cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Response patterns as a factor in choice

In the first experiment, pigeons were given a choice between two fixed-interval 40-sec schedules. Varying the pause length by introducing stimulus changes at various times in the intervals had no effect on choice behavior. In the second experiment, pigeons were given a choice between two delays of reinforcement, and preference for the shorter delay was found to be more extreme than predicted by the matching relation. Taken together, the experiments show that preference for a schedule is more dependent on the immediacy of reinforcement than on the presence or nature of responding during the schedule chosen, and that in fixed delays of reinforcement, just as in fixed intervals, preference is more extreme than predicted from matching.
Cardiovascular reactivity and cardiometabolic risk in adolescents.

Cardiovascular reactivity has been examined as a risk marker or factor in the pathogenesis of hypertension or cardiovascular disease, but few have examined the relationship with the metabolic syndrome. We examined whether cardiovascular reactivity to laboratory stress is associated with individual cardiometabolic risk factors and their co-occurrence. A significant positive relationship was hypothesized for both individual and clustered risk factors in their cross-sectional associations with reactivity to multiple stressors. A sample of 144, 15–17-year-old adolescents (74 % boys) largely from ethnic minority groups (54 % Hispanic White, 26 % Black) were identified at annual blood pressure (BP) screening (39 % with elevated BP) at high schools in Miami, Florida, USA. Participants completed the evaluated speaking, mirror star tracing, and cold pressor tasks, as well as cardiometabolic risk factor blood sampling. Participants were classified into metabolic syndrome criterion groups (0, 1, 2, or ≥3 criteria) based on American Heart Association adult criteria. Multiple regression analyses with individual metabolic syndrome variables demonstrated that diastolic (D)BP reactivity during the mirror star tracing task accounted for 1.3 %, 3.8 %, and 5.1 % of the respective variances in casual systolic BP, waist circumference, and triglycerides (ps < 0.05). In multinomial logistic regression models, increased DBP reactivity during mirror star tracing and cold pressor tasks, and decreased HR reactivity during the cold pressor, were associated with greater likelihood of risk factor co-occurrence (ranging from 8.3 % to 15.8 %). Findings indicate that autonomic reactivity to the mirror star tracing and cold pressor tasks, but not the evaluated speaking task, is associated with risk factor co-occurrence, and reactivity may be a clinical prognosticator of cardiometabolic disease risk.
Preparation of pyrogen-free urogastrone

This invention relates to the preparation of pyrogen-free urogastrone. One object of the invention comprises, inter alia, a new and improved procedure for the preparation of urogastrone products. Urogastrone is obtainable from urine and effectively inhibits gastric secretion. Crude urogastrone...
Preconditioning with cortical spreading depression does not upregulate Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD in the cerebral cortex of rats

Previous studies have demonstrated that preconditioning the brain with cortical spreading depression (CSD) induces tolerance to a subsequent episode of ischemia. In other models of preconditioning, induction of ischemic tolerance has been associated with increased expression of the antioxidant enzyme, superoxide dismutase (SOD). The objective of the present study was to determine whether CSD upregulates Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD. CSD was induced in one hemisphere by applying 2 M KCl to the frontal cortex in Wistar rats. After 2 or 24 h of recovery, Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD mRNA levels were determined in both hemispheres using Northern blot analysis. In separate rats, Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD protein levels were determined 24 and 72 h after CSD using Western blot analysis. In addition, total SOD, Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD enzymatic activities were measured 24 and 72 h after CSD using spectrophotometric and zymographic assays. At the times investigated, no significant differences in mRNA or protein levels for Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD were observed between the ipsilateral and contralateral cortex. Further, there were no significant differences in Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD enzymatic activities between the two hemispheres at 24 or 72 h after CSD. In addition, CSD did not alter the activities of Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD in either hemisphere, relative to those in unoperated animals. Taken together, these results fail to support the hypothesis that CSD-induced tolerance is mediated through the upregulation of Cu/Zn-SOD or Mn-SOD.
A microchemical method for detecting antifungal substances

A microchemical method for detecting inhibitors of fungal grwoth has been devised. The procedure involves the determination of mycelium production by use of acidified potassium dichromate. The method is rapid, reproducible and is sensitive to the antifungal antibiotic, actidione, in concentrations of less than 0.10 μg./ml. when Fusarium oxysporum f. cubense is used as the test organism.
Proteomics Detection of Endothelial Cell Surface Proteins Following Irradiation as Potential Targets for Brain Arteriovenous Malformations Molecular Therapy

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) in the brain are vascular neurological lesions consist of abnormal collection of arteries and veins. They are the most common cause of brain haemorrhage in children and young adults. Over 90% of large AVMs (>3 cm) are not curable, or curable with unacceptable risks. Radiosurgery is the treatment option for lesions (< 3cm) in diameter and located in eloquent areas where surgery can cause neurological defecit. However vascular occlusion post radiosurgery can takes up to 3 year to complete while patients remain at risk of haemorrhage. This study aims to develop a molecular therapy for human brain AVMs. Specifically we aim to identify unique protein targets of AVMs that are up-regulated post irradiation. These proteins will then be used to develop a ligand-directed vascular treatment that promotes rapid thrombosis in AVM vessels post radiosurgery.
SIEVE TUBES AND CALLOSE IN ELODEA LEAVES

