cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Congenital Portosystemic Venous Connections and Other Abdominal Venous Abnormalities in Patients with Polysplenia and Functionally Univentricular Heart Disease: A Case Series and Literature Review

Objective. Published case reports suggest that congenital portosystemic venous connections (PSVC) and other abdominal venous anomalies may be relatively frequent and potentially important in patients with polysplenia syndrome. Our objective was to investigate the frequency and range of portal and other abdominal systemic venous anomalies in patients with polysplenia and inferior vena cava (IVC) interruption who underwent a cavopulmonary anastomosis procedure at our center, and to review the published literature on this topic and the potential clinical importance of such anomalies. Design. Retrospective cohort study and literature review were used. Results. Among 77 patients with heterotaxy, univentricular heart disease, and IVC interruption who underwent a bidirectional Glenn and/or modified Fontan procedure, pulmonary arteriovenous malformations were diagnosed in 33 (43%). Bilateral superior vena cavas were present in 42 patients (55%). Despite inadequate imaging in many patients, a partial PSVC, dual IVCs, and/or renal vein anomalies were detected in 15 patients (19%). A PSVC formed by a tortuous vessel running from the systemic venous system to the extrahepatic portal vein was found in six patients (8%). Abdominal venous anomalies other than PSVC were documented in 13 patients (16%), including nine (12%) with some form of duplicated IVC system, with a large azygous vein continuing to the superior vena cava and a parallel, contralateral IVC of similar or smaller size, and seven with renal vein anomalies. In patients with a partial PSVC or a duplicate IVC that connected to the atrium, the abnormal connection allowed right-to-left shunting. Conclusions. PSVC and other abdominal venous anomalies may be clinically important but under-recognized in patients with IVC interruption and univentricular heart disease. In such patients, preoperative evaluation of the abdominal systemic venous system may be valuable. More data are necessary to determine whether there is a pathophysiologic connection between the polysplenia variant of heterotaxy, PSVC, and cavopulmonary anastomosis-associated pulmonary arteriovenous malformations.
Excimer laser ablation of CdTe

KrF excimer laser irradiation (248 nm) of CdTe (100) at fluences below the melting threshold removes surface atoms and produces reversible changes in composition and structure that depend on the laser fluence and number of laser pulses. At fluences below 65 mJ/cm2, the products desorbed from the surface consist of neutral Cd atoms and Te2 molecules, and the velocity distributions of the desorbed products are well-described by a Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. At higher fluences, Cd+, Te+, and Te2 + are also ejected, and the velocity distributions of the neutral and ion species become non-Maxwellian. Over the temperature range from 380–400°C the instantaneous laser-induced desorption rates are more than six orders of magnitude higher than the vacuum sublimation rates measured over the same temperature range. The composition of the CdTe surface can be reversibly controlled from stoichiometric to a Te-rich condition by varying the laser fluence over the range from 15 to 65 mJ/cm2. The dynamics of the photo-stimulated desorption and the fluence dependent changes in surface composition are described in terms of the kinetic competition between the formation and desorption of Te2 and the desorption of Cd atoms from the laseri-rradiated surface.
An Environment For Automated Reasoning About Partial Functions

We report on a new environment developed and implemented inside the Nuprl type theory that facilitates proving theorems about partial functions. It is the first such automated type-theoretic account of partiality. We demonstrate that such an environment can be used effectively for proving theorems about computability and for developing partial programs with correctness proofs. This extends the well-known proofs as programs paradigm to partial functions.
The 2D:4D ratio, a proxy for prenatal androgen levels, differs in men with and without MS

Objective: To determine whether the 2D:4D ratio (ratio of the second and fourth digit lengths), a proxy for lower prenatal androgen to estrogen ratio, differs in men with and without multiple sclerosis (MS) using a case-control study design. Methods: We obtained 2 digital scans of the right hand for men with MS presenting to a scheduled clinic visit at a large MS referral center, and for men without autoimmune or endocrine diseases. All individuals were aged 18 to 65 years, right-handed, and reported no prior digit trauma. We calculated a mean 2D:4D ratio using digital calipers. In participants with MS, we assessed age at first MS symptoms, MS type, and the MS Severity Score; 51 had provided a testosterone level within 10 years of symptom onset. Our primary analysis was a cross-sectional comparison of the 2D:4D ratio between men with and without MS, using a 2-sample t test for independent samples assuming unequal variance. Results: In total, we scanned 137 men with MS and 145 men without MS. A statistically significant association between 2D:4D ratio and MS status was observed in the univariate logistic regression model ( p p > 0.15 for each), and it was not correlated with adult testosterone levels ( r = 0.06, p = 0.68, n = 51). Conclusions: During the prenatal period, low androgens could represent a risk factor for MS.
Comparison of Models for Bubonic Plague Reveals Unique Pathogen Adaptations to the Dermis

