cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Optimism on Cancer-Related and Postsurgical Cancer Pain: A Systematic Review

Abstract Background The impact of psychological factors on pain levels continues to be of interest throughout a cancer patient's journey. The relationship between pain and optimism has been described previously in patients with various diseases. Objectives We further investigated the effect of optimism on pain levels felt by patients diagnosed and living with cancer before and after surgery. Materials and Methods The search strategy for relevant articles from inception through June 2020 included five databases. The main outcome of interest was the effect of optimism on cancer-related pain. Results We identified 482 studies. After the full-text screening, seven articles meeting the inclusion criteria were included. Seven studies were analyzed and are included in the data table. Of the seven included articles, four articles described the association of optimism with cancer pain; four articles studied the relationship between optimism and chronic postsurgical pain (CPSP), and one article investigated optimism's relationship with acute postsurgical pain (APSP). All articles observed a negative correlation between optimism and pain levels. Conclusion Despite the differences in the pathophysiology of pain types investigated, and which stage of the patient's journey pain was experienced, all studies reported a negative association with the level of optimism and pain described by patients. Therefore, promoting and supporting psychological coping techniques, including optimism for cancer patients may decrease patients’ suffering, increase their quality of life at different cancer stages, and reduce opioid use.
The postmortem fate of Pat Gregory: a disinterred Native American.

In late June 1990, the Mono County Sheriff's Department in Bridgeport, CA contacted the Physical Anthropology Human Identification Laboratory (PAHIL) at California State University, Chico to seek assistance in the identification of a recently discovered skull. To assist with possible identification, the cranium received a classic physical anthropological/morphological analysis to suggest the decedent's sex, age at death, ancestral affiliation, and uniqueness. It was concluded the cranium was that of an older male, and someone with mixed ancestry, probably Native American/White. Suggested uniquenesses were an eroded and greasy texture, with adhering white sand, evidence of healed antemortem nasal fractures, and a bifid left occipital condyle. The cranium was confiscated from a man suspected of vandalizing a Native American cemetery just south of the community of Lee Vining. The cemetery was established in the mid-1800's by local Native American tribes. Although ownership of the land was disputed by the US Forest Service (the Inyo National Forest), and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP), county authorities claimed that because the incident involved the desecration of a cemetery and human remains, it was a legal issue, and therefore, the Sheriff's Department had jurisdiction over the case if not the land. The suspect pled guilty to the possession of Native American remains but claimed not to have desecrated a grave. Over the next year and a half, members of the Native American community representing various tribes sought the return of the cranium, while also seeking assurance that it belonged to the vandalized grave. While county, US Forest Service, and LADWP officials continued to argue over whom had jurisdiction of the remains the superior court judge ordered the county to pay for any analysis necessary to determine if the cranium belonged to the decedent in question. This report addresses the conclusions of that analysis and the disposition of the case. Furthermore, the report addresses the forensic value to Native Americans of the continued study of a wide variety of human skeletal remains.
The Engineering Design Sequence and Materials Development: 990 Gold-Titanium As a Case Study

Engineering design follows a six-step sequence. Demonstration of this sequence in materials engineering is less common. A case study is presented, using the 1989 paper by Gafner on the development of 990 gold-titanium alloy. This paper identifies a need, develops the problem, identifies alternatives, demonstrates the use of metallurgical principles to identify alternative responses, and shows how more favorable options are selected. The paper can also be used to illustrate engineering design as an iterative process. The paper is also useful as a starting point for more in-depth examination of specific elements of the design process, and lends itself to the creation of student exercises.
Detecting Price Links in the World Cotton Market

Links between international cotton prices have improved in the past decade-in the short run largely because prices are now transmitted more quickly. To a lesser extent, and for different reasons, prices should also converge somewhat more in the long run. Baffes and Ajwad examine the degree to which international cotton prices are linked and test whether such links have improved over the past decade. They conclude that the degree of linkage has improved over the past decade, in the short run largely as the result of short-run price transmission-and to a lesser extent because of long-run comovement. Improvements in information technology have made it much easier for information about demand to be disseminated across markets, so changes in cotton prices attributable to a price shock in one place are soon transmitted to prices in other places. Moreover, many countries have liberalized their cotton subsectors, and in some countries the government`s role has changed substantially. In East Africa, for example, cotton marketing and trade was handled entirely by government parastatals. Now Tanzania, Uganda, and Zimbabwe have liberalized their marketing and trade regimes, to varying degrees. In the former Soviet Union (FSU) cotton shipped from Central Asia to other parts of the FSU were considered part of domestic trade. Now cotton exports from Uzbekistan are the most important component of that country`s foreign trade. With such changes, one should expect cotton prices to converge somewhat more in the long run. Price links between West Africa and Central Asia are much greater than between the United States and other markets-in part because most West African and Central Asian cotton is exported, compared with only 40 percent of U.S. cotton (and 60 percent of Greek cotton). Prices in countries that export most of their cotton are more likely to converge than prices in countries where prices are subject to both domestic and international demand conditions. To improve price risk management, there should be futures contracts other than those traded on the New York Cotton Exchange, which mostly serves domestic U.S. needs and is not used extensively by non-U.S. hedgers and speculators. This paper - product of the Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to investigate the behavior of world prices. Copies of the paper are available free from the World Bank, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433. John Baffes may be contacted at jbaffes@worldbank.org.
Environmental Legislation: Factors and Factions

