cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A comparison of self-documentation in diabetics: electronic versus paper diaries.

Attention needs to be given to how patients can capitalize on the benefits of Personal Digital Assistant technology. The specific aims of this pilot study are to compare the efficacy of diabetic patients documenting their health maintenance data (i.e. blood glucose levels, meal intake, and exercise) using an electronic patient diary (ED) versus a traditional pen and paper (PD) diary; and determine participants' satisfaction with each diary approach.
A Unified Theory of Convoy Goods

Patent damages jurisprudence continues to struggle with how to treat the sales of noninfringing goods. When such goods have nothing to do with the patent, the answer is easy -- no damages. But when the goods are sold along with patented goods (so-called convoy goods), then courts and commentators are all over the place. The confusion is even worse because most discussion fails to consider whether and how convoy goods should affect lost profits versus reasonable royalty analysis. This commentary provides a general definition of convoy goods and provides a unified theory about how to treat them in both lost profits and reasonable royalties patent damages - when they should count and when they shouldn't.
Compensating for research risk: permissible but not obligatory.

When payment is offered for controlled human infection model (CHIM) research, ethical concerns may be heightened due to unfamiliarity with this study design as well as perceptions—and misperceptions—regarding risk. Against this backdrop, we commend Grimwade et al 1 for their careful handling of the relevant issues, coupling empirical and conceptual approaches. We agree with foundational elements of the authors’ analysis, including the acceptability of payment for research risk.1 However, in our view, it is preferable to treat payment for risk as a discretionary incentive to achieve adequate recruitment and retention, rather than compensation owed as a matter of fairness. Grimwade et al 1 note that although their ‘Payment for Risk Model’ was ‘created specifically in the context of CHIM research, it has the potential to inform payment in other areas of medical research.’ We agree and would go further: we do not need a special payment framework for CHIMs because there is nothing so novel about them compared with other types of research as to demand a distinct approach. Any successful payment framework must address the following ethical issues: preserving informed consent (avoiding coercion and undue inducement); treating participants fairly (avoiding exploitation); encouraging adequate recruitment and retention; avoiding deception by participants; and preserving public trust.2 Some of these issues may have particular salience in the context of CHIMs, but this study design does not demand consideration of entirely distinct ethical factors when evaluating offers of payment.2 We also agree with Grimwade et al 1 about several other key points.2 Given the burdens involved and …
Sovereign Default and Economic Performance in Oil-Producing Economies

Because oil-producing countries do hold public debt and do default, we must understand how oil reserves and production affect risk and economic performance.
Sequential ion-electron irradiation of zirconium carbide ceramics: Microstructural analysis

Abstract Zirconium Carbide (ZrCx) was irradiated with 10 MeV Au3+ ions to a dose of 10 displacements per atoms (dpa) and subsequently with 100 and 300 keV electrons in a transmission electron microscope (TEM). After ion irradiation, dislocation loops were observed in the microstructure and an increase in the number of carbon vacancies was revealed by Raman spectroscopy. Grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXRD) analysis showed that neither amorphization nor oxidation occurred during ion irradiation of the specimen. Subsequent electron irradiation of the pre-implanted ZrCx foil led to formation of nanosized tetragonal ZrO2 precipitates (5−10 nm diameter) on the surface of the TEM lamella. The formation of the new oxide phase was not related to the electron beam-induced heating of the specimen, but to electron stimulated oxidation caused by the residual oxygen inside the transmission electron microscope. Changes in size and density of ZrO2 crystallites were observed between the pristine and ion irradiated ZrCx regions following electron irradiation, suggesting that the initial microstructure of the ZrCx substrate played a key role in the nucleation and growth of the oxide islands. The obtained results provide insights into the microstructural response of ZrCx to different types of radiation and the inadvertent effects of the electron beam during TEM analysis of in-situ and ex-situ ion irradiated ZrCx. Additionally, the findings of this work suggest a method to prepare local ZrO2 nanoprecipitates within ZrCx grains by selective electron beam irradiation.
Signposts Turn to Twitter Posts: Modernizing the Public Forum Doctrine and Preserving Free Speech in the Era of New Media

Monumental problems often demand equally monumental solutions. Our nation, driven by technology, heavily relies upon constant technological advances in order to continue improving and developing our economy, transportation, education, and communication. Amazingly, technology has been able to keep up with such demands. The law, however, often struggles to keep up with technology. Such has been the case with the shift of discussion from in person to online. Companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter have jumped on the opportunity this shift has created by providing platforms on which people may engage in this online discussion. Individually, these companies have great influence over how we discuss public issues, but collectively, their power resembles an oligopoly over online speech. This is the result when the power rests solely in the hands of the few, whose policies and viewpoints are similarly aligned. This distribution of power, or lack thereof, of power offends one of the bedrock principles on which our nation was built—the right to free speech. As this Article will discuss, free speech is a principle we as a nation should work to promote generally, not only when it is convenient. To achieve this goal, this Article calls for the Supreme Court to extend the public forum doctrine to include the most highly trafficked online forums for speech, such as YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter. Alternatively, understanding how substantial and consequential such a leap would be, this Article proposes legislation to protect free speech online, either by giving affected users a cause of action under § 1983, or by imposing liability on the companies for content posted through their respective sites.
A Robust Platform for Unnatural Amino Acid Mutagenesis in E. coli Using the Bacterial Tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase/tRNA pair

