cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Diamond in the Rough: An Exploration of Aliveness and Transformation in Wilderness

Most ecopsychologists recognize the importance of spirituality in human–nature relationships. This chapter describes one example of a practice oriented to the spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of ecopsychology, “Diamond in the Rough” retreats. These wilderness retreats are grounded in immediate experience, optimistic about human nature, and oriented to the natural world as a source of support, healing, insight, and transformation. Combining the “primitive ecopsychology” approach of Steven Foster, Meredith Little, and the School of Lost Borders with the Diamond Approach of A. H. Almaas, they demonstrate several elements relevant to a transpersonal approach to ecopsychology: open and open-ended phenomenological inquiry into immediate experience, the three-stage structure of rites of passage as a container to deepen experience, the Four Shields (or four directions) model of nature including human nature, and, most importantly, direct encounter with the natural world. The Four Shields model suggests four aspects of human nature (body, heart, mind, and spirit) and a number of capacities associated with each (e.g., instinctual vitality, self-reflection and wounding, rationality and will, and freedom and transformation), and the Diamond Approach identifies four aspects of individual consciousness or soul (dynamism, sensitivity, maturation, and potentiality). These retreats apply the correspondences between these two systems in the service of greater aliveness and freedom of experience. This chapter aims to provide a more precise understanding of the spiritual and transpersonal dimensions of ecopsychology and a concrete example which embodies this understanding.
Language Development and Epistemic Engagement among Upper Elementary Students in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication.

This study examined the synchronous computer-mediated communication of 48 fifth-grade students and their teachers in a public school for large numbers of English learners during a school year. We c...
Addiction Stigma in the US Legal System

The legal community has a complex relationship with individuals with substance use disorders (SUDs). The law punishes much drug use, of course, but it also simultaneously protects individuals with SUDs (through partial recognition of addiction as a mental disorder) and disadvantages them (through restrictions on when such a conception can be used as a legal defense). What is clear is that when it comes to treatment of individuals with substance-related charges, race matters. Within the law, there is racialized drug stigma. Beyond the criminal justice system, addiction stigma and the law collide in two important areas: one, societal treatment of individuals who were formerly incarcerated for drug offenses and, two, stigma against attorneys who struggle with SUDs. Much research in this area remains to be done, including the study of intersectional stigmas.
A Proposed Mechanism for Forming Some Larger Molecules in Dense Interstellar Clouds

About 55 molecules, ranging in complexity from diatomics to the 11 atom species HC9N, have now been firmly identified in the interstellar medium (ISM), most of them in so-called dense clouds (104 - 106/ cm3). The general nature of the ISM and some pertinent chemical reactions have been reviewed by Watson [1]. There is now fairly wide agreement that the synthesis of many of the simpler molecules and ions, e.g., NH3, HC2H, HCN or HC0+, can be relatively well understood in terms of a kinetic scheme involving ion- molecule reactions in the gas phase, along the lines proposed several years ago by Herbst and Klemperer [2], For the larger and more complicated molecules the chemistry has not been explained in any great detail, and many astronomers are even skeptical that any satisfactory explanation in terms of ion-molecule reactions is possible. In this lecture a mechanism for forming a number of these larger molecules will be proposed, and its plausibility and consequences will be considered. Sufficient information to either firmly establish or to reject this mechanism does not appear to be available at this time, but several experiments and calculations that would clearly be pivotal in rendering such a verdict can be readily suggested.
A Study of the Homeward Orientation of Visually Handicapped Humans

Homing ability after displacement to a release site has been reported for many species. Recent experiments have also shown this ability in humans who have been displaced (Baker, 1980). However, the results of these experiments have not always been reproducible (Gould and Able, 1981). This paper describes a displacement experiment using visually handicapped humans.
The TI OMAP™ Platform Approach to SOC

Platform-based design of SoC, as practiced by Texas Instruments, has two key characteristics: platforms are defined hierarchically and software plays as critical a role as hardware. We illustrate these points using the TI OMAP™ platform as an example. Development of new platform family members requires a number of system-level design processes to be carried out. Multiprocessor platforms need a particular focus on SW architectures. We conclude with a detailed description of the TI Wireless SoC platform.
Dyadic Green's function formalism for photoinduced forces in tip-sample nanojunctions

A comprehensive theoretical analysis of photoinduced forces in an illuminated nanojunction, formed between an atomic force microscopy tip and a sample, is presented. The formalism is valid within the dipolar approximation and includes multiple scattering effects between the tip, sample, and a planar substrate through a dyadic Green's function approach. This physically intuitive description allows a detailed look at the quantitative contribution of multiple scattering effects to the measured photoinduced force, effects that are typically unaccounted for in simpler analytical models. Our findings show that the presence of the planar substrate and anisotropy of the tip have a substantial effect on the magnitude and the spectral response of the photoinduced force exerted on the tip. Unlike previous models, our calculations predict photoinduced forces that are within range of experimentally measured values in photoinduced force microscopy (PiFM) experiments.
Phase Change Dynamics and Two-Dimensional 4-Bit Memory in Ge2Sb2Te5 via Telecom-Band Encoding

