cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A generalized assignment problem with special ordered sets: a polyhedral approach

We study a generalized assignment problem that arises in production scheduling in which special ordered sets of type II appear naturally in the formulation. We derive three families of facet-defining valid inequalities, and we show that they cut off all infeasible vertices of the LP relaxation. We also give the complete facetial description for a particular case. We then use the inequalities as cuts in a branch-and-cut scheme, and we report computational results that demonstrate the superiority of branch-and-cut over branch-and-bound on this class of problems.
Earthquake swarms on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge - Products of magmatism or extensional tectonics?

The spatial and temporal patterns and other characteristics of earthquakes in 34 earthquake swarms on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge were compared with those of well-studied earthquake swarms which accompany terrestrial volcanic eruptions, to test the assumption that the teleseismically observed earthquake swarms along mid-ocean ridges are indicators of volcanism. Improved resolution of these patterns for the mid-ocean ridge events was achieved by a multiple-event relocation technique. It was found that the teleseismically located earthquake swarms on the mid-ocean ridge system have few features in common with swarms directly associated with active magmatism in terrestrial volcanic rift zones such as Hawaii and Iceland. While the possibility that some of the mid-ocean earthquake swarms might be directly associated with a current episode of eruptive activity on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge cannot be excluded, none of the 34 swarms studied in this work was found to be a conspicuously attractive candidate for such a role.
The investigation of dual-wavelength spectroscopy for the analysis of dissolved drug in microcapsule suspensions

Abstract The rationale for using the method of dual-wavelength spectroscopy to study suspensions and other highly turbid systems was theoretically developed. In order to demonstrate the usefulness of this technique, dual-wavelength spectroscopy was used to accurately determine the release of hydrocortisone 21-acetate from microcapsules in aqueous suspension. In contrast to other analytical procedures, experimental artifacts introduced by filtering and the tableting of microcapsules were eliminated. In addition dual-wavelength spectroscopy enabled extremely low concentrations i.e. 0.6 μg/ml hydrocortisone 21-acetate, to be reproducibly determined i.e. ± 2% (n = 3).
Rural greenway planning: the role of streamland perception in landowner acceptance of land management strategies

Successful greenway planning and development in rural areas depends heavily on private landowners' acceptance of new landscape planning and management strategies. In this study, agricultural landowners in Dickinson County, Kansas, are surveyed to assess their perceptions of streamland importance. Perceptions of streamland importance are examined with regard to income production, recreational use, and environmental quality protection. This research further explores the important role these perceptions play in landowner acceptance of new land management strategies. Land management strategies considered focus on rural greenway restoration and development, and include conservation easements, public assistance for stream restoration, financial assistance in exchange for public recreational access, landowner participation in program development, and alternative taxation. Research results indicate that landowners in the study area perceive streamland as more important for the protection of wildlife, water quality, and visual appearance than for income production or recreation. In addition, alternative land management strategies are found to be more acceptable to those landowners who consider streamland highly important for community quality of life. Conclusions suggest implications for future greenway planning and development focusing on the protection of public environmental quality as well as private landowners' rights. Directions for further research focus on the ways in which information-education programs may significantly increase community awareness of and knowledge about greenway corridor benefits.
Localized fibrous tumors of the pleura: correlation of histopathological, immunohistochemical and ultrastructural features.

Summary The histogenesis of localized fibrous tumor of the pleura (LFTP) is controversial. We studied 12 LFTP's by light microscopy; by immunohistochemical staining for cytokeratin (CK), vimentin, muscle-specific actin, desmin, S-100 protein, epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) and factor VIII; by electron microscopy in 6 tumors; and by lung digestion for asbestos bodies in 4 cases. Three histologic patterns occurred in combination: 1) collagenous, 2) cellular and 3) hypocellular/myxoid. Hemangiopericytoma-like foci were prominent in the cellular areas of 9 tumors. Unusual features included diffuse small cells in 3 tumors, microcystic foci in 2, macrocystic areas in 5 and tumor giant cells in 4 tumors. Neoplastic cells in all patterns stained positively for vimentin and actin in 9 and 4 tumors, respectively, and were negative for all other markers. CK and EMA were identified in mesothelial and epithelial invaginations only. Ultrastructurally, neoplastic cells demonstrated intercellular junctions, intermediate or thin filaments, dense bodies and rough endoplasmic reticulum. Basal lamina was focally present in 5 tumors, while tonofilaments, desmosomes and short microvilli were observed in one case. Our results support the conclusion that LFTP is a neoplasm of the multipotential subserosal cell, and usually expresses mesenchymal (fibroblastic/myofibroblastic) differentiation. Coexpression of mesothelial features is rare. Lung asbestos body quantitation in 4 patients suggests that there is no association between LFTP and asbestos exposure.
Job-Related Stress among Business- and Professional-Writing Faculty Members: Findings and Interpretation.

