cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new computational algorithm for 7R spatial mechanisms

Abstract This paper describes a new computational technique for the analysis of general 1-DOF, 7R spatial-mechanisms. The problem is first formulated in standard notation, using 4 × 4-matrices to represent Euclidean motions. A different mathematical notation is then introduced by which Euclidean motions are represented by pairs of quaternions. Basic quaternion facts are reviewed, and the fundamental system of equations is defined. Special techniques required to solve the fundamental system are then presented and applied to an example.
Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Self-Advocacy and the School- and Career-Related Adjustment of Adolescent Girls With Disabilities

The purpose of the current study was to identify component elements of self-determination that may promote positive or buffer negative school- and career-related adjustment of adolescent girls with disabilities or with multiple risk factors. Autonomy, self-realization, and self-advocacy were examined together to ascertain both their cumulative and unique contributions to indicators of school- and career-related adjustment of 111 adolescent girls. Results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that together these component elements were significantly and positively associated with indicators of school- and career-related adjustment, after controlling for the effects of demographic covariates. Autonomy was the most consistent and robust predictor while self-realization and self-advocacy each contributed to aspects of adjustment across school and career domains.
Temperature gradient transport growth of potassium tantalate niobate, KTa1-x Nb x O3, single crystals

Abstract Large single crystals (15 × 15 × 15 mm3) of KTa1-x , Nb x O3 solid solutions with compositions. 197 < × <.425 have been grown by temperature gradient transport technique. The crystals were analyzed for composition, Curie point, lattice constant, pyroelectric coefficient and relative dielectric constant. Results indicate that compositional gradients in the crystals are minimized by this growth technique. Growth experiments are described in some detail with experimental parameters related to measured properties.
Effect of nicotine on cerebellar granule neuron development.

To assess the role of nicotinic cholinergic receptors (nAChR) on neuronal maturation, nAChR expression and the direct effects of nAChR activation were examined in cerebellar external granular layer (EGL) precursors isolated in vitro. Treatment of EGL neuroblasts with nicotine elicited a concentration-dependent increase in DNA content and synthesis, implying an increase in cell numbers. Pretreatment of cultures with the nAChR antagonist dihydro-β-erythroidine (DHBE) attenuated nicotine-induced changes in DNA abundance and synthesis. Furthermore, chronic nicotine treatment for 4–7 days promoted EGL cell survival. Epibatidine but not cytisine stimulated granule neuroblast DNA synthesis and survival. Survival effects mediated by nicotine and epibatidine were attenuated by pre-treating cultures with DHBE. Immunocytochemical analysis revealed that EGL neurons possessed α3, but not α4, nAChR immunoreactivity. Quantitative autoradiography was used to determine which nAChRs are present during the period of granule cell neurogenesis in vivo. On postnatal day 5, the EGL was intensely labeled by [3H]-epibatidine but virtually devoid of [3H]-{"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"A85380","term_id":"6733979","term_text":"A85380"}}A85380 binding suggesting that a high concentration of α3 nAChRs is present in granule neuroblasts. The pharmacology of [3H]-epibatidine displacement from EGL neurons also suggested an interaction with the α3-nAChR subunits. Together these data provide novel evidence that the activation of nAChRs directly affect the development of primary cerebellar neuroblasts and further suggest that the effects are mediated through the α3-nAChR subtype.
The influence of osteolytic substances on the production of osseous metastases from Walker 256 sarcoma in rats.

Reports in the early 1960's suggested the possible relationship between the humoral agents producing hypercalcemia in metastatic malignancy and the appearance of osseous metastases. Hartmann and Sherlock indicated that the use of corticosteroids possibly might alter the ease with which metastases to the gastrointestinal mucosa occur in breast carcinoma. The present study was an attempt to verify the previous observations of Pentimalli (1960) that hypercalcemia could produce bony metastases in rats. Using saline controls, ergosterol, methylprcdnisolone, and parathyroid hormone, no bony metastases could be demonstrated in rats implanted with Walker 256 sarcoma. It appears that these osteolytic substances at least within this model do not facilitate the appearance of metastases to bone.
Problem solving, inhibition and domain-specific experience: experiments on cottontop tamarins, Saguinus oedipus

