cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Hard and soft deontologism

There are many types of deontological moral philosophy, all having in common the assumption that duty, obligation, tightness-wrongness, and related concepts, are primary in ethics. The empirical value of consequences, the "good life," and so on, are ancillary. It will prove fruitful however to draw a distinction between two types of deontological theory. The one type I shall call (following James on determinism) hard deontologism, and the other soft deontologism. The best known hard deontologists are the strict Judaic-Christian moral philosophers and Immanuel Kant. I would consider W.D. Ross to be a classical soft deontologist. His notion of prima facie duties, presented in hierarchical order, surely suggests a markedly softer approach to the choice of one's obligations, even though a prima facie duty has intrinsic value. An obvious example of a hard deontological decision would be Abraham's unquestioning obedience to God's demand that Issac, Abraham's only son, be sacrificed at the altar. God's word, as the source of all obligation, takes precedence over anything else, even though requiting a hideous action having heartrending consequences. And consider Kant's well-known reply to the French philosopher who asked him whether he would not lie if confronted at his front door by a madman with a firearm looking for one of his, Kant's, close friends, who happens to be dining in the next room. Kant answered that there is still the alternative of remaining silent. This is genuine hard deontologism! The soft deontologist, on the other hand, like the soft determinist, wants, I think, to have his cake and eat it too. What else can be the import of Ross's prima facie duties? We have some kind of insight into what is absolutely binding upon our moral conduct. And yet we must hedge this insight by taking into account first appearances and evaluations of degrees of obligation. In general any deontologist maintains that the obligation to obey certain moral rules does not rest on the consequences of an act. Rather one is
Moded type systems for logic programming

Most of the theoretical work on the semantics of logic programs assumes an interpreter that provides a complete resolution procedure. In contrast, for reasons of efficiency, most logic programming languages are built around incomplete procedures. This difference is rooted in Prolog, which evaluates resolvent trees in a depth-first rather than a breadth-first order. The gap is widened by some equational logic languages, which combine the incompleteness of depth-first evaluation with incomplete approximations to equational unification. Because of this gap, it is unsound to reason about logic programs using their declarative semantics. This in turn makes it difficult to develop abstraction mechanisms that can be used to partition a logic program into independently specifiable modules.In this paper we consider the role type systems can play in closing the gap between the operational and declarative semantics of logic programs. We develop the notion of an equational mode system for use in constraining the domains of both predicates and unification procedures. The mode system is used to guide the resolution-based interpreter, and as a result, we can show that two predicate implementations with the same declarative meaning will be operationally equivalent.
The reactions of silyl ions with chloromethanes

Abstract The reactions of silyl ions, generated in a low-voltage electric discharge in monosilane, with methyl chloride, methylene chloride, chloroform, and carbon tetrachloride have been studied in a tandem mass spectrometer over a reactant-ion-energy range of 1.0–10.0 eV and a target gas pressure range of 1.0–9.0 × 10−3 torr. The dominant reaction in all systems is the abstraction of Cl− ion from CH3Cl, CH2Cl2, and CHCl3 to form SiH3Cl and CH+3, CH2Cl+, CHCl+2 ions, respectively. A minor reaction in all systems is an exchange process in which the SiH2Cl+ ion and CH4, CH3Cl, CH2Cl2 and CHCl3, respectively, are produced. Collision-induced dissociation of silyl ions to SiH+2 and SiH+ is observed in all systems. Reaction cross-sections at 1.0 eV ion-kinetic-energy (LAB) were determined by calibration of the system with a reaction of known cross-section.
Plasticity of the water barrier in vertebrate integument