In recent years the environment has become an increasingly salient issue, with many citizens calling for higher environmental protection and precautions within the United States. However, it seems that congressmen have become unresponsive to these demands as partisanship progressively becomes the determining factor in environmental voting. This study attempts to discover what factors, along with party, determine a representative’s voting decisions on environmental legislation. By collecting data on United States House members in 2006, 2007, and 2010 and running linear regressions, the most significant factors in predicting House members’ voting patterns are identified; however, party and ideology seem to have increasingly become the most crucial factors in determining environmental voting decisions. This article is available in Res Publica Journal of Undergraduate Research: http://digitalcommons.iwu.edu/respublica/vol17/iss1/ 10
Trust based channel preference in cognitive radio networks under collaborative selfish attacks

Secondary spectrum data falsification (SSDF) is a common attack in cognitive radio networks, where dishonest nodes share spurious local sensing data. This behavior misleads the collective inference on spectrum occupancy. The situation is more aggravated when a collaborative SSDF attack is launched by a coalition of selfish nodes. Defense against such collaborative attacks is difficult with popularly used voting based inference models. This paper proposes a method based on Bayesian inference that indicates how much the collective decision on a channel's occupancy can be trusted. Using an anomaly monitoring technique, we check if the reports sent by a node match with the expected occupancy and classify the outcomes into three categories: i) if there is a match, ii) if there is a mismatch, and iii) if it cannot be decided. Based on the measured observations over time, we estimate the parameters of the hypothesis of match and mismatch events using a multinomial Bayesian based inference. We quantitatively define the trust as the difference between the posterior beliefs associated with matches and that of mismatches. The posterior beliefs are updated based on a weighted average of the prior information on the belief itself and the recently observed data. We conduct simulation experiments that show that the proposed trust model is able to distinguish the attacked channels from the non-attacked ones. Also, a node is able to rank the channels based on how trustworthy the inference on a channel is. We are also able to show that attacked channels have significantly lower trust values than channels that are not.
Reassessing Regulatory Compliance

The regulatory compliance defense stands at the intersection between tort law and administrative regulation of health and safety concerns. In contrast to judicial treatment of violations of regulatory standards, compliance with regulatory requirements traditionally has not been regarded as the occasion for deference in tort cases (in the absence of legislative preemption). As entrepreneurial systems of production and transport have grown in complexity and sophistication, critics of tort law have challenged the continuing reluctance of courts to adopt a more deferential stance when tort defendants have complied with regulatory requirements - particularly when the claims for recognition of administrative expertise are linked with the perceived benefits of nationally uniform standards. This paper reassesses the case for a regulatory compliance defense by considering a variety of perspectives on comparative institutional competence of court and agency, including attending to non-efficiency goals such as compensation, acknowledging dynamic social utility goals such as monitoring business ethics, identifying the often unanticipated circumstances under which risks come to fruition, along with respecting claims for state autonomy. The paper also provides a particularized discussion of FDA regulation of prescription drugs, a regulatory field often designated by tort critics as the strongest candidate for recognition of a regulatory compliance defense. Overall, the paper argues that the case for recognizing a defense, as distinguished from highly selective deference to regulatory standards, remains open to serious reservations.
Practice Experiments for Doctoral Dissertations: Research Training and Knowledge Building

Abstract This article describes the evolution of a research program across 18 PhD dissertations over a period of eleven years. Included in this paper is a discussion of the advantages and disadvantages of student and field participation in thematic experimental research. The essential steps in the development of a set of related dissertations also are described. The guidelines for constructing the true experiment as dissertation are outlined. Attention is paid to the resources required to carry out thematic research and the specific ways in which such dissertations have been funded. Characteristics of those students who can best avoid such an approach to a dissertation are examined. Finally the author looks at the product of these dissertations and dissertators in terms of contribution to knowledge, the creation of practitioner manuals for practice interventions, the formation of practice-research faculty, research productivity of these faculty, and the development of the dissertator's clinical skills.
The specific purpose Monte Carlo code McENL for simulating the response of epithermal neutron lifetime tools

