cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Early Childhood Computer Experience and Cognitive Development among Urban Low-Income Preschoolers

This study investigates the association between home computer experience and cognitive development among preschool children in inner-city Head Start programs. Approximately 200 children enrolled in four Head Start centers in Detroit, Michigan were recruited to participate in this study. Data was collected from parents regarding the children's experience with computers in the home environment, including their access to a computer, the amount of time spent on the computer, and types of programs used on the computer. Each child was assessed using the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities (MSCA) and the Boehm Test of Basic Concepts, Third Edition Preschool (Boehm-3). Results suggest that using a computer is positively correlated with some aspects of cognitive development. After controlling for parent's education and household income, children who had access to a computer in their home had significantly higher scores of the Verbal, Perceptual-Performance, and General Cognitive scales of the MSCA. Furthermore...
Simultaneous detection of dopamine, ascorbic acid, and uric acid at electrochemically pretreated carbon nanotube biosensors.

Abstract In this work we have evaluated the performance of electrochemically pretreated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) toward the electrochemical detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid at physiological pH. Results indicated that the electrochemically pretreated SWCNTs showed a selective and enhanced electroanalytical response with minimal electrode fouling toward the detection of dopamine than their untreated counterparts. The observed behavior is attributed to the negatively charged layer present on the SWCNTs originating from the rupture of the basal plane present on the end caps following electrochemical pretreatment. The rupture of basal plane is evident from surface Raman measurements. The negatively charged surface selectively allows the cationic dopamine toward the electrode and repels the anionic ascorbate and uric acid when they coexist in the same solution under physiological pH. A limit of detection of about 15 nM is obtained with these electrodes for the detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid. From the Clinical Editor The performance of electrochemically pretreated single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) was studied toward the electrochemical detection of dopamine. These SWCNTs showed a selective and enhanced response toward the detection of dopamine. A limit of detection of about 15 nM is obtained with these electrodes for the detection of dopamine in the presence of ascorbic acid and uric acid.
Kinetic theory of Alfven wave heating

In a magnetohydrodynamic description of a plasma, the shear Alfven wave is characterized by a continuous spectrum (the MHD continuum) which results from a singularity at ω ≃ k‖(r)VA(r), where ω is the frequency, k‖ is the wave number along the direction of the magnetic field and VA = B0/(4ρπ)1/2 is the Alfven speed, and r is the direction of inhomogeniety. The associated electromagnetic fields become large at this resonance layer in fact, in ideal MHD they become singular, and if some dissipation is allowed, the transfer of energy from the waves to the electrons can take place. These continuum modes are localized in space, and can be effective in heating plasmas in narrow regions around the resonanct surface. Recently, 1–3 a new class of nonsingular global eigenmodes of the plasma have been discovered which are wide spread in the plasma, and could effectively transfer energy to the bulk of the plasma. These modes arise because of a strong coupling between the shear and the evanascent compressional mode. The coupling is provided by gradients of density, equilibrium current and nonideal effects like finite ω/ωci, where ωci is the ion cyclotron frequency. In order to understand the effectiveness of these modes to heat plasmas, i.e., to determine the effective impedance, the energy deposition profiles, parametric dependence of the heating efficiency, etc., a kinetic theory with the electron parallel dynamics is needed. We have developed a detailed kinetic theory to study the structure of the continuum as well as global eigenmodes in an inhomogenous current carrying plasma. The global modes are comparatively much less damped than the continuum modes (which become discrete in the kinetic theory) and hence are easier to excite. The implication, of course, is that the large part of energy transfer in a Alfven Wave experiment would be mediated through these global modes. This theoretical conjecture is already confirmed in laboratory experiments on PRETEXT Tokamak.
Performance Analysis of an Asynchronous Web Server

Concurrency can be implemented in a Web server using synchronous and asynchronous mechanisms offered by the underlying operating system. Compared to the synchronous mechanisms, the asynchronous mechanisms are attractive because they provide the benefit of concurrency while alleviating much of the overhead and complexity of multithreading. The Proactor pattern in middleware, which effectively encapsulates the asynchronous mechanisms supported by the operating system, can be used to implement a high performance Web server. In this paper, we present a queuing model of an asynchronous Web server implemented using the Proactor pattern. We then describe a decomposition strategy to enable the application of the model in practical scenarios. We demonstrate the use of the model to guide configuration and provisioning decisions with several examples.
Strength of the lithosphere of the Galilean satellites

