cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Insensitivity to road salt: an advantage for the American bullfrog?

The health of freshwater ecosystems is negatively affected by a multitude of pollutants. In northern latitudes, road deicing agents enter nearby ponds and waterways elevating chloride concentra- tions in winter and spring. Few studies have examined how amphibians respond to road salt contamination and no study has focused on the response of an invasive amphibian. We examined the effects of NaCl, the most commonly used deicing agent, on the embryos and tadpoles of the American bullfrog, Lithobates catesbeianus, a species that is invasive in many regions around the world. In the first experiment, we exposed L. catesbeianus embryos to ecologically relevant levels of chloride for 60 days. The second experiment examined the indirect consequences of chloride contamination by exposing L. catesbeianus tadpoles to dragonfly larvae. Lithobates catesbeianus did not experience reduced survival, growth, or ability to evade predation in elevated chloride concentrations compared to controls. The lack of a response by L. catesbeianus suggests that its population growth will not be negatively impacted by road salt contamination. This result may be good news for L. catesbeianus ,b ut raises concern for sympatric amphibians that have to contend with negative impacts of both chloride contamination and non-native L. catesbeianus.
Accuracy of OECD and IMF Projection

Abstract This paper tests the accuracy of annual forecasts made by the OECD and the IMF of: real GDP growth rate, the GDP deflator, unemployment, and the trade balance. These projections are made for each OECD country, and cover a period of about 25 years. Neither the OECD nor the IMF succeed in forecasting cyclical turning points. But other than that, their projections appear fairly robust and certainly superior to those of a “naive” model.
Electroreductive carboxylation of halobenzenes. Production of p-anisic acid by reduction of p-iodoanisole at mercury in dimethylformamide saturated with carbon dioxide

Abstract In CO 2 -saturated dimethylformamide containing tetramethylammonium perchlorate, cyclic voltammograms for the reduction of p -iodoanisole at mercury exhibit two waves. Electrolytic cleavage of the carbon-iodine bond is responsible for the first wave; p -anisyl radicals and anions are both involved as intermediates, and carbon dioxide appears to exert some catalytic effect on the reduction. At more negative potentials, the second wave seems to be attributable to two processes—reduction of p -anisic acid, which arises from the reaction between carbon dioxide and electrogenerated p -anisyl anions, and one-electron reduction of carbon dioxide itself to form adsorbed radical anions. When large-scale controlled-potential electrolyses of p - iodoanisole are performed at mercury pool cathodes in the presence of carbon dioxide and at potentials between the two cyclic voltammetric waves, the products are p -anisic acid, anisole and bis( p -anisyl)mercury.
The Terminal Pleistocene Extinctions in North America, Hypermorphic Evolution, and the Dynamic Equilibrium Model

Abstract The cause of megafaunal extinctions at the end of the last glaciation has been hotly debated during the last few decades, most recently at the global scale. In North America and elsewhere the debate centers on whether or not human hunters, who seemingly first entered the continent during the extinction period, caused the extinctions through over-hunting. An alternative explanation is that climate change during the terminal Pleistocene radically modified existing habitats and this caused the extinctions. Huston's (1979, 1994) dynamic equilibrium model (DEM) of community species richness provides a theoretical context for explanations of the extinctions in North America and highlights life history characteristics of extinct mammals. These life history traits and associated phenotypes are a seldom-explored line of evidence concerning the causes of the extinctions. In light of life history traits, environmental disturbance is implicated as the proximate cause of the extinctions, but the DEM does not ...
903 IMMUNE COMPLEXES IN DELAYED ONSET FOOD ALLERGY

Circulating immune complexes (CIC) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of adverse reactions to foods. Two immune complex assays, Raji cell and Clq-binding were used to test 25 sera from patients with delayed onset food allergy (DOFA). Raji cells bind CIC via C3, C3b, Clq and Fc-IgG surface receptors. Greater than 40 μg/dl is considered a positive test. A solid phase Clq assay with125 I-Staphylococcus A Protein was also used to measure CIC. The percentage of counts bound by patient's serum was compared to a human cord sera pool; a positive test was > 1.5X. Raji cell assay was positive in 18/25 (72%) of patients with DOFA; 9 of these (36% of total) had > 100 μg/dl - a range commonly observed in patients with SLE. Clq-binding was positive in 13/25 (52%). In 18/25, there were coincident results in both Raji and Clq-binding; in another 4, there was concordance over a wider range, and in 3, there was discordance. In 14 patients with selective IgA deficiency, 8/14 had positive Raji and 6 of these had positive cow's milk precipitins. Leukocyte inhibition factor(LIF) was positive for one or more foods in 10/12 DOFA patients tested. In the 25 DOFA patients, immediate skin tests with foods were positive in 2, and IgE-RAST with foods was positive in 7. Twenty age-matched non-allergic children had negative Raji and Clq-tests These results suggest that IgG immune complexes may be involved in the pathogenesis of DOFA to account for symptoms which may frequently resemble those of serum sickness.
Hemolymph composition of the tobacco budworm, Heliothis virescens f. (Lepidoptera: noctuidae)

