cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Conversion of Frequency-Modulated Light to Space-Modulated Light

The conversion of a frequency-modulated light signal to a spatially-modulated light signal via an ideal linear dispersing element is considered. The purpose of the paper is to examine discrepancies between the results of an analysis based on the exact but complicated spectral approach to frequency modulation, as opposed to the results of an analysis based on the intuitive and often approximately correct varying-frequency approach. The spatial Fourier transform of the dispersed signal is calculated and then used as a moment generating function to obtain expressions for the centroid motion and width of the optical beam. Conditions for the validity of the varying-frequency approach are given.
Aligning Strategy and Capital Allocation Decisions: A Case Study

This article presents a case study on the use of multi-criteria decision analysis tools to improve the alignment of strategy and capital allocation decisions. A questionnaire was used to test for c...
A qualitative investigation of protégé expectations and proposition of an evaluation model for formal mentoring in pharmacy education.

Abstract Background Student pharmacist mentoring programs have gained attention from colleges of pharmacy as a way to enhance the student experience. However, no evaluative models have been proposed or theoretical explanations described for use in improving formal mentoring programs in pharmacy or for guiding the construction of a literature base. Objectives The objectives of this study were to investigate student expectations and preferences for formal mentoring programs and propose a model for evaluating formal mentoring programs in pharmacy education. Methods Five, 60-minute focus groups were conducted in September 2009. Participants were PharmD candidates in their first 3 years of professional education. Discussion was facilitated using a question guide. Following transcription, an initial iteration of the model was used to code the data. A consensus-forming process was used to derive themes and identify representative quotes. Elaboration and specification of the final proposed model is presented. Results In all, 28 students participated. Emergent constructs were identified from the data. Structures or inputs of the formal mentoring program included mentor and protege characteristics and program structure. Mentoring processes included mentor functions, mentoring activities, and relationship development. Outcomes included both proximal outcomes in the form of mentor and protege change, program satisfaction, and organizational learning; and distal outcomes comprised mentor, protege, and organizational outcomes. Conclusions This formal mentoring evaluation model was useful in guiding analysis of protege experiences and preferences for a college-sponsored program. The model can be used to guide college administrators and researchers on future theory-based inquiry into protege; mentor; and organizational structures, processes, and outcomes for formal mentoring programs.
Biophysical and biochemical characterization of reconstituted and purified Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase in phospholipid vesicles sheds insight into its functional oligomeric structure.

Abstract Discontinuous sucrose gradient ultracentrifugation was used to separate liposomes containing Rhodobacter sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (pCOV) from liposomes devoid of the enzyme, and the biophysical and biochemical properties of pCOV were compared to unpurified liposomes containing cytochrome c oxidase (COV). Isolated and purified R. sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase (COX) was reconstituted into asolectin phospholipid vesicles by cholate dialysis, and this preparation was purified further on a discontinuous sucrose gradient to isolate only those vesicles which contained the enzyme (pCOV). After centrifugation at 300,000 g for 22 h, 80% of the enzyme recovered was in a single band. The number of COX molecules per pCOV liposome was estimated by measuring the visible absorbance spectrum of cytochrome c oxidase (for heme aa 3 ) and inorganic phosphate concentration (for phospholipid). The number of COX molecules incorporated per pCOV was estimated to be approximately one (0.72 ± 0.19–1.09 ± 0.28). The pCOV exhibited similar physical properties as COV; respiratory control ratios (indicators of endogenous proton permeability) and maximum enzymatic turnover number at pH 7.4 were comparable (6.0 ± 1.3 and 535 ± 130 s −1 ). Furthermore, proton pumping activities of the pCOV were at least 70% of COV, indicating that discontinuous sucrose gradient centrifugation is a useful technique for functional experiments in R. sphaeroides cytochrome c oxidase. Our results suggest that the monomeric form of R. sphaeroides COX when reconstituted into a phospholipid bilayer is completely functionally active in its ability to perform electron transfer and proton pumping activities of the enzyme.
Nonlinear integration on Lp-spaces

For a Banach space E and for 1 ⩽ p < ∞ let ⩽p<∞ let LEp(μ) = LEp(S,B,μ) denote all Bochner p-integrable E-valued functions on a measure space (S,B,μ). Under study are convergence theorems for integrals of functions in LEp(μ) with respect to Nemytskii measures. Weak integrals are then denoted to Hammerstein operators, and a study of topologies generated by vector measures leads to a characterization of compact Hammerstein operators.
Apparent motion occurs only between similar spatial frequencies

Whether apparent motion occurs only between targets of similar spatial frequency was examined. A 'crossed phi' method was used, in which two potentially different targets exchange position. If the targets differ in a feature that controls apparent motion then they will appear to move so as to exchange positions; if they differ in an irrelevant feature, no apparent exchange will occur. It was found that apparent motion occurs only between similar spatial frequencies. This result is interpreted in the light of recent models of human visual motion sensing, in which motion estimates are computed separately within a number of spatial frequency bands.
Pathway to Health Literacy in Korean American Immigrants: The Mediating Role of English Proficiency

