cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Abstract T P307: Return to Driving Following Stroke

Background: Stroke frequently causes deficits that may impact a person’s ability to drive. Little has been reported about the frequency with which patients return to driving following a stroke or the use of driver evaluation services to determine a patient’s capacity to drive safely. Objective: To examine the frequency of return to driving post-stroke, self-imposed limitations in driving, and the utilization of evaluative services in the decision to return to driving. Methods: : The STEP-South Carolina Project surveyed 162 stroke survivors one year after their event, assessing clinical and functional outcomes and patient perceptions of the magnitude of the impact of stroke on their quality of life (“no effect”, “some effect”, or “great effect”). Multivariate analyses (adjusted for NIHSS) were performed to determine the relationship between driving status, the use of evaluative services, self-imposed limitations to driving and the patient’s perceived effect of stroke of the ability to perform valued life activities. Results: Multivariate analyses showed that 51.2% (83/162) of survey respondents returned to driving following their stroke, with 59% of these (49/83) returning within one month. Only 5.6% of all respondents (9/162) received any formal driving evaluation, though 11% (9/83) of those who had returned to driving had reported their stroke had a great effect on their ability to performed valued life activities. Among those who reported “no effect” on their ability to perform valued life activities and returned to driving, 45.8% (38/83) limited their driving, though it is unclear whether formal evaluation would have supported such a decision. Conclusion: The resumption of driving following stroke is usually a decision made without formal evaluation. Stroke survivors, including those who self-impose restrictions on their driving, may benefit from formal evaluation before returning to the driver’s seat.
A pilot survey of courses in technology transfer offered at selected colleges and universities in the United States

This survey was developed to determine the nature of the programs and courses intechnology transfer now in existence in the United States. A pilot study approach was used, without operationalizing a definition, to avoid excluding possible technology transfer activities. Results indicate twenty colleges and universities offering courses in a wide range of academic settings including engineering, business, psychology, sociology, political science, environmental studies and agriculture. With the majority of respondents, technology transfer is studied as a combination of the history of science and technology, management, information science, and communication. In this sense, it appears to be an interdisciplinary study with a strong direction toward communication protocols, and management skills as primary outcomes.
Determination of Angular Position in a Shape Memory Alloy Based Rotary Manipulator Using an Artificial Neural Network

Shape memory alloys (SMA) when subjected to deformation at low temperature can recover their original shape by heating above a temperature called Austenite transformation temperature. This original shape is sustained till the material is deformed again by an applied stress. This property makes the SMA a unique actuator, which doesn’t require any other components. Also, the material’s resistance changes with deformation. Thus the change in resistance can be used to sense the deformation, which eliminates the requirements of additional sensors. This can make the system more compact and reduce the cost. In our study, a binary Nickel-Titanium alloy is used as a rotary actuator. The actuation is controlled by adjusting the temperature through controlled joule heating by varying the electric current. The manipulator used in this research is a single degree-of-freedom, bias type actuator. SMA actuation in this system is under a varying stress, thereby creating a complex thermo-mechanical condition which affects the transformation temperatures, significantly. Also, the resistance change during heating and cooling paths exhibit hysteresis behavior. This paper investigates the use of artificial neural network (ANN) in establishing relationship between resistance and angular position of the manipulator. To model the hysteresis behavior of the SMA, in addition to resistance of the SMA, other electric properties like voltage etc are given as input to the ANN. The obtained ANN model is able to determine the angular position of the rotary manipulator with good accuracy.Copyright © 2014 by ASME
Selected results in hadron structure from lattice QCD

I present results for the mass spectrum of excited baryons and pentaquarks using overlap fermions and Bayesian curve-fitting method; and magnetic moments and polarizabilities for a variety of hadrons in the background field method.
Confidence-based classifier design

In this paper, a new classifier design methodology, confidence-based classifier design, is proposed to design classifiers with controlled confidence. This methodology is under the guidance of two optimal classification theories, a new classification theory for designing optimal classifiers with controlled error rates and the C.K. Chow's optimal classification theory for designing optimal classifiers with controlled conditional error. The new methodology also takes advantage of the current well-developed classifier's probability preserving and ordering properties. It calibrates the output scores of current classifiers to the conditional error or error rates. Thus, it can either classify input samples or reject them according to the output scores of classifiers. It can achieve some reasonable performance even though it is not an optimal solution. An example is presented to implement the new methodology using support vector machines (SVMs). The empirical cumulative density function method is used to estimate error rates from the output scores of a trained SVM. Furthermore, a new dynamic bin width allocation method is proposed to estimate sample conditional error and this method adapts to the underlying probabilities. The experimental results clearly demonstrate the efficacy of the suggested classifier design methodology.
ORGANIZATIONAL LEARNING STYLES: CATEGORIZING STRATEGIC PREDISPOSITIONS FROM LEARNING

