cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Causal tracking reliabilism and the Gettier problem

This paper argues that reliabilism can handle Gettier cases once it restricts knowledge producing reliable processes to those that involve a suitable causal link between the subject’s belief and the fact it references. Causal tracking reliabilism (as this version of reliabilism is called) also avoids the problems that refuted the causal theory of knowledge, along with problems besetting more contemporary theories (such as virtue reliabilism and the “safety” account of knowledge). Finally, causal tracking reliabilism allows for a response to Linda Zagzebski’s challenge that no theory of knowledge can both eliminate the possibility of Gettier cases while also allowing fully warranted but false beliefs.
On composites with periodic structure

The overall moduli of a composite with an isotropic elastic matrix containing periodically distributed (anisotropic) inclusions or voids, can be expressed in terms of several infinite series which only depend on the geometry of the inclusions or voids, and hence can be computed once and for all for given geometries. For solids with periodic structures these infinite series play exactly the same role as does Eshelby's tensor for a single inclusion or void in an unbounded elastic medium. For spherical and circular-cylindrical geometries, the required infinite series are calculated and the results are tabulated. These are then used to estimate the overall elastic moduli when either the overall strains or the overall stresses are prescribed, obtaining the same results. These results are compared with other estimates and with experimental data. It is found that the model of composites with periodic structure yields estimates in excellent agreement with the experimental observations.
Biogeochemical Processes and Microbial Characteristics Across Groundwater - Surface Water Boundaries of the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River

Biogeochemical processes within riverbed hyporheic zones (HZ) can potentially impact the fate and transport of contaminants. We evaluated a modified freeze core technique for the collection of intact cobble-bed samples from the Columbia River HZ along a stretch of the Hanford Reach in Washington State and investigated microbiological and geochemical parameters of corresponding frozen and unfrozen samples. During three sampling periods (March, May, and November 2000), relatively high numbers of viable aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were recovered from both unfrozen (106−107 cfu/g) and frozen samples (105−106 cfu/g). Relatively large populations of sulfate-, nitrate-, and iron-reducing bacteria were present, and significant concentrations of acid-volatile sulfide were measured in some samples, indicating that anoxic regions exist within this zone. Cr(VI), a priority groundwater pollutant on adjacent U.S. Department of Energy lands, was probably removed from solution in HZ samples by a combination of microbi...
Evolving Role of Local Anesthetics in Managing Postsurgical Analgesia

Abstract Purpose Opioid analgesics, the cornerstone of effective postsurgical pain management, may be associated with risk of opioid-related adverse drug events (ADEs) that may complicate the postsurgical experience. Perioperative multimodal analgesic regimens have the potential to improve postsurgical pain control and may permit use of lower analgesic doses and reduce the incidence of opioid-related ADEs. Utility of traditional local anesthetic formulations to provide analgesia over the entire postsurgical period is limited by their short duration of action. Liposome bupivacaine, a liposomal formulation of bupivacaine indicated for single-dose administration into the surgical site to produce postsurgical analgesia, was evaluated in multiple surgical models as part of multimodal analgesic regimens and was found in clinical trials to provide postsurgical analgesia for up to 72 hours. Here, we provide an overview of the available multimodal analgesic options and recent recommendations for optimal postsurgical pain management. Methods A review of the literature was conducted, and results from recent clinical trials are included. Findings The use of a multimodal analgesic regimen, including liposome bupivacaine, can extend the time to first postsurgical opioid use, may reduce postsurgical opioid consumption, and reduce hospital length of stay and costs compared with an opioid-only analgesic regimen. Implications Use of multimodal analgesic regimens is a practical way to achieve good postsurgical analgesia while minimizing reliance on opioids and associated adverse events. Taken as a whole, evidence from the clinical studies of liposome bupivacaine suggests this local anesthetic formulation may be a useful component of multimodal analgesic regimens for managing postsurgical pain in select patients, with the potential to reduce opioid use and opioid-related ADEs in the postsurgical setting. As with bupivacaine, appropriate use of liposome bupivacaine to optimize clinical effects, economic implications, and patient tolerability will depend on appropriate patient selection, practitioner training, and institutional protocols. As a component of a multimodal analgesic regimen, liposome bupivacaine represents a new approach to extending the duration of postsurgical analgesia. Further studies across a range of surgical settings should help clarify the most appropriate roles for this prolonged-release formulation of bupivacaine.
Two Converging Lines of Influence in Cultural Evolutionary Theory