We propose and demonstrate a two-dimensional 4-bit fully optical nonvolatile memory using Ge2Sb2Te5 (GST) phase change materials, with encoding via a 1550 nm laser. Using the telecom-band laser, we...
Chapter 14 – Phase Diagrams

Publisher Summary Before any research and development is conducted on material synthesis or processing, it is logical to first study the relevant phase diagrams to obtain information about the phase relationships and other characteristics of the material. Phase diagrams can be used to depict a wide range of information, such as (1) identity of compounds formed from specific end members, (2) stability range, composition, and temperature range of a specific phase, (3) the optimum conditions for synthesis, (4) the impurities likely to be present with a phase prepared under specific conditions, (5) the region of homogeneity of solid solutions, (6) polymorphism of a phase, (7) temperature and composition range suitable for glass formation, (8) melting temperature or temperature range of a compound, (9) primary phase field (crystallization composition field) of a phase, (10) the effect of admixture on the melting point or stability of a phase, (11) the effect of temperature and pressure on processing, and (12) the prediction of properties of the final products, based on the phase assemblage. A phase is any portion, including the whole, of a system that is physically homogeneous within itself and bounded by a surface that mechanically separates it from any other portion. The components of a system are the smallest number of independently variable chemical constituents necessary and sufficient to express the composition of each phase present in any state of equilibrium. Zero and negative quantities of the components are permissible in expressing the composition of a phase.
Investigating the impact of medical comorbidities in patients taking beta blockers and treated with immunotherapy for metastatic melanoma.

e15162Background: Combined administration of β-adrenergic antagonist with IL-2, anti-PD-1, and/or anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy was associated with a better overall survival in metastatic melanoma pati...
Genotyping Xylella fastidiosa in Rabbiteye blueberry in Louisiana, USA

Rabbiteye blueberry (Vaccinium ashei = V. virgatum) comprises much of the blueberry acreage in the southeastern USA states of Louisiana and Mississippi. Three genotypes of X. fastidiosa were identified from rabbiteye blueberry in Louisiana by multilocus sequence typing. A genotype that was found at two orchards, sequence type (ST) 42, was identical to one previously found in southern highbush blueberry in Georgia and two non-blueberry native species in Texas. Two newly identified genotypes shared most alleles with X. fastidiosa strains considered, like ST 42, to be part of a group that is believed to have resulted from recombination between X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex and subsp. fastidiosa. These two genotypes each also had one newly identified allele. This work suggests that a narrow range of X. fastidiosa genotypes infect rabbiteye blueberry in Louisiana but that rabbiteye blueberry may serve as an alternative host for X. fastidiosa strains that infect more susceptible southern highbush cultivars.
Vaginal Hysterectomy in a Large Health Maintenance Organization: Retrospective Application of a Clinical Algorithm.

STUDY OBJECTIVE The primary objective was to describe practice patterns of benign hysterectomy within a large community health maintenance organization (HMO) and evaluate clinical and surgeon characteristics associated with the performance of vaginal hysterectomy (VH). Secondary objectives were to retrospectively apply a VH algorithm to determine how our practice patterns conform, and compare rates of perioperative complications among patients who did and did not meet the algorithm. Patient and surgeon characteristics, and perioperative complications, were compared between patients who underwent VH and did or did not meet the VH algorithm. DESIGN Retrospective cohort study. SETTING Large community HMO. PATIENTS Women undergoing benign hysterectomy. INTERVENTIONS None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS Route of hysterectomy, patient and surgeon characteristics, perioperative complications. One hundred and thirty-one of 984 (13.3%) benign hysterectomies from January 1, 2013 to June 30, 2015 were vaginal. Patients who were vaginally parous, Hispanic, had normal preoperative uterine size and documentation of uterine descent were more likely to have VH (all p <.05). High-volume surgeons performed 18.8% of their hysterectomies vaginally, as compared to low-volume surgeons who performed 11.4% of their hysterectomies vaginally (p <.01). VH were more likely to be performed by surgeons with longer practice durations than non-vaginal hysterectomies (16.3 vs 12.2 years, p <.01). Seventy-five percent of patients who met the VH algorithm underwent non-vaginal hysterectomy and they had longer operative durations and higher rates of postoperative complications compared to patients who underwent VH. Conversely, patients who underwent VH despite not meeting the VH algorithm did not have significantly different rates of perioperative complications or blood loss than patients who met the VH algorithm. CONCLUSION Seventy-five percent of patients deemed appropriate for VH by our algorithm underwent non-vaginal hysterectomy and had more postoperative complications and longer operative durations. Our data suggest that surgeon characteristics, including surgical volume and duration of practice, may explain some of this performance gap. These findings contribute additional insight into current practice patterns and describe clinical factors that should be included in VH algorithms.
Functional Connectivity Decreases with Metabolic Stress in Sickle Cell Disease.