A specific-purpose Monte Carlo code, called McENL, for modeling the time response of epithermal lifetime tools is described. The code was developed primarily for the Monte Carlo neophyte and requires a minimum amount of input preparation. The weight windows technique, using an automated importance function based on the solution of an adjoint diffusion model, is used to improve the efficiency of the calculation. Complete composition and density correlated sampling is also included in the code and is used to study the effect on tool response of small variations in the formation, borehole, or logging tool composition and density. McENL was benchmarked against test-pit data for the Mobil pulsed neutron porosity tool. Results of the experimental validation and details of code performance are presented. >
What's Good for the Goose Cooks the Gander: Inconsistencies between the Law and Psychology of Voluntary Intoxication and Sexual Assault

Publisher Summary This chapter examines the argument that the psychology of voluntary intoxication and sexual consent does not support the law that intoxicated alleged victims should be presumed unable to consent. The chapter presents evidence in support of the propositions that (1) consent may occur well before the actual act; (2) the decision to use alcohol is related to sexual intentions; and (3) alcohol use is related to cues of sexual consent displayed by the user. The chapter examines potential mechanisms through which an alleged victim's alcohol use may actually promote false allegations of rape. It reviews empirical research relevant to the relationship between voluntary alcohol use and sexual intentions in dating/couple contexts, addressing the following questions: (1) Does alcohol increase sexual motivation? (2) Do men and women believe alcohol promotes voluntary sexual activity? (3) Does alcohol actually promote voluntary sexual activity? (4) Are men and women aware of the link between alcohol use and sexual victimization? (5) Does alcohol consumption depend in any way upon sexual intentions? Alcohol-induced sexual motivation is in part reflected in inability to perceive lack of interest in others. Perceptions of whether or not sexual coercion or rape has occurred are affected by alcohol consumption, such that sexual encounters lead to greater victim blame and derogation and are less likely to be perceived as coercion or rape when the victim is intoxicated or has gone to a bar alone.
Diffusion in polymers dependence on crosslink density Eyring approach to mechanism

Kinetics of N-methyl pyrrolidone evaporation from swollen photo-crosslinked polyacrylate was monitored thermogravimetrically at temperatures ranging from 323 to 398 K. Crosslink density dependence of evaporation kinetics was investigated in photo-crosslinked polyacrylates with crosslinked density ranging from ≈1.2 × 102 to ≈1.7 × 104 mol m−3 and number of main chain atoms between crosslinks ranging from ≈70 atoms to ≈6 atoms, respectively. As was shown, evaporation kinetics was controlled by the solvent diffusion in polymer. Activation energies of evaporation (diffusion) were deduced from the rate measurements at different temperatures. Apparent activation energy of evaporation decreased from 48.7 to 31.1 kJ mol−1 with crosslink density increase. Activation energy of pure N-methyl pyrrolidone evaporation was 50.6 kJ mol−1. Decrease of the rate of solvent diffusion and unexpected decrease of diffusion activation energy with increase of crosslink density of swollen polymer matrix was explained by decrease in polymer chain segments mobility, as indicated by Eyring’s approach to diffusion in polymers.
Revision Techniques After Artificial Urinary Sphincter Failure in Men: Results From a Multicenter Study

Objective To compare the results of various single-component artificial urinary sphincter (AUS) revision techniques for continued/recurrent stress urinary incontinence (SUI). Although AUS placement for male SUI has a high rate of success, revisions may be performed for mechanical failure of an isolated component or continued/recurrent SUI. Materials and Methods From 1993 to 2012, 90 AUS revisions including urethral cuff downsizing (19), pressure-regulating balloon replacement (18), cuff repositioning (11), or tandem cuff placement (42) were performed at 2 institutions. End points included reoperation, incontinence failure, and urethral erosion. The Kruskal-Wallis test was used to compare continuous variables, and the log-rank test was used to compare Kaplan-Meier curves. Results Mean age was 70.2 years, and median follow-up was 33.6 months. Median time to revision was 28.9 months. Tandem cuff placement was associated with a lower rate of incontinence failure (P = .02), whereas cuff repositioning was associated with a higher rate of incontinence failure (P = .02). An increased rate of mechanical failure was observed with cuff downsizing (P = .01). Among options for revision (1) cuff downsizing is associated with a higher rate of mechanical failure, and (2) cuff repositioning with the same size is associated with a higher rate of incontinence failure, whereas (3) tandem cuff placement is associated with a lower rate of recurrent SUI compared to other types of AUS revision. Conclusion Cuff repositioning is associated with an increased rate of persistent incontinence after AUS revision whereas tandem cuff placement is associated with a lower rate of recurrent or persistent incontinence.
High-frequency DC-DC conversion : fact or fiction

Rapidly increasing input current of microprocessors results in rising cost and motherboard real estate occupied by power delivery system. We show that a high-frequency switching DC-DC converter is feasible in 180nm-90nm technology processes for microprocessor power delivery. The current DC-DC converters on microprocessor motherboards are switching at KHz frequencies because of the strict efficiency requirements. We demonstrate a 480MHz DC-DC converter fabricated in a 90nm CMOS process. We also present measurement results on two high-speed CMOS regulation chips to prove high-frequency conversion is a fact.
Paleocoastal Flaked Stone Heat Treatment Practices on Alta California's Northern Channel Islands

