cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Making Sense of Careers: A Review 1989-1992

The following provides an overview of the field of careers by focusing on research published in the last four years. The information is organized around the major content areas of the field: attraction/selection, socialization, commitment, mentoring, plateaus, voluntary and involuntary separations, work-family conflicts, and demographic impacts. Some general observations and suggestions for future research directions are offered.
Antimicrobial Use for Pediatric Upper Respiratory Infections: Reported Practice, Actual Practice, and Parent Beliefs

Background. In response to the dramatic emergence of resistant pneumococci, more judicious use of antibiotics has been advocated. Physician beliefs, their prescribing practices, and the attitudes of patients have been evaluated previously in separate studies. Methods. This 3-part study included a statewide mailed survey, office chart reviews, and parent telephone interviews. We compared survey responses of 366 licensed pediatricians and family physicians in Georgia to recently published recommendations on diagnosis and treatment of upper respiratory infections (URIs). We further evaluated 25 randomly selected pediatricians from 119 surveyed in the Atlanta metropolitan area. For each, charts from the first 30 patients between the ages of 12 and 72 months seen on a randomly selected date were reviewed for encounters during the preceding year. A sample of parents from each practice were interviewed by telephone. Results. In the survey, physicians agreed that overuse of antibiotics is a major factor contributing to the development of antibiotic resistance (97%), and that they should consider selective pressure for resistance in their decisions on providing antibiotic treatment for URIs in children in their practices (83%). However, many reported practices do not conform to the recently published principles for judicious antibiotic use. For example, 69% of physicians considered purulent rhinitis a diagnostic finding for sinusitis; 86% prescribed antibiotics for bronchitis regardless of the duration of cough; and 42% prescribed antibiotics for the common cold. Reported practices by family physicians were more often at odds with the published principles: they were significantly more likely than pediatricians to omit pneumatic otoscopy (46% vs 25%); to omit the requirement for prolonged symptoms to diagnose sinusitis (median 4 vs 10 days); and to omit laboratory testing for pharyngitis (27% vs 14%). Of the 7531 encounters analyzed in the chart review, 43% resulted in an antibiotic prescription, including 11% of checkups, 18% of telephone calls, and 72% of visits for URIs. There was wide variability in the overall antibiotic use rates among the 25 physicians (1–10 courses per child per year). There was an even wider variability in some diagnosis-specific rates; bronchitis and sinusitis in particular. Those with the highest antibiotic prescribing rates had up to 30% more return office visits. Physicians who prescribed antibiotics for purulent rhinitis were more likely to see parents who believed that their children should be evaluated for cold symptoms. Conclusions. Physicians recognize the problem of antibiotic resistance but their reported practices are not in line with recently published recommendations for most pediatric URIs. The actual prescribing practices of pediatricians are often considerably different from their close colleagues. Patient beliefs are correlated with their own physician9s practices.
World Model Based Remote Control and Teleperception for Space and Ground Servicing Applications

A World Modeling System for operating a remote robotic servicing system should provide an operator with the same degree of flexibility and feedback possible from teleoperators, but under a supervisory control constraint. Thus, a sophisticated software system must exist on both the remote servicer and the local platform. This system must provide simulations and offline programming of the remote servicer (and its environment) for the operator to compose new commands (and test them). It must provide communications to and from the remote platform (within bandwidth limitations). It must allow interaction at multiple levels of abstraction (for instance at the task level, the robotic path planning level, and the robot joint level), and it must provide sensors, sensor processing, and model matching capabilities required to direct remote autonomous operations (like tracking or grip point identification) and to keep the local simulated servicer environment up to date. This concept of a World Modeling System encompasses perception and control of robotic systems.
Pharmacokinetics of Propylthiouracil in Man After a Single Oral Dose

A specific method for the analysis ofpropylthiouracil by high pressureion. exchange chromatography is presented. Preliminary pharmacokinetic data in 6 normal subjects following the administration of 200 mg per os of propylthiouracil indicated a half-life of 1.1 hr.
An observational study of plasma vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) A and D expression in non-localized prostate cancer

Background The aim of the study was to measure plasma levels of the vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF) A and D in serially collected blood specimens from non-localized prostate cancer (PCa) subjects.
Semilunar changes in estradiol and cortisol coincident with gonadal maturation and spawning in the killifish Fundulus heteroclitus

Radioimmunoassay techniques were used to measure estradiol-17 beta (E2) and cortisol in the serum and ovarian fluid of Fundulus heteroclitus throughout complete semilunar spawning cycles. The cyclic nature of spawning activity was confirmed by monitoring the gonadosomatic index and noting the times at which ovulated eggs were found within the ovarian lumen. Levels of serum E2, ovarian fluid E2, and serum cortisol all exhibited cycles which paralleled the semilunar cycle of gonadal maturity and spawning in this euryhaline killifish. Elevations of serum cortisol were temporally associated with ovulation, whereas ovarian fluid E2 levels peaked several days prior to ovulation. Serum E2 remained elevated after ovarian fluid E2 levels had returned to baseline. Cortisol concentrations in ovarian fluid did not cycle and no correlation was apparent between serum cortisol and glucose concentrations.
Micro vacuum distillation

