cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Scaling Up Research in Teacher Education: New Demands on Theory, Measurement, and Design.

A recent report of the American Educational Research Association Panel on Research and Teacher Education confirms beyond question earlier findings exposing the limited utility of our research base ...
Identification of Product Family Platforms Using Pattern Recognition

In product family design the goal is to generate a set of lowest cost products that target specific market niches. Sharing components, called platforms, between different products can minimize duplication of effort, thereby lowering family costs. However, if the products’ requirements are too dissimilar, sharing components may compromise the end product; such variance will lead to lower end products being overdesigned and/or higher end products being underdesigned. It is important to identify which components are similar enough, so that sharing does not compromise the individual products’ performances. Most existing product family design methods make decisions a priori about platforms; constraining platforms to be used by every product in the family, or not at all. Methods that simultaneously optimize component sharing and design variable settings have the potential to find better families because product subsets may be more similar to each other than to other subsets of products. Allowing components to be shared between any subset of family members leads to a very large combinatorial problem, and considering large product families can be computationally prohibitive. This paper proposes a method to identify possible sets of product family platforms by using the pattern recognition technique of fuzzy c-means clustering on component subspaces. Component subspaces are taken from a database of generated design points for the whole family. If components from different products are similar enough to be grouped into the same cluster, then those components could possibly become the same platform. Fuzzy equivalence relations can be extracted from the cluster membership functions that show the binary relationship from one products’ component to a different products’ component. Ultimately, this method can be used as a platform identification heuristic in a larger product family design methodology. This method is demonstrated by applying it to find possible common components in a family of universal electric motors.Copyright © 2011 by ASME
What Unions Do: Insights from Economic Theory

I have attempted to distill a quite sizable body of literature written by modern economists on the theory of labor unions, with particular emphasis given to the “two faces” view of unions developed by Freeman and Medolf in What Do Unions Do? Many important ideas and contributions have necessarily been omitted, but hopefully the main contours and implications are captured.
Bis(hydrotris(4-chloro-3,5-dimethylpyrazolyl)- borato)nickel(II)

The title compound, [Ni(C15H19BCl3N6)2] or Ni(Tp*Cl)2, adds to the list of structurally characterized bis­(tris­pyrazolyl)borate–nickel(II) complexes. The two facially coordinating N-donor Tp*Cl ligands impose pseudo-octa­hedral coordination on the nickel(II) center. The asymmetric unit consists of two half mol­ecules, primarily differing in the torsion angles of the coordinated pyrazole rings relative to the central B—Ni—B axis of the mol­ecules; each molecule is centrosymmetric. An average overall Ni—N distance of 2.104 (15) A is observed, typical of octa­hedral NiN6 coordination spheres and this class of compound. The title compound readily forms good quality crystals, while its 4-H analog, Ni(Tp*)2, does not. This characteristic is attributed to close contacts between the pyrazole 4-chloro-substituents on adjacent mol­ecules.
Gestational exposure to nicotine and monoamine oxidase inhibitors influences cocaine-induced locomotion in adolescent rats.

Many pregnant women continue to smoke, despite a strong association between maternal smoking and neurobehavioral deficits in the offspring. Although gestational nicotine (GN) treatment in rodents is used as the primary animal model of maternal smoking, tobacco smoke contains more than 4,000 constituents, including monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs). The aim of this study was to determine whether there are interactions between the effects of gestational exposure to nicotine and MAOIs on cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization in adolescent rats. Pregnant rats were implanted on day 4 of gestation with osmotic minipumps delivering saline, nicotine (3 mg/kg per day), the MAOIs clorgyline and deprenyl (1 and 0.25 mg/kg per day, respectively), or nicotine/clorgyline/deprenyl (GMN). Adolescent female offspring were tested for cocaine-induced locomotor sensitization. Animals were treated with saline or cocaine (5 or 15 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) daily from postnatal (P) days 32–36 and challenged with cocaine (15 mg/kg) on P51 (day 20). Group differences were observed in chronic but not acute effects of cocaine. Whereas gestational MAOI treatment, with or without nicotine, increased ambulatory response to cocaine on day 5, the opposite was found for vertical activity. Different adaptive responses were observed on cocaine challenge day. GNM animals exhibited enhanced locomotor activity in the cocaine-associated environment before cocaine challenge on day 20. In contrast, only GN animals exhibited significant locomotor sensitization to the cocaine challenge. Gestational nicotine and MAOIs both influence brain development. Such interactions may sensitize adolescents to drug abuse and should be considered in animal models of maternal smoking.
A new model for the travel cost method: the total expenses approach

