cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molecular anatomy of CCR5 engagement by physiologic and viral chemokines and HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins: differences in primary structural requirements for RANTES, MIP-1 alpha, and vMIP-II Binding.

Abstract Molecular analysis of CCR5, the cardinal coreceptor for HIV-1 infection, has implicated the N-terminal extracellular domain (N-ter) and regions vicinal to the second extracellular loop (ECL2) in this activity. It was shown that residues in the N-ter are necessary for binding of the physiologic ligands, RANTES (CCL5) and MIP-1α (CCL3). vMIP-II, encoded by the Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, is a high affinity CCR5 antagonist, but lacks efficacy as a coreceptor inhibitor. Therefore, we compared the mechanism for engagement by vMIP-II of CCR5 to its interaction with physiologic ligands. RANTES, MIP-1α, and vMIP-II bound CCR5 at high affinity, but demonstrated partial cross-competition. Characterization of 15 CCR5 alanine scanning mutants of charged extracellular amino acids revealed that alteration of acidic residues in the distal N-ter abrogated binding of RANTES, MIP-1α, and vMIP-II. Whereas mutation of residues in ECL2 of CCR5 dramatically reduced the binding of RANTES and MIP-1α and their ability to induce signaling, interaction with vMIP-II was not altered by any mutation in the exoloops of the receptor. Paradoxically, monoclonal antibodies to N-ter epitopes did not block chemokine binding, but those mapped to ECL2 were effective inhibitors. A CCR5 chimera with the distal N-ter residues of CXCR2 bound MIP-1α and vMIP-II with an affinity similar to that of the wild-type receptor. Engagement of CCR5 by vMIP-II, but not RANTES or MIP-1α blocked the binding of monoclonal antibodies to the receptor, providing additional evidence for a distinct mechanism for viral chemokine binding. Analysis of the coreceptor activity of randomly generated mouse-human CCR5 chimeras implicated residues in ECL2 between H173 and V197 in this function. RANTES, but not vMIP-II blocked CCR5 M-tropic coreceptor activity in the fusion assay. The insensitivity of vMIP-II binding to mutations in ECL2 provides a potential rationale to its inefficiency as an antagonist of CCR5 coreceptor activity. These findings suggest that the molecular anatomy of CCR5 binding plays a critical role in antagonism of coreceptor activity.
Benchmarking Graduate School Development Practices

There is little empirical evidence documenting the development activities of academic units in colleges and universities. This study attempts to bridge the knowledge gap by examining the development practices of graduate schools, which confront special challenges in their efforts to generate private support. Results from a survey of member institutions of the Council of Graduate Schools (CGS) are reported and discussed. This field-level perspective should provide scholars with a better understanding of the everexpanding development practices at academic institutions while assisting graduate school administrators or other unit leaders interested in a comparative context for their development efforts.
Going public abroad: the dynamics of return spillovers in an atypical international cross listing case

In this study we investigate the dynamics of the return transmission mechanism across markets (spillover effects) in the atypical international cross listing case where the stock has gone public abroad and then cross listed in the home market. Previous studies have examined such dynamic return interactions in the typical case, where a company goes public in the domestic capital market and subsequently cross lists its stock in a foreign stock exchange. Our sample consists of Israeli stocks that went public in the US and then cross listed in the home market. The empirical evidence suggests that return spillovers are significantly positive in both directions but home-to-US return spillovers are stronger than those of US-to-home. The magnitude of the return dependencies across the home and the US markets is weaker among firms facing greater risk of information asymmetry. There is a tendency for reversal of the US market returns associated with high-volume shocks in the home market but a tendency for continuat...
Partial purification and some properties of brain phosphofructokinase.

Abstract The preparation of partially purified phosphofructokinase (PFK) from acetone powders of dog and cattle brain has been described. The enzyme requires a bivalent ion (preferably Mg ++ or Mn ++ ) for activity and also NH 4 + . It is not activated by K + . It resembles the PFK, which has been previously prepared from muscle, in its lability toward dialysis. In the presence of excess fructose 6-phosphate (F-6-P), adenosine triphosphate (ATP) reacts quantitatively, one phosphate group being utilized for the formation of fructose 1,6-diphosphate (HDP). However, with ATP present in excess, approximately 50% of the added F-6-P is converted to HDP. Since no evidence for an inhibition of the reaction could be found, it is possible that the F-6-P which was added was not pure F-6-P, and contained a nonreactive ester.
Prediction of carcass fat, water and lean body mass from Lee's "nutritive ratio" in rats with hypothalamic obesity.

