cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Facilitating organizational change: a test of leadership strategies

A sample of 339 employees embroiled in a major organizational change completed a survey that was designed to explore how specific change messages (e.g. appropriateness, valence, and management support) and change facilitation strategies (participation and training) relate to the perceptions of the change benefits and quality of information conveyed. Results indicated that appropriateness and extrinsic valence were strong predictors of perceptions of change benefits while supervisor support and extrinsic valence most influenced perceptions of information quality. Results further indicated that participation and training were related to perceptions of information quality. However, contrary to our expectations, participation was inversely related to the benefits of the change. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for practitioners and researchers.
Structure-dependent surface core level shifts for the Au(111), (100), and (110) surfaces

Abstract We have measured 4f core-level shifts and surface-to-bulk intensity ratios for surface atoms on the Au(111), (100) and (110) faces. These shifts show crystallographic dependences as well as dependences on surface reconstruction. For the reconstructed Au(110)-(2x1) surface, our data are consistent with a relaxed missing row model and exclude an unrelaxed missing row model. The Au(100)-(5x20) reconstructed surface gives surface core-level shifts and intensity ratios which are consistent with a buckled hexagonal overlayer model with surface relaxation.
Vapor-liquid equilibria for carbon dioxide and 1-methylnaphthalene: experiment and correlation

Abstract Vapor-liquid equilibria for a binary system of carbon dioxide and 1-methylnaphthalene are measured in the range of 50 to 250° and 40 to 160 bar, in a flow apparatus. The experimental data are correlated with three equations of state, the Statistical Associating Fluid Theory (SAFT), the Perturbed Hard Chain (PHC), and the Soave (Soave). The calculated mutual solubilities and distribution coefficients (K-factors) are found to be in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.
Carboxamido carbonyl complexes of manganese(I)

Mn(CO)5Br reacts with primary aliphatic amines, RNH2, to form carboxamido complexes, Mn(CO)4(CONHR)(NH2R): Mn(CO)5Br + 3RNH2→Mn(CO)4(CONHR)(NH2R + RNH3+Br−. Their reaction with HCl removes the −NHR group from the carboxamido group according to the equation: Mn(CO)4(CONHR)(NH2R) + 2HCl→[Mn(CO)5(NH2R)]+ Cl− + RNH3+Cl−. The [Mn(CO)5(NH2R)]+ ions react instantaneously with amine, RNH2, to regenerate the carboxamido complex, Mn(CO)4(CONHR)(NH2R). Infrared, nmr, and mass spectra of the new compounds are discussed.
Effects of stuttering severity and therapy involvement on role entrapment of people who stutter.

Abstract The primary purpose of this study was to examine whether a group of university students would report role entrapment of people who stutter (PWS) in the form of occupational stereotyping. The study also examined whether severity of stuttering (mild or severe) and level of therapy involvement (choosing or not choosing to attend therapy) affected the perceptions of role entrapment. To examine these issues, 260 students completed the Vocational Advice Scale (VAS) [Gabel, R. M., Blood, G. W., Tellis, G., & Althouse, M. T. (2004). Measuring role entrapment of people who stutter. Journal of Fluency Disorders, 29 , 27–49]. Results suggested that stuttering severity and the level of therapy involvement did not appear alter the judges’ reports for all of the careers except for the career of speech therapist. For the career of speech therapist, therapy involvement improved the participants’ reports and stuttering severity had no effect. Additionally, findings suggested that university students reported that 16 of the careers listed on the VAS were appropriate choices for people who stutter and were less certain about advising for 27 of the careers. Thus, the findings from this study do not support the notion that stuttering leads to role entrapment in the form vocational stereotyping and variations in therapy involvement or stuttering severity do not change perceptions of role entrapment. Learner outcomes: The reader will be able to (1) identify common stereotypes of PWS, (2) describe the possible effects of stereotyping and role entrapment, and (3) describe the effects of severity and therapy involvement of role entrapment of PWS.
Proposal for a 207-A laser in lithium

A technique is proposed for using the properties of the autoionizing levels of neutral Li to construct a 207-A laser. Energy is first stored in the lowest quartet level at 57.4 eV and then, by use of an intense laser beam, rapidly transferred to a radiating level in the doublet series.
Basis-Spline collocation method for the lattice solution of boundary value problems

Abstract We study a particular utilization of the basis-spline collocation method (BSCM) for the lattice solution of boundary value problems. We demonstrate the implementation of a general set of boundary conditions. Among the selected problems are the Schrodinger equation in radial coordinates, the Poisson, and the generalized Helmholtz equations in radial and three-dimensional Cartesian coordinates.
An Information Theoretic Argument on the Form of Damage Accumulation in Solids

An approach to modeling failure that is inspired by two experimentally observed facts is presented. These observations are: (1) cracks grow as the end result of a irreversible, dissipative process, and (2) fracture has an inherent lengthscale, timescale and/or spatial hierarchy influenced by the (possibly dynamically changing) microstructural state. The second of these facts enables one to view the seemingly deterministic cracks observed at higher levels of hierarchy as resulting from uncertain events at lower-levels of hierarchy associated with microstructural variations. A key mathematical result developed in Information Theory together with the maximum entropy principle of Statistical Mechanics is utilized to derive a form of damage that is “maximally non-committal” about microstructural uncertainty in lower levels of fracture hierarchy. The irrecoverable energy that is expended in the creation of new surfaces or in plastic dissipation is associated with the microstructural damage using continuum therm...
High structure sensitivity of vapor-phase furfural decarbonylation/hydrogenation reaction network as a function of size and shape of Pt nanoparticles.

