cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Crowdsourcing in the enterprise

This talk reviews several of the recent studies conducted by the Social Technologies group at IBM Research-Haifa, which demonstrate the use of social analytics tools to extract value of enterprise social media. From recommender systems, through activity stream filtering and analysis, to crowdsourcing games in the enterprise, the voice of the employees can now be heard and utilized better than ever within the newly formed social business.
Riding the Waves of Change: Developing Managerial Competencies for a Turbulent World

The article reviews the book “Riding the Waves of Change: Developing Managerial Competencies for a Turbulent World,” by Gareth Morgan.
The effect of net-transfer reactions on the isotopic composition of minerals

To interpret correctly the isotopic composition of metmorphic rocks and minerals, the effect of nettransfer reactions must be quantitatively evaluated. Such evaluation requires a complete set of linearly independent, net-transfer reactions that fully describe the reacting system. The set of net-transfer reactions is then coupled with mass-balance equations for stable isotopes. Reaction spaces can be contoured with isopleths of °18O, °13C, and δD of minerals which allows evaluation of the effect of different reactions and bulk compositions on the stable isotopic composition of minerals and rocks. Using this approach, we examined the effect of fractionation of isotopes due to net-transfer reactions at the biotite and second-sillimanite isograds in northern New England. Our analysis shows that the shift in °13C and °18O at an isograd depends strongly upon the overall net-transfer reaction at the isograd and the bulk composition of the rock. The use of model isograd reactions to determine isotopic shifts, therefore, can lead to serious errors in the interpretation of isotopic data. At the second-sillimanite isograd °18Oqtz (quartz), °18Okspar (K feldsdpar), and °18Owr (whole rock) decrease by ∼0.5, 1.0, and 0.8 per mil, respectively. Quantitative evaluation of the effect of fractionation of isotopes by net-transfer reactions shows that: (1) the relative changes in oxygen isotopes across the isograd could be caused by distillation of fluids during develatilization reactions; (2) the magnitude of the observed isotopic shifts often differs by a factor of 2 from the calculated shifts due to reaction progress alone. The difference between observed and calculated shifts is attributed to either, differences in bulk composition between individual rocks, or, to isotopic exchange between minerals after peak metamorphism. At the biotite isograd the shifts in carbon and oxygen isotope values are different from predicted shifts caused by net-transfer reactions alone. This discrepancy suggests that fluids infiltrated the rocks during the formation of the biotite isograd.
AN ANALYSIS OF PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS RELATED TO PROFESSIONAL STAFF TURNOVER IN PUBLIC ACCOUNTING FIRMS

A sample of graduate and undergraduate degree holders in accounting are being studied during the first five years of their public accounting careers. Data on the biographical characteristics, vocational interests, and personality factors are analyzed in this study to discover if different profiles exist for those who remain with their firm of original employment in public accounting following graduation and those who find new positions. A number of significant differences were found. The findings should be of benefit to educators and representatives from the accounting profession because of their mutual concern with recruiting, staff development and retention, and academic preparation and career counseling.
P02.155. Stress Management and Resilience Training (SMART) program to decrease stress and enhance resilience among breast cancer survivors: a randomized trial

Purpose Patients with breast cancer experience considerable stress and anxiety related to their diagnosis, with resulting lower quality of life. The current study was designed to assess the effect of a Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) program for increasing resiliency and decreasing stress and anxiety among a group of mentors who themselves previously were diagnosed with breast cancer (pink ribbon mentors).
1191 EFFECTS OF SALICYLATE ON OXIDATION OF OCTANOATE AND PALMITOYL COENZYME A IN RAT LIVER MITOCHONDRIA: IMPLICATIONS FOR REYE'S SYNDROME

We studied the effect of salicylate (SA) on fatty acid (FA) oxidation in isolated rat liver mitochondria (mito), in order to investigate a possible link between the evidence for an association of aspirin ingestion with Reye's Syndrome and perturbed fat metabolism in this disease. Mito were incubated for FA oxidation with either 0.1 mM 14C-octanoate (C8 or 0.1 mM 14C-palmitoyl CoA (C16 CoA) plus 0.5 mM carnitine,as substrate. The rate of oxidation was followed as the amount of 14CO2 formed. C8 was chosen to represent short chain FA which are permeable to mito and which therefore can be activated to CoA esters by an ATP-dependent reaction in the matrix prior to B-oxidation. C16CoA was representative of long chain FA, which are impermeable to mito and which must be activated to CoA esters in the cytosol prior to carnitine-dependent transport into the matrix for B-oxidation. SA inhibited C4 oxidation in a concentration dependent manner with maximum inhibition (71.3±3%) at 2.5 mM SA. In contrast, C16 CoA oxidation was increased 49±13% by 2.5 mM SA. These effects were traced to SA's uncoupling activity, which stimulates uncoupled respiration and lowers the matrix ATP concentration. Thus at modest concentrations, SA selectively inhibits the oxidation of FA that are activated to CoA esters in the mito matrix, but stimulates the oxidation of FA that have been activated in the cytosol. This suggests a possible contributory role for aspirin in the development of Reye's Syndrome, since an excess of short chain FA has been proposed to be important in the pathogenesis of this illness. (NIH NS 14936).
All-dielectric metasurface analogue of electromagnetically induced transparency