We report the development of a robust user-friendly Escherichia coli (E. coli) expression system, derived from the BL21(DE3) strain, for site-specifically incorporating unnatural amino acids (UAAs) into proteins using engineered E. coli tryptophanyl-tRNA synthetase (EcTrpRS)-tRNATrp pairs. This was made possible by functionally replacing the endogenous EcTrpRS-tRNATrp pair in BL21(DE3) E. coli with an orthogonal counterpart from Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and reintroducing it into the resulting altered translational machinery tryptophanyl (ATMW-BL21) E. coli strain as an orthogonal nonsense suppressor. The resulting expression system benefits from the favorable characteristics of BL21(DE3) as an expression host, and is compatible with the broadly used T7-driven recombinant expression system. Furthermore, the vector expressing the nonsense-suppressing engineered EcTrpRS-tRNATrp pair was systematically optimized to significantly enhance the incorporation efficiency of various tryptophan analogs. Together, the improved strain and the optimized suppressor plasmids enable efficient UAA incorporation (up to 65% of wild-type levels) into several different proteins. This robust and user-friendly platform will significantly expand the scope of the genetically encoded tryptophan-derived UAAs.
Chapter 6 Basolateral Potassium Channel Noise: Signals from the Dark Side

Publisher Summary This chapter reviews the applications and contributions of current fluctuation analysis to the study of K channels in the basolateral membranes of epithelial cells. It has become increasingly apparent that the basolateral membrane plays a pivotal role in the regulation of transepithelial ion transport. For both absorptive and secretory epithelia, there is now abundant evidence that alterations in salt transport can be accompanied by changes in the conductance of the basolateral membrane to potassium. The chapter discusses experimental difficulties that arise from two sources: the relative inaccessibility of the basolateral side of epithelial cells and the existence of multiple K channel types. These difficulties make noise analysis a particularly appropriate device for “listening” to basolateral K channels. The chapter considers some of the experimental strategies that have been employed to gain access to the basolateral membrane, and compares estimates of K channel blocker kinetics gained from noise analysis with those obtained from single channel recordings.
The Emerging Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Epidemic

The incidence and economic impact of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is escalating worldwide and is projected to remain on a positive trajectory for many years to come. At some point in this escalation, COPD may be regarded as a true epidemic. Unfortunately, the incidence among women is escalating more rapidly than in men, reflecting the social anthropology of changing smoking habits. This knowledge, coupled with the fact that the true disease prevalence is under-reported, suggests that we are facing a significant medical and economic crisis. The most preventable risks for COPD continue to be cigarette smoking and exposure to second-hand smoke. This is a particular problem for youth in their formative and critical growth years. Amalgamated with these alarming trends are the decline in air quality, occupational exposure to inhaled pollutants and pro-inflammatory materials, poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and increasing body mass index.
Photosynthetically active radiation and root-zone temperature effects on high-tunnel primocane red raspberry growth and development

High-tunnel primocane red raspberry production is beneficial in the North Central Region of the United States where production is dependent upon the length of the growing season. Advantages of growing Rubus iadaeus L. (red raspberries) in high-tunnels include improved climatic conditions, reduced winter-cane injury, decreased disease incidence, improved berry size and quality, advanced fruit maturation and harvest, and a 50% extension of the harvest season. Improved climatic conditions of high-tunnels also have affected primocane red raspberry growth and production negatively, by reducing shoot growth, fruiting lateral development, yield, and berry quality, due to increased PAR and airand root-zone temperature in high-tunnel systems. With the expansion of high-tunnel primocane red raspberry production in an area with seasonal climatic extremes, such as the North Central Region, there is a need for simple management practices for tunnel environment manipulation. The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between temperature and irradiance (photosynthetically active radiation, PAR) and their effect on primocane growth, development, and production. Subobjectives of this investigation were to evaluate the efficacy of shadecloth in reducing PAR and air-and root-zone temperature during high-tunnel primocane red raspberry production, and the potential of soil mulch in reducing temperature of high-tunnel primocane red raspberry at the root-zone depth. The influences of PAR and root-zone temperature on vegetative and flowering growth responses of primocane red raspberry ‘Autumn Britten’ were examined. Dormant, one-year-old crowns were planted in 2012, under three identical polyethylene-covered tunnels and in a field plot. A split-plot, randomized complete block design was used. Light transmission through the tunnel polyethylene cover was reduced by 17% before treatments were applied. Whole plot target PAR reduction of 50% was achieved with the addition of shadecloth with a 33% shade
Static and Dynamic Pricing in Online Markets: Evidence from Books

