly person with a significant amyloid burden can remain cognitively normal. However, this finding is based on relatively small numbers and needs to be replicated in larger cohorts. Longitudinal follow-up of these subjects will be required to support the potential of PiB imaging to identify preclinical Alzheimer disease, or, alternatively, to show that amyloid deposition is not sufficient to cause Alzheimer disease within some specified period.
46: Idenification of cardiac allograft rejection using Raman spectrophotometry

isolated hearts: odds ratio 0 (95%CI 0 – 0.40; p .001). Conclusions: Receipt of simultaneous kidney transplant appears to be associated with decreased likelihood of clinically significant rejection following heart transplantation, adjusted for age, gender, race and year of transplantation. Results should be viewed cautiously given the potential for decreased opportunity for rejection among heartkidney recipients based on survival disadvantage. Further studies are needed to confirm and generalize findings.
Public Agencies and Private Agencies

Is there any fundamental distinction between so-called “public” and “private” agencies, officers, institutions, corporations, associations, persons—legal entities and quasi-entities of all sorts? It is the theory of the courts that such a distinction exists, but their attempts through a maze of decisions logically to establish a principle of distinction have been futile.Several bases of distinction have been adopted by the courts, including, first, the purpose or interest involved. “An office … seems to comprehend every charge or employment in which the public is interested.” Thus “private corporations are those which are created for the immediate benefit and advantage of individuals…. Public corporations are those which are created for public purposes.”However, it is held that the whole interest in the corporation must be public to make it a public corporation. “Public corporations are political corporations or such as are founded wholly for public purposes and the whole interest in which is in the public. The fact of the public having an interest in the works or property or the object of a corporation, does not make it a public corporation.”
Analysis of Sound Attenuation in Elliptical Chamber Mufflers by Using Green’s Functions

The present work aims at finding the transmission loss of an elliptical expansion chamber, the inlet and outlet of which are located at arbitrary locations of the chamber, i.e. the side wall or on the face of the muffler. The analysis is based on the Green’s function solution for an elliptical cavity with homogeneous boundary conditions. Solving field problems with elliptical geometries require the computation of Mathieu and modified Mathieu functions. These are the eigenfunctions of the wave equation in elliptical coordinates and their computations pose a considerable challenge. In our present study, we have tried to develop a formulation for finding the transmission loss using the properties of the Mathieu and the modified Mathieu functions. The Green’s function is found by considering the boundary to be rigid walls with homogeneous boundary conditions. The inlet and outlet are assumed to be uniform velocity piston sources. The velocity potential inside the muffler is found by adding the individual potentials arising from the inlet and outlet pistons. The pressure in the chamber is obtained from the velocity potential through the linear momentum equation. The pressure at the inlet and at the outlet is approximated by the averaging the acoustic pressure over the piston area. The four-pole parameter is derived from the average pressure values and hence the transmission loss is calculated. The results are compared to those available in literature. It is shown that the results obtained from the present work agree well with those reported in literature.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
Long-time tails and convective diffusion with random traps

Abstract A field theory is developed for convective diffusion with random stationary traps. Instanton methods are used to determine the long-time asymptotics of the average fraction of surviving particles. It is shown that an arbitrarily small drift velocity restores exponential form to the normally subexponential survival function. Corrections to the usual long-time tail for diffusion with random traps are obtained in the absence of convection.
Elastic scattering of 2–11 MeV protons by He4

Abstract Cross sections for the elastic scattering of protons by He4 have been measured for proton energies in the range 2⪅ Ep ⪅ 11 MeV (lab system), using a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator and a differentially-pumped gas scattering chamber. Excitation functions, measured at centre-of mass angles 30.9°, 90.0°, 109.7° and 164.4° from Ep = 4 to 11 MeV in 100–200 keV steps, showed no fine structure. Angular distributions were measured at 1 MeV intervals from Ep =2 to 10 MeV with 1% counting statistics and scattering phase shifts were obtained from these data. An angular distribution was measured with less accuracy at Ep = 11 MeV. The S-wave phase shift varies with energy as if scattering took place from a hard sphere of radius about 2.5 fm, whereas the P-wave phase shifts are well described by the effects of the ground and first excited states in Li5, calculated using single-level dispersion theory. Little can be concluded from the behaviour of the D-wave phase shifts. The spin polarization of the scattered protons has been calculated from the phase shifts and is in satisfactory agreement with experimental results from other laboratories.
Cloning of a D-type cyclin from murine erythroleukemia cells.

