cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Moment representations of the exceptional X1-Laguerre orthogonal polynomials

Exceptional orthogonal Laguerre polynomials can be viewed as an extension of the classical Laguerre polynomials per excluding polynomials of certain order(s) from being eigenfunctions for the corresponding exceptional differential operator. We are interested in the (so-called) Type I X1-Laguerre polynomial sequence LnI,αn=1∞, degpn=n and α>0, where the constant polynomial is omitted. We derive two representations for the polynomials in terms of moments by using determinants. The first representation in terms of the canonical moments is rather cumbersome. We introduce adjusted moments and find a second, more elegant formula. We deduce a recursion formula for the moments and the adjusted ones. The adjusted moments are also expressed via a generating function. We observe a certain detachedness of the first two moments from the others.
Comparison of Operative Experiences of PGY-1 and PGY-2 General Surgery Residents During Night-Float vs. 24-Hour Call Systems.

OBJECTIVE We aimed to specifically compare the impact of a night-float system vs. a 24-hour call system on the number and types of cases performed by PGY-1 and PGY-2 general surgery residents to determine if both of these schedules could meet the ACGME first two-year 250 case minimum requirement, and if so, which schedule provided the best operative experience for PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents. DESIGN This is a retrospective review of call schedules and operative case logs of PGY-1 and PGY-2 general surgery residents. Residents were separated into two groups based on type of call schedule: 24-hour vs. night-float. The case logs of PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents were obtained from the ACGME Case Log System and data analysis was performed between the two groups. SETTING This study was performed at a general surgery residency at a hybrid academic center. PARTICIPANTS Forty-three residents met inclusion criteria. Twenty-three were part of the night-float system and 20 were part of the 24-hour call system. RESULTS Total cases and major cases for PGY-1 and PGY-2 years were compared between the two groups. The 24-hour call group had a significantly higher total number of cases than the night-float group (646.0 ± 181.5 vs. 504.8 ±148.9, p = 0.008). Major cases were also significantly higher in the 24-hour call group than the night-float group (418.5 ± 99.6 vs. 355 ± 99.5, p = 0.043). CONCLUSIONS Both the 24-hour call and night-float systems were able to meet the ACGME first two year 250 case minimum requirement as well as follow work-hour guidelines. The 24-hour call system was associated with PGY-1 and PGY-2 residents having a better operative experience than the night-float system.
Inpatient Management of Psoriasis: A Current Perspective and Update for Clinicians

The purpose of this narrative review article is to describe the current literature on the psoriasis inpatient population, discuss considerations for admission, and provide updated recommendations for inpatient psoriasis workup, management, and post-discharge follow-up. Studies report variable rates of psoriasis hospitalizations in the last decade even with the advent of highly efficacious outpatient therapies. Inequities in access to these therapies have resulted in disparities in the psoriasis inpatient population. Patients with severe variants of psoriasis, including generalized pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis, often have severe systemic complications and require immediate stabilization and supportive care. Traditional, rapid acting systemic therapies, including cyclosporine and infliximab, are efficacious, though the interleukin-17 inhibitors, secukinumab, ixekizumab, and brodalumab, may represent reasonable options. The interleukin-36 inhibitor, spesolimab, is a new and promising therapy under investigation for generalized pustular psoriasis. Psoriasis patients presenting with severe variants of disease, including pustular and erythrodermic psoriasis, in combination with systemic findings such as infection or compromised hemodynamic status, require hospitalization. Supportive measures to address systemic signs and complications are needed. Topical treatments with rapid acting systemic therapies should be employed to improve skin symptoms. Racial, ethnic, and insurance disparities exist in the hospitalized psoriasis patient population, highlighting the need for providers to obtain thorough sociodemographic histories and establish strong therapeutic alliances with these patients, identifying stable treatment options to prevent future exacerbations and hospitalizations.
Electrical discharges contacting a liquid: the role of bulk liquid mass transport in the degradation of organic compounds

Gas plasmas have been shown to be a viable, cost effective process in the degradation of organic contaminants on the lab scale1. However, the scale up of this technology requires a profound understanding of the physicochemical phenomena governing the degradation of the contaminants, the mass transport of the organics to the plasma-liquid interface and their reactions with plasma-generated radicals.
American Poetic Materialism from Whitman to Stevens

In American Poetic Materialism from Whitman to Stevens, Mark Noble examines writers who rethink the human in material terms. Do our experiences correlate to our material elements? Do visions of a common physical ground imply a common purpose? Noble proposes new readings of Walt Whitman, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William James, George Santayana and Wallace Stevens that explore a literary history wrestling with the consequences of its own materialism. At a moment when several new models of the relationship between human experience and its physical ground circulate among critical theorists and philosophers of science, this book turns to poets who have long asked what our shared materiality can tell us about our prospects for new models of our material selves.
Territorial integrity and the right to self-determination: an examination of the conceptual tools

he determination and demarcation of fixed territories and the subsequent allegiance between those territories and the individuals or groups of individuals that inhabit them is arguably the prime factor that creates room for individuals and groups within international and human rights law. In this sense, “international society” consists of individuals and groups that ostensibly gain legitimacy and locus standi in international law by virtue of being part of a sovereign state. For example, although it has been argued that notions of democratic governance have become widespread (or even a norm of customary international law), this democracy—in order to gain international legitimacy—is assumed to be expressed within the narrow confines of an identifiable territorial unit.
Family carer reactions and their related factors among Taiwanese with hospitalized relatives.

