cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Survey of injuries in Seattle area levels 4 to 10 female club gymnasts

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate incidence, distribution, and contributing factors of injury in club gymnastics. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Five randomly selected gymnastics clubs near Seattle, WA. PARTICIPANTS: Ninety-six club gymnasts from competitive levels 4 to 10. INTERVENTIONS: The participants completed a questionnaire regarding demographics, injuries and contributing factors, and exposure time in the last competitive season. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Acute and overuse injury incidence rates stratified by practice and competition, age categories, and level using relative risks and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Chi-square testing was used to compare demographic-specific and gymnastic-specific variables between injured and uninjured. Multivariate regression modeling was used to assess independent risk factors for risk of acute and overuse injuries. RESULTS: Acute injury rate was 1.3 per 1000 hours and in univariate, but not multivariate analysis, it was 3.6-fold greater (95% CI, 1.6-9.1) among 10 to 12 year olds and 3.1-fold greater (95% CI, 1.3-8.0) among 13 to 17 year olds compared with 7 to 9 year olds. The most common acutely injured body parts were foot (21.0%), ankle (19.3%), knee (14.0%), and wrist (8.8%). The majority of injuries occurred in practice, but the meet injury rate was higher. Most injuries occurred on floor exercise (32.1%), beam (20.7%), and bars (17.0). Injury was most common during landing. The overuse injury rate was 1.8 per 1000 hours. During their gymnastics careers, concussions occurred in 30.2% and stress fractures affecting mostly low back and foot occurred in 16.7% of the gymnasts. CONCLUSIONS: Gymnasts are at similar risk of acute and overuse injuries, and acute injury rates were greater among older gymnasts. However, this predictor did not remain significant in multivariate analysis. Concussions and stress fractures are common. Gymnastics injury prevention studies should focus on older gymnasts, concussion education, and landing after a skill. Language: en
A little feedback can simplify sensor network cooperation

Shannon's discovery of digital communication has shaped the architecture of virtually all communication systems in use today. The digital communication paradigm is built around the notion of bits and uses careful coding to deliver bits reliably end-to-end. It has been shown that this architectural principle can lead to a very significant performance penalty in wireless sensor networks. For a limited class of network scenarios, it was shown that optimal architectures are analog in nature, simple and scalable. In this paper, we show that more generally, simple analog architectures crucially depend on feedback to the sensors. Interesting questions then concern the amount of feedback needed and the resulting trade-off with performance. This paper provides rules-of-thumb for the selection of the number of feedback bits.
Effect of various parameters on radon-222 intercomparison results

Abstract The U.S. Department of Energy (USDOE) Environmental Measurements Laboratory (EML) has hosted a series of radon-222 measurement intercomparison exercises since 1981. Twenty-eight facilities have participated in at least six of the 18 exercises. The intercomparison results of these facilities were used to develop a database to attempt to assess the influence of various parameters on the measurements. Single and multiple correlation testing was performed using a standard statistical software package. Excluding calibration and calculation errors, the strongest association found was between the radon concentration and distance from EML. The probable explanation for this finding is discussed.
Sequence-dependent properties of DNA. Optimization of empirical parameterizations

Some physical properties of DNA can be expressed reasonably as an expansion of the interaction among base pairs. For strictly random sequences, the terms of the expansion can be rearranged in such a way that an empirical parameterization of the nearest neighbor truncation is in fact correct to all orders. A parameterization obtained from data on real native DNA's is shown to be more accurate than the term “nearest neighbor approximation” implies. When synthetic polynucleotide duplexes are used in the parameterization, the degree of its accuracy depends on the selection of duplexes. It is shown here how to optimize such a parameterization for a given set of available duplexes.
Influence of Screw Speeds of the Mixer at Low Temperature on Characteristics of Mozzarella Cheese

We determined the impact of screw speeds of the mixer on chemical composition, proteolysis, and functional properties of low moisture part-skim Mozzarella cheese during storage. Three vats of cheese were made in 1 d using three different mixer screw speeds (5, 12, and 19 rpm). The mean temperatures of the cheese during stretching at different screw speeds were 55.5, 52.5, and 51.5°C, respectively. Cheese making was replicated on each of 3 d using a randomized block design. The high screw speed caused tearing of the cheese curd in the screws before the curd temperature had increased sufficiently to soften the curd and permit deformation and stretching under the shear force of the screws. The highest mixer screw speed produced cheeses with a significantly lower moisture content, lower FDB, and higher protein content, yielding cheese with a firmer texture. Proteolysis was not significantly influenced by screw speed, but lower mixer screw speeds resulted in a greater release of free oil from the cheese initially and throughout refrigerated storage. Control of temperature and mechanical treatment of the cheese during stretching could allow cheese makers to improve control of the composition and functionality of Mozzarella cheese.
NIRSPEC observations of the galactic center

