cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A microstructural study of the effect produced by magnesium sulfate on plain and silica fume-bearing Portland cement mortars

Abstract A chemical and microstructural study has been carried out on Portland cement mortars with and without silica fume subjected to magnesium sulfate attack. The mortars appeared to be less durable than their counterpart pastes as indicated by greater surface deterioration, greater depth of sulfate ingress, more extensive gypsum deposition, and a higher degree of decalcification of the CSH gel. The plain (non-silica fume) mortar was distinguished by massive deposition of gypsum. Preferred sites of deposition were around aggregates, in air voids and other cavities. In the silica fume bearing mortar less gypsum was deposited. Nevertheless, the CSH of the silica fume bearing mortar experienced a higher degree of decalcification than the CSH of the plain mortar. Based on occurrence of surface deterioration and cracking pattern, it appears that silica fume addition did not improve durability. It is concluded therefore that the decalcification of the CSH plays a major role in the deterioration process.
Quantification of trabecular bone mass and orientation using Gabor wavelets

Bone strength is dependent on both its mass and architecture. In this study, a tool was developed that incorporates metrics associated with both of these features. To accomplish this, textural features of trabecular bone were extracted from stained bone images using Gabor wavelets. Gabor wavelets are 2-D spatial filters that are both frequency and orientation tunable. A texture feature vector was constructed that consists of localized texture energies along different orientations at different scales. The texture feature characterizes the spatial (regional) distributions of the constituent bone lattice in terms of their size, shape and orientation. Results indicated that wavelet analysis provides the insight of the frequency composition that can be localized to the pizel level. Bone mass can be discriminated by the averaged texture energy across all orientations. Dominant bone lattice orientation can be determined by the orientation with the maximal value of the averaged texture energy across all scales. A measure of anisotropy can be quantified by the span between the maximum texture energy and the minimum texture energy. This methodology has the potential to provide a tool for quantifying both bone mass and bone structural anisotropy.
Subconjunctival Sirolimus in the Treatment of Autoimmune Non-necrotizing Anterior Scleritis: Results of a Phase I/II Clinical Trial

Purpose To investigate the safety, tolerability and efficacy of subconjunctival sirolimus injections as a treatment for active, autoimmune, non-necrotizing anterior scleritis. Design Phase I/II, single-center, open-label, nonrandomized, prospective pilot study. Methods Five participants with active, autoimmune, non-necrotizing anterior scleritis with scleral inflammatory grade of ≥1+ in at least 1 quadrant with a history of flares were enrolled. A baseline injection was given, with the primary outcome measure of at least a 2-step reduction or reduction to grade zero in the study eye by 8 weeks. Secondary outcomes included changes in visual acuity and intraocular pressure, ability to taper concomitant immunosuppressive regimen, and number of participants who experienced a disease flare requiring reinjection. Safety outcomes included the number and severity of systemic and ocular toxicities, and vision loss ≥15 ETDRS letters. The study included 6 visits over 4 months with an extension phase to 1 year for participants who met the primary outcome. Results All participants (N = 5, 100%; 95% CI [0.60, 1.00]) met the primary outcome in the study eye by the week 8 visit. There was no significant change in mean visual acuity or intraocular pressure. Three out of 5 patients (60%) experienced flares requiring reinjection. No systemic toxicities were observed. Two participants (40%) experienced a localized sterile inflammatory reaction at the site of the injection, which resolved without complication. Conclusions Subconjunctival sirolimus leads to a short-term reduction in scleral inflammation, though relapses requiring reinjection do occur. There were no serious adverse events, though a local sterile conjunctival inflammatory reaction was observed.
On the group of the independent-particle hamiltonian operator

The detailed group structure of the independent-particle hamiltonian is derived in terms of interior and exterior products of groups describing various types of symmetry operations which commute with the hamiltonian. Modifications of this group due to external fields are examined, as are the concepts of the equivalence of particles. Simplifications due to isomorphisms and homomorphisms are outlined. Applications involving representations within this construction are examined.
Cytokinesis in the stratum intermedium of the rat molar enamel organ.

The process of cytokinesis in dividing cells of the stratum intermedium has been studied at the ultrastructural level. Data was collected from cells in metaphase, anaphase, telophase, and immediate posttelophase. Desmosomes are present during each of these mitotic stages. Their incidence is comparable to that of neighboring nondividing cells except on the plasma membrane of the cleavage furrow, which is free of desmosomes. No organized Golgi is present at metaphase. During early anaphase, a Golgi reforms within the interzone. Isolated, Golgi related, small dark vesicles are also present within the interzone at this time. Subsequently, mitochondria, granular endoplasmic reticulum, and clear vesicles are observed within the interzone. A cortical band appears under the plasma membrane during telophase. This cortical band contains filaments within a matrix which, together, are regarded as being the structural basis for the constriction that occurs in the formation of the cleavage furrow. It is postulated that the Golgi of the interzone is implicated in the formation of plasma membrane of the cleavage furrow. The granular endoplasmic reticulum is also thought to be involved.
'It's incredible – trust me': exploring the role of celebrity athletes as marketers in online social networks

