cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Canfield Learning Styles Inventory: An Assessment of Its Usefulness in Accounting Education Research

Recent reviews of accounting education research have called for continued assessment of learning style inventories in accounting contexts (Geiger and Boyle 1992; Rebele et al. 1998). This study presents a critical evaluation of the psychometric properties of the Canfield Learning Styles Inventory (LSI), proposed by Francis et al. (1995) as an instrument for possible use by accounting educators. The study administered two versions (standard and scrambled) to 531 accounting majors from eight universities, applying a test‐retest strategy after a 4–5 week interval. The versions were examined for internal consistency reliability, test‐retest reliability, classification stability, and construct validity. We found moderate internal consistency (item analyses scores weaker than those reported by Canfield [1988]) and a substantial amount of learner‐type classification instability across the two administrations. In terms of construct validity, two‐factor solutions were not consistent with those reported by Canfield...
Parameter bounds under misspecified models

A class of parameter bounds emerges as a consequence of the covariance inequality, i.e. Cauchy-Schwarz inequality for expectations. The expectation operator forms an inner product space. Flexibility in the choice of expectation integrand and measure for integration exists, however, to establish a class of parameter bounds under a general form of model misspecifi-cation, i.e. distribution mismatch. The Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) primarily, and secondarily the Barankin, Hammersley-Chapman-Robbins, and Bhattacharyya bounds under misspecification are considered. Huber's sandwich covariance is easily established as the misspecified CRB, and a generalization of the Slepian-Bangs formula under misspecification is provided.
Time Lapse Television: A Tool For Highway Engineers

Closed circuit television has been in use for a number of years as a means of surveillance in stores, banks, apartment houses, tunnels, freeways and other places where it is desirable to have continuously recorded coverage of the events taking place. There is, however, some disadvantage in monitoring traffic operations by this method since it takes as long to view a video tape as it does to record the data. To make television surveillance more useful to highway engineers, viewing time should be reduced.© (1972) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Reduction of microvoids in composite laminates fabricated by bladder assisted composite manufacturing (BACM)

Bladder Assisted Composite Manufacturing (BACM) is a recently developed out-of-autoclave process designed to fabricate geometrically complex, hollow composite parts. This paper assesses the ability of three new BACM process variations to fabricate parts with high fiber and low void contents. This was achieved by fabricating 4-ply cylinders from a carbon/epoxy prepreg at cure pressures of 207 and 483 kPa. The fiber/void content, mechanical properties, and energy consumed during the curing of the cylinders are investigated and compared to the original BACM process. The fiber content of the cylinders were observed to be dependent on both bladder pressure and BACM variation used, reaching a maximum fiber content of 66% which is 5% greater than that obtained by the original BACM process. The elastic moduli and failure strength results for the cylinders were found to increase with fiber content and showed no preference to any of the studied BACM process variations. In addition, the void content of the cylinders were reduced by 94% with the utilization of a porous bleeder fabric when compared to the original BACM process. POLYM. COMPOS., 2014. © 2014 Society of Plastics Engineers
Medical technology and the crisis of experience: the costs of clinical legitimation.

Abstract This paper considers the relationship between the crisis of experience in chronic illness and the crisis of legitimation in medicine. Clinical approaches to chronic illness characteristically apply medical technologies to highly uncertain diseases. The many social problems that result from this technologically-dominated approach are evident in the dynamics of illness experience. Therapeutic ‘solutions’, however, attempt to set technical boundaries to the definition of health problems and largely redefine the social component of the medical problem. Success is defined as the effectiveness of treatment and failure as largely due to individual deficiencies of unsuccessful patients in an attempt to establish the legitimacy of quasi-experimental medical technologies. The example presented here is the problem of kidney failure (end-stage renal disease), a chronic disease which requires treatment by dialysis (three times per week, six hours per treatment) or kidney transplantation. In the United States this is the only chronic illness for which a federal program (since 1972) pays virtually all treatment costs for over 40,000 patients. Over 1 billion dollars a year are expended on these medical technologies. This disease is representative of the technical approach which dominates chronic illness care. In this paper problem definitions in end-stage renal disease that are derived from clinical practice and technical break-throughs will be analyzed in terms of their appropriateness for the social dynamics of the illness experience. The divergence between the technological approach and the dynamics of experience will be illustrated by an analysis of the activities of a renal treatment program. Excerpts from staff and patient interviews, observation in the clinic and medical record abstracts will contrast the extreme tension and uncertainty engendered in the treatment of this disease with the narrow problem definition of the technological model. The two central questions raised are the following: (1) To what extent does the credibility of clinical practitioners in highly ambiguous settings depend on denying legitimacy to the patient's illness experience? and (2) How do these dynamics intensify the crisis in medical credibility and exacerbate the tragedy of catastrophic illness?
Statistical study of tau-decay data.

