cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A genetics analysis of the performance of three rainbow trout broodstocks

Abstract The reproductive performance of three domesticated rainbow trout broodstocks spawning at 2 years of age was analysed using data collected over a period of 5 years. Data were collected for post-spawning body weight, volume of eggs spawned, egg size, egg number and fertility to the eyed egg stage. There were significant differences among the stocks attributable to both genetic and environmental causes. In addition, there were marked differences between year-classes, isolated from each other due to 2-year spawning. The differences appeared to be genetic in origin and demonstrated the effect of sampling the original parents. Heritabilities estimated from full-sib comparisons indicated male weight was more influenced by environmental stress at spawning than was female weight. Heritability estimates for egg volume, egg size and egg number ranged from 0.05 to 0.76 for individual stocks, but when averaged for the three stocks the range was from 0.32 to 0.52. Egg size was found to have the lowest heritability of the three traits. The heritability of fertility was found to be low and was the lowest for the stock with the poorest fertility. Genetic and phenotype correlations among the traits were also estimated. The relationship between body weight and egg volume and size were both positive as was that between egg volume and egg size. It was determined that egg volume was the principal determinant of egg number and that the relationship of number to size could be negative. The latter evidence was obtained by artificially adjusting the egg production traits to a constant female body size. The result suggested that females that produce larger numbers of eggs are likely to produce smaller eggs unless the change is associated with a marked increase in body weight. It is recommended that selection for egg size be included in all selection programs and that egg number be ignored in any selection program designed to increase body size.
A roll call analysis of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act and constituent interests in fire policy

Abstract This study examined national wildland fire policy by focusing on the political process. The evolution of federal wildland fire policies was reviewed first. Wildland fire suppression in the long term has resulted in a high accumulation of fuels on federal forestlands. The enactment of the Healthy Forests Restoration Act (HFRA) in 2003 was a natural result of the evolution, intended to address the increasingly violent wildland fires in recent years. Utilizing the voting records on the HFRA, a roll call analysis was conducted to examine a number of factors that might have influenced legislators' voting behavior. Political affiliation was clearly a more vital aspect of the vote for Republicans than for Democrats. Republicans were more supportive of the HFRA and less divided in voting than Democrats. The percentage of the rural population in a congressional district or a state was positively related to the support of fuel reduction projects and the HFRA. Contributions from forest firms to legislators increased the probability of voting for the HFRA while contributions from environmental interest groups decreased it. The forest industry has overspent the environmental interest groups in political contributions by a wide margin and exerted more influences in the voting of HFRA.
Psychosocial stress and cigarette smoking persistence, cessation, and relapse over 9–10 years: a prospective study of middle-aged adults in the United States

Purpose Year-to-year decreases in smoking in the US have been observed only sporadically in recent years, which suggest a need for intensified efforts to identify those at risk for persistent smoking. To address this need, we examined the association between a variety of psychosocial stressors and smoking persistence, cessation, and relapse over 9‐10 years among adults in the United States (n = 4,938, ages 25‐74). Methods Using information provided at baseline and follow-up, participants were categorized as non-smokers, persistent smokers, ex-smokers, and relapsed smokers. Stressors related to relationships, finances, work‐family conflict, perceived inequality, neighborhood, discrimination, and past-year family problems were assessed at baseline and follow-up. Results High stress at both assessments was associated with greater odds of persistent smoking for stressors related to relationships, finances, work, perceived inequality, past-year family problems, and a summary score. Among respondents who were smokers at baseline, high stress at both time points for relationship stress, perceived inequality, and past-year family problems was associated with nearly double the odds of failure to quit. Conclusions Interventions to address psychosocial stress may be important components within smoking cessation efforts.
Protocol for Profitability Analysis Using Internal Entities in Organizational Structure of Construction Companies

AbstractConstruction companies bid on projects and expect to obtain a profit by implementing awarded projects. As profit-generating entities, the construction companies are composed of cost and profit centers. The cost centers within the organization provide services required to fulfill the activities of the profit centers. The profit centers create billable work that is reimbursed by the owners of the projects. However, construction companies have had difficulty in winning new construction projects because of high competition, economic recession, and so forth. Also, many construction companies are not obtaining the profits they expect from the awarded projects. Therefore, a protocol to analyze profitability should be developed to understand the gaps between actual and estimated profit and the origins of loss of profit on construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to present a protocol for profitability analysis for the construction companies. The construction companies can utilize the protocol t...
The Localization Properties of a Random Steady Flow on a Lattice

We consider a random stationary vector field on a multidimensional lattice and investigate flow-connected subsets of the lattice invariant under the action of the associated flow. The subsets of primary interest are cycles, and vortices each of which is the set of orbits terminating in the same cycle. We prove that with probability 1 each vortex only involves a finite number of sites of the lattice. Under the assumption of independence of the vector field in different sites, we find that with probability 1 the vortices exhaust all possible maximal flowconnected invariant subsets of the lattice if and only if the probability of existence of a cycle is positive. Thus, if cycles exist, a particle under the action of the flow only moves within a bounded region, i.e., it is completely localized.
Modeling forage growth in a Midwest USA silvopastoral system

