cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Taxonomy of Surgical Delay Related to Sterile Processing and Domino Effect

Successful surgery does not just depend on the skills and knowledge of those in the operating room but also on the staff that insure the needed instrumentation is available and sterile. The process...
Discovery of potent and selective butyrylcholinesterase inhibitors through the use of pharmacophore-based screening.

Abstract Cholinesterase inhibitors have long been used in the treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) via the protection of acetylcholine levels. However, recent research has shown that the specific inhibition of butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) could better ameliorate symptoms within patients. In addition, it has recently been shown that selective inhibition of BChE can also significantly attenuate the toxicity and physiological effects of heroin. Currently, there are no specific and potent inhibitors of BChE approved for use in AD or heroin abuse. Through a combined use of in silico and in vitro screening, we have found three compounds with sub-50 nM IC50 values that specifically target BChE. These newly discovered BChE inhibitors can act as the lead scaffolds for future development of the desirably potent and selective BChE inhibitors.
Relativistic phenomena in atomic and chemical physics: Opportunities for studies with synchrotron radiation

Opportunities for investigations in atomic and chemical physics are summarized that may arise as next-generation synchrotron-radiation sources become operational. Recent progress in the study of relativistic effects in atoms is reviewed and some applications to chemistry are discussed. It is pointed out that measurements with highly monochromatic, tunable hard X-rays will make it possible to perform important tests of relativistic phenomena in atoms and molecules.
Sexual differentiation of brain and other tissues: Five questions for the next 50 years.

This paper is part of the celebration of the 50th anniversary of founding of the journal Hormones and Behavior, the official journal of the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology. All sex differences in phenotypic development stem from the sexual imbalance in X and Y chromosomes, which are the only known differences in XX and XY zygotes. The sex chromosome genes act within cells to cause differences in phenotypes of XX and XY cells throughout the body. In the gonad, they determine the type of gonad, leading to differences in secretion of testicular vs. ovarian hormones, which cause further sex differences in tissue function. These current ideas of sexual differentiation are briefly contrasted with a hormones-only view of sexual differentiation of the last century. The multiple, independent action of diverse sex-biasing agents means that sex-biased factors can be synergistic, increasing sex differences, or compensatory, making the two sexes more equal. Several animal models have been fruitful in demonstrating sex chromosome effects, and interactions with gonadal hormones. MRI studies of human brains demonstrate variation in brain structure associated with both differences in gonadal hormones, and in the number of X and Y chromosomes. Five unanswered questions are posed as a challenge to future investigators to improve understanding of sexual differentiation throughout the body.
Exploring Metadata Search Essentials for Scientific Data Management

Scientific experiments and observations store massive amounts of data in various scientific file formats. Metadata, which describes the characteristics of the data, is commonly used to sift through massive datasets in order to locate data of interest to scientists. Several indexing data structures (such as hash tables, trie, self-balancing search trees, sparse array, etc.) have been developed as part of efforts to provide an efficient method for locating target data. However, efficient determination of an indexing data structure remains unclear in the context of scientific data management, due to the lack of investigation on metadata, metadata queries, and corresponding data structures. In this study, we perform a systematic study of the metadata search essentials in the context of scientific data management. We study a real-world astronomy observation dataset and explore the characteristics of the metadata in the dataset. We also study possible metadata queries based on the discovery of the metadata characteristics and evaluate different data structures for various types of metadata attributes. Our evaluation on real-world dataset suggests that trie is a suitable data structure when prefix/suffix query is required, otherwise hash table should be used. We conclude our study with a summary of our findings. These findings provide a guideline and offers insights in developing metadata indexing methodologies for scientific applications.
BREAST ARTERIAL CALCIFICATION IN MAMMOGRAM A NOVEL PREDICTOR OF CARDIOVASCULAR RISK IN WOMEN

Breast arterial calcifications (BAC); which are detected during screening mammograms; are thought to be a promising non-invasive predictor of patients at high risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. In this study we sought to assess the association between BAC and cardiovascular diseases by
The Impersonal Sovereign

Dwight Waldo’s work on the Administrative State largely neglects sovereignty. In this essay, I address this neglect by connecting Schmitt’s ideas of “the decision” and “the exception” to the work o...
Topoisomerase 3B (TOP3B) DNA and RNA Cleavage Complexes and Pathway to Repair TOP3B-Linked RNA and DNA Breaks

