cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Studies on heart phosphofructokinase. Nature of the enzyme desensitized to allosteric control by photo-oxidation and by acylation with ethoxyformic anhydride.

Abstract Phosphofructokinase from sheep heart was desensitized to ATP inhibition by photo-oxidation of the enzyme in the presence of methylene blue. Amino acid analyses were performed on native and photo-oxidized enzyme. The results showed that of a total of 18.2 moles of histidine per 105 g of enzyme an average of 3 was lost after photo-oxidation. The total number of cysteine residues was reduced from an average of 14.0 to 6.6 moles/105 g of enzyme following such treatment. No other amino acid was affected by photo-oxidation with the possible exception of methionine. The allosteric kinetics of phosphofructokinase was studied after treatment with ethoxyformic anhydride at pH 6.1. Evidence that the reagent reacted with histidine residues came from spectrophotometric studies and from the fact that the reaction could be reversed with hydroxylamine at neutral pH. Spectrophotometric determination of the product of the reaction, N-ethoxyformyl histidine, agreed well with 14C-ethoxyformyl groups formed in the protein in the range of 0 to 4 moles of product per 105 g of enzyme. At pH 8.2, the kinetics of the enzyme containing 3.5 moles of ethoxyformylated residues per 105 g of protein was indistinguishable from that of the native enzyme except for a 22 to 44% decrease in Vmax. However, at pH 6.9, the kinetics of the same derivative was characterized by (a) a loss of sensitivity to inhibition by ATP, (b) a loss of cooperativity with fructose-6-P, and (c) a decrease in sensitivity to inhibition by citrate and to activation by AMP or 3',5'-cyclic AMP. The degree of loss of these regulatory properties was dependent on the extent of modification of the enzyme. Maximum desensitization occurred when 3 to 4 moles of the anhydride reacted per 105 g of protein. Brief treatment of ethoxyformylated enzyme with neutral hydroxylamine resulted in enzyme indistinguishable from the native protein on the basis of catalytic activity and sensitivity to ATP inhibition. Ethoxyformylation of the enzyme was normally carried out in the presence of ATP and fructose-1,6-di-P. However, the effects of the anhydride on the enzyme were the same when the incubation was carried out in the absence of these compounds. Incubation of ethoxyformylated phosphofructokinase in mild acid resulted in loss of activity similar to that observed with native enzyme. The behavior of ethoxyformylated phosphofructokinase on sucrose gradients was identical with that of native enzyme in the presence of ATP or fructose-6-P. However, in the absence of substrates, the ethoxyformylated protein was somewhat more aggregated than the native enzyme. The properties of ethoxyformylated phosphofructokinase are compared to those of photo-oxidized enzyme. It is probable that alteration of histidine residues in both cases is largely responsible for the loss of the allosteric properties of the enzyme.
Perceived condom use self-efficacy among at-risk women

The objectives of this study are to assess the confidence in their ability to use condoms among at-risk women and identify predictors for the women's condom use self-efficacy. Structured interviews were conducted with 250 adult women in Atlanta, Georgia, between August 1997 and August 2000. Overall, the women reported feeling moderately to moderately-strongly confident in their ability to use condoms consistently. Multivariate analysis showed women with higher condom use self-efficacy were significantly younger, experienced childhood neglect, had higher self-esteem, communicated better with their sex partner, and had fewer drug problems. Findings suggest the importance of addressing condom use self-efficacy in HIV risk reduction programs with a specific focus on women and the need to be attuned to tailored needs for specific subgroups such as older women or women who encountered childhood neglect.
The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and Environmental Justice: Do the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clear Air Act Offer a Better Way?

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has failed to incorporate elwironmental justice principles into its decisionmaking process. Accordingly, in light of FERC's questionable environmental record and seeming immunity from traditional environmental justice challenges, the potential for abuse arises when FERC decides on matters impacting poor and minority communities. Why hasn't FERC established a comprehensive strategy to prevent environmental injustice? There is no ready answer to this question. But one thing is clear: FERC should not be permitted to act with impunity when deciding on issues affecting poor and minority communities. To ensure this result, agencies and activists should consider provisions of the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Air Act as a means of promoting FERC's compliance with environmental justice principles.
Chapter 139 Separation chemistry

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses separation chemistry. The separation chemistry and technology of rare earths have developed to a sufficiently high degree of sophistication that very high purity products can generally be produced when required. The chemistry of the rare earths is characterized by the similarity in the properties of the trivalent ions and their compounds. The chapter also explains solvent extraction. The conventional separation scheme is to leach the primary ore or concentrates and use the resulting solution containing the rare earth mixtures as the feedstock to the solvent extraction plant. Solvent extraction of the rare earth mixture in the leached solution separates them into bulk concentrates of light (La, Ce, Pr, Nd, etc.), middle (Sm, Eu, Gd, etc.) and heavy (Tb, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb, Lu, Y) rare earths. A typical solvent extraction of rare earths in a HC1 medium is with di-2-ethylhexyl phosphoric acid (HDEHP) in a kerosene diluent. This chapter discusses several of these extractants for their interesting chemistry and potential future development, in addition to the available industrial extractants and proposed for the separation of rare earths.
Lorcaserin (Belviq®) Reduces the Discriminative Stimulus and Reinforcing Effects of Cocaine in Rhesus Monkeys

