cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Plant and Bird Community Dynamics in Mixed-Grass Prairie Grazed by Native and Domestic Herbivores

Abstract Native colonial and large ungulate herbivores infrequently coexist on contemporary landscapes but frequently would have in the past, and understanding these interactions is important for conservation in working landscapes—those lands managed for biological and economic objectives. Although many factors contribute to grassland bird declines, consistent and long-term removal of native herbivores from western grasslands promotes homogenous landscapes that are now uniformly grazed by cattle (Bos taurus). This shift in grassland disturbance patterns limits habitat availability for specialized grassland species. We investigated vegetation and bird community dynamics in pastures grazed by domestic cattle and a native colonial herbivore, the black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus). The study occurred in the northern mixed-grass prairie of the United States on four experimental pastures stratified by the proportion of prairie dog occupancy to create an ecological gradient. Vegetation and bird surveys were conducted from 2012 to 2015 on and off prairie dog colonies. Vegetation and bird communities were not different along the experimental pasture gradient but did differ relative to location on versus off town. Prairie dogs induced changes in the plant community with midstatured grasses like side-oats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula) and green needlegrass (Nassella viridula) being associated with off-colony sites while on-colony sites were associated with disturbance-tolerant species such as fetid marigold (Dyssodia papposa). The bird community responded to changes in vegetation structure resulting from prairie dogs with grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) being more abundant off colonies in areas with greater vegetation structure, while bird species with more complex life histories, such as the upland sandpiper (Bartramia longicauda), were associated with both on − and off − prairie dog colonies. Our findings demonstrate the importance of maintaining spatial heterogeneity in working landscapes and show that native colonial herbivores can help achieve this in the presence of herbivory by domestic cattle.
Cultural Hurdles for Adaptive Re-use of Historic Buildings in Japan

A major component: of the success of historic preser­ vation in the U.S. has been the adaptive reuse of his­ toric properties. 'Train sta­ The year 1868 marked the beginning of the Meiji Period (1868-1912), when the new Emperor made it government policy to pro­ mote the art, business and culture of the West. This policy rapidly transformed the architectural landscape from one consisting exclu­ sively of one- and two- story wooden and clay structures into one that included large clapboard, brick and stone public buildings that incorporated Western building tech­ niques and architectural styles. Newer buildings differ greatly from tradi­ tional Japanese structures in the materials they use, the size of rooms, the amount of windows and light, the heights of ceil­ ings, and the design of stairs and fireplaces. They even exhibit a different attitude toward wearing shoes indoors. In 1921 Frank Lloyd Wright termed this imita­ tive architecture the cold dead forms Japanese archi­ tects go abroad to copy, but today Meiji Period buildings provide refresh­ ing visual relief from the concrete tofu-like struc­ tures that dominate the post-World War II Japan­ ese landscape. Yet every day these buildings are be­ ing demolished rather than put to a new use. Why? Many observers have speculated that the tear Cultural Hurdles for Adaptive Re-use of Historic Buildings in Japan tions have won new life as restaurants; old factories now house luxury apart­ ments; and even grain silos have been converted into hotels, all with minimal disruption to the exterior architectural character of the structures. In Japan, however, the historic preservation movement is only begin­ ning to expand into activities beyond the pres­ Cherilyn Widell ervation of shrines and temples, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings is still very rare. The rea­ sons for this provide important insights into the cultural aspects of the use of space in Japan and the effects of Westernization in the country. Historic architecture in Japan can be divided into two main categories. Those buildings construct­ •ca* ed in styles prevalent before 1868, when Japan was opened to the West, are categorized by archi­ tectural historians as tra­ ditional, and all those built in Western styles are considered modern. The Meiji Shrine, built in 1920, i-^Ht* Ji -I'-U^ down and build mentality is drawn from the Shinto tradition of rebuilding shrines, such as Ise, at reg­ ular intervals. But for at least 125 years, Japanese buildings also have been is characteristic of traditional Japanese architecture. The shrine is designed in pure Shinto style, which is marked by dignified simplicity. mm Courtesy Japanese Consulate General, New York. PLACES
Keeping Out Extreme Inequality from the SDG Agenda – The Politics of Indicators

The SDGs are important because they set consensus norms. At face value, Goal 10 sets a strong norm on reducing inequality within and between countries. Yet this is undermined and distorted by the targets and indicators which are weak and set an agenda for inclusion rather than for reducing inequalities. This paper explains this paradox as a result of an intense contestation over the framing of the inequality agenda as inclusion, focusing on the poor and excluded, rather than on extreme inequality. The paper provides a detailed account of the negotiations and argues that the insertion of the shared prosperity measure in setting the target on vertical economic inequality (rather than distribution measures such as Gini or Palma ratio) was strategic. It concludes that the political choice over the meaning of a norm is made on what is said to be a technical basis. The technical and political considerations cannot be disentangled and greater transparency on the policy strengths and weaknesses of measurement choices is needed.
GreenFlag: Protecting 3D-Racetrack Memory from Shift Errors