Abstract Several approaches have been used to estimate the ice shell thickness on Callisto, Ganymede, and Europa. Here we develop a method for placing a strict lower bound on the thickness of the strong part of the shell (lithosphere) using measurements of topography. The minimal assumptions are that the strength of faults in the brittle lithosphere is controlled by lithostatic pressure according to Byerlee's law and the shell has relatively uniform density and thickness. Under these conditions, the topography of the ice provides a direct measure of the bending moment in the lithosphere. This topographic bending moment must be less than the saturation bending moment of the yield strength envelope derived from Byerlee's law. The model predicts that the topographic amplitude spectrum decreases as the square of the topographic wavelength. This explains why Europa is rugged at shorter wavelengths (∼10 km) but extremely smooth, and perhaps conforming to an equipotential surface, at longer wavelengths (>100 km). Previously compiled data on impact crater depth and diameter [Schenk, P.M., 2002. Nature 417, 419–421] on Europa show good agreement with the spectral decrease predicted by the model and require a lithosphere thicker than 2.5 km. A more realistic model, including a ductile lower lithosphere, requires a thickness greater than 3.5 km. Future measurements of topography in the 10–100 km wavelength band will provide tight constraints on lithospheric strength.
Narrative and History in Hume's Moral Epistemology

Hume's moral epistemology, focusing on the elevation of character tratis, requires what in contemporary terms is a narrative structure. The moral significance of an action can only be understood when considered in relation to an agent's past actions, beliefs, intentions, social environment and situation. Three features of Hume's writings support this claim: his accounts of moral evidence, of the object of moral evaluation, and of the value of history. Without recognizing the role of narrative, the standard view of Hume's moral epistemology is incomplete. Recognizing this, Hume's History of England can be read as an exercise of moral evaluation.
Self-folding nanostructures with imprint patterned surfaces (SNIPS)

A significant need in nanotechnology is the development of methods to mass-produce three-dimensional (3D) nanostructures and their ordered assemblies with patterns of functional materials such as metals, ceramics, device grade semiconductors, and polymers. While top-down lithography approaches can enable heterogeneous integration, tunability, and significant material versatility, these methods enable inherently two-dimensional (2D) patterning. Bottom-up approaches enable mass-production of 3D nanostructures and their assemblies but with limited precision, and tunability in surface patterning. Here, we demonstrate a methodology to create Self-folding Nanostructures with Imprint Patterned Surfaces (SNIPS). By a variety of examples, we illustrate that SNIPS, either individually or in ordered arrays, are mass-producible and have significant tunability, material heterogeneity, and patterning precision.
PATERNAL EFFECTS IN INHERITANCE OF A PATHOGEN RESISTANCE TRAIT IN IPOMOEA PURPUREA.

For continuously variable, polygenic characters, the response to selection depends upon the proportion of phenotypic variance that is caused by additive genetic variance, or narrow-sense heritability. Thus, a major goal of quantitative genetics is to partition phenotypic variance for a trait in a way that isolates additive genetic variance from other causes. The variance among paternal half-sib families, which is frequently used to estimate additive variance, is commonly recognized to include additive epistatic effects. However, this variance component can also include non- Mendelian paternal effects. We report here the results from a diallel crossing design used to isolate nonnuclear effects from the paternal nuclear contribution to disease resistance in the common morning glory, Ipomoea purpurea. In particular, we found that genetic variance for resistance to anthracnose, a disease caused by the fungal pathogen Colletotrichum dematium, was determined largely by a nonnuclear, additive paternal effect. We discuss potential mechanisms for this effect as well as some of their evolutionary implications.
Abnormal Presence of Thoracic Legs on Larva of the Alfalfa Snout BeetleBrachyrhinus ligustici

In the past, abnormal development of insect appendages has occurred mostly as a result of conditions differing from those an insect would normally encounter. However, a tenebrionid, Eleodes grandicollis valida Boheman, having on its right side 2 mesothoracic legs plus an additional leg bud was collected from natural infestations (Kramm and Kramm 1971). Kadoum et al. (1967) reported the absence of legs in adult Tenebrio molitor L. after exposing the larvae to an electric field. Baker and Atwood (1969) reported malformations of the legs of Diprion similis Hartig when reared under long photophase (15–24 hr).
Effects of Hydrogen on the Fracture Properties of Σ9 and Σ11 Tilt Boundaries in Nickel

In this study, the Embedded Atom Method is combined with Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations to study the fracture properties of Σ9 and Σ11 tilt boundaries in nickel. The Monte Carlo simulations are used to simulate the exposure of the bicrystal to a hydrogen environment at 300° C. These simulations establish the equilibrium distribution of hydrogen at the boundaries as a function of far-field concentration. The effect of the hydrogen on the fracture process is then studied with molecular dynamics. It will be shown that the fracture stress of the Σ9 boundary is affected over a wider range of far-field concentrations than the Σ11 boundary, although the Σ11 boundary shows that catastrophic failure occurs when the sample is charged beyond a certain far-field concentration.
Managing moist temperate forests for bioenergy and biodiversity.

