cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The potential for recall insurance to improve food safety

Abstract This paper explores the food safety implications of insurance products that compensate for business losses when food contamination causes a processing firm to initiate a recall. Discoveries of meat and poultry product contamination, in particular life-threatening pathogens, are increasing. The financial losses that follow a recall can be substantial as illustrated by several recent U.S. cases—Hudson Foods, Bil Mar, and Thorn Apple Valley Inc. Additionally, contaminated food product that escapes the current recall system poses a threat to consumer safety. The conceptual analysis presented here suggests that insurance underwriters could motivate earlier recalls and more diligent implementation of Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP). With sound underwriting, these changes could ultimately reduce the incidence of illness and death from foodborne pathogens.
IS ETHICS COMPUTABLE

L'A. se demande si un robot ou un ordinateur pourrait etre capable d'etablir un jugement ethique, si un programme pourrait lui faire apprecier le bien et le mal d'une situation. Il examine differents types de tentatives de calcul des decisions morales et souleve plusieurs objections a une telle computabilite de l'ethique
Public Consensus on Crime Seriousness Normative Structure or Methodological Artifact

Research on public perceptions of crime seriousness is reviewed. Two explanations for subgroup consensus are advanced as alternatives to the dominant view that ratings of crime seriousness reflect an underlying normative structure. It is argued that a normative explanation is plausible only after dismissing these alternative explanations. Research and data analytic strategies are proposed to evaluate the plausibility of these alternative explanations and suggestions are offered for future research in crim seriousness and the measurement of normative phenomena.
Finite element formulations via the theorem of expended power in the Lagrangian, Hamiltonian and total energy frameworks

Traditionally, variational principles and variational methods have been employed in describing finite element formulations for elastodynamics applications. Here we present alternative avenues emanating from the theorem of expended power, using the differential calculus directly. We focus on scalar representations under three distinct frameworks: Lagrangian mechanics, Hamiltonian mechanics, and a new framework involving a built-in measurable quantity, called the total energy in the configuration space. All three frameworks are derivable from each other, since they represent the same physics as Newton’s second law; however, the total energy framework which we advocate inherits features that are comparable and competitive to the usual Newtonian based finite element formulations, with several added advantages ideally suited for conducting numerical discretization. The present approach to numerical space-time discretization in continuum elastodynamics provides physical insight via the theorem of expended power and the differential calculus involving the distinct scalar functions: the Lagrangian L.q;P q/V T Q! R, the Hamiltonian H.p;q/V T Q! R, and the total energy E.q;P q/V T Q! R. We show that in itself the theorem of expended power naturally embodies the weak form in space, and after integrating over a given time interval yields the weighted residual form in time. Hence, directly emanating from the theorem of expended power, this approach yields three differential operators: a discrete Lagrangian differential operator, a Hamiltonian differential operator, and a total energy differential operator. The semidiscrete ordinary differential equations in time derived with our approach can be readily shown to preserve the same physical attributes as the corresponding continuous systems. This contrasts with traditional approaches, where such proofs are nontrivial or are not readily tractable. The modeling of complicated structural dynamical systems such as a rotating bar and the Timoshenko beam are shown for illustration. Variational concepts have long played a significant role in the development of numerical discretization techniques. First, variational principles in physics and mechanics have been used to derive the governing differential equations from which numerical discretizations are routinely conducted. The principles — including Hamilton’s principle in dynamics, in the electromagnetic and gravitational fields, and even in quantum mechanics; the principle of stationary potential energy and the Hu‐Washizu’s variational principle in continuum statics; Fermat’s principle of least time leading to Snell’s law in optics; Maupertuis’ principle of least action, Jacobi and Lagrange’s principle of least action in dynamics again; and Gurtin’s
Colonial to modern skeletal change in the U.S.A.

Eighty-two people dating from 1975 to 1879 compared with 182 modern middle-class White and Black skeletons test the myths of radical changes produced by improved diet, less disease, and nineteenth century immigration. Longevity increases and health and growth improvement is clearest in reduced juvenile deaths (census data) and deepening of true pelvis. Stature increase is minimal (though seventeenth century Londoners and modern West Africans are shorter than Colonial to Modern Americans); teeth deteriorate and for cultural reasons fractures increase. Clavicles and forearms elongate. From Old to New World Colonial samples there is a noticeable skull change (and a greater Old World to Modern contrast) but White Colonial to Modern shows strong continuity surprisingly, the key changes being increasing head height, and retraction of face with increasing nose projection, and longer mastoids, resulting from selection and mixture. Blacks change more, possibly from Indian and White mixture. Variabilities are above average. Change is much less than expected, and apparently involves heterosis and selection as well as the obvious health advance and mixtures.
EFFECTS OF EMPLOYMENT RELATIONSHIP, RESPONSE OF RECIPIENT AND SEX OF RATER ON PERCEPTIONS OF SEXUAL HARASSMENT

