cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Codifying a Sharia-based Criminal Law in Developing Muslim Countries

This paper reproduces presentations made at the University of Tehran in March 2019 as part of the opening and closing remarks for a Conference on Criminal Law Development in Muslim-Majority Countries. The opening remarks discuss the challenges of codifying a Shari’a-based criminal code, drawing primarily from the experiences of Professor Robinson in directing codification projects in Somalia and the Maldives. The closing remarks apply many of those lessons to the situation currently existing in Iran. Included is a discussion of the implications for Muslim countries of Robinson’s social psychology work on the power of social influence and internalized norms that comes from criminal law’s tracking the shared judgments of justice of the community – “empirical desert” (included is a discussion in the closing remarks of the power of Tom Tyler’s “legitimacy” that is derived from fair and professional adjudication procedures).
In Vivo Pharmacodynamic Modeling for Drug Discovery

The use of animal infections models to assess antimicrobial efficacy is hardly a novel science. This practice dates back many decades, and, as might be expected, an exorbitant number of infection models in many different species have been employed over that time. Some of the more popular infection models include the following: thigh infection, lung infection, meningitis, sepsis, and urinary tract infection. Entire textbooks have been devoted to describing these models methodologically, and to do so again is not within the scope of this chapter. The purpose of this chapter, however, is to discuss some of the important concepts involved in developing any one of these models of infection to create meaningful data that can then be used to better characterize antimicrobials pharmacodynamically and ultimately to understand how these findings can translate to the clinic.
The Specter and the Goldfish

The lure of my own comfortable bed fought against the pandemonium of the emergency room. I acquiesced when I realized I could not swallow my own saliva, the physician in me finally, briefly, surfacing.
How to create a great team culture (and why it matters)

As leader of the team, you have significant influence over your team’s culture. You can institute policies and procedures that help make your team happy and productive, monitor team successes, and ...
Ventral-onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty for the treatment of female urethral stricture: a step-by-step video for Female Pelvic Reconstructive Surgeons

Female urethral stricture is a relatively uncommon disease. Conservative management with repeated urethral dilation often leads to unsatisfactory results. Although treatment of female urethral stricture with urethral reconstruction using a variety of surgical techniques is a surgical option, female pelvic reconstructive surgeons have limited exposure to these procedures in their training. The purpose of this video is to demonstrate a step-by-step ventral-onlay buccal mucosal graft urethroplasty in a patient with female urethral stricture disease. We use a live action surgical video to describe the harvest of a buccal mucosal graft and ventral-onlay urethroplasty. This video provides a step-by-step approach to a ventral urethroplasty using a buccal mucosal graft. It can be used to educate and train those performing female pelvic reconstructive surgery. Pelvic surgeons should be familiar with the management of female urethral stricture, including surgical treatment options such as urethral reconstruction. This video may be used to facilitate the reproducibility and comprehension of the ventral urethroplasty procedure.
Data Synthesis: Alternative Approaches to Research with Low Incidence Populations.

The development of an extensive body of research information pertaining to visually handicapped persons is hindered by small, heterogeneous, population samples and by the small number of studies. F...
Infrastructuring Teacher Learning about Equitable Science Instruction

How might we continue to promote educational transformation in support of social justice in an era of educational standards implementation and broad political turmoil? Can we use the platform of co...
Simultaneous detection of ozone and nitrogen dioxide by oxygen anion chemical ionization mass spectrometry: a fast-time-response sensor suitable for eddy covariance measurements

Abstract. We report on the development, characterization, and field deployment of a fast-time-response sensor for measuring ozone ( O3 ) and nitrogen dioxide ( NO2 ) concentrations utilizing chemical ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CI-ToFMS) with oxygen anion ( O 2 - ) reagent ion chemistry. We demonstrate that the oxygen anion chemical ionization mass spectrometer (Ox-CIMS) is highly sensitive to both O3 (180 counts s −1 pptv −1 ) and NO2 (97 counts s −1 pptv −1 ), corresponding to detection limits ( 3σ , 1 s averages) of 13 and 9.9 pptv, respectively. In both cases, the detection threshold is limited by the magnitude and variability in the background determination. The short-term precision (1 s averages) is better than 0.3 % at 10 ppbv O3 and 4 % at 10 pptv NO2 . We demonstrate that the sensitivity of the O3 measurement to fluctuations in ambient water vapor and carbon dioxide is negligible for typical conditions encountered in the troposphere. The application of the Ox-CIMS to the measurement of O3 vertical fluxes over the coastal ocean, via eddy covariance (EC), was tested during the summer of 2018 at Scripps Pier, La Jolla, CA. The observed mean ozone deposition velocity ( vd ( O3 )) was 0.013 cm s −1 with a campaign ensemble limit of detection (LOD) of 0.0027 cm s −1 at the 95 % confidence level, from each 27 min sampling period LOD. The campaign mean and 1 standard deviation range of O3 mixing ratios was 41.2±10.1 ppbv. Several fast ozone titration events from local NO emissions were sampled where unit conversion of O3 to NO2 was observed, highlighting instrument utility as a total odd-oxygen ( O x = O 3 + NO 2 ) sensor. The demonstrated precision, sensitivity, and time resolution of this instrument highlight its potential for direct measurements of O3 ocean–atmosphere and biosphere–atmosphere exchange from both stationary and mobile sampling platforms.
Two pair-rule responsive enhancers regulate wingless transcription in the Drosophila blastoderm embryo.