We report NIRSPEC/Keck observations of the Galactic Center obtained in both low and high resolution modes under excellent seeing conditions. The data were obtained as part of the NIRSPEC commissioning program and will be used to determine: 1) the nature of the stars in the central 0.02 pc, 2) the velocities and accelerations of stars around the central black hole, 3) the velocities of ionized gas in the central parsec, 4) the extent of the main sequence population and star formation history in central parsec, 5) the mass magnitude relation and initial mass function in the Arches cluster, 6) the nature of the MIR sources in the central parsec and Quintuplet clusters, 7) the physical parameters of stellar atmosphere/winds of super luminous stars, and 8) the metallicity in the GC as inferred from observations of red supergiants, red giants, and hot stars. We present a sample of these data, including a high resolution slit scan movie of the central parsec, and show how they can be used to vastly improve the current state of the art in the related science topics. Further, we discuss preliminary results concerning the nature of the central cusp stars and the resultant implications for star formation near a supermassive black hole.
Mixed convective heat and moisture transfer from a horizontal furry cylinder in a transverse wind

Free and forced convection heat and moisture transfer are investigated for the fur layer on a model animal limb or torso in a transverse wind. The analysis includes various modes of heat transfer through dry fur: conduction through the hairs, conduction, free and forced convection in the interstitial and external air, and evaporation from the skin. The relative contributions of these mechanisms are investigated by finite-element calculations for several mammalian species. Comparisons are made with the experimental data of Gebremedhin on Holstein calves.
Bedside ultrasound in the diagnosis of uterine rupture following surgical abortion

Reports of uterine rupture following surgical abortion are rare but may result in hemorrhage, sepsis, and even death. In this unique case, we describe how a transabdominal pelvic ultrasound performed at the bedside by an emergency department physician identified uterine rupture with retained products of conception and led to an emergent laparotomy and hysterectomy. This case illustrates how bedside ultrasound may be used in patients presenting with abdominopelvic pain following surgical abortion to shorten the time to definitive treatment and ultimately lower the morbidity and mortality associated with a diagnosis of life-threatening uterine rupture.
Evaluation of breeding utility of a chromosomal segment from Lycopersicon chmielewskii that enhances cultivated tomato soluble solids

A chromosomal segment from the wild tomato species, Lycopersicon chmielewskii, when backcrossed into the tomato cultivar VF145B-7879, increases fruit soluble solids concentration. In the investigation reported here, the near-isoline (VF145B-7M) homozygous for the chmielewskii (chm) chromosomal segment was crossed to the cultivar to study allelic interactions and then hybridized to three commercial cultivars (UC204c, E6203, and ChicoIII) to investigate the effect of this segment when heterozygous in different genetic backgrounds. Parents, isogenic hybrids, and unmodified hybrid controls were evaluated in three consecutive years of field study. The chm segment, when either homozygous or heterozygous, significantly increased soluble solids concentration by 13% and 12%, respectively, over VF145B-7879 (esc/esc), suggesting dominant gene action. Averaged across the three isohybrids and one isoline, one dose of this segment significantly increased soluble solids concentration by 6.0% compared to the unmodified hybrids and VF145B-7879. Other than increasing fruit total and soluble solids in mature-green and ripe-red tomatoes, no consistent negative effects of the chmielewskii segment were observed in the various genetic backgrounds on plant yield, fruit weight, or fruit pH. These results favor the use of this segment in breeding programs to develop fresh market and processing tomato cultivars with enhanced quality and reduced processed product dehydration costs.
Pregnancy and the Risk of Hemorrhage from Cerebral Arteriovenous Malformations

We conducted a retrospective analysis of 451 women with an arteriovenous malformation (AVM) of the brain to determine whether pregnancy is a risk factor for cerebral hemorrhages. A total of 540 pregnancies occurred among our patient population, resulting in 438 live births and 102 abortions. There were 17 pregnancies complicated by a cerebral hemorrhage. The hemorrhage rate during pregnancy for women with an unruptured AVM was 0.035 +/- 0.005 per person-year. The hemorrhage rate for nonpregnant women of childbearing age with an unruptured AVM was 0.031 +/- 0.002 per person-year. Pregnancy did not increase significantly the rate of first cerebral hemorrhage from an AVM (P = 0.35). We found that women with an AVM face a 3.5% risk of hemorrhage during pregnancy. Pregnancy is not a risk factor for hemorrhage in women without a previous hemorrhage. This conclusion assumes no selection bias exists in our study population; a bias would be introduced if the risk of fatal outcome after a hemorrhage were greater in pregnant women than in nonpregnant women.
Synthesis of Findings and Issues from Religious ..Based Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Trials