Drug abuse and obesity are serious public health problems, and mounting evidence suggests that dopamine and serotonin systems are similarly involved in regulating the consumption of food and drugs. Lorcaserin, a serotonin 2C receptor agonist, was recently approved by the US FDA to help obese individuals lose weight and it might also be effective at reducing cocaine abuse. The current studies sought to (1) characterize the pharmacokinetic and behavioral profile of lorcaserin (I.G.), and (2) determine the effectiveness of lorcaserin to alter the discriminative stimulus and reinforcing effects of cocaine (I.V.) in rhesus monkeys. Administered acutely, lorcaserin dose-dependently increased the occurrence of yawning and decreased spontaneous activity and operant responding for food. These effects occurred within 30-60 min of administration and began to dissipate by 240 min, which closely matched plasma levels of lorcaserin. In monkeys discriminating cocaine from saline, lorcaserin alone did not increase cocain...
A Phospholipid-requiring Enzyme, Malate-Vitamin K Reductase PURIFICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION

Abstract Malate-vitamin K reductase has been purified to near homogeneity from Mycobacterium phlei. The purified enzyme is dependent upon an added phospholipid for activity and requires FAD as a cofactor. The enzymatic activity was found to be affected by the degree of enzyme aggregation. At high salt concentrations the enzyme existed in a monomeric form which was more active than the aggregated form. The enzyme was reversibly aggregated into a less active form by either dilution or dialysis against a buffer of low salt concentration. An enzyme-phospholipid complex was isolated by glycerol gradient centrifugation. It is suggested that a phospholipid binding site (or sites) seems to be involved in the aggregation-disaggregation process. The molecular weight of the monomeric form was determined to be 53,000 by Sephadex G-200 chromatography and 51,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis, whereas the aggregated form had a molecular weight of approximately 164,000, as estimated by Sephadex G-200.
Kierkegaard’s Model of God and the Importance of Subjective Experience

Kierkegaard doesn’t offer us a single clear response if we ask, what is his model of God? If we look at his pseudonymous works or his more explicitly Christian writings, we find a host of possible answers. To begin the process of articulating a potential response, I first focus on three aspects of Kierkegaard’s models of God: faith as a subjective experience, love, and God as a being for whom all things are possible. Building on these ideas, I argue that among Kierkegaard’s responses, we find both criticism and acceptance of the original question itself. His critique is that making a model of God intellectualizes the experience of God and strips any meaning from faith and God. On the other hand, if subjectively experiencing differing models of God becomes a way for individuals to broaden their faith, experience love, and connect with God, then Kierkegaard would approve it.
Questioning as thinking: a metacognitive framework to improve comprehension of expository text

Despite a push to develop high levels of active engagement in learning by helping students reflect, refine and extend their ideas through effective questioning strategies, evidence suggests that teacher-dominated interaction patterns permeate classroom instruction. This Initiate, Respond and Evaluate process leads students to maintain a passive stance towards learning and non-engagement with text. As a result students fail to develop the strategies to solve comprehension problems and monitor their own learning with text. In contrast, effective, active instructional patterns provide students with opportunities to negotiate textual meaning. Through the use of the Question as Thinking framework we provide teachers with tools to enable pupils to reflect on their reading and understanding of expository texts. This article describes a framework for questioning designed to assist in the development of an active instructional pattern promoting the joint negotiation of meaning.
An exploration-based binding and scheduling technique for synthesis of digital blocks for mixed-signal applications

The design of mixed analog-digital systems requires new CAD tools, as specific performance requirements need to be tackled i.e. simultaneous switching noise (SSN). This paper proposes a novel technique for resource binding and operation scheduling. The goal is to maximize the latency of the digital hardware such that its SSN is kept within feasible limits. The technique includes two steps: (1) for each input specifications, Performance Models (PM) are automatically generated for the overall throughput and SSN values, and (2) PMs are employed by an exploration algorithm to find the best resource binding and operation scheduling alternative. Experiments showed the ability of the proposed technique to find good solutions as compared to traditional high-level synthesis methods.
Assessment of iron status

Abstract Objective: To review the clinical assessment of iron deficiency and excess. Conclusions: Two key iron-related proteins in the human body are ferritin, which is the iron storage protein, and the transferrin receptor, which controls the entry of iron-bearing transferrin to cells. Intact ferritin and truncated transferrin-receptor molecules are present in serum in direct quantitative proportion to their total tissue content. Ferritin and transferrin-receptor production are precisely and reciprocally regulated at a posttranscriptional level. This is achieved by an iron-responsive element-binding protein that interacts with iron-responsive elements in the mRNA of each, but with contrary effects. Increases in serum ferritin reflect increased storage iron and increases in serum transferrin receptor reflect cellular iron deficits. The combined use of these two measurements allows accurate definition of the entire range of body iron status. This is valid even in situations where assessment of iron status has been notoriously problematic, including periods of rapid growth, in pregnancy, in conditions associated with inflammation, and in trained athletes.
The Greater Sensitivity of Elderly APOE ε4 Carriers to Anticholinergic Medications Is Independent of Cerebrovascular Disease Risk