yeh p.-m. & chang y. (2012) Family carer reactions and their related factors among Taiwanese with hospitalized relatives. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(10), 2195–2206. Abstract Aim. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among family carer reactions and their related factors among Taiwanese with hospitalized relatives. Background. In Taiwan, most hospitalized patients have relatives or foreign labourers with them 24 hours a day. Limited research has focused on the reactions of family members who provide care for hospitalized relatives. Methods. A cross-sectional, correlation design was used. A convenience sample of 200 primary carers of hospitalized patients diagnosed with cancer, stroke, and enduring illness was recruited between 2009 and 2010. Data were collected by structured questionnaires. Results. The findings indicate that participants with a moderate level of family support experienced a moderate impact on health and finances, but a high impact on schedule. Family carers’ health status and work time were significantly different between, before and after serving as a carer. The multiple regression model variables accounted for 40·1% of the total family carer reaction variance. Three factors were found to predict significantly greater impact on a family carer: (1) lower scores of caregiving knowledge, (2) increasing patient’s activities of daily living dependency and (3) lack of family support. Conclusion. It is vital for nurses not only to assess patients’ activities of daily living, but also to assess family carers’ knowledge of caregiving and the patient’s existing family support in developing a plan of care that reduces negative impact on family carers.
Has a thick neutron skin in 208Pb been ruled out

The Lead Radius Experiment has provided the first model-independent evidence in favor of a neutron-rich skin in $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$. Although the error bars are large, the reported large central value of 0.33 fm is particularly intriguing. To test whether such a thick neutron skin in $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ is already incompatible with laboratory experiments or astrophysical observations, we employ relativistic models with neutron-skin thickness in $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ ranging from 0.16 to 0.33 fm to compute ground-state properties of finite nuclei, their collective monopole and dipole response, and mass-versus-radius relations for neutron stars. No compelling reason was found to rule out models with large neutron skins in $^{208}\mathrm{Pb}$ from the set of observables considered in this Letter.
Cross-Level Replication and Extension of Steel and Rentsch's (1995) Longitudinal Absence Findings

Absenteeism findings published by Steel and Rentsch (1995) were replicated and extended by correlating attitudinal, personal-demographic, and job stress variables with 34 months of work group absenteeism scores obtained on employees of a U.S. federal mint. Attitudinal and job stress results were consistent with previous findings, but results involving personal-demographic variables were not.
Integrity and Leadership:: Clearing the Conceptual Confusion

Integrity is frequently used in management literature as a normative descriptor, especially with regard to leadership. The study of integrity, however, suffers from three significant problems: too many definitions, too little theory, and too few rigorous empirical studies. The purpose of this article is to attempt to address the first problem by (1) presenting a review of the definitions and uses of integrity in the management literature and (2) proposing a specific conceptualization of integrity (i.e., the consistency of an acting entity’s words and actions) based on a virtue-ethics framework.
Parenting Styles, Socialization, and the Transmission of Political Ideology and Partisanship

While research has long shown that parents are first and foremost among the agents of political socialization, substantial evidence suggests there is a great deal of variation in the transmission of political values from parents to their children. This article attempts to explain some of this variation by examining how parenting style—as represented by the parent–child relational context in terms of dimensions of parental control and affect—affects the intergenerational transmission of political attributes. In particular, it evaluates how differences in parenting style influence the intergenerational transmission of political ideology and partisan identification. Findings based on original data collected from a sample of mother–offspring dyads show that differences in parenting styles play an important moderating role in the variable transmission of parental political values. Further, these results add a new dimension to the study of political socialization by demonstrating the role of parenting styles in the transmission of political values. Related Articles Medoff, Marshall H. 2010. “State Abortion Policy and the Long-Term Impact of Parental Involvement Laws.” Politics & Policy 38 (2): 193-221. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2010.00235.x/abstract Roch, Christine, and Amanda Wilsker. 2010. “Do Grades Matter? The Influence of Personal and Collective Assessments of Schools on Political Judgments.” Politics & Policy 38 (6): 1187-1210.%20http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2010.00274.x/abstract Henderson, Ailsa, Steven D. Brown, and S. Mark Pancer. “Political and Social Dimensions of Civic Engagement: The Impact of Compulsory Community Service.” Politics & Policy 40 (1): 93-130. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1747-1346.2011.00341.x/abstract Mientras que investigaciones han mostrado que los padres son los primeros y principales agentes de socializacion politica, evidencia substancial sugiere que hay una gran variacion en la transmision de valores politicos de padres a hijos. Este estudio intenta explicar parte de esta variacion al examinar como las formas de educacion—representadas por el contexto relacional padres-hijos in terminos de dimensiones de control parental y afecto—repercuten la transmision intergeneracional de atributos politicos. En particular, evaluo como las diferencias en las formas de educacion influencian la transmision intergeneracional de ideologia politica e identificacion partidista. Resultados basados en datos originales recolectados de una muestra de pares madre-hijo muestran que las diferencias en las formas de educacion juegan un papel moderador importante en la variable de transmision de los valores paternos. Asi mismo, estos resultados anaden una nueva dimension al estudio de la socializacion politica al demostrar el papel de las formas de educacion en la transmision de valores politicos.
Phytoremediation of Toxic Mercury and Arsenic Pollution

