cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Patterns of Enterpreneurship: A Study of Gender Training Frameworks for Officers of the Indian Administrative Service

The awareness of women as a category of development promoted the establishment of Women in Development (WID) organizations but these remain on the peripheries of mainstream development concerns. Th...
Getting a handle on crime: A further extension of routine activities theory

Routine activities theory has had considerable influence, stimulating subsequent theoretical development, generating an empirical literature on crime patterns and informing the design of prevention strategies. Despite these numerous applications of the theory to date, a promising vein for theoretical development, research and prevention remains untapped. The concept of handlers, or those who control potential offenders, has received relatively little attention since introduced by Felson (1986). This article examines the reasons for the lack of attention to handlers and extends routine activities theory by proposing a model of handler effectiveness that addresses these issues. In addition, the model explicitly links routine activities theory with two of its complements – the rational choice perspective and situational crime prevention – to articulate the mechanism by which handling prevents crime. We conclude by discussing the broad range of prevention possibilities offered by the model of handler effectiveness.
Analytic Solution of Non‐Autonomous Linear ODE

This paper state an analytic solution for non-autonomous linear ODE of order n, expressed as a power series with analytic coefficients, determined by recurrence formulae. The result is compared with that for n = 1 and is applied for a particular ODE, of order n = 2, which has an explicit solution. (© 2006 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
The death effector domain protein family

Apoptosis signaling is regulated and executed by specialized proteins that often carry protein/protein interaction domains. One of these domains is the death effector domain (DED) that is predominantly found in components of the death-inducing signaling complex, which forms at the members of the death receptor family following their ligation. Both proapoptotic- and antiapoptotic-DED-containing proteins have been identified, which makes these proteins exquisitely suited to the regulation of apoptosis. Aside from their pivotal role in the control of the apoptotic program, DED-containing proteins have recently been demonstrated to exert their influence on other cellular processes as well, including cell proliferation. These data highlight the multiple roles for the members of this family, suggesting that they are suited to control both life and death decisions of cells. Additionally, because they can act proapoptotically, antiapoptotically, or in the regulation of the cell cycle, this family of proteins may be excellent candidates for cancer therapy targets.
Relief and Redress for Targets of Workplace Bullying

Workplace bullying is a particularly insidious form of counterproductive workplace behavior that results in significant costs to both targets and organizations. We explore existing and potential avenues of relief and redress available to targets. Relief refers to activities focused on eliminating the bullying as well as the mechanisms used to treat those who have been bullied. Redress refers to third-party remedies that involve the financial and/or non-financial compensation of targets. The optimal strategy for dealing with workplace bullying involves both effective organizational interventions to help prevent and address bullying incidents and strong legislative mechanisms to allow for restitution and compensation. This two-pronged strategy provides targets of bullying with multiple sources of relief and redress.
An Experiment Designed to Maximize the Profitability of Customer Directed Post-Transaction Communications

Cette etude investigue ce que doit etre le processus de communication avec un client en tant que composante d'un service apres-vente et comme element du marketing direct.Une revue de la litterature concernant ce sujet mentionnant notamment le point de vue theorique de Leon Festinger sur ce qu'il nomme la cognitive dissonance est suivie du compte rendu d'une etude empirique qui montre l'impact de communications personnalisees avec les clients sur la diminution des litiges (reclamations ou demandes de remboursement).
The Role of Host Plants in the Dynamics of Populations of Heliothis Spp.

When host plants of Heliothis zea (Boddie) and H. virescens (F.) were studied in a 2500-acre area near Brownsville, Texas in 1970, H. zea was found primarily on grain sorghum during the spring and on cotton during June–August. Cotton was the primary cultivated host of H. virescens , but in the spring and fall, it was also common on such uncultivated bosts as Nicotiana repanda Willd., Verbena neomexicana (Gray) Small, and Ruellia runyonii Tharp & Barkley; in addition, H. virescens was found on Aubtilon trisulcatum (Jacq.) Urban in tbe fall.
Edison Revisited: Should we use DC circuits for lighting in commercial buildings?

Abstract We examine the economic feasibility of using dedicated DC circuits to operate lighting in commercial buildings. We compare light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and fluorescents that are powered by either a central DC power supply or traditional AC grid electricity, with and without solar photovoltaics (PV) and battery back-up. Using DOE performance targets for LEDs and solar PV, we find that by 2012 LEDs have the lowest levelized annualized cost (LAC). If a DC voltage standard were developed, so that each LED fixture's driver could be eliminated, LACs could decrease, on average, by 5% compared to AC LEDs with a driver in each fixture. DC circuits in grid-connected PV-powered LED lighting systems can lower the total unsubsidized capital costs by 4–21% and LACs by 2–21% compared to AC grid-connected PV LEDs. Grid-connected PV LEDs may match the LAC of grid-powered fluorescents by 2013. This outcome depends more on manufacturers' ability to produce LEDs that follow DOE's lamp production cost and efficacy targets, than on reducing power electronics costs for DC building circuits and voltage standardization. Further work is needed to better understand potential safety risks with DC distribution and to remove design, installation, permitting, and regulatory barriers.
Phase-I trial of Ultrapure™ human leukocyte interferon in human malignancy

