cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Alkylaluminophosphonate-catalyzed ring-opening homopolymerization of epichlorohydrin and propylene oxide

Reactions of an aluminum alkyl, AlR3 (R=Me, Et, iBu, tBu), with a phosphonic acid, R′P(O)(OH)2 (R′=H, Me, tBu, Ph), in molar ratios of 3:1, 2:1, and 1:1 were conducted in toluene–THF. Resulting aluminophosphonate solutions were screened for catalytic activity for the ring-opening homopolymerization of epichlorohydrin (ECH) and propylene oxide (PO). A highly active catalyst solution, 3a, was obtained from reaction of tBu3Al with MeP(O)(OH)2 in a 2:1 molar ratio in toluene–THF. A more active catalyst, 3b, was obtained by removing volatiles, specifically THF, from solutions of 3a and reconstituting with toluene. Catalyst 3a polymerized ECH at 60°C in 1–3 h to an elastomer with molecular weight, Mn, of 103 000 and polydispersity, Mw/Mn, of 1.9. Catalyst 3b yielded poly-ECH with Mn of 130 000 and Mw/Mn of 1.9 within 15 min. Catalysts 3a and 3b polymerized PO to oily oligomers with Mn of 3588 and 4046 and Mw/Mn of 1.1 and 1.2, respectively. Known dimeric and tetrameric aluminophosphonates such as [tBu2AlO2P(OSiMe3)Ph]2 and [RAlO3PR′]4 (R=Me, R′=Me; R=tBu, R′=Me, Ph) do not account for the observed activity of the catalyst solutions. Comparisons of catalytic activity with that for well-defined catalysts and a structural analogy of alkylaluminophosphonates to cyclic and cage tert-butylaluminoxanes are presented.
A Contribution to the Theory of Turbulence

S of the problem of Wind-Tunnel Turbulence have recently been published by Taylor, von Karman, and Dryden. These studies are concerned with the decay of homogeneous isotropic turbulence. The scale and intensity of the turbulence is assumed to be known at a given instant throughout the fluid and the decay with respect to time is asked for. In this note the authors investigate the turbulence produced at a constant rate in the boundary, and decaying in a direction normal to the surface of generation. This problem, so far as the authors are aware, has not been treated before. The problem becomes especially simple if one considers a fluid in a semiinfinite space bounded by a plane along which the turbulence is produced. The mean motion is assumed to be constant throughout and parallel to the plane. This investigation is not only of theoretical interest but should be useful in the study of the behavior of turbulent boundary layers, and might be of help in the study of the influence of surface roughness. The stated problem can be treated by means of the equation of the statistical theory of turbulence recently proposed by von Karman. It furthermore might serve as the basis for an experiment in which the consequences of the theory can be tested. The considered turbulent motion has statistically an isotropic character due to the absence of mean shear stresses, i.e., the correlations of the velocity components at a certain point in the space with respect to a set of orthogonal axes are independent of the rotation of this system. The turbulence, however, is not homogeneous, since the correlations are functions of the distance from the boundary. Consider a space with the orthogonal axes xiy x2} x3, in which the fluid is bounded by a (xix3) plane and has a, constant mean velocity U in the X\ direction. The
Numerical analysis of the big bounce in loop quantum cosmology

Loop quantum cosmology (LQC) homogeneous models with a massless scalar field show that the big-bang singularity can be replaced by a big quantum bounce. To gain further insight on the nature of this bounce, we study the semidiscrete loop quantum gravity Hamiltonian constraint equation from the point of view of numerical analysis. For illustration purposes, we establish a numerical analogy between the quantum bounces and reflections in finite difference discretizations of wave equations triggered by the use of nonuniform grids or, equivalently, reflections found when solving numerically wave equations with varying coefficients. We show that the bounce is closely related to the method for the temporal update of the system and demonstrate that explicit time-updates in general yield bounces. Finally, we present an example of an implicit time-update devoid of bounces and show back-in-time, deterministic evolutions that reach and partially jump over the big-bang singularity.
Middle Holocene dry period in the northern Midwestern United States: Lake levels and pollen stratigraphy

