cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Steam vs. SC–CO2–based extrusion: Comparison of physical properties of milk protein concentrate extrudates

Abstract Milk protein concentrate (MPC) is an attractive high protein and low lactose containing ingredient. However, its utilization in extruded products remains a challenge because of its sensitivity to high temperature and shear. This study compares the physicochemical properties of MPC80 extrudates generated with steam vs. supercritical CO2 (SC–CO2)-based extrusion. Compared to steam, SC-CO2 extrudates prevented Maillard browning, evident in a significant (P
Comparison of numerical methods for the calculation of cold atom collisions

Three different numerical techniques for solving a coupled channel Schroedinger equation are compared. This benchmark equation, which describes the collision between two ultracold atoms, consists of two channels, each containing the same diagonal Lennard-Jones potential, one of positive and the other of negative energy. The coupling potential is of an exponential form. The methods are i) a recently developed spectral type integral equation method based on Chebyshev expansions, ii) a finite element expansion, and iii) a combination of an improved Numerov finite difference method and a Gordon method. The computing time and the accuracy of the resulting phase shift is found to be comparable for methods i) and ii), achieving an accuracy of ten significant figures with a double precision calculation. Method iii) achieves seven significant figures. The scattering length and effective range are also obtained.
To Share or Hide? A Social Network Approach to Understanding Knowledge Sharing and Hiding in Organizational Work Teams

Although knowledge sharing is almost ubiquitously promoted in today’s organizations, knowledge hiding is still prevalent. Extending transactive memory systems (TMS) theory and the dialectical tensi...
Does Competing with Chinese Products Enhance the Productivity of Surviving Plants? Evidence from the Chilean Manufacturing Sector

In this paper I analyze if competition with Chinese products increased plant productivity in the manufacturing sector of Chile during 1995-2006. I find evidence suggesting that during this period Chilean manufacturing plants that remained producing and were exposed to competition from Chinese products were more productive than exiting plants. However, I do not find that plants increased their productivity over time due to competition with Chinese products. The productivity differential with Chinese products between exiting and surviving plants with China may then be attributed to a level of efficiency of these plants prior to the onset of Chinese product competition. As a result, I find that plants are not improving due the Chinese competition but it is those plants that are productive enough the ones that manage to survive.
Disposable versus Reusable Cystoscopes: A Micro-Costing Value Analysis in High-Volume and Low-Volume Urology Practices

AbstractIntroduction:Disposable single-use cystoscopes have become increasingly available, demonstrating comparable quality to reusable cystoscopes while eliminating the need for reprocessing and r...
Biological Control of Hemlock Woolly Adelgid: Implications of Adult Emergence Patterns of Two Leucopis spp. (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae) and Laricobius nigrinus (Coleoptera: Derodontidae) Larval Drop

The hemlock woolly adelgid (Hemiptera: Adelgidae Adelges tsugae Annand) poses a serious threat to hemlocks in eastern North America, and ongoing research is focused on the identification and development of biological controls to protect and manage hemlock resources. Three predators native to the Pacific Northwest of North America that have been the focus of much research are Leucopis argenticollis (Zetterstedt), Leucopis piniperda (Malloch) (Diptera: Chamaemyiidae), and Laricobius nigrinus (Fender) (Coleoptera: Derodontidae). This study addresses the knowledge gap of adult Leucopis spp. emergence patterns, with comparisons to the timing of larval La. nigrinus drop for pupation. Adult Leucopis spp. emergence was observed in the lab from field-collected, adelgid-infested foliage from Washington state in 2019 and 2020. Adult Leucopis spp. were collected daily as they emerged from foliage collections and identified to species using morphological features; a subset was validated using DNA barcoding. Accumulated heating degree days were calculated to compare a standardized emergence timing across collections made at different locations and temperature regimes. The abundance of the two Leucopis spp. and of the combined Leucopis spp. and La. nigrinus varied among sites and years, and no species was consistently more abundant than the other. Evaluations of seasonal emergence trends of the three species determine the predator complex behaves in a temporally stratified and predictable way. Emergence of adult Le. argenticollis was observed first, followed by La. nigrinus larval drop, with Le. piniperda emerging at the end of larval drop, and finally a second emergence of Le. argenticollis.
User Identification using Smart Pill Bottles: Systems and Machine Learning Models: PhD Forum Abstract

