cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Impact of Statewide Safe Sleep Legislation on Hospital Practices and Rates of SUIDs

Background: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID) is the leading cause of death in the post-neonatal period. An unsafe sleep environment is often implicated in these deaths. To reduce the number of SUIDs from hazardous sleep environments, legislation was implemented in Connecticut in January 2016, requiring that all caregivers of newborns receive anticipatory guidance on safe sleep practices at discharge from a birthing hospital/center. Goal: We sought to understand the barriers and facilitators for compliance with the legislation by birthing hospitals. We also sought to determine if the number …
Bayesian inverse modeling of large-scale spatial fields on iteratively corrected principal components

Abstract Inverse modeling of large-scale spatially variable parameters fields at fine resolution can be reduced to estimating the projections on dominant principal components of the underlying parameter fields based on principal component analysis of the spatial covariance. For unknown or biased prior structural parameters of spatial covariance models, an iterative procedure consisting of two successive steps is usually implemented, i.e., estimation of spatial covariance followed by estimation of the spatially variable parameter fields conditional on the spatial covariance and observations. In this study, we develop an iterative, computationally efficient method to update dominant principal components for nonlinear inverse problems of large-scale spatial fields that adaptively corrects the bias from the initially defined prior spatial covariance. Our algorithm involves two-layer iterations: the inner iteration is to obtain the best estimates of projections on given retained principal components, and the outer iteration implements an efficient rank-one updating to correct the retained principal components using the posterior covariance associated with the best estimates of the projections. Numerical experiments show that inversion results can be significantly improved for large-scale inverse problems with biased structural parameters for spatial covariance. The experiment results show that the iterative correction is essentially to match the distribution patterns of the spatially correlated parameter field with its most dominant principal components. We also investigate the performance of the developed method under different biased covariance model initialization, including model type bias, variance bias and correlation length bias. The correction cannot fundamentally change the smoothness defined by the covariance model type, but can still describe major distribution patterns including anisotropy. Biased variance can be corrected and yields similar best estimates and variance maps, and biased correlation length can be corrected within an applicable range.
Comparative Study of a 3.3 kV SiC-based Voltage and Current Source Inverter for High-Speed Motor Drive Applications

Current source inverters (CSIs) is a technology typically used for high power medium voltage (MV) applications. With the emergence of wide-bandgap (WBG) technology, the CSI has been widely looked into for aerospace applications, MV solid-state transformers (SST), electric vehicles, traction applications, and renewable energy systems. This paper looks into the potential of MV-based CSI inverter for high-speed machine (HSM) applications compared to MV-based voltage source inverters (VSIs) inverter in terms of efficiency, reflected voltage, and sizing of passive components. It also compares the effects of dead-time in the VSI and effects of overlap-time in the CSI. The fault tolerance of permanent magnet motor-based HSM for VSI and CSI-based systems is discussed. The switch configuration required for a WBG based MV-based CSI is discussed.
Reactions of Chelated Organic Ligands

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the reactions of chelated organic ligands in which the chelated ligand undergoes a chemical transformation. When a metal ion is coordinated to a ligand, the properties of the metal ion are affected to a remarkable extent. Since the time of Werner, coordination chemists have focused their attention on the changes in the properties of the metal ion, although some of the most obvious and dramatic changes occur in the properties of the coordinated ligand. The chapter describes electrophilic substitution reactions and electrophilic displacement reactions. In electrophilic substitution reactions, the position of substitution is determined by the distribution of electron density in the molecule as well as the relative stabilities of the possible transition states. The substituted metal chelates of acetylacetonc undergo some unusual electrophilic displacement reactions. The acetyl groups in the acetylated chelates of chromium(III), cobalt(III), and rhodium(III) are displaced by N-bromosuccinimide in chloroform solutions to yield the brominated chelates. The chapter also describes those chelates in which the chelating agent undergoes a chemical transformation as a result of an oxidation-reduction reaction. Synthetic applications of chelated ligand reactions have also been discussed.
A combined interval and floating-point comparator

Interval arithmetic provides an efficient method for monitoring and controlling errors in numerical calculations. However, existing software packages for interval arithmetic are often too slow for numerically intensive calculations. This paper presents the design of a comparator that performs either interval or two's complement/floating-point comparisons. This comparator requires only slightly more area than a conventional floating point comparator, and provides a significant performance improvement over software implementations of interval comparisons. Both serial and parallel designs are examined and the results are implemented in AMI 0.60 /spl mu/m technology.
Marriage and elite structure in Reinassance Florence; 1282-1500

