cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
“A Guide to Gutsy Living”: Patient-Driven Development of a Pediatric Ostomy Toolkit

* Abbreviations: IBD — : inflammatory bowel disease ICN — : ImproveCareNow PAC — : Patient Advisory Council QI — : quality improvement As patients (J.G.D. and A.J.) who have lived with pediatric-onset inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) since 12 and 9 years of age, respectively, and who underwent ostomy surgery at 19 and 15 years of age, respectively, we experienced a lack of psychosocial education about our surgeries. This negatively impacted our ability to adjust postoperatively to having an ostomy. For example, we had to learn how to explain our ostomies to friends and how having an ostomy might impact our clothing choices. The education we received about our ostomy surgery was brief and focused only on basic skills regarding caring for an ostomy, including changing and emptying the bag, but did not address concerns we had about living with ostomies as part of our everyday lives. This educational void placed the burden on us as patients to find resources on our own, decide if the information was appropriate, and determine if it was reliable and accurate. In this article, we describe how we, as patients, harnessed the capacity of a collaborative chronic care network1 and were supported to develop a resource that patients needed. ### Setting The ImproveCareNow (ICN) Network is dedicated to improving the health and health care of children and adolescents with IBD. Formed in 2007, the network is presently composed of 107 pediatric IBD centers in the United States, Europe, and the … Address correspondence to Jennie G. David, MS, Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut St, Stratton Hall, Office 215, Philadelphia, PA 19104. E-mail: jgd46{at}drexel.edu
Murderous Misfits and Misguided Mentors in Rohan O’Grady’s Let’s Kill Uncle

This essay examines Rohan O’Grady’s novel Let’s Kill Uncle (1963), which parodies the figure of the naughty child by comedically extending “bad” behavior into homicidal terrain. As I illustrate, Let’s Kill Uncle proffers constructions of two children—Barnaby and Christie—who darkly and comedically burlesque the familiar categories of Romantic innocents, bad seeds, monsters, and mischievous Victorian/Edwardian adolescents. Yet, as the essay demonstrates through an examination of black comedy, gothic tropes, and pop cultural contexts, O’Grady’s beastly youngsters are simultaneously more disturbing and more pleasurable than their literary and filmic precursors, since the preteens are able to perform their innate cruelty and trounce the novel’s most powerful grown-ups, ultimately without punishment or responsibility for their most malicious deeds.
Procedural sedation in children with autism spectrum disorders: A survey of current practice patterns of the society for pediatric sedation members

Background Children with autism spectrum disorder are challenging to sedate because of communication, sensory, and behavioral challenges. Aims The aim of this survey was to determine how procedural sedation is provided to children with autism spectrum disorders and whether sedation programs have specialized protocols for procedural sedation of these children. Methods We surveyed physician Medical Directors of sedation programs who are members of the Society for Pediatric Sedation, asking about practice characteristics and resource utilization during procedural sedation of children with autism spectrum disorders. Results Of 58 directors, 47 (81%) responded. Of the programs surveyed, 53% were either a large university medical center and 40% were a freestanding children's hospital. Only (12/47, 25.5%) of the programs used an individualized autism coping plan. To accomplish procedural sedation in this study cohort, 36% of the programs used additional nurses, whereas a child life specialist was used in 55% of the programs surveyed. Only 28% of the centers allotted additional time to accommodate children with autism spectrum disorders. Distraction methods were used in 80% whereas restrains were used in 45% programs for were used most commonly for i.v. catheter placement. Propofol was the preferred agent for 70% of programs for imaging, while propofol + fentanyl was used by 66% of programs for painful procedures. Although 57% of directors reported that their program staff was extremely comfortable providing procedural sedation for children with autism spectrum disorder, 79% of the directors wanted more education about behavioral management strategies for procedural sedation of these children. Conclusion Among the Society for Pediatric Sedation programs, significant institutional variation exists on the delivery of procedural sedation to children with autism spectrum disorders. A better understanding of resources required, standardization of behavioral management strategies and pharmacologic approaches, and protocol development may help optimize care to this vulnerable population.
Husserl and Heidegger on the Social Dimensions of the Life-World

In this paper, I argue that Husserl ’s and Heidegger ’s views on the social embeddedness of human existence in everyday life are actually much closer than is commonly recognised. In contrast to Husserl ’s emphasis on the reflective individuality of the transcendental ego as a requirement of philosophical methodology, his analyses of everyday life, for instance in his Ideas II, show that he is well aware that personal life is essentially embedded in historical, cultural and social frameworks that provide the background for individuals beliefs, attitudes and actions. This parallels in important ways Heidegger ’s analysis of Dasein ’s essential character of ‘Being-with’ and of the ‘Man’ (the ‘everybody’) as the predominant mode of daily life. Both also stress the ability of persons or Dasein to step back and critically reflect on these default frameworks, thereby appropriating or modifying them as one’s own.
So you want to convert to virtual microanatomy slides? Our experience with wireless laboratories

