cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Do the effects of piscivorous largemouth bass cascade to the plankton

Ecologists have hypothesized that an increase in the biomass of piscivorous fish in lakes will cause a decrease in populations of planktivorous fish, an increase in the size of herbivorous zooplankton and a decrease in the biomass of phytoplankton. Here we present an experimental test of whether the effects of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) cascade to the planktivorous fish, zooplankton and phytoplankton of a 15-ha water storage reservoir. A pilot study indicated that the reservoir was eutrophic with dense populations of planktivorous fish dominated by threadfin shad (Dorosoma petenense). No piscovorous fish were present in the reservoir. We conducted a one-month mesocosm experiment using water and plankton from the reservoir showing that the presence of threadfin shad reduced large-sized zooplankton and increased the productivity and biomass of phytoplankton. To test whether the effects of piscivorous fish could cascade to the plankton, we assessed the effects of the addition of piscivorous largemouth bass on the planktivorous fish, zooplankton and biomass of phytoplankton of the reservoir by monitoring the reservoir during the year before and the two years after largemouth bass were stocked. In the second year after the addition of largemouth bass, the number of planktivorous fish decreased and the relative abundance of threadfin shad declined. Although the abundance of cladocerans increased after the addition of largemouth bass, the average size of zooplankton did not change. We did not detect changes in chlorophyll a, Secchi depth, or concentrations of total phosphorus and total nitrogen as a result of the addition of largemouth bass.
Maintaining Norms about Expressed Emotions: The Case of Bill Collectors

I wish to thank Max Bazerman, Kimberly Elsbach, Connie Gersick, Roderick Kramer, Keith Murnighan, Marina Park, Lorna Peden, Jeffrey Pfeffer, Linda Pike, Anat Rafaeli, John Van Maanen, and three anonymous ASO reviewers for their contributions to this article. I especially wish to thank Gerald Salancik for urging me to narrow and focus my arguments in ways that improved this article considerably. A qualitative study of a bill-collection organization was used to identify norms about the emotions that collectors are expected to convey to debtors and the means used by the organization to maintain such norms given that collectors' expressed emotions are simultaneously influenced by their inner feelings. These data indicate that collectors are selected, socialized, and rewarded for following the general norm of conveying urgency (high arousal with a hint of irritation) to debtors. Collectors are further socialized and rewarded to adjust their expressed emotions in response to variations in debtor demeanor. These contingent norms sometimes clash with collectors' feelings toward debtors. Bill collectors are taught to cope with such emotive dissonance by using cognitive appraisals that help them become emotionally detached from debtors and by releasing unpleasant feelings without communicating these emotions to debtors. The discussion focuses on the implications of this research for developing general theory about the expression of emotion in organizational life.'
Vascular complications after splenectomy for hematologic disorders

To the editor: In a recent issue of Blood , Crary and Buchanan published the most perceptive and comprehensive review to date of thrombotic vascular complications arising with functional or surgical asplenia in patients with hematologic, and especially hemolytic, disorders.[1][1] Their overview of
Discstra: A Computer Program that Computes Bootstrap Resampling Estimates of Descriptive Discriminant Analysis Function and Structure Coefficients and Group Centroids

Program DISCSTRA computes bootstrap estimates of discriminant function analysis function and structure coefficients, and group centroids. The use of the program is illustrated using Fisher's iris data.
Distribution, subcellular localization, and product inhibition of dihydroorotate oxidation in the rat

Abstract The enzyme system for converting dihydroorotate to orotate was found to be distributed in all rat tissues assayed. In liver, the reaction is localized in mitochondria and appears to be specific for dihydroorotate. Evidence is presented for excluding the reaction as a site for control of pyrimidine biosynthesis via end-product inhibition. However, product inhibition by orotic acid does occur and is competitive with dihydroorotate.
Subaperture testing of aspheres with annular zones

A subaperture configuration to test aspheric optical components or systems has been developed. The aperture is divided into annular subaperture regions, and an interferometer is refocused for each region to reduce the fringe density. The method is suited to phase-measuring interferometry and may be used with standard interferogram reduction software. The theoretical basis for the method, requirements for the number of annular zones, sensitivity to the selection of the number of polynomials, and tolerances for centration and radius are described. Numerical and experimental validations of the algorithm are described. The method may eliminate the need to use null lenses for measuring some aspheres at the center of curvature.
Estimates of myocardium at risk and collateral flow in acute myocardial infarction using electrocardiographic indexes with comparison to radionuclide and angiographic measures