Objective Children with sickle cell disease experience cognitive deficits even when unaffected by stroke. Using functional connectivity MRI as a potential biomarker of cognitive function, we tested our hypothesis that children with sickle cell disease would have decreased functional connectivity, and that children experiencing the greatest metabolic stress, indicated by elevated oxygen extraction fraction, would have the lowest connectivity. Methods We prospectively obtained brain MRIs and cognitive testing in healthy controls and children with sickle cell disease. Results We analyzed data from 60 participants (20 controls, 40 sickle cell disease). There was no difference in global cognition or cognitive subdomains between cohorts. However, we found decreased functional connectivity within the sensory-motor, lateral sensory-motor, auditory, salience and subcortical networks in participants with sickle cell disease compared to controls. Further, as white matter oxygen extraction fraction increased, connectivity within the visual (p = 0.008, parameter estimate [95% CI] = -0.760 [-1.297, -0.224]), default mode (p = 0.012, parameter estimate [95% CI] = -0.417 [-0.731, -0.104]), and cingulo-opercular (p = 0.009, parameter estimate [95% CI] = -0.883 [-1.517, -0.250]) networks decreased. Interpretation We conclude that there is diminished functional connectivity within these anatomically-contiguous networks in children with sickle cell disease compared to controls, even when differences are not seen with cognitive testing. Increased white matter oxygen extraction fraction was associated with decreased connectivity in select networks. These data suggest that elevated oxygen extraction fraction and disrupted functional connectivity are potentially pre-symptomatic neuroimaging biomarkers for cognitive decline in sickle cell disease. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Emerging Roles for Regulator of G Protein Signaling 2 in (Patho)physiology.

Since their discovery in the mid-1990s, regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins have emerged as key regulators of signaling through G protein–coupled receptors. Among the over 20 known RGS proteins, RGS2 has received increasing interest as a potential therapeutic drug target with broad clinical implications. RGS2 is a member of the R4 subfamily of RGS proteins and is unique in that it is selective for Gαq. Despite only having an RGS domain, responsible for the canonical GTPase activating protein activity, RGS2 can regulate additional processes, such as protein synthesis and adenylate cyclase activity, through protein-protein interactions. Here we provide an update of the current knowledge of RGS2 function as it relates to molecular mechanisms of regulation as well as its potential role in regulating a number of physiologic systems and pathologies, including cardiovascular disease and central nervous system disorders, as well as various forms of cancer. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Regulator of G protein signaling (RGS) proteins represent an exciting class of novel drug targets. RGS2, in particular, could have broad clinical importance. As more details are emerging on the regulation of RGS2 in various physiological systems, the potential utility of this small protein in therapeutic development is increasing.
Clarifying the Ideological Asymmetry in Public Attitudes Toward Political Protest

Political protests cannot succeed without public support. Extant studies point to weaker average support among ideological conservatives, but researchers have yet to consider the extent to which su...
Learning to Approximate Density Functionals

Density functional theory (DFT) calculations are used in over 40,000 scientific papers each year, in chemistry, materials science, and far beyond. DFT is extremely useful because it is computationally much less expensive than ab initio electronic structure methods and allows systems of considerably larger size to be treated. However, the accuracy of any Kohn-Sham DFT calculation is limited by the approximation chosen for the exchange-correlation (XC) energy. For more than half a century, humans have developed the art of such approximations, using general principles, empirical data, or a combination of both, typically yielding useful results, but with errors well above the chemical accuracy limit (1 kcal/mol). Over the last 15 years, machine learning (ML) has made major breakthroughs in many applications and is now being applied to electronic structure calculations. This recent rise of ML begs the question: Can ML propose or improve density functional approximations? Success could greatly enhance the accuracy and usefulness of DFT calculations without increasing the cost.In this work, we detail efforts in this direction, beginning with an elementary proof of principle from 2012, namely, finding the kinetic energy of several Fermions in a box using kernel ridge regression. This is an example of orbital-free DFT, for which a successful general-purpose scheme could make even DFT calculations run much faster. We trace the development of that work to state-of-the-art molecular dynamics simulations of resorcinol with chemical accuracy. By training on ab initio examples, one bypasses the need to find the XC functional explicitly. We also discuss how the exchange-correlation energy itself can be modeled with such methods, especially for strongly correlated materials. Finally, we show how deep neural networks with differentiable programming can be used to construct accurate density functionals from very few data points by using the Kohn-Sham equations themselves as a regularizer. All these cases show that ML can create approximations of greater accuracy than humans, and is capable of finding approximations that can deal with difficult cases such as strong correlation. However, such ML-designed functionals have not been implemented in standard codes because of one last great challenge: generalization. We discuss how effortlessly human-designed functionals can be applied to a wide range of situations, and how difficult that is for ML.
In Vitro Assessment of Efficacy and Cytotoxicity of Prunus africana Extracts on Prostate Cancer C4-2 Cells

