cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A discontinuous basis enables numerically exact solution of the Schrödinger equation around conical intersections in the adiabatic representation

Solving the vibrational Schrodinger equation in the neighborhood of conical intersections in the adiabatic representation is a challenge. At the intersection point, first- and second-derivative nonadiabatic coupling matrix elements become singular, with the singularity in the second-derivative coupling (diagonal Born-Oppenheimer correction) being non-integrable. These singularities result from discontinuities in the vibronic functions associated with the individual adiabatic states, and our group has recently argued that these divergent matrix elements cancel when discontinuous adiabatic vibronic functions sum to a continuous total nonadiabatic wave function. Here we describe the realization of this concept: a novel scheme for the numerically exact solution of the Schrodinger equation in the adiabatic representation. Our approach is based on a basis containing functions that are discontinuous at the intersection point. We demonstrate that the individual adiabatic nuclear wave functions are themselves discontinuous at the intersection point. This proves that discontinuous basis functions are essential to any tractable method that solves the Schrodinger equation around conical intersections in the adiabatic representation with high numerical precision. We establish that our method provides numerically exact results by comparison to reference calculations performed in the diabatic representation. In addition, we quantify the energetic error associated with constraining the density to be zero at the intersection point, a natural approximation. Prospects for extending the present treatment of a two-dimensional model to systems of higher dimensionality are discussed.
Poly-3-hydroxybutyrate and H2 production by Rhodopseudomonas sp. S16-VOGS3 grown in a new generation photobioreactor under single or combined nutrient deficiency

Abstract The main goal of this investigation was setting up a growth strategy to separate H2 evolution from P3HB synthesis in order to increase cumulative P3HB in Rhodopseudomonas cells. The accumulation of poly-3-hydroxybutyrate (P3HB) was investigated culturing Rhodopseudomonas sp. S16-VOGS3 with three carbon substrates either as acetate, butyrate or lactate and with two nitrogen sources either as ammonium or glutamate. The investigation was carried out under several stress conditions caused by single or double nutrient deficiency. The content of P3HB in cell dry weight (CDW) was 21.8% with lactate; 24.6% with acetate and 27.6% with butyrate under sulfur deficient conditions. The P3HB content increased significantly culturing Rhodopseudomonas sp. S16-VOGS3 with butyrate following three phases of growth: phase-1, nutrient sufficient conditions; phase-2, nitrogen-deficiency and phase-3, sulfur-deficient conditions. Under this last phase, the highest P3HB content was achieved (34.4% of CDW). A combined production of P3HB and molecular H2 was obtained when Rhodopseudomonas sp. S16-VOGS3 was cultured with either acetate or butyrate under nitrogen sufficiency (glutamate) or nitrogen deficiency.
Mapping QoE with Resource Estimation in IoT

Technologies associated directly or indirectly with Internet of Things (IoT) are growing rapidly, paving way for multimedia-based IoT services such as social IoT (SIoT), health-care/telemedicine, and Tactile Internet. Multimedia services require a certain level of quality of service (QoS), which can be a challenge in the case of resource-constrained devices, particularly, mobile nodes. Therefore, it becomes imperative to dynamically allocate resources incorporating quality of experience (QoE). In this paper, we provide a methodology for incorporating QoE in different ways such as overall QoE and the QoE provided by the current customer. QoE is determined through net promoter score (NPS). Our mathematical model determines the ratio with which the resources need to be scaled up to meet the desired QoS. We have implemented our model using Java, and tested its impact using the CloudSim simulator. The results show the effect of the QoE ratio determined by our proposed model.
Impact of Tariffs on Global Supply Chain Network Configuration: Models, Predictions, and Future Research

The past three decades have witnessed tremendous growth of supply chain activities around the globe thanks to the lowered trade barriers and free trade agreements among countries. The global supply...
Energy Graph Feedback: Attention, Cognition and Behavior Intentions

Behavioral science has long acknowledged that informational and performance feedback is a key to behavior change. The graph features prominently as a feedback modality. Driven by the large scale deployment of energy sensing devices, graphs have become a ubiquitous visualization of household energy consumption. We investigate the influence of three energy graph formats (bar, line and radial) and two cue conditions (color or numeric cues) within four group conditions (cost or kilowatt hour subject matter with single graph or comparison graph feedback) on five outcomes. Ease of understanding, positive attitudes and involvement were higher for bar and line graphs. Novel graph formats – the radial graph, were attended to longer and associated with more learning. There were no overall behavioral change intention effects by condition, although a few individual energy behavior intentions did differ by condition. The importance of multiple outcomes of graph feedback and the relationships among outcomes are discussed.
Mouse- and patient-derived CAM xenografts for studying metastatic renal cell carcinoma

Renal cell carcinoma is the seventh most common cancer in the United States, and its metastatic form has a very poor prognosis due to a lack of effective treatment and thorough understanding on metastatic mechanism. This chapter will demonstrate a novel concept that intratumoral heterogeneity is essential for metastasis in renal cell carcinoma. We will first introduce the in vitro system and the mouse model that led to the finding of the cooperative mechanism for metastasis. Then, the results from the CAM model illustrate the cooperative interactions that lead to metastasis also occur in this model. We believe that the CAM model, as a unique and sustainable system, can open up new opportunities to study the metastatic disease.
Patient-oriented online resources in pediatric surgery: Are we failing the readability test?