Tree effects on understory pasture growth in a silvopastoral system were modeled by explicit simulation of tree canopy light and rainfall interception, evapotranspiration, and nutrient uptake. The algorithms to model these effects were incorporated into a multispecies grazing simulation model, GRASIM, to form the Silvopasture GRASIM model (SGRASIM). The new model was evaluated using forage biomass data and soil moisture data collected from a silvopasture field experiment with black walnut (Juglans nigra L.). The SGRASIM model performed well in simulating the growth of three competing dominant forage species (orchardgrass [Dactylis glomerata L.], Kentucky bluegrass [Poa pratensis L.], and tall fescue [Festuca arundinacea (Schreb.)] in the pasture both under tree canopy and in open pasture (linear regression of observed on simulated biomass for the species gave r 2 values above 0.97). Model growth parameters for forage under tree canopy, compared with those for an open pasture, bear testament to the shading effects from the forest canopy in terms of reduced photosynthetic efficiency, increased leaf area ratio, and photosynthate partitioned to aboveground biomass. The new model reasonably followed the soil moisture time series in the upper soil layer (0–30 cm), where the bulk of the forage roots reside.
The determination of estrone in oil solutions of estrogens.

A method is described for the determination of estrone in oil solutions of natural estrogens. The procedure is based on the extraction of estrogens by immiscible solvents, separation of the ketone fraction with Girard Reagent T, followed by the spearophotometric determination of estyone. The results of analysis of a series of control samples are reported.
TU‐C‐I‐609‐02: Bandpass Observer Detection Mechanisms in Structured Noise

Purpose: The use of medical images to detect and classify disease involves interpretation of images with spatially correlated variability. These variations can arise from physical processes in detection such as electronic and quantum noise, from patient to patient variability (often referred to as “patient structured” or “anatomical” noise), and from image processing algorithms such as image reconstruction and contrast enhancement. A number of linear observer models have been suggested as predictive of human observer performance for the purposes of optimizing imaging systems for diagnostic performance in noise limited tasks. We investigate some of these models in three simple detection tasks in Gaussian textures with lowpass, highpass, and uncorrelated (white) power spectra. Method and Materials: We use a recently developed methodology to directly estimate a linear observer template in two-alternative forced-choice (2AFC) detection tasks with white noise, lowpass noise, and highpass Gaussian noise. In all cases the signal to be detected was a small Gaussian “lesion”. After training, three human observers participated in the studies which involved 2,000 2AFC trials per condition. Results: The observed linear templates exhibit a bandpass structure in all cases. The peak of the spatial frequency band used by observer's shifts under different correlation structures. Various models, including Hotelling, Channelized Hotelling, Nonprewhitening, and Eye-filtered Nonprewhiteing models were compared to the human observer data. Conclusion: Human observers adopt different visual strategies in response to the correlation structure of images that is reasonably well modeled as a bandpass filter. Many suggested models of detection performance do not fully capture this filter.
Spinal anesthesia using a 1:1 mixture of bupivacaine and tetracaine for peripheral vascular surgery

Abstract Study Objective: To present our preliminary experience using three doses of an equimilligram mixture of 1% tetracaine and 0.75% bupivacaine in 8.25% dextrose for spinal anesthesia in patients undergoing peripheral vascular surgery. Setting: Operating and recovery rooms at a university medical center. Patients: 60 patients who received femoral popliteal or femoral distal bypass with spinal anesthesia. Interventions: All patients had intravenous cannulae inserted and received lactated Ringer's solution. There were no bolus infusions of fluid preanesthesia. Fluid administration occurred at a rate of 8 to 15 ml/kg/hr, with additional fluid and inotropic drugs administered to treat hypotension. Oxygen (O 2 ) was delivered by nasal cannula, and peripheral O 2 saturation was monitored. Blood pressure (BP) was monitored every 1 to 5 minutes using an automatic BP device, and ECG was displayed continually. Measurements and Main Results: Initially, 8 patients received a dose of 15 mg of each drug combined with 0.2 mg of epinephrine injected in a 20-degree head-up tilt. Because the duration of anesthesia was prolonged, subsequent patients received 12 mg of each drug mixed with 0.2 mg of epinephrine for cases in which an extended duration was predicted and 10 mg of each drug plus epinephrine for proximal first-time bypasses. With mixtures of 15 mg, 12 mg, and 10 mg of each drug plus epinephrine, a mean duration of approximately 300 minutes of surgically acceptable anesthesia was obtained. As the dose was decreased, the SD increased. There was a 0% failure rate for the spinal anesthetics at doses of 15 mg and 12 mg of each drug and a 19.5% failure rate at a dose of 10 mg of each drug. In each case, the rapid onset of a sensory blockade regressed in a standard and predictable fashion. The decline in BP and the use of inotropic and vasoconstrictive drugs were comparable to those in previously published reports of spinal anesthetics using single drug techniques with smaller doses. In none of the patients were there any untoward cerebrovascular or neurologic events, nor were there any clinically evident episodes of coronary insufficiency. Conclusion: Spinal anesthesia using bupivacaine and tetracaine mixed in a single-injection technique can last 5 hours at the T 12 level without added untoward effects when compared with lower-dose spinal anesthetics.
Brightness Temperature Constraints to Compact Synchrotron Source Radiation Obtained from IDV and VLBI Observations