Medication adherence is one of the leading factors that can make the difference between life and death, especially for patients managing chronic conditions. These issues have driven a recent wave of research, including the development of smart pill bottles that monitor when a pill is extracted. The goal of my PhD research is to develop systems that can identify who has taken the pill and when. To do so, we have designed different generations of smart pill bottles and associated algorithms for enabling several applications. We use 3D-printed pill bottles equipped with a magnetic switch sensor and an accelerometer. The bottles are carefully designed to minimize power consumption and we devise new machine learning-based techniques that use the accelerometer data generated during bottle interaction (pill extraction) to capture the user gesture that is extracting the pill. Our work can be classified into 3 core thrust areas: 1) User identification using smart pill bottle systems. 2) Adaptive learning techniques for user identification across multiple smart pill bottles. 3) Latent conditions monitoring using smart pill bottles.
The Future of Prediction: How Google Searches Foreshadow Housing Prices and Quantities

To make effective decisions, consumers, executives and policymakers must make predictions. However, most data sources, whether from the government or businesses, are available only after a substantial lag, at a high level of aggregation, and for a small set of variables that were defined in advance. This hampers real-time prediction. A critical advance in IT research has been the development of powerful search engines and the underlying Internet infrastructure. We demonstrate a highly accurate but simple way to predict future business activities by using data from such search engines. Applying our methodology to predict housing trends, we find that our index of housing search terms can predict future quantities and prices in the housing market. During our sample period, each percentage rise in our housing search index predicts sales of 121,400 additional houses in the next quarter. This approach can be applied to other markets, transforming the future of prediction.
The pragmatic, rapid, and iterative dissemination & implementation (PRIDI) cycle: Adapting to the dynamic nature of public health emergencies

Background Public health emergencies - such as the 2020 COVID19 pandemic -accelerate the need for both evidence generation and rapid dissemination and implementation (D&I) of evidence where it is most needed. In this paper, we reflect on how D&I frameworks and methods can be pragmatic (i.e., relevant to real-world context) tools for rapid and iterative planning, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of evidence to address public health emergencies. The Pragmatic, Rapid, and Iterative D&I (PRIDI) Cycle : The PRIDI Cycle is based on a "double-loop" learning process, reflecting the iterative and adaptive D&I, along with iterative re-consideration of goals and priorities, interventions and corresponding D&I strategies, and needs and capacities of individuals and contexts. Stakeholder engagement is essential- which itself is an evolving activity. The results of iterative evaluations should be communicated with local implementers and stakeholders through customized feedbacks. Conclusion Even when the health system priority is provision of the best care to the individuals in need, and scientists are focused on development of effective diagnostic and therapeutic technologies, planning for D&I is critical. Without a flexible and adapting process of D&I, which is responsive to emerging evidence generation cycles, and is closely connected to stakeholders and target users through engagement and feedback, the interventions to mitigate public health emergencies - such as the COVID19 pandemic - will have limited reach and impact on populations that would most benefit. The PRIDI cycle is intended to provide a pragmatic approach to support planning for D&I throughout the evidence generation process.
Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and Autism Spectrum Disorder

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), but no association with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been reported in the literature. The objective of this case series is to better understand the association between SCD and ASD and to describe the clinical presentation of this rare diagnosis in SCD. A chart review was performed at an urban tertiary care hospital. Participants were included in the case series if they had documented diagnoses of both SCD and ASD. Information collected from the chart included medical history, both general and sickle cell disease related, developmental diagnoses, and treatment recommendations. All three participants were male and had diagnoses of hemoglobin SS SCD. Participants were of different ages and had different presentations at the time of diagnosis. Only one participant had a history of brain injury from silent cerebral infarction. ASD should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with SCD and NDD and may present with atypical features in this population.
Emerging Applications of Cognitive Ergonomics: A Bibliometric and Content Analysis

With modern technological advancements building a dependency on computer systems, the need to understand how the human brain processes information and interacts with computers has facilitated the emergence of a new field of human factors engineering, cognitive ergonomics. As the field becomes more developed, its principles have been applied to many various fields. In this study, bibliometric data for research literature surrounding the term “cognitive ergonomics” was extracted from databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, and Google Scholar through Harzing’s Publish or Perish. This data was then analyzed through tools such VOSviewer, BibExcel, MAXQDA, and Mendeley compare the emergence of cognitive ergonomics and its application in five main categories: Healthcare, Automation, Transportation, Language, and Production. The analysis showed strong growth in the field of cognitive ergonomics with Production and Healthcare being the two leading categories of practical application.
Optimal Risk/Dividend Distribution Control Models: Applications to Insurance

