cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Family ties: the multilevel effects of households and kinship on the networks of individuals

Among social mammals, humans uniquely organize themselves into communities of households that are centred around enduring, predominantly monogamous unions of men and women. As a consequence of this social organization, individuals maintain social relationships both within and across households, and potentially there is conflict among household members about which social ties to prioritize or de-emphasize. Extending the logic of structural balance theory, I predict that there will be considerable overlap in the social networks of individual household members, resulting in a pattern of group-level reciprocity. To test this prediction, I advance the Group-Structured Social Relations Model, a generalized linear mixed model that tests for group-level effects in the inter-household social networks of individuals. The empirical data stem from social support interviews conducted in a community of indigenous Nicaraguan horticulturalists, and model results show high group-level reciprocity among households. Although support networks are organized around kinship, covariates that test predictions of kin selection models do not receive strong support, potentially because most kin-directed altruism occurs within households, not between households. In addition, the models show that households with high genetic relatedness in part from children born to adulterous relationships are less likely to assist each other.
FLOSS: FLOw sensitive scheduling on mobile platforms

Today's mobile platforms have grown in sophistication to run a wide variety of frame-based applications. To deliver better QoS and energy efficiency, these applications utilize multi-flow execution, which exploits hardware-level parallelism across participating accelerators in the SoC. Our study shows that multi-flow execution increases memory pressure, and motivates us to propose a rate-based memory-scheduling scheme, called FLOSS, that considers a flow, individual frames of a flow, and any sharing of IPs across concurrent flows to schedule memory requests. Experimental results indicate that FLOSS provides 12% QoS improvement over baseline FR-FCFS scheme, and outperforms two QoS-aware schemes in multi-flow execution scenarios.
Iterated Triangle Partitions

For a given triangle there are many points associated with the triangle that lie in its interior; examples include the incenter (which can be found by the intersection of the angle bisectors) and the centroid (which can be found by the intersection of the medians). Using this point one can naturally subdivide the triangle into either three or six “daughter” triangles. We can then repeat the same process on each of the daughters and so on and so on. A natural question is after some large number of steps what does a typical nth generation daughter look like (up to similarity)? In this paper we look at this problem for both the incenter and the centroid and show that they have very distinct behavior as n gets large. We will also consider the Gergonne point and the Lemoine point.
Ecology of Rhizobium

The inability to predict why legumes develop poorly and fix little nitrogen in fertile soil containing Rhizobium strains active in the symbiosis frequently results from the lack of knowledge of the ecology of the root-nodule bacteria. If the appropriate host and an effective bacterium are both present in fertile land, there ought to be active nitrogen fixation. The fact that often no such appreciable nitrogen gain is evident or the fixation is insufficient to meet the crop demand for this element is not a function of a genetically poor pair of symbionts under these conditions, but rather is a consequence of the inability of the bacteria to survive, grow in soil, colonize the roots, or bring about nodule formation.
The synthesis of D-erythro- and D-threo-α-amino-β,γ-dihydroxy-n-butyric acids

We repeated the synthesis of Fischer and Feldmann [2] and obtained, as they did, the amino acid with [α]D24 = -13.7° in good yield. However, in addition another α-amino-β,γ-dihydroxy-n-butyric acid, with [α]D24 = 16.0°, was isolated from the reaction mixture. It is the purpose of this communication to show that the amino acid with [α]D24 = -13.7° is not a mixture of disastereoisomers, but is D-threo-α-amino-β,γ-dihydroxy-n-butyric acid, and that the amino acid with [α]D24 = 16.0° is D-erythro-α-amino-β,γ-dihydroxy-n-butyric acid.
Modeling Fluid Flow Induced by C. elegans Swimming at Low Reynolds Number

C. elegans have been extensively researched regarding locomotion. However, most mathematical studies have focused on body dynamics rather than the fluid. As the nematodes undulate in a sinusoidal fashion, they cause fluid movement that has been studied experimentally but not modeled computationally on this scale. Utilizing the Navier-Stokes equation, regularized stokeslets, and the method of images, we computed the dynamics of the surrounding fluid. Our results strikingly matched experimental outcomes in various ways, including the distance particles travelled in one period of undulation, as well as qualitatively and quantitatively matching velocity fields. We then implemented this method using video data of swimming C. elegans and successfully reproduced the fluid dynamics. This is a novel application of the method of regularized stokeslets that combines theory and experiment. We expect this approach to provide insight in generating hypotheses and informing experimental design.
Damage Mechanics of Concrete Under Cyclic Load

Abstract This paper reports on work currently in progress, which has an experimental and a theoretical component. Important aspects of concrete behavior under load are summarized and illustrated with selected results of our extensive experimental test program, which investigates the low - cycle fatigue behavior of concrete. Next, several continuum damage mechanics theories are reviewed and critically assessed with regard to their suitability to modeling the constitutive behavior of concrete. The paper concludes with an enumeration of the prerequisites for a reliable material model.
A community-wide quality improvement initiative to improve hypertension control and reduce disparities.