Abstract Phenolic compounds are products of secondary plant metabolism known for their biological activity including their antimicrobial, antioxidant, analgesic, stimulant, anti- carcinogenic, and aphrodisiac properties. The main objective of this study was to assess the potency/cytotoxic effects of Prunus africana extracts on prostate cancer cells in vitro. Using different concentrations of P. africana extracts, prostate cancer C4-2 cells, a hormonally insensitive subline of LNCaP cells, were treated in a proliferation assay. A concentration dependent inhibition of cell growth in cells treated with P. africana bark and root extracts was present from days 1 through 3 of incubation, with the methanol extract of the bark showing the strongest effect. Compared to other plant parts, leaf extracts were significantly less cytotoxic at the same concentrations. As C4-2 cells are hormonally insensitive and designed to mimic advanced prostate cancer, crude extracts of P. africana are a possible treatment option, not only for hormone sensitive prostate cancer, but also advanced, hormonally insensitive prostate cancer.
Mary Parker Follett as Integrative Public Philosopher

Mary Parker Follett was a feminist-pragmatist American philosopher, a social-settlement worker, a founding figure in the community centers movement, a mediator of labor disputes, and a theorist of political and social organization and management. I argue that she is a model for a certain kind of public philosopher, and I unpack the respects in which she serves as such a model. I emphasize both her virtues as a public thinker and the role played in her work by the process of integration and the creative process.
Family Food Environment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, with its cyclical lockdown restrictions and school closures, has influenced family life. The home, work, and school environments have collided and merged to form a new normal for many families. This merging extends into the family food environment, and little is known about how families are currently navigating this landscape. The objective of the present study was to describe families’ adaptations in the family food environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Parents participated in one of 14 virtual focus groups (conducted in English and Spanish between December 2020 and February 2021). Reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyze the transcripts. Results: Forty-eight parents (81% Hispanic and SES diverse) participated. Five themes and one subtheme were identified around changes in eating habits and mealtime frequency, increases in snacking, family connectedness at mealtimes, and use of screens at meals. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced the family food environment. Families shared how their eating habits have changed and that device usage increased at mealtimes. Some changes (e.g., weight gain) may have lasting health implications for both children and parents. Public health officials, pediatricians, and schools should work with families to resume healthy habits post pandemic.
Conversational Vocal Intensity in Parkinson's Disease: Treatment and Environmental Comparisons.

Abstract Background Vibrotactile Feedback (VF) using wearable devices is an emerging treatment option for hypophonia in Individuals with Parkinson's disease (IwPD). Studies evaluating the effectiveness of VF in improving conversational vocal intensity in real-life environment in IwPD are limited. Objective To determine the effect of VF on conversational vocal intensity and compare vocal intensity between a) clinic and real-life environment b) VF and Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT LOUD®)vs. VF alone in IwPD using a portable voice monitor (VocaLog2). Methods Eight individuals with hypophonia secondary to PD were randomly assigned to two treatment groups- VF and LSVT LOUD® (Group 1) and VF (Group 2). VF was provided using VocaLog2 device. Duration of treatment was 4 weeks for both groups. Vocal intensity was measured in the real-life environment at baseline, during treatment, and at one-month follow-up. Vocal intensity in clinic was obtained at baseline and one-month follow-up. Voice Handicap Index (VHI) questionnaire was administered at baseline and one-month follow-up. Results There was no significant difference in conversational vocal intensity between a) clinic and real-life environment at any point of time b) baseline and follow up for both treatment groups c) the two treatment groups at baseline, during each of the 4 weeks of treatment and at follow up d) VHI baseline and one month follow up scores. Conclusion VF, including when combined with LSVT LOUD®, is limited in improving conversational vocal intensity in real-life in IwPD. The effects of frequency and duration of VF on conversational vocal intensity must be systematically investigated using large scale studies in IwPD.
Current and Future Immunotherapies for Multiple Sclerosis

Despite substantial progress in developing new immunotherapies against multiple sclerosis (MS), currently available immunotherapies are only partially effective for this debilitating neurological disease, thus necessitating new therapeutic approaches. Here, we review the immunotherapies already approved for MS as well as relevant clinical trials. Further, we present some experimental approaches that are currently being developed and are focused on modulating the functions of dendritic cells and regulatory T cells.
Nicotine dependence symptoms in U.S. youth who use JUUL E-cigarettes.

