cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Components of computer communication and the role of computers in the automatic factory

Abstract The automatic factory is the integration, by a central facility, of equipment used in manufacturing, materials handling and controlling the process such that a given product or component can be produced with the least human intervention. Computers represent an integral part of the control of component devices that make up the automatic factory. The component devices could be robots, NC machines, material handling equipment such as conveyors, automated guided vehicles, work in process, and/or storage equipment, such as automated storage-retrieval systems, carousels, etc. The key to the efficient functioning of the entire factory is the effective linking and communications with the computers. This leads to the manufacture of the product or subassembly in a timely fashion. This paper discusses the role of computers in the automatic factory. Emphasis is placed on the hierarchical level of control required for linking computers to effectively communicate with each other and standardization of hardware requirements for this purpose. For illustration purposes, an actual case study of an automated factory implementation in the U.S. is discussed.
Competitive Equilibrium: Theory and Applications

The development of general equilibrium theory represents one of the greatest advances in economic analysis in the latter half of the twentieth century. This book, intended for advanced undergraduates and graduate students, provides a broad introduction to competitive equilibrium analysis with an emphasis on concrete applications. The first three chapters are introductory in nature, paving the way for the more advanced second half of the book. Relative to the competition, it is much more 'user friendly' while offering exceptionally broad coverage of topics. Well-designed and interesting applications help to make potentially abstract material more accessible. The book includes 92 illustrations and nearly 200 exercises.
Perturbations of the Orbit of the Echo Balloon

The motion of the Project Echo communications satellite during its first 12 days clearly confirms previous predictions of the influence of solar radiation pressure. During this time, solar pressure reduced perigee height by 44 km. The approximate value of 1.1 X 101 g/cm5 has been obtained for the average air density at the 1600-km altitude of the satellite.
The imperiled future of solar‐terrestrial research in the former Soviet Union

From the beginning of solar-terrestrial research (STR) during the International Geophysical Year 1957/58, the Soviet Union made substantial contributions to this new discipline. In many areas, such as magnetic pulsations, cosmic ray modulation, plasmasphere structure and dynamics, ionospheric modification, theoretical space plasma physics, and planetary ionospheres, Soviet scientists have pioneered and excelled. Some unique facts call for vigorous participation by the former Soviet Union (FSU) in the Solar-Terrestrial Energy Program 1990–1997 (STEP) of the International Council of Scientific Unions (ICSU) Scientific Committee on Solar-Terrestrial Physics (SCOSTEP) (see, for instance, Rostoker [1990]). There are the existing brain power in many related disciplines, with particular strength in theoretical physics and analytical methods; the area's geographic importance, especially Russia's vast longitudinal extent at high northern latitudes; the existing magnetic, optical, and ionospheric observatory networks throughout the country, especially in the Arctic and important Antarctic bases; space mission capability with existing and planned satellite missions and a stock of available prototype spacecraft with their launch vehicles; an existing bank of STR data, some of it formerly classified, waiting to be analyzed; and ongoing research on “controversialrdquo; topics such as the search for solar-terrestrial coupling effects on biological and human systems and the study of earthquake precursor effects in the ionosphere.
The Construct and Concurrent Validity of a Measure of Academic Self-Concept and One of Locus of Control for a Sample of University Students

For a sample 239 undergraduate university students (135 males and 104 females) a factor analysis of the intercorrelations of 20 4-item subtests of the 5 scales (4 subtests per scale) of the Dimensions of Self-Concept (DOSC), Form H, an academic self-concept measure, and of 6 subtests from the Intellectual Achievement Responsibility Questionnaire (IAR), a locus of control measure, revealed 5 distinct factors that correspond to the 5 a priori dimensions afforded by the DOSC but only one factor for the IAR. With respect to 3 self-report measures of academic achievement, the Level of Aspiration scale of the DOSC yielded the only 2 validity coefficients in excess of .30. It was concluded that (a) the DOSC reflects 5 distinct factor dimensions consistent with a theory of academic self-concept proposed by Michael and Smith (1976) and (b) the IAR is a unidimensional measure quite independent of the DOSC.
Toward a resolution of contradictions utility of feedback from the GHQ

Methodologic problems in prior research have contributed to contradictory findings about the effect of feedback from self-report questionnaires on the recognition of mental disorders in primary care settings. This study addresses those problems by assigning family practice resident physicians (N = 32), not their patients, to experimental and control groups, and by collecting baseline as well as postintervention data, for a total of 1040 patient encounters. The 28-item GHQ served as the screening instrument and was given to all participating patients seen by the experimental group. Following training in their interpretation, feedback of GHQ results constituted the intervention. Measures of recognition included a psychiatric diagnosis, psychologic and psychosocial chart notations, and various treatment options (e.g., therapy, consultation, referral, drugs, singly and in combination). Evidence for a diagnosis of mental disorder was limited to the Assessment portion of the SOAP note. Results indicate that GHQ feedback resulted in a significant twofold increase in the total number of psychiatric diagnoses. Recognition was heightened in all diagnostic categories, with a statistically significant increase in the number of depression diagnoses. Similarly, employment of all treatment modalities increased following feedback, although the only statistically significant increase was the prescription of antidepressant drugs. Psychologic notations increased as well, but psychosocial notations did not. Physicians who tended to recognize psychiatric morbidity at pretest benefited most from GHQ feedback. Implications for future research are discussed.
Sirtuin 7 Plays a Role in Ribosome Biogenesis and Protein Synthesis

