cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Surfeit of Biological Heme-based Sensors

Abstract In a great variety of organisms throughout all kingdoms of life, the heme-based sensor proteins are the key regulators of adaptive responses to fluctuating oxygen, carbon monoxide, and nitric oxide levels. These signal transducers achieve their responses by coupling a regulatory heme-binding domain to a neighboring transmitter. The past decade has witnessed an explosion in the numbers of these modular sensory proteins known, from just two recognized members, FixL and soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC), to six broad families comprising more than 100 sensors. Heme-based sensors so far feature six different types of heme-binding modules: the heme-binding PAS domain, globin-coupled sensor (GCS), CooA, heme-NO-binding (HNOB) domain, heme-binding GAF domain, and heme-associated ligand-binding domains (LBD) of the nuclear-receptor class. The transmitters for coupling to such heme-binding domains include protein-histidine kinases, serine-threonine kinases, nucleotide cyclases, cyclic-nucleotide phosphodiesterases, chemotaxis methyl-carrier protein receptors, and transcription factors of the basic helix-loop-helix, helix-turn-helix, and zinc-finger classes. Some well-studied sensors are the FixL, EcDos, AxPDEA1, NPAS2, HemAT, CooA, sGC, Tar4, DevS, DosT and E75 proteins. This chapter elaborates the defining characteristics of heme-based sensors, examines the advances on those proteins, and discusses the regulatory hypotheses postulated for those sensors. A general, “helix-swap,” model is also proposed for signal transduction by PAS domains.
Integrating Communication Skills into the Accounting Curriculum: Evaluating Writing Assignments

Publisher Summary This chapter elaborates the integration of communication skills into the accounting curriculum and evaluation of writing assignments. There are, at least, three good reasons for incorporating writing assignments into the accounting curriculum. It is found that if writing assignments are solely the province of the English Department, then students may get the impression that once they have finished their English requirements they are through learning, and using writing skills. Second, by including writing assignments in accounting courses, students get additional practice in using their writing skills. They learn that good writing skills and success in accounting are inseparable. Most important, writing assignments force students to analyze, synthesize, and think about accounting topics while they organize, structure, word, and reword their thoughts until a logical and sequential flow of ideas is produced. The exercise becomes one of the most worthwhile learning experiences. In essence, writing skills become thinking skills. Writing assignments should not only be included in every accounting course, but they should be progressively more difficult.
"Like you failed at life": Debt, health and neoliberal subjectivity.

Abstract The need to more explicitly incorporate political economy and neoliberalism into research on social inequalities in health has been acknowledged across disciplines. This paper explores neoliberalism as it relates to consumer financial debt and internalized feelings of personal responsibility and failure for adults in Boston, Massachusetts. Using data from a mixed-methods study (n = 286), findings show that endorsing a neoliberalized view of personal debt as failure is associated with significantly worse health across a range of measures, including blood pressure, adiposity, self-reported physical and emotional symptoms, depression, anxiety, and perceived stress, even when controlling for several socio-demographic confounders. Results are discussed within the context of both neoliberal economic policies that funnel consumers into chronic debt and neoliberal sociocultural ideologies that promote self-judgments of indebtedness as personal failure. Findings highlight the importance of neoliberalism as an important contemporary social determinant of health and suggest new directions for research to explore.
Multilevel Sleep Surgery Including the Palate in Nonsyndromic, Neurologically Intact Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

ObjectiveTo examine the effects of multilevel sleep surgery, including palate procedures, on obstructive sleep apnea parameters in the pediatric population.Study DesignA case series with chart revi...
Training in Implementation Practice Leadership (TRIPLE): evaluation of a novel practice change strategy in behavioral health organizations

Effective leadership for organizational change is critical to the implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs). As organizational leaders in behavioral health organizations often are promoted from within the agency for their long-standing, effective work as counselors, they may lack formal training in leadership, management, or practice change. This study assesses a novel implementation leadership training designed to promote leadership skills and successful organizational change specific to EBP implementation. We conducted a pre-post outcome evaluation of the Training in Implementation Practice Leadership (TRIPLE), delivered via three in-person, half-day training sessions, with interim coaching and technical support. Sixteen mid-level leaders (75% female, 94% Caucasian, mean age 37 years) from 8 substance abuse treatment agencies participated. Professional roles included clinical managers, quality improvement coordinators, and program directors. Participants completed surveys prior to the first and following the final session. At both time points, measures included the Implementation Leadership Scale, Implementation Climate Scale, and Organizational Readiness for Implementing Change Scale. At post-test, we added the Training Acceptability and Appropriateness Scale (TAAS), assessing participant satisfaction with the training. Qualitative interviews were conducted 6 to 8 months after the training. Most participants (86% and 79%, respectively) reported increased implementation leadership skills and implementation climate; paired samples t tests indicated these pre-post increases were statistically significant. Implementation leadership scores improved most markedly on the Proactive and Knowledgeable subscales. For implementation climate, participants reported the greatest increases in educational support and recognition for using EBP. Post-test scores on the TAAS also indicated that participants found the training program to be highly acceptable and appropriate for their needs. Qualitative results supported positive outcomes of training that resulted in both increased organizational implementation as well as leadership skills of participants. This training program represents an innovative, effective, and well-received implementation strategy for emerging behavioral healthcare leaders seeking to adopt or improve the delivery of EBPs. Reported implementation leadership skills and implementation climate improved following the training program, suggesting that TRIPLE may have helped fulfill a critical need for emerging behavioral healthcare leaders.
Fertility, Pregnancy, and Chest Feeding in Transgendered Individuals

