cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Challenges for Future Flexible Electric Power Systems

This paper describes some of the challenges that face the operation of future electric power systems. These systems are becoming more flexible and agile. Their physical structures and connections are continuously changing as microgrids, electric vehicles, and other generation and storage devices are connected/disconnected from the grid, which result in new challenges for the operation, management, and control of the systems of the future that incorporate active participation of the consumers, and high penetration of intermittent nature renewable resources such as wind and solar.
A Law Clinic Systems Theory and the Pedagogy of Interaction: Creating a Legal Learning System

This article introduces a clinical systems approach that reframes professional experience as an interaction with a professional environment. The article encourages clinical faculty and other legal educators to contemplate the pedagogy of systemic interaction when teaching from experience and to then expand professional interactive opportunities within the short period of student participation. Clinical systems theory operates on the premise that students should reframe how they look at their surroundings so that the challenges that make up their professional system are not seen as problems but as means to a solution. Reframing by the student is realized in a clinical system as educators maximize professional interactions and teach from emerging interactive patterns.
A RAPID METHOD FOR MEASURING THE ACID-SOLUBLE CHLORIDE CONTENT OF POWDERED CONCRETE SAMPLES

A rapid alternative method has been developed to the standard ASTM and AASHTO test methods for determining the acid-soluble chloride content of concrete. The method uses an acidic solution containing a deforming agent to digest the collected powdered chloride samples. A stabilizing solution is used in place of a temperature correction factor for the direct read of the solution's chloride concentration with a specific ion electrode. Concrete samples from precontaminated specimens cast in the laboratory and powdered samples collected from concrete bridges in Virginia, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Florida were tested in the laboratory. A linear relationship was developed between the rapid and the ASTM standard method which may be used to predict the standard equivalent acid-soluble chloride content from the rapid test results. The proposed standard rapid test procedure is presented in the Appendix.
Shaping spoken input in user-initiative systems.

A spoken dialog system performs best when users speak within the grammar that the system understands. We conducted a simple study to investigate how easily users can be persuaded to speak to a system using a restricted, less-thannatural-language input style. In a Wizard-of-Oz setting, users of a spoken dialogue system for information access were given brief instructions to “speak simply” to the system. During their interactions, conversational or complex input was rejected by the system while simpler, “just-the-facts” input was accepted. We found that all users were able to adapt their language to successfully complete tasks, and participants’ post-experiment comments showed that they were consistently mindful of the form of acceptable input. These results will support further investigation into more precise shaping of user input, leading to more effective and efficient human-machine speech interaction.
Glucose transport in L6 myoblasts overexpressing GLUT1 and GLUT4

The roles of the glucose transporter isoforms, GLUT1 and GLUT4, in mediating insulin-stimulated glucose transport were investigated by stably overexpressing the transporters in L6 myoblasts. Levels of GLUT1 and GLUT4 in myoblasts from the cell lines having the highest content of these transporters were approximately 16- and 30-fold higher, respectively, than levels in nontransfected cells. The basal rate of 2-deoxy[3H]glucose uptake was severalfold higher in cells overexpressing GLUT1 than in the parent L6 myoblasts or in control cell lines that were generated by transfecting cells with expression vectors lacking transporter insert. The basal rate was not elevated in any of the lines expressing GLUT4. The net increase in 2-deoxy[3H]glucose uptake produced by insulin was larger in both the GLUT1 and GLUT4 cells than in the control cells. Insulin increased uptake in GLUT4 cells by as much as 6-fold; whereas, the fold increase over basal uptake produced by insulin in GLUT1 cells was comparable to that (2-fold) observed in the control myocytes. Thus, both GLUT1 and GLUT4 can mediate insulin-stimulated glucose transport in L6 myoblasts, although GLUT4 is needed to observe large percentage increases comparable to those observed in skeletal muscle fibers in vivo. In contrast to insulin, the protein phosphatase inhibitors, okadaic acid and calyculin A, inhibited glucose transport in cells expressing either GLUT1 or GLUT4. Calyculin A, which produced a half-maximum effect at 10 nM, was approximately 100 times more potent than okadaic acid in decreasing both basal and insulin-stimulated 2-deoxyglucose uptake. Inhibition of uptake by calyculin A was associated with a decrease in the cell surface concentration of both GLUT1 and GLUT4. These results indicate that increased protein phosphorylation can lead to inhibition of transport mediated by both GLUT1 and GLUT4.
Managing Pain Before it Manages You (3rd Edition)

Managing Pain Before it Manages You (3rd Edition) Margaret A. Caudill, MD, PhD, MPH Published by The Guilford Press, 2009, 255 pp., $22.95 For over 25 years, Margaret A. Caudill, a board certified ...
Design of asymptotically stable walking for a 5-link planar biped walker via optimization

