cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
CHAPTER IV – Toward Self-instruction in Foreign Language Learning*

Publisher Summary The generally neglected components of foreign language instruction can best be interrelated and manipulated to make the design of foreign language teaching systems more effective, efficient, and congruent with the learning theories and the technology currently being developed and applied. The remarkable revolution in foreign language teaching methodology and technology, now labeled the New Key, constitutes both the strength and the weakness of language teaching. The New Key procedure reveals more accurately the structure of spoken French and is pedagogically more efficient. In Intensive Method programs, contact is also intensified by the modification of the traditional foreign language teaching context: small classes, seldom containing more than ten students; variation in class size; and specialization of teaching function, the linguist providing guidance and the native informant functioning as a drilling machine.
Palmitate-Induced Glycosylation of Cyclooxygenase-2 in Primary Human Vascular Smooth Muscle Cells

Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular health and function. One possible cause of obesity is poor nutrition, including the consumption of diets high in saturated fatty acids. Since vascu...
Statistical Matching of PISA 2009 and TALIS 2008 Data in Iceland

The OECD Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) and the OECD Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) constitute two of the largest ongoing international student and teacher surveys presently underway. Data generated from these surveys offer researchers and policy-makers opportunities to identify particular educational institutional arrangements – that is, how aspects of educational systems are organised to promote equality of educational opportunity both within and between countries. Naturally, policy makers are interested in all three levels of the school system – students, teachers, and schools, in order to fully understand within and between country differences in relations between the inputs, processes, and outcomes of education. A serious limitation of these data collection efforts is that each survey is missing an important component of the educational system in their design – namely, PISA is missing teacher-level data and TALIS is missing student-level data. This limitation can be partly addressed by statistically linking both surveys. This involves the creation of a synthetic cohort of data – that is, a new data file that combines information from both surveys. This paper presents a systematic evaluation of a set of statistical matching methods focused on the goal of creating a synthetic file of PISA 2009 and TALIS 2008 data for Iceland. We evaluate the extent to which each method provides a matched data set that maintains the essential properties of PISA and TALIS, concentrating on a set of validity criteria established by Rassler (2002). The experimental study provides a proof of concept that statistically matching PISA and TALIS is feasible for countries that wish to draw on the added value of both surveys for research and policy analysis.
Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) expression in the ovarian artery during the estrous cycle in overfed or underfed sheep treated with arginine (Arg). (LB324)

The aim of this study was to determine if Arg supplementation to control, overfed, and underfed ewes impacts protein and mRNA expression of eNOS and sGC in the ovarian artery. Ewes were categorized by weight and randomly assigned to one of three different nutrition groups: control (C; 2.14 Mcal/kg; n=37), overfed (O; 2xC Mcal/kg; n=37), and underfed (U; 60% of C Mcal/kg; n=37) beginning 60 days prior to Arg treatment and were randomly assigned to one of two treatments; Arg (L-Arg-HCl; 155 µmol Arg/kg BW) or saline (~10 ml) i.v. beginning on day 0 of the first estrous cycle until tissue collection at the late-luteal phase of the first estrous cycle, or early or mid-luteal phases of the second estrous cycle. Ovarian vascular pedicle was fixed and imaged, and RNA was extracted from the ovarian artery (OA). Compared to saline controls, Arg increased mRNA expression of eNOS nearly 300-fold and sGC approximately 150-fold in OA for O group during the mid-luteal phase (P<0.0001; n=5 for each group). Arg (n=3) inc...
Thermal Stability of the Li ( Ni0.8Co0.15Al0.05 ) O2 Cathode in the Presence of Cell Components

The Li(Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 cathode, a potential candidate for hybrid electric vehicle applications, has been electrochemically charged in powder form without a carbon additive and binder. The thermal stability of the resulting Lio.53(Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 powder was studied by thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and X-ray diffraction techniques under different gas flows. The transformation of Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 -layered material to the NiO-type structure material and/or to nickel metal was correlated to the oxidizing/reducing properties of the TGA gas flow under which the thermal decomposition of the Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 occurred. Differential scanning calorimetry measurements were performed on Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )0 2 powder in the presence of solvent, salt, or binder independently. The reactivity at 170°C between Li 0,53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0,05 )O 2 and ethylene carbonate (EC) solvent was found to be dependent on the Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 oxide/EC weight ratio. The exothermic reaction observed in the presence of other solvents was not greatly affected, as long as the oxide/solvent weight ratios were kept very close to one another. The LiPF 6 salt, when added to the charged oxide powder, was found to shift the exothermic reaction to 220°C when it was dissolved in the electrolyte and 270°C when it was added in the solid form. When polyvinylidene fluoride binder was added to Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 3 powder, the exothermic reaction occurred at high temperatures (340°C). The initiation of the exothermic reaction has been primarily attributed to the oxidation of the electrolyte by the oxygen gas released from Li 0.53 (Ni 0.8 Co 0.15 Al 0.05 )O 2 after the collapse of its layered structure.
The Antimicrobial Stewardship Approach to Combating Clostridium Difficile

