cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Second Culture Acquisition: Ethnography in the Foreign Language Classroom

This article reports the findings of a study with university foreign language students, which employed ethnographic interview techniques as a pedagogical tool to promote positive attitudes toward speakers of the language studied. Informed by the theory of culture as process, the National Language Resource Center (LARC)1 at San Diego State University trained elementary-level university Spanish students to conduct ethnographic interviews in preparation for a cross-cultural project that was integrated into the course curriculum and class requirements. Quantitative and qualitative results indicate that the project enhanced student attitudes toward the study of Spanish as well as their understanding of their own culture and the culture of local Spanish speakers. Furthermore, by learning and conducting ethnographic interviews, students practiced formally the life skill of active listening. In addition to providing a review of relevant literature and research findings, this article describes a program for implementing ethnographic interview techniques in the foreign language classroom.
PUBLIC–PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR MATERNAL HEALTH IN AFRICA: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

ABSTRACT The concept of public and private partnerships raises growing interest and hope from international development agencies, governments, and communities as an alternative strategy in social welfare delivery. Conceptualized as a strategy to build and capitalize on the tangible and intangible assets and resources endogenous to social organizations and communities, individually and collectively, this article embraces an asset-based approach to analyze the potency of such a framework in enhancing maternal health care delivery in developing countries such as Senegal and Mali. These countries face growing retrenchment of the state from social service delivery and scarcity of human and financial resources, which call for innovative approaches and sustainable solutions in addressing pervasive deficits in health service delivery. Drawing from empirical field research conducted in Senegal and Mali, this article examines the trend toward public–private partnerships and its gender impacts and critically analyze...
The structure and relationships of horizontal cells and photoreceptor-bipolar synaptic complexes in goldfish retina.

After impregnation of goldfish retina by the rapid Golgi method, two classes each of photoreceptor, bipolar, and horizontal cells were observed by light microscopy. Interconnections between these elements in the outer plexiform (first synaptic) layer were investigated by electron microscopy of ultrathin sections, in which the processes of impregnated cells are easily distinguished. Dendrites of large bipolar cells (Cajal's “bipolaires destinees aux bâtonnets”) appeared to contact the synaptic endings of both rods and cones, while those of small bipolars (Cajal's “bipolaires destinees aux cones”) appeared to contact only cones. Processes from horizontal cells of the vitread level (Cajal's “cellules horizontaux intermediaires”) appeared to contact only rods, while those from horizontal cells of the sclerad level (Cajal's “cellules horizontaux externes”) appeared to contact only cones. The structures formerly called “synaptic vacuoles” are the terminals of horizontal cell processes in the goldfish, and by analogy they should be so identified in all vertebrates. Teleostean horizontal cells are not typical of neurons or glia cells, but are morphologically intermediate between them. Their most interesting properties are their unique relationship to photoreceptor synaptic endings and their segregation into rod and cone subsystems along with the corresponding photoreceptor and bipolar cells. Although their specific function is not clear, some role in information processing therefore appears likely.
Age-related changes in covert and overt anxiety.

(1960). Age-Related Changes in Covert and Overt Anxiety. The Journal of General Psychology: Vol. 62, No. 2, pp. 159-163.
Keratoacanthoma and multiple carcinomas

SUMMARY A case of keratoacanthoma, preceding four primary malignant tumours without metastasis, is presented. Two similar cases from the literature with two and three multiple primary carcinomas, are reviewed. They all have the following findings in common: (1) keratoacanthoma, (2) adenocarcinoma of the colon, (3) additional primary malignant tumour or tumours, and (4) absent or delayed metastasis.
Pseudocompactness and invariance of continuity

Abstract Given a space ( X , ˕) and a class Σ of spaces, we study the topologies comparable to ˕ which determine the same continuous functions into all spaces of Σ, which we call the Σ-invariant expansions and compressions of ˕. We extend results of E. Kocela relating pseudo-compactness and real-invariant expansions to obtain characterizations of minimal perfectly Hausdorff and perfectly Hausdorff-closed spaces. We solve by a counterexample the problem posed by Kocela of whether his necessary conditions for a real-invariant expansion of the unit interval are sufficient. Nontrivial examples of maximal real-invariant expansions are given.
Context-independent and context-dependent information in concepts

It is proposed that concepts contain two types of properties. Context-independent properties are activated by the word for a concept on all occasions. The activation of these properties is unaffected by contextual relevance. Context-dependent properties are not activated by the respective word independent of context. Rather, these properties are activated only by relevant contexts in which the word appears. Context-independent properties form the core meanings of words, whereas context-dependent properties are a source of semantic encoding variability. This proposal lies between two opposing theories of meaning, one that argues all properties of a concept are active on all occasions and another that argues the active properties are completely determined by context. The existence of context-independent and context-dependent properties is demonstrated in two experimental settings: the property-verification task and judgments of similarity. The relevance of these property types to cross-classification, problem solving, metaphor and sentence comprehension, and the semantic-episodic distinction is discussed.
New factors affecting HFET stability, 1/f noise, and reliability