Purpose: Widespread prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD) requires significant aggregate lifestyle behavior changes. Extensive resources including money, time, access, facilities, materials, and programs are needed to bring about such behavior changes on a large scale. Over the past several decades, funds for large scale public health efforts and related CVD research have become more difficult to acquire, and prevention efforts have been shifting to state and community sites. Thus, large scale behavior modification for CVD prevention requires active efforts to access resources from partnerships with multiple private sector organizations. Methods: Religious organizations (ROs) are a potentially valuable channel with many advantages for undertaking behavior change programming in partnership with public health researchers. ROs have a broad, direct “reach” with people and provide social support structures, facilities, volunteers, communication channels and access to many sub-populations as well as a compatible mission and history of interest in health. In spite of the many advantages of partnerships between CVD health researchers and ROs, very few formal research studies have been conducted. Existing reports have emphasized the feasibility and powerful benefits of implementing RO-based health programs; however, little data or formal hypothesis testing have been reported. Very few formal CVD research projects have employed scientifically acceptable research designs with random assignment of intact groups to intervention and comparison conditions. Results: In this review, conducted by the current authors, only six projects have been identified that meet these more rigorous scientific criteria. In a discussion of these projects, we classify RO-based studies into four levels of involvement of the RO: 1) use of ROs as sites for recruitment and tracking of experimental subjects; 2) use of RO facilities to conduct interventions; 3) involvement of RO members in delivering behavior change programs; and 4) the addition of significant religious components as an integral part of the intervention. This paper discusses the design, results and implications of these studies including information on what we already know about conducting research with ROs, gaps in existing research and recommendations for future studies. Conclusions: There is enormous untapped potential for RO-based CVD prevention research, but considerably more work is required to achieve the level of research that is currently conducted in other channels such as worksites and schools. Health practitioners/researchers and ROs are increasingly seizing the opportunity for partnerships to improve health. The knowledge gained from these projects and their documented successes will hopefully encourage other components of the public health system such as hospitals, managed care organizations and departments of health to continue developing ways of including ROs in health research and behavior change programming.
Chromogranin A Peptide-Specific Antisera and High-Performance Size Exclusion Chromatography Demonstrate Amino-Terminal and Carboxy-Terminal Fragments of the Native Molecule in Human Cell Lines

We have studied the pattern of amino-terminal and carboxy-terminal protein processing of chromogranin A (CgA) in five human cell lines, four derived from lung cancers: NCI-H478, NCI-H1011, NCI-H727, and BEN; and one derived from human medullary thyroid carcinoma: TT. This was accomplished by fractionation of cell extracts by high-performance size exclusion chromatography (HPSEC) and measurement of CgA in the fractions by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Three RIA's were used, one specific for the amino-terminus of CgA, one specific for the carboxy-terminal region, and a monoclonal antibody-based assay that recognizes only the native CgA molecule. We demonstrated the presence of different amino- and carboxy-terminal immunoreactive species of CgA in the different cell lines. The amino-terminal assay demonstrated distinct low-molecular-size species in the NCI-H478 and NCI-H1011 cell lines, and a similar peak in the TT cells. The amino-terminal assay did not recognize any distinct species in BEN and NCI-H727 cell lines. The carboxy-regional assay demonstrated distinct low-molecular-size species in the NCI-H478 and NCI-H101 cell lines and high-molecular-size species in the NCI-H727 and BEN cells. Our studies demonstrate with region-specific RIA's the presence of both amino- and carboxy- forms of CgA in human cells that secrete this protein. These results provide direct evidence that CgA-producing cells produce, probably through endoproteolytic processing of the native molecule, amino- and carboxy-terminal forms of the protein.
Toward a Cognitive Process Model of Ethnic/Racial Biases in Clinical Judgment:

The purpose of the present article is to discuss approaches to the development of cognitive process models of misdiagnosis of African Americans, with particular emphasis on structured clinical inte...
Neural Mechanisms of Alarm Pheromone Signaling

Alarm pheromones are important semiochemicals used by many animal species to alert conspecifics or other related species of impending danger. In this review, we describe recent developments in our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the ability of fruit flies, zebrafish and mice to mediate the detection of alarm pheromones. Specifically, alarm pheromones are detected in these species through specialized olfactory subsystems that are unique to the chemosensitive receptors, second messenger-signaling and physiology. Thus, the alarm pheromones appears to be detected by signaling mechanisms that are distinct from those seen in the canonical olfactory system.
Transitivity, preference and indifference

Few proposed axioms of rational preference have won universal acceptance, but by far the most controversial are the transitivity of (strict) preference and that of indifference. Both have been attacked in various ways. It is a curious fact, however, that critics have generally been more willing to abandon the latter than the former. Thus, Schick, while arguing at length against the transitivity of indifference, finds the transitivity of preference 'uncontestable'.1 And Fishburn, though taking for granted the transitivity of preference, characterizes as 'rather unrealistic' the supposition that indifference is transitive.2 A. F. MacKay, in his book Arrow's Theorem: The Paradox of Social Choice, Yale University Press, New Haven, 1980, goes a step further and actually suggests an explanation for why one should expect the one kind of transitivity and not the other.
Effectiveness of CO2 sequestration in the post-industrial ocean