Background While many developmentally relevant enhancers act in a modular fashion, there is growing evidence for nonadditive interactions between distinct cis-regulatory enhancers. We investigated if nonautonomous enhancer interactions underlie transcription regulation of the Drosophila segment polarity gene, wingless. Results We identified two wg enhancers active at the blastoderm stage: wg 3613u, located from -3.6 to -1.3 kb upstream of the wg transcription start site (TSS) and 3046d, located in intron two of the wg gene, from 3.0 to 4.6 kb downstream of the TSS. Genetic experiments confirm that Even Skipped (Eve), Fushi-tarazu (Ftz), Runt, Odd-paired (Opa), Odd-skipped (Odd), and Paired (Prd) contribute to spatially regulated wg expression. Interestingly, there are enhancer specific differences in response to the gain or loss of function of pair-rule gene activity. Although each element recapitulates aspects of wg expression, a composite reporter containing both enhancers more faithfully recapitulates wg regulation than would be predicted from the sum of their individual responses. Conclusion These results suggest that the regulation of wg by pair-rule genes involves nonadditive interactions between distinct cis-regulatory enhancers.
Resource availability alters fitness trade-offs: implications for evolution in stressful environments.

Premise Industrialization and human activities have elevated temperatures and caused novel precipitation patterns, altering soil moisture and nutrient availability. Predicting evolutionary responses to climate change requires information on the agents of selection that drive local adaptation and influence resource acquisition and allocation. Here, we examined the contribution of nutrient and drought stress to local adaptation, and we tested whether trade-offs across fitness components constrain or facilitate adaptation under resource stress. Methods We exposed 35 families of Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae) to three levels of water and two levels of nutrient supply in a factorial design in the greenhouse. We sourced maternal families from a broad elevational gradient (2499-3530 m a.s.l.), representing disparate soil moisture and nutrient availability. Results Concordant with local adaptation, maternal families from arid, low-elevation populations had enhanced fecundity under severe drought over those from more mesic, high-elevation sites. Furthermore, fitness trade-offs between growth and reproductive success depended on the environmental context. Under high, but not low, nutrient levels, we found a negative phenotypic relationship between the probability of reproduction and growth rate. Similarly, a negative phenotypic association only emerged between fecundity and growth under severe drought stress, not the benign water treatment levels, indicating that stressful resource environments alter the direction of trait correlations. Genetic covariances were broadly concordant with these phenotypic patterns. Conclusions Despite high heritabilities in all fitness components across treatments, trade-offs between growth and reproduction could constrain adaptation to increasing drought stress and novel nutrient levels.
An Empirical Study of Quad-Level Cell (QLC) NAND Flash SSDs for Big Data Applications

As the SSD technology develops, quad-level cell (QLC) NAND based SSD is gradually being introduced to the market. And as such, we evaluate the QLC technologys impact on the landscape of modern datacenters. Since a large number of applications and workloads in the modern datacenters have far more read requests than they write requests, QLC SSD provides a promising solution. For example, real-time analytics and big data, machine and deep learning, and read-intensive AI applications are all read hungry perfectly suited for the QLC. Its favorable performance (especially in reads), high capacity and density greatly help modern datacenters to provide more efficient services to their customers. At the same time, the low cost of QLC SSD also helps to lower the cost of operation for datacenters. Additionally, we explore the state-of-art QLC SSD from the system architecture point of view to shows its key advancements from previous technologies. By conducting a comprehensive performance evaluation of QLC SSD, we are able to compare it with other types of SSD and analyze factors that impact its performance.
Infant carrying method impacts caregiver posture and loading during gait and item retrieval.