The current paper presents a short survey of stochastic models of risk control and dividend optimization techniques for a financial corporation. While being close to consumption/investment models of Mathematical Finance, dividend optimization models possess special features which do not allow them to be treated as a particular case of consumption/investment models. In a typical model of this sort, in the absence of control, the reserve (surplus) process, which represents the liquid assets of the company, is governed by a Brownian motion with constant drift and diffusion coefficient. This is a limiting case of the classical Cramer-Lundberg model in which the reserve is a compound Poisson process, amended by a linear term, representing a constant influx of the insurance premiums. Risk control action corresponds to reinsuring part of the claims the cedent is required to pay simultaneously diverting part of the premiums to a reinsurance company. This translates into controlling the drift and the diffusion coefficient of the approximating process. The dividend distribution policy consists of choosing the times and the amounts of dividends to be paid put to shareholders. Mathematically, the cumulative dividend process is described by an increasing functional which may or may not be continuous with respect to time. The objective in the models presented here is maximization of the dividend pay-outs. We will discuss models with different types of conditions imposed upon a company and different types of reinsurances available, such as proportional, noncheap, proportional in a presence of a constant debt liability, excess-of-loss. We will show that in most cases the optimal dividend distribution scheme is of a barrier type, while the risk control policy depends substantially on the nature of reinsurance available.
Integrating RPC and Message Passing for Distributed Programming

Client-server and cooperative processing are two models for distributed programming. The client-server style is simple and powerful. Remote procedure call (RPC) is its communication mechanism. However, the cooperative processing style is more appropriate for expressing parallelism. Message passing is its communication method. In this paper, we describe a combined programming style and present a technique to integrate RPC and message passing in Open Software Foundation's Distributed Computing Environment (DCE). This DCE extension allows DCE applications to be designed and implemented in clientserver, peer cooperative processing or a combination of both.
ASCORBIC ACID DEFICIENCY AND PREMATURE RUPTURE OF FETAL MEMBRANES.

EASTMANI estimates the incidence of spontaneous premature rupture of the membranes to be approximately 12 per cent of all deliveries. Calkin? states that in 7,000 consecutive deliveries at the University of Kansas Medical Center, premature rupture occurred in 1 of 7 deliveries. He could not identify an etiologic agent but suggested “biologic intrinsic variations in the membranes as a probability.” Knox and Hoerne? have dismissed the possible role of infection in the occurrence of this phenomenon. Flowers and associates4 have made the observation in their series of 7,511 deliveries that premature rupture of the membranes is a major obstetrical complication which occurs more frequently among nonwhites and less educated mothers. They reported an overall incidence of 15.8 per cent. The incidence among the fetal and neonatal deaths in the series was 26.7 per cent. Our interest in early spontaneous rupture of the membranes and its association with neonatal deaths was aroused by the unusually high mortality rate in this group of infants at the University Hospital and Hillman Clinic during 1957 and 1958. A probable reason for this increase was the subject of a report by Kent and Wideman. They made a comparative study of infants born to moth-
Propagated repolarization of simulated action potentials in cardiac muscle and smooth muscle.

Propagation of repolarization is a phenomenon that occurs in cardiac muscle. We wanted to test whether this phenomenon would also occur in our model of simulated action potentials (APs) of cardiac muscle (CM) and smooth muscle (SM) generated with the PSpice program. A linear chain of 5 cells was used, with intracellular stimulation of cell #1 for the antegrade propagation and of cell #5 for the retrograde propagation. The hyperpolarizing stimulus parameters applied for termination of the AP in cell #5 were varied over a wide range in order to generate strength / duration (S/D) curves. Because it was not possible to insert a second "black box" (voltage-controlled current source) into the basic units representing segments of excitable membrane that would allow the cells to respond to small hyperpolarizing voltages, gap-junction (g.j.) channels had to be inserted between the cells, represented by inserting a resistor (Rgj) across the four cell junctions. Application of sufficient hyperpolarizing current to cell #5 to bring its membrane potential (Vm) to within the range of the sigmoidal curve of the Na+ conductance (CM) or Ca++ conductance (SM) terminated the AP in cell #5 in an all-or-none fashion. If there were no g.j. channels (Rgj = ∞), then only cell #5 repolarized to its stable resting potential (RP; -80 mV for CM and -55 mV for SM). The positive junctional cleft potential (VJC) produced only a small hyperpolarization of cell #4. However, if many g.j. channels were inserted, more hyperpolarizing current was required (for a constant duration) to repolarize cell #5, but repolarization then propagated into cells 4, 3, 2, and 1. When duration of the pulses was varied, a typical S/D curve, characteristic of excitable membranes, was produced. The chronaxie measured from the S/D curve was about 1.0 ms, similar to that obtained for muscle membranes. These experiments demonstrate that normal antegrade propagation of excitation can occur in the complete absence of g.j. channels, and therefore no low-resistance pathways between cells, by the electric field (negative VJC) developed in the narrow junctional clefts. Because it was not possible to insert a second black-box into the basic units that would allow the cells to respond to small hyperpolarizing voltages, only cell #5 (the cell injected with hyperpolarizing pulses) repolarized in an all-or-none manner. But addition of many g.j. channels allowed repolarization to propagate in a retrograde direction over all 5 cells.
Comments from the Perspective of the AAFS Ethics Committee Chairman