Demand for bioenergy is expected to triple by 2050 as a result of policies aimed to improve energy independence and mitigate global climate change. We review forest practices that generate biomass in mesic forests and show that they vary widely in intensity and potential magnitude of the effects on biodiversity. Although increased demand for bioenergy may incentivize maintaining forestland, increasing economic value of woody biomass will probably stimulate more intensive management practices, impacting many species, especially those associated with deadwood. The spatial extent of habitat modification and the type and degree of management will have an impact on populations of sensitive species. We propose preliminary management guidelines to minimize biodiversity impacts and introduce an initial research agenda to test the sensitivity of forest biodiversity to bioenergy practices at multiple scales.
On the Schema Theory in Cognitive Linguistics and English Listening Teaching

Cognitive linguistics is a new paradigm in linguistics. There are three main methods to characterize it,namely experience concept,prominence concept and attention concept. Schema theory believes that human brain has a variety of schema which describes not only the event itself,but also provides concepts of a series of causes and conditions which have access to the schema. Therefore,in the process of listening,not only the prominence information should be focused on,but the relative schema information needs to be paid attention to. Putting Schema theory into English listening teaching will have a good effect on improving students' understanding and cultivate their conversational abilities.
Analysis of Long Noncoding RNAs in RNA-Seq Data

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) constitute a major fraction of the output of the genome in most higher eukaryotes. However, analysis of their expression in RNA-seq experiments poses unique challenges due to the biological features of this class of RNAs, namely, their generally low expression level, abundance of repeat-element-derived sequences, frequent locus overlap with other transcripts, the presence of a significant non-polyadenylated fraction, and paucity of splicing. While the main computational RNA-seq analysis steps for the study of lncRNAs are similar to those used for the analysis of protein-coding transcriptome, special considerations must be taken at nearly every step to ensure the optimal detection and quantification of lncRNAs. Specifically, changes in sample preparation, library construction, choice of sequencing methodology, and quantification and differential expression algorithms are needed for accurate representation and expression analysis of lncRNA. In addition to the commonly used RNA-seq workflow steps, the study of the lncRNAs involves the lncRNA-specific computational steps of novel gene discovery and analysis of the protein-coding potential of the discovered putative lncRNAs, which are essential for obtaining a complete picture of the noncoding transcriptome. While the traditional RNA-seq will continue to contribute to our understanding of biology of lncRNAs, the increased availability of newer techniques such as capture-seq, single-cell RNA-seq, and in situ RNA-seq is likely to revolutionize our understanding of the regulation and function of this novel and poorly understood class of cellular RNAs.
Flat Chains Modulo v , Varifolds, and (M, ɛ, δ)-Minimal Sets

This chapter gives brief descriptions of flat chains modulo ν , varifolds, and (M, є, δ )-minimal sets. A number of alternative spaces of surfaces have been developed in geometric measure theory, as required for theory and applications. One way to treat nonorientable surfaces and more general surfaces is to work modulo 2, or more generally modulo ν for any integer ν ≥ 2. Two rectifiable currents T 1 , T 2 are congruent modulo ν if T 1 – T 2 = νQ for some rectifiable current Q and in particular, T ≡ –T (mod 2). The m-dimensional rectifiable current modulo ν , is defined as congruence classes of rectifiable currents. Most of the concepts and theorems on rectifiable currents have analogs for rectifiable currents modulo ν : mass, ﬂat norm, the Deformation Theorem, the Compactness Theorem, existence theory, and the Approximation Theorem. For ensuring completeness, the integral ﬂat chains congruentto 0 modulo ν must be defined as the ﬂat-norm closure of those of the form ν Q.
The Missing Piece: Connecting SoTL and Student Learning

A Review of Faculty Development and Student Learning: Assessing the Connections by William Condon, Ellen R. Iverson, Cathryn A. Manduca, Carol Rutz, and Gudrun Willett
Overfishing and Bycatch

Humans have been consuming seafood since the genesis of Homo sapiens. Today, marine fisheries are the most important source of wild food in the world, providing the primary source of protein for millions of people particularly in developing countries. Yet, marine fisheries are vastly overexploited due to a variety of factors including overcapitalization in the industry, increasing levels of technology, illegal fishing, and reckless harvesting. The collapse of fisheries reflects a double jeopardy for many individuals and communities. In addition to the immediate losses of food resources, there are also associated costs in the form of lost livelihoods for both this generation and future generations. These losses may be particularly acute for developing countries since half of the world’s fish trade is sourced from developing countries. This chapter describes two related phenomena associated with marine fisheries law—overfishing and bycatch—and outlines the existing legal regimes to address these phenomena.
A Review of Bose-Einstein Condensation in Certain Quantum Magnets Containing Cu and Ni

We summarize a set of recent experimental and theoretical work on the phenomenon of Bose-Einstein Condensation (BEC) of magnetic degrees of freedom in quantum magnets. We will focus on two examples: BaCuSi2O6, which contains planes of Cu S = 1/2 dimers, and NiCl2-4SC(NH2)2 (DTN), an organic magnet with Ni S = 1 weakly-coupled chains. In both compounds, the BEC corresponds to a field-induced antiferromagnetic ordered state that persists over a magnetic field range H c 1 to H c 2. At the quantum critical point at H c 1, the predicted power-law behavior of the critical fields and the magnetization for 3-D BEC is observed at low temperatures. In addition, BaCuSi2O6 shows a dimensional crossover from a 3-D BEC to 2-D behavior below 1 K.
A rare breed: Wild-type braf and ighv expression in a 29 year old lady with classical hairy cell leukemia

