cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patient activism and the struggle for diagnosis: Gulf War illnesses and other medically unexplained physical symptoms in the US.

Abstract We examine Gulf War illnesses—which include the fatigue, joint pain, dermatitis, headaches, memory loss, blurred vision, diarrhea, and other symptoms reported by Gulf War veterans—in relation to other medically unexplained physical symptoms such as multiple chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue syndrome, and fibromyalgia. Our intent is to examine the diagnosis negotiations involved in these mysterious diseases, by showing the different forms of legitimacy involved in such interactions. Factors involved in diagnostic legitimacy are: diagnostic legitimacy in the medical community, lay acceptance of the diagnosis, uncertainty in looking for causes, and social mobilization. We conclude by noting that research may not be able to find any cause for these diseases/conditions; hence, it may be necessary to embrace medical uncertainty, and also to accept patient experience in order to facilitate diagnosis, treatment, and recovery process. Such a change can alter patients’ expectations and taken-for-granted assumptions about medicine, and perhaps in turn reduce the frequency with which dissatisfied individuals form illness groups that mobilize to challenge what they see as an unresponsive medical system.
A heton model of the spreading phase of open-ocean deep convection

Abstract A point-vortex heton model of the lateral dispersion of cold water formed in open-ocean deep convection is developed and studied as an idealized representation of the sinking and spreading phase of open-ocean deep convection. The overturning and geostrophic adjustment of dense fluid on and below the radius of deformation scale, formed by cooling on the large-scale, are parameterized in the model by introducing paired. discrete point vortices (hetons) of cyclonic sense in the surface layer, anticyclonic below, driving a cold baroclinic vortex. The convection site is imagined to be made up of many such baroclinic vortices, each with a vertically homogeneous core carrying cold, convectively tainted waters. The point vortices are introduced at a rate that depends on the large-scale cooling and the intensity assumed for each vortex. The interaction of many cold baroclinic vortices, making up a cloud, is studied using point-vortex Green's function techniques. The current solenoids of the individual ele...
Comparative aspects of the strength of pulmonary capillaries in rabbit, dog, and horse

Abstract In previous studies of rabbit and dog lung, we demonstrated stress failure of pulmonary capillaries at high transmural pressures (P tm ). The P tm necessary to elicit stress failure was 40 cmH 2 O higher in dog than rabbit, and the total blood-gas barrier (BGB) thickness was greater in dog than rabbit. This suggests that stress failure may be related to BGB thickness, and is consistent with the Laplace relationship which states that wall stress is proportional to capillary radius but inversely proportional to wall thickness. In the present studies, we compared BGB thickness and an index of capillary radius in lungs from 3 rabbits, 3 dogs, and 2 horses perfusion fixed at a P tm of ∼30 cmH 2 O. Thicknesses of the BGB were measured at right angles to the barrier at random points on the capillary wall determined by test line intersections. Capillary radius was determined from the mean of major and minor axes measured on electron micrographs. Capillary pressure for failure in the horse was taken to be the mean of pulmonary arterial and left atrial pressures observed in galloping thoroughbreds known to develop exercise-induced pulmonary hemorrhage, although the actual pressure required for failure may be less than this. Average capillary radii were 3.6, 3.4, and 3.2 μm for rabbits, dogs, and horses, respectively. We found that the BGB was thinnest in the rabbit, intermediate in the dog, and thickest in the horse. Calculated capillary wall stress values for the median total BGB thickness at a nominal P tm of 30 cmH 2 O were d2.5 × 10 4 , 1.7 × 10 4 , and 1.5 × 10 4 N·m −2 for rabbits, dogs, and horses, respectively. This species ranking fits with the pressures required to cause stress failure which are approximately 50, 90, and 130 cmH 2 O in rabbit, dog, and horse, respectively. We conclude that the differences in capillary radius of curvature and BGB thickness account for some of the observed differences in P tm necessary to cause stress failure. However, other factors may also be important in determining the strength of the BGB.
The premature small-for-gestational-age infant during the first year of life: comparison by birth weight and gestational age.

To determine the effect of intrauterine growth retardation on the outcome of the premature infant, we compared a group of 35 premature, small-forgestational-age (SGA) infants with two groups of premature, appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) infants: one with similar birth weight (AGA-BW group) and the other with similar gestational age (AGA-GA group). Groups were matched by year of birth, race, gender, and socioeconomic status. Infants were free of major congenital anomalies and intrauterine infection. They were evaluated at term, at 20 and 40 weeks, and at 1 year corrected age. The SGA infants had a lower mean developmental quotient than the two groups of AGA infants. The SGA infants had significantly smaller body dimensions at birth, more nursery complications, and a higher incidence of major neurologic problems than their AGA-GA matches but were comparable to the AGA-BW matches. Poor growth constitutes an additional risk factor to prematurity. The results highlight the importance of comparing premature SGA infants with premature AGA infants of similar gestational age rather than similar birth weight.
Dispositional and Situational Moderators of the Relationship Between Leader–Member Exchange and Work Tension

