cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of the Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) system in early intervention: A multisite randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the effect of an infant mental health intervention, the Newborn Behavioral Observations system (NBO), versus usual care (UC) on infant neurodevelopment and maternal depressive symptoms in early intervention (EI). This multisite randomized trial enrolled newborns into the NBO (n = 16) or UC group (n = 22) and followed them for 6 months. Outcome measures included the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-2), Bayley Scales of Infants Development (BSID-III), and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The CES-D and BSID-III were collected at 3- and 6-months post EI entry and the BDI-2 was collected at EI entry and 6-months post-EI entry. We estimated group differences [95% CI], adjusting for program characteristics. At 6 months, the NBO group had greater gains in Communication (b = 1.0 [0.2, 1.8]), Self-Care (b = 2.0 [0.1, 3.9]), Perception and Concepts (b = 2.0 [0.4, 3.6]), and Attention and Memory (b = 3.0 [0.4, 6.0]) than the UC group. The NBO group also had greater decline in maternal postnatal depressive symptoms (b = -2.0 [-3.7, -0.3]) than the UC group. Infants receiving the NBO infant mental health intervention had greater gains in cognitive and adaptive functions at 6 months than infants receiving UC. Caregivers receiving NBO care had greater improvements in maternal depressive symptoms than caregivers receiving UC.
Development of brain atlases for early-to-middle adolescent collision-sport athletes.

Human brains develop across the life span and largely vary in morphology. Adolescent collision-sport athletes undergo repetitive head impacts over years of practices and competitions, and therefore may exhibit a neuroanatomical trajectory different from healthy adolescents in general. However, an unbiased brain atlas targeting these individuals does not exist. Although standardized brain atlases facilitate spatial normalization and voxel-wise analysis at the group level, when the underlying neuroanatomy does not represent the study population, greater biases and errors can be introduced during spatial normalization, confounding subsequent voxel-wise analysis and statistical findings. In this work, targeting early-to-middle adolescent (EMA, ages 13–19) collision-sport athletes, we developed population-specific brain atlases that include templates (T1-weighted and diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging) and semantic labels (cortical and white matter parcellations). Compared to standardized adult or age-appropriate templates, our templates better characterized the neuroanatomy of the EMA collision-sport athletes, reduced biases introduced during spatial normalization, and exhibited higher sensitivity in diffusion tensor imaging analysis. In summary, these results suggest the population-specific brain atlases are more appropriate towards reproducible and meaningful statistical results, which better clarify mechanisms of traumatic brain injury and monitor brain health for EMA collision-sport athletes.
The Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act: Supporting “Successful” Transitions into Adulthood

Completing education, obtaining employment, and securing an independent residence, tasks tied to an ideal of self-sufficiency are viewed as important hallmarks of adulthood. Yet, not all youth and young adults (YYA) have adequate resources and many require assistance to overcome transition barriers including lack of social support, poverty, and homelessness. This study analyzed the policy design and social justice values (equity, equality, and adequacy) of three federal workforce programs, authorized by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), and designed to increase economic self-sufficiency among disconnected YYA. These programs lack stable and adequate funding and currently serve a small fraction of the YYA who could benefit. A value of equity is evident in the eligibility and financing criteria, while adequacy as it relates to programming—particularly benefits and services offered to address basic needs, economic stability, and healthy development—warrants further investigation. The programs’ focus on self-sufficiency through connection to education, training, and employment ignores research suggesting that at least six other dimensions are crucial for a successful transition to adulthood. Research on program entry and exit, primary services/benefits received, and life experiences of program participants is needed to determine current levels of support and the potential of these programs to enhance other components of a healthy transition including health, community engagement, and social support among disconnected YYA. Such research may also need to be focused regionally, given the highly localized control of programs.
Machine learning predictions of nitrate in groundwater used for drinking supply in the conterminous United States.

Abstract Groundwater is an important source of drinking water supplies in the conterminous United State (CONUS), and presence of high nitrate concentrations may limit usability of groundwater in some areas because of the potential negative health effects. Prediction of locations of high nitrate groundwater is needed to focus mitigation and relief efforts. A three-dimensional extreme gradient boosting (XGB) machine learning model was developed to predict the distribution of nitrate. Nitrate was predicted at a 1 km resolution for two drinking water zones, each of variable depth, one for domestic supply and one for public supply. The model used measured nitrate concentrations from 12,082 wells and included predictor variables representing well characteristics, hydrologic conditions, soil type, geology, land use, climate, and nitrogen inputs. Predictor variables derived from empirical or numerical process-based models were also included to integrate information on controlling processes and conditions. The model provided accurate estimates at national and regional scales: the training (R2 of 0.83) and hold-out (R2 of 0.49) data fits compared favorably to previous studies. Predicted nitrate concentrations were less than 1 mg/L across most of the CONUS. Nationally, well depth, soil and climate characteristics, and the absence of developed land use were among the most influential explanatory factors. Only 1% of the area in either water supply zone had predicted nitrate concentrations greater than 10 mg/L; however, about 1.4 M people depend on groundwater for their drinking supplies in those areas. Predicted high concentrations of nitrate were most prevalent in the central CONUS. In areas of predicted high nitrate concentration, applied manure, farm fertilizer, and agricultural land use were influential predictor variables. This work represents the first application of XGB to a three-dimensional national-scale groundwater quality model and provides a significant milestone in the efforts to document nitrate in groundwater across the CONUS.
Apgar-Schema und Klassifikation des Neugeborenen

