cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Considerations of Meteorological Time Series in Estimating Regional-Scale Crop Yield

Abstract The sensitivity of simulated soybean yield to spatial averaging of meteorological data was analyzed for the central United States during a 23-year period. Regional yield was simulated using the physiological model, SOYGRO, in two sets of experiments. In the first set, yield was simulated using meteorological data at individual stations within grid cells ranging from 2° latitude ×2° longitude to 5° latitude ×5° longitude. In the second set, the daily meteorological time series were adjusted through spatial averaging over grid cells. Spatial averaging caused bias ranging from 18% in 2° latitude ×2° longitude grid cells to 28% in 5° latitude ×5° longitude grid cells when averaged over the study period. During individual years such averaging caused bias exceeding 80% of simulated yield. While spatial averaging provides a means of characterizing regional-scale climate, and has been used with empirical crop yield models, the sensitivity of physiological models to the timing of meteorological events req...
Faster, cheaper, and unused: The paradox of grievance mediation in unionized environments

This article investigates the paradox that grievance mediation pilot programs, despite their overwhelming successes, have failed to be adopted on a widespread basis in unionized settings. By focusing largely on the labor union perspective, this article suggests that some elements of union organizational identity act as barriers to the mediation of contract-based labor disputes. Also, a model and a case study are presented to shed light on the factors that create contract-based, unmediated grievances.
Origins of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in estuarine sediments

Abstract In order to determine the origin of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in sediments from Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, the PAH assemblages from the sediments and from possible origin materials were analyzed by gas Chromatographic and gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric techniques. Analyses included determinations of: 1. (1) the relative content of non-alkylated PAH parent molecules i.e. parent compound distributions (PCDs); 2. (2) alkylation patterns of these PAH molecules, i.e. alkyl homolog distributions (AHDs); and 3. (3) phenanthrene/anthracene (P/A) ratios. Samples from the Narragansett Bay transect, which began at a sewage outfall for the City of East Providence, Rhode Island, and ended 20 km to the south, showed rapidly decreasing concentrations of PAH compounds with increasing distance from Providence. The PAH assemblages in transect sediment samples, and in other samples collected near piers, showed evidence for different origins. The sediments surrounding tarred piers were contaminated by coal tar used to coat the pilings. The close resemblance of PCDs from bay sediments and combustion products indicated that the PAHs in the transect sediments were predominantly combustion generated. While evidence for the input of PAHs from petroleum to bay sediments appeared in some AHDs of upper bay transect sediments, AHDs from the lower (less polluted) end of the transect showed less influence of petroleum PAH contamination. In general, the shapes of AHDs from transect sediments of Narragansett Bay appeared to be best explained by a combination of inputs of PAHs from petroleum and combustion processes, rather than by the solubility alteration of PAH assemblages on incoming airborne material.
Reducing drift in differential tracking

We present methods for turning pair-wise registration algorithms into drift-free trackers. Such registration algorithms are abundant, but the simplest techniques for building trackers on top of them exhibit either limited tracking range or drift. Our algorithms maintain the poses associated with a number of key frames, building a view-based appearance model that is used for tracking and refined during tracking. The first method we propose is batch oriented and is ideal for offline tracking. The second is suited for recovering egomotion in large environments where the trajectory of the camera rarely intersects itself, and in other situations where many views are necessary to capture the appearance of the scene. The third method is suitable for situations where a few views are sufficient to capture the appearance of the scene, such as object-tracking. We demonstrate the techniques on egomotion and head-tracking examples and show that they can track for an indefinite amount of time without accumulating drift.
Evidence against genetic anticipation in familial colorectal cancer.

Anecdotal reports of hereditary colorectal cancer suggest that genetic anticipation (earlier appearance in successive generations) occurs, but ascertainment bias and cohort effects confound this interpretation. Using approaches that correct for such biases, we examined the age at diagnosis of colorectal cancer from family history questionnaires completed by subjects in the Johns Hopkins Hereditary Colorectal Cancer Registry; 475 parent-offspring pairs in 308 pedigrees were studied. We observed the expected cohort effect among offspring, in that the mean ages at diagnosis of those born before 1921, between 1921 and 1930, and after 1930 were 63 ± 13 (SD), 57 ± 10, and 42 ± 10 years, respectively, while their parents' mean ages were 65 ± 14,66 ± 14, and 58 ± 15 years, respectively. In the cohort born before 1921, in which observation periods for both parents and offspring were comparable, there was no difference in age at diagnosis by pairwise comparison or life table analysis (P = 0.15 and 0.23, respectively; r = 0.32). Subgroup analysis of 67 pairs from 38 families that met the International Collaborative Group (ICG) criteria for hereditary nonpolyposis colorectal cancer (HNPCC) and of 14 pairs from 7 families with known germline mutations of DNA mismatch repair genes also showed no significant differences (mean age at diagnosis: 56 ± 14 years for parents and 57 ± 16 years for offspring from ICG families, and 45 ± 10 years for parents and 44 ± 12 years for offspring in families with known mutations). We also found no evidence for effect of parental gender on age at diagnosis in offspring of either gender, nor a secular trend toward younger onset colorectal cancer in this sample. In conclusion, there is no evidence for genetic anticipation or genomic imprinting of age at diagnosis in this sample of colorectal cancer families. Apparent anticipation appears to reflect a birth cohort bias of ascertainment. Genet. Epidemiol. 14:435–446,1997. © 1997 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Origin of the Third World

