cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhanced 1H-X D-HMQC performance through improved 1H homonuclear decoupling

The sensitivity of solid-state NMR experiments that utilize 1H zero-quantum heteronuclear dipolar recoupling, such as D-HMQC, is compromised by poor homonuclear decoupling. This leads to a rapid decay of recoupled magnetization and an inefficient recoupling of long-range dipolar interactions, especially for nuclides with low gyromagnetic ratios. We investigated the use, in symmetry-based 1H heteronuclear recoupling sequences, of a basic R element that was principally designed for efficient homonuclear decoupling. By shortening the time required to suppress the effects of homonuclear dipolar interactions to the duration of a single inversion pulse, spin diffusion was effectively quenched and long-lived recoupled coherence lifetimes could be obtained. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that these modified sequences can yield considerable sensitivity improvements over the current state-of-the-art methods and applied them to the indirect detection of 89Y in a metal-organic framework.
The hybrid vehicle-drone routing problem for pick-up and delivery services

Abstract This paper presents a mathematical formulation and efficient solution methodology for the hybrid vehicle-drone routing problem (HVDRP) for pick-up and delivery services. The problem is formulated as a mixed-integer program, which minimizes the vehicle and drone routing cost to serve all customers. The formulation captures the vehicle-drone routing interactions during the drone dispatching and collection processes and accounts for drone operation constraints related to flight range and load carrying capacity limitations. A novel solution methodology is developed which extends the classic Clarke and Wright algorithm to solve the HVDRP. The performance of the developed heuristic is benchmarked against two other heuristics, namely, the vehicle-driven routing heuristic and the drone-driven routing heuristic. A set of experiments are conducted to evaluate the performance of the developed heuristics and to illustrate the capability of the developed model in answering a wide variety of questions related to the planning of the vehicle-drone delivery system.
Association between Recent Falls and Changes in Outdoor Environments near Community-Dwelling Older Adults’ Homes over Time: Findings from the NHATS Study

Neighborhood environments have been increasingly associated with incidents of falling and the fear of falling. However, little is known about the causal impact of neighborhood environments on falling. This study identifies whether changes in outdoor environmental attributes over a one-year period are associated with the occurrence of recent falls among community-dwelling older adults aged 65 and older in the United States. Data were obtained from 4802 adults aged 65 years or older from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). Logistic regression analyses were performed to identify neighborhood risk factors linked to the odds of experiencing recent falls at the one-year follow-up. Almost one in ten subjects (9.7% of 4802 subjects) who had not fallen before reported experiencing recent falls after one year. After adjusting for sociodemographic, health, and walking-related behavioral covariates, these subjects were more likely to reside in areas with higher environmental barriers on sidewalks/streets and uneven walking surfaces or broken steps, compared to non-fallers. Our findings suggest that safe and well-maintained outdoor environments may help prevent falls among community-dwelling older adults who engage in outdoor activities. Clinical and environmental interventions for promoting both safe walking and safe environments are warranted.
Why Some SME’s in the Czech Republic Adopt Telework and Others Not?

The paper examines the SME’s in the Czech Republic from the perspective what makes them to adopt telework using the data from the research made in 2017. The research includes 1018 SME’ s. The purpose of the study was to try to find out alignment between telework and some organizational constraints. We hypothesized that employer adoption of telework would depend on the size of the firm, the duration of telework adoption, foreign owner, IT level, and on the implementation of project management. Our empirical evidence showed that telework correlated with the foreign owner participation and the duration of the adoption of telework, with the IT level and with the adoption of project management. It does not correlate with the size of the enterprise and the duration of the adoption of telework.
Assessing the Causal Impact of Delayed Oral Health Care on Emergency Department Utilization

This study examines the causal effect of delayed oral health care on increased emergency department visits in the United States. We extend prior research by estimating the effect of delayed or forg...
Clinician Variation in Ordering and Completion of Low-Dose Computed Tomography for Lung Cancer Screening in a Safety-Net Medical System.

Abstract Background Less than 5% of eligible individuals in the United States undergo lung cancer screening. Variation in clinicians’ participation in lung cancer screening has not been determined. Patients and Methods We studied medical providers who ordered ≥ 1 low-dose computed tomography (LDCT) for lung cancer screening from February 2017 through February 2019 in an integrated safety-net healthcare system. We analyzed associations between provider characteristics and LDCT orders and completion using chi-square, Fisher exact, and Student t tests, as well as ANOVA and multinomial logistic regression. Results Among an estimated 194 adult primary care physicians, 144 (74%) ordered at least 1 LDCT, as did 39 specialists. These 183 medical providers ordered 1594 LDCT (median, 4; interquartile range, 2-9). In univariate and multivariate models, family practice providers (P Conclusion In an integrated safety-net healthcare system, most adult primary care providers order LDCT. The number of LDCT ordered varies widely among clinicians, and a substantial proportion of ordered LDCT are not completed.
Potential impacts of the cardiac troponin I mobile domain on myofilament activation and relaxation

