cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Expertise in assessing solvency problems

Abstract: The nature of expertise required in evaluating an economic entity's solvency position is investigated. The decision perspective chosen is that of the independent auditor as s/ he ponders the appropriate opinion to render on the financial statements of an entity in financial distress. Verbal protocols were collected from two Big Eight public accounting firm audit partners with experience in making this type of decision. A comprehensive, two part case was designed reflecting the information available to the auditor at separate two points in time. The protocol analysis yielded several levels of representation. The first was a general model of the opinion decision which, in effect, suggested that a ‘normative model’ of the entity under evaluation was constructed and then compared with the actual information about the entity. The process appeared somewhat akin to medical diagnosis. The next level of analysis involved the general classifications of technical knowledge which represented primitive or intermediate decisions within a hierarchical branching structure. Seven major technical model classifications were identified. The next level was referred to as the IF-THEN rule categories representing decision expertise. General categories included knowledge of business, knowledge of accounting/auditing and current state indicators. These represent the general framework within which the technical knowledge was instantiated. Five primary category frequencies were identified: comparison, evaluation, scenario, rule and recall/review.
A New Generation Process and Matrix Representation of Disclinations in Nematic and Cholesteric Liquid Crystals

Abstract Disclinations in nematic liquid crystals are described as transitions between two different states of quantized bulk deformations in a layer. The quantized states of deformation are due to well defined uniform boundary conditions, which allow only discrete solutions of the partial Euler differential equations governing the deformation. A new continuous generation process for the non-singular disclinations of integer strength is discussed. The local turns of the director field, involved in this process, can be used for an algebraic description of the topological properties of the disclinations. This formalism can also be applied to disclinations of half integer strength and to disclinations in cholesteric liquid crystals. From this theory, the existence of stable disclinations of the strength s = 0 can be predicted. Disclinations of integer strength are created by an experimental process analogous to the new theoretical generation process. Experimental evidence for the existence of disclinations o...
Scalable percolation search on complex networks

We introduce a scalable searching protocol for locating and retrieving content in random networks with heavy-tailed and in particular power-law (PL) degree distributions. The proposed algorithm is capable of finding any content in the network with probability one in time O(log N), with a total traffic that provably scales sub-linearly with the network size, N. Unlike other proposed solutions, there is no need to assume that the network has multiple copies of contents; the protocol finds all contents reliably, even if every node in the network starts with a unique content. The scaling behavior of the size of the giant connected component of a random graph with heavy-tailed degree distributions under bond percolation is at the heart of our results. The percolation search algorithm can be directly applied to make unstructured peer-to-peer (P2P) networks, such as Gnutella, Limewire and other file-sharing systems (which naturally display heavy-tailed degree distributions and approximate scale-free network structures), scalable. For example, simulations of the protocol on the limewire crawl number 5 network [Ripeanu et al., Mapping the Gnutella network: properties of large-scale peer-to-peer systems and implications for system design, IEEE Internet Comput. J. 6 (1) (2002)], consisting of over 65,000 links and 10,000 nodes, shows that even for this snapshot network, the traffic can be reduced by a factor of at least 100, and yet achieve a hit-rate greater than 90%.
Relations Among Socioeconomic Status, Age, and Predictors of Phonological Awareness

Purpose This study simultaneously examined predictors of phonological awareness within the framework of 2 theories: the phonological distinctness hypothesis and the lexical restructuring model. Add...
Functional protein microarray as molecular decathlete: A versatile player in clinical proteomics

Functional protein microarrays were developed as a high-throughput tool to overcome the limitations of DNA microarrays and to provide a versatile platform for protein functional analyses. Recent years have witnessed tremendous growth in the use of protein microarrays, particularly functional protein microarrays, to address important questions in the field of clinical proteomics. In this review, we will summarize some of the most innovative and exciting recent applications of protein microarrays in clinical proteomics, including biomarker identification, pathogen-host interactions, and cancer biology.
Use Of Stimulated Raman Scattering For Reducing The Divergence Of Severely Aberrated Laser Beams

Amplification of a diffraction-limited Stokes beam in a hydrogen Raman amplifier pumped by a severely aberrated XeC1 laser has been studied experimentally. Spatial quality of the amplified Stokes beam and conversion efficiency from the pump laser were measured. Numerical study of this process using a two-dimensional propagation code that includes pump depletion was performed. The simulation shows that the quality of the amplified Stokes beam depends critically on the absence of any near-axial components in the pump laser. These components of the pump can cause phase matched four-wave mixing interactions with the Stokes, leading to increased angular divergence of the amplified Stokes beam and the development of secondary sidebands in the far field. An optical integrator was used to focus the poor quality pump beam into the amplifier and to remove all near-axial components in the pump field. The diffraction-limited nature of the input Stokes beam was then preserved in the amplified Stokes beam. A power conversion from the aberrated pump to the Stokes beam of the order of 30% was observed. The far field intensity of the Stokes beam increased by a factor of 5000 over that of the original pump.
Excitation of gigahertz magnetoelastic waves in terbium films: Field dependence