It has been shown that SIRT7 regulates rDNA transcription and that reduced SIRT7 levels inhibit tumor growth. This anti-tumor effect could be due to reduced Pol I activity and perturbed ribosome biogenesis. In this study, using pulse labeling with RNA and amino acid analogs, we found that SIRT7 knockdown efficiently suppressed both RNA and protein synthesis. Surprisingly, SIRT7 knockdown preferentially inhibited protein synthesis over rDNA transcription, whereas the levels of both were reduced to similar extents following Pol I knockdown. Using an affinity purification mass spectrometry approach and functional analyses of the resulting SIRT7 interactome, we identified and validated SIRT7 interactions with proteins involved in ribosomal biogenesis. Indeed, SIRT7 co-fractionated with monoribosomes within a sucrose gradient. Using reciprocal isolations, we determined that SIRT7 interacts specifically with mTOR and GTF3C1, a component of the Pol III transcription factor TFIIIC2 complex. Further studies found that SIRT7 knockdown triggered an increase in the levels of LC3B-II, an autophagosome marker, suggesting a link between SIRT7 and the mTOR pathway. Additionally, we provide several lines of evidence that SIRT7 plays a role in modulating Pol III function. Immunoaffinity purification of SIRT7-GFP from a nuclear fraction demonstrated specific SIRT7 interaction with five out of six components of the TFIIIC2 complex, but not with the TFIIIA or TFIIIB complex, the former of which is required for Pol III–dependent transcription of tRNA genes. ChIP assays showed SIRT7 localization to the Pol III targeting genes, and SIRT7 knockdown triggered a reduction in tRNA levels. Taken together, these data suggest that SIRT7 may regulate Pol III transcription through mTOR and the TFIIIC2 complex. We propose that SIRT7 is involved in multiple pathways involved in ribosome biogenesis, and we hypothesize that its down-regulation may contribute to an antitumor effect, partly through the inhibition of protein synthesis.
EDITORIAL PHILOSOPHY OF MEDICINE IN THE U.S.A.

John Stuart Mill once pointed out that "Speculative philosophy, which to the superficial appears a thing so remote from the business of life and the outward interests of men, is in reality the thing on earth which most influences them." lo Considering the fact that two-thirds of the world's population lives under a political and economic system derived from Marx and ultimately Hegel, thoughtful persons would necessarily agree with Mill. Speculative philosophy has a tremendous impact on practice. This holds true, not only for politics, education, religion, and law, but for the profession of medicine as well. In editing this issue, it was tempting to delineate articles which would offer a retrospective survey of the impact of American speculative thinking about medicine on medical practice. I resisted this temptation because of the rich interaction between medical theory and medical ethics nowadays. This interaction makes it difficult to freeze-frame philosophy of medicine at this time. Although the philosophy of medicine movement is international, only a small fistful of American thinkers have devoted their scholarship to the movement. Strictly speaking, philosophy of medicine should embrace the metaphysics, epistemology, logic, linguistics, and preconceptions of medical practice. However, articles appear to be more often meta-reflections on medical ethics than actual philosophical treatises on medicine. The former kinds of articles have had more of an impact on medical practice than the latter, partially because medical ethics articles and books appear in a ratio of 600:1 to articles and books in the philosophy of medicine, and partly because the interchange between philosophy of medicine and medical ethics within important articles is not sharply delineated. For this reason I have chosen in this issue to fill in some gaps in philosophy of medicine, rather than concentrate on retrospective studies. Three examples of the philosophy of medicine - medical ethics interchange are the following. In the early days of the abortion debate in the United States, feminist speculative philosophers referred to the fetus as 'a blob of tissue,' or 'a growth.' Current philosophizing about the status of the fetus, however, must take into account both more advanced genetic and medical evidence that supports the individuality of the specific fetus, and a more refined language about its 'potential' as a human being. 16,4 The debate, in turn, leads to political activity on the one hand, and greater precision in our thinking about rights of and duties towards non-persons and persons. In effect, then, the abortion debate as a medical ethics issue is itself a species of a more perduring discussion on the nature of persons in philosophy, and not unlike an abstract, theoretical
Isolation and properties of teleost prolactin

