cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Computational enhancements in low-rank semidefinite programming

We discuss computational enhancements for the low-rank semidefinite programming algorithm, including the extension to block semidefinite programs (SDPs), an exact linesearch procedure, and a dynamic rank reduction scheme. A truncated-Newton method is also introduced, and several preconditioning strategies are proposed. Numerical experiments illustrating these enhancements are provided on a wide class of test problems. In particular, the truncated-Newton variant is able to achieve high accuracy in modest amounts of time on maximum-cut-type SDPs.
Why Net Neutrality Analogies Will Always Fail [News]

In late February, in a big victory for Net neutrality advocates, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to reclassify broadband Internet as a telecommunications service subject to regulations like those used in the telephone industry. AT&T, Verizon, and other opponents of reclassification argued, unsuccessfully, that phone networks are a poor analogy for understanding the Internet. But what is the right analogy? Internet access is a complex tangle of technical, political, and commercial issues, and people have long tried to make it comprehensible through comparisons to other, more familiar systems. As a result, Net neutrality analogies have also become a powerful and effective rhetorical tool for rallying political action.
A method of unconstrained global optimization

Abstract The method that is defined in the following finds the maximum or minimum of a real-valued function of many variables even if the function has local maxima or minima. The methods is iterative and guaranteed to converge for polynomials in several variables up to fourth degree. It can also be used successfully for other types of functions. The method approximates a function automatically if it is not a polynomial of degree four or less. It is shown that a global optimization method for fourth degree polynomials can solve systems of polynomial equations in many variables of any degree. The speed of convergence is analysed theoretically and empirically. The method has been applied by the author and collaborators to the solution of systems of nonlinear equations in many variables (up to 100 variables), determination of rate constants in nonlinear differential equations (systems identification), chemical equilibrium equations, curve fitting of sums of exponentials, pattern recognition, and analysis of spectra with nonlinear superposition (Bremermann and Lam [11]). The applications will be reported elsewhere.
Electronic and structural properties of rare earth metals at normal and high pressures: Eu and Yb

Abstract Ground state properties of the divalent rare earth metals Eu and Yb at ambient and high pressures are investigated by calculating their band structures and total energies using the linearized muffin-tin orbital method. To monitor the strengths of the 4f interactions in the local density approximation the hybridization of the 4f electrons is either fully included (itinerant model) or completely neglected (localized model). The effects of spin-polarization are also included for Eu. Divalent to trivalent valence transitions under pressure are discussed and compared with recent X-ray absorption experiments. For Yb, the structural stability of its fcc, bcc and hcp phases is investigated and results are presented.
Weed Management in No-Till Zucchini Squash

Weed control in no-tillage (NT) zucchini squash (Cucurbita pepo L.) was determined for various preemergence (PRE) herbicide combinations in herbicide-killed ‘Wheeler’ winter rye (Secale cereale L.) or bare soil. Winter rye provided 65% and 75% control of redroot pigweed (Amaranthus retroflexus L.) and smooth crabgrass [Digitaria ischaemum (Schreb.) Schreb. ex Muhl.], respectively, in the absence of herbicides compared with no control in the bare soil system. Tank mixing dimethenamid [2-chloro-N-(2,4-dimethyl-3-thienyl)-N-(2-methoxy-1-methylethyl)-acetamide], halosulfuron [methyl 3-chloro-5-(4,6-dimethoxy-2-pyrimidinylcarbamoylsulfamoyl)-1-methylpyrazole-4-carboxylate], or imazamox [2-(4,5-dihydro-4-methyl-4-(methylethyl)-5-oxo-1H-imidazol-2-yl)-5-(methoxy-methyl)-3-pyridine-carboxylic acid] with clomazone [2-(2-chlorophenyl)methyl-4,4-dimethyl-3-isoxazolidinone] and ethalfluralin [N-ethyl-N-(2-methyl-2-propenyl)-2,6-dinitro-4-(trifluoromethyl) benzenamine] increased redroot pigweed control compared with c...
Schloegl's second model for autocatalysis on hypercubic lattices: Dimension dependence of generic two-phase coexistence

Schloegl's second model on a ($d$ \ensuremath{\ge} 2)-dimensional hypercubic lattice involves: (i) spontaneous annihilation of particles with rate $p$ and (ii) autocatalytic creation of particles at vacant sites at a rate proportional to the number of suitable pairs of neighboring particles. This model provides a prototype for nonequilibrium discontinuous phase transitions. However, it also exhibits nontrivial generic two-phase coexistence: Stable populated and vacuum states coexist for a finite range, ${p}_{f}(d)lpl{p}_{e}(d),$ spanned by the orientation-dependent stationary points for planar interfaces separating these states. Analysis of interface dynamics from kinetic Monte Carlo simulation and from discrete reaction-diffusion equations (dRDEs) obtained from truncation of the exact master equation, reveals that ${p}_{e(f)}\ensuremath{\sim}0.211\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}3765+{c}_{e(f)}/d$ as $d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty},$ where $\ensuremath{\Delta}c={c}_{e}\ensuremath{-}{c}_{f}\ensuremath{\approx}0.014$. A metastable populated state persists above ${p}_{e}$($d$) up to a spinodal $p={p}_{s}(d)$, which has a well-defined limit ${p}_{s}(d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\ensuremath{\infty})=\frac{1}{4}$. The dRDEs display artificial propagation failure, absent in the stochastic model due to fluctuations. This feature is amplified for increasing $d$, thus complicating our analysis.
Membranous nephropathy after use of UK-manufactured skin creams containing mercury

Membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN) is the commonest cause of the nephrotic syndrome in adults.1,2 The majority of cases are idiopathic (primary MGN), however ∼30% are secondary to systemic diseases such as SLE, epithelial malignancies, medications or exposure to heavy metals.3 Recently, an autoantibody has been identified in >70% of cases of idiopathic MGN with specificity for the M-type phospholipase A2 receptor (PLA2R).4 Skin-lightening creams, which may contain mercury salts, are widely used in ethnic subgroups where paler skin is seen as a desirable attribute.5 With prolonged use, mercury toxicity can occur, leading to the development of autoimmune phenomena and renal dysfunction.6 We describe two cases of biopsy-proven MGN associated with elevated serum and urine mercury levels in females who used skin-lightening creams containing mercury that had been manufactured in the UK. Neither patient had antibodies against the PLA2R providing further evidence for the specificity of this antibody for primary MGN. ### Case 1 A 44-year-old woman originally from Pakistan was referred for investigation of the nephrotic syndrome. She had peripheral oedema, an albumin of 32 g/l, a plasma creatinine of 95 µmol/l (eGFR59 ml/min/1.73 m2) and a urine protein–creatinine ratio of 1419 mg/mmol (normal <30). Her history included peptic ulcer disease and vitamin D deficiency, which had been diagnosed 4 months before the …
Mechanism of induction of haemolytic anaemia by phenylhydrazine

A COMPOUND with the optical spectrum of a ferrihaemochrome was produced when ferricyanide-oxidised phenylhydrazine was added to a solution of ferrihaemoglobin1. The three isomers of methylphenylhydrazine similarly resulted in ferrihaemochromes, but 4-hydrazinobenzoic acid did not2. The induction of haemolytic anaemia by a substituted phenylhydrazine was related to the reactivity of its oxidised form with ferrihaemoglobin to produce a ferrihaemochrome2,3. Further studies of the reaction of oxidised arylhydrazine with ferrihaemoglobin have established that the formation of a ferrihaemochrome-like product and the character of the optical spectrum of this product depend on the nature and position of substituents on the benzene ring of phenylhydrazine.
On the Learnability of Disjunctive Normal Form Formulas

We present two related results about the learnability of disjunctive normal form (DNF) formulas. First we show that a common approach for learning arbitrary DNF formulas requires exponential time. We then contrast this with a polynomial time algorithm for learning “most” (rather than all) DNF formulas. A natural approach for learning boolean functions involves greedily collecting the prime implicants of the hidden function. In a seminal paper of learning theory, Valiant demonstrated the efficacy of this approach for learning monotone DNF, and suggested this approach for learning DNF. Here we show that no algorithm using such an approach can learn DNF in polynomial time. We show this by constructing a counterexample DNF formula which would force such an algorithm to take exponential time. This counterexample seems to capture much of what makes DNF hard to learn, and thus is useful to consider when evaluating the run-time of a proposed DNF learning algorithm. This hardness result, as well as other hardness results for learning DNF, relies on the construction of particular hard-to-learn formulas, formulas that appear to be relatively rare. This raises the question of whether most DNF formulas are learnable. For certain natural definitions of “most DNF formulas,” we answer this question affirmatively.
Carbon-carbon bond formation in the reductive coupling of trifluoroacetonitrile and pentafluorobenzonitrile - synthetic routes to new perfluoroalkyl-and perfluoroaryl-substituted α-diimines: versatile synthons for heterocycle synthesis

Abstract Reductive coupling of perfluoroalkyl- and perfluoroaryl-nitriles with [(η 5 -C 5 H 5 ) 2 TiCl] 2 provides the corresponding μ-diiminatodititanium complexes. Protonolysis of the Ti–N bonds with ethereal HCl liberates the corresponding perfluoroalkyl- and perfluoroaryl-substituted α-diimines, two of which have been fully characterized by IR, 1 H and 13 C NMR, and X-ray crystallography.
Effect of Processing on Yield, Color and Texture of Canned Mushrooms

Net yield of canned mushrooms during retorting was improved by vacuum hydration. Yield, color, and texture decreased with increased process time at all temperatures. Process-induced changes in all three parameters were modeled as first order reactions. For hydrated mush-rooms, activation energies for yield, color and texture were 16.0 Kcal/mole, 16.2 Kcal/mole, and 31.3 Kcal/mole, respectively. Corresponding values for nonhydrated mushrooms were 15.9 Kcal/mole, 38.4 Kcal/mole, and 38.5 Kcal/mole. Z values for yield, color and texture of hydrated samples were 44.0°C, 43.9°C, and 22.4°C, respectively, and for nonhydrated samples, 44.1°C, 18.7°C, and 18.3°C, respectively, Vacuum hydration caused color and texture to be relatively insensitive to process temperature.
TH-D-BRC-08: Monte Carlo Based KV CBCT Modeling and Dose Calculations Involving Anatomical Phantom