Commentators have observed that the ease of monitoring competitors on the Internet may allow Internet retailers to engage in non-competitive pricing. Using data on the daily prices of 399 books at 26 online bookstores between August 1999 and January 2000, we investigate firm pricing behavior in the online book market. Although sales in the Internet channel were growing very rapidly at the time, we find that relative prices differed across the three categories of bookstores (big three, active fringe, and inactive fringe), and these differences were remarkably stable over time. We present a simple model in which cross-channel competition and differentially informed consumers lead to the observed (static) pricing patterns. Although relative prices were stable, prices did change and were on average increasing over time. We document the dynamic strategic interaction across firm categories and across individual firms. Ten pairs of firms involving seven individual firms changed prices in the same direction on the same book within three days in an (one standard deviation) above average number of cases and respond more than 25 percent of the time to competitors' price changes. Given the behavior of these firms and the large market shares held by the top three firms, we formally test a number of oligopoly and non-oligopoly explanations for the observed price changes. We find that the observed patterns were not consistent with the predictions of oligopoly pricing in the Haltiwanger and Harrington (1991) model or with other explanations such as customer loyalty, inventory considerations or changes in elasticity of demand associated with holidays. We conjecture that the observed cases of parallel pricing were largely attributable to experimentation on the part of the initiator and learning or competitive response on the part of the responder.
Recruiting Your Way to Victory: Varying Strategies in Insurgent/Counterinsurgent Warfare

Bennett (2008) introduced an agent-based simulation of insurgencies and governments which modeled the interactions of civilians, insurgents, and soldiers (government forces). That simulation allowed insurgents to attack government (military) targets, and in turn be attacked and captured or killed by government forces. When government forces inflicted collateral damage, it risked creating new insurgents. This paper expands the initial model by adding the option for insurgents to recruit supporters rather than undertake a military attack, and adding the option for soldiers to “counter-recruit” by doing “good works” in the community. I find that recruitment by both insurgents and soldiers dominates undertaking military action unless government soldiers are both relatively ineffective and inaccurate when responding. But when soldiers are ineffective and inaccurate, we can see a variety of strategic interactions between insurgents and the government.
The New International Trade Regime in Telecommunication Services and Network Modernization in Transition Economies

This study assesses how developing and transition economies have fared in profiting from changes in the telecommunications market and examines the policy challenges that remain. It pays special attention to the global market and regulatory milieu fostered by the WTO Agreement of 1997. The study asks what this latest transformation has taught us about wise management of this vital part of the infrastructure of the world's economy. It focuses on the economics of managing the transition to competition, the design of proper regulatory policies and processes, and the embedding of domestic telecommunications in the world market.
Numerical Algorithms and Software for Spectral Factorization Problems

Numerical algorithms for spectral factorization problems appearing in linear filtering and control are given. These algorithms are based on state space realizations of rational transfer matrices. Issues addressed include choice of algorithm, scaling, and conditioning. Finally, outline of a software implementation is described.
Nuclear Receptors, Coregulators, Ligands, and Selective Receptor Modulators

: Nuclear receptors are ligand-inducible transcription factors that specifically regulate the expression of target genes involved in metabolism, development, and reproduction. Their primary function is to mediate the transcriptional response in target cells to hormones such as the sex steroids (progestins, estrogens, and androgens), adrenal steroids (glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids), vitamin D3, and thyroid and retinoid (9-cis and all-trans) hormones, in addition to a variety of other metabolic ligands. More than 100 nuclear receptors are known to exist and, together, these proteins comprise the single largest family of metazoan transcription factors, the nuclear receptor superfamily. Their natural ligands, as well as synthetic ligands (selective receptor modulators, or SRMs), are known to influence the interaction of these receptors with accessory molecules called coregulators.
John Paul Stevens and Equally Impartial Government

This article is the second publication arising out of the author's ongoing research respecting Justice John Paul Stevens. It is one of several published by former law clerks and other legal experts in the UC Davis Law Review symposium edition, Volume 43, No. 3, February 2010, "The Honorable John Paul Stevens."The article posits that Justice Stevens's embrace of race-conscious measures to ensure continued diversity stands in tension with his early rejections of affirmative action programs. The contrast suggests a linear movement toward a progressive interpretation of the Constitution’s equality guarantee; however, examination of Stevens's writings in biographical context reveal a more complex story. As a law clerk Stevens had urged that Justices declare segregation itself unconstitutional in 1948, six years before the Court took that step. The state’s refusal to admit a qualified applicant to law school solely on account of her race represented an individualized wrong, one that bore resonance with the Depression-era experiences of Stevens's own family. Stevens would come to describe unequal treatment as a breach of the sovereign's duty to govern impartially. But the Justice did not view race-based means to remedy prior discrimination in the same light. As the article demonstrates, it was only after he shifted attention away from the injustices of the past and toward expectations of a just future that Stevens adjudged affirmative action as a permissible means toward an equally impartial government.
Using Self-Efficacy Theory in Social Work Teaching

