cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
AN EXAMINATION OF WORK-LIFE BALANCE, LISTENING SATISFACTION, AND RELATIONSHIP DISSOLUTION AMONG MARITAL AND COHABITING COUPLES

The high demands placed from a society on individuals may impact the perceived work-life balance of individuals in cohabiting and married relationships. Work-life imbalances may lead to poor communication, which can impact the feelings of wanting to dissolve the relationship due to dissolutionment. Also, when partners are dissatisfied with the listening behavior in their relationship, this may lead to relationship dissolution. To examine the relationships between work-life balance, listening satisfaction, and relationship dissolution among cohabiting and marital couples, this study analyzed data from the National Center for Family and Marriage Research at the Bowling Green State University (2010). Instruments included the Marital Disillusionment Questionnaire and the Work-Family Conflict Scale. The study included 2,150 individuals, including 1,075 couples with 50% of females and 50% of males, and the average age of participants was 44. Correlation analyses results demonstrated differences among marital and cohabiting couples based on their listening satisfaction and relationship dissolution. Work-life balance was positively related to listening satisfaction, but inversely related to relationship dissolution. Independent t-test results also showed that cohabiting individuals reported higher listening satisfaction than did married individuals. However, married individuals reported being more dissolutioned with their relationship than did cohabiting individuals. Regression results indicated that work-life balance was positively related to listening satisfaction, and inversely related to relationship dissolution. Listening satisfaction partially mediated the inverse relationship between work-life balance and relationship dissolution. The type of relationship moderated the relationship between work-life balance and listening satisfaction, and the inverse relationship between work-life balance and relationship dissolution. Finally, duration of the relationship moderated the positive relationship between work-life balance and listening satisfaction. Findings offer insights on the relationships between work-life balance, listening satisfaction, and relationship dissolution in romantic relationships.
La medida de expulsión administrativa de extranjeros en el derecho chileno: límites materiales y formales

States have the power to expel foreigners within their territory, limiting their freedom of movement. However, regardless of the legal nature of the act of expulsion, the State is subject to a set of material and formal limits on the exercise of those powers.
Experimentally-validated predictions of impact response of polyurea foams using viscoelasticity based on bulk properties

Abstract Polymeric foams are ubiquitous in body armors for civilian and military applications due to their functional and economic advantage. This class of materials offers good impact mitigation properties without the weight penalty associated with other classes of materials. Generally, foams inherit the mechanical properties of their base material while the performance can be defined by the cellular structure. In this study, new polyurea foams were manufactured and subjected to low energy dynamic impacts to experimentally validate the time-dependent response of polyurea foams based on linear viscoelastic modeling. The time-dependent properties of bulk polyurea were scaled down by accounting for the change in density and microstructure of the polyurea foam. Drop-weight testing of approximately 7 J in a fully-instrumented drop weight testing machine was conducted on newly-fabricated polyurea foams of two nominal densities, namely, 227 kg/m3 and 355 kg/m3. Simultaneous to the impact event, high-speed photography was used to capture the deformation and recovery response of the samples. The performance was then compared with a promising off-the-shelf, closed-cell foam material used to protect against biomechanical impacts. The polyurea foams proved to mitigate the impact more effectively than the benchmark foam without the addition of a severe weight penalty. The finite element simulation performed well in predicting the amplitude and the rise time of the dynamic impact testing of the two foams; the numerical results were found to be in close agreement with the experimental data.
Fabrication of 3D concentric amphiphilic microparticles to form uniform nanoliter reaction volumes for amplified affinity assays.

Reactions performed in uniform microscale volumes have enabled numerous applications in the analysis of rare entities (e.g. cells and molecules). Here, highly monodisperse aqueous droplets are formed by simply mixing microscale multi-material particles, consisting of concentric hydrophobic outer and hydrophilic inner layers, with oil and water. The particles are manufactured in batch using a 3D printed device to co-flow four concentric streams of polymer precursors which are polymerized with UV light. The cross-sectional shapes of the particles are altered by microfluidic nozzle design in the 3D printed device. Once a particle encapsulates an aqueous volume, each “dropicle” provides uniform compartmentalization and customizable shape-coding for each sample volume to enable multiplexing of uniform reactions in a scalable manner. We implement an enzymatically-amplified immunoassay using the dropicle system, yielding a detection limit of <1 pM with a dynamic range of at least 3 orders of magnitude. Multiplexing using two types of shape-coded particles was demonstrated without cross talk, laying a foundation for democratized single-entity assays.
Conservative management of a fourth ventricular epidermoid in a patient with Gardner syndrome

