cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The evolution of manufacturing cells: An action research study

Abstract This study seeks to explain how and why manufacturing cells evolve over time. The purpose is to prevent many of the cellular manufacturing failures reported in industry. We conclude that manufacturing cells go through, somewhat overlapping, evolutionary stages before they begin to perform at the optimal level. It is important to recognize these evolutionary stages because they must be properly managed in order to reap the benefits of cell implementation efforts. In the first stage, both human and technical problems exist; however human problems dominate – requiring conflict management skills to resolve. In the second stage, human problems improve, and technical problems persist, requiring formal problem-solving methods to resolve. Finally, in the third stage, both human and technical problems improve, and cells begin to perform at the optimal level.
Oil droplet detachment from metal surfaces as affected by an applied potential

Removal of organic contaminants from metal surfaces submerged in an aqueous surfactant solution can be improved by application of an applied potential. Earlier work has shown that the detachment of organic droplets is noticeably affected by variations in the pH of the solution and charge of the surfactant. Modifications in solution pH result in modifications of the electrostatic charge of the solid surface, which, depending on the charge and nature of the surfactant, will improve or hinder adsorption of surfactant at the solid–aqueous interface. This adsorption of surfactant molecules is of great importance to the detachment of organic droplets and, consequently, on the determination of cleaning efficacy. It is proposed that modification of the surface charge through application of potential will also result in changes in the adsorption of surfactant and, as a result, will alter drop detachment. Experimental results from a battery of tests for the removal of industrial quench oil from a stainless steel su...
Radioimmunoassay for creatine kinase isoenzymes

Creatine kinase has three isoenzymes designated MM, MB, and BB, with BB being the grain form and MM the muscle form. Antibodies to BB creatine kinase were obtained by immunization of rabbits with human BB creatine kinase. The antibodies demonstrated specificity for BB and MB creatine kinase (myocardial isoenzyme) but no cross-reactivity with MM creatine kinase. With the use of this antibody, a highly sensitive radioimmunoassay capable of measuring picomolar amounts of MB creatine kinase has been developed. Clinical application of this method should provide a sensitive and specific test for the diagnosis of myocardial infarction.
Perioperative β-blockers for vascular surgery patients

Perioperative β-blocker therapy has been a heavily investigated and controversial topic during the past decade. Prior national consensus statements that recommended the routine use of these medications in patients undergoing high-risk surgical procedures have been called into question because of the results of recent clinical trials that involved heterogeneous groups of surgical patients. This article reviews the evidence for perioperative β-blocker usage as it pertains to patients undergoing vascular surgery procedures. The weight of evidence suggests that β-blockers lower the perioperative risk of myocardial ischemia or infarction and cardiovascular death among patients with clinical risk factors undergoing major vascular surgery. However, there appears to be a concurrent risk of adverse events associated with these medications if patients are not monitored properly during the perioperative period. Perioperative β-blockers should continue to occupy a prominent role in the therapeutic armamentarium for improving outcomes among high-risk patients undergoing major vascular surgery.
Relaxation Training in the Reduction of Traumatic Headaches: A Case Study

Self-controlled relaxation training was combined with assertion training to treat a 22-year-old woman with a 2-year history of chronic headaches following a traumatic injury to her head and neck. There was a substantial drop in the frequency of headaches and medication use with the introduction of both components of treatment. Gains were maintained at a 6-month follow-up. The case is presented in the context of a general treatment plan for modification of traumatic headaches. The plan combines a focus on both antecedent (i.e. environmental stress) and consequent (i.e. pain behavior reinforcers) events as possible factors influencing chronic post-traumatic head pain.
Olfactory system damage and brain catecholamines in the rat

Although a number of studies have reported that bulbectomy results in a fall in telencephalic norepinephrine (NE) content, the present study is the first to examine the relationship between the locus and extent of olfactory system damage and the depletion of telencephalic catecholamines after olfactory system surgery. Our findings indicate that the often reported depletion of telencephalic NE after olfactory bulb ablation is not due to removal of the olfactory bulbs per se, but instead is the result of incidentally produced destruction of tissue, caudal to the bulbs, through which noradrenergic fibers ascend on their way to various regions of the telencephalon.
GENDER DIFFERENCES IN MEMORY-RELATED FUNCTIONAL CONNECTIVITY IN AGING AND GENETIC RISK FOR AD

