cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The dissociation between early and late selection in older adults

Older adults exhibit a reduced ability to ignore task-irrelevant stimuli; however, it remains to be determined where along the information processing stream the most salient age-associated changes occur. In the current study, ERPs provided an opportunity to determine whether age-related differences in processing task-irrelevant stimuli were uniform across information processing stages or disproportionately affected either early or late selection. ERPs were measured in young and old adults during a color-selective attention task in which participants responded to target letters in a specified color attend condition while ignoring letters in a different color ignore condition. Old participants were matched to two groups of young participants on the basis of neuropsychological test performance: one using age-appropriate norms and the other using test scores not adjusted for age. There were no age-associated differences in the magnitude of early selection attend-ignore, as indexed by the size of the anterior selection positivity and posterior selection negativity. During late selection, as indexed by P3b amplitude, both groups of young participants generated neural responses to target letters under the attend versus ignore conditions that were highly differentiated. In striking contrast, old participants generated a P3b to target letters with no reliable differences between conditions. Individuals who were slow to initiate early selection appeared to be less successful at executing late selection. Despite relative preservation of the operations of early selection, processing delays may lead older participants to allocate excessive resources to task-irrelevant stimuli during late selection.
Morphology of Cymodocea serrulata from Yap, Micronesia, kept under controlled light conditions

Abstract Long-stemmed plants collected in subtidal beds in Tomil Harbor continued to develop short shoots that were elevated above the sediment under low light conditions ( −2 s −1 ), but produced stems that were horizontally orientated under higher light conditions (> 125 μM m −2 s −1 ). The direction of the growth of the stem could be altered by changing the light conditions, but only nodes initiated under the new light conditions showed a change in orientation. In contrast, plants from intertidal beds on Thursday Island, Queensland, Australia, produced only stems that were horizontally directed under diverse light conditions.
Nonlinear Airy Beams in Unbiased Photorefractive Media

We experimentally and theoretically study the propagation of a truncated Airy beam in an unbiased photorefractive crystal. For extraordinary polarization, a solitary-wave balance between charge diffusion and two-wave mixing suppresses beam diffraction.
Elevating the Vitamin E Content of Plants Through Metabolic Engineering

α-Tocopherol (vitamin E) is a lipid-soluble antioxidant synthesized only by photosynthetic organisms. α-Tocopherol is an essential component of mammalian diets, and intakes in excess of the U.S. recommended daily allowance are correlated with decreased incidence of a number of degenerative human diseases. Plant oils, the main dietary source of tocopherols, typically contain α-tocopherol as a minor component and high levels of its biosynthetic precursor, γ-tocopherol. A genomics-based approach was used to clone the final enzyme in α-tocopherol synthesis, γ-tocopherol methyltransferase. Overexpression of γ-tocopherol methyltransferase inArabidopsis seeds shifted oil compositions in favor of α-tocopherol. Similar increases in agricultural oil crops would increase vitamin E levels in the average U.S. diet.
Scapulothoracic latent muscle reaction timing comparison between trained overhead throwers and untrained control subjects

Aim This study evaluated select scapulothoracic muscles for training-induced latent muscle reaction timing (LMRT) changes. Comparisons were also made between the dominant and non-dominant upper extremities and between individual muscles. Materials and methods Fifteen male trained overhead throwers (college baseball pitchers) and 15 male untrained, age-matched control subjects participated in this study. Scapulothoracic muscle activation data were collected as subjects attempted to stop a variably timed, sudden glenohumeral joint internal rotation perturbation. Results Training group differences were not evident for LMRT (P=0.56), however upper extremity dominance (P=0.003) and test muscle (P=0.0002) displayed significant differences. Dominant upper extremity upper trapezius muscle LMRT (72.5+/-26 ms) occurred later than non-dominant upper trapezius muscle LMRT (60.0+/-14.1 ms, P=0.001). Dominant upper extremity middle trapezius-rhomboid muscle LMRT (60.0+/-16.2 ms) occurred later than non-dominant middle trapezius-rhomboid muscle LMRT (50.2+/-12.6 ms, P=0.004). Dominant upper extremity upper trapezius muscle LMRT also occurred later than serratus anterior (55.7+/-16.0 ms, P=0.001) and middle trapezius-rhomboid LMRT (60.2+/-16 ms, P=0.003). Mean overall dominant upper extremity LMRT (62.7+/-19.4 ms) was delayed compared with mean overall non-dominant upper extremity LMRT (53.9+/-12.4 ms, P=0.003). Clinical consequences Although training was not found to influence scapulothoracic LMRT, differences were observed between the dominant and non-dominant upper extremities. Consistent LMRT delays at the dominant upper extremity suggest possible neuromuscular timing differences to enable prolonged glenohumeral joint and scapulothoracic articulation acceleration before deceleration through eccentric muscle activation. Both trained and untrained overhead throwers displayed this response. Variable perturbation test velocities, and in-season testing of larger subject groups may be needed to better elucidate the more subtle differences associated with training.
Automatic Generation of High-Level Contact State Space