In the measured decay properties of the tau there is a discrepancy between the total branching fraction for the one-charged-particle decay modes and the sum of the branching fractions for the known individual modes. This discrepancy is derived from about 60 different measurements of branching fractions and some use of weak-interaction theory. Our statistical study of these 60 measurements shows there are problems in some of the measurements in the estimation of experimental bias or systematic error. But there is no evidence that the discrepancy derives from experimental bias or from incorrect estimation of systematic error.
Industrial applications for LIGA-fabricated micro heat exchangers

One of the well-known benefits of micro scale is enhanced heat transfer. This fact provides the motivation for fabricating a variety of micro heat exchangers using derivatives of the LIGA micromachining process. These heat exchangers can be made of polymers, nickel (electroplated or electroless), or ceramics (Si3N4 and alumina are presently being investigated). These heat exchangers are envisioned for applications such as gas turbine blades, mechanical seals and/or bearings, boilers, condensers, radiators, evaporators, electronic component cooling, and catalytic converters. In this paper, methods to fabricate an array of heat exchangers for different applications are described. In addition, simple analytic models that illustrate the motivation for fabricating micro cross flow heat exchanges are shown to compare favorably with experimental heat transfer results.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
FastScript3D: a JavaScript companion to Java3D

FastScript3D is a web-friendly companion to Java3D that makes it easy to get started using Java3D via JavaScript and HTML. The FastScript3D web site shows how you can create Java3D web content without having to be an experienced Java3D programmer.
Chemical cross-linking of ethidium to DNA by glyoxal

Ethidium was found to be efficiently cross-linked to DNA by glyoxal. Kinetic studies showed that the rate of the cross-linking reaction is strongly dependent on the glyoxal concentration. Comparative studies using a series of phenanthridines and acridines showed that NH2 groups at both the 2 and 7 positions on the phenanthridine ring are necessary for efficient cross-linking. Studies using synthetic polydeoxynucleotides showed that the 2-amino group of guanine is absolutely required for cross-linking. Fluorescence contact energy transfer and relative viscosity experiments showed that the cross-linked drug remains intercalated into DNA. DNA gel electrophoresis and melting studies demonstrated that cross-linked ethidium does not dissociate the DNA double helix to single strands.
Legislative ambiguity and the accurate identification of seriously emotionally disturbed

Abstract This study surveyed 127 school psychologists practicing under three types of state criteria that are used in identifying children as seriously emotionally disturbed (SED). The school psychologists were required to read 12 behavioral descriptions of specific disorders defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders , Vol. 3 (DSM III) and indicate whether the targeted DSM III conditions qualified as SED/BD (behavior disordered). The responses were then compared with a legal interpretation of the public law and examined to determine if the tendency of school psychologists to identify DSM III conditions differed across the three types of state criteria. The marked discrepancies were examined between the school psychologists' judgements concerning eligibility and the legal interpretation of eligibility for classification as SED. Additionally, the results indicated that school psychologists practicing under behavioral-oriented classification criteria were significantly more likely to identify acting-out children as eligible for classification and less likely to identify children with an affective disorder. The implications of the findings are discussed.
A VAPOR EXTRACTION TEACHING MODULE BASED ON AIRFLOW/SVE

Abstract This is the fourth in a series of papers exploring the application of professional quality software to environmental engineering education. Jennings (1997) discussed how the differences between ‘professional’ and ‘educational’ software should translate into software attributes and illustrated many of these attributes using the bioremediation package BIO1D (Srinivasan and Mercer, 1989). Jennings and Kuhlman (1997) illustrated more of these attributes using the MATHCAD 6.0 (Mathsoft, Inc., 1995) electronic book air pollution modeling package GAUSSIAN MODELS 1.1 (Zannetti, 1995). Most recently, Mesania and Jennings (1997) illustrated the power of a ‘pseudo-CAD’ user interface using the landfill hydraulic analysis program Help Model for Windows—HMfW v2.05 (Grace Dearborne, Inc., 1993). This paper concentrates on the power of using a true CAD user interface. This is done using the AIRFLOW/SVE (Guiguer et al., 1995) which evaluates vapor extraction soil remediation. Example simulations are presented to illustrate the power of CAD interfaces to express complex problems and to present results in easily comprehended graphics. Examples are also presented to illustrate how this package can help students identify successful applications of vapor extraction remediation.
CRYOSURGICAL ABLATION OF PROSTATE CANCER: PATTERNS OF CANCER RECURRENCE

AbstractPurpose: We determined the rate of biochemical and biopsy failure in relation to the prostate specific antigen (PSA) nadir, the effect of neoadjuvant androgen blockade and the pattern of residual tumor after cryosurgical ablation of prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: From July 1993 to April 1996, 134 patients underwent 147 cryosurgical ablation procedures. Of those patients, 110 had adequate followup and did not receive post-treatment androgen deprivation. Followup included PSA determination at 3, 6 and 12 months, and every 6 months thereafter. Biopsies were performed at 6 months or with biochemical failure defined as PSA nadir 0.5 ng./ml. or greater or subsequent biochemical failure (PSA increase 0.2 ng./ml. or greater). Biochemical and biopsy failures were correlated with PSA nadir values following cryosurgery (less than 0.1 ng./ml., 0.1 to 0.4 and or greater 0.5). A total of 68 patients had careful ultrasound guided mapping biopsy preoperatively and postoperatively to define the sites of di...
Fluctuations in pre-trial attentional state and their influence on goal neglect