Abstract The cardiac thin filament is regulated in a Ca2+-dependent manner through conformational changes of troponin and tropomyosin (Tm). It has been generally understood that under conditions of low Ca2+ the inhibitory peptide domain (IP) of troponin I (TnI) binds to actin and holds Tm over the myosin binding sites on actin to prevent crossbridge formation. More recently, evidence that the C-terminal mobile domain (MD) of TnI also binds actin has made for a more complex scenario. This study uses a computational model to investigate the consequences of assuming that TnI regulates Tm movement via two actin-binding domains rather than one. First, a 16-state model of the cardiac thin filament regulatory unit was created with TnI-IP as the sole regulatory domain. Expansion of this to include TnI-MD formed a 24-state model. Comparison of these models showed that assumption of a second actin-binding site allows the individual domains to have a lower affinity for actin than would be required for IP acting alone. Indeed, setting actin affinities of the IP and MD to 25% of that assumed for the IP in the single-site model was sufficient to achieve precisely the same degree of Ca2+ regulation. We also tested the 24-state model's ability to represent steady-state experimental data in the case of disruption of either the IP or MD. We were able to capture qualitative changes in several properties that matched what was seen in the experimental data. Lastly, simulations were run to examine the effect of disruption of the IP or MD on twitch dynamics. Our results suggest that both domains are required to keep diastolic cross-bridge activity to a minimum and accelerate myofilament relaxation. Overall, our analyses support a paradigm in which two domains of TnI bind with moderate affinity to actin, working in tandem to complete Ca2+-dependent regulation of the thin filament.
AN UPDATED DATABASE OF SERPENTINE ENDEMISM IN THE CALIFORNIA FLORA

We update and revise the serpentine affinity database of Safford et al. (2005), which documents levels of plant taxon association with ultramafic (“serpentine”) substrates in the California flora. The revised database reflects recent taxonomic changes consistent with the second edition of the Jepson Manual (TJM2) and more recent updates to the Jepson eFlora, and includes additional species that were not previously documented as serpentine associates. We also include serpentine-associated species that have been described since the publication of TJM2 and are not yet incorporated in the eFlora. A number of taxa were removed from the Safford et al. (2005) database due to new ecological information or taxonomic changes. As before, the new database presents information on rarity, geographic distribution, taxonomy, and lifeform. Based on our new database numbers and TJM2's list of California endemic species, the percentage of California endemic full species that are +/– restricted to ultramafic substrates has risen to 14.7%. Of 255 total endemic taxa in our database (including strict and “broad” endemics), 148 (c. 60%) come from only ten plant families, concentrated mostly in one or two genera per family. The North Coast and Klamath Ranges continue to support more serpentine endemics than the rest of the State combined. The previous version of the database has been widely used in biodiversity research and conservation management, and we hope that this improved and updated version will prove as valuable.
Medical Student Engagement in a Virtual Learning Environment Positively Correlates with Course Performance and Satisfaction in Psychiatry.

There has been a move to a “flipped classroom” (FC) in medical education. The FC promotes active learning and utilizes independent preparation prior to in-class sessions. Few studies have evaluated the effectiveness of the FC approach in medical education, specifically via virtual learning. The purpose of this study evaluates student and faculty perceptions of the FC approach and relationships between student engagement and performance. The first-year medical student psychiatry curriculum was redesigned with an FC approach and subsequently altered by COVID-19 to a virtual learning environment. A mixed-method approach was used to examine both qualitative assessment and quantitative performance data. Students and facilitators were invited to participate in surveys regarding the curriculum changes. Student performance data was collected via quizzes and examinations. Engagement was evaluated by student participation in National Board of Medical Examiners–style multiple-choice questions delivered via Top Hat®. Correlational analyses were used to evaluate associations between engagement and performance. T-tests were used to compare student satisfaction across 2019 and 2020. Performance on in-class questions was positively associated with class rank and performance (p < 0.005). More students were either satisfied or strongly satisfied (91.5%) in 2020 compared to 85.7% in 2019 (two-tailed t-test, p = 0.04). Most students (81.3%) preferred in-class questions to lectures. In 2020, 62.6% of student comments were positive regarding the psychiatry curriculum vs 33.3% in 2019. Over 61.5% of facilitators felt positive towards the changes. Our results demonstrate a positive relationship between engagement and class performance. Students and facilitators positively perceived the approach, with students preferring in-class questions compared to lectures. Future research should evaluate overall performance on standardized tests, third-year clerkships, and number of students matching into psychiatry.
Bioinformatics and immunoinformatics to support COVID-19 vaccine development.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 has infected over 109 000 000 people with 2 423 443 deaths as of February 17, 2021. Currently, there are no approved or consistently effective treatments, and conventional vaccines may take several years for development and testing. In silico methods of bioinformatics, vaccinogenomics, immunoinformatics, structural biology, and molecular simulations can be used for more rapid and precise vaccine design. This paper highlights two major immunoinformatics strategies that are used in designing novel and effective vaccines and therapeutics: reverse vaccinology and structural vaccinology.
Cumulative Impacts of Land Cover Change and Dams on the Land–Water Interface of the Tocantins River

