cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Apnoea following normocapnic mechanical ventilation in awake mammals: a demonstration of control system inertia.

1. Inhibition of inspiratory muscle activity from volume-related feedback during mechanical ventilation has been shown previously. To determine if this neuromechanical inhibition displays a memory effect, the duration of expiration immediately following cessation of mechanical ventilation was assessed in eight normal subjects. The subjects were passively mechanically ventilated via a nasal mask until the end-tidal CO2 (PET,CO2) was a minimum of 30 mmHg and inspiratory effort was no longer detected, as evidenced by stabilization of mouth pressure and disappearance of surface diaphragm EMG activity. The ventilator output was held constant at a mean tidal volume (VT) of 1.0 l and breath duration of 4.6 s and PET,CO2 was increased 1-1.5 mmHg/min (via increased inspired CO2 fraction, FI,CO2) until inspiratory muscle activity returned. The PET,CO2 at which activation first occurred was defined as the CO2 recruitment threshold (PCO2,RT). The mechanical ventilation protocol was repeated and the PET,CO2 increased 1-1.5 mmHg/min until it was a mean of 1.1 mmHg above spontaneous PET,CO2 and 3.6 mmHg below PCO2,RT. After 4-6 min of mildly hypercapnic mechanical ventilation, the mechanical ventilation was terminated. 2. Following termination of mechanical ventilation, the duration of the subsequent apnoea was 14.6 +/- 2.8 s (mean +/- S.E.M.) or 453 +/- 123% > spontaneous TE and 178 +/- 62% > the TE chosen by the subject during ‘assist control’ ventilation at VT = 1.0 l. 3. To test the hypothesis that the apnoea following cessation of mechanical ventilation was due to a vagally mediated memory effect, the study was repeated in five double-lung transplant patients with similar PCO2,RT to normal subjects. These pulmonary vagally denervated patients also displayed an apnoea (14.5 +/- 4.0 s) upon cessation of mechanical ventilation (at a PET,CO2 2.0 mmHg > eupnoea and 2.4 mmHg spontaneous TE. 4. We also found significant apnoea in the awake dog immediately following mildly hypercapnic passive mechanical ventilation, and this was similar before and after bilateral vagal blockade (15.7 +/- 1.3 and 19.7 +/- 4.7 s, respectively). 5. We conclude that neuromechanical inhibition of inspiratory muscle activity, produced by passive mechanical ventilation at high VT, exhibits a memory effect reflected in TE prolongation, which persists in the face of substantial increases in chemoreceptor stimuli. This effect is not dependent on vagal feedback from lung receptors. 6. We hypothesize that this persistent apnoea represents an inherent ‘inertia’, characteristic of the ventilatory control system.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Freezing tolerance and tuber production in selfed and backcross progenies derived from somatic hybrids between Solanum tuberosum L. and S. commersonii Dun.

Selfed and backcross progenies developed from tetraploid somatic hybrids between Solanum tuberosum (tbr) and S. commersonii (cmm) were characterized for nonacclimated freezing tolerance (NA) and acclimation capacity (ACC) (two independent genetic components of freezing tolerance) under controlled environments. The segregation covered 28% and 71% of the parental range for NA and ACC, respectively, with the distribution skewed toward the tbr parent. Therefore, ACC appeared to be relatively easier to recover in the segregating generation. Some first backcross progeny had greater freezing tolerance than the cultivated parent primarily through the increase in ACC. When grown in the field, the improved freezing tolerance observed in the selfed progeny under controlled conditions was confirmed. Among NA, ACC, and freezing tolerance after acclimation (AA, which is the cumulative performance of NA and ACC), AA exhibited the highest correlation coefficient with field frost tolerance. In addition to freezing tolerance, vine maturity and tuber traits including tuber yield, tuber number per plant, mean tuber weight, and specific gravity were also segregating. No significant correlation between undesirable tuber traits and freezing tolerance was detected. Vine maturity and freezing tolerance were significantly correlated, so more careful selection for earliness was necessary in incorporating freezing tolerance. Yield comparable or superior to the backcross parent Wis AG 231 and an early Canadian cultivar, ‘Sable’, was found in many backcross progeny and some selfed progeny. The observed high yield can be attributed to the increase in mean tuber weight as well as tuber number. Moreover, a high portion of progeny had a specific gravity higher than 1.085, and some greater than 1.1. The implications derived from this study in breeding for freezing tolerance and further use of these materials are discussed.
TH-C-17A-11: Hyperthermia-Driven Immunotherapy Using Non-Invasive Radiowaves