Fluctuations in attentional state and their relation to goal neglect were examined in the current study. Participants performed a variant of the Stroop task in which attentional state ratings were given prior to each trial. It was found that pre-trial attentional state ratings predicted subsequent trial performance, such that when participants rated their current attentional state as highly focused on the current task, performance tended to be high compared to when participants reported their current attentional state as being unfocused on the current task. This effect was larger for incongruent than congruent trials leading to differences in the magnitude of the Stroop effect as a function of pre-trial attentional state. Furthermore, variability in attentional state was correlated with overall levels of performance, and when attentional state was covaried out, the Stroop effect was greatly reduced. These results suggest a link between fluctuations in pre-trial attentional state and goal neglect.
Predictability of Work Demands and Professionalization as Determinants of Workers' Discretion

Assume that you have been asked by the president of a large firm to advise him on the most desirable levels of decentralization in order to control the activities of different departments within hi...
Aripiprazole is associated with early onset of Tardive Dyskinesia like presentation in a patient with ABI and psychosis.

Purpose: This report describes the early onset Tardive Dyskinesia like presentation during treatment with Aripiprazole.Case study: The patient, who had a history of acquired brain injury, was recei...
In vivo potencies of antipsychotic drugs in blocking alpha 1 noradrenergic and dopamine D2 receptors: Implications for drug mechanisms of action

In addition to being dopamine antagonists, all antipsychotic drugs are potent antagonists of alpha-1 noradrenergic receptors. Nevertheless, the contribution of alpha blockade to the clinical therapeutic effects of the antipsychotic drugs has never attracted extensive study. In particular, the relative alpha-1 noradrenergic antagonist potency of antipsychotic drugs has rarely been determined in vivo during extended treatment, although such treatment would provide a better model of clinical drug effects than the determination of potencies in in vitro systems, such as assays of competition for binding sites in tissue homogenates, as is most often done. To estimate the physiological efficacy of antipsychotic drugs as dopamine and alpha adrenergic antagonists, we treated rats for four weeks with daily IP injections of the following antipsychotic drugs: Fluphenazine, 1 mg/kg; haloperidol, 1 mg/kg; chlorpromazine, 25 mg/kg; thioridazine, 25 mg/kg; and clozapine, 25 mg/kg. Effective antagonism should lead to an increase in density of the relevant receptors. After two drug-free days, rats were sacrificed and the affinity and density of dopamine D2 and alpha-1 noradrenergic receptors were determined in striatum and brain exclusive of striatum, respectively. Alpha 1 noradrenergic receptor density but not dopamine receptor density was increased after all treatments. Thus, preliminary experiments with this in vivo model suggest that all antipsychotic drugs are effective antagonists at alpha 1 noradrenergic receptors, while not all are effective antagonists at dopamine D2 receptors.
Total collision cross sections for C60 scattering by Ar, Kr and Xe

Abstract The total cross sections for the interactions of C60 with Ar, Kr and Xe have been measured in a supersonic beam apparatus. The measured scattering cross sections at an average collision velocity of approximately 2.0 × 105 cm/s are 95, 100 and 133 A2, for Ar, Kr and Xe, respectively. The total cross sections for collisions between Ar and C60 decrease as the collision velocity was increased between 1.4 and 2.4 × 105 cm/s. With the correction for resolution of the apparatus, these measured cross sections compare favorably, both in magnitude and in the way they varied with collision velocity and collision partners, to ‘apparent’ cross sections calculated by assuming the scattering is caused by a −C/r6 potential.
Computing electron affinities of radicals with density functional theory methods

Abstract A systematic computational study of the electron affinities for methyl, methoxy, and nitrile radicals with 24 density functional theory methods is presented. The computation is performed using the immense 6-311 + + G(3df,3pd) Gaussian basis set. The computed values are compared with the experimental results and the DFT methods which accurately predict the electron affinities are selected.
Photo-Arbuzov Rearrangements of Dimethyl Benzyl and Dimethyl p-Acetylbenzyl Phosphite

The direct ultraviolet irradiation of dimethyl benzyl phosphite (1) and dimethyl p-acetylbenzyl phosphite (8) was investigated in acetonitrile, cyclohexane, and benzene. Phosphite 1 gives predominantly the photo-Arbuzov product, dimethyl benzylphosphonate (2), in 67−81% accountability yields, based of phosphite consumed, along with minor amounts of bibenzyl (20) and dimethyl phosphite (10). The quantum yield for formation of 2 in cyclohexane, φP, is 0.43. By contrast, irradiation of phosphite 8 yields only 7−13% of photo-Arbuzov phosphonate (9) but relatively large amounts of radical diffusion products: dimethyl phosphite (10) the p-acetylbenzyl radical dimer (11); and p-acetyltoluene (12). Evidently 8, closely related to acetophenone, reacts predominantly via the triplet excited estate to generate long-lived, triplet, free-radical pairs (6 and 7a). In benzene, further products (15, 16, 17a and 17b) are identified that result from addition of the phosphinoyl radical (6) to benzene to give cyclohexadienyl...
Directional and frequency response characteristics in the descending octaval nucleus of the toadfish ( Opsanus tau )

