cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Distinguishability of liquid environments in the presence of brownian noise

This paper extends previous work on the dynamic averaging of distinct liquid environments by cage exchange to include potential energy fluctuations at the cage centers due to Brownian motions of molecules in the cage walls. After a brief review of the effect of cage exchange on the Schrodinger wave train associated with the electronic ground state of the caged molecule, typical magnitudes and time-scales for the Brownian potential energy fluctuations are estimated. Then a zig-zag model for the resulting noise in the wave trains is developed, and applied to analyze distinguishability in the presence of noisy cage exchange. When distinguishability survives the noise, the distinct caged species are fully fledged environmental isomers. Applications of these concepts are discussed.
Update on osteoporosis in elderly men.

Abstract Most nurses believe that osteoporosis is a problem of elderly women. Although the disease does occur primarily in women, aging men also are at risk. In fact, osteoporosis in elderly men typically causes greater morbidity and earlier mortality. Currently, no pharmacologic agents have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration to prevent or treat osteoporosis in this population. Several small clinical trials have been conducted in Europe, and several others are in progress in the United States. Geriatric nurses need to be aware of the risk of osteoporosis in elderly men and provide early counseling and prevention strategies. (Geriatr Nurs 2000;21:242-4)
Parasite resistance and genetic variation in the endangered Gila topminnow

In recent years, it has become apparent that introduced or novel pathogens or parasites may have a significant negative impact on endangered species. Here we examine experimentally the effect of an exotic fluke from guppies on the endangered Gila topminnow. Populations from different sources showed variable responses (although statistically non-significant) to the fluke and, in particular, the most homozygous population had high fluke infections and high subsequent mortality. Homozygotes for a MHC (major histocompatibility complex) gene had lower (although statistically non-significant) survival when infected with flukes than did heterozygotes. An inbred line from one of the populations had statistically significant lower survival and higher fluke infection than did a simultaneous outbred control. Overall, Gila topminnows appear quite susceptible to infection by the non-native fluke compared to other related species. In addition, it was shown that Gila topminnows can be infected by casual contact with infected guppies. This is another example of the potential detrimental effects of a parasite on an endangered species, a threat that may constitute a particular problem for species with low genetic variation, either in general, for important MHC genes, or for populations with a past history of inbreeding.
Do Reactions of Adaptation to Disability Influence the Fluctuation of Future Time Orientation Among Individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries

Rehabilitation counseling involves the construction of vocational goals, which involves future-oriented thinking. Yet, research indicates that time orientations may change after the experience of a...
CHILDREN'S CAUSAL ASCRIPTIONS FOR POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE INTERPERSONAL OUTCOMES

This experiment assessed how children of high and low social status in the classroom attributed the causes of positive and negative interpersonal outcomes for themselves and others. 80 fourth, fifth, and sixth grade children (n = 40 males and 40 females) were classified as high or low social status using a sociometric technique. Subjects were asked to attribute the causes of 24 written descriptions of positive and negative interpersonal outcomes. Children of high status tended to attribute the causes of positive outcomes internally and negative ones externally, while lows were more external for positive and internal for negative outcomes. Children of high status tended to view the causes of their own and another's behavior for positive outcomes congruently, whereas lows acted according to the Jones and Nisbett (1971) actor-observer bias. Implications were made for the cognitive correlates of social interaction.
The temporal response of the friction coefficient of articular cartilage depends on the contact area.

Abstract The hypothesis of this study is that the time constant for the transient increase in friction coefficient of articular cartilage under a constant load is proportional to the size of the contact area, as predicated by the dependence of the frictional response on interstitial fluid pressurization. This hypothesis is verified experimentally from measurements of the frictional response of bovine articular cartilage disks of three different diameters (4, 6 and 8 mm) against glass. At two different applied stresses (0.127 and 0.254 MPa), the coefficient of determination of a linear regression of the time constant versus the contact area yielded R 2 =0.892 and R 2 =0.979 ( p
On the stability of the A matrix inside the unit circle

In this short paper several theorems related to the necessary and sufficient conditions for the characteristic roots (eigenvalues) of a matrix A to lie inside the unit circle are presented. In particular, the following conditions are proved. 1) Linear combinations b i of the coefficients of λiin
The Histone Chaperone Nap1 Promotes Nucleosome Assembly by Eliminating Nonnucleosomal Histone DNA Interactions

The organization of the eukaryotic genome into nucleosomes dramatically affects the regulation of gene expression. The delicate balance between transcription and DNA compaction relies heavily on nucleosome dynamics. Surprisingly, little is known about the free energy required to assemble these large macromolecular complexes and maintain them under physiological conditions. Here, we describe the thermodynamic parameters that drive nucleosome formation in vitro. To demonstrate the versatility of our approach, we test the effect of DNA sequence and H3K56 acetylation on nucleosome thermodynamics. Furthermore, our studies reveal the mechanism of action of the histone chaperone nucleosome assembly protein 1 (Nap1). We present evidence for a paradigm in which nucleosome assembly requires the elimination of competing, nonnucleosomal histone-DNA interactions by Nap1. This observation is confirmed in vivo, wherein deletion of the NAP1 gene in yeast results in a significant increase in atypical histone-DNA complexes, as well as in deregulated transcription activation and repression.
The Effect of Logic Operations on Fuzzy Logic Distributions

