cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sequential versus simultaneous analysis of data: differences in reliability of derived quantitative conclusions.

Publisher Summary This chapter focuses on the sequential and simultaneous analysis of data. The quantitative conclusions drawn from such a sequential analysis may be somewhat different than those resulting from a global analysis of all of the data simultaneously. Simultaneous analyses implicitly account for correlations that exist among parameters and between parameters and data. Error propagation between successive rounds of sequential analyses improves reliability, however often is not done and is generally difficult to do in a thoroughly complete manner. This chapter discusses the potential significance of the alternative ways for considering multidimensional data and demonstrates the principles of implementation of simultaneous analysis. Three specific examples are presented in which temperature is used as a secondary dimension: (1) calorimetric titrations to determine enthalpy and heat capacity changes for binding of a small ligand to a protein, (2) equilibrium absorbance spectra to determine the thermodynamics of light-induced conformational transitions of the membrane protein rhodopsin, and (3) kinetic absorbance transients to elucidate activation energies for the dynamic interconversion of spectral intermediates of rhodopsin during photointermediate decay.
Public Information Technology: Policy and Management Issues

Information Technology and Public Administration: The View from the Profession Politics, Accountability, and Governmental Information Systems The Evolution of Information Technology Management at the Federal Level: Implications for Public Administration The Realities of the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995: A Government-Wide Strategy for Information Resources Management Mediating the Tension Between Information Privacy and Information Access: The Role of Digital Government E-Government: An Overview Leading Edge Information Technologies and American Local Government Information Technology as a Facilitator of Results-Based. Management in Government Computer Tools for Better Public Sector Management Survey Research, Focus Groups, and Information Technology in Research and Practice Geographic Information Systems in the Public Sector Electronic Mail in the Public Workplace: Issues of Privacy and Public Disclosure World Wide Web Site Design and Use in Public Management Toward an Information Technology Research Agenda for Public Administration
Short-Term Psychotherapy

Short-term psychotherapy can refer to an agreement about the duration of therapy, either by setting a specific number of sessions (typically between 1 and 25 to 30) or by setting a calendar date for the maximum length of treatment (typically no more than several months). Short-term psychotherapy also can refer to explicitly setting specific goals and predicting their achievement within approximately 25 sessions or less. In the broadest sense, short-term therapy can refer to the therapist's mind-set in four respects: (1) Chronic problems can be overcome, and significant psychological and interpersonal changes can be facilitated in a relatively brief period of time; (2) even people with severe psychopathology have potential psychological resources that can be activated in treatment with the therapist's encouragement; (3) the patient's experience in therapy can catalyze changes in broad areas of his or her life through actions taken between sessions and after formal therapy ends; and (4) there is no way to predict how much can be accomplished in therapy if the therapist works to make every minute of every session count (Budman & Gurman, 1988; Hoyt, 2003). Keywords: brief psychotherapy; short-term psychotherapy; time-limited psychotherapy
Computerunterstützter Unterricht mit konventioneller Software: Erfolge im wirtschaftswissenschaftlichen Unterricht am Gumnasium

Ziel dieses Beitrags ist eine didaktische Rechtfertigung der vielfach kritisierten konventionellen Unterrichtssoftware. Die Erfahrungen mit den Programmen des ITG — Leitfaches Wirtschafts- und Rechtslehre an den bayerischen Gymnasien beweisen, das der traditionelle computerunterstutzte Unterricht unter bestimmten Voraussetzungen effektiv sein kann. Deshalb wird das „kleine“ Unterrichtsprogramm auch nicht verdrangt werden, wenn es der Fachdidaktik in einigen Jahren im Zusammenwirken mit der Informatik gelingen sollte, in breitem Umfang „anspruchsvolle“ oder „intelligente“ Unterrichtssoftware fur die Facher der politischen Bildung bereitzustellen.
Mean and Edges

In this chapter we will apply neighborhood operations to analyze two elementary structures: the mean gray value and changes in the gray values. The determination of a correct mean value also includes the suppression of distortions in the gray values caused by sensor noise or transmission errors. Changes in the gray value mean, in the simplest case, the edges of objects. Thus edge detection and smoothing are complementary operations. While smoothing gives adequate averages for the gray values within the objects, edge detection aims at estimating the boundaries of objects.
A perspective from industry on characteristics of life long learning

An important topic in the ABET accreditation criteria, as well as one generating much discussion in engineering education is that of life long learning. Life long learning is important in any area but engineering and engineering technology graduates particularly need this ability because of the dynamic change caused by technological advancements that affect all they do. What makes a good leaner and what are the characteristics one must have to acquire that ability for a lifetime? With rigorous disciplines like engineering and technology, how does one keep up and stay excited to learn new things? Are the characteristics of life long learning "caught or taught?" A survey of engineering and engineering technology alumni from Brigham Young University and their supervisors was conducted asking the importance of characteristics such as technical competence, good thinking skills, desire to learn new things, religious faith, ability to work with people, and others, in terms of being a good life long learner. They also rated how well these factors were accomplished in both the general and technical education they received at Brigham Young University. This paper: (1) presents the results of this survey in terms of the impact of technical and general education on being good life long learners, (2) provides an interpretation of the results and comments, and (3) recommends idea for increasing the ability of engineering and engineering technology graduates to be good life-long learners.
Review of the evolution of display technologies for next-generation aircraft