This study investigated predictors of and pathways to health literacy among Korean American immigrants residing in New York City (n = 407). Social Cognitive Theory guided the study and the Chew et al. 16-item health literacy screening scale was employed. Structural equation modeling using Mplus 4.21 tested the proposed conceptual model. Findings revealed that education and English proficiency were the most influential predictors of health literacy; education was directly associated with health literacy and indirectly through language proficiency. Predictors of greater English proficiency included higher levels of education, younger age, and unmarried status. The findings suggest that immigrants with minimal English abilities, little education, and no health insurance have particular intervention needs, perhaps best met by a patient-centered approach focusing on individual language needs and cultural health beliefs.
The Head and the Heart: Effects of Understanding and Experiencing Lovingkindness on Attitudes Toward the Self and Others

Formation and maintenance of compassionate and loving attitudes toward the self and others is essential for adaptive social functioning. In this study, we use lovingkindness meditation to enhance positive attitudes toward the self and others. Meditation-based programs often include several components for which specific effects and dynamics are largely unknown, precluding conclusive support for their effectiveness. The present study tested actions underlying two main components of lovingkindness meditation programs: discussion and meditation. Discussion focuses on a conceptual understanding of lovingkindness, whereas meditation focuses on direct experiences and cultivation of lovingkindness. Participants (n = 54) were randomly assigned either to attend a 6-week lovingkindness discussion course or to be waitlisted for 6 weeks, both followed by attending a 6-week lovingkindness meditation course. Attending the lovingkindness discussion course alone had beneficial effects on attitudes toward the self, but not others. Attending the lovingkindness meditation course had additional positive impacts on attitudes toward the self and others. These findings suggest that understanding ideas of lovingkindness through knowledge-based discussion without meditation may be sufficient to create positive changes in the view of self. However, for more comprehensive changes in attitude toward others, direct experiences of lovingkindness through meditation may be necessary.
Materials science: Deft tricks with liquid crystals

Some biological macromolecules can control their own assembly into elegant hierarchical structures. Synthetic supramolecules are catching up fast, promising new advances for optical and biomedical materials. See Letter p.364 Self-templating is widely used in nature to synthesize hierarchical structures. Depending on the self-templating conditions, a number of structures with different characteristics can be formed from the same constituents. This study describes an elegant fabrication method that produces helically twisted functional materials directly onto a glass surface using a finely controlled one-step process. The starting material is the chiral colloidal particle, M13 phage, which forms liquid crystals. The particle self-assembles on the surface of a glass slide as it is pulled upwards out of the solution. By varying the phage concentration (the liquid crystalline phase of the solution) and the pulling speed, three distinct long-range-ordered supramolecular chiral structures can be produced, each with important optical and photonic properties. In addition, functionalization of the surface of the M13 phage with bioactive peptide ligands induces ordered growth of both soft and hard biological tissues.
Processing Properties of Beef Semimembranosus Muscle as Affected by Electrical Stimulation and Postmortem Treatment

Semimembranosus muscles from paired sides-electrically stimulated (ES) and not-stimulated (NES)-of mature cows were used to determine effects of certain postmortem treatments (state of rigor/temperature) and of ES on processing properties. ES decreased (P 0.05) values for total protein or juice loss during cooking. State of rigor/temperature treatment affected pH and salt-soluble protein (SSP) values more than did ES treatment. pH values differed (P<0.05) between each state of rigor/temperature treatment for both ES and NES samples. Salt-soluble protein values were higher (P<0.05) for NES prerigor than for NES postrigor/frozen samples and higher (P<0.05) for NES postrigor than for NES postrigor/frozen samples. SSP values for ES muscles were higher (P<0.05) for ES postrigor samples than for ES postrigor/frozen samples but were not different for other comparisons. Regardless of ES treatment, freezing of semimembranosus muscles increased pH values (P<0.05) and decreased SSP values (P<0.05) in three of four comparisons.
Marginal Analyses of Clustered Data When Cluster Size Is Informative

We propose a new approach to fitting marginal models to clustered data when cluster size is informative. This approach uses a generalized estimating equation (GEE) that is weighted inversely with the cluster size. We show that our approach is asymptotically equivalent to within-cluster resampling (Hoffman, Sen, and Weinberg, 2001, Biometrika 73, 13-22), a computationally intensive approach in which replicate data sets containing a randomly selected observation from each cluster are analyzed, and the resulting estimates averaged. Using simulated data and an example involving dental health, we show the superior performance of our approach compared to unweighted GEE, the equivalence of our approach with WCR for large sample sizes, and the superior performance of our approach compared with WCR when sample sizes are small.
Is an exponential spectral shape a criterion for collision induced light scattering in hydrogen bonded molecular fluids