Purpose: To model and validate the Varian OBI kV CBCTscanner and to assess radiation dose to the anatomical patient phantom. Method and Materials:Monte Carlo code, MCNPX, was used to simulate the x‐ray source including the energy spectrum, filter, and scan trajectory. The scanner with full‐fan and half‐fan scan modes was validated by comparing simulated peripheral doses against measured peripheral doses. The validated scannermodel was then involved with the phantom of an anatomical patient phantom to calculate the organ doses. Results: Comparison between simulated and measured peripheral results performed on OBI kV CBCT with body and head phantoms shows good agreement in terms of the discrepancy between the simulated and measured Dcentral, as well as simulated and measured CBCTDIw. The nuances were ranged 1% – 8%. It was found that, during the IGRTCBCTimaging procedure in low dose mode with total 252 mAs used, that eye lens received the largest dose around 6 cGy for head‐neck scan, and thymus received the largest dose around 7 cGy for lung‐chest scan,. Conclusion: This work demonstrates the ability of modeling and validating kV CBCTscanner by using Monte Carlo technique, as well as rapidly and accurately assessing organ doses by combining the kV CBCTscannermodel and the patient phantom.
The arid peritidal complex of Abu Dhabi: A historical perspective

This historical account relates to the work of the Research Committee of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and two of its subcommittees: the Carbonate Rock Committee and the Persian Gulf Research Committee. In 1968–1970, as a member of the AAPG Research Committees and chair of the two other committees I was involved in supervising research in Abu Dhabi. The purpose of this paper is to document by aerial and ground photographs classical arid peritidal settings photographed in 1969 that are no longer pristine because the area of study in Abu Dhabi has suffered as a result of urban sprawl. This paper consists of a narrative for the photographs. The reader is encouraged to view the photographs and study their captions. They show peritidal settings, includingsabkhas, microbial mats, and supratidal anhydrite.
Temperature-dependence inelastic neutron scattering from mixed Ising systems

A Monte Carlo calculation of the temperature-dependent inelastic neutron scattering from Ising systems composed of mixtures of spin-1/2 and spin-1 or spin-5/2 constituents is made. The phase boundary of critical temperature versus spin-1/2 concentration is determined. Experimental data on the mixed systems Rb2CoxNi1-xF4 and Rb2CoxMn1-xF4 for 0.41<x<1.0 are found to be in good agreement with the results of this simulation.
FROM REVOLUTION TO MODERNIZATION: THE PARADIGMATIC TRANSITION IN CHINESE HISTORIOGRAPHY IN THE REFORM ERA

Chinese historiography of modern China in the 1980s and 1990s underwent a paradigmatic transition: in place of the traditional revolutionary historiography that bases its analyses on Marxist methodologies and highlights rebellions and revolutions as the overarching themes in modern Chinese history, the emerging modernization paradigm builds its conceptual framework on borrowed modernization theory and foregrounds top-down, incremental reforms as the main force propelling China's evolution to modernity. This article scrutinizes the origins of the new paradigm in the context of a burgeoning modernization discourse in reform-era China. It further examines the fundamental divides between the two types of historiography in their respective constructions of master narratives and their different approaches to representing historical events in modern China. Behind the prevalence of the modernization paradigm in Chinese historiography is Chinese historians' unchanged commitment to serving present political needs by interpreting the past.
Synthesis and Characterization of 1-, 2-, and 3-Dimensional Bimetallic UO22+/Zn2+ Phosphonoacetates

Four bimetallic UO 2 2+ /Zn 2+ phosphonoacetates have been prepared from hydrothermal reactions of uranyl nitrate, zinc nitrate, and triethyl phosphonoacetate. These compounds, (UO 2 ) 2 (PPA) 2 (H 2 O) 2 ·Zn(H 2 O) 6 ·4H 2 O (1), (UO 2 ) 4 (PPA) 2 -(HPPA) 2 ·Zn(H 2 O) 6 ·5H 2 O·(2), (UO 2 ) 2 (H 2 O) 2 (PPA) 2 Zn(H 2 O) 4 (3), and (UO 2 ) 2 (PPA) 2 (HPPA)Zn 2 (H 2 O) 2 ·3(H 2 O) (4), adopt 1-, 2-, and 3-dimensional architectures wherein the UO 2 2+ cation exhibits coordination preference for the phosphonate over the carboxylate oxygen atoms. The Zn 2+ metal centers show an increased degree of ligand coordination with increasing reaction temperature. At 120 °C, compounds 1 and 2 are formed. These structures are 1- and 2-dimensional, respectively, and contain fully hydrated [Zn(H 2 O) 6 ] 2+ cations. At 150 °C and 180 °C, the HPPA ligand displaces H 2 O molecules from the inner Zn 2+ hydration sphere and binds to the metal centers via a -CO 2 H oxygen atom in 3 and both carboxylate and phosphonate oxygen atoms in 4. The overall Zn 2+ reaction can be expressed by the equation Zn(H 2 O) 6 2+ + HPPA ⇄ Zn(H 2 0) 5 (HPPA) + H 2 O. Presented here are the syntheses, structures, and characterization of these materials.
Sorbent material property requirements for on-board hydrogen storage for automotive fuel cell systems

