cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Issues in the design of computer support for co-authoring and commenting

This paper reports on a project to develop a “work in preparation” editor, or PREP editor, to study co-authoring and commenting relationships. As part of the project, we have identified three issues in designing computer support for co-authoring and commenting: (1) support for social interaction among co-authors and commenters; (2) support for cognitive aspects of co-authoring and external commenting; and (3) support for practicality in both types of interaction. For each of these issues, the paper describes the approach the PREP editor takes to address them.
In-situ electron-beam-induced reduction of CuO: A study of phase transformations in cupric oxide

Abstract The reduction of CuO to Cu has been studied using high resolution electron microscopy and electron energy loss spectroscopy. The reduction proceeds via at least two intermediate phases - Cu 4 O 3 and Cu 2 O. This is the first experimental observation and the first successful synthesis of the rare Cu 4 O 3 phase. The CuO particles were observed to reduce via these two phases with a continuous refinement of particle size and a redistribution of material over the support film (carbon). In the case of large CuO crystals, the entire particle transformed to Cu 4 O 3 before further reduction or decrease in particle size occurred. This is the first direct observation of the mechanism involved in the formation of the very small metallic Cu particles normally observed in reduced supported CuO. The reduction was effected by a high current density electron beam in the residual gas atmosphere of an electron microscope. The similarity between this technique and the normal hydrogen reduction at high temperatures is discussed. The presence of the Cu 2 O and Cu 4 O 3 was determined by application of the optical diffraction method to small regions of a high resolution electron micrograph. This enabled the measurement of both interplanar spacings and interplanar angles, which combine together to allow an unambiguous identification of the phases present.
Extended Followup of the Influence of Wide Excision of the Neurovascular Bundle(s) on Prognosis in Men with Clinically Localized Prostate Cancer and Extensive Capsular Perforation

AbstractPurpose: The effect of wide excision of the neurovascular bundles on disease-free survival was determined in men with clinically localized prostate cancer and pathological evidence of extensive capsular perforation in the region of the neurovascular bundle.Materials and Methods: We previously analyzed 107 men with clinically localized prostate cancer and pathological evidence of extensive capsular perforation in the region of the neurovascular bundles. Wide excision of the neurovascular bundle on the sides of palpable induration resulted in negative surgical margins in 58 percent of patients compared to only 45 percent in whom the neurovascular bundles were left intact (p = 0.03). At a mean followup of 20 months, median interval to disease recurrence as defined by a measurable PSA level was 33 months in patients whose neurovascular bundle(s) were widely excised versus 22 months in those whose neurovascular bundle(s) were left intact (p = 0.03). However, by 43 months 75 percent of the patients in b...
UNIMODAL INTERVAL MAPS OBTAINED FROM THE MODIFIED CHUA EQUATIONS

Following Brown [1992, 1993] we study maps of the real line into itself obtained from the modified Chua equations. We fix our attention on a one-parameter family of such maps, which seems to be typical. For a large range of parameters, invariant intervals exist. In such an invariant interval, the map is piecewise continuous, with most of pieces of continuity mapped in a monotone way onto the whole interval. However, on the central piece there is a critical point. This allows us to find sometimes a smaller invariant interval on which the map is unimodal. In such a way, we get one-parameter families of smooth unimodal maps, very similar to the well-known family of logistic maps x ↦ ax(1−x). We study more closely one of those and show that these maps have negative Schwarzian derivative. This implies the existence of at most one attracting periodic orbit. Moreover, there is a set of parameters of positive measure for which chaos occurs.
TH-A-T-6E-01: How Do We Decide on Tolerance Limits for IMRT Quality Assurance?

Each intensity‐modulated radiation therapy(IMRT) field includes many small, irregular, and asymmetric fields that completely obscure the relationship between monitor unit (MU) setting and radiationdose. Uncertainty and inaccuracy of dose delivery with IMRT is primarily attributed to the leaf positioning accuracy, modeling of radiation output for small field sizes, modeling of beam penumbra, and the dose outside the IMRT field. Dose‐difference distribution, distance‐to‐agreement (DTA), and a numerical gamma index are often used to evaluate the quality of agreement between measured and calculated dose distributions for the IMRT fields. The tolerance limits based on these indices for IMRT QA are often not adequate because all these methodologies do not account for space‐specific dose uncertainty information. In other words, single tolerance criterion is applied to all test points even when dose uncertainty is significantly different from point to point. At any given point, the dose uncertainty depends on different levels of dose and gradients from multiple small beams rather than that of the overall dose profile. Therefore, new methodologies are needed that determine dose uncertainties based on the dose level and gradient information of each small field. In IMRT, it is sometimes difficult to have agreement between calculation and measurement of dose at all points in a 3‐D dose distribution. A disagreement at a few points does not necessarily lead to negative overall result if other comparable points are well within the established tolerance limits. We will describe a new approach in establishing tolerance limits for IMRT QA that will ensure delivery of prescribed radiationdose within an acceptable limit of 5%. Educational Objectives: 1. To describe the uncertainties in IMRT planning and delivery 2. To describe the impact of spatial and dosimetric uncertainties on the IMRTdose distribution 3. To describe the limitations of current methodologies of establishing tolerance limits for IMRT QA 4. To describe new methodologies for establishing tolerance limits for IMRT QA
Deformation of large micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) due to thermal and intrinsic stresses

