cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Relict Cerithiid Prosobranch, Gourmya gourmyi (Crosse)

Gourmya gourmyi (Crosse 1861) is a rare, relatively large, stout, and distinctive-looking prosobranch that lives on subtidal coral reefs in a restricted part of the southwest Pacific. It has largely been ignored in the scientific literature and is not well represented in museum collections. This species is the sole survivor of a Tethyan lineage that can be traced back to the Eocene of the Paris Basin. The shell morphology of the living form is virtually identical with those of its ancestors. Nothing was known about the animal or its ecology until recently, when I was able to examine a few preserved animals from New Caledonia and the Chesterfield Islands, Coral Sea. Prior to this only the shell was known. My study (Houbrick 1981) provided information about anatomy, the radula, and operculum that established Gourmya as a valid genus in the family Cerithiidae.
Market effects of farmer field schools in Sub‐Saharan Africa: The case for cocoa

Billions of dollars are invested in development programs, all of which have a monitoring and evaluation component and consider only the programs’ intended effects while ignoring their market effects on prices. This study analyzes the market effects of the Cocoa Livelihood Program (CLP) in Ghana. To evaluate both the benefits to cocoa farmers and market outcomes of CLP on cocoa and other noncocoa markets, this study simulates a partial‐equilibrium farm household model. The analysis shows that CLP participating households benefit by U.S.$154 per household, while nonparticipating households benefit (through market outcome) by only U.S.$21 per household, at the 2016 participation rate of 6 percent. The net welfare changes in staple food markets (maize, rice, cassava, and yam) attributable to CLP, is estimated at U.S.$850 per household. A rise in the CLP participation rate leads to a decline in the Ghanaian cocoa price. However, net gains from the program become negative at participation rates of more than 60 percent, as supply increases and the cocoa price falls. This result suggests that CLP participation could be expanded up to 60 percent of Ghana's cocoa producing households. However, expanding cocoa demand is equally as important as expanding production if participation rates exceed 60 percent.
Geological and production uncertainty assessments of the cyclic $$\text{CO}_2$$ CO 2 -assisted gravity drainage EOR process: a case study from South Rumaila oil field

Risk or uncertainty assessment in the reservoir flow modeling, especially in real field-scale evaluation, is essential to make a trustful decision regarding the future development plans. This paper presents an efficient uncertainty assessment workflow of geological and production data through the cyclic $$\text{CO}_2$$ -assisted gravity drainage (GAGD) process in South Rumaila oil field in Southern Iraq. First, the sequential Gaussian simulation created a large number of reservoir stochastic realizations that capture the entire geological uncertainty space. Second, ranking was applied to select the quartiles $$(\text{P}10, \text{P}20,\ldots ,\text{P}90)$$ of reservoir permeability and anisotropy ratio to quantify the geological uncertainty. Next, the equation of state-compositional flow model was constructed to evaluate these realizations by calculating the reservoir flow response. Then, 81 designed simulations were created by factorial design considering the combined realizations of permeability and anisotropy ratio. In a successive step, the most-likely model was considered for the uncertainty quantification of the operational decision parameters through the cyclic GAGD process to restrict the uncertainty space, which leads to obtain the true optimal scenario. The cyclic GAGD operational parameters include durations of injection, soaking, and production and the minimum bottom hole pressure in production wells. The compositional reservoir flow model was again used to evaluate the multiple simulations created by the proxy-based Box–Behnken design and Monte Carlo simulation. The combined geological and production uncertainty workflow gave an idea about the uncertainty or risk space of the predicted reservoir flow response in the future cyclic GAGD process performance.
Millimeter-Wave Dielectric Properties of Highly Refractive Single Crystals Characterized by Waveguide Cavity Resonance

This paper reports precision measurements of the electromagnetic permittivity of five highly refractive, single-crystal materials, SrTiO3, KTaO3, rutile TiO2, LiTaO3, and LiNbO3, using a single, well-controlled, frequency-scalable procedure over the frequency ranges 25–110 and 140–220 GHz. Real permittivity values were highly consistent for different samples measured across multiple frequency bands. For SrTiO3, KTaO3, and TiO2, real permittivities were more consistent with lower frequency values than typically reported in the millimeter-wave region of the spectrum. Real permittivities of LiTaO3 and LiNbO3 agreed with most reported data. The intrinsic dielectric loss of SrTiO3, KTaO3, and the extraordinary axis of rutile TiO2 was also characterized over the ranges 25–110 and 140–220 GHz, and intrinsic loss per unit frequency was found to be consistent with values measured at other frequencies by dielectric resonators and quasi-optical techniques.
Integration of Transport, Survival, and Sampling Efficiency in a Model of South Delta Entrainment