The excitation of transverse-magnetoelastic waves in polycrystalline dysprosium films, with a static magnetic field applied normal to the film, has been observed using a pulse-echo technique. The "phononlike" excitations propagate parallel to the film normal. For the same experimental configuration, microwave absorption data show a very broad peak with maximum absorption occuring at an applied field of approximately $4\ensuremath{\pi}M$. The experiments were carried out at 5.7 and 9.0 GHz, and pulse-echo signals were observed at both frequencies from 4.2 to 70 K. The observed echo-signal intensity, field dependence, mode, and frequency are shown to be in excellent agreement with calculations based on a coupled-mode model; the transition-rate calculations also describe the absorption line shape for ${H}_{\mathrm{applied}}$ greater than the demagnetizing field, $4\ensuremath{\pi}M$. Furthermore, the data are consistent with results obtained using another technique.
Local structure formation in simulations of two small proteins.

Massively parallel all-atom, explicit solvent molecular dynamics simulations were used to explore the formation and existence of local structure in two small α-helical proteins, the villin headpiece and the helical fragment B of protein A. We report on the existence of transient helices and combinations of helices in the unfolded ensemble, and on the order of formation of helices, which appears to largely agree with previous experimental results. Transient local structure is observed even in the absence of overall native structure. We also calculate sets of residue-residue pairs that are statistically predictive of the formation of given local structures in our simulations.
A mild restraint and chronic venous catherization system for cats

Abstract An inexpensive and minimally restrictive restraint system for cats is described which protects any temporary connections to chronic physiological implants during recording sessions and permits free movement of the head and extremities for behavioral studies. Procedures for constructing and implanting a chronic indwelling venous catheter device are also described which allows, directly with a syringe or via a connector system, for intravenous drug infusions in cats. These cathers have remained intact and relatively free of infection for a period of months before tissue rejection begins at the site of the subcutaneous implant.
Catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide over perovskite type solid oxide solutions and supported noble metal catalysts

The catalytic decomposition of nitrous oxide to nitrogen and oxygen has been investigated over various solid oxide solutions (SOS), La0.8Sr0.2MO3−δ (M=Cr, Fe, Mn, Co or Y), La1.8Sr0.2CuO4−δ and supported Pd, Pt catalysts. The reaction was carried out in a gradientless recycle reactor at 1 atm pressure with a feed gas containing about 0.5% N2O (in helium). Among the various solid solutions, La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ showed a maximum N2O conversion of 90% at 600‡C. The order of activity observed for N2O decomposition was La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ>La0.8Sr0.2FeO3−δ>La1.8Sr0.2CuO4−δ> La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δLa0.8Sr0.2CrO3−δ≈La0.8Sr0.2YO3−δ. The activity of La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ was compared with supported Pd, Pt and also with unsubstituted LaCoO3 catalysts under similar reaction conditions. Among all the catalysts tested in this study, Pd/Al2O3 showed the lowest light-off temperature for N2O decomposition. The activity of La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ was found to be comparable to Pd/Al2O3 catalyst at temperatures above 500‡ C. The influence of added oxygen (about 4%) in the feed was examined over La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ and Pd/Al2O3 catalysts and only in the case of cobalt catalyst was the conversion of N2O decreased by ∼13%. By choosing varied sintering conditions, La0.8Sr0.2CoO3−δ of different BET surface areas were prepared and the light-off temperature was found to decrease with increase in surface area. The results obtained over solid solutions are discussed on the basis of the cation mixed valency and oxygen properties of the catalyst.
Magnetization reduction due to oxygen contamination of bias sputtered Fe/sub 35/Co/sub 65/ thin films

Obtaining high magnetization sputtered thin films with soft properties requires small grains with good exchange coupling between the grains. Contamination of grain boundaries during deposition will significantly degrade magnetic softness and reduce magnetization. In this paper, we report on such contamination induced by substrate bias during sputter deposition of Fe/sub 35/Co/sub 65/ films. 100-nm-thick Fe/sub 35/Co/sub 65/ films were sputtered at 100 W target power in 3 mtorr of Ar, with varying substrate bias from 0 to -300 V. A maximum value of magnetization of 2.35 T was observed at intermediate bias values, but the saturation magnetization of the films decreased nearly 10% for the samples at the highest bias. TEM analysis of the samples indicated an increase in oxide content and a decrease of grain diameter with increasing substrate bias. The loss of magnetization with increasing bias is quantitatively consistent with a nonmagnetic oxide shell of approximately 1 nm in thickness around each grain for all biases. The effect is simply that of increasing surface to volume ratio as the grains get smaller. A nonmagnetic shell of this thickness is expected to be sufficient to break exchange coupling between the grains and yield very poor soft properties, which were observed in these samples.
Mutagen production by chlorination of methylated α,β-unsaturated ketones