Abstract 1. 1. Hemolymph ionic composition was determined in fifth instar Heliothis virescens. 2. 2. Major ions are (mM): K+, 39.3; Na+, 14.9; Ca2+, 5.8; Mg2+, 27.5; P, 34.9 and Cl−, 30.6. Minor elements include (mM): Fe, 0.14; Zn, 0.11; Cu, 0.02 and Mo, 0.01. 3. 3. Hemolymph has an osmotic pressure of 340.8 mosm and a pH of 6.5. PCO2 and PO2 are 18.3 and 29.9 mmHg, respectively (25°C); bicarbonate content is 1.8mM. 4. 4. A physiological saline based on these analyses consists of (mM): K+, 39; Na+, 15; Ca2+, 6; Mg2+, 20; HCO3−, 10; HEPES, 10; sucrose, 145; and Cl−, 96. 5. 5. Saline was evaluated for ability to maintain muscle resting potentials and excitatory junction potentials.
Gorge: An African Seaman and his Flights from ‘Freedom’ back to ‘Slavery’ in the Early Nineteenth Century

This essay uses records from one slave's testimony before the Mixed Commission in Rio de Janeiro, along with supporting documents from archives in Lisbon and London, to trace a slave seaman's Atlantic adventures. Two ships upon which the seaman - Gorge - labored were captured by British anti-slaving squadrons. British officials presented Gorge with chances to obtain legal ‘freedom’, first in Freetown and then in Rio. Both times he chose to remain a slave in Brazil. Gorge's choice of slavery reveals much about the limited meanings of slavery and freedom for Africans in Atlantic communities and about the maritime identities that some slaves forged on ships in the era of Atlantic slavery.
Paradigm shifts in perspective III: the discovery of tumor necrosis factor.

With this third installment of the ‘‘Paradigm Shifts in Perspective’’ series, I have chosen to highlight a discovery of immense impact—not only on the field of gastroenterology, but also of enormous importance to the therapy of chronic inflammatory conditions and also to tumor immunology— namely, the discovery of tumor necrosis factor (TNF), as first reported by Carswell et al. in 1975 [1]. As described in her recent memoir [2], Mrs. Carswell-Richards was working in the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York in the laboratory of Lloyd J. Old (Fig. 1) on a project in which they sought to discover a serum factor which necrosed tumors in response to an antigenic challenge with endotoxin, as bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) was then termed:
Self-Assembled Monolayer Mechanism for Corrosion Inhibition of Iron by Imidazolines

Some of the most effective corrosion inhibitors for oil field pipeline applications are the oleic imidazoline (OI) class of molecules. However, the mechanism by which OIs inhibit corrosion is not known. We report atomistic simulations (quantum mechanics and molecular dynamics) designed to elucidate this mechanism. These studies lead to the self-assembled monolayer (SAM) model for corrosion inhibition, which explains the differences in corrosion inhibition efficiency for various OI molecules. The SAM model of OI inhibitors involves the following critical elements: (i) The function of the OI is to form a self-assembled monolayer on the native oxide surface of iron; this serves a protective role by forming a hydrophobic barrier preventing migration of H2O, O2, and electrons to the Fe surface. (ii) The imidazoline head group serves as a sufficiently strong Lewis base to displace H2O from the Lewis acid sites of the iron oxide surface. (iii) These head groups self-assemble on the surface to form an ordered mo...
A descent approach to a class of inverse problems

Abstract In this paper, we consider the solution of a class of ill-posed inverse problems occurring in physics and engineering that require the solution to be nonnegative. An iterative algorithm is presented in which this constraint is taken into consideration directly. The algorithm is applied to a typical problem.
A cognitive-anatomical approach to attention in lexical access

Recent PET studies have suggested a specific anatomy for feature identification, visual word forms and semantic associations. Our studies seek to explore the time course of access to these systems by use of reaction time and scalp electrical recording. Target detection times suggest that different forms of representation are involved in the detection of letter features, feature conjunctions (letters), and words. Feature search is fastest at the fovea and slows symmetrically with greater foveal eccentricity. It is not influenced by lexicality. Detecting a letter case (conjunction) shows a left to right search which differs between words and consonant strings. Analysis of scalp electrical distribution suggest an occipito-temporal distribution for the analysis of visual features (right sided) and for the visual word form discrimination (left sided). These fit with the PET results, and suggest that the feature related analysis begins within the first 100 millisec and the visual word form discriminates words from strings by about 200 msec. Lexical decision instructions can modify the computations found in both frontal and posterior areas.
Purification and characterization of insect toxins derived from the mite, Pyemotes tritici.