1. A method has been described for the measurement of the distilling gases in a micro vacuum distillation. 2. A method of fractional vacuum distillation on a micro scale has been described.
Rapid devolatilization and hydrogasification of bituminous coal

Abstract Rapid devolatilization and hydrogasification of a Pittsburgh Seam bituminous coal were studied and an appropriate coal conversion (weight loss) model was developed that accounts for thermal decomposition of the coal, secondary char-forming reactions of volatiles, and homogeneous and heterogeneous reactions involving hydrogen. Approximately monolayer samples of coal particles supported on wire mesh heating elements were electrically heated in hydrogen, helium, and mixtures thereof. Coal weight loss (volatiles yield) was measured as a function of residence time (0–20 s), heating rate (65–10000 °C/s), final temperature (400–1100 °C), total pressure (0.0001–7 MPa), hydrogen partial pressure (0–7 MPa), and particle size (70–1000 μm). Volatiles yield under these conditions increases significantly with decreasing pressure, decreasing particle size, increasing hydrogen partial pressure and increasing final temperature, but only slightly with increasing heating rate. The data support the view that coal conversion under these conditions involves numerous parallel thermal decomposition reactions forming primary volatiles and initiating a sequence of secondary reactions leading to char. Intermediates in this char-forming sequence can escape as tar if residence time in the presence of hot coal surfaces is sufficiently short (e.g. low pressures and small particles well dispersed). Hydrogen at sufficiently high partial pressure can interrupt the char-forming sequence thereby increasing volatile yield. Rate of total product generation is largely controlled by coal pyrolysis while competition between mass transfer, secondary reactions, and rapid hydrogenation affects only the relative proportions of volatile and solid products formed.
Retroviral transduction of interferon-γ cDNA into a nonimmunogenic murinefibrosarcoma: generation of T cells in draining lymph nodes capable of treating established parental metastatic tumor

Gene modification of tumor cells with the cDNA for interferon γ (IFNγ) has been shown to increase the immunogenicity of some tumor cells. In order to explore further the possible therapeutic relevance of these previous findings, two clones of the nonimmunogenic MCA-102 fibrosarcoma of C57BL/6 origin were retrovirally transduced with the cDNA encoding murine IFNγ: 102.4JK (4JK), a clone with relatively high major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I expression, and 102.24JK (24JK), a clone with low expression of surface MHC class I molecules. Retroviral transduction of tumor cells with the cDNA encoding for IFNγ resulted in a substantial up-regulation of MHC class I surface expression in the 24JK clone but little change of class I in the 4JK clone. In an attempt to generate antitumor lymphocytes, these gene-modified cells were inoculated into mouse footpads and draining lymph nodes (DLN) were removed, dispersed, and cultured in vitro for 10 days with irradiated tumor cells and interleukin-2. DLN from mice bearing either unmodified tumor or tumor transduced with cDNA encoding neomycin resistance (Neo R) or IFNγ, were used to treat recipients harboring 3-day pulmonary metastases induced by the parental, unmodified tumor. Treatment with DLN cells obtained following the injection of 24JK tumor cells modified with the gene for IFNγ significantly reduced the number of pulmonary metastases in four separate experiments, compared to groups treated by DLN cells generated from inoculation of either the unmodified, parental 24JK clone or the same clone transduced with theNeo R gene only. In contrast, DLN cells induced either by IFNγ-transduced 4JK (high expression of MHC class I) or an unmodified 4JK tumor (moderate expression of MHC class I) had significant but equal therapeutic efficacy. Although the in vitro growth rate of tumor cell lines was unaffected by the insertion of the mouse IFNγ cDNA, their in vivo (s.c.) growth rates were significantly slower than those of the nontransduced tumors. Thus, after retroviral transduction of the murine IFNγ cDNA into a nonimmunogenic tumor with a very low level of surface expression of MHC class I, modified tumor cells could elicit therapeutic T cells from DLN capable of successfully treating established pulmonary metastases upon adoptive transfer. This strategy significantly confirms previous observations on the potential therapeutic effects of gene modification of tumor cells with IFNγ and extends the realm of therapeutic possibilities to include the use of DLN cells for the development of T-cell based immunotherapies against nonimmunogenic human tumors.
Spectroscopic Analysis of the Structure and Properties of Alkali Tellurite Glasses

Structural development of tellurite glasses with the addition of Li2O and Na2O has been studied using infrared, Raman, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopies. The increase in intensity of the peak at 755 cm−1 in the infrared spectra as compared to the peak at 620 cm −1 suggests the transformation of TeO4 building units to TeO3 pyramids with the addition of alkali oxide. Proposed structural change is further supported by the strong compositional dependence of the 755-cm−1 peak in the Raman spectra as well as by the formation of a shoulder in the O 1s peak of X-ray photoelectron spectra. In contrast to alkali silicate glasses, formation of nonbridging oxygens with the addition of alkali oxide is not observed.
Layered Silicate Reinforced Polymer Nanocomposites: Development and Applications