Verschiedene Untersuchungen im Zusammenhang mit Fettsucht wurden bei Ratten mit hypothalamischer Fettsucht, erzeugt durch Lasionen im Bereich des ventromedialen Teiles des Hypothalamus durchgefuhrt. Es konnten wertvolle Korrelationen zwischen Korperfett, Korperwasser und fettfreier Korpermasse errechnet werden.
NUCLEATION WITH A CRITICAL CLUSTER SIZE OF ZERO : SUBMONOLAYER FE INCLUSIONS IN CU(100)

A single-atom nucleation model is studied in which monomers randomly and irreversibly react with the substrate to become immobile and act as growth nuclei. The reaction kinetics, of first order in monomer density, yields a cluster size distribution that is insensitive to deposition rate and is a decreasing function of cluster size. This matches the experimental behavior of submonolayer Fe inclusions formed by deposition onto room-temperature Cu(100) and observed with the scanning tunneling microscope.
Gaining Control through Counterfactual Thinking

The control-gaining influence of counterfactual thought was examined in a month-long study of real-life exam performances. Participants were contacted immediately after receiving a test grade, the day before their next test, and right after receiving their second grade. Previous research has proposed that upward counterfactuals lead to improved future performance. The present study aimed to identify mediators of this process. Participants who generated more upward counterfactuals were predicted to perceive enhanced control over the environment and to engage in more action on their environment. Subsequent test performance should thus improve. Results showed that the tendency to generate upward counterfactuals was correlated with later changes in circumstances, which in turn, was associated with higher perceptions of control; control perceptions were correlated with better subsequent grades. Implications of results for social cognition, action, and control processes are discussed.
Spectrum and energy levels of four-times ionized zirconium (Zr v)

The spectrum of zirconium was observed in the region from 200 to 2670 A with a sliding-spark discharge on the 10.7-m normal-and grazing-incidence spectrographs at NBS. About 580 lines were assigned to Zr v. From these observations the energy level system of Zr v (Kr i isoelectronic sequence, ground state 4s24p6 1S0) has been extended to the complete 4s2 4p5 5s, 6s, 7s, 5p, 4d, 5d, 4f, 5g, and 4s 4p6 4d configurations and the nearly complete 4s24p5 6d and 6g configurations. About 330 lines have been classified. All observed configurations have been theoretically interpreted. The energy parameters determined by least-squares fits to the observed levels are compared with Hartree-Fock calculations. The ionization energy derived from the 4p5n g, n = 5,6 levels is 648 050 ± 60 cm−1 (80.349 ± 0.007 eV).
The effects of information and competition on racial discrimination: Evidence from a field experiment

Abstract We study racial discrimination by simultaneously selling identical products on eBay in pairs of auctions posted under different racially identifying names. We detect significant price differences, which are indicative of in-group biases. White names receive higher prices for distinctively white products, and black names receive higher prices for distinctively black products. But price differences only emerge for sellers who have low eBay feedback scores in less competitive markets. Because the price differences dissipate as sellers accumulate credible reputations, the patterns in the data are indicative of statistical discrimination. Overall, the results suggest that mechanisms designed to reduce informational asymmetries and increased competition are both effective at reducing discrimination in online auctions.
Tombstone Initiation Model for Small Form-Factor Surface Mount Passives

Passive components such as capacitors are shrinking in size in electrical systems in tandem with the device transistor features. With the size shrink comes an increased risk of process-induced defects such as capacitor tombstoning or billboarding. These defects involve poor connectivity of capacitor terminations to the substrates, affecting the electrical performance of the system. We have developed an analytical model to predict the probability of such defects to occur as a function of the design and process factors. The model demonstrates that the surface tension at component terminals dominates over the inertia forces (component weight) in case of components with submilligram weight. Bulkier capacitors have lower risk of tombstoning compared to the lighter ones. The analysis also points to other modulating factors such as component termination width, component height, solder pad size, and the solder paste volume. We also present the experimental results on small form-factor components that confirm some of the predictions for the model. Optimum design guidelines for the electrical systems with soldered components can be obtained from the current model.
MAGNITUDE OF HIGH-ENERGY MESON--MESON TOTAL CROSS SECTIONS.

The total cross section for meson-meson scattering at high energy is calculated using a simple, but plausible, $\mathrm{SU}(n)$-symmetric multiperipheral model. The resulting ${\ensuremath{\sigma}}_{T}$ is of the order $\frac{16{\ensuremath{\pi}}^{3}}{NM_{V}^{}{}_{}{}^{2}}$, where ${M}_{V}$ is the central mass of the dominant low-energy resonance multiplet in elastic meson-meson scattering and $N$ is the dimensionality of the multiplet of the incident mesons. The nongeometric character of this result is discussed.
Integrated computational and experimental approach for lead optimization and design of compstatin variants with improved activity.

