cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Why Law Firms Collapse

Law firms don’t just go bankrupt – they collapse. Like Dewey & LeBoeuf and Bingham McCutchen, law firms often go from apparent health to liquidation in a matter of months or even days and they never manage to reorganize their debts in bankruptcy and survive. This pattern is puzzling, especially because it is strangely out of proportion to law firms’ actual financial distress. Most collapsed firms have remained profitable up through the days they dissolved. Drawing on an informal review of every large law firm collapse in the last thirty years, I look for an explanation in law firms’ organizational structures. Law firms are fragile because they are vulnerable to partner runs: When one partner withdraws, she damages the firm, causing still other partners to withdraw, which further damages the firm, and so on. These runs gather momentum from several aspects of law firm structure. The main one is that law firms are owned by their partners, rather than by investors. Partner ownership forces partners into a race for the exits, because it promises brutal financial punishment to partners who stay. As owners, partners directly suffer the decline in profits caused by other partners’ withdrawals and they face extensive personal liability if they stay until their firms dissolve. These forces naturally make a firm’s partners more likely to leave once others have already left. This structure-based theory offers many insights. It tells us that law firms can often collapse inefficiently. It also tells us which firms are most vulnerable and how we can stop them from falling apart.
SOME BIOCLIMATIC ISSUES IN THE DESIGN OF OCEAN FRONT COMMUNITIES: THE EXAMPLE OF “OLD” MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA, USA

ABSTRACT This paper examines the bioclimatic impact of site planning and platting decisions made during the early development of the seaside City of (South) Miami Beach, Fla. USA at the turn of the century which has since evolved to become 1) an international tourist resort destination, 2) a large permanent residential community for a predominantly elderly retired population, and 3) the recently designated and first twentieth century historic district. This community fronts the Atlantic Ocean and is situated in a sub tropical, hot and humid zone. The evolutionary adaptation of selected building typologies to the original land platting patterns are presented from a ventilative, daylighting and shading standpoint. The social utilization of the outdoors is very pronounced. These structures represent local vernacular examples which were created in the pre-air conditioning era of USA construction prior to World War II. The architecture which evolved beyond original platting intentions addressed climatic issues. The potential exists to maximize passive energy benefits from a more thoughtful and comprehensive approach to land organization (platting) in relation to desired building typologies in the planning of seaside communities. Current applications and impacts from ocean front developments generally offer completely opposite and negative results.
A Review of Coastal States’ Comments on BOEM’s Outer Continental Shelf Draft 5-Year Program

AbstractFederal law gives states an important voice and role in defining the Outer Continental Shelf 5-Year Lease Program. This article reviews selected written state responses to the Trump Administrations Draft 2019–2024 Draft Program issued by Bureau of Ocean Energy Management pursuant to President Trump’s April 28, 2017 “Implementing an America-First Offshore Energy Strategy” Executive Order. The states’ comments outline the contours of the upcoming political and court battles over the 5-year program. In addition, the comments illustrate how stakeholders use a variety of legal arguments and policy developments to influence ocean use.
Usefulness of Intra-aortic Balloon Pump in Patients With Cardiogenic Shock.

Predictors of survival in cardiogenic shock (CS) treated with intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP) are not clearly understood. In this retrospective study, we sought to evaluate patient characteristics and impact of timing of IABP in treatment of CS. Patients presenting to the Yale New Haven Hospital in CS who received IABP between February 2013 and April 2017 were included in the study. We assessed baseline characteristics and clinical predictors of 30-day mortality. Hundred ninety-three (n = 193) patients were included in this study. Mean age was 68.8 ± 14.5 years. Thirty percent (30%) were women, 38% had cardiac arrest, and left ventricular ejection fraction was 33.7 ± 14.9%. Overall 30-day mortality was 36%. Thirty-day mortality was 24% when IABP was placed within less than 1 hour of onset of CS versus 49% when implanted ≥1 hour after recognition of CS (p = 0.001). Mortality was 18%, 21%, 36%, and 74% for patient requiring 0, 1, 2, and 3 or more inotropes after IABP placement (p
A Simple, Inexpensive Method for Using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Photograph Analysis to Quantify Green Color and Enhance Ratings in Field Research Plots

Agricultural small-plot research is necessary to determine pesticide efficacy and develop integrated pest management programs for stakeholders. Many efficacy trials are rated visually using scales ...
Does tranexamic acid really work in an urban US level I trauma center? A single level 1 trauma center’s experience

