cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of sorption of oxygen on Al

uv photoemission study of oxygen sorbed on clean polycrystalline Al is reported. For small exposures of oxygen (0.5-3 L), a resonance level approximately 3 eV wide (FWHM) at 7.2 eV below ${E}_{F}$ was observed, and negligible work-function change was detected. These results disagree with recently reported calculation based on the atom-jellium model. We show that the origin of the disagreement is the fact that the model cannot accomodate the tendency of small, very electronegative adatoms such as oxygen to penetrate the metal surface. A generalized model allowing adatom penetration is seen to be consistent with the measurements. An independent model calculation of oxygen chemisorption on a small aluminum cluster based on the Hartree-Fock-Slater self-consistent-field method also confirms the penetration of the oxygen atom into the hole sites in between the aluminum surface atoms. Exposures beyond 3 L do not produce any shift in the resonance position and only a slight lowering of the work function.
Critical and thermodynamic properties of the randomly dilute Ising model

The randomly bond-dilute two-dimensional nearest-neighbor Ising model on the square lattice is studied by renormalization-group methods based on the Migdal-Kadanoff approximate recursion relations. Calculations give both thermal and magnetic exponents associated with the percolative fixed point. Differential recursion relations yield a phase diagram which is in quantitative agreement with all known results. Curves for the specific heat, percolation probability, and magnetization are displayed. The critical region of the specific heat becomes unobservably narrow well above the percolation threshold ${p}_{c}$. This provides a possible explanation for the apparent specific-heat rounding in certain experiments.
Imputing Input Characteristic Values from Optimal Commercial Breed or Variety Choice Decisions

Previous Input Characteristics Models (ICMs) are modified and extended to allow the economic values of individual genetic characteristics to be imputed, even when those characteristics are acquired in largely inseparable bundles such as in the animal breed or plant variety decision of commercial producers. Through analysis of the commercial breed selection decision for a representative beef producer, the extended ICM is shown to generally be more flexible, with less restrictive data requirements for estimation, than prior ICMs. Additional modifications of the extended ICM method of analysis are suggested to further enhance and broaden its applicability.
Mapping Small Religious Nonprofit Organizations: An Illinois Profile

Small religious nonprofit organizations in the human service field are relatively invisible to researchers, reflecting in part their disproportionate omission from the Internal Revenue Service list of charitable nonprofits. Drawing on a 1991 survey of Illinois nonprofit human service organizations, the authors describe their organizational and financial characteristics as well as their governance structures and relations with religious congregations. The authors conclude that the organizations are internally diverse and also differ in significant ways from their nonreligious counterparts in the field. Finally, the authors present research and policy implications.
Dipole polarizability of the hydrogen molecular ion

A procedure is described for the precise nonrelativistic evaluation of the dipole polarizabilities of H{sub 2}+ and D{sub 2}+ that avoids any approximation based on the size of the electron mass relative to the nucleus mass. The procedure is constructed so that sum rules may be used to assess the accuracy of the calculation. The resulting polarizabilities are consistent with experiment within the error bars of the measurements and are far more precise than values obtained by other theoretical methods. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}
Hemangioma of the Tongue: A Case Report

An abnormal lingual condition is reviewed from the standpoint of speech physiology, speech production, phonetic analysis, and surgery. The importance of an objective evaluation is discussed as well as the techniques utilized for the evaluation. The surgical results for this case are also reported.
Understanding Health Insurance Needs for Small Businesses in the U.S. to Formulate the Information Technology Strategy

The majority of the workers are employees of a small business in the USA. A large percentage of these employees get healthcare insurance from their employers. However, there is a discrepancy between the employees and employers when it comes to health insurance preferences. This case presents a case study of a survey conducted by a health insurance company to formulate an information technology strategy. In the light of new health care reforms, the ASBC Company is planning to use the results of this survey to formulate an information technology strategy.
H2 Control of Large Segmented Telescopes

In this paper we conduct a preliminary study of control of the primary mirror of a large segmented telescope, i.e. aligning the segments to form a paraboloid. This work is motivated by the need of astronomers to study faint objects and to reach the highest possible angular resolution. First, we present background information about large segmented telescopes and our collaborative research program on large telescopes. Second, we formulate a model of the primary mirror system in state space. Third, we design a centralized controller using H2 methods for a seven-segment system which establishes the best possible performance characteristics for the laboratory-type of unit that we plan to build. Simulation results are displayed. Finally, we apply spatially-invariant distributed control techniques to an infinite segmented system that approximates a large mirror. Through the H2 norm, we calculate upper bounds for the relative displacements between adjacent segments with either a spatially-invariant infinite contr...
Large-scale synthesis of BaxSr1−xTiO3 nanowires with controlled stoichiometry