We have explored the practical applicability of our recently found stability criterion for HFETs with spontaneous polarization of the gate insulation, to determine in which conditions the criterion is satisfied. In essence, the criterion requires a faster decrease of the spontaneous gate polarization than of the resistivity when temperature increases locally. The instability will be stronger in certain temperature intervals, and will result in degradation and 1/f noise increase. The implications for engineering design for increased device reliability at large positive gate bias and high power dissipation are analyzed. Our criterion and optimization principle also includes the effect of the plasmon-optical phonon resonance effects in the channel, which could even reverse the channel resistance decrease when temperature is raised in the stationary regime.
Computational study on nature of transition structure for oxygen transfer from dioxirane and carbonyloxide

The relative reactivity of a series of nucleophiles that includes ethylene, sulfides, sulfoxides, amines, and phosphines toward dioxirane, dimethyldioxirane, carbonyloxide and dimethylcarbonyloxide has been UU . U examined at the MP4r6-31G rrMP2r6-31G , QCISD T r6-31G rrMP2r6- 31G U , and B3-LYPr6-31G U levels of theory. The barriers for the oxidations with . dimethyldioxirane are higher up to 2.5 kcalrmol for the oxidation of H S than 2 those for the oxidations with the parent dioxirane. The oxidation barriers for dioxirane are larger than those for the oxidations with peroxyformic acid, except the barriers for the oxidation of sulfoxides. The reactivity of dimethylsulfide toward dimethyldioxirane was found to be comparable to that of . dimethylsulfoxide both in the gas phase and in solution chloroform . The classical gas phase barrier for the oxidation of trimethylamine to trimethylamine U. oxide was higher 6.3 kcalrmol at the MP4rrMP2r6-31G level than that for oxygen atom transfer to trimethylphosphine. When the transition states were . examined by self-consistent reaction field SCRF methods, the predicted barriers for the oxidation of amines and phosphines were found to be in good agreement with experiment. The general trend in reactivity for oxidation by dioxirane was RS fR SO, R P ) R N in the gas phase, and R S f R SO, R N f RP R s
Clinical Use of the Percutaneous Renal Biopsy

The renal biopsy is undoubtedly a justifiable diagnostic tool though it has not yet reached full maturity in clinical practice. Risks. For most patients the risks do not appear to be excessive. An added caution must be exercised in malignant hypertension but even here after careful appraisal of this added risk the biopsy may still be justified. The experience of the operator would appear to modify some of the risk. Returns. The biopsy has often added to the confusion surrounding a given case because it may be uninterpretable or because it provides an unfamiliar complex of findings. Thisresult is becoming less common with increasing experience. Even when the histology of the kidney is not diagnostic, it may suggest something of clinical value about the nature of the disease process, such as the presence of vascular disease, focal nephritis, or tubular disease of unidentified nature. The use of the electron microscope has extended the range of the percutaneous biopsy considerably. It is unfortunate that the...
On the structure and parity of weak interaction currents

The formulation of weak interactions by means of a current interacting with itself is generalized to the case in which T = 32 currents also exist, assuming the ΔT = 12 rule to be valid. Furthermore, generalizing the Feynman-Gell-Mann theory, it is postulated that all the currents entering the weak interactions are conserved in the limit of meson masses and baryon mass differences being neglected. This restriction limits the isotopic spin of the currents to T = 12, 1, and 32 if S = 2 currents are excluded. Another consequence of the same hypothesis is that parity mixtures are allowed for the T = 12 and T = 1 currents, but not for the T = 32 current. The five types of currents thus obtained (V and A currents with T = 12, 1 and only V or A with T = 32) can be combined into a 4 × 4 matrix current |Jχ. It is shown that a weak Lagrangian proportional to the trace of |Jλ†|Jλ satisfies the ΔT = 12 rule. In the absence of neutral lepton currents the charged lepton current is necessarily incorporated in a rather unsymmetrical manner, but in conformity with the ΔT = 12 rule in strangeness changing leptonic decays. The scheme is applied to the decay of Σ hyperons. In the pionic decay of Σ+, and in the lowest order in strong interactions, parity is conserved in the channel Σ+ → n + π+ and violated in the channel Σ+ → ϱ + π0 if all the five types of current are present. The phenomenological Lagrangian of Bludman for Σ decay is obtained as a direct interaction from the terms of the weak Lagrangian. Finally, a model of a baryonmeson nonlinear interaction generalizing a previous model is given in which all the five types of conserved currents are shown to exist.
Probabilistic Lifetime Maximization of Sensor Networks