Plants can be used to extract, detoxify, and/or sequester toxic pollutants from soil, water, and air, in a process called phytoremediation. Phytoremediation will likely become an essential tool in cleaning the environment and reducing human and animal exposure to potential carcinogens and other toxins. Alternative physical methods like excavation and reburial of contaminated sediments are too expensive and environmentally destructive. Strategies for phytoremediation need to distinguish between 1) the remediation of elemental pollutants and 2) the remediation of organic pollutants (Meagher, 2000). Elemental pollutants include heavy metals and metalloids (e.g., mercury, lead, cadmium, arsenic) that are immutable. The general goals of elemental phytoremediation are to immobilize, extract, detoxify, volatilize, and/or hyperaccumulate elemental pollutants in above-ground plant tissues for later harvest. Organic pollutants include toxic chemicals such as polyaromatic hydrocarbons (i.e., the benzopyrenes), polychlorinated biphenyls, chlorinated solvents (e.g., trichloroethylene), and nitroaromatics (e.g., the explosive trinitrotoluene). Phytoremediation strategies for organic pollutants are focused on their complete mineralization to harmless products (Doty et al., 2000; Hannink et al., 2001; Meagher, in press).
Power quality issues within modern industrial facilities

Two case studied performed by an electric utility are presented in which industrial facilities experienced operational problems due to power conversion equipment. The case studies describe two common problems associated with power conversion devices: line voltage notching and harmonic current amplification caused by parallel resonance. The problems associated with each case, their analyses, and the steps taken to resolve them are reported. >
Gastric chief cells: Receptors and signal-transduction mechanisms

Elucidation of receptors and mediators regulating gastric pepsinogen secretion has lagged behind understanding of the factors that control acid secretion. During the past decade, as a consequence of the development of in vitro models for studying the control of pepsinogen secretion at the cellular level, much information about chief cell receptors and signal-transduction mechanisms has been obtained, including the identification and characterization of receptors for secretin, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, cholinergic agonists, gastrin, cholecystokinin, peptide YY, and cholera toxin. Moreover, these cell preparations have permitted secretagogue-induced changes in chief-cell calcium concentration, protein kinase C distribution, and phosphoinositide and cyclic nucleotide content to be measured and related to changes in pepsinogen secretion. This article reviews these advances, discusses areas of uncertainty and controversy, and indicates areas for future investigation.
Predicting well-being in managers: Test of a positive psychology model

Contemporary scholars in vocational, applied, and organizational psychology have emphasized that working must be understood as a relational act with important implications for worker well-being. Drawing upon emergent research extending the constructs of adult attachment security and authenticity to the workplace, this study tested a positive psychological model linking adult attachment orientations, and both experienced and expressed features of work authenticity, to the prediction of well-being within a sample of business managers. Findings indicated that, controlling for their gender and length of managerial experience, managers’ levels of adult attachment security and work authenticity accounted for significant and incremental variance in their reported levels of work stress and job satisfaction. In general, managers with high levels of adult attachment security and work authenticity reported lower work stress and higher job satisfaction. Implications of these findings for the counseling of distressed ...
Photooxidation of crystalline Clostridium botulinum type A toxin in the presence of methylene blue.

Abstract Photooxidation of crystalline botulinum type A toxin in the presence of traces of methylene blue results in a very rapid detoxification of the toxin. The combining power of the photochemically produced toxoid with the toxin antibody in vitro was not reduced as compared to the original toxin. Only a more extensive photooxidation of the toxin resulted in a moderate reduction of this property. Preliminary tests indicate that the protein detoxified by means of photooxidation is antigenic.
Parallel volume rendering on a network of workstations

An algorithm for parallel volume rendering on general-purpose workstations connected to a local area network (LAN) is presented. The algorithm is based on an efficient scan-line algorithm for volume rendering of irregular meshes. This algorithm computes images by intersecting the mesh with successive planes defined through each scan line and perpendicular to the screen. These planes are called scan planes. Image coherency from one scan plane to the next, and within each scan plane, speeds up image computation. The proposed algorithm is a modified version of the scan-line algorithm, suitable for parallelization and for handling large data sets efficiently. Based on an efficiency analysis of this version, it is concluded that minimal additional computing and communication are required if each processor is given the task of computing sequences of successive lines in the image. Ways of achieving good load balancing on a group of heterogeneous workstations that have arbitrary loads by other users are suggested. >
Isoleucine epimerization and amino acid composition in molecular-weight separations of Pleistocene Genyornis eggshell