Abstract This paper discusses the empirical and theoretical underpinnings of the travel cost method (TCM) for estimating nonmarket benefits at an outdoor recreation site. The conventional TCM model is simple to use and provides results that are easy to interpret. However, it does not describe the actual behavior of recreationists as they purchase goods and services for the purpose of making trips to an outdoor recreation site. There is an alternative model that is more congruent with the empirical behavior of recreationists. This model is called the multi-commodity or total expenses TCM model. The total expenses model can also be used to estimate the nonmarket benefits provided by trips to an outdoor recreation site. Moreover, the total expenses model can be derived from the conventional basic postulates of utility maximization. Our purpose in delineating the total expenses model is not to replace the conventional model, but to provide an alternative model. We apply this model to survey data gathered from Trinity River recreationists, and estimate annual nonmarket benefits conferred from recreation activities of US$406 million.
Energy and exergy performance of residential heating systems with separate mechanical ventilation

Abstract The paper brings new evidence on the impact of separate mechanical ventilation system on the annual energy and exergy performance of several design alternatives of residential heating systems, when they are designed for a house in Montreal. Mathematical models of residential heating, ventilation and domestic hot water (HVAC–DHW) systems, which are needed for this purpose, are developed and furthermore implemented in the Engineering Equation Solver (EES) environment. The Coefficient of Performance and the exergy efficiency are estimated as well as the entropy generation and exergy destruction of the overall system. The equivalent greenhouse gas emissions due to the on-site and off-site use of primary energy sources are also estimated. The addition of a mechanical ventilation system with heat recovery to any HVAC–DHW system discussed in the paper increases the energy efficiency; however, it decreases the exergy efficiency, which indicates a potential long-term damaging impact on the natural environment. Therefore, the use of a separate mechanical ventilation system in a house should be considered with caution, and recommended only when other means for controlling the indoor air quality cannot be applied.
Parasitoids and competitors influence colony-level responses in the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta

Social insect colonies respond to challenges set by a variable environment by reallocating work among colony members. In many social insects, such colony-level task allocation strategies are achieved through individual decisions that produce a self-organized adapting group. We investigated colony responses to parasitoids and native ant competitors in the red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta). Parasitoid flies affected fire ants by decreasing the proportion of workers engaged in foraging. Competitors also altered colony-level behaviours by reducing the proportion of foraging ants and by increasing the proportion of roaming majors, whose role is colony defence. Interestingly, the presence of both parasitism and competition almost always had similar effects on task allocation in comparison to each of the biotic factors on its own. Thus, our study uniquely demonstrates that the interactive effect of both parasitism and competition is not necessarily additive, implying that these biotic factors alter colony behaviour in distinct ways. More generally, our work demonstrates the importance of studying the dynamics of species interactions in a broader context.
A generalized air-cache design for efficiently broadcasting on multiple physical channels

In limited and asymmetric bandwidth environments such as wireless networks, push technology can be used to allow a large number of mobile users to access the shared data. Most of the today's designs assume that the server disseminates data on only one physical channel. In this paper, we focus on the problem of broadcasting data over multiple physical channels that cannot be coalesced into fewer high-bandwidth ones. Specifically, we propose a novel scheduling scheme called Generalized Broadcast Technique (GBT) which can adapt the content of the broadcasts according to the client mobility and demand patterns. Theoretical foundations and performance evaluation are also provided to substantiate the near-optimality and to assess the advantages of GBT.
A Laser Flash Photolysis and Computational Chemistry Study of 9-Anthrylnitrene

Laser flash photolysis (LFP) of 9-azidoanthracene produces singlet 9-anthrylnitrene (1AN) with λmax = 331, 344, and 412 nm. The lifetime of 1AN is 17 ns at 77 K and is 27 ns at ambient temperature and is controlled by intersystem crossing (ISC) to the lower energy triplet state. The rapid rate of ISC of 1AN relative to singlet phenylnitrene is due to the small (5.3 kcal/mol, CASPT2 (14,14)) calculated singlet−triplet separation of the large delocalized nitrene. There is no evidence of cyclization of 1AN to form a bridgehead azirine (AZ) species. This observation is in agreement with calculations that indicate that the conversion of 1AN to AZ is endothermic by 23 kcal/mol.
Promoting IEP Participation: Effects of Interventions, Considerations for CLD Students

Various interventions have been developed to promote student individualized education program (IEP) participation. Although they are generally endorsed by educators and researchers, critics argue that interventions to promote self-determination and IEP participation may be counter to the values of culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) students. This article reviews characteristics and results of 17 intervention studies grouped by experimental design and analyzes results for differential effects among CLD students. These studies documented the positive effects of interventions on student IEP participation, and a few documented positive results for CLD participants. This review also reveals limitations of the literature, particularly with respect to including CLD students and members of other underrepresented groups as participants. Implications are discussed for future research on interventions to promote student IEP participation.
Expression of tau reduces secretion of Aβ without altering the amyloid precursor protein content in CHOsw cells