A B S T R A C T Detachment and incubation of Elodea leaves promoted callose synthesis in all cells, especially in epidermal pits and in sieve tubes. Phloem was detected in the midrib by fluorescent staining of callose induced to form on sieve plates. In EM views of mature sieve elements nucleus and tonoplast were lacking, mictoplasm replaced cytoplasm, mitochondria were fewer in number, and large plastids contained crystalline inclusion bodies. Slime was present as compact aggregates and as individual fibrils in mictoplasm and sieve pores. Deposition of callose is considered in relation to the blockage concept of callose function. THE ELODEA LEAF has served well in botanical
The determination of benzomorphan derivatives in plasma by gas chromatography

Abstract A specific, sensitive and simple procedure for the extraction from plasma and determination by gas chromatography of benzomorphan derivatives is presented.
Relative contributions of ocean mass and deep steric changes to sea level rise between 1993 and 2013

Regional and global trends of Sea Level Rise (SLR) owing to mass addition centered between 1996 and 2006 are assessed through a full-depth SLR budget using full-depth in situ ocean data and satellite altimetry. These rates are compared to regional and global trends in ocean mass addition estimated directly using data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) from 2003 to 2013. Despite the two independent methods covering different time periods with differing spatial and temporal resolution, they both capture the same large-scale mass addition trend patterns including higher rates of mass addition in the North Pacific, South Atlantic, and the Indo-Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean, and lower mass addition trends in the Indian, North Atlantic, South Pacific, and the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean. The global mean trend of ocean mass addition is 1.5 (±0.4) mm yr−1 for 1996–2006 from the residual method and the same for 2003–2013 from the GRACE method. Furthermore, the residual method is used to evaluate the error introduced into the mass budget if the deep steric contributions below 700, 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 m are neglected, revealing errors of 65%, 38%, 13%, 8%, and 4% respectively. The two methods no longer agree within error bars when only the steric contribution shallower than 1000 m is considered.
The bioscience nuclear microscopy program at LLNL

Since initiation in mid 1994, a bioscience nuclear microscopy program at Livermore has enabled collaboration with bio-scientists on a variety of projects requiring quantitative elemental microanalysis. For microprobe analysis a combination of PIXE and STIM are typically used, respectively generating element distribution maps with micron scale spatial resolution, and projected densities and histological information with sub-micron spatial resolution. Current studies demonstrate the applicability of nuclear microscopy (particularly when combined with other analysis techniques) in environmental tracing, toxicology, carcinogenesis, and structural biology. The program currently uses ∼ 10 percent of the available time on a 10 MV tandem accelerator that is also applied to a variety of Accelerator Mass Spectrometry and other microprobe programs. The completion of a dedicated nuclear microprobe system, using a 5 SDH NEC 1.7 MV tandem accelerator and employing several energy dispersive X-ray detectors to improve X-ray counting rates, promises increased accelerator access, greater sample throughput and continued expansion of the program.
High-Altitude CUSP: The Extremely Dynamic Region in Geospace

The high-altitude dayside cusps (both northern and southern) are extremely dynamic regions in geospace. Large diamagnetic cavities with significant fluctuations of the local magnetic field strength have been observed there. These cusp diamagnetic cavities are always there day after day and are as large as 6 R E. Associated with these cavities are charged particles with energies from 20 keV up to 10 MeV. The intensities of the cusp energetic ions have been observed to increase by as much as four orders of the magnitude when compared with regions adjacent to the cusp which includes the magnetosheath. Their seed populations are a mixture of ionospheric and solar wind particles. The measured energetic ion fluxes in the high-altitude cusp are higher than that in both the regions upstream and downstream from the bow shock. Turbulent electric fields with an amplitude of about 10 mV/m are also present in the cusp, and a cusp resonant acceleration mechanism is suggested. The observations indicate that the dayside high-altitude cusp is a key region for transferring the solar wind mass, momentum, and energy into the Earth’s magnetosphere.
Linking occupant complaints to building performance

The operation of a building connects the building, its performance and its end-users. When a mismatch occurs between users' expectations and operations processes, then complaints can arise. The use of enhanced complaint handling processes is investigated to ascertain whether this can help diagnose performance problems. Two LEED Platinum-rated office buildings form the basis for a case study of the components that make up an enhanced complaint handling process. Some of the social dynamics of complaints in buildings are consequently discussed. It is found that an enhanced complaint handling approach could contribute to a form of ongoing commissioning that goes beyond primarily reactive or dismissive treatments of complaints. Le fonctionnement d'un immeuble etablit des rapports entre l'immeuble, ses performances et ses utilisateurs finaux. Lorsqu'un decalage se produit entre les attentes des utilisateurs et les processus d'exploitation, des plaintes peuvent alors s'elever. L'utilisation de processus ameliore...
Comparison of model equations for small-amplitude long waves