Author(s): Smith, William E. | Abstract: A Bayesian hierarchical model that integrated information about state and observation processes was used to estimate the number of adult Delta Smelt entrained into the southern Sacramento−San Joaquin Delta during water export operations by the California State Water Project and the Central Valley Project. The model hierarchy accounted for dynamic processes of transport, survival, sampling efficiency, and observation. Water export, mark−recapture, and fish facility count data informed each process. Model diagnostics and simulation testing indicated a good fit of the model, and that parameters were jointly estimable in the Bayesian hierarchical model framework. The model was limited, however, by sparse data to estimate survival and State Water Project sampling efficiency. Total December to March entrainment of adult Delta Smelt ranged from an estimated 142,488 fish in 2000 to 53 fish in 2014, and the efficiency of louvers used to divert entrained fish to fish facilities appeared to decline at high and low primary intake channel velocities. Though applied to Delta Smelt, the hierarchical modeling framework was sufficiently flexible to estimate the entrainment of other pelagic species.
LRRK2 and GBA Variants Exert Distinct Influences on Parkinson’s Disease-Specific Metabolic Networks

The natural history of idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) varies considerably across patients. While PD is generally sporadic, there are known genetic influences: the two most common, mutations in the LRRK2 or GBA1 gene, are associated with slower and more aggressive progression, respectively. Here, we applied graph theory to metabolic brain imaging to understand the effects of genotype on the organization of previously established PD-specific networks. We found that closely matched PD patient groups with the LRRK2-G2019S mutation (PD-LRRK2) or GBA1 variants (PD-GBA) expressed the same disease networks as sporadic disease (sPD), but PD-LRRK2 and PD-GBA patients exhibited abnormal increases in network connectivity that were not present in sPD. Using a community detection strategy, we found that the location and modular distribution of these connections differed strikingly across genotypes. In PD-LRRK2, connections were gained within the network core, with the formation of distinct functional pathways linking the cerebellum and putamen. In PD-GBA, by contrast, the majority of functional connections were formed outside the core, involving corticocortical pathways at the network periphery. Strategically localized connections within the core in PD-LRRK2 may maintain PD network activity at lower levels than in PD-GBA, resulting in a less aggressive clinical course.
Clinical care is evolving: The microbiome for advanced practice nurses

Over the course of four billion years, humans have developed an intimate relationship with the more than 37 trillion microbes that inhabit our bodies. This relationship runs the gamut from symbiosis to pathogenesis. The number of microbial cells is roughly equivalent to that of mammalian cells in the body. However, due to substantial microbial diversity in host-associated communities, the genetic content of the microbiome is roughly 150 times greater than that of the human genome. Microbial genes encode for proteins capable of producing a wide variety of molecules essential for our health and survival. Many factors such as mode of birth, diet, chlorination of water, and medications significantly affect the richness and diversity of the microbiome. Advanced practice nurses have important roles to play as clinicians, scientists, educators, and patient advocates as our understanding of the microbiome's effects on health becomes better articulated. An understanding of how the microbiome can affect an individual's health or the efficacy of treatment will soon be essential in the clinical setting, and nurses should be encouraged to educate themselves on the relationship between our microbial partners, the environment, and human health.
The Dream in the Therapeutic Encounter: A Theoretical Formulation and Single Case Study

The present paper seeks to better understand the underlying mechanisms and phenomenology of dreaming and dream telling in the psychotherapeutic encounter. Toward that end, this paper offers a theoretical framework regarding the interplay between intrapsychic and intersubjective mechanisms underlying dreaming, dream telling, and dream interpretation in psychodynamic psychotherapy, with a focus on the capacity of the dream to facilitate unique communicative pathways. This theoretical framework informs a discussion of the results of several self-report psychotherapy process measures from a single 12-session treatment, including the Working Alliance Inventory, Session Evaluation Questionnaire and Session Impact Scale. Keywords: introjection, projection, projective identification, introjective projective identification in the dream, transitionality, dream telling in psychotherapy
Effects of roof geometry on tornado-induced structural actions of a low-rise building

Abstract Continued loss of property and lives in tornadoes including the 23-person death toll resulting from the Lee County AL tornado on March 3rd 2019 reflects the ever-present vulnerability of the community to tornadoes, and necessitates improvement in building standards for more accurately predicting such extreme loads. This article investigates effects of three roof geometries: flat, gable, and hip, on maximum overall and local wind-induced uplift, shear and moment on low-rise buildings by a translating tornado. To explore local structural actions, maximum of five frames along the longer horizontal dimension of each building were considered. Maximum structural actions, independent of building orientation and its distance to the center of the tornado-track were calculated, with results showing that a flat roof building experiences the largest amount of overall uplift, overall shear, local uplift, and moment. Only local shears on a hip roof building were equal to or larger than those of a flat roof building for same frame locations. This study also showed that gable and hip roof buildings experience moments of similar magnitudes, whereas a gable roof performs better against shear and a hip roof performs better against uplift. Experimentally-calculated structural actions were compared with predictions of ASCE7-16, with results showing that ASCE7-16 under-predicts overall and local uplifts, and moments, while over-predicts shear for all roof geometries. The maximum under-prediction of overall and local uplifts using ASCE7-16′s procedure were 41% and 55%, respectively, both for a gable roof building. Internal frames experienced maximum under-prediction of uplifts, which makes them a vulnerable location of low-rise buildings that are built in compliance with ASCE7-16 building standard. Finally, correction factors were introduced to modify and improve accuracy of ASCE7-16 in prediction of structural actions on low-rise buildings with different roof geometries.
Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Breast Cancer Outcomes within the AJCC Pathologic Prognostic Staging System.