We discuss the observational and theoretical constraints on the brightness temperature of compact opaque synchrotron sources. We consider the implication of observed apparent velocities on the amount of Doppler boosting and compare this with values deduced from directly measured brightness temperatures from ground and space based VLBI observations, as well as the implications of intraday variability. We also discuss the maximum rest frame brightness temperature expected under conditions of both inverse Compton cooling and equipartition conditions.
Reevaluation of matrix-isolation infrared spectra of the isotopologues of trans-diazene and attempts to prepare cis-diazene by photoisomerization

Abstract IR spectra of trans -diazene (diimide, HN NH) have been recorded in nitrogen and argon matrices at 20 K. An IR spectrum of a mixture of trans -diazene- d 1 and - d 2 in a nitrogen matrix has also been recorded. The method for preparing pure trans-diazene has been clarified. Revised assignments are reported for these spectra. A definitive experimental assignment of the wavenumbers of normal modes the three hydrogen/deuterium isotopologues is given. Attempts were made to photoisomierize matrix-isolated trans -diazene into the elusive cis isomer. No bands for the cis isomer were found.
System architecture challenges in the home M2M network

Wireless home networks are extending beyond phones and computers to include every imaginable type of electronic device from TVs and audio components, to appliances and thermostats. The benefits include distribution of multimedia throughout the home, energy savings through remote or automatic control, and reduced cost through packaged services. Though people are often enamored by the technology that provides very broadband wireless streaming for multimedia, an important new class of low data rate machine-to-machine (M2M) devices are key to this highly connected home. The M2M device class is typically characterized by very low power consumption and little or no human intervention. In many cases, they autonomously communicate with each other or with a central controller. The home of the future will be outfitted with many such devices. Applications, such as home security sensing, lighting control, HVAC systems, appliances that run smart grid applications, medical devices, and entertainment systems, will all need to connect and communicate from within the home.
Damping in Fiber Reinforced Laminated Composites at High Strain

Damping factors were determined for cantilever beams made of cross- plied epoxy fiberglass laminates as they were vibrated at different strain levels in first and second mode bending simultaneously. It was found that the damping factor could be calculated from the crack density and the strain volume function at maximum previous strain and was almost inde pendent of the current strain distribution. It was also found that the damp ing factor was almost the same in both first and second modes and that, unlike metals, there was very little interactive effect.
Efficient Electro-Oxidation of Water near Its Reversible Potential by a Mesoporous IrOx Nanoparticle Film

We describe the formation of stable, adherent, mesoporous films of 2 nm diameter IrIVOx nanoparticles on glassy carbon electrodes, by a previously unreported method of controlled potential electro-flocculation from pH 13 nanoparticle solutions. These films initiate O2 evolution from water oxidation and then achieve 100% current efficiency, at overpotentials only ∼0.15 and ∼0.25 V higher, respectively, than the reversible H2O/O2 potential. The overpotentials, measured at ∼0.5 mA/cm2, are independent of pH and are the smallest yet reported for electrochemical water oxidation, a property important in possible uses in electrochemical solar cells. The films appear to be mesoporous and microscopically accessible, since O2 evolution currents increase proportionately to multilayer nanoparticle film coverage but without a concurrent increase in overpotential.
From Quasi-Federation to Quasi-Confederacy? The Transformation of India's Party System

The article begins by explaining and classifying the national, state, and registered political parties that have proliferated in India since 1980 (when 36 parties contested). It then proposes that the number be reduced. The designation “national party” should be confined to parties that are nationwide in appeal. Registered parties should be confined to state elections. State parties contesting national elections should be required to join an alliance of “federal” parties. These should be required to win seats in three states. Parliament has reduced the number of independent candidates from about 10, 000 to 2, 000. It should next reduce the number of parties participating in national elections from about 200 to 40 at most. Copyright 2003, Oxford University Press.
RNAi-mediated gene silencing in tick synganglia: A proof of concept study