Mesityl oxide and isophorone, two beta-methylated-alpha,beta-unsaturated industrial solvent ketones, were found to be converted to mutagens by aqueous chlorination under conditions of pH and reactant concentration that may be relevant to waste water and drinking water chlorination. Chlorination of millimolar concentrations of isophorone generated mutagens at a pH as low as 8.5, while mutagens were formed from submillimolar concentrations of mesityl oxide at pH 8.5, or millimolar concentrations at pH 7.5. It is suggested that mutagen formation can occur via a haloform reaction at such low pH levels because of extended resonance stabilization of an intermediate carbanion.
Absolute Flux Distribution of the SDSS Standard BD +17?4708

Secondary flux standards are established by measuring their brightness relative to primary standard stars. The Hubble Space Telescope (HST) primary standards are the three pure-hydrogen white dwarf (WD) flux standards that determine the sensitivity calibration for the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph. STIS observations have defined the flux of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS) standard BD +17°4708 from 0.17 to 1.0 μm with an uncertainty of less than 0.5% relative to the HST primary standards, as verified by two independent sets of photometry. The two CCD cameras, HRC and WFC, in the ACS instrument package on HST confirm the average ratio of BD +17°4708 to the three fainter WD primary standards to better than 0.5% if a few of the ACS filter bandpasses have small wavelength shifts. With an uncertainty of less than 0.5% in the transfer of the flux calibration from the primary standards, the accuracy of the BD +17°4708 relative flux distribution is essentially the same as that of the primary WDs, that is, ~2% in the relative fluxes over the 0.17–1 μm range. Our flux distribution agrees with the SDSS fluxes to within their quoted 3% uncertainty.
Limbiting outgrowth: BMPs as negative regulators in limb development.

Rapid progress is being made in understanding how integrated signaling pathways direct patterned outgrowth of the vertebrate limb. In contrast, the mechanisms that constrain limb outgrowth, and thus delimit adult morphology, remain poorly understood. Two recent pioneering reports have implicated bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in negatively regulating the function of the apical ectodermal ridge (AER), an inductive structure required for continued proximodistal specification of limb elements. These studies provide the first insights into how the termination of a limb bud signaling center is accomplished, and intriguingly suggest how distinct aspects of limb morphogenesis are regulated.
Tabulation of the Symbolic Midframe Jacobian of a Robot Manipulator

The symbolic midframe Jacobian for a general 6-DOF ma nipulator, a 12-DOF, 6-cylindric-jointed manipulator (6C) and a 24-DOF manipulator in which all four kinematic parameters of each link transform vary, admits to direct, manageable tabulation. For 6-link manipulators, the mid frame Jacobians 3Jα and 3Jα associated with rates of change in the link lengths a and twists a do not depend upon the kinematic parameters of the first link frame (d1, θ1, a,, α1). Similarly, the Jacobians 3Jd and 3Jθ associated with the rates of change in link offsets d and rotations θ do not depend on the kinematic parameters of the sixth link frame (d6, θ6, a6, α6). A general property of a manipulator Jacobian, ex pressed in any frame, is that the column associated with the rate of change of a kinematic parameter is independent of that kinematic parameter. Furthermore, the determinant of the manipulator Jacobian is invariant with respect to its frame of representation, hence, the manipulator singularities may be calculated with ...
Modulation of TCRβ surface expression during TCR revision.

Abstract TCR revision is a tolerance mechanism by which self-reactive TCRs expressed by mature CD4+ peripheral T cells are replaced by receptors encoded by genes generated by post-thymic DNA rearrangement. The downmodulation of surface TCR expression initiates TCR revision, and serves as a likely trigger for the induction of the recombinase machinery. We show here in a Vβ5 transgenic mouse model system that downregulation of the self-reactive transgene-encoded TCR is not maintained by transgene loss or diminished transcription or translation. The downregulation of surface TCR expression likely occurs in two stages, only one of which requires tolerogen expression.
Nine-month-old infants learn about a physical event in a single session: Implications for infants' understanding of physical phenomena

Abstract Infants' ability to learn about physical phenomena after only brief training was observed. During training, infants first observed and handled a weighted ball or an identical-looking empty ball, then watched an experimenter place a ball in the bottom of a tube connected to a paddle. When infants pressed the paddle, the empty ball ascended the tube while the weighted ball stayed down. During test trials infants experienced trials that were consistent and inconsistent (i.e., heavy ball ascended and empty ball did not) with training trials. Infants pressed and looked longer at the inconsistent events. A second experiment replicated the findings and ensured that infants were not using prior knowledge about gravity and weight. Infants formed a representation of what was inside the balls, remembered what each ball did during training, and detected a violation of expectations about the ball's movement.
Irradiation-induced protein inactivation reveals Golgi enzyme cycling to cell periphery