Abstract Background The study aim was to evaluate the readability of patient-oriented resources in pediatric surgery from children's hospitals in the US. Methods The websites of 30 children's hospitals were evaluated for information on 10 common pediatric surgical procedures. Hospitals of varying characteristics including bed number, geographic location and ACS Children's Surgery Verification (CSV) were selected for the study. Readability scores were calculated using validated algorithms, and text was assigned an overall grade level. Results Of 195 patient-oriented resources identified, only three (2%) were written at or below the recommended sixth grade level. Larger hospitals provided patient information at a higher grade level than medium and smaller sized centers (10.7 vs 9.3 vs 9.0 respectively, p Conclusion Most hospital provided patient-oriented resources in pediatric surgery are written at a grade level well above the national guidelines. Centers with ACS CSV status have improved availability and readability of this material, while larger hospitals have improved availability, but decreased readability. Type of study Modeling study. Level of evidence III
"I want to go home": How location at death influences caregiver well-being in bereavement.

Objectives Goal concordant or congruent care involves having expressed wishes upheld. Yet, the preferred location for end-of-life care may be unaddressed. Caregiver–patient congruence between preferred and actual locations of care may influence the quality of life in bereavement. The study aimed to explore how the congruence between caregiver–patient preferred and actual locations of death influenced well-being in bereavement. Methods Mixed methods were employed. In-depth in-person interviews were conducted with 108 bereaved caregivers of a hospice patient about 4 months after the death. An interview guide was used to collect quantitative and qualitative data: demographics, decision-making, Core Bereavement Items (CBI), Health Related Quality of Life, and perspectives on the end-of-life experiences. Data were analyzed with a convergent mixed methods one-phase process. Results Patient preference–actual location congruence occurred for 53%; caregiver preference–actual location congruence occurred for 74%; caregiver–patient preference and location of death occurred for 48%. Participants who reported some type of incongruence demonstrated higher levels of distress, including more days of being physically and emotionally unwell and more intense bereavement symptoms. The Acute Separation subscale and CBI total scores demonstrated significant differences for participants who experienced incongruence compared with those who did not. Preference location congruence themes emerged: (1) caregiver–patient location congruence, (2) caregiver–patient location incongruence, and (3) location informed bereavement. Conclusions Congruence between a dying person's preferred and actual locations at death has been considered good care. There has been little focus on the reciprocity between caregiver–patient wishes. Discussing preferences about the place of end-stage care may not make location congruence possible, but it can foster shared understanding and support for caregivers’ sense of coherence and well-being in bereavement.
Overcoming the out-of-plane bending issue in an aromatic hydrocarbon: the anharmonic vibrational frequencies of c-(CH)C3H2.

The challenges associated with the out-of-plane bending problem in multiply-bonded hydrocarbon molecules can be mitigated in quartic force field analyses by varying the step size in the out-of-plane coordinates. Carbon is a highly prevalent element in astronomical and terrestrial environments, but this major piece of its spectra has eluded theoretical examinations for decades. Earlier explanations for this problem focused on method and basis set issues, while this work seeks to corroborate the recent diagnosis as a numerical instability problem related to the generation of the potential energy surface. Explicit anharmonic frequencies for c-(CH)C3H2+ are computed using a quartic force field and the CCSD(T)-F12b method with cc-pVDZ-F12, cc-pVTZ-F12, and aug-cc-pVTZ basis sets. The first of these is shown to offer accuracy comparable to that of the latter two with a substantial reduction in computational time. Additionally, c-(CH)C3H2+ is shown to have two fundamental frequencies at the onset of the interstellar unidentified infrared bands, at 5.134 and 6.088 μm or 1947.9 and 1642.6 cm−1, respectively. This suggests that the results in the present study should assist in the attribution of parts of these aromatic bands, as well as provide data in support of the laboratory or astronomical detection of c-(CH)C3H2+.
Assessing Practitioners’ and Patients’ Needs Regarding Shared Decision-Making and Decision Aids