This paper describes a framework for investigating organizational learning style. The theory of learning styles developed for individual applications is extended to an organizational application. Learning styles of organizations may be best categorized by the preferences of both formal and informal systems of information handling. The link between organizational learning and strategy formulation is examined based on a learning style framework containing two dimensions: Abstract—Concrete and Random—Sequential. Different types of organizations will tend to exhibit different learning styles. Predispositions toward general patterns of strategy process and content are associated with each learning style.
VERTICILLIUM WILT OF POTATO IN RELATION TO FUNGICIDES ADDED TO THE FERTILIZER

Although two to four years in other crops can eliminate danger to potatoes from field-infestation by microsclerotia-freeVerticillium alboatrum in Maine, such a rotation is too long for many potato growers and they would prefer a quick chemical method of control if it were practical. Certain fungicides were tested, as fertilizer admixtures, with respect to plant growth and Verticillium wilt. In the greenhouse the results with potatoes were much different from those with tomatoes. With potatoes the results in the field were very different from those in the greenhouse. The field results were not promising for the several chemicals that were tested.
Mobile Exergames - Burn Calories While Playing Games on a Smartphone

Exergames combine exercising with game play by requiring the users to perform some kind of physical activity (and exercise) in order to score points in the game. In this paper, we present a novel mobile exergaming framework, which requires the users to physically move and jump in order to score points in a game that is played on a smartphone. Our system uses a custom designed Exercising Pad (called ExerPad) in order to track the user's physical movement, and then automatically updates the corresponding game character's position on the screen. The ExerPad contains different shaped images, which are captured from the smartphone's inbuilt camera, and are automatically detected by our shape detection algorithm. We also use the smartphone's inbuilt accelerometer and gyroscope to detect other physical movements from the user such as jumping, turning etc. The experimental results show that the proposed mobile exergames helps its users to burn calories and have fun at the same time.
Vertical distributions of lightning sources and flashes over Kennedy Space Center, Florida

[1] Warm season vertical distributions of lightning sources and flash segments are presented using data from the lightning detection and ranging network at Kennedy Space Center, Fla. We emphasize the percentage of sources/flash segments at each level compared to the vertical total and present the distributions as a function of storm top above ground level (AGL). The vertical profiles of sources and flash segments are compared with each other and with those from previous studies. Results indicate that storms with tops higher than ∼10 km AGL often have a bimodal or multiple peak distribution of percentage sources and flash segments. However, distributions for storms with tops lower than ∼10 km AGL exhibit only a single dominant peak. Temporal variations in the vertical distributions of flash percentages are examined for four clusters of storms occurring on different days. Results reveal considerable storm-to-storm and intrastorm variability. However, two similarities are observed between the four cases: (1) maximum flash density (flash segments km−3) occurs as the maximum storm top is reached and (2) as the storms increase in intensity, both maximum flash density and flash segment percentage increase in altitude, and then both decrease in altitude as the storms decay. The distributions are useful for understanding lightning characteristics as a function of storm evolution, specifying the vertical distribution of lightning-produced nitrogen oxides in chemical transport models and verifying model-simulated lightning.
Self-Concept, English Language Acquisition, and School Adaptation in Recently Immigrated Asian Children

Abstract This paper reports the results of a preliminary study of 12 native Korean immigrant children, between the ages of 7 1/2 and 10 years, who had lived in the United States for less than a year at the time of the first study evaluation. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the relationship among the level of self-concept, the pattern of English language acquisition (rapidity and proficiency), and school adaptation and achievement.
Structure of anti-fluorescein combining sites in rabbit and sheep: induced circular dichroism of bound haptens.

Abstract Based on a comparison of the spectroscopic properties of several 6-hydroxyxanthen-3-ones with different substituents at position 9, we have concluded that the induced circular dichroism (CD) of fluorescein bound in the combining sites of rabbit and sheep anti-fluorescein antibodies reflects primarily the mciro-environment surrounding the hydroxyxanthenone moiety of the hapten. Measurements of the directions of the transition fipole moments of the two major absorption bands above 300 nm of fluorescein, together with a consideration of the signs of the induced CD bands, suggest that the observed optical activity is due, at least partly, to dynamic coupling between one or more aromatic chromophores in the combining site and the transitions in the hapten. The temporal response of anti-fluorescein antibody synthesis in a hyperimmunized sheep in terms of structure of the combining sites was found to exhibit some similarities and some differences compared to that observed in rabbits. The sheep produced two of the three types observed in rabbits (type II and type III: Gollogly & Cathou, 1974). Type II was synthesized after initial immunization and after a booster injection. After a second boost injection (“third period”) and also after several further boosts, types II and III were found together in all antibody preparations examined by CD titrations; the two types exhibit very different induced CD spectra of bound lgiand and different affinities for hapten. Further evidence for antibody site structure heterogeneity was provided by fluorescence titrations of fluorescein fluorescence.
Dietary NaCl-restriction prevents the calciuria of KCl-deprivation and blunts the calciuria of KHCO3-deprivation in healthy adults

