cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Customer Reviews Are Not Always Informative: The Impact of Effortful Versus Heuristic Processing

Abstract Online customer reviews and ratings are powerful sources of information that influence travel purchase decisions. The complexity of the online environment lends itself to heuristic processing, which aids in decision-making yet may bias perceptions. However, enlisting systematic processing reduces dependence on heuristics. Research suggests that base rate information is often neglected in favor of information that is more salient but less diagnostic. In the online review environment, base rate information takes the form of recommendation percentages, and review content varies in usefulness. This research examines the effect of base rate information, review content, and processing effort in a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design. The results indicate that ambiguous base rate information and high processing effort cause consumers to pay greater attention to review content. In turn, this influences consumers’ perceptions, decisions, and recall. The findings deepen our understanding of dual processing systems and how they influence consumer choice.
Graphite as a Standard Reference Material

The Cryogenics Division (Boulder, Colorado) in conjunction with the Office of Standard Reference Materials (Gaithersburg, MD) of the National Bureau of Standards has been investigating graphite as a potential, extended temperature range, Standard Reference Material (SRM). A large number of isotropic, fine-grained graphite rods in various diameters have been obtained for homogeneity and stability investigations. Electrical resistivity and density measurements have been performed on numerous rods at temperatures from 4 to 300 K. Thermal conductivity measurements have been performed on thirteen specimens at about 20°C. These measurements show that transport property variations both between and within these rods is relatively large (approximately 10%). However, a correlation between these variables is shown to exist which will allow the calculation of thermal conductivity from simple and inexpensive electrical resistivity and density measurements to within about ± 2%.
Detection of transverse cirrus bands in satellite imagery using deep learning

Abstract We demonstrate the viability of using a convolutional neural network (CNN) for facial recognition of meteorological phenomena in satellite imagery. Transfer learning was used to fine tune the widely used VGG-16 network architecture and allow the network to successfully detect (94% accuracy) the presence of transverse cirrus bands (TCBs) in NASA MODIS and VIIRS satellite browse imagery. The CNN exhibited better performance compared to a random forest classifier (84% accuracy) and was further validated by applying it to NASA satellite browse imagery in order to create a multi-year (2013–2015) global heat map of TCB occurrence. The annual heat map shows spatial patterns that are consistent with known mechanisms for the generation of TCBs, providing confidence in the CNN classifications. Our study shows that CNNs are well suited for meteorological phenomena detection due to their generalization capabilities and strong performance. An immediate application of our work intends to enable phenomena-based search of big satellite imagery databases. With additional modifications, the CNN could be utilized for other applications such as providing situational awareness to operational forecasters or developing phenomena specific climatologies.
Roles of Fisher Type Information in Latent Trait Models

In the present paper, recent development in latent trait models, or item response theory, will be reviewed, and roles of the Fisher type information will be discussed by introducing various information functions and the ways they are used in latent trait models. Weakly parallel tests and their usefulness will be discussed. It will be shown that the test information function can be used to link modern mental test theory with classical mental test theory, through so-called the reliability coefficient of a test and the standard error of measurement. It will be demonstrated that the square root of the test information function is useful in the transformation of the ability scale to provide us with a new scale with a constant amount of test information, or a equally discriminating ability scale, and the transformation will make mathematics simpler in certain nonparametric methods of estimating the operating characteristics, among others. Nonparametric estimation of the operating characteristics of discrete item responses will be introduced which includes Bivariate P.D.F. Approach and Conditional P.D.F. Approach, and, in particular, Simple Sum and Differential Weight Procedures of the Conditional P.D.F. Approach will be discussed. A certain constancy in the amount of information provided by a single dichotomous item will be observed.
Chromatic Polynomial of a Graph (CHROMP)

This chapter presents an algorithm CHROMP for generating a chromatic polynomial of a graph. It discusses a graph G of n vertices. A proper coloring of G means an assignment of colors to the vertices of G in such a way that the endpoints of no edge of G have the same color. The chapter presents a graph G of 4 vertices and a proper coloring of G in three colors R, Y, B . For a fixed positive integer λ, the number of proper colorings of G in λ or fewer colors is denoted by P (λ). In counting P (λ), the vertices of G are regarded as labeled with the labels 1, 2, …, n , and two proper colorings of G are different if any one of the ordered pairs ( V , color of V ) ( V = 1, 2, …, n ) are different in the two colorings. The values P (λ) turn out to be the values of a polynomial P at the nonnegative integers λ. This polynomial is called the chromatic polynomial of the graph G . The chapter discusses subroutine specifications and presents sample output.
Observations of Winds, Storms, and Related Phenomena

The great utility of centimeter-wavelength pulsed-Doppler radar for storm observation derives from its capability to estimate the reflectivity η and radial velocity v fields inside the storm's shield of clouds. If single-beam radars are used, a three-dimensional picture of a storm takes about 2–5 minutes of data collection time, not only because of antenna rotation limitations, but also because a large number of echoes from each resolution volume needs to be processed to reduce the statistical uncertainty in the η and v estimates ( Chapter 6). Although the storm can change significantly during this period, leading to distortion of the radar image of the reflectivity and velocity fields, highly significant achievements have been made in depicting its structure and evolution.
Probing the structure and function of potassium channels with α-K toxin blockers