Highly purified prolactin (PRL) has been isolated from the pituitary tissue of a euryhaline teleost, Tilapia mossambica. It has a molecular weight of 19,400 daltons, with a single NH2-terminal residue, valine, and a single COOH-terminal residue, half-cystine. Amino acid composition data revealed the presence of one tryptophan and four half-cystine residues, which is characteristic of all known vertebrate growth hormones (GH) but not of mammalian PRLs. The circular dichroism spectrum of Tilapia PRL was similar to that of porcine PRL and showed an α-helix content of 65%. Tilapia PRL was considerably more potent than ovine PRL in two teleost PRL bioassays: the sodium-retaining assay in Tilapia and the reduction of water permeability in the urinary bladder of Gillichthys mirabilis, but it did not stimulate mammary tissue or the pigeon crop sac. Tilapia PRL had equivocal but suggestive activity in the rat tibia assay, and showed cross reaction in two GH (rat and snapping turtle) radioimmunoassays. A specific Tilapia PRL antiserum was prepared in a rabbit which gave a precipitin reaction against Tilapia PRL in agar diffusion but showed no cross reaction with purified mammalian PRLs or pituitary extracts from other teleosts. The data show that Tilapia PRL has features common to both mammalian PRLs and GHs as well as to Tilapia GH, lending support to the hypothesis that PRL and GH originated from a common ancestral molecule.
Interface for visualization of image database in adaptive image retrieval systems (AIRS)

In an Adaptive Image Retrieval System (AIRS) the user-system interaction is built through an interface that allows the relevance feedback process to take place. Most existing image retrieval systems simply display the result list of images (or their thumbnails) to the user in a 2D grid, without including any information about the relationships between images. In this context, we propose a new interactive multiple views interface for our AIRS, in which each view illustrates these relations by using visual attributes (colors, shapes, proximities). We identify two types of users for an AIRS: a user who seeks images whom we refer to as an end-user, and a user who designs and researches the collection and the retrieval systems whom we refer to as a researcher-user. With such views, the interface allows user (end-user or researcher-user) more effective interaction with the system by seeing more information about the request sent to the system as well as, by better understanding of the results, how to refine the query iteratively. Our qualitative evaluation of these multiple views in AIRS shows that each view has its own limitations and benefits. However, together, the views offer complementary information that helps user in improving his or her search effectiveness.
Sirex Species (Hymenoptera: Siricidae) and Their Parasitoids in Pinus sylvestris in Eastern North America

Siricids and their parasitoids were reared from Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L. (Pinaceae)) trees infested by Sirex noctilio F. in central New York State. Sirex noctilio accounted for 94.3% of the siricid specimens emerging, totaling 1313 specimens from six trees, with a maximum of 495 from one tree. Of the individuals emerging per tree, 20.6 ± 5.2% were female. Two native siricids, Sirex nigricornis F. and S. edwardsii Brulle, also emerged from trees but in low numbers. Three hymenopteran parasitoid species that attack siricids emerged, totaling 21.8 ± 6.4% parasitism per tree. Ibalia leucospoides ensiger Norton (Ibaliidae) was by far the most abundant parasitoid, at 20.5 ± 6.3% parasitism per tree. The percentage of female S. noctilio emerging was positively correlated with wood diameter, whereas percent parasitism by I. l. ensiger was negatively correlated with wood diameter.
Actinomycetoma in the United States

Actinomycetoma (Madura foot) caused by Actinomadura madurae occurred in an- Indiana factory worker. Previous cases of culture-proven actinomycetoma from the United States and reports of drug therapy were reviewed. Treatment with sulfonamides, streptomycin, dapsone, and other antimicrobial agents has been effective. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMZ) therapy was effective in our case, but sulfadiazine was not. In vitro, SMZ was 16 times more active against the infecting strain of A. madurae than was sulfadiazine, and TMP was inactive, suggesting that our patient's satisfactory treatment might have been due to SMZ alone. Prolonged therapy is usually necessary. Relatively simple immunologic procedures and antimicrobial susceptibility tests have been useful in the diagnosis and management of actinomycetoma. With appropriate antimicrobial therapy, surgical excision or amputation usually can be avoided. Recommendations for the medical management of actinomycetoma are summarized. Mycetoma (Madura foot) is a localized, chronic, progressive, and destructive infection of skin and sc tissue containing granulomas and abscesses. The infection is characterized by indurated swelling, sinus tracts, and colonies of the etiologic agents (grains, granules) in tissue and in the discharge from sinuses. Although the term mycetoma suggests a tumourous enlargement caused by a fungus, etiologies include at least 16 species of fungi (eumycetoma) and six species of higher bacteria (actinomycetoma). In the past, antimicrobial therapy of both eumycetoma and actinomycetoma appeared to be ineffective. More recent experience, particularly in areas where
Detection of Phenazepam in Impaired Driving