The variables in a fuzzy logic system may be assigned any truth value in the closed interval [0,1]. Assuming independent logic value assignments with known probability distributions, the effects of subsequent logic operations are examined.
Stress‐ and field‐induced dichroism of the vibrational absorption of OH− Molecules in alkali halides

This paper presents experimental data about the absorption band of the stretching vibration of OH− in RbCl, KBr, and KCl, and about the field- and stress-induced dichroism of this band at low temperatures. For small concentrations (NOH < 10−4) the spectrum was found to consist of a single band with a halfwidth ≦ 0.1 cm−1 (LHeT). The experiments about the dichroism clearly indicate that for RbCl and KBr the molecule axis of the OH− is pointing along 〈100〉. For OH− in KCl the results are more complicated and cannot be explained completely. However, the general model of a 〈100〉 dipole seems to hold also for this system. In dieser Arbeit werden Mesergebnisse uber die Hauptschwingungsabsorptionsbande des OH−-Zentrums in RbCl, KBr und KCl mitgeteilt. Auserdem wird uber den durch elektrische Felder und einachsialen Druck induzierten Dichroismus dieser Bande berichtet. Das Spektrum besteht fur kleine Konzentrationen (NOH < 10−4) aus einer einzelnen Bande mit einer Halbwertsbreite HW ≦ 0,1 cm−1 (LHeT). Aus den Experimenten uber den Dichroismus folgt, das die Molekulachse des OH−-Zentrums in RbCl und KBr in einer 〈100〉-Richtung liegt. Die Ergebnisse fur OH− in KCl sind komplizierter und nicht vollig verstandlich. Das generelle Modell eines 〈100〉-Dipols scheint aber auch fur dieses System zuzutreffen.
Smoothness of kobayashi metric of ellipsoids

Lempert proved that the Kobayashi metric and the Caratheodory metric of smooth strongly convex domains are smooth away from the zero section of the holomorphic tangent bundle. We will show that if the strong convexity is replaced by the weaker condition of strict convexity the above smoothness result is no longer valid even if the boundary is real analytic. We study the smoothness of the Kobayashi metric of ellipsoids. We prove that the Kobayashi metric of domains of the form , where m≥3/2, is piecewise C 3 off the zero section, but not C 3.
Effects of Ca2+ and Mg2+ upon amino acid transport in rat renal cortex slices.

Abstract 1. 1. The roles of Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ in the transport of amino acids were examined in rat kidney cortex slices in vitro . The absence of either Ca 2+ or Mg 2+ from the incubation fluid was associated with increased inulin space and slightly decreased K + content of the slices although no significant alterations of total tissue water nor Na + content were noted. Decreased net accumulation of glycine, cycloleucine and α-aminoisobutyric acid were found upon removal of either divalent cation from the incubation fluid with no corresponding effects upon efflux from prelabeled tissues. No effects of divalent cations were noted upon lysine transport. 2. 2. It is concluded that Ca 2+ and Mg 2+ have critical roles in the transport of amino acids in rat cortical slices which are related to an active pump mechanism.
Fiber Type–Specific Differences in Glucose Uptake by Single Fibers From Skeletal Muscles of 9- and 25-Month-Old Rats

The primary purpose of this study was to assess the feasibility of applying a novel approach to measure myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoform expression, glucose uptake, fiber volume, and protein abundance in single muscle fibers of adult (9 months) and old (25 months) rats. Epitrochlearis muscle fibers were successfully isolated and analyzed for MHC isoform expression, glucose uptake, fiber volume, and protein (COXIV, APPL1, IκB-β) abundance. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake by single fibers did not differ between age groups, but there was a significant difference between fiber types (IIA > IIX > IIB/X ≈ IIB). There were also significant main effects of fiber type on APPL1 (IIX > IIB) and COXIV (IIA > IIX > IIB/X ≈ IIB) abundance, and IIB fibers were significantly larger than IIA fibers. This study established the feasibility of a new approach for assessing age-related differences in muscle at the single-fiber level and demonstrated the magnitude and rank order for fiber-type differences in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake of 9-month-old and 25-month-old rats.
Rapid quantitation of 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazones of plasma ketosteroids by thin layer densitometry

Abstract A double beam absorbance spectrodensitometer is used for the quantitation of DHEA, androsterone and etiocholanolone from about 2 ml plasma. After solvolysis, purification and formation of the 2,4-dinitrophenylhydra-zone, DHEA can be estimated directly on the thin layer plate without elution. The proper determination of androsterone and etiocholanolone requires elution and rechromatography on a second plate. The whole procedure can be performed in an 8-hour workday.
The mechanism of chiasma maintenance. A study based upon behaviour of acentric fragments produced by crossovers in heterozygous paracentric inversions.