Abstract Four cores from Lake Mendota in the Yahara River valley of south-central Wisconsin provide pollen, charcoal, and sediment-stratigraphic evidence of a middle Holocene dry period in the northern Midwest. The lake level was lower between about 6500 and 3500 yr B.P. indicating that runoff from the upper Yahara River basin may have ceased during the drier seasons of the year. Derived estimates of precipitation between 6500 and 3500 yr B.P. indicate a decrease of about 10% (down to about 700 mm) from the present precipitation value of 800 mm. A warming between 6500 and 3500 yr B.P. is also interpreted based on a change of vegetation from rich mesophytic forest before 6500 yr B.P. to Quercus savanna, with increased charcoal abundances after that time. After 3500 yr B.P., a closed Quercus forest and decreased charcoal suggest a cooler and wetter climate. The qualitative paleoecological interpretations, quantitative precipitation reconstructions based on pollen from the region (including the Lake Mendota data), and estimates of hydrologic budget based on lake-level changes, all show indications of a dry and warm middle Holocene. Evidence from a large regional array of sites also supports these interpretations.
Replication of a linear mini-chromosome with terminal inverted repeats from the Kluyveromyces lactis linear DNA plasmid k2 in the cytoplasm of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Abstract The k1 and k2 linear DNA plasmids of Kluveromyces lactis replicate in the cytoplasm under the control of plasmid-encoded genes. These plasmids can also replicate autonomously in the cytoplasm of mitochondrial DNA-deficient strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Essential for replication are plasmid-specific terminal inverted repeats (TIRs) to which a terminal protein (TP) is attached at the 5 ′ ends. A plasmid was constructed with k2 TIRs in opposite orientations and with a selectable marker ( URA3 ) under the control of k1 UCS2 (upstream conserved sequence 2, the promoter of k1 open reading frame 2) in between the TIRs. Transformation of k1- and k2-containing S. cerevisiae with a fragment generated by releasing the TIR-flanked fragment from the plasmid by restriction digestion was very efficient, despite the absence of a TP. Transformation was also achieved with a fragment generated by PCR. Southern blotting demonstrated that transformants contained multiple copies of DNA fragments with the same size as the transforming DNA, supporting the hypothesis that these were replicating linear mini-chromosomes. The high frequency of transformation strongly suggests that these mini-chromosomes readily replicate supported by k2. Derivatives with a heterologous gene, firefly luciferase (LUC), expressed luciferase at high levels provided the gene was adjacent to a cytoplasmic plasmid promoter (k2 UCS5 ).
High temperature melted, radiation cross-linked, vitamin E stabilized oxidation resistant UHMWPE with low wear and high impact strength

Abstract In a previous communication we showed improvement in the wear resistance and toughness of cross-linked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) for total joint implants by radiation cross-linking after high temperature melting (HTM). In this study, we hypothesized that introduction of vitamin E into UHMWPE before high temperature melting could improve the oxidative stability of these UHMWPEs with low wear and high toughness. Vitamin E was blended with UHMWPE powder at concentrations of 0.1 and 0.2 wt% and consolidated, followed by melting at 300 and 320 °C for 5 h, and subsequent irradiation with electron beam to 150 kGy. These vitamin E/UHMWPE blends showed improved tensile and impact toughness and good wear resistance in comparison with the radiation cross-linked vitamin E/UHMWPE blends. Aggressive accelerated aging with or without pro-oxidant lipids showed that vitamin E-blended, high temperature melted and subsequently irradiated UHMWPE had good oxidation resistance.
Importance sampling for Jackson networks

Rare event simulation in the context of queueing networks has been an active area of research for more than two decades. A commonly used technique to increase the efficiency of Monte Carlo simulation is importance sampling. However, there are few rigorous results on the design of efficient or asymptotically optimal importance sampling schemes for queueing networks. Using a recently developed game/subsolution approach, we construct simple and efficient state-dependent importance sampling schemes for simulating buffer overflows in stable open Jackson networks. The sampling distributions do not depend on the particular event of interest, and hence overflow probabilities for different events can be estimated simultaneously. A by-product of the analysis is the identification of the minimizing trajectory for the calculus of variation problem that is associated with the sample-path large deviation rate function.
Comparison of Burn Severities of Consecutive Large-Scale Fires in Florida Sand Pine Scrub Using Satellite Imagery Analysis

Remotely sensed imagery has been used extensively in the western US to evaluate patterns of burn severity and vegetation recovery following wildland fires. Its application in southern US ecosystems, however, has been limited. Challenges in southern areas include very high rates of vegetation recovery following fire, frequent cloud cover, and the presence of standing water. Use of remote sensing in southern forests should therefore be coupled with concurrent ground-based assessments, at least until the methods are tested for different ecosystems. Here, we assessed burn severity using remote sensing in a sand pine scrub ecosystem, which occurs on the central ridge of the Florida peninsula and is characterized by infrequent (>40 years on average) high severity fire. Two overlapping fires that burned in 2006 and 2009 provided a unique opportunity to explore compounded fire severity patterns. Landsat-based imagery analysis matched ground-based severity measures roughly half of the time. In general, higher severity fire led to lower severity or unburned conditions, while low severity fire had a less pronounced impact on either preventing or reducing fire severity in the subsequent fire. The unusually frequent fires both occurred during drought conditions. As the region’s climate is predicted to be drier and hotter in the future, this work has implications for potential climate change effects on sand pine scrub fire regimes and, hence, ecosystem perpetuity.
The Role of Conscious Recollection in Recognition of Affective Material: Evidence for Positive-Negative Asymmetry

Abstract The process-dissociation procedure developed by Jacoby (1991) was used to assess the relative roles of recollection and familiarity in recognition of affectively positive and affectively negative stimuli. The procedure involves two phases of word encoding and a third (recognition) phase, during which some participants are told to ignore information from an earlier phase. Failure to ignore the information is taken as evidence of a low recollective component in the recognition decisions. Results showed that the role of recollection was lower in recognition of positive items than in recognition of negative items, suggesting that positive-negative asymmetries in stimulus impact, such as those discussed by Taylor (1991), can be extended to the components of recognition memory. A valence-based difference in the magnitude of the recollective component also suggests a solution to the “puzzle” about affect and recognition memory described by Ortony, Turner, and Antos (1983), who reported an “unpredicted a...
Use of macroeconomic variables to evaluate selected hospitality stock returns in the U.S.