Abstract Social work educators face the enormous challenge of preparing students to tackle the complex realities they will face in professional practice. In this conceptual article, the author argues for the informed use of self-efficacy theory as one pragmatic guide for the design of teaching methods uniquely suited to social work practice. Research concerning the known sources of self-efficacy is reviewed and recommendations for how this research can be applied in social work education is presented. The strengths and limitations of self-efficacy theory in the context of social work perspectives and values are also discussed.
AGSMR: Adaptive Geo-Source Multicast Routing for Wireless Sensor Networks

We propose Adaptive Geo-Source Multicast Routing (AGSMR) for WSNs. It addresses the scalability issue of previous location based stateless multicast protocols in WSNs. AGSMR is a novel stateless multicast protocol that optimizes the location-based and source-based multicast approaches in various ways. First, it saves the cost of a tree building by using receiver's geographic location information during the receiver's the membership establishment stage without flooding. Second, it decreases computation time, in turn, energy usage by determining the multicast routing path at a multicast source node (or rendezvous point (RP)) rather than calculating and selecting neighbors at each forwarding node. Third, it reduces packet overhead by encoding with a small node ID instead of potentially large location information, and by adaptively using branch geographic information for common source routing path segments.
The control of a model factory: a MAP workplace

A model factory provides an unique training facility for students interested in data communication as well as those interested in manufacturing. A programmable logic controller (PLC) together with its ladder logic is used to control the model factory. The PLC is interfaced to the manufacturing automation protocol (MAP) network. Communication with the factory is established with other nodes on the MAP network. The overall system, the factory model, the PLC and its MAP interface are used to study the computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) theories to implement scheduling algorithms and to gain first hand experience in setting up and operation of a production facility. >
Preparation of cells from blood.

Publisher Summary Peripheral blood is a bountiful source of numerous cell types that are easily analyzed by flow cytometry for a variety of properties. The monodisperse nature of blood makes preparation of these cells relatively easy if the coagulation cascade is inhibited. This chapter discusses the need to practice universal precautions. Blood, particularly from humans and primates, should be considered highly infectious whether or not from a healthy donor. Therefore, universal precautions should be followed at all times. Techniques and route of collection may have a profound influence on the condition and nature of the blood being obtained. Performing venipuncture with an extremely small gauge needle may disrupt cells and prevent satisfactory analysis. Venous blood and arterial blood may yield differing data. Even blood collection at different times of day may yield diurnal variations in some assays. The demands of each cell type and of each assay dictate specific preparation, fixation, storage, and staining protocols.
Collaboration: A Simple Recipe for Improving Research Productivity in the Community Teaching Hospital Setting

The Medical Library and the Department of Research of the Staten Island University Hospital developed a collaborative project aimed at improving research and scholarly productivity in the community teaching hospital setting to meet teaching program accreditation requirements. The project opens a new venue for hospital librarians seeking new and innovative roles within their institutions while helping to strengthen the library’s position and demonstrate the value of library services to health professionals.
Shamanism in Norse Myth and Magic (2 vols.)

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Clive Tolley Year: 2009 Pages: 893 Publisher: Academia Scientiarum Fennica/Suomalainen Tiedeakatemia ISBN: 978-951-41-1028-3 (hard cover).
Phase equilibria and structure of dry and hydrated egg lecithin

The behavior of purified egg lecithin in water has been investigated in relation to the quantity of water present and the temperature. The complete binary phase diagram of egg lecithin-water is presented as well as X-ray diffraction data on selected mixtures. Dry egg lecithin is present in at least partially crystalline form until about 40 degrees C. Above this temperature it forms a "wax-like" phase up to about 88 degrees C. From 88 to 109 degrees C it forms a viscous isotropic phase which gives face-centered cubic spacings by X-ray analysis. Above 110 degrees C its texture is "neat" and the structure is assumed to be lamellar until its final melting point at 231 degrees C. Hydrated lecithin forms (except for a small zone of cubic phase at low water concentrations and high temperature) a lamellar liquid crystalline phase. This phase contains up to 45% water at 20 degrees C. Mixtures containing more water separate into two phases, the lamellar liquid crystalline phase and water. In the melting curve of hydrated lecithin a eutectic is noted at about 16% water and the cubic phase seen when less water is present disappears at this composition of the mixture. These facts, along with previous vapor pressure measurements, suggest that there is a structural change at about 16% water. X-ray diffraction studies of lecithin at 24 degrees C and calculations from these data suggest that the reason for this may be the presence of a "free water layer" when more than 16% water is present.
Acute cocaine exposure alters spine density and long‐term potentiation in the ventral tegmental area