Progress in generating comprehensive EST libraries and genome sequencing is setting the stage for reverse genetic approaches to gene function studies in the blacklegged tick (Ixodes scapularis). However, proving that RNAi can work in nervous tissue has been problematic. Developing an ability to manipulate gene expression in the tick synganglia likely would accelerate understanding of tick neurobiology. Here, we assess gene silencing by RNA interference in the adult female black-legged tick synganglia. Tick β-Actin and Na+-K+-ATPase were chosen as targets because both genes express in all tick tissues including synganglia. This allowed us to deliver dsRNA in the unfed adult female ticks and follow a) uptake of dsRNA and b) gene disruption in synganglia. In vitro assays demonstrated total disruption of both tick β-Actin and Na+-K+-ATPase in the synganglia, salivary glands and midguts. When dsRNA was microinjected in unfed adult female ticks, nearly all exhibited target gene disruption in the synganglia once ticks were partially blood fed. Abdominal injection of dsRNA into unfed adult female ticks appears to silence target gene expression even in the tick synganglia. The ability of dsRNA to cross the blood-brain barrier in ticks suggests that RNAi should prove to be a useful method for dissecting function of synganglia genes expressing specific neuropeptides in order to better assess their role in tick biology.
Inhibition of Glutathione and Thioredoxin Metabolism Enhances Sensitivity to Perifosine in Head and Neck Cancer Cells

The hypothesis that the Akt inhibitor, perifosine (PER), combined with inhibitors of glutathione (GSH) and thioredoxin (Trx) metabolism will induce cytotoxicity via metabolic oxidative stress in human head and neck cancer (HNSCC) cells was tested. PER induced increases in glutathione disulfide (%GSSG) in FaDu, Cal-27, and SCC-25 HNSCCs as well as causing significant clonogenic cell killing in FaDu and Cal-27, which was suppressed by simultaneous treatment with N-acetylcysteine (NAC). An inhibitor of GSH synthesis, buthionine sulfoximine (BSO), sensitized Cal-27 and SCC-25 cells to PER-induced clonogenic killing as well as decreased total GSH and increased %GSSG. Additionally, inhibition of thioredoxin reductase activity (TrxRed) with auranofin (AUR) was able to induce PER sensitization in SCC-25 cells that were initially refractory to PER. These results support the conclusion that PER induces oxidative stress and clonogenic killing in HNSCC cells that is enhanced with inhibitors of GSH and Trx metabolism.
Alkaline chemical burn to the face requiring full-thickness skin grafting

A case of a patient with an alkaline chemical burn to the face from the misuse of the aerosol form of an oven cleaner is presented. The low concentration of sodium hydroxide and lack of early pain delayed the patient's presentation to the emergency department for two hours. After this delay in seeking treatment, continuous irrigation in the ED did little to modify the pH of the patient's injured skin. Thus, she developed a full-thickness alkaline burn that eventually required skin grafting.
GENERALIZED QUANTUM STATISTICS

In this letter, a non-anyonic generalization of quantum statistics is presented, in which Fermi-Dirac statistics (FDS) and Bose-Einstein statistics (BES) appear as two special cases. This new quantum statistics, which is characterized by the dimension of its single particle Fock space, contains three consistent parts, namely the generalized bilinear quantization, the generalized quantum mechanical description and the corresponding statistical mechanics.
The Bystander Approach: Strengths-Based Sexual Assault Prevention With At-Risk Groups

Bystander intervention is described as a promising approach for social workers engaged with groups labeled “at risk” for perpetrating sexual violence. An exploratory study was conducted with one at-risk group, student-athletes, to determine their willingness to intervene as bystanders in situations involving sexual violence. A survey was administered to 205 participants, focus groups held with nine teams, and individual interviews conducted with 22 student-athletes. Results indicate that the closeness of the team bond is the most significant predictor for willingness to intervene. Many student-athletes reported a willingness to intervene in situations involving sexual violence but need further skill development to do so effectively. Implications for social workers implementing the bystander approach with at-risk groups are discussed, such as skill development and utilization of the strengths perspective.
Stimulation of Peripheral Blood T Cells by an Activated T‐Cell Line: a Novel Human Autologous T‐T Lymphocyte Reaction

T lymphocyte interactions have generally been described between discrete functional subsets. In our investigation of murine T-cell interactions we described a type of T-T interaction termed the 'Syngeneic T-T Lymphocyte Reaction' in which activated T-cell clones stimulated the proliferation of resting T cells mainly through a mechanism involving cell to cell contact. To investigate whether similar reactions occur in the human immune system we used the human autoreactive T-cell line C.1 to stimulate peripheral T cells. Line C.1 cells, which are not transformed and do not secrete IL2, consistently caused proliferation of purified freshly isolated autologous peripheral human T cells as measured by a [3H]-thymidine incorporation assay. The proliferation was seen in both the CD4 and CD8 subsets and could be inhibited with anti-DR and anti-CD2 antibodies. The stimulation is not due to carryover of classical antigen-presenting cells or to the C.1 line cells acting as antigen-presenting cells. We propose that some activated T cells, probably by expression of a surface molecule, can stimulate resting T cells thereby allowing for antigen-non-specific augmentation of the immune response.
Diagnostic and operative arthroscopy of the knee under local anesthesia with parenteral medication.

