cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Detection of immunoglobulin G antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii: Evaluation of two commercial immunoassay systems

Background: Toxoplasmosis is a disease, which can cause severe congenital infection and is normally diagnosed by the detection of Toxoplasma gondii (T gondii)-specific antibodies in the serum of infected patients. Several different tests allow to distinguish recent from past infections and to quantify anti- Tg ondii-specific IgG, and the results can be used as markers for a chronic or recently seroconverted toxoplasma. Methods: In the present study, the recent Cobas 6000 Toxo IgG assay (Roche Diagnostics, Indianapolis, IN, USA) for the serological diagnosis of toxoplasmosis was compared with the Axsym ToxoIgGassay(AbbottLaboratories,DiagnosticsDivision,AbbottPark,IL,USA)employingapanel of negative, low- or high-reactive serum samples that were selected after routine screening in a laboratory of clinical analyses. Results: The overall agreement between two methods was 99% (r Z0.99, p <0.001). Of 91 analyzed samples, only one presented discrepant result, being positive in the Cobas 6000 Toxo IgG assay and negative in the Axsym Toxo IgG assay. By using an immunofluorescent assay as a confirmation test, this positive result was assayed to be negative. Conclusions: Bothassaysperformedineachanalyzerwereproventobefastandfullyautomated procedures for reproducible measurement of IgG antibodies to T gondii. The new method, used forthedeterminationofanti-TgondiiIgGantibodies,shouldbeevaluatedwithafurtheranalysis
Hunter‐gatherers in the nashville basin: Archaeological and geological evidence for variability in prehistoric land use

Results of intensive archaeological surveys conducted within two environmentally contrastive settings in the Nashville Basin of Tennessee demonstrate that prehistoric human activity was much more extensive in the inner Basin where the Duck River floodplain was flanked by patchy upland vegetation relative to the outer Basin where upland vegetation was more homogeneous. Vertebrate remains from caves and rockshelters show that the inner Basin supported such patchy upland vegetation throughout the known period of hunter-gatherer occupation of the area. There is close correspondance between periods when forest openings were most prevalent (i.e., Late Pleistocene/Early Holocene and Mid-Holocene) and times when prehistoric human occupation of the inner Basin was most intensive (Paleoindian and Middle Archaic). Comparisons of major artifact categories from systematic collections of various landform surfaces show that the T2 terrace was the most extensively utilized by prehistoric hunter-gatherers. the T3/valley slope, the uplands, and the T1 produced progressively lower artifact densities. Results of systematic backhoe trenching indicate that substantial Holocene aggradation accounts for the seemingly minor use of the T1.
A Deformable Model for Automatic CT Liver Extraction1

Rationale and Objectives This study was performed to design an automatic liver region extraction system to facilitate clinical liver size estimation and further serve as a prestage for liver reconstruction and volume estimation. Materials and Methods We present a modification of the well-known snakes algorithm for extracting liver regions in noisy CT images. Our modification addresses the issues of selection of the control points on an estimate of the contour and the determination of the weighting coefficients. The weighting coefficients are determined dynamically on the basis of the distance between the control points and the local curvature of the contour. Results The proposed method was used in extracting liver regions from 98 cross-sectional abdominal images. The overall performance was estimated by comparisons with original liver regions. Conclusion The deformable model method enables an efficient and effective automatic liver region extraction in noisy environments. This approach eliminates human-in-the loop, which is the common practice for the majority of current methods.
Bee diseases as factors in the life and behavior of the honeybee Colony

The honeybee has prospered through the years of recorded history by following a plan of life that contributes to the survival of the colony rather than to the individual. The colony is capable of air-conditioning its hive to meet changing weather and to store up food sources for adverse periods. Since it contributes to the production of fruits, seeds, vegetables and pasture crops, and produces honey, a delectable natural sweet, man has been interested in its production and care. The honeybee is subject to many diseases which affect both the adults and the developing young. Several of the diseases have caused the death or destruction of thousands of colonies annually. Fortunately, none of these diseases are transmitted to other animals. Through the natural laws of survival, certain strains of bees have developed resistance to some of the diseases and man has assisted in this by selective breeding and cultivation of the hardier strains. The most noteworthy contribution to the control of bee diseases has been the use of sulfathiazole, terramycin and other therapeutics in the food of bees in the spring and fall. By their use, at least one disease which had been considered as incurable for centuries can be prevented or controlled without the destruction of colonies or valuable equipment. The use of chemicals and antibiotics as therapeutic agents in disease control has measurably strengthened the position of the honeybee in our general economy and will save the beekeeping industry many thousands of dollars annually.
GRAVITATION AND THE SECOND LAW OF THERMODYNAMICS

Just as gravitons can carry energy, they can also be used to transmit information. It follows that an entropy should be associated with gravitational degrees of freedom, independent of the presence or absence of black holes. In this essay, we discuss how one might count gravitational entropy given a classical gravitational field. Our suggestion is motivated by a derivation of the covariant entropy bound in which a gravitational term appears naturally.
Information processing, data inferences, and scientific generalization

