cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Delivering heart failure disease management in 3 tertiary care centers: Key clinical components and venues of care

Background Little data exist to assist to help those organizing and managing heart failure (HF) disease management (DM) programs. We aimed to describe the intensity of outpatient HF care (clinic visits and telephone calls) and medical and nonpharmacological interventions in the outpatient setting. Methods This was a prospective substudy of 130 patients enrolled in STARBRITE in HFDM programs at 3 centers. Follow-up occurred 10, 30, 60, 90, and 120 days after discharge. The number of clinic visits and calls made by HF cardiologists, nurse practitioners, and nurses were prospectively tracked. The results were reported as medians and interquartile ranges. Results There were a total of 581 calls with 4 (2, 6) per patient and 467 clinic visits with 3 (2, 5) per patient. Time spent per patient was 8.9 (6, 10.6) minutes per call and 23.8 (20, 28.3) minutes per clinic visit. Nurses and nurse practitioners spent 113 hours delivering care on the phone, and physicians and nurse practitioners spent 187.6 hours in clinic. Issues addressed during calls included HF education (341 times [52.6%]) and fluid overload (87 times [41.8%]). Medical interventions included adjustments to loop diuretics (calls 101 times, clinic 156 times); β-blockers (calls 18 times, clinic 126 times); vasodilators (calls 8 times, clinic 55 times). Conclusions More than a third of clinician time was spent on calls, during which >50% of patient contacts and HF education and >39% of diuretic adjustments occurred. Administrators and public and private insurers need to recognize the amount of medical care delivered over the telephone and should consider reimbursement for these activities.
Influence of instrument assisted soft tissue treatment techniques on myofascial trigger points

Summary Objective The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of instrument assisted soft tissue techniques (IASTT) on myofascial trigger points (MTrP). Design Randomized, controlled study with the researcher assessing the MTrP sensitivity blinded to the treatment rendered. Participants Phase 1 = 27; Phase 2 = 22. Intervention MTrPs were identified in the upper back. In phase 1, two MTrPs (right & left) were identified. One was treated with IASTT, the other was a control. In phase 2, one MTrP was identified in a treatment and a control group. In each phase, the treatment groups received six treatments of IASTT. Outcome measures Sensitivity threshold of the MTrP was assessed with a dolorimeter. Results There was a significant improvement in both groups over time but there was no difference between the treatment and control groups. Conclusions The use of a pressure dolorimeter may have served as a form of ischemic compression treatment. This assessment tool may have been a mitigating factor in the over-shadowing any potential influence of the IASTT on the MTrP. Thus, another assessment tool needs to be identified for MTrP assessment. Until that technique is identified, the effect of IASTT on MTrPs in inconclusive.
Enrichment of palm olein with long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids by enzymatic acidolysis

Abstract Long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCPUFA) such as docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic (ARA) acids have great benefits for the development and maintenance of human brain functions. The production of structured lipid (SL) by acidolysis of palm olein with a free fatty acid mixture obtained from DHASCO ® and ARASCO ® , catalyzed by Novozym 435 ® in hexane was optimized by response surface methodology (RSM). Three independent factors chosen were substrate mole ratio of total free fatty acids to palm olein (6–18 mol/mol), reaction temperature (55–65 °C), and reaction time (12–24 h). Good quadratic models were obtained for the incorporation of DHA + ARA (response 1) and their incorporation at the sn -2 position (response 2) by multiple regression and backward elimination. The models were verified by carrying out acidolysis reaction at several random combinations of the independent factors. The optimal condition generated from the models resulted in 25.25 g/100 g total incorporation of DHA + ARA and 17.20 g/100 g DHA + ARA incorporation at the sn -2 position. The fatty acid composition of SL was comparable to that of human milk fat. The SL produced in this study has potential for use in infant formulas as well as in nutraceutical applications for pregnant women.
Measuring homelessness and residential stability: The residential time-line follow-back inventory

Reliable and valid longitudinal residential histories are needed to assess interventions to reduce homelessness and increase community tenure. This study examined the test-retest reliability, sensitivity to change, and concurrent validity of the Residential Time-Line Follow-Back (TLFB) Inventory, a method used to record residential histories in the Collaborative Program to Prevent Homelessness (n = 1,381). The Residential TLFB Inventory yielded temporally stable aggregate measures of duration in residential categories, and it revealed significant differences in change over time when contrasting study groups. A comparison of agency and participant data at one site.
Problems of Proliferation: U.S. Policy and the Third World

The issue of nuclear proliferation is replete with problems to which there are no surefire solutions. In this essay, this troublesome terrain is examined in three different but complementary ways: first, through case studies of the nuclear dealings of the U.S. with India and Pakistan; second, in a broad review of incentives toward and dampers on the spread of nuclear weapons; and third, in terms of implications for national policy.
Hydrothermal Estimation of Vertical Ground‐Water Flow, Cañutillo, Texas