Initiatives to improve hypertension control within academic medical centers and closed health systems have been extensively studied, but large community-wide quality improvement (QI) initiatives have been both less common and less successful in the United States. The authors examined a community-wide QI initiative across 226 843 patients from 198 practices in nine counties across upstate New York to improve hypertension control and reduce disparities. The QI initiative focused on (a) providing population and practice-level comparative data, (b) community engagement, especially in underserved communities, and (c) practice-level quality improvement assistance, but was not designed to examine causality of specific components. Across the nine counties, hypertension control rates improved from 61.9% in 2011 to 69.5% in 2016. Improvements were greatest among whites (73.7%-81.5%) and more modest among black patients (58.8%-64.7%). The authors noted a considerable improvement in BP within the group of patients with the highest risk (defined as a BP ≥ 160/100) and a decrease in disparities within this group. The quality collaborative identified five key lessons to help guide future community initiatives: (a) anticipate a plateauing of response; (b) distinguish the needs of disparate populations and create subpopulation-specific strategies to address and reduce disparities; (c) recognize the variation across low SES practices; (d) remain open to the refinement of outcome measures; and (e) continually seek best practices and barriers to success. Overall, a large community-wide QI initiative, involving multiple different stakeholders, was associated with improvements in BP control and modest reductions in some targeted disparities.
X-Ray Powder Data for the Isomers of Nitroaniline (NO2C6H4NH2)

X-ray powder data and crystal data for the ortho (2 –), meta (3 – ) and para (4 – ) isomers of nitroaniline, NO2C6H4NH2, are reported. The results are compared to existing PDF patterns.
Spekulanten des Geistes: Werte im außermoralischen Sinn

Kap. 3 hebt die Bedeutung von Denkern wie Rudolf Hermann Lotze, Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Brentano, Wilhelm Windelband, Heinrich Rickert, Rudolf Eucken, Max Scheler, Edmund Husserl, Carl Schmitt, Max Horkheimer und Theodor W. Adorno fur die Wertediskurse seit der Mitte des 19. Jahrhunderts hervor. Am Beispiel von Max Schelers Der Formalismus in der Ethik und die materielle Wertethik werden die Probleme philosophischer Theoriebildung erlautert: Nicht nur Mittel zur Analyse, sondern auch Medium vorgefasster Ansichten, sind Theorien keineswegs objektiv und „wertfrei“. Selbst der Ubergang von der wertphilosophischen zur logisch-sprachanalytischen Tradition der Philosophie war von vorgefassten Meinungen gepragt. Dabei spielte der Einfluss der Okonomie eine tragende Rolle. Ahnelte Nietzsches Konzept der „Umwerthung aller Werte“ Joseph Schumpeters Idee der „kreativen Zerstorung“, so bestand fur den Antidemokraten Schmitt die Befreiung vom Wertparadox im „Ausnahmezustand“ – der gewaltsamen Setzung von Werten. Das Kapitel zeigt, wie sich die Ideologisierung des Wertbegriffs im Kontrast von politischer Philosophie und Liberalismus vollzog. Abschliesend werden am Beispiel von Horkheimers und Adornos Kritik an Husserls Phanomenologie die okonomischen Bedingungen der Wertphilosophie in der ersten Halfte des 20. Jahrhunderts erortert.
Demand Response and Market Power

In her article, Bypassing Federalism and the Administrative Law of Negawatts, Sharon Jacobs educates her readers about the concept of demand response, and then describes its propagation in recent years while making the broader argument that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (“FERC”) — the federal government’s principal energy regulator — has engaged in a strategy of “bypassing federalism” that may entail more costs than benefits. Professor Jacobs is right to call attention to demand response and to FERC’s approach to matters of jurisdictional doubt. While I share many of her concerns about boundary lines in a federal system, I argue that FERC's demand response program represents a fair and legally defensible attempt to, among other things, diffuse the market power of energy producers. I conclude that wholesale demand response is a tool well worth defending in spite of jurisdictional friction.
A Cost-Oriented Control Strategy for Energy Management of a Dual-Mode Locomotive

Energy management plays a significant role in a dual-mode locomotive with multiple power sources. According to the energy cost analysis for different power sources, a cost-oriented control strategy (COCS) is proposed to allocate the power and manage the energy for a dual-mode locomotive with multiple sources, including a DC overhead line, a fuel cell (FC), a battery (BAT), and a supercapacitor (SC). The COCS won the second-place prize in the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society (VTS) Motor Vehicle Challenge 2019 with a total operational cost of 6.06 â for the scoring cycle. Based on the COCS, an improved strategy COCS+ is developed after the challenge to further decrease the global cost. Simulation results show that the COCS+ performs better than the COCS in reducing the DC line electricity costs and the lifetime costs of the FC, BAT, and SC. The global cost is drastically reduced to -4.69 â when using the COCS+.
The effects of juiciness in an action RPG

