cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Visual Turing test for computer vision systems

Today, computer vision systems are tested by their accuracy in detecting and localizing instances of objects. As an alternative, and motivated by the ability of humans to provide far richer descriptions and even tell a story about an image, we construct a “visual Turing test”: an operator-assisted device that produces a stochastic sequence of binary questions from a given test image. The query engine proposes a question; the operator either provides the correct answer or rejects the question as ambiguous; the engine proposes the next question (“just-in-time truthing”). The test is then administered to the computer-vision system, one question at a time. After the system’s answer is recorded, the system is provided the correct answer and the next question. Parsing is trivial and deterministic; the system being tested requires no natural language processing. The query engine employs statistical constraints, learned from a training set, to produce questions with essentially unpredictable answers—the answer to a question, given the history of questions and their correct answers, is nearly equally likely to be positive or negative. In this sense, the test is only about vision. The system is designed to produce streams of questions that follow natural story lines, from the instantiation of a unique object, through an exploration of its properties, and on to its relationships with other uniquely instantiated objects.
Study of Structured Porogen Method for Bone Scaffold Fabrication

The increasing demand on bone scaffolds has promoted the development of tissue engineering fabrication technique for manufacturing bone scaffold. In this study, a novel structured porogen method for bone scaffold fabrication has been explored. This method has demonstrated highly efficient and reproducible fabrication of structured bone scaffolds which mimics the bone structure. By using commercially available Drop on Demand (DDP) system and three dimensional printer (3-DP) system, at first designed structured porogens can be manufactured, and then bone scaffolds can be fabricated by injecting the biocomposite materials into the porogens. The mechanical properties of the fabricated scaffolds using DDP system have been characterized. The biocompatibility of our fabricated scaffolds using 3-DP has been examined. With incorporating of bioactive calcium phosphate into the composite materials, the mechanical strength and bioactivity of the scaffolds made by the structured porogen method can be improved significantly. This structured porogen method has a potential to be used on various Solid Freeform Fabrication systems which allows each system to use a single ubiquitous building material to fabricate multiple biomaterial scaffolds with sufficient mechanical integrity.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Contact analysis of large numbers of interacting bodies using discrete modal methods for simulating material failure on the microscopic scale

There has been interest recently in analysing soil, ceramic powders and other materials on the microscopic level so that macroscopic phenomena, such as failure, can be related to microscopic properties. The discrete element method provides a numerical tool for conducting such analyses. Here the basic theory behind the method is reviewed and various formulations derived from a finite element basis. The automatic detection of contact surfaces between bodies is a major problem in analysing the interaction of numerous bodies, common to both finite elements and discrete elements. Various approaches to geometric contact detection and the need for efficient algorithms and data structures utilizing recent developments in the field of computer graphics and solid modelling are discussed. Examples are given of the collapse of a soil embankment, penetration of a projectile into a soil and the large deformation of a space structure.
Challenging Global Gender Violence

Abstract Violence against women and children is a global human rights and public health issue. Gender violence - including rape, intimate partner violence, domestic violence, mutilation, sexual trafficking, dowry death, honor killings, incest, breast ironing is part of a global pattern of violence against women, a pattern supported by educational, economic, and employment discrimination. Intimate partner, family, and sexual violence is a major cause of death and disability for women aged 16-44 years of age worldwide. The most common rationale given for the denial of human rights to women is the preservation of family and culture. While gender violence is a significant cause of female morbidity and mortality, and has long been recognized as a human rights issue that has serious implications for public health and an obstacle for economic development, it persists. Drawing upon cross-national survey data and interviews with women participating in the Global Clothesline Project, this paper discusses the prevalence and patterns of gender violence across the developing and developed world, highlighting the voices of victim-survivors and the strategies that are empowering women and challenging gender violence in Cameroon, the Netherlands, and the United States.
Granulocyte Colony-stimulating Factor Induces egr-1Up-regulation through Interaction of Serum Response Element-binding Proteins

Granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) stimulates the proliferation and maturation of myeloid progenitor cells both in vitro and in vivo. We showed that G-CSF rapidly and transiently induces expression of egr-1 in the NFS60 myeloid cell line. Transient transfections of NFS60 cells with recombinant constructs containing various deletions of the humanegr-1 promoter identified the serum response element (SRE) between nucleotides (nt) –418 and –391 as a critical G-CSF-responsive sequence. The SRE (SRE-1) contains a CArG box, the binding site for the serum response factor (SRF), which is flanked at either side by an ETS protein binding site. We demonstrated that a single copy of the wild-type SRE-1 in the minimal promoter plasmid, pTE2, is sufficient to induce transcriptional activation in response to G-CSF and that both the ETS protein binding site and the CArG box are required for maximal transcriptional activation of the pTE2-SRE-1 construct. In electromobility shift assays using NFS60 nuclear extracts, we identified SRF and the ETS protein Fli-1 as proteins that bind the SRE-1. We also demonstrated through electrophoretic mobility shift assays, using an SRE-1 probe containing a CArG mutation, that Fli-1 binds the SRE-1 independently of SRF. Our data suggest that SRE-binding proteins potentially play a role in G-CSF-induced egr-1expression in myeloid cells.
Schrödinger's Course: The Availability of Courses on Resources in Science and Technology Among LIS Programs