Abstract Sequestration of CO 2 in the post-industrial ocean, beginning in the year 2000, is compared to sequestration in the pre-industrial ocean. We employ a carbon cycle model that is based on an ocean general circulation model. More of the sequestered CO 2 is returned to the atmosphere in the post-industrial case, but the large differences depending on location still hold. The predictions probably become unrealistic after a few hundred years because the model does not yet include the dissolution of calcium carbonate sediments.
Exercising in Public and Private Environments: Effects on Feeling States in Women with Social Physique Anxiety

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the influence of acute exercise performed in public and private exercise environments upon feeling states (FS) in 30 women with high social physique anxiety (SPA). A secondary purpose was to examine if perceptions of evaluative threat (EVT) mediated the affective responses to exercise. Multivariate analyses revealed that exercising in the public environment resulted in negative FS responses, whereas exercising in the private environment yielded favorable FS responses to exercise. EVT significantly mediated state anxiety responses to exercise but did not mediate any of the FS responses. The results suggest that the environment influences the FS responses to exercise among women with high SPA and that EVT mediates selected psychological responses to exercise.
Mass integration of fast-response NO measurements from a two-stroke large-bore natural gas engine

AbstractA thermodynamic two-stroke-cycle engine simulation with a quasi-steady scavenging model was developed and used to mass-integrate cycle-resolved NO measurements made with a fast-response NO analyser. The engine tested was a Cooper-Bessemer GMV-4TF large-bore natural gas engine and the fast NO measurements were made in cylinders 2 and 4 using a Cambustion fNOx400 two-channel fast-response analyser. The engine simulation was deemed to provide a good representation of the cycle-resolved scavenging mass flow. The mass-integrated NO results were compared to Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) steady measurements taken downstream of the cylinders 2 and 4 exhaust-manifold junction. The correlation between the two techniques was linear to within 2 per cent. A strong correlation was exhibited between mass-integrated cycle-to-cycle NO and measured peak and crank angle location of peak combustion pressure. The correlation with peak pressure was slightly better than the location of peak pressure.
Quantum walks on quotient graphs

A discrete-time quantum walk on a graph {gamma} is the repeated application of a unitary evolution operator to a Hilbert space corresponding to the graph. If this unitary evolution operator has an associated group of symmetries, then for certain initial states the walk will be confined to a subspace of the original Hilbert space. Symmetries of the original graph, given by its automorphism group, can be inherited by the evolution operator. We show that a quantum walk confined to the subspace corresponding to this symmetry group can be seen as a different quantum walk on a smaller quotient graph. We give an explicit construction of the quotient graph for any subgroup H of the automorphism group and illustrate it with examples. The automorphisms of the quotient graph which are inherited from the original graph are the original automorphism group modulo the subgroup H used to construct it. The quotient graph is constructed by removing the symmetries of the subgroup H from the original graph. We then analyze the behavior of hitting times on quotient graphs. Hitting time is the average time it takes a walk to reach a given final vertex from a given initial vertex. It has been shownmore » in earlier work [Phys. Rev. A 74, 042334 (2006)] that the hitting time for certain initial states of a quantum walks can be infinite, in contrast to classical random walks. We give a condition which determines whether the quotient graph has infinite hitting times given that they exist in the original graph. We apply this condition for the examples discussed and determine which quotient graphs have infinite hitting times. All known examples of quantum walks with hitting times which are short compared to classical random walks correspond to systems with quotient graphs much smaller than the original graph; we conjecture that the existence of a small quotient graph with finite hitting times is necessary for a walk to exhibit a quantum speedup.« less
Nest-associated Vocalizations of Female Red-winged Blackbirds, Agelaius phoeniceus

and Summary Female red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) often vocalize near their nests and so risk divulging nest locations. In a field study conducted during the 1983 breeding season in south-central Washington, USA, females vocalized upon departing and arriving at their nests during their pre-incubation, incubation and nestling-feeding phases. Females tended to utter Type 1 songs in these situations, a type thought to be used for pair-bond maintenance. One hypothesis to explain these vocalizations, that they are directed at mates to signal them of female movements, was rejected because the vocalizations were given regardless of male presence on territory. Another hypothesis, that the vocalizations are directed at other females to coordinate group departures, was rejected because most females departed singly and females did not leave their nests in response to playback of Type 1 song. We present an alternative hypothesis, that Type 1 song given in nest-associated contexts functions in intra-pair communication and particularly in individual and reproductivestatus identification of females. Males would benefit from such a system by being able to differentiate polygynous mates from each other and from other females, while females would benefit by constantly reinforcing pair-bonds and obtaining sexual non-interference during incubation and nestling phases. Zusammenfassung Weibliche Rotschulterstarlinge (Agelaius phoeniceus) singen haufig nahe am Nest und riskieren dadurch, dessen Lage zu verraten. Das wurde in der Brutsaison 1983 in Sudwashington, USA, naher untersudit. Die Weibchen auserten „Gesangsmuster 1”, das dem Partnerzusammenhalt dienen soil. Sie taten es vor und wahrend der Brutzeit und in der Nestlingszeit, und zwar wenn sie zum Nest kamen oder es verliesen. Sie taten es auch, wenn ihre Mannchen abwesend waren; das Singen zeigt also wohl nicht dem Partner die An– und Abfluge des Weibchens an. Ebensowenig synchronisieren Weibchen dadurch ihre Abfluge. Vermutlich dient dieses Singen dazu, dem Partner die Individualitat und den sexuellen Zustand des Weibchens anzuzeigen. Mannchen konnten daran ihre verschiedenen Weibchen erkennen und von fremden unterscheiden, die Weibchen selbst konnten sich vor sexuellen Antragen wahrend der Brut– und Futterphasen schutzen.
The N100 auditory cortical evoked potential indexes scanning of auditory short-term memory.