Este texto, derivado de una ponencia en una conferencia, es un informe preliminar de un proyecto a larga escala para trazar las transformaciones en las estructuras de las redes de la elite florentina a lo largo de dos siglos. En este articulo me limito unicamente a la descripcion de tendencias anteriores, desconocidas en modelos amplios, de los matrimonios cruzados florentinos. Los lectores informados veran inmediatamente que dichas tendencias tienen implicaciones importantes para los debates en la historiografia florentina (que desarrollare mas adelante). En ultimo termino, estoy interesado en las implicaciones politicas de las tendencias aqui descritas. Pero por ahora no entro en una interpretacion, explicacion o argumentacion. Tratare unicamente de mostrar hechos nuevos.
Absolute Quantification of Proteins by Mass Spectrometry

Mass spectrometry (MS) provides unambiguous molecular specificity relative to all other analytical and immunological techniques and, consequently, has great potential to provide unambiguous estimates of absolute protein quantities within complex biological systems. Here, we provide a critical review and discussion of the predominant MS-based technology used for absolute protein quantification, referred to as protein cleavage-isotope dilution mass spectrometry (PC-IDMS). This technique requires proteolytic conversion of the analyte protein into its quantitative surrogate peptide, which is subsequently quantified using a stable isotope-labeled (SIL) peptide analog as an internal standard (IS). All phases of the PC-IDMS workflow, from the SIL peptide production platforms to data analysis, are described and characterized in detail. An emphasis is placed on the practical quantitative aspects for each step of the workflow and their implication on quantitative accuracy.
Multistage Interconnection Networks for Multiprocessor Systems

Publisher Summary The chapter provides a survey of multistage interconnection networks (MINs) emphasizing the underlying topological design principles. An MIN consists of a sequence of switching stages, each of which consists of several switches. The switching stages are connected with interstage links between successive stages. The chapter discusses the design parameters of MINs. MIN design consists of three different layers: the network topology, functional characteristics of a switch, and the control strategy. These three layers of MIN design are not independent, they strongly influence each other. The chapter examines four important classes of MINs: non-blocking, re-arrangeable, blocking, and multipath. It deals with the performance analysis and very-large-scale implementation (VLSI) of MINs. Combinatorial power (CP), path blockage (PB), and bandwidth (BW) are discussed as three different measures of performance of a MIN. The omega network is presented as a typical example of a network with digit control. The destination tag algorithm, data-alignment requirement, and routing conflicts for the omega network are discussed.
Cyclic AMP as a Second Messenger in Higher Plants (Status and Future Prospects)

Adenosine 3':5'-monophosphate, commonly known as cAMP, is a key second messenger in living organisms ranging from Dictyostelium to Homo sapiens. cAMP was first described as a regulator of glycogen breakdown in the liver and is now known to be a second messenger for a wide variety of cellular responses in animals. cAMP is produced from ATP by the action of adenylate cyclase and is hydrolyzed to AMP by the enzyme cAMP phosphodiesterase. The question of whether cAMP is an authentic second messenger in higher plants has engaged plant scientists for decades. This article will highlight aspects of the controversies surrounding cAMP and suggest steps toward their possible resolution. Literature citations are largely restricted to the last 5 years, since earlier work has been summarized in several reviews (Lin, 1974; Amrhein, 1977; Brown and Newton, 1981; Francko, 1983; Verhey and Lomax, 1993).
Abstract 18927: HDL Efflux Capacity Correlates with Mean HDL Size and HDL Particle Number: The Chicago Healthy Aging Study

Introduction: Though it is known that the capacity of high-density lipoproteins (HDL) to participate in reverse cholesterol transport varies among individuals, the extent to which efflux capacity depends on HDL particle number and size is not well established. Methods: Cholesterol efflux capacity and NMR spectroscopy were performed on serum from 402 Chicago Healthy Aging Study participants (ppts). The cholesterol efflux assay was performed using radiolabeled cholesterol, J774 macrophages, and samples depleted of ApoB-containing lipoproteins as previously published. NMR spectroscopy was used to characterize lipoprotein particle number and size. Spearman rho was used to assess correlation between normalized efflux and NMR-derived lipoprotein particle number and size measures. Results: Ppts had a mean age of 73 y, 66% were male; mean fasting glucose was 100 mg/dl, mean BMI was 24.2 kg/m2, mean blood pressure was 125/74 mmHg, and 57% were using lipid lowering medications. Normalized HDL efflux capacity correl...
Clinical appraisal of insulin gastric analysis.

Insulin gastric analysis, properly performed and interpreted, is a reliable indicator of postoperative clinical status of patients with peptic ulcer. It can be used to assess the adequacy of vagotomy or antrectomy.
Occupancy of aldosterone binding sites in rat kidney cytosol

Abstract The binding sites for aldosterone and a potent aldosterone antagonist (SC-26304) were studied in kidney cytosol from adienalectomized rats. Preformed cytosol and kidney slices were incubated with 3H-labeled steroids in a wide range of concentrations. The recovery and characteristics of the binding sites were affected by the incubation and homogenization conditions. High-affinity, Type I mineralocorticoid binding was reduced by more than 95% when cytosol was incubated at 25°C in the presence of calcium. Tissue dilution also affected the binding sites. SC-26304 was bound to high- and low-affinity receptors, similar to the binding of aldosterone. The physiologic response to aldosterone could result from binding to either or both sets of sites. Some of the physiologic responses to spirolactones could represent antagonism of the binding of aldosterone to either or both sites. A convenient method is presented for describing the relative occupancy of several different sites by any particular steroid.
Extended-window interpolation applied to digital filter design