Objectives. This study sought to determine the accuracy of the initial 12-lead electrocardiogram (ECG) in predicting final infarct size after direct coronary angioplasty for myocardial infarction and to examine which physiologic variables known to be determinants of outcome the ST segment changes most closely reflect. Background. Myocardium at risk, collateral flow and time to reperfusion have been shown to be independent physiologic predictors of infarct size in animal and clinical models. However, such measurements may be difficult to perform on a routine basis in patients with myocardial infarction. The standard 12-lead ECG is inexpensive and readily available. Methods. Sixty-seven patients with acute myocardial infarction, ST segment elevation and duration of chest pain <12 h had an initial injection of technetium-99m sestamibi. Tomographic imaging was performed 1 to 8 h later (after direct coronary angioplasty), and the images were quantified to measure perfusion defect size (myocardium at risk) and severity (a measure of collateral flow). Contrast agent injection and tomographic acquisition were repeated at hospital discharge to measure infarct size. The ST segment elevation score was calculated for each patient according to infarct location and using previously described formulas. Results. ST segment elevation score correlated closest with the radionuclide measure of collateral flow (r = −0.44, p ≤ 0.0001), as well as an angiographic measure of collateral flow (r = −0.38, p = 0.05). Although ST segment elevation score correlated weakly with the magnitude of myocardium at risk by technetium-99m sestamibi, it was not as strong as infarct location alone in predicting myocardium at risk ([mean ± SD] anterior 51 ± 13% left ventricle vs. inferior 17 ± 10% left ventricle, p < 0.0001). ST segment elevation score was weakly associated with final infarct size (r = 0.34, p = 0.005). A multivariate ECG model was constructed with infarct location as a surrogate for myocardium at risk, ST segment elevation score as a surrogate for estimated collateral flow, and elapsed time to reperfusion from onset of chest pain. All three variables were independently associated with infarct size. Conclusions. The initial standard 12-lead ECG can provide insight into myocardium at risk and, to a greater extent, collateral flow and can consequently provide some estimate of subsequent infarct size. However, the confidence limits for such predictors are wide.
Divergent effects of postmortem ambient temperature on organophosphorus- and carbamate-inhibited brain cholinesterase activity in birds

Abstract Diagnosis of wildlife mortality from organophosphorus and carbamate pesticides is made by demonstration of critical depression (e.g., >50%) of whole brain cholinesterase (ChE) activity and detection of anti-ChE pesticide residue. In the field, this 50% criterion is usually far exceeded for organophosphorus poisonings, while ChE activity may be near normal for carbamate poisonings. Because dead wildlife may remain in the field for variable durations before collection, the temporal effect of moderate ambient temperatures on uninhibited and inhibited brain ChE was evaluated. Adult Japanese quail ( Coturnix japonica ) were dosed with 0, 1, 3, or 9 mg of carbofuran or dicrotophos per kg body weight, survivors were euthanized after 1 hr, and all specimens were randomized to 18, 25, or 32°C for 0, 1, 2, or 3 days. Toxic response was dose dependent for all variables measured. Carbofuran evoked rapid response at all dosages and death within 30 min or the subject seemed to recover within 60 min, while response to dicrotophos was not pronounced for about 30 min but then persisted through time of euthanasia. Postmortem reactivation was demonstrated for carbamylated ChE while activity of phosphorylated ChE continued to decrease. Rapid inhibition and spontaneous reactivation of carbamylated enzyme explained both toxicity and postmortem changes for carbofuran treatments. Phosphorylation of ChE is a comparatively slow and essentially irreversible reaction that explains both delayed response to dicrotophos and continued depression of postmortem enzyme. Control whole brain ChE activity was resilient in intact birds exposed to above freezing temperatures to 32°C for 1 day or to 25°C for 3 days.
Mass spectrometric investigation of the thermodynamic properties of the Si6 molecule

Abstract Partial pressures of Si(g) and Si6(g) over condensed silicon have been measured by Knudsen cell mass spectrometry. The atomization energy and enthalpy of formation of Si6(g) was evaluated for the reaction Si6 (g) = 6Si(g) with these partial pressures and with thermal functions derived from recent experimental and theoretical molecular parameters. The results, ΔaH0[Si6(g)] = 1981 ± 32 kJ mol−1 and ΔfH298.15[Si6(g)] = 733 ± 41 kJ mol−1 are compared with predictions from recent theoretical calculations.
A Single-Dose Pilot Trial of Intranasal Rapid-Acting Insulin in Apolipoprotein E4 Carriers with Mild–Moderate Alzheimer’s Disease

Intranasal (IN) insulin acutely improves verbal memory in mild cognitive impairment (MCI)/Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but its therapeutic effects may be attenuated in apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) carriers. Furthermore, rapid-acting (RA) insulins may have superior therapeutic effects compared with regular insulin types. To measure the safety and efficacy of intranasally delivered RA glulisine in ApoE4 carriers with mild–moderate AD. We performed a double-blinded, randomized, cross-over study of RA insulin glulisine in nine mild–moderate AD subjects to better understand the relationship between RA insulin, ApoE4 carrier status and memory performance. IN glulisine was well tolerated but failed to have an acute impact on cognition in ApoE4 carriers with AD. Serum insulin levels acutely dropped following treatment, but peripheral glucose levels remained unchanged. Larger clinical trials of longer duration are necessary to better understand the relationships between RA insulin, ApoE4 carrier status and cognitive performance in AD.
The Government Debt and the Long-Term Interest Rate: Application of the Loanable Funds Model to Greece