Phenazepam is a potent 1,4-benzodiazepine that has gained notoriety among recreational drug users. First synthesized in Ukraine in the 1970s, it is one of the most commonly prescribed benzodiazepines in Russia and other commonwealth of independent state nations, where it is used therapeutically as a prescription drug. Reports of abuse are widespread and several European countries have taken steps to control its use. However, in the USA, phenazepam is not approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration, nor scheduled under the Federal Controlled Substances Act. Phenazepam is widely available on the Internet, and recreational drug users report a potency 10-fold greater than that of nordiazepam. We report a case of a 24-year-old male driver who was apprehended for impaired driving following a two-vehicle crash. The subject exhibited slurred speech and profound psychomotor impairment. Toxicology testing revealed phenazepam at a concentration of 76 ng/mL in blood, with no other drugs detected. This case report not only demonstrates the potential for adverse traffic safety consequences following the misuse of phenazepam, but also highlights the importance of analytical factors such as immunoassay cutoff concentration, cross-reactivity and comprehensive screening using chromatographic-based techniques for impaired driving investigations.
Environmental and Gene-Environment Interactions and Risk of Rheumatoid Arthritis

Multiple environmental factors including hormones, dietary factors, infections, and exposure to tobacco smoke, as well as gene-environment interactions, have been associated with increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The growing understanding of the prolonged period before the first onset of symptoms of RA suggests that these environmental and genetic factors are likely acting to drive the development of RA-related autoimmunity long before the appearance of the first joint symptoms and clinical findings that are characteristic of RA. This article reviews these factors and interactions, especially those that have been investigated in a prospective fashion before the symptomatic onset of RA.
TO-5 Discoloration and Bondability

Discoloration of electrodeposited gold on TO-5 headers after a 500°C bake has been evaluated by measuring reflected light. This method, in conjunction with ultrasonic bonding and a destructive wire pull test, has been used to establish parts bond- ability. Correlation has been found between the variation in reflectivity and bond pull strength.
Glacio-isostatic response of the Puget Sound area, Washington

Proglacial lake shorelines in the Puget Sound area were distorted by the isostatic response associated with recession of the Cordilleran ice sheet about 18,000-13,500 yr ago. The shorelines, which are highest near the east-west midpoint of the elongate lowland, are upwarped northward, with a regression slope of 0.85 ± 0.04 m km -1 departures from the trend may have been caused by Holocene tectonic warping. Calibrating this lacustrine record with data from the Everson marine limit permits the actual (rather than relative) uplift to be estimated and contoured. The high degree of isostatic equilibrium attained (at least 50%) during the brief loading hemicycle suggests that the mantle beneath this part of the Cascadia subduction zone has anomalously low viscosity and strength. Crustal strain associated with the loading/unloading cycle in the south-central lowland appears to he correlated with the pattern of Quaternary faulting and seismicity.
Robust multiple‐station magnetotelluric data processing

SUMMARY Although modern magnetotelluric ( MT) data are highly multivariate (multiple components, recorded at multiple stations), commonly used processing methods are based on univariate statistical procedures. Here we develop a practical robust processing scheme which is based on multivariate statistical methods. With this approach we use data from all channels to improve signal-to-noise ratios, and to diagnose possible biases due to coherent noise. To illustrate our approach we use data from two- and three-station wide-band MT arrays from an area south of San Francisco, California, where contamination of the MT signal by spatially coherent cultural electromagnetic noise is severe at some periods. To deal with such coherent noise we adopt a two-stage procedure. In the first stage we focus on reducing the effects of incoherent noise, and testing for the presence of coherent noise. To this end we have developed a robust multivariate errors-in-variables ( RMEV) estimator, which estimates background noise levels, cleans up outliers in all channels, and determines the ‘coherence dimension’ of the array data. In the absence of coherent noise, the coherence dimension of the data will be two (corresponding to two polarizations of the plane-wave MT source fields). In this case the RMEV estimator provides direct estimates of MT impedances and inter-station transfer functions. We show, with synthetic and real data examples, that in some cases these estimates can be significantly better than those obtained with more standard robust remote reference estimators. When MT data is severely contaminated by coherent noise (as for our example arrays for periods of 4-50s) the coherence dimension of the data will exceed two. The RMEV estimate thus provides a clear warning of coherent noise contamination. Although there appears to be no completely general automatic way to deal with this circumstance, useful results can be obtained from severely contaminated data in some cases. We show in particular how the RMEV estimator can be adapted to separate the MT signal from coherent noise for two special cases: when at least one site is unaffected by coherent noise, and when coherent noise sources are intermittent. We give examples of significant improvements in MT impedance estimates obtained with the RMEV estimate for each of these cases.
Compressive depth map acquisition using a single photon-counting detector: Parametric signal processing meets sparsity

Active range acquisition systems such as light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and time-of-flight (TOF) cameras achieve high depth resolution but suffer from poor spatial resolution. In this paper we introduce a new range acquisition architecture that does not rely on scene raster scanning as in LIDAR or on a two-dimensional array of sensors as used in TOF cameras. Instead, we achieve spatial resolution through patterned sensing of the scene using a digital micromirror device (DMD) array. Our depth map reconstruction uses parametric signal modeling to recover the set of distinct depth ranges present in the scene. Then, using a convex program that exploits the sparsity of the Laplacian of the depth map, we recover the spatial content at the estimated depth ranges. In our experiments we acquired 64×64-pixel depth maps of fronto-parallel scenes at ranges up to 2.1 M using a pulsed laser, a DMD array and a single photon-counting detector. We also demonstrated imaging in the presence of unknown partially-transmissive occluders. The prototype and results provide promising directions for non-scanning, low-complexity range acquisition devices for various computer vision applications.
To err is autonomic: error-related brain potentials, ANS activity, and post-error compensatory behavior.