Clostridium difficile remains a major public health threat and continues to contribute to excess morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Antimicrobial stewardship programs have demonstrated success in combating C. difficile, primarily through antibiotic restrictive strategies. As the incidence and prevalence of C. difficile associate disease continues to increase both in the hospital and community setting, additional stewardship approaches are needed. This manuscript reviews stewardship interventions that have been successful against C. difficile associated disease and proposes future tactics that antimicrobial stewardship programs may employ to develop a more global approach to combat this difficult pathogen.
Construction and Contestation: Toward a Unifying Methodology for Borderlands History

Borderlands history is a burgeoning field that churns out dozens of important monographs every year. Despite their individual insights, these works collectively lack conceptual glue to hold them together as a field. Using US-Mexican border historiography as a case study, this article synthesizes recent scholarship to extract an emerging but as yet not fully articulated methodology that unites much of the field's scholarship of the last decade. Regardless of their individual time, place, or subject matter emphases, the works considered here share common starting questions that inquire what borders are present in any historical context and what their origins and consequences are. The keystone of the methodology is a dialect through which borderlands historians understand borders to be constructed, contested, reconstructed, and ultimately unfinished and unstable. Borderlands historians extend their analysis to include the mental categories with which people have historically made sense of their worlds, and they employ innovative narrative structures that integrate large and small spatial and geographical scales into coherent stories. As a research field seeking to explain the origins and evolution of national and other borders, borderlands history explores one of the most important developments of modern history. As a teaching field that introduces students to the history of boundary making and crossing, borderlands history helps prepare them for twenty-first-century world citizenship.
Card and Application Management

In this chapter, we give an overview on card management and application management systems. We also describe how OCF can be used to support these systems on client devices. In Section 15.1, we give an overview on card, application and key management systems and the life cycles of cards and applications. Card management systems, as well as application management systems need to perform card-related actions on various client platforms. In Section 15.2, we show how the OpenCard Framework can be used to support application download to smart cards via the Internet and for application personalization via the Internet.
Elementary-particle physics at the University of Milan 1951-1956

If history was made in the development of strange-particle Physics, under the guidance of Giuseppe Occhialini (Beppo), by the nuclear emulsion researchers at the Universities of Genoa and Milan, scant record is to be found in the literature under Beppo’s name. Only toward the end of 1955 does Beppo’s name appears, in the reports of the “G-Stack Collaboration” that he orchestrated. Although he would have been fully entitled, as well as his wife Mrs. Connie Occhialini-Dilworth, at first as Miss Dilworth, to co-author most of the publications of our group, neither of them did. In this brief summary of the new Physics we were fortunate to uncover, I take the liberty of relating the excitement of our discoveries also on behalf of my closest collaborators, A. Bonetti, M. Di Corato, B. Locatelli, M. Panetti, L. Scarsi, and G. Tomasini, the Genoa-Milan group. The list of publications of the group, covering the period 1951–1956 and reproduced here, was taken in its entirety from my CV. Thus Beppo’s legacy is bound to transpire through the work of his pupils and apprentices, being myself one of them. The manner by which his guidance of our work manifested itself deserves a separate memoir of mine, to accompany this writing.
Assessing the severity of hazardous drinking and related consequences among incarcerated women.

Background: Recent epidemiological efforts have demonstrated the utility of measuring individual differences in the severity of alcohol use along a single severity continuum marked by alcohol-related problems, symptoms of alcohol dependence, and the social consequences of drinking. Translation of this utility to specialized clinical populations is not assured. The expected inter-relationships among problems, symptoms and consequences, and enhanced sensitivity of combined assessments require confirmation in applied clinical settings. Method: Subjects were 245 incarcerated women who met Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test criteria for hazardous use of alcohol. Participants were recruited from a statewide adult correctional facility for an ongoing clinical trial testing the effectiveness of brief motivational interviewing on alcohol use and HIV risk behaviors. Participants ranged in age from 18 to 56 (M = 34.1, SD = 8.9), 71.4% were Caucasian, and 65.7% reported Language: en
King Kong on 4th Street: Families and the Violence of Poverty on the Lower East Side

King Kong on 4th Street: Families and the Violence of Poverty on the Lower East Side. Jagna Wojcicka Sharff. Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1997.258 pp.
Bit-depth extension using spatiotemporal microdither based on models of the equivalent input noise of the visual system