ABSTRACT Vector-borne pathogens are inoculated in the skin of mammals, most likely in the dermis. Despite this, subcutaneous (s.c.) models of infection are broadly used in many fields, including Yersinia pestis pathogenesis. We expand on a previous report where we implemented intradermal (i.d.) inoculations to study bacterial dissemination during bubonic plague and compare this model with an s.c. model. We found that i.d. inoculations result in faster kinetics of infection and that bacterial dose influenced mouse survival after i.d. but not s.c. inoculation. Moreover, a deletion mutant of rovA , previously shown to be moderately attenuated in the s.c. model, was severely attenuated in the i.d. model. Lastly, based on previous observations where a population bottleneck from the skin to lymph nodes was observed after i.d., but not after s.c., inoculations, we used the latter model as a strategy to identify an additional bottleneck in bacterial dissemination from lymph nodes to the bloodstream. Our data indicate that the more biologically relevant i.d. model of bubonic plague differs significantly from the s.c. model in multiple aspects of infection. These findings reveal adaptations of Y. pestis to the dermis and how these adaptations can define the progression of disease. They also emphasize the importance of using a relevant route of infection when addressing host-pathogen interactions.
On the Relationship between the Reliability and Accuracy of Bio-Behavioral Diagnoses: Simple Math to the Rescue

An equivalence between the J statistic (Jack Youden, 1950) and the Kappa statistic (K), Cohen (1960), was discovered by Helena Kraemer (1982). J is defined as: [Sensitivity (Se) + Specificity (Sp)] â€“ 1. The author (2011) added the remaining two validity components to the J Index, namely, Predicted Positive Accuracy (PPA) and Predicted Negative Accuracy (PNA). The resulting D Index or D = [(Se + Sp) + (PPA + PNA) â€“ 1] / 2. The purpose of this research is to compare J and D as estimates of K, using both actual and simulated data sets. The actual data consisted of ratings of clinical depression and self-reports of gonorrhea. The simulated data sets represented binary diagnoses when the percentages of Negative and Positive cases were: (Identical; Slightly varying; Mildly varying; Moderately varying; or Markedly varying diagnostic patterns, For both the diagnosis of clinical depression, and the self-reports of gonorrhea, D produced closer approximations to Kappa. For the simulated data, under both identical and slightly different patterns of assigning Negative and Positive binary diagnoses, K, D and J produced identical results. While J produced acceptably close values to K under the condition of Mild discrepancies in the proportions of Negative and Positive cases, D continued to more closely approximate K. While D more closely estimated K under Markedly varying diagnostic patterns, D produced values under this extreme condition that were closer than would have been predicted. The significance of these findings for future research is discussed.
Classifying large data sets using SVMs with hierarchical clusters

Support vector machines (SVMs) have been promising methods for classification and regression analysis because of their solid mathematical foundations which convery several salient properties that other methods hardly provide. However, despite the prominent properties of SVMs, they are not as favored for large-scale data mining as for pattern recognition or machine learning because the training complexity of SVMs is highly dependent on the size of a data set. Many real-world data mining applications involve millions or billions of data records where even multiple scans of the entire data are too expensive to perform. This paper presents a new method, Clustering-Based SVM (CB-SVM), which is specifically designed for handling very large data sets. CB-SVM applies a hierarchical micro-clustering algorithm that scans the entire data set only once to provide an SVM with high quality samples that carry the statistical summaries of the data such that the summaries maximize the benefit of learning the SVM. CB-SVM tries to generate the best SVM boundary for very large data sets given limited amount of resources. Our experiments on synthetic and real data sets show that CB-SVM is highly scalable for very large data sets while also generating high classification accuracy.
THE EFFECT OF SERUM IONIZED CALCIUM ELEVATION ON SOMATOSTATIN INHIBITION OF GLUCOSE‐INDUCED INSULIN RELEASE IN HUMANS

SUMMARY The effect of somatostatin on the insulin response to an acute intravenous glucose load was studied in five normal subjects before and after induction of hypercalcaemia. In the normocalcaemic state, the insulin response to glucose was depressed by somatostatin. In the hypercalcaemic state, insulin responses to glucose in the presence of somatostatin, were partially restored and appeared to be related to the level of increment of serum ionized calcium. It is concluded that, in the human being, hypercalcaemia and somatostatin have opposite actions on glucose-stimulated insulin secretion.
Exploring a Two-Step Adsorption of An Intrinsically Disordered Peptide at Model Templates

Biological processes offer several intriguing examples of directed self-assembly into higher order structures that influence human health and well-being. The aggregation of microtubule associating protein Tau, an intrinsically disordered soluble protein that forms neurofibrillar tangles in cells in Alzheimer's disease may be directed by the presence of hydrophobic templates. Using various lipid monolayers and lipid-free surfaces we monitor the adsorption and aggregation kinetics of Tau proteins to these model membranes. Monitoring the surface tension change shows a two-step adsorption process followed by these proteins. A novel microrheology and quartz crystal microbalance study shows that the first step is dominated by the N-terminus of peptide, while the second step is possibly due to an intermediate hair-pin structure. Our microrheology data also show that the viscoelastic properties of these proteins is dominated by the proteins propensity to aggregate.
Effects of pramipexole on the reinforcing effectiveness of stimuli that were previously paired with cocaine reinforcement in rats