This review examines recent work aimed at revealing the molecular structures of the potassium channel vestibules using the α-K toxin (α-KTx) peptide blockers from the venoms of scorpions. The three subfamilies of α-K toxins are discussed in terms of their specificity for voltage-gated potassium (Kv) channels and for the large-conductance calcium-activated (maxi-K) channel. Among the α-KTx subfamilies, the three-dimensional solution structures all share a common β sheet/helix motif. However, there are differences in the toxin electrostatic structures and subtle differences in their α-carbon backbone structures that may underlie potassium channel specificity. The binding of these α-KTx's to the extracellular potassium channel pore is modulated by electrostatic interactions and by the channel gating conformation. Thus, these toxins are exceptional sensors of the electrostatic environment of the channel vestibule. Changes in toxin binding free energy, resulting from site-specific toxin mutants, have revealed a low resolution image of the α-KTx receptor surface and consequently the K channel vestibule. Interactions between specific residues on the toxin and on the channel were revealed by applying the principle of additivity of binding free energy to identify pairwise toxin:channel contacts. These interactions provide structural information about amino acids that line the Shaker potassium channel pore.
New sulphide glasses in the ZrS2-K2S-GeS2 system

Etude de 3 series de verre afin d'etudier l'effet de l'addition de ZrS 2 et K 2 S: dans la serie 1ere serie, GeSr 2 est partiellement substitue par ZrSr 2 ; dans la 2eme, la composition de GeS 2 est fixee a 95,90 ou 80% en mole alors que ZrS 2 est substitue par K 2 S; dans la 3eme, K 2 S est ajoute a la place de GeS 2 avec la quantite de ZrS 2 fixee a 1, 2 ou 3% en mole
Postoperative Opiate Use in Urological Patients: A Quality Improvement Study Aimed at Improving Opiate Disposal Practices.

Purpose:We aimed to determine trends in postoperative opiate management among urological patients, identify associations with opiate keeping and foster appropriate opiate disposal after surgery via...
Dexmedetomidine for Postoperative Sedation Following Stereotactic Lead Placement

Dexmedetomidine has become an increasingly popular alternative to benzodiazepines and opioids as a safe agent for sedation and pain control, especially in pediatric populations. In this study, we present a case of postoperative use of dexmedetomidine in a pediatric patient, with a known history of behavioral difficulties, who underwent stereotactic lead placement for medically refractory epilepsy.
Procedure for Estimating Shear-Induced Seismic Slope Displacement for Shallow Crustal Earthquakes

AbstractShear-induced seismic slope displacement is estimated for earth structures or natural slopes due to shallow crustal earthquakes along active plate margins. The proposed procedure utilizes 6...
Characteristics and outcomes of patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing endovascular revascularization: A community hospital perspective.

BackgroundThere are limited data on outcomes for patients with peripheral artery disease undergoing endovascular revascularization by multi-disciplinary teams in a community hospital setting.Method...
Long induction of tolerance to imatinib

Imatinib is used to treat several haematological and solid malignancies. Cutaneous side effects could often limit the use of this medication. We present a case of a 62-year-old woman with a history of a gastrointestinal stromal tumour that developed a delayed cutaneous adverse reaction 10 days after starting imatinib 400 mg daily. She developed the same symptoms with reintroduction at a dose of 100 mg and with an alternative tyrosine kinase inhibitor, nilotinib 50 mg/day. Given that imatinib was considered her best treatment, she underwent a long induction of drug tolerance (IDT) protocol to imatinib. Patient tolerated the medication without further reactions for 6 months and had improvement of her cancer per last imaging studies. IDT should be considered in delayed hypersensitivity reactions to imatinib after a failed reintroduction of the drug or when no other equally effective agents are available.
Congruence Effects in Online Customer Reviews: The Mediating Role of Perceived Information Relevance