The design of power-aware lifetime maximization algorithms for sensor networks is an active area of research. However, the standard assumption is that the performance of the sensors remains the same throughout the network's lifetime, which is not always true. In this paper, we study the effects of power decay on the performance of individual sensors as well as of the entire network. In particular, we examine networks with decaying footprints, akin to those of RF or radar-based sensors and relate the performance of a sensor to its available power. Moreover, we propose probabilistic scheduling controllers that compensate for the effects of the decrease in power while maintaining an adequate probability of event detection under two sensing models; Boolean and non-Boolean. We simulate the performance of the proposed controllers to establish that the desired performance levels are indeed maintained throughout the lifetime of the network.
Intrinsic physiological properties of cat retinal ganglion cells

Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) are the output neurons of the retina, sending their signals via the optic nerve to many different targets in the thalamus and brainstem. These cells are divisible into more than a dozen types, differing in receptive field properties and morphology. Light responses of individual RGCs are in large part determined by the exact nature of the retinal synaptic network in which they participate. Synaptic inputs, however, are greatly influenced by the intrinsic membrane properties of each cell. While it has been demonstrated clearly that RGCs vary in their intrinsic properties, it remains unclear whether this variation is systematically related to RGC type. To learn whether membrane properties contribute to the functional differentiation of RGC types, we made whole-cell current clamp recordings of RGC responses to injected current of identified cat RGCs. The data collected demonstrated that RGC types clearly differed from one another in their intrinsic properties. One of the most striking differences we observed was that individual cell types had membrane time constants that varied widely from approximately 4 ms (alpha cells) to more than 80 ms (zeta cells). Perhaps not surprisingly, we also observed that RGCs varied greatly in their maximum spike frequencies (kappa cells 48 Hz-alpha cells 262 Hz) and sustained spike frequencies (kappa cells 23 Hz-alpha cells 67 Hz). Interestingly, however, most RGC types exhibited similar amounts of spike frequency adaptation. Finally, RGC types also differed in their responses to injection of hyperpolarizing current. Most cell types exhibited anomalous rectification in response to sufficiently strong hyperpolarization, although alpha and beta RGCs showed only minimal, if any, rectification under similar conditions. The differences we observed in RGC intrinsic properties were striking and robust. Such differences are certain to affect how each type responds to synaptic input and may help tune each cell type appropriately for their individual roles in visual processing.
Computation of forced convection in slow flow through ducts and packed beds—I extensions of the graetz problem

Abstract A computational study of forced convection processes in ducts and packed beds at low Reynolds numbers has been made. The results give a better understanding of these processes, especially for small Peclet numbers. It is demonstrated that two distinct forms of Nusselt numbers are relevant for low Peclet numbeRs. One, used mostly by theorists, is related to the local driving force; the other, used mostly by experimentalists, is related to easily measurable temperatures and concentrations. As an example the Graetz problem has been solved numerically over a wide range of Peclet numbers, and new asymptotes have been obtained for the region of small Peclet numbers.
Valerie Solanas and the queer performativity of madness

Accusations of madness have long been hurled at queer and feminist bodies, and typically when people are deemed mad, they are granted little agency. This article attempts to read madness as potenti...
Racial Differences in Arthritis-Related Stress, Chronic Life Stress, and Depressive Symptoms Among Women With Arthritis: A Contextual Perspective

Objectives. This study examined the effects of arthritis-related stress and chronic life stress on depressive symptoms among African Americans and Whites with arthritis. Methods. Participants included 175 African American and White women (aged 45–90) who completed structured questionnaires assessing arthritis-related stress (i.e., pain, functional impairment, perceived stress), chronic life stress (i.e., discrimination, financial stress, life stressors), and well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms). Results. African Americans reported more functional impairment and lower perceived arthritis stress, but more life stressors, financial stress, and discrimination, than Whites. Arthritis-related stress accounted for similar proportions of variance in depressive symptoms across African Americans (R 2 ¼ .16, p < .001) and Whites (R 2 ¼ .24, p < .001). However, chronic life stressors explained significantly more variance among African Americans (R 2 ¼ .20, p < .001, vs R 2 ¼ .06, p < .05). Discussion. Findings demonstrate the importance of considering contextual factors influencing women’s health and well-being, particularly for those women with a chronic illness, including arthritis. Although arthritis-related stressors may be the predominant factors affecting well-being for Whites with arthritis, well-being in African Americans with arthritis is also closely tied to broader life stressors. Results suggest the importance of looking beyond illness-specific stressors when studying aging and health.
Shape effects on turbulent modulation by large nearly neutrally buoyant particles