Advancements in electronic display technologies have provided many benefits for military avionics. The modernization of legacy tanker transport aircraft along with the development of next-generation platforms, such as the KC-46 aerial refueling tanker, offers a timeline of the evolution of avionics display approaches. The adaptation of advanced flight displays from the Boeing 787 for the KC-46 flight deck also provides examples of how avionics display solutions may be leveraged across commercial and military flight decks to realize greater situational awareness and improve overall mission effectiveness. This paper provides a review of the display technology advancements that have led to today’s advanced avionics displays for the next-generation KC-46 tanker aircraft. In particular, progress in display operating modes, backlighting, packaging, and ruggedization will be discussed along with display certification considerations across military and civilian platforms.
Overview of computational intelligence [and biomedical engineering applications]

The emerging technology field called computational intelligence is described. Definitions of key terms are provided, followed by brief summaries of example applications, with an emphasis on those in the biomedical engineering field. Observations on the incorporation of computational intelligence methodologies into scientific areas are offered.
Pediatric urolithiases: a ten-year review.

Sixty-one children who presented with urinary calculi between 1967 and 1977 were reviewed. The overall incidence of calculus disease in our patients was higher than reported previously from other centers in this country. Because presenting symptoms varied, a high index of suspicion was often required for diagnosis. Stones of infection were the most common type identified. Inasmuch as the recurrence rate of calculi in children was low (6.5%), careful consideration of time and cost is warrented before extensive evaluation for metabolic causes of stone formation is undertaken. Immobilization was an important factor in the etiology of stone disease. Most stones less than 5 mm in size passed without surgery.
Diversity of Archaea

The Archaea are a group of microbes that form one of three domains of life on Earth. Studies with isolated strains have revealed an archaeal metabolic diversity rivaling that found within the domain Bacteria, and molecular surveys have revealed that archaea occupy a broader range of environments than was suspected based on the physiology of isolates. Archaea are also the most abundant and active microbial component in some environments, typically where their adaptations to chronic energy stress provide selective advantage over bacteria. Ongoing studies of uncultured archaea are likely to reveal important impacts on Earth's elemental and energy cycles. Key concepts Comparison of small subunit ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequences and other cellular characteristics revealed that Archaea are a distinct group of microbes and one of three domains of life on Earth. The majority of archaeal diversity is composed of two kingdoms: the Crenarchaeota and Euryarchaeota. Most of the cultured archaea are ‘extremophiles’, or organisms that are adapted to living under extreme environmental conditions. The common ecological factor among the Archaea is their propensity to thrive under conditions of chronic energy stress. The ‘uncultured majority’ refers to the abundant, widespread, and highly diverse groups of archaea that currently lack cultured isolates. The metabolic functions of some uncultured archaea have been revealed by combining molecular, biochemical and geochemical techniques. Keywords: Crenarchaeota; Euryarchaeota; methanogen; halophile; hyperthermophile
Essential Role for TLR9 in Prime but Not Prime-Boost Plasmid DNA Vaccination To Activate Dendritic Cells and Protect from Lethal Viral Infection

One of the requirements for efficient vaccination against infection is to achieve the best combination of an adequate adjuvant with the antigenic information to deliver. Although plasmid DNA is a promising tool bearing the unique potential to activate humoral and cellular immunity, an actual challenge is to increase plasmid immunogenicity in human vaccination protocols in which efficacy has proven rather limited. Previous work showed that the bacterial DNA backbone of the plasmid has potent adjuvant properties because it contains CpG motifs that are particular activating nucleotidic sequences. Among TLRs, which are key sensors of microbial products, TLR9 can detect CpG motifs and confer activation of APCs, such as dendritic cells. However, whether the immunogenic properties of plasmid DNA involve TLR9 signaling has not been clearly established. In the current study, we demonstrate that TLR9 determines the effectiveness of vaccination against lethal lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus infection using plasmid DNA in a prime, but not prime-boost, vaccination regimen. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the presence of TLR9 in dendritic cells is necessary for effective and functional priming of virus-specific CD8+ T cells upon plasmid exposure in vitro or single-dose vaccination in vivo. Therefore, at single or low vaccine doses that are often used in human-vaccination protocols, CpG/TLR9 interactions participate in the immunogenicity of plasmid DNA. These results suggest that the TLR9 signaling pathway is involved in the efficacy of plasmid vaccination; therefore, it should remain a focus in the development or amelioration of vaccines to treat infections in humans.
An Online Failure Detection Method for Data Buses Using Multithreshold Receiving Logic