Arthroscopy of the knee under local anesthesia was performed on 102 patients for operative and diagnostic purposes between January and December of 1985. The procedures were performed on a same day basis without a pneumatic tourniquet. The operative record of each patient was reviewed to determine postopera tive diagnosis and treatment. The data was matched to a patient questionnaire that measured individual reaction to local anesthesia. The effectiveness and level of patient acceptance of this anesthetic technique for operative arthroscopy was then evaluated.Ninety-one patients responded to the questionnaire, 82 of whom had prior anesthetic experience. Ninety- five percent of the patients had minimal or no discomfort during the procedure. Eighty percent indicated a pref erence for local anesthesia in the event of subsequent arthroscopy. No complications relating to the anesthetic agent were noted.Arthroscopy of the knee under local anesthesia for routine operative arthroscopy was found to be safe, reliabl...
Increased chronic bowel complications with split-course pelvic irradiation.

Abstract Purpose : To assess the possible impact of various treatment factors including split-course versus continuous course treatment on the incidence of chronic bowel complications in patients receiving adjuvant pelvic radiotherapy. Methods and Materials : A retrospective review was performed of records of 153 patients treated with adjuvant external beam pelvic radiation therapy without brachytherapy for endometrial and colorectal carcinomas. Continuous course radiotherapy was administered in 91 patients (59%) and 62 patients (41%) received split course treatment with a planned 2; week mid-treatment break. Mean pelvic dose and daily fraction size were 51.4 and 1.71 Gray, respectively. Multiple patient and treatment variables were assessed for their possible relationship to chronic bowel complications. Univariate and multivariate statistical analyses were carried out. Results : Twenty-seven patients (18%) developed chronic bowel complications at a median interval of 12 months after radiotherapy. Of all factors analyzed, only the use of split course technique was associated with a significantly higher rate of chronic bowel injury and decreased complication-free survival (p = 0.009). Conclusion : This study supports earlier suggestions that the use of split course rather than continuous course pelvic radiotherapy can. increase late intestinal complication rates. Possible pathophysiologic mechanisms are discussed.
ΔNP63α Transcriptionally Activates Chemokine Receptor 4 (CXCR4) Expression to Regulate Breast Cancer Stem Cell Activity and Chemotaxis

ΔNP63α, the predominant TP63 isoform expressed in diverse epithelial tissues, including the mammary gland is required for the preservation of stem cells and has been implicated in tumorigenesis and metastasis. Despite data characterizing ΔNP63α as a master regulator of stem cell activity, identification of the targets underlying these effects is incompletely understood. Recently, ΔNP63α was identified as a key regulator in the promotion of pro-inflammatory programs in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck. Inflammation has been implicated as a potent driver of cancer stem cell phenotypes and metastasis. In this study, we sought to identify novel targets of ΔNP63α that confer cancer stem cell and pro-metastatic properties. Data presented here identifies the gene encoding the chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) as a transcriptional target of ΔNP63α. Our data indicate that ΔNP63α enhances CXCR4 expression in breast cancer cells via its binding at two regions within the CXCR4 promoter. The CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 was used to demonstrate that the pro-stem cell activity of ΔNP63α is mediated through its regulation of CXCR4. Importantly, we show that ΔNP63α promotes the chemotaxis of breast cancer cells towards the CXCR4 ligand SDF1α, a process implicated in the trafficking of breast cancer cells to sites of metastasis. This study highlights CXCR4 as a previously unidentified target of ΔNP63α which plays a significant role in mediating ΔNP63α-dependent stem cell activity and chemotaxis toward SDF1α. Our findings suggest that ΔNP63α regulation of CXCR4 may have strong implications in the regulation of cancer stem cells and metastasis.
Positivity conjectures for Kazhdan–Lusztig theory on twisted involutions: The finite case

Abstract Let ( W , S ) be any Coxeter system and let w ↦ w ⁎ be an involution of W which preserves the set of simple generators S. Lusztig and Vogan have shown that the corresponding set of twisted involutions (i.e., elements w ∈ W with w − 1 = w ⁎ ) naturally generates a module of the Hecke algebra of ( W , S ) with two distinguished bases. The transition matrix between these bases defines a family of polynomials P y , w σ which one can view as a “twisted” analogue of the much-studied family of Kazhdan–Lusztig polynomials of ( W , S ) . The polynomials P y , w σ can have negative coefficients, but display several conjectural positivity properties of interest, which parallel positivity properties of the Kazhdan–Lusztig polynomials. This paper reports on some calculations which verify four such positivity conjectures in several finite cases of interest, in particular for the non-crystallographic Coxeter systems of types H 3 and H 4 .
A mechanistic and structural model for the formation and reactivity of a MnV=O species in photosynthetic water oxidation