Abstract Background The use of Tranexamic Acid (TXA) in trauma patients remains controversial. The CRASH II trial, while randomized and prospective, did not include patients suffering from major bleeding. We wanted to examine our population of patients who underwent a massive transfusion protocol (MTP) (greater than 10 Units of packed red blood cells in the first 24 h of admission) to see if those who were undergoing massive transfusion and received TXA had any benefit in mortality. Our hypothesis was that massively transfused patients who received TXA and those that did not had no difference in mortality. Methods We performed a single institution retrospective review of our Trauma Registry for all patients who received a massive transfusion between 2010 and 2017. Patients were separated into two cohorts, those who received TXA within the first 24 h of admission and those who did not. The primary outcome of the study was mortality. Secondary outcomes included total blood products transfused, Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT), Pulmonary Embolus (PE), Myocardial Infarction (MI), and cardiac arrest. Results 283 patients received MTP between 2010 and 2017. 179 (63%) did not receive TXA and 104 (37%) were treated with TXA. The groups were then propensity matched and yielded 62 patients in each group (124 total) (ISS 36 ± 12 no TXA vs. 37 ± 13 TXA; p = 0.59). There was no significant difference observed in mortality (50% no TXA vs. 39% TXA; p = 0.21), total PRBC’s transfused (20 ± 11 no TXA vs. 23 ± 18 TXA; p = 0.45), DVT (8% no TXA vs. 6% TXA; p = 0.99), PE (2% no TXA vs. 3% TXA; p = 0.99), MI (3% no TXA vs. 0% TXA; p = 0.50), or cardiac arrest (26% no TXA vs. 18% TXA; p = 0.28). Conclusion There does not appear to be any benefit to TXA administration in Trauma Patients in our institution. This is a single-center retrospective review. More data from other similar centers in the region or the United States is warranted.
Opioid Requirement following Arthroscopic Knee Surgery: Are There Predictive Factors Associated with Long-Term Use

The purpose of this study is to identify patterns of postoperative narcotic use and determine the impact of psychosocial and perioperative factors on postoperative opioid consumption following arthroscopic knee surgery. Fifty consecutive patients undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery were prospectively enrolled. Patients were contacted via telephone at 1 week postoperatively to report their pain level and opioid consumption. The patient was contacted again at 2 weeks, 4 weeks, and 90 days as necessary until opioid cessation, at which time the patient's plan for unused pills was inquired. Opioid consumption was compared using t-tests and one-way analysis of variance for demographic and surgical factors. Linear regression was used to determine whether the Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), Resilience Scale (RS-11), International Knee Documentation Committee questionnaire, or patient-reported pain at 1 week predicted higher opioid consumption. The average morphine equivalent dose of opioid consumption was 142 mg. Sixty-four percent consumed less than 100 mg, and 68% discontinued opioid use by 1 week postoperatively. Seventy-four percent reported surplus pills, and 49% of those patients plans for pill disposal. Factors associated with higher consumption included undergoing a major procedure, having a regional anesthesia block, and higher area deprivation index score (p
Employment and Unemployment Rates of People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired: Estimates from Multiple Sources:

Introduction:We examined four sources of data to evaluate the employment status of people with visual impairments, including their current status and a comparison with previous years.Methods:Data f...
A least-squares formulation of the Moving Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Method with Interface Condition Enforcement

Abstract A least-squares formulation of the Moving Discontinuous Galerkin Finite Element Method with Interface Condition Enforcement (LS-MDG-ICE) is presented. This method combines MDG-ICE, which uses a weak formulation that separately enforces a conservation law and the corresponding interface condition and treats the discrete geometry as a variable, with the Discontinuous Petrov–Galerkin (DPG) methodology of Demkowicz and Gopalakrishnan to systematically generate optimal test functions from the trial spaces of both the discrete flow field and discrete geometry. For inviscid flows, LS-MDG-ICE detects and fits a priori unknown interfaces, including shocks. For convection-dominated diffusion, LS-MDG-ICE resolves internal layers, e.g., viscous shocks, and boundary layers using anisotropic curvilinear r -adaptivity in which high-order shape representations are anisotropically adapted to accurately resolve the flow field. As such, LS-MDG-ICE solutions are oscillation-free, regardless of the grid resolution and polynomial degree. Finally, for both linear and nonlinear problems in one dimension, LS-MDG-ICE is shown to achieve optimal-order convergence of the L 2 solution error with respect to the exact solution when the discrete geometry is fixed and super-optimal convergence when the discrete geometry is treated as a variable.
Transient Simulation of Grid-Feeding Converter System for Stability Studies Using Frequency Response Optimized Integrators.

A grid-feeding converter system is added to a novel power system transient simulation scheme based on frequency response optimized integrators considering second order derivative. The converter system and its implementation in the simulation scheme are detailed. Case studies verify the accuracy and efficiency of the simulation scheme. Furthermore, this paper proposes and justifies extending the simulation scheme by integrating commonly used numerical integrators considering first order derivative for part of the studied system. The proposed extension has an insignificant impact on the accuracy of the simulation scheme while significantly enhancing its efficiency. It also reduces the development burden in adding new devices.
Optical spectroscopy and X-ray detections of a sample of quasars and AGN selected in the mid-infrared from two Spitzer wide-area surveys