Abstract Material properties required for on-board hydrogen storage in cryogenic sorbents for use with automotive polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell systems are discussed. Models are formulated for physical, thermodynamic and transport properties, and for the dynamics of H2 refueling and discharge from a sorbent bed. A conceptual storage configuration with in-bed heat exchanger tubes, a Type-3 containment vessel, vacuum insulation and requisite balance-of-plant components is developed to determine the peak excess sorption capacity and differential enthalpy of adsorption for 5.5 wt% system gravimetric capacity and 55% well-to-tank (WTT) efficiency. The analysis also determines the bulk density to which the material must be compacted for the storage system to reach 40 g.L−1 volumetric capacity. Thermal transport properties and heat transfer enhancement methods are analyzed to estimate the material thermal conductivity needed to achieve 1.5 kg.min−1 H2 refueling rate. Operating temperatures and pressures are determined for 55% WTT efficiency and 95% usable H2. Needs for further improvements in material properties are analyzed that would allow reduction of storage pressure to 50 bar from 100 bar, elevation of storage temperature to 175–200 K from 150 K, and increase of WTT efficiency to 57.5% or higher.
Meaning and necessity : a study in semantics and modal logic

"This book is valuable as expounding in full a theory of meaning that has its roots in the work of Frege and has been of the widest influence. . . . The chief virtue of the book is its systematic character. From Frege to Quine most philosophical logicians have restricted themselves by piecemeal and local assaults on the problems involved. The book is marked by a genial tolerance. Carnap sees himself as proposing conventions rather than asserting truths. However he provides plenty of matter for argument."-Anthony Quinton, "Hibbert Journal"
Rapid Measurement of Human Milk Macronutrients in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Accuracy and Precision of Fourier Transform Mid-Infrared Spectroscopy

Background:Although it is well established that human milk varies widely in macronutrient content, it remains common for human milk fortification for premature infants to be based on historic mean values. As a result, those caring for premature infants often underestimate protein intake. Rapid precise measurement of human milk protein, fat, and lactose to allow individualized fortification has been proposed for decades but remains elusive due to technical challenges.Objective:This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy and precision of a Fourier transform (FT) mid-infrared (IR) spectroscope in the neonatal intensive care unit to measure human milk fat, total protein, lactose, and calculated energy compared with standard chemical analyses.Methods:One hundred sixteen breast milk samples across lactation stages from women who delivered at term (n = 69) and preterm (n = 5) were analyzed with the FT mid-IR spectroscope and with standard chemical methods. Ten of the samples were tested in replicate using the FT m...
Proximity effect in quartz crystal microbalance.

When an object approaches a vibrating quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) the resonant frequency changes. This “proximity effect” was seen at the distance of 10 mm in air and became more pronounced as the distance decreased. This effect depends on the quality factor (Q-factor) value of a QCM, conductivity of the object, and electrical connection of the object to QCM electrodes. A special setup was constructed to test the impact of the proximity effect on a QCM. Damping fluid was placed on one side of QCM, to change the Q-factor. A conducting metal disk was brought close to the other side of the QCM exposed to air. By varying the distance between the QCM and an object (metal disk), a shift in frequency was observed. This proximity effect was largest (>200 Hz for 10 MHz QCM) when the Q-factor was low and a conducting metal disk (e.g., Cu) was electrically shorted to the proximal (nearest) QCM electrode. The finite element modeling showed that the proximity effect was likely due to interaction of the object wi...
Kaposi's Sarcoma-Associated Herpesvirus-Induced Angiogenin Plays Roles in Latency via the Phospholipase Cγ Pathway: Blocking Angiogenin Inhibits Latent Gene Expression and Induces the Lytic Cycle

