cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Sediment-derived chronologies of persistent contaminants in Jamaica Bay, New York

Chronologies of particle-associated contaminant levels were developed for Jamaica Bay, an embayment of the Atlantic Ocean on southwestern Long Island. A major potential source of contaminants to the system is wastewater discharge, which comprises most of the freshwater input to the bay. Sediment core sections were analyzed for Cs-137, Pu-239, 240, and Be-7 activities which were then used to establish net particle accumulation rates. Samples deposited from the early 1950s through the late 1980s were analyzed for metals and chlorinated hydrocarbon contaminants. Trace metals, including copper, lead, chromium, zinc, and mercury, were elevated to levels several times those of pre-industrial concentrations. These metals decreased by about 50% between the mid 1960s and the late 1980s. Chlorinated hydrocarbon concentrations, including polychlorinated biphenyls, chlordane, and dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane-derived compounds, decreased by a factor of five to ten between the late 1960s and the late 1980s. Local improvements in wastewater treatment and national efforts to regulate the uses and releases of specific chemicals are the most likely explanation of declines in contaminant levels in these sediments.
Constraining dark energy with clusters: Complementarity with other probes

The Figure of Merit Science Working Group recently forecast the constraints on dark energy that will be achieved prior to the Joint Dark Energy Mission by ground-based experiments that exploit baryon acoustic oscillations, type Ia supernovae, and weak gravitational lensing. We show that cluster counts from ongoing and near-future surveys should provide robust, complementary dark energy constraints. In particular, we find that optimally combined optical and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect cluster surveys should improve the Dark Energy Task Force figure of merit for pre-Joint Dark Energy Mission projects by a factor of 2 even without prior knowledge of the nuisance parameters in the cluster mass-observable relation. Comparable improvements are achieved in the forecast precision of parameters specifying the principal component description of the dark energy equation of state parameter, as well as in the growth index $\ensuremath{\gamma}$. These results indicate that cluster counts can play an important complementary role in constraining dark energy and modified gravity even if the associated systematic errors are not strongly controlled.
Children's belief in santa claus: a developmental study of fantasy and causality.

Abstract Seventy-two children (24 each from preschool, first, and third grades) were individually administered a structured interview assessing their belief in Santa Claus, as well as measures of causal reasoning and fantasy predisposition. Belief in Santa declined markedly with age. Level of causal reasoning increased with age and was related to decline in belief in Santa. Belief in Santa was unrelated to fantasy predisposition. Results were discussed within the framework of Gould's cognitive-affective theory of development which emphasizes the coexistence of several levels of cognitive maturity as the child learns to distinguish reality from make-believe.
Conflict and Compromise in International Calvinism: Ysbrand Trabius Balck's Pastoral Mediations in Exile and Beyond

AbstractThe life of frequent banishment and exile of the respected minister, Ysbrand Trabius Balck (c.1530-c.1600), offers an opportunity to see a refugee pastor in action and to witness the practical concerns that faced the Reformed Church, both while ‘under the cross’ and after establishment. Balck's early Reformed ministerial post was in Antwerp, which he left for exile to Emden, Germany, shortly after the outbreak of iconoclasm in the Netherlands. After Emden, he left for England, where he served as pastor in four congregations of Dutch refugees before returning to Antwerp ten years later. Subsequent turbulence caused additional periods of exile from Antwerp, including stints in Leiden, Poland, and Friesland. Balck's experience in international refugee networks led him to be called to serve as a mediator in congregational conflicts; here his practical experiences kept him aware of the local situations that he needed to consider in any conflict resolutions. This article investigates Balck's practical r...
A comparison of albino and wild rats in shuttlebox avoidance

Two groups of 10 Norway rats, one of Sprague-Dawley and one of wild F1 stock, were run in a two-way shuttlebox with one chamber always associated with a 180 sec ITI and the other with a 30 sec ITI. Results: (a) The wild Ss tended to avoid more quickly, although the difference was not significant over all trials. (b) The proportion of avoidances toward the chamber associated with the long ITI was significantly greater for both groups. (c) Grooming behaviors were closely aligned with the transition from escape to avoidance learning for the albino but not for the wild rats.
Detecting the Economic Base: New Challenges:

A growing and significant share of the economic base of many communities is comprised of output consumed within the region by nonresidents or by residents who expend externally derived funds. That output poses problems for analysts attempting to identify basic activity. This conceptual article assesses the discriminating powers of the bifurcation techniques employed in economic base studies. It is intended to make users and builders of macro regional models more aware of the problem.
Turning tissues transparent by optical phase conjugation