This review provides a rationale for polymer nanocomposites, emphasizing layered (smectic) silicate reinforcements, particularly montmorillonite clay with various surfactant treatments. Considerable attention is given to processing techniques for synthesizing such nanocomposites via compounding in the melt. While briefly covering structural characterization, it focuses on physico‐mechanical properties, using examples of nylon as a polar polymer matrix and polypropylene, the continuous phase in a thermoplastic vulcanizate (TPV), as a non‐polar polymer matrix. Both polar and non‐polar rubber components are considered for the TPV. Thus, the thermodynamic compatibility between a surfactant‐treated clay and the polymer matrix as well as the partitioning of the clay reinforcement in a two‐phase heterogeneous polymer blend are addressed. Finally, functional performance is reviewed, with an emphasis on automotive applications.
Identification of Anergic B Cells within a Wild-Type Repertoire

The contribution of anergy to silencing of autoreactive B cells in physiologic settings is unknown. By comparing anergic and nonanergic immunoglobulin-transgenic mouse strains, we defined a set of surface markers that were used for presumptive identification of an anergic B cell cohort within a normal repertoire. Like anergic transgenic B cells, these physiologic anergic cells exhibited high basal intracellular free calcium and did not mobilize calcium, initiate tyrosine phosphorylation, proliferate, upregulate activation markers, or mount an immune response upon antigen-receptor stimulation. Autoreactive B cells were overrepresented in this cohort. On the basis of the frequency and lifespan of these cells, it appears that as many as 50% of newly produced B cells are destined to become anergic. In conclusion, our findings indicate that anergy is probably the primary mechanism by which autoreactive B cells are silenced. Thus maintenance of the unresponsiveness of anergic cells is critical for prevention of autoimmunity.
The sensitivity of conditional choice models for hospital care to estimation technique.

Abstract It is plausible that distance, quality, and hospital charges all influence which hospital patients (and their referring physicians) choose. Several researchers have estimated conditional choice models that explicitly incorporate the existence of competing hospitals. To be useful for hospital administrators, health planners and insurers, however, estimates must be made for specific types of patients and include entire market areas. Data sets meeting these requirements have many combinations of hospitals and locations with zero patients. This raises computational difficulties with the linear estimation techniques used previously. In this paper, we use data on patients undergoing cardiac catheterization in several market areas to assess alternative estimation techniques. First, we estimate the conditional choice model with the two techniques used previously to transform the non-linear choice model. These involve using as a reference (1) a single hospital, or (2) the geometric mean of all the hospitals in the market. When there are many zeros, these techniques require extensive adjustments to the data which may lead to biased estimators. We then compare these results with maximum likelihood estimates. The latter results are substantively and significantly different from those using traditional techniques. More importantly, the linear estimates are much more sensitive to the proportion of zeros. We thus conclude that maximum likelihood estimates are preferable when there are many zeros.
Electrophysiological responses of galeal contact chemoreceptors of Apis mellifera to selected sugars and electrolytes

Using conventional electrophysiological methods, the galeal sensilla chaetica of the honey bee, Apis mellifera, responded linearly to the log of solute concentrations of sucrose, glucose, fructose, NaCl, KCl, and LiCl but not to CaCl2 or MgCl2, which failed to give consistent responses. These sensillae had much higher firing rates for sugar than salt solutions; their relative responses to lower concentrations being NaCl < KCl < LiCl ⪡ fructose < glucose ⪡ sucrose. At higher concentrations NaCl < LiCl < KCl ⪡ glucose < fructose ⪡ sucrose. Four different spike types were seen. The first type had the highest amplitude and resulted from sugar stimulation. The second type had a lower height and occurred in the first 30 sec of salt stimulation. A third type with the lowest height appeared with those of the second type after prolonged stimulation with KCl. A fourth type with a high amplitude resulted from mechanical stimulation. The sensilla adapted to sugar solutions linearly to the logarithm of time and non-linearly to the log of salt concentrations. Glucose-fructose mixed-sugar solution effected synergism of response while sucrose solutions caused inhibition when mixed with glucose and/or fructose. Responses of the sensilla to mechanical stimulation showed phasic-tonic characteristics. None of the sensilla tested responded to water.
Linking aerobic fitness, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and the metabolic syndrome.