This paper develops a procedure for the design of frequency-selective interpolation operators that can be computed and saved once and for all. These operators are used to design real-time digital operators: interpolators, FIR differentiators, IIR filters, and composed interpolation and filtering operators. Each real-time operator is a matrix relating sets of data points to sets of interpolated values. Since these matrices are characterized by low norms, they permit reduced-word implementations, and are suitable for real-time processing with array processors and massively parallel machines. The design of the interpolation operators uses windows that, unlike traditional approaches, extend beyond the data interval up to the length permitted by the dimensionality theorem. A new form of the dimensionality theorem is used to minimize the minimax interpolation error within a predetermined frequency range, which may be either the passband of the antialiasing filter or the passband of an analog prototype filter. The main application presented in the paper is the design of combined digital filters and interpolators, which will be referred to as interpolating filters. The frequency responses of such filters, as well as the interpolated time responses, almost coincide with those of the corresponding analog prototypes.
Dynamic deactivation for advection-dominated contaminant transport

A simple dynamic deactivation procedure for advection-dominated contaminant transport is presented. The key idea is to avoid any work in regions where the solution cannot change, i.e. where sources vanish and unknowns do not exhibit any spatial change. Saving factors in CPU of 1: 3–1: 10 are commonly achieved. The procedure is general and simple to implement, and should be applicable to a large number of codes and transport problems. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Reactions of (Trimethyltriazacyclononane)Rh(vinyl)3, −Rh(Z-propenyl)3, and −Rh(vinyl)2Me with Protic Acids. The Relative Migratory Aptitude of Methyl and Vinyl Groups to an (Ethylidene)Rh Alkylidene Carbon

Preparations of CnRh(CHCH2)3, CnRh(Z-CHCHMe)3, and CnRhMe(CHCH2)2 (Cn = 1,4,7-trimethyl-1,4,7-triazacyclononane) are reported. An X-ray crystal structure determination of CnRh(CHCH2)3 revealed C3 molecular symmetry with average lengths Rh−N, 2.25 A; Rh−C, 2.00 A; and CC, 1.31 A. Protonations of these compounds were carried out with HOTf (triflic acid, HOSO2CF3), [H(Et2O)2][BAr4] (BAr4 = (-)B[3,5-(CF3)2C6H3]4), and HCl in organic solvents as well as with methanol as solvent and acid. CnRh(CHCH2)3 gave [CnRh(CHCH2)(η3-E-CH2CHCHMe)]X in isolated yields up to ca. 80%. Use of CD3OD as acid/solvent led to formation of [CnRh(CHCH2)(η3-CH2CHCHCH2D)]X (X = (-)OCD3 assumed) as the only isotopomeric product, suggesting [CnRh(CHCH2D)(CHCH2)2]+ as a probable intermediate. No Rh(CH−CH3) functional group could be detected by NMR at −60 °C or above. Triflic acid protonation of CnRh(Z-CHCHMe)3 generated [CnRh(Z-CHCHMe)(η3-E,E-MeCHCHCHEt)], establishing that product formation is by alkenyl migration and not via an electroc...
Proposing a Broadened View of Citizenship: North American Teachers” Service in Rural Costa Rican Schools

This article proposes that the balance of experiential learning and serious interaction in an international arena is an ideal condition for teachers to develop perspective consciousness about the w...
Bode design formulas for discrete compensators

Design formulas for the discrete phase-lead, phase-lag, PI and PID compensators are presented. They dispense with the need for designing via the w-domain.
Fractional proliferation: a method to deconvolve cell population dynamics from single-cell data

We present an integrated method that exploits extended time-lapse automated imaging to quantify dynamics of cell proliferation. Cell counts are fit with a Quiescence-Growth model that estimates rates of cell division, entry into quiescence and death. The model is constrained with rates extracted experimentally from the behavior of tracked single cells over time. We visualize the output of the analysis in Fractional Proliferation graphs, which deconvolve dynamic proliferative responses to perturbations into the relative contributions of dividing, quiescent (non-dividing) and dead cells. The method reveals that the response of “oncogene-addicted” human cancer cells to tyrosine kinase inhibitors is a composite of altered rates of division, death and entry into quiescence, challenging the notion that such cells simply ‘die’ in response to oncogene-targeted therapy.
Impact of bariatric surgery on type 2 diabetes