This study is a continuation of a long-term investigation of the auditory circuit in the oyster toadfish, Opsanus tau. Input from the auditory periphery projects to the ipsilateral descending octaval nucleus (DON). Ipsilateral and contralateral DONs project to the auditory midbrain, where a previous study indicated that both frequency tuning and directional sharpening are present. To better understand the transformation of auditory information along the auditory pathway, we have examined over 400 units in the DON to characterize frequency and directional information encoded in the dorsolateral division of the nucleus. Background activity was primarily low (<10 spikes/s) or absent. The maximum coefficient of synchronization was equivalent to the periphery (R = 0.9) and substantially better than in the midbrain. The majority of DON units (79%) responded best to stimulus frequencies of 84–141 Hz and were broadly tuned. DON cells retain or enhance the directional character of their peripheral input (s); however, characteristic axes were distributed in all quadrants around the fish, providing further evidence that binaural computations may first occur in the DON of this species.
HOW MUCH SHOULD WE VALUE AUTONOMY

Autonomy generally is a valued condition for persons in liberal cultures such as the United States. We uphold autonomous agents as the exemplar of persons who, by their judgment and action, authenticate the social and political principles and policies that advance their interests. I will begin by examining the concept of autonomy in Section II of this essay. In Section III, I will explore the idea that autonomy is valued because autonomous agents are persons whose judgment and actions serve to advance their interests in a democratic society. But the focus of this essay is on the phenomenon, which is not implausible in a culture such as that of the United States, of being “blinded” by the ideal of autonomy. What happens if we value autonomy too much?
Airborne Electromagnetic Sensing of Sea-ice Thickness

Abstract : A conventional frequency domain helicopter-borne electromagnetic (HEM) system can be used to map sea ice keels with a reasonable degree of accuracy. A preliminary interpretation of the acquired data can be made manually with the help of a nomogram or automated with the use of a table look-up routine on a small computer. Such data may also be more accurately interpreted with the use of an adaptation of Occam's inversion. This scheme allows for the practical non-uniqueness of the inverse solution but selects the smoothest keel shape that is consistent with the field data. The inversion method is much more computationally intensive than the table look-up technique. While the latter can be implemented on a small computer to form an interactive in-flight interpretation system, the inversion technique involves many forward computations and , for the present, is best reserved for past flight data analysis. It is possible that this difficulty can be resolved with the use of specialized computing equipment. In the strict sense both proposed interpretation techniques are only suitable for use on data acquired over two dimensional features whose strike length (measured in a direction perpendicular to the flight line) is much greater than the flight height. Examination of the anomalies for three-dimensional keels however, reveals that good data interpretation is possible whenever the keel strike length exceeds the system height by a factor of three.
Microwave sintering of β-SiAlON-ZrO2 composites

Abstract Densification, phase transformation, microstructure evolution and hardness of microwave sintered β-SiAlON–ZrO2 composites were investigated and compared with conventionally sintered samples. Sintering trials were performed by a high vacuum capable 2.45 GHz microwave furnace without decomposition. Microwave sintered samples showed better densification behavior than conventional sintered samples. The higher density observed in the case of microwave sintered samples was attributed to volumetric fast heating. X-ray diffraction results of conventionally sintered samples showed β-SiAlON, tetragonal ZrO2 and ZrN phases, while, ZrO2 reacted with nitrogen and completely transformed to ZrN in the case of microwave sintered samples. The aspect ratios of microwave sintered β-SiAlON grains were higher than conventional sintered samples whereas, hardness remained lower.
Characterization and expression of presenilin 1 in mouse brain

The expression pattern of presenilin 1 (PS-1) in adult mouse brain was investigated using antibodies to specific peptides of PS-1. One antibody, Alz14A, specifically detected a 53 kDa protein in retinoic acid-treated P19 cells and mouse brain protein extracts consistent with the predicted PS-1 molecular weight. Immunohistochemical staining revealed that PS-1 was localized predominantly in large neurons in areas that were known to be affected by Alzheimer disease (AD) such as the hippocampal formation, entorhinal cortex and the subiculum. Selected neurons in other regions not known to be directly affected by AD, such as thalamic nuclei, Purkinje cells, large neurons in the brainstem and the gray matter of the spinal cord, and the dorsal root ganglion, also expressed PS-1. These observations suggest that other as yet identified factors might interact with mutated presenilins to cause neurodegeneration in AD-affected areas.
The application of heat transfer analysis in condition monitoring system of wind generator

