cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Amino Acid Sequence of the Center of the Arginine-Lysine-rich Histone from Calf Thymus THE TOTAL SEQUENCE

Abstract The amino acid sequence of the center of the argininelysine-rich histone (residues 30 to 81) from calf thymus has been determined. This sequence completes the structure of the whole histone by overlapping the 29-residue amino-terminal fragment (Olson, M. O. J., Sugano, N., Yeoman, L. C., Johnson, B. R., Jordan, J., Starbuck, W. C., and Busch, H. (1972) Physiol. Chem. Phys., 4, 10–16) and the 48-residue carboxyl-terminal fragment (Sugano, N., Olson, M. O. J., Yeoman, L. C., Johnson, B. R., Taylor, C. W., Starbuck, W. C., and Busch, H. (1972) J. Biol. Chem., 247, 3589–3591). The complete sequence of the arginine-lysine-rich histone is: [see PDF for equation] Clusters of basic, acidic, and hydrophobic residues were found in this sequence. The basic clusters are underlined. An acidic cluster was observed in the carboxyl-terminal fragment (residues 90 to 93). A very hydrophobic region was present in the sequence from residue 49 to 55. No modified amino acids were found with the exception of the acetylated amino terminus.
Transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal and tongue cancer in the United States.

Objectives/Hypothesis To compare the clinical and cost outcomes of transoral robotic surgery (TORS) versus open procedures following the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval in December 2009. Study Design Retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from 2008 to 2011. Methods Elective partial pharyngectomies and partial glossectomies for neoplasm were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification code. Results TORS represented 2.1% in 2010 and 2.2% in 2011 of all transoral ablative procedures. Patients undergoing open partial pharyngectomy for oropharyngeal neoplasms (n = 1426) had more severe illness compared to TORS (n = 641). However, after controlling for minor-to-moderate severity of illness, open partial pharyngectomy was associated with longer hospital stay (5.2 vs. 3.7 days, P < 0.001), higher charge ($98,228 vs. $67,317, P < 0.001), higher cost ($29,365 vs. $20,706, P < 0.001), higher rates of tracheostomy and gastrostomy tube placement, and more wound and bleeding complications. TORS was associated with a higher rate of dysphagia (19.5% vs. 8.0%, P < 0.001). The lower cost of TORS remained significant in the major-to-extreme severity of illness group but was associated with higher complication rates when compared to open cases of the same severity of illness. A similar analysis of TORS partial glossectomy for base of tongue tumors had similar cost and length of stay benefits, whereas TORS partial glossectomy for anterior tongue tumors revealed longer hospital stays and no benefit in charge or cost compared to open. Conclusions Early data demonstrate a clinical and cost benefit in TORS partial pharyngectomy and partial glossectomy for the base of tongue but no benefit in partial glossectomy of the anterior tongue. It is likely that anatomic accessibility and extent of surgery factor into the effectiveness of TORS. Level of Evidence 2c. Laryngoscope, 125:140–145, 2015
Autonomy and Responsibility: Online Learning as a Solution for At-Risk High School Students

In this three-year, mixed methods case study, the benefits and challenges of online learning for at-risk high school students were examined. A key finding was that at-risk students identify the benefits and challenges of online learning to be the same. While students appreciate the opportunity to work ahead and study at their own pace, they see it as a challenge to be responsible for their own learning and manage their time. The authors of this paper argue that, with proper support structures in place, students who are at-risk for dropping out can overcome challenges and find success in an online learning environment.
Nonlinear ARDL approach, asymmetric effects and the J-curve

Purpose – Previous research that investigated the effects of currency depreciation on the trade balance assumed that the adjustment of all variables in a given model is in linear fashion. The authors wonder if introduction of nonlinearity in the adjustment of some variables such as the exchange rate can shed additional light on evidence of the J-curve. The new approach also allows to test whether exchange rate changes have symmetric or asymmetric effects on the trade balance. Estimates of a trade balance model for Canada, China, Japan, and the USA reveal that the effects are indeed asymmetric. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The methodology is based on linear and nonlinear ARDL approach. Findings – When nonlinearity is introduced into testing approach for the J-curve, more evidence is found in support of the J-curve. Research limitations/implications – The models are estimated using aggregate trade flows of each country with the rest of the world, hence they suffer fr...
Absorption of I-125-labeled homologous albumin by rat kidney proximal tubule cells. A study of microperfused single proximal tubules by electron microscopic autoradiography and histochemistry.