Abstract We present the results of experiments on cottontop tamarins designed to explore the relationship between problem solving, inhibitory control and domain-specific experience. The colony was divided into two groups: tool-experienced (TE) and tool-inexperienced (TI). The TE group had previously participated in a series of tool-use experiments and revealed that, when selecting a tool, they used featurally relevant dimensions (e.g. shape, material, orientation) over featurally irrelevant dimensions (e.g. colour). The TI group, although experienced in other laboratory-based experiments, had never been tested on tool or other object manipulation problems. In Phase 1, involving three conditions, all subjects were tested on a series of means–end problems involving the use of a cloth to access a piece of food. Although the correct choice always involved picking the supporting cloth, we also built in an association between the correct cloth and its colour. Once the subjects reached criterion, we reversed the association between the cloth colour and the food reward in Phase 2. If the subjects solved the problems in Phase 1 by attending to cloth colour, then in Phase 2 they should have difficulty, especially given prior findings on tamarins demonstrating that reversal learning is difficult. If the subjects solved Phase 1 by attending to the functionality of the problem (i.e. the physical/causal relationship between the cloth and food), then reversing the colours in Phase 2 should have no effect on the subjects' performances. Finally, if the subjects attended to both colour and functionality, then reversing the colours should cause some decrement in performance, but less so than in the case where colour alone dominates. In Phase 2, although both groups showed a decrement in performance, indicating problems with reversal learning, TE subjects significantly outperformed TI subjects. Furthermore, the pattern of performance for TE subjects suggested that they had solved the initial problem by attending to a combination of colour and functionality or functionality alone, while TI subjects had attended to colour alone. We conclude that for tamarins with experience as tool users, colour represents a less salient feature, even when it is systematically associated with a food reward. For inexperienced tamarins, however, colour is salient and reversal learning is difficult. Together, these findings highlight the importance of exploring the relationship between inhibitory control and domain-specific problem solving. Copyright 2002 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved .
Research methodology in contextually- based second language research

We suggest a combined research methodology for studying SLA in real-life and important contexts, a methodology sensitive to the demands of such contexts. For studying IL learning in context, our suggested methodology combines and integrates aspects from three fields: grounded ethnography in ethnomethodol ogy ; subject-specialist informant procedures in language for specific purposes; and rhetorical/grammatical strategies in discourse analysis. We first present evidence for the importance of devising a research approach to contexually based SLA. Then we sketch the suggested research methodology and present two extended case studies which illustrate the methodology. We view such research as complimentary to universal approaches to core IL grammar. Finally, we sketch our theoretical approach, showing a possible link between research in universal and contextually-based SLA.
The Christian God of Philosophy

FOR over thirty years, Gilson and others have defended the thesis that "Christian philosophy" is not only a possibility, but also an actuality. This position has had many critics and the debate continues to this day. It appears, however, that Gilson has never been challenged on a subsidiary, but more radical, thesis. It is startling to find that, while the phrase "Christian philosophy" has been debated for decades, Gilson's peculiar and strained usage of the much more common phrase, "the Christian God," has gone unchallenged, apparently even unnoticed. As the term is generally understood, the Christian God is the Triune, the Incarnate God, the Redeemer of mankind as well as the Creator of all things. Gilson, of course, would readily admit all of this. But it is his contention, perhaps a unique one, that we can speak of the Christian God of philosophy as well as of revealed theology. The former, the Christian God of metaphysics, is born of a recognition of the existential import of God's proper name as He revealed it to Moses.
Totalizing of Electric System Loads

The importance of measuring an electric system load at any distance from that load is emphasized. The use of thermal wattmeters in conjunction with thermal couples is suggested. Time of response of such devices is discussed; temperatures attained are also discussed. Characteristics of circuits for transmitting the thermal e. m. f. from the load to the point of measurement are discussed in detail. A list of users together with data pertaining to the measurement-transmitting circuits is given.
A Longitudinal Examination of Parenting Processes and Latino Youth’s Risky Sexual Behaviors

Latino adolescents engage in riskier sexual behaviors compared to their peers, shown by their higher rates of sexually transmitted infections and lower rates of condom usage; therefore, examining the precursors and correlates of these risky sexual behaviors is important for prevention–intervention program development. Based on cultural–ecological, symbolic interaction, and gender socialization perspectives, we examined associations among mothers’ and fathers’ parenting and Latino youth’s sexual risk over a 5 year period. Further, we investigated the direct and moderating roles of acculturation (e.g., language spoken in the home), nativity (e.g., citizenship status), and adolescents’ gender. Using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Youth (N = 1,899 Latino youth; 49 % female), we conducted a multi-level path model controlling for adolescents’ age and prior sexual experience. Our findings revealed that more strictness by mothers and less strictness by fathers at Time 1 were related to lower sexual risk for adolescents at Time 2. Additionally, more monitoring by fathers at Time 2 was associated with lower sexual risk for adolescents at Time 3. Significant gender differences were found such that there were stronger associations among parenting processes and sexual risk for girls than for boys. Finally, we found support for the immigrant paradox (foreign-born youth reported lower sexual risk than US-born youth) and greater gender differences (boys had riskier sexual behaviors than girls) for immigrant compared to US-born youth. The findings reveal the complex associations among parenting processes, nativity status, gender, and sexual risk for Latino adolescents.
Lexical Influences on the Perception of Sarcasm