We present a theoretical and experimental study of large micro mechanical cantilever beams fabricated by the SCREAM (single crystal reactive ion etching and metallization) process. SCREAM beams consist of an SCS core coated by films of SiO2 or nitride and metal. Thermal and intrinsic stresses develop in the beams due to the films and tend to deform them. Such deformations result in non-planar structures. For small micro mechanical systems, the non-planarity is negligible. When the structures' size is of the order of few millimeters, the non-planarity may limit the performance of the device. Here, we first treat the thermal and intrinsic strains of the films as material properties and measure them experimentally for PECVD SiO2. We then develop a simple model to predict the deformation of cantilever beams due to the thermal and intrinsic strains of SiO2 or nitride film. The model predicts that the non-planarity of the beam can be controlled by properly choosing the cross sectional dimension of the beam. We validate the theoretical prediction by fabricating cantilever beams which deform with negative, positive, and almost zero curvature.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A Tutorial on Treeing

Test methods for studying electric breakdown in solid dielectric materials through the mechanism of "Treeing" are described. While this tutorial is directed to internally initiated breakdown, the same basic progressive failure occurs in surface initiated breakdown, but at a different rate. Water treeing is discussed briefly, not because it is unimportant, but because in most cases water trees can lead to the development of electrical trees which cause the ultimate failure.
Cyclization of methyl-substituted 6-heptenyl radicals.

The behavior of a series of methyl-substituted 6-heptenyl radicals, generated from the corresponding iodides ((Me3Si)3SiH, AIBN in benzene at 80 °C), has been investigated. The stereoselectivity of the 6-exo cyclizations, affording dimethylcyclohexanes, is low, and sizable quantities of methylcycloheptane, generated via 7-endo cyclization, are also produced.
Effects of various elicitors on the accumulation and secretion of isoflavonoids in white lupin

Abstract Roots of white lupin seedlings were exposed to yeast extract, chitosan, Rhizobium loti suspension and CuCl 2 ; and the isoflavonoids of their tissue extracts as well as their exudates were analysed by HPLC. Apart from specific responses characteristic of different elicitors, most treatments produced dramatic increases in the amounts of genistein and 2′-hydroxygenistein monoprenyls in root tissues, as well as major increases of all isoflavonoids in the exudates. The effect of symbiotic stress, in comparison to other stresses, is discussed in relation to the specificity of isoflavone production in white lupin.
Reflex facilitation during the stretch-shortening cycle

Maximal torque during the concentric phase of a movement has been shown to be enhanced by prior eccentric muscle actions, a movement strategy referred to as the stretch-shortening cycle. Although the mechanical basis for this enhancement is well established, the neural component is not. We hypothesized that brief high-frequency bursts of spindle afferent discharge during the eccentric phase of the stretch-shortening cycle could be one mechanism for facilitating the volitional drive. To test this hypothesis, three sets of experiments were done. In the first (N=15), we demonstrated that both the peak and mean EMG of the soleus (S) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles were considerably greater during a reciprocal hopping (RHOP) task than for maximum isometric contractions (MIVCs). In the second experiment, we tested whether the dynamic nature of the RHOP or the eccentric phase of the RHOP contributed to the EMG potentiation. Peak and mean EMG produced with a concentric hop (CHOP), in which the lengthening phase of the hop was eliminated, were compared with that produced with the RHOP and MIVCs conditions (N=7). The RHOP produced greater peak EMG than either the CHOP or the MIVCs while the mean EMG for both hopping conditions was considerably more than the MIVCs. In the final experiment, we attempted to mimic the brief high-frequency burst of spindle afferent activity during the lengthening phase of the stretch-shortening cycle in the absence of muscle length changes. High-frequency (100 Hz) afferent stimulation (HFS) was delivered during MIVCs. At rest, the HFS produced negligible EMG activity but when superimposed over MIVCs produced a marked potentiation of the S EMG over values obtained during MIVCs alone. Evidence that HFS synchronizes the EMG associated with volitional activation is also provided. We conclude that a substantial but brief facilitation and possible synchronization of the neural drive is provided by the spindle afferents during the eccentric phase of the stretch-shortening cycle.
Comparison of Combinatorial Rules for Machine Error Budgets