Research addressing the message appeals of online customer reviews has arisen to deepen our understanding of consumer decision-making in online retail environments. Prior research suggests that there are two types of message appeals: emotional and rational (Huang et al., 2013; Kotler & Keller, 2008; Liu et al., 2018; Wu & Wang, 2011). The former can elicit consumers’ emotions to induce purchase willingness, whereas the latter appeals to their cognition and reasoning highlighting product functions and practical benefits. Retailing research (e.g., Kang & Park-Poaps, 2010) to date has widely explored consumers’ shopping orientations, which are largely originated from hedonic and utilitarian conceptions. However, the congruence effect between a message appeal of online customer reviews and shopping orientation has not been sufficiently established. To address this research gap, the purposes of this study were (a) to investigate how a congruence between a message appeal of online reviews and shopping orientation affects perceived relevance of information presented in an online customer review and, in turn, leads to consumers’ purchase intention and (b) to examine the role of cumulative customer satisfaction and overall perceived risk in directly affecting purchase intention as well as in moderating the relationship between perceived relevance and purchase intention. A 2 (message appeal of online customer reviews: emotional vs. rational) x 2 (shopping orientation: hedonic vs. utilitarian) between-subjects experiment was conducted with 227 U.S. participants through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The results confirmed the congruence effect between a message appeal of online customer reviews and shopping orientation, ultimately leading to purchase intention. The participants who had a hedonic (vs. utilitarian) shopping orientation perceived a higher congruence when they viewed an emotional (vs. rational) review than a rational (vs. emotional) one. The relationship between perceived congruence and purchase intention was partially mediated by perceived information relevance. Contrary to the hypothesis, the participants were more willing to purchase a product that has a relevant review when they had been less (vs. more) satisfied with an e-tailer over time. However, both direct and indirect effects of perceived risk were found to be insignificant. The results of this study contribute to the literature on electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) by providing empirical evidence of congruence effects in online customer reviews. In addition, this study extends the findings of prior research by confirming the role of perceived information relevance. This study offers actionable guidelines to practitioners in ways to increase perceived information relevance.
Patent ductus arteriosus occlusion in small dogs utilizing a low profile Amplatz® canine duct occluder prototype.

Abstract Objectives To develop procedural methodology and assess the safety, utility and effectiveness of a low profile Amplatz ® canine duct occluder (ACDO) prototype in dogs deemed too small to undergo ductal occlusion with the commercially-available ACDO device. Animals Twenty-one dogs with left-to-right shunting patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). Dogs were ≥1.5 kg but considered too small to accommodate a 6 Fr catheter or 4 Fr sheath within the femoral artery. Methods Prospective canine study using a low profile ACDO prototype delivered through a 4 Fr catheter via a femoral arterial approach. Procedural methods, fluoroscopy time, perioperative complications, and residual ductal flow were evaluated, and angiographic ductal morphology and dimensions were tabulated. Results All 21 dogs underwent successful ductal occlusion using the prototype device, 4 Fr catheter, and right femoral artery approach. No perioperative complications or device embolization occurred. The median minimal ductal diameter was 1.9 mm (range, 0.4–3.4), and the median device size deployed was 4 mm (range, 3–6). Complete ductal occlusion was noted in 17 dogs (81%) on post-deployment angiography. Twenty dogs (95%) had no residual flow on echocardiography performed the following day. In the 17 dogs (81%) that returned for a long-term (≥3months) follow-up evaluation, all had complete ductal occlusion based on echocardiography. Conclusions The low profile ACDO prototype is a safe and effective method of PDA occlusion in the small dog. The deployment procedure appears of similar technical difficulty to the commercially available ACDO.
Documentos para la historio social de Popayán en el Siglo XVIII

Documentos para la Historia Social de Papayan en el siglo XVIII. Varios/ Archivo Central del Central del Cauca. Fondo: Protocolos Notariales. Anos 1616, 1620, 1621, 1629, 1634. Transcripcion de Peter Marzahl// En: Anuario No. 5 (1970); p. 143-188. Serie de documentos, testamentos, contratos, etc., en donde se dan datos importantes para reconstruir aspectos de la economia y sociedad del Cauca del siglo XVIII, tales como: numero de vecinos, encomenderos, mano de obra indigena y esclava; importancia de la mineria como motor economico de la region; relaciones entre encomienda y control de mano de obra; el desarrollo de una economia mercantil con surgimiento de companias para tal actividad.
Anodic reductions—V : The reduction of diketones by unipositive magnesium anodically generated

Abstract A series of diketones of the general formula C 6 H 5 CO(CH 2 n COC 6 H 5 has been prepared and subjected to “anodic reduction” in sodium iodide-pyridine solution between magnesium electrodes. In every case hydrolysis of the anolyte following electrolysis yielded a 1:2-diol as the reduction product as evidenced by titration with standard lead tetraacetate solution. The diketones, 1:3-dibenzoylpropane ( n = 3) and 1:4-dibenzoylbutane ( n = 4), gave cis -1:2-diphenyl cyclo pentane-1:2-diol and cis -1:2-diphenyl cyclo hexane-1:2-diol, respectively. On the assumption that the other diketones also gave cyclic 1:2-diols, there is a striking correlation between the initial mean valence number ( V i ) of the magnesium entering solution from the anode and the size of the ring; the lowest V i values were obtained in those instances where the diketones originally in solution gave the most stable cyclic diols. Interpretations are offered for these results and for corrosion phenomena observed.
Concerning the League: The Iroquois League Tradition as Dictated in Onondaga

Concerning the League: The Iroquois League Tradition as Dictated in Onondaga by John Arthur Gibson. Hanni Woodbury. ed. and trans., in collaboration with Reg Henry and Harry Webster on the basis of A. A. Goldenweiser's manuscript. Algonquian and Iroquoian Linguistics Memoir, 9. Winnepeg, Manitoba: linguistic Department, University of Manitoba, 1992. 755 pp.
Punishing Sex Offenders

