cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Referent status neglect: Winners evaluate themselves favorably even when the competitor is incompetent

People evaluate themselves more favorably when they outperform a referent (downward comparison) than when they underperform a referent (upward comparison). However, research has yet to examine whether people are sensitive to the status of the referent during social comparison. That is, does defeating a highly skilled referent yield more favorable self-evaluations than defeating an unskilled referent? Does losing to an unskilled referent yield less favorable self-evaluations than losing to a skilled referent? To address these questions, participants learned that they performed better or worse than another person (social comparison) who ranked above average or below average (referent status). Social comparison information had a more pronounced influence on self-evaluations than referent status information. Furthermore, consistent with self-enhancement theories, participants selectively highlighted referent status information when it had favorable implications for the self. These findings demonstrate that people neglect referent status information, leading winners to evaluate themselves favorably even when the competitor is incompetent.
Determination of Cache's Capacity and its Matching Storage Hierarchy

The optimum capacity of a cache memory with given access time is determined analytically based upon a model of linear storage hierarchies wherein both the hit ratio function and the device technology-cost function are assumed to be power functions. Explicit formulas for the capacities and access times of the storage levels in the matching hierarchy of required capacity and allowable cost are derived. The optimal number of storage levels in a hierarchy is shown to increase linearly with the logarithm of the ratio of the required hierarchy capacity and the cache capacity.
The Re-Engineering of Heroin: An Emerging Heroin “Cutting” Trend in New York City

The objective of this paper is to identify and to make sense out of changes in the use of adulterants and diluents found in samples of street bags of heroin collected in New York City. An analysis of the ratio of adulterants to diluents was conducted. Findings indicate that a change in the ratio of adulterants to diluents has occurred, notably, an increase in the use of adulterants from 1991-1996. This suggests that foreign producer/distributors and retail sellers are cutting heroin to psychaoctively enhance its' effect. One of the adulterants used (theophylline) has the capability of enhancing the intranasal absorption of heroin into the bloodstream; thereby enhancing the “high” of heroin and possibly hastening dependency. These findings are based on an analysis of 406 chemical assays of street bags of heroin purchased by informants for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Domestic Monitor Purities (DMP) program. In addition, ethnographic observations of injecting drug users (IDUs) and interviews w...
Derivative calculation from finite element solutions

Abstract A technique is considered whereby very accurate derivatives of a finite element solution can be calculated efficiently. It is demonstrated here that most of the necessary quantities for this subsidiary computation are available as computed by-products in the preceding finite element solution procedure. The calculation is shown in this note to be a particular form of a procedure for which superconvergent theoretical error estimates have been proven elsewhere. Numerical experiments confirm the superior accuracy in the computed derivative (stress or flux).
A Mediterranean Dietary Intervention in Persons at High Risk of Colon Cancer: Recruitment and Retention to an Intensive Study Requiring Biopsies

Abstract This study recruited persons at increased risk of colon cancer to an intensive dietary intervention study that required biopsies of the colon by flexible sigmoidoscopy at baseline and after six months of intervention. A total of 1314 individuals contacted the study, and only 16 individuals indicated that the sigmoidoscopy procedure was an obstacle to study participation. A total of 270 individuals completed a screening visit and signed a screening consent form. Inquiries about the study tended to be fewer in the winter and late summer. Failure to return food records was the most common reason for exclusion. Dietary recall at enrollment indicated that subjects were consuming significantly more vegetables, lower sodium and a lower glycemic load on the day before starting the study vs. during the eligibility phase which might have an impact on biomarker measures. This makes it important to capture dietary changes in the period between determination of eligibility and enrollment. Subjects (n = 120) were randomized to follow a Healthy Eating or a Mediterranean Diet, each of which required substantial dietary record-keeping. The study completion rate was 78%, and subjects reported high satisfaction with study participation. Of the 93 individuals who completed the study, only one refused the flexible sigmoidoscopy at the final visit. These findings suggest that flexible sigmoidoscopy does not appear to be a barrier for recruitment of high-risk individuals to an intensive dietary intervention trial, but that completing food records can be.
Corporate image as collective ethos: a poststructuralist approach

This paper discusses the idea of projecting corporate image in terms of culturally regulated codes of appeals by using, mainly, the examples of ad campaigns by some US business companies in the post‐9/11 environment. The image of patriotism those companies are aspiring to suggests corporate imagery can be a shared social phenomenon, i.e. collective ethos, thus raising questions about the traditional approach to corporate imagery, which is summarized as “self‐representation.” The way to build up collective ethos is through Burke’s “identification,” seen as both a strategy and goal of communication. The paper also provides an overview of rhetorical theory on using image as a presentation strategy to explore the reason why it has been treated in history as a way for self‐projection, or representation of a “corporate self.”
How stable is perceived direction of gravity over extended periods in darkness