Racetrack memory is an exciting emerging memory technology with the potential to offer far greater capacity and performance than other non-volatile memories. Racetrack memory has an unusual error model, though, which precludes the use of the typical error coding techniques used by architects. In this paper, we introduce GreenFlag, a coding scheme that combines a new construction for Varshamov-Tenegolts codes with specially crafted delimiter bits that are placed between each codeword. GreenFlag is the first coding scheme that is compatible with 3D racetrack, which has the benefit of very high density but the limitation of a single read/write port per track. Based on our implementation of encoding/decoding hardware, we analyze the trade-offs between latency, code length, and code rate; we then use this analysis to evaluate the viability of racetrack at each level of the memory hierarchy.
Surface Fluxes Modulate the Seasonality of Zonal-Mean Storm Tracks

AbstractThe observed zonal-mean extratropical storm tracks exhibit distinct hemispheric seasonality. Previously, the moist static energy (MSE) framework was used diagnostically to show that shortwa...
Patients with generalized epilepsy are also at risk for SUDEP

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is the most catastrophic consequence of epilepsy. About 1 in 1,000 patients with epilepsy will experience SUDEP each year and SUDEP is the most common cause of death in people with pharmacoresistant seizure disorders.1,2 Understanding which patients are at risk for SUDEP is of paramount importance to patients and their health care providers. The most consistent finding from prior studies is that the presence and frequency of convulsive seizures are major risk factors for SUDEP.1,3 Other risk factors that may increase the risk of SUDEP include early age at onset, long duration of epilepsy, nocturnal seizures, medication nonadherence, being alone at the time of terminal seizure, and drug and alcohol use.1,3,4 Clinical and translational research into the etiology of SUDEP is exploring potential biomarkers of cardiopulmonary and autonomic dysfunction during and following seizures, though so far no one clear pattern has emerged as predictive of SUDEP risk.4,5
A Critical Disability Studies Approach to ‘Inclusive’ Early Childhood Teacher Education

Critical Disability Studies (CDS) focuses on how normalcy is constructed and offers an important framework for questioning ‘inclusive’ early childhood practices. This article proposes a CDS approach to early childhood ‘inclusive’ teacher education that (1) develops a CDS pedagogy, (2) identifies ableist practices, and (3) questions and redefines ‘inclusion.’ A Critical Disability Studies Approach to ‘Inclusive’ Early Childhood Teacher Education by Nicole Eilers is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Based on a work at https://rdsjournal.org. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at https://www.rds.hawaii.edu/.
Analysis Of The Impact Of Oil Prices, Money Supply, Inflation, Interest Rates And Exchange Rate Against Stock Trading Volume On The Indonesia Stock Exchange

This research explanatory the Impact of Oil Price, Money Supply, Inflation, Interest Rate and Exchange Rate. Against Stock Trading Volume at Indonesia Stock Exchange. Population in this research all companies go public in BEI, monthly data taken by time series during period of July 2005 until December 2015, Analysis used to test the hypothesis in this research is Analysis Multiple correlations. The results prove that oil price and money supply, have a significant positive impact on changes in trading volume of shares Inflation did not have a significant negative impact on changes in trading volume of shares While interest rates and Exchange Rate have a significant negative impact on stock trading volumes on the Indonesia Stock Exchange.
Quality insight: exponential decay of quality learning curves during COVID-19 lockdown

This paper is presented as a quality-insight column designed to spark new research interest in computational views of how rapidly a learning curve declines during a period of prolonged interruption. Specifically, the paper considers the case of the worldwide COVID-19 lockdown that afflicted business, industry, academia, and government. As a result of being barred from practicing their respective functions, workers are prevented from the normal positive effects of being on a learning curve. Instead of performance improvement due to learning curves, there is performance degradation due to the lockdown. Although not enough live data is available yet for a direct modelling, the paper presents a postulated analytical framework that researchers can use later on for empirical modelling of the adverse impacts of the lockdown on learning curves. A decline in learning can translate to a decline in quality of work and quality of products. Mathematical methods suggested in the paper include exponential decay, hyperbolic decline, and half-life learning curves.
Establishing human brands: determinants of placement success for first faculty positions in marketing

Based on primary data spanning 5 years, we examine factors that influence the entry-level placement of marketing doctoral candidates at U.S. universities and colleges. Contributing to the emerging research on human brands, we identify marketing doctoral candidates’ intrinsic and extrinsic brand cues that influence their number of AMA interviews, campus visit offers, and starting base salary. The strongest brand cue is the research productivity of candidates’ doctoral degree-granting departments. A related cue that also predicts initial salary is the candidates’ advisors’ research record. Further, when beginning the job search, doctoral students who have a top research publication, who have a dissertation proposal defended with data, and who have attended the AMA-Sheth Foundation Doctoral Consortium receive a substantial entry salary premium. Based on branding frameworks and theories of academic rewards, this study adds to the emerging knowledge on both the concept of human brands as well as the growing literature on issues relating to marketing academia.
Evaluating User-Personas as Supplementary Tools in AAC Intervention and Clinician Decision Making.