This study demonstrates a highly efficient method for large-scale synthesis BaTiO3 nanowires (NWs) using a two-step hydrothermal reaction. This synthesis process provides a facile approach to the growth of BaTiO3 NWs with high yield and control over the stoichiometry of the BaxSr1−xTiO3 solid solution. The ferroelectricity of the BaTiO3 NWs is directly characterized using atomic force microscopy with the piezoelectric strain coupling coefficient (d33) reaching 31.1 pm/V. This work provide an avenue for high volume manufacturing of ferroelectric NWs, allowing both fundamental investigation of nanoscale ferroelectricity as well as their future application in the electrical devices.
Determination of flow stress for sheet metal forming using the viscous pressure bulge (VPB) test

Abstract In sheet metal forming operations the mechanical properties of the sheet material (i.e. flow stress or stress–strain curve) greatly influence metal flow and product quality. Therefore, accurate determination of the flow stress is of paramount importance in process simulation via finite element method (FEM). In this paper the use of the viscous pressure bulge (VPB) test for determination of flow stress under biaxial state of stress is discussed. With the VPB test, larger strains, which are relevant for stamping operations, can be achieved compared to the standard tensile test used to-date. In this study, FEM simulations and experiments have been performed in order to study the interrelationship of the geometric and material variables such as dome wall thinning, dome radius, dome height, strain hardening index, material strength coefficient, and anisotropy. From the study a robust method to determine the flow stress under biaxial deformation conditions using a viscous material as pressure medium has been developed.
Propagation of Density Disturbances in Air-Water Flow

Study investigated the behavior of density waves propagating vertically in an atmospheric pressure air-water system using a technique based on the correlation between density change and electric resistivity. This information is of interest to industries working with heat transfer systems and fluid power and control systems.
Annexins I and II show differences in subcellular localization and differentiation-related changes in human epidermal keratinocytes

The annexins are a family of calcium-dependent phospholipid-binding proteins whose in vitro properties have led to a number of hypotheses suggesting their cellular functions, including membrane fusion in exocytosis and endocytosis. To investigate the topography and possible functions of these proteins we compared the subcellular localization of annexins I, II, IV and VI in skin sections and in cultured epidermal keratinocytes by immunostaining. We found that annexin I staining was in a granular pattern in the monolayer epithelial cells but in an envelope pattern in the stratified keratinocytes. This finding corroborates previous reports that annexin I crosslinks to form cornified envelopes in the mid-epidermis and explains the absence of staining above that level. It is unlikely that this protein is related to exocytosis in the granular layer of the epidermis. In comparison, annexin II staining was also granular and was detected in all nucleated epidermal cells as bands at the cell periphery. However, only annexin II was detected extracellularly among the top layer of cultured cells. The intracellular linear envelope pattern of annexin I and the intercellular pattern of annexin II suggest their interactions with the membrane cytoskeleton in other biological functions. Taken together, both annexins undergo different differentiation-related changes. While methanol fixation enhanced staining of annexin I, it diminished staining of annexin II. Their opposite responses to methanol fixative suggests a different molecular organization of the two annexins with phospholipid in the cell membrane. Annexins IV and VI were predominantly confined to dermal cells including ductal and myoepithelial cells and were not detected in cultured keratinocytes using either cold methanol fixative or prefixation labeling.
Capillary column gas chromatographic separation of amino polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon isomers

Abstract To date, only semi-detailed chemical analyses of biologically-active amino polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (amino-PAH) that occur in coal-derived materials have been achieved by capillary column gas chromatography. This is largely due to the increased number of possible isomers of the amino-PAH as compared to the analogous, non-functional, parent polycyclic aromatic compounds. In this study, the separability of amino-PAH isomers on different capillary column stationary phases was investigated. Results are reported for a total of six stationary phases of varying selectivity polarity. Binary stationary phase capillary column techniques were applied to optimize the resolution of nearly all of the three- and four-ring amino-PAH isomers.
Triplex Catalyzed Diels-Alder Reactions: Addition of Indene to 1,3-Cyclohexadiene.

Abstract The [4+2] cycloaddition (Diels-Alder reaction) of 1,3-cyclohexadiene ( CHD ) to indene ( In ) is catalyzed by the singlet excited state of cyanoarenes such as 1,4-dicyanonaphthalene ( DCN ) and 9,10-dicyanoanthracene ( DCA ).
Three nephromixial patterns in polychaete species currently assigned to the genus Pista (Annelida, Terebellidae).