The effects of the employment relationship (superior vs coworker), recipient's response (positive vs negative), and sex of the rater (male vs female) on perceptions of sexual harassment, appropriateness of the initiator's behavior, and appropriateness of the recipient's behavior were investigated. Subjects were 82 female and 76 male undergraduate students. The results of a 2 × 2 × 2 multivariate analysis of variance indicated main effects for response of the recipient and sex of the rater. Univariate analyses indicated that women rated the initiator less favorably than men, that men perceived the situation as more harassing and approved of the recipient more than women when the recipient's responses were positive, although there was no difference between men and women when the recipient's responses were negative.
Expanding the reach of decision and communication aids in a breast care center: A quality improvement study

Abstract Objective One academically based breast cancer clinic implements decision and communication aids as part of routine clinical care. This quality improvement study aimed to expand reach of these supportive materials and services with budget-neutral program changes. Methods We used program theory and continuous quality improvement to design changes to our program. We calculated reach as the number of new patient visits for which we administered decision and communication aids. We compared reach before and after the program changes. Results Program changes included: reassigning program outreach tasks from over-committed to under-utilized personnel; deploying personnel in floating rather than fixed schedules; and creating a waitlist so service delivery was dynamically reallocated from overbooked to underbooked personnel. Before these changes, we reached 208 visitors with decision aids, and 142 visitors with communication aids. Changes were associated with expanded reach, culminating in program year 2008 with the delivery of 936 decision aids and 285 communication aids. Conclusions We observed over a fourfold increase in decision aid reach and a twofold increase in communication aid reach. We attribute increases to recent program changes. Practice implications This study illustrates how program theory and quality improvement methods can contribute to expanded reach of decision and communication aids.
Using the economic point of truncation process for new product introduction

Proper validation and release of a newly developed product into the market-place at the minimum supplier cost requires a robust deterministic system. It must characterize cost elements and recommend optimum introduction points in support of total quality management. The economic point of truncation (EPOT) process fulfils the requirements for this system. It integrates pre- and post-release problem resolution costs with the rates of problem discovery, latent problems and product shipping into a product life cycle model. The model simulates the cost accrual for problem resolution during the validation, release and product shipment periods. Model execution results in a characterized life cycle indicating the optimum duration of product validation that minimizes total problem resolution costs.
Core photoelectron spectroscopy of some acetylenic molecules

Abstract Carbon 1s binding energies have been measured for CH 3 CCH, CH 3 CCCH 3 , CF 3 CCH and CF 3 CCCF 3 and compared to a verified value for acetylene. Assignments are based on the application of a CNDO potential model with relaxation corrections which is quite successful in predicting binding energy shifts and upon qualitative considerations. Substitution of CF 3 groups shifts the acetylenic C 1s binding energy from 291.2 (HCCH) to 292.2 in CF 3 CCH and 292.7 eV in CF 3 CCCF 3 . The unequal substitutional shifts are probably due to a saturation of substituent effect expected in competitive situations. With reservations arising from uncertainties in assignment due to lack of resolution, it appears that acetylenic C 1s binding energies decrease [to 290.7 (av.) in CH 3 CCH and to 290.1 eV in CH 3 CCCH 3 ] upon replacement of H by CH 3 groups. Although the decrease in acetylenic binding energies agrees with the chemical notion that CH 3 groups are electron donating with respect to unsaturated portions of the molecule, theoretical calculations available in the literature indicate that actual electron withdrawal or donation does not occur in these differently substituted molecules. The shifts of apparent binding energy correlate reasonably well with a ground state potential model which accounts for the effect of the charge on the adjacent atoms as well as on the photoionized atom. Even better correlation is obtained if the atomic potentials are corrected for electronic redistribution (relaxation) effects which occur during the photoionization process, and it is suggested that relaxation effects make a significant contribution to shifts of apparent binding energies. Surprisingly ground state potential and relaxation corrected potential calculations with the CNDO method suggest a large difference in C 1s binding energies of the two acetylenic carbon atoms in CH 3 CCH which is not verified experimentally nor mirrored by calculations on CF 3 CCH. The CH 3 binding energies are 291.8 eV in CH 3 CCH and 291.3 eV in CH 3 CCCH 3 , both higher than values assigned to CH 4 or C 2 H 6 .
Ferumoxytol administration does not alter infarct volume or the inflammatory response to stroke in mice.