The vertical component of specific discharge was estimated across several depth zones in the aquifer system at Canutillo, Texas. The specific discharge was estimated using temperature and thermal conductivity data from four observation wells bottoming near the base of the aquifer system. Specific discharge was first calculated (using a steady-state model) from the slopes of conductive heat flow versus temperature plots. The heat flow plots for all four wells suggested a zone of downward ground-water flow from ∼ 70 to ∼ 220 feet depth and one or two zones of upward flow from ∼ 800 to ∼ 220 feet depth. Head data from observation wells did support the conclusion of an upper zone of downflow as indicated by the temperature data; however, the head data suggested that ground water should presently be moving downward from ∼ 220 to ∼ 800 feet. A computer model was developed to determine if the temperatures may be remanent and therefore reflect prepumping ground-water flow, particularly in the deep flow zone. Computer model estimates were made of during-pumping downflow in the upper flow zone. For the deep flow zone computer model estimates were made of prepumping upflow. The computer model estimates and steady-state vertical specific discharge estimates were similar for the upper zone having downward flow. In the deep zone prepumping upflow estimates modeled on the computer were the same order of magnitude as steady-state heat flow specific discharge estimates. Hence, present temperature data may demonstrate a significant remanent groundwater flow component and therefore might be used to estimate past vertical ground-water flow.
Are acidic lipid domains induced by extrinsic protein binding to membranes

A widely accepted model for the association of extrinsically bound proteins with acidic lipid-containing membranes has been that approach of the protein to the membrane induces a domain of acidic lipids that serves as the protein binding site. This model has been applied to a variety of membrane proteins including those that participate in the proteolytic complex that converts prothrombin to thrombin during the final stages of the blood coagulation cascade. The ‘prothrombinase complex’ consists of a serine protease (factor Xa), its protein co-factor (factor Va) and the substrate itself (prothrombin), all bound to phosphatidyl-serine (PS)-containing membranes derived from stimulated platelets. We have used three approaches to test the domain model as it applies to the proteins of this complex. First, phase diagrams describing the mixing of acidic and neutral lipids have failed to provide evidence for extensive acidic lipid domains (on the order of 50 or more lipid molecules) induced by protein biding. Seco...
DeViSE: A Deep Visual-Semantic Embedding Model

Modern visual recognition systems are often limited in their ability to scale to large numbers of object categories. This limitation is in part due to the increasing difficulty of acquiring sufficient training data in the form of labeled images as the number of object categories grows. One remedy is to leverage data from other sources - such as text data - both to train visual models and to constrain their predictions. In this paper we present a new deep visual-semantic embedding model trained to identify visual objects using both labeled image data as well as semantic information gleaned from unannotated text. We demonstrate that this model matches state-of-the-art performance on the 1000-class ImageNet object recognition challenge while making more semantically reasonable errors, and also show that the semantic information can be exploited to make predictions about tens of thousands of image labels not observed during training. Semantic knowledge improves such zero-shot predictions achieving hit rates of up to 18% across thousands of novel labels never seen by the visual model.
The role of consumption and globalization in a cultural industry: the case of flamenco.

Abstract The rise of cultural industries is in part facilitated by the rise of leisure and entertainment in the advanced industrialized economies. This article explores one such example, taking ‘ethnic’ art, flamenco, and examining the role of consumption in shaping flamenco, both as an art form and as an industry. The global reach of the flamenco industry is assessed by focusing on two major markets, Japan and the United States. It suggests the presence of a geographic paradox in contemporary cultural industries, which, on the one hand, points to the need to retain their place-based identity, and on the other hand, indicates the need for regional cultures to establish links to export markets for their survival. It also shows that contemporary cultural change is not a unilateral process of the global invading the local. Rather, it is a process of consumers interpreting, appropriating, and adopting a cultural commodity in their own terms.
Effect of variations in grain size and grain boundary barrier heights on the current-voltage characteristics of ZnO varistors

Throughout the microstructure at every varistor, there exist variations of the grain size and the electrical properties of the individual grain boundaries. To calculate the effect of such microstructural variations on the overall electrical transport properties, we describe a multibond percolation approach utilizing effective medium theory. The model presented takes into account these variations as well as the electrical conductivity of the ZnO grains themselves. To illustrate the predictions of the model, both the effect of continuous distributions in the grain boundary potential and the grain size are considered, as well as a bi-lognormal distribution in grain size to represent the effect of a population of anomalously large grains in a smaller grain size varistor.
A Statistical Forecast Model of Weather-Related Damage to a Major Electric Utility