"all cultures are composed of three general classes of phenomena:technology, social organization, and philosophy" and that "of these, technology is primary and determines the content and form of the other two components." She believes that this "reduces the explanation of cultural development to the same terms that physicists use to describe the rest of nature:matter and energy" and that the content of any particular culture depends "on the amount of energy that can be controlled and the efficiency of the technological means of putting this energy to use" (1960:302-3). She tells us that "the law of energy and cultural evolution" was "first set forth" in 1943 by an American anthropologist. So far as I know, Leslie White, the anthropologist whom she names, has made no claim of priority or originality in respect to these doctrines, and I am sure he will not take it amiss if I call attention to the existence, long before this date, of such formulations and convictions. To begin our appraisal of theories about energy and technology with 1943 cuts us off from ideas and attitudes which I am convinced have been formative and significant for some of the tendencies in anthropology today. It would be surprising if, of all the natural scientists who dealt before 1943 with the transformation and control of power, not one concerned himself with the implications for culture of the harnessing of different forms and amounts of energy. Of course, this is not the case; and anyone who is at all familiar with scientific thought and developments of the late 19th and early 20th centuries will think at once in this connection of the influential German chemist and Nobel laureate, Wilhelm Ostwald, who was interested enough in the relationship of energy to human affairs to espouse a doctrine with declared evolutionary implications which he called "energetics.T1 I call attention to the views of Ostwald not only because they indicate that the conception of a cultural evolution spurred by energy and technology occurred considerably earlier than some realize but because, in their fuller dimension, they constitute a nexus of associated concepts which coalesced during the industrial and scientific revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries and which continue as a force in the thinking of the 20th century. In my opinion, anthropology, as well as other disciplines, has been and continues to be significantly affected by this constellation of ideas. The impersonal quality of science and natural law, the reproducibility of experiments, and the fact that the products of science increasingly dwarf their creators in size, efficiency, and power tended to focus attention on culture as such, rather than on its
Spectral sensitivity of low level electroretinograms.

Abstract A three-way comparison was made of the spectral sensitivity of the human electroretinogram obtained with alternating stimuli, of the spectral sensitivity of responses elicited by flashing stimuli, and of a psychophysical determination of spectral sensitivity. The comparisons were made at low levels of adaptation. Responses to alternating stimuli had a sensitivity which closely matched the psychophysical data and were scotopic, but flashing stimuli elicited electroretinograms with high short wave length sensitivity. The results show that alternating stimuli may be used to obtain scotopic electroretinograms free of complications introduced by stray light.
Neurons May Live for Decades with Neurofibrillary Tangles

Neurons containing neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) are one of the pathological hallmarks of Alzheimer disease (AD). It is known that this population of neurons express gene products and thus function to some degree, but it is unknown how long these neurons may survive with NFT. It is also thought that the formation of NFT results in the death of neurons. Using quantitative data on neuron loss and NFT formation as a function of disease duration, we have generated a computer program that models both the degeneration of CA1 hippocampal neurons and the formation of NFT in these neurons in AD. Modeling various neuron survival times with NFT and altering selected assumptions upon which the models are based, we arrive at the conclusions that 1) CA1 hippocampal neurons survive with NFT for about 20 years, and 2) NFT may not be obligatory for death of CA1 hippocampal neurons in AD.
Quantification of Hypercoagulable State After Blunt Trauma: Microparticle and Thrombin Generation Are Increased Relative to Injury Severity, While Standard Markers are Not

Background Major trauma is an independent risk factor for developing venous thromboembolism. While increases in thrombin generation and/or procoagulant microparticles have been detected in other patient groups at greater risk for venous thromboembolism, such as cancer or coronary artery disease, this association has yet to be documented in trauma patients. This pilot study was designed to characterize and quantify thrombin generation and plasma microparticles in individuals early after traumatic injury. Methods Blood was collected in the trauma bay from 52 blunt injured patients (cases) and 19 uninjured outpatients (controls) and processed to platelet poor plasma to allow for (1) isolation of microparticles for identification and quantification by flow cytometry, and (2) in vitro thrombin generation as measured by calibrated automatic thrombography. Data collected are expressed as either mean ± standard deviation or median with interquartile range. Results Among the cases, which included 39 men and 13 women (age, 40 ± 17 years), the injury severity score was 13 ± 11, the international normalized ratio was 1.0 ± 0.1, the thromboplastin time was 25 ± 3 seconds, and platelet count was 238 ± 62 (thousands). The numbers of total (cell type not specified) procoagulant microparticles, as measured by Annexin V staining, were increased compared to nontrauma controls (541 ± 139/μL and 155 ± 148/μL, respectively; P P = .02). Conclusion Patients with blunt trauma have greater numbers of circulating procoagulant microparticles and increased in vitro thrombin generation. Future studies to characterize the cell-specific profiles of microparticles and changes in thrombin generation kinetics after traumatic injury will determine whether microparticles contribute to the hypercoagulable state observed after injury.
Heroic Action and Its Discontents: Safe Horizon’s Response to 9/11

Based on first-hand qualitative research, this article describes and analyzes the significant role that a local, New York City-based social service agency played in responding to 9/11; the sources of its notable ability to provide assistance to individuals and families affected by this terrorist attack; and the structural strains and unanticipated divisions within the agency that the heroism of its fervid engagement nevertheless engendered.
A Validation Study of the Spanish Self-Directed Search Using Back-Translation Procedures.