A comparative morphological study of nephromixial systems in three Californian terebellid polchaetes currently assigned to the genus Pista shows that P. fimbriata has all attributes of the generic type, but that P. pacifica and P. elongata differ markedly. The features of typical Pista include (among others): two pairs of usually unequal branchiae, long-handled anterior uncini (hooks) of crested avicular (bird-head-like) from, muddy, unornamented tubes, one pair of anterior excretory nephromixia (ENMX), and two pairs of separate thoracic reproductive nephromixia (RNMX) with genital papillae on segments VI and VII. A review indicates that P. fimbriata shares these typical features with practically all adequately described Pista species. However, P. pacifica and P. elongata possess three pairs of branchiae, long-handled uncini of distinctive crochet-like form, and membranous tubes with apertural hoods. Both have two pairs of ENMX, the first supplied by one pair of ciliated renal funnels, the second by two pairs of such funnels. But they differ in their RNMX: P. pacifica has three pairs of complex RNMX, those on each side united by a common duct. P. elongata has 11–13 pairs of simple RNMX united by common ducts. Although these species do not fit into Pista, no genus has been found to accommodate them. Generic placement is complicated by the fact that no instances of intra-generic nephromixial variation have been reported in the Terebellidae, although inter-generic variation is well known. If they are congeneric, this would be the first example of intrageneric RNMX variation in Terebellidae. But if assigned to separate genera or subgenera on the basis of their RNMX, their similarity of anterior uncini might be attributable to parallel or convergent adaptation to life in comparable tubes. More evidence, including molecular analysis, is needed for phylogenetic studies of Terebellidae. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Robustness of an adaptive pole placement algorithm in the presence of bounded disturbances and slow time variation of parameters

The robustness properties of a specific adaptive pole placement scheme in the presence of bounded disturbances and slow time variation of parameters are studied. It is shown that the least squares algorithm used in this scheme retains the global stability of the overall system in the presence of bounded disturbances of small magnitude and slow time variation of system parameters (within a compact set). >
Optimal acceleration-bounded trajectory planning in dynamic environments along a specified path

Vehicles that cross lanes of traffic encounter the problem of navigating around dynamic obstacles under actuation constraints. This paper presents an optimal, exact, polynomial-time planner for optimal bounded-acceleration trajectories along a fixed, given path with dynamic obstacles. The planner constructs reachable sets in the path-velocity-time (PVT) space by propagating reachable velocity sets between obstacle tangent points in the path-time (PT) space. The terminal velocities attainable by endpoint-constrained trajectories in the same homotopic class are proven to span a convex interval, so the planner merges contributions from individual homotopic classes to find the exact range of reachable velocities and times at the goal. A reachability analysis proves that running time is polynomial given reasonable assumptions, and empirical tests demonstrate that it scales well in practice and can handle hundreds of dynamic obstacles in a fraction of a second on a standard PC.
MDMA (ecstasy) modulates locomotor and prefrontal cortex sensory evoked activity

Ingestion of 3, 4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) leads to heightened response to sensory stimulation; thus, MDMA is referred to as "ecstasy" because it produces pleasurable enhancement of such sensation. There have been no electrophysiological studies that report the consequences of MDMA on sensory input. The present study was initiated to study the effects of acute and chronic MDMA on locomotor activity and sensory evoked field potential from freely behaving rats previously implanted with permanent electrodes in the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The main findings of this study are that: (1) acute MDMA augments locomotor behavior and attenuates the incoming sensory input, (2) chronic treatment of MDMA elicits behavioral sensitization, (3) chronic administration of MDMA results in attenuation of the baseline activity of the sensory evoked field potential, and (4) administration of rechallenge MDMA result in enhancement of the PFC sensory evoked field potential.
Radii and albedos of asteroids 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 15, 51, 433, and 511

The following radii (in kilometers) and visual geometric albedos are derived for nine asteroids from 10- and 20-micron radiometry: 1 Ceres (540, .06); 2 Pallas (275, .08); 3 Juno (125, .14); 4 Vesta (270, .21); 6 Hebe (110, .16); 15 Eunomia (135, .15); 51 Nemausa (80, .05); 433 Eros (12, .07); and 511 Davida (180, .04). Vesta has the highest albedo measured for an asteroid, while Davida, the lowest-albedo object in the sample, is one of the darkest known objects in the solar system. The median of all asteroid albedos measured to date is 0.1.-
A numerical method for the analysis of flexible bodies in unsteady viscous flows

A two-dimensional numerical model for unsteady viscous flow around flexible bodies is developed. Bodies are represented by distributed body forces. The body force density is found at every time-step so as to adjust the velocity within the computational cells occupied by the body to a prescribed value. The method combines certain ideas from the immersed boundary method and the volume of fluid method. The main advantage of this method is that the computations can be effected on a Cartesian grid, without having to fit the grid to the body surface. This is particularly useful in the case of flexible bodies, in which case the surface of the object changes dynamically, and in the case of multiple bodies moving relatively to each other. The capabilities of the model are demonstrated through the study of the flow around a flapping flexible airfoil. The novelty of this method is that the surface of the airfoil is modelled as an active flexible skin that actually drives the flow. The accuracy and fidelity of the model are validated by reproducing well-established results for vortex shedding from a stationary as well as oscillating rigid cylinder. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methylated regions of hamster mitochondrial ribosomal RNA: structural and functional correlates