Speakers and listeners make use of a variety of pragmatic factors to produce and identify sarcastic statements. It is also possible that lexical factors play a role, although this possibility has not been investigated previously. College students were asked to read excerpts from published works that originally contained the phrase said sarcastically, although the word sarcastically was deleted. The participants rated the characters' statements in these excerpts as more likely to be sarcastic than those from similar excerpts that did not originally contain the word sarcastically. The use of interjections, such as gee or gosh, predicted a significant amount of the variance in the participants' ratings of sarcastic intent. This outcome suggests that sarcastic statements may be more formulaic than previously realized. It also suggests that computer software could be written to recognize such lexical factors, greatly increasing the likelihood that non-literal intent could be correctly interpreted by such programs, even if they are unable to identify the pragmatic components of nonliteral language.
Selective Attention and Cognitive Tempo of Low Achieving and High Achieving Sixth Grade Males

There is much clinical and subjective support for the notion that academic underachievers of normal intelligence (learning disabled children) exhibit both impulsivity and poor attention. This study...
Near-threshold absolute photoionization cross-sections of some reaction intermediates in combustion

Abstract The use of photoionization mass spectrometry for the development of quantitative kinetic models for the complex combustion chemistry of both conventional hydrocarbon fuels and oxygenated biofuels requires near-threshold measurements of absolute photoionization cross-sections for numerous reaction intermediates. Near-threshold absolute cross-sections for molecular and dissociative photoionization for 20 stable reaction intermediates (methane, ethane, propane, n-butane, cyclopropane, methylcyclopentane, 1-butene, cis-2-butene, isobutene, 1-pentene, cyclohexene, 3,3-dimethyl-1-butene, 1,3-hexadiene, 1,3-cyclohexadiene, methyl acetate, ethyl acetate, tetrahydrofuran, propanal, 1-butyne, 2-butyne) are presented. Previously measured total photoionization cross-sections for 9 of these molecules are in good agreement with the present results. The measurements are performed with photoionization mass spectrometry (PIMS) using a monochromated VUV synchrotron light source with an energy resolution of 40 meV (fwhm) comparable to that used for flame-sampling molecular beam PIMS studies of flame chemistry and reaction kinetics.
Mucoadhesive poly(vinyl alcohol) hydrogels produced by freezing/thawing processes: Applications in the development of wound healing systems

Ultrapure poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) hydrogels were prepared by exposing an aqueous solution of 15 or 20 wt% PVA to repeated cycles of freezing for 6 or 12 h at -20°C and thawing for 2 hours at 25°C. The adhesive characteristics of the PVA gels in contact with a reconstituted mucus surface were quantified using a tensile technique. As the number of freezing/thawing cycles increased, the work of fracture (adhesion) decreased due to the increase in the PVA degree of crystallinity. Crystallinity was determined using differential scanning calorimetry. PVA gels prepared from the 20 wt% solution and exposed to two cycles of freezing/ thawing exhibited the largest work of adhesion. Drug delivery studies were conducted with ketanserin, a wound healing enhancer. Release studies were conducted using PVA samples prepared from a 20-wt% solution that were exposed to two or three freezing cycles for 12 h followed by thawing for 2 h. Results from the release of the drug from the PVA sample exposed to two cycles showed th...
Statistical Techniques for Microarray Data: A Partial Overview

Abstract Modern microarray technology has enabled biologists to record the expression profiles of thousands of genes in a single experiment. The large volume of data generated from these experiment (many available on public internet sites) has created tremendous opportunities for the statisticians to get involved in this exciting development and create appropriate statistical tools for analyzing these data. We have attempted to present an overview of some of the major statistical developments in this area, such as statistical clustering and classification, normalization and correction for systematic bias, empirical Bayes detection of differential gene expression, ANOVA models and exploration of relationships of expression levels between genes. The scope of such an overview is “partial” by nature because novel papers dealing with statistical analysis of microarray data are being added to the literature at an increasing pace.
Management of Major Depression in the Primary Care Setting

Background: Patients treated in community clinics, particularly those of minority status, may rely more heavily on primary care physicians (PCPs) for the diagnosis and management of
Immigration-extinction competition on islands: Associations among three species*

In a study on the species composition of seabird colonies, Whittam and Siegel-Causey (1981) reported a paradoxical result: in certain trios of species pairwise associations were positive, but the three-way association was negative. To analyze conditions under which this result is possible, we present two stochastic models of competing species that regionally coexist over a set of islands or patches. When compared to the distribution of non-interacting species, our models indicate that this presence-absence pattern can be produced if the effect one species exerts on another is greater when a third species is present than when it is not. The result holds regardless of whether the extra competitive effect is introduced additively or multiplicatively into the dynamics of immigration and local extinction.
Utility of micro-ribonucleic acid profile for predicting recurrence of rectal cancer.