Genetic inactivation of TOP3B is linked with schizophrenia, autism, intellectual disability and cancer. The present study demonstrates that in vivo TOP3B forms both RNA and DNA cleavage complexes (TOP3Bccs) and reveals a pathway for repairing TOP3Bccs. For detecting cellular TOP3Bccs, we engineered a “self-trapping” mutant of TOP3B (R338W TOP3B) and to determine how human cells repair TOP3Bccs, we depleted tyrosyl-DNA phosphodiesterases (TDP1 and TDP2). TDP2-deficient cells produced elevated TOP3Bccs both in DNA and RNA. Conversely, overexpression of TDP2 lowered cellular TOP3Bccs. Using recombinant human TDP2, we demonstrate that TDP2 cannot excise the native form of TOP3Bccs. Hypothesizing that TDP2 cannot access phosphotyrosyl linkage unless TOP3B is either proteolyzed or denatured, we found that cellular TOP3Bccs are ubiquitinated by the E3 Ubiquitin Ligase TRIM41 before undergoing proteasomal degradation and excision by TDP2.
Binimetinib activity in PIK3R1-mutant patient-derived xenografts (PDX) implanted into immunodeficient mice.

e13062Background: The PIK3R1 gene is genetically altered in 3% of breast cancers in the Western and 17% in the Eastern worlds. We recently reported that breast cancer cells lacking protein expres...
Numeric Keypads or Character Keyboards for Numeric Entries on Surveys and Forms: Surprising Results from Older Adults Using Mobile Devices

These days a growing number of adults are using smartphones to fill out online forms or surveys (For a review of recent empirical studies on older adults using smartphone when answering forms see: [2, 3, 4]). The touchscreen keyboard that pops open on a smartphone when users must type their answers into the form can be challenging to use. This is due to its small size and the fact that for some smartphones, the initial keyboard that opens has only characters, not numbers. If the form requires a number to be entered, a user must press a small button, located in the far-left corner to change the keyboard so that it displays numbers. Using the small touchscreen is challenging for older adults, whose fine motor skills may have deteriorated with age (Loos and Romano Bergstrom [12]). Survey and form designers face the challenge of creating an interface that is both convenient to use while also leading to accurate data entry. More recently, some survey designers have been using a numeric keypad design on mobile phones when the expected entry is a number. This is based on the idea that the numeric keypad, with its bigger touch areas offering only numbers, would lead to an improved user experience. This paper reports the results of an experiment with older adults, comparing performance when using a numeric keypad to that when using a touchscreen character keyboard for number entries on a smartphone. When entering a number, results indicate that the numeric keypad design did not lead to more accurate data entry over the character keyboard design. While overall efficiency was also no different between the two designs, there was some evidence that the keypad design takes users less time to initially enter the number. While participants across both conditions were equally satisfied with their experience completing the survey, they overwhelmingly preferred to use the numeric keypad to enter numbers. For designers creating interfaces for smartphones, the recommendation is to use a numeric keypad for input fields that require a number as the answer.
Medical Students' Creation of Original Poetry, Comics, and Masks to Explore Professional Identity Formation.

Introduction This study examines differences in students' perceived value of three artmaking modalities (poetry, comics, masks) and whether the resulting creative projects offer similar or different insights into medical students' professional identity formation. Methods Mixed-methods design using a student survey, student narrative comments and qualitative analysis of students' original work. Results Poetry and comics stimulated insight, but masks were more enjoyable and stress-reducing. All three art modalities expressed tension between personal and professional identities. Discussion Regardless of type of artmaking, students express concern about encroachments of training on personal identity but hoped that personal and professional selves could be integrated.
Some issues in the implementation of multimedia communication systems

Multimedia communications are presented as a major application of broadband digital networks. It is shown that building multimedia communication systems (MMCSs) requires much more than the presence of a high-bandwidth network. In order to study how broadband communication systems will deal with multimedia documents, the structure and characteristics of these documents must be first examined in detail. An overview of the different techniques used to represent multimedia information is given. The design requirements and features of MMCSs and the various issues involved in their implementation are discussed in the light of a research prototype as well as of other experiences reported in the literature. Standardization will play an important role in making MMCSs usable. Efforts in this area are discussed, as well as some other practical problems that need to be solved before multimedia communication becomes the major user of high bandwidth networks. >
A class of micromachined gyroscopes with increased parametric space

This paper reports a design concept for MEMS gyroscopes based on increasing the degrees-of-freedom of the oscillatory system by the use of two independently oscillating interconnected proof masses. The 4-DOF dynamical system eliminates the necessity for mode-matching due to its wide operation frequency range, and reduces the damping sensitivity problem by operating away from resonance. Thus, inherent disturbance rejection is achieved, providing reduced sensitivity to structural and thermal parameter fluctuations. The basic operational principles of the design concept were experimentally demonstrated, including the wide operation frequency band, and dynamic amplification providing high oscillation amplitudes without resonance.
Improvements in and environmental applications of double-vial radiorespirometry for the study of microbial mineralization.