The philosophical view that scientific hypotheses come out of data is put to a limited test by investigating actual instances of hypothesis development in a laboratory setting. Subjects who are faculty members or graduate students are asked to find the function from which a plot of ten coordinate values affected by random error was derived. Their protocols serve as the basis for an information processing computer model of performance on the task. The model has a perceptual phase in which a pattern is found in the data, the selection of a class of hypothesized functions, a problem solving phase to find a specific function, and the ability to recycle if necessary. This seems to be compatible with reports of hypothesis development and the small amount of empirical research in other contexts. Tests of the model reveal it does a good job of getting the same answers as subjects and can explain some, not most, of the process leading up to the answers. Due to the contrived nature of the task the model is most appropriate for understanding routine scientific inference.
Collector–Base Junction Capacitance of Advanced Bipolar Transistors Operating at Avalanche Breakdown

Modeling of the collector–base junction capacitance of the advanced bipolar transistors operating at avalanche breakdown is developed. The comprehensive junction capacitance model accounts for high current and high field effects at the collector–base junction. The impact ionization generates tremendous amount of free carriers in the collector–base space-charge region which increases the collector–base junction capacitance at the avalanche breakdown regime. The present collector–base junction capacitance is useful for device and circuit design under avalanche breakdown prior to the actual fabrication of the circuit.
Diagnosing extrapolation: tree-based density estimation

There has historically been very little concern with extrapolation in Machine Learning, yet extrapolation can be critical to diagnose. Predictor functions are almost always learned on a set of highly correlated data comprising a very small segment of predictor space. Moreover, flexible predictors, by their very nature, are not controlled at points of extrapolation. This becomes a problem for diagnostic tools that require evaluation on a product distribution. It is also an issue when we are trying to optimize a response over some variable in the input space. Finally, it can be a problem in non-static systems in which the underlying predictor distribution gradually drifts with time or when typographical errors misrecord the values of some predictors.We present a diagnosis for extrapolation as a statistical test for a point originating from the data distribution as opposed to a null hypothesis uniform distribution. This allows us to employ general classification methods for estimating such a test statistic. Further, we observe that CART can be modified to accept an exact distribution as an argument, providing a better classification tool which becomes our extrapolation-detection procedure. We explore some of the advantages of this approach and present examples of its practical application.
Lower Tropospheric Warm Air Advection Patterns Associated with Heavy Rainfall over the Appalachian Region

A synoptic climatology of warm season heavy rainfall is developed from patterns of 850 mb thermal advection over the Appalachian region. Heavy rain events are categorized according to the position and orientation of a warm air advection (WAA) ridge, a feature found in nearly two-thirds of the events. Numerous study events occur within the conditionally unstable region of the WAA ridge. In fact, numerous occurrences of heavy rainfall are tied to a superpositioning of a WAA and air mass instability ridge in the vicinity or upstream of the heavy rain area.
Syndromes prognathiques : schémas de traitement “global” autour de masques faciaux

Dans cet article, l'auteur expose un concept therapeutique global du traitement des syndromes prognathiques.La mecanique simple et eprouvee du masque facial voit son efficacite s'accroitre grâce a l'utilisation conjointe des forces tres lourdes appliquees sur le cadre du masque, de la poussee linguale, et des composantes horizontales des forces masticatoires. Ceci est rendu possible par l'emploi d'appareils intraoraux appropries et de masques faciaux dynamiques nouveaux, permettant un port permanent, avec des forces plus lourdes pour une duree de traitement tres reduite.La stabilisation post-corrective est ensuite etudiee. Cet ensemble forme : “la therapeutique acceleree avec masque facial”.
K‐scan for anomaly detection in disease surveillance

Anomaly detection in disease surveillance has recently been the focus of active research. Often, this involves searching for clusters of unusually high incidence rates among current cases of disease incidence, against a background incidence rate which may be spatially varying due to underlying variation in population and environmental characteristics. We propose a method, called K-scan, to identify such anomalies, using components of the inhomogeneous K function. Specifically, we assign to each case i a value Ki which, when summed together over all case locations, yields the overall inhomogeneous K function for the point pattern of disease locations. Clusters are identified using a bottom-up approach. Points with high values of Ki are first identified. Neighboring points are then iteratively added to form potential clusters. The inhomogeneous K function restricted to the region covered by each potential cluster is used as the criterion for selecting the reported cluster. Significance is computed using a parametric bootstrap approach with the inhomogeneous Poisson process. The intensity function is estimated using observations of case locations at prior time points. This intensity function is also used in the computations of the Ki values and provides a way to account for the spatially varying incidence rates when searching for clusters. We study the performance and behavior of this K-scan method through a simulation study, and find that the method works well in identifying the correct cluster, is computationally fast and can yield irregularly shaped clusters. We also include a comparison with the spatial scan statistic as implemented in SaTScan. Finally, we apply the method to dead bird data from Contra Costa county in California to identify anomalies in dead bird sightings. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Energy-band renormalization and energy-relaxation dynamics of the X6 and X7 satellite valleys in GaAs.