A novel structure−activity-based combinatorial computational optimization methodology for the design of peptides that are candidates to become therapeutics is presented. This methodology has been successfully applied in the design of a 7-fold more active analogue, among other active analogues, in the case of the complement inhibitor compstatin. The main steps of the approach involve the availability of NMR-derived structural templates, combinatorial selection of sequences based on optimization of parametrized pairwise residue interaction potentials, prediction of fold stabilities using deterministic global optimization, and experimental validation with immunological activity measurements. This work is direct evidence that an integrated experimental and theoretical approach can make the engineering of compounds with enhanced immunological properties possible.
LFTI: A New Performance Metric for Assessing Interconnect Designs for Extreme-Scale HPC Systems

Traditionally, interconnect performance is either characterized by simple topological parameters such as bisection bandwidth or studied through simulation that gives detailed performance information for the scenarios simulated. Neither of these approaches provides a good performance overview for extreme-scale interconnects. The topological parameters are not directly related to application level communication performance while the simulation complexity limits the number of scenarios that can be investigated. In this work, we propose a new performance metric, called LANL-FSU Throughput Indices (LFTI), for characterizing the throughput performance of interconnect designs. LFTI combines the simplicity of topological parameters and the accuracy of simulation: like topological parameters, LFTI can be derived from interconnect specification, at the same time, it directly reflects the application level communication performance. Moreover, in cases when the theoretical throughput for each communication pattern can be modeled efficiently for an interconnect, LFTI for the interconnect can be computed efficiently. These features potentially allow LFTI to be used for rapid and comprehensive evaluation and comparison of extreme-scale interconnect designs. We demonstrate the effectiveness of LFTI by using it to evaluate and explore the design space of a number of large-scale interconnect designs.
Infrared intensity measurements—III. Correlation functions of chloroethylenes

Abstract The analysis of infrared band shapes through correlation functions as developed by G ordon and S himizu has been applied to the chloroethylenes. Reasonable agreement with S himizu's theory has been achieved and the results compared with those of G ordon .
Heart transplantation in man: Compilation of cases∗

T HAT THE concept of transplanting the human heart has long held fascination for mankind is evident in an ancient reference to such a possibility. Chinese annals record that circa 300 B.C. the surgeon Pien Ch’iao was visited by two travelers, Kung Wu of Lu and Chi Ying of Chao, who requested that he treat them. Pien Ch’iao reportedly gave the two men a potion that rendered them unconscious for three days, during which time he interchanged both their hearts and stomachs. The two men awoke fully recovered and went their separate ways home.1 While this may be the earliest recorded instance of human heart transplantation, there is sufficient reason to doubt its authenticity. It has therefore been excluded from the accompanying list of heart transplantations performed in man (Table I). The scientific era of transplantation was ushered in by Alexis Carrel, in 1905, who was the first to report experimental heart and simultaneous heart and lung transplantations.zs Our tabulation begins some 59 years later with James Hardy’s historic transplantation of the heart of a chimpanzee into a 68 year old man. The list includes two heterografts (xenografts) and one simultaneous heart and lung transplantation. None of these patients survived. The youngest recipient (Case 3) was an 18 day old baby who also failed to survive heart transplantation. This was the only patient operated upon by a technic of hypothermia without extracorporeal perfusion. All other patients have been operated upon with extracorporeal perfusion. Age and Sex (Table II): Surprisingly, in 8 of the 66 cases the donors were older than the recipients of the transplant. In 3 of these, both donor and recipient were relatively young (an 11 year old boy to a five year old girl, a 21 year old man to an 18 year old man, and a 25 year old woman to a 22 year old man). The 18 year old man and only 1 of the remaining 5 patients are alive. All 4 recipients over the age of 60 years failed to survive the operation. The oldest survivors, however, are 59 and 58. Although the data are not complete on the patients recently operated upon, a marked improvement of survival has already become apparent (Table III). Among the first 20 allograft operations there are only 2 survivors. Eleven of this group of patients died within 3 days; 6 more died in 7, 8, 15, 18, 27 and 45 days and 1 patient died after 3 months. Of the next 46 allotransplant operations, there are 30 surviving patients. There have been at least two attempts to support the failing circulatory system after valve surgery by placing a porcine heart in parallel with the patient’s own heart.* Since these porcine hearts did not replace the patient’s own heart these cases have not been included in the tables.
The effect of an extract of green and black tea on glucose control in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus: double-blind randomized study

Recent evidence suggests that tea from Camellia sinensis (eg, green, oolong, and black tea) may have a hypoglycemic effect. We evaluated the ability of an extract of green and black tea to improve glucose control over a 3-month period. A double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized multiple-dose (0, 375, or 750 mg per day for 3 months) study in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus not taking insulin was performed. The primary end point was change in glycosylated hemoglobin at 3 months. The 49 subjects who completed this study were predominantly white with an average age of 65 years and a median duration of diabetes of 6 years, and 80% of them reported using hypoglycemic medication. After 3 months, the mean changes in glycosylated hemoglobin were +0.4 (95% confidence interval, 0.2-0.6), +0.3 (0.1-0.5), and +0.5 (0.1-0.9) in the placebo, 375-mg, and 750-mg arms, respectively. The changes were not significantly different between study arms. We did not find a hypoglycemic effect of extract of green and black tea in adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Competitive advantage: what’s luck got to do with it?