Purpose: The sad truth is that cancer is blamed for the death of nearly one in four people in the US. Immunotherapy offers hope for stimulating cancer immunity leading to targeted killing of cancer cells and a preventative measure for cancer recurrence. Unfortunately, the clinical efficacy of immunotherapy has not yet been established, however novel approaches are being developed, including combining immunotherapy with traditional chemotherapy, radiotherapy or thermal therapy. Therapeutics such as radiofrequency (RF) ablation and select chemotherapeutics induce mild anticancer immune responses. This project seeks to enhance the immune responses stimulated by these agents by co-delivery of nanoparticle-based chemotherapeutics and immune modulators in the presence of RF induced hyperthermia. Methods: A 4T1 mouse model of breast cancer is used to test the ability of RF waves to enhance accumulation of nanoparticles in tumor tissue by increasing blood flow and extravation of nanoparticles from hyperpermeable vessels. Images of particle and cell trafficking in the tumor are captured using an integrated RF and confocal imaging system, and tumor growth is monitored by tumor bioluminescence and caliper measurements. Results: Here we demonstrate enhanced intratumoral blood flow induced by non-invasive RF waves and an increase in nanoparticle accumulation in the tumor. IL-12 is shown to have powerful anti-tumor effects leading to tumor regression and the release of Th1-biased cytokines. Doxorubicin nanoparticles combined with adjuvant nanoparticles exhibited superior antitumor effects to single agent therapy. Conclusion: RF therapy combined with nanotherapeutics is a promising approach to enhance the delivery of therapeutics to the tumor and to stimulate a tumor microenvironment that supports the development of cancer-specific immune responses. This research was supported by the National Institute of Health grant numbers U54 CA143837 and U54 CA151668, and the Kanzius Foundation.
Effect of cofactor binding and loop conformation on side chain methyl dynamics in dihydrofolate reductase.

Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) has several flexible active site loops that facilitate ligand binding and catalysis. Previous studies of backbone dynamics in several complexes of DHFR indicate that the time scale and amplitude of motion depend on the conformation of the active site loops. In this study, information on dynamics is extended to methyl-containing side chains. To understand the role of side chain dynamics in ligand binding and loop conformation, methyl deuterium relaxation rates of Escherichia coli DHFR in binary folate and ternary folate:NADP+ complexes have been measured, together with χ1 rotamer populations for threonine, isoleucine, and valine residues, determined from measurements of 3JCγCO and 3JCγN coupling constants. The results indicate that, in addition to backbone motional restriction in the adenosine-binding site, side chain flexibility in the active site and the surrounding active site loops is diminished upon binding NADP+. Resonances for several methyls in the active site and the...
Mechanics of low-angle normal faulting: An example from Roosevelt Hot Springs geothermal area, Utah

Abstract Roosevelt Hot Springs geothermal area is located in the Mineral Mountains of southern Utah. The geothermal reservoir is formed by systems of faults and joints in Cenozoic plutonic and Precambrian metamorphic rocks. Low-angle denudation faults, dipping between 5° and 35° to the west, form an important component of the reservoir's structure. These faults developed simultaneously with steeply dipping faults that dissect the low-angle fault plates and merge into denudation faults at depth. Gently westward dipping joints provided planes of weakness along which the denudation faults nucleated. The average coefficient of sliding friction along the faults was less than 0.5 and probably ranged between 0.15 and 0.4. The maximum depth for formation of the denudation faults was estimated as 5 km. Hydrothermally altered cataclasite preserved in the fault zones indicates that faulting occurred under brittle conditions in the presence of chemically reactive fluids. The hydrothermal alteration may have significantly reduced friction in the fault zones. Hydrothermal alteration along fractures in the present geothermal reservoir is similar to that observed in the exhumed denudation faults, indicating that the frictional resistance along faults and joints in the reservoir could be significantly lower than along similar structures in unaltered granitic rock. Studies of the structural stability of the reservoir as a consequence of fluid withdrawal and reinjection should consider possible mechanical effects of this hydrothermal alteration.
Blogging within a social networking site as a form of literature response in a teacher education course

The purpose of this qualitative study was to document how pre-service teachers in a children’s literature course experienced blogging on a social networking site as a form of literature response. Understanding how pre-service teachers experience these tools can inform the ways we instruct them to integrate Web 2.0 tools into their teaching. Analysis of the data revealed three themes: (a) Not social but socially influenced; (b) excitement for blogging; and (c) discussion. Results underscore the importance of educating pre-service teachers about the role and potential of technology in literacy instruction by modeling uses of technology that promote literacy learning.
COMPUTER-BASED SUPPORT OF ORGANIZATIONAL DECISION MAKING*

The central issue of this research is the extent to which computer facilities can be used to support organizational decision-making processes beyond mere performance of information retrieval. This depends upon the extent to which computers can be made to emulate human perceptual and judgmental processes. We present a framework for understanding these cognitive processes and examine how it applies to organizational decisions. Moreover, the framework furnishes a basis for the design of a generalized, intelligent problem processor. This processor is general in the sense of its ability to support a decision maker's activities, regardless of the decision maker's application area (e.g., urban planning, water-quality planning, etc.). It is intelligent in the sense of its ability to comprehend English-like queries and subsequently formulate models, interface appropriate data with those models, and execute the models to produce some facts or expectations about the problem under consideration.
The psychological concept of "losing move" in a game of perfect information.