Abstract The V600 BRAF mutation has been described as a key mutation in the pathogenesis of classical hairy cell leukemia ( c -HCL) cases without expression of a mutant immunoglobulin heavy chain (IgHV). Here we present a rare case of c-HCL with neither V600 BRAF mutation nor the aforementioned IgHV variant successfully treated with cladribine and review the current literature on its use in women of childbearing age/pregnancy.
Perforin Expression by CD8 T Cells Is Sufficient To Cause Fatal Brain Edema during Experimental Cerebral Malaria

Human cerebral malaria (HCM) is a serious complication of Plasmodium falciparum infection. The most severe outcomes for patients include coma, permanent neurological deficits, and death. Recently, a large-scale magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study in humans identified brain swelling as the most prominent predictor of fatal HCM. Therefore, in this study, we sought to define the mechanism controlling brain edema through the use of the murine experimental cerebral malaria (ECM) model. Specifically, we investigated the ability of CD8 T cells to initiate brain edema during ECM. We determined that areas of blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability colocalized with a reduction of the cerebral endothelial cell tight-junction proteins claudin-5 and occludin. Furthermore, through small-animal MRI, we analyzed edema and vascular leakage. Using gadolinium-enhanced T1-weighted MRI, we determined that vascular permeability is not homogeneous but rather confined to specific regions of the brain. Our findings show that BBB permeability was localized within the brainstem, olfactory bulb, and lateral ventricle. Concurrently with the initiation of vascular permeability, T2-weighted MRI revealed edema and brain swelling. Importantly, ablation of the cytolytic effector molecule perforin fully protected against vascular permeability and edema. Furthermore, perforin production specifically by CD8 T cells was required to cause fatal edema during ECM. We propose that CD8 T cells initiate BBB breakdown through perforin-mediated disruption of tight junctions. In turn, leakage from the vasculature into the parenchyma causes brain swelling and edema. This results in a breakdown of homeostatic maintenance that likely contributes to ECM pathology.
Conditional survival (CS) in patients with stage II melanoma.

e19054 Background: While sentinel lymph node biopsy is recommended for those presenting with clinical stage II melanoma, it is not always performed. Future survival beyond the time already survived...
Use and selection of brood-rearing habitat by Sage Grouse in south central Washington

Sage Grouse ( Centrocercus urophasianus ) brood-habitat use was examined during 1992 and 1993 at the Yakima Training Center in Yakima and Kittitas counties, Washington. During the 2 yr we followed 30 broods, of which 12 persisted to 1 August (‾ x = approximately 1.5 chicks/brood). Food forb cover was greater at all brood locations than at random locations. Hens with broods in big sagebrush/bunchgrass habitat ( Artemisia tridentata/Agropyron spicatum ) selected for greater food forb cover, total forb cover, and lower shrub heights; broods in altered big sagebrush/bunchgrass habitats selected greater tall grass cover and vertical cover height; broods in grassland showed no preference for any measured vegetation characteristics. During the early rearing period (post-hatching-6 wk) each year, broods selected sagebrush/bunchgrass. Broods in 1993 made greater use of grasslands than in 1992 and selected grassland during the late brood-rearing period (7-12 wk). Broods selected for sagebrush/bunchgrass during the midday, but 52% of brood locations in the afternoon were in grassland. Tall grass cover was greater at morning (0500-1000 h) and afternoon (1501-2000 h) brood locations than at midday (1001-1500 h) and random locations. Midday brood locations had greater shrub cover and height than morning and afternoon locations. Selection of habitat components was similar to the results of other studies, but habitat conditions coupled with a possible lack of alternate brood-rearing cover types resulted in low survival of chicks.
Hyperdrive: A flexible cloud testbed for research and education

Today, cloud computing is of paramount importance and is widely used. There have been many works illustrating the potential of narrowly focused security attacks against cloud systems, as well as elaborate mitigation techniques. However, the understanding of the implications of these attacks and mitigations on practical cloud systems as a whole, remains limited. One of the reasons is the difficulty and cost of control of the environment, reproducibility of experiments, and flexibility in reconfiguration to different cloud systems. In this work we present “hyperdrive”, a highly reconfigurable cloud testbed to support research and education in experimentally assessing the practical impact of attacks and mitigations on realistic cloud systems. The testbed can be used for research activities to evaluate the performance of mitigation techniques spanning crypto-based privacy-preserving cloud computation, and applied system security research focusing on side channel attacks, and stealthy data exfiltration. The proposed testbed can also be used for education within the context of the cloud security course and projects.
Quantitative image analysis for investigating cell-matrix interactions