Rationale Dopamine D2-like agonists maintain responding when substituted for cocaine in laboratory animals. However, these effects appear to be mediated by an interaction with stimuli that were previously paired with cocaine reinforcement (CS).
Sabbatical year as a congressional science fellow

Probably my most illuminating experience on the Hill as the American Geophysical Union Congressional Science Fellow has been in understanding how the Congress and the federal government work. The continuous interface with government agencies at the federal, state, and local levels, as well as with congressional subcommittees and congressmen, constitutes the daily classroom setting for the Congressional Science Fellow. Familiar words and terms often used in Systems Engineering, such as ‘legal, institutional, social and political considerations and constraints,’ now carry much deeper connotations. They are not merely theoretical or abstract terms, but rather very real ones that can be associated with my discussions with congressmen and representatives of federal, state, and local agencies.
Breakdown of the Camassa-Holm Equation

The Camassa-Holm equation is written in its Eulerian form as $$\displaystyle\begin{array}{rcl} \text{CH:}\quad \frac{\partial v} {\partial t} + v\frac{\partial v} {\partial x} + \frac{\partial p} {\partial x} = 0,& & {}\\ \end{array}$$ with “pressure” \(p = G[v^{2} + \frac{1} {2}(v')^{2}]\). Here \(G = (1 - D^{2})^{-1} = \frac{1} {2}e^{-\vert x-y\vert }\). It is easy to see that if, at time t = 0, v is odd with v(x) > 0 for x < 0 and v′(0) < 0, then the slope s(t) = v′(t, 0) satisfies \(s^{\bullet } < -\frac{1} {2}s^{2}\) and so is driven down to \(-\infty \) at some time \(T \leq -2/s(0)\): in short, the flow may “break down.” This is the “steepening lemma” of Camassa and Holm [2]. Nothing worse happens: v(t, x) itself cannot jump like the usual kind of shock. Actually, it is not the obvious v but rather the auxiliary function \(m = v - v''\) that controls this; m is a caricature of the vorticity that controls the behavior of honest Euler in dimensions 2 and 3; see Bertozzi and Majda [1] for a full account.
Chiral U(1) symmetry and weak neutral currents at high energy

If chiral U(1) symmetry is a gauge symmetry, CP is automatically conserved despite the instanton effects, and the weak neutral currents have a definite structure. A realistic SU(2) L ⊗U(1)⊗U(1) R model contains an axion which is consistent with present data. Furthermore the neutrino interactions to lowest order are identical to the Weinberg-Salam model. Implications for the chiral U(1) currents are discussed.
Habanero-Java: the new adventures of old X10

In this paper, we present the Habanero-Java (HJ) language developed at Rice University as an extension to the original Java-based definition of the X10 language. HJ includes a powerful set of task-parallel programming constructs that can be added as simple extensions to standard Java programs to take advantage of today's multi-core and heterogeneous architectures. The language puts a particular emphasis on the usability and safety of parallel constructs. For example, no HJ program using async, finish, isolated, and phaser constructs can create a logical deadlock cycle. In addition, the future and data-driven task variants of the async construct facilitate a functional approach to parallel programming. Finally, any HJ program written with async, finish, and phaser constructs that is data-race free is guaranteed to also be deterministic.HJ also features two key enhancements that address well known limitations in the use of Java in scientific computing --- the inclusion of complex numbers as a primitive data type, and the inclusion of array-views that support multidimensional views of one-dimensional arrays. The HJ compiler generates standard Java class-files that can run on any JVM for Java 5 or higher. The HJ runtime is responsible for orchestrating the creation, execution, and termination of HJ tasks, and features both work-sharing and work-stealing schedulers. HJ is used at Rice University as an introductory parallel programming language for second-year undergraduate students. A wide variety of benchmarks have been ported to HJ, including a full application that was originally written in Fortran 90. HJ has a rich development and runtime environment that includes integration with DrJava, the addition of a data race detection tool, and service as a target platform for the Intel Concurrent Collections coordination language
A novel concept of QUADRISO particles Part I: Transmutation of Neptunium and Plutonium