During de novo infection of human dermal microvascular endothelial cells (HMVEC-d), Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) induced the multifunctional angiogenin (ANG) protein, which entered the nuclei and nucleoli of infected cells and stimulated 45S rRNA gene transcription, proliferation, and tube formation, which were inhibited by blocking ANG nuclear translocation with the antibiotic neomycin (S. Sadagopan et al., J. Virol. 83:3342-3364, 2009). ANG was induced by KSHV latency protein LANA-1 (open reading frame 73 [ORF73]). Here we examined the presence and functions of ANG in KSHV-positive (KSHV(+)) primary effusion lymphoma (PEL/BCBL) cells. Significant ANG gene expression and secretion were observed in KSHV(+) (BCBL-1 and BC-3) and KSHV(+) and Epstein-Barr virus-positive (KSHV(+) EBV(+)) (JSC-1) PEL cells and in BJAB-KSHV cells but not in EBV(-) KSHV(-) lymphoma cells (Akata, Loukes, Ramos, and BJAB), EBV(+) lymphoma cells (Akata-EBV and Raji), and cells from an EBV(+) lymphoblastoid cell line, thus suggesting a specific association of ANG in KSHV biology. Inhibition of nuclear translocation of ANG resulted in reduced BCBL-1 and TIVE-LTC (latently infected endothelial) cell survival and proliferation, while EBV(-) and EBV(+) Akata cells were unaffected. Blocking nuclear transport of ANG inhibited latent ORF73 gene expression and increased lytic switch ORF50 gene expression, both during de novo infection and in latently infected cells. A greater quantity of infectious KSHV was detected in the supernatants of neomycin-treated BCBL-1 cells than 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-treated cells. Neomycin treatment and ANG silencing inhibited phospholipase Cγ (PLC-γ) and AKT phosphorylation, and in contrast, ANG induced ORF73 expression and PLC-γ and AKT phosphorylation. Further studies provided evidence that blockage of PLC-γ activation by neomycin appears to be mediating the inhibition of latent gene expression, since treatment with the conventional PLC-γ inhibitor U73122 also showed similar results. Silencing of ANG also resulted in reduced cell survival, reduced ORF73 gene expression, and lytic gene activation in BCBL-1 and TIVE-LTC cells and during de novo infection. Taken together, these studies suggest that KSHV has evolved to exploit ANG for its advantage via a so-far-unexplored PLC-γ pathway for maintaining its latency.
Glutamine deficiency as a cause of human immunodeficiency virus wasting

Tissue wasting often occurs during human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immune deficiency syndrome. While weight-loss in the human immunodeficiency virus-infected individual can be seen as an isolated symptom, catabolism during acquired immune deficiency syndrome is usually associated with complications such as diarrhea, malabsorption, fever and secondary infection. Glutamine is an amino acid central to many important metabolic pathways and recent findings suggest that glutamine depletion may explain the progression of tissue wasting during human immunodeficiency virus infection.
Frequency and severity of panic attack symptoms in a treatment seeking sample of trauma victims

This study assessed the frequency and severity of panic attack symptoms and panic attacks that develop in relation to the experience of traumatic events in 62 subjects seeking treatment for trauma-related symptomatology. Results indicated a high incidence of panic attacks (69%). Many individuals also thought they were going crazy or losing control (72%) or having a heart attack (38%) within the 2 weeks prior to assessment. These findings indicate that similar to panic disordered patients, many trauma victims with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) not only experience physiological symptoms of panic, but are also fearful of these symptoms.
Fiscal Policy: The Wrench in the New Economic Consensus

The so-called new economic consensus has begun to reassess the role and place of fiscal policy and is calling for its restitution in certain cases. Although a "consensus" may exist on various macroeconomic issues within this literature, fiscal policy is not one of them. The debate is stirred largely by the new fiscal theory of the price level, which not only reintroduces fiscal policy effectiveness but also undermines some core neoclassical notions such as government budget constraints, central bank independence, and the quantity equation relationship. The paper evaluates these new developments in the policy writings and actions of current Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke.
Incest: Personal Perspectives

Figures and statistics present a grim, but all-too-impersonal perspective on the prevalence of incest in today's society. Several recent offerings in the literature provide a more personal picture of this violation.
The Effects of Sigma, PCP, and Opiate Receptor Ligands in Rats Trained With Ibogaine as a Discriminative Stimulus

Although the mechanism of action of ibogaine, a hallucinogen that may be useful in the treatment of addiction, remains unknown, receptor binding studies suggest that ibogaine produces its effects via interactions with multiple receptor types. In addition to serotonergic receptors, which have been studied previously with respect to ibogaine, likely candidates include opiate, sigma (sigma), and phencyclidine (PCP) binding sites. In an attempt to determine which of these receptor interactions are involved in the in vivo effects of ibogaine, ligands for sigma, PCP, and opiate receptors were assessed for their ability to substitute for or to antagonize the ibogaine-induced discriminative stimulus (10 mg/kg I.P., 60 min presession) in Fischer-344 rats. Intermediate levels of generalization were observed with the subtype nonselective sigma ligands 3-(3-hydroxyphenyl)-N-(1-propyl)-piperidine [(+)-3-PPP] (69.0%) and 1,3-di(2-tolyl)guanidine (DTG) (73.5%) but not with the sigma1-selective agents (+)-N-allylnormetazocine [(+)-SKF 10,047] and (+)-pentazocine. These findings, along with observations that ibogaine has appreciable affinity for sigma2 receptors, suggest that these receptors may be involved in the ibogaine discriminative stimulus. With regard to opiate receptors, neither morphine, the prototypic mu agonist, nor kappa selective agonists (bremazocine,and U-50488) substituted for ibogaine. However, intermediate levels of generalization were observed with the mixed action opiates (-)-SKF 10,047 (78.9%), (+/-)-pentazocine (73.9%), nalorphine (70.4%), and diprenorphine (75.0%) indicating a potential role for opiate receptors in the ibogaine stimulus. Partial substitution was also observed with naltrexone (55.6%) but not with naloxone or the selective kappa antagonist nor-binaltorphimine (nor-BNI). These agents were largely ineffective as antagonists of the ibogaine cue, although naloxone produced a moderate but statistically significant antagonism (69.8%). In addition, naloxone produced complete antagonism of the ibogaine-appropriate responding elicited by both (-)-SKF 10,047 (19.7%) and nalorphine (25.8%), whereas the ibogaine-appropriate responding produced by diprenorphine was only partially antagonized (44.4%). The latter observations taken together with the finding that both nalorphine (>100 microM) and diprenorphine (30 microM) have extremely low affinity for sigma2 receptors, suggest that the ibogaine-appropriate responding produced by these agents is not mediated by sigma2 receptors. These findings imply that opiate effects may be involved in the ibogaine stimulus. In contrast to sigma2 and opiate receptors, ibogaine's reported interactions with NMDA receptors do not appear to be involved in its discriminative stimulus, as neither PCP nor MK-801 produced a significant level of ibogaine-appropriate responding. Thus, the present study offers evidence that unlike NMDA receptors, both sigma2 and opiate receptors may be involved in the ibogaine discriminative stimulus.
Orienting and humor responses: A synthesis