Abstract M. D. Tomalski , R. Kutney , W. A. Bruce , M. R. Brown , spM. S. Blum and J. Travis . Purification and characterization of insect toxins derived from the mite, Pyemotes tritici. Toxicon 27, 1151–1167, 1989.—Three low mol. wt proteins which have contracting–paralyzing activity in insects were isolated from extracts of the straw itch mite, Pyemotes tritici . One of these toxins, referred to as TxP-I, was purified to apparent homogeneity using the following sequence: ion-exchange, affinity, hydroxyapatite and reverse-phase chromatography. The other two toxins, referred to as TxP-II, remained as a mixture. Peptide mapping and immunoblot analysis suggest that TxP-I and TxP-II are probably isoproteins. The apparent mol. wt of native TxP-I and of the two components of TxP-II were 27,000, 28,000 and 29,000, respectively. The apparent mol. wt of the toxins after reductive carboxamidomethylation increased to 38,000, 41,000 and 43,000, respectively. The amino acid composition of TxP-I indicates a high content of Cys (8 mole%). Therefore, several disulfide bonds may impart a very compact tertiary structure to this protein which, upon denaturation, unfolds and increases is Stoke's radius resulting in retarded mobility on a polyacrylamide gel. The N -terminal sequence of TxP-I is not homologous with any other protein for which the sequence is known. The paralysis dose 50 of TxP-I ( pd 50 ) in wax moth larvae is ca. 500 μg/kg and it is not toxic to mice at a dose of 50 mg/kg. A polyclonal antibody, raised against TxP-I, reacted with both TxP-I and TxP-II. The antibody neutralized the rapid, muscle-contracting paralysis of these toxins. Using this antibody and immunocytochemistry, we found the toxins localized in posterior glands which appear to be connected with the stylet through a series of ducts. We conclude that TxP-I and TxP-II are part of a complex mixture of neurotoxins which P. tritici utilizes to capture prey.
Nonlinear Optical Susceptibilities in Group-IV and III-V Semiconductors

The contribution of the valence electrons to the nonlinear optical susceptibilities may be estimated on the basis of simple tetrahedral bonding orbitals. The coefficient for second-harmonic generation in III-V compounds is in satisfactory agreement with the theoretical estimate. The same model contributes to the third-order nonlinearity, which describes scattering processes between four light waves. Again reasonable agreement is obtained with data for combination frequency generation in Si and Ge. The much larger effects in $n$-type InAs and InSb are due to conduction electrons. Their contribution has been calculated exactly under the assumption of Kane's theory for the band structure. The contribution of the valence electrons is, however, not negligible.
Stuck in Place: Urban Neighborhoods and the End of Progress Toward Racial Equality, by Sharkey, P.

Since William Julius Wilson published his seminal book, The Truly Disadvantaged (1987), in the late 1980s, numerous efforts have been made to address why poverty is persistently concentrated in som...
How many polyps are there

Background Frequently, there is disagreement between consecutive endoscopies about the true number of mucosal lesions. Objective To develop a simple means to estimate the total number of mucosal lesions and the number of lesions missed during consecutive endoscopies. Design Probability modeling of endoscopic outcomes. Patients Subjects undergoing 2 consecutive endoscopies. Main Outcome Measurements Total number of mucosal lesions and number of missed lesions. Results If a represents the number of lesions seen by the first endoscopist, b the number of lesions seen by the second endoscopist, and c the number of identical lesions seen by both, then the total number of lesions is given by T = ab / c , and the number of lesions missed by both is given by M = ( a − c )( b − c )/ c . The estimated numbers for all lesions and for missed lesions increase as the number of identical lesions seen by both endoscopists decreases. If the number of identical lesions seen by both endoscopists matches the number of lesions found by any one endoscopist, the numbers of estimated and found polyps are identical and the number of missed polyps equals zero. Limitations The analysis assumes that both endoscopists work independently of each other and are equally qualified. The formulas also fail to account for varying characteristics of similar lesions. Conclusion The analysis presents a simple, unbiased means to estimate the total number of mucosal lesions if 2 consecutive endoscopies yield slightly conflicting results.
Transient thermoelastic contact problem of two sliding half-planes

Abstract A transient contact problem with frictional heating for two sliding halfplanes is considered. One of the half-planes is slightly rounded to give a hertzian initial pressure distribution; the other is a rigid non-conductor. It is shown that if the ratio of initial width of contact to the width in the steady state is less than some critical value, the contact area shrinks smoothly until the steady state is reached. Otherwise the pressure distribution develops a wavy perturbation and eventually bifurcates. Results are compared with previous approximate solutions.
A Monetary Model of a Shortage Economy

During the transition from centrally planned economies to market economies, many countries have experienced macroeconomic instability. This paper develops a monetary model to show how macroeconomic stability and instability can materialize in a rigidly planned economy with inherent structural imbalances and an irrational price system. The study shows that, without hardening enterprise budget constraints, wage and price liberalization may destabilize an economy and lead to persistent budget deficits and inflation. The paper also analyzes household savings and money demand in a shortage economy, clarifying the somewhat confusing concept of "monetary overhang" in the literature.
Improved tools for DNA comparison and clustering