We present optical spectroscopy of a sample of 77 luminous AGN and quasars selected on the basis of their mid-infrared colors. Our objects are selected from the Spitzer Extragalactic First Look Survey and SWIRE XMM-LSS fields, with a typical 24mu flux density of 5mJy. The median redshift is 0.6, with a range of ~0.05-4. Only 33% (25/77) of these objects are normal type-1 quasars, with no obscuration. 44% (34/77) are type-2 objects, with high-ionization, narrow emission lines, 14% (11/77) are dust-reddened type-1 quasars, showing broad lines but a dust-reddened or unusually weak quasar continuum. 9% (7/77) show no sign of an AGN in the optical spectrum, having either starburst spectra or spectra which could be of either starburst or LINER types. These latter objects are analogous to the X-ray detected population of AGN with weak or non-existent optical AGN emission (the ``XBONGs''). 21 of our objects from the SWIRE field fall within moderately-deep XMM exposures. All the unobscured quasars, and about half the obscured quasars are detected in these exposures. This sample, when taken together with other samples of Spitzer selected AGN and quasars, and results from X-ray studies, confirms that obscured AGN dominate the AGN and quasar number counts of all rapidly-accreting supermassive black hole systems, at least for z~<4. This implies a high radiative efficiency for the black hole accretion process.
The Stairway to Antibiotic Heaven: A Scaffolded Video Series on Empiric Antibiotic Selection for Fourth-Year Medical Students.

Introduction Inappropriate antibiotic use and spread of resistance is a well-known problem, and medical students have indicated they want additional education on appropriate use of antimicrobials. ...
Progression of Vasculopathy in Young Individuals with Turner Syndrome.

Vasculopathy has been identified in young individuals with Turner syndrome (TS). No studies in young individuals with TS have investigated whether this vasculopathy progresses over time. The objective of this study is to describe the changes in vasculopathy over time in a cohort of young individuals with TS. Repeat ultrasound and SphygmoCor CPV® (AtCor Medical) measurements of carotid thickness and peripheral arterial stiffness were performed. Vascular measurements were compared at baseline and follow-up. Follow-up measurements were also compared to historical lean (L) and obese (O) age-, race-, and sex-matched non-TS controls. Thirty-five individuals with TS were studied at a mean age of 19.4 years (range, 13.9–27.5). Mean time to follow-up was 7.2 years (range, 7.1–7.8). Carotid intima media thickness increased by 0.03 ± 0.07 mm (p < 0.01) over time, but was less than L and O controls at follow-up. Pulse wave velocity carotid-femoral increased by 0.51 ± 0.86 m/s (p < 0.01) over time, but was similar to L and less than O controls at follow-up. Augmentation index (AIx) remained unchanged (p = 0.09) over time, but was significantly higher at follow-up than both control groups (p < 0.01 for both). There were no identified differences between 45,X and other TS genotypes. We demonstrate evidence of vascular thickening and stiffening over 7 years in a cohort of young individuals with TS, as well as a persistently increased augmentation index compared to L and O non-TS controls. It is unclear whether the increase in vascular structure and function are related to normal aging or if TS is a risk factor. Higher body mass index seems to be a risk factor. Early estrogen replacement and longer exposure to growth hormone therapy need to be further explored as potential protective factors.
Lithium Peroxide Growth in Li–O2 Batteries via Chemical Disproportionation and Electrochemical Mechanisms: A Potential-Dependent Ab Initio Study with Implicit Solvation

The growth of lithium peroxide via Li–air batteries is investigated using an electrochemical cell-free energy model based on density functional theory. The model builds on previous work to incorpor...
Promoting Conceptual Development of the Second Conditional in the Classroom Zone of Proximal Development

Drawing on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory (SCT) and the theory of Instructional Conversation (IC), this study explores the development of L2 learners’ understanding of the second conditional during an IC in an online teaching video made by Macmillan Learning Teaching Education. During the IC, the instructor leads students toward a conceptual understanding of the second conditional by providing appropriate mediation sensitive to the class’s zone of proximal development (ZPD). The transcripts of the IC are analyzed with regard to the amount and type(s) of instructional mediation and the development opportunities created in this type of collaborative interaction. The analysis demonstrates the conceptual and linguistic development among the students in terms of the second conditional and shows the value of IC in creating a ZPD to promote L2 conceptual and linguistic development. In addition, this study raises the awareness of the value of online teaching videos in Sociocultural Theory and teacher education.
‘The More we Wonder’: Union with God, Distance from God, and the Vexing Question of ‘Necessary Reasons’ in Aquinas’s Trinitarian Theology:

Scholars have long noted that there is a tension between the strength of Thomas’s arguments for the Trinity and the limits he places on natural reason. Very few, however, have noted a curious patte...
Predicting Type 2 Diabetes Using Logistic Regression and Machine Learning Approaches.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most common human diseases worldwide and may cause several health-related complications. It is responsible for considerable morbidity, mortality, and economic loss. A timely diagnosis and prediction of this disease could provide patients with an opportunity to take the appropriate preventive and treatment strategies. To improve the understanding of risk factors, we predict type 2 diabetes for Pima Indian women utilizing a logistic regression model and decision tree—a machine learning algorithm. Our analysis finds five main predictors of type 2 diabetes: glucose, pregnancy, body mass index (BMI), diabetes pedigree function, and age. We further explore a classification tree to complement and validate our analysis. The six-fold classification tree indicates glucose, BMI, and age are important factors, while the ten-node tree implies glucose, BMI, pregnancy, diabetes pedigree function, and age as the significant predictors. Our preferred specification yields a prediction accuracy of 78.26% and a cross-validation error rate of 21.74%. We argue that our model can be applied to make a reasonable prediction of type 2 diabetes, and could potentially be used to complement existing preventive measures to curb the incidence of diabetes and reduce associated costs.
Composite Scaffolds from Gelatin and Bone Meal Powder for Tissue Engineering.