Closed-loop, asymptotically stable walking motions are designed for a 5-link, planar bipedal robot model with one degree of underactuation. Parameter optimization is applied to the hybrid zero dynamics, a 1-DOF invariant subdynamics of the full robot model, in order to create asymptotically stable orbits. Tuning the dynamics of this 1-DOF subsystem via optimization is interesting because asymptotically stable orbits of the zero dynamics correspond to asymptotically stabilizable orbits of the full hybrid model of the walker. The optimization process uses a sequential quadratic programming (SQP) algorithm and is able to satisfy kinematic and dynamic constraints while approximately minimizing energy consumption and ensuring stability. This is in contrast with traditional approaches to the design of walking controllers where approximately optimal walking (time-) trajectories are derived and then enforced on the robot using a trajectory tracking controller.
The physics of laser particle acceleration

The physical principles of various laser schemes for accelerating charged particles will be discussed. The status of the inverse Cherenkov, inverse free-electron laser, various laser-plasma schemes, and laser vacuum acceleration will be reviewed.
Delignification and degelation: Analogy in chemical kinetics

Structurally and kinetically, chemical pulping can be treated as a degelation process. Kinetics derived from the empirical power law is rejected on the grounds that lignin is a polymer. Using an extended version of the Flory–Stockmayer theory and a kinetic expression derived by Whittle, the delignification kinetics is expressed in terms of opposing unimolecular–bimolecular reactions. The quantity replacing lignin concentration is the “extent of reaction” defined in the theory. Parameters used in this reaction are estimated, and the time dependence of the undissolved lignin fraction can be calculated. The calculated delignification curve is shown to be in good agreement with experimental results.
Different obscurin isoforms localize to distinct sites at sarcomeres

We used four antibodies to regions of obscurin isoforms A and B, encoded by the obscurin gene, to investigate the location of these proteins in skeletal myofibers at resting and stretched lengths. Obscurin A ( approximately 800 kDa) which was recognized by antibodies generated to the N-terminal, Rho-GEF, and the non-modular C-terminal domain that lacks the kinase-like domains, localizes at the level of the M-band. Obscurin B ( approximately 900 kDa) which has the N-terminal, Rho-GEF, and the C-terminal kinase-like domains, localizes at the level of the A/I junction. Additional isoforms, which lack one or more of these epitopes, are present at the Z-disk and Z/I junction.
Motion planning for mobile manipulators with a non-holonomic constraint using the FSP (full space parameterization) method

The efficient utilization of the motion capabilities of mobile manipulators, i.e., manipulators mounted on mobile platforms, requires the resolution of the kinematically redundant system formed by the addition of the degrees of freedom (DOF) of the platform to those of the manipulator. At the velocity level, the linearized Jacobian equation for such a redundant system represents an underspecified system of algebraic equations, which can be subject to a varying set of contraints such as a non-holonomic constraint on the platform motion, obstacles in the workspace, and various limits on the joint motions. A method, which we named the Full Space Parameterization (FSP), has recently been developed to resolve such underspecified systems with constraints that may vary in time and in number during a single trajectory. In this article, we first review the principles of the FSP and give analytical solutions for constrained motion cases with a general optimization criterion for resolving the redundancy. We then focus on the solutions to (1) the problem introduced by the combined use of prismatic and revolute joints (a common occurrence in practical mobile manipulators), which makes the dimensions of the joint displacement vector components non-homogeneous, and (2) the treatment of a non-holonomic constraint on the platform motion. Sample implementations on several large-payload mobile manipulators with up to 11 DOF are discussed. Comparative trajectories involving combined motions of the platform and manipulator for problems with obstacle and joint limit constraints, and with non-holonomic contraints on the platform motions, are presented to illustrate the use and efficiency of the FSP approach in complex motion planning problems. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A low-power self-biased neural amplifier for implantable EEG recording system ICs

This paper presents a low-power and self-biased neural amplifier for implantable EEG recording system ICs with a high-density interface. To achieve low-power consumption, small die-area, high gain, and high CMRR, a fully differential Chappell OTA is employed along with a capacitive feedback loop. The amplifier operating at ±1.2V has a gain of 65.6dB and consumes a power of 1.7µW. The bandwidth extends from a low-frequency cutoff of below 1 Hz to a high-frequency cutoff of 300Hz which is suitable for EEG signals. This proposed amplifier has an input-referred noise of 9.76µV RMS and THD of 1.86% with respect to 1mV PP input at 100Hz. This low-power self-biased neural amplifier occupies an active die-area of 0.244mm2 and is under fabrication in 0.35µm CMOS 4M2P Process.
Evidence for Flexibility in the Function of Ribonuclease A