Some of us are lawyers. We are informed they have a code of ethics. Doctors, dentists and other professionals have theirs, too. Those among us who work in fields without formal codes are still obliged to act ethically. But when we come together in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, we take on a special group identity: we are all expert scientists and witnesses devoted to developing and presenting scientific evidence and opinions in the administration of justice. Though our efforts and focus are as diverse as our sections imply, each of us seeks to be heard and believed, compelling the creation of a code applicable to all of us. I chronicled the origin of the Academy's code in 1986 (1). I propose now to describe how it has functioned for the first 20 years.
Jets and Accretion Disks in Astrophysics - A Brief Review

The significance of jets and accretion disks in Astrophysics may be growing far beyond any single example of recent finds in the scientific journals. This brief review will summarize recent, significant manifestations of accretion disk powered jets in the universe. We then introduce supplemental contemporary finds in physics and astrophysics which might bear tangential or direct implications for astrophysics toward rethinking the universe with a major role of relativistic jets powered by accretion disks. We conclude with the direction our research will take in order to establish a new perspective on the universe.
Bioinformatics advances in neuron imaging

Exploring the role of neuron's morphological change in brain function or neurological disorders is a long-time goal in many neuroscience fields. The arrival of digital microscopy, such as two-photon and confocal laser scanning microscopy, coupled with a large arsenal of fluorescent and other labeling methods to study the neuron 3D structure and dynamics in cell culture, brain tissue culture, and even live animals, has become a powerful technique that allows the neuroscientists to gather objective, quantitative and reproducible cell-based phenotype information. It offers tremendous value to localize, identify and characterize brain cells and subcellular components at different animal models. It enables better understanding of cellular changes underlying the pathogenesis of various neurological disorders. Nevertheless, there are significant bioinformatics challenges in processing, managing, analyzing, modeling, and mining large volumes of multi-dimensional neuronal images generated by high resolution optical microscopy in studying dynamic neuronal information. The existing bioimaging tools are extremely limited in their scope and capacity. The scientists have to rely on slow and restrictive manual analysis to extract information. Image informatics has become the rate-limiting factor in neuroscience imaging studies. We aim to fill this gap by developing an image informatics platform, neuronal image quantitator (NeuronIQ), with increased capacity to identify and track neuronal objects and to analyze and quantitate object features extracted from the large amounts of images generated by optical microscopy, providing a complete picture of the evolution of the morphological features and behaviors of neurons and related cellular objects in time and space, and under different experimental conditions. This would lead to rapid cell-based assays to obtain and analyze broad ranges of neuronal phenotypes and facilitate the extraction of previously undecipherable information from neuronal morphology. In this paper, the author presents some of the ongoing work and applications of NeuronIQ in deciphering biological mechanisms and behaviors of neurological disorders. Summary form only given.
Mechanotransduction in bone does not require a functional Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) gene

COX-2 is a key enzyme involved in the response of bone to loading. However, using mice with a null mutation of the COX-2 gene, we found that a functional COX-2 gene is not required for mechanotransduction. This paradoxical finding may have resulted, in part, from mechanically induced COX-1 activity. Introduction: Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) is an important mediator in the response of bone to mechanical loading, with pharmacological inhibition of COX-2 effectively eliminating or reducing mechanically induced bone formation. In this study, we further investigated the role of COX-2 in skeletal mechanotransduction using a genetic approach. The aim was to compare the skeletal responsiveness of COX-2 homozygous mutant (COX-2−/−) and wildtype control (COX-2+/+) mice to investigate whether a functional COX-2 gene is necessary for mechanotransduction. Materials and Methods: Adult female COX-2+/+ and COX-2−/− mice on a C57BL/6×129/ola background were studied using the ulna axial loading model. The response to 2 days of loading for 120 cycles/day at 2 Hz was measured histomorphometrically. Phenotypic characterization of the femurs in these mice was also performed. In a separate group of animals, the expression of the remaining COX isozyme, COX-1, was assessed using real-time RT-PCR 4 h after one bout of 120 loading cycles. Results: Null mutation of the COX-2 gene resulted in a consistent femoral phenotype of reduced bone mass, altered architecture, and inferior mechanical properties. Many of these differences were nullified after adjustment for body weight. Nevertheless, body weight-corrected values showed a consistent trend of reduced mechanical properties in COX-2−/− mice. Genotype did not influence the response to mechanical loading, with no histomorphometric differences being found between COX-2+/+ and COX-2−/− mice. Real-time RT-PCR showed COX-2−/− mice to express significantly greater COX-1 expression in loaded ulnas than in loaded ulnas in COX-2+/+ mice. There were no differences in COX-1 expression in nonloaded ulnas. Conclusions: A functional COX-2 gene was not found to be required for skeletal mechanotransduction. This is in contrast to previous pharmacological studies showing that COX-2 is critical to the response of bone to loading. Investigating a potential reason for the absence of a genotype difference in this study, we found that mice with a null mutation in the COX-2 gene possess inductive skeletal COX-1 expression.
Plasma cyclic AMP in schizophrenics