The incidence of obesity and associated metabolic diseases are on the rise and lifestyle factors including physical inactivity and poor dietary choices are playing a causative role. Concurrently, t...
Implementing affirmative action in higher education: University responses to Gratz and Grutter

In 2003, the Supreme Court handed down two landmark decisions regarding the use of affirmative action in higher education. In one case, Grutter v. Bollinger, the Court said it was constitutional to...
Officer proactivity: A comparison between police field training officers and non-field training officers

Abstract This article examines the behavioral differences between police field training officers (FTOs) and non-FTOs in problem-focused efforts and aggressive preventive patrol. The former refers to officer-initiated security checks and attempts to locate citizens, while the latter includes officer-initiated field interrogations and traffic stops. Data used were collected from Indianapolis, Indiana and St. Petersburg, Florida during the summers of 1996 and 1997. Findings show that FTOs, especially those in St. Petersburg, are more proactive than non-FTOs in attempting to locate suspects and witnesses, but they do not differ in the level of proactivity with respect to security checks, field interrogations, and traffic stops. Implications for future research and policy are discussed.
The Context for Substitutes in CVM Studies: Some Empirical Observations

Abstract The purpose of this paper is to report results from a set of experiments that provide data to test the NOAA [13] Panel recommendation that subjects be reminded of budgetary substitutes when providing values. The results suggest that simply reminding subjects of alternative environmental goods does not affect the distribution of values for a specific good. Such values are affected, however, whenever subjects simultaneously value alternative goods.
Information distortion in a supply chain: the bullwhip effect

(This article originally appeared in Management Science, April 1997, Volume 43, Number 4, pp. 546-558, published by The Institute of Management Sciences.) Consider a series of companies in a supply chain, each of whom orders from its immediate upstream member. In this setting, inbound orders from a downstream member serve as a valuable informational input to upstream production and inventory decisions. This paper claims that the information transferred in the form of "orders" tends to be distorted and can misguide upstream members in their inventory and production decisions. In particular, the variance of orders may be larger than that of sales, and distortion tends to increase as one moves upstream-a phenomenon termed "bullwhip effect." This paper analyzes four sources of the bullwhip effect: demand signal processing, rationing game, order batching, and price variations. Actions that can be taken to mitigate the detrimental impact of this distortion are also discussed.
Ectomycorrhizal fungal community structure of pinyon pines growing in two environmental extremes

We used molecular techniques to examine the ectomycorrhizal fungal com- munity associated with pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) growing in two soil types in a semiarid region of northern Arizona: cinder soils low in nutrients and moisture, and sandy-loam soils with higher moisture and nutrient levels. Pinyon performance (e.g., growth, repro- duction, water stress) has been shown to be markedly lower in cinder than in sandy-loam environments. Fungal community composition and richness were determined using RFLP (restriction fragment length polymorphism) analysis of ectomycorrhizal root tips collected from three sites within each soil type. Several patterns emerged from these analyses. First, communities in both cinder and sandy-loam soils were dominated by one or a few abundant ectomycorrhizal types, a species abundance pattern common to many plant and animal communities. Second, unlike the pattern for many other organisms, ectomycorrhizal fungal type (species) richness was not correlated with measures of ecosystem productivity such as soil nutrient and moisture levels; cinder and sandy-loam soils had similar numbers of ectomycorrhizal fungal types (range of 15-19 fungal types for both soil types). Third, soil type and fungal community com- position were linked, as cluster analysis demonstrated greater similarity of fungal com- munities from sites within soil types than between them. Differential amplification using primers with enhanced specificity for basidiomycetes indicated that an average of 85% of the ectomycorrhiza found at the sandy-loam sites were members of the subphylum Basid- iomycotina, whereas over half (mean 5 52%) of the ectomycorrhiza at the cinder sites were formed by members of other fungal groups, probably the subphylum Ascomycotina. Fourth, a preliminary survey of 14-45 ectomycorrhizal root tips from each of 20 trees at one cinder site indicated that trees were dominated by one or a few ectomycorrhizal RFLP types. However, the same RFLP types did not dominate on all trees, and dominant types showed considerable spatial variation. Fifth, the RFLP patterns of some fungal sporocarps matched those of ectomycorrhizal root tips, but many did not, indicating that many of the ectomycorrhizal fungi at these sites fruit infrequently, whereas other fungi with more abun- dant sporocarps may not form ectomycorrhiza. This emphasizes the need to characterize the ectomycorrhizal communities formed on the plant roots themselves, rather than char- acterization based on sporocarps alone, particularly in arid environments. Finally, the dif- ferences in ectomycorrhizal fungal communities we observed between soil types supported the concept that conserving fungal diversity requires conservation of host plant species over their entire range, not just typical sites. If future studies corroborate these patterns, our results suggest that abiotically stressful environments are important to include in these conservation efforts.
Oxidation of the tetraammineplatinum(II) cation and reduction of trans-dihalotetraammineplatinum(IV) cations at a platinum electrode

Abstract The complexes, trans -Pt(NH 3 ) 4 Br 2 2+ and trans -Pt(NH 3 ) 4 Cl 2 2+ have been electrochemically reduced to Pt(NH 3 ) 4 2+ at a platinum electrode. The electrochemical oxidation of Pt(NH 3 ) 4 2+ at a platinum electrode in aqueous bromide and chloride solutions produced trans -Pt(NH 3 ) 4 Br 2 2+ and trans -Pt(NH 3 ) 4 Cl 2 2+ , respectively. Electrochemical oxidation of Pt(NH 3 ) 4 2+ did not occur in perchlorate, nitrate or fluoride solutions. A mechanism for the electrochemical oxidation has been suggested which is similar to that proposed, for the homogeneous oxidation of Pt(NH 3 ) 4 2+ by haloplatinum(IV) complexes.
Telomere cap components influence the rate of senescence in telomerase-deficient yeast cells.