This study explores the geochronological utility and analytical reproducibility of separating the high-molecular-weight fraction (HMW) from eggshells of the extinct late Pleistocene ratite, Genyornis, using disposable, prepacked gel-filtration columns. The superior integrity of ratite eggshell for the retention of amino acids indicates that this biomineral is better suited for this type of investigation than previously studied molluscan shell. To evaluate the reproducibility of the gel-filtration technique, we analyzed triplicate subsamples of three eggshells of different ages. The reproducibility, based on the average intrashell variation (coefficient of variation; CV) in the extent of isoleucine epimerization (aIle/Ile) in the HMW (enriched in molecules ca. >10,000 MW) is 3%, well within the range appropriate for geochronological purposes. The average intrashell variation in the total amino acid concentration (Σ[aa]) of the HMW is 5%, somewhat better than for the total acid hydrolysate (TOTAL) of the same samples (7%). To evaluate the relation between molecular weight and the rate of isoleucine epimerization, three molecular-weight fractions were separated using gel filtration, plus the naturally hydrolyzed free fraction (Free), for each of four fossil eggshells. AIle/Ile increases with decreasing molecular weight in all shells, with a ca. sixfold to ninefold difference in ratios between the HMW andFree, and a ca. fivefold difference between the HMW andTotal. Although linear correlations between aIle/Ile measured in each molecular-weight fraction and in theTotal are all highly significant (r ⩾ 0.951), the relation between the extent of epimerization in the HMW and in the TOTAL is best expressed as an exponential function (r = 0.951). This relation is consistent with the idea that, as the epimerization reaction approaches equilibrium in theTotal (ca. aIle/Ile > 1.1), its rate decreases beyond that of the HMW. The amino acid composition (relative percent of eight amino acids or combinations of amino acids) is more uniform in the HMW of the four samples compared to lower-molecular-weight fractions. The greater “compositional stability” of the HMW indicates that it contains a residuum of macromolecules that have not been affected by the diagenetically driven changes observed in lower-molecular-weight fractions.
Effects of adrenal and gonadal products on the weight and radioiodine uptake of the thyroid gland in the rat.

NUMEROUS reports suggest that the adrenal glands may be involved in the maintenance of normal thyroid function. Unfortunately, much of the information available is based on clinical impression, or sketchy and brief animal studies. It has been suggested by several investigators that the adrenals are involved in the thyrotoxicosis of Graves' disease. Marine (1) postulates adrenal hypofunction in hyperthyroidism, whereas Crile (2) feels the adrenal glands are hyperactive in the same disease. The fact remains as Means (3) states “Nothing definite is known about the role of the adrenals in human thyrotoxicosis.” On the other hand, there is a certain amount of contradictory information available regarding the possible relationship of the gonads to thyroid physiology. Clinical and experimental evidence would indicate that some interrelationship exists between the gonads and the thyroid gland. The exact relationship is, however, obscure. Many investigators have reported changes in the thyroid following castration...
Reaction of coordinatedmolecules. XXIX. A 13C-NMR study of the structure and bonding of several metalla-β-ketoimine molecules

Abstract The 13C-NMR spectra of 4-methylamino-3-pentene-2-one and four metalle-β-ketoimine molecules are reported. Spectral comparison permits the assignment of the observed resonances and supports the lack of extensive pi-electron delocalization within the zwitterionic metalla-β-ketoimine molecules. The 13C-NMR spectra of the intra-and intermolecularly hydrogen-bonded isomers of the N-phenyl mena-acetylacetonimine complex reveal a significant difference in charge distribution between the two isomers. This charge redistribution may account for the shifts in the 13C and proton NMR resonances which are observed during the intramolecular isomerization.
Politics and Religion in Inner Mongolia: Japan’s Plans for the 9th Jebtsundamba “Living Buddha”

Chinggis Khan is the single most important icon or historical figure of Mongolia but the next most important icon, for many generations was the Jebtsundamba khutukhtu (hubilgan, incarnation or “Living Bud­dha”) of Urga.1 The 8th Jebtsundamba, as a symbol of both religious and secular power or unity in Mongolia, weathered the storm of China’s 1911 Revolution, and Russia’s 1917 Revolution. Then during the early period of the Communist Revolution in Mongolia (1921), northern Mongolia became the first satellite of the Soviet Union and because the Jebtsundamba wielded enormous traditional influ­ence among the people he was retained by communist leaders during a transition in the revolution in Mongolia. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5564/mjia.v0i17.82 Mongolian Journal of International Affairs, No.17 2012: 64-74
Electrothermal supercharging of proteins in native electrospray ionization.