Vapor-phase transformations of furfural in H2 over a series of Pt nanoparticles (NPs) with various particle sizes (1.5–7.1 nm size range) and shapes (rounded, cubes, octahedra) encapsulated in poly...
The effect of chemotherapy on growth in the skeletally immature individual.

Fortunately, it is no longer unusual for a child to survive cancer and live into adulthood. Particular success has been seen with the sarcomas since the widespread use of multiagent adjuvant chemotherapy in the 1970s. Interest may now be focused on long-term sequelae of both the disease and its treatment. Numerous published reports deal with the long-term outcome of skeletal growth in survivors of childhood cancer [1–3,5–7,9,13,14]. However, these reports deal primarily with survivors of leukemia and central nervous system tumors. In most cases, the children studied have received radiation therapy to the brain or vertebrae which exerts a particular local influence on skeletal growth.
Regional councils of governments at the crossroads: implications for intergovernmental management and networks

Councils of governments (COGS) have been subjected to powerful forces of change in the 1980s, due principally to drastic reductions in federal financial support. To survive, the councils have had to become more entrepreneural, to extend themselves in new directions They have scanned their local and regional task environments intensively for opportunities to form and/or join new networks and to provide more services in traditional and in new areas. The new style of council is described in this paper, using a market model. The model emphasizes opportunistic scanning of the regional task environment, and the assessment of issue networks as an iterative process in COG direction setting and implementation efforts.
Demonstration of a putative receptor site for cholecystokinin in rat brain

Abstract High affinity (apparent K d ⋍ 0.65 nM) and saturable (B max ⋍ 6.6 fmoles/mg protein) binding sites for cholecystokinin (CCK) have been demonstrated in crude synaptosomal membranes from rat cerebral cortex. Scatchard analysis of the equilibrium binding data indicates a single population of non-interacting sites. The specific binding of 125 I-CCK 33 to brain membranes is reversible ( t 1 2 ⋍ 6 minutes ), and can be inhibited by structurally related CCK analogues but not by unrelated neuropeptides or drugs. Specific CCK binding reaches equilibrium at a temperature-dependent rate, and is abolished when membranes are pre-treated with heat. Kinetic and competition studies suggest that these high affinity binding sites represent physiologically-relevant receptors for CCK in brain.
Pseudorabies virus-induced expression of nitric oxide synthase isoforms

In addition to its role as a neurotransmitter, studies have postulated both neuroprotective and neurotoxic roles for nitric oxide (NO) generated in response to infections with neurotropic viruses. This study examined the expression of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) isoforms of NOS induced by neuronal infection with virulent and attenuated strains of pseudorabies virus (PRV). Caudal brainstem neurons infected by peripheral inoculation of the viscera served as the model system. Neuronal infection induced the expression of nNOS and iNOS, but the timing and the apparent magnitude of NOS expression varied according to the virulence of the infecting strain of virus. Expression of nNOS was observed in infected neurons that did not express this enzyme in control animals, and the onset of expression was earlier in animals infected with virulent PRV. Expression of iNOS was largely restricted to monocytes and macrophages that invaded the brain in response to PRV infection. These iNOS-expressing cells were observed earlier in animals infected with the virulent virus, and were differentially concentrated in areas exhibiting virus-induced neuropathology. Collectively, these data suggest functionally diverse roles for NO in the brain response to PRV neuronal infection.
IR laser ablation of dental enamel : mechanistic dependence on the primary absorber

Abstract The mechanism of ablation of dental enamel was investigated at IR laser wavelengths from 9.3–10.6 μ m and 2.7–3.0 μ m. The mechanism of ablation varies markedly depending on whether the laser energy is coupled to the water (Er:YAG – λ =3.0 μ m) or coupled to the mineral (CO 2 – λ =9.6 μ m). The ablation threshold occurs well below the melting point of dental enamel (1280°C) as indicated by SEM and time resolved surface temperature measurements during Er:YAG laser ablation. Conversely, ablation is initiated at temperatures above the melting point of hydroxyapatite during irradiation with 9.6 μ m CO 2 laser radiation. The ablation mechanism is apparently photomechanical in nature and water mediated at 2.94 μ m, while near 9.6 μ m, the mechanism is more indicative of thermal vaporization of the mineral matrix. Absorption spectra and SEM are used to support the hypothesis that the spatial distribution of water and mineral in the enamel microstructure is responsible for the mechanistic differences in ablation observed between the two IR wavelength regions.
Accurate simulations of metals at the mesoscale: Explicit treatment of 1 million atoms with quantum mechanics