analyzed, and the method employed (Table 1). Gene pathway and network enrichment analyses were performed on the genetic findings to get a better understanding of these findings. Results: The number of ADNI genetic association publications in 2013 is 50, in which 20 papers used only APOE, and 30 papers used the GWAS and sequencing data. Among all these papers, multiple types of AD related phenotypes including clinical status, structural and functional neuroimaging, fluid biomarkers, and neuropsychological assessment, were employed as qualitative or quantitative traits to find novel risk genetic variants. Table 1 shows the classification of papers based on various genotype, phenotype, and method applied. Besides the previously known top 10 AD genes, 26 additional genetic association findings were identified by different approaches. For example, 11 new susceptible loci were reported by a large-scale meta-analytical GWAS [1] and SPON1 was discovered by two independent studies [2-3]. Enrichment analyses of thesemajor findings identified 6 immune response pathways (p<0.01), three development pathways (p<0.006), and an inflammation process network (p1⁄47.7e-5). Conclusions: Genetic studies of multidimensional ADNI phenotypes continue to confirm known AD genetic risk factors and discover novel susceptibility loci. With the recent release of ADNI whole genome sequencing data, we expect to see future studies addressing not only common variants but also rare variants, and identifying functional variants instead of tag SNP associations. Reference [1] Lambert et al., Nature Genetics, 2013, 45(12):1452-8. [2] Jahanshada et al., Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2013, 110(12):4768-73. [3] Sherva, et al., Alzheimers Dement, 2014, 10(1):45-52.
On the isotopic constitution of radium (Ra-224/Ra-226 and Ra-228/Ra-226) in petroleum brines

The relative amounts of Ra-224, Ra-226, and Ra-228 in a number of petroleum brine samples from Oklahoma and northwestern Arkansas have been determined. The highest concentration found was more than one millimicrocurie/liter of brine. Some brines contained radium isotopes characteristic of the thorium series, others contained Ra-226 which is characteristic of the uranium series, while others contained radium from both the thorium and uranium series. The radium isotopes in the brines are not in radioactive equilibrium with their uranium and thorium parents.
INFECTIONS IN NONLEUKOPENIC COMPROMISED HOSTS (DIABETES MELLITUS, SLE, STEROIDS, AND ASPLENIA) IN CRITICAL CARE

Nonleukopenic compromised hosts frequently have life-threatening infectious diseases that result in admission to the critical care unit (CCU). Nonleukopenic compromised hosts are those whose impaired host defenses are not related to a defect in the number of circulating lymphocytes. The commonest diseases associated with impaired host defenses not related to leukopenia are diabetes mellitus and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE); the group also includes patients on corticosteroid therapy or those with absent or impaired splenic function. A wide variety of other disorders associated with immune defects, such as multiple myeloma, often are complicated by infection, but such infections are less likely to result in admission to the CCU than are infections in the aforementioned categories. Infections in diabetes, lupus, or impaired splenic function often are severe and may be life-threatening. Intraabdominal infections, urinary tract infections (UTIs), and skin and soft tissue infections are the most common, resulting in severe infections in diabetics. Patients with lupus are subject to a wide variety of infections, usually involving the skin and soft tissues, central nervous system (CNS), urinary tract, or lungs. Long-term, high-dose steroid therapy primarily diminishes T-lymphocyte-dependent immunity, predisposing such patients to intracellular pathogens. Patients on chronic steroid therapy are predisposed to CNS infections, pulmonary infections, and disseminated infections due to intracellular bacteria, viruses, and systemic fungi. The main diagnostic difficulty in the patient with SLE is to differentiate a lupus flare from infection. In patients with impaired or absent splenic function, overwhelming infection is the most dreaded complication, often having a fatal outcome. This article discusses the differential diagnostic approach of serious infections in these patients from the infectious disease perspective.
Test-retest reliability and the significance of doubtful responses in the Edwards Personality Inventory.

Summary.--On the basis of correlations between test-retest scores of 45 university students over a nine-week period, the test-retest reliability of scales in Book IA of the EPI was judged satisfactory. Inclusion of doubtful answers in the scale score did not alter the reliability or validity of the scale. The significance of these findings to users of the EPI and to those constructing objective personality tests was discussed. Advances in the objective assessment of personality can be seen in the increasingly sophisticated instruments which have arisen, including the Edwards Personality Inventory (Edwards, 1967). Edwards eliminated highly socially desirable or undesirable items and used extensive statistical analyses to derive the resulting 53 scales. These scales deal with the very broad range of everyday behavior, rather than personal or psychopathological areas. Its potential value is not only evident from its method of construction, but is also seen in the psychometric properties of the EPJL. For example, K-R 20 coefficients of these scales are consistently high, and correlations between alternate forms are quite adequate. It was the intent of this study to extend knowledge of the psychometric characteristics of this inventory by determining the test-retest reliability of the scales and the significance of marking "doubtful responses." "Doubtful responses" relate to those items which are felt by the testee to be about equally true and false; with these, S may place a question mark between the true and false columns on the answer sheet and then answer the statement true or false according to his best guess. These items are scored as all other items, i.e., the question marks are disregarded. This, of course, involves the assumption that the question marks do not significantly alter the validity and reliability of the scores. One way of gaining empirical evidence on this would be to compare scores gained from standard procedures with scores excluding doubtful responses even though in the keyed direction. METHOD
The early natural history of childhood psychosis. Ten cases studied by analysis of family home movies of the infancies of the children.