Abstract Water barrier function in vertebrates is typically relatively fixed and characteristic of species. However, both plasticity and genetic adaptation can account for covariation between environment and resistance to transepidermal water passage ( R s ). The capacity to adjust R s may involve phenotypic plasticity, acclimation, or developmental plasticity, and fundamental mechanisms include changes in barrier thickness, composition and physicochemical properties of cutaneous lipids, and/or geometry of the barrier within the epidermis. In amniotes, lipid barriers are structured within keratin complexes that, while important to efficacy of function, appear to constrain the possibilities and time course of plastic responses. Studies of the relative importance of plastic responses and genetic variation are few and inconclusive.
Determinants of psychological depression and coping behaviors of Tennessee farm residents

This is an analysis of the determinants of psychological depression and coping behaviors of Tennessee farm residents. It seeks to fill the gap in knowledge about depression and its etiology and related mental health behaviors in farm populations. In a sample of 134 farm respondents, demographic, medical, life event, personal, and social resource covariates of depressive symptoms are explored, together with various coping behaviors. Symptoms of depression are measured using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Comparisons are made to similar analyses completed on 783 rural non-farm Tennesseans. The number of chronic medical problems is found to be the most important predictor of depressive symptoms for the farmers. Differences with respect to the effects of social support, race, and age on distress are noted for the farm and rural non-farm samples.
Split Singularities: Applications and Implications

In the microelectronic system, many materials are integrated together in complex structures, from the level of transistors to the level of motherboard. These materials are of different thermomechanical properties, and usually meet together to form the sharp features, such as trenches, wedges, corners or junctions. These sharp features can concentrate stresses, which in turn fail the devices in the ways of cracking, debonding, or injecting dislocations, etc. The singular stress field is a linear superposition of two modes, usually of unequal exponents, either a pair of complex conjugates, or two unequal real numbers. In the latter case, a stronger and a weaker singularity coexist, known as split singularities. The weaker singularity can readily affect the outcome of failures. A dimensionless parameter, called the mode mixity, is defined to characterize the proportion of the two modes at the length scale where the processes of fracture occur. If the mode mixity is nearly zero, then the singular stress field can be simplified to a single mode, and be characterized by one stress intensity factor, on which the criteria of avoiding the failure initiated from the sharp features can be established. Otherwise, both modes need to be considered. We apply this theory to crack penetration or debond, and dislocation injection into strained silicon.Copyright © 2007 by ASME
Environmental degradation, vandalism and the aesthetic object argument

(1989). Environmental degradation, vandalism and the aesthetic object argument. Australasian Journal of Philosophy: Vol. 67, No. 2, pp. 191-204.
Redshift modifications to HEAO A-1 cluster X-ray luminosities

New redshift measurements for the 24 Abell galactic clusters are presented. The optical observations are described and applied to the cluster X-ray luminosity function, and the results are used to delimit the cluster contribution to the diffuse X-ray background (DXRB). The evolution of the X-ray luminosity function is then investigated. It is found that while simple two-parameter analytic forms do not fit this function very well, three-parameter forms such as the exponential times power law do fit it very well. Future redshift observations will probably not change the volume emissivity significantly, but they may in a statistically significant way affect the parameters of analytic fits which define the shape of the luminosity function. The contribution of rich clusters to the DXRB in the 2-6 keV range is 5.2 percent. Future redshift observations will modify this result by no more than a factor of about 1.1.
The robustness of self-organized zonal jets in unforced, turbulent vorticity fields

A wide parameter space is spanned to check the influence of numerical parameters on self-organized jets in rotating, turbulent shallow-water flows. It is found that, even in harsh physical (strongly ageostrophic) and numerical (filtered, hyperviscous, high-resolution) environments, the basic morphogenesis of steady jets, qualitatively reflecting the Rhines scale, is robust. However, detailed features of the jet pattern, such as the amplitude, the width, and the location can be substantially affected by numerical parameters for a fixed set of physical parameters. In general, while the amount of energy lost seems to be a good predictor of maximum jet amplitude and width, a nonmonotonic dependence of these features on the numerical parameters is observed. The most acute sensitivity is associated with the use of a hyperdissipation operator in conjunction with a Robert-Asselin filter, which leads to substantial meridional shifts of the entire jet pattern as the viscosity coefficient is varied.
Blood pressure responses to acute exercise in type A and B females and males.

