cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Role of web site design quality in satisfaction and word of mouth generation

– The purpose of this paper is to examine a comprehensive model explaining how web site design influences consumer's emotional and cognitive responses and contributes to satisfaction and word‐of‐mouth (WOM) communication in an online shopping context., – A total of 804 female college students completed an online survey after browsing one of two mock web sites developed to manipulate web site design quality., – Web site design quality showed positive direct effects on pleasure, arousal, and perceived information quality and indirect effects on satisfaction and WOM intention. Pleasant shopping experience increased positive perceptions and satisfaction. The results also showed that satisfaction mediated the relationship between emotional and cognitive responses and positive WOM intention., – Although an online survey was used to increase the reality of an online shopping experience, uncontrolled conditions may have influenced the results of the study. Further research needs to be conducted in a laboratory setting to control these factors., – The paper theoretically extends the applicability of the stimulus‐organism‐response paradigm to satisfaction and electronic WOM intention research and fills the gap in the current online shopping literature. The paper also offers valuable information to online retailers to maximize consumer satisfaction and generate positive WOM using web site design.
Suppression of nematodes in a coastal grassland soil

The nematophagous fungi Arthrobotrys oligospora and Myzocytiopsis glutinospora increase to large numbers (>103 propagules/g of soil) when moth larvae killed by entomopathogenic nematodes are added to soil microcosms. In spite of these increases, it is unclear how effective these nematophagous fungi are in suppressing nematodes. We measured nematode mortality in microcosms with small numbers of assay nematodes, and we examined assay nematodes recovered at the end of the experiment for signs of fungal parasites. Because the microcosms did not have a moat or other refuge, the assay nematodes remained vulnerable for the 3 days that they were in the soil. Mortality in this experiment was not substantially increased compared to a previous experiment, which measured the mortality of a larger number of assay nematodes in microcosms surrounded by a moat. Mortality, however, increased from 34 to 50% when recovered assay nematodes were examined and when those with conidia of the nematophagous fungus Hirsutella rhossiliensis were considered dead. The zoosporic fungus M. glutinospora was not detected, perhaps because the soil water potential was too low. Contrary to our expectations, there was no evidence of negative feedback on nematodes (i.e., no evidence of density-dependent mortality) because the addition of dead moth larvae greatly increased numbers of resident nematodes and A. oligospora but did not greatly affect the probability of nematode mortality.
Magnetic Susceptibility of Dilute Cu Alloys at Low Temperatures

The temperature dependence of the magnetic susceptibility of a number of dilute copper-tin and copper-iron alloys has been measured between room temperature and 4.2\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The results indicate an anomalous paramagnetism in the neighborhood of the temperature of the observed resistance minimum in these alloys. Proposed models for the resistance minimum and impurity scattering are reviewed in the light of this new magnetic information.
The Acute Effect of Ipratropium Bromide Bronchodilator Therapy on Cough Clearance in COPD

Using radiolabeled, monodispersed aerosols ( 99m To-iron oxide) and gamma camera analysis, we measured the efficacy of cough for clearing mucus from the airways of the lung following inhalation of the bronchodilator ipratropium bromide (IB) (Atrovent, Boehringer Ingelheim, Inc), a drug that has been shown to have no effect on mucociliary clearance in COPD. Clearance of radiolabeled aerosol was studied over a 2.5-h period on three separate days, a control day with no coughing, and two study days during which the patient performed controlled cough maneuvers over the course of clearance measurements following IB or placebo therapy (double blind, crossover). Fifteen patients, age >45 years, with stable moderate-to-severe airway obstruction (mean FEV 1 /FVC=0.45) were studied. IB diminished the effectiveness of cough for clearing the radiolabeled particles from the airways. This effect of IB on cough clearance may be due to (1) changes in the airflow dynamics induced by bronchodilation or (2) altered rheology or depth of airway secretions.
Mechanisms of chronic hypoxia-induced renal cell growth.

Mechanisms of chronic hypoxia-induced renal cell growth. Chronic local tissue hypoxia appears to play an important role in the initiation and progression of chronic renal disease. We examined the effect of local hypoxia on cultured renal tubular epithelial and mesangial cell proliferation, dedifferentiation, and extracellular matrix synthesis. The underlying signaling mechanisms whereby hypoxia induces renal cell growth were evaluated. The roles of protein kinase C, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, TGF-β1, osteopontin, and nitric oxide were determined.
Getting Lost in the Labyrinth: Information and Technology in the Marketplace

The importance of the labyrinth as a trope in the Western tradition can hardly be overstated. Far from being a metaphor that describes just anything, it is a sign whose meaning appears in specific contexts. This article argues how the labyrinthâ€™s triple function as visual, verbal and spatial signâ€”as well as its paradoxical function as unicursal and multicursal structureâ€”makes it flexible enough to represent the paradoxical and complex nature of the modern workplace, the city, the mall and the individual subjectâ€™s position within an ever burgeoning network of relationships brought about by consumerism, capitalism, and commodification. Understanding the labyrinth trope helps people to understand the subjectâ€™s relationship to power and the very technology that we have created and in which we are trapped.
Latent variable models of status attainment