This paper examines the relationship between leader–member exchange (LMX) and experienced work tension. The dispositional moderators of positive affectivity (PA) and negative affectivity (NA) and the situational moderator of frequency of interaction with the supervisor are included. We tested these relationships in a sample of 537 employees from various organizations. Specifically, we found that high NA coupled with high LMX produced the highest levels of work tension. Additionally, low frequency of interaction with the supervisor coupled with high LMX produced the highest levels of work tension. Finally, we found that the lowest levels of work tension were reported when individuals had high PA, high LMX, and high frequency of interaction with their supervisors.
Strategies for Next Generation Neutrinoless Double-Beta Decay Experiments

A brief discussion of the connection between neutrino oscillation data and predictions of neutrinoless double-beta decay half-lives is given. Two convenient figure of merit formulae are discussed in the context of the various isotopes and technologies proposed. These allow definite evaluation of the merits of the various proposed experiments. Other criteria are discussed, which in total, if applied, should give all the necessary tools for comparative evaluation.
Coupling-Constant Sum Rules for Broken SU(3)

Both theoretical and phenomenological aspescts of broken-SU(3) coupling- constant sum rules are considered. Assumptions underlying the conventional derivation of these sum rules are discussed. A coupling-constant sum rule is derived in a model involving broken scale invariance. A phenomenological analysis of tensor-meson decays is carried out. Four coupling-constant sum rules are analyzed, and the ambiguity problem in defining empirical coupling constants is studied. (auth)
Transthoracic Echocardiogram Is a Useful Tool in the Hemodynamic Assessment of Patients With Chest Trauma

Abstract Introduction The utility of transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE) in patients on the trauma service is not well defined. The aim of this study was to evaluate the frequency of abnormal echocardiographic findings that would aid in the assessment and management of cardio vascular hemodynamics in patients with chest trauma. Methods A retrospective analysis of all patients who had a TTE on the trauma service at a level 1 trauma center during a 12-month period was performed. Results There were 94 patients in the study. TTE was performed after cardiac surgery in 5 patients. One of the 5 patients with prior cardiac surgery was excluded from the study because of poor quality images, and each of the remaining 4 patients showed significant TTE abnormalities. Of the 89 patients without prior cardiac surgery, 38 (43%) had significant TTE findings although 32 (84%) of them had no known history of cardiac abnormalities. A decreased left ventricular ejection fraction ( Conclusion Significant echocardiographic abnormalities are detected by TTE in patients with chest trauma. such findings can be used in the hemodynamic assessment and management of unstable patients during their hospitalization and in planning long-term follow-up and management of these patients after discharge from the hospital.
AVid: Annotation driven video decoding for hybrid memories

Adopting emerging non-volatile memory (NVM) technologies is a viable solution to minimize the increasing memory leakage power in today's embedded systems. However, in order to take advantage of the many benefits in NVMs, software must account for their high write overheads. This paper presents AVid, an annotation driven video decoding technique for hybrid memory subsystems. AVid exploits the physical characteristics of NVMs by extracting video decoder access patterns and uses this meta-information to minimize write overheads, thereby improving energy savings and performance. Our experimental results on an annotation-aware H.264 codec show that our technique is able to achieve execution time and energy reduction by up to 40.8% and 39.7% respectively when applied to H.264 decoding.
Detection of Shapes in 2D Point Clouds Generated from Images

We present a novel statistical framework for detecting pre-determined shape classes in 2D cluttered point clouds, which are in turn extracted from images. In this model based approach, we use a 1D Poisson process for sampling points on shapes, a 2D Poisson process for points from background clutter, and an additive Gaussian model for noise. Combining these with a past stochastic model on shapes of continuous 2D contours, and optimization over unknown pose and scale, we develop a generalized likelihood ratio test for shape detection. We demonstrate the efficiency of this method and its robustness to clutter using both simulated and real data.
Spawning habitat of the Atlantic menhaden in Onslow Bay, North Carolina

The Continuous, Underway Fish Egg Sampler (CUFES) was used to sample pelagic eggs of the Atlantic menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) from 3-m depth off North Carolina in winter 1993–94 and 1994–95. Simultaneous measurements were made of temperature, salinity, and the concentration of chlorophyll a. The maximal concentration of eggs was 346 eggs m−3. Eggs were highly aggregated in patches which occurred between the Gulf Stream and mid-shelf fronts (17–23°C, 36.0–36.4‰). Unexpectedly, eggs were found almost exclusively in water of 20–60 m (mode 20 m) bottom depth. Thus, spawning appears related to bathymetry as well as hydrography. Variograms for egg concentration indicated a mean (± SE) patch scale of 3.6 ± 1.7 km and a high degree of spatial variance explained by CUFES sampling. Lagrangian modelling of particles moving in response to tides, winds, and a prescribed flow from the north indicated that the region of observed, maximal occurrence of eggs is favourable for the retention of eggs and larvae on the shelf adjacent to inlets used to enter nursery areas.
INFLUENCE OF DEFATTING AND TOASTING ON BINDING AND PROCESSING CHARACTERISTICS OF PEANUT FLOURS UTILIZED IN SNACK‐TYPE PEANUT CHIPS

