cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Molybdenum-95 NMR study of the adsorption of molybdates on alumina

The equilibrium between Mo7O6−24 and MoO2−4, and the adsorption of molybdates on γ-Al2O3 during incipient wetness impregnation were studied by molybdenum-95 NMR spectroscopy. The relative equilibrium concentrations of Mo7O6−24 and MoO2−4 at the pH range of 5.45 to 8.9 were determined. The effects of molybdenum concentration (loadings between 2 and 12 wt% MoO3) and solution pH (5.45 to 8.9) on adsorption were investigated. The results indicate that Mo7O6−24 decomposes to MoO2−4 within minutes after coming into contact with alumina. The amount of unadsorbed MoO2−4 increases with the pH of the impregnation solution. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that molybdate anions are attracted to the positively charged surface of the alumina and this attraction diminishes as the pH rises toward the isoelectric point of the alumina (pH 8.5).
Signal processing approaches to radio frequency interference (RFI) suppression

Ultra-wideband radar (UWB) has been shown to be among the most powerful techniques available for underground and obscured object detection. The value of such systems is that they combine the penetration enhancement associated with VHF/UHF (and lower) frequencies with the resolution of wide absolute bandwidth. Such systems necessarily make use of much of the frequency spectrum already in heavy use by other services, such as television and mobile communications. Although this spectral overlap provides occasion for adverse consequences in both directions, to date the principal consequence has been often-severe impact on UWB radar measurements. Even in remote locations, the average interference power often exceeds receiver noise by many dB, becoming the limiting factor on system sensitivity. Nor are UWB radar designers free to overcome this interference by increasing radar power, since regulatory sanction for UWB operation will depend on maintaining sufficiently low spectral power densities to assure that other, prior, services are not appreciably degraded. Given the importance of radio frequency interference (RFI) on practical ultrawide band ground penetrating radar systems, it is important to consider how and to what extent the effects of RFI noise may be reduced. The overall problem of RFI and its impacts will be described and several signal processing approaches to removal of RFI will be discussed. These include spectral estimation and coherent subtraction algorithms and various filter approaches, which have been developed and applied by the signal processing community in other contexts. These methods will be applied to several different real-world experimental data sets, and quantitative measures of the effectiveness of each of these algorithms in removing RFI noise will be presented. Although computationally-intensive, most of the techniques to be described achieve substantial increases in S/RFI without requiring concomitant increases in radar average power.
Negative and positive beliefs related to mood and health.

Objectives To observe whether elderly patients' positive and negative beliefs about efforts improving or maintaining health are related to health and mood. Methods We developed a brief scale to assess these beliefs. Factor analysis was used to evaluate its dimensions; the extent to which the scale's dimensions mediate the relationship between mood and self-reported health was explored. Results Analyses show that the scale reflects a general factor as well as 2 subscales that evaluate distinct but related positive and negative dimensions. The scale was not related to race, sex, or education, but showed modest relations to age. Scales were significantly related to mood, health status, and health-related quality of life. Conclusions Both negative and positive beliefs mediated the relation between depression and self-reported health.
Human trafficking in the United States. Part I. State of the knowledge

This article, the first of a two-part series, introduces the topic human trafficking in the United States. Based on the literature review, the author delineates definitions of “human trafficking,” the extent and types of human trafficking in the United States, characteristics of trafficked victims and perpetrators, the human trafficking data reporting system, and examples of cases in the United States and its territories. The goal is to provide an introduction to this topic for library staff to use in their research and instruction services. Part II, to follow, is a survey of United States government web resources on human trafficking in the United States for publications and data.
Imaging of Thoracic and Lumbar Spine Fractures

Fractures of the thoracic and lumbar spine are common in patients who have sustained high energy spinal trauma, and are associated with injury to the spinal cord in up to 50% of cases. Accurate early assessment is essential because delay in diagnosis may result in the development of neurologic complications. Clinical assessment of these patients is often challenging, and as a result, diagnostic imaging usually plays a central role in their management. The purpose of this chapter is to explore this role by answering the following questions: What are the imaging options? Who should be imaged? How should they be imaged? and What are the imaging findings for the most common types of thoracolumbar fractures?
Measures of Spatial Segregation

The measurement of residential segregation patterns and trends has been limited by a reliance on segregation measures that do not appropriately take into account the spatial patterning of population distributions. In this paper we define a general approach to measuring spatial segregation among multiple population groups. This general approach allows researchers to specify any theoretically based definition of spatial proximity desired in computing segregation measures. Based on this general approach, we develop a general spatial exposure/isolation index (), and a set of general multigroup spatial evenness/clustering indices: a spatial information theory index (), a spatial relative diversity index (), and a spatial dissimilarity index (). We review these and previously proposed spatial segregation indices against a set of eight desirable properties of spatial segregation indices. We conclude that the spatial exposure/isolation index *—which can be interpreted as a measure of the average composition of in...
Magnetization acquisition in two Mesozoic red sandstones