Abstract Insoluble deposits of tau and amyloid precursor protein (APP) peptides Aβ characterize Alzheimer’s disease. We studied the role of tau in the metabolism of APP in cells stably expressing APP Swedish mutation (CHOsw). Transient expression of tau in CHOsw cells caused morphological changes, bundling of microtubules and perinuclear aggregation of Golgi-derived vesicles. It also reduced the secretion of Aβ 1–40 and Aβ 1–42 without altering the APP steady state levels. This was accompanied by a reduction in the γ-secretase and an increase in the insulin degrading enzyme activities. Our results suggest that tau may play an inhibitory role in the amyloidogenic activity of APP.
Selective 5-HT1B receptor inhibition of glutamatergic and GABAergic synaptic activity in the rat dorsal and median raphe

The dorsal (DR) and median (MR) raphe nuclei contain 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) cell bodies that give rise to the majority of the ascending 5-HT projections to the forebrain. The DR and MR have differential roles in mediating stress, anxiety and depression. Glutamate and GABA activity sculpt putative 5-HT neuronal firing and 5-HT release in a seemingly differential manner in the MR and DR, yet isolated glutamate and GABA activity within the DR and MR has not been systematically characterized. Visualized whole-cell voltage-clamp techniques were used to record excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (EPSC and IPSC) in 5-HT-containing neurons. There was a regional variation in action potential-dependent (spontaneous) and basal [miniature (m)] glutamate and GABAergic activity. mEPSC activity was greater than mIPSC activity in the DR, whereas in the MR the mIPSC activity was greater. These differences in EPSC and IPSC frequency indicate that glutamatergic and GABAergic input have distinct cytoarchitectures in the DR and MR. 5-HT1B receptor activation decreased mEPSC frequency in the DR and the MR, but selectively inhibited mIPSC activity only in the MR. This finding, in concert with its previously described function as an autoreceptor, suggests that 5-HT1B receptors influence the ascending 5-HT system through multiple mechanisms. The disparity in organization and integration of glutamatergic and GABAergic input to DR and MR neurons and their regulation by 5-HT1B receptors may contribute to the distinction in MR and DR regulation of forebrain regions and their differential function in the aetiology and pharmacological treatment of psychiatric disease states.
Efficient segmentation of large-area skin images: a statistical evaluation.

Background/aims: This paper is the second of a series describing research and development performed by the SPOTS project towards automating the process of monitoring pigmented lesions for change over time. Several parameters of the system are introduced along with the methods used for determining appropriate settings. We then describe our experimental setup and present a detailed statistical analysis to evaluate system performance. Methods: There exist three sets of parameters in our system related to image segmentation, classification, and a region-growing step that can be individually tuned. The multiresolution hierarchical segmentation algorithm contains both a set of weights for the tristimulus color values used in calculating color differences and a contrast threshold used to identify root nodes that represent image segments. These were tuned using a synthetic image to simulate a pigmented lesion with irregular border and by estimating the parameters by successive approximations. The neural network classification used to detect lesion segments was trained using a 10-fold cross-validation, and the output classification threshold was set to yield a small false negatives ratio. Finally, there is a growing threshold used to determine whether neighbor regions should be merged in the region-growing step that was selected to minimize the change in area for different translations of a synthetic lesion. In order to evaluate the performance of the system, we compared the identified lesions with manually localized lesions. Ten images of the same area were taken from two subjects presenting lesions of varying size and different background skin texture. A sample of two images from the set was used to simulate variations in acquisition. Five operators were asked to trace lesion boundaries in two passes, separated by a few days, to evaluate the consistency of operators among themselves. The system was then run on the images using the optimal set of parameters. The results were analyzed for independent observation, matched pass, and doubly-matched pass data. Conclusions: Independent observation data indicates that the system finds significantly more objects than any of the human operators, but the areas reported are not significantly different on average. Matched pass data show that the correlations of the system with human operators is quite high. The system agrees with humans only slightly less than they do among themselves and has a tendency to report slightly smaller areas. The correlation between system and human peformance was further reinforced by the doubly-matched arrangement. These results indicate that our system is as reliable and consistent as our human reference, yielding similar performance.
Been There, Done That, But Did It Matter? Former State Legislators in Congress

Legislative scholars, members of Congress, and other observers have long argued that experiences prior to entering Congress influence the member's congressional activities. In particular, many have commented that state legislative service prepares members for their congressional experience. This paper examines how service in a state legislature influences congressional behaviors during the member's first term in Congress. The findings reveal that, contrary to conventional wisdom, service in a state legislature yields very little in the way of observable advantages for members engaged in a variety of legislative behaviors. We conclude that prior state legislative service may not be as valuable as many have suspected.
Using Ecological Momentary Assessment to Examine Antecedents and Correlates of Physical Activity Bouts in Adults Age 50+ Years: A Pilot Study