Metasurface analogues of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) have been a focus of the nanophotonics field in recent years, due to their ability to produce high-quality factor (Q-factor) resonances. Such resonances are expected to be useful for applications such as low-loss slow-light devices and highly sensitive optical sensors. However, ohmic losses limit the achievable Q-factors in conventional plasmonic EIT metasurfaces to values <~10, significantly hampering device performance. Here we experimentally demonstrate a classical analogue of EIT using all-dielectric silicon-based metasurfaces. Due to extremely low absorption loss and coherent interaction of neighbouring meta-atoms, a Q-factor of 483 is observed, leading to a refractive index sensor with a figure-of-merit of 103. Furthermore, we show that the dielectric metasurfaces can be engineered to confine the optical field in either the silicon resonator or the environment, allowing one to tailor light-matter interaction at the nanoscale.
The interannual variability of the surface eddy kinetic energy in the Labrador Sea

Abstract The variability of the surface eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the Labrador Sea is investigated with a suite of numerical integrations using a regional ocean model. Simulations are performed over the period 1980–2001 and are compared to satellite observations over the last 9 years. The surface EKE pattern in the basin is dominated by a region along the West coast of Greenland where eddies, mainly anticyclonic, are formed by instability of the main currents flowing over the continental slope, consistent with previous idealized results. Here the interannual changes are linked to the shear of the incoming boundary current system imposed as boundary condition to the model domain. The highly variable strength of the East Greenland current at the northeast boundary, derived from the Simple Ocean Data Assimilation (SODA) reanalysis, strongly influences the vortex formation. In the center of the Labrador Sea, where deep convection occurs, a statistically significant portion of the modeled interannual surface EKE variability is correlated with the local atmospheric forcing, and both heat and wind fluxes play an important role and can be adopted as predictors at a lag of 2–3 months. The Arctic Oscillation index can also be used as a remote indicator of the atmospheric fluxes, but with lower skill than local measurements. In contrast the North Atlantic Oscillation index does not correlate significantly with the surface EKE at intraseasonal and interannual scales. The analysis of altimeter data over the 1993–2001 supports the existence of this asymmetry between the regime locally forced by the atmosphere in the central basin, and the regime remotely forced by the incoming boundary current along the west Greenland coast. Those results have important implications for monitoring and predicting the surface eddy kinetic energy variability in the Labrador Sea.
Beyond self-actualization

The concept of self actualization in Humanistic Psychology, as developed by Abraham Maslow and Carl Rogers, is compared and contrasted with the concept of self-realization in Vedandic Hinduism and the two major schools of Buddhism-Thervada and Mahayana. The first part of the paper deals with the theoretical views of Maslow and Rogers and their philosophical foundations. The second part of the paper deals with common elements and differences among the schools of Eastern philosophies. Finally, the concept of self actualization in Humanistic Psychology is compared and contrasted with the concept of self-realization in the three Eastern philosophies covered in this paper. It is concluded that the two concepts complement each other and provide us with a broader view of self-development than each view by itself. Implications for counseling are brought out.
Influence of age on the ability of thymic adherent cells to produce factors in vitro which modulate immune responses of thymocytes

Abstract Thymic adherent cells from BALB/c mice ranging in age from 1 day to 20 months were cultured in vitro for 1 month. The supematants, collected at weekly intervals, were assessed for their ability to augment the antigen/mitogen responses of thymocytes from 2- or 4-week-old BALB/c mice and spleen cells from 3-month-old nude BALB/c mice. The results indicate that (a) the ability of thymic adherent cells to produce an augmenting factors) declines sharply between 2.5 and 5 months of age; (b) thymic adherent cells of 1-day-old mice synthesize an inhibitory factor(s) in addition to the augmenting factor, while those of young adult mice synthesize only the augmenting factor, and those of 20-month-old mice synthesize primarily the inhibitory factor; (c) supernatants containing the augmenting factor can be neutralized by mixing them with supernatants containing the inhibitory factor, (d) thymocytes which are responsive to the augmenting factor are immature as judged by their sensitivity to dexamethasone and by their ability to bind macrophages; and (e) spleen cells of normal and nude mice are not responsive to either the augmenting or the inhibitory factor of the supernatant.
Effect of natural organic matter on the reduction of nitroaromatics by Fe(II) species.