The binding capacity of five commercially processed peanut flours was evaluated in a snack food system formed by adding water to produce doughs that were shaped into chips and deep fat fried. The flours were designated as: A, full-fat, spray-dried; B, partially defatted, untoasted; and C, D, and E, partially defatted and toasted for 15 min at 160°C, 171°C, and 177°C, respectively. Flour A produced an oily, sticky dough and chips that were difficult to handle, required the shortest frying time, and did not remain intact or retain their original shape during frying. Flour B contained the highest level of soluble protein but produced a sticky, tacky dough and chips that required the longest frying time but retained their original shape during frying; these chips had tough textures (highest shear values). Flour C contained less soluble protein than its untoasted counterpart (B), but, of the flours tested, was the easiest to mix, roll, shape, and handle; these chips retained their shape in frying and received the highest overall sensory ratings. The high temperatures used for toasting the nuts used to prepare flours D and E drastically reduced protein solubility and completely destroyed binding capacity. Gel electrophoretic patterns showed that the large molecular weight protein, arachin, which was present in flours A, B, and C, was absent from the severely heated flours (D, E). Lysine was the only amino acid in the flours that was significantly reduced by toasting. Processing conditions employed in the manufacture of these flours for use as food ingredients significantly influenced their binding capacity, protein character, and chip processing characteristics.
The Altemeier procedure for rectal prolapse: an operation for all ages.

PURPOSE:Perineal rectosigmoidectomy was the most popular operation performed for rectal prolapse in the first half of the 20th century. However, high recurrence rates relegated it to a back-up role for elderly or other high-risk patients who were not candidates for an abdominal operation. Recent ser
Creation and control of defined protein patterns on glass: alkyl chain length controls stability

Here we present a method for the production of defined protein patterns on glass using trimethoxysilane-terminated self-assembled monolayer (SAM) chemistry. The surfaces were characterized by infrared spectroscopy to determine the relationship between alkyl chain length and monolayer order and, in turn, the critical alkyl chain length required to produce a tightly packed SAM. Protein resistance studies, which incorporated a glycol region into the monomer, further highlighted the importance of alkane chain length within the monolayer, as increased chain length was necessary to generate protein resistant regions that persisted for more than a few days. The long-chain trimethoxysilane-terminated monomers that we have developed are stable, can be purified using standard silicon gel chromatography, and can be easily patterned using methods developed for other SAMs. As a result, these monomers and the resulting monolayers produced from them provide a method for the functionalization of a wide variety of oxide substrates, including ordinary glass, which has enormous advantages over previous glycol-terminated trichlorosilane monomers.
Theoretical, practical, and social issues in behavioral treatments of obesity.

Abstract Although showing superior maintenance, behavioral treatments of obesity typically produce small weight losses at a decelerating rate. Rather than reflecting poor compliance with treatment, these findings are consistent with known compensatory metabolic changes that operate to slow weight loss and promote regain. Other problems associated with dieting include failure of caloric regulation, hyper-responsivity to food palatability, and hunger, which is greater under conditions of moderate restriction and unpredictability of access to food. The inevitability of treatment failure in many instances must be faced and efforts made to prevent further worsening of the obese patient's self-esteem. Prognosis and treatment planning may be aided by consideration of the historical difficulties of weight loss, the degree of hunger experienced on diets, which may reflect important physiological differences among individuals, and the use of food to optimize arousal level. Full involvement of the patient in setting goals and planning treatment is recommended.
Behavior and physiology in young bonnet monkeys

We studied behavioral development in 12 mother-reared social-group-living bonnet macaque (M. radiata) monkey infants during the first four months of life. Physiological data was subsequently recorded from a subset of six using implantable biotelemetry. We compared these data to similar data previously collected in the same manner from similar age social group living pigtail macaque (M. nemestrina) infants. Bonnet infants were more active and apart from mother more throughout development. While in physical contact with mother, however, they were more likely to be enclosed if they were bonnets, but only in proximity or passively supported if they were pigtails. Bonnets also had more social contact with other adults. Mean day and night heart rate and body temperature, heart rate and body temperature circadian rhythms, and most nocturnal sleep variables were virtually identical in bonnets and pigtail infants. These findings suggest that developmental differences in social behavior in two closely related species of macaque monkey need not be accompanied by differences in physiological patternig.
Structure and Mössbauer effect study of [Et4N]2[Fe2(CO)8]