National recommendations supporting the promotion of multiple short (10+ minute) physical activity bouts each day to increase overall physical activity levels in middle-aged and older adults underscore the need to identify antecedents and correlates of such daily physical activity episodes. This pilot study used Ecological Momentary Assessment to examine the time-lagged and concurrent effects of empirically supported social, cognitive, affective, and physiological factors on physical activity among adults age 50+ years. Participants (N = 23) responded to diary prompts on a handheld computer four times per day across a 2-week period. Moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), self-efficacy, positive and negative affect, control, demand, fatigue, energy, social interactions, and stressful events were assessed during each sequence. Multivariate results showed that greater self-efficacy and control predicted greater MVPA at each subsequent assessment throughout the day (p < 0.05). Also, having a positive social interaction was concurrently related to higher levels of MVPA (p = 0.052). Time-varying multidimensional individual processes predict within daily physical activity levels.
Homogeneous aerosol freezing in the tops of high‐altitude tropical cumulonimbus clouds

Numerical simulations of deep, intense continental tropical convection indicate that when the cloud tops extend more than a few kilometers above the liquid water homogeneous freezing level, ice nucleation due to freezing of entrained aqueous sulfate aerosols generates large concentrations of small crystals (diameters less than approx. equal to 20 micrometers). The small crystals produced by aerosol freezing have the largest impact on cloud-top ice concentration for convective clouds with strong updrafts but relatively low aerosol concentrations. An implication of this result is that cloud-top ice concentrations in high anvil cirrus can be controlled primarily by updraft speeds in the tops of convective plumes and to a lesser extent by aerosol concentrations in the uppermost troposphere. While larger crystals precipitate out and sublimate in subsaturated air below, the population of small crystals can persist in the saturated uppermost troposphere for many hours, thereby prolonging the lifetime of remnants from anvil cirrus in the tropical tropopause layer.
WHICH TANKS EMPTY FASTER

Suppose that water towers like those shown in Figure 1 are initially filled with water and have the same volume, height, and cross-sectional outlet area. Which one empties first? This problem arises naturally when designing water-supplying tanks or funnels. We find a formula expressing the emptying time as a function of the volume of liquid and its initial height. We compute the emptying time for several specific tank shapes, in particular, for those shown in Figure 1. We also address the question whether there exists a tank with a given volume and height for which the
Reformation of a Terrorist Group: Hezbollah as a Lebanese Political Party

Despite the classification of Hezbollah as a terrorist group by several states, Hezbollah is recognized as a legitimate political party within Lebanon. The purpose of this article is to probe at the reasons why Hezbollah was able to achieve its current status in the Lebanese government while it still maintains a powerful, well armed military branch that has used force recently to influence Lebanese politics. An examination of Hezbollah's life cycle suggests that two major factors were decisive: 1) Hezbollah's political leverage over the majority government, and 2) choices by Hezbollah's leaders to moderate their objectives to achieve domestic political goals.
Trajectory Optimization Using Nonsingular Orbital Elements and True Longitude

The system and adjoint differential equations needed to solve low-thrust transfer and rendezvous trajectories are derived in terms of nonsingular orbit elements, with the true longitude selected as the sixth variable that also dee nes the radial distance. The perturbation accelerations are resolved in the rotating polar frame such that the equations of motion are written in polarcoordinates. This formulation is particularly convenient forthe treatment of the J2 perturbation acceleration whose components are easily expressed in terms of the true longitude. The iterations needed for the solution of Kepler’ s equation are also eliminated, and the analytic form of the adjoint equations is provided in their simplest aspect thus far.
Nitrogen-fixation associated with the marine blue-green alga, Trichodesmium, as measured by the acetylene-reduction technique

The marine blue-green alga, Trichodesmium, was collected from the Gulf Stream, near Miami, and occurred in two distinct colonial forms both of which reduced acetylene to ethylene. Trichodesmium was more abundant during the summer but its acetylene-reducing potential showed no obvious seasonal variation. Illuminated Trichodesmium reduced acetylene to ethylene equally well either anaerobically or aerobically (20% oxygen). Acetylene-reduction in the dark, however, was oxygen-dependent and was usually 25% or less of the activity recorded in the light. 0.3–1.0 nmoles of ethylene were produced per minute per mg of protein, by illuminated cultures, and these values compare favorably with those recorded for other nitrogen-fixing blue-green algae. However, the possibility that bacteria contributed to the acetylene-reducing activity associated with Trichodesmium was not completely eliminated.
A Mapping Study of Caspase-3 Activation Following Acute Spinal Cord Contusion in Rats:

Spinal cord injury (SCI) initiates a cascade of biochemical changes that results in necrotic and apoptotic cell death. There is evidence that caspase-3 activation and apoptotic cell death occur within hours after SCI. However, the time course and cellular localization of activated caspase-3 has not been examined. Such information is essential because caspase-3-independent apoptotic pathways do exist. In this experiment, we describe the distribution of and cell types containing activated caspase-3 at 4 hr, 1 day, 2 days, 4 days, and 8 days following SCI in rats. Numerous caspase-3-positive cells were observed at 4 hr and 1 day postinjury and colocalized most often with CC1, a marker for oligodendroglia. Both markers disappeared near the injury epicenter over the next several days. Activated caspase-3 was again present in the injured spinal cord on postoperative day 8, which coincided with a reemergence of CC1-positive cells. Many of these CC1-positive cells again colocalized activated caspase-3. NeuN-positive neurons of the dorsal horn were occasionally immunopositive for activated caspase-3 at early time points. OX42-positive microglia/macrophages rarely contained activated caspase-3. The results indicate a biphasic pattern of caspase-3 activation during the first 8 days postinjury, suggesting that at least two mechanisms activate caspase-3 following SCI. This time-course study provides a framework for investigating and understanding the different signaling events contributing to this biphasic pattern of caspase-3 activation.
A comparison of waiting time approximations in series queueing systems

The determination of steady-state characteristics in systems of tandem queues has been left to computer simulation because of the lack of exact solutions in all but the simplest newtorks. In this paper, several methods developed for approximating the average waiting time in single-server queues are extended to systems of queues in series. Three methods, due to Fraker, Page, and Marchal, are compared along with results gathered through GPSS simulation. Various queueing networks with Erlangian service distributions are investigated.
Structural Factors in the Pathogenesis of Ischemic Optic Neuropathy

Some patients with nonarteritic ischemic optic neuropathy have no signs or symptoms of systemic vascular disease; therefore, nonvascular factors may play a role in the pathogenesis of this syndrome. We observed that the average cup-disk ratio of the unaffected optic disks in a group of patients with ischemic optic neuropathy was significantly (P = .005) smaller than the average ratio in a group of age-matched controls (0.36 ± 0.19 vs 0.21 ± 0.16). Fourteen of 30 patients but only two of 29 controls had cup-disk ratios equal to or less than 0.1. Mechanical factors, such as constriction of axons as they traverse the scleral canal, may contribute to the pathogenesis of ischemic optic neuropathy.
Discharge prediction, present and former, from channel dimensions

Abstract Underfit streams in middle latitudes and beyond are associated with large former channels and frequently also with valley meanders. They have provoked a number of attempts to use channel characteristics in the reconstruction of former discharges. Theoretical values exist for the exponents in the power-functional relationships of channel characteristics to discharge; they have been matched in at least one empirical study, and are re confirmed here by the analysis of considerably extended sets of data. The analysis permits the identification of numerical constants for use in the power-function equations, resulting in the numerical description of a stereotype stream for humid areas, the basis of reference being discharge at the most probable annual flood, q1.58. The stereotype, in turn, permits the identification of an area-velocity-slope factor, by means of which predictions of discharge may be corrected for the differences between stereotype and observed cross-sectional area and channel slope. The predicting equation, which employs bedwidth, the area-slope-velocity factor, and meander wavelength if available, proves highly successful up to and including the limiting case of 283,170 m3/s discharged at the bankfull stage by the Amazon at Obidos. By contrast, equations that directly incorporate the form ratio give highly inaccurate predictions. Refinements of analysis or prediction are possible in respect of present streams when account is taken of the discharge and caliber of sediment, but these characteristics may be completely unknown in respect of former channels. However, a factor combining a slope factor with the area-velocity relationship of the stereotype stream predicts for a group of former channels a mean discharge sensibly identical with the means predicted from bedwidth and meander wavelength. Consistent results, including comprehensible regional differences, appear when discharges predicted by an equation combining width, wavelength, and the area-velocity-slope factor are plotted against drainage area.
Organ-specific chemotactic factors present in lung extracellular matrix

Abstract The preferential colonization of a distant organ by a circulating tumor cell (organ specific metastasis) may be regulated by chemotactic factors present within the extracellular matrix of the host organ. Organ-specific extracellular matrix was prepared from murine kidney and lung by high salt extraction and DNAase/RNAase digestion. A soluble protein fraction (S2) from each of the matricies was obtained by 4 M guanidine extraction and was tested for organ-specific chemotactic activity in a modified Boyden chamber. The lung colonizing B16-F10 and B16-BL6 tumor cell lines demonstrated organ-specific motility only toward the lung extract. The low metastasizing B16 parental line and liver colonizing B16-L4b line showed no preference for either lung or kidney. The lung activity resolves into five fractions by gel filtration chromatography, with the highest activity eluting at M r ∼71,000. Chemotactic factors present in lung extracellular matrix may regulate the preferential colonization of an organ by stimulating the migration of tumor cells in a specific manner. These factors may be released during the degradation of the extracellular matrix.
Scattering of Structural Waves by Nonlinear Elastic Joints