Assessment of cultural differences in the structures of vocational interests assumes metric and translation equivalence of interest measures used for culturally diverse populations. The present study examines the adequacy of the Spanish translation of Holland's (1990) Self-Directed Search-Easy (SDS-E) using back-translation procedures and structural analyses. The most recent revision of the English-language SDS-E and, separated by a 1-week interval, the back-translated (Spanish to English) version of the SDS-E developed for this study were completed by 145 undergraduates. Analyses using the randomization test of hypothesized orders (Hubert & Arabie, 1987) indicated that Holland's model adequately fit both the SDS-E and back-translated scale (Bktran) scores of this sample and that the model fit the Bktran data significantly better than it fit the SDS-E data. For both instruments, Holland's model fit the scores of the men (n = 73) significantly better than it fit the women's (n = 70) scores. This observed g...
Chronically injured supraspinal neurons exhibit only modest axonal dieback in response to a cervical hemisection lesion.

This study examined the extent of axon retraction (dieback) exhibited by injured brain stem neurons in a chronic spinal cord injury (SCI) condition. Adult female rats subjected to a cervical (C3) hemisection lesion were sacrificed 1, 4, 8, or 14 weeks after injury and the spinal cord from C1 to the lesion cavity was removed. One week prior to sacrifice, a microinjection of biotinylated dextran amine (BDA, 0.5 microliter) was made into the red nucleus, lateral vestibular nucleus, or medullary reticular formation of each animal. Horizontal cryostat sections were processed with avidin-HRP to detect supraspinal axons anterogradely labeled with BDA. Terminal end bulbs of axons were identified and their distance from the lesion site was measured by a computerized image analysis program. At all postinjury intervals, numerous rubrospinal, vestibulospinal, and reticulospinal tract axons were found immediately adjacent to the lesion site and over 60% of all terminals were within 500 micrometer at 1 and 4 weeks. The mean axonal distance of 450-500 micrometer from the lesion indicated that many injured axons had retracted farther than 500 micrometer from the lesion site; however, long-term maintenance of the mean axonal distance from the lesion at less than 500 micrometer indicated the absence of progressive dieback after SCI. While some modest changes occur in specific supraspinal pathways following SCI, axonal retraction does not appear to be a contributing factor to the diminished regenerative effort by certain brain stem neurons that has been observed at long postinjury intervals.
Multi-way functional principal components analysis

Many examples of multi-way or tensor-valued data, such as in climate studies, neuroimaging, chemometrics, and hyperspectral imaging, are structured meaning that variables are associated with locations. Tensor decompositions, or higher-order principal components analysis (HOPCA), are a classical method for dimension reduction and pattern recognition for this multi-way data. In this paper, we introduce novel methods for Functional HOPCA that decompose the tensor data into components that are smooth with respect to the known data structure. Through numerical experiments we demonstrate the comparative advantages of our methods for smooth signal recovery from multi-way data.
Effectiveness of Physician-Based Assessment and Counseling for Exercise in a Staff Model HMO

Abstract Background. Few primary care physicians routinely counsel for exercise, despite the benefits of physical activity and the high prevalence of inactivity. The objective of this study is to assess the effectiveness of Physician-Based Assessment and Counseling for Exercise (PACE), a brief, behavior-based tool for primary care providers counseling healthy adults. Methods. This study is a randomized controlled trial of 812 patients age 30 years or older registered for well visits at 32 primary care physician offices at a staff model health maintenance organization. Intervention physicians were trained to deliver PACE exercise counseling protocols at the index visit, and one reminder telephone call occurred at 1 month. An enhanced intervention group received additional activity reminders. Results. At the 6-month follow-up, the control group did not differ significantly from the intervention group for energy expended (2048 kcal/week versus 2108 kcal/week, P = 0.77), time spent in walking or other moderate to vigorous activities (202 min/week versus 187 min/week, P = 0.99), mental health, physical function, or behaviors previously shown to predict activity change. Among the intervention patients, the stages-of-change score for Contemplators increased significantly compared with controls ( P = 0.03), but without a significant change in energy expended. Baseline levels of physical activity counseling were high (50%), as were baseline patient physical activity levels (61% exercised at least three times a week). Conclusions. These results suggest that a one-time PACE counseling session with minimal reinforcement, in a setting with high baseline levels of activity, does not further increase activity. The finding that Contemplators advanced in stage of behavior change suggests that further studies are needed to examine long-term, repeated counseling interventions.
The pharmacokinetics of teicoplanin in varying degrees of renal function