Results from regression models of status attainment may be misleading if variables are not accurately measured. One tempting strategy for dealing with these validity and reliability problems is to construct models which treat measured variables as fallible indicators of true characteristics or as causes of these traits. This paper contrasts results from two such latent variable models with results from the Wisconsin regression model of status attainment. The data come from the Project Talent, Wisconsin, and EEO surveys. Both models illustrate the gains that come from latent variable models compared to regression analyses. They also illustrate the price an investigator pays for such gains.
Spontaneous Closure of Ventricular Septal Defect following Pulmonary Artery Banding

Spontaneous closure of large ventricular septal defects is uncommon, and only four such closures have been described following pulmonary artery banding. Two additional cases are reported. Despite frequent closure of ventricular septal defects in general, closure of large defects that cause intractable heart failure in infancy is uncommon, and its anticipation should not alter their management.
Interaction of oxidized chaperonin GroEL with an unfolded protein at low temperatures.

The chaperonin GroEL binds to non-native substrate proteins via hydrophobic interactions, preventing their aggregation, which is minimized at low temperatures. In the present study, we investigated the refolding of urea-denatured rhodanese at low temperatures, in the presence of ox-GroEL (oxidized GroEL), which contains increased exposed hydrophobic surfaces and retains its ability to hydrolyse ATP. We found that ox-GroEL could efficiently bind the urea-unfolded rhodanese at 4°C, without requiring excess amount of chaperonin relative to normal GroEL (i.e. non-oxidized). The release/reactivation of rhodanese from GroEL was minimal at 4°C, but was found to be optimal between 22 and 37°C. It was found that the loss of the ATPase activity of ox-GroEL at 4°C prevented the release of rhodanese from the GroEL–rhodanese complex. Thus ox-GroEL has the potential to efficiently trap recombinant or non-native proteins at 4°C and release them at higher temperatures under appropriate conditions.
Flows about a critical point with a single zero characteristic root

where x is a real (B + I)-vector. Here A is a real, constant, (n + 1) x (n -+ I) matrix with one zero characteristic root and all remaining characteristic roots have real parts of the same sign, X(x) is a real analytic vector function starting with terms of order greater than one, and x = 0 is an isolated critical point. Such systems have been studied by Bendixson, Liapunov, Mendo one consequence of his work is that (i) has a unique analytic stable (unstable) manifold when the nonzero characteristic roots of A all have negative (positive) real parts. That thii stable (u&table) manifold is the only c1 stable (unstable) manifold is implied by the wok of Hartman [3, pp. 2342431, A more recent concept than the stable manifold is’ that of a c&ter manifold for a system which has ehar~c~erist~~ roots itith zero real parts. The existence of a C” m~old for (i), for :any positive integer m, is an
Advanced equation of state method for modeling TEG–water for glycol gas dehydration

Abstract An advanced equation of state has been developed for modeling triethylene glycol (TEG)–water system for glycol gas dehydration process. The dehydration of natural gas is very important in the gas processing industry. It is necessary to remove water vapor present in a gas stream that may cause hydrate formation at low-temperature conditions that may plug the valves and fittings in gas pipelines. In addition, water vapor may cause corrosion difficulties when it reacts with hydrogen sulfide or carbon dioxide commonly present in gas streams. The most effective practice to remove water from natural gas streams is to use TEG in the gas dehydration process. In modeling such a process, it is crucial that the phase behavior of the TEG–water–natural gas system is correctly modeled, with methane being the predominant component in natural gas. Of the three binaries, methane–water, methane–TEG and TEG–water, the methane binaries can be adequately modeled by an equation of state, e.g. [J.R. Cunningham, J.E. Coon, C.H. Twu, Estimation of aromatic hydrocarbon emissions from glycol dehydration units using process simulation, in: Proceedings of the 72nd Annual Gas Processors Association Convention, San Antonio, TX, March 15–17, 1993]. For the TEG–water binary, the Parrish's empirical hyperbolic correlation [W.R. Parrish, K.W. Won, M.E. Baltatu, Phase behavior of the triethylene glycol–water system and dehydration/regeneration design for extremely low dew point requirements, in: Proceedings of the 65th Annual GPA Convention, San Antonio, TX, March 10–12, 1986] is recommended by GPSA [GPSA Engineering Data Book, 10th ed., First Revision, Gas Processors Suppliers Association, Tulsa, OK, 1994] and is currently widely used in the industry. In this work, we applied the TST (Twu–Sim–Tassone) equation of state to model this binary system. A methodology was also developed to determine the water dew point and calculate water content for this system. The TST equation of state is shown to accurately represent the activity coefficients of TEG–water solutions as well as water dew point temperatures and water content of gas over the entire application range of temperature, pressure and concentration encountered in a typical TEG dehydration unit.
Identification of some N-hydroxylated metabolites of (±)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine in horse urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