Gardner Syndrome is a rare disease with clinical manifestations of familial intestinal polyposis with osteomas. Cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions are common and epidermoid cyst is a characteristic...
Plant health evaluations of Belonolaimus longicaudatus and Meloidogyne incognita colonized bermudagrass using remote sensing.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of an unmanned aerial system (UAS) equipped with a multispectral sensor to track plant health in the presence of plant-parasitic nematodes in conjunction with nematicide applications. Four nematicides were evaluated for their ability to suppress Belonolaimus longicaudatus and Meloidogyne incognita in microplots, and three nematicides were evaluated on a golf course for their ability to suppress multiple plant-parasitic nematode genera. Visual ratings, Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI), and Normalized Difference RedEdge Index (NDRE) were reported throughout the trial to assess plant health. B. longicaudatus and M. incognita population density was significantly lowered by nematicide treatments in microplots and correlated with visual ratings, NDVI, and NDRE plant health ratings. On the golf course, all nematicides reduced total plant-parasitic nematode population density at 28, 56, and 84 days after treatment (DAT). Visual turf quality ratings, NDVI, and NDRE were positively correlated with lower nematode population density in the majority of evaluation dates. In the microplot and golf course settings, the parameters evaluated for plant health were correlated with plant-parasitic nematode population density: visual ratings, NDVI, and NDRE improved as nematode population density declined. These results show that remote sensing has the potential to be a beneficial tool for assessing plant-parasitic nematode infected bermudagrass.
Tuning the electronic structure of d 0 perovskite oxides by combining distortive modes

Transition metal oxides in the ${d}^{0}$ perovskite class, defined broadly to include $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$, have shown promise as light absorbers for photocatalytic applications. These compounds are highly tunable in their composition and atomic structure, and consequently, in their electronic structure and properties. Through the lens of atomic orbital interactions and density functional theory calculations, the present work explores how and why certain structural distortions tune the band gaps and band edges of $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ and ${d}^{0}$ perovskite oxides. It is determined that, because an individual distortive mode (e.g., polar distortion along or octahedral rotation around a cubic perovskite axis) changes the character of only some band-edge orbitals, combinations of distortive modes may tune band gaps much more significantly than the sum of individual modes. The implications of this tunability are discussed for $\mathrm{W}{\mathrm{O}}_{3}$ as a photocatalyst, and for ${d}^{0}$ perovskite oxides more generally.
Sex and Selling: Agent Gender and Bargaining Power in the Resale Housing Market

This paper uses a search model with Nash bargaining to identify various channels through which agent gender affects selling price and selling time in the resale market for houses. The theory is used in conjunction with the empirical model to infer agent bargaining power when dealing with the same or opposite sex agents on the other side of the transaction. The results reveal that sellers set higher listing prices when working with male agents, a pattern consistent with sellers’ ex ante beliefs that male agents enjoy greater expected bargaining power. Ex post agent bargaining power varies by sex and their role in the transaction. Female agents assisting buyers have stronger bargaining power when facing male listing agents than when facing female agents in rising or falling markets. The ex post bargaining power of male selling agents assisting buyers appears to be generally weaker than that of female listing agents.
Adulthood Deficiency of the Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 Receptor in Hippocampal Neurons Impairs Cell Structure and Spatial Learning and Memory in Male and Not Female Mice

Reductions in insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) are associated with cognitive impairment and increased risk of neurodegenerative disease in advanced age. In mouse models, reduced IGF-1 early-in-life leads to memory impairments and synaptic dysfunction; however, these models are limited by systemic reductions in IGF-1. We hypothesized that IGF-1 continues to promote hippocampal neuron structure and function after development, and as such, the loss of IGF-1 signaling in adult neurons would lead to impaired spatial learning and memory. To test this, the IGF-1 receptor (IGF-1R) was genetically targeted in hippocampal neurons of adult male and female mice. Male mice deficient in neuronal IGF-1R exhibited spatial learning impairments as evidenced by increased pathlength and errors in the radial arm water maze. No differences in learning and memory were observed in female mice. Golgi-Cox staining revealed a reduced number of dendritic boutons of neurons the CA1 region of the hippocampus in male mice. Decreased MAPK and increased ROCK activity were also observed in these tissues. In vitro studies revealed that impaired neurite outgrowth due to inhibited IGF-1R signaling could be rescued by pharmacological inhibitors of ROCK. However, ROCK inhibition in neuronal IGF-1R deficient mice did not fully rescue learning impairments or bouton numbers. Together, our study highlights that IGF-1 continues to support spatial learning and memory and neuronal structure in adulthood.
Imaging Membrane Order and Dynamic Interactions in Living Cells with a DNA Zipper Probe.