DNA sequence clustering is an effective aid of the comprehension, summarization and compression of DNA sequence databases. Previous work created programs suitable for the comparison and clustering of cDNA sequences but new enhanced programs have been written to cluster genomic DNA fragments, large EST projects, and entire DNA databases. Three new programs (ICAtools) are discussed: ICAass, N2tool, and ICAmatches. ICAass has been used to compress the EMBL database by hiding or removing sequences with various degrees of redundancy. It also has the fastest database querying mode. N2tool provides fast and sensitive clustering of genomic fragment databases on the basis of small areas of local similarity. N2tool has proven utility in the discovery of contaminating vector or other artefactual sequence when the potential contaminant is not otherwise known. ICAmatches is a new cluster analysis program that uses a novel alignment style to present multiple alignment summaries. All the tools are convenient to use because they share a common memory-frugal index format and accept most DNA sequence formats directly.
A unique feeding method by a teleost fish, the fourhorn poacher Hypsagonus quadricornis (Agonidae).

Fish rarely move inanimate objects when seeking prey, and those few that employ such foraging strategies typically use the mouth to grasp materials. The fourhorn poacher (Hypsagonus quadricornis), a benthic North Pacific species, displays a unique ability to manipulate objects and uncover prey by a method that does not involve the mouth. Rocks and shells are lifted and overturned using the fingerlike, free rays of the pectoral fins, leaving the mouth available for
Identifying and mitigating bias in next-generation sequencing methods for chromatin biology

Next-generation sequencing (NGS) technologies have been used in diverse ways to investigate various aspects of chromatin biology by identifying genomic loci that are bound by transcription factors, occupied by nucleosomes or accessible to nuclease cleavage, or loci that physically interact with remote genomic loci. However, reaching sound biological conclusions from such NGS enrichment profiles requires many potential biases to be taken into account. In this Review, we discuss common ways in which biases may be introduced into NGS chromatin profiling data, approaches to diagnose these biases and analytical techniques to mitigate their effect.
First Comes Cohabitation and then Comes Marriage? A Research Note

Recent evidence indicates an overall retreat from marriage. Cohabitation has contributed to this trend as cohabiting unions are increasingly not resulting in marriage. As an initial step in understanding why some cohabiting couples do not marry, the authors examine factors associated with cohabitors' marriage expectations. The authors focus particularly on the effects of socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity because prior research has suggested that the retreat from marriage in the United States has been more marked among Blacks than among non-Hispanic Whites or Hispanics and also for those of lower socioeconomic status. Using the 1995 National Survey of Family Growth, we find Black cohabiting women have lower odds of expecting marriage. However, for all race and ethnic groups the probability of expecting to marry depends on men's socioeconomic position.
The professionalization of the ‘shoe clerk’

It is a singular honour to be elected President of the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and I amgrateful to the Society for providing me with the opportunity to represent the discipline in thisway.Like no doubt many of my predecessors, I spent some time during my Presidency reading,in some cases for the ﬁrst time, past Presidential addresses to the RSS searching for inspirationand guidance. Anyone doing this will be struck by the diversity of their style and content, but Ihope that they would agree with me that underpinning them all is a single fundamental thread:a passion for the discipline.Many of the addresses have tackled issues that are associated with widening the inﬂuence ofstatistics—essentiallythroughoutreach.Oneaspectofthislaudableobjectivethatisnotalwaysconsideredisthestatisticiansthemselves.Thedisciplineofstatisticsitselfcannotinﬂuence,can-notpersuade,cannotinteract,cannotdesign,cannotanalyseandcannotinterpret.Statisticianscan and do.In his Presidential address Peter Armitage (1983) pointed to the many distinguished statisti-cianswhohadservedasPresidentbeforehimandlikehimhaddeﬁnedtheirdivergencefromtheunity of statistics by being active primarily in medical statistics. Although much of my profes-sional activities over 30 years employed in the pharmaceutical industry are covered by medicalstatistics,Idonotregardmyselfprimarilyasamedicalstatistician.Iamapharmaceuticalstat-isticianandmanyoftheissuesthatareconcernedwiththedevelopmentoftheprofessionofsta-tisticsIseethrougheyescolouredbyworkinginanenvironmentthatisgovernedbyregulations.In my address I want to delve into the professionalization of the pharmaceutical statisticianagainsttwobackdrops.TheﬁrstistheregulatedworldofdrugdevelopmentthatIhavereferredto already and the second is the backdrop of the 20th century’s professionalization project thatwastypiﬁedbyWilensky’s(1964)seminalpaperonthe‘professionalizationofeveryone’—hencethe‘shoeclerk’ofthetitle.Whypickontheshoeclerk?Isingleouttheshoeclerkbecauseithasbeen used as a potential model for the statistician operating in public health by Bross (1974) inparticular to illustrate the relationship to their customers.Bross was intent on highlighting issues for statisticians working in ‘collaborative clinical tri-als’. In particular he was interested in addressing the question of the primary responsibility of
Reaming bone grafting to treat tibial shaft aseptic nonunion after plating.