Uncertainty still exists regarding the role(s) of natural organic matter in the reduction of chemicals in anoxic environments. This work studied the effect of Suwannee river humic acid (SRHA) on the reduction of nitrobenzenes in goethite suspensions by Fe(II) species. The pseudo-first-order rate constant for the reduction of p-cyanonitrobenzene (kCNNB) was different for the first 3 half-lives in systems where Fe(II)aq and dissolved SRHA were equilibrated in reverse orders with goethite in suspensions. kCNNB and the reduction capacity of the system having SRHA added after Fe(II)aq was equilibrated with goethite was lower than that of the system for which the components were added in the reverse order. SRHA decreased the reduction capacity of the former system by oxidizing and/or complexing the surface-associated Fe(II), Fe(II)surf, and/or hindering the access of CNNB to Fe(II)surf. The log kCNNB increased linearly with increasing concentrations of Fe(II)aq, which decreased as a result of increasing concent...
Mutator effects of alleles of phage T4 genes 32, 41, 44, and 45 in the presence of an antimutator polymerase

Abstract When eight phage T4 rII base substitution mutations were each combined with an antimutator allele of gene 43 (DNA polymerase), reversion frequencies of the rII mutations were reduced from 3- to 90-fold. When these eight rII-gene 43 allele combinations were then combined with an allele of gene 32 (helix-destabilizing protein), the low reversion index was maintained in five cases. In the remaining three cases, strong mutator effects by the gene 32 allele were observed. One of these three rII alleles was then used as a tester in combination with an allele from each of genes 30, 37, 39, 41, 44, 45, 47, and 56. The corresponding triple mutants, consisting of the rII allele, the gene 43 antimutator allele, and an allele from each of the above genes was also constructed. The alleles of genes 41, 44, and 45 displayed strong mutator effects in the presence of the gene 43 antimutator polymerase and much weaker mutator effects in the presence of wild-type polymerase. The tested alleles of genes 30, 37, 39, 47, and 56 did not have such mutator effects. The genes whose alleles showed strong mutator effects (32, 41, 44, and 45) have been identified previously as being essential for DNA synthesis in vivo, and for a rapid rate of replication in vitro. It has recently been hypothesized that these gene products and the products of genes 61 and 62 may interact with the gene 43 DNA polymerase to form a multienzyme replicative complex which governs the accuracy of replication. The data presented here, together with previously reported results on mutator effects, support the hypothesis that all seven gene products of the replicative complex have a strong influence on the accuracy of replication.
Nonlinear attenuation and dispersion in human calcaneus in vitro: statistical validation and relationships to microarchitecture.

Through-transmission measurements were performed on 30 human calcaneus samples in vitro. Nonlinear attenuation and dispersion measurements were investigated by estimating 95% confidence intervals of coefficients of polynomial expansions of log magnitude and phase of transmission coefficients. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured with dual x-ray absorptiometry. Microarchitecture was measured with microcomputed tomography. Statistically significant nonlinear attenuation and nonzero dispersion were confirmed for a clinical bandwidth of 300–750 kHz in 40%–43% of bone samples. The mean linear coefficient for attenuation was 10.3 dB/cm MHz [95% confidence interval (CI): 9.0–11.6 dB/cm MHz]. The mean quadratic coefficient for attenuation was 1.6 dB/cm MHz2 (95% CI: 0.4–2.8 dB/cm MHz2). Nonlinear attenuation provided little information regarding BMD or microarchitecture. The quadratic coefficient for phase (which is related to dispersion) showed moderate correlations with BMD (r = −0.65; 95% CI: −0.82 to −0.36...
Development of a pH-Insensitive Glucose Indicator for Continuous Glucose Monitoring

In our previous studies, we have developed a glucose indictor used for continuous glucose concentration. We used this indicator to construct a glucose sensor that can be used for minimum-invasively monitoring blood glucose concentration for diabetics. It has been understood that this indicator is pH sensitive, making it less reliable in sensing the intracellular glucose concentration using fluorescence microscopy imaging measurement. In this study, we genetically modified protein structure of the indicator and created a pH insensitive glucose indicator. Our experiment results clearly demonstrated that the engineered glucose indicator is less affected by pH, making it ideal for use in determining the intracellular glucose within living cells using fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy measurement. The determination of intracellular glucose will offer new insights into the mechanisms of blood glucose control in our body and provide more data for the understanding of the development of diabetes in type 2 diabetics.
Electronic Energy Bands in Sodium Chloride

The Wigner and Seitz method of cellular potentials has been applied to the calculation of wave functions in NaCl. A renormalized Hartree field has been used around the Cl and the Prokofjew field around the Na. The relative heights of the potentials are determined by use of Madelung's number. The problem of joining the functions at the cell boundaries has been treated by the Slater method of fitting $\ensuremath{\psi}$ and ${\ensuremath{\psi}}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ at midpoints. For the outer Cl electrons a reasonable approximation is to join at Cl---Cl midpoints only. This gives rise to a face-centered lattice for which solutions of the Slater conditions have been found by Krutter. Several new solutions have been derived which allow fairly accurate energy contours in momentum space to be drawn for the Cl $3p$ band. If the joining is made at Cl---Na midpoints alone, a large number of unsatisfactory zero-width bands arise. When both Cl---Cl and Cl---Na midpoints are used, the boundary conditions can be treated only for special cases. For these they are consistent with the Cl---Cl solutions. Several attempts to calculate the ultraviolet absorption frequency are described and the difficulties involved are discussed.
Project Alpha Provides Opportunities to Promote Perioperative Nursing