AbstractA generalized linear model (GLM) has been developed to relate meteorological conditions to damages incurred by the outdoor electrical equipment of Public Service Electric and Gas, the largest public utility in New Jersey. Utilizing a perfect-prognosis approach, the model consists of equations derived from a backward-eliminated multiple-linear-regression analysis of observed electrical equipment damage as the predictand and corresponding surface observations from a variety of sources including local storm reports as the predictors. Weather modes, defined objectively by surface observations, provided stratification of the data and served to increase correlations between the predictand and predictors. The resulting regression equations produced coefficients of determination up to 0.855, with the lowest values for the heat and cold modes, and the highest values for the thunderstorm and mix modes. The appropriate GLM equations were applied to an independent dataset for model validation, and the GLM sho...
Collaborating for new product development: Selecting the partner with maximum potential to create value

The partner selection process in the formation stages of collaborative new product development (NPD) is a neglected topic. The present study investigated the partner selection processes to ascertain the potential of creating competitively advantageous products through collaboration. The goal was to develop a process theory of partner selection for collaborative NPD alliances using a theory development approach. The literatures on NPD, interfirm knowledge transfer and generation, and interorganizational relationships were tapped. These literatures motivated the approach and the research questions. Parallel with the analysis of the literature, a series of case study interviews were conducted with managers currently in collaborative dyads. Managers' inputs were used (1) to guide the theory development process and (2) to validate the relevance of the literature-based assertions. The method of narrative analysis for building theory from case studies was adopted: Multiple indicators were collapsed into single constructs, and recurring sequences or divergences were analyzed. This resulted in the unveiling of phases in the partner selection process. The study's findings suggest that technological alignment of the partners triggered the partner-evaluation process. This phase was followed, in order, by the strategic alignment and relational alignment phases. These later phases were as important as the initial phase in ensuring the transfer and integration of critical know-how and in creating product value through collaboration. In addition to clarifying the definition of codevelopment alliances, this study reveals a comprehensive theoretical model of the technological, strategic, and relational aspects of partner selection in codevelopment alliances, as well as the order in which these aspects are practiced.
Physiological responses of Sargasso Sea picoplankton to nanomolar nitrate perturbations

A study was conducted in July 1989 at three stations in the northern Sargasso Sea, where picoplankton (<1 μm) provided approximately half of the standing crop of chlorophyll. Temporal changes in the position of the nitracline at a single location indicated that the vertical supply of nitrate was not at 'steady-state' and phytoplankton distributions tracked the nitracline. Our main experimental objective was to examine the short-term effects of ecologically significant nitrate perturbations (+20 and +100nM) on the physiology of <1 μm communities growing at low (nanomolar) ambient nitrate concentrations. A chemiluminescent nitrate method was used to measure the lime course (up to 4 h) of nitrate disappearance at in situ irradiance, in parallel with measurements of photosynthetic 14 CO 2 assimilation. Picoplankton growing at <60 nM nitrate rapidly responded to nanomolar nitrate supplements with luxury consumption and enhanced photosynthesis in proportion to their ambient nitrate environment. Light-saturated Synechococcus populations from the most nitrate-depleted waters (13 nM) had doubled their cellular rate of photosynthesis after 4 h, in response to a 20 nM nitrate pulse.
Clinical Impact of Early Hyperglycemia During Acute Phase of Traumatic Brain Injury

While tight glucose control has been widely adopted in the critical care setting, the optimal target glucose level following acute traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains debatable. This observational study was conducted to delineate the relationship between glucose levels and clinical outcomes during acute phase (first 5 days) of TBI. We retrospectively identified 429 TBI patients admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) from January 2005 to December 2006. Of those, 380 patients were retained for final analysis. Collected data included demographics, admission Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS), and APACHE II, glucose on admission and during the first 5 days of admission, and insulin use. Clinical outcomes included mortality, ICU, and hospital length of stay. The overall hospital mortality was 13.2% (n = 50). Demographics were similar between survivor and nonsurvivor groups; however, nonsurvivors were older and had worse disease severity on admission. Nonsurvivors also had significantly higher glucose levels at admission and during the first 24 h of admission (P < 0.001). Based on the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, admission and day-1 peak glucose were better predictors for mortality compared to hospital days 2–5 glucose levels, with day-1 peak glucose being the best predictor of mortality (AUC = 0.820). A Kaplan–Meier survival analysis also showed that patients with glucose <160 mg/dl during the first day of ICU admission had a significantly better survival rate compared to those with glucose ≥160 mg/dl (P < 0.001). Two glucose bands, <60 and ≥160 mg/dl, were identified to be associated with increased mortality irrespective of injury severity (OR = 1.130; 95% CI 1.034–1.235; P = 0.007; OR = 1.034; 95% CI 1.021–1.047, P < 0.001; respectively). Findings from our study suggest a glucose level ≥160 mg/dl within the first 24 h of admission following TBI is associated with poor outcomes irrespective of severity of injury, and this presents a timeframe for which active therapeutic interventions may improve clinical outcomes. Prospective efficacy trials are needed to corroborate these findings.
Exploration of adoption of preservation metadata in cultural heritage institutions: case of PREMIS