A phase-I trial of Ultrapure™ human leukocyte (α) interferon was performed, in which 15 patients were treated according to a dose-ranging protocol. Five patients were treated at each of three dosage levels: 3×106 IU/dose, 9×106 IU/dose, and 15×106 IU/dose. Doses were given on days 1–5 and 8–12 of a 28-day study period. Serial NK-cell assays were performed in all patients, and failed to show consistent effects referable to treatment. Serum interferon levels were assayed on one patient at the 9×106 IU and one patient at the 15×106 IU dose level. In both cases, a significant interferon titer (>-160) was detected in the serum, and this persisted for as long as 12 h. Fever, malaise, and myalgias were associated with therapy. The dose-limiting toxicity was a dose-related leukopenia, with median white blood cell nadirs of 6,500/mm3 (3×106 IU/dose) 3,200/mm3 (9×106 IU/dose), and 1,800/mm3 (15×106 IU/dose) being produced. One patient died in ventricular fibrillation while suffering chest pain after receiving 5 days of treatment at the 15×106 IU/dose level. Three patients showed minor responses, insufficient to be called partial responses, in association with interferon therapy. We conclude that dose-limiting leukopenia occurs with this schedule of administration of Ultrapure™ human leukocyte interferon at 15×106 IU/dose.
Transcription syndromes and the role of RNA polymerase II general transcription factors in human disease.

Messenger RNA synthesis is a major site for the regulation of gene expression. Eukaryotic messenger RNA synthesis is catalyzed by multisubunit RNA polymerase II (1–3) and proceeds via multiple stages, which are designated preinitiation, initiation, elongation, and termination and which have come to be referred to collectively as the transcription cycle (Fig. 1). The past decade was a watershed for biochemical studies of eukaryotic messenger RNA synthesis. A diverse collection of transcription factors and other nuclear proteins that govern the activity of RNA polymerase II during messenger RNA synthesis was identified and characterized, and unprecedented progress in several key research areas has provided a deeper understanding of the biochemical mechanisms underlying many aspects of eukaryotic transcriptional regulation. First, major breakthroughs in investigations of the structures of eukaryotic protein-coding genes and the role of chromatin in the regulation of their expression were achieved. Chromatin proteins, such as histones and HMG proteins, were found to play crucial roles in gene regulation by packaging genes into inactive or transcriptionally repressed configurations (4–9). Second, many DNA binding transactivators that interact specifically with upstream promoter elements and enhancer sequences located in the promoter-regulatory regions of genes were isolated, classified according to their structures, and found to regulate the expression of specific genes or gene families by controlling the rate of initiation (10) and, as shown more recently, the efficiency of elongation by RNA polymerase II (11–13). Third, chromatin remodeling proteins, such as the multisubunit SWI/SNF (14, 15) and NURF (16, 17) complexes, were discovered and found to play key roles in transcriptional activation by promoting conversion of regions of inactive chromatin into transcriptionally active, open chromatin, thereby allowing DNA binding transactivators and RNA polymerase II access to the promoter-regulatory regions of genes (4, 18–23). Fourth, coactivators, such as the SRB-containing mediator complex (2, 3, 24, 25), CREB binding protein (CBP) 1
Anomalous magnetoresistance behavior of superconducting Nd2 - xCexCuO4 - y single crystal

Magnetoresistance measurements on a superconducting Nd2 - xCexCuO4 - y single crystal with Tc ≈ 7K were made with magnetic fields H applied parallel (H‖c) and perpendicular (H⊥c) to the tetragonal c-axis. For H‖c, the resistive superconductive transition curves exhibit a double transition at low temperatures and high magnetic fields. This double resistive transition has a maximum near T ≈ 1.1 K, followed by an extremely sharp transition into the superconducting state. For applied fields of 1 kOe, the resistivity first goes to zero, increases again to a finite value and then goes through a second transition. In this region, the resistivity exhibits non-ohmic behavior for low current densities and ohmic behavior for larger measuring currents. The resistivity for H⊥c does not exhibit any anomalous behavior or a maximum for 0 ≤ H ≤ 60 kOe and 4K ≤ T ≤ 7 K.
Depression in child psychiatric inpatients: Cognitive and attributional patterns

Cognitive and learned helplessness models of depression view maladaptive cognitive and attributional patterns as core features of depressive disorders. This study examined cognitive and attributional patterns in depressed children, nondepressed children, and a subgroup of remitting depressives who had histories of depression but were not reporting depressive symptoms when evaluated during the first 2 weeks of hospitalization. When compared with nondepressed controls, depressed children reported significantly more hopelessness, more negative self-perceptions, and negative self-perceptions across a wider variety of domains, and they displayed more dysfunctional attributional styles. While 55% of depressed children displayed pervasive maladaptive cognitive patterns, the other 45% of depressed children scored more similarly to nondepressed children, suggesting that childhood depressive disorders may be heterogeneous with respect to cognitive patterns. Contrary to the notion of traitlike depressive cognitive and attributional patterns that persist after the remission of depressive episodes, children with remitting depressions scored similarly to nondepressed children.
Message from the workshop chairs