Previous studies reported linear drift of perceived vertical for brief (≤10 min) observation periods. Here, we repeated estimates of direction of gravity up to 60 min to evaluate whether the drift is sustained, shows saturation or even reverses over time. Fifteen healthy human subjects repetitively adjusted a luminous line along subjective visual vertical (SVV) and horizontal (SVH) over periods of 5 min (constituting one block). We obtained seven blocks within 60 min in each subject for SVV and SVH. In between the first six blocks, subjects remained in darkness for 5 min each, whereas the lights were briefly turned on before block 7. We noted significantly (p < 0.05) increased errors in perceived direction of gravity by block 2 (SVV) and 3 (SVH). These increases disappeared after turning on the lights before block 7. Focusing on blocks 2–6, significant drift started from similar offset positions and pointed to the same direction in a majority of runs in 9/15 (SVV) and 11/15 (SVH) subjects. When pooling data from all blocks, orthogonality of errors was lost in all subjects. Trial-to-trial variability remained stable over the seven runs for SVV and SVH. Only when pooling all runs, precision was significantly (p < 0.05) higher for the SVH. Our findings suggest that perceived direction of gravity continues to fluctuate over extended recording periods with individuals showing unique patterns of direction-specific drift while variability remains stable. As subjects were upright during the entire experiment and as drift persisted over several blocks, sensory adaptation seems unlikely. We therefore favor a central origin of this kind of drift.
Software infrastructure for multi-modal virtual environments

Virtual environment systems, especially those supporting multi-modal interactions require a robust and flexible software infrastructure that supports a wide range of devices, interaction techniques, and target applications. In addition to interactivity needs, a key factor of robustness of the software is the minimization of latency and more importantly, reduction of jitter (the variability of latency). This paper presents a flexible software infrastructure that has demonstrated robustness in initial prototyping. The infrastructure, based on the VESS Libraries from the University of Central Florida, simplifies the task of creating multi-modal virtual environments. Our extensions to VESS include numerous features to support new input and output devices for new sensory modalities and interaction techniques, as well as some control over latency and jitter.
Activation of Dual Apoptotic Pathways in Human Melanocytes and Protection by Survivin

Apoptosis resistance in melanoma is a primary cause of treatment failure. Apoptotic pathways in melanocytes, from which melanoma arises, are poorly characterized. Human melanocytes were susceptible to apoptosis following exposure to UV radiation (UVB, 24–48 hours), 4-tert-butylphenol (4-TBP, 1–4 hours), and cisplatin (24–48 hours). These responses were associated with Bid cleavage, caspase activation (caspases 3, 8, and 9), mitochondrial depolarization and release of cytochrome c, Smac/DIABLO, and apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF), but not endonuclease G. The apoptotic responses and AIF release were caspase-independent, as they were not blocked by zVal-Ala-Asp(OMe)-fluoromethyl ketone (zVAD-fmk). While RNA interference-mediated knockdown of AIF protected melanocytes against apoptosis induced by serum withdrawal, apoptotic responses to UVB, cisplatin, and 4-TBP were not compromised by AIF knockdown, even in the presence of zVAD-fmk. Finally, adenoviral-mediated expression of Survivin, an inhibitor of apoptosis expressed in melanoma but not melanocytes, protected melanocytes against UVB-induced apoptosis. Survivin expression in melanocytes partially blocked caspase activation and release of mitochondrial release of AIF, cytochrome c, and Smac induced by UVB. These data indicate that multiple stimuli can activate both caspase-dependent and caspase-independent apoptotic pathways in melanocytes, and that endogenous expression of Survivin in melanoma may contribute to apoptosis resistance by multiple mechanisms.
Creating a Community of Practice Around Geoscience Education Research: NAGT-GER

The Journal of Geoscience Education (JGE) has been a valued scholarly dissemination outlet for geoscience education researchers and practitioners for over three decades. This community of scholars ...
Mutual coupling between parallel columns of periodic slots in a ground plane surrounded by dielectric slabs

Arrays of slots with arbitrary orientation in an infinite conducting plane that are infinitely periodic in one dimension and finitely periodic in another dimension are considered. The plane is bounded on each side of dielectric slabs of finite thickness and infinite extent. Single columns of slots are represented by equivalent magnetic scattering currents, which are solved for by the moment method. The mutual coupling (admittance) between slot columns in the presence of the stratified media is found by the array scanning method, which expresses the admittance as the average of the scan admittance of an artificially constructed doubly infinite array of slots over all real scan angles. The technique avoids the use of Sommerfeld integrals, but still gives rise to singularities at scan angles corresponding to the resonant excitation of surface waves. An analytical approximation removes these surface wave singularities, making numerical implementation of the method practical. >
Antimicrobial polypeptide synthesized by Mucor pusillus NRRL 2543.