Background Recent studies found use of anticholinergic medications to be associated with greater performance decrements in older persons who carry an e4 allele of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene than in those carrying only e2 or e3 alleles.
Experimental Investigation of the Maximum Heat Transport in Triangular Grooves

An experimental investigation was conducted and a test facility constructed to measure the capillary heat transport limit in small triangular grooves, similar to those used in micro heat pipes. Using methanol as the working fluid, the maximum heat transport and unit effective area heat transport were experimentally determined for ten grooved plates with varying groove widths, but identical apex angles. The experimental results indicate that there exists an optimum groove configuration, which maximizes the capillary pumping capacity while minimizing the combined effects of the capillary pumping pressure and the liquid viscous pressure losses. When compared with a previously developed analytical model, the experimental results indicate that the model can be used accurately to predict the heat transport capacity and maximum unit area heat transport when given the physical characteristics of the working fluid and the groove geometry, provided the proper heat flux distribution is known. The results of this investigation will assist in the development of micro heat pipes capable of operating at increased power levels with greater reliability.
Load partitioning in honeycomb-like silicon carbide aluminum alloy composites

A 50/50 vol.% Al/SiC composite was made via melt infiltration of an aluminum alloy into a porous beech wood-derived SiC preform. The honeycomb-like composite microstructure consisted of an interconnected SiC phase surrounding discrete Al “fibers” aligned in the growth direction of the beech wood. High energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction was used to measure the volume averaged lattice strains in both the SiC and Al phases during in situ compressive loading up to an applied stress of −530 MPa. Load transfer from the Al to the SiC was observed, and the Al yielded at an applied stress of above −213 MPa. The elastic behavior of the composite was modeled with both an isostrain rule of mixtures calculation and variational bounds for the effective elastic modulus. Furthermore, calculations of the von Mises effective stress of the SiC and Al phases showed that the wood-derived SiC was a more effective reinforcement than either SiC particle- or whisker-reinforced composites.
Backbone resonance assignments of the homotetrameric (48 kD) copper sensor CsoR from Geobacillus thermodenitrificans in the apo- and Cu(I)-bound states: insights into copper-mediated allostery.

Prokaryotes are highly susceptible to exogenous copper and employ metalloregulatory proteins to control the intracellular concentration. CsoR (copper-sensitive operon repressor) is one such protein that represses transcription of a Cu(I)-effluxing ATPase in its apo form. Cu(I)-binding leads to transcriptional derepression and cellular copper resistance. Herein, we present substantially complete backbone (HN, N, C’, Cα, Cβ) resonance assignments of tetrameric (48 kD) Geobacillus thermodenitrificans (Gt) CsoR in its apo- and Cu(I)-saturated states. These data provide the first spectroscopic evidence that Cu(I)-binding induces an interruption in the long α2 helix of CsoR.
Identification of a dispositional tendency to experience work-family spillover

Abstract Are individuals predisposed to experience work–family spillover? Despite theoretical relevance and practical implications related to this issue, research on this topic is scarce. With this in mind, we investigated if there is a dispositional tendency to experience work–family spillover using a nationally representative longitudinal sample. We present evidence that supports the existence of a disposition to spillover by demonstrating that (a) a dispositional factor model accounts for data better than other competing factor models, (b) the dispositional factor is stable over time at a ten-year follow up, and (c) the dispositional factor is distinct from Big-5 personality traits. Findings highlight the important role that disposition plays in reports of work–family spillover and the necessity to consider individual differences in future work–family theories.
Influence of transferrin saturation on the effect of intraluminal fructose or histidine on iron absorption.

SummaryThe influence of transferrin saturation on the enhancement of iron absorption by intraluminal histidine or intraluminal fructose was studied in rats. A loop of lumen immediately distal to the pylorus was perfused in vivo with a solution containing Fe59. The greatest amount of Fe59 absorption was noted when the perfusate was supplemented with histidine or with fructose. When the perfusate in the intestinal lumen was not supplemented, or when it was supplemented with histidine, increase in transferrin saturation did not influence the iron absorption in each instance. However, when the perfusate contained fructose, the transferrin saturation had a lessening effect on the amount of iron absorbed. Histidine supplement to the perfusate caused a rapid transit of iron across the intestinal mucosa, since there was significantly less iron retained in the mucosa in the face of a high level of iron absorption.
Modeling the Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI): A comparison of statistical methods