The formation of high charge-state protein ions with nanoelectrospray ionization (nESI) from purely aqueous ammonium bicarbonate solutions at neutral pH, where the proteins have native or native-like conformations prior to ESI droplet formation, is demonstrated. This “electrothermal” supercharging method depends on the temperature of the instrument entrance capillary, the nESI spray potential, and the solution ionic strength and buffer, although other factors almost certainly contribute. Mass spectra obtained with electrothermal supercharging appear similar to those obtained from denaturing solutions where charging beyond the total number of basic sites can be achieved. For example, a 17+ ion of bovine ubiquitin was formed by nESI of a 100 mM ammonium bicarbonate, pH 7.0, solution, which is three more charges than the total number of basic amino acids plus the N-terminus. Heating of the ESI droplets in the vacuum/atmosphere interface and the concomitant denaturation of the protein in the ESI droplets prio...
The fine structure of the embryo during the gastrula stage of Comanthus japonica (Echinodermata: Crinoidea)

The fine structure of the embryo of Comanthus has been described by scanning and transmission electron microscopy at two-hourly intervals throughout the gastrula stage (from the fifth through the fifteenth hours of development). At 5 hr, gastrulation has occurred in the absence of any structure comparable to the echinoid hyaline layer; therefore, at least one important mechanism proposed for echinoid gastrulation cannot occur in this crinoid. At 7 hr, the blastocoelic basal lamina has formed, and all ectodermal and entodermal nuclei contain dense aggregates, which are probably perichromatin fibrils. At 9 hr, the blastocoel contains mesenchyme cells, presumably of entodermal origin. At 11 hr, ciliogenesis has started at the apical surfaces of the ectoderm cells and at the archenteral surfaces of the entoderm cells; many of the newly formed cilia are swollen subterminally. At 13 hr, a conspicuous glycocalyx is beginning to cover the apical ends of the ectoderm cells, and the fertilization membrane is beginning to dissolve from its inner surface. Between 5 and 13 hr, there is a gradual development of a junctional complex associating the apicolateral margins of the ectoderm cells; the zonula adherens part of the complex appears at 5 hr and is well developed by 7 hr, and then the septate junction part of the complex appears at 9 hr and is well developed by 13 hr. At 15 hr, the blastopore has closed, the ectodermal glycocalyx is fully developed, some mesenchyme cells appear to be differentiating into skeleton forming cells, and the fertilization membrane is in the last stages of dissolution.
Modulating spin delocalization in conjugated nitroxides: 2-(N-aminoxyl-N-tert-butyl)-benzothiazole

Abstract The first controlled synthesis of the title radical, 1 , was achieved by oxidation of a hydroxylamine precursor; the radical itself can thus readily be isolated, studied by ESR and UV–vis, and compared to results of computational modeling. The benzothiazole ring induces substantial delocalization of the nitroxide spin density (a(NO) = 9.2 G, a(ring N) = 2.7 G, about 10% more than is seen in the benzimidazole nitroxide analog.
Wave-oriented processing of scattered field data from a plane-wave-excited finite array of filaments on an infinite dielectric slab

In a companion paper, we presented the formulation and solution for time-harmonic plane wave fields scattered by truncated periodic and aperiodic arrays of infinitely long filaments on an infinite dielectric slab. The solution was constructed so as to highlight the coupled phenomenologies associated with slab loading of the Floquet mode beams characteristic of the truncated arrays and with the slab-guided leaky modes excited by these arrays. Asymptotic reduction of the solution yielded a parameterization of the scattered fields and a numerically accurate algorithm, based on physically observable ray- and mode-field constituents. This study is concerned with the inverse procedure of extracting from the scattered field data the phenomenological footprints of the scattering mechanisms found by forward problem asymptotics; this information is relevant to target classification and identification. The data processing tools involve Gaussian windowed transforms and superresolution algorithms that yield projections onto appropriate subdomains of the (space)-(spectral wave number) phase space. A variety of examples demonstrate physically and quantitatively the interplay of Floquet-mode and leaky-mode phenomena, and how these are affected by changes in the problem parameters. Of special interest is the performance of superresolution algorithms for "cleaning up" the diffuse Gaussian windowed phase space distributions, in the absence and presence of system noise.
Bureaucrat, heal thyself! lessons from three administrative reforms

Abstract The three major government reforms in 20th-century America are being observed as a potential model in Korea and other developing countries. These reforms include the New Deal of the 1930s, which created new organizations to carry out added government functions; the Hoover Report of the 1940s, which strengthened central authority; and the national Performance Review of the 1990s, aimed at enhancing the efficiency of government agencies. By disaggregating their principal elements it is possible to discover patterns applicable elsewhere. Lessons from these reforms apply to other countries as well as the United States, and include the means of identifying reform needs as well as the fate of the reforms themselves.
Electric Field Dependence of Conduction by Electrons in Nearly Pure Germanium

We have measured dc resistivity and its dependence on the electric field strength of 3-cm microwaves in $n$-type germanium and compared the data with values determined from numerical solutions of the Boltzmann equation. The variation of resistivity with temperature was sensitive to ion concentration and approached ${T}^{1.75}$ for the purer samples. An optical scattering coefficient of 0.55 times acoustical, chosen to give this exponent theoretically, also gave agreement with measurements of field dependence of resistivity and of its variation with microwave frequency for the purer samples.
Measured concentrations of VOCs in several non-residential microenvironments in the United States.