Background: As part of the process of developing a decision aid for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) according to the Ottawa Decision Support Framework, we were interested in the level of ‘decisional conflict’ of hand surgeons and patients with CTS. This study addresses the null hypothesis that there is no difference between surgeon and patient decisional conflict with respect to test and treatment options for CTS. Secondary analyses assess the impact of patient and physician demographics and the strength of the patient-physician relationship on decisional conflict. Methods: One-hundred-twenty-three observers of the Science of Variation Group (SOVG) and 84 patients with carpal tunnel syndrome completed a survey regarding the Decisional Conflict Scale. Patients also filled out the Pain Self-efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ) and the Patient Doctor Relationship Questionnaire (PDRQ-9). Results: On average, patients had significantly greater decision conflict and scored higher on most subscales of the decisional conflict scale than hand surgeons.Factors associated with greater decision conflict were specific hand surgeon, less self-efficacy (confidence that one can achieve one’s goals in spite of pain), and higher PDRQ (relationship between patient and doctor). Surgeons from Europe have--on average--significantly more decision conflict than surgeons in the United States of America. Conclusions: Patients with CTS have more decision conflict than hand surgeons. Decision aids might help narrow this gap in decisional conflict.
Weight-loss response to naltrexone/bupropion is modulated by the Taq1A genetic variant near DRD2 (rs1800497): A pilot study

Naltrexone/bupropion (NB) is a US Food and Drug Administration-approved antiobesity medication. Clinical trials have shown variable weight loss, with responders and non-responders. NB is believed to act on central dopaminergic pathways to suppress appetite. The Taq1A polymorphism near DRD2 (rs1800497) is associated with the density of striatal dopamine D2 receptors, with individuals carrying the A allele (AA or AG; termed A1+) having 30%-40% fewer dopamine binding sites than those who do not carry the A allele (GG; termed A1-). We performed a pilot study to assess the association of the rs1800497 ANKK1 c.2137G > A (p.Glu713Lys) variant with weight loss with NB treatment in 33 subjects. Mean (SD) weight loss was 5.9% (3.2%) for the A1+ genotype group (n = 15) and 4.2% (4.2%) for the A1- genotype group (n = 18). The mean weight loss for the A1+ genotype group was significantly greater than the predefined clinically significant 4% weight-loss target (one-sample t-test, P = .035), whereas the mean weight loss for the A1- genotype group was not (P = .85). Individuals with the A1+ genotype appear to respond better to NB than A1- individuals.
Burnout and Sources of Stress Among Health Care Risk Managers and Patient Safety Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates burnout and sources of stress related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic among a group of health care risk managers/patient safety practitioners. METHODS: An online survey was used, including the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and 1 open-ended question: Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, what work or non-work-related issues have been causing you the most stress? RESULTS: A total of 31 participants completed the OLBI; 27 answered the open-ended question. Over 70% of participants qualified as burned out. A thematic analysis was used to analyze stressors. Key themes included impacts of social distancing, changing duties and workload, real and potential impacts of the virus (eg, fear of infection for self or others), and financial concerns (personal and organizational). Less common themes included untrustworthy and constantly changing guidance, feeling abused by persons in power, and positive comments about the experience of working during the pandemic. CONCLUSION: Burnout and pandemic-related stress may be very common in the health care risk management and patient safety workforce. Additional research is required to more robustly estimate the prevalence of burnout in this population. Meanwhile, the sources of stress identified here may aid health care organizations in taking immediate action to protect this vital workforce.
Connecting people with jobs: Light rail’s impact on commuting patterns

Abstract This paper examines the impact of the opening of a light rail transit (LRT) line on commuting patterns in adjacent neighborhoods in a case study on Charlotte, North Carolina. The results show a reduction in commuting distance experienced by higher-wage workers, while it is increased for lower-wage workers after the opening of the city’s first LRT line. These results are expected as the alignment of the LRT line connects higher income neighborhoods to the areas with significant shares of higher-wage jobs. Low- and medium-wage workers in the LRT accessible neighborhoods did not seen a significant improvement in the spatial separation between their work place and place of residence after the opening of the LRT, which may conflict with goals of increasing accessibility for the transit dependent population.
Revisiting performance metrics for prediction with rare outcomes.

Machine learning algorithms are increasingly used in the clinical literature, claiming advantages over logistic regression. However, they are generally designed to maximize the area under the recei...
Gene Action Changes in Immunity

In contrast to the topics of cyclic and aging changes in gene action, in which little progress has been achieved at the molecular level of inquiry, immune reaction investigations have amassed great quantities of pertinent data. One characteristic of this field of research is the great complexity that it embraces, another being the close relationships it bears to tumorous and malignant growths. In approaching this topic, the complicated nature is best breached by viewing, first, the antibodies of the immune reactions, followed by the cellular constituents, and, finally, the interactions of the several component types.
Locke on the Persistence of Organisms and Persons