Abstract In quadruple isotropic (QUADRISO) coated particles, a burnable absorber layer surrounds the fuel kernel; consequently, during irradiation, the poison depletion allows more neutrons to stream into the kernel and to produce more fission reactions that attenuate the reactivity loss due to fuel depletion. In our previous studies, we have proposed for the first time the novel concept of QUADRISO particles for managing the long term excess of reactivity and we have shown in details how the new concept flattens the reactivity curve as function of time compared to traditional designs of burnable absorbers. In the present study, we apply the new concept of QUADRISO particles for transmuting Light Water Reactors waste in a prismatic high temperature reactor. We simulated two irradiation periods of 500 and 200 days that allow to transmute over 95% and 52% of 239 Pu and actinides, respectively, without any reprocessing of the irradiated fuel in-between. During the first irradiation period the high initial excess of reactivity is managed by the QUADRISO particles; during the second irradiation period, there is no need of QUADRISO particles because of the small initial fissile inventory in the core.
AUTHENTICITY AND INDIVIDUAL TEACHER INTERPERSONAL NEEDS

Within the organizational setting of the school, the extant literature revealed five empirically‐determined variables to be manifestations one way or another of authentic behaviour, namely, Halpin's thrust and esprit on the Organizational Climate Description Questionnaire; Willower's pupil control ideology on the Pupil Control Ideology Form; Rockeach's dogmatism on the Dogmatism Scale, Form E; and ambivalence on Socman's Ambivalence Scale. On the other hand, Schutz's Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation Scale (FIRO‐B) determined an individual's expressed behaviour toward others as well as his wanted behaviour from others in three areas of interpersonal relationships: inclusion, control and affection. In other words, Schutz had demonstrated empirically that inclusion, control and affection parimoniously explained how two actors related to one another. The research question, therefore, posed was: Do an individual teacher's expressed as well as wanted behaviours of inclusion, control and affection, as predictor variables, predict (p <.05) his own esprit, thrust, pupil control ideology, ambivalence and dogmatism, the latter thus being the criterion variables?
Detection of Coriolis force and rotational Doppler effect by using slow light

Abstract. We consider optomechanical effects that are related to the appearance of an additional optical phase due to the motion of an ultradispersive medium and the rotational Doppler effect for light. We have theoretically shown that the enhanced Fizeau effect on atoms in a cavity can be observed and the change of phase is sensitive to the mechanical motion. These two effects can be applied to the measurement of rotations as small as 10−17 s−1 Hz1/2. It is worth noting here that the measurement of rotation is not related to Sagnac interferometry.
Use of a general analysis of variance program in missing data situations

Procedures are described which enable researchers to easily modify a general N-way analysis of variance program so that it can be used in unequal N cases. Advantages in terms of range of application, storage requirements, and accuracy are presented. FORTRAN instructions illustrating the general approach are given.
Abnormal findings in “normal” research volunteers

We report three cases in which medical students who participated in clinical studies as normal volunteers were discovered, during the course of the research, to have potentially serious abnormalities. Their previously unsuspected conditions included chronic persistent hepatitis, a lesion in the cerebral cortex, and seropositivity for hepatitis B and HIV antibodies. These findings were surprising and distressing to both subject and investigator, and raised questions of the need for institutional guidelines, and the potential legal liability of the investigator. We discuss how improvements in Informed Consent Forms might aid in reducing these problems, by alerting the researcher and the subject to the possibility that unsuspected disease might be discovered during the course of a clinical research study.
Localization of some heme-containing enzymes in healthy and pea enation mosaic virus-infected plants

Abstract The localization of catalase and peroxidases (heme-proteins) by DAD (3,3′-diaminobenzidine) in pea enation mosaic virus-infected tissue is similar to that in healthy tissue. No cellular areas or organelles other than those known to contain these heme-proteins in healthy tissues seem to be responsible for the increased catalase and peroxidase activities in diseased tissue. Cell fractionation studies were carried out to confirm the results obtained by means of electron microscopy, but were inconclusive.
Rotational Field Placements: Integrative Review and Application to Gerontological Social Work

Despite the long held social work tradition of year-long field placements, there is a growing trend among social work programs in the United States to include a rotational field placement (RFP) track, particularly for gerontology students. Through the RFP program, students rotate systematically between multiple placement sites within the academic school year. Inclusion of RFP models represents a decisive break from traditional field practicum models, raising fundamental questions with regards to educational outcomes and student experience. This article provides a comprehensive review of available empirical data on social work RFP programs, summarizing the benefits, risks and problem areas associated with such models as well as model design options and added structural supports social work programs have used to bolster the success of their RFP programs.
Comparison of Program costs for Parent-Only and Family-Based Interventions for Pediatric Obesity in Medically Underserved Rural settings