The challenges of long-term access issues are multifaceted, often requires a mixture of approaches. Considering the critical role of metadata in any successful digital preservation strategy, the Preservation Metadata Implementation Strategies (PREMIS) has been extremely influential on providing a "core" set of metadata elements that support the digital preservation process. However, there is no evidence, in the form of previous research, as to what factors explain and predict the level of adoption of PREMIS. This paper attempts to identify factors that affect the adoption of PREMIS in cultural heritage institutions. The study employed a web-based survey to collect data from 123 participants in 20 country as well as a semi-structured, follow-up telephone interview with a smaller sample of the survey respondents. Roger's diffusion of innovation theory was used as a theoretical framework. The main constructs considered for the study were relative advantage, compatibility, complexity, trialability, observability, and institution readiness. The analysis showed that all six factors influence the adoption of PREMIS in varying degrees. Results of a regression analysis also showed a statistically significant relationship. The R square value for the model was .528, which means that 52.8% of the variance in PREMIS adoption was explained by a combination of the six factors. This research just barely begins to show the many layers of the complex problem of digital preservation. This study has important implications for future research on preservation metadata and provides recommendations for researchers and stakeholders engaged in digital preservation and metadata standards development efforts.
Contemporaneous management of esophageal perforation

Background Esophageal perforation is an important therapeutic challenge. We hypothesized that patients with minimal mediastinal contamination at the time of diagnosis could be managed successfully with nonoperative treatment modalities. Methods We performed a retrospective review of 119 consecutive patients with esophageal perforation from 1998 to 2008. Demographics, cause of perforation, clinical presentation, diagnostic methods, and management results were evaluated. The decision to operate was based on the extent of mediastinal contamination and systemic sepsis rather than cause of perforation. Results Median time to diagnosis among all patients was 12 hours (range, 1–120). Spontaneous (Boerhaave's) perforation occurred in 44 (37%) patients. Iatrogenic perforations constituted the remaining patients (n = 75). After instrumental perforation, 9 patients (13%) required esophagectomy, 48 patients were managed with repair and drainage, and the remaining 18 were managed nonoperatively. All 34 patients undergoing operative therapy for spontaneous perforations were treated with esophageal repair. Overall mortality was 14%, with intrathoracic perforations having 18% mortality, cervical 8%, and gastroesophageal junction 3%. Patients undergoing nonoperative therapy had a shorter hospitalizations (13 vs 24 days), fewer complications (36% vs 62%), and less mortality (4% vs 15%) compared with those undergoing operative intervention. Conclusion An approach to esophageal perforation based on injury severity and the degree of mediastinal and pleural contamination is of paramount importance. Although operative management remains the standard in the majority of patients with esophageal perforation, nonoperative management may be successfully implemented in selected patients with a low morbidity and mortality if favorable radiographic and clinical characteristics are present.
The Implications of ADA Litigation for Employers: A Review of Federal Appellate Court Decisions

Analysis of litigation outcomes indicates that most plaintiffs who sue under the Americans with Disabilities Act are unsuccessful. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission enforcement data and six years of federal appellate court decisions were reviewed, as well as recent rulings of the United States Supreme Court. The courts are interpreting the ADA very narrowly, and very few plaintiffs prevail. The results of this research suggest that if employers engage in an individualized assessment of whether an individual is protected by the law and whether the requested accommodation is reasonable, legal liability will be minimized. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
A Measure of Uncertainty: The Nature of Vulnerability and Its Relationship to Malnutrition

Terms such as 'vulnerability' and 'insecurity' are used widely in the general nutrition literature as well as in work on humanitarian response. Yet these words are used rather loosely. This paper argues that more clarity in their usage would benefit those seeking a bridge between development and humanitarian problems. Since vulnerability is not fully coincident with malnutrition, poverty or other conventional indices of human deprivation, public action must be based on a better understanding of the nature of crises and human uncertainty beyond physiological and nutritional outcomes. More attention is needed to be paid to the context-specific nature of risks, the capacity of households to manage such risks and the potential for public action to bolster indigenous capacity through targeted development investments, not just relief.
The Gender of Water and the Pleasure of Alienation: A Critical Analysis of Visiting Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam, located on the Arizona-Nevada border and damming the Colorado River, is a well-known and often-visited place. The meanings people assign to such a structure articulate key environmental, economic and technological ideologies. An exploration of those meanings is important for understanding the forces that shape public perception and environmental policy. Specifically, this essay examines the official rhetoric of Hoover Dam from an ecofeminist perspective. Through a critical reading of the educational displays, films, plaques and other texts as well as the physical structure of the dam itself, three rhetorical strategies used in the dam's official presentation are identified. First, the Bureau of Reclamation presents the Colorado River as a chaotic, feminine entity in need of masculine control. Second, the river's rhetorical status as an Other encourages audiences to identify with the subject position of nature's master and thereby participate in the pleasures such an identity offers. Third, the...
Characterization and specificity of probiotics to prevent salmonella infection in mice