The dynamic properties of the enzyme ribonuclease A (RNase A) were investigated through the use of solution NMR spin relaxation experiments. As determined by “model-free” analysis, RNase A is conformationally rigid on time scales faster than overall rotational tumbling (picoseconds to nanoseconds). The average order parameter, S2, for RNase A is 0.910 ± 0.051. However, 28 of the amino acid residues in RNase A were identified as undergoing chemical exchange on the microsecond to millisecond time scale. For 16 of these residues the microscopic chemical exchange rates, kex, were quantitated through the use of the relaxation-compensated CPMG (rcCPMG) experiment. The value of kex was identical for all residues with an average of 1640 s-1 and is similar to the RNase A kcat value of 1900 s-1. Many of these mobile residues localize to the active site in RNase A and include the catalytically crucial amino acids His119 and Asp121. Additional motion is found in the B1, B2, and P0 subsites, suggesting a coupling of m...
Studies on the Cholesterol Content of Eggs from Various Breeds and/or Strains of Chickens

Abstract LIMITED information is available on the effects of breed or inheritance on cholesterol content of eggs. Harris and Wilcox (1958) reported that the cholesterol content in the yolk of eggs from hens representing the 1957 Cornell Random Bred White Leghorns was quite uniform. The cholesterol values of these hens did not differ significantly during the various periods of the year. However, cholesterol value differences were found between daughters within dams and dams within sires. Significant positive correlations were obtained from the cholesterol values of eggs laid by the same hen whether the eggs were taken over a large time interval (5 months) or from two eggs laid during the same period. No information has been found on the cholesterol content of the eggs from various strains of chickens. The object of the experiment reported here was to investigate the cholesterol content of the eggs from a number of strains of …
Transforming growth factor-β: Multiple effects on cell differentiation and extracellular matrices

Article de synthese qui passe en revue les donnees recentes sur la comprehension des effets des facteurs de croissance sur la differenciation cellulaire et sur les matrices extracellulaires. Etant donne la plethore d'articles sur ce sujet, la revue se focalise sur les effets des facteurs de croissance transformant β et la maniere dont ils interagissent avec d'autres facteurs de croissance pour permettre la differenciation
Rapid and targeted introgression of genes into popular wheat cultivars using marker-assisted background selection.

A marker-assisted background selection (MABS)-based gene introgression approach in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) was optimized, where 97% or more of a recurrent parent genome (RPG) can be recovered in just two backcross (BC) generations. A four-step MABS method was developed based on ‘Plabsim’ computer simulations and wheat genome structure information. During empirical optimization of this method, double recombinants around the target gene were selected in a step-wise fashion during the two BC cycles followed by selection for recurrent parent genotype on non-carrier chromosomes. The average spacing between carrier chromosome markers was <4 cM. For non-carrier chromosome markers that flanked each of the 48 wheat gene-rich regions, this distance was ∼12 cM. Employed to introgress seedling stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici) resistance gene Yr15 into the spring wheat cultivar ‘Zak’, marker analysis of 2,187 backcross-derived progeny resulted in the recovery of a BC2F2∶3 plant with 97% of the recurrent parent genome. In contrast, only 82% of the recurrent parent genome was recovered in phenotypically selected BC4F7 plants developed without MABS. Field evaluation results from 17 locations indicated that the MABS-derived line was either equal or superior to the recurrent parent for the tested agronomic characteristics. Based on these results, MABS is recommended as a strategy for rapidly introgressing a targeted gene into a wheat genotype in just two backcross generations while recovering 97% or more of the recurrent parent genotype.
Teaching microprocessor systems design using a SoC and Embedded Linux platform

In traditional microprocessor systems design courses, students learn to develop assembly language programs to control peripherals, handle interrupts, and perform I/O operations. We adopt a 32-bit StrongARM architecture on the Motorola MX1ADS board with Embedded Linux to present a modern microprocessor system design course. With this new platform, we use a high-level language to develop projects that accelerate the students' learning curve. Embedded Linux also provides the necessary flexibility and tool set required for students to debug their own projects. Our students' responded very positively to this change. They were excited about the renewed course structure, the updated learning environment, and the challenging projects.
Mononuclear cell (MNC) collection by continuous- flow centrifugation (CFC)

Mononuclear cell separation and collection by continuous-flow centrifugation relates to centrifugal acceleration, total blood processed, peripheral blood concentration, and probable mobilization from extravascular sites during the procedure. At low-G forces, 70-80% of mononuclear cells are cleared. As G forces are increased, 95-100% of mononuclear cells can be cleared, but excessive platelet depletion occurs. An average of three billion cells were harvested from 2-3 liters of blood, rising to nine billion when 6 liters were processed. The total blood processed is defined by citrate infusion rates and ionized calcium changes. Large quantities of mononuclear cells were collected from normal donors without any significant depletion. If the objective of harvesting mononuclear cells is depletion, intensive schedules may be needed.
The complex role of DNA, histones and HMGB1 in the pathogenesis of SLE