We investigate dilute suspensions of Taylor-microscale-sized particles in homogeneous isotropic turbulence. In particular, we focus on the effect of particle shape on particle–fluid interaction. We conduct laboratory experiments using a novel experimental technique to simultaneously measure the kinematics of fluid and particle phases. This uses transparent particles having the same refractive index as water, whose motion we track via embedded optical tracers. We compare the turbulent statistics of a single-phase flow to the turbulent statistics of the fluid phase in a particle–laden suspension. Two suspensions are compared, one in which the particles are spheres and the other in which they are prolate ellipsoids with aspect ratio 2. We find that spherical particles at volume fraction reduce the turbulent kinetic energy (TKE) by 15 % relative to the single-phase flow. At the same volume fraction (and slightly smaller total surface area), ellipsoidal particles have a much smaller effect: they reduce the TKE by 3 % relative to the single-phase flow. Spectral analysis shows the details of TKE reduction and redistribution across spatial scales: spherical particles remove energy from large scales and reinsert it at small scales, while ellipsoids remove relatively less TKE from large scales and reinsert relatively more at small scales. Shape effects are far less evident in the statistics of particle rotation, which are very similar for ellipsoids and spheres. Comparing these with fluid enstrophy statistics, we find that particle rotation is dominated by velocity gradients on scales much larger than the particle characteristic length scales.
Thermal analysis on a two chip TSS

3D ICs is a new technology for achieving high density, low power and cost effective designs. As a result of dies being stacked over each other, TSS (Through Silicon tsv Stack) poses a challenge of heat flow and temperature management. A die level thermal analysis tool which can analyze a stacked die configuration, modeling boundary conditions, TSVs and fit into existing SoC design flows is the need of hour for 3D IC designers. In this paper, a thermal tool of Cadence which meets the requirement exactly is introduced. We present a flow for 3D thermal analysis of a two chip TSS (Through Silicon tsv Stack) design and also present the results of experiments done to validate the flow. Special acknowledge to Mark Nakamoto, Radojcic Riko and Bai Cher at Qualcomm.
Kinetics and Reactor Modeling of Hydrogen Production from Glycerol via Steam Reforming Process over Ni/CeO2 Catalysts

As a result of skyrocketing prices, environmental concerns and depletion associated with fossil fuels, renewable fuels are becoming attractive alternatives. In this respect, the demand for biodiesel has increased tremendously in recent years. Increased production of biodiesel has resulted in a glut of glycerol that has reduced the demand for this once valuable commodity. Consequently, finding alternative uses for glycerol is a timely proposition. One alternative is producing renewable hydrogen from this cheap commodity. Only a handful of studies have been conducted on producing hydrogen from glycerol. Previous studies have mainly focused on finding effective catalysts for glycerol steam reforming. This paper extends previous knowledge by presenting kinetic parameters in relation to glycerol steam reforming over Ni/CeO2 and a reactor modeling. The study found that the activation energy and the reaction order for the glycerol steam reforming reaction over Ni/CeO2 catalyst were 103.4 kJ/mol and 0.233, respectively.
Differential Diagnosis of Episodic Symptoms

Summary: Because nonepileptic disorders may cause episodic and paroxysmal symptoms that resemble epilepsy, these conditions and syndromes must be considered in the differential diagnosis or when antiepileptic drugs are ineffective. Gastroesophageal reflux usually presents as recurrent vomiting in infants and young children. A small subgroup of infants develop apnea and cyanosis accompanied by posturing of the limbs, deviation of the eyes, or opisthotonos, which leads to the incorrect diagnosis of epilepsy. Breath-holding spells and pallid infantile syncope, common in infants and young children, may also be mistaken for epileptic attacks. The parasomnias, including pavor nocturnus and somnambulism, are frequently mistaken for epilepsy, since these nocturnal episodes are paroxysmal in nature, may be associated with automatic behavioral mannerisms, and tend to be recurrent. Migraine is especially difficult to differentiate from epilepsy because its manifestations, particularly in children, are so diverse. Other disorders that may superficially mimic epilepsy include transient ischemic attacks, syncope, and transient global amnesia.
Social Capital and College Sport: In Search of the Bridging Potential of Intercollegiate Athletics

Intercollegiate athletics in the United States have been linked with enhancing the sense of community between students on campus (Clopton, 2008). Still, little evidence confirms that maintaining a prominent athletics program contributes to the social capital of students on campus who follow those teams. Consisting of networks of relationships based on trust and norms of reciprocity, social capital is disaggregated into bonding (tightening connections between similar individuals) or bridging (establishing new connections with other members of the campus community) varieties (Putnam, 2000). Results suggest that fan identity detracts from a student’s overall social capital and showed no contribution to one’s bridging social capital. This notion has potential ramification in higher education policy development as the connection between student affairs and athletics is increasingly encouraged (McKindra, 2008).
Structure and Dynamics of End-to-End Loop Formation of the Penta-Peptide Cys-Ala-Gly-Gln-Trp in Implicit Solvents