Abstract The purpose of this chapter is to briefly summarize some of the available reports regarding fertility, reproduction, and obstetrical care for transgender patients. Many transgender individuals wish to have reproductive options, but reproductive desires among individuals vary significantly. Some options for gender-affirming hormones can permanently affect one’s ability to reproduce biologically. Transgender men should be provided with evidence-based, culturally competent obstetrical care. Many of these areas are understudied, however, so there are some exciting opportunities for future research on how to best to care for this patient population.
Enforcing Small Print to Protect Big Business: Employee and Consumer Rights Claims in an Age of Compelled Arbitration

There is strong reason to believe that arbitration, when imposed on employees and consumers by regulated corporate defendants, results in systematic underenforcement of employee and consumer protection laws. The article explores in depth both the procedural disadvantages compelled arbitration places on consumers and employees attempting to enforce their rights, and the history of the FAA and the largely judge-made "national policy favoring arbitration." Despite arbitration's surface appearance of neutrality, the subtle procedural disadvantages of arbitration for employees and consumers suppress the enforcement of consumer and employee protective statutes compared to the level of enforcement in cases litigated in court. Moreover, because terms of dispute resolution are never salient features of employee or consumer contracts " they are secondary details of the contract, often buried in small print " employees and consumers are likely to systematically undervalue their hypothetical future disputing rights, making it unlikely that the market will correct the windfall to defendants. Because regulated corporate defendants can count on courts to enforce pre-dispute arbitration agreements, the pro-arbitration judicial policy offers corporate defendants an opportunity to deregulate themselves. The article concludes by arguing that courts should deny enforcement of pre-dispute arbitration agreements, just as they would any other contract terms purporting to force protected parties to waive their rights in advance.
The Glial Perspective on Sleep and Circadian Rhythms

While neurons and circuits are almost unequivocally considered to be the computational units and actuators of behavior, a complete understanding of the nervous system must incorporate glial cells. Far beyond a copious but passive substrate, glial influence is inextricable from neuronal physiology, whether during developmental guidance and synaptic shaping or through the trophic support, neurotransmitter and ion homeostasis, cytokine signaling and immune function, and debris engulfment contributions that this class provides throughout an organism's life. With such essential functions, among a growing literature of nuanced roles, it follows that glia are consequential to behavior in adult animals, with novel genetic tools allowing for the investigation of these phenomena in living organisms. We discuss here the relevance of glia for maintaining circadian rhythms and also for serving functions of sleep.
Transcranial Ultrasound Using Leaky Lamb Waves by Wedge Transducer Array

The transcranial ultrasound technique has been researched as a non-invasive method for the treatment of brain tumors, neuromodulation, and the delivery of cancer therapeutics. Focused ultrasound is one of the most common methods for noninvasive treatments, but the present technology generally uses an array of transducers of normal incidence. The general focused ultrasound technique has high transmission loss and heating of the skull because of the normal incidence. In this study, we present the design, analysis, and implementation of a wedge transducer array consisting of piezoelectric (PZT) ceramic elements for the dual-mode conversion technique, which means that the longitudinal wave in the wedge is converted to the Lamb wave in the skull and the Lamb wave is converted to the longitudinal wave in the brain. This technique enables efficient transmission, reduces heating of the skull, and extends the focal spot range. We fabricated the partial wedge transducer and conducted the experiments to calculate the total transmission loss of this system.
Fat Mass Accretion from Birth to 5 Years and Metabolic Homeostasis in Childhood: the Healthy Start Study.