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a prototypic autoimmune disease characterized by the production of antinuclear antibodies (ANA) in association with protean clinic manifestations. ANA can bind to nuclear molecules, most prominently DNA and histones in nucleosomes, to form complexes to promote pathogenesis. Because of the intrinsic immunological activity of the nuclear components, these complexes can amplify responses by interacting with diverse pattern recognition receptors and internal sensing systems. Among molecules associated with nucleosomal components, HMGB1, a non-histone protein, can emanate from activated and dying cells; HMGB1’s immune activity is determined by post-translational modifications, redox state and binding to other immune mediators. Although ANAs form complexes that deposit in the kidney or induce type 1 interferon, ANAs may also block immune activity. Together, these studies highlight the importance of complexes in the pathogenesis of lupus and their role as antigens, immunogens and adjuvants.
ACTION OF OUABAIN ON ISOMETRIC TWITCH TENSION IN STRIATED MUSCLE.

SummaryOuabain significantly increased the isometric twitch tension of the indirectly stimulated rat diaphragm. The diaphragm was analyzed for sodium, potassium and calcium content following exposure to ouabain, exposure to ouabain plus indirect stimulation of the muscle, and the effect of indirect stimulation alone. 1. In the resting diaphragm increasing increments of ouabain (0.5, 1, 2 and 4 μg/ml) resulted in a significant gain in muscle Na, a significant loss of K but no change in Ca as compared to the resting, non-ouabain treated muscle. 2. In the stimulated diaphragm the same increments of ouabain resulted in a significant increase in Na and Ca content of the muscle and a significant loss in K as compared to the resting, non-ouabain treated muscle. In the control stimulated diaphragm there was also a significant gain in Na and Ca content of the muscle and a significant loss in K as compared to the resting, non-ouabain treated muscle. The greatest shifts in Na, K and Ca occurred in the stimulated mus...
The symbol of Rebekah in the Zohar

The matriarchs play a major role in thirteenth-century Kabbalah. Biblical heroines are portrayed as historical figures, sefirotic symbols, and exemplars for proper behavior. Catalonian and Castilian Kabbalists' interest in the matriarchs is a new development in theosophical Kabbalah. I propose that this shift is in part a kabbalistic response to both external and internal stimuli: (1) the Jewish communities' battle with intermarriage and sexual licentiousness; and (2) the cult of the Virgin Mary. This article will explore how thirteenth-century Kabbalists polemicize against these threats by casting the matriarch Rebekah in a role that satisfied the need of the Iberian Jewish community.
Long-Term Stability of Some Barometric Pressure Sensors

Abstract A variety of Pressure sensors have been tested in the laboratory for accuracy and long-term stability. The Paroscientific 215-AT, Rosemount 1201 FIB, and Setra 270 were found to be the most accurate, maintaining 0.1-mb accuracy over long periods. These were followed by the AIR DB-1A with 0.5 mb in most units tested. The Paroscientific and AIR sensors require the least power and are the most suitable for remote deployments. Results on several inexpensive sensors show that some are worthy of consideration if accuracy requirements can be relaxed somewhat. The AIR DB-1A was selected for use in the barometric pressure module for the IMET (improved meteorology) system.
Personalized nutrition and obesity

The past few decades have witnessed a rapid rise in nutrition-related disorders such as obesity in the United States and over the world. Traditional nutrition research has associated various foods and nutrients with obesity. Recent advances in genomics have led to identification of the genetic variants determining body weight and related dietary factors such as intakes of energy and macronutrients. In addition, compelling evidence has lent support to interactions between genetic variations and dietary factors in relation to obesity and weight change. Moreover, recently emerging data from other 'omics' studies such as epigenomics and metabolomics suggest that more complex interplays between the global features of human body and dietary factors may exist at multiple tiers in affecting individuals' susceptibility to obesity; and a concept of 'personalized nutrition' has been proposed to integrate this novel knowledge with traditional nutrition research, with the hope ultimately to endorse person-centric diet intervention to mitigate obesity and related disorders.
Life Stage Simulation Analysis: Estimating Vital-Rate Effects on Population Growth for Conservation

We developed a simulation method, known as life-stage simulation analysis (LSA) to measure potential effects of uncertainty and variation in vital rates on population growth (λ) for purposes of species conservation planning. Under LSA, we specify plausible or hypothesized levels of uncertainty, variation, and covariation in vital rates for a given population. We use these data under resampling simulations to establish random combinations of vital rates for a large number of matrix replicates and finally summarize results from the matrix replicates to estimate potential effects of each vital rate on λ in a probability-based context. Estimates of potential effects are based on a variety of summary statistics, such as frequency of replicates having the same vital rate of highest elasticity, difference in elasticity values calculated under simulated conditions vs. elasticities calculated using mean invariant vital rates, percentage of replicates having positive population growth, and variation in λ explained ...
Review: behavioural counselling reduces sexually transmitted infections in adults and adolescents.