The extracellular matrix provides both chemical and physical cues that control cellular processes such as migration, division, differentiation, and cancer progression. Cells can mechanically alter the matrix by applying forces that result in matrix displacements, which in turn may localize to form dense bands along which cells may migrate. To quantify the displacements, we use confocal microscopy and fluorescent labeling to acquire high-contrast images of the fibrous material. Using a technique for quantitative image analysis called digital volume correlation, we then compute the matrix displacements. Our experimental technology offers a means to quantify matrix mechanics and cell-matrix interactions. We are now using these experimental tools to modulate mechanical properties of the matrix to study cell contraction and migration.
Winter soil respiration in a humid temperate forest: The roles of moisture, temperature, and snowpack

Winter soil respiration at midlatitudes can comprise a substantial portion of annual ecosystem carbon loss. However, winter soil carbon dynamics in these areas, which are often characterized by shallow snow cover, are poorly understood due to infrequent sampling at the soil surface. Our objectives were to continuously measure winter CO2 flux from soils and the overlying snowpack while also monitoring drivers of winter soil respiration in a humid temperate forest. We show that the relative roles of soil temperature and moisture in driving winter CO2 flux differed within a single soil-to-snow profile. Surface soil temperatures had a strong, positive influence on CO2 flux from the snowpack, while soil moisture exerted a negative control on soil CO2 flux within the soil profile. Rapid fluctuations in snow depth throughout the winter likely created the dynamic soil temperature and moisture conditions that drove divergent patterns in soil respiration at different depths. Such dynamic conditions differ from many previous studies of winter soil microclimate and respiration, where soil temperature and moisture are relatively stable until snowmelt. The differential response of soil respiration to temperature and moisture across depths was also a unique finding as previous work has not simultaneously quantified CO2 flux from soils and the snowpack. The complex interplay we observed among snow depth, soil temperature, soil moisture, and CO2 flux suggests that winter soil respiration in areas with shallow seasonal snow cover is more variable than previously understood and may fluctuate considerably in the future given winter climate change.
ORCHARD: visual object recognition accelerator based on approximate in-memory processing

In recent years, machine learning for visual object recognition has been applied to various domains, e.g., autonomous vehicle, heath diagnose, and home automation. However, the recognition procedures still consume a lot of processing energy and incur a high cost of data movement for memory accesses. In this paper, we propose a novel hardware accelerator design, called ORCHARD, which processes the object recognition tasks inside memory. The proposed design accelerates both the image feature extraction and boosting-based learning algorithm, which are key subtasks of the state-of-the-art image recognition approaches. We optimize the recognition procedures by leveraging approximate computing and emerging non-volatile memory (NVM) technology. The NVM-based in-memory processing allows the proposed design to mitigate the CMOS-based computation overhead, highly improving the system efficiency. In our evaluation conducted on circuit- and device-level simulations, we show that ORCHARD successfully performs practical image recognition tasks, including text, face, pedestrian, and vehicle recognition with 0.3% of accuracy loss made by computation approximation. In addition, our design significantly improves the performance and energy efficiency by up to 376x and 1896x, respectively, compared to the existing processor-based implementation.
Experimental and numerical study of a two-stage natural gas combustion pyrolysis reactor for acetylene production: The role of delayed mixing

Abstract Combustion pyrolysis of natural gas is a promising process for high value-added chemicals such as alkynes and olefins. This work introduces recent experimental and computational studies of a 2.5 kTA (thousand metric ton per year) two-stage combustion pyrolysis unit, and focuses on the role of mixing on pyrolysis. Temperature, pressure, and gas composition measurements were experimentally obtained at different mixer and pyrolysis reactor lengths. Kinetic studies indicate that fast mixing of the hot combustion gas and cracking natural gas streams to the optimum temperature window of about 2000 K promotes C2+ formation and minimizes partial oxidation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) reacting turbulent flow simulations using Reynolds Average Navier–Stokes (RANS) and Large Eddy Simulation (LES) approaches with a detailed reaction mechanism were conducted on the integrated reactor system including combustor, mixer, and pyrolysis reactor. Results show good agreement between the CFD simulation results and experimental data, and reveal that the overall C2+ yield decreases to ∼21% due to the delayed mixing, compared to ∼36% in the perfect mixing scenario. Detailed comparison between experimental and simulation results are discussed, and potential strategies for reactor design and performance improvements are suggested.
HUMAN SERUM DOPAMINE-β-HYDROXYLASE BIOCHEMICAL GENETICS

ABSTRACT Human serum dopamine-β-hydroxylase activity is largely determined by an allele for low enzymatic activity, DBHL , that is inherited in a monogenic fashion. The gene frequency of DBHL is approximately 0.2, and about one-third of a randomly selected population is heterozygous for the allele. The presence of DBHL results in a decrease in the quantity of DBH protein in blood. Additional variant forms of serum DBH exist including a thermolabile variant found in approximately 10% of a randomly selected population. This trait does not segregate with DBHL.
A Note to Instructors