Abstract Paleomagnetic samples have been collected from folds and other sedimentary structures produced by soft-sediment deformation and from intra-formational conglomerates at several locations of the Chugwater formation of Wyoming and the Moenkopi formation of the Colorado Plateau, both of Triassic age. Most load casts and other small-scale folds were magnetized after deformation. Slump folds were magnetized before or during folding. Two of the four conglomerates contain clasts that were magnetized before they were ripped up. These observations indicate that most fine-grained sandstones are magnetized after deposition but before burial by a meter or so of sediment. Some sandstones and finer-grained samples can be magnetized very shortly after deposition if they are consolidated and dewatered by drying. Samples having more complicated magnetization histories can usually be identified by poor within-sample grouping of remanence directions and by the behavior of individual samples during demagnetization.
Effects of Timed Insemination and Supplemental β-Carotene on Reproduction and Milk Yield of Dairy Cows Under Heat Stress

Abstract In three experiments, we tested the efficacy of timed artificial insemination (AI) and β -carotene supplementation for improvement of reproduction and milk yield. Experiments 1 and 2 were conducted during hot months, and Experiment 3 was conducted during cooler months. Cows were fed rations supplemented with β -carotene at 0 or 400 mg/d per cow for ≥15 d before the first AI. Cows were inseminated at each observed estrus after 70 d (Experiment 1) or at 50 d postpartum (Experiments 2 and 3) or were included in a timed AI program [d 0 (i.e., ∼40 or 60 d postpartum), 8 μ g of GnRH agonist; d 7, 25mg of PGF 2α ; d 9, 8 μ g of GnRH agonist; d 10, AI] for first breeding. Pregnancy rate at first AI was similar among groups, but the percentage of cows that were pregnant by 90 d postpartum was greater for cows in the timed AI group in Experiments 1 (16.6% vs. 9.8%) and 2 (34.3% vs. 14.3%) but not in Experiment 3 (24.1% vs. 28.7%). Overall, β -carotene had no effect on reproductive function. For cows fed supplemental β -carotene for ≥90 d, however, pregnancy rate at 120 d postpartum was increased in Experiment 1 (35.4% vs. 21.1%). In all experiments, β -carotene increased cumulative milk yield on the last test day by 6 to 11%. In conclusion, timed AI can improve pregnancy rates during periods of heat stress. Supplemental β -carotene may increase pregnancy rates for cows in the summer and can increase milk yield.
Intrinsically Bent DNA in the Promoter Regions of the Yeast GAL1–10 and GAL80 Genes

Circular permutation analysis has detected fairly strong sites of intrinsic DNA bending on the promoter regions of the yeast GAL1–10 and GAL80 genes. These bends lie in functionally suggestive locations. On the promoter of the GAL1–10 structural genes, strong bends bracket nucleosome B, which lies between the UASG and the GAL1TATA. These intrinsic bends could help position nucleosome B. Nucleosome B plus two other promoter nucleosomes protect the TATA and start site elements in the inactive state of expression but are completely disrupted (removed) when GAL1–10 expression is induced. The strongest intrinsic bend (∼70°) lies at the downstream edge of nucleosome B; this places it approximately 30 base pairs upstream of the GAL1 TATA, a position that could allow it to be involved in GAL1 activation in several ways, including the recruitment of a yeast HMG protein that is required for the normally robust level of GAL1 expression in the induced state (Paull, T., Carey, M., and Johnson, R. (1996) Genes Dev. 10, 2769–2781). On the regulatory gene GAL80, the single bend lies in the non-nucleosomal hypersensitive region, between a GAL80-specific far upstream promoter element and the more gene-proximal promoter elements. GAL80 promoter region nucleosomes contain no intrinsically bent DNA.
Some statistical implications of multivariate inequality constrained testing

Within the context of a linear statistical model and multivariate inequality constrained testing, this paper is concerned with i) the statistical implications that flow from the case of two joint one-sided tests and ii) the use of the resulting pre-test risk functions in making decisions concerning the choice between these tests in practice. The informational content of the pre-test criteria, for the particular testing problem at hand, is discussed and, under a squared error loss measure, the unfavorable sampling performances of inequality pre-test estimators are noted.
Effects of outer hair cell loss on the frequency selectivity of the patas monkey auditory system

This report describes a study that took advantage of the unique reactivity of the patas monkey (Erythrocebus patas) to dihydrostreptomycin-sulfate (DHSM) to investigate the effects of selective outer hair cell (OHC) lesions on psychophysical tuning curves (PTC). Four patas monkeys were trained using operant reinforcement techniques to perform forward masking PTCs at frequencies of 500 Hz, 2, 4, and 8 kHz, at 10 dB SL. Steady and pulsed-tone thresholds were also measured from 63 Hz to 40 kHz in half-octave steps. The animals were given daily i.m. injections of DHSM at 20 mg/kg per day until shifts in absolute threshold at 16 kHz exceeded 10 dB, at which time the drug was discontinued. Initial changes in PTC shape included elevations in the tip region associated with the increase in threshold and no elevation or a hypersensitivity of the low-frequency tail region. In general, threshold and therefore PTC tip elevations of at least 40 dB were required before any increase in the low-frequency tail became evident. Following completion of psychophysical testing, animals were sacrificed and cytochochleograms were determined. At frequencies corresponding to regions of complete OHC loss and complete IHC retention a lack of selectivity was evident and PTCs closely resemble low-pass filters. This residual low-pass tuning is similar to that seen in VIIIth nerve fibers in ears devoid of OHCs and in basilar membrane transfer functions from traumatized ears. PTCs taken at frequencies corresponding to areas with no loss of receptors showed no systematic changes in sensitivity or selectivity. Because loss of normal OHC function results in greater than a 50-dB loss in sensitivity, as well as a detuned PTC, these findings strongly support the suggestion that the role of the OHC system is to increase the sensitivity and selectivity of the auditory system.
Triazolam fails to induce sleep in suprachiasmatic nucleus-lesioned rats