Growing evidence indicates that the expression of synaptic plasticity in the central nervous system results in dendritic reorganization and spine remodeling. Although long-term potentiation of glutamatergic synapses after cocaine exposure in the ventral tegmental area (VTA) has been proposed as a cellular mechanism underlying addictive behaviors, the relationship between long-term potentiation and dendritic remodeling induced by cocaine on the dopaminergic neurons of the VTA has not been demonstrated. Here we report that rat VTA cells classified as type I and II showed distinct morphological responses to cocaine, as a single cocaine exposure significantly increased dendritic spine density in type I but not in type II cells. Further, only type I cells had a significant increase in the AMPA receptor : NMDA receptor ratio after a single cocaine exposure. Taken together, our data provide evidence that increased spine density and synaptic plasticity are coexpressed within the same VTA neuronal population and that only type I neurons are structurally and synaptically modified by cocaine.
Pressurized magma reservoir within the east rift zone of Kīlauea Volcano, Hawai‘i: Evidence for relaxed stress changes from the 1975 Kalapana earthquake

We use 2000–2012 InSAR data from multiple satellites to investigate magma storage in Kīlauea's east rift zone (ERZ). The study period includes a surge in magma supply rate and intrusion-eruptions in 2007 and 2011. The Kupaianaha area inflated by ~5 cm prior to the 2007 intrusion and the Nāpau Crater area by ~10 cm following the 2011 intrusion. For the Nāpau Crater area, elastic modeling suggests an inflation source at 5 ± 2 km depth or more below sea level. The reservoir is located in the deeper section of the rift zone for which secular magma intrusion was inferred for the period following the 1975 Mw7.7 decollement earthquake. Reservoir pressurization suggests that in this section of the ERZ, extensional stress changes due to the earthquake have largely been compensated for and that this section is approaching its pre-1975 state. Reservoir pressurization also puts the molten core model into question for this section of Kīlauea's rift zone.
Ras proto-oncogene activation in liver and lung tumors from B6C3F1 mice exposed chronically to methylene chloride

Methylene chloride has been the subject of recent toxicological and carcinogenesis studies because of significant human exposure and widespread use in industrial processing, food preparation and agriculture. In this study, liver and lung tumors, induced in female B6C3F1 mice by inhalation of 2000 p.p.m. methylene chloride (6 h/day, 5 days/week continuous exposure), were examined for the presence of activated ras proto-oncogenes. DNA was isolated from 49 spontaneous and 50 methylene chloride-induced liver tumors and screened by oligonucleotide hybridization of PCR amplified H-ras gene fragments for codon 61 mutations. In the chemically induced tumors, 38 mutations were detected, 16 C to A transversions in base 1, 16 A to G transitions in base 2 and 6 A to T transversions in base 2. This mutation profile was similar to that identified for the H-ras gene in the spontaneous liver tumors and suggests that methylene chloride acts in liver by promoting cells with spontaneous lesions. Tumors in which H-ras codon 61 mutations were not detected were examined for the presence of transforming genes by the nude mouse tumorigenicity assay. Except for activated K-ras genes detected in DNA from two methylene chloride induced tumors and one spontaneous tumor, no other transforming genes were identified. DNA from 54 lung tumors was screened by direct sequencing of PCR amplified DNA fragments of the K-ras gene for first and second exon mutations, and 12 mutations were identified, 5 in exon one and 7 in exon 2. The low number of spontaneous tumors available in this study limits the interpretation of the data, and thus the frequency and spectrum of K-ras activation in the methylene chloride induced tumors was not significantly different from that in the seven spontaneous tumors analyzed. Since K-ras activation was not detected in 80% of the tumors, the nude mouse tumorigenicity assay was used to examine the lung tumors for the presence of other transforming genes. At present no transforming genes other than ras genes were identified in either liver or lung tumors.
Double beam intracavity laser spectrometers I. Flash lamp pumped

Abstract We describe a double beam intracavity dye laser spectrometer which is capable of a direct quantitative measurement of the absorbance of weak absorbers. The instrument is sensitive to broad band absorptions. The spectrometer can be modeled to allow a prediction of its sensitivity. Experimentally, the spectrometer reported here is about as sensitive as earlier flash lamp pumped intracavity spectrometers.
Planar oscillators for monolithic integration

Planar oscillators for monolithic millimeter-wave integrated circuits are considered, and a design based on a coplanar-waveguide resonator is described. Design data are obtained from simulation at 1 GHz. the resonator has a Q of 195 (50 when scaled to 100 GHz) and is mechanically tunable over a range of 12%. Combining this resonator with a Gunn diode, a model oscillator is obtained. Output is obtained quasi-optically through a transmitting antenna. Twenty one milliwatts of output at 4.5 GHz are obtained with high spectral purity. A 100 GHz monolithic planar oscillator based on this design should be possible.
Electrowetting-on-Dielectric by Wireless Powering