Riparian vegetation performs important ecosystems services, improving water quality, mitigating erosion, and maintaining regional plant and animal biodiversity. Regular annual flooding maintains riparian forests through an intermediate disturbance regime. In response, seasonally flooded vegetation has developed adaptations for seed dispersal and gas transfer to survive and reproduce while undergoing periods of flooding. In the Amazon, a dam building boom threatens the integrity of riparian vegetation by moving riparian corridors into dry-adapted ecosystems and reducing downstream flooding of riparian areas. Additionally, the region is undergoing intense development pressure resulting in the conversion of native riparian vegetation into agriculture. In this study, we measure how the installation of six large dams on the Tocantins River, coupled with land cover change from native forest and savanna to cattle pasture, has changed the land-water interface of this region. Using land cover data provided by MapBiomas, we quantified land cover change from 1985-2018 and measured changes in the riparian areas of the still free-flowing areas of the Tocantins River, riparian areas surrounding reservoirs, and in-stream vegetation dynamics. We found that deforestation in the riparian areas of the Tocantins River downstream of the dams is occurring at a higher rate than deforestation in the watershed. Additionally, reservoir filling resulted in creating hundreds of square kilometers of new riparian areas, pushing the riparian zone away from forest-dominated ecosystems into savanna-dominated areas. The quantity of in-stream vegetation throughout the study was dynamic and initially increased after damming before declining for the last decade of the study. Changes to native land cover in riparian areas of the Tocantins River threaten the integrity of ecosystem services provided by riparian vegetation and are likely to lead to further degradation of these areas.
Genre-Bending in Early Modern Performative Culture

When a play has a character called ‘Eteorogeneo’ (literally, heterogeneous) and a prologue delivered by one ‘Folletto’, the audience should almost certainly expect to encounter something unexpected...
Simultaneous brain and intramedullary spinal abscesses in a patient with Streptococcus intermedius infection

Abstract A male patient in his thirties presented to the hospital with meningismus and altered mental status. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis confirmed meningitis, but no microorganisms were identified. Head imaging (MRI) revealed multiple brain abscesses. Surgically-collected brain specimens revealed Gram-positive cocci and subsequently grew Streptococcus intermedius. MRI of the thoracic spine subsequently also identified an intramedullary spinal abscess. While brain abscesses and spinal abscesses caused by S. intermedius have been previously reported, the extent of disseminated disease in the patient was noteworthy.
Capacitive voltage multipliers: a high efficiency method to generate multiple on-chip supply voltages

The use of variable and multiple power supplies to reduce overall power consumption for digital circuits and the need for separate power supplies for mixed analog-digital circuits have been well documented. High efficiency capacitive voltage multipliers can be used to generate multiple and variable on-chip power supplies. Previous literature has presented individual capacitive voltage multiplier designs but has not presented an overview of the design space (i.e., the complete topology list) nor have they provided a method for selecting the best topology for each application. In this paper we identify a complete family of capacitive voltage multiplier modes. We then trim the complete list to a list of recommended modes using a set of heuristic rules. Six of these recommended modes are new and have not appealed in previous literature. We also develop a general set of performance equations for capacitive voltage multipliers that allows us to select and design the best topology for any particular application. We review the effects of parasitic resistance and capacitance and develop new simplified methods to approximate the impact of parasitic capacitances. To verify the validity of our design equations we fabricated and tested a set of sample designs. There is extremely good matching between measured and predicted performance. All the capacitive voltage multipliers modes developed in this paper have either better or as good as the performance of previously presented designs.
The limits of mathematics course outline and software

A remarkable new definition of a self-delimiting universal Turing machine is presented that is easy to program and runs very quickly. This provides a new foundation for algorithmic information theory. This new universal Turing machine is implemented via software written in Mathematica and C. Using this new software, it is now possible give a self-contained “hands on” mini-course presenting very concretely the latest proofs of the fundamental information-theoretic incompleteness theorems. (To obtain this 127-page report in LATEX via e-mail, please contact chaitin at watson.ibm.com.)
Toward the Invisible Computer

Michael Dertouzos's eighth and final book is an important one. Convincingly perceptive about computers past and present, The Unfinished Revolution sets a human-centered agenda for the future of computing. It is a persuasive book and for me a nostalgic one as well. Dertouzos, the director of the Laboratory for Computer Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for 27 years and someone I knew for nearly 40, passed away this year in August.
Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Men Receiving Testosterone Therapy