Abstract From a game-theoretic standpoint, in any two-person game of perfect information, each position is won, lost, or drawn, and a move is to be considered an error only when it transfers the game from a more favorable to a less favorable state. A psychological concept of error is quite different, in that it must take into account the fallibility of the players as information processing systems. This paper introduces a psychological concept of error in such games based on the distinction between “obvious” and “problematic” moves, and proposes a formalism for this concept that appears to capture, at least to a first approximation, the notion of “losing move” as that phrase is actually used by players in games like chess.
Arago’s Best Paper

The year 2011 is the bicentennial of Francois Arago's discovery of optical rotation. The immediate usurpation of the study of optical activity by Jean-Baptiste Biot led to the first well-known judgments of the arrangements of atoms in space. Scientists are less aware that Arago achieved something far greater than his contributions to optics, by signing the 1848 decree that abolished slavery throughout the French Empire. Opposing attitudes of Arago and Biot toward abolition, foreshadowed in their early rift over optical rotation, were surprisingly exposed in mid-century developments in chiroptics. As shown in a recent book by Levitt, Arago sought a reinvention of the whole colonial plantation system consistent with Republican principles, while Biot tried to place the cane sugar industry and slave-based economy on the quantitative foundation of saccharimetry. A reevaluation of the circumstances of abolition can celebrate both societal evolution and optical rotation on the 200th birthday of the latter. Episodes from Arago's life that arguably created his predisposition toward abolition are emphasized: He was imprisoned several times as a young man and knew the loss of liberty, his brother Jacques witnessed slavery in Brazil and advocated abolition in travel books prepared with Francois, and finally, in writing the biography of the Marquis de Condorcet, the spirit behind the first, albeit impermanent French abolition of slavery in 1794, Arago found proof of concept for his comparable challenge. Curiously, the measurement of the optical rotation of crystals and sugar, the foci of Arago and Biot, respectively, remain among the greatest challenges in polarimetry. Current developments are reviewed with respect to chiroptical anisotropy and in vivo glucose detection driven by the pandemic of diabetes, a disease diagnosed polarimetrically by Biot that claimed the life of Arago.
Exercise in chronic pulmonary disease: aerobic exercise prescription.

Endurance exercise training (EXT) is singly the most important aspect of rehabilitation for patients with chronic pulmonary disease. When effective, this modality of physical reconditioning leads to improved functional exercise capacity and reduced breathlessness. Early implementation is desirable to obtain more meaningful responses (e.g., when FEV1 falls below 50% of the predicted value in patients with chronic obstructive disease). Preparation for effective EXT requires optimization of respiratory system mechanics (e.g., using bronchodilator therapy), prevention of gas exchange failure (i.e., using supplemental oxygen), nutritional guidance, and psychological support (e.g., to overcome stigmata of disability, fear, and inclination to panic). EXT should be applied using a rigorous, scientifically based aerobic exercise prescription (AXRx) that recognizes basic principles of the human response to exercise prescription while considering individual pathophysiological limitations and identifying safety thresholds for exercise participation. The mode of aerobic exercise should use large muscle groups of the legs (e.g., treadmill or cycle ergometer). The recommended duration is an accumulation of 30 min of exercise per session at the target intensity, achieved by continuous or interval training. EXT should be supervised with a recommended frequency of at least three times per week for 6--8 wk. Target exercise intensity can be monitored by oxygen uptake, work rate, heart rate, or perceived exertion. Target intensity can be determined initially on the basis of 40% of a reference value for maximum oxygen uptake and linked to other variables through predictable interrelationships. All aspects of the AXRx must be reviewed with regard to progression during training. Pulmonary rehabilitation must recognize the importance of achieving clinically meaningful responses (e.g., increased 6-min walking distance of 54 m) as well as the need for maintenance exercise program to sustain the benefits.
Pertubation analysis—theoretical, experimental, and implementational aspects