During the 1980s, studies about stress in academia and business indicated that jobrelated stress is a serious problem. The purpose of this exploratory, correlational study was to examine the nature and extent of job-related stress among collegiate business-and professional-writing faculty members in the United States. The stress scale developed by the author was consistent with the framework on stress and burnout suggested by Pines and Aronson. Results indicate that job-related stress is associated with faculty members' rank, type of institution, and sex. Job-related stress tends to increase with greater expectations of publication and service, the total number of courses taught, and the number of writing courses taught. Job-related stress tends to decrease with increased maturity—age, years of teaching, years postdegree, and years teaching business and professional writing. Analysis of two open-ended questions indicates that paper grading is a significant stressor.
Azolium azolates from reactions of neutral azoles with 1,3-dimethyl-imidazolium-2-carboxylate, 1,2,3-trimethyl-imidazolium hydrogen carbonate, and N,N-dimethyl-pyrrolidinium hydrogen carbonate

Utilizing previously reported synthetic protocols for the halide- and metal-free synthesis of organic salts, we have prepared a new group of imidazolium and pyrrolidinium azolate anion-based salts demonstrating the general applicability of the methodology and expanding our investigation into non ion exchange routes to potentially energetic ionic liquids. Eighteen salts, out of which six exhibit melting points below 100 °C, were prepared by a simple decarboxylation reaction, which resulted in clean formation of the new compounds without the need for extensive purification. The low stability of the H2CO3 by-product, and its decomposition to CO2 and H2O in aqueous media, allows for purification of the salts by evaporation only.
Diffusion creep in feldspar aggregates: experimental evidence

A combination of mechanical and microstructural results for experimentally deformed albite aggregates of 2–10 μm grain size indicates a regime of grain boundary diffusion creep that depends upon the presence of water, temperature and strain rate. At 900°C and 10−5 s−1, deformation occurs dominantly by recrystallization accommodated dislocation creep when the aggregates contain < ≈0.2 wt% water, but by grain boundary diffusion creep when the aggregates contain ≈0.9 wt% water. Experiments at other temperatures and strain rates indicate that fine-grained aggregates with added water may go directly from cataclastic flow to grain boundary diffusion creep with increasing temperature or decreasing strain rate, bypassing the field of dislocation creep. Microstructural evidence for grain boundary diffusion creep in the wet fine-grained aggregates includes the development of rectangular grains rather than polygonal grains; grain growth; a very low average dislocation density; open grain boundaries including pores and channels; and the presence of overgrowths of a different composition on grains in a two-plagioclase (An1 and An79) aggregate. Additional evidence for diffusion creep in the wet fine-grained aggregates is indicated by their similar microstructures and strengths when deformed at 600 and 1500 MPa; in contrast, dry feldspar aggregates deforming by dislocation creep show an increase in strength and a transition to semi-brittle behavior at lower confining pressures. Grain boundary diffusion creep of feldspars may be common in naturally deformed rocks, due to the ease of grain size reduction by both cataclasis and dynamic recrystallization.
On the Divergence of Polynomial Interpolation in the Complex Plane

We extend the results in [1] and [2] from the divergence of Hermite-Fejer interpolation in the complex plane to the divergence of arbitrary polynomial interpolation in the complex plane. In particular, we prove the following theorem: Let Δ n = −1 ≤ t 1 () < ... < t ( < 1. Let φ () be polynomials of arbitrary degree such that φ () (t () = δ kj . Then the Lebesgue function Λ n (x) = Σ =1 |φ () (x)| tends to infinity at every complex neighborhood of some point in [−1, 1].
Newer trends in the biosystematics of Membracidae

Membracids, in general, display a very few morphological characters of taxonomic value. Many species exhibit remarkable intraspecific variations, in addition to sexual dimorphism and cornuate polymorphism that makes it difficult to allocate them to their respective taxa, unless a long series of male and female individuals belonging to the same population are available for examination. The male genitalia, although of value in the diagnosis of higher categories of the Membracidae, find limited application at the species level. The nymphal characters, especially those of the fifth immature stage, are very useful in the identification of the species, but nymphal materials are not available except for a few species, and the host plants of many species remain unknown. In recent years, it has become imperative to consider the ecophysiological aspects of these insects for a better and precise understanding of their systematics. The host plant specificity of some species of membracids, the mutual association of a particular species of membracids with a particular species of ants and the parasite-host interaction involving certain chalcidoid egg parasites of membracids are considered with a view to evaluate their role in the membracid taxonomy. The impact of differential reproductive potential in terms of host diversity, the allochronic differences in mating and initiation of oviposition, and the differences in the relative growth patterns with particular reference to the polymorphic speciesOxyrhachis tarandus (Fabricius) on 5 species is investigated.
Influence of Berry Injury on Infestations of the Multicolored Asian Lady Beetle in Wine Grapes

The multicolored Asian lady beetle, Harmonia axyridis, is a significant pest for eastern U.S. and Ontario wine makers, but the timing of beetle infestation and its interaction with grape injury are...
On-chip 3D inductors using thru-wafer vias