What historians have so often dismissed as “climatic accidents” turn out to be not so accidental after all. Although its syncopations are complex and aperiodic, El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) has a coherent spatial and temporal logic. And—contrary to Emmanuel Le Roy Ladurie’s famous (Eurocentric?) conclusion in Times of Feast, Times of Famine that climate change is a “slight, perhaps negligible” shaper of human affairs —ENSO is an episodically potent force in the history of tropical humanity (Ladurie, 1971:119). If, as Raymond Williams once observed, “nature contains, though often unnoticed, an extraordinary amount of human history,” we are now learning that the inverse is equally true: there is an extraordinary amount of hitherto unnoticed environmental instability in modern history (Williams, 1980:67). Indeed, the power of ENSO events seems so overwhelming in some instances that it is tempting to assert that great famines, like those of the 1870s and 1890s (or, more recently, the Sahelian disaster of the 1970s), were “caused” by El Nino, or by El Nino acting on traditional agrarian misery. This interpretation, of course, inadvertently echoes the official line of the British in Victorian India as recapitulated in every famine commission report and viceregal allocution: millions were killed by extreme weather, not imperialism. Is it true? Antipode 32:1, 2000, pp. 48–89 ISSN 0066-4812
An investigational study of minimum rotational pump speed to avoid retrograde flow in three centrifugal blood pumps in a pediatric extracorporeal life support model

During extracorporeal life support with centrifugal blood pumps, retrograde pump flow may occur when the pump revolutions decrease below a critical value determined by the circuit resistance and the characteristics of the pump. We created a laboratory model to evaluate the occurrence of retrograde flow in each of three centrifugal blood pumps: the Rotaflow, the CentriMag, and the Bio-Medicus BP-50. At simulated patient pressures of 60, 80, and 100 mmHg, each pump was evaluated at speeds from 1000 to 2200 rpm and flow rates were measured. Retrograde flow occurred at low revolution speeds in all three centrifugal pumps. The Bio-Medicus pump was the least likely to demonstrate retrograde flow at low speeds, followed by the Rotaflow pump. The CentriMag pump showed the earliest transition to retrograde flow, as well as the highest degree of retrograde flow. At every pump speed evaluated, the Bio-Medicus pump delivered the highest antegrade flow and the CentriMag pump delivered the least.
Role of biomolecules on annulus fibrosus micromechanics: effect of enzymatic digestion on elastic and failure properties.

Abstract Uniaxial tension was applied to selectively digested single lamellar human cadaveric annulus fibrosus specimens to investigate the role of different biomolecules in annular biomechanics. Single layered and inter-lamellar annulus fibrosus samples were obtained from 10 isolated cadaveric lumbar intervertebral discs in one of four orientations: longitudinal, transverse, radial, and circumferential. Within each orientation the samples were subjected to a selective enzymatic digestion protocol with collagenase, elastase, chondroitinase ABC, or 1× Phosphate Buffered Saline. Uniaxial tensile tests were performed to failure at a strain rate of 0.005 s −1 . Failure stress and strain, and elastic moduli were compared among the digested conditions. The collagenase- and elastase-treated groups had the most significant effect on the mechanical properties among the orientation groups, decreasing the failure stress for both interlaminar and intralaminar groups. Collagenase-treated groups showed an increase in the failure strain following enzymatic digestion for the intralaminar groups and one interlaminar testing direction (circumferential). The chondroitinase ABC-treated group only had a significant impact on the single layer orientations, decreasing the failure stress and strain (intralaminar group). The digested properties described provide insights into the laminar mechanical behavior and the role of the molecular components to the annular mechanical behavior. Understanding annular mechanics may prove insightful in diagnosis, prevention and repair of debilitating intervertebral disc disorders and manufacturing of tissue-engineered annulus.
High Level Expression, Partial Purification, and Functional Reconstitution of the Human AE1 Anion Exchanger in Saccharomycescerevisiae