A two-component event-related brain potential consisting of an error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) and positivity (Pe) has been associated with response monitoring and error detection. Both the ERN and Pe have been source-localized to the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)Fa frontal structure implicated in both cognitive and affective processing, as well as autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation. The current study sought to examine the relationships among the ERN, the Pe, two autonomic measures, and behavior. Electroencephalogram (EEG), heart rate (HR), and skin conductance (SC) were recorded while subjects performed a two-choice reaction-time task. In addition to the characteristic ERN-Pe complex, errors were associated with larger SCRs and greater HR deceleration. The ERN correlated with the number of errors, but was unrelated to ANS activity and compensatory behavior. Pe, on the other hand, was correlated significantly with SCR, and both SCR and Pe were significantly correlated with post-error slowing. Descriptors: Error-related negativity (ERN), Event-related brain potential (ERP), Error processing, Heart rate (HR), Skin conductance response (SCR) The error-related negativity (ERN/Ne) and subsequent error positivity (Pe) is a two-component event-related brain potential (ERP) complex that has been associated with monitoring actions and detecting errors (Gehring, Coles, Meyer, & Donchin, 1990;
Sources of growth, input structure and technical progress in American high-technology: a business cycle analysis

General public concern about the strength of American manufacturing has lead to a consensus on the importance of the role of high-technology. With a time series data set on inputs and output of the high-technology sector for the period 1967-1982, this paper identifies the special features of this sector in terms of: (1) the sources of its output growth; (2) the substitution possibilities among its resource inputs; and (3) the nature and bias of its technical change. Output growth and its decomposed sources were studied by exploiting a conventional growth equation. The decomposition of the growth equation indicated that real growth in high-technology production took place during the business cycle 1973-1979 and that material and capital explained most of the output growth for the overall study period; the contributions of labor and total factor productivity were negligible. Substitution possibilities and technical change bias were studied by estimating a dual translog cost function that models high-technology production. The cost function was modeled with stocks of R&D as an index of technical change and included four inputs of capital, production workers, nonproduction workers and materials respectively. >
The Internet in Service-Learning

Service-learning is the coupling of academic work that students do in a classroom with students’ service to an organization outside the classroom. The academic work and the service are completed together, so that students both study issues and become participants in the outworking of those issues in a particular community setting. In this way, students learn through the integration of theory and practice. This article makes the point that computer technology is a prime way to enable students to serve their communities, particularly when students help agencies create and update Web sites.
Verification of the Shutdown or Converted Status of Excess Warhead Production Capacity: Technology Options and Policy Issues

Russia's Ministry of Atomic Energy has announced that nuclear warhead assembly and disassembly will be phased out at two out of four existing facilities. Arms reductions could result in a closure of additional facilities in Russia and other nuclear weapons states. A transparency regime to monitor their shutdown or converted status could become an important element of future arms control and nonproliferation initiatives as well as a possible element of the emerging U.S.-Russian nuclear security partnership. This article explores possible approaches to monitoring former warhead assembly facilities and discusses anticipated difficulties of implementing such a transparency regime.
Design and performance of an analysis-by-synthesis class of predictive speech coders

The performance of a broad class of analysis-by-synthesis linear predictive speech coders is quantified experimentally. The class of coders includes a number of well-known techniques as well as a very large number of speech coders which have not been named or studied. A general formulation for deriving the parametric representation used in all of the coders in the class is presented. A new coder, named the self-excited vocoder, is discussed because of its good performance with low complexity, and because of the insight this coder gives to analysis-by-synthesis coders in general. The results of a study comparing the performances of different members of this class are presented. The study takes the form of a series of formal subjective and objective speech quality tests performed on selected coders. The results of this study lead to some interesting and important observations concerning the controlling parameters for analysis-by-synthesis speech coders. >
ViroBLAST: a stand-alone BLAST web server for flexible queries of multiple databases and user's datasets.