A divide-and-merge approach is introduced for automatic generation of high-level, discrete contact state space, represented as contact state graphs, between two contacting polyhedral solids from their geometric models. Based on the fact that a contact state graph is the union of the subgraphs called a goal-contact relaxation (GCR) graph, the approach consists of algorithms (1) to generate a complete GCR graph automatically given the most constrained contact state in the GCR graph and (2) to merge GCR graphs automatically. The algorithms arplemented for cases in which the most constrained contact state in a GCR graph consists of up to three principal contacts. The ability to capture and represent contact state information effectively and efficiently is essential for robotic operations involving compliant motions, for simulation of contact motions, and for haptic interactions.
Gas Phase Raman Intensities: A Review of "Pre-Laser" Data

Raman radiant intensities and depolarization ratios measured for gases with mercury arc irradiation and photoelectric detection have been collected. The observed intensities have been reduced to values of the scattering activity, gj (45αj12+7γj12). The scattering activity and Raman scattering cross sections are explicitly related. Data for strong sharp bands are accurate to about ± 5% – 10%, while data for weak and broad bands are less accurate.
Propagation of Homalodisca coagulata virus-01 via Homalodisca vitripennis cell culture.

The glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis) is a highly vagile and polyphagous insect found throughout the southwestern United States. These insects are the predominant vectors of Xylella fastidiosa (X. fastidiosa), a xylem-limited bacterium that is the causal agent of Pierce's disease (PD) of grapevine. Pierce’s disease is economically damaging; thus, H. vitripennis have become a target for pathogen management strategies. A dicistrovirus identified as Homalodisca coagulata virus-01 (HoCV-01) has been associated with an increased mortality in H. vitripennis populations. Because a host cell is required for HoCV-01 replication, cell culture provides a uniform environment for targeted replication that is logistically and economically valuable for biopesticide production. In this study, a system for large-scale propagation of H. vitripennis cells via tissue culture was developed, providing a viral replication mechanism. HoCV-01 was extracted from whole body insects and used to inoculate cultured H. vitripennis cells at varying levels. The culture medium was removed every 24 hr for 168 hr, RNA extracted and analyzed with qRT-PCR. Cells were stained with trypan blue and counted to quantify cell survivability using light microscopy. Whole virus particles were extracted up to 96 hr after infection, which was the time point determined to be before total cell culture collapse occurred. Cells were also subjected to fluorescent staining and viewed using confocal microscopy to investigate viral activity on F-actin attachment and nuclei integrity. The conclusion of this study is that H. vitripennis cells are capable of being cultured and used for mass production of HoCV-01 at a suitable level to allow production of a biopesticide.
Darling-Erdős theorems for martingales

This paper considers Darlin-Erdős theorems for sums of martingale differences. Our main theorem provides an optimal result for the case of bounded martingale difference sequences. A number of other results are presented, which deal with the unbounded case and which specialize to the case of independent summands. Previous related work on this problem has been based on deep strong approximation theorems. One of the novel features of our approach is that our methods rely on the more easily accessible Skorokhod-type embeddings.
Background levels of formate and other ions in ice cores from inland Greenland

Concentration levels of the organic acids HCOO− and CH3SO3−, inorganic acids NO3− and excess SO42− and ammonium were measured in pre-1900 AD ice layers from seven geographically dispersed inland sites in Greenland. Average multiple-year background concentration levels are calculated for each ion at each site from laboratory measurements of continuous core samples representing from 4 to 10 years of snow accumulation (32 to 80 individual measurements) from various time intervals. The HCOO− concentration level increases from 6 ng/g in the most northern colder site to 36 ng/g in the most southern warmer site; CH3SO3− increases from 0.9 ng/g to 2.8 ng/g; NO3− decreases from 83 ng/g to 37 ng/g; excess SO42− decreases from 43 ng/g to 19 ng/g, all with variability. The distribution of the NH4+ ion shows a nearly constant level at about 6 ng/g for all sites except Dye-2 where it reaches 10 ng/g. The deposition patterns for HCOO− and NH4+ on the ice sheet suggest major contributions arrive from sources originating from the southwest of Greenland.
Discrimination among Spawning Aggregations of Lake Herring from Lake Superior using Whole-body Morphometric Characters

The lake herring (Coregonus artedi) was one of the most commercially and ecologically valuable Lake Superior fishes, but declined in the second half of the 20th century as the result of overharvest of putatively discrete stocks. No tools were previously available that described lake herring stock structure and accurately classified lake herring to their spawning stocks. The accuracy of discriminating among spawning aggregations was evaluated using whole-body morphometrics based on a truss network. Lake herring were collected from 11 spawning aggregations in Lake Superior and two inland Wisconsin lakes to evaluate morphometrics as a stock discrimination tool. Discriminant function analysis correctly classified 53% of all fish from all spawning aggregations, and fish from all but one aggregation were classified at greater rates than were possible by chance. Discriminant analysis also correctly classified 66% of fish to nearest neighbor groups, which were groups that accounted for the possibility of mixing among the aggregations. Stepwise discriminant analysis showed that posterior body length and depth measurements were among the best discriminators of spawning aggregations. These findings support other evidence that discrete stocks of lake herring exist in Lake Superior, and fishery managers should consider all but one of the spawning aggregations as discrete stocks. Abundance, annual harvest, total annual mortality rate, and exploitation data should be collected from each stock, and surplus production of each stock should be estimated. Prudent management of stock surplus production and exploitation rates will aid in restoration of stocks and will prevent a repeat of the stock collapses that occurred in the middle of the 20th century, when the species was nearly extirpated from the lake.
Dose-related effects of ethanol on visual sustained attention and event-related potentials