Photosynthetic water oxidation is carried out by a tetranuclear Mn cluster contained in the membrane-bound protein complex photosystem II (PSII). The mechanism of PSII catalysed water oxidation is unknown; however, several current models invoke a high-valent MnO species as a key intermediate in O–O bond formation. In part, these proposals are based on biophysical studies of the protein which suggest that the redox-active tyrosine residue, YZ, abstracts hydrogen atoms directly from substrate water molecules bound to the Mn4 cluster. In this paper, we consider organic oxidation and O–O bond-forming reactions catalysed by biomimetic Mn and Ru model complexes that are believed to proceed via MO intermediates. We also interpret biophysical data concerning the roles of Ca2+ and Cl– in photosynthetic water oxidation, proposing that they are involved in a hydrogen-bonded network between the Mn4 cluster and YZ. Connecting the observed reactivities of model complexes containing MO groups to spectroscopic information on the environment of the Mn4 cluster in the protein leads us to favour an O–O bond-forming step in photosynthetic water oxidation that occurs through nucleophilic attack of a calcium-bound hydroxide ligand on the electrophilic oxygen atom of a MnO intermediate. In addition, a new role for Cl– is proposed in which Cl– tunes the nucleophilicity of the calcium-bound hydroxide.
A maximum Likelihood Approach to Analyzing Incomplete Longitudinal Data in Mammary Tumor Development Experiments with Mice

Longitudinal mammary tumor development studies using mice as experimental units are affected by i) missing data towards the end of the study by natural death or euthanasia, and ii) the presence of censored data caused by the detection limits of instrumental sensitivity. To accommodate these characteristics, we investigate a test to carry out K-group comparisons based on maximum likelihood methodology. We derive a relevant likelihood ratio test based on general distributions, investigate its properties of based on theoretical propositions, and evaluate the performance of the test via a simulation study. We apply the results to data extracted from a study designed to investigate the development of breast cancer in mice . Sri Lankan Journal of Applied Statistics, Volume 13 (2012), p. 61-85 DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljastats.v13i0.5124
Beyond Democratization: Political Change in the Arab World

Over the past decade the paradigm of “democratization” has dominated analysis of political change, reflecting the dramatic transitions from authoritarian rule in Southern and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and East Asia. While the new literature on democratization has pointedly excluded the Arab world, a growing number of area specialists have sought to identify local developments that signal the early phases of, or at least potential for, a democratic transformation of state and society in the Middle East (Hudson 1991; Ibrahim 1993; Al-Sayyid Marsot 1990; Norton 1994). It is difficult to generalize about political change in the Arab world, as several distinct patterns have emerged, reflecting differences in institutional settings as well as in the strategies of regime and opposition elites.
The Representation Revolution: Reforming State Regulation through Public Representation

Over the past decade, a "representation revolution " has transformed the politics of state regulation. Public hearings, the creation of ombudsman and proxy advocacy offices, and the appointment of laypersons to expert boards have provided platforms for representatives of broad, diffuse interests. For the most part, these forms of public representation have been effective, though they have involved different resources, strategies, and goals. The principal exception to this pattern is public membership on occupational licensing boards, which has not succeeded. However, utility regulation, environmental regulation, and nursing home regulation have all been improved by new forms of public representation.
Nonprofit hospital conversions and community benefits: new evidence from three states

Nonprofit conversions typically occur when a nonprofit hospital comes under the control of a forprofit company, through either an acquisition or a joint-venture arrangement. Between 1993 and 1995 approximately eighty conversions of acute care, nonprofit hospitals took place in the United States—more than one-third of all such conversions since 1980. Underlying this high level of activity are growing managed care pressures, increasing constraints on Medicare reimbursement, and a shrinking inpatient market. These forces are motivating nonprofit hospitals to look to for-profit companies for resources, primarily financial capital and management expertise, that can help them adapt to the changing industry environment. Nonprofit conversions have become a major public policy issue, reflecting a longstanding debate in the United States about whether for-profit hospitals provide as many community benefits as nonprofit hospitals do. The controversy focuses specifically on whether hospitals that change to for-profit status will reduce community benefits— namely, charity care to the poor—to achieve higher profits. This concern has contributed substantially to a flurry of state legislative initiatives to regulate nonprofit conversions. Evidence of the actual community impact of nonprofit conversions is in fact sparse. Our study of conversions in California suggested no short-term decline in services to the poor following conversion. Two separate case studies also reported that conversions did not have an appreciable impact on community benefits such as charity care. However, these studies were confined to relatively small samples of conversions, and they examined only their short-term impacts. Long-term impacts may differ from short-term impacts, particularly since for-profit companies involved in conversions often commit to providing charity care at existing levels for a specified period such as three years. This paper reports findings from what is to date the most systematic investigation of both the shortand long-term community impacts of nonprofit hospital conversions. We found that conversions do not, on average, have an
Robust control for structural systems with unstructured uncertainties