Using femtosecond UV-pump--IR-probe absorption spectroscopy, energy-band renormalization of the ${\mathit{X}}_{6}$ and ${\mathit{X}}_{7}$ satellite conduction-band valleys and energy relaxation of electrons in the ${\mathit{X}}_{6}$ and ${\mathit{X}}_{7}$ valleys by intervalley scattering, ${\mathit{X}}_{6}$\ensuremath{\leftrightarrows}\ensuremath{\Gamma} and ${\mathit{X}}_{7}$\ensuremath{\leftrightarrows}\ensuremath{\Gamma}, as a function of photoexcited electron density, were observed in GaAs. The measured energy renormalization and its density dependence are compared with theory. It is determined that ${\mathit{X}}_{7}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Gamma} intervalley scattering is faster than ${\mathit{X}}_{6}$\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\Gamma} intervalley scattering.
Undergraduate database instruction with MeTube

This paper describes the principles, implementation, and outcomes of a new undergraduate database course that uses a semester-long project, known as MeTube (a variation of the well-known YouTube system), to motivate and foster interest and creativity in students, while providing adequate complexity to introduce DBMS concepts and techniques. Included in our discussion are experiences in two course offerings, as well as detailed course assessment results.
Language Learning Stations

Abstract Using learning stations at the elementary and secondary levels can be one method to solve problems related to individual learning styles, wide ability ranges within a class, and enrollment. Vocabulary, grammar, conversation, listening, reading, and culture stations are explained in this article; categories of materials, manipulable materials, and equipment are described for each station. Sample projects for interdepartmental stations are suggested. Management concerns, including behavior, record keeping, and testing are discussed. Methods of evaluation other than tests are suggested. Finally, suggestions are made for using stations in a traditional program.
Rapid UHF RFID silicon debug and production testing

Radio frequency identification [RFID] is an emerging and evolving wireless standard in the 900 MHz and 2.5 GHz ISM freq band. Market demand mandated a short product development cycle from concept to shipment. The silicon has a complex architecture with integrated digital modulation and demodulation unlike popular wireless transceivers with only RF and or Analog baseband blocks. A rapid silicon debug and test development for volume production is described. Optimum design for testability [DFT] schemes were implemented to aid quicken silicon debug and reduce production test costs. Test results related to debug and final screening are explained. A brief overview of RFID standards, hardware and tool development is explained in the absence of established solutions. Finally a reflection about future requirements to further improve production screening efficiency for wireless silicon is discussed.
Biological effects of a 765‐kV, 60‐Hz transmission line on honey bees (Apis mellifera L.): Hemolymph as a possible stress indicator

Number of circulating hemocytes and hemolymph protein patterns of adult worker honey bees were analyzed as possible indicators of stress resulting from colony placement under a 765-kV transmission line. Although exposure to 55, 80, and 95 microA total induced hive current (THC) produced colony behavioral disturbance, there were no consistent effects on mean hemocyte counts at 55- or 95-microA THC. Age-dependent declines in circulating hemocyte number were similar in all exposure groups. There were no consistent differences in tube-gel electropherograms. No consistent differences were found in two-density slab-gel electropherograms based on ultrasensitive silver stain. The 67 positively charged and four negatively charged protein fractions from overwintering bees are two- to threefold more than currently reported in the literature.
Selection of a clone of western equine virus which is not pathogenic for young adult mice.

Abstract Western equine virus isolated from a wild bird was cloned by plating on chick embryo cells, and passage was made from the clone with the least pathogenicity for young adult mice. After five passages in this manner the virus was nonpathogenic for young adult mice. However, when this strain of virus was passaged serially in infant mice, using the intracerebral route of inoculation, there was a gradual reversion to pathogenicity for young adult mice.
Improving Program Performance via Auto-Vectorization of Loops with Conditional Statements with GCC Compiler Setting

The GCC is an auto-vectorization compiler across iterations of loops to parallelism data. Turning GCC compiler optimizations flags for auto-vectorization is a way to improve the performance ability, which is a popular approach to speed up program performance. However, there are many options in GCC compiler and selecting the best combination of these options to improve program performance through vectorization is non-trivial ( as the search space is very large ).In this work we focus on the selection of compiler transformations to auto-vectorize loops with conditional statements. The selection of compiler transformations is based on the correlation between program features, speed-up, and the analysis of the code generated and a small number of passes of iterative compilation. Our preliminary experimental results show that proposed technique attains performance improvements the best ~ 6x using loops in the TSVC benchmark suite on the state-of-the-art Intel Core i3 processor.
Small-angle scattering of 143 MeV polarized protons