CONTEXT It is unclear how fat mass accretion in early life is related to glucose-insulin homeostasis. OBJECTIVE Examine associations of fat and fat-free mass accretion from birth to early childhood with glucose-insulin homeostasis in early childhood in a multi-ethnic cohort. METHODS Observational Healthy Start study with data collection from 2010 to 2020. Air displacement plethysmography at birth and 4.8 (SD 0.7) years estimated fat mass percent (FMP, %), fat mass index (FMI, kg/m2), and fat-free mass index (FFMI, kg/m2). General population recruited from academic obstetrics clinics in Denver, Colorado, consisting of 419 mother/offspring dyads. The main outcome measures were fasting glucose, insulin, homeostasis model assessment-2 insulin resistance (HOMA2-IR), and beta-cell function (HOMA2-B) at 4.8 years. RESULTS Greater fat mass accretion from birth to early childhood was associated with higher fasting glucose (ΔFMP β = 0.20 [95% CI 0.06-0.34], ΔFMI β = 0.90 [0.30-1.50]) in participants of Hispanic, Black, and Other races/ethnicities, while greater fat-free mass accretion was associated with higher fasting glucose in non-Hispanic White participants (ΔFFMI β = 0.76 [0.21-1.32]). Overall, greater fat, but not fat-free, mass accretion was also associated with higher insulin (ΔFMP β = 0.14 [0.09-0.18], ΔFMI 0.71 [0.51-0.92]), HOMA2-IR (FMP β = 0.02 [0.01-0.02], ΔFMI β = 0.09 [0.06-0.12]), and HOMA2-B (ΔFMP β = 0.92 [0.18-1.36], ΔFMI β = 4.76 [2.79-6.73]). CONCLUSION Greater fat mass accretion in infancy and childhood is associated with shifts in fasting glucose in children of Hispanic, Black, and Other races/ethnicities at 5 years of age. Body composition beginning in early life is relevant for metabolic health, and precise assessments of adiposity in pediatric research are needed.
Using Computational Methods to Improve Integrated Disease Management for Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: Protocol for a Secondary Analysis.

Background: Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) impose a heavy burden on health care. Approximately one-fourth of patients with asthma and patients with COPD are prone to exacerbations, which can be greatly reduced by preventive care via integrated disease management that has a limited service capacity. To do this well, a predictive model for proneness to exacerbation is required, but no such model exists. It would be suboptimal to build such models using the current model building approach for asthma and COPD, which has 2 gaps due to rarely factoring in temporal features showing early health changes and general directions. First, existing models for other asthma and COPD outcomes rarely use more advanced temporal features, such as the slope of the number of days to albuterol refill, and are inaccurate. Second, existing models seldom show the reason a patient is deemed high risk and the potential interventions to reduce the risk, making already occupied clinicians expend more time on chart review and overlook suitable interventions. Regular automatic explanation methods cannot deal with temporal data and address this issue well. Objective: To enable more patients with asthma and patients with COPD to obtain suitable and timely care to avoid exacerbations, we aim to implement comprehensible computational methods to accurately predict proneness to exacerbation and recommend customized interventions. Methods: We will use temporal features to accurately predict proneness to exacerbation, automatically find modifiable temporal risk factors for every high-risk patient, and assess the impact of actionable warnings on clinicians’ decisions to use integrated disease management to prevent proneness to exacerbation. Results: We have obtained most of the clinical and administrative data of patients with asthma from 3 prominent American health care systems. We are retrieving other clinical and administrative data, mostly of patients with COPD, needed for the study. We intend to complete the study in 6 years. Conclusions: Our results will help make asthma and COPD care more proactive, effective, and efficient, improving outcomes and saving resources.
A Diversity Index based Scoring Framework for Identifying Smart Meters Launching Stealthy Data Falsification Attacks

A challenging problem in Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) of smart grids is the identification of smart meters under the control of a stealthy adversary, that inject very low margins of stealthy data falsification. The problem is challenging due to wide legitimate variation in both individual and aggregate trends in real world power consumption data, making such stealthy attacks unrecognizable by existing approaches. In this paper, via proposed modified diversity index scoring metric, we propose a novel information-theory inspired data driven device anomaly classification framework to identify compromised meters launching low margins of stealthy data falsification attacks. Specifically, we draw a parallelism between the effects of data falsification attacks and ecological balance disruptions and identify required mathematical modifications in existing Renyi Entropy and Hill's Diversity Entropy measures. These modifications such as expected self-similarity with weighted abundance shifts across various temporal scales, and diversity order are appropriately embedded in our resulting framework. The resulting diversity index score is used to classify smart meters launching additive, deductive, and alternating switching attack types with high sensitivity (as low as 100W) compared to the existing works that perform poorly at margins of false data below 400W. Our proposed theory is validated with two different real smart meter datasets from USA and Ireland. Experimental results demonstrate successful detection sensitivity from very low to high margins of false data, thus reducing undetectable strategy space of attacks in AMI for an adversary having complete knowledge of our method.
Dark Matter Search with the Nuclear Isomer Ta-180m

There is compelling cosmological and astrophysical evidence of dark matter comprising 27% of the energy budget of the Universe. However, dark matter has never been observed in direct detection experiments. The long-time favorite model of Weakly Interacting Massive Particles saw a large experimental effort with steady progress over recent decades. Since also these large-scale searches remain unsuccessful to date, it is compelling to look at more exotic dark matter models which can be constrained with new approaches and much less scientific resources. Using nuclear isomers is one of these approaches. $^{180m}$Ta is the rarest known isotope with the longest-lived meta-stable state whose partial half-life limits are on the order of 10$^{14}$-10$^{16}$ yr. We investigate how strongly interacting dark matter and inelastic dark dark matter collides with $^{180m}$Ta, leading to its de-excitation. The energy stored in the meta-stable state is released in the transition, which becomes the signature for thermalized dark matter in a well-shielded underground experiment. We report on a direct detection experiment searching for these dark-matter-induced decay signatures which has further constrained the open parameter space. We also propose an indirect geochemical experiment to search for decay products of $^{180m}$Ta in tantalum minerals accumulated over 1 billion years.
Interactive Data Collection: Implications for Laboratory Research