The effects of acute ethanol intoxication on visual sustained attention were investigated in male social drinkers. Four doses ranging from 0 (placebo) to 1.05 g/kg lean body weight, with periodic maintenance dosing of 0.12 g/kg, were given in separate sessions. The task required subjects to monitor a series of blurred digits presented singly at a rate of one per sec and to respond to occasional (p = 0.25) target digits with a speeded button press. Detection performance deteriorated as a function of both dose and time on task. In addition, the factors of dose and time on task interacted to produce a more rapid performance decrement under the higher doses. Early event-related potential (ERP) components (N1 and P2) were not greatly affected, suggesting that the performance decrement reflects central rather than peripheral factors. Later components related to cognitive appraisal processes (N2, P3), in contrast, varied in both amplitude and latency. Ethanol yielded dose-related delays in N2 and P3 latencies, which paralleled reaction time increases. The amplitude of N2 also decreased over time on task, and P3 amplitude decreased both as a function of dose and time on task. ERP and performance data were interpreted as demonstrating an adverse effect of ethanol on central processing capacity.
Sequence and expression pattern of J chain in the amphibian, Xenopus laevis

We have determined the cDNA sequence encoding J chain, a polypeptide accessory molecule associated with polymeric Ig, from the anuran amphibian, Xenopus laevis (South African clawed frog). The translated polypeptide consists of 164 amino acid residues, including the signal sequence, and is somewhat longer than the corresponding sequence in mouse and cow, the two mammalian species in which the signal sequence of J chain has been determined. J chain in several mammalian species (human, mouse, cow and rabbit) has eight Cys residues. In the human chain, two of these Cys residues, the second and third in the sequence, have been shown to form disulfide bridges to heavy chains in IgM or IgA; the remaining Cys residues form intrachain disulfide bonds. The Xenopus J chain contains only seven of these Cys residues. Ser is found at the position corresponding to the third Cys in mammalian J chains. Northern blot analysis, performed on RNA isolated from various organs of 3-month old frogs, indicated that the highest level of expression was in the intestine. Transcripts corresponding to J chain were also detected in the spleen and at very low levels in the thymus.
Transactions section: Preprint of corresponding pages from the current annual AIEE transactions volume

This paper presents an explanation of the theory and explains the characteristics of an a-c adjustable-speed drive obtained by using a polyphase commutator regulator mechanically coupled to the shaft of a wound-rotor induction motor and electrically connected to its slip rings. The theoretical loci of the system current vectors with respect to the voltage vectors of the induction motor are developed in terms of the constants of the machines and the applied voltage. A method of determining the characteristics of the drive from no-load tests or from design data is presented. The characteristics predicted on these bases are in excellent agreement with those obtained experimentally.
Hope as a Political Virtue

In this paper I argue that hope is best understood as a compound psychological state. When we take hope according to the details of this account, we are in a good position to understand why it is a political virtue of persons. I also argue that securing the institutional bases of hope is a virtue of state institutions, particularly in states in transition from severe injustice. And, finally, when the bases are secure, a person who fails to hope for the political future is in that regard prima facie blameworthy.
Anomalous magnetic behavior in pseudobinary compounds of CeFe 2

We explain the anomalous magnetic behavior in the pseudobinary compounds of cubic Laves-phase Ce(Fe,M${)}_{2}$ (M=3d, 4d, and 5d transition-metal atoms) in terms of d-f hybridization. Calculated cerium and iron moments in ${\mathrm{CeFe}}_{2}$ are found to be antiparallel such that ${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{Ce}}$/${\mathrm{\ensuremath{\mu}}}_{\mathrm{Fe}}$=-0.37, which is in excellent agreement with the recent experimental value of -0.3. The calculated l-projected density of states is utilized to explain in detail the nature of the hybridization (d-d-f) responsible for various anomalies in these pseudobinary compounds.
Variability in hepatic iron concentration in percutaneous needle biopsy specimens from patients with transfusional hemosiderosis.

In patients with sickle cell disease or β-thalassemia receiving RBC transfusions for a long period, a precise knowledge of the liver iron concentration (LIC) is essential for treatment. Patients underwent LIC and liver pathology assessment by duplicate biopsies in 2 passes from the same local liver site. Fresh tissue cores in trace element–free containers and tissues from dissolved paraffin-embedded cores were analyzed. LIC measurements in each of 2 paraffin-embedded cores did not differ significantly (median, 12,455 vs 12,153 µg/g dry weight; n = 29). A significant difference was observed when 1 fresh tissue sample and 1 paraffinembedded core were analyzed (median, 11,716 vs 12,864 µg/g dry weight; n = 16; P < .001) with a median disagreement between LIC measurements of 23.0%. We found high agreement in LICs between liver biopsy specimens processed by the paraffin-embedding technique but overestimation of LICs in comparison with desiccated fresh tissue samples. Patients with β-thalassemia require routine RBC transfusions to maintain adequate hemoglobin levels to provide oxygenation and suppress ineffective hemoglobin synthesis in the bone marrow. Similarly, long-term RBC transfusion therapy has become important therapy to prevent stroke and other complications of sickle cell disease (SCD). These transfusions, although life saving, provide excessive amounts of iron that are stored in the liver, heart, and endocrine organs, causing cirrhosis, cardiac disease, endocrine organ failure (including diabetes, hypothyroid, hypogonadal function, hypoparathyroidism), and death. 1
Uniqueness of the solutions of some completion problems