Abstract The economics literature has long focused on the relationship between macroeconomic variables and stock market returns. No such research has examined similar relationships with hospitality stocks. This article investigates how selected macroeconomic variables influence restaurant and hotel stock returns over a twenty-seven year period employing a regression analysis. The results suggest the direction of macroeconomic forces is consistent across the industrial, lodging and restaurant sectors although differences in significance do occur. Over the period studied, macroeconomic variables are able to explain the movement of restaurant stock returns to a greater extent than either the lodging or industrial sectors.
Thin-film fullerenes for organic field-effect transistors and complementary digital logic circuits

Significant progress has been made in the area of p-type organic field-effect transistors while progress in developing n-type materials and devices has been comparatively lacking, a limiting factor in the pursuit to develop complementary organic electronic circuits. Given the need for n-type organic semiconductors we have carried out studies using two different fullerene molecules, C 60 and C 70 . Here, we report mobilities for C 60 ranging from 0.02 cm 2 /Vs up to 0.65 cm 2 /Vs (depending on channel length), and mobilities from 0.003 cm 2 /Vs up to 0.066 cm 2 /Vs for C 70 . All devices were fabricated with organic films deposited under high vacuum but tested at ambient pressures under nitrogen.
The use of regional cerebral oximetry monitoring during controlled hypotension: a case series.

Regional cerebral oximetry monitoring was used to guide nitroglycerin infusion and IV fluid administration during controlled hypotension in order to optimize each individual patient’s mean arterial pressure in a series of 20 consecutive patients who underwent major open urological or abdominal surgery. Although controlled hypotension offers a definite benefit in patients undergoing complex surgery where blood loss will be elevated or would severely compromise the surgical field, it is not without risk as low arterial pressure may compromise tissue perfusion and promote ischemia. In this case series, despite an average mean arterial pressure decrease of 19.5 % (p < 0.001), cerebral oximetry values increased by an average of 22.7 % (p < 0.001) after the nitroglycerin infusion had been initiated (220 mcg/min average). Patients received an average of 3.15L crystalloid and 437 ml albumin in fluid resuscitation.
Transfer of cholesteryl esters and phospholipids as well as net deposition by microsomal triglyceride transfer protein

Microsomal triglyceride transfer protein (MTP) activity is classically measured using radioactive lipids. We described a simple fluorescence assay to measure its triacylglycerol (TAG) transfer activity. Here, we describe fluorescence-based methods to measure the transfer of phospholipids (PLs) and cholesteryl esters (CEs) by MTP. Both transfer activities increased with time and MTP amounts and were inhibited to different extents by an MTP antagonist, BMS197636. We also describe a method to measure the net deposition of fluorescent lipids in acceptor vesicles. In this procedure, negatively charged donor vesicles are incubated with MTP and acceptor vesicles, and lipids transferred to acceptors are quantified after the removal of donor vesicles and MTP by the addition of DE52. Lipid deposition in acceptor vesicles was dependent on time and MTP. Using these methods, TAG transfer activity was the most robust activity present in purified MTP; CE and PL transfer activities were 60-71% and 5-13% of the TAG transfer activity, respectively. The method to determine lipid transfer is recommended for routine MTP activity measurements for its simplicity. These methods may help identify specific inhibitors for individual lipid transfer activities, in characterizing different domains involved in transfer, and in the isolation of mutants that bind but cannot transfer lipids.
Cortical adaptation to a chronic micro-electrocorticographic brain computer interface.

Brain–computer interface (BCI) technology decodes neural signals in real time to control external devices. In this study, chronic epidural micro-electrocorticographic recordings were performed over primary motor (M1) and dorsal premotor (PMd) cortex of three macaque monkeys. The differential gamma-band amplitude (75–105 Hz) from two arbitrarily chosen 300 μm electrodes (one located over each cortical area) was used for closed-loop control of a one-dimensional BCI device. Each monkey rapidly learned over a period of days to successfully control the velocity of a computer cursor. While both cortical areas contributed to success on the BCI task, the control signals from M1 were consistently modulated more strongly than those from PMd. Additionally, we observe that gamma-band power during active BCI control is always above resting brain activity. This suggests that purposeful gamma-band modulation is an active process that is obtained through increased cortical activation.
Pattern recognition system design based on LDPC matrices

Pattern recognition systems may be designed to recognize an exponentially large number of objects from potentially noisy measurements. We propose a design based on storing compressed representations of binary patterns corresponding to objects of interest. Sensor measurements are similarly compressed and recognition proceeds by comparing the compressed sensor measurements to the compressed representations of the objects. Parity check matrices corresponding to low density parity check codes are used for the compression. This design yields an ensemble of systems such that the probability of error goes to zero as the length of the patterns grows
Managing Workplace Incivility: The Role of Conflict Management Styles--Antecedent or Antidote?.