Abstract The polarization and differential cross section have been measured for the scattering of 143 MeV protons in the angular range of 2° to 11° by beryllium, carbon, aluminium, iron and tantalum. A four-counter telescope was used which had an angular resolution of less than 0.5° and an energy resolution of about 2.7%. Background and random coincidences were virtually eliminated. The angular divergence of the proton beam was 0.25°, and its polarization was 68%. Careful alignment of the apparatus and continual monitoring of the incident beam position permitted the relative polarizations to be determined to ±0.01. The cross sections were measured with a relative error of about 0.7% and an absolute error of 3%, exclusive of effects arising from multiple scattering. The polarizations at the smallest angles are negative for each of the scatterers, in qualitative agreement with calculations of Johansson et al . The absolute values of several of the differential cross sections differ from those of Taylor and Wood at 140 MeV.
Transcatheter closure of a large residual shunt after deployment of the Das-Angel Wings device using the Amplatzer septal occluder.

A 35-year-old female patient with a large residual shunt following transcatheter closure of a large secundum atrial septal defect using the Das-Angel Wings device underwent successful complete closure of the residual shunt using a 15-mm Amplatzer Septal Occluder. Transesophageal (two- and three-dimensional) echocardiography was of great help during the closure procedure. Cathet. Cardiovasc. Intervent. 48:184–187, 1999. © 1999 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Optimal 2-D cell layout with integrated transistor folding

Folding, a key requirement in high performance cell layout, implies breaking a large transistor into smaller, equal sized transistors (legs) that are connected in parallel and placed contiguously with diffusion sharing. We present a novel technique, FCLIP, that integrates folding into the generation of optimal layouts of CMOS cells in the two dimensional (2D) style. FCLIP is based on integer linear programming (ILP) and precisely formulates cell width minimization as a 0-1 optimization problem. Folding is incorporated into the 0-1 ILP model by variables that represent the degrees of freedom that folding introduces into cell layout. FCLIP yields optimal results for three reasons: (1) it implicitly explores all possible transistor placements; (2) it considers all diffusion sharing possibilities among folded transistors; and (3) when paired P and N transistors have unequal numbers of legs, it considers all their relative positions. FCLIP is shown to be practical for relatively large circuits with up to 30 transistors, We then extend FCLIP to accommodate-and-stack clustering, a requirement in most practical designs due to its benefits to circuit performance. This reduces run times dramatically, making FCLIP viable for much larger circuits. It also demonstrates the versatility of FCLIP's ILP based approach in easily accommodating additional design constraints.
Embedded Piezoresistive Thin Films for Monitoring GFRP Composites

The trend towards higher reliance on fiber-reinforced composites for structural components has led to the need to rethink current nondestructive evaluation (NDE) strategies. In principle, embeddable sensor schemes are desired for green-light/red-light structural health monitoring systems that do not negatively affect the properties and performance of the host structure. However, there are still numerous challenges that need to be overcome before these embedded sensing technologies can be realized for real-world structural systems. For example, some of these issues and challenges include the damage detection sensitivity/threshold, reliability of the system, transportability of the system to multiple configurations and different types of structural components, and signal processing/interpretation. The objective of this study is to develop a novel, embedded sensing system that can accurately quantify damage to composites without interfering with structural performance and functionality. In particular, this study will utilize multi-walled carbon nanotube (MWNT)-polyelectrolyte (PE) thin films deposited on a glass fiber substrate for in situ composite structural monitoring. A layer-by-layer (LbL) film fabrication methodology is employed for depositing piezoresistive nanocomposites directly onto glass fiber fabrics, and the resulting film exhibits excellent strain sensing performance, homogeneity, and exhibits no phase segregation. Specifically, the LbL fabrication process will employ polycationic poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and polyanionic poly(sodium 4-styrene sulfonate) (PSS) doped with MWNTs for fabricating the electrically-conductive and piezoresistive thin films. Upon film deposition, the glass fiber substrates are infused with an epoxy matrix via wet-layup to fabricate self-sensing glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composite specimens for testing. A frequency-domain approach, based on electrical impedance spectroscopy, is used to characterize the electromechanical response of the GFRP-MWNT-based thin film samples when subjected to complex uni-axial tensile load patterns. A resistor connected to a parallel resistor-capacitor circuit model is proposed for fitting experimental impedance spectroscopic measurements. It has been found that the series resistor models the bulk thin film piezoresistive performance accurately. In addition, these impedance measurements shed light on the glass fiber-thin film interaction electromechanical behavior. Bi-functional strain sensitivity is observed for all GFRP specimens, and the transition point of bilinear strain sensitivity is utilized as a possible metric for GFRP damage detection.Copyright © 2010 by ASME
Convolution of a time-dependent driven excitation into the decay curve of an arbitrarily cascaded and blended level

An analysis is presented of the instantaneous emission rate from an atomic level that is populated by arbitrary conditions of both collisional excitation and cascade repopulation. The general solution to the rate equations is obtained in terms of transition probabilities, excitation cross sections, and a simple integral operator, and applications are given for the specific examples of impulsive, stepwise, rectangular, gaussian, and modulated excitation conditions.
Scientising Relief: Nutritional Activism from Shanghai to the Southwest, 1937–1945