1. The in vivo biotransformation of (+/-)-3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine [(+/-)-MDMA] in the thoroughbred horse was determined after oral administration. 2. Unconjugated compounds and aglycones were isolated from enzyme-hydrolysed urine by solid-phase extraction using mixed-mode cartridges. The basic isolates were derivatized (trimethylsilylether, TMS) and analysed by positive-ion electron ionization/gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (EI+/GC-MS). MDMA and 10 Phase I metabolites containing the arylisopropylamine substructure were detected. 3. N-Hydroxy amphetamine and N-hydroxymethamphetamine were synthesized. The EI + mass spectra of their O-TMS derivatives showed characteristic alpha-cleavage ions at m/z 132 and 146, respectively, as base peaks. Based upon these data, five putative N-hydroxylated metabolites of MDMA were detected. 4. In the horse, (+/-)-MDMA is metabolized by oxidative N-demethylation to form the primary amine methylenedioxyamphetamine (MDA). Both MDMA and MDA are further metabolized by oxidative demethylenation (cleavage and O-demethylation of the benzodioxole moiety) to form the corresponding catechols, 3-O-methylation to form the guaiacols and N-oxidation of the secondary and primary amine metabolites to form the hydroxylamines. 5. Both phenolic and N-hydroxy metabolites of (+/-)-MDMA undergo Phase II conjugation before excretion in urine.
The Drosophila Zinc Finger Protein Trade Embargo Is Required for Double Strand Break Formation in Meiosis

Homologous recombination in meiosis is initiated by the programmed induction of double strand breaks (DSBs). Although the Drosophila Spo11 ortholog Mei-W68 is required for the induction of DSBs during meiotic prophase, only one other protein (Mei-P22) has been shown to be required for Mei-W68 to exert this function. We show here that the chromatin-associated protein Trade Embargo (Trem), a C2H2 zinc finger protein, is required to localize Mei-P22 to discrete foci on meiotic chromosomes, and thus to promote the formation of DSBs, making Trem the earliest known function in the process of DSB formation in Drosophila oocytes. We speculate that Trem may act by either directing the binding of Mei-P22 to preferred sites of DSB formation or by altering chromatin structure in a manner that allows Mei-P22 to form foci.
DC conductivity and secondary structural relaxations in high-conducting Li+ glasses

Abstract In the course of investigating the mechanism of conductivity of fast-conducting, multicomponent lithium fluoroborate-type glasses, an isothermal drift in the conductivities has been found at temperatures so far below the normal glass transition (∼ 300°) that an origin in normal glass annealing effects appears improbable. Analysis of the 1st order kinetics of this relaxation in the temperature range 150–250°C yields an activation energy more than an order of magnitude less than that of the primary structural relaxation, suggesting the processunder observation is a secondary structural relaxation of the type frequently seen in polymer glasses.
Extending Near-Field Scanning Optical Microscopy for Biological Studies

Near-field scanning optical microscopy (NSOM) is a scanning probe technique that enables optical measurements to be conducted with nanometric spatial resolution. In addition to high-resolution optical information, NSOM yields a topographic mapping of sample features that enables a direct comparison to be made between surface topography and the optical signal. For the biological sciences, where sophisticated fluorescence labeling protocols have been developed, the simultaneously collected fluorescence and topography information measured with NSOM offers a potentially powerful tool. The progress in implementing NSOM on unfixed, viable samples, however, has been slowed over concerns regarding sample heating and problems associated with damaging forces generated during imaging. Here, we discuss recent measurements that show sample heating to be modest and not limiting for NSOM applications on viable tissues. In addition, we highlight recent work on developing new NSOM probes that have been demonstrated to be ...
Measurements of heat transfer from fine wires in supersonic flows

Results of an experimental investigation of the heat loss of fine heated wires immersed in a supersonic stream at right angles to the flow direction are presented. The measurements show that the heat loss of the wire is independent of the free-stream Mach number for values of the latter between 1.3 and 4.5. Since the wire is always in the wake of a detached shock wave, the streamlines in the neighbourhood of the wire pass through a normal shock wave. The Reynolds number Re2 based on conditions behind a normal shock, thus becomes the characteristic parameter for the heat transfer. The measurements covering a Reynolds number range of 3 to 220 show the existence of two flow regimes. For Re2 > 20 the Nusselt number is a linear function of the square root of the Reynolds number, and the equilibrium temperature is nearly independent of Re2 < 20 the Nusselt number decreases more slowly, and the equilibrium temperature rises sharply with decreasing Reynolds number.
Clinical outcomes of transoral robotic supraglottic laryngectomy.