On California's Northern Channel Islands, Paleocoastal peoples produced extraordinarily delicate stemmed, barbed, and serrated projectile points between about 12,000 and 8,000 years ago. We analyzed several Paleocoastal lithic assemblages to explore whether intentional heat treatment was used to facilitate the production of these artifacts. We experimentally heat treated samples of three types of island chert (Tuqan, Cico, and Wima) to document the changes in the physical signatures of lithic heat treatment, then analyzed 1,453 lithic artifacts from Paleocoastal assemblages on San Miguel and Santa Rosa islands. We found that about 29 percent of the artifacts exhibited visible heat fractures and a large percentage of sampled artifacts had quantitative gloss scores characteristic of heat-treated control samples. Our results suggest that heat treatment was an important step used by Paleocoastal peoples to produce finely crafted bifaces on the Northern Channel Islands.
Nutrition and Metabolic Correlates of Obesity and Inflammation: Clinical Considerations

Since 1980, the global prevalence of obesity has doubled; in the United States, it has almost tripled. Billions of people are overweight and obese; the WHO reports that >65% of the world's population die of diseases related to overweight rather than underweight. Obesity is a complex disease that can be studied from "metropolis to metabolite"—that is, beginning at the policy and the population level through epidemiology and intervention studies; to bench work including preclinical models, tissue, and cell culture studies; to biochemical assays; and to metabolomics. Metabolomics is the next research frontier because it provides a real-time snapshot of biochemical building blocks and products of cellular processes. This report comments on practical considerations when conducting metabolomics research. The pros and cons and important study design concerns are addressed to aid in increasing metabolomics research in the United States. The link between metabolism and inflammation is an understudied phenomenon that has great potential to transform our understanding of immunometabolism in obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other diseases; metabolomics promises to be an important tool in understanding the complex relations between factors contributing to such diseases.
A new positron source for positron annihilation lifetime experiments

A method using ion-implantation of Na22 to produce source-sample systems applicable to positron annihilation lifetime experiments at elevated temperatures in metals is presented.
A measurement of the large-scale cosmic microwave background anisotropy at 1. 8 millimeter wavelength

This measurement of the large-scale cosmic microwave background radiation (CMBR) anisotropy places the most stringent constraints to date on fluctuations in the CMBR on angular scales greater than about 4 deg. Using a four-channel bolometric radiometer operating at 1.8, 1.1, 0.63, and 0.44 mm, the diffuse sky brightness over half of the northern hemisphere has been mapped with an angular resolution of 3.8 deg. Analysis of the sky map at the longest wavelength for Galactic latitudes of 15 deg or more yields a 95-percent confidence level upper limit on fluctuations of the CMBR at Delta T/T of 1.6 x 10 to the -5th with a statistical power of 92 percent for Gaussian fluctuations at a correlation angle of 13 deg. Between 3 deg and 22 deg, the upper limit of fluctuations is 4.0 x 10 to the -5th . An anisotropy is detected in the map, but it cannot yet be attributed to primordial sources. The ultimate sensitivity for this experiment is 7 x 10 to the -6th over this angular range for Gaussian fluctuations.
Strong polynomiality of resource constraint propagation

Constraint-based schedulers have been widely successful in tackling complex, disjunctive, and cumulative scheduling applications by combining tree search and constraint propagation. The constraint-propagation step is a fixpoint algorithm that applies pruning operators to tighten the release and due dates of activities using precedence or resource constraints. A variety of pruning operators for resource constraints have been proposed; they are based on edge finding or energetic reasoning and handle a single resource. Complexity results in this area are only available for a single application of these pruning operators, which is problematic for at least two reasons. On the one hand, the operators are not idempotent, so a single application is rarely sufficient. On the other hand, the operators are not used in isolation but interact with each other. Existing results thus provide a very partial picture of the complexity of propagating resource constraints in constraint-based scheduling. This paper aims at addressing these limitations. It studies the complexity of applying pruning operators for resource constraints to a fixpoint. In particular, it shows that: (1) the fixpoint of the edge finder for both release and due dates can be reached in strongly polynomial time for disjunctive scheduling; (2) the fixpoint can be reached in strongly polynomial time for updating the release dates or the due dates but not both for the cumulative scheduling; and (3) the fixpoint of ''reasonable'' energetic operators cannot be reached in strongly polynomial time, even for disjunctive scheduling and even when only the release dates or the due dates are considered.
Compression of the internal jugular vein by the transverse process of the atlas as the cause of cerebellar hemorrhage after supratentorial craniotomy.