Abstract “Juiciness” is a term that has been widely used to describe the positive feedback (both visual/audial) present in digital games. However, few empirical investigations have looked at how juiciness concretely impacts players. In this paper, we perform a study (N = 3018) in which we compare four identical versions of an action role-playing game with varying amounts of juiciness: (1) None; (2) Medium; (3) High; and (4) Extreme. We find that both None and Extreme amounts of juiciness lead to significantly decreased play time, significantly decreased player experience, significantly decreased intrinsic motivation, and significantly decreased performance relative to both Medium and High. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the largest study to date on juiciness. Our results have implications for designers, developers, and researchers.
A Unique Case of Metformin-associated Severe Lactic Acidosis Without Preexisting Renal Disease: Perspectives on Prolonged Dialysis and Education for Prevention.

Metabolic acidosis is a common disorder defined by an imbalance in the body's acid-base balance. Identifying the cause of acidosis is critical for its management. We describe a case of acute renal failure with lactic acidosis in a 69-year-old man who was taking metformin for type 2 diabetes. The patient presented with decreased urine output after two weeks of intermittent nausea and vomiting. During this time, the patient had continued to take limited fluids and medication, including lisinopril and metformin. Physical exam on initial evaluation was remarkable only for hypertension and minimal abdominal tenderness. However, laboratory tests revealed a severe lactic acidosis and renal failure with hyperkalemia. The patient had normal renal function and a normal urine albumin level three weeks prior. Broad-spectrum antibiotics and sodium bicarbonate were administered, followed by hemodialysis. During hemodialysis, the patient became hemodynamically unstable, requiring vasopressors. Post-dialysis, the lactic acidosis worsened, prompting the initiation of additional prolonged dialysis during the first hospital day. After the second lengthy dialysis, the patient's condition improved significantly and he was discharged on hospital day 12, with the diagnosis of metformin-associated lactic acidosis (MALA) in the setting of acute tubular necrosis from gastrointestinal fluid loss accompanied by the continued use of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor. After discharge, his renal function returned to normal. Severe lactic acidosis from metformin is relatively rare. Metformin has a large volume of distribution and accumulates in erythrocytes and intestinal cells, resulting in less efficient removal with dialysis and rebound lactic acidosis. Prolonged dialysis may be necessary for MALA to improve outcomes. Identifying metformin levels may help in diagnosis and management. However, the means to Identify metformin levels are not widely available. Patients receiving metformin should be counseled to stop metformin and seek medical care in the setting of illnesses. This is particularly important given the frequency of metformin prescription and the common use of renin-angiotensin system blockade in patients with type 2 diabetes, which increases the risk of kidney dysfunction.
Community Targeting of Uncontrolled Hypertension: Results of a Hypertension Screening and Education Intervention in Community Churches Serving Predominantly Racial/Ethnic Minority Populations:

Background. Uncontrolled hypertension is the primary risk factor for the development of cardiovascular complications and particularly burdens racial/ethnic minority populations. Aim. To determine the effectiveness of a community hypertension screening, education, and empowerment intervention on blood pressure (BP) improvement. Method. We screened 152 participants across four churches in predominantly racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods for elevated BP. During this visit, those with BP ≥ 140/90 mmHg were enrolled in the study and completed interventions. Individuals with moderately elevated BP (≥140/90 and <160/100 mmHg; Group 1) viewed a 3-minute hypertension education video. Individuals with severely elevated BP (≥160/100 mmHg; Group 2) additionally viewed echocardiograms images with subclinical changes from uncontrolled hypertension and had a brief on-site medication review with a pharmacist. Both groups received automated BP monitors and information on neighborhood federally qualified health centers for primary care. Participants returned to each church for follow-up 3 months later. We analyzed BP difference at 3 months and percentage with controlled BP for each group. Results. For Group 1, mean baseline and follow-up BPs were 143.5/88.0 mmHg and 138.5/85.8 mmHg, respectively. For Group 2, BPs significantly decreased from 165.4/98.3 mmHg to 150.4/90.8 mmHg. After the intervention, participants with controlled BP for Groups 1 and 2 were 35.5% and 55.2%, respectively. Discussion. Participants in both groups had BP improvements. Greater improvements were in individuals at higher cardiovascular risk due to severely elevated BPs (≥160/100 mmHg). Conclusion. This pilot highlights the impact that streamlined empowerment interventions with dedicated health personnel can have in high-risk communities with elevated BPs.
Extended XBRL tags and financial analysts' forecast error and dispersion.