Abstract Purpose To estimate the prevalence, patterns, and correlates of self-reported nicotine dependence symptoms among U.S. youth who use JUUL – a widely-sold e-cigarette brand – in 2019 and compare findings to nicotine dependence symptoms in youth who smoke cigarettes. Methods Data were from a nationally-representative subsample of 8th, 10th, and 12th grade students in the Monitoring the Future Study who had used JUUL or cigarettes in the past 30 days. Participants self-reported presence/absence of 9 different nicotine dependence symptoms for JUUL or cigarettes. Weighted percentages for JUUL or cigarette nicotine dependence symptom status (≥1 vs. 0 symptoms) and severity (count, range: 0–9) were calculated. Among JUUL users, we estimated associations of sociodemographic characteristics and other substance use with nicotine dependence and severity. Results Among 1,748 past 30-day JUUL users, 41.3 % screened positive for ≥1 nicotine dependence symptoms; the mean symptom count was 1.6 (SD = 2.6). Non-nicotine substance use and more frequent JUUL use was associated with significantly greater odds of dependence and more severe dependence symptoms in multivariable models. The severity distribution of most (craving) and least (inability to quit) dependence symptom types observed in JUUL dependence paralleled those observed in analysis of combustible cigarette dependence symptoms in past 30-day smokers. Conclusion A substantial proportion of U.S. adolescent JUUL users reported symptoms of nicotine dependence, which is greater for those who vape more frequently and use other substances. Nicotine dependence screening, prevention, and regulatory policies addressing use of JUUL or similar e-cigarette products should be considered to protect U.S. youth.
Cotton (Gossypium ssp.) phloem loads from the apoplast using a single member of its nine-member sucrose transporter gene family.

Phloem loading and transport are fundamental processes for allocating carbon from source organs to sink tissues. Cotton (Gossypium spp.) has a high sink demand for the cellulosic fibers that grow on the seed coat and for the storage reserves in the developing embryo, along with the demands of new growth in the shoots and roots. Addressing how cotton mobilizes resources from source leaves to sink organs provides insight into processes contributing to fiber and seed yield. Plasmodesmata frequencies between companion cells and flanking parenchyma in minor veins are higher than expected for an apoplastic loader, and cotton's close relatedness to Tilia spp. hints at passive loading. Suc was the only canonical transport sugar in leaves and constituted 87% of 14C-labelled photoassimilate being actively transported. [ 14C]Sucrose (Suc) uptake coupled with autoradiography indicated active [ 14C]Suc accumulation in minor veins suggesting Suc loading from the apoplast; esculin, a fluorescent Suc analog, did not accumulate in minor veins. Of the nine sucrose transporter (SUT) genes identified per diploid genome, only GhSUT1-L2 showed appreciable expression in mature leaves and silencing GhSUT1-L2 yielded phenotypes characteristic of blocked phloem transport. Furthermore, only GhSUT1-L2 cDNA stimulated esculin and [ 14C]Suc uptake into yeast, and only the GhSUT1-L2 promoter caused uidA (GUS) reporter gene expression in minor vein phloem of Arabidopsis thaliana. Collectively, these results argue that apoplastic phloem loading mediated by GhSUT1-L2 is the dominant mode of phloem loading in cotton.
Roughness model describing heavy vehicle-pavement interaction

The pavement roughness characteristics that affect interaction between pavement and heavy vehicles are addressed. A roughness model describing the pavement roughness attributes affecting heavy vehicles is presented. Dynamic vehicle response data from two sources were analyzed, namely, experimental data obtained with the instrumented vehicle developed by the National Research Council of Canada and simulated data obtained with a quarter-vehicle simulation. It was found that the vehicle response parameter of interest in this interaction is the sprung mass vehicle acceleration because it relates to both pavement and vehicle damage as well as to ride quality and cargo damage. This was demonstrated by analyzing the transfer functions of both the dynamic axle load and the vertical sprung mass acceleration over a range of pavement roughnesses and vehicle speeds. The sprung mass vertical acceleration transfer function showed sensitivity to a pavement roughness excitation frequency of 3.5 Hz. A pavement roughness statistic was proposed that is calculated as follows : (a) calculate the spectral density of the pavement roughness profile, (b) multiply this spectral density by the square of a transfer function to obtain the spectral density of the vertical sprung mass acceleration of the reference quarter vehicle selected, and (c) calculate the integral of the spectral density of the vertical sprung mass acceleration over the full frequency spectrum and take the square root. The resulting statistic has units of energy per unit mass per unit length of pavement traveled and represents the energy input from the road to the vehicle and vice versa.
The Rapid Cognitive Screen (RCS): A Point-of-Care Screening for Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment.