Abstract 1. 1. Concentrations of cyclic AMP were studied by a protein-binding assay in the plasma of 39 inpatients with various types of schizophrenic disorder. 2. 2. There was no difference in cyclic AMP levels between patients and controls. No difference was also noted when comparisons were made between the various diagnostic subgroups of schizophrenic patients and the control group. 3. 3. Eleven schizophrenics, who were given chlorpromazine (300 mg daily for one month) showed a significant decrease of plasma cyclic AMP which paralleled the clinical improvement. 4. 4. The findings of this study are discussed in relation to the dopaminergic hypothesis of schizophrenia and the effect of neuroleptic drugs on cyclic AMP metabolism.
Serum lectins from the scorpion Vaejovis spinigerus Wood bind sialic acids.

We have partially characterized the specificity of serum lectins from the scorpionVaejovis spinigerus Wood. Agglutination, crossed-absorption and hemagglutination-inhibition patterns were similar but not identical to serum lectins from other members from the family Vaejovidae, and different from the Buthidae species studied so far.V. spinigerus serum lectins bind sialic acids and sialoconjugates, but also bind 2-keto-3-deoxyoctonate, uronic acids and N-acylaminosugars, all substances present in bacterial cell walls suggesting that they might be involved in defense functions.
An analysis of program execution on a recursive stream-oriented data flow architecture

The functional or applicative approach to the development of software leads to the natural exposure of parallelism. Data flow architectures are designed to exploit this parallelism. This paper describes a method for modeling and analyzing program execution on a stream-oriented, recursive data flow architecture. Based on a maximum path length technique, a recursive analysis of nodes (corresponding to high level constructs) results in an approximation of the time required to execute the program given adequate resources. By relating the structure of a program to the degree of exhibited parallelism, this method provides a useful tool for studying parallelism and evaluating certain problem classes to be run on similar architecutures.
Mutagenicity testing of nine herbicides and pesticides currently used in agriculture

Nine herbicides and pesticides were tested for their mutagenicity using the Drosophila sex-linked recessive lethal mutation assay. These are Ambush, Treflan, Blazer, Roundup, 2,4-D Amine, Crossbow, Galecron, Pramitol, and Pondmaster. All of these are in wide use at present. Unlike adult feeding and injection assays, the larvae were allowed to grow in medium with the test chemical, thereby providing long and chronic exposure to the sensitive and dividing diploid cells, i.e., mitotically active spermatogonia and sensitive spermatocytes. All chemicals induced significant numbers of mutations in at least one of the cell types tested. Some of these compounds were found to be negative in earlier studies. An explanation for the difference in results is provided. It is probable that different germ cell stages and treatment regimens are suitable for different types of chemicals. larval treatment may still be valuable and can complement adult treatment in environmental mutagen testing.
PARAMETERIZED AND-UKE AND OR-LIKE OWA OPERATORS

We discuss the OWA (Ordered Weighted Averaging) operators which provide for aggregation operations lying between the and and the or, and the BADD (BAsic Defuzzification Distribution) transformation. This transformation plays a central role in the development of defuzzification procedures, the aggregation of elements in a fuzzy subset to obtain one representative element. We suggest the use of the BADD transformation to generate a class of OWA like aggregation operators, denoted BADD-OWA operators. We show that while these BADD-OWA operators have some interesting properties, they fail to be mono-tonic. We next use another family of defuzzification operators, called SLIDE, to generate another class of OWA operators. These S-OWA operators provide two subfamilies of OWA operators, one Or-like and the other And-Like.
Non-fickian three-dimensional hindered moisture absorption in polymeric composites: Model development and validation