Predictions of associations among bridge and fragment elements (produced by the various crossover classes in cells heterozygous for paracentric inversions) differ for three models for the mechanism of chiasma maintenance until anaphase I. These models are: 1) that structural binding may be installed at the positions of crossover sites; 2) that telomeres may replicate or become effectively double very late (anaphase I); and 3) that generalized and persistent sister chromatid cohesiveness may exist. Results of detailed observations in maize microsporocytes from plants heterozygous for three different inversions are not readily explained by the first two models but are consistent with the third model.
CYCLIC AMP SUPPRESSES COLLAGEN SYNTHESIS BY HUMAN INTESTINAL SMOOTH MUSCLE (HISM) CELLS

HISM cell collagen production appears to play a major role in the pathogenesis of intestinal strictures in Crohn's disease. HISM cells in culture produce large amounts of collagen in the presence of fetal bovine serum (FBS). To determine the role of cAMP in the regulation of this collagen production, HISM cells were isolated from normal human jejunum, grown in culture and exposed to cholera toxin (CT, 10 ng/ml), isobutylmethylxanthine (IBMX, 0.16 mM) and CT + IBMX for 48 hours. Collagen synthesis was determined by the incorporation of 3H proline into collagenase-sensitive protein. CT and IBMX caused significant reductions in collagen synthesis and non-collagen protein synthesis (NCP). The inhibitory effects of CT and IBMX alone were selective for collagen as evidenced by significant reductions in relative collagen synthesis (RCS). CT, IBMX and CT + IBMX caused a 3.5, 3 and 33 fold increase in HISM cell cAMP levels respectively. Increased cAMP levels down-regulate collagen synthesis by HISM cells. This response is most selective for collagen synthesis with smaller elevations in CAMP. Supported by NIH grants AMO7718, AM34151 and the N.F.I.C.
Internal Scheduling and Memory Contention

It has been suggested that the algorithm used to schedule those processes active and in main memory can have an effect on memory contention. We create models for memory contention in a system that uses global LRU replacement and either round robin or priority internal scheduling. Parameters to our model include the ratio of secondary storage to primary storage access times, thus allowing consideration of a variety of storage technologies. The round robin quantum size is included and is shown to have some effect. Our model uses LRU miss ratio curves and thus reflects actual program characteristics. Trace driven simulations are used to verify the accuracy of the models. We find that in most cases internal scheduling has only a small effect on page fault rates and CPU utilization. In certain cases, however priority scheduling is found to besignificant in relieving thrashing.
Normal Crimes at Penn State

The child sexual molestation scandal at Penn State University reveals important distinctions between “normal crimes” and scandals, with the latter providing evidence of institutional or leadership corruption. The usual attempts at institutional containment of scandal prove difficult or impossible when narratives of fear are joined to significant cultural symbols, like children.
A Perspective on the Neurobiology of Language

This paper provides a perspective on current issues and challenges in the investigation of the neurobiology of language. It is proposed that the speech/language deficits of aphasic patients reflect impairments in the processing components involved in accessing language. More specifically, it is hypothesized that many of these deficits result from changes in the activation level of word candidates in the lexicon. Because word recognition and lexical access processes are crucially involved in virtually all aspects of language processing, such an impairment has repercussions throughout the components of the linguistic grammar. It is suggested that the intersection of such language behaviors with the identification of underlying neural systems will define future research directions. Methodological and technological issues are discussed as they impact on current and future research.
Behavioral effects of chronic exposure to selective D-1 and D-2 dopamine receptor agonists.

Abstract Chronic treatment with the selective D-1 agonist SKF 38393 induced behavioral supersensitivity (increased stereotypy and decreased locomotor activity) in response to apomorphine. In contrast, chronic treatment with the selective D-2 agonist LY 171555 resulted in a subsensitive behavioral response to apomorphine challenge. Chronic treatment with the combination of these drugs augmented apomorphine-induced stereotypic behaviors, but these were different in nature from those observed in animals treated with SKF 38393 alone. Chronic SKF 38393 treatment resulted in an enhanced behavioral response to SKF 38393 itself. Behavioral response to LY 171555 was affected only by chronic treatment with the combination of selective agonists. These results suggest that chronic D-1 receptor stimulation may be necessary and sufficient for the development of dopamine agonist-induced behavioral sensitization in the intact rat; the mechanism may involve increased sensitivity of D-1 receptor-associated mechanisms. Chronic D-2 receptor stimulation appears to have the opposite effect. These results also provide evidence that a synergistic interaction between receptor subtypes may underlie certain behavioral effects of chronic agonist exposure.
Monte Carlo studies of the relaxation of vector end-to-end length in random-coil polymer chains.