J S Lin, Kaiser Dr J S Lin, Kaiser Permanente Northwest, Portland, OR, USA; jennifer.s.lin@kpchr.org Does behavioural counselling to prevent sexually transmitted infections (STIs) reduce the incidence of STIs and risky sexual behaviours in adults and adolescents? Does behavioural counselling have other benefits or risks? Included studies compared behavioural counselling interventions to prevent STIs that could be delivered in primary care settings (individual or small group sessions) with no intervention, a minimal intervention, or an attention control conducted in primary care settings or specialty clinics with adults or adolescents. Exclusion criteria included people with HIV, studies in non-industrialised countries, and community-based programmes. Outcomes were incidence of STIs and self-reported risky sexual behaviours. Medline, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane …
Avoiding postoperative dysrhythmias and venous obstruction following Mustard's operation. Technical considerations.

Abstract Five infants with uncomplicated transposition of the great arteries underwent correction during which special care was taken to avoid unfavorable hemodynamic and rhythm abnormalities. The late rhythm was sinus in all but 1 patient, who developed atrial flutter three years after operation; the flutter was converted to sinus bradyarrhythmia with dc countershock. Intracardiac electrograms showed normal sinus node function and normal intraatrial conduction despite division of the posterior internodal tracts. Cardiac catheterization done in 3 patients one to three years after operation showed widely patent channels into the systemic venous atria, and contractility studies demonstrated that the right ventricle functioned well as a systemic pump.
Over-the-counter automated external defibrillators: What's next?

On the basis of the testimony of many, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently chose to permit nonprescriptive sales of automated external defibrillators. While the pros and cons of that decision are well articulated by Eisenberg and Kellermann, the current challenge is ‘‘What do we do now?’’ Before answering this, I’d like to look at how we arrived at this point. Medical advances often follow 2 general patterns: gradual ‘‘incremental’’ building of knowledge and improvement of its application (seen often in chemotherapeutic regimens for cancer), and ‘‘leaps’’ based on the best available knowledge pushed beyond the current use (as seen in early human organ transplantation). Clearly, these patterns overlapdeven the previous examples could be debated. Nonetheless, care changes require constant assessment to ensure that the effect is as desired or improved and that harm is avoided. Even with ‘‘leap’’ discoveries, incremental work defining the mechanisms and opportunities to improve is paramount. Resuscitation from cardiac arrest, especially that occurring outside the operating theater, was standardized in the mid1960s based on a ‘‘leap’’ from the existing knowledge and consensus from experts. Basic and advanced life support care paths (protocols to some, guidelines to others) were developed and taught. Systems to help deliver care to those suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest arose based on this need and ‘‘leap,’’ coupled with a similar overlapping need and ‘‘leap’’ in traumatized patients. Since that time, many have tried to tease out the incremental steps and mechanisms that improve survival. To date, our best data suggest that early recognition of cardiac arrest, prompt basic life support (especially closed chest massage), and early defibrillation of ventricular dysrhythmias are the ‘‘known things that help.’’ Given the complexities and potential dangers (including unintended shock to a patient, provider, or bystander), defibrillation was limited to physicians and other trained providers. As technology advanced, defibrillation has become more automated, easier, safer, and potentially ‘‘usable’’ by more people. The roots of the automated external defibrillator prescriptive mandate similarly appear twofold: 1) this is an action
Making Democracy Work More? Exploring the Linkage between Social Capital and Government Performance

This study considers the linkage between social capital and government performance. The latter concept is disaggregated into two dimensions: policy activism and administrative efficiency. Social capital may be related to government performance either because it increases the level of political sophistication and facilitates the cooperation within society, helping people to voice their policy demands better, or because social capital, being shared also by the bureaucratic elites of a polity, facilitates cooperation and helps to overcome the agency problem within the bureaucratic organization. The former argument links social capital to policy activism while the latter links it to administrative efficiency. Empirical tests with data from the German and American subnational governments provide support for the former but not for the latter argument.
Developmental expression of GABAA receptor subunit and GAD genes in mouse somatosensory barrel cortex