Effective cooling is required in power generation, processing, and distribution to avoid failure that could occur during operations. As heat loads continue to increase, manufacturers of wind turbines are turning to improve the cooling system to remove high intensity heat loads from many active parts particularly in the generator part. Wind generators need an effective cooling system due to the large amount of heat that is released during power production. Many large wind turbines (more than 5MW rated power) particularly offshore wind turbines where the water is available, heat exchangers with water-air cooling system is used, in which the water is utilized to cool the hot air. This type of heat exchangers are desired, since they are more efficient and reliable than the air-air heat exchangers, which are used in small wind turbines. Because of the growing number of failures that occurred in wind turbine generators due to high generator's temperatures owing to power losses of generator, applying condition monitoring system on wind generators depending on heat transfer analysis through the heat exchangers of wind generators plays an effective function. This helps avoid failures, decrease the potential shutdowns during running, and maintain wind turbines to be protected. In this paper new methodology has been applied by considering the heat transfer and fluid mechanics analysis through a heat exchanger of wind generator, which uses water to air cooling system. Case study based on data collected from actual measurements demonstrates the adequacy of the proposed model.
Intensity effects in ultracold photoassociation line shapes

We derive ultracold atom-atom photoassociation line shapes valid for intense light fields and investigate laser power effects in sodium and rubidium photoassociation to the purely long-range ${0}_{g}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ symmetry state. We consider intensities up to a few hundreds ${\mathrm{W}/\mathrm{c}\mathrm{m}}^{2},$ a strongly saturating intensity for typical transitions of experimental interest. For these intensities the ${0}_{g}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ rotational spectrum is still well resolved; however, it is essential to couple the photoassociation resonance to both s- and d-wave ground-state channels. A low-energy d-wave shape resonance can have a profound effect on the line shape. Understanding the line shape is essential for precision spectroscopic analysis and could improve the extraction of ground-state scattering properties such as scattering lengths.
Volcanic Contributions to the Stratospheric Sulfate Layer

Abstract We have detected the transport of volcanic sulfate through the tropical tropopause. This is particularly noteworthy because the source volcanic eruption was only of modest intensity and, therefore, not normally thought to be of stratospheric importance. Using lidar, the veil was detected on two days during January 1977. Although the bulk of the material was in the troposphere, there was evidence of transport through the tropopause on both days. Trajectory calculations suggested that the source was Nyiragongo volcano in central Africa (1.5°S, 29.2°E). The presence of an adiabatic temperature profile through the dust layer suggests that the volcanic layer was being convected by means of radiative absorption. This mechanism may provide sulfate for the maintenance of a background level of stratospheric sulfate. During the six years of lidar observations in Hawaii (19.5°N), we have rarely observed such layers. Visual, lidar and other observations of the volcanic cloud are presented.
A Genome-Wide siRNA Screen in Mammalian Cells for Regulators of S6 Phosphorylation

mTOR complex1, the major regulator of mRNA translation in all eukaryotic cells, is strongly activated in most cancers. We performed a genome-wide RNAi screen in a human cancer cell line, seeking genes that regulate S6 phosphorylation, readout of mTORC1 activity. Applying a stringent selection, we retrieved nearly 600 genes wherein at least two RNAis gave significant reduction in S6-P. This cohort contains known regulators of mTOR complex 1 and is significantly enriched in genes whose depletion affects the proliferation/viability of the large set of cancer cell lines in the Achilles database in a manner paralleling that caused by mTOR depletion. We next examined the effect of RNAi pools directed at 534 of these gene products on S6-P in TSC1 null mouse embryo fibroblasts. 76 RNAis reduced S6 phosphorylation significantly in 2 or 3 replicates. Surprisingly, among this cohort of genes the only elements previously associated with the maintenance of mTORC1 activity are two subunits of the vacuolar ATPase and the CUL4 subunit DDB1. RNAi against a second set of 84 targets reduced S6-P in only one of three replicates. However, an indication that this group also bears attention is the presence of rpS6KB1 itself, Rac1 and MAP4K3, a protein kinase that supports amino acid signaling to rpS6KB1. The finding that S6 phosphorylation requires a previously unidentified, functionally diverse cohort of genes that participate in fundamental cellular processes such as mRNA translation, RNA processing, DNA repair and metabolism suggests the operation of feedback pathways in the regulation of mTORC1 operating through novel mechanisms.
GIS-facilitated spatial epidemiology of tick-borne diseases in coyotes (Canis latrans) in northern and coastal California

Ixodes pacificus is the main tick vector for transmission of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi to large vertebrates in California. The present study was undertaken in I. pacificus-infested counties in California to examine spatial and temporal relationships among A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi-exposed coyotes with vegetation type and climate. The overall A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi seroprevalences were 39.5% (N=215) and 18.9% (N=148), respectively, with no association with sex. PCR for A. phagocytophilum and B. burgdorferi was negative in all blood and kidney samples. Increased seroprevalence was a positive function of rainfall. Ehrlichial seropositivity was increased in blue-oak foothill pine, montane hardwood, and redwood vegetation regions, and decreased in coastal sagebrush and cropland. Increased exposure to B. burgdorferi occurred in blue oak woodland.
Millimeter-Wave Wireless Interconnect for 3-D SIC Testing

As 3-D ICs gain popularity in the industry, finding an efficient way to test the stacked chips is becoming a new challenge. The authors of this paper present a contact-free testing method using millimeter-wave wireless I/Os with microbump antennas. This method has the potential to reduce the latency and cost of 3-D IC testing.
Suggested toughness/temperature relations for reactor pressure vessel steels