Abstract Background In early-stage rectal cancer, the surgeon must decide between the high morbidity of radical surgery and the high recurrence rates of local excision. A prognostic marker could improve patient selection and lower recurrence rates. Micro-ribonucleic acids (miRNAs), small RNAs that often inhibit tumor suppressors, have shown prognostic potential in colorectal cancer. We hypothesized that high miRNA levels in malignant tissue from early-stage rectal cancer patients could predict recurrence after local excision. Materials and methods We identified 17 early-stage rectal cancer patients treated with local excision between 1990 and 2005, four of whom had recurrences. Total RNA was extracted from benign and malignant tissue and used in quantitative real-time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction to probe for miR-20a, miR-21, miR-106a, miR-181b, and miR-203. MiRNA data were evaluated for association with recurrence using univariate analysis with Wilcoxon rank sum test. Results Malignant tissue in both patients who had recurrences and patients who did not have recurrences had equivalently high levels of miRNA. However, the benign tissue of patients who recurred contained significantly higher levels of all five miRNAs when compared with the benign tissue of nonrecurrent patients despite having no histological differences. Conclusions This is the first study to show that high miRNA levels of histologically benign tissue obtained from the surgical margin of locally excised rectal cancers can predict recurrence. The malignant miRNA levels did not have predictive value. Further investigation of miRNAs is needed to explore their potential for a more accurate prognosis of rectal cancer.
Two Faculty Groups’ Process in Delivering a Joint MSW Program: Evaluating the Outcome

ABSTRACT In 1995, two state universities’ Schools of Social Work, 30 miles apart, agreed to implement a joint master's of social work program. In 2011, the Council on Social Work Education reaccredited the program. This qualitative study describes the stages of development of the group of faculty members based on Tuckman's perspective. Through surveys, interviews, and focus-group reports, a combination of convenience and purposive subsamples with a total of 22 participants provided data on the program strengths and limitations, as well as the new trends identified in the field of social work. The findings of this exploratory design study include program strengths such as availability of personal and technical resources, adequate faculty communication processes, and their willingness to change and embrace innovations. The program limitations include the diversity of faculty members and their different subcultures, the large number of students, and the recurrent disruptions of the distance-learning technolo...
The venom-gland transcriptome of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius) reveals high venom complexity in the intragenomic evolution of venoms.

Snake venom is shaped by the ecology and evolution of venomous species, and signals of positive selection in toxins have been consistently documented, reflecting the role of venoms as an ecologically critical phenotype. New World coral snakes (Elapidae) are represented by three genera and over 120 species and subspecies that are capable of causing significant human morbidity and mortality, yet coral-snake venom composition is poorly understood in comparison to that of Old World elapids. High-throughput sequencing is capable of identifying thousands of loci, while providing characterizations of expression patterns and the molecular evolutionary forces acting within the venom gland. We describe the de novo assembly and analysis of the venom-gland transcriptome of the eastern coral snake (Micrurus fulvius). We identified 1,950 nontoxin transcripts and 116 toxin transcripts. These transcripts accounted for 57.1% of the total reads, with toxins accounting for 45.8% of the total reads. Phospholipases A2 and three-finger toxins dominated expression, accounting for 86.0% of the toxin reads. A total of 15 toxin families were identified, revealing venom complexity previously unknown from New World coral snakes. Toxins exhibited high levels of heterozygosity relative to nontoxins, and overdominance may favor gene duplication leading to the fixation of advantageous alleles. Phospholipase A2 expression was uniformly distributed throughout the class while three-finger toxin expression was dominated by a handful of transcripts, and phylogenetic analyses indicate that toxin divergence may have occurred following speciation. Positive selection was detected in three of the four most diverse toxin classes, suggesting that venom diversification is driven by recurrent directional selection. We describe the most complete characterization of an elapid venom gland to date. Toxin gene duplication may be driven by heterozygote advantage, as the frequency of polymorphic toxin loci was significantly higher than that of nontoxins. Diversification among toxins appeared to follow speciation reflecting species-specific adaptation, and this divergence may be directly related to dietary shifts and is suggestive of a coevolutionary arms race.
Will we consider ourselves better off

A Moore's law "technology generation" is 18 months; an "Internet generation" is comparably short. Thus, over the next decade (2000-2010), we will experience perhaps six generations of technology change; a substantial amount considering its implied exponential character. The cumulative effects of such changes in information technology will be comparable to what earlier might have required a century of human events. Some straightforward predictions of what is likely to occur, include a continuation of current trends in bandwidth and connectivity. In technologically advanced societies, most people at work, at home, and in between will be equipped with powerful but widely affordable hardware. Moreover, they will be online with access rates that will put most quality-of-service complaints to rest. Benefiting from the goods and services available on the Internet will no longer require struggling with computers and software. A variety of information appliances will integrate the Net into the fabric of life, much as with transportation and entertainment today. Less advanced societies will also make substantial progress in these directions, and given time, a rough global technology equilibrium will ensue. But will we consider ourselves better off? What "better off" means depends on what we want the technology to do for us and what kind of world we want to create.
Validity of self-report measures in assessing antiretroviral adherence of newly diagnosed, HAART-naïve, HIV patients.