Abstract Background The cerebellar hemorrhage reported in numerous cases after supratentorial craniotomy has uniformly exhibited the characteristics of hemorrhage associated with venous infarction rather than arterial bleeding. The cause has remained obscure, although previous reports suggested that the cause may be obstruction of flow in the internal jugular vein immediately below the base of the skull. Methods The microsurgical anatomy of 36 internal jugular veins in the upper cervical region were defined in adult cadaveric specimens using 3–40× magnification with special attention to the relationship of the vein to the atlas. Results In every specimen, the posterior wall of the internal jugular vein rested against the transverse process of the atlas as the vein descended immediately below the jugular foramen. In 14 of 36 specimens, the transverse process indented the posterior wall of the vein, causing the vein to be slightly or moderately angulated as it descended across the anterior surface of the transverse process. Three veins were severely kinked as they descended across the transverse process of the atlas. Conclusions Obstruction of flow in the internal jugular vein at the site where the vein descends across the transverse process of the atlas is a likely cause of the venous hypertension that has resulted in the cerebellar hemorrhage reported in numerous cases after supratentorial craniotomy. An examination of the biomechanics of the region confirms that turning the head to the side opposite a supratentorial craniotomy and extending the neck, common practices with unilateral supratentorial craniotomy, further aggravates the angulation and obstruction of the internal jugular vein at the transverse process of C1 on the side ipsilateral to the craniotomy.
Development of scalable culture systems for human embryonic stem cells

The use of human pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, in therapeutic applications will require the development of robust, scalable culture technologies for undifferentiated cells. Advances made in large-scale cultures of other mammalian cells will facilitate expansion of undifferentiated human embryonic stem cells (hESCs), but challenges specific to hESCs will also have to be addressed, including development of defined, humanized culture media and substrates, monitoring spontaneous differentiation and heterogeneity in the cultures, and maintaining karyotypic integrity in the cells. This review will describe our current understanding of environmental factors that regulate hESC self-renewal and efforts to provide these cues in various scalable bioreactor culture systems.
Mycoplasma synoviae and Mycoplasma gallisepticum infections: differentiation by the hemagglutination-inhibition test

Abstract ONE agent responsible for the clinical syndrome in chickens known as infectious synovitis, cultivated by Chalquest and Fabricant (1960), was designated Mycoplasma synoviae by Olson et al. (1964). An important criterion for determining whether M. synoviae infection is present in a flock is the presence or absence of specific antibody as demonstrated by serologic examination. A M. synoviae serum plate agglutination test antigen has been produced (Olson et al., 1963; and Roberts and Olesiuk, 1967). Olsen et al. (1964), and Roberts and Olesiuk (1967) reported that M. synoviae positive serums would sometimes cause a serologic reaction with M. gallisepticum serum plate antigen. M. synoviae serum plate antigen is the only antigen commercially available for serologic examination for M. synoviae antibodies. Vardaman and Yoder (1969) reported the preparation of a M. synoviae-hemagglutinating antigen that showed good specificity when used in the hemagglutination-inhibition (HI) test. The hemagglutination-inhibition test is an official test,…
Monte Carlo Simulations Of Femtosecond Spectroscopy In Semiconductors

ABSTRACT Simulations of electron dynamics in semiconductors during the first half picosecond after optical excitation by a 2-eV laser are reported. Emphasis is given to a comparison between the effects of intervalley phonon scattering, electron-electron scattering and electron-polar optical phonon interactions. The advantages of Monte Carlo simu­ lations for the visualization of the complex processes is stressed. 1. INTRODUCTION The study of ultrafast phenomena in bulk semiconductors and quasi-two-dimensional structures has been stimulated by the development of femtosecond lasers. This has enabled researchers to perform experiments and probe the relaxation of nonequilibrium photoexcited electron distributions on a subpicosecond time scale.1 ""6 Since the time scale for electron collisions in semiconductors is typically in this range, femtosecond spectroscopy is an ideal tool for studying nonequilibrium carriers dynamics and scattering processes.In theoretically modeling femtosecond relaxation phenomena in semiconductors, the chief analytic tool is the well-known time-dependent Boltzmann transport equation.8 Techniques for solving the Boltzmann equation fall into two broad categories: i) direct analytical7 or numerical8 solutions and ii) Monte Carlo solutions.8For all but the simplest approximations, solving the Boltzmann transport equation analytically is intractable. Solutions by numerical means are also nontrivial. This is because of the complicated nature of the collision integral which makes the Boltzmann equation a nonlinear integro-differential equation. As a result, for analytic solutions of the Boltzmann equation, the addition of a new scattering mechanism in the calculation often requires a new technique for solving the problem.Including complex physical effects such as the full band structure or nonequilibrium screening usually requires that the Boltzmann equation be solved by the Monte Carlo method. Monte Carlo codes have the advantage that modifications to include a new scattering mechanism are relatively easy to implement and usually do not add significantly to computation time.Because the systems under study in the femtosecond spectroscopy experiments are usually complicated, to include the important effects and to obtain the most reliable information on the nonequilibrium dynamics, it is essential for a detailed analysis that experiments be supplemented with Monte Carlo simulations. These simula­ tions can augment photoexcitation experiments by improving the analysis, performing computational experi­ ments, enhancing predictive capabilities, and aiding in the visualization of complex processes.In this paper we concentrate on using Monte Carlo simulations to aid in the visualization of complex processes and as a tool for performing computational experiments to determine the importance of the various scattering mechanisms.
An N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonist does not prevent eye-specific segregation in the ferret retinogeniculate pathway