Small amounts of I 125 -labeled rat albumin were injected through micropipettes into single proximal tubules of the rat kidney. After different time-intervals the injected tubules were microperfusion-fixed with glutaraldehyde and the tissue analyzed by electron microscopic autoradiography. No ultrastructural alterations were observed in the proximal tubule cells during the absorption of the labeled protein. Six to 10 minutes after start of I 125 -albumin perfusion most of the absorbed protein was located in the large apical vacuoles in the proximal tubule cells but some label was also associated with small apical vacuoles. The observations suggest that the labeled albumin was transferred to the large apical vacuoles via small apical vacuoles which most likely represented pinched-off apical cell membrane invaginations. After 30 minutes most of the label was present in cytoplasmic bodies, which were limited by a triple-layered membrane about 90 A in thickness and had an electron-dense content, and which were located in the middle or apical regions of the cells. After 60 minutes the label was confined to similar cytoplasmic bodies located in all regions of the cells. Combined electron microscopic autoradiography and histochemistry demonstrated that the labeled cytoplasmic bodies were acid phosphatase positive. The latter observation indicates that the cytoplasmic bodies, in which the I 125 -albumin was located, were lysosomes. It is suggested that at least some of the absorbed albumin was degraded in these lysosomes. There was no autoradiographic or morphologic evidence that the labeled albumin crossed the wall of the proximal tubule by passing between the cells or that vacuoles or cytoplasmic bodies containing absorbed albumin emptied into the peritubular space.
A Review of “Walled States, Waning Sovereignty”

The field of border studies has experienced something of a renaissance over the last thirty years, ironically in part due to proclamations of a borderless world and an “end of geography.” As a part...
The Political Economy of Terrorism: The Economic Impact of Terrorism

On 12 October 2000 in Aden, Yemen, a small motorboat full of explosives rammed the USS Cole while it was in port for a refueling stop. Seventeen sailors died and another thirty-nine were injured by the explosion, which ripped a forty-foot by forty-foot hole in the ship’s side. On 13 December 2000 the USS Cole returned to the United States, carried aboard a transport ship, for repairs that lasted fourteen months. Two years later (6 October 2002), Yemeni terrorists attacked the French tanker Limburg while it was readying to receive its cargo of crude oil from an offshore terminal. Although Yemen is ideally located as a major Middle Eastern port because it borders the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea, the combined attacks on the USS Cole and the Limburg crushed Yemen’s shipping industry. A US Department of State (2002) fact sheet indicates that a 300% increase in insurance premiums led to ships routinely bypassing Yemen for competitive facilities in Djibouti and Oman. As a result of a 50% decrease in port activity, Yemen expects to lose $3.8 million per month as a result of the attacks. The incidents in Yemen illustrate the direct and indirect costs of terrorism. The direct costs can be calculated by summing the replacement costs of damaged goods, equipment, structures, and inventories. Despite the difficulty of measuring the cost of a human life or the cost of pain and suffering, such calculations are now routine, using either lost earnings or the value of a statistical life. The indirect costs, such as the decline in Yemeni shipping revenues, are more difficult to measure. How much of the actual decline is due to insurance costs rather than to the military activities associated with the Iraq War or to higher oil prices is difficult to gauge. Beyond these lost revenues, Yemen faces increased security costs as it decided to purchase additional patrol boats and helicopters to guard its waters. Calculating the associated costs of any attack is difficult, since, unlike traditional crimes, terrorism is designed to create a general and ongoing atmosphere of intimidation and fear. Terrorists are most successful when they lead the public to expect future attacks. Because the psychological effects of the two Yemeni attacks were mutually reinforcing, they increased the “risk premium” necessary to compensate insurers for the potential damage of future attacks.
Bulk Diffusion for Interacting Brownian Particles

In a recent paper [1], H. Spohn analyzed the equilibrium fluctuations in Space time for a system of interacting Brownian particles in the hydrodynamical limit.
The average roughness and fractal dimension of articular cartilage during drying.

Summary Cartilage is a unique material in part because of it biphasic properties. The structure of cartilage is a porous matrix of collagen fibers, permeated with synovial fluid which creates a gliding and near frictionless motion in articulating joints. However, during in vitro testing or surgery, there exists potential for cartilage to dehydrate, or dry out. The effects of this drying can influence experimental results. It is likely that drying also changes joint performance in vivo. In in vitro testing of equine cartilage explants exposed to open air, the average roughness of cartilage changes from 1.85 ± 0.78 to 3.66 ± 1.41 µm SD in a 5-h period. Significant changes in roughness in individual samples are seen within 10 min of exposure to open air. However, the multi-scale nature of cartilage, characterized by the fractal dimension, does not significantly change during the same period. The current study attempts to quantify the magnitude of error that is introduced when cartilage is removed from its native environment. SCANNING 36:368–375, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Picture paging for efficient image processing

Picture paging is introduced as a technique for minimizing storage and transmission costs in the handling of large-scale image data. Page design, and possible page formats, are considered, concentrating on normally-oriented rectangles. A steepest-gradient descent algorithm for page set determination is presented, with results for a PDP-11/40 UNIX implementation. Savings of up to 35% can be realized for an arbitrary cost function applied to test figures.
Responsive characters from motion fragments