Three-dimensional (3D) inductors using high aspect ratio (10:1); thru-wafer via (TWV) technology in a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) process have been designed, fabricated, and measured. The inductors were designed using 500 μm tall vias, with the number of turns ranging from 1 to 20 in both wide and narrow-trace width-to-space ratios. Radio frequency characterization was studied with emphasis upon de-embedding techniques and the resulting effects. The open, short, thru de-embedding (OSTD) technique was used to measure all devices. The highest quality factor (Q) measured was 11.25 at 798 MHz for a 1-turn device with a self-resonant frequency (f sr ) of 4.4 GHz. The largest inductance (L) measured was 45 nH on a 20-turn, wide-trace device with a maximum Q of 4.25 at 732 MHz. A 40% reduction in area is achieved by exploiting the TWV technology when compared to planar devices. This technology shows promising results with further development and optimization.
Methane band limb-brightening on Uranus

Area scanner measurements of the brightness distributions of Uranus at 6300 and 7250 A are presented. At the former wavelength, which is characteristic of continuum radiation, the observed limb-darkening is consistent with the results of Stratoscope observations. At the latter wavelength, in the center of a strong methane absorption band, the planet shows substantial limb-brightening as has been reported by other investigators. The limb-brightening and geometric albedo of Uranus in this methane band can be explained in terms of a clear atmospheric model in which the methane partial pressure above the saturation level is equal to its equilibrium vapor pressure. This conclusion is relatively insensitive to the methane mixing ratio below the saturation level. The presence of a high-altitude, conservatively, isotropically scattering haze of optical thickness 0.1, such as that previously proposed as a possible cause of the 7250-A limb-brightening, would produce a geometric albedo at this wavelength that is substantially larger than the value observed for Uranus.
Situated Electronic Commerce: Toward A View as Complement Rather than Substitute for Offline Commerce

The adoption and use of electronic commerce by many firms was shaped by a number of assumptions about how it adds value to economic exchange. Many of these assumptions have direct relevance for the interaction between e-commerce and geography in that they emphasized the ability of e-commerce to transcend distance and reach into markets without physical presence. The belief in this ability was based on the immediacy of electronic transmission and the distance-insensitive tariffing applied to packet-switched IP networks, the presumed efficiency of transaction automation over in-person interaction, and the view promulgated by network economists that electronic commerce is highly subject to network effects that reward rapid growth in the number of users. As a result, many firms entered the online arena without adequate attention to the role of geography in shaping commercial exchange patterns. This paper argues for a view of e-commerce as situated within a particular social and geographic context, enabling se...
Experimental demonstration of concealed AV conduction in the human heart

Artificial pacing of patients with Stokes-Adams disease provided an opportunity to study experimentally the ways of operation of concealed antegrade or retrograde conduction, or both, in the AV junction. With a catheter electrode in the right atrium the classical experiment of Lewis and Master was repeated, revealing, during a 2:1 ventricular response to an atrial tachycardia, the delaying effect of seemingly blocked atrial impulses on subsequent AV conduction. Shifting the position of a single premature atrial impulse within a constant driving cycle of the atria produced graded effects of "blocked" atrial impulses on AV junctional refractoriness, permitting an estimation of the duration of the "phase of concealed AV conduction." Interpolation of such premature atrial impulses into successive driving cycles resulted in "repetitive concealed conduction." In an artificially produced atrial parasystole there was observed "concealed discharge" of a subsidiary (escaping) AV junctional pacemaker by an apparentl...
Pathologic aspects of polytetrafluoroethylene sutures in human heart

Background. Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) sutures have been widely used as a mitral chord substitute. We present the cases of 4 patients who underwent mitral valve repair with chordal replacement by PTFE sutures and these required another operation. This gave us the chance to examine the PTFE sutures. Methods. Structural analysis of the PTFE sutures was performed 26 to 378 days postoperatively. The specimens were examined grossly, microscopically, and by scanning or transmission electron microscopy or both. Results. The PTFE suture in 1 patient was found to be completely covered with endothelial cells 154 days post-operatively. There was no calcification, and the flexibility and pliability of the PTFE sutures was preserved. Even though the PTFE sutures seemed uncovered on visual inspection, there was a thin lining of collagen and fibrin on the surface. Endothelial cells were seen in areas that looked clear in one specimen 26 days postoperatively. Conclusions. We think that the new layer of collagen could be promising in terms of durability and that the endothelial layer will resemble normal tissue in its anticoagulant properties.
Trends in cardiovascular disease incidence and survival in the elderly