Continuous tone, or “contone”, imagery usually has 24 bits/pixel as a minimum, with eight bits each for the three primaries in typical displays. However, lower-cost displays constrain this number because of various system limitations. Conversely, high quality displays seek to achieve 9-10 bits/pixel/color, though there may be system bottlenecks limited at 8. The two main artifacts from reduced bit-depth are contouring and loss of amplitude detail; these can be prevented by dithering the image prior to these bit-depth losses. Early work in this area includes Roberts’ noise modulation technique, Mista’s blue noise mask, Tyler’s technique of bit-stealing, and Mulligan’s use of the visual system’s spatiotemporal properties for spatiotemporal dithering. However, most halftoning/dithering work was primarily directed to displays at the lower end of bits/pixel (e.g., 1 bit as in halftoning) and higher ppi. Like Tyler, we approach the problem from the higher end of bits/pixel/color, say 6-8, and use available high frequency color content to generate even higher luminance amplitude resolution. Bit-depth extension with a high starting bit-depth (and often lower spatial resolution) changes the game substantially from halftoning experience. For example, complex algorithms like error diffusion and annealing are not needed, just the simple addition of noise. Instead of a spatial dither, it is better to use an amplitude dither, termed microdither by Pappas. We have looked at methods of generating the highest invisible opponent color spatiotemporal noise and other patterns, and have used Ahumada’s concept of equivalent input noise to guide our work. This paper will report on techniques and observations made in achieving contone quality on ~100 ppi 6 bits/pixel/color LCD displays with no visible dither patterns, noise, contours, or loss of amplitude detail at viewing distances as close as the near focus limit (~120 mm). These include the interaction of display nonlinearities and their role of generating a low-spatial frequency flicker from mutually high-pass spatial and temporal noise, as well as the temporal response symmetries.
Simulation Education in Emergency Medical Services for Children

Simulation has been utilized as a training method for nearly 80 years by the aviation industry to improve pilots' skills and enhance the teamwork of the flight crew. Within the medical profession, simulation techniques have been used extensively by anesthesiologists for individual and teamwork training tasks. Following the example in anesthesiology, simulation curricula are being developed for teaching and evaluating core competencies for surgical and emergency medicine residents, prehospital personnel, and medical students. Simulation models can be as simple as static mannequins for procedural skills or as complex as high-fidelity human patient simulators that react physiologically to administered medications and provider actions. As this technology continues to mature, benefits of incorporating such safe and valuable education to trainees across all medical disciplines and training levels must be considered in light of the expense of such endeavors. Benefits of simulation training within the medical field include learning and perfecting procedural skills before patient interaction, participating in rare or complicated case scenarios which might otherwise not be encountered in traditional training, and nonprocedural training such as teamwork training and disaster management skills. As efforts continue to emerge to increase patient safety and reduce medical errors, simulation has become more popular in promoting patient autonomy while allowing trainees to experience positive and negative outcomes with the opportunity for constructive feedback, or debriefing, afterward.
Products of laccase catalyzed reaction of 1-hydroxypyrene

The formation of residues in soils and sediments which are not readily extractable is an important fate for hydrophobic organic contaminants. Reaction of 1-hydroxypyrene, a known fungal and terrestrial invertebrate metabolite and photo-oxidation product of pyrene, with a commercially prepared laccase (an oxidoreductive enzyme) in solution provides a test system to study the fate of residues in nature. The reaction of dissolved 1-hydroxypyrene with laccase produced a distinct color change and caused a precipitate to form. At least six products were shown by HPLC analysis with photodiode array detection. The most prominent peak was composed of 1,6- and 1,8-pyrene-dione as confirmed by proton NMR analysis. LC/MS data on remaining peaks indicate that radical coupling produces acetonitrile soluble dimers and at least one trimer. Proposed structures consistent with MS and photodiode array data indicate that pyrene subunits are linked predominantly by ether bonds. Additional products, insoluble in acetonitrile, ...
Limitation of maximal bronchoconstriction in living dogs.

Fourteen dogs were studied to determine whether (1) interdependence between airways and parenchyma can limit maximal bronchoconstriction under static conditions in vivo, and (2) stretching of airway smooth muscle during tidal breathing can attenuate muscle shortening and account for the limited bronchoconstriction previously observed in response to increasing doses of methachollne (MCh). In six dogs the left lung was ventilated while 50% MCh was nebulized into the airways of the right lower lobe (RLL) held at constant transpulmonary pressures (Pl). Airway closure, as assessed by an alveolar capsule technique during small oscillations in lobar volume, occurred at Pl ⩽ 7.5 cm H2O. To assess the effects of tidal breathing, pulmonary resistance (Rl) was measured in four dogs after MCh nebulization into the RLL during tidal breathing while the left lung was separately ventilated. In another four dogs the whole lung was challenged with MCh. At each MCh concentration, Rl values in the RLL were much higher than i...
Structural system reliability under multiple failure modes