Several variations in the scintillation mixture and the filter paper arrangements for double-vial radiorespirometry were compared. Improved efficiencies (44%) and shorter response times were found by adding wetting agents and methanolic NaOH to the scintillation mixture in the filter paper. The scintillation chemicals used did not contain dioxane and were found to be nontoxic to the test microbiota in this system. Covering the inner reaction vial with aluminum foil minimized the reduction in counting efficiency when testing colored or dense environmental samples. Mineralization rates were determined with 14C-labeled glucose, acetate, and glutamate and [14C]cellulose- and [14C]lignin-labeled lignocellulose for composting cow manure, forest soil, and arctic lake sediment microbiota. This improved method can be used in a variety of procedures involving the measurement of microbial mineralizations of organic compounds. Since no liquid scintillation cocktail is used for counting, the radioactive wastes are aqueous or can be incinerated, making disposal easy.
The Politics of Principal Evaluation

This article examines the politics of principal evaluation through both an extensive review of the literature and in-depth interviews with principals and superintendents. The findings reveal that the format and processes used in principal evaluation often vary from one district to another and that principals and superintendents frequently hold different perspectives about the purposes and usefulness of evaluation. Most principals felt their evaluations were not useful and were unduly influenced by political forces beyond their control. Superintendents believed that evaluations were well developed and useful in assessing principal competence. Principals should take an active role in the development and implementation of evaluation processes, while superintendents need to clearly communicate evaluation processes, purposes, and sources of information.
Printed circuit board EMI source mechanisms

This tutorial paper reviews the basic mechanisms by which signal voltages and currents on a printed circuit board produce unintentional radiated emissions.
The diffusion of environmental management standards in Europe and in the United States: An institutional perspective

ISO 14001, released in 1996, provides the basic framework for the establishment of an Environmental Management System (EMS) that can be audited and certified. ISO is not only an acronym for the International Organization for Standardization, but is also a term that refers to its Greek meaning: ‘equal.’ The main rationale for the creation of ISO 14001 was that its worldwide acceptance should facilitate international trade by harmonizing otherwise diffuse environmental management standards and by providing an internationally accepted blueprint for sustainable development, pollution prevention, and compliance assurance.
Biological factors influencing the effectiveness of wood preservatives against decay.

The commonest wood preservatives are the natural toxicants that are mainly responsible for the varying amounts of decay resistance in untreated heartwood. There are volatile materials in some woods that are effective against fungi and green plants while they last (Sowder, 1929; Weintraub and Price, 1948), as well as water-soluble materials that favor fungi (Findlay, 1956). It is true that the correlation between decay resistance and the amount and toxicity of extractable material has not been good even within the same species (Scheffer et al., 1944), but this is also true for extracts from preservative-treated wood. The tree is therefore logically the first biological variable to consider. The differences between the most important tree species both in their natural decay resistance and in their ability to absorb artificial preservatives are fairly well known as a result of practical experience. Analysis of the differences within species to determine the contributions to natural resistance of such factors as age and size of tree, position in tree, and genetic differences between trees has been made particularly in the classical statistical studies by Scheffer et al. (1949) and Scheffer and Hopp (1949) on locust and white oak. Correspondingly thorough studies on variation wvithin species in relation to treatability have not been encountered. For use in boats and ships, the natural preservatives in the wood have continued to be more important than artificial preservatives. It is true that most of the practical interest in industry is undoubtedly in the factors that influence success of artificial preserva-
Intron sequence and structure requirements for tRNA splicing in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

Predicted single-stranded structure at the 3' splice site is a conserved feature among intervening sequences (IVSs) in eukaryotic nuclear tRNA precursors. The role of 3' splice site structure in splicing was examined through hexanucleotide insertions at a central intron position in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae tRNA gene. These insertions were designed to alter the structure at the splice site without changing its sequence. Endonuclease cleavage of pre-tRNA substrates was then measured in vitro, and suppressor activity was examined in vivo. A precursor with fully double-stranded structure at the 3' splice site was not cleaved by endonuclease. The introduction of one unpaired nucleotide at the 3' splice site was sufficient to restore cleavage, although at a reduced rate. We have also observed that guanosine at the antepenultimate position provides a second consensus feature among IVSs in tRNA precursors. Point mutations at this position were found to affect splicing although there was no specific requirement for guanosine. These and previous results suggest that elements of secondary and/or tertiary structure at the 3' end of IVSs are primary determinants in pre-tRNA splice site utilization whereas specific sequence requirements are limited.
Clinical, historic, and therapeutic features of aphthous stomatitis. Literature review and open clinical trial employing steroids.