Abstract Objective : To study activity of auditory cortex reflected by the N100 and P200 components of the auditory evoked potentials during memorization and scanning of short-term memory stores. Methods : In a MEMORY task subjects classified a probe digit either as a member or not a member of a previously presented list of digits that varied in size from one, 3, 5 and 7 items. For comparison, subjects in a NUMBER task listened to a list of digits as in the MEMORY task but determined only whether the probe digit as odd or even . Evoked potentials to the presentation list and to probes were recorded from scalp electrodes and separately averaged for both tasks. The components peaking at approximately 100 ms (N100) and 200 ms (P200) that reflect activity of primary auditory cortex were identified and peak amplitudes and latencies were measured. Results : For presentation set items, the amplitude of N100 was affected by set size in the MEMORY but not in the NUMBER task; N100 was larger for the one item set than for the 3, 5, and 7 item sets. P200 increased in amplitude in a linear manner for both the MEMORY and NUMBER tasks. For probe items, N100 but not P200 amplitude decreased in a linear manner as the number of items in the presentation set increased in the MEMORY but not in the NUMBER task. The linear change of N100 amplitude during memory scanning was particular to in-set but not to out-of-set probes. The amplitudes of both N100 and P200 were almost twice as large in probe digits than in the digits in the presentation set in both the MEMORY and NUMBER tasks. Conclusion : Auditory sensory cortical activity in humans during an auditory short-term memory task shows dynamic changes during both memorization and memory scanning.
Massive panniculectomy after massive weight loss.

Background: Massive weight loss, defined as loss of 50 percent of excess weight, often results in laxity and redundancy of the abdominal skin, causing disabling rashes, pain, physical limitation, back strain, and cosmetic deformity. The heavier the panniculus, the more marked the symptoms. Panniculectomy can treat these symptoms, but the approach must be customized because of complex medical and surgical histories related to obesity and the size of the panniculus. The aim of this study was to analyze a series of massive panniculectomies greater than 10 pounds following massive weight loss and to investigate the outcomes achieved. Methods: All patients undergoing massive abdominal panniculectomy by a single plastic surgeon at an academic hospital from October of 2000 to December of 2003 were retrospectively studied. Seven men and 17 women qualified: one woman had a two-stage abdominal panniculectomy, each time with greater than 10-pound abdominal skin resections. All but one patient had gastric bypass. Average weight loss was 171 pounds, with an average maximum body mass index of 70.5 and a minimum body mass index of 43.7 (morbid obesity is defined as a body mass index greater than 40). Patient presentation was regularly complicated by abdominal scars. Abdominal panniculectomy was performed with conservative undermining. Hernias were repaired at the time of surgery. Routine prophylaxis against thromboembolism was performed. Results: Average abdominal skin resection was 16.1 pounds, ranging from 10.3 to 49 pounds. Hernia repair was necessary in 13 patients. Additional surgery performed at the time of panniculectomy included skin reduction surgery of the back (40 percent), chest (32 percent), inner thigh (28 percent), and arm (28 percent). Blood transfusion was necessary in five of the cases (20 percent). Length of stay averaged 3 days. Complications included wounds requiring debridement, dressings, vacuum-assisted closure therapy and/or delayed primary closure (20 percent), and seroma requiring drain replacement or dressings (28 percent). Uncomplicated healing occurred in 44 percent of cases. Conclusion: Massive abdominal panniculectomy is challenging to plan, execute, and manage after surgery. The authors present their approach to these patients, with acceptable results.
ARTEMIS Mission Design