We determine the conditions for uniqueness of the solutions of several completion problems including the positive semi-definite completion, the distance matrix completion, and the contractive matrix completion. The conditions depend on the existence of a positive semi-definite matrix satisfying certain linear constraints. Numerically, such conditions can be checked by existing computer software such as semi-definite programming routines. Some numerical examples are given to illustrate the results, and show that some results in a recent paper of Alfakih are incorrect. Discrepancies in the proof of Alfakih are explained.
Humanizing Mental Health: Existentialism and the DSM-5: Can Humanistic Psychology Light the Way?

What is the link between existentialism and a manual that gives most people on the planet their mental health diagnoses? From Major Depressive Disorder, to ADHD, to Asperger's Syndrome, the Diagnos...
Fragmented maternal sleep is more strongly correlated with depressive symptoms than infant temperament at three months postpartum

To determine the contribution of infant temperament to the relationship between maternal sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. Utilizing a repeated measures design, 112 couples recruited from childbirth education classes were assessed in third trimester and postpartum. Instruments included Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, General Sleep Disturbance Scale, wrist actigraphy, and an investigator-developed tool to assess infant temperament completed by mothers and fathers. Regardless of infant temperament, mothers who slept < 4 h between midnight and 6 am and mothers who napped < 60 min during the day were at increased risk for depression at three months postpartum. Infant temperament was associated with maternal sleep but was not a significant predictor of depressive symptoms after controlling for other contextual factors. Postpartum clinical visits should include questions about maternal sleep so interventions can be directed toward sufficient sleep to minimize risk of postpartum depression.
Far infrared study of optical phonons in K1−xRbxI mixed crystals

The farinfrared properties of mixed alkalai halide crystals, K1−xRbxI, x=0.25 and 0.50, have been studied at room temperature. Dispersive Fourier transform spectroscopy (DFTS) has been used to obtain the complex dielectric function of these samples. Infrared-active phonon modes are observed at frequencies close to those of KI and RbI. This two-mode behavior is in agreement with theoretical predictions.
The effects of long-term, moderate intensity, intermittent exercise on aerobic capacity, body composition, blood lipids, insulin and glucose in overweight females

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypotheses that the accumulation of 30 min of moderate intensity, intermittent exercise, 5 d/week−1, for 32 weeks, will increase aerobic capacity, alter body composition and improve blood lipids, insulin and glucose. Secondly, to identify individuals who may respond to moderate intensity, intermittent exercise. SUBJECTS: Thirteen sedentary, moderately obese females, aged 43±11 (y), body mass index (BMI) 32.7±7.7 (kg/M2), body fat 40.6±8.8 (%), VO2max 24.0±4.6 (ml/kg−1/min−1). MEASUREMENTS: Aerobic capacity, body composition, blood lipids, fasting insulin and glucose, energy intake. RESULTS: Group data showed no significant changes for aerobic capacity, body composition, blood lipids, insulin or glucose. However, 7 of the 13 subjects increased aerobic capacity, lost fat weight and improved insulin. Adherence to the exercise regimen was excellent with 82.6±10.0% of the prescribed exercise completed. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate intensity, intermittent exercise for a total of 30 min, 5 d/week,−1 for 32 weeks duration, was not a sufficient stimulus to significantly increase aerobic capacity, alter weight, body composition or improve blood lipids, insulin or glucose for the entire group. However, those subjects who increased aerobic capacity and decreased fat weight were significantly older, had lower maximal aerobic capacity and greater body fat at baseline compared to the six subjects who did not increase aerobic capacity and decrease fat weight. For both groups, moderate intensity, intermittent exercise showed excellent adherence and this may be a useful model for future research studies.
Diffusion of ethane and ethylene in carbon molecular sieve membranes by pulsed field gradient NMR

Abstract Carbon molecular sieve (CMS) membranes are promising new materials which have potential applications in light paraffin/olefin gas separations. Despite the importance of mass transport in these materials there have been no reported diffusion studies of C2 (or larger) hydrocarbons in CMS membranes using microscopic techniques. In this work, a pulsed field gradient (PFG) NMR technique employing high magnetic field and large magnetic field gradients enabled the measurement of microscopic self-diffusion of ethane and ethylene in selected CMS membranes. For the studied Matrimid CMS membranes, the results of PFG NMR diffusion studies are compared with corresponding data obtained from macroscopic permeation measurements reported in the literature. It was found that although the ratios of ethane and ethylene diffusivities measured by these two techniques were the same within the experimental uncertainty, the diffusivities obtained by PFG NMR were several times larger than those obtained from permeation. The reasons for such difference are discussed.
The Source of Mallarmé's L'après-midi d'un Faune