Recent studies have shown that electrical activity, particularly that mediated by NMDA receptors, has a profound effect on the development of specific neuronal connections. Blocking NMDA receptors in the ferret's lateral geniculate nucleus prevents the segregation of retinal afferents into ON and OFF sublaminae. We have now examined the involvement of NMDA receptors in the separation of afferents from the two eyes that occurs in the lateral geniculate nucleus several weeks earlier in development. Blockade of NMDA receptor activity does not appear to interfere with this eye-specific segregation.
Effect of nozzle submergence upon stability of solid rockets

could be constructed with precisely equal spring constants in the two directions, then the Coriolis forces acting during vibration would suppress the resonance in a spacecraft for which C<A. However, if the spring constants are even slightly different, then this interaction with Coriolis forces is not perfect and a resonant condition indeed occurs. This behavior is illustrated graphically by examining a combined response parameter vs frequency as determined by digital computer simulation of the complete, linearized equations-ofmotion (Fig. 2). At a.-1, the sharp resonance is indeed suppressed, which could lead an unwary analyst to conclude that such a system has no resonance and therefore poses no problems with regard to dedamping or excessive structural deflections. This phenomenon is just one more example of a situation in spin-stabilized satellite dynamics in which treating an apparently simple case can lead to erroneous conclusions.
Effects of Demand Cues and Evalution Apprehension in an Attitude Change Experiment

Summary Demand cues (experiment title) and evaluation apprehension (a “personality” test) were manipulated in the context of a typical attitude change experiment. A significant effect for demand cues and an interaction between demand cues and evaluation apprehension were found. These results were interpreted as illustrating the basic flaw in the laboratory attitude change experiment; demand characteristics are confounded with the actual impact of the persuasive communication. Also, the concept of cooperation is downgraded as a variable in explaining demand characteristics effects in favor of the concept of evaluation apprehension. When subjects report cooperation on a postexperimental rating scale, they may be basing their report upon what they actually did in the experiment.
Static Mho Distance and Pilot Relaying

Design principles and typical circuits are described for new directional-comparison static-relaying equipment for transmission-line protection. Mho distance units, with offset-impedance supervision, are used for phase faults. The equipment is designed for use with either carrier-current or microwave communications channels, uses semiconductor circuitry throughout, and features high speed: less than 1/2 cycle for 3-phase faults and less than 1 cycle for unbalanced faults.
Core packing defects in an engineered Cro monomer corrected by combinatorial mutagenesis.

The crystal structure of an engineered monomer of the λ Cro repressor shows unexpected expansion of the hydrophobic core of the protein and disorder of the five C-terminal residues [Albright et al. (1996) Biochemistry 35, 735−742]. This structural information has guided the construction of a second generation of monomeric Cro proteins by combinatorial mutagenesis of selected core and C-terminal residues. Clones were identified in a library of randomized cro genes by a genetic screen for protein accumulation in Escherichia coli. Sequencing of candidate genes followed by purification and analysis of their product proteins has identified alternative arrangements of hydrophobic core residues which result in substantial increases in thermal stability. In contrast, residue replacements at the C-terminus have minor effects on stability but may increase protein expression levels.
Seasonal changes in the germination responses of buried seeds of three native eastern North American winter annuals

Long-term studies of seasonal changes in temperature and light : dark requirements for germination were conducted on seeds of Plantago virginica (87 months), Silene antirrhina (32.5 months) and Triodanis perfoliata (36.5 months), buried under natural temperature regimes in central Kentucky, USA. Seeds of P. virginica exhibited an annual conditional dormancy/non-dormancy cycle; thus, the species has the potential to behave as a facultative winter annual. Seeds of T. perfoliata and S. antirrhina had an annual dormancy/non-dormancy cycle, but dormancy induction was not completed until April or May. Thus, depending on the year, 3–21% and 1–97% of the S. antirrhina and T. perfoliata seeds, respectively, germinated in March and these species also have the potential to behave as facultative winter annuals. Data from long-term buried seeds studies in central Kentucky are now available for 16 native (including the three species reported in this paper) and nine non-native winter annuals of eastern North America. Buried seeds of non-natives, as well as those of natives whose geographic range extends beyond eastern North America, tend to have a conditional dormancy/non-dormancy cycle, while those of natives with a range restricted to eastern North America tend to have a dormancy/non-dormancy cycle. However, testing of this hypothesis will have to await data for more winter annuals so that a phylogenetically independent analysis can be conducted.
Rayleigh rejection filters for 193-nm ArF laser Raman spectroscopy.