Abstract The reduction of [Et4N]2[Pb{Fe(CO)4}3] leads to the well known [Et4N]2[Fe2(CO)8] as determined by single crystal X- bis[tetracarbonylferrate(1 −)], C24H40Fe2N2O8, FW = 596.28 g/mol, monoclinic, P21/n (#14), a = 9.492(3), b (2)°, V = 1432.5(8) A3, Dx = 1.38 g/cm3, Z = 2, μ = 10.56 cm−1, λ(Mo-Kα) = 0.71069 A, F(000) = 62 for 1869 unique reflections with I > 3σ(I). As in other salts, the anion of [Et4N]2[Fe2(CO)8] consists of two iron atoms situ each of which is coordinated to four carbonyls in a trigonal bipyramidal fashion with the FeFe bond in an axial site. Unexpectedly, the Fe longer than reported for the [PPN]+·2CH3CN, [PPh4]+·2CH3CN and [Fe(pyridine)6]2+ salts. The Mossbauer effect spectra have been measured at 78 and 296 K, are presented and discussed. bl]
Thyroidal Iodide Accumulation and Loss in Vitro

First order rate constants for 131 exit from rat thyroid lobes in vitro (KTM) were measured directly, using a method whereby the incubating medium was repeatedly replaced at 2-min intervals, and indirectly, by applying a 2-compartment (thyroid-medium) model to the findings from 131I- uptake experiments. In studies of 131I- exit only, KTM was enhanced by increasing the concentration of I- in either the incubating medium or the thyroid lobe, and b3r the presence of C1O44-, dinitrophenol, ouabain or excess K+ in the medium. The increased KTM diminished when excess I-, dinitrophenol or ouabain were removed from the bathing fluid. The effect of ouabain was largely overcome by raising the medium K+ concentration. In 131I- uptake studies, a high concentration of I- or C1O4 in the incubating fluid depressed the unidirectional clearance of 13lI- from the medium by the thyroid (C/m) and raised the KTM, but these findings could not be considered quantitatively reliable because of limitations of the model. Large amou...
Regulation of extracellular dopamine by the norepinephrine transporter

There is growing evidence of an interaction between dopamine and norepinephrine. To test the hypothesis that norepinephrine terminals are involved in the uptake and removal of dopamine from the extracellular space, the norepinephrine uptake blocker desmethylimipramine (DMI) was infused locally while the extracellular concentrations of dopamine were simultaneously monitored. DMI increased the extracellular concentrations of dopamine in the medial prefrontal cortex and nucleus accumbens shell but had no effect in the striatum. The combined systemic administration of haloperidol and the local infusion of DMI produced an augmented increase in extracellular dopamine in the cortex compared with the increase produced by either drug alone. This synergistic increase in dopamine overflow is likely due to the combination of impulse-mediated dopamine release produced by haloperidol and blockade of the norepinephrine transporter. No such synergistic effects were observed in the nucleus accumbens and striatum. Local perfusion of the alpha2-antagonist idazoxan also increased the extracellular concentrations of dopamine in the cortex. Although the stimulation of extracellular dopamine by idazoxan and DMI could be due to the increased extracellular concentrations of norepinephrine produced by these drugs, an increase in dopamine also was observed in lesioned rats that were depleted of norepinephrine and challenged with haloperidol. This contrasted with the lack of an effect of haloperidol on cortical dopamine in unlesioned controls. These results suggest that norepinephrine terminals regulate extracellular dopamine concentrations in the medial prefrontal cortex and to a lesser extent in the nucleus accumbens shell through the uptake of dopamine by the norepinephrine transporter.
Nanoprobe Diffusion in Dehydrating Polyvinyl Alcohol Solutions and Gels

We investigate the effect of dehydration on the diffusion of fluorescent nanoprobes embedded in aqueous solutions and gels of Poly(Vinyl Alcohol) (PVA) polymers. using a custom-made optical chamber and applying fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), we measured changes in fluorescence intensity and, simultaneously time-correlation functions at various stages during the dehydration of samples of the solutions or gels. The samples were prepared at different concentrations and cross-link densities, with glutaraldehyde being the cross-linker. We have analyzed the data and determined the changes of the concentrations of the nanoprobes and PVA, as well as the apparent diffusion times of the nanoprobes during the dehydration. For rhodamine fluorophores (TAMRA, MW =430 Da), we find that diffusion slows down in both shrinking samples. The drying rates of samples of the solution and gel are different, though both samples were prepared with the same PVA concentrations and subjected to the same conditions. Moreover, the diffusion time and its changes in the drying sample of gel is larger than those in the corresponding drying sample of the solution. We also measured changes of the elastic modulus of samples of dehydrating gels prepared at different concentrations and cross-link density, the goal being to establish whether there is a correlation between the changes of the elastic modulus and those of the nanoprobe diffusion.
SUCH: A Cloud Computing Management Tool

Abstract-A cloud computing management tool, named Scientific Utility for Cloud Harnessing (SUCH), has been developed to provide an automated and user-friendly mechanism for deploying applications to Microsoft Windows Azure cloud platform. The experimental results demonstrate that users can use this tool deploying applications to Azure cloud platform and running them correctly. It also exhibits with SUCH, applications can be deployed and executed in the cloud without the need of changing any source code. Due to its simplicity, a user with limited technical skills and cloud knowledge can use it easily.
WTO negotiations on agriculture and the distributional impacts for US rice farm households.