Bone tissue engineering offers versatile solutions to broaden clinical options for treating skeletal injuries. However, the variety of robust bone implants and substitutes remains largely uninvestigated. The advancements in hydrogel scaffolds composed of natural polymeric materials and osteoinductive microparticles have shown to be promising solutions in this field. In this study, gelatin methacrylate (GelMA) hydrogels containing bone meal powder (BP) particles were investigated for their osteoinductive capacity. As natural source of the bone mineral, we expect that BP improves the scaffold’s ability to induce mineralization. We characterized the physical properties of GelMA hydrogels containing various BP concentrations (0, 0.5, 5, and 50 mg/mL). The in vitro cellular studies revealed enhanced mechanical performance and the potential to promote the differentiation of pre-osteoblast cells. The in vivo studies demonstrated both promising biocompatibility and biodegradation properties. Overall, the biological and physical properties of this biomaterial is tunable based on BP concentration in GelMA scaffolds. The findings of this study offer a new composite scaffold for bone tissue engineering.
Continuous Matrix Factorizations

Continuous matrix factorizations show great promise in a number of contexts. In this chapter we survey results on continuous matrix factorizations paying particular attention to smooth matrix factorizations of fundamental matrix solutions of linear differential equations and differential-algebraic equations with special emphasis on smooth QR and smooth SVD.
Caval and Iliac Vein Disease

The external iliac vein (EIV) begins at the inguinal ligament and ends anterior to the sacroiliac joint where it joins the internal iliac vein (IIV) to form the common iliac vein (CIV). The IIV is a short vein, formed by its extra- and intrapelvic tributaries. The CIVs join at the right side of the fifth lumbar vertebra to form the IVC. In contrast to the right CIV, which ascends vertically to the IVC, the left CIV takes an almost transverse course and underlies the right common iliac artery, which may compress it against the lumbar spine (May-Thurner syndrome). The IVC takes a cephalic course at the right anterior aspect of the spine, and it passes through the liver and then through the diaphragm at the level of the 10th thoracic vertebra and joins the right atrium at the T9 level.
FDA's Evaluations of GRAS Food Ingredients

Nutritional substances have been the subject of numerous Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) notices that have been voluntarily submitted to FDA via its GRAS Notification Program. FDA's evaluations...
Toward Athletic Reform

(1979). Toward Athletic Reform. Journal of Physical Education and Recreation: Vol. 50, No. 1, pp. 18-48.
Survey and classification of transport layer mobility management schemes

Mobility of Internet hosts allows computing nodes to move between subnets. Mobility can be handled at different layers of the protocol stack, with network and transport layer mobility being the most widely studied. Transport layer mobility can overcome many of the limitations of network layer schemes like mobile IP. Various approaches have been proposed to implement mobility in the transport layer. In this paper, we discuss a number of transport layer mobility schemes, classify them according to their approach, and compare them based on a number of evaluation criteria
Cross-continent development using scrum and XP

This paper presents the experiences gained from adopting XP and later adding a Scrum wrapper in SAS Institute Inc's Danish development department. The paper will highlight our introduction of XP into the development group, modifying the process and negotiating a common set of practices between our group and other closely related groups and how we have applied a Scrum wrapper around our XP-practices 6 months ago.
Robust estimation of 3-D line segments from satellite images for model building and change detection

This paper addresses how to automatically match and reconstruct line segments from multiple satellite images and detect changes in man-made structures by using reconstructed 3-D line segments. We propose a new approach to line reconstruction and use wireframe models to better estimate the actual 3-D geometry by using the incidence relations between reconstructed line segments. Our change detection method is widely applicable as man-made structures are the main focus of most change detection applications. Detection of structural changes in images of the same scene has become a key issue due to a large number of applications in computer vision. Important applications of change detection are video surveillance, urban planning, agricultural analysis and military intelligence (Huertas & Nevatia 1998; Radke et al. 2005). The core problem of change detection is to identify sets of features (pixels, regions, lines, etc.) that are significantly different than previous images of the same scene. Some of the early work on change detection focuses on intensity values of pixels and regions. The main drawback of these methods is their high likelihood to create false alarms in cases where pixel values are affected by viewpoint, illumination, seasonal and atmospheric changes. This is the reason why intensity (pixel and region) based change detection algorithms such as simple differencing methods (Bruzzone & Prieto 2002) and background modeling methods (Stauffer & Grimson 1999) fail in such scenarios. The notion of “important change” varies according to the focus of the application. Generally the main focus is on man-made structures, especially buildings. Considering that most man-made structures consist of 3-D line segments, a change detection system based on modeling the objects in a scene using 3-D line segments is promising because it may provide more accurate and reliable results. In this study we have been interested in developing a line segment based change detection method. This rarely studied approach requires attention to develop more efficient and accurate algorithms that can be generalized to complex problems. In order to make our change detection approach more efficient and accurate, we propose novel techniques for line
Isoelectric focusing of human von Willebrand factor in urea-agarose gels