Individuals spend about 25% of their time in non-residential indoor microenvironments. For some of these microenvironments, particularly stores and restaurants, exposures to volatile organic compounds (VOCs), have not been well characterized. In the Boston Exposure Assessment in Microenvironments (BEAM) study, sampling using scripted activities was conducted in stores, restaurants, and transportation in the summer of 2003 and winters of 2004 and 2005. A suite of VOCs including hydrocarbons, several chlorinated compounds, and aldehydes was analyzed. Nine store types were sampled using a composite design to enable a greater number of stores to be visited. Stores had higher concentrations of formaldehyde, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes, and styrene than other microenvironments, particularly in certain store types. Geometric mean formaldehyde levels were highest in the housewares stores, at 53 μg/m3 (95% CI = 43, 66). Geometric mean toluene levels were highest in multipurpose stores, at 76 μg/m3 (95% CI = 50,...
Acetylene reduction activity in salt‐tolerant alfalfa/rhizobium under drought stress

Abstract Drought stress affects all stages of plant growth, particularly young seedlings. In this study, we sought to explore whether selected salt‐tolerant, efficient nitrogen‐fixing alfalfa, Medicago sativa L., could germinate, survive, and efficiently fix nitrogen under drought stress. Two‐day‐old seedlings were inoculated with an efficient salt‐tolerant strain of Rhizobium meliloti L. (1027 USDA‐Agricultural Research Service collection) and drought conditions simulated with polyethylene glycol‐6000 concentrations of 0.0, —0.4, —0.8, —1.0, or —1.2 MPa. Statistical analysis revealed no differences in the responses to drought stress by alfalfa that had previously shown salt tolerance. The number of nodules per seedling and rate of acetylene reduction activity were both decreased significantly, however, as drought stress increased. There also were statistically significant interactions between the water potentials and the six alfalfa populations. Alfalfa that had previously shown high salt tolerance behav...
Comparison of umbilical vein models for measurement of relative prostacyclin and thromboxane production

There is growing evidence that blood vessels generate TXA2 in addition to PGI2. We examined effluents from continously perfused human umbilical vein and supernatants from umbilical vein rings for TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α measurements (stable metabolites of TXA2 and PGI2, respectively). TXB2 and 6-keto-PGF1α were identified in all samples. 6-keto-PGF1α to TXB2 ratio was higher in intact vein effluents than in the venous ring supernatants (112:1 and 28:1, respectively, P<0.01). Arachidonate stimulation increased 6-keto-PGF1α and TXB2 levels similarly in the intact vein effluent. In contrast, stimulation of the venous rings resulted in a relatively larger increase in TXB2 than in 6-keto-PGF1α. This caused 6-keto-PGF1α to TXB2 ratio to decline (p<0.01). The identity of TXB2 was confirmed in several different ways. These data suggest that 1) human umbilical veins produce TXA2 in addition to PGI2, 2) TXA2 release is more by venous rings than by the intact vein probably reflecting contribution from non-endothelial layers, and 3) arachidonate stimulation causes relatively greater release of TXA2 than of PGI2 from the venous rings, whereas release of PGI2 and TXA2 is similar from the intact vein.
Disaggregating the Relationship Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Clusters and Chronic Orofacial Pain: Implications for the Prediction of Health Outcomes with PTSD Symptom Clusters

Background Research has established a significant relationship between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms and pain; however, very little research has examined the differential role of PTSD symptom clusters on pain outcomes.
Three‐dimensional reconstruction of the feline larynx with serial histologic sections

This paper reviews a new technique to develop high-resolution three-dimensional (3-D) images of the larynx using histological sections. Three-dimensional computer-reconstructed histological sections of the cat are used in this study to evaluate the recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) in its true anatomic course, with emphasis on its relationship to surrounding structures (laryngeal framework). A cat model was used because of specimen availability and technical ease of tissue preparation. Computer-reconstructed serial histologic sections add a new dimension to the study of laryngeal anatomy, laryngeal trauma, and growth patterns of laryngeal cancer. The technical aspects of three-dimensional reconstruction and future applications are discussed.
Wave propagation with dispersion and damping

We discuss pulse propagation in a dispersive medium with damping. We derive an explicit expression for the center of mass motion and show that when there is damping the center of mass does not travel with constant velocity, as is the case when there is no damping. We also derive an explicit relation connecting pulse propagation in the damped case with that of the undamped case. This allows the transformation from one case to the other. A number of exactly solvable examples are given to illustrate the equations derived.
Transmission of Phenotypic Variability within a Pure Line