Models used for the design and service delivery of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) systems are limited. There are no standardized protocols for gathering user requirements beyond clinical/diagnostic information relating to AAC access needs (i.e., physical and cognitive capabilities). Nonetheless, information on the social, cultural, and psychological aspects of technology orientation and use are important to understanding how an AAC system will complement the user's lifestyle, personal goals, values, and activities. Persona development is a user-centered design method that creates descriptive user models of different segments of a user population. Personas describe users' personal characteristics, and the ways in which they think, behave, and engage in activities (with or without technology). The objective of this study is to investigate the utility of user personas as a supplementary tool to aid SLPs in AAC assessment and service delivery.Three personas of individuals with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) were developed and validated in our prior research (Subrahmaniyan, 2014; Subrahmaniyan, Bisantz & Higginbotham, 2018). Twelve SLPs engaged in mock AAC assessments of the three ALS case studies under two conditions: with or without the use of personas as a supplemental informational tool. By and large, there were no statistically significant differences between groups across objective measures, however, interview sessions with the SLP participants revealed benefits to using personas during clinical decision-making, particularly for training novice SLPs. Discussion also focuses on ways in which user personas can be adapted and improved to mitigate some of the challenges and risks identified.
Caffeine exposure in utero is associated with structural brain alterations and deleterious neurocognitive outcomes in 9–10 year old children

Caffeine, a very widely used and potent neuromodulator, easily crosses the placental barrier, but relatively little is known about the long-term impact of gestational caffeine exposure (GCE) on neurodevelopment. Here, we leverage magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data, collected from a very large sample of 9157 children, aged 9-10 years, as part of the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Developmentsm (ABCD ®) study, to investigate brain structural outcomes at 27 major fiber tracts as a function of GCE. Significant relationships between GCE and fractional anisotropy (FA) measures in the inferior fronto-occipito fasciculus and corticospinal tract of the left hemisphere (IFOF-LH; CST-LH) were detected via mixed effects binomial regression. We further investigated the interaction between these fiber tracts, GCE, cognitive measures (working memory, task efficiency), and psychopathology measures (externalization, internalization, somatization, and neurodevelopment). GCE was associated with poorer outcomes on all measures of psychopathology but had negligible effect on cognitive measures. Higher FA values in both fiber tracts were associated with decreased neurodevelopmental problems and improved performance on both cognitive tasks. We also identified a decreased association between FA in the CST-LH and task efficiency in the GCE group. These findings suggest that GCE can lead to future neurodevelopmental complications and that this occurs, in part, through alteration of the microstructure of critical fiber tracts such as the IFOF-LH and CST-LH. These data suggest that current guidelines regarding limiting caffeine intake during pregnancy may require some recalibration.
Cerebral aggregate g-ratio mapping using magnetic resonance relaxometry and diffusion tensor imaging to investigate sex and age-related differences in white matter microstructure.

Abstract Axonal demyelination is a cardinal feature of aging and age-related diseases. The g-ratio, mathematically defined as the inner-to-outer diameter of a myelinated axon, is used as a structural index of optimal axonal myelination and has been shown to represent a sensitive imaging biomarker of microstructural integrity. Several magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) methods for whole-brain mapping of aggregate g-ratio have been introduced. Computation of the aggerate g-ratio requires estimates of the myelin volume fraction (MVF) and the axonal volume fraction (AVF). While accurate determinations of MVF and AVF can be obtained through multicomponent relaxometry or diffusion analyses, respectively, these methods require lengthy acquisition times making their implementation challenging in a clinical context. Therefore, any attempt to overcome this drawback is needed. Expanding on our previous work, we introduced a new MRI method for whole-brain mapping of aggregate g-ratio. This new approach is based on the use of a single-shell diffusion for AVF determination, reducing the acquisition time by approximately ~10 min from our recently introduced approach, while offering the possibility to investigate g-ratio differences in previous studies with existing data for MVF mapping and single-shell diffusion data for AVF mapping. Our comparison analysis indicates that our newly derived aggregate g-ratio values were similar to those derived from our previous method, which requires a longer acquisition time. Further, in agreement with our previous observations, we found quadratic U-shaped relationships between aggregate g-ratio and age in this much larger study cohort. However, our results show that sexual dimorphism in g-ratio was not significant in any brain region investigated.
Who is the Expert? Reconciling Algorithm Aversion and Algorithm Appreciation in AI-Supported Decision Making