Non-Hispanic black (NHB) women and those of lower socioeconomic status (SES) have inferior breast cancer outcomes compared with non-Hispanic white (NHW) women and those of higher SES. We examined racial and SES disparities in breast cancer survival within the AJCC 8th edition pathologic prognostic staging system. Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results Program, we identified patients diagnosed with invasive breast cancer from 2010 to 2015, with follow-up through 2016. Census tract-level SES (cSES) data were available as a composite index and analyzed in quintiles. Cox proportional-hazards survival analyses adjusted for age, race, cSES, insurance, marital status, histology, pathologic prognostic stage, and treatment were used to estimate disease-specific survival (DSS). A total of 259,852 patients were included: 176,369 (67.9%) NHW; 28,510 (11.0%) NHB; 29,737 (11.4%) Hispanic; and 22,887 (8.8%) Asian. NHB race and lower cSES were associated with increased incidence of triple-negative disease compared with NHW (p < 0.01). NHB race, lower cSES, public insurance, lower education, and increased poverty were associated with lower DSS. Survival analyses adjusting for cSES, tumor, and treatment characteristics demonstrated that NHB patients had inferior DSS within each AJCC pathologic prognostic stage (hazard ratio [HR] 1.25, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.20–1.30) compared with NHW patients. Fully adjusted models also showed patients residing in lower SES counties had inferior DSS. Racial and cSES disparities in breast cancer-specific mortality were evident across all stages, even within the pathologic prognostic staging system which incorporates tumor biology. Future efforts should assess the biological, behavioral, social, and environmental determinants that underlie racial and SES inequities in outcomes.
An Iterative Learning Controller for a Switched Cooperative Allocation Strategy During Sit-to-Stand Tasks with a Hybrid Exoskeleton

A hybrid exoskeleton that combines functional electrical stimulation (FES) and a powered exoskeleton is an emerging technology for assisting people with mobility disorders. The cooperative use of FES and the exoskeleton allows active muscle contractions through FES while robustifying torque generation to reduce FES-induced muscle fatigue. In this article, a switched distribution of allocation ratios between FES and electric motors in a closed-loop adaptive control design is explored for the first time. The new controller uses an iterative learning neural network (NN)-based control law to compensate for structured and unstructured parametric uncertainties in the hybrid exoskeleton model. A discrete Lyapunov-like stability analysis that uses a common energy function proves asymptotic stability for the switched system with iterative learning update laws. Five human participants, including a person with complete spinal cord injury, performed sit-to-stand tasks with the new controller. The experimental results showed that the synthesized controller, in a few iterations, reduced the root mean square error between desired positions and actual positions of the knee and hip joints by 46.20% and 53.34%, respectively. The sit-to-stand experimental results also show that the proposed NN-based iterative learning control (NNILC) approach can recover the asymptotically trajectory tracking performance despite the switching of allocation levels between FES and electric motor. Compared to a proportional-derivative controller and traditional iterative learning control, the findings showed that the new controller can potentially simplify the clinical implementation of the hybrid exoskeleton with minimal parameters tuning.
Compiler Optimizations for Massively Parallel Machines: Transformations on Iterative Spatial Loops

This paper presents a set of compiler optimizations and their application strategies for a common class of data parallel loop nests. The arrays updated in the body of the loop nests are assumed to be partitioned into blocks (rectangular, rows, or columns) where each block is assigned to a processor.
Nest-site philopatry and the evolution of temperature-dependent sex determination

Despite intensive research, there is no clear empirical evidence to explain the evolution and persistence of temperature-dependent sex determination in reptiles. A recent hypothesis presented by Reinhold proposes that natal homing could lead directly to the evolution of temperature-dependent sex determination. According to his hypothesis, daughters are produced in rare high-quality sites (associated with higher survival rates) to which they return and use to nest, thus deriving higher fitness than sons for whom the quality of the natal patch does not affect their reproductive output if they survive to maturity. We performed an initial empirical evaluation of several assumptions and predictions of this hypothesis as applied to painted turtles (Chrysemys picta), using data from five consecutive nesting seasons, on a major nesting beach. Females were somewhat philopatric to microgeographic sites and to vegetation cover types within the nesting beach, consistent with one of the assumptions of Reinhold’s hypothesis. The variables we examined that influence hatchling fitness (predation, hatching success and sex ratio) were not stable at microgeographic nesting sites or at vegetation cover types. Predation was repeatable within females, whereas hatching success and sex ratio were not. Contrary to Reinhold’s hypothesis, females did not nest more frequently in open sites (which tend to produce more females) than in patches with more vegetation (which tend to produce more males). Furthermore, preferred nest sites (as measured by nest density) did not produce predominantly females. However, nests with higher hatching success tended to produce slightly more females (although the magnitude of this effect was very small). Therefore, Reinhold’s hypothesis is not applicable to C. picta at the level studied – that is, within a nesting beach over a 5 year period – because most of the essential conditions were not met by our data.
Oestradiol Increases Phosphorylation of a Dopamine- and Cyclic AMP-Regulated Phosphoprotein (DARPP-32) in Female Rat Brain