Abstract This communication points out that an exponential spectral shape cannot be considered as a criterion for collision induced scattering. Detailed temperature study of the spectral profile is needed for elucidating the mechanism. Scattering from liquid glycerol (297–440°K) is used as an illustration.
Geometric magnetic frustration in the hexagonal perovskite (La,Sr) 4-z RuO 7+δ

The hexagonal perovskite $(\mathrm{La},\mathrm{Sr}{)}_{4\ensuremath{-}z}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{7+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ exhibits a strong magnetic frustration due to the geometric arrangement of the paramagnetic ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{5+}$ ions, which form a network of edge-sharing elongated tetrahedra. In this magnetic sublattice, frustration may either be restricted to the crystallographic $ab$ plane, in which the ruthenium ions form a triangle lattice, or concern the entire tetrahedra. Crystals of $(\mathrm{La},\mathrm{Sr}{)}_{4\ensuremath{-}z}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{7+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ were grown by the floating zone method, and their magnetic properties were measured with respect to the crystallographic axes. Magnetic ordering was only detected for the external magnetic field parallel to the $ab$ plane, while for $\mathbf{B}\ensuremath{\Vert}c$ the samples showed no magnetic transition down to $2\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K}$. Heat capacity measurements revealed a magnetic entropy corresponding to a spin of 1/2, a value much smaller than the $S=3∕2$ expected for the $({t}_{2g}{)}^{3}$ configuration of ${\mathrm{Ru}}^{5+}$ ions. From symmetry considerations, we conclude that only the orbitals corresponding to the irreducible representation ${A}_{1g}$ mediate the cooperative interaction between the magnetic moments, giving rise to an orbitally ordered state.
Complex Genetic Interactions among Four Receptor Tyrosine Phosphatases Regulate Axon Guidance in Drosophila

Four receptor-linked protein tyrosine phosphatases are selectively expressed on central nervous system axons in the Drosophila embryo. Published data show that three of these (DLAR, DPTP69D, DPTP99A) regulate motor axon guidance decisions during embryonic development. Here we examine the role of the fourth neural phosphatase, DPTP10D, by analyzing double-, triple-, and quadruple-mutant embryos lacking all possible combinations of the phosphatases. This analysis shows that all four phosphatases participate in guidance of interneuronal axons within the longitudinal tracts of the central nervous system. In the neuromuscular system, DPTP10D works together with the other three phosphatases to facilitate outgrowth and bifurcation of the SNa nerve, but acts in opposition to the others in regulating extension of ISN motor axons past intermediate targets. Our results provide evidence for three kinds of genetic interactions among the neural tyrosine phosphatases: partial redundancy, competition, and collaboration.
Mapping of Rice Fertility-Restoring Genes for ID-Type Cytoplasmic Male Sterility in a Restorer Line R68

An F2 population derived from the cross Zhong 9A/R68 was used to map the fertility-restoring (Rf) gene for ID-type cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). Two bulks (a fertile bulk and a sterile bulk) were constructed by pooling equal amount of ten highly fertile lines and ten highly sterile lines, respectively. Four hundred and thirteen pairs of simple sequence repeat (SSR) primers, which evenly distributed on 12 chromosomes of rice, were selected for analyzing polymorphisms between the parents and between the two bulks. The primer RM283 on chromosome 1 and the primers RM5756, RM258, RM6100 and RM171 on chromosome 10 were found to be polymorphic between the parents and between the two bulks. These five SSR markers were linked to fertility-restoring genes. A total of 82 excessive sterile lines were selected from Zhong 9A/R68 F2 population to estimate the genetic distance between five SSR markers and fertility-restoring genes respectively. The results indicated that one Rf gene was linked to RM283 located on chromosome 1 at a distance of 6.7 cM, and the other Rf gene was mapped to the long arm of chromosome 10 flanked by RM258 and RM6100 at the distances of 8.0 cM and 2.4 cM, respectively.
Comparison of cystometrograms and urethral profiles with gas and water media.

Abstract Twenty-five female patients were studied using both gas and water media for cystometrograms and urethral profiles. The results showed that gas and water did not generate equivalent data in either cystometrograms or urethral profiles. The cystometrogram data showed a high correlation of data between gas and water, with gas values consistently lower than water values. Urethral profile data with gas were very difficult to interpret in terms of water-generated data, and correlations were tenuous at best.
Sensory, shear force and cooking properties of commercially processed ground beef patties

Abstract Ground beef patties (20 % fat) were obtained from 26 processors who are major US suppliers of ground beef. Sensory, instrumental tenderness and cooking data were collected. Patties processed strictly from cow meat or from raw materials with greater amounts of connective tissue were less tender. The use of muscle from young cattle (less than approximately 24 months of age) for patties produced higher scores for tenderness with less detectable connective tissue than patties made entirely from cow beef (more than approximately 24 months of age). Formulations consisting largely of trimmings obtained from bones with a mechanical trimmer received the highest tenderness scores. However, those patties received low ratings for beef flavor intensity due to the presence of a ‘microbial-like’ flavor. Thus, processors should insure that bones accumulated for mechanical separation of lean are subjected to strict quality control for condition.
Vacuum Surface Flashover of Insulators for Microsecond Pulses