Abstract Ferumoxytol is an ultrasmall superparamagnetic iron oxide (USPIO) nanoparticle that is FDA-approved as an intravenous iron replacement therapy for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia in patients with chronic kidney disease. Ferumoxytol has also been used as a contrast agent for cerebral blood volume mapping by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which suggests it could be used for imaging hemodynamic abnormalities after stroke. However, circulating macrophages can internalize USPIOs, and recent data indicate that the accumulation of iron in macrophages can lead them to adopt the M1 pro-inflammatory phenotype. Therefore, the uptake of intravenously administered iron particles by circulating macrophages that home to the stroke core could potentially alter the inflammatory response to stroke. To test this possibility in vivo we administered a dose of ferumoxytol previously used to obtain cerebral blood volume maps in healthy humans by steady-state susceptibility contrast (SSC) MRI to BALB/cJ mice 48 h after stroke and examined cytokine levels, microglial/macrophage activation, and lesion volume in the brain 5 days later. Treatment with ferumoxytol did not lead to any differences in these parameters. These data indicate that the use of ferumoxytol as a contrast agent for brain imaging after stroke does not alter the inflammatory response to stroke in mice, and is therefore unlikely to do so in human subjects.
Conversion of the failed Fontan circulation.

Many patients with a functional univentricular heart were treated in the 1970s and 1980s, using an atriopulmonary connection to create the Fontan circulation.1–3 Although this procedure, in many patients, was initially successful, and provided arterial saturations of oxygen close to normal, as these patients were followed over the years, in some cases they developed significant complications. One complication of the atriopulmonary connection is progressive right atrial dilation, which leads to atrial arrhythmias, such as atrial flutter or fibrillation.4,5 The combination of these two problems leads to low cardiac output, diminished quality of life, and poor categorization within the classification of the New York Heart Association. This, and other issues, has led most centres to abandon the atriopulmonary connection as a means of creating the Fontan circulation in favour of the lateral tunnel with cavopulmonary connections,6 or the extracardiac conduit.7
Human abuse liability assessment of oxycodone combined with ultra-low-dose naltrexone

Rationale Prescription opioid abuse has risen dramatically in the United States as clinicians have increased opioid prescribing for alleviation of both acute and chronic pain. Opioid analgesics with decreased risk for abuse are needed.
Stages of embryonic development in the amphipod crustacean, Parhyale hawaiensis

Studying the relationship between development and evolution and its role in the generation of biological diversity has been reinvigorated by new techniques in genetics and molecular biology. However, exploiting these techniques to examine the evolution of development requires that a great deal of detail be known regarding the embryonic development of multiple species studied in a phylogenetic context. Crustaceans are an enormously successful group of arthropods and extant species demonstrate a wide diversity of morphologies and life histories. One of the most speciose orders within the Crustacea is the Amphipoda. The embryonic development of a new crustacean model system, the amphipod Parhyale hawaiensis, is described in a series of discrete stages easily identified by examination of living animals and the use of commonly available molecular markers on fixed specimens. Complete embryogenesis occurs in ˜250 h at 26°C and has been divided into 30 stages. This staging data will facilitate comparative analyses of embryonic development among crustaceans in particular, as well as between different arthropod groups. In addition, several aspects of Parhyale embryonic development make this species particularly suitable for a broad range of experimental manipulations. genesis 42:124–149, 2005. © 2005 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Transport of amino acids by slices of rat-kidney cortex.

Abstract This report presents data showing that α-aminoisobutyric acid, glycine, L -phenylalanine, and L -histidine are accumulated against a concentration gradient by slices of rat-kidney cortex in vitro . The process(es) involved depend on oxidative metabolism as shown by inhibition when anaerobic conditions or 2,4-dinitrophenol are substituted for the basal system described. The rate and extent of transport have been shown to depend on the initial concentration of the amino acids studied. The potential value of and hazards inherent in the technique are described and relationship to renal tubular transport of amino acids in the intact animal discussed.
A Qualitative Study of School Social Workers' Clinical and Professional Relationships when Reporting Child Maltreatment.

This qualitative study explored school social workers' relationships during instances of abuse and neglect reporting, focusing on reports made for children and adolescents already receiving school social work services. Although school social workers frequently file abuse and neglect reports, little is known about how they manage clinical and professional relationships in the complex school environment when reporting. This study obtained rich descriptions of their reporting experiences. In-depth interviews and a focus group were conducted with 10 participants from Texas, Florida, and Colorado, representing all school levels. Findings describe complex clinical and professional relationship networks involved in reporting and school social workers' perspectives on case management during disclosure and reporting. Thematic analysis of interviews identified several themes pertaining, for example, to communications with caregivers and children about Child Protective Services reports, interprofessional collaboration, and management of dilemmas regarding trust and confidentiality with families and professionals. Participants sought to mitigate harm through their practices, yet practices varied. Further research on the effects of practices such as involving children in reporting is warranted. Implications for practice and education are discussed. The author recommends that discussions of legal and ethical aspects of reporting be augmented with discussion of interpersonal dynamics that come into play.
Toward the Improvement of Aircraft-Icing Forecasts for the Continental United States