Elastic optical scattering in biological tissue typically dominates over absorption by an order of magnitude or more. Being the dominant light interaction process, scattering prevents tissue from being transparent. Although the spectral properties [1] and angular profiles [2] of scattered light can reveal useful physiological information about a given tissue sample, scattered light is generally regarded as poor in imaging information. This is due to the severe deterioration of the incident light field, caused by disordered amplitude and phase modulation of its wavefront as it propagates through the tissue. Yet, it is also known that elastic optical scattering is a deterministic and time reversible process. In other words, if we can record the phase and amplitude of the propagating scattered light field completely and reproduce a back propagating optical phase conjugate (OPC) field or a time‐ reversed light field this field should be able to retrace its trajectory through the scattering medium and return the original input light field.
EARLY SIMULTANEOUS INFLUENCE OF MANUFACTURING ACROSS STAGES OF THE PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: IMPACT ON TIME AND COST

This paper focuses on the concept of ESI (early simultaneous influence) as a cornerstone of concurrent engineering. How much influence downstream functions such as manufacturing engineering should exert in product design decisions is investigated by stage of development. Six stages were defined as: (1) research, (2) product concept, (3) prototype and test, (4) final design, (5) tooling and facilities, and (6) ramp-up to full production. Performance is measured as time compression at the tooling and facilities stage and reduction in manufactured cost. Results from analysis of 74 companies suggest that manufacturing influence has significant effects on performance at the first three stages. Its peak impact is at the third stage, a crossroads of work by up and downstream functions. If the design is new, however, the peak impact of ESI is earlier as indicated by significant interaction effects at the research and product concept stages. We also show that high levels of manufacturing influence at the end stage have a weak negative interaction effect with performance when designs are new. To the extent that high levels of manufacturing influence within their own domain preclude reciprocal influence by upstream functions, this result is consistent with the notion of concurrency as simultaneous influence by multiple functions at all points along the value chain.
Functional regulation of BK potassium channels by γ1 auxiliary subunits

Many K+ channels are oligomeric complexes with intrinsic structural symmetry arising from the homo-tetrameric core of their pore-forming subunits. Allosteric regulation of tetramerically symmetric proteins, whether by intrinsic sensing domains or associated auxiliary subunits, often mirrors the fourfold structural symmetry. Here, through patch-clamp recordings of channel population ensembles and also single channels, we examine regulation of the Ca2+- and voltage-activated large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channel by associated γ1-subunits. Through expression of differing ratios of γ1:α-subunits, the results reveal an all-or-none functional regulation of BK channels by γ-subunits: channels either exhibit a full gating shift or no shift at all. Furthermore, the γ1-induced shift exhibits a state-dependent labile behavior that recapitulates the fully shifted or unshifted behavior. The γ1-induced shift contrasts markedly to the incremental shifts in BK gating produced by 1–4 β-subunits and adds a new layer of complexity to the mechanisms by which BK channel functional diversity is generated.
Values and Depressive Symptoms in American Indian Youth of the Northern Plains: Examining the Potential Moderating Roles of Outcome Expectancies and Perceived Community Values

Very little is known about processes contributing to depressive experiences in American Indian youth. We explored the relationship between value priorities and depressive symptoms among 183 (65 % female) American Indian youth in grades 9–12. In addition, two potential moderators of this relationship were examined: value outcome expectations (i.e., whether one expects that values will be realized or not) and perceived community values. We found that American Indian youth who endorsed higher levels of tradition/benevolence values reported fewer depressive symptoms. However, the relationship between endorsing power/materialism values and depressive symptoms depended on the extent to which youth perceived their communities as valuing power/materialism. Finally, value outcome expectancies appeared to relate more strongly to depressive symptoms than did value priorities. Overall, these findings support tribal community efforts to impart tradition/benevolence values to American Indian youth but also emphasize the importance of attending to value outcome expectations and the perceived values of the community in understanding American Indian youth’s depressive experiences.
On-line determination of organophosphorus pesticides in water by solid-phase microextraction and gas chromatography with thermionic-selective detection

This paper describes the extraction of 49 organophosphorus pesti-cides (OPPs) from water samples using solid-phase microextraction (SPME). Three fibers, including a 15-μm XAD-coated fiber, a 85-μm polyacrylate-coated fiber, and a 30-μm polydimethylsilox-ane-coated fiber (PDMS), were evaluated here. The effects of stirring and the addition of NaCl to the sample were examined for the polyacrylate-coated fiber. The precision of the technique was examined for all three fibers and the extraction kinetics were investigated using the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers. With some exceptions, the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers performed better than the PDMS-coated fiber. The superiority of the XAD-nd polyacrylate-coated fiber. The superiority of the XAD- and polyacrylate-coated fibers over the PDMS-coated fibers can be attribuibuted to the aromatic functionalities of the XAD and the polar functionalities in the polyacrylate. The relatively high percent RSDs indicate that the SPME technique needs to be further refined before it can be used for anything other than screening. A more effective form of agitation than mechanical stirring may be neccessary to reduce variability and achieve a faster equilibrium between the sample and the SPME fiber.
Intraventricular Administration of BDNF Increases the Number of Newly Generated Neurons in the Adult Olfactory Bulb