Electrowetting-on-dielectric (EWOD), in which microdroplets are manipulated using electrical inputs, has drawn a great deal of attraction with applications of digital lab-on-a-chip and hot-spot cooling. In most EWOD actuations, the commonly used powering method is wired transmission, which may not be suitable for isolating and employing EWOD devices in hard-to-reach areas. In this study, we investigate wireless power transmission for EWOD utilizing inductive coupling. Since EWOD is typically operated by a high-input voltage although the current is minimal, wireless EWOD also requires a similarly high voltage at the receiver, unlike conventional inductive coupling. To meet this condition, the resonant inductive coupling method at a high resonant frequency is introduced and investigated. To optimize the transmission efficiency, we study the effects of many parameters, such as the frequency, inductance, and capacitance at the transmitter and receiver, the gap between the transmitter coil and receiver coil, a...
Features of Successful Spawning Site Development for Brook Trout in Wisconsin Ponds

Abstract Lack of spawning areas limits standing crops of brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) in many small, spring-fed ponds in northern Wisconsin. A new method for developing spawning areas includes measurements along pond shorelines of hydrostatic head (an index of upwelling groundwater) and particle size of mineral soils to screen potential development sites. Organic overburdens were excavated from sites with appropriate groundwater characteristics and coarse mineral soils. Brook trout constructed redds in both natural and developed sites where seepage velocities ranged from 11.5 to 45.0 cm/hour and about 45% of the substrate, by weight, averaged less than 2 mm in diameter. Because the hydrostatic head in excavated and natural spawning areas was similar, seepage velocities, hence locations of redds, were determined by substrate permeability. Spawning-site development contributed to increased recruitment of juvenile brook trout in two of three study ponds.
Vertical cavity lasers with tapered oxide apertures for low scattering loss

The authors have fabricated vertical cavity lasers with tapered oxide apertures. The taper of the oxide aperture creates a more lens-like element within the cavity which, as predicted from theory, almost eliminates scattering losses in small devices with a 2 /spl mu/m diameter opening.
Vibrational intensity distributions in the nitrogen afterglow

Abstract Nitrogen afterglows produced in a fast-flow system by an electrodeless discharge have been studied as a function of pressure, flow, diluent, and temperature. Intensity measurements of the N 2 1st positive bands ( B 3 Π - A 3 Σ) responsible for the visible afterglow were obtained by means of a photoelectric recording monochromator. It is shown that the vibrational intensity distributions are not explainable by the generally accepted, pre-association model of the afterglow phenomena. High resolution scans depicting the relative intensity behavior of the B 3 Π - A 3 Σ system under a variety of conditions are presented.
Change in Cash-Holding Policies and Stock Return Predictability in the Cross Section

The author found that stocks with a positive change in company cash holdings have significantly higher risk-adjusted returns than stocks with a negative change in cash holdings (CCH). Moreover, the return predictive power of CCH is (1) distinct from the effect of cash holdings (CH), (2) absent among cash-rich companies, (3) stronger among small-cap stocks, and (4) limited to non-January months. The CCH anomaly appears to be more “contaminated” than the CH effect by mispricing.
Assessment of cell mediated immunogenicity of Mycobacterium leprae-derived antigens

Abstract The antigenicity of Mycobacterium leprae ( M. leprae )-derived cell membrane fraction was examined using human dendritic cells (DCs). Immature DCs internalized and processed the cell membrane components, and expressed M. leprae -derived antigens (Ags) on their surface. The expression of MHC class II, CD86, and CD83 Ags on DCs and CD40 ligand (L)-associated IL-12 p70 production from DCs were up-regulated by the membrane Ags. Moreover these stimulated DCs induced significantly higher level of interferon-γ (IFN-γ) production by autologous CD4 + and CD8 + T cells than those pulsed with equivalent doses of live M. leprae or its cytosol fraction. Both subsets of T cells from tuberculoid leprosy patients also produced several fold more IFN-γ than those from normal individuals. Furthermore, the intracellular perforin production in CD8 + T cells was up-regulated in an Ag-dose dependent manner. These results suggest that M. leprae membrane Ags might be useful as the vaccinating agents against leprosy.
Die Prins‐Makrocyclisierung als effiziente Ringschluss‐Strategie in der Naturstoffsynthese

Prins-Makrocyclisierungen haben sich in jungster Zeit als gute Methode fur die Synthese naturlicher Polyketidderivate bewahrt. Diese Reaktion stellt eine okonomische und selektive Methode zur Bildung Tetrahydropyran-haltiger Makrocyclen verschiedener Grose zur Verfugung und toleriert vielfaltige funktionelle Gruppen im Makrocyclus, in der Regel bei guten bis ausgezeichneten Ausbeuten. Nach der erstmaligen Beschreibung der Prins-Makrocyclisierung im Jahr 1979 wurde es still um diese Methode; erste Anwendungsbeispiele finden sich erst ab 2008. Der Einsatz dieser Methode in der Naturstoffsynthese hat bei Synthetikern seitdem immer mehr Interesse gefunden, und folgerichtig sind in der jungeren Literatur zahlreiche Beispiele fur Makrocyclisierungen dieses Typs beschrieben worden.
Some binomial coefficient congruences

Abstract For p prime and . A parallel, but rather different congruence holds modulo p 3 .
Balancing sexual selection through opposing mate choice and male competition.