Perturbation Analysis (PA) is a technique for the computation of the gradient of performance measure (PM) of a discrete event dynamic system with respect to its parameters (t) using only one sample path or Monte Carlo experiment of the system. It is probably the most developed of the several techniques of single run gradient estimation [1,2,3,4]. There are now close to forty papers on the subject matter.When first presented, one's immediate reaction to PA has often been incredulity stemming from the belief that “one cannot get something for nothing”. Later this disbelief may be developed into a more sophisticated and technical objection involving the legitimacy of interchanging differentiation and expectation operators or the probabilistic convergence of the PA estimate to its true value. In less technical terms, these translate to “How can you squeeze out information about a trajectory / sample-path operating under one value of the system parameter from that of another operating under a different value? Don't the two trajectories behave entirely dissimilarly?” This is primarily a theoretical and conceptual question for which there are now fairly concrete as well as intuitively pleasing answers. References [4,5] can be consulted for details.Experimentally, PA is ahead of theory in the sense that there are experimental results which we cannot satisfactorily explain. These algorithms are often arrived at via intuitive and heuristic reasoning. We can safely say that the results they produce are not statistical accidents. Yet no rigorous proofs are available. A typical example is the case of PA and aggregation in queueing networks. PA can often be successfully applied to the aggregated version of network for which PA is known to fail if applied to the original complex network. Another experimental observation is the excellent variance reduction associated with PA calculation of a gradient estimate. These experimental findings, in fact, provide challenges and clues to future theoretical developments. This is in contrast with an axiomatic and purely mathematical development of the subject matter.Lastly, the implementation of PA in simulation and real time setting involve another type of effort. There does not exist a general purpose PA algorithm or routine which is totally data driven and transparent to the user. It is not a trivial exercise to develop such software. Yet this author is convinced that this must be carried out if PA is to be really effective in everyday applications.Although the theoretical aspects of the matter have understandibly received the most attention. The other two aspects of experimentation and implementation may be more important in the long run both in terms of utility and long term health of this research topic.
An explicit version of a theorem of Stickelberger

Abstract We give an explicit version of a classical theorem of Stickelberger on the representation of certain integers by binary quadratic forms. This is achieved by generalizing Stickelberger's original congruences via an extension of a recent result of Young.
Production of interleukin-6 in human osteoblasts and human bone marrow stromal cells: evidence that induction by interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha is not regulated by ovarian steroids.

Studies in murine models of osteoporosis have suggested the hypothesis that ovarian steroids may control osteoclastic bone remodeling by limiting the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6) from osteoblasts and bone marrow stromal cells. To investigate this hypothesis in a human model, we have examined 12 separate strains of normal human osteoblasts (HOB) and 11 separate strains of human bone marrow stromal cells (HBMSC) and determined whether ovarian steroids regulate the induction of IL-6 by interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) or IL-1 + TNF. Treatment with IL-1, TNF or IL-1 + TNF resulted in the induction of IL-6 from both cell types with IL-1 + TNF inducing a synergistic induction of IL-6 in HOB (24- to 324-fold) and HBMSC (35-288 fold). Addition of 17 beta-estradiol or progesterone did not significantly alter IL-6 messenger RNA or protein levels in either HOB or HBMSC cultures stimulated with IL-1, TNF or IL-1 + TNF. Cultures incubated up to 96 h with the steroids did no...
Welcome to the Desert of Not-Thinking

On the representation of deserts in the works of Jordanian-born author Abdul Rahman Munif and Libyan Tuareg author Ibrahim al-Koni.
Utilization of non-invasive measures to evaluate eccentric exercise damage in an untrained population

Background One of the most common modes of exercise among males is resistance training. The associated movements among the most common resistance training exercises completed include periods of both concentric and eccentric contraction. Previous research has demonstrated that repeated eccentric contractions of a muscle produce damaging results to the muscles involved. Invasive measures, such as blood draws and muscle biopsies have been utilized to assess skeletal muscle damage in individuals. However, the efficacy of the utilization of Creatine Kinase concentration as a marker of recovery has recently been called into question. Furthermore, biopsies and blood draws may not be applicable to identify muscle damage and recovery in an untrained population for the nutritional or strength and conditioning professional Methods Subjects (n= 19) volunteered to participate in this study and were untrained (resistance training) male college students between the ages of 18-30. Untrained criteria consisted of less than two years lower body resistance training. Prior to completion of the study participants completed a health history questionnaire. Participants were asked to refrain from physical activity for the duration of the study. The first day of testing included completion of a muscle soreness scale (DOMS), range of motion (ROM) of the dominant knee, swelling of the vastus lateralis (SWVL) via ultrasound (Terason T3200), Peak force measurement using an isokinetic dynamometer, a fatiguing exercise protocol on the dynamometer (a total of 50 eccentric contractions set at 120% of peak MVC force with an angular velocity of 60°/sec), followed immediately by post-test measurements of DOMS and peak force. The peak force measurement was determined using an isometric maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) of the quadriceps on the dynamometer with the knee joint held at 45°. The participants were then asked to return to the lab 24, 48 and 72 hours later. Each returning visit included a battery of tests comprising of measurements of DOMS, ROM, SWVL-Terascape, SWVL-Long, SWVL-Trans and peak force. Repeated measures ANOVAs (placebo vs. multi ingredient supplement) were used to analyze changes in peak power, intramuscular swelling, DOMS, and ROM. The alpha level was set at p≤ 0.05. Consent to publish the results was obtained from all participants. Results
The organization of thalamocortical relay neurons in the rat ventrobasal complex studied by the retrograde transport of horseradish peroxidase