As the organizing committee, it is our pleasure to present the proceedings of the 3rd IEEE International Workshop on Data Security and PrivAcy in wireless Networks (D-SPAN), held on June 25, 2012, in San Francisco, California, USA. The goal of this one-day workshop, organized in conjunction with the 13th IEEE WoWMoM 2012, is to exchange cutting-edge ideas for securing the next-generation wireless networks, systems and applications. The scope of D-SPAN includes a wide variety of topics, including security and privacy of data collection, transmission, storage, publishing, and sharing in wireless networks broadly defined such as cellular and mobile ad hoc networks (MANET), vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET), cognitive and sensor networks to applying data analytics techniques to address security and privacy challenges in these networks. D-SPAN provides a forum for academic and industry researchers to present research ideas that build bridges across three communities: wireless networks and databases, and security.
Pharmacokinetics, Brain Hippocampus and Cortex, and Mitochondrial Accumulation of a New Generation of Lipophilic Redox-Active Therapeutic, Mn(III) Meso Tetrakis(N-n-butoxyethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP5+, in Comparison with its Ethyl and N-hexyl Analogs, MnTE-2-PyP5+ and MnTnHex-2-PyP5+

and Mitochondrial Accumulation of a New Generation of Lipophilic Redox-Active Therapeutic, Mn(III) Meso Tetrakis(N-n-butoxyethylpyridinium-2-yl)porphyrin, MnTnBuOE-2-PyP, in Comparison with its Ethyl and N-hexyl Analogs, MnTE-2-PyP and MnTnHex2-PyP Ivan Spasojevic, Tin Weitner, Artak Tovmasyan, Huaxin Sheng, Sumitra Miriyala, David Leu, Zrinka Rajic, David S. Warner, Daret St. Clair, Ting-Ting Huang, and Ines Batinic-Haberle Duke University, United States, University of Kentucky, United States, Stanford University, United States, GRECC VA Palo Alto HCS, United States
On determining temperature dependent interfacial shear properties and bulk residual stresses in fibrous composites

Abstract The model of the preceding paper is applied to the analysis of interfacial sliding during thermal cycling in three titanium or titanium aluminide alloys reinforced by SiC fibers. The model is found to give an excellent account of the experimental measurements. By fitting the model to the data, values are obtained in all cases for the critical interfacial shear stress, τ 0 at room temperature. In two cases, values are also obtained for the bulk, axial residual stresses at room temperature, and the average of d τ 0 /d T over the interval of temperature T between room temperature and the maximum temperature attained in the thermal cycling. The residual stresses are in good agreement with other measurements. In the third case, the residual stresses cannot be determined; but, if values for them are taken from other experiments, then the same average of d τ 0 /d T can be determined. The values of τ 0 and the implied coefficient of friction are consistent in all cases with frictional sliding in graphitic layers in the carbon rich coatings on the SiC fibers.
PACS war room for global teleradiology

UCLA is beginning teleradiology projects in Latin America, Asian Pacific, and the U.S. The UCLA teleradiology system communicates with remote imaging centers through a T1 based WAN and satellite technology. A network management center, i.e., PACS war room, with graphical user interface allows the system manager to monitor and control different elements of the system through various levels of abstraction from one location. The network manager software can monitor the activities of both hardware and software devices in the remote imaging centers, LAN and WAN performance, telearchiving and teleaccess pattern. Telearchiving can be monitored by graphically indicating large image movements between jukeboxes and over LAN or WAN. Once the teleradiology system is configured, the image flow pattern in a teleradiology center is predictable. Manual intervention of these teleradiology system functions is easily done through menu control in the war room display. A centralized network management with the global view of a teleradiology system has been developed. It can give commands to the elements of the system to tune the system for efficient utilization of the system resources. These managerial functions scale with the teleradiology system which is expandable to include many more potential remote imaging centers.© (1995) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Proximal Tubule Epithelial Cell Specific Ablation of the Spermidine/Spermine N1-Acetyltransferase Gene Reduces the Severity of Renal Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury

Background Expression and activity of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase (SSAT) increases in kidneys subjected to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury, while its ablation reduces the severity of such injuries. These results suggest that increased SSAT levels contribute to organ injury; however, the role of SSAT specifically expressed in proximal tubule epithelial cells, which are the primary targets of I/R injury, in the mediation of renal damage remains unresolved.
Experimental measurements and numerical modeling of dynamic compression response of an interpenetrating phase composite foam