Introduction: The Rutgers Alcohol Problem Index (RAPI) is a scale designed to identify alcohol-related problems experienced by adolescents and young adults. RAPI scores tend to be skewed due in part to a substantial proportion of zero scores. In this study, we compared different statistical models for analyzing the RAPI as an outcome measure using data collected as part of an alcohol intervention program for college freshmen. Predictors included intervention group indicators. Model fit, predictive ability and practicality of implementation were compared among competing models and recommendations are made.Results: Of 558 students who completed the baseline survey (68% response rate), 76% completed a 3-month follow-up survey. Mean RAPI scores were 4.7 (SD = 6.0) at baseline and 4.6 (SD = 5.5) at 3 months. Significance of intervention group differences at 3 months adjusting for baseline RAPI were heavily dependent upon the type of statistical model employed. A zero-inflated (ZI) negative binomial model provi...
The Prevalence of Periodontal Attachment Loss in an Iowa Population Aged 70 and Older

Survey dental examinations were conducted on 262 dentate elderly people aged 70 and older and residing in two rural Iowa counties. Over 60 percent of the elderly in these counties were dentate. Buccal and mesial sites of all teeth were assessed for gingival recession, pocket depth, and attachment loss. Mean loss of periodontal attachment was 2.1 mm, and was slightly greater in older age groups and in men. More gingival recession was found on buccal sites and deeper pocketing was found on mesial sites regardless of age group, sex, or tooth type. However, the clinical magnitude of these differences was small. The prevalence of advanced periodontal breakdown was relatively low, with less than 15 percent of the subjects having at least one site with attachment loss of 7 mm or more. However, moderate periodontal breakdown was highly prevalent in this older population.
The Modeling of Double Patterning Lithographic Processes

Double patterning (DP) appears to be the most probable patterning technology for initial 32 nm node manufacturing. This work explores how it may be accurately simulated. In the first instance, the process is approximated using two planar exposures in a commercial lithographic simulation package. This work is then followed up by more accurate calculations using a prototype simulator (based of Rigorous Coupled Wave Analysis propagation techniques) which allows the topography generated from the first exposure pass to influence the light propagation in the second exposure. The accuracy of the prototype simulator is demonstrated by validating its' output against the vector model in PROLITH V10, for the planar topography case. Results from the RCWA simulations show that for an example poly gate double patterning process, the presence of the topography enhances the process window of the second exposure, in terms of both exposure and focus latitude. The topography simulator is also used to study the robustness of the second exposure process window to fluctuations in the CD printed during the first exposure pass and of the influence of misalignment between the two passes.
Effects of interleukin-1 (IL-1) on postsurgical macrophage secretion of protease and protease inhibitor activities.

Abstract Although peritoneal macrophages secrete a variety of inflammatory mediators and proteases during postsurgical repair of the peritoneum, regulation of this secretion is poorly understood. Here, the responsivity of peritoneal macrophages to interleukin-1 (IL-1) stimulation in vitro , measured by the secretion of protease and protease inhibitor activities, was evaluated as a function of postsurgical time. Macrophages were harvested at various times after peritoneal sidewall abrasion, isolated by discontinuous density centrifugation and cultured with varying concentrations of IL-1. IL-1 increased the secretion of plasminogen activator (PA) activity by peritoneal macrophages in a concentrationdependent manner on postsurgical Days 0, 3, 10, and 14. Macrophages harvested on postsurgical Day 1 after surgery responded only to high concentration of IL-1, while on Days 5 and 7 all doses of IL-1 stimulate PA. On Days 7, 10, and 14 after surgery, the secretion of PA activity (after acid treatment) by postsurgical macrophages was generally high and increased with IL-1 treatment. The level of PA activity after inactivation of acid labile inhibitors (PAI) also increased in a dose-dependent manner on Days 0, 3, and 5. Although Day 1 macrophages expressed the highest PAI activity of all groups, they had relatively low responsivity to IL-1 with regards to PAI secretion. The level of elastase activity by postsurgical macrophages was lowest on Day 1, highest on Day 7, and decreased thereafter. All concentrations of IL-1 inhibited elastase activity of macrophages on Day 7. Collagenase activity in acid-treated media increased with increasing doses of IL-1 on Days 3 and 7. In conclusion (1) IL-1 stimulated secretion of both PA and PAI by postsurgical macrophages, (2) the secretion of PA activity by unstimulated peritoneal macrophages was highest on Days 5 and 7 and also showed the greatest relative responsivity to exogenous IL-1 at these time points, (3) the secretion of PAI activity did not appear to reach a maximum plateau even with 100 U IL-1; however, PAI production was reduced after Day 10, (4) macrophages from postsurgical Day 1 were less responsive to IL-1 in both PA and PAI production, and (5) IL-1 decreased elastase activity in a concentrationdependent manner.
Using fluence separation to account for energy spectra dependence in computing dosimetric a-Si EPID images for IMRT fields.