The ARTEMIS mission takes two of the five THEMIS spacecraft beyond their prime mission objectives and reuses them to study the Moon and the lunar space environment. Although the spacecraft and fuel resources were tailored to space observations from Earth orbit, sufficient fuel margins, spacecraft capability, and operational flexibility were present that with a circuitous, ballistic, constrained-thrust trajectory, new scientific information could be gleaned from the instruments near the Moon and in lunar orbit. We discuss the challenges of ARTEMIS trajectory design and describe its current implementation to address both heliophysics and planetary science objectives. In particular, we explain the challenges imposed by the constraints of the orbiting hardware and describe the trajectory solutions found in prolonged ballistic flight paths that include multiple lunar approaches, lunar flybys, low-energy trajectory segments, lunar Lissajous orbits, and low-lunar-periapse orbits. We conclude with a discussion of the risks that we took to enable the development and implementation of ARTEMIS.
Using classification and NDVI differencing methods for monitoring sparse vegetation coverage: a case study of saltcedar in Nevada, USA

A change detection experiment for an invasive species, saltcedar, near Lovelock, Nevada, was conducted with multidate Compact Airborne Spectrographic Imager (CASI) hyperspectral datasets. Classification and NDVI differencing change detection methods were tested. In the classification strategy, a principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on single-date CASI imagery separately in the visible bands and NIR bands. Then the first five PCs from the visible bands and the first five PCs from the NIR bands were used to classify six to eight cover types with a maximum likelihood classifier. A complete matrix of change information and change/no-change maps were produced by overlaying two single-date classification maps. In the NDVI differencing strategy, a linear regression model was developed between two Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) images to normalize the index differences caused by factors not related to land cover change. Then the actual time 2 NDVI image was subtracted by the predicted time 2 NDVI image to obtain the differencing image. The NDVI differencing image was further processed with a new threshold method into change/no-change of saltcedar. By testing the single-date classification results and validating the change/no-change results, both change detection results indicated that CASI hyperspectral data have the potential to map and monitor the change of saltcedar. However, the accuracy assessment and change/no-change validation results (overall accuracy 91.56% and kappa value 0.618 for the classification method against corresponding values of 93.04% and 0.684 for the NDVI differencing method) indicate that the NDVI differencing method outperformed the classification method in this particular study. In addition, use of the new method of determining thresholds for differentiating change pixels from no-change pixels from the NDVI differencing image improved the change detection accuracy compared to a traditional method (kappa value increased from 0.813 to 0.888 from a test sample). Therefore, according to the criteria of higher accuracy of change/no-change maps and fewer spectral bands, the NDVI differencing method is recommended for use if a suitable spectral normalization between multi-temporal images can be carried out before performing image differencing.
Age, genetic, and nongenetic factors influencing variation in serum sex steroids and zonal volumes of the prostate and benign prostatic hyperplasia in twins.

BACKGROUND. We have observed that hereditary and environmental factors have a substantial influence on the plasma content of sex steroids in normal male twins and in men of families with prostatic disease. METHODS. The contribution of genetic and nongenetic familial factors on the variation of plasma sex steroid concentrations and of the volume of zones of the prostate measured by transrectal ultrasound (TRUS) has now been investigated in pairs of male monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs between age 25-75 years. Bioelectric impedance permitted quantitation of body fat, lean body mass, and water. Morphometrics and testicular volume were also determined. RESULTS. The intraclass correlation (r l ) was >0.40 for the variation of the total volume (TV), the transition zone (TZ), the peripheral zone (PZ), and the ratio of TZ/PZ in both MZ and DZ twins, and heredity affected 22% of the variation of the PZ and TZ and 30% of the ratio of TZ/PZ. None of the TV and environmental factors influenced the remainder of the variation. Heredity accounted for 25% or more of the variation of dihydrotestosterone (DHT), and the ratios of DHT/testosterone (T), estradiol (E2)/T, androstanediol glucuronide, sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG)-bound T, T/SHBG, luteinizing hormone (LH), follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate (DHEA-S). In MZ twin pairs the variation of the volumes of the prostate became greater with age. In contrast, the variation of the sex hormone concentrations did not show greater variation with age. Heredity also affected >30% of the variation for waist measurement, weight, body fat, body mass, water and lean body mass, body mass/fat, and testicular size. CONCLUSIONS. Our results indicated that both MZ and DZ twin pairs had zonal prostate volumes more like their twin pair than like unrelated twins. However, nongenetic factors exerted stronger influences than genetic factors on zonal volumes of the prostate. In contrast, hereditary factors had stronger influences on determining the variation of many sex hormones and morphometric characteristics than did nongenetic factors.
Assessing the Residential Property Tax Revenue Impact of a Shopping Center

This study investigates the impact of a shopping center on surrounding housing prices. Instead of using simple Euclidean distance to measure proximity to the shopping center, this study creates multiple sizes of driving time buffers around the shopping center to better reflect real accessibility and to capture the distance-decay effects of the accessibility. We apply a spatial hedonic model with a series of driving time buffer variables to capture the influence of a shopping center in a metropolitan county in Tennessee. The findings suggest that households place a positive value on proximity to a shopping center with a travel time distance of 3–20 min in the case of the Turkey Creek Shopping Center, the largest and most recently developed shopping center in the Knoxville metropolitan area. Based on estimates of enhanced house values as they relate to proximity to the shopping center, we were able to calculate total annual property tax revenues ranging between $1.12 and $1.17 million for the county and city governments owing to the development of the Turkey Creek Shopping center.
Changes in parameters of the plasmalemma ATPase during cold acclimation of apple (Mains domestica) tree bark tissues