To investigate the effects of implicit solvents on peptide structure and dynamics, we performed extensive molecular dynamics simulations on the penta-peptide Cys-Ala-Gly-Gln-Trp. Two different implicit solvent models based on the CHARMM22 all-atom force field were used. Structural properties of the peptide such as distributions of end-to-end distances and dihedral angles obtained from molecular dynamics simulations with implicit solvent models were in a good agreement with those obtained from a previous explicit solvent simulation using the same force field. Representative structures observed in explicit solvent were sampled by implicit solvent models but with different relative probabilities. However, we observed significant differences in dynamical properties in explicit and implicit solvent models when we used traditional methods for the temperature control, such as Nose−Hoover or Berendsen thermostats. The explicitly solvated peptide displayed the slowest dynamics in both end-to-end contact formation ...
Prospective social-psychological factors of adolescent smoking progression

Purpose: To evaluate the ability of social-psychological risk factors to predict adolescent smoking behavior. Methods: Nonsmoking adolescents (n = 4032) who participated in the 1989 and 1993 Teenage Attitudes and Practices Surveys (TAPS I) were selected for analyses. Four multivariate logistic models were used to examine (a) adolescents’ smoking initiation, (b) adults’ smoking initiation, (c) adolescents’ progression to regular smok-ing, and (d) adults’ progression to regular smoking. A series of social-psychological variables were measured. Results: All four models were significant. However, no social-psychological factors were consistently significant in all four models, except white ethnicity. Data showed that social-psychological factors are less able to predict the transition from nonsmoking to experimental smoking than that from nonsmoking to regular smoking. Conclusions: Future prospective studies should measure both social-psychological and smoking acquisition factors at closer intervals to more accurately examine potential relationships.
An automated microscale chemistry workstation capable of parallel, adaptive experimentation

Abstract We have designed and constructed a 3rd-generation chemistry workstation and accompanying software for automated experimentation in relatively clean domains of chemistry. The workstation is designed for flexible, high-throughput, microscale chemistry and includes a reaction station with 60 reaction vessels. The experiment manager software includes a large number of features to facilitate experiment planning and implementation. The significant advances in software from the 2nd-generation system include the following: (1) Five experiment-planning modules have been incorporated to match different types of scientific experimentation, including open-loop and closed-loop experiments. The five modules enable plans to be composed for general-purpose (GP), decision-tree (DT), factorial design (FD), composite modified Simplex (CMS) and multidirectional search (MDS) experiments. (2) Parallel experimentation and adaptive experimentation have been blended so that some decision-making can be done using objective functions or early-termination functions while multiple experiments are in progress. Some planning modules (CMS, MDS and DT) can cause new experiments to be spawned based on the chemistry data obtained. (3) Decision-making can involve the local course of individual experiments and/or the global course of sets of experiments. (4) Resource management features provide the capability to look-ahead at experiments in queue, assess resource (chemicals, containers) availability and designate suitability for implementation. (5) Intelligent reagent-handling features support the autodilution of reagents, autoselection of appropriate stock solutions, autoassignment of containers and control over reaction volumes. (6) Opportunistic rescheduling features have been provided so that pending experiments can be advanced in queue whenever possible, leading to compressed experimental timeframes. (7) Templates composed for FD, CMS and MDS experiments can be stored and reused with modifications as required for specific experiments. (8) The scheduling module contains both a rigid scheduler and a flexible scheduler. (9) The software is modular and runs under Windows 95. This workstation is especially designed for fundamental investigations of chemical reactions and optimization of experimental reaction conditions.
Online monitoring of birefringence development in heat‐setting polymer films with a fast dual‐wavelength optical technique. II. Uniaxially oriented PEN/PEI films

The influence of poly(ether imide) (PEI) on the structural ordering process in heat setting from the preoriented state of poly(ethylene 2,6-naphthalene dicarboxylate) (PEN)/PEI blend films was investigated with the two-color online birefringence system. The addition of small amounts of noncrystallizable PEI enhanced the crystallization from the preoriented state. This was attributed to the loosening of the structure with the addition of lower density and bulkier PEI at small concentrations. With a maximum effect around 15% PEI, a further increase in the concentration resulted in a dilution effect that spatially separated the crystallizable PEN chains. This slowed down the structural rearrangement process during heat setting. At elevated temperatures, the real-time birefringence data obtained from the developed two-color birefringence system temporally located the relaxation that followed with an increase in birefringence. This was associated with molecular relaxation due to melting followed by crystallization and partial reorientation of crystalline regions in the original stretching direction. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci B: Polym Phys 39: 1147–1159, 2001
Anti-signal recognition particle autoantibody ELISA validation and clinical associations