Abstract An error budget is an analysis tool for the prediction and control of the total error of a machine system for which accuracy is an important measurement of performance. The error budget concept is commonly applied in designing precision machine tools and precision measuring machines and requires application of a combinatorial rule to assess total error which is contributed to by a number of individual error components. No single generally agreed upon combinatorial rule exists for predicting maximum told error that may result from many error components, and precision machine designers often apply empirical formula rules that have evolved from practical experience. Combinatorial rules based on the central limit theorem (CLT) in probability theory and uncertainty interval concept are described in this paper and compared to two empirical formula rules using two precision machine error source examples reported in the literature. It is shown using Monte Carlo simulations that the CLT combinatorial rules and the empirical formulas adequately predict maximum total errors. However, the CLT rules provides a more rigorous methodology than an empirical formula for predicting total error. Moreover, a confidence level associated with the estimated total errors can be specified for error budgeting in precision machine design.
Protein kinase C γ mutations in the C1B domain cause caspase-3-linked apoptosis in lens epithelial cells through gap junctions

Abstract Failure to control oxidative stress is closely related to aging and to a diverse range of human diseases. We have reported that protein kinase C γ (PKCγ) acts as a primary oxidative stress sensor in the lens. PKCγ has a Zn-finger C1B stress switch domain, residues 101–150. Mutation, H101Y, in the C1B domain of PKCγ proteins causes a failure of the PKCγ oxidative stress response [Lin, D., Takemoto, D.J., 2005. Oxidative activation of protein kinase Cgamma through the C1 domain. Effects on gap junctions. J. Biol. Chem. 280, 13682-13693]. Some human neurodegenerative spinocerebellar ataxia type 14 are caused by mutations in the PKCγ C1B domain. In the current study we have investigated the effects of these mutations on lens epithelial cell responses to oxidative stress. The results demonstrate that PKCγ C1B mutants had lower basal enzyme activities and were not activated by H 2 O 2 . Furthermore, the PKCγ mutations caused a failure of endogenous wild type PKCγ to be activated by H 2 O 2 . These PKCγ mutations abolished the effect of H 2 O 2 on phosphorylation of Cx43 and Cx50 by H 2 O 2 activation of PKCγ. The cells with PKCγ C1B mutations had more Cx43 and/or Cx50 gap junction plaques which were not decreased by H 2 O 2 . Since open gap junctions could have a bystander effect this could cause apoptosis to occur. H 2 O 2 (100 μM, 3 h) activated a caspase-3 apoptotic pathway in the lens epithelial cells but was more severe in cells expressing PKCγ mutations. The presence of 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid (AGA), an inhibitor of gap junctions, decreased Cx43 and Cx50 protein levels and gap junction plaque number. This reduction in gap junctions by AGA resulted in inhibition of H 2 O 2 -induced apoptosis. Our results demonstrate that there is a dominant negative effect of PKCγ C1B mutations on endogenous PKCγ which results in loss of control of gap junctions. Modeled structures suggest that the severity of C1B mutation effects may be related to the extent of loss of C1B structure. Mutations in the C1B domain of PKCγ result in increased apoptosis in lens epithelial cells. This can be prevented by a gap junction inhibitor. Thus, propagation of apoptosis from cell-to-cell in lens epithelial cells may be through open gap junctions. The control of gap junctions requires PKCγ.
The Joy of Factoring

This book is about the theory and practice of integer factorisation presented in a historic perspective. It describes about twenty algorithms for factoring and a dozen other number theory algorithms that support the factoring algorithms. Most algorithms are described both in words and in pseudocode to satisfy both number theorists and computer scientists. Each of the ten chapters begins with a concise summary of its contents. The book starts with a general explanation of why factoring integers is important. The next two chapters present number theory results that are relevant to factoring. Further on there is a chapter discussing, in particular, mechanical and electronic devices for factoring, as well as factoring using quantum physics and DNA molecules. Another chapter applies factoring to breaking certain cryptographic algorithms. Yet another chapter is devoted to practical vs. theoretical aspects of factoring. The book contains more than 100 examples illustrating various algorithms and theorems. It also contains more than 100 interesting exercises to test the reader's understanding. Hints or answers are given for about a third of the exercises. The book concludes with a dozen suggestions of possible new methods for factoring integers. This book is written for readers who want to learn more about the best methods of factoring integers, many reasons for factoring, and some history of this fascinating subject. It can be read by anyone who has taken a first course in number theory.
Increases in cyclic 3′,5′‐guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) occur at ecdysis in an evolutionarily conserved crustacean cardioactive peptide‐immunoreactive insect neuronal network