This paper extends the open-economy loanable funds model to Greece and finds that a higher government debt/GDP ratio, a higher real short-term rate, a higher percent change in real GDP, a higher expected inflation rate, a higher EU government bond yield, or a higher nominal effective exchange rate increases the Greek government bond yield. In the conventional closed-economy loanable funds model, similar results are found, but the explanatory power is lower. In the conventional open-economy loanable funds model, the percent change in real GDP and the ratio of the net capital inflow to GDP have insignificant coefficients.
Paired Hall states

Abstract The principle that perturbation in quantum statistics should be accompanied by application of an appropriate magnetic field has been successful in giving a simple understanding of major qualitative features of the fractional quantized Hall states and related anyon superconducting states. In these applications, the starting point is one or more filled Landau levels. Here we consider the question of perturbation around free fermions. We argue that very near this point the statistical interactions are weak and their effects calculable; nevertheless they have the important qualitative consequence that a p-wave BCS pairing instability is triggered. The result is a new line of incompressible states in the (inverse) filling-fraction-statistics plane. This line extrapolates to a state obeying Fermi statistics at filling fractio 1 2 , which is a candidate to describe electron states. A variety of techniques is then employed to elucidate the properties of this state and the unusual quasiparticles it supports. We believe the state is in the same universality class as one Halperin proposed based on grouping electrons into pairs of tightly bound bosonic molecules, which form a correlated state of the Laughlin type. We report the results of extensive numerical work which establishes firmly the existence of an incompressible state with the properties we predict, including the very unusual quasiparticles, for simple model potentials. We also investigate the situation for realistic potentials, and conclude that a paired Hall state of the type investigated here is a good candidate to describe real 2d electron gases, especially for thick samples and higher Landau levels, quite possibly including the state at filling fraction 5 2 that has already been observed.
Bacterial tracheitis caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae

Diphtheria has become a rare disease in Germany. We report on an unimmunized 3.5-year-old German girl with a 7-day history of respiratory distress and fever, presenting a clinical picture mimicking typical bacterial tracheitis without pharyngeal and laryngeal manifestation. Diagnosis of diphtheria was not made until culture of tracheal secretions yielded growth of a toxigenic strain of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. The patient died from toxic cardiac failure despite treatment with diphtheria antitoxin. This is the second reported case of isolated bacterial tracheitis caused by Corynebacterium diphtheriae.
Angiomyoma of the palate

Oral tumors of smooth muscle origin are rare. Most oral leiomyomas are believed to be derived from vascular smooth muscle. The leiomyomas are divided into angiomyomas and leiomyomas depending on the degree of vascularity. Differentiation must be made from neurofibromas and other spindle cell tumors, as well as leiomyosarcomas.
Editorial: The "muscle" of the red cell.

Recent advances in membrane protein analysis have suggested that contractile proteins occur within, or adjacent to, the plasma membranes of several cells that are not usually considered to be muscular. For example, some of the motile functions of circulating phagocytes, as well as some of the contractile functions of platelets, have been ascribed to this class of proteins. Red cells have a similar membrane protein, spectrin,1 which together with a second, actin-like membrane protein,2 may have a role in the regulation of cell shape. Although the story is far from complete, it has been suggested that phosphorylation of spectrin may . . .
Task vs. rest—different network configurations between the coactivation and the resting-state brain networks

There is a growing interest in studies of human brain networks using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). However, it is unclear whether and how brain networks measured during the resting-state exhibit comparable properties to brain networks during task performance. In the present study, we investigated meta-analytic coactivation patterns among brain regions based upon published neuroimaging studies, and compared the coactivation network configurations with those in the resting-state network. The strength of resting-state functional connectivity between two regions were strongly correlated with the coactivation strength. However, the coactivation network showed greater global efficiency, smaller mean clustering coefficient, and lower modularity compared with the resting-state network, which suggest a more efficient global information transmission and between system integrations during task performing. Hub shifts were also observed within the thalamus and the left inferior temporal cortex. The thalamus and the left inferior temporal cortex exhibited higher and lower degrees, respectively in the coactivation network compared with the resting-state network. These results shed light regarding the reconfiguration of the brain networks between task and resting-state conditions, and highlight the role of the thalamus in change of network configurations in task vs. rest.
UTILIZATION OF RADIORECEPTOR ASSAYS FOR QUANTITATION OF SOMATOMEDIN AND INSULIN-LIKE PEPTIDES IN PLASMA AND PLASMA EXTRACTS