Recent studies suggest that oestrogen and progestin receptors may be activated by the neurotransmitter dopamine, as well as by their respective ligands. Because intracerebroventricular infusion of D(1), but not D(2), dopaminergic receptor agonists increases oestrous behaviour in oestradiol-primed rats, we wanted to determine if treatment with oestradiol alters the activity of D(1) receptor-associated processes in steroid receptor-containing areas in female rat brain. One D(1) receptor-associated phosphoprotein that may be influenced by oestradiol is a dopamine- and cyclic AMP-regulated phosphoprotein, Mr = 32,000 (DARPP-32). Because DARPP-32 is phosphorylated in response to dopamine acting via a cAMP-dependent protein kinase, it provides a useful marker to examine where in the brain a particular stimulus might be altering the activity of D(1) receptor-containing neurones. To determine if oestradiol alters the phosphorylation of DARPP-32, we stained immunocytochemically brain sections of female rats treated with behaviourally relevant doses of oestradiol or oil vehicle with an antibody that detects only the threonine 34-phosphorylated form of DARPP-32. Behaviourally effective doses of oestradiol increase the phosphorylation of DARPP-32 within the medial preoptic nucleus, bed nucleus of the stria terminalis, paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus and the ventromedial nucleus of the hypothalamus, 48 h after treatment. These data suggest that oestradiol increases the activity of D(1) dopamine receptor-associated processes in oestrogen receptor-containing areas of female rat forebrain.
Spiritual Transformations of Torah in Biblical and Rabbinic Tradition

The article deals with changing conceptions of Torah in the formative two phases of Jewish tradition. The first major transformation in the Hebrew Bible is the ‘arcanization’ (Idel’s term) or esotericization of the subject. This occurs through the use of an old term for divinization (the verbal stem darash) for exegetical inquiry into the meaning of Torah (Ezra 7: 9-10). The second is the ‘spiritualization’ of Torah, evident in the transfer to it of verbs used with respect to relationship with God (see Psalm 119). A notable transformation in early rabbinic texts is the role of study as a substitute for ritual action.
Osteochondritis dissecans: Report of cases involving elbow, ankle and metatarsophalangeal joints

Abstract 1. 1. Three cases of osteochondritis dissecans are reported occurring in joints other than the knee, i.e., elbow, ankle, and metatarsophalangeal joints. 2. 2. The lesion may be produced by traumata varying widely in type and intensity from a single, severe crushing injury to a mild, repeated injury resulting from the forces brought into play by joint movements. 3. 3. The treatment is the surgical removal of the detached fragment.
Television and the American child

The statistics are familiar. By the estimates of the A . C. Neilsen Company, children 2-11 years of age watch almost 30 hours of television a week; the figure for teenagers is about 25 hours (Comstock, 1991a). This is not undivided attention, of course, for television viewing is "a discontinuous, often interrupted, and frequently nonexclusive activity for which a measure in hours and minutes serves only as the outer boundary of possible attention" (Comstock, Chaffee, Katzman, McCombs, & Roberts, 1978, pp. 146-147). These are also averages, and individuals vary widely in amount of viewing. Nevertheless, any viewing places some limits on the quantity and quality of attention that can be given to other activities.
Design of Manifold for Nanofluid Flow in Microchannel

This paper presents a study of nanofluid flow through microchannel. Its focus is on the design and optimization of microchannel assembly with emphasis on the design of manifold or jacket. The test setup consists of ninety-nine 120μm×120μm×20mm channels, nanofluid flow loop, heat source, thermal sensors and pressure transducers. Flow of nanofluid through the channels is regulated using a peristaltic pump. Numerical iterations were performed to study the effect of inlet and exit flow locations and shape of the jacket on uniform distribution of nanofluid in the channels. Based on the numerical results, it is recommended that for uniform flow distribution in the microchannel, a trapezoidal shaped jacket should be used. The results obtained from this work provided an insight on the variation of the flow patterns within the channel. It reveals that flow uniformity among the channels largely depends on the shape of the manifolds, length and location of inlet and outlets, and the inlet flow rate.© 2007 ASME
Excess noise factors for conventional and superlattice avalanche photodiodes and photomultiplier tubes

Light falling on a photodetector produces an output current that fluctuates. The noise in this signal arises from two sources: randomness in the photon arrivals and randomness in the carrier multiplication process intrinsic to the photodetector. A general formula is derived for the variance of the photodetector output current in terms of parameters characterizing these two sources of randomness (the photon-number variance-to-mean ratio for the light and the excess noise factor for the detector). An important special case of this formula illustrates that the output-current variance is directly proportional to the detector excess noise factor when the number of photons at the input to the detector is Poisson distributed. Explicit expressions for excess noise factors are provided for three kinds of photodetectors: the double-carrier conventional avalanche photodiode, the double-carrier superlattice avalanche photodiode, and the photomultiplier tube. The results for the double-carrier superlattice device are new; it is shown that even a small amount of residual hole ionization can lead to a large excess noise factor. Comparisons are drawn among the detectors in terms of their noise properties.
Varenicline: the newest agent for smoking cessation.