In game environments, animated character motion must rapidly adapt to changes in player input - for example, if a directional signal from the player's gamepad is not incorporated into the character's trajectory immediately, the character may blithely run off a ledge. Traditional schemes for data-driven character animation lack the split-second reactivity required for this direct control; while they can be made to work, motion artifacts will result. We describe an on-line character animation controller that assembles a motion stream from short motion fragments, choosing each fragment based on current player input and the previous fragment. By adding a simple model of player behavior we are able to improve an existing reinforcement learning method for precalculating good fragment choices. We demonstrate the efficacy of our model by comparing the animation selected by our new controller to that selected by existing methods and to the optimal selection, given knowledge of the entire path. This comparison is performed over real-world data collected from a game prototype. Finally, we provide results indicating that occasional low-quality transitions between motion segments are crucial to high-quality on-line motion generation; this is an important result for others crafting animation systems for directly-controlled characters, as it argues against the common practice of transition thresholding.
Cultural context moderates the relationship between emotion control values and cardiovascular challenge versus threat responses

Cultural context affects people's values regarding emotions, as well as their experiential and behavioral but not autonomic physiological responses to emotional situations. Little research, however, has examined how cultural context influences the relationships among values and emotional responding. Specifically, depending on their cultural context, individuals' values about emotion control (ECV; the extent to which they value emotion control) may have differing meanings, and as such, be associated with differing responses in emotional situations. We examined this possibility by testing the effect of two cultural contexts (28 female Asian-American (AA) versus 28 female European-American (EA) undergraduate students) on the associations between individuals' ECV and emotional responding (experiential, behavioral, and cardiovascular) to a relatively neutral film clip and a laboratory anger provocation. In the AA group, greater ECV were associated with reduced anger experience and behavior, and a challenge pattern of cardiovascular responding. In the EA group, greater ECV were associated with reduced anger behavior but not anger experience, and a threat pattern of cardiovascular responding. These results are consistent with the notion that individuals' values about emotion are associated with different meanings in different cultural contexts, and in turn, with different emotional and cardiovascular responses.
Filming Shakespeare in a cultural thaw: Soviet appropriations of Shakespearean treacheries in 1955–6

Abstract Though most critics of Shakespearean film know the work of Kosintzev, Shakespeare first appears on film in Russia well before Kosintzev turns to film in the 1960s. Between 1954 and 1956, the Soviet Union plunged headlong into representing Shakespeare's plays on film with the unusual production of four Shakespearean films. During 1955 alone, two major Russian film studios produced full‐length feature films of Shakespearean plays: the Lenfilm Studios produced and released Y. Frid's Twelfth Night, entitled Dvenadtsataia noch’, and the Moscow Film Studio was completing Yutkevich's Otello. This essay concentrates on how these productions reproduce and rework Shakespeare's texts in response to an important period in the Soviet Union's cultural and political development, the time just after Stalin's death in 1953 when he was revealed to have betrayed both his people and his commitment to Marxism. As both Frid and Yutkevich invoke the violence provoked by betrayal of trust, their characters’ intense resp...
Distributed maximum a posteriori probability estimation for tracking of dynamic systems

We present a framework for the estimation of time-varying random signals with wireless sensor networks. Given a continuous time model, sensors collect noisy observations according to the discrete-time equivalent system defined by the sampling period of observations. Estimation is performed locally using a maximum a posteriori probability estimator (MAP) within a time window. To incorporate information from neighboring sensors we introduce Lagrange multipliers to penalize the disagreement between estimates. We show that the distributed (D-)MAP algorithm is able to track dynamical signals with an error characterized in terms of problem constants. This error vanishes with the sampling period if the log-likelihood function satisfies a smoothness condition.
Mania and Insanity: An Analysis of Legal Standards and Recommendations for Clinical Practice

Significant attention has been allotted to the relationship between psychotic disorders and insanity; however, the study of manic symptoms on criminal responsibility evaluations has been virtually ignored. Given that criminal responsibility evaluations with manic defendants pose unique challenges to forensic examiners, recommendations are needed providing guidelines to insure accurate evaluation. Based on the lack of literature in this area, this article provides a critical analysis of insanity defense standards and their potential application to manic defendants. A clinical case highlights assessment techniques and provides the basis for pragmatic recommendations. A set of guidelines for conducting insanity evaluations with manic defendants is included within the article.
Some effects of the microtome knife and electron beam on methacrylate-embedded thin sections.