Luck remains an elusive theoretical concept in the business literature yet a fascinating practical phenomenon in business reality. In addition to effective strategic maneuvering and well‐run internal management, luck often plays a non‐trivial role as a determinant of competitive advantage and firm performance. Understanding the various types of luck and the contextual conditions under which luck strikes is therefore expected to help a firm gain competitive advantage. This paper advances a typology of different scenarios of luck – pure luck, prepared luck, useful weeds, and skunk work – and expounds the strategic implications of these scenarios for the firm’s search for competitive advantage. Taking a proactive approach, it untangles the typical environmental sources of luck as well as the intra‐firm mechanisms and processes through which a firm could better induce, recognize, and exploit lucky incidents of innovations from useful weeds or skunk works.
Psychologic Issues in Palliative Care

As medical science progresses and the life spans of patients with serious illnesses increase, the process that leads to death is becoming more feared than death itself. This fear is particularly intense in technologically advanced cultures with access to advanced medical care. The lives of patients who previously would have died rapidly are now often extended. As a result, images of suffering, such as dying in isolation and experiencing great pain, often are at the forefront of concerns about those struggling with terminal illnesses. This article provides medical practitioners with an overview of the issues and symptoms common in terminal illness, to help them work most effectively with their mental health colleagues.
Balancing assembly lines for teams and work groups

Difficulties that arise in balancing assembly lines for teams and work groups are identified and addressed. When sets of tasks are assigned to specific teams prior to balancing, task precedence requirements sometimes make it impossible to attain a balance with members of a team located contiguously along the line. Where it is possible, low balance delay might be impossible to attain. Two resolutions are offered. The product can be designed so tasks assigned to a team can be performed together, or the line can be balanced using disconnected teams. The latter approach avoids some design costs and is easier to implement, but experiments show it is likely to incur substantial balance delay and so higher labour costs. The magnitude of these costs is found to increase with the number of teams and with the percentage of tasks that can be allocated to one team only. To derive the results, new branch-and-bound approaches are provided and tested. For self-managed work groups, comments are restricted to balancing gr...
Impaired acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation in patients with congestive heart failure. Role of endothelium-derived vasodilating and vasoconstricting factors.

BACKGROUNDThe vasodilatory response to intra-arterial administration of acetylcholine is reduced in patients with congestive heart failure compared with that of normal subjects. The reduced response to acetylcholine may be related to decreased endothelial release of nitric oxide, interaction with peripheral alpha-adrenergic transmission, or production of cyclooxygenase-dependent vasoconstricting substances. The extent to which each of these mechanisms contributes to the reduced vasodilatory response to acetylcholine in patients with congestive heart failure is not known.METHODS AND RESULTSThirty-one patients with congestive heart failure (New York Heart Association functional class II-III) and five age-matched normal subjects were studied. Regional vascular responses in the forearm to infusions of acetylcholine, an endothelium-dependent vasodilator (10(-7) to 10(-5) mol/L) and nitroglycerin, an endothelium-independent vasodilator (10(-6) mol/L) in the brachial artery were determined with venous occlusion ...
A comprehensive update on the use of chemotherapy for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Phase II trials of combination chemotherapies have shown encouraging palliative benefit, objective response rates, and survival outcomes. Until ongoing phase III trials confirm these benefits, the current standard treatment for metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma remains single agent gemcitabine. The fixed rate infusion schedule of 10 mg/m2/min is gaining wide acceptance and is a promising investigational priority. A very reasonable alternative to single agent gemcitabine, and our bias, is enrollment into clinical trials evaluating novel gemcitabine-based combinations. Further investigation is needed to determine optimal incorporation of so-called targeted therapy with combination chemotherapy.
Alcoholic Korsakoff patients' retrieval from semantic memory.

Abstract Alcoholic Korsakoff patients' rate of retrieval from semantic memory was investigated. It was found that their rate of retrieval from “lexical” semantic memory was nearly normal, but their rate of retrieval from “conceptual” semantic memory was impaired. In addition, an attempt to “prime” their lexical semantic memory by requesting the same category to be searched on adjacent trials met with failure. It was concluded that Korsakoff patients' lexical storage is probably organized normally, but their conceptual organization is not. Parallels with these patients' episodic memory impairments are discussed and possible interactions between episodic and semantic memory are proposed.
Positron annihilation in gaseous hydrogen and hydrogen-neon mixtures. II. Positronium