Die Routineversorgung des Neugeborenen ist meist unproblematisch und kann von der Hebamme ubernommen werden. Sein Wohlbefinden last sich aber nicht immer voraussagen. In verschiedenen geburtshilflichen Notfallsituationen kann der Fetus vital gefahrdet sein. Es liegt in der Natur der Notfalle, das gerade in solchen Situationen der Anasthesist oder der Geburtshelfer Aufgaben ubernehmen mus, welche unter idealen Bedingungen von einem erfahrenen Neonatologen durchtgefuhrt werden. Es soll daher im Folgenden kurz auf Masnahmen eingegangen werden, welche bei der Versorgung des deprimierten Neugeborenen notwendig werden konnen.
History and Importance to Human Affairs

Scientifically, fungi are studied primarily for their impact on human affairs and for what they can tell us about fundamental biological principles. Fungi possess all the basic attributes of eukaryotes, including membrane-bound nuclei, chromatin, mitochondria, vacuoles, and cytoskeleton. While few fungi are obligate animal pathogens, some facultative species cause severe illness in humans, particularly in those who are immunocompromised. Among these are Aspergillus fumigatus, Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Histoplasma capsulatum. Up-to-date research on these animal pathogens as well as several plant pathogens is presented in this chapter on filamentous fungi. In addition to their ability to cause disease, many fungi damage materials useful to mankind by invading stored foods, fabrics, lumber, cellulose, and even plaster and cement. Both fungi (S. cerevisiae and the filamentous N. crassa) have served significantly in our understanding of vacuolar function and the role that this organelle plays in nitrogen and phosphate storage and amino acid metabolism. Since the earlier classical studies, fungal research has progressed rapidly with the advent of molecular biology. It is now possible to extract, manipulate, and amplify genes for reintroduction into most model fungi and thus determine cause and effect from genotype to phenotype. Research with the model species S. commune and Coprinopsis cinerea provides unique opportunities for understanding how so many different versions of these genes function at the molecular level to detect compatible mates. This volume is a testament to the continuing robustness of fungal systems as a source of insight into all of the life sciences.
Chapter 21 Economics of Defense in a Globalized World

Abstract In a world continuously beset by conflict and violence, the positive study of international security and defense has developed rapidly over the past decade as a cohesive discipline within economics. Part of the cause for this trend is the revolutionary effects of globalization and its new challenges to world security and stability. The challenges to security now come from new sources; they threaten new dangers, and require new instruments and concepts from us. The field of play for defense economics has thus greatly increased, but the opportunity to exploit new insights from throughout economics grown accordingly. This essay aspires to show how the recent developments in models of international political economy relate to study of this phenomenal evolution of the world's strategic situation and challenges to its safety. Here I give one perspective on the contributions expected of defense economics in a globalized world where old patterns of thinking risk obsolescence. Emphasis is focused on (a) how the field is changing, and the relation between new security challenges and required new analytic approaches, (b) how developing ideas about conflict, predation and governance have entered into and greatly influenced defense economics, and (c) how this raises questions over what should be retained from study of earlier eras and what discarded.
Adrenal mitochondrial metabolism of spironolactone. Absence of metabolic activation.

Abstract Previous investigations have established that spironolactone (SL) administration to guinea pigs decreases adrenal mitochondrial and microsonnal cytochrome P-450 content, and that the latter requires microsomal activation of the drug. Studies were carried out to determine if adrenal mitochondrial metabolism (activation) of SL was similarly involved in the effects of the drug on mitochondrial cytochrome P-450 destruction. Incubation of guinea pig adrenal mitochondria with SL in the absence of NADPH resulted in the formation of 7α-thio-SL as the only metabolite. In the presence of an NADPH-generating system, an unknown polar metabolite was also produced. The mass spectrum of the unknown compound suggested that it was a hydroxylated derivative of SL. Incubation of mitochondrial preparations with 7α-thio-SL also resulted in the formation of a polar metabolite, but the latter had a different HPLC retention time than that of the SL metabolite. Formation of the polar SL metabolite was prevented by metyrapone, an 11β-hydroxylase inhibitor, and was greatest in mitochondria from the adrenal zone having the highest 11β-hydroxylase activity. Steroid substrates for 11β-hydroxylation inhibited the production of the SL metabolite. Mitochondrial incubations with SL or with 7α-thio-SL in the presence or absence of an NADPH-generating system did not affect cytochrome P-450 concentrations. The results indicate that, unlike the microsomal effects of SL, local activation of SL is not responsible for the destruction of adrenal mitochondrial cytochromes P-450. The major adrenal mitochondrial metabolites of SL appear to be 11β-hydroxy-SL and 7β-thio-SL.
Life from Repeated Parts