Abstract A 3D interpenetrating phase composite (IPC) foam made by infusing syntactic foam (SF) into an open-cell aluminum scaffold is studied under high-strain rate conditions. The SF is prepared by dispersing hollow glass microballoons into an epoxy matrix. Dynamic compression characteristics, including strength and failure progression of pure SF and IPC foam made of four different volume fractions of microballoons in SF measured using a split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus are reported. The results show that in general IPC foams outperform SF in terms of compressive strength. An idealized 3D elasto-plastic unit-cell based finite element (FE) model is proposed for studying the IPC foam. The 3D geometry of the aluminum constituent in the cubic unit-cell is modeled as a tetrakaidecahedron, whereas the SF constituent is modeled as the occupant of the rest of the unit-cell. The computational model incorporates infinite elements to represent the far-field regions surrounding the unit-cell. Comparisons of computational and experimental results for different microballoon volume fractions of SF are reported.
Food deserts and nutritional risk in paraguay

Objectives: The purpose of this case study in San Lorenzo, Paraguay is to identify a food desert in a developing context and to test if food deserts shape residential obesity risk. This article reviews some of the debate surrounding whether food deserts really exist; and, if so, what are the dietary implications of living in a food desert. Methods: The research is an exploratory/explanatory design. The author mapped the downtown food retail district and the neighborhood food environment to identify what stores/markets. The author assessed each type of food store using an adapted version of the Nutrition Environment Measure Survey for Stores (NEMS-S) for Paraguay. Body mass index and household characteristics were collected with 68 households in a small neighborhood; and, the author matched the NEMS-S scores to the store reported by households as their primary grocery store for regression tests. Results: The results suggest that a tradeoff exists in the local food environment between food stores which negatively impact obesity risk for local residents. Exposure to this tradeoff appears to worsen as people live longer in the food desert. Thus, the results support the location of a food desert finding in Paraguay. Conclusions: The underlying factors of a food desert extend beyond food access to focus on the issues of justice. A way to improve upon future research to build scholarship on the relationship between deprivation and obesity requires that sample sizes are either large or representative of the population and that the research should be based on multiple neighborhood and city sites. Am. J. Hum. Biol. 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
International students in English-speaking universities Adjustment factors

EnglishInternational students in institutions of higher education in English-speaking countries make valuable educational and economic contributions. For these benefits to continue, universities must become more knowledgeable about the adjustment issues these students face and implement appropriate support services. This review identifies factors that influence the adjustment and academic achievement of international students. Adjustment challenges are primarily attributable to English language proficiency and culture. Achievement is affected by English proficiency, academic skills and educational background. Understanding international student adjustment issues has global implications for intercultural education. Successful support interventions are reviewed and implications for practice discussed.FrenchLes eleves internationaux etudiant au sein d'institutions d'enseignement superieur dans des pays anglophones apportent une contribution precieuse tant sur le plan educationnel que sur le plan economique. ...
Bilateral Panocular Involvement With Mantle-Cell Lymphoma

A 51-year-old white woman presented with complaints of bilateral red eye of 2 weeks duration associated with photophobia and blurred vision. Seventeen months prior, she had begun a series of chemotherapy regimens for mantle-cell lymphoma (MCL), confirmed by fluorescent in situ hybridization and flow cytometry, that culminated in autologous stem-cell transplantation. On presentation to our clinic, she was receiving rituximab in combination with intrathecal cytarabine for leptomeningeal involvement. Visual acuity was 20/40intherighteyeandcountfingersat1footinthelefteye.External examination revealed multiple cutaneous eyelid nodules bilaterally and a salmon patch of the bulbar conjunctiva of the right eye (Fig 1). Slit-lampexaminationwassignificantforpseudohypopyon(lymphocytesintheanteriorchamber),irregularstromalthickeningoftheiris, and infiltration of the vitreous with lymphocytes (left eye more than right) bilaterally (Figs 1 and 2), indicative of anterior and posterior chamberinvolvementofbotheyeswithlymphoma.Shewasplacedon hourly prednisone eye drops. In addition, external-beam radiation treatment (EBRT) at a dose of 14 Gy (2 Gy in seven fractions) was administered as a cone down to the area of gross ocular disease, with an additional dose of 16 Gy (2 Gy in eight fractions) to the brain. One week after initiation of EBRT, ocular signs had resolved dramatically andvisualacuitywas20/40intherighteyeand20/50inthelefteye.In
No Shhing: Giving Voice to the Silenced: An Essay in Support of Critical Information Literacy

The Information Literacy agenda of academic libraries has recently been critically examined to uncover some of its inherent problems. This paper frames these discussions in the critical theoretical perspective present in educational research, suggesting that the emergence of critical information literacy is long overdue and in need of serious examination by library practitioners who wish to empower student learning.
Olfaction: anatomy, physiology, and disease.