Acute inhibition is a powerful technique to test proteins for direct roles and order their activities in a pathway, but as a general gene-based strategy, it is mostly unavailable in mammalian systems. As a consequence, the precise roles of proteins in membrane trafficking have been difficult to assess in vivo. Here we used a strategy based on a genetically encoded fluorescent protein that generates highly localized and damaging reactive oxygen species to rapidly inactivate exit from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) during live-cell imaging and address the long-standing question of whether the integrity of the Golgi complex depends on constant input from the ER. Light-induced blockade of ER exit immediately perturbed Golgi membranes, and surprisingly, revealed that cis-Golgi-resident proteins continuously cycle to peripheral ER-Golgi intermediate compartment (ERGIC) membranes and depend on ER exit for their return to the Golgi. These experiments demonstrate that ER exit and extensive cycling of cis-Golgi components to the cell periphery sustain the mammalian Golgi complex.
Representing Gender and Sexual Dissidence in Southern Africa

In this article, I discuss the contours of representational ethics in qualitative research. “Representational ethics” refers to a set of principles governing how qualitative researchers portray research participants and the social, cultural, and political contexts research participants inhabit. Using African and postcolonial feminist theorizing, I explore the representational-ethical principles guiding my ethnographic investigation of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizing in Namibia and South Africa.
Ontogeny of sleep/wake and cardiorespiratory behavior in unanesthetized piglets.

Abstract Young and older piglets (2–15, 25–35 days old) underwent chronic recording of electrocorticogram, vertical and horizontal electrooculograms, electromyograms of submental muscles, diaphragm (EMGdi) and posterior cricoarytenoid (EMGpca), and heart rate, arterial pressure, pH and gas tensions. With age, (1) the distribution of percent time spent in various sleep-wake states differed; (2) heart rate decreased in all S/W, arterial pressure increased in wakefulness (W), transitional sleep (TS) and quiet sleep (QS); (3) respiratory frequency decreased, EMGdi and EMGpca duration and EMGpca amplitude increased in all S/W, EMGdi amplitude decreased in TS and QS and rate of rise of EMGdi and EMGpca decreased in W, TS and QS. Active sleep was characterized by smaller normalized EMGpca amplitudes in the young, short EMGpca to EMGdi intervals in both ages and predominance of prolonged diminished muscle activity (DMA) of either muscle. Discoordination between EMGpca and EMGdi activation and the occurrence of DMA were influenced by youth and male gender. These results provide insight into subtle expressions of gender and sleep influences on developmental respiratory control.
Let me draw you a picture: coordination in image-enabled conversation

Preliminary findings are presented from a qualitative investigation of image making during small group interactions. A discourse-oriented methodology was used to capture and analyze video recordings of conversations involving the creation of drawings. Preliminary findings highlight the dual nature of drawing as both information artifact and communicative activity in terms of contrasting affordances. This study has heuristic and best-practice implications for the development of multimodal information and communication technologies such as virtual collaboration tools and information visualization interfaces.
Reduced-order modeling of propulsive vortex shedding from a free pitching hydrofoil with an internal rotor

The efficient development of control strategies for biomimetic aquatic vehicles that exploit vortex shedding for propulsion requires mathematical models that are sufficiently rich to capture the necessary hydrodynamic phenomena while remaining computationally tractable, and if possible while offering some interface to analytical (in addition to computational) tools. In a sequence of recent papers, the authors have detailed an approach to modeling such systems that exploits certain idealizations to realize equations of motion that accommodate the formalism of geometric mechanics on manifolds, and have demonstrated the relevance of resulting models to actual robotic systems. In the present paper, we describe an amended approach to modeling propulsive vortex shedding in the plane that retains critical features of previous models while providing a significant decrease in model dimension. We illustrate our updated approach by simulating the dynamics of a prototypical fishlike swimmer comprising a free rigid hydrofoil that can be induced to pivot about a body-fixed point through the oscillation of an internal rotor, shedding propulsive vorticity from its trailing edge.
On the Paucity of Duplicated Genes in Caenorhabditis elegans Operons

Spliced leader trans-splicing is an mRNA maturation process used by a small set of eukaryotes, including the nematode C. elegans, to cap the downstream genes of operons. We analyzed the frequency of duplication of operonic genes in C. elegans and confirmed that they are duplicated less often in the genome than monocistronic genes. Because operons account for about 15% of the genes in C. elegans, this lower duplication frequency might place a large constraint on the plasticity of the genome. Further analyses suggest that this paucity of duplicated genes results from operon organization hindering specific types of gene duplication.
Glycosaminoglycans are integral constituents of renal glomerular basement membrane

Abstract Basement membranes from canine renal glomeruli were isolated following osmotic lysis and sequential detergent treatment. Substantial amounts of uronic acid in unfractionated membranes were demonstrated with the carbazole and orcinol reactions. About 10–15% of basement membrane uronic acid was solubilized with neutral salt solutions. Denaturation in 8M urea solubilized ⋍70% of the uronic acid but only ⋍10% of basement membrane hydroxyproline; the latter was solubilized after reduction and alkylation. Uronic acid containing glycoprotein isolated by denaturation did not bind to carboxymethylcellulose and migrated as a high molecular weight band on SDS-gel electrophoresis. The ability of isolated rat glomeruli to incorporate radioactive sulfate in vitro was demonstrated. These findings indicate that sulfated glycosaminoglycans are integral components of glomerular basement membrane.
Traumatic vocal fold avulsion injury in a newborn