Background Transoral, minimally invasive organ preservation surgeries are being increasingly used for laryngopharyngeal carcinomas to avoid the toxicities of combined chemotherapy and radiation therapy regimens. This study investigates the efficiency, safety, and functional outcomes of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) supraglottic laryngectomy. Methods Patients with laryngeal cancer who underwent TORS supraglottic laryngectomy and participated in a prospective TORS study between 2008 and 2011 at an academic medical center are presented. Results Thirteen of 126 patients underwent TORS supraglottic laryngectomy for laryngeal cancer. Average robotic operative time and estimated blood loss were 25.3 minutes and 15.4 mL, respectively. Negative surgical margins were achieved in all patients. Eleven patients were started on an oral diet within 24 hours of surgery with no evidence of immediate airway compromise. Two patients (15.4%) received adjuvant radiation therapy based on pathology. Conclusion In this preliminary study, TORS supraglottic laryngectomy was a safe procedure with good functional outcomes. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck, 2013
Development of corticotectal synaptic terminals in the cat: A quantitative electron microscopic analysis

We studied the development of corticotectal synaptic terminal boutons and synapses by making injections of wheat germ agglutinin conjugated to horseradish peroxidase (WGA-HRP) into area 17 of visual cortex in kittens ranging from newborn to 12 weeks of age and in adults. The location and extent of the injection site, and labeled corticotectal axon terminals in the superficial layers of the superior colliculus were demonstrated histochemically with the cobalt-glucose oxidase diaminobenzidine reaction. During the first 2 weeks after birth, the majority of labeled profiles resembled axonal growth cones, or structures intermediate in morphology between growth cones and synaptic terminals, while very few corticotectal axon terminals forming well-defined synaptic contacts were observed. Labeled synaptic terminals in kittens at 1 and 2 weeks of age were small, contained very few synaptic vesicles, which were usually restricted to the contact zone, and exhibited few mitochondria. By 4 and 6 weeks after birth, a well-developed population of synaptic terminals was established; however, growth cones and intermediate profiles were still numerous. At 8 weeks of age synaptic terminals were morphologically mature, and growth cone-like profiles were no longer observed. To study quantitative changes in synapse development we used the disector method to obtain unbiased estimates of the density and number of corticotectal synaptic terminals and synapses; both the density and number of terminals and synapses increased steadily throughout postnatal development. These results suggest that the corticotectal projection develops by the progressive elaboration of synapses, as opposed to synapse overproduction and subsequent elimination. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Post-listing performance and private sector regulation: The experience of London's Alternative Investment Market $

Abstract We investigate the experience of companies listing and raising capital on the AIM, which is privately regulated and relies on Nominated Advisors who compete for listings and provide regulatory oversight. AIM firms underperform newly listed firms on traditionally regulated exchanges based on post-listing returns and failure rates, comparable to firms listing on the unregulated US Pink Sheets, and exhibit abnormally high pre-listing accruals and post-listing reversals. “High quality” auditors and Nomads partially mitigate underperformance, suggesting that AIM firms have limited ability to bond through more stringent oversight. Underperformance is particularly pronounced for firms with higher proportions of retail investors.
Spontaneous echo contrast and hemorheologic abnormalities in cerebrovascular disease.

Spontaneous echo contrast (SEC) is thought to represent a risk factor for cardioembolic stroke. In vitro studies suggest that SEC results from interaction between red cells and fibrinogen. To better understand the relation between SEC and stroke and to investigate the in vivo genesis of SEC, we examined the relation between SEC, the constituents of the blood, and plasma and serum viscosity in patients with acute stroke or chronic cerebrovascular disease.Fifty patients with acute stroke or chronic cerebrovascular disease referred for transesophageal echocardiogram (TEE) were studied by transthoracic echocardiography and TEE. Complete blood count, fibrinogen, albumin, gamma-globulin, and plasma and serum viscosity determinations were made. Left atrial SEC was graded as absent, mild, or marked by means of TEE.SEC was absent in 31 patients, mild in 10 patients, and marked in 9 patients. Higher grade of SEC was associated with a significantly greater percentage of patients with atrial fibrillation and larger l...
High-power continuous-wave operation of quantum-cascade lasers up to 60/spl deg/C

High-temperature high-power continuous-wave (CW) operation of high-reflectivity-coated 12-/spl mu/m-wide quantum-cascade lasers emitting at /spl lambda/ = 6 /spl mu/m with a thick electroplated Au top contact layer is reported for different cavity lengths. For a 3-mm-long laser, the CW optical output powers of 381 mW at 293 K and 22 mW at maximum operating temperature of 333 K (60/spl deg/C) are achieved with threshold current densities of 1.93 and 3.09 kA/cm/sup 2/, respectively. At 298 K, the same cavity gives a maximum wall plug efficiency of 3.17% at 1.07 A. An even higher CW optical output power of 424 mW at 293 K is obtained for a 4-mm-long laser and the device also operates up to 332 K with an output power of 14 mW. Thermal resistance is also analyzed at threshold as a function of cavity length.
Biology of Apagomerella versicolor (Boheman) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) in Argentina, a candidate for biological control of cocklebur (Xanthium spp.)