The workforce of the 21st century is dealing with rapid changes and increased competition across industries. Such changes place stress on management and workers alike, increasing the potential for workplace conflict and deviant workplace behaviors, including incivility. The importance of effective conflict management in the workplace has been highlighted but, to date, conflict management and workplace incivility have not been linked in the literature. The manner in which conflict is managed affects the process and outcome of conflict. This study explores the relationship between conflict management styles and workplace incivility. Conflict management styles (integrating, accommodating, avoiding, compromising, and dominating) were assessed with the 20-item DUTCH Test for Conflict Handling (De Dreu, Evers, Beersma, Kluwer, & Nauta, 2001). Instigator and target workplace incivility were measured using a modified version of the Workplace Incivility Scale (WIS) developed by Cortina, Magley, Williams, and Langhout (2001). Employees of three midwestern companies served as participants for the study (N = 289; 48.0% female). Hierarchical regression analyses suggested that conflict management style predicted frequency of workplace incivility among instigators and targets of uncivil behavior. Thus, the manner in which conflict was managed (as determined through preferred conflict style) influenced the likelihood of uncivil behavior. The integrating and dominating styles significantly predicted both instigator and target incivility, while the accommodating, avoiding, and compromising styles did not attain statistical significance in the regression equations. Implications for HRD research and practice are explored.
Inferring non-point pollution from land cover analysis

Abstract Best Management Practices (BMP's) in farming were found to significantly reduce agricultural non-point water pollution in Central Indiana. Through the implementation of systems of conservation tillage practices and structural measures at the farm level, reductions in runoff were achieved, thereby minimizing erosion and subsequent sedimentation and pollution of the surface water system. These conclusions resulted from a three and one-half year study entitled, “The Indiana Heartland Model Implementation Project” administered by the Indiana Heartland Coordinating Commission, involving cooperation and coordination of farmers, citizens, and a multi-agency, multi-disciplinary team comprised of four universities and numerous governmental agencies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency funded research, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided cost share monies for BMP implementation. A comprehensive geographically encoded computer-aided data base was constructed which included information on land cover, elevation, slope, aspect, soils, etc. Land cover map files were compiled through remote sensing including Landsat MSS digital data and low altitude color infrared aerial photography sources. This digital data base was suited for spatial and statistical analyses and transferred easily as input to Purdue University's ANSWERS Model for further watershed assessment. The ANSWERS Model is a distributed deterministic model which simulates the monitored reaction of subwatersheds to actual storm events. Through this model inferences were made as to the expected water quality improvements, given BMP's were implemented at critical areas for erosion throughout both watersheds.
Equipment needed for an obstetrician/gynecologist to practice primary care

Abstract To meet the needs of the changing health care system, more obstetrician/gynecologists will be practicing primary care, and they will require extra office equipment to facilitate the provision of these services. As the scope of primary care is vast, this article discusses only the equipment needed to manage the 12 most-common reasons to visit an internist as determined by the National Center for Health Statistics. Review of the management of these problems reveals that for a small investment, the office can be easily outfitted for primary care as most of the equipment needed is already standard for the practice of obstetrics and gynecology.
SMART syndrome: Stroke-like migraine attack after radiation therapy.

A 57-year-old woman presented with intense headache 13 years after cranioplasty and radiation treatment for occipital osteosarcoma. Examination showed anomia and paraphasic errors, right homonymous hemianopia, and dysmetria of the right arm. MRI during hospitalization demonstrated diffuse pathologic enhancement in the left parieto-occipital lobe (figure, A) and extensive gyral edema (figure, B and C). EEG while she was symptomatic showed left-predominant posterior quadrant slowing without epileptiform abnormalities. She was diagnosed with stroke-like migraine attacks after radiation therapy (SMART) syndrome and treated with IV valproic acid and corticosteroids. The headache and neurologic deficits improved over several days. After 3 months, the visual field abnormality, anomia, and dysmetria were fully resolved. She had mild baseline visuospatial deficits, including difficulty copying intersecting pentagons. Repeat MRI showed resolution of pathologic enhancement and gyral edema (figure, D–F).
Changes in membrane markers and chromosome patterns in chronic T-cell leukemia.