A new, three-dimensional, anisotropic non-Fickian diffusion model is developed to characterize moisture absorption in polymeric composites. The new hindered diffusion model extends the classical Fickian theory to include the effects of the interaction of diffusing molecules with the chemical and physical structure of polymeric composites. The numerical solution of the hindered diffusion model is obtained for a three-dimensional, anisotropic domain by using a forward-time, centered-space finite difference technique. The moisture weight gain over time predicted by the model is shown to mimic a wide variety of anomalous absorption behavior, often exhibited by anisotropic composite laminates. The accuracy of the numerical solutions is verified by comparing the results to known analytical solutions of a one-dimensional, “Langmuir-type” diffusion model and for the limiting case of the three-dimensional Fickian model. The utility of the proposed hindered diffusion model is demonstrated by accurately recovering the absorption behavior of three different material systems reported in literature. First, it is shown that the hindered diffusion model can accurately predict the moisture absorption data for unidirectional glass-reinforced epoxy plates of varying dimensions exposed to a relative humidity of 80%. Second, the one-dimensional version of the model is applied to experimental moisture absorption data for isotropic epoxy resin samples of different thicknesses. Anomalous effects due to sample thickness reported in the original article are accurately captured. Third, the proposed model is shown to be more accurate than a two-stage diffusion model applied to moisture absorption data obtained from a woven 3-ply carbon fiber reinforced bismaleimide composite. POLYM. COMPOS., 34:1144–1157, 2013. © 2013 Society of Plastics Engineers
The Past, Present, and Future of Real-Time Control in Cellular Electrophysiology

For over 60 years, real-time control has been an important technique in the study of excitable cells. Two such control-based technologies are reviewed here. First, voltage-clamp methods revolutionized the study of excitable cells. In this family of techniques, membrane potential is controlled, allowing one to parameterize a powerful class of models that describe the voltage-current relationship of cell membranes simply, flexibly, and accurately. Second, dynamic-clamp methods allow the addition of new, “virtual” membrane mechanisms to living cells. Dynamic clamp allows researchers unprecedented ways of testing computationally based hypotheses in biological preparations. The review ends with predictions of how control-based technologies will be improved and adapted for new uses in the near future.
Hemorrhagic (erosive) gastritis.

Twenty-one cases of hemorrhagic gastritis confirmed by gastroscopy, surgery, or necropsy are reviewed.
Mixing of Partially Fluorinated Carboxylic Acids and Their Hydrocarbon Analogues with Dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine at the Air−Water Interface

The interaction of partially fluorinated carboxylic acids with a biologically relevant surfactant, dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC), was investigated at the air−water interface. The compression isotherms of mixtures of three partially fluorinated carboxylic acids (1−3) and their hydrocarbon analogues (4−6) with DPPC were recorded at various compositions on hydrochloric acid (pH = 1.9, 32 ± 2 °C) as a subphase. The mixing behavior was assessed by analyzing the concentration dependence of the average molecular area at constant film pressure (area/mole fraction or A−X diagram). All six carboxylic acids (1−6) show a negative deviation from ideal behavior at surface pressures between 3 and 25 mN/m, which is indicative of an attractive interaction with DPPC in the mixed monolayer at the air−water interface. With the exception of nonafluorpentadecanoic acid (1), all carboxylic acids investigated show a concentration dependence of the breakpoint of the phase transition from the liquid-expanded to the liquid-...
A general class of evolutionary equations

Using observable quantities and state variable of a dynamical process, a general evolutionary equation is defined which unifies classical ordinary differential equations, partial differential equations, and hereditary systems of retarded and neutral type. Specific illustrations are given using transmission lines nearest-neighbor coupled at the boundary and the theory of heat transfer in solids. Some spectral theory for linearization of the equations is also discussed.
Damage fluence at 1054 nm and 351 nm of coatings made with hafnium oxide evaporated from metallic hafnium

A polarizing beamsplitter used for the OMEGA Upgrade, was produced using the hafnia/silica combination. These coatings have stringent optical requirements, are placed in the stages of the laser with the highest fluence at 1054 nm, and are required to have a low net stress to produce low wavefront distortion. Hafnia/silica coatings are also more stable than other film combinations such as tantala/silica. Hafnia/silica films were investigated for other applications. A triple wavelength antireflection coating was developed for calorimeter absorption glass. The metal-converted hafnia is also used on selected transport mirrors used at 351 nm and angles of incidence up to 45 degrees. Damage test results for 1054 nm, 1 ns, and 351 nm, 0.7 ns will be presented.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Closing the Gap Between CETA Supervisee-Supervisor Perceptions of Work Proficiency and Personal Attributes.

Supervisor training was used as a treatment for decreasing the gap between ecological veracity (self versus objective reality) and personal veracity (self versus perceived reality) of CETA supervisees on personal attribute and work-proficiency dimensions. Research suggests that decreasing this gap increases employability. Interventions aimed at decreasing this gap have focused on changing the behavior of the client or supervisee to conform more to the expectations of the system or supervisor. The present research assumed that supervisors often have faulty perceptions of the behaviors of their supervisees, especially those in CETA jobs. Through supervisor training, we attempted to decrease the gap by changing supervisor perceptions to match those of their supervisees. Training did not produce a significant difference between trained and untrained supervisor-supervisee groups on objective and perceived reality estimates. As with earlier research in which no training was employed, perceived-reality estimates were more highly correlated with self-ratings than objective-reality estimates and the gap between ecological and personal veracity remained wide.
EVOLUTION OF ADAPTIVE PLASTICITY: RISK‐SENSITIVE HATCHING IN NEOTROPICAL LEAF‐BREEDING TREEFROGS