Abstract The biology of the cerambycid beetle, Apagomerella versicolor (Boheman), a candidate for biocontrol of cocklebur, Xanthium strumarium L., in the US, was studied in Argentina where it attacks X. strumarium cavanillesii Love and Dansereau. A. versicolor is univoltine and adults appear in the field in early spring. In the laboratory, the adults lived an average of 18.5 days. Each female laid an average of 38 eggs, one egg per oviposition. The incubation period for the eggs lasted 10 days at 25 ° C and 80% RH. The larval stage had seven instars. Eggs were laid in the stems and larvae fed boring their way toward the root. At the beginning of fall, larvae girdled the stem of the mature plant near the crown, causing the dried aerial part of the plant to fall over. The last instar entered diapause and pupated within the roots in dead and dry plants until spring. Exposure of larvae to temperatures lower than 12 ° C for at least 8 days ended diapause. All larvae survived continuous exposure to −8 ° C for 3 days, and immersion of larvae in tap water for 20 days did not affect their survival. In Buenos Aires, Argentina, three parasitoids were found attacking the larvae; a braconid, Nealiolus n. sp., parasitized 61.5% of the larvae in 1988. Attack by A. versicolor reduced fruit production in X. s. cavanillesii by 66%, and killed young plants. A. versicolor has some attributes of a biocontrol agent of Xanthium spp. These attributes, along with cold tolerance, immersion tolerance, broad habitat distribution from tropical forest to desert, suggest that it would be an effective biocontrol agent of Xanthium spp.
Selection of Critical Thermal/Structural Design Parameters for a Metal/Composite Joint in a Composite Electronics Enclosure

An experiment was designed to determine the critical design parameters for a metal/composite joint in a composite electronic enclosure where both thermal and mechanical performance are important. A combination bolted and bonded single-lap joint that simulates the interface between the thermal wall and the card guide was studied under static loading with power supplied through a surface-mounted chip resistor. The following parameters were varied: fiber orientation, type of thermally conductive pitch fiber, type of adhesive, adhesive thickness, bolt spacing, bolt size, and input power. Load, strain, and temperature from five thermocouples were collected during a tensile test with a 0.02 in/ min. strain rate. A fractional factorial experimental design was used. A dual failure mechanism was consistently recorded: failure of the adhesive bond followed by bolt shear failure. Initial screening results indicated that a configuration can be achieved that significantly enhances both mechanical and thermal performance.
Performance analysis of a gateway connecting the CEBus to the ISDN

The performance of a gateway which connects the CEBus to the ISDN has been investigated. The gateway handles three priority class messages for either direction. Message and channel throughputs and packet and message delays have been studied in terms of the offered load for intra-network traffic in the CEBus and inter-network traffic from the CEBus to the ISDN through the gateway. It has been found that the delay for inter-network traffic for any priority level is much higher than that for intra-network traffic. In light traffic load, the delay for the ISDN to the CEBus direction is lower than that for the opposite direction. This was seen to reverse in heavy loads. In addition, significant decline of throughput was found, under the condition of large propagation delay, for all three priorities of inter-network traffic. Under favorable conditions, i.e., for low or zero propagation delay, packet length in the range of 300 to 500 bits, and light traffic, less than 70% of offered load (including inter-network traffic via the gateway), the CEBus-gateway-ISDN system performs satisfactorily. >
Statistical uncertainty in the medicare shared savings program

Objective: Analyze statistical risks facing CMS and Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) under the Medicare Shared Savings Program (MSSP). Methods: We calculate the probability that shared savings formulas lead to inappropriate payment, payment denial, and/or financial penalties, assuming that ACOs generate real savings in Medicare spending ranging from 0–10%. We also calculate expected payments from CMS to ACOs under these scenarios. Results: The probability of an incorrect outcome is heavily dependent on ACO enrollment size. For example, in the MSSP two-sided model, an ACO with 5,000 enrollees that keeps spending constant faces a 0.24 probability of being inappropriately rewarded for savings and a 0.26 probability of paying an undeserved penalty for increased spending. For an ACO with 50,000 enrollees, both of these probabilities of incorrect outcomes are equal to 0.02. The probability of inappropriate payment denial declines as real ACO savings increase. Still, for ACOs with 5,000 patients, the probability of denial is at least 0.15 even when true savings are 5–7%. Depending on ACO size and the real ACO savings rate, expected ACO payments vary from $115,000 to $35.3 million. Discussion: Our analysis indicates there may be greater statistical uncertainty in the MSSP than previously recognized. CMS and ACOs will have to consider this uncertainty in their financial, administrative, and care management planning. We also suggest analytic strategies that can be used to refine ACO payment formulas in the longer term to ensure that the MSSP (and other ACO initiatives that will be influenced by it) work as efficiently as possible.
Understanding and Effectively Preventing the ABA Problem in Descriptor-Based Lock-Free Designs

An increasing number of modern real-time systems and the nowadays ubiquitous multicore architectures demand the application of programming techniques for reliable and efficient concurrent synchronization. Some recently developed Compare-And-Swap (CAS) based nonblocking techniques hold the promise of delivering practical and safer concurrency. The ABA problem is a fundamental problem to many CAS-based designs. Its significance has increased with the suggested use of CAS as a core atomic primitive for the implementation of portable lock-free algorithms. The ABA problem's occurrence is due to the intricate and complex interactions of the application's concurrent operations and, if not remedied, ABA can significantly corrupt the semantics of a nonblocking algorithm. The current state of the art leaves the elimination of the ABA hazards to the ingenuity of the software designer. In this work we provide the first systematic and detailed analysis of the ABA problem in lock-free Descriptor-based designs. We study the semantics of Descriptor-based lock-free data structures and propose a classification of their operations that helps us better understand the ABA problem and subsequently derive an effective ABA prevention scheme. Our ABA prevention approach outperforms by a large factor the use of the alternative CAS-based ABA prevention schemes. It offers speeds comparable to the use of the architecture-specific CAS2 instruction used for version counting. We demonstrate our ABA prevention scheme by integrating it into an advanced nonblocking data structure, a lock-free dynamically resizable array.
Patients’ Bath Basins as Potential Sources of Infection: A Multicenter Sampling Study