Summary form only given. A critical component to a high energy pulsed power system is the insulator. The insulator's function is to standoff high voltages between two electrodes of opposite polarity. Although the intrinsic dielectric strength of the insulator is rather high, relatively low electric fields -several times less-is withstood by insulator surfaces that is exposed to vacuum. To investigate surface flashover for the widely used truncated conical insulator configuration, a vacuum chamber was fabricated where we installed a positive 45 degree conventional HD polyethylene insulator in the electrode spacing (nominal 1.0 cm). With applied 100 kV pulses of 5 microsecond duration the insulator held off the applied voltage -but experienced flashover if a source of plasma/electrons in the form of a small piece of velvet (1.0 mm dia.) was introduced in the vicinity of the insulator on either of the electrode's surfaces. Plasma expansion velocities of 1.4 to 2.7 cm/microseconds are inferred from voltage collapse and current drawn signals. It appears that the actual flashover occurs when the plasma that is launched from the cathode reaches either the insulator or the anode electrode. The breakdown mechanism and improvements in the insulator design strictly speaking can be made independently with the more advanced computational means. We also report on the progress that has been made with our PIC code modeling and its agreement with our experimental observation.
Frequency dependence of the Drude relaxation time in metal films

A two-carrier model is used to explain the frequency dependence of the Drude relaxation time that has been observed in recent experiments on gold films. One carrier is the electrons that exist in the crystallites, regions of high order; the other is the electrons in grain boundaries, regions of low order. This model gives the same dependence on the annealing of the sample as has been seen in the data of Th\`eye.
Optical cross talk between nearby optical bistable devices on the same étalon.

This Letter is concerned with the parallel operation of optical bistable devices. The two-beam side-by-side case has been simulated numerically. Diffraction coupling from one device operating in the upper branch can cause the other one, operating in the lower branch, to switch to the upper branch if the separation of the two beams is too small. The separation required for independent operation is usually a few beamwidths. The results give promise for performing parallel operations with optical bistable devices on the same etalon.
The Work of Kim and Roush on Questions of Decidability in Algebra and Number Theory

This article describes the work of Ki Hang Kim and Fred Roush on questions of decidability in algebra and number theory.
The proteome of human saliva

Human saliva holds tremendous potential for transforming disease and health diagnostics given its richness of molecular information and non-invasive collection. Enumerating its molecular constituents is an important first step towards reaching this potential. Among the molecules in saliva, proteins and peptides arguably have the most value: they can directly indicate biochemical functions linked to a health condition/disease state, and they are attractive targets for biomarker assay development. However, cataloging and defining the human salivary proteome is challenging given the dynamic, chemically heterogeneous and complex nature of the system. In addition, the overall human saliva proteome is composed of several “sub-proteomes” which include: intact full length proteins, proteins carrying post-translational modifications (PTMs), low molecular weight peptides, and the metaproteome, derived from protein products from nonhuman organisms (e.g. microbes) present in the oral cavity. Presented here will be a summary of communal efforts to meet the challenge of characterizing the multifaceted saliva proteome, focusing on the use of mass spectrometry as the proteomic technology of choice. Implications of these efforts to characterize the salivary proteome in the context of disease diagnostics will also be discussed.
The state and labor in modern America

Abstract One of the distinctive developments of the postwar era in the United States has been the relative decline in the economic significance of labor unions. Melvyn Dubofsky offers the hypothesis that this has resulted from a shift in public policy that represents a return to pre‐New Deal notions of the proper relationship between government and unions. But a much more likely explanation lies in the changing nature of American life. Increases in education and advances in transportation and communications have weakened greatly the traditional worker‐versus‐capitalist paradigm that is at the core of Dubofsky's thinking. As this has happened, labor unions have increasingly become relics of a previous age.
Noninvasive ventilation as a palliative measure.

Purpose of reviewDyspnea is a distressing consequence of many unremitting diseases. This review discusses the therapeutic use of noninvasive ventilation (NIV) in advanced illness.Recent findingsNIV continues to be investigated most rigorously in patients with progressive neuromuscular weakness and t
Non-equilibrium of high-temperature nitrogen and oxygen

A stationary colloidal-radiative model for determination of production of electrons, excited atoms, and spectral line intensities in high-temperature atomic N and O is presented. The populations of several atomic levels and partition functions, and the intensities of several lines, are calculated in a wide range of conditions. Transport of radiation is included by coupling the rate equations for production of the electrons and excited atoms with the Holstein escape factors which are not constant, but depend on plasma conditions.
Reconfigurable analog signal processing for wireless sensor networks