Modularity in Development and Evolution . Gerhard Schlosser and Gunter P. Wagner, Eds. University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2004. 610 pp. $90, £63. 0-226-73853-1. Paper, $35, £24.50. ISBN 0-226-73855-8. The contributors explore what modularity is, how it can be recognized, how it arises and changes through evolution, and its biological significance.
Which Firms Choose to List as American Depositary Receipts (ADRs)?: Evidence from Mexican Cross Listings

This study provides evidence that Mexican firms that choose to trade in the U.S. as exchange-listed American Depositary Receipts (ADRs) have significantly weaker ex post (subsequent to cross listing) financial performance compared with Mexican firms that are eligible to list in the U.S., but do not. The study provides evidence related to two streams of international research. First, global equity offerings studies, e.g., Foerster and Karolyi (2000), based on large, multi-country samples, show that ADR firms substantially underperform local market benchmark company returns in years following issuance. A second stream of research examines accounting characteristics of ADR firms. For example, Lang, Raedy and Yetman (2001) employ a multi-country sample and conclude that ADR firms perform better, are less risky and less aggressive in terms of earnings management. They also find that ADR firms report accounting data that are more strongly associated with share prices. The above studies have the advantage of using relatively large samples. However, such studies tend to mask individual country differences in the degree of market efficiency, legal protections for shareholders, disclosure environment and shareholder class features that make generalizations tenuous. We show for Mexican firms that, on average, ADR firms are smaller, more highly levered and less profitable than non-crosslisted (NCL) firms. Further, logistic regression models for classifying various ADR and NCL groupings of firms, using financial and other firm characteristics, are highly significant. While supplemental tests of earnings quality suggest that NCL firms exhibit nominally smoother earnings, that evidence is not sufficient to explain the stronger reported financial performance of those firms relative to ADR firms. Finally, our tests of value relevance, using book value and earnings to explain price, show significantly higher explanatory power for the ADR firms and generally non-significant explanatory power for the NCL firms. The value-relevance results may indicate that investors in Mexican ADR firms benefit from U.S. regulation and that reported market inefficiency in Mexico may result in low demand for financial statements of NCL firms. This study has the advantage of focusing on a single, emerging-market economy in contrast to most previous ADR research that used multi-country samples dominated by developed market countries. It is also one of the first ADR studies to deal with selection bias issues by comparing cross-listed and non-crosslisted firms. These advantages are obtained at the cost of having to conduct tests on and draw conclusions from relatively small samples.
Silyl ketone chemistry : Preparation and reactions of unsaturated silyl ketones

Abstract A series of silyl ketones has been prepared by appropriate manipulation of ⇌-silylated allenol ethers. Among the compounds prepared were alkenyl, alkynyl and acyl silyl ketones. The spectroscopic properties of representative members of these classes of compounds have been measured, and some of their chemical reactions studied Diels-Alder cycloadditions of vinyl and alkynyl silyl ketones proceed smoothly, and can be used to prepare new types of silyl ketones. Several examples of reactions with organolithium reagents are given; the process can be an effective route to enol silyl ethers with absolute regiochemical control.
The Value of Quality: Stock Market Returns to Reviewed Quality of New Products

Product quality is probably under-valued by firms because there is little consensus about appropriate measures and methods to research quality. We suggest that published ratings of a product's quality are a valid source of quality information with important strategic and financial impact. We test this thesis by an event analysis of abnormal returns to stock prices of firms whose new products are evaluated in the Wall Street Journal. Quality has a strong immediate effect on abnormal returns, which is substantially higher than that for other marketing events assessed in prior studies. Moreover, there are some important asymmetries in the effect. We discuss the research, managerial, investing, and policy implications.
PVS: Combining Specification, Proof Checking, and Model Checking

We claim that no single technique such as rewriting, BDDs, or model checking is effective for all aspects of hardware verification. Many examples need the careful integration of these techniques. We have shown some simple examples to illustrate the integration available in PVS. This combination of techniques has been applied to some larger examples such as an SRT divider and Rockwell-Collins AAMP series of processors. The automation available in PVS on these examples can be further improved through the use of more decision procedures (e.g., bit vectors) and better verification methodologies (e.g., abstraction, induction).
Proteases Induce Production of Thymic Stromal Lymphopoietin by Airway Epithelial Cells through Protease-Activated Receptor-2