This study develops a method to improve the dosimetric accuracy of computed images for an amorphous silicon flat-panel imager. Radially dependent kernels derived from Monte Carlo simulations are convolved with the treatment-planning system’s energy fluence. Multileaf collimator(MLC) beam hardening is accounted for by having separate kernels for open and blocked portions of MLC fields. Field-size-dependent output factors are used to account for the field-size dependence of scatter within the imager. Gamma analysis was used to evaluate open and sliding window test fields and intensity modulated patient fields. For each tested field, at least 99.6% of the points had γ 1 with a 3%, 3-mm criteria. With a 2%, 2-mm criteria, between 81% and 100% of points had γ 1 . Patient intensity modulated test fields had 94%–100% of the points with γ 1 with a 2%, 2-mm criteria for all six fields tested. This study demonstrates that including the dependencies of kernel and fluence on radius and beam hardening in the convolution improves its accuracy compared with the use of radial and beam-hardening independent kernels; it also demonstrates that the resultant accuracy of the convolution method is sufficient for pretreatment, intensity modulated patient field verification.
Rapid Vehicle Architecture Selection With Use of Autonomie

The EcoCAR 2 team at the Ohio State University is designing a Parallel-Series Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) that will be capable of 50 miles all-electric range using a 18.9 kWh battery pack, with range extension in parallel operation using a 1.8L dedicated E85 engine. The vehicle is designed to significantly reduce fuel consumption while still meeting the EPA’s Tier II Bin 5 emissions standards. This paper details the rapid vehicle architecture selection process the team completed to select the parallel-series PHEV architecture in less than two months. The team used Argonne National Lab’s Autonomie software to simulate four hybrid vehicle architectures considered by the team as well as the conventional vehicle. The simulation results were used to compare the performance and fuel economy of each of the hybrid vehicles, in order select the vehicle architecture that best met the goals of the Ohio State team.© 2012 ASME
Neural Crest–Derived Pericytes Promote Egress of Mature Thymocytes at the Corticomedullary Junction

T cell egress from the thymus is essential for adaptive immunity, yet the requirements for and sites of egress are incompletely understood. We have shown that transgenic expression of sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor-1 (S1P1) in immature thymocytes leads to their perivascular accumulation and premature release into circulation. Using an intravascular procedure to label emigrating cells, we found that mature thymocytes exit via blood vessels at the corticomedullary junction. By deleting sphingosine kinases in neural crest-derived pericytes, we provide evidence that these specialized vessel-ensheathing cells contribute to the S1P that promotes thymic egress. Lymphatic endothelial cell-derived S1P was not required. These studies identify the major thymic egress route and suggest a role for pericytes in promoting reverse transmigration of cells across blood vessel endothelium.
Classification Trees for Complex Synchrophasor Data

Abstract Classification and regression trees (CART) has been used for various applications in power systems. In most of these applications, phasor data obtained from phasor measurement units are used for building the decision tree. However, the splits in CART are based on a single attribute or a combination of variables chosen by CART itself rather than the user. But as phasor measurement unit data are complex numbers, both the attributes—real and imaginary—should be considered simultaneously for making critical decisions. For example, changing the reference bus in situations where the split is only on the real or imaginary part of a complex voltage (or current) measurement can cause the performance of the tree to degrade significantly. An algorithm is proposed in this article to allow splits on complex synchrophasor data. The methodology is implemented on two systems: a detailed model of the California Power System, where it is used for developing an adaptive protection scheme, and the IEEE 118-bus syste...
Detection and discrimination thresholds for auditory periodicity.

Complex periodic auditory signals, produced by the Guttman-Julesz procedure of repeating segments of random noise, were employed to address the low region of auditory periodicity. Periodicity detection and discrimination tasks were examined with a common experimental-procedure and a common measure of thresholds. Typically, detection and discrimination performance suffer at extremely low periodicities, presumably because of the extremely close spacing of harmonics throughout the auditory spectrum. Interaural phase effects are extremely weak for these signals, being largely confined to threshold-detection tasks. Despite qualitative phenomenological differences for different periodicity regions, detection and discrimination functions show no sharp discontinuities over a wide range of periodicities.
The yield of routine chest radiography in children with cancer hospitalized for fever and neutropenia

A routine admission chest radiograph (CXR) in pediatric patients with cancer who are admitted to the hospital for fever and neutropenia has been advised because the signs and symptoms of pneumonia may be absent. The authors studied 131 consecutive patient admissions for fever and neutropenia to evaluate the diagnostic yield of routine CXR. All patients had a complete history, physical examination, complete blood count, blood culture, urinalysis, urine culture, and CXR. Patients routinely started ceftazidime monotherapy. Results of the CXR were correlated with the presence or absence of signs and symptoms of respiratory disease. Of 128 CXR results, 26 (20%) were abnormal (13 with known malignant disease, 2 with atelectasis, 3 with peribronchial cuffing, and 8 with pneumonia [6%]). Three patients with pneumonia were asymptomatic. Therefore, only 3 of 128 patients (2.3%) had pneumonia on CXR not suspected by physical examination. None would have had initial therapy modified based on the CXR finding alone. The authors concluded that the incidence of pneumonia in a child with fever and neutropenia is low and that routine CXR at diagnostic evaluation is unnecessary in the asymptomatic ambulatory patient.
On “Bettering Humanity” in Science and Engineering Education