Abstract We report the complete coding sequence of a cDNA, designated CYL2, derived from a murine erythroleukemia cell library. CYL2 is considered to encode a D-type cyclin because (i) there is cross hybridization with CYL1 (a murine homolog of human cyclin D1) and the encoded protein has 64% amino acid sequence identity with CYL1 and (ii) murine erythroleukemia cell-derived CYL2 contains an amino acid sequence identical to that previously reported for the C-terminal portion of a partially sequenced CYL2. Transcripts of murine erythroleukemia cell CYL2 undergo alternative polyadenylylation like that of human cyclin D1. A major 6.5-kilobase CYL2 transcript changes its expression during the cell cycle with a broad peak through G1 and S phases and a decrease in G2/M phases. The present findings suggest that CYL2 plays a role in the G1 to S phase progression.
Formulating and Searching Assembly Sequence Design Spaces to Increase the Utilization of Current Assembly Plant Resources

Efficient procedures for generation of feasible assembly sequences and effective utilization of available assembly plant resources can greatly reduce the development time and cost for platforms for the new product family members. This paper presents a method application to generate feasible assembly sequences and an approach to select an assembly process that reduces the existing plant modification cost. Assembly sequence design space is combinatorial in nature. Mathematical models to solve the effects of constraints on these spaces and algorithms to efficiently enumerate feasible spaces are presented. An algorithm that selects assembly process that can reduce the modification cost of the existing assembly plant is developed. A software application that implements the method and algorithms is also presented. The program uses the concept of recursive partitioning of set of components to generate assembly sequence space. The assembly processes are then evaluated to determine the process that maximized resource utilization. The application of the proposed approach and software is demonstrated using automotive underbody front structure product family.© 2006 ASME
Design and Evaluation on Electric Differentials for Overactuated Electric Ground Vehicles With Four Independent In-Wheel Motors

This paper discusses the design and evaluation of electric differentials (ED) for overactuated electric ground vehicles (EGVs) with four independent in-wheel motors. Three patterns of ED, namely, 1) front ED, 2) rear ED, and 3) all-wheel ED, are designed and discussed based on vehicle performances during normal cornering and circling maneuvers. Through both simulation and experimental results, the three different ED can achieve almost the same vehicle performances in terms of the EGV sideslip angle, yaw rate, and trajectory. Moreover, when an ED is applied to only one pair of wheels, i.e., either the front or rear pair, the other pair of wheels can be utilized to estimate (the passive tires are adopted as sensors under normal driving conditions) the EGV longitudinal speed and yaw rate and consequently generate the reference wheel speeds for the ED wheels. Thus, sensors for measuring the vehicle speed and yaw rate to generate the reference wheel speeds in the design of ED, such as the all-wheel ED design for the EGV, may become unnecessary. Both simulation and experimental results validate the designs of the three ED.
Genetic Instability in Epithelial Tissues at Risk for Cancer

Epithelial tumors develop through a multistep process driven by genomic instability frequently associated with etiologic agents such as prolonged tobacco smoke exposure or human papilloma virus (HPV) infection. The purpose of the studies reported here was to examine the nature of genomic instability in epithelial tissues at cancer risk in order to identify tissue genetic biomarkers that might be used to assess an individual's cancer risk and response to chemopreventive intervention. As part of several chemoprevention trials, biopsies were obtained from risk tissues (i.e., bronchial biopsies from chronic smokers, oral or laryngeal biopsies from individuals with premalignancy) and examined for chromosome instability using in situ hybridization. Nearly all biopsy specimens show evidence for chromosome instability throughout the exposed tissue. Increased chromosome instability was observed with histologic progression in the normal to tumor transition of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas. Chromosome instability was also seen in premalignant head and neck lesions, and high levels were associated with subsequent tumor development. In bronchial biopsies of current smokers, the level of ongoing chromosome instability correlated with smoking intensity (e.g., packs/day), whereas the chromosome index (average number of chromosome copies per cell) correlated with cumulative tobacco exposure (i.e., pack-years). Spatial chromosome analyses of the epithelium demonstrated multifocal clonal outgrowths. In former smokers, random chromosome instability was reduced; however, clonal populations appeared to persist for many years, perhaps accounting for continued lung cancer risk following smoking cessation.
Mast cell disease followed by leukemia with clonal evolution.