Background Nosocomial infections are a marked burden on the US health care system and are linked to a high number of patient deaths. Objective To identify and quantify bacteria in patients' bath basins and evaluate the basins as a possible reservoir for bacterial colonization and a risk factor for subsequent hospital-acquired infection. Methods In a prospective study at 3 acute care hospitals, 92 bath basins, including basins from 3 intensive care units, were evaluated. Sterile culture sponges were used to obtain samples from the basins. The culture sponges were sent to an outside laboratory, and qualitative and quantitative microbial tests were conducted and the results reported. Results Some form of bacteria grew in 98% of the samples (90 sponges), either by plating or on enrichment (95% confidence interval, 92%-99.7%). The organisms with the highest positive rates of growth on enrichment were enterococci (54%), gram-negative organisms (32%), Staphylococcus aureus (23%), vancomycin-resistant enterococci (13%), methicillin-resistant S aureus (8%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa (5%), Candida albicans (3%), and Escherichia coli (2%). Mean plate counts, in colony-forming units, were 10 187 for gram-negative organisms, 99 for E coli, 30 for P aeruginosa, 86 for S aureus, 207 for enterococci, and 31 for vancomycin-resistant enterococci. Conclusions Bath basins are a reservoir for bacteria and may be a source of transmission of hospital-acquired infections. Increased awareness of bath basins as a possible source of transmission of hospital-acquired infections is needed, particularly for high-risk patients.
Analysis of Parallel Algorithms for Matrix Chain Product and Matrix Powers on Distributed Memory Systems

Given N matrices A1, A2,...,AN of size NtimesN, the matrix chain product problem is to compute A1timesA2times...timesAN. Given an NtimesN matrix A, the matrix powers problem is to calculate the first N powers of A, that is, A, A2, A3,..., AN. We solve the two problems on distributed memory systems (DMSs) with p processors that can support one-to-one communications in T(p) time. Assume that the fastest sequential matrix multiplication algorithm has time complexity O(Nalpha), where the currently best value of a is less than 2.3755. Let p be arbitrarily chosen in the range 1lesplesNalpha+1/(log N)2. We show that the two problems can be solved by a DMS with p processors in Tchain(N,p)=O((Nalpha+1/p)+T(p))((N2(2+1/alpha/p2/alpha)(log+p/N)1-2/alpha+log+((p log N)/Nalpha)) and Tpower (N,p)=O(Nalpha+1/p+T(p)((N2(1+1/alpha)/p2/alpha)(log+p/2 log N)1-2/alpha+(log N)2))) times, respectively, where the function log+ is defined as follows: log+ x=log x if xges1 and log+ x=1 if 0<x<1. We also give instantiations of the above results on several typical DMSs and show that computing matrix chain product and matrix powers are fully scalable on distributed memory parallel computers (DMPCs), highly scalable on DMSs with hypercubic networks, and not highly scalable on DMSs with mesh and torus networks.
Statin Treatment and 3′ Polyadenylation of eNOS mRNA

Objective— Statins have been shown to increase endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression via enhanced mRNA stability. Because the poly(A) tail is an important determinant of transcript stability, we sought to characterize the effect of statins on eNOS mRNA 3′ polyadenylation. Methods and Results— Endothelial cells treated with statins had a time- and dose-dependent increase in eNOS transcripts with long poly(A) tails (75 to 160 adenosines). This effect was dependent on 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl (HMG)-coenxyme A (CoA) reductase inhibition and was observed with both lipophilic (simvastatin) and hydrophilic (rosuvastatin) statins. In mRNA stability assays, polyadenylated eNOS transcripts from statin-treated cells were 2- to 3-fold more stable than transcripts from untreated cells. The effect of statins on eNOS polyadenylation was related to cytoskeleton organization; there was increased eNOS mRNA polyadenylation after Rho inhibition and cytochalasin D treatment. Further, we found increased phosphorylation of RNA polymerase II in statin-treated cells, suggesting that statin-induced polyadenylation involved modulation of RNA polymerase II activity. Conclusions— Our data provide insight into a mechanism by which statins enhance eNOS mRNA stability and increase eNOS protein: statins increase eNOS mRNA polyadenylation through Rho-mediated changes in the actin cytoskeleton.
Protect your BSN: No Handshakes, just Namaste!