We describe how we successfully converted our first year medical student microscopic anatomy labs from glass slides and microscopes to virtual slides viewed on computers with wireless connection. W...
Investigation of Two Pitching Conditions as Determinants for Developing Fundamental Skills of Baseball

Abstract Data were collected from ten games of Mite League Baseball (8- and 9-year-old players) under two conditions—game pitched by a regular player-pitcher and game pitched by a surrogate pitcher (team's coach). The Mann-Whitney U test was used to determine the significance of differences between the two groups on each of eleven variables. The use of surrogate pitchers produced significant reductions and increases, the direction of change depending on whether the variable concerned offensive or defensive actions.
Acceleration, Accumulation and Storage of Polarized Ion Beams

Not much has been done on polarized proton or ion beams since the last symposium in 1978. Furthermore, the community lost the only source of high energy polarized proton beam, the Argonne ZGS, in the interim. This paper will therefore be mostly a tutorial review.
‘Can you get more American than Native American?’: drag and settler colonialism in RuPaul’s Drag Race

Many scholars argue for an epistemological shift from romanticizing marginalized politics and praxis to understanding them within a spectrum of resisting and reproducing normative and dominant powe...
Observation of sediment suspension by breaking-wave-generated vortices using volumetric three-component velocimetry

Abstract The distribution of suspended sediment in plunging regular waves was measured simultaneously with the three-dimensional (3D) turbulent velocity field on a 1 in 40 plane slope using a volumetric three-component velocimetry (V3V) system. White solid glass spheres (diameter 0.25 mm, specific gravity 2.5) were used as sediment particles. The V3V system was positioned to capture the impingement of the first or second splash-up vortices on the bottom. The measurement volume encompassed the lower 25% of the water column and a bottom area of length and width equal to approximately ½ the local water depth. Phase separation of glass spheres and fluid tracers in the V3V images was performed by varying the settings of four particle processing parameters in the commercial software INSIGHT™ V3V 4G. The measured fluid velocity fields were decomposed into a wave-induced component and a turbulence component by ensemble averaging 28 experiment runs conducted under the same incident wave condition. The two-phase flow measurements were used to delineate the process of sediment entrainment, to determine the turbulent flow properties around the suspended sediment, and to investigate the relationships between sediment pickup rate and the different flow parameters. The two dominant mechanisms of sediment suspension observed were the deflected flow created when breaking wave vortices impinged on the bottom and the up-wash induced by the transverse vortices. The suspension process was associated with large apparent shear stresses and positive vertical velocities greater than or equal to the sediment fall velocity. It was observed that sediment trapping by transverse vortices with horizontal axis and columnar vortices with vertical axis was an important mechanism for keeping sediment in suspension for transport by the organized wave-induced flow (mean flow). It was found that measured sediment pickup rates generally correlated better with total apparent shear stress than bed shear stress or turbulent kinetic energy. The experimental results suggest that sediment suspension by breaking-wave-generated vortices cannot be modeled by bed shear stress alone but will also require information on the vertical velocities induced by these vortices over the bed.
Spatial and temporal patterns of sedimentation in an infilling reservoir

Abstract River dams are ubiquitous globally, altering the connection of up- and downstream environments. In particular, they store vast amounts of sediment in their upstream reservoirs, many of which are approaching storage capacity. There is much interest in sediment management for these systems, even though quantifying sedimentation rates remains somewhat challenging. This study focuses on one such system, Conowingo Reservoir, upstream of the last and largest dam (Conowingo Dam) on the Susquehanna River before it enters Chesapeake Bay. The trapping capacity of Conowingo Reservoir has decreased since its creation in 1928, potentially increasing fluvial loading to the Bay. In addition, large flood events can scour much more than the average annual sediment load from the Reservoir bottom, delivering exceptionally large sediment loads to the Bay within days. Predicting the downstream impacts of both Reservoir infill and scour events is essential for management; however, these predictions are limited by understanding of the complex spatial and temporal variability of sedimentation. To evaluate this variability, sedimentation rates are determined throughout the Reservoir over seasonal to decadal time scales with the naturally occurring radioisotopes 7Be and 210Pb (half-lives 53.3 days and 22.3 years, respectively), as well as anthropogenically produced 137Cs (half-life 30.7 y) as an independent geochronometer. These rates are placed within the context of sediment character (mud content) and fluvial sediment supply to the Reservoir, as well as its geomorphology. In general, seasonal sedimentation rates scale with fluvial loads and reflect deposition of watershed-derived sediment. Spatial patterns of seasonal sedimentation follow those of river deltas incised by channels, while decadal-scale sedimentation rates increase downstream. Episodic event sedimentation in channels is suggested by the character of 210Pb profiles, which indicate non-steady state sedimentation that makes application of sediment-age dating models challenging in this system. Although sediment mud content has clearly decreased as the Reservoir has filled, observed changes in sedimentation rates may reflect biases of these models rather than physical changes.
Individual and contextual influences on framing effect: Evidence from the Middle East:

Framing effect occurs when decision makers choose inconsistent solutions for identical problems based on the way the problems are presented to them. Despite considerable scholarly investigations in...
Predictors of Anxiety Symptom Trajectory in Children with or without ID from Early Childhood to Adolescence.

ABSTRACTIntroduction: We examined the development of anxiety in youth with or without intellectual disabilities (ID). We also examined the effects of child delay status, temperament, ethnicity, and...
The Political Economy of Gas, Soy and Lithium in Morales’s Bolivia

Bolivia has accomplished some of its goals since Evo Morales was elected president in 2006. It has made advances in expanding inclusion for indigenous peoples and reducing levels of poverty. They have expanded services and infrastructure for the poor and prioritized long-abandoned rural areas. Middle class has grown by more than 10% and both government and the economy have tripled in size. Yet Bolivia remains deeply embedded in extractivist economics. This piece looks at the relationship to global trade and the political paradoxes that gas drilling, soy production and mineral extraction create for the country. Export-oriented dependency have had predictable effects on labor relations, policy planning, and most significantly the lives of people on the ground.
Refined Radiocarbon Chronologies for Northern Iroquoian Site Sequences: Implications for Coalescence, Conflict, and the Reception of European Goods

This article presents results to date of the Dating Iroquoia project. Our objective is to develop high-precision radiocarbon chronologies for northeastern North American archaeology. Here, we employ Bayesian chronological modeling of 184 AMS radiocarbon dates derived from 42 Northern Iroquoian village sites in five regional sequences in order to construct new date estimates. The resulting revised chronology demands a rethinking of key assumptions about cultural process in the region regarding the directionality and timing of processes of coalescence and conflict and the introduction of European trade goods. The results suggest that internal conflict may have preceded confederacy formation among the Haudenosaunee but not the Wendat, as has been previously assumed. External conflict, previously thought to have begun in the early seventeenth century, began more than a century earlier. New data also indicate that the timing and distribution of European materials were more variable between communities than acknowledged by the logic underlying traditional trade-good chronologies. This enhanced chronological resolution permits the development and application of archaeological theories that center the lived experiences and relational histories of Iroquoian communities, as opposed to the generalized thinking that has dominated past explanatory frameworks.
The expanding role of movement behavior in insect conservation ecology.

Insect conservation will rely on incorporating behavior into management. Dispersal behavior is one such vital behavior for conservation, but it is generally poorly understood at the species level. We reviewed recent literature to identify intricacies that complicate including dispersal behavior in conservation management. Many previous theories used to predict the need to disperse do not explicitly address successful dispersal. Additionally, we found identifying barriers to dispersal as a possible way to improve conservation management, but it is necessary to consider multiple parts of dispersal (emigration, matrix navigation, immigration). Species’ dispersal is context-specific. Therefore, to effectively incorporate dispersal behavior into conservation, more research is necessary on individual species’ responses to their environment, how they navigate to optimal sites, and their fitness after dispersal events.
Identifying a 'super-responder' phenomenon in three African countries: Implications for prehospital emergency care training.

Abstract Background Few countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have robust emergency medical services (EMS). The WHO recommends training lay first responders (LFRs) as the first step toward EMS development while Disease Control Priorities (DCP) suggests training 0.5%-1% of a population for adequate emergency catchment. After launching three LFR programs in Africa, this study investigated subsequent skill usage and conducted demographic analyses to inform future recruitment of high-responding LFRs. Methods Demographic characteristics and individual LFR intervention frequencies were collected from a pooled sample of 887 of 1,291 total LFRs (68.7%) trained across programs launched in a staggered fashion between 2016-2019 in Uganda, Chad, and Sierra Leone. A Kruskal-Wallis Rank-Sum test assessed between-group differences among demographics in each location. Spearman's r was used to determine the relationship between response frequency and LFR characteristics. Results Most LFRs trained did not use skills post-training (median LFR interventions=0.0 interventions/year [IQR:0.0,5.0]). Right-skewed intervention frequency distributions demonstrate high-responding outlier responder groups do exist in all locations (p Conclusion Current DCP-recommended training of 0.5-1% of a given population for adequate emergency catchment may be an inefficient means of building emergency care capacity. Recruiting “super-responders” with select characteristics may achieve similar coverage while conserving valuable training resources in resource-limited African settings.
Learning and Dynamical Models for Sub-seasonal Climate Forecasting: Comparison and Collaboration.