The first Mathematical Experience appeared in 1981. At that time, only a few years ago, it was commonly believed that it was impossible to make contemporary mathematics meaningful to the intelligent non-mathematician. Since then, dozens of popular books on contemporary mathematics have been published. James Gleick’s Chaos was a long-run best seller. John Casti is producing a continuing series of such books.
Sympathomimetic drugs: evaluation for acute central hypotensive activity in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized dogs and cats intravertebral artery administration,.

dl-Amphetamine, phentermine and their para-chloro derivatives were tested for acute central hypotensive activity after intra-vertebral artery (iva) infusions in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized cats and intact and carotid sinus denervated dogs. Iva clonidine (reference standard) caused immediate reductions in blood pressure and heart rate and carotid sinus denervation (CSD) enhanced the clonidine response. dl-Amphetamine and phentermine did not cause acute hypotensive responses in the dog or cat whereas their para-chloro derivatives did. The vasodepressor response to para-chloramphetamine was inconsistent and transient and not modified by CSD. The magnitude and duration of the chlorphentermine vasodepressor response was minimal in the intact and CSD dog compared to clonidine. In contrast, chlorphentermine in the cat (140-300 mug/kg) caused an acute hypotensive response comparable in magnitude to clonidine (0.6-1.0 mug/kg). The bradycardias observed after iva chlorphentermine were much less pronounced than those associated with iva clonidine at comparable vasodepressor doses. By the i.v. route, each drug caused only pressor responses in the dog and cat. Suppression of the pressor response (resulting from "spill-over" of these alpha-stimulants into the systemic circulation after iva dosing) in the dog with small doses of i.v. phenoxybenzamine did not unmask or enhance the vasodepressor or bradycardic actions to iva administration of drugs. Methysergide prevented the hypotensive response to chlorphentermine in the cat and partially suppressed the response to clonidine; the reverse was true after piperoxan. Lilly 110140 and para-chlorophenylalanine reduced or abolished the effects of iva chlorphentermine. In summary, (1) iva chlorphentermine and clonidine were the only alpha-sympathomimetics tested which were effective as hypotensive substances; (2) the cat was considerably more responsive to iva chlorphentermine than the intact or CSD dog; (3) iva clonidine was more bradycardic than iva chlorphentermine; and (4) both adrenergic and serotonergic components appear to be among the mechanisms involved in the acute iva hypotensive response to chlorphentermine in the cat.
Humeanism and Prudence

Humeanism is a doctrine about practical reasons. It says that all practical reasons involve desires. According to this doctrine, beliefs alone cannot be practical reasons, i.e. they cannot by themselves be reasons for doing something, for wanting to do something, or for wanting something to happen. If, for example, you did not want to stay healthy, then your belief that exercising would improve your health could not by itself be a reason to exercise. Humeanism thus echoes Hume’s famous slogan that reason, conceived as the belief-producing faculty, is and ought only to be the slave of the passions: what we believe cannot alone determine what we rationally should do, should want to do, or should simply want to happen. Beliefs guide our actions towards goals that belief itself is not capable of rationally setting for us. But—and at this point Humeanism might be seen to depart from the position held by David Hume himself—our actions and desires do have to answer standards of rationality. So according to Humeanism, though maybe not according to Hume, there is a genuine notion of practical reason.1 This faculty of practical reason determines what we rationally should do or desire. A theory of practical reasons tells us what sort of considerations are to be taken into account when we determine what is practically rational. According to Humeanism, practical reasons involve desires. Desires or, to use Hume’s term, passions, are thus rationally controlled by other passions.
On Prophetic Resistance: An Introduction

This chapter argues that most of the literature regarding religion and sport situate these phenomena as fulfilling human needs. These arguments focus primarily on the aspects of sport, like religion, that improve subjective and collective well-being for the majority. This work is different in that it focuses on the ways that religion provides a necessary discomfort in a society that strives toward comfort. An essential aspect of many religious traditions, especially the Abrahamic traditions, is countering voices and practices. These religious forces, typically referred to as prophetic, push the tradition and society to recognize its failures and shortcomings. Taking as a starting position that sport is a civil religious phenomenon in the United States, this chapter situates athletic activism as contemporary prophetic activity.
Is Office Human Resource Capacity Associated with Engagement Audit Quality

We examine the association between office professionally qualified human capital and audit quality. Using hand-collected data on Big 4 audit firm office CPA levels from 30 U.S. cities, we find that offices with relatively more professionally qualified human capital deliver higher quality audits, with this benefit being somewhat more pronounced for audits performed during the busy season than for non-busy season audits. The results underscore the importance of the availability of professionally qualified human capital in audit offices to the office’s audit quality. This study contributes to the literature on office-level audit quality indicators (AQIs) and audit firm human capital.
Time Resolution Studies for a 1-mm Resolution Clinical PET System With a Charge Sharing Readout and Leading Edge Discrimination

