cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Law: Presidential Memoranda and Executive Orders: Of Patchwork Quilts, Trump Cards, and Shell Games

When President Clinton took office, he moved rapidly on a batch of controversial policy initiatives using executive orders and also presidential memoranda, a device known and understood by few and virtually ignored in the literature. This article explores the use of presidential memoranda and executive orders as policy tools, focusing on the case of the Clinton administration environmental justice initiative. While the ends may be laudable, the means can be problematic. The analysis concludes that presidential memoranda are devices that have come to be increasingly important, but they can present significant political and legal problems, particularly if they confuse legal authority for presidential action and appear to hide the true nature and purpose of administration policy, in which memoranda are used in place of executive orders or even more exotic techniques are used to craft policy that is in truth in the nature of an executive order.
Characterizing fertility targets and multi-element interactions in nursery culture of Quercus rubra seedlings

Des objectifs de fertilite ont ete quantifies et caracterises pour des semis de chene rouge d'Amerique (Quercus rubra L.) cultives en pepiniere. Les semis ont ete alimentes avec un engrais 15N-5P205-15K20 selon huit taux de 0-150 mg N plant-' et ont pousses pendant 18 semaines dans une serre. La croissance des semis, leur reponse nutritionnelle a un accroissement de la fertilisation a suivi un modele curvilineaire decrivant des phases rangees depuis la carence jusqu'a la toxicite. La production en matiere seche des semis a ete maximale a la dose suffisante correspondant 25 mg N plant -1 saison-1, tandis que l'optimum de consommation s'est situe a 100 mg N plant- saison-1. La dose saisonniere de 150 mg N plant- a induit une toxicite N et P, mais il en est resulte une interaction antagoniste avec K. Le prelevement de nutriments par les plants a augmente le contenu en N et P de 27 % et 55 %. Cette nouvelle approche demontre la possibilite d'esperer perfectionner les objectifs de fertilite pour une production en pepiniere de plants de Quercus rubra et peuvent avoir une application pour d'autres especes feuillues et d'autres systemes culturaux.
Expressiveness of matchgates

Matchgates have been used to simulate classically in polynomial time assemblies of quantum gates. In this paper it is shown that every matchgate for 2-input 2-output functions has to obey a certain set of five polynomial identities. It is also shown that no matchgate can realize a nontrivial control gate for any number of inputs. On the other hand, it is proved that classical Boolean formulae can be expressed as matchcircuits of polynomial size.
Antivirulence agents against MRSA

.Antibiotics are currently the treatment of choice for MRSA infections, but increasing resistance to these agents, coupled with the decline of commercial development of new antibiotics, has created an urgent need and a window of opportunity to introduce new treatment options. The WHO has identified antimicrobial resistance as one of the three greatest threats to human health. A call by the Infectious Disease Society of America to develop ten new antibacterial drugs by 2020 has been endorsed by the US Department of Health and Human Services and numerous other organizations in the USA and Europe
Nuclear Polarization in He 3 Gas Induced by Optical Pumping and Dipolar Exchange

The Overhauser nuclear polarization effect involving dipolar interactions between an optically polarized atom and the nucleus of a suitable buffer gas was observed in He/sup 3/ gas used as the buffer for the optical pumping of rubidium vapor. The rubidium was polarized and the degree of nuclear polarization of He/sup 3/ was determined. The polarization was reduced by relaxation processes. The relaxation time was proportional to the density and doubled in going from 300 to 77 deg K. (M.C.G.)
Particle removal with pump limiters in ISX-B

Abstract The first pump limiter experiments were performed on ISX-B. Two pump limiter modules were installed in the top and bottom of one toroidal sector of the tokamak. The modules consist of inertia cooled, TiC-coated graphite heads and ZrAl getter pumps each with a pumping speed of 1000–2000 l/s. The objective of the initial experiments was the demonstration of plasma particle control with pump limiters. The first set of experiments were performed in ohmic discharges (OH) in which the effect of the pump limiters on the plasma density was clearly demonstrated. In discharges characterized by Ip = 110 kA, B T = 15 kG , n e = 1−5 × 10 13 cm −3 and t = 0.3 s, the pressure rise in the pump limiters was typically 2 mTorr with the pumps off and 0.7 mTorr after activating the pumps. When the pumps were activated, the line-average plasma density decreased by up to a factor 2 at identical gas flow rates. The second set of measurements were performed in neutral beam heated discharges (NBI) with injected powers between 0.6 MW and 1.0 MW. Due to a cooling problem on one of the ZrAl pumps, the NBI experiments were carried out with one limiter only. The maximum pressure observed in NBI-discharges was 5 mTorr without activating the pumps, i.e., approximately twice as high as in OH-discharges. The exhaust efficiency, which is defined as the removed particle flux divided by the total particle flux in the scrape-off layer, is estimated to be 5%.
SU‐E‐T‐587: A CT Based Monte Carlo Dosimetry for Post Implant LDR Brachytherapy