Selected organic absorbers and their solvents are evaluated as spectral filters for the rejection of 193-nm Rayleigh light associated with the use of an ArF excimer laser for Raman spectroscopy. A simply constructed filter cell filled with 0.5 percent acetone in water and an optical path of 7 mm is shown effectively to eliminate stray Rayleigh light underlying the Raman spectrum from air while transmitting 60 percent of the Raman light scattered by O2.
Kinetic analysis of mineral formation during in vitro modeling of matrix vesicle mineralization: effect of annexin A5, phosphatidylserine, and type II collagen.

Abstract Matrix vesicles (MVs) are involved in de novo mineral formation by nearly all vertebrate tissues. The driving force for MV mineralization is a nucleational core composed of three principal constituents: (i) amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), complexed in part with phosphatidylserine (PS) to form (ii) calcium–phosphate–lipid complexes (CPLX), and (iii) annexin A5 (AnxA5), the principal lipid-dependent Ca 2+ -binding protein in MVs. We describe methods for reconstituting the nucleational core using a biomimetic approach and for analyzing the kinetics of its induction of mineral formation. The method is based on light scattering by the nascent crystallites at 340 nm and monitors mineral formation at regular intervals without disturbing the system using an automated plate reader. It yields precise replicate values that typically agree within less than 5%. As with MVs, mineral formation by the synthetic complex follows a sigmoidal pattern; following a quiescent induction period, rapid formation ensues for a limited time, followed by a distinct decline in rate that continues to slow, ultimately reaching a maximal asymptotic value. Key to quantization of mineral formation is the use of first-derivative analysis, which defines the induction time, the rate and the amount of initial mineral formation. Furthermore, using a five-parameter logistic curve-fitting algorithm, the maximal amount of mineral formation can be predicted accurately. Using these methods, we document the dramatic finding that AnxA5 synergistically activates PS–CPLX, transforming it from a very weak nucleator of mineral formation to a potent one. The methods presented should enable systematic study of the effects of numerous other factors thought to contribute to mineral formation.
Use of Radio Frequency Energy to Dry Warp Yarn in Sizing

The use of radio frequency energy to dry polyester/cotton warp yarn in the sizing process was studied. A laboratory slasher equipped with a fringefield type electrode array was used. Radio frequenc...
Anemia in celiac disease is multifactorial in etiology

Anemia in celiac disease (CD) has been attributed to nutritional deficiencies; however, the clinical manifestations of CD have changed with nongastrointestinal presentations predominating. We collected hematologic parameters from a cohort of patients seen at a tertiary care center for CD to assess the characteristics of anemia in this population. Hematological parameters measured 1995 was analyzed. Ferritin levels were compared with population controls (NHANES III). Iron deficiency was common, occurring in 33% of men and 19% of women (P 50th percentile was more common in anemic men (24%) than in anemic women (9%; P > 0.20). Macrocytic anemia with concurrent B12 or folate deficiency was rare (3%). Elevated ESR was observed in patients with ferritin 50th. A gluten-free diet resulted in increased serum ferritin in iron-deficient patients, and decreased ferritin levels in those with high ferritin (r(2) = 0.46, P < 0.001). Although anemia is still a common presentation of celiac disease, nutritional deficiencies alone do not explain this phenomenon in all cases; inflammation appears to contribute as evidenced by the presence of anemia of chronic disease in some individuals.
Automatically converting photographic series into video

In this paper, we proposed a novel way to browse a series of otogras, which can be regarded as a system exploring the new medium between otogra and video. The scheme exploits the rich content embedded in a single otogra and otograic series. Based on studying the process of a viewer's attention variation on objects or regions of an image, a otogra can be converted into a motion clip. A system named oto2Video was developed to automatically convert a otograic series into a video by simulating camera motions, set to incidental music of the user's choice. For a selected otograic series, an appropriate set of key-frames are determined for each otogra based on soisticated content analytical results. Then camera motion pattern (both the key-frame sequencing scheme and trajectory/speed control strategy) is selected for each otogra to generate a corresponding motion otogra clip. And last, the final output video is rendered by connecting a series of motion otogra clips with specific transitions based on the content of the images on either side, as well as each motion otogra clip is aligned with the selected incidental music based on music content analysis.
Identification of the motifs within the tobacco mosaic virus 5′-leader responsible for enhancing translation