Abstract Consider a body of water of finite depth under the influence of gravity, bounded below by a flat, impermeable surface. If viscous and surface tension effects are ignored, and assuming that the flow is incompressible and irrotational, the fluid motion is governed by the Euler equations together with suitable boundary conditions on the rigid surfaces and on the air-water interface. In special regimes, the Euler equations admit of simpler, approximate models that describe pretty well the fluid response to a disturbance. In situations where the wavelength is long and the amplitude is small relative to the undisturbed depth, and if the Stokes number is of order one, then various model equations have been derived. Two of the most standard are the KdV-equation (0.1) u t +u x +uu x +u xxx =0 and the RLW-equation (0.2) u t +u x +uu x −u xxt =0. Bona, Pritchard and Scott showed that solutions of these two evolution equations agree to the neglected order of approximation over a long time scale, if the initial disturbance in question is genuinely of small-amplitude and long-wavelength. The same formal argument that allows one to infer (0.2) from (0.1) in small-amplitude, long-wavelength regimes also produces a third equation, namely u t +u x +uu x +u xtt =0. Kruskal, in a wide-ranging discussion of modelling considerations, pointed to this equation as an example that might not accurately describe water waves. Its status has remained unresolved. It is our purpose here to show that the initial-value problem for the latter equation is indeed well posed. Moreover, we show that for small-amplitude, long waves, solutions of this model also agree to the neglected order with solutions of either (0.1) or (0.2) provided the initial data is properly imposed. 1
NEUTROPENIA PRESERVES ENERGY METABOLITES DURING CEREBRAL HYPOXIA-ISCHEMIA IN THE NEONATAL RAT. † 2256

We found that neutropenia induced before cerebral hypoxia-ischemia (HI) in the 7day old rat is neuroprotective. However, neutrophil depletion achieved by 6-8hrs of recovery is not protective. Neutrophils can plug microvessels and reduce red cell velocity when flow is reduced during ischemia. The aims of this study were to determine the effect of neutropenia on cerebral energy metabolism during the HI insult and at 6hrs of recovery. We produced a HI insult to the R cerebral hemisphere (RH) of 7day old rat pups by R common carotid artery ligation and 2.25h hypoxia in 8% oxygen. This insult causes cerebral ischemia and injury to the right hemisphere. We made some rats neutropenic with antineutrophil serum before HI. Other rats received normal rabbit serum as control. Sixteen rats of each group were killed by immersion in liquid nitrogen at the end of the HI insult and 10-12 of each group at 6h of recovery from HI. From perchloric acid brain extracts we measured L and R hemisphere levels of P-Cr, ATP, ADP, AMP, and calculated Total Adenine Nucleotides (TAN). We compared the energy metabolite levels of the neutropenic and nonneutropenic rats at 0 and 6h recovery. Normal levels of ATP were 2.29±0.18mmol/kg (Mean ±SD). In the nonneutropenic rats at 0 recovery ATP levels were 0.88±.59 while in the neutropenic rats it was 1.3±0.76. Seven of 16 neutropenic rats had ATP levels at 0 recovery within 3SD of normal compared to only 2 of 14 nonneutropenic rats, p=.04 Chi Square. TAN levels were 2.7±0.22 in the normal rats, at 0h recovery they were 2.02±0.56 mmol/kg in neutropenic rats and only 1.55±0.56 in the nonneutropenic rats, p =0.02 Mann-Whitney U test. At 6 hours of recovery ATP levels had returned to within 2SD of the Mean(1.93-2.65mmol/kg) in all 12 neutropenic rats and 7/10 nonneutropenic rats. There was not a significant difference between the neutropenic and nonneutropenic rats at 6hrs of recovery for any metabolite. Average levels were normal for all metabolites at 6h recovery. In conclusion neutropenia induced before cerebral HI preserves energy metabolism during the insult. Cerebral energy metabolism recovers by 6 hrs of recovery following a hypoxic ischemic insult.
Corrigendum to: Fluid control of localized mineral domains in limestone pressure solution structures [Journal of Structural Geology 28 (2006), 284 301]

Fig. 10. Sequence of burial and deformation for the Wills Mountain anticline (WM) and Patterson Creek anticline (PC) in northern West Virginia. Based on burial and fluid history derived by Evans and Battles (1999), Evans and Hobbs (2003), and unpublished data. Sections (a), (c), and (e) correspond to points A, B, and C, respectively, on the burial plot in Fig. 8. Locations of samples used in this study are schematically shown by small filled circles.
Anisotropic energy flow and allosteric ligand binding in albumin