The Shanghai Refugee Children Nutritional Aid Committee, formed in 1937, sought to improve refugee children’s nutritional health by making and distributing a scientifically tested soybean milk and soybean cakes. By 1942, the Committee had adopted a national platform and changed its moniker to the Chinese Nutritional Aid Council, with plans to open offices and nutrition clinics in Chongqing, Chengdu, Guiyang and Kunming. This paper argues that in linking biomedical understandings of nutrition with social change, this group of Western-trained physicians and young female social workers enacted a new kind of social activism, one which seized upon the food-as-fuel idea and staked the welfare of the nation upon the nutritional health of its citizenry. In contrast to earlier social relief projects promoted by the imperial state and the local philanthropic initiatives of gentry elites, the Chinese Nutritional Aid Committee articulated an image of professional and specialised expertise in the science of nutrition and care. Theirs was a project of modern refashioning in which science played a key and foundational role in crafting their understanding of both relief and the children they aimed to save.
Controlled Atmosphere Storage of Oranges to Enhance Aqueous Essence and Essence Oil

Freshly harvested Valencia and Pineapple oranges were treated 24 hr under anaerobic conditions at room temperature with nitrogen and < 1% oxygen. Juices from 820 kg each of control and treated fruit were concentrated in a pilot scale evaporator to 60–67°Brix and aqueous essences (800–900 mL) and essence oils (60–109 mL) collected. Capillary gas chromatography quantified 26 volatile components in aqueous essence and 23 in essence oil for each sample. Aqueous essences from treated fruit showed increased acetaldehyde, ethanol and several other alcohols, aldehydes and esters, and essence oils from treated fruit showed increased methanol, ethanol, ethyl acetate, and ethyl butyrate. Flavor panels determined significant differences in essences and essence oils from treated vs control Valencia but found no differences in treated vs control Pineapple oranges.
Consequences of Replacing the DNA 3‘-Oxygen by an Amino Group: High-Resolution Crystal Structure of a Fully Modified N3‘ → P5‘ Phosphoramidate DNA Dodecamer Duplex†

As part of the quest for antisense compounds with relative to DNA and RNA improved nuclease-resistance and favorable RNA hybridization properties, a large variety of oligonucleotide analogues has been generated in recent years. Among these, the oligonucleotide N3‘ → P5‘ phosphoramidate DNA (3‘-NP DNA), an analogue with the 3‘-oxygen in the nucleic acid sugar−phosphodiester backbone replaced by an amino group, displays several unique features. Self-pairing of 3‘-NP DNA single strands is significantly favored thermodynamically over self-pairing of both DNA and RNA (Gryaznov, S. M.; et al. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 1995, 92, 5798−5802). CD measurements in solution have shown that the duplex conformation of 3‘-NP DNA is very similar to the RNA A-form. Moreover, 3‘-NP DNA can form stable triplexes with double-stranded DNA under conditions where native DNA fails to do so. Recently, it was shown that all-phosphoramidate DNA analogues of HIV-1 RRE and TAR RNA specifically bind to the RNA-binding Rev- and Tat-...
Inexact inverse subspace iteration for generalized eigenvalue problems

Abstract n this paper, we present an inexact inverse subspace iteration method for computing a few eigenpairs of the generalized eigenvalue problem Ax = λ Bx . We first formulate a version of inexact inverse subspace iteration in which the approximation from one step is used as an initial approximation for the next step. We then analyze the convergence property, which relates the accuracy in the inner iteration to the convergence rate of the outer iteration. In particular, the linear convergence property of the inverse subspace iteration is preserved. Numerical examples are given to demonstrate the theoretical results.
Update on clinically significant drug interactions in dermatology

Although there are thousands of drug interactions (DIs) listed in computers and manuals, only about 10% are clinically significant. Equally disturbing is these systems fail to detect up to one third of all dangerous DIs. This update on clinically significant DIs is current through September 2005 and discusses systemic drugs important to dermatologists. In addition, 4 aspects of DIs are discussed that are helpful in replacing rote memory with a step-by-step, logical approach based on scientific evidence.
A relationship between increased voluntary alcohol preference and basal hypercorticosteronemia associated with an attenuated rise in corticosterone output during stress

Abstract Some of the multiple biological effects of stress include activation of a variety of neuroendocrine systems, resulting in enhanced secretion of many hormones, including corticosterone, as well as facilitation of drug-seeking behavior. Therefore, we have examined the potential relationship between voluntary alcohol consumption (VAC) and corticosterone output profile using: (1) selectively bred alcohol-preferring (P) and nonpreferring (NP) rats; and (2) outbred male Holtzman Sprague-Dawley rats selected for (a) low basal corticosterone ( 250%) (L-H rats), and (b) high basal corticosterone (> 4 μg/mg Cr) and low stimulation of corticosterone output on 24-hour fasting stress (
The 1998 Clinical Research Award. Sleep disturbance after burn injury: a frequent yet understudied complication.