This paper describes a computational method for system reliability estimation of propulsion structures. The failure domain of the entire structural system is computed through the union of failure regions for various critical system failure modes. The effect of non-critical progressive damage is incorporated through structural reanalysis, resulting in the construction of several linear segments to approximately cover the system failure domain. An adaptive damage imposition scheme is outlined for the sake of computational efficiency. The proposed method is used to construct the system survival cdf (cumulative distribution function) of a two-rotor system.
Disclosure Policy and Industry Fluctuations

This paper examines voluntary disclosures in a repeated oligopoly and their association with price-setting behavior and industry profits along industrial fluctuations. The analysis focuses on the collectively optimal equilibrium among oligopoly firms. We show that, in industries that are highly concentrated or feature low cost of capital, nondisclosure is prevalent and results in stable product prices and high profit margins. Otherwise, firms may selectively disclose to soften competition in the product market. Under partial disclosure, firms withhold information during sharp industry expansions or declines. Consequently, the disclosure policy dampens the dissemination of shocks to the industry. This paper was accepted by Mary Barth, accounting.
In-Group Identification as a Function of Depersonalization, Distinctiveness, and Status

Artificial social categories were created in a laboratory context in order to test predictions regarding the relative importance of group size and status as determinants of in-group favoritism. Subjects were assigned to categories of “overestimator” or “under estimator” and were told that one category included a majority of college students while the other represented a minority. Prior to category assignment, half of the subjects had been given confidentiality instructions designed to make them feel highly depersonalized. Based on feedback about test performance, status differentials between the two estimation categories were introduced.Consistent with predictions, there was a three-way interaction between depersonalization, in-group size, and in-group status as determinants of evaluative in-group bias on social trait ratings. Under control conditions (no depersonalization), group status and majority size both contributed to positive valuations of the in-group. Under the depersonalization condition, howev...
TARSKI, QUINE, AND THE TRANSCENDENCE OF THE VERNACULAR "TRUE"

It is argued that the blind ascriptive role for the word “true”, its use, that is, in conjunction with descriptions of classes of sentences or with proper names of sentences (but not quote-names), is one which applies indiscriminately to sentences regardless of whether these are in languages we speak, can understand, or can translate into sentences that we do speak (and understand). Formal analogues of the ordinary word “true” as they arise in Tarski’s seminal work, and in others, cannot replicate this essential role of the ordinary word “true”.
Campaigning for Congress in the “9/11” Era: Considerations of Gender and Party in Response to an Exogenous Shock:

This article takes advantage of a naturally occurring experiment to examine how congressional campaign advertising responds to dramatic events. Integrating the literatures on issue ownership and gender stereotypes, we ask how campaign rhetoric and substance changed after the attacks of September 11, 2001, paying particular attention to how those responses were mediated by party and gender expectations. Using data from the Wisconsin Advertising Project (WiscAds) of all ad-airings (not merely ads created) in the top 75 to 100 media markets in 2000 and 2002, we find that campaigns stepped up issues relevant to 9/11 consistent with party- and gender-based issue ownership. Republican men gave more attention to the military than any other group and more attention to foreign affairs than Democratic men or women. However, most noteworthy was the dramatic increase in the symbolic use of the flag for all candidates.
Imaging neural architecture of the brain based on its multipole magnetic response

Although magnetic fields interact weakly with biological tissues, at high fields, this interaction is sufficiently strong to cause measurable shifts in the Larmor frequency among various tissue types. While measuring frequency shift and its anisotropy has enabled NMR spectroscopy to determine structures of large molecules, MRI has not been able to fully utilize the vast information existing in the frequency to elucidate tissue microstructure. Using a multipole analysis of the complex MRI signal in the Fourier spectral space, we developed a fast and high-resolution method that enables the quantification of tissue's magnetic response with a set of magnetic susceptibility tensors of various ranks. The Fourier spectral space, termed p-space, can be generated by applying field gradients or equivalently by shifting the k-space data in various directions. Measuring these tensors allows the visualization and quantification of tissue architecture. We performed 3D whole-brain multipole susceptibility tensor imaging in simulation, on intact mouse brains ex vivo and on human brains in vivo. We showed that these multipole susceptibility tensors can be used to image orientations of ordered white matter fibers. These experiments demonstrate that multipole tensor analysis may enable practical mapping of tissue microstructure in vivo without rotating subject or magnetic field.
Comparing narrative and informational videos to increase mammography in low-income African American women