Adaptive plasticity at switch points in complex life cycles (e.g., hatching, metamorphosis) is well known, but the evolutionary history of such plasticity is not. Particularly unclear is how a single plastic response (e.g., shifts in hatching timing) evolves to respond to different threats and cues (e.g., abiotic and biotic). We conducted a comparative phylogenetic study of hatching plasticity in a group of frogs with arboreal embryos to determine when risk-accelerated hatching evolved in the clade, whether responses to two common egg-stage risks (snake predation and flooding) evolved independently, and whether the overall capacity for hatching plasticity was evolutionarily more conservative than responses to specific cues. Red-eyed treefrogs (Agalychnis callidryas) hatch early to escape from several egg-stage risks but otherwise hatch later, improving larval survival with predators. We reconstructed a phylogeny for Agalychnis and related genera based on three mitochondrial and four nuclear genes. We quantified onset of hatching competence, spontaneous hatching timing, responses to egg-stage risks, and costs of premature hatching in Agalychnis and Pachymedusa. We also assessed hatching plasticity in a basal phyllomedusine, Cruziohyla calcarifer. The capacity to hatch ;30% before the spontaneous hatching age appears ancestral for phyllomedusines, with little change over ;34-50 million years among the species examined. A strong hatching response to flooding, with no mortality of hatching-competent eggs, is similarly ancient and conserved. Premature hatchlings of Agalychnis and Pachymedusa are more vulnerable to fish predation than are full-term hatchlings, indicating a conserved risk trade-off across hatching that would make plasticity advantageous. In contrast, the hatching response to snake attack has undergone major changes at least twice in the Agalychnis-Pachymedusa clade, with two species showing substantially lower escape success than the others. Responses to different threats have thus evolved independently. The capacity for switch point plasticity may be evolutionarily more stable than the response to individual stage-specific threats.
The effect of sodium on the kinetics of L‐alanine influx by the integument of the marine polychaete, Glycera dibranchiata

The kinetics of sodium-dependent L-(U-14C)alanine influx into the integument of Glycera dibranchiata were studied in vitro utilizing lucite influx chambers. Glycera integument accumulated alanine via two distinct sodiumcoupled carrier mediated systems which are described by similar kinetic equations. The coupling coefficient determined by graphical analysis was equal to 3 for each influx system. Both systems share a common Kt = 8.6 × 10−5 M alanine which was not affected by sodium concentration. However, each system possessed dissimilar maximal influx values that were sensitive to sodium concentration. A model is presented describing the molecular events of sodium-coupled alanine transport by the integumentary epithelial cell membrane of Glycera.
Growing Blueberry Knowledge via Social Networks

The All About Blueberries Community of Practice (CoP) is being built to guide blueberry producers in the southeastern region of the United States in methods to maximize productivity, decrease produ...
FPGA-based HPC application design for non-experts (abstract only)

This paper presents bFlow, an FPGA development framework for the rapid prototyping and implementation of hardware accelerators for hybrid computing platforms. This framework makes use of an abstracted, graphical front-end usable by those without computer engineering backgrounds, as well as an accelerated back-end that speeds up compilation times, increasing turns-per-day. bFlow's performance, usability, and application to the acceleration of big-data life-science problems verified by participants of the NSF-funded Summer Institute organised by the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI). In less than two weeks, a group of four non-computer science/computer engineering participants made modifications to a reference Smith-Waterman implementation, adding functionality and scaling throughput by a factor of four to 600 million base pairs per second.
A New Notch for Lung Stem Cells

Homeostasis and repair of different lung compartments require the selective activation of specific progenitor/stem cells and their regulated differentiation to yield cell types that fulfill specialized regional functions. In this issue of Cell Stem Cell, Pardo-Saganta et al. (2015) identify Notch signaling as a determinant of basal cell heterogeneity and fate decisions in pseudostratified airways.
Selection rules and symmetry relations for four-wave mixing measurements of uniaxial assemblies.