This article reports on a content analysis of ALA‐accredited MLIS programs performed to determine how many offer a course on resources in science and technology. Periodic availability and currency of offered courses are investigated. Implications for sci‐tech librarianship and LIS education are discussed. Results reveal that 30 percent of LIS programs adequately offer such a course, but 55 percent do not offer it with reasonable frequency.
Superior mesenteric artery flow velocity waveforms in small for gestational age fetuses

The objective of this study was to analyze the superior mesenteric artery flow velocity waveforms in small-for-gestational-age fetuses and to compare its contribution in their management with that already provided by the middle cerebral artery and umbilical artery flow velocity waveforms. Middle cerebral artery, umbilical artery, and superior mesenteric artery flow velocity waveforms were prospectively obtained in 41 small-for-gestational-age fetuses with color Doppler ultrasonography. The pulsatility index was used to quantify the waveforms. Poor perinatal outcome was defined by cesarean section for fetal distress, perinatal death, need for assisted ventilation, and necrotizing enterocolitis. In the small-for-gestational age fetuses, the middle cerebral artery pulsatility index was abnormal in 22/41, the umbilical artery in 26/41, and the superior mesenteric artery in 17/41. Coincident with abnormal umbilical and middle cerebral artery flow velocity waveforms were greater occurrences of poor perinatal outcome. The abnormality of an increased pulsatility index in the superior mesenteric artery velocity waveforms of small-for-gestational-age fetuses suggests greater vascular resistance and an overall reduction in visceral perfusion. However, the study of the superior mesenteric artery only seemed to support the information already provided for by the middle cerebral and umbilical arteries.
A Decision Model for Evaluating Job Alternatives

This study attempts to build a decision model to evaluate job alternatives for doctoral students. The decision model is based on the Von Neumann-Morgenstern utility function as well as the measurable value function. In the case of uncertainty, the utility function can order only preferences. In the case of certainty, the measurable value function can order both preferences as well as preference differences. The utility function is tested for the presence of the strength of preference concept using the theorem of “Substitution of Equal Exchange”. A methodology has also been proposed to obtain responses to the utility function and then transforming that function to a measurable value function. The importance of the concept of ordering preference differences and incorporating risk measure is revealed by the superiority of the measurable value function over the utility function in terms of predictive validity.
Ecologic study of children's use of a computer nutrition education program.

Abstract The purpose of this research was to describe the context created by students as they worked in groups on a nutrition computer-assisted instruction (CAI) program. Students worked on the program in groups of three. Observational methods were used to collect data from students in two sixth-grade classrooms that were part of an experimental program designed to restructure the educational process. Thirty-two students, from 12 groups, were observed as they completed the program. The groups were assigned by the teachers according to standard principles of cooperative learning. Students completed “Ship to Shore,” a program designed specifically for this research. The program required three to five 50-minute classroom periods to complete. The objectives of the program were to change children's knowledge structure of basic nutrition concepts and to increase children's critical thinking skills related to nutrition concepts. We collected observational data focused on three domains: (1) student-computer interaction, (2) student-student interaction, and (3) students' thinking and learning skills. Grounded theory methods were used to analyze the data. Specifically, the constant-comparative method was used to develop open coding categories, defined by properties and described by dimensions. The open coding categories were in turn used in axial coding to differentiate students' learning styles. Five styles of student interaction were defined. These included (1) dominant directors (n = 6; 19%), (2) passive actors (n = 5; 16%), (3) action-oriented students (n = 7; 22%), (4) content-oriented students (n = 8; 25%), and (5) problem solvers (n = 5; 16%). The “student style” groups were somewhat gender specific. The dominant directors and passive actors were girls and the action-oriented and content-oriented students were boys. The problem solvers group was mixed gender. Children's responses to computer-based nutrition education are highly variable. Based on the results of this research, nutrition educators may recommend that nutrition CAI programs be implemented in mixed gender groups.
Demagogues or Mystagogues? Gender and the Language of Prophecy in the Age of Democratic Revolutions