Abstract An automated procedure is developed for detecting and forecasting atmospheric conditions conductive to aircraft icing over the continental United States. The procedure uses gridded output from the Nested-Grid Model, and is based on the manual techniques currently in use at the National Aviation Weather Advisory Unit in Kansas City, Missouri. Verification of the procedure suggests forecasting performance on par with the human forecasters. Unfortunately, efforts at more-rigorous performance analysis are hindered by the inadequacies of the verification database, which consists of pilots’ subjective reports of airframe ice buildup. In general, no-ice conditions are not reported. The physics of aircraft icing are reviewed, and the current manual techniques are discussed. The automated procedure provides an infrastructure for implementing incremental improvements in the algorithm as observations and numerical models improve.
Non–Born–Oppenheimer calculations of the ground state of H3

We present quantum–mechanical calculations for the ground state of the H3 system performed without the Born-Oppenehimer approximation. In the calculations we use explicitly correlated Gaussian basis functions that explicitly depend on all of the interparticle distances. These basis functions allow us to achieve high accuracy while explicitly describing nucleus–nucleus, nucleus–electron, and electron–electron correlation effects. Gaussian basis sets ranging in size from 85 to 950 functions have been optimized using a gradient-based procedure. The issue of defining and extracting the H3 molecular structure based on the non-BO wave function is also discussed. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2007
Application of Energy Storage to Solar Electric Propulsion Orbital Transfer

Solar electric propulsion uses solar panels to generate power for electric thrusters. Using stored energy makes it possible to thrust through eclipses, but requires that some of the solar power collected during the sunlit portion of the trajectory be used to recharge the storage system. Previous researchers have reported that the required energy storage mass can be prohibitive. However, the use of high-speed e ywheels for energy storage can provide advantages. We compare the effectiveness of orbit transfers with using and without using energy storage. The orbit transfers are developed as sequences of time-optimal circle-to-circle planar transfers from low-Earth orbit to geostationary orbit. We develop techniques for solving the appropriate boundary-value problems and illustrate tradeoffs between solar array and e ywheel-battery masses for transfers requiring multiple revolutions. Theutility of e ywheel energy storage specie cally for the use of the solar electric propulsion system is examined. We e nd that when e ywheel energy storage is used in these scenarios transit times are typically increased, but signie cant propellant mass savings can be realized. Furthermore, if thespacecraft has a requirement for energy storage, then it is advantageous to use stored energy during the orbit transfer.
Fabrication of CMUTs with substrate-embedded springs

A capacitive micromachined ultrasonic transducer (CMUT) with substrate-embedded springs, called post-CMUT (PCMUT), decouples the spring constant and the mass of the system by realizing the former using relatively long and narrow posts. The PCMUT improves on the fill factor and average volume displacement of the conventional CMUT as shown in our previous work using 3-D finite element analysis (FEA). This work reports on second-generation PCMUT devices designed according to our 3-D FEA simulation results and manufactured using an improved fabrication process flow. This improved fabrication process is composed of three critical steps: wafer bonding of two silicon-on-insulator (SOI) wafers, deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) of posts (i.e. springs), and precision wafer polishing. The improved fabrication process results in a flexible platform for 82-element 1-D arrays, a single element device for high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU), and test PCMUT element structures. The new fabrication process also provides better post high uniformity as well as a clear path toward making 2-D arrays.
Influence of set on perception.

To examine the role which preparatory set plays in visual perception three groups of undergraduates were presented 10 items displayed tachistoscopically in .125-sec exposures. The two experimental groups were each given a different preparatory set relevant to the content of the items. The third group, the control group, was given no preparatory set. Six of the 10 items displayed were ambiguous items which might be seen as belonging to either set. Although the two experimental groups perceived more items correctly than did the control group, an analysis of the responses indicated that preparatory set did influence perception. Each experimental group perceived three times as many items as belonging to its set as did the other group.
Orthodontic bonding to porcelain—Bond strength and refinishing

Glazed porcelain surfaces are not amenable to resin penetration for orthodontic bonding. The aims of this study were to evaluate (1) the bond strengths of two orthodontic composite materials to treated porcelain surfaces, (2) the effect of thermocycling, and (3) the porcelain surfaces after refinishing. Sixty glazed poocelain disks were assigned to three surface treatment groups: Silane (S), roughening and silane (RS), and roughening (R). The acid-etched enamel surfaces of 20 extracted teeth served as a control group. Ten specimens in each group were bonded with either Concise or System 1. They were stored in water at 37° C or thermocycled 8° to 45° C. Shear bond strength was tested with an Instron testing machine (0.05 cm/min). Analysis of variance showed that the four surface treatment groups and the two composite materials produced significantly different bond strengths (P 0.05). Acid-etched enamel/Concise produced the highest mean bond strength (17.4 MN/m2). This was significantly greater (P < 0.05) than the mean bond strengths of S/Concise (11.1), RS/System 1 (8.6), RS/Concise (8.1), and enamel/System 1 (7.8). The latter four mean bond strengths in turn were significantly greater (P < 0.05) than S/System 1 (2.5), R/Concise (2.1), and R/System 1 (1.8). Of the four refinishing systems evaluated, all produced smooth surfaces but were unable to reproduce a glazed appearance. Roughening of porcelain and the silane treatment achieve bond strengths that should be clinically successful. With appropriate composite material selection, the silane procedure alone may be adequate. Surface roughening without silane treatment may not produce clinically acceptable bond strengths.
Understanding lentiviral vector chromatin targeting: working to reduce insertional mutagenic potential for gene therapy