Abstract We present a fully linear scaling (at most O ( N · log( N ))) and parallel algorithm for orbital-free density functional theory (OFDFT), for the first time exhibiting linear scaling in all terms (electronic and ionic). OFDFT solves directly for the electron density; consequently, the electron kinetic energy is determined using density functionals, which must be nonlocal to provide sufficient accuracy. The systematic elimination of bottlenecks within OFDFT renders the entire algorithm quasilinear scaling for all system sizes (no crossover point). Now an unprecedented number of atoms (∼1 million) can be treated explicitly quantum mechanically within OFDFT with a modest number of processors, opening up the door to treatment of ever more complex features in materials (precipitates, dislocations, etc.) without introducing empirical assumptions.
The ethics of imperfect cures: models of service delivery and patient vulnerability

A rising number of patients require continuing or palliative services and this means that they will need to transition from one model of healthcare delivery to another. If it is generally recognised that patient vulnerability to inadequate services increases when the setting in which patient receives care changes, it is usually taken to be the result of poor coordination of services or personnel. Recognising that an integrated system is essential to adequate access, the point that I put forward in this paper is that the centrality of acute care services affects the way in which chronic and palliative services are structured and, consequently, their availability. I argue that the problem originates in the manner in which some of the foundational concepts of the acute care model are imported into the other models of care delivery. In order to make this case, I review the three main models of healthcare service delivery by focusing my analysis along three axes: the goal of the care model; the predominant understanding of autonomy implicit in the model; and, the main actors in the care relationship. By examining how the various concepts translate from one model to the next, I discuss what I identify to be one of the main conceptual obstacles to less problematic transitioning, the notion of autonomy and the corresponding view of the patient as an isolated agent.
Trends of upper‐air circulation and water vapour over equatorial South America and adjacent oceans

A novel 40-year upper-air dataset along with satellite measurements have been analyzed to explore the vertical circulation and water vapour transport and their long-term evolution over equatorial South America and the adjacent oceans. Lower-tropospheric convergence, mid-tropospheric ascending motion, upper-tropospheric divergence, as well as precipitable water, are concentrated in the realm of the Pacific and Atlantic Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) throughout the year and the Amazon basin during austral summer. Water vapour is imported into the Amazon basin from the equatorial and tropical South Atlantic and during austral summer also from the tropical North Atlantic. The recognition of long-term developments in the tropical climate system hinges on the homogeneity of the upper-air dataset. With this qualification, statistically significant increasing trends of lower-tropospheric convergence, upward motion, upper-tropospheric divergence, convergence of atmospheric water vapour transport, and precipitable water are found over the Amazon basin throughout the year. In all seasons, the pattern of atmospheric water vapour transport shows a statistically significant trend towards the development of a clockwise turning vortex over eastern Brazil, concordant with a centre of falling tendency in 1000 mb height and associated vortex in the wind field. The trends towards reduced/enhanced water vapour import at the northern/southern side of the vortex largely offset each other, so that the trend towards greater moisture convergence for the basin as a whole results from the combination of increasing vapour import through the northern and decreasing export through the western and southern boundaries of the Amazon watershed.
Indirect decompression for lumbar spinal stenosis with the minimally invasive lateral approach

Abstract The lateral retroperitoneal approach is increasingly being utilized to achieve indirect decompression of the neural elements for symptomatic spinal stenosis. Early reports are promising as to the safety and efficacy, in particular for moderate stenosis in the mid-lumbar region. Correction of degenerative coronal deformities is possible, but sagittal alignment restoration is less reliable. There is a complication profile that is unique to this technique, and we are learning methods to minimize the incidence of approach-related thigh symptoms, lumbar plexus injuries, and abdominal wall bulging. Electrophysiological monitoring and a thorough knowledge of the anatomy are keys to safely performing the procedure.
Manganese oxide and graphite oxide/MnO2 composites as reactive adsorbents of ammonia at ambient conditions

Abstract Manganese oxide and manganese oxide/graphite oxide composites were synthesized and used as a new generation of adsorbents for efficient ammonia removal from air at ambient conditions. Two graphite oxides with different contents of oxygen were used. The initial and exposed to ammonia samples were characterized using adsorption of nitrogen, infrared spectroscopy, potentiometric titration, scanning electron microscopy and thermal analysis. The results indicated strong ammonia adsorption on manganese oxide. Composites with graphite oxides showed an enhanced adsorption capacity. The materials differ in their surface features depending on the degree of oxidation of graphite oxide used. A low degree of oxidation leads to the deposition of the manganese oxide component at lower oxidation state than that in the composite with a strongly oxidized graphene-type component. In the composites Mn(IV) acts as an oxidant for ammonia and graphite oxide functional groups contribute to oxygen activation and thus enhance oxidation process.
Reduced Tumor Necrosis Factor-α and Transforming Growth Factor-β1 Expression in the Lungs of Inbred Mice that Fail to Develop Fibroproliferative Lesions Consequent to Asbestos Exposure