Purpose: To compare the performance of self-report instruments assessing adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in patients starting ART for the first time and in a predominately Hispanic popula...
State Aid and Partisan Government in the European Union

Objective. I explore the effects of the partisan composition of government on industrial aid disbursement in 14 EU member states during the period 1992–2004. Methods. Predictions are tested controlling for the impact of international economic integration, the European Commission, domestic institutions, and macroeconomic conditions, using Prais-Winsten coefficients with panel-corrected standard errors, a random effects specification, and two-stage least squares analysis with GLS random effects. Results. Contrary to conventional wisdom, right-wing governments systematically give out more total and sectoral aid than left-wing governments. Conclusion. Partisan politics tempers national enthusiasm for a single European market, exposing market reforms to a range of restraining domestic political issues.
Origins of Planar, Concave, and Convex Boundaries During Exaggerated Grain Growth

A new surface thermodynamic theory is used to show that exaggerated grain growth is driven by reductions in grain boundary and dislocation free energies produced when a larger grain sweeps out a volume element formerly occupied by small grains. Whether the advancing boundary is planar, concave, or convex depends on the relative rates of ledge nucleation and growth, on the growth direction, and on whether growth occurs at screw dislocations.
Intermittent esotropia as the initial presentation of juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma.

Juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma is a vascular tumor primarily affecting the nasopharynx of adolescent boys. However, because of its capacity to expand locally, ocular manifestations are common and may result in exophthalmos and visual loss. Strabismus is reported in 2% of cases, but no reports have implicated eye-motility dysfunction as the initial presenting sign. 5 The case presented here illustrates the early manifestation of a left esotropia in a 9-year-old boy who developed severe vision loss from an advanced juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma. The importance of the early recognition and diagnosis of this tumor is emphasized, thus demonstrating the potential role of the ophthalmologist in achieving good outcomes. CASE REPORT A 9-year-old boy was being treated by his pediatrician for a prolonged (3- to 4-month) upper respiratory illness characterized by nasal obstruction, rhinorrhea, frontal headache, and diplopia. After 2 months of treatment with allergy medications, an intermittent left esotropia was noted. He was referred to an ophthalmologist, who also noted a small left esotropia as well as normal visual acuity of 20/20 in the right eye (OD) but decreased visual acuity of 20/40 in the left eye (OS). The change in vision was attributed to strabismic amblyopia and spectacle correction was prescribed. Two weeks later, the patient suffered a soccer ball injury to the face, which resulted in heavy and prolonged epistaxis. His left eye showed a large constant esotropia. Computed axial tomography and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies of the skull base and nasopharynx were obtained. The films showed a large vascular-appearing tumor with extensive expansion into the orbital apex and the cavernous sinus (Figure 1). Otolaryngologic examination, including rigid nasal endoscopy, revealed the presence of an obstructing vascular and rubbery-appearing mass me
Lower Ricci curvature, branching and the bilipschitz structure of uniform Reifenberg spaces

Abstract We study here limit spaces ( M α , g α , p α ) → GH ( Y , d Y , p ) , where the M α have a lower Ricci curvature bound and are volume noncollapsed. Such limits Y may be quite singular, however it is known that there is a subset of full measure R ( Y ) ⊆ Y , called regular points, along with coverings by the almost regular points ⋂ ϵ ⋃ r R ϵ , r ( Y ) = R ( Y ) such that each of the Reifenberg sets R ϵ , r ( Y ) is biholder homeomorphic to a manifold. It has been an ongoing question as to the bilipschitz regularity the Reifenberg sets. Our results have two parts in this paper. First we show that each of the sets R ϵ , r ( Y ) are bilipschitz embeddable into Euclidean space. Conversely, we show the bilipschitz nature of the embedding is sharp. In fact, we construct a limit space Y which is even uniformly Reifenberg, that is, not only is each tangent cone of Y isometric to R n but convergence to the tangent cones is at a uniform rate in Y, such that there exist no C 1 , β embeddings of Y into Euclidean space for any β > 0 . Further, despite the strong tangential regularity of Y, there exists a point y ∈ Y such that every pair of minimizing geodesics beginning at y branches to any order at y. More specifically, given any two unit speed minimizing geodesics γ 1 , γ 2 beginning at y and any 0 ⩽ θ ⩽ π , there exists a sequence t i → 0 such that the angle ∠ γ 1 ( t i ) y γ 2 ( t i ) converges to θ.
C8-amino purine nucleosides. A well-defined steric determinant of glycosyl conformational preferences.