Abstract A patient with asymptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and only moderate lymphocytosis has been followed for 2.5 years. Originally, surface membrane markers and response to T-cell mitogens (phytohemagglutinin, concanavalin A, A23187) indicated a T-cell neoplasm. Over time, these T-cell properties were gradually lost [e.g., cells forming sheep erythrocyte (E) rosettes decreased from 77 to 16%]. Concomitantly, an expanding chromosomally abnormal clone, including a 14q+ marker, became demonstrable in peripheral blood cultures stimulated by T-cell mitogens. There has been no change in clinical course nor in the morphology of the circulating lymphocytes. The results indicate that membrane markers and chromosome patterns can change during the course of CLL, presumably reflecting the emergence of new subpopulations during clonal evolution of the disease. In this instance, clinical progression has not occurred simultaneously, and additional data are needed to determine the prognostic value of such longitudinal studies.
Stability and separation of aminoacyl-transfer RNAs on chromatography columns

Abstract In order to demonstrate that the apparent amount of a tRNA isoacceptor depends on the column matrix employed, chromatographic separations of lysyl tRNAs on several polystyrene anion exchangers and on a reversed-phase matrix (RPC-5) have been studied. Experiments were carried out to distinguish between the actual yield of isoacceptors (aminoacylated and free species) and the apparent yield of isoacceptors (aminoacylated species only). The results indicate that several polystyrene anion exchangers with similar physical properties resolve lysyl tRNAs differently. The differences are noted in the apparent yields and in the degree of chromatographic resolution. When fire column matrices are incubated separately with [ 3 H]lysyl tRNAs and the deacylations measured, the results indicate chemical deacylation by two polystyrene anion exchange matrices but not by two other polystyrene matrices or by RPC-5. Further study of two major isoacceptors of lysyl-tRNA on these column matrices confirm that different matrices cause chemical deacylation of the aminoacyl tRNA bond at different rates. Therefore, the apparent yield of an isoacceptor depends upon the column matrix. The dissociation of the ester bond of the aminoacyl tRNA appears to be catalysed by the quaternary ammonium groups of the matrix. Enhanced deesterification of the aminoacyl tRNA bond is noted in slightly alkaline eluants, suggesting a nucleophilic attack by the hydroxyl anion of the medium. The major conclusion to be drawn is that both the yield and relative amounts of isoacceptors are dependent not only upon the resolving power of the column matrix, but also upon the physical and chemical nature of the matrix and upon the experimental conditions employed. This catalytic effect is in addition to the base-catalysed de-esterification promoted by the residual primary, secondary or tertiary amine groups present in the polystyrene anion exchangers.
Brief psychotherapy in the hospital setting: techniques and goals.

Contrary to the current vogue, the author argues that brief hospitalization should provide considerable psychotherapy in order to prepare the patient for long-term outpatient care. This preparation should concentrate on (1) clarifying the history so as to stimulate motivation, (2) resolving the problems which precipitated hospitalization, (3) utilizing hospital services to restructure ego defects (4) helping the patient to achieve control over suicidal, addictive, and other forms of destructive behavior, and (5) instructing him in the “ground rules” for psychotherapy.
An experimental equation of state for solid xenon

Abstract The pressure-volume-temperature relationship for solid xenon has been determined to 20 kbars pressure from 20 to 160°K. Approximate values for the zero pressure thermal expansion and bulk modulus are given, along with their pressure dependence. The extrapolated absolute zero P-V isotherm cannot be fitted by a theoretical curve based on a Lennard-Jones 6–12 potential, and the solid appears to be more compressible at high pressures than the theory would predict. The temperature-dependent contributions to the equation of state are small and cannot be determined with precision. The thermal pressure P∗ is approximately independent of volume at constant temperature, although it appears to decrease slightly with decreasing volume. This implies that the bulk modulus tends to decrease with increasing temperature at constant volume. Various inconsistencies in the thermodynamic data and definitions of the Grueneisen constant are discussed. The only general conclusion which can be drawn is that for temperatures greater than θd the Grueneisen constant is apparently a linear function of the molar volume at constant temperature.
REDESIGNING FEMININITY: MISS MARJORIBANKS 'S DRAWING-ROOM OF OPPORTUNITY

Margaret Oliphant' s work has of late received renewed attention for her portrayal of heroines who struggle against the confines of proper middle-class femininity who are at once sympathetic and yet do not fit the model of the submissive Victorian domestic angel and Miss Marjoribanks ( 1 866) is no exception. Without fully discounting the Victorian notion that there is a proper place women ought to occupy, Miss Marjoribanks raises complex questions about how that place is defined and limited. Recent scholarly attention to the novel highlights Oliphant's sustained engagement with the issue of how far propriety and custom circumscribe a woman's place.1 Such examinations, however, fail to address the extent to which Oliphant demonstrates the flexibility of cultural notions of a woman's place by focusing the action of Miss Marjoribanks almost entirely on the heroine's creation of a very specific physical place for herself her drawing-room. Examining Miss Marjoribanks 's portrayal of how a Victorian woman might capitalize on the centrality of the drawing-room in shaping cultural notions of feminine identity, this essay argues that once Lucilla Marjoribanks has established the drawing-room as a physical and ideological space that will contain her actions, she uses this space and all it represents to expand the boundaries of her cultural place. By focusing specifically on the work its heroine undertakes within her drawing-room and by asserting that a woman's power lies in the possibility for feminine taste to accomplish action, Oliphant's novel, like her heroine, operates within the "prejudices of society" while simultaneously offering a means to exploit those prejudices. This architecturally-motivated re-reading of Oliphant's novel in turn suggests a re-reading of Oliphant's own career. For I would argue that novels operated for Oliphant the way that drawing-rooms do for Lucilla: they provided a culturally-sanctioned place in which to locate herself, and thereby reaffirm her respectable feminine position, even while she undertook projects that challenged Victorian assumptions about gendered identity.
On the instantiation of possibility distributions