The pharmacokinetics of teicoplanin, a new glycopeptide antibiotic with activity against aerobic gram-positive bacteria, were characterized after intravenous administration of a single 3 mg/kg dose in five healthy volunteers and six patients with various degrees of stable renal insufficiency. Serum and urine samples were collected during a 15-day period and drug concentrations were assayed microbiologically. The mean elimination half-life of teicoplanin was 162.6 ± 69.8 hours in healthy volunteers and was prolonged with decreased renal function. The mean plasma and renal clearances of teicoplanin in healthy subjects were 11.4 ± 1.5 ml/min and 10.0 ± 1.0 ml/min, respectively. Both values decreased in patients with renal failure and correlated significantly with measured creatinine clearances (r2 = 0.938 and 0.884, respectively). A nomogram for dosage adjustment in patients with varying degrees of renal failure is presented. Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (1990) 47, 655–661; doi:10.1038/clpt.1990.87
The occupational culture of IS/IT personnel within organizations

As organizations' reliance on information technology (IT) continues to grow, the information technology personnel who support end users play an increasingly important role in the proper functioning of those organizations. In the present study, we interviewed information technology personnel (N=32) as well as other employees (N=89) to examine their intra-group and inter-group communications and assess the existence and importance of the occupational culture of IT personnel within organizations. We applied Trice's Occupational Subculture theoretical framework (1993) to examine the characteristics of the occupational culture of IT personnel and its relationships with other type of personnel within organizations. The results of our study suggest that IT personnel have established a distinct occupational culture within organizations, characterized, for example, by the use of technical jargon, primary value of technical knowledge, extreme and unusual demands on people in the profession related to the constant change of IT, feelings of superiority and a general lack of formal rules. Conflicts between IT occupational subcultures and other extant subcultures arise from cultural differences
Identity, Discourse, and Safety in a High School Discussion of Same-Sex Marriage.

Abstract Scholars have called for discussions of same-sex marriage in schools as one way of ending the curricular silence around lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) people. Yet, concerns about how students might talk about LGBTQ people can contribute to teachers' reluctance to initiate such discussions. Queer theory suggests that discussions of same-sex marriage require students to negotiate high school cultures that often assume and enforce heterosexuality. Further, students are likely to draw on the larger societal debate, a debate that often characterizes LGBTQ people very differently (and often stereotypically). Informed by discourse analysis, the author examined one discussion of same-sex marriage in a high school classroom and considered the ways students managed both their arguments and their identities. He also examined students' arguments to see how they contest what it means to be LGBTQ. Results of the analysis suggest that the assumption of heterosexuality pervaded the ...
Convergence in Karmarkar's algorithm for linear programming

Karmarkar’s algorithm is formulated so as to avoid the possibility of failure because of unbounded solutions. A general inequality gives an easy proof of the convergence of the iterations. It is shown that the parameter value $\alpha = 0.5$ more than doubles the originally predicted rate of convergence. To go from the last iterate to an exact optimal solution, an $O(n^3 )$ termination algorithm is prescribed. If the data have maximum bit length independent of n, the composite algorithm is shown to have complexity $O(n^{4.5} \log n)$.
An Analysis and Interpretation of Refractive Errors after Penetrating Keratoplasty

Despite advances in microsurgical techniques, astigmatism after penetrating keratoplasty is still a perplexing problem. In this paper, using retrospective studies, experiments, and observations, the factors that seem most significant in creating excessive postoperative astigmatism are delineated. The difficulty of creating a circular recipient hole of the same size and shape as the donor button appears to be a prime area for clinical research and technical development.
IN VITRO REJUVENATION OF BETULA (BETULACEAE): MORPHOLOGICAL EVALUATION

The extent of rejuvenation that occurs during in vitro culture and propagation of Betula was determined. Comparisons were made between half-sib seedlings and micropropagated, grafted, and cutting-propagated mature-phase birch plants grown under similar conditions. To measure relative levels ofjuvenility, three clones were examined at 1, 4, and 8 mo postpropagation, for differences in stem and leaf morphology and the presence or absence of reproductive structures. Numerous morphological indicators of phase change in Betula were identified. Micropropagated plants are not initially morphologically identical to conventionally propagated mature plants and display many featurcs characteristic of seedlings. Micropropagated plants that exhibited juvenile morphology developed mature morphology more rapidly than did plants grown from seed. However, some mature-phase morphological characteristics did not return to micropropagated plants during the time frame of the study. Rejuvenation of Betula appears to occur during in vitro micropropagation, but the level of juvenility that is regained may not be equivalent to that of a seedling. Not all morphological indicators of phase change are affected equally by in vitro rejuvenation.
Imaging Polarimetry for High Throughput Chiral Screening