Authors such as Krishnasamy Selvan argue that “all human endeavors including engineering and science” have a single primary objective: “bettering humanity.” They favor discussing “the history of science and measurement uncertainty.” This paper respectfully disagrees and argues that “human endeavors including engineering and science” should not pursue “bettering humanity” as their primary objective. Instead these efforts should first pursue individual betterment. One cannot better humanity without knowing what that means. However, there is no one unified theory of what is to the betterment of humanity. Simultaneously, there is no one field (neither science, nor engineering, nor philosophy) entitled to rule univocally. Perhaps if theorists tended their own gardens, the common weal would be tended thereby.
How best to teach developmental assessment? A single-blinded randomised study

Objective Developmental assessment is a core paediatric competency, but research demonstrates teaching gaps. This single-blinded, randomised controlled study compares three teaching approaches to developmental assessment in a large group setting based on a student9s self-perception and objective competency assessment. Design Students were randomised into one of the following: ▸ a didactic lecture followed by self-study with online resources (control group), ▸ a didactic lecture and small group tutorial (small group) ▸ a combined didactic lecture and interactive component using audio-visual equipment (Interactive Developmental Teaching-IDT group). Competency scores (based on the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health (RCPCH) scoring system, adapted for undergraduates), mean scores of self-reported confidence and degree of motivation were compared between groups. Results 114 students participated. Statistically significant difference between mean assessment scores was demonstrated for the small group (38.0; 95% CI 36.5 to 39.6) and the IDT group (37.9; 95% CI 36.5 to 39.4) compared to the control group (34.8; 95% CI 33.2 to 36.4). Students’ self-reported confidence, acquisition of knowledge and degree of motivation to practice was higher in IDT and small groups compared to the didactically taught control group. Teaching costs, if measured by trainer9s time, were one-fifth in the IDT group compared to the small group teaching. Conclusions The IDT is an effective teaching method in large groups, improves competencies compared to didactic lecturing, and is as effective as small group teaching. Adoption of the IDT appears to facilitate learning and can be easily delivered with falling ratios of teachers to students.
Finite time blow-up in nonlinear suspension bridge models

Abstract This paper settles a conjecture by Gazzola and Pavani [10] regarding solutions to the fourth order ODE w ( 4 ) + k w ″ + f ( w ) = 0 which arises in models of traveling waves in suspension bridges when k > 0 . Under suitable assumptions on the nonlinearity f and initial data, we demonstrate blow-up in finite time. The case k ≤ 0 was first investigated by Gazzola et al., and it is also handled here with a proof that requires less differentiability on f . Our approach is inspired by Gazzola et al. and exhibits the oscillatory mechanism underlying the finite-time blow-up. This blow-up is nonmonotone, with solutions oscillating to higher amplitudes over shrinking time intervals. In the context of bridge dynamics this phenomenon appears to be a consequence of mutually-amplifying interactions between vertical displacements and torsional oscillations.
Overcoming the limits imposed by cellular boundaries with iCAR

iCAR is a new wireless system architecture based on the integration of cellular and modern ad-hoc relaying technologies. It addresses the congestion problem due to limited channel access in a cellular system and provides interoperability for heterogeneous networks. The iCAR system can efficiently balance traffic loads and share channel resource between cells by using ad-hoc relaying stations (ARS) to relay traffic from one cell to another dynamically. The concept of iCAR can be generalized to provide seamless integration of broadband wireless access systems and in particular, realize the vision for having anytime and anywhere ubiquitous wireless access. Analyzing the performance of iCAR is nontrivial as the classic Erlang-B formula no longer applied when relaying is used. In this paper, we build multi-dimensional Markov chains to analyze the performance of the iCAR system in terms of the call blocking probability. In particular, we develop an approximate model as well as an accurate model. While it can be time-consuming and tedious to obtain the solutions of the accurate model, the approximate model yields analytical results that are close to the simulation results we obtained previously. Our results show that with a limited number of ARS's, the call blocking probability in a congested cell as well as the overall system can be reduced.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
A new X-linked mental retardation-overgrowth syndrome

We report on a family with 4 affected males in 3 generations with a previously unreported X-linked mental retardation/multiple congenital anomaly (XLMR/MCA) syndrome. The propositus was a 7-year-old Latin American moderately retarded male with: prenatal and postnatal overgrowth; short, broad upturned nose; large mouth; midline groove of tongue, lower alveolar ridge and lower lip; submucous cleft palate; supernumerary nipples; 13 ribs; Meckel's diverticulum; intestinal malrotation; coccygeal skin tag and bony appendage; hypoplastic index fingernails; postaxial polydactyly of the right hand, bilateral syndactyly of 2nd and 3rd fingers; and tibial clinodactyly of 2nd toes. His sister's son, a premature infant who died at 4 months, had nearly identical manifestations. The propositus and his nephew had normal chromosomes. A brother and son of the sister of the mother of the propositus were similarly affected and both died in the newborn period. The mother of the propositus had a large mouth, coccygeal skin tag and bony appendage, and hypoplastic index fingernails. This distinct mental retardation/multiple congenital anomaly syndrome is added to the growing list of presently known X-linked MCA/MR syndromes.
Prototype single-mode fiber beam combiner for the CHARA array