We investigate the problem of instantiating a variable whose value is uncertain, but known to be constrained by a possibility distribution. Using a model based upon the Dempster-Shafer belief structure, we show that this problem of instantiation is analogous to a compound experiment in which we randomly select a subset and then perform a number of repeated experiments without replacement on this set. The probability distribution resulting from this compound experiment leads to a random procedure for instantiating a possibility distribution.
Transformation to Rotating Coordinates, reply to Atwater

PROFESSOR ATWATER writes: IN reply to Noonan's comments concerning the metric of rotating systems1, it is clear that the metric of such systems is not Minkowski. Because the components of the Minkowski tensor are constants, the resulting Christoffel symbol ½ gJa(gta,k + gka, t − gtk,a) vanishes and the equation for the geodesic lines is d2xJ/ds2 = 0 (see ref. 2). In a Minkowski frame therefore free particles will move along straight lines. Free particles do not move on straight-line paths in a rotating frame, but follow curved-line paths under the influence of the apparent forces called centrifugal and Coriolis forces. Similarly, photons will travel on curvilinear paths in a rotating frame3. We do not know with certainty how to transform to rotating coordinates1.
"Three-dimensional hybridization" with polyvalent DNA-gold nanoparticle conjugates.

We have determined the minimum number of base pairings necessary to stabilize DNA−Au NP aggregates as a function of salt concentration for particles between 15 and 150 nm in diameter. Significantly...
What Happens at Reunions? Exploring Causal Connections and Their Role in Reunion Effects

Past research on anaphor resolution has investigated the availability of discourse information related to characters that part and reunite. Upon reunion, distant concepts that have been associated with the characters before they separated become more accessible than they were just before the reunion. This phenomenon has been referred to as the reunion effect and has been replicated across several studies. In an effort to explain the causes of this effect, this study argues that causal relations between sentences determine the availability of discourse information, and tests this explanation by performing a causal analysis of materials and 5 simulations of the data from 2 sets of published studies. This article then presents the results of 2 new experiments that manipulate the causal connection between the reunion sentence and prior discourse concepts. Results show that predictions based on causal relations provide a better fit for observed patterns of data than predictions based in semantic and lexical as...
Intermittency regions at high energies

We investigate the non-statistical multiplicity fluctuations (intermittency) of hadrons produced in high-energy collisions. Within the framework of the two-mechanism model, we determine the limits of the intermittent regions. We observe that these regions decrease in extent with increasing total energy \(\sqrt s\). In addition, we determine the value of the exponent from the universal scaling law (discovered recently by R. Hwa et al.). The value of this exponent is close to corresponding experimental data.
Corn growth and nitrogen uptake under irrigated, fertilized conditions

A field experiment was conducted using a line source sprinkler and corn (Zea mays L.) as an indicator crop to investigate the interactive effects of nitrogen and irrigation on crop yield development, soil water and soil nitrate contents during an irrigated crop season. The harvest index and plant nitrogen contents were also measured. A 4 × 4 × 4 factorial experiment was conducted which included four separate harvests (49, 70, 95 and 117 days after planting) to monitor yield development and nitrogen uptake during the season, four levels (0, 75, 150, and 300 kg/ha) of nitrogen applied as urea, and four levels of irrigation. Statistical analysis showed that dry matter and grain yields and stover nitrogen contents were increased by nitrogen fertilizer, with treatment means for subplots receiving successively higher nitrogen applications significantly different (0.05 level) at successively later stages of the season. Irrigation produced a positive effect on dry matter and grain yields beginning 70 days after planting. The amount of water applied affected the amount of response but not the stage at which it was manifested. Soil water contents were monitored to the 150-cm depth using a neutron probe and soil nitrate contents were monitored by soil sampling to the 120-cm depth. Growth and nitrogen uptake were related to irrigation application and soil water content. Relative nitrogen uptake was related to fertilizer application and soil nitrate contents. Variability in soil nitrate contents prevented nitrogen stress from being predicted from soil nitrate content.
Unusual pleomorphic carcinoma of the pancreas featuring production of osteoid.