The effects of excluded volume interactions upon the dynamical behavior of random‐coil polymer chains are studied by obtaining autocorrelation functions for vector end‐to‐end length of lattice‐model chains of 9, 15, 33, and 63 beads by a Monte Carlo simulation technique. It is found that relaxation of the vector end‐to‐end length requires from 4 to 7 times as long as relaxation of its square, in contrast to the predictions of simple models without excluded volume effects.
IDENTIFICATION OF IMPORTANT PRODUCTION VARIABLES AFFECTING HARD PRETZEL QUALITY

The objective of this study was to determine the importance of raw material and processing variables that influence pretzel quality by utilizing a screening experiment design. Eleven variables were selected based on preliminary experiments, and a two-level-11-factor (2 11 ) fractional factorial experimental design was used to screen the variables. Several responses were measured for dough before and after extrusion, for half-baked and fully baked pretzels. These responses are important indicators of consistency and quality during pretzel processing. Results indicated that flour protein content, the amount of water added to make dough and dough mixing time were important variables influencing dough behavior. Caustic concentration affected brightness of half-baked pretzels but did not influence the color of the final product. Baking time was the most important factor for both half-baked product and final product qualities. The hardness of fully baked pretzels was influenced by baking time, temperature in baking oven zone 1, drying time and drying temperature. The color of final products was significantly influenced by baking time, while both baking time and drying temperature affected the moisture content of the final product. A key observation was that none of the raw material or dough processing parameters, within the range tested, influenced final pretzel quality as defined by pretzel moisture content, hardness or color.
MICROSPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF CYTOCHROMES IN THE SINGLE CELL AT ROOM AND LIQUID NITROGEN TEMPERATURES.

By increasing further the sensitivity of microspectrophotometry, it is now possible to measure, under favorable conditions, the smaller absorption bands of the respiratory pigments of single cells in the visible region of the spectrum. A considerable aid in the distinction between cytochromes is afforded by liquid nitrogen microspectrophotometry. Under favorable conditions, the height of the peaks is increased over 8-fold at low temperatures. In diploid yeast, characteristically sharpened components not resolvable at room temperature are observed at low temperature; and in pentaploid yeast, a hitherto unrecognized pigment is observed at 583 mµ. These preliminary results indicate the feasibility and the value of low temperature microspectrophotometry of biological materials.
Drug use and risk among youth in different rural contexts

This study compared levels of drug use and risk and protective factors among 18,767 adolescent youths from communities of less than 50,000 in population living either on farms, in the country but not on farms, or in towns. Current alcohol use, smokeless tobacco use, inhalant use, and other illicit drug use were more prevalent among high school-aged youths living on farms than among those living in towns. Prevalence of drug use did not significantly vary across youths living in different residential contexts among middle school youths. While risk and protective factors showed associations of similar magnitude with drug use across residential location, high school students living on farms were exposed to greater numbers of risk factors across multiple domains than were students living in towns. The findings suggest that outreach to farm-dwelling youths may be particularly important for interventions seeking to prevent adolescent drug use in rural settings.
Ambient Use-Condition Models for Reliability Assessment

We describe methods of computing reliability acceleration for realistic temperature/humidity use-condition models. We extract outdoor temperature/humidity models based on NOAA [1] data, and indoor and automotive interior models by using the NOAA data combined with additional data which characterizes thermal and human behavior (thermostat settings). We compare predictions of these models with traditional reliability assessments, and provide useful models to represent the results.
Meta-analysis of age-related gene expression profiles identifies common signatures of aging

Motivation: Numerous microarray studies of aging have been conducted, yet given the noisy nature of gene expression changes with age, elucidating the transcriptional features of aging and how these relate to physiological, biochemical and pathological changes remains a critical problem. Results: We performed a meta-analysis of age-related gene expression profiles using 27 datasets from mice, rats and humans. Our results reveal several common signatures of aging, including 56 genes consistently overexpressed with age, the most significant of which was APOD, and 17 genes underexpressed with age. We characterized the biological processes associated with these signatures and found that age-related gene expression changes most notably involve an overexpression of inflammation and immune response genes and of genes associated with the lysosome. An underexpression of collagen genes and of genes associated with energy metabolism, particularly mitochondrial genes, as well as alterations in the expression of genes related to apoptosis, cell cycle and cellular senescence biomarkers, were also observed. By employing a new method that emphasizes sensitivity, our work further reveals previously unknown transcriptional changes with age in many genes, processes and functions. We suggest these molecular signatures reflect a combination of degenerative processes but also transcriptional responses to the process of aging. Overall, our results help to understand how transcriptional changes relate to the process of aging and could serve as targets for future studies. Availability: http://genomics.senescence.info/uarrays/signatures.html Contact: jp@senescence.info Supplementary information:Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Comparing ensembles of learners: detecting prostate cancer from high resolution MRI