Privacy of physiological data collected by a network of embedded sensors on human body is an important issue to be considered. Physiological signal-based security is a light weight solution which eliminates the need for security key storage and complex exponentiation computation in sensors. An important concern is whether such security measures are vulnerable to attacks, where the attacker is in close proximity to a Body Sensor Network (BSN) and senses physiological signals through non-contact processes such as electromagnetic coupling. Recent studies show that when two individuals are in close proximity, the electrocardiogram (ECG) of one person gets coupled to the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the other, thus indicating a possibility of proximity-based security attacks. This paper proposes a model-driven approach to proximity-based attacks on security using physiological signals and evaluates its feasibility. Results show that a proximity-based attack can be successful even without the exact reconstruction of the physiological data sensed by the attacked BSN. Our results show that with a 30 second handshake we can break PSKA with an average probability of 0.3 (0.24 minimum and 0.5 maximum).
Scaffolding English Language Learners and Struggling Readers in a Universal Literacy Environment With Embedded Strategy Instruction and Vocabulary Support

As interest and concern rise in U.S. educational circles around the reading achievement of English language learners (ELLs) and struggling readers, researchers and practitioners alike are calling for the increased use of technology as a means to decrease achievement gaps in reading (Jimenez, 2003; Strangman & Dalton, 2005). In this article, we report results from a 4-week study of the English reading comprehension of struggling readers, including Spanish-speaking ELLs. Thirty 4th-grade students read several narrative and informational hypertexts that provided embedded vocabulary and comprehension strategy supports, along with text-to-speech read-aloud functionality. Correlation analyses of pre-post standardized reading vocabulary gain scores revealed that vocabulary gain was associated, although not significantly, with the frequency of access of hyperlinked glossary items throughout the intervention, and that lower pretest vocabulary knowledge was associated with positive vocabulary gains. A similar patte...
Prescriptions for using boilerplate

Boilerplate paragraphs, pages, and even longer standard sections are materials taken from one writing and used with little or no change in another. Such materials can save time, cut costs, help to meet deadlines, and at times raise quality. This article outlines the advantages and disadvantages of using boilerplate in preparing long documents and suggests applications and guidelines for the proper use of boilerplate. It also proposes diagnostic questions and prescriptions for ensuring that off-the-shelf materials are accurate and up to date.
GREEN MARKETING, PUBLIC POLICY AND MANAGERIAL STRATEGIES

Green marketing subsumes greening products as well as greening firms. In addition to manipulating the 4Ps (product, price, place and promotion) of the traditional marketing mix, it requires a careful understanding of public policy processes. This paper focuses primarily on promoting products by employing claims about their environmental attributes or about firms that manufacture and/or sell them. Secondarily, it focuses on product and pricing issues. Drawing on multiple literatures, it examines issues such as what needs to be greened (products, systems or processes), why consumers purchase/do not purchase green products and how firms should think about information disclosure strategies on environmental claims. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and ERP Environment.
Expected complexity of sphere decoding for sparse integer least-square problems

Sparse integer least-squares problems come up in a wide range of applications including wireless communications and genomics. The sphere decoding algorithm can find near-optimal solution to these problems with reduced average complexity if the knowledge of sparsity of the unknown vector is used in decoding. In this paper, we formulate a sphere decoding approach that relies on the l0-norm constraint on the unknown vector to solve sparse integer least-squares problems. The expected complexity of this algorithm is derived analytically for sparse alphabets associated with common applications such as sparse channel estimation and validated via simulations. The results indicate superior performance and speed compared to the classical sphere decoding algorithm.
Organizational Processes in Music

In this paper we shall examine musical organization from several points of view. First we shall consider how the listener sorts the components of a musical configuration into separate groupings. Next we shall discuss some issues involving the formation of musical abstractions so as to lead to perceptual equivalences and similarities. And finally, hierarchical organization in music will be considered.
Ultra Low‐k Films Derived from Hyperbranched Polycarbosilanes (HBPCS)

Dense and porous hyperbranched carbosiloxane thin films (HBCSO) are obtained by sol-gel processing using methylene-bridged hyperbranched polycarbosilanes (HBPCSs) with the general compositional formula {(OMe) 2 Si(CH 2 )). Introduction of porosity is achieved using a porogen templating approach, allowing the control of the films' dielectric constant from 2.9 to as low as 1.8. Over the entire dielectric range, the HBCSO films exhibit exceptional mechanical properties, 2-3 times superior to those obtained for non-alkylene bridged organosiloxanes such as methylsilsesquioxanes (MSSQs) of similar densities and k-values.
Quantifying the Greenhouse Gas Impact of Pathways for Treatment of Secondary Resources Generated in the Food Supply Chain

Food processors and retailers are under increasing regulatory and market pressure to manage their food waste in an environmentally responsible way. This study analyzes the climate change impacts of several alternatives available for the management of the several food wastes generated in this sector. Four food chain wastes are selected: whey, apple pomace, grease trap waste and bakery waste. Four treatment pathways were analyzed: landfill, anaerobic digestion, land application and animal feed. The results of the analysis showed significant differences among the pathways with climate change impact varying from −621 kgCO2e/t to 1924 kgCO2e/t. Landfilling of food waste resulted in the highest impacts and diversion to feed animals resulted in net benefits. The moisture content of the waste proved to be an important factor while the bio-degradability and nutrient value also had an influence. The combined impacts of diverting food waste from one disposal pathway to an alternative pathway were also considered and data is provided on the optimal pathways for each food waste alternatives.Copyright © 2015 by ASME
Secondary Mortgage Market Pedagogy: The Central Role of Prepayments