Human erythroid anion exchanger AE1 (Band 3) was expressed in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae under the control of the constitutive promoter and transcriptional terminator of the yeast phosphoglycerate kinase gene. AE1 expression in stable yeast transformants was estimated to be approximately 0.7 mg AE1 per liter. Density gradient sedimentation analysis indicated that the AE1 protein was associated with a membrane fraction distinct from plasma membrane, most likely the endoplasmic reticulum. AE1 protein was solubilized from yeast membranes with lysophosphatidyl choline, and the protein, tagged with six histidines at its amino terminus, was purified to 35% homogeneity by metal chelation affinity chromatography. Size-exclusion chromatography in the presence of octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether indicated that the solubilized yeast-expressed AE1, like endogenous erythroid AE1, eluted at a stokes radius of 77 A, consistent with a dimeric oligomeric state. Binding of partially purified yeast-expressed AE1 to 4-acetamido-4'-isothiocyanostilbene-2,2'-disulfonate resin was competitive with the transportable substrate chloride but not the nontransported anion citrate, suggesting that the structure of the anion binding site is preserved. The specific activity of sulfate transport by partially purified yeast AE1 was determined in proteoliposomes to be similar to that of authentic AE1 purified from erythrocyte membranes. These data show that this expression system has the capacity to produce functional mammalian plasma membrane anion exchangers at levels sufficient for biochemical and biophysical analysis.
Cognitive structure as a predictor of post speech attitude and attitude change

This study investigates Cronkhite's hypotheses for predicting post speech attitude and attitude change. Eight motivational concepts or consequences of a proposed change in policy were determined. An individual's perceptions of the consequences were operationally defined as his cognitive structure for the proposal. As a pretest, subjects indicated their attitudes toward the consequences, their beliefs that the consequences are related instrumentally to the proposal, and their attitudes toward the proposal. At a later date the subjects listened to a counterattitudinal speech on the proposal. A post‐test repeated the pretest measures. In support of Cronkhite's hypotheses, it was observed that cognitive structure predicts post speech attitude, and change in cognitive structure predicts attitude change.
Mixed-alkali effect: some new results

Most aspects of the mixed-alkali effect (MAE) are shown to be consistent with calculations employing critical rate analysis to hopping conduction in a random energy landscape. The temperature and frequency dependence of the conductivity can be understood when four factors are incorporated into theoretical models. These four factors are: existence of a spread of barrier heights and well depths, applicability of critical rate analysis, independence of low-lying energy states of different alkali ions, and relevance of dynamic Coulomb interactions. New calculations of the ac conductivity at lower frequencies, but still above the loss peak frequency of the dielectric relaxation, are given. Such frequencies are low enough to allow more quantitative comparison with experimental results for the stretching parameter describing stretched exponential relaxation. This comparison provides additional support for the theoretical interpretation.
Reactions of ozone and nitrogen oxides in power plant plumes

Abstract Results are presented of airborne measurements taken in the plumes of two coal and two gas-fired power plants. Measurements were made of the concentrations of NO, NO 2 , O 3 and SO 2 , temperature, relative humidity, and ultra-violet radiation. Ozone concentrations exceeding those of the surrounding ambient air were never found in these plumes, which were observed out to distances of 90 km (4 hours travel time) from the stacks. Analysis of the plume chemistry suggests that, over distances and time scales within which plumes are differentiable from background (the “near-field”), the chemistry is commonly controlled by the rates at which the plumes mix with the ambient air, rather than by chemical kinetics. Consequently, on those scales, the rates of conversion of NO to NO 2 are slow and the NO 2 /NO ratios are small (the highest ratio measured was 4.3). This analysis is consistent with the absence of observable ozone generation in the “near fields” of the power plant plumes studied.
Guess Who's Been Coming to Dinner? Trends in Interracial Marriage over the 20th Century

This paper studies marriages across black, white, and Asian racial lines. Marrying across racial lines is a rare event, even today. Interracial marriages account for approximately 1 percent of white marriages, 5 percent of black marriages, and 14 percent of Asian marriages. Following a brief history of the regulation of race and romance in America, I analyze interracial marriage using census data from 1880-2000, uncovering a rich set of cross-section and time-series patterns. I investigate the extent to which three different theories of interracial marriage can account for the patterns discovered. After also testing a social exchange theory and a search model, I find the data are most consistent with a Becker-style marriage market model in which objective criteria of a potential spouse, their race, and the social price of intermarriage are central.
Cluster-size distributions of ionic and colloidal systems

We develop a method for calculating the physical and geometric properties of atomic clusters in a very general aggregation model. Our method accommodates an arbitrary interparticle potential. It also allows the use of a very wide range of pairing criteria for specifying which configuations are considered to form clusters. We develop an exact differential equation satisfied by the generating function for the quantities {${\mathit{n}}_{\mathit{c}}$(k)}, where ${\mathit{n}}_{\mathit{c}}$(k) is the mean number per unit volume of clusters containing exactly k atoms. We discuss economic methods of solving this equation; a second paper is planned to discuss numerical solutions in detail. We show that the analog, for continuum percolation, of the virial theorem is an exact rate equation of Smoluchowski type for the cluster densities, in which the time is replaced by the total particle density. In this equation, the rate constants are given by contact values of connectedness functions. Applications of this rate equation are discussed. We also give an exact equation for the generating function for cluster volumes. Extensions of the method to calculate cluster free energies economically are described.
A Pore Pressure Model for Cyclic Straining of Clay