ON MAY 19, 1780, ALL OF NEW ENGLAND was plunged into darkness. At midmorning, the sky turned an eerie yellow. Within an hour, it had become so dark that people had to dine by candlelight. In the afternoon, the clouds took on a "higher and more brassy color" with occasional flashes that resembled the Northern Lights.' We now know that the "Dark Day" of 1780 was caused by the common New England practice of burning fields to clear the brush more effectively and provide a fertile, coating of ashes, but to men and women living amid the dislocations of revolution, the event had supernatural meaning. For some, it heralded the imminent appearance of Christ in the Second Coming; for others less certain of their ability to read celestial signs with such precision, it was at least a warning that "these are the latter days."2 The millennial expectations unleashed by the Dark Day can be traced in numerous pamphlets, newspaper articles, and almanacs, and have been read by historians as evidence of the pervasiveness of millennial thinking in revolutionary America among all classes of people, from learned divines to ordinary farmers. Far from being the preserve of a small number of biblical scholars and theologians, prophetic exegesis was a vernacular genre in eighteenth-century North America, a way of interpreting past, present, and future events according to the narratives of biblical history. A people as literate and as well versed in millennial lore as the New England Puritans could scarcely avoid interpreting the Dark Day of May 1780 as a prophetic "sign of the times." Thanks to the labors of intellectual historians like Ruth Bloch, James Davidson, and Nathan Hatch, we have a fairly good grasp of the extent and depth of millennial thinking (or at least of publications devoted to millennial themes) in North America during and after the revolutionary crisis. We know that, contrary to the situation in Great Britain, millennialism was a constant theme in religious literature from the
Absorption spectra of Δ5-3β-hydroxy steroids in two reagents

Abstract Absorption spectra of several Δ5-3β-hydroxy steroids in concentrated sulfuric acid and the Oertel reagent have been reported. These spectra, when determined in two different reagents and at two time intervals, may aid in identification and yet require little material. The characteristic alterations in the spectra with time are often sufficient to render characterization more exact. It has been demonstrated that one pair of isomers may be distinguished by these methods.
Monitoring protein dynamics with time-resolved CD and MCD spectroscopy

Ellipsometric techniques for time-resolved measurements of visible and near-UV CD and MCD have been introduced in the last few years and used to follow the nanosecond dynamics of protein systems containing suitable chromophores. Recent technical advances are described that permit the extension of fast time-resolved CD measurements into the far-UV (190 - 290 nm) spectral region. This development opens the possibility of using CD spectroscopy to monitor secondary structure changes in real time, at physiological temperatures, during processes such as protein folding. Fast CD techniques also permit the measurement of CD and MCD of photoselected protein chromophores before rotational reorientation restores isotropy. Theoretical expression for the CD and MCD of photoselectively oriented absorbers suggest that additional molecular information might be revealed by such measurements.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Who Cites Women? Whom Do Women Cite?: An Exploration of Gender and Scholarly Citation in Sociology.

The authors offer a brief analysis of citation practice in twenty‐five American sociological journals, in an attempt to explore claims that citation may show gender bias. Their work follows previous surveys of gender and citation and publication in the social sciences which suggest that women perform less well than men in both areas. The findings of this study suggest that there is indeed gender bias in citation in sociology, and the authors offer some hypotheses to explain the phenomenon that might be tested in further research.
Nutritional ecology and the human demography of Neandertal extinction

Demographic trends in human populations are influenced by natural selection acting upon differential rates of fertility and mortality. In human societies, fertility is primarily influenced by individual decision-making, as well as socially accepted norms of behavior. Many factors influence mortality in human populations. Among the latter, nutrition in the form of diverse essential nutrient intake may greatly influence maternal and fetal-to-infant mortality. Nutritional ecology is the study of the relationship between essential nutrient intake and its effects on human demographic patterns. A demographic revolution occurred in Europe during OIS 3: all Neandertal populations were either subsumed within populations of Anatomically Modern Homo sapiens (AMHS) (genetic swamping) or they were eliminated altogether. Evidence from stable isotopes, faunal remains, and the paleopathology of human skeletons suggest that Neandertals consumed a low diversity diet centered on large and medium-sized terrestrial herbivores. In contrast, populations of early AMHS consumed a slightly more diversified diet. The effect of this dietary shift would have resulted in greater diversity of essential nutrient intake and lower maternal and fetal-to-infant mortality, which in turn would have sparked population increases during the early phases of occupation of the European continent by populations of AMHS. Greater diversity of essential nutrient intake by early populations of AMHS may have been one factor that led to the replacement of Neandertals in Europe during OIS 3.
Low-energy and low-latency error-correction for phase change memory

Phase change memory (PCM) is a promising candidate for next-generation memory. To lengthen the lifetime of PCM, both transient (soft) and stuck-at (hard) errors need to be corrected. Previous approaches either address only hard errors using error-correcting pointers (ECPs), or employ error-correcting codes capable of correcting six or more errors, which demand high decoding complexity and large storage overhead. Also the verify-after-write needed to generate the ECPs leads to high energy consumption and latency overhead. In this paper, by making use of the property that soft errors are rare and hard errors increase gradually with the number of writes, a novel scheme is proposed to correct both soft and hard errors through integrating 2-error-correcting BCH codes and ECPs. In our design, the ECPs come directly from BCH decoding results. Hence, the energy-consuming verify-after-write and complicated ECP generation process are eliminated. Efficient and low-latency hardware implementations are also developed for BCH en/decoding suitable for PCM applications. Synthesis and power analysis show that the proposed scheme leads to significant overall energy and latency reductions. Moreover, our design can achieve similar or better error protection than prior schemes.
Patch Grafts of Dehydrated Cadaveric Dura Mater for Tube-Shunt Glaucoma Surgery