The limited power budgets of sensor networks necessitate in-network pre-processing to reduce communication overhead. The low power consumption of analog signal processing (ASP) is well-suited for this task. However, adoption of ASP is restrained by the longer design time relative to reconfigurable/reprogrammable digital processing. Our solution is to enable ASP reconfiguration through the use of a field-programmable analog array (FPAA), which allows wireless sensor network developers to rapidly prototype and test ASP designs. In this paper, we present an FPAA designed for use in wireless sensor networks, and we describe its incorporation and use within a sensor node.
Student Leaders at Women's Postsecondary Institutions: A Global Perspective

The single-sex higher education sector is growing worldwide as more women seek access to postsecondary education. Although positive learning outcomes—including leadership development—of women's col...
Molecular cloning and characterization of the promoter region of murine natural killer cell receptor 2B4.

Abstract Natural killer (NK) cells are bone marrow-derived lymphocytes that have the ability to kill certain tumor cells and virally infected cells. The activation of NK cells is mediated by a balance of negative and positive signals from cell–cell interactions and from responses to cytokines. However, the molecular basis of NK cell activation and recognition of target cells is poorly understood. We have previously identified, cloned and characterized a receptor, 2B4, expressed on murine NK cells. 2B4 is not only expressed on all NK cells, but also on a subset of T-cells which have NK-like killing properties. Structural analysis indicated that 2B4 belongs to the CD2 subset of immunoglobulin superfamily. We have also shown 2B4 to interact with CD48 with nine times more affinity than that of CD2–CD48 interaction. In order to understand the transcriptional regulation as well as the mechanisms controlling the restricted expression of the 2B4 gene, we obtained a genomic 2B4 clone including the sequence of the 5′-flanking region. To define the start site of transcription, we performed primer extension and 5′-RACE assays and found that the 2B4 gene may be initiated at multiple start sites and driven by a TATA-less promoter. Transient transfections of nested 5′-fragments of the 2B4 promoter to drive CAT expression revealed tissue specific expression in CTLL-2 cells, a mouse T-cell line. A promoter fragment of 348 bases upstream from the first base of the mouse 2B4 cDNA clone p2B4.8 produced maximal CAT activity in CTLL-2 cells. The presence of the region −653 to −540 on the other hand, drastically reduced transcription. Sequence analysis of this promoter region has identified potential recognition motifs for a number of lymphocyte-restricted in addition to ubiquitous transcription factors, which may play a role in the transcriptional regulation of the mouse 2B4 gene.
Evidence of tampering in watermark identification

In this work, watermarks are embedded in digital images in the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) domain. Principal component analysis (PCA) is performed on the DWT coefficients. Next higher order statistics based on the principal components and the eigenvalues are determined for different sets of images. Feature sets are analyzed for different types of attacks in m dimensional space. The results demonstrate the separability of the features for the tampered digital copies. Different feature sets are studied to determine more effective tamper evident feature sets. The digital forensics, the probable manipulation(s) or modification(s) performed on the digital information can be identified using the described technique.
ELECTRICAL RESISTANCE SENSOR ARRAYS AS A MEANS TO QUANTIFY LONGITUDINAL CONNECTIVITY OF RIVERS

Electrical resistance sensors are used as a novel approach to quantify streamflow continuity (continuous through time) and longitudinal connectivity (continuous through space) across watersheds in south-eastern Arizona, USA. We demonstrate this approach by reporting on a spatial array of 21 sensors installed in streams supporting naturally perennial, intermittent and ephemeral flow on the US Army Garrison, Fort Huachuca. Continuity and connectivity were quantified based on a strict interpretation of continuous flow at an individual sensor (strict continuity) or simultaneous streamflow at multiple sensors (strict connectivity). In addition, we evaluated continuity and connectivity to include periods (<48 h) when in-channel refuges may exist between streamflow events (refuge-maintained continuity and connectivity). Continuous streamflow in intermittent reaches accounted for 34% of the 121-day monitoring period (15 April–13 August 2010) and 28% of the summer monsoon period (1 July–13 August 2010). Streamflow in ephemeral reaches accounted for 1.5% and 2.3% of the entire monitoring and monsoon period, respectively. Canyon-wide longitudinal connectivity was rare (<1%); however, substantial longitudinal connection occurred along extensive portions of individual canyons. The refuge-maintained criteria increased continuity 2–8%, with less influence on connectivity (e.g. <3% increase in only some portions of canyons). Despite this result, the refuge-maintained concept remains important because of its broad applicability to refuge persistence across aquatic species and hydro-climatic regimes. The approach presented in this study supports the growing scientific research on the influence of longitudinal hydrologic connectivity on population dynamics and ecological processes in dendritic river networks. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Rapid characterization schemes for surveillance isolates of vancomycin-resistant enterococci.