Purpose: Introducing a new CT based Monte Carlo calculation for dose evaluation following LDR brachytherapy and comparing the results with conventional TG‐43 calculation Methods: We adapted a voxel based mathematical phantom of patient's body modeling in MCNP using conventional DICOM images from post implant of prostate brachytherapy. With the aid of Image processingsoftware, the implanted seed and their position are detected and conveyed to Monte Carlo SDEF source definition. The results of MCNP dosimetry is presented to the physicists in a GUI medium. Results: The developed software could aid the physicist to browse, explore or modify patient's CT and explore the results of Monte Carlodosimetry. The software is designed to evaluate the absorbed dose(dose distribution contours) and the volumetric dose histograms. The software is used to evaluate the dose distribution of HDR seeds in a gel phantom [1] and the results are within 3% of experimental data. Conclusions: The developed image processing and mathematical voxel phantom generation software package is successful in producing accurate dosimetry data based on exact patient body information. Besides producing dose distribution in CTV and PTV, the dose distributions of adjacent sensitive organs are readily available with Monte Carlo accuracy. This is an advantage of the developed software compared with conventional TG‐43 based software which ignores patient's body heterogeneity in dose evaluation
Characterization of a soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] mutant with reduced levels of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor

Abstract Kunitz trypsin inhibitor, an abundant soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] seed protein, has a molecular mass of 21 500 Da and is specific for serine proteases. A soybean mutant (P.I. 196168) was characterized to determine the molecular basis for reduced Kunitz trypsin inhibitor levels during seed development. Western blot analysis revealed that P.I. 196168, in comparison to Amsoy 71, accumulated low amounts of Kunitz trypsin inhibitor protein. Non-denaturing polyacrylamide enzyme activity gels indicated that Amsoy 71 seeds contained at least five distinct zones of trypsin inhibitor activity. However, P.I. 196168 contained only four zones of enzyme inhibition. The coding region of the most abundant trypsin inhibitor gene (KTi3) was isolated from Amsoy 71 and P.I. 196168 by PCR. DNA sequence comparisons of the Kunitz trypsin inhibitor coding regions revealed two deletions and one G to T transversion have occurred. These mutations introduced four stop codons in the reading frame, resulting in a truncated protein. Northern blot analysis revealed that P.I. 196168 accumulated drastically lower amounts of KTi3 mRNA when compared with Amsoy 71.
Surface interaction between aluminum and epoxy resin

Titration and infraed analysis found no primary chemical bonds between etched or unetched aluminum and an amine-cured epoxy resin. Titration of a very small amount of resin in contact with the large surface area of aluminum dust revealed no drop in epoxy content when oxygen was excluded. The spectra of a bulk-cured epoxy resin were essentially superimposable on the spectra obtained by attenuated total reflectance and specular reflectance of a very thin layer of the cured epoxy resin bonded to aluminum plate. Analysis of uncured epoxy resin in contact with aluminum plate and powder, subjected to the cure cycle in air, indicated that the epoxy ring is oxidized to a carboxylic acid. When air is excluded, no loss of epoxy groups is observed.
“Moves to Places Not Quite on the Schedule”: Irony and the Ethics of Action in Joan Didion's Democracy

The article explores the pervasive zone of negativity in Democracy that gets articulated as the primary organizing principle of the text. This zone is enabled by three separate but intersecting narrative consciousnesses affiliated to the various levels of irony in the text. The negotiation between the read, written, and unread narratives of Didion's text yield a thoroughly paradoxical political sensibility that reiterates the problematic of irony by an open-ended ethics.
Ozone and alkyl nitrate formation from the Deepwater Horizon oil spill atmospheric emissions

[1] Ozone (O3), alkyl nitrates (RONO2), and other photochemical products were formed in the atmosphere downwind from the Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill by photochemical reactions of evaporating hydrocarbons with NOx (=NO + NO2) emissions from spill response activities. Reactive nitrogen species and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were measured from an instrumented aircraft during daytime flights in the marine boundary layer downwind from the area of surfacing oil. A unique VOC mixture, where alkanes dominated the hydroxyl radical (OH) loss rate, was emitted into a clean marine environment, enabling a focused examination of O3 and RONO2 formation processes. In the atmospheric plume from DWH, the OH loss rate, an indicator of potential O3 formation, was large and dominated by alkanes with between 5 and 10 carbons per molecule (C5–C10). Observations showed that NOx was oxidized very rapidly with a 0.8 h lifetime, producing primarily C6–C10 RONO2 that accounted for 78% of the reactive nitrogen enhancements in the atmospheric plume 2.5 h downwind from DWH. Both observations and calculations of RONO2 and O3 production rates show that alkane oxidation dominated O3 formation chemistry in the plume. Rapid and nearly complete oxidation of NOx to RONO2 effectively terminated O3 production, with O3 formation yields of 6.0 ± 0.5 ppbv O3 per ppbv of NOx oxidized. VOC mixing ratios were in large excess of NOx, and additional NOx would have formed additional O3 in this plume. Analysis of measurements of VOCs, O3, and reactive nitrogen species and calculations of O3 and RONO2 production rates demonstrate that NOx-VOC chemistry in the DWH plume is explained by known mechanisms.
A new view of lunar ferroan anorthosites: Postmagma ocean petrogenesis