Protein allosteric interactions involve a transfer of structural changes to a remote site. Here, the authors study the relationship between allosteric binding and energy flow, showing how the energy transport mechanism conveys binding energy to remote sites.
Introduction to “Implicit memory: Multiple perspectives”

Psychological studies of memory have traditionally assessed retention of recently acquired information with recall and recognition tests that require intentional recollection or explicit memory for a study episode. During the past decade, there has been a growing interest in the experimental study of implicit memory: unintentional retrieval of information on tests that do not require any conscious recollection of a specific previous experience. Dissociations between explicit and implicit memory have been established, but theoretical interpretation of them remains controversial. The present set of papers examines implicit memory from multiple perspectives—cognitive, developmental, psychophysiological, and neuropsychological—and addresses key methodological, empirical, and theoretical issues in this rapidly growing sector of memory research.
Recognition using Rapid Classification Tree

This paper proposes a method to achieve object classification with high throughput and accuracy using a rapid classification tree. To achieve this, we decouple the training and test stages. During the training stage, we learn optimal discriminatory features from the training set and then train a classifier with high accuracy. Then we create a classification tree, where each node uses a lookup table to store the solutions, resulting high throughput at the test stage. To make the lookup tables feasible for applications, we learn a projection matrix through stochastic optimization. We illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method using several datasets; our results show the proposed method achieves often several orders of magnitudes of improvement in throughput while maintaining a similar accuracy.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for youth with social anxiety: differential short and long-term treatment outcomes.

Abstract This study examined social anxiety symptoms and/or diagnosis as a predictor of differential short- and long-term cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) outcomes. Ninety-one anxiety-disordered youth participated in a randomized clinical trial of CBT. Semi-structured interviews provided dimensional clinical severity ratings (CSRs) for children's principal anxiety disorder at pretreatment, posttreatment, 1-year and 7.4-year follow-up assessments for youth with versus without pretreatment social anxiety. Thirty-nine youth presented with either principal ( n = 17), secondary ( n = 11), or tertiary social phobia diagnoses ( n = 7) or subclinical social anxiety symptoms ( n = 4). Hierarchal linear modeling (HLM) indicated that youth made similar gains from pretreatment to posttreatment and 1-year follow-up regardless of their social anxiety symptoms or diagnosis; however, youth with social anxiety symptoms or diagnosis were significantly less improved at 7.4-year follow-up. This pattern was distinct from that of youth with the most severe (CSR = 4) principal anxiety disorders at pretreatment. Though initially responsive to CBT, children who present with social anxiety diagnoses or symptoms may require an enhanced or extended treatment to maintain their gains into young adulthood whether or not social anxiety is considered their principal childhood difficulty.
Multiple methods, complex dilemmas: negotiating socio-ethical spaces in participatory research with disadvantaged children

The paper explores the methodological and socio-ethical dilemmas of researching with disadvantaged children in two contrasting fieldwork settings in Ethiopia. The challenges of adhering to dominant, ‘Western’ ethical principles and of creating and sharing ethical spaces during fieldwork are discussed. It is argued that research ethics originating in the Global North entail standards that are difficult to apply in social, cultural and economic contexts elsewhere, and that these needed to be reworked in reflexive ways during fieldwork. The indeterminate nature of grounded field research and the fluidity of its unfolding directions, not only make the contextualization of universal ethics in local ethos about childhood necessary. The paper also highlights how fieldwork with children is a morally contested terrain embedded in and through personal, social and ethical spatiality (Soja 2001, Massey 2005). Some questions are raised that require further consideration in research with children in similar circumstances.
The sympathetic nervous system: the muse of primary hypertension

Von Euler characterised the sympathetic neurotransmitter noradrenaline (NA) and postulated that excessive neural tone was a cause of primary hypertension (PH). Thirty years ago, we found raised NA levels in 30-40% of young patients with PH. Laragh found plasma renin activity (PRA) a risk marker for coronary artery disease. With Esler, Miura, and Campese, a close association was found of plasma NA with PRA. We found raised tyrosine hydroxylase activity (AC) in the hearts of a rabbit model of sinoaortic denervated hypertension and in PH with raised plasma NA. Esler utilised titrated NA infusion and described increased spillover of NA from heart, kidney and subcortical areas of brain of patients with PH. With Eide we found raised cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) NA in PH (not secondary hypertension) and with Kolloch and Miura, we found raised plasma/CSF NA in conjunction with reduced dopaminergic tone. With Shkvatsabaya, Yurenev and Davison, we found that relaxation therapy improved the anger ambience and blood pressure of PH with raised plasma NA vs those with normal NA levels. Campese found a hypothalamic source of raised blood pressure in two rat models - microphenol treated and ischaemic kidney. The resulting hypertension was associated with raised NA turnover of their hypothalamic centres. Finally, with Hsueh and Hodis, we found raised plasma NA in association with insulin resistance increased left ventricular mass and intimal medial hypertrophy in Mexican-American diabetics and their yet unaffected offspring. Reliable estimates of human sympathetic AC, including levels of plasma NA in the effluent of selected organs and peripheral venous and arterial sites, may eventually be displaced by techniques using genetic analysis and molecular biology. Never the less, the sympathetic nervous system appears to play an important role in the pathogenesis, sequelae and therapy of PH.
Intracellular adjustments of skeletal muscle, heart, and brain to prolonged hypercapnia.