Objective. The aim of this study was to develop and validate a quantitative anti-signal recognition particle (SRP) autoantibody serum ELISA in patients with myositis and longitudinal association with myositis disease activity. Methods. We developed a serum ELISA using recombinant purified full-length human SRP coated on ELISA plates and a secondary antibody that bound human IgG to detect anti-SRP binding. Protein immunoprecipitation was used as the gold standard for the presence of anti-SRP. Serum samples from three groups were analysed: SRP(+) myositis subjects by immunoprecipitation, SRP(−) myositis subjects by immunoprecipitation and non-myositis controls. The ELISA’s sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive value were evaluated. Percentage agreement and test–retest reliability were assessed. Serial samples from seven SRP immunoprecipitation-positive subjects were also tested, along with serum muscle enzymes and manual muscle testing. Results. Using immunoprecipitation, we identified 26 SRP(+) myositis patients and 77 SRP(−) controls (including 38 patients with necrotizing myopathy). Non-myositis control patients included SLE (n = 4) and SSc (n = 7) patients. Anti-SRP positivity by ELISA showed strong agreement (97.1%) with immunoprecipitation (κ = 0.94). The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the anti-SRP ELISA were 88, 100, 100 and 96, respectively. The area under the curve was 0.94, and test–retest reliability was strong (r = 0.91, P < 0.001). Serial samples showed that anti-SRP levels paralleled changes in muscle enzymes and manual muscle testing. Conclusion. We developed a quantitative ELISA for detecting serum anti-SRP autoantibodies and validated the assay in myositis. Longitudinal assessment of SRP levels by ELISA may be a useful biomarker for disease activity.
On the Use of Mutual Information to Compare the Performance of Wireless Sensor Networks in Detection Applications

The problem of choosing among candidate wireless sensor networks (WSNs) that send data to a fusion center to detect a binary phenomenon in nature is considered. Viewing the system as a communication channel in which nature is the transmitter and the fusion center is the receiver, it is intuitive to prefer the system that provides the highest mutual information between the phenomenon and the received signal at the fusion center. This paper reviews existing literature on this criterion and provides complementary results showing that, under a Bayesian framework, a WSN that provides equal or higher mutual information than other WSNs results in equal or better detection performance only in very restrictive settings. This paper also presents a bound on the detection performance of a WSN having the highest mutual information, and it is shown that the bound becomes tight as the mutual information approaches its maximum. Similar conclusions are obtained in the Neyman-Pearson framework.
Recurrence of extreme events with power‐law interarrival times

[1] In various geophysical applications, power-law interarrival times are observed between extreme events. Classical extreme value theory is based on exponentially distributed interarrivals and can not be applied to these processes. We solve for the density of the maxima of a sequence of random extreme events with any distribution of random interarrivals by applying a continuous time random max model, similar to a random walk model. The equation is exact when the distributions of the exceedances and the interarrivals are known. If only the tail properties of the exceedances and interarrivals can be estimated, then limiting extreme value distributions governing the maximum observation or exceedance are used. The general extreme value densities are obtained by transforming the classical extreme value distributions via subordination. This new class of extreme value densities can be used to obtain recurrence intervals for extreme events with power-law interarrivals.
Clustering using objective functions and stochastic search

Summary. A new approach to clustering multivariate data, based on a multilevel linear mixed model, is proposed. A key feature of the model is that observations from the same cluster are correlated, because they share cluster-specific random effects. The inclusion of cluster-specific random effects allows parsimonious departure from an assumed base model for cluster mean profiles. This departure is captured statistically via the posterior expectation, or best linear unbiased predictor. One of the parameters in the model is the true underlying partition of the data, and the posterior distribution of this parameter, which is known up to a normalizing constant, is used to cluster the data. The problem of finding partitions with high posterior probability is not amenable to deterministic methods such as the EM algorithm. Thus, we propose a stochastic search algorithm that is driven by a Markov chain that is a mixture of two Metropolis–Hastings algorithms—one that makes small scale changes to individual objects and another that performs large scale moves involving entire clusters. The methodology proposed is fundamentally different from the well-known finite mixture model approach to clustering, which does not explicitly include the partition as a parameter, and involves an independent and identically distributed structure.
A finite element algorithm for sound propagation in axisymmetric ducts containing compressible mean flow

An accurate mathematical model for sound propagation in axisymmetric aircraft engine ducts with compressible mean flow is reported. The model is based on the usual perturbation of the basic fluid mechanics equations for small motions. Mean flow parameters are derived in the absence of fluctuating quantities and are then substituted into the equations for the acoustic quantities which were linearized by eliminating higher order terms. Mean swirl is assumed to be zero from the restriction of axisymmetry. A linear rectangular serendipity element is formulated from these equations using a Galerkin procedure and assembled in a special purpose computer program in which the matrix map for a rectangular mesh was specifically coded. Representations of the fluctuating quantities, mean quantities and coordinate transformations are isoparametric. The global matrix is solved by foreward and back substitution following an L-U decomposition with pivoting restricted internally to the blocks. Results from the model were compared with results from several alternative analyses and yielded satisfactory agreement.
The Anthropometry of the Elderly

The anthropometric elderly, arbitrarily defined as those 65 years of age and above, are a distinct subgroup with special human factors needs. They are significantly smaller in stature and in many o...
A New View of Quantifying Organizational Climate through the Work Environment Scale

This paper presents and demonstrates the advantages of an alternative scoring procedure for Rudolf Moos' Work Environment Scale (WES: Insel & Moos, 1987). The WES measures ten aspects of the organizational and psychosocial work environment. As such, the WES provides a significant macroergonomic tool for quantitative exploration of the effects of organizational design and implementation efforts. These measures have shown to be significantly related to organizational behaviors, effects of organizational change interventions, and occupational stress and health response. However, the current scoring procedure presents interpretation difficulties because of statistical complications in the scoring. The new scoring procedure emphasizes individual item decomposition and a new data transformation, which provide increased and more coordinated information about an organization. More specific comparisons between organizations, or between groups within organizations, are possible. Examples are presented from research...
Changes in premature infant mercury and lead blood levels after blood transfusions.