[1] New melting experiments in the range of 0.1 MPa to 4.7 GPa provide the basis for calculations of polybaric crystallization which show that both a >300 km deep magma ocean (MO) enriched in refractory elements and a >600 km deep magma ocean with refractory element concentrations similar to the Earth's upper mantle produce sufficient amounts of differentiated, residual liquid, capable of crystallizing the troctolitic-noritic mineral assemblages that are prevalent in lunar ferroan anorthosites (LFA). However, the both oceans become saturated with augite after ∼20–30% crystallization of the plagioclase-saturated residuum and thereafter are no longer capable of producing noritic assemblages. A second set of melting experiments reveals the existence of a previously unrecognized equilibrium (augite + liquid = pigeonite + plagioclase) and a thermal minimum on the pigeonite + plagioclase liquidus surface at 0.6 GPa. These equilibria will produce melts of mafic cumulates with lower Wo content than those from which the cumulates originally formed in a postmagma ocean environment of overturning mafic cumulates. Melt thus formed and entrained in a buoyant segregation of plagioclase would then form diapiric masses that would crystallize troctolitic-noritic assemblages after intruding upward. Diapiric intrusions could also provide the local deformational environment needed to produce the apparently high (≥95%) plagioclase modes of the LFA. An unstable density profile in the cumulate pile following crystallization of most of the MO should provide the impetus for overturn and the heat for partially remelting mafic cumulates.
Degradation of contaminated plastics: a kinetic study

The thermal degradation of polypropylene (PP), polyacrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyurethane (PU) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) have been studied in the presence of copper, iron oxide and dirt. The rate constants and kinetic parameters for the degradation processes have been measured using the variable heating rate isoconversion method. The results suggest that the presence of metal contamination in these polymer systems can influence the degradation behaviour of the pure polymers. Generally it was found that certain metal contaminants could have a catalytic effect on the degradation processes of the polymers studied. This effect resulted in an increase in the measured rate constants and a lower onset temperature of their degradation. The largest effects were noted with PP, where substantial increases in the rate constant were noted as well as significant differences in the apparent activation energies.
Differential response of buddleia (Buddleia davidii Franch.) to ozone.

Abstract Five cultivars of buddleia, Buddleia davidii Franch., were exposed to sub-ambient, ambient, and twice-ambient levels of ozone in open-top chambers for 8 weeks (June–August) during 1995: Plants were evaluated for foliar injury, growth index, and inflorescence characteristics during and following exposure. Destructive harvests were conducted at the end of the exposure period to determine dry weights of both above- and below-ground plant components. All cultivars had symptoms of visible injury in the twice-ambient treatment at both three and eight weeks after exposures began. No visible symptoms were observed at ambient ozone concentrations. At three weeks of exposure, ‘Pink Delight’ had the highest percentage of the leaves injured (PLI), 46.2%, followed by ‘Opera’ with a PLI of 23.3%. The other three cultivars had similar PLIs of less than 15%. After eight weeks of exposure, visible injury was equally severe on all cultivars with a mean PLI of 50.2% and mean Horsfall-Barratt rating of 5.4, indicating 12 to 25% of the leaf area was injured. No ozone × cultivar interaction was found for any growth variable measured. Across cultivars, growth index was reduced by 6%, total dry weight by 35%, and the number of developing floral buds and inflorescences by 29% for plants in twice-ambient ozone concentrations compared to ambient ozone concentrations. Percent biomass allocated to inflorescences was significantly greater for plants exposed to sub-ambient levels compared to those exposed to ozone at either ambient or twice-ambient concentrations. Results indicate that ozone levels similar to those in large urban areas in the southeastern United States have the potential to reduce growth and flowering of this important landscape plant.
Total Synthesis of Bryostatin 16 Using a Pd-Catalyzed Diyne Coupling as Macrocyclization Method and Synthesis of C20-epi-Bryostatin 7 as a Potent Anticancer Agent

Asymmetric total synthesis of bryostatin 16 was achieved in 26 steps in the longest linear sequence and in 39 total steps from aldehyde 10. A Pd-catalyzed alkyne−alkyne coupling was employed for the first time as a macrocyclization method in a natural product synthesis. A route to convert bryostatin 16 to a new family of bryostatin analogues was developed. Toward this end, 20-epi-bryostatin 7 was synthesized from a bryostatin 16-like intermediate; the key step involves a Re-catalyzed epoxidation/ring-opening reaction. Preliminary biological studies indicated that this new analogue exhibits nanomolar anti-cancer activity against several cancer cell lines.
Mid-Pliocene warmth: stronger greenhouse and stronger conveyor