Purpose. To investigate the effects of using intramedullary reaming to provide cancellous bone graft, and reamed intramedullary nail stabilisation to provide fragment stability on treating tibial shaft aseptic nonunions after plating. Methods. 31 consecutive patients with tibial shaft aseptic nonunions after plating were prospectively treated. Indications for this technique included a tibial shaft nonunion with an inserted plate, a fracture level fit for traditional or locked nail stabilisation, absence of suspected infection and segmental bony defect at the time, and shortening of less than 2 cm. The plate was removed and the marrow cavity was reamed as widely as possible. A stable unlocked or locked intramedullary nail was then inserted. No extra cancellous bone graft was supplemented. Results. 28 patients were followed up for a median period of 2.2 years (range, 1.0–5.2 years). All patients achieved solid union. The median union period was 4.5 months (range, 3.0–7.5 months). There were no significant complications. Conclusion. When reamed intramedullary nails are used to treat tibial shaft aseptic nonunions after plating, supplemented cancellous bone grafting can be spared. Despite the technique being simplified, the success rate is high. We therefore recommend its wide use to treat all suitable cases.
Compatible Triangulations of Spatial Decompositions

We describe a general algorithm to produce compatible 3D triangulations from spatial decompositions. Such triangulations match edges and faces across spatial cell boundaries, solving several problems in graphics and visualization including the crack problem found in adaptive isosurface generation, triangulation of arbitrary grids (including unstructured grids), clipping, and the interval tetrahedrization problem. The algorithm produces compatible triangulations on a cell-by-cell basis, using a modified Delaunay triangulation with a simple point ordering rule to resolve degenerate cases and produce unique triangulations across cell boundaries. The algorithm is naturally parallel since it requires no neighborhood cell information, only a unique, global point numbering. We show application of this algorithm to adaptive contour generation; tetrahedrization of unstructured meshes; clipping and interval volume mesh generation.
Comparison of lidless & overmold flip chip package with 40nm ultra low-k Silicon Technology

Current portable electronic products are driving component packaging towards Flip Chip Packaging Technologies for integrating multiple electrical functionalities. The driver for flip chip continues to be performance and small form factor. This paper evaluates the lidless and molded flip chip packages with 40nm ultra low K (ULK) Silicon Technology. A comparative study on the two package types is carried out showing the effect of substrate core thickness and die thickness on the package coplanarity. Second level solder fatigue life between the two packages are also discussed. Finite Element Method (FEM) is done using various packaging design parameters and material properties for two packages types to study their effect on the key output parameters like stress in ULK Silicon, component and board level reliability.
A new engagement strategy in a VA-based family psychoeducation program

Objective: This brief report describes the engagement strategy used in the Reaching out to Educate and Assist Caring, Healthy Families (REACH) program, a nine-month family psychoeducation program for veterans with serious mental illness or posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Methods: A motivational interviewing–based strategy was created and implemented in a Veterans Affairs hospital to engage providers and veterans and their families into the intervention. Results: Of the 1,539 veterans told about the program, 41% had a family member living nearby and were willing to meet with a provider to learn more. REACH providers met with 505 veterans for a motivational-interviewing session to explore family participation. Of the 436 veterans who were eligible to participate in REACH, 28% of veterans with PTSD, 34% of veterans with an affective disorder, and 25% of veterans with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder went on to participate in at least one session of the REACH program with a family member; these rates compare favorably with those for programs requiring a much shorter commitment. Conclusions: This engagement strategy shows promise as an effective tool in recruiting veterans and their families into family psychoeducation. (Psychiatric Services 60:254–257, 2009)
Origins and terminations of bulbospinal axons that contain serotonin and either enkephalin or substance-P in the North American opossum.

We have shown previously that some enkephalin, substance-P, and serotoninergic neurons in the medullary raphe and adjacent reticular formation project to the spinal cord in the opossum. In the present study we have combined the retrograde transport of True Blue and immunofluorescence histochemistry to determine whether methionine enkephalin or substance-P containing bulbospinal neurons are serotoninergic. Furthermore, we have used the same immunofluorescence protocol to determine whether spinal axons cocontain the same substances. Neurons that immunostained for both enkephalin and serotonin were observed in many brainstem nuclei. However, those that projected to the spinal cord were limited to the nuclei raphe magnus and obscurus, and the ventral part of nucleus reticularis gigantocellularis, pars ventralis. Neurons that immunostained for both substance P and serotonin were fewer in number, but some of the ones in the above nuclei and within the nucleus raphe pallidus, projected to the spinal cord. Spinal axons exhibiting both enkephalin- and serotonin-like immunoreactivity were observed in the superficial laminae of the dorsal horn, lamina X, and the intermediolateral cell column, whereas those showing both substance-P and serotonin-like immunoreactivity were seen primarily in lamina X, the intermediolateral cell column, and the ventral horn. Some of the axons in the ventral horn were in close apposition to presumed motoneurons. Comparison of the above results with those obtained from previous studies of bulbospinal projections has allowed us to infer the origins of axons that innervate different spinal targets.
Testing hypotheses of the evolution of encephalization in the Canidae (Carnivora, Mammalia)