This paper reviews the development of computer driven, interactive data collection techniques in laboratory studies of consumer information acquisition and processing behavior. Advantages and disadvantages are discussed. An interactive methodology employed by the authors is presented along with reactions of respondents involved in studies employing the methodology.
Geographical Modeling: The Synthesis of a GIS and Simulation Modeling

Publisher Summary Land evaluation has become an important component of sustainability analysis for developing countries. Land use and land availability play an ever more important role in determining if a country's economic development strategy will be sustainable over time. A problem facing those responsible for managing the resources of a nation is that what may appear to be logical investment decisions for individual farmers is often less logical from the perspective of optimizing a nation's resource use. The relatively recent development of Geographic Information Systems (GISs) has allowed the generation and manipulation of extraordinary quantities of complex geographically referenced information that for the first time allows the generation of integrated spatially specific models of agricultural production, climate, hydrology, erosion, and related processes. The method is called geographical modeling, and is used for the analyses of biological species and agronomic cultivars. The methodology is an important step in the evolution of sustainability analysis from concepts to actual applications. Human-induced development and its associated social and technological activities throughout the world are contributing to rapid and often stressful changes in the earth's environment.
The Anisotropy of Magnetohydrodynamic Alfvénic Turbulence

We perform direct three-dimensional numerical simulations for magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulence in a periodic box of size 2π threaded by strong uniform magnetic fields. We use a pseudospectral code with hyperviscosity and hyperdiffusivity to solve the incompressible MHD equations. We analyze the structure of the eddies as a function of scale. A straightforward calculation of anisotropy in wavevector space shows that the anisotropy is scale independent. We discuss why this is not the true scaling law and how the curvature of large-scale magnetic fields affects the power spectrum and leads to the wrong conclusion. When we correct for this effect, we find that the anisotropy of eddies depends on their size: smaller eddies are more elongated than larger ones along local magnetic field lines. The results are consistent with the scaling law ∥ ~ recently proposed by Goldreich & Sridhar. Here ∥ (and ⊥) are wavenumbers measured relative to the local magnetic field direction. However, we see some systematic deviations that may be a sign of limitations to the model or our inability to fully resolve the inertial range of turbulence in our simulations.
Defects and Impurities in Semiconductors

Impurities are essential for giving semiconductors the properties that render them useful for electronic and optoelectronic devices. The intrinsic carrier concentrations in most semiconductors are quite low. Adding small amounts of impurities allows control of the conductivity of the semiconductor: shallow donors, such as phosphorous in silicon, produce n-type conductivity (carried by electrons), and shallow acceptors, such as boron in silicon, produce p-type conductivity (carried by holes). These doped layers and the junctions between them control carrier confinement, carrier flow, and ultimately the device characteristics. Commonly used semiconductors such as Si and GaAs can be doped both p-type and n-type. Constraints on doping still limit device performance, however. For instance, the shrinking size of Si field-effect transistors requires higher doping densities, with donors exhibiting deactivation when the doping increases above ∼3 × 1020 cm−3. Doping problems have been more severe in wide-band-gap semiconductors such as ZnSe, GaN or ZnO, which typically exhibit unintentional n-type conductivity, and in which p-type conductivity has been difficult to achieve. Point defects (vacancies, self-interstitials, and antisites) have often been invoked to explain these difficulties.
Uncovering the Truth about Meriwether Lewis. By Thomas C. Danisi. (Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books, 2012. Pp. 466. $26.00.)

The book under review is not a biography of Meriwether Lewis [1774–1809]. That came in 2009 when Thomas C. Danisi and John C. Jackson coauthored a biography of William Clark's co‐leader on what may...
Analysis and High-Resolution Modeling of Tropical Cyclogenesis during the TCS-08 and TPARC Field Campaign

Abstract : The long-term goal of this project is to improve the prediction of tropical cyclone (TC) genesis, structure and intensity changes through improved understanding of the fundamental mechanisms involved. The accurate prediction of TC genesis, structure and intensity changes is critical to Navy missions and civilian activities in coastal areas. Significant gains have been made in the TC track prediction over the past decades. The genesis and intensity forecast, however, has shown very little progress during the same period. A main factor contributing to the lack of skill in the prediction of TC genesis and intensity is the lack of observations prior to and during TC genesis and intensification periods and the inadequate understanding of physical mechanisms that control the cyclogenesis and intensity change. The TCS-08 and TPARC field campaign provide an unprecedented opportunity for us to gain the first-hand insight of observed characteristics of TC genesis in western Pacific and to compare them with high-resolution model simulations. By analyzing and assimilating these data, we intend to understand the physical mechanisms that involve the TC internal dynamic and thermodynamic processes, external forcing, and scale interactions. Only after thoroughly understanding these processes, can one be able to tackle the weaknesses in the current state-of-art weather forecast models.
Adding the third dimension to digital mapping