There is a need for a rapid screening test for mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia to be used by primary care physicians. The Rapid Cognitive Screen (RCS) is a brief screening tool (< 3 min) for cognitive dysfunction. RCS includes 3-items from the Veterans Affairs Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) exam: recall, clock drawing, and insight. Study objectives were to: 1) examine the RCS sensitivity and specificity for MCI and dementia, 2) evaluate the RCS predictive validity for nursing home placement and mortality, and 3) compare the RCS to the clock drawing test (CDT) plus recall. Patients were recruited from the St. Louis, MO Geriatric Research Education and Clinical Center (GRECC), Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) hospitals (study 1) or the Saint Louis University Geriatric Medicine and Psychiatry outpatient clinics (study 2). Study 1 participants (N=702; ages 65–92) completed cognitive evaluations and 76% (n=533/706) were followed up to 7.5 years for nursing home placement and mortality. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curves were computed to determine sensitivity and specificity for MCI (n=180) and dementia (n=82). Logistic regressions were computed for nursing home placement (n=31) and mortality (n=176). Study 2 participants (N=168; ages 60–90) completed the RCS and SLUMS exam. ROC curves were computed to determine sensitivity and specificity for MCI (n=61) and dementia (n=74). RCS predicted dementia and MCI in study 1 with optimal cutoff scores of ≤ 5 for dementia (sensitivity=0.89, specificity=0.94) and ≤ 7 for MCI (sensitivity=0.87, specificity=0.70). The CDT plus recall predicted dementia and MCI in study 1 with optimal cutoff scores of ≤ 2 for dementia (sensitivity=0.87, specificity=0.85) and ≤ 3 for MCI (sensitivity=0.62, specificity=0.62). Higher RCS scores were protective against nursing home placement and mortality. The RCS predicted dementia and MCI in study 2. The 3-item RCS exhibits good sensitivity and specificity for the detection of MCI and dementia, and higher cognitive function on the RCS is protective against nursing home placement and mortality. The RCS may be a useful screening instrument for the detection of cognitive dysfunction in the primary care setting.
Use of Combustion Synthesis in Preparing Ceramic‐Matrix and Metal‐Matrix Composite Powders

A standard combustion-based approach typically used to synthesize nanosize oxide powders has been modified to prepare composite oxide-metal powders for subsequent densification via sintering or hot-pressing into ceramic- or metal-matrix composites. Copper and cerium nitrate salts were dissolved in the appropriate ratio in water and combined with glycine, then heated to cause autoignition. The ratio of glycine-to-total nitrate concentration was found to have the largest effect on the composition, agglomerate size, crystallite size, and dispersivity of phases in the powder product. After consolidation and sintering under reducing conditions, the resulting composite compact consists of a well-dispersed mixture of sub-micron size reinforcement particles in a fine-grained matrix.
Induction of Recursive Bayesian Classifiers

In this paper, we review the induction of simple Bayesian classifiers, note some of their drawbacks, and describe a recursive algorithm that constructs a hierarchy of probabilistic concept descriptions. We posit that this approach should outperform the simpler scheme in domains that involve disjunctive concepts, since they violate the independence assumption on which the latter relies. To test this hypothesis, we report experimental studies with both natural and artificial domains. The results are mixed, but they are encouraging enough to recommend closer examination of recursive Bayesian classifiers in future work.
Biological Variables in Psychopathology

The purpose of this chapter is to call attention to the importance of biological influences in theories of psychopathology. The author’s interest in writing such a chapter stems, in part, from his frustration and disappointment in reading numerous papers by behaviorally oriented clinical psychologists. Although the wave of behaviorism that has swept over clinical psychology in the last two decades has had a creditable effect on the rigor with which behavioral issues are addressed, all too often behaviorally oriented investigators adopt a narrow environmental view, giving the impression of being completely unaware of the need to expand their theoretical position. It is hoped, therefore, that this chapter will serve to alert the large audience for which this book is intended to the need to adopt a psychobiological approach to psychopathology.
Elemental Abundances in Two High Column Density Damped Lyα Systems at z < 1.5*

We present Keck HIRES abundance measurements and metal-line kinematic profiles of the damped Lyα systems (DLAs) toward the quasars Q0933+733 (zabs = 1.479) and Q0948+433 (zabs = 1.233). These two DLAs have among the five highest H I column densities at any redshift: N(H ) = 4.2 × 1021 cm-2. The metal-line data, presented here for the first time, reveal that these DLAs are noteworthy for several other reasons as well. (1) The Q0933+733 DLA exhibits a simple kinematic structure with unusually narrow velocity widths as measured from its unsaturated metal lines (Δv = 16 km s-1). At 2.6% solar, it has the second lowest metallicity at z -1) and a significant α-enhancement. The strong metal lines of this DLA have made possible the detection of Ti II λ1910, Co II λ2012, and Mg I λ2026. (3) We find that the relative gas-phase abundances of both DLAs follow the general trend seen at high redshift, e.g., enhanced Zn/Fe and Si/Fe and subsolar Mn/Fe, indicating that there is little evolution in the nucleosynthetic patterns of DLAs down to this epoch. (4) Their high H I column densities imply that these DLAs dominate the column density-weighted cosmic mean metallicity, 〈Z〉, of the universe at z < 1.5. Using the 15 DLAs with measured metallicities in the redshift interval 0.4 < z < 1.5, we find 〈Z〉 = -0.89, where the uncertainties are 95% confidence limits.
Attitudes about publishing and normal science advancement