Imaging polarimetry was demonstrated as a highly parallel method of determining optical rotation of biochemical samples. The imaging polarimeter utilized a bright, uniform light source wavelength-filtered to near the sodium D line, a sample array flanked by inlet and analyzing polarizers, and a CCD camera fitted with an equal-perspective telecentric lens. The prototype apparatus was demonstrated to have an optical resolution better than 0.08°. The potential for high throughput screening was demonstrated by imaging chiral solutions in 1536-well microtiter plates and by real-time monitoring of 30 simultaneous chiral enzymatic reactions. Improvements in polarizer and CCD technology may broadly expand the techniqueapos;s applicability to fields such as directed evolution and combinatorial chemistry, where screening throughput is currently limiting for chiral applications.
Prefrontal and hippocampal contributions to visual associative recognition: Interactions between cognitive control and episodic retrieval

The ability to recover episodic associations is thought to depend on medial–temporal lobe mnemonic mechanisms and frontal lobe cognitive control processes. The present study examined the neural circuitry underlying non-verbal associative retrieval, and considered the consequences of successful retrieval on cognitive control demands. Event-related fMRI data were acquired while subjects retrieved strongly or weakly associated pairs of novel visual patterns in a two-alternative forced choice associative recognition paradigm. Behaviorally, successful retrieval of strongly associated relative to weakly associated pairs was more likely to be accompanied by conscious recollection of the pairs prior co-occurrence. At the neural level, right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and hippocampus were more active during successful retrieval of Strong than of Weak associations, consistent with a role in visual associative recollection. By contrast, Weak trials elicited greater activation in right anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), which may detect conflict between the similarly familiar target and foil stimuli in the absence of recollection. Consistent with this interpretation, stronger ACC activity was associated with weaker hippocampal and stronger right dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) responses. Thus, recollection of relevant visual associations (hippocampus and VLPFC) results in lower levels of mnemonic conflict (ACC) and decreased familiarity-based monitoring demands (DLPFC). These findings highlight the interplay between cognitive control and episodic retrieval. � 2004 Published by Elsevier Inc.
Lateral electromagnetic waves along plane boundaries: A summarizing approach

Lateral electromagnetic waves along a plane boundary between homogeneous half-spaces are reviewed. The electromagnetic fields generated by vertical and horizontal electric dipoles near the boundary between air and the earth (salt or fresh water, soil, ice, etc.) are summarized in terms of a new unified theory of lateral-wave propagation. Complete theoretically determined fields are displayed and compared with measured fields at f = 601 MHz relative to the boundary between air and salt water (σ = 3.5 S/m, e r = 80). Near, intermediate, and asymptotic fields are related graphically to the new general theory and to the approximate and restricted formulas of Norton and Banos as well as to the Zenneck wave. Application is made to the specific problem of communication with submerged submarines by means of transmitters consisting of electrically short monopoles in air and horizontal traveling-wave antennas and directional arrays in sea water. The properties of the antennas are evaluated in the frequency range 10 ≤ f ≤ 30 kHz which is optimum for receiver depths near 10 m, and at f = 1 kHz which is optimum for depths up to 50 m. The effects of reflections from the ionosphere and of the earth's curvature are not included.
Epicenter motion of a transversely isotropic elastic half-space due to a suddenly applied buried point source

Abstract A linear, transversely isotropic, elastic half-space is excited by a suddenly applied buried point source. The stress free surface of the half-space is normal to the axis of material symmetry. An integral transform solution is found for a restricted class of materials. Explicit results are given for the normal component of the epicenter displacement. Numerical results are tabulated and discussed for nine hexagonal crystals.
The dark tower: Using visual metaphors to facilitate emotional expression during organizational change

Purpose – To provide a descriptive case study showing how the construction of drawings as visual metaphors can help work groups “give voice” to their emotional reactions to organizational change events, and provide groups with a vehicle for interpreting and framing their experience of organizational change. Design/methodology/approach – A seven‐person focus was asked to construct a drawing that would serve as a visual metaphor for conveying the group's reaction to ongoing organizational changes within their company. Following this construction, the group engaged in a self‐interpretation of their metaphor. Findings – The work group's feelings regarding organizational change were encapsulated in visual metaphor of “dark tower”; a metaphor of which revealed that team members shared several strong, negative emotions regarding the organizational change event. A review of how the group's changes in metaphor construction evolved over three successive drawings showed how certain elements of the metaphor came to play a central role in the team's emotional expression of organizational change events. Research limitations/implications – This case study did not attempt to provide a comparative review of metaphor constructions across work groups, nor did it include the use of other research methods, such as structured interviews, to confirm these findings. Practical implications – This study illustrates how the construction of visual metaphors can be used to help researchers gain a more in‐depth understanding of the subjective, felt experience of groups during organizational change events. Originality/value – The group's reflections on how their successive drawings changed over the course of the construction of their metaphor sheds light on how “visual narratives” take form over time.
Parental Provisioning by Carolina Wrens