Abstract Three million years ago, prior to the onset of northern hemisphere glaciation, global mean temperatures may have been as much as 3.5 °C warmer than at present. We present evidence, based on the carbon isotopic composition of marine organic matter, that atmospheric CO2 levels at this time were on average only about 35% higher than the preindustrial value of 280 ppm. We also present carbon isotopic evidence for stronger thermohaline circulation in the Atlantic Ocean during the warmest intervals and propose that the North Atlantic “conveyor belt” may act as a positive feedback to global warming by enhancing sea ice retreat and decreasing high latitude albedo. Based on our results, it seems unlikely that the mid Pliocene warm period was a doubled CO2 world.
Activation of Protein Kinase C Is Required for the Stable Attachment of Adherent Platelets to Collagen but Is Not Needed for the Initial Rapid Adhesion Under Flow Conditions

Abstract —We have investigated the role of protein kinase C (PKC) in the initial events of α2β1-integrin–mediated platelet adhesion to collagen under flow conditions. Although adhesion caused activation of PKC, as evidenced by pleckstrin phosphorylation, the PKC inhibitors GF 109203X and Go 6976 had no effect on adhesion, even though they prevented pleckstrin phosphorylation. The initial kinetics and extent of platelet adhesion to collagen (<5 seconds) and tyrosine phosphorylation of p125FAK and p72syk were not influenced by the PKC inhibitors, whereas adhesion to polylysine was prevented. These results indicate that adhesion to collagen and polylysine involve different mechanisms and requirements for PKC activation. Pretreatment with GF 109203X destabilized collagen-adherent platelets, accelerating their detachment, which was associated with tyrosine dephosphorylation of p125FAK. Thus, although PKC activation was not required for rapid platelet adhesion to collagen, it appears to play an important role in stabilizing the attachment of adherent platelets to collagen. We also examined the effect of PKC activation by the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) on platelet adhesion to collagen. PMA at 100 nmol/L strongly potentiated adhesion and tyrosine phosphorylation of p125FAK and p72syk and activated β1-integrins, as determined by increased exposure of the 15/7 epitope. The PMA-stimulated adhesion was partially blocked by an anti-α2β1 antibody, was completely inhibited by GF 109203X, and was not correlated with the extent of pleckstrin phosphorylation. Therefore, strong PKC activation may lead to inside-out signaling, enhancing the role of β1-integrins in adhesion. Pleckstrin phosphorylation does not appear to be involved in the initial phase of basic or PMA-stimulated adhesion but may help stabilize the adherent platelets.
Governance Infrastructures in 2020

A governance infrastructure is the collection of technologies and systems, people, policies, practices, and relationships that interact to support governing activities. Information technology, especially communication and computational technologies, continues to augment society’s ability to organize, interact, and govern. As we think about the future of governance, this article challenges us to move beyond questions of how to best manage government institutions to how to design smart governance systems with the appropriate incentives and rules to harness and coordinate the enthusiasm and capabilities of those governed. This article anticipates how the interaction of technology and society can be leveraged to mindfully design an interaction-defined, participation-based governance infrastructure to return power to the people while increasing accountability. Supporting examples of such governance approaches already exist and are regularly emerging in distributed organizations, online communities, nonprofits, and governments.
Mouse hepatitis virus infection of mice causes long-term depletion of lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus-permissive macrophages and T lymphocyte alterations.

Abstract Intraperitoneal injection of pathogen-free B10.A mice with mouse hepatitis virus (MHV)-A59 resulted in a short subclinical infection which was terminated by a rapid antiviral immune response. The infection resulted in a rapid, but transient, about 10-fold increase in the number of macrophages and total cells in the peritoneum of the mice. This increase was preceded by a complete depletion of the peritoneum of the subpopulation of macrophages that supports a productive infection by lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus (LDV). The depletion of LDV-permissive macrophages was a long-term effect; at 50 days post-infection with MHV, the proportion of LDV-permissive macrophages in the peritoneum had reached only 20% of that observed in the peritoneum of uninfected mice, whereas the total number of macrophages in the peritoneum had returned to normal. Furthermore, MHV infection resulted in a long-term alteration in the proliferative response of spleen T cells to concanavalin A (ConA) and in their ability to produce interferon γ; several times higher concentrations of ConA were required to induce a maximum proliferative response in spleen T cell populations from 5-week MHV-infected B10.A mice than in spleen T cell populations from infected companion mice but the former produced 5 times more interferon γ than the T cells from unifected mice.
Growth in Phonological, Orthographic, and Morphological Awareness in Grades 1 to 6