Traditional methods of data collection in active fringe tracking Michelson stellar interferometers involve logging and analyzing the signal within the fringe tracking system for the scientific information about the object being observed. While these methods are robust and have produced excellent scientific results, they become more problematic as next-generation Michelson stellar interferometers are built with more telescopes and the aim of performing routine imaging. The Center for High Angular Resolution Astronomy (CHARA) Array is one such next-generation instrument presently under construction on Mt. Wilson, north of Los Angeles, California. The CHARA array will feature a separation of the tasks of active fringe tracking and imaging. In anticipation of the advantages afforded by the task separation, a prototype imager was developed. The prototype imager employs single-mode fiber optic strands to convey the light form simulated telescopes to a smaller, non-redundant, remapped pupil plane, which in turn feeds a low resolution prism spectrograph. The spectrograph features two cylindrical optical elements whose net effect is to focus the light to a smaller plate scale in the spectral dimension than in the orthogonal spatial dimension.
Real-time in vivo visualization of tissue oxygenation and autofluorescence with a snapshot hyperspectral camera for detection of precancerous lesions

A new type of snapshot hyperspectral camera shows promising preclinical results for real-time in vivo detection of oral and esophageal cancers. Maps of hemoglobin content, tissue oxygenation and autofluorescence are presented for oral cavity tissue.
Battery State-Of-Charge Based Altitude Controller for Small, Low Cost Multirotor Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are typically driven by Lithium polymer batteries. The batteries have their own dynamics, which changes during discharge. Classical approaches to altitude control assume a time-invariant system and therefore fail. Adaptive controllers require an identified system model which is often unavailable. Battery dynamics can be characterized and used for a battery model-based controller. This controller is useful in situations when no feedback from actuators (such as RPM or thrust) is available. After measuring the battery dynamics for two distinct types of batteries, a controller is designed and experimentally verified, showing a consistent performance during entire discharge test and a consequent flight verification.
Stratigraphic uncertainty and errors in shortening from balanced sections in the North American Cordillera

Shortening from balanced cross sections is typically cited as a minimum estimate because of the uncertainty in the position of eroded hanging-wall cutoffs. We show here using area balancing that the single most significant source of error is that associated with the shape and thickness of the initial stratigraphic wedge involved in the deformation. New methods and software are introduced that, in combination with freely available scans of virtually all geologic maps published by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and Geological Survey of Canada (GSC), allow one to make hundreds of map thickness measurements in just a few hours. These methods are applied to geologic maps and cross sections from the western North American Cordillera to determine the uncertainty of shortening in iconic cross sections by R.A. Price and P.R. Fermor, and by F. Royse. One-sigma stratigraphic thickness uncertainty, measured in homoclinal dip packages of prominent Paleozoic units within single thrust plates (and single quadrangles), ranges from 20% to 30% of average thickness in the Costigan and Sulfur Mountain plates in southern Canada and can be as high as 37% in the Darby and Absaroka plates of the Idaho-Wyoming (United States) thrust belt. Assuming that all individual Paleozoic units in the cross sections have similar errors, the entire Paleozoic section used in the area balancing would have 8%–11% uncertainty, assuming a normal or Gaussian distribution. Because the stratigraphic wedges in southern Canada and Idaho-Wyoming do not have a uniform original taper, our basic area balance underestimates shortening. By balancing the non-uniform taper back to a uniform taper, we can account for this discrepancy. Total shortening determined in this way is ∼104 ± 17 km, which is identical to that obtained by Price and Fermor. The Idaho-Wyoming section of Royse (with maps by the USGS) yields similarly large errors in shortening magnitude: 56 ± 10 km for the three frontal thrust faults. Of those errors, uncertainty in the shape and thickness of the initial stratigraphic wedge accounts for 56% and 70% of the total in southern Canada and western Wyoming, respectively. Eroded hanging-wall cutoffs account for just 15% in both areas, with the remainder coming from uncertainty in the subsurface geometry, including the position of the decollement.
Minor and trace sterols in marine invertebrates 48. The isolation, structure elucidation and synthesis of 23(R),24(R)-methylenecholesterol.