Abstract Background Human babies are carried by their caregivers during infancy, and the use of ergonomic aids to wear the baby on the body has recently grown in popularity. However, the effects of wearing or holding a baby in-arms on an individual’s mechanics during gait and a common object retrieval task are not fully understood. Research question What are the differences in: 1) spatiotemporal, lower extremity kinematics, and ground reaction force variables during gait, and 2) technique, center of mass motion, and kinematics during an object retrieval task between holding and wearing an infant mannequin? Methods In this prospective biomechanics study, 10 healthy females performed over-ground walking and an object retrieval task in three conditions, holding: (1) nothing (unloaded), (2) an infant mannequin in-arms, and (3) an infant mannequin in a baby carrier. Mechanics were compared using repeated measures ANOVA. Results During gait, greater vertical ground reaction force and impulse and braking force was found during the in-arms and carrier conditions compared to unloaded. Significant but small ( Significance Holding or wearing an infant provides a mechanical constraint that impacts the forces and kinematics, which has implications for caregivers’ pain and dysfunction.
Identity Management of Clustered Satellites with a Generalized Labeled Multi-Bernoulli Filter

Tracking clustered satellites in the presence of noisy measurements creates a scenario where satellites are likely to be cross-tagged. This work focuses on the identity management of a closely spac...
For the honor of the fatherland: German Jews on the eastern front during the great war: by Tracey Hayes Norrell, Lanham, MD, Lexington Books, 2017, v + 187 pp., $95.00 (hardback), ISBN: 978-1-4985-6487-8

The centenary of World War I coincided with a proliferation of new and innovative scholarship that challenged the dominant view about German Jewish experiences during the conflict. The conventional...
Implementing Lean Quality Improvement in Primary Care: Impact on Efficiency in Performing Common Clinical Tasks.

Many primary care practices have adopted Lean techniques to reduce the amount of time spent completing routine tasks. Few studies have evaluated both immediate and sustained impacts of Lean to improve this aspect of primary care work efficiency. To examine 3-year impacts of Lean implementation on the amount of time taken for physicians to complete common clinical tasks. Non-randomized stepped wedge with segmented regression and interrupted time series analysis (January 2011–December 2016). A total of 317 physician-led teams in 46 primary care departments in a large ambulatory care delivery system. Lean redesign was initiated in one pilot site followed by system-wide spread across all primary care departments. Redesigns included standardization of exam room equipment and supplies, streamlining of call management processes, care team co-location, and team management of the electronic inbox. Time-stamped EHR tracking of physicians’ completion time for 4 common tasks: (1) office visit documentation and closure of patient charts; (2) telephone call resolution; (3) prescription refill renewal; and (4) response to electronic patient messages. After Lean implementation, we found decreases in the amount of time to complete: office visit documentation (− 29.2% [95% CI: − 44.2, − 10.1]), telephone resolution (− 22.2% [95% CI: − 38.1, − 2.27]), and renewal of prescription refills (− 2.96% per month [95% CI: − 4.21, − 1.78]). These decreases were sustained over several years. Response time to electronic patient messages did not change significantly. Lean redesigns led to improvements in timely completion of 3 out of 4 common clinical tasks. Our findings support the use of Lean techniques to engage teams in routine aspects of patient care. More research is warranted to understand the mechanisms by which Lean promotes quality improvement and effectiveness of care team workflows.
The defensive behavior of Indiana mite biting honeybees against Varroa destructor and the structure of mandibles

Abstract The honeybees (Apis mellifera) are the most important managed pollinator for sustainable agriculture and our ecosystem. However, the managed honeybee colonies in the United States experience 30-40% of losses annually. Among all the biotic stressors, the parasitic mite Varroa destructor is considered as one of the main pests for colony losses. The mite biting behavior as a Varroa tolerant or resistant trait has been selected in the State of Indiana for over a decade (13 years). A survey of damaged mites from the bottom of a colony can be used as an extended phenotype of the mite biting behavior to evaluate a colony. On average 37% of mites sampled were damaged or mutilated from the breeding stocks of 59 colonies of mite biters of Indiana, which is significantly higher than 19% of damaged mites in commercial colonies from the Southern United States. No significant difference was detected between the damage of missing legs between breeding stocks and commercial colonies. In addition, the morphology of pollen forager worker mandibles was compared between two populations via X-ray micro-computed tomography using six parameters, and a difference was detected in one parameter. Our results showed the novel scientific evidence to explain the potential defensive mechanism against Varroa mites via potential structural changes in worker mandibles.
Text Mining and Data Visualization: Exploring Cultural Formations and Structural Changes in Fifty Years of Eighteenth-Century Poetry Criticism (1967–2018)

This chapter uses quantitative methods to identify thematic shifts in the past fifty years of criticism focused on eighteenth-century poetry. The author uses computational tools to examine trends in poetry criticism reflected by essays published in two flagship journals in the field: Eighteenth-Century Studies and The Eighteenth Century: Theory and Interpretation. His goal is to identify patterns in the dataset that have shaped our understanding of eighteenth-century poetry. By using algorithmic manipulation, k-means clustering, Latent Dirchlet Allocation (LDA) topic modeling, and data visualization, the author analyses patterns in attention to various texts and/or poets and makes inferences about disciplinary focus, direction of disciplinary practice, and the impact of gender on the poetic canon.
Probabilistic and Random FEM