Abstract The clinical and historic features of 50 patients with diagnosed aphthous stomatitis and treated with topical triamcinolone acetonide, 0.1% or 0.2% aqueous suspension, alone or in combination with initial burst therapy of 40 to 60 mg of prednisone, are reviewed. The mean age of our patients was 36.6 years (range 6 to 80 years). The duration of the chief complaint, usually oral pain, or more specifically, recurrent oral ulcers, was 11.1 years (range 4 weeks to 40 years). All patients showed a wide range of ulcer sizes when examined initially or at follow-up. Forty were followed up for an average of 22.9 months. Thirty-four reported prompt healing of ulcers identified at the time of initial evaluation, and no or markedly fewer ulcers subsequently if maintenance therapy of prophylactic topical triamcinolone, 0.1% or 0.2% aqueous rinse, was used. Five patients reported partial relief. No systemic side effects were noted even after long-term topical therapy. Local candidosis was a complication encountered in five patients.
Unsteady Turbulent Shear Flow in Shock Tube Discontinuities

Using a pressure-ruptured shock tube and an arc driven shock tube, we have studied the evolution of turbulent fluctuations at contact surfaces with N2O4 ← → 2NO2 mixtures and at ionizing shock fronts in argon. We have focused on point density diagnostics derived from crossed light beam correlations and electric probes. Turbulent bursts are found for which dynamical and spectral analyses suggest a particle-like evolution of fluctuation segments with a unique and characteristic frequency, independent of flow history and overall flow conditions.
Greatness of Soul and the Souls of Women: Rousseau’s Use of Plato’s Laws in the Letter to d’ Alembert

Rousseau did not believe that we could or should return to the primitive condition that he thought most conducive to human happiness. This chapter examines the highly original way in which he used insights drawn from Plato’s Laws to defend institutions adopted in the Republic of Geneva against threats posed by Enlightenment philosophy. His Letter to d’Alembert analyzes the subversive effects on human happiness of decadent art and the accompanying distortions of relations between the sexes. Traditional family life, the indispensable and fragile basis for the kind of liberal society promoted by Enlightenment thinkers, is threatened by the cosmopolitan principles those thinkers advocate.
Improvement in medical consultation responses with a structured request form.

Physicians often do not provide adequate information regarding patients’ medical conditions when presented with consultation requests (CR) generated by dental students and their instructors about the students’ patients. We hypothesized that a structured CR form, which requests specific information by providing a checklist and/or closed-ended questions for physicians to answer, would lead to better communication and improved responses. We also hypothesized that providing in-service education to clinical faculty on the conditions that require and don’t require CRs would reduce the number of unwarranted CRs sent to physicians. We assessed the responses obtained with the new form and compared them to findings over a similar period using our older, unstructured CR forms. We also evaluated the numbers of CRs written unnecessarily during both time periods. Improvements in the appropriateness of information provided by physicians were noted with the new CR forms for diabetes mellitus, hypertension, heart murmur, and anticoagulant therapy. The number of CRs written for conditions that did not need a consultation was approximately the same after provision of instruction as before. We conclude that structured CR forms improve the flow of information between dentists and physicians and should enhance student knowledge and skills in soliciting relevant information. Greater efforts must be taken to inform clinical faculty about the indications for CRs.
Dynamic adaptive QoS provisioning over GPRS wireless mobile links

The General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) offers performance guaranteed packet data services to mobile users. A dynamic adaptive guaranteed quality-of-service (QoS) provisioning scheme is proposed over GPRS wireless mobile links via the guaranteed QoS media access control (GQ-MAC) protocol and the accompanying adaptive prioritized-handoff call admission control (AP-CAC) protocol to maintain QoS guarantees under the effect of mobile handoffs. The GQ-MAC protocol supports bounded access delay and packet-loss probability for respective delay and loss sensitive traffic, and dynamic adaptive resource allocation for bursty traffic. The AP-CAC protocol provides dynamic adaptive prioritized admission by differentiating handoff requests of different traffic classes with higher admission priorities over new calls via the dynamic multiple guard channels scheme, which adapts the channel capacity limits reserved for the multiple handoff request classes in each radio cell based on the current estimates of their arrival rates derived from the current number of ongoing calls in neighboring radio cells and the mobility pattern.
Fate mapping of ptf1a-expressing cells during pancreatic organogenesis and regeneration in zebrafish.

Background: Pancreas development in zebrafish shares many features with mammals, including the participation of epithelial progenitor cells expressing pancreas transcription factor 1a (ptf1a). However, to date it has remained unclear whether, as in mammals, ptf1a-expressing zebrafish pancreatic progenitors are able to contribute to multiple exocrine and endocrine lineages. To delineate the lineage potential of ptf1a-expressing cells, we generated ptf1a:creERT2 transgenic fish and performed genetic-inducible lineage tracing in developmental, regenerating, and ptf1a-deficient zebrafish pancreas. Results: In addition to their contribution to the acinar cell lineage, ptf1a-expressing cells give rise to both pancreatic Notch-responsive-cells (PNCs) as well as small numbers of endocrine cells during pancreatic development. In fish with ptf1a haploinsufficiency, a higher proportion of ptf1a lineage-labeled cells are traced into the PNC and endocrine compartments. Further reduction of ptf1a gene dosage converts pancreatic progenitor cells to gall bladder and other non-pancreatic cell fates. Conclusions: Our results confirm the presence of multipotent ptf1a-expressing progenitor cells in developing zebrafish pancreas, with reduced ptf1a dosage promoting greater contributions towards non-acinar lineages. As in mammals, loss of ptf1a results in conversion of nascent pancreatic progenitor cells to non-pancreatic cell fates, underscoring the central role of ptf1a in foregut tissue specification. Developmental Dynamics 244:724–735, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Real-time FM radio for teaching DSP and communication systems