Abstract We have previously demonstrated that the most rostral part of the subventricular zone (SVZ) is a source of neuronal progenitor cells whose progeny are destined to become interneurons of the olfactory bulb. To determine whether the number of newly generated neurons in the adult olfactory bulb could be increased by the administration of an exogenous factor, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) was infused for 12 days into the right lateral ventricle of adult rat brains. The production of new cells was monitored by either the intraventricular infusion or intraperitoneal injection of the cell proliferation marker BrdU. In both experimental paradigms we observed significantly more BrdU-labeled cells in the olfactory bulbs on the BDNF-infused side than in the olfactory bulb of PBS-infused animals. Analysis of the BDNF-infused brains of animals injected intraperitoneally with BrdU demonstrated a 100% increase in the number of BrdU-labeled cells in the bulb, the preponderance (∼90%) of which were double-labeled with a neuron-specific antibody. These results demonstrate that the generation and/or survival of new neurons in the adult brain can be increased substantially by an exogenous factor. Furthermore, the SVZ, and in particular the rostral part, may constitute a reserve pool of progenitor cells available for neuronal replacement in the diseased or damaged brain.
Lead and PCB's in canvasback ducks: relationship between enzyme levels and residues in blood.

Blood samples were taken for two successive years from canvasback ducks trapped in the Chesapeake Bay. The first winter (1972–1973) five plasma enzymes known to respond to organochlorine poisoning were examined. Abnormal enzyme elevations suggested that 20% of the population sampled (23/115 ducks) might contain organochlorine contaminants, but no residue analyses were performed. The second winter (1974) two of the same enzymes, aspartate aminotransferase and lactate dehydrogenase, and a third enzyme known to be specifically inhibited by lead, delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase, were assayed in 95 blood samples. Blood residues of organochlorine compounds and of lead were determined in representative samples, and the correlations between residue levels and enzyme changes were examined. The enzyme bioassays in 1974 indicated that lead was a more prevalent environmental contaminant than organochlorine compounds in canvasback ducks; 17% of the blood samples had less than one-half of the normal delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, but only 11% exhibited abnormal aspartate aminotransferase or lactate dehydrogenase activities. These findings were confirmed by residue analyses that demonstrated lead concentrations four times higher than background levels, but only relatively low organochlorine concentrations. There was a highly significant inverse correlation between delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity and blood lead concentrations (P<0.01), and a weaker but significant correlation between plasma aspartate aminotransferase activity and blood PCB concentrations (P<0.05). It was apparent that delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity in the blood provided a sensitive and precise estimate of lead contamination in waterfowl. In canvasback ducks 200 ppb of lead in the blood caused a 75% decrease in delta-aminolevulinic acid dehydratase activity, a magnitude of enzyme inhibition that disturbs heme synthesis and is regarded as detrimental in humans.
Predicting the Precision of Creel Survey Estimates of Fishing Effort by use of Climatic Variables

Abstract A multiple regression equation was developed which explained 83% of the variation in the precision (CVE) of monthly creel survey estimates of fishing effort on West Point Reservoir, Georgia-Alabama, over a 24-month period. The equation is CVE = 34.678 - 1.154(TEM) + 9.274 (SDT) + 84.942 (RAIN) - 38.854 (SDR), where TEM = mean daily air temperature for a particular month; RAIN = mean daily rainfall for that particular month; and SDT and SDR = the standard deviations of daily air temperature and rainfall for that same month, respectively. The constants in the regression equation may be specific to West Point Reservoir, but the climatic variables are certainly of general importance. The model reflects the environmental basis for the variation associated with creel survey estimates of fishing effort, and provides a means of optimally allocating sampling effort prior to implementation of a survey.
A note on optimum allocation

Abstract O. In this note an expression is obtained for the increase in the variance of the mean for a stratified sampling scheme when a nonoptimum allocation is used. The result obtained is a gener...
The molecular weight distribution of coal extracts. Coalification is not a condensation polymerization

Abstract The pyridine extracts from Bruceton and Illinois No. 6 coals were fractionated using gel permeation chromatography and the molecular weight of each fraction was measured using vapor pressure osmometry. If, as has been suggested, coalification is a simple condensation polymerization from a mixture of monomers with gel formation, then as the molecular weight of the components increase, their concentration should decrease. Exactly the opposite behavior is observed. The number average molecular weights for the Bruceton and Illinois No. 6 extracts respectively are 860 daltons and 1100 daltons while the corresponding weight average molecular weights calculated from the molecular weight distribution are 2300 daltons and 2700 daltons.
Map-Fingerprint-Dot Changes in the Corneal Epithelial Basement Membrane Following Radial Keratotomy

Corneal epithelial opacities similar to those seen in corneal epithelial basement membrane dystrophy were seen in 33 of 71 eyes following radial keratotomy. These changes were clinically indistinguishable from those seen in map-fingerprint-dot dystrophy with map type changes seen most often. Basement membrane changes tended to be transient (persisting less than 3 months in 75.3% of eyes) and not usually visually significant. However, three eyes had changes which persisted for 12 months. Most eyes with basement membrane changes had involvement of less than one-half quadrant of the corneal (68%). Involvement of two or more quadrants occurred in 9.4% of eyes with these changes. One eye had visually significant changes which persisted for 3 months. There were no episodes of recurrent erosion.
A case matched analysis of robotic radical hysterectomy with lymphadenectomy compared with laparoscopy and laparotomy.