Summary: ViroBLAST is a stand-alone BLAST web interface for nucleotide and amino acid sequence similarity searches. It extends the utility of BLAST to query against multiple sequence databases and user sequence datasets, and provides a friendly output to easily parse and navigate BLAST results. ViroBLAST is readily useful for all research areas that require BLAST functions and is available online and as a downloadable archive for independent installation. Availability: http://indra.mullins.microbiol.washington.edu/blast/ viroblast.php
Alcohol Use, Acculturative Stress, and Drinking Motivation Among International Community College Students

Alcohol use, acculturative stress, and drinking motivations of 262 students in English as a second language programs in a U.S. community college were explored. Alcohol consumption was generally low, but differences between two groups with different legal statuses indicate the need to consider subgroups of international students for research purposes. Se exploraron el uso de alcohol, el estres por aculturacion y las motivaciones para beber de 262 alumnos en programas de ingles como lengua extranjera en una universidad comunitaria estadounidense. El consumo de alcohol fue moderadamente bajo, pero las diferencias entre dos grupos con diferente estatus legal indican la necesidad de considerar subgrupos de estudiantes internacionales a la hora de realizar investigaciones.
In vitro tobramycin elution analysis from a novel β-tricalcium phosphate–silicate-xerogel biodegradable drug-delivery system

This in vitro research analyzed local tobramycin elution characteristics from a novel, biodegradable drug delivery system, consisting of a beta-TCP bone substitute, VITOSS trade mark, encapsulated with silicate xerogel prepared by the sol-gel process. Tobramycin elution from silicate-xerogel-encapsulated VITOSS was compared directly with non-silicate-xerogel-encapsulated VITOSS to assess whether xerogels are effective in delivering greater tobramycin quantities in a controllable, sustained manner crucial for microbial inhibition. Tobramycin elution characteristics indicate an initial release maximum during the first 24 h that diminishes gradually several days after impregnation. The copious tobramycin quantity eluted from the VITOSS/silicate-xerogel systems is attributed to various factors: the intrinsic ultraporosity and hydrophilicity of VITOSS, the ability of tobramycin to completely dissolve in aqueous media, tobramycin complexation with highly polar SO(4) (2-) salts that further assist dissolution, and ionic exchanges between VITOSS and the environment. Silicate-xerogel-encapsulated VITOSS eluted 60.65 and 61.31% of impregnated tobramycin, whereas non-silicate-xerogel-encapsulated VITOSS eluted approximately one-third less impregnated tobramycin, at 21.53 and 23.60%. These results suggest that silicate xerogel optimizes tobramycin elution because of its apparent biodegradability. This mechanism occurs through xerogel superficial acidic sites undergoing exchanges with various ions present in the leaching buffer. Tobramycin elution kinetics were evaluated, and demonstrate that first-order elution rate constants are considerably less when silicate xerogels are employed, following a more uniform exponential decay-type mechanism, thus bolstering controlled release. Overall, tobramycin elution rates adhere to linear-type Higuchi release profiles. Elution rate constants are initially first order, and taper into zero-order elution kinetics in the latter stages of release. Because VITOSS and silicate xerogel are completely biodegradable, essentially all impregnated tobramycin will be delivered to the surgical site after implantation.
Rapidly Progressive Osteoarthritis After Arthroscopic Labral Repair in Patients With Hip Dysplasia

Recent reports of poor clinical outcomes after arthroscopic surgery in hips with marked dysplasia have emerged. Arthroscopic resection of the hypertrophic labrum in cases of dysplasia, especially in the absence of periacetabular osteotomy (PAO), has been implicated. Some patients will refuse PAO because it is a major open procedure, opting for a less invasive arthroscopic procedure. We present the cases of 2 young adults with marked dysplasia who had rapidly progressive osteoarthrosis despite arthroscopic labral repair. Though perhaps beneficial as an isolated procedure in borderline or mild dysplasia cases, arthroscopic hip surgery, even labral repair, may best be performed with PAO in cases with more severe dysplasia. Albeit attractive as a less invasive labral-preserving surgery, arthroscopic labral repair not only may fail to provide symptomatic improvement but may compromise or preclude a later PAO if rapidly progressive osteoarthrosis ensues. Hip arthroscopy may best be performed concurrently with or after PAO but not proceeding PAO in patients requiring both procedures.
An Unusual Case of Traumatic Pericarditis in a Cow

hope that the widespread use of the cELISA test for the detection of antibody to a critical group antigen of BTV will be furthered by the availability of new Mab’s. Acknowledgements. We express our gratitude to the ARS scientists working at Plum Island Animal Disease Center (Drs. Appleton, Letchworth, Grubman, and Mr. Whyard) who produced, characterized, and kindly supplied the hybridomas for this study. We also thank Dr. Dulac, Agriculture Canada, for his helpful discussions, and Mr. Richard F. Meyer and Mr. Christopher D. DeMaula for their assistance.
DFI: gene feature discovery in RNA-seq experiments from multiple sources

Differential expression detection for RNA-seq experiments is often biased by normalization algorithms due to their sensitivity to parametric assumptions on the gene count distributions, extreme values of gene expression, gene length and total number of sequence reads. To overcome limitations of current methodologies, we developed Differential Feature Index (DFI), a non-parametric method for characterizing distinctive gene features across any number of diverse RNA-seq experiments without inter-sample normalization. Validated with qRT-PCR datasets, DFI accurately detected differentially expressed genes regardless of expression levels and consistent with tissue selective expression. Accuracy of DFI was very similar to the currently accepted methods: EdgeR, DESeq and Cuffdiff. In this study, we demonstrated that DFI can efficiently handle multiple groups of data simultaneously, and identify differential gene features for RNA-Seq experiments from different laboratories, tissue types, and cell origins, and is robust to extreme values of gene expression, size of the datasets and gene length.
Kinetics (Microbial): Theory and Applications