Abstract A 29-yr old woman developed urticaria pigmentosa which subsequently progressed through systemic mastocytosis to Philadelphia chromosome negative (Ph neg) chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) with t(8;17). Further cytogenetic evolution occurred at the time of transformation to the aggressive phase of the disease. Unlike Ph-positive CML, chromosome number 9 was not involved, nor was the breakpoint cluster region located at band 22q11. This clearly separates this case from other Ph-negative CML patients who do have involvement of 9q34[1] or the breakpoint cluster region [2, 3]. Since this is the first case of its type to be reported with cytogenetic abnormalities, the clinical relevance of the unique chromosomal rearrangement t(8;17)(pll;q25) in the setting of systemic mastocytosis is unclear. Additional cases need to be reported to determine if this genetic rearrangement is a nonrandom marker of leukemia evolving in a setting of malignant mast cell disease.
Development of a House Dust Standard Reference Material for the Determination of Organic Contaminants

National-level health survey studies, such as the National Human Exposure Assessment Survey field program, have targeted the determination of organic contaminants in house dust in an effort to characterize human exposure in the domestic environment. As the effort to further understand human health effects in relation to organic contaminants associated with indoor dust accelerates, the need for an indoor dust Standard Reference Material (SRM) that is characterized for organic contaminants has become critical. To meet this need, a new organic contaminant house dust SRM has been developed. SRM 2585 Organic Contaminants in House Dust is intended for use in evaluating analytical methods for the determination of selected polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) congeners, chlorinated pesticides, and polybrominated diphenyl ether (PBDE) congeners in house dust and similar matrices. The material may also be useful for evaluation and comparison of methods or instruments used for samp...
An association analysis approach to biclustering

The discovery of biclusters, which denote groups of items that show coherent values across a subset of all the transactions in a data set, is an important type of analysis performed on real-valued data sets in various domains, such as biology. Several algorithms have been proposed to find different types of biclusters in such data sets. However, these algorithms are unable to search the space of all possible biclusters exhaustively. Pattern mining algorithms in association analysis also essentially produce biclusters as their result, since the patterns consist of items that are supported by a subset of all the transactions. However, a major limitation of the numerous techniques developed in association analysis is that they are only able to analyze data sets with binary and/or categorical variables, and their application to real-valued data sets often involves some lossy transformation such as discretization or binarization of the attributes. In this paper, we propose a novel association analysis framework for exhaustively and efficiently mining "range support" patterns from such a data set. On one hand, this framework reduces the loss of information incurred by the binarization- and discretization-based approaches, and on the other, it enables the exhaustive discovery of coherent biclusters. We compared the performance of our framework with two standard biclustering algorithms through the evaluation of the similarity of the cellular functions of the genes constituting the patterns/biclusters derived by these algorithms from microarray data. These experiments show that the real-valued patterns discovered by our framework are better enriched by small biologically interesting functional classes. Also, through specific examples, we demonstrate the ability of the RAP framework to discover functionally enriched patterns that are not found by the commonly used biclustering algorithm ISA. The source code and data sets used in this paper, as well as the supplementary material, are available at http://www.cs.umn.edu/vk/gaurav/rap.
Liver Hemostasis With High-Intensity Ultrasound Repair and Healing