The dissemination of effective interventions to address the pediatric obesity epidemic is critical. There is also a growing recognition of the need for health investments to be informed by the best available cost and outcome data.1 Such data are essential as researchers, policy makers, and public health officials attempt to implement interventions that yield the greatest gains for the dollars spent.2 Behavioral interventions for overweight children lead to significant improvements in weight and health status.3 Most group interventions utilize a family-based approach including both children and their parents in group treatment sessions.4,5 However, research has demonstrated that parent-only group interventions to may lead to similar improvements in weight status compared to family-based models.6 Recently, we reported that both parent-only and family-based group interventions for overweight and obese children in medically underserved rural counties led to greater improvements in weight status than a control condition.7 While data are accumulating on the relative effectiveness of these 2 models, little attention has been paid to the differential costs of these interventions. Children in medically underserved rural areas are at greater risk for obesity than their non-rural peers.8,9 To our knowledge, there is only 1 published randomized clinical trial7 addressing weight management for children in rural settings. This is a significant concern, as one of the greatest challenges facing health promotion is translating research into evidence-based public health and clinical practices that are actively disseminated and widely adopted.10 Given the limited resources (eg, health care resources, health promotion programs, funds for corrlrrltwity health programs) often experienced in rural areas,11-14 examining the costs of interventions that can be disseminated to medically underserved areas has vital public health implications.10,15 The aim of this study was to compare the costs of parent-only and family-based group interventions for overweight and obese children in medically underserved rural communities. We hypothesized that parent-only group interventions would demonstrate lower costs and greater change in weight per dollar spent to conduct the treatment than family-based interventions.
New Learning: A Charter for Change in Education

In this moment of tremendous change, investing in old ways of doing education is not the best way forward. In offering a Charter for Change we recognise that knowledge and learning will be pivotal to the social and personal transformations necessary to address the idiosyncratic challenges of our times. The transformed economic system emerging from the current financial crisis will require human capacities that only education can nurture, based on deep knowledge, practical imagination, creative participation, intellectual inquisitiveness and collaborative commitment – not just on the part of a knowledge elite, but of the many in the labour force and in the broader society. Extending opportunity to those marginalized by poverty and discrimination over the longer run depends almost entirely on the education system, including the reduction of high school drop-out rates, increasing access to college and introducing lifelong learning programs in community colleges for adults who have been displaced by economic ...
Basic science career development.

t t t linician scientists are rare and surgical clinician scientists re even rarer. The number of MDs (compared with MD/PhDs nd PhDs) as first-time applicants for National Institutes of ealth (NIH) research project grant support has plummeted. If his progression continues, there will be no first-time MD pplicants [1]. This trend is ongoing in the midst of a biotechology revolution in which the bridge between bench and edside needs to be strengthened. Clinician scientists are in unique position to communicate and collaborate with PhD cientists and with clinical colleagues. This potential extinction of clinician scientists also eans a tremendous opportunity exists for young surgeons. here will be fewer persons seeking funding for their reearch at a time when research dollars are increasing. To be uccessful in this endeavor, you need to decide clearly if this s the track in which you are interested. It is not an easy oute to follow and requires an organized, focused, and otivated person. Therefore, the first major question is, are ou sure you want to do this? Second, success requires a supportive environment (Table 1). he support must come first and foremost from the Surgical epartment. It must be clear that the Chairperson and Diision Chief support you in becoming a clinician scientist. he support of your clinical colleagues also is necessary Table 2). Without this internal support, it will be nearly mpossible to succeed. Third, success requires a rich research environment and entor. Junior faculty with identified mentors tend to pubish more articles, have better employment opportunities, eel more confident about their capabilities, and are more atisfied with their careers [2]. The mentor should be a enior and respected person who can serve as counselor, heerleader, and a source of wisdom and resources. Make ure your mentor has a track record of mentoring others. he mentor also should have sufficient grant support for heir own research effort, and be sufficiently established to
Agricultural Subsidies in Developed Countries: Impact on Global Welfare

A considerable amount of criticism has been levied against the United States for the 2002 Farm Bill, which will be renewed in 2007. Many proposals have been put forward on what this new farm program should contain, as analysts are now more aware of the linkage between agricultural policy and international trade. According to Thompson, the new Farm Bill and future trade talks will have a significant impact on one another, whether they are on parallel tracks or a collision course. But it is not only U.S. farm policy that is facing criticism; European Union farm policy is under attack, as well. Having recently lost the World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge over cotton brought against it by Brazil, the U.S. government is acutely aware of the connection between agricultural policy and trade, and is attempting to reduce its budgetary outlay for agriculture with the 2007 Farm Bill. For example, from 2006 to 2010, the United States is considering reductions of (1) US$1.29 billion on all farm payments; (2) US$282 million for Step 2 of its cotton program; (3) US$1.09 million from shifts in its advance direct payments; and (4) US$821 million in the Conservation Security Program (Schuff). The United States reduced its total direct payments and overall subsidies beginning 1999, but they began rising again in 2003 (figure 1). Meanwhile, EU direct subsidies have trended upward since 1995 (figure 2). Also, U.S. and EU farmers enjoy hidden subsidies, as well. For instance, U.S. commodities, such as sugar, are protected through import quotas that require little direct monetary assistance from the federal government. The magnitude of
Cell triacylglycerol accumulation from very low density lipoproteins isolated from normal and hypertriglyceridemic human sera