Abstract Objective To examine the risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) associated with exposure to testosterone therapy in middle-aged and older men. Patients and Methods We conducted a case-control study of 30,572 men 40 years and older who were enrolled in one of the nation's largest commercial insurance programs between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2012. Cases were defined as men who had a primary diagnosis of VTE and received an anticoagulant drug in the 60 days after their diagnoses. Cases were matched with 3 controls on event/index month, age, geographic region, diagnosis of hypogonadism, and diagnosis of any underlying prothrombotic condition. Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios (aORs) and 95% CIs for the risk of VTE associated with previous exposure to testosterone therapy. Results Exposure to testosterone therapy in the 15 days before the event/index date was not associated with an increased risk of VTE (aOR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.73-1.12). None of the specific routes of administration examined were associated with an increased risk of VTE (topical [aOR, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.61-10.41], transdermal [aOR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.38-2.16], and intramuscular [aOR, 1.15; 95% CI, 0.80-1.64]). These findings persisted using exposure windows that extended to 30 and 60 days before the event/index date. Conclusion Having filled a prescription for testosterone therapy was not associated with an increased risk of VTE in commercially insured middle-aged and older men. These findings may provide clinically relevant information about the benefit-risk assessment for men with testosterone deficiency considering treatment.
The Contribution of Electrochemical Reactions to Sulfur Transfer from Electrode to Slag in Electroslag Remelting

In order to assess the contribution of electrochemical reactions to refining reactions, such as sulfur removal, in electroslag remelting, electrochemical experiments which simulate conditions at the electrode/slag, and liquid metal pool/slag interfaces have been carried out. Liquid copper electrodes and a CaO-Al2O3-CaF2 electrolyte were used. The experimental technique involved chronopotentiometry at constant current. Sulfur reversion from slag to metal is shown to be a diffusion controlled, reversible electrochemical process involving two electrons. On the other hand sulfur transfer from metal to slag occurs both by the diffusion controlled electrochemical reaction and the direct exchange reaction. A hanging drop electrode system was used to simulate conditions at the electrode/slag interface. Further experiments on the hanging drop electrode with and without applied current showed that direct reaction was a minor contribution to sulfur removal. The results are compared to findings from industrial practice.
Evidence that diphenylhydantoin does not affect adenosine triphosphatases from brain.

Abstract The effects of diphenylhydantoin on brain sodium- and potassium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (NaK ATPase), p-nitrophenylphosphatase and the calcium-dependent adenosine triphosphatase (Ca ATPase) were examined. The results indicated that: (1) diphenylhydantoin did not stimulate the NaK ATPase of beef brain sodium iodide-treated microsomes or rat brain synaptosomes at nonsaturating or saturating levels of sodium and potassium: (2) the apparent stimulation by diphenylhydantoin under high sodium: potassium ratios reported by other workers can be explained by a potassium contamination in the diphenylhydantoin; (3) diphenylhydantoin did not alter the Michaelis constant for ATP for the NaK ATPase; (4) diphenylhydantoin did not slowly interact with or alter the NaK ATPase; (5) diphenylhydantoin did not alter the calcium inhibition of the enzyme and (6) diphenylhydantoin did not alter the p-nitrophenylphosphatase or Ca ATPase. Based on these considerations, diphenylhydantoin must be exerting its pharmacological effect by altering a membrane constituent other than the NaK ATPase.
Agree and Epp in Bantu

C agrees in the φ-features of an operator in its Spec but not one in situ in many Bantu languages. Despite this I argue that a closest c-command based account (Chomsky 2000) is superior to a Spec–head agreement analysis, for two reasons. First, feature-valuation under closest c-command permits a unified treatment of Bantu operator agreement and West Germanic complementizer agreement with subjects. Second, it explains a common requirement that subjects be in situin Bantu A′-movement constructions: a subject raised to Spec, TP would intervene between C’s φ-features and the operator in outer Spec, vP that must value them. Like wh-movement, subject raising always coincides with agreement in Bantu; I propose that Bantu uninterpretable φ-features have EPP features. These are distinct from the classical EPP of T which, I argue, underlies a verbal agreement requirement giving every Bantu inflectional category a specifier. I show that nominative Case-checking is independent of both agreement and EPP in Bantu.
Suppression of irradiation swelling through an impurity-point defect trapping mechanism involving reduction of the dislocation bias factor

Abstract The reduction of void growth through the addition of alloying elements generally is attributed to a point defect trapping mechanism that alters profoundly the annealing kinetics of the mutual annihilation of point defects and the migration of point defects to dislocation and void sinks. Another mechanism by which alloying atoms might be able to reduce void growth is through changes in the dislocation bias factor. In this paper it is shown by means of a greatly simplified analysis that alteration of the dislocation bias factor can produce a void growth reduction as large or larger than that produced through changes in the annealing kinetics.
Evaluation of the Clinical Assessment project: a computer-based multimedia tool to assess problem-solving ability in medical students.