Relations are suggested for the means and standard deviations of three toughness measures for reactor pressure vessel steels: static initiation, dynamic initiation, and arrest. All of the relations are of the form: KIx = KLS{1 + exp[(T − [RTNDT + δT])/TO]}, where KIx is the toughness measure of interest, KLS is the lower-shelf toughness, T is the temperature, RTNDT is the reference transition temperature, δT is a temperature shift, and TO is a temperature which characterizes the breadth of the transition. The mean of KLS differs for initiation and arrest and its standard deviation accounts for variation within a single heat. The mean of δT differs for all three toughness measures and its standard deviation accounts for heat-to-heat variability. However, it is shown that a value of To = 33.2°C can be used for all of the toughness measures. Finally, the lower bound curves of the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code are shown to represent toughness levels of low probability.
Magneto-Elastic Dependence of the Propagation of Sound in Gadolinium at the Critical Point

The change in the attenuation of sound and in the elastic constant ${c}_{33}$ of gadolinium has been measured at 5 MHz as a function of applied magnetic fields to 13 kOe in the temperature range 270-320 \ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The minimum in the elastic constant at the Curie point moved upwards in temperature and tended to diminish and broaden with increasing field. Studies of the change in attenuation due to magnetic field in the same region revealed sharp $\ensuremath{\lambda}$-shaped increases up to a field of 1. 8 kOe. At higher fields this peak split into two diminishing maxima, one moving upwards and the other downwards with increasing field. The zero-field-attenuation data decreased as $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\sim}{\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{y}$, where $\ensuremath{\epsilon}=|\frac{(T\ensuremath{-}{T}_{c})}{{T}_{c}}|$ and $y=\ensuremath{-}1.8\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.2$ in the paramagnetic region. In the presence of a magnetic field, the changes in the velocity are attributed to changes in the spin-correlation function.
Treatment of Child and Adolescent Sleep Disorders

This article reviews the primarily behaviorally based sleep disorders experienced by children and adolescents and summarizes the most commonly utilized treatments for these problems. The sleep disorders covered are classified into three general categories. The first category is problems related to difficulties sleeping. The second includes excessive daytime sleepiness or hypersomnolence. The final category consists of the parsomnias or abnormal behaviors associated with sleep, such as night terrors, sleepwalking, bruxism, and enuresis.
CHEMICAL SCREEN TO REDUCE STEROL ACCUMULATION IN NIEMANN-PICK C DISEASE CELLS IDENTIFIES NOVEL LYSOSOMAL ACID LIPASE INHIBITORS

Niemann-Pick C disease (NPC) is a lysosomal storage disorder causing abnormal accumulation of unesterified free cholesterol in lysosomal storage organelles. High content phenotypic microscopy chemical screens in both human and hamster NPC-deficient cells have identified several compounds that partially revert the NPC phenotype. Cell biological and biochemical studies show that several of these molecules inhibit lysosomal acid lipase, the enzyme that hydrolyzes LDL-derived triacylglycerol and cholesteryl esters. The effects of reduced lysosomal acid lipase activity in lowering cholesterol accumulation in NPC mutant cells were verified by RNAi-mediated knockdown of lysosomal acid lipase in NPC1-deficient human fibroblasts. This work demonstrates the utility of phenotypic cellular screens as a means to identify molecular targets for altering a complex process such as intracellular cholesterol trafficking and metabolism.
Preparation and physical characterization of a homogeneous population of monomeric nucleosomes from HeLa cells

Abstract We describe a method of isolating a homogeneous population of "trimmed" monomeric nucleosomes from Hela cells. These nucleoprotein particles contain a 140 +/- 5 base pair length of DNA and have a histone/DNA ratio of 1.2. They lack H1 and contain equal amounts of the four smaller histones. The DNA contains no single strand nicks. The particles sediment with an S20,w of 11S in D2O density gradients. After formaldehyde fixation, they band at a density of 1.4370 in neutral CsCl. Digestion of nucleosomes with either micrococcal nuclease or DNase I generates the same pattern of DNA fragments observed when intact nuclei are digested. Circular dichroism spectra indicate that the 280 nm positive ellipticity maximum of nucleosomes is about one-half that of chromatin. In the presence of 6 M urea, nucleosomes sediment with an S20,w of 6S, have a multiphasic thermal denaturation profile, and exhibit a circular dichroic spectrum nearly identical to that of B-form DNA. Our yield of purified nucleosomes (10-15% of the input DNA) is similar to the yields of other methods; our nucleosome population is substantially more homogeneous than those previously reported.
Prenatal nicotine exposure is associated with an increase in [125I]epibatidine binding in discrete cortical regions in rats