SummaryThe results of this investigation confirmed that M. pusillus NRRL 2543 synthesized an antibiotic substance which restricted the growth of gram-positive micro-organisms. The analytical data showed that the antibiotic, which was isolated in the electrophoretically pure form, was a polypeptide that on acid hydrolysis released 16 different amino acids commonly found in proteins.
Suicidology : A look backward and ahead

Using the metaphor of "a long run" to describe our progress in suicidology, the author looks back to discuss important concepts that have become well established, such as clues to suicide, ambivalence, crisis services, suicide consultations, and psychological autopsies. An example is the psychological autopsy of Marilyn Monroe. Follow-up studies of crisis center clients have indicated that chronically suicidal clients are at the greatest risk of suicide. Recommendations for the long-term treatment of such patients are provided. Research on youth suicide is reported. Finally, the author looks ahead toward new developments in training and treatment.
Two distinct lineages of macaque γ herpesviruses related to the Kaposi’s sarcoma associated herpesvirus

Abstract Background: KSHV, Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus, is a necessary cofactor for the development of Kaposi’s sarcoma (KS). We have previously reported KSHV-related DNA sequences in retroperitoneal fibromatosis (RF) tissue from two species of macaque. The putative herpesvirus was called RFHV for RF-associated herpesvirus. These data suggested that KSHV is a human representative of a larger family of primate herpesviruses. Objective: To identify and characterize other members of a putative family of KSHV-related herpesviruses in macaques in order to obtain information on the evolutionary history of KSHV infection in humans. Study design: Lymphoid tissue cells and blood leukocytes from rhesus-, cynomolgus- and pigtailed-macaques were tested for the presence of unknown herpesviruses using degenerate primer-driven PCR amplification. The sequences obtained were compared against known herpesvirus sequences. Results: We have identified new herpesvirus DNA sequences in each of the three macaque species. Sequence comparisons indicate that these new viruses are most related to each other and form a separate phylogenetic lineage within the γ herpesviruses. Screening of PBMC from Indonesian-origin quarantine animals suggests that these viruses (MGV, macaque γ virus) are species-specific, and highly prevalent in the wild. They are readily cultured in vivo, and share a common tissue tropism with the previously identified RFHV. Conclusions: MGV and RFHV represent two independent introductions of an ancestral γ herpesvirus into macaque precursors.
Multi‐scale effects of impoundments on genetic structure of creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) in the Kansas River basin

SUMMARY 1. Habitat fragmentation has been implicated as a primary cause for the ongoing erosion of global biodiversity, yet our understanding of the consequences in lotic systems is limited for many species and regions. Because of harsh environmental conditions that select for high colonisation rates, prairie stream fishes may be particularly vulnerable to the effects of fragmentation. Hence, there is urgent need for broader understanding of fragmentation in prairie streams such that meaningful conservation strategies can be developed. Further, examination at large spatial scales, including multiple impoundments and un-impounded catchments, will help identify the spatial extent of species movement through the landscape. 2. Our study used data from 10 microsatellite loci to describe the genetic structure of creek chub (Semotilus atromaculatus) populations across four catchments (three impounded and one unimpounded) in the Kansas River basin. We investigated whether genetic diversity was eroded in response to habitat fragmentation imposed by reservoirs and whether intervening lentic habitat increased resistance to dispersal among sites within a catchment. 3. Our analyses revealed that genetic diversity estimates were consistent with large populations regardless of the location of the sampled tributaries, and there was little evidence of recent population reductions. Nevertheless, we found a high degree of spatial genetic structure, suggesting that catchments comprise a set of isolated genetic units and that sample sites within catchments are subdivided into groups largely defined by intervening habitat type. Our data therefore suggest that lentic habitat is a barrier to dispersal among tributaries, thus reducing the opportunity for genetic rescue of populations in tributaries draining into reservoirs. Isolation by a reservoir, however, may not be immediately deleterious if the isolated tributary basin supports a large population.
Joining distributed pattern processing and homeostatic plasticity in recurrent on-center off-surround shunting networks: Noise, saturation, short-term memory, synaptic scaling, and BDNF