Thymic stromal lymphopoietin (TSLP) is produced by epithelial cells and triggers dendritic cell-mediated Th2-type inflammation. Although TSLP is up-regulated in epithelium of patients with asthma, the factors that control TSLP production have not been studied extensively. Because mouse models suggest roles for protease(s) in Th2-type immune responses, we hypothesized that proteases from airborne allergens may induce TSLP production in a human airway epithelial cell line, BEAS-2B. TSLP mRNA and protein were induced when BEAS-2B cells were exposed to prototypic proteases, namely, trypsin and papain. TSLP induction by trypsin required intact protease activity and also a protease-sensing G protein-coupled receptor, protease-activated receptor (PAR)-2; TSLP induction by papain was partially dependent on PAR-2. In humans, exposure to ubiquitous airborne fungi, such as Alternaria, is implicated in the development and exacerbation of asthma. When BEAS-2B cells or normal human bronchial epithelial cells were exposed to Alternaria extract, TSLP was potently induced. The TSLP-inducing activity of Alternaria was partially blocked by treating the extract with a cysteine protease inhibitor, E-64, or by infecting BEAS-2B cells with small interfering RNA for PAR-2. Protease-induced TSLP production by BEAS-2B cells was enhanced synergistically by IL-4 and abolished by IFN-γ. These findings demonstrate that TSLP expression is induced in airway epithelial cells by exposure to allergen-derived proteases and that PAR-2 is involved in the process. By promoting TSLP production in the airways, proteases associated with airborne allergens may facilitate the development and/or exacerbation of Th2-type airway inflammation, particularly in allergic individuals.
Harmonics in variable speed fan systems

The characteristics of harmonics generated by variable speed fan systems used for ventilation of agricultural buildings are reported. The fan system is controlled with a variable speed, triac-based fan controller and is fitted with a three-bladed, 30 degrees pitch polypropylene propeller. A test is conducted to evaluate voltage and current harmonics produced as a result of the triac's presence in the fan system circuit. The triac introduced harmonics into the current waveform which reduced the motor efficiency. The fan system is not a significant source of voltage harmonics for the utility. Current harmonics are at significant levels with the third current harmonic being the highest at 100% of the fundamental. >
Sustainable and Responsible Design from a Christian Worldview

Many aspects of design require engineers to make choices based on non-quantifiable personal perspectives. These decisions touch issues in aesthetics, ethics, social impact, and responsibility and sustainability. Part of Baylor University's mission is to provide a learning community in which Christian life values and worldviews might be integrated into academic disciplines. In view of this institutional commitment, members of the Engineering faculty are investigating how Christian worldviews might interact with elements of engineering design in such a way as to produce uniquely Christian insights and inform the non-quantifiable aspects of the engineering process.
Imaging of mixing dynamics in micromixers using microscopy and optical coherence tomography

We present the design of two efficient micromixers, a 3-D serpentine micromixer and a vortex mixer. Light and confocal microscopy and image analysis programs were used to study mixing efficiency in these two micromixers and a Y-shape straight channel. By utilizing Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT), an emerging high-resolution medical and biological imaging technology, we obtained 3-D structural data and mixing dynamics for the 3-D serpentine mixer and the vortex mixer. The results indicate that mixing efficiency characterized with OCT is more accurate.
Phosphorylation of the N-Formyl Peptide Receptor Carboxyl Terminus by the G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase, GRK2

Attenuation of receptor-mediated signal amplification in response to external stimuli, an essential step in the balance of cellular activation, may be mediated by receptor phosphorylation. We have recently shown that the carboxyl-terminal cytoplasmic domain of the N-formyl peptide receptor (FPR) interacts with G proteins and demonstrate here that this same region of the FPR is specifically phosphorylated by a neutrophil cytosolic kinase with properties similar to the G protein-coupled receptor kinase, GRK2. Both kinase activities show a lack of sensitivity toward protein kinase A, protein kinase C, and tyrosine kinase inhibitors but demonstrate almost identical sensitivity toward the kinase inhibitor heparin. Kinetic studies demonstrated that GRK2 has a K m for the carboxyl-terminal domain of the FPR of approximately 1.5 μM and that denaturation of the substrate results in an almost complete loss of phosphorylation. Comparative studies reveal that GRK3 has approximately 50% of the activity of GRK2 toward the FPR carboxyl terminus, whereas GRK5 and GRK6 have no detectable activity. Site-directed mutagenesis of numerous regions of the FPR carboxyl terminus demonstrated that, whereas Glu 326/Asp 327 and Asp 333 are critical for phosphorylation, the carboxyl-terminal 10 amino acids are not required. Simultaneous substitution of Thr 334, Thr 336, Ser 338, and Thr 339 resulted in an ∼50% reduction in phosphorylation, whereas simultaneous substitution of the upstream Ser 328, Thr 329, Thr 331, and Ser 332 or merely the Ser 328 and Thr 329 residues resulted in an ∼80% reduction in phosphorylation. The introduction of negatively charged glutamate residues for Ser 328 and Thr 329 or Thr 331 and Ser 332 resulted in marked stimulation of phosphorylation. These results suggest a hierarchical mechanism in which phosphorylation of amino-terminal serine and threonine residues is required for the subsequent phosphorylation of carboxyl-terminal residues. These results provide the first direct evidence that an intracellular domain of a chemoattractant receptor is a high affinity substrate for GRK2 and further suggest a role for GRK2 or a closely related kinase in the attenuation of receptor-mediated activation of inflammatory cells.
Attaining accessibility and personalization with Socio-Captcha (SCAP)