This study investigated the frequency of sleep disturbance of burn survivors at 3 time points: during hospitalization (time 1: n = 237), 1 week after discharge (time 2: n = 149), and 2 months after discharge (time 3: n = 91). Predictors of sleep disturbance and its relationship to quality of life are explored. Measures of sleep, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, pain, and quality of life were administered at each time point. Fifty percent of participants had sleep disturbance while in the hospital and 1 week after discharge. Forty percent of participants continued to have sleep disturbance 2 months after discharge. In regression equations, emotional distress was a better predictor of sleep disturbance than pain and total body surface area burned at each time point. Sleep disturbance was significantly negatively correlated with all aspects of quality of life represented on the SF-36 Health Survey. Sleep disturbance is a common and often chronic postburn complication that warrants further research. (J Burn Care Rehabil 1998;19:480–86)
Assessing intercultural effectiveness outcomes in a year-long study abroad program

Abstract As study abroad efforts take on increased importance in colleges and universities, it is vital that we use the resources of the academy to research the impact and effectiveness of these programs ( Lederman, 2007 ). Action research assessing the efficacy of intercultural pedagogy using the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI, Hammer, 2007 , Hammer and Bennett, 1998 ) was conducted in a year-long study abroad program to central England. Three groups were compared using IDI pre and post. Group 1 students (n = 16) were in a Psychology of Group Dynamics course which integrated intercultural effectiveness and diversity training pedagogy including cultural immersion, guided reflection, and intercultural coaching. Group 2 (n = 16) was students in the same study abroad experience who were not in the intervention. Group 3 (n = 13) was a control group of students who stayed home. Statistically significant difference was found from pre to post-IDI scores between students in Group 1 and the other two groups. Students’ change scores pre to post in Groups 2 and 3 were not statistically different. As Vande Berg indicates, to simply send students to a location abroad for academic study is not sufficient toward facilitating the larger goal of creating effective global citizenship ( Lederman, 2007 ). Findings from this research lend empirical support for this assertion, adding that it is not enough to send students to study abroad without intentional pedagogy focused on outcomes of intercultural effectiveness.
March 1865: The End of Elegance

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address is a well-known and much-analyzed speech. But one prominent feature, its use of chiasmus (or inverse repetition), has gone largely unremarked, as it has gone largely unremarked in analyses of Lincoln's thought and language more generally. If chiasmus was important for Lincoln, however, it is curiously absent at a key moment in the Second Inaugural—the end of the third paragraph. Why? To answer that question is to understand something important about Lincoln's political and rhetorical ideology.
Cross-plane thermal transport in micrometer-thick spider silk films

Abstract This work reports on the first study of thermal transport capacity in the thickness direction (∼μm scale) for spider silk films. Fresh (minimally processed) and hexafluoroisopropanol (HFIP) films of Nephila clavipes and Latrodectus hesperus major ampullate silk are studied. Detailed Raman spectroscopy reveals that the fresh films have more crystalline secondary protein structures such as antiparallel β-sheets than the HFIP films for N. clavipes. For N. clavipes, the randomly distributed antiparallel β-sheets in fresh films have nearly no effect in improving thermal conductivity in comparison with HFIP films. For L. hesperus, the films mainly consist of α-helices and random coils while the fresh film has a higher concentration of α-helices. The higher concentration of α-helices in fresh films gives rise to a higher heat capacity than HFIP films, while the thermal conductivity shows little effect from the α-helices concentration. Thickened HFIP films are heated at different temperatures to study the effect of heat treatment on structure and thermal transport capacity. These experiments demonstrate that α-helices are formed by thermal treatment and that thermal effusivity increases with the appearance of α-helices in films.
The Phyllosoma Larva of Scyllarus Delfini (Bouvier) (Decapoda, Palinuridea)

Scyllarus delfini (Bouvier, 1909) is found in the Juan Fernandez Islands off Chile. It has been said to also occur on the coast of Chile and Peru (Balss, 1922: 330). However, De Man (1916) mentions the species as occurring only at the Juan Fernandez Islands and Holthuis (personal communication) who is preparing a monograph of the Scyllaridae, reiterates the occurrence only at these islands. The specimen here described is in the final phyllosoma stage as indicated by the presence of a full complement of gills. It was collected by the R/V "Anton Bruun" at 33? 31'S 78? 48'W a short distance north of the Juan Fernandez Islands from whence it most likely drifted in the northward flowing Peru Current. It is clearly a Scyllarus and in view of the locality of the catch and of certain structures not hitherto reported for similar Scyllarus larvae in the Pacific it is here referred to S. delfini. No other species of that genus have been found on the west coast of South or North America.
HF chirps: Eigenmode trapping in density depletions

Short-duration, narrow-bandwidth, HF chirps occur at slowly drifting frequencies above fpe when fpe > fce [McAdams and LaBelle, 1999]. We put forth a model of the HF chirp emissions as quasi-trapped eigenmodes in a density depletion perpendicular to the ambient magnetic field. The escaping waves retain the frequency structure of the eigenmodes and are observed as HF chirps. We show that this model is quantitatively consistent with observed characteristics of HF chirps, most notably the frequency spacing of the chirp emissions (0.1–4 kHz), the fact that they are equally spaced independent of mode number, and the number of modes predicted for a given density cavity. Several mechanisms for the escape of the waves from the cavity are suggested.
The role of frataxin in fission yeast iron metabolism: implications for Friedreich's ataxia.