ABSTRACT This article provides an overview of AORN's Project Alpha and identifies multiple opportunities for RNs to promote the nursing profession and the perioperative nursing specialty. Individual and group Project Alpha activities can be used to enhance the education of health care consumers and other professionals about the essential role of perioperative nurses in the care of patients undergoing operative and other invasive procedures. The author suggests innovative strategies for AORN members to use in planning Project Alpha activities. AORN J 64 (Nov 1996) 781–785.
Measurement of Radical Quantum Yields from Formaldehyde Photolysis between 269 and 339 nm

The relative quantum yield for the production of radical products, H and HCO, from the photolysis of formaldehyde (HCHO) has been measured directly at wavelengths from 269 to 339 nm. Measurements o...
Feasibility of a method for en face imaging of photoreceptor cell integrity.

Purpose To report a method for en face imaging of the photoreceptor inner and outer segment junction by spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD OCT) and to describe findings in normal subjects and patients with various retinal diseases. Design Observational case series. Methods SD OCT images were acquired from 6 normal subjects (mean age, 44 ± 11 years) and from 5 subjects with retinal diseases (mean age, 66 ± 22 years). A customized high-density SD OCT volume scan was acquired on the retina. SD OCT B-scan images were segmented automatically to extract intensity data along the inner and outer segment junction. Data obtained from the raster B-scans were combined to generate an inner and outer segment en face image in a 4.4 × 4.4-mm retinal area centered on the fovea. The foveal-to-parafoveal mean intensity ratio was measured, and repeatability was determined. An infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscope image was acquired and was cropped to provide a field of view similar to the inner and outer segment en face image. Results Inner and outer segment en face images generated in normal subjects provided clear visualization of the retinal vasculature, matching the vascular network observed in the infrared scanning laser ophthalmoscope image. In normal subjects, the foveal-to-parafoveal mean intensity ratio was 0.88 ± 0.06, and repeatability of measurements was, on average, 7%. In macular hole, a dark circular region was observed in the inner and outer segment en face image, indicative of photoreceptor cell loss. In age-related macular degeneration, the en face image displayed nonuniform texture corresponding to topographic variations in the inner and outer segment junction. In central serous retinopathy, areas of lower intensity were visible on the en face image corresponding to regions of prior neurosensory elevation. In cystoid macular edema, reduced intensity was present in the inner and outer segment en face image in areas with increased retinal thickness. In diabetic retinopathy, the inner and outer segment en face image displayed regions of reduced intensity resulting from edema, laser scars, or both. Conclusions Detection of intensity abnormalities in the inner and outer segment en face image is useful for monitoring the integrity of photoreceptor cells in the course of disease progression and therapeutic intervention.
Managerial Self-Interest, Pension Financial Slack and Corporate Pension Funding

This paper examines the impact of managerial self-interest on corporate pension funding decisions. It is postulated that managers with no ownership stake in the firm will have incentives to maintain financial slack in the form of excess pension funding. Pension funding slack may be viewed as a managerial perquisite that decreases the probability of necessary future debt financing. Such a strategy may increase the value of undiversified human capital to the detriment of maximizing shareholder wealth. As managerial ownership increases, the incentives to consume such a perquisite will decrease since the interests of managers and shareholders become more aligned. The results presented in this study strongly support this proposition.
Significant or Safe? Two Cases of Instructional Uses of History Feature Films

The popularity of VHS and DVD over the past two decades has greatly expanded the influence of history movies, watched by millions of adolescents in homes and classrooms. This paper examines two secondary U.S. history teachers' instructional uses of history motion pictures in their classrooms. Ray used The Patriot (2000) to teach history as stories about the past created by people using imagination and evidence. Marie used Roots (1977) to interweave African American history as a thematic thread throughout her curriculum for her almost entirely White student population. By analyzing the cases of these two teachers, we investigate how history feature films function as instructional tools and illustrate the ways in which movies are both powerful and dangerous in the classroom.
Numerical studies of thermal effects on heterojunction bipolar transistor current-voltage characteristics using one-dimensional simulation

Abstract Coupling the heat transfer equation with Poisson's and continuity equations in 1-D and taking into account carrier degeneracy, semiconductor band and temperature spatial distributions, the current-voltage characteristics of an n - p - n AlGaAs/GaAs heterojunction bipolar transistor are simulated. The Scharfetter-Gummel expressions for both electron and hole current densities are derived. Both voltage and current boundary conditions at the base contact are used in the calculations. The current modulation nature of bipolar transistor devices is revealed by using the current boundary condition. It is found that the temperature rise due to high current operation causes two effects: the current gain continuously declines after the base push-out is complete; and the negative differential resistance phenomenon occurs in the transistor current-voltage saturation region.
3-D Microvessel-Mimicking Ultrasound Phantoms Produced With a Scanning Motion System