Certain constitutional protections are invoked only if the government is imposing criminal punishment on a person. In the context of sex offender laws such as Megan’s laws and sex offender commitment schemes, considerable litigation has resulted on the very question whether these measures should be treated as civil or criminal in nature, with one consequence being that certain constitutional protections are either in play or not implicated. This article addresses the general concept of “punishment” for constitutional purposes and how that principle has played out in the Supreme Court’s cases in the sex offender context in particular.
Validity of non-physical RLGC models for simulating lossy transmission lines

A non-physical RLGC model for transmission lines is developed through the propagating wave behavior analysis. The non-physical RLGC model is different from the conventional RLGC model with physical RLGC values in the sense that it uses non-physical parameters. The parameters of the non-physical RLGC model are made up of frequency-dependent characteristic impedances and propagation constants. A lossy transmission line is simulated using the non-physical RLGC model. This has been compared with the transmission line equation (quasi-TEM assumption) and TDR measurements, which show good agreement.
Small inductive dimension of completions of metric spaces. II

Extending the results of a previous paper under the same title we show that, under S(No), ind c vpe2 = 2.
The Politics of Regret: On Collective Memory and Historical Responsibility

1. Introduction Part 1: The Sociology of Memory 2. Collective Memory: The Two Cultures 3. Collective Memory and Cultural Constraint: Holocaust Myth and Rationality in the Federal Republic of Germany 4. Genre Memories and Memory Genres: A Dialogical Analysis of May 8th, 1945 Commemorations in the Federal Republic of Germany 5. Figurations of Memory: A Process-Relational Approach Part 2: The Politics of Regret 6. The Politics of Regret: Analytical Frames 7. The Value of Regret: Lessons from and for Germany 8. Collective Memory and Chronic Differentiation: Historicity and the Public Sphere 9. From Theodicy to Ressentiment: Trauma and the Ages of Compensation
The Three Mechanisms of Heat Transfer: Conduction, Convection, and Radiation

In general, heat flows from here to there by three distinct mechanisms: by conduction, or the transfer of energy from matter to adjacent matter by direct contact, without intermixing or flow of any material. by convection, or the transfer of energy by the bulk mixing of clumps of material. In natural convection it is the difference in density of hot and cold fluid which causes the mixing. In forced convection a mechanical agitator or an externally imposed pressure difference (by fan or compressor) causes the mixing. by radiation such as light, infrared, ultraviolet and radio waves which emanate from a hot body and are absorbed by a cooler body. In turn, let us briefly summarize the findings on these three mechanisms of heat transfer.
A Minimized Technological Approach towards Human Self Sufficiency off Earth

Since the early 1970's it has been known that it is technically feasible to build large habitats in space where many people could live, more or less, independently off Earth. These large habitats would require decades of Apollo level expenditures to build. The objective of this paper is to begin the study of the minimum technological system that wi11 enable the historic shift from the state where all of humanity is dependent on Earth to the state where an independent human community can exist off Earth. It is suggested that such a system is more on the order of a homestead than a city. A minimum technical system is described that could support one human reproductive unit (family) in free space or on a planetary or lunar surface. The system consists of life support, materials extraction, mobility, and power production. Once the technology is developed for the single unit, many could be deployed. They could reproduce themselves at an exponential rate using space resources and energy. One would imagine cooperation of these units to build any combination of towns, cities and nations in space to extend human life beyond Earth.
Peripheral conduit and resistance artery function are improved following a single, 1-h bout of peristaltic pulse external pneumatic compression.

External pneumatic compression (EPC) is being employed for a widening range of clinical and non-clinical populations. However, EPC devices vary markedly in treatment pressures, duty cycles and application sites, and the acute effects of whole limb, lower pressure EPC on peripheral vascular function have not been determined. The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effects of a single bout of peristaltic pulse EPC on peripheral conduit and resistance artery function. Twenty (n = 20; males = 12 and females = 8) young and apparently healthy subjects (aged 26.1 ± 8.2 years) participated in this study. A sequential EPC device with five inflation zones arranged linearly and inflating distal to proximal along the lower limbs was employed with target inflation pressures of 70 mmHg for 1 h. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) of the brachial and popliteal arteries was evaluated with ultrasound before and after EPC. Venous occlusion plethysmography was employed to evaluate limb blood flow at rest and during reactive hyperemia (RH) in the forearm (FBF) and calf (CBF) before and after EPC. Peak RH CBF was increased by 9 % after EPC (P 0.25). Normalized popliteal artery FMD post-EPC (2.24 ± 1.41) was significantly higher than pre-EPC (1.36 ± 0.67, P = 0.015) and post-sham (1.58 ± 0.86, P = 0.032) values. Similarly, normalized brachial artery FMD post-EPC (1.47 ± 0.32) was significantly higher than pre-EPC (1.11 ± 0.41, P = 0.004) and post-sham (0.99 ± 0.27, P = 0.026) values. Acutely, whole limb, lower pressure EPC improves conduit artery endothelial function systemically, but only improves RH blood flow locally (i.e., compressed limbs).
A Review of “The Normal Bar: The Secrets of Happy Couples and What They Reveal About Creating a New Normal in Your Relationship”

This is one of the most engaging, easy-to-read, and entertaining books in the relationship field, with cartoons that rival those found in The New Yorker. This book is based on a web-based interacti...
Formation of D-penicillamine-cysteine mixed disulphide by reaction of D-benzylpenicilloic acid with cystine.