The increased use of algorithms to support decision making raises questions about whether people prefer algorithmic or human input when making decisions. Two streams of research on algorithm aversion and algorithm appreciation have yielded contradicting results. Our work attempts to reconcile these contradictory findings by focusing on the framings of humans and algorithms as a mechanism. In three decision making experiments, we created an algorithm appreciation result (Experiment 1) as well as an algorithm aversion result (Experiment 2) by manipulating only the description of the human agent and the algorithmic agent, and we demonstrated how different choices of framings can lead to inconsistent outcomes in previous studies (Experiment 3). We also showed that these results were mediated by the agent's perceived competence, i.e., expert power. The results provide insights into the divergence of the algorithm aversion and algorithm appreciation literature. We hope to shift the attention from these two contradicting phenomena to how we can better design the framing of algorithms. We also call the attention of the community to the theory of power sources, as it is a systemic framework that can open up new possibilities for designing algorithmic decision support systems.
Examining bereavement-related needs and outcomes among survivors of sudden loss: A latent profile analysis.

OBJECTIVE Recognizing important bereavement-related needs among sudden loss survivors (e.g., suicide, overdose)-a population that is burgeoning and at risk for deleterious outcomes-is a critical task as needs may reflect modifiable grief-related variables that can assist with post-loss adjustment. METHODS Latent profile analysis was used among 347 sudden loss survivors to (a) identify distinct patterns of needs among survivors of sudden loss, (b) assess predictors of such profiles, and (c) investigate differences in profiles in terms of bereavement outcomes. RESULTS Four classes of bereavement-related needs were identified: a low needs class, a moderate needs-spiritual class, a moderate needs-relational class, and a high needs (HN) class. Clear differences emerged between need classes with the HN class evidencing the greatest level of grief and mental health sequelae. CONCLUSION Tending to bereavement-related needs is critical, as they indicate the degree of distress and reflect modifiable therapeutic variables.
Vehicle Engine Classification Using Spectral Tone-Pitch Vibration Indexing and Neural Network

As a non-invasive and remote sensor, the Laser Doppler Vibrometer LDV has found a broad spectrum of applications in various areas such as civil engineering, biomedical engineering, and even security and restoration within art museums. LDV is an ideal sensor to detect threats earlier and provide better protection to society, which is of utmost importance to military and law enforcement institutions. However, the use of LDV in situational surveillance, in particular vehicle classification, is still in its infancy due to the lack of systematic investigations on its behavioral properties. In this work, as a result of the pilot project initiated by Air Force Research Laboratory, the innate features of LDV data from many vehicles are examined, beginning with an investigation of feature differences compared to human speech signals. A spectral tone-pitch vibration indexing scheme is developed to capture the engine's periodic vibrations and the associated fundamental frequencies over the vehicles' surface. A two-layer feed-forward neural network with 20 intermediate neurons is employed to classify vehicles' engines based on their spectral tone-pitch indices. The classification results using the proposed approach over the complete LDV dataset collected by the project are exceedingly encouraging; consistently higher than 96% accuracies are attained for all four types of engines collected from this project.
21st century increases in the likelihood of extreme hydrologic conditions for the mountainous basins of the Southwestern United States

Summary Extreme hydrologic conditions, such as floods, droughts, and elevated stream temperatures, significantly impact the societal fabric and ecosystems, and there is rising concern about increases in the frequency of extreme conditions with projected climate changes. Here we ask what changes in the occurrence of extreme hydrologic conditions can be expected by the end of the century for the important water-generating, mountainous basins of the Southwestern United States, namely the Sierra Nevada and Upper Colorado River Basins. The extreme conditions considered are very high flows, low flows, and elevated stream temperature as derived from historic and future simulations using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool (SWAT) hydrologic model and downscaled output from a General Circulation Model ensemble. Results indicate noteworthy differences in the frequency changes of extremes based on geographic region, season, elevation, and stream size. We found wide-spread increases in the occurrence of stream flows exceeding 150% of historic monthly averages for winter by the end of the century, and extensive increases in the occurrence of both extreme low flows (representing 3 °C of monthly averages) during the summer months, with some basins expecting extreme conditions 90–100% of the time by the end of the century. Understanding the differences in the changes of extreme conditions can identify climate-sensitive regions and assist in targeted planning for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Malignant Pediatric Liver Tumors

Several malignant neoplasms occur almost exclusively in the infant and pediatric liver. Hepatoblastomas are discussed and illustrated, including the different subtypes and prognostic features. The recently described calcifying nested-stromal epithelial tumor is illustrated, along with the differential. Most of these tumors have indolent behavior, but some can be aggressive. Other malignancies are described and illustrated, including germ cell tumors and the mesenchymal malignances of embryonal sarcoma and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma. Finally, pediatric hepatocellular carcinomas and cholangiocarcinomas are reviewed.
Effect of sampling time on measured gravel bed load transport rates in a coarse-bedded stream