This study compared the age-specific incidence, postdiagnostic survival, and mortality for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in two cohorts of people aged 65 years and older. All subjects were members of a large prepaid health maintenance organization. The influence of changes in CVD risk factors on these rates also was evaluated. Trends in prevalence, incidence, postdiagnostic survival, and mortality for CVD were examined in both cohorts in 1971 and 1980. Myocardial infarction (MI), angina pectoris, stroke, and congestive heart failure (CHF) were included as CVD outcomes in this analysis. Nine-year prospective data on these diagnoses were abstracted from medical records and computerized hospitalization records for both cohorts. Age-sex-adjusted cardiovascular mortality was lower for both sexes by approximately 20% in the 1980 cohort. Overall survival did not change, whereas cancer mortality increased by 76% in women and 36% in men. With the exception of stroke, there was no increase in age-adjusted or age-specific prevalence. In men, the age-adjusted prevalence of stroke in men was 24% higher in the 1980 cohort. Age-adjusted 9-year incidence of MI, angina pectoris, stroke, and CHF did not change between cohorts in either sex Postdiagnostic, age-adjusted mortality for men with incident stroke was 24% lower in the 1980 cohort, and Postdiagnostic, age-adjusted mortality for men with incident angina was 35% lower in the 1980 cohort. Adjustment for risk factors measured at or before baseline had little influence on cohort differences in CVD incidence or duration of survival after CVD diagnosis. This study confirms other research showing a decline in CVD mortality over the past 20 years. These findings suggest that prevalent angina pectoris is increasing in men, and that survival with stroke and with angina is improving in men. Later diagnosis of incident CHF in men suggests that prevention and early detection may be postponing the development of more serious disease.
Fibroblasts influence muscle progenitor differentiation and alignment in contact independent and dependent manners in organized co-culture devices

Myoblasts are precursor muscle cells that lie nascent to mature skeletal muscle. Once muscle is damaged, these cells migrate, fuse, and regenerate the muscle tissue. It is known that skeletal muscle can partially regenerate in vivo after muscle tissue damage. However, this regeneration does not always occur, especially in more severe injuries. Cellular therapy using tissue-engineering approaches has been shown to improve organ repair and function. To exploit potential benefits of using cell therapy as an avenue for skeletal muscle repair, it is important to understand the cellular dynamics underlying skeletal myocyte formation and growth. Cardiac fibroblasts have been shown to have a major influence on cardiomyocyte function, repair, and overall spatial distribution. However, little is known regarding fibroblasts’ role on skeletal myocyte function. In this study, we utilized a reconfigurable co-culture device to understand the contact and paracrine effects of fibroblasts on skeletal myocyte alignment and differentiation using murine myoblast and fibroblast cell lines. We demonstrate that myotube alignment is increased by direct contact with fibroblasts, while myotube differentiation is reduced both in the gap and contact configurations with fibroblasts after 6 days of co-culture. Furthermore, neutralizing antibodies to FGF-2 can block these effects of fibroblasts on myotube differentiation and alignment. Finally, bi-directional signaling is critical to the observed myoblast-fibroblast interactions, since conditioned media could not reproduce the same effects observed in the gap configuration. These findings could have direct implications on cell therapies for repairing skeletal muscle, which have only utilized skeletal myoblasts or stem cell populations alone.
Modulation of prolactin binding sites in vitro by membrane fluidizers. I. Effects on adult rat ventral prostatic membranes.

Abstract The objective of this study was to determine if aliphatic alcohols, known fluidizers of certain membranes, could increase in vitro the apparent fluidity and prolactin binding capacity of membrane preparations obtained from ventral prostate glands of adult male rats. The degree of fluidization was monitored by a fluorescence polarization method using 1,6-diphenylhexatriene. Membrane preparations were either incubated with varying concentrations of ethanol, 1-propanol or 1-butanol and 125I-oPRL overnight at room temperature or were exposed to the alcohols for 15 min at room temperature and washed prior to the overnight incubation with ligand. Regardless of the conditions of incubation, alcohol exposure produced the same effects, a dose-dependent elevation and then decline in specific prolactin binding. Butanol produced a maximal 37–42% increase in prolactin binding at a concentration of 1.0%, propanol produced a maximal 40–56% increase in prolactin binding at a concentration of 3.8%, and ethanol produced a maximal 54–77% increase in prolactin binding at concentration of 4.8%. Scatchard analysis of the oPRL binding of ventral prostatic membranes indicated that the in vitro treatment of these membrane fluidizers increased the number of oPRL binding sites rather than the apparent affinity constant. The value of the microviscosity parameter decreased by 10–13%, 13–15% and 21–25%, after a 15 min exposure of prostatic membranes to 1.0% butanol, 3.8% propanol and 4.8% ethanol, respectively. These data suggest that in vitro fluidization of prostatic membrane modifies prolactin binding capacity and are consistent with in vivo prostatic prolactin receptor level-membrane fluidity relationships observed in earlier studies.
Calnuc, an EF-Hand Ca2+-Binding Protein, Is Stored and Processed in the Golgi and Secreted by the Constitutive-Like Pathway in AtT20 Cells