In situ hybridization histochemistry with radioactive cRNA probes was used to study patterns of gene expression for alpha1, alpha2, alpha4, alpha5, beta1, beta2, and gamma2 subunit mRNAs of typeAgamma aminobutyric acid (GABA(A)) receptors and for 67-kDa glutamic acid decarboxylase (GAD67) mRNA in mouse barrel cortex during the period (postnatal days 1-12; P1-P12) when thalamocortical innervation of layer IV barrels is occurring. The alpha1, beta2, and gamma2 subunit mRNAs increased substantially with age, especially in layers V and VI, and throughout the period studied, invariably had the same laminar-specific patterns of expression. All three mRNAs were highly expressed in the dense cortical plate at P1. In layer IV after differentiation of barrels, they were expressed in cells of both barrel walls and hollows but especially in the walls. The alpha2, alpha4, alpha5, and beta1 subunit mRNAs were expressed at lower levels and had different laminar patterns of distribution; alpha2 and alpha4 showed switches between layers over time; alpha5 was invariably associated with the subplate or its derivative, beta1 with layer IV. Levels of alpha2 mRNA did not change over time; alpha4 and beta1 mRNAs increased and alpha5 decreased. GAD67 mRNA was highest in layer I at P1 and progressively increased in other layers. These results suggest that postnatal development of GABA(A) receptors is mainly directed at the production of receptors assembled from alpha1, beta2, and gamma2 subunits, with beta1 contributing in layer IV. Other subunits may be associated with receptors involved in trophic actions of GABA during development and may give GABA(A) receptor-mediated responses in the developing cortex their particular physiological profile.
Exploring Relationships Among Communication, Sexual Satisfaction, and Marital Satisfaction

This study examined relationships among couple communication, sexual satisfaction, and marital satisfaction in 387 married couples. Regression analyses demonstrated that communication and sexual satisfaction independently predict marital satisfaction. However, there is a significant interaction between communication and sexual satisfaction; if couples are successful at communicating constructively, sexual satisfaction fails to contribute to marital satisfaction. Alternatively, if couples have difficulty communicating but are sexually satisfied, they will experience greater marital satisfaction than if they have a less satisfying sexual relationship. Thus, sexual satisfaction may partially compensate for the negative effects of poor communication on marital satisfaction.
Damage Detection in Pipes under Changing Environmental Conditions Using Embedded Piezoelectric Transducers and Pattern Recognition Techniques

This paper presents the preliminary results of a research project that investigates the feasibility of continuous monitoring techniques using piezoelectric transducers (PZTs) permanently installed on steel pipes. The ultrasonic waves generated by PZTs are multimodal and dispersive. Therefore, it is difficult to detect changes created by the presence of damage, and it is even more difficult to differentiate changes produced by damage from benign changes produced by variation in environmental and operational conditions. In this paper, the results are reported of applying pattern recognition techniques to detect a mass scatterer (a proxy for damage) under ambient variations primarily due to varying internal pressure of a pipe. Using wavelet methods, 303 features are extracted, and adaptive boosting, modified adaptive boosting, and support vector machines for damage detection are employed. The performances of the three classifiers are evaluated over 41 trials with different combinations of training and testing data, resulting in the average accuracies of 85, 89, and 94%, respectively. Finally, the effectiveness of wavelet processing and features selected are discussed.
The Pain Behavior Check List (PBCL) : psychometric properties in a college sample

The Pain Behavior Check List (PBCL) was designed to assess the frequency of four dimensions of pain behavior: distorted ambulation, affective distress, facial/audible expressions, and seeking help. This study evaluated theoretical factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the PBCL in a nonclinical college sample. Results provided support for the four-factor oblique model, compared to the one-factor and the four-factor orthogonal models. The PBCL total and subscales showed satisfactory internal consistency. Support for convergent validity was demonstrated by high correlations between the PBCL and several measures of pain behavior and with other pain indices. In addition, results of the confirmatory factor analyses suggested that self-report measures of pain can be differentiated from self-report measures of anxiety and depression.
The Effects of Video Modeling on Staff Implementation of a Problem-Solving Intervention with Adults with Developmental Disabilities.

We investigated the effects of video modeling on the percentage of correctly implemented problem-solving steps by staff in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities, using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design across participants. The treatment consisted of staff watching a video model demonstrating the correct implementation of a problem-solving intervention (i.e., teaching clients to identify problems, possible solutions, and consequences to each solution, and to choose the best solution). The percentage of correctly implemented problem-solving steps increased for all participants, and the effect was maintained over time, generalized to novel problems, and generalized from role play with a researcher to actual clients.
Antisporozoite antibodies in mice immunized with irradiation-attenuated Plasmodium berghei sporozoites

Abstract Sera from NMRI/NIH mice were tested for the presence of IgM and IgG anti-sporozoite antibodies using the indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT). Both IgM and IgG antibody titres were related to the number of immunizations with irradiation-attenuated Plasmodium berghei sporozoites, and protection from challenge with subsequent non-attenuated sporozoites correlated with the pre-challenge antibody titre. Sera taken five days following challenge showed marked reductions in antibody titres, except for the group receiving the maximum (four) immunizations. Groups immunized with frozen sporozoites or mosquito tissue antigen developed neither antibodies to sporozoites nor protective immunity; nor did animals infected with parasitized blood. However, sera from mice immunized four times with attenuated sporozoites demonstrated IFA titres to blood-stage antigens. The results show that both IgM and IgG anti-sporozoite antibodies could be detected in mice immunized with attenuated-sporozoites by IFAT, and that the antibody titres correlated with protective immunity. Cross reaction with blood-stage antigens occurred, but the test should still prove useful.
All-optical logic gates and wavelength conversion via the injection locking of a Fabry-Perot semiconductor laser