The leader (called omega) of tobacco mosaic virus RNA enhances translation in both eukaryotes and prokaryotes. Although little secondary structure is predicted to exist within omega, the primary sequence of the 68 base leader is highly organized. Three copies of an eight base direct repeat and a (CAA)n region represent the two motifs found in the leaders of many TMV strains, and together these comprise 72% of omega. In previous deletion studies, no mutants exhibited loss-of-function, suggesting that functional redundancy exists within omega. We report here that a more comprehensive deletion analysis identified the motifs involved in translational enhancement. In a separate approach, oligonucleotides containing the sequence of each motif were used to construct leaders that varied in the number and configuration of the motifs. beta-Glucuronidase mRNA constructs containing these mutant leaders were synthesized in vitro and their translational efficiency measured in vivo following mRNA delivery to carrot protoplasts via electroporation. A combination of one copy of the 8 base direct repeat and a 25 base (CAA)n region was identified as the core regulatory element, although the (CAA)n motif is more critical. Two copies of the (CAA)n region are sufficient to confer a high level of enhancement and a leader composed of multiple copies of the direct repeat is moderately enhancing. Thus, these two motifs are functionally redundant.
Reconstruction of twist grain boundaries in gold

The reconstruction of high-angle twist grain boundaries on the four densest atomic planes in gold are investigated using the recently developed method of grand-canonical simulated quenching. It is found that the grain boundaries on the two densest planes, (111) and (100), do not reconstruct, while those on the (110) and (113) planes do.
Functional Characterization of Escherichia coli GlpG and Additional Rhomboid Proteins Using an aarA Mutant of Providencia stuartii

The Providencia stuartii AarA protein is a member of the rhomboid family of intramembrane serine proteases and required for the production of an extracellular signaling molecule that regulates cellular functions including peptidoglycan acetylation, methionine transport, and cysteine biosynthesis. Additional aarA-dependent phenotypes include (i) loss of an extracellular yellow pigment, (ii) inability to grow on MacConkey agar, and (iii) abnormal cell division. Since these phenotypes are easily assayed, the P. stuartii aarA mutant serves as a useful host system to investigate rhomboid function. The Escherichia coli GlpG protein was shown to be functionally similar to AarA and rescued the above aarA-dependent phenotypes in P. stuartii. GlpG proteins containing single alanine substitutions at the highly conserved catalytic triad of asparagine (N154A), serine (S201A), or histidine (H254A) residues were nonfunctional. The P. stuartii aarA mutant was also used as a biosensor to demonstrate that proteins from a variety of diverse sources exhibited rhomboid activity. In an effort to further investigate the role of a rhomboid protein in cell physiology, a glpG mutant of E. coli was constructed. In phenotype microarray experiments, the glpG mutant exhibited a slight increase in resistance to the beta-lactam antibiotic cefotaxime.
Semiparametric median estimation of the Type 3 Tobit model

Abstract This paper considers estimation of the Type 3 Tobit model. The estimator is a two-step LAD estimator when a bivariate version of the median restriction is imposed on the error terms. A consistent estimator for the asymptotic covariance matrix is proposed.
Density-independent mortality, density compensation, gap formation, and self-thinning in plant populations

Abstract The timing and relative contributions of mortality agents in plant populations depend on the ways in which density-dependent (DD) mortality compensates for density-independent (DI) mortality rate. This relationship, in turn, determines the degree of canopy closure, or its complement, gap area. A model is presented that integrates the effects of DD and DI mortality agents, and it permits exploration of the “density compensation” (DC) effect, or the degree to which mortality caused by DI factors is alleviated by reductions in DD mortality, and changing gap area through time. DI mortality factors can be additive, and they affect the entire population early and late in life. If DI motality is low, crowding results in a DD mortality rate that is rather constant when plants are growing rapidly, and DD mortality descreases as plants approach maximum size. DD mortality rate compensates for DI mortality rate in populations of plants that are young and at high density: Although increased DI mortality contributes to increasing gap area as plants mature, such an increase is not necessary for gap area to increase. Reduced density compensation with age (declining plant growth rate) results in increased gap area even if per-capita mortality rates descrease. Complete canopy coverage shifts form a stable to a neutrally stable equilibrium with advancing stand age. Net ecosystem production (NEP) is maximized earliest during stand development at somewhat less than complete canopy coverage. This maximum occurs later in stands having lower canopy caverage, because of low DD mortality rate, and in stands having higher canopy coverage, because of high density. Low canopy coverage early in stand development will be associated with delayed maximum NEP if that low canopy coverage is associated with low density and with early maximum NEP if low canopy coverage results instead from high DI mortality rate. The self-thinning rule arises as a special case of a more general relationship that demonstrates the effects of canopy and DI mortality on the percent change in density that attends a percent change in standing crop. Because of high DC early in stand development, the tendency of this slope coefficient to become more negative with declining canopy coverage prevails over the tendency of DI mortality to make this coefficient less negative. With declining DC late in stand development the situation is reserved.