OBJECTIVE. The purpose of this work was to describe Clinical Assessment, a computer-based multimedia patient simulation used to assess the problem-solving abilities of medical students and to evaluate its capacity to guide the assignment of course grade. METHODS. This was a multisite reviewer-blinded comparison of course grades, National Board of Medical Examiners pediatric examination score, and Clinical Assessment scores at 3 pediatric clerkship sites of the Harvard Medical School. Participants included 470 students completing their pediatric clerkships. Each student9s performance on ≤4 Clinical Assessment patient case simulations was compared with National Board of Medical Examiners pediatric examination scores and course grades assigned by clerkship directors based on overall ward performance. RESULTS. Data from both the National Board of Medical Examiners pediatric “shelf” examination and the course grade were available for 411 students who completed ≥1 Clinical Assessment case. There was a strong correlation between Clinical Assessment score and course grade when comparing students receiving honors versus satisfactory category course grades. Students who ordered more expensive or greater numbers of laboratory tests did not achieve greater diagnostic accuracy on Clinical Assessment. Clinical Assessment had a high positive predictive value for course grade: 95% of students scoring ≥90% on Clinical Assessment achieved an honors category course grade. CONCLUSIONS. Because nearly all of the students who scored very well on Clinical Assessment received honors category course grades, future high scorers on this examination merit consideration for assigning a high course grade. A computer-based multimedia patient simulation assessment tool provides objective information that can complement a student9s National Board of Medical Examiners score and course grade and may assist in evaluating clinical problem-solving ability.
Structural studies of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase.

From studies of three crystal forms of ribulose bisphosphate (RuBP) carboxylase from Nicotiana tabacum (called I, II, and III), we have determined the subunit organization of RuBP carboxylase in increasing detail. Combined x-ray diffraction and electron microscope data from these crystals show that there must be some multiple of eight polypeptide chains in the molecule and that the polypeptides are arranged around a fourfold axis of symmetry. At low resolution the eight copies of each polypeptide are equivalent. In more formal terms, the RuBP carboxylase molecule is characterized by point group symmetry D4 (422, see Figure 1 below). The molecule has a square cross section, about 11 nm on an edge, and a cylindrical channel about 2 nm in diameter which runs along the fourfold axis perpendicular to the square cross section. Four large sub-units are arranged in a ring perpendicular to the fourfold axis, and two such rings are eclipsed, forming a two-level structure that extends about 10 nm along the fourfold axis.
Large-Scale Atmospheric Dynamics and Sahelian Precipitation

Observations show a broad band of precipitation across northern Africa, with maxima evident in some analyses on either side of the continent. A low-resolution GCM with simple boundary conditions produces such a band and, by producing a double-maximum structure, suggests the operation of distinct mechanisms for generating rainfall in the east and west. The precipitation, moisture convergence, and low-level wind convergence anomalies are very similar, indicating that an understanding of the low-level dynamics is essential for understanding the precipitation perturbation over the land surface. A linear model analysis shows that the anomalous low-level convergence is primarily forced by condensational heating in the middle and upper troposphere over East Africa. Low-level condensation and dry convection are also important for driving convergence in the west. Understanding the response of the low-level flow is key for understanding how inhomogeneity at the surface is communicated into the precipitation field. Midtropospheric condensational heating stretches vortex columns and induces a positive vorticity tendency in the lower troposphere. To establish a climatology, the low-level dynamics must adjust to balance this tendency in a way that maintains moisture convergence. The balance is accomplished by the meridional advection of low absolute vorticity air from the south and frictional effects.
Controlled Recovery of Payloads at Large Glide Distances, Using the Para-Foil

Recent progress of Sandia Laboratory in the development of a small guidance and control system and by the University of Notre Dame on the Para-Foil has indicated that the design of a system capable of recovering a 150-Ib payload from altitudes greater than 300,000 ft and ranges of from three to five times the deployment height (60,000 ft) is quite feasible. The Para-Foil is a completely nonrigid, self-inflating flying wing, capable of being packed and deployed like a conventional parachute and able to glide large distances. The guidance package is an electromechanical control system employing a direction-finding antenna to control the direction of the Para-Foil's glide path with respect to a ground or shipboard transmitter. The recovery system design program includes such parameters as size and weight of the recovery unit, size of the payload (W/S wing loading), glide ratio and wind structure, and flare-out capabilities in the recovery area. The full-scale recovery program includes numerous packing, deployment, and glide tests. These tests demonstrated successful deployment, excellent gliding performance (JL/D = 3.88) and dynamic flight stability, and very low impact velocities during the final recovery phases. Recent guidance and control tests also demonstrated excellent response in maneuverability of the Para-Foil. This paper summarizes the design program and the results of full-scale deployment and guided recovery flight tests and demonstrates the potential of the Para-Foil for use in many space-age recovery programs.
Dietary effects on immune response of fast-growing chicks to inoculation of sheep erythrocytes and Escherichia coli