This paper investigates whether the use of extended tags in eXtensible Business Reporting Language (XBRL) filings is associated with financial analysts' forecast error and dispersion. The SEC allows firms to create customize tags in their XBRL filings to reflect firm-specific disclosures. However, customized tags may inhibit information search and reduce the usefulness of XBRL data. Since the use of extended tags is driven by the firm's reporting environment, an instrumental variables technique is employed to control for endogeneity. The results show that more extensions are related to smaller analysts' forecast error and dispersion after controlling for endogeneity. In additional analysis, extensions in footnote disclosures are found to drive this negative relationship, and extensions in the financial statements are marginally positively associated with forecast error and dispersion. This study is relevant to regulators creating policies about XBRL extensions.
Modeling Mission Impact of Cyber Attacks on Energy Delivery Systems

Today energy delivery systems (EDS) face challenges in dealing with cyberattacks that originate by exploiting the communication network assets. Traditional power systems are highly complex and heterogeneous. These systems focus on reliability, availability, and continuous performance and, thus, not designed to handle security issues. Network administrators often utilize attack graphs to analyze security in EDS. Although attack graphs are useful tools to generate attack paths and estimate possible consequences in a networked system, they lack incorporating the operational or functional dependencies. Localizing the dependencies among operational missions, tasks, and the hosting devices in a large-scale cyber-physical network is also challenging. Current research works handle the system dependency and the attack scenario modeling separately using dependency graphs and attack graphs, respectively. To address the gap of incorporating the mission operational dependencies with possible attack scenarios, in this work, we offer an approach to assess the cyberattack impact on the operational mission of the EDS by combining the logical attack graph and mission functional dependency graph. We provide the graphical modeling details and illustrate the approach using a case study of SCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) operations within an EDS environment.
Computational modeling of the shape memory effect in polymeric lattices

Polymeric lattices offer lightweight structures in which subtle changes in temperature can be used to manipulate lattice shape and mechanical properties. We seek to elicit the interrelations between inhomogeneous deformations, spatially and temporally non-linear mechanical properties, and the resulting mechanical properties of polymeric lattices. Computational modeling allows the measurement of local parameters, e.g. stress gradients and viscous strains, that are difficult or impossible to evaluate experimentally. We implement a coupled thermo-mechanical finite element analysis framework to evaluate lattices subjected to the shape memory cycle. Insight gained from this work advances the understanding of lattice structures with adaptive mechanical properties.
The Validity of Restraints on Alienation in an Oil and Gas Lease

This paper explains why a restraint on alienation within an oil and gas lease should be enforceable. The reasons that privately-imposed restraints on alienation are sometimes invalidated simply do not apply to a restraint within an oil and gas lease. Rather, the relationship created by an oil and gas lease justifies enforcement of restraint clauses that have been bargained for by the landowner.
The Segregation of Impurities and the Formation of Particles in Sodium Systems

One of the major requirements in determining the mechanism of corrosion of stainless steel in sodium is a knowledge of the solubilities of the metallic constituents of stainless steel, i.e. iron, chromium and nickel. The possibility of interaction of these metals in sodium solution must also be considered but at present because of the difficulties experienced in determining the solubilities this aspect of the investigation has not been pursued. A number of investigations of the solubilities of these metals have been carried out but most experiments have shown an extremely large scatter within a given experiment and in the case of iron orders of magnitude difference between the concentrations found in the sodium. The measured solubility of iron at 500°C, for example, varies from 0.01 (1) to about 15 ppm.
Deep brain stimulation for neurodegenerative disease: A computational blueprint using dynamic causal modeling

Advances in deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapeutics for neurological and psychiatric disorders represent a new clinical avenue that may potentially augment or adjunct traditional pharmacological approaches to disease treatment. Using modern molecular biology and genomics, pharmacological development proceeds through an albeit lengthy and expensive pipeline from candidate compound to preclinical and clinical trials. Such a pathway, however, is lacking in the field of neurostimulation, with developments arising from a selection of early sources and motivated by diverse fields including surgery and neuroscience. In this chapter, I propose that biophysical models of connected brain networks optimized using empirical neuroimaging data from patients and healthy controls can provide a principled computational pipeline for testing and developing neurostimulation interventions. Dynamic causal modeling (DCM) provides such a computational framework, serving as a method to test effective connectivity between and within regions of an active brain network. Importantly, the methodology links brain dynamics with behavior by directly assessing experimental task effects under different behavioral or cognitive sets. Therefore, healthy brain dynamics in circuits of interest can be defined mathematically with stimulation interventions in pathological counterparts simulated with the goal of restoring normal functionality. In this chapter, I outline the dynamic characterization of brain circuits using DCM and propose a blueprint for testing in silico, the effects of stimulation in neurodegenerative disorders affecting cognition. In particular, the models can be simulated to test whether neuroimaging correlates of nondiseased brain dynamics can be reinstantiated in a pathological setting using DBS. Thus, the key advantage of this framework is that distributed effects of DBS on neural circuitry and network connectivity can be predicted in silico. The chapter also includes a review of how DCM has been used to characterize the effects of DBS in Parkinson's disease.
SQL TVF Controlling Forms - Express Structured Parallel Data Intensive Computing