Sport marketers have acknowledged the popularity of online social networks, but have struggled with transforming them into viable revenue generators. Using celebrity athletes to promote products via online social networks such as Twitter may represent one potential revenue opportunity. This study examined how Lance Armstrong and Serena Williams used Twitter for promotional purposes and utilised content analysis to analyse their combined 7,202 Twitter messages. The celebrity athletes wrote promotional messages 12% of the time, primarily to promote their corporate sponsors and products, charitable organisations and personal activities. Twitter represents a unique marketing resource and communication channel for celebrity athlete product endorsements.
Communicative Rationality, Strategy, and Intersubjectivity: Results From a Quasi-Experimental Investigation

This article presents some results from an investigation of the concept of strategy through the lens of the Habermasian concept of communicative rationality. It draws upon the theory of communicative action to posit “intersubjectivity” (the degree to which interlocutors assess themselves as engaged in ideal-type communication) as the means through which communicative and strategic orientations are reconciled in interaction. The research involved a quasi-experimental study in which two sets of teams playing a negotiation-intensive board game differed in terms of the orienting information they received. Players oriented toward the strategic aspect of the game initially reported lower intersubjectivity with nonteammates than did players oriented toward the communicative features of the game. By the end of the game, this difference was no longer observed. These results are consistent with the fundamental Habermasian precept of the primacy of communication over strategy, so that a communicative orientation per...
Two amino acids in an RNA polymerase sigma factor involved in the recognition of adjacent base pairs in the -10 region of a cognate promoter.

Abstract The recognition of promoter region -10 nucleotide sequences in prokaryotes is believed to be mediated by a segment of alpha-helix in a region of RNA polymerase sigma factors called 2.4. Earlier genetic studies implicated Thr-100 in region 2.4 of the Bacillus subtilis sigma factor sigma H in the recognition of the G.C base pair at position -13 in the -10 region (GAAT) of a cognate promoter. In confirmation of this assignment, we now show that a change-of-specificity mutant of sigma H in which Thr-100 was replaced with isoleucine suppresses a G.C----A.T nucleotide substitution at position -13 but not other "promoter down mutations" (causing impaired promoter activity) at positions -13, -12, and -11. We also show that a loss-of-contact mutant created by the replacement of Thr-100 with alanine (having a short side chain) enables sigma H to tolerate three different promoter down mutations at position -13 but not down mutations at other positions. Finally, we suggest the identification of an additional amino acid involved in base-pair recognition by the demonstration that the replacement of Arg-96 with alanine specifically suppresses an A.T----G.C promoter down mutation at position -12. The identification of amino acids that are four residues apart that are involved in the recognition of adjacent base pairs may fix the orientation of region 2.4 (its NH2 terminus being proximal to the promoter transcription start site) and is consistent with a model in which the recognition of promoter region -10 nucleotide sequences is mediated by an alpha-helix in which residues involved in base-pair contact are separated by one turn and clustered on one face of the helix.
Plasma impedance matching using fractional order sliding mode based extremum seeking control

The extremum seeking control (ESC) is a model free approach for solving the online optimization control problems. In this paper, a general purpose ESC based on the fractional order sliding mode is presented with a suitable application on the plasma impedance matching. The principle and stability of the proposed control law are illustrated mathematically. Simulation is provided to show the effectiveness, necessity and worthiness of using this advanced control strategy. Remarks are given with regard to the implementation and potential research opportunities.
BOTTOM-UP LIMITATION OF PREDACEOUS ARTHROPODS IN A DETRITUS-BASED TERRESTRIAL FOOD WEB

Knowing how an increase in the resource base of a food web produces effects that propagate through the web is central to developing a clearer understanding of food- web structure and dynamics. In a detritus-based terrestrial food web, we measured the responses of predaceous arthropods to increases in prey arthropods that occurred in response to experimentally enhancing the web's resource base. Open 2 X 5 m plots on the floor of a deciduous forest were randomly assigned to either a Food Enhancement or Control treat- ment. We supplemented the resource base of the arthropod community of the leaf litter layer for 3.5 mo by periodically adding chopped mushrooms, potatoes, and instant fruit fly medium to the Food Enhancement plots. Major taxa of detritivores and fungivores increased in response to added food. Densities of springtails (Collembola) were on average 3 X higher in the Food Enhancement than Control plots. Numbers of adult fungus gnats (Diptera: Sciaridae and Mycetophilidae) did not differ significantly between treatments after 6 wk but were >2X higher in Food Enhancement plots at the end of the experiment. Total Diptera were twice as abundant in Food Enhancement plots on both census dates. Arthropod groups that include a range of feeding strategies also increased. Mites (Ac- arina), which include detritivores, fungivores, and predators, were twice as abundant in the experimental treatment. Staphylinid and carabid beetles (Coleoptera), which are primarily predaceous but include omnivorous species, were several times more numerous in the Food Enhancement plots. Effects of increasing the resource base propagated through the food web, leading to higher densities of the major strictly predaceous arthropod taxa. Centipedes (Chilopoda), pseudoscorpions (Pseudoscorpionida), and spiders (Araneae) were -2X as abundant in the Food Enhancement treatment. Thus, our experiment uncovered substantial bottom-up lim- itation in this detritus-based food web, expressed as responses by predaceous arthropods at least two trophic links removed from the experimentally elevated resource.
Aggregation Kinetics and Dissolution of Coated Silver Nanoparticles