The organization of thalamocortical relay neurons in the thalamic ventrobasal complex (VB) of the rat was investigated by the use of the retrograde axonal transport of horseradish peroxidase (HRP). Injections of HRP into somatosensory cortex (SI) resulted in a distinctive gradient of neuronal and non-neuronal HRP reaction product. Electrophysiologically characterized points of SI injected with small volumes of HRP labeled a sector of neurons in VB ipsilateral to the injection. This zone of labeled neurons consisted of a complex curvilinear array or lamina with a rostral hollow or solid expansion of densely packed HRP positive neurons which continues caudally as a less dense tapering wing. Despite this complex arrangement, an approximate pattern of somatotopy was determined indicating the direction of shifts in peripheral receptive fields moving in any axis of VB. The number of labeled neurons projecting upon a point in SI was also determined. Injections of the cortical vibrissae, face and forepaw representations labeled a greater number of neurons in VB per unit area of cortex than did injections in the hindlimb or body representations. The total number of HRP positive neurons in VB increased proportionately with areal increase of the HRP injections into overlapping cortical representations. The number of HRP positive neurons in the rostral half of the laminae increased almost linearly with the area of injection, while the number of HRP positive neurons in the caudal half of the laminae showed relatively smaller increases.
Convex duality and generalized solutions in the optimal control problem for stopped processes-the deterministic model

The approach consists of imbedding the original control problem tightly in a convex mathematical programming problem on the space of measures and then solving the latter problem by duality in convex analysis. The dual problem is to find the supremum of all smooth subsolutions to Bellman's equation. Because of the effect of stops at the boundary of the domain, a different formulation of strong and weak problems is adopted to make use of the duality method. Results on the decomposition of weak measures provide a clear interpretation for such an effect in the weak formulation of the control problem. The convex duality approach of W.H. Fleming and D. Vermes (1989) is used to study a deterministic optimal control problem for stopped processes. >
Labeling, Social Learning, and Positive Deviance: A Look at High Achieving Students

High achievers are an intriguing case in that they are often stigmatized by peers as rate-busters and concurrently adulated as positive deviants by their parents and teachers. Theories developed to explain negative deviants have potential to also illuminate positive deviance. High achievers were interviewed and both labeling theory and social learning theory were applied to explain aspects of their experiences.
Production of 17.2.25 μ transgenic and endogenous immunoglobulin in X‐linked immune deficient mice

In M54 mice transgenic for a completely rearranged mu(a) heavy chain there is a decrease in total B cells and the rearrangement of endogenous immunoglobulin genes is partially inhibited. Surprisingly, however, endogenous immunoglobulin gene rearrangement and significant heavy chain polypeptide production does occur. We tested the hypothesis that only CD5+ B cells produce endogenous immunoglobulin by taking advantage of the fact that X-linked immune deficient (xid) mice normally are deficient in CD5+ B cells. We found that the frequency of CD5+ splenic B cells was similar in XxidY transgenic and non-transgenic F1 males, and in XxidX transgenic and non-transgenic F1 females. In both XxidX and XxidY transgenic F1 mice some, but not all, splenic B cells are CD11b+. There was a striking deficit of splenic B cells expressing endogenous immunoglobulin in XxidY transgenic mice, although this was not true for peritoneal cells. Thus, the introduction of the 17.2.25 mu transgene does not prevent the development of CD5- B cells nor does it limit endogenous immunoglobulin gene arrangement and expression solely to CD5+ B cells. However, in mice capable of expressing B cell surface CD5 or CD11 this transgene can lead to expansion of the fraction of B cells positive for these molecules. We conclude that while the introduction of the 17.2.25 mu transgene alters the frequencies of B cell populations, maturation is not limited to one subpopulation.
Educational opportunities and challenges in poultry science: impact of resource allocation and industry needs

Because the number of Poultry Science departments in the U.S. has declined dramatically, and because scientist years and research funding for poultry, relative to other commodities, have also declined, a survey of poultry meat companies was conducted. Objectives of the survey were: to evaluate corporate concern over the status of Poultry Science departments, to categorize hiring patterns, to determine expectations for prerequisite skills of graduates, and to ascertain attitudes toward hiring of Associate-degreed students (A.S.). A two-page survey was distributed to corporate Vice Presidents or Directors of Human Resources of the 17 largest broiler and 10 largest turkey companies. When asked to gauge the difficulty they encountered in locating adequate numbers of Poultry Science graduates, 83% noted at least some difficulty. All respondents indicated concern over the loss of poultry programs in the U.S. and 44% noted "extreme" concern. There appears to be little resistance to hiring 2-yr A.S. degree graduates in Poultry Science. The relative scarcity of these programs is demonstrated by the fact that only one-third of the respondents had ever hired A.S. degree graduates. However, greater than 80% of the firms indicated they would hire these students. Finally, communication and business skills were more highly rated by human resources management than technical ability in Poultry Science. Given these results, academic programs must: develop curricula that reflect market-place expectations, enhance the efficiency of resource utilization, embrace new technologies that provide novel methods for information delivery, and reassess cooperative linkages among industrial and governmental organizations.
Weak state, strong networks : the institutional dynamics of foreign direct investment in China