Abstract Family-made home movies of the infamies of 10 children suffering from an early childhood psychosis were studied as a kind of prospective documentation of their earliest months of life. Brief case histories are given along with the findings from the detailed analysis of the infancy movies. The movies provide data about the constitutional qualities of the children, neuromuscular pathology, initial signs of psychosis, and maternal-infant interaction. The focus is on the patterns and presence or absence of the infant's attachment to the mother and the mother's to the infant via eye gaze, holding, touching, feeding, and smiling from the first weeks of life. The finding of disturbances in attachment—sometimes on the infant's part and sometimes on the parent's part—suggests a connection with subsequent psychopathology.
URANS simulations for a high-speed transom stern ship with breaking waves

An exploratory study of high-speed surface ship flows is performed to identify modelling and numerical issues, to test the predictive capability of an unsteady RANS method for such flows, to explain flow features observed experimentally, and to document results obtained in conjunction with the 2005 ONR Wave Breaking Workshop. Simulations are performed for a high-speed transom stern ship (R/V Athena I) at three speeds Froude number (Fr) = 0.25, 0.43 and 0.62 with the URANS code CFDSHIP-IOWA, which utilizes a single-phase level set method for free surface modelling. The two largest Fr are considered to be high-speed cases and exhibit strong breaking plunging bow waves. Structured overset grids are used for local refinement of the unsteady transom flow at medium speed and for small scale breaking bow and transom waves at high-speeds. All simulations are performed in a time accurate manner and an examination of time histories of resistance and free surface contours is used to assess the degree to which the so...
The Growth Promoting Properties of Crude Soy Phospholipids

Abstract THE acetone insoluble fraction of the methanol extract of heated soybean meal has growth stimulating properties for turkey poults when purified diets containing isolated soybean protein were used. The growth promoting properties were also found for the commercially available crude soy phospholipids (Kratzer et al., 1959a). The acetone insoluble fraction of the methanol extract of soybean is very similar to crude soy phospholipids. The extract has variable properties as such for prevention of perosis, and supplementary zinc was needed in the diets for this purpose (Vohra et al., 1959). An addition of EDTA, a chelating agent, to the zinc-deficient diets containing isolated soybean protein improved the growth of turkey poults but perosis was improved in some cases only (Kratzer et al., 1959b). Are the growth promoting properties of crude soy phospholipids due to some chelation activity as that of EDTA? The present report investigates this possibility. EXPERIMENTAL Day-old turkey poults…
Sulfur chemistry in cometary comae

We have modelled the chemistry which occurs in cometary comae following the sublimation of sulfuretted parent molecules from the nucleus. Our aim is to determine which of the S-bearing molecules observed in comets must be present in the icy nucleus and which may plausibly be produced in the coma. We find that, although chemical reactions are able to generate considerable amounts of some daughter molecules, they cannot produce the observed abundances. In particular, we demonstrate that previously suggested mechanisms for the formation of S2 in the inner coma are unlikely to be important in comets.
Performance evaluation of time-weighted backvalues least squares vs. NOGA track estimators via sensor data fusion and track fusion for small target detection applications

The rapid growth and increasing sophistication of airborne surveillance technology have spurred intense research efforts in the development and implementation of tracking algorithms capable of processing a large number of targets using multi-sensor data. In this paper, a novel tracking algorithm, the NOGA tracker, is presented and compared with the more conventional Time-Weighted Backvalues Least Squares (TWBLS) estimator for accuracy (numerical and phenomenological), ease of implementation, and time performance. The NOGA tracker combines model predictions and sensor measurements to produce best estimates for quantities of interest. The state estimator model used for NOGA is a simple second order auto-regression which is combined with an uncertainty reduction scheme involving nonlinear Lagrange optimization process in which the inverse of a global covariance matrix is used as the natural metric for the Bayesian inference that underlies the combining process. The NOGA tracker explicitly incorporates sensor and model uncertainties in the estimation process, and uses model sensitivities to propagate the associated covariance matrices accurately and in a systematic way.
Analysis of shape, fluctuations, and dynamics in intermembrane junctions

A dynamic-elastic model for weakly adhered intermembrane junctions is presented. Helfrich membrane energetics coupled to hydrodynamic modes of the surrounding solvent reproduce the average shape, fluctuations, and dynamics of these junctions as measured experimentally. Comparison between numerical results and experimental data provides the first direct measure of surface tension in these systems (0.01-0.06 dyn/cm). The measurements suggest bilayer-bilayer adhesion energetics as the dominant source of surface tension in the experimental systems.
Reaction of thermal atomic hydrogen with carbon

Abstract The reaction of thermal atomic hydrogen, produced at the surface of a hot tungsten filament, with evaporated carbon films leads to the production of a number of gaseous products. At least 12 have been identified with the largest number of these being cyclic compounds consistent with the structure of graphite. Methane, the major gas phase product (74% partial pressure), is produced with a stoichiometric reaction probability of 0.002. Although the relative reaction rates decrease rapidly with increasing product mass, the total rate of carbon transport is 60% greater than the rate of methane production. Activation energies obtained for 10 of the products by varying the carbon temperature are the same within experimental error. These features are discussed in terms of a highly simplified model of the reaction with the actual reaction following a complicated branching free radical mechanism.
Perioperative and Long-term Results With Mapping-Guided Subendocardial Resection and Left Ventricular Endoaneurysmorrhaphy