A technique for the examination of specimens at low electron beam intensity has been presented. Sections micrographed with this technique showed numerous knife scratches and frequently contained bands running parallel to the knife edge. Banding with an average spacing of 0.2 µ appeared to result from periodic distortion produced by impact of the knife. At the beam intensities customarily employed, differential sublimation and probably flow of the methacrylate resulted in obliteration of the bands and all but the deepest knife scratches. In addition, changes in the size, shape, and orientation of certain structures were noted. Artifacts resulting from incineration or sublimation of tissue components fixed in formalin were illustrated, and the suggestion was made that such instability to the electron beam accounted in part for the differences observed in osmium- and formalin-fixed tissues. The deformation revealed in serial sections was discussed, and it was pointed out that shortening in the axis perpendicular to the knife edge was associated with elongation in the axis parallel to the cutting edge, the elongation usually occurring locally without change in the width of the section. It was noted that the material causing contamination of the surface of sections during examination exhibited no structure but caused progressive loss of contrast.
A Theoretical Framework for Weight-Value Set Construction in Land Suitability Assessment:

When using the rating and weighting (RAW) method in land suitability assessment, planners often substitute the theoretical weight-value range [0, 1] with a weight-value set, an ordered set of discrete values reduced from the continuous weight-value range. In constructing such a weight-value set, one needs to decide on how many weight values should be used (size of the value set) and where in the value range they should be placed (the choice of weight values). At present, one must make these decisions and defend their credibility on the basis of “professional judgments”, as a theoretical framework for such purposes is simply not available. Can a theoretical framework be established so that one can make these decisions systematically? If so, is it advantageous to use such a framework, instead of the existing methods, in constructing weight-value sets? In this paper these two issues are explored. I found that the theoretical weight-value range [0, 1] is actually sliced into segments; that in producing land s...
Optimal Starting Conditions for the Rendezvous Maneuver, Part 1. Optimal Control Approach

We consider the three-dimensional rendezvous between two spacecraft: a target spacecraft on a circular orbit around the Earth and a chaser spacecraft initially on some elliptical orbit yet to be determined. The chaser spacecraft has variable mass, limited thrust, and its trajectory is governed by three controls, one determining the thrust magnitude and two determining the thrust direction. We seek the time history of the controls in such a way that the propellant mass required to execute the rendezvous maneuver is minimized. Two cases are considered: (i) time-to-rendezvous free and (ii) time-to-rendezvous given, respectively equivalent to (i) free angular travel and (ii) fixed angular travel for the target spacecraft.
Nonlinear PI and gain scheduling

A general procedure is proposed for nonlinear IMC and PID controllers for single-input single-output nonlinear systems. The nonlinear IMC and PID controllers are designed to force the system output to track a desired linear closed-loop trajectory, which is tunable via a single, physically meaningful parameter: the trajectory filter time constant. Two illustrative simulation examples are presented, a highly asymmetric fourth order nonlinear process and a non-isothermal Van de Vusse reactor. The nonlinear PID controller performs as well as nonlinear controllers obtained by geometric methods.
Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy as a treatment for recurrent pericardial effusion in 6 dogs

Percutaneous balloon pericardiotomy (PBP) has been performed in people and in a small number of dogs as a treatment for recurrent pericardial effusion with tamponade (PET). We performed this technique on 6 dogs with recurrent PET (5 with heart base tumors and 1 with no identifiable mass). Under general anesthesia and fluoroscopic guidance, a balloon-dilating catheter (diameters 14-20 mm) was introduced percutaneously at the 5th intercostal space through a sheath-introducing catheter, positioned across the parietal pericardium, and inflated 3 times. No dog experienced serious complications. The procedure was considered successful in 4 of 6 dogs. One dog is still alive without recurrence of PET 1 year after the procedure. Three dogs died of unrelated disease without recurrence of PET 5. 19, and 32 months after the procedure. The procedure was not beneficial in 1 dog that was euthanized 9 weeks later because of recurrence of pleural and abdominal effusion thought to be secondary to PET. One dog may have temporarily benefited but developed symptomatic PET 6 months after PBP. PBP appears to be a safe, economical, and potentially effective palliative treatment for recurrent PET and is a reasonable, less invasive alternative to surgery for dogs with recurrent PET, especially effusions caused by heart base tumors and possibly idiopathic pericardial effusion. Premature closure of the stoma is a potential cause for long-term failure and was thought to have been responsible for the recurrence of clinical signs in 2 dogs.
Binding of N-acetyl-neuraminic acid by wheat-germ agglutinin.

SURFACE changes on cell membranes are thought to play a significant role in malignant transformation. The agglutination of transformed cells by plant lectins reflects some of the altered surface properties of these cells1–3. Wheat-germ agglutinin (WGA) binds nearly equally to both normal and transformed cells4; however, with few exceptions, only transformed cells are agglutinated5–7. Agglutination by this lectin is reversible and is inhibited by N-acetylglucosamine, di-N-acetyl chitobiose and ovomucoid8.
Methyl 4-methylpyrrole-2-carboxylate: A volatile trail pheromone from the leaf-cutting ant, Atta cephalotes

Methyl 4-methylpyrrole-2-carboxylate, a volatile trail pheromone previously identified from Atta texana, has been isolated and identified from the ant species, Atta cephalotes. The natural and the synthetic compound produce strong trail-following activity in a laboratory colony of A. cephalotes.
Reenergizing and reengaging student interest through CAPSULE