While learning ensembles have been widely used for various pattern recognition tasks, surprisingly, they have found limited application in problems related to medical image analysis and computer-aided diagnosis (CAD). In this paper we investigate the performance of several state-of-the-art machine-learning methods on a CAD method for detecting prostatic adenocarcinoma from high resolution (4 Tesla) ex vivo MRI studies. A total of 14 different feature ensemble methods from 4 different families of ensemble methods were compared: Bayesian learning, Boosting, Bagging, and the k-Nearest Neighbor (kNN) classifier. Quantitative comparison of the methods was done on a total of 33 2D sections obtained from 5 different 3D MRI prostate studies. The tumor ground truth was determined on histologic sections and the regions manually mapped onto the corresponding individual MRI slices. All methods considered were found to be robust to changes in parameter settings and showed significantly less classification variability compared to inter-observer agreement among 5 experts. The kNN classifier was the best in terms of accuracy and ease of training, thus validating the principle of Occam's Razor. The success of a simple non-parametric classifier requiring minimal training is significant for medical image analysis applications where large amounts of training data are usually unavailable.
Software engineering is a value-based contact sport

The theory that most current students get covers may be 15 percent of the activities they encounter in practice. Most of it is based on a model of software engineering as a set-piece job of deriving and verifying code from a static set of requirements. This was a good model in the 1970s, but it is way out of date now. We should try to educate them for the software engineering situations they will encounter in the future.
Torsin A and Its Torsion Dystonia-associated Mutant Forms Are Lumenal Glycoproteins That Exhibit Distinct Subcellular Localizations *

Early-onset torsion dystonia is an autosomal dominant hyperkinetic movement disorder that has recently been linked to a 3-base pair deletion in the DYT1 gene. The DYT1 gene encodes a 332-amino acid protein, torsin A, that bears low but significant homology to the Hsp100/Clp family of ATPase chaperones. The deletion in DYT1 associated with torsion dystonia results in the loss of one of a pair of glutamic acid residues residing near the C terminus of torsin A (DeltaE-torsin A). At present, little is known about the expression, subcellular distribution, and/or function of either the torsin A or DeltaE-torsin A protein. When transfected into mammalian cells, both torsin A and DeltaE-torsin A were found to behave as lumenally oriented glycoproteins. Immunofluorescence studies revealed that torsin A localized to a diffuse network of intracellular membranes displaying significant co-immunoreactivity for the endoplasmic reticulum resident protein BiP, whereas DeltaE-torsin A resided in large spheroid intracellular structures exclusive of BiP immunoreactivity. These results initially suggested that DeltaE-torsin A might exist as insoluble aggregates. However, both torsin A and DeltaE-torsin A were readily solubilized by nonionic detergents, were similarly accessible to proteases, and displayed equivalent migration patterns on sucrose gradients. Collectively, these data support that both the wild type and torsion dystonia-associated forms of torsin A are properly folded, lumenal proteins of similar oligomeric states. The potential relationship between the altered subcellular distribution of DeltaE-torsin A and the disease-inducing phenotype of the protein is discussed.
Performance analysis of the MVDR spatial spectrum estimator

The performance of the minimum variance distortionless response spectrum estimator is analyzed. Finite data effects and the sensitivity of the method to random perturbations in the signal model and in the noise covariance matrix are studied. The snapshots are assumed to be complex independent identically distributed Gaussian vectors. An expression for the exact model asymptotic bias is also derived. Analytical expressions for the variance and the bias of the estimator are derived and compared with simulation results. These expressions are then employed to study the characteristics of the estimator. >
Intraperitoneal macrophages and tumor immunity: A review

The macrophage (Mϕ) is considered the first line of defense in immune response to foreign invaders. Increasing evidence suggests that Mϕs also play an important role against neoplastic cells. Mϕs exposed to supraphysiologic concentrations of CO2 are suppressed. As surgeons apply newer minimally invasive techniques to oncologic therapies, it is important to evaluate the impact of these techniques on host-tumor interactions. We review the current understanding of Mϕ biology with specific attention on cytotoxicity in addition to tumor immunity. Although systemic immune function is better preserved after laparoscopy than laparotomy, peritoneal Mϕs show reduced function after CO2 pneumoperitoneum than exposure to air. Mϕs have shown cytotoxicity to syngeneic cancer cells and may play an important role in tumor surveillance. The impairment in Mϕ function after CO2 exposure may have an effect on outcome after oncologic surgery. In our understanding, Mϕs help destroy neoplastic cells. As CO2 impairs Mϕ activity, laparoscopy may significantly alter the host-tumor interaction. J. Surg. Oncol. 2000:75:146–155. © 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Human Placental Lactogen in Choriocarcinoma of the Male. Measurement by Radioimmunoassay

The Human placenta contains a substance which cross-reacts immunologically to a limited extent with human growth hormone, to which Josimovich and MacLaren gave the name human placental lactogen (HPL) (1). Breast stimulation (1), luteotrophic activity (2) and synergism with human growth hormone in the rat tibia assay (3) have been described for this substance, prepared from extracts of human placentas. Strong evidence of trophoblastic origin is indicated by its high concentration in placental extracts, its presence in trophoblastic but not decidual tissue, its appearance in maternal serum and urine during pregnancy, and disappearance following delivery, its persistence following hypophysectomy in one pregnant patient, and its absence in maternal and fetal pituitaries (3).
A simple heuristic for load balancing in parallel processing networks with highly variable service time distributions