An analytical technique has been developed for the isoelectric focusing (IEF) of plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF) in agarose gels containing urea. Under these conditions, vWF freely enters the gel and focuses without artifact. The focused vWF is visualized by staining fixed gels with 125I-labeled affinity-purified heterologous antibody. Utilizing a pH gradient of 5.0-6.5, normal vWF in plasma or purified preparations focuses into at least three bands with apparent isoelectric points (pI) between pH 5.7 and 5.9. A reproducible difference in the IEF pattern of vWF has been established between normal plasmas and those of individuals with variant von Willebrand's disease (vWd) type IIA and type IIB. In type IIA, vWF has a distinctly lower pI than normal. This difference may be related to the presence of smaller vWF multimers in IIA plasma because forms of vWF of corresponding size contained in normal cryoprecipitate supernatant have a similar pI. Type IIB von Willebrand factor has a pI intermediate between normal and IIA. Neuraminidase treatment of plasma samples before IEF results in an increase in pI in normal, type IIA, and type IIB vWF. The data suggest that none of the 16 type IIA and 9 IIB plasmas studied here contain significantly decreased amounts of sialic acid.
Recognizing complex events using large margin joint low-level event model

In this paper we address the challenging problem of complex event recognition by using low-level events. In this problem, each complex event is captured by a long video in which several low-level events happen. The dataset contains several videos and due to the large number of videos and complexity of the events, the available annotation for the low-level events is very noisy which makes the detection task even more challenging. To tackle these problems we model the joint relationship between the low-level events in a graph where we consider a node for each low-level event and whenever there is a correlation between two low-level events the graph has an edge between the corresponding nodes. In addition, for decreasing the effect of weak and/or irrelevant low-level event detectors we consider the presence/absence of low-level events as hidden variables and learn a discriminative model by using latent SVM formulation. Using our learned model for the complex event recognition, we can also apply it for improving the detection of the low-level events in video clips which enables us to discover a conceptual description of the video. Thus our model can do complex event recognition and explain a video in terms of low-level events in a single framework. We have evaluated our proposed method over the most challenging multimedia event detection dataset. The experimental results reveals that the proposed method performs well compared to the baseline method. Further, our results of conceptual description of video shows that our model is learned quite well to handle the noisy annotation and surpass the low-level event detectors which are directly trained on the raw features.
Long-term cosmesis and toxicity following 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy in the delivery of accelerated partial breast irradiation

Abstract Purpose To evaluate cosmesis and toxicity in early-stage breast cancer patients treated with adjuvant 3D-CRT who received accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI). Methods and materials From November 2003 to June 2006, 60 breasts on 59 patients were treated with 3-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3D-CRT) APBI. Patients with stage 0, I, or II breast cancer were eligible if a Results At a mean follow-up of 44.3 months (range, 2-94 months), there were 4 cases of grade 3-4 toxicity (7%): 1 patient with mastalgia; 1 patient with mastalgia and fat necrosis; 1 patient with telangiectasia; and 1 patient with fibrosis. There was no statistical correlate between dosimetric parameters and cosmetic outcome. Overall cosmetic outcome was good or excellent in 58 breasts (95%) and "fair to poor" in 3 (5%). There were no local-regional failures; 3 patients failed distantly (5%). Conclusions Accelerated partial breast irradiation using 3D-CRT is safe and the risk of serious chronic side effect is low and acceptable.
CONSTRUCTING IMPACT FACTORS TO MEASURE THE INFLUENCE OF SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT AND LOGISTICS JOURNALS

Data from ten supply chain management and logistics journals are combined with data from the ISI Web of Science database to develop a series of impact factors. The resulting constructed impact factors provide a context for comparing and ranking leading academic supply chain management and logistics journals. They also provide an objective way of comparing the relative influence of supply chain management and logistics journals, as well as a platform for comparing their influence with that of journals in more general fields like management and business.
Results from a new temperature measurement in nuclear reactions

Abstract We discuss results from a new technique for the determination of the temperature of the source of lithium and beryllium fragments produced in nuclear reactions. The technique relies on the variation of the production of the excited states of the nuclei relative to each ground state as a function of temperature. We show that the population of the ground and excited states of 7 Be fragments from the reaction of 8 MeV/A 14 N with C are consistent with thermal equilibrium emission from the compound nucleus and thereby verify the plausibility of the technique. The technique was extended to the production of lithium and beryllium fragments from the reaction of 35 MeV/A 14 N with Ag. The fraction of nuclei produced in excited states was quite small in this reaction, indicative of a low temperature. The idea that the lithium and beryllium fragments are produced in an equilibrated thermal zone in the 35 MeV/A reaction is thus not supported.
Aggregate and organic carbon concentration interrelationships of a Torrertic Paleustoll