In general, the methods in structural analysis and design can be classified into two main groups: (1) deterministic simulations and (2) probabilistic simulations. In the case that the finite element method (FEM), used for discretization of the medium, is combined with statistics and reliability methods, the so-called probabilistic finite element method (PFEM) is developed and can be applied to both linear and non-linear systems.
Neonatal meningoencephalitis associated with infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus

The infectious bovine rhinotracheitis [IBR] virus (bovine herpesvirus 1) has a diverse pathogenicity associated with numerous clinical syndromes. These include a respiratory infection with severe inflammation of the upper respiratory mucosa, genital infections (infectious pustular vulvovaginitis [IPV] and infectious pustular balanoposthitis), conjunctivitis which can occur alone or together with infection of other systems, fetal infection with abortion, meningoencephalitis and a septicemia in young calves. Although IBR virus infection is widespread throughout the cattle industry, the encephalitic form is apparently rare.Johnston et all in Australia reported both natural and experimental meningoencephalitis in two to six month old calves caused by a suspected new virus. After initial viral characterization, French named the new virus the N569 virus, only later to document that the N569 virus was actually the 1BR-1PV virus. This was the first reported case of meningoencephalitis caused by the infectious bovine rhinotracheitis virus. Barenfus et at were the first to report IBR virus induced meningoencephalitis in the United States and since that time only a few natural cases have been reported. This case of meningoencephalitis in a two-week-old calf is presented because of the infrequency of the encephalitic form of IBR in the United States and the calf involved is younger than any previously reported cases.
The Market and Common-Pool Resource Problem: Surface Water Trading and Groundwater Depletion in California

This paper examines how a surface water market affects the performance of a groundwater basin that is in open access. The market only solves the groundwater over-extraction problem when pumping costs are high, while market failure arises when the common pool resource (CPR) problem is severe. I build a theoretical model to analyze the agricultural water use in California Central Valley. The model establishes the link between the efficacy of surface water market and the farmers' crop choices in response to water supply changes. I use a micro level crop choice data to test the theory and find that the farmers rarely react to short-term water supply variations. In particular, crop acreage does not fall during droughts. This implies that pumping costs are low and sellers replace whatever amount they sell with groundwater. Therefore, surface water trade is inefficient when taking into account the depletion of groundwater resource and should be curtailed until the CPR problem is addressed.
On Cold Plate Corrosion with Propylene Glycol/Water Coolant

In order to address the inherent limitation of air cooling for increasing power of the server and rack in the data centers, 1-phase indirect liquid cooling has been proposed for inherent advantage of liquid’s higher specific heat than air. The inhibited propylene glycol- based fluids at 25 vol% or higher have the benefit of being biostatic and not requiring the addition of biocides. They also offer freeze protection for shipping particularly to data centers in colder climates and regions. Propylene glycol/water is recommended as coolant for 1- phase cold plate liquid cooling. The metal material for cold plate to work with inhibited propylene glycol in the secondary liquid loop is copper. It’s known that copper is prone to oxide even under room temperature and the dissimilarity between brazing material and copper can also cause galvanic corrosion in usage. A thorough study was conducted to investigate cold plate corrosion with inhibited propylene glycol/water using design of experiments (DOE) method. The chemical analysis of the collected liquid was conducted and used to correlate with liquid discolor to guide us to select appropriate manufacturing process in cold plate manufacturing.
Religious Experience and Belief

The concern of this chapter is the relationship between religious experience and religious belief. Does religious experience shape belief? Or does religious belief shape experience? These two views and a third related view—that religious experience is in accord with religious belief—are examined. None of the three views is universally true, it is argued, but each holds in its favored application.
A multi-scanner neuroimaging data harmonization using RAVEL and ComBat.

Abstract Modern neuroimaging studies frequently combine data collected from multiple scanners and experimental conditions. Such data often contain substantial technical variability associated with image intensity scale (image intensity scales are not the same in different images) and scanner effects (images obtained from different scanners contain substantial technical biases). Here we evaluate and compare results of data analysis methods without any data transformation (RAW), with intensity normalization using RAVEL, with regional harmonization methods using ComBat, and a combination of RAVEL and ComBat. Methods are evaluated on a unique sample of 16 study participants who were scanned on both 1.5T and 3T scanners a few months apart. Neuroradiological evaluation was conducted for 7 different regions of interest (ROI's) pertinent to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Cortical measures and results indicate that: (1) RAVEL substantially improved the reproducibility of image intensities; (2) ComBat is preferred over RAVEL and the RAVEL-ComBat combination in terms of regional level harmonization due to more consistent harmonization across subjects and image-derived measures; (3) RAVEL and ComBat substantially reduced bias compared to analysis of RAW images, but RAVEL also resulted in larger variance; and (4) the larger root mean square deviation (RMSD) of RAVEL compared to ComBat is due mainly to its larger variance.
INFINITE SERIES OF RANDOM VARIABLES AND RELATED TOPICS