Abstract The objective of this work was to examine the relationship between attitudes about publishing across disciplines and the scientific impact of authors. We conducted a web survey of 1066 authors randomly selected from four disciplines in the Web of Knowledge: economics, anthropology, water resources and biochemistry (approximately 250 from each discipline). Authors were asked questions about publishing norms within their discipline. The h-index of authors was subsequently calculated from data available from the Web of Knowledge. Authors in biochemistry had on average twice the h-index of those in economics, anthropology and water resources. Biochemists had higher expectations about the number of articles published for hire and promotion, more strongly valued interdisciplinary publishing, felt the cutting edge of their science was clearer, and had more defined patterns of author credit assignment than the other disciplines. Anthropologists exhibited a lower relationship between h-index and the number of years since their first publication. We conclude that attitudinal differences between disciplines may lead to differences in the recognition of scientific findings and the therefore the establishment of normal science.
A Framework for Modeling the Distributed Deployment of Synchronous Designs

Synchronous specifications are appealing in the design of large scale hardware and software systems because of their properties that facilitate verification and synthesis.When the target architecture is a distributed system, implementing a synchronous specification as a synchronous design may be inefficient in terms of both size (memory for software implementations or area for hardware implementations) and performance. A more elaborate implementation style where the basic synchronous paradigm is adapted to distributed architectures by introducing elements of asynchrony is, hence, highly desirable. Building on the tagged-signal model, we present a modeling for the distributed deployment of synchronous design. We offer a comparative exposition of various design approaches (synchronous, asynchronous, GALS, latency-insensitive, and synchronous programming) and we provide some insight on the role of signal absence in modeling synchronization in distributed concurrent systems. Finally, we compare two distinct methodologies, desynchronization and latency-insensitive design, and we elaborate on possible options to combine their results.
Attainment of high sensitivity at elevated operating temperatures with staring hybrid HgCdTe-on-sapphire focal plane arrays

Cost-effective high-performance IR imaging cameras need affordable staring focal plane arrays (FPAs) that can operate effectively at temperatures compatible with inexpensive long-life coolers. We report on staring hybrid 128 x 128 and 256 x 256 Hg1-xCdxTe FPAs that have requisite yield, sensitivity, operability, and reliability at a medium-wavelength IR (MWIR) cutoff wavelength (λc ~4.6 μm at 180 K) and elevated operating temperatures. Mean 256 x 256 FPA noise-equivalent temperature differences (NEΔT) using broadband f/1.7 optics were 4.3, 7.7, and 55 mK at 120, 140, and 180 K, respectively. We extrapolate that camera NEΔT ≤ 0.02 K can be achieved at 190 K using optimized (λc of ~4.4 μm (180 K), a 3.4- to 4.2-μm bandpass filter, and f/1 optics. Because the CMOS multiplexers have a low-power dissipation and need little ancillary circuitry in the dewar, a viable thermoelectrically-cooled FPA technology is thus implied once the λc is optimized for MWIR imaging.
“Quasi-direct” narrow GaSb-AlSb (100) quantum wells

Abstract In GaSb-AlSb quantum wells, GaSb is expected to make a transition to an X-valley semiconductor for well widths less than 2 nm. For narrow X-valley quantum wells the unassisted radiative transitions are no longer forbidden, allowing for the possibility of a “quasi-direct” transition from the X conduction band to the Γ valence band. Photoluminescence characterization of such narrow well GaSb-AlSb multi-quantum well structures has been performed. Spectra from wells as thin as a few monolayers were observed. A comparison of the measured transition energy with a simple calculation supports the idea that the observed transitions are indeed quasi-direct transitions.
Using soil electrical conductivity to improve nutrient management

ECa could be used to measure the available nutrient content of the soil, eliminating the need for time-consumWhile site-specific nutrient management has the potential for iming and expensive soil sample acquisition and analysis. proving crop yields, the cost of intensive soil sampling is usually greater Apparent soil electrical conductivity consists of two than the benefits gained. Apparent soil electrical conductivity (ECa) has been used successfully to measure soil salinity, clay content, and, components: (i) the contribution of the solid soil partiin the laboratory, nutrient concentrations. This study was initiated to cles primarily associated with exchangeable cations and determine if ECa could be used to measure nutrient concentrations (ii) the contribution of the soil solution (Nadler and in the field. Fifteen field sites with 12 different soil series were studied Frenkel, 1980; Shainberg et al., 1980). Rhoades et al. in three topographic areas of North Carolina in 1997 and 1999. Soil (1989) described ECa using a two-pathway model, with samples and ECa measurements were taken at the same locations in one path for conductance via the discontinuous soil– the field and analyzed for P, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, pH, cation liquid interface and the other path via continuous, large exchange capacity (CEC), percentage humic matter (HM), and perwater-filled pores through the soil solution. They found centage sand, silt, and clay. Nutrient concentrations and soil properties that apparently, soil structure does not provide enough were compared with ECa using correlation and principal components direct particle-to-particle contact to form a continuous (PC)–stepwise regression analysis. Few significant direct correlations were found between ECa and the selected nutrient elements (R 2 pathway for current flow. Their model identifies five 0.50). Correlations improved when soil series were analyzed separately major factors that influence ECa. These include: the within a field. The results indicated that salinity, soil texture, or soil electrical conductivity of the soil particles (ECs); the moisture were masking the response of ECa to changing nutrient levels electrical conductivity of the soil solution associated in the soil. While the PC–stepwise regression analysis found that ECa with discontinuous pores (ECws); the electrical conducwas often a key loading factor, changes in soil texture, CEC, and tivity of the mobile soil solution associated with large, HM resulted in field-specific relationships between ECa and nutrient continuous pores (EC wc); the volumetric soil water conconcentrations. The primary value of ECa in measuring nutrient levels tent of the small, discontinuous pores (ws); the total lies in its ability to identify small changes in soil texture, CEC, or volumetric content of water in the soil (w); and the HM that, in turn, indicate where differences in nutrient levels occur. volumetric content of soil particles (s). Several studies have found that the major factors influencing ECa are w (Rhoades et al., 1976; Nadler, 1982); s per unit of
Where will the next generation of minority biomedical scientists come from