Determining the fate of manufactured nanomaterials in the environment is contingent upon understanding how stabilizing agents influence the stability of nanoparticles in aqueous systems. In this study, the aggregation and dissolution tendencies of uncoated silver nanoparticles and the same particles coated with three common coating agents, trisodium citrate, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), and Tween 80 (Tween), were evaluated. Early stage aggregation kinetics of the uncoated and coated silver nanoparticles were assessed by dynamic light scattering over a range of electrolyte types (NaCl, NaNO3, and CaCl2) and concentrations that span those observed in natural waters. Although particle dissolution was observed, aggregation of all particle types was still consistent with classical Derjaguin–Landau–Verwey–Overbeek (DLVO) theory. The aggregation of citrate-coated particles and SDS-coated particles were very similar to that for the uncoated particles, as the critical coagulation concentrations (CCC) of the parti...
Subliminal channels; past and present

Subliminal channels were devised by Simmons in 1978 to demonstrate a fundamental flaw in a protocol the U.S. was considering using to allow the U.S.S.R. to verify U.S. compliance with the terms of the SALT II treaty. The examples given of such channels were more in the nature of existence proofs than feasible communication channels until 1984 when it was shown that most digital signature schemes could be caused to host subliminal communications hidden in the digital signatures. Almost all of these subliminal channels, however, had several shortcomings. In order for the subliminal receiver to be able to recover a subliminal message, it was apparently necessary for him to know the transmitter's (the signer's) secret key. This meant that the subliminal receiver had to be given the capability to utter undetectable forgeries of the transmitter's signature. Also, only a subset of the natural message set could be communicated subliminally and some of those that could be transmitted were computationally infeasible for the subliminal receiver to recover. A digital signature standard (DSS) has recently been adopted by the U.S. government (May, 1994) which like most other digital signature schemes also permits subliminal communications to be concealed in signatures. Remarkably though, the subliminal channels in the DSS avoid all of the shortcomings that limit the usefulness of these channels in other digital signature schemes. This paper briefly describes the setting for the discovery of subliminal channels and then in some detail, the nature and shortcomings of the subliminal channels in the El Gamal digital signature scheme - to which the DSS is closely related. Finally, to make clear what a remarkable coincidence it is that the apparently inherent shortcomings present in subliminal channels realized in the El Gamal scheme can all be overcome in channels realized in the DSS, each of the channels is analyzed in detail in both schemes. The inescapable conclusion, though, is that the DSS provides the most hospitable setting for subliminal communications discovered to date.
Non-atopic dermatitis

Abstract There is considerable overlap of non-atopic dermatitis with the atopic type, however distinct clinical subtypes can be identified. Seborrhoeic dermatitis is common in young adults and may cause cosmetic problems. Stasis dermatitis is due to venous insufficiency and usually requires treatment with compression hosiery. In the absence of atopy, it is important to take a detailed history about potential exogenous (external) causes or triggers for the dermatitis, which may be of an allergic or irritant nature. Where clinical suspicion exists, patch testing is mandatory. Common allergens include metals, fragrance ingredients, preservatives and hair dyes.
Theoretical Analysis of Infrared Radiation Shields of Spacecraft

For a system of N diffuse, gray body radiation shields which view only adjacent surfaces and space, the net radiation method for enclosures has been used to formulate a system of linear, nonhomogeneous equations in terms of the temperatures to the fourth power of each surface in the coupled system of enclosures. The coefficients of the unknown temperatures in the system of equations are expressed in terms of configuration factors between adjacent surfaces and the emissivities. As an application, a system of four conical radiation shields for a spin stabilized STARPROBE spacecraft has been designed and analyzed with respect to variations of the cone half angles, the intershield spacings, and emissivities.
In situ production of nickel/graphitic carbon nanofiber composites and application in catalytic hydrodechlorination

The action of Ni/SiO2 in the gas phase hydrodechlorination (at 573 K) of chlorobenzene, 1,3-dichlorobenzene and 1,3,5-trichlorobenzene is compared with that of a Ni/SiO2 + C composite. The latter was prepared in situ by the decomposition of chlorobenzene at 873 K to generate graphitic carbon nanofibers bearing Ni particles at the fiber tips. The Ni/SiO2 and Ni/SiO2 + C (with varying C content) catalysts have been characterized by TEM, SEM, XRD and H2 chemisorption. While the Ni/SiO2 + C system delivered a lower initial fractional dechlorination, the composite outperformed the starting Ni/SiO2 in terms of long-term activity, an effect that is linked to the structural characteristics.
Ammonia detoxifying mechanisms of rainbow trout altered by dietary dieldrin.