It is found that a single incident wave gives rise to an infinity of reflected waves with frequencies equal to odd multiples of the frequancy of the incident wave. The orders of magnitude of the amplitudes of the various reflected waves are considered, and an application of the theory is made by considering the wave scattering from a joint with cubic stiffness nonlinearity. In addition, it is shown the wave propagation approach presented can be effectively used for predicting nonlinear free oscillations in finite waveguides with nonlinear joints
Transient stability of passive films in aqueous solutions

This discussion is concerned with the fundamental interactions of mechanical and chemical processes as they affect transient breaking and re-formation of passive films. These combined effects are important in many technical modes of degradations including: stress corrosion cracking, corrosion fatigue, wear, machining, grinding, fretting, erosion with and without entrained abrasives, and cavitation. These interactions of mechanical and chemical processes occur at surfaces of metals and involve the mechanically-induced breaking of films followed in sequence by transient film-free dissolution and repassivation. There is no useful theory for these transient electrochemical processes. This discussion provides a framework for advancing the fundamental understanding of such processes.
Synchronized breeding in cattle using PGF2α and LHRH/FSHRH stimulatory analogs

Abstract Two studies were conducted to synchronize breeding in cattle using PGF 2 α and LHRH/FSHRH analogs. In the first study, 60 mature lactating Angus cows were assigned at random to 4 treatment groups: saline and saline (SS); 30 mg PGF 2 α tham salt + saline (PS); saline + 2 mg D-ala 6 -des-GlyNH 2 10 LHRH/FSHRH ethylamide (D-ala 6 ) (SA); 30 mg PGF 2 α tham salt + 2 mg D-ala 6 (PA). The first letter of the two-letter code for each group always indicates a dual injection at an 11-day interval. PGF 2 α or saline was administered intramuscular (im) twice at an 11 day interval. D-ala 6 or saline was administered 48 hr after PGF 2 α treatment. In the SA group, the D-ala 6 was administered at first signs of estrus, and cows were then artificially inseminated (AI) 24 hr later. All cows in the PS group were inseminated 72 hr after the second PGF 2 α injection. In the SS group, cows were inseminated 24 hr after first signs of estrus. An additional 6 mature lactating Angus cows were added equally to the PS and PA groups to evaluate changes in serum LH. The percent calf crops was: SS=40% ( frsol |6/15); PS=47% (715); SA=47% (715); PA=53% (815). In the second study, 51 mature lactating Angus cows and 39 Holstein heifers were assigned at random to 3 treatment groups: saline + saline (SS); 33.4 mg PGF 2 α tham salt + saline (PS); 33.4 mg PGF 2 α tham salt + 1 mg D-leu 6 -des GlyNH 2 10 LHRH/FSHRH ethylamide (D-leu 6 ) (PL). PGF 2 α tham salt or saline was administered im twice at an 11 day interval. D-leu 6 or saline was administered 68 hr following the second PGF 2 α treatment. Cows pretreated with PGF 2 α were inseminated 80 hr after the second PGF 2 α injection. In the SS group, cows were administered saline at the time of natural estrus and were artificially inseminated 12 hr later. Calving percent to the first AI was SS=70% (2130); PS=53% (1630) and PL=40% (1230). An additional 10 mature lactating Angus cows were used to evaluate changes in serum LH. Five of the cows were assigned to the PS treatment and five to the PL treatment. Sequential blood samples were collected to monitor serum LH levels. Using the Chi-square test, there were no significant differences between calving percentages of the control and PGF 2 α treated cows in either study. These results indicate that the PGF 2 α treatments were successful in timed artificial insemination of cows without detection of estrus. The LHRH/FSHRH analogs did not improve the conception even though they appear to induce a pituitary release of LH simultaneously in all cows within 1 hr of treatment.
Does methylphenidate affect information processing? Findings from two studies on performance and P3b latency.

Two studies were conducted to assess the impact of methylphenidate on normal young adults in a fixed version of Steinberg's memory scanning task. Both studies yielded characteristic monotonic increases in reaction time (RT) and P3b latency as a function of memory load. Also, in both studies, methylphenidate speeded up RT as and decreased error rates and intra subject RT variability. However, the slope of RT as a function of memory load, i.e. the rate of memory search, was not altered by the stimulant. In Study 1, P3b latency also was not affected by methylphenidate, a result suggesting that the stimulant brought about the decrease in RT by acting after the completion of evaluation, presumably by accelerating response processes. However, in Study 2, the drug significantly shortened P3b latency and the interval between RT and P3b latency. Thus, a speeding of both evaluation as well as motor processes was achieved. A review of procedural differences between the two studies suggests some possible explanations. In combination, the two studies indicate that methylphenidate consistently shortened the timing of motor processes and, under some circumstances, the duration of evaluation processes as well.
Inhibition of human lectin-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity, natural killer-like cytotoxicity, and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated cytolysis by xenoantisera raised against concanavalin A-stimulated human lymphocytes.