ABSTRACT The paper focuses on the development and modelling of residual cyclic pore water pressure, u, in clay during undrained cyclic strain-controlled loading. Data obtained from a series of NGI type cyclic simple shear tests were employed. In addition to the amplitude of cyclic shear strain, γc, the number of cycles, N, and the overconsolidation ratio, OCR, a new component is incorporated in the conventional characterization of u. This new component is the volumetric threshold shear strain, γtv, of clayey soils, below which for all practical purposes u does not develop. The lack of understanding of complex clay microstructure and the associated interaction between clay particles during cyclic shearing makes the modelling of u in a manner other than curve fitting rather difficult. This is especially true in regard to the development of negative u in overconsolidated clays. A model based on the systematic curve fitting of the pore pressure data expressed in terms of γc, γtv, N and OCR is presented. The possibilities of the incorporation of such a model into existing numerical tools for simulation of the seismic and ocean wave loading response of natural soil deposits are briefly discussed as well.
Excitatory amino acid receptor subtype agonists induce feeding in the nucleus accumbens shell in rats: opioid antagonist actions and interactions with μ-opioid agonists

Administration of mu-opioid receptor subtype agonists into the nucleus accumbens shell elicits feeding which is dependent upon the normal function of mu-, delta- and kappa-opioid receptors, D(1) dopamine receptors and GABA(B) receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell for its full expression. Whereas the AMPA antagonist, DNQX administered into the nucleus accumbens shell elicits a transient, though intense feeding response, feeding is elicited by excitatory amino acid agonists administered into the lateral hypothalamus. The present study examined whether excitatory amino acid agonists elicited feeding following administration into the nucleus accumbens shell of rats, whether such feeding responses were altered by opioid antagonist pretreatment, and whether such feeding responses interacted with feeding elicited by mu-opioid agonists. Both AMPA (0.25-0.5 microg) and NMDA (1 microg) in the nucleus accumbens shell significantly and dose-dependently increased food intake over 4 h. Both feeding responses were blocked by naltrexone pretreatment in the nucleus accumbens shell. The mu-opioid agonist, [D-Ala(2),NMe-Phe(4),Gly-ol(5)]-enkephalin in the nucleus accumbens shell significantly increased food intake which was significantly enhanced by AMPA cotreatment. This enhanced feeding response was in turn blocked by pretreatment with either general or mu-selective opioid antagonists. In contrast, cotreatment of NMDA and the mu-opioid agonist in the nucleus accumbens shell elicited feeding which was significantly less than that elicited by either treatment alone. These data indicate the presence of important interactions between excitatory amino acid receptors and mu-opioid receptors in the nucleus accumbens shell in mediating feeding responses in nondeprived, ad libitum-fed rats.
The Effect of Drive on Probability Learning

Summary and Conclusions This study was an attempt to determine the effect of drive on probability learning. Each of two groups of Ss was divided into high- and low-drive groups on the basis of MAS scores. Each S was given 200 trials on a probability learning task, with 70 per cent reinforcement on one side and 30 per cent reinforcement on the other. At the .05 level, there was no difference between groups in probability choices, and neither group differed from the objective probability scores. The results are discussed in terms of the number of trials involved, the introduction of emotional arousal, and Hullian theory. On the basis of a comparison with the results of previous studies, it was suggested that investigators be cautious in generalizing probability learning results from one species to another.
Emotional and social intelligence competence: Implications for instruction

Students' knowledge and skills enhancement is impacted by many factors. Among those is instructor's emotional and social intelligence competence (ESIC). However, few studies focus on this crucial instructor competence. In this paper, I reviewed and summarized the literature on the factors that support or promote emotional and social intelligence competencies. Subsequently, I applied the identified literature to discuss the strategies or techniques that teachers or corporate trainers may use to effectively develop competency or talent in educational and corporate settings. The findings suggest emotional intelligence and social intelligence competence has many facets, numerous factors play a role in instruction, students feel connected with instructors if they receive support and encouragement from instructors, and instructors' ESIC contributes toward effective instruction. Finally, I discuss strategies, based on instructors' ESIC, which instructors can be used to enhance instruction delivery and learning outcomes.
Rapid Sea-Level Rise Soon from West Antarctic Ice-Sheet Collapse?

There has been recent concern over whether shrinkage of ice sheets in Antarctica caused by climate change could lead to rapid global sea-level rise. In his Perspective, Bentley discusses the processes at work in ice-sheet behavior and concludes that, in view of the evidence for ice-sheet stability, catastrophic changes are unlikely in the next century or two.
Heart rate variability in depressed elderly.