Somatomedin-C, isolated in our laboratory, has been radio-iodinated and studied for its binding to human placental plasma membranes. Under optimal conditions, up to,20% of the labeled hormone is specifically bound to the receptor. The curves of competition for the somatomedin (SM) receptor produced by unextracted reference plasma paralleled those produced by a SM standard. Differences in the SM activity between hypopituitary dwarfs and normal children were readily apparent when 2-10 μl of plasma were compared to the reference plasma. The mean relative SM concentration for the 21 dwarfs was 0.35 ± 0.33 (1 S.D.), whereas the concentration for 19 normals was 1.21 ± 0.62. Administration of hGH to a hypopituitary dwarf induced a 3-fold increase in activity. The SM receptor assay, when used in conjunction with a placental receptor assay using radioiodinated insulin, provides a rapid method for monitoring purification of SM peptides. The SM receptor is more sensitive to SM, but the insulin receptor recognizes a greater variety of insulin-like peptides. The placental insulin receptor cannot detect differences between hypopituitary and normal serum. These results suggest that under physiologic conditions, somatomedin is preferentially bound to its own receptor rather than to the receptor shared with insulin.
Intermolecular electrical response

Abstract The understanding of intermolecular electrical response is considered from the standpoint of both interaction energetics and property changes and from evaluation by ab initio calculations and by modeling. The objective of such understanding is to use property changes as better and better probes of behavior associated with intermolecular interaction and to design the most effective potential models for simulation of large molecular aggregations. The inherent transferability of electrical properties and the cooperativity of the complete electrical interaction is advantageous in connecting small cluster behavior with condensed phase behavior.
Mechanical Cell Injury

The tissues of the body are continually subjected to mechanical stimulation by external forces, such as gravity, and internally generated forces, such as the pumping of blood or muscle contraction. Within a physiological range, the forces elicit adaptive responses acutely (to rapidly alter function) and chronically (to remodel tissue structure to optimize load-bearing capabilities). When the forces exceed certain thresholds, injury results. To understand the mechanisms of mechanical injury at the cellular level, we must analyze the structural response of the cell to various modes of deformation and examine the biological consequences of the structural alterations caused by the trauma. This chapter reviews the mechanics of cell membrane deformation and failure. Evidence for the strain-rate-dependent, transient disruption of cell membranes, or mechanoporation, is presented for a variety of cell types. The complex interactions between the structural damage and the biological sequelae are illustrated using clinically relevant forms of cell injury. Finally, novel therapeutic approaches targeting membrane integrity are described.
Analysis of Waveguides with Nonlinear Material : Application to Superconductor Microwave Lines

This paper presents an analysis and a simulation of the nonlinearity in superconducting microwave devices. The analysis is performed in the time domain, since it can not be done simply in frequency domain. The high critical-temperature superconductor (HTS) model is based-on the Ginzburg-Landau (GL) theory. A full-wave electromagnetic model is used in conjunction with the HTS nonlinear model. The three-dimensional finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique simultaneously solves the resulting equations. The three dimensions solution is essential for the nonlinear analysis. The fields in the HTS device are presented. Interesting aspects of the nonlinearity in HTS material are observed. The nonlinear effective dielectric constant and the nonlinear attenuation constant for an HTS microstrip line are calculated as function of the applied magnetic field.
Antibody Response to Influenza A/New Jersey and A/Victoria Virus Vaccines in 1976 and Subsequent Antibody Levels after Influenza A Epidemics, 1977–1979

Antibody levels before and after vaccination were studied among schoolchildren and young adults given commercial A/New Jersey/76 (HswN1), A/Victoria/75 (H3N2), and B/Hong Kong/72 vaccines in the fall of 1976. Children responded better to a single dose of the A/New Jersey subvirion vaccine than had previously been observed, particularly to a new subvirion vaccine. Hemagglutination-inhibiting antibody titers decreased during the first six months after vaccination but appeared stable thereafter. Persistence seemed to depend on the antigenic mass in the first dose, since persons given one or two doses of the most potent whole-virus vaccine had by far the highest levels of antibody to A/New Jersey virus after 2 1/2 years, higher than for those given two doses of any of the other vaccines. Natural infection with A/USSR (H1N1) influenza virus boostered the titers of antibody to A/New Jersey virus, particularly in children. Persons given a bivalent subvirion vaccine had the best response to A/Victoria antigen. Subvirion vaccines induced complement-fixing antibodies in half of the children.
Tailored fatty acid synthesis via dynamic control of fatty acid elongation

Medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs, 4-12 carbons) are valuable as precursors to industrial chemicals and biofuels, but are not canonical products of microbial fatty acid synthesis. We engineered microbial production of the full range of even- and odd-chain-length MCFAs and found that MCFA production is limited by rapid, irreversible elongation of their acyl-ACP precursors. To address this limitation, we programmed an essential ketoacyl synthase to degrade in response to a chemical inducer, thereby slowing acyl-ACP elongation and redirecting flux from phospholipid synthesis to MCFA production. Our results show that induced protein degradation can be used to dynamically alter metabolic flux, and thereby increase the yield of a desired compound. The strategy reported herein should be widely useful in a range of metabolic engineering applications in which essential enzymes divert flux away from a desired product, as well as in the production of polyketides, bioplastics, and other recursively synthesized hydrocarbons for which chain-length control is desired.
Integration of polymeric optical waveguides with SOI MEMS structures

Optical switches based on deflection of a waveguide element offer low crosstalk, low polarization dependency, low power consumption, and high degree of integration. Such switches made by post processing of polymeric waveguides onto MEMS structures of silicon-on-insulator (SOI) efficiently combine low loss waveguides with the exceptional mechanical properties of single crystalline silicon. An important aspect of this concept is that it allows independent optimization of the mechanical and optical structures by efficiently separating the two. Well established, high yield methods exist for structuring silicon based on deep reactive ion etching (DRIE), which allows the formation of mechanical structures with high aspect ratio. The mechanical structure can then be planarized for further processing by utilizing spin coating properties of certain polymers. This allows post processing of high-resolution passive polymeric waveguide networks that can fulfil a variety of functions depending on the application, including spot-size transformers for low loss coupling to optical fibers. These waveguides can also potentially be integrated with CMOS or active optoelectronic elements into forming highly functional hybrid photonic integrated circuits, partly facilitated by the low temperatures required for processing of polymers. This paper highlights key process technologies and specifically discusses issues related to an optical switch that was developed for proof of concept. This switch was made of 5μm thick SOI with 3μm wide, high optical confinement polymeric waveguides. Switching times were down to 30μs, switching voltages 20 to 50V, and crosstalk was -32dB. The paper further outlines possible applications of the switch to state-of-the-art problems in photonics.
All-optical absorption switches in subwavelength metal-dielectricmetal plasmonic waveguides

We theoretically investigate the properties of absorption switches for metal-dielectric-metal (MDM) plasmonic waveguides. We show that a MDM waveguide directly coupled to a cavity filled with an active material with tunable absorption coefficient can act as an absorption switch, in which the on/off states correspond to the absence/presence of optical pumping. We also show that a MDM plasmonic waveguide side-coupled to a cavity filled with an active material can operate as an absorption switch, in which the on/off states correspond to the presence/absence of pumping. For a specific modulation depth, the side-coupled-cavity switch results in more compact designs compared to the directcoupled- cavity switch. Variations in the imaginary part of the refractive index of the material filling the cavity of Δκ=0.01 (Δκ=0.15) result in ~60% (~99%) modulation depth. The properties of both switches can be accurately described using transmission line theory.
Brief psychotherapy: the role of common and specific factors

This article discusses some of the important recent developments in psychotherapy. One such development is the increased recognition and utilization of brief psychotherapy, especially in the United States where time limits for psychotherapy are being set by health maintenance and insurance organizations. Along with the increased demand for brief psychotherapy have been apparent the proliferation of the psychotherapies as well as the popularity of eclectic and integrative approaches. The present article emphasizes an eclectic orientation as allowing the greatest flexibility in meeting current demands. In this approach use is made of the factors deemed to be common to most forms of therapy as well as specific factors derived from various schools. Such procedures allow the therapist to make therapy as effective and efficient as possible. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Photothermal modulation of x-ray phase contrast images

The in-line x-ray phase-contrast imaging method relies on changes in index of refraction within a body to produce image contrast. In soft tissue, index of refraction variations arise from density changes so that phase contrast imaging provides a map of density gradients within a body. An intense, short pulse laser beam that is differentially absorbed by an object within a body will produce a thermal wave with an associated density change that propagates outwardly from the interface between the object and the body. Experiments are described where a pulsed Nd:YLF laser is synchronized to an image intensifier to record the effects of the energy deposited by a pulsed laser.
A comparison of model selection criteria

There has been significant new work published recently on the subject of model selection. Notably Rissanen (1986, 1987, 1988) has introduced new criteria based on the notion of stochastic complexity and Hurvich and Tsai(1989) have introduced a bias corrected version of Akaike's information criterion. In this paper, a Monte Carlo study is conducted to evaluate the relative performance of these new model selection criteria against the commonly used alternatives. In addition, we compare the performance of all the criteria in a number of situations not considered in earlier studies: robustness to distributional assumptions, collinearity among regressors, and non-stationarity in a time series. The evaluation is based on the number of times the correct model is chosen and the out of sample prediction error. The results of this study suggest that Rissanen's criteria are sensitive to the assumptions and choices that need to made in their application, and so are sometimes unreliable. While many of the criteria oft...
Hydrazide sol /gel process: A novel approach, for synthesizing nanostructured titanium nitride