Growth curve analyses showed that (a) word-level phonological and orthographic awareness show greatest growth during the primary grades but some additional growth thereafter, and (b) three kinds of morphological awareness show greatest growth in the first three or four grades but one—derivation—continues to show substantial growth after fourth grade. Implications of the findings for the role of three kinds of linguistic awareness—phonological, orthographic, and morphological—in learning to read and spell words are discussed. A case is made that phonological awareness, while necessary, is not sufficient for learning to read English—all three kinds of linguistic awareness that are growing during the primary grades need to be coordinated and applied to literacy learning. This finding and a review of the research on linguistic awareness support the conclusion that the recommendations of the National Reading Panel need to be amended so that the research evidence supporting the importance of both orthographic and morphological awareness, and not only phonological awareness, is acknowledged. Moreover, evidence-based strategies for teaching each of these kinds of linguistic awareness and their interrelationships need to be disseminated to educational practitioners.
Stress analysis of glass-bonded ferrite recording heads

Glass-bonded ferrite recording heads are subject to appreciable thermal stress because of the difference in thermal expansion between glass and ferrite in the temperature range of the glassing cycle. A theoretical analysis reveals the complexity of stress distributions in the structure and pinpoints the critically stressed areas in which a potential fracture or a magnetic degradation of the material may occur. It is found that the stresses are sensitive not only to the thermal mismatch of the component materials but also to the structural configuration. Low stress levels can be achieved by matching expansions of the materials and by proper head design, particularly in the optimization of fillet angle and fillet height.
Generation Schemes for Wind Power Plants

This paper reviews various electric generation schemes for wind energy conversion suitable for interconnection with a power grid. The schemes can be generally classified as constant speed constant frequency (CSCF) and variable speed constant frequency (VSCF) systems. Historically, only CSCF systems have been used for large power generation in wind power plants. However, with the advent of power electronics and the availability of solid state devices capable of handling large amounts of power, VSCF systems are becoming competitive. Various schemes under each classification are discussed and compared. It is stressed, however, that the optimum choice of the generating scheme is not decided by considering the generator alone. The optimum choice is one which minimizes the cost of energy generated by the wind power plant.
Gaussian-like unit system for linear equations for the gravitational field

In this letter we show how to convert various quantities (fields, charge densities) from the Gaussian-like unit system (for linear equations for gravitational field) to the well-known MKS unit system.
Recombinant Human Heat Shock Protein 60 Does Not Induce the Release of Tumor Necrosis Factor α from Murine Macrophages

Recent studies have shown that commercially available recombinant human heat shock protein 60 (rhHSP60) could induce tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) release from macrophages and monocytes in a manner similar to that of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), e.g. via CD14 and Toll-like receptor 4 complex-mediated signal transduction pathway. In this study, we demonstrated that a highly purified rhHSP60 preparation with low endotoxin activity (designated rhHSP60-1) was unable to induce TNF-alpha release from murine macrophages at concentrations of up to 10 microg/ml. In contrast, a less purified rhHSP60 preparation (designated rhHSP60-2) was able to induce a marked TNF-alpha release at concentrations as low as 1 microg/ml. Failure of rhHSP60-1 to induce TNF-alpha release was not due to defective physical properties because rhHSP60-1 and rhHSP60-2 contained a similar amount of HSP60 as determined by SDS gels stained with Coomassie Blue and Western blots probed with an anti-rhHSP60 antibody. Both rhHSP60 preparations also had similar enzymatic activities as judged by their ability to hydrolyze ATP. Polymyxin B added in the incubation media abolished the endotoxin activity but inhibited only about 50% of the TNF-alpha-inducing activity of rhHSP60-2. However, both the endotoxin activity and the TNF-alpha-inducing activity of rhHSP60-2 were essentially eliminated after passing through a polymyxin B-agarose column that removes LPS and LPS-associated molecules from the rhHSP60 preparation. The TNF-alpha-inducing activities of both rhHSP60-2 and LPS with equivalent endotoxin activity present in rhHSP60-2 were equally sensitive to heat inactivation. These results suggest that rhHSP60 does not induce TNF-alpha release from macrophages. Approximately 50% of the observed TNF-alpha-inducing activity in the rhHSP60-2 preparation is due to LPS contamination, whereas the rest of the activity was due to the contamination of LPS-associated molecule(s).
Quantitative chromatographic estimation of urinary C19 and C21 steroids

An extensive methodological study has been undertaken with a view to developing a reproducible procedure which would permit a quantitative estimation of a broad spectrum of C19 and C21 steroids, with minimum chromatography involved. The method described in this paper utilizes one partition column chromatography and seven consecutive paper-chromatographic systems for the simultaneous isolation and the quantitative estimation of 30 urinary steroid metabolites. The technique is relatively simple but reliable and reproducible. Its feasibility is not beyond the capacity of a well-equipped clinical research laboratory, and its sensitivity permits detection and quantitation of compounds normally present in such minute quantities that their isolation hitherto required use of radioisotope techniques.
Understanding the Culture of the Student-Athlete: Implications for College Counselors.