As part of a study of skin sensitization to benzyl-pencillin, I have investigated, the behaviour of D-benzylpenicilloic acid (4-carboxy-5,5′-dimethyl-α-phenylacetamido-2-thiazolidine acetic acid). This compound was found to give allergic cross-reactions of the contact dermatitis type with both benzylpenicillin and D-penicillamine (unpublished work).
Interleukin-Iα, Epidermal Growth Factor, and Transforming Growth Factor-β Exhibit Differential Kinetics on Endothelin-I Synthesis in Amnion Cells

To investigate the effects of three cytokines, interleukin-1α (IL-1α), epidermal growth factor (EGF), and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β), on the regulation of endothelin-1 (ET-1) mRNA and protein production in human amnion cells. Human amnion cells were harvested from uncomplicated pregnancies undergoing elective cesarean delivery at term and grown in primary monolayer culture. Cells were treated with IL-1α, EGF, and TGF-β for dose-response and time course experiments. Northern analysis was used to determine ET-1 mRNA expression, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used for ET-1 peptide determination. Interleukin-1α, EGF, and TGF-β induced the expression of ET-1 mRNA and protein in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. The kinetics of ET-1 mRNA production did not differ markedly with respect to the inducing cytokine, but the kinetics of ET-1 protein production was quite different. Interleukin-1α and EGF stimulated a rapid increase in ET-1 that peaked by 24 hours, and the levels declined to just above the detection limit by 72 hours. In contrast, TGF-β-stimulated cells showed modest ET-1 production at early times (4-24 hours) and then gradually increased and peaked at 72 hours. Cytokines modulate the expression of ET-1 mRNA and its cognate protein in human amnion cells. The differential kinetics of ET-1 peptide expression in amnion cells suggests that ET metabolism as well as synthesis contribute to the net expression of endothelin in amnion.
Special report: Electrotechnology in China: Components, computers, telecommunications, and power ¿ An inside look at the state of the art in the People's Republic

This article is a distillation of impressions reported by a group of IEEE members who visited communications, computer, power equipment, and integrated-circuit factories in the Chinese People's Republic.
Not Yet A Garrison State: Reconsidering Eisenhower's Military-Industrial Complex

��� Dwight Eisenhower’s farewell address continues to resonate, beyond this admirable special edition of Enterprise & Society. The term he employed to describe the influence of corporations and financial interests over national defense policy, the “military–industrial complex,” usefully summarized phenomenon of his time. It also depicts an ongoing and arguably even structural phenomenon within contemporary American society. Ike would therefore appear in retrospect one part keen observer, another prophet. As the articles in this forum collectively suggest, the ideas embedded within his now-famous phrase continue to frame contemporary scholarship fifty years after his final Oval Office speech, though with a far narrower lens than Ike envisioned, and with less dire societal results than he feared. The military–industrial complex is both more real, and less frightening, than he foretold. At least, so far. 1 The term itself, “military–industrial complex,” has fully entered the national lexicon in the ensuing five decades. It shapes punditry and public opinion, and even how academics conceive of their studies. Our forum authors have largely taken their charge to write on
Improving genetic algorithm performance with intelligent mappings from chromosomes to solutions

Genetic algorithms (GA) generally use a simple, straightforward mapping from phenotype to genotype. The mapping is often so simple that we can think of the chromosome space and solution space as being identical. In this research, we look instead at many-to-one mappings from phenotypes to genotypes, as defined by polynomial-time domain-specific functions. These mappings may transform the search space of a particular problem so that it is easier for the GA to converge on good solutions. In order to study the effect these many-to-one mappings could have on a problem, we applied increasingly “intelligent” mappings to the problem of scheduling college courses. We looked at five different mappings, ranging from a very simple and direct mapping, to one that makes use of all hard and soft constraints in a flexible manner. Each of the mappings implement a greedy approach to scheduling the courses.
New method to delineate myocardial damage at surgery.