Abstract The in vivo apparent CO2 buffer values (AHCO3−/ΔpH) of extracellular fluid, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, and brain were determined on tissues from rats that had breathed 10% CO2 for periods of 1 to 24 hr. The patterns of early changes in pH and HC03 in extracellular fluid, skeletal muscle, and brain were similar. There was a rapid fall in pH to its lowest value at 1 hr followed by an increase over the next few hours. These pH changes reflected an increasing HCO3− concentration in these 3 tissues over the first few hours. By contrast the intracellular pH of cardiac tissue decreased very slowly over the first 4 hr, reflecting a rapid rise in HCO3− during the first hour of CO2 breathing. When these data are expressed as apparent CO; buffer values; extracellular fluid, skeletal muscle, and brain increased while cardiac tissue decreased over the first 4 hr of CO2 breathing. Although nephrectomy altered the pattern of HCO3− increase in extracellular fluid and skeletal muscle, it did not alter the order of relative buffering in the 4 tissues studied.
Mechanistic insights on one-phase vs. two-phase Brust–Schiffrin method synthesis of Au nanoparticles with dioctyl-diselenides

Metal precursors in the one-phase (1p) and two-phase (2p) Brust-Schiffrin method (BSM) synthesis of Au nanoparticles (NPs) using dioctyl-diselenides were identified. A single dominant type of metal precursor was found in the 1p synthesis as compared to multiple ones in the 2p synthesis, which was proposed as the key reason why the former is better than the latter.
Cellular mechanisms of neuronal thermosensitivity

Abstract 1. There are differences between warm sensitive and temperature insensitive neurons in the rostral hypothalamus. 2. In warm sensitive neurons, temperature affects the rate of depolarization in prepotentials that precede action potentials. Warming increases the depolarization rate, which shortens the interspike interval and increases firing rate. 3. Inactivation of the potassium A current is temperature sensitive and contributes to the depolarizing prepotential. 4. In addition to intrinsic mechanisms, neuronal warm-sensitivity is affected by inhibitory synaptic input. Since cooling increases neuronal resistance, temperature affects the amplitude of postsynaptic inhibitory potentials, and this enhances neuronal thermosensitivity.
Reduction of Cardiac Tyrosine Hydroxylase Activity in Experimental Congestive Heart Failure: Its Role In The Depletion Of Cardiac Norepinephrine Stores

Although it is clear that cardiac norepinephrine stores are often markedly reduced in congestive heart failure, the mechanism responsible for this depletion has not been elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate cardiac synthesis of norepinephrine in experimental right-sided heart failure by measuring the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of norepinephrine. In homogenates of the right ventricles of 6 dogs with congestive heart failure and 2 with chronic cardiac denervation, myocardial tyrosine hydroxylase activity was severely reduced, averaging 0.4 ± 0.1 (SE) and 0.2 mµmole/g per hour respectively as compared to a normal value of 3.3 ± 0.7 mµmole/g per hour. Tyrosine hydroxylase activity was normal in reserpine-treated, norepinephrine-depleted dogs. These data provide evidence for a mechanism severely limiting norepinephrine biosynthesis in congestive heart failure.
Teaching about violence prevention: A bridge between public health and criminal justice educators

Public health perspectives on violence-related injuries have become increasingly important over the past two decades, yet they are rarely mentioned in criminal justice educational texts or articles. Here we provide a brief overview of the public health approach to the prevention of violence and related injuries and compare it to an approach to crime prevention commonly associated with the criminal justice approach: deterrence. The prevention of sexual assault on college and university campuses is used as an illustration of the two approaches. Finally, given the similarities between the manner in which these two multi-disciplinary fields approach violence prevention, we explore how and why criminal justice educators might want to teach a bridge between public health and criminal justice.
Understanding Work Group Culture on Rehabilitation Units: The Key to Facilitating Group Innovation and Promoting Integration

Understanding work group culture is essential for the smooth running of today's complex rehabilitation units. Failure to understand a unit's culture can impede necessary care delivery innovations and impair group integration. This article describes the phenomenon of work group culture and offers suggestions for assessing and understanding a given unit's culture. It also illustrates how an understanding of work group culture can facilitate innovation by reframing and tailoring a change and can promote integration by helping nurses adjust to a new unit.
DEFINING A PLANT'S BELOWGROUND ZONE OF INFLUENCE