We need innovators, inventors and forward thinking students who are going to drive the future of our economy. These days, students rarely ask where did that product come from or how is it are made? Post secondary students have lost their curiosity. However, this does not begin with the students, this begins with the educators - it beings with the teachers, their knowledge, resources and tools. The classroom is only as good as the person standing at the front. Through CAPSULE, we are trying to restore that inquiry and motivation to explore ideas, regardless of the practicality. Engineering is all about try, try and try again. It is about teamwork, hands on learning and understanding the work behind the pair of sneakers kids are wearing or the newest iPod to hit the market. The theory and tools behind product innovation is what CAPSULE is trying to bring to America's high schools - to teach and engage teachers using 3D modeling, the engineering design process and implementing project based learning using these tools and according to specific processes.
Regulation of serine protease activity by aluminum: implications for Alzheimer disease.

Abstract The brain of Alzheimer disease patients contains plaques that are diagnostic for the disease. The plaques also contain beta-amyloid peptide, alpha 1-antichymotrypsin, and the element aluminum. We present indirect evidence that can relate all three components of plaques to each other in such a way as to suggest their involvement in the etiology of the disease. The beta-amyloid peptide is derived by proteolytic processing from beta-amyloid precursor proteins and some of these proteins contain a domain that is highly homologous to bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor. Bovine pancreatic trypsin inhibitor also inhibits alpha-chymotrypsin and we show that aluminum affects both the activity and the inhibition of this enzyme. At pH 6.5, in the presence of aluminum, the enzyme activity is doubled, and the inhibitor is only 1% as effective as in the absence of the metal ion. The inhibition by BX-9, a protease inhibitor prepared from protein components of amyloid plaques, is also reduced by aluminum; so too is that by alpha 1-antichymotrypsin but to a lesser degree. In the Alzheimer brain, we propose that aluminum may accelerate proteolytic processing of the beta-amyloid precursor protein by suppression of the inhibitor domain. Thus, the beta-amyloid peptide may accumulate and initiate plaque formation.
Isomorphous Substitution of Mn(II) into Aluminophosphate Zeotypes: A Combined High-Field ENDOR and DFT Study

The incorporation of low levels of Mn(II) (Mn/Al∼0.001) into five aluminophosphate zeotypes was studied by high-field echo-detected EPR, and by 31P and 1H electron−nuclear double resonance (ENDOR) ...
Growing car ownership in LDCs: The impact on the environment and trade

Abstract Kahn recently completed a study with Suzi Kerr, sponsored by the Harvard Institute for International Development, on the causes and consequences of air pollution in Santiago, Chile. They explained how local air pollution in Santiago is linked to income growth. Although the rising number of cars indicates that the people of Santiago have become wealthier, the environment and the government are ill prepared for the consequences of increased air pollution, particularly for a lower quality of life, Kahn discusses the problem of growing car ownership rates in LDCs in a larger, global context, and lends insights into its implications for future trade with these countries.
High temperature potentiometric NO2 sensor with asymmetric sensing and reference Pt electrodes

Abstract The focus of this paper is on fabrication of planar potentiometric NO2 sensors with asymmetric reference and sensing electrodes, both made with Pt, and deposited on yttria-stabilized-zirconia electrolyte. Both electrodes were initially derived form Pt ink. Using a rapid electrochemical method based on surfactant-templated electrodeposition, highly porous Pt was deposited on one of these electrodes and it served as the reference electrode. The increased surface area of the reference electrode leads to asymmetry between the sensing and reference electrodes and the device performed well as a high temperature potentiometric NO2 sensor. These results also provide direct evidence of the role of non-electrochemical reactions, in this case the equilibration of NO/NO2 in design of sensors. The simplicity of the sensor design, its compactness, a 1–2 min electrodeposition process, and the use of only two materials (YSZ and Pt) are the attractive features of this device.
Prevalence, predictors, and outcomes of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus infections in patients undergoing major surgical procedures in the United States: a population-based study

Abstract Background National estimates of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection rates in hospitalized surgical patients and outcomes are lacking. We sought to estimate the prevalence, identify the predictors, and describe the outcomes of MRSA infections in hospitalized patients undergoing major surgical procedures (MSPs) in the United States. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis of the Nationwide Inpatient Sample, the largest all-payer hospital discharge database in the United States, for the years 2009 to 2010. Results Of the 22,932,948 hospitalizations that had an MSP, MRSA infection occurred in 235,636 (1.03%) patients. Factors associated with “significantly” lower risk of MRSA occurrence include women (odds ratio [OR] .68), elective procedure (OR .38), teaching institutes (OR .94), and large hospital size (OR .87). Blacks (OR 1.19), native Americans (OR 1.27), increased comorbid burden (OR 1.38), and uninsured patients were associated with higher risk of MRSA occurrence. Outcomes in MSPs “with” MRSA versus “without” MRSA include mean length of stay (14 vs 5 days) and in-hospital mortality (IHM) rate (3.7% vs 1.2%). Occurrence of an MRSA was associated with significantly longer length of stay and higher odds of IHM (OR 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.30 to 1.48). Conclusions Although the occurrence of MRSA infections complicating MSPs was low, it is associated with worse outcomes. Certain predictors of MRSA infection are identified.
British experience with operations research in the health services.