At the end of each instar, insects shed their old cuticle by performing the stereotyped ecdysis behavior. In the month, Manduca sexta, larval ecdysis is accompanied by increases in intracellular cyclic 3', 5'-guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) in a small network of 50 peptidergic neurons within the ventral central nervous system (CNS). Studies on a variety of insects show that this cGMP response has been associated with ecdysis throughout most of insect evolution. In the mealbeetle (Tenebrio, Coleoptera) and the mosquito (Aedes, Diptera), all 50 neurons showed increases in cGMP immunoreactivity (-IR) at ecdysis, and all were immunopositive for crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP). Other insects varied with respect to their cGMP response at ecdysis and their CCAP-IR. In more primitive insects, such as the silverfish (Ctenolepisma, Zygentoma) and the grasshopper (Locusta, Orthoptera), an abdominal subset of these neurons did not show detectable cGMP-IR at ecdysis, although the neurons were CCAP-IR. Conversely, whereas CCAP-IR was severely reduced in the thoracic and subesophageal neurons of Lepidoptera larvae and may be absent in a subset of the corresponding abdominal neurons in crickets (Gryllus, Orthoptera), the ecdysial cGMP response occurred in all 50 neurons. The most extreme case was found in cyclorrhaphous flies, in which most of the 50 neurons were CCAP-IR, although none showed increases in cGMP at ecdysis. This situation in higher Diptera is discussed in terms of their highly modified ecdysis behaviors.
Camera and Lens Selection for the Facial Plastic Surgeon

Clinical photography is a critical component of the practice of facial plastic surgery. Potential for a wide variety of applications for these photographs, such as medicolegal documentation, patient counseling, teaching of colleagues and physicians in training, and lecture presentations. Photographs are important to facilitate understanding of surgical techniques described in the literature. Clinical photographs are also used for advertising in many practices. Good-quality photographs are therefore important. There are several factors that contribute to quality, such as the appropriate setting and background, standardization of subject position, and the type of flash. However, none of these factors can be effective without a good camera and lens. A multitude of cameras and lenses are available, and choosing the correct equipment for your practice can be confusing. In many practices, the surgeon also functions as his or her own photographer. At a minimum, it is important to have a basic knowledge of camera and lens equipment.
Building the trail best traveled: effects of domain knowledge on web search trailblazing

Web users can help guide others through complex tasks in unfamiliar domains by creating ordered sequences of queries and Web pages, an activity we call trailblazing. The trails generated from this process can be surfaced by search engines to help users engaged in these tasks. However, if search engines are going to have people generate trails they need to understand whether there is value in using domain experts for trailblazing (or whether novices are sufficient). In this paper, we describe the findings of a user study of trailblazing in the medical domain, comparing domain novices and experts. We observed differences in how people in each of the groups blazed trails and the value of the trails they generated; experts were more efficient and generated better-quality trails. Although there has been significant research on contrasting novice and expert search behaviors, to our knowledge there is no work (at least in the search domain) on establishing whether artifacts created by domain experts (trails in our case) are more valuable than those created by novices. The answer to this question is important for system designers who want to learn whether investing in domain expertise is worthwhile.
Steering behaviors for autonomous vehicles in virtual environments

This paper presents steering behaviors that control autonomous vehicles populating roadways in virtual urban environments. Behavior programming is facilitated by a set of representations of the environment that use convenient frames of reference in natural coordinate systems. Roadway surfaces are modeled as three-dimensional ribbons that make the local orientation of the road explicit and allow relative distances on the road to be simply computed. Roads and intersections are connected to form a ribbon network. An egocentric representation called a path melds road and intersection segments into a single, continuous ribbon that captures the vehicle's short-term plan of navigation. A topological structure called a route supports wayfinding. We describe how the interrelated ribbon, path, and route representations are used to build multi-component behaviors that plan routes and safely navigate through traffic filled road networks - tracking lanes, shifting lanes to avoid congestion, anticipating lane changes needed to make turns dictated by the route, negotiating intersections, and respecting the rules of the road.
Relational temporal difference learning

We introduce relational temporal difference learning as an effective approach to solving multi-agent Markov decision problems with large state spaces. Our algorithm uses temporal difference reinforcement to learn a distributed value function represented over a conceptual hierarchy of relational predicates. We present experiments using two domains from the General Game Playing repository, in which we observe that our system achieves higher learning rates than non-relational methods. We also discuss related work and directions for future research.
Association of Ideal Cardiovascular Health Metrics and Retinal Microvascular Findings: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study

Background This study evaluated the prevalence of ideal cardiovascular (CV) health in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study and determined its relationship with prevalent retinopathy, wider retinal venular diameters, and narrower arteriolar diameters, which are risk markers for subclinical cerebrovascular disease and are associated with increased stroke and coronary heart disease (CHD) morbidity and mortality. Methods and Results We used gradings of fundus photography measurements from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study to examine the association of retinopathy and retinal arteriolar and venular calibers to the number of ideal CV health metrics. Prevalent retinopathy showed a graded relationship with the CV health categories and number of ideal CV health metrics present: retinopathy prevalence was 2.1% among those with ≥5 ideal CV health metrics compared with 13.1% among those with zero ideal CV health metrics (odds ratio [CI]), 4.8 [2.5 to 8.9]). Central retinal venule equivalent and central retinal arteriolar equivalent diameters also showed graded relationships with CV health categories and number of ideal CV health metrics: after adjustment for age, race, sex, and education, mean central retinal venular equivalent was 187.8 μm (95% CI, 186.9 to 188.6 μm) among those with ≥5 ideal CV health metrics compared with 201.1 μm (95% CI, 199.1 to 203.1 μm) among those with zero ideal CV health metrics. Mean central retinal arteriolar equivalent was 163.8 μm (95% CI, 163.0 to 164.5 μm) among those with ≥5 ideal CV health metrics compared with 157.9 μm (95% CI, 156.1 to 159.7 μm) among those with zero ideal CV health metrics. Conclusions Few adults had ideal cardiovascular health. Those with the best level of health were less likely to have retinopathy signs, wide retinal venules, and narrow retinal arterioles, which are associated with increased stroke and coronary heart disease risk.
Purification of a MaIE‐SoxS fusion protein and identification of the control sites of Escherichia coli superoxide‐inducible genes