Abstract 100 MHz proton magnetic resonance measurements were performed on dilute solutions of adenosine and guanosine and their 8-NH2, 8-NHCH3, 8-N(CH3)2 and 8-bromo derivatives. The chemical shift of the ribose C2′-H and especially the difference in chemical shifts between the C1′-H and C2′-H resonances clearly indicate whether the nucleoside exists in a syn glycosyl conformation (the C8-dimethylamino derivatives) or as a flexible syn-anti mixture (the monomethylamino and amino derivatives). The temperature dependent behavior of these indicators can be employed to define qualitative shifts in syn-anti equilibrium with temperature. An increased C1′-H-C2′-H chemical shift separation implies shift to more anti, a decreased separation a shift to more syn conformers.
Using Lidar Surface Returns to Reduce Uncertainty in Aerosol Retrievals from Elastic Scatter Lidar

This paper addresses methods for improving atmospheric aerosol retrievals from elastic scatter lidar by taking into account surface returns from land and water as a constraint on the retrieval.
A proposed thermophotovoltaic solar energy conversion system

A solar-electric system is proposed and discussed. This system uses concentrated mirrors focusing on a thermophotovoltaic (TPV) converter. Within the TPV converter the concentrated sunlight heats a refractory radiator. A silicon photovoltaic cell faces the radiator, receives incandescent radiation from it, and converts this radiation into electricity.
Diversity issues in the delivery of healthcare

What does it mean to be culturally competent and proficient? What criteria are used to describe a culturally competent healthcare delivery system and how can an individual or an organization grow in competency? What is the delivery of competent care related to me personally? This article addresses these questions with the assumption that knowing ones viewpoints on how culture change offers a sample of the glasses through which we view others. Culture and culture change are defined, and four models that explain the process of culture change are discussed in detail. These models represent different world views held to explain the phenomena of acculturation. The article concludes with a summary of the recommended National Standards for cultural and linguistic appropriate healthcare services developed by the Office of Minority Health. The concepts described can serve as universal tools for individuals and/or organizations interested in cultural competency.
US imperialism after Iraq

The failure of its occupation of Iraq has provoked deep divisions among the US ruling elite over the future of foreign policy. The unilateralism promoted by the neoconservatives has been discredited, yet it is unclear whether the post-Bush era will be dominated by the `realists' or the `globalists', each of whom advocate different pathways for US imperialism. The `realists' — long the dominant trend in US foreign policy thinking — aim to maintain US leadership of the pro-western alliance formed during the cold war, whereas the `globalists', whose economic interests are those of transnational capital, seek to rethink US power within the context of an emerging polycentric world system, the parameters of which remain to be fully articulated. For the moment, there is a disconnect between the transnational economics of globalisation and the nationalist politics of the US ruling class, which remains committed to its belief that America has been uniquely chosen by history, culture and God to lead the world.
ZP2 and ZP3 cytoplasmic tails prevent premature interactions and ensure incorporation into the zona pellucida

The zona pellucida contains three proteins (ZP1, ZP2, ZP3), the precursors of which possess signal peptides, ‘zona’ domains and short (9–15 residue) cytoplasmic tails downstream of a transmembrane domain. The ectodomains of ZP2 and ZP3 are sufficient to form the insoluble zona matrix and yet each protein traffics through oocytes without oligomerization. ZP2 and ZP3 were fluorescently tagged and molecular interactions were assayed by fluorescent complementation in CHO cells and growing oocytes. ZP2 and ZP3 traffic independently, but colocalize at the plasma membrane. However, protein–protein interactions were observed only after release and incorporation of ZP2 and ZP3 into the extracellular matrix surrounding mouse oocytes. In the absence of their hydrophilic cytoplasmic tails, ZP2 and ZP3 interacted within the cell and did not participate in the zona pellucida. A heterologous GPI-anchored ‘zona’ domain protein fused with the cytoplasmic tails was integrated into the zona matrix. We conclude that the cytoplasmic tails are sufficient and necessary to prevent intracellular oligomerization while ensuring incorporation of processed ZP2 and ZP3 into the zona pellucida.
Chevron patterns in liquid crystal flows

We study plane shear and Poiseuille flows of uniaxially nematic liquid crystals for large values of the Ericksen number, e. This is a non-dimensional quantity that renders rigorous notions of fast flow regimes. (The former corresponds to large values of e.) The model employed is that due to Ericksen for liquid crystals with variable degree of orientation (Ericksen, 1991). The constitutive equations derived by Kuzuu and Doi (1984) and Marrucci (1981), play an essential role in the analysis. Variables of the problem include the velocity field, v, the pressure, p, the scalar order parameter, s, and the director, n. Recent experimental work involving, both, low molecular weight liquid crystals as well as polymers, has pointed out that the positivity of the ratio α2α3 of the Leslie coefficients does not necessarily guarantee uniform molecular alignment in shear flow regimes, as previously believed. In particular, for fast regimes, the flow breaks up into stripped configurations, chevrons parallel to the velocity field. Taking such observations into account, here, we consider regimes that fulfill the alignment condition, and show that for large values of e, solutions exhibiting disclinations in the flow region can be found. Moreover we point out that across singular lines, the director experiences jump discontinuities of approximately ±45° to the direction of flow. We construct solutions that present domain structures in the form of stripes parallel to the flow direction, on the plane of shear. The interface between two such stripes corresponds to a nearly isotropic layer.
Sonographic Identification of an Acardiac Twin Presenting as Vanishing Twin Phenomenon