A full-term newborn developed respiratory compromise in the immediate postparturition period requiring urgent intubation. Evaluation of post-extubation stridor later the same day revealed an avulsion injury extending from the left vocal fold into the lateral glottic musculature. Primary repair was accomplished with anatomic realignment of the torn vocal fold and muscle. Endotracheal intubation was utilized for stenting and the patient was extubated following 3 days of paralysis with sedation. Follow-up examination revealed a reparative granuloma, which was lasered. Eight-week follow-up examination revealed normal vocal fold architecture. At 18 months the patient continues to have a normal voice and normal laryngeal development.
The association between race and neighborhood socioeconomic status in younger Black and White adults with chronic pain.

Abstract Both race and socioeconomic status (SES) contribute to disparities. We assessed the relative roles of neighborhood socioeconomic status (nSES) and race in the chronic pain experience for young adults ( Perspective Important racial- and SES-related variability in pain related outcomes in young adults with chronic pain were defined. Black race was associated with neighborhood SES, and black race plays an important role in pain outcomes beyond neighborhood SES.
Gastrin affects enzyme activity and gene expression in the aging rat pancreas.

Abstract The structural and functional properties of the pancreas are known to be affected by a number of hormones, particularly those of the gastrin-CCK family, yet little is known about the responsiveness of the pancreas to gastrin-CCK peptides during the latter stages of the steady-state mRNA levels of some of the digestive enzymes during advancing age and after administration of gastrin. Groups of 3-,6-,12-, and 16-month-old male Fischer-344 rats were infused (osmotic minipump) with either gastrin G-17 (250 ng/kg/h) or saline (controls) for 14 days. In control pancreas, aging resulted in slight progressive reduction in pancreatic DNA, RNA, and protein concentrations. This decrease was markedly enhanced by gastrin treatment in 16-month-old rats. Pancreatic amylase and trypsin (TRP) activities in these animals were also slightly decreased with aging, whereas the steady-state mRNA levels of both enzymes were significantly higher in 16-month-old rats than in their 3-month-old counterparts. However, in 16-month-old rats, the steady-state mRNA levels of amylase and TRP were significantly reduced after gastrin administration, when compared with the corresponding controls. Chymotrypsin (CHY) activity in the pancreas remained essentially unchanged between 3- and 12-month-old rat, but in 16-month-old animals it was markedly decreased. CHY activity was further reduced by gastrin treatment only in the 16-month-old group. We conclude that a) both age-associated and gastrin induced changes in the activity of pancreatic enzymes are not accompanied by parallel alterations in the steady-statte mRNA levels of these enzymes, and b) gastrin caused an antiproliferative effect on the rat pancreas with advancing age.
Comment on 'Acoustic plasma modes'

In a recent treatment of the T = 0 acoustic plasma modes of a two-component Fermi liquid with Coulomb forces, Appel and Overhauser conclude that there exist three generally damped longitudinal acoustic branches. It is observed that this conclusion results from an inapplicable analytic continuation in their solution of the transport equations. There is only one longitudinal acoustic branch, and, in fact, when applied to the standard one-component Fermi-liquid model, the method of Appel and Overhauser also leads to the incorrect conclusion that there exist two longitudinal acoustic branches.
Migration of myoblasts across basal lamina during skeletal muscle development.

BASAL lamina is a sheet of extracellular matrix that separates cells into topologically distinct groups during morphogenesis and is thought to form a barrier to cell migration. We have examined whether, during normal muscle development, myoblasts—mononucleate muscle precursor cells1—can cross the basal lamina that surrounds each multinucleate muscle fibre2. We marked myoblasts in vivo by injecting replication-defective retroviral vectors encoding LacZ into muscle tissue and analysed the fate of their progeny by the expression of β-galactosidase3,4. A dual labelling method with broad application to retroviral lineage-marking studies was developed to ensure that most clusters of labelled cells were clones derived from a single precursor cell. Most of the myoblasts that were infected at a late stage of rat hindlimb development, when each fibre with its satellite myoblasts is individually encased in a basal lamina sheath2,5,6, gave rise to clones that contributed to several labelled fibres. Our results show that myoblasts from healthy fibres migrate across basal lamina during normal development and could contribute to the repair of fibres damaged by injury or disease.
Insertional mutagenesis in mice

Abstract Insertional mutagenesis via the introduction of exogenous DNA into the germ line has been accomplished in many organisms. In addition to causing the mutation, the introduced DNA serves as a tag for molecular cloning of the affected locus. A number of mutations due to the insertion of either retroviral or microinjected cloned DNA have been isolated in mice. Many of these mutant loci have been cloned and are being analysed to determine the molecular basis of the mutant phenotype.
Ubiquitin Gets CARDed