Abstract We studied nestling provisioning and male song behavior associated with provisioning by Carolina Wrens (Thryothorus ludovicianus) throughout the nestling period. Overall, males and females (n = 14 pairs) provisioned at similar rates throughout four nestling stages although males tended to provision more at the earliest nest stage (1–3 days). Males and females increased their rate of provisioning progressively over the nestling period. Parents brought one food item at a time to the nest and load sizes were similar between males and females, and between early and late nest stages. Males sang 34% of the time on arrival at nests to provision and 49% on leaving nests after provisioning. There was no relationship between male song and age of the nestlings. Males sang more after provisioning nestlings when females were not present (55%) than when females were present (33%) at the nest. The function of male song during provisioning may be to communicate the male's location to the female and to indicate...
Keratin 17 modulates hair follicle cycling in a TNFα-dependent fashion

Mammalian hair follicles cycle between stages of rapid growth (anagen) and metabolic quiescence (telogen) throughout life. Transition from anagen to telogen involves an intermediate stage, catagen, consisting of a swift, apoptosis-driven involution of the lower half of the follicle. How catagen is coordinated, and spares the progenitor cells needed for anagen re-entry, is poorly understood. Keratin 17 (K17)-null mice develop alopecia in the first week post-birth, correlating with hair shaft fragility and untimely apoptosis in the hair bulb. Here we show that this abnormal apoptosis reflects premature entry into catagen. Of the proapoptotic challenges tested, K17-null skin keratinocytes in primary culture are selectively more sensitive to TNFα. K17 interacts with TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1)-associated death domain protein (TRADD), a death adaptor essential for TNFR1-dependent signal relay, suggesting a functional link between this keratin and TNFα signaling. The activity of NF-κB, a downstream target of TNFα, is increased in K17-null skin. We also find that TNFα is required for a timely anagen–catagen transition in mouse pelage follicles, and that its ablation partially rescues the hair cycling defect of K17-null mice. These findings identify K17 and TNFα as two novel and interdependent regulators of hair cycling.
COORDINATE ACTIVATION OF THE DOLICHOL-LINKED PATHWAY TO GLYCOPROTEINS IN DEVELOPING BRAIN

Glycoproteins play critical roles in brain development, including particularly neuronal and glial differentiation. However, little is known about the regulation of glycoprotein synthesis in developing brain. Glycoprotein biosynthesis is known to occur via the dolichol-linked pathway, in which dolichyl phosphate (dol-P) is the critical intermediate. In this work we utilized developing rat brain to study the regulation of dolichollinked glycoprotein biosynthesis. Utilization of a new technique based upon high performance liquid chromatography led to the definition of a striking increase in brain content of dol-P in the 2nd to 4th weeks of postnatal development. Values increased 10-fold from 10 days of life-to 25 days of life. Strikingly, specific activity of dolichol kinase, the enzyme that catalyzes formation of dol-P from dolichol and cytidine triphosphate, exhibited a parallel developmental increase. Similarly, the specific activity of the first committed enzyme in the transfer of saccharide moieties to dol-P, the tunicamycin-sensitive N-acetylglucosaminylphosphotransferase, also exhibited a sharp developmental increase in the 2nd to <4th weeks. Taken together the data indicate for the first time that dolichol kinase is the critical determinant of dol-P levels in brain, and that coordinate activation of the dolichol-1inked pathway to glycoproteins occurs at a developmental time period which includes neuronal and glial differentiation. (Supported by NIH-ROI-HD07464).
Changes in strategies for optimal antibacterial therapy in cystic fibrosis

Abstract Aggressive antibiotic therapy of bacterial airway infection is one of the main reasons for the dramatic increase in life expectancy over the last few decades. Staphylococcus aureus and Haemophilus influenzae are the predominant pathogens in younger patients, but the choice of antibiotic therapy against these pathogens remains highly controversial. There is general agreement that patients with pulmonary exacerbations should be treated and many cystic fibrosis (CF) centres will also try to eradicate bacteria in the absence of symptoms. Prophylactic antibiotic therapy, with anti-staphylococcal medications started at the time of diagnosis, is advocated by some groups but its positive effect remains unproven. In fact, recent studies have suggested that continuous prophylactic treatment with anti-staphylococcal antibiotics may increase the risk of early colonisation with P. seudomonas aeruginosa . P. aeruginosa is the main pathogen in older children with CF. While chronic airway infection with mucoid P. aeruginosa is considered irreversible, both the combination of oral ciprofloxacin with inhaled colistin and inhaled to bramycin alone has been used successfully in the early phase of colonisation. In patients chronically infected with P. aeruginosa , standard treatment of pulmonary exacerbations consists of intravenous combination therapy for 2–3 weeks. Controversy exists whether this treatment should be performed routinely every 3 months or only in the presence of a pulmonary exacerbation. Inhaled antibiotics such as tobramycin have been shown to improve lung function and reduce sputum density of P. aeruginosa , but both the optimal dose and the duration of therapy are unclear at the present time.
Composition and structure of forest communities in a fragmented rural landscape: the Middle Hills of Eastern Nepal