The management and prevention of diabetes through lifestyle modifications and weight loss should be the mainstay of therapy in appropriate candidates. Although the results from the Diabetes Prevention Trial and the Finnish Prevention Study support this approach, over 95% of patients not participating in a prevention research study are unable to achieve and maintain any significant weight loss over time. Bariatric surgery for weight loss is an emerging option for more sustainable weight loss in the severely obese subject, especially when obesity is complicated by diabetes or other co-morbidities. The two most common types of procedures currently used in the United States are adjustable gastric bands and Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. These procedures can be performed laparoscopically, further reducing the perioperative morbidity and mortality associated with the surgery. While the gastric bypass procedure usually results is greater sustained weight loss (40-50%) than adjustable gastric banding (20-30%), it also carries greater morbidity and nutritional/metabolic issues, such as deficiencies in iron, B12, calcium, and vitamin D. Following bariatric surgery most subjects experience improvements in diabetes control, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and other obesity-related conditions. In patients with impaired glucose tolerance most studies report 99-100% prevention of progression to diabetes, while in subjects with diabetes prior to surgery, resolution of the disease is reported in 64-93% of the cases. While improvements in insulin resistance and beta-cell function are related to surgically induced weight loss, the rapid post-operative improvement in glycemia is possibly due to a combination of decreased nutrient intake and changes in gut hormones as a result of the bypassed intestine. Post-prandial hyperinsulinemic hypoglycemia associated with nesidioblastosis has been described in a series of patients following gastric bypass surgery, and may be related to the described changes in GLP-1 and other gut hormones.
THE MECHANISM RESPONSIBLE FOR SOME X-RAY INDUCED CHANGES IN FLOWER COLOR OF THE CARNATION, DIANTHUS CARYOPHYLLUS

ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS STUDIES have shown that changes in flower color are induced by ionizing radiations, very little consideration has been given to the mechanisms responsible for these alterations except to consider them as somatic mutations. A very high frequency of changes in flower color has been reported by Richter and Singleton (1955) after chronic gamma irradiation of cuttings of a carnation clone, William Sim, and several of its flower color variants. This high frequency made it unlikely that these changes were due to mutation. This study presents data on the frequency of flower color changes after acute irradiation of three carnation clones with X rays as well as evidence which shows that a mechanism other than somatic mutation is responsible for these changes. MATERIALS AND METHODS.-The greenhouse carnation, a form of Dianthus caryophyllus L., was selected as the test organism because the inheritance of flower color in this plant has been fairly well established (Mehlquist and Geissman, 1947), the breeding behavior of a red-flowered commercial seedling, William Sim, as well as several of its spontaneous flower color variants has been thoroughly studied (Mehlquist et al., 1954), and the carnation is readily propagated asexually by stem cuttings.
Farmers' Subjective Probabilities in Northern Thailand: Comment

The theory of personal, or subjective, probability has been applied in many areas of decision analysis but has had limited use in agricultural economics (Carlson, Bessler, Francisco and Anderson). This limited use of subjective probability theory is curious since considerable potential exists for applying it to supplement the limited data available for supporting agricultural decision models and assessing the consequences of extension and other programs designed to modify perceptions of an identifiable clientele. Recently, Grisley and Kellogg (GK) have used the theory of subjective probability in eliciting price, yield, and net return distribution estimates for several crops from farmers in Thailand. Although their analysis is illustrative of the potential for the theory, several decisions were made in the application which have unfortunate consequences for their results. These choices in the application indicate a basic confusion regarding the use of scoring rules in eliciting subjective probability distributions (SPDs) and appropriate methods for assessing the "goodness" of the elicited SPDs. The purposes of this note are to identify explicitly the problems in the GK application and to suggest a few general guidelines for future applications.
Investing or Squandering Social Capital? Community-Based Organizations for Indigent Health Care

Abstract Externally funded collaboratives are compared in a US–Mexico border location, focusing on the local commitments that are made in financial and social capital for long-term sustainability. The border offers special challenges to sustainable health care programs, given the substantial crossing that occurs among health care users in both North-to-South and South-to-North directions. Funding organizations that decentralize programs to community collaboratives, demanding considerable local leverage and in-kind contributions, create a pernicious tax on poor communities in the name of building community capacity. Despite good intentions, precious community social capital is squandered.
Amplifying the SERS signal of DNA bases via the chemical resonance

Label-free detection methods of DNA bases using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) have yet to be successfully utilized due to inconsistent signal readouts. We have identified the primary reason for the discrepancies in the SERS signals of nucleic acids as being caused by the charge-transfer chemical resonance of the base silver system which is dependent on excitation wavelength. Time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods to calculate the electronic transitions and resonance Raman spectra of base silver complexes are performed, and the optimal excitation wavelength for the charge-transfer electronic transition is found for each base silver complex. The enhancement caused by the chemical resonance is then experimentally measured for adenine, cytosine, guanine and thymine at multiple excitation wavelengths. The dependence of the Raman intensity on excitation wavelength shows good agreement with the TD-DFT calculations. In order to fully achieve the maximum Raman intensity, both the electromagnetic and chemical resonance must be enhanced by the appropriate wavelength selection. Based on the optimal chemical resonance Raman wavelength, we design a SERS substrate which has an electromagnetic maximum wavelength that matches the chemical resonance wavelength. By aligning both resonances, the highest Raman intensity can be found for each base silver system. We have proven that the variance in DNA bases' Raman intensities are caused by chemical enhancement. By incorporating the chemical resonance and optimizing both the chemical and electromagnetic resonance, we believe a label-free DNA SERS based detection method can be realized.
Effect of ecstasy [3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA)] on cerebral blood flow: a co-registered SPECT and MRI study