With the use of ultrasound examination during the first trimester of pregnancy becoming more widespread, the diagnosis of twin gestations is being made more frequently and earlier in the pregnancy. Similarly, the diagnosis of the first trimester demise of one fetus is also being made earlier and with greater frequency. This phenomenon is referred to as the "vanishing twin."1 The usual complication associated with the disappearing embryo is vaginal bleeding. Serial sonographic examinations of a pregnancy involving this phenomenon will show a distortion of one gestational sac in early pregnancy and disruption of the organization of the embryo, with a decrease in the echogenicity and definition of embryo shape. Over time, sonographic examination will show a separate, fluid-filled space adjacent to the normally progressing pregnancy and, finally, no evidence of the previous gestation.12 We report a case where a vanishing twin was diagnosed at a gestational age of 8 weeks, but upon serial scanning was noted to...
"Quaker" Politics in Eighteenth Century New Jersey: A Documentary Account

Gerlach looks at a 25th of the 3d Month, 1772 broadside, "FROM the WEEKLY MEETING IN G[REE]N [WIC]H, to the MONTHLY MEETING in S [ALE] M" held in Rutgers Special Collections to demostrated the fractional nature of politics in colonial New Jersey, which developed in and continued long after the proprietary colonies of East and West Jersey.Â It is related to a provincial election of 1772 in Cumberland County. The campaign was conspicuously devoid of ideological appeals or matters of public policy. Instead, ad hominem arguments, red herrings, and emotional appeals dominated the contest. In sum, the significance of the broadside lies in its graphic description of the rough-and-tumble, no-holds-barred style of politics that was the hallmark of colonial New Jersey.
Distribution of tsunami interevent times

[1] The distribution of tsunami interevent times is analyzed using global and site-specific (Hilo, Hawaii) tsunami catalogs. An empirical probability density distribution is determined by binning the observed interevent times during a period in which the observation rate is approximately constant. The empirical distributions for both catalogs exhibit non-Poissonian behavior in which there is an abundance of short interevent times compared to an exponential distribution. Two types of statistical distributions are used to model this clustering behavior: (1) long-term clustering described by a universal scaling law, and (2) Omori law decay of aftershocks and triggered sources. The empirical and theoretical distributions all imply an increased hazard rate after a tsunami, followed by a gradual decrease with time approaching a constant hazard rate. Examination of tsunami sources suggests that many of the short interevent times are caused by triggered earthquakes, though the triggered events are not necessarily on the same fault.
Pubertal Timing, Depression, and Externalizing Problems: A Framework, Review, and Examination of Gender Differences

The purpose of this report is to synthesize the existing literature on pubertal timing and (a) depression and (b) externalizing behavior within a theoretical framework of risks, transitions, and psychological development during adolescence. This review first proposes a framework for considering pubertal timing and maladaptive behavior. Next, the literature on pubertal timing and depression is discussed, followed by the literature on pubertal timing and externalizing behavior with fine distinctions being made for males and females. Additionally, mediating and moderating variables are reviewed in an effort to understand mechanisms by which timing of puberty and maladjustment may operate or risk factors that may amplify the detrimental consequences of the pubertal transition. Finally, conclusions and future directions are proposed.
The Effects of Names on Perception of Intelligence, Popularity, and Competence

Three experiments were conducted to explore the effects of first names on judgments of intelligence, popularity, and competence. In Experiment 1, first names that were used more often in the past than they are now (called Older Generation names) were rated by a sample of college-aged judges as less popular and less intelligent than were first names that are used more often now than in the past (called Younger Generation names). In addition, male first names tended to have higher ratings of these same qualities than did female first names. In Experiments 2 and 3, either resumes or personal ads were used to provide additional information to the raters. Results similar to those found in Experiment 1 were obtained. In general the present experiment used groups of names rather than individual names so as to control for possible irrelevant and idiosyncratic differences that might be found among individual names. Relevance to research in which men and women are compared was discussed.
How to Argue with a Computer: HIV/AIDS, Numbers, and the Form of the Future in Contemporary Vietnam