Background Surgical ablation of the arrhythmogenic focus in patients with life-threatening ventricular tachyarrhythmias can be curative. However, the surgical techniques have been plagued by a high perioperative mortality rate (averaging ≈12%). Reconstruction of the left ventricle may reduce mortality. Methods and Results Reconstruction of the left ventricle with a pericardial patch, or endoaneurysmorrhaphy, was performed with mapping-guided subendocardial resection for recurrent ventricular tachycardia in 25 patients over a 5-year period. Postoperatively, electrophysiological studies were conducted to assess the results of surgery, which were further evaluated during long-term follow-up with survival analyses. The study included 25 patients, 60±9 years of age, with coronary artery disease, discrete left ventricle aneurysms, and malignant ventricular tachyarrhythmias. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 24±6% preoperatively. Left ventricular endocardial mapping, endocardial resection, and endoaneurysmorrhaphy were performed in all patients. There was no operative or postoperative (30-day) mortality. Postoperative ventricular tachycardia was induced in 2 of the 25 patients (8%); left ventricular function increased to 32±9% (range, 19% to 52%). At a mean follow-up of 37±16 months (range, 6 to 65 months), there had been 6 deaths, including 1 sudden cardiac death, 2 congestive heart failure deaths, and 3 noncardiac deaths. Analysis of multiple variables failed to identify predictors of postoperative inducibility, sudden cardiac death, cardiac death, or total mortality. Conclusions Endoaneurysmorrhaphy with a pericardial patch combined with mapping-guided subendocardial resection frequently cures recurrent ventricular tachycardia with low operative mortality and improvement of ventricular function. Long-term follow-up demonstrates low sudden cardiac death rates.
Effect of the red imported fire ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) on dung-inhabiting arthropods in Florida.

The effect of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren, on the horn fly, Haematobia irritans L., and other arthropods associated with cowdung was evaluated in northcentral Florida pastures from August to November 1992 and 1993. Workers of S. invicta were found to infest fresh cowpats heavily and prey on horn fly larvae, pupae, and newly emerged adults. After the fire ant populations were controlled with a bait, Amdro (hydramethylnon), the numbers of horn flies and other muscid and sarcophagid flies emerged from cowpats were significantly greater than those from the untreated area. S. invicta caused 94.3 and 62.9% mortality of horn flies for 1992 and 1993, respectively. It also reduced the populations of staphylinid, hydrophilid, and carabid beetles that are predators of horn flies. Despite this negative effect, S. invicta was evaluated as an effective natural enemy of the horn fly.
Microthrust Propulsion of the LISA Mission

We present the most recent propulsion requirements for the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Mission and describe potential microth ruster technology that can meet these requirements. LISA consists of three spacecraft in heliocentric orbits, forming a triangle with 5x l 0 (exp 6) km sides that are the arms of three Michelson-type interferometers. Reflective proof masses provide the reference surfaces at the end of the interferometer arms as part of the Gravitational Referenc e Sensor (GRS) designed to detect gravitational waves. The microthrus t propulsion system will be part of the Disturbance Reduction System (DRS), which is responsible for maintaining each spacecraft position w ithin approximately 10 nm around the proof masses. To provide the nec essary sensitivity, the GRS must not experience spurious acceleration s >15 (exp -10) m/ s(exp 2) in the 0.1 mHz to 1 Hz bandwidth, requiring precision formation flying and drag-free operation of the LISA spa cecraft. This leads to the following microthruster performance requir ements: a thrust range of 2-30 Micro N, a thrust resolution < 0.1 Mic ro N, and thrust noise <0.1 Hz(exp -1/2) over the LISA measurement bandwidth. The microthruster must provide this performance for 5 years c ontinuously, contain 10 years worth of propellant, and not disrupt th e science measurements. Potential microthruster technologies include Colloid, Field Emission Electric Propulsion (FEEP), and precision cold gas microthrusters. Each of these technologies is described in detai l with focus on the NASA microthruster development of the Busek Collo id Micro-Newton Thruster (CMNT).
Science and Technology in Non-Western Cultures

Seline's edited volume relevates non-Western interaction between religious and scientific domains of human intellectual history. Middle Eastern, South Asian, and Chinese thinkers have played central roles in pursuing intellectual inquiry into topics of broad human concern. Although copious and nuanced literary collections in Arabic, Sanskrit, Chinese, and Tibetan languages document non-Western contributions, these primary sources often are inaccessible to Western scholars, creating the false illusion that members of non-Western cultures have offered only marginal contributions to the rigorous investigation of the natural world. This illusion is dispelled thoroughly by a number of excellent articles contained in Seline's volume.
Application of supervised machine learning to identify genes associated with the hypoxia response