Natural hazards, such as earthquakes and strong wind events, place large forces on tall, slender structures and on long-span bridges. In view of the numerous uncertainties due to model errors, stress calculations, material properties, and environmental loads, the structural system is uncertain. Here, the Lagrangian representation is modeled as an uncertain state-space model. The paper develops a robust active control approach with uncertainties in not only the system and control input matrices, but also the disturbance input matrices. Robust active control provides both robust relative stability and \IH\D∞\N\N disturbance attenuation. The \IH\D⩾\N\N norm of the transfer function from the external disturbance forces (e.g., earthquake, wind, etc.) to the observed system states is restricted by a prescribed attenuation index. The uncertainties considered herein are norm-bounded unstructured uncertainties. Preservation of \IH\d2\N optimality of robust structural control is also revealed. The results may be further extended to structured uncertainties. A numerical example illustrates that the approach may be applied to robust control of structural systems under earthquake excitation.
Geochemical and mineralogical indications of pH in lakes and soils in central New Hampshire in the early Holocene1

In central New Hampshire, sediments of some early Holocene lakes were alkaline and contained carbonate minerals despite granitic bedrock and currently acid soils and surface water in their watersheds. Nearby calcareous bedrock contributed to the till of these watersheds while other lakes, more remote from calcareous bedrock, had early Holocene sediments of neutral pH and devoid of carbonate minerals. Calcite rock fragments in alkaline sediments were eroded from alkaline soils in the watershed. Chemical weathering later acidified these soils and surface waters before modem acid precipitation.
Invariant histograms and deformable template matching for SAR target recognition

Recognizing a target in synthetic-aperture radar (SAR) images is an important, yet challenging, application of the model-based vision technique. This paper describes a model-based SAR recognition system based on invariant histograms and deformable template matching techniques. An invariant histogram is a histogram of invariant values defined by geometric features such as points and lines in SAR images. Although a few invariants are sufficient to recognize a target, we use a histogram of all invariant values given by all possible target feature pairs. This redundant histogram enables robust recognition under severe occlusions typical in SAR recognition scenarios. Multi-step deformable template matching examines the existence of an object by superimposing templates over potential energy field generated from images or primitive features. It determines the template configuration which has the minimum deformation and the best alignment of the template with features. The deformability of the template absorbs the instability of SAR features. We have implemented the system and evaluated the system performance using hybrid SAR images, generated from synthesized model signatures and real SAR background signatures.
Active power and nonactive power control of distributed energy resources

Distributed energy resources (DE) have been widely used in the power systems to supply active power, and most of the present DE resources are operated with limited or without nonactive power capability. This paper shows that with a slight modification in hardware configuration and a small boost in the power ratings, as well as proper implementation of control strategies, a DE system with a power electronics converter interface can provide active power and nonactive power simultaneously and independently. A DE can provide dynamic voltage regulation to the local bus because of its nonactive power capability. Furthermore, the proposed DE control method in this paper can effectively compensate the unbalance in the local voltage. The system requirements such as the inverter current rating and the dc voltage rating are discussed. The analysis of the system requirements to provide nonactive power shows that it is cost-effective to have DE provide voltage regulation.
Thymosin β4 increases the potency of transplanted mesenchymal stem cells for myocardial repair

Background—Thymosin β4 (Tβ4) has been shown to enhance the survival of cultured cardiomyocytes. Here, we investigated whether the cytoprotective effects of Tβ4 can increase the effectiveness of transplanted swine mesenchymal stem cells (sMSCs) for cardiac repair in a rat model of myocardial infarction (MI). Methods and Results—Under hypoxic conditions, cellular damage (lactate dehydrogenase leakage), apoptosis (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick end labelingc cells), and caspase-8 activity were significantly lower, whereas B-cell lymphoma-extra large protein expression was significantly higher, in sMSCs cultured with Tβ4 (1 μg/mL) than in sMSCs cultured without Tβ4, and Tβ4 also increased sMSC proliferation. For in vivo experiments, animals were treated with basal medium (MI: n=6), a fibrin patch (Patch: n=6), a patch containing sMSCs (sMSC: n=9), or a patch containing sMSCs and Tβ4 (sMSC/Tβ4: n=11); Tβ4 was encapsulated in gelatin microspheres to extend Tβ4 delivery. Four weeks after treatme...
Which sexual abuse victims receive a forensic medical examination? The impact of Children's Advocacy Centers

Abstract Objective This study examines the impact of Children's Advocacy Centers (CAC) and other factors, such as the child's age, alleged penetration, and injury on the use of forensic medical examinations as part of the response to reported child sexual abuse. Methods This analysis is part of a quasi-experimental study, the Multi-Site Evaluation of Children's Advocacy Centers, which evaluated four CACs relative to within-state non-CAC comparison communities. Case abstractors collected data on forensic medical exams in 1,220 child sexual abuse cases through review of case records. Results Suspected sexual abuse victims at CACs were two times more likely to have forensic medical examinations than those seen at comparison communities, controlling for other variables. Girls, children with reported penetration, victims who were physically injured while being abused, White victims, and younger children were more likely to have exams, controlling for other variables. Non-penetration cases at CACs were four times more likely to receive exams as compared to those in comparison communities. About half of exams were conducted the same day as the reported abuse in both CAC and comparison communities. The majority of caregivers were very satisfied with the medical professional. Receipt of a medical exam was not associated with offenders being charged. Conclusions Results of this study suggest that CACs are an effective tool for furthering access to forensic medical examinations for child sexual abuse victims.
Perception of Age, Attractiveness, and Tiredness After Isolated and Combined Facial Subunit Aging