Abstract 3,4-Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), an illicit recreational drug, damages serotonergic nerve endings. Since the cerebrovasculature is regulated partly by the serotonergic system, MDMA may affect cerebral blood flow (CBF) in humans. We evaluated 21 abstinent recreational MDMA users and 21 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects with brain SPECT and MRI. Ten of the MDMA subjects also had repeat SPECT and MRI after receiving two doses of MDMA. Abstinent MDMA users showed no significantly different global or regional CBF (rCBF) compared to the control subjects. However, within 3 weeks after MDMA administration, rCBF remained decreased in the visual cortex, the caudate, the superior parietal and dorsolateral frontal regions compared to baseline rCBF. The decreased rCBF tended to be more pronounced in subjects who received the higher dosage of MDMA. Two subjects who were scanned at 2–3 months after MDMA administration showed increased rather than decreased rCBF. Low-dose recreational MDMA use does not cause detectable persistent rCBF changes in humans. The lack of long-term rCBF changes may be due to a non-significant effect of serotonergic deficits on rCBF, or regeneration of serotonergic nerve terminals. The subacute decrease in rCBF after MDMA administration may be due to the direct effect of MDMA on the serotonergic system or the indirect effects of its metabolites on the dopaminergic system; the preliminary data suggest these effects may be transient.
Acute toxicity of 12 industrial chemicals to freshwater and saltwater organisms

Abstract Aquatic animal toxicity is a major criterion used by the U.S. EPA to designate and classify hazardous substances other than oil. This research developed basic toxicity data for twelve industrial chemicals with which little or no previous testing had been done. Static 96h toxicity tests were performed with one freshwater species (fathead minnow, Pimephales promelas ) and one saltwater species (grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio or white shrimp, Penaeus setiferus ) on the following chemicals: ammonium fluoride, arsenic trisulfide, benzoyl chloride, benzyl chloride, cupric acetate, o -dichlorobenzene, p -dichlorobenzene, mercuric acetate, mercuric thiocyanate, resorcinol, sodium hypochlorite and toluene-2,4-diisocyanate (TDI). As defined by 96 h LC50's ≤ 500 mg l −1 , all 12 chemicals were hazardous to freshwater minnows, and all but TDI were hazardous to saltwater shrimp. The physicochemical behaviors of the compounds greatly influenced their aquatic toxicities.
ACOUSTIC INSTABILITY IN WEAKLY IONIZED GASES.

It is shown, in contrast with earlier work, that energy transfer between hot electrons and neutrals in a weakly ionized gas does not lead to an acoustic instability, if proper care is taken to account for the nonstationary nature of the neutral equilibrium.
An association between invasive breast cancer and familial idiopathic hyperparathyroidism: a case series and review of the literature

The possibility of an association between primary hyperparathyroidism and breast cancer has been postulated. We report here a sibship with three premenopausal breast cancers and hyperparathyroidism, and no detectable BRCA or MEN1 gene mutations. We explore genetic and molecular rationales for an association between these metabolic and neoplastic processes.
Accurate frequency response determinations from discrete step response data

An approach is presented for quickly obtaining the complex frequency response of a system from sampled step-response data. Digital signal processing techniques are used extensively. An analysis of errors resulting from sampling, quantization, first differencing and record length is included.
Evaluation of plasma antithrombin activity and D‐dimer concentration in populations of healthy cats, clinically ill cats, and cats with cardiomyopathy

Background Current coagulation tests lack sensitivity and detect disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) only when it is severe. Measurement of antithrombin (AT) activity and D-dimer concentration permits early diagnosis and more precise classification of coagulopathies in some species. Objectives The objectives of this study were to validate and determine the diagnostic utility of a chromogenic AT assay and an immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay for the diagnosis of DIC in cats. Methods Citrated plasma samples were collected from 30 healthy cats, 30 ill cats, and 13 cats with cardiomyopathy. Partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, fibrin(ogen) degradation products, platelet concentration, and erythrocyte morphology were determined on all samples to document the presence or the absence of DIC. AT activity and D-dimer concentration were then measured. Results The chromogenic AT assay was linear and precise. Mean AT activity was higher in ill cats and cats with cardiomyopathy compared with healthy cats, but the difference was only significant in ill cats (P = .003). Seven cats met the criteria for DIC. Of the cats with DIC, 2 had decreased AT activity, 1 had increased AT activity, and 4 had AT activities within normal limits. The immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay did not appear to accurately measure feline D-dimer. Conclusions The chromogenic AT assay appeared to measure AT in cats but was not useful for the diagnosis of DIC. AT may be an acute phase reactant in cats. The immunoturbidimetric D-dimer assay was not useful for the diagnosis of DIC in cats.
The Grads are playing tonight. The story of the Edmonton commercial graduates basketball club