Abstract The positions of post-transcriptionally methylated residues within hamster mitochondrial ribosomal RNA have been established. Comparisons with other mitochondrial rRNA, and with bacterial, eucaryotic and chloroplast rRNA show that the methylated regions i) are comprised of conserved primary sequences and/or secondary structures and ii) are situated at the subunit interface of the ribosome. The comparative analyses also reveal that the ribose-methylated sequence UmGmU of hamster mitochondrial large ribosomal subunit (LSU1) RNA lies in a universally conserved hairpin loop which contains a putative puromycin-reactive nucleotide. The "UmGmU hairpin" is within 100 nucleotides of two chloramphenicol-resistance residues of LSU RNA. We present a secondary structure for this region which is conserved in LSU RNAs. This structure allows physical juxtaposition of the three antibiotic-interacting loci and thus defines RNA components of the ribosomal-binding site for the 3'-terminus of aminoacyl-tRNA.
Analysis of oligonucleotide array experiments with repeated measures using mixed models

Background Two or more factor mixed factorial experiments are becoming increasingly common in microarray data analysis. In this case study, the two factors are presence (Patients with Alzheimer's disease) or absence (Control) of the disease, and brain regions including olfactory bulb (OB) or cerebellum (CER). In the design considered in this manuscript, OB and CER are repeated measurements from the same subject and, hence, are correlated. It is critical to identify sources of variability in the analysis of oligonucleotide array experiments with repeated measures and correlations among data points have to be considered. In addition, multiple testing problems are more complicated in experiments with multi-level treatments or treatment combinations.
Transcription of the herpes simplex virus 1 genome during productive and quiescent infection of neuronal and nonneuronal cells.

ABSTRACT Herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) can undergo a productive infection in nonneuronal and neuronal cells such that the genes of the virus are transcribed in an ordered cascade. HSV-1 can also establish a more quiescent or latent infection in peripheral neurons, where gene expression is substantially reduced relative to that in productive infection. HSV mutants defective in multiple immediate early (IE) gene functions are highly defective for later gene expression and model some aspects of latency in vivo . We compared the expression of wild-type (wt) virus and IE gene mutants in nonneuronal cells (MRC5) and adult murine trigeminal ganglion (TG) neurons using the Illumina platform for cDNA sequencing (RNA-seq). RNA-seq analysis of wild-type virus revealed that expression of the genome mostly followed the previously established kinetics, validating the method, while highlighting variations in gene expression within individual kinetic classes. The accumulation of immediate early transcripts differed between MRC5 cells and neurons, with a greater abundance in neurons. Analysis of a mutant defective in all five IE genes (d109) showed dysregulated genome-wide low-level transcription that was more highly attenuated in MRC5 cells than in TG neurons. Furthermore, a subset of genes in d109 was more abundantly expressed over time in neurons. While the majority of the viral genome became relatively quiescent, the latency-associated transcript was specifically upregulated. Unexpectedly, other genes within repeat regions of the genome, as well as the unique genes just adjacent the repeat regions, also remained relatively active in neurons. The relative permissiveness of TG neurons to viral gene expression near the joint region is likely significant during the establishment and reactivation of latency. IMPORTANCE During productive infection, the genes of HSV-1 are transcribed in an ordered cascade. HSV can also establish a more quiescent or latent infection in peripheral neurons. HSV mutants defective in multiple immediate early (IE) genes establish a quiescent infection that models aspects of latency in vivo . We simultaneously quantified the expression of all the HSV genes in nonneuronal and neuronal cells by RNA-seq analysis. The results for productive infection shed further light on the nature of genes and promoters of different kinetic classes. In quiescent infection, there was greater transcription across the genome in neurons than in nonneuronal cells. In particular, the transcription of the latency-associated transcript (LAT), IE genes, and genes in the unique regions adjacent to the repeats persisted in neurons. The relative activity of this region of the genome in the absence of viral activators suggests a more dynamic state for quiescent genomes persisting in neurons.
Analytic regularization in quantum field theory

It is shown how quantum field theories, renormalizable or not, can be rendered finite by means of a residue procedure that realizes analytic regularization and contains the various regularization and renormalization prescriptions as particular cases. The origin of this techniques is discussed, some examples are analyzed and recent developments leading to an elimination of the renormalization problem are reviewed.
Reply How Not to Specify Learning Disabilities: A Rejoinder to Košč

Rosc's response to our work provides a good example of the complex problems encountered when one attempts to define learning disabilities. Although his approach to an a priori definition of the terms “learning” and “disability” is appealing in its simplicity, it is clear that such terms do not lend themselves to such easy explanation. His narrow interpretation of disability from an “anatomico-physiological” viewpoint further clouds the issue. Rosc apparently fails to recognize that analysis of the definitional problem in learning disabilities goes far beyond the historical imperative of the Strauss and Werner paradigm to more substantial problems that seriously impede scientific progress in the LD field.
Dialogue online: Prospective teachers' discourse strategies in computer‐mediated discussions