Random voltage changes on bus lines may lead to reading corrupted digital data. A novel methodology for detecting such anomalies is proposed. It uses multiple threshold voltages at the receiver end. In earlier work it was shown that multiple voltage thresholds improve the performance along buses, especially when they are coupled as is often the case in deep-submicron. This work shows that multiple thresholds can also be used to identify voltage perturbations online. The mechanism is assessed on bus lines that may have up to two adjacent aggressors. The efficiency of the methodology is evaluated for perturbations at single and multiple receiving nodes of a data bus.
The influence of soil macroinvertebrates on primary biodegradation of starch-containing polyethylene films

The primary biodegradability of polyethylene (PE) films containing different percentages of cornstarch (0–50%) and other additives (prooxidant, oxidized polyethylene) was tested using four species of earthworms (Eisenia fetida, Lumbricus terrestris, Aporectodea trapezoides, Aporectodea tuberculata), three species of cockroaches (Periplaneta americana, Blaberus sp.,Blattella germanica), termites (Reticulotermes flavipes), sowbugs (Porcellio laevis), and crickets (Acheta domesticus). These studies were conducted to elucidate the potential role of soil macroinvertebrates in degrading starch/PE biodegradable plastics. The results of the macroinvertebrate bioassays indicate that crickets, cockroaches, and sowbugs consumed starch-containing PE films most readily. In addition, the degree to which the films were attacked and consumed was directly related to the starch content of the film. Films with oxidized polyethylene and those containing prooxidant (vegetable oil and a transition metal catalyst) were also consumed. None of the four species of earthworms tested or the termites showed any activity toward the starch/polyethylene films. These results have important implications for determining the fate of novel plastic formulations which claim to be biodegradable in natural environments. Studies such as these, coupled with studies on microbial degradation, will help provide the type of information needed to assess the environmental fate of biodegradable starch/PE plastics and fill the voids in the scientific database regarding this rapidly developing field.
Behavioral Side Effects of Gabapentin in Children

Summary: We report 7 children who received gabapentin (GBP) as adjunctive medication and subsequently developed behavioral side effects. These behavioral changes consisted of intensification of baseline behaviors as well as new behavioral problems. Behaviors that parents considered most troublesome were tantrums, aggression directed toward others, hyperactivity, and defiance. All behavioral changes were reversible and were managed by dose reduction or discontinuation of GBP. All children had baseline attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and developmental delays.
Evaluating the spectral distinction between sibilant fricatives through a speaker-centered approach

Abstract This study was designed to examine the feasibility of using the spectral mean and/or spectral skewness to distinguish between alveolar and palato-alveolar fricatives produced by individual adult speakers of English. Five male and five female speaker participants produced 100 CVC words with an initial consonant /s/ or /ʃ/. The spectral mean and skewness were derived every 10 ms throughout the fricative segments and plotted for all productions. Distinctions were examined for each speaker through visual inspection of these time history plots and statistical comparisons were completed for analysis windows centered 50 ms after the onset of the fricative segment. The results showed significant differences between the alveolar and palato-alveolar fricatives for both the mean and skewness values. However, there was considerable inter-speaker overlap, limiting the utility of the measures to evaluate the adequacy of the phonetic distinction. When the focus shifted to individual speakers rather than average group performance, only the spectral mean distinguished consistently between the two phonetic categories. The robustness of the distinction suggests that intra-speaker overlap in spectral mean between prevocalic /s/ or /ʃ/ targets may be indicative of abnormal fricative production and a useful measure for clinical applications.
ELECTROHYDRODYNAMIC CONDUCTION PUMPING OF DIELECTRIC LIQUIDS WITH ZERO DRAG ELECTRODES IN MACRO AND MICRO SCALE CHANNELS

In electrohydrodynamic (EHD) conduction pumping, charges generated by dissociation-recombination reaction in the liquid are redistributed by an applied electric field, resulting in the formation of heterocharge layers around the electrodes. The electric body-forces in the heterocharge layers are responsible for the fluid motion. In this study, theoretical/numerical study of EHD conduction pumping of a liquid using flat, embedded in the channel wall, electrodes is presented. This is extremely useful in pumping of liquids in small channels, as the electrodes do not penetrate into the liquid. A group of non-dimensional parameters is introduced. The operating conditions such as the applied voltage between the electrodes, the dimensions of electrodes, separation between the electrodes, the liquid properties are embodied into the set of non-dimensional parameters. Dimensionless numerical solutions are obtained illustrating the flow field under various operating conditions. The numerical solutions show that the EHD conduction phenomenon can generate pressure heads and net flow with electrodes as part of the channel wall, with minimal electric power consumptions.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Bag-of-visual-words and spatial extensions for land-use classification