Received June 22, 1998; accepted June 30, 1998. One goal for the training of biomedical graduate students, who are the source of the future investigators who will address the cancer problem, is to assure that diseases that affect different populations disproportionately are studied. In this volume, there are articles that detail the disproportionate targeting by specific cancers to underrepresented minorities. The federal government, because of its support of biomedical graduate education, has a particular responsibility to assure that biomedical scientists are trained whose cultural identity and sensitivity would encourage them to study the cancers and other diseases that target underrepresented minorities. In an analysis of the trends for the training of biomedical graduate students over the past 20 years, I have come to the conclusion that, despite the dramatic rises in natural science baccalaureates awarded to underrepresented minorities over the past decade, no increases in the numbers of minority science doctorates have occurred. This lack of training of minority biomedical doctorates is set against a backdrop of ever increasing numbers of doctorates being awarded to increasingly larger numbers of non-U.S. citizens. The annual number of life science doctorates awarded has more than tripled since 1960 to nearly 8000 in 1995, only about 300 of which (an annual number that has not changed much in the past 10 years) were awarded to underrepresented minorities. Much of the increase in life science doctorates awarded over the past 10 years is attributable to the increases in the number awarded to non-U.S. citizens, whose numbers increased 5.5-fold since 1960. For every underrepresented minority doctorate today, there are nearly ten non-U.S. citizen doctorates, of whom about four will stay in the U.S. Historically, only 20% of foreign students changed residency status to become permanent residents, but, in 1995, that percentage increased to nearly 40% of foreign students becoming permanent residents while they were still graduate students, of whom over 90% will stay in this country. Against these data is the manpower issue of the employment prospects for such doctorates. The National Academy of Sciences reported in 1995 that the saturated U.S. job market for science doctorates results in delayed employment, underemployment, and under utilization of newly minted doctorates. The lack of minority graduate students is no longer attributable to the old leaky pipeline problem that there just are not enough minority science baccalaureates being produced. The American Council of Education reported recently that over 19% of 1995 enrolled college students are underrepresented minorities. The National Science Foundation further reports that underrepresented minorities repre1717
Detection and localization of cytokine immunoreactivity in retro-ocular connective tissue in Graves' ophthalmopathy

Paracrine interactions between fibroblasts residing in the retro-ocular space and infiltrating lymphocytes/macrophages are thought to be of central importance in the pathogenesis of Graves' ophthalmopathy (GO). Although various roles have been suggested for interferon-gamma (IFN gamma), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF alpha) and interleukin-1 alpha (IL-1 alpha) in GO, their actual presence in Graves' retro-ocular connective tissue has not been demonstrated. We examined surgical specimens obtained during orbital decompression from patients with severe GO (n = 6), and from normal individuals (n = 5), for the presence of IFN gamma, TNF alpha and IL-1 alpha. We used immunohistochemical methods on frozen tissue sections and primary fibroblast cultures, and sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis of tissue extracts and tissue culture supernatants. In addition, immunohistochemical staining of tissues for characterization of the mononuclear cell infiltrates was performed. Aggregates of mononuclear cells in retro-ocular connective and fatty tissue were found in five of six GO tissue specimens, but in none of the control specimens. We detected immunoreactivity for the three cytokines (IFN gamma, TNF alpha and IL-1 alpha) in the five GO tissue specimens that contained mononuclear cell aggregates. In addition, IL-1 alpha immunoreactivity was demonstrable in primary and subsequent GO fibroblast cultures and in their supernatants. In contrast, no immunoreactivity for any of these cytokines was detected in tissue specimens, primary cultures or culture supernatants derived from normal individuals. The presence of mononuclear cell infiltrates and associated immunoreactivity for IFN gamma, TNF alpha, IL-1 alpha in retro-ocular connective tissue derived from patients with GO suggests that the previously demonstrated in vitro functions of these cytokines may indeed be operative in vivo.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)