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α and transforming growth factor (TGF)-β mRNA and protein expression and the degree of fibroproliferative response to inhaled asbestos fibers are clearly reduced in the 129 inbred mouse strain as compared with typical fibrogenesis observed in the C57BL/6 inbred strain. The C57BL/6 mice showed prominent lesions at bronchiolar-alveolar duct (BAD) junctions where asbestos fibers deposit and responding macrophages accumulate. The 129 mice, however, were generally indistinguishable from controls even though the numbers of asbestos fibers deposited in the lungs of all exposed animals were the same. Quantitative morphometry of H&E-stained lung sections comparing the C57BL/6 and 129 mice showed significantly less mean cross-sectional area of the BAD junctions in the 129 animals, apparent at both 48 hours and 4 weeks after exposure. In addition, fewer macrophages had accumulated at these sites in the 129 mice. Nuclear bromodeoxyuridine immunostaining demonstrated that the number of proliferating cells at first alveolar duct bifurcations and in adjacent terminal bronchioles was significantly reduced in the 129 strain compared with C57BL/6 mice at 48 hours after exposure ( P 1 gene expression, as measured by in situ hybridization, was reduced in the 129 mice at 48 hours after exposure, and expression of TNF-α and TGF-β 1 protein, as measured by immunohistochemistry, was similarly reduced or absent in the 129 animals. We postulate that the protection afforded the 129 mice is related to reduction of growth factor expression by the bronchiolar-alveolar epithelium and lung macrophages.
Capillary Electrochromatography with Gradient Elution

A capillary electrochromatograph incorporating a gradient-forming system generally employed in HPLC is described, and the use of gradient elution in reversed phase electrochromatography is demonstrated by the separation of PTH-amino acids and steroid hormones. The gradient former employs two reciprocating displacement pumps to control the composition of the eluent in the reservoir at the column inlet with time in a controlled manner. Thus, the composition of the mobile phase flowing through the column and driven by electrosmotic forces can be changed with time in a controlled fashion as customary in HPLC with gradient elution. The design of the system allows also for isocratic elution by pumping the eluent of constant composition through the cavity at the column inlet and thus continuously supplying fresh buffer. The eluent gradient is generated by the two pumps and a 10 μL mixer. From there the liquid passes at a flow rate of 0.1−0.2 mL/min through the 17 μL cavity housing the column inlet and an electro...
Antares Power Amplifier Optical System

We describe the optical systems of the six Antares Laser Power Amplifiers. These assemblies are preceded by the front-end optics and followed by the target system. Each power amplifier receives an annular input beam and divides it into 12 beams which are then directed to double pass them through 12 gain regions surrounding a central electron gun. Provisions are being made for spatially filtering each beam and for the possibility of adding saturable absorbers. Two keys to the successful completion of the power amplifier are: (1) the avoidance of unwanted lasing modes and hot spots in the wavefronts, and (2) the maintenance of alignment throughout the entire laser system, including the internal alignment of the Power Amplifier. The goal has been to minimize alignment problems by careful and simplistic design of the mountings, stressing modular assemblies and accessibility. We have succeeded in designing to average energy densities of 2.0 J/cm2 for salt windows and 3.0 J/cm2 on copper mirrors, while extracting the largest possible energy from the volume of gas which is electrically pumped.
βII‐Spectrin (SPTBN1) suppresses progression of hepatocellular carcinoma and Wnt signaling by regulation of Wnt inhibitor kallistatin

βII-Spectrin (SPTBN1) is an adapter protein for Smad3/Smad4 complex formation during transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) signal transduction. Forty percent of SPTBN1+/− mice spontaneously develop hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and most cases of human HCC have significant reductions in SPTBN1 expression. In this study, we investigated the possible mechanisms by which loss of SPTBN1 may contribute to tumorigenesis. Livers of SPTBN1+/− mice, compared to wild-type mouse livers, display a significant increase in epithelial cell adhesion molecule-positive (EpCAM+) cells and overall EpCAM expression. Inhibition of SPTBN1 in human HCC cell lines increased the expression of stem cell markers EpCAM, Claudin7, and Oct4, as well as decreased E-cadherin expression and increased expression of vimentin and c-Myc, suggesting reversion of these cells to a less differentiated state. HCC cells with decreased SPTBN1 also demonstrate increased sphere formation, xenograft tumor development, and invasion. Here we investigate possible mechanisms by which SPTBN1 may influence the stem cell traits and aggressive behavior of HCC cell lines. We found that HCC cells with decreased SPTBN1 express much less of the Wnt inhibitor kallistatin and exhibit decreased β-catenin phosphorylation and increased β-catenin nuclear localization, indicating Wnt signaling activation. Restoration of kallistatin expression in these cells reversed the observed Wnt activation. Conclusion: SPTBN1 expression in human HCC tissues is positively correlated with E-cadherin and kallistatin levels, and decreased SPTBN1 and kallistatin gene expression is associated with decreased relapse-free survival. Our data suggest that loss of SPTBN1 activates Wnt signaling, which promotes acquisition of stem cell-like features, and ultimately contributes to malignant tumor progression. (Hepatology 2015;61:598-612)
High performance RDMA based all-to-all broadcast for infiniband clusters