Abstract A novel hydrazide sol–gel process has been developed to synthesize nanocrystalline titanium nitride. The process involves the reaction of titanium isopropoxide with anhydrous hydrazine in the presence of anhydrous acetonitrile to yield a solid precursor. Gas chromatography supported by chemical analysis shows that ≈80% of the isopropoxy groups are replaced by hydrazine. Nanostructured TiN is seen to evolve when the as-prepared precursor is pyrolyzed in ultra high purity (UHP) N2, UHP-Ar and NH3 at a temperature as low as 600 °C. However, fully crystallized single phase TiN is detected by X-ray diffraction at a temperature of 800 °C. Transmission electron microscopy and specific surface area analyses revealed that TiN obtained after pyrolysis in UHP-N2 is nanocrystalline (
THE CHILD WHO HAS RECURRENT INFECTION

Every pediatrician is faced with the fact that some children have more infections than others. A parent's need for an explanation regarding the frequency of infection increases with increasing effect of infections on quality of life for both the child and the parent. Sometimes, type or severity of infection, family history, or physical examination provides a clue that the immune system is not functioning poperly. This article discusses the infant's immune system, the expected numbers of infection in childhood, the factors influencing the number of infections, the differential diagnosis for recurrent infection, and the diagnosis of immune deficiency.
Mechanisms of Action of Interferon and Ribavirin in Chronic Hepatitis C: Summary of a Workshop

The current recommended therapy for chronic hepatitis C is the combination of peginterferon and ribavirin, which results in a sustained clearance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in at least half of patients. However, the mechanisms by which interferon alpha (IFN-α) and ribavirin act against HCV are not well defined. The importance of understanding the biological pathways, cellular effects, and antiviral activities of these agents is underscored by clinical observations that nonresponders frequently have little or no decrease in HCV RNA levels during treatment, suggesting intrinsic resistance to IFN-α. Cell culture and animal models of HCV have shown that the infection itself may block IFN-α induction and action. Still other findings suggest that individual innate and adaptive immune responses, host genetic factors, viral genetic diversity, and clinical comorbidities account for part of nonresponse to therapy. To provide an overview of the current knowledge of the mechanisms of action of IFN-α and ribavirin against HCV and offer guidance for future research, the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases held a single topic conference entitled “Interferon and Ribavirin in Hepatitis C Virus Infection: Mechanisms of Response and Non-Response” on March 1-3, 2007. This article summarizes that conference.
Practitioners and the Art of Planning

Over time, practitioners, both in the “field” and in academia, have revised their conceptions of the three facets (defined here as design, craft, and presentation) of the art of planning, respondin...
Relational clustering by symmetric convex coding

Relational data appear frequently in many machine learning applications. Relational data consist of the pairwise relations (similarities or dissimilarities) between each pair of implicit objects, and are usually stored in relation matrices and typically no other knowledge is available. Although relational clustering can be formulated as graph partitioning in some applications, this formulation is not adequate for general relational data. In this paper, we propose a general model for relational clustering based on symmetric convex coding. The model is applicable to all types of relational data and unifies the existing graph partitioning formulation. Under this model, we derive two alternative bound optimization algorithms to solve the symmetric convex coding under two popular distance functions, Euclidean distance and generalized I-divergence. Experimental evaluation and theoretical analysis show the effectiveness and great potential of the proposed model and algorithms.
Trunk reservation based control of circuit switched networks with dynamic routing

Dynamic routing in nonhierarchical circuit-switched networks is considered. Using a lattice model, the authors formulate the problem of spatially distributed control of the network by trunk reservation based on local information. A set of integrodifferential equations is derived for the time evolution of the distribution of link occupancies, with the trunk reservation parameter appearing as a control variable (hydrodynamic limit). In the case of spatially homogeneous initial conditions these equations collapse to a controlled nonlinear vector ordinary differential equation. The performance of trunk reservation strategies derived from this control problem is compared with a natural analog of the separable routing scheme of K.R. Krishnan and T. Ott (1986). The trunk reservation strategy appears to perform favorably, but work on more realistic examples will be needed before definitive conclusions can be reached. >
Work Values Among Professional Employees in Union and Nonunion Research Library Institutions

This study explored the relationship between unions and professional librarians' w]ork values. Despite previous research findings on blue-collar workers, this investigation found no significant differences in the work values of professionals in unionized versus nonunionized libraries. However, differences in work-related values were traced when the present research looked just at the union group of the study. Data analysis indicated that registered union members and those most committed to their union placed a higher degree of importance on professional growth issues than did their counterparts.
What Do You Look for in a Prospective Date? Reexamining the Preferences of Men and Women Who Differ in Self-Monitoring Propensities