Suppose that customers arrive at a service center (call center, web server, etc.) with two stations in accordance with independent Poisson processes. Service times at either station follow the same general distribution, are independent of each other and are independent of the arrival process. The system is charged station-dependent holding costs at each station per customer per unit time. At any point in time, a decision-maker may decide to move, at a cost, some number of jobs in one queue to the other. The goals of this paper are twofold. First, we are interested in providing insights into this decision-making scenario. We do so, in the important case that the service time distribution is highly variable or simply has a heavy tail. Secondly, we propose that the savvy use of Markov decision processes can lead to easily implementable heuristics when features of the service time distribution can be captured by introducing multiple customer classes. To this end, we consider a two-station proxy for the original system, where the service times are assumed to be exponential, but of one of two classes with different rates. We prove structural results for this proxy and show that these results lead to heuristics that perform well.
A dual-gain antenna option for GeoSTAR.

GeoSTAR is a radiometer concept to provide high resolution microwave images of the Earth from geostationary Earth orbit (GEO) in bands from 50 to 183 GHz. The system consists of a Y-array of correlation interferometers, and uses aperture synthesis to achieve high resolution hemispheric coverage of the Earth. A ground-based 50 GHz demonstration instrument has been built and tested at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory which has now validated the calibration approach and error analysis. These analysis show that the antenna gain of the original design is marginal, since only about 42 percent of the received energy originates in the Earth disk as viewed from GEO. This degrades signal-to-noise (delta-T), and poses a problem for the 183 GHz bands where receiver noise and resolution requirements are greatest. This paper presents a new approach to the array geometry which solves this problem by arranging the majority of elemental antennas along two rows within each of the three array arms. The new geometry provides a factor of SQRT(3) times more distance between adjacent elements, and therefore enough physical space to raise the gain of the antenna elements by a factor of 3. The visibility sample grid and number of elements are unchanged. Only the shortest baselines retain the original design.
Egg development times of Eurytemora affinis and Pseudodiaptomus forbesi (Copepoda, Calanoida) from the upper San Francisco Estuary with notes on methods

Egg development times (DTs) of copepods are used to scale DTs of life stages to temperature and to calculate egg production rate in sac spawners. Here, we report egg DTs at various temperatures for two copepod species from the upper San Francisco Estuary measured using video observations of individual egg sacs. The egg DTs (days) of Eurytemora affinis and Pseudodiaptomus forbesi were related to temperature (T, 8C) by DT 1⁄4 11.5e and DT 1⁄4 22.7e, respectively. Video observations decreased manpower requirements, increased the frequency of observations and provided more detailed observations of individual hatching patterns compared with historical techniques including direct observations and regression analysis.
Patterning approaches and system power efficiency considerations for organic LED displays

Abstract In this paper we will focus on the various issues which reduce the power efficiency ofa complete display system vs. that of a single isolated organic LED, and then discuss theimpact of these issues on display integration and design. Critical issues are the necessity of an active matrix design for high definition displays, and the desire for a power-efficient approach for full color. Both dry-etching and ink jet printing will be described as optionsfor achieving patterned films. introduction There are now many groups pursing both polymer and small molecule organic light-emitting devices (LED's) for the fabrication of large area displays [1-4]. General systemattributes for both types of devices are a high system power efficiency, full color, and low-cost. Although isolated device efficiencies are now over 10 lni/W, the need for highcontrast and the need to individually address pixels in large displays can reduce the systempower efficiency to well under 1 lmJW. In this range, we will show that the self-heatingcan be a significant limitation to system perfonnance, even for monochrome displays. Theproblem will be even worse for color displays unless a power-efficient approach towardsfull color can be found. Because patterning organics is attractive for full-color, both dryetching and ink jet pattering approaches will be described.Self-Heating of Flat Panel Displays
Target identification using drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS)

Drug Affinity Responsive Target Stability is a general methodology for identifying and studying protein-ligand interactions. The technique is based on the principle that when a small molecule compound binds to a protein, the interaction stabilizes the target protein's structure such that it becomes protease resistant. DARTS is particularly useful for the initial identification of the protein targets of small molecules, but can also be used to validate potential protein-ligand interactions predicted or identified by other means and to estimate the affinity of interactions. The approach is simple and advantageous because it can be performed using crude cell lysates and other complex protein mixtures (without requiring purified proteins), and uses native, unmodified small molecules. The protocols provided in this article describe the general approach for performing DARTS experiments, which can be easily modified and scaled to fit the criteria and purpose of any individual project.
The impact of diagnosis: measuring the psychological response to being diagnosed with serious or potentially lethal cardiac disease in young competitive athletes