The cell membrane is a dynamic and heterogeneous structure composed of distinct sub-compartments. Within these compartments, preferential interactions occur among various lipids and proteins. Currently, it is still challenging to image these short-lived membrane complexes, especially in living cells. In this work, we present a DNA-based probe, termed "DNA Zipper", which allows the membrane order and pattern of transient interactions to be imaged in living cells using standard fluorescence microscopes. By fine-tuning the length and binding affinity of DNA duplex, these probes can precisely extend the duration of membrane lipid interactions via dynamic DNA hybridization. The correlation between membrane order and the activation of T-cell receptor signalling has also been studied. These programmable DNA probes function after a brief cell incubation, which can be easily adapted to study lipid interactions and membrane order during different membrane signalling events.
Defining the Role of the Monoamine Oxidase-B Inhibitors for Parkinson’s Disease

Inhibitors of monoamine oxidase-B (MAO-B) occupy an important place in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease. Selegiline was the first MAO-B to be used therapeutically, while rasagiline is a second-generation drug with higher potency and selectivity. Safinamide is an investigational MAO-B inhibitor with non-dopaminergic properties that may provide advantages over its predecessors. As a class, MAO-B inhibitors are safe and well tolerated and provide symptomatic benefit both as monotherapy and in combination with other antiparkinsonian medications from early to late stages of disease. In combination with levodopa, MAO-B inhibitors may improve motor fluctuations and allow for lower total doses of levodopa. Patient characteristics and preferences can be important factors in deciding between agents. As a class, MAO-B inhibitors have shown promise as disease-modifying agents, but the clinical trial evidence to date has not been strong enough to afford them such a label. Future research may help further elucidate their relative merits and clarify their role in altering disease progression.
Properties of High-Energy-Density Plasmas

This chapter is concerned with the properties of high-energy-density matter, and with how it differs from ideal plasmas and solids. It introduces the concept of equations of state that relate various thermodynamic variables. After reviewing some simple equations of state and some aspects of ideal plasma s, the chapter proceeds to build up an understanding of high-energy-density matter. It discusses the behavior of the electrons, the degree of ionization, continuum lowering, and Coulomb interactions. This enables the generation of a very simple model for the equations of state of these systems. Some additional features are revealed by a more complex model based on statistical mechanics. The chapter then discusses generalized polytropic indices, the degenerate and strongly coupled regime, tabular equations of state, and equations of state in some physical contexts.
Comparative analysis of algorithms for the minimization of multivalued logic functions

A comparative analysis of the performance of the G. Pomper and J. Armstrong (1981), P.W. Besslich (1986), G.W. Dueck and D.M. Miller (1986), and the T.A. Guima and M.A. Tapia (1987) algorithms for the minimization of multivalued logic functions is conducted. The simulation results of over 15000 multivalued logic functions utilizing the MAX, MIN, and fundamental gates are obtained for each algorithm and compared to their absolute minimal results. An open ended software for the implementation of the various algorithms has been developed. The algorithms have been implemented, analyzed and evaluated to determine their relative merits. The minimized functional forms are compared according to metrics which exemplify the level of reduction in various aspects, such as the number of product terms, fundamental gates and MIN-literals. Inferences are drawn on the performance of the algorithms in general and on certain functional sets. >
Studies on the electron transfer system. LXIX. "Solubilization" of the mitochondrial inner membrane by sonic oscillation.

Abstract Preparations of the mitochondrial inner membrane from bovine heart were dispersed into their component repeating units by sonic oscillation in media of low ionic strength. The dispersed fraction was "soluble," presumably by virtue of electrostatic repulsion between repeating units. In the presence of salt, or after prolonged centrifugation, the solubilized repeating units formed vesicular membranes similar in appearance to those of the original electron transfer particles. The "solubilized" repeating units, and also the membranes reconstituted from the repeating units, had essentially the same composition and activities as did the original electron transfer particle membrane. However, energy-linked transhydrogenation and oxidative phosphorylation were lost upon sonic disruption and were not recovered in the reconstituted membranes.
Tuning limits of shunt varactor diodes for maintaining high OIP 3 in arbitrary circuits

For the first time, an analytical formula is presented for calculating the OIP 3 of any arbitrary circuit with a single shunt varactor diode. Additionally, numerical calculation of the limits on varactor tuning range when a specific OIP 3 is desired is discussed, and a commercial varactor is found to maintain 44% of its tuning range with a OIP 3 > 37 dBm.
Cooperativity in Networks of Pattern Recognizing Stochastic Learning Automata

A class of learning tasks is described that combines aspects of learning automaton tasks and supervised learning pattern-classification tasks. We call these associative reinforcement learning tasks. An algorithm is presented, called the associative reward-penalty, or A R−P , algorithm, for which a form of optimal performance has been proved. This algorithm simultaneously generalizes a class of stochastic learning automata and a class of supervised learning pattern-classification methods. Simulation results are presented that illustrate the associative reinforcement learning task and the performance of the the A R−P algorithm. Additional simulation results are presented showing how cooperative activity in networks of interconnected A R−P automata can olve difficult nonlinear associative learning problems.
Bidding off the wall in common value auctions