[1] This study empirically quantified the effect of sampling time on measured transport rates and fitted rating curves based on results obtained from bed load traps deployed for 2, 10, and 60 min in a coarse-bedded stream. As expected for a skewed distribution of transport rates, 2 min deployment underpredicted transport rates obtained from 10 and 60 min deployment by factors of 2 and 3 at moderate flows (50–70% Qbkf). At near-bank-full flow the underprediction by 2 min versus 10 min sampling increased to a factor of 5, while transport rates collected during 60 min deployments were reduced because of overfilled bags. At flows near incipient gravel motion, 2 min sampling overpredicted transport rates obtained by 10 and 60 min deployment by factors of 2.7 and 3.4. The overprediction is attributed to computational effects arising mainly from the lowest measurable transport rate for each sampling time. Rating curves fitted to transport rates from 2 min sampling were significantly less steep than those for longer deployment times. However, sampling time explains only a small degree of the large difference between rating curves from bed load traps and a Helley-Smith sampler (2 min sampling).
A six-district study of educational change: Direct and mediated effects of the child development project.

A comprehensive elementary school program, the Child Development Project, was conducted in two schools in each of six school districts over a three-year period. Two additional schools in each district served as a comparison group. The program attempts to create a 'caring community of learners' in school and classroom through classroom, schoolwide, and parent involvement components. The classroom component includes student collaboration, a literature-based approach to reading, and a student-centered approach to classroom management. Classroom observation, student questionnaire, teacher questionnaire, and test data were collected in a baseline year and in each of the three years of program implementation. Results showed positive student results in the five program schools that made significant progress in implementation. Schools that progressed in implementation showed gains – relative to their comparison schools – in students' personal, social, and ethical attitudes, values, and motives. Significant effects on academic achievement were found only in two schools with a performance-based assessment and a highly consistent local reform mandate. Modeling analyses indicated that student sense of community was an important mediating variable for almost all dependent variables – indicating that the program produced positive effects to the degree that it was successful in establishing a caring community in the school.
CMOS off-chip driver design with simultaneous switching noise and switching time considerations

A design constraint for CMOS off-chip drivers that will meet a pre-specified normalized maximum simultaneous switching ground noise and a prespecified normalized time when the switched NMOST leaves the saturation region is provided in this paper.
Random-matrix and quantum-critical crossovers for interacting electrons in quantum dots

Quantum dots with a large Thouless number $g$ embody a regime where both disorder and interactions can be treated nonperturbatively using large-$N$ techniques (with $N=g$) and quantum phase transitions can be studied. Here we focus on dots where the noninteracting Hamiltonian is drawn from a crossover ensemble between two symmetry classes, where the crossover parameter introduces a tunable energy scale independent of and much smaller than the Thouless energy. We show that the quantum critical regime, dominated by collective critical fluctuations, can be accessed at this energy scale. The nonperturbative physics of this regime can only be described by the large-$N$ approach, as we illustrate with two experimentally relevant examples.
Associations among spring-dependent aquatic assemblages and environmental and land use gradients in a Mojave Desert mountain range

In many arid landscapes, springs provide the only reliable source of water. Accordingly, both native species and human land uses, including diversion of water, livestock grazing, and recreation, tend to concentrate around springs and spring-fed riparian areas. We examined whether species richness and composition of aquatic macroinvertebrates at 45 springs in the Spring Mountains, an isolated mountain range in the eastern Mojave Desert (Nevada, USA), could be predicted using readily measured environmental gradients and estimates of disturbance intensity. The Spring Mountains is a focus of regional conservation planning, and managers are charged with prioritizing its springs for conservation and rehabilitation. Our results suggested that species richness of aquatic macroinvertebrates in the Spring Mountains system may be greatest at intermediate levels of natural and human disturbance. Discharge and springbrook length appeared to be only weakly correlated with species richness, whereas neither elevation, nor water temperature, nor electrical conductance was significantly associated with species richness. Nestedness analyses demonstrated that species present in relatively depauperate locations tended to be subsets of the species present in locations that were richer in species, but that pattern did not appear to be driven by either disturbance intensity or by the environmental variables we measured. Disturbance intensity was not associated with the extent to which species presences and absences were predictable. Although our results should not be interpreted to mean that major environmental gradients and disturbance intensity have no effect on distributional patterns of aquatic invertebrates in the Spring Mountains, the ability of these variables to serve as predictors of species richness and composition may be relatively low. Springs and other wetlands in arid landscapes are characterized by isolation and unpredictable disturbances, and faunal responses to environmental gradients may tend to be individualistic and taxon-specific.
Learning from the past and looking to the future.