Human donor sclera is commonly used in glaucoma surgery with a tube-shunt (eg, Molteno, Baerveldt, Shocket, Krupin-Denver) to cover the external portion of the silicone tube and prevent its erosion through the overlying conjunctiva. Common problems with this technique include immune-mediated melting of the graft and the potential for infectious disease transmission by the grafted material. A case is presented of a patient in whom a low-grade iridocyclitis was associated with the gradual melting of a scleral patch graft; the scleral patch was then replaced with commercially available, dehydrated human dura mater. The practical and theoretical advantages of cadaveric human dura mater in tube-shunt glaucoma surgery are discussed.
RNA Polymerase II Targets Pre-mRNA Splicing Factors to Transcription Sites In Vivo

Biochemical evidence indicates that pre-mRNA splicing factors physically interact with the C-terminal domain of the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. We have investigated the in vivo function of this interaction. In mammalian cells, truncation of the CTD of RNA pol II LS prevents the targeting of the splicing machinery to a transcription site. In the absence of the CTD, pre-mRNA splicing is severely reduced. The presence of unspliced RNA alone is not sufficient for the accumulation of splicing factors at the transcription site, nor for its efficient splicing. Our results demonstrate a critical role for the CTD of RNA pol II LS in the intranuclear targeting of splicing factors to transcription sites in vivo.
Contralateral denervation causes enhanced transmitter release from frog motor nerve terminals

It is becoming increasingly apparent that vertebrate neuromuscular junctions can exhibit considerable plasticity in transmitter release. Long-term changes in the level of release, and therefore the effectiveness of synaptic transmission, are seen in conditions of altered use1,2, ageing3,4, hibernation5, disease6, hormonal influence7 and as a result of competitive interaction8. We have previously shown that transmitter release at frog neuromuscular junctions can vary over a wide range depending on the type of muscle examined9,10 or motor unit size11,12. We now present evidence that unilateral denervation of the frog sartorius muscle causes a large increase in transmitter release from nerve terminals in the contralateral sartorius, without an increase in synaptic size. Consequently, the safety margin for neuromuscular transmission is enhanced13. Contralateral denervation also causes a significant increase in apparent poly-neuronal innervation; but in contrast to similar experiments with the frog cutaneous pectoris muscle14–17, the increase in polyneuronal innervation does not seem to be due to nerve terminal sprouting.
Modeling of polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell with metal foam in the flow-field of the bipolar/end plates

Abstract A unified, three-dimensional, steady-state numerical mass-transfer single cell model for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) was developed. The modeled fuel cell uses metal foam in the flow-field of the bipolar/end plates instead of the conventionally used rectangular channels. Transport equations formulated under the PEMFC conditions were solved using the commercial computational fluid dynamics software Fluent ® 6.0 with Gambit ® 2.0 as pre-processor. Simulations were performed for different permeability levels of the metal foam in the flow-field. Results showed a significant effect of permeability of the metal foam on the performance of the fuel cell. For example: at 10 −6 m 2 permeability of metal foam the value of average current density was 5943 A/m 2 while at 10 −11 m 2 permeability, the average current density was 8325 A/m 2 . The average current density value for the multi-parallel flow-field channel design (channel width=0.0625 in., channel depth=0.0625 in. and land width=0.0625 in.), which corresponded to an equivalent permeability value of 4.4×10 −8 m 2 was 7019 A/m 2 . This value for the porous configuration with same permeability and under similar conditions of temperature, pressure and reactants flow rate was slightly lower at 6794 A/m 2 . The trend indicated that decreasing the permeability of the flow-field results in better performance from the cell. However, the permeability of the channel design can not be decreased below the value of around 10 −8 m 2 , due to difficulty in machining thinner channels. Consequently, the use of metal foam flow-field is proposed in the bipolar/end plate. The developed model offers fuel cell developers a scope for improvement of the bipolar/end plates in the fuel cell, by switching over to the metal foam flow-field concept.
Methane Emissions from Natural Wetlands in the United States: Satellite-Derived Estimation Based on Ecosystem Carbon Cycling

Abstract Wetlands are an important natural source of methane to the atmosphere. The amounts of methane emitted from inundated ecosystems in the United States can vary greatly from area to area. Seasonal temperature, water table dynamics, and carbon content of soils are principal controlling factors. To calculate the effect of wetlands (and their potential conversion to other land uses) on global greenhouse gas emissions, information on area covered by various wetland types is needed, along with verified projections of spatial variation in net methane emissions. Both of these variables are poorly known, and estimates are largely unavailable at the country level. Nationwide satellite datasets for the coterminous United States (excluding Alaska) have been combined with ecosystem model predictions of monthly net carbon exchange with the atmosphere to produce the first detailed mapping of methane fluxes from natural wetlands on a monthly and annual basis. The Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model’s pred...
Kaon physics at Brookhaven