Abstract The isolation, structure determination and synthesis of 23(R),24(R)-methylene-cholesterol—a possible biosynthetic precursor of brassicasterol—is described.
Information Security Guidance for Enterprise Transformation

This paper describes a roadmap for implementing and managing information security across the enterprise enabling leaders to leverage their organization?s security expertise more effectively and efficiently. The Roadmap for Information Security across the Enterprise (RISE) distills and integrates security management best practices from various US Government programs, and establishes a structure to: Profile the enterprise?s security risks and capabilities; Posture itself for continuously improved security; and Protect the security of its information assets.
The influence of biological and fungicidal seed treatments on chickpea (Cicer arietinum) damping off

Damping off of chickpea (Cicer arietinum) can lead to stand loss and yield reduction. Fungicide seed treatments are able to successfully control chickpea damping off, but the effectiveness of many ...
Evaluating Ergonomic Stresses in North Carolina Commercial Crab Pot and Gill Net Fishermen

There are challenges in evaluating physical demands of commercial fishing, including identifying sources of exposure variability. Low back biomechanical stresses associated with crab pot and gill net fishing were estimated; the variability was partitioned between and within fishing type, crew size, job title, and worker to improve understanding of risk factors for low back injury. The authors observed 162 person-hours of work among 25 North Carolina commercial fishermen on 16 crews. Postures and forces during fishing tasks were measured through direct and indirect observation using two methods to determine the percentage of time fishermen were exposed to high levels of low back stress. A multilevel linear model estimated exposure variability for the dependent variables by four nesting variables: fishing type, crew size, job title, and worker. Fishermen set and pulled crab pots or gill nets for 80% of the workday. Twenty-five percent of that time was spent handling gear. For both fishing types, handling he...
Anemia and vampires: figures to govern the colony, Puerto Rico, 1880 to 1904.

In order to become the governing authority of the emerging Puerto Rican nation before the invasion of the United States in 1898, a group of letrados constructed the phantasm of a coherent and integrated national Self by excluding a phantasmagoric Other (such as the infirm Puerto Rican iibaro ). The reader will remember that, unlike the majority of Latin America, Puerto Rico was not an independent republic by the end of the nineteenth century but remained a Spanish colony. I borrow the term letrado from Angel Rama. He uses it to describe not only a class of cultured intellectuals but also a particular type of colonized consciousness that accepts the arbitrariness of the connection and, therefore, the implied rupture between signs and referents. A close examination of the works by members of this educated elite makes apparent the complexity of the dynamic between discourses of the Self and the Other that sustains this act of empowerment, as well as acts of empowerment similar to this one.
Private Tutoring and Social Cohesion

Mastering the public school curriculum is so important to a child's occupational future that in many regions of the world “shadow” education outside of the public system has now become the norm. In one way, this is excellent news because private investment in human capital is a strong contributor to economic and social development. However, private demand is driving a separate and powerful private industry. According to the constitutional standards in many countries, education is supposed to be “free.” This suggests that, in some instances, shadow education might be unconstitutional. The United Nations Declaration on Human Rights also says that education should be free. This suggests that in some circumstances, shadow education may be contrary to the principles of human rights. The question addressed in this article is whether shadow education is wrong. This article summarizes the arguments in favor and against shadow education and ends with a series of recommendations to better manage what has become a w...
Isothermal physical aging of a fully cured epoxy—amine thermosetting system

The rate and effects of isothermal physical aging of a fully cured epoxyamine/ glass fiber composite specimen were studied for a wide range of isothermal aging temperatures (-180 to 200°C) using a freely oscillating torsion pendulum technique: torsional braid analysis (TBA). As assigned from the maxima in the mechanical loss vs. temperature, the glass transition temperature, T g , was 182°C (0.9 Hz ) , and the principal glassy-state secondary transition temperature, T β , was ≃ -30°C (1.9 Hz). Plots of the increase in the isothermal modulus and of the decrease in the isothermal mechanical loss were linear vs. log aging time; their slopes provided aging rates. It was found that the isothermal aging rate varies with isothermal aging temperature (T a ) and that there are two maxima in the aging rate vs. T a . A correlation presumably exists between the two maxima in the aging rate and the two transitions. This is not surprising since mechanical loss maxima (i.e., transitions ) and aging rate maxima both correspond to specific, localized, and restricted submolecular motions. Effects after isothermal physical aging were investigated vs. temperature in terms of change of modulus of the specimen. The effect of isothermal aging existed primarily in a narrow temperature region localized about T a . The majority of the isothermal aging effect can be eliminated by heating to temperatures above T a but below T g . Theoretical and practical implications of this observation are discussed.
Policy choice as an electoral investment

Traditional approaches to policy choice typically simplify their analysis by ignoring the question of internal constituency politics: constituencies are modelled simply as a single “generic” voter. We explicitly take into account how differential rates of participation and support by various groups in a legislator's constituency will influence the legislator's choice of policy. Viewing the choice of policy as essentially a question of redistribution of welfare, we argue that riskaverse politicians will attempt, not to be evenhanded toward all groups in their constituency, as some scholars have suggested, nor to direct benefits chiefly to swing groups, as has also been hypothesized, but rather, first and foremost, to maintain their current electoral coalition, and in particular, their “primary constituency”.