Calnuc is an ubiquitous, EF-hand Ca2+ binding protein found in the cytoplasm where it binds to Gαi3, in the Golgi lumen where it constitutes a Ca2+ storage pool, and secreted outside the cell. Here we investigated the pathway of secretion of calnuc in AtT20 cells. We found by pulse-chase experiments that calnuc is synthesized in the endoplasmic reticulum, transported to the Golgi where it remains greater than 12 h and undergoes posttranslational modification (O-glycosylation and sulfation) followed by secretion into the culture medium. We examined if calnuc is secreted by the constitutive or regulated secretory pathway in AtT20 cells. By immunofluorescence and immunogold labeling, endogenous calnuc is found in immature secretion granules (ISG) but not mature regulated secretory granules (RSG), whereas overexpressed calnuc-green fluorescent protein (GFP) is found in both ISG and RSG, where it colocalizes with ACTH. Neither calnuc nor calnuc-GFP are released by the regulated secretory pathway, suggesting th...
Incorporating Geophysical Remote Sensing into Transportation Archeological Investigations

Transportation agencies interested in surveying cultural resources within a project area have a suite of commonly used archeological methods available to discover buried features. Geophysical remote sensing (GRS) offers archeologists additional means by which to determine an area's sensitivity for archeological resources. Moreover, GRS technologies achieve this while maintaining noninvasive examination of culturally sensitive or difficult-to-reach areas. Funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, this study investigated both the existing uses and potential innovative applications of GRS at state departments of transportation (DOTs) through an extended survey, case studies, and stakeholder interviews. States that have experience with GRS on archeological investigations are identified, as well as the types of technologies often employed, advantages and disadvantages of their use, and the kinds of information needed to facilitate future agency decisions. A study survey was sent to all 50 st...
Improving Oral Communication of Appalachian Youth Through Rhyme.

velop separately from the Standard American English spoken by the majority of Americans. By studying phonemic characteristics of the language, linguists have recently examined the extent to which the Appalachian dialect deviates from Standard American English. In a study of disadvantaged youth which has relevancy for Appalachian children, Golden notes that "culturally disadvantaged children may substitute the i for the e in pinny [sic], the low front vowel e for ai to confuse rat with right."' In a phonemic study which dealt solely with students in the Appalachian region, a tendency to reverse long and short sounds in certain words was found to have great bearing on both pronunciation and spelling.2 According to this study, the four major vowel deviations, as expressed by Appalachian high school students,
Developments with the oscillating capillary nebulizer—effects of spray chamber design, droplet size and turbulence on analytical signals and analyte transport efficiency of selected biochemically important organoselenium compounds

Silica and polymer PEEK® capillaries were used to modify an oscillating capillary nebulizer (OCN) in order to make it sturdier and more durable for routine analyses, and also to improve response sensitivity. The performance of four modified OCNs was compared to that of the original OCN design and also to a Meinhard High Efficient Nebulizer (HEN), using an identical single-pass cylindrical spray chamber for all the nebulizers. The effects of spray chamber design, droplet size and turbulence on analyte transport efficiency of low molecular weight organoselenium compounds were also investigated. Three organoselenium standards: (1) selenocystamine; (2) selenomethionine; and (3) trimethylselenonium iodide were used as test compounds with inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry (FI/ICP-MS). Droplet size distributions and Sauter mean diameters of aerosols were measured by laser Fraunhofer diffraction. An OCN fabricated with PEEK® gas capillary, with either a thicker capillary wall or a larger inner diameter liquid capillary tube, performed better than the original OCN design. The optimal improvement of analytical signal of 3–4 times, corresponding to a 2.5–3.0 times improvement in analyte transport efficiency was found, compared to the original OCN design and also to a standard Meinhard HEN. Contrary to literature reports, we observed that moderate increases in mean droplet sizes resulted in improved analyte transport efficiencies and higher signal intensities for the volatile compounds tested. However, nebulizers producing aerosols with Sauter mean diameters, D[3,2], greater than approximately 9.5 µm gave lower transport efficiencies and reduced signal intensities. Although greater turbulence in the gas flow inside a single-pass spray chamber predictably decreased net analyte transport efficiencies, the overall loss of aerosol was unexpectedly 3–5 times greater for small droplets ( 3 µm, <9 µm).
Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (Recklinghausen's Disease): Neurologic and Cognitive Assessment With Sibling Controls

• Neurologic and cognitive function in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) were assessed in a controlled pilot study of 13 pairs of siblings aged 6 to 27 years. One subject in each pair was affected with NF1, and the other, the control subject, was unaffected. Subjects with evidence of focal central nervous system disease were excluded. The 13 subjects with NF1 had no excess of mental retardation, attention-deficit disorder, or specific learning disorders (using Wilcoxon's Signed Rank Test and McNemar's Test for Symmetry). These subjects, however, had significantly higher scores for subtle neurologic abnormalities (21 vs 6) and significantly lower full-scale IQ scores (94 vs 105) than their unaffected siblings. The IQ scores of the affected subjects were not clustered at the lower end of the scale but showed a slight downward shift in distribution compared with those of their siblings. In addition, a visual-spatial orientation deficit was present in eight of nine affected subjects so evaluated. The findings suggest that subjects with NF1 have a widespread alteration of the brain during development that manifests as one or more specific types of neuropsychologic deficits. ( AJDC . 1989;143:833-837)
Testing the Stability of a Production Function with Urbanization as a Shift Factor