Abstract This report describes the in vitro inhibition of several classes of human lymphocyte-mediated lysis by antisera from mice and rats immunized with concanavalin A-stimulated human T-enriched lymphocytes. The inhibitory antibodies in these antisera recognized molecules on the surface of cytotoxic lymphocytes, and did not bind to B-cell lines. Experiments were performed to demonstrate that these antisera were not inhibiting cytolysis by trivial mechanisms such as (i) masking of target cell antigens by anti-target cell antibodies, (ii) agglutinating effector cells, thereby preventing effector-target cell contact, or (iii) toxicity to the effector cells. Dextran dispersion experiments revealed that these antisera inhibit the post-conjugate formation phase of cytolysis mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes. These antisera inhibited natural killer-like cytotoxicity and lectin-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity as well as lysis mediated by both mixed cell culture-generated cytotoxic T lymphocytes and cytotoxic T-lymphocyte cell lines. These findings suggest that these in vitro systems of cell-mediated lysis may share a common step; however the different classes of cytolysis may have been inhibited by separate antibodies in the antisera. This rapid reproducible method of generating inhibitory antisera will facilitate the study of the molecules involved in the post-conjugate formation phase of human cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-mediated lysis.
Hybrid simulator for cyber-physical energy systems

Simulating cyber-physical energy systems such as data centers requires the characterization of the energy interactions between the computing units and the physical environment. Such interactions involve discrete events such as changes in operating modes of cooling units, and also transient processes such as heat flow. An event-based simulator fails to capture continuous transient effects while a time-stepped simulation can ignore events occurring within the decision interval. This paper proposes an error-bound hybrid simulator that integrates discrete event-driven (ED) simulation and finite-horizon time based simulation (FHT) and simulates energy interactions in a cyber-physical energy system. We apply this simulator to a data center case and validate the simulation results by comparing them with simulations performed in previous literature. We also evaluate the accuracy of the simulator by comparing the test case results with realistic data obtained from a real data center deployment. The error bound of the simulator is a user input and influences the time interval of the ED and FHT modules.
CMV infection complicating the diagnosis of Crohn's disease in an immunocompetent patient.

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) affects the gastrointestinal tract commonly; however CMV colitis is uncommon in patients who are not severely immunocompromised. The author reports a 51-year-old Caucasian female who was admitted to the hospital with exacerbation of her chronic diarrhoea. CAT scan of the abdomen and pelvis showed thickening of the wall of the terminal ileum with inflammatory stranding and follow-up colonoscopy showed extensive circumferential ulceration in the terminal ileum. Biopsies confirmed diagnosis of CMV infection and the patient was started on appropriate antimicrobial agents. CMV viremia showed response to the medication; however the patient’s intestinal symptoms failed to improve. Nodular lesions consistent with erythema nodusum were noticed and promethus test was consistent with Crohn’s disease. The patient showed good response to immunosuppressive therapy. CMV infections are known to exacerbate symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease and hence Crohn’s disease should be suspected in an immunocompetent patient presenting with CMV ileitis.
Technology adoption in higher education: a framework for identifying and prioritising issues and barriers to adoption of instructional technology

This paper examines the issues and barriers that inhibit faculty from using technology in instruction. It uses the diffusion and adoption theory as a means to understand and explain how individuals and organisations react when an innovation is introduced into their environment. The framework proposed combines the empirical data from research using concept mapping with the theoretical factors identified from the literature to create a structured process that identifies the priority issues and barriers to technology adoption. Multidimensional scaling and cluster analysis were used to analyse the data gathered from the brainstorming session. A barrier definition and classification scheme was created and used to connect issues to barriers of adoption. Descriptive mixed methods approach was also used to develop a pictorial multivariate conceptual framework for understanding the relationships between issues and barriers to adopting instructional technology. Findings suggest that as a higher education institution in the early adoption phase of using instructional technology approaches critical mass of faculty users, it must address the issues of the critical mass, in order for the mainstream faculty to see the utility in the use of instructional technology in the classroom. This research lays the foundation for further research into the development of a systematic process or approach for managing the diffusion and adoption of technology in instruction at an institute of higher education.
The Cost of Smoking for California's Hispanic Community