Replication-deficient retroviruses have been successfully utilized as vectors, offering an efficient, stable method of therapeutic gene delivery. Many examples exist proving this mode of integrative gene transfer is both effective and safe in cultured systems and clinical trials. Along with their success, severe side effects have occurred with early retroviral vectors causing a shift in the approach to vector design before further clinical testing. Several alternative delivery methods are available but lentiviral vectors (LV) are among the most favorable as they are already well understood. LV offer safer integration site selection profiles and a lower degree of genotoxicity, compared with γ-retroviral vectors. Following their introduction, development of the self-inactivating vector configuration was a huge step to this mode of therapy but did not confer full protection against insertional mutagenesis. As a result integration, modeling must be improved to eventually avoid this possibility. The cellular factor LEDGF/p75 seems to play an essential role in the process of LV site selection and its interactions with chromatin are being quickly resolved. LEDGF/p75 is at the center of one example directed integration effort where recombinant products bias the integration event, a step toward fully directed integration into pre-determined benign loci. A more accurate picture of the details of LEDGF/p75 in the natural integration process is emerging, including new binding specificities, chromatin interaction kinetics and additional cellular factors. Together with next-generation sequencing technology and bio-informatics to analyze integration patterns, these advancements will lead to highly focused directed integration, accelerating wide-spread acceptance of LV for gene therapy.
Geometric Analysis of Free-Return Trajectories Following a Gravity-Assisted Flyby

The purpose of this study is to systematically identify all feasible trajectories following a gravity-assisted flyby that immediately return to the flyby body with no intermediate maneuvers. Every class of possible transfer angles is considered including even-nπ, odd-nπ, and generic return orbits. Lambert's problem is solved for a desired time-of-flight range allowing the possibility for multiple spacecraft and celestial body revolutions. The solutions are expressed geometrically, and the resulting velocity diagram is a mission-planning tool with potential applications that include cycler trajectories and planetary moon tours. The generalized free-return solutions can be used to construct loitering orbits about one celestial body or transfers between multiple bodies. Several previously documented cycler trajectories are improved using the discussed solutions.
Parent-youth discrepancies in ratings of youth victimization: associations with psychological adjustment.

This study extends research examining the implications of parent-youth informant discrepancies on youth victimization. Latent class analysis (LCA) identified dyads distinguished by patterns of parent and youth report of victimization. Analyses examined how latent classes were related to adjustment (i.e., anxiety/depression, aggression, and delinquency) concurrently and at follow-up assessment (~2.5 years) in a socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample. Participants were 485 youths (58.1% male; M age = 12.83 years, SD = 1.60) and their primary caregivers from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods. This study compared three classes of youths: (a) Parent > Youth (24.0%), (b) Youth > Parent (21.5%), and (c) Relative Agreement (54.5%). Findings did not support the hypothesis that groups reflecting parental underreporting of youth victimization experiences would show poor adjustment relative to all other classes longitudinally. Surprisingly, youths who self-reported lower levels of victimization than parents reported were at risk for maladjustment over time. This type of discrepant dyad may deserve more careful attention than previously considered in the literature. Language: en
Microfluidic System for Generation of Sinusoidal Glucose Waveforms for Entrainment of Islets of Langerhans

A microfluidic system was developed to produce sinusoidal waveforms of glucose to entrain oscillations of intracellular [Ca2+] in islets of Langerhans. The work described is an improvement to a previously reported device where two pneumatic pumps delivered pulses of glucose and buffer to a mixing channel. The mixing channel acted as a low pass filter to attenuate these pulses to produce the desired final concentration. Improvements to the current device included increasing the average pumping frequency from 0.83 to 3.33 Hz by modifying the on-chip valves to minimize adhesion between the PDMS and glass within the valve. The cutoff frequency of the device was increased from 0.026 to 0.061 Hz for sinusoidal fluorescein waves by shortening the length of the mixing channel to 3.3 cm. The value of the cutoff frequency was chosen between the average pumping frequency and the low frequency (∼0.0056 Hz) glucose waves that were needed to entrain the islets of Langerhans. In this way, the pulses from the pumps were ...
Bohemian Counter Culture in Balzac's Comedie humaine