This paper examines the practice of phantom bidding in common value auctions with asymmetric information. Unlike in private value auctions it is very difficult to profit from phantom bidding even if the auctioneer observes the number of interested bidders. We find that the auctioneer is worse off submitting low bids or mixing between his participation strategies. Phantom bidding can generate higher revenues if a single bidder with a high value estimate is likely to be present at the auction. Systematic observation of an isolated high estimate requires negative correlation across bidders’ information that is atypical in a common value environment.
"Do Not Neglect Exercise Nor Recreation": Rural New Englanders, Sport and Health Concerns

L'objectif de l'A. est de redonner a l'histoire de l'Amerique rurale toute sa place au cœur de l'analyse de la culture americaine du XIX e siecle en soulignant l'importance du sport. L'article s'interesse principalement aux experiences sportives et aux perceptions sanitaires des habitants ruraux de la Nouvelle-Angleterre dans ce qu'elles revelent sur la realite et le mythe du sport et de la sante au XIX e siecle. L'examen de sources primaires, telles la presse agricole et les guides fermiers, les documents d'archives et les temoignages de la culture materielle de la Nouvelle-Angleterre rurale, ainsi que l'histoire sociale de la vie quotidienne a la ferme, apporte des elements significatifs de comprehension sur la culture rurale, le sport et la sante, qui ne doivent pas faire negliger l'importance de la representation rurale du sport (au profit de l'analyse urbaine) dans la culture americaine
Measurements in Two-Phase Flow

An experimental fluid mechanicist can easily become awed by the area of measurements in two-phase flow, finding it both challenging and discouraging. Classical measurements of pressure, velocity, and flow rates become more complex and many times inaccurate. Problems dealing with phenomena involving sprays, mists, bubbly flows, dusts, smoke (made up of bubbles, drops, or solid particulates) are brought up by sister disciplines such as nuclear, civil, mechanical, and chemical engineering. They generally call for basic data on the size distribution, spatial distribution (i.e., concentration or density), and kinetic distribution (i.e., velocity or trajectories) of the added phase, adding to the complexity of the measurements.
Enhancing Induced Strain Actuator Authority Through Discrete Attachment to Structural Elements

In structural control, induced strain actuators are used by bonding them or embedding them in a structure. With bonded or embedded actuators used for inducing flexure, the developed in-plane force contributes indirectly through a locally generated moment. Control authority in this configuration is thus limited by actuator offset distance. In this paper, a new concept of flexural or shape control is presented, whereby induced strain actuators such as piezoelectric ceramic patches or shape memory alloys are attached to a structure at discrete points (as opposed to being bonded). This paper specifically addresses discretely attached induced strain actuators like piezoceramic and electrostrictive actuators which are available in the form of plates or patches, and includes actuator flexural stiffness considerations. This configuration is different from the bonded actuator configuration in two ways. One, because the actuator and the structure are free to deform independently, the in-plane force of the actuator can result in an additional moment on the structure and enhanced control. Second, the actuator can be offset from the structure without an increase in the flexural stiffness of the basic structure. This allows for the optimization of the offset distance to maximize control. Enhanced control is demonstrated by comparing the static response of a discretely attached actuator beam system with its bonded counterpart system. The advantage of this configuration over the bonded configuration is also verified experimentally.
A Two-Group Trial of a Terminal Ventilator Withdrawal Algorithm: Pilot Testing.

Abstract Background: Terminal ventilator withdrawal entails cessation of mechanical ventilation to allow a natural death. There is little empirical evidence to guide the conduct of this procedure. If the process is not well conducted, patients undergoing terminal ventilator withdrawal are at high risk for experiencing significant respiratory distress. Objectives: Our aim was to (1) establish the feasibility of a nurse-led algorithmic approach; (2) determine differences in patient comfort between groups; and (3) determine differences in the use of opioids and benzodiazepines. Methods: A prospective, two-group, repeated measures, observation design was used with nurses from one medical intensive care unit (MICU) conducting the algorithm and nurses from a second MICU providing unstandardized usual care. Patient respiratory comfort/distress was measured with the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale (RDOS). Results: Nurses and respiratory therapists were trained to follow the algorithm in one-hour educationa...
Unusual skin findings in a patient with liver disease

A 38-year-old Cambodian man was admitted for management of increasing abdominal girth. The patient had a history of hepatic cirrhosis as a result of chronic active hepatitis B and was taking furosemide, spironolactone and propranolol. He was thought to be poorly compliant with these drugs and was
Conditional silencing: the HMRE mating-type silencer exerts a rapidly reversible position effect on the yeast HSP82 heat shock gene.