OBJECTIVE Previous studies have shown that high-intensity focused ultrasound can effectively control bleeding from injuries of liver, spleen, and blood vessels. This study investigated long-term hemostasis and tissue repair after high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment in liver. METHODS A total of 21 rabbits were randomly assigned to 2 groups: high-intensity focused ultrasound treatment (n = 14) and sham treatment (n = 7). All animals had sterile laparotomy and liver exposure. The high-intensity focused ultrasound-treated animals received liver incisions, 20 to 25 mm long and 4 to 6 mm deep, followed immediately by high-intensity focused ultrasound application until complete hemostasis was achieved. After recovery, sonographic images, blood samples, and histologic samples were collected immediately and on days 1, 3, 7, 14, 28, and 60 after treatment. RESULTS All 14 liver injuries were hemostatic after an average +/- SD of 78 +/- 44 seconds of high-intensity focused ultrasound application, with no rebleeding at any time point after the treatment. Subsequent blood analysis showed no significant difference in serial hematologic or coagulation measures between the high-intensity focused ultrasound and sham groups. Alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase levels increased immediately after surgery by as much as 285% up to day 3 and returned to normal values by day 7. Hematocrit and white blood cell counts showed no statistically significant difference from normal values at all time points. Histologic examination up to 60 days after treatment revealed scarring and liver tissue regeneration at the treatment site. CONCLUSIONS High-intensity focused ultrasound appears to provide long-lasting hemostasis of acute liver injury. Healing and repair mechanisms after high-intensity focused ultrasound application appear to be intact.
Meteor, M-BLEU and M-TER: Evaluation Metrics for High-Correlation with Human Rankings of Machine Translation Output

This paper describes our submissions to the machine translation evaluation shared task in ACL WMT-08. Our primary submission is the Meteor metric tuned for optimizing correlation with human rankings of translation hypotheses. We show significant improvement in correlation as compared to the earlier version of metric which was tuned to optimized correlation with traditional adequacy and fluency judgments. We also describe m-bleu and m-ter, enhanced versions of two other widely used metrics bleu and ter respectively, which extend the exact word matching used in these metrics with the flexible matching based on stemming and Wordnet in Meteor.
Family Size and Turnover Rates among Several Classes of Small Non–Protein-Coding RNA Genes in Caenorhabditis Nematodes

It is important to understand the forces that shape the size and evolutionary histories of gene families. Here, we investigated the evolution of non–protein-coding RNA genes in the genomes of Caenorhabditis nematodes. We specifically focused on nested arrangements, that is, cases in which an RNA gene is entirely contained in an intron of another gene. Comparing these arrangements between species simplifies the inference of orthology and, therefore, of evolutionary fates of nested genes. Two distinct patterns are evident in the data. Genes encoding small nuclear RNAs (snRNAs) and transfer RNAs form large families, which have persisted since before the common ancestor of Metazoa. Yet, individual genes die relatively rapidly, with few orthologs having survived since the divergence of Caenorhabditis elegans and Caenorhabditis briggsae. In contrast, genes encoding small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) are either single-copy or form small families. Individual snoRNAs turn over at a relatively slow rate—most C. elegans genes have clearly identifiable orthologs in C. briggsae. We also found that in Drosophila, genes from larger snRNA families die at a faster rate than their counterparts from single-gene families. These results suggest that a relationship between family size and the rate of gene turnover may be a general feature of genome evolution.
A comparison of intermittent vaginal administration of two different doses of misoprostol suppositories with continuous dinoprostone for cervical ripening and labor induction.

Purpose : To compare the efficacy of a vaginal insert administering continuous dinoprostone with vaginal suppositories containing two different doses of misoprostol for cervical ripening and induction of labor. Study design : In this prospective, randomized, double-blinded study, 118 patients with indications for induction of labor and an unfavorable Bishop score were randomly assigned to receive either continuous dinoprostone, misoprostol 35- &#119 g suppositories, or misoprostol 50- &#119 g suppositories. Results : No significant differences were noted among the three groups in the change of Bishop score, induction of active labor or the time from initial treatment to delivery. Active labor occurred in roughly two-thirds of the patients in an average of about 5.7-6.7 h regardless of treatment assignment. When the two misoprostol groups were combined, a shorter interval from insertion to vaginal delivery was observed in the nulliparous women receiving misoprostol than those receiving continuous dinoprost...
MPiSIM: Massively parallel simulation tool for metallic system