The Digital Mapping, Charting & Geodesy Analysis Program (DMAP) at the Naval Research Laboratory has been developing the distribution of geographic data over the Web through its Geospatial Information Database. While this work has primarily included digital mapping information from a variety of formats, DMAP has also been working on 3D synthetic environment data delivery. This chapter describes DMAP’s work to provide a three-dimensional representation of geographic data. We provide an overview of the data structures used to reconstruct 3D synthetic environments and to store full 3D topology. We also describe a prototype that supplements traditional 2D digital-mapping output with a 3D interactive synthetic environment.
Efficacy and safety of suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (Vorinostat) in the treatment of canine corneal fibrosis.

Objective Study aims were to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Food and Drug Administration-approved drug Vorinostat [suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA)] in the treatment of canine corneal fibrosis using an in vitro model. Methods Healthy donor canine corneas were collected and used to generate primary canine corneal fibroblasts (CCFs) by growing cultures in minimal essential medium supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum. Canine corneal myofibroblasts, used as a model for corneal fibrosis, were produced by growing CCF cultures in serum-free medium containing transforming growth factor β1 (1 ng/mL). Trypan blue exclusion assays were used to determine the optimal SAHA dose for this in vitro model. Four hour after culturing with TGFβ1, CCF cultures were treated with 0.06% SAHA for 5 min (group 1) and for 24 h (group 2), representing single and multiple dose treatment regimes, respectively. Cultures were then further incubated in the presence of TGFβ1 (1 ng/μL) under serum-free conditions until they reached 70% confluence. Trypan blue exclusion, immunocytochemistry, and TUNEL assays were used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of SAHA. Real-time PCR, western blot analysis, and immunocytochemistry were used to determine the efficacy of SAHA to inhibit canine corneal myofibroblast formation. Results Topical SAHA application in both treatment groups successfully decreased α-smooth muscle actin expression when compared to the TGFβ1 only treatment group (P < 0.05). Tested SAHA did not affect CCF phenotype or cellular viability and did not cause significant cell death. Conclusions Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid safely and effectively inhibits TGFβ1-induced CCFs transformation to myofibroblast in vitro.
Parasympathetic postganglionic pathways to the sinoatrial node

Vagal ganglia that innervate the canine sinoatrial node (SAN) have been localized to a fat pad overlying and surrounding the right pulmonary vein complex (PVFP). The ventral epicardial surface of the right atrium was mapped in seven dogs anesthetized with alpha-chloralose after beta-blockade (timolol) and cardiac sympathetic and parasympathetic decentralization. A small, concentric bipolar exploring electrode was used to stimulate (during the atrial refractory period and using trains of five to eight stimuli per beat) systematically in the epicardial regions between the PVFP and the SAN. Changes in SAN rate with stimulation were measured, and the anatomic location was identified on a 150-point grid fitted to conform to size and shape of the atrium. Mapping was performed before and after local (PVFP) and systemic ganglionic blockade (hexamethonium). Data reveal that the primary vagal postganglionic pathways to the sinoatrial nodal region are subepicardial and adjacent to the SAN artery along the sulcus terminalis. Hexamethonium in the PVFP abolishes SAN inhibition during preganglionic vagal excitation, without interrupting vagal suppression of atrioventricular conduction. However, SAN slowing (with varying attenuation) continued to occur after hexamethonium (either PVFP or systemically) when the exploring electrode was applied directly over intramural postganglionic fibers between PVFP and sinus node. Attention is directed to existence of a very few synapses closer to SAN, probably in isolated ganglia immersed in fatty connective tissues along the sulcus terminalis.
Een‐Gonyama Gonyama!: Zulu Origins of the Boy Scout Movement and the Africanisation of Imperial Britain

British imperialists in the late 19th century denigrated non-western cultures in rationalising the partition of Africa, but they also had to assimilate African values and traditions to make the imperial system work. The partisans of empire also romanticised non-western cultures to convince the British public to support the imperial enterprise. In doing so, they introduced significant African and Asian elements into British popular culture, thereby refuting the assumption that the empire had little influence on the historical development of metropolitan Britain. Robert Baden-Powell conceived of the Boy Scout movement as a cure for the social instability and potential military weakness of Edwardian Britain. Influenced profoundly by his service as a colonial military officer, Africa loomed large in Baden-Powell's imagination. He was particularly taken with the Zulu. King Cetshwayo's crushing defeat of the British army at Isandhlawana in 1879 fixed their reputation as a �martial tribe� in the imagination of the British public. Baden-Powell romanticised the Zulus' discipline, and courage, and adapted many of their cultural institutions to scouting. Baden-Powell's appropriation and reinterpretation of African culture illustrates the influence of subject peoples of the empire on metropolitan British politics and society. Scouting's romanticised trappings of African culture captured the imagination of tens of thousands of Edwardian boys and helped make Baden-Powell's organisation the premier uniformed youth movement in Britain. Although confident that they were superior to their African subjects, British politicians, educators, and social reformers agreed with Baden-Powell that �tribal� Africans preserved many of the manly virtues that had been wiped by the industrial age.
Effects of time response on the point spread function of a scanning radiometer