In digital signal processing (DSP) and communication systems courses much of the material is theoretical. There are some students who are more motivated to learn if they can see a connection to the real world, but unfortunately many real-world communication and DSP systems are very complex, and including them as part of a course is difficult or impossible. The FM radio, however, is a relatively simple system that is in some ways ideal as a real-world example because it includes both analog and digital signals. The analog signals transmit the audio and the digital Radio Data System (RDS) signal transmits auxiliary information such as the name of the artist, song, current time, etc. This paper describes an FM radio with RDS decoder based on an inexpensive FM module and an affordable DSP board. The system runs in real-time, demodulates FM radio, plays the music through speakers, displays the name of the song and artist, and allows access to the internal signals. This real-time receiver can be used in demonstrations in a lecture course or as the basis for a series of laboratory experiments.
Modification of receptors for acetylcholine in the early embryonic heart

Whole chick embryo blastoderms at zero- to 7-somites have been explanted onto a nutrient medium and incubated at 37°C for 20 hours, in order to develop to 18- to 19-somites, when the heart rate is depressed by acetylcholine and even more strongly by a number of parasympathomimetic drugs and cholinesterase inhibitors. Hence we have concluded that receptors for acetylcholine are present in the early chick embryo heart before innervation by the vagus nerve is initiated, but that the receptors do not possess the specificity of adult acetylcholine cardiac receptors. Incubation of the zero- to 7-somite blastoderms on media containing certain of the parasympathomimetic drugs and cholinesterase inhibitors greatly increased the sensitivity of the hearts to depression of rate by acetylcholine at 18- to 19-somites, and we have concluded that development of acetylcholine receptors has been stimulated by the drugs. A possible stereochemical relationship between acetylcholine receptors and drugs that are able to stimulate the development of the receptors is postulated.
Ethical concerns regarding operations by volunteer surgeons on vulnerable patient groups: the case of women with obstetric fistulas.

By their very nature, overseas medical missions (and even domestic medical charities such as “free clinics”) are designed to serve “vulnerable populations.” If these groups were capable of protecting their own interests, they would not need the help of medical volunteers: their medical needs would be met through existing government health programs or by utilizing their own resources. Medical volunteerism thus seems like an unfettered good: a charitable activity provided by well-meaning doctors and nurses who want to give of their time, skills, and resources to help those who would not otherwise be able to take care of their medical needs. In this article, I argue that if medical volunteerism is to be “good,” however, it must always meet certain basic ethical requirements. These requirements may be (and perhaps often are) overlooked in the rush to organize and carry out short-term medical missions. I illustrate my point with special reference to short-term medical missions designed to provide surgical repair of obstetric vesico-vaginal fistula, a condition in which the tissues that normally separate the bladder from the vagina are destroyed by obstetric trauma, leading to continuous and unremitting incontinence in the affected woman.
Implementation of a modular real-time feature-based architecture applied to visual face tracking

This work presents a modular real-time feature-based visual tracking architecture where each feature of an object is tracked by one module. A data fusion stage collects the information from various modules exploiting the relationship among features to achieve robust detection and visual tracking. This architecture takes advantage of the temporal and spatial information available in a video stream. Its effectiveness is demonstrated in a face tracking system that uses eyes and lips as features, in the architecture implementation, each module has a pre-processing stage that reduces the number of image regions that are candidates for eyes and lips. Support vector machines are then used in the classification process, whereas a combination of Kalman filters and template matching is used for tracking. The geometric relation between features is used in the data fusion stage to combine the information from different modules to improve tracking.
Ligand-to-metal charge-transfer quenching of the Eu3+(5D1) state in europium-doped tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)gadolinium (III)