We investigate bag-of-visual-words (BOVW) approaches to land-use classification in high-resolution overhead imagery. We consider a standard non-spatial representation in which the frequencies but not the locations of quantized image features are used to discriminate between classes analogous to how words are used for text document classification without regard to their order of occurrence. We also consider two spatial extensions, the established spatial pyramid match kernel which considers the absolute spatial arrangement of the image features, as well as a novel method which we term the spatial co-occurrence kernel that considers the relative arrangement. These extensions are motivated by the importance of spatial structure in geographic data.The methods are evaluated using a large ground truth image dataset of 21 land-use classes. In addition to comparisons with standard approaches, we perform extensive evaluation of different configurations such as the size of the visual dictionaries used to derive the BOVW representations and the scale at which the spatial relationships are considered.We show that even though BOVW approaches do not necessarily perform better than the best standard approaches overall, they represent a robust alternative that is more effective for certain land-use classes. We also show that extending the BOVW approach with our proposed spatial co-occurrence kernel consistently improves performance.
Mandatory Use of Electronic Mail and User Acceptance: A Case Study

This case study reports findings on user acceptance of an electronic mail system in a business college setting. It builds on earlier research of computer‐mediated communication systems by Hiltz and Johnson (1989). Although the use of the electronic mail system is mandatory in this organization, the overall results are parallel to earlier findings in terms of usage, satisfaction with, and perceived outcomes of the system. In contrast to a contention of earlier research, the current results suggest that mandatory use of electronic mail can be an appropriate strategy for implementing such systems in organizations.
A novel immunocompetent murine model for replicating oncolytic adenoviral therapy

Oncolytic adenoviruses are under investigation as a promising novel strategy for cancer immunotherapeutics. Unfortunately, there is no immunocompetent mouse cancer model to test oncolytic adenovirus because murine cancer cells are generally unable to produce infectious viral progeny from human adenoviruses. We find that the murine K-ras-induced lung adenocarcinoma cell line ADS-12 supports adenoviral infection and generates infectious viral progeny. ADS-12 cells express the coxsackie and adenovirus receptor and infected ADS-12 cells express the viral protein E1A. We find that our previously described oncolytic virus, adenovirus TAV-255 (AdTAV-255), kills ADS-12 cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. We investigated ADS-12 cells as an in-vivo model system for replicating oncolytic adenoviruses. Subcutaneous injection of ADS-12 cells into immunocompetent 129 mice led to tumor formation in all injected mice. Intratumoral injection of AdTAV-255 in established tumors causes a significant reduction in tumor growth. This model system represents the first fully immunocompetent mouse model for cancer treatment with replicating oncolytic adenoviruses, and therefore will be useful to study the therapeutic effect of oncolytic adenoviruses in general and particularly immunostimulatory viruses designed to evoke an antitumor immune response.
QoS routing for wireless ad hoc networks: problems, algorithms, and protocols

QoS routing plays an important role for providing QoS in wireless ad hoc networks. The goals of QoS routing are in general twofold: selecting routes with satisfied QoS requirement(s), and achieving global efficiency in resource utilization. In this article we first discuss some key design considerations in providing QoS routing support, and present a review of previous work addressing the issue of route selection subject to QoS constraint(s). We then devise an on-demand delay-constrained unicast routing protocol. Various strategies are employed in the protocol to reduce the communication overhead in acquiring cost-effective delay-constrained routes. Simulation results are used to verify our expectation of the high performance of the devised protocol. Finally, we discuss some possible future directions for providing efficient QoS routing support in wireless ad hoc networks.
Extreme and persistent drought in California and Patagonia during mediaeval time

STUDIES from sites around the world1–5 have provided evidence for anomalous climate conditions persisting for several hundred years before about AD 1300. Early workers emphasized the temperature increase that marked this period in the British Isles, coining the terms 'Mediaeval Warm Epoch' and 'Little Climatic Optimum', but many sites seem to have experienced equally important hydrological changes. Here I present a study of relict tree stumps rooted in present-day lakes, marshes and streams, which suggests that California's Sierra Nevada experienced extremely severe drought conditions for more than two centuries before ad ∼ 1112 and for more than 140 years before ad ∼ 1350. During these periods, runoff from the Sierra was significantly lower than during any of the persistent droughts that have occurred in the region over the past 140 years. I also present similar evidence from Patagonia of drought conditions coinciding with at least the first of these dry periods in California. I suggest that the droughts may have been caused by reorientation of the mid-latitude storm tracks, owing to a general contraction of the circumpolar vortices and/or a change in the position of the vortex waves. If this reorientation was caused by mediaeval warming, future natural or anthropogenically induced warming may cause a recurrence of the extreme drought conditions.
Ask the Experts: When should proton radiation therapy be used to treat brain tumors?