Background : Probiotic strains of bacteria can prevent Salmonella from causing disease by preventing the pathogen from colonizing the intestines. Two strains of probiotics, Lactobacillus acidophilius and Pediococcus spp, that were obtained from poultry fecal samples have been shown to be efficacious in poultry. The objective of this study was to determine if these strains of probiotics could prevent salmonellosis in a mouse model. Methods : First, both strains of probiotics were evaluated for in vitro efficacy to inhibit the growth of and interfere with virulence gene regulation in Salmonella enterica. For in vivo efficacy, mice was used which models Typhoid illness. Mice were divided into 2 groups: Control and treatment, Lactobacillus and Pediococcus (LP; 108 Log CFU). Two experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, the mice were treated with LP in water for the first two days of the experiment and challenged with Salmonella at day three. In the second experiment, the LP treatment was given in the water for 10 days and challenge was performed on day 11. In both experiments, at day 20 post-challenge, all mice were sacrificed, intestinal tracts and organs removed and cultured for Salmonella. Results : The probiotic strains inhibited the growth of Salmonella and down-regulation of virulence genes was noted, but dependent on the strain of Salmonella being evaluated. For the in vivo experiment, the probiotics did not afford the mice protection from infection and increasing the length of time the probiotics were administered did not improve the efficacy of the probiotics. Conclusions : It appears that these strains of probiotic bacteria are effective against Salmonella in vitro. However, these isolates did not afford protection from Salmonella infection to mice which may be due to host specifity as these isolates were obtained from poultry. Keywords : Salmonella, Probiotic, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Mice
Logo Logic: The Ups and Downs of Branded Political Communication

Activists often have difficulties getting messages to larger publics. This is particularly challenging in the U.S. press/politics system, where the mainstream media tend to open the news gates only after government institutions engage with issues. Yet there are signs in recent years that activists are finding creative ways of publicizing their causes by attaching political messages to familiar corporate brands. For example, complex messages about labor conditions in foreign factories making shoes and apparel may travel more easily when attached to a major brand, for example, Nike sweatshop. The first part of this analysis examines how branded political communication works and how it may be effective. The second part looks at possible downsides of getting consumer audiences to actually grasp the larger import of the politics behind the brands and getting targeted companies and industrial sectors (fashion, food, forest products, etc.) to change their offending behaviors.
3D intersegmental knee loading in below-knee amputees across steady-state walking speeds

Abstract Background Unilateral below-knee amputees often develop comorbidities that include knee joint disorders (e.g., intact leg knee osteoarthritis), with the mechanisms leading to these comorbidities being poorly understood. Mechanical knee loading of non-amputees has been associated with joint disorders and shown to be influenced by walking speed. However, the relationships between amputee knee loading and speed have not been identified. This study examined three-dimensional mechanical knee loading of amputees across a wide range of steady-state walking speeds. Methods Fourteen amputees and 10 non-amputee control subjects were analyzed at four overground walking speeds. At each speed, intersegmental joint moment and force impulses (i.e., time-integrals over the stance phase) were compared between the control, intact and residual knees using repeated-measures ANOVAs. Findings There were no differences in joint force impulses between the intact and control knees. The intact knee abduction moment impulse was lower than the non-amputees at 0.6 and 0.9 m/s. The intact knee flexion moment impulses at 0.6, 1.2 and 1.5 m/s and knee external rotation moment impulses at all speeds were greater than the residual knee. The residual knee extension moment and posterior force impulses were insensitive to speed increases, while these quantities increased in intact and control knees. Interpretation These results suggest the intact knees of asymptomatic and relatively new amputees are not overloaded during walking compared to non-amputees. Increased knee loads may develop in response to prolonged prosthesis usage or joint disorder onset. Further study is needed to determine if the identified bilateral loading asymmetries across speeds lead to diminished knee joint health.
Estimating sampling frequency in pollen exposure assessment over time

A time series model was fitted to the pollen concentration data collected in the Greater Cincinnati area for the Cincinnati Childhood Allergy and Air Pollution Study (CCAAPS). A traditional time series analysis and temporal variogram approach were applied to the regularly spaced databases (collected in 2003) and irregularly spaced ones (collected in 2002), respectively. The aim was to evaluate the effect of the sampling frequency on the sampling precision in terms of inverse of standard error of the overall level of mean value across time. The presence of high autocorrelation in the data was confirmed and indicated some degree of temporal redundancy in the pollen concentration data. Therefore, it was suggested that sampling frequency could be reduced from once a day to once every several days without a major loss of sampling precision of the overall mean over time. Considering the trade-offs between sampling frequency and the possibility of sampling bias increasing with larger sampling interval, we recommend that the sampling interval should take values from 3 to 5 days for the pollen monitoring program, if the goal is to track the long-term average.
On the Definition of the Causal Relation