A case of pleomorphic carcinoma of the pancreas with 13-month survival is presented. The tumor was characterized by pleomorphic giant cells and spindle cells so that sarcoma was well simulated. A unique feature was the presence of well-formed osteoid within the stroma. The epithelial nature of this tumor is reemphasized.
Order and complexity in dynamical systems: Homeodynamics as a generalized mechanics for biology

The trend away from realism and positivism, combined with intense reductionism, has led to weakening the philosophy of science. But now a scientific realism and holism are reasserting themselves, stimulated by advances in nonlinear mechanics. The dynamics of living systems are here analyzed using the heuristic or metaphorical construct of homeodynamics, which contrasts sharply with chaotic dynamics. Homeodynamics predicts quasi-periodicity or asymptotic orbital stability as the manifestations of stability of developing and evolving systems, and it attempts to reconcile the conflict between an informational and a dynamical view of complexity. Mathematical, physical, and biological order are contrasted and complexity is defined. The Newtonian model of dynamics is shown to be inapplicable to complex systems. The content of homeodynamics is outlined. Finally seven common descriptions of living systems are challenged, and their homeodynamic correctives are given. Although homeodynamics is not a formal theory, it addresses the needs that any theory of a complex system must satisfy.
Rifaximin in irritable bowel syndrome: rationale, evidence and clinical use:

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is the most common functional bowel disease that affects up to 15% of the US population. The majority of patients with IBS have significant bloating and gas. Recent evidence is beginning to suggest that patients with IBS may have an alteration in the gastrointestinal flora. Specifically, findings suggest that patients with IBS have excessive bacteria in the small bowel, referred to as bacterial overgrowth. Therefore there may be benefits of antibiotic-based therapies for IBS. Rifaximin is a nonabsorbable antibiotic that demonstrates no clinically relevant bacterial resistance. Some studies have demonstrated the efficacy and durable improvement of IBS symptoms after treatment with rifaximin. In this review we explore the current data showing the association of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) and IBS as well as review the available data on the clinical use of rifaximin in the treatment of SIBO in patients with IBS.
A Neural Basis for Developmental Topographic Disorientation

UNLABELLED Developmental topographic disorientation (DTD) is a life-long condition in which affected individuals are severely impaired in navigating around their environment. Individuals with DTD have no apparent structural brain damage on conventional imaging and the neural mechanisms underlying DTD are currently unknown. Using functional and diffusion tensor imaging, we present a comprehensive neuroimaging study of an individual, J.N., with well defined DTD. J.N. has intact scene-selective responses in the parahippocampal place area (PPA), transverse occipital sulcus, and retrosplenial cortex (RSC), key regions associated with scene perception and navigation. However, detailed fMRI studies probing selective tuning properties of these regions, as well as functional connectivity, suggest that J.N.'s RSC has an atypical response profile and an atypical functional coupling to PPA compared with human controls. This deviant functional profile of RSC is not due to compromised structural connectivity. This comprehensive examination suggests that the RSC may play a key role in navigation-related processing and that an alteration of the RSC's functional properties may serve as the neural basis for DTD. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Individuals with developmental topographic disorientation (DTD) have a life-long impairment in spatial navigation in the absence of brain damage, neurological conditions, or basic perceptual or memory deficits. Although progress has been made in identifying brain regions that subserve normal navigation, the neural basis of DTD is unknown. Using functional and structural neuroimaging and detailed statistical analyses, we investigated the brain regions typically involved in navigation and scene processing in a representative DTD individual, J.N. Although scene-selective regions were identified, closer scrutiny indicated that these areas, specifically the retrosplenial cortex (RSC), were functionally disrupted in J.N. This comprehensive examination of a representative DTD individual provides insight into the neural basis of DTD and the role of the RSC in navigation-related processing.
The clinical influence of the JAAD.

D efining impact is subjective, and grading scientific journals in terms of their impact is difficult. In a perfect system, journals would be judged on the basis of scientific validity and real use in educational, clinical, or research applications. One currently fashionable measure of influence—the Impact Factor—depends on citation patterns. The Impact Factor is a simple calculation devised by Eugene Garfield nearly 50 years ago.3 It is defined as the number of times that articles in a particular journal published in the previous 2 years are cited in a given year, divided by the number of articles published in that journal during those same two years. In practical terms, the Journal of Citation Reports (JCR) defines the Impact Factor as a measure of the frequency with which the average article in a journal has been cited in a particular year, enabling people to evaluate a journal’s relative importance, especially when comparing it to others in the same field.4 For example, the Blue Journal’s Impact Factor in 2002 would be calculated as follows:
Improving consumer information for higher education planning

This chapter examines the development and implementation of a one-stop career and college planning tool that leverages existing data sets with newly created data to facilitate good decisions by consumers of higher education on career choice, major and college choice, and finance options. Early indicators point to improved access to information that supports decision making.
Interplay between superantigens and the immune system.