The activities of neurons vary within small intervals that are bounded both above and below, yet the inputs to these neurons may vary many-fold. How do networks of neurons process distributed input patterns effectively under these conditions? If a large number of input sources intermittently converge on a cell through time, then a serious design problem arises: if cell activities are sensitive to large inputs, then why do not small inputs get lost in internal system noise? If cell activities are sensitive to small inputs, then why do they not all saturate at their maximum values in response to large inputs and thereby become incapable of processing analog differences in inputs across an entire network? Grossberg (1973) solved this noise-saturation dilemma using neurons that obey the membrane, or shunting, equations of neurophysiology interacting in recurrent and non-recurrent on-center off-surround networks, and showed how different signal functions can influence the activity patterns that the network stores in short-term memory. These results demonstrated that maintaining a balance between excitation and inhibition in a neural network is essential to process distributed patterns of inputs and signals without experiencing the catastrophies of noise or saturation. However, shunting on-center off-surround networks only guarantee that cell activities remain sensitive to the relative sizes of inputs and recurrent signals, but not that they will use the full dynamic range that each cell can support. Additional homeostatic plasticity mechanisms are needed to anchor the activities of networks to exploit their full dynamic range. This article shows how mechanisms of synaptic scaling can be incorporated within recurrent on-center off-surround networks in such a way that their pattern processing capabilities, including the ability to make winner-take-all decisions, is preserved. This model generalizes the synaptic scaling model of van Rossum, Bi, & Turrigiano (2000) for a single cell to a pattern-processing network of shunting cells that is capable of short-term memory storage, including a representation of how BDNF may homeostatically scale the strengths of excitatory and inhibitory synapses in opposite directions.
Are clusters of mental retardation correlated with clusters of developmental delay

Mental retardation (MR) is a subset of developmental delay (DD), a broader classification of childhood disability. The purpose of this study was to determine if clusters of these two conditions were statistically significantly correlated. The residential addresses of 81,935 Medicaid insured pregnant women during each month of pregnancy were used to identify clusters of MR and DD in their children. Correlations between MR and DD were computed based on the sets of P-value surface from selected centroid points, where the P-value for cumulative relative risk of MR and DD was known. The correlations are quite small for all the 10 gestational months for which maternal addresses were available, but they are all statistically significant. This indicates MR and DD are correlated, but they are not linear. When MR was used as the centroid point to identify a cluster the only correlations that were statistically significant were for gestational month 5 and 6 with correlation 0.14 (P = 0.007) for both months. When the centroid points were selected based on the significance of risk of DD, the correlations between MR and DD are not statistically significant for any month. Correlation between MR and DD based on the sets of P-value surfaces from 4 MR clusters are significant in gestational month 5, 6 and 7 with correlation 0.17 (P = 0.047), 0.16 (P = 0.060) and 0.17 (P = 0.044), respectively. Our finding suggests that locations of high risk for the more severe condition, MR, also identify a spatial area where less severe cases of DD might be present, however the reverse is not the case.
Toward A Common Language: Proposed Index Categories to Enhance Dissemination and Retrieval of Interior Design Scholarship

Dissemination and retrieval of scholarship within any given discipline and profession are necessary when defining the body of knowledge. Effective dissemination and retrieval of scholarly work is dependent upon selecting appropriate index categories to describe a publication. Therefore, an accurate categorization system is critical in guiding that dissemination/retrieval process necessary when building a comprehensive body of knowledge for a discipline and profession. The goal of this research was to develop a proposed categorization for systematizing dissemination and retrieval of scholarly work for the discipline and profession of interior design. As a first step in achieving this goal, this study intended to develop a revised categorization for systematizing the dissemination and retrieval of scholarship for the Journal of lnterior Design. The proposed categories would contribute to the interior design discipline and profession by providing: 1) consistency in subject matter categorization for interior design scholarship; 2) a common language within the shared body of knowledge of interior design that includes such disciplines as art, architecture, and social sciences; and 3) clearer identification of topics for future scholarship within the knowledge base for interior design and related areas. For this study, a framework developed by Marshall-Baker (2000) was used in the development of criteria and analysis. Her framework depicted overlapping and unique knowledge within and among fields related to interior design: art, architecture, and social science. Findings supported Marshall-Baker's research and further identified a common language among elated disciplines. This common language enhances communication among publishers, educators, researchers, practitioners, students, and employers. The body of knowledge in interior design will continue to require definition as new knowledge emerges and refinement takes place. Consistent index categorization of scholarship will enable scholars and reviewers of scholarly work to trace the evolution of research on particular topics, thereby assessing the contribution of scholarly work to the expansion and application of the body of knowledge in interior design. The findings offer a proposal for key words and categories identiking interior design scholarship for the purpose of dissemination and retrieval, as well as, providing a platform for common language across related disciplines.
Increased Superoxide Production in Coronary Arteries in Hyperhomocysteinemia. Role of Tumor Necrosis Factor-α, NAD(P)H Oxidase, and Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase

Objective— In coronary arteries, hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy, a known risk factor for coronary heart disease) impairs flow-induced dilations, which can be reversed by superoxide dismutase (SOD). To evidence increased O2.− generation and elucidate its source, we characterized changes in activity (lucigenin chemiluminescence, hydroethidine staining) and expression of arterial pro- and antioxidant systems (Western blotting, immunohistochemistry, cDNA microarray, reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction) in the coronary arteries of rats by using methionine diet-induced HHcy. Methods and Results— The increased generation of O2.− by HHcy coronary arteries was inhibited by SOD, diphenyleneiodonium, apocynin, and apocynin plus amino guanidine but was unaffected by allopurinol and rotenone. Also, diphenyleneiodonium-sensitive NADPH-driven O2.− generation was increased in HHcy vessels. In HHcy arteries expression of the smooth muscle-confined NAD(P)H oxidase subunit nox1 and that of iNOS was increased. Expression of p67 phox , p22 phox , and p47 phox subunits and that of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, Cu,Zn-SOD, Mn-SOD, extracellular SOD (mRNA), and xanthine oxidase was unchanged. Microarray analysis showed increased expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α (confirmed by reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting, and immunohistochemistry) that was localized in smooth muscle. In vitro incubation (18 hours) of HHcy arteries with anti-TNF-α antibody decreased O2.− production, whereas incubation of control vessels with TNF-α increased O2.− generation and nox1 expression. Conclusions— In coronary arteries, HHcy increases TNF-α expression, which enhances oxidative stress through upregulating a nox1-based NAD(P)H oxidase and inducible nitric oxide synthase. Thus, TNF-α induces a proinflammatory vascular phenotype in HHcy that potentially contributes to the development of coronary atherosclerosis.
An analytical model of pneumatic tyres for vehicle dynamic simulations. Part 1: Pure slips

This study presents an analytical approach for determining tyre dynamic properties in a sequence of three papers. Most of the necessary parameters are determined using tyre geometry, orientation and some experimental data. Explicit formulations are derived analytically for the tyre dynamic properties as functions of the slip ratio, slip angle, camber angle and other tyre dynamic parameters. These formulations can be used for the general vehicle simulations in braking/traction and steering manoeuvres with a varying camber angle on regular or irregular terrains. In the first paper a brief review of some previous studies is given. Tyre modelling, contact, slip and friction properties are also studied. Tyre forces and moments due to pure slips are investigated. An algorithmic procedure is provided, in the summary for computational purposes. In the second paper, tyre forces and moments due to comprehensive slips are studied. Finally, in the third paper these analytical models are validated against some experimental data.
Compatibility behavior in thermoplastic polymer blends containing poly(t‐butylstyrene‐co‐acrylonitrile)

The phase behavior of a series of binary component polymer blends of poly(e-caprolactone) (PCL) and poly(t-butylstyrene-co-acrylonitrile) (TBSAN) containing varying contents of acrylonitrile (AN) was examined to determine the influence of copolymer composition and PCL content on blend miscibility or immiscibility. Thermal measurements were extensively used to determine phase behavior, i.e., a single compositionally dependent glass transition temperature implies blend miscibility. Otherwise, immiscibility is assumed to dominant blend behavior. It was determined that TBSAN and PCL form miscible blends over a broad range of AN content, i.e., spanning from below 43.2 mol % (19.8 wt %) to about 66.4 mol % (39.6 wt %), a range considerably different from that found in poly(styrene-co-acrylonitrile) copolymers. TBSAN-containing blends were found to be immiscible when the AN content is less than about 43 mol % or greater than about 67 mol %. Small-angle light-scattering and polarized light microscopy was used to probe the substantial morphological changes in the miscible blends. Little change was observed in the immiscible blends. These results clarify the phase separation observed in these blend systems. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Pathophysiology and Mechanisms of Severe Retinopathy of Prematurity

Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) affects only premature infants, but as premature births increase in many areas of the world, ROP has become a leading cause of childhood blindness. Blindness can occur from aberrant developmental angiogenesis that leads to fibrovascular retinal detachment. To treat severe ROP, it is important to study normal developmental angiogenesis and the stresses that activate pathologic signaling events and aberrant angiogenesis in ROP. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling is important in both physiologic and pathologic developmental angiogenesis. Based on studies in animal models of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR), exogenous factors such as oxygen levels, oxidative stress, inflammation, and nutritional capacity have been linked to severe ROP through dysregulated signaling pathways involving hypoxia-inducible factors and angiogenic factors like VEGF, oxidative species, and neuroprotective growth factors to cause phases of ROP. This translational science review focuses on studies performed in animal models of OIR representative of human ROP and highlights several areas: mechanisms for aberrant growth of blood vessels into the vitreous rather than into the retina through over-activation of VEGF receptor 2 signaling, the importance of targeting different cells in the retina to inhibit aberrant angiogenesis and promote physiologic retinal vascular development, toxicity from broad and targeted inhibition of VEGF bioactivity, and the role of VEGF in neuroprotection in retinal development. Several future translational treatments are discussed, including considerations for targeted inhibition of VEGF signaling instead of broad intravitreal anti-VEGF treatment.
A common staging system for hepatocellular carcinoma