In an effort to better understand Balzac’s thinking about marginality, class, and social mobility, this paper analyzes Balzac’s representation of la vie de boheme in texts from La Comedie humaine containing the most references to bohemia: Un Prince de la boheme (1845), Beatrix (1839), Illusions perdues (1843), and La Muse du departement (1843). Balzac’s representations of this counter-cultural figure share much in common with notions of the bohemian that were popular in the literature of the time, but he also emphasized qualities that were dear to his own preoccupations, particularly the allure of the bohemian’s amorous prowess and his financial ties to the upper classes. In showing the sources of revenue that help these young men to continue their lifestyle of minimizing productive work and spending any money they can get their hands on for pleasures like dinner parties and gambling, Balzac reveals a significant aspect of the social machinery that connects bohemia and bourgeois society. Rather than existing as a separate space, untouchable by official society, Balzac’s bohemia serves as a source of pleasure and sexual favors for bourgeois and aristocrats, as well as fellow bohemians. Balzac’s bohemians provide the novelist a means of diversifying and enriching his typology of characters by allowing him to examine the pitfalls of a life of self-indulgence, as a contrast to his social-climbing arriviste characters.
6 – Design and Use of Field Windbreaks in Wind Erosion Control Systems

Abstract Wind erosion is a problem where soil movement exceeds the tolerable limit for the soil or where soil movement begins to damage the crops being grown. On soils with a wind erosion potential and where adequate residues are not available to control wind erosion, it is necessary to divide the field into a series of isolated fields. By using a combination of practices, properly designed wind erosion control systems can be tailored to fit specific crops, irrigation methods and farming practices of individual landowners.
Where Houston Met Hollywood Giant, Glenn McCarthy, and the Construction of a Modern City

In trying to understand why one of the United States’ biggest cities has been overlooked in scholarship, this article argues that the mass media has helped to obscure Houstonians’ own narratives of their city. This article looks closely at the opening of the Shamrock Hotel in Houston in 1949 and the release of the film Giant (1956), which fictionalizes that event. This case study shows how Giant constructed the city as an anti-modern space, overshadowing the discourse proposed by Glenn McCarthy and the Shamrock, which promoted Houston as a modern city. This article also analyzes Houstonians’ responses to Giant: Reviews were largely enthusiastic, but the perspective from Houston also allowed viewers to see some of the film’s weaknesses more clearly.
Monte Carlo Estimation of Bayesian Credible and HPD Intervals

Abstract This article considers how to estimate Bayesian credible and highest probability density (HPD) intervals for parameters of interest and provides a simple Monte Carlo approach to approximate these Bayesian intervals when a sample of the relevant parameters can be generated from their respective marginal posterior distribution using a Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) sampling algorithm. We also develop a Monte Carlo method to compute HPD intervals for the parameters of interest from the desired posterior distribution using a sample from an importance sampling distribution. We apply our methodology to a Bayesian hierarchical model that has a posterior density containing analytically intractable integrals that depend on the (hyper) parameters. We further show that our methods are useful not only for calculating the HPD intervals for the parameters of interest but also for computing the HPD intervals for functions of the parameters. Necessary theory is developed and illustrative examples—including a si...
The effect of financial risk arrangements on service access and satisfaction among Medicaid beneficiaries

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between financial risk arrangements, access to services, and consumer satisfaction with services was assessed in a sample of Medicaid beneficiaries who were enrolled under three different financial risk arrangements for health care and mental health care. METHODS: A survey was mailed to a stratified random sample of 9,449 recipients of Supplemental Security Income. Respondents reported their health and mental health service needs, service use, and satisfaction with services. Access was measured in terms of service needs that were met. RESULTS: Access to services was related to the type of risk arrangement. Respondents who were enrolled in plans that assumed the risk for the cost of services had poorer access to services than respondents who were enrolled in plans that did not assume the risk for the cost of these services. Satisfaction with medical services was negatively related to the plan's assuming the risk for medical expenditures. CONCLUSIONS: Financial risk arrangements ...
Reconnaissance Study of Quaternary Faults in and South of Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