Sub-seasonal climate forecasting (SSF) is the prediction of key climate variables such as temperature and precipitation on the 2-week to 2-month time horizon. Skillful SSF would have substantial societal value in areas such as agricultural productivity, hydrology and water resource management, and emergency planning for extreme events such as droughts and wildfires. Despite its societal importance, SSF has stayed a challenging problem compared to both short-term weather forecasting and long-term seasonal forecasting. Recent studies have shown the potential of machine learning (ML) models to advance SSF. In this paper, for the first time, we perform a fine-grained comparison of a suite of modern ML models with start-of-the-art physics-based dynamical models from the Subseasonal Experiment (SubX) project for SSF in the western contiguous United States. Additionally, we explore mechanisms to enhance the ML models by using forecasts from dynamical models. Empirical results illustrate that, on average, ML models outperform dynamical models while the ML models tend to be conservatives in their forecasts compared to the SubX models. Further, we illustrate that ML models make forecasting errors under extreme weather conditions, e.g., cold waves due to the polar vortex, highlighting the need for separate models for extreme events. Finally, we show that suitably incorporating dynamical model forecasts as inputs to ML models can substantially improve the forecasting performance of the ML models. The SSF dataset constructed for the work, dynamical model predictions, and code for the ML models are released along with the paper for the benefit of the broader machine learning community.
Effect of print orientation on the dimensional accuracy of orthodontic aligners printed 3-dimensionally.

Introduction Fabrication of orthodontic aligners directly via 3-dimensional (3D) printing presents the potential to increase the efficiency of aligner production relative to traditional workflows; however tunable aspects of the 3D-printing process might affect the dimensional fidelity of the fabricated appliances. This study aimed to investigate the effect of print orientation on the dimensional accuracy of orthodontic aligners printed directly with a 3D printer. Methods A digitally designed aligner of 500 μm thickness was printed in 3D in Grey V4 (Formlabs, Somerville, Mass) resin at 8 angulations at 45° intervals (n = 10 per angulation) using a stereolithography 3D printer. Each aligner was scanned with an optical scanner, and all but the intaglio surface of each scan was digitally removed. Each resultant scan file was superimposed onto the isolated intaglio of the designed master aligner file. The dimensional deviation was quantified with Geomagic Control software (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC), and data were analyzed using R statistical software (version 2018; R Core Team, Vienna, Austria) (P Results Print angle showed a statistically significant effect on standard deviation, average positive deviation, absolute average negative deviation, and percentage of points out of bounds (tolerance bounds defined as ±250 μm) (P Conclusions With the workflow applied, print orientation significantly affects the dimensional accuracy of directly 3D-printed orthodontic aligners. Within the limitations of this study, printing at the 90° angulation would be advised as it is the group with the most accurate prints relative to the 7 other orientations investigated, although not all differences were statistically significant.
Colorability in Line Graphs

Chromatic graph theory is one of the most studied areas of graph theory, and this chapter looks at some of the problems that have line graph connections. A basic relationship is the fact that coloring the edges of a graph is equivalent to coloring the vertices of its line graph. In fact, this fact provides us with a line graph version of the four color theorem. The line graphs of cubic graphs constitute an interesting family on their own: it is known that their chromatic number is either 3 or 4, but which is a hard problem, and aspects of this are discussed here. We then proceed on to the general line graph problem with theorems that state that the line graph of a graph G with maximum degree Δ has chromatic number either Δ or Δ + 1 and it is always Δ if G is bipartite. The chapter concludes with modifications of the standard coloring requirement, one stronger and one weaker, and also results on coloring line graphs of multigraphs.
Food Cost Control: Knowledge and Relevance

(1995). Food Cost Control: Knowledge and Relevance. Hospitality & Tourism Educator: Vol. 7, No. 1, pp. 41-44.
Accountability and Control as Catalysts for Strategic Exploration and Exploitation: Field Study Results

This paper reports the collective finding from 102 field studies that look at the relationship between two organization design variables: span of control and span of accountability. Clustering the data yields propositions suggesting that the relationship between these variables may be an important determinant of strategic exploitation and exploration activities. Data from the field studies suggest that, in accordance with the controllability principle, accountability and control are tightly aligned for exploitation activities. However, this result was found in only a small number of tasks and functions. In the majority of situations, spans of accountability were wider than spans of control. This "Entrepreneurial Gap" is posited to be a result of management's desire for innovation and exploration-and used as a catalyst for changing strategy, creating high levels of customer satisfaction, or motivating people to navigate complex matrix organizations.
Similarity-transformed perturbation theory on top of truncated local coupled cluster solutions: Theory and applications to intermolecular interactions