The Consensus Panel makes the following recommendations based on the above currently available evidence. 1 The primary staging should be clinical staging, which can be applied to all patients. The CLIP system should be the clincial staging system of choice, because it is generally applicable to most patients, it includes easily collected variables. Most importantly, it has been externally and prospectively validated. As a caveat, the CLIP system may not be applicable to patients with chronic hepatitis B. 2 A secondary staging system for patients undergoing resection or liver transplantation is needed. The AJCC version of the modified TNM system should be used because it has been internally validated, although external and prospective validation is still lacking. Furthermore, it conforms to the TNM standard. 3 Since neither of these systems is free of limitations, other factors which might be included in accessing prognosis include treatment-directed variables (according to BCLC), the etiology of the underlying liver disease, and newly discovered factors affecting tumor biology. 4 All studies on HCC where it is appropriate to use staging should use one or both of these staging systems (CLIP and AJCC) to define the patient population. Medical journals considering such manuscripts for publication should insist on cohorts being classified according to these staging systems (excluding, of course, those studies looking at improving staging systems). 5 Further studies on the validation of staging systems and harmonization of the different systems are urgently required.
Synthesizing the Effect of Building Condition Quality on Academic Performance.

AbstractSince the late 1970s, researchers have examined the relationship between school building condition and student performance. Though many literature reviews have claimed that a relationship exists, no meta-analysis has quantitatively examined this literature. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the existing literature on the relationship between building condition and student performance. Means for the semi-partial ( = 0.10) and bivariate ( = 0.12) correlations were relatively small but significantly different, supporting the claim that school building condition is related to student performance. Furthermore, results revealed that the magnitude of the correlation varied as a function of a number of moderator variables. For instance, the building condition feature measured, instrument type, subject area measured, and grade level affect the association between school building condition and student performance. Our findings offer useful information for educational leaders, policy makers, and r...
Electrooxidation of aromatics to polymer films

Preparation electrochimique et proprietes de films de polyaniline preparee sur une electrode de platine et sur des electrodes prerevetues d'une couche mince de polymere inerte (PMMA)
Unification of electroweak and horizontal interactions

For three generations of fermions, SpL(6)×UY(1) is proposed as the flavor gauge group which unifies the electroweak and horizontal interactions. The existence of another set of light (~ 1 TeV), left-handed weak bosons is suggested.
Onset Age and Offense Specialization

The age at which people begin to offend and the variety of different offenses that they commit while active have independently received a considerable amount of attention from researchers. However, there has been little attempt to connect these two relatively distinct lines of inquiry. Recently, two prominent criminological theories, Gottfredson and Hirschi's general theory of crime and Moffitt's taxonomy of offending behavior, have advanced formal theoretical models that include predictions about the relationship between onset age and offense versatility. The authors test the validity of these predictions using data from the second Philadelphia birth cohort study conducted by Tracy, Wolfgang, and Figlio. In support of the predictions from these theories, the authors find a relationship between onset age and offense versatility. More detailed analyses, however, show that this association vanishes after controlling for age. Thus, there was a tendency for offenders to become more specialized in their offend...
Commentary: ‘Is the Social World Flat? W.S. Robinson and the Ecologic Fallacy’

If the social world were ‘flat’ in the sense that it did not matter where you lived or with whom you associated—no place effects, no context effects, no contagion effects—then single-level analysis would do. The message of Subramanian, Jones, Kaddour and Krieger 1 is that the social world usually is not flat, so multilevel analysis usually is called for. The idea that single-level analysis is problematic when there are multilevel effects is quite consistent with Robinson’s classic warning about the ecologic fallacy. 2 In fact, I suspect that Robinson himself would have embraced multilevel analysis had it existed in his day. Because Robinson has had a multiplicity of interpreters, it is sometimes difficult to separate what Robinson actually said from a caricature of what he said (his article is only seven pages long, and I recommend that readers examine it for themselves). In some instances interpreters have ‘out-Robinsoned’ Robinson. To cite one example: after defining terms, Robinson lists, in his third paragraph, more than a dozen pre-1950 articles that used ecological correlations to estimate individual-level correlations. In the next paragraph, referring to ‘these studies’ (sic), Robinson writes that ‘Ecological correlations are used simply because the properties of individuals are not available’ (p. 352). Although that statement refers specifically to the aims of the studies Robinson has just listed, it is sometimes quoted out of context as axiomatic for all social research. To be true to Robinson, let us begin where he did, with the issue of whether individual-level relationships can be reliably inferred from aggregate-level correlations. Consider this simple example from US history: the vote for George Wallace in the 1968 Presidential election. Suppose we want to know how much less likely blacks were (than others) to vote for Wallace, a four-term governor of Alabama and well-known segregationist who ran as a thirdparty candidate. Because we do not have individuallevel election data on who voted for whom, we might try to infer the relationship between race and Wallace vote by calculating the correlation of percent black and percent vote for Wallace across Congressional districts. The correlation, it turns out, is strongly positive (r ¼0.55 for districts in the South 3 ).
A Marine Education Plan for Hawaii

This paper will discuss the development and the beginning implementation of a plan for the instituting of marine education in the K-12 curriculum for the public and private schools of the State of Hawaii. It traces the history of marine education in the State of Hawaii showing the stages of its evolution and the developmental procedures undertaken to produce the plan and begin its implementation.
Summated Auditory Evoked Responses for Audiometry: Experience in 51 children with congenital rubella

(1969). Summated Auditory Evoked Responses for Audiometry: Experience in 51 children with congenital rubella. International Audiology: Vol. 8, No. 2-3, pp. 371-376.
Cardiac Dysfunction After Neurologic Injury: What Do We Know and Where Are We Going?