This chapter defines various modes of stochastic convergence of the sequences of random variables. This enables the consideration of infinite series of random variables and to say that an infinite series of random variables is convergent (in the sense of a particular stochastic convergence concept) if the sequence of its partial sums converges. The chapter discusses the infinite series of random variables and related problems. A sequence of independent random variables is either almost certainly convergent or almost certainly divergent. If it is almost certainly convergent, then the limit is almost certainly a constant (a degenerate random variable). A series of independent random variables is either almost certainly convergent or almost certainly divergent and every sequence of independent random variables with uniformly bounded variances obeys the strong law of large numbers. A sequence of trials in a Bernoulli scheme obeys the strong law of large numbers, that is, the relative frequency of success converges almost certainly to the probability of success.
Compound release from core–shell carriers triggered by oscillating fields: Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract Oscillating fields such as electrostatic or ultrasound are frequently used to induce release from nano and microcapsule carriers, but the effect of the field frequency has not been examined to date. This paper presents the results of Monte Carlo simulations for the release rate of encapsulated compounds from core–shell microcapsules subjected to an oscillating field. We find that the release rate approaches that of the permanently permeable case when the oscillation frequency is relatively high, even if the fraction of time the shell is permeable is 50% or less. Examination of the distribution of encapsulated molecules in the core shows that they rearrange during the impermeable part of the cycle, thereby enriching the shell/solution boundary and increasing the driving force for release in the next permeable part of the cycle.
Parallel fuzzy inference and logic processing with a joint transform correlator

A novel optical implementation using a joint transform cor- relator for parallel fuzzy inference and logic processing is presented. In particular, space-variant correlation is shown to be suited for implement- ing the fuzzy set matching. When compared with other optical fuzzy systems, the proposed method offers the advantages of simplicity and robustness in terms of system alignment. © 2001 Society of Photo-Optical
Microstructure and mechanical response of lanthanum phosphate/yttrium aluminate and yttrium phosphate/yttrium aluminate systems

The use of lanthanum phosphate (LaPO{sub 4}) and yttrium phosphate (YPO{sub 4}) as weak interfaces in composites for high temperature applications was investigated using tape-cast laminates. Interfacial delamination occurred in the YPO{sub 4}/Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} laminate under mechanical tests. This laminate showed a promising weak interface, as compared with the LaPO{sub 4}/Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} system. The interfacial properties of a fiber model system, (viz., single crystal Y{sub 3}Al{sub 5}O{sub 12} (YAG) fiber/LaPO{sub 4} coating/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} matrix), as a function of coating thickness were evaluated by the fiber pushout test. Interfacial shear strength, frictional strength, mode II fracture energy, coefficient of friction, and clamping stress were obtained by curve-fitting the theoretical equations to the experimental data.
A neural-specific GAP-43 core promoter located between unusual DNA elements that interact to regulate its activity

In an effort to identify cis-acting elements that respond to signals controlling different stages of neural differentiation, we have analyzed the promoter and surrounding regulatory sequences of the rat GAP-43 gene. Expression of this gene is both neural specific and, within neurons, strongly modulated by signals related to axon integrity. Expression analysis in cell lines and primary rat cortical cultures demonstrates that neural-selective gene expression can be directed by a 386 base pair GAP-43 promoter fragment that contains canonical TATA and CCAAT box consensus sequences. A short region of homology with other neural-specific genes, identified upstream of the core promoter, is not essential for selective expression in neuronal cells. Within cortical cell cultures, expression is strongly modulated by two interacting elements on either side of the promoter, each of which contains a sequence with the potential to adopt an unusual DNA conformation. While each of these flanking elements reduces expression when added alone to the core promoter, each counteracts the negative influence of the other when both elements are present.
IMPACT OF LOW AMBIENT TEMPERATURE ON 3-WAY CATALYST CAR EMISSIONS

Regulated and unregulated exhaust emissions from four late model 3-way catalyst passenger cars were measured over the urban dynamometer driving schedule of the Federal Test Procedure as a function of ambient temperature. Fuel economy, regulated emissions and unregulated emissions were studied. It was found that reduced ambient temperature operation significantly increased the regulated emissions HC and CO, and slightly increased several unregulated emissions. Within the limitations of this study, none of the unregulated emissions were emitted at concentrations that could be considered hazardous to the public.
Transcutaneous bilirubinometry is a reliably conservative method of assessing neonatal jaundice.