The annihilation rate of positrons bound in $o$-Ps atoms and the fraction of positrons which form Ps have been measured for ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ gas at 293, 250, and 77 K at densities in the range 5.9-429 amagat, and for ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$-Ne gas mixtures at 77 K having ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ partial densities in the range 1.9-286 amagat and with Ne concentrations in the range 0.02-0.98. Large deviations from the annihilation rates expected for free $o$-Ps atoms are observed and are attributed to the formation of localized cavity states. The results obtained with ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$-Ne mixtures strongly support $o$-Ps-induced cavity formation. Complex density and temperature dependencies are observed for the Ps fraction in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$, and the addition of partial densities of Ne enhances positronium formation. The annihilation of slow positrons in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$ is discussed in paper I of this series.
Conversion of single crystal mats to ultrahigh modulus polyethylene: the formation of a continuous crystalline phase

Abstract A series of ultrahigh modulus and strength polyethylene films of variable draw ratios (6–250), formed by the solid state coextrusion and post-drawing (SSE/PD of single crystal mats, were analysed by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The high performance mechanical properties of these materials were attributed to the formation of ‘protofibrils’. Protofibrils are defined as long, highly crystalline fibrils which constitute a basic structural unit in ultradrawn polyethylene. The protofibrils observed here were made up of a series arrangement of ca. 8 nm thick ‘kebabs’ and crystalline ‘bridges’, were hundreds of nanometres long (along the chain direction), and were up to 10nm wide. Darkfield TEM, which yields a lower bound of crystal size, revealed crystalline regions with a protofibril substructure which were at least 3 microns long. The observed evolution of morphology with draw suggested that protofibrils formed via a stress-induced rearrangement of the original single crystal mat morphology and subsequent strain-induced crystallization.
Secondary flows due to axisymmetric converging-diverging electric current

Abstract Dynamics of an electrically conducting incompressible fluid in convergent-divergent electrically insulated nozzle are analyzed when an electric current flows through the fluid in the same direction as the fluid. Without the electric current the fluid accelerates at the throat of the nozzle and with the electric current the fluid on the nozzle axis slows down at the throat. Although the nozzle symmetrically expands from the throat to both of its ends the streamlines are not symmetric. At high current there develops a recirculating zone upstream of the throat on the nozzle axis, and at still higher current there appears another such eddy along the nozzle wall and downstream of the throat.
Genetic Suppressors and Recovery of Repressed Biochemical Memory

Many of the Reflections articles in this journal have focused on particular biological problems that the authors have devoted their careers to or on particular techniques that have facilitated their biological studies. Although I began my career as a biochemist, one of the most common threads to my research has been the exploitation of a genetic approach, the analysis of suppressor mutations. Particularly in the last 20 years, the success of this approach has led me into biological problems that required a remembering or relearning of my early training in biochemistry. This article will describe the voyage from chemistry and biochemistry to genetics and then to a recovery of remnants of my biochemical memory. As a graduate student working under Lowell Hager at Harvard in the late 1950s, my thesis research was chemical and biochemical, as I performed the chemical synthesis and studied the biosynthesis of the chlorinated mold product caldariomycin (2,2-dichloro-1,3-cyclopentanediol) (1–3). With his postdoctoral fellow Paul Shaw, Lowell had discovered an enzyme, chloroperoxidase, that was capable of utilizing chloride ion to chlorinate organic compounds (4). Part of my work was to determine how this enzyme might be involved in the biosynthesis of caldariomycin. Apparently, the work became somewhat well known. This I learned when, toward the end of my Ph.D. work, I attended a FASEB meeting in Atlantic City to give a short presentation. As I walked into the conference center on the first day, a scientist passing by me stopped to look at my badge, hesitated a moment, and then commented “Beckwith... hmmm, oh yes, I remember... chlorination!” Despite this really quite limited chemical/biochemical notoriety, I became more and more fascinated by bacterial genetics in graduate school. I proceeded to do postdoctoral work in several bacterial genetics laboratories.
Biology‐mediated temperature control on atmospheric pCO2 and ocean biogeochemistry

[1] The remarkable correspondence between glacial-interglacial changes in atmospheric CO2 levels and global climate over much of the Pleistocene suggests that CO2 is also a key climate change driver. However, there is as yet no widely accepted explanation of the low glacial CO2 levels. Here I use an intermediate-complexity climate model to show that glacial cooling, acting on the rates of organic carbon production and decay in the ocean, can explain a significant portion of the glacial CO2 lowering. New model results show that cooling strengthens the vertical transport of organic carbon from the surface ocean to the deep ocean, reduces atmospheric pCO2, and shifts nutrients from the Atlantic basin to the Indo-Pacific basins. The overall vertical transport is increased because the cooling effect on reducing the degradation rate of sinking particulate organic carbon is greater than on reducing the export production. This net temperature effect on atmospheric pCO2 mediated by biology is comparable to the temperature effect on atmospheric pCO2 driven by solubility, which is almost always mentioned as a large factor in the glacial CO2 levels. An implication for the future is that higher ocean temperatures will act as a positive feedback on atmospheric CO2 by reducing the vertical transport of carbon to the deep ocean and thereby increasing CO2 degassing from the ocean.
Attachment, support seeking, and adaptive inferential feedback: Implications for psychological health