Males and females who differed in self-monitoring propensities indicated their preferences for an evening date by ranking the desirability of nine opposite-sex targets who were varied in attractiveness and personality. In contrast to past research, criteria used to evaluate dating partners were not influenced by participants' self-monitoring propensities. Results provided little evidence that dating orientations of high and low self-monitors vary systematically when partners are selected from a broad, representative array of alternatives. Consistent with past research, men weighed attractiveness cues more heavily than did women; women attached more weight to dispositional information than men did. Yet, internal analyses revealed that the dating orientations of male and female participants were really more similar than different: Both the looks and the character of prospective dating partners were highly salient to men and women, who were most interested in dating individuals who maximized total outcomes a...
The effect of perceived service quality and name familiarity on the service selection decision

Considerable attention has been focussed on the measurement of service quality. In fact, the 1990s has been referred to as the era of customer service. However, little empirical research has been done to demonstrate the impact of service quality on usage decisions. Product (brand or service) name familiarity is another variable that has been recognized as having a major influence on the choice of products (services). Reports the findings of an experimental study investigating the impact of service quality and name familiarity on the respondents’ attitudes and intention to use these services.
Task switching in multirobot learning through indirect encoding

Multirobot domains are a challenge for learning algorithms because they require robots to learn to cooperate to achieve a common goal. The challenge only becomes greater when robots must perform heterogeneous tasks to reach that goal. Multiagent HyperNEAT is a neuroevolutionary method (i.e. a method that evolves neural networks) that has proven successful in several cooperative multiagent domains by exploiting the concept of policy geometry, which means the policies of team members are learned as a function of how they relate to each other based on canonical starting positions. This paper extends the multiagent HyperNEAT algorithm by introducing situational policy geometry, which allows each agent to encode multiple policies that can be switched depending on the agent's state. This concept is demonstrated both in simulation and in real Khepera III robots in a patrol and return task, where robots must cooperate to cover an area and return home when called. Robot teams that are trained with situational policy geometry are compared to teams that are not and shown to find solutions more consistently that are also able to transfer to the real world.
Theoretical model of the boundary condition at a fluid‐porous interface

An equation for the volume average fluid velocity in a boundary layer region between a fluid and a porous medium is derived. The result is valid for a general anisotropic porous medium subject to the restrictions imposed by the assumptions made in the analysis. The basic equations of motion for an incompressible Newtonian fluid with negligible inertia are used and a linear map Mij from the volume average velocity 〈v〉 into the point velocity v is assumed to exist. Using scaling arguments, an equation for 〈v〉 is found which reduces to the Darcy equation for a point entirely within the porous medium below the boundary region and to the usual Navier-Stokes equation for a point entirely within the fluid above the boundary region. The form of the equation contains two of the terms that were originally hypothesized and tested experimentally by Beavers and Joseph (1967). In particular, the following equation is obtained: where the tensors Kij, Ljmk and Njm are mathematically defined in terms of the map Mij.
Observations of the cross-wind velocity variance in the stable boundary layer

Nine tower datasets over grassland, brush rangeland, snow covered plain, the ocean, three different pine forests, an aspen forest and an urban site, are used to document the scale-dependence of the cross-wind velocity variance in the stable boundary layer. The turbulence velocity variance scales with the surface momentum flux, as reported in previous studies. Such scaling removes the stability dependence of the variance at a given site, and also removes most of the differences between sites. The scaling is more effective with use of a record-dependent averaging time for defining the turbulent fluctuations. The variable averaging time is the timescale associated with the gap region in the heat flux multiresolution cospectra. On scales larger than turbulence and less than a few hours (mesoscale), variations in the cross-wind velocity variance at a given site are not related to local variables such as the friction velocity. Possible exceptions include suppression of turbulence and mesoscale motions in well-defined drainage flows and enhancement of turbulence and mesoscale motions in stronger winds downstream of a ridge. Larger mesoscale variance is associated with complex terrain and forested sites compared to the more homogeneous sites in flat terrain with short or no vegetation. These differences between sites are related to the absence of a gap region in the velocity spectra at the complex terrain and forested sites. The observed probability distribution functions of the total variance and the mesoscale variance are documented for different averaging times, stability classes and site characteristics.
Cognitive advantages of chewing gum. Now you see them, now you don’t

The current series of experiments investigated the effects of the timing of gum chewing on cognitive function, by administering a battery of cognitive tasks to participants who chewed gum either prior to or throughout testing, and comparing their performance to that of controls who did not chew gum. Chewing gum was associated with performance advantages on multiple measures when gum was chewed for 5 min before, but not during, cognitive testing. The benefits, however, persisted only for the first 15-20 min of the testing session, and did not extend to all cognitive domains. To explain this pattern of results, it is proposed that the time-limited nature of performance benefits can be attributed to mastication-induced arousal. Furthermore, the lack of improvement in cognitive function when gum is chewed throughout testing may be because of interference effects due to a sharing of resources by cognitive and masticatory processes. This dual-process mechanism is not only consistent with the outcome of present experiments but can potentially account for a wide range of findings reported in the literature.
An Improved Lower Bound on Polynomial Multiplication