Rats with suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) lesions did not show increased sleep after triazolam (TRZ) injections at any dose from 0.2 to 1.6 mg/kg, whereas 0.4 mg/kg TRZ given intact rats in the middle of their activity phase significantly increased sleep. Across SCN-lesioned and intact rats, the amount of sleep before and after TRZ 0.4 mg/kg was negatively correlated. SCN-lesioned rats did not have a circadian activity-dominant period and so did not accumulate a biological sleep debt. Their lack of response to TRZ may have resulted from the absence of a sleep debt compared to intact rats injected in the middle of their activity phase. These data support our hypothesis that the homeostatic process controlling sleep gates benzodiazepine hypnotic efficacy.
Characteristics of Patients With Histories of Multiple Seclusion and Restraint Events During a Single Psychiatric Hospitalization

BACKGROUND: This descriptive, retrospective study examined patient and event characteristics associated with multiple seclusion and restraint (SR). OBJECTIVE: The goal was to identify patient chara...
Effect of Soil Moisture and Time of Year on Mole Cricket (Orthoptera: Gryllotalpidae) Surface Tunneling

Abstract The damage caused by two species of introduced mole cricket pests (Scapteriscus vicinus Scudder and Scapteriscus borellii Giglio-Tos) was studied during 1995, 1996, and 1997 in Brunswick County, NC. Surface tunneling activity in bermudagrass was quantified weekly starting in late July or early August using a modification of the damage grid evaluation method of Cobb and Mack (1989). Soil moisture was monitored in three depth ranges (0–10.2, 10.2–20.3, and 20.3–30.5 cm) and percentage soil moisture based on dry soil weight was determined gravimetrically. Most sites had a higher percentage of S. borellii than S. vicinus, with the percentage of S. borellii ranging from 42–95%. The percentage soil moisture ranged from 1.2–24.9, 1.3–19.3, and 1.3–20.4% at 0–10.2, 10.2–20.3, and 20.3–30.5-cm, respectively. Moisture percentages in the 10.2–20.3- and 20.3–30.5-cm ranges were not significantly different. Mean percentage soil moisture in the 0–10.2 cm range was significantly greater than for the 10.2–20.3 a...
Non-invasive localization and quantification of graded ischemia using Electromechanical Wave Imaging in vivo

Electromechanical Wave Imaging (EWI) has recently been introduced as a non-invasive, ultrasound-based imaging modality, which could map the electrical activation of the heart in various echocardiographic planes in mice, dogs and humans in vivo. By acquiring radio-frequency (RF) frames at very high frame rates (390–520Hz), the onset of small, localized, transient deformations resulting from the electrical activation of the heart, i.e., generating the electromechanical wave (EMW), can be mapped. The correlation between the EMW and the electrical activation speed and pacing scheme has previously been reported. In this study, we pursue the development of EWI and analysis of the EMW properties in dogs in vivo for early detection of ischemia. EWI was performed in normal and ischemic open-chested dogs during sinus rhythm. Ischemia of increasing severity was obtained by gradually occluding the left-anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery. EWI was shown to be sensitive to the presence of intermediate ischemia. EWI localized the ischemic region when the LAD was occluded at 60% and beyond and was capable of mapping the increase of the ischemic region size as the LAD occlusion level increased. Those results indicate that EWI could be used to assess electrical conduction properties of the myocardium, and detect ischemic onset and disease progression entirely non-invasively.
RESEARCH NOTE Calculation of the vapour-liquid coexistence curve for a fluctuating point charge water model

Recent studies of the phase behaviour of several polarizable water models have shown that typically the inclusion of polarizability into current non-polarizable, rigid models of water actually decreases the accuracy of their predictions of the liquid-vapour coexistence curve. Most of the polarizable models examined so far have been shown to characteristically over-predict the saturation pressure and correspondingly under-predict the critical temperature. It is the purpose of this Research Note to report the results of a Gibbs—Duhem integration of the liquid—vapour coexistence curve for the TIP4P-FQ water model and to discuss the possible reasons behind the lack of improvement of polarizable water models over their non-polarizable counterparts.
Feedback-controlled constant-pressure anterior chamber perfusion in live mice.