Abstract Objective: Compare effects of narrative and informational videos on use of mammography, cancer-related beliefs, recall of core content and a range of reactions to the videos. Method: African American women ( n =489) ages 40 and older were recruited from low-income neighborhoods in St. Louis, MO and randomly assigned to watch a narrative video comprised of stories from African American breast cancer survivors ( Living Proof ) or a content-equivalent informational video using a more expository and didactic approach ( Facts for Life ). Effects were measured immediately post-exposure and at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Results: The narrative video was better liked, enhanced recall, reduced counterarguing, increased breast cancer discussions with family members and was perceived as more novel. Women who watched the narrative video also reported fewer barriers to mammography, more confidence that mammograms work, and were more likely to perceive cancer as an important problem affecting African Americans. Use of mammography at 6-month follow-up did not differ for the narrative vs. informational groups overall (49% vs. 40%, p =.20), but did among women with less than a high school education (65% vs. 32%, p p =.06) and those who were less trusting of traditional cancer information sources (48% vs. 30%, p =.06). Conclusions: Narrative forms of communication may increase the effectiveness of interventions to reduce cancer health disparities. Practice implications: Narratives appear to have particular value in certain population sub-groups; identifying these groups and matching them to specific communication approaches may increase effectiveness.
Competitive Al3+ inhibition of net Mg2+ uptake by intact Lolium multiflorum roots. II, Plant age effects

Rhizotoxicity of Al is more pronounced in younger plants. Effects of Al on nutrient uptake by plants of different age are poorly understood. The depletion technique was used to monitor net Mg 2+ uptake from nutrient solutions by intact 15- and 35-day-old plants of two ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum Lam.) cultivars. Lowering the pH from 6.0 to 4.2 decreased the maximum net ion influx without affecting K m . Aluminum at 6.6 micromolar Al 3+ activity increased K m indicating competitive inhibition. The effects of pH and 6.6 micromolar Al 3+ on net Mg 2+ uptake were much larger in 15- than in 35-day-old plants. Aluminum at 26 micromolar Al 3+ activity competitively inhibited net Mg 2+ uptake by 35-day-old plants, while causing time- and external Mg 2+ activity-dependent net Mg 2+ efflux from 15-day-old plants. The equilibrium constant ( K i ) of a reversible combination of postulated plasmalemma Mg 2+ transporter and Al 3+ was calculated to be 2 and 5 micromolar Al 3+ activity for 15-day-old plants of Wilo and Gulf ryegrass, respectively, and 21 micromolar Al 3+ activity for 35-day-old plants of both cultivars. The Al 3+ -mediated increase in K m was larger for 15-day-old plants of the Al-sensitive cultivar `Wilo9 than of the more Al-tolerant cultivar `Gulf,9 while Al 3+ affected 35-day-old plants of both cultivars to the same extent.
Phase separation dynamics in driven diffusive systems

We study phase separation dynamics in a driven diffusive system. Our simulations are based on the Cahn-Hilliard equation with an additional flux term due to an external field. We study the dynamical scaling parallel and perpendicular to the field. A crossover is observed from isotropic domains at early times to extremely anisotropic domains at later times. We find that the inverse interfacial density (an isotropic measure of the domain size) increases astα, with α=1/3, from early times independent of the field strength, even though we do not observe dynamical scaling during these times. Our results indicate that a growth exponent α=1/3 may be more universal than previously expected. We analyze the dynamics in terms of surface driven instabilities and one-dimensional solitary waves.
Posing the problem of the criterion

L'A. tente d'apporter une solution logique au probleme epistemique d'un critere pour la connaissance, ceci etant un cercle vicieux sceptique: pour avoir un bon critere il faut avoir de bonnes opinions, et vice-versa. L'A. presente la position de Chisholm face a cet argument
Quantum yield of vinylidene (3B) from the vacuum UV photolysis of acetylene and ethylene

Abstract The primary processes in the photodecomposition in the vacuum UV of the unsaturated hydrocarbons acetylene and ethylene have been investigated. The formation of electronically excited triplet vinylidene (H2CC) radicals is shown to be a major process. The quantum yields of vinylidene production are equal to 0.4 and 0.75 from acetylene and ethylene respectively. Vinyl radical formation in the ethylene photolysis is discussed.
Norms for CERAD Constructional Praxis Recall

Recall of the four-item constructional praxis measure was a later addition to the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) neuropsychological battery. Norms for this measure, based on cognitively intact African Americans age ≥70 (Indianapolis-Ibadan Dementia Project, N = 372), European American participants age ≥66 (Cache County Study of Memory, Health and Aging, N = 507), and European American CERAD clinic controls age ≥50 (N = 182), are presented here. Performance varied by site; by sex, education, and age (African Americans in Indianapolis); education and age (Cache County European Americans); and only age (CERAD European American controls). Performance declined with increased age, within age with less education, and was poorer for women. Means, standard deviations, and percentiles are presented separately for each sample.
Subsurface morphologic changes of ND:YAG laser-etched enamel.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Etching the enamel surface with a Nd:YAG dental laser produces impact craters with cavities, micropores, and microfissures. This in vitro SEM study examined laser-etched enamel to determine the pattern and extent of subsurface changes. STUDY DESIGN/MATERIALS AND METHODS The facial surface of 10 maxillary central incisor teeth were coated with a black initiator and laser-etched with a pulsed Nd:YAG laser (1.06 lambda, 75 mJ, 15 Hz, 320 microns fiber, 94 J/cm2 fluence). The facial surface of five teeth were plastic-embedded under a low vacuum, then demineralized in 10% formic acid. The other teeth were split incisoapically. All samples were prepared for SEM. RESULTS Examination of the plastic impressions showed a delicate interlacing pattern of thin partitions and small knob-like expansions. Examination of the split teeth showed the penetration of microfissures into the enamel estimated at 10 microns. CONCLUSION These subsurface alterations may provide space for the infiltration and mechanical retention of dental resin.
An efficient multicomputer algorithm for the solution of chemical process flowsheeting equations