Dietary NaCl-restriction prevents the calciuria of KCl-deprivation and blunts the calciuria of KHCO 3 -deprivation in healthy adults. Previous studies have demonstrated that dietary potassium deprivation in healthy human subjects eating diets otherwise containing normal quantities of NaCl is accompanied by an increase in urinary calcium excretion. This increase in urinary Ca excretion occurs in association with reductions in urinary Na and Cl excretion together with trends for weight gain and is delayed for several days after the initiation of K-deprivation, suggesting that it is mediated by NaCl retention and expansion of the extra-cellular volume. The present studies were thus undertaken to determine whether dietary NaCl restriction prevents the calciuric effect of subsequent K-deprivation. When dietary NaCl intake was limited to 5 ± 3 mmol/day among 10 healthy adults, subsequent deprivation of KCl (-67 mmol/day) in 5 subjects or deprivation of KHCO 3 (-64 mmol/day) in 5 subjects prevented any significant increase in daily urinary Ca excretion during five days of K-deprivation. There was, however, a small but significant cumulative increase above control in urinary Ca excretion at the end of KHCO 3 -deprivation, averaging +1.9 ± 0.6 mmol; P 3 to the diets caused urinary Ca to fall to rates below control. We conclude that the calciuria of K-deprivation when NaCl is present in the diet is largely dependent upon NaCl retention by the kidneys and subsequent ECF-volume expansion. In addition, HCO 3 is anti-calciuric.
Isolation and characterization of a virus infecting a blue-green alga of the genus Synechococcus.

Abstract A new virus infecting the unicellular blue-green alga, Synechococcus strain NRC-1, has been isolated. The virus, named S-1, possesses a head 500 A in diameter and a narrow, noncontraotile tail 1400 A in length. The sedimentation coefficient of whole virus particles is 353 S and the buoyant density is 1.501 g/cm3. The major structural proteins have molecular weights of 10,000, 11,000, and 39,000 daltons. S-1 DNA has a contour length of 13.3 ± 0.3 μm and a S20, w of 30.8 ± 1.5 S. These values imply a molecular weight of 23–26 × 106 daltons. The buoyant density in CsCl of S-1 DNA is 1.729 g/cm3, suggesting a GC content of 70%. A slightly higher value, 74%, is derived from the thermal denaturation temperature of S-1 DNA.
Reinvestigation of the dysbindin subunit of BLOC-1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1) as a dystrobrevin-binding protein.

Dysbindin was identified as a dystrobrevin-binding protein potentially involved in the pathogenesis of muscular dystrophy. Subsequently, genetic studies have implicated variants of the human dysbindin-encoding gene, DTNBP1, in the pathogeneses of Hermansky–Pudlak syndrome and schizophrenia. The protein is a stable component of a multisubunit complex termed BLOC-1 (biogenesis of lysosome-related organelles complex-1). In the present study, the significance of the dystrobrevin–dysbindin interaction for BLOC-1 function was examined. Yeast two-hybrid analyses, and binding assays using recombinant proteins, demonstrated direct interaction involving coiled-coil-forming regions in both dysbindin and the dystrobrevins. However, recombinant proteins bearing the coiled-coil-forming regions of the dystrobrevins failed to bind endogenous BLOC-1 from HeLa cells or mouse brain or muscle, under conditions in which they bound the Dp71 isoform of dystrophin. Immunoprecipitation of endogenous dysbindin from brain or muscle resulted in robust co-immunoprecipitation of the pallidin subunit of BLOC-1 but no specific co-immunoprecipitation of dystrobrevin isoforms. Within BLOC-1, dysbindin is engaged in interactions with three other subunits, named pallidin, snapin and muted. We herein provide evidence that the same 69-residue region of dysbindin that is sufficient for dystrobrevin binding in vitro also contains the binding sites for pallidin and snapin, and at least part of the muted-binding interface. Functional, histological and immunohistochemical analyses failed to detect any sign of muscle pathology in BLOC-1-deficient, homozygous pallid mice. Taken together, these results suggest that dysbindin assembled into BLOC-1 is not a physiological binding partner of the dystrobrevins, likely due to engagement of its dystrobrevin-binding region in interactions with other subunits.
Kierkegaard on faith and freedom

In his recent article, "Kierkegaard on belief, faith and explanation,"1 David Wisdo argues that I have fundamentally misconstrued Kierkegaard's notion of faith. Specifically, he makes three charges against my interpretation of Kierkegaard's concept of faith in my book The Logic of Subjectivity (henceforth referred to as LS): (1) My claim that Kierkegaard is a volitionalist is fundamentally misguided, since I interpret this in a strong sense and Qimacus only holds it in a weak sense; (2) My interpretation of Kierkegaard's concept of faith as involving the will is false, since faith is a miracle, excluding the will; and (3) my claim that Kierkegaard is giving a philosophical explanation of faith is misguided since "Kierkegaard rejects any philosophical explanation which purports to explain the acquisition of faith" (p. 96). Wisdo 's criticisms are important and our disagreements have more than incidental significance. They go to the very heart of Kierkegaard's interpretation and represent two diametrically opposed views on the nature of Kierkegaard's work, his work representing a long tradition of American Kierkegaard scholarship represented by Paul Holmer, Louis Mackey, and Josiah Thompson which emphasizes the anti-intellectual element in Kierkegaard's thought, denying that Kierkegaard has put forward a Christian philosophy (unless it be a philosophy about why there should be no Christian philosophy). My view lies in a more European tradition
Estimating causal effects of credit decisions