Purpose: To describe live mouse, anterior chamber constant-pressure perfusion by an approach using feedback-controlled coupling of pressure and flow to maintain a preset pressure. Methods: We established a microperfusion system that maintains a constant preset pressure in the anterior chamber of live mice by automatically regulating the microsyringe pump flow rate with a computer-controlled voltage feedback loop. Perfusion was by single-needle cannulation. We characterized the following in C57BL/6 mice aged 3–4 months in vivo: (i) pressure stability, (ii) pressure and flow rate reproducibility, (iii) total outflow facility, and (iv) anterior segment histology after perfusion. Results: Twenty live mice underwent perfusion. Constant pressure was quickly attained and stably maintained. The coefficient of pressure variation over time during perfusion at a preset pressure was <0.001. The average coefficient of variation for repeat pressure and flow rate measurements was 0.0005 and 0.127, respectively. The relationship between flow rate and pressure was linear for perfusions between 15 and 35 mmHg. The total outflow facility was 0.0066 µl/min/mmHg. Perfusion system resistance (0.5 mmHg/min/µl) was negligible relative to the ocular outflow resistance (147 mmHg/min/µl) at physiologically relevant perfusion pressures of 15–35 mmHg. No histological disruption of the drainage tissue was seen following perfusion. Conclusions: Predetermined pressure was stably maintained during constant-pressure perfusion of live mouse eyes by a method using feedback-controlled coupling of pressure and flow along with single-needle anterior chamber cannulation. Perfusion measurements were reproducible. This approach is potentially useful for exploring aqueous drainage tissue biology, physiology, and pharmacology in live mice.
Determination of NAD+ and NADH level in a single cell under H2O2 stress by capillary electrophoresis

A capillary electrophoresis (CE) method is developed to determine both NAD and NADH levels in a single cell, based on an enzymatic cycling reaction. The detection limit can reach down to 0.2 amol NAD and 1 amol NADH on a home-made CE-LIF setup. The method showed good reproducibility and specificity. After an intact cell was injected into the inlet of a capillary and lysed using a Tesla coil, intracellular NAD and NADH were separated, incubated with the cycling buffer, and quantified by the amount of fluorescent product generated. NADH and NAD levels of single cells of three cell lines and primary astrocyte culture were determined using this method. Comparing cellular NAD and NADH levels with and without exposure to oxidative stress induced by H2O2, it was found that H9c2 cells respond to the stress by reducing both cellular NAD and NADH levels, while astrocytes respond by increasing cellular NADH/NAD ratio.
Exploiting database similarity joins for metric spaces

Similarity Joins are recognized among the most useful data processing and analysis operations and are extensively used in multiple application domains. They retrieve all data pairs whose distances are smaller than a predefined threshold e. Multiple Similarity Join algorithms and implementation techniques have been proposed. They range from out-of-database approaches for only in-memory and external memory data to techniques that make use of standard database operators to answer similarity joins. Recent work has shown that this operation can be efficiently implemented as a physical database operator. However, the proposed operator only support 1D numeric data. This paper presents DBSimJoin, a physical Similarity Join database operator for datasets that lie in any metric space. DBSimJoin is a non-blocking operator that prioritizes the early generation of results. We implemented the proposed operator in PostgreSQL, an open source database system. We show how this operator can be used in multiple real-world data analysis scenarios with multiple data types and distance functions. Particularly, we show the use of DBSimJoin to identify similar images represented as feature vectors, and similar publications in a bibliographic database. We also show that DBSimJoin scales very well when important parameters, e.g., e, data size, increase.
Criminal-Justice and School Sanctions Against Nonheterosexual Youth: A National Longitudinal Study

Objective: Nonheterosexual adolescents are vulnerable to health risks including addiction, bullying, and familial abuse. We examined whether they also suffer disproportionate school and criminal-justice sanctions. Methods: The National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health followed a nationally representative sample of adolescents who were in grades 7 through 12 in 1994–1995. Data from the 1994–1995 survey and the 2001–2002 follow-up were analyzed. Three measures were used to assess nonheterosexuality: same-sex attraction, same-sex romantic relationships, and lesbian, gay, or bisexual (LGB) self-identification. Six outcomes were assessed: school expulsion; police stops; juvenile arrest; juvenile conviction; adult arrest; and adult conviction. Multivariate analyses controlled for adolescents9 sociodemographics and behaviors, including illegal conduct. Results: Nonheterosexuality consistently predicted a higher risk for sanctions. For example, in multivariate analyses, nonheterosexual adolescents had greater odds of being stopped by the police (odds ratio: 1.38 [ P P Conclusions: Nonheterosexual youth suffer disproportionate educational and criminal-justice punishments that are not explained by greater engagement in illegal or transgressive behaviors. Understanding and addressing these disparities might reduce school expulsions, arrests, and incarceration and their dire social and health consequences.
Urine vascular biomarkers in Sturge–Weber syndrome