Ubiquitin-dependent processes are critical for propagating antiviral defense signals during viral infection. In this issue, Zeng et al. (2010) describe how viral RNA and unanchored ubiquitin chains conspire to promote activation of RIG-I and the host cell's antiviral transcriptional program.
Trapping of a diffusing adatom by a substitutional surface defect

Abstract We propose a simple model to explain qualitatively the results of a recent field-ion-microscopy (FIM) study in which a substitutional Ir atom in the Rh(001) surface traps diffusing Rh adatoms [G.L. Kellogg, Phys. Rev. Lett., to be published]. The proposed explanation is supported by an embedded-atom-method investigation of the effect of a substitutional Pt atom in the Pd(001) surface on Pd adatom diffusion. We find a smaller energy barrier for a single adatom to diffuse around the defect than away from it, i.e., the adatom is effectively trapped by this defect in qualitative agreement with the FIM study. We also find that Pd adatom clusters are more strongly bound at the defect than away from it, indicating that such a defect can act as a nucleation site for cluster growth.
Differentiation status of rat ductal cells and ethionine-induced hepatic carcinomas defined with surface-reactive monoclonal antibodies.

To gain further insight into the differentiation of oval cells and their role in carcinogenesis, we have generated cell surface reactive monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) by a Balb/c nude mouse (nu/nu) immunization protocol. Three MAbs designated OC.4, OC.5, and OC.10 were generated from a mouse immunized with CDE6, an oval cell line established from oval cells induced by feeding a choline-deficient diet containing 0.1% ethionine (CDE). These MAbs demonstrated stage-specific expression in fetal liver and displayed strong reactivity with oval and bile duct epithelial cells. In general, oval cells displayed a more mature phenotype than fetal ductal cells, suggesting the existence in adult liver of more primitive ductal progenitors. A fourth MAb recognized a cytoplasmic antigen (OC.6) expressed by mucus-secreting hepatic ducts induced by CDE diet. Immunocytochemical analysis indicated that OC.4, OC.5, and OC.10 were also expressed on CDE-induced, OV6+ hepatocellular carcinomas (HCC) but not on OV6+ HCC induced by the Solt/Farber protocol. In most cases, CDE-induced, OV6+ HCC expressed early ductal developmental markers such as OC.10 but lacked those expressed at later stages (OC.5, OC.4). These new MAb will be useful for characterizing HCC subpopulations with oval cell characteristics and for isolating biliary cells at antigenically defined stages during differentiation.
Revisiting some “established facts” in the field of management

Although management is now becoming a mature scientific field and much theoretical and methodological progress has been made in the past few decades, management scholars are not immune to received ...
Stressful life event appraisal and coping in patients with psychogenic seizures and those with epilepsy

Understanding stress and coping among individuals with psychogenic nonepileptic seizures (PNES) may have important treatment implications. 40 patients with PNES, 20 with epilepsy (EPIL), and 40 healthy control (HC) participants reported the frequency of various stressful life events (both positive and negative) and appraised the distress these events induced. They also described their habitual coping behaviors. PNES patients reported no more frequent stressful life events than EPIL patients or HC. In addition, the stressors they experienced are not objectively more severe. However, they reported more severe distress due to negative life events, especially in the domains of work, social functioning, legal matters, and health. PNES patients also engaged in less planning and active coping than HC. Neither of these two coping behaviors was associated with distress ratings. The PNES group did not engage in more denial than either group. However, greater denial among PNES patients was associated with greater perceived distress. Coping in PNES is characterized by elevated levels of perceived distress and fewer action strategies than are normally employed to reduce the impact of a stressor. These findings may inform cognitive behavioral therapy of PNES patients.
On the value of redundancy subject to common-cause failures: Toward the resolution of an on-going debate

Abstract Common-cause failures (CCF) are one of the more critical and challenging issues for system reliability and risk analyses. Academic interest in modeling CCF, and more broadly in modeling dependent failures, has steadily grown over the years in the number of publications as well as in the sophistication of the analytical tools used. In the past few years, several influential articles have shed doubts on the relevance of redundancy arguing that “redundancy backfires” through common-cause failures, and that the latter dominate unreliability, thus defeating the purpose of redundancy. In this work, we take issue with some of the results of these publications. In their stead, we provide a nuanced perspective on the (contingent) value of redundancy subject to common-cause failures. First, we review the incremental reliability and MTTF provided by redundancy subject to common-cause failures. Second, we introduce the concept and develop the analytics of the “redundancy–relevance boundary”: we propose this redundancy–relevance boundary as a design-aid tool that provides an answer to the following question: what level of redundancy is relevant or advantageous given a varying prevalence of common-cause failures? We investigate the conditions under which different levels of redundancy provide an incremental MTTF over that of the single component in the face of common-cause failures. Recognizing that redundancy comes at a cost, we also conduct a cost–benefit analysis of redundancy subject to common-cause failures, and demonstrate how this analysis modifies the redundancy–relevance boundary. We show how the value of redundancy is contingent on the prevalence of common-cause failures, the redundancy level considered, and the monadic cost–benefit ratio. Finally we argue that general unqualified criticism of redundancy is misguided, and efforts are better spent for example on understanding and mitigating the potential sources of common-cause failures rather than deriding the concept of redundancy in system design.
Patterns of matching and initiation: Touch behavior and touch avoidance across romantic relationship stages