Abstract Dietary dieldrin dosages of 14, 43, 143 and 430 μg/kg body weight per day for 240 days altered ammonia detoxifying mechanisms and brain amino acid metabolism of rainbow trout. These dosages corresponded to 0.36, 1.08, 3.6, and 10.8 μg dieldrin/g food, respectively. Whole-body dieldrin residues in fish from the lowest 3 dosage groups were comparable to those found in fish from the aquatic environment. The brain concentrations of amino acids associated with ammonia detoxifying mechanisms, aspartate, glutamate and alanine, were significantly altered, as were the enzymes related to their metabolism. Brain glutamate dehydrogenase (GDH) activity was decreased by all doses of dieldrin, whereas liver GDH and brain glutamine synthetase activities were stimulated by all treatment doses. Brain ammonia concentrations increased in the groups given the 2 highest dosages. Mitochondrial morphology in liver cells was significantly altered by dieldrin treatment as determined by electron microscopy. Since GDH is an intramitochondrial enzyme, examination by electron microscopy gave further evidence that dieldrin significantly altered mitochondrial metabolism. A possible mode of action of dieldrin was proposed which suggests that dieldrin inhibits or decreases brain GDH activity followed by ammonia intoxication after liver GDH and brain glutamine synthetase activities are exceeded. The ammonia detoxifying mechanisms of fish seemed to be very sensitive to dieldrin; the “no-effect” dosage was below 14 μg/kg body weight per day (0.36 μg/g food).
Modelling the biological control of insect pests: a review of host-parasitoid models

Successful biological control results when an introduced natural enemy, very often a parasitoid, is able to suppress the abundance of an insect pest to a level at which it no longer causes economic damage. We review the host-parasitoid models that have been developed to describe the process of biological control by parasitoids or more specifically, the dynamics of interacting host and parasitoid populations. We trace the origins and basic framework for both discrete time (Nicholson-Bailey) models and continuous time (Lotka-Volterra) models, through the search for stabilizing mechanisms in local populations to the more recent focus on spatial and temporal heterogeneity in the distribution of parasitoid attack. In particular, we review the functional response that underlies all consumer-resource models, partial host refuges generated by spatial heterogeneity or temporal asynchrony of parasitoid attack or by host stage structure, the co-existence of competing parasitoid species, and size-dependent host feeding and sex allocation by parasitoids. The mechanistic explanations for biological control derived from these host-parasitoid models are then compared with the few case studies of successful biological control projects that have received sufficient study. We conclude by questioning, and suggesting improvements for, the basic assumptions of discrete-time and continuous-time models for biological pest control.
“I Am Not Going to Lose My Kids to the Streets” Meanings and Experiences of Motherhood Among Mexican-Origin Women

Motherhood has different meanings for women and there are a multitude of factors that shape experiences of parenting. Heuristic inquiry was used to examine the lived experiences of motherhood among 20 Mexican-origin women parenting alone. In-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted and data were organized and presented by six domains: (a) description of self as a mother, (b) perceptions of strengths, (c) perceptions of challenges, (d) influences as a parent, (e) meaning of motherhood, and (f) mothering as a woman of Mexican origin. Quotes were used to illustrate the six domains and a composite depiction to summarize our description and interpretation of the phenomenon of parenting alone as a Hispanic mother. Despite their challenges, participants described themselves as good mothers, who were protective, loving, and devoted to their children; they also described their culture as enriching their experiences of mothering although they faced obstacles due to marginalization and discrimination. A femin...
Theory of optimal orthonormal filter banks

In a previous paper we derived a set of necessary and sufficient conditions for maximizing the coding gain in an orthonormal filter bank. These are referred to as the decorrelation and majorization conditions. While each of these two conditions is individually only necessary and not sufficient, they together form a set of necessary and sufficient conditions. In this paper we show how to relate these to the idea of energy compaction. This relation is then used to identify the optimum analysis filters one at a time.
Consumer religiosity and retail store evaluative criteria

Consumer religiosity, which includes the religious commitment and religious affiliation of consumers, may be a significant construct in explaining retail store patronage. The present study used several measures of religiosity to investigate the influence of this possible segmentation variable on consumer evaluation of the importance of various retail department store attributes. Support was found for the religious commitment construct but not for religious affiliation. The most consistent relationship found was between religious commitment and the importance placed by the consumer on sales personnel friendliness/assistance. Direction for future research is provided.
ANN-based techniques for estimating fault location on transmission lines using Prony method

A system is proposed to locate faults on transmission lines using the traveling wave phenomenon. Prony method is used to analyze the voltage or current signal at the local bus and extract its modal information. This information represents the traveling wave generated by the fault and can be used to estimate its location. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are used to estimate the fault location based on the modal information. Two schemes are presented: the first with a voltage input signal; and the second with a current input signal. Training and testing data are obtained by ATP-EMTP simulations. Tests were done to study the effect of fault resistance variation and fault incidence angle on both schemes. The system has the advantages of utilizing single-end measurements, using either a voltage or current signal; no pre-fault data is required.
Design aspects of a case-control clinical investigation of the effect of HIV on oral and gastrointestinal soluble innate factors and microbes.