Previously, it was reported that hyperactive male offspring of dams exposed to nicotine (6 mg/kg/day) during gestation had an increase in cortical alpha4-beta2 nicotinic receptor subtype density as determined by [3H]cytisine binding in tissue homogenate [Tizabi Y, Popke EJ, Rahman MA, Nespor SM, Grunberg NE. Hyperactivity induced by prenatal nicotine exposure is associated with an increase in cortical nicotinic receptors. Pharmacol, Biochem Behav 1997;58:141-6]. [125I]Epibatidine labels alpha4beta2 nicotinic receptors with higher affinity than [3H]cytisine. In the present study, using quantitative autoradiography, we evaluated the effects of in-utero exposure to nicotine (9 mg/kg/day) on [125I]epibatidine binding in 46 discrete brain regions of 36-day-old male offspring of Sprague-Dawley rats. This dosage of nicotine administered during pregnancy to same rats was shown to result in increased vertical activity in the male offspring [Tizabi Y, Russell LT, Nespor SM, Perry DC, Grunberg NE. Prenatal nicotine exposure: effects on locomotor activity and central [125I]alpha-BT binding in rats. Pharmacol, Biochem Behav (in press).]. Prenatal nicotine exposure resulted in increases in receptor densities of the somatosensory cortex (90%) and the visual cortex (107%) only. Moreover, these increases were restricted to cortical layer 1. Collectively, these results indicate that prenatal nicotine exposure affects specific nicotinic receptors in selective cortical regions of male offspring. These neurochemical effects may be responsible for some of the behavioral abnormalities seen in such offspring.
ReDS: reputation for directory services in P2P systems

Peer-to-peer (P2P) architectures are gaining popularity and importance for applications ranging from massive-scale Internet content delivery to mobile social networks. Such P2P systems must provide directory services for locating peers with the desired content and services. These directory services are themselves decentralized, such as with distributed hash tables (DHTs), which allow for efficient locating of objects without any centralized directory. Being a distributed system over a diverse set of untrusted nodes, however, such directory services must be resilient to adversarial behavior. Otherwise, the entire P2P system can be crippled by manipulating or simply denying access to resources. We propose Reputation for Directory Services (ReDS), a framework for using reputation management to enhance the security of finding information in distributed systems. While previous reputation systems have addressed several specific applications of P2P networks (e.g., by identifying peers who share bad files), directory services form the backbone of P2P systems and have unique properties with respect to reputation that make them worth investigating. In this extended abstract, we motivate our investigation of ReDS and describe preliminary results that show its effectiveness in the Salsa P2P system.
An Interdisciplinary Dialog About Teaching and Learning Dialogically

Two professors at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock co-taught an interdisciplinary course in speaking and writing dialogically, that is, without lecture. Given that many learning environments include large enrollments and online instruction, both of which often foster an impersonal atmosphere, it seemed that dialogic instruction might significantly counter what we believe to be a distressing trend. We, the instructors, worked to create a positive social world in the classroom (guided by the theory of the Coordinated Management of Meaning) and to foster deep learning. We also endeavored to apply some of the principles Paulo Freire advanced in Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Outcomes were better than expected. Students moved deeply into the assigned readings. Both speaking and writing improved markedly and in relationship with each other. We share our explanation of this work concerning dialogical pedagogy in writing that is itself dialogical.
High-power self-pinch diode experiments for radiographic applications

Summary form only given. The self-magnetic-pinch [SMP] diode is a high impedance (~40-Ohm), low R/D (typically 4 mm/8 mm) pinched-beam diode that shows promise for high-power X-radiography. The scaling of this diode to higher voltage (and thus power) is critical to the development of next generation radiographic sources. We report here on SMP experiments on the NRL Mercury generator at voltages from 3.5-6 MV and impedances from 35-50 Ohms. Measurements include diode electrical behavior, time-integrated and time-resolved X-ray dose, and time integrated radiographic spot size. We have studied the effects of several variations in electrode geometry, surface coating, gap; and the level of machine prepulse. Extensive modeling using the Sandia ITS codes is used to help interpret the X-ray dose and spot measurements. As the operating voltage increases, we find that a given diode tends to produce a smaller spot but also suffer reduced impedance lifetime, and optimization involves increasing the cathode diameter and diode gap as the voltage increases. We find good quantitative agreement with ITS predictions over the entire data set, assuming an electron incidence angle of 20 degrees. This gives a dose rate that scales (over the range examined) as IV2.2. Over this range, we observe favorable scaling of optimized diode performance with voltage, with good dose scaling and a slight spot size decrease with voltage. Our best results comprise roughly 200 rads at 1 meter with a ~2 mm diameter spot
Osprey Distribution, Abundance, Reproductive Success and Contaminant Burdens Along Lower Columbia River, 1997/1998 Versus 2004

The osprey (Pandion haliaetus) population nesting along the lower portion of the Columbia River (river mile 29 to 286) increased from 94 in 1997 to 103 occupied nests in 1998 (9.6% annual rate of increase) to 225 occupied nests in 2004 (13.9% annual rate of increase). The more recent rate of population increase was associated with higher reproductive rates than in 1997/1998, and significantly lower egg concentrations of most organochlorine (OC) pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs). A comparison of observed egg residue concentrations in 2004 with effect-level information for ospreys indicated that reproduction at few, if any, nests was adversely affected. As recent as 1997/1998, dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) was still adversely affecting reproductive success for a portion of this population. Mercury was the only contaminant evaluated in both 1997/1998 and 2004 that showed a significant increase in eggs over time, but concentrations in 2004 (0.09 μg g−1 ww) remained below established effect levels for birds (generally reported at 0.50 μg g−1 ww or higher). The significant increase in mercury justifies the need for future monitoring. All contaminants mentioned that biomagnify up food chains can be effectively monitored in osprey eggs. The osprey has been shown to be an excellent sentinel species for long-term monitoring with their many useful traits described.
The Effects of Dynamic Wrist Workloads on Nerve Conduction Measures for Evaluating Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