AbstractObjective: In order to reduce invasive testing in newborns prior to discharge, we tested the direction of the correlation between transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and total serum bilirubin (TSB), the likelihood of missing high TSBs with a raised threshold for confirmatory testing, and also calculated potential cost savings from fewer laboratory testing.Methods: We performed a cross-sectional analysis of single paired TcB and TSB results measured at 36 ± 2 h of life in neonates ≥37 weeks admitted only to the Level 1 nursery. TcB was measured using the BiliChek® meter.Results: Of the 552 infants, 512 (92.8%) had TSB levels below TcB values. Correlation between TcB and TSB was 0.69. If TSB confirmation was to be performed at 11.7 mg/dL (medium risk threshold for phototherapy), the negative predictive value was 99.4%, with a potential cost savings of $6555.00 ($1500.00 per 100 patients). Of the 495 infants with TcB <11.7 mg/dL, only 3 had TSB levels higher than 11.7 mg/dL, and none met phototherapy thre...
Measurement of Gallbladder Emptying Sequentially Using a Single Dose of 99mTc-Labeled Hepatobiliary Agent

The gallbladder emptying response to a single large (20 ng/kg) and four equally divided sequential small (5 ng/kg each) doses of octapeptide of cholecystokinin at 20-min intervals was measured in a paired study in six normal subjects noninvasively and quantitatively by a nongeometric method using a gamma camera, computer, and 99mTc-labeled hepatobiliary agent. The gallbladder mean (± SD) ejection fraction after a single large dose (20 ng/kg) of octapeptide of cholecystokinin was 34 ± 24% and after four sequential small (5 ng/kg each) doses was 42 ± 14%, 45 ± 28%, 37 ± 22%, and 32 ± 27%, respectively (p > 0.05). The results of this study indicate that the first part of the 5-ng/kg sequential pctapeptide of cholecystokinin dose is as effective as the single 20-ng/kg dose. The gallbladder emptying requires continued presence of high levels of octapeptide of cholecystokinin in the serum closer to levels that initiate contraction and in the absence of which the gallbladder ceases to empty further despite the fact it has inherent capacity to do so. Each of four equal octapeptide of cholecystokinin doses given sequentially elicits, on the average, an equal degree of emptying response. The method has potential for application in the study of the pharmacologic effects of drugs on the biliary dynamics using a single dose of 99mTc-labeled hepatobiliary radiopharmaceutical.
Purification and characterization of Clostridium sordellii hemorrhagic toxin and cross-reactivity with Clostridium difficile toxin A (enterotoxin).

Abstract Hemorrhagic toxin (toxin HT) was purified from Clostridium sordellii culture filtrate. The purification steps included ultrafiltration through an XM-100 membrane filter and immunoaffinity chromatography, using a monoclonal antibody to toxin A of Clostridium difficile as the ligand. Toxin HT migrated as a major band with a molecular weight of 525,000 and a minor band at 450,000 on nondenaturing gradient polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. The molecular weight was estimated at 300,000 by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Isoelectric focusing indicated an apparent pI of 6.1. Toxin HT was cytotoxic for cultured cells and lethal for mice by intraperitoneal injection, and it elicited an accumulation of hemorrhagic fluid in rabbit ileal loops. Immunodiffusion analysis revealed a reaction of partial identity between toxins A and HT. Immunological cross-reactivity between these toxins was further demonstrated by immunoblotting and by neutralization of toxin HT biological activity with antibodies to toxin A. A sensitive indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to examine the affinity involved in homologous and heterologous antigen-antibody interactions. Our findings show that toxin HT has biological activities and immunological properties similar to those of toxin A; however, the toxins are not identical.
Building a sense of community through sport programming and special events: the role of sport marketing in contributing to social capital

The role of sport marketing in contributing to social capital is derived from the historical relationship of marketing methods and the social sciences. Examples can be found in psychology (attitudes, consumer behaviour, motivation, participation levels, perceived value, perceptions, satisfaction levels), sociology (ethics and morals, ethnicity, gender equity, globalisation, performance enhancement, politics, race, social class and setting, violence and deviance), economics (accounting, asset markets, consumption levels, investments in sport products, labour equilibrium, pricing) and anthropology (cultural identity, ethnography, history of sport, human development and movement, rituals). In addition, market research validates most of these activities and the advertising of sport is related to many of the creative arts. The goal of this paper is to take a look at how marketing seems, in most cases, to have moved away from the social sciences into the business realm by bringing awareness to the historical relationship by articulating the role sport marketing plays in contributing to the social psychological concepts of 'social capital' and 'sense of community'.
The Dimensionality of Partisan and Ideological Affect: The Influence of Positivity

This article evaluates some of the statistical evidence offered in support of the need for multidimensional conceptualizations of partisan and ideological identification, with primary emphasis on t...
Theological Higher Education Befitting God: An Experiment.