Abstract In principle, making credit decisions under uncertainty can be approached by estimating the potential future outcomes that will result from the various decision alternatives. In practice, estimation difficulties may arise as a result of selection bias and limited historic testing. We review some theoretical results and practical estimation tools from observation study design and causal modeling, and evaluate their relevance to credit decision problems. Building on these results and tools, we propose a novel approach for estimating potential outcomes for credit decisions with multiple alternatives based on matching on multiple propensity scores. We demonstrate the approach and discuss results for risk-based pricing and credit line increase problems. Among the strengths of our approach are its transparency about data support for the estimates and its ability to incorporate prior knowledge in the extrapolative inference of treatment-response curves.
Dynamical characteristics of the giant magneto-resistance of epitaxial silicide nanowires

We study the dynamical properties of a hugely hysteretic magneto-resistance in epitaxially formed silicide nanowires, and propose a model for this remarkable effect in which it is attributed to the collective interactions among interfacial spins associated with dangling bonds. According to our model, the dynamic character of this effect reflects a competitive tendency for the interfacial spins to align in different collective configurations (random, ordered, and multi-domain). Our work thus provides a dramatic demonstration of how the collective interactions among interfacial spins can modify the properties of nonmagnetic nanostructures.
Precious commodity: providing water for America's cities

Precious commodity: providing water for America's cities, by Martin Melosi, Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 2011, 302 pp., US$27.95 (paperback) In the last few years, cities have reacte...
Decompressive Abdominal Laparotomy for Abdominal Compartment Syndrome in an Unengrafted Bone Marrow Recipient with Septic Shock

Objective. To describe a profoundly immunocompromised (panleukopenia) child with septic shock who developed abdominal compartment syndrome (ACS) and was successfully treated with surgical decompression. Design. Individual case report. Setting. Pediatric intensive care unit of a tertiary children's hospital. Patient. A 32-month-old male with Fanconi anemia who underwent bone marrow transplantation (BMT) 5 days prior to developing septic shock secondary to Streptococcus viridans and Escherichia coli ACS developed after massive fluid resuscitation, leading to cardiopulmonary instability. Interventions. Emergent surgical bedside laparotomy and silo placement. Measurements and Main Results. The patient's cardiopulmonary status stabilized after decompressive laparotomy. The abdomen was closed and the patient survived to hospital discharge without cardiac, respiratory, or renal dysfunction. Conclusions. The use of laparotomy and silo placement in an unengrafted BMT patient with ACS and septic shock did not result in additional complications. Surgical intervention for ACS is a reasonable option for high risk, profoundly immunocompromised patients.
The multiplier effect of computing literacy on user services

COMPUTING MAY BE USED in any or all of the following areas within an educational institution: instruction, research, and educational administration. The first two areas involve faculty, students, and researchers. The latter involves the educational administrator. All three user groups are, or will be, involved in integrating computing into their daily professional lives. The degree to which this will happen will depend on the ability of the academic community to understand where and how to apply computing in their respective areas.The ability to understand and use computers as a problem-solving tool has come to be known as “computing literacy.” Within the last five years, the development of computing literacy has been one of the more urgent concerns within educational institutions. The nontechnologist is not oriented towards the use of the computer as a problem-solving tool. Helping the individual to achieve computing literacy is an essential activity for brining about behavioral change and reaching this goal.Some of the issues that must be addressed as part of implementing a computing literacy program are to:• Understand the environment for which it must be developed• Develop a working definition of computing literacy that is suited for the environment• Identify the target audience(s) to be involved in a computing literacy program• Develop a computing literacy curriculum• Develop a delivery mechanism to provide the education• Evaluate the program's effectivenessThis paper will discuss the comprehensive computing literacy program currently in place at Iona College. It will discuss Iona's approach to resolving the above issues and the implementation of a comprehensive computing literacy program for students, faculty, administrators, and staff. It will also discuss the relationship between interest in computing and demand for user services. It would appear that the introduction of computing literacy programs can be correlated to an increased request for user services and a need for an ever-widening scope of user services.
Positions and Roles of Agricultural Extension Workers in Poultry Egg Marketing in Delta State, Nigeria