OPERATIONS research and its companion activities, management science and systems research, have found wide use in many governmental and industrial organizations. The objective of these activities is the application of the scientific method to the study of the complex operations carried out by these organizations and, ultimately, through such studies, to provide the administrators and executives with a quantitative basis for making decisions. The motivation for using these techniques has varied widely. Generally speaking, an effectively functioning organization with no external challenges may find little reason for employing operations research. On the other hand, outside pressures, such as business competition or grave military threats, may provide a strong incentive for increasing efficiency and, under those circumstances, the heads of the affected organizations will readily make use of any proven method for increasing the effectiveness of their groups. It is no surprise,. therefore, that some of the most successful work in operations research occurred in military applications during World War II when, due to the military emergency, scientists were brought in to study all aspects of military operations. However, less publicized but equally important results have been achieved in business applications, especially in the United States, since the end of the war. As yet, the health systems, both private and governmental, have made only sparing use of operations research. FLAGLE has recently surveyed s,ome of the problems in the health field which should be amenable to operations research [l]. He suggests in his paper that the administration of health systems, particularly hospitals, represents one of these ‘troubled areas’ where rising political and economic pressures are forcing the organizations affected to make serious efforts to revise their systems and improve their effectiveness. By and large, hospital administrators recognize the magnitude of these problems and are attempting to cope with them on a day-to-day basis without recourse to analytical studies. A few hospitals have been fortunate enough to have access to qualified operations research teams and have recognized the value of using specialized groups to study their
Graduate Program: Advanced Practice Nurses in the Home

This article is a curriculum overview of a graduate program of the Advanced Practice Home Care Nursing (APHCN) Program, which began at the School of Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, in 1996. A historical perspective of home care and the need for advanced practice nurses in the home care industry is provided. Curricular components of the APHCN Program are outlined. The roles of the home care clinical nurse specialist, home care nurse practitioner, and home care administrator are presented. Finally, a discussion is presented in which home care nursing demonstrates the efficacy of the advanced practice role and the need for well designed outcomes-based research.
Threshold mass numerologies and resonances in boson and baryon systems

Some of the more remarkable features between coincidences in mass thresholds for production of boson and baryon resonances and resonances in the baryon system are re-emphasized in connection with the cusp effect. The discussion is confined to three-body final states. The resonances are extremely narrow and consistent with zero width within experimental resolution. (N.W.R.)
A numerical analysis of two point boundary value problem algorithms

Abstract The mathematical modeling of optimal control system problems is a method applied in industry to obtain correct electrical and mechanical design parameters once the system equations have been derived. The algorithms required to implement the control loop for these applications must provide stable, relatively accurate, efficient solutions. The purpose of this paper is to address the computational characteristics which would concern a system designer in the consideration of the selection of an effective algorithm to implement a two-point boundary value problem solution. Three Invariant Imbedding Algorithms are evaluated for a worst case and a best case problem by an adaptation of four methods of analysis. The areas of computer science, numerical analysis and Turing Machine Theory are drawn upon in these methods to implement and compare the computational form of the algorithms. The four analysis techniques indicated consistent results for the three two-point boundary value problem algorithms considered. Applications of two-point boundary value problem algorithms occur in problems of nuclear reactor heat transfer, pollution control, fluidics, vibration and magnetics.
Collaborative Product Development and Customization: A Platform-Based Strategy and Implementation

Mass customization and global economic collaboration drive the product development and management beyond internal enterprise to cover the whole product value chain. This paper presents a platform-based strategy and approach for collaborative product development and customization. The implementation of this strategy takes 1) the product platform as the core, 2) the view/search engine and rule-based control as the data access and navigation mechanism, and 3) the internet-enabled web-based integration and collaboration bus as an enabler to allow participants involved in the product lifecycle to access into both internal and external enterprise resources, applications, and services. In the paper, a generic collaborative platform design and development process model is presented for product family design and mass customization. Based on this model, a module-based integrated & distributed collaborative framework for product family design and mass customization is developed with knowledge intensive support for customer or task requirements’ modeling, product architecture modeling, product platform establishment, product family generation, and product variant assessment for customization. The issues related to the high-level information & knowledge modeling and the development of knowledge-intensive collaborative support framework are addressed. Finally, a case study for collaborative design of families of modular robotic systems is given.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Gastric Distention Exacerbates Ischemia in a Rodent Model of Partial Gastric Devascularization