The All-to-all broadcast collective operation is essential for many parallel scientific applications. This collective operation is called MPI_Allgather in the context of MPI. Contemporary MPI software stacks implement this collective on top of MPI point-to-point calls leading to several performance overheads. In this paper, we propose a design of All-to-All broadcast using the Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) feature offered by InfiniBand, an emerging high performance interconnect. Our RDMA based design eliminates the overheads associated with existing designs. Our results indicate that latency of the All-to-all Broadcast operation can be reduced by 30% for 32 processes and a message size of 32 KB. In addition, our design can improve the latency by a factor of 4.75 under no buffer reuse conditions for the same process count and message size. Further, our design can improve performance of a parallel matrix multiplication algorithm by 37% on eight processes, while multiplying a 256x256 matrix.
Restoration of noisy regions modeled by noncausal Markov random fields of unknown parameters

The problem of restoring noisy images when the model parameters are not known is discussed. The underlying field, x, is modeled as a noncausal Markov random field (MRF), namely, either a multilevel logistic (MLL) or a Gaussian MRF, and is corrupted by additive independently identically distributed (i.i.d.) Gaussian noise. The application is a restoration/segmentation of regions of interest in an image obtained from histologies of brain sections, which suggests an MLL modeling since the regions are spatially smooth. The presented algorithm maximizes the joint likelihood of the observations, y, and x given the unknown parameters. The parameters of the noise and the random field are estimated separately through a maximum likelihood technique given the current estimate of x, and the underlying field is estimated through a maximum a posteriori method. In the case of images modeled by MLL MRFs, the result of the restoration is actually a segmentation since the collection of all pixels with the same level defines a region. The results show that the algorithm successfully segments the region of interest even when the signal-to-noise ratio is low. >
Comparison of tree and straight-line clocking for long systolic arrays

Achieving efficient and reliable synchronization is a critical problem in building long systolic arrays. This problem is addressed in the context of synchronous systems by introducing probabilistic models for two alternative clock distribution schemes: tree and straight-line clocking. Analytic bounds are presented for the probability of failure, and an examination is made of the tradeoffs between reliability and throughput in both schemes. The basic conclusion is that as the one-dimensional systolic array gets very long, tree clocking becomes preferable to straight-line clocking. >
Percutaneous retrieval of fractured bird's nest IVC filter penetrating into aorta

Inferior vena cava filters can provide lifesaving protections in patients with recurrent venous thromboembolic disease that are not candidates for anticoagulation. They are, however, associated with short- and long-term complications necessitating frequent follow-up. The authors report, in this article, a case of migration of Bird's Nest filter strut into the descending aorta and its percutaneous retrieval by snaring and capture. This case also underscores the trend to use retrievable filters to avoid longer-term complications. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
COMPARISON OF STRUCTURAL CHANGES IN BOVINE LONG AND SEMITENDINOSUS MUSCLES DURING COOKING

Structural characteristics of aged (10 days) bovine longissimus and semitendinosus muscles as affected by thermal treatment were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy PEM). Steaks were oven roasted at 177°C to internal temperatures of either 63, 68, or 73°C. At 63°C both muscle samples exhibited coagulation and denaturation of the perimy-sium and sarcolemma and progressively increased to near complete coagulation and denaturation at 73°C. Well-defined myofibrillar surface features were present in semitendinosus samples at 63°C and increased sarcomere denaturation and shrinkage were observed at the higher temperatures. Whereas, the overall topographical features of longissimus myofibrils were not well-defined and exhibited a granular appearance even at 63°C. TEM of samples heated to 63°C revealed less distinct myofibrils in longissimus than in semitendinosus samples. Disintegration of filaments in the I-band and shrinkage of filaments in the A-band occurred at 63°C. Increased disintegration of actin filaments in the I-band at the junction of the Z-disc and shrinkage and disruption of the A-band material occurred as temperatures were increased. Z-disc material remained intact with some evidence of disruption at the higher temperatures. Although progressive disruption of muscle fiber ultrastructure occurred as steaks were heated to higher internal temperatures, these changes did not result in increased muscle tenderness. Instead the samples became progressively less tender as internal temperatures were increased likely due to the shrinkage and hardening of filamentous material in the A-bands. Increased disintegration of filaments in the I-band as temperature was increased apparently did not contribute to an improvement in tenderness.
Steady-state scattering from microstrip dipole and patch antennas evaluated by the singularity expansion method