In a recent paper in Mind 1 Prof. Arthur W. Burks has made an interesting proposal for the construction of a logic of causal propositions. Such a logic is greatly needed, for however completely the word ‘cause’ has been eliminated from epistemology, it is still very much a part of the working vocabulary of most empirical scientists. Prof. Burks begins, wisely, by avoiding the Humean controversy, and asks instead whether it is possible to give a clear and consistent explication within a system of logic of the term ‘cause’ as it is used in common speech. While I am wholly in accord with Prof. Burks’ suggestion that such an explication is possible and useful, my own investigations into the question have led me to a definitional proposal that is somewhat different from his.
Event Related Potentials in Language and Non-Language Tasks in Patients with Alexia without Agraphia

The concurrent study of behavior and event related potentials (ERPs) from different scalp locations can provide converging evidence for the brain structures and functions which underlie normal human cognitive processes. The study of behavior and ERPs in patients with localized brain damage that has resulted in specific behavioral deficits can, in theory, complement studies of normal subjects by: (1) describing changes in particular aspects of ERPs associated with disturbances in particular cognitive functions, and (2) permitting correlations between the absence or distortion of particular ERP components and damage to particular areas of the brain. Results from studies like these may provide information as to those aspects of cognitive functions that are reflected in particular ERP components and may also provide information as to the neural origins of different ERP components.
The Biological Basis for Selenium Requirements of Animals

Abstract Most of the available data on Se metabolism and estimated dietary needs are based upon maintenance of Se levels and(or) GSH-Px activities in blood. These measures are not specific enough to animal health and performance to be used for sole justification for Se supplementation. The associations shown thus far between Se intake and health issues such as mastitis, impaired reproduction, heart disease, and cancer are correlations and few clear cause-and-effect relationships have been established. Although .3 ppm dietary Se appears to more fully satisfy the dietary need for Se in most animals than .1 ppm, more scientific data are needed to support the higher level. As more research is completed on the relationships between Se and immunity, reproduction, and certain health disorders, assessment and monitoring of appropriate levels for Se supplementation should be continued.
Atmospheric emissions of organochlorine compounds from steel industry in Brescia province (Lombardy, Italy)

Electric arc furnace steelmaking is a key element of the significant industrial structure of Brescia province (Lombardy,Italy). In this province are located thirteen plants for steel production (mostly from scrap) over forty-two in whole Italy.ThisÂ peculiarÂ highÂ concentrationÂ ofÂ steelÂ factoriesÂ inÂ aÂ singleÂ provinceÂ allowsÂ localÂ environmentalÂ agencyÂ (ARPA Lombardia Dipartimento di Brescia) to evaluate different production layouts and different abatement plants, thus permitting to reasonably point out which variables mostly influence environmental performances. Spontaneous evolution of industrial processes and growing concern from public opinion and public regulations has led across the years to a continuous improvement of industrial emission abatement techniques. The authority charged to release IPPC authorizations has recently stated that steel factories have to measure, besides well-known typical pollutants from these sources, polychlorobiphenyls released in emissions to atmosphere. In this study environmental performances before and after newlyinstalled abatement technologies (namely: blowing of activated carbon powder after quench tower) have been evaluated in respect to PCDD/PCDF and PCB emissions. Clearly uneven abatement performance has been identified between differentÂ layouts,Â andÂ someÂ possibleÂ explanationsÂ haveÂ beenÂ putÂ forward,Â withÂ referenceÂ toÂ synthesisÂ andÂ possible pathways of observed pollutants. Finally a gross estimate of overall atmospheric release of PCB and PCDD/PCDF fromsteel production plants has been evaluated, and is presented a general fingerprinting of stack emissions measured PCB congeners.
Synthesis and Characterization of Quaternary Monolayer Thick MoSe2/SnSe/NbSe2/SnSe Heterojunction Superlattices

The synthesis of multiple-component heterostructures is conventionally accomplished through mechanical or chemical exfoliation, followed by physically stacking the layers together. Here, we report the synthesis, structure, and local composition of a three-component heterostructure (SnSe)1.16(MoSe2)1.06(SnSe)1.16(NbSe2)1, which was self-assembled at relatively low temperature (450 °C) from a designed precursor. XRD and STEM studies showed that the compound consisted of alternating layers of trigonal prismatic MoSe2 and NbSe2, interleaved with SnSe layers in a distorted rock salt structure. The new three-component ferecrystal is metallic with a factor of 3 higher conductivity than the (SnSe)1+δ(NbxMo1–x)Se2 ferecrystal alloy of the same composition (x ≈ 0.5). Comparison of the in-plane lattice parameters with the (SnSe)1+δ(NbxMo1−x)Se2 alloys allowed the extent of interdiffusion of the dichalcogenide constituents to be evaluated, yielding a stoichiometry of (SnSe)1.16([Mo0.9Nb0.1]Se2)1.06(SnSe)1.16([Nb0.9Mo...
Disclosure is Speech: Imposing Meaningful First Amendment Constraints on Sec Regulatory Authority