Many websites have made use of motions, videos, flash, gif animations and static images to implement Captcha in order to ensure that the entity trying to connect to their website(s) or system is not a Bot, but a human being. A wide variety of Captcha types and solution methods are available and few are described in section II. All of these Captcha systems possess the functionality of distinguishing humans and Bots but lack in providing personalization attribute(s) whilst browsing the internet or using any networking application. This paper has suggested a novel scheme for generation of Captcha by attaining accessibility and personalization through user's social media profile attributes Socio-Captcha (SCAP). This Socio-Captcha Scheme relies on Socio-Captcha application which is discussed in this paper
THE ILLUSION OF SYSTEMATIC DISTORTION

This reply to Sypher argues that neither his data nor his analysis provide good evidence for confirming the systematic distortion hypothesis in general or showing that it is operative in the communicator style measure in particular. At best, Sypher's research provides additional construct validity for the communicator style domain. It is maintained that “difficult memory conditions” do not prevail for the self-report of style behaviors. Three studies are briefly reported supporting this conclusion. Finally, necessary conditions are identified in order for self-report data to be increasingly useful. Although the results of factor analyses (and related methods) of sets of ratings are often of immediate and intrinsic interest, there are few personality psychologists today who would claim that obtained factor structures represent inexorable verities (cf. Lykenn, 1971). It is now well recognized that by varying the mix of variables included in a clustering analysis, one can fundamentally alter both the number and nature of the summarizing dimensions subsequently obtained.
The scaling of electromigration lifetimes

The reduction of electromigration failure times with scaling presents a critical challenge for continued technology development. Electromigration failure is determined by void morphology and Cu drift velocity. Using observations of changes in these parameters, particularly the increase in drift velocity due to the increasingly polycrystalline Cu grain structure, we are able to accurately model trends in failure times between the 65 and 20 nm nodes. Below 20 nm failure times will continue to decrease, but at a faster rate at the low percentiles associated with circuit reliability. Metal capping to reduce interfacial diffusion of Cu has no impact on the drift velocity at the most advanced technology nodes. Control of Cu grain structure and development of electromigration resistant Cu alloys provide the most effective means of improving electromigration performance.
Polynomial-based inertia ratio controller design for vibration suppression in two-mass system

In this paper, a polynomial-based design of inertia ratio controllers is discussed for the vibration suppression in two-mass system. A tradeoff relationship is shown to exist between damping and robustness performances in the control problem. A desirable inertia ratio of 5/16 is derived at which IP control provides a proper damping. Then two approaches for the control of equivalent inertia ratio are discussed without/with load velocity feedback. “Resonance ratio control” is capable of providing a sufficient damping for large inertia ratios by using only drive velocity feedback. However, a negative derivative gain is necessary, which leads to a poor robustness. By using both drive and load velocity feedback, the equivalent inertia ratio can be exactly specified as 5/16. The proposed “inertia ratio controller” design shows an obvious improvement in terms of both damping and robustness performances. All the experimental results validate the polynomial-based theoretical analysis and controller design. The demonstrated generality and the explicit expression of damping indicate the promising prospect of the polynomial-based controller design for solving more complicated control problems.
The Dynamics of Mountain-Wave-Induced Rotors

Abstract The development of rotor flow associated with mountain lee waves is investigated through a series of high-resolution simulations with the nonhydrostatic Coupled Ocean–Atmospheric Mesoscale Prediction System (COAMPS) model using free-slip and no-slip lower boundary conditions. Kinematic considerations suggest that boundary layer separation is a prerequisite for rotor formation. The numerical simulations demonstrate that boundary layer separation is greatly facilitated by the adverse pressure gradients associated with trapped mountain lee waves and that boundary layer processes and lee-wave-induced perturbations interact synergistically to produce low-level rotors. Pairs of otherwise identical free-slip and no-slip simulations show a strong correlation between the strength of the lee-wave-induced pressure gradients in the free-slip simulation and the strength of the reversed flow in the corresponding no-slip simulation. Mechanical shear in the planetary boundary layer is the primary source of a she...
Scaling theory of conserved current and universal amplitudes at anisotropic critical points.