Patients often seek help to redress aging that affects various regions of the face (subunits). The purpose of this study was to determine how aging of different facial subunits impacts perception of age, attractiveness, and tiredness. Frontal and lateral view facial photographs of a middle-aged woman were modified using imaging software to independently age different facial features. Sixty-six subjects were administered with a questionnaire, and presented with a baseline unmodified picture and others containing different individual or grouped aging of facial subunits. Test subjects were asked to estimate the age of the subject in the image and quantify (0–10 scale) how “tired” and “attractive” they appeared. Facial subunits were organized following rank assignment regarding impact on perception of age, attractiveness, and tiredness. The correlation coefficient between age and attractiveness had a strong inverse relationship of approximately −0.95 in both lateral and frontal views. From most to least impact in age, the rank assignment for frontal view facial subunits was full facial aging, middle third, lower third, upper third, vertical lip rhytides, horizontal forehead rhytides, jowls, upper eyelid ptosis, loss of malar volume, lower lid fat herniation, deepening glabellar furrows, and deepening nasolabial folds. From most to least impact in age, the rank assignment for lateral view facial subunits was severe neck ptosis, jowls, moderate neck ptosis, vertical lip rhytides, crow’s feet, lower lid fat herniation, loss of malar volume, and elongated earlobe. This study provides a preliminary template for further research to determine which anatomical subunit will have the most substantial effect on an aged appearance, as well as on the perception of tiredness and attractiveness. This journal requires that authors assign a level of evidence to each article. For a full description of these Evidence-Based Medicine ratings, please refer to the Table of Contents or the online Instructions to Authors www.springer.com/00266 .
Current source based standard cell model for accurate signal integrity and timing analysis

The inductance and coupling effects in interconnects and non-linear receiver loads has resulted in complex input signals and output loads for gates in the modern deep sub- micron CMOS technologies. As a result, the conventional method of timing characterization, which is based on lookup tables with input slew and output load capacitance as indices, is no longer adequate. The focus has now shifted to current source based standard cell models which are based on the fundamental property of transconductance of MOSFETs. In this paper 1 we propose a systematic methodology for obtaining a current based delay model for gates, which can accommodate both single (SIS) and multi-input (MIS) switching signals of arbitrary shape and complex non-linear output loads. We use an analytical model for the gate output current expressed as a function of the node voltages. This results in an average error less than 0.5% with maximum standard deviation of 2.5% in error when compared with SPICE for a large number of standard cells. When compared with SPICE, using the proposed models gives stage delay and output slew with an average error of less than 3% and 2% respectively for arbitrary inputs and output load combinations.
Evaluation of double-moment representation of ice hydrometeors in bulk microphysical parameterization: comparison between WRF numerical simulations and UND-Citation data during MC3E

The influence of double-moment representation of warm-rain and ice hydrometeors on the numerical simulations of a mesoscale convective system (MCS) over the US Southern Great Plains has been evaluated. The Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model is used to simulate the MCS with three different microphysical schemes, including the WRF single-moment 6-class (WSM6), WRF double-moment 6-class (WDM6), and Morrison double-moment (MORR) schemes. It is found that the double-moment schemes outperform the single-moment schemes in terms of the simulated structure, life cycle, cloud coverage, precipitation, and microphysical properties of the MCS. However, compared with UND-Citation observations, collected during the Midlatitude Continental Convective Clouds Experiment (MC3E), the WRF simulated ice hydrometeors with all three schemes do not agree well with the observations. Overall results from this study suggest that uncertainty in microphysical schemes could still be a productive area of future research from perspective of both model improvements and observations.
PGT_SOLVER: an efficient solver for power grid transient analysis

In this paper, we propose PGT_SOLVER - an effecient solver for power grid transient analysis. It is based on direct solver. The conductance matrix is SPD and is generated by modifying the matrix for DC analysis. Modified sparse vector technique is proposed to obtain solutions of interested nodes by performing partial forward and backward substitutions. Smart mapping technique is presented to obtain correct solutions without reordering the right-hand-side vector. Moreover, memorized supernode technique is utilized to speed up the substitution process. A effortless but effective parallel strategy with multiple threads is introduced to further accelerate the simulation. This software won the 1st place at "TAU 2012 Power Grid Simulation Contest". Experimental results on several industrial benchmarks show that this solver can get solutions fast without introducing any error. The memory consumption is also very affordable.