Abstract Objective To compare robotic radical hysterectomy to laparoscopic and radical abdominal hysterectomy in the treatment of cervical cancer. Methods Prospective analyses of thirty-two consecutive patients undergoing robotic radical hysterectomy were compared to 17 patients undergoing laparoscopic radical hysterectomy and 14 patients undergoing radical abdominal hysterectomy. Results Operative time for the robotic group was 2.4 h±0.8 and not significantly different from the laparoscopic group at 2.2 h±0.7, nor the laparotomy group (1.9 h±0.6, p =0.05). The estimated blood loss for patients undergoing robotic hysterectomy was 130 cm 3 ±119.4. This was significantly less than the laparotomy group (621.4 mL±294.0, p p =0.09). The robotic group had an average of 32.4 total nodes retrieved, as compared to 18.6 and 25.7 nodes retrieved in the laparoscopy and laparotomy cohorts, respectively. All differences were significant ( p p Conclusions Robotic total laparoscopic radical hysterectomy with pelvic and para-aortic lymphadenectomy is feasible and may be preferable over laparoscopic or radical abdominal hysterectomy.
Flux-Tube Dynamics and a Model for the Origin of the Local Fluff

The Local Fluff is the low-density warm interstellar material found in several small structures in the general vicinity of the Sun, lying within the much larger scale, lower density hot gas of the Local Bubble. A scenario is proposed for the formation of the Local Fluff after the generation and reheating of the Local Bubble by a small series of supernovae over a period of a few million years. In this scenario, a magnetic flux tube, spanning roughly a half-circle along the face of the Bubble surface, separates from the wall except at its anchored ends and, driven by its tension, springs back into the cavity. The tube brings with it material from the inside surface of the Bubble wall, concentrating it during the evolution into a small set of density and velocity structures near the Bubble center, the Local Fluff. A unique hydrocode is described that simultaneously follows the motion of the flux tube through the hot gas and the motion of the material within the tube. Characteristics of the evolution of an initially very symmetric tube geometry are explored over an extensive region of parameter space, and useful analytic results are presented for the characteristics of the single cloud formed. The scenario acquits itself very well in that parameters consistent with those seen in the Local Bubble and Fluff lead to timescales, tube velocities, densities, and fractional ionizations like those observed. Reasons are also given for expecting gas-phase abundances and ionization conditions to vary among the components of the Local Fluff, as suggested by some observations. We present cases in which the initial geometry of the flux tube is somewhat irregular. They lead to the early formation of a number of density peaks within the tube. The individual and interactive evolutions of these regions, as the material as a whole converges toward the Bubble center, lead to an evanescent population of density peaks and velocity features distributed along the central portion of the tube. A single springing flux tube is thus also able to produce an array of structures similar to several components of the Local Fluff. We note that the great success of the model as a whole is tempered by two modest difficulties that may disappear with less idealized modeling of the evolution and with more careful scrutiny of the data. We also describe several predictions. These involve the relative locations of higher and lower stages of ionization within the Local Fluff, the likelihood of velocity gradients within features, the probable near linearity of the overall spatial distribution of material within an individual tube, and the likely direction and magnitude of the magnetic field. The latter should be of interest to modelers of the interaction between the solar wind and the Local Cloud.
Cardiovascular Changes in Pregnancy Evaluated by Two-dimensional and Doppler Echocardiography

During pregnancy significant cardiovascular changes occur. To study these anatomic and physiologic changes we performed two-dimensional and Doppler echocardiography in 28 women during the third trimester (34.4 ± 1.9 weeks) of pregnancy and then again after delivery (7.8 ± 2.2 weeks). Fourteen nonpregnant age- and sex-matched subjects served as controls. Left ventricular diastolic and systolic dimensions were similar among pregnant, postpartum, and control subjects. Left atrial area as determined by two-dimensional echocardiography was significantly larger during pregnancy (16.7 ± 4.0 cm 2 ) compared with measurements postpartum (13.8 ± 3.1 cm 2 ) and with controls (15.5 ± 3.5 cm 2 ) ( p p p
Spontaneous evaporation of dilute saturated solutions. Urea nitrate crystals from saturated solution in strong nitric acid

Large, perfect crystals of urea nitrate were obtained by the addition of concentrated nitric acid to an aqueous solution of the salt, followed by spontaneous evaporation. The crystal angles have been measured.
On the modified Taylor constraint