Evidence is presented for a hypothesis that a humor response is an instance of a more general orienting response. The two responses both occur to stimulus novelty or incongruity and are identical behaviorally and physiologically, althouth their subjective components may differ. Evidence for the hypothesis is based on a series of paremeters that affect orienting and humor responses identically. Parameters on which the responses show strong parallels are the effects of habituation and the degree of stimulus change. Weaker parallels exist for such parameters as direction of stimulus change, number of habituation trials, stimulus complexity, salience, intensity, and the subject's arousal level. The weaker parallels are also areas in which additional humor research is needed.
Effect of neutron irradiation on the low-temperature specific heat and thermal conductivity of magnesium oxide

The specific heat and thermal conductivity of neutron-irradiated MgO have been measured to 0.1 K. There is no evidence for the existence of the localized excitations found in glassy materials or found in neutron-irradiated crystalline Si${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$. This result is consistent with the suggestion that polymorphism is conducive to the formation of an amorphous phase and to the existence of the localized excitations.
Development of a computerized system for fall accident analysis and prevention

Abstract This study's objective was to develop a computerized system entitled “SAFECON” (SAFE CONstruction). The system's purpose is to analyze fall accidents and fall protection in industrial construction industries. SAFECON is composed of three modules: fall accident analysis, fall protection analysis, and accident cost and scenario analysis. The fall accident analysis module consists of a fault tree analysis system for fall accident analysis and fall hazard analysis. The fall protection module consists of a rule based expert system to aid in the selection of climbing and fall protection and the mode of training. The accident cost and scenario analysis stores and retrieves the necessary accident to identify areas where accidents are taking place. EXSYS and FOXBASE Plus are SAFECON's two software environments. Eleven cases from OSHA Fatal Facts have been used to evaluate the fall accident analysis module. Results show that SAFECON matched the OSHA investigation result with an accuracy of 82%. Fourteen “real world” cases have also been used to evaluate the fall protection module and indicated that SAFECON matched human experts' recommendations with a similarity percentage of 93, 86, 79 and 93% in climbing protection, lifeline system fall protection, lanyard fall protection, and body support fall protection, respectively.
Vibration Analysis Of A Motor-Flexible Coupling-Rotor System Subject To Misalignment And Unbalance, Part I: Theoretical Model And Analysis

Abstract Shaft misalignment and rotor unbalance are major concerns in rotating machinery. In order to understand the dynamic characteristics of these machinery faults, a theoretical model of a complete motor-flexible coupling-rotor system capable of describing the mechanical vibration resulting from misalignment and unbalance was developed. The universal joint effect was included in the model to take the misalignment effect into account. Generalized system equations of motion for a system under misalignment and unbalance conditions were derived using the component mode synthesis technique. The derived equations indicate that the forcing frequencies due to shaft misalignment are even multiple frequencies of the motor rotational speed. The system response depends heavily on the relation between the system natural frequencies and the motor rotational speed. If any of the even multiples of the motor rotational speed is at or close to one of the system natural frequencies, a resonance condition occurs. As a result of this, the vibrations induced by misalignment are amplified into major vibration sources.
Interaction between transcription regulatory regions of prolactin chromatin

The regulation of transcription requires complex interactions between proteins bound to DNA sequences that are often separated by hundreds of base pairs. As demonstrated by a nuclear ligation assay, the distal enhancer and the proximal promoter regions of the rat prolactin gene were found to be juxtaposed. By acting through its receptor bound to the distal enhancer, estrogen stimulated the interaction between the distal and proximal regulatory regions two- to threefold compared to control values. Thus, the chromatin structure of the prolactin gene may facilitate the occurrence of protein-protein interactions between transcription factors bound to widely separated regulatory elements.
Seasonal fire effects on the diversity patterns, spatial distribution and community structure of forbs in the Northern Mixed Prairie, USA