A key issue in supporting the synthesis of data intensive computation and data management is to liberate users from low-level parallel programming, by specifying applications functionally independent of the underlying server infrastructure, and further, by providing high-level primitives to express the control flow of applying functions to data partitions. Currently only few such primitives, e.g. Map-Reduce and Cross-Apply, are available, and their expressive power is limited to "flat parallel computing". To deal with "structured parallel computing" where a function is applied to multiple objects with execution order dependencies, a general framework for creating and combining such primitives is required. We propose the SQL-FCF framework as the database centric solution to the above problem. We embed into SQL queries the Function Controlling Forms (FCFs) to specify the flow control of applying Table Valued Functions (TVFs) to multiple data partitions. We further support the extensibility of this framework by allowing new FCFs to be defined from existing ones with SQL phrases. Based on this approach, we provided a SQL based high-level interface for "structured parallel computing" in architecting a hydrologic scientific computation platform. Envisioning that the simple parallel computing primitives will evolve and form a general framework, our effort is a step towards that goal.
2002 Leopold Grape Cultivar by Management System Trial

Introduction To identify grape cultivars adapted to Iowa, a cultivar by management system trial was established in 2002 at the ISU Horticulture (Hort) Station and the ISU Armstrong Research Farm with the help of a grant from the Leopold Center of Sustainable Agriculture. Fifteen cultivars, including 10 wine and 5 seedless table cultivars, were evaluated under 1) a conventional management system that relies on herbicides for weed control and application of insecticides and fungicides on a regular basis; 2) an IPM/best management system that uses herbicides as needed and relies on monitoring to determine the need for insecticides and fungicides; and 3) an organic-approved system that relies on a straw mulch for weed control and the use of organic-approved insect and disease control strategies. This report summarizes the results for the 2005 growing season.
Pentop computers as tools for teaching multiplication to students with mild intellectual disabilities

The effectiveness of a pentop computer when teaching multiplication facts to three middle school students with mild intellectual disabilities was examined. A multiple probe design was used to assess the students learning of one and two digit multiplication facts over a 2-3 week intervention period. During the intervention phase, students used a FLYTM Pentop Computer (LeapFrog) to practice multiplication problems. Following intervention, students were assessed on their ability to solve multiplication problems without the tool. The results indicated that all three students improved in the percentage of correct math facts completed and support the use of the pentop computer when teaching multiplication to students with mild intellectual disabilities. Limitations and suggestions for future research are discussed. Mathematics education is a high priority in the United States (Ellis & Berry, 2005). The majority of students in the third through eighth grades are now annually evaluated on their mathematical abilities under the requirements of No Child Left Behind (NCLB, 2002). Additionally, these students are expected to reach proficiency in this domain by the 2013– 2014 school year (Yell & Drasgow, 2005). Research suggests that students in the United States perform worse than their international counterparts (Beaton, Mullis, Martin, Kelly, & Smith, 1996); as such, mathematics is considered an important and critical content domain for instruction and evaluation for students with and without disabilities. Yet, researchers and teachers document that many students with disabilities struggle with mathematics (Grise, 1980). These struggles can include skills ranging from computational fluency to knowing one’s basic facts as well as problem solving (Cawley, Parmar, Fley, Salmon, & Roy, 2001; Jitendra, DiPipi, & Perron-Jones, 2002; Montague, 1992; Parmar, Cawley, & Miller, 1994; Woodward & Mon-
Introduction: Child Psychology Research in Practice

First page of article Keywords: use-inspired research; change; applied developmental research; collaboration; theory-research-practice
Tumor therapeutic response and vessel tortuosity: preliminary report in metastatic breast cancer

No current non-invasive method is capable of assessing the efficacy of brain tumor therapy early during treatment. We outline an approach that evaluates tumor activity via statistical analysis of vessel shape using vessels segmented from MRA. This report is the first to describe the changes in vessel shape that occur during treatment of metastatic brain tumors as assessed by sequential MRA. In this preliminary study of 16 patients undergoing treatment for metastatic breast cancer we conclude that vessel shape may predict tumor response several months in advance of traditional methods.
Virus-lipid interactions: II. The mechanism of adsorption of lipophilic viruses to water-insoluble polar lipids