Objective The present study examines a measure of cardiac autonomic function, the heart rate variability (HRV), in a group of depressed elderly. Cardiac autonomic abnormalities have been implicated as a potential mediator of cardiovascular events and sudden death in depression. Because aging is associated with decreased cardiac vagal activity, it is possible that autonomic abnormalities are even more pronounced in the older depressed patients. Design Cross-sectional comparison between those with or without depression. The groups were compared using the Wilcoxon matched-pair sign-rank test. Setting Advanced Center for Interventions and Services Research for Late-Life Mood Disorders at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Participants Fifty-three patients with major depression (mean age: 73.3; SD: 7.4; range: 60–93) and an equal number of age and gender-matched subjects as a comparison group. Intervention None. Measurements Time domain and frequency domain measures of HRV. Results The groups did not differ in any of the time domain or frequency domain measures of HRV. As expected, subjects without depression displayed decreasing cardiac vagal function with aging (Spearman correlation coefficient r s = −0.33, p=0.02). However, there was no significant change in vagal function with age in the depressed (r = 0.12, p = 0.38). Post-hoc analysis using Fisher's z r transformation revealed that the relationship between age and cardiac vagal function was significantly different between the groups (z = 2.32, p=0.02). Conclusions Our findings suggest that age has differential influence on vagal function in individuals with and without depression, a difference with implications for cardiovascular disease risk in depression. Prospective studies of cardiac vagal activity in depressed patients with or without preexisting cardiac disease in different age groups are needed to replicate and extend these findings.
The diatribe: Last resort for protest

The diatribe is a unique rhetorical form. The rhetor relies on obscenities, strident moralism, slang, and advocacy of a “counter‐culture” to protest corrupt cultures. It was invented by the Cynics of Athens and revived by the Yippies to protest the war in Vietnam. It is a product of basic commitments about the nature of man and forged by circumstances that rhetors believe exclude conventional means of protest.
The effects of distraction, performance demand, stimulus explicitness and personality on objective and subjective measures of male sexual arousal

Abstract The interaction of several parameters known to influence sexual arousal was investigated in a 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Distraction, performance demand, and the sexual explicitness of the arousing film were manipulated, with 32 male subjects randomly assigned to the experimental groups. Sexual arousal was elicited by either an explicit or nonexplicit videotape; level of performance demand was determined by one of two sets of experimental instructions: distraction, a within-subject factor, was produced by tone presentations. Arousal was assessed by both penile tumescence and a continuous subjective measure: marked individual differences were found in the degree to which these measures covaried. The results indicated a strong effect of distraction on tumescence, though none on subjectively reported arousal. Conversely. degree of film explicitness had a marked effect on subjective arousal without influencing tumescence. The performance-demand main effect was nonsignificant; however, a significant distraction x demand interaction for maximum tumescence was evident. Additional analyses indicated the predictive value of certain personality measures.
Studies of the pion double-charge exchange reaction

Abstract Results of the first measurement if the excitation function of the cross section dσ/dΩ for the pion double charge exchange reaction across the (3,3) π-nucleon resonance are reported. Data from the reaction 18 O(π + , π − ) 18 Ne to the double isobaric analog state at an angle of 5° are presented which show strong structure as a function of pion energy, in contrast to the previous limited data. The measurements were made with the EPICS facility at LAMPF which was modified to allow for data-taking at small angles.
Spore discharge in Entomophthora grylli

SUMMARY Entomophthora grylli Fres. has been found on larvae of Bradysia (Sciaridae, Diptera) on wood in Kansas State University greenhouses since November 1967. Infected larvae crawled to an exposed site in the night and by morning spores of E. grylli were being discharged. In the greenhouse and under controlled environments spore discharge showed a marked periodicity; spore discharge occurred in the light with peaks in the first 1–4 h; discharge then gradually declined but extended into the dark. On the second and third days peaks occurred in the light but were progressively smaller. In a greenhouse under fluctuating conditions twin peaks occurred at 10·00 and 22·00; in a growth chamber, at constant 21° C. 90% r.h., alternating 12 h light and dark periods, spore discharge was similar, with maximum numbers about 21/2 h after the onset of the photo-period. In continuous dark and continuous light no endogenous pattern was evident. Temperature range for spore discharge was 2–28·, with optimum at 15·. Decreasing humidities resulted in decreased spore production and cessation of discharge below 40% r.h.
Economics of Thermal Environmental Control

This study considers only first and operating costs of office buildings and occupancy, because no brief study can cover all combinations of structure size and usage, climatic conditions, and available equipment.
In Defense of Body CT

OBJECTIVE. Rapid technical developments and an expanding list of applications that have supplanted less accurate or more invasive diagnostic tests have led to a dramatic increase in the use of body CT in medical practice since its introduction in 1975. Our purpose here is to discuss medical justification of the small potential risk associated with the ionizing radiation used in CT and to provide perspectives on practice-specific decisions that can maximize overall patient benefit. In addition, we review available dose management and optimization techniques.CONCLUSION. Dose reduction strategies described in this article must be well understood and properly used, but also require broad-based practice strategies that extend beyond the CT scanner console and default, generic manufacturer settings. In the final analysis, physicians must request the imaging examination that best addresses the specific medical question without allowing worries about radiation to dissuade them or their patients from obtaining nee...
Enhancement of interactive computer systems by distributed intelligence