We report a domain decomposition molecular dynamics (MD) for simulation on metallic systems based on distributed parallel computers. The method is a development of a spatial decomposition in 3-D space with the combination of link-cell and neighbor list techniques for enhanced efficiency. The algorithm has been successfully implemented on the Origin2000, Wolf, HP Examplar etc. various platforms. The scaling performance on these platforms will be discussed and several applications in metallic systems will also be given in the paper.
Robust Stability Analysis of a Class of Noise Perturbed Two&#8211;Time Scale Neural Networks

We establish robustness stability results for uncertain two-time scale neural networks under parameter perturbations and determine conditions that ensure the existence of asymptotically stable equilibria of the perturbed neural system. It is assumed that the system uncertainties are limited by the upper bounds of their norms. We derive a Lyapunov function for the coupled system and an upper bound for the fast time scale associated with the neural activity state.
Awareness is Good, but Action is Better

Elizabeth M. Vera and Suzette L. Speight (2003 [this issue]) challenge counseling psychologists to sharpen the field's response to social justice. This challenge is part of a broader effort by critical psychologists who believe that mainstream psychology's values, assumptions, and practices reinforce an unjust status quo. Despite persistent resistance to calls for change, the critical agenda can aid practitioners who seek both to help their diverse clients and to try to transform psychology rather than abandon it for settings more conducive to justice-enhancing work.
Reproductive Development in the Female Golden Hamster in Relation to Spontaneous Estrus

Pubertal maturation of the reproductive-sexual behavior system in 22 female hamsters was studied with primary orientation toward the manifestation of estrus. Spontaneous estrus was demonstrated as early as 26 days of age, vaginal opening was seen by 5-10 days, and ovulation occurred as early as Day 29. Dependable coordination between estrus, ovulation, and other reproductive factors necessary for successful pregnancy was not consistently seen, however, until 35 days of age. Prior to this age, anovulatory estrus, anestral ovulation, and nonproductive fertile matings may be seen. While the hamster is thus revealed as a species capable of extremely early and rapid sexual development, during development a period of adolescent sterility of approximately 9 days exists during which time coordination of the many-faceted features of reproduction occurs. In the study of sexual development, two life stages may be considered of prime concern: the period of prenatal or neonatal sexual differentiation and puberty. The former stage is considered crucial for the organization of behavioral and physiological reproductive patterns seen in the adult. The latter is crucial for the activation of these patterns or the bringing of these patterns to expression. This is as true for humans as it is for other species (Diamond, 1965; 1968). In the female, recent
Optimal divisible job load sharing for bus networks

Optimal load allocation for load sharing a divisible job over N processors interconnected in bus-oriented network is considered. The processors are equipped with front-end processors. It is analytically proved, for the first time, that a minimal solution time is achieved when the computation by each processor finishes at the same time. Closed form solutions for the minimum finish time and the optimal data allocation for each processor are also obtained.
Dynamics of liquids, molecules, and proteins measured with ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo chemical exchange spectroscopy

A wide variety of molecular systems undergo fast structural changes under thermal equilibrium conditions. Such transformations are involved in a vast array of chemical problems. Experimentally measuring equilibrium dynamics is a challenging problem that is at the forefront of chemical research. This review describes ultrafast 2D IR vibrational echo chemical exchange experiments and applies them to several types of molecular systems. The formation and dissociation of organic solute-solvent complexes are directly observed. The dissociation times of 13 complexes, ranging from 4 ps to 140 ps, are shown to obey a relationship that depends on the complex's formation enthalpy. The rate of rotational gauche-trans isomerization around a carbon-carbon single bond is determined for a substituted ethane at room temperature in a low viscosity solvent. The results are used to obtain an approximate isomerization rate for ethane. Finally, the time dependence of a well-defined single structural transformation of a protein is measured.
Cell-type specific recognition of RGD- and non-RGD-containing cell binding domains in fibrillin-1.