Your correspondents develop and apply fully nonorthogonal, local-reference perturbation theories describing non-covalent interactions. Our formulations are based on a Lowdin partitioning of the similarity-transformed Hamiltonian into a zeroth-order intramonomer piece (taking local CCSD solutions as its zeroth-order eigenfunction) plus a first-order piece coupling the fragments. If considerations are limited to a single molecule, the proposed intermolecular similarity-transformed perturbation theory represents a frozen-orbital variant of the “(2)”-type theories shown to be competitive with CCSD(T) and of similar cost if all terms are retained. Different restrictions on the zeroth- and first-order amplitudes are explored in the context of large-computation tractability and elucidation of non-local effects in the space of singles and doubles. To accurately approximate CCSD intermolecular interaction energies, a quadratically growing number of variables must be included at zeroth-order.
Gender differences in adolescents' daily interpersonal events and well-being.

This study examined daily interpersonal events with parents and friends and daily well-being among 589 ninth-grade students (mean age = 14.9 years) from Mexican, Chinese, and European backgrounds. Associations were examined using a daily diary methodology whereby adolescents reported on positive and negative interpersonal experiences and mood each day for 2 weeks. Analyses using hierarchical linear modeling revealed bidirectional associations between adolescents’ daily social interactions and mood. Findings indicated gender differences in adolescents’ reactivity to daily interpersonal events as well as in the strength of daily mood as a predictor of interpersonal events. Furthermore, the ratio of positive to negative events experienced daily was consequential for adolescents’ daily mood. Findings have practical implications for adolescents’ everyday functioning and potential long-term adjustment.
Cellular hypersensitivity in patients with adenomatous hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma of the endometrium

Cellular hypersensitivity was studied in patients with adenomatous hyperplasia and adenocarcinoma of the endometrium with the use of dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB) skin tests and inhibition of leukocyte migration by homologous and autologous tumor antigen. Inhibition of leukocyte migration by homologous endometrial carcinoma antigen was found in two of five patients with adenomatous hyperplasia and eight of 11 patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma. A comparable degree of inhibition was found with autologous antigen. DNCB skin reactions were found to be strongly positive in patients with adenomatous hyperplasia, and a lesser degree of reactivity was observed in patients with endometrial adenocarcinoma. No correlation was found between leukocyte migration tests and DNCB reactions, and no correlation was observed between these tests and the age of the patient, clinical stage of disease, or histologic grade of the tumor.
The detection of a synthetic Interleukin‐1 receptor antagonist peptide in a seized product from a racing stable

A synthetic Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist peptide with the sequence Acetyl-Phe-Glu-Trp-Thr-Pro-Gly-Tyr-Trp-Gln-Pro-Tyr-Ala-Leu-Pro-Leu-OH has been identified in a vial seized during a stable inspection. The use of peptide-based Interleukin-1 receptor antagonists as anti-inflammatory agents has not been previously reported, making this peptide the first in a new class of sports doping peptides. The peptide has been characterized by high-resolution mass spectrometry and a detection method developed based on solid-phase extraction and liquid chromatography - triple quadrupole mass spectrometry. Using in vitro and in vivo models to study the properties of the peptide after administration, the peptide was shown to be highly unstable in plasma and was not detected in urine after administration in a rat. The poor stability of the peptide makes detection challenging but also suggests that it has limited effectiveness as an anti-inflammatory drug. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Judicial Deference, Agency Commitment, and Force of Law

The law governing judicial deference to agency statutory constructions is a complex brew of improbable fictions and proceduralism. One reason this state of affairs persists is that courts have failed to resolve a contradiction between two competing, sensible impulses in deference doctrine. Oceans of precedent over the last 150 years have stressed that courts should defer to longstanding, reasonable constructions by agencies of statutes they administer. Then along came Chevron, which extolled agency flexibility and instructed courts to extend strong deference even to interpretive flip-flops. Competition between the virtues of interpretive consistency and flexibility has bubbled through and confused judicial deference analysis ever since. The Supreme Court's recent efforts to limit the scope of Chevron's strong deference to agency constructions that carry the force of law has worsened such confusion, in part because the Court's discussion and application of this concept were incoherent. This Article proposes a commitment approach to this force-of-law limitation that has deep roots in the concept of the rule of law and considerable power to clarify deference doctrine by resolving the clash between the competing values of interpretive consistency and flexibility. For the rule of law to be genuine, the default position must be that laws have general applicability - i.e., the law for X should be the law for Y as well. This truism suggests that an agency's statutory construction properly can enjoy the force of law only where the agency has committed to applying its construction consistently across time and parties. Where an agency's construction is longstanding, the agency's commitment to consistent application is self-evident. The puzzle, of course, is to reconcile this commitment approach with Chevron's praise of interpretive flexibility. One solution is to recognize that an agency can genuinely commit to a new interpretation by adopting it in a manner that makes it costly to change course later. Where agencies commit to consistency in this way, there is less need for courts to engage in independent statutory construction to protect rule-of-law values, which should leave courts freer to accept the premise of strong deference that the best way to determine the meaning of an agency's statute is to trust the agency's own (rational) construction.
L-Theanine and Caffeine in Combination Affect Human Cognition as Evidenced by Oscillatory alpha-Band Activity and Attention Task Performance