Distributed processing of text editing and syntax checking is proposed as an economical means of enhancing the performance of a time-shared computer system in an educational environment. Commercially available microcomputer systems are inserted between the host processor and its terminals without modifications to host hardware or software. The limitations characteristic of microcomputer systems are considered relative to the total system performance, and an experimental implementation for performance measurement and prediction is described.
Psychological Test Findings on Pathological Gamblers in Treatment

A sample of 23 veterans entering the Pathological Gambling Treatment Program at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Miami, Florida, were administered a battery of tests including the following: Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS), Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), Edwards Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS), and the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI). Findings on the intelligence testing indicated that on the average the pathological gamblers were of bright normal intelligence with a mean WAIS Full Scale IQ of 116.78, mean Verbal IQ of 119.30, and a mean Performance IQ of 111.30. Group profile results on the MMPI showed significant mean clinical scale elevations on two of the nine clinical scales: Scale 2, Depression; and Scale 4, Psychopathic Deviate. Group profile results on the EPPS indicated relatively high scores on the variables of achievement, exhibition, autonomy, dominance, and heterosexuality; and relatively low scores on the variables of deference, order, and ...
'Normal' technetium bone scans in patients with acute osteomyelitis

Several investigators have stressed the usefulness of the technetium bone scan in the early diagnosis of acute osteomyelitis. Seven patients with acute osteomyelitis had initial bone scans that were reportedly normal. The diagnosis was made as a result of either an abnormal gallium scan, positive cultures, or changes in follow-up roentgenograms. The explanation for the normal technetium scans is conjectural but may be related to compromised vascularity. A normal scan does not rule out acute osteomyelitis. If this diagnosis is strongly suspected, other diagnostic tests should be used.
A Boolean satisfiability based solution to the routing and wavelength assignment problem in optical telecommunication networks

Wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) effectively multiplies the bandwidth of an optic fiber by transmitting data over several different wavelengths on the same fiber. WDM is widely used to handle the ever-increasing demand for bandwidth in fiber optic telecommunication networks. Routing and wavelength assignment (RWA) is a critical problem to be addressed in WDM optical telecommunication networks. The goal of RWA is to maximize throughput by optimally and simultaneously assigning routes and wavelengths for a given pattern of routing or connection requests. In this paper, we present a novel technique to solve the static RWA problem using Boolean satisfiability (SAT). After formulating the RWA problem as a SAT instance, we utilize a very efficient SAT solver to find a solution. We report results for networks with and without wavelength translation capabilities in the nodes. In both cases we obtain an assignment in significantly less than one second (which is 3-4 orders of magnitude faster than existing approaches) for a set of benchmark problems. Our technique can handle arbitrary network topologies, and, due to its efficiency, can be extended to handle dynamic RWA instances, in which the network topology, link capacities and connection requests are time-varying.
Self-compassion and social anxiety disorder.

Abstract Self-compassion refers to having an accepting and caring orientation towards oneself. Although self-compassion has been studied primarily in healthy populations, one particularly compelling clinical context in which to examine self-compassion is social anxiety disorder (SAD). SAD is characterized by high levels of negative self-criticism as well as an abiding concern about others’ evaluation of one's performance. In the present study, we tested the hypotheses that: (1) people with SAD would demonstrate less self-compassion than healthy controls (HCs), (2) self-compassion would relate to severity of social anxiety and fear of evaluation among people with SAD, and (3) age would be negatively correlated with self-compassion for people with SAD, but not for HC. As expected, people with SAD reported less self-compassion than HCs on the Self-Compassion Scale and its subscales. Within the SAD group, lesser self-compassion was not generally associated with severity of social anxiety, but it was associate...
A Comparison Between Bass Management Parameter Selection Techniques for Multichannel and Multi-position Room Equalization

Traditionally, room acoustic equalization is performed to improve sound quality. In a multi-channel audio system, employing simultaneous multi-position room equalization, the selection of the bass management parameter(s) between the subwoofer and a satellite is important for accurate reproduction of sound at the listening positions. Presently, many systems, such as home-theater receivers, have selectable crossover frequencies with fixed decay rates. Furthermore, the crossover frequency is selected by the user through informal listening tests. However, a choice of a single bass management parameter (viz., the crossover frequency) can limit equalization performance in the crossover region at all listening positions as shown in this paper. Such limitations arise from interactions, due to complex addition (i.e., phase and amplitude) of the subwoofer and satellite response, and manifest as large spectral deviations in the crossover region. In this paper, we present a comparison in the equalization performance resulting from the automatic optimization of a single bass management parameter (viz., the crossover frequency) with an all-parameter optimization (viz., the crossover frequency and the decay rates) using the spectral deviation measure. As expected, the results indicate that the all-parameter optimization provides a significant improvement over the standard single parameter optimization
Cross-Repressive Interaction of the Olig2 and Nkx2.2 Transcription Factors in Developing Neural Tube Associated with Formation of a Specific Physical Complex