Cells lacking telomerase undergo senescence, a progressive reduction in cell division that involves a cell cycle delay and culminates in “crisis,” a period when most cells become inviable. In telomerase-deficient Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells lacking components of the nonsense-mediated mRNA decay (NMD) pathway (Upf1,Upf2, or Upf3 proteins), senescence is delayed, with crisis occurring 10 to 25 population doublings later than in Upf cells. Delayed senescence is seen in upf cells lacking the telomerase holoenzyme components Est2p and TLC1 RNA, as well as in cells lacking the telomerase regulators Est1p and Est3p. The delay of senescence in upf cells is not due to an increased rate of survivor formation. Rather, it is caused by alterations in the telomere cap, composed of Cdc13p, Stn1p, and Ten1p. In upf mutants, STN1 and TEN1 levels are increased. Increasing the levels of Stn1p and Ten1p in Upf cells is sufficient to delay senescence. In addition, cdc13-2 mutants exhibit delayed senescence rates similar to those of upf cells. Thus, changes in the telomere cap structure are sufficient to affect the rate of senescence in the absence of telomerase. Furthermore, the NMD pathway affects the rate of senescence in telomerase-deficient cells by altering the stoichiometry of telomere cap components. Telomeres, the chromosome ends, are composed of highly repetitive DNA that is synthesized by telomerase, a specialized reverse transcriptase with an integral RNA template sequence. Both telomeres and telomerase are important determinants of a mitotic clock that regulates the proliferative potential of cells (1). In the absence of telomerase or when telomeres become critically short, cells senesce, exhibiting a progressively slower rate of cell division that involves a cell cycle delay (11, 24). Germ line cells and most somatic stem cells have high levels of telomerase and long telomeres. In most somatic cells, telomerase is inactive and telomere sequences erode at variable rates, depending upon the organism and cell type (18). For example, when primary fibroblasts are cultured, they typically undergo a limited number (50 to 100) of divisions prior to senescence and eventual death of almost all cells in the culture. This point of maximal cell death is termed “crisis.” Rare cells that survive crisis and become immortalized, including the majority of cancer cell types and the rare cultured cells that do not senesce, usually have high levels of telomerase activity (20). Furthermore, expression of the catalytic subunit of telomerase is sufficient to immortalize several different cell types in culture (2, 26, 51, 52), indicating that the lack of telomerase activity in somatic cells limits the proliferative potential of those cells. In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, telomerase is composed of Est2p (32) and TLC1, the telomerase template RNA (44). Deletion of either EST2 or TLC1 causes a progressive
Teaching Creativity: Current Findings, Trends, and Controversies in the Psychology of Creativity

In the past decade, the psychological study of creativity has accelerated greatly. To facilitate the teaching of creativity, I provide an overview of the recent literature. The overview begins by d...
Short and Long-Term Leaching Behavior of a Low-Calcium Fly Ash and Cement-Stabilized Fly Ash

Low-calcium fly ashes from eastern Pennsylvania power plants, stabilized with Portland cement, have a potential application as a pipeline bedding material. A typical fly ash, and a cement-stabilized material made with this fly ash, were subjected to extensive physical and chemical characterization. Two procedures were used to investigate whether leachates from the bedding materials were nonhazardous according to the criteria of the regulatory agencies. The first was the short-term EPA test, used to define a hazardous waste under the RCRA regulations, and the second was a long-term flow-through test developed at MRL/PSU. In the second test, driving pressure, flow rate and permeability were monitored during the experiment. Calculations showed that this flow-through technique simulates rain water percolation in a similar sized bed for about 25 years. The leaching fluids in both methods were deionized water (EPA procedure) and simulated rain water. Analyses for seventeen metals by DC plasma emission spectrometry and for seven anions by ion chromatography were performed. Concentrations of the leachates from the two procedures were well below the levels that define a hazardous waste. Considerable insight into the long term leaching mechanisms of various elements was obtained from the flow-through experiments.
Pulse Emissions of Carbon Dioxide during Snowmelt at a High-Elevation Site in Northern Arizona, U.S.A.