Sturge–Weber syndrome (SWS) consists of a capillary-venous vascular malformation of the brain, skin and eye. Urine vascular biomarkers have been demonstrated to be abnormal in other vascular anomalies and to correlate with clinical severity and progression. The current study investigated the use of urinary matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2, MMP-9, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), and basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels to non-invasively monitor the progression of SWS. Fifty-four urine samples were collected from patients seen at the Hunter Nelson Sturge–Weber Center at Kennedy Krieger Institute. Urine was analyzed for MMP-2, MMP-9, VEGF and bFGF levels and correlated with clinical outcome at the time of urine collection (n = 48) and 1 year following urine collection (n = 22). Analysis revealed that MMP-2 (p = 0.033) and MMP-9 (p = 0.010) were significantly more likely to be present in the urine of SWS subjects compared to controls and that bFGF was significantly more likely to be present at abnormal levels (p = 0.005). MMP-2 correlated with a more severe clinical score at the time of urine collection, while both MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels correlated with greater disease severity at time of collection. bFGF levels correlated with improved clinical score 1 year after urine collection. These results suggest that MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels may be useful in assessing SWS progression, as well as indicating which patients might benefit from more aggressive treatment, while bFGF levels may be useful in judging the efficacy of neurologic treatment in SWS.
Functional Role of Hepatitis C Virus Chimeric Glycoproteins in the Infectivity of Pseudotyped Virus

The putative envelope glycoproteins of hepatitis C virus (HCV) likely play an important role in the initiation of viral infection. Available information suggests that the genomic regions encoding the putative envelope glycoproteins, when expressed as recombinant proteins in mammalian cells, largely accumulate in the endoplasmic reticulum. In this study, genomic regions which include the putative ectodomain of the E1 (amino acids 174 to 359) and E2 (amino acids 371 to 742) glycoproteins were appended to the transmembrane domain and cytoplasmic tail of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) G protein. This provided a membrane anchor signal and the VSV incorporation signal at the carboxy termini of the E1 and E2 glycoproteins. The chimeric gene constructs exhibited expression of the recombinant proteins on the cell surface in a transient expression assay. When infected with a temperature-sensitive VSV mutant (ts045) and grown at the nonpermissive temperature (40.5°C), cells transiently expressing the E1 or E2 chimeric glycoprotein generated VSV/HCV pseudotyped virus. The resulting pseudotyped virus generated from E1 or E2 surprisingly exhibited the ability to infect mammalian cells and sera derived from chimpanzees immunized with the homologous HCV envelope glycoproteins neutralized pseudotyped virus infectivity. Results from this study suggested a potential functional role for both the E1 and E2 glycoproteins in the infectivity of VSV/HCV pseudotyped virus in mammalian cells. These observations further suggest the importance of using both viral glycoproteins in a candidate subunit vaccine and the potential for using a VSV/HCV pseudotyped virus to determine HCV neutralizing antibodies.
Solvatochromic shifts of single-walled carbon nanotubes in nonpolar microenvironments

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are encapsulated with microenvironments of nonpolar solvent, providing a new method to measure the photophysical properties of nanotubes in environments with known properties. Photoluminescence (PL) and absorbance spectra of SWNTs show solvatochromic shifts in 16 nonpolar solvents, which are proportional to the solvent induction polarization. The shifts in the emission energies (ΔE11) range from approximately 25 to 100 meV and the smallest diameter SWNTs have the largest shifts. The PL intensity of SWNTs is very sensitive to changes in polarity. For example, SWNTs encapsulated with chloroform (e∼ 5) show substantial reductions in intensity. The solvatochromic shifts of SWNTs were used to determine the relationship between the longitudinal polarizability, band gap and radius, α11,|| ∝ 1/(R2E113).
Photochemical synthesis of size-tailored hexagonal ZnS quantum dots

ZnS quantum dots were synthetized at room temperature using a simple photochemical process involving ketyl radicals. Through the simple adjustment of reagent concentration, the method allows the control of nanoparticle size. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the nanomaterial adopts the hexagonal structure.
Caprylic Acid and Glyceryl Trinitrate Combination for Eradication of Biofilm

There is a growing need for biocompatible, broad-spectrum, nonantibiotic, antimicrobial treatments because of the frequent ineffectiveness of antibiotics against biofilms and the increasing incidence of antibiotic resistance. In this study, we demonstrate rapid and complete biofilm eradication in an in vitro model with synergistic combinations of glyceryl trinitrate and caprylic acid against resistant Gram-positive, Gram-negative, and fungal biofilms.
The Lebesgue constants for cardinal spline interpolation

Abstract If (yν) ϵ l∞, let LnY be the unique bounded cardinal spline of degree n − 1 interpolating to y at the integers, i.e., L n Y(v)=Y v , ν = 0, ±1, ±2 . The norm of this operator: ‖Ln‖=sup‖Lny‖/‖y‖ is called a Lebesgue constant. A formula for ∥ L n∥ is obtained, and with it we will show that ‖L n ‖= 2 φ log n+ 2 φ (2 log 4 φ +γ)+0(1) as n→∞ where γ is the Euler-Mascheroni constant.
The Analysis of Issue-Contexts in the Study of Decision-Making