On a pu croire que la discussion sur ordinateur (DSO) est un forum ideal de dialogue puisque les femmes et les autres groupes marginalises pourraient s'y trouver sur un pied d'egalite. Mais ces considerations optimistes ont ete temperees par les recherches qui ont montre que la DSO est dominee par quelques individus, souvent des hommes, et un discours qui est parfois grossier. L'etude presentee ici avait pour but d'examiner la diversite des strategies de discours et des genres de dialogue que de futurs enseignants utilisent dans une DSO pour se mettre au niveau de leurs partenaires, pour se presenter en tant qu'enseignants, pour socialiser les autres participants au Discours qui est celui de l'enseignant, et pour exclure les membres qui ne se conforment pas aux normes du groupe. A la difference de nombreuses etudes qui ont analyse le discours en ligne en termes de genre, cette etude a trouve que les hommes comme les femmes ont employe des strategies et des genres de dialogue varies et melanges. A quelques exceptions pres, les hommes comme les femmes ont implique, soutenu, individualise, accepte les idees des autres, et ete moderes. Ils ont essaye aussi d'etre critiques et de mettre en doute les presupposes, les images, les croyances et les positions des autres. Ceci ne signifie pourtant pas necessairement qu'ils aient change de position lorsque les idees rencontrees allaient a l'encontre de celles auxquelles ils croient fermement. En outre, tant les hommes que les femmes se sont reveles capables de se moquer et d'exclure ceux qui ne respectaient pas les normes du groupe, quoique les reactions de ce type aient ete rares. La discussion porte sur les implications pour la formation des maitres et sur les recherches a venir.
RELATIVISM AS A CULTURAL INFLUENCE ON TWENTIETH CENTURY DECISION MAKING

Culturally determined norms are seen as guides to the subjective components in the decision process. An understanding of normative elements in choicemaking must therefore begin with an analysis of the culture relevant to the decision. Ways in which the Western twentieth-century intellectual and cultural climate have influenced the ability of modern managers to make value-laden decisions are examined. Implications of relativism for management decision making along with the influences of relativistic decision making on organizational health also are discussed.
Consumer knowledge and meat consumption at home and away from home

We investigate the roles of consumer knowledge and sociodemographic factors in the consumption of meat products at home and away from home. Censored dependent variables and endogenous dietary knowledge are accommodated by developing and estimating a simultaneous-equations system. Results suggest endogeneity of knowledge and support the system approach to demand functions for meat products. Dietary knowledge decreases consumption of beef and pork at home and away from home but does not affect poultry or fish consumption in either location. Men eat more meat and fish than women, meat consumption declines with age, and regional and racial/ethnic differences are present. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Age Differences in Plasma Norepinephrine Kinetics in Humans

To determine if the increased plasma norepinephrine (NE) of older individuals is due to greater plasma NE appearance rate and/or decreased NE clearance, arterialized plasma NE kinetics were measured in 25 healthy young (27 +/- 6 yr, M +/- SD) and 18 healthy older volunteers (68 +/- 5 yr) using a tritium-labeled NE isotope dilution technique. Basal NE levels were 54% greater in the older participants (282 +/- 24 vs. 183 +/- 11 pg/ml, M +/- SEM, p less than .001). The mean plasma NE appearance rate was 32% higher (0.33 +/- 0.03 vs. 0.25 +/- 0.02 microgram/m2/min, p less than .016) and NE clearance was 19% lower (1.21 +/- 0.08 vs. 1.49 +/- 0.06 L/min/m2, p less than .006) in the older participants. There was a close correlation between NE appearance rate and NE levels (r = .76, p less than .001, N = 43), but only modest inverse correlation between NE clearance and NE levels (r = -.37, p less than .01, N = 43). Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis revealed that NE appearance rate and clearance explained 80% of the variance in NE levels and that 57% of the variance was attributable to NE appearance, F (1,41) = 54.8, p less than .001, compared with only 14% by NE clearance, F (1, 41) = 6.5, p = .01. We conclude that the principal factor accounting for the higher plasma NE levels of older individuals is an increase in plasma NE appearance rate.
Compositional Feasibility Analysis of Conditional Real-Time Task Models

Conditional real-time task models, which are generalizations of periodic, sporadic, and multi-frame tasks, represent real world applications more accurately. These models can be classified based on a tradeoff in two dimensions - expressivity and hardness of schedulability analysis. In this work, we introduce a class of conditional task models and derive efficient schedulability analysis techniques for them. These models are more expressive than existing models for which efficient analysis techniques are known. In this work, we also lay the groundwork for schedulability analysis of hierarchical scheduling frameworks with conditional task models. We propose techniques that abstract timing requirements of conditional task models, and support compositional analysis using these abstractions.
Protection, Resilience and Empowerment: United Nations Peacekeeping and Violence against Civilians in Contemporary War Zones