The idea that investors should be allowed to make their own decisions regarding the purchase and sale of securities is at the core of the federal system of securities regulation. This freedom depends on issuers of securities informing prospective investors of all material information about both the securities and the company issuing them. In other words, disclosure eliminates the need for substantive regulation. Corporate disclosure is no more than what non-lawyers call speech, and the protection of speech is at the heart of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. However, no less an authority than the United States Supreme Court has declared that the regulation of securities does not fall within the protection of the First Amendment. This lack of recognition comes from the long-held principle that commercial speech is less worthy of protection than other forms of expression, and that the regulation of the purchase and sale of securities is a commercial activity that does not even deserve the limited protection afforded to commercial speech. Two patterns have emerged over the last thirty years that warrant a reconsideration of this approach. First, the United States Supreme Court has significantly broadened the protections afforded to commercial speech. This increased protection includes a concern for the dissemination of truthful information, and a willingness to act to protect First Amendment values even if another regulatory regime is present. Second, economic research and related legal scholarship suggest that there is less need for the SEC to protect investors than exists in the case of normal consumer protection, where advertising enjoys full status as commercial speech. This article argues that, upon the convergence of these two trends, the Court should apply its newly-robust commercial speech protections to regulations issued by the SEC. If that were done, certain of these regulations would be struck down as an unconstitutional infringement on the First Amendment rights of corporations, and newly proposed regulations would be more carefully analyzed for their impact on corporate speech rights.
Mapping ephemeral stream networks in desert environments using very-high-spatial-resolution multispectral remote sensing

Abstract Mapping of ephemeral streams in desert environments is crucial to understanding the impacts to hydrologic and ecosystem functions caused by land-use changes. Available mapping methods at the watershed-scale typically underestimate total channel length and the size of channel networks. Although remote sensing is effective for obtaining information on large areas, conventional techniques are often ineffective or cost-prohibitive for complex stream networks in expansive desert regions. Using very-high-spatial-resolution imagery, we developed a new algorithm to map desert ephemeral streams in the southwestern U.S., where utility-scale solar energy development is altering the landscape. Knowledge about landscape features such as shrubs and desert pavement and their spatial arrangement was integrated into the algorithm using spectral transformation and spatial statistical operations. The algorithm extracted ephemeral stream lengths approximately 900% greater than those identified in the National Hydrography Dataset. The accuracy in mapping channel areas and centerlines was as high as 92% and 91%, respectively. Although the algorithm captured detailed stream channels, it often underestimated channels obscured by bright soils and sparse vegetation. Although further improvement is warranted, the algorithm provides an effective means of obtaining detailed information about ephemeral streams, which could make a significant contribution toward improving the hydrological modeling of desert environments.
Computer enhancement of combustion instruction

This paper describes how interactive computer software is used to enable propulsion students to more readily comprehend the essential physics and chemistry of combustion processes, ennabling them to solve meaningful problems of combustor design and analysis without having to become experts in chemistry, computer programming or numerical methods. The empowerment of propulsion students through use of this software is highly motivating to them, and encourages them to study combustion processes in greater depth than is possible with traditional methods of instruction.
Subject-controlled intertrial intervals in concept learning

Ss were allowed to control their own intertrial interval (ITI) in a two-response concept-learning task. The mean ITI was longer following errors than following correct responses and decreased over trials. The results are compatible with measures of response latency on trials following errors and correct responses, but appear to conflict with results obtained when the length of the ITI is made contingent on the correctness of S’s response.
The Vanishing American: Identity Crisis in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Most literary scholars who examine the personality of Chief Bromden in Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest quickly point out that the Indian suffers from a debilitating psychosis that prevents his normal participation in society. What the scholars tend to overlook, however, are the circumstances which contributed to Bromden's hospitalization. It is evident from Kesey's treatment of Bromden that the weak self-concept is, in part, a result of Bromden's growing up in a sub-culture that is in its final stage of sociocultural disintegration. Because Bromden is torn between the desire to maintain his Indian heritage and the necessity of developing behavior acceptable to the dominant white culture, he experiences an identity crisis. Kesey sets Bromden's childhood in the 1920s and 30s, a time when the U.S. government was struggling to decide whether Indians should maintain tribal customs or should adopt white culture. The Dawes Act (1887), which reduced tribal land holdings but allocated 160 acres of land to individual Indians, failed to achieve Indian integration into American culture (Hoxie 95). Many Indians sold their tracts, not realizing that without land, they would be incapable of earning a livelihood. As whites moved onto the former Indian holdings, tribal organization disappeared, and this loss of tribal unity caused a loss of pride in self and in tribal customs. Subsequently, many Indians, unable to manage the money they did receive from land sales, fell into debt and then turned to alcohol. Excessive drinking may have deadened their feeling of loss of tribal identity, but it added another negative characteristic in the eyes of the white community. The government studied contemporary tribal deterioration during the 1920s in an effort to remedy such conditions. The Meriam report, completed in 1928, startled the nation by revealing the poverty of the Indian sub-culture. It called for improvements in education, health, and welfare and also questioned the wisdom of the Dawes Act (Prucha 19). Then, in 1934, the U.S. government tried to combat Indian poverty by passage of the Indian Reorganization Act, known as the Wheeler-Howard Act (Philip 171). Rather than attempting assimilation, this new legislation tried to reestablish tribal MELUS, Volume 13, Nos. 3 & 4 (Fall - Winter 1986).
[Molecular epidemiological survey on HIV-1 among the injecting drug users population in Shenzhen].