Abstract This paper presents a parallel solution method of large sparse systems of linear equations arising in the context of a chemical process flowsheeting application on a message passing multicomputer. To maximize the performance, the algorithm uses a novel matrix decomposition and solution method, called parallel two-phased LU decomposition, which schedules the concurrent tasks in a maximally overlapping manner, and at the same time, tries to minimize the interprocessor data dependencies and obtain optimal load balancing. The forward elimination step is performed concurrently with the parallel two-phased LU decomposition step and backward substitution is parallelized in a piecewise manner. Implementation results on an Intel iPSC/2 multicomputer are presented. With 16 processors, speedups of up to 11.3 are observed for relatively large problem sizes and close to 71% processor utilization is achieved despite the high fraction of sequential operations in the process. Although this work was motivated by the need to reduce the computational bottleneck of the DZINE flowsheeting program, it should also be applicable to a wide range of scientific and engineering problems where fast and efficient solution of large sparse systems of linear equations is required.
Developing LaSalle's IT graduate certificate program partnered with industry

Many IT-based companies located in the greater Philadelphia area find the need to provide their employees, whose daily activities focus on IT-related responsibilities, with continuing education IT courses. One objective is to keep their employees up to date with the ever changing tools and technologies present and available in the IT workplace. In turn, the company benefits by having a highly trained and competent IT workforce. However, many of these companies find that the traditional forms of college-based continuing education graduate level programs inadequate to fulfill their needs in a timely fashion. Graduate level degrees often take many years to complete and do not provide a quick enough return on investment.To address these needs and concerns, LaSalle University has established and partnered with an external computer science advisory board (CSAB) comprised of top executives within the IT business community. One focus of the CSAB is to help steer the University in the creation of its IT Graduate Certificate Program. To this end, it was determined to implement the program in a phased approach bringing various certificate concentrations on-line as they are established. This paper discusses the ongoing process of working with the board to analyze industry needs and determining what courses and certificates to provide based on University resources.In addition, a questionnaire was distributed to a small number of students to evaluate what students consider to be important factors in both the IT and computer science curriculums. Ultimately, we as educators serve the students and their input is essential to meet their needs. Coupled with information as seen by the student, information as seen by Industry, and information seen by the University, all three perspectives should help to develop a useful and successful IT Graduate Certificate Program.
Towards a novel and optimal packet identifier design for SDN

We argue that separate identifiers should be used in SDN for identifying users, packets for forwarding purpose, and packets for policy enforcement purpose. We discuss the requirements and challenges in designing such an identifier scheme and sketch its various components. We show that our design can minimize switch table sizes by enabling optimized aggregation, make table sizes stable and predictable, and honor legacy address assignment in existing networks.
The fiscal impact of the War of the Pacific

In the War of the Pacific (1879–1883), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia, and acquired territories that contained vast deposits of sodium nitrate, a leading fertilizer. Chile’s export tax on nitrates later accounted for at least one half of all government revenue. We employ a multi-country model of export taxation in order to simulate the potential government revenues that Bolivia, Chile and Peru could have earned under the counterfactual scenario that Chile did not conquer the nitrate-rich provinces of its adversaries. Our results are that Peruvian and Bolivian government revenues could have been at least double their historical levels. We estimate that, over the remainder of the nineteenth century, Chile’s earnings from nitrates would have fallen by 80%.
Detectability Of Lesions Of Various Sizes On CT Images

This experiment studied the detectability of lesions superimposed at specified locations on CT images of water phantoms. Each set of images contained 120 pedestals (a constant CT number added to circular areas of the water-phantom images), 60 of which also had a circular lesion profile of a given size and contrast superimposed on their centers. Lesion detectability (estimated from observers' ROC curves) was measured for 24 separate sets of images, representing four different levels of contrast for each of six lesion sizes (3.0 to 16.0 mm in diameter). Direct calculations of each lesion's "signal-to-noise ratio" (SNR), from the physical CT values :in each set of images, predicted its detectability for observers, and there was no systematic change in the linear relation between detectability and lesion SNR as a function of lesion size. The levels of contrast required to produce either a given level of lesion SNR or a given level of detectability were approximately linear functions of the lesion's diameter on a log-log plot, and parallel to the contrast-detail curve that we measured independently with the same image format. The slope of these curves (about -1.0) is consistent with those measured by other investigators, and is inconsistent with the signal detection predictions that assume an ideal ramp function for the CT noise power spectrum. These results suggest that the ideal noise power spectrum may not be realized in actual CT scanners, and that the actual deviations at low spatial frequencies affect the detectability of large lesions.
Energy rate density as a complexity metric and evolutionary driver