The purpose of this study was to examine differences between attachment groups in support-seeking behavior; ability to benefit from adaptive feedback, a subtype of social support; and identity of preferred supportive figure. Two hundred and sixty-eight undergraduates completed a questionnaire packet containing measures of attachment, depressive symptoms, hopelessness, anxiety, and social support. As expected, securely attached individuals engaged in more support-seeking behavior than people with an avoidant attachment style. Contrary to previous literature, social support benefited people with an avoidant attachment style: adaptive inferential feedback was associated with fewer depressive and anxious symptoms. Furthermore, attachment groups did not differ in the rate at which they turned to primary supporters for guidance. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.
Pre-project partnering impact on an information system project, project team and project manager

Information system (IS) managers have long recognised the need to use project management approaches in the design and delivery of their system development projects. The result has been the widespread use of project teams headed by a project leader or manager. However, given the fact that there has been a low success rate for IS projects, there is a growing need to seek out new methods and controls for projects. One approach involves the practice of altering the project environment prior to the commencement of project tasks. To determine whether such pre-project activities may be effective, a model is proposed and tested relating the activities to the performance of the project manager and characteristics of an effective project team. Data from a sample of 186 project team members indicate that the pre-project activities lead to more effective teams and managers and eventually to project success. Thus, it is important that organisations begin work on projects at an earlier stage.
Marihuana and driving

A review was performed of the marihuana and driving literature, both epidemiological and experimental. It was noted that epidemiological studies face considerable difficulties in obtaining estimates of risks involved for drivers utilizing marihuana due to the rapid decline in blood levels of tetrahydrocannabinol. On the other hand, experimental studies examining the relationship between administered marihuana dose and performance have identified many driving-related areas as exhibiting impairment. Areas impaired include coordination, tracking, perception, vigilance and performance in both driving simulators and on the road. Other behavioral areas of lesser importance for driving also exhibited evidence of impairment by marihuana. Areas for further research are suggested.
Aromatic polyimide foams : factors that lead to high fire performance

In this research, three different, closely related, polyimide foams (namely TEEK-H, TEEK-L, and TEEK-C) were comparatively studied including thermal, mechanical, surface, flammability, and degradation properties. TEEK-H series was the name given to ODPA/3,4'-ODA (4,4-oxydiphthalic anhydride/3,4-oxydianiline), TEEK-L series for BTDA/4,4'-ODA (3,3,4,4-benzophenenone-tetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4-oxydianiline), and TEEK-CL for BTDA/4,4'-DDSO 2 (3,3,4,4-benzophenenone-tetracarboxylic dianhydride/4,4-diaminodiphenyl sulfone). With varying chemistries, densities, and surface areas of these foams, one has the ability to investigate the effects of subtle changes in density, surface area, and chemical structure on fire and thermal properties. Foams have much higher surface areas than solid polymers and are a greater challenge to fire retard [Weiser ES, Johnson TF, St. Clair TL, Echigo Y, Kaneshiro H, Grimsley B, Journal of High Performance Polymers 12 (2000) 1-12; Weiser ES, Baillif FF, Grimsley BW, Marchello JM, High temperature structural foam, Proceedings of the 43rd International SAMPE Symposium, May 1998, p. 730-44; Williams MK, et al., In: Nelson GL and Wilkie CA (Eds.), Fire and polymers: materials and solutions for hazard prevention, ACS Symposium Series 797, American Chemical Society/Oxford Press, Washington, D.C., 2001, p. 49-62; Williams MK, Nelson GL, Brenner JR, Weiser ES, St.Clair TL, Cell surface area and foam flammability, Proceedings of recent advances in flame retardancy of polymeric materials, 2001]. Detailed fire and thermal properties are discussed. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
The Adjustment of Product and Factor Markets: An Application to the Pacific Northwest Forest Products Industry

An equilibrium model of output and factor markets is used to calculate comparative static effects of demand and factor supply shifts on output and factor prices and employment in the Pacific Northwest forest products industry. The technological link between output and factor levels is provided through a three-input production function. Results over the 1950-76 sample period suggest that changes in product-to-factor price ratios and factor employment are a consequence of differing factor supply elasticities and that factor supply shifts have limited effect on output price and employment levels because of substitution possibilities occurring in the production process and marketplace. A persistent problem in empirical studies of forest product markets has been the lack of a precise relationship between product prices and the prices of factors used in production of that product. Past studies (i.e., McKillop 1967, 1970; McKillop, Stuart, and Geisler; Adams and Blackwell; Robinson; Adams 1974, 1977; Haynes; and Adams and Haynes) have estimated effects of changes in product demand on timber resources and the effects of stumpage supply changes on stumpage prices and final product prices. The lack of an explicit relationship between factor and output quantities in these studies has prevented discussion of factor substitution possibilities in the indus
A Control Volume Approach for Investigating Forces on a Departing Bubble Under Subcooled Flow Boiling