INTRODUCTION The economic impact of smoking for California's Hispanic population for 2002 was estimated. The estimates include smoking-attributable health care expenditures and productivity losses from smoking-caused mortality. METHODS Smoking-attributable health care expenditures for Hispanics were estimated using a series of econometric models for four types of expenditures: ambulatory care, drugs, inpatient care, and home health care. Models were estimated using national survey data. The estimated parameters were then applied to California-specific data. Smoking-attributable mortality was assessed using epidemiological models. Three measures of mortality were estimated: deaths, years of potential life lost, and the value of lost productivity. RESULTS Adult current smoking prevalence for Hispanics was 13.1% compared to 15.4% for all Californians in 2002. Male Hispanics smoke at much higher rates than females (18.7% vs. 7.2%), and one in four smokers in the state is Hispanic. The health care cost of smoking was $662 million for the Hispanic community. A total of 3,003 Hispanic Californians died of smoking-attributable illness in 2002, representing a loss of nearly 44,000 years of life and $711 million in productivity. The total cost of smoking for this community amounted to $1.4 billion (2002 dollars) or $1.9 billion expressed in 2010 dollars. CONCLUSIONS Smoking prevalence is relatively low among California Hispanics, but the economic impact is large because the population is large. Tobacco control programs should focus on helping Hispanic men who smoke to quit, maintaining low smoking prevalence among Hispanic women, and should be culturally tailored to specific Hispanic subpopulations with higher smoking rates.
Lipase catalyzed formation of fatty amides

Certain lipase preparations were found to facilitate the preparation of fatty amides at 20°C in hexane. Lipase preparations investigated were from the fungiCandida rugosa, Rhizomucor miehei and porcine pancreas. Reactants were various primary alkylamines and fatty acid methyl esters or triglycerides. Moderate yields of fatty amides were obtained using aR. miehei lipase preparation which is immobilized on a solid support as catalyst, although all three lipase preparations showed some catalytic activity under these conditions and, in addition, showed different kinds of selectivity for fatty acid and alkylamine chain lengths. No reaction was observed in similar experiments using one fatty acid as the substrate or one secondary amine.
Effect of cation exchange on dimethyl methylphosphonate permeation kinetics in a pentablock hydrocarbon ionomer and a perfluorocarbon ionomer

Abstract The present work is concerned with the effect of cation exchange, with calcium, aluminum and cupric cations, on the permeation kinetics of dimethyl methylphosphonate (DMMP) in a pentablock ionomer (Nexar™) and a perfluoroionomer (Nafion™). The diffusion constant was determined by matching a Fickian solution to early time data, with a zero-time shift, initially attributed to the effect of immobilization. The diffusion time-lag relation was applied in an expanded form to include contributions of immobilization and relaxation. The primary effect of cation exchange was a marked reduction in diffusion constant and introduction of significant relaxation. The effects were explored in a two step procedure in which the sample was first exposed to DMMP vapor at activity 0.6 and then at activity 0.8. In cation modified Nexar at the lower activity the delay in onset of permeation was due solely to immobilization. The delay was absent at the higher activity, indicating that extent of immobilization was unchanged with increased concentration, but approach to steady state was still relaxation controlled. In cation modified Nafion delay in onset of permeation was dominated by relaxation, but kinetics at the higher activity was essentially Fickian. The strong relaxation effects appear to be a consequence of cation modification, which results in a network of ionic crosslinks formed by multivalent cation–sulfonate interactions. The combined analytical and experimental procedure developed in this study provided a systematic set of values for the effect of cation exchange and ionomer characteristics on parameters controlling DMMP permeation kinetics.
Nonanalytic Elementary Excitation Spectrum at Long Wavelengths in a Bose Gas and Liquid He 4

A rigorous microscopic analysis of a weakly interacting Bose gas at zero temperature shows that the elementary excitation spectrum $\ensuremath{\omega}(k)$ is not an analytic function of the wave vector $k$ in the long-wavelength limit but has the form $k[{c}_{0}+{c}_{2}{k}^{2}+{c}_{L4}{k}^{4}\mathrm{ln}(\frac{1}{k})+\ensuremath{\cdots}]$. It is pointed out that the structure factor $S(k)$ is not an analytic function of $k$ and that the specific heat ${C}_{v}(T)$ at low temperatures $T$ has the form ${C}_{v}={T}^{3}[{C}_{0}+{C}_{2}{T}^{2}+{C}_{L4}{T}^{4}\mathrm{ln}(\frac{1}{T})+\ensuremath{\cdots}]$. The extension of these results to liquid ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ is discussed.
Analysis of a 10-ns Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Mouse Acetylcholinesterase

A 10-ns molecular dynamics simulation of mouse acetylcholinesterase was analyzed, with special attention paid to the fluctuation in the width of the gorge and opening events of the back door. The trajectory was first verified to ensure its stability. We defined the gorge proper radius as the measure for the extent of gorge opening. We developed an expression of an inter-atom distance representative of the gorge proper radius in terms of projections on the principal components. This revealed the fact that collective motions of many scales contribute to the opening behavior of the gorge. Covariance and correlation results identified the motions of the protein backbone as the gorge opens. In the back-door region, side-chain dihedral angles that define the opening were identified.