Abstract Responses to SRBC and Escherichia coli inoculations were measured during the early posthatch period in broiler cockerels fed diets differing in nutrient density. Diet A consisted of 20% protein and 2,685 kcal ME/kg and Diet B consisted of 24% protein and 3,146 kcal ME/kg. There was no effect of diet on antibody response of chicks inoculated at 10 d of age with 0.25, 2.50, 5.00, or 25.00% suspensions of SRBC. A significantly larger proportion of chicks, however, produced antibody at the 25.00% than at the 0.25% dosage of SRBC. When inoculated at 15 d of age with 10(-6), 10(-4), or 10(-2) dosage of E. coli, there were no significant diet by dosage interactions for lesion scores, or relative change in BW 24, 48, and 120 h after inoculation. There were differences among E. coli dosages for severity of lesions and mortality, with rankings being 10(-2) > 10(-4) > 10(-6). Lesion scores and mortality were higher for the chicks fed Diet B than those fed Diet A. Also, deleterious effects of E. coli on BW 24, 48, and 120 h after inoculation were greater for chicks fed Diet B than for chicks fed Diet A. Responses to inoculations of SRBC and E. coli of broilers fed a diet with a lower nutrient density were equal or superior to those of broilers fed a diet with a higher nutrient density.
The Russian Tax Police

A specialist on the role of political institutions and social networks in state-building examines the development of the Russian tax police force in the post-communist period. Drawing on tax-police publications, contemporary press reports, and interviews and memoirs of key agency personnel, the author examines the Russian state's reassertion of its authority over society in the areas of economic security and resource extraction.
Visceral fit: While in a visceral state, associated states of the world seem more likely.

We propose that visceral states can influence beliefs through “visceral fit”: People will judge states of the world associated with their current visceral experience as more likely. We found that warmth influenced belief in global warming (Studies 1–3) and that thirst impacted forecasts of drought and desertification (Study 5). These effects emerged in a naturalistic setting (Study 1) and in experimental lab settings (Studies 2, 3, and 5). Studies 2–6 distinguished between 3 mechanistic accounts: temperature as information (Studies 2 and 3), conceptual accessibility (Studies 4 and 5), and fluency of simulation (Studies 6a and 6b). Studies 2 and 3 ruled out the temperature as information account. Feeling warm enhanced belief in global warming even when temperature was manipulated in an uninformative indoor setting, when participants’ attention was first directed to the indoor temperature, and when participants’ belief about the current outdoor temperature was statistically controlled. Studies 4 and 5 ruled out conceptual accessibility as the key mediator: Priming the corresponding concepts did not produce analogous effects on judgment. Studies 6a and 6b used a causal chain design and found support for a “simulational fluency” account. Participants experiencing the visceral state of warmth constructed more fluent mental representations of hot (vs. cold) outdoor images, and those who were led to construe the same hot outdoor images more fluently believed more in global warming. Together, the results suggest that visceral states can influence one’s beliefs by making matching states of the world easier to simulate and therefore seem more likely.
Down's syndrome: Variation of leukemia occurrence in institutionalized populations

DOWN’S syndrome (mongolism) is characterized by a consistent trisomic or effectively trisomic state [1] and the abnormal morphologic and physiologic characteristics of the affected person appear to be the result of this basic difference. The well-known risk of leukemia observed with Down’s syndrome [2, 31 would also seem to be a reflection of the characteristic chromosomal imbalance. Other prezygotic forms of genetic imbalance have also been described as possible initial stages in the leukemia process. [4, 51 However, since the high risk of leukemia in Down’s syndrome continues beyond childhood, [6, 71 the leukemic cell type is not specific, [6, 81 and most individuals with Down’s syndrome do not develop the disease, it would seem that the high risk of leukemia is not simply a result of the aberrant chromosomal condition. Sizable populations with Down’s syndrome are not readily identified for study because the condition is relatively rare, occurring in about one in 700 live births, and the syndrome is associated with high mortality rates in infancy and childhood with few persons reaching adulthood. Accordingly, most reports of leukemia and Down’s syndrome have come from childhood leukemia case series [9, lo] and surveys. [2,3,1 l] Only two population-based studies of leukemia and Down’s syndrome have been reported to date, one in Pennsylvania [6, 71 and the other in England. [12] The purpose of this study is to further assess the nature of the association of Down’s syndrome and leukemia in a defined population.
A study of the Xαβ-exchange approximation on atoms for use in molecular and solid-state calculations

Abstract The Xαβ exchange approximation is applied to atoms and its universal ( Z -independent) character is demonstrated. Its practical applicability to molecules and solids is critically analysed by a comparison with the Xα- and HF approximations. The influence of the modifying function which is needed to make the exchange inhomogeneity correction (β-term) finite for large r is studied. The validity of the virial theorem is discussed.
Development and Application of Anchor-Soil Interface Models.