We present the theoretical and experimental work conducted on nucleating vapor bubbles in subcooled flow boiling of water at atmospheric pressure and 60°C in a 3 mm X 50 mm X 400 mm long rectangular channel. A new model is developed for analyzing forces acting on the vapor bubble under pseudo-static conditions corresponding to the thermally controlled region of bubble growth. The model considers two separate control volumes for the front and rear regions of the bubble. The forces due to surface tension, buoyancy, drag, pressure difference, and momentum changes are considered, and the effects of different upstream and downstream contact angles are included. These angles and the departure bubble diameters are measured from the top and the side views of bubbles recorded on a video camera through a microscope. The new model and the experimental study confirm that the bubble removal in flow boiling for small diameter bubbles investigated in this study (less than 500 μm) is initiated at the front edge of the bubble through a sweep-removal mechanism.
Distance perception in NPR immersive virtual environments, revisited

Non-photorealistic rendering (NPR) is a representational technique that allows communicating the essence of a design while giving the viewer the sense that the design is open to change. Our research aims to address the question of how to effectively use non-photorealistic rendering in immersive virtual environments to enable the intuitive exploration of early architectural design concepts at full scale. Previous studies have shown that people typically underestimate egocentric distances in immersive virtual environments, regardless of rendering style, although we have recently found that distance estimation errors are minimized in the special case that the virtual environment is a high-fidelity replica of a real environment that the viewer is presently in or has recently been in. In this paper we re-examine the impact of rendering style on distance perception accuracy in this virtual environments context. Specifically, we report the results of an experiment that seeks to assess the accuracy with which people judge distances in a non-photorealistically rendered virtual environment that is a directly-derived stylistic abstraction of the actual environment that they are currently in. Our results indicate that people tend to underestimate distances to a significantly greater extent in a co-located virtual environment when it is rendered using a line-drawing style than when it is rendered using high fidelity textures derived from photographs.
Prostaglandins inhibit intestinal sodium transport.

PROSTAGLANDINS1 are synthesized in the gut2 but their role, if any, on regulation of intestinal function is unknown. Oral administration of prostaglandins shortens intestinal transit time3 and several prostaglandin-producing tumours are associated with diarrhoea4. Infusion of prostaglandins and theophylline into the superior mesenteric artery of dogs results in the loss of gut fluid from jejunal loops5.
A review of indicators of estuarine tidal wetland condition

Abstract This review critically evaluates indicators of tidal wetland condition based on 36 indicator development studies and indicators developed as part of U.S. state tidal wetland monitoring programs. Individual metrics were evaluated based on relative scores on two sets of evaluation factors. A rigor score evaluated metric development based on conceptual relevance, indicator development method, degree of independent validation, and temporal and spatial extent tested. An applicability score evaluated metrics based on cost of data collection, probable spatial extent of applicability, technical complexity, and indicator responsiveness. The majority of indicators could be classified as biotic condition indicators (81%), with vegetation (37%) and macroinvertebrate (28%) metrics composing the largest proportion. Most metrics provided a conceptual model or scientific justification (97%), were developed by correlation to environmental gradients (46%), were tested over multiple seasons or years (49%) and at multiple sites (88%). Few were independently validated (18%). Average rigor score was 10 (on a scale of 0–25) and ranged between 1 and 21. Highest rigor scores were for trematode community metrics (community similarity index, species richness) and metrics of grass shrimp ( Palaemonetes pugio ) individuals (gene expression, relative fecundity, embryo hatching success, larval survival). Most metrics had a high cost of data collection (63%), required field and laboratory processing (84%), would be applicable across the U.S. (72%), and were responsive to the variable of interest (44%). Mean applicability score was 4.9 (range: 2–8). Highest scores were found for metrics that only required field collection of data using simple or no instrumentation. Lowest scoring metrics required expensive equipment, specialized taxonomic knowledge, complex laboratory analysis, and/or culturing of organisms. Scores for individual metrics were grouped by indicator, then averaged and rescaled between 0 and 100 to provide a composite evaluation of the indicator they measured. Among major indicator types, biotic indicators had the highest rigor scores (mean = 44, range 20–79), followed by indicators of chemical/physical characteristics (mean = 36, range 16–56), landscape condition (mean = 31, range 24–37), and hydrology/geomorphology indicators (mean = 21, range 4–52). In contrast, biotic indicators scored lowest for applicability (mean = 58, range 25–100) and indicators of landscape condition scored highest. The results of this review suggest that the development and selection of tidal wetland indicators could be vastly improved by employing a standardized development methodology that provides uniform information about each indicator. In addition, tidal wetland indicator research should focus on the development of indicators of ecological processes and disturbance regimes.
Ethnic differences in breast cancer prevention information-seeking among rural women: will provider mobile messages work?