The broad objective of the study was to describe the role of agricultural extension workers in the marketing of poultry eggs. A sample of one hundred and five (105) enterpreneurs of small and medium scale poultry farms and forty seven (47) extension workers was randomly composed.. The marketing channel for poultry eggs consisted of the producers, middle men/assemblers, wholesalers, retailers and consumer. The most important stages for advising farmers on egg marketing were the laying and packaging stages. There was a significant difference between total scores on role perception and role performance scores on the eleven (11) extension roles in egg marketing ( t = 19.892; p DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n2p197
The pseudo-Brewster angle

An exact expression for the pseudo-Brewster angle, and also some relatively easy-to-use formulas giving an approximate value for this angle and for the minimum value of the vertical polarization reflection coefficient are presented.
Effect of Rotational Mobility on Photoelectron Transfer: Comparison of Two Zeolite Topologies

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and time-resolved diffuse reflectance (TRDR) have been combined to study the effects of constrained rotational motion on the rates of photoinduced electron-transfer reactions within zeolites. By synthesizing tris(2,2‘-bipyridine) ruthenium (II) [Ru(bpy)32+] within the large cages of zeolites Y and EMT, it was possible to directly investigate the effect of zeolite cage size on molecular motion of Ru(bpy)32+ and the influence of the cage size on the rate of intrazeolitic electron transfer. Deuterium solid-state NMR shows that zeolite Y imposes restraint on molecular rotation of Ru(bpy)32+, while zeolite EMT allows for motion. Temperature-dependent studies show the ability to freeze or induce motion of Ru(bpy)32+ within zeolite EMT while motion within zeolite Y remains unaffected, even at elevated temperatures. For zeolite EMT, an increase in the rate of the photoinduced forward and back electron transfer from Ru(bpy)32+ to methyl viologen was noted and correlate...
the Use of Carnitine in Pediatric Nutrition

Carnitine is synthesized endogenously from methionine and lysine in the liver and kidney and is available exogenously from a meat and dairy diet and from human milk and most enteral formulas. Parenteral nutrition (PN) does not contain carnitine unless it is extemporaneously added. The primary role of carnitine is to transport long-chain fatty acids across the mitochondrial membrane, where they undergo beta-oxidation to produce energy. Although the majority of patients are capable of endogenous synthesis of carnitine, certain pediatric populations, specifically neonates and infants, have decreased biosynthetic capacity and are at risk of developing carnitine deficiency, particularly when receiving PN. Studies have evaluated for several decades the effects of carnitine supplementation in pediatric patients receiving nutrition support. Early studies focused primarily on the effects of supplementation on markers of fatty acid metabolism and nutrition markers, including weight gain and nitrogen balance, whereas more recent studies have evaluated neonatal morbidity. This review describes the role of carnitine in metabolic processes, its biosynthesis, and carnitine deficiency syndromes, as well as reviews the literature on carnitine supplementation in pediatric nutrition.
Associations between the number of natural teeth and metabolic syndrome in adults.

Aim To explore associations between the number of natural teeth and metabolic syndrome in adults. Material and Methods Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2008 were used. Eligible adults (n = 5511) were classified into four groups by their number of natural teeth (excluding third molars): full dentition, 21–27 teeth, 1–20 teeth, or edentulous. Metabolic syndrome was defined by diagnostic guidelines from the American Heart Association and National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Associations were analysed by survey logistic regression. Biometric and metabolic parameters in different dentition groups were compared. Results Adjusting for age, gender, race/ethnicity, ratio of family income to poverty, physical activity, smoking, and energy intake, tooth loss was significantly associated with metabolic syndrome (p = 0.002). Compared to participants with full dentition, the odds were 32% higher in those with 21–27 teeth, 55% higher in those with 1–20 teeth and 79% higher in edentulous participants. The number of natural teeth was inversely associated with body mass index, waist circumference, blood pressure, fasting plasma glucose and insulin concentrations (p < 0.01 for all); it was positively associated with serum HDL cholesterol concentration (p = 0.003). Conclusions The number of natural teeth is inversely associated with the presence of metabolic syndrome in adults.
Efficient Simulation of a Dynamic System with LuGre Friction

Friction is a difficult phenomenon to model and simulate. One promising friction model is the LuGre model, which captures key frictional behavior from experiments and from other friction laws. While displaying many modeling advantages, the LuGre model of friction can result in numerically stiff system dynamics. In particular, the LuGre friction model exhibits very slow dynamics during periods of sticking and very fast dynamics during periods of slip. This paper investigates the best simulation strategies for application to dynamic systems with LuGre friction. Several simulation strategies are applied including the explicit Runge-Kutta, implicit Trapezoidal, and implicit Radau-IIA schemes. It was found that both the Runge-Kutta and Radau-IIA methods performed well in simulating the system. The Runge-Kutta method had better accuracy, but the Radau-IIA method required less integration steps.Copyright © 2005 by ASME
Noncompact simulations of SU(2) gauge theory at strong coupling