Objective To describe the blood level changes of mercury and lead after packed red blood cell (PRBC) transfusions in ≤ 750 g birth weight infants. Study Design Heavy metal blood levels were measured in infants in PRBC units on 1st, 4th, 5th, and 7th days (D1, D4, D5, and D7) of life and in urine on D1, D4, and D7. Results A total of 10 infants were enrolled with a mean birth weight of 632 ± 72 g. Out of which nine infants received one or more PRBC transfusions, with an average of 2.9 ± 2.5 transfusions per infant. Heavy metals were detected in all the transfusions. The average mercury level was 1.33 µg/L on D1 and 1.66 µg/L on D7, p > 0.05. The average lead level was 0.32 µg/dL on D1 and 0.56 µg/dL on D7, p > 0.05. Urinary mercury excretion increased in infants with no bowel movements. Urinary excretion of lead decreased over time as blood levels increased. Conclusions After receiving blood transfusions, the blood levels of mercury and lead were maintained at the end of the 1st week of life. As there is no evidence of a proportionate increase in excretory amounts of these heavy metals, there is a concern that they are retained and potentially exert toxic effects.
Abstract 138: The effects of microRNA transfections on global patterns of gene expression are functionally coordinated

A current challenge in the application of miRNAs in cancer therapeutics is the inability to accurately predict the functional consequences of exogenous perturbations in the levels of potentially therapeutic miRNAs. To systematically address this issue, two miRNAs (miR-7 and miR-128) were separately transfected into a well characterized ovarian cancer cell line (HEY) and global changes in levels of gene expression were monitored. While ∼20% of the changes in expression patterns of hundreds to thousands of genes could be attributed to direct miRNA-mRNA interactions, the majority of the changes were indirect, involving the downstream consequences of miRNA-mediated changes in regulatory gene expression. The pathways most significantly affected by miR-7 transfection are involved with cell adhesion and other developmental networks previously associated with epithelial-mesenchymal transitions (EMT) and other processes linked with metastasis. In contrast, the pathways most significantly affected by miR-128 transfection are more focused on cell cycle control and other processes commonly linked with cellular replication. These computational predictions were experimentally verified. Our results indicate that changes in patterns of gene expression induced by exogenous expression of miRNAs are not random but functionally coordinated and that different families of miRNAs may regulate distinct cellular functions related to cancer. Our findings suggest that miRNAs may be of unique therapeutic value by providing clinicians with a strategy to treat cancer from a systems rather than a single gene perspective. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 103rd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2012 Mar 31-Apr 4; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2012;72(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 138. doi:1538-7445.AM2012-138
Three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy for early stage prostatic cancer: techniques, outcomes, and possible pitfalls.

Advances in radiation therapy have led to the development of multiple methods to deliver radiotherapy accurately to a defined threedimensional target. This technology is most appropriate in the management of early stage prostatic cancer. Precise delivery of radiotherapy can control prostate cancer while minimizing normal tissue (e.g., bladder and rectum) complications.
Hierarchical Assembly of Bioactive Amphiphilic Molecule Pairs into Supramolecular Nanofibril Self-Supportive Scaffolds for Stem Cell Differentiation.

Molecular design of biomaterials with unique features recapitulating nature’s niche to influence biological activities has been a prolific area of investigation in chemistry and material science. The extracellular matrix (ECM) provides a wealth of bioactive molecules in supporting cell proliferation, migration, and differentiation. The well-patterned fibril and intertwining architecture of the ECM profoundly influences cell behavior and development. Inspired by those features from the ECM, we attempted to integrate essential biological factors from the ECM to design bioactive molecules to construct artificial self-supportive ECM mimics to advance stem cell culture. The synthesized biomimic molecules are able to hierarchically self-assemble into nanofibril hydrogels in physiological buffer driven by cooperative effects of electrostatic interaction, van der Waals forces, and intermolecular hydrogen bonds. In addition, the hydrogel is designed to be degradable during cell culture, generating extra space to f...
Mechanical Response of Nesprin-2G to Cytoskeletal Forces Regulates Linc Complex-Dependent Mechanotransduction