A technique is described for obtaining unipolar and bipolar ventricular electrograms at surgery. The alterations in the form of the electrogram in various pathologic states are consistent, reliable, and reproducible. The method has advantages over dye technique for delineating areas of damaged myocardium and has been used in a clinical series of 12 patients undergoing cardiac surgery.
Time-triggered buffers for event-based middleware systems

Application developers utilizing event-based middleware have sought to leverage domain-specific modeling for the advantages of intuitive specification, code synthesis, and support for design evolution. For legacy and cyber-physical systems, the use of event-based middleware may mean that changes in computational platform can result anomalous system behavior, due to the presence of implicit temporal dependencies. These anomalies are a function not of the component implementation, but of the model of computation employed for supporting system composition. In order to address these behavioral anomalies, the paper presents an approach where time-based blocks are inserted into the system to account for the temporal dependencies. An advantage of capturing the system composition in a domain-specific modeling language is the ability to efficiently refactor an application to include time-triggered, event-based schedulers. This paper describes how an existing event-based component topology can be modified to permit a time-triggered model of computation, with no changes to the existing component software. Further, the time-triggered components can be deployed alongside standard publish/subscribe methodologies. This strategy is beneficial to the maintenance of existing legacy systems upon upgrade, since the current operational mode could be maintained with minimal changes to the legacy software even under changes to the target platform which alter execution speed. These time-triggered layers are discussed in three permutations: fully triggered, start triggered, and release triggered. A discussion is provided regarding the limitations of each approach, and a brief example is given. The example shows how to apply these triggering approaches without the modification of existing components, but instead through the insertion of triggered buffers between legacy components.
Designing an Efficient and Scalable Server-side Asynchrony Model for CORBA

When the Asynchronous Method Invocation (AMI) model was introduced into the CORBA specification, client applications benefited from the ability to invoke non-blocking two-way requests. In particular, AMI improved the scalability of clients by removing the restrictions associated with Synchronous Method Invocations (SMI). Server request handling remained synchronous, however, which minimized the benefits of AMI for middle-tier servers, such as firewall gateways and front-end database servers.This paper describes our strategy for implementing a scalable server-side asynchrony model for CORBA. We first outline the key design challenges faced when developing an Asynchronous Method Handling (AMH) model for CORBA and then describe how we are resolving these challenges in TAO, our high-performance, real-time CORBA ORB. In general, AMH-based CORBA servers provide more scalability than existing concurrency models, with only a moderate increase in programming complexity. Although targeted for CORBA, similar techniques can also be used in other method-oriented middleware, such as COM+ and Java RMI.
Determination of restriction sites and the nucleotide sequence surrounding the relaxation site of ColE1

Abstract The relaxation site of ColE1 has been located within the restriction fragment HpaII L, which is 148 base-pairs in length. Restriction mapping data indicate that the relaxation nick (the presumptive origin of transfer) of ColE1 is located at a distance of 250 to 300 nucleotides away from the replication origin, downstream in the direction of replication. This result is consistent with the observation made by Inselburg (1977), that the relaxation phenomenon probably does not play a direct role in vegetative replication of ColE1. The sequence of 185 nucleotides surrounding the relaxation site has been determined and this contains a translational symmetry and several 2-fold rotational symmetries. These symmetric elements may be recognition sites for proteins involved in the conjugal transfer of ColE1. The sequence further demonstrates that the relaxation site, unlike the cis A nicking site of φX174, is located in an intercistronic region. The site of the relaxation break has a 2-fold rotational symmetry.
Marketing a Policy Idea: Elite Frame Selection and Development in Ballot Initiative Campaigns

The importance of issue framing is well documented in public opinion and policy literature. While many analyze the impact of frames at the policy subsystem or public opinion level, this article identifies factors that influence frame selection and development in drug policy reform initiative campaigns. This study investigates why policy entrepreneurs choose to sponsor and advance medical marijuana ballot initiatives and draws on campaign literature, advertisements, and interviews to analyze the role of three forces that affect elite frame development: receptivity of public opinion, access to financial and media resources, and availability and credibility of spokespersons. These conditions influenced medical marijuana proponents' emphasis on patient rights, treatment options, and compassion as well as opponents' arguments about lack of evidence of medical effectiveness, the broader agenda of advocates, and conflicts with federal law. The case of drug control policy lends insight into the factors that shape elite frame selection and dissemination and points to avenues for future research.
Quantitative description of the workload associated with airway management procedures

Abstract Study Objectives: To measure the workload associated with specific airway management tasks. Setting and Intervention: Written survey instrument. Patients: 166 Stanford University and 75 University of California, San Diego, anesthesia providers. Measurements and Main Results: Subjects were asked to use a seven-point Likert-type scale to rate the level of perceived workload associated with different airway management tasks with respect to the physical effort, mental effort, and psychological stress they require to perform in the typical clinical setting. The 126 subjects completing questionnaires (overall 52% response rate) consisted of 43% faculty, 26% residents, 23% community practitioners, and 8% certified registered nurse-anesthetists (CRNAs). Faculty physicians generally scored lower workload measures than residents, whereas community practitioners had the highest workload scores. Overall, workload ratings were lowest for laryngeal mask airway (LMA) insertion and highest for awake fiberoptic intubation. Airway procedures performed on sleeping patients received lower workload ratings than comparable procedures performed on awake patients. Direct visualization procedures received lower workload ratings than fiberoptically guided procedures. Conclusions: These kinds of data may permit more objective consideration of the nonmonetary costs of technical anesthesia procedures. The potential clinical benefits of the use of more complex airway management techniques may be partially offset by the impact of increased workload on other clinical demands.
The efficacy of 500 centigray radiation in the prevention of heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty: a prospective, randomized, pilot study