A plasmalemma fraction was isolated from homogenized apple tree (Mains domestica Borkh ‘Golden Delicious’) hark tissues using aqueous phase partitioning and ultra-centrifugation. Results of marker enzyme assays indicated that a membrane preparation highly enriched in plasma membranes was obtained. ATPase activity in this preparation possessed a high specificity for ATP as substrate, was inhibited by vanadate, diethylstilbcsterol and dicyclohexylcarbocHimide, and was insensitive to inhibitors of mitochondria! and tonoplasl ATPases. Specific activity of the plasma-lemma ATPase increased during cold acclimation prior to the attainment of vegetative maturity. Kinetic parameters (Km, Vln) determined from assays performed at different temperatures (10, 30°C) indicated a differential effect of cold acclimation on enzyme activity. Vm increased during cold acclimation, whereas Km increased when determined at 30°C but declined at 10°C. Acclimation treatments during April and May resulted in alteration of ATPase kinetics in the absence of any increase in bark frost hardiness. Changes in ATPase kinetics may be related more to enhanced low temperature metabolism than to frost hardiness per se.
Low Rate of Membrane Lithium Transport during Treatment Correlates with Outcome of Maintenance Pharmacotherapy in Bipolar Disorder

Lithium is transported across cell membranes by an exchange diffusion process (Na+-Li+ countertransport) that is inhibited during lithium treatment. We hypothesized that low rates of lithium efflux (a potential manifestation of strong transport inhibition) would be associated with better clinical outcome of maintenance pharmacotherapy. We measured the erythrocyte (RBC) apparent rate constant for lithium efflux (kexch) in 22 patients with bipolar disorder who had been euthymic on lithium for 1 month. Subsequently, clinical mood ratings and in vivo RBC: plasma lithium ratios (LiR) were determined monthly. Outcome was categorized according to whether subjects completed 1 year of successful maintenance treatment ( n = 10), experienced a recurrent affective episode ( n = 8), or dropped out ( n = 4). The kexch at the outset of the study was significantly lower (potentially because of greater transport inhibition) in 1-year completers than in patients with recurrences or those who dropped out (median kexch = 0.09, 0.24, and 0.27 h−1, respectively; p <. 03). Moreover, 77% of patients with a kexch of 0.11 h−1 or lower were successfully maintained on lithium for 1 year, whereas only 23% of those with a kexch greater than or equal to 0.12 h−1 had a successful treatment outcome. LiR measured during the course of maintenance treatment was significantly higher (suggesting greater transport inhibition) in 1-year completers than in noncompleters (recurrences and dropouts). Measurement of kexch at an early point in treatment may provide a means for prospectively identifying those bipolar patients at greater risk for failure of maintenance lithium therapy.
Decision Analysis and Risk Management Decision Making: Issues and Methods

This paper provides an overview of decision analysis and its use in risk management decision making. The paper discusses the distinctive characteristics of decision analysis and compares these characteristics with those of its principal alternative-cost-benefit analysis. The paper also discusses each of the steps in a decision analysis and the strengths and limitations of the method.
U.S. Airways Merger: A Strategic Variance Analysis of Changes in Post-Merger Performance

Abstract This case provides students the opportunity to apply strategic variance analysis (SVA) methodology in analyzing the performance changes realized in an airline merger. The U.S. Airways–America West merger provides an example of a complex, strategic action that simultaneously impacts firm size, unit pricing and costs, efficiency, and capacity for the combining airlines. This merger provides a rich example for the analysis since it combines U.S. Airways, a higher cost network airline that is geographically focused on the Eastern U.S., with America West, a low cost airline operating primarily along the Western U.S. The case includes merger and acquisition (M&A) theory discussing market power vs. efficiency motives for mergers and discusses the role of the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in evaluating M&As and their impact on markets. The case asks students to serve as consultants applying the SVA methodology to the past U.S. Airways–America West merger and provide conclusions.
Possible spectral neutrality of cosmic radiation.

Electron and proton differential velocity spectra observed for low-energy relativistic cosmic rays, noting spectral neutrality of radiation
Considering the Social Context of Schools: A Framework for Investigating New Teacher Induction

This work presents a conceptual framework rooted in social capital theory which can be utilized to guide future research of new teacher induction, as well as inform school and district leaders about important elements of a school’s social context which may mediate the effects of new teacher induction. Specifically, this work elaborates on the elements of a school’s social context which impact teacher socialization, including: (a) levels of relational trust and collective responsibility, (b) characteristics of novices and their colleagues, (c) alignment amongst novices and colleagues, and (d) the frequency and content of their interactions. Recommendations for future research (e.g. social network analysis) and improved practice are provided given the elements of the conceptual framework.
Alcohol increases commission error rates for a continuous performance test.