Rising population and land use intensification in the Middle Hills (1,000-3,000 melevation) of Nepal have resulted in widespread conversion of primary forests,and there is limited understanding of the degree to which conversion affectsplant community composition. This study describes and compares vascularplant communities in four vegetation types in the eastern Middle Hills of Nepal:primary forests, deforested areas, large cardamom (Amomum subulatum)plantations, and conifer plantations. We sampled nested plots in 18 stands andwe analyzed indicators such as species richness and diversity, unique species,stand composition, and structure. Primary forests and conifer plantations hadsignificantly greater species richness than deforested areas and cardamomplantations (P≤0.001). Primary forests exhibited complex structure and contained~229 species, 30% of which were unique to this vegetation type. Deforestedareas contained sparse woody vegetation, many species suited to exposedhabitats, and ~178 species. Cardamom plantations contained ~174 speciesand were characterized by an Alnus nepalensis overstory (82.4% of stems ≥3.2cm dbh) and A. subulatum in the understory. Conifer plantations were stockedwith Cryptomeria japonica, Pinus wallichiana, or Pinus roxburghii. Of ~217species encountered, only 16% were unique to this vegetation type, althoughspecies diversity was comparatively high (Shannon-Wiener index: 3.34). Ourfindings indicate that vegetative composition was influenced by (a) the degreeof disturbance and management and (b) aspect and elevation, and thereforeplant community composition in primary forests is unlikely to be approximatedin other vegetation types or in forests positioned differently on the landscape. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3126/banko.v22i2.9196 Banko Janakari : A Journal of Forestry Information for Nepal Vol. 22, No. 2, 2012 November Page: 11-18 Uploaded date: 12/1/2013
Managing offshore outsourcing in the software industry

The objective of this research paper is to investigate the fundamental role of managers in guiding and growing relationships of offshore software outsourcing partnerships. Offshore outsourcing allows businesses to reduce costs, increase shareholder value, gain competitive advantage, decrease cycle time, improve customer loyalty, gain staffing flexibility and increase revenue, and ultimately allows a business to focus on its core competencies. This study provides a strategic analysis on the key advantages and disadvantages between a contracted source vs a wholly owned offshore outsourcing subsidiary. The paper was focused on the dynamics of the management relationship with a look at how culture, language and the legal systems in foreign countries contribute to the overall outcome of offshore outsourcing ventures.
Theoretical and experimental basis for the inhibition of cataract.

Abstract Aggregation of the lens proteins to form high molecular weight clusters is a major contributing factor in age-onset nuclear cataract [Benedek, G. B. (1971) Theory of transparency of the eye. Appl. Optics , 10: 459–473]. This aggregation occurs continually throughout life and contributes to an exponential increase, as a function of age, in the intensity of the light backscattered out of the lens. The time constant Δ T for this exponential increase in human populations is a valuable index, helpful for conducting clinical trials. In-vitro studies have identified reagents capable of inhibiting high molecular weight aggregate formation, as well as the non-covalent interprotein interactions responsible for phase separation. These reagents are also found experimentally to be effective cataract inhibitors in animal model systems in vivo . We believe that the stage is now set for human clinical trials of putative cataract inhibitors. We present rough quantitative estimates of the trial parameters needed to assure an unambiguous determination of efficacy in a trial population. Such a trial simply requires a measurement of the time constant Δ T in the treated population relative to the untreated population. A successful outcome of the trial is indicated if Δ T increases by 20% over that found for the untreated population. Our estimates suggest efficacy could be determined in a two year trial involving about 300 subjects in the treated group.
TH-E-BRE-10: Independent Verification of Monitor Units for Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy (VMAT).

Purpose: A challenging problem in VMAT is how to independently validate the monitor units (MUs) of the treatment plan for a patient generated by the treatment planning system (TPS). In this work we establish a novel framework for independent MU verification of VMAT. Methods: The proposed MU verification technique is based on the relationship between the absorbed dose and the weighed sequence of station points. In VMAT, the dose at a point can be expressed as a sum of contributions from all the station points (or control points). To proceed, we first obtain the matrix elements which characterize the dosimetric contribution of the involved station points by computing the doses at a series of voxels, typically on the prescription surface of the VMAT treatment plan, with unit MU setting for all the station points. This dose matrix is calculated using an in-house Monte Carlo (MC) software. The MUs of the station points are then derived by minimizing the least-squares difference between doses computed by the TPS and that of the MC for the selected set of voxels. The technique is applied to sixteen clinical cases with a variety of energies, disease sites and TPS dose calculation algorithms. Results: For cases without tissue density inhomogeneity, the independently computed MUs agree with that of TPS to within 2.7% for all the station points. For lung cases, the MC-calculated MUs differ significantly from that of the treatment plan computed using AAA. However, the discrepancies are reduced to within 3% when the TPS dose calculation algorithm is switched to a transport equation-based technique (AcurosTM). Conclusion: An independent MU calculation method is developed, for the first time, for patient specific VMAT treatment plan QA.
Properties of liquid nickel: A critical comparison of EAM and MEAM calculations