In Escherichia coli, the soxRS genes effect the cell's defence against superoxide by activating the transcription of more than 14 genes, including zwf, sodA, nfo, micF and fumC. Previous work from other laboratories has indicated that SoxR is the sensor of oxidative stress and induces synthesis of SoxS, which in turn activates transcription of the regulon's target genes. Although SoxS appears to be a DNA-binding protein, its ability to bind to the promoter regions of target genes has not been demonstrated. To facilitate purification and characterization of SoxS, we constructed a fusion of soxS to malE, which encodes maltose-binding protein, and demonstrated that the in vivo expression of the MalE-SoxS fusion protein can provide SoxS function to a soxRS deletion mutant. We purified the fusion protein by affinity chromatography on an amylose column. The purified fusion protein stimulated in vitro expression of zwf in a coupled transcription-translation system and formed specific complexes with DNA fragments carrying target gene promoters. Moreover, MalE-SoxS protected from DNase I attack 22-27 bp segments immediately adjacent to or overlapping the -35 hexamers of the zwf, sodA, nfo, micF, and fumC promoters. The protected regions revealed a consensus 'soxbox' sequence.
A model for high-school teacher professional development and student learning

This paper describes a model for high-school teacher professional development and student learning that can be readily adapted by other universities seeking meaningful partnerships with K-12 schools. In this program, university engineering and science faculty work collaboratively with high school teachers to present challenging engineering design projects to high school students. Our program consists of a series of Teacher Workshops for high school teachers, each followed by a Discovery Weekend with their students, and culminating in a challenge weekend. Each project includes a thorough integration of mathematics, science and engineering, thereby leading to a much deeper understanding of how the mathematics and science topics taught in high school are related to engineering design. This approach has led to increased confidence in the high school teachers, increased interest in STEM topics among the students, and a heightened awareness of the role engineering can play in meeting the challenges facing our society. The collaboration between university faculty and high school teachers maximizes the benefit to the students by having both their regular teachers and university faculty directly involved in their projects. It also effectively demonstrates to the students how diverse teams can often provide better solutions to problems.
The effect of ventricular sequential contraction on helical heart during pacing: high septal pacing versus biventricular pacing

Objective: To investigate the effect of biventricular and high septal pacing on the normal contraction sequence of the helical ventricular myocardial band, and its impact on left ventricular function. Methods: Ten pigs (25—68 kg) underwent analysis of percent segmental shortening (SS%) by sonomicrometry, with crystals placed along the fiber orientation of the ascending, descending segments, and posterior LV wall within the spatial geometry of the helical heart. Unipolar pacing electrodes stimulated the right atrium (RA) and either the right ventricular apex and left ventricular posterior wall (atrio-biventricular), or the proximal high septum (atrio-high septal). Systemic hemodynamics, QRS-interval, cardiac index (CI), systolic and diastolic LV functions and pressure—dimension loops (P—D) were analyzed and cardiac motion was monitored by video analysis.Results:Pacingincreasednormalsinusheartrate(NSR)from77 � 9 beats/minto98 � 5 beats/min.AtrialpacingdidnotchangetheNSR hemodynamic variables. Conversely, atrio-biventricular pacing prolonged the QRS-interval (91 � 14 ms vs 56 � 11 ms at baseline, p < 0.05) and decreased mean arterial pressure (50 � 4 mmHg vs 58 � 12 mmHg), CI (3.4 � 0.3 L/(min m 2 ) vs 4.0 � 0.8 L/(min m 2 )) and PRSW (71 � 25%) compared to NSR (p < 0.05). Furthermore, atrio-biventricular pacing decreased SS% in all segments, especially at the LV posterior wall (71% of baseline, p < 0.05), and disrupted the NSR shortening sequence (progression from descending to posterior to ascending regions). Changes were characterized by premature stimulation of the posterior wall segment adjacent to the pacer stimulus, with associated (1) decrease of pressure— dimensionlooparea,(2)desynchronizationofP—Dloopsand(3)consistentlossofthetwistingpatternofvisiblecardiacmotion.Incontrast, atriohigh septal pacing restored systemic hemodynamics, LV systolic and diastolic functions to baseline values and preserved the normal sequence of shortening of the ventricular myocardial band. Conclusions: (1) Biventricular pacing disrupts of the natural sequence of shortening of the myocardial band and results in impaired LV function. (2) High septal pacing preserves the sequential shortening pattern of the myocardial band and LV function. # 2006 Published by Elsevier B.V.
The Anxieties of Globalization: Antidepressant Sales and Economic Crisis in Argentina