We prove an asymptotic lower bound of 3.52n nonscalar multiplications for (degree n – 1 by degree n – 1) polynomial multiplication in a model which allows only integers as scalars. Index Terms-Algebraic complexity, lower bound, polynomial multiplication.
A series-connected self-reconfigurable multicell battery capable of safe and effective charging/discharging and balancing operations

Bidirectional DC/DC converters are commonly used for charging and discharging multicell batteries under various modes, such as Pulsed Current (PC), Constant Current (CC), and Constant Current Constant Voltage (CCCV). The charge and discharge are usually terminated by the converters when battery voltages reach some threshold values. However, cell state imbalance is commonly present in traditional multicell batteries, which reduces the available capacities of the batteries in certain charge/discharge cycles and shortens the life cycles of the batteries. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a series-connected, self-reconfigurable, multicell battery with a bidirectional DC/DC converter capable of safe and effective charging, discharging, and balancing operations. The DC/DC converter uses a unified Constant Current Adaptive Voltage (CCAV) control scheme, which can fully charge each cell of the battery without damage as well as discharge the battery safely. Moreover, with the proposed design, balancing and self-healing can be achieved during operation. This enhances the reliability and energy conversion efficiency of the battery. The proposed design is validated by simulation studies for a six-cell, series-connected, lithium-ion battery pack. The proposed design is universal and can be applied to any types of batteries.
Condition for liquefaction instability in fluid-saturated granular soils

High-porosity granular materials such as loose sands can implode when subjected to compressive stresses. The mechanism of deformation is diffuse in that the jump in the strain rate tensor has three independent eigenvalues (full rank), in contrast to the jump in the strain rate tensor for a deformation band-type instability that has one eigenvalue (rank one). Recently, the mechanism of volume implosion has been studied in the context of material instability. In this paper we move one step further and consider the effect of a volume constraint associated with the presence of fluids in the pores of granular materials that have a tendency to implode. The upshot of this constraint is that at the onset of liquefaction the solid matrix deforms in a nearly isochoric fashion at the same time that the pore fluid pressure increases. The corresponding eigenmode (e-mode) is represented by jumps in the strain rate tensor and rate of pore fluid pressure. The framework presented in this work is used to analyze the onset of liquefaction instability in very loose Hostun RF sand tested in undrained triaxial compression and extension.
Is Christianity probable? Swinburne's apologetic programme

Richard Swinburne's tetralogy on Christian doctrine, together with his earlier trilogy on the philosophy of theism, is one of the most important apologetic projects of recent times. This paper focuses on some difficulties with this project that stem from Swinburne's use of confirmation theory. Arguably, the problem of dwindling probabilities, pointed out by Plantinga, has not been solved. The paper is principally focused, however, on the ways in which Swinburne's confirmation theory contributes to his comparative neglect of the personal, existential dimension of Christianity. A solution for these difficulties is suggested but not elaborated.
Design of Peptides with High Affinities for Heparin and Endothelial Cell Proteoglycans

Proteoglycan-binding peptides were designed based on consensus sequences in heparin-binding proteins: XBBXBX and XBBBXXBX, where X and B are hydropathic and basic residues, respectively. Initial peptide constructs included (AKKARA)(n) and (ARKKAAKA)(n) (n = 1-6). Affinity coelectrophoresis revealed that low M(r) peptides (600-1,300) had no affinities for low M(r) heparin, but higher M(r) peptides (2,000-3,500) exhibited significant affinities (K(d) congruent with 50-150 nM), which increased with peptide M(r). Affinity was strongest when sequence arrays were contiguous and alanines and arginines occupied hydropathic and basic positions, but inclusion of prolines was disruptive. A peptide including a single consensus sequence of the serglycin proteoglycan core protein bound heparin strongly (K(d) congruent with 200 nM), likely owing to dimerization through cysteine-cysteine linkages. Circular dichroism showed that high affinity heparin-binding peptides converted from a charged coil to an alpha-helix upon heparin addition, whereas weak heparin-binding peptides did not. Higher M(r) peptides exhibited high affinities for total endothelial cell proteoglycans (K(d) congruent with 300 nM), and approximately 4-fold weaker affinities for their free glycosaminoglycan chains. Thus, peptides including concatamers of heparin-binding consensus sequences may exhibit strong affinities for heparin and proteoglycans. Such peptides may be applicable in promoting cell-substratum adhesion or in the design of drugs targeted to proteoglycan-containing cell surfaces and extracellular matrices.