Uniaxial systems represent the next lowest symmetry below isotropic and are ubiquitous. The objective of the present work is to present a systematic foundation for interpreting polarization-dependent four-wave mixing measurements of oriented and aligned assemblies. Orientational averages connecting the molecular frame to the macroscopic frame in uniaxial assemblies were derived for several common molecular symmetry groups for coherent anti-Stokes Raman spectroscopy (CARS) measurements, coherent anti-Stokes two-photon spectroscopy (CATS) probing electronic transitions, resonant two-photon absorption (2PA), and traditional Raman measurements. First, the complete set of orientational averages connecting the molecular and macroscopic frames was compiled for the most general case of C1 molecular symmetry. Then, the orientational averages of a select few commonly occurring molecular symmetry groups (Cs, C2, C2v, and C3v) were explored in greater detail to illustrate the approach and to facilitate the interpreta...
Evaluation of methods of using resource people in helping kindergarten students become aware of the world of work

Abstract The major purpose of the study was to determine if a kindergarten child could be made aware of the world of work. A second purpose was to determine if kindergarten children could be made aware of how their parents use money for family expenditures. Three treatments were used, the first an interest center, the second having the visitor come to the class, and the third taking a field trip to the work location. Ten occupations were used with each group. A pretest and post-test of identifying pictures of people in various occupations was used to determine the effectiveness of each model. The same three methods were used to have parents tell what they worked and used money for. All three treatments showed significant gain from pre- to post-test. The field trip showed the greatest, with the visitor second, and the interest center least. These gains continued to hold up after a two month time. For the family expenditure test there were some gains for all groups from pre to post but they were not significant for any group when its 2-month retention test was given.
Forward ejection fraction: a new index of left ventricular function in mitral regurgitation

Previous studies have shown that a normal LVEF is not a reliable index of LV function in MR. We hypothesized that the forward EF, which is the forward stroke volume (measured by Fick or thermodilution) divided by end-diastolic volume (measured by contrast ventriculography) may be a useful index of LV function, since it represents LV emptying into the aorta. This index was examined in 54 patients with chronic MR who had normal EF (greater than or equal to 50%). There were significant correlations between the forward EF and the end-diastolic volume index (r = -0.69, p less than 0.001), end-systolic volume index (r = -0.64, p less than 0.001), cardiac index (r = 0.43, p less than 0.01), and the ratio of systolic pressure-to-end-systolic volume (r = 0.65, p less than 0.001). Patients were divided into two groups according to the forward EF: group I (n = 34) had forward EF less than or equal to 35%; and group II (n = 20) had forward EF greater than 35%. Of the 32 patients who subsequently underwent mitral valve replacement, 24 patients were in group I and eight patients were in group II. At a mean follow-up of 35 months, four patients died; all of them were in group I. Improvement in functional class occurred in 75% of surgical survivors (80% in group I and 63% in group II, p = NS). These preliminary data suggest that forward EF may be a useful index of LV performance in patients with MR who have normal EF.
Numerical simulations of mixing in a two-dimensional periodic flow with buoyancy

Numerical simulations of unsteady mixed convection involving interface tracking between two immiscible fluids have been carried out, using spectral methods. A periodic oscillating flow is created by combining forced and natural convection with spatially periodic heating. The fluid motion that results is found to contain unsteady vortices in the flow which cause the stretching and folding that is required for efficient mixing processes. The interface between the two fluids is found to grow exponentially when the flow is unsteady, and the individual particles move with chaotically varying velocities. The interface growth rate is found to increase with increasing Prandtl number.
Application of Singular Value Decomposition to the Design, Analysis, and Control of Industrial Processes

Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) is proving to be a very useful tool in modern linear system theory. It is also finding an important role in analysis and design of control systems for those real industrial processes which tend to not be so well behaved as assumed by the theory. This paper will describe how the concepts of SVD analysis can be used to help determine realistic answers to the many practical questions that must be addressed by the control engineer if he or she is going to tackle real multivariable control problems. Such questions as: What is the effect of process design alternatives and operating conditions on the control problem? The paper will also show how SVD can be used to design simple but effective multivariable control systems.
Interactions between the gonadal steroids and the immune system

The immune system is regulated by the gonadal steroids estrogen, androgen, and progesterone, but the circulating levels of these steroids can also be affected by immune system function. Such interactions appear to be mediated through the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal-thymic axis and depend on pituitary luteinizing hormone released by thymic factors under the control of the gonadal steroids.
Which hat am I wearing now?: an evidence-based tool for coaching self-reflection

Abstract Most coaches would say that coaching is a facilitative process – the coach listens, asks questions, and contributes observations. But what do coaches really do? Based on careful study of actual coach-client conversations, it becomes clear that coaches actually have a wide variety of hats that they can choose to wear in the course of a coach-client conversation. Which hat the coach puts on at any point of the conversation is mostly made instinctively, rather than by conscious choice, because up until now there has not been a good vocabulary to name each hat. To name the hats, and show how each is used in conversation, this study uses the concept of conversational identity. The premise is that each sentence or phrase that a coach uses in conversation with a client can be associated with putting on a particular hat, or adopting a temporary ‘conversational’ identity. Qualitative analysis of coaching conversations led to the development of a framework consisting of sixteen categorized conversational i...