Recent literature has implicated severe neurologic injuries, such as aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, as a cause of cardiac dysfunction, impaired hemodynamic function, and poor outcomes. Mechanistic links between the brain and the heart have been explored in detail over the past several decades, and catecholamine excess, neuroendocrine dysfunction, and unchecked inflammation all likely contribute to the pathophysiologic process. Although cardiac dysfunction has also been described in other disease paradigms, including septic shock and thermal injury, there is likely a common underlying pathophysiology. In this review, we will examine the pathophysiology of cardiac dysfunction after neurologic injury, discuss the evidence surrounding cardiac dysfunction after different neurologic injuries, and suggest future research goals to gain knowledge and improve outcomes in this patient population.
Bioavailability of Nutrients

Nutrients must be provided in appropriate amounts and in forms that are biologically usable for optimum performance by the animal. Therefore it is as important to know the bioavailability of the nutrient as the dietary requirement. A respectable amount of data is available on digestibility of gross energy and crude protein in commercial ingredients used in fish feeds. There is, however, much less information on bioavailability of vitamins, minerals and amino acids from various natural and synthetic sources. In many cases, assumed availability values for nutrients are used to formulate fish feeds which are probably far from accurate. Examination of data presently available supports this contention.
Hot Electron Transport in Silicon Dioxide

Hot electron transport in silicon dioxide is examined with emphasis on current experimental and theoretical 0 results. For oxide layers thicker than 100 A, steady-state transport has been shown to control the carrier flow at all fields studied. The transition from a nearly thermal electron distribution at electric fields less than approximately 1.5 MV/cm to significantly hot distributions with average energies between 2 and 6 eV at higher fields of up to 16 MV/cm is discussed. The significance of non-polar phonon scattering in controlling the dispersive transport at higher electric fields, thereby preventing run-away and avalanche breakdown, is reviewed. For oxide thicknesses ≲ 100 A, a transition from the steady-state to the ballistic transport regime occurs with the observation of quantum size effects and single phonon scattering events, as predicted theoretically. Also, both interface and bulk trap generation in SiO2 are shown to be caused by hot electrons with energies ≳ 2.2 eV.
Estimating methane gas production in peat soils of the Florida Everglades using hydrogeophysical methods

The spatial and temporal variability in production and release of greenhouse gases (such as methane) in peat soils remains uncertain, particularly for low-latitude peatlands like the Everglades. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) is a hydrogeophysical tool that has been successfully used in the last decade to noninvasively investigate carbon dynamics in peat soils; however, application in subtropical systems is almost non-existent. This study is based on four field sites in the Florida Everglades, where changes in gas content within the soil are monitored using time-lapse GPR measurements and gas releases are monitored using gas traps. A weekly methane gas production rate is estimated using a mass balance approach, considering gas content estimated from GPR, gas release from gas traps and incorporating rates of diffusion, and methanotrophic consumption from previous studies. Resulting production rates range between 0.02 and 0.47 g CH4 m−2 d−1, falling within the range reported in literature. This study shows the potential of combining GPR with gas traps to monitor gas dynamics in peat soils of the Everglades and estimate methane gas production. We also show the enhanced ability of certain peat soils to store gas when compared to others, suggesting that physical properties control biogenic gas storage in the Everglades peat soils. Better understanding biogenic methane gas dynamics in peat soils has implications regarding the role of wetlands in the global carbon cycle, particularly under a climate change scenario.
Redox Species in a Reducing Fjord: The Oxidation Rate of Manganese II

In June 1977 ten redox sensitive chemical species were analyzed across the O2/H2S interface of the stagnant basin in Saanich Inlet. In this report I present the results for O2, H2S, Mn II and Fe II and calculate the oxidation rate for Mn II. Further details of the study are published elsewhere (Emerson et al., 1979).
Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

There are over one million percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI) performed each year in the United States. PCI refers to catheter- based procedures that allow for improved perfusion through epicardial coronary arteries to the myocardium. PCI originally referred to percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty, a solely balloon-based procedure, but has since expanded to include directional, rotational, orbital and extraction atherectomy, excimer laser angioplasty, and most commonly, stent deployment. The devices used for PCI are meant to relieve coronary stenoses by several mechanisms including fracturing or debulking the atherosclerotic plaque and stretching the target arterial segment. PCI is successful in reducing fatal and nonfatal ischemic complications in patients with acute myocardial infarction and high-risk acute coronary syndromes.
Photonic Applications of Semiconductor-Doped Glasses