This article explores the development of college athletics as a cultural phenomenon and highlights some of the problems that have evolved. Implications for college counselors are discussed, including the recommendation that they assist student-athletes to achieve a more rewarding balance between athletics and academics.
Body Mass Index in Rural First Grade Schoolchildren: Progressive Increase in Boys

ABSTRACT: Context:Childhood overweight is a global health problem. Monitoring of childhood body mass index (BMI) may help identify critical time periods during which excess body weight is accumulated. Purpose: To examine changes in mean BMI and the prevalence of at-risk-for overweight in repeated cross-sectional samples of rural first grade schoolchildren between 1999 and 2004. Methods: BMI was determined in 479 first graders from a rural Wyoming school district. BMI and gender-specific BMI-for-age percentiles were determined and evaluated over the 6 years. Children were also classified as normal or at-risk-for overweight according to CDC classification procedures. Findings: From 1999 to 2004, there was a significant increase in the average BMI of first graders, 15.8 ± 2.2 kg/m2 versus 16.8 ± 2.2 kg/m2, respectively (P < .05). First grade boys had a progressive increase in BMI from 1999 to 2004 (15.6 ± 2.2 kg/m2 compared to 17.3 ± 2.2 kg/m2, respectively), but no change was evident for first grade girls. There was an approximate 4-fold increase in the percentage of rural first grade boys classified as at-risk-for overweight between 1999 and 2004. Conclusions: A progressive increase in the BMI and the significant increase in prevalence of at-risk-for overweight in rural first grade boys highlight the need for future gender and age group-specific investigations. Focus should be given to primary prevention programs targeting potentially vulnerable time periods when excess weight gain may be occurring.
ROLE OF THE DORSOMEDIAL HYPOTHALAMUS IN THE CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSE TO STRESS

1. Disinhibition of the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) in rats by local microinjection of GABAA receptor antagonists evokes behavioural and physiological changes resembling those seen in acute experimental stress. 2. Conversely, similar microinjection of muscimol, a potent agonist at inhibitory GABAA receptors, virtually abolishes stress-induced increases in heart rate and arterial pressure. 3. Blockade of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors in the DMH also attenuates [correction of attentuates] stress-induced cardiovascular changes and microinjection of kainate, AMPA or NMDA at low doses elicits cardiovascular effects resembling those seen in stress. Paradoxically, injection of higher doses of NMDA or of glutamate into this region has no consistent effect. 4. The cardiovascular effects of bicuculline methiodide, a GABAA receptor antagonist, as well as those of NMDA and/or kainate were assessed after identical injection into either the DMH, the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) or the area between the two nuclei in both anaesthetized and conscious rats. For each agent, a similar pattern was seen, with the largest increases in heart rate and arterial pressure occurring after injection into the DMH and the smallest changes resulting from injection into the PVN. 5. In a parallel study, bilateral microinjection of muscimol into the DMH dramatically reduced air stress-induced cardiovascular changes; similar injection into the area of the PVN had no effect, while injection into the area between the nuclei produced an intermediate effect. 6. Our findings suggest that activation of neurons in the region of the DMH mediates stress-induced cardiovascular changes and that the activity of these neurons may be determined by the balance of tone at inhibitory GABAA receptors and EAA receptors.
State IQ, well-being and racial composition as predictors of U.S. presidential election outcomes

Abstract We report state-level relationships between measures of well-being (e.g., IQ, income) and racial minority composition as predictors of this century's U.S. presidential election outcomes. In bivariate analyses, race only weakly predicted votes cast for democrats. Instead, large mutual suppression effects existed between racial composition and well-being. For example, when race appeared in the regression, the IQ sub-domain of well-being predicted votes cast for democrats in all elections since 2000. Likewise, when IQ (or any other well-being sub-domain) appeared in the regression, race strongly predicted votes cast for democrats. Suppression effects emerged because of negative correlations between well-being and minority composition, yet positive correlations between these variables and election outcomes. In sum, states with high well-being tended to favor democrats, as did states with larger minority populations.
External beam and intraoperative electron irradiation for locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas

Abstract Purpose : Intraoperative irradiation with electrons was used in conjunction with external beam irradiation and maximal surgical resection in 20 patients with locally advanced soft tissue sarcomas or desmoids. This manuscript presents results with regard to tolerance of treatment and its impact on tumor control and survival. Methods and Materials : Ten patients presented with previously untreated primary sarcomas and 10 at the time of local recurrence (two had recurrent desmoid tumors). Tumor location was retroperitoneal in 19 and in the low anterior neck in one. A partial or gross total resection was performed prior to the external beam or intraoperative component of irradiation in every patient, but all had positive resection margins. Patients received 4500–6000 cGy of fractionated, external beam irradiation and an IORT dose of 1000–2000 cGy. Chemotherapy was given only at the time of disease progression. Results : Fourteen of 20 patients (70%) were alive; 11 (55%) were free of disease (4/10 primary, 7/10 recurrent), but 1 required hemipelvectomy for salvage. Progression within the intraoperative irradiation field was documented in only 1 patient (5%) and within the external beam field in 3/20 (15%). Blood born distant metastasis occurred in 5 patients (25%) and peritoneal seeding in 1 (5%). The distant failure incidence by grade was 1/8 (13%) for Grades 1, 2 and 5/12 (42%) for Grades 3, 4. Only 1 patient (5%) developed a ≥ severe neuropathy, and small bowel obstruction requiring exploration also occurred in a single patient. Conclusion : In view of acceptable tolerance and the high current rate of local tumor control, in spite of incomplete surgical resections, further evaluation of intraoperative irradiation as a component of treatment is indicated for locally advanced primary and recurrent soft tissue sarcomas.
Migration and differentiation of Nkx-2.2+ oligodendrocyte progenitors in embryonic chicken retina.