The effects of fire season on forb diversity patterns, density, and composition were determined for a northern Mixed Prairie site, USA. Repeated spring burns (dormant season), summer burns, fall burns (dormant season), and unburned treatments were compared over a 3-yr period characterized by wet and dry moisture conditions. Alpha and beta diversity were highest on unburned and summer burn treatments, while landscape mosaic diversity was highest on fall burns. Forb density was highest on fall and spring burn sites. Nine forb species comprised 82% of total densities and were significantly affected by fire season and year to year variations in moisture. Forb composition for unburned and spring burn treatments was similar, but both treatments were different from the summer burn and fall burn treatments which were similar to each other. Fire alone did not appear to be an intense enough disturbance to initiate drastic changes in the forb component of vegetation patches. Specific fire seasons did appear to either mask or enhance forb structure arising from other disturbance(s). Fire season also affected the scales of forb organization in the landscape. Contrasting spatial characteristics of the forb component of prairie plant communities may provide a diagnostic technique for exposing the interaction of disturbances at different temporal and spatial scales.
Anxiety and Reading Difficulties in Early Elementary School: Evidence for Unidirectional- or Bi-Directional Relations?

The present study examined competing models of the bi-directional influences of anxiety and reading achievement. Participants were 153 ethnically-diverse children (84 male, 69 female) from general education classes evaluated in the winter and spring of their first-grade academic year. Children completed standardized measures of reading achievement involving decoding and fluency along with an anxiety rating scale. Hierarchical linear regression analyses revealed that separation anxiety symptoms were negatively predicted by fluency performance and harm avoidance symptoms were positively predicted by decoding performance. Fluency performance was positively predicted by harm avoidance and total anxiety (for girls only) symptoms, while decoding was not predicted by any anxiety subscale.
Static shear crack with a zone of slip-weakening

Summary. As a prologue to our investigation of the nature of sequences of earthquake events, we investigate the problem of a finite, 2-D, antiplane, static shear crack for two different models of a slip-weakening zone near the crack tip. The crack is imbedded in an infinite elastic medium. In the limit as the size of the slip-weakening zone vanishes, the problem becomes one considered by Knopoff for a finite shear crack in a uniform field. We solve for the displacement and the stress for representative values of dimension-less stress drop for the two models. Our results indicate that these quantities are not strongly dependent on the details of the constitutive relation in the transition zone. With decreasing dimensionless stress drop, the crack length increases monotonically and the size of the slip-weakening zone decreases monotonically. These results can be interpreted as the critical conditions for the further extension of an initial earthquake fault. In this interpretation, these results imply that the initiation of an earthquake is not only controlled by the stress drop on the fault plane, but also by the size of a pre-existing fracture: an earthquake can be initiated from a small pre-existing fracture if the stress drop on the initial fault is large enough; conversely it can be initiated under the influence of a lower stress drop, if the initial fault is large enough. No solution to the static problem exists if the dimensionless stress drop is greater than a certain value; this maximum dimensionless stress drop corresponds to a minimum crack length for which the slip-weakening zone occupies the entire crack. In the small dimensionless stress drop or small-scale yielding limit, the dimensionless half-length of the crack is inversely proportional to the square of the dimensionless stress drop; the dimensionless length of the slip-weakening zone has been calculated. We generalize the formula for the effective shear fracture energy obtained by Palmer & Rice and Andrews to include the effect of the size of the slip-weakening zone. Our results indicate that because the influence of the size of of the slip-weakening zone has not been taken into account, earlier estimates of the effective shear fracture energy may have been overestimated by as much as 67 per cent.
Auxiliary MDI Aerosol Delivery Systems

Aerosol delivered through metered-dose inhalers (MDI) offers a potentially convenient way to deliver bronchodilator agents and corticosteroids to the lungs of patients with asthma and COPD. Unfortunately, most patients are unable to coordinate satisfactorily their actuation with inhalation, a problem overcome by using auxiliary MDI aerosol delivery systems. Left to their own judgment, patients often inhale the aerosol with a high inspiratory flow rather than slowly to produce optimal aerosol deposition within the airways. This problem has been corrected by one of the auxiliary MDI aerosol delivery systems (InspirEase) through auditory, visual, and tactile feedback mechanisms. MDI devices release aerosol at a high jet velocity in large particle sizes, depositing most of the aerosol in the oropharynx which can lead to potential systemic absorption of adrenergic agonists with CNS and cardiovascular side effects, oral thrush, and suppression of adrenocortical activity. All the auxiliary MDI aerosol systems promote delivery of small aerosol particles and markedly diminish oropharyngeal impaction. Of all the systems, only InspirEase provides volume and flow feedback controls to ensure an optimal inhalation maneuver. Auxiliary MDI aerosol systems should always be used for aerosolized corticosteroid administration because they minimize oropharyngeal deposition and improve aerosol delivery efficiency.
Contextualizing from Within: Perceptions of Physical Disorder in a South Central L.A. African American Mosque

Physical disorder is fundamental to how urban sociologists understand the inner workings of a neighborhood. This article takes advantage of ethnographic and historical research to understand how, o...
Blocking the Spread of Resistance

Understanding how Staphylococcus aureus is involved in conjugative plasmid transfer may lead to new strategies to combat antimicrobial resistance.
Seasonal priority effects: implications for invasion and restoration in a semi-arid system.