Application of supervised machine learning to identify genes associated with the hypoxia response
Designing games for distributed optimization with a time varying communication graph

The central goal in multi-agent systems is to engineer a decision making architecture where agents make independent decisions in response to local information while ensuring that the emergent global behavior is desirable with respect to a given system level objective. Our previous work identified a systematic methodology for such a task using the framework of state based games. One core advantage of the approach is that it provides a two step process that can be decoupled by utilizing specific classes of games. Exploiting this decomposition could lead to a rich class of distributed learning algorithm. However, a drawback of our previous approach is the dependence on a time-invariant and connected communication graph. These conditions are not practical for a wide variety of multi-agent systems. In this paper we propose a new game theoretical approach for addressing distributed optimization problems that permits relaxations in the structure of the communication graph.
What Does Your Online Pharmacy Signal? A Comparative Analysis of Website Trust Features

The growth of electronic commerce has offered a new channel for the commercialization of pharmaceutical products. While regulated online pharmacies offer convenient distribution of drugs, unregulated online vendors create risks for consumers by promoting medicines of unknown origin and jeopardizing sensitive medical information. Using the signaling theory and a comparative content analysis, this study examines a set of website trust features that distinguishes regulated and unregulated online pharmacies. This investigation is aimed at identifying observable signals that online pharmacies use to induce trust. The results enhance our understanding of trust related signals and help online buyers and regulatory institutions in the evaluation of online pharmacies.
Segmented composition model analyses of compressibility data for some non-electrolyte aqueous systems

Abstract Excess molar adiabatic and isothermal compressions, for the acetonitrile—water and tetrahydrofuran—water systems, have been determined from data that was taken from the literature. These properties have been analysed, using a segmented composition model, with a view to obtaining information about the nature of the patterns of molecular aggregation within the various composition regions of these two systems. The results tend to support the hypothesis of the existence of laminar microheterogeneous aggregates and are generally consistent with those of earlier analyses of volumetric and thermal data.
Expression and transforming activity of a variant of the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor receptor (flg) gene resulting from splicing of the alpha exon at an alternate 3′-acceptor site☆

Splicing at an alternate 3'-acceptor site results in deletion of a CCCAG in the 5'-sequence of the exon coding for the NH2-terminal immunoglobulin-like disulfide loop of the heparin-binding fibroblast growth factor receptor (flg) alpha isoform. The result is an in-frame stop codon 138 base pairs after the first flg consensus translational initiation site. The next more favorable site predicts the same two loop intracellular receptor isoform, gamma, which was predicted from two different human cDNAs that arise by alternate use of two exons at the same site. Although expressed in normal tissue, the gamma mRNA is increased in rat prostate tumors and confers ability of anchorage-dependent cells expressing non-secreted heparin-binding fibroblast growth factors to grow in soft agar.
Lobar hemorrhages in full-term neonates

A chart analysis for a 5-year period through December 1992 identified four full-term neonates with lobar hemorrhage. Prenatal and obstetrical histories were uncomplicated; all infants presented with seizures within 48 h following birth. Perinatal asphyxia and isoimmune thrombocytopenia were associated with lobar hemorrhage in two children. Although computed tomography was sufficient for diagnosis, magnetic resonance evaluation provided assessment of specific cortical injury and the age of the hemorrhage. No infant underwent surgical intervention; three children reached developmental milestones at a mean follow-up of 3.3 years.
Ecosystem Processes and Nitrogen Export in Northern U.S. Watersheds

There is much interest in the relationship of atmospheric nitrogen (N) inputs to ecosystem outputs as an indicator of possible "nitrogen saturation" by human activity. Longer-term, ecosystem-level mass balance studies suggest that the relationship is not clear and that other ecosystem processes may dominate variation in N outputs. We have been studying small, forested watershed ecosystems in five northern watersheds for periods up to 35 years. Here I summarize the research on ecosystem processes and the N budget. During the past 2 decades, average wet-precipitation N inputs ranged from about 0.1 to 6 kg N ha(-1) year(-1) among sites. In general, sites with the lowest N inputs had the highest output-to-input ratios. In the Alaska watersheds, streamwater N output exceeded inputs by 70 to 250%. The ratio of mean monthly headwater nitrate (NO3-) concentration to precipitation NO3- concentration declined with increased precipitation concentration. A series of ecosystem processes have been studied and related to N outputs. The most important appear to be seasonal change in hydrologic flowpath, soil freezing, seasonal forest-floor inorganic N pools resulting from over-winter mineralization beneath the snowpack, spatial variation in watershed forest-floor inorganic N pools, the degree to which snowmelt percolates soils, and gross soil N mineralization rates.
Nonlinear theory of large-signal mode locking in a gyrotron oscillator