Jay S Loeffler, MD, FACR, FASTRO, is an honors graduate of both Williams College (MA, USA) and Brown University School of Medicine (RI, USA). Loeffler completed his radiation oncology training at the Harvard Joint Center for Radiation Therapy, where he served as Chief Resident in 1985–1986, after completing a year of postdoctoral fellowship at the Harvard School of Public Health Radiobiology Laboratory with Jack Little. Since 1986 he has served on the faculty at Harvard Medical School (MA, USA), initially at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital (MA, USA) and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (MA, USA). He also served as Director of the Brain Tumor Center at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Children’s Hospital from 1988 to 1996. He was recruited to the Massachusetts General Hospital (MA, USA) in 1996 as Director of the Northeast Proton Therapy Center. He served as the Andreas Soriano Professor and is currently the Herman and Joan Suit Professor of Radiation Oncology, Harvard Medical Sc...
Photodecomposition of water over Pt/TiO2 catalysts

Abstract Experiments demonstrate that the decomposition of water is catalytic at 23°C when a platinized, powdered titanium dioxide catalyst, illuminated with band-gap radiation, is used.
On the number of complete subgraphs and circuits in a graph

Erdos (1964) conjectured that a graph with nk nodes each of valence at least ( n - 1) k contains k disjoint complete subgraphs each with n nodes. This and a related conjecture of Grunbaum are discussed and proved in some special cases. Some similar results are obtained showing the existence of disjoint circuits in graphs with sufficiently high valences.
Finding a maximum-genus graph imbedding

The computational complexity of constructing the imbeddings of a given graph into surfaces of different genus is not well understood. In this paper, topological methods and a reduction to linear matroid parity are used to develop a polynomial-time algorithm to find a maximum-genus cellular imbedding. This seems to be the first imbedding algorithm for which the running time is not exponential in the genus of the imbedding surface.
Strategic planning decisions in an R & D setting

Strategic planning, by nature, is concerned with the organization's interaction with its environment and is normative because it deals with organizational motives and self image. The salient problem confronting strategic planning is to reflect the abstract and implicit value system held by management within a disciplined and informed analytical methodology. The Gas Research Institute has developed a strategic planning process, centered upon the annual development of a projection of the U.S. energy/economic situation. The process, which requires collaboration of top management and analytical staff, brings current environmental data and sophisticated methodology to bear on the outlook for the gas industry and gas-related technologies, but it ensures that analytical judgements will be influenced and, if necessary, overriden by current management values. Contradictions between managament perceptions and objective analysis are raised and resolved in an explicit process.
The Reagan administration's welfare retrenchment policy: terminating social security benefits for the disabled.

Large numbers of the permanently and totally disabled have had benefits terminated since 1980 as a result of a determined effort towards that end by the Reagan administration. This is an example of the process by which a major change in political ethos is translated into important changes in welfare benefit entitlement rules. It is also interesting since it seems to be the first instance of a large scale conscientious attempt of the executive branch to reach into and narrow the basic entitlement policy of the Social Security Administration. This normally would be done through joint executive, congressional and legislative action. This article presents the policy background of these events and reviews and analyzes the data about their consequences.
Perioperative mechanical circulatory support in children with critical heart disease.

The treatment of cardiovascular failure in the perioperative period with the use of mechanical circulatory support is a well-recognized, well-developed, and commonly utilized treatment modality. Regardless of the exact circumstances of initiation, the use of a support device is a “bridge.” Where there has been an acute myocardial insult, short-term assist devices can serve as a “bridge to immediate survival,” a “bridge to recovery,” or even a “bridge to the next decision.” Mechanical circulatory support can serve as a treatment of cardiovascular decompensation caused by myocarditis, acute myocardial insult, low cardiac output following surgery, and congenital heart disease. The utilization of such support carries significant risks such as bleeding, infection, and thrombosis. However, these can be minimized in order to allow for the safe and effective deployment of this therapeutic strategy. One specific therapeutic domain in which these devices provide immediate impact is during cardiac arrest. Although outcomes of cardiac arrest remain poor, use of a mechanical device as an intervention has allowed salvage of otherwise certain mortality. However, it is important to note that the utility of support was most pronounced in patients that were not on either extreme of the survival prediction curve. This can be best summarized by the concept of “not too early, not too late.” Therefore, it is the responsibility of the entire care team to find the appropriate patient population in which to “pull the trigger” on mechanical support as a therapy. This decision point is supported by a monitoring strategy that can be utilized to predict deterioration and intervene adequately. Most importantly, an effective monitoring strategy allows the practitioner to judge the effectiveness of treatment and support strategies and make adjustments in a timely manner, potentially with mechanical support in the perioperative period.
Thermodynamics of phase formation in the V–Ge system