Abstract Though conducted at low energies, rare kaon decay experiments are addressing questions fundamental to our understanding of the Standard Model. The suppression of these decays within the Standard Model allows the experiments to probe very high energy scales in search for new phenomena. I will review the recent results and current status of searches at Brookhaven for K + → π + ν ν , K + → π + μ + e − , and K L → μ ± e − .
Protease‐activated receptors (PARs), microglial reactivity and neurodegeneration

Microglial activity accompanies many types of neurodegeneration and neurotrauma. Thrombin is an early arriving modulator at sites of CNS damage. How it affects cascades leading to neurodegeneration is an area of important study. To investigate the roles of PARs in thrombin-induced microglial activation, primary microglial cultures from wild type and PAR1 deficient (PAR1 −/−) mice, along with N9 microglial cell line, were treated with thrombin, PAR1 (SFLLRN) and PAR4 (GYPGQV) agonist peptides (AP). Changes in [Ca2+]i, phosphorylation states of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs), p38, p44/42, cell proliferation and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNFα) secretion were examined by calcium imaging, Western blots, MTS assay and ELISA. We found that activation of microglial PAR1 or PAR4 induces a rapid cytosolic free [Ca2+]i increase and transient activation of both p38 and p44/42 MAPKs. Moreover, activation of either PAR1 or PAR4 directly contributes to thrombin-induced microglial proliferation. In addition, activation of PAR4, but not PAR1, alone mimics the direct effect of thrombin on TNF-α induction. Nonetheless, activation of PAR1 by PAR1AP potentiates PAR4AP-induced TNF-α production. We conclude that activation of PAR1 and PAR4 alone each contributes to different aspects of microglial activation by thrombin. In addition, PAR1 and PAR4 function in concert to mediate thrombin's overall effect on microglia. Acknowledgements: Supported by V.A. Medical Research, Missouri Alzheimer's Research Fund, Univ. of Kansas medical Center Research Institute, ALS Association, Chrsitorpher reeve Paralysis Foundation, Lied Endowment and Midwest Biomedical Research Foundation.
Neural encoding of sound location: an electrophysiological study in auditory cortex (AI) of the cat using free field stimuli.

Summary The response of single neurons in the primary auditory cortex (AI) of the cat to free field stimuli were studied. The results reveal that many neurons are differentially sensitive, in terms of both the magnitude and temporal pattern of the response, to the location, intensity, and type of stimulus. However, it appears that an individual neuron's response is equivocal with respect to the nature of the stimulus since the tuning of each neuron was very broad across each of these parameters, and since variations in one parameter could alter neural responses to another parameter. The results of the present investigation, in light of other studies discussed, suggest that the auditory cortex may indeed be the ‘integrative center’ for the cues for auditory localization. In addition, that the representation of auditory space is best accomplished by a response pattern across a population of neurons was supported by deriving the localization just noticeable difference (jnd) function from the data treated as across-fiber patterns.
The effect of marital status at first birth on marital dissolution among adolescent mothers

The sequencing of marriage and first birth was expected to play an important role in the stability of marriage among adolescent mothers. We hypothesized that adolescent women who married prior to conception would have the lowest rates of marital disruption, followed by those who married between conception and birth. Adolescent women who gave birth prior to marriage were expected to suffer the highest rates of marital dissolution. The results provide partial support for our hypotheses. There is little difference in the probability of separation between adolescent mothers who had a postmarital conception and those who had a premarital conception but married before the birth. Having a premarital birth, however, significantly increases the probability of marital dissolution. We also hypothesized that marital status at first birth would have less effect on the probability of marital dissolution for blacks than for whites. This, too, is generally supported by our findings. Among black females, those with a premarital birth are the first to suffer a marital disruption, but by the end of ten years there is little difference in the probability of separation among the three marital status groups. In contrast, among white females, those with a premarital birth are the first to experience a disruption, and this differential persists over all subsequent marriage duration intervals. Thus, the sequencing of marriage relative to birth has similar short term effects for whites and blacks, but the effect for blacks is evident only in the short term. Ten years after the marriage, black adolescent mothers have similar rates of marital stability regardless of the sequencing of marriage. This is consistent with the findings of previous research and with our hypothesis; with the black family pattern of lower rates of marriage, higher rates of illegitimacy and higher divorce rates, the sequencing of marriage has no long lasting consequences on marital stability. Finally, our predicted decline in the effect of marital status at first birth over historical time also finds partial support. For white females there has been a change in the effect of marriage-first birth sequencing on separation over time. In the period encompassed by the women in our study, white adolescent mothers who married subsequent to the birth have been the most likely to experience a separation at all marriage duration intervals, but this differential narrows as age at interview declines. Among black females there has been no change in the effect of a premarital birth over time.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Analysis Of Subaperture Testing Data