Normal faults offset a bedrock surface scoured by Pleistocene ice in several areas within and south of Yellowstone National Park. Recurrent earthquake shocks and fresh appearance of some scarps suggest that movement is continuing along some faults. Four systems of faults are described. Quaternary movement occurred along more than 60 faults on the Mirror Plateau, 15 miles northeast of Yellowstone Lake. Faults trend northwest, and several are more than 6 miles long. Maximum displacement exceeds 250 feet. The majority have northeast blocks downdropped, but some grabens and horsts are present. Eocene to Pliocene igneous or pyroclastic rocks are displaced. Ice moved southwest and south from the Beartooth and Absaroka ranges, nearly at right angles to the fault trends. Drainage in many ice-scoured valleys was disrupted by faulting, and small lakes (such as Mirror Lake) formed on downthrown blocks. Thermal activity occurs along some of these faults. Directly east of Mirror Plateau, the Lamar normal fault has a displacement of 1300 + feet; perhaps 1000 feet of this may have occurred during Quaternary time. The Yellowstone Falls fault system cuts Pliocene rhyolite southeast of the Upper Falls of the Yellowstone River. Faults trend northwest; maximum displacement exceeds 200 feet. The Solfatara fault system trends north-northwest, cuts Pliocene rhyolite, and has a maximum Quaternary displacement of about 200 feet. The Hering Lake fault system is a northern extension of the Teton fault, trends northward, and cuts Pliocene rhyolite and rhyolitic welded tuff. Maximum displacement is about 200 feet. West-flowing streams established on bedrock scoured by ice were disrupted, and Beula, Hering, and South Boundary lakes formed on the downthrown (east) blocks. The sharp angular unstepped appearance of fault scarps 50 to 200 feet high in these fault systems suggests that each scarp of this type was formed by one continuous movement. The displacement along faults associated with the Hebgen earthquake of August 1959 is commonly less than 20 feet. The abundance of Quaternary faults and the record of 18 earthquakes in historic time suggest that additional faulting and earthquake activity can be expected in the future. Recognition of this probability should influence the location and type of construction of buildings and other facilities.
Oxomolybdenum(V)/Iron(III) Porphyrinate Complexes: Effect of Axial Ligand Plane Orientation on Complex Stability, Reduction Potential, and NMR and EPR Spectra

characteristic of one or both axial ligands in parallel planes. The equilibrium constants ( ‚2) for binding the bulky 2MeImH ligands of 1 and 2 are more than an order of magnitude smaller than those for NMeIm binding to 3 and 4. Three distinct pseudo-Nernstian one-electron couples are observed for 1 and 2 in DMF that can be assigned to the Fe(III/II), Mo(V/IV), and Fe(II/I) reductions, with the Fe(III/II) couple being most positive. The Fe(III/II) and Mo(V/IV) potentials are similar to those for 3 and 4 and only slightly perturbed from those of the individual isolated components. The EPR spectrum of 1 shows features due to Mo(V) and low-spin Fe(III) that are perturbed by weak exchange coupling (2.6 GHz, 0.078 cm -1 ) between the two metal centers which are separated by7.9 A. The “large gmax” feature characteristic of the 2MeImH adducts of Fe(III) tetraphenylporphyrinates is shifted toward the Mo(V) signal to 2.85; the anisotropy of the Mo(V) signal is lost, and no molybdenum hyperfine can be detected. The EPR spectrum of 2, which has a metal-metal separation of9.4 A, shows an unperturbed “large gmax” value of 3.41 for the Fe(III) center. The Mo(V) part of the spectrum is slightly perturbed from that of the precursor catecholate complex but is essentially identical to that of 4, which exhibits a rhombic Fe(III) signal.
Regulation of Ca2+ current in frog ventricular myocytes by the holding potential, c-AMP and frequency.

The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to study the effects of holding potential and frequency on the Ca2+ current in frog ventricular myocytes. I Na was blocked by TTX, and i ca was activated with depolarizing clamps from different holding potentials. Variation of the holding potential revealed three new effects on i Ca: (1) At -40 mV i Ca declined with a time constant of 15 min, while at-90 mV, this irreversible decline (run down) in i Ca did not occur. (2) The decline of i Ca at -40 mV was biphasic: run down was preceeded by a slow inactivation with a time constant of 40 s, which was reversible upon returning the holding potential to -90 mV. (3) Increasing the frequency of the clamp pulses from 0.1 to 1 Hz led to a rapid decline of i Ca when the holding potential was positive to -60 mV, but at -90 mV had either no effect or increased i Ca by 35%, if c-AMP was included in the dialyzing solution. On the other hand, c-AMP did not alter the time course of the run down and the slow inactivation. Replacement of extracellular Ca2+ by Ba2+ markedly slowed i Ca kinetics, but did not change the very slow inactivation or the frequency-induced enhancement of i Ca. Injection of c-AMP led to a transient increase of i Ca. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline enhanced the amplitude of the transient and slowed its decay. This effect was mimicked by increased frequency. It is concluded that frequency-induced enhancement of i Ca is highly dependent on the holding potential, independent of Ca2+, and may involve elevation of the intracellular level of c-AMP via inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity. The new type of very slow inactivation is probably under direct voltage control and independent of Ca2+ and c-AMP.
Prosirenidae, a New Family of Fossil Salamanders

THE geological record of salamanders is poor. The few known fossils give little information on relationships of this group of amphibians, which currently includes eight living and three extinct families1. Salamanders are considered to be close relatives of other living Amphibia (frogs and apodans) and have been placed in a subclass Lissamphibia2. The ancestry of lissamphibians is not well documented, but unpublished information indicates that my suggestion1 that they are related to primitive temnospondyl labyrinthodonts may be correct.
Signal transduction and regulation in smooth muscle