Recent neuropharmacological research has suggested that certain constituents of tea may have modulatory effects on brain state. The bulk of this research has focused on either L-theanine or caffeine ingested alone (mostly the latter) and has been limited to behavioral testing, subjective rating, or neurophysiological assessments during resting. Here, we investigated the effects of both L-theanine and caffeine, ingested separately or together, on behavioral and electrophysiological indices of tonic (background) and phasic (event-related) visuospatial attentional deployment. Subjects underwent 4 d of testing, ingesting either placebo, 100 mg of L-theanine, 50 mg of caffeine, or these treatments combined. The task involved cued shifts of attention to the left or right visual hemifield in anticipation of an imperative stimulus requiring discrimination. In addition to behavioral measures, we examined overall, tonic attentional focus as well as phasic, cue-dependent anticipatory attentional biasing, as indexed by scalp-recorded alpha-band (8-14 Hz) activity. We found an increase in hit rate and target discriminability (d') for the combined treatment relative to placebo, and an increase in d' but not hit rate for caffeine alone, whereas no effects were detected for L-theanine alone. Electrophysiological results did not show increased differential biasing in phasic alpha across hemifields but showed lower overall tonic alpha power in the combined treatment, similar to previous findings at a larger dosage of L-theanine alone. This may signify a more generalized tonic deployment of attentional resources to the visual modality and may underlie the facilitated behavioral performance on the combined ingestion of these 2 major constituents of tea.
Equivalent-boson method and free currents in two-dimensional gauge theories

In the context of the equivalent-boson method a large variety of quark- gluon theories are studied in two dimensions. A number of simple results are obtained, including the fact that gluon inteactions (Abelian and non-Abelian) leave most of the physical currents free (at zero quark mass). (AIP)
The performance of Ebonex® electrodes in bipolar lead-acid batteries

Abstract Recent work by Atraverda on the production of an Ebonex® material that can be cheaply formulated and manufactured to form bipolar substrate plates for bipolar lead-acid batteries is described. In addition, data obtained by Atraverda from laboratory lead-acid batteries is presented indicating that weight savings of around 40% for a bipolar 36 V design (20 Ah capacity, 5 h rate, 9 kW) are potentially achievable in comparison to more conventional designs containing monopolar lead grids. Results indicate that their use as bipolar substrate materials will provide light-weight, long-lasting lead-acid batteries suitable for automotive, standby and power tool applications.
Fatigue and Crack-growth Analyses under Giga-cycle Loading on Aluminum Alloys

Abstract Stress-life (S-N) data from the literature on uniaxial-loaded specimens made of 2024-T351 aluminum alloy and subject to constant-amplitude loading are used to support the crack-growth concept to calculate the fatigue behavior into the giga-cycle fatigue regime using initial flaw sizes consistent with micro-structural discontinuities in the material. Fatigue test data from the literature on uniaxial-loaded specimens made 7075-T6 under superimposed low- (5 Hz) and ultra-high- (20 kHz) cycle (sine-on-sine) fatigue loading are used to study the crack-growth concept for predicting fatigue behavior under giga-cycle fatigue conditions. Fatigue behavior under giga-cycle loading conditions was modelled fairly well with the crack-growth concept.
Effects of phase on homeostatic spike rates