A scaling theory of conserved currents is studied at critical points with critical charge fluctuations. It is shown that the conserved current has no anomalous dimension even for anisotropic critical points. Many universal amplitudes are identified.
Glen Canyon: An Archaeological Summary. Jesse D. Jennings, Foreword by Don D. Fowler. Univer­sity of Utah Press, Salt Lake City, 1998

The last few years have seen the appearance of reprints of earlier reports of archaeological field­ work, e.g., Pueblo Bonito (1920) by George H. Pepper reprinted in 1996 by the University of New Mexico Press. Now the University of Utah Press has re-issued Glen Canyon: An Archaeological Summary by Jesse D. Jennings, originally published in 1966 under the title, Glen Canyon: A Sum­ mary as University of Utah Anthropological Paper 81 (Glen Canyon Series 31). Whether the re­ issuance of earlier reports represents a long-term publishing program or just a short-term fad remains to be seen. The development, however. is a welcome one, especially because many of these earlier reports - long out-of-print- are expensive to purchase and are rarely available. For example, recent asking prices for copies of Pueblo Bonito advertised by used booksellers in their catalogs were from $80-120.
Probabilistic constraint network representation of biological structure

A constraint satisfaction paradigm is useful for modeling uncertain biological structure. Under this paradigm, we begin with a general model of a biological structure with a set of structural parameters and their uncertainty. Any new information about the structure is considered a constraint on the values of these parameters. The goal is to combine the initial model with the constraints to find a solution that is compatible with both. In this paper, we describe the basic notions of a constraint satisfaction problem and describe a method for representing biological structure that is based on the principles of Bayesian probability, and formulated as a constraint satisfaction problem. Biological structures are modeled using parameters that are assumed to be normally distributed, with a mean and a variance. We illustrate the application of this method to two different types of biological structural calculations: one in which there is a weak prior model and a large amount of data, and one in which there is a strong prior model and a relatively small amount of data. In each case, the method performs well, and produces not only good estimates of mean structure, but also a useful representation of the uncertainty in the estimate.© (1994) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Measurement of Caffeine Metabolites in Urine Using Diode-Array Detection HPLC

Abstract Diode-array detection high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) offers significant advantages when compared to conventional UV HPLC detection. These advantages include important spectral information such as the τ max and the UV spectra of each eluting peak. The spectral scans are obtained at the peak start, peak apex and peak end. This provides a comparison of these spectra so that peak homogeneity can be calculated. Standard spectra can be stored and compared to eluting peaks for “purity”. Therefore, peak identification is based not only on retention time but the aforementioned spectral information. Recently, pathways involved in the metabolism of caffeine have been determined. One of the pathways involves the N-acetyltransferase system. Thus, a safe non-invasive and convenient procedure is now available to determine the N-acetylation phenotype. This is important because a number of toxicities have been associated with acetylator phenotype. The present paper indicates the utility of the diod...
Quad Compositions of Collocated Dipoles and Loops: For Direction Finding and Polarization Estimation

This letter shows the closed-form estimation formulas for direction finding and polarization estimation using a collocated quad of orthogonally oriented dipole(s) and loop(s). In total, there are 15 different compositions, and among them, 14 compositions can offer closed-form estimates for the azimuth-elevation direction of arrival and the polarization parameters.
In‐vitro permeation of some β‐blockers across the hairless mouse skin

To support the development of a suitable transdermal dosage form for beta-blockers, in-vitro, skin permeation studies of nine beta-blockers were conducted at 37 degrees C across the excised abdominal skin of hairless mouse mounted on the receptor compartment of a two-chambered Valia-Chien glass diffusion cell. The drugs varied in lipophilicity, whereas pKa values were comparable. Permeability coefficients were calculated from the steady-state flux values. Agreement was found between the permeability coefficient and the drug lipophilicity, expressed as the octanol-buffer distribution coefficient.
Soft x-ray laser source development and applications: worldwide progress (Review Paper)

The field of soft x-ray laser research is at a point between the first demonstrations of x-ray amplification and the onset and widespread application of modest—sized x-ray lasers. The past several years have seen great strides in x-ray amplifier performance as well as the demonstration of proof—of—principle x-ray laser applications. In the near term, the challenge for the x-ray laser community will be to develop compact x-ray lasers and to carry out an applications experiment of crucial importance to an identifiable community of interested users. Achieving these goals will require furthering our understanding of basic amplifier physics and increasing our technological capabilities with x-ray lasers. In this paper, we summarize the results obtained to date in these areas, with emphasis on the most recent developments.
Advances in MR spectroscopy of the prostate.