Abstract Background The neurodegenerative disease Friedreich's ataxia is the result of frataxin deficiency. Frataxin is a mitochondrial protein involved in iron–sulfur cluster (Fe–S) cofactor biogenesis, but its functional role in this pathway is debated. This is due to the interconnectivity of iron metabolic and oxidative stress response pathways that make distinguishing primary effects of frataxin deficiency challenging. Since Fe–S cluster assembly is conserved, frataxin overexpression phenotypes in a simple eukaryotic organism will provide additional insight into frataxin function. Methods The Schizosaccharomyces pombe frataxin homologue (fxn1) was overexpressed from a plasmid under a thiamine repressible promoter. The S. pombe transformants were characterized at several expression strengths for cellular growth, mitochondrial organization, iron levels, oxidative stress, and activities of Fe–S cluster containing enzymes. Results Observed phenotypes were dependent on the amount of Fxn1 overexpression. High Fxn1 overexpression severely inhibited S. pombe growth, impaired mitochondrial membrane integrity and cellular respiration, and led to Fxn1 aggregation. Cellular iron accumulation was observed at moderate Fxn1 overexpression but was most pronounced at high levels of Fxn1. All levels of Fxn1 overexpression up-regulated oxidative stress defense and mitochondrial Fe–S cluster containing enzyme activities. Conclusions Despite the presence of oxidative stress and accumulated iron, activation of Fe–S cluster enzymes was common to all levels of Fxn1 overexpression; therefore, Fxn1 may regulate the efficiency of Fe–S cluster biogenesis in S. pombe. General Significance We provide evidence that suggests that dysregulated Fe–S cluster biogenesis is a primary effect of both frataxin overexpression and deficiency as in Friedreich's ataxia.
Impact of 1p/19q Codeletion and Histology on Outcomes of Anaplastic Gliomas Treated With Radiation Therapy and Temozolomide

Purpose Anaplastic gliomas represent a heterogeneous group of primary high-grade brain tumors, and the optimal postoperative treatment remains controversial. In this report, we present our institutional data on the clinical outcomes of radiation therapy (RT) plus temozolomide (RT + TMZ) for anaplastic gliomas, stratified by histology and 1p/19q codeletion. Methods and Materials A single-institution retrospective review was conducted of patients with supratentorial anaplastic oligodendroglioma (AO), mixed anaplastic oligoastrocytoma (AOA), and anaplastic astrocytoma (AA). After surgery, RT was delivered at a median total dose of 60 Gy (range, 31.6-63 Gy) in daily fractions. All patients received standard concurrent TMZ, with or without adjuvant TMZ. Histological/molecular subtypes were defined as codeleted AO/AOA, non-codeleted AO/AOA, and AA. Results From 2000 to 2012, 111 cases met study criteria and were evaluable. Codeleted AO/AOA had superior overall survival (OS) to non-codeleted AO/AOA (91% vs 68% at 5 years, respectively, P =.02), whereas progression-free survival (PFS) was not significantly different (70% vs 46% at 5 years, respectively, P =.10). AA had inferior OS to non-codeleted AO/AOA (37% vs 68% at 5 years, respectively, P =.007) and inferior PFS (27% vs 46%, respectively, P =.03). On multivariate analysis, age, performance status, and histological or molecular subtype were independent predictors for both PFS and OS. Compared to historical controls, RT + TMZ provided comparable OS to RT with procarbazine, lomustine, and vincristine (RT + PCV) for codeleted AO/AOA, superior OS to RT alone for non-codeleted AO/AOA, and similar OS to RT alone for AA. Conclusions RT + TMZ may be a promising treatment for both codeleted and non-codeleted AO/AOA, but its role for AA remains unclear.
Preparation and physical characteristics of a lithium-beryllium-substituted fluorapatite

A lithium-beryllium-substituted fluorapatite, Li0.50Be0.25Ca4.50(PO4)3F, has been prepared by means of a high-temperature reaction between lithium beryllium fluoride, Li2BeF4, and tricalcium phosphate, Ca3(PO4)2. This material has potential application as a waste form for radioactive and toxic fluoride salts. Monitoring of the reaction progress by differential scanning calorimetry indicated that the reaction was initiated by melting of the fluoride salt and that it was fast and complete. While reactive sintering of lithium beryllium fluoride with tricalcium phosphate led to a rather porous product, melting of the reactants with subsequent solidification readily produced a substituted fluorapatite with a near-theoretical bulk density.
Party competition, social movements and postmaterialist values: Exploring the rise of green parties in France and Germany