ABSTRACT: Occult ischemia of the mobilized gastric fundus is an important etiologic factor for esophagogastric anastomotic leaks after esophagectomy. Postoperative gastric distention is another possible predisposing factor for anastomotic leakage. We hypothesized that gastric distention could worsen gastric ischemia. To test this hypothesis, gastric tissue perfusion was studied in 20 Sprague-Dawley rats. Baseline serosal gastric tissue perfusion was measured by laser- Doppler flowmetry at a point 10 mm distal to the gastroesophageal junction. Perfusion was measured after left gastric artery occlusion, gastric distention to 20 cm water pressure, and combined left gastric artery occlusion and gastric distention. Gastric tissue perfusion (in tissue perfusion units, TPU) was 64.2 ±9.1 TPU at baseline measurement, 18.6 ± 4.3 TPU after left gastric artery occlusion, 22.0 ±4.1 TPU after gastric distention, and 7.8 ±1.8 TPU after combined left gastric artery occlusion and gastric distention. Distention (P
My Father and His Father: An Analysis of World War II Correspondence

This paper considers the transition from “boyhood” to “manhood” through an examination of my father's World War II correspondence and related material. My father, born in 1925, served in the final battles of the war in Europe. During his time in the army, he wrote many letters home, and the 302 letters saved were used as the basis of this analysis. My father's transition from boyhood to manhood was conditioned by his depression-era childhood, by his experiences in basic training and battle, and by his father's sudden death in 1945. Through these experiences, my father developed a belief about what it means to be a man that was rooted in the overarching concept of responsibility – to self, to family, to values, and to others.
Aerodynamic characteristics of the HL-20 and HL-20A lifting-body configurations

The data show that the HL-20 is longitudinally and laterally stable over the test range from Mach 10 to 0.2. At hypersonic speeds it has a trimmed lift/drag ratio of 1.4. This values gives the vehicle a cross range capability similar to that of the Space Shuttle. At subsonic speeds, the HL-20 has a trimmed lift/drag ratio of about 3.6. Replacing the flat plate outboard fins with fins having an airfoil shape, increased the maximum trimmed L/D to 4.3. Preliminary evaluation of configuration modifications (the HL-20A series), indicates that trim at higher values of lift at hypersonic speeds could be achieved with an L/D of about 1.0. In the supersonic range, the lift and directional stability characteristics were improved. The untrimmed subsonic L/D was increased to 5.8 with airfoil fins.
Silicon: the gulf between crystalline and amorphous

The Expert Opinion is written by a distinguished scientist and presents his personal view on important and relevant new results of research, highlighting their significance and putting the work into perspective for a broader audience. Please send comments to pss.rapid@wiley-vch.de or to the author. The text by D. A. Drabold refers to the Rapid Research Letter by F. Kail et al., published in this issue of Phys. Status Solidi RRL 5(10–11), 361–363 (2011). (© 2011 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)
Methods for evaluating the morphological and immunohistochemical properties of human tumor colonies grown in soft agar.

Clonogenic assays have been widely adopted for the investigation of hematopoietic and human tumor stem cell biology. Inasmuch as specific, whole colonies need to be analyzed morphologically, we used various methods for fixing and embedding individual colonies in situ that allowed macroscopic, light microscopic (LM), immunofluorescence, and transmission electron microscopic (TEM) evaluation of the intact colony. Melanoma colonies stained with Masson’s Trichrome, hematoxylin and eosin (H&E), periodic acid-Schiff, Best’s carmine, Page-Green method for inclusion bodies, and Snook’s reticulum revealed cellular and extracellular components by LM. Ultrastructural studies revealed specific cellular organelles and extracellular components. Immunofluorescence studies demonstrated cell-surface fibronectin, a high molecular weight, adhesive glycoprotein. Myeloma colonies contained a heterogeneous cell population and produced amyloid fibers that were observed by TEM. Fixation and embedding the colonies in agar for TEM has several advantages over centrifugation methods and other conventional techniques for collecting cells in that (a) an entire specific colony can be studied, (b) there is excellent preservation of the cell and its spatial orientation in the colony, and (c) the extracellular matrix (ECM) of the colony is preserved for immunohistochemical analysis.
Surface structures of W(110) and W(100) faces by the dynamical LEED approach

Abstract By means of an efficient dynamical LEED method, the surface structures of W(110) and W(100) faces are examined. It is found that the W(110) surface maintains the bulk structure, despite the possibility for the top tungsten atoms to settle into sites of higher coordination number. The W(100) face exhibits a possible contraction of the top atomic layer by 0.10 ± 0.10 A. These results fit into a trend correlating a top-layer contraction with the absence of close-packing in the top layer, i.e. with the roughness of the surface.
Fibroblastic origin of bovine gingival collagenase.