This paper describes the role of market research firms in shaping the actions of key players in the pharmaceutical arena. It focuses on strategies for marketing novel antidepressants (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, SSRIs) to doctors in Buenos Aires during the Argentine financial crisis of 2001, posing the question of whether increased antidepressant sales were due to the social situation or to promotional practices. This case demonstrates how ‘pharmaceutical relations’ – interactions between doctors and pharmaceutical companies – are structured by a gift economy whose effects are monitored through the sales numbers produced by database firms. It suggests that the use of these numbers takes on special importance given the distinctiveness of both the Argentine context and the antidepressant market. More generally, the case points to the interpretive flexibility of psychotropic medication. In the Argentine setting, doctors’ prescription of SSRIs was dependent neither on a diagnosis of depression no...
Real-time VQ codebook generation hardware for speech processing

A hardware subsystem is described which, in conjunction with an IBM PC, facilitates the development of various types of vector-quantization (VQ)-based speech coders and also serves as a powerful general-purpose DSP (digital-signal-processor) development system. Each iteration of the usual VQ codebook-design algorithm can be performed by playing, in real-time, an analog cassette tape of recorded speech into the hardware. The hardware is based on the TMS320C25 processor and a semicustom VLSI coprocessor used for VQ codebook searching. The architecture of the system is described and some of the most useful applications that it supports are outlined. >
Partial miscibility in a nylon‐6/nylon‐66 blend coalesced from their common α‐cyclodextrin inclusion complex

We successfully formed a series of inclusion complexes (ICs) between an α-cyclodextrin (α-CD) host and two kinds of guest polymers, nylon-6 and nylon-66. An attempt to achieve an intimate blend between nylon-6 and nylon-66 through the formation and dissociation of their common α-CD IC was made. The formation of all nylon ICs was verified with wide-angle X-ray diffraction, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and cross-polarized/magic-angle-spinning 13C NMR spectroscopy. The experimental results demonstrated that α-CD could only host single nylon polymer chains in the IC channels, either nylon-6 or nylon-66 in their own complexes, and presumably either nylon in neighboring channels of their common IC. The IC-coalesced blend of nylon-6 and nylon-66 was obtained after the removal of the host cyclodextrin from their common IC with dimethyl sulfoxide. The spectroscopic results (FTIR and 13C NMR) illustrated that there was a degree of intimate miscibility existing in the IC-coalesced blend, but not in the solution-cast physical blend, although X-ray diffraction patterns showed that the crystal structure of the IC-coalesced blend was similar to that of the physical blend. DSC thermal profiles suggested that nylon-66 first formed crystals during coalescence and that the subsequent crystallization of nylon-6 was greatly affected by the nylon-66 crystallites because of the close proximity of the two components in portions of the coalesced blend. DSC observations also demonstrated that the melting of the coalesced blend did not lead to complete phase separation of the nylon-6 and nylon-66 components. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 1369–1378, 2004
National summit on advanced illness care.

Across the life span, addressing the needs of persons with life threatening illness or an advanced illness is an important research area for nursing and our interprofessional colleagues. I was honored to be invited to participate in the National Summit on Advanced Illness Care: Driving Change Through Leadership, Evidence, and Action, hosted by the Coalition to Transform Advanced Care (C-TAC) and sponsored by Leonard Schaeffer; the Institute of Medicine (IOM), the American Hospital Association; the American Society of Clinical Oncology; the American Association of Retired Persons, the National Alliance for Caregiving; and Capital Caring. This Summit was also partially funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI). There were more than 250 participants, including expert clinicians, researchers, and industry leaders. The purpose of this Summit was to harness the collective expertise gathered for the summit to create synergy around improving advanced illness care for ourselves and our loved ones. Research has shown that Americans are concerned about advanced illness care. Americans may not be skilled at having the conversation around advanced illness care. This is one reason why C-TAC has taken on the role of bringing stakeholders together to advance the stakholders’ expertise to talk about advanced illness care. Less than a quarter of Americans consider themselves prepared to address their own issues around advanced care including hospice and palliative care. Yet, 93% of people report that advanced care should be a priority for our health care systems (Cambia Health Foundation, 2011). Adults report they do not want to be a burden on their families (California Health Care Foundation, 2012) and prefer care that improves their quality of life over extending their lives (Cambia Health Foundation, 2011).
Iron Nanoparticle Additives as Burning Rate Enhancers in AP/HTPB Composite Propellants