Good-quality soil is important for crop production sustainability of agricultural lands. An indicator of soil quality is the soil organic carbon (OC) concentration, which affects the soil dry aggregate (DA) and water-stable aggregate (WSA) size distribution. These, in turn, affect the soil quality. This study was conducted to establish relationships among various DA, WSA, and soil OC variables of a Torrertic Paleustoll (Pullman clay loam) using simple, polynomial, and multiple regression procedures. Samples were obtained from a depth of 0–3 cm of 18 differently managed dryland treatment areas or fields at Bushland, Texas, USA, to determine DA and WSA size distributions and OC concentrations of bulk soil. The water stability and OC of aggregates obtained by dry sieving were determined also. Areas sampled ranged from plots or fields cropped to winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and grain sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) for over 20 years to grasslands converted to cropland in 1994. Of the 110 relationships analyzed, 63 were significant at P ≤ 0.05 and another 23 were related at P levels of 0.10, 0.20, or 0.40. Variables involving the 0.84 to 2.0 mm DAs often were significantly related to various other DA and WSA variables and to soil OC variables, including a positive relationship with bulk soil OC. The DAs in this size range resist erosion by wind. Because of their significant relationship with WSAs, they are important also for maintaining water infiltration, thereby reducing the potential for erosion by water and increasing the potential for greater soil water storage. Practices such as reduced or no-tillage retain crop residues on the soil surface and thereby maintain or enhance surface soil OC concentrations, which enhance the development of DAs in this size range. By inference, these practices, therefore, are important also for maintaining production sustainability of Torrertic Paleustolls such as Pullman clay loam and similar soils.
Fairer Sex or Fairer System? Gender and Corruption Revisited

Two recent influential studies found that larger representations of women in government reduced corruption. Assuming that the observed gender differentials were caused by women's inclinations toward honesty and the common good, both studies advocated increased female participation in government to combat corruption. This study argues that the observed association between gender and corruption is spurious and mainly caused by its context, liberal democracy — a political system that promotes gender equality and better governance. Data favor this "fairer system" thesis. One of the most stunning findings in recent corruption research is the discovery of the negative relationship between women in government and corruption. It is claimed that "higher rates of female participation in government are associated with lower levels of corruption" (Dollar, Fisman & Gatti 2001:427). Why does female participation reduce government corruption? Several plausible explanations based on extant psychological and sociological theories of deviance have been contemplated, although none has been empirically tested. The argument centering on the rule-abiding tendency of women and the rule-breaking proclivity of men follows naturally from models that treat female participation in government as an exogenous factor. Not surprisingly, these studies conclude that "women may have higher standards of ethical behavior and be more concerned with the common good" (Dollar, Fisman & Gatti 2001:427), and that "increasing women's presence in public life can reduce levels of corruption" (Swamy et. al. 2001:26). This study examines the new truism that women make governments more honest. In the first section I review the two studies that form the main source
State Education Finance and Governance Profile: Texas

Population (2007)23,904,380Total K-12 enrollment4,671,493Nonpublic enrollment as% of total enrollment5.0%Current K-12 expenditures per pupil$7,826Public education current expenditures (all governme...
Changing weight-loss expectations: a randomized pilot study.

Abstract Participants in weight-loss programs expect unreasonably large weight losses and believe that such reductions will produce dramatic improvements in their lives. The failure to achieve such benefits may contribute to poor maintenance of lost weight. This randomized pilot study investigated a new cognitive–behavioral intervention designed to modify unrealistic expectations regarding weight loss and its likely impact on appearance, attractiveness, and self-esteem. Twenty-eight overweight and obese young women who completed 10 sessions of standard behavioral weight-loss treatment were randomly assigned to 10 additional sessions of either standard behavioral (SB) treatment or a reformulated cognitive–behavioral (RCB) treatment. At posttreatment, the RCB intervention produced more realistic weight-loss expectations, decreased participants' motivation to lose weight as a means of improving self-confidence, and increased their overall self-esteem, compared with the SB condition (all p's
Outcomes research in pediatric surgery: Part 1: Overview and resources

Outcomes research in pediatric surgery can be defined as the analysis of pediatric surgical outcomes and their predictors at different levels in the health care delivery system. The objectives of this article are to understand the differences between outcomes research and clinical trials as well as to gain familiarity with public multispecialty and specialty-specific databases. The utility of outcomes research extends to benchmarking the quality of care, refinement of management strategies, patient education, and marketing. Assessment of the integration of a new surgical technique into the health care system is best determined by examining a population-based registry, whereas comparative efficacy of surgical procedures is best assessed by randomized clinical trials. In the first part of this 2-part series, an overview and brief outline of available resources for outcomes research in pediatric surgery are reviewed. In part 2, a template is presented on how to structure and design an outcomes research question.
Transgenic sickle cell disease mice have high mortality and dysregulated immune responses after vaccination.