Wilson loops have been measured on a 124 lattice in noncompact simulations of pure SU(2) without gauge fixing at strong coupling, β = 0.5, and at moderate coupling, β = 2. There is no sign of quark confinement in the loops that have been measured accurately.
First description of milk teeth of fossil South American procyonid from the lower Chapadmalalan (Late Miocene–Early Pliocene) of “Farola Monte Hermoso,” Argentina: paleoecological considerations

The first record of milk teeth of South American fossil procyonids comes from the Late Miocene–Early Pliocene at “Farola Monte Hermoso,” Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. Five extant genera of Procyonidae inhabit South America (Bassaricyon Allen, Nasuella Hollister, Potos Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire and Cuvier, Procyon Storr, and Nasua Storr). Of these only Procyon and Nasua are present in the fossil record (Late Pleistocene–Holocene), in several localities in Brazil, Uruguay, and Bolivia. In addition, six other fossil genera were named, but only two are considered valid: Cyonasua and Chapadmalania. Thus, Cyonasua encompasses ten formally named species and Chapadmalania two. The new specimen, MLP 09-X-5-1, is assigned to cf. Cyonasua. In addition, anatomical evidence implies a much more carnivorous diet in Late Miocene–Early Pleistocene procyonids than that of extant South American taxa. Finally, I examine and discuss the “competitive displacement” hypothesis regarding the extinction of native marsupial carnivores after the arrival of immigrant placental carnivores in South America.
Negative refraction, gain and nonlinear effects in hyperbolic metamaterials

The negative refraction and evanescent-wave canalization effects supported by a layered metamaterial structure obtained by alternating dielectric and plasmonic layers is theoretically analyzed. By using a transmission-line analysis, we formulate a way to rapidly analyze the negative refraction operation for given available materials over a broad range of frequencies and design parameters, and we apply it to broaden the bandwidth of negative refraction. Our analytical model is also applied to explore the possibility of employing active layers for loss compensation. Nonlinear dielectrics can also be considered within this approach, and they are explored in order to add tunability to the optical response, realizing positive-to-zero-to-negative refraction at the same frequency, as a function of the input intensity. Our findings may lead to a better physical understanding and improvement of the performance of negative refraction and subwavelength imaging in layered metamaterials, paving the way towards the design of gain-assisted hyperlenses and tunable nonlinear imaging devices.
Form Factors and Antisymmetric Nucleon Wave Functions in the Quark Model

An explicit antisymmetric spatial wave function for the nucleons in the quark model is constructed which yields a form factor in reasonable agreement with the experimental data. One consequence is that it is not necessary on the basis of the present data to discard Fermi statistics for the quarks in a single triplet model.
What We Learned About Our Assessment Program that has Nothing to do with Student Learning Outcomes

The various assessment methods available to Political Science Departments each have their pros and cons. Standardized tests may be seen as an efficient and a less labor-intensive way to collect data on student-learning outcomes (SLOs), but these lack contextual information. Exit interviews and works collected from capstone courses may provide context in terms of SLO knowledge but not offer information about the development of this knowledge. Portfolios may provide information about the development of SLO knowledge but may often represent the students' “best” work and thus impart bias. This paper will describe a labor-intensive type of assessment, Progressive Direct Assessment (PDA), in which data is collected from students in courses at each level of work (i.e., lower division to upper division) in order to measure the progression of SLO knowledge across the Political Science major. While the implementation of this plan provided insights about the development of SLOs, it also provided knowledge about aspe...
Robust and fragile entanglement of three qubits: Relation to permutation symmetry

The robustness of entanglement for the set of eight total spin states of three qubits is characterized and related to their permutation symmetries. These states fall into four sets of two entangled states, differing in their patterns of robustness to entanglement when one of the states is lost. Their entanglement measures are shown to contain certain permutation symmetries of the spin states and their corresponding marginal two-particle states. The eight entangled states are also found to be eigenstates of the Heisenberg Hamiltonian, ${\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{A}\ensuremath{\cdot}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{B}+{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{A}\ensuremath{\cdot}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{C}+{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{B}\ensuremath{\cdot}{\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{\ensuremath{\sigma}}}_{C}/2.$ This allows the entanglement to be tuned in a systematic way by adjusting the symmetries of a general three-qubit Hamiltonian. The necessary and sufficient conditions for separability of a general three-particle state in terms of (a) three one-particle states and (b) one one-particle and one two-particle state are also given.
Thermodynamics of an Incommensurate Quantum Crystal

We present a theory of the thermodynamics of an incommensurate quantum solid. The ground state of the solid is assumed to be an incommensurate crystal, with quantum zero-point vacancies and interstitials and thus a non-integer number of atoms per unit cell. We show that at low temperature T, the variation of the net vacancy concentration should be as T4 and that the first correction to the specific heat due to this varies as T7; these are quite consistent with experiments on solid helium-4. We also make some observations about the recent experimental reports of “supersolidity” in solid helium-4 that motivate a renewed interest in quantum crystals.
Thirty-Seven and Counting: How Has AEFP Evolved from Its Origins?