Male–male competition and female mate choice act contemporaneously in the cockroach Nauphoeta cinerea and the social pheromone of males influences the outcome of both forms of sexual selection. We therefore examined the joint and separate effects of male–male competition and female mate choice to determine if the selective optima for the pheromone were the same or different. Dominant males in a newly established hierarchy mated more frequently, but not exclusively. Manipulations of the multi-component social pheromone produced by males of N. cinerea showed that both long- and close-range attraction of females by males were influenced by the quantity and composition of the pheromone. The most attractive composition, however, differed from that which was most likely to confer high status to males. Since the outcome of male–male competition can conflict with mating preferences exhibited by females, there is balancing sexual selection on the social pheromone of N. cinerea. Such balancing selection might act to maintain genetic variation in sexually selected traits. We suggest that the different forms of sexual selection conflict in N. cinerea because females prefer a blend different to that which is most effective in male–male competition in order to avoid mating with overly aggressive males.
Quantitative analysis of multiple phenotype enzyme-altered foci in rat hepatocarcinogenesis experiments: the multipath/multistage model

The promotional effect of phenobarbital and 1-hydroxymethyl-pyren on enzyme altered lesions in the rat liver were quantified within the framework of two separate multipath/multistage models. The experiment analyzed followed an initiation - promotion protocol in which female Wistar rats were initiated with a single dose of diethylnitrosamine at 0.15 μmol/g body wt followed by a 3 week treatment-free period. A promotor, 1-hydroxymethyl-pyren or phenobarbital was then administered continuously in the diet for 120 days. All animals were sacrificed 3 weeks after treatment and their livers were examined for enzyme histological changes. Focal lesions were classified into three phenotype categories : adenosine triphosphatase altered (ATPase), sulfotransferase altered (ST) and jointly altered lesions (ATPase and ST). Quantitative methods were used to analyze the data, which consisted of the number and sizes of these enzyme-altered lesions. Both multipath/multistage models fitted to the data clearly demonstrate that phenobarbital promotion produced more observable and larger foci than promotion via 1-hydroxymethyl-pyren and that the growth kinetics of the jointly altered lesions were elevated relative to the lesions expressing a single marker. It was not possible with these data to determine if there was a predominant sequence in the formation of jointly altered lesions.
Management of Major Offshore Projects An Industry Challenge

Faced with the urgency to create new energy supplies and the increasing complexity and size of offshore projects, industry's objective and challenge must be the timely development and efficient use of manpower, equipment, and other resources required to bring new production onstream. This study reviews project execution planning and organization and project management policies and practices. Competitive bidding, preference for fixed-price contracts, ethical conduct, and fairness doctrine are cited. Suggested steps during project execution are presented. 3 refs.
Shigella Puts the Brakes on the Host Cell Cycle

Summary Intestinal epithelial cells serve as the major defense barrier against enteric bacterial infection. However, pathogens have devised remarkable schemes to usurp this formidable immune barrier. In a study recently published in Cell , Iwai et al. expand our understanding of how Shigella colonizes the epithelium by describing bacterial IpaB as a specific inhibitor of the eukaryotic cell division cycle.
Intravenous perflubron emulsion administration improves the recovery of auditory evoked potentials after temporary brain stem ischemia in dogs

Oxygent, a second-generation perfluorocarbon (Perflubron) emulsion (Alliance Pharmaceutical Corporation, San Diego, CA) with superior oxygen delivery characteristics and greater stability than previous perfluorocarbon emulsions, was evaluated as a cerebroprotective agent in a dog model of partial brain stem ischemia. Six dogs were exposed to 20 minutes of isolated brain stem ischemia after receiving an intravenous bolus of Oxygent at a dose of 1.5 ml/kg. Brain stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEP) and regional cerebral blood flow were measured before and during the ischemia and for 5 hours after reperfusion. Changes in BAEP in this group were compared with those in four control dogs that experienced an identical ischemic period but that did not receive Oxygent. During the ischemic period, both control and Oxygent-treated animals experienced a dramatic decline in BAEP to under 10% of the baseline value. After reperfusion, the BAEP increased in both groups to between 50 and 70% of the baseline. In the Oxygent-treated group, the BAEP continued to recover to a final sustained level of over 80% of baseline. In contrast, the control animals suffered a drop in BAEP to 23% of baseline after the brief postischemic peak. The continued improvement in the BAEP in the Oxygent-treated group compared with the control groups suggests that Oxygent may be of some value as a protective agent to the brain stem during ischemia. This effect may be the result of improved oxygen delivery to the brain stem or may be related to other effects of Oxygent, such as reduction of reperfusion injury. Results suggest that Oxygent may be useful as a cerebroprotectant during cerebrovascular surgeries that require temporarily reducing blood flow to the brain stem.
Designs for pilot-symbol-assisted burst-mode communications with fading and frequency uncertainty