Summary 1. The timing of seasonal activity (i.e. phenology) may play an important role in plant invasions. In ecosystems characterized by seasonal rainfall, early-active exotic species may pre-empt resources and attain competitive dominance via a seasonal ‘priority advantage’. Exotic annual grasses in California are often active earlier than native species, potentially because they possess greater germination plasticity. While these problematic invaders may usually benefit from having early phenology, their flexible germination cues might be manipulated as a restoration strategy to germinate seeds far in advance of favourable growing conditions, leading to a ‘priority disadvantage’. 2. We manipulated the start of the growing season in an invaded California coastal sage scrub community characterized by a Mediterranean-type climate to (i) identify whether early-season phenology confers a performance advantage and (ii) test whether rainfall timing could be manipulated to favour native species. We compared the performance of seeded native and exotic focal species under ambient rainfall timing (winter rains) vs. with a pre-growing season (late-summer) watering event. 3. Under ambient rainfall timing, exotic annual grasses and forbs germinated earlier and reached higher levels of abundance than native species, consistent with a seasonal priority advantage. Many exotic annual grasses germinated with pre-season watering, but none survived until the onset of natural rains. Observations suggest that early-germinating seedlings suffered mortality via herbivory. The watering pulse thus depleted the exotic seedbank, fewer exotic individuals germinated with winter rains, and exotic species attained lower abundance than under the natural rainfall timing. 4. Native species, whether annual or perennial, did not germinate with the pre-season watering pulse, suggesting they may have more constrained germination cues than the exotic species. 5. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that phenology is an important factor influencing invasion success, and that this could be manipulated to favour native species. Manipulation of the start of the growing season, for example through a pre-growing season watering event, could be a successful restoration strategy for native species in some ecosystems.
The theory of facilitated variation

This theory concerns the means by which animals generate phenotypic variation from genetic change. Most anatomical and physiological traits that have evolved since the Cambrian are, we propose, the result of regulatory changes in the usage of various members of a large set of conserved core components that function in development and physiology. Genetic change of the DNA sequences for regulatory elements of DNA, RNAs, and proteins leads to heritable regulatory change, which specifies new combinations of core components, operating in new amounts and states at new times and places in the animal. These new configurations of components comprise new traits. The number and kinds of regulatory changes needed for viable phenotypic variation are determined by the properties of the developmental and physiological processes in which core components serve, in particular by the processes' modularity, robustness, adaptability, capacity to engage in weak regulatory linkage, and exploratory behavior. These properties reduce the number of regulatory changes needed to generate viable selectable phenotypic variation, increase the variety of regulatory targets, reduce the lethality of genetic change, and increase the amount of genetic variation retained by a population. By such reductions and increases, the conserved core processes facilitate the generation of phenotypic variation, which selection thereafter converts to evolutionary and genetic change in the population. Thus, we call it a theory of facilitated phenotypic variation.
Robust large deviations performance analysis for large sample detectors

Large deviations theory is used to analyze the exponential rate of decrease of error probabilities for a sequence of decisions based on a test statistics sequence (T/sub n/). It is assumed that (for a given statistical hypothesis) the distributions of T/sub n/ are determined by some unknown member of a class of probability distributions. The worst case, or least favorably exponential rate of error probability decrease over this class, is sought. It is shown that the Legendre-Fenchel transform of the maximized cumulant function yields a lower bound for the minimized large deviations rate function, and that in many cases this bound is tight. Application of the result is illustrated by a detailed consideration of i.i.d memoryless detection with an epsilon -contamination distribution family. >
Clonal analysis of adult human olfactory neurosphere forming cells

Olfactory neuroepithelium (ONe) is unique because it contains progenitor cells capable of mitotic division that replace damaged or lost neurons throughout life. We isolated populations of ONe progenitors from adult cadavers and patients undergoing nasal sinus surgery that were heterogeneous and consisted of neuronal and glial progenitors. Progenitor lines have been obtained from these cultures that continue to divide and form nestin positive neurospheres. In the present study, we used clonal and population analyses to probe the self-renewal and multipotency of the neurosphere forming cells (NSFCs). NSFCs plated at the single cell level produced additional neurospheres; dissociation of these spheres resulted in mitotically active cells that continued to divide and produce spheres as long as they were subcultured. The mitotic activity of clonal NSFCs was assessed using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. Lineage restriction of the clonal cultures was determined using a variety of antibodies that were characteristic of different levels of neuronal commitment: ss-tubulin isotype III, neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) and microtubule associated protein (MAP2), or glial restriction: astrocytes, glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP); and oligodendrocytes, galactocerebroside (GalC). Furthermore, nestin expression, a marker indicative of progenitor nature, decreased in defined medium compared to serum-containing medium. Therefore, adult human ONe-derived neural progenitors retain their capacity for self-renewal, can be clonally expanded, and offer multipotent lineage restriction. Therefore, they are a unique source of progenitors for future cell replacement strategies in the treatment of neurotrauma and neurodegenerative diseases.