The olfactory system is an essential part of human physiology, with a rich evolutionary history. Although humans are less dependent on chemosensory input than are other mammals (Niimura 2009, Hum. Genomics 4:107-118), olfactory function still plays a critical role in health and behavior. The detection of hazards in the environment, generating feelings of pleasure, promoting adequate nutrition, influencing sexuality, and maintenance of mood are described roles of the olfactory system, while other novel functions are being elucidated. A growing body of evidence has implicated a role for olfaction in such diverse physiologic processes as kin recognition and mating (Jacob et al. 2002a, Nat. Genet. 30:175-179; Horth 2007, Genomics 90:159-175; Havlicek and Roberts 2009, Psychoneuroendocrinology 34:497-512), pheromone detection (Jacob et al. 200b, Horm. Behav. 42:274-283; Wyart et al. 2007, J. Neurosci. 27:1261-1265), mother-infant bonding (Doucet et al. 2009, PLoS One 4:e7579), food preferences (Mennella et al. 2001, Pediatrics 107:E88), central nervous system physiology (Welge-Lussen 2009, B-ENT 5:129-132), and even longevity (Murphy 2009, JAMA 288:2307-2312). The olfactory system, although phylogenetically ancient, has historically received less attention than other special senses, perhaps due to challenges related to its study in humans. In this article, we review the anatomic pathways of olfaction, from peripheral nasal airflow leading to odorant detection, to epithelial recognition of these odorants and related signal transduction, and finally to central processing. Olfactory dysfunction, which can be defined as conductive, sensorineural, or central (typically related to neurodegenerative disorders), is a clinically significant problem, with a high burden on quality of life that is likely to grow in prevalence due to demographic shifts and increased environmental exposures.
Crack‐Tip Transformation Zones in Toughened Zirconia

Transformation zones surrounding cracks in several toughened magnesia-partially-stabilized zirconia ceramics are characterized by optical interference measurements of surface uplift and by Raman microprobe spectroscopy. The measurements demonstrate that the volume fraction of transformation is nonuniform within the zone and that the extent of the frontal zone is approximately the same as that of the wake. Results are used to evaluate the crack-tip shielding stress intensity factor and to compare with the measured fracture toughness.
The brain and the computer

Summary form only given. Exactly fifty years ago, when he published "The computer and the brain" in 1957, John von Neumann foresaw computer designers benefiting from basing their designs on the brain. Interest in this topic has been renewed by the convergence in properties of transistors and ion-channels (the brain's transistors). At ten nanometers, a transistor's channel becomes so narrow that an electron trapped by a dangling bond at the surface (an unavoidable atomistic defect) blocks electron flow. The current turns off and on at random, as trapping and detrapping occurs stochastically. Such stochastic behavior, which corrupts the deterministic on/off states computers rely on to perform binary arithmetic, is also displayed by ion-channels. At under a nanometer in size, an ion-channel's gate is agitated by thermal forces, opening and closing randomly. I will describe efforts in the neuromorphic engineering community to explore how the brain computes with stochastic devices by emulating an ion-channel's ionic current directly with a transistor's electronic current. While a present-day transistor, at a hundred-nanometers wide, corresponds to a small population of ion-channels, not a single ion-channel, this analog approach provides an extremely efficient method to simulate the brain while at the same time laying the groundwork for building brain-like computers out of next decade's nanotransis-tors. John von Neumann was prescient in anticipating that computer designers could profit by modeling features of the brain in their designs - even though he did not foresee the remarkable device-level convergence.
Empirical study of defuzzification

The most important application of fuzzy logic is designing controllers. Fuzzy logic controllers (FLC) are much easier to design than non-linear controllers of similar capabilities. The rules that a designer needs to create are often based on their current experience and knowledge. Conventional FLCs use Center of Gravity or Mean of Maxima defuzzification methods, though other methods have been studied. This paper compares the efficiency of many different models of the defuzzification process. The goal is to examine the accuracy of the output data and the amount of processing time required. A simple controller that backs a truck up to a gate is used in the study. All of the variables are granulated with trapezoidal fuzzy numbers. Some of the defuzzification methods examined are Fast Center of Gravity, Mean of Maxima, True Center of Gravity and various new methods that have shown promise in application.
Hawking Radiation without Black Hole Entropy

Hawking radiation is a purely kinematic effect that is generic to Lorentzian geometries containing event horizons; it is independent of dynamics. On the other hand, the classical laws of black hole mechanics and the semiclassical laws of black hole thermodynamics are both inextricably linked with dynamics: Black hole entropy is proportional to area (plus corrections) if and only if the dynamics is Einstein-Hilbert (plus corrections). Hawking radiation can occur in physical situations in which the laws of black hole mechanics do not apply, and in physical situations in which the notion of black hole entropy does not even make any sense. {copyright} {ital 1998} {ital The American Physical Society}
A fuzzy-logic-supported weighted least squares state estimation