In this chapter I argue that Locke’s account of persistence for both organisms and persons implies that these objects have both spatial and temporal extent, and hence both spatial and temporal parts. In Part One I discuss what he says about the persistence of organisms and their material parts, and I begin by arguing that his account of persistence for both atoms and masses is neutral with respect to the debate over temporal extent. I subsequently take up his treatment of persistence for organisms, and in particular, his contention that the organism a is the organism b if and only if a and b share in the same life. Although we have a pretty good idea of what a life is, on Locke’s view, I argue that it is not clear how lives succeed in playing the metaphysical role which he assigns to them. For there are at least two different ways in which an organism might be related to the event which is its life, one of which implies that organisms have both spatial and temporal extent, and other of which implies that they do not. In what remains of this section I argue that if we restrict our attention to his treatment of persistence for organisms, then we are not in a position to say which of these alternative reflects his considered view.
Multiproduct Humanitarian Healthcare Supply Chains: A Network Modeling and Computational Framework

In this paper, we develop a model for supply chain network design in the case of multiple products, with particular relevance to humanitarian healthcare. The model allows for the determination of the optimal capacities of supply chain network activities in the form of manufacturing, storage, and distribution, as well as the optimal multiple product flows, and identifies at what minimal total cost the demands for the products at the various points are achievable. The model may be utilized for the determination of the optimal allocation of resources for multiple vaccine and medicine production, storage, and distribution to points of need in the case of disasters, epidemics, or pandemics. The model is sufficiently general to handle supply chain network design, as well as redesign, and can be used by organizations to quantify the humanitarian healthcare supply chain costs in a transparent way to stakeholders, including governments and funding agencies.
Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves: Colonial America and the Indo-Atlantic World

In the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, more than a thousand pirates poured from the Atlantic into the Indian Ocean. There, according to Kevin P. McDonald, they helped launch an informal trade network that spanned the Atlantic and Indian Ocean worlds, connecting the North American colonies with the rich markets of the East Indies. Rather than conducting their commerce through chartered companies based in London or Lisbon, colonial merchants in New York entered into an alliance with Euro-American pirates based in Madagascar. Pirates, Merchants, Settlers, and Slaves explores the resulting global trade network located on the peripheries of world empires and shows the illicit ways American colonists met the consumer demand for slaves and East India goods. The book reveals that pirates played a significant yet misunderstood role in this period and that seafaring slaves were both commodities and essential components in the Indo-Atlantic maritime networks. Enlivened by stories of Indo-Atlantic sailors and cargoes that included textiles, spices, jewels and precious metals, chinaware, alcohol, and drugs, this book links previously isolated themes of piracy, colonialism, slavery, transoceanic networks, and cross-cultural interactions and extends the boundaries of traditional Atlantic, national, world, and colonial histories.
Emerging modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease in women: obesity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death among women in the United States. In 2008, more than 400,000 women died of CVD.1 The increased risk of CVD from established modifiable risk factors—tobacco use, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hypercholesterolemia—is well documented.2 More recently, nonestablished behavioral and lifestyle risk factors—like obesity, physical inactivity, and sedentary behavior—have been studied. Understanding the crucial role that weight and daily activity play in CVD risk can greatly influence the counseling advice and recommendations that clinicians give their patients.
Synthesis, corticotropin-releasing factor receptor binding affinity, and pharmacokinetic properties of triazolo-, imidazo-, and pyrrolopyrimidines and -pyridines.

The synthesis and CRF receptor binding affinities of several new series of N-aryltriazolo- and -imidazopyrimidines and -pyridines are described. These cyclized systems were prepared from appropriately substituted diaminopyrimidines or -pyridines by nitrous acid, orthoester, or acyl halide treatment. Variations of amino (ether) pendants and aromatic substituents have defined the structure−activity relationships of these series and resulted in the identification of a variety of high-affinity agents (Ki's < 10 nM). On the basis of this property and lipophilicity differences, six of these compounds (4d,i,n,x, 8k, 9a) were initially chosen for rat pharmacokinetic (PK) studies. Good oral bioavailability, high plasma levels, and duration of four of these compounds (4d,i,n,x) prompted further PK studies in the dog following both iv and oral routes of administration. Results from this work indicated 4i,x had properties we believe necessary for a potential therapeutic agent, and 4i1 has been selected for further ph...
Neural Mechanisms of Affective Interference in Schizotypy

Negatively valenced stimuli foster cognitive impairment in schizotypy and schizophrenia. To identify relevant brain mechanisms, the authors had 16 positive-schizotypy and 16 control participants perform an emotional Stroop task, judging the ink color of negative and neutral words during functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of regional brain activity. Schizotypy individuals showed increased right and decreased left activity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, indicating a deficit in maintenance of attentional set in the presence of negative emotional distractors. They also showed abnormal activity in ventral limbic areas, including decreased activity in nucleus accumbens and increased activity in hippocampus and amygdala, a circuit involved in the integration of cognitive and affective processes. These results indicate that aspects of emotion-cognition processes and the brain mechanisms that implement them are similar in schizotypy and schizophrenia.
Concordance probability and discriminatory power in proportional hazards regression