IN THE ENVOLVING STUDY of decision-makingl attention has been paid to the personal and social characteristics of the participants, the institutional settings in which they work, the small groups which they form, the pressures to which they are subjected, the flow of information and advice which they receive, their perceptions of reality, the alignment of interests supporting and opposing certain alternatives, and the logic and psychology of situations involving choice. From Mary Parker Follett's "Law of the Situation" to Harold Stein's introduction to the case book, Public Administration and Policy Development, much emphasis has also been placed on the situational context of issues. But the very richness of the factual context has apparently inhibited efforts to abstract elements which would facilitate comparisons among the case histories by classifying issue contexts along various dimensions and examining their consequences for decision-making. The thesis of this paper is that the study of decision-making would gain by making explicit and systematic an analytic category-the contexts of the issues-specifying the situations in which issues occur and their impact on the decision-makers. The subject matter of the issue-the tariff, public versus private power, conservation-obviously helps determine the interests and the particular decision-makers who are concerned with the problem. It is not immediately apparent, however, that the context in which the issue occurs not only helps determine the decision-maker's perception of the facts and values but also the way in which he seeks out, receives, and evaluates this information. Different issue-contexts invoke different decision-making patterns which affect the manner in which the decision-maker goes about trying
VISION: cloud-powered sight for all: showing the cloud what you see

We argue that for computers to do more for us, we need to show the cloud what we see and embrace cloud-powered sight for mobile users. We present sample applications that will be empowered by this vision, discuss why the timing is right to tackle it, and offer our initial thoughts on some of the important research challenges.
Successful amelioration of mitochondrial optic neuropathy using the yeast NDI1 gene in a rat animal model.

Background: Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disorder with point mutations in mitochondrial DNA which result in loss of vision in young adults. The majority of mutations reported to date are within the genes encoding the subunits of the mitochondrial NADH-quinone oxidoreductase, complex I. Establishment of animal models of LHON should help elucidate mechanism of the disease and could be utilized for possible development of therapeutic strategies. Methodology/Principal Findings: We established a rat model which involves injection of rotenone-loaded microspheres into the optic layer of the rat superior colliculus. The animals exhibited the most common features of LHON. Visual loss was observed within 2 weeks of rotenone administration with no apparent effect on retinal ganglion cells. Death of retinal ganglion cells occurred at a later stage. Using our rat model, we investigated the effect of the yeast alternative NADH dehydrogenase, Ndi1. We were able to achieve efficient expression of the Ndi1 protein in the mitochondria of all regions of retinal ganglion cells and axons by delivering the NDI1 gene into the optical layer of the superior colliculus. Remarkably, even after the vision of the rats was severely impaired, treatment of the animals with the NDI1 gene led to a complete restoration of the vision to the normal level. Control groups that received either empty vector or the GFP gene had no effects. Conclusions/Significance: The present study reports successful manifestation of LHON-like symptoms in rats and demonstrates the potential of the NDI1 gene therapy on mitochondrial optic neuropathies. Our results indicate a window of opportunity for the gene therapy to be applied successfully after the onset of the disease symptoms.
The impact of college-level sex education on sexual knowledge, attitudes, and practices: The knowledge/sexual experimentation myth revisited.

In recent years, many persons have opposed sex education believing that such courses will lead to increased participation in sexual intercourse by young people, but their fears are not supported by...
Network stability within visual cortex: A Lyapunov function approach

The cerebral cortex is a brain region that is implicated in complex behaviors. Understanding the dynamics of neurons in areas of the cerebral cortex is, thus, an important goal in neuroscience. Methods for recording the activity of populations of neurons in cortical areas are now becoming available, but there are few analytic methods available to analyze such data. This paper introduces a simple dynamical systems model based on a family of linear, non-autonomous differential equations that can be used to model such data. It also introduces a simple method of constructing Lyapunov functions for this family of equations.
Some Strong Laws for Normed Weighted Sums of Stochastically Dominated Banach Space Valued Random Elements Irrespective of Their Joint Distributions

Let {Vn, n ≥ 1} be a sequence of random elements in a real separable Banach space and suppose that {Vn, n ≥ 1} is stochastically dominated by a random element V. Let {an, n ≥ 1} and {bn, n ≥ 1} be real sequences with 0 < bn ↑ ∞. Conditions are provided under which {anVn, n ≥ 1} obeys the general strong law of large numbers almost surely irrespective of the joint distributions of the {Vn, n ≥ 1}. No geometric conditions are imposed on the underlying Banach space. Examples are provided which illustrate, compare, or demonstrate the sharpness of the results.
Passive velocity field control of mechanical manipulators

Two concepts are advocated for the task specification and control of mechanical manipulators: 1) coding tasks in terms of velocity fields; 2) designing controllers so that the manipulator when under feedback control, interacts in an energetically passive manner with its physical environment. Based on these two concepts, a new passive velocity field controller is proposed which mimics the behavior of a passive energy storage element, such as a flywheel or a spring. It stores and releases energy while interacting with the manipulator, but does not generate any. The controller has the interesting property that it stabilizes any multiple (positive or negative) of the desired velocity field, and exponentially stabilizes the particular multiple of the desired velocity field which is determined by the total kinetic energy of the manipulator control system.
Services to LGBTQ runaway and homeless youth: Gaps and recommendations