Introduction: The impaired host defense system in HIV infection impacts the oral and gastrointestinal microbiota and associated opportunistic infections. Antiretroviral treatment is predicted to partially restore host defenses and decrease the oral manifestation of HIV/AIDS. Well-designed longitudinal studies are needed to better understand the interactions of soluble host defense proteins with bacteria and virus in HIV/AIDS. ‘‘Crosstalk’’ was designed as a longitudinal study of host responses along the gastrointestinal (GI) tract and interactions between defense molecules and bacteria in HIV infection and subsequent therapy. Purpose: The clinical core formed the infrastructure for the study of the interactions between the proteome, microbiome and innate immune system. The core recruited and retained study subjects, scheduled visits, obtained demographic and medical data, assessed oral health status, collected samples, and guided analysis of the hypotheses. This manuscript presents a well-designed clinical core that may serve as a model for studies that combine clinical and laboratory data. Methods: Crosstalk was a case-control longitudinal clinical study an initial planned enrollment of 170 subjects. HIV+ antiretroviral nao ¨ve subjects were followed for 9 visits over 96 weeks and HIV uninfected subjects for 3 visits over 24 weeks. Clinical prevalence of oral mucosal lesions, dental caries and periodontal disease were assessed. Results: During the study, 116 subjects (47 HIV+, 69 HIV-) were enrolled. Cohorts of HIV+ and HIV- were demographically similar except for a larger proportion of women in the HIV- group. The most prevalent oral mucosal lesions were oral candidiasis and hairy leukoplakia in the HIV+ group. Discussion: The clinical core was essential to enable the links between clinical and laboratory data. The study aims to determine specific differences between oral and GI tissues that account for unique patterns of opportunistic infections and to delineate the differences in their susceptibility to infection by HIV and their responses post-HAART.
QUANTIFYING THE URBAN WATER SUPPLY IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

The difference in timing between water supply and urban water demand necessitates water storage. Existing reservoirs were designed based upon hydrologic data from a given historical period, and, given recent evidence for climatic change, may be insufficient to meet demand under future climate change scenarios. The focus of this study is to present a generally applicable methodology to assess the ability of existing storage to meet urban water demand under present and projected future climatic scenarios, and to determine the effectiveness of storage capacity expansions. Uncertainties in climatic forcing and projected demand scenarios are considered explicitly by the models. The reservoir system in San Diego, California is used as a case study. We find that the climate change scenarios will be more costly to the city than scenarios using historical hydrologic parameters. The magnitude of the expected costs and the optimal investment policy are sensitive to projected population growth and the accuracy to which our model can predict spills.
A low-cost, encapsulated flip-chip package on organic substrate for wideband gallium nitride (GaN) hybrid amplifiers

In this paper, the authors present an embedded, low-cost packaging technique for high power gallium nitride devices. The package is based on flip-chip bonding to achieve a reduced parasitic inductance, easing the design for wideband amplifiers. The backside of the gallium nitride devices is connected to a heat sink by a second flip-chip process to improve thermal management. When realized on a low-cost organic substrate material with poor thermal characteristics, measurement results show that the proposed packaging technique can still achieve performance levels comparable to devices packaged on expensive, high thermal conductivity substrate materials, such as aluminum nitride. These results demonstrate a low-cost, high-performance and near-hermetically sealed packaging solution for gallium nitride devices.
A New Si3N4 Material: Phase Relations in the System Si‐Sc‐O‐N and Preliminary Property Studies

A new polyphase silicon nitride alloy has been developed using Sc2O3 as a densification aid. Subsolidus phase relations in the system Si-Sc-O-N are reported together with preliminary oxidation and compressive creep results of a representative composition in the Si3N4-Si2N2O-Sc2Si2O7 phase field. Microstructural observations of the material are also presented.
Fluorescence polarization study of the rigor complexes formed at different degrees of saturation of actin filaments with myosin subfragment-1.