Civilian protection mandates in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations have become increasingly common since 1999. This article suggests that these mandates should be recalibrated to help build resilient local communities and empower civilian populations to have a greater say in their national governance structures. However, while peacekeepers could reasonably give greater emphasis to building local resilience, the empowerment agenda is largely beyond their means. This leaves some UN peacekeeping operations in the perilous position of working to protect civilians at the operational level without addressing some of the key structural conditions that give rise to violence against civilians.
Long-term survival benefit and improved complete cytogenetic and molecular response rates with imatinib mesylate in Philadelphia chromosome-positive chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia after failure of interferon-α

We reviewed 261 patients with chronicphase chronic myelogenous leukemia (CML) after interferon-α (IFN-α) failure treated with imatinib mesylate 400 mg daily. With a median follow-up time of 45 months, the major cytogenetic response rate was 73% and the complete cytogenetic response rate 63%. The estimated 4-year survival rate was 86%. Multivariate analysis for survival identified hematologic resistance to IFN-α ( P = .01), splenomegaly ( P = .03), and lack of any cytogenetic response after 3 months of therapy ( P = .01) to have independent poor prognostic significance. Patients could be divided into good(no adverse factors), intermediate(1 adverse factor), and poor-risk groups (2 or 3 adverse factors; 12% of patients) with estimated 4-year survival rates of 96%, 86%, and 49%, respectively ( P < .000 01). The 4-year cumulative major molecular response (quantitative reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction [Q-PCR] = BCR-ABL/ABL less than 0.05%) rate was 43% and complete molecular response rate (BCR-ABL undetectable) 26%. Compared with a historical group of 251 similar patients treated with nonimatinib therapies, imatinib mesylate was associated with a better 4-year survival rate (86% versus 43%; P < .0001); the survival advantage was confirmed by multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 0.19; P < .0001).
Development of an ultrasound-sensitive antimicrobial platform for reducing infection after spinal stabilization surgery

Infection arises in 8.5% of primary and 12% of secondary spinal fusion surgeries. Because many of these infections are marked by the formation of biofilms, which are difficult to treat with systemic antibiotics, treatment options are often limited to revision surgery. In order to prevent infection, we are developing antibiotic-loaded vessels for localized ultrasound mediated drug delivery. Macro-porous PEEK pucks were loaded with methylene blue (MeB) and coated in poly(lactic acid). In vitro samples were submerged in 200 ml of saline solution and ultrasound was applied for 30 minutes (5 MHz, 3 MPa). Surrounding media was sampled over 8 days and the concentration of MeB measured via spectrophotometry. The release from sonicated samples was compared to unsonicated controls. In parallel, a single-reservoir ABS clip design was also loaded with a combination of VAN and MeB and coated with either one or two layers of PLA. Release was observed while samples were submerged in 200 ml of saline solution. No immediate release of MeB was observed after suspension of the loaded porous PEEK pucks, demonstrating complete coating. Solutions from the non-insonated control group showed a 26 % increase in MeB concentration 2 days after suspension, and then remained stable. Solution from the insonated (experimental group) showed a 757 % increase in MeB concentration relative to baseline levels over an 8-day period. Finally, porous PEEK vessels loaded with vancomycin (VAN), were implanted in a cadaverous bunny to test their efficacy in situ. Two sites were inoculated with 104 CFU S. aureus and another two sites were wrapped in plastic to capture released drug. Surgical sites in the cadaverous rabbit showed a 10x reduction in the concentration of bacteria, while sites wrapped in plastic caught 50% of the released drug. ABS clip prototype single-coated samples showed immediate leakage and complete release of drug after 48 hours. Double-coated samples completely retained drug after 48 hours. Thus, feasibility of an ultrasound mediated drug delivery system was demonstrated in vitro and ex vivo.
Cutaneous Leiomyosarcoma Resembling a Skin Tag

Cutaneous leiomyosarcoma typically presents as solitary, well-circumscribed, firm plaques or nodules. We describe a case of cutaneous leiomyosarcoma clinically presenting as a skin tag on the thigh of a 50-year-old male. Histological examination of the lesion revealed a dome-shaped tumor with interlacing fascicles of smooth muscle with pleomorphism, cellular atypia and multiple mitoses. Malignant tumors may rarely present as a skin tag, and these are most frequently basal cell carcinomas. We are unaware of previously reported leiomyosarcoma clinically presenting as a skin tag. This case suggests that solitary, wide-based, papilloma-like lesions or skin tags should be submitted for histologic examination to rule out malignancy.
Semantics and evaluation techniques for window aggregates in data streams