Abstract During early neural development, the Nkx-2.2 homeobox gene is initially induced in the ventral ventricular zone of the central nervous system (CNS). At later stages, Nkx-2.2+ cells migrate away into the surrounding regions and co-express several oligodendrocyte marker genes. Here we report that Nkx-2.2+ cells also migrate into the avian retina from the optic nerve. These Nkx-2.2+ cells are specifically labeled by the early oligodendrocyte markers PDGFRα, O4 and GalC, but not the microglial marker QH1 or neuron-specific marker MAP-2. These observations provide further evidence that Nkx-2.2 is selectively expressed in migratory oligodendrocyte progenitor cells and that retina oligodendrocytes originate from the ventral diencephalon.
Analysis of Variance of the Composition of a Migmatite

To determine the variation of composition in a Front Range migmatite, an analysis of variance (nested design) was run on field measurements. The regional variation is too small to be considered significant, but the areal variation (between outcrops) is large enough to warrant comparison with some other measurable variable such as country rock composition.
The neural bases of amusement and sadness: a comparison of block contrast and subject-specific emotion intensity regression approaches.

Abstract Neuroimaging studies have made substantial progress in elucidating the neural bases of emotion. However, few studies to date have directly addressed the subject-specific, time-varying nature of emotional responding. In the present study, we employed functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural bases of two common emotions–amusement and sadness–using both (a) a stimulus-based block contrast approach and (b) a subject-specific regression analysis using continuous ratings of emotional intensity. Thirteen women viewed a set of nine 2-min amusing, sad, or neutral film clips two times. During the first viewing, participants watched the film stimuli. During the second viewing, they made continuous ratings of the intensity of their own amusement and sadness during the first film viewing. For sad films, both block contrast and subject-specific regression approaches resulted in activations in medial prefrontal cortex, inferior frontal gyrus, superior temporal gyrus, precuneus, lingual gyrus, amygdala, and thalamus. For amusing films, the subject-specific regression analysis demonstrated significant activations not detected by the block contrast in medial, inferior frontal gyrus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, posterior cingulate, temporal lobes, hippocampus, thalamus, and caudate. These results suggest a relationship between emotion-specific temporal dynamics and the sensitivity of different data analytic methods for identifying emotion-related neural responses. These findings shed light on the neural bases of amusement and sadness, and highlight the value of using emotional film stimuli and subject-specific continuous emotion ratings to characterize the dynamic, time-varying components of emotional responses.
A Genealogy of Grit: Education in the New Gilded Age

Recently, due in part to the research of Angela Duckworth, the cultivation of dispositions in education, grit in particular, has gained the attention of educational policymakers and the educational research community. While much of the research has focused on how to detect grit, there has been little discussion regarding how grit came to be valued as a noncognitive disposition and what its recent prominence might tell us about current social conditions. In this essay, Ariana Gonzalez Stokas attempts to illuminate grit as a concept that has undergone a number of conceptual transformations in American culture. She seeks to show how grit developed as a way to justify social and economic inequality and how this history is bound up in its conceptual structure. Through conducting a genealogical excavation, Stokas reveals the relationship of grit to a cluster of cultural events that occurred at the turn of the twentieth century in the confluence of boxing, cowboys, and Theodore Roosevelt, and aims to illuminate how grit has served as a tool for convincing society that achievement occurs through heroic individual effort despite inadequate social supports. This historical understanding of grit, Stokas concludes, may help us to recognize that the energy and resources currently spent on cultivating grit in children would be better spent on ameliorating the problems of social and economic inequality.
Predicting Treatment Dropouts from a Drug Abuse Rehabilitation Program

Seventy-five drug addicts who completed an opiate detoxification program were compared with 75 addicts who dropped out prematurely on 14 variables. Results showed that patients were more likely to complete detox when the number of staff absences and primary therapist absences increased, when more patients were admitted during their hospitalization, and if they were prescribed methadone. A discriminant function analysis successfully classified 88% of the sample into stay/ leave categories. The results were cross-validated on an independent sample of 25 completers and 25 dropouts, resulting in 75% classification accuracy. Primary drug of abuse (heroin/Talwin) was not a factor on any measure. Results indicate that treatment dropout among drug addicts is based more on situational interactionism than on individual determinism.
From Preentry to Reentry: An Examination of the Effectiveness of Institutional and Community-Based Sanctions