The singularity expansion method (SEM) is used to study plane-wave scattering from microstrip antennas embedded in multilayered media. Patches and dipoles are considered for this investigation. The scattered fields of microstrip antennas are found by exploiting a singularity expansion of the antenna current, leading to coupling coefficients which quantify the coupling between the antenna current and the impressed radiation. Scattering from a microstrip dipole is shown, where the SEM is compared to the MoM (method of moments) solution. The SEM solution is found to be in good agreement with the MoM solution, and is obtained analytically once the dipole's eigenmodes are found. >
A theory for chorus generation by energetic electrons during substorms

Previous observations during magnetospheric substorms reveal the existence of relatively narrow band electromagnetic emissions occurring slightly above and below one half of the electron cyclotron frequency in the equatorial magnetosphere beyond the plasmapause. Between these two bands of emission there exists a gap of much lower emission intensity. In this paper an interpretation is presented for these chorus observations wherein the lower emission band is represented by whistler noise and the upper emission band is described by the lowest harmonic of the ordinary mode. These emissions are assumed to be locally generated at the observation point. Both emission bands are excited by power law-distributed energetic electrons with a variable spectral index and a weak loss cone feature. The form of these energetic electrons is similar to the forms observed simultaneously with the chorus emissions. The calculated growth rates show a frequency distribution similar to that of the measured emissions. In addition, the same energetic electron distribution can also produce the electrostatic gyroharmonic emissions often seen by observers in conjunction with chorus emissions during substorms.
Mechanism of cold drawing in melt-spun poly(ethylene terephthalate) fibers

An investigation has been made into the mechanism of cold drawing in melt-spun poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) fibers. An analysis of the cold-drawing behavior using wide-angle x-ray diffraction, orientation measurements, calorimetric and mechanical techniques was performed. The evidence suggests that the cold-drawing process involes stress-enhanced crystallization which occurs in conjuction with incresing orientation of the crystalline and amorphous regions. A degradation in the fiber properties after cold drawing was observed for fibers spun below 1,000 m/min while fibers spun above 1,000 m/min exhibited an improvement in fiber properties with cold drawing. This behavior was explained by the existence of two distinct irreversible deformation micromechanisms for fibers spun below and above 1,000 m/min.
Characteristics of women who undergo second-trimester abortion in the setting of a fetal anomaly.

Abstract Background Most women diagnosed with a fetal anomaly terminate the pregnancy. Little is known about utilization of two procedures: dilation and evacuation (D&E) and induction termination. Study Design This retrospective cohort study included all women seen at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) Prenatal Diagnosis Center (PDC) who underwent a second-trimester abortion for an anomalous pregnancy from 2005 to 2008. We abstracted variables from the PDC database and medical charts to identify predictors associated with undergoing D&E. Results Three quarters of the 192 women underwent D&E (n=148). Higher maternal age, proximity to UCSF, earlier gestational age, singleton gestation and genetic anomaly were associated with undergoing D&E. In adjusted analysis, earlier gestational age and singleton gestation were associated with undergoing D&E. Conclusions The D&E procedure was more commonly utilized for terminating an anomalous pregnancy at UCSF than medical induction. Further inquiry is needed to explore how provider counseling influences the choice of D&E vs. induction.
COMMENTS ON THE VALUE OF COI FOR FAMILY-LEVEL FRESHWATER MUSSEL SYSTEMATICS: A REPLY TO HOEH, BOGAN, HEARD & CHAPMAN

INTRODUCTIONHoeh, Bogan, Heard & Chapman (2009; hereafter HBHC) raise a number of important criticisms of our recent analysis of family-level relationships among the lineages of the Palaeoheterodonta, Graf & Cummings (2006; hereafter G&C). We are pleased to have our conclusions scrutinized from other perspec-tives. HBHC also raise a number of questions about issues that we apparently did not explain LQVXI?FLHQWGHWDLODQGWKH\UHSRUWWKDWWKHresults of their reanalyses challenge our conclu-sions. We welcome their reanalysis and discus-sion.The objective of this article is to keep that debate alive by replying to HBHC.+%+&GLVFXVVDWOHDVW?YHSRLQWVRIGLV-agreement with our methods of analysis or conclusions:(1) We did not include (or adequately jus-tify exclusion of) COI sequences from the non-palaeoheterodont outgroup taxa (i.e.,
Structure-function studies of DNA damage using ab initio quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics simulation.

Studies of ring-saturated pyrimidine base lesions are used to illustrate an integrated modeling approach that combines quantum-chemical calculations with molecular dynamics simulation. Electronic-structure calculations on the lesions in Isolation reveal strong conformational preferences due to interactions between equatorial substituents to the pyrimidine ring. Large distortions of DNA should result when these interactions force the methyl group of thymine to assume an axial orientation, as is the case for thymine glycol but not for dihydrothymine. Molecular dynamics simulations of the dodecamer d(CGCGAATTCGCG){sub 2} with and without a ring-saturated thymine lesion at position T7 support this conclusion. Implications of these studies for recognition of thymine lesions by endonuclease III are also discussed.
Neurotoxicity from innate immune response is greatest with targeted replacement of E4 allele of apolipoprotein E gene and is mediated by microglial p38MAPK