A prospective, randomized, pilot study comparing 500 cGy (group A) versus 1,000 cGy (group B) radiation treatment for the prevention of heterotopic bone in a consecutive group of high-risk patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty was performed. Treatment was initiated within ninety-six hours and given in equal, divided doses: 2 doses for group A and 5 doses for group B. No statistically significant difference was found in the demographics between the 2 groups. At follow-up evaluation, the distribution of heterotopic bone according to the Brooker classification was: group A, 9 class 0, 17 class 1, one class 2, and 2 class 3. Group B: 17 class 0, 10 class 1, 2 class 2, and one class 3. This difference was not statistically significant (P=.086). Only 3 cases were considered treatment failures, for a success rate of 93% in group A and 97% in group B. As a result of this pilot study, 500 cGy radiation treatment appears to be effective in the prevention of clinically significant heterotopic ossification after total hip arthroplasty.
The effect of liquid phase decomposition on the fuel droplet distribution function

This paper deals with the problem of coupled evaporation and liquid phase decomposition of hexadecane spray with an assumed one-step second-order reaction. It describes the history of the distribution function f(D,x,u) in a one-dimensional air stream with changing thermochemical properties caused by the evaporation of the fuel spray. Interaction between droplets has been neglected. Ranz-Marshall correlation and Stokes' drag are assumed to describe the evaporation rate and droplet acceleration, respectively, in a flowing medium: Results show that the distribution function changes rapidly due to both decomposition and different individual droplet velocities. Even a small reduction in gas temperature influences the local equivalence ratio and the behavior of the system.
Development of tRNA synthetases and connection to genetic code and disease.

The genetic code is established by the aminoacylation reactions of aminoacyl tRNA synthetases, where amino acids are matched with triplet anticodons imbedded in the cognate tRNAs. The code established in this way is so robust that it gave birth to the entire tree of life. The tRNA synthetases are organized into two classes, based on their active site architectures. The details of this organization, and other considerations, suggest how the synthetases evolved by gene duplications, and how early proteins may have been statistical in nature, that is, products of a primitive code where one of several similar amino acids was used at a specific position in a polypeptide. The emergence of polypeptides with unique, defined sequences—true chemical entities—required extraordinary specificity of the aminoacylation reaction. This high specificity was achieved by editing activities that clear errors of aminoacylation and thereby prevent mistranslation. Defects in editing activities can be lethal and lead to pathologies in mammalian cells in culture. Even a mild defect in editing is casually associated with neurological disease in the mouse. Defects in editing are also mutagenic in an aging organism and suggest how mistranslation can lead to mutations that are fixed in the genome. Thus, clearance of mischarged tRNAs by the editing activities of tRNA synthetases was essential for development of the tree of life and has a role in the etiology of diseases that is just now being understood.
Bound calcium and force development in skinned cardiac muscle bundles: effect of sarcomere length.

There is evidence that the steep acending limb of the force-length curve in cardiac muscle (Frank-Starling relation) is based on a length-dependence of myofilament Ca2+ sensitivity. Previous work from this laboratory has indicated that in the sarcomere length range corresponding to the ascending limb of the cardiac force length curve (1.7 to 2.3 μm) the Ca2+-troponin C affinity is length-dependent. In this study Ca2+ binding to chemically skinned bovine cardiac muscle bundles was measured during ATP-induced force generation with fiber bundles having sarcomere lengths of 2.2 to 2.4 μm and 1.6 to 1.8 μm. A double isotope technique was used to make concurrent determinations of the force-pCa and bound Ca2+-pCa relationships. At the longer sarcomere lengths the fibers bound, at saturation, an amount of Ca2+ equivalent to ∼3 mol Ca2+/mol troponin C. Force development appeared to be coupled to titration of the single, low-affinity Ca2+-specific site. In the pCa range 7.0 to 6.0 sarcomere length had no effect on Ca2+ binding. In the pCa range 6.0 to 5.0, in which force increased steeply, there was, in addition to a decreased relative force, a significant reduction in bound Ca2+ at the shorter sarcomere length. Thus sarcomere length appears to influence the Ca2+ binding properties of the regulatory site on troponin C. These data provide direct evidence that length-dependent modulation of Ca2+-troponin C affinity may make a major contribution to the force-length relationship in cardiac muscle.
Using chief complaints for syndromic surveillance