Nonlinear, time-dependent calculations have been carried out for closed-cavity gyrotron oscillations using a strongly modulated electron beam. It is found that radiation pulses of width 200 ps can be generated with carrier frequency of 18 GHz at over 10% efficiency. The gyrotron features a tapered wall radius to allow an equidistant spectrum of cavity modes. Evidence of a disruption in locking is found at electron beam currents several times the start oscillation value. Applications for short pulse radiation in the millimeter and submillimeter wavelength range include radar, Fourier transform spectroscopy, plasma diagnosis, and time domain metrology. It is shown here that extremely short radiation pulses, at kilowatt power levels and high efficiency, may be obtained by mode locking a tapered cavity gyrotron using an electron beam with a modulated current density. A nonlinear time-dependent theory and particle-in-cell simulations are used to analyze the device. The two theoretical approaches assume TE11n and TE01n modes, respectively, which are excited by an electron cyclotron electron beam wave which is matched in phase and group velocity to these modes. The design of the oscillator cavity is outlined, as well as mode locking results as a function of beam current pulsewidth, pulse repetition frequency and amplitude.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Some notes on the investigation of heterogeneity in interactions

El encontrar un resultado significativo en un problema de analisis de la varianza, entrana muchas veces la investigacion posterior de la naturaleza de las diferencias indicadas por el test.
Unusual chemo- and stereoselectivity in the addition of chiral aminoalcohols to achiral nitroalkenes

Abstract Chiral aminoalcohols react with achiral nitroalkenes in a highly chemoselective manner depending on the aminoalcohol. Under optimum conditions, the addition reaction is almost stereospecific.
Effect of water potential, temperature, and clay-coating on survival of Beauveria bassiana conidia in a loam and peat soil.

Abstract When Beauveria bassiana conidia were mixed in nonsterile Yolo fine sandy loam (YFSL) or Staten peaty muck (peat) soil at water potentials ranging from 0.0 bars (saturation) to −1500 bars, conidia half-lives were longest at −15 bars and decreased as the water potential approached either 0.0 or −200 bars. Conidia half-lives increased as the water potential decreased from −200 to −1500 bars. Conidia half-lives were longest at a soil temperature of 10°C and decreased both at 2°C and as the temperature approached 50°C where no conidia were recovered after 2 weeks. The longest mean half-life value was 44.4 weeks for conidia in YFSL at −10 bars and 10°C; the shortest half-life value was 0.3 weeks in peat soil at 0 bars and 28°C. Clay-coating lengthened conidia survival in all treatments in a factorial experiment involving the two soil types and several combinations of soil temperature and water potential. When two strains of B. bassiana were compared, colony counts of strain ABG-6178 always decreased relative to an initial baseline count taken soon after mixing conidia and soil; colony counts of strain IL-116 routinely increased after the baseline count was taken before decreasing later. Conidia survival was often significantly longer in the low organic YFSL than in the high organic peat. The results suggest that conidia survival is influenced by the direct effect of physical factors and soil microbial populations. Since B. bassiana conidia survival is highly variable, its potential as a microbial insecticide is much greater in some soil environments than in others.
Got Motivation? Six Great Resources for Instructors at Every Level

Motivation is a challenge for educators at every level, given the competition from smart phones, social networking, and other outside distractions. The motivation field is rich with resources, Web sites, multimedia, materials, and books on how to identify motivation challenges and address them. Our motivation group at the Center for Teaching and Learning at California State University Northridge read, reviewed, discussed, and can ultimately recommend six great resources on motivation for instructors at every level.
Convergent and Discriminant Validity of Three Measures of Stage of Change

The University of Rhode Island Change Assessment (E. A. McConnaughy, J. O. Prochaska, & W. F. Velicer, 1983), the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale (W. R. Miller & J. S. Tonigan, 1996), and the Readiness to Change Questionnaire (S. Rollnick, N. Heather, R. Gold, & W. Hall, 1992) are commonly used multidimensional measures of stage of change. The authors examined the convergent and discriminant validity of drug-use versions of these 3 measures through multitrait-multimethod analysis in a population of indigent, out-of-treatment drug users (N = 377). Agreement in stage-of-change assignment and the relationship between stage of change and drug-use behaviors were also examined. Confirmatory factor analysis suggests that the Stages of Change Readiness and Treatment Eagerness Scale may have questionable convergent validity with the University of Rhode Island Change Assessment and Readiness to Change Questionnaire. There was moderate agreement in stage assignment. Analysis of behavior did provide some support for the construct validity of the measures. The results suggest that these drug-use stage-of-change measures may not be equivalent.
Directed enzyme deposition via electroactive polymer-based nanomaterials for multi-analyte amperometric biosensors

A novel method for spatially controlled layer-by-layer assembly of enzyme-based amperometric biosensors was developed for multi-analyte sensing with high spatial and temporal resolution. Stereo-electrodes with 75 μm tip separation and 1–3 μm tip size were functionalized using a simple three-step electrodeposition scheme to produce biosensors for simultaneous detection of glucose and lactate. Layers of nanostructured platinum, enzyme-doped conductive polymer poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) [PEDOT] and non-conductive polymer poly(o-aminophenol) [PoAP] were electrodeposited to achieve increased electroactive surface area, fine control over site and quantity of enzyme, and reduced interference. The resulting dual-electrode sensors showed good linear range, fast response times and negligible crosstalk. The proposed scheme can be easily expanded to multi-electrode systems and is adaptable to lab-on-chip platforms for a wide range of analytes.
Evaluating and Treating Exercise-Related Menstrual Irregularities.