Abstract Rate constants for the decay of the Eu 3+ ( 5 D 1 ) state in dilute Eu 3+ -doped tris(2,2,6,6-tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionato)gadolinium(III) are reported for a temperature range 50–315 K. A temperature-independent contribution of 1.3×10 6 s −1 is attributed to carbonyl mediated 5 D 1 → 5 D 0 relaxation. A temperature-dependent contribution, that has been parameterized as k CT = A e − E a / kT with E a =2540±140 cm −1 and A =1.3×10 12 s −1 is attributed to quenching of 5 D 1 by a low-lying ligand-to-metal charge-transfer state (CTS). The height of the activation barrier, E a , relative to the previously reported height for charge-transfer quenching of the Eu 3+ ( 5 D 0 ) state in the pure europium analog (J. Phys. Chem. 100 (1996) 9216) is discussed in terms of mechanistic implications. Specifically, these data strongly suggest that quenching of 5 D 1 by the charge-transfer state is mediated by the 5 D 0 state with a novel, indirect mechanism.
Thermal constraints on foraging in adult european starlings

The operative temperature of the environment was estimated for starlings using hollow, unheated taxidermic mounts. On average, adults foraging in full sun were characterized by shorter foraging bouts than those adults foraging in full shade. Simultaneous observations of air temperature, operative temperature, and the foraging duration of adults indicated that air temperature was a poor predictor of the maximum length of a foraging bout. The operative temperature of the environment was not correlated to the maximum and mean length of foraging bouts for temperatures below 31.5°C, but was negatively related to maximum and mean foraging duration for values above 31.5°C. I also found that foraging adults experiencing high thermal loads (T e≥31.5°C) were less likely to return to the nest with food. These results raise the possibility that adults may be limited in their utilization of foraging sites due to an inability to cope with heat load, and that much of the loafing behavior observed for breeding birds may be behavior to avoid heat stress. The implication for seasonal variation of clutch size is discussed.
Mesh-size effects on drift sample composition as determined with a triple net sampler

Nested nets of three different mesh apertures were used to study mesh-size effects on drift collected in a small mountain stream. The innermost, middle, and outermost nets had, respectively, 425 µm, 209 µm and 106 µm openings, a design that reduced clogging while partitioning collections into three size groups. The open area of mesh in each net, from largest to smallest mesh opening, was 3.7, 5.7 and 8.0 times the area of the net mouth. Volumes of filtered water were determined with a flowmeter. The results are expressed as (1) drift retained by each net, (2) drift that would have been collected by a single net of given mesh size, and (3) the percentage of total drift (the sum of the catches from all three nets) that passed through the 425 µm and 209 µm nets. During a two day period in August 1986, Chironomidae larvae were dominant numerically in all 209 µm and 106 µm samples and midday 425 µm samples. Large drifters (Ephemerellidae) occurred only in 425 µm or 209 µm nets, but the general pattern was an increase in abundance and number of taxa with decreasing mesh size. Relatively more individuals occurred in the larger mesh nets at night than during the day. The two larger mesh sizes retained 70% of the total sediment/detritus in the drift collections, and this decreased the rate of clogging of the 106 µm net. If an objective of a sampling program is to compare drift density or drift rate between areas or sampling dates, the same mesh size should be used for all sample collection and processing. The mesh aperture used for drift collection should retain all species and life stages of significance in a study. The nested net design enables an investigator to test the adequacy of drift samples.
Temperature and field dependent 1H-NMR relaxation data as probes of prostaglandin motional parameters in aqueous media

Abstract Proton resonance correlation times ( τ eff ) for PGF 2 α and a more rigid analog have been derived from the field-strength dependence of spinlattice relaxation times (T 1D ) using 200 and 500 MHz observation. Those hydrogens showing τ eff less than the value calculated for whole molecule tumbling (which applies for H-5 → H-15) also show a significantly greater temperature dependence for T 1D at 500 MHz. Minor wagging may occur at the C-7 and C-10 methylenes, and gradually increasing segmental motion is observed toward both side chain termini. A current model for the aqueous geometry of PGF 2 α is developed from this data and studies of relaxation rate changes upon specific deuteration.
Methadone for relief of cancer pain : a review of pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, drug interactions and protocols of administration

Methadone, a synthetic opioid, has unique pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics, which contribute to its unique ability to relieve pain unresponsive to other potent opiates and its unique dosing and drug interactions. Several guidelines of administration have been established. Physicians who are involved in pain management should have a fundamental understanding of methadone's unique properties.
Amyloid Structure: Models and Theoretical Considerations in Fibrous Aggregates

In celebration of the many contributions to peptide chemistry from K.-T. Wang's laboratory, this manuscript explores the structure of the Aβ(10–35) fibril. This central segment of the Aβ peptide of Alzheimer's Disease self-assembles into well-ordered paracrystalline arrays that seem to contradict many of the accepted paradigms established for soluble, globular proteins. Here we exploit initial molecular modeling efforts to assist in understanding these apparent contradictions. The emerging structure is one of a large self-assembly of β-strands, whose stability is dependent on large spatial and temporal fluctuation about a central core, giving rise to what can be best described as a dynamic and fluid tube-like micelle. This fibril structure maintains features that are distinctly different from those of either synthetic or biological fibrils, and these differences have profound implications for biomedical intervention in amyloid diseases as well as for the design of self-assembling nanoscale fibrils.
Performance Bounds for Free-Space Optical MIMO Systems with APD Receivers in Atmospheric Turbulence