Surveillance cultures for vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) and subsequent characterization of the isolates can be extremely burdensome and difficult. Therefore, efficient and reliable schemes for the characterization of surveillance isolates are needed. In this study, a commercial agar (bile esculin azide agar with 6 microg of vancomycin per ml [BEAA]; Remel, Lenexa, Kans.) was used in the initial screening step to establish relatively rapid (i.e., in 6 mm, while only one VanC strain produced a zone of < 15 mm. Challenging this phenotypic scheme with 47 stock VRE isolates produced similar findings. In direct PCR analyses, false-negative vanA and vanB results occurred with 12% of the specimens. Many of the false-negative reactions also failed to produce an internal control product, which underscores the need for including control primers when a PCR scheme is used. In summary, the phenotype- and the PCR-based schemes provide efficient methods for characterizing VRE within 24 h of isolation.
Engineering Around the World: Driving Local Economics in Africa With Human Power

Engineering projects are a major proponent of development in impoverished areas throughout the world. Designers face difficulties when working on projects for unfamiliar cultures and infrastructure, from problem and constraint definition to final technology transfer. Through a design project and implementation trip, this study will examine the design process as it spans borders, cultures and languages, identifying key steps and methods in the process necessary for the success of such projects. One major problem many rural communities in developing nations experience is a lack of transportation infrastructure. Forms of transport common throughout the rest of the world are, in many cases, neither economically feasible nor locally sustainable. To establish basic infrastructure, a sustainable, affordable method of transporting goods and services is essential. This research project fulfilled this need by designing an appropriate local transportation solution, a human-powered utility vehicle (HPUV). To properly understand the problem, the researcher traveled to two different rural locations in Sub-Saharan Africa (Maase-Offinso, Ghana and Meri, Cameroon) on four different trips to gather information and customer input for the design of the HPUV. A final implementation involved traveling to Meri, Cameroon for three months during which one design prototype was built, tested and reviewed by local farmers and other end-users. The vehicle was tested quantitatively against metrics and specifications derived from initial assessment trips, as well as qualitatively through customer feedback. This direct feedback provides insight into the effectiveness of the machine and the design process followed, as well as identification of possible revisions to enhance the design’s value to those who need it. The design drawings and manufacturing plan are public-domain, and local mechanics in the village were taught the basic skills needed to produce the vehicle. The drawings and manufacturing plan were also presented to a local NGO capable of producing the vehicle using local labor.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
The pretesting effect: do unsuccessful retrieval attempts enhance learning?

Testing previously studied information enhances long-term memory, particularly when the information is successfully retrieved from memory. The authors examined the effect of unsuccessful retrieval attempts on learning. Participants in 5 experiments read an essay about vision. In the test condition, they were asked about embedded concepts before reading the passage; in the extended study condition, they were given a longer time to read the passage. To distinguish the effects of testing from attention direction, the authors emphasized the tested concepts in both conditions, using italics or bolded keywords or, in Experiment 5, by presenting the questions but not asking participants to answer them before reading the passage. Posttest performance was better in the test condition than in the extended study condition in all experiments—a pretesting effect— even though only items that were not successfully retrieved on the pretest were analyzed. The testing effect appears to be attributable, in part, to the role unsuccessful tests play in enhancing future learning.
Comparison of complementary feeding strategies to meet zinc requirements of older breastfed infants

Background: The low zinc intake from human milk at ; 6m o of age predicts the dependence on complementary foods (CF) to meet the zinc requirements of older breastfed-only infants. Objective: The objective of this study was to compare major variables of zinc homeostasis and zinc status in 9-mo-old breastfed infants who were randomly assigned to different complementary food regimens. Design: Forty-five exclusively breastfed 5-mo-old infants were randomly assigned to receive commercially available pureed meats, iron-and-zinc‐fortified infant cereal (IZFC), or whole-grain, irononly‐fortified infant cereal (IFC) as the first and primary CF until completion of zinc metabolic studies between 9 and 10 mo of age. A zinc stable-isotope methodology was used to measure the fractional absorption of zinc (FAZ) in human milk and CF by dualisotope ratios in urine. Calculated variables included the dietary intake from duplicate diets and 4-d test weighing, the total absorbed zinc (TAZ) from FAZ · diet zinc, and the exchangeable zinc pool size (EZP) from isotope enrichment in urine. Results: Mean daily zinc intakes were significantly greater for the meat and IZFC groups than for the IFC group (P , 0.001); only intakes in meat and IZFC groups met estimated average requirements. Mean (6SEM) TAZ amounts were 0.80 6 0.08, 0.71 6 0.09, and 0.52 6 0.05 mg/d for the meat, IZFC, and IFC groups, respectively ( P= 0.027). Zinc from human milk contributed ,25% of TAZ for all groups. The EZP correlated with both zinc intake (r = 0.43, P , 0.01) and TAZ (r = 0.54, P , 0.001). Conclusion: Zinc requirements for older breastfed-only infants are unlikely to be met without the regular consumption of either meats or zinc-fortified foods. Am J Clin Nutr 2012;96:30‐5.
Unusual dynamics and pKa shift at the active site of a lead dependent ribozyme