It has been a busy time for the Association of Education Finance and Policy (AEFP). Over the past few years the association has acquired a new name, a new journal, and many new members. The 2012 annual conference, convened in Boston last March, proved to be the largest conference in the association’s thirty-seven-year history, with 556 members in attendance. The theme, selected by incoming president Deborah Cunningham, was “Education Finance, Policy, and Practice: The Role of Evidence in a Dynamic World,” which underscores the contemporary challenge to the association: how to apply an increasing abundance of information and sophisticated analytical tools to produce the evidence needed to guide decision making by educational policy makers and practitioners. The Boston meeting was notable not only for the number in attendance. The unique qualities and strengths of the association were in clear display: papers of unusual methodological rigor; an interdisciplinary mix of academics from the social sciences, public policy schools, and colleges of education; educational finance professionals, policy analysts, and practitioners, a mix rarely found in the same place; and sessions addressing today’s hot topics as well as issues that have endured over the years. Having said this, all indications are that AEFP is what it has always been: a small, diverse group of people tackling some really big problems. Of particular note was a trend that has been growing for years but has clearly come into full flower: the large
Tissue-specific variation in repair activity for 3-methyladenine in DNA in two stocks of mice.

Abstract Two stocks of mice, hybrid (C3H × 101)F 1 and inbred SEC/R1, were compared for 3-methyladenineDNA N -glycosylase activity which is involved in removal of 3-methyladenine, 7-methylguanine and some other N -methylpurines in DNA, in cell-free extracts of different tissues. Based on activity measured both per unit weight of tissue and per mass DNA, there is a significant organ-specific and stock-specific difference in N -glycosylase activity over a range of 0.5–8.7 fmoles of 3-methyladenine released per h at 37°C per μg DNA of tissue extract. On a per cell basis, the repair activity for 3-methyladenine is the highest in stomach in both stocks. The tissues can be arranged in order of decreasing activity of glycolytic removal as stomach > kidney > lung > liver > spleen > brain > ovary for SEC/R1 mice and stomach > kidney > ovary > spleen, lung and brain > liver for the hybrid mice. For all tissues except ovary, SEC/R1 mice have 1.5–4 fold higher specific N -glycosylase activity than (C3H × 101)F 1 mice. In contrast, the ovary of SEC/R1 stock has about half as much enzyme activity as that of the hybrid stock.
Phase Behavior of Poly(propylene glycol) Monobutyl Ethers in Dense CO2

An oxygenated hydrocarbon-based polymer, poly(propylene glycol) monobutyl ether (PPGMBE), is very CO2-soluble. Therefore PPGMBE may serve as the CO2-philic portion of CO2-soluble surfactants, dispersants, thickeners, and chelating agents. CO2−PPGMBE isothermal pressure−composition phase diagrams were determined at 298 K for PPGMBE average molecular weights of 340, 1000, and 1200. All the diagrams share the same features of one vapor−liquid−liquid three-phase equilibrium line and three two-phase equilibrium regions. The mixture critical points for the pseudobinary solutions were determined to be (7.2, 31.0, and 41.7) MPa for molecular weights of 340, 1000, and 1200, respectively.
Blood lipids, cardiovascular fitness, obesity, and blood pressure : The presence of potential coronary heart disease risk factors in adolescents

Abstract Objective To identify and compare the presence of coronary heart disease (CHD) risk factors among 14- and 15-year-old boys and girls. Design For this cross-sectional study of 54 subjects, a blood sample taken after subjects fasted was used to determine total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglyceride concentrations. Dietary intake was estimated using a 24-hour recall and a 2-day food record. Height, weight, and skinfold thicknesses were measured to identify obese and severely obese subjects. Cardiovascular fitness, blood pressure, and cigarette use also were measured. TC, HDL-C, LDL-C, fitness, blood pressure, and smoking are modifiable risk factors for CHD. Subjects Adolescents were selected by random sampling from lists of students attending public schools in two central Texas cities. Adolescents who were 14 or 15 years old; were not pregnant; and had no history of high blood pressure, diabetes, or heart disease were eligible to participate. Statistical methods Data were analyzed using Student's t and χ 2 tests. Results Of the subjects, 25% demonstrated two or more risk factors for CHD. A significantly higher percentage of girls than boys had a TC concentration greater than 5.2 mmol/L. Boys (n=29) had a mean fitness score that indicated a higher level of cardiovascular fitness than girls (n=25); however, the mean score for both groups was below average. Conclusion Data provide support for increased interventions targeted toward lowering the risk factors for CHD and other chronic diseases in adolescents. J Am Diet Assoc. 1996; 96:238-242 .
Toward a Political Economy Model for Comparative Analysis of the Role of Strategic Human Resource Development Leadership