Background: Studying the effects of alcohol on Continuous Performance Test (CPT) performance was of interest for two reasons, i.e., (1) perhaps because of the ease of the task used in previous experiments, alcohol has not been found to impair performance, and (2) CPT commission errors (described below) have been related to impulsive behavior. Methods: In this study, the CPT featured both an Immediate Memory Task (IMT) and a more difficult Delayed Memory Task (DMT). We compared the performance of 18 subjects under both alcohol and placebo conditions, using a within-subject design. Both the IMT (0.5-sec delay) and the DMT (3.5-sec delay, with distracter stimuli at 0.5-sec intervals) required the subject to respond if a briefly displayed number was identical to the one presented before it. Stimuli included target (identical match), catch (4 of 5 digits matched), and novel (random number) stimuli. On 2 separate days, subjects performed between administrations of three hourly placebo drinks or three hourly drinks containing 0.20 g/kg of alcohol (producing peak breath alcohol concentrations of approximately 0.035%). Results: The main finding was that alcohol consumption increased responses to catch stimuli (i.e., commission errors) in the DMT. In contrast, performance in the IMT (the easier task) was unaffected by alcohol. Commission errors measured during peak breath alcohol concentrations were significantly correlated with scores on the Barratt Impulsivity Scale for both the IMT and DMT. Discriminability (A') between target and catch stimuli was reduced by alcohol for the DMT only. Conclusions: These data indicate that even small amounts of alcohol can produce measurable changes in CPT performance parameters if the task is of sufficient difficulty and that commission errors can be increased by alcohol consumption.
Tunable intersublevel transitions in self-forming semiconductor quantum dots

Interfacial compositional disordering in InGaAs/GaAs quantom dots has been used to tune their intersublevel energy spaceings (delta E subscript [(i + 1) - i]).
Routing tree topology construction to meet interconnect timing constraints

This work presents a Steiner tree construction procedure, MVERT, to meet specified sink arrival time constraints. It is shown that the optimal tree requires the use of non-Hanan points. The procedure works in two phases: a minimum-delay Steiner tree is first constructed, after which the tree is iterativ ely modified, using an efficient binary search method, to reduce its length. Experimental results show that this procedure w orks particularly well for tec hnologies where the interconnect resistance dominates, and significant cost savings are generated.
Control of a Simplified Unsteady Film-Cooling Flow Using Gradient-Based Optimization

Maximization of film-cooling effectiveness in an idealized film-cooling flow is accomplished using a gradient-based control strategy. The state equations are the two-dimensional unsteady incompressible Navier-Stokes equations and the temperature equation. The control is a spatially and temporally varying normal-velocity boundary condition subject to a constraint of zero mass and energy flux. The control that maximizes the objective function is found using a conjugate gradient method, in which the gradient of the objective function with respect to the control variables is obtained from solving a set of adjoint equations. The effectiveness of choices for the objective function are examined, along with the effect of the event horizon over which the control is obtained by the optimizer. Drastic improvements in the film-cooling effectiveness are obtained for certain choices of the objective function and event horizon. Although not a specific target of the optimizer, one result of the control is that the wall jet remains attached to the wall. The numerical issues involved with finding the control are discussed and the features of the resulting control are analyzed, with the goal of understanding the mechanisms that affect the film-cooling effectiveness.
Alterations in induction of tyrosine aminotransferase and tryptophan oxygenase by glucose pretreatment.

Abstract 1. 1. This study was designed to examine the influence of glucose consumption on induction of tyrosine aminotransferase (EC 2.6.1.5) and tryptophan oxygenase (EC 1.11.1.4) by glucocorticoids, trytophan and casein. 2. 2. Glucose feeding lowers basals levels of these enzymes and the magnitude of the rise in levels after inducer. The ratio between induced and basal enzymes and the magnitude was essentially unaffected. Glucose treatment did not simply delay induction of these enzymes by inducer but rather depressed enzyme levels throughout the period of enzyme induction. 3. 3. In adrenalectomized animals, glucose pretreatment lower the induction of these enzymes by casein but not by tryptopha. 4. 4. These and other observations lead us to suggest that tryptophan oxygenase functions to regulate intracellular tryptophan levels and that tryptophan levels play a key role in shifting metabolism between protein synthesis and gluconeogenesis.
A brief statement of some needs of nontraditional foreign students in American colleges and universities

In recent years, a new population of nontraditional students has emerged in American higher education. That population is made up of foreign nationals and immigrants, refugees, and other aliens. Many of these students have other than traditional credentials. Some have unverifiable credentials, and still others have no credentials at all. Many lack adequate language proficiency, and many are inadequately prepared for success in the fields they have chosen, or been sent, to study. This article presents a glimpse of who these students are, where some are from, and how they are classified. It identifies some of their needs, and states briefly what steps institutions are being urged to take in order to help meet those needs.