Scanning radiometers on satellites have a finite response time, because of the detector and the associated electronics. The radiometer measurement as it scans over a point source of radiation of unit strength is the point spread function (PSF). The time response causes a widening and skewing of the PSF. The PSF of a scanning radiometer that has well-focused optics together with time responses for the detector and electronic filter is treated in the time domain. The PSF can be expressed in terms of the system time response to a step input. For a first-order system time response, the displacement of the centroid is the product of the system time constant and the scan rate of the radiometer. The electronic filter further displaces the centroid of the PSF by the product of the scan rate and the filter time constant. Also, the width of the PSF in the scan direction will be increased because of the system time response. The minimum resolvable feature is of the order of the width of the PSF, thus the system time response limits the resolution in the scan direction that can be obtained. The analysis is illustrated by applying it to the Clouds and Earth Radiant Energy System experiment scanning radiometer.
Synthesis of aziridines from alkenes and aryl azides with a reusable macrocyclic tetracarbene iron catalyst.

A new iron aziridination catalyst supported by a macrocyclic tetracarbene ligand has been synthesized. The catalyst, [(Me,EtTCPh)Fe(NCCH3)2](PF6)2, was synthesized from the tetraimidazolium precursor (Me,EtTCPh)(I)4 and characterized by NMR spectroscopy, electrospray ionization mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction. This iron complex catalyzes the aziridination of electron-donating aryl azides and a wide variety of substituted aliphatic alkenes, including tetrasubstituted ones, in a “C2 + N1” addition reaction. Finally, the catalyst can be recovered and reused up to three additional times without significant reduction in yield.
An oceanographic characterization of swordfish (Xiphias gladius) longline fishing grounds in the springtime subtropical North Pacific

During January–May, surface manifestation of multiple, individual basin-scale fronts accentuate the central North Pacific Subtropical Frontal Zone (STFZ) system. The most prominent of these fronts are climatologically located at 32� )34� N and at 28� )30� N latitudes [herein nominally referred to as the ‘Subtropical Front’ (STF) and the ‘South Subtropical Front’ (SSTF), respectively], although considerable interannual variability in both position and intensity is observed. This seasonally dynamic system is also the region typically targeted by the Hawaii-based swordfish (Xiphias gladius) longline fishing fleet, where the presence, position, and strength of the convergent fronts are believed to play a key role with regard to the catch and catch rates of swordfish. Information furnished by a recent series of meridional hydrographic surveys and concurrent satellite remote sensing data elucidate structural patterns and coupling of the physics and biology associated with these fronts. This enables a re-characterization of the spring North Pacific STFZ and offers new insight into the seasonal variability of the phytoplankton dynamics in the subtropical North Pacific. On synoptic time scales, geographical positioning of the fronts may be systematically identified through surface outcropping of diagnostic thermohaline isopleths and therefore readily discerned from both shipboard surveys and by spaceborne sensors. The STF during spring can be characterized by the surface expression of the 34.8 isohaline and the 17� C isotherm within the frontal gradient. Biologically, the STF marks the transition from low chloropigment (chlorophyll + phaeopigments), nutrient-depleted surface waters to the south to a more productive regime to the north. To the south, the 20� C and 35.0 surface isotherm and isohaline, respectively, are characteristically embedded in the thermohaline gradients associated with the SSTF. A sharp increase in depthintegrated chloropigment is also observed at the SSTF and is ascribed to an increase in the concentration and thickness of the subsurface chloropigment maximum (SCM) prompted by the shoaling of the nutricline with the thermocline structure into the euphotic zone.
Early evolution from ischemia to myocardial necrosis.

The presence, age, and extent of myocardial ischemic injury can be determined with some precision using pathologic techniques. Electron microscopic studies can detect very early ischemic injury, only minutes old, even before irreversible injury (i.e., necrosis) is present; however, because of the small amount of tissue sampled, ultrastructural studies are not very useful for quantifying the size of the ischemic zone. Histologic studies can detect irreversible injury only hours old, and because large samples can be studied, the necrotic zone can be measured quite efficiently. In addition, the age of the infarct can be determined. The knowledge gleaned from such morphologic studies continues to contribute to the development of new diagnostic tests and therapies for patients with ischemic heart disease.
Characterization of Compositional Changes in Vacuum Gas Oil Distillation Cuts by Electrospray Ionization Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance (FT-ICR) Mass Spectrometry