Commercial MR imaging/magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) packages for staging prostate cancer on 1.5-T MR scanners are now available. The technology is becoming mature enough to begin assessing its clinical utility in selecting, planning, and following prostate cancer therapy. Before therapy, 1.5-T MR imaging/MRSI has the potential to improve the local evaluation of prostate cancer presence and volume and has a significant incremental benefit in the prediction of pathologic stage when added to clinical nomograms. After therapy, two metabolic biomarkers of effective and ineffective therapy have been identified and are being validated with 10-year outcomes. Accuracy can be improved by performing MR imaging/MRSI at higher magnetic field strengths, using more sensitive hyperpolarized 13 C MRSI techniques and through the addition of other functional MR techniques.
Physiological characteristics and competitive ability of plasmid-cured derivatives of Rhizobium fredii USDA 206

Rhizobium fredii USDA 206 carries four plasmids which total more than 1200 MDa of DNA. A series of plasmid-cured mutants of strain USDA 206 were derived and compared to determine possible functions of the plasmids, as well as the effect of the plasmids on growth and competitiveness of their host strains. No functions of plasmid pRj206a or pRj206c were found. Plasmid pRj206b was found to have a higher copy number in the non-mucoid (Muc−) derivative strain 206CANS. Transfer of pRj206b conferred on two recipient strains a Muc− phenotype indicating control of exopolysaccharide synthesis by this plasmid. The same plasmid appeared to encode repression of melanin synthesis. Strain 206CANS was also shown to have a shorter generation time than USDA 206 and to out-compete USDA 206 in batch and chemostat culture. Competition for nodulation indicated little difference between USDA 206 and 206CANS, while USDA 206 appeared to be more competitive than two of the other cured derivatives.
Architectural Aesthetics in the Analytic Tradition: A New Curriculum

Abstract Architecture programs should include a curriculum on philosophy of architecture in the analytic philosophical tradition. I describe such a curriculum and distinguish it from both the typical architectural theory curriculum and the typical philosophical aesthetics courses. Without such a curriculum, students likely lack exposure to the philosophical approach to aesthetics that is dominant in American universities.
A semi-automatic bubble matching method for bubble chamber tracks

Abstract A method is described that enables one to bubble match semi-automatically tracks produced in liquid hydrogen bubble chambers of simple geometry by high energy hadron interactions. The method is especially suitable for high multiplicity (>6 prongs) final state events where conventional track matching programs have difficulty. Event match rates of ∼30 events/h have been achieved using this technique on SAMM, the semi-automatic CRT measuring machine at Fermilab.
Glycation induced crosslinking of link proteins, in vivo and in vitro.

Abstract Objective. Reducing sugars have the ability to crosslink proteins through creation of advanced glycosylated end products (AGE). In this study, we determined the ability of AGE to induce crosslinking of link proteins and aggrecan proteoglycans. Methods. Aggrecan proteoglycans and link proteins were purified from adult human articular cartilage and from young bovine nasal cartilage for in vivo and in vitro studies, respectively. In vitro studies concerned incubation of aggrecan aggregates or link proteins with ribose under physiological conditions. After 30 days, aggregates were centrifuged dissociatively to obtain aggrecan monomers and link proteins. Aggrecan monomers were analyzed by immunoblot assay. Incubated link proteins were analyzed by SDS-PAGE and Sephacryl-200 column chromatography. Results. After extensive purification, adult human cartilage aggrecan continued to show the presence of link protein antigens by immunoblot analysis. Immunoblot analysis of purified aggrecan derived from ribose-treated aggregates also showed the presence of link protein antigens. Ribose treatment of link protein lead to polymerization that was confirmed by Sephacryl-200. Conclusions. These studies suggest that human link proteins tend to become crosslinked to aggrecan in adult cartilage. A likely cause of the crosslinking is formation of AGE due to reducing sugars.
Studies of Elastic Scattering of Protons, Deuterons, and Alpha Particles from Isotopes of Cu, Ni, and Fe

Angular distributions of elastically scattered protons were measured at bombarding energies of 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 Mev from enriched isotopic targets of /58/Ni, /sup 60/Ni, /sup 63/Cu, and /sup 65/Cu. The angular distributions of 12-Mev elastically scattered protons, deuterons, and alpha particles were measured from targets of /sup 58/Ni, /sup 60/Ni, /sup 62/Ni, /sup 64/N i, /sup 63/ Cu, /sup 65/Cu, and /sup 54/Fe. The range of angles measured was between 20 and 169 deg . Absolute cross sections are believed to be accurate to about 5%, the relative measurements to 2.5%. The measured angular distributions are compared with ones calculated from optical-model potentials. For the proton scattering, the sensitivity of such data to a symmetry term in the potential and to the dependence of the potential on incident proton energy was also investigated and the results are compared with the ones arrived at by Perey. (auth)
Ecologies of Scale: Multifunctionality Connects Conservation and Agriculture across Fields, Farms, and Landscapes

Agroecology and landscape ecology are two land-use sciences based on ecological principles, but have historically focused on fine and broad spatial scales, respectively. As global demand for food strains current resources and threatens biodiversity conservation, concepts such as multifunctional landscapes and ecologically-analogous agroecosystems integrate ecological concepts across multiple spatial scales. This paper reviews ecological principles behind several concepts crucial to the reconciliation of food production and biodiversity conservation, including relationships between biodiversity and ecosystem functions such as productivity and stability; insect pest and pollinator management; integrated crop and livestock systems; countryside biogeography and heterogeneity-based rangeland management. Ecological principles are integrated across three spatial scales: fields, farms, and landscapes.
Chiral Synthesis via Organoboranes. Part 10. Preparation of α‐Chiral Acyclic Ketones of Exceptionally High Enantiomeric Excess from Optically Pure Borinic Esters.