Purpose. The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, clinical efficacy, safety, dosage and administration, and place in therapy of varenicline are reviewed. Summary. Varenicline is the newest therapy approved by the Food and Drug Administration for smoking cessation and the first in its class targeting the neurobiology of nicotine addiction. Varenicline is selective for the α4β2 acetylcholine-receptor subtype as a partial agonist, thus conferring its effect in limiting the reinforcing aspect of the addictive nicotine molecule. Varenicline is completely absorbed orally and not affected by food. Steady state is reached within four days of administration. Three Phase III clinical trials of varenicline have been published. Two studies compared varenicline with bupropion in patients over age 18 years who smoked more than 10 cigarettes daily. When the data of the two trials were pooled, varenicline use was associated with significant improvements in the four-week carbon-monoxide-confirmed continuous quit rate (44.2% at weeks 9–12 compared with bupropion (29.7%) and placebo (17.7%) ( p < 0.0001 for each comparison). The third trial found that continuous quit rates were also significantly higher in patients treated with varenicline versus placebo. Varenicline is generally well tolerated. Varenicline has been administered concurrently with warfarin, digoxin, transdermal nicotine, bupropion, cimetidine, and metformin without any clinically significant drug interactions. Conclusion. Varenicline, a newly approved agent for smoking cessation, offers a new option to patients who cannot tolerate the adverse effects associated with nicotine-replacement therapy and bupropion. It is also an alternative to consider in patients with contraindications to such therapies.
A task-irrelevant stimulus attribute affects perception and short-term memory

Selective attention protects cognition against intrusions of task-irrelevant stimulus attributes. This protective function was tested in coordinated psychophysical and memory experiments. Stimuli were superimposed, horizontally and vertically oriented gratings of varying spatial frequency; only one orientation was task relevant. Experiment 1 demonstrated that a task-irrelevant spatial frequency interfered with visual discrimination of the task-relevant spatial frequency. Experiment 2 adopted a two-item Sternberg task, using stimuli that had been scaled to neutralize interference at the level of vision. Despite being visually neutralized, the task-irrelevant attribute strongly influenced recognition accuracy and associated reaction times (RTs). This effect was sharply tuned, with the task-irrelevant spatial frequency having an impact only when the task-relevant spatial frequencies of the probe and study items were highly similar to one another. Model-based analyses of judgment accuracy and RT distributional properties converged on the point that the irrelevant orientation operates at an early stage in memory processing, not at a later one that supports decision making.
Absence of a capnogram after positive end-expiratory pressure.

Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) on capnography.Design. The study design was experimental and open, and it was performed in the Anesthesiology Experimental Research Laboratory.Methods. Six dogs (9.8±0.8 kg) were anesthetized and intubated. The animals' lungs were ventilated with a tidal volume of 137±34 ml and a respiratory frequency of 34±10 breaths/min to produce a Paco2 of 35 to 45 mm Hg. Application of 20 cm H2O of PEEP was initiated for 1 minute, then repeated twice after 10-minute stabilization periods. Arterial pH and gas tensions were measured, and capnogram, airway gas flow, and airway pressure were recorded continuously. Airway gas flow was electronically integrated to calculate tidal volume.Results. Mean values before application of PEEP were as follows: pHa, 7.37±0.04 mm Hg; Paco2, 37.1±3.2 mm Hg; PaO2, 93.4±1.6 mm Hg; andPetco2, 32.0±3.5 mm Hg. Compliance of the ventilator circuit was 3.3 ml/cm H2O. Mean deflation lung-thorax compliance was 41.5±10.3 ml/cm H2O. After application of PEEP, no capnogram was reported for 1 to 6 breaths, an average of 2.7±1.8 breaths.Conclusions. These results demonstrated that absence of gas flow immediately after the application of PEEP may transiently abolish a capnogram when the lung volume increases.
On the destabilizing effect of damping in nonconservative elastic systems.