This study explores the similarity of touch behavior and touch attitudes among dating and married couples. Touch behavior showed a strong matching effect for seriously dating and married couples. Z-tests revealed that correlations between relational partners were significantly stronger for marrieds than for serious or casual daters. Results for attitudes concerning touch showed a statistically significant but weak relationship between dyadic partners though the correlation strengthened in closer relationships. As was the case in previous studies, results showed that women reported less positive attitudes toward opposite-sex touch than men. A linear contrast in proportions demonstrated that men initiated touch significantly more in casual romantic relationships, but women initiated touch more in married relationships. Together, these data suggest that patterns of matching may vary as a function of relationship stage, while patterns of touch initiation may vary as a function of both relationship stage and sex.
Improved turbine-blade design techniques using 4th-order parametric-spline segments

Abstract The paper presents a method for generating blade shapes to be used as inputs to direct- or inverse-blade-design sequences. Isolated airfoils and gas-turbine-blade cascades are designed by a mixture of iterative and direct- and inverse-blade-design methods. In the direct-design method, the designer inputs the geometry of the airfoils, and flow solvers are used to study the resulting performance in terms of Mach numbers or pressure distributions along the airfoil surfaces. In the inverse-design method, the designer specifies as input the desirable performance along the airfoil surfaces, and flow solvers are used to compute the airfoil geometry that will provide the performance. The design iterations are enormously reduced if the initial blade shape has performance characteristics that are near the desirable ones. The method can be used to generate airfoils for compressors and turbines, or isolated airfoils, but the discussion in the paper is limited to subsonic-exit axial-turbine blade rows. The desirable performance characteristics are presented, and ways to specify the input aiming for such characteristics (minimizing design iterations) are discussed. It is shown that continuous curvature and continuous slope of curvature are necessary conditions for improved blade designs. A set of parametric curves that satisfy the above conditions is developed, and used to specify the geometry of turbine cascades. Thickness distributions satisfying the same conditions are used near the leading edge of the cascades. The performance characteristics of two turbine cascades generated by this method are included. The shape and distribution of curvature of the suction and pressure surfaces of the airfoil are particularly important for the aerodynamic and heat-trasfer performance. The 4th-order (continuous-slope-of-curvature) parametric splines should be used wherever separation in fluid streams at the walls would be detrimental to performance, and they have additional applications in smooth-surface-generation activities such as automobile-surface design.
Mesoscale modeling of dislocations in molecular crystals

Understanding the inelastic deformation of molecular crystals is of fundamental importance to the modeling of the processing of drugs in the pharmaceutical industry as well as to the initiation of detonation in high energy density materials. In this work, we present dislocation dynamics simulations of the deformation of two molecular crystals of interest in the pharmaceutical industry, sucrose and paracetamol. The simulations calculate the yield stress of sucrose and paracetamol in good agreement with experimental observation and predict the anisotropy in the mechanical response observed in these materials. Our results show that dislocation dynamics is an effective tool to study plastic deformation in molecular crystals.
The fluid dynamics of inner-core growth

Abstract Aspherical growth of the inner core has been suggested as a mechanism to produce seismic anisotropy through alignment of crystal lattices. This mechanism is viable if the response to aspherical growth occurs by slow viscous deformation. The inner core can also respond by melting and solidification at the boundary if flow in the liquid core can redistribute latent heat over the surface. We use a numerical geodynamo model to quantitatively assess the process of melting and solidification, and find that the response to aspherical growth occurs primarily through phase transitions when the viscosity of the inner core is 10 21 Pa s or higher. A lower inner-core viscosity favors viscous adjustment, but the associated stresses may be too low to produce substantial crystal alignment. Independent of the primary relaxation mechanism, we expect a persistent and large-scale flow of the liquid core over the surface of the inner core. The predicted flow should be large enough to affect the crystal orientation of hcp-iron alloys during solidification, yet the absence of detectable seismic anisotropy in the top 60–80 km is suggestive. Either the mechanism of flow-induced alignment does not apply in the core or the intrinsic anisotropy of hcp iron at inner-core conditions is weak. Future seismological modeling using the predicted distribution of lattice preferred orientation might establish whether this texture is detectable with current observations.
Generalized Dirichlet distribution in Bayesian analysis

Generalized Dirichlet distribution has a more general covariance structure than Dirichlet distribution. This makes the generalized Dirichlet distribution to be more practical and useful. The concept of complete neutrality will be used to derive the general moment function for the generalized Dirichlet distribution, and then some properties of the generalized Dirichlet distribution will be established. Similar to the Dirichlet distribution, the generalized Dirichlet distribution will be shown to conjugate to multinominal sampling. Two experiments are designed for studying the differences between the Dirichlet and the generalized Dirichlet distributions in Bayesian analysis. A method for generating samples from a generalized Dirichlet in presented. When a prior distribution is either a Dirichlet or a generalized Dirichlet distribution, the way for constructing such a prior is discussed.
Does interruption of normothermic cardioplegia have adverse effects on myocardium? A retrospective and prospective clinical evaluation.