Background/Aims: Leaders in the fields of nutrigenomics/genetics can benefit from studying the ethical and social issues raised by comparable biomedical developments in the recent p
Correlated DLTS and EPR measurements of defects in As-grown and electron irradiated p-type GaP

Abstract DLTS and EPR measurements were done on the same samples of Zn-doped GaP, both as grown and irradiated with 2 MeV electrons. An irradiation induced trap measured by DLTS with thermal activation energy of 0.64 eV for the emission of a hole to the valence band was found to have the same introduction rate and annealing temperature as the EPR signal NRL1, attributed to VGa.
The Risk of Infection-Related Hospitalization With Decreased Kidney Function

Background Moderate kidney disease may predispose to infection. We sought to determine whether decreased kidney function, estimated by serum cystatin C level, was associated with the risk of infection-related hospitalization in older individuals. Study Design Cohort study. Setting & Participants 5,142 Cardiovascular Health Study (CHS) participants with measured serum creatinine and cystatin C and without estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) 2 at enrollment. Predictor The primary exposure of interest was eGFR using serum cystatin C level (eGFR SCysC ). Outcome Infection-related hospitalizations during a median follow-up of 11.5 years. Results In adjusted analyses, eGFR SCysC categories of 60-89, 45-59, and 15-44 mL/min/1.73 m 2 were associated with 16%, 37%, and 64% greater risk of all-cause infection-related hospitalization, respectively, compared with eGFR SCysC ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . When cause-specific infection was examined, eGFR SCysC of 15-44 mL/min/1.73 m 2 was associated with an 80% greater risk of pulmonary and 160% greater risk of genitourinary infection compared with eGFR SCysC ≥90 mL/min/1.73 m 2 . Limitations No measures of urinary protein, study limited to principal discharge diagnosis. Conclusions Lower kidney function, estimated using cystatin C level, was associated with a linear and graded risk of infection-related hospitalization. These findings highlight that even moderate degrees of decreased kidney function are associated with clinically significant higher risks of serious infection in older individuals.
Rapid diagnosis of percardial effusion with Tc-99m pertechnetate

Summary Three patients with pericardial effusion, diagnosed by cardiac blood pool scanning with Tc-99m pertechnetate, are described. The advantages of this material and technique are outlined. Further pediatric utilization of this simple diagnostic technique is suggested.
Massive Lower Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage in Crohn's Disease.

Acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding is an uncommon but potentially life-threatening complication of Crohn’s disease. Because of the relative infrequency of severe bleeding due to CD, reports of larger numbers of cases are few, and the medical literature provides insufficient information to direct management. Nevertheless, certain clear guidelines can be offered once other causes for GI blood loss have been excluded and the diagnosis of a Crohn’s-related bleed is likely. While the initial episode may abate spontaneously, the primary treatment is determined by the severity and persistence of bleeding as well as the risk for recurrence. Localization of the site of bleeding is essential whether endoscopic therapy, surgery, or medical management is attempted. Endoscopic evaluation is preferable, if feasible, as it will provide a broader assessment of extent of disease as well as having a reasonable likelihood of identifying the site of bleeding with possible therapeutic intervention. An angiogram can be a useful alternative, but therapeutic intervention with embolization should be avoided because of the risk for intestinal infarction. Surgery remains the standard of care for persistent severe acute bleeds. If the acute bleeding ceases, an interval to attempt pharmacologic therapy may be available, permitting treatment of the underlying Crohn’s disease. Newer therapies such as infliximab, which may produce relatively rapid mucosal healing, may be beneficial; while they offer hopeful treatment alternatives, they have not been demonstrated to be of use for these cases.
Copper trimer: a revised assignment of the upper state of the 5397 Å system

Abstract In light of recent fluorescence spectra obtained for the 5397 A system of Cu 3 , this system is reassigned as A 2 A 1 -X 2 E'. This assignment explains the observed bands without the need to invoke vibronic or Coriolis perturbations. It also accounts for the anomalous pattern of linewidths observed for the higher vibronic levels of the A 2 A 1 state as unresolved splittings of the multiply excited doubly degenerate bending mode. The implications for the analysis of the ground state potential energy surfaces are discussed.
Seasonal surface ocean circulation and dynamics in the Philippine Archipelago region during 2004–2008