Abstract The policies of wealthy countries have proven the most difficult to reform in the WTO Doha Round negotiations. Considerable emphasis has been placed on developing country impacts, but a gap in the literature remains on the stakes for rich country farmers despite the large role these countries play in global agricultural protection. The research here considers the particular case of US rice households and their sensitivity to Japanese market access reform. Using an applied general equilibrium model with multiple farm households we highlight the distributional impacts among these producers. We argue that concessions to Japan on market access make domestic reforms in rice a difficult political sale in the US since the wealthiest producers bear the largest losses. Improving our understanding of the distributional impacts and political realities of the richest countries is critical to informing the negotiating process because the gains to the world’s poor can only be realized with creative policy redress in these rich nations.
Can’t see the forest for the leaves: Similarity and distance measures for hierarchical taxonomies with a patent classification example

Abstract Current measures of technological distance or similarity typically ignore a great deal of the information contained within the classification taxonomies upon which they are based. In this paper, I introduce two modifications which enable various common management research methods to fully make use of hierarchical classification data. Although the methods presented have broad applications, an extensive example exploring various measures of technological similarity based on the USPTO patent classification system is included. In addition to the general benefit of allowing the use of taxonomical data and thus more accurately reflecting the theoretical complexity of any underlying phenomenon, this methodology offers a number of other benefits specific to the patent context. These include the ability to model technological space within fields, since it correctly uses USPTO subclass level data, as well as the ability to accurately analyze similarity at the patent-to-patent dyadic level, since it calculates conceptual overlaps at the lowest level of the classification taxonomy. I explore the performance of these methods in two research contexts: (1) a patent-to-patent level sample within a single technological field and (2) an organization-to-organization level sample across industries. The results show that taxonomical methods generate more meaningful distributions of similarity scores within both samples and that similarity scores calculated via taxonomical methods have a more consistent relationship with citation likelihood and number of citations. Suggestions are provided for variants of this methodology for various technological and industrial classification systems and implications are drawn for future research in a wide range of domains.
p66(Shc) and Ras: controlling anoikis from the inside-out.

Protection from detachment-induced cell death, termed anoikis, facilitates metastasis. Though anoikis is largely attributed to the loss of integrin-related ‘outside-in’ survival signals, Terada and colleagues demonstrate a novel ‘inside-out’ attachment sensing role for the adapter protein p66Shc in promoting anoikis and suppressing metastasis via Ras-dependent control of proliferation and survival.
Spin−Orbit Coupling in Biradicals. 1. The 2-Electrons-in-2-Orbitals Model Revisited

The two-electrons-in-two-orbitals active space model of electronic structure of biradicals and biradicaloids is extended to a Hamiltonian that incorporates the usual kinetic and electrostatic energy terms, and also outside electric and magnetic fields, spin−spin dipolar terms, and one- and two-electron spin−orbit coupling terms. It leads to a more rigorous version of the Salem−Rowland rules for the dependence of T1−S0 spin−orbit coupling (SOC) in biradicals and biradicaloids on molecular structure and conformation. For large T1−S0 SOC in a bitopic biradical, (i) the localized orbitals A and B that are singly occupied in the T1 state either interact covalently or one of them is sufficiently lower in energy to have nearly double occupancy in the S0 state, (ii) on at least one atom of reasonably high atomic number one p orbital contributes strongly to A and another to B, and (iii) the atomic contributions add constructively rather than destructively. The nature of this addition is such that inverse heavy ato...
The Hausman pretest estimator

Abstract In a Monte Carlo experiment we show that using a small probability of Type I error may lead to reduced pretest estimator MSE when a Hausman pretest is used to choose between least squares and instrumental variables estimators.
On estimating the social costs of national economic policy: A critical examination of the Brenner study

This is a critique of Brenner's attempt to link morbidity and mortality to inflation, per capita income and unemployment. Several specific defects and recommendations are cited.
Multilevel learning-based segmentation of ill-defined and spiculated masses in mammograms.

Purpose: A learning-based approach integrating the use of pixel-level statistical modeling and spiculation detection is presented for the segmentation of mammographic masses with ill-defined margins and spiculations. Methods: The algorithm involves a multiphase pixel-level classification, using a comprehensive group of features computed from regional intensity, shape, and textures, to generate a mass-conditional probability map (PM). Then, the mass candidate, along with the background clutters consisting of breast fibroglandular and other nonmass tissues, is extracted from the PM by integrating the prior knowledge of shape and location of masses. A multiscale steerable ridge detection algorithm is employed to detect spiculations. Finally, all the object-level findings, including mass candidate, detected spiculations, and clutters, along with the PM, are integrated by graph cuts to generate the final segmentation mask. Results: The method was tested on 54 masses (51 malignant and 3 benign), all with ill-defined margins and irregular shape or spiculations. The ground truth delineations were provided by five experienced radiologists. Area overlapping ratio of 0.689 (±0.160) and 0.540 (±0.164) were obtained for segmenting entire mass and margin portion only, respectively. Williams index of area and contour based measurements indicated that the segmentation results of the algorithm agreed well with the radiologists’ delineation. Conclusions: The proposed approach could closely delineate the mass body. Most importantly, it is capable of including mass margin and its spicule extensions which are considered as key features for breast lesion analyses.
Numerical results from largeN reduced QCD2