N his article, "D'oa sort l'Apr&s-midi d'un Faune de Mallarml?", in Modern Language Notes, November, 1937, Professor Schinz, after referring briefly to other theories, queries: "N'est-il pas beaucoup plus simple de voir dans le po'me de Mallarme tout bonnement une expression de l'hellnisme de l'6poque? (Gautier: Affinit6s secretes, Banville: Dieux en exil, Leconte de Lisle: Poemes antiques) ... Peu de temps avant l'apparition du poeme, Mallarm6 avait ete charge par l'editeur Rothschild de faire une adaptation frangaise de la Mythologie de Cox, parue en Angleterre .... A la fin du volume, Mallarme a imprim6 un certain nombre de poemes frangais contemporains-Hugo, Banville, et enfin un Leconte de Lisle (Pan, in Pokmes antiques) qui contient absolument tous les 1Cments de l'Apr&smidi."
Short-term change in growth of uterine leiomyoma: tumor growth spurts

Objective To describe the short-term changes in growth of uterine leiomyomas (fibroids). Design Prospective observational study. Setting University research center. Patient(s) Premenopausal women with fibroids (18 blacks and 18 whites) recruited through a physician network and community outreach. Intervention(s) Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure(s) The volumes of 101 fibroids were measured at enrollment, 3, 6, and 12 months with magnetic resonance imaging, resulting in three interval-specific growth rates. Growth spurts were defined by interval growth rates ≥30% per 3 months and substantially greater than during other intervals of observation. An overall measure of short-term change in fibroid growth was calculated as the variance of the three interval-specific growth rates. Result(s) Growth spurts were observed in 37 of the 101 fibroids, a prevalence nearly tenfold higher than that attributable to potential measurement error. Fibroids from the same woman did not have similar short-term growth, nor were woman-specific factors (age, race/ethnicity, parity, body mass) or the fibroid position in the uterus important. However, large fibroids (>5 cm diameter) had less short-term change than smaller fibroids. Conclusion(s) Short spurts of growth are common for fibroids, suggesting that tumor biology may change rapidly.
VSP Guided Poststack Deconvolution And Modeling In the Granny Creek Oil Field, West Virginia

VSP data are used to design post-stack deconvolution of surface seismic data collected over the Granny Creek oil field in central West Virginia. Standard processing of the data using Vibroseis deconvolution (Gibson and Larner, 7984) yields data from the zone of interest with 20-85 Hz bandwidth and a 50 Hz peak frequency. Post-stack wavelet processing using the measured primary wave as the desired wavelet yields 20-98 Hz bandwidth and 60 Hz peak frequency. A synthetic seismogram computed at the VSP well using a mixed-phase VSP wavelet measured just below the reservoir interval ties with migrated stack, data in the vicinity of the well. Recomputation of the synthetic with the zero-phase equivalent of the VSP wavelet after post-stack deconvolution also ties well to the data suggesting that the wavelet is accurately known. The synthetic seismic response of a CMP gather is also computed. Poisson’ s ratios for different formations were derived from a full-waveform log at the VSP well. Stacking of individual reflection events reveal that variation of amplitude and phase with offset, nonhyperbolic moveout, and subsequent stacking yield an effective wavelet (the stack-wavelet), which is not significantly different from the wavelet measured in the VSP. The foregoing model studies allow us to interpret the significance of waveform changes in the zone of interest with greater confidence. Oil at Granny Creek is produced from the Mississippian Big lnjun sandstone. The thickness of the reservoir varies from approximately 0 to 50 feet, and, for the most part, lies below the resolution limit of the data. Stratigraphic variability within overlying shale and carbonate intervals yields a composite response which is not easily related to reservoir properties alone.
X-ray observations of broad absorption-line quasars.

The present 0.1-4 keV observer frame data was obtained for three broad absorption-line quasars with the imaging proportional counter on the Einstein Observatory. Data for one object, UM 232, are sufficiently good to tell that absorption at 1 keV is unimportant (quasar rest frame), which leads to an upper limit to the column density of absorbing gas of 10 to the 22nd/sq cm. Because this gas absorbs optical continuum and line emission, it must have a size of 10 to the 19th cm or greater, and therefore a density of less than 1000/cu cm. This absorbing gas is unlike the much denser clouds responsible for the broad emission lines. It is also calculated that the mass of absorbing gas is greater than 1 solar mass, and that it is at least 300 pc distant from the ionizing continuum source. Free-free absorption, which is calculated to be unimportant at frequencies above 2 GHz, is probably not the cause of the radio-quiet nature of this quasar in the 5 and 10.7 GHz survey of Strittmatter et al. (1980).
Temperature-dependent Hartree-Fock theory of the impure spin-½ Ising-Heisenberg chain

Hartree-Fock equations for the impure spin-\textonehalf{} Ising-Heisenberg chain are derived by using the Green-function technique in the pseudofermion representation. The self-consistency equations for the ideal spin-\textonehalf{} anisotropic Heisenberg antiferromagnet can be recovered as a specific case of the general formalism developed in the present work. In the case of the nonideal $\mathrm{XXZ}$ chain, a numerical solution of the self-consistency equations is used to describe the Friedel-type boundary on impurity-induced oscillations of the local magnetization considered previously in the spin-\textonehalf{}$\mathrm{XY}$ model.
Reducing percutaneous injuries at an academic health center: a 5-year review.