Abstract A total of 154 patients who underwent isolated coronary revascularization (coronary artery bypass grafting) using retrograde, near-continuous, warm cardioplegia for myocardial protection, were arbitrarily divided into three groups according to the cumulative cardioplegic interruption (i.e. the sum total of all the short cardioplegic interruption periods, expressed as a percentage of the cardiac arrest period). Group 1 (39 patients) had 40% interruption (mean(s.e.m.) 45.4(0.01)%). The three groups were comparable except for longer clamp time in group 3 and a tower cardiac index in group 1. The mean number and duration of cardioplegic interruptions and reperfusions and multiple clinical outcomes were recorded. Clinical outcomes (Q) wave perioperative infarction, use of an intra-aortic balloon pump, mortality, and length of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital) were the same in all groups despite significant differences in percent, number and duration of interruption and reperfusion as well as cardiac arrest. The only significant differences found were in the level of creatine kinase-MB (CK-MB) and use of inotropes after surgery, both being higher in group 1 than in groups 2 and 3 (which is the opposite of what would be expected). Intraoperative hemodynamic (cardiac index and left ventricular ejection fraction) and metabolic evaluations (CK-MB, lactate production and oxygen extraction) in 22 additional patients who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting showed no significant differences between two groups having 30% cumulative cardioplegic interruption. It is concluded that warm cardioplegic interruption as used clinically has no adverse effects on the myocardium in patients undergoing coronary revascularization. Warm retrograde near-continuous blood cardioplegia is an effective method of myocardial protection.
Top-K interesting subgraph discovery in information networks

In the real world, various systems can be modeled using heterogeneous networks which consist of entities of different types. Many problems on such networks can be mapped to an underlying critical problem of discovering top-K subgraphs of entities with rare and surprising associations. Answering such subgraph queries efficiently involves two main challenges: (1) computing all matching subgraphs which satisfy the query and (2) ranking such results based on the rarity and the interestingness of the associations among entities in the subgraphs. Previous work on the matching problem can be harnessed for a naive ranking-after-matching solution. However, for large graphs, subgraph queries may have enormous number of matches, and so it is inefficient to compute all matches when only the top-K matches are desired. In this paper, we address the two challenges of matching and ranking in top-K subgraph discovery as follows. First, we introduce two index structures for the network: topology index, and graph maximum metapath weight index, which are both computed offline. Second, we propose novel top-K mechanisms to exploit these indexes for answering interesting subgraph queries online efficiently. Experimental results on several synthetic datasets and the DBLP and Wikipedia datasets containing thousands of entities show the efficiency and the effectiveness of the proposed approach in computing interesting subgraphs.
Molecular evaluation of two major human sperm fibrous sheath proteins, pro-hAKAP82 and hAKAP82, in stump tail sperm.

Abstract Objective: To determine whether mutations in the pro-hAKAP82 gene and the resulting pro-hAKAP82 and hAKAP82 proteins were associated with the infertility seen in a patient with stump tail sperm. Design: Case report. Setting: Academic research and teaching environment, tertiary care hospital. Patient(s): A single, infertile Caucasian male diagnosed with essentially 100% stump tail sperm. Intervention(s): None. Main Outcome Measure(s): Electrophoresis, silver staining, and immunoblotting of patient and control sperm proteins; RII (type II regulatory subunit of protein kinase-A) overlay assay of patient and control sperm proteins, partial DNA sequence analysis of patient's pro-hAKAP82 gene; indirect immunofluorescence and immunogold electron microscopy of patient and control sperm. Result(s): No significant abnormalities in the size or amount of pro-hAKAP82 and hAKAP82 or in the ability of these proteins to bind the regulatory subunit of protein kinase-A were identified in the patient's sperm. Partial sequence analysis of the patient's pro-hAKAP82 gene was identical to the published normal sequence. Indirect immunofluorescence and immunoelectron microscopy of sperm localized pro-hAKAP82/hAKAP82 to the sperm flagellum and demonstrated that the proteins were present in a disorganized, amorphous region, which apparently represented the fibrous sheath. Conclusion(s): These results suggest that, although pro-hAKAP82 and hAKAP82 localize to the correct structural component of the flagellum and are not directly responsible for the stump tail phenotype, they are unable to assemble normally into the fibrous sheath. Although this study did not identify abnormalities in the pro-hAKAP82 gene or its resulting proteins in a patient with stump tail sperm, several regions of the gene and protein remain to be examined.