Subaperture testing provides an attractive alternative to large monolithic test optics for evaluation of large optical systems. In this paper, we present a method for reducing subaperture testing data that requires no a priori knowledge of the relative piston and tilt of the subapertures. Results of applying this method to analyze subaperture testing interferograms are presented. In particular, the behavior of this method in the presence of data noise is studied.© (1984) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Underride Safety Protection: Benefit-Cost Assessment of Rear-Impact Guards for the North Dakota Farm Truck Fleet

Objective: The North Dakota Legislature recently passed a law exempting the state's agricultural truck fleet from a federal safety program requirement for rear-guard equipment on large trucks. This equipment has been shown to reduce crash severity when a passenger vehicle collides with the rear of the truck. This study uses truck fleet, truck crash, and injury severity data to estimate the public safety benefit derived from passenger-vehicle underride protection during rear-end crashes involving large agricultural trucks in North Dakota. Methods: A benefit-cost analysis of crash injury avoidance is developed based on the frequency and severity of rear-end truck collisions in North Dakota between 2001 and 2007. Results: The injury avoidance benefits and commercial vehicle safety grant benefits are estimated to be $11.4 to $20.2 million during the seven-year depreciable truck life. Conclusion: The public safety benefits for rear-impact guards are higher than the estimated lifetime cost for the equipment and...
Trends in Genetic and Phenotypic Variances for Milk Production

Abstract Residual standard deviations estimated separately for each year of first freshening from first lactation milk records of artificially sired Holstein cows increased from 1960 to 1982, especially after 1976. The pattern on the square root scale was similar. On the logarithmic scale, residual standard deviations were smallest in the middle of the time period. Heritabilities estimated from paternal half-sib correlations were greater than .30 on all scales until about 1976 when estimates began to go below .20. Estimates were similar for untransformed and transformed records. When records were divided into four herd production groups within each year, the same patterns over time for residual standard deviations were observed as for the combined data for each year. On the untransformed scale, the largest standard deviations were associated with high herd production and the smallest with low herd production. On the square root scale, standard deviations were similar for all herd production groups. On the log scale, residual standard deviations were smallest with high production and largest with low production—the reverse of the untransformed scale, although differences were smaller. Heritability was highest with middle-production groups and smallest with low-production groups. Data available for each year ranged from 1,400 and 2,849 to 6,821 and 58,082 records, respectively, of daughters of sampling and proved bulls with from 115 to 513 sampling bulls.
Approach to equilibrium of coupled harmonic oscillator systems. II

The approach to equilibrium of a finite segment of an infinite chain of harmonically coupled masses is studied in several variations. The chain is taken as completely free, or it is bound at x0 = 0; ordinary coordinates and momenta or Schrrdinger variables are used to treat the dynamics; and the inital distribution of heat-bath variables is chosen to be canonical or noncanonical. Equipartition of energy is found in all cases. Brownian drifts are obtained for the free chain with ordinary variables, but when this is excluded, the equilibrium entropy is found to be canonical and extensive when the initial heat bath is canonical, but less than canonical and slightly nonextensive when the initial heat bath is noncanonical. The modifications of the entropy do not contribute to the heat capacity of the system.
Synthesis and characterization of β-diketiminato complexes of antimony (III) halides

Abstract Treatment of SbX 3 (X = Br, Cl) with DippnacnacLi (Dippnacnac = [{N(C 6 H 3 i Pr 2 2,6)C(Me)} 2 CH] − ) or Mesnacnac (Mesnacnac = [{N(Mes)C(Me)} 2 CH] − , Mes = 2,4,6, trimethyl benzene) affords different products that are dependent on the stoichiometry of the reaction and the halide precursor. When DippnacnacLi is reacted with SbBr 3 , C–H activation of the ligand backbone is observed and an asymmetric, bridged bromide dimer is isolated. In comparison, the reaction of SbCl 3 with MesnacnacLi affords monomeric MesnacnacSbCl 2 . The solid-state structures were determined using X-ray crystallography.
Neonatal Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter Team: Evolution and Outcomes of a Bedside-Nurse–Designed Program

Percutaneously inserted central venous catheters (PICCs) have been used to provide central venous access for more than 25 years. Although these lines initially were placed by physicians, currently there are many adult, pediatric, and neonatal nurse-based PICC teams. This article describes the inception and growth of 1 team which, during the last 14 years, has placed more than 3400 catheters and trained more than 50 bedside nurses to insert PICCs. It highlights the development of the team, including details of how team members were selected and trained. Management of ongoing issues was handled by a self-directed nurse team organized into a committee structure composed of an oversight committee and education, guideline, qualifications, and quality improvement subcommittees. This team set and achieved the goals of training bedside nurses to place PICCs, providing consistent management of PICCs, and closely monitoring outcomes.
The effect of hedonic and utilitarian verbal descriptions and pictures on willingness to try an innovation: Do emotions matter?