Abstract Cardiovascular responses to moderate steady-state exercise were studied in Type A and Type B males and females. Eighteen men and 17 women, ages 20 to 40 years, were chosen for Type A (males = 10, females = 10) and Type B (males = 8, females = 7) groups by means of the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS). Subjects exercised on a electronic cycle ergometer at 60% O 2peak for 20 min. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) showed a significant Time ( F (8,17) = 16.1, p F (1,24) = 7.84, p F (1,24) = 68.8, p F (8,17) = 11.8, p F (8,17) = 3.1, p F (1,24) = 12.4, p F (1,24) = 3.67, p
The experimental verification of natural hybridization between two taxa of Hawaiian Bidens (Asteraceae)

Bidens ctenophylla andB. menziesii var.filiformis are two heterozygous, self-fertile but outcrossing, interfertile taxa. A relatively fertile intermediate population occurs on the “hybridized habitat” of a recent lava flow. This population contains some indi viduals which are similar toB. ctenophylla, some which are similar toB. menziesii var.filiformis, and many individuals of various intermediate forms. Variation studies of greenhouse populations of the two species, the F1 hybrid, the F2 hybrid, and the progeny of three wild intermediates confirm the field observation that the wild intermediate population is a product of natural hybridization betweenB. ctenophylla andB. menziesii var.filiformis. The analysis of two interspecific characters, stem anthocyanin and achene awns, indicates that each is polygenic and is regulated by relatively few genes.
Atomic capture of Μ−-mesons in chemical compounds

Experimental studies of the relative Μ−-meson atomiccapture probabilities in the compounds CuO, Sb2O3, PbO, CuS, Sb2S3, PbS, and in the metallic solutions Ag0.58Li, CuAu0.18 have been made to test the predictions of the « Fermi-TellerZ-law ». In our experiment the capturing atom was identified by decomposing a compound lifetime curve obtained by detecting neutrons from Μ− capture. The measured atomic-capture ratios are: Cu/O = 6.14 ± 0.85, Sb/S = 1.64 ± 0.10, Sb/O = 1.86 ± 0.096, Pb/S = 2.87 ± 0.35, Pb/O = 4.56 ± 0.53, Ag/Li = 11.66 ± 3.39, Cu/S = 1.89 ± 0.18, Au/Cu = 0.34 ± 0.032.
Hypothalamic pituitary adrenal axis and sympathetic activation: Joint predictors of memory in children, adolescents, and adults

Abstract Although the links between physiological arousal and adults’ memory for emotional information are well understood, little is known about these links across development or when memory is examined for the actual event that induced arousal. In the current study, we examined the associations between physiological arousal and memory in children, adolescents, and young adults. Participants completed a laboratory stressor, the Trier Social Stress Test-Modified (TSST-M) during which salivary cortisol, pre-ejection period (PEP), and self-reported distress were measured. Two weeks later, participants completed a surprise memory test about what occurred during the TSST-M. Larger cortisol responses predicted enhanced memory, especially among individuals who also exhibited a PEP response the TSST-M. These associations did not vary with age. Results have implications for understanding how coordinated physiological responses may influence memory for salient, personal experiences across development.
Quantification of Modeling Uncertainty in Aeroelastic Analyses

Traditional uncertainty quantification techniques in engineering analysis concentrate on the quantification of parametric uncertainties: inherent natural variations of the input variables. In problems with complex or newer modeling methodologies, the variabilities induced by the modeling process itself (known as model-form and predictive uncertainties) can become a significant source of uncertainty to the problem. This work demonstrates two model-form uncertainty quantificationmethods on an unsteady aeroelastic problem: Bayesianmodel averaging and the adjustment factors approach.While the Bayesianmodel averaging approach ismore robust and has been shown to more completely quantify the total uncertainty, it also requires the presence of experimental data, which are not always readily available in preliminary design. As such, this work introduces an uncertainty quantification methodology for use in aeroelastic analysis that uses the modeling uncertainty to drive the necessity of further experimental data points.Within thismethodology, themodified adjustment factors approach has been developed to calculate the sensitivity of the adjusted models to the model probability assumptions being input into the work, facilitating the flow of the design methodology.
Research exercises: A sequenced approach to just-in-time information literacy instruction