Executive Summary. This article presents a different approach to teaching secondary mortgage market concepts. Focusing on prepayments allows the instructor to illustrate and reinforce a rich variety of concepts: risk-return tradeoffs and efficient markets, servicing risks, the use of econometric models in providing information to investors and the importance of duration concepts to mortgage investors. Reviewing the history of the development of mortgage derivatives also illustrates the process of financial engineering—as prepayment risk and other risks in holding fixed-rate mortgages were explicitly recognized, new mortgage-backed securities were created to manage these risks.
Names that Poison the Legacy: The Black Panther Party and Media Politics

The U.S. FBI working in tandem with the national media falsified a demonized public image of the Black Panther Party of Self-Defense (BPP). Playing on a social climate of anti-blackness and using terms like, "Terrorists", "NEGROES", "Inciters", "BLACKS", "Angry", "Criminal", "Gun-wielding Thugs", and "Militant Anti-Americans", the media and the FBI framed a terrifying picture of armed and dangerous, uneducated, radical black men and women, whose sole purpose was to kill "upstanding, non-violent White middle-classed Americans". Though it is significant that the BPP was tactical in using broadcast media as a source for distribution of their politics and their agenda, it came at a price to their legacy, because in many ways, those identifiers have over-shadowed their work and agenda. The use of these terms and their portrayal of a malevolent Black Panther Party, has indelibly shaped American's negative opinions of the party. Black feminist philosopher and cultural critic Hortense Spillers argues that terms such as these, "isolate overdetermined nominative properties. . . they are markers so loaded with mythical prepossession that there is no easy way for the agents buried beneath them to come clean" (Spillers, 1987). Thus, naming practices play an essential role in trivializing, or worse, uprooting the political mandate against dispossession and normalized brutal social inequality. This paper draws on media politics scholarship (Rhodes 2007; Gitlin 2003), FBI and law enforcement data on the Black Panther Party, and the Black Panther Party press to consider the legacies of this revolutionary movement, their framing by mass media, and their uses of media in a way which compels us to think more theoretically about the messages conveyed by anti-black media frames.
Disability-Free Life-Years Lost Among Adults Aged ≥50 Years, With and Without Diabetes

OBJECTIVE To quantify the impact of diabetes status on healthy and disabled years of life for older adults in the U.S. and provide a baseline from which to evaluate ongoing national public health efforts to prevent and control diabetes and disability. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Adults (n = 20,008) aged 50 years and older were followed from 1998 to 2012 in the Health and Retirement Study, a prospective biannual survey of a nationally representative sample of adults. Diabetes and disability status (defined by mobility loss, difficulty with instrumental activities of daily living [IADL], and/or difficulty with activities of daily living [ADL]) were self-reported. We estimated incidence of disability, remission to nondisability, and mortality. We developed a discrete-time Markov simulation model with a 1-year transition cycle to predict and compare lifetime disability-related outcomes between people with and without diabetes. Data represent the U.S. population in 1998. RESULTS From age 50 years, adults with diabetes died 4.6 years earlier, developed disability 6–7 years earlier, and spent about 1–2 more years in a disabled state than adults without diabetes. With increasing baseline age, diabetes was associated with significant (P CONCLUSIONS Diabetes is associated with a substantial reduction in nondisabled years, to a greater extent than the reduction of longevity.
Inhibition of GFAP Synthesis with Antisense Nucleic Acid Constructs

Glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), the major component of the intermediate filament in differentiated astrocytes (Eng et al., 1971; Eng, 1985), is extensively synthesized within and adjacent to the site of injury (Eng, 1988a; Condorelli et al., 1990; Hozumi et al., 1990; Vijayan et al., 1990). Other than GFAP accumulation, astrogliosis is also characterized by astrocyte proliferation (hyperplasia) and extensive hypertrophy of the cell body, nucleus as well as cytoplasmic processes (Eng, 1988a). Astrogliosis may participate in the healing phase following CNS injury by actively monitoring and controlling the molecular and ionic contents of the extracellular space of the CNS. They can wall off areas of the CNS that are exposed to non-CNS tissue environments following trauma. On the other hand, such responses may interfere with the function of residual neuronal circuits, by preventing remyelination, or by inhibiting axonal regeneration (Eng et al., 1987; Stensaas et al., 1987; Reier and Houle, 1988). Although astrogliosis has received considerable attention in term of its proposed inhibitory effect on CNS repair, there is still very little specific information available concerning the properties of reactive astrocytes, what triggers glial reactivity, and many of the cellular dynamics associated with scar formation. Control of astrocyte proliferation, differentiation, and astrogliosis may be linked to GFAP synthesis. Our aim was to transfect astrocytes with exogenous synthetic oligo- or polynucleotides, which would allow the manipulation of a transient suppression of GFAP synthesis which might delay the gliotic reaction and the scar formation, thus allowing neurons and oligodendrocytes to re-establish a functional environment.