This is a clearly written and well-paced discussion of how foreign companies have been able to invest in China and profit from their investments through informal relationships in the absence of consistently enforced formal legal protection for such business investments.
Neuropsychological Assessment of HIV-Infected Populations in International Settings

Resource-limited regions of the world represent the areas most affected by the global HIV epidemic. Currently, there are insufficient data on the neurocognitive effects of HIV in these areas and neuropsychological studies that have been carried out thus far are marked by inconsistent methods, test batteries, and rating systems for levels of cognitive impairment. These differences in methods, along with genetic variability of both virus and host, differences in co-infections and other co-morbidities, differences in language and culture, and infrastructural deficiencies in many international settings create challenges to the assessment of neurocognitive functioning and interpretation of neuropsychological data. Identifying neurocognitive impairment directly attributable to HIV, exploring relationships between HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment, disease variables, and everyday functioning, evaluating differences in HIV-1 subtype associated neuropathology, and determining implications for treatment remain complicated and challenging goals. Endeavors to establish a more standardized approach to neurocognitive assessments across international studies in addition to accumulating appropriate normative data that will allow more accurate rating of neuropsychological test performance will be crucial to future efforts attempting to achieve these goals.
Simultaneous DOAS and mist-chamber IC measurements of HONO in Houston, TX

Nitrous acid is an important component of nighttime N-oxide chemistry, and provides a significant source of both OH and NO in polluted urban air masses shortly after sunrise. Several recent studies have called for new sources of HONO to account for daytime levels much higher than are consistent with current understanding. However, measurement of HONO is problematic, with most in-situ techniques reporting higher values than simultaneous optical measurements by long-path DOAS, especially during daytime. The discrepancy has been attributed to positive interference in the in-situ techniques, negative interference in DOAS retrievals, the difficulty of comparing the different air masses sampled by the methods, or combinations of these. During August and September 2006, HONO mixing ratios from collocated long-path DOAS and auto- mated mist-chamber/ion chromatograph (MC/IC) systems ranged from several ppbv during morning rush hour to daytime minima near 100 pptv. Agreement between the two techniques was excellent across this entire range during many days, showing that both instruments accurately measured HONO during this campaign. A small bias towards higher LP-DOAS observations at night can be attributed to slow vertical mixing leading to pronounced HONO profiles. A positive daytime bias of the MC/IC instrument during several days in late August/early September was correlated with photochemically produced compounds such as ozone, HNO 3 and HCHO, but not with NO2 ,N O x ,H O 2NO2, or the NO2 photolysis rate. While an interferant could not be identified organic nitrites appear a possible expla- nation for our observations.
The marital balance of power and quid pro quo: An evolutionary perspective

Abstract Although the marital therapy literature recognizes the importance of quid quo in marital negotiations, there has been little attention to certain important sources of power for men and women in that process. This paper will show how parental investment, certainty of paternity, patterns of mate preference, intrasexual competition, and reproductive status all affect the bergaining positions of men and women. Both premarital and marital negotiations will be discussed. Put into a developmental perspective, this will help clarify what is at stake in the common sources of conflict between the sexes. These considerations form a central part of the socioecology of marriage.
Analytical Seismic Fragility Curves for Typical Bridges in the Central and Southeastern United States

Seismic fragility curves for classes of highway bridges are essential for risk assessment of highway transportation networks exposed to seismic hazards. This study develops seismic fragility curves for nine classes of bridges (common three-span, zero-skew bridges with non-integral abutments) common to the central and southeastern United States. The methodology adopted uses 3-D analytical models and nonlinear time-history analyses. An important aspect of the selected methodology is that it considers the contribution of multiple bridge components. The results show that multispan steel girder bridges are the most vulnerable of the considered bridge classes while single-span bridges tend to be the least vulnerable. A comparison of the proposed fragility curves with those currently found in HAZUS-MH shows a strong agreement for the multispan simply supported steel girder bridge class. However, for other simply supported bridge classes (concrete girder, slab), the proposed fragility curves suggest a lower vulnerability level than presented in HAZUS-MH. DOI: 10.1193/1.2756815
Effects of Solid Rocket Booster Case Breach on Vehicle and Crew Safety

The structural failure of a Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) in the form of a breach can result in venting of burnt solid rocket fuel during the ascent phase of a manned mission. Such venting can cause a substantial side force resulting in loss of thrust in the main nozzle, loss of vehicle controllability, and possible structural failure. This paper describes a strategy to analyze the effects of such a breach using high-fidelity simulation. The effects of the breach on the overall safety of the vehicle are analyzed by quantifying loss of thrust, resulting pitching moment, and pitch acceleration. The warning time is also computed to examine the effects on crew safety. It is found that while the loss of thrust in the main nozzle is negligible, substantial force and pitching motion are generated by a breach and can cause a vehicle failure if not countered by the thrust vector control system available on the main nozzle.
Effective generalization of relational descriptions