Abstract Vaporization thermodynamics in the vanadium-rich portion of the vanadium–germanium system has been studied by high temperature Knudsen effusion mass spectrometry. Thermodynamic activities of V and Ge have been measured over the two-phase mixtures of V+V 3 Ge and V 3 Ge+V 5 Ge 3 in a temperature range of ca. 1750–1980 K, and Ge activity was measured over the V 5 Ge 3 +V 11 Ge 8 mixture. The activities were measured by direct comparison with solid V and liquid Ge metals. The standard free energies of formation of V 3 Ge and V 5 Ge 3 at high temperature were determined from the activity data. The standard free energies of formation were then combined with published heat capacity and standard molar entropy data, and used in a third-law evaluation of the standard enthalpies of formation at 298 K of all the four intermediate compounds in this system. The results obtained are: 1 4 V 3 Ge, −36.2±2.5 kJ; 1 8 V 5 Ge 3 , −45.9±2.5 kJ; 1 19 V 11 Ge 8 , −45.5±3.0 kJ; 1 48 V 17 Ge 31 , −35.0±3.0 kJ. The results obtained in this work are compared with previous estimates and measurements.
A Simple and Efficient Interprocess Communication System for Actually Using a Laboratory Computer Network

An interprocess communication system (IPCS) is being developed at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory to support a network of computers which do data acquisitioin and data processing for fusion experiments. The IPCS permits us to improve system performance by allowing us to move programs to different CPUs for increased efficiency or to add more CPUs for more parallel operation. We discuss motivations, architecture, implementation, usage and results of our experience with the IPCS.
Trailing-edge scalloping effect on flat-plate membrane wing performance

Abstract This investigation studies the effect of trailing-edge scalloping on the lift and drag force coefficients of flat, membrane wings that vibrate at low Reynolds numbers ( 61 , 000 ). A series of rigid, flat plate frames with moderate aspect ratio and repeating membrane cell structure were studied and compared to a rigid plate and a rigid scalloped plate. Lift and drag measurements were acquired using an external force-balance; flow fluctuation measurements were captured with a hot-wire. Results showed that the size and aspect ratio of the latex cell had a greater impact on lift than scalloping and that scalloping had a greater effect on drag than the cell aspect ratio. Compared to the solid wings, the membrane wings exhibited higher lift and drag coefficients, likely due to both effective cambering and dynamic interaction with the free shear layer. While trailing-edge scalloping decreased both the lift and drag coefficients relative to no scalloping, the greater effect was on drag, thus, increasing aerodynamic efficiency. The maximum lift-to-drag ratio was attained for a 25% scallop with a repeating cell aspect ratio of one. A unique nondimensional scaling of the membrane vibration peak frequency is also presented.
TU-A-108-10: Pencil Beam Scanning Vs. Passive Scattered Proton Therapy for Pediatric Thoracic/pelvic Cancers

Purpose: To investigate if and under what conditions pencil beam scanning (PBS) will offer therapeutic benefits compared to passive scattered proton therapy for pediatric patients with tumors in the thorax/pelvis. Methods: A cohort of six pediatric patients with thorax/pelvic solid tumors treated with passive scattered protons was selected. The tumor types included prostate/bladder rhabdomyosarcoma and spinal/pelvic ewing sarcoma. Five PBS plans were created and optimized for each patient with variable beam spot sizes and utility of beam shaping devices namely apertures and range compensators. These included 12, 8 and 3 mm spot sigma at the isocenter, 12 mm spot with the use of apertures and 12 mm spot with both aperture and compensator. The conformity index for all plans was calculated to ensure sufficient tumor coverage. Dose volume histograms were analyzed and equivalent uniform dose (EUD) for each organ was computed. PBS and PSPT were compared by obtaining the % differences between the two methods for individual organs and for each patient and scanning parameter setting. Results: The results clearly indicate that PBS with 12 mm sigma spots size does not offer dosimetric or clinical advantage over PSPT. However, adding apertures or both apertures and compensators could ensure equivalent or better treatment quality. On average the EUD difference was 0.2% of the prescribed dose for the larger spot size and −3.9% when adding both beam shaping components. Decreasing the spot size further improved all plans, providing better dosimetric quality than PSPT, while alleviating the need for beam shaping devices. Conclusion: The added benefit of using PBS largely depends on the delivery configurations. We recommend the use of beam shaping components in facilities limited to larger spot size (>10mm sigma), in order to sharpen the dose penumbra and reduce the organ at risk toxicity in children with thoracic/pelvic cancers.
Switching barriers and repurchase intentions in services

Abstract The current study moves beyond satisfaction and proposes that switching barriers are important factors impacting a customer’s decision to remain with a service provider. Switching barriers make customer defection difficult or costly and include interpersonal relationships, perceived switching costs, and the attractiveness of alternatives. We propose and find support for a contingency model between core-service satisfaction and switching barriers. The results indicate that the influence of core-service satisfaction on repurchase intentions decreases under conditions of high switching barriers. Although switching barriers had no influence on repurchase intentions when satisfaction was high, switching barriers positively influenced repurchase intentions when satisfaction was low. Implications of the results are discussed.
A Review of Sex Disparities in the “Key Players” of the Capital Punishment Process: From Defendants to Jurors