A dynamo driven by motions unaffected by viscous forces is termed magnetostrophic. Although such a model might describe magnetic field generation in Earth’s core well, a magnetostrophic dynamo has not yet been found even though Taylor [Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 1963, 274, 274–283] devised an apparently viable method of finding one. His method for determining the fluid velocity from the magnetic field and the energy source involved only the evaluation of integrals along lines parallel to the Earth’s axis of rotation and the solution of a second-order ordinary differential equation. It is demonstrated below that an approximate solution of this equation for a broad family of magnetic fields is immediate. Furthermore inertia, which was neglected in Taylor’s theory, is restored here, so that the modified theory includes torsional waves, whose existence in the Earth’s core has been inferred from observations of the length of day. Their theory is reconsidered.
Interactions of Molecular Hydrogen with Alkali Metal Halides in Argon Matrices: A Computational Model

MP2 calculations have been performed in order to understand the behavior of molecular hydrogen in gas matrices containing alkali metal halide ion pairs. Calculations that model interactions between H2 and LiCl, NaCl, KCl, KF, and NaF were augmented by the addition of argon atoms. Interactions between CuCl and dihydrogen were also modeled for comparison purposes. The conformational space of H2 with NaCl was explored extensively with and without Ar atoms. The frequency of the H−H stretch is sensitive to the orientation and position of H2 relative to NaCl, with frequency shifts spanning nearly 60 cm-1. Zero-point corrections were scaled differently depending on the nature of the vibrational modes. For modes that are characterized by deep potentials, a scaling factor of 0.93 was used. For the low-energy vibrations that result from the associations of two weakly bound particles, a scaling factor of only 0.26 was used to compensate for the inappropriateness of a harmonic oscillator approximation. KF binds H2 mo...
Late Quaternary history of atmospheric and oceanic circulation in the eastern equatorial Pacific

Abstract Four radiolarian assemblages have been defined in recent seafloor sediments of the equatorial Pacific Ocean. The distribution of these assemblages corresponds to the modern pattern of oceanic circulation and water mass structure in this region: the eastern Pacific shallow permanent thermocline and the Equatorial Undercurrent; Peru Current upwelling and the oxygen minimum; the subtropical water mass; warm western tropical water and the North Equatorial Countercurrent. In twelve cores chosen to transect the region both longitudinally and latitudinally, the distribution of these four assemblages has been reconstructed for six time-intervals during the last 127,000 years: 18,000 B.P. (glacial Stage 2); 36,000 B.P. and 52,000 B.P. (interstadial Stage 3); 65,000 B.P. (glacial Stage 4); 82,000 B.P. and 120,000 B.P. (interglacial Stage 5). Atmospheric and oceanic circulation changes through time have been inferred from the reconstructed microfossil assemblage distributions. Changes in assemblage distributions indicate that variations in intensity, direction and mean position of the tradewinds caused marked changes in the oceanic circulation patterns through the last glacial cycle. Near the end of interglacial Stage 5, the disappearance of the North Equatorial Countercurrent from the eastern Pacific suggests that the mean position of the tradewinds was shifted to the south approximately 5° of latitude relative to the modern position, so that the Northeast trades prevented the flow of the North Equatorial Countercurrent into the eastern Pacific. Near the end of interstadial Stage 3, a change in wind direction occurred from predominantly zonal winds, which enhance equatorial divergence and surfacing of the Equatorial Undercurrent, to more meridional winds, which enhance coastal upwelling associated with the Peru Current. In the tropical Pacific Ocean, late Quaternary changes in atmospheric and oceanic circulation are linked with times of continental ice sheet growth in the Northern Hemisphere (i.e., the interglacial-to-glacial transitions across oxygen isotope stage boundaries 5 4 and 3 2 ). The major changes in circulation seem to occur a few thousand years in advance of the glacial episodes, at or near periods of ice sheet growth. This relationship indicates that changes in atmospheric circulation in the tropics led and influenced the development of conditions suitable for polar and continental ice sheet growth in the Northern Hemisphere.
Experimental study of the electro-mechanical switching behavior of a piezoelectric stack actuator

The rate-dependence of piezoelectric materials resulting from the kinetics of domain switching is an important factor that needs to be included in realistic modeling attempts. This paper provides a systematic study of the rate-dependent hysteresis behavior of a commercially available PZT stack actuator. The stack actuator is coupled to a flexure system which provides mechanical loading via a spring. Experiments covering full as well as minor loops are conducted at different loading rates with polarization and strain recorded. In addition, the creep behavior at different constant levels of the electric field is observed. These experiments provide evidence of kinetics being characterized by strongly varying relaxation times that can be associated with different switching mechanisms.
Novel submission modes for tightly coupled jobs across distributed resources for reduced time-to-solution