The problem of computing maximally-specific generalizations (MSCG's) of relational descriptions can be modelled as tree search. We describe several transformations and pruning methods for reducing the complexity of the problem. Based on this analysis, we have implemented a search program (X-search) for finding the MSCG's. Experiments compare the separate and combined effects of pruning methods on search efficiency. With effective pruning methods, full-width search appears feasible for moderately sized relational descriptions.
Homebirth as Systems-Challenging Praxis: Knowledge, Power, and Intimacy in the Birthplace

In this article, I examine the processes and motivations involved when women in the United States choose to circumvent the dominant obstetric care paradigm by delivering at home with a group of care providers called direct-entry midwives. Using grounded theory, participant observation, and open-ended, semistructured interviewing, I collected and analyzed homebirth narratives from a theoretical sample of women (n = 50) in two research locales. Findings interpreted from the perspective of critical medical anthropology suggest that women who choose to birth at home negotiate fears associated with the "just in case something bad happens" argument that forms the foundation for hospital birth rationales through complex individual and social processes. These involve challenging established forms of authoritative knowledge, valuing alternative and more embodied or intuitive ways of knowing, and knowledge sharing through the informed consent process. Adherence to subjugated discourses combined with lived experiences of personal power and the cultivation of intimacy in the birthplace fuel homebirth not only as a minority social movement, but also as a form of systems-challenging praxis.
Automatic evaluation of spoken english fluency

This paper presents a method to automatically quantify the spoken English fluency skills of speakers. The focus of this work is to automatically compute a numeric score of spoken fluency that is correlated with the numerical score the human assessors would assign. The proposed method combines several novel prosodic and lexical features to compute the fluency score. It is shown that the prosodic and the lexical features provide complementary information for fluency evaluation. Extensive evaluation on human-labeled utterances shows that the proposed technique exhibits similar trends in performance and confusions as shown by human assessors. The proposed technique leads to 84.2% classification accuracy when the two extreme classes of fluency are considered.
Democracy and Leadership: Does Every Vote Count?

Good judgment and ethics in decision making are important criteria in all areas of teaching and administration. This case study chronicles the actions of a class sponsor whose decisions modify the results of a high school's senior class elections and the fallout that results. The principal must assess the problem, take appropriate action to ethically resolve the situation for the sake of the students involved, restore integrity to the election process, and ameliorate attending problems created by the circumstances of this case. Because of the complexity of the situation, ramifications exist well beyond the election, affecting the school in general and the community at large.
X-ray diffraction studies of protein crystal disorder

Protein crystals contain many kinds of disorder, but only a small fraction of these are likely to be important in limiting the di⁄raction properties of interest to crystallographers. X-ray topography, high-angular-resolution reciprocal space measurements, and standard crystallographic data collection have been used to probe three factors that may produce di⁄raction-limiting disorder: (1) solution variations during crystal growth, (2) macromolecular impurities, and (3) post-growth crystal treatments. Variations in solution conditions that occur in widely used growth methods may lead to variations in equilibrium protein conformation and crystal packing as a crystal grows, and these may introduce appreciable disorder for sensitive proteins. Tetragonal lysozyme crystals subjected to abrupt changes in temperature, pH, or salt concentration during growth show increased disorder, consistent with this mechanism. Macromolecular impurities can have profound e⁄ects on protein crystal quality. A combination of di⁄raction measurements provides insight into the mechanisms by which particular impurities create disorder, and this insight leads to a simple approach for reducing this disorder. Substantial degradation of di⁄raction properties due to conformation and lattice constant changes can occur during post-growth crystal treatments such as heavy-atom compound and drug binding. Measurements of the time evolution of crystal disorder during controlled crystal dehydration — a simple model for such treatments — suggest that structural metastability conferred by the constraints of the crystal lattice plays an important role in determining the extent to which the di⁄raction properties degrade. ( 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Characterization of the diphtheria toxin receptor‐binding domain

The carboxyl-terminal region of diphtheria toxin (DT) has been analysed in order to determine regions of receptor recognition. Biochemical cleavage of the toxin with hydroxylamine (HA) was used to generate the peptides HA9DT (residues 454-535), HA6DT (residues 482-535), and HA3DT (residues 454-481). Characterization of HA6DT demonstrated that the final 54 amino acids of DT are sufficient to constitute the receptor-binding domain of the toxin. Within HA9DT, the region encompassing HA3DT and containing the highly cationic polyphosphate-binding site did not contribute to the binding ability of HA6DT. Consistent with this observation, HA3DT itself did not compete for binding of radiolabelled DT to Vero cells. A 30-amino-acid synthetic peptide composed of residues 506-535 did not block receptor binding of DT, indicating that residues toward the amino-terminus of HA6DT, or the entire HA6DT region, are required for receptor recognition.
Kinetic visualization: a technique for illustrating 3D shape and structure