The Grads are playing tonight. The story of the Edmonton commercial graduates basketball club M. Ann Hall, 2011 Alberta, Canada, The University of Alberta Press CND$29.95 (pbk), USD$29.95 (pbk), £2...
Teaching group discussion via computer‐mediated communication

A traditional group discussion course was re‐designed to operate via computer‐mediated communication. The course was offered in Jour consecutive semesters to more than 500 students and is now a regular component of the curriculum. The results showed more frequent student contact with instructors, high level of course approval by students, and group output that equalled or excelled that of traditionally taught courses. Logistical and pedagogical problems with CMC‐based instruction are discussed.
High-speed dual-wavelength optical polarimetry for glucose sensing

Optical polarimetry in the anterior chamber of the eye has emerged as a potential technique to non-invasively measure glucose levels for diabetes. Time varying corneal birefringence due to eye motion artifact confounds the optical signal ultimately limiting the polarimetric technique from accurately predicting glucose concentrations. In this study, a high speed dual-wavelength optical polarimetric approach was developed and in vitro phantom studies were performed with and without motion. The glucose concentrations ranged from 0-600 mg/dL at 100 mg/dL increments. The polarimeter produced glucose measurements with less than a 10 msec stabilization time and yielding standard errors of less than 10 mg/dL without motion and standard errors less than 26 mg/dL with motion. The results indicate a high speed dual-wavelength polarimetric approach has the potential to be used for non-invasive glucose measurements.
Social Pain and Social Anxiety: Examining the Experiences of Ethnic, Sexual, and Dual Minority Groups

Discrimination often involves social criticism and rejection, which may exacerbate or even cause anxiety in social situations, though few have investigated these associations. The current study investigates whether perceived discrimination on the basis of ethnic group membership and/or sexual orientation predicts social anxiety and whether use of an avoidant coping method (e.g., experiential avoidance) exacerbates social anxiety in response to discrimination. Approximately 500 participants were recruited from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and various sexual orientations. Results indicate that the amount of discrimination reported varies by group, and that for sexual minorities the report of discrimination is positively correlated with social anxiety. Individuals who tend toward avoidant coping were found to experience more social anxiety than their low-avoidant counterparts.
Everything is connected to everything else.

The more that I reflect on what I learned in science, the more it seems that I have been using over and over two basic concepts learned during my graduate studies at the University of Illinois. They both are embedded in all that I did and do.
Estimating Losses of Efficacy Due to Pesticide Biodegradation in Soil: Model Simulations

A model was developed for describing rates of pesticide-substrate biodegradation, accounting for bioavailability and microbial growth. The model was used to simulate losses of efficacy for soil-applied pesticides. The model requires rate constants for rapid sorptiondesorption to and from soil surfaces (k1/k -1 = K d1 ); diffusion into and out of soil aggregates-organic matter particles (k 2 /k -2 = K d2 ); microbial growth [yield (Y), maximum growth rate (μ max ), half-saturation growth constant (Ks), and initial biomass concentration (X 0 )]; initial mass of substrate (S 0 ); and gravimetric water content (θ g . Simulations of microbial growth and substrate depletion were conducted assuming no sorption (aqueous solution), sorption to soil surfaces only, and sorption in conjunction with diffusion. The time required to achieve a soil solution concentration of μg mL -1 was defined as a hypothetical loss of efficacy (LE 1 ). Certain relationships were consistently observed, regardless of sorption or diffusion: LE 1 was found to be related to Ks linearly, to X 0 logarithmically, to μ max geometrically, and to initial pesticide-substrate concentration (S 0 ) nonlinearly. Sorption to soil surfaces resulted in decreased equilibrium soil solution concentration (S e ), depending on the magnitude of θ g and K d1 . Rates of biodegradation-growth were a function of S e , as opposed to total (soluble + sorbed) concentration. Sorption coupled with diffusion decreased both S e and time-dependent availability, resulting in slower rates of biodegradation. In general, larger values of S 0 resulted in faster rates of biodegradation, i.e., decreased the time required for a loss of efficacy.
Tuftsin-enhanced thymidine incorporation by murine splenic monocytes