Abstract The HMRE silencer of Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been previously shown to transcriptionally repress class II and class III genes integrated within the HMR silent mating-type locus up to 2.6 kb away. Here we study the ability of this element to repress at an ectopic position, independent of sequences normally associated with it. When integrated 750 bp upstream of the HSP82 heat shock gene, the silencer represses basal-level transcription approximately 5-fold but has no effect on chemical- or heat-shock-induced expression. Such conditional silencing is also seen when the HMRE/HSP82 allele is carried on a centromeric episome or when the entire HMRa domain is transplaced 2.7 kb upstream of HSP82. Notably, the a1 promoter within the immigrant HMRa locus remains fully repressed at the same time HSP82 is derepressed. The position effect mediated by the E silencer is absolutely dependent on the presence of a functional SIR4 gene product, is lost within 1 min following stress induction, and is fully reestablished within 15 min following a return to nonstressful conditions. Similar kinetics of reestablishment are seen in HMRE/HSP82 and HMRa/HSP82 strains, indicating that complete repression can be mediated over thousands of base pairs within minutes. DNase I chromatin mapping reveals that the ABF1, RAP1, and autonomously replicating sequence factor binding sites within the silencer are constitutively occupied in chromatin, unaltered by heat shock or the presence of SIR4. Similarly, the heat shock factor binding site upstream of HSP82 remains occupied under such conditions, suggesting concurrent occupancy of silencer and activator binding sites. Our results are consistent with a model in which silencing at the HMRE/HSP82 allele is mediated by direct or indirect contacts between the silencer protein complex and heat shock factor.
Hemostatic Function and Coronary Artery Disease

To the Editor: The lack of an independent relationship between fibrinogen level and recurrent coronary events reported by Moss et al1 in their recent article is at variance with previous evidence linking fibrinogen to coronary artery disease in individuals with and without preexisting cardiovascular disease.2 The fibrinogen levels reported by Moss et al are high in both patients who had recurrent events (387±112 mg/dL) and in those who did not (350±85 mg/dL; P <0.05; upper limit of normal for the method used, 300 mg/dL). These high values may be due, in part, …
Inhibition of mouse skin tumor-initiating activity of DMBA by chronic oral feeding of glycyrrhizin in drinking water

Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra), a Mediterranean plant, has been used as an antidote, demulcent, and elixir folk medicine for generations in China. The main water-soluble constituent of licorice is glycyrrhizin (GL), which has been shown to possess several pharmacological properties. In this study, we show that oral feeding of GL to Sencar mice resulted in substantial protection against skin tumorigenesis caused by 7,12-dimethyl-benz [a]anthracene (DMBA) initiation and 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) promotion. The latent period prior to the onset of tumor development was considerably prolonged in GL-fed animals compared with animals not fed GL and resulted in significant decrease in the number of tumors per mouse, during and at the termination of the experiment. Oral feeding of GL in drinking water also resulted in inhibition in the binding of topically applied [3H]benzo[a]pyrene and [3H]DMBA to epidermal DNA. The possible mechanism(s) of the antitumor-initiating activity may be due to the involvement of GL as inhibitor of the carcinogen metabolism followed by DNA adduct formation. Our results suggest that GL possesses considerable antitumorigenic activity and could prove useful in protecting some forms of human cancer.
Organisational Applications of Social Cognitive Theory

Social cognitive theory explains psychosocial functioning in terms of triadic reciprocal causation. In this causal model, behaviour, cognitive and other personal factors and environmental events al...
Madelung effects at crystal surfaces: Implications for photoemission

An equation originally derived by Lennard-Jones and Dent for the estimation of Madelung potentials is utilized to study the properties of these potentials within the bulk and at the surfaces of crystals. It is clear from the equation that potentials at atomic sites only one lattice constant distant from the surface are, in general, indistinguishable from those in the bulk. The equation indicates also that Madelung sums in real space can be so organized as to make them more tractable computationally than they are usually considered to be. Madelung potentials for atomic sites at and near surfaces are obtained for NaCl(100), NaCl(110), CsCl(110), zinc blende (110), wurtzite ($11\overline{2}0$), and rutile (001).
Inhibition of Tumor Necrosis Factor-induced p42/p44 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Activation by Sodium Salicylate

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) activates both p42 and p44 mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) in human FS-4 fibroblasts, cells for which TNF is mitogenic. We now show that TNF activates p42 MAPK in two cell lines whose growth is inhibited by TNF. A mutant TNF that binds only to the p55 TNF receptor (TNFR) produced a similar degree of activation as wild-type TNF in FS-4 fibroblasts, indicating that the p55 TNFR is sufficient to mediate p42/p44 MAPK activation. The upstream intracellular signals that couple the TNFR to MAPK activation are still poorly defined. We now show that neither phorbol ester-sensitive protein kinase C nor Giα link TNF to p42/p44 MAPK activation, because pretreatment of FS-4 cells with phorbol ester to down-regulate protein kinase C or pretreatment with pertussis toxin to block Giα does not inhibit p42/p44 MAPK activation by TNF. To further analyze MAPK activation in FS-4 cells, we compared p42/p44 MAPK activation by TNF and epidermal growth factor (EGF). While tyrosine phosphorylation of p42/p44 MAPK was detected almost immediately (30 s) after stimulating cells with EGF, TNF-induced tyrosine phosphorylation was detected only after a more prolonged time interval (initially detected at 5 min and peaking at 15-30 min). In addition, the anti-inflammatory drug sodium salicylate, previously demonstrated to inhibit NF-κB activation by TNF, blocked the activation of p42/p44 MAPK in response to TNF but not in response to EGF. These findings demonstrate that the TNF and EGF receptors utilize distinct signaling molecules to couple to MAPK activation. Elucidation of the mechanism whereby sodium salicylate blocks TNF-induced p42/p44 MAPK activation may help to clarify TNF-activated signaling pathways.
Salient stills: process and practice