Ultrasound techniques are currently being developed that can assess the vascularization of tissue as a marker for therapeutic response. Some of these ultrasound imaging techniques seek to extract quantitative features about vessel networks, whereas high-frequency imaging also allows individual vessels to be resolved. The development of these new techniques, and subsequent imaging analysis strategies, necessitates an understanding of their sensitivities to vessel and vessel network structural abnormalities. Constructing in-vitro flow phantoms for this purpose can be prohibitively challenging, because simulating precise flow environments with nontrivial structures is often impossible using conventional methods of construction for flow phantoms. Presented in this manuscript is a method to create predefined structures with <10 μm precision using a three-axis motion system. The application of this technique is demonstrated for the creation of individual vessel and vessel networks, which can easily be made to simulate the development of structural abnormalities typical of diseased vasculature in vivo. In addition, beyond facilitating the creation of phantoms that would otherwise be very challenging to construct, the method presented herein enables one to precisely simulate very slow blood flow and respiration artifacts, and to measure imaging resolution.
Transnasal mucosal flap rotation technique for repair of posterior choanal atresia.

Abstract Purpose: To describe improved surgical treatment for posterior choanal atresia (PCA) by creating mucosal flaps with the aid of operating microscope, CO 2 laser, self-retaining nasal retractor, and stenting with a flat polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon) keel. Materials and Methods: Retrospective study of 19 patients with PCA, their ages ranging from 6 days to 4 years 4 months at the time of first repair, representing a total of 32 PCA repairs. Four patients had unilateral PCA, and one did not return for follow-up and could not be located. A transnasal microscopic approach uses a myringotomy knife or CO 2 laser to create an anterior mucosal flap; the CO 2 laser is also used to remove any bone plate and to create the posterior flap. The flaps then are rotated into position and are kept separated by a flat Teflon keel instead of a traditional round stent to avoid pressure necrosis. When a stable epithelialized opening (2 × 2 to 3 × 4 mm) is created, it is enlarged by subsequent staged transnasal CO 2 laser submucosal scar excisions with preservation of the overlying mucosa. This creates rotation or sliding flaps to speed healing and prevents circumferential scar contraction. Results: Eighteen patients were re-examined after periods of 3 months to more than 5 years from when their first epithelialized orifice was created with nasal endoscopy to measure the final orifice size. All 18 patients had clinically adequate-to-good bilateral nasal airways at the latest follow-up with an average orifice size of 3 × 5 mm and a range of 2 × 2 to 4 × 10 mm. This “same day surgery” technique with staged procedures provides similar or better patency rates than a single transpalatal approach but with less surgical morbidity. It has a much lower restenosis rate than the transnasal puncture or PCA excision with prolonged round tube stenting and multiple dilation technique. (Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2001;124:674-82.)
Defining Hispanidad: Allegories, genealogies and cultural politics in the Madrid Academy's competition of 1893

This essay examines the 1893 competition held by Madrid's San Fernando Academy for the best representation of ‘Spanish Culture symbolized by the grouping of the great men’ throughout the ages. Few late nineteenth-century academies attempted such a grandiose definition of culture by depicting all great native historical personalities from all major disciplines in a single canvas. More importantly, academicians repeatedly accused contestants of portraying foreign influences in their entries, of corrupting the truly Spanish, even while they, contrarily, pointed to non-Iberian sources of Spanish culture. Ancient and Renaissance Italy were but two mythologized sites of origins for academicians who debated cultural genealogies and definitions of ‘Hispanidad’. The contest coincided with the fourth centenary of 1492, and the winning panels were intended for Madrid's National Library; hence, the Academy debates are inseparable from the discourses of Spain's imperialist ambitions, or that of rising regional militancy. Yet, there was something more immediate at stake for academicians: the Academy's demise as economic centre of the arts and site of cultural authority. The debates disclose the controversial roles envisioned for this beleaguered institution at the turn of the century. The debates, therefore, like the competition panels themselves, were allegories of contemporary cultural politics.
Effect of Coulomb collisions on universal mode stability

The effect of electron–ion Coulomb collisions on the universal mode is studied using a Fokker–Planck collision operator in the kinetic equation for the electron distribution f∥e(x,v∥,t). The expected smoothing of the v∥ structure of f∥e is found, and the character of the mode is little changed when νei→ω*. It is also confirmed that a collisionality on the order of that of present tokamaks is sufficient to provide for destabilization of the mode even in the absence of nonlinear orbit stochastic diffusion.
Deactivation of Pt/VC proton exchange membrane fuel cell cathodes by SO2, H2S and COS