Performance bounds of free space optical (FSO) systems with multiple laser transmitters and multiple avalanche photodetectors (APDs) are evaluated for terrestrial, line-of- sight communication. Specifically, analytical upper bounds on average uncoded error rate in turbulent multiple-input multiple- output (MIMO) channels with Q-ary pulse position modulation (PPM) are derived for arbitrary observable densities, and are used to quantify APD-based performance improvements over pin detector arrays in non-fading, lognormal, and negative exponential channels. Moreover, it is shown that despite the high complexity of APD array statistics, these performance gains can be accurately predicted using a jointly-Gaussian model for APD array outputs. Both maximum likelihood (ML) and sub-optimal combining rules are derived, and a simple equal gain combiner (EGC) that performs close to optimum is demonstrated. Finally, APD gain selection is discussed.
Sources, sinks, and spatial ecology of cotton mice in longleaf pine stands undergoing restoration

Abstract The Fire and Fire Surrogate study—a replicated, manipulative experiment—sought the most economically and ecologically efficient way to restore the nation's fire-maintained ecosystems. As part of this study, we conducted a 3-year mark–recapture study, comprising 105,000 trap-nights, to assess demographic responses of cotton mice (Peromyscus gossypinus) to Fire and Fire Surrogate treatments at the Gulf Coastal Plain site, where longleaf pine was the ecosystem to be restored. We compared competing models to evaluate restoration effects on variation in apparent survival and recruitment over time, space, and treatment, and incorporated measures of available source habitat for cotton mice with reverse-time modeling to infer immigration from outside the study area. The top-ranked survival model contained only variation over time, but the closely ranked 2nd and 3rd models included variation over space and treatment, respectively. The top 4 recruitment models all included effects for availability of sourc...
Electron-spin echoes and saturation in coal

Free radical electron paramagnetic resonance (e.p.r.) spectra of coal are comprised of unresolved hyperfine multiplets with widths of ≈770 kHz, (T2)−1, at 90–110 K. Unresolved hyperfine interactions are measured in the spin echo decay modulation and locate nuclei in the coal structure relative to the radical. With two distinguishable coal e.p.r. spectra in the sample, it is demonstrated that components may be separated from one another in the spin echo spectrum by judicious choice of temperature, pulse interval and echo repetition rate. The relaxation times T1 and T2 are measured with the spin echo at several temperatures.
Money and economic activity revisited

Abstract Recent literature has concluded that money no longer plays a fundamental role in determining US economic activity, especially when post-1982 data are included in the analysis. We re-examine the issue using annual and quarterly data sets ranging back to the Civil War. Cointegration tests show that an equilibrium relationship holds between money and income in all data samples of 35 years or longer, but frequently fails to hold for many shorter samples. However, when the normal monetary lags are explicitly imposed, a cointegrating relationship is frequently captured, even in quite short samples. Examining the issue in a standard five-variable VAR model, we find that money is the most important variable in explaining real output for the full 1874–1993 as well as 1952–1993 periods, even allowing for interest rate effects. Finally, using monthly data over the troublesome 1983–1994 sample, we show that when appropriate adjustments are made to capture recent structural changes, such as the growing importance of the international economy on US output, money still Granger-causes economic activity.
Will Rural Areas Still Matter in the 21st Century? (or) Can Rural Sociology Remain Relevant?1

L'A. estime que malgre la situation demographique et economique des societes rurales et de l'agriculture, il est important de toujours prendre en consideration le milieu rural. Il montre tout d'abord qu'un grand nombre de personnes continueront de resider, de vivre dans ce cadre meme si l'urbanisation progresse dans le monde entier. Il souligne d'autre part que les processus sociaux ont des consequences differentes s'ils se manifestent en ville ou a la campagne. Il considere que la sociologie rurale doit s'interesser particulierement et sur le plan international aux phenomenes de restructuration globale en comparant leurs effets economiques et sociaux en milieu urbain et en milieu rural
Insulin Misuse: A Review of an Overlooked Psychiatric Problem

A number of forms of insulin misuse, other than the usual noncompliance, have been reported in the literature on the treatment of diabetes mellitus. These include attempted and completed suicide, factitious hypoglycemia, Munchausen syndrome by proxy, and the use of insulin by substance abusers. Such misuse has involved diabetic patients, their family members and medical staff, as well as others. The reports of suicide attempts reveal an equal distribution of misuse between the sexes (rather than the expected preponderance of females), underrepresentation of adolescents, and a high rate of recurrence. Recommendations for treatment are discussed for clinicians and investigators regarding this overlooked problem.
Towards intelligent QA interfaces: discourse processing for context questions