Evolutionary trends observed over large clades have the potential to mask underlying trends that occur within their constituent subclades. A recent study of encephalization in the Caniformia (Carnivora, Mammalia) found evidence for an abrupt increase in median log-encephalization quotients (logEQs), indicating higher brain volume relative to body mass, at the end-Miocene, but gradual increase in the variance of logEQs. In this study, new endocranial volume estimates for fossil taxa in the well-sampled caniform subclade Canidae are reported. Using the encephalization data for the Canidae, hypotheses of evolution in encephalization allometries were tested with respect to canid phylogeny. The Akaike Information Criterion and likelihood ratios recovered support for a preferred hypothesis of the evolution of canid encephalization, which proposed two distinct allometric relationships: (1) a plesiomorphic grade of encephalization in the subfamilies Hesperocyoninae and Borophaginae and the paraphyletic canine genus Leptocyon , and (2) an apomorphic grade in the crown radiation of Caninae. This defines a shift in to higher encephalization, but without an associated change in the variance around the allometry. Increased canid encephalization coincides with a reorganization of the brain and the observed trend may reflect the evolution of complex social behavior in this clade.
Neither Mosquito Saliva nor Immunity to Saliva Has a Detectable Effect on the Infectivity of Plasmodium Sporozoites Injected into Mice

Malaria infection is initiated when a female Anopheles mosquito probing for blood injects saliva, together with sporozoites, into the skin of its mammalian host. Prior studies had suggested that saliva may enhance sporozoite infectivity. Using rodent malaria models (Plasmodium berghei and P. yoelii), we were unable to show that saliva had any detectable effect on sporozoite infectivity. This is encouraging for plans to immunize humans with washed, attenuated P. falciparum sporozoites because many individuals develop cutaneous, hypersensitivity reactions to mosquito saliva after repeated exposure. If washed sporozoites have no appreciable loss of infectivity, they likely do not have decreased immunogenicity; thus, vaccinees are unlikely to develop cutaneous reactions against mosquito saliva during attempted immunization with such sporozoites. Earlier studies also suggested that repeated prior exposure to mosquito saliva reduces infectivity of sporozoites injected by mosquitoes into sensitized hosts. However, our own studies show that prior exposure of mice to saliva had no detectable effect on numbers of sporozoites delivered by infected mosquitoes, the rate of disappearance of these sporozoites from the skin or infectivity of the sporozoites. Under natural conditions, sporozoites are delivered both to individuals who may exhibit cutaneous hypersensitivity to mosquito bite and to others who may have not yet developed such reactivity. It was tempting to hypothesize that differences in responsiveness to mosquito bite by different individuals might modulate the infectivity of sporozoites delivered into a milieu of changes induced by cutaneous hypersensitivity. Our results with rodent malaria models, however, were unable to support such a hypothesis.
Conflicting expertise and uncertainty: Quality assurance in high‐level radioactive waste management

The policy process that takes place in the siting of a high-level nuclear waste repository is marked by political controversy, an open decision-making process, scientific uncertainty, conflicting expert opinion, and high risk in case of system failure. Mandated quality-assurance studies of proposed sites represent high-stakes, high-pressure evaluation that must take a variety of factors into account.
Holistic Healers in the United States and the Changing Health Care Environment

Holistic health care increased in the United States in the 1970s partly as the result of a 'massive crisis' in the health care system. However, the Reagan administration, with its emphasis on reduc...
On estimating percentiles of the Weibull distribution by the linear regression method

Probability estimators developed previously by the authors have been used to obtain unbiased estimates of the Weibull parameters by the linear regression method. Using these unbiased estimators, percentiles of the Weibull distribution have been estimated. Since these percentiles are determined from the estimated parameters, they also have distributions and subsequently are determined for five sample sizes. Analysis has shown that the distributions of these estimated percentiles are neither normal, lognormal, three-parameter Weibull nor three-parameter log-Weibull. A new methodology to estimate the percentile with a specified level of confidence has been introduced. The step-by-step use of the methodology is demonstrated by examples in this paper.
Power Profile Optimization in Phase-Modulated Systems in Presence of Nonlinear Phase Noise

In optical fiber transmission systems using inline amplifiers, the interaction of signal and amplifier noise through the Kerr effect leads to nonlinear (NL) phase noise that impairs detection of phase-modulated signals. We study the minimization of the total phase noise variance (linear, NL, and receiver) by using a power profile along the link that is linear (on a decibel scale) with distance. For DPSK systems with direct detection, a total variance reduction of 65% can be achieved by designing the transmitted power to be about 8 dB higher than the received power in typical terrestrial links. In addition, for a given transmitted power and received power, the optimal power profile along the link is numerically determined
The Host Range of Chronic Wasting Disease Is Altered on Passage in Ferrets

Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a member of the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs), was first identified in captive mule and black-tail deer in 1967. Due to the failure to transmit CWD to rodents, we investigated the use of ferrets (Mustela putorius furo) as a small animal model of CWD. The inoculation of CWD into ferrets resulted in an incubation period of 17-21 months on primary passage that shortened to 5 months by the third ferret passage. The brain tissue of animals inoculated with ferret-passaged CWD exhibited spongiform degeneration and reactive astrocytosis. Western blot analysis of ferret-passaged CWD demonstrated the presence of PrP-res. Unlike mule deer CWD, ferret-passaged CWD was transmissible to Syrian golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Increasing the passage number of CWD in ferrets increased the pathogenicity of the agent for hamsters. This increase in host range of a field isolate on interspecies transmission emphasizes the need for caution when assessing the potential risk of transmission of TSEs, such as bovine spongiform encephalopathy, to new host species.
A Multivariate Model of the Term Structure

THE TERM STRUCTURE OF interest rates has a very important role in economic theory. On the macroeconomic level the term structure serves as a key transmission link between the monetary and real sectors. On the microeconomic level the term structure not only serves as a tool for bond pricing, but the term structure also has an important role in the valuation of most financial claims. The concept of an equilibrium term structure under uncertainty was introduced by Merton [41] in 1973. Since then, Brennan and Schwartz [4, 5], Vasicek [51], Cox, Ingersoll, and Ross [11, 12], Richard [46], Long [33], and Dothan [16] have made important contributions to the theory of the term structure and equilibrium bond pricing. At this time, "closed form" solutions for the equilibrium term structure have been derived in several special, but important, cases where the term structure is generated from univariate or bivariate stochastic processes such as the elastic random walk, geometric random walk, and square root process. However, it is arguable that the term structure of interest rates is embedded in a large macroeconomic system. Hence, it is arguable that there are generally many economic factors which are related to the term structure. The primary objective of this paper is to develop a multivariate model of the term structure that can accommodate an arbitrary number of economic relationships. The model is of a general form and can be linked with many alternative macroeconomic systems. The major assumptions of the model to be developed are that the set of stochastic factors related to the term structure follow a joint elastic random walk, that the instantaneous riskless rate can be represented as a linear combination of the same factors, and that the market prices of risk (corresponding to the different factors) are, at most, time dependent. The resulting model of the term structure can be expressed in a form that is consistent with traditional notions of the term structure. Even with multiple factors, the term structure can always be expressed in a form characterized by expectations of future short-term rates plus a liquidity premium. We will restrict our attention to the pricing of default-free, purediscount bonds. While this special case is of interest in its own right, a model for pricing the default-free, pure-discount bond also plays an important role in pricing default-free coupon bonds, risky pure-discount bonds, and, as Cox, Ingersoll, and Ross show, the valuation of most financial claims [12].
1,2‐polybutadiene complexes with d8 pseudo‐square‐planar transition‐metal salts based on nickel(II), palladium(II), and platinum(II)

The effects of four d8 transition-metal complexes from Group 10 on the thermal, mechanical, optical, and spectroscopic properties of atactic 1,2-polybutadiene are compared, in addition to their ability to induce gelation. Olefin coordination and subsequent metal-catalyzed chemical crosslinking occur much more quickly, and to a greater extent, at ambient temperature with PdCl2(CH3CN)2 than with PtCl2(C6H5CN)2. Alkene side groups in the polymer attack the pseudo-square-planar metal center (i.e., Pd2+ or Pt2+) from above or below the plane of the coordinatively unsaturated low-molecular-weight organometallic complex and displace neutral acetonitrile or benzonitrile ligands via an associative mechanism. Gelation occurs much more quickly with Pd2+ than with Pt2+, and the ambient-temperature elastic modulus of solid polybutadiene/palladium complexes increases significantly, without high-temperature annealing, so that a weak rubbery polymer is transformed into a glass via 3 mol % Pd2+. Alkene functional groups in the side chain of the polymer do not coordinate to bis(dimethyl)glyoximatonickel(II) at ambient temperature because (1) it is difficult to displace anionic dimethylgloxime ligands that are bidentate; (2) these planar nickel complexes with C2h symmetry are stacked along the c axis via interlocking methyl groups on adjacent molecules; and (3) there is a lack of π back-bonding between dxy on Ni(II) and empty π* antibonding orbitals of CC, which typically stabilizes olefin complexes with pseudo-square-planar d8 metal centers. Pseudo-octahedral nickel(II) chloride hexahydrate does not form a complex with the polymer, in agreement with some macroscopic properties of these materials. The observed trend in the transition-metal-modified properties of atactic 1,2-polybutadiene in the solid state and in the gel state is Pd(II) > Pt(II) ≫ Ni(II). © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 2270–2285, 2004
Review: Patricia Bazeley & Lyn Richards (2000). The NVivo Qualitative Project Book