Abstract Sulfur contaminants in air pose a threat to the successful operation of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) via poisoning of the Pt-based cathodes. The deactivation behavior of commercial Pt on Vulcan carbon (Pt/VC) membrane electrode assemblies (MEAs) is determined when exposed to 1 ppm (dry) of SO 2 , H 2 S, or COS in air for 3, 12, and 24 h while held at a constant potential of 0.6 V. All the three sulfur compounds cause the same deactivation behavior in the fuel cell cathodes, and the polarization curves of the poisoned MEAs have the same decrease in performance. Sulfur coverages after multiple exposure times (3, 12, and 24 h) are determined by cyclic voltammetry (CV). As the exposure time to sulfur contaminants increases from 12 to 24 h, the sulfur coverage of the platinum saturates at 0.45. The sulfur is removed from the cathodes and their activity is partially restored both by cyclic voltammetry, as shown by others, and by successive polarization curves. Complete recovery of fuel cell performance is not achieved with either technique, suggesting that sulfur species permanently affect the surface of the catalyst.
Statistical learning of tone sequences by human infants and adults.

Previous research suggests that language learners can detect and use the statistical properties of syllable sequences to discover words in continuous speech (e.g. Aslin, R.N., Saffran, J.R., Newport, E.L., 1998. Computation of conditional probability statistics by 8-month-old infants. Psychological Science 9, 321-324; Saffran, J.R., Aslin, R.N., Newport, E.L., 1996. Statistical learning by 8-month-old infants. Science 274, 1926-1928; Saffran, J., R., Newport, E.L., Aslin, R.N., (1996). Word segmentation: the role of distributional cues. Journal of Memory and Language 35, 606-621; Saffran, J.R., Newport, E.L., Aslin, R.N., Tunick, R.A., Barrueco, S., 1997. Incidental language learning: Listening (and learning) out of the corner of your ear. Psychological Science 8, 101-195). In the present research, we asked whether this statistical learning ability is uniquely tied to linguistic materials. Subjects were exposed to continuous non-linguistic auditory sequences whose elements were organized into 'tone words'. As in our previous studies, statistical information was the only word boundary cue available to learners. Both adults and 8-month-old infants succeeded at segmenting the tone stream, with performance indistinguishable from that obtained with syllable streams. These results suggest that a learning mechanism previously shown to be involved in word segmentation can also be used to segment sequences of non-linguistic stimuli.
Computerized Design of Optimal Direct Lift Controller

A direct lift controller (DLG) for large aircraft is designed using Kalman's linear state regulator theory. This application concerns a B-52 test aircraft, but the design method is directly applicable to other aircraft and aerodynamic surfaces. Spoilers, symmetric ailerons, and elevator form the three-dimensional primary flight controller which responds to pilot normal longitudinal column movement (interpreted as a rate of climb command), applying lift forces in the desired direction without pitching the aircraft. The controller permits changes in rates of climb and descent of up to 500 ft/min from trim condition without a change in aircraft pitch attitude. When larger control forces are applied, the DLC functions as a conventional control system, causing aircraft rotation. The pilot's ability to make precise changes in altitude or rate of climb is demonstrated by a moving-base cockpit simulation driven by a six-degree-of-freedom analog program. The controller reduces normal acceleration 50% during climb and descent maneuvers both in and out of turbulence and improves the pilot's ability to maintain constant airspeed. The closed-loop controller consists of an input command proportional to longitudinal stick movement plus fixed-gain normal acceleration, pitch angle, and pitch rate feedbacks to each of the three control surface servos. The associated feedback gains were selected by a digital optimization program using a linear plant with a quadratic cost function.
Childless by choice? Attributions and attitudes concerning family size

The attributions of naive perceivers regarding the voluntary or involuntary nature of a target couple’s family size were investigated, along with the personality characteristics ascribed to persons with families of varying sizes. Undergraduate students (N = 274) read one of 24 paragraphs describing a couple who varied with respect to number of children and male/female employment status. Targets were rated on 28 personality characteristics and 7 relationship quality statements. Participants provided attributions for the couple’s family size and completed the Bem Sex Role Inventory (Bem, 1974). Results indicated that, overall, perceivers attributed family size to voluntary factors. Childless individuals were rated less positively regardless of the attributions made for their childlessness. Parents of any size family were perceived similarly. The Bem classification of the perceiver was unrelated to judgments. Applications to understanding the support needs of infertile couples are discussed.
Renal failure in a patient with postpolio syndrome and a normal creatinine level

Patients with renal failure who are taking trimethoprim have an increased risk of developing hyperkalemia, which can cause muscle weakness. In patients with postpolio syndrome, a normal creatinine level could be abnormally high, renal failure is possible because of lack of creatinine production, and the muscle weakness from resultant hyperkalemia could be more severe because of their underlying condition. This abnormally high creatinine level has been termed from this point relative renal failure. The objective of the study was to review a case in which relative renal failure and hyperkalemia caused muscle weakness that manifested as shortness of breath and confusion with electrocardiographic changes. A dehydrated patient with relative renal failure and postpolio syndrome had taken trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole that caused symptomatic hyperkalemia. The patient presented with muscle weakness, shortness of breath, and confusion, with her postpolio syndrome compounding the situation and likely making the muscle weakness more severe. A patient on trimethoprim with renal failure is at an increased risk of developing hyperkalemia. Patients with postpolio syndrome could have severe muscle weakness from the hyperkalemia and could have renal failure even with a normal creatinine level. This case report will remind treating physicians to evaluate such patients for hyperkalemia if they present with muscle weakness, especially if the patient has renal failure and is on trimethoprim.
A quantitative measure of observability and controllability