Urban economists have long sought to explain the relationship between urbanization levels and output. In this paper we revisit this question and test the long-run stability of a production function including urbanization using non-stationary panel data techniques. Our results show that a long-run relationship between urbanization, output per worker and capital per worker cannot be rejected for either our sample of 30 developing countries or our sample of 22 developed countries. We do find, however, that the sign and magnitude of the impact of urbanization varies considerably across the countries. In addition, we estimate the long-run average effects on GDPW of urbanization and capital. These results offer new insights and potential for dynamic urban models rather than the simple cross-section approach.
Education, Citizenship, and African American Community in Nineteenth-Century Cincinnati: Issues of Social, Cultural, and Human Capital

In Cincinnati, Ohio, the history of the social and economic status of blacks as it relates to educational and civic participation have received attention from a number of scholars, especially with ...
Which version is this?: improving the desktop experience within a copy-aware computing ecosystem

Computers today make it easy for people to scatter copies and versions of digital items across their file systems, but do little to help people manage the resulting mess. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a copy-aware computing ecosystem, inspired by a vision of computing when systems track and surface copy relationships between files. Based on two deployments of a copy-aware software prototype and in-depth interviews with individuals in collaborative relationships, we present our findings on the origins of copies and the barriers to eliminating them, but offer a promising solution based on the set of files that together represent a user's conceptual view of a document - the versionset. We show that the versionset is viable to infer, and we draw upon user activity logs and feedback on personalized views of versionsets to distill guidelines for the factors that define a versionset. We conclude by enumerating the many PIM user experiences that could be transformed as a result.
Cognitive Flexibility as a Mediator of Family Communication Environments and Young Adults' Well-Being

In this study, cognitive flexibility was tested as a mediator of family communication environments (i.e., family expressiveness, structural traditionalism, and avoidance of conflict) and young adults' well-being (i.e., self-esteem, mental health, and physical health). Participants included 395 young adults from first-marriage and postdivorce families. Using structural equation modeling, the results revealed that family expressiveness positively predicted young adults' cognitive flexibility, whereas avoidance of conflict emerged as a negative predictor. Cognitive flexibility, in turn, fully mediated the influence of both expressiveness and avoidance of conflict on well-being. Although structural traditionalism did not predict cognitive flexibility, it did have a direct, inverse effect on young adults' well-being. Among the more important implications of this study is the finding that structural traditionalism and avoidance of conflict, 2 aspects of a conformity orientation in families, generate different effects (i.e., direct vs. indirect) on young adult's well-being.
Investment Decisions Depend on Portfolio Disclosures

A weekly database of retail money fund portfolio statistics is uneconomical for retail investors to observe, so it allows direct comparison of disclosed and undisclosed portfolios. This makes possible a more direct and unambiguous test for "window dressing" than elsewhere in the literature. The analysis shows that funds allocating between government and private issues hold more in government issues around disclosures than at other times, consistent with the theory that intermediaries prefer to disclose safer portfolios. Cross-sectional comparisons locate the most intense rebalancing in the worst recent performers. MONEY MANAGERS ARE TYPICALLY REQUIRED to disclose their portfolios on prearranged dates. Whether investors receive new information depends on whether managers are influenced by the disclosure requirement. Managers can ignore the disclosure schedule when they invest, in which case the disclosed portfolios will be unbiased, albeit noisy, estimates of their investing strategies. Alternatively, they can plan their investing around the schedule by moving briefly into and out of the portfolios they prefer to disclose, thereby reducing or destroying the power of the disclosures to reveal anything meaningful. The goal of this paper is to establish which scenario best describes the behavior of money market mutual fund managers. The idea that portfolio weights interact with disclosure dates surfaces now and again in the academic and trade literature, surviving on circumstantial evidence rather than direct observation. The odd behavior of asset prices around common disclosure dates, particularly the end of the year, comprises
A comparative study of recording procedures for motor evoked potential signals

Motor evoked potential (MEP) signals serve as an objective measure of the functional integrity of motor pathways in the spinal cord. Hence, they provide a reliable assessment of the extent of spinal cord injury (SCI). There are two methods currently being used for serial MEP recordings in rats: a low-frequency and a high-frequency method. In this paper, we compared the two methods and determined the better method for MEP recordings. We also compared the effect of two anesthetic agents — inhalational isoflurane and intraperitoneal ketamine — on the MEP signals. We found that under ketamine anesthesia, low-frequency stimulation led to more consistent results, while high-frequency stimulation required greater stimulation intensity and was prone to unwanted side-effects including excessive head twitches. We further found that isoflurane anesthesia severely depressed the MEP response for both low-frequency and high-frequency stimulation which rendered the resulting signal unusable.
On bidding for a fixed number of items in a sequence of auctions

Abstract We consider the problem of a firm (“the buyer”) that must acquire a fixed number ( L ) of items. The buyer can acquire these items either at a fixed buy-it-now price in the open market or by participating in a sequence of N > L auctions. The objective of the buyer is to minimize his expected total cost for acquiring all L items. We model this problem as a Markov Decision Process and establish monotonicity properties for the optimal value function and the optimal bidding strategies.
In vivo tumor suppression efficacy of mesoporous silica nanoparticles-based drug-delivery system: enhanced efficacy by folate modification.