SUMMARY The concordance probability is used to evaluate the discriminatory power and the predictive accuracy of nonlinear statistical models. We derive an analytical expression for the concordance probability in the Cox proportional hazards model. The proposed estimator is a function of the regression parameters and the covariate distribution only and does not use the observed event and censoring times. For this reason it is asymptotically unbiased, unlike Harrell's c-index based on informative pairs. The asymptotic distribution of the concordance probability estimate is derived using U-statistic theory and the methodology is applied to a predictive model in lung cancer.
ACTINIDE BEHAVIOR ON CRUSHED ROCK COLUMNS

The interactions of dissolved or colloidal actinides with tuffaceous rock are being studied at Los Alamos National Laboratory in support of the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations project. We have used small columns of crushed tuff to obtain information on the sorption of neptunium, plutonium and americium during short (<1 day) time spans. Data from these experiments supplement information obtained from longer term batch-type experiments and provide insight concerning sorption kinetics, speciation, and colloid migration. We find that Np(V), Pu(VI) and Pu(V) show limited sorption on crushed tuff. Pu(IV) polymer and Am(III) are largely retained by the tuff, with a small fraction of the imput material moving through the column as colloids.
Pro-apoptotic cell death genes, hid and reaper, from the tephritid pest species, Anastrepha suspensa

Pro-apoptotic proteins from the reaper, hid, grim (RHG) family are primary regulators of programmed cell death in Drosophila due to their antagonistic effect on inhibitor of apoptosis (IAP) proteins, thereby releasing IAP-inhibition of caspases that effect apoptosis. Using a degenerate PCR approach to conserved domains from the 12 Drosophila species, we have identified the first reaper and hid orthologs from a tephritid, the Caribfly Anastrephasuspensa. As-hid is the first identified non-drosophilid homolog of hid, and As-rpr is the second non-drosophilid rpr homolog. Both genes share more than 50% amino acid sequence identity with their Drosophila homologs, suggesting that insect pro-apoptotic peptides may be more conserved than previously anticipated. Importantly, both genes encode the conserved IBM and GH3 motifs that are key for IAP-inhibition and mitochondrial localization. Functional verification of both genes as cell death effectors was demonstrated by cell death assays in A. suspensa embryonic cell culture, as well as in heterologous Drosophila melanogaster S2 cells. Notably, heterologous cell death activity was found to be higher for Anastrepha genes than their Drosophila counterparts. In common with the Drosophila cognates, As-hid and As-rpr negatively regulated the Drosophila inhibitor of apoptosis (DIAP1) gene to promote apoptosis, and both genes when used together effected increased cell death activity, indicating a co-operative function for As-hid and As-rpr. We show that these tephritid cell death genes are functional and potent as cell death effectors, and could be used to design improved transgenic lethality systems for insect population control.
Calcium, calmodulin and protein kinase C dependence of platelet shape change

Abstract Platelet shape change (PSC) represents the initial phase of platelet activation and is normally investigated in ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) containing platelet rich plasma (PRP); EDTA is a potent chelator of calcium and therefore reduces ionized calcium to negligible levels. It is therefore assumed that it is a process independent of calcium. To test the hypothesis that PSC may be dependent upon intracellular calcium, we examined the effect of 8-(N,N-Diethylamino) octyl 3,4,5-Trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride (TMB-8), an inhibitor of intercellular calcium mobilization on PSC. It produced a dose dependent inhibition of PSC. We then examined whether PSC was dependent upon calmodulin and protein kinase C, a calcium dependent enzyme which is cardinal to platelet aggregation. Both calmidazolium, a specific inhibitor of calmodulin, and H-9, a specific inhibitor of protein kinase C, produced dose dependent inhibition of PSC. Finally, we investigated whether GP IIb IIIa receptor which binds fibrinogen was involved in PSC; DMP 728 [(cyclic [D-2-amino-butyryl-N2-methyl-L-arginyl-glycyl-L-aspartyl-3- (a min o-methyl-benzoic acid], methanesulfonic acid salt] a potent GP IIb IIIa receptor antagonist was without any effect on PSC. We conclude that PSC is a calcium, calmodulin and protein kinase C dependent process like platelet aggregation but that it does not require extracellular calcium or the participation of platelet GP IIb IIIa complex.
Reactive oxygen species in TNFα-induced signaling and cell death

TNFα is a pleotropic cytokine that initiates many downstream signaling pathways, including NF-κB activation, MAP kinase activation and the induction of both apoptosis and necrosis. TNFα has shown to lead to reactive oxygen species generation through activation of NADPH oxidase, through mitochondrial pathways, or other enzymes. As discussed, ROS play a role in potentiation or inhibition of many of these signaling pathways. We particularly discuss the role of sustained JNK activation potentiated by ROS, which generally is supportive of apoptosis and “necrotic cell death” through various mechanisms, while ROS could have inhibitory or stimulatory roles in NF-κB signaling.
The assimilation of software process innovations: an organizational learning perspective