Unlike a photograph, which represents a discrete moment of time, a salient still reflects the aggregate of the temporal changes that occur in a moving image sequence. The salient still image may have multiresolution patches, a larger field of view, or higher overall resolution than any individual frame in the original image sequence. The salient still process is reviewed in the context of resolution enhancement, motion estimation, segmentation, and model-based coding. Applications of salient stills, including portraiture, storyboarding, and database search, are discussed. Subjects' reactions to salient still images are presented.
Willingness to supply biomass for bioenergy production: A random parameter truncated analysis

This paper presents research results based on data from two biomass producer surveys collected from mid Missouri and southern Illinois. A series of random parameter truncated regressions are utilized to analyze willingness to supply results under three price scenarios. Marginal effects suggest that producers will supply an additional 1.6 to 2.4% of their biomass production for each one dollar increase in price and that supply for three types of biomass (stover, straw and hay) is elastic. This means commercial developers that are interested in pricing biomass and policy makers considering subsidies could expect modest supply responses for each dollar increase in price.
Multivariable Robust Control of a Simulated Hybrid Solid Oxide Fuel Cell Gas Turbine Plant

This paper presents a systematic approach to the multivariable robust control of a hybrid fuel cell gas turbine plant. The hybrid configuration under investigation comprises a physical simulation of a 300kW fuel cell coupled to a 120kW auxiliary power unit single spool gas turbine. The facility provides for the testing and simulation of different fuel cell models that in turn help identify the key issues encountered in the transient operation of such systems. An empirical model of the facility consisting of a simulated fuel cell cathode volume and balance of plant components is derived via frequency response data. Through the modulation of various airflow bypass valves within the hybrid configuration, Bode plots are used to derive key input/output interactions in Transfer Function format. A multivariate system is then built from individual transfer functions, creating a matrix that serves as the nominal plant in an H-Infinity robust control algorithm. The controller’s main objective is to track and maintain hybrid operational constraints in the fuel cell’s cathode airflow, and the turbo machinery states of temperature and speed, under transient disturbances. This algorithm is then tested on a Simulink/MatLab platform for various perturbations of load and fuel cell heat effluence.
HIV-1 infection is blocked at an early stage in cells devoid of mitochondrial DNA.

Human immunodeficiency virus type I (HIV-1) exploits various host cellular pathways for efficient infection. Here we report that the absence of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) in ρ0 cells markedly attenuates HIV-1 infection. Importantly, reduced infection efficiency in ρ0 cells is not simply the result of impaired oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) because pharmacological OXPHOS inhibition did not inhibit HIV-1 infection. Analysis of the early steps of virus infection by real-time PCR quantification of stage-specific HIV-1 DNA products in the infected ρ0 and parental cell line have allowed us to conclude that HIV-1 infection in ρ0 cells is blocked at the steps that occur after reverse transcription and prior to nuclear import. Additionally, confocal fluorescence microscope analysis showed that the majority of viral complexes containing HIV-1 p24 co-localize with mitochondria in target cells, suggesting an interaction between the two. Collectively, our data strongly indicate that mitochondria play an important role during early stages of HIV-1 infection, probably through direct association with HIV-1 intracellular complexes.
Finding a philosophical framework in support of “Presence”

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide a coherent, comprehensive and complete philosophical framework that can not only validate but also guide the implementation of the organisational development strategies proposed in Presence: Exploring Profound Change in People, Organizations and Society.Design/methodology/approach – First, the paper situates the processes presented in the text within the overall context of current organisational development theory. Then, since no current widely supported philosophical framework can provide validation and support to the fundamental assumptions inherent within the text's proposals, a new philosophical framework is described. Finally, the unique insights gained from this new philosophical framework are used to offer prerequisite considerations for employing the processes proposed here.Findings – Unless explicit and individualised attention is directed to helping each employee first develop deeply self‐reflective processes, the organisational insights and prac...
Polypharmacy, age, and scheduled surgery.