Tuftsin (Thr-Lys-Pro-Arg), a natural immunomodulating peptide originally found to stimulate phagocytosis by polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN), is now known to bind to both PMN and monocyte-macrophages, affecting many of their functions. Administration of tuftsin induces leukocytosis in vivo. We have recently observed that while tuftsin remains in the cytoplasm upon binding and internalization in human PMNs, it translocates into the human monocyte nucleus, suggesting that tuftsin may directly affect growth of monocytes. We have therefore examined the effect of tuftsin on [3H]thymidine incorporation in fractions of murine splenocytes to identify a cell population responding to tuftsin. Tuftsin showed the greatest effect in [3H]thymidine incorporation of splenocytes over controls at optimum conditions of 2% fetal bovine serum and 1 microgram/ml of tuftsin. Splenocyte fractionation by Lymphocyte Separation Medium indicated that tuftsin primarily affects the mononuclear cell fraction; further fractionation revealed that tuftsin affects mostly the monocytes that adhered to plastic. We subsequently further purified the splenic monocytes by repeated plastic adhesion and Percoll gradient separation, to show that tuftsin increases [3H]thymidine incorporation of these highly purified monocytes.
Recollection rejection of false narrative statements

Our research was focused on a false-memory editing operation that is posited in fuzzy-trace theory—recollection rejection. The main objectives were (a) to extend model-based measurement of this operation to a narrative task that ought to ensure high levels of recollection rejection and (b) to study five manipulations that ought to influence recollection rejection by affecting the accessibility of verbatim traces of narrative statements: recency of narrative presentation, narrative repetition, type of false-memory item, testing delay, and repeated testing. The results showed that the narrative task did indeed yield high levels of recollection, with an estimated 49% of gist-consistent distractors being rejected in this way on initial memory tests. Consistent with current theoretical conceptions of false-memory editing, the results also showed that recollection rejection increased as a function of manipulations that should enhance the accessibility of verbatim traces of narrative statements, with repeated te...
Friction in the interstices: Emotion and landscape in Stone Butch Blues

Abstract This article analyzes the role of emotion in Leslie Feinberg's Stone Butch Blues . Widely understood as one of the first modern transgender novels, Stone Butch Blues depicts the bodily changes of its protagonist, Jess Goldberg, from living as a “he–she,” to passing as male, to living as neither male nor female. This article analyzes how Jess's body, identity, and feelings shape and are shaped by the spaces ze encounters throughout the novel. Finding that Jess experiences emotions as bodily boundaries and metaphorical geographies, I draw from the work of Sara Ahmed to argue that Jess's decision at the novel's end not to pass as female or male is a choice to push back at the gendered norms of hir world through a body and politics shaped by emotion. Turning to contemporary trans* – transgender, transsexual, and trans – movements for social change, I argue that Jess's politics of bodily and emotional abrasion can help in the development of a trans* politics of emotion.
Abnormal erythrocyte metabolism in hepatic disease: Effects of NADP repletion

Erythrocytes from ten patients with severe liver disease displayed low methylene blue-stimulated hexose monophosphate (HMP) shunt activity and glucose recycling despite elevated total glucose consumption when compared to controls. Heinz body formation was increased and reduced glutathione concentration significantly decreased. After hemolysis, no differences in methylene-blue estimulated HMP shunt activity or glucose recycling could be demonstrated between patients and controls. The addition of 2- and 4-mM NADP to the hemolysates produced significantly greater HMP shunt activity and glucose recycling in the patients' hemolysates. The addition of NADPH to the incubation mixture produced no significant stimulation of either HMP shunt activity or glucose recycling, unless methylene blue was also added. Omission of NAD or phosphate from the incubation mixture produced no change in shunt metabolism. The absence of supplemental ATP resulted in extremely low shunt metabolism and refractoriness to NADP stimulation in both patients and controls. In the absence of additional magnesium, a reduction of shunt metabolism was noted. These data suggest that the defect in stimulated shunt metabolism in the intact erythrocytes of patients with hepatic disease does not result from an absolute enzyme deficiency, but rather from an unavailability of NADP or other cofactor.
The influence of the land surface on hydrometeorology and ecology: new advances from modeling and satellite remote sensing

The importance of land surface processes has long been recognized in hydrometeorology and ecology for they play a key role in climate and weather modeling. However, their quantification has been challenging due to the complex nature of the land surface amongst other reasons. One of the difficult parts in the quantification is the effect of vegetation that are related to land surface processes such as soil moisture variation and to atmospheric conditions such as radiation. This study addresses various relational investigations among vegetation properties such as Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), Leaf Area Index (LAI), surface temperature (TSK), and vegetation water content (VegWC) derived from satellite sensors such as Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) and EOS Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer (AMSR-E). The study provides general information about a physiological behavior of vegetation for various environmental conditions. Second, using a coupled mesoscale/land surface model, we examine the effects of vegetation and its relationship with soil moisture on the simulated land–atmospheric interactions through the model sensitivity tests. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model was selected for this study, and the Noah land surface model (Noah LSM) implemented in the WRF model was used for the model coupled system. This coupled model was tested through two parameterization methods for vegetation fraction using MODIS data and through model initialization of soil moisture from High Resolution Land Data Assimilation System (HRLDAS). Finally, this study evaluates the model improvements for each simulation method.
Electronic structure of boron