Observability and controllability are fundamental concepts of control systems. In this paper, we use dynamical optimization and its computational methods as the tool to define and to quantitatively measure the observability and reachability. In addition, the duality between the observability and reachability becomes straightforward under the definitions introduced in this paper. Several examples are given to illustrate the concepts, including an example in which a system being observable under linear control theory is proved to be weakly unobservable.
Gender difference in neural response to psychological stress

Gender is an important biological determinant of vulnerability to psychosocial stress. We used perfusion based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to measure cerebral blood flow (CBF) responses to mild to moderate stress in 32 healthy people (16 males and 16 females). Psychological stress was elicited using mental arithmetic tasks under varying pressure. Stress in men was associated with CBF increase in the right prefrontal cortex (RPFC) and CBF reduction in the left orbitofrontal cortex (LOrF), a robust response that persisted beyond the stress task period. In contrast, stress in women primarily activated the limbic system, including the ventral striatum, putamen, insula and cingulate cortex. The asymmetric prefrontal activity in males was associated with a physiological index of stress responses—salivary cortisol, whereas the female limbic activation showed a lower degree of correlations with cortisol. Conjunction analyses indicated only a small degree of overlap between the stress networks in men and women at the threshold level of P < 0.01. Increased overlap of stress networks between the two genders was revealed when the threshold for conjunction analyses was relaxed to P < 0.05. Further, machine classification was used to differentiate the central stress responses between the two genders with over 94% accuracy. Our study may represent an initial step in uncovering the neurobiological basis underlying the contrasting health consequences of psychosocial stress in men and women.
Global gene expression in neuroendocrine tumors from patients with the MEN1 syndrome

Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 1 (MEN1, OMIM 131100) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by endocrine tumors of the parathyroids, pancreatic islets and pituitary. The disease is caused by the functional loss of the tumor suppressor protein menin, coded by the MEN1 gene. The protein sequence has no significant homology to known consensus motifs. In vitro studies have shown menin binding to JunD, Pem, Smad3, NF-kappaB, nm23H1, and RPA2 proteins. However, none of these binding studies have led to a convincing theory of how loss-of-menin leads to neoplasia. Global gene expression studies on eight neuroendocrine tumors from MEN1 patients and 4 normal islet controls was performed utilizing Affymetrix U95Av2 chips. Overall hierarchical clustering placed all tumors in one group separate from the group of normal islets. Within the group of tumors, those of the same type were mostly clustered together. The clustering analysis also revealed 19 apoptosis-related genes that were under-expressed in the group of tumors. There were 193 genes that were increased/decreased by at least 2-fold in the tumors relative to the normal islets and that had a t-test significance value of p < = 0.005. Forty-five of these genes were increased and 148 were decreased in the tumors relative to the controls. One hundred and four of the genes could be classified as being involved in cell growth, cell death, or signal transduction. The results from 11 genes were selected for validation by quantitative RT-PCR. The average correlation coefficient was 0.655 (range 0.235–0.964). This is the first analysis of global gene expression in MEN1-associated neuroendocrine tumors. Many genes were identified which were differentially expressed in neuroendocrine tumors arising in patients with the MEN1 syndrome, as compared with normal human islet cells. The expression of a group of apoptosis-related genes was significantly suppressed, suggesting that these genes may play crucial roles in tumorigenesis in this syndrome. We identified a number of genes which are attractive candidates for further investigation into the mechanisms by which menin loss causes tumors in pancreatic islets. Of particular interest are: FGF9 which may stimulate the growth of prostate cancer, brain cancer and endometrium; and IER3 (IEX-1), PHLDA2 (TSS3), IAPP (amylin), and SST, all of which may play roles in apoptosis.
Molecular Characterization of Resistance to Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporins in Clinical Escherichia coli Isolates from Companion Animals in the United States