Abstract Study Objective: To test the hypothesis that there is a correlation between the age of patients who present for scheduled surgery and the number of drugs taken by these patients. Design: Prospective clinical study. Setting: Outpatient admissions. Patients: 150 ASA physical status I, II, and III patients 40 years of age or older, scheduled for outpatient surgery. Interventions: None. Measurements: Age, medical history, and prescription and nonprescription medications of these patients were recorded. Main Results : There was no significant difference among number of drugs taken by patients in different age groups [40 to 49 years: 3.2 ± 3.1 (average number of drugs taken, standard deviation); 50 to 59 years: 3.6 ± 3.1; 60 to 69 years: 4.0 ± 2.9; 70 to 79 years: 4.4 ± 2.7; 80+ years: 3.7 ± 2.2]. Conclusions: Medical condition, which may, in part, be a function of biological age and not chronological age, is the primary determinant of the number of medications taken by patients presenting to an outpatient clinic for scheduled surgery.
Plant dispersal along rivers fragmented by dams

To understand the influence of dams on connectivity of riparian plant communities along rivers, we examined plant dispersal by water (hydrochory) and riparian plant community attributes upstream and downstream from dams on two rivers in the southern Rocky Mountains, Colorado, USA. Drifting plant propagules were collected from the water column along reaches upstream and downstream from dams to examine the longitudinal and temporal variation in seed-pool species composition and concentration of water-transported seeds. Similarities between species composition of the hydrochoric seed pool and local standing riparian vegetation were used to evaluate the degree of longitudinal connectivity along river corridors and to isolate the relative contributions of local versus regional species pools to hydrochoric species composition. Furthermore, several synthetic attributes (longevity, origin, life-form and dispersal mode) and species composition of riparian plant communities were examined to explore the effects of interrupted propagule dispersal on standing vegetation. We estimated that as many as 120 million seeds were transported via hydrochory along free-flowing reaches of the Rocky Mountain streams in a single growing season. Seed concentration (seeds/m3) in the water column was reduced by 70–94% along reaches downstream from dams compared to free-flowing reaches. The similarity in species composition of hydrochoric seeds and local standing vegetation was nearly two times greater downstream from reservoirs compared to upstream. This suggests that hydrochory complements local species pools by importing seeds from throughout the upstream catchment area along free-flowing river reaches, but that hydrochoric seeds are derived primarily from local sources along regulated river reaches. Species richness recovers as a function of downstream distance from contributions of standing vegetation and seeds from tributary streams. Hydrochory may extend the period over which viable seeds of a parent population are dispersed. Even after dispersal of parent populations has terminated, seeds may continue to be available due to residence time in water transport. This extension of the ‘effective dispersal window’ of some species may exceed two weeks or more and may influence the likelihood of successful establishment. In this study, synthetic attributes of riparian vegetation did not differ significantly between free-flowing and regulated reaches, whereas formal statistical comparisons of community composition upstream and downstream from reservoirs indicate that there are differences in community composition upstream and downstream from dams. These findings suggest that the consequences of 50 to 100 years of fragmentation result in community-wide effects along Rocky Mountain streams and that these effects may be partially explained by dam-caused disruption in connectivity of plant populations. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of statins on the vasculature: Implications for aggressive lipid management in the cardiovascular metabolic syndrome

The cardiovascular metabolic syndrome is a family of risk factors that predispose patients to develop diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Indeed, macrovascular, not microvascular, disease is the leading cause of death in these patients. The 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors (statins) exert both direct and indirect (cholesterol-lowering) effects on the vasculature. Clinical trials have shown that these agents reduce cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease in persons with diabetes. However, their beneficial effects on diabetic dyslipidemia do not account for all of the observed risk reduction. Positive effects on nitric oxide metabolism, inflammation, coagulability, and adhesion of cells to the vascular endothelium likely contribute to the mechanism of action of these agents. These pleiotropic effects of statins on the vasculature will be discussed in this review.
Poly(pyridinium salt)s with organic counterions derived from an aromatic diamine containing tetraoxyethylene units exhibiting amphotropic liquid‐crystalline and photoluminescence properties

Several poly(pyridinium salt)s containing various organic counterions and tetraoxyethylene units in their backbones were synthesized by either ring-transmutation polymerization reaction of 4,4'-(1,4-phenylene)bis(2,6-diphenylpyrylium tosylate) with bis(2-(2-(4-aminophenoxy)ethoxy)ethyl) ether on heating in dimethyl sulfoxide or metathesis reaction of the tosylate polymer with the corresponding lithium or sodium salts in acetonitrile. Their chemical structures were determined by 1H-NMR and 13C-NMR spectroscopy, and elemental analyses. Their number-average molecular weights and polydispersity indices were in the range of 34,000–52,000 and 1.14–1.38, respectively, as determined by gel permeation chromatography. They were characterized both for their thermotropic and lyotropic liquid-crystalline properties by using differential scanning calorimetry and polarizing optical microscopy. As these polymers exhibited liquid-crystalline phase both in the melt and in solutions, they are classified as an amphotropic class of ionic polymers. Their light-emitting properties in a large number of organic solvents that ranged from nonpolar to polar solvents and in films cast from methanol and acetonitrile were also studied by using spectrofluorometry. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010
Assumed Probability Density Functions for Shallow and Deep Convection