This research investigates the role of a pictorial stimulus on initial exposure to either a hedonic or utilitarian description of an innovation and whether positive (optimism) or negative (anxiety) emotion is responsible for the effect of a picture and the type of verbal description on willingness to try (WTT) the innovation. In two studies, using the hydrogen fuel cell car as the focal product, we find a significant interaction between the type of description and the presence of a visual image of the innovation with regard to WTT. However, positive and negative emotions do not mediate the effect of this interaction. Implications for communication management are discussed.
Education in Operations Research at the Ohio State University

The Educational Program in Operations Research at Ohio State is centered in the Department of Industrial Engineering, within which the academic aspects of the program are organized, and in the Operations Research Group of the Engineering Experiment Station, which engages in contract research and serves as a laboratory for the academic program. The Operations Research Group was established in 1954 to provide opportunities for actual experience in operations research as an essential aspect of training in this area, and to provide conditions under which a program of basic research could be developed.
O4.2Development of novel small molecule MerTK and Flt3 tyrosine kinase inhibitors for treatment of acute leukemia

ABSTRACT Background: Studies investigating the potential utility of novel small molecule dual MerTK and Flt3 inhibitors (MRX TKIs1) as therapy for AML and ALL will be presented. Methods: MerTK and Flt3 phosphorylation were measured using enzymatic and cell-based assays. Induction of apoptosis was determined using flow cytometry and colony-forming potential was assessed in methylcellulose or soft agar cultures. Orthotopic xenografts were generated in NOD/Scid/IL-2 gamma mice using a luciferase-expressing derivative of the 697 B-ALL cell line, the Molm14 AML cell line, or a Molm14 derivative with the FLT3-ITD D835Y or F691L mutation. Orthotopic patient-derived xenografts (PDX) were generated from primary AML samples. Inhibition of MerTK in bone marrow leukemia cells was assessed by immunoblot. Disease burden was measured using bioluminescence imaging or flow cytometry and median survival was determined. Results: MRX TKI inhibited MerTK and Flt3 with nanomolar potency and had limited off-target activity against 300 other kinases. MRX TKI decreased pro-survival signaling, induced apoptosis, and reduced colony-forming potential in leukemia cells. In B-ALL xenografts, MRX TKI inhibited MerTK phosphorylation in leukemic blasts leading to a dose-dependent reduction in tumor burden and a 2- to 3-fold increase in survival. MRX TKI also increased sensitivity to methotrexate, a chemotherapy currently used for treatment of ALL, resulting in reduced tumor burden and a 50% increase in survival compared to either agent alone. In a MerTK-expressing AML PDX, treatment with MRX TKI resulted in disease regression in blood, spleen, and bone marrow and a 2-fold increase in survival. MRX TKI was similarly effective in xenograft models of FLT3-ITD AML. Importantly, MRX TKI has activity against clinically-relevant FLT3 mutants that mediate resistance to current FLT3 TKIs. Conclusions: The very high potency, relative selectivity, oral bioavailability, target inhibition, and therapeutic efficacy mediated by MRX TKIs in MerTK and FLT3-dependent murine models, both alone and in combination with chemotherapy, support continued development of a dual MerTK/Flt3 inhibitor for treatment of acute leukemia.
Tensor Tympani Motoneurons Receive Mostly Excitatory Synaptic Inputs

The tensor tympani is a middle ear muscle that contracts in two different situations: in response to sound or during voluntary movements. To gain insight into the inputs and neural regulation of the tensor tympani, we examined the ultrastructure of synaptic terminals on labeled tensor tympani motoneurons (TTMNs) using transmission electron microscopy. Our sample of six TTMNs received 79 synaptic terminals that formed 126 synpases. Two types of synapses are associated with round vesicles and form asymmetric junctions (excitatory morphology). One of these types has vesicles that are large and round (Lg Rnd) and the other has vesicles that are smaller and round (Sm Rnd) and also contains at least one dense core vesicle. A third synapse type has inhibitory morphology because it forms symmetric synapses with pleomorphic vesicles (Pleo). These synaptic terminals can be associated with TTMN spines. Two other types of synapse are found on TTMNs but they are uncommon. Synaptic terminals of all types form multiple synapses but those from a single terminal are always the same type. Terminals with Lg Rnd vesicles formed the most synpases per terminal (avg. 2.73). Together, the synaptic terminals with Lg Rnd and Sm Rnd vesicles account for 62% of the terminals on TTMNs, and they likely represent the pathways driving the contractions in response to sound or during voluntary movements. Having a high proportion of excitatory inputs, the TTMN innervation is like that of stapedius motoneurons but proportionately different from other types of motoneurons.
Alternative splicing, gene localization, and binding of SH2-B to the insulin receptor kinase domain.