Linear viscous damping effect on nonconservative elastic system destabilization, determining critical loads from characteristic equation roots and degree of instability
Lepto-quark matter

In certain extensions of the standard model with additionalU(1) gauge symmetries, the anomalies between the quarks and leptons no longer cancel. It is shown that the anomalies can be cancelled by invoking representations oflepto-quark fermions. Lepto-quarks represent new fermionic matter that carries quark as well as lepton numbers. An extension of the standard model with three and four families of conventional quarks and leptons is presented in which freedom from anomalies is secured through the presence of lepto-quark matter representations. The gauge symmetry of the model isSU(2) L XU(1) q XU(1) l whereU(1) q andU(1) l refer to distinct hypercharge sources for the quarks and the leptons.
Percentage body weight and the successive negative contrast effect in rats

Abstract In two runway experiments employing rats the successive negative contrast effect was evaluated for animals maintained at high or low body weights. In both experiments the effects on performance of shifting reward magnitude were independent of body weight. These results contrast with those of previous studies in which the successive negative contrast effect occurred only under low body weight. It was suggested that when conditions are maximal or near maximal for production of the successive negative contrast effect, as they were here but not in previous investigations, body weight will not influence the size of this effect.
Impaired Phagocytosis of Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae by Human Alveolar Macrophages in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Background. Interactions of nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) with human alveolar macrophages are implicated in the persistence of NTHI in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, the immunologic mechanisms that mediate NTHI-induced macrophage responses are poorly understood. We hypothesized that immunologic responses of alveolar macrophages to NTHI are impaired in COPD. Methods. Blood and alveolar macrophages—obtained from ex-smokers with COPD ( ), ex-smokers n p 14 without COPD ( ), and nonsmokers ( )—were incubated with 3 distinct NTHI strains obtained from n p 15 n p 9 patients with COPD. Phagocytosis of 3 H-NTHI, expressed as a percentage of the mean total radioactivity, and of intracellular viability, assessed as a percentage of viable cell-associated NTHI, were measured. Results. Alveolar macrophages from donors with COPD, compared with those from donors without COPD, had impaired phagocytosis (median [interquartile range]) for each NTHI strain: 14P13H5, 0.26 (0.08–0.61) versus 1.36 (0.69–1.95); 6P5H1, 0.92 (0.32–1.82) versus 1.90 (1.32–2.68); and 14P14H1, 0.79 (0.23–1.32) versus 2.13 (1.13–2.40) ( for each). However, phagocytosis of all NTHI strains by blood macrophages from donors P .01 with COPD was indistinguishable from that of blood macrophages from donors without COPD and from nonsmokers. The intracellular killing of NTHI was not impaired in alveolar macrophages from donors with COPD. Conclusions. These results support a paradigm of impaired phagocytosis by alveolar macrophages, but not blood macrophages, in COPD and provide an immunologic basis for persistence of NTHI in the airways of adults with COPD. Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHI) are the most common pathogenic bacteria isolated from the airways of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [1]. The relationship between NTHI and the progression of COPD is underscored by an increased risk of exacerbation associated with the acquisition of new respiratory strains of NTHI [2]. Bacterial colonization is associated with advanced airway
Path integrals and constraints: Particle in a box

Abstract Equivalence between the lagrangian path integral and the hamiltonian path integral with constraints is shown for a particle in a one-dimensional box.
Cardiac Arrhythmias: From (Transgenic) Mice to Men

Cardiac Arrhythmias. Transgenic and gene-targeted mice now are frequently used to study cardiac arrhythmias due to the ease with which the mouse genome can be manipulated. Marked electrophysiologic differences are present between the mouse and human heart, however, and the utility of the mouse as a model for arrhythmias and sudden death remains controversial. Tachyarrhythmias, bradyarrhythmias, and ECG in the mouse need to be interpreted with extreme care and without preconceptions based on our experience with humans. Despite its limitations, the mouse can provide a powerful tool to further our understanding of basic mechanisms that underlie human cardiac electrophysiology.
Indexing natural images for retrieval based on Kansei factors

Current image indexing methods are based on measures of visual content. However, this approach provides only a partial solution to the image retrieval problem. For example, an artist might want to retrieve an image (for use in an advertising campaign) that evokes a particular "feeling" in the viewer. One technique for measuring evoked feelings, which originated in Japan, indexes images based on the inner impression (i.e. the kansei) experienced by a person while viewing an image or object-impressions such as busy, elegant, romantic, or lavish. The aspects of the image that evoke this inner impression in the viewer are called kansei factors. The challenge in kansei research is to enumerate those factors, with the ultimate goal of indexing images with the "inner impression" that viewers experience. Thus, the focus is on the viewer, rather than on the image, and similarity measures derived from kansei indexing represent similarities in inner experience, rather than visual similarity. This paper presents the results of research that indexes images based on a set of kansei impressions, and then looks for correlations between that indexing and traditional content-based indexing. The goal is to allow the indexing of images based on the inner impressions they evoke, using visual content.
Effect of Varying Levels of Phosphorus and Live Yeast Culture in Caged Layer Diets