ABSTRACT Understanding the anchor-soil interface behavior is essential to the determination of the anchor pullout capacity and prediction of the deformation of the anchor-reinforced system under working load conditions. Numerous anchor pullout tests under both lab and field conditions have generally yielded extremely high apparent interface strength, which cannot be explained by the conventional interface friction theory between the anchor material and the soil. In this paper, the mechanism and the phenomena of the anchor-soil interaction were studied, and the soil dilatancy due to shearing was regarded as the main factor contributing to the increase of the anchor-soil interface friction. Considering this effect, along with the adoption of a cylindrical shear deformation pattern of the soil, anchor-soil interface models have been developed for hardening and softening behavior, respectively. Using the developed interface model, the forward and backward calculation algorithms have been formulated and applied to predict the anchor performance for the given interface parameters and to determine the interface parameters from the given anchor pullout test, respectively. Furthermore, the prediction of the anchor pullout performance was compared favorably with two hypothetical cases, two laboratory test results, and one field case.
Institutionalising the Colonial Imagination: Chinese Middlemen and the Transnational Corporate Office in Jakarta, Indonesia

Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among transnational corporate employees—both expatriate and national—working in Jakarta, Indonesia, I examine the processes through which imagined markers of identity and difference, informed by Indonesia's colonial past, influenced corporate practices. In particular, I explore the persistence of colonial hierarchies within the corporate structure of a company (fictitiously) named TIMBER. I argue that TIMBER is not unique in the locating of Chinese-Indonesian employees in middlemen positions between Western expatriate executives and Indonesian national employees. Further, I examine the historical trajectories that led to the currently acceptable hierarchical orderings seen in Jakarta's transnational corporate offices.
Inhibition of angiogenesis and growth of human non-malignant and malignant meningiomas by TNP-470.

Meningiomas are relatively common (22%) vascular brain tumors. 3–11% of meningiomas are malignant, and defy currently available therapy. Inhibition of neovascularization is one potential strategy for treating these hypervascular tumors. Inhibition of tumor-induced angiogenesis by TNP-470 (previously termed AGM-1470), a synthetic analogue of fumagillin, was tested on the growth of human non-malignant and malignant meningiomas in nude mice. TNP-470 significantly inhibited tumor neovascularization and tumor growth of both non-malignant and malignant meningiomas. TNP-470 is now in human trial and should be tested for efficacy in treating malignant or recurrent aggressive meningiomas.
The relationship of the construct of academic comfort to educational level, performance, aspirations, and prediction of college major choices☆

Abstract The Academic Comfort (AC) Scale of the Strong-Campbell Interest Inventory (SCII) underwent its second name change within 16 years on the latest revision of the SCII ( D. P. Campbell & J. C. Hansen, 1981 , Manual for the SVIB-SCII (3rd ed.), Palo Alto, CA: Stanford Univ. Press). The purposes of this study were (a) to further define the construct of “academic comfort” by investigating criteria associated with the scale throughout its development and (b) to investigate Academic Comfort as a moderator variable of predictive validity of the SCII. Data were obtained from two sources: the occupational criterion samples from the 1981 revision of the SCII, and a 3 1 2 - year longitudinal study of liberal arts students. Results indicated that the AC scale is moderately correlated with grade point average and strongly related to attained educational level; that AC scores are positively related to educational goals and graduate school plans; and that the SCII is substantially more predictive of college majors for those students with high AC scores than it is for those students with low AC scores.
Influence of nifedipine therapy on indocyanine green and oral propranolol pharmacokinetics

Nine healthy adults were administered indocyanine green (ICG) 0.5 mg·kg−1 IV alone and after the administration of the following oral drugs: nifedipine 10 mg, propranolol 80 mg, propranolol 80 mg and nifedipine 10 mg, and propranolol 80 mg after nifedipine 10 mg every 8 h for 5 days. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were also determined.
Positive secondary ion mass spectra of sulfonium and iodonium salts