[1] The assumed joint probability density function (PDF) between vertical velocity and conserved temperature and total water scalars has been suggested to be a relatively computationally inexpensive and unified subgrid-scale (SGS) parameterization for boundary layer clouds and turbulent moments. This paper analyzes the performance of five families of PDFs using large-eddy simulations of deep convection, shallow convection, and a transition from stratocumulus to trade wind cumulus. Three of the PDF families are based on the double Gaussian form and the remaining two are the single Gaussian and a Double Delta Function (analogous to a mass flux model). The assumed PDF method is tested for grid sizes as small as 0.4 km to as large as 204.8 km. In addition, studies are performed for PDF sensitivity to errors in the input moments and for how well the PDFs diagnose some higher-order moments. In general, the double Gaussian PDFs more accurately represent SGS cloud structure and turbulence moments in the boundary layer compared to the single Gaussian and Double Delta Function PDFs for the range of grid sizes tested. This is especially true for small SGS cloud fractions. While the most complex PDF, Lewellen-Yoh, better represents shallow convective cloud properties (cloud fraction and liquid water mixing ratio) compared to the less complex Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF, there appears to be no advantage in implementing Lewellen-Yoh for deep convection. However, the Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF better represents the liquid water flux, is less sensitive to errors in the input moments, and diagnoses higher order moments more accurately. Between the Lewellen-Yoh and Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDFs, it appears that neither family is distinctly better at representing cloudy layers. However, due to the reduced computational cost and fairly robust results, it appears that the Analytic Double Gaussian 1 PDF could be an ideal family for SGS cloud and turbulence representation in coarse-grid CRMs, mesoscale models, and GCMs if the required input moments can be predicted or diagnosed accurately.
Stimulation factors for cholesterol side-chain cleavage in the corpus luteum and adrenal gland

Abstract A soluble buffer extract of an acetone powder of adrenal mitochondria loses enzymatic activity when heated at 100°C for 2 min but contains a protein factor which can stimulate the unheated active enzyme by 4- to 10-fold. This heat stable adrenal factor has been fractionated by chromatography on Sephadex G 100 and DEAE cellulose. The protein is assayed by a microfluorescence procedure, and activity is measured by its ability to stimulate the enzyme. With fractionation the activity of the factor becomes less stable and declines rapidly after 24 h The cytosol from corpora lutea contains activity for stimulating the cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme. The cell sap is centrifuged at 48,000 g treated with 20 % (NH 4 ) 2 SO 4 , and is extracted with 1-butanol. After chromatography on Sephadex G 100 and DEAE cellulose, a protein fraction is obtained which binds cholesterol and stimulates the enzyme. Both factors, purified from adrenal mitochondria and corpus luteum cytosol, contain a high ratio of non-heme iron protein. The relationship of these factors to cholesterol transport protein, lipoprotein, SCP and to adrenodoxin is under investigation.
Different regional specializations of neurons in the ganglion cell layer and inner plexiform layer of the California horned shark, Heterodontus francisci

Abstract We have described a population of neurons in the retina of a shark, Heterodontus francisci, which is precisely aligned within the inner plexiform layer (IPL) and which differs from neurons in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) in soma size and topographical distribution. GCL neurons are relatively small and form a horizontally oriented visual streak; IPL neurons are significantly larger and form a circular specialization in the far temporal retina. Thus, it appears that there are two distinct retinal specializations in Heterodontus: one subserving frontal vision and one which provides a panoramic view of the lateral visual field.
Influence of collective effects on lifetimes of condensed excited states

The possibility that collective effects may dramatically influence autoionization-limited lifetimes of condensed excited states is investigated in the context of a two-band model of an insulator in a strong magnetic field. Two different mechanisms for suppressing autoionization are discussed which may prevent the potentially catastrophic destruction of the excited state. Under appropriate circumstances, the residual low-density Auger electrons may be confined in a superconducting state and paired by excitonic fluctuations in the conduction band.
Role of T cell immunity in recovery from influenza virus infection.

Influenza virus infection has the potential to induce excess pulmonary inflammation and massive tissue damage in the infected host. Conventional CD4+ and CD8+ as well as nonconventional innate like T cells respond to infection and make an essential contribution to the clearance of virus infected cells and the resolution of pulmonary inflammation and injury. Emerging evidence in recent years has suggested a critical role of local interactions between lung effector T cells and antigen presenting cells in guiding the accumulation, differentiation and function of effector T cells beyond their initial activation in the draining lymph nodes during influenza infection. As such, lung effector CD4+ and CD8+ T cells utilize multiple effector and regulatory mechanisms to eliminate virus infected cells as well as fine tune the control of pulmonary inflammation and injury. Elucidating the mechanisms by which conventional and nonconventional T cells orchestrate their response in the lung as well as defining the downstream events required for the resolution of influenza infection will be important areas of future basic research which in turn may result in new therapeutic strategies to control the severity of influenza virus infection.