Abstract Some results in QCD 2 at large N are presented using the reduced model on the lattice. Overlap fermions are used to compute meson propagators.
Sumner Versus Keller and the Social Evolutionism of Early American Sociology

Along with Ward, Giddings, and Keller, William Graham Sumner has been considered a social evolutionist. The Science of Society, supposedly written by Sumner with Keller, has been traditionally utilized to document his evolutionary orientation. However, two recently discovered unpublished Sumner manuscripts show that the mature Sumner rejected almost all the basic premises of social evolutionism. This paper concludes that Sumner rejected social evolutionism during the last decade of his career and that the evolutionary orientation found within The Science of Society, which was published 17 years after his death, was the result of Keller's thought.
The Alkalinity of Milk Ash and its Relation to the Detection of Neutralizers in Dry Milks. II. Dry Buttermilk

Summary The ash alkalinity of 16 samples of unneutralized dry sweet cream buttermilk ranged from 55.0 to 112.0 and averaged 78.0, expressed as milliliters 0.10 normal hydrochloric acid required to titrate the ash from 100 grams of the sample. The ash alkalinity of 90 commercial samples of dry buttermilk ranged from 110 to 673 and averaged 238. The ash alkalinity of dry buttermilk from Holstein milk was considerably greater than that of dry buttermilk from Guernsey and Jersey milk. The addition of relatively small amounts of either Absorbex M, calcium hydroxide, magnesium oxide or sodium hydroxide to buttermilk before drying caused measurable increases in the ash alkalinity of the dried product. The increases produced by the various compounds were of the same order when they were added in equivalent amounts. The addition of sodium bicarbonate to cream produced increases in the ash alkalinity of the buttermilk churned from the cream which were comparable to the increase produced by the addition of the same amount of this neutralizer directly to buttermilk. Even though the increases in ash alkalinity produced by the addition of neutralizer in amounts sufficient to reduce the titratable acidity of buttermilk or cream 0.01 to 0.03 per cent were measurable, they were usually not great enough to make the ash alkalinity of the dried buttermilk appear abnormal as compared with the range of values obtained on samples of unneutralized dry buttermilk. This was due largely to the fact that the original unneutralized buttermilk used in these experiments was quite low in ash alkalinity.
A synergistic approach to manufacturing systems control using machine learning and simulation

This paper describes a synergistic approach that is applicable to a wide variety of system control problems. The approach utilizes a machine learning technique, goal-directed conceptual aggregation (GDCA), to facilitate dynamic decision-making. The application domain employed is Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS) scheduling and control. Simulation is used for the dual purpose of providing a realistic depiction of FMSs, and serves as an engine for demonstrating the viability of a synergistic system involving incremental learning. The paper briefly describes prior approaches to FMS scheduling and control, and machine learning. It outlines the GDCA approach, provides a generalized architecture for dynamic control problems, and describes the implementation of the system as applied to FMS scheduling and control. The paper concludes with a discussion of the general applicability of this approach.
The analysis of chaotic time-series data

This paper presents a brief survey of time-series analysis methods that are applicable to processes whose behavior can be described as low-dimensional chaos. The goal of these methods is to allow experimentalists to obtain local estimates of the dynamics directly from a set of data. These estimates are often sufficiently accurate to attempt noise reduction, prediction, and control.
Emersion of 11-mercapto-1-undecanol-modified Ag substrates from aqueous and nonaqueous solvents: The effect of emersion velocity on emersed solvent layer thickness

The formation and stabilization of the emersed interface is dependent on the interplay of various hydrodynamic (viscosity, emersion velocity) and intermolecular forces (hydrogen bonding, dipole−dipole). In an effort to better define the role of these forces, manual-null ellipsometry has been used to investigate the effect of emersion velocity on the emersed layer thickness of water, methanol, acetonitrile, chloroform, 1-butanol, and 1-pentanol at self-assembled monolayers of 11-mercapto-1-undecanol (11-MUD) on polycrystalline Ag substrates. Emersed solvent layer thicknesses decrease as emersion velocity increases for water, methanol, acetonitrile, and chloroform. In contrast, the emersed layer thicknesses of 1-butanol and 1-pentanol remain relatively constant as the emersion velocity increases over the range of velocities accessible (0.0055−0.037 cm/s). These data suggest that the effect of emersion velocity on the resulting emersed layer thickness depends on the chemical and physical characteristics of t...
Synergism of nucleoprotein and dialysate growth factors in chick embryo extract.