Abstract The positive secondary ion mass spectra of sulfonium and iodonium salts contain the intact cation as the base peaks. For the sulfonium salts, the few fragment ions are usually of less than 10% relative abundance. No fragmentation of the intact cations of the iodonium salts is observed. Glycerol and triethanolamine are both useful as solvent matrices for these analyses. The similarity in spectra obtained from these two solvents indicate that the direct sputtering of preformed ions is independent of the acid/base nature of the solvent. However, time-dependent, beam-induced products are observed in the spectra of two of the sulfonium salts dissolved in triethanolamine. The use of two solvents is required when an overlap between sample peaks and those from the solvent is present.
Additional Binding Sites for Δ5‐Androstenediol and Estradiol in Serum

A graphic method called close-pair-analysis is described for determining the high affinity binding parameters in a complex system. Assumptions are that the nonspecific binding is accurately measured, and that there are two specific binding classes in which the affinities (Ka) are a factor of 5 or greater apart. Using this method and equilibrium dialysis data of delta 5-Adiol and E2 binding in serum, an apparently new binding site class was found. The average Ka for both delta 5-Adiol and E2 was 8 X 10(7) L/M, with the number of binding sites ranging from 20 to 200 nM.
A photoelectron photoion coincidence (PEPICO) study of fragmentation rates and kinetic energy release distributions in nitrobenzene

Abstract The study of the dissociation dynamics of energy-selected nitrobenzene ions (C 6 H 5 NO 2 + ) has revealed a remarkable richness in the fragmentation mechanism to the various products formed within 1 eV above the first dissociation channel. Nitrobenzene ions were found to be metastable with respect to C 6 H 5 O + (NO loss), and NO + products. This complementary pair of products dissociate from the same parent ion, i.e. they dissociate competitively. However, the NO + formation rate is two component, which suggests that the NO + via the fast rate originates from a different precursor. Both dissociation channels have reverse activation barriers in excess of 1 eV. The C 6 H 5 O + ions are formed with sufficient internal energy to dissociate further by losing CO or C 2 H 2 O. The Δ H f 0 (C 4 H 3 + ) was found to be 1165 kJ mol −1 . Modeling of the dissociation rates by the quasi-equilibrium theory (QET) allows product ion energies to be calculated. The dissociation involving the loss of NO 2 is shown to be fast, even at the dissociation limit and at an energy at which NO loss is slow. This indicates that the NO 2 loss occurs from an excited electronic state and is not in competition with NO loss.
DIRECTIONAL DYNAMICS OF MULTI-ARTICULATED HEAVY TRUCKS EMPLOYING CONTROLLED STEERING OF DOLLY WHEELS

This chapter analyzes results that have been obtained in a study of the directional dynamics and mechanics of heavy vehicle combinations employing full trailers. In a design synthesis context, the specialized models provide the type of information used in creating (developing) new designs and explaining them. More comprehensive models (and experiments with prototype vehicles) can then be used to quantify the expected performances of the new designs. Steering usually is controlled by a mechanical linkage driven by the yaw articulation motion between the dolly and the towing trailer. The controlled steering B-dolly retains the B-dolly drawbar construction, and therefore its critical roll coupling capability. It eliminates the yaw degree of freedom at the coupling to the first trailer, and it provides for control of the steer angle of the dolly tires as a function of the included angle between the two trailers.
Capacity of individual somatotropes to release growth hormone varies according to sex: analysis by reverse hemolytic plaque assay.

A reverse hemolytic plaque assay was used to investigate the mechanism(s) underlying sexual differences in GH release which evolve at puberty in rats. The percentages of GH-secreting cells in 24-h pituitary cultures from each sex were similar for pituitary donors up to 30 days of age (range = 38.9% to 41.7% of all cells in culture, n = 3 separate experiments) but decreased by day 50. The decrease was more striking for females (to 24.1 ± 0.3% mean ± SE) than for males (to 33.2 ± 1.1%). However, owing to the greater increase in total pituitary cell number exhibited by female rats at this time, the absolute numbers of somatotropes recovered from male and female pituitaries were almost identical on 50 and 100 days of age. To assess the secretory capacities of individual somatotropes, we measured the sizes of plaques formed. In prepubertal rats (days 10-30), the plaque areas under basal conditions were comparable for males and females at each age studied, and treatment with GH releasing factor increased plaque...
Determinism, Self-Efficacy, and the Phenomenology of Free Will

Abstract Some recent studies have suggested that belief in determinism tends to undermine moral motivation: subjects who are given determinist texts to read become more likely to cheat or engage in vindictive behaviour. One possible explanation is that people are natural incompatibilists, so that convincing them of determinism undermines their belief that they are morally responsible. I suggest a different explanation, and in doing so try to shed some light on the phenomenology of free will. I contend that one aspect of the phenomenology is our impression that maintaining a resolution requires effort—an impression well supported by a range of psychological data. Determinism can easily be interpreted as showing that such effort will be futile: in effect determinism is conflated with fatalism, in a way that is reminiscent of the Lazy argument used against the Stoics. If this interpretation is right, it explains how belief in determinism undermines moral motivation without needing to attribute sophisticated ...