The proposition that complexity generally increases with evolution seems indisputable. Both developmental and generational changes often display a rise in the number and diversity of properties describing a wide spectrum of ordered systems, whether physical, biological, or cultural. This article explores a quantitative metric that can help to explain the emergence and evolution of galaxies, stars, planets, and life throughout the history of the Universe. Energy rate density is a single, measurable, and unambiguous quantity uniformly characterizing Nature's many varied complex systems, potentially dictating their natural selection on vast spatial and temporal scales. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Complexity 16: 27–40, 2011 © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
A simulator for load bearing joints

Abstract A simulator has been constructed for studying the behaviour of artificial joints. In particular, the present design allows the evaluation of total hip prostheses. Data are presented on the wear behaviour of one type of total hip prosthesis.
When to Promote, and When to Avoid, a Population Perspective

Demography’s population perspective, and the sampling methods that help produce it, are powerful but underutilized research tools. The first half of this article makes the case for more vigorous promotion of a population perspective throughout the sciences. It briefly reviews the basic elements of population sampling and then provides examples from both developed and developing countries of how population sampling can enrich random-assignment policy experiments, multisite studies, and qualitative research. At the same time, an ill-considered application of a population perspective to the problem of causal inference can hinder social and behavioral science. The second half of the article describes the “slippery slope” by which some demographic studies slide from providing a highly useful description about the population to using regressions to estimate causal models for that population. It then suggests that causal modeling is sometimes well served by a highly selective look at small subsets of a population with interesting variability in independent variables of interest. A robust understanding of causal effects, however, rests on convergence between selective and population-wide perspectives.
Correlation of Martian surface heights with latitude of polar hood boundaries

A COMPARISON of Earth-based photography with topographic data from Mariner 9 reveals that the winter polar hoods on Mars tend to extend further towards the equator at lower topographic heights than at higher topographic heights. The correlation between latitude of the hood boundary and topographic heights is shown in Figs 1 and 2. In Fig. 1, contour lines derived from a map by Christensen1 have been superimposed on the Lowell Observatory map of Martian Albedo Features and Topography2. To the author's knowledge, the Christensen map is the only published map that includes contour lines up to 65°N. The dashed lines represent the mean boundary of the polar hoods during twelve apparitions between 1905 and 1958, as determined from a study of Lowell Observatory's historical photographic collection. The southern hood boundary is in close agreement with a map by Capen3 that was made from measurements of more recent apparitions (1962–68), while the northern boundary agrees well with Mariner imaging4. In Fig. 2, the latitude of the hood boundaries (at 10° intervals in longitude) is plotted as a function of topographic height. The dashed line was fitted to the southern latitude points by least squares. The north hood points were then shifted along the ordinate until their average value fell on the dashed line. An equally good, if not better, correlation is found if one plots the latitude of the boundary of the southern hood against atmospheric pressure from the work of Conrath et al.5. The hood is found to extend farther north over areas of higher pressure than over areas of lower pressure. Comparable atmospheric pressure data are not available for the Northern Hemisphere.
Eddy Current Assessment of Near-Surface Residual Stress in Shot-Peened Nickel-Base Superalloys

It is shown in this paper that, in contrast with most other materials, shot-peened nickel-base superalloys exhibit an apparent increase in eddy current conductivity at increasing inspection frequencies, which can be exploited for nondestructive residual stress assessment of subsurface residual stresses. It has been found that the primary reason why nickel-base superalloys, which are often used in the most critical gas-turbine engine components, lend themselves easily for eddy current residual stress assessment lies in their favorable electro-elastic behavior, namely that the parallel stress coefficient of the eddy current conductivity has a large negative value while the normal coefficient is smaller but also negative. As a result, the average stress coefficient is also large and negative, therefore the essentially isotropic compressive plane state of stress produced by most surface treatments causes a significant increase in conductivity parallel to the surface. The exact reason for this unusual behavior is presently unknown, but the role of paramagnetic contributions cannot be excluded, therefore the measured quantity will be referred to as “apparent” eddy current conductivity. Experimental results are presented to demonstrate that the magnitude of the increase in apparent eddy current conductivity correlates well with the initial peening intensity as well as with the remnant residual stress after thermal relaxation.
Disseminated Nodular Pulmonary Ossification in Patients with Mitral Stenosis

What seem to be rare complications of common diseases may merely be uncommon because no one accumulates a large number. The unusual combination of disseminated nodular bone formation in the lungs and chronic mitral stenosis is more common in young men. The clinical findings in 4 cases are described and the pathogenesis is discussed.
Considerations on clinical use of T cell immunotherapy for cancer