This article explores the collection, compilation and circulation of contested quantitative data within an emerging HIV/AIDS apparatus in Vietnam, a United States–led apparatus that prioritizes indicators of performance, fiscal efficiency, and quantitative measures of program effectiveness. In Vietnam, as in many places, biological and behavioral surveillance data are virtually always incomplete and contestable, even as such data has become an essential driver of funding and programming. Experts in Vietnam have developed tentative systems by which such data are “negotiated” into usable forms. Such data are then deployed in computer models to determine funding allocations and select target populations and interventions based on the best dollar-for-infection-averted projections. This article explores these tentative systems as a means of examining a contemporary health humanitarian apparatus, one that operates on demonstrable neoliberal principles, that I have elsewhere called an “economy of virtue.”
Efficient Detection of Unstable Global Conditions Based on Monotonic Channel Predicates

This chapter discusses efficient detection of global predicates in a distributed program. Previous work in detection of global predicates was restricted to predicates that could be specified as a boolean formula of local predicates. Many properties in distributed systems, however, use the state of channels. In this chapter, we introduce the concept of a channel predicate and provide an efficient algorithm to detect any boolean formula of local and channel predicates. We define a property called monotonicity for channel predicates. Monotonicity is crucial for efficient detection of global predicates. We show that many problems studied earlier, such as detection of termination and computation of global virtual time are special cases of the problem considered in this chapter. The message complexity of our algorithm is bounded by the number of messages used by the program. The main application of our results are in debugging and testing of distributed programs. Our algorithms have been incorporated in a distributed programming environment which runs on a network of IBM RS/6000 Workstations under AIX with the PVM environment.
Tools for managing invasions: acceptance of non-toxic baits by juvenile Nile monitor lizards and Burmese pythons under laboratory conditions.

Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus) are large, invasive, predatory reptiles, which are now well established in south Florida. Acetaminophen was recently shown to be lethal to both animals and therefore has potential for inclusion in an integrated pest management effort to control these species. However, acceptable bait matrices for both species are still needed to deliver the toxicant. We tested nine candidate bait matrices on juvenile Nile monitor lizards and Burmese pythons in the laboratory. Baits were tested fresh and also after aging at 308C and 50% relative humidity for 24 h. Six of the nine baits were well accepted by the monitors in both fresh and aged conditions (dead neonatal mouse, dead quail chick, ground turkey, chicken liver, tilapia, and zebra finch egg). Only the fresh dead neonatal mouse and fresh dead quail chick were well accepted by the pythons. As far as we are aware, these tests are the second of such bait matrix preference tests conducted for reptiles. The implications of our results are discussed regarding further development and testing of baits in a natural setting.
Virtualizing real-time embedded systems with Java

Real-time embedded systems come in all shapes and sizes with vastly different capabilities. They often operate under stringent resource constraints, ranging from space and time to power. Programming them is usually done in low-level system's programming languages close to the hardware. The resulting software is costly and not particularly portable. The Java programming language has been successful in providing a virtualized, high-level, development environment for desktop and server applications. Programming in Java leads to memory-safe code that can be ported straightforwardly across architecture and operating system. This paper surveys the state of the art in Java virtualization for real-time and embedded systems. Technological advances in virtual machines as well as new real-time extensions to the language have brought Java closer to being widely usable for a wide range of embedded problems.
Decay of Persistent Currents in Small Superconductors

The thermodynamic fluctuations of the order parameter in a superconductor are shown to be able to cause the decay of a “persistent” current in a ring-shaped conductor. Calculations have been made of the lifetimes of these currents, which indicate that in very thin wires this decay should be detectable. We also show that a true phase transition, distinguished by an infinitely sharp change of resistivity, is possible only in an infinite three-dimensional specimen. In one- and two-dimensional samples, on the other hand, no infinitely sharp change of resistivity occurs but, instead, the resistance drops smoothly and rapidly towards zero as T →> 0°K.
Receptor Protein Tyrosine Phosphatases in Nervous System Development

Receptor protein tyrosine phosphatases (RPTPs) are key regulators of neuronal morphogenesis in a variety of different vertebrate and invertebrate systems, yet the mechanisms by which these proteins regulate central nervous system development are poorly understood. In the past few years, studies have begun to outline possible models for RPTP function by demonstrating in vivo roles for RPTPs in axon outgrowth, guidance, and synaptogenesis. In addition, the crystal structures of several RPTPs have been solved, numerous downstream effectors of RPTP signaling have been identified, and a small number of RPTP ligands have been described. In this review, we focus on how RPTPs transduce signals from the extracellular environment to the cytoplasm, using a detailed comparative analysis of the different RPTP subfamilies. Focusing on the roles RPTPs play in the development of the central nervous system, we discuss how the elucidation of RPTP crystal structures, the biochemical analysis of phosphatase enzyme catalysis, and the characterization of complex signal transduction cascades downstream of RPTPs have generated testable models of RPTP structure and function.