Objective To study the prevalent status of human immunodeficiency virus-1 (HIV-1) subtypes in IDU (injecting drug users) population in Shenzhen and to study their source of infection in order to predict the epidemic trend and evolution. Methods 166 HIV-1 positive plasma from the IDUs was collected from 1996 to 2008. HIV-1 env genes were amplified by nested-PCR from RNA. The C2-V3 regions (450 bp) of HIV-1 env were sequenced for analyses. Phylogenetic analyses were performed on the nucleotide sequence data. Results Among 166 samples, there were 6 HIV-1 strains including CRF01_AE, CRF08_BC, CRF07_BC 3 circulating recombinant forms (CRFs) and B',C, A1 3 subtypes. Data from the genotype analyses showed that 65.06% (108/166) were CRF01_AE, 19.88% (33/166) were CRF07 BC_6.02% (10/166) were CRF08_BC, 7.23%(9/166) were subtype B', 0.60% (1/166) were subtype C and 1.20% (2/166) were subtype A1. Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that some of HIV-1 clusters defined in CRF01_AE, CRF07_BC and subtype B' in different time groups. Significant increase of gene distance in CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC strains in the three different periods. Conclusion CRF01_AE and CRF07_BC were the major epidemic CRF strains among the IDU population in Shenzhen while the subtype B', C, A1 and CRF08_BC were also circulating in IDU population in this region. The variation of all different subtypes was increasing through these years. Key words: Human immunodeficiency virus; Injecting drug users; Epidemiology, molecular
Ibsen's uncanny

Ibsen's reputation as a master of social-realist dramas obscures a dynamic central to his authorship: he is also a master of the uncanny. This assessment will not strike all readers as immediately convincing, so the discussion in this chapter will lay both the theoretical and historical groundwork for that claim. The particular inflection of the uncanny put forward here will provide a framework for several of the later chapters, so it is important to make clear from the start the aspects of the voluminous literature on this subject that are most relevant. Direct applications of the uncanny to Ibsen's work have been fewer still, so my approach will also need some justification and explanation. A survey of critical thinking on the uncanny by Nicholas Royle provides a glimpse into the wide range of topics now accepted as engaging with the phenomenon in some way. These include a “crisis of the proper,” a “crisis of the natural,” “a commingling of the familiar and the unfamiliar,” a “strangeness of framing and borders, an experience of liminality,” fears of dismemberment or loss of body parts, or the sudden perception of aspects of the self as foreign, to name just a few. These experiences of the uncanny, all of which are essentially varieties of decentering and uncertainty, are typically prompted by encounters with “curious coincidences,” various kinds of “mechanical or automatic life,” tokens of death, or remnants of the past experienced out of proper place and time. In twentieth-century philosophy, the notion of the uncanny as “unsettling” experience has been especially productive and resonant for various thinking about the alienation of the subject, and Royle traces the precedents for his study through Marx, Nietzsche, Freud, Heidegger, and Wittgenstein. Because the uncanny almost always involves the commingling of opposites and the dissolution of borders, it has proven to be an enormously elastic concept with wide resonance in critical theory.
New tricks with nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes are seamlessly rolled sheets of carbon atoms, only a few nanometres across. Remarkable electronic properties were predicted for nanotubes in 1992 — namely that they can be either metallic or semiconducting depending on their diameter and helicity. This has now been confirmed by experiments on single nanotubes. Distorted nanotubes and junctions between different types might be used in nanometre-scale electronic devices such as transistors and electron emitters, early in the next century.
Preclinical dual-energy x-ray computed tomography through differential filtration

Dual-energy x-ray computed tomography (DECT) has proved its potential in eliminating beam-hardening artifacts from reconstructed images. The method typically involves two successive scans with different x-ray tube voltage settings. This work proposes a new approach to dual-energy through x-ray beam filtration that requires only one scan and a single tube voltage setting.