The problems of scheduling a single parallel job across a large-scale distributed system are well known and surprisingly difficult to solve. In addition, because of the issues involved in distributed submission, such as co-reserving resources, and managing accounts and certificates simultaneously on multiple machines, etc., the vast number of high-performance computing (HPC) application users have been happy to remain restricted to submitting jobs to single machines. Meanwhile, the need to simulate larger and more complex physical systems continues to grow, with a concomitant increase in the number of cores required to solve the resulting scientific problems. One might reduce the demand on load per machine, and eventually the wait-time in queue, by decomposing the problem to use two resources in such circumstances, even though there might be a reduction in the peak performance. This motivates a question. Can otherwise monolithic jobs running on single resources be distributed over more than one machine such that there is an overall reduction in the time-to-solution? In this paper, we briefly discuss the development and performance of a parallel molecular dynamics code and its generalization to work on multiple distributed machines (using MPICH-G2). We benchmark and validate the performance of our simulations over multiple input datasets of varying sizes. The primary aim of this work, however, is to show that the time-to-solution can be reduced by sacrificing some peak performance and distributing over multiple machines.
Post-immigration Changes in Social Capital and Substance Use Among Recent Latino Immigrants in South Florida: Differences by Documentation Status

Changing social capital among recent Latino immigrants (RLIs) influences substance use post-immigration. This was a longitudinal study of 476 South/Central American RLIs examining social capital and substance use changes pre to post-immigration. Self-reported measures of social capital and substance use were compared between surveys administered within 1 year of immigration and 2 years post-immigration. Post-immigration, social capital, hazardous drinking and illicit drug use decreased. Women were less likely to engage in hazardous drinking [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) .32, p < .001], and less likely to use illicit drugs (AOR .67, p = .01). Documented individuals with higher levels of ‘business’ social capital had increased odds of illicit drug use (AOR 2.20, p < .05). Undocumented individuals with higher levels of ‘friend and others’ social capital had decreased risk for hazardous drinking and illicit drug use (AOR .55, p < .01; AOR .56, p < .05). Documentation status moderated the relationship between social capital and substance use. RLIs can be targeted for primary prevention of substance abuse.
The Political Economy of Terrorism

The Political Economy of Terrorism. By Walter Enders and Todd Sandler. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006. 292p. 23.99 paper. The study of terrorism has come a long way since the pioneering research in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The events of 9/11 have greatly accelerated the proliferation of books and articles on a topic that is now of major academic and policy concern. Throughout the development of research, there has been a growing attempt to apply empirical and methodological approaches to understanding the causes, dynamics, and outcomes of terrorism. Walter Enders and Todd Sandler have been at the forefront of this work, and their book, The Political Economy of Terrorism, is a fine illustration of their continuing research agenda.
New aspects of temporal dispersion in Virtually Imaged Phased Array (VIPA) based Fourier pulse shapers

We present new aspects of temporal dispersion in high resolution Fourier pulse shapers using VIPA based setups as a representative example. These effects should become significant in grating based setups when bandwidths approach an octave.
Beyond tandem repeats: complex pattern structures and distant regions of similarity.

Motivation: Tandem repeats (TRs) are associated with human disease, play a role in evolution and are important in regulatory processes. Despite their importance, locating and characterizing these patterns within anonymous DNA sequences remains a challenge. In part, the difficulty is due to imperfect conservation of patterns and complex pattern structures. We study recognition algorithms for two complex pattern structures: variable length tandem repeats (VLTRs) and multi-period tandem repeats (MPTRs). Results: We extend previous algorithmic research to a class of regular tandem repeats (RegTRs). We formally define RegTRs, as well as two important subclasses: VLTRs and MPTRs. We present algorithms for identification of TRs in these classes. Furthermore, our algorithms identify degenerate VLTRs and MPTRs: repeats containing substitutions, insertions and deletions. To illustrate our work, we present results of our analysis for two difficult regions in cattle and human data which reflect practical occurrences of these subclasses in GenBank sequence data. In addition, we show the applicability of our algorithmic techniques for identifying Alu sequences, gene clusters and other distant regions of similarity. We illustrate this with an example from yeast chromosome I. Availability: Algorithms can be accessed at http://www.cs.
Maximal oxygen intake and nomographic assessment of functional aerobic impairment in cardiovascular disease

Abstract Maximal oxygen intake (Vo 2 max) was measured, using an open circuit technique, during the last 2 to 4 minutes of a multistage treadmill test of maximal exercise in 151 men and 144 women of 29 to 73 years of age. Vo 2 max was higher in men than in women (P Over 800 measurements of Vo 2 max were also made during submaximal exercise to define the aerobic requirements under these conditions of testing. This revealed different coefficients for slope and intercept of regression equation for relationship of Vo 2 submax to duration of submaximal exercise. Functional aerobic impairment (FAI) is the per cent difference between observed (or estimated) Vo 2 max and that predicted from age, sex, and activity status by regression equations. Nomograms for rapid derivation of FAI from age in years and duration of maximal exercise were constructed for healthy men, women, and cardiac men to facilitate clinical usage of these methods. Functional aerobic impairment was 23 per cent in a group of symptomatic hypertensive men; it was 24 per cent in men with healed myocardial infarction, free from angina on maximal exertion, but 41 per cent in men with angina of effort, with or without evidence of prior infarction. In men with either angina or only healed myocardial infarction, impairment was reduced during treatment with nitroglycerin.
Effect of Dietary Acidification and Alkalinization on Urolith Formation and Renal Function in Single Comb White Leghorn Laying Hens