High performance and reasonable complexity have made pilot-symbol-assisted modulation (PSAM) of great practical interest in mobile communications. However, no previous work has investigated PSAM in burst-mode operation which is commonly encountered in multiple-access schemes (time-division or slow-frequency-hopped system). This paper examines the burst structure design problem in a frequency-flat fading environment. The explicit relationship between error performance and the design parameters, including pilot allocation, frequency offset, Doppler spread, and modulation scheme, is explored. Periodic pilot insertion commonly used for continuous transmission produces degraded performance in burst-mode operation. A new, unequal-pilot-spacing burst architecture is proposed in this paper to achieve better error performance. This work also focuses on the potential performance improvement of a frequency offset estimator and a Doppler spread estimator. The results show that an improvement up to 2.5 dB in SNR/bit can be attained by a Doppler spread estimator. A significant frequency offset can produce an irreducible error floor or a severe reduction in the throughput rate if no compensation is implemented. The performance degradation investigated in this paper can be used to determine the specification of the frequency offset estimator and the Doppler spread estimator used in conjunction with PSAM.
Celebrity, Femininity, Lingerie: Dorothy Parker's Autobiographical Monologues

Just after becoming prominent as a poet with the success of Enough Rope, one of the first best-selling volumes of poetry in America, Dorothy Parker began to write a series of short stories that emp...
Evaluation of a testicular cancer curriculum for adolescents

Testicular cancer i~ the most common solid tumor in males aged 15 to 34 years and accounts for 14% of cancer deaths in this age group. 1 Most college men are not receiving TC education from their physicians and are unaware of their risk of TC or how to perform testicular self-examination. 24 The increasing incidence of TC and its favorable prognosis when detected at an early stage 5 have stimulated the implementation of educational efforts, but these have been tempered by concerns regarding the efficacy of such curricula, their anxiety-producing effects, and the cost that may be incurred by unnecessary physician visits. 6 Although curricula have been developed, no longitudinal evaluation data are available. 7, 8 Our recent study with high school boys indicated that most had not heard of TC, none knew how to perform TSE correctly, and most reported that they would avoid seeing a physician should they discover a testicular problem. 9 We designed a TC curriculum for these students, and here we present our findings regarding the effectiveness of this curriculum in changing their knowledge and attitudes concerning TC and TSE and regarding their reported practice of TSE.
Early performance evaluation of AVX for HPC

In this paper we take a look at what the new Intel instruction extensions - Intel Advance Vector Extensions (AVX) brings to high performance computing. We compare two configurations of Intel CPU based systems (one enabled with AVX and a second without AVX enabled) and present a performance evolution of these two platforms. We compare the same generation of CPU utilizing a single socket platform across a number of HPC benchmarks and macrocodes focused on different performance criteria, compare the results and discuss the implications for HPC.
Automated alignment system for aspheric mirrors

This paper describes measurement algorithms and control procedures that can be effectively applied to the automation of an alignment procedure for paraboloidal optical mirrors. Interferometric alignment of an off-axis paraboloidal optical mirror can be a tedious and labor- intensive process. We review a previous solution to the alignment problem that employs a corner-cube retroreflector and present a method of automating this process using an imaging interferometer coupled to a processing system that controls a set of actuators. The relevant image-processing algorithms are described, and the actuator-control system is discussed. Methods of extending this solution to the automatic alignment of other aspheric optics are explored.© (1992) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
The Metabolic Clearance Rate of and Pressor Responses to Vasopressin in Male and Female Rats

Recent evidence indicates that the plasma vasopressin concentration is higher in males than in females and that this may be due to sexually dimorphic effects of the gonadal steroids. However, whether this difference in plasma vasopressin levels reflects differences in secretion or metabolism of the hormone could not be determined from the available data. Therefore, we measured the MCR of vasopressin in conscious male and female rats over a broad range of plasma concentrations of the hormone. No differences were observed in MCR either within a sex or between the sexes over the ranges of plasma concentrations of vasopressin tested. This indicates that the differences in basal plasma vasopressin concentration that were previously reported between male and female rats reflect differences in secretion. In addition, the pressor responses to infused vasopressin were 2 to 3 times greater (P < 0.01) in male than in female rats, even though the plasma vasopressin concentrations achieved in the two groups were ident...