Abstract Mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSNs) have proven to be promising vehicles for drug delivery. However, despite the potential, few studies have extended the success of in vitro studies to animal settings. In this article, we report the efficacy of MSNs using two different human pancreatic cancer xenografts on different mouse species. Significant tumor-suppression effects were achieved with camptothecin-loaded MSNs. Dramatic improvement of the potency of tumor suppression was obtained by surface modifying MSNs with folic acid. Dose-dependent tumor suppression was observed, establishing 0.5 mg of CPT-loaded MSNs per mouse as a minimum dose sufficient for achieving complete tumor growth inhibition. Renal excretion of MSNs was also confirmed with transmission electron microscopy (TEM) imaging. These findings highlight attractive features (biocompatibility, renal clearance and high efficacy for delivering anticancer drugs) of MSNs as a drug-delivery system. From the Clinical Editor In this study, mesoporous silica nanoparticles are used as chemotherapy delivering agents in two different human pancreatic cancer xenografts and different mouse species. Significant tumor-suppression effects, biocompatibility and efficient renal clearance are demonstrated.
Generation and Characterization of a CYP2A13/2B6/2F1-Transgenic Mouse Model

CYP2A13, CYP2B6, and CYP2F1, which are encoded by neighboring cytochrome P450 genes on human chromosome 19, are active in the metabolic activation of many drugs, respiratory toxicants, and chemical carcinogens. To facilitate studies on the regulation and function of these human genes, we have generated a CYP2A13/2B6/2F1-transgenic (TG) mouse model (all *1 alleles). Homozygous transgenic mice are normal with respect to gross morphological features, development, and fertility. The tissue distribution of transgenic mRNA expression agreed well with the known respiratory tract-selective expression of CYP2A13 and CYP2F1 and hepatic expression of CYP2B6 in humans. CYP2A13 protein was detected through immunoblot analyses in the nasal mucosa (NM) (∼100 pmol/mg of microsomal protein; similar to the level of mouse CYP2A5) and the lung (∼0.2 pmol/mg of microsomal protein) but not in the liver of the TG mice. CYP2F1 protein, which could not be separated from mouse CYP2F2 in immunoblot analyses, was readily detected in the NM and lung but not the liver of TG/Cyp2f2-null mice, at levels 10- and 40-fold, respectively, lower than that of mouse CYP2F2 in the TG mice. CYP2B6 protein was detected in the liver (∼0.2 pmol/mg of microsomal protein) but not the NM or lung (with a detection limit of 0.04 pmol/mg of microsomal protein) of the TG mice. At least one transgenic protein (CYP2A13) seems to be active, because the NM of the TG mice had greater in vitro and in vivo activities in bioactivation of a CYP2A13 substrate, 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (a lung carcinogen), than did the NM of wild-type mice.
Stellar wind/ISM shocks in gravitational potentials

The geometry of stellar wind bow shocks has been solved analytically in the thin shell, no gravity limit by Wilkin. We determine when, where and how gravity influences those results. In particular, we find that gravity strongly influences weak wind shocks, potentially prevents steady shocks and even pulls shocks back on to the star.
Recent improvements of Probability Based Prosody Models for Unit Selection in concatenative Text-to-Speech

The work presented in this paper is subsequent to the paper “Probability Based Prosody Model for Unit Selection” which was published in ICASSP'2004. In the improved probability prosody model for corpus based concatenative Text-to-Speech (TTS), likelihood is replaced with posterior probability in the cost functions which conduct the following step, unit selection. Objective and subjective experiments show that posterior probability has obvious advantages over likelihood on robustness, flexibility and overall quality.
The Detection and Mitigation of RFI with the Aquarius L-Band Scatterometer

The Aquarius sea-surface salinity mission includes an L-band scatterometer to sense sea-surface roughness. This radar is subject to radio-frequency interference (RFI) in its passband from 1258 to 1262 MHz, a region also allocated for terrestrial radio location. Due to its received-power sensitivity requirements, the expected RFI environment poses significant challenges. We present the results of a study evaluating the severity of terrestrial RFI sources on the operation of the Aquarius scatterometer, and propose a scheme to both detect and remove problematic RFI signals in the ocean backscatter measurements. The detection scheme utilizes the digital sampling of the ambient input power to detect outliers from the receiver noise floor which are statistically significant, and flags nearby radar echoes as potentially contaminated by RFI. This detection strategy, developed to meet tight budget and data downlink requirements, has been implemented and tested in hardware, and shows great promise for the detection and global mapping of L-band RFI sources.
Probabilistic characterization of chaotic behavior in a family of feedback control systems