Abstract Dietary levels of .31, .36, .41, .46, .51, .56, and .61% total phosphorus (TP) were incorporated into seven corn-soy diets to determine the minimum TP requirement of caged laying hens. Each diet was fed to six lots of 20 hens each for a test period of 308 days. Egg production, feed efficiency, feed consumption, egg weight, and egg breaking strength were the performance criteria. Egg breaking strength was significantly higher while the other performance measures were significantly inferior for hens receiving the .31 TP diet as compared to those hens receiving the other diets. Performance measures of hens receiving diets with TP levels ranging from .41 to .61% were not significantly different. Although hens receiving the .36% TP diet performed significantly better than those receiving diets containing .31% TP, their performance was not satisfactory when compared with performance of hens fed diets containing higher levels of phosphorus. In a second experiment, dietary levels of 0, .25, and .50% live yeast culture (LYC) were fed in combination with TP levels of .40 and .60% to individually caged hens for nine test periods of 28 days each. Each of the test diets was fed to three lots of 12 hens each. Performance criteria in this experiment were the same as those used in the first experiment. Hen responses to the six test diets did not differ significantly for any performance criterion, except for egg breaking strength, which was significantly higher for eggs produced by hens fed diets containing .40% TP level. Results obtained from these studies indicate that under similar experimental conditions the minimum dietary TP requirement of caged laying hens is approximately .40%. No beneficial effect of LYC on hens’ performance was obtained when fed at .25 or .50% of the diet.
Heat-resistant dispersion-strengthened copper alloys

Processing methods for producing dispersion-strengthened (DS) copper alloys with high strength, high conductivity, and good long-term stability at elevated temperature are reviewed. Particle size and stability are related to material characteristics and processing route. Physical and mechanical properties of DS copper alloys are directly associated with microstructural features such as particle volume fraction, stability, size, solubility in the matrix, and interfacial properties. New avenues for DS copper alloys design are suggested based on thermal conductivity concept and recent Rosier- Artz theory of high-temperature strength.[1]
Formation and growth of electromigration induced islands in aluminum and in aluminum alloy films

Islands, similar to those formed during thin film growth, were observed in aluminum, Al-1.7wt.%Cu, Al-7.6wt.%Cu and Al-1.7wt.%Cu-<1wt.%Si films by in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM) in the later stages of electromigration (EM) testing. These islands formed in the EM-induced thinned and void regions. They were located on the inner surfaces of the thin aluminum oxide films which originally bounded the aluminum layer. These islands often showed crystallographic shapes. TEM micrographs showed clearly that one of the island growth mechanisms was by the coalescence of small islands. Also the evidence suggested that there was additional material that entered the island regions, which then contributed to island growth. The island density was found to increase as the copper concentration in the alloy films increased. A model is proposed to explain the formation of these EM-induced islands.
Genetic integration of molar cusp size variation in baboons

Many studies of primate diversity and evolution rely on dental morphology for insight into diet, behavior, and phylogenetic relationships. Consequently, variation in molar cusp size has increasingly become a phenotype of interest. In 2007 we published a quantitative genetic analysis of mandibular molar cusp size variation in baboons. Those results provided more questions than answers, as the pattern of genetic integration did not fit predictions from odontogenesis. To follow up, we expanded our study to include data from the maxillary molar cusps. Here we report on these later analyses, as well as inter-arch comparisons with the mandibular data. We analyzed variation in two-dimensional maxillary molar cusp size using data collected from a captive pedigreed breeding colony of baboons, Papio hamadryas, housed at the Southwest National Primate Research Center. These analyses show that variation in maxillary molar cusp size is heritable and sexually dimorphic. We also estimated additive genetic correlations between cusps on the same crown, homologous cusps along the tooth row, and maxillary and mandibular cusps. The pattern for maxillary molars yields genetic correlations of one between the paracone–metacone and protocone–hypocone. Bivariate analyses of cuspal homologues on adjacent teeth yield correlations that are high or not significantly different from one. Between dental arcades, the nonoccluding cusps consistently yield high genetic correlations, especially the metaconid–paracone and metaconid–metacone. This pattern of genetic correlation does not immediately accord with the pattern of development and/or calcification, however these results do follow predictions that can be made from the evolutionary history of the tribosphenic molar. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2010. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Volatile Sulfur Compounds in Irradiated Precooked Turkey Breast Analyzed with Pulsed Flame Photometric Detection

Ionizing radiation is an effective processing technology for pathogen inactivation on various foods. However, the generation of off-odor is a concern for some irradiated meats. This study was conducted to investigate volatile sulfur compounds of precooked ready-to-eat turkey breast as functions of radiation dose and subsequent storage. Precooked turkey breast was exposed to 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 kGy of gamma radiation and stored for 14 days at 5 degrees C. Volatile sulfur compounds were extracted using solid phase microextraction (SPME), followed by gas chromatographic separation and pulsed flame photometric detection. Irradiation dramatically increased concentrations of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, methanethiol, and dimethyl disulfide. The rate of increase was higher at low doses (0-2 kGy) than at higher doses of 3-5 kGy. Carbon disulfide was the only volatile sulfur compound that was reduced by irradiation. Concentrations of all volatile sulfur compounds decreased in both irradiated and nonirradiated samples stored at 5 degrees C.
The role of stimulus-orientation in eliciting the begging response from newly-hatched chicks of the laughing gull (Larus atricilla)

Abstract The begging rate of naive laughing gull chicks ( Larus atricilla ) increases with verticality of the stimulus-object. Oblique and vertical stimuli projecting from above receive higher rates than their mirror images from below. Stimuli transecting the whole field evoke intermediate rates. The differential effectiveness of down- and up-pointing stimuli is a basis for the chick's discrimination between the parent's beak and legs. Results demonstrate interobserver reliability, response-waning, and superior effectiveness of three- over two-dimensional stimuli. Results also show that the chick's perception is too complex to be encoded by a unit with a vertical-bar receptive-field organization, such as that in the cat's visual system.
Infant mortality in the Lower Mississippi Delta: geography, poverty and race.