Human fibroblast cells in culture increased their intracellular triacylglycerol levels when exposed to very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) isolated from human plasma. This response was dependent on the amount of VLDL added. VLDL from normal, type IV or type V sera gave similar results. Lipoprotein lipase enhanced this intracellular triacylglycerol accumulation. It was concluded that human fibroblast cells in culture have at least two mechanisms for triacylglycerol uptake from VLDL: (1) uptake from intact lipoprotein either by surface transfer of lipoprotein lipid or internalization of the entire lipoprotein particle, and (2) re-esterification of lower glyceride and fatty acids released by lipoprotein lipase degradation of VLDL.
Instabilities in Self-Focused Electron Beams

The appearance of large amplitude oscillations and attenuation of beam current have been observed in high perveance electrically self-focused beams. These phenomena are shown to be due to instabilities produced by the interaction of the beam with its self-generated plasma. The critical current which must be exceeded for the instabilities to appear and the frequencies of the oscillations have been related to beam and background parameters and the dimensions of the experimental system.
A Factorial Study of Administrative Behavior1

Summary The present paper describes a study of 470 Navy officers who occupied 45 different types of positions in 47 different organizations. These officers were divided into 120 groups. Each group consisted of all the officers in the same specialty in the same type of organization. In order to avoid the computation of inter correlations among the 120 groups, an iterative method of factor analysis was employed. Eight factors emerged. The factors isolate those groups of officers who exhibit similar patterns of performance. It is found that groups of persons occupying the same type of position tend to fall in the same factor. The factors also reflect differences in organizations, in that some types of positions isolated by the factors are found almost exclusively either in large or in small organizations, or either on ships or in units ashore.
Stabilizability of multivariable systems and the Ljusternik—Šnirel'mann category of real Grassmannians

Abstract In this paper a numeric criterion, k ( m , p ) ⩾ n , is given for stabilizability by constant gain output feedback of the generic linear multivariable system with m inputs, n states, and p outputs. This criterion is defined in terms of a topological invariant of the space of gains, both finite and infinite, arising from an interpretation of the problem of stabilizability as a problem concerning open covers of this space. This invariant, originally considered by Ljusternik and Snirel'mann in the calculus of variations, can be estimated from below by using a theorem of Eilenberg together with the methods of the Schubert calculus, thus leading to some very explicit corollaries concerning generic stabilizability. As far as I am aware, these corollaries cannot be derived from existing results concerning pole-assignability. After passing to a problem on coverings of the (compactified) gain space, the main technical problem which remains in a high gain stability analysis — stated here as a High Gain Lemma — which appears to be of independent interest. That is, the topological argument implies that the closed-loop system is ‘stable’ for some gain, possibly infinite. If the root-locus map were defined and continuous at all infinite gains, then the conclusion that the system is stabilizable by finite gain could be deduced from a simple continuity argument. However, it is known that if mp > n then the root-locus map has points of discontinuity at infinity, and, since mp ⩾ n is now known to be necessary for generic stabilizability, in most cases of interest one requires a far more subtle argument than one would give, for example, in the scalar case.
Family life course transitions and the economic consequences of internal migration

Do family life course and migration events combine to improve or hurt family economic well-being? The interaction effects of family life course events (i.e. became married, had a child, became separated/divorced) with migration are seldom conceptualised and measured in research on the economic well-being of families. The more usual focus of the migration literature is on family and household structure rather than on family life course processes. Based on life course transition theory and longitudinal population survey data for the 1996–1999 and 2001–2003 panels of the Survey of Income and Program Participation, we utilise random coefficients models in an event-history framework to provide new evidence on how before- and after-migration life course events affect post-migration family employment, family income and family poverty, for inter- and intra-state migrants. The results show that, net the effect of factors selecting families and individuals to migrate, both inter- and intra-state migration have negative impacts on family employment, poverty levels and income levels, but interstate migrants experience positive income growth. Separation and divorce markedly intensify the negative effects, but becoming married consistently interacts with migration to improve family economic well-being. The causal order of family life course events and migration matters, with childbirth and separation/divorce after migration being particularly harmful to family economic well-being. These effects are not mediated by state economic conditions. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
A cell-based molecular transport simulator for pharmacokinetic prediction and cheminformatic exploration.