The authors investigate a family of two-dimensional nonlinear feedback systems which do not satisfy the Lipschitz continuity condition and exhibit chaotic behavior. The geometric Poincare map. is determined analytically and a bifurcation study in terms of two canonical parameters and the associated asymptotic behavior of the systems are presented. Ergodic theory of one-dimensional dynamic systems is used to derive a probabilistic description of the chaotic motions inside the chaotic attractor. It is shown that the chaotic motion is isometric to an experiment of randomly tossing an uneven die. >
Regulation of amino acid transport system L by amino acid availability in CHO-K1 cells. A special role for leucine

Starvation of CHO-K1 cells for leucine leads to a 3-4-fold increase in transport system L activity, without modification of transport through systems A and ASC. The concentration of leucine must be below 10 microM before the enhancement of transport can be clearly seen. To achieve low concentrations of leucine such as 10 microM, extensive dialysis of fetal calf serum was required. The enhancement of transport was completed after 12-24 h of starvation and was fully reversed within 1 h of re-feeding with leucine. Starvation for isoleucine, valine or phenylalanine also produced an increase in system L transport activity, but the effect was only one half of that seen following leucine starvation.
Simulation modeling of a facility layout in operations management classes

Teaching quantitative courses can be challenging. Similarly, layout modeling and lean production concepts can be difficult to grasp in an introductory OM (operations management) class. This article describes a simulation model developed in PROMODEL to facilitate the learning of layout modeling and lean manufacturing. Simulation allows for the evaluation of layout alternatives and the testing of labor-allocation strategies. In addition, the model shows the lead-time and resource utilization advantages of cellular layouts. Implications of these advantages for lean production are analyzed. As such, students learn to formulate operation strategies and make better decisions based on the outcomes of the simulation. Furthermore, limitations of the model and the need to generalize the model for adaptation in similar classes are discussed.
A novel radiation pattern and frequency reconfigurable single turn square spiral microstrip antenna

This paper presents a novel pattern and frequency reconfigurable microstrip antenna that uses switched connections. The basic antenna operates with linear polarization around 3.7 GHz. One set of connections provides a re-directed radiation pattern while maintaining a common operating impedance bandwidth with the baseline configuration. The second set of connections results in operation at a higher frequency band at 6 GHz with broadside patterns. Measured results of the three antenna configurations are provided. Potential applications of this reconfigurability and directions for future work are discussed.
Revision for Recurrent Instability: What are the Predictors of Failure?

Dislocation is a common complication following total hip arthroplasty (THA). In this study, we evaluated treatment strategies in patients undergoing revision THA for instability. A total of 156 hips in 154 patients underwent revision THA for instability between 2000 and 2007 at our institution. Demographic data and surgical treatment used were analyzed to determine risk factors for failure. Revision treatments included acetabular components in 100 hips, liner exchange in 56 hips, and femoral and acetabular components in 13 hips. Thirty-three (21.2%) had further dislocation. Isolated liner revision (P = .004), previous revision arthroplasty (P < .05), and the use of a 28-mm femoral head were associated with higher failure rates. A total of 20.3% (12/59) of constrained liners failed. Isolated liner exchange, history of revision, and use of a 28-mm head were associated with failure in revision THA for instability.
The Determination and Interpretation of NMR Spectra of Flavonoids

The application of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to the structure analysis of flavonoids is now well established. Many flavonoid aglycones, in particular isoflavones and highly methylated flavones and flavonols, are sufficiently soluble in the commonly used solvent, deuteriochloroform (CDC13) for direct NMR analysis. However, most naturally occurring flavonoids, including all of the flavonoid glycosides, have low solubility in CDC13; therefore, prior to 1964 most workers were limited to the NMR analysis of the more soluble methyl, ethyl and acetyl derivatives (see for example reference [1]). However, the signals observed for the substituent groups in these derivatives often obscure signals of other protons in the flavonoid.
Critical Management Decisions in Patients With Acute Liver Failure

Few admissions to the ICU present a greater clinical challenge than the patient with acute liver failure (ALF), the syndrome of abrupt loss of liver function in a previously unaffected individual. Although advances in the intensive care management of patients with ALF have improved survival, the prognosis of ALF remains poor, with a 33% mortality rate and a 25% liver transplant rate in the United States. ALF adversely affects nearly every organ system, with most deaths occurring from sepsis and subsequent multiorgan system failure, and cerebral edema, resulting in intracranial hypertension (ICH) and brainstem herniation. Unfortunately, the optimal management of ALF remains poorly defined, and practices are often based on local experience and case reports rather than on randomized, controlled clinical trials. The paramount question in any patient presenting with ALF remains defining an etiology, since specific antidotes can save lives and spare the liver. This article will consider recent advances in the assignment of an etiology, the administration of etiology-specific treatment to abate the liver injury, and the management of complications (eg, infection, cerebral edema, and the bleeding diathesis) in patients with ALF. New data on the administration of N-acetylcysteine to patients with non-acetaminophen ALF, the treatment of ICH, and assessment of the need for liver transplantation will also be presented.