Aim To determine the psychological impact of athletes diagnosed with cardiac disease. Methods and design Athletes diagnosed with cardiovascular disorders were recruited to complete the Impact of Event Scale (IES), a validated tool measuring responses to a traumatic event. IES scoring =0–88 ( 33=significant stress reaction). Subscales include: intrusion, avoidance and hyperarousal. Results 30 athletes (53% male, 83% Caucasian, median age 18.0, median age at diagnosis 15.7) participated. Diagnoses included: 6 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, 9 Wolff Parkinson White, 4 Long QT syndrome, 3 atrial septal defect, 2 supraventricular tachycardia and 6 other. For the group, the mean IES-Revised (IES-R) score=16.6 (SD=12.1), subscales: intrusion 6.6 (SD=4.3), avoidance=7.4 (SD=6.5), hyperarousal=2.7 (SD=3.5). Higher risk individuals included: permanently disqualified athletes (p Conclusions Athletes diagnosed with potentially lethal cardiac disorders are at risk for significant psychological distress. These athletes tend to avoid thoughts, feelings and conversations associated with their diagnosis and should be offered consistent emotional support to mitigate psychological morbidity. Significance Currently, there are no recommendations to guide physicians on how to support an athlete that is newly diagnosed with a potentially career altering heart condition. Proper planning and use of appropriate support mechanisms can be useful for emotionally vulnerable athletes.
Long Valley Caldera and the UCERF Depiction of Sierra Nevada Range-Front Faults

Long Valley caldera lies within a left-stepping offset in the north-northwest-striking Sierra Nevada range-front normal faults with the Hilton Creek fault to the south and Hartley Springs fault to the north. Both Uniform California Earthquake Rupture Forecast (UCERF) 2 and its update, UCERF3, depict slip on these major range-front normal faults as extending well into the caldera, with significant normal slip on overlapping, subparallel segments separated by ∼10 km. This depiction is countered by (1) geologic evidence that normal faulting within the caldera consists of a series of graben structures associated with postcaldera magmatism (intrusion and tumescence) and not systematic down-to-the-east displacements consistent with distributed range-front faulting and (2) the lack of kinematic evidence for an evolving, postcaldera relay ramp structure between overlapping strands of the two range-front normal faults. The modifications to the UCERF depiction described here reduce the predicted shaking intensity within the caldera, and they are in accord with the tectonic influence that underlapped offset range-front faults have on seismicity patterns within the caldera associated with ongoing volcanic unrest.
BRCA1 and BRCA2 germline mutation carriers have a lower breast density compared to high risk women without such mutations

1517 Background: High mammographic breast density, a known risk factor for breast cancer is influenced by both genetic and non genetic factors. It is not clear if there are differences in breast de...
Distributed problem solving in geometrically-structured constraint networks

Distributed Constraint Satisfaction (DisCSP) is a popular formalism that is used for developing a wide variety of general-purpose protocols. With very few exceptions, these protocol are tested using completely random instances with the understanding that this leads to better overall solutions. In many real-world situations, however, the variables in the problem represent objects that exist in n-dimensional space with constraints between them based on distance. In such instances, the constraint network forms a geometric graph and therefore is referred to as a Geometrically-Structured Constraint Satisfaction Problem (GS-CSP). This paper introduces the GS-CSP and evaluates the performance of two complete DisCSP protocols to demonstrate how the introduction of structure affects these general problem solving approaches. Our findings show that GS-CSPs possess unique characteristics particularly in the phase transition regions and these characteristics can have a dramatic impact on the performance of current DisCSP algorithms.
The Value of Land Conservation: Evidence from North Carolina

We examine conservation activity in western North Carolina, where state income tax credits from land conservation have been available since 1983. Six land trusts, including the Nature Conservancy, undertake conservations in both fee simple and in conservation easement over a twelve year period. We find that value of conserved land differs by conservation mechanism, with fee conservations occurring in localized value craters. The price effect to adjacent land from conservation also varies by conservation mechanism, with greater benefits resulting from conservation easements. The mountainous landscape allows us to measure a variety of pricing effects from land conservation, including view.
Effects of Shape Geometry on the Efficiency of Self-Healing Polymers

Autonomic smart self-healing composites are being developed and tested to deal with the problems of crack propagation and eventual damage. The recovery and self-healing efficiencies of these composite structures varies with changes in different physical properties such as temperature and shape geometry.The foremost steps in creating a self-healing composite are mixing and programming and recovery. This paper explores the relationship between a composite’s programming processes against its shape-geometry. Improving the programming and recovery would lead to an improved self-healing polymer. To this end, samples of self-healing shape-memory polymers of different aspect ratios are tested after programming and recovery, and their compressive strengths are compared. The results show a direct relationship between the compressive strengths and aspect ratio.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Hydrodynamic growth and mix experiments at National Ignition Facility