A windowed query operator breaks a data stream into possibly overlapping subsets of data and computes a result over each. Many stream systems can evaluate window aggregate queries. However, current stream systems suffer from a lack of an explicit definition of window semantics. As a result, their implementations unnecessarily confuse window definition with physical stream properties. This confusion complicates the stream system, and even worse, can hurt performance both in terms of memory usage and execution time. To address this problem, we propose a framework for defining window semantics, which can be used to express almost all types of windows of which we are aware, and which is easily extensible to other types of windows that may occur in the future. Based on this definition, we explore a one-pass query evaluation strategy, the Window-ID (WID) approach, for various types of window aggregate queries. WID significantly reduces both required memory space and execution time for a large class of window definitions. In addition, WID can leverage punctuations to gracefully handle disorder. Our experimental study shows that WID has better execution-time performance than existing window aggregate query evaluation options that retain and reprocess tuples, and has better latency-accuracy tradeoffs for disordered input streams compared to using a fixed delay for handling disorder.
CASA, WASA, and the dimensions of us

In this paper we replicate and extend the work of the Computers are Social Actors (CASA) researchers who repeatedly found evidence that humans treat computers with typical social norms as if they were humans. We performed a between-subjects 2x2 factorial experiment to test our hypotheses as well as an exploratory factor analysis to further refine and validate a construct which measures politeness. We retest the CASA hypothesis and found that our new hypothesis - Websites are Social Actors (WASA) reduces the CASA effect in contexts where individuals form a social attachment to websites instead of computers. We found evidence that suggests humans can exhibit politeness toward websites and literally (not virtually) treat them as social actors. Finally, we tease out the elements of politeness as a construct and identify the key items in the instrument for data reduction, and initiate efforts towards establishing reliability and construct validity. As we shall see, the results of an exploratory factor analysis are quite consistent to recent research in social cognition, and suggest that the politeness construct may be tapping similar and fundamental components of how humans engage with others in their social world.
Western Gray Squirrel (Rodentia: Sciuridae): A Primary Reservoir Host of Borrelia burgdorferi in Californian Oak Woodlands?

Abstract In California, dense woodlands have been recognized as important biotopes where humans are exposed to the nymphal stage of the western blacklegged tick, Ixodes pacificus Cooley & Kohls, the primary vector of the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto (s.s.), in the far-western United States. To identify the principal reservoir host(s) of this spirochete, and of closely related spirochetes in the B. burgdorferi sensu lato (s.l.) complex, in dense woodlands in Mendocino County, California, ≈50 species of birds and mammals, including wood rats and kangaroo rats, were evaluated as potential hosts for vector ticks and borreliae in 2002 and 2003. Although polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing analyses revealed that many vertebrate species had been exposed to one or more members of the B. burgdorferi s.l. spirochetal complex, only the western gray squirrel, Sciurus griseus, fulfilled the major criteria for a reservoir host of B. burgdorferi s.s. Ear-punch biopsies from eight...
Transforming Environmental Attitudes and Behaviours through Eco-spirituality and Religion

Normal 0 21 false false false TR X-NONE X-NONE MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 Incorporating spirituality and religious themes in environmental education is a way to link learners to their meaning systems. Research has shown that incorporation of a spiritual element in education provides a way for students to have authentic learning experiences and make meaning of the knowledge they acquire in the classroom. This mixed methods study examined the environmental attitudes, knowledge and actions of students in an introductory environmental science course with a spiritually infused curriculum at a community college. The quantitative data was collected from students in a survey of environmental attitudes, knowledge, and actions. Qualitative studies were conducted using a focus group to complement the quantitative data. Environmental education increases knowledge and awareness about earth’s environment and teaches skills that lead to action that will ensure stewardship of all aspects of earth’s environment. Integration of spirituality and religious traditions in environmental education offers an alternative approach in curriculum design that encourages learners’ environmental attitudes and behaviors to be transformed.
Public Good and Private Good

Regulation is a topic which has been studied in several social science disciplines. It has long been a topic in economic theory, addressed under economic concept as “public good.” Regulation has also been studied as a subfield of sociology as the sociology of law. Regulation has also been studied in the interdisciplinary social science area of “political economy.” In all views, there is agreement that formally “regulation” is enacted legislation which is administered to constrain rights and allocate responsibilities by participants in a societal order which is being regulated. In the topic of “administrative law,” the term “rule-making” is used to characterize the process in which legislative and executive bodies create and implement rules of the game. Legislature sets broad policy mandates by passing laws, and then executive agencies create and implement detailed regulations. (See, e.g., Hall 2009.) In the USA, enacted on June 11, 1946, the Administrative Procedure Act (Public Law 79-404, 60 Statute 237) established how administrative agencies of the federal government may propose and establish regulations and how federal courts may review agency regulatory decisions (Administrative Procedure Act 1946).
“Add Another Blue Stack of the Same Height!”: ASP Based Planning and Plan Failure Analysis