Abstract This article identifies gaps in services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) runaway and homeless youth (RHY) and offers recommendations from the literature to fill them. Participants were 24 staff from 19 LGBTQ-RHY-serving agencies across the country. Over a 2-month period, researchers conducted 1-hour phone interviews with program staff and agency directors. Data from the interview transcripts were coded using template analysis, and the researchers modified the themes using an iterative coding process. Analyses yielded the following themes: a) housing services, b) educational services, c) employment services, d) family services, e) LGBTQ-affirming services, f) cultural competency training, and g) advocacy and organizing. Participants' perceptions of these gaps are provided, as are literature-driven recommendations to address those gaps. The findings from this study have the potential to guide program developers and policy makers in providing comprehensive, LGBTQ-affirming services for a substantial portion of the RHY population.
More on the Four-Numbers Game

Place arbitrary integers on the four corners of a square. Then place on the midpoint of each side of the square the absolute value of the difference of the numbers associated with the adjacent corners. Connect the midpoints of the sides of the square to form a new square with integers on its corners. Now repeat the process. FIGURE 1 shows an example starting with the numbers 1, 2, 4, and 7. Much has been written about this process ([1], [3], [4], [5], [6], [7])-the so-called four-numbers game-and its generalizations [8]. The earliest published reference seems to be in [2], where it is attributed to E. Ducci of Italy. It is a simple exercise to show that upon iteration the procedure eventually produces a square of zeroes. What is surprising is how fast this convergence actually happens in practice. Ask someone to pick four numbers at random, play the game, and you will probably find it takes eight or fewer iterations to converge to the zero square. This is despite the fact that the convergence time is unbounded-a slightly harder exercise. It is the purpose of this note to calculate the distribution of convergence times with respect to the natural probability measure on labeled squares and thereby to explain the surprising speed of convergence. Let us generalize the process slightly by permitting real numbers on the corners of the squares. For convenience, we formulate the problem as follows. Let T: R4 R4 be defined by T(a, b, c, d) = (la-bl, lb-cl, Ic-dl, Id-al). For vtE R4, let the convergence time of the four-numbers game starting at v be n(vG) = min{m: m > 0 and Tm(vt) = (0, 0, 0, 0)). We wish to calculate the probability that n(v ) = k for small natural numbers k. Since we have no way of making sense of choosing an integer or a real number "at random," let us assume that the numbers are chosen according to a uniform distribution on [0, N] for some very large N. (In fact, the distribution of the function n is easily seen to be independent of the choice of N.)
Spelling in Written Stories by School-Age Children with Cochlear Implants

AbstractThis study evaluated the spelling of 3rd to 6th grade children with cochlear implants in written stories. Spelling was analysed using traditional correct/incorrect scoring as well as the Spelling Sensitivity Score, which provides linguistic information about spelling attempts. Children with cochlear implants spelled 86 per cent of words in stories correctly. SSS scores indicated that children on average represented all elements in words with logical letters but not always the conventional spelling. Spelling performance in stories was positively correlated with spelling in single-word contexts. Clinical and research implications are discussed.
9 ADIPOKINES IN HUMAN ENDOTOXEMIA

Purpose A convergence of innate immune and adipose signals is thought to promote metabolic syndrome and atherosclerosis. Indeed, septicemia and experimental endotoxemia induce insulin resistance and metabolic dyslipidemia. However, the role of innate immunity in regulating adipokines, key modulators of insulin resistance and atherosclerosis, is poorly defined in humans. Method A human endotoxemia model was used to examine the impact of activation of innate immunity on resistin, adiponectin and leptin pathways in vivo. Serial whole blood and adipose (subcutaneous biopsies) gene expression (quantitative PCR) as well as plasma levels of adipokines were measured for 24 hours prior to and following intravenous administration of 3 ng/kg endotoxin (LPS) in 20 healthy human volunteers (50% male, 80% Caucasian, mean age 27.3 ± 4.8, inpatient GCRC protocol). Repeated measures analysis of variance was applied to the data. Findings Whole blood resistin mRNA levels (13.7 ± 7.3 fold; F statistic = 47.3, p Conclusions Endotoxemia induces specific and differential effects on adipokine signaling in humans. Strikingly, resistin appears to be a leukocyte, but not adipose, derived inflammatory cytokine in humans, which is vastly increased in response to LPS. In contrast, adiponectin levels are unchanged during endotoxemia, but expression of both adiponectin receptor subtypes is decreased, consistent with an attenuation of adiponectin insulin sensitizing and anti-atherosclerotic signaling in vivo.
Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the REG-CTNNA2 region of chromosome 2 and NEIL3 associated with impulsivity in a Native American sample.