Recent experimental results by Talathi et al. (Neurosci Lett 455:145–149, 2009) showed a divergence in the spike rates of two types of population spike events, representing the putative activity of the excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the CA1 area of an animal model for temporal lobe epilepsy. The divergence in the spike rate was accompanied by a shift in the phase of oscillations between these spike rates leading to a spontaneous epileptic seizure. In this study, we propose a model of homeostatic synaptic plasticity which assumes that the target spike rate of populations of excitatory and inhibitory neurons in the brain is a function of the phase difference between the excitatory and inhibitory spike rates. With this model of homeostatic synaptic plasticity, we are able to simulate the spike rate dynamics seen experimentally by Talathi et al. in a large network of interacting excitatory and inhibitory neurons using two different spiking neuron models. A drift analysis of the spike rates resulting from the homeostatic synaptic plasticity update rule allowed us to determine the type of synapse that may be primarily involved in the spike rate imbalance in the experimental observation by Talathi et al. We find excitatory neurons, particularly those in which the excitatory neuron is presynaptic, have the most influence in producing the diverging spike rates and causing the spike rates to be anti-phase. Our analysis suggests that the excitatory neuronal population, more specifically the excitatory to excitatory synaptic connections, could be implicated in a methodology designed to control epileptic seizures.
Risky Business: Focus-Group Analysis of Sexual Behaviors, Drug use and Victimization among Incarcerated Women in St. Louis

Incarcerated women report multiple vulnerabilities and, yet, are under-represented in research. This study used focus-group methodology to explore high-risk sexual behaviors, drug use, and victimization among female offenders in St. Louis. Inmates of the St. Louis Medium Security Institution (MSI) were invited to participate in one of five focus groups between May and September 2005 in preparation for an NIH/NINR HIV-prevention intervention study among female offenders in Drug Court. The focus group sample of 30 women was 70% African-American, with a mean age of 36 years. Results indicated that oral sex was the most common sex trade activity. Consistent with the literature, condom usage was described as irregular. In terms of drug use, participants reported that crack was most commonly used, with binges often lasting for several days. Regarding victimization, women frequently reported sexual abuse in childhood, and some described abusive relationships as adults. Participants also reported being beaten and raped by customers, which led to their concealing knives in purses and razors under the tongue. Consequently, perpetrated violence, including murder, was reported as protection against further violence. These findings confirm the vulnerability of this population of women who are at high risk for HIV. Effective HIV-prevention interventions are needed to assist these incarcerated women in making lifestyle changes during incarceration and sustaining them after release.
Application of the edge-lit format to holographic stereograms

The edge-lit display format has been successfully applied to holographic stereograms. Taking advantage of the discrete nature of the information content of stereograms, the three-step production process of edge-lit rainbow holograms has been reduced to a two-step process for edge-lit holographic stereograms. Design improvements have been made to the edge-lit hologram's recording tank. The image distortion resulting from refraction as the object beam transits the air-tank interface in the final recording stage has been investigated and compensation techniques developed.
Is a chaotic multi-fractal approach for rainfall possible?

An Erratum has been published for this article in Hydrological Processes 15 (12) 2001, 2381–2382. Applications of the ideas gained from fractal theory to characterize rainfall have been one of the most exciting areas of research in recent times. The studies conducted thus far have nearly unanimously yielded positive evidence regarding the existence of fractal behaviour in rainfall. The studies also revealed the insufficiency of the mono-fractal approaches to characterizing the rainfall process in time and space and, hence, the necessity for multi-fractal approaches. The assumption behind multi-fractal approaches for rainfall is that the variability of the rainfall process could be directly modelled as a stochastic (or random) turbulent cascade process, since such stochastic cascade processes were found to generically yield multi-fractals. However, it has been observed recently that multi-fractal approaches might provide positive evidence of a multi-fractal nature not only in stochastic processes but also in, for example, chaotic processes. The purpose of the present study is to investigate the presence of both chaotic and fractal behaviours in the rainfall process to consider the possibility of using a chaotic multi-fractal approach for rainfall characterization. For this purpose, daily rainfall data observed at the Leaf River basin in Mississippi are studied, and only temporal analysis is carried out. The autocorrelation function, the power spectrum, the empirical probability distribution function, and the statistical moment scaling function are used as indicators to investigate the presence of fractal, whereas the presence of chaos is investigated by employing the correlation dimension method. The results from the fractal identification methods indicate that the rainfall data exhibit multi-fractal behaviour. The correlation dimension method yields a low dimension, suggesting the presence of chaotic behaviour. The existence of both multi-fractal and chaotic behaviours in the rainfall data suggests the possibility of a chaotic multi-fractal approach for rainfall characterization. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Social skills training as a treatment for aggressive children and adolescents: a developmental-clinical integration

Social skills training (SST) has emerged as a frontline treatment approach for aggressive children and adolescents. The present review evaluates this sizable literature from a developmental-clinical perspective. More specifically, the review summarizes key developmental findings, assesses the status of existing efforts to integrate these developmental findings into clinical research, and discusses intervention implications. Summaries of developmental findings are divided into six major areas: age, gender, race, identification of intervention samples, social cognition, and peer group influences. The review indicates that efforts to incorporate developmental findings and principles into clinical research have fallen woefully short. Even the most fundamental developmental considerations were frequently overlooked. Despite these general limitations, the review highlights a number of noteworthy developmental-clinical integration attempts and concludes with a discussion of directions for future research.
Automorphisms of affine algebraic groups