The following article examines the results of evidence-based reviews of what works in several areas, including the general and specific impact of prison and jail sentences, sentencing alternatives (or preentry strategies), and the recent proliferation of reentry initiatives. The findings included here underscore three points: (1) we need to greatly expand and improve our research base before evidence-based reviews are used as the basis for policy and practice; (2) given our uncertainty regarding the impact of individual offender-based change strategies, we need to consider how individual change may be related to community change; and (3) given the available evidence on general and specific deterrence, we need to rethink the purpose of current sentencing schemes.
Dynamic Theory of Intermodulation Distortion

This paper studies the third-order intermodulation distortion of signals in a reflection amplifier that are separated by an appreciable fraction of the bandwidth. This large separation of input signals requires taking account of the energy interchange between diode and circuit. A theory of intermodulation distortion accounting for this interaction is developed for large-order nonlinearities. Previous analyses of this problem have been limited to small nonlinearities and small separation of the input signals. Experimental verification of the theory developed here is demonstrated for an IMPATT diode reflection amplifier as a function of power level and tone separation.
INCOMING!--A web tracking application for PACU and post-surgical patients.

Background Capacity constraints necessitate improving hospital efficiency. An integrated real time system facilitating patient flow between the post-anesthesia care unit (PACU) and surgical ward would ease PACU workload by reducing the effort of discharging patients. Methods We developed INCOMING!, a web-based platform that monitors patient progress from the operating room to the PACU. INCOMING! integrates available data, automatically determining when a patient enters the PACU. An automated paging system alerts clinical unit managers to ‘pull’ their patients from the PACU after a set recovery period. General surgery patients were included in the INCOMING! system in late 2004 with paging added in mid-March 2005. Mean PACU length of stay was calculated for the intervention group (general surgery patients with INCOMING!) and compared to a control group (general surgery patients without INCOMING!) and an orthopedic surgery group before and after paging. Results The system successfully gathers data and generates automated pages when events occur. After paging, there was a significant difference between the orthopedic surgery control group and the general surgery intervention group (235 min versus 185 min, P = 0.001). The mean PACU LOS decreased in the INCOMING! intervention group by 26 min while the mean LOS increased by 28 min in the general surgery control group ( P = 0.27). Conclusion Pilot implementation demonstrates that INCOMING! performs the desired integration and automatic notification. Given the minimal cost and potential large gains from a wider deployment, we plan to implement the system for all PACU patients and all post-PACU care units.
Influence of Doping Concentration and Ambient Temperature on the Cross-Plane Seebeck Coefficient of InGaAs/InAlAs superlattices

We have developed thin film heaters/sensors that can be integrated on top of superlattice microcoolers to measure the Seebeck coefficient perpendicular to the layer. In this paper, we discuss the Seebeck coefficients of InGaAs/InAlAs superlattices grown with Molecular Beam Epitaxy (MBE) that have different doping concentrations, varying between 2e18, 4e18, and 8e18 to 3e19 cm−3. It was interesting to find out that — contrary to the behavior in bulk material — the Seebeck coefficient did not decrease monotonically with doping concentration. A preliminary theory of thermoelectric transport in superlattices in the regime of miniband formation has been developed to fit the experimental results. The miniband formation could enhance the thermoelectric power factor (Seebeck coefficient square times electrical conductivity) and thereby improve the Figure of merit, ZT. With this improvement, InGaAs/InAlAs superlattice microcooler become a promising candidate for on-chip temperature control.
Intended and Unintended Effects of State-Mandated High School Science and Mathematics Course Graduation Requirements on Educational Attainment

Mathematics and science course graduation requirement (CGR) increases in the 1980s and 1990s might have had both intended and unintended consequences. Using logistic regression with Census and American Community Survey (ACS) data (n = 2,892,444), we modeled CGR exposure on (a) high school dropout, (b) beginning college, and (c) obtaining any college degree. Possible between-groups differences were also assessed. We found that higher CGRs were associated with higher odds to drop out of high school, but results for the college-level outcomes varied by group. Some were less likely to enroll, whereas others who began college were more likely to obtain a degree. Increased high school dropout was consistent across the population, but some potential benefit was also observed, primarily for those reporting Hispanic ethnicity.
Enhancing Energy Efficiency in Multi-tier Web Server Clusters via Prioritization

This paper investigates the design issues and energy savings benefits of service prioritization in multi-tier Web server clusters. In many services, classes of clients can be naturally assigned different priorities based on their performance requirements. We show that if the whole multi-tier system is effectively prioritized, additional power and energy savings are realizable while keeping an existing cluster-wide energy management technique, through exploiting the different performance requirements of separate service classes. We find a simple prioritization scheme to be highly effective without requiring intrusive modifications to the system. In order to quantify its benefits, we perform extensive experimental evaluation on a real testbed. It is shown that the scheme significantly improves both total system power savings and energy efficiency, at the same time as improving throughput and enabling the system to meet per-class performance requirements.