Inheritance of APOE alleles is associated with varying clinical outcomes in several neurodegenerative diseases that are associated with innate immune response in brain. We tested the hypothesis that inheritance of different APOE alleles would significantly modulate neurotoxicity arising from glial innate immune response. We first used dissociated cultures of wild-type (wt) murine neurons and glia derived from mice with targeted replacement (TR) of the epsilon2, epsilon3, or, epsilon4 APOE allele. Our results showed that the vast majority of bystander damage to wt neurons derived from microglia was greatest with TR APOE4 glia, intermediate from TR APOE3 glia, and least from TR APOE2 glia and preceded detectable NO secretion. Microglial p38MAPK-dependent cytokine secretion followed a similar pattern of TR APOE dependence. In hippocampal slice cultures, innate immune activation had a similar pattern of TR APOE-dependence and produced postsynaptic neuronal damage in TR APOE4 and TR APOE3 but not TR APOE2 cultures that was p38MAPK dependent. These findings suggest a new mechanism by which inheritance of different APOE alleles may influence the outcome of neurodegenerative diseases associated with microglial innate immune response.
Intermetropolitan migration and quality of life

The aim of this paper is to assess the relative importance of economic and quality of life (QOL) factors as determinants of inter-metropolitan migration in the United States. The study is based on the generalized systemic gravity model of Alonso and on data from a sample of 25 SMSAs over the period 1965-1970. "The most striking feature of the empirical results is the apparent lack of importance of origin economic and QOL factors as determinants of outmigration....On the other hand the empirical results suggest both economic and QOL factors to be significant determinants of inmigration." (EXCERPT)
Infant sleeping position and sudden infant death syndrome: a systematic review.

among the scholars who have worked on this evidence. The two points of dispute, which do relate to our article and to my own research concern the nineteenth-century urban mortality evidence and the application of the social capital concept. On the mortality evidence Razzell and Spence’s critique seems entirely misconceived or mis-stated. They conclude by stating that, ‘Overall, the evidence does not indicate that mortality increased in large towns in the period 1841‐71, contradicting a major part of Szreter’s thesis.’ This is not at all my thesis, nor does it correspond with the trends I published with Graham Mooney. 3 This research indicates that although provincial, industrializing towns and cities probably suffered worse mortality than the national average at the beginning of the 19th century, they also endured a very serious further deterioration in their mortality conditions in the 1830s, which continued unabated during the 1840s. As Razzell and Spence should be aware, these findings (including those for the period 1800‐30) are not based solely on data for Glasgow and Bristol, as they misleadingly imply in their letter. (They do this by choosing to talk only of ‘large industrial cities’, which also enables them to include London, whereas my research and interpretation relates to provincial, industrializing towns and cities of both medium and large size, while it specifically excludes London). The 1850s saw an improvement, but not to a level of mortality above that which had prevailed before the catastrophe of the 1830s. The 1860s saw no further improvement, but the level of life expectancy achieved in these cities during the 1870s at last lifted them above the level of the 1820s and thereafter they continued to improve further above this level in each succeeding decade. On social capital Razzell and Spence state, ‘It implies a degree of social consensus and cohesion, whereas many medical and
Learning the k in k-means

When clustering a dataset, the right number k of clusters to use is often not obvious, and choosing k automatically is a hard algorithmic problem. In this paper we present an improved algorithm for learning k while clustering. The G-means algorithm is based on a statistical test for the hypothesis that a subset of data follows a Gaussian distribution. G-means runs k-means with increasing k in a hierarchical fashion until the test accepts the hypothesis that the data assigned to each k-means center are Gaussian. Two key advantages are that the hypothesis test does not limit the covariance of the data and does not compute a full covariance matrix. Additionally, G-means only requires one intuitive parameter, the standard statistical significance level α. We present results from experiments showing that the algorithm works well, and better than a recent method based on the BIC penalty for model complexity. In these experiments, we show that the BIC is ineffective as a scoring function, since it does not penalize strongly enough the model's complexity.
Choroidal blood flow is reduced in chicks with ocular enlargement induced by corneal incisions.

We have previously reported decreased choroidal blood flow (CBF) associated with goggle-induced ocular enlargement and myopia. It was uncertain, however, if this change in CBF was related to the occurrence of ocular enlargement or the increased ocular temperature produced by the goggle. We therefore used corneal surgery-induced ocular enlargement that eliminated the thermal effects observed with goggles to investigate the effects of ocular enlargement on CBF. Central corneal incisions (2 mm in length) were made in the right eye of 4 day old chicks and the wound sutured. In one group, the incision was oriented along the vertical meridian (with the head in its natural position -beak tip 30–45 degrees below horizontal), while in another group the incision was oriented along the horizontal meridian (with the head in its natural position). Age matched controls received no corneal incision. Two weeks later, CBF was measured using laser Doppler velocimetry. After determining CBF, the eyes were removed and axial ...
Regulatory interactions of N1303K-CFTR and ENaC in Xenopus oocytes: evidence that chloride transport is not necessary for inhibition of ENaC.