Motion provides strong visual cues for the perception of shape and depth, as demonstrated by cognitive scientists and visual artists. This paper presents a novel visualization technique --- kinetic visualization --- that uses particle systems to add supplemental motion cues which can aid in the perception of shape and spatial relationships of static objects. Based on a set of rules following perceptual and physical principles, particles flowing over the surface of an object not only bring out, but also attract attention to, essential information on the shape of the object that might not be readily visible with conventional rendering that uses lighting and view changes. Replacing still images with animations in this fashion, we demonstrate with both surface and volumetric models in the accompanying videos that in many cases the resulting visualizations effectively enhance the perception of three-dimensional shape and structure. The results of a preliminary user study that we have conducted also show evidence that the supplemental motion cues help.
A comparison of micro-switch analytic, finite element, and experimental results

Abstract Electrostatically actuated, metal contact, micro-switches depend on having adequate contact force to achieve desired, low contact resistance. In this study, higher contact forces resulted from overdriving cantilever beam style switches, after pull-in or initial contact, until the beam collapsed onto the drive or actuation electrode. The difference between initial contact and beam collapse was defined as the useful contact force range. Micro-switch pull-in voltage, collapse voltage, and contact force predictions, modeled analytically and with the CoventorWare finite element software package, were compared to experimental results. Contact resistance was modeled analytically using Maxwellian spreading resistance theory. Contact resistance and contact force were further investigated by varying the width of the drive electrode. A minimum contact resistance of 0.26 Ω was measured on micro-switches with 150 μm-wide drive electrodes. The useful contact force range for these devices was between 22.7 and 58.3 V. Contributions of this work include: a contact force equation useful for initial micro-switch designs, a detailed pull-in voltage, collapse voltage, and contact force investigation using CoventorWare, a direct comparison of measured results with analytic and finite element predictions, and a means of choosing a micro-switch operating point for optimized contact resistance performance.
The Calculus of Consent Revisited

Buchanan and Tullock have a reputation as radical defenders of private property, markets, free enterprise, limited government and libertarianism. While this account is to some degree correct, the present paper shall argue that it is exaggerated. It will show that their supposed adherence to these doctrines and philosophies is at best a moderate, not a radical, one, because of numerous errors with respect to their theories of democracy, ruling class, constitutionalism, contract, voting, methodological individualism, and the relation between government and private enterprise
New Accounting Guidance For Business Combinations

The Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) issued Statement of Financial Accounting Standards (SFAS) No . 141 Business Combinations in June 2001. SFAS 141 supersedes Accounting Principles Board (APB) Opinion No. 16 Business Combinations and SFAS No. 38 Accounting for Preacquisition Contingencies of Purchased Enterprises. APB Opinion 16 created two acceptable methods of accounting for a business combination, the purchase and the pooling of interests methods. These two different methods often resulted in very different financial results for economically similar transactions.
Irreversibility and Stochasticity of Chemical Processes

Given a unitary process Ut on a state space describing statistically an underlying deterministic dynamics in a phase space Ω, can one make a change of representation ∧ in which there is no information loss under either a or ∧ or ∧-1 and yet such that the transformed process W*t = ∧Ut∧-1 is no longer deterministic? We show the answer is no. Lemma: Let ∧ be a closed operator in L2 (Ω,s,µ) with domain and range containing the characteristic functions of Borel sets in S , ∧(1) = 1 , \(\int { \wedge \left( \rho \right)} = \int \rho \) for ρ ∈ D(∧) , ∧(ρ) ≥ 0 when ρ ≥ 0. Then one cannot have ∧-1(ρ) ≥ 0 for ρ ≥ 0 unless ∧ is induced from a point transformation of the phase space. Results of this type establish the principle often used intuitively in chemistry that a forward moving (e.g., Markov) process that loses information cannot be reversed.
Female rule in lemurs is ancestral and hormonally mediated

Female social dominance (FSD) over males is unusual in mammals, yet characterizes most Malagasy lemurs, which represent almost 30% of all primates. Despite its prevalence in this suborder, both the evolutionary trajectory and proximate mechanism of FSD remain unclear. Potentially associated with FSD is a suite of behavioural, physiological and morphological traits in females that implicates (as a putative mechanism) ‘masculinization’ via androgen exposure; however, relative to conspecific males, female lemurs curiously show little evidence of raised androgen concentrations. By observing mixed‐sex pairs of related Eulemur species, we identified two key study groups ‐‐ one comprised of species expressing FSD and increased female scent marking, the other comprised of species (from a recently evolved clade) showing equal status between the sexes and the more traditional pattern of sexually dimorphic behaviour. Comparing females from these two groups, we show that FSD is associated with more masculine androgen profiles. Based on the widespread prevalence of male‐like features in female lemurs and a current phylogeny, we suggest that relaxation of hormonally mediated FSD emerged only recently and that female masculinization may be the ancestral lemur condition, an idea that could revolutionize our understanding of the ancient socioecology and evolution of primate social systems.