The SH2-B protein is an SH2-domain-containing molecule that interacts with a number of phosphorylated kinase and receptor molecules including the insulin receptor. Two isoforms of the SH2-B have been identified and have been proposed to arise through alternate splicing. Here we have identified a third isoform of the SH2-B protein, SH2-Bγ, that interacts specifically with the insulin receptor. This interaction required phosphorylation of residue Y1146 in the triple tyrosine motif within the activation loop of the IR kinase and is one of only two signaling molecules shown to interact directly with this residue of the insulin receptor kinase domain. The intron/exon structure of the SH2-B gene was determined. Alternate splice sites utilized to generate the different isoforms of the SH2-B protein were identified in the 3′ end of the SH2-B gene immediately downstream of the exon encoding the core of the SH2 domain. Additionally, the chromosomal location of the SH2-B gene was determined to be the distal arm of mouse Chromosome (Chr) 7 in a region linked to obesity in mice.
Biosynthesis of Polyhydroxyalkanoate with a Thiophenoxy Side Group Obtained from Pseudomonas putida

Poly(3-hydroxyalkanoate) (PHA) with a thiophenoxy group at the end of the side chain was obtained from Pseudomonas putida 27N01, using 11-thiophenoxy undecanoic acid as the sole carbon source. NMR and GC/MS analyses indicated that the polymer consisted of 3-hydroxy-5-thiophenoxypentanoate as the primary monomer unit and 3-hydroxy-7-thiophenoxyheptanoate as a minor unit. The polymer had a white cream color and was elastometric. X-ray analysis suggested that the PHA had an amorphous-like diffraction pattern. The final dry cell concentration was 693 mg/L, and the PHA content of the dry cells was 19.5%. GPC measurement with polystyrene as a standard showed that the number-average molecular weight was 81 000 with a polydispersity of 1.8. The glass transition temperature was approximately 4 °C according to DSC. Thus, we were able to successfully characterize this PHA and to show that a sulfur atom can be incorporated into the bacterial polymer produced from P. putida 27N01.
Bodywork and Productivity in Workplace Ethnography

Office workers still rely on their bodies to communicate with each other, despite many decades of technology use. This Pecha Kucha explores how and in what ways office work involves people's bodies and this “bodywork” plays in productivity. I argue that technology is now able to emulate some effects of bodywork.
Functional Status and Outcome After Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

Physical activity and fitness strongly predict mortality in healthy adults of all ages and in individuals with cardiovascular disease and other health conditions [(1)][1]. Physical fitness can be assessed by maximal or submaximal exercise testing or approximated by history taking or formal
The Physics of 2 1 + 1

One of the most surprising consequences of quantum mechanics is the entanglement of two or more distant particles. In an entangled EPR two-particle system, the value of the momentum (position) for neither single subsystem is determined. However, if one of the subsystems is measured to have a certain momentum (position), the other subsystem is determined to have a unique corresponding value, despite the distance between them. This peculiar behavior of an entangled quantum system has surprisingly been observed experimentally in two-photon temporal and spatial correlation measurements, such as “ghost” interference and “ghost” imaging. This article addresses the fundamental concerns behind these experimental observations and to explore the nonclassical nature of two-photon superposition by emphasizing the physics of 2 ≠ 1 + 1.
Pertussis toxin pretreatment discriminates between pre- and postsynaptic actions of baclofen in rat dorsal raphe nucleus in vitro

Abstract Intracellular recordings were made from rat dorsal raphe neurons in vitro. Baclofen (30 μM) and 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT, 300 nM to 1 μM) hyperpolarized these neurons by 10 and 13 mV, respectively. Depolarizing synaptic potentials (DSPs) were evoked by single shocks: baclofen reduced the amplitude of the DSP by 81%, but 5-CT reduced it by only 23%. The somatic response to iontophoretically applied glutamate pulses was reduced by 12% by baclofen, and 23% by 5-CT. In slices from rats pretreated with intracerebroventricular pertussis toxin (PTX), the ability of baclofen to reduce the DSP was almost unchanged, although the hyperpolarizing action of baclofen, and both actions of 5-CT were virtually eliminated. We conclude that it is possible to distinguish the pre- and postsynaptic actions of baclofen with PTX, and that the actions of 5-CT are both blocked.
The HAGL lesion: An arthroscopic technique for repair of humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligaments

Glenoid avulsion of the capsulolabral complex and associated capsular laxity are well-described results of traumatic anterior dislocation. A less common consequence of traumatic anterior instability is the humeral avulsion of the glenohumeral ligaments (HAGL) lesion. An understanding of the arthroscopic pathoanatomy of the HAGL lesion will assist the surgeon in recognizing this uncommon entity. We describe a suture anchor technique for arthroscopic repair of HAGL lesions that anatomically reapproximates the torn edge of the glenohumeral ligament complex to its humeral head insertion. The technique is technically straightforward and does not require special equipment beyond that typical for arthroscopic labral repairs.