Basic Concepts Kinetic Formulations from Collision Frequency Some Problems that May be Solved by Using Microbial Kinetics Keywords: growth kinetics; kinetics, microbial
The partisan paradox and the U.S. tariff, 1877–1934

Whereas historical accounts of U.S. tariff policy from 1877 to 1934 emphasize the pivotal role of parties, previous quantitative studies have failed to identify significant partisan effects. A formal model of policymaking in which strong parties aggregate voters' preferences provides empirical equations to test for partisan effects. Subsequent time series analysis shows that, even after controlling for interest group demands, partisan control of government did significantly affect the tariff. Moreover, during the period under study, the two political parties enacted tariff policies that benefited different sets of producer groups at the expense of others. Thus, political institutions did play a significant role in shaping the interests that influence U.S. foreign economic policy.
Are Suicide Rates Related to the Psychiatrist Density? A Cross-National Study.

Introduction. Most suicide victims have a diagnosable psychiatric disorder. Treatment of psychiatric disorders should reduce the number of suicides. Higher psychiatrist-per-population ratio increases the opportunity for contact between the patient and psychiatrist. It is reasonable to hypothesize that the higher psychiatrist density is associated with lower suicide rates. The aim of this study is to examine the association between suicide rates and the psychiatrist density in the European Union countries. These countries are economically and culturally connected and located on the same continent. This is an attempt to study a relatively homogenous sample. Methods. Correlations were computed to examine relationships between age-standardized suicide rates in women and men, psychiatrist density, and the gross national income (GNI) per capita. Partial correlations were used to examine the relation between the psychiatrist density and age-standardized suicide rates in women and men controlling for the GNI per capita. Results. Higher suicide rates in women correlated with the higher psychiatrist density. Controlling for the GNI per capita, the psychiatrist density positively correlated with suicide rates both in women and in men. There was a trend towards a negative correlation between the GNI per capita and suicide rates in men. The psychiatrist density was positively associated with the GNI per capita. Conclusion. Probably, higher suicide rates directly and/or indirectly affect the decisions made by policy- and lawmakers regarding mental health services and how many psychiatrists need to be trained. The results of this study should be treated with caution because many confounding variables are not taken into account.
The 'C Word,' the 'B Word,' and the 'W Word': Can Derogatory Terms Traditionally Used for Females Form the Basis of Actionable Sexual Harassment When Directed toward Males but Overheard by Females? Must They Be Directed toward Claimant?

In January 2010, an en banc 11th Circuit court held that a female employee who was surrounded by persistent and graphic sexual speech and derogatory term usage in the workplace, but not directed toward her and who lost no tangible job benefits, nonetheless provided a basis to resist a summary judgment motion. The court compared the situation to one of an African American being subjected to derogatory racial terms in the workplace. But is the comparison an apt one?
Acidobacteriaceae fam. nov.

A.ci'do.bac.ter.i.a'ce.ae. N.L. neut. n. Acidobacterium type genus of the family; suff. -aceae denoting family; N.L. fem. pl. n. Acidobacteriaceae the Acidobacterium family. Acidobacteria / Acidobacteriia / Acidobacteriales / Acidobacteriaceae Keywords: Acidobacteriaceae fam. nov.; Acidobacterium; Acidobacteriia; Acidobacteriales
Composite Fuel (cermet, cercer)

Composite fuels consist of two primary categories of materials: (1) cermet fuels, consisting of ceramic fuel particles dispersed in a metallic matrix and (2) cercer fuels, consisting of ceramic fuel particles dispersed in a ceramic matrix. The robust nature and high burnup performance of composite fuels has driven interest in these fuels since the mid-1950s. Early development was based on theoretical analyses of the behavior of these fuels that indicated the potential for high performance relative to conventional fuels. Fuels of this type have been used for high-power density or high-temperature applications such as materials test reactors, isotope production reactors, and reactors developed for both power generation and propulsion in space. Composite fuels with inert matrices have also been considered for the destruction of plutonium and minor actinides. The largest use of composite fuels today is in research and test reactors, where high power density is required, often at high burnup.
Single carrier SPWM hybrid cascade grid-connected inverter

This paper describes a hybrid cascaded inverters, which can be applied to low power energy storage system. The working mode of the circuit and the dead-time effect are analyzed. Base on the traditional control mode, a new way is given to control the auxiliary capacitor voltage. In order to solve the problem that multilevel SPWM method take up to much system resources, this paper put forward a single carrier SPWM method, which can be implemented efficient for the inverter. To verify the feasibility of the system, a simulation model and a low power inverter was constructed and results are provided.
Consumer Welfare and Group Boycott Law