In the body, cell monolayers serve as permeability barriers, determining transport of molecules from one organ or tissue compartment to another. After oral drug administration, for example, transport across the epithelial cell monolayer lining the lumen of the intestine determines the fraction of drug in the gut that is absorbed by the body. By modeling passive transcellular transport properties in the presence of an apical to basolateral concentration gradient, we demonstrate how a computational, cell-based molecular transport simulator can be used to define a physicochemical property space occupied by molecules with desirable permeability and intracellular retention characteristics. Considering extracellular domains of cell surface receptors located on the opposite side of a cell monolayer as a drug's desired site of action, simulation of transcellular transport can be used to define the physicochemical properties of molecules with maximal transcellular permeability but minimal intracellular retention. ...
Acoustic Backscatter from Salinity Microstructure

The contribution of salinity changes to sound speed fluctuations is often neglected in estimating the scattering cross section at high frequencies (.10 kHz). To examine when salinity might be important, an expression is formulated for the scattering cross section s that includes salinity and an estimate of the cospectrum of temperature and salinity. Profiles from the southern New England shelf, the Bosphorus, and Puget Sound are used to estimate levels of s as a function of depth and acoustic frequency. Salinity can increase s by more than an order of magnitude, particularly at frequencies greater than 100 kHz, when salinity controls the density field. The cospectrum is expected to be large under the same conditions and can potentially negate strong scattering at lower frequencies. An f 11 dependence of s is expected over two decades in frequency when salinity controls density. Multifrequency acoustic systems may be able to distinguish biology and microstructure based on this spectral dependence.
Kinetics of pharmacologic response II: Equation for turnover time of goldfish as a function of concentration of ethanol and a theoretical derivation based on a combination of occupation and rate receptor theories

Turnover time (T) of goldfish in 2-8% v/v ethanol-water (C) was determined in two crossover studies: (a) three body weight groups of six fish each, and (b) six larger fish. Each fish had different treatment schedule. Analyses of variance of log T showed: (a) no residual effects of a treatment, and (b) no significant differences among fish. Log T was linearly related to log C and the variances were homogeneous. For individual fish: T = (a/C)b where a and b are apparently normally distributed with 95% C.I. of 9.31 ± 3.8 and 2.28 ± 1.17, respectively. For all 24 fish, a.b = D, where D is essentially a constant but has a narrow apparently normal distribution with a coefficient of variation of 11.5 %; hence, T = (D/bC)b. This equation was also derived by marrying occupation and rate receptor theories. Basic assumptions are: dT/T = -b(dv/v) and v ≪ Vm, where v is the overall reaction rate of the receptor-ethanol reaction and Vm is the maximum rate. Also note that dv/v = dn/n, where n is the fraction of receptors occupied. Literature data are shown to obey the derived equations. Hence 1/T ∝ C only in those rare instances when b = 1. The theory assumes only a partitioning across the absorbing membranes of the fish. It differs from a previous theory which assumes a first order rate constant for absorption is involved.
Workspace and mobility of a closed-loop manipulator

This paper examines the geometry of a group of closed-loop manipulators with structures based on a planar, revolute jointed, five-bar chain. Of primary interest is the influence of the link lengths on the reachable workspace of the manipula tor. Unlike the commonly used open-loop manipulators, the entire workspace for a closed-loop manipulator will not be freely reachable, in general. The issues pertaining to the independent mobility of the driving links are discussed at length. A classification is made based on mobility criteria, and these mechanisms are further categorized into two types depending upon the influence of the link lengths on the ma nipulator's workspace. Based on this analysis, some general guidelines are laid down to assist the designer in making rational choices in selecting manipulator link lengths.
Interest rates and currency prices in a two-country world

Abstract This paper is a theoretical study of the determination of prices, interest rates and currency exchange rates, set in an infinitely-lived two-country world which is subject both to stochastic endowment shocks and to monetary instability. Formulas are obtained for pricing all equity claims, nominally-denominated bonds, and currencies, and these formulas are related to earlier, closely related results in the theories of money, finance international trade.
Fission fragment rocket concept

Abstract A new propulsion scheme is outlined which may permit interstellar missions for spacecraft. This scheme is based on the idea of allowing fission fragments to escape from the core of a nuclear reactor.
LOCAL CHALLENGES TO GLOBAL AGENDAS: CONSERVATION, ECONOMIC LIBERALIZATION AND THE PASTORALISTS' RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN TANZANIA

Since the mid-1980s, “democratization” and structural adjustment, have been transforming domestic political economies throughout sub-Saharan Africa. In Tanzania, these processes could significantly alter the terrain in the conflict between local land rights and state wildlife conservation. The situation has become increasingly complex as the parties involved - land-holders, state and international conservation agencies - are joined by land rights political organizations, domestic conservation groups and foreign capital. The paper focuses on struggles over land and resource rights, specifically on new forms of grassroots political action which has emerged on the question of wildlife conservation in national parks. At the same time, tourism is expanding with an influx of foreign capital. The paper explores the implications of the interactions between these forces.
Pre-synaptic modulation of quadriceps arthrogenic muscle inhibition