Abstract The paradigm that winter is a dormant period of soil biogeochemical activity in high elevation or high latitude ecosystems has been amply refuted by recent research. Carbon dioxide (CO2) released from cold or snow-covered soil is a substantial component of total annual ecosystem carbon fluxes. Recent investigations have shown that the late-winter/early-spring transition is a period of high biogeochemical activity. However, little is known about the temporal dynamics of CO2 from the snowpack itself during periods of snowmelt. We present a case study of three snowmelt events at a high-elevation site in northern Arizona during which we measured changes in CO2 concentrations and fluxes above the snow and within the soil profile, and characterized the soil physical environment and site meteorological variables. We show that large pulses of CO2 were emitted to the atmosphere during snowmelt, and we present evidence that these pulses came from CO2 stored in snowpack. Earlier and more frequent snowmelts ...
Rhetoric for Realism in Psychology

Greenwood's (1992) selection of arguments may be understood as being targeted at experimental psychologists. These arguments focus on empiricism's denial of meaningful theory, constructionism's denial of objectivity, and realism's avoidance of both, while allowing satisfactory insight into the social realm. I approve of Greenwood's approach, both its logic and its rhetoric, but I suggest some refinements. Greater attention to empiricist objections to realism, a different interpretation of the theory-ladenness of observations, and a firmer attack on the relativistic aspects of constructionism would make for a stronger argument.
Comparison of Novel Chlorine, Bromine and Iodine Plasma Chemistries for Anisotropic Trench Etching In GaN, InN and Ain

Anisotropic pattern transfer has been performed for GaN, InN and AIN in Cl2/Ar, BI3/Ar and BBr3/Ar Inductively Coupled Plasmas(ICP). Controlled etch rates in the range of 500–1500A·min−1 are obtained for III-nitride materials in Cl2/Ar chemistry. Etch selectivities of 100:1 were achieved for InN over both GaN and AIN in the BI3 mixtures, while for BBr3 discharges values of 100:1 for InN over AIN and 25:1 for InN over GaN were measured.
Rule-based tuning for control of flexible-link manipulators

The authors summarize work on a two-level hierarchical control strategy to achieve accurate end-point position of a planar two-link flexible manipulator. The upper level in the hierarchy consists of a feedforward supervisory controller that incorporates fuzzy logic, whereas the lower level consists of conventional controllers using shaft and endpoint information. This hierarchical control strategy results in an improvement over the performance of current techniques for endpoint position control in the presence of flexure effects. >
Stent treatment for coarctation of the aorta: intermediate term follow up and technical considerations

Objective—To report the initial and intermediate term results of stent implantation in children with coarctation of the aorta. Patients and design—17 patients with coarctation of the aorta underwent stent implantation (median age 11 years, range 0.4‐15 years); six were treated for isolated coarctation, nine for recurrent coarctation (five after surgical repair and four after balloon dilatation), and two for complex long segment coarctation. Interventions—The procedure was guided by a second catheter placed transseptally in the left ventricle or the aorta proximal to the coarctation site, for angiographic and haemodynamic monitoring during the procedure. Twenty two stents were implanted in 17 patients. One of the patients with long segment coarctation received four stents and the other three. Palmaz 4014 stents were placed in 11 patients, Palmaz 308 in five, and Palmaz 154 in one. Results—Immediately after stent implantation the peak systolic gradient (mean (SD)) fell from 50.0 (24.5) to 2.1 (2.4) mm Hg (p < 0.05). The diameter of the stenotic lesion increased from 5.1 (1.5) mm to 13.9 (2.4) mm (p < 0.05). There were no deaths or procedure related complications. At a median follow up of 33 months, no cases of recoarctation were identified, either clinically (0/17; 0%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0% to 19%) or angiographically (0/13; 0%, 95% CI 0% to 25%). Conclusions—Stent implantation for the treatment of coarctation of the aorta appears to have very low morbidity and mortality, and reasonable intermediate term results. Long term freedom from recoarctation using this method remains to be determined in comparison with simple balloon dilatation. (Heart 2000;84:65‐70)
Reducing the growing burden of cardiovascular disease in the developing world

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) has become the number-one cause of death in the developing world. This epidemic has the potential to place a large social and economic burden on developing countries, where CVD tends to strike those in their prime working years. Since resources for managing CVD are limited, it is important that interventions be guided by cost-effectiveness results for low- and middle-income countries. Despite the burden, cost-effective strategies exist at the population and individual levels for reducing CVD. Integral to all personal intervention strategies is an adequate assessment of the underlying risk of disease.
Modeling of Subsidence and Reservoir Compaction under Waterflood Operations

A full-field, three-dimensional (3D) computer model has been developed to numerically simulate reservoir compaction and surface subsidence for a weak, water-sensitive, hydrocarbon reservoir during field-wide water-injection operations. The developed model was used for modeling the compaction and subsidence processes under waterflood operations at the Ekofisk Field in the North Sea. The model was thoroughly validated through the comparison of model results to extensive field measurements with good agreement being achieved. The validated model has been successfully employed as a tool to forecast subsidence and to assist in the development of a subsidence risk assessment. For practical field applications, important quantitative information, that includes reservoir compaction, seafloor subsidence, and seafloor horizontal movement, may be generated from the full-field, 3D model and is presented in this paper.
A modified 'paddle-flap' for reconstruction of a large pharyngo-cutaneous fistula and anterior neck defect. Another tool in the anterolateral thigh's box.