Abstract 1. 1. Nucleoprotein and barium-soluble dialysate fractions have been prepared from chick embryo extract, using methods previously described. These fractions were assayed singly and in combination for growth-promoting activity, using cultures of chick heart fibroblasts and a dialyzed plasmaserum medium. 2. 2. Cultures containing both fractions exhibited a sustained, even out-growth, high population density in the marginal zone and normal cell morphology. In appearance these preparations closely resembled cultures containing fresh whole embryo extract. 3. 3. The effects described could not be elicited with either nucleo-protein or dialysate fractions separately. Cultures containing nucleoprotein fraction only showed moderate increases in surface area but the outgrowths became refractile and heavily vacuolated. Addition of the dialysate fraction alone gave thin spreading outgrowths with normal cell morphology but low population density. 4. 4. Similar interaction with the nucleoprotein fraction was also demonstrated for a synthetic nutrient (Morgan-Parker Mixture No. 199). Cultures containing Mixture 199 alone showed small increases in surface area but were deficient in cell morphology.
Polarization of light scattered from optical glass

Abstract Careful measurements are reported on the depolarization of light scattered by some common very perfect specimens of optical glass. Measurements of ϱ u , ϱ v and ϱ h are made with sufficient precision so that the reciprocity relationship can be checked quantitatively. The results indicate that for all the glasses studied ϱ h is less than unity thus indicating that a Krishnan effect occurs in these optical glasses. The fact that ϱ h is less than unity probably indicates that a type of molecular clustering occurs in these optical glasses.
Biomass of the micronekton in Gulf Stream ring 82-B and environs: changes with time

Abstract Micronekton biomass was sampled in warm-core Gulf Stream ring 82-B (at ages 2, 4 and 6 months), the Slope Water, the Gulf Stream and the Sargasso Sea during three multi-ship cruises. There was no significant diel difference in the 0–1000 m integrated biomass for fishes or invertebrate micronekton in 24 paired day-night tows, and no evidence for diel vertical migration across the 1000 m level. Biomass showed a consistent upward shift at night; although it varied with hydrographic regime and sampling date, median biomass depth shift for invertebrates averaged 184 and 137 m for fishes. For total micronekton, median biomass depth ranged from 550 to 750 m by day and 300 to 600 m by night. Fish biomass was always centered deeper than 250 m, while the center of invertebrate biomass rose above that level in only one of 12 night tows. In April, ring-core biomass for fishes and invertebrates (2.2 and 11.9 cc m−2, respectively) was significantly lower than that for the high velocity region (3.6 and 19.8 cc m−2) or that for the Slope Water (4.7 and 20.8 cc m−2). By June, ring-core standing stocks had doubled while that for the high velocity region had been reduced to half of the April levels. No significant changes in Slope Water biomass occurred over the April–August period. Fluctuations in ring-core micronekton biomass were probably due to both in situ processes and advective exchange. On the average, invertebrate biomass was about 4 times that of fish biomass. Total micronekton was 20–30% of the macrozooplankton biomass in April and June, and 7–16% in August. Vertically, the invertebrate fraction overlapped the macrozooplankton more than did the fish fraction. Greater overlap of micronekton and macrozooplankton occurred at night.
Road salts as environmental constraints in urban pond food webs.

Freshwater salinization is an emerging environmental filter in urban aquatic ecosystems that receive chloride road salt runoff from vast expanses of impervious surface cover. Our study was designed to evaluate the effects of chloride contamination on urban stormwater pond food webs through changes in zooplankton community composition as well as density and biomass of primary producers and consumers. From May – July 2009, we employed a 2×2×2 full-factorial design to manipulate chloride concentration (low = 177 mg L−1 Cl−/high = 1067 mg L−1 Cl−), gray treefrog (Hyla versicolor) tadpoles (presence/absence) and source of stormwater pond algae and zooplankton inoculum (low conductance/high conductance urban ponds) in 40, 600-L mesocosms. Road salt did serve as a constraint on zooplankton community structure, driving community divergence between the low and high chloride treatments. Phytoplankton biomass (chlorophyll [a] µg L−1) in the mesocosms was significantly greater for the high conductance inoculum (P<0.001) and in the high chloride treatment (P = 0.046), whereas periphyton biomass was significantly lower in the high chloride treatment (P = 0.049). Gray treefrog tadpole time to metamorphosis did not vary significantly between treatments. However, mass at metamorphosis was greater among tadpoles that experienced a faster than average time to metamorphosis and exposure to high chloride concentrations (P = 0.039). Our results indicate differential susceptibility to chloride salts among algal resources and zooplankton taxa, and further suggest that road salts can act as a significant environmental constraint on urban stormwater pond communities.
Photosynthetic responses of C3 and C4 species from cool shaded habitats in Hawaii.