Arthrogenic muscle inhibition (AMI) impedes rehabilitation following knee joint injury by preventing activation of the quadriceps. AMI has been attributed to neuronal reflex activity in which altered afferent input originating from the injured joint results in a diminished efferent motor drive to the quadriceps muscles. Beginning to understand the mechanisms responsible for muscle inhibition following joint injury is vital to control or eliminate this phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to determine if quadriceps AMI is mediated by a presynaptic regulatory mechanism. Eight adults participated in two sessions: in one session their knee was injected with saline and in the other session it was not. The maximum Hoffmann reflex (H-reflex), M-wave, reflex activation history, plasma epinephrine, and norepinephrine were recorded at: baseline, post needle stick, post lidocaine, and 25 and 45 min post effusion. Measures for the control condition were matched to the effusion condition. The percent of the unconditioned reflex amplitude for reflex activation history and the maximum H-reflex were decreased at 25 and 45 min post effusion as compared to measures taken at baseline, post needle stick, and post lidocaine (P 0.05). No differences were detected at any time interval for any measure during the control admission (P>0.05). Quadriceps AMI elicited via an experimental knee joint effusion is, at least in part, mediated by a presynaptic mechanism.
Harnessing agent technologies for data mining and knowledge discovery

Data mining and knowledge discovery in databases are providing means to analyze and discover new knowledge from large datasets. The growth of the Internet has provided the average user with the ability to more easily access and gather data. Many of the existing data mining tools require users to have advanced knowledge. New graphical-based tools are needed to allow the average user to easily and quickly discover new patterns and trends from heterogenous data. SAIC is developing an agent-based data mining tool called AgentMinertm as part of an internal research project. AgentMinertm will allow the user to perform advanced information retrieval and data mining to discover patterns and relationships across multiple distributed, heterogeneous data sources. The current system prototype utilizes an ontology to define common concepts and data elements that are contained in the distributed data sources. AgentMinertm can access data from relational databases, structured text, web pages, and open text sources. It is a Java-based application that contains a suite of graphical tools such as the Mission Manager, Graphical Ontology Builder (GOB), and Qualified English Interpreter (QEI). In addition, AgentMinertm provides the capability to support both 2-D and 3-D data visualization, including animation across a selected independent variable.© (2000) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Leveraging disposable instrumentation to reduce coverage collection overhead

Testers use coverage data for test suite quality assessment, stopping criteria definition, and effort allocation. However, as the complexity of products and testing processes increases, the cost of coverage data collection may grow significantly, jeopardizing its potential application. To mitigate this problem this paper presents the concept of ‘disposable coverage instrumentation’—coverage instrumentation that is removed after its execution—through two techniques: local disposal, and collective disposal. A Java virtual machine was extended to support these techniques, and their potential is shown through two studies utilizing the Specjvm98 and Specjbb2000 benchmarks. The results indicate that the techniques can reduce coverage collection overhead by an order of magnitude over state-of-the-art techniques. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Use of Heavy Oil Fly Ash as a Color Ingredient in Cement Mortar

Heavy oil fly ash (HOFA) is a byproduct generated by the burning of heavy fuel oil. Chemical analysis showed that HOFA is mainly composed of unburned carbon with a significant amount of heavy metals. Due to toxicity, management of this waste poses a challenge to the industry personal. The present study investigates the possible use of HOFA as a black pigment or admixture in cement mortar aiming to produce ornamental brick. In order to investigate the change of cement mortar strength when HOFA is added, the standard compressive strength test with 50 mm cubes was performed. The results showed that the addition of 2–5 % of HOFA in cement mortar does not affect its strength. The leaching behavior of trace elements within HOFA and HOFA mixed mortar were investigated through laboratory batch leaching experiments. The results confirmed that HOFA can be utilized as a black pigment in ornamental brick, which is environmentally safe and provides good balance between color and brick properties.
Lower limit of detectability at high spatial resolution of As implanted into Si using the Jeol 200CX in the STEM-EDX mode

Abstract A STEM-EDX dopant profile determination of Si wafers implanted with 5×10 15 As cm −2 was carried out in a W-filament-equipped non-dedicated STEM to determine with what accuracy and detectability a STEM-EDX profiling technique could be performed in a general user environment on such an instrument and whether a simplified procedure could be employed for deconvolution of the output. It was determined that As in Si could be detected with a spatial resolution of better than 100 A, and counting statistics equal to 5.3×minimum mass fraction (MMF) were obtained for an As concentration of 3.5×10 19 atoms cm −3 . By comparing the STEM-EDX dopant profile to profiles of the same implant determined by RBS and SIMS, the error of the technique was determined to be 21 cm −3 ) and 19 cm −3 ). The Cliff-Lorimer k -factor for As in Si was found to be 2.31, compared to a calculated value of 1.97 and (extrapolated) literature values of 2.32 and 2.45. Requisite to the comparison and involving several computer programs was the complete 3D analysis and removal of instrumental broadening for both RBS and STEM. It was determined that deconvolution of the STEM-obtained profile could be approximated by a 1D deconvolution, which is readily performed using Fourier transforms, available as FFTs on many PC and mainframe software packages.