We present the acidic polar heteroatomic molecular class composition of three distillate fractions (light, 563−606 °F; middle, 606−853 °F; and heavy, 853−1009 °F) of a vacuum gas oil (VGO). Acidic and basic species were detected by high-resolution negative-ion and positive-ion electrospray ionization (ESI) Fourier transform−ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT−ICR MS). Each distillate was exhaustively characterized by mass, heteroatom class, type (rings plus double bonds), and carbon number distribution to mark compositional trends with increased distillation temperature. The light distillate fraction exhibits monoaromatic and low double-bond equivalence (DBE) polycyclic species. Low-molecular-weight polycyclic and monoaromatic carboxylic acids and oxygen−sulfur (SxOy) species solely populate the negative-ion mass spectrum of the light distillate. In contrast, the middle and heavy distillates are composed of high-molecular-weight and high-DBE polyaromatic species such as pyrrolic and phenolic spe...
Emergency Thrombectomy for Acute Coronary Bypass Graft Occlusion

Abstract Emergency thrombectomy of occluded aortocoronary saphenous vein bypass grafts was successfully performed in two patients. Thoracotomy and thrombectomy were required in one patient to terminate a fatal arrhythmia. Coronary angiography preceded thrombectomy in another patient who had an acute myocardial infarction postoperatively. Coronary angiography should be performed when signs and symptoms of myocardial ischemia reappear in the immediate postoperative period; if an occluded graft is found, thrombectomy should be performed.
Failure of accelerated neutron therapy to control high grade astrocytomas

Sixty-two patients with high grade malignant astrocytoma were treated with fast neutrons using three different treatment schemes to evaluate the effect of shortening the overall time. Dose and fraction number were kept constant. The total dose was 16-18 neutron Gy delivered in six fractions, weekly for 6 weeks, twice a week over 3-4 weeks, or three times a week over 2 weeks. There were no obvious differences in survival times among the three groups. We conclude that accelerated neutron therapy does not improve survival of patients with grade 3 and 4 astrocytoma.
Aggressive and Delinquent Behavior of Maltreated Adolescents: Risk Factors and Gender Differences

ABSTRACT Data from a national probability sample of children assessed following child maltreatment reports were examined to identify child- and parent-level risk factors that are predictive of aggression and delinquency for maltreated youth and to identify gender differences. Subjects were aged 11 to 15 years (n = 739). Males reported greater caregiver relatedness and lower parental monitoring than females. Aggression and delinquency were predicted by age, below-average social skills, a low sense of caregiver relatedness, and being female. Interventions that target social skills and parenting may remedy some behaviors. Future research will examine this sample longitudinally and in greater detail.
Evaluation of selected methods of plant disease diagnosis

Abstract Plant disease diagnosis has very exacting requirements which present a difficult challenge in a clinical laboratory, which may receive thousands of samples annually comprising perhaps hundreds of different pathogens. Methods used must be reliable and not overly exclusive, since a single plant may be coinfected by more than one pathogen. Modern methods of diagnosis such as microscopy, axenic culture, serology, double-stranded RNA analysis, nucleic acid probes and DNA amplification via the polymerase chain reaction are evaluated relative to the needs of a clinical plant disease laboratory.
Dynamic susceptibility contrast MR imaging: correlation of signal intensity changes with cerebral blood volume measurements

Cerebral blood volume (CBV) maps derived from dynamic susceptibility contrast (DSC) magnetic resonance (MR) imaging provide valuable information regarding intracranial micro-hemodynamics and have been helpful in characterizing primary brain tumors and guiding stereotactic biopsy. Another parameter, the maximum signal drop (MSD) during the first pass of intravascular contrast bolus due to T2* effect, can also be measured directly without extensive post-processing and data manipulation. The purpose of our study is to determine whether MSD maps provide information similar to CBV maps in patients presenting with intracranial mass lesions. Twenty-nine patients with various intracranial mass lesions were studied with DSC MR imaging prior to stereotactic biopsy or volumetric resection. Maps of both CBV and MSD are calculated on a pixel-by-pixel basis and displayed as color overlays over the raw images. Relative CBV (rCBV) and MSD (rMSD) values were measured in regions of interest (ROIs) within areas of abnormality and compared. In addition, computer-generated noise was added to the data to estimate the sensitivity of each measurement to noise. The rMSD values were strongly correlated with rCBV values (r = 0.87, P = 0.0001). CBV values were much more sensitive to added noise than MSD values (P < 0.01). MSD maps derived from DSC MR imaging provide information similar to CBV maps in patients with intracranial mass lesions. MSD maps are a simple and reliable indicator of vascularity that can easily be incorporated into routine MR imaging.
An Analysis of the Minimal Dissipation Local Discontinuous Galerkin Method for Convection—Diffusion Problems

We analyze the so-called the minimal dissipation local discontinuous Galerkin method (MD-LDG) for convection---diffusion or diffusion problems. The distinctive feature of this method is that the stabilization parameters associated with the numerical trace of the flux are identically equal to zero in the interior of the domain; this is why its dissipation is said to be minimal. We show that the orders of convergence of the approximations for the potential and the flux using polynomials of degree k are the same as those of all known discontinuous Galerkin methods, namely, (k + 1) and k, respectively. Our numerical results verify that these orders of convergence are sharp. The novelty of the analysis is that it bypasses a seemingly indispensable condition, namely, the positivity of the above mentioned stabilization parameters, by using a new, carefully defined projection tailored to the very definition of the numerical traces.
NMR Studies of Hindered Rotation. The Diels-Alder Adduct of 4-Methyl-1, 2, 4-triazoline-3, 5-dione with Phencyclone: Restricted Motion of Unsubstituted Bridgehead Phenyls.