(1998). Party competition, social movements and postmaterialist values: Exploring the rise of green parties in France and Germany. Contemporary Politics: Vol. 4, No. 3, pp. 299-315.
A double-layered carbon nanotube array with super-hydrophobicity

The growth of double-layered vertical-aligned carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays by a single step chemical vapor deposition is reported. The deactivation and reactivation of catalyst particles may be the cause of such a growth process. An interesting morphology difference between the top and the bottom CNT layers was observed. In contrast to the smooth surface of the top CNT layer, the surface of the bottom layer shows hierarchical structures. The surface structures of the bottom CNT layer allow this surface to exhibit super-hydrophobic properties and excellent self-cleaning abilities.
Completely non-clausal theorem proving

The proof procedure we describe operates on quantifier-free formulas of the predicate calculus which are not truth-functionally normalized in any way. The procedure involves a single inference rule called NC-resolution, and is shown to be complete. Completeness is also obtained for a simple restriction on the rule's application. Examples are given using NC-resolution to derive a logic program from its specification, and to 'execute' a program specification in its original form.
Landscape context mediates influence of local food abundance on wetland use by wintering shorebirds in an agricultural valley

Abstract While it is widely understood that local abundance of benthic invertebrates can greatly influence the distribution and abundance of wetland birds, no studies have examined if wetland landscape context can mediate this relationship. We studied the influence of wetland food abundance and landscape context on use of agricultural wetlands by wintering dunlin ( Calidris alpina) and killdeer ( Charadrius vociferus) in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA, over two winters (1999–2000, 2000–2001) of differing rainfall and subsequent habitat distribution. We monitored bird use (frequency of occurrence and abundance) at a sample of wetlands differing in local food abundance (density and biomass) and landscape context [adjacent shorebird habitat (defined as ha of wet habitat with less than 50% vegetative cover and within a 2-km radius) and nearest neighbor distance]. We evaluated predictive models for bird use using linear regression and the Cp criterion to select the most parsimonious model. During the dry winter (2000–2001), dunlin exhibited greater use of sites with higher invertebrate density and biomass but also with more adjacent shorebird habitat and closest to a wetland neighbor. However, neither landscape context nor food abundance were important predictors of dunlin use during the wet winter (1999–2000). Use of sites by killdeer was unrelated to either local food abundance or landscape context measures during both winters. Our findings contribute to a growing recognition of the importance of landscape structure to wetland birds and highlight a number of implications for the spatial planning and enhancement of wetlands using a landscape approach.
Enzymatic synthesis of N-glucuronic acid conjugates.

RECENT investigations have shown that the formation of glucosiduronic acids can be catalysed by cell-free preparations of mammalian liver with uridine diphosphate glucuronic acid acting as the glucuronic acid donor1. These preparations have been found to synthesize ether- as well as ester-type glucuronic acid conjugates2. We wish to report the enzymatic synthesis of another type of conjugate in which glucuronic acid is linked to nitrogen.
Some Frontiers in Social Science

The fundamental challenge in the social sciences is moving from complicated correlations to useful prediction. Progress usually reflects an interplay between theory, data, and tools. Six areas of innovation, principally data and tools, are now pushing at the frontiers of these sciences: longitudinal data, laboratory experimentation, improved statistical methods, geographic information tools, biosocial science, and international replication. These innovations are gaining power as they cross disciplinary boundaries, helping to attribute causality to observed relationships, to understand their nature, and thereby to improve the accuracy and usefulness of predictions.
Blind equalization for time-varying channels and multiple samples processing using particle filtering

Abstract In this paper we address the problem of equalization of time-varying frequency-selective channels. We formulate the problem by modeling the frequency-selective channel by an FIR filter with time-varying tap weights whose variation is characterized by an AR process. Our approach to the problem is based on Bayesian estimation using sequential Monte Carlo filtering commonly referred to as particle filtering. This estimation method represents the target posterior distribution by a set of random discrete samples and their associated weights. In this paper, we also extend the technique of equalization using particle filtering for cases where we have multiple samples per symbol and demonstrate that significant performance improvement can be achieved by processing multiple samples. The proposed algorithm is recursive and blind for it requires no training symbols for channel estimation. However, it assumes knowledge of the variance of the additive noise and the coefficients of the AR process used to model the variation of the fading channel tap weights. The proposed scheme is highly parallelizable and hence is suitable for VLSI (very large scale integration) implementation.
Detection of nanostructural anomalies in hydrated cement systems

Abstract Monitoring the flow of helium gas into the structure of hydrated cement systems has proven to be a useful method for following nanostructural changes in the C–S–H phase of hydrated cement systems. The method is sensitive to changes that occur on removal of structural water from the layered silicates. The helium-inflow method was applied, in this study, to normally hydrated low-water–cement ratio (w/c) Portland cement pastes (w/c