The burden of organizational learning surrounding software process innovations SPIs-and complex organizational technologies in general-creates a "knowledge barrier" that inhibits diffusion. Attewell Attewell, P. 1992. Technology diffusion and organizational learning the case of business computing. Organ. Sci.31 1-19. has suggested that many organizations will defer adoption until knowledge barriers have been sufficiently lowered; however, this leaves open the question of which organizations should be more likely to innovate, even in face of high knowledge barriers. It is proposed here that organizations will innovate in the presence of knowledge barriers when the burden of organizational learning is effectively lower, either because much of the required know-how already exists within the organization, or because such knowledge can be acquired more easily or more economically. Specifically, it is hypothesized that organizations will have a greater propensity to initiate and sustain the assimilation of SPIs when they have a greater scale of activities over which learning costs can be spread learning-related scale, more extensive existing knowledge related to the focal innovation related knowledge, and a greater diversity of technical knowledge and activities diversity. An empirical study using data on the assimilation of object-oriented programming languages OOPLs by 608 information technology organizations strongly confirmed the importance of the three hypothesized factors in explaining the assimilation of OOPLs.
Postharvest suppression of potato dry rot (Fusarium sambucinum) in prenuclear minitubers by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculum

Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) have been shown to increase plant resistance to root-rotting pathogens. This study was conducted to determine whether a commercial peat-based medium containing the AM fungusGlomus intraradix (Schenck & Smith) could influence postharvest progression of tuber dry rot in prenuclear minitubers of potato (Solanum tuberosum). Minitubers grown in this medium had significantly less tuber dry rot (20–90% reduction) when later inoculated with the dry rot fungusFusarium sambucinum relative to minitubers grown in an identical peat-based medium without the AM fungus. This disease suppression was also demonstrated in a high-input commercial greenhouse, and occurred despite only trace levels of AM colonization of the parent plants, and with no evidence of enhanced plant phosphorus nutrition or differences in minituber mineral content. These results suggest that the AM fungal inoculum has potential for use in suppression of tuber dry rot of potato.
Use of secondary data to estimate instantaneous model parameters of diabetic heart disease: Lemonade Method

With the increasing burden of chronic diseases on the health care system, Markov-type models are becoming popular to predict the long-term outcomes of early intervention and to guide disease management. However, statisticians have not been actively involved in the development of these models. Typically, the models are developed by using secondary data analysis to find a single ''best'' study to estimate each transition in the model. However, due to the nature of secondary data analysis, there frequently are discrepancies between the theoretical model and the design of the studies being used. This paper illustrates a likelihood approach to correctly model the design of clinical studies under the conditions where (1) the theoretical model may include an instantaneous state of distinct interest to the researchers and (2) the study design may be such that study data cannot be used to estimate a single parameter in the theoretical model of interest. For example, a study may ignore intermediary stages of disease. Using our approach, not only can we accommodate the two conditions above, but more than one study may be used to estimate model parameters. In the spirit of ''If life gives you lemon, make lemonade'', we call this method ''Lemonade Method''. Simulation studies are carried out to evaluate the finite sample property of this method. In addition, the method is demonstrated through application to a model of heart disease in diabetes.
A Hierarchical Approach to Sign Recognition

Sighted individuals draw a significant amount of information from signs but this information is denied to the visually impaired. VIDI is an evolving system for detecting and recognizing signs in the environment and voice synthesizing their textual contents. The wide variety of signs commonly encountered and the uncontrolled nature of the real world add significant complexity to the problem. VIDI treats the recognition problem as one of matching an unknown sign image, obtained from the detection component as a hypothesized sign, to a database of known signs. A color based support vector machine classifier coarsely picks a group of sign classes that are the most likely matches to the query. A finer retrieval technique employing corners and shape contexts ranks the hypothesized sign classes and verifies whether or not the top ranked class is the true class of the query. The database includes a set of real images with a wide variety of sign classes, each containing multiple signs exhibiting not only illumination differences, but also rotational variations. Tested on over 1,200 images, our system correctly recognizes and identifies the sign class of a query, achieving a 94.75% accuracy.
Interfacial instability due to evaporation and convection: linear and nonlinear analyses

Interfacial instability arising from evaporation of a single component liquid is investigated using linear and weakly nonlinear analysis. Evaporative convection is studied taking into account the fluid dynamics of both liquid and vapour phases as well as lateral rigid sidewalls. Both open and closed systems are addressed. The nature of the bifurcation and the change in heat flux in the nonlinear regime are determined. It is shown that depending upon the aspect ratio of the geometry, either supercritical or subcritical branching behaviour is possible.
High-level synthesis of in-circuit assertions for verification, debugging, and timing analysis