Display Omitted We present a review of 15 chief complaint classification systems currently in use in North America.Classifiers can be divided into those that use statistical methods and those that use keyword based methods.All of the systems reviewed are capable of mapping to respiratory and gastrointestinal syndromes. A major goal of Natural Language Processing in the public health informatics domain is the automatic extraction and encoding of data stored in free text patient records. This extracted data can then be utilized by computerized systems to perform syndromic surveillance. In particular, the chief complaint-a short string that describes a patient's symptoms-has come to be a vital resource for syndromic surveillance in the North American context due to its near ubiquity. This paper reviews fifteen systems in North America-at the city, county, state and federal level-that use chief complaints for syndromic surveillance.
Experimental design for response surface gradient estimation

In this paper, a new experimental design and gradient estimation procedure is presented for Phase I response surface optimization. The design is motivated by basic principles of differential calculus, which imply that if a point in Rn has been reached by exactly minimizing a function along a given direction, then the gradient of the function at that point must be orthogonal to the search direction followed. While exact line search is not required for the new design to be effective, this principle implies that the dimension of the gradient estimation procedure may often be reduced from n to n-1 variables, and the experimenter is able to concentrate experimental effort within the most productive region around the center of the design. The new design and gradient estimation procedures are presented, and bias and variance properties are derived. The effectiveness of the new design is shown to depend on the experimenter's ability to terminate line search within a near-stationary region of the line search funct...
A combinatorial property of finite sequences with an application to tensor algebra

Abstract In this paper we prove a fundamental combinatorial property of cyclic permutations of finite sequences of integers and consider an application of this result to a class of symmetry operators defined on tensor product spaces.
Setting anchor in the minor groove: in silico investigation into formamido N-methylpyrrole and N-methylimidazole polyamides bound by cognate DNA sequences.

Tricyclic N-methylpyrrole (Py) and N-methylimidazole (Im) containing polyamide monocations are known to bind as stacked dimers within the minor groove of DNA, and those with N-terminal formamido (f) substituents bind in a staggered configuration with high specificity over a range of affinities. Although binding constants have been reported, there is not a clear understanding of why such constants vary significantly for polyamide dimers and their respective cognate DNA sequences. By employing computational tools, the following homodimer complexes have been addressed in this study: f-PyPyIm in complex with 5′-d(GAACTAGTTC)-3′, f-ImPyPy in complex with 5′-d(GAATGCATTC)-3′, and f-ImPyIm in complex with 5′-d(GAACGCGTTC)-3′. These complexes were selected based on their 10- to 100-fold differences in binding constants. From this study, it was possible to determine how polyamides anchor themselves within the minor groove of specific DNA sequences. This is done through several interactions that provide stability f...
Differential neuroprotective effects of 14-3-3 proteins in models of Parkinson's disease.

14-3-3 proteins are important negative regulators of cell death pathways. Recent studies have revealed alterations in 14-3-3s in Parkinson’s disease (PD) and the ability of 14-3-3s to interact with a-synuclein (a-syn), a protein central to PD pathophysiology. In a transgenic a-syn mouse model, we found reduced expression of 14-3-3h ,- e, and -c. These same isoforms prevent a-syn inclusion formation in an H4 neuroglioma cell model. Using dopaminergic cell lines stably overexpressing each 14-3-3 isoform, we found that overexpression of 14-3-3h ,- e ,o r -c led to resistance to both rotenone and 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridinium, whereas other isoforms were not protective against both toxins. Inhibition of a single protective isoform, 14-3-3h, by shRNA did not increase vulnerability to neurotoxic injury, but toxicity was enhanced by broad-based inhibition of 14-3-3 action with the peptide inhibitor difopein. Using a transgenic C. elegans model of PD, we confirmed the ability of both human 14-3-3h and a C. elegans 14-3-3 homologue (ftt-2) to protect dopaminergic neurons from a-syn toxicity. Collectively, these data show a strong neuroprotective effect of enhanced 14-3-3 expression – particularly of the 14-3-3h ,- e, and -c isoforms – in multiple cellular and animal models of PD, and point to the potential value of these proteins in the development of neuroprotective therapies for human PD.
The local exchange model of itinerant-electron ferromagnetism: Energy bands in nickel and iron☆

Abstract The local exchange approximation is considered as a model for itinerant-electron ferromagnetism. Formal properties are reviewed. The current status of calculations based on this model is summarized, with emphasis on recent studies of energy bands in iron and nickel.
Stark Effect on Cesium-133 Hyperfine Structure

The change of the hyperfine-structure separation energy caused by an electric field has been measured in ${\mathrm{Cs}}^{133}$ by the atomic-beam magnetic-resonance method. The shift of the $(F=4, {m}_{F}=0)\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}(F=3, {m}_{F}=0)$ transition frequency in the electric field $\mathcal{E}$ is given by $\ensuremath{\Delta}(\mathcal{E})=\ensuremath{-}2.29\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}{10}^{\ensuremath{-}6}(1\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.03){\mathcal{E}}^{2} \mathrm{cps},$ where $\mathcal{E}$ is in volts/cm. This number is 2.8 times the value predicted from the atomic polarizability measurements of Scheffers and Stark if a simplified theory which neglects hyperfine-structure perturbations of the ground-state wave functions is used.