IN BRIEF: Menstrual abnormalities, from a few skipped periods to a complete absence of menses, are extremely common in both athletic and nonathletic adolescents and women in their early 20s. Exercise-related menstrual abnormality is linked with hypothalamic pituitary axis dysfunction and is a diagnosis of exclusion. In athletes, treatment of secondary menstrual abnormalities and associated health concerns, such as bone density, may include medication and restriction from activity.
The Income Tax Compliance Cost of Big Business

A survey of 1,329 of the largest corporations m the United States reveals that the average annual cost of compliance with federal and subfederal corporation income taxes is approximately $1.565 million, implying an aggregate annual compliance cost of over $2 billion. As a fraction of revenue raised, these compliance costs are lower than estimates that have been made for the individual income tax. The cost-to-revenue ratio is higher for state corporate tax systems than it is for the federal tax system, presumably reflecting the nonuniformity of state tax systems There is near unanimity among senior corporate tax officers that the Tax Reform Act of 1986 added complexity to the tax system, resulting in a combination of higher compliance costs and less accurate information transmission. They point to, in particular, the alternative minimum tax, inventory capitalization rules, and the taxation of foreign-source income as growing sources of complexity.
Increased stability and reproducibility of Escherichia coli spheroplasts in the transfection assay of phage λ DNA with polyethylene glycol instead of sucrose

Abstract The substitution of polyethylene glycol for sucrose and the standardization of each step in the preparation of Escherichia coli spheroplasts (concentration of EDTA and lysozyme, ratio volume of DNA: spheroplast volume, optimal conditions for polyethylene glycol and protamine sulfate) provides a more reproducible, highly efficient and relatively simple assay for bacteriophage λ DNA. The spheroplasts do not change in competence for over 48 hr. Transfection efficiencies of 1 to 6 × 10 −5 (infected spheroplasts/infecting DNA molecule) are obtained with λ DNA. The presented procedure does not require special media for growth of the bacteria or osmotically buffered conditions for the handling or subsequent plating of the infected spheroplasts. In other respects (linearity of the assay, equal efficiency with different molecular forms of λ DNA) the spheroplasts prepared with polyethylene glycol behave like the ones made in sucrose.
Adaptive pole estimation

AN adaptive algorithm is developed for online estimation of the poles of autoregressive (AR) processes. The method estimates the poles directly from the data without intermediate estimation of the AR coefficients or polynomial factorization. It converges rapidly, is computationally efficient, and attains the Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) asymptotically. A closed-form expression for the asymptotic CRB is provided. Convergence to the true solution is proved, and methods are discussed for extending the algorithm for use with more general (e.g. autoregressive moving-average) models. Numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the performance of the algorithm. >
N,N,N, trimethylborazine as a liquid scintillator solvent for thermal neutron detection☆

Abstract The compound, N,N,N, trimethylborazine, is shown to be an efficient solvent for the liquid scintillation process. Additionally, the natural boron-10 content of the compound enables the system to be used for the detection of thermal neutrons according to the reaction B10(n,α)Li7. In this respect, the system is unuual in that the compound serves as both the neutron target and the scintillator solvent. When compared with conventional boron-loaded scintillators, the borazine system exhibits a number of significant advantages. This paper describes the various characteristics and properties of the new scintillator recipe.
Unexpected link between an antibiotic, pannexin channels and apoptosis

Plasma membrane pannexin 1 channels (PANX1) release nucleotide find-me signals from apoptotic cells to attract phagocytes. Here we show that the quinolone antibiotic trovafloxacin is a novel PANX1 inhibitor, by using a small-molecule screen. Although quinolones are widely used to treat bacterial infections, some quinolones have unexplained side effects, including deaths among children. PANX1 is a direct target of trovafloxacin at drug concentrations seen in human plasma, and its inhibition led to dysregulated fragmentation of apoptotic cells. Genetic loss of PANX1 phenocopied trovafloxacin effects, revealing a non-redundant role for pannexin channels in regulating cellular disassembly during apoptosis. Increase in drug-resistant bacteria worldwide and the dearth of new antibiotics is a major human health challenge. Comparing different quinolone antibiotics suggests that certain structural features may contribute to PANX1 blockade. These data identify a novel linkage between an antibiotic, pannexin channels and cellular integrity, and suggest that re-engineering certain quinolones might help develop newer antibacterials.
Fine-grained modularity and reuse of virtual machine components