Summary A great deal has been written on the versatility of the anterolateral thigh flap in reconstructive head and neck surgery. We present a modification to the ‘paddle flap' (Agarwal et al, 2006), which extends its potential further in the reconstruction of combined pharyngoesophageal and anterior neck defects
American youth consumption of licit and illicit substances

Using a representative sample of the 2001 National School-based Youth Risk Behavior Survey, this study investigated the contemporaneous and intertemporal relationship between the use of licit and illicit substances by American youth between the ages 12 and 18. The results indicated a strong contemporaneous relationship between smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol, smoking marijuana, and using cocaine. The results supported the gateway hypothesis indicating that prior smoking of cigarettes is significantly associated with the probability of current marijuana and cocaine use, as prior drinking of alcohol is significantly associated with the probability of current marijuana and cocaine use. The results also showed that males had a higher probability of using cocaine than females, whereas black students had a higher probability of smoking marijuana and using cocaine than white students. Age and race were associated with marijuana and cocaine use, but cocaine use was further linked with the factors of gender, region, and metropolitan area. These findings could have implications for public policies regarding prevention.
An improved method of region grouping for microcalcification detection in digital mammograms.

A very important issue, namely region grouping, in computer-assisted diagnostic detection of microcalcification clusters (MCC) in digital mammograms is addressed in this work. In the diagnosis of breast cancer, MCC, instead of single and isolated microcalcifications, are considered clinically significant. Grouping individual regions segmented from digital mammograms, therefore, should be a component in an automatic MCC detection system. Actually this component may concern several system modules, such as segmentation, feature extraction, performance estimation aiming at both algorithm optimization and consistent evaluation and ultimately computerized malignancy estimation of calcified lesions. The previous work in the literature used a kernel-based method for region grouping. We proposed a distance-based and dense-to-sparse grouping method. The grouping result should be independent of the size, shape and orientation of real clusters. The application, namely cluster-oriented analysis including an adaptive segmentation method and cluster level feature extraction scheme, is discussed. A preliminary study was performed on a set of 30 full mammograms at 60 μm resolution, containing 40 MCC. The introduction of the cluster level feature extraction and a simple rule-based method reduces false positives from 7.1 to 2.4 per image at the sensitivity of 92.5%. This grouping method provides a solid basis for effective feature extraction-analysis and candidate cluster classification.
Hard Times for Who? Passing Violence Against Women Legislation in Nigeria

Why does violence against women (VAW) policy adoption vary among Nigeria’s 36 states and between its federal and state governments? I argue that the women’s movement, international connections, and support of political elites are key to explaining policy variation. Various VAW bills. forty-three in total, have passed among Nigeria’s states; several bills have been proposed and two passed at the federal level. Using quantitative and qualitative methods, this case study of the largest populated nation in Africa examines the dynamics of adopting VAW laws at both the state and federal levels; studying both levels can help explain barriers and opportunities to passing laws, offering practical strategies to the Nigerian women’s movement. Variation among states can show which factors prove more favorable to policy adoption. Focusing on VAW highlights nuances that a general study on women’s rights may not illuminate. Nigeria is an important case study to analyze the growth of women’s rights where military governments recently transitioned to democracy, and this study can elucidate policy variation in tripartite legal systems (customary, religious, and civil law systems).
Effects of Perfluorodecalin and Perfluorooctylbromide Emulsions on Peak Contractile Force and ATP Levels in the Guinea PIG Left Atrium

The isolated, electrically-driven, guinea pig left atrium was used to study the ability of two perfluorocarbon emulsions to prevent anaerobic hypofunction in the myocardium. A 20% perfluorodecalin (PFD) emulsion maintained peak tension at 80% of aerated levels for more than 20 minutes. Emulsions of perfluorooctylbromide (PFOB) ranging from 25 to 100% produced a similar result, except that the 25% emulsion could not maintain contractions for the entire time period. Peak tension of atria bathed in K-H solution decreased to less than 50% over the same time period. Both 20% PFD and 100% PFOB maintained myocardial ATP levels at pre-hypoxic levels for at least twenty minutes after aeration was terminated. Unaerated atria, bathed in Krebs-Henseleit solution only, exhibited a significant decline in tissue ATP levels at this time. It appears that perfluorocarbon emulsions may delay oxygen desaturation and thereby protect cardiac tissue from ATP depletion and impaired cardiac function associated with hypoxia. This ...
Liveness enforcing supervision for resource allocation systems with forbidden states and uncontrollable events