If a showing of consumer harm is now to be required for (1) the per se rule and/or (2) a finding of unreasonableness under the rule of reason, it would appear that a good deal of boycott precedent is effectively overruled. But if it isn't, should it be, or is there any reason why an exception to the consumer welfare model should be carved out for some kinds of boycotts? Should prior cases be ignored or overruled? And how are lower federal courts now dealing with the question of consumer harm in concerted refusal to deal cases, given the paucity of guidance from the Supreme Court on the question? These are all questions which this Article will seek to address.
Preventing the Spread of the Almond Moth (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) from Infested Food Debris to Adjacent Uninfested Packages., Using the Parasite Bracon hebetor (Hymenoptera: Braconidae)

Small kraft paper bags containing 100 g of cornmeal were exposed as open bags or closed bags with folded or heat-sealed (taped) openings in 44.7-m3 rooms. There were significantly fewer of the folded bags and taped bags infested by the almond moth, Cadra cautella (Walker), when 50 pairs of adults of Bracan hebetor Say were introduced into the test rooms five times at semiweekly intervals. The numbers of moth larvae recovered from the infested bags also were significantly reduced in folded and open bags when the parasites were present. The benefits of making the bags insect tight were obvious in the Bracon-free control room, because significantly fewer taped bags were infested than folded bags and significantly fewer folded bags were infested than open bags. The numbers of moth larvae recovered from the infested, folded bags and taped bags were also significantly lower than the number of moth larvae found in the open bags.
The Mediating Effect of Virtual Interactivity in Travel-Related Online Social Network Websites

ABSTRACTThis study develops and empirically tests a virtual interactivity (VI) framework in the context of travel-related online social network (OSN) websites. Data was collected from 236 respondents. The findings reveal that system quality, psychological benefits, brand awareness, and reward activities positively affect VI in OSN websites. In return, VI positively influences brand image, brand attachment, and brand evaluation. The results also indicate that brand image was positively related to both brand attachment and brand evaluation. This is one of the few studies in this area of research and results provide theoretical and practical implications in relation to building brand image, brand evaluation, and brand attachment for travel-related OSN websites.
A Noval Dynamic Reactive Power Compensator Based on Autotransformer

Based on analyzing the operating performances of thyristor switching capacitor(TSC) and thyristor controlling reactor(TCR),this paper describes a noval dynamic reactive power compensator named as composite of thyristor switching capacitor and controlling reactor of autotransformer type(TSCCRAT),Through comparison from the simulating results of these three types of SVC operating characteristics,it is demonstrated that TSCARAT is able to provide var power adjusted continuously with an economical cost of manufacturing compared with the TSC;and possesses the merits of lower ratio of harmonious current and less power dissipated.A notable characteristic of the TSCCRAT is that its thyristors operate with single or small amountes of anti-paralleled parts connected in series,which improves the relliability of the device and decreases the complexity of the controlling system.
Complete ventricular atrialization by an implantable heart support device.

Summary 1. A new series-type left heart support device with a tube-type outlet valve is described. 2. Rapid end-to-end anastomosis of the unit to the ascending aorta was successfully achieved without using a pump oxygenator. 3. The hemodynamic efficiency of the new unit is documented and compared with that of an avalvular unit. With it, we are consistently able to produce complete atrialization of the left ventricle.
Involvement of platelet activating factor and thromboxane A2 in the renal response to unilateral ureteral obstruction.

AbstractPlatelet activating factor (PAF) and thromboxane A2 (TxA2) are two vasoactive mediators which can decrease renal blood flow. Both are synthesized by various intrarenal cell types or by macrophages which may infiltrate the kidney during unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO). In several experimental systems, PAF receptor activation is accompanied by TxA2 release; pharmacological modification of TxA2 synthesis or receptor activation modulates the response to PAF. The involvement of PAF in UUO has not been studied previously, and the role of TxA2 has not been clearly defined by previous investigations. The hemodynamic response to acute UUO is characterized by decreases in renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate and an acute increase in ureteral pressure. In the present experiments, the involvement of either PAF or TxA2 in the acute response to UUO was studied by determining if blockade of either the TxA2 or PAF receptor would affect the renal hemodynamic response to UUO. In addition, the...
Nociceptive responses in the neostriatum and globus pallidus of the anesthetized rat.

1. Extracellular recordings were made from neurons in the neostriatum (caudate nucleus-putamen, CPu) and globus pallidus (GP) of anesthetized rats. Few cells (3%) were classified as low-threshold-m...
Political Skill in the Organizational Sciences

In the early 1980s, Pfe¦er (1981) ¢rst introduced the term political skill to the scholarly literature, as part of his political perspective on organizations. His approach to power essentially was structural in nature (e.g., created by the departmentalization, division of labor), was perceived to be a resource, and was acquired, used, and developed through the use of tactics and strategies of organizational politics. Pfe¦er conceived of political skill as an individual characteristic that could be employed to e¦ectively demonstrate political behavior to acquire or develop structurally determined power.