A 1-mm3 resolution clinical locoregional positron emission tomography scanner is being built in our lab. A subsystem has been built comprising 98 304 lutetium–yttrium oxyorthosilicate scintillation crystals coupled to position-sensitive avalanche photodiodes (PSAPDs). In the system, one leading edge discriminator (LED) threshold is used to trigger all 64 individual crystal elements on a PSAPD. In this paper, we study the effects of applying a single LED threshold across the different crystals on a PSAPD, and then look at the system-wide coincident timing resolution as a function of the LED threshold energy in the system. In addition, we also study the timing resolution behavior as a function of activity. The results show that an “effective” LED photon energy threshold across a PSAPD results in a distribution of crystal LED energy thresholds, with the interior crystal elements of the PSAPD having lower thresholds than the exterior crystal elements. The optimal LED energy threshold for individual crystal elements for coincident timing resolution was found to be between 80 and 180 keV. For an F-18 line source placed at the center, the coincidence timing resolution and randoms fraction degrade, respectively, from 13.8 ± 0.1 ns to 40.0 ± 0.4 ns, and from 2% to 38%, as the activity is increased from 44 to 1350 $\boldsymbol \mu $ Ci.
Public Regulation of Private Land Use in Arizona: An Analysis of Its Scope and Potential Part 1

Land is a limited resource. As population grows and urban areas expand, planning for and controlling private land use becomes critical. Effective land use planning depends in large part on adequate enabling legislation. Land use planning is particularly important in states like Arizona, where growth patterns are still fluid and where land use planning can shape future development. This Article surveys the powers which local government units-cities, towns, and counties-now possess over land use planning. The bulk of the discussion will be divided between primary land use control authority-planning, zoning, and subdivision control-and secondary land use control powers-health regulations, permit and license authority, land acquisition, and nuisance law. Section IV of this Article deals with some planning conflicts. Urbanization creates conflicts between local governments over land use. Unless methods of adjustment are developed to resolve conflicts over land use, one jurisdiction's planning provisions may become another's burden. The final section of this Article discusses some of the aspects of regional planning in Arizona and examines the potential for using regional planning as a tool for guiding development of federally assisted projects.
The dual origin of semantic errors in access deficit: activation vs. inhibition deficit

According to most models of language production, to name a picture one must first map semantic features onto lexical items. Even if both sets of representations are intact, problems in mapping semantic to lexical representations can impair production. Individuals with this problem, sometimes referred to as "access deficit", often demonstrate evidence of preserved semantic knowledge (e.g., good comprehension), increased rate of lexical (usually semantic) errors in production, and inconsistent accuracy on naming the same picture on different occasions. In this paper, I argue that access deficit can have two distinct etiologies. I will present a case of double dissociation between two individuals with chronic post-stroke aphasia, one of whom shows a profile compatible with impaired activation of the target lexical item from semantic features (activation deficit), while the other shows a profile compatible with impaired inhibition of competing lexical items (inhibition deficit). These results have three key implications: (a) they provide support for the theoretical separation between activation and selection processes in computational models of word production, (b) they point to the critical role of inhibitory control in lexical selection, and (c) they invite a closer inspection of the origin of semantic errors in individuals with access deficit in order to choose the best treatment option.
Posterior Uveitis: Role of Imaging Modalities

With the development of new imaging technologies and modalities, clinicians have novel information available to them in the diagnosis and treatment of intraocular inflammatory diseases. This makes understanding the different imaging modalities an important adjunct to the clinical exam. The goal of this chapter is to review the principles underlying these imaging technologies and help the clinician understand how to utilize them appropriately. We will discuss traditional photography and angiography, but the emphasis of this chapter will be on newer technologies. These include ultra-widefield imaging, autofluorescence, optical coherence tomography (OCT), and advanced OCT applications such as en face imaging and OCT-angiography (OCT-A).
Identically self-blocking clutters

A clutter is identically self-blocking if it is equal to its blocker. We prove that every identically self-blocking clutter different from \(\{\{a\}\}\) is nonideal. Our proofs borrow tools from Gauge Duality and Quadratic Programming. Along the way we provide a new lower bound for the packing number of an arbitrary clutter.
Findings in Stillbirths Associated with Placental Disease.