In this paper, we compare a variety of properties of liquid nickel calculated with two different embedded atom model functions [J. Cai and Y. Y. Ye, Phys. Rev. B 54, 8398 (1996); M. I. Baskes, J. I. Angelo, and N. R. Moody, in Hydrogen Effects on Material Behavior, edited by N. R. Moody and A. W. Thomson (The Minerals, Metals, and Materials Society, Warrendale, PA, 1995)] and four variations of the modified embedded atom (MEAM) model [M. I. Baskes, Mater. Chem. Phys. 50, 152 (1997)]. We report calculated values of the melting point and structure factors for each of the representative potentials. We calculate via equilibrium molecular dynamics the shear viscosity and self-diffusion coefficient. This study shows that the short-ranged MEAM potential can give a representative picture of liquid nickel.
Imaging system sensitivity analysis with NV-IPM

This paper describes the sensitivity analysis capabilities to be added to version 1.2 of the NVESD imaging sensor model NV-IPM. Imaging system design always involves tradeoffs to design the best system possible within size, weight, and cost constraints. In general, the performance of a well designed system will be limited by the largest, heaviest, and most expensive components. Modeling is used to analyze system designs before the system is built. Traditionally, NVESD models were only used to determine the performance of a given system design. NV-IPM has the added ability to automatically determine the sensitivity of any system output to changes in the system parameters. The component-based structure of NV-IPM tracks the dependence between outputs and inputs such that only the relevant parameters are varied in the sensitivity analysis. This allows sensitivity analysis of an output such as probability of identification to determine the limiting parameters of the system. Individual components can be optimized by doing sensitivity analysis of outputs such as NETD or SNR. This capability will be demonstrated by analyzing example imaging systems.
Nonoperative Care for the Treatment of Adult-acquired Flatfoot Deformity

Nonoperative therapy for adult-acquired flatfoot is a reasonable treatment option that is likely to be beneficial for most patients. In this article, we describe the results of a retrospective cohort study that focused on nonoperative measures, including bracing, physical therapy, and anti-inflammatory medications, used to treat adult-acquired flatfoot in 64 consecutive patients. The results revealed the incidence of successful nonsurgical treatment to be 87.5% (56 of 64 patients), over the 27-month observation period. Overall, 78.12% of the patients with adult-acquired flatfoot were obese (body mass index [BMI] ≥ 30), and 62.5% of the patients who failed nonsurgical therapy were obese; however, logistic regression failed to show that BMI was statistically significantly associated with the outcome of treatment. The use of any form of bracing was statistically significantly associated with successful nonsurgical treatment (fully adjusted OR = 19.8621, 95% CI 1.8774 to 210.134), whereas the presence of a split-tear of the tibialis posterior on magnetic resonance image scans was statistically significantly associated with failed nonsurgical treatment (fully adjusted OR = 0.016, 95% CI 0.0011 to 0.2347). The results of this investigation indicate that a systematic nonsurgical treatment approach to the treatment of the adult-acquired flatfoot deformity can be successful in most cases.
The Role of Similarity in Hungarian Vowel Harmony: a Connectionist Account

Over the last 10 years, the assimilation process referred to as vowel harmony has served as a test case for a number of proposals in phonological theory. Current autosegmental approaches successfully capture the intuition that vowel harmony is a dynamic process involving the interaction of a sequence of vowels; still, no theoretical analysis has offered a non-stipulative account of the inconsistent behavior of the so-called ‘transparent’, or disharmonic, segments. This paper proposes a connectionist processing account of the vowel harmony phenomenon, using data from Hungarian. The strength of this account is that it demonstrates that the same general principle of assimilation which underlies the behavior of the ‘harmonic’ forms accounts as well for the apparently exceptional ‘transparent’ cases, without stipulation. The account proceeds in three steps. After presenting the data and current theoretical analyses, the paper describes the model of sequential processing introduced by Jordan (1986), and motivates this as a model of assimilation processes in phonology. The paper then presents the results of a series of parametric studies that were run with this model, using arbitrary bit patterns as stimuli. These results establish certain conditions on assimilation in a network of this type. Finally, these findings are related to the Hungarian data, where the same conditions are shown to predict the correct pattern of behavior for both harmonic and transparent vowels.