Heteronuclear NMR spectroscopy has been used to probe the structure and dynamics of a lead-dependent ribozyme known as the leadzyme. The pKa's for all adenine bases in the leadzyme were measured and vary from <3.1 to 6.5. The adenines with the lowest pKa's are involved in Watson−Crick base pairs, and the adenine with the highest pKa is thought to form an AH+−C wobble base pair at the active site of the leadzyme. The potential structural and functional significance associated with perturbed pKa's in ribozymes is discussed. NMR studies of 5‘ AMP, 5‘ CMP, 5‘ GMP, and 5‘ UMP were also used to identify the 13C resonances that represent the best probes of base protonation for all four bases in RNA. The line width of the C2 resonance of the adenine with a pKa of 6.5 was analyzed to probe the dynamics of the catalytically active internal loop in the leadzyme. These results showed that this adenine is undergoing a chemical exchange process with a lifetime of ∼30 μs and demonstrate rapid dynamics at the active site...
Risk factors for in-hospital mortality and prolonged length of stay in older patients with solid tumor malignancies

Abstract Objective Hospitalized adult patients with cancer and with major comorbidities have higher mortality rates and longer duration of hospitalization. There is limited understanding of risk factors that contribute to prolonged hospitalization and mortality in older patients with solid tumors. Materials and Methods Risk factors associated with in-hospital mortality and prolonged length of stay (LOS) in older patients with cancer were investigated in a retrospective cohort study. Data from the University HealthSystem Consortium database included 386,377 patients age ≥ 65 years with solid tumors hospitalized between 1995 and 2003 at 133 U.S. academic medical centers. Results The overall mortality rate was 7.3%. Mortality in older patients with cancer was strongly associated with longer LOS. Almost twice as many deaths were observed among those with LOS ≥ 10 days (p Conclusions Prolonged LOS was strongly associated with mortality. Risk factors such as infection, neutropenia and red blood cell transfusion, when modified, could potentially reduce rates of prolonged LOS and mortality in older patients with cancer.
The night/day imagery paradox of selected psychotic children.

Dreams, whether primal and unintelligible fantasy, or structured, encoded symbolic expression, remain to this day inherently enigmatic phenomena. The process of dreaming has been a controversial subject for ages. Whether the process is related to memory storage, creativity, or sustaining homeostatic mechanisms is not our concern in this paper. We are reporting on our study of three psychotic children in residential treatment whose dreams were found to be static and realistic, while their diurnal fantasy life had a dreamlike quality. The content of the psychotic child's dream has not been readily accessible because of difficulties in experimental design and in acclimatizing psychotic children to a rigorous EEG dream study. Therefore, our conception of the nocturnal imagery of psychotic children has remained a composite of projections, confabulations, fantasy, and reality. Eliciting "nocturnal imagery" in therapy sessions (the day after) may have therapeutic significance, but these reports obfuscate the actual content of nocturnal imagery. An EEG dream study enables the investigator to control for confabulation with non-REM arousals, to examine the nocturnal EEG of these children, and to have a reliable device for collecting dream reports. Clinical observations have led us to conclude that a certain population of children, classified as "psychotic," have deficient nocturnal imagery. While quantitative electroencephalographic data on the
Higher ed 101 - teaching techies higher ed culture

More often than not, the previous work experience of college and university information technology staff has been in industry. Another staff demographic is that many are relatively recent graduates. What they have in common is a hierarchical, standards-driven and technical worldview - the antithesis of the peculiarities of higher education's organizational structure. This void, despite excellent skills and knowledge of information technology, frequently results in miscommunication, misunderstanding, and costly mistakes when working with the majority of the university whose worldview is autonomous, variable and non-hierarchical (not to mention, non-technical). After a series of embarrassing mistakes, we launched a mandatory professional development course called Higher Ed 101 to give our IT staff the vocabulary and understanding of the complexities of higher education's organizational structure, particularly shared governance, academic freedom and tenure. The rationale was twofold: 1) to reduce disruption to the community because of insensitivity to the academic calendar and processes; and 2) to ease internal tension, raise levels of job satisfaction and develop flexible approaches to common campus technology issues. This paper details the course, Higher Ed 101, for use in staff training and development. It concludes with why making an investment in teaching the technology staff about the culture of higher education is as sound an investment in their (and the IT department's) future as is learning the latest technology.
Match twice and stitch: a new TSP tour construction heuristic

We present a new symmetric traveling salesman problem tour construction heuristic. Two sequential matchings yield a set of cycles over the given point set; these are then stitched to form a tour. Our method outperforms all previous tour construction methods, but is dominated by several tour improvement heuristics.
Bed‐surface contact dynamics for horizontal tubes in fluidized beds