The technical capability to produce structures in solids that are small and precise enough in dimension to be comparable to the Bohr radius of an electron is a relatively recent technological development. This effort began with the invention of a deposition technique called MBE (molecular beam epitaxy). From this technique came the first layered structures in GaAs where the layer thickness could be controlled to a dimension less than the Bohr radius, ħ 2 К / m e,h e 2 , where, К is the dielectric constant of the material, and me, h is the mass of the electron or hole. These precisely controlled layered structures gave birth to the “quantum well” devices that have played such an important role in the opto-electronics industry. The key property of the structure is the dependence of the energy levels on the dimension of the layers.. The term that applies to the effect where the physical size of the structure is smaller that the normal electron orbit is called “quantum confinement.”
Are long tide gauge records in the wrong place to measure global mean sea level rise

Ocean dynamics, land motion, and changes in Earth's gravitational and rotational fields cause local sea level change to deviate from the rate of global mean sea level rise. Here we use observations and simulations of spatial structure in sea level change to estimate the likelihood that these processes cause sea level trends in the longest and highest-quality tide gauge records to be systematically biased relative to the true global mean rate. The analyzed records have an average twentieth century rate of approximately 1.6 mm/yr, but based on the locations of these gauges, we show that the simple average underestimates the twentieth century global mean rate by 0.1 ± 0.2 mm/yr. Given the distribution of potential sampling biases, we find that <1% probability that observed trends from the longest and highest-quality tide gauge records are consistent with global mean rates less than 1.4 mm/yr.
The effect of fringe fields from patterned magnetic domains on the electroluminescence of organic light-emitting diodes

Large magnetic field effects, either in conduction or luminescence, have been observed in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) for over a decade now. The physical processes are largely understood when exciton formation and recombination lead to the magnetic field effects. Recently, magnetic field effects in some co-evaporated blends have shown that exciplexes deliver even larger responses. In either case, the magnetic field effects arise from some spin-mixing mechanism and spin-selective processes in either the exciton formation or the exciplex recombination. Precise control of light output is not possible when the spin mixing is either due to hyper-fine fields or differences in the Lande g-factor. We theoretically examine the optical output when a patterned magnetic film is deposited near the OLED. The fringe fields from the magnetic layers supply an additionally source of spin mixing that can be easily controlled. In the absence of other spin mixing mechanisms, the luminescence from exciplexes can be modified by 300%. When other spin-mixing mechanisms are present, fringe fields from remanent magnetic states act as a means to either boost or reduce light emission from those mechanisms. Lastly, we examine the influence of spin decoherence on the optical output.
Comparing distance visual acuity measurement with a novel eye chart and the Landolt C chart in a population of children aged 6–18 years

The Handy Eye Chart™ is designed to assist in evaluating the visual acuity of patients with non-standard communication styles. The Handy Eye Chart™ has been previously validated against the early treatment diabetic retinopathy study (ETDRS) chart. The aim of this research is to compare visual acuity outcomes with The Handy Eye Chart™ against the international gold standard, the Landolt C chart, in a population of children. Sixty participants between the ages of 6 and 18 were recruited at the Pediatric Section of the Department of Ophthalmology at the Emory Eye Center. Visual acuity was evaluated using The Handy Eye Chart™ and the Landolt C Chart, altering the order of administration between charts. The visual acuity data were compared using t test, linear regression, and Bland–Altman analysis. The mean difference in visual acuity was 0.02 logMAR (CI 0.009–0.04, p = 0.002). The correlation coefficient was 0.98. The Bland–Altman analysis shows the 95% limits of agreement between the charts to be −0.14 to 0.09 logMAR. The Handy Eye Chart™ is a valid measure of visual acuity when compared with the international gold standard, the Landolt C Chart.
Synthesis of an oxadiazole through an indole mediated single step procedure for selective optical recognition of Cu2+ ions

Abstract An unusual dimerization of 1-nitroso-2-naphthol mediated by indole afforded a substituted oxadiazole, which was characterized by NMR, HR-MS and single crystal X-ray crystallography. The reaction represents a new method for the synthesis of five membered heterocyclic rings. Owing to the presence of suitably positioned donor atoms, the oxadiazole was screened for affinity towards transition metal ions in aqueous solution. The addition of an aqueous solution of copper ions to a solution of the oxadiazole resulted in a bathochromic spectral shift along with the color change from colorless to yellow visible to the naked eye. The receptor also displayed selective fluorescence “turn-off” response towards Cu 2+ ions in aqueous medium. An excellent detection limit value (0.47 μM) was observed using fluorescence spectroscopy. The DFT calculations were performed to investigate the experimental processes.