Resistance to extended-spectrum cephalosporins (ESC) among members of the family Enterobacteriaceae occurs worldwide; however, little is known about ESC resistance in Escherichia coli strains from companion animals. Clinical isolates of E. coli were collected from veterinary diagnostic laboratories throughout the United States from 2008 to 2009. E. coli isolates (n = 54) with reduced susceptibility to ceftazidime or cefotaxime (MIC ≥ 16 μg/ml) and extended-spectrum-β-lactamase (ESBL) phenotypes were analyzed. PCR and sequencing were used to detect mutations in ESBL-encoding genes and the regulatory region of the chromosomal gene ampC. Conjugation experiments and plasmid identification were conducted to examine the transferability of resistance to ESCs. All isolates carried the bla(CTX-M-1)-group β-lactamase genes in addition to one or more of the following β-lactamase genes: bla(TEM), bla(SHV-3), bla(CMY-2), bla(CTX-M-14-like), and bla(OXA-1.) Different bla(TEM) sequence variants were detected in some isolates (n = 40). Three isolates harbored a bla(TEM-181) gene with a novel mutation resulting in an Ala184Val substitution. Approximately 78% of the isolates had mutations in promoter/attenuator regions of the chromosomal gene ampC, one of which was a novel insertion of adenine between bases -28 and -29. Plasmids ranging in size from 11 to 233 kbp were detected in the isolates, with a common plasmid size of 93 kbp identified in 60% of isolates. Plasmid-mediated transfer of β-lactamase genes increased the MICs (≥ 16-fold) of ESCs for transconjugants. Replicon typing among isolates revealed the predominance of IncI and IncFIA plasmids, followed by IncFIB plasmids. This study shows the emergence of conjugative plasmid-borne ESBLs among E. coli strains from companion animals in the United States, which may compromise the effective therapeutic use of ESCs in veterinary medicine.
Development of test facility for transmission line protection

Protection and metering of a feeder has a crucial role in power systems in terms of protecting the equipments from fault caused damage. A dedicated test facility was developed which generates high voltage and high current signals with the actual magnitudes. The facility can be used for distance protection, protection and metering applications in laboratory rather than using computer generated signals. Protection equipments of a current transformer, a potential transformer and a feeder management relay was used in order to test the facility. A series of actual fault records were analyzed and typical faults for transmission line were regenerated. According to the test results, designated test facility can be used to reproduce high voltages and currents signals, and to investigate the performance of different brands and types of instrument transformers and relays in laboratory.
A second kind surface integral operator as applied to 2-D scattering from penetrable materials and resistive cards

A second-kind surface integral operator for two-dimensional electromagnetic scattering from lossy dielectric and magnetic materials and resistive cards is presented. The operator is an extension of a second-kind system for penetrable materials to the case of penetrable materials with infinitesimally thin embedded resistive cards. >
RADAR-BASED ANALYSIS OF THE EFFICIENCY OF RUNWAY USE *

The air transportation system faces a challenge in accommodating growing air traffic despite an inability to build new runways at most major airports. One approach to alleviating congestion is to find ways of using each available runway to the maximum extent possible without violating safety standards. Some decision support tools, such as the Final Approach Spacing Tool (FAST) that is a part of the Center TRACON Automation System (CTAS), are specifically targeted toward achieving greater runway throughput by reducing the average landing time interval (LTI) between arrivals at a given runway. In order to understand the potential benefits of such innovations, techniques for detecting spacing inefficiencies and estimating potential throughput improvements are needed. This paper demonstrates techniques for analyzing radar data from actual airport operations and using it to validate, calibrate, and extend analyzes of the FAST benefits mechanisms. The emphasis is upon robust statistical measures that can be produced through automated analysis of radar data, thus enabling large amounts of data to be analyzed.
NBHA Reduces Acrolein-Induced Changes in ARPE-19 Cells: Possible Involvement of TGFβ

Purpose: Acrolein, a toxic, reactive aldehyde formed metabolically and environmentally, has been implicated in the damage to and dysfunction of the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) that accompanies age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Our purpose was to investigate the potential of acrolein to influence the release of transforming growth factor beta-2 (TGFβ2) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), to assess the ability of N-benzylhydroxylamine (NBHA) to prevent the effect of acrolein on cytokine release and reduction of viable cells, and to explore the pathway by which acrolein might be causing the increase of VEGF.Materials and Methods: Confluent ARPE-19 cells were treated with acrolein and/or NBHA. They were also pretreated with SIS3, a specific inhibitor of SMAD 3, and ZM39923, a JAK3 inhibitor, before being treated with acrolein. Viable cells were counted; ELISA was used to measure the TGFβ2 and/or VEGF in the conditioned media.Results: Acrolein was shown to reduce the number of viable ARPE...
A Low-Complexity Parabolic Lip Contour Model With Speaker Normalization for High-Level Feature Extraction in Noise-Robust Audiovisual Speech Recognition

This paper proposes a novel low-complexity lip contour model for high-level optic feature extraction in noise-robust audiovisual (AV) automatic speech recognition systems. The model is based on weighted least-squares parabolic fitting of the upper and lower lip contours, does not require the assumption of symmetry across the horizontal axis of the mouth, and is therefore realistic. The proposed model does not depend on the accurate estimation of specific facial points, as do other high-level models. Also, we present a novel low-complexity algorithm for speaker normalization of the optic information stream, which is compatible with the proposed model and does not require parameter training. The use of the proposed model with speaker normalization results in noise robustness improvement in AV isolated-word recognition relative to using the baseline high-level model.