Although liveness enforcing supervision (LES) of sequential resource allocation systems (RAS) is currently a well-established problem in the discrete event system literature, all prior work on it has addressed the underlying LES synthesis problem under the assumption that the system event set is totally controllable. The first part of this work. seeks to relax the controllability assumption, by developing correct and scaleable LES for RAS in which some of the requested resource allocations are uncontrollable. The second part of the presented work addresses the accommodation in the original LES synthesis problem of additional logical constraints, that constitute "forbidden state" specifications and possess a linear characterization with respect to the system resource allocation state. Both problems are addressed in the context of conjunctive/disjunctive-RAS, that constitutes one of the broadest RAS classes investigated in the literature, allowing for arbitrarily structured resource allocations associated with the various process stages, and process routing flexibility.
Metabotropic Signal Transduction for Bradykinin in Submucosal Neurons of Guinea Pig Small Intestine

Intracellular recording methods with “sharp” microelectrodes were used to study signal transduction mechanisms underlying the excitatory action of bradykinin (BK) in morphologically identified neurons in the small intestinal submucosal plexus. Exposure to BK evoked slowly activating membrane depolarization and enhanced excitability associated with increased input resistance in AH-type and decreased input resistance in S-type neurons. Preincubation with pertussis toxin did not affect the BK-evoked responses. Pretreatment with the cyclooxygenase inhibitors indomethacin or piroxicam suppressed or abolished the BK-evoked responses. Application of prostaglandin (PG) E 2 or PG analogs evoked BK-like depolarizing responses in the submucosal plexus with a potency order of PGE 2 > PGE 1 > 17-phenyl trinor-PGE 2 > PGI 2 > sulprostone > PGF 2α . Depolarizing responses to bradykinin or PGE 2 in S-type neurons were suppressed in the presence of the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122 [(1-6-[([17β]-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5[10]-tren-17-71)amino]hexyl)-1 H -pyrrole-2,5-dione)], but not the inactive analog U73343 [(1-6-[([17β]-3-methoxyestra-1,3,5[10]trien-17yl)amino]hexyl)-2,5-pyrrolidinedione)]. The inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate receptor antagonist 2-aminoethoxy-diphenylborane and the calmodulin inhibitor W-7, but not ryanodine, suppressed both bradykinin- and PGE 2 -evoked responses. KN-62, an inhibitor of calmodulin kinases, or GF109203X, a specific protein kinase C inhibitor, suppressed both BK- and PGE 2 -evoked depolarizing responses. Selective protein kinase A inhibitors did not alter BK- or PGE 2 -evoked depolarizing responses in S neurons. The results suggest that BK stimulates synthesis and release of PGE 2 , which acts at EP 1 receptors to evoke depolarizing responses in submucosal neurons. The postreceptor transduction cascade includes activation of phospholipase C, inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate production, intraneuronal Ca 2+ mobilization, activation of protein kinase C and/or calmodulin kinases, and phosphorylation of cationic channels.
Late Feyerabend on materialism, mysticism, and religion

Feyerabend's interests in religion and mysticism grew through his career. In his later writings, Feyerabend's numerous critiques of scientific materialism are often accompanied by purported advantages of religious orientations and temperaments. These recommendations do not simply follow from his tolerant theoretical pluralism; they are more positive attempts to articulate distinctive aspects of human life satisfied by religion, but not by scientific materialism. Elevating the human need for mystery, reverence, and love, he contrasts these goods with the deliverances of monistic conceptions of science and reason. I bring attention to some of the common themes in these remarks to argue that they were integral with other parts of his philosophical project and that they could serve as helpful rejoinders to contemporary exhortations to science-based secularism from philosophers of science.
Primary School Education

In the primary grades, children aged approximately 5–8 are oriented to schooling and taught basic knowledge and skills. As theory and research on child development have shifted from generic Piagetian stages, to Vygotskian sociocultural learning models and studies of learning in domain-specific knowledge structures, ideas about children's learning capacities have become more optimistic and readiness has become attributed more to domain-specific experience and developed knowledge than to maturation of generic cognitive capacities. Even so, it remains true that young learners have limited capacities and special needs. It appears that generic stage-oriented models of developmentally appropriate practice underestimate children's capacities for learning from instruction in preplanned curricula, but that discipline-driven models of subject-matter teaching in the primary grades overestimate what children are capable of learning with understanding.
Oscillatory lower body negative pressure impairs task related functional hyperemia in healthy volunteers

Oscillatory cerebral blood flow is associated with reduced functional hyperemia and neurovascular coupling in postural tachycardia syndrome. Evoked by central hypovolemia, it may interfere with neu...
Effects of Shock-Tube Cleanliness on Slender-Body Hypersonic Instability and Transition Studies at High Enthalpy

A series of slender-body hypervelocity boundary-layer instability and transition experiments were performed in the Caltech T5 Reflected-Shock Tunnel. During this campaign, it became clear that the condition of the T5 shock tube would significantly affect the consistency of the instability and transition measurements; a regimen of cleaning was iterated on until satisfactory repeatability was achieved. In this work, a description of the cleaning regimen is given. Additionally, boundary-layer instability measurements and a statistical analysis of the boundary-layer transition scatter are presented for experiments before and after cleaning regimen implementation.