Abstract Background The University of Connecticut Health Center Employee Health Service collected and used National Surveillance System for Hospital Health Care Workers (NaSH) data to (1) improve surveillance of health care worker blood and body fluid exposures (BBFEs) and (2) target specific interventions for higher-risk groups (nursing staff, medical and dental students, and residents). Methods All 870 BBFE incidents were abstracted from the NaSH database from the 1997 through 2002 academic years. Incidence rates per 100 full-time-equivalent workers were determined for each targeted occupation group with 95% confidence intervals. Results The number of percutaneous injuries declined among medical/dental students and nursing staff, and to a lesser degree for residents. The incidence rates decreased from 7.9% in 2000 to 2001 to 2.6% in 2001 to 2002 for students and from 9.2% in 1997 to 1998 to 2.7% in 2001 to 2002 for nursing staff. Conclusions Data from a surveillance database provided guidance for administrative, educational, and engineering control interventions. Active surveillance and periodic review of interventions are important aspects to reduce BBFEs in targeted high-risk occupational groups, especially when the workforce has a high turnover, as is typical in academic health centers.
Ethical decision making: a challenge to college health practitioners

The ability to make sound and effective ethical decisions in daily practice requires continuing education in applied healthcare ethics. This Viewpoint challenges college health professionals to seek opportunities to enhance knowledge and skill in this critical area.
Correlates of Lifestyle: Physical Activity Among South Asian Indian Immigrants

South Asian immigrants are at increased risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes, but little is known about their physical activity patterns. In this cross-sectional study, 110 participants were recruited to describe lifestyle physical activity behavior of this at-risk population. Education (p = .042), global health (p = .045), and self-efficacy (p = .000) had significant positive independent effects on leisure-time physical activity. Depression (p = .035) and waist circumference (p = .012) had significant negative independent effects, and frequency of experiencing discrimination a significant positive independent effect (p = .007) on daily step counts. Culture-sensitive physical activity interventions need to target South Asian Indian immigrants who are less educated, in poor health, concerned about racial discrimination, and have low self-efficacy.
Cytoplasmically "sequestered" wild type p53 protein is resistant to Mdm2-mediated degradation.

The Mdm2 oncoprotein mediates p53 degradation at cytoplasmic proteasomes and is the principal regulator for maintaining low, often undetectable levels of p53 in unstressed cells. However, a subset of human tumors including neuroblastoma constitutively harbor high levels of wild type p53 protein localized to the cytoplasm. Here we show that the abnormal p53 accumulation in such cells is due to a profound resistance to Mdm2-mediated degradation. Overexpression of Mdm2 in neuroblastoma (NB)1cell lines failed to decrease the high steady state levels of endogenous p53. Moreover, exogenous p53, when introduced into these cells, was also resistant to Mdm2-directed degradation. This resistance is not due to a lack of Mdm2 expression in NB cells or a lack of p53-Mdm2 interaction, nor is it due to a deficiency in the ubiquitination state of p53 or proteasome dysfunction. Instead, Mdm2-resistant p53 from NB cells is associated with covalent modification of p53 and masking of the modification-sensitive PAb 421 epitope. This system provides evidence for an important level of regulation of Mdm2-directed p53 destruction in vivo that is linked to p53 modification.
The Effect of Curriculum, Coaching, and Professional Development on Prekindergarten Children's Literacy Achievement

Disadvantaged children—those in poverty, minorities, or whose first language is not English—often come to kindergarten several years behind their more advantaged peers, especially in the areas of literacy and oral language development. A logical place to begin making a difference in children's literate lives is in the years before kindergarten. This study empirically assessed one community's efforts to close this gap for its youngest children. Over a 3-year period, a grassroots venture consisting of business, university and public school personnel provided teachers in 22 California state preschool classrooms with a literacy-rich curriculum, weekly support from a literacy coach and professional development on early literacy acquisition and instruction. Baseline scores collected the year prior to the implementation of this project were compared to end-of-year scores for two experimental condition cohort groups (Year 1 and Year 2 of the project). These data reveal that children exposed to the literacy curric...
Receptor Epitope Usage by an Interleukin-5 Mimetic Peptide