Burning rate measurements were carried out for ammonium perchlorate/hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (AP/HTPB) composite propellants with iron (Fe) nanoparticles as additives. Experiments were performed in a strand burner at pressures from 0.2 to 10 MPa for propellants containing approximately 80 % AP and Fe nanoparticles (60–80 nm) at concentration from 0 to 3 % by weight. It was found that the addition of 1 % Fe nanoparticles increased burning rate by factors of 1.2–1.6. Because Fe nanoparticles are oxidized on the surface and have high surface-to-volume ratio, they provide a large surface area of Fe2O3 for AP thermal decomposition catalysis at the burning propellant surface, while also providing added energy release due to the oxidation of nanoparticle sub-shell Fe. The increase in burning rate due to Fe nanoparticle content is similar to the increase in burning rate caused by the addition of iron oxide (Fe2O3) particles observed in prior literature.
Semi-automated analysis of color M-mode echocardiographic images for determining transmitral pressure gradients using a simplified Euler equation

We hypothesize that a simplified version of the Euler equation (SEE) utilizing differences in velocity over a distance and time as obtained by color Doppler M-mode (CMM) echocardiography can approximate actual peak transmitral pressure gradients (/spl Delta/P/sub TM/). In 14 patients undergoing open-heart surgery, /spl Delta/P/sub TM/ was measured under various hemodynamic conditions using 2 high fidelity transducers, 5 cm apart. Transesophageal CMM images were simultaneously acquired and a customized image analysis application was wed to abstract spatiotemporal velocity characteristics. Using both the SEE and a simplified Bernoulli equations, /spl Delta/P/sub TM/ were determined and compared to the actual /spl Delta/P/sub TM/. While the simplified Bernoulli equation resulted in a poor estimate (y=0.075x+0.71, r=0.45), the /spl Delta/P/sub TM/ obtained using the SEE correlated strongly (y=0.79x+0.48, r=0.91) with the actual measurements. Semi-automated analysis of CMM images using a SEE can accurately estimate actual /spl Delta/P/sub TM/.
Muscle contraction and enzymatic action: Challenges to quantum chemistry

The energy of muscle contraction is generated by interactions between the proteins actin and myosin, acting together to hydrolyze a metaphosphate bond of ATP in the presence of Mg++, using the oxygen of a specific water molecule. The molecular setting for these events is described. A key feature is identified to be an attack by the water oxygen on one of the POP bonds. The resulting hydrolysis liberates a phosphate group which is forcefully repelled from its original setting, perturbing metal ions and electron orbitals in the vicinity. The hypothesis is advanced that the accompanying perturbations excite an electron cloud to a hgher energy level, leading to a forceful expansion of the electron cloud. A model is presented representing the S-l head of myosin as being tilted with reference to the coordinates of the actin filament by the expansion of this cloud. This tilt represents a leverlike movement of the S-1 myosin head which is capable of powering the work of muscle contraction. Since the most important molecular participants in muscle contraction are present in all cells, the issues raised here are of very general biological significance.
Large-scale production and partial purification of mouse immune interferon.

Large-scale production of high-titered (102.2 to 104 U/ml) immune interferon (type II) was carried out in roller cultures of mouse spleen cells by using the T-cell mitogen staphylococcal enterotoxin A. Precipitation of 90% of this interferon by 55 to 80% saturated ammonium sulfate resulted in a 20-fold concentration and a two- to sixfold purification. After application of this interferon to either bovine serum albumin (BSA)-Affi-Gel 10 or hydroxylapatite columns, 100% of the interferon activity was recovered. By BSA-Affi-Gel 10 chromatography, 7% of the recovered activity was not bound, 45% was eluted with pH gradient 5 to 7, and 48% was eluted with 1 M NaCl. The pH- and salt-eluted interferons from the BSA-Affi-Gel 10 column were purified 62- and 390-fold, respectively, when compared with the starting materials. Rechromatography of the pH- and salt-eluted interferon peaks from the BSA-Affi-Gel 10 column did not alter their elution patterns. Stepwise elution of interferon from the BSA-Affi-Gel 10 columns with buffers of various pH and salt contents also resulted in greater than 300-fold purification. Specific activities of up to 2 × 105 U of interferon per mg of protein were attained with either elution procedure from BSA-Affi-Gel 10 columns. By hydroxylapatite chromatography, 5% of the recovered activity was not bound, 20% was eluted with a salt gradient, and 75% was eluted with 30% glycerin. Purification was 107- and 16-fold, respectively, for the two fractions. Ultrogel AcA 34 chromatography of the interferon resulted in two peaks of activity, a major one with a molecular weight of approximately 40,000 and a minor peak of molecular weight 70,000 to 90,000. Thus, by different types of chromatography, immune interferon was found to be heterogeneous.
Stable adaptive controller design--Direct control

This paper deals with the design of stable adaptive controllers using a model reference approach. A systematic procedure is developed using the concept of positive realness and is generalized to arbitrarily located coutrol parameters. For plants with n poles and (\geq)(n-2) zeros, the uniform asymptotic stability in the large of the adaptive loop is demonstrated. For plants with (\leq)(n-3) zeros the stability problem is clawed and is stated as a conjecture. Simulation studies of the adaptive control of both stable and unstable plants are included towards the end of the paper.
SmartSynth: synthesizing smartphone automation scripts from natural language