A serine residue located in the active site of myosin head (S1) was labelled by 9-anthroylnitrile, an amino group located in the central domain of S1 was labelled by 7-diethylamino-3-(4'-isothio-cyanato-phenyl)-4-methylcoumari n, a cysteine residue located near the C-terminus of S1 was labelled by 5-[2-((iodoacetyl)-amino)ethyl]-amino-naphthalene-1-sulfonic acid (1,5-IAEDANS) and a cysteine residue located near the C-terminus of the alkali light chain 1 was labelled with iodoacetamido-tetramethyl-rhodamine. Polarization of fluorescence of S1 was measured in solution (where it indicated the mobility of actin-bound S1) and in myofibrils (where it indicated orientation of probes) to check whether the anisotropy of S1 labelled at different positions depended on the molar ratio S1:actin. In solution, when increasing amounts of actin were added to a fixed amount of labelled S1 (i.e. when myosin heads were initially in excess over actin), anisotropy saturated at 1 mol of S1 per 1 mol of actin. When increasing amounts of S1 were added to a fixed amount of F-actin (i.e. when actin was initially in excess over S1), the anisotropy saturated at 1 mol of S1 per 2 mols of actin. In myofibrils, orientation of S1 was different when S1 was added at nanomolar concentration (intrinsic actin was in excess over extrinsic S1) then when it was added at micromolar concentration (excess of S1 over actin). The fact that the anisotropy of S1 labelled at different positions depended on the molar ratio excluded the possibility that changes were confined to one part of the cross-bridge and supports our earlier proposal that the two rigor complexes which S1 can form with F-actin differ globally in conformation.
Stacking the States, Stacking the House: The Partisan Consequences of Congressional Redistricting in the 19th Century

Considerable debate exists over the impact of redistricting on the partisan composition of the U.S. Congress. I address this debate by turning to an era of congressional redistricting that has received little systematic attention—the politics of gerrymandering in the 19th century. Using statewide-, county-, and ward-level electoral data from 1870 to 1900, I show that when a single party controlled the districting process, they used districting to systematically engineer a favorable partisan bias. These partisan biases affected the partisan composition of state congressional delegations and at times even helped determine party control of the House of Representatives.
What is a profile? [computer standards]

Discusses the value of profiles and how they differ from standards. Profiles address the problem of computer standards not being precisely designed to meet end-user needs. A standard's scope is generally much narrower than an entire computer system. To support user needs, a particular computer system may have to comply with many individual standards. Several factors may limit the scope of each standard. Moreover, no formal standards body requires that standards completely address end-user needs. Finally, a standard's scope is often reduced because an area originally covered by the standard does not have sufficient consensus to be retained in that standard. A consensus-based standard can be produced only in those areas that have sufficient consensus. Profiles are specifications that formally capture an organization's information technology needs. They are becoming a way to map the middle ground between overall user needs and the standards related to those needs. Profiles can be used to inventory an existing computing strategy, support a computing procurement or drive the evolution of an organization's computing strategy. Actually, organizations have been developing profiles for many years. However, they've gone by such names as procurement specifications, bid documents, strategic plans or recommended practices. At a minimum, a profile identifies user requirements and the standards or specifications that meet those requirements. A profile may also include more details on an organization's computing strategy. >
Venture Capital Best Practice Strategies To Reduce Economic Uncertainty In Biofuel Investing

Independent venture capital firms require actionable economic best practice strategies to reduce uncertainty when investing in biofuel firms. Biofuels derived from plant oils are a primary source of renewable fuel energy replacing petrol diesel. Investing in biofuels is fraught with high capital start-up costs and inaccurate portfolio firm valuation models lessening venture capital personnel ability to achieve higher levels of successful biofuel firm exits. The gap in literature addressed in this paper is venture capital best practice strategies to reduce economic uncertainty in biofuel firms investing are an unexplored phenomenon. Reducing and prospering from the effects economic uncertainty requires venture capital firms to implement best practice strategies. This paper provides venture capital firms with best practice strategies to reduce economic uncertainty when in investing in biofuel firms. Utilizing multiples, net present value, internal rate of return, and venture capital model for establishing a valuation price for portfolio firms are actionable economic best practice strategies addressed in this paper. The best practice strategies presented in this paper might reduce economic uncertainty, increase the number of successful exists, and encourage increased funding of biofuel energy firms, contributing to cleaner and healthier communities throughout the United States.
Role of adjuvant endocrine therapy in early-stage breast cancer

Abstract The value of adjuvant endocrine therapy in saving lives of women with estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) early-stage breast cancer cannot be disputed. Tamoxifen has proven to be effective in improving relapse-free and overall survival in both pre- and postmenopausal women with ER+ early-stage breast cancer. In the meta-analysis of the Early Breast Cancer Trialists' Collaborative Group, the proportional reduction in recurrence and mortality for 5 years of tamoxifen therapy was 50% and 28% respectively for patients with ER+ tumors. These reductions in recurrence and mortality were similar in both lymph node-negative (N−) and lymph node-positive (N+) patients and translate to an absolute improvement in 10-year survival of approximately 11% in N+ patients and 6% in N− patients. Current data suggest that about 5 years of tamoxifen therapy is the optimal duration of treatment. For women with ER−/progesterone receptor-negative (PR−) tumors, tamoxifen does not lower the risk of distant metastases or improve survival. In ER+ patients, the addition of tamoxifen to chemotherapy further lowers the risk of recurrence by about 30% to 40% when compared to chemotherapy alone. In premenopausal women with ER+ breast cancer, ovarian ablation has proven to be as effective as chemotherapy in improving both relapse-free and overall survival and the potential additive role of ovarian ablation to chemotherapy and/or tamoxifen is presently being explored in clinical trials. The combination of tamoxifen and ovarian ablation is currently being tested and may be superior to tamoxifen alone. In addition, newer, more effective, and less toxic aromatase inhibitors are also being evaluated in clinical trials in the adjuvant setting and have great promise. “Pure” antiestrogens or selective estrogen receptor down-regulators (SERDs) will be studied in adjuvant clinical trials in the near future. Recent data also suggest that molecular markers such as HER-2/neu may predict the response to endocrine therapy, and other predictive factors are currently being evaluated. Lastly, there is renewed interest in neoadjuvant endocrine therapy, a treatment option that may select those patients with early-stage breast cancer most likely to benefit from endocrine therapy.
Dynamic surface tension effects during airway reopening