Despite significant performance and power advantages compared to microprocessors, widespread usage of FPGAs has been limited by increased design complexity. High-level synthesis (HLS) tools have reduced design complexity but provide limited support for verification, debugging, and timing analysis. Such tools generally rely on inaccurate software simulation or lengthy register transfer-level simulations, which are unattractive to software developers. In this paper, we introduce HLS techniques that allow application designers to efficiently synthesize commonly used ANSI-C assertions into FPGA circuits, enabling verification and debugging of circuits generated from HLS tools, while executing in the actual FPGA environment. To verify that HLS-generated circuits meet execution timing constraints, we extend the in-circuit assertion support for testing of elapsed time for arbitrary regions of code. Furthermore, we generalize timing assertions to transparently provide hang detection that back annotates hang occurrences to source code. The presented techniques enable software developers to rapidly verify, debug, and analyze timing for FPGA applications, while reducing frequency by less than 3% and increasing FPGA resource utilization by 0.7% or less for several application case studies on the Altera Stratix-II EP2S180 and Stratix-III EP3SE260 using Impulse-C. The presented techniques reduced area overhead by as much as 3x and improved assertion performance by as much as 100% compared to unoptimized in-circuit assertions.
Novel reporter gene in a fluorescent-based whole cell sensing system

A common problem encountered when using fluorescence detection in real samples analysis is that the matrix may contain compounds that autofluorescence or that can be excited at the wavelengths of commonly employed fluorescent reporter molecules. This causes an increase in background fluorescence, which in turn tends to compromise the detection limits of the system. To address this issue, we investigated the use of a reporter enzyme that produces fluorescent compounds, which can be excited at wavelengths that are not commonly encountered in compounds present in real samples. For that, a whole cell-based sensing system for arsenite that employs cobA as the reporter gene was developed. The system utilizes genetically engineered bacteria that incorporate the specificity of the ars operon with the sensitivity of the cobA gene. The cobA gene codes for uroporphyrinogen III methyltransferase that converts the substrate uroporphyrinogen (urogen) III into two fluorescent compounds sirohydrochlorin and trimethylpyrrocorphin. Urogen III is ubiquitous within the cell, however, because the cells use it for vitamin B12 and siroheme biosynthesis, this sensing system is limited by substrate availability. By supplementing the media with ALA, a precursor of urogen III, a more stable and reproducible response was obtained. We observed three excitation maxima at 357, 378, and 498 nm, with a single emission maximum at 605 nm. Excitation at 498 nm was selected because it results in less background interference as most endogenous substances are not active at this wavelength. Advantages and limitations of using the cobA gene in whole-cell sensing applications are presented.
The use of expected value as an aid to decisions regarding anticoagulation in patients with atrial fibrillation.

The method described provides a rational means for determining whether to institute chronic anticoagulation to prevent stroke in patients with chronic atrial fibrillation under a variety of clinical circumstances.The concept of expected value is used in conjunction with data from clinical studies to define the net value of anticoagulation to the patient. A full year of anticoagulation is warranted in patients with recent stroke or transient ischemic attack thought to be due to cardiogenic embolism who feel that stroke is a very serious event with nearly as much disvalue as death. If stroke has a lesser degree of negative value to the patient, or it is uncertain whether the stroke was in a large-vessel distribution, or it is uncertain whether a large-vessel distribution stroke was due to cardiogenic embolism, 6 months or less of anticoagulation may be warranted. Indefinite anticoagulation is justifiable in most patients with chronic atrial fibrillation without a history of stroke or transient ischemic atta...
Fumigation toxicity of monoterpenoids to several stored product insects

Abstract Twenty naturally occurring monoterpenoids were evaluated in a preliminary fumigation screening test on some important stored-product pest insects, including the rice weevil, Sitophilus oryzae , the red flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum , the sawtoothed grain beetle, Oryzaephilus surinamensis , the house fly, Musca domestica , and the German cockroach, Blattella germanica . Cineole, l -fenchone, and pulegone at 50 μg/ml air caused 100% mortality in all five species tested. Ketone compounds were generally more toxic than other monoterpenoids. Three monoterpenoids, the ketones pulegone, l -fenchone, and the aldehyde perillaldehyde, were selected for further study. They were effective against T. castaneum in the fumigation assay; however the toxicity was relatively low in comparison to dichlorvos. LC 50 values of these three monoterpenoids tended to decrease at longer exposure times and higher temperatures. Inclusion of either maize kernels or house fly medium (HFM) increased LC 50 values, HFM more so than maize kernels. Monoterpenoids may be suitable as fumigants or vapor-phase insecticides because of their high volatility, fumigation efficacy, and their safety.
Electronic properties of some inorganic solids

Abstract A simple bonding model previously used to calculate cohesive energies is used to calculate electronic properties of simple solids. The model assumes that AB compounds of CN6 or 8 are completely ionic and that CN4 compounds, and metals, are completely covalent. It is then possible to calculate the electronic chemical potential, the work function and the average energy gap between filled and empty bands in insulators, semiconductors and conductors.
Physical Distribution from the Practitioner's Point of View