The cyclic peptide AF17121 is a library-derived antagonist for human interleukin-5 (IL5) receptor alpha (IL5Ralpha) and inhibits IL5 activity. Our previous results have demonstrated that the sixth arginine residue of the peptide is crucial for the inhibitory effect and that several acidic residues in the N- and C-terminal regions also make a contribution, although to a lesser extent (Ruchala, P., Varadi, G., Ishino, T., Scibek, J., Bhattacharya, M., Urbina, C., Van Ryk, D., Uings, I., and Chaiken, I. (2004) Biopolymers 73, 556-568). However, the recognition mechanism of the receptor has remained unresolved. In this study, AF17121 was fused to thioredoxin by recombinant DNA techniques and examined for IL5Ralpha interaction using a surface plasmon resonance biosensor method. Kinetic analysis revealed that the dissociation rate of the peptide.receptor complex is comparable with that of the cytokine.receptor complex. The fusion peptide competed with IL5 for both biological function and interaction with IL5Ralpha, indicating that the binding sites on the receptor are shared by AF17121 and IL5. To define the epitope residues for AF17121, we defined its binding footprint on IL5Ralpha by alanine substitution of Asp(55), Asp(56), Glu(58), Lys(186), Arg(188), and Arg(297) of the receptor. Marked effects on the interaction were observed in all three fibronectin type III domains of IL5Ralpha, in particular Asp(55), Arg(188), and Arg(297) in the D1, D2, and D3 domains, respectively. This footprint represents a significant subset of that for IL5 binding. The fact that AF17121 mimics the receptor binding capability of IL5 but antagonizes biological function evokes several models for how IL5 induces activation of the multisubunit receptor system.
Chinese and Japanese investment in Southeast and South Asia: case studies of the electronics and automobile industries

Abstract This article uses extensive fieldwork data to focus on the question of how Chinese and Japanese companies are competing in neighboring countries of Asia, and what economic forces will shape their future growth in the region. It begins by briefly discussing the history of Chinese and Japanese investment in the South and Southeast Asian regions. It traces the development of Japanese overseas investment policies, as well as China's more recent ‘Going Out’ government program to encourage overseas flows of capital. It then builds on prior political economy work as it uses case study focuses, with primary data based on the author's fieldwork research in several nations of Southeast Asia and in India, of the two key sectors of automobiles and electronics. It compares and contrasts the investment strategies of companies from each country, as well as the successes and failures of investments in the industries. It finds that Japanese companies’ advantages lie in industries utilizing advanced technology and...
Ambrosia johnstoniorum (Asteraceae), a new species of ragweed from the Chihuahuan desert.

Ambrosia johnstoniorum is described from two collections of I. M. Johnston from central Coahuila. The taxon has a distinctive assortment of characteristics and appears most closely related toAmbrosia nivea (Robins. & Fern.) Payne of northern Chihuahua.
Inventory system costs: Source data for analysis

Abstract This paper presents a scheme of inventory system cost classification and a set of equations for separating the fixed and variable components of the costs. The purpose of classifying the costs is to enable system improvements through cost analysis and to suggest a format for cost data storage in an automatic data collection environment.
Order completions of Archimedean Riesz spaces andl-groups

It is well-known that every Archimedean Riesz space (vector lattice) can be embedded in a certain “minimal” Dedekind complete Riesz space (itsDedekind completion) and that this space is essentially unique. There are other nice properties that a Riesz space can enjoy besides Dedekind completeness; for example, the projection property, the principal projection property,σ-Dedekind completeness, and (relative) uniform completeness. It is shown that every Archimedean Riesz space has an essentially unique completion with respect to each of these properties. These completions can be viewed as universal objects in appropriate categories. As such, their uniqueness is obvious (universal objects are always unique), and their existence can be demonstrated very simply by working within the Dedekind completion. This approach is free of clutter since all it needs is theexistence of the Dedekind completion, and not its particular form (which can be quite complicated). By using the same methods within the universal completion, we can isolate further order completions; in a sense, every possible order completion can be obtained in this way, since the universal completion is the largest Riesz space in which the original space is order dense. As an added bonus, all of our results apply equally well to Archimedeanl-groups.
14C AMS quantification of biomolecular interactions using microbore and plate separations

AMS sensitivity arises from the direct counting of radioisotopes without interference from molecular isobars. No chemical or physical information other than a bulk isotope ratio is available from the usual AMS instrument. Chemical or biological significance of the isotope ratio depends on the definition of the sample prior to conversion to material used in the ion source. The authors use AMS to quantify biochemical interactions between labeled xenobiotics and their potential targets of toxicity. These potential target molecules are separated and defined by various types of plate and microbore separations, including thin layer chromatography (TLC), high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and gel electrophoresis (GE) in quantifying the binding of {sup 14}C-labeled compounds to specific DNA and protein fragments. They discuss their methods of using these microbore and plate separations of biomolecules while controlling contamination from {sup 14}C in laboratory equipment and give examples.
Interaction of plasticizers with PVC: Phase behavior and thermomechanical properties of plasticized PVC

The hypothesis that plasticizer phase separation broadens glass transition temperatures when the temperature of a PVC/plasticizer formulation is raised was tested using dynamic mechanical analysis and NMR. NMR is a reasonable tool for detecting the phases. Phase separation in the vicinity of Tg is an explanation for the broadening of the transition region. But a variety of behavior is possible depending on the details of the measurement of Tg and on the thermal history of the sample. Phase separation broadening is in addition to the broadening caused by changes in the dimensionality of the damped Debye lattice described by Tobolsky.
Dual loop control for eliminating DC-bias in a DC-DC dual active bridge converter

In bi-directional dual active bridge (DAB) converters, non-ideal behavior of the system components can lead to dc bias in the converter which results in magnetic saturation of the high frequency transformer. This paper proposes adding an extra control loop to overcome this problem. A simulation model has been developed to compare the operation of the converter with ideal and non-ideal components. The results with the extra loop applied to eliminate dc offsets have been shown. Experimental results have been presented to support the simulation results.
Viral sensitivity of cell cultures maintained with skim milk medium.