Abstract 4-Methyl-1, 2, 4-triazoline-3, 5-dione was produced by lead tetraacetate oxidation of 4-methylurazole and allowed to react with phencyclone, 1-The resulting Diels-Alder adduct, 2, has been characterized by one-and two-dimensional 1H and 13C NMR at 300 and 75 MHz, respectively, at ambient temperatures in different solvents. The NMR data are consistent with hindered rotation of the bridgehead unsubstituted phenyl groups about the C(sp2)-C(sp3) bonds, based on numbers of absorption signals in the 1H and 13C NMR aryl region, together with magnetic anisotropic effects in the 1H spectrum. The spectral simplicity suggests further that stereochemistry at the ring junction nitrogens involves only a single isomer or very rapidly interconverting “exo”/“endo” isomers (if the ring junction nitrogens are pyramidalized).
Lake Aerator Effect on Temperature Stratification Analyzed by “MINLAKE” Model

ABSTRACT The paper deals with the prediction of the vertical temperature profiles in a stratified lake during the operation of an air bubble aeration system. The use of such systems is widespread and their effect on water quality very significant. They are installed for a variety of purposes and act as aerators (increasing dissolved oxygen), mixing devices, and often unintentionally as nutrient pumps and local destratification devices. It is not easy to predict the total impact of an air bubble system installed in lake. To gain a better appreciation of its effect, a model can be developed to simulate the flow induced by an air bubble system in a stratified lake. If such a model is incorporated into a dynamic water quality model, the cumulative synoptic interaction between the air bubble system and lake water quality can be simulated. Since lake destratification is not instantaneous, a dynamic model can simulate the interactions of continuous inputs of water, energy, and materials from the watershed and th...
Cardiovascular disease risk in women with PCOS

Cardiac disease is the number one killer in women. Adolescents and reproductive age women with PCOS have an increased prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors. These include obesity, impaired glucose tolerance, diabetes, hypertension, mood disorders and metabolic syndrome. There is sufficient evidence to confirm the presence of subclinical atherosclerosis in women with PCOS compared to age matched controls. There are, however, few prospective studies examining non-fatal and fatal cardiac events in women with well-defined PCOS. Future directions of research should include longitudinal studies in peri- and post-menopausal women with prospectively defined PCOS to better estimate the risk of cardiac morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population. In the meantime, regular screening for risk factors and timely early interventions are critical to reduce the overall risk burden.
Endometriosis from thelarche to midteens: pathogenesis and prognosis, prevention and pedagogy

John Huffman, a founder of the subspecialty of pediatric and adolescent gynecology in North America, first related the diagnosis of endometriosis to thelarche. Subsequently, endometriosis was diagnosed in early puberty between thelarche and menarche. Based on solid evidence, we suggest that the theory of embryonic mullerian rests be added to currently accepted theories of pathogenesis of endometriosis. This article argues for recognition of embryonic mullerian rests as the pathogenesis of some cases of endometriosis not explained by accepted theories. Along with Huffman, we propose that thelarche be recognized as a developmental benchmark, after which endometriosis is included in the differential diagnosis of chronic pelvic pain. Thus, in an effort to refocus research and patient care to early adolescence, this review is limited to endometriosis occurring in young women from thelarche to their sixteenth birthday. Relating endometriosis to thelarche has fundamental implications for pathogenesis, early diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, education, and long-term care of adolescents.
Thoracic force-deflection studies in living and embalmed primates.

Abstract In order to evaluate the validity of the use of the cadaver in making estimates of the living human response to cardio-thoracic impact a series of tests were performed under similar conditions comparing the force-deflection response of the anaesthetized and the embalmed Rhesus monkey. Twelve primates (100 tests) were subjected to controlled thoracic impact with a Remington Humane Stunner while seated in a sled held firmly in place. Tests on 8 of the monkeys were performed while they were anaesthetized and again 30 days after being embalmed. Four monkeys were tested only after embalming. X-rays were used to evaluate rib fractures. Results showed clear significant differences between anaesthetized primates and those tested 30 days after being embalmed. Forces developed under the same test conditions were 132 per cent higher for the embalmed primates compared to anaesthetized monkeys under static test conditions at maximum displacement and 25–50 per cent higher under dynamic testing conditions for all but the initial part of the tests. The results of these studies indicate that the mechanical characteristics of the primate thorax are dramatically affected by death and/or subsequent embalming procedures.