Although growing research supports cancer survivor information-seeking, little is known about breast cancer prevention information-seeking among women. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in breast cancer risk factor knowledge, information sources, and desired mobile messages among Hispanic and non-Hispanic rural women. Women were recruited to complete a survey at an imaging center during a mammography screening visit. A total of 156 women (mean age = 61, SD = 12.07) completed the survey. Breast cancer risk factor knowledge was significantly higher for non-Hispanic women compared to Hispanic women (p = .035). Television, magazines, and Internet were the most frequent information sources. Providers were the most frequent interpersonal information source. Nearly 87 % used cell phones and 47 % used texting. Hispanic women were more likely to desire breast cancer prevention cell voice messages (p < .001) and text messages (p = .001) compared to non-Hispanic women. No significant differences were found for text appointment reminders by ethnicity. Health educators and clinicians must promote mobile messages for Hispanics and non-Hispanics for mammography adherence, breast cancer prevention education, and best practices to manage screening appointments.
Surfactant studies of quaternary ammonium compounds: Critical surfactant concentration

Quaternary ammonium salts (otherwise known as “quats”) commonly form the foundation of formulations in the antimicrobial industry. Although many studies have been conducted on the surfactant and biological aspects of single-component systems, there are few studies concerning the surfactant or biological efficacy of these compounds in multiple-component formulations. Preliminary data using simple emulsion studies with decane were determined to be inadequate. Several inexpensive ways to determine critical surfactant concentrations were developed with limited resources.
Quine's double standard: Indeterminacy and quantifying in

According to Quine, a theory is ontologically committed to those entities whose existence is required for its affirmations to be true. To determine its ontological commitment, the theory is subjected to regimentation. Its sentences are paraphrased in a canonical notation that perspicuously represents their logical, and hence their referential, form. Quine argues that the existence of vacuous names and of unnamed objects demonstrates that names cannot be taken to be the primary bearers of reference; because names exist without objects, and objects without names, we can draw no ontological conclusions from the presence or absence of a name in the language. He con cludes that it is variables, interpreted objectually, that are the primary bearers of reference. The ontological commitment of a theory is thus determined by its regimentation in terms of a quantificational schema. "To be is to be the value of a variable." [OWTI, 15]1 The values of variables of objectual quantification are objects in the world, independently of the way they are described. Accordingly, if the truth or falsity of a sentence depends on the particular expres sions used to refer, rather than just on the objects referred to, the sentence is referentially opaque. Substitutivity of identity fails; expressions appearing in the sentence cannot be automatically replaced by quantified variables. Quine concludes that we cannot determine the ontological commitment of the expressions appearing in such a context. The problems raised by intensional idioms?those which render such contexts referentially opaque?are not, however, consequences of Quine's decision to take variables as the primary bearers of reference. They also arise for philosophers who take singular terms to be directly referential, for in opaque contexts co-referential terms are not always intersubstitutable salva ven?ate. Accordingly, any attempt
Role-Play Simulations as a Transformative Methodology in Environmental Education:

Knowledge-based environmental education has been consistently found to be limited in its effectiveness due to its small and indirect role in promoting sustainable behavior, while focusing on the im...
Estimating personal costs incurred by a woman participating in mammography screening in the National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program.

BACKGROUND. The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) covers the direct clinical costs of breast and cervical cancer screening and diagnostic follow-up for medically underserved, low-income women. Personal costs are not covered. In this report, the authors estimated personal costs per woman participating in NBCCEDP mammography screening by race/ethnicity and also estimated lifetime personal costs (ages 50-74 years). METHODS. A decision analysis model was constructed and parameterized by using empiric data from a retrospective cohort survey of mammography rescreening among women ages 50 years to 64 years who participated in the NBCCEDP. Data from 1870 women were collected from 1999 to 2000. The model simulated the flow of resources incurred by a woman participating in the NBCCEDP. The analysis was stratified by annual income into 2 scenarios: Scenario 1, <$10,000; and Scenario 2, from $10,000 to <$20,000. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to appraise uncertainty, and all costs were standardized to 2000 U.S. dollars. RESULTS. In Scenario 1, for all races/ethnicities, a woman incurred a 1-time cost of $17 and a discounted lifetime cost of $108 for 10 screens and $262 for 25 screens; in Scenario 2, these amounts were $31 and from $197 to $475, respectively. In both scenarios, a non-Hispanic white woman incurred the highest cost. The sensitivity analyses revealed that >70% of cost incurred was attributable to opportunity cost. CONCLUSIONS. Capturing and quantifying personal costs will help ascertain the total cost (ie, societal cost) of providing mammography screening to a medically underserved, low-income woman participating in a publicly funded cancer screening program and, thus, will help determine the true cost-effectiveness of such programs. Cancer 2008. Published 2008 by the American Cancer Society.