Abstract This paper presents a new approach to power system state estimation based on the application of fuzzy logic. Significant improvements in state estimates are achieved (relative to the weighted least squares algorithm) by using a hybrid estimator incorporating fuzzy-logic concepts. The design of the fuzzy estimator is described. The approach is illustrated for two sample systems: a 6-bus network and the 30-bus IEEE test system. Numerical and graphical results are presented to illustrate the superiority of the new method.
New technology for detection and removal of surface contamination involving particulates or water/organic materials

Contamination control in the manufacturing and packaging of quartz oscillators used for frequency control is discussed. As part of the production process it is necessary to detect contaminants that can effect the operation of the device and remove them without damaging the resonator system or any auxiliary assemblies. The application of ultraviolet-light-induced photoemission is investigated for monitoring surface contaminants. Cleaning methods using dry ice snow, dry ice polishing, water/ozone solutions and ultrasonics, and electrodes are discussed. Contamination caused by gloves and personnel protection systems are discussed. >
System of systems architecting via natural development principles

In contrast to static systems engineering that has traditionally being utilized in development of stand-alone systems, rapid deployment and deployment of fully integrated system of systems demands dynamic engineering. Change is not simply a possibility, or even a high probability, but a virtual certainty that has made the old ways of engineering and acquiring systems obsolete. For millions of years nature has used dynamic engineering principles in developing adaptable and evolving system of systems. Such principles which are referred to as natural or open systems principles in this paper are proven to withstand the test of time and are indeed equally applicable to man-made system of systems. This paper will elaborate on principal natural (open systems) development principles and discuss their application in architecting man-made system of systems.
Polymer vesicles in various media

Abstract Vesicles can be made from various polymers, from modified biological to wholly synthetic, in media ranging from complex to neat organics and water. Although the canonical form of polymers that have the ability to assemble into encapsulating vesicles is an amphiphilic H–P (hydrophobic–polar) diblock, additional block copolymers from triblocks to pentablocks have also been shown to assemble into vesicles. Polydispersity seems to have a minimal effect, but solvent requirements may well depend on the proportion of H to P as well as the molecular weight. What is clear from all of the ultrastructural characterization done on polymer vesicles is that the ‘universal’ thickness of 3–4 nm, which is well-known for natural lipid vesicles, reflects no physical limitation on the amphiphilic assembly at the nano-scale. Emerging material characterizations emphasize the dominance of the two-dimensional H–P interface and the unnatural robustness possible in the responses of polymer membranes.
Control of adenovirus E1B mRNA synthesis by a shift in the activities of RNA splice sites.

Abstract The primary transcript from adenovirus 2 early region 1B (E1B) is processed by differential RNA splicing into two overlapping mRNAs, 13S and 22S. The 22S mRNA is the major E1B mRNA during the early phase of infection, whereas the 13S mRNA predominates during the late phase. In previous work, it has been shown that this shift in proportions of the E1B mRNAs is influenced by increased cytoplasmic stability of the 13S mRNA at late times in infection. Two observations presented here demonstrate that the increase in proportion of the 13S mRNA at late times is also regulated by a change in the specificity of RNA splicing. First, the relative concentrations of the 13S to 22S nuclear RNAs were not constant throughout infection but increased at late times. Secondly, studies with the mutant, adenovirus 2 pm2250 , provided evidence that there was an increased propensity to utilize a 5' splice in the region of the 13S 5' splice site at late times in infection. Adenovirus 2 pm2250 has a G----C transversion in the first base of E1B 13S mRNA intron preventing splicing of the 13S mRNA but not of the 22S mRNA. During the early phase of a pm2250 infection, the E1B primary transcripts were processed into the 22S mRNA only. However, during the late phase, when the 13S mRNA normally predominates, E1B primary transcripts were also processed by RNA splicing at two formerly unused or cryptic 5' splice sites. Both cryptic splice sites were located much closer to the disrupted 13S 5' splice site than to the 22S 5' splice site. Thus, the temporal increase in proportion of the 13S mRNA to the 22S mRNA is regulated by two processes, an increase in cytoplasmic stability of the 13S mRNA and an increased propensity to utilize the 13S 5' splice site during the late phase of infection. Adenovirus 2 pm2250 was not defective for productive infection of HeLa cells or for transformation of rat cells.
Electronic Health Record Systems in Ophthalmology: Impact on Clinical Documentation