This article presents a conceptual framework for a political economy approach for studying the role of human resource development (HRD) leadership in organizations and understanding the linkage between an organization’s political-economic context and HRD programs and practice. This conceptual framework provides an integrative model for comparative analysis across organizations. It also brings the role of opportunistic advocacy to the forefront of discourse involving HRD practice. A political economy approach contextualizes the literature on performance improvement and emphasizes the role of HRD agency. This article provides a foundation for the conceptual framework, drawing on the seminal literature in strategy and organizational sociology. Examples of initial categories for a grounded theory of HRD from a political economy perspective are provided.
Small-scale crack bridging and the fracture toughness of particulate-reinforced ceramics

Abstract T heoretical analyses of small-scale bridging of crack surfaces by elastic-ideally plastic springs are presented and applied to the study of the fracture toughness of ceramics reinforced by small particles. The dependence of toughening on particle size, concentration, strength, and ductility is explored, and relations between toughening and bridge length at fracture are given. Available experimental information is examined in the light of the analyses.
The effects of potential and kinetic parameters on the formation of passivating noble metal rich surface layers during the selective dissolution of binary alloys

This article presents a mathematical model of the selective dissolution process that occurs below a critical potential, EC, in a thin alloy surface layer which becomes protective as it enriches in the noble metal. A kinetictransport product h (cm−1) was obtained which includes the effects of electrode potential, E, exchange current density, io, transfer coefficient, α, and interdiffusivity, D: h = ionFDCAoexp(αF(E − ErevRT) = kD where k (cms−1) combines the polarization, kinetic parameters and the concentration of the less noble element A in the bulk A-B alloy, Cao. A dimensionless product hDt = ktD, where t is the time, was found to affect the rates of selective dissolution and surface recession, CA and CB at the alloy surface and the thickness of, and the concentration profiles within, the (characteristically defective) interdiffusion layer at the alloy surface. For hDt≥ 5 this layer is seriously depleted of A and proportionately enriched in B, under which condition the solution degenerates to a parabolic rate law which controls the process. The concentration CA at the alloy surface decreases to 50% of its initial value at hDt = 0.75 and to only 10% at hDt= 5.6. Surface enrichment in B depends on its mole fraction in the bulk alloy, being greater for lower mole fractions. The model predictions are compared to experimental results in the literature.
The double-edged sword of decentralized planning in multiteam systems.

The literature on small stand-alone teams has suggested that decentralization has predominantly positive features. However, in multiteam systems, the presence of other highly interdependent teams adds a level of complexity that may preclude generalizing from teams to multiteam systems. We studied the effects of decentralized planning in 210 multiteam systems, each composed of three six-person, functionally specialized component teams. As has previous research, we find that decentralized planning has positive effects on multiteam system performance, attributable to enhanced proactivity and aspiration levels. However, we also find that the positive effects associated with decentralized planning are offset by the even stronger negative effects attributable to excessive risk seeking and coordination failures. We discuss the implications for theories of intrateam and interteam dynamics, along with the applied implications for designing empowerment interventions in team and multiteam contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
tRNA Modification Enzymes GidA and MnmE: Potential Role in Virulence of Bacterial Pathogens

Transfer RNA (tRNA) is an RNA molecule that carries amino acids to the ribosomes for protein synthesis. These tRNAs function at the peptidyl (P) and aminoacyl (A) binding sites of the ribosome during translation, with each codon being recognized by a specific tRNA. Due to this specificity, tRNA modification is essential for translational efficiency. Many enzymes have been implicated in the modification of bacterial tRNAs, and these enzymes may complex with one another or interact individually with the tRNA. Approximately, 100 tRNA modification enzymes have been identified with glucose-inhibited division (GidA) protein and MnmE being two of the enzymes studied. In Escherichia coli and Salmonella, GidA and MnmE bind together to form a functional complex responsible for the proper biosynthesis of 5-methylaminomethyl-2-thiouridine (mnm5s2U34) of tRNAs. Studies have implicated this pathway in a major pathogenic regulatory mechanism as deletion of gidA and/or mnmE has attenuated several bacterial pathogens like Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, Pseudomonas syringae, Aeromonas hydrophila, and many others. In this review, we summarize the potential role of the GidA/MnmE tRNA modification pathway in bacterial virulence, interactions with the host, and potential therapeutic strategies resulting from a greater understanding of this regulatory mechanism.
A time-accurate variable property algorithm for calculating flows with large temperature variations

Abstract A variable property algorithm is developed for time-dependent resolution of flows with large temperature differences. The non-linear coupled set of equations with property variations is resolved by an implicit iterative procedure at each time step. The momentum and energy equations are integrated in time using an implicit Crank–Nicolson method, and a Helmholtz equation for pressure is solved at each inner iteration. Local density changes are coupled to both changes in local temperature and pressure, whereas other properties are only coupled to changes in temperature. No low Mach number assumption is used in the formulation, and the pressure is calculated directly through the Helmholtz equation. Results are shown to compare well with benchmark calculations and analytical solutions of convection in a differentially heated cavity with very large temperature differences. Unsteady Poiseuille–Benard flow is used for validation of the time-dependent aspects of the algorithm, which is shown to accurately predict the time-dependent buoyancy driven longitudinal vortices.