Summary(1) Comparative titrations of 22 virus strains were performed to determine sensitivity of cell cultures maintained with skim milk medium. Infectivity titers of tested strains of polio, echo, coxsackie, influenza, herpes, measles and vaccinia viruses in pressence of skim milk medium were equal to or greater than those employing the established maintenance medium. Lower titers obtained with adenovirus in skim milk medium were attributed to a cell-mediated effect. (2) The results indicate that skim milk medium is free of inhibitor for infectivity and permits full sensitivity to infection by most of the viruses tested.
Semi-empirical model for penning and associative ionization: Velocity dependence and branching ratios for Ne(3P2,0) collisions with Ar, Kr, and Xe

Abstract A two-state; impact parameter model is developed to provide a comprehensive description of Penning and associative ionization. It is used to fit recent experimental results at low velocities and to predict branching ratios. The model indicates that the interaction leading to ionization is short-ranged.
Comparison of faculty, peer, self, and nurse assessment of obstetrics and gynecology residents

This project was undertaken to determine if the addition of peer, self, and nurse evaluators would enhance faculty assessment of resident performance. An evaluation form was developed that contained 16 items under three major headings: clinical competency, interpersonal skills, and overall assessment. These forms were distributed to the 16 residents in our program, and the residents were asked to complete an evaluation form on themselves and their 15 peers. Evaluation forms were also distributed to all 14 clinical faculty members and to six members of the Obstetrics and Gynecology nursing staff. Intraclass correlation coefficients were determined for each rating group, and using the attending ratings as the gold standard, Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine correlations between groups of raters. The reliability of faculty ratings was good to excellent, whereas resident ratings showed excellent reliability for all three measured variables. Ratings provided by the nurses were the least reliable of the groups rating the residents. Compared with attending ratings, the peer ratings showed significant positive linear relationships in all categories evaluated. There was a low degree of correlation between attending and self-evaluations and attending and nurse evaluations. This small study supports the use of peer evaluations in addition to attending evaluations for Obstetrics and Gynecology residents in training. It also demonstrates that our residents may benefit from doing self-evaluations to improve their ability to honestly appraise their clinical and interpersonal skills.
Orbits and Photometry of Pluto's Satellites: Charon, S/2005 P1, and S/2005 P2

We present new astrometry of Pluto's three satellites from images taken of the Pluto system during 2002-2003 with the High Resolution Camera mode of the Advanced Camera for Surveys instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations were designed to produce an albedo map of Pluto, but they also contain images of Charon and the two recently discovered satellites S/2005 P1 and S/2005 P2. Orbits fitted to all three satellites are nearly coplanar and for Charon and P2 have eccentricities consistent with zero. The orbit of the outermost satellite, P1, has a significant eccentricity of 0.0052 ± 0.0011. Orbital periods of P1, P2, and Charon are 38.2065 ± 0.0014, 24.8562 ± 00013, and 6.3872304 ± 0.0000011 days, respectively. The total system mass based on Charon's orbit is × 1022 kg. We confirm previous results that orbital periods are close to the ratio of 6 : 4 : 1 (P1 : P2 : Charon), indicative of mean-motion resonances, but our results formally preclude precise integer period ratios. The orbits of P1 and P2, being about the barycenter rather than Pluto, enable us to measure the Charon-to-Pluto mass ratio as 0.1165 ± 0.0055. This new mass ratio implies a density of 1.65 ± 0.06 g cm-3 for Charon (603.6 km radius) and 2.03 ± 0.06 g cm-3 for Pluto (1153 km radius), thus adding confirmation that Charon is significantly less dense than Pluto. Finally, by stacking all images we can extract globally averaged photometry. P1 has a mean opposition magnitude of V = 24.39 ± 0.09 and a color of (B - V) = 0.64 ± 0.12. P2 has a mean opposition magnitude of V = 24.55 ± 0.10 and a color of (B - V) = 0.91 ± 0.15.
Image features in medical vibro-acoustography: in vitro and in vivo results.

Vibro-acoustography is an imaging method based on audio-frequency harmonic vibrations induced in the object by the radiation force of focused ultrasound. The purpose of this study is to investigate features of vibro-acoustography images and manifestation of various tissue structures and calcifications in such images. Our motivation for this study is to pave the way for further in vitro and in vivo applications of vibro-acoustography. Here, vibro-acoustography images of excised prostate and in vivo breast are presented and compared with images obtained with other modalities. Resulting vibro-acoustography images obtained with a 3 MHz ultrasound transducer and at a vibration frequency of 50–60 kHz show soft tissue structures, tissue borders, and microcalcifications with high contrast, high resolution, and no speckle. It is concluded that vibro-acoustography offers features that may be valuable for diagnostic purposes.