Objective Placental disease is a leading cause of stillbirth. Our purpose was to characterize stillbirths associated with placental disease. Study Design The Stillbirth Collaborative Research Network conducted a prospective, case–control study of stillbirths and live births from 2006 to 2008. This analysis includes 512 stillbirths with cause of death assignment and a comparison group of live births. We compared exposures between women with stillbirth due to placental disease and those due to other causes as well as between women with term (≥ 37 weeks) stillbirth due to placental disease and term live births. Results A total of 121 (23.6%) out of 512 stillbirths had a probable or possible cause of death due to placental disease by Initial Causes of Fetal Death. Characteristics were similar between stillbirths due to placental disease and other stillbirths. When comparing term live births to stillbirths due to placental disease, women with non-Hispanic black race, Hispanic ethnicity, lack of insurance, or who were born outside of the United States had higher odds of stillbirth due to placental disease. Nulliparity and antenatal bleeding also increased risk of stillbirth due to placental disease. Conclusion Multiple discrete exposures were associated with stillbirth caused by placental disease. The relationship between these factors and utility of surveillance warrants further study.
Assessing spontaneous passage of prophylactic pancreatic duct stents by X-ray: is a radiology report adequate?

Background:Pancreatic duct stents are frequently placed for prophylaxis of post-endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography pancreatitis. Because of concern for possible secondary ductal changes...
Silicon Based Millimeter Wave ASICs: From Circuits to System Applications

The increasing demand for bandwidth in applications such as high speed communication transceivers and rotational gas spectroscopy, has driven recent research efforts in the millimeter wave and terahertz circuits and systems. This revived interest goes hand-in-hand with advances in modern CMOS and SiGe technologies that are capable of providing transistors with cutoff frequencies $f_{max}$ above 200 GHz and expected to approach 1 THz within few years. Such technologies are key enablers for low cost, high yield, multi-functional and highly integrated digitally enhanced systems. However, as the cutoff frequency of transistors increase, their output power, particularly when covering a wide bandwidth becomes very limited. In addition, switching such transistors as they operate close to their $f_{max}$ is a challenging task that requires rethinking the traditional communications and sensing/spectroscopy architectures with emphasis on extracting the output power of transistors while transmitting data rates exceeding tens and hundreds of Gbps and / or scanning a wide bandwidth. In this paper, we review recent progress on silicon-based fundamental building blocks for high power, wide band signal sources and high speed transceiver architectures at frequencies greater than or equal 100 GHz.
Atherosclerotic Peripheral Artery Disease in the United States: Gender and Ethnic Variation in a Multiple Cause-of-Death Analysis:

Background:Atherosclerotic peripheral artery disease (PAD) is an important cause of morbidity in the United States. In this article, we conducted a multiple cause-of-death analysis of PAD to determ...
Stool frequency and form and gastrointestinal symptoms differ by day of the menstrual cycle in healthy adult women taking oral contraceptives: a prospective observational study.

Little is known about how the menstrual cycle affects gastrointestinal function and self-reported stress in young, healthy women taking oral contraceptives (OC). This study prospectively characterized gastrointestinal function and symptoms on each day throughout the menstrual cycle. Healthy women aged 18–35 years (n = 78) who took OC participated in the 5-week observational study. Stool frequency, self-reported stress, stool form measured by the Bristol Stool Form Scale (BSFS), and gastrointestinal symptoms measured by a modified version of the Gastrointestinal Symptom Rating Scale (GSRS) were assessed daily. GSRS scores were reported (1 = no discomfort at all, 7 = very severe discomfort) and were averaged for individual syndrome scores or summed for the total score. The validated, weekly version of the GSRS was completed at two time points to reflect menstruation and 1 week prior to menstruation (n = 72). Outcomes were analyzed in linear mixed models with the Dunnett’s post hoc test against day 1 of menstrual bleeding or with nonparametric tests. Daily stress (P = 0.0018), BSFS score (P = 0.0493), stool frequency (P = 0.0241), abdominal pain (P < 0.0001), diarrhea (P = 0.0022), constipation (P = 0.0446), reflux (P = 0.0193), and indigestion (P < 0.0001) all varied significantly by the day of the menstrual cycle. Dunnett’s post hoc tests showed that scores (mean ± SEM) on the first day of bleeding (day 1) for daily abdominal pain (2.6 ± 0.2), diarrhea (1.7 ± 0.1), and indigestion (2.1 ± 0.2) symptoms were higher than scores on all other days of the menstrual cycle (P < 0.05) with scores not on day 1 falling under 1.5, or between no discomfort at all and slight discomfort. Reflux, stool frequency, BSFS, self-reported stress, and constipation were higher on day 1 (P < 0.05) than on 12, 8, 6, 4, and 2 other days of the menstrual cycle, respectively. The median (IQR) GSRS score was higher during the week of menstruation than the week prior to menstruation for diarrhea [1.50 (1.00–2.33) vs 1.33 (1.00–2.00), P = 0.002] and abdominal pain [2.00 (1.33–2.67) vs 1.67 (1.33–2.33), P = 0.011] syndrome scores. Bowel habits appear to vary across the menstrual cycle and suggest more gastrointestinal discomfort on day 1 of menstrual bleeding in healthy women taking OC. Future interventional studies could identify ways to improve gastrointestinal symptoms in healthy women during menstruation.