The recognition by effector T lymphocytes of novel antigenic targets on tumor cells is the premise of specific, targeted immunotherapy of cancer. With the molecular characterization of peptide epitopes from mela- noma antigens and, more recently, broadly expressed tumor antigens, there has been considerable enthusiasm for clinical evaluation of peptide tumor vaccines. Immunologic monitoring of vaccinated patients has demonstrated an expansion of CD8 + T cells that react with the relevant peptide and, more importantly, with native tumor. In most instances, however, vaccine-induced CD8 + T cell responses alone have not been sufficiently robust or sustained to translate into a high percentage of durable clinical responses. Vaccine strategies have also utilized dendritic cells (DCs) that have been modified to present tumor antigens. The superior antigen-processing capacity and co-stimulatory function of DCs convey a powerful stimulatory signal to both CD4 + and CD8 + T cells. Several strategies are attempting to broaden the immune response beyond single antigens by introducing the entire complement of tumor antigens into DCs. Adoptive immunotherapy is a promising strategy to recover tumor-re- active precursor T cells from patients, stimulate them to induce numerical expansion, and then re-infuse them. Ex vivo manipulation of the tumor-reactive T cells also permits cytotoxic therapy to be administered to the patient without damaging the effector cells. Recently, host lymphodepletion prior to adoptive transfer of effector T cells has resulted in an extremely high and sustained frequency of effectors that has achieved therapeutic efficacy against bulky metastatic disease in a substantial fraction of treated patients.
Recent advances in single molecule studies of nucleosomes.

As the fundamental packing units of DNA in eukaryotes, nucleosomes play a central role in governing DNA accessibility in a variety of cellular processes. Our understanding of the mechanisms underlying this complex regulation has been aided by unique structural and dynamic perspectives offered by single molecule techniques. Recent years have witnessed remarkable advances achieved using these techniques, including the generation of a detailed histone–DNA energy landscape, elucidation of nucleosome disassembly processes, and real-time monitoring of molecular motors interacting with nucleosomes. These and other highlights of single molecule nucleosome studies will be discussed in this review.
Laser ablation inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry of a uranium-zirconium alloy: ablation properties and analytical behavior

Abstract The ablation properties and analytical behavior of a uranium-zirconium alloy have been examined using tandem laser ablation/pneumatic nebulization sample introduction in conjunction with inductively coupled atomic emission spectrometry (LA-ICP-AES). An apparent change in composition of the laser ablation aerosol (1–15 GW cm −2 Zr deficient, 40–250 GW cm −2 Zr rich) is observed. This phenomenon is independent of laser wavelength. After collection and bulk chemical analysis of the ablation product, this phenomenon is attributed to an atomization interference in the ICP. Two distinct modes of laser ablation have been observed which depend upon the wavelength of the ablating laser (visible or near infrared). These two modes result in characteristic ablation crater types and analyte emission behavior. Ablation yields at 1064 nm are dependent upon laser power density only, whilst yields at 532 nm are dependent upon both laser power density and illumination area. The latter is considered to be symptomatic of direct interaction of the laser light with the surface, and the former, of indirect coupling of laser energy, via a micro-plasma, into the surface.
Acupuncture and clinical hypnosis for facial and head and neck pain: a single crossover comparison.

Abstract Despite their long histories, acupuncture and hypnosis have only recently been acknowledged as valuable by the medical establishment in the U.S. Few studies have used rigorous prospective measurement to evaluate the individual or relative merits of hypnosis and acupuncture in specific clinical settings. In this study, 25 patients with various head and neck pain were studied. Each had an initial assessment of their pain, as well as of their attitudes and expectations. All patients received acupuncture, followed by a reassessment of their pain. After a washout period they received another assessment of pain before and after hypnosis therapy. Preferences for therapy were sought following the hypnotic intervention. Both acupuncture and hypnosis were effective at relieving pain under these conditions. The average relief in pain reported was 4.2 units on a ten point scale, with hypnosis reducing pain by a mean of 4.8 units, compared to 3.7 for acupuncture (p = 0.26). Patient characteristics appeared to...
Studies on the Induction of Glutathione S-Transferases in Mouse Liver

ABSTRACTThe induction of glutathione S-transferase activity by pheno-barbital was studied in the male mouse. Ion-exchange chromato-graphy and density gradient isoelectric focusing were used to characterize the induction. Two transferases were separated by column chromatography, one peak was induced by phenobarbital while the other peak was unaffected. Three peaks of transferase activity were observed when control or induced cytosol was applied and eluted from a density gradient isoelectric focusing column. The induced F2 peak had twice the activity of the F2 control. The amount of activity in the peak labeled F3 was unaltered with PB treatment. It appears that at least one transferase is more induc-ible by phenobarbital than the others.