This work investigates the implementation of all-optical logic gates based on optical injection locking (OIL). All-optical inverting, NOR, and NAND gates are experimentally demonstrated using two distributed feedback (DFB) lasers, a multi-mode Fabry–Perot laser diode, and an optical band-pass filter. The DFB lasers are externally modulated to represent logic inputs into the cavity of the multi-mode Fabry–Perot slave laser. The input DFB (master) lasers’ wavelengths are aligned with the longitudinal modes of the Fabry–Perot slave laser and their optical power is used to modulate the injection conditions in the Fabry–Perot slave laser. The optical band-pass filter is used to select a Fabry– Perot mode that is either suppressed or transmitted given the logic state of the injecting master laser signals. When the input signal(s) is (are) in the on state, injection locking, and thus the suppression of the non-injected Fabry–Perot modes, is induced, yielding a dynamic system that can be used to implement photonic logic functions. Additionally, all-optical photonic processing is achieved using the cavity-mode shift produced in the injected slave laser under external optical injection. The inverting logic case can also be used as a wavelength converter — a key component in advanced wavelength-division multiplexing networks. As a result of this experimental investigation, a more comprehensive understanding of the locking parameters involved in injecting multiple lasers into a multi-mode cavity and the logic transition time is achieved. The performance of optical logic computations and wavelength conversion has the potential for ultrafast operation, limited primarily by the photon decay rate in the slave laser.
Comparison of black coral skeleton and insect cuticle by a combination of carbon-13 NMR and chemical analyses

Abstract Cross-polarization, magic-angle spinning 13 C NMR spectra of skeletal components of individual colonies of the New Zealand black coral, Antipathes fiordensis , have a marked similarity to spectra of the sclerotized exoskeleton of the adult tobacco hornworm, Manduca sexta . NMR analysis estimates the organic content of the loadbearing skeletal base of A. fiordensis as 70% protein, 10% chitin, 15% diphenol, and 5% lipid by weight, and that of M. Sexta moth cuticle as 60% protein, 20% chitin, 15% diphenol, and 5% lipid. The younger pinnules or tips of A. fiordensis are less than 3% diphenol by weight. The only diphenols extracted from coral skeleton by hydrochloric acid are 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)- dl -alanine (DOPA) and 3,4-dihydroxybenzaldehyde (DOBAL), while the predominant diphenols in acid extracts of insect cuticles are N -acyldopamines. More DOPA is found in the base than in the tips of A. fiordensis and it appears to be a peptidyl component of coral skeletal protein. The oxidation of DOPA and DOBAL to quinones may provide mechanical stabilization of the coral skeleton by crosslinking of structural proteins to other proteins or to chitin.
On theory development in design science research: anatomy of a research project

The common understanding of design science research in information systems (DSRIS) continues to evolve. Only in the broadest terms has there been consensus: that DSRIS involves, in some way, learning through the act of building. However, what is to be built – the definition of the DSRIS artifact – and how it is to be built – the methodology of DSRIS – has drawn increasing discussion in recent years. The relationship of DSRIS to theory continues to make up a significant part of the discussion: how theory should inform DSRIS and whether or not DSRIS can or should be instrumental in developing and refining theory. In this paper, we present the exegesis of a DSRIS research project in which creating a (prescriptive) design theory through the process of developing and testing an information systems artifact is inextricably bound to the testing and refinement of its kernel theory.
Statistical Properties of Orbit Perturbations Induced by the Earth's Anomalous Gravity

Abstract : Lower bounds are obtained for the covariances of the orbital elements of an initially circular orbit due to omissions of harmonics of a given degree in the expansion of the earth's gravity potential. This is accomplished by applying the methods of linear estimation theory to the surface gravimetry results of Kaula, extended to satellite altitudes. Numerical results are presented for the case of a 100-n mi geocentric orbit.
National survey of head and neck verrucous carcinoma : Patterns of presentation, care, and outcome