Objective To evaluate quantitative and qualitative differences in documentation of the ophthalmic examination between paper and electronic health record (EHR) systems. Design Comparative case series. Participants One hundred fifty consecutive pairs of matched paper and EHR notes, documented by 3 attending ophthalmologist providers. Methods An academic ophthalmology department implemented an EHR system in 2006. Database queries were performed to identify cases in which the same problems were documented by the same provider on different dates, using paper versus EHR methods. This was done for 50 consecutive pairs of examinations in 3 different diseases: age-related macular degeneration (AMD), glaucoma, and pigmented choroidal lesions (PCLs). Quantitative measures were used to compare completeness of documenting the complete ophthalmologic examination, as well as disease-specific critical findings using paper versus an EHR system. Qualitative differences in paper versus EHR documentation were illustrated by selecting representative paired examples. Main Outcome Measures (1) Documentation score, defined as the number of examination elements recorded for the slit-lamp examination, fundus examination, and complete ophthalmologic examination and for critical clinical findings for each disease. (2) Paired comparison of qualitative differences in paper versus EHR documentation. Results For all 3 diseases (AMD, glaucoma, PCL), the number of complete examination findings recorded was significantly lower with paper than the EHR system ( P ≤0.004). Among the 3 individual examination sections (general, slit lamp, fundus) for the 3 diseases, 5 of the 9 possible combinations had significantly lower mean documentation scores with paper than EHR notes. For 2 of the 3 diseases, the number of critical clinical findings recorded was significantly lower using paper versus EHR notes ( P ≤0.022). All (150/150) paper notes relied on graphical representations using annotated hand-drawn sketches, whereas no (0/150) EHR notes contained drawings. Instead, the EHR systems documented clinical findings using textual descriptions and interpretations. Conclusions There were quantitative and qualitative differences in the nature of paper versus EHR documentation of ophthalmic findings in this study. The EHR notes included more complete documentation of examination elements using structured textual descriptions and interpretations, whereas paper notes used graphical representations of findings. Financial Disclosure(s) The author(s) have no proprietary or commercial interest in any materials discussed in this article.
ß-Carboline Analogues of MPP+ as Environmental Neurotoxins

Carbolines (pyrido-indoles) are prevalent tryptophan-derived heterocyclics in the diet and environment that have been linked since the late 1970’s to carcinogenesis. Evidence from our and other laboratories suggests the possibility that the most common pyrido-indole isomers, the s-carbolines, also might be “protoxicants” leading to neuronal damage and resultant idiopathic parkinsonism in susceptible individuals. There is a close structural similarity between the N-methylated cationic products of simple s-carbolines (e.g., norharman or harman) and the parkinsonian neurotoxin, MPTP, or specifically, its active cationic metabolite, MPP+. The N-methylated s-carbolinium species are formed in mammalian brain via one or possibly two enzymatic S-adenosylmethionine-dependent N-methylations. These chemical alterations metabolically bioactivate the molecules, greatly increasing both the mitochondrial inhibitory activity and the in vitro and in vivo dopaminergic toxicity of the s-carboline nucleus. Furthermore, the second (indole nitrogen) methylating activity as well as the product (2,9-di-N-methylated) carbolinium cations appear to be elevated in parkinsonian brain. Matsubara’s studies (this volume) demonstrate nigrostriatal neurodegeneration and neurobehavioral impairment in mice given precursors of the s-carbolinium cations. In view of these findings, epidemiological studies on the possible relationship between environmental carboline alkaloid exposure and idiopathic parkinsonism could be revealing.
A low sympathoadrenal activity is associated with body weight gain and development of central adiposity in Pima Indian men.

TATARANNI P ANTONIO JAMES B YOUNG, CLIFTON BOGARDUS, ERIC RAVUSSIN. A low sympathoadrenal activity is associated with body weight gain and development of central adiposity in Pima Indian men. To investigate the possible role of impaired sympathetic nervous system and/or adrenal medullary function in the etiology of human obesity, we studied 64 Pima Indian men (28 ± 6 years, 101 ± 25 kg, 34 ± 9% body fat, mean ± SD) in whom sympathoadrenal function was estimated at baseline by measurements of 24-hour urinary norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (Epi) excretion rates under weight-maintenance conditions. Body weight, body composition (hydrodensitometry), and body fat distribution (waist-to-thigh circumference ratio, W/T) were measured at baseline and follow-up. Follow-up data were available on 44 subjects who gained on average 8.4 ± 9.5 kg over 3.3 ± 2.1 years. In these subjects, baseline NE excretion rate, adjusted for its determinants (i.e., fat free mass, fat mass, and W/T), correlated negatively with bodyweight gain (r=−0.38; p=0.009). Baseline Epi excretion rate correlated negatively with changes in W/T (r=−0.44; p=0.003). In conclusion, our data show for the first time that a low sympathetic nervous system activity is associated with body weight gain in humans. Also, a low activity of the adrenal medulla is associated with the development of central adiposity.
Interactions of cytosolic sulfotransferases with xenobiotics.