Hydrodynamic growth and its effects on implosion performance and mix were studied at the National Ignition Facility (NIF). Spherical shells with pre-imposed 2D modulations were used to measure Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability growth in the acceleration phase of implosions using in-flight x-ray radiography. In addition, implosion performance and mix have been studied at peak compression using plastic shells filled with tritium gas and imbedding localized CD diagnostic layer in various locations in the ablator. Neutron yield and ion temperature of the DT fusion reactions were used as a measure of shell-gas mix, while neutron yield of the TT fusion reaction was used as a measure of implosion performance. The results have indicated that the low-mode hydrodynamic instabilities due to surface roughness were the primary culprits to yield degradation, with atomic ablator-gas mix playing a secondary role.
Overview and Tips for Successful Grant Writing for Infusion Nurses

Grant writing is an important step to building evidence for infusion nursing practice. This paper describes the role of the infusion nurse in developing a research proposal, identifying appropriate sources of funding, and preparing to write the grant application; identifies typical sections of a grant application and information necessary in each; and provides tips for writing an application that will contribute to a positive review.
Two New Species of Mallophaga

While doing research work at the University of Illinois under the direction of Professor C. L. Metcalf two new species of Mallophaga were discovered.
Late Miocene plants from northeastern Nebraska

Systematically diverse assemblages of fossil plants have been collected in late Miocene strata at seven sites in northern Antelope County, Nebraska. Fossils were found in several members of the Valentine and Ash Hollow Formations of late Barstovian to medial Clarendonian (13–10 MYBP) age and unnamed members of the Ash Hollow Formation of late Clarendonian to early Hemphillian (9.5–8.0 MYBP) age. Seeds, fruits, and leaf-sheath fragments of 18 species from the families Equisetaceae, Cyperaceae, Gramineae, Boraginaceae, Juglandaceae, and Ulmaceae are described. These occurrences represent a 200 mile (322 km) eastward extension of the known geographic range of all of the taxa during the Miocene. The occurrence of Juglandaceae is the first reported from widespread Miocene strata of the Ogallala Group in central North America.
The biosynthesis of plasmodial myosin during starvation of Physarum polycephalum.

The actomyosin protein complex of Physarum polycephalum was prepared from vegetative and starved plasmodia. The yield of actomyosin per unit wet wt. was the same from both types of plasmodia. Myosin was resolved from the complex by gel filtration and purified by ion-exchange chromatography. The Ca2+-stimulated adenosine triphosphatase activities of myosin preparations from vegetative and starved plasmodia were not appreciably different. Synthesis of myosin de novo was shown to occur during the starvation phase of the life-cycle by the isolation of labelled myosin preparations from plasmodia starved in the presence of [2-14C]glycine. Fractionation of polyacrylamide gels after gel filtration of labelled myosin confirmed the presence of label in the adenosine triphosphatase-active myosin band. It is concluded that during starvation myosin synthesis continues although there is a net loss of approx. 50% of the total protein. Sodium dodecyl sulphate–polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of Physarum myosin showed the presence of low-molecular-weight components of the molecule, similar to those of muscle myosins. The content and composition of the free amino acid pool of Physarum was measured at various time-intervals during the vegetative and starvation phases of the life-cycle.
Can radical prostatectomy alter the progression of poorly differentiated prostate cancer

A favorable outcome after radical prostatectomy for early stage prostate cancer has sometimes been attributed to the relatively benign natural history of the disease rather than the beneficial effects of treatment. Poorly differentiated tumors, however, are recognized as inherently aggressive and progress rapidly when managed conservatively. We determined the actuarial rate of treatment failure after radical prostatectomy for clinically localized (stages T1 to T3) poorly differentiated cancer, using as an end point an increase in the serum level of prostate specific antigen (PSA) to assess whether treatment altered the rapid progression expected of these cancers. Of 500 patients treated with radical prostatectomy, regardless of grade, the actuarial nonprogression rate was 76 +/- 5% at 5 years and 73 +/- 6% at 10 years. Poorly differentiated cancer, defined as Gleason score 7 or greater in the radical prostatectomy specimen, was present in 268 patients (54%) who had a nonprogression rate at 5 years of 55 +/- 12% compared to 92 +/- 4% for the 232 patients with a well or moderately differentiated (Gleason score less than 7) cancer (p < 0.00005). The extent of the cancer (confined or not confined) was strongly associated with progression (p < 0.00005). Only 76 of the 268 poorly differentiated tumors (28%) were confined to the prostate and the prognosis was excellent. At 5 years 85 +/- 18% of the patients had no evidence of progression, compared to 46 +/- 12% with poorly differentiated cancer extending outside the gland (p < 0.0001). In a multivariate analysis neither the grade nor volume of the tumor influenced the rate of progression when the cancer was confined to the prostate. Impalpable tumors detected by an elevated PSA level were as likely to be poorly differentiated as palpable disease (56% versus 63%) but were significantly more likely to be confined to the prostate (44% versus 24%, p < 0.01). Poorly differentiated cancers usually extend outside of the prostate by the time they are detected, and they progress rapidly. PSA increases the detection of impalpable high grade cancer confined to the gland. When these tumors are detected while still confined, most can be controlled by radical prostatectomy.