This paper presents SmartSynth, a novel end-to-end programming system for synthesizing smartphone automation scripts from natural language descriptions. Our approach is unique in two key aspects. First, it involves a carefully designed domain-specific language that incorporates standard constructs from smartphone programming platforms to balance its expressivity and the ability to synthesize scripts from natural language. Second, our synthesis algorithm integrates techniques from two research areas: (1) It infers the set of components and their partial dataflow relations from the natural language description using techniques from the Natural Language Processing community; and (2) It uses techniques from the Program Synthesis community to infer missing dataflow relations via type-based synthesis and constructs scripts in a process akin to reverse parsing. SmartSynth also performs conversational interactions with the user when multiple top-ranked scripts exist or it cannot map part of the description to any component. Evaluated on 50 tasks collected from smartphone help forums, our system produces the intended scripts in real time for over 90% of the 640 natural language descriptions obtained from a user study for those tasks. SmartSynth has also been adapted to TouchDevelop, an end user-targeted programming environment on mobile platforms, with very promising results (see http://www.cs.ucdavis.edu/~su/smartsynth.mp4 for a video demo). We believe that SmartSynth is a step toward fully personalized use of smartphones' increasingly rich functionalities.
Decay function model for resource configuration and adaptive allocation on Internet servers

Server-side resource configuration and allocation for QoS guarantee is a challenge in performance-critical Internet applications. To overcome the difficulties caused by the high-variability and burstiness of Internet traffic, this paper presents a decay function model of request scheduling algorithms for the resource configuration and allocation problem. Under the decay function model, request scheduling is modelled as a transfer-function based filter system that has an input process of requests and an output process of server load. Unlike conventional queueing network models that rely on mean-value analysis for input renewal or Markovian processes, this decay function model works for general time-series based or measurement based processes and hence facilitates the study of statistical correlations between the request traffic, server load, and QoS of requests. Based on the model, we apply filter design theories in signal processing in the optimality analysis of various scheduling algorithms. We reveal a relationship between the server capacity, scheduling policy, service deadline, and other request properties in a formalism and present the optimality condition with respect to the second moments of request properties for an important class of fixed-time scheduling policies. Simulation results verify the relationship and show that optimal fixed-time scheduling can effectively reduce the server workload variance and guarantee service deadlines with high robustness on the Internet.
Theoretical Foundations of Thesaurus-Construction and Some Methodological Considerations for Thesaurus-Updating.

It was argued that the present-day thesaurus-construction and maintenance rules and conventions are not theoretically based. For this redson, there are few rules and conventions for updating a thesaurus. Consequently, most of the thesauri adopted by operating information storage and retrieval systems are not systematically updated. In order to investigate how thesauri are actually updated, a survey was conducted. The working hypothesis was that the communication process between authors and readers is linear in nature (“one-way” communication allowing no reciprocal feedback) if a thesaurus utilized in a system is not updated by both indexers and question negotiators. Findings show that thesauri viewed from the communications point of view do not allow a cybernetic process of communication (“both-way” communication). The survey indicated that the present practice of updating thesauri is largely done by indexers alone. No attempt was made to develop a theory of thesaurus-construction and updating. It was, however, argued that such a theory, if developed, should at least account for the concepts of meaning and knowledge. Within this theoretical framework, two techniques are suggested to be considered for the systematic updating of a thesaurus.
Manifestations of Power and Control: Training as the Catalyst for Scandal at the United States Air Force Academy:

This article explores the role of training practices at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) in perpetuating power and control issues and the potential consequences of those practices. This article also includes an overview of the training practices at the USAFA, issues of power and control manifested in the training process, and gendered reactions to the loss of personal control experienced during the initial socialization training.The author argues that cadet responses to control deprivation may have resulted in the (alleged) sexual assaults by male cadets and the eating disorders manifested by female cadets, both of which ultimately represent violence against women. The article concludes with implications for research and practice, including a call for recognizing the strategic role of training in forming organizational culture.
Zonal Circulations over the Equatorial Indian Ocean

Abstract The NCEP–NCAR 1958–97 upper-air dataset and surface observations have been analyzed for evidence of zonal–vertical circulations along the Indian Ocean equator and their role in climatic variability. The long-term mean upper-tropospheric circulation is dominated in boreal winter by divergent outflow from the southern Indian Ocean northwestward into southern Asia, and in summer from southern Asia southwestward into the Southern Hemisphere. In boreal autumn only, divergent easterlies blow from Indonesia along the equator into an upper-tropospheric convergence band over East Africa, and only then a closed zonal–vertical circulation cell materializes along the Indian Ocean equator, between the centers of ascending motion over Indonesia and of subsidence over equatorial East Africa, and featuring westerlies in the lower layers. The boreal autumn zonal–vertical circulation varies interannually. A regime of intense circulation features accelerated equatorial surface westerlies, enhanced subsidence, and d...