As is well-known, it is generally not possible to endow the automorphism group of an affine algebraic group with the structure of an algebraic group. The typical illustration of this is the example of an algebraic toroid of dimension greater than 1. Here, we analyze the automorphism groups of connected affine algebraic groups over algebraically closed fields of characteristic 0, to an extent sufficient for obtaining a structural characterization of those groups whose automorphism groups have a natural structure of affine algebraic group that is fully compatible with that of the given afline algebraic group. It turns out that the only obstructions in this direction arise from the presence of certain algebraic toroids in the given group. The compatibility demands we make on the algebraic structure of the automorphism group of a group motivate our definition of a consemati~e group, on which we base our present investigation. \Vc say that an affine algebraic group is conservative if the action of its automorphism group on its algebra of polynomial functions is locally finite. If the group G is conservative, then its automorphism group has a natural and fully satisfactory structure of affine algebraic group. In fact, the property of being conservative is precisely what is needed for having the holomorph of G inherit an affine algebraic group structure with which it is the semidirect product, in the sense of affine algebraic groups, of G and its automorphism group. Throughout, we work in the category of afline algebraic groups over a fixed base field, the groups consisting of points rational over the base field. We. presuppose a knowledge of the basic classical results for these groups, such as are developed in [Z]. On the other hand, we take the invariant point
Visualizing Escherichia coli Sub-Cellular Structure Using Sparse Deconvolution Spatial Light Interference Tomography

Studying the 3D sub-cellular structure of living cells is essential to our understanding of biological function. However, tomographic imaging of live cells is challenging mainly because they are transparent, i.e., weakly scattering structures. Therefore, this type of imaging has been implemented largely using fluorescence techniques. While confocal fluorescence imaging is a common approach to achieve sectioning, it requires fluorescence probes that are often harmful to the living specimen. On the other hand, by using the intrinsic contrast of the structures it is possible to study living cells in a non-invasive manner. One method that provides high-resolution quantitative information about nanoscale structures is a broadband interferometric technique known as Spatial Light Interference Microscopy (SLIM). In addition to rendering quantitative phase information, when combined with a high numerical aperture objective, SLIM also provides excellent depth sectioning capabilities. However, like in all linear optical systems, SLIM's resolution is limited by diffraction. Here we present a novel 3D field deconvolution algorithm that exploits the sparsity of phase images and renders images with resolution beyond the diffraction limit. We employ this label-free method, called deconvolution Spatial Light Interference Tomography (dSLIT), to visualize coiled sub-cellular structures in E. coli cells which are most likely the cytoskeletal MreB protein and the division site regulating MinCDE proteins. Previously these structures have only been observed using specialized strains and plasmids and fluorescence techniques. Our results indicate that dSLIT can be employed to study such structures in a practical and non-invasive manner.
Explorations into Neolignan Biosynthesis: Concise Total Syntheses of Helicterin B, Helisorin, and Helisterculin A from a Common Intermediate

Helicterins A and B (1 and 2), helisorin (3), and helisterculin A (4) are structurally unique natural products with the ability to combat the avian myeloblastosis virus. Biogenetically, their architectures are considered to be products of seemingly straightforward Diels-Alder, radical-based, or acid-induced dimerizations of common, simpler precursors. Yet, the pursuit of such blueprints in the laboratory has failed thus far in enabling their successful synthesis. Herein, we describe the first total syntheses of three of these natural products. Key features include the use of a building block distinct from Nature's likely starting material, highly complex retro Diels-Alder/Diels-Alder reaction cascades, an unconventional protecting group to achieve the proper balance of chemical reactivity on sensitive scaffolds, and several carefully developed reaction conditions that effectively balance competing reaction pathways.
Evidence for Pellicle-Bound Excrescences on Hyphal Walls of Bipolaris Maydis

Excrescences were observed on hyphal walls of Bipolaris ntaydis grown under a variety of cultural conditions. These structures were more numerous on hyphae found in the older portions of the colony...
A Dual-Motor, Constructive Process Model of Organizational Transition

The hyper-competitive global business environment of the information age has challenged many companies to transform their business models and organizational forms. Drawing from the theoretical models of Van de Ven and Poole, we propose a process theory of organizational transition that incorporates two generative mechanisms, or ‘motors’. At the individual level, we employ a teleological motor, which captures the managerial actions undertaken to promote transformation. At the organizational level, we employ a dialectic motor, which captures forces both promoting and opposing change. The model consists of three sequential phases of transition: creation, destruction, and unification. The model is grounded in an empirical study of a large company undergoing a major transition in business model and organization structure during the decade of the 1990s.