The effects of exposure to three hours of forceful exertion and repetitive movement on nerve conduction function were examined in fifteen subjects. Wrist workload was recorded by using biaxial electrogoniometer and force resistance sensor, while the nerve conduction measures were recorded with TECA TD-20 EMG machine. The results of peak latency showed an overall increase during task performance for high force-low repetition, low force-high repetition, and low force-low repetition conditions, while little change for high force-high repetition condition. Analysis of variance on peak latency detected significant effect on time (p<0.001, F=13.79). For amplitude, overall increases for all workload conditions were found until 60 minutes into task performance, but after that time, amplitudes stayed relatively level. As expected, skin temperature had highly significant correlation with peak latency (p<0.001, r2=0.736), where peak latency appeared to increase as skin temperature decreased. These same results were ...
Critical values comparison: a College of American Pathologists Q-Probes survey of 163 clinical laboratories.

Abstract Context.—Critical laboratory values are values that may be indicative of life-threatening conditions requiring rapid clinical intervention. Designation of critical values by clinical laboratories is required by the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments and regulatory agencies. The development of critical values often involves consultation with clinical services. Also, questions are frequently asked about how critical values compare between institutions. Objective.—To examine and compare critical value ranges for selected common critical value analytes. Additional specific questions addressed the source of these values, the inclusion of specific items on a critical values list, and the procedures for establishing such lists. Design.—A total of 163 clinical laboratories provided critical values for potassium, calcium, magnesium, thyroid-stimulating hormone, hemoglobin, platelet count, and activated partial thromboplastin time. Collected data were subjected to analysis for statistical variation...
FRET study of the structural and kinetic effects of PKC phosphomimetic cardiac troponin T mutants on thin filament regulation

Abstract FRET was used to investigate the structural and kinetic effects that PKC phosphorylations exert on Ca 2+ and myosin subfragment-1 dependent conformational transitions of the cardiac thin filament. PKC phosphorylations of cTnT were mimicked by glutamate substitution. Ca 2+ and S1-induced distance changes between the central linker of cTnC and the switch region of cTnI (cTnI-Sr) were monitored in reconstituted thin filaments using steady state and time resolved FRET, while kinetics of structural transitions were determined using stopped flow. Thin filament Ca 2+ sensitivity was found to be significantly blunted by the presence of the cTnT(T204E) mutant, whereas pseudo-phosphorylation at additional sites increased the Ca 2+ -sensitivity. The rate of Ca 2+ -dissociation induced structural changes was decreased in the C-terminal end of cTnI-Sr in the presence of pseudo-phosphorylations while remaining unchanged at the N-terminal end of this region. Additionally, the distance between cTnI-Sr and cTnC was decreased significantly for the triple and quadruple phosphomimetic mutants cTnT(T195E/S199E/T204E) and cTnT(T195E/S199E/T204E/T285E), which correlated with the Ca 2+ -sensitivity increase seen in these same mutants. We conclude that significant changes in thin filament Ca 2+ -sensitivity, structure and kinetics are brought about through PKC phosphorylation of cTnT. These changes can either decrease or increase Ca 2+ -sensitivity and likely play an important role in cardiac regulation.
A Pseudomonas aeruginosa transcription factor that senses fatty acid structure

Cells regulate their membrane phospholipid biophysical properties by the co-ordinated synthesis of saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. In bacteria, unsaturated fatty acids are produced by the de novo fatty acid biosynthetic pathway anaerobically, or by oxidative desaturation of the existing fatty acids catalysed by desaturases. A transcriptional repressor in Pseudomonas aeruginosa, DesT (PA4890), regulates the expression of an acyl-CoA desaturase operon (desCB, PA4889 and PA4888). The desCB operon is located adjacent to desT and is transcribed in the opposite direction. The expression level of desCB is strongly and selectively upregulated in a DeltadesT-deletion strain. Both electrophoresis mobility shift assay and DNase I footprinting analysis demonstrated the existence of two DesT binding sites in the desT-desCB promoter region, P1 and P2. The binding of purified DesT to P2 was enhanced by unsaturated acyl-CoAs, whereas saturated acyl-CoAs prevented DesT interaction with P2. The biological importance of this interaction was verified by the upregulation of desCB and desT in cells grown in the presence of stearate and their repression when oleate was present. This unique ligand selectivity allows DesT to sense the physical properties of the cellular acyl-CoA pool and modulate the expression of the acyl-CoA Delta9-desaturase system to adjust fatty acid desaturation activity accordingly.