Das Buch von BAZELEY und RICHARDS ist eine Bereicherung sowohl fur Leser(innen), die etwas uber die Verwendung eines spezifischen Software-Programms fur die qualitative Datenanalyse erfahren wollen, als auch fur eher fortgeschrittene Nutzer(innen), die sich z.B. fur Moglichkeiten der Theorieentwicklung interessieren. Die dem Buch beigefugte CD enthalt neben dem eigentlichen Programm einige Beispiele, die der Praxis der Autorinnen entstammen. Die Softwareversion ist zwar betriebsfahig fur die auf der CD angebotenen Beispiele, sie erlaubt allerdings nicht die Arbeit mit eigenen Daten. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0103261
Upper-mantle structures beneath USArray derived from waveform complexity

Tomographic imaging of the crust and upper mantle beneath the western United States has greatly improved with the addition of USArray data. These models display many detailed images of both fast and slow blobs penetrating into the transition zone. To study such features, we apply a newly developed technique, called MultiPath Detector analysis, to the SH waveform data. The method simulates each observed body waveform by performing a decomposition; by [S(t)+C×S(t–Δ_9LR))]/2, where S(t) is the synthetics for a reference model. Time separation Δ_9LR) and amplitude ratio C are needed to obtain a high cross-correlation between a simulated waveform and data. The travel time of the composite waveform relative to the reference model synthetics is defined as Δ_T. A simulated annealing algorithm is used to determine the parameters Δ_(LR) and C. We also record the amplitude ratio (Amp) between the synthetics for the reference model relative to the data. Generally, large Δ_(LR) values are associated with low Amp's. Whereas the conventional tomography yields a travel time correction (Δ_T), our analysis yields an extra parameter (Δ_(LR)), which describes the waveform complexity. With the array, we can construct a mapping of the gradient of Δ_(LR) with complexity patterns. A horizontal structure introduces waveform complexity along the distance profile (in-plane multipathing). An azimuthally orientation Δ_(LR) pattern indicates a vertical structure with out-of-plane multipathing. Using such maps generated from artificial data, we can easily recognize features produced by dipping fast structures and slow structures (DSS). Many of these features display organized waveform complexity that are distinctly directional indicative of dipping sharp-edges. Here, we process the array data for events arriving from various azimuths and construct maps of multipathing patterns. The similarity between tomographic features and complexity maps is striking. When features are dipping such as the slab structures beneath the Cascade Range and Nevada, strong complexity is observed from Southeastern events arriving along these ray paths with split pulses separated up to 6 s for both. This requires extended slab segments to at least 600/300 km with a 4/8 per cent velocity jump along the edges. One of the most dramatic set of DSS observations is associated with a slow northwest dipping conduit beneath Yellowstone that extends into the transition zone. A number of forward modelling experiments are included for the strongest patterns formed by sharpening present tomographic images.
Overshadowing of explicitly unpaired conditioned inhibition is disrupted by preexposure to the overshadowed inhibitor

In two conditioned lick-suppression experiments with rats, the interaction of preexposure to a target stimulus and subsequent overshadowing of conditioned inhibition treatment was examined. Blaisdell, Bristol, Gunther, and Miller (1998) have demonstrated that stimulus preexposure and overshadowing counteract each other in their effects on Pavlovian excitation, producing strong excitatory responding to the target stimulus. In the present experiments, a conditioned inhibition analogue of this effect was examined. Overshadowing of conditioned inhibition (i.e., attenuation of inhibitory control of behavior by the target stimulus) was demonstrated when a more salient stimulus was compounded with the target inhibitor during conditioned inhibition training. However, the overshadowing deficit was attenuated by preexposing the target stimulus prior to overshadowing treatment. To account for this phenomenon, we contrast the comparator hypothesis (Miller & Matzel, 1988) with contemporary models that focus on associative acquisition.
A critique of Saunders' ‘historical evidence for energy efficiency rebound in 30 us sectors’

Abstract A recent article in Technological Forecasting & Social Change presents a calculation of historical rebound effects in thirty sectors of the United States economy over the period 1960–2005 (Saunders 2013). Here, we show that the empirical data set used to generate those findings—a prominent input–output data set developed by Jorgenson (2007)—is not appropriate for the use to which Saunders puts it. Saunders' model requires annual data on the price and quantity of energy consumed by each sector; however, the Jorgenson data are inferred from national prices, not prices observed at the sector level and disaggregated by geographic region. Furthermore, Jorgenson reports average prices, rather than marginal prices; yet the rebound effect is caused by changes in marginal price of energy services. We compare the differences between national prices and sector-specific prices across geographic regions in the United States, demonstrating that Saunders' use of national average energy prices is inappropriate for investigating the rebound effect.
Chat Reference Analysis to Determine Accuracy and Staffing Needs at One Academic Library

This study focuses on the evaluation of one year of chat reference transcripts at the University of Connecticut (UConn) Libraries. Over 3,000 session transcripts were examined and coded to determine type, accuracy, instruction, and escalation of questions received through our chat reference service to identify potential staffing and training needs. The findings reveal that the librarians providing virtual reference services are extremely accurate in their answers (93%), but the type of questions received and the rate of referral to other staff and services indicate a potential need for more and varied staffing and training solutions.