Question answering (QA) systems take users' natural language questions and retrieve relevant answers from large repositories of free texts. Despite recent progress in QA research, most work on question answering is still focused on isolated questions. In a real-world information seeking scenario, questions are not asked in isolation, but rather in a coherent manner that involves a sequence of related questions to meet users' information needs. Therefore, to support coherent information seeking, intelligent QA interfaces will inevitably require techniques to support context question answering. To address this problem, this paper investigates approaches to discourse processing of a sequence of coherent questions and their implications on query expansion. In particular, we examine three models for query expansion that are motivated by Centering Theory. Our empirical results indicate that more sophisticated processing based on discourse transitions and centers can significantly improve the performance of document retrieval compared to models that only resolve references.
Intelligence: Are we getting smarter?

Over the past century, each successive generation has answered more IQ test items correctly than the last. How come?
Hydroxyversicolorone: isolation and characterization of a potential intermediate in aflatoxin biosynthesis

Des mutants de Aspergillus parasiticus produisent de l'hydroxy versicolorone et de la versicolorone caracterises par des methodes chimiques et spectrometriques
Historians Define the Baroque: Notes on a Problem of Art and Social History

Can the historian bring his presumably hard-headed and objective analytical devices to bear upon so impalpable a subject as man's art? At both ends of esthetic experience there is an elusive subjectivity: the artist (his “style” and “expressive content“) and the beholder (his “taste” and “feeling”) seem to take part in the experience on the basis of no rigidly determinable criteria. Yet here, as in the other gossamer realms of religion, philosophy, personal psychology or “national character”, the historian has never let mere impalpability daunt him. He may be aware of a caveat or two, but up into the rarefied heights he soars determined to transmit the historian's-eye view of the whole of human experience.
Farm Structure and Economic Well‐Being: A Look at Three Methodological Sins

Sociologists have increasingly turned to secondary data sources to study social and economic change. As our experience in this area increases, so should our methodological rigor. Three common methodological sins—model mis-specification, inattention to regional influences, and fuzzy operationalizations—are illustrated through a critique of Barnes and Blevins' (1992) study of farm structure and economic well-being in nonmetropolitan areas. This paper argues, and demonstrates empirically, that many of Barnes and Blevins' conclusions are suspect because they did not include ethnic and regional variables in their regression studies.
Vaso-occlusive episodes in older children with sickle cell disease: emergency department management and pain assessment.

Severe pain during a vaso-occlusive episode (VOE) is the most common cause of acute morbidity in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and has been linked with increased mortality in adults.1 Patients with sickle cell anemia average 0.8 painful episodes annually up to 60% of which require hospital based care.2 Limited published data indicate that after presenting to the emergency department (ED) 22% of adults3 and 42% of children experiencing a VOE are admitted for inpatient treatment.4 Adult studies have sought to characterize the frequency and duration of VOE as well as inpatient and outpatient management strategies but studies involving children remain scarce.5 Interventions such as intravenous fluids and analgesics, including combinations and methods of delivery, are not well studied. To our knowledge, no previous research has specifically examined ED treatment of VOE in older children and adolescents with SCD. Pain relief has not been a primary outcome measured in previous pediatric studies of VOE. In 2001, the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) set forth new standards regarding the assessment of pain. In most health care settings, pain assessment has become the “fifth” vital sign, serving both to quantify a patient’s discomfort and to document efficacy of interventions. Although standardized assessment tools exist, implementation is often inconsistent, and little evidence links change in patient-reported pain with specific interventions or expected outcome.6 Our primary objective was to describe the ED management of children with SCD experiencing a VOE. Our secondary objective was to correlate management factors and degree of pain relief with admission or discharge and ED return for the same painful episode.
Ribosome function determined by fluorescence

Abstract Five different fluorescence phenomena are considered in relation to their use to study the structure and function of ribosomes. These are: quantum yield or emission intensity; emission wavelength maximum; fluorescence anisotropy; coilisional quenching; and nonradiative energy transfer. Results from a number of studies in which these techniques were used are described and summarized in relation to the movement and conformation of tRNA, the nascent peptide, and mRNA in a ribosome during the reaction steps of peptide elongation.
Estimating a Particular Function of the Multiple Correlation Coefficient

Abstract Let R denote the sample multiple correlation coefficient formed from a sample from a normal distribution with population multiple correlation coefficient . This article considers the problem of estimating the parameter using quadratic loss. The best unbiased estimate of θ is a linear function of Y = R 2/(1 − R 2); it is shown that this is dominated by other linear estimates and that these, in turn, are dominated by nonlinear estimates. A Monte Carlo study indicates that such estimates perform much better than the best unbiased estimate in terms of mean squared error.