BACKGROUND. Verrucous carcinoma is distinguished by controversy regarding appropriate diagnosis and treatment. This study provides a contemporary survey of demographics, patterns of care, and outcome for this disease in the United States. METHODS. The National Cancer Data Base had 2350 cases of verrucous carcinoma of the head and neck diagnosed between 1985 and 1996. Statistical procedures included chi-square analyses, Student t tests, and relative survival. RESULTS. Tumors originated most frequently in the oral cavity (55.9%) and larynx (35.2%). Although most patients were male (60.0%), oral cavity tumors were more common among older females. The most prevalent treatment was surgery alone (69.7%), followed by surgery combined with irradiation (11.0%) and irradiation alone (10.3%). For oral cavity tumors, surgery alone was more common among early (85.8%) than advanced cases (56.9%); a larger proportion of advanced disease received radiation alone or surgery and irradiation combined. Most laryngeal tumors were treated with surgery (60.3% for early and 55.6% for advanced disease), but a higher proportion received radiation alone or surgery combined with radiation compared with oral cavity cases. Five-year relative survival was 77.9%. For localized disease, survival after surgery was 88.9% compared with 57.6% after irradiation. CONCLUSIONS. Demographic differences implicate different mechanisms of carcinogenesis for verrucous carcinoma arising in the oral cavity and the larynx. Although selection bias may account for the differences observed, patients receiving initial treatment with surgery had better survival than those treated with irradiation, especially for cases originating in the oral cavity. Cancer 2001;92: 110 ‐20. © 2001 American Cancer Society.
Heart failure overview.

Editorial Note: The gender initiative continues with editorials addressing an increasingly common clinical syndrome, heart failure. Sharon Hunt, MD, gives an insightful overview addressing the magnitude of the clinical and economic consequences of heart failure. Mariell Jessup, MD, and Ileana L. Pina, MD, continue with an analysis of possible gender differences in epidemiology, management, and outcomes of the syndrome. Finally, Sara Shumway, MD, looks at surgical options in women diagnosed with endstage heart failure at various ages and the implications for their quality of life. The series continues in July with editorials addressing gender differences in pediatric cardiac surgery. Nancy A. Nussmeier, MD Texas Heart Institute
Acrosome reaction after ionophore challenge: relationship to sperm DNA integrity

Abstract This study examines the relationship between acrosome reaction (AR) and DNA damage in spermatozoa. No correlation between acrosome reaction after ionphore challenge (ARIC) and DNA integrity was found. Our study suggests that these two assays measure different aspects of the sperm's ability to fertilize.
Characterization of measles polypeptides by monoclonal antibodies.

Abstract Five stable mouse spleen cell myeloma hybrids (hybridomas) producing monoclonal antibodies to measles virus proteins were produced. The specificity of these monoclonal antibodies was established by immunoprecipitation and PAGE analysis and by immunoflourescence. The antibodies from three clones (F/20, H-1, E-1) neutralize infectious virus and are specific for the hemagglutinin (Pl) polypeptide. Two clones produce antibodies reacting with the nucleocapsid protein (P3). The monoclonal antibodies were then used to study the antigenic relationships of polypeptides of measles virus and canine distemper virus. It is shown that the glycoproteins of two strains of wild type measles virus and three strains of SSPE all share common antigenic determinants as detected by two of the neutralizing hybridomas while canine distemper was not recognized by those sera. The monoclonal antibody to nucleocapsid supports these findings since it immunoprecipitates wild type virus and SSPE nucleoproteins but not that from canine distemper. The monoclonal antibodies against P3 recognized a number of polypeptides with molecular weights smaller than that of P3 in certain measles-infected cellular extracts. Several of these are in the molecular weight range of the previously reported P4 polypeptide. Evidence is presented that these polypeptides are degradation products of the nucleocapsid protein, and not randomly produced or artifacts of cell extraction procedure. They probably represent selective proteolysic cleavage products of host proteolysis by certain specific enzymes.
Senior center linkages with community organizations.

This article examines the working relationships, or linkages, senior centers have with other organizations in the community, using a national sample of 246 centers. Referral activity is reported to be the most widespread form of linkage and involves an average of 10 organizations, and informal linkages are much more prevalent than formal ones. The nature of the linkage organization varies for different services, but public agencies (e.g., AAAs, recreation and parks departments) as well as private entities (e.g., doctors, hospitals) are involved in this process. Finally, multiple regression analysis reveals considerable variation in the correlates of the number of organizations with which senior centers work for different linkage types.
The feminization of social services: Implications for black male youth

Abstract Throughout the institution of social services attention to the needs of black male youth has been subjugated relative to the needs of women and girls. Despite the educational failures and hyper-incarceration of black male youth they remain aloof from social services. In the aftermath is an invisible crisis not irrelevant to the feminization of social services. Such feminization is evident in the social work databases and social service help models where it has dominated. If social service agencies are to balance the influences of feminization, it is imperative to de-feminize social services by systematically addressing the needs of black male youths. The outcome will contribute to their academic successes and reduction in rates of hyper-incarceration. Only then will it be possible to sustain alternatives to the feminization of social services and the potency of the social work profession at-large.