The concept of a zone of influence, the area over which a plant alters the environment, forms the basis of many models of plant competition. Because of logistical difficulties, we actually know little about the sizes and shapes of zones of influence be- lowground. Here we advocate obtaining data on plants' belowground zones of influence, including the length and distribution of lateral roots, in order to understand better how plants respond to their abiotic soil environment and to other plants. We provide several examples from recent work. First, we present an analysis of a large global data set which shows that maximum lateral root spread correlates with canopy size but that, for a given canopy size, maximum lateral root spread is greater in arid environments and in coarse textured soils. Second, we use an experiment with the weedy annual Abutilon theophrasti to show how using nutrient analogs as tracers yields information about lateral root distri- butions within populations. In our experimental populations, the belowground zone of influence extended well beyond the closest neighboring plants. Overlap in zones of influence increased in nutrient patches. Third, we propose a new conceptual model of belowground zones of influence based on these and other data sets. The model assumes that the probability of resource uptake or competing with a particular neighbor declines with distance from the stem but that considerable uptake at great distances from the stem is still possible. It also allows for plasticity in root distributions as might occur in spatially heterogeneous soils. Finally, we suggest how better information on the shapes and sizes of belowground zones of influence will help develop a more predictive framework for understanding plant com- petition.
Hafnium isotope results from mid-ocean ridges and Kerguelen

Abstract 176Hf/177Hf ratios are presented for oceanic volcanics representing both extremes of the range of mantle HfNdSr isotopic variation. Hf from critical mid-ocean ridgebasalts shows that 176Hf/177Hf does indeed have a greater variability than 143Nd/144Nd and 87Sr/86Sr in the depleted mantle. This extra variation is essentially of a random nature, and can perhaps be understood in terms of known Rb/SrSm/NdLu/Hf fractionation relationships. At the other extreme of mantle isotopic composition, 176Hf/177Hf ratios for igneous rocks from the Indian Ocean island of Kerguelen show a closely similar variation to published 143Nd/144Nd ratios for the same samples. Comparison of HfNdSr c relationships for Tristan da Cunha, Kerguelen and Samoa reveals divergences in the mantle array for ocean island magma sources, and perhaps suggests that these irregularities are largely the result of an extra component of 87Sr/86Sr variation.
Entomological reactions to Darwin's theory in the nineteenth century.

Charles Darwin first became interested in entomology during his childhood, and this interest grew into a beetle-collecting obsession during his college days. Following the voyage of the Beagle, his focus on insects shifted from collecting specimens to searching for insect observations that supported his theory of natural selection as proposed in On the Origin of Species. Initially, Darwin believed that entomologists were opposed to his views. Using Darwin's correspondence, I show that his perception was based, in part, on three reviews, including one that he erroneously attributed to an entomological critic, and that not all entomologists were opposed to his ideas. Henry Walter Bates, discoverer of Batesian mimicry, voiced his support of Darwin in his papers and during meetings of the (now Royal) Entomological Society. In America, entomologist Benjamin D. Walsh wrote to Darwin in 1864, expressing his support and promising to counter any anti-Darwinian attack, and by 1868, Darwin was enjoying significant e...
Bacterial ecology of hospital workers' facial hair: a cross-sectional study

It is unknown whether healthcare workers' facial hair harbours nosocomial pathogens. We compared facial bacterial colonization rates among 408 male healthcare workers with and without facial hair. Workers with facial hair were less likely to be colonized with Staphylococcus aureus (41.2% vs 52.6%, P = 0.02) and meticillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (2.0% vs 7.0%, P = 0.01). Colonization rates with Gram-negative organisms were low for all healthcare workers, and Gram-negative colonization rates did not differ by facial hair type. Overall, colonization is similar in male healthcare workers with and without facial hair; however, certain bacterial species were more prevalent in workers without facial hair.
Constructions: a new theoretical approach to language

A new theoretical approach to language has emerged in the past 10-15 years that allows linguistic observations about form-meaning pairings, known as 'constructions', to be stated directly. Constructionist approaches aim to account for the full range of facts about language, without assuming that a particular subset of the data is part of a privileged 'core'. Researchers in this field argue that unusual constructions shed light on more general issues, and can illuminate what is required for a complete account of language.
Method for semiconductor process optimization using functional representations of spatial variations and selectivity

The authors present a methodology for determining the optimal equipment settings for a processing step based on experiment designs and model-based optimization. The proposed method for semiconductor process optimization uses two-layered models. The first layer involves creating a spatial model-one for each film of interest-of the etch results. The second layer maps the coefficients of the spatial models to equipment settings. All this is done before any optimization scheme is employed. The process engineer then may optimize the etch process by maximizing coefficients which contribute to the desired maximum etch rate, while minimizing coefficients which contribute to nonuniformity. He also may minimize coefficients which represent undesired etches, and thus obtain etch selectivity. The results of a study of a plasma-assisted silicon nitride etch step are presented. >
Cross-dating of tree ring δ18O and δ13C time series