We discuss a challenge in developing intelligent agents (robots) that can collaborate with human in problem solving. Specifically, we consider situations in which a robot must use natural language in communicating with human and responding to the human’s communication appropriately. In the process, we identify three main tasks. The first task requires the development of planners capable of dealing with descriptive goals. The second task, called plan failure analysis, demands the ability to analyze and determine the reason(s) why the planning system does not success. The third task focuses on the ability to understand communications via natural language. We show how the first two tasks can be accomplished in answer set programming.
Cylindrical Electric Grid Traps: The Influence of Elevation, Size and Electrode Spacing on Captures of Male Cabbage Loopers and Tobacco Hornworms

Captures of male Trichoplusia ni (Hubner) in cylindrical electric-grid traps baited with synthetic sex pheromone, declined with increasing elevation from 2 to 10 ft above ground. Collections of Manduca sexta (L.) in similar traps baited with virgin females were not affected significantly by the same range of elevations. Collections of T. ni with 12-, 18-, and 24-in.-diam grids, but with the same electrode spacing (½ in.), did not differ significantly; however, ¼-in. electrode spacing was 38% more effective than ½-in. spacing on the 12-in.-diam grids. The largest number of M. sexta moths was caught by the smallest-diameter grid, and the size of collections decreased as the diameter increased.
Laser-driven nonadiabatic electron dynamics in molecules

In this review, we briefly summarize more than a decade of experimental and theoretical investigations regarding the nonadiabatic electron response to intense femtosecond duration laser fields in a variety of molecular systems. Historically, experimental signatures of nonadiabaticity have emerged readily in large, conjugated, or multi-electron systems, disrupting fragmentation behavior and modulating observed rates of ionization. As model theoretical studies performed in H2+ and other diatomic species show, departure from traditional quasi-static or cycle-averaged descriptions of laser-induced ionization is often necessary to accommodate the rich and frequently counterintuitive electron dynamics that characterize the nonadiabatic response. Nonadiabatic effects such as transient electron localization or the observation of multiple ionization bursts per driving field cycle possess the capacity to modulate the signal of many strong-field physical effects, such as high-order harmonic generation, photoelectron momentum distributions, and molecular fragmentation products. As the advancement of experimental technologies expands the pursuit of laser-driven physics further into the mid-infrared wavelength regime, we suggest that these nonadiabatic effects will become increasingly pronounced and relevant to the imaging and control of a wide array of molecular species.
Multi-Harmonic Adaptive Vibration Control of AMB-Driveline Systems With Non-Constant Velocity Flexible Couplings

Active Magnetic Bearings (AMB) have been proposed by many researchers and engineers as an alternative to replace traditional contact bearings in rotors and driveshafts. Such active, non-contact bearings do not have frictional wear and can be used to suppress vibration in sub- and supercritical rotor dynamic applications. One important issue that has not yet been addressed in previous AMB driveline control studies is the effect of non-constant velocity (NCV) flexible couplings, such as U-Joint or disk-type couplings. The NCV effects introduce periodic parametric and forcing actions that are functions of shaft speed, driveline misalignment and load-torque. Previous research has found that NCV couplings can greatly impact stability and cause significant harmonic excitation at integer multiples of the shaft speed. Thus, to ensure closed-loop stability and acceptable performance of any AMB-driveline with NCV couplings, these effects must be accounted for in the control law design. In this paper, a hybrid control law consisting of an analog PD feedback controller augmented with a slowly updating, multiple harmonic adaptive vibration control (MHAVC) is developed for a U-joint-driveline system supported by AMBs. The function of the PD controller is to ensure closed-loop stability and convergence of the MHAVC, while the MHAVC suppresses the steady-state vibration. Closed-loop stability, convergence, and performance are investigated over a range of shaft speeds for various misalignment and load-torque levels. It is found that there is an optimal range of P and D feedback gains that ensures both convergence of the MHAVC and maximizes the robust stability of the closed-loop system, with respect to NCV effects. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the MHAVC can effectively suppress the multi-harmonic vibration induced by shaft imbalance and NCV coupling effects without knowledge of the disturbance input distribution.© 2003 ASME
The Maize Weevil in Relation to Sunflower

Attractiveness of a variety of sunflower at various stages of flower development to Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky was investigated. Results of the study indicated that maize weevil adults are attracted to the open sunflower head at certain stages of flower development. Maize weevil adults were found in abundance on approximately half of the heads examined. The period of head development when most weevils were found occurred at the time the compact inflorescence had opened at the head center and for approximately 2 weeks thereafter. Fecundity of adult female maize weevils did not increase when they were confined on sunflower heads. Most of the weevils found visiting sunflower heads were near the base of the florets on the top of immature seeds near the center of the head. The maize weevil was not observed feeding on immature or dry sunflower seed. Weevils confined on sunflower seeds died of starvation.