Abstract In a previous paper it has been shown that certain viruses adsorb strongly to cholesterol columns and that this system is useful for the study of virus-lipid interactions. The results of adsorption studies with a greater number of different viruses and a wide range of water-insoluble polar lipids (sterols, long-chain aliphatic compounds such as acids, alcohols, amides, and amines) are reported. Data on the lipophilic affinities of different viruses, on the adsorption capacities of different lipids, and on infectivity of lipid-virus suspensions permit the following conclusions: (1) Viruses can be classified into lipophilic (influenza, NDV, vaccinia, herpes simplex, infectious canine hepatitis) and hydrophilic viruses (polio, Coxsackie, ECHO), according to their ability to interact with lipids. (2) Lipophilic viruses can be subdivided according to their differential adsorption affinities for lipids of increasing adsorption activity. (3) The strength of the bond, i.e., the reversibility of the adsorption, can be measured by determining the adsorption capacity of different lipids for a given virus and by titrating the infectivity of the corresponding lipid-virus suspensions. Of the lipids tested, hexadecylamine (HDA) is by far the most active adsorbent, capable of binding as much as 50,000 hemagglutinating (HA) units of influenza virus per milligram. In contrast to the other lipids, it combines irreversibly with virus as evident from the loss of infectivity of HDA-virus suspensions. The high adsorption capacity and binding strength of HDA for influenza virus parallels the strong adjuvant effect produced in guinea pigs immunized with HDA-adsorbed influenza vaccine.
Multiple forms of deoxyribonucleic acid-dependent ribonucleic acid polymerase in Xenopus laevis. Isolation and partial characterization.

Abstract RNA polymerase activity was solubilized from whole cell homogenates of cultured kidney cells and embryonic tissues of Xenopus laevis. Several chromatographic forms of RNA polymerase were distinguished in extracts from all tissues by ion exchange chromatography and are designated Ia, Ib, IIa, IIb, and III. Forms Ia and/or Ib, IIb, and III appear analogous to forms I, II, and III isolated from nuclei of other eukaryotes, whereas form IIa may be of cytoplasmic origin. The metal ion and ionic strength responses of each of the enzymes were examined. No differences were noted between Ia and Ib on the one hand, or between IIa and IIb the other. However, class I, II, and III enzymes were distinguishable by these criteria. Forms IIa and IIb were equally sensitive to α-amanitin, whereas the activities of forms Ia, Ib and III were unaffected by this toxin.
Corporate Integrity: Rethinking Organizational Ethics and Leadership

Preface 1. The context for corporate integrity 2. Cultural integrity as openness 3. Interpersonal integrity as relational wholeness 4. Organizational integrity as pursuing a worthwhile purpose 5. Social integrity as civic cooperation 6. Environmental integrity as natural prosperity 7. Corporate integrity and organizational leadership Appendix: assessment worksheets Bibliography Index.
A Meta-analysis of Sleep-promoting Interventions During Critical Illness

Abstract Background Sleep quality and quantity are severely reduced in critically ill patients receiving mechanical ventilation with a potential for adverse consequences. Our objective was to synthesize the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that measured the efficacy of sleep-promoting interventions on sleep quality and quantity in critically ill patients. Methods We included RCTs that objectively measured sleep with electroencephalography or its derivatives and excluded observational studies and those that measured sleep by subjective reports. The research was performed according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. Results Of 6022 studies identified, 13 met eligibility criteria involving 296 critically ill patients. Eight trials looked at different modes of mechanical ventilation as sleep interventions, and the remaining 5 involved pharmacologic, nonpharmacologic, or environmental interventions. Meta-analysis of the studies revealed that sleep-promoting interventions improved sleep quantity (pooled standardized mean difference [SMD], 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.05-0.69; P = .02) and sleep quality through reduction in sleep fragmentation (SMD, −0.31; 95% CI, −0.60 to −0.01; P = .04). Subgroup analysis revealed that timed modes of ventilation improved sleep quantity when compared with spontaneous modes of ventilation (SMD, 0.45; 95% CI, 0.10-0.81; P = .01). Nonmechanical ventilation interventions tended to improve sleep quantity (SMD, 0.65; 95% CI, −0.03 to 1.33; P = .06) and to reduce sleep fragmentation (SMD, −0.29; 95% CI, −0.61 to 0.03; P = .07). Conclusions The synthesized evidence suggests that both mechanical ventilation- and nonmechanical ventilation-based therapies improve sleep quantity and quality in critically ill patients, but the clinical significance is unclear. In the future, adequately powered multicenter RCTs involving pharmacologic interventions to promote sleep in critically ill patients are warranted.
Sketch and Validate for Big Data Clustering

In response to the need for learning tools tuned to big data analytics, the present paper introduces a framework for efficient clustering of huge sets of (possibly high-dimensional) data. Building on random sampling and consensus (RANSAC) ideas pursued earlier in a different (computer vision) context for robust regression, a suite of novel dimensionality- and set-reduction algorithms is developed. The advocated sketch-and-validate (SkeVa) family includes two algorithms that rely on $K$ -means clustering per iteration on reduced number of dimensions and/or feature vectors: The first operates in a batch fashion, while the second sequential one offers computational efficiency and suitability with streaming modes of operation. For clustering even nonlinearly separable vectors, the SkeVa family offers also a member based on user-selected kernel functions. Further trading off performance for reduced complexity, a fourth member of the SkeVa family is based on a divergence criterion for selecting proper minimal subsets of feature variables and vectors, thus bypassing the need for $K$ -means clustering per iteration. Extensive numerical tests on synthetic and real data sets highlight the potential of the proposed algorithms, and demonstrate their competitive performance relative to state-of-the-art random projection alternatives.
How beneficial is vaping cannabis to respiratory health compared to smoking