The objectives of this study were to explore regional, economic and racial disparities in infant mortality rates between geographic sub-regions within the eight states containing the Delta and to test hypotheses that regional disparities would decrease over time while county poverty level and racial composition would remain significant predictors of infant mortality rates. The study used secondary data analysis of county level rates, including descriptive statistics, hierarchical multiple regression with interaction effects and linear multiple regression. Models testing the impact of sub-regional geographic differences, percent of poverty, percent of black population and interaction effects were conducted at three time periods, the late 1970s, late 1980s and late 1990s. In the first time period, regional differences, percent of poverty, percent of black population and the interaction of region and poverty were all predictive of infant mortality (R 2 = 0.31, P < 0.0001). In the subsequent time periods, only percent of poverty and percent of black population were significant predictors (R 2 = 0.20, P < 0.0001 and R 2 = 0.26, P < 0.0001). During the late 1970s and early 1980s, region, poverty and racial composition of counties all played an important part in predicting life chances for infants born in these eight states. Furthermore, Central Delta infants in counties with poverty levels of 30% or greater were significantly more likely to die than infants in other areas with the same rates of poverty, even after controlling for racial composition. The impact of regional differences was no longer significant at the ends of the subsequent two decades. Both medical and policy changes during these decades may have contributed to the decreased impact of region. However, both poverty and racial composition continue as important factors, accounting for more variance in the late 1990s than a decade before.
Connecting the Past With the Present: The Legacy and Spirit of the First-Grade Studies

“The First-Grade Studies” have had a lasting impact on literacy research and practice. The author highlights several areas in which this can be demonstrated, and draws on Bond and Dykstra's original research questions to demonstrate the work's continuing influence. Topics highlighted include the role of the teacher and classroom characteristics, movement away from comparison studies, the challenge to reading readiness as the gatekeeper to early instruction, and the importance of instruction in phonics.
Applications of Spectroscopy in the Study of Glassy Solids Part I. Introduction, γ-Ray Spectroscopy (Mössbauer Effect), X-Ray Absorption Fine Structure, UV Absorption, and Visible Spectra

Abstract Interest in glasses and the amorphous solid state in general, having for a long time been limited t o the separate camps of silicate glass technology and polymer science, has in the last few years become very general. This growth and diversification in scientific interest originates jointly in the discovery and utilization of glasses of quite new types e.g., the chalcogenide glasses, and the recognition by chemists and physicists alike that the glassy state is of very general occurrence in nature, with examples now being known from every class of chemical substance, whether metallic, vander Waals, covalent, or ionic in the interparticle bond character.
Writing across the Curriculum: A Hermeneutic Study of Students' Experiences in Writing in Food Science Education.

: Writing can enhance learning by helping students put words to their thinking about course material. The purposes of this study were to assess the influence of a structured academic journal writing exercise on student learning in a food science class and to examine student responses to the experience. Hermeneutics, a philosophy of science and qualitative research method, was used to analyze journal data from 48 participating students during a 2-y period and involved 3 steps: (1) describing themes taken from a global reading of student commentaries, (2) reducing or relating themes to specific, verbatim statements found in student writings, and (3) interpreting or imposing meaning on the themes and the statements (Lanigan 1988). Hermeneutic analysis showed that journal writing was difficult at first but became easier and enjoyable over time, allowed students to relate course content to other knowledge, exposed students to course material multiple times allowing for better information retention, enhanced student understanding, helped students think critically, required students to prepare for class, gave students the opportunity to express opinions, and allowed students to experience writing as enjoyable and positive. Several minor themes suggested that most students found the experience useful to their learning. Findings from this study are consistent with neuroscience and cognitive psychology theories regarding learning and the development of reasoning skills.
Journal Finder, a Second Look

AbstractSince The University of North Carolina at Greensboro's Jackson Library introduced Journal Finder in August 2001, the service has grown and evolved. Its features and capabilities have been expanded, enhanced, and refined, and a partnership program has been developed. Journal Finder enjoys significant initial success and appears to meet a real need in the research life of faculty and students. Additionally, Journal Finder has revealed several user trends with implications for the library, including the use of print serials, photocopying, interlibrary loan, and document delivery/pay-per-view, and it continues to provide insights and data for serials collection management decisions. Serials Review 2003; 29:287–294.