Abstract The site of collagenase production in explants of bovine gingiva was located by tissue culture techniques. Collagenase was released from the juxta-epithelial connective tissue, but not from the epithelium. Addition of serum to the explants resulted in outgrowth of a single cell type, which was identified as a fibroblast on the basis of culture morphology and light and electron-microscopic characteristics. The fibroblasts elaborated a collagenase that was indistinguishable from the enzyme harvested from whole bovine gingival explants. The enzymes, both of which were released in latent form, had the same molecular size and had common antigenic sites.
From in vitro to in silico and back again: Using biological and mathematical synergy to decipher breast cancer cell motility

The complexity of biological systems is often prohibitive in testing specific hypotheses from first physical principles. To circumvent these limitations we used biological data to inform a mathematical model of breast cancer cell motility. Using this in silico model we were able to accurately assess the influence of actin cytoskeletal architecture on the motility of a genetically modified breast cancer cell line. Furthermore, using the in silico model revealed a biological phenomenon that has not been previously described in live cell movement. Fusing biology and mathematics as presented here represents a new direction for biomedical research in which advances in each field synergistically drive discoveries in the other.
A new algorithm for generation of permutations

A new algorithm for generating permutations is presented, that generates the next permutation by reversing a certain suffix of its predecessor. The average size of this suffix is less thane ≅ 2.8. It is shown how to find the position of a given permutation and how to construct the permutation of a given position, where the position refers to the order in which the permutations are generated, and is also new.
Rats, Communications, and Plague: Toward an Ecological History

During the last twenty years, archaeozoological research has significantly transformed the picture of the black rat (rattus rattus) in classical antiquity and medieval Europe. These new data, in conjunction with extant texts from these periods, make a great contribution to the understanding of the bubonic plagues of the sixth and the fourteenth centuries, as well as to the history of the communications and economic systems linking the Mediterranean to the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. The study of ancient rats and their colonization extends the temporal and geographical groundwork for a fully historical global ecology.
High Performance Liquid Chromatography of Cholesteryl Esters

Abstract The separation of cholesteryl esters by high performance liquid chromatography was facilitated by cooling of the column, followed by spontaneous return to ambient conditions. the resolution of the esters was increased. the method was applied to detection of the cholesteryl esters in plasma.
Shared nuclear protein binding sites in the upstream region of the rat opsin gene.

Abstract DNase I protection and gel retardation assays have identified two sequences 5′ to the rat opsin gene that interact with nuclear proteins from retina but not from a number of neuronal and non-neuronal tissues. These sites, Ret 2 and Ret 3, are over 1200 base pairs apart but seem to interact with the same protein(s). Synthetic oligonucleotides corresponding to each site were able to inhibit complex formation in a gel retardation assay using an oligonucleotide corresponding to the other site. The proteins binding to the Ret 2 and Ret 3 sites co-eluted in both ion exchange and gel filtration chromatography. The protein(s) were also present at adult levels at birth, suggesting that they may represent differentiation products expressed in the proliferating retinal epithelium.
Warm consolidation and cladding of glassy alloy ribbons

Abstract Glassy alloy ribbons were prepared by chill block melt spinning and were compacted under heat and pressure into “bulk” samples. Consolidation by warm extrusion is shown to be superior to that obtained by uniaxial warm die pressing since the consolidation method imparts the substantial amounts of shear necessary to produce adhesion. Warm cladding of glassy alloys onto conventional engineering materials is shown to be possible by the same principles and methods as for warm consolidation.
Nuclear Reactions Governing the Nucleosynthesis of 44Ti

Large excesses of 44Ca in certain presolar graphite and silicon carbide grains give strong evidence for 44Ti production in supernovae. Furthermore, recent detection of the 44Ti γ line from the Cas A supernova remnant by the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory Compton Telescope shows that radioactive 44Ti is produced in supernovae. These make the 44Ti abundance an observable diagnostic of supernovae. Through use of a nuclear reaction network, we have systematically varied reaction rates and groups of reaction rates to experimentally identify those that govern 44Ti abundance in core-collapse supernova nucleosynthesis. We survey the nuclear-rate dependence by repeated calculations of the identical adiabatic expansion, with peak temperature and density chosen to be 5.5 × 109 K and 107 g cm-3, respectively, to approximate the conditions in detailed supernova models. We find that, for equal total numbers of neutrons and protons (η = 0),44Ti production is most sensitive to the following reaction rates:44Ti(α, p)47V, α(2α, γ)12C,44Ti(α, γ)48Cr, and 45V(p, γ)46Cr. We tabulate the most sensitive reactions in order of their importance to the 44Ti production near the standard values of currently accepted reaction rates, at both a reduced reaction rate (times 0.01) and an increased reaction rate (times 100) relative to their standard values. Although most reactions retain their importance for η > 0, that of 45V(p, γ)46Cr drops rapidly for η ≥ 0.0004. Other reactions assume greater significance at greater neutron excess:12C(α, γ)16O,40Ca(α, γ)44Ti,27Al(α, n)30P,30Si(α, n)33S. Because many of these rates are unknown experimentally, our results suggest the most important targets for future cross section measurements governing the value of this observable abundance.