While vaping cannabis reduces respiratory exposure to toxic particulates in cannabis smoke, the resultant reduction in clinically evident harms to lung health is probably smaller than that likely to result from substituting e-cigarettes for smoked tobacco due to the comparatively greater harms of tobacco than cannabis smoking to lung health.
Inhibition of platelet adhesion and thrombus formation on a collagen-coated surface by novel carbamoylpiperidine antiplatelet agents

The inhibitory effect of two novel antiplatelet agents, 1,10-bis[3-(N,N-diethylcarbamoyl)piperidino]decane dihydrobromide (G-110) and 1,6-bis[3-(N,N-diethylcarbamoyl)piperidino]hexane dihydrobromide (G-112), on platelet adhesion and subsequent aggregation on collagen-coated surface was evaluated under controlled flow. Glass coverslips coated with bovine fibrillar collagen type I were exposed to heparinized human whole blood that had been preincubated with either aqueous solutions of one of the two carbamoylpiperidine congeners or corresponding amounts (1.0-4.0 microliters/ml blood) of distilled water, at a wall shear rate of 1000 s-1, in a parallel-plate perfusion chamber. Epifluorescence video microscopy with a microphotometric measurement technique was used to visualize and quantify deposition of fluorescently-labeled platelets from flowing whole blood onto the collagen-coated surface. At concentrations of 100 and 200 microM, G-110 inhibited platelet accumulation by 30 +/- 9% (+/- S.E.) and 63 +/- 3% (+/- S.E.), respectively; while G-112 reduced platelet deposition by 19 +/- 3% (+/- S.E.) and 31 +/- 2% (+/- S.E.) at concentrations of 200 and 400 microM, respectively. Digital image processing techniques were used to analyze the dynamics of thrombus growth on the collagen-coated surfaces. It was found that the compounds reduced the rate of thrombus growth by impeding both surface coverage and the number of platelets per thrombus in a concentration-dependent manner. This study, together with others on related compounds GT-12, BPAT-117 and BPAT-143, corroborates the nature of pivotal features in the molecular structure of carbamoylpiperidine and nipecotoylpiperazine derivatives which enhance desirable antithrombotic effects, e.g. intramolecular distance between two tertiary amines (ring nitrogens) and levels of hydrophobicity.
Piecewise linear mapping functions for image registration

Abstract A new approach to determination of mapping functions for registration of digital images is presented. Given the coordinates of corresponding control points in two images of the same scene, first the images are divided into triangular regions by triangulating the control points. Then a linear mapping function is obtained by registering each pair of corresponding triangular regions in the images. The overall mapping function is then obtained by piecing together the linear mapping functions.
Genetic Variation for Biomass and Residue Production in Lentil: I. Relation to Agronomic Traits

Suffident crop residues on soil surfaces are needed for protection from water and wind erosion in the U.S. Pacific Northwest. The lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) crop grown in this region lacks sufficient crop residues which leads to severe soil erosion in subsequent crops. The objectives of this study were (i) determine the relationship between physiological and morphological traits that affect biomass and residue production, and (ii) identify suitable selection criteria for increasing biomass and residue production by lentil crops. Thirty nine breeding lines were evaluated at three sites each year from 1993 to 1995. Straw yield in 1993 was correlated with days to flower (r = 0.72 ** ), days to maturity (r = 0,82 ** ), plant height (r = 0.76 ** ), harvest index (r = -0.97 ** ), and seed yield (r = -0.71 ** ). In addition there were significant correlations between straw yield and harvest index (r = -0.48 ** ) in 1995, and between straw yield and seed yield (r = 0.59 ** ) in 1994. The regression coefficient (b) indicated that for each day that flowering and maturity were delayed, there were increases of 214 kg/ha and 734 kg/ha straw yield, respectively. A 1 cm increase in plant height resulted in a 277 kg/ha increase in straw yield. Results indicated that plant height could be used for indirect selection for increased biomass. Seed yield can also be improved by selecting for larger vegetative biomass while keeping harvest index constant.
Prognostic Significance of Residual Disease in Patients with Stage IV Epithelial Ovarian Cancer