One of the major causes of mortality in poultry is urolithiasis. Although two of the major causes of urolithiasis have been defined, active and preventative treatments for this disease have not been extensively field tested. Previous research demonstrated that a diet acidified with NH4Cl was effective in preventing the formation of uroliths in 16-wk-old pullets. In the present study, experiments were designed to evaluate the effects of dietary acidification and alkalinization on preformed uroliths in mature laying hens. Urolithiasis was induced by feeding excess dietary Ca (in commercial layer ration) during pullet growout (6 to 18 wk of age) and during the early laying period (18 to 32 wk of age). At 32 wk of age birds were randomly divided into three diet treatment groups: a normal layer ration group, an acidified layer ration group (1% NH4Cl added); and an alkalinized layer ration group (1% NaHCO3 added). Each group received the respective diets until 52 wk of age, when the experiment was terminated. Blood gas analysis at 44 wk of age demonstrated that hens fed the acidified diet had significantly higher blood H+ concentrations, lower blood bicarbonate concentrations, and lower total blood carbon dioxide levels than hens fed the alkalinized layer ration. At 52 wk of age, hens fed the acidified layer ration had higher urinary H+ concentrations, higher blood H+ concentrations, and lower blood HCO3 and total CO2 concentrations than hens fed the normal and alkalinized layer rations. The acidified layer ration group had no uroliths present in their ureters (0% urolithiasis), whereas the normal and alkalinized layer ration groups had 8.3 and 13.1% incidences of urolithiasis.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Urinary and Fecal Incontinence in Nursing Home Residents

Urinary and fecal incontinence are comorbid conditions affecting over 50% of nursing home residents. Management should focus on identifying and treating underlying causes. Despite appropriate management, residents may remain incontinent because of dementia and health- or restraint-related immobility. This article reviews the results of studies that have documented how prompted voiding programs can significantly reduce urinary and fecal incontinence, particularly if the intervention includes dietary and exercise components. Documentation of noninvasive and efficacious interventions by randomized, controlled trials and the labor costs of implementing these measures can lead to changes in how nursing home care is provided and funded.
Beam selection algorithm based on PTR metric and its synchronization performance

A switched-beam beamformer is combined with a multi-receiver architecture to improve the signal-to-interference-and-noise-ratio (SINR) for indoor wireless LANs. The multiple selected beams can be used for diversity combining and for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) links. The beam selection controller uses two metrics, the received signal strength indication (RSSI) and the peak-to-trough ratio (PTR), to interactively select beams with good SINR. The second metric prevents beam falsing. This paper will describe the receiver system and the associated beam selection algorithm, and present the relationship between the PTR and SINR. The paper also shows that the beam selection algorithm based on the PTR is robust to synchronization offsets for 802.11a and 802.16 waveforms.
Understanding Enzyme Structure and Function in Terms of the Shifting Specificity Model

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that the prominence of Haldane's explanation for enzyme catalysis significantly hinders investigations in understanding enzyme structure and function. This occurs despite the existence of much evidence that the Haldane model cannot embrace. Some of the evidence, in fact, disproves the model. A brief history of the explanation of enzyme catalysis is presented. The currently accepted view of enzyme catalysis--the Haldane model--is examined in terms of its strengths and weaknesses. An alternate model for general enzyme catalysis (the Shifting Specificity model) is reintroduced and an assessment of why it may be superior to the Haldane model is presented. Finally, it is proposed that a re-examination of many current aspects in enzyme structure and function (specifically, protein folding, x-ray and NMR structure analyses, enzyme stability curves, enzyme mimics, catalytic antibodies, and the loose packing of enzyme folded forms) in terms of the new model may offer crucial insights.
Developmental Differences in Children's Production and Recall of Information as a Function of Computer Presentational Features

Developmental differences in children's production and recall of computer-presented information was examined at varying levels of action and verbal labels when presented in list or story conditions. Forty children, equally distributed by grades kindergarten and second, were randomly assigned to a list or story condition. Within each condition, the same twenty-four objects (six sets of four objects) were presented with or without action and verbal labels. Kindergartners were more responsive to, and dependent upon, action and verbal labels for their production and recall of object names than were second graders. Results suggest a developmental shift from feature-dependence to feature-independence in children's computer information processing activities.
Factors Influencing Bacterial Contamination of Commercially Produced Liquid Egg