Abstract The dynamics of the seasonal surface circulation in the Philippine Archipelago (117°E–128°E, 0°N–14°N) are investigated using a high-resolution configuration of the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) for the period of January 2004–March 2008. Three experiments were performed to estimate the relative importance of local, remote and tidal forcing. On the annual mean, the circulation in the Sulu Sea shows inflow from the South China Sea at the Mindoro and Balabac Straits, outflow into the Sulawesi Sea at the Sibutu Passage, and cyclonic circulation in the southern basin. A strong jet with a maximum speed exceeding 100 cm s −1 forms in the northeast Sulu Sea where currents from the Mindoro and Tablas Straits converge. Within the Archipelago, strong westward currents in the Bohol Sea carry the surface water of the western Pacific (WP) from the Surigao Strait into the Sulu Sea via the Dipolog Strait. In the Sibuyan Sea, currents flow westward, which carry the surface water from the WP near the San Bernardino Strait into the Sulu Sea via the Tablas Strait. These surface currents exhibit strong variations or reversals from winter to summer. The cyclonic (anticyclonic) circulation during winter (summer) in the Sulu Sea and seasonally reversing currents within the Archipelago region during the peak of the winter (summer) monsoon result mainly from local wind forcing, while remote forcing dominates the current variations at the Mindoro Strait, western Sulu Sea and Sibutu passage before the monsoons reach their peaks. The temporal variations (with the mean removed), also referred to as anomalies, of volume transports in the upper 40 m at eight major Straits are caused predominantly by remote forcing, although local forcing can be large during sometime of a year. For example, at the Mindoro Strait, the correlation between the time series of transport anomalies due to total forcing (local, remote and tides) and that due only to the remote forcing is 0.81 above 95% significance, comparing to the correlation of 0.64 between the total and local forcing. Similarly, at the Sibutu Passage, the correlation is 0.96 for total versus remote effects, comparing to 0.53 for total versus local forcing. The standard deviations of transports from the total, remote and local effects are 0.59 Sv, 0.50 Sv, and 0.36 Sv, respectively, at the Mindoro Strait; and 1.21 Sv, 1.13 Sv, and 0.59 Sv at the Sibutu Passage. Nonlinear rectification of tides reduces the mean westward transports at the Surigao, San Bernardino and Dipolog Straits, and it also has non-negligible influence on the seasonal circulation in the Sulu Sea.
Specificity of the Solute Requirement by Marine Bacteria on Primary Isolation from Sea-water

THE partial replacement of sodium chloride in a culture medium for a marine bacterium by sucrose or potassium chloride was recently described1. The non-specific solute requirement was shown to control the rate of growth and under the conditions of experimentation was not concerned with osmotic fragility. Some previous workers found relatively little replacement of sodium salts by other solutes and concluded that the organisms being studied had little or no osmotic requirement2,3. In contrast, the solute requirements of the marine luminescent bacterium Photobacterium fischeri, both for growth and metabolism, were found to be non-specific and were considered to be primarily osmotic4,5. The various findings suggested the existence of species variation with respect to this property among marine bacteria. As a direct approach to a better understanding of this situation, samples of sea-water were plated directly on to media having either sodium chloride, potassium chloride, or sucrose as the principal solute. The purpose was to determine the proportion of cells in a natural inoculum which would allow a partial replacement of sodium chloride in the growth medium.
Backchannel responses as strategic responses in bilingual speakers¿ conversations

Backchannel responses appear to be a universal behavior, but specific backchannel behaviors are particular to language and culture. As such, they offer themselves to test central assumptions of Communication Accommodation Theory, in particular, assumptions relating to the processes of convergence and divergence. Researchers have identified linguistic and cultural differences in regard to the frequency, type, and placement of backchannel responses. This study examines differences in American English and German backchannel behavior and investigates backchannel behavior in interactions between monolingual and bilingual Germans. Study 1 documents significant differences in the frequency and placement of backchannel responses among monolingual German speakers and monolingual American English speakers. Results show that Germans produce fewer backchannel responses and place these responses less frequently in overlapping positions than American speakers do. Study 2 finds that native Germans who have become equally proficient in American English, when they speak to other native Germans in German, produce a higher number of backchannel responses and more often in overlapping positions than do monolingual Germans. This pragmatic transfer, for which some evidence exists in cross-linguistic studies, contradicts basic assumptions of Communication Accommodation Theory. Implications of these findings for Communication Accommodation Theory, future research on backchannel responses, and pragmalinguistic research are discussed.
Integration of biaxial planar gradient coils and an RF microcoil for NMR flow imaging

A package of two planar gradient coils combined with an RF coil was microfabricated for low-field MRI measurements of velocity flow profiles. The package generates orthogonal gradients in the radial and velocity encoding directions for standard flow imaging experiments. A commercial 0.6 T superconductive magnet was used to test coil performance. For comparison flow imaging was also performed using a commercial set of gradient coils. Velocity profiles were obtained for several volumetric flow rates of water in tubes with inner diameters of 1.02 mm and 1.4 mm. Velocity resolution was 0.13 mm s−1, comparable to that achieved with commercial gradient coils. The quality of the velocity profile was sufficient for viscosity calculations, and thus permits future utilization of this coil package in the design of a portable MRI viscometer.
Is Tullock correct about Sunday closing laws

The evidence presented in this note suggests that, other things equal, the imposition of a Sunday closing law reduces the number of food stores in a given market. This finding directly contradicts Tullock's hypothesis about the long-run effects of Sunday closing laws on investment in food stores. By implication, the evidence also casts doubt on the appropriateness of using Sunday closing laws as an example of a government sanctioned privilege that generates no long-run benefits even to those who sought the grant of privilege in the first place. But there is little surprise in all this, particularly if the real impetus behind blue laws comes, not from store keepers seeking higher profit margins, but from those of certain religious convictions. As the preamble to the Arkansas statute says, ‘Keeping a grocery open on Sunday is a temptation to vice ....’ (p. 569). However, while Tullock's particular illustration may be a poor one, his main thesis concerning ‘the transitional gains trap’ remains a useful insight.
Redox transformations of simple vanadium phosphates : the synthesis of ε-VOPO4