Pulmonary airways can become occluded by lining fluid that impairs gas-exchange with the alveoli. To reopen these airways, a bubble of air must separate the airway walls, which can introduce large stresses on epithelial cells. In this paper we present modeling studies that aim to identify stress magnitudes on these cells, and the use of pulsatile ventilation strategies to open collapsed airways with minimal damage.
Afterwords: Forms of Death

Responding to this volume on genre, and especially to the Introduction, “Forms-of-life”, this Afterword contemplates genre as it is uttered through forms of semantic death: truisms, cliches, and dead metaphors. Taking its cue from Jacques Derrida’s essay “Living On,” from Bakhtin on speech genres, and Samuel Beckett’s bilingual “La Fin/The End,” it turns to love lyric writing by the English poet John Gower and his older contemporary Guillaume de Machaut. It argues that Gower uses the genre of the ballade sequence, in the wake of Machaut’s own novel explorations, to explore the dead but potent lacunas between one utterance and another, between one ballade and another, and between one language and another. In the process he works with the capacity of love discourse to offer truths even into old age (a major preoccupation of his love poetry): truths about how language might be shown to respond to language as it lives on from one cliche to the next.
Daniel Sennert on Poisons, Epilepsy, and Subordinate Forms

This article explores some connections between the medical conception of poison-induced epilepsy and the ontological conception of a plurality of substantial forms in living beings in the work of the Wittenberg physician and philosopher Daniel Sennert (1572–1637). It does so by taking a developmental approach, tracing Sennert's responses to some of his predecessors such as Jean Fernel, Petrus Severinus, and Julius Caesar Scaliger. Sennert's responses to Fernel indicate that Sennert does not regard poison-induced epilepsy as a disease that affects the dominant form of a living being. His responses to Severinus indicate that he also does not reduce the agency of epilepsy-inducing poisons to chemical causation. His responses to Scaliger indicate that he assigns to subordinate forms in the human body a central role in explaining the occurrence of auto-generated poisons leading to epileptic fits. At the same time, Sennert substantially goes beyond Scaliger by applying some of Severinus's insights concerning an...
Impairment and rehabilitation in bilingual aphasia: a SOM-based model

Bilingual aphasia is of increasing interest because a large and growing proportion of the world's population is bilingual. Current clinical research on this topic cannot provide specific recommendations on which language treatment should focus in a bilingual aphasic individual and to what extent cross-language transfer occurs during or after rehabilitation. This paper describes a SOM-based model of the bilingual lexicon, and reports on simulations of impairment and rehabilitation in bilingual aphasia. The goal is to create computational methods that can complement clinical research in developing a better understanding of mechanisms underlying recovery, and that could be used in the future to predict the most beneficial treatment for individual patients.
Modulation of glycoprotein hormone α-subunit levels, alkaline phosphatase activity, and DNA replication by antimetabolites in HeLa cultures

Abstract Synthesis of the glycoprotein hormone common α-subunit and alkaline phosphatase (placental isozyme) has been examined in HeLa S 3 cells. A variety of compounds that inhibit DNA synthesis lead to the increased production of both proteins. Experiments presented in this communication were undertaken to determine whether protein induction and DNA synthesis inhibition are coordinated. In general, nucleoside analogs and compounds that alter deoxynucleotide metabolism were good inducers of these ectopic products, whereas agents that altered DNA by intercalation, crosslinking, and covalent modification were poor inducers. The former class of effectors includes 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine, 5-fluoro-2′-deoxyuridine, 2′-deoxythymidine, 1-β- d -arabinofuranosylcytosine, methotrexate, hydroxyurea, N -phosphonoacetyl- l -aspartic acid, and sodium butyrate; and the latter class of compounds includes ethidium bromide, acridine, bleomycin, mitomycin C, cesalin, macromomycin, and cis -diamminedichloroplatinum(II). A direct correlation between protein induction and DNA synthesis inhibition is unlikely based on the following observations: (i) for some effectors, the concentrations required to induce α-subunit and PAP were significantly different from those necessary to inhibit DNA synthesis; (ii) several agents inhibit DNA replication but do not enhance hormone or enzyme production; (iii) the kinetics of ectopic protein induction were similar for a number of inducers whereas the kinetics of DNA synthesis inhibition elicited by the same compounds were quite different. It is difficult from the data obtained, however, to rule out the possibility that inhibition of DNA synthesis may be required but is not sufficient for protein induction.
FACTORS INVOLVED IN THE PRODUCTION OF IMMUNITY WITH PNEUMOCOCCUS VACCINE : II. INDUCTION OF ACTIVE IMMUNITY DURING THE COURSE OF LOBAR PNEUMONIA.