Transgenic sickle cell disease mice have high mortality and dysregulated immune responses after vaccination
glypican-3 controls cellular responses to Bmp4 in limb patterning and skeletal development.

Abstract Glypicans represent a family of six cell surface heparan sulfate proteoglycans in vertebrates. Although no specific in vivo functions have thus far been described for these proteoglycans, spontaneous mutations in the human and induced deletions in the mouse glypican-3 (Gpc3) gene result in severe malformations and both pre- and postnatal overgrowth, known clinically as the Simpson–Golabi–Behmel syndrome (SGBS). Mice carrying mutant alleles of Gpc3 created by either targeted gene disruption or gene trapping display a wide range of phenotypes associated with SGBS including renal cystic dysplasia, ventral wall defects, and skeletal abnormalities that are consistent with the pattern of Gpc3 expression in the mouse embryo. Previous studies in Drosophila have implicated glypicans in the signaling of decapentaplegic, a BMP homolog. Our experiments with mice show a significant relationship between vertebrate BMP signaling and glypican function; GPC3-deficient animals were mated with mice haploinsufficient for bone morphogenetic protein-4 (Bmp4) and their offspring displayed a high penetrance of postaxial polydactyly and rib malformations not observed in either parent strain. This previously unknown link between glypican-3 and BMP4 function provides evidence of a role for glypicans in vertebrate limb patterning and skeletal development and suggests a mechanism for the skeletal defects seen in SGBS.
The genetic diversity of predominant Escherichia coli strains isolated from cattle fed various amounts of hay and grain

When the 16S rDNA of predominant Escherichia coli strains from cattle was digested with HhaI and HaeIII, the strains could be sub-divided into four operational taxonomic units. When genomic DNA was digested with XbaI, strains could be grouped into 24 pulsed-field gel electrophoresis genotypes (>95% Dice similarity) and five clades (>20% Dice similarity). Diet (hay versus grain) and gastrointestinal compartment (rumen versus colon) did not have a large impact on diversity. However, both analyses indicated that the cows (n=2) had different E. coli populations. When all 22 colonic strains were inoculated into a maltose-limited chemostat, only a single genotype persisted. Based on these results, the genetic diversity of E. coli in the cattle is very great and this bacterium can occupy different niches.
Gravimetric and spectrophotometric determination of hexafluoroantimonate with tetraphenylarsonium chloride, nitron and ferroin.

Abstract Two methods are described for the gravimetric determination of the hexafluoroantimonate anion with tetraphenylarsonium chloride and nitron as precipitants. In addition, a spectrophotometric method for this anion with ferroin as reagent is described. Hydrolysis of the anion is avoided by using stock solutions of KSbF 6 in N,N -dimethylformanude and adding these directly to concentrated aqueous solutions of the analytical reagent. Interference studies are included on a number of anions.
Matching Grants and Public Goods: a Closed-Ended Contingent Valuation Experiment:

Matching grants are commonly used to influence the bundle of public goods provided by governments. A contingent valuation experiment was designed to determine the value that individuals place on improved recreational facilities under a matching grant proposal. The experiment provided an opportunity to examine preferences given the public good exists in an active and well-defined market, and the valuation experiment was perceived as meaningful to public policy. The researchers estimated a mean willingness-to-pay for park improvements of $8.30, far less than the implied tax increase of $21 provided by local politicians opposed to the project but nearly double the actual tax increase for the average property owner.
Estimation of total reaction cross sections from elastic scattering data

A study is made of the interaction distance parameters from sharp and smooth cutoff analysis of elastic scattering data. These distance parameters are compared to interaction barrier parameters from analysis of total-reaction-cross-section data. A simple method is proposed for calculation of total reaction cross sections from the empirical parameters.
The retinol dehydrogenase Rdh10 localizes to lipid droplets during acyl ester biosynthesis

Rdh10 catalyzes the first step of all-trans-retinoic acid biogenesis physiologically, conversion of retinol into retinal. We show that Rdh10 associates predominantly with mitochondria/mitochondrial-associated membrane (MAM) in the absence of lipid droplet biosynthesis, but also locates with lipid droplets during acyl ester biosynthesis. Targeting to lipid droplets requires the 32 N-terminal residues, which include a hydrophobic region followed by a net positive charge. Targeting to mitochondria/MAM and/or the stability of Rdh10 require both the N-terminal and the 48 C-terminal hydrophobic residues. Rdh10 behaves similarly to cellular retinol-binding protein, type 1, which also localizes to mitochondria/MAM before lipid droplet synthesis, and associates with lipid droplets during acyl ester synthesis (Jiang, W., and Napoli, J. L. (2012) Biochem. Biophys. Acta 1820, 859–8692). LRAT, an ER protein, also associates with lipid droplets upon acyl ester biosynthesis. Colocalization of Rdh10, Crbp1, and LRAT on lipid droplets suggests a metabolon that mediates retinol homeostasis.
Oxidative Transformation of Triclosan and Chlorophene by Manganese Oxides