Abstract The science of dendrochronology relies on cross-dating techniques to ensure that a particular tree ring is associated with a specific year. Some tree species and environments produce ring-width time series that are difficult to cross-date. The objective of this preliminary study was to determine if stable isotope time series of oxygen (δ18O) or carbon (δ13C) could provide useful data for cross-dating purposes. Ring-width and stable isotope time series for three to four trees from multiple sites were statistically analyzed with a computer program commonly used in dendrochronology (COFECHA). For pine (Pinus ponderosa), both δ18O and δ13C time series produced as good and occasionally better between-tree correlations than ring-width series. Coast redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) is a species that can be difficult to cross-date using ring-width data due to complacent growth and ring anomalies. For the Prairie Creek redwood site, between-tree δ18O time series were more strongly correlated than ring-width series. In some instances within-tree, ring-width series (multiple cores from each tree) were not significantly correlated, again indicating that using ring-width data for cross-dating redwood can be problematic. Although, using isotope chronologies for routine cross-dating is not practical, this study demonstrates that for short sections that are difficult to date or when trying to link limited numbers of cores into an extended chronology, patterns of δ18O and δ13C variation could be used to clarify tree ring dating.
Measuring Competitive Effects From School Voucher Programs: A Systematic Review

Studies of the competition effects from voucher or tuition tax credit scholarship programs on public school student academic outcomes have taken place in seven locations throughout the United States, with the majority of studies taking place in Florida, followed by Wisconsin. This article reviews 21 total studies of the impacts on student academic outcomes, finding neutral to positive results. The various competition measures used in the literature are thoroughly reviewed and regression discontinuity design is identified as the most rigorous estimation strategy capable of identifying the causal effect of competition threats on traditional public schools.
Steady flow through porous media

The movement of materials through porous media is of interest in many disciplines: in chemical engineering - adsorption, chromatography, filtration, flow in packed columns, ion exchange, reactor-engineering; in petroleum engineering - displacement of oil with gas, water and miscible solvents including surface-active agent solutions and description of reservoirs; in hydrology - movement of trace pollutants in water systems, recovery of water for drinking and irrigation, saltwater encroachment into freshwater reservoirs; in soil physics - movement of water, nutrients, and pollutants into plants; and in biophysics. This work reviews the fundamentals of steady flow through porous media. It discusses the pseudotransport coefficients permeability, capillary pressure, and dispersion and relates these coefficients to the geometry of porous media. It discusses single-fluid flow, multifluid immiscible flow, and multifluid miscible flow including the effects of heterogeneity, nonuniformity, and anisotropy of media. 104 references.
Feasibility in reverse convex mixed-integer programming

Abstract In this paper we address the problem of the infeasibility of systems defined by reverse convex inequality constraints, where some or all of the variables are integer. In particular, we provide a polynomial algorithm that identifies a set of all constraints critical to feasibility ( CF ) , that is constraints that may affect a feasibility status of the system after some perturbation of the right-hand sides. Furthermore, we will investigate properties of the irreducible infeasible sets and infeasibility sets, showing in particular that every irreducible infeasible set as well as infeasibility sets in the considered system, are subsets of the set CF of constraints critical to feasibility.
Bayesianism and Inference to the Best Explanation

AbstractTwo of the most influential theories about scientific inference are inference to the best explanation (IBE) and Bayesianism. How are they related? Bas van Fraassen has claimed that IBE and ...
Biomechanical Analysis of Occupant Kinematics: Interpretation of Witness Marks

Understanding the occupant kinematics associated with an automotive accident is essential to evaluating injury causation and can lead to improved design of vehicles and restraint systems. Biomechanical analysis can be undertaken with knowledge of the accident reconstruction, that is, velocities and trajectories of the involved vehicle or vehicles, as well as the results of a detailed vehicle inspection and evaluation of other physical and photographic evidence. Evidence can be incomplete, seemingly contradictory, or compromised by the passage of time, and the biomechanical engineer must seek an explanation that is consistent with all that is known. Sometimes a physical examination of the accident vehicle provides a vivid understanding of injury causation. At other times the information obtained from the vehicle is understood only in the context of injuries sustained, witness statements, and/or information derived from other sources. We explain a methodology for conduct of a physical inspection of an accident vehicle to develop insight to be used in conjunction with information from other sources to elicit a clear and complete understanding of injury causation. We specify common and less common “witness marks” that are examined to develop constraints on possible occupant kinematics. Selected case studies highlight the importance of a careful inspection and suggest specific applications to accident scenarios.Copyright © 2008 by ASME
Institutionalizing HIPAA Compliance: Organizations and Competing Logics in U.S. Health Care

Health care in the United States is highly regulated, yet compliance with regulations is variable. For example, compliance with two rules for securing electronic health information in the 1996 Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act took longer than expected and was highly uneven across U.S. hospitals. We analyzed 3,321 medium and large hospitals using data from the 2003 Health Information and Management Systems Society Analytics Database. We find that organizational strategies and institutional environments influence hospital compliance, and further that institutional logics moderate the effect of some strategies, indicating the interplay of regulation, institutions, and organizations that contribute to the extensive variation that characterizes the U.S. health care system. Understanding whether and how health care organizations like hospitals respond to new regulation has important implications both for creating desired health care reform and for medical sociologists interested in the changing organizational structure of health care.
The effect of process variation on device temperature in FinFET circuits