Extralegal disparities between defendants sentenced to the death penalty and those who receive life without parole disturb even the most resolute advocates of capital punishment. Extensive bodies of research document extralegal factors influencing death penalty outcomes. Although studies largely focus on race and ethnicity, a growing body of research considers the impact of sex on the capital sentencing process. This paper reviews the extant research on the impact of the sex of the victim, defendant, attorney, juror, and judge on capital case outcomes. Women’s scarcity on death row and a previously documented “female victim effect” condemning male defendants who kill female victims, particularly for those committing crimes of sexual degradation, suggests that death row policies and their implementation chivalrously protect female defendants and victims. Conversely, a limited amount of research documents a “domestic discount,” or greater leniency for death-eligible crimes commonly victimizing women than for those victimizing acquaintances or strangers. Although opinion polls document greater support for the death penalty among men than women, juror sex inconsistently predicts sentencing outcomes in the literature. Minimal research on judge and attorney sex finds female judges more liberal in death penalty sentencing than male judges and inconclusive relationships between attorney sex and adjudication. Findings in the research on sex and death penalty outcomes support the existence of a “sex effect” and inform recommendations for future research to expand the body of literature.
Discrimination behavior of rats with septal lesions in a cue addition deletion paradigm.

Abstract The discrimination behavior of rats with septal lesions is affected by their altered reactivity to stimulus conditions surrounding the learning situation. Compared to control animals rats with septal lesions are differentially affected by experience with cues relevant to the task itself. In the present experiment we examined the effects of septal lesions on how the rat responds to, and subsequently utilizes, cue information which is made relevant after the animal had achieved criterion performance in a discrimination task. Relative to control animals, rats with septal lesions apparently failed to attend to the newly relevant cues provided, and clearly were deficient when later called upon to utilize such information. However, the degree of deficit was related to the difficulty exhibited in acquisition of original learning. Thus, the more difficult the original learning task, the less deficient were lesioned animals compared to their control counterparts in subsequent situations demanding the utilization of new information. These findings are consistent with our notion that septal lesions alter the relative weighting placed on specific information which the CNS must process. Changes in learning performance reflect altered sensory reactivity.
Urogenital effects of hormone therapy

The urogenital tract and lower urinary tract are sensitive to the effects of oestrogen and progesterone throughout adult life. Epidemiological studies have implicated oestrogen deficiency in the aetiology of lower urinary tract symptoms occurring following the menopause. Although to date the role of oestrogen replacement therapy in the management of post-menopausal urinary incontinence remains controversial, its use in the management of women complaining of urogenital atrophy is now well established. This aim of this chapter is to review the recent evidence regarding the urogenital effects of hormone therapy with a particular emphasis on the management of post-menopausal urinary incontinence, recurrent lower urinary tract infections and urogenital atrophy.
Comparison of exogenous energy sources for in vitro maintenance of follicle cell-free Xenopus laevis oocytes.

The purpose of these experiments was to determine which exogenous energy sources are suitable for isolated follicle cell-free oocytes from the frog,Xenopus laevis. In order to compare prospective energy sources, follicle cell-free oocytes from 0.4 to 1.3 mm in diameter were incubated in a 1 mM concentration of each of a variety of energy sources and scored daily for the maintenance of morphological characteristics. Vitellogenic oocytes placed in succinate or fumarate deteriorated at the same time as those in saline alone. Oocytes incubated in oxaloacetate (OAA) appeared to remain in the best morphological condition, followed by oocytes maintained in pyruvate or glucose. Fully grown oocytes were tested at various times of incubation for their ability to respond to progesterone by undergoing germinal vesicle breakdown. These experiments showed that oocytes placed in OAA or pyruvate retained the ability to respond to progesterone longer than those in the other energy sources. Increased respiratory rates were stimulated in isolated oocyte mitochondria by succinate as well as pyruvate and OAA. However, oocytes incubated in labelled pyruvate evolved 80 to 140 times as much labelled CO2 as oocytes incubated in labelled glucose or succinate. In addition, it was found that the rate of uptake of pyruvate is 20 to 25 times greater than the rate of uptake of glucose or succinate. It is concluded from these experiments that OAA and pyruvate are the most effective exogenous energy sources for the in vitro maintenance ofXenopus oocytes. One possible explanation for the ineffectiveness of glucose or succinate as exogenous energy sources is a restriction in their uptake into the oocytes.
Molecular complexity of HLA-DQw3: The TA10 determinant is located on a subset of DQw3 β chains