Abstract Using a recently developed tight-binding theory with universal matrix elements, the electronic structure of α-rhombohedral boron and B 4 C are calculated. The universal matrix elements, which correspond to matrix elements between Wannier functions in the zincblende structure, were found to be inappropriate for the unusual icosahedral unit found in α-rhombohedral boron and B 4 C. However, a simple, approximate prescription relating universal matrix elements to matrix elements between nonorthogonal atomic orbitals is derived. The nonorthogonality does not separate into an additive, two-body repulsion as it does in the zincblende structure, and so must be included explicitly in the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian. This prescription is found to well characterize the internal energy levels, the equilibrium spacing and force constant of an icosahedron of boron. The cohesion and equilibrium spacings calculated for an icosahedron and the remaining bonding units in α-rhombohedral boron and B 4 C agree well with experimental values: the cohesion is overestimated by the same ratio as for carbonrow semiconductors. Normal mode frequencies calculated for B 12 H = 12 , B 12 D = 12 and B 12 Cl = 12 are in good agreement with measured frequencies.
Prenatal development of the vomer in normal and cleft palate mice.

In mouse fetuses with cleft palate induced by cortisone, the shape of the entire nasal septal structure was slightly altered, due possibly to the lack of palatal shelf contact, but no significant changes occurred in the basic development of the vomer. Nor was any evidence found to show a direct or indirect influence of the vomer on structures involved in the formation of a cleft palate.
Optical-fiber-based probing of semiconductor microcavity-quantum-dot systems at cryogenic temperatures

Ultrasmall volume (Veff~ 2 - 6(?)/n)3 microdisks with embedded quantum dots are studied at cryogenic temperatures through an optical lilx:r taper waVeguide probe, and high-resolution cavity mode wavelength tuning by nitrogen gas adsorption is investigated.
Finding the needle: Controlled vocabularies, resource discovery, and Dublin Core

The phenomenal growth of digital resources on the Internet, their lack of organization, and the deficiency of the search tools currently available, make searching for information on the Internet comparable to looking for the proverbial “needle in a haystack.” Developing more effective means of resource discovery and retrieval on the Internet is increasingly necessary. Dublin Core (DC), a newly developed metadata set for resource description, has the potential for providing more effective resource discovery. One major obstacle remains, however: the lack of a systematic approach to subject access. This paper discusses the need for applying controlled vocabularies to enhance the discovery of document-like objects on the Internet and outlines some options for such a process in a distributed environment, with an emphasis on the enhancement of DC with controlled vocabularies.
Identifying the site of spin trapping in proteins by a combination of liquid chromatography, ELISA, and off-line tandem mass spectrometry

An off-line mass spectrometry method that combines immuno-spin trapping and chromatographic procedures has been developed for selective detection of the nitrone spin trap 5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide (DMPO) covalently attached to proteins, an attachment which occurs only subsequent to DMPO trapping of free radicals. In this technique, the protein-DMPO nitrone adducts are digested to peptides with proteolytic agents, peptides from the enzymatic digest are separated by HPLC, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) using polyclonal anti-DMPO nitrone antiserum are used to detect the eluted HPLC fractions that contain DMPO nitrone adducts. The fractions showing positive ELISA signals are then concentrated and characterized by tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS). This method, which constitutes the first liquid chromatography-ELISA-mass spectrometry (LC-ELISA-MS)-based strategy for selective identification of DMPO-trapped protein residues in complex peptide mixtures, facilitates location and preparative fractionation of DMPO nitrone adducts for further structural characterization. The strategy is demonstrated for human hemoglobin, horse heart myoglobin, and sperm whale myoglobin, three globin proteins known to form DMPO-trappable protein radicals on treatment with H(2)O(2). The results demonstrate the power of the new experimental strategy to select DMPO-labeled peptides and identify sites of DMPO covalent attachments.
Crystallization behavior and mechanical properties of a nylon-6, -6/6 and -12 terpolyamide

Composition, tacticity, and processing history can affect the morphology of semicrystalline polymers. Although homopolyamides are a family of polymers well known for semicrystalline character, through copolymerization or multicomponent copolymerization significant changes in materials' crystalline and thermal properties can occur. Due to chain irregularities introduced by terpolymerization, differential scanning calorimetry shows RDG 114T, a commercial polyamide of nylon-6, -6/6, and 12, to have an atypically low Tm and exhibit interesting recrystallization behavior. Specifically, the polyamide is wholly amorphous upon cooling from the melt, and since its Tg is about 20°C (due to the presence of plasticizers), chain ordering is found to occur over time at room temperature. Since the polyamide's morphology is time-dependent, the tensile properties of the polymer are also found to vary with ambient aging. For instance, Young's moduli for an amorphous and 7-day room temperature-annealed sample are 1.3×102 and 2.8×102 MPa, respectively. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.