Purpose: To evaluate the role of surgical debulking in patients with stage IV ovarian cancer. Methods: We conducted a retrospective review of patients with advanced epithelial ovarian cancer treated at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. Eligible patients included women with stage IV disease treated with platinum-based chemotherapy. Surgical debulking was considered optimal if the diameter of the largest residual tumor was 2 cm or less. Survival analysis and comparisons were performed using the Kaplan–Meier method and the log-rank test. Results: One hundred eight women with stage IV ovarian cancer were identified. The extraperitoneal metastatic sites were the liver parenchyma in 16 patients, the pleura in 54 patients, a variety of other organs in 22, and two or more sites in the remaining 16. Median age of the patient population was 58 years (range 35–81 years). Surgery to reduce the primary tumor was performed in 100 patients. The procedures included salpingo-oophorectomy with or without hysterectomy in 94 patients, omentectomy in 90, small bowel resection in 4, large bowel resection in 23, and splenectomy in 2. At the completion of surgery, tumor reduction was considered optimal in 31 patients, suboptimal in 61, and undetermined in 8. The overall median survival for optimally debulked patients was 25 months compared to 15 months for suboptimally debulked patients (P< 0.02). The progression-free survival, on the other hand, was not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: Residual tumor seems to be an important prognostic factor in patients with stage IV ovarian cancer. Surgical debulking may play a significant role in the treatment of these patients.
Timing and Efficacy of Alternative Methods of Sympathetic Blockade

Despite the presence of seven different antihypertensive drug classes and over 120 different antihypertensive medications, about 48 % of the 75 million people with hypertension are not reaching their target blood pressure goals. One of the reasons for this lack of control is the failure to adequately inhibit the sympathetic nervous system. Consequently, alternative therapies have been attracting interest. Recent technical advances targeting the sympathetic over-activity of the carotid sinuses (baroreflex activation therapy, BAT) and the renal sympathetic nerves (renal denervation therapy, RDT) have renewed interest in invasive therapies for the treatment of drug-resistant hypertension. Encouraging results from the recent Rheos Pivotal and Symplicity HTN-2 trials on the safety and efficacy of BAT and RDT, respectively, indicate that invasive approaches can safely reduce blood pressure in patients with resistant/refractory hypertension. These approaches, while still experimental in the US, are appropriate for those on more than three fully tolerated doses of antihypertensive medications whose blood pressure is not at goal, i.e. <140/90 mmHg. The present review is focused on the clinical implications of these two technics and when they are appropriate.
Degree of Repression and Frequency of Psychosomatic Symptoms

A rational index of repression was derived by utilizing items from personality inventories which reflected varying degrees of repression. The repression index was found to be inversely related to the frequency of somatic symptoms. This finding was successfully replicated and its theoretical and professional implications are discussed.
Sponsored transactional patterns: Comments on Mehrling’s “Essential hybridity: A money view of FX”

Abstract Mehrling (2013) recognizes the essential hybridity of money supply, its being partly created by the state (central banks) and partly by the private sector banks. These comments concern extending the hybridity concept to the recognition that many transactions and settlements procedures are facilitated by central banks. The prime example is the operation of Real Time Gross Settlements systems by practically every central bank. These systems are how the world’s foreign exchange market settles more than $4Trillion dollars a day of trading.
Dramatically Different Phenotypic Expressions of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in Male Cousins Undergoing Cardiac Transplantation With Identical Disease-Causing Gene Mutation

Described herein are certain findings in 2 male cousins who underwent cardiac transplantation for severe heart failure (HF), one of the diastolic type (ejection fraction ≈65%), and one of the systolic type (ejection fraction ≈20%), both the consequence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC), and each had identical disease-causing gene mutations. The implanted heart in one had normal-sized ventricular cavities and no grossly visible ventricular wall lesions (except in one papillary muscle) and the other patient had severely dilated ventricular cavities and multiple extensive ventricular wall scars. The heart mass and the age of onset of symptoms was similar in each patient. A number of other family members had evidence of HC.
Sonochemical synthesis of iron phosphide.

Abstract The sonochemical reaction of Fe(CO)5 and triethylphosphine has been found to produce solid amorphous iron phosphide of composition FeP. The resulting compound was characterized by elemental microanalysis, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and Debye–Scherrer powder X-ray diffraction. X-ray powder patterns were obtained after the amorphous material had been heated above 950°C and then slowly cooled to induce crystallization. This reaction provides the first use of ultrasound to sonochemically synthesize amorphous phosphide semiconductor materials from organometallic precursors.
Ca2+ release channels of pigs heterozygous for malignant hyperthermia.

Porcine malignant hyperthermia (MH) is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from a mutation in the skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca 2+ release channel. The Ca 2+ release properties of SR vesicles isolated from pigs heterozygous for the MH gene have been demonstrated previously to be intermediate to those of vesicles isolated from MH-susceptible (MHS) and normal pigs. The Ca 2+ release channel is tetrameric, so the intermediate Ca 2+ release properties of heterozygous pig SR preparations could result either from populations of MHS and normal homotetramers, or populations of heterotetrameric Ca 2+ release channels with properties unique from those of the two types of homozygous channels. To discriminate between these possibilities, the single channel percent open time (P o ) and channel dwell time distributions of SR Ca 2+ release channels were analyzed. These data suggest that the heterozygous porcine Ca 2+ release channel population must contain heterotetramers with properties distinct from those of either MHS or normal channels. The data also imply that the Ca 2+ release channel population in MHS humans who are heterozygous for a dominant mutation in this protein also contains heterotetrameric channels. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.