“Interdisciplinary education” has become a catchphrase among Christian educators, but what does such a practice look like in reality? The authors, a systematic theologian and a biblical scholar respectively, reflect on their shared experiment in teaching students the doctrine of God. Their findings invite a rethinking of the nature of theological education, from the point of view of both the epistemological virtues necessary for learners and the collaboration of disciplines as resources for learning. They call for scholars to strive to talk together across disciplinary boundaries in order to foster students who think in theologically sophisticated ways.
A Finite Element Method for the Determination of Optimal Viscoelastic Material Properties from Indentation Tests of Polymer Film and Wire with Polymer Insulation

The time-dependent behavior of bulk polymer film and wire with polymer insulation is studied using indentation. The indenter is displaced into the material at a constant rate and then held at a fixed indentation depth to monitor load relaxation. A finite element simulation of the experiment is performed; this analysis is parameterized in terms of the unknown shear compliance modeled as a Prony series. An optimization method is then presented to determine the unknown material parameters by minimizing the RMS error between the model and the experimental data. The method is demonstrated with poly (vinyl chloride) (PVC) films after thermal aging and pristine polyethylene sheet; excellent agreement between the model and the data is demonstrated. The method is also demonstrated to successfully characterize the material properties for the compression of a wire with PVC insulation; the resulting properties are then shown to adequately predict the crossed-cylinder indentation behavior of the same wire using a 3D finite element model. The chief benefit of the method is that an analytical solution method is not required for its implementation; as such, the optimization approach can be readily applied to the determination of material properties from arbitrarily complex experimental geometries.
Ludlamite Blackbird Mine, Cobalt, Lemhi County, Idaho

(1998). Ludlamite Blackbird Mine, Cobalt, Lemhi County, Idaho. Rocks & Minerals: Vol. 73, No. 6, pp. 400-402.
An attempt to produce changes in attitudes toward the self by means of verbal conditioning

Summary Forty-eight female and 16 male introductory psychology students were subjected to verbal conditioning while purportedly taking an oral form of a sentence-completion test. The “test” was constructed in such a way that the stems had some tendency to elicit positive as well as negative self references. There were two experimental and two control conditions. One experimental group was reinforced for positive, the other for negative self-references. One control group received random, non-contingent, reinforcement, the other received no reinforcement. The reinforcer was a spoken “good.” The semantic differential was used as a pre- and post-test for purposes of obtaining a measure of the initial level of dissatisfaction with the self and as a measure of transfer. Conditioning effects were found in the intermediate-dissatisfaction group reinforced for positive self-references. This group showed a significantly greater rate of increase of positive self-references than did the other groups. An analysis of the effect of number of reinforcements showed a significant treatment by number of reinforcements effect. Only four of the 32 experimental S s became aware of the reinforcement contingency. No transfer effects were found. It was concluded that no generalized changes in attitude toward the self had occurred.
Hemicarceplexes That Release Guests upon Irradiation.

Cleavage of one of the four bridging units in the two new types of hemicarceplexes presented here is sufficient to effect immediate guest release into the chloroform solvent (shown schematically on the right). The thermal stability and photoactivity of these hemicarceplexes indicate that incarceration is potentially useful for the controlled delivery of drugs.
General patterns of taxonomic and biomass partitioning in extant and fossil plant communities

A central goal of evolutionary ecology is to identify the general features maintaining the diversity of species assemblages. Understanding the taxonomic and ecological characteristics of ecological communities provides a means to develop and test theories about the processes that regulate species coexistence and diversity. Here, using data from woody plant communities from different biogeographic regions, continents and geologic time periods, we show that the number of higher taxa is a general power-function of species richness that is significantly different from randomized assemblages. In general, we find that local communities are characterized by fewer higher taxa than would be expected by chance. The degree of taxonomic diversity is influenced by modes of dispersal and potential biotic interactions. Further, changes in local diversity are accompanied by regular changes in the partitioning of community biomass between taxa that are also described by a power function. Our results indicate that local and regional processes have consistently regulated community diversity and biomass partitioning for millions of years.
Computer simulations of topological connectivity of the triple phase boundaries in solid oxide fuel cell composite cathodes

Density of electrochemically active triple phase boundary sites is one of the most important factors that affect the performance of composite cathodes in solid oxide fuel cells. Only the topologically connected triple phase boundaries can become electrochemically active. Therefore, microstructure-based geometric modeling of topologically connected triple phase boundaries is of interest. In this contribution, three-dimensional microstructure simulations are utilized to predict the topological connectivity of the triple phase boundaries in a composite SOFC cathode as a function of the volume fractions of the constituents, particle size, shape, and the thickness of the cathode. The simulations show that the volume fractions of the constituent phases and electrode thickness are the most important factors that affect the topological connectivity. The simulations also reveal the geometric conditions under which most of the triple phase boundaries are topologically connected, so that for such SOFC cathode microstructures, the existing models for total geometric triple phase boundary length density can be also used to approximate the length density of the topologically connected triple phase boundaries.
Blue-Collar Barriers:

Barriers to advancement for women holding blue-collar jobs are discussed, with special emphasis on women in the basic steel industry. These barriers include the existence of seniority policies, per...
Cytolytic peptides induce biphasic permeability changes in mammalian cell membranes

The cytolytic peptides melittin and gramicidin S are naturally occurring agents that provide a comparative model for studies of complement, immunotoxin and cell-mediated membrane permeability. Most attempts to characterize cytolytic peptides have used model membrane systems including phospholipid vesicles or erythrocytes. Membrane vesicles permit the use of self-quenching concentrations of fluorescent permeability markers, while erythrocytes release measurable hemoglobin. Attempts at measuring early membrane permeability changes in nucleated mammalian cells have been limited. To measure the kinetics of mammalian cell membrane permeability changes induced by cytolytic peptides, we developed a 96-well fluorescence cytolysis assay using the cytoplasmic fluorescent dye calcein as the membrane permeability marker. To facilitate rapid assessment of membrane permeability, trypan blue was added to the assay solution to quench (a) released fluorescence and (b) retained intracellular fluorescence. Trypan blue also provided a complementary visual assessment of cell viability. Using this assay, a detailed kinetic analysis demonstrated permeability of the cell membranes within seconds of exposure to the cytolytic peptides. The rapid permeabilization of the cell membranes was confirmed by flow cytometry using the calcium indicator dye fluo-3. The assay also demonstrated a second slower phase of marker release over the next several hours. The fluorescence cytolysis assay was able to reliably detect the biphasic permeability changes associated with the melittin and gramicidin S peptides suggesting the potential utility of this assay in the assessment of other cytolytic agents.
Multiple genes elucidate the evolution of venomous snail-hunting Conus species

The species-rich Cone snails (Conus sp.) are predatory, marine gastropods known for small venom peptides that are valuable for pharmacological research applications. Phylogenetic analyses with mitochondrial rRNA sequences have facilitated peptide discovery. However, these relatively conserved genes leave unresolved the closer relationships among many species. We sequenced 26 internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) sequences from genomic ribosomal DNA to elucidate the evolutionary relationships among molluscivorous species and to piscivorous and vermivorous species. We show that ITS2 sequences are well conserved within species but are sufficiently variable among species to resolve recent divergences. Using Bayesian, maximum likelihood and log-determinant methods, we use the ITS sequences to resolve portions of the tree that could not be resolved using the more conventional mt rRNA sequences. When the ITS2 sequences are added to existing COI and to the more conserved rRNA sequences and then properly modeled, support throughout the tree is increased. This enables us to show finer relationships among the molluscivorous species that reveal three well-supported clades (Conus, Cylinder, and Darioconus) and renders the ITS2 sequences an essential component in advancing the discovery and pharmacological characterization of novel peptides from the venoms of these molluscs.
ELECTRON SCATTERING FROM HYDROGEN

Kohn's variational principle has been used to calculate $S$-wave elastic scattering of electrons from atomic hydrogen, using up to 50 trial functions of the type introduced by Hylleraas to describe the bound states of two-electron atoms. The phase shifts calculated at several energies up to 10 ev appear to have converged well, leaving residual uncertainties mostly less than one thousandth of a radian. Taking extra pains to include the effect of the long-range force at zero energy, we have also determined very accurate values for the scattering lengths.
Increasing leaf temperature reduces the suppression of isoprene emission by elevated CO2 concentration.

Abstract Including algorithms to account for the suppression of isoprene emission by elevated CO 2 concentration affects estimates of global isoprene emission for future climate change scenarios. In this study, leaf-level measurements of isoprene emission were made to determine the short-term interactive effect of leaf temperature and CO 2 concentration. For both greenhouse plants and plants grown under field conditions, the suppression of isoprene emission was reduced by increasing leaf temperature. For each of the four different tree species investigated, aspen ( Populus tremuloides Michx.), cottonwood ( Populus deltoides W. Bartram ex Marshall), red oak ( Quercus rubra L.), and tundra dwarf willow ( Salix pulchra Cham.), the suppression of isoprene by elevated CO 2 was eliminated at increased temperature, and the maximum temperature where suppression was observed ranged from 25 to 35 °C. Hypotheses proposed to explain the short-term suppression of isoprene emission by increased CO 2 concentration were tested against this observation. Hypotheses related to cofactors in the methylerythritol phosphate (MEP) pathway were consistent with reduced suppression at elevated leaf temperature. Also, reduced solubility of CO 2 with increased temperature can explain the reduced suppression for the phosphoenolpyruvate (PEP) carboxylase competition hypothesis. Some global models of isoprene emission include the short-term suppression effect, and should be modified to include the observed interaction. If these results are consistent at longer timescales, there are implications for predicting future global isoprene emission budgets and the reduced suppression at increased temperature could explain some of the variable responses observed in long-term CO 2 exposure experiments.