Regulatory interactions of the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) and the epithelial Na+ channel (ENaC) are readily apparent in Xenopus oocytes. However, the mechanism under...
Wireless focal planes 'On the road to amacronic sensors'

Progress in microoptic technology and concepts that blend epitaxial layers of analog circuitry, microoptics, microlaser arrays, and detector arrays with neural retinal designs are discussed. The sensor developments that can lead to tightly coupled and adaptive focal plane arrays are reviewed. Characteristic amacrine functions, such as motion detection, edge enhancement, and space-variant dynamic range compression, are outlined. It is shown that, with optically cross-linked detector arrays, competitive nonlinear center-surround designs that form the basis of biological amacrine functions can bridge the image processing chasm that previous technologies have failed to bridge. >
Solid-Phase Extraction and GC/MS Quantitation of Cocaine, Ecgonine Methyl Ester, Benzoylecgonine, and Cocaethylene from Meconium, Whole Blood, and Plasma

A selective solid-phase extraction technique has been applied to the analysis of cocaine and selected cocaine metabolites in meconium, whole blood, and plasma. This technique uses a mixed-mode Bond Elut Certify column that utilizes the characteristics of hydrophobic and polar interactions and ion exchange chromatography. Following extraction, cocaine, ecgonine methyl ester, benzoylecgonine, and cocaethylene were identified and quantitated using GC/MS. Linear quantitative response curves have been generated for the metabolites over a concentration range of 0-1000 ng/g for meconium and 0-1000 ng/mL for whole blood and plasma. The overall extraction efficiencies, depending on the metabolite, were between 58.1 and 99.7% for meconium, 95.6 and 124.0% for blood, and 86.9 and 128.9% for plasma. Linear regression analyses of the standard curve for the four analytes exhibited correlation coefficients ranging from 0.850 to 0.946 for meconium, 0.939 to 0.993 for whole blood, and 0.981 to 0.996 for plasma. Because of its capability to detect cocaethylene in meconium, blood, and plasma, the procedure can be used to determine if drug exposure occurred during the latter stages of gestation and if it involved only cocaine or a combination of cocaine and ethanol.
Hybrid simulation during military medical student field training--a novel curriculum.

ABSTRACTObjectives: Implement a new hybrid simulation curriculum into the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences Bushmaster Field Training Exercise for fourth-year medical students. The principal goal was to determine if high-fidelity hybrid simulation could be successfully implemented in a field environment. The secondary goals were to enhance the medical realism of training, allow students to practice crucial combat emergency medical skills and management in stressful field conditions, and develop medical team leadership. Methods: Low-, mid- and high-fidelity simulators were used in combination with standardized patients in a variety of field clinical settings. Students were given multiple opportunities to interact with the hybrid simulations. Student feedback about the simulation training was sought as part of their normal after-course critiques. Results: High-fidelity simulation can be successfully implemented in combat-simulated field conditions, and QA feedback indicated very positive ...
Multiphoton Absorption Above the Ionization Threshold

The topic of this paper is above-threshold processes, where the number, N, of photons absorbed by an atom exceeds the minimum number, N0, required to ionize the atom. In contrast to the case N=N0. one encounters in the treatment of above-threshold o’ processes continuum-continuum matrix elements, whose evaluation presents a numerical problem far more challenging than the evaluation of bound-bound and bound-continuum matrix elements. This extra complexity is, however, somewhat artificial in the sense that nonnormalizable functions appear only as an artifact of the particular theoretical approach; the emergent electron is, after all, initially bound and can in principle be described by a normalizable wavepacket throughout the ionization process, even if the electron continues to absorb photons after it has sufficient energy to escape. The root of the difficulty lies in the (unphysical) requirement that the electron depart with a definite energy--for then it must be described by a nonnormalizable (continuum) wavefunction. Furthermore, the (physical) requirement that this wavefunction be regular at the origin implies that it has the character of a stationary wave, comprised of outgoing and ingoing parts. The ingoing part, as it stands, is unphysical; only when stationary waves of different energies, spread over a narrow bandwidth, are superposed does the wavefunction acquire the correct asymptotic character of an outgoing wave, which describes the electron leaving the atom.
The Tortious Marketing of Handguns: Strict Liability is Dead, Long Live Negligence

The author is credited by legal scholars for helping create the tort theory of “negligent marketing” claims against handgun manufacturers. In this article, arguing that strict liability was a failed theory, he asserts that victims of gun violence should refocus their sights on the more prosaic liability theory of common law negligence. In his words, it is time to “go back to basics.” The article advances three different negligent marketing theories for suing handgun manufacturers: (1) negligence in marketing unusually dangerous weapons such as assault weapons and Saturday Night Special-type handguns; (2) negligence in promoting the sale of handguns to criminal consumers; and (3) negligence in failing to take reasonable precautions to minimize the risk of handguns being sold to those likely to misuse them. The strengths and weaknesses of each theory are extensively analyzed.