Although one recent study concluded that physical distribution has reached semi‐maturity, the structure of the field has yet to be clearly defined. Despite the attempts of practitioners and academicians alike to portray PD, writers in the field have not provided a comprehensive, databased description of its structure which can be widely referred to the various firms engaged in distribution.That is, we still do not have generalisable empirical evidence on what constitutes the areas of PD and how they are related to one another.
Network integration of the adrenergic system in cardiac hypertrophy

Adrenergic receptors play a pivotal role in regulating cardiac function in response to a constantly changing environment. Altered a and h adrenergic receptor signaling in vivo is associated with cardiac hypertrophy and failure. This review focuses on the different roles of adrenergic receptors in regulating cardiac function under normal and pathological conditions. Understanding the signaling mechanisms of these receptors in the context of the heart is likely to provide a better therapeutic approach towards treatment of heart failure.
The use of smooth bending moment modes in helicopter rotor blade vibration studies

The application of a special type of assumed mode in problems of helicopter rotor blade vibration is described. The difficulty in using straightforward assumed or prescribed deflection modes in the analysis to establish vibrational characteristics (for example, normal models and natural frequencies for a rotating blade) is that sudden and very large changes of stiffness along the span lead to unlikely concentrations of strain energy, and consequently unacceptable results. The difficulty is overcome in the case of flapping and lagging motions of the rotor blade, by using assumed modes that have bending moment distributions that are those of the normal modes of a uniform cantilever beam. These assumed modes thus have a smoothly varying bending moment distribution, as actually occurs on the rotor blade. Similar types of assumed mode are used to represent twisting motion. Natural frequencies and normal mode shapes for a rotating helicoper rotor blade are evaluated by using these special assumed modes. The results are seen to compare favourably with results obtained more conventionally and with a more detailed mathematical model.
Anovulation after pregnancy termination: ovarian versus hypothalamic-pituitary factors.

To differentiate hypothalamic-pituitary from ovarian factors responsible for postgestational suppression of folliculogenesis, 28 rhesus monkeys were studied after either surgically induced abortion 21 days after fertilization or spontaneous delivery at term (167 days). Ovarian refractoriness was evaluated by the administration of low doses of human menopausal gonadotropin to stimulate follicular maturation. Alternatively, estradiol benzoate was injected to test for induction of gonadotropin surges. Resumption of spontaneous ovulations was delayed until 38.4 ± 5.7 days (mean ± SE) after induced abortion, whereas sham abortion did not deter cyclic ovarian function in nonpregnant monkeys. That folliculogenesis had been stimulated by human menopausal gonadotropin both post abortion and post partum was confirmed by the presence of multiple preovulatory follicles on both ovaries (n = 3-7⁄ovary), as assessed at laparotomy, and by concurrent elevations of serum 17⁄?-estradiol (P < 0.01). hCG therapy caused final ...
On the modeling of turbulent evaporating sprays: Eulerian versus lagrangian approach

Abstract Recently developed mathematical models for turbulent evaporating sprays are described. The relative merits of Eulerian and Lagrangian approaches in handling the dispersed phase are discussed. These two approaches are evaluated vs reported data for evaporating dilute sprays (in the region z / D ⩾ 50), produced by an air-atomizing injector in a still environment. Results show that both approaches are successful in predicting the main features of this type of flow; however, the Eulerian approach performs better. The ignorance of the turbulence effects on the droplet motion is found to lead to significant errors when the mean relative velocity becomes comparable to the carrier phase r.m.s. velocity fluctuation. The one-size Eulerian treatment yields very comparable results to that of the multi-size treatment when the droplet size range is not very wide. Finally, the cost analysis for the two approaches demonstrates that the use of the Monte Carlo technique in simulating droplet dispersion is even more expensive than the multisize Eulerian treatment.
Empowering Youth: Use of Technology in Advocacy to Affect Social Change

The purpose of this paper is to provide a conceptual framework for integrating technology with youth advocacy efforts to affect social change and influence social determinants of health, particularly in 1) recruiting people to join the cause, 2) organizing collective action, 3) raising awareness and shaping attitudes, 4) raising funds to support the cause, and 5) communicating with decision makers. Making strategic decisions to combine technology and youth advocacy will give youth a voice, arm them with advocacy skills, and increase their self-efficacy. These youth may become adults who are involved in larger policy-based decisions that will address the social determinants of health that affect the health status of people in their communities and throughout the world.
A New Method for Determining Hydrodynamic Effects on the Collision of Two Spheres

A sphere falling in a fluid may collide with another sphere falling more slowly if, when the spheres are far apart vertically, the horizontal distance between their centers is less than or equal to a critical radius. Accurate prediction of aerosol particle coagulation requires a good understanding of this process. Previously reported optical techniques for measuring hydrodynamic effects on this phenomenon have inherent difficulties detecting grazing collisions and hence in determining the critical radius. In this work, a novel detection technique is demonstrated and it is shown that the critical radius may be determined from the sound generated by the collision of two spheres in a viscous liquid. The technique is shown to provide a more precise and decisive indication of when hard spheres collide.