IN the course of a study of the genetic and environmental factors controlling heat resistance in peas (Pisum sativum), it was found that when the source of pollen was non-uniform with respect to the environment under which it was developed, the F 1 population exhibited a variance in growth which exceeded considerably that of either parent. Upon analysis of the results it was found that the excessive variance could be attributed entirely to the difference among the environments of the different pollen sources. This suggested that there may be a carry-over by the pollen of environmental influences on the pollen parent.
Two-dimensional simulation model for dynamic cross-flow rice drying

Abstract A dynamic model for a cross-flow dryer is used to analyze the response of the dryer to changes in the moisture content of the inlet product and to changes in two manipulated inputs: drying air temperature and grain flow. The mathematical model is solved using a predictor–corrector method. Experimental data of inlet and outlet moisture content of rice shows satisfactory agreement with simulated results. Contour plots of the dimensionless moisture content distribution is predicted during the initial transient period after start up of the process and for steady state. Steady state is reached after a period of one residence time. The effect of a step disturbance in the inlet product moisture on the outlet moisture content is also analyzed for different residence times.
Quantum-chemical analysis of the absorption and emission spectra of coronene

Abstract The vibronic, Franck—Condon and Duschinsky activity in the S0–S1 transition of coronene is investigated by quantum-chemical methods with the aim of clarifying the assignments and accounting for the observed intensity distribution.
Histories and Memories in the Organisation and Struggles of the Santiago II Neighbourhood of El Alto, Bolivia

This article analyses how relocated miners in the Santiago II neighbourhood of El Alto reframed their histories and their memories of struggle and organisation in the mining camps. It focuses on the ways in which residents organised the neighbourhood and how these histories and memories rose to the political surface during the time of crisis in October 2003.
Bedform and stratification characteristics of some modern small‐scale washover sand bodies

Washover sand bodies commonly develop along microtidal coastlines in beach/barrier island or spit settings. Wave runup, usually in conjunction with an abnormally high water level, may overtop the most landward berm of the beach and the foredune crest, if one exists, to produce overwash and subsequent runoff across the more landward subaerial surface. Two main elements of the resulting deposit are the washover fan and runoff channel. Newly formed, small-scale washover deposits were examined along the Outer Banks, North Carolina, near Pt Mugu, California, and at Presque Isle (Lake Erie), Pennsylvania. The fans were formed in response to unidirectional landward transport, and the runoff channels in response to unidirectional flow usually in a landward direction, but sometimes in shore-parallel then seaward direction. Where overwash carried across the fan surface and entered a pond or lagoon, a small-scale delta (microdelta) developed. In this case, the washover fan consisted of two subfacies, the wetted, but ‘subaerial’ part of the fan and the subaqueous washover delta. Flow associated with the development of the fan and runoff channel produced distinctive sets of bedforms and internal stratification. High velocity discontinuous surges moving across the fan surface resulted in the development of a plane bed and subhorizontal to low-angle (landward dipping) planar stratification which comprised the major part of the fan. Similarly, rhomboid forms were produced by high velocity sheet flow across the fan surface. Where flow carried into a standing body of water, delta-type foreset strata developed. For this case, the lateral structural sequence was subhorizontal, planar stratification merging landward into landward dipping, delta (tabular) foreset strata. In the runoff setting, where flow became channelized and continuous, both upper-flow and lower-flow regime currents were typical. Upper-flow regime bedforms included antidunes, standing waves, and plane beds. The most commonly observed lower-flow regime bedforms included microdelta-like bars, low-amplitude bars, linguoid ripples, and sinuous-crested current ripple trains. The sets of sedimentary structures comprising modern washover sand bodies provide criteria for the identification of similar deposits in ancient sediments and for more specific interpretation of the environment.
Prognostic indicators following ipsilateral tumor recurrence in patients treated with breast-conserving therapy.

Abstract Background We attempt to determine significant predictors of systemic recurrence following ipsilateral breast tumor recurrence (IBTR). Methods A retrospective single-institution chart review of all newly diagnosed breast cancer patients was conducted to identify women treated with breast-conserving therapy (BCT) who developed IBTR. Charts were reviewed for demographics, clinical presentation, method of detection, stage, type of therapy, histopathology, and margin status for both the primary and recurrent tumors. Results Of 1,733 patients who were treated with BCT, 157 experienced IBTR. Multivariate Cox regression showed that time to recurrence and method of detection of local recurrence remained significant predictors of distant metastases-free survival (DMFS). Median DMFS times for clinically and radiographically detected IBTRs were 54 months and 231 months, respectively. Adjusted relative risk for clinically detected IBTRs was 2.2. Conclusions Given the prognostic significance of post-treatment mammography in our study, combined with median time to recurrence of 44 months, we believe that routine long-term mammographic surveillance is indicated following BCT.
Prenylation of proteins in Trypanosoma brucei.