AbstractCytosolic sulfotransferases are a superfamily of enzymes that catalyze the transfer of the sulfonic group from 3′-phosphoadenosine-5′-phosphosulfate to hydroxy or amine groups in substrate molecules. The human cytosolic sulfotransferases that have been most studied, namely SULT1A1, SULT1A3, SULT1B1, SULT1E1 and SULT2A1, are expressed in different tissues of the body, including liver, intestine, adrenal, brain and skin. These sulfotransferases play important roles in the sulfonation of endogenous molecules such as steroid hormones and neurotransmitters, and in the elimination of xenobiotic molecules such as drugs, environmental chemicals and natural products. There is often overlapping substrate selectivity among the sulfotransferases, although one isoform may exhibit greater enzyme efficiency than other isoforms. Similarly, inhibitors or enhancers of one isoform often affect other isoforms, but typically with different potency. This means that if the activity of one form of sulfotransferase is alt...
A Review of Medical Error Reporting System Design Considerations and a Proposed Cross-Level Systems Research Framework

Objective: To review the literature on medical error reporting systems, identify gaps in the literature, and present an integrative cross-level systems model of reporting to address the gaps and to serve as a framework for understanding and guiding reporting system design and research. Background: Medical errors are thought to be a leading cause of death among adults in the United States. However, no review exists summarizing what is known about the barriers and facilitators for successful reporting systems, and no integrated model exists to guide further research into and development of medical error reporting systems. Method: Relevant literature was identified using online databases; references in relevant articles were searched for additional relevant articles. Results: The literature review identified components of medical error reporting systems, error reporting system design choices, barriers and incentives for reporting, and suggestions for successful reporting system design. Little theory was foun...
Reduced state Viterbi decoder for simple partial erasure model

A reduced state Viterbi decoder is introduced for a simple partial erasure model for magnetic recording systems. It is shown that the performance loss of an eight-state decoder is negligible compared to the original 16 state Viterbi decoder. The implementation issues of an eight-state decoder are also addressed.
Vitamin K antagonist use for all patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and atrial fibrillation: analysis of the literature and guideline review

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), which was first described in 1958, occurs in approximately one in 500 people. Patients with HCM are at an increased risk of atrial fibrillation, which is not only poorly tolerated in this population, but also increases their risk of an embolic event. The incidence of stroke in HCM patients with atrial fibrillation is approximately 21-23%. Given the high risk of stroke, antithrombotic therapy with warfarin is recommended in national guidelines. This therapy should be used without regard to other risk factors for stroke that may be present. Anticoagulation with the new oral anticoagulants may be considered as an alternative; although, specific data for patients with HCM is not available. The purpose of this review is to remind practitioners of the importance of stroke prophylaxis with oral anticoagulants in this population.
Epitaxial Growth of III-Nitride/Graphene Heterostructures for Electronic Devices

Epitaxial GaN films were grown by metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) on functionalized epitaxial graphene (EG) using a thin (~11 nm) conformal AlN nucleation layer. Raman measurements show a graphene 2D peak at 2719 cm-1 after GaN growth. X-ray diffraction analysis reveals [0001]-oriented hexagonal GaN with (0002) peak rocking curve full width at the half maximum (FWHM) of 544 arcsec. The FWHM values are similar to reported values for GaN grown by MOCVD on sapphire. The GaN layer has a strong room-temperature photoluminescence band edge emission. Successful demonstration of GaN growth on EG opens up the possibility of III–nitride/graphene heterostructure-based electronic devices and promises improved performance.
Molecular evolutionary relationships in the avian genus Anthus (Pipits: Motacillidae).

Nucleotide sequences for 1035 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were used to determine the molecular evolutionary relationships of species in the cosmopolitan avian genus Anthus. Phylogenetic analysis of these mtDNA sequences supported four major clades within the genus: (1) the small-bodied African pipits, (2) a largely Palearctic clade, (3) a largely South American clade, and (4) an African-Eurasian-Australian clade. Anthus hellmayri, A. correndera, and A. rubescens are shown to be paraphyletic. The possibility of paraphyly within A. similis is instead inferred to be the discovery of a new species and supported by reference to the museum voucher specimen. Sequence divergence suggests a Pliocene/Miocene origin for the genus. Although Anthus cytochrome b is found not to be behaving in a clocklike fashion across all taxa, speciation during the Pleistocene epoch can be reasonably inferred for the 66% of sister pairs that are diverging in a clocklike manner. Base compositions at each codon position are similar to those found across a growing number of avian lineages. The resulting phylogenetic hypothesis is compared to previous hypotheses of Anthus relationships, all of which deal with relationships of a particular species or a particular species complex; roughly half of these previous hypotheses are supported.
A two-step model reduction approach for mechanical systems with moving loads

We consider model order reduction of mechanical systems with moving loads. Such systems have a?time-varying input matrix that makes the direct application of standard model reduction methods difficult. In this paper, we present a?two-step model reduction approach for systems with moving loads which is based on a?low-rank approximation of the input matrix and applying Krylov subspace methods to the resulting linear time-invariant system with a?modified input. Numerical results demonstrate the properties of the proposed model reduction method.
Rostrum Size of Paddlefish (Polyodon spathula)(Acipenseriformes: Polyodontidae) from the Mississippi Delta

Abstract Paddlefish rostra vary in size and shape suggesting existence of multiple morphotypes. Measurements for 118 adult paddlefish from a Mississippi delta river indicate that the rostrum becomes shorter, narrower, and straighter as a fish grows. Negative allometric growth of rostra, and high variation within size classes, may obscure existence of distinctive rostral morphotypes.