In developing neural tube, the basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) transcription factor Olig2 interacts with the homeodomain transcription factor Nkx2.2 at two distinct stages. During neuronogenesis, a cross-repressive interaction appears to establish the precise boundary between the p3 and pMN domains. At later times, a cooperative interaction is noted because Nkx2.2 promotes maturation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells specified by expression of Olig2. We show here that the Olig2 protein can form a physical complex with Nkx2.2 protein in mammalian cells and yeast two-hybrid trap assay. This interaction is specific because Olig2 does not bind to a biologically irrelevant homeodomain transcription factor (Nkx6.1), and Nkx2.2 does not interact with a biologically irrelevant bHLH protein (NeuroD). Deletion mapping analysis suggests that formation of an Olig2-Nkx2.2 physical complex is insufficient for the induction of oligodendrocyte progenitors in developing spine; however, the protein-protein interaction observed might be important for the cross-repressive interaction between Olig2 and Nkx2.2 that helps to establish the pMN-p3 boundary in the developing spinal cord.
Mapping, sequence, and apparent lack of function of araJ, a gene of the Escherichia coli arabinose regulon.

Abstract We report the mapping, sequencing, and study of the physiological role of the fourth arabinose-inducible operon from Escherichia coli, araJ. It is located at 9 min on the chromosome and codes for a single 42-kDa protein that shows no significant homology to other known proteins. Destruction of the chromosomal araJ gene does not detectably affect either of the two arabinose transport systems, the ability of cells to grow on arabinose, or the induction kinetics of the araBAD operon, and thus the physiological role of AraJ, if any, remains unknown. We have also found a long open reading frame upstream of araJ. The sequence of this upstream open reading frame was found to be identical to the previously reported sequence of the sbcC gene (I. S. Naom, S. J. Morton, D. R. F. Leach, and R. G. Lloyd, Nucleic Acids Res. 17:8033-8044, 1989). The carboxyl region of SbcC has an amino acid sequence consistent with this region of SbcC forming an extended alpha-helical coiled-coil.
Effect of the viscoelastic behavior of molding compounds on crack propagation in IC packages

The lead-free alloys require solder reflow temperatures to be much higher than the previous requirements associated with SnPb solders. Moreover, the reflow temperature is often well beyond the glass transition temperature of molding compounds and/or other polymeric packaging materials. Thus the effect of viscoelasticity of mold compound must have an important effect on IC package reliability. This work presents an analytical investigation of the propagation of the interfacial crack, i.e., interfacial delamination between mold compound and the substrate by considering the viscoelastic behavior of the molding compound using Kelvin-Voigt model. It is shown that the viscoelasticity of mold compound has a significantly influence the energy release rate and the fracture threshold of the interfacial delamination. Regardless of the fracture energy being time-dependent or not, the viscous property of the mold material postpones the appearance of the propagation of the interfacial delamination. The admissive loading time, i.e., admissive reflow time, is connected closely to the retardation time of the mold material. A significant improvement of IC package reliability can be expected increasing the viscosity, i.e., the retardation time of mold compound.
Molecular evolution and diversity in Bacillus anthracis as detected by amplified fragment length polymorphism markers

Bacillus anthracis causes anthrax and represents one of the most molecularly monomorphic bacteria known. We have used AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) DNA markers to analyze 78 B. anthracis isolates and six related Bacillus species for molecular variation. AFLP markers are extremely sensitive to even small sequence variation, using PCR and high-resolution electrophoresis to examine restriction fragments. Using this approach, we examined ca. 6.3% of the Bacillus genome for length mutations and ca. 0.36% for point mutations. Extensive variation was observed among taxa, and both cladistic and phenetic analyses were used to construct a phylogeny of B. anthracis and its closest relatives. This genome-wide analysis of 357 AFLP characters (polymorphic fragments) indicates that B. cereus and B. thuringiensis are the closest taxa to B. anthracis, with B. mycoides slightly more distant. B. subtilis, B. polymyxa, and B. stearothermophilus shared few AFLP markers with B. anthracis and were used as outgroups to root the analysis. In contrast to the variation among taxa, only rare AFLP marker variation was observed within B. anthracis, which may be the most genetically uniform bacterial species known. However, AFLP markers did establish the presence or absence of the pXO1 and pXO2 plasmids and detected 31 polymorphic chromosomal regions among the 79 B. anthracis isolates. Cluster analysis identified two very distinct genetic lineages among the B. anthracis isolates. The level of variation and its geographic distribution are consistent with a historically recent African origin for this pathogenic organism. Based on AFLP marker similarity, the ongoing anthrax epidemic in Canada and the northern United States is due to a single strain introduction that has remained stable over at least 30 years and a 1,000-mile distribution.
Adaptive array beamforming with fixed-point arithmetic matrix inversion using Givens rotations