Prenyl modification of proteins by farnesyl and geranylgeranyl isoprenoids occurs in a variety of eukaryotic cells. Culturing of Trypanosoma brucei in the presence of [3H]mevalonolactone (which is hydrolyzed in cells to give mevalonic acid, the precursor of protein prenyl groups) and an inhibitor of mevalonic acid biosynthesis leads to the radiolabeling of a specific set of proteins when analyzed by gel electrophoresis. T. brucei proteins were also labeled when cells were cultured in the presence of [3H]farnesol or [3H]geranylgeraniol, and each prenol labels a distinct set of proteins. Unlike mammalian cells, only a few T. brucei proteins of molecular weights similar to those of the mammalian Ras superfamily of GTPase (20–30 kDa) were labeled with [3H]farnesol or [3H]geranylgeraniol. When the 0–55% ammonium sulfate fraction of T. brucei cytosol was fractionated on anion exchange chromatography, protein farnesyltransferase (PFT) and protein geranylgeranyltransferase-I (PGGT-I) activities were detected and elute as two distinct peaks. Partially purified T. brucei PFT and PGGT-I display partly different specificities toward prenyl acceptor substrates from those of mammalian protein prenyltransferases. As shown previously, rat PFT utilizes proteins ending in CVLS and CVIM as efficient prenyl acceptors and rat PGGT-I utilizes proteins ending in CVLL and CVIM in vitro. On the contrary, T. brucei PFT farnesylates a protein ending in CVIM but not CVLS or CVLL, and T. brucei PGGT-I preferentially geranylgeranylates a protein ending in CVLL.
Nerve growth factor regulates the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor mRNA in the peripheral nervous system.

Abstract Neurotrophins are profound regulators of neuronal survival in the developing peripheral nervous system and are synthesized by peripheral neurons themselves both during development and in maturity. Neuronal neurotrophin expression may be importantly related to survival of mature neurons, both in normal and pathological states. We show here that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene expression in dorsal root ganglia is strongly stimulatedin vivoby another neurotrophin, nerve growth factor (NGF). Furthermore, colocalization studies show that many BDNF-expressing sensory neurons also express trk A, the high-affinity NGF receptor. These results demonstrate a novel regulatory mechanism for neurotrophin gene expression and suggest a paracrine function for neurotrophins in mature animals.
Group differences in suppression skill

Abstract It is proposed that there are group differences in suppression skill, and one such grouping is the distinction between more versus less skilled university-aged comprehenders. Experiments supporting this proposal and demonstrating that university-aged adults differ in their ability to suppress irrelevant, inappropriate, potentially interfering information are reviewed. Many of these experiments have been replicated with other groups, which also hypothetically differ in their ability to suppress inappropriate information. Two new sets of experiments are reviewed. In one, the prediction that less skilled comprehenders - because they are less skilled at suppression - should be better at comprehending puns is evaluated. In the other, the prediction that less skilled comprehenders - because they are less skilled at suppression - are better able to shift to a different meaning of a homonym is evaluated. Both sets of data are evaluated with respect to a general slowing explanation and scaling artifacts.
The Poetics of the Red Card: Ludics in Jean-Philippe Toussaint’s La Salle de bain

This paper examines the use of sports and games (soccer, tennis, scrabble, and darts) as poetic and thematic devices in Jean-Philippe Toussaint’s La Salle de bain. The spaces of sports and games (be they playing fields, dart boards, tennis courts, etc.) not only situate the narration (including the location and time of narration), but also gesture towards a community that the narrator is not fully capable of joining. The first part of this paper posits that sports and games in the form described by Toussaint’s novel are not the socializing activities that play theory imagines them to be, but rather serve to show the narrator’s isolation. The second part of this paper explains the relationship of ludics and literary history in Toussaint’s work as anti-ludic; the novel toys with the highly regulated/rule-bound novels of predecessors such as Nabokov, Robbe-Grillet and the members of OULIPO (Ouvroir de la litterature potentielle). In the conclusion, the essay posits that this anti-ludic tendency might be extended in order to posit the “post-ludic” as an important component of the contemporary novel in France and around the world.
Morphological and genetic variation across reef habitats in a broadcast-spawning octocoral

Octocorals, like many other colonial benthic invertebrates, exhibit remarkable levels of morphological variability. The basis for this variability has been largely unexplored. Plexaura flexuosa Lamouroux, a common Caribbean octocoral, is found in virtually all reef habitats, and exhibits habitat-related differences in growth rates and fecundity. Population genetic structure and morphological variability in branch and sclerite characters were examined in nine populations from back reef, shallow forereef, and forereef habitats in the Florida Keys. Discriminant analysis of morphological characters correctly classified 89, 88, and 100% of samples from back, shallow fore, and forereef habitats, respectively. Analysis of randomly amplified polymorphic DNA profiles (RAPDs) showed no evidence of genetic differentiation between shallow back, shallow fore, and the majority of forereef colonies. However, there were two distinct genetic groups of forereef colonies. Much of the habitat-related morphological variability among Plexaura flexuosa is due to plasticity, which is likely an important feature contributing to the broad distribution of this species. However, there may be two genetic subgroups on forereefs.