Abstract INTRODUCTION THE egg industry has not yet solved the problems of bacterial growth in shell eggs and contamination of liquid egg products. Processing alone does not insure that organisms will not multiply in the product and cause spoilage or create a health hazard. Egg washing machines are used to remove dirt and to sanitize shell surfaces in an attempt to reduce shell contamination. Machines employed for breaking eggs eliminate much of the chance of contamination associated with breaking by hand. However, liquid egg is still subject to infection by various microorganisms. The bacterial content of the shell eggs used as breaking stock is an important factor in determining numbers and kinds of organisms in the product. Solowey et al. (1946) found more than four times as many samples positive for Salmonellae in liquid egg prepared from dirty shell eggs as in the product from the clean shell eggs. Reports of . . .
A 120-W X-band spatially combined solid-state amplifier

In this paper, we present new results in the development of a broad-band spatial power-combining system implemented in a standard X-band waveguide environment. Using 24 off-the-shelf GaAs monolithic-microwave integrated-circuit (MMIC) power amplifiers integrated with tapered-slot antenna arrays, the new combining circuit produced up to 126-W maximum power output with a gain variation of /spl plusmn/1.9 dB within the band of interest (8-11 GHz). This hybrid circuit combiner is transparent to the device technology, and also provides an excellent heat-sinking capacity, sustaining as much as 415 W of dc power consumed by the MMIC amplifiers. The modular architecture allows easy maintenance, variable output power level, and modular assembly. Results on graceful degradation are also presented, showing superb tolerance to device failure.
Hypertension, possible vascular protection and lercanidipine.

Systemic hypertension is a major global problem contributing to enormous disease burden, premature morbidity and mortality. A substantial majority of hypertensive patients require long-term drug therapy for appropriate blood pressure control. Although there are many classes of antihypertensive drugs for clinical use, calcium channel blockers (CCBs) have a special role in the management of hypertension owing to their well established safety and efficacy among the CCBs; the dihydropyridines (DHPs) are recognized for their predicable efficacy and dependability to achieve the recommended target goals of treatment. The older DHPs, such as nifedipine, felodipine and amlodipine, can cause bothersome side effects, such as ankle edema. The new-generation lipophilic DHP CCBs, such as lercanidipine, offer an advantage of less frequent occurrence of ankle edema. Furthermore, lercanidipine (in contrast to older DHPs) exerts favorable cardiorenal effects. Lercanidipine administered alone or in combination with other an...
LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHIC METHOD FOR THE DETERMINATION OF ANTHRAQUINONE RESIDUES IN WEATHERED AND UNWEATHERED FORMULATED RICE SEED AND SURFACE WATER IN RICE FIELDS

Anthraquinone was extracted from weathered and non-weathered formulated rice seed and analyzed by reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatography. Anthraquinone was quantified by UV absorbance at 325 nm. Recovery data were determined by analyzing anthraquinone fortified control rice seed. The mean recovery of anthraquinone in rice seed was 99.3 ± 0.5% for the range of 0.050 to 1.00% anthraquinone. Anthraquinone residues in surface water samples from rice fields were determined by direct injection of filtered samples into a reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatograph and quantified by UV absorbance at 254 nm. Recovery data were produced by analyzing anthraquinone fortified control surface water samples from rice fields. The mean recovery of anthraquinone in surface water samples was 97.0 ± 2.4% for the range of 8.0 to 400 ng/mL anthraquinone.
Collimated aerosol beam deposition: sub 5-μm resolution of printed actives and passives

Materials deposition based upon directed aerosol flow has the potential of finding application in the field of flexible electronics where a low-temperature route to printed transistors with high mobilities remains elusive. NDSU has been actively engaged in addressing this opportunity from the following two perspectives: (1) developing an appreciation of the basic physics that dominate aerosol beam deposition toward engineering a robust method that allows the realization of deposited features with sub-5 mum resolution; and, (2) developing an understanding of the mechanistic transformations of silane - based precursor inks toward the formation of electronic materials at atmospheric-pressatmospheric-pressureure. In this paper, we will briefly discuss the genesis of a new a materials deposition method termed collimated aerosol beam direct-write (CAB- DW) where precision linewidth control has been realized using a combined theoretical/experimental approach. Next, we will discuss progress using Si6H12 (cyclohexasilane - a liquid silane) as a precursor for solution-processed diodes and transistors. Finally, we demonstrate the ability to CAB- DW Si6H12-based precursor inks for printing Si-based semiconductors.
THE PROJECTION STICK INDEX OF KNOTS

The stick index of a knot K is defined to be the least number of line segments needed to construct a polygonal embedding of K. We define the projection stick index of K to be the least number of line segments in any projection of a polygonal embedding of K. In this paper, we establish bounds on the projection stick index for various torus knots. We then show that the stick index of a (p, 2p + 1)-torus knot is 4p, and the projection stick index is 2p + 1. This provides examples of knots such that the projection stick index is one greater than half the stick index. We show that for all other torus knots for which the stick index is known, the projection stick index is larger than this. We conjecture that a projection stick index of half the stick index is unattainable for any knot.