Adaptive array systems require the periodic solution of the well-known w=R1v equation in order to compute optimum adaptive array weights. The covariance matrix R is estimated by forming a product of noise sample matrices X:R=XHX. The operations-count cost of performing the required matrix inversion in real time can be prohibitively high for a high bandwidth system with a large number of sensors. Specialized hardware may be required to execute the requisite computations in real time. The choice of algorithm to perform these computations must be considered in conjunction with the hardware technology used to implement the computation engine. A systolic architecture implementation of the Givens rotation method for matrix inversion was selected to perform adaptive weight computation. The bit-level systolic approach enables a simple ASIC design and a very low power implementation. The bit-level systolic architecture must be implemented with fixed-point arithmetic to simplify the propagation of data through the computation cells. The Givens rotation approach has a highly parallel implementation and is ideally suited for a systolic implementation. Additionally, the adaptive weights are computed directly from the sample matrix X in the voltage domain, thus reducing the required dynamic range needed in carrying out the computations. An analysis was performed to determine the required fixed-point precision needed to compute the weights for an adaptive array system operating in the presence of interference. Based on the analysis results, it was determined that the precision of a floating-point computation can be well approximated with a 13-bit to 19-bit word length fixed point computation for typical system jammer-to-noise levels. This property has produced an order-of-magnitude reduction in required hardware complexity. A synthesis-based ASIC design process was used to generate preliminary layouts. These layouts were used to estimate the area and throughput of the VLSI QR decomposition architecture. The results show that this QR decomposition process, when implemented into a full-custom design, provides a computation time that is two orders of magnitude faster than a state-of-the-art microprocessor.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Multistage Branch-and-Bound Merging for Planar Surface Segmentation in Disparity Space

An iterative split-and-merge framework for the segmentation of planar surfaces in the disparity space is presented. Disparity of a scene is modeled by approximating various surfaces in the scene to be planar. In the split phase, the number of planar surfaces along with the underlying plane parameters is assumed to be known from the initialization or from the previous merge phase. Based on these parameters, planar surfaces in the disparity image are labeled to minimize the residuals between the actual disparity and the modeled disparity. The labeled planar surfaces are separated into spatially continuous regions which are treated as candidates for the merging that follows. The regions are merged together under a maximum variance constraint while maximizing the merged area. A multistage branch-and-bound algorithm is proposed to carry out this optimization efficiently. Each stage of the branch-and-bound algorithm separates a planar surface from the set of spatially continuous regions. The multistage merging estimates the number of planar surfaces and their labeling. The splitting and the multistage merging is repeated till convergence is reached or satisfactory results are achieved. Experimental results are presented for variety of stereo image data.
Application of total suppression of spinning sidebands to acquisition of aluminum-27 magic-angle-spun NMR spectra

Abstract A novel application of the total suppression of spinning sidebands (TOSS), a pulse irradiation sequence previously used for removal of sidebands from magic-angle-spinning (MAS) NMR spectra of spin - 1 2 nuclei, can also be used to remove sidebands from MAS NMR spectra of 27A1, a spin - 5 2 quadrupolar nucleus. The absence of sidebands, which present systematic distortions of the spectrum, can potentially lead to more quantitatively representative spectra, especially for species at low concentration. Examples demonstrate substantial improvements in 27A1 MAS NMR spectra of the central transition of the quadrupole-perturbed 27A1 Zeeman resonance line for cases involving different central transition linewidths.
Mechanism of Tuberculostasis in Mammalian Serum II. Induction of Serum Tuberculostasis in Guinea Pigs

The growth of tubercle bacilli in serum samples of untreated animals depends upon the availability of ionic iron which serves as a growth factor in supporting bacillary multiplication. The amount of available iron in serum is determined by the ratio between iron-saturated and iron-free transferrin; a low value for the ratio is associated with tuberculostasis (e.g., human serum, 0.4), whereas a high value is associated with the growth-supporting quality (e.g., guinea pig serum, 5.6). The treatment of guinea pigs with lipopolysaccharide of Escherichia coli or tuberculous cell wall material consistently and significantly reduced serum iron levels; a similar but less striking effect was observed in BCG-vaccinated animals. Pronounced differences were observed in the time of appearance and duration of serum hypoferremia; in lipopolysaccharide-treated animals, it appeared in 1 day and lasted for several days, whereas in BCG-vaccinated animals it appeared in about 2 weeks and lasted for much longer time periods. The induced hypoferremia was always associated with the concomitant development of serum tuberculostasis which could be neutralized by the addition of iron. These results indicate, therefore, that the mechanism of induced serum tuberculostasis in lipopolysaccharide- or tuberculous cell wall-treated and BCG-vaccinated guinea pigs is the same as that present in tuberculostatic sera of untreated animals.