The local contact characteristics between the bed emulsion and the tube surface for horizontal tubes immersed in fluidized beds were investigated experimentally. The measurements indicated that the contact dynamics change significantly with circumferential position, gas flow rate, particle size and system pressure. From the experimental data, quantitative information on the local fluidization behavior were generated for use in heat transfer models.
Study of leakage defects on GaN films by conductive atomic force microscopy

We have used the techniques of atomic force microscopy (AFM) and conductive AFM (C-AFM) to investigate the forward and reverse bias conduction properties of defects in GaN films grown by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) on metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) templates. The surface morphology consists of holes interspersed between undulating spiral ''hillocks'' terminated by pits that have been associated with screw dislocations. For C-AFM measurements, a Pt-coated AFM tip was brought into contact with the GaN surface to form a microscopic Schottky contact. Reverse-bias current leakage is observed for ~10% of hillocks up to 12 V, and increases to approximately 50% of both hillocks and holes for bias voltages above 25 V. Leakage sites initially occur at ~10 V and increase substantially in number above ~15 V.
Programmed Mutagenesis Is Universal

Programmed mutagenesis is a DNA computing system that uses cycles of DNA annealing, ligation, and polymerization to implement programatic rewriting of DNA sequences. We report that programmed mutagenesis is theoretically universal by showing how Minsky's 4-symbol 7-state Universal Turing Machine [11] can be implemented using a programmed mutagenesis system. Each step of the Universal Turing Machine is implemented by four cycles of programmed mutagenesis, and progress is guaranteed by the use of alternate sense strands for each rewriting cycle. The measured efficiency of an in vitro programmed mutagenesis system suggests that segregating the products of DNA replication into separate compartments would be an efficient way to implement molecular computation.
Decreased low back pain intensity and differential gene expression following Calmare®: results from a double-blinded randomized sham-controlled study.

In this double-blinded, randomized controlled trial we evaluated the effects of Calmare®, a non-invasive neurocutaneous electrical pain intervention, on lower back pain intensity as measured by the "worst" pain score and on pain interference using the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form, on measures of pain sensitivity assessed by quantitative sensory testing, and on mRNA expression of pain sensitivity genes. Thirty participants were randomized to receive up to 10 sessions of Calmare® treatment (n = 15) or a sham treatment (n = 15) using the same device at a non-therapeutic threshold. At 3 weeks after conclusion of treatment, compared with the sham group, the Calmare® group reported a significant decrease in the "worst" pain and interference scores. There were also significant differences in pain sensitivity and differential mRNA expression of 17 pain genes, suggesting that Calmare® can be effective in reducing pain intensity and interference in individuals with persistent low back pain by altering the mechanisms of enhanced pain sensitivity. Further study of long-term pain outcomes, particularly functional status, analgesic use and health care utilization, is warranted.
Direct measures of mechanical energy for knife mill size reduction of switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover

Lengthy straw/stalk of biomass may not be directly fed into grinders such as hammer mills and disc refiners. Hence, biomass needs to be preprocessed using coarse grinders like a knife mill to allow for efficient feeding in refiner mills without bridging and choking. Size reduction mechanical energy was directly measured for switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.), wheat straw (Triticum aestivum L.), and corn stover (Zea mays L.) in an instrumented knife mill. Direct power inputs were determined for different knife mill screen openings from 12.7 to 50.8 mm, rotor speeds between 250 and 500 rpm, and mass feed rates from 1 to 11 kg/min. Overall accuracy of power measurement was calculated to be ±0.003 kW. Total specific energy (kWh/Mg) was defined as size reduction energy to operate mill with biomass. Effective specific energy was defined as the energy that can be assumed to reach the biomass. The difference is parasitic or no-load energy of mill. Total specific energy for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover chopping increased with knife mill speed, whereas, effective specific energy decreased marginally for switchgrass and increased for wheat straw and corn stover. Total and effective specific energy decreased with an increase in screen size for all the crops studied. Total specific energy decreased with increase in mass feed rate, but effective specific energy increased for switchgrass and wheat straw, and decreased for corn stover at increased feed rate. For knife mill screen size of 25.4 mm and optimum speed of 250 rpm, optimum feed rates were 7.6, 5.8, and 4.5 kg/min for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively, and the corresponding total specific energies were 7.57, 10.53, and 8.87 kWh/Mg and effective specific energies were 1.27, 1.50, and 0.24 kWh/Mg for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively. Energy utilization ratios were calculated as 16.8%, 14.3%, and 2.8% for switchgrass, wheat straw, and corn stover, respectively. These data will be useful for preparing the feed material for subsequent fine grinding operations and designing new mills.
Anti-Prometheus, Post-Marx: The Real and the Myth in Green Theory

The Greens are a diverse phenomenon embracing various theories and practices, but there is a widespread view that Karl Marx embraced economic gigantism and megatechnology, for which writers of many...