Superantigens interact with the immune sys- tem by binding to major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II proteins and activating T cells through the variable region of the T cell receptor fl-chain. Through this means they can cause massive proliferation and then death of a large proportion of T cells. Superanti- gens are produced by bacteria, mycoplasmas, retroviruses, and probably by other organisms. In some cases, the superantigen is crucial to the organism's life cycle. Mouse mammary tumor virus disseminates by activating T cells which stimulate the proliferation of B cells harboring the virus. In other cases, the superantigen may be responsible for the pathogenesis of the infection, such as in the case of Toxic Shock Syndrome. In this article, we review infor- mation on the diseases in which superantigens are in- volved, and the mechanisms by which the superantigens interact with T cell receptor and class II molecules. J. Leukoc. Biol. 54: 495-503; 1993.
How to increase medication adherence: What works?

Many studies have aimed to identify risk factors contributing to medication nonadherence with the goal of developing interventions to improve adherence rates. Several different intervention strategies have been studied. Psychoeducation, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and motivational interviewing have all positively influenced medication adherence and combinations of these approaches may bring about better results than one approach alone. In addition, pharmacists' intervention through answering patients' questions, performing follow up phone calls, offering additional education, and changing of medications or doses, may help the patient and ultimately lead to an increase in medication adherence and disease state improvement.
Intellectual Property Rights and Growth: Is there a Threshold Effect?

Recent WTO agreements have forced developing countries to adopt stronger intellectual property rights (IPRs). However, theoretical research is critical at best, but largely undecided, on the impact of stronger IPRs on economies at lower stages of development. This paper is particularly concerned with a critical empirical examination of the impact of human capital on the relationship between IPRs and economic growth. Using a threshold estimation technique, originally developed by Hansen, the paper discovers a threshold level of human capital (robust to many different variations) such that for countries whose human capital is below this level, tighter intellectual property rights have a negative impact on economic growth, while for countries with human capital above this level, tighter intellectual property rights are unrelated to economic growth. Thus, we find a non-linear relationship associated with this switching regression.
Gastrointestinal longitudinal muscle contractions

The patterns of longitudinal muscle contractions of the stomach and the small intestine and their relationship with circular muscle contractions during the fasting and the fed state were investigated in conscious dogs. In the stomach, the longitudinal muscle contracted in a 1:1 relationship with the circular muscle contractions. There was no significant difference between the frequency, duration, and time of onset of gastric longitudinal and circular muscle contractions, and their amplitudes were significantly correlated with each other. In the small intestine when the circular muscle contracted, the longitudinal muscle exhibited passive elongation during the fasting and the fed state. There was no significant difference between the onset, duration, and frequency of small intestinal circular muscle contractions and the passive longitudinal muscle elongations; their amplitudes were strongly correlated with each other. During a circular muscle giant migrating contraction, the longitudinal muscle exhibited a monophasic contraction, initially a contraction followed by passive elongation or a pure passive elongation. During a retrograde giant contraction, the longitudinal muscle exhibited only a pure monophasic contraction or a contraction-elongation complex. These data suggest that the enteric nerves in the small intestine innervate the two muscle layers in a reciprocal fashion and those in the stomach in a complementary fashion.
Type 2 diabetes alters bone and marrow blood flow and vascular control mechanisms in the ZDF rat

Bone health and cardiovascular function are compromised in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The purpose of this study was to determine whether skeletal vascular control mechanisms are altered during the progression of T2DM in Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) rats. Responses of the principal nutrient artery (PNA) of the femur from obese ZDF rats with prediabetes, short-term diabetes, and long-term diabetes to endothelium-dependent (acetylcholine) and -independent (sodium nitroprusside) vasodilation and potassium chloride, norepinephrine (NE), and a myogenic vasoconstrictor were determined in vitro. Few changes in the PNA vasomotor responses occurred for the prediabetic and short-term diabetic conditions. Endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilation were reduced, and NE and myogenic vasoconstriction were increased in obese ZDF rats with long-term diabetes relative to lean age-matched controls. Differences in endothelium-dependent vasodilation of the femoral PNA between ZDF rats and controls were abolished by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester. The passive pressure-diameter response of the femoral PNA was also lower across a range of intraluminal pressures with long-term T2DM. Regional bone and marrow perfusion and vascular conductance, measured in vivo using radiolabeled microspheres, were lower in obese ZDF rats with long-term diabetes. These findings indicate that the profound impairment of the bone circulation may contribute to the osteopenia found to occur in long bones during chronic T2DM.
Blood-Pressure Transducer

A piezoelectric blood-pressure transducer has been developed for indirect blood-pressure measurements on a wrist for the clinical environment. Use of a piezoelectric ceramic beam with a relatively high impedance amplifier provides a position-insensitive pressure measurement, which is very much desirable for a long-term measurement.
Sleep, neural reuse, and memory consolidation processes

Neural reuse posits development of functional overlap in brain system circuits to accommodate complex evolutionary functions. Evolutionary adaptation evolved neural circuits that have been exploited for many uses. One such use is engaging cognitive processes in memory consolidation during the neurobiological states of sleep. Neural reuse, therefore, should not be limited to neural circuitry, but be extended to include sleep-state associated memory processes.