Smooth muscle cells in the walls of many organs are vital for most bodily functions, and their abnormalities contribute to a range of diseases. Although based on a sliding-filament mechanism similar to that of striated muscles, contraction of smooth muscle is regulated by pharmacomechanical as well as by electromechanical coupling mechanisms. Recent studies have revealed previously unrecognized contractile regulatory processes, such as G-protein-coupled inhibition of myosin light-chain phosphatase, regulation of myosin light-chain kinase by other kinases, and the functional effects of smooth muscle myosin isoforms. Abnormalities of these regulatory mechanisms and isoform variations may contribute to diseases of smooth muscle, and the G-protein-coupled inhibition of protein phosphatase is also likely to be impor-tant in regulating non-muscle cell functions mediated by cytoplasmic myosin II.
Studies in the Principles of Judgments and Attitudes: II. Determination of Judgments by Group and by Ego Standards

(1940). Studies in the Principles of Judgments and Attitudes: II. Determination of Judgments by Group and by Ego Standards. The Journal of Social Psychology: Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 433-465.
Mental Health Screening: Utility of the Psychological Screening Inventory

The Psychological Screening Inventory (PSI) was designed for use as a rapid mental health screening device to identify persons who should receive more extensive evaluation. This study evaluated the accuracy of the three screening scales using receiver operating characteristic (ROC), positive predictive power–negative predictive power, and sensitivity–specificity analyses. Persons with major psychiatric disorder (N 536) were distinguished from control participants by the Alienation scale with an area underneath the ROC curve (AUC) of .905; persons with significant antisocial behavior (N 410), by the Social Nonconformity (Sn) scale with an AUC of .811; and persons with general psychological distress (N 620), by the Discomfort (Di) scale with an AUC of .773. There were comparable findings for the other comparison procedures, and some results were better for men and women separately. An empirically developed index (the Overall Screening Index—Revised) showed significant improvement over the Di scale in identifying persons with general psychological distress (AUC .842). These findings support the utility of the PSI for its intended purpose.
The relationship between consistency of propulsive cycles and maximum angular velocity during wheelchair racing.

The purposes of this study were to examine the consistency of wheelchair athletes’ upper-limb kinematics in consecutive propulsive cycles and to investigate the relationship between the maximum angular velocities of the upper arm and forearm and the consistency of the upper-limb kinematical pattern. Eleven elite international wheelchair racers propelled their own chairs on a roller while performing maximum speeds during wheelchair propulsion. A Qualisys motion analysis system was used to film the wheelchair propulsive cycles. Six reflective markers placed on the right shoulder, elbow, wrist joints, metacarpal, wheel axis, and wheel were automatically digitized. The deviations in cycle time, upper-arm and forearm angles, and angular velocities among these propulsive cycles were analyzed. The results demonstrated that in the consecutive cycles of wheelchair propulsion the increased maximum angular velocity may lead to increased variability in the upper-limb angular kinematics. It is speculated that this inc...
On-Line Real-Time Digital Computer Separation of Extracellular Neuroelectric Signals

An on-line real-time spike recognition and separation system for up to six different spikes in multiple unit extracellular records has been developed using the Micro-LINC 300 computer. Assuming biphasic potentials, the computer extracts four unambiguous variables, two in amplitude and two in time. One variable of a selected pair is plotted against the other on the computer CRT. Points representing the same class of signal will fall into clusters. Cluster boundaries for spike separation are set visually by the investigator. Output is in the form of pulses on different relay lines. The system permits waveforms to overlap up to 15 percent. Examples of system performance with real signals are presented. A comparison is made with other spike recognition systems. A simple system is presented for generating artificial test signals and a technique described for testing any spike recognition system.
Liquid nitrogen‐based quick freezing: Experiences with bounce‐free delivery of cholinergic nerve terminals to a metal surface

The limitations of chemical fixation in permitting the 1:1 quantitative correlations required for convincing ultrastructural explanations of cell biological processes are noted. We describe techniques for obtaining highly reproducible direct quick freezing on the polished surface of pure copper bars dipping into a static dewar of liquid N2. The importance and the ease of testing and obtaining bounce suppression with commerically available equipment is emphasized. Artefacts caused by tissue damage and bad freezing are illustrated, and a hitherto unrecognized population of presynaptic membrane attached vesicles is described in Torpedine electric organ. Between 15 and 20% of the synaptic vesicles are attached to ca. 30% of the cytoplasmic face of the presynaptic terminal membrane. There is a close correlation between the occurrence of such attachments and the application of electrocyte basal lamina to the external face. We suggest that these vesicles are the ‘membrane operators,’ ‘vesigates,’ and ‘highly active subpopulation’ of vesicles whose existence has been invoked to explain biochemical data in other laboratories. We further speculate that relatively selective Ca pumping by this immediately submembranous population leads to displacement of acetylcholine (ACh) and reloading with newly synthesized ACh. The preferential release of the latter would then be expected.