The fibrillins are large glycoprotein components of 10-nm microfibrils found in the extracellular matrix of most tissues. Microfibrils play a role in elastic fiber assembly and serve to link cells to elastic fibers in the extracellular matrix. To determine whether fibrillin-1 specifically interacts with receptors on cells from fibrillin-rich tissues, we evaluated whether two cell types that produce different types of fibrillin can adhere to purified fibrillin-1 in cell adhesion assays. Our results indicate that both cell types attach and spread on fibrillin-1 and that the RGD sequence in the fourth 8-cysteine motif mediates this interaction. Fibroblast attachment to fibrillin-1 was sensitive to inhibition by antibodies to the αvβ3 receptor and by peptides encoding the RGD sequence in fibrillin-1 and the second RGD sequence in fibrillin-2. In contrast, adhesion of auricular chondroblasts to fibrillin-1 was only partially inhibited by these reagents, suggesting that some cell types recognize a second, non-RGD binding site within the fibrillin molecule. These findings confirm and extend ultrastructural studies that suggest a direct interaction between microfibrils and the cell surface and provide a functional explanation for how this association occurs.
Production of Korean Idiomatic Utterances Following Left- and Right-Hemisphere Damage: Acoustic Studies

Purpose This study investigates the effects of left- and right-hemisphere damage (LHD and RHD) on the production of idiomatic or literal expressions utilizing acoustic analyses. Method Twenty-one native speakers of Korean with LHD or RHD and in a healthy control (HC) group produced 6 ditropically ambiguous (idiomatic or literal) sentences in 2 different speech tasks: elicitation and repetition. Utterances were analyzed using durational and fundamental-frequency (F0) measures. Listeners' goodness ratings (how well each utterance represented its category: idiomatic or literal) were correlated with acoustic measures. Results During the elicitation tasks, the LHD group differed significantly from the HC group in durational measures. Significant differences between the RHD and HC groups were seen in F0 measures. However, for the repetition tasks, the LHD and RHD groups produced utterances comparable to the HC group's performance. Using regression analysis, selected F0 cues were found to be significant predicto...
Comparison of the characteristics of nonsustained ventricular tachycardia on holter monitoring and sustained ventricular tachycardia observed spontaneously or induced by programmed stimulation

Abstract The characteristics of nonsustained ventricular tachycardias (VT) on Holter monitor recordings were compared with the characteristics of sustained VT noted spontaneously or induced by programmed stimulation in 50 patients with a history of spontaneous sustained VT. At baseline before antiarrhythmic therapy, all patients had nonsustained VT (triplets or longer) on Holter recordings and sustained VT inducible by programmed stimulation. The mean rate of the fastest nonsustained VT on Holter monitoring (150 ± 52 beats/min) was significantly slower that that of induced sustained VT (246 ± 56 beats/min) (p
The First-Passage Approach to Valuing the American Put Option

We express the American put price as an integral involving first-passage probabilities. This approach allows us an intuitive interpretation to Merton's result for the perpetual put. We also consider the finite-lived case, derive a differential equation for the critical-stock-price function, and develop candidate analytical solutions that satisfy conditions which occur for short and long times to maturity. We present numerical results demonstrating that these solutions for the critical-stock-price functions and numerical integration of the first-passage probability expression to compute accurate prices for American put options.
Approaching maximum power conversion with exergy-based adaptive wave-by-wave control of a wave energy converter

This paper investigates wave-by-wave control of a single-mode wave energy converter driven to operate such that the oscillation velocity closely matches the hydrodynamically optimum velocity for best power absorption. Such control requires prediction of the wave profile using up-wave measurements. The goal of this research is to implement adaptive trajectory-tracking control using on-line estimation of mechanical and hydrodynamic parameters, where the hydrodynamically optimum velocity variation provides the reference trajectory. In a step-wise approach to this goal, this paper assumes that perfect predictions of the wave profile are available, and further that the impulse response functions representing the radiation and exciting forces are also fully known. The rest mass, infinite-frequency added mass, hydrostatic stiffness, and linearized viscous damping are estimated on line. The present method relies on feedback and feedforward forces derived based on a Lyapunov function comprised of a system Hamiltonian that combines the mechanical and information exergy functions.