The antibacterial agents triclosan (5-chloro-2-(2,4-dichlorophenoxy)phenol) and chlorophene (4-chloro-2-(phenylmethyl)phenol) show similar susceptibility to rapid oxidation by manganese oxides (δ-MnO2 and MnOOH) yielding MnII ions. Both the initial reaction rate and adsorption of triclosan to oxide surfaces increase as pH decreases. The reactions are first-order with respect to the antibacterial agent and MnO2. The apparent reaction orders to H+ were determined to be 0.46 ± 0.03 and 0.50 ± 0.03 for triclosan and chlorophene, respectively. Dissolved metal ions (MnII, ZnII, and CaII) and natural organic matter decrease the reaction rate by competitively adsorbing and reacting with MnO2. Product identification indicates that triclosan and chlorophene oxidation occurs at their phenol moieties and yields primarily coupling and p-(hydro)quinone products. A trace amount of 2,4-dichlorophenol is also produced in triclosan oxidation, suggesting bond-breaking of the ether linkage. The experimental results support t...
Sweeping gas membrane distillation: Numerical simulation of mass and heat transfer in a hollow fiber membrane module

Abstract A hollow fiber MD module was tested at various air and brine flow rates and temperatures. A model based on heat and mass transport was developed to predict permeate production rates. The dependence of permeate production rate on brine temperature, air flow rate and brine flow rate was successfully simulated. Numerical simulations support the selection of membrane characteristics and air and brine flow conditions for optimal performance in water desalination. Condensation was predicted to occur on the air side of the membrane due to saturation of the sweeping gas and is accounted for in the model. In the absence of condensation, temperature profiles in the module could not be predicted correctly. The ratio of length to diameter of the membrane module is of particular significance as it dictates the permeation rate for a specific pore size membrane. Small pores require higher aspect ratios than large pores to obtain the same permeate production rate. The membrane module used in this study has an effective pore size of 0.1 μm, which renders membrane transport the dominant source of mass transfer resistance to through-pore water vapor transport. A module with a larger pore size and appropriate aspect ratio should produce permeate at a significantly higher rate.
Symmetric Oseen flow past a semi-infinite plate and two force singularities

Fur die zweidimensionale, stationare Oseen-Stromung langs einer halb-unendlichen ebenen Platte und zweier zur Platte spiegelbildlich angeordneten Geraden von konzentrierten Kraft-Singularitaten wird eine analytische Losung angegeben. Dieses Ergebnis wird zur vereinfachten Untersuchung der Stromung langs einer halb-unendlichen ebenen Platte und eines symmetrischen Hindernisses benutzt. Es wird auch gezeigt, dass die bekannten Losungen von gewissen Oseen-Stromungsproblemen sich als Spezialfalle aus der neuen Losungsformel ergeben.
NMDA causes release of nitric oxide from rat spinal cord in vitro

Abstract Anatomic studies have localized nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity in the rat spinal cord dorsal horn and intermediolateral cell column. Behavioral and electrophysiologic studies suggest that N -methyl- d -aspartate (NMDA) stimulates nitric oxide synthesis in the dorsal horn. This report describes a novel bioassay to determine directly in vitro whether NMDA causes release of nitric oxide from rat spinal cord. Modified Krebs-Henseleit solution at 26°C was perfused over spinal cord slices from adult male rats, then dropped onto a ring of endothelium-denuded rat aorta. Following preconstriction with phenylephrine, NMDA (10 −10 to 10 −3 M) alone or with other drugs was added to the perfusion solution and vascular tension measured. NMDA-containing solutions applied directly on the preconstricted vessels without exposure to spinal cord tissue had no effect on vessel tone. In contrast, NMDA via the spinal cord perfusion caused concentration-dependent vascular relaxation, which was blocked by MK-801, hemoglobin, methylene blue, and several arginine analogues which inhibit NOS. [ 14 C]citrulline assay suggested NOS in rat spinal cord was non-endothelial in nature. NMDA perfusion of spinal cord slices in vitro causes vascular relaxation in this bioassay due to actions on NMDA receptors and which is consistent with release of nitric oxide. These results support previous anatomical, behavioral, and electrophysiologic studies in rat spinal cord and describe a novel, sensitive, and simple bioassay for nitric oxide release from neural tissue in vitro.
Interactively mitigating visual confusion by using a visual mixing board

This paper presents the idea of a visual mixing board, a new user interface that provides control over the appearance of rendered scientific data in a CAVE [2]. The mixing board controls visibility of the objects contained in the scene. For each type of data in the rendered dataset, the user can control how visually apparent the objects that represent that type of data are. As well as proposing the idea of a visual mixing board, this paper reports that this interface has promise for implementation, as found through a preliminary Wizard of Oz [1] evaluation.