With technology scaling, devices are increasingly prone to process variations. These variations cause a large spread in leakage power, since it is extremely sensitive to process variations, which in turn results in larger temperature variations across different dies. In this paper, we investigate the temperature variations in FinFET circuits considering variations in following parameters (i) channel length and (ii) body thickness. We estimate temperature variation under process fluctuation by Monte Carlo simulation with thermal models to solve temperature and leakage power self-consistently. The results show that high activity circuits exhibit larger temperature variations since increased temperature increments leakage power and vice versa. It is also shown that under moderate process variation (3sigma=10% for channel length and body thickness) and a nominal primary input activity of 0.4, thermal runaway can occur in more than 15% of chips in 28 nm FinFET technology, severely degrading manufacturing yield.
A unique complication following arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction

The use of the middle third of a patellar tendon with bone blocks is a common and well-accepted technique for arthroscopic reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament. We report here a disconcerting fracture/avulsion pattern of the patella/patellar tendon mechanism that occurred in the early postoperative period.
Droplet Vaporization In High-Pressure Environments I: Near Critical Conditions

Abstract A comprehensive analysis of multicomponent droplet vaporization at near critical conditions has been carried out. The model is based on complete time-dependent conservation equations, with a full account of variable properties and vapor-liquid interfacial thermodynamics. The influences of various high-pressure phenomena (including ambient gas solubility, property variation, thermodynamic non-ideality, and transient diffusion) on the vaporization mechanism are examined systematically. As a specific example, problems involving n-paraffin fuel droplets in nitrogen gas are studied, Results indicate that the ambient gas pressure has a profound impact on the vaporization process, especially for the conditions under which the droplet reaches its critical stale. Owing to its inability to accurately describe droplet behavior, the conventional low-pressure model may erroneously overpredict the evaporation rate significantly.
The response of primary care physicians to problem drinkers.

AbstractThis study examines the extent and characteristics of primary care physicians' response to their patients' drinking problems and several factors which might impede or facilitate their
Luminescent Lanthanide Reporters for High-Sensitivity Novel Bioassays

Biological imaging and assay technologies rely on fluorescent organic dyes as reporters for a number of interesting targets and processes. However, limitations of organic dyes such as small Stokes shifts, spectral overlap of emission signals with native biological fluorescence background, and photobleaching have all inhibited the development of highly sensitive assays. To overcome the limitations of organic dyes for bioassays, we propose to develop lanthanide-based luminescent dyes and demonstrate them for molecular reporting applications. This relatively new family of dyes was selected for their attractive spectral and chemical properties. Luminescence is imparted by the lanthanide atom and allows for relatively simple chemical structures that can be tailored to the application. The photophysical properties offer unique features such as narrow and non-overlapping emission bands, long luminescent lifetimes, and long wavelength emission, which enable significant sensitivity improvements over organic dyes through spectral and temporal gating of the luminescent signal.Growth in this field has been hindered due to the necessary advanced synthetic chemistry techniques and access to experts in biological assay development. Our strategy for the development of a new lanthanide-based fluorescent reporter system is based on chelation of the lanthanide metal center using absorbing chromophores. Our first strategy involves %22Click%22 chemistry tomore » develop 3-fold symmetric chelators and the other involves use of a new class of tetrapyrrole ligands called corroles. This two-pronged approach is geared towards the optimization of chromophores to enhance light output.« less
Regional anesthesia for pediatric knee surgery: a review of the indications, procedures, outcomes, safety, and challenges

The indications for surgery on the knee in children and adolescents share some similarity to adult practice in that there are an increasing number of sports-related injuries requiring surgical repair. In addition, there are some unique age-related conditions or congenital abnormalities that may present as indications for orthopedic intervention at the level of the knee. The efficacy and safety of peripheral nerve blocks (PNBs) for postoperative analgesia following orthopedic surgery has been well established in adults. Recent studies have also demonstrated earlier functional recovery after surgery in patients who received PNBs. In children, PNB is gaining popularity, and increasing data are emerging to demonstrate the feasibility, efficacy, and safety in this population. In this paper, we will review some of the most common indications for surgery involving the knee in children and the anatomy of knee, associated dermatomal and osteotomal innervation, and the PNBs most commonly used to produce analgesia at the level of the knee. We will review the evidence in support of regional anesthesia in children in terms of both the quality conferred to the immediate postoperative care and the role of continuous PNBs in maintaining effective analgesia following discharge. Also we will discuss some of the subtle challenges in utilizing regional anesthesia in the pediatric patient including the use of general anesthesia when performing regional anesthesia and the issue of monitoring for compartment syndrome. Finally, we will offer some thoughts about areas of practice that are in need of further investigation.