Abstract In attempts to examine the relationships between serologic and structural polymorphisms of HLA-DQ molecules we have analyzed several monoclonal antibodies generated against polymorphic determinants on HLA-DQ molecules. One antibody, SFR20-DQw3, has a serologic reactivity like that of the previously characterized anti-DQw3-like monoclonal antibody. IVD12, but differs from IVD12 in its affinity for DQw3 molecules associated with DR4 and DRw9 haplotypes. Two other monoclonal antibodies have identical serologic and molecular specificity, and react with a subset of DQw3 positive cells: they have been designated SFR20-DQβ5. Biochemical analysis of the DQ molecules carried by DQw3-positive cell lines associated with different DR haplotypes (DR4, DR5, DRw8, DRw9, DRw12), reveal the presence of at least three different kinds of β chains carrying the DQw3 epitope. All the cell lines bound by SFR20-BQβ5 (DR5, DRw8, and DRw12) possess DQβ chains of indistinguishable electrophoretic mobility, which are different from the DQβ chains of DQw3 cell lines not bound by this antibody while DQw3 β chains carried by DR4 and DRw9 haplotypes are distinct from DQβ5-positive BLCL and from each other. The serologic reactivity of antibody DQβ5 correlates perfectly with in RFLP of the DQ β gene designated DQw3.1 (Kim et al.: PNAS 828139, 1985), and with the serologic specificity TA10 as defined during the Ninth International Workshop (Schreuder GMT et al.: Histocompatibility Testing 1984). SFR20-DQβ5 reacts with a separated β chain by Western blot analysis. The finding of industinguishable β chain electrophoretic mobility for all DQβ5/TA10 positive cell lines tested provide the molecular basis for these specificities, and strongly suggest that antibody SFR26-DQβ5 detects a single allele of the multiple DQβ alleles which can contribute to the formation of the DQw3 specificity.
Inherited 7 S immunoglobulin deficiency in chickens: late onset dysgammaglobulinemia and evaluation of the lymphocyte proliferative responses and other immunologic functions.

Abstract The age-dependent responses of immunoglobulin (Ig) production and its correlation with normal immune function was studied in University of California, Davis (UCD), line 140 chickens, an animal model which develops a syndrome analogous to acquired agammaglobulinemia of humans. For approximately 50 days after hatching, UCD 140 birds generally have normal serum Ig levels. This is then followed by the appearance of dysgammaglobulinemia. The dysgammaglobulinemia was characterized as selective 7 S Ig deficiency, with increased serum levels of IgM, and either normal or moderately elevated levels of IgA. In contrast, the proliferative responses of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) to T- and B-cell mitogens, the in vivo and in vitro delayed hypersensitivity responses to tuberculin, and the serum hemolytic complement levels of UCD 140 birds appeared normal and there was no significant reduction in Ig-bearing PBL. Dysgammaglobulinemic birds with no detectable 7 S Ig were capable of mounting vigorous IgM primary antibody responses to sheep red blood cells and to dinitrophenyl and secondary IgM responses to dinitrophenyl. Finally, the disease was not clearly associated with the major histocompatibility complex genotypes.
Robust Design of a Micro-Electromechanical System in the Presence of Assembly Uncertainty

Three methods of minimizing error between the transient response of a dynamic system with parameter variation and its nominal open-loop dynamics are tested on a second-order example system of a piezoelectric microactuator. The example system is a piezoelectrically actuated silicon flexure intended for use in micro-robotic systems. Polymer and silicon layers are to be stacked on top of the original flexure to increase out-of-plane weight-bearing capacity, but this process is subject to substantial alignment error. The procedures evaluated in this paper seek target stiffness and damping coefficients that minimize error in open-loop actuator motion. The first method is based on simple damping ratio and natural frequency calculations, while the second and third methods are based on state-space and transfer function models, respectively. All three approaches reduce error in transient dynamics compared to nominal designs based solely on static weight-bearing or fabrication considerations, with the state-based being identified as usable to a wide range of systems, although the ability to reduce sensitivity to model variation in purely open-loop operation is limited.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Reduction of IgM and characterization of the products

Abstract We have found that mild reduction of human IgM with 2-mercaptoethylamine (MEA)§ yields 2 major components, monomeric subunits (IgMs) and what appears to be the half molecule of IgMs, H–L. In non-dissociating buffers, 2 molecules of H–L form a non-covalently-associated IgMs. Five monoclonal IgM proteins were mildly reduced with MEA under various conditions. The reduced IgM proteins were analyzed by gel electrophoresis in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The analysis was carried out both 0.5% agarose-2.5% acrylamide gel and 5% acrylamide gel. The reduced preparations of all 5 IgM proteins showed IgMs and H-L in addition to the small amount of the remaining intact pentamer. One of the IgM proteins, IgM Widr, was further studied in detail. The reduced and carboxymethylated IgM Widr was subjected to ultracentrifugal analysis in 0.32 M NaCl biffered with 10 −3 M sodium borate (pH 8.0). Only two peaks of 6.4S and 16S were observed. The approximate ratio of the amounts of the two peaks was 7.3 (6.4S):1 (16S). This result indicates that 2 molecules of H-L associated non-covalently and this associated material is co-sedimented with IgMs. Supporting evidence was obtained by a gel filtration study of the ultracentrifuged material. The gel filtrate on a Sephadex G-200 column showed a small peak eluting at the void volume and a large peak, the mol. wt of which was determined to be 185,000 daltons. Several fractions of the first and the second peaks were analyzed by SDS gel electrophoresis. The first peak contained covalently bonded pentamer and some oligomers. The second peak contained IgMs and H-L.