The C4 species, Euphorbia forbesii, and the C3 species, Claoxylon sandwicense, occupy cool, shaded habitats in Hawaii. Both of these species exhibit the photosynthetic characteristics of typical shade plants: low light-saturated photosynthetic rates, low dark respiration rates, low light levels for saturation of photosynthesis, and low light compensation points. In addition, the quantum yields of the two species are similar at leaf temperatures near 22°C, reflecting a significant increase in the quantum yield of E. forbesii over that of C4 species from open habitats. C. sandwicense has a lower dark respiration rate than E. forbesii. Hence, since the quantum yields of the two species are similar at cool temperatures, C. sandwicense has a higher photosynthetic rate than E. forbesii at low incident photon flux densities. As a consequence, C. sandwicense should have a greater carbon gain than E. forbesii under the diffuse radiation conditions of their native habitat. However, since E. forbesii has a higher light-saturated photosynthetic rate than C. sandwicense, E. forbesii may have a greater carbon gain than C. sandwicense during sunflecks.
Color by Numbers: Nuclear Gene Phylogeny of Jaltomata (Solanaceae), Sister Genus to Solanum, Supports Three Clades Differing in Fruit Color

DNA sequences from the nuclear gene waxy were used to assess phylogenetic relationships within Jaltomata , a group of approxi- mately 60 species from Central and South America. Phylogenetic analyses identify two primary groups: a morphologically diverse group from western South America, characterized by orange fruits, and a primarily Mesoamerican clade with black/purple fruit and little morphologi- cal diversity. We also identify an early-diverging lineage of Jaltomata species with red fruits, which is sister to the rest of the genus. Ancestral character state reconstruction supports a view of the common ancestor of the genus originating in South America and having rotate corollas similar to many species of Solanum . In addition, we infer independent colonizations of lomas habitats by Jaltomata species and show a correla- tion between red nectar production and campanulate floral form in multiple lineages, suggesting a common evolutionary syndrome related to pollination.
Simultaneous pattern and data hiding in supervised learning

The ability to hide private data and confidential patterns from potential adversaries while still maintaining data mining value is an important aspect in privacy preserving data mining. In this paper, we study a nonnegative matrix factorization technique, where we show how to define objective functions and derive corresponding multiplicative update functions. We then use that knowledge to propose a data value perturbation scheme that hides data values but still keeps the data pattern to a large degree. Based on the proposed data value perturbation scheme, we develop a dual data hiding scheme which not only hides data but also hides individual sample's class membership. The essential idea is to use an indicator matrix as a guide for the update process. The performance of the proposed schemes are examined on benchmark datasets for both utility value and data perturbation degree. The empirical results show that the data values are well perturbed and our schemes are capable of hiding a data sample's class membership without side effects. At the end, we draw some interesting conclusions and layout potential future work.
Development of Tests to Evaluate Candidate Elastomers for Artificial Heart Diaphragms

: Blood pump diaphragms are required to be biocompatible and must be capable of long-term flexing without failure. There are currently only a few elastomers that are competing for acceptance in this application. Introduction of other candidate elastomers (including modifications to currently used materials) for these applications is hindered by a lack of accepted short-term in vitro testing methodology to evaluate alternate materials. Accelerated fatigue testing methodology has been developed that will predict long-term in vivo performance of candidate materials for artificial heart diaphragms. A 100-position fatigue testing machine was designed and built for operation in a controlled environment. This machine, along with a previously constructed 30-position fatigue tester, has allowed the generation of fatigue data on 13 elastomeric materials under a wide variety of conditions. The results of the relatively short-term fatigue tests have been shown to correlate well with longer-term fatigue tests.
Optimization of hydroxylation of tyrosine and tyrosine-containing peptides by mushroom tyrosinase

Free tyrosine and tyrosine residues in various peptides and proteins are converted into dopa and dopa residues by tyrosinase (monophenol,L-dopa:oxygen oxidoreductase, EC 1.14.18.1) in the presence of reductants. The efficiency of the tyrosine-to-dopa conversion was examined under varied conditions, such as the substrate-to-tyrosine ratio, concentrations of reductant and oxygen in the reaction solution, pH, temperature and reaction time. The highest dopa yields were achieved with the following optimal conditions for hydroxylation: 0.1 M phosphate buffer at pH 7, 25 mM ascorbic acid, 1 mM tyrosine, 50 micrograms/ml tyrosinase and 20 degrees C. Using these conditions, up to 70% of free tyrosine was converted into dopa, and tyrosine residues in several synthetic peptides were also hydroxylated to dopa residues at ratios as high as free tyrosine. The preparation of hydroxylated analogues of the decapeptide (Ala-Lys-Pro-Ser-Tyr-Pro-Pro-Thr-Tyr-Lys), in particular, may contribute to a better understanding of adhesion in the dopa-containing mussel glue protein.
Histone deacetylase inhibition as an alternative strategy against invasive aspergillosis

Invasive aspergillosis (IA) is a life-threatening infection due to Aspergillus fumigatus and other Aspergillus spp. Drugs targeting the fungal cell membrane (triazoles, amphotericin B) or cell wall (echinocandins) are currently the sole therapeutic options against IA. Their limited efficacy and the emergence of resistance warrant the identification of new antifungal targets. Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes responsible of the deacetylation of lysine residues of core histones, thus controlling chromatin remodeling and transcriptional activation. HDACs also control the acetylation and activation status of multiple non-histone proteins, including the heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90), an essential molecular chaperone for fungal virulence and antifungal resistance. This review provides an overview of the different HDACs in Aspergillus spp. as well as their respective contribution to total HDAC activity, fungal growth, stress responses, and virulence. The potential of HDAC inhibitors, currently under development for cancer therapy, as novel alternative antifungal agents against IA is discussed.