Impulsivity is a multi-faceted construct that, while characterized by a set of correlated dimensions, is centered around a core definition that involves acting suddenly in an unplanned manner without consideration for the consequences of such behavior. Several psychiatric disorders include impulsivity as a criterion, and thus it has been suggested that it may link a number of different behavioral disorders, including substance abuse. Native Americans (NA) experience some of the highest rates of substance abuse of all the US ethnic groups. The described analyses used data from a low-coverage whole genome sequence scan to conduct a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of an impulsivity phenotype in an American Indian community sample (n = 658). Demographic and clinical information were obtained using a semi-structured interview. Impulsivity was assessed using a scale derived from the Maudsley personality inventory that combines both novelty seeking and lack of planning items. The impulsivity score was tested for association with each variant adjusted for demographic variables, and corrected for ancestry and kinship, using emmax. Simulations were conducted to calculate empirical P-values. Genome-wide significant findings were observed for a variant 50-kb upstream from catenin cadherin-associated protein, alpha 2 (CTNNA2), a neuronal-specific catenin, in the REG gene cluster. A meta-analysis of GWAS had previously identified common variants in CTNNA2 as being associated with excitement seeking. A second locus upstream of nei endonuclease VIII-like 3 (NEIL3) on chromosome 4 also achieved genome-wide significance. The association between sequence variants in these regions suggests their potential roles in the genetic regulation of this phenotype in this population.
Comparation of the effect of different patterns of the government supervisory on prohibiting straw burning——Based on the static game model with the analysis of the relationship between farmers and the government

The government has released a series of no-burning policy,however little effect has been gained.In view of the issue of farmers burning straw,Different government regulation models were analyzed and the static game model was introduced to do some comparative analysis on the farmers' burning straw and the effect of government regulations.It showed that the incentive-based regulation is an effective way for the government to supervise the burning of straw.However,the function displayed by the mode of incentive policy has been constrained to the basic condition that the amount of government incentive fund must be able to make up for the cost-benefit net loss of farmers' disposal of straw.
Analysis of Traveling Wave Responses of Structures

The prediction of transient response of structures, in the form of traveling waves, is very important for controlling the dynamic behavior of structures. It is well known that the standard semi-discrete form of the finite element method is not suitable for predicting the wave propagation, due to the inherent dispersion involved. In this paper, an application of space-time finite element method to the wave propagation problem is discussed. The main concerns in such problems consist of developing a consistent and stable scheme and also of capturing a shock wave, without wiggling. We discuss, at first, a weak form of the wave propagation problem, taking into account the jump condition associated with velocity and stress. A mixed finite element formulation plays an important role in evaluating the velocity explicitly. The application of present formulation to the linear wave equation shows that the present numerical results at the discontinuity give the mean values of jump. In the case of flexural wave propagations in Timoshenko beam, the present method captures the wave front easily rather than the semi-discrete method.
Thiazole-valine peptidomimetic (TTT-28) antagonizes multidrug resistance in vitro and in vivo by selectively inhibiting the efflux activity of ABCB1

Multidrug resistance (MDR) attenuates the chemotherapy efficacy and increases the probability of cancer recurrence. The accelerated drug efflux mediated by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transporters is one of the major MDR mechanisms. This study investigated if TTT-28, a newly synthesized thiazole-valine peptidomimetic, could reverse ABCB1-mediated MDR in vitro and in vivo. TTT-28 reversed the ABCB1-mediated MDR and increased the accumulation of [3H]-paclitaxel in ABCB1 overexpressing cells by selectively blocking the efflux function of ABCB1, but not interfering with the expression level and localization of ABCB1. Animal study revealed that TTT-28 enhanced the intratumoral concentration of paclitaxel and promoted apoptosis, thereby potently inhibiting the growth of ABCB1 overexpressing tumors. But TTT-28 did not induce the toxicity (cardiotoxicity/myelosuppression) of paclitaxel in mice. In this study, we synthesized and evaluated a novel selective inhibitor of ABCB1 (TTT-28) with high efficacy and low toxicity. The identification and characterization of this new thiazole-valine peptidomimetic will facilitate design and synthesis of a new generation of ABCB1 inhibitors, leading to further research on multidrug resistance and combination chemotherapy. Furthermore, the strategy that co-administer MDR-ABCB1 inhibitor to overcome the resistance of one FDA approved, widely used chemotherapeutic paclitaxel, may be promising direction for the field of adjuvant chemotherapy.
From Academe, to the Theatre, to the Streets: My Autocritography of Aesthetic Cleansing and Canonical Exception in the Wake of Ferguson

Using autocritography, this essay acts as a critical performance of interracial communication, civil and academic unrest, and theatre during the Grand Jury Hearing for Darren Wilson a year after he...
The Constrained Laplacian Rank algorithm for graph-based clustering

Graph-based clustering methods perform clustering on a fixed input data graph. If this initial construction is of low quality then the resulting clustering may also be of low quality. Moreover, existing graph-based clustering methods require post-processing on the data graph to extract the clustering indicators. We address both of these drawbacks by allowing the data graph itself to be adjusted as part of the clustering procedure. In particular, our Constrained Laplacian Rank (CLR) method learns a graph with exactly k connected components (where k is the number of clusters). We develop two versions of this method, based upon the L1-norm and the L2-norm, which yield two new graph-based clustering objectives. We derive optimization algorithms to solve these objectives. Experimental results on synthetic datasets and real-world benchmark datasets exhibit the effectiveness of this new graph-based clustering method.