Modularity is a key concept for large and complex applications and an important enabler for collaborative research. In comparison, virtual machines (VMs) are still mostly monolithic pieces of software. Our goal is to significantly reduce to the cost of extending VMs to efficiently host and execute multiple, dynamic languages. We are designing and implementing a VM following the "everything is extensible" paradigm. Among the novel use cases that will be enabled by our research are: VM extensions by third parties, support for multiple languages inside one VM, and a universal VM for mobile devices.Our research will be based on the existing state of the art. We will reuse an existing metacircular Java VM and an existing dynamic language VM implemented in Java. We will split the VMs into fine-grained modules, define explicit interfaces and extension points for the modules, and finally re-connect them.Performance is one of the most important concerns for VMs. Modularity improves flexibility but can introduce an unacceptable performance overhead at the module boundaries, e.g., for inter-module method calls. We will identify this overhead and address it with novel feedback-directed compiler optimizations. These optimizations will also improve the performance of modular applications running on top of our VM.The expected results of our research will be not only new insights and a new design approach for VMs, but also a complete reference implementation of a modular VM where everything is extensible by third parties and that supports multiple languages.
Complex regional pain syndrome type I: incidence and prevalence in Olmsted county, a population-based study

The objective of this study is to undertake a population based study on the incidence, prevalence, natural history, and response to treatment of complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). All Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Group medical records with codes for reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD), CRPS, and compatible diagnoses in the period 1989-1999 were reviewed as part of the Rochester Epidemiology Project. We used IASP criteria for CRPS. The study population was in the Olmsted County, Minnesota (1990 population, 106,470). The main outcome measures were CRPS I incidence, prevalence, and outcome. Seventy-four cases of CRPS I were identified, resulting in an incidence rate of 5.46 per 100,000 person years at risk, and a period prevalence of 20.57 per 100,000. Female:male ratio was 4:1, with a median age of 46 years at onset. Upper limb was affected twice as commonly as lower limb. All cases reported an antecedent event and fracture was the most common trigger (46%). Excellent concordance was found between symptoms and signs and vasomotor symptoms were the most commonly present. Three phase bone scan and autonomic testing diagnosed the condition in >80% of cases. Seventy-four percent of patients underwent resolution, often spontaneously. CRPS I is of low prevalence, more commonly affects women than men, the upper more than the lower extremity, and three out of four cases undergo resolution. These results suggest that invasive treatment of CRPS may not be warranted in the majority of cases.
Do Stronger Intellectual Property Rights Increase International Technology Transfer? Empirical Evidence from U.S. Firm-Level Data

One of the alleged benefits of the recent global movement to strengthen intellectual property rights (IPRs) is that such reforms accelerate transfers of technology between countries. Branstetter, Fisman, and Foley examine how technology transfer among U.S. multinational firms changes in response to a series of IPR reforms undertaken by 12 countries over the 1982-99 period. Their analysis of detailed firm-level data reveal that royalty payments for intangibles transferred to affiliates increase at the time of reforms, as do affiliate research and development (R&D) expenditures and total levels of foreign patent applications. Increases in royalty payments and R&D expenditures are more than 20 percent larger among affiliates of parent companies that use U.S. patents more extensively prior to reform and therefore are expected to value IPR reform most. This paper - a product of Trade, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to understand the global impact of stronger intellectual property rights.
Pretest probability assessment combined with point-of-care D-dimer testing allows primary care physicians to rule out pulmonary embolism

Commentary on: Geersing GJ, Erkens PM, Lucassen WA, et al. Safe exclusion of pulmonary embolism using the Wells rule and qualitative D-dimer testing in primary care: prospective cohort study. BMJ 2012;345:e6564.[OpenUrl][1][Abstract/FREE Full Text][2] A Bayesian combination of pretest probability assessment and D-dimer testing to rule out pulmonary embolism (PE) has been extensively validated in secondary care settings such as emergency departments. If this approach is shown to be safe in primary care settings, point-of-care D-dimer assays could allow physicians to rule out PE without referring patients to secondary care. Patients who present to primary care are different than those who present to secondary care. Whereas patients who seek emergency care do so because of the sudden onset of distressing symptoms, primary care patients typically have more indolent presentations. Clinical prediction rules (eg, Wells score) may perform less well when symptoms are subtle and subacute. Similarly, since the release of D-dimer trails off as emboli dissolve and are … [1]: {openurl}?query=rft.jtitle%253DBMJ%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Adoi%252F10.1136%252Fbmj.e6564%26rft_id%253Dinfo%253Apmid%252F23036917%26rft.genre%253Darticle%26rft_val_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Ajournal%26ctx_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ver%253DZ39.88-2004%26url_ctx_fmt%253Dinfo%253Aofi%252Ffmt%253Akev%253Amtx%253Actx [2]: /lookup/ijlink?linkType=ABST&journalCode=bmj&resid=345/oct04_2/e6564&atom=%2Febmed%2F18%2F5%2F187.atom