1. Pneumococcus vaccine was administered to 29 patients with pneumonia to determine whether a state of immunity could be induced during the course of the disease. Twenty patients received an intravenous injection of pneumococcus vaccine or pneumococcus filtrate. Nine pneumonia patients received an intradermal injection of vaccine. Eight patients with miscellaneous disease received an intravenous or intradermal injection of pneumococcus vaccine. 2. Of 23 tests in which the serum of the patient was studied for the appearance of protective substance after intravenous injection of heterologous pneumococcus vaccine, 20 or 87 per cent showed a positive response within 6 days after the administration of the antigen. The average day of onset was 4.4 days after injection. 3. Of 9 tests of the same character following the intravenous injection of pneumococcus filtrate, 8 or 89 per cent showed a positive response. The average day of onset of protective substance was 5.6 days after injection. 4. The appearance of specific protective substance following heterologous injection of pneumococcus vaccine appeared to be due to the introduction of the vaccine and not to the natural course of the disease, as was shown by negative control experiments. 5. Of 24 tests with intradermal injection of vaccine, 10 or 42 per cent developed slight protective substance of irregular degree 4.5 days after injection. 6. No immediate reactions were observed following the intravenous or intradermal injection of pneumococcus vaccine. One chill occurred after injection of pneumococcus filtrate. Of 20 cases with intravenous injection of pneumococcus vaccine or filtrate, 2 died of their disease, one a case in which homologous vaccine was used and one in which heterologous vaccine was administered. 7. Conclusions concerning the therapeutic value of the introduction of pneumococcus vaccine in pneumonia must await further investigation. These studies demonstrate that specific protective substances generally appear 4 to 5 days after intravenous injection of pneumococcus vaccine during the course of lobar or bronchopneumonia.
Perception of middorsum palatal stops from the speech of three children with repaired cleft palate.

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine listeners' perception of the middorsum palatal stop, a compensatory articulation used by individuals with repaired cleft palates. Design: This study tested whether listeners could discriminate middorsum palatal stops from matched alveolar (/t/) and velar (/k/) stops using a two-button “change/no-change” procedure. It also explored how listeners identified the palatal stop by rating each sound on a scale of one to eight. Participants: Twenty listeners, 10 untrained and 10 trained in general phonetics (graduate students in speech–language pathology), participated in discrimination and identification tasks during a 1-hour session in the Speech Perception Laboratory at the University of Buffalo. Measures: Discrimination was measured using d-prime, a score based on listeners' hits, correct rejections, misses, and false alarms to the changes/no changes in the stimuli. Identification was measured by the mean rating score for each class of stops. Result...
Toward a Political Ecological Utopia

We began with the premise that humanity can and must produce a deliberate design for its own future. In the preceding pages, we have sought to suggest that a synthesis of environmental and utopian thought might prove of value in developing that design. Here, in a final section, there remains the task of evaluating our findings.
Uncovering Collective Rape : A Comparative Study of Political Sexual Violence

Collective rape is an internationally important issue but it has been the subject of little academic research. In particular, comparative empirical research is missing from the literature. This art...
A qualitative evaluation of medication management services in six Minnesota health systems.

Purpose The initiation, establishment, and sustainability of medication management programs in six Minnesota health systems are described. Methods Six Minnesota health systems with well-established medication management programs were invited to participate in this study: Essentia Health, Fairview Health Services, HealthPartners, Hennepin County Medical Center, Mayo Clinic, and Park Nicollet Health Services. Qualitative methods were employed by conducting group interviews with key staff from each institution who were influential in the development of medication management services within their organization. Kotter’s theory of eight steps for leading organizational change served as the framework for the question guide. The interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed for recurring and emergent themes. Results A total of 13 distinct themes were associated with the successful integration of medication management services across the six healthcare systems. Identified themes clustered within three stages of Kotter’s model for leading organizational change: creating a climate for change, engaging and enabling the whole organization, and implementing and sustaining change. The 13 themes included (1) external influences, (2) pharmacists as an untapped resource, (3) principles and professionalism, (4) organizational culture, (5) momentum champions, (6) collaborative relationships, (7) service promotion, (8) team-based care, (9) implementation strategies, (10) overcoming challenges, (11) supportive care model process, (12) measuring and reporting results, and (13) sustainability strategies. Conclusion A qualitative survey of six health systems that successfully implemented medication management services in ambulatory care clinics revealed that a supportive culture and team-based collaborative care are among the themes identified as necessary for service sustainability.