Optically pure borinic esters such as (IV), obtained from optically pure boronic esters, e.g. (I), by a known route, are treated with the ether (V) in the presence of Li tert-butoxide to give, after oxidation, α-chiral ketones such as (VI) of generally very high enantiomeric purity (> 99% e.e.).
Using system dynamics for theory building in digital government research: exploring the dynamics of digital government evolution

This theory-building effort is designed to attract people with an interest in digital government evolution by using formal modeling in the social sciences. By using the system dynamics approach in a group setting, the main drivers of digital government organizational and technological sophistication are explored and formally articulated in a causal structure. The results are embodied in a formal model that can be mathematically characterized to conduct numerical simulations.
Outsourcing – a strategic move: the process and the ingredients for success

Outsourcing has become an important strategic tool in today’s competitive business environment. This paper describes the steps within four stages of outsourcing process: planning, developing, implementing and evaluation. The role of outsourcing being not only a cost‐saving method but also part of the overall management strategy to focus on core competitiveness is emphasized in the discussion. Additionally, the detailed steps and considerations that are required for successful implementation of an outsourcing effort are also addressed.
Bi-hadoop: extending hadoop to improve support for binary-input applications

The MapReduce programming model, along with its open-source implementation - Hadoop - has provided a cost effective solution for many data-intensive applications. Hadoop stores data distributively and exploits data locality by assigning tasks to where data is stored. Many data-intensive applications, however, require two (or more) input data for each of their tasks. Such applications pose significant challenges for Hadoop as the inputs to one task often reside on multiple nodes, and Hadoop is unable to discover data locality in this scenario. This often leads to excessive data transfers and significant degradations in application performance. In this paper, we present Bi-Hadoop, an efficient extension of Hadoop to better support binary-input applications. Bi-Hadoop integrates an easy-to-use user interface, a binary-input aware task scheduler, and a caching subsystem. Extensive experiments show that Bi-Hadoop can significantly improve the execution of binary-input applications by reducing the data transfer overhead, and outperforms existing Hadoop by up to 3.3x.
Desensitized model predictive control

This paper presents a model predictive control formulation that incorporates trajectory sensitivity to improve the robustness of the conventional model predictive control strategy. A numerical example is used to illustrate the potential of this approach. The numerical results suggest that the proposed approach may be an alternative to robust model predictive control strategies when the latter leads to excessive computation requirements or conservatism.
Positive selection for sensitivity of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii to Photosystem II-inhibiting herbicides

We have developed a method for the strong positive selection of 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-l,l-dimethylurea (DCMU or diuron) -sensitive mutants of the unicellular green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii . The method involves plating cells in the light on medium containing acetate with carefully balanced concentrations of diuron and metronidazole. We have used this method for the selection of sensitive revertants of diuron-resistant strain Dr2. Among the strains that survive the selection, the spectrum of mutant phenotypes is diverse. These include reduced or absent photosynthesis, altered pigment content or chlorophyll fluorescence induction kinetics, as well as increased herbicide sensitivity. Among the more sensitive strains characterized in detail were five with increased affinity of diuron binding to the thylakoid membranes. None of thesemutants is as sensitive as wild type, and so none is an exact revertant of mutant Dr2. AH of these mutants showed the non-mendelian inheritance pattern characteristic of chloroplast DNA. Thus, the results extend the previous conclusion that the Photosystem II herbicide binding site is under the exclusive control of the chloroplast genome.
Endogenous membrane phosphorylation increases in serum-stimulated 3T3 cells.

Autophosphorylation of 3T3 cells, utilizing endogenous membrane protein kinase, can be detected by incubating the cells with μgM32P-ATP. The phosphorylation activity of growing cells is two to four-fold greater than quiescent ones. In this study, the increased phosphorylation activity of serum-stimulated cells was examined. Phosphorylation, measured at times after serum stimulation of quiescent cultures, was found to increase in early G1 and to reach a maximum prior to DNA synthesis. This increase in stimulated cells was dependent on RNA and protein synthesis but not on DNA synthesis. The increased activity decayed quickly (half-life approximately 2–3 hours) in the presence of cycloheximide, while the basal activity in quiescent cells was relatively unchanged. Insulin, prostaglandin E1 or prostaglandin F2α were also found to bring about the same increase in phosphorylation as serum, although in contrast with serum they caused only a small percentage of the culture to synthesize DNA. The results suggest that enhanced phosphorylation activity is a G1 event. It does not depend on subsequent DNA synthesis. Phosphorylation may be one of the biochemical steps in G1, necessary but not sufficient for cells to move into S phase.