Nuclear geometry and positioning are affected by cytoskeletal forces, which plays an important role in cellular mechanotrasnduction. The LINC (LInkers of the Nucleoskeleton and Cytoskeleton) complex has been shown to bear mechanical load and mediate force transmission from the cytoskeleton into the nucleus, however, molecular mechanisms of this phenomenon are not yet understood. Giant nesprin-2 (nesprin-2G) forms a direct linkage between the actin cytoskeleton and SUN proteins inside the perinuclear space. These linkers are shown to be under constant tension especially in the apical and equatorial planes of the nucleus and have 56 spectrin repeats along their rod domain. A functional construct of nespring-2G containing only four spectrin repeats, referred to as mini-nesprin-2G, was shown to rescue the nuclear movement defects observed in nesprin-2G-depleted fibroblasts. Since it is intrinsically difficult to measure forces and track residue-level interactions across individual proteins using current experimental techniques, we used molecular dynamics simulations to study mechanical response of nesprin molecules to cytoskeletal forces. Mini-nesprins are excellent candidates for this purpose as their small size allows for long simulation periods necessary for capturing important molecular events. Our results provides a detailed understanding of how mechanical modes of mini-nesprin-2G are excited and contribute to its response to various cytoskeletal forces around the nucleus. Also, we simulated force-induced conformational changes of the Actin Binding Domain (ABD) of mini-nesprin-2G, which are most likely induced by the axial tension along the actin bundles at the apical plane of the nucleus. Furthermore, we examined the effect of ABD conformation on its actin binding affinity by comparing the strength of interactions between distinct conformations of the ABD domain of mini-nesprin-2G and actin. Lastly, we used force distribution analysis to identify force-sensitive residues along the mini-nesprin-2G structure and tested the effect of mutating them to alanine on transferring forces to the nucleus.
What Lies Ahead

As we discussed in the previous chapter, the distant future of our technological society will depend on the decisions that are taken now and in the near future, regarding what research projects to fund or not to fund, and how to use the new discoveries that are made and the new technologies that are developed. In this chapter, we will explore some visions of the future, as presented in science fiction. We will also consider how cultural and historical context can influence the way in which a classic science fiction story is told, and how our understanding of technology can influence how we think about culture. But we begin with a brief survey of some sci-fi predictions which have already come to pass, and a few more which may be coming very soon.
From a Classical to a Christian City: Civic Euergetism and Charity in Late Antique Rome

This paper focuses on the justifications for feeding Rome as a case study for evaluating the transition from a classical model of civic euergetism to one of Christian charity. Civic euergetism, which customarily entails public philanthropy publicly directed toward one9s city or fellow citizens, was a social transaction intended to gain personal glory. In Christian charity, the poor were now supposed to be the objects of acts of public giving. Based on my analysis, I propose that scholars who view this transition as either continuity or novel change are adopting flawed models. I offer an alternative model for this transition that stresses the dynamic, on-going interaction of civic euergetism and Christian charity. These two sets of ideas influenced one another even as they remained distinct components of justifications for the feeding of Rome well into the late sixth century.
Jaw Rotation in Dysarthria Measured With a Single Electromagnetic Articulography Sensor.

Purpose This study evaluated a novel method for characterizing jaw rotation using orientation data from a single electromagnetic articulography sensor. This method was optimized for clinical applic...
OPTIMAL PARI-MUTUEL WAGERING

A procedure is proposed to enable a bettor to optimally place a bet on a pari-mutuel event. The problem is essentially one of multivariate classification given data on each contestant. It is shown that one can always decide optimally among the alternatives, (1) bet on any one horse and (2) do not bet at all.
Electric field distribution and current emission in a vacuum nano-diode

This paper presents the electric field distribution and current emission in a vacuum nano-diode. The electric field is calculated exactly inside a finite vacuum cathode-anode (A-K) gap with a single trapezoid protrusion on one of the electrode surface. It is found there is strong field enhancement on both electrodes near the protrusion, when the ratio of the A-K gap distance to the protrusion height d/h < 2. We calculate the effective field enhancement factor for the field emission current, by integrating the local Fowler-Nordheim current density along the electrode surfaces. Both the electric field enhancement and the current rectification of the miniaturized geometrical diode are studied.
How to Count: Birthdays and Lotteries

There is a very famous problem about birthdays showing how the answers to certain problems can defy our intuition. The problem can be phrased this way: suppose you are at a party, in a hall filled with people. How many people do you think have to be present before the probability that at least two people have the same birthday is about 1/2? Having the same birthday here means the month and day must match; the year is irrelevant. Suppose, for example, there are 30 people at the party and someone comes over to you claiming at least two people there have the same birthday. You know he is a stranger to the group—he has no inside information. He wants to bet $10 that he is right. Is this a good bet to make? If you take this bet you will win only if everyone in the hall was born on a different day of the year. Since there are 365 days in the year and only 30 people present, it might seem quite likely that there are no repeats of birthdays in the place and that the $10 bet would be quite favorable to you.