Abstract A reproducible high yield hydrothermal synthesis of VPO 4 · H 2 O that minimizes the amount of organic species adsorbed on the solid particles has been developed. Oxidation of VPO 4 · H 2 O at ≤ 550 °C in oxygen has been shown to result in the formation of a new VOPO 4 phase that has been designated e-VOPO 4 . This new VOPO 4 phase is structurally distinct but related to the structures of β-VOPO 4 and VPO 4 · H 2 O. All three phases contain chains of corner-shared vanadium oxygen atom octahedra that are bridged by phosphate groups. The fully oxidized e-VOPO 4 is reduced to VPO 4 · H 2 O at 150 °C by a topotactic reaction with hydrogen in the presence of platinum (‘hydrogen spillover’).
Effects of interstimulus interval length on short-and long-term habituation of autonomic components of the orienting response

The effects of two different interstimulus interval lengths (20-sec vs. 100-sec) on short- and long-term habituation of autonomic components of the orienting response (OR) were investigated in a study employing 24 subjects. Results indicated that the 20-sec interval length was associated with increased short-term habituation and decreased long-term habituation, relative to the longer, 100-sec interval length. There was also a statistically near-significant association between interval length and magnitude of the OR to a subsequently presented novel dishabituating stimulus. These results suggest the presence of two active habituation processes.
In Pursuit of “Contemporary Civilization”: Judicial Empowerment in Turkey

Turkey’s powerful Constitutional Court serves as an administrative attache of state elites in overseeing the political arena and transforming the society. Looking at the courts as administrative agents suggests that the ruling elite might turn to courts not in an attempt to safeguard their immediate interests, but to transform the society by extending the reach of the state. The authors contend that in countries where the state pursues a civilizing mission, judicial empowerment is an attractive tool for defending the state against powerful segments of the society who might subscribe to different civilizing projects.
Historical Research on the Self and Emotions

Research on this topic in Europe and North America has reached a new stage. Prior to 1970, historians told a story of progress in which modern individuals gradually gained mastery of emotions. Afte...
Facial sinus tract associated with periodontitis in a cat

Periodontitis in cats infrequently leads to facial abscess development but should always be considered as an underlying cause of this common problem. Without removal of the underlying cause of an abscess it will probably reoccur as soon as antibiotic or anti-inflammatory treatment ends. For this reason, it is important to identify dental disease as a possible underlying cause of these abscesses. This case demonstrates very effectively that an accurate diagnosis and the formulation of an effective treatment plan would be impossible without the use of intraoral radiography. The fact that no effective decisions about diagnosis and treatment of tooth resorption are possible without the use of radiography is underlined by this case.
Identification of multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 in patients with apparent sporadic primary hyperparathyroidism

Background In the evaluation of patients with primary hyperparathyroidism (PHP), specific query for a personal or family history of MEN1 (Hx) is recommended widely, but responses are rarely positiv. We instituted a 6-question panel (6Q) to routinely screen for MEN1 preoperatively. Methods The clinical database entries of 939 patients explored for apparent sporadic PHP from June 1992 to November 2007 were examined for presenting diagnosis, demographics, anatomic findings, MEN1 analysis, and final diagnosis. To directly compare the results of 6Q and Hx, we also reviewed the charts of 654/939 PHP patients screened systematically from January 2000 to November 2007. Results MEN1 was undiagnosed until the preoperative evaluation in 1.6% of patients referred with apparent sporadic PHP. To date, MEN1 has been diagnosed in 42 of 939 (4.5%) PHP patients. Compared with those who have sporadic PHP, MEN1 patients were often male (38.1% vs 20.2%; P = .005) and young (mean, 38 ± 17 years vs 60 ± 13 years; P P = .0002). In a multivariate analysis of 635 patients with negative Hx, the likelihood of MEN1 increased with (1) younger age at initial parathyroid exploration and (2) number of positive 6Q responses. Conclusion MEN1 occurs relatively often and can be missed. Systematic use of a simple 6-question panel helps to identify MEN1 prior to parathyroid exploration. Young male patients with parathyroid hyperplasia and positive 6Q results should be evaluated for MEN1.
Hume's critical analysis of property in the Treatise

Abstract This article argues that Hume presents a critical analysis of the market in the Treatise. His intention is to demonstrate how property works against a common good. An important part of Hume's discussion is how rules are used to justify property. Hume carefully considers each justification, indicating the shortcomings of each. For Hume, the task of government is how to reconcile a common good and private interest.