Abstract A recent study by Graham and Takis Metaxas [Graham, L., & Takis Metaxas, P. (2002). Of course it is true, I read it on the Internet. Unpublished manuscript, Wellesley College, MA] suggests that many college students at all levels (1) are trusting of Internet sources and (2) often do not verify data by checking multiple references. Thus, the widespread availability of the Internet may intensify the well-established need for instruction in information literacy. At the same time, the familiarity and ease of use of the Internet for today's students may make such instruction seem irrelevant to students. This paper describes a series of short research exercises that address this issue and provide a vehicle for instruction. The approach integrates instruction in information literacy into an existing course and emphasizes active learning and just-in-time tutoring.
Psychotherapy use and depression among AIDS caregivers

Psychotherapy use and depression among AIDS caregivers were examined with two waves of data from a panel survey of caregivers in Los Angeles and San Francisco (N = 472). Both were studied as outcomes driven by an array of determining factors (e.g., caregivers and care recipient health; care-related stress). AIDS caregivers exhibited relatively high rates of psychotherapy use (31% reported using at the time of initial interview). Care- related stress did not significantly predict the use of psychotherapy in either the baseline or longitudinal analyses. Instead, the health status, relationship, and living arrangements of the caregiver and the care recipient were the important correlates of psychotherapy use. Factors affecting depression over the course of caregiving were caregiver health status and care-related stress, particularly secondary stressors which arise as a consequence of, but not directly due to, caregiving. Thus, although the stressors of caregiving do not prompt the use of psychotherapy, they clearly led to an elevation in symptoms of depression, which is associated with psychotherapy use. Findings regarding the relation of psychotherapy to changes in depression over the course of caregiving also are discussed.
Design of flat lenses using Field Manipulation

This paper proposes a technique for designing flat lenses using Field Manipulation (FM), as opposed to Ray Optics (RO) or Transformation Optics (TO). The lens design consists of 10 layers of graded index dielectric in the radial direction and 5 layers in the longitudinal direction. The central layer in the longitudinal direction primarily contributes to a bulk of the phase transformation, while the other four layers, above and below this middle layer on either side, act as matching layers that help reduce the reflections introduced by the impedance mismatch at the interfaces of the middle layer. We show that the proposed lens design is broadband and has a better than 1 dB higher gain compared to the conventional designs.
Effects of Directed Thinking on Intentions to Engage in Beneficial Activities: Idea Generation or Mental Simulation?

How might people best persuade themselves to engage in beneficial activities, such as dieting, exercise, and studying? One strategy is to think about actions. Another strategy is to think about reasons. In previous research, students who were directed to think about actions increased their study intentions more than did students who were directed to think about reasons. The present experiment tested whether thinking about actions was effective because of idea generation (coming up with the thoughts) or because of mental simulation (imagining the scenarios). In immediate and delayed measures, directed thinking about actions (but not reasons) proved generally more effective when students focused on mental simulation than when they focused on idea generation. Theoretical and applied implications are discussed.
Globalization and the U.S.Defense Industrial Base: The Competition for a New Aerial Refueling Tanker

The growth in the global economy and the trend toward outsourcing have given rise to concerns over the composition and strength of the U.S. industrial base and the degree of U.S. dependence on other countries for certain goods. The purpose of this article is to examine the concerns surrounding the alleged inroads of foreign manufacturers into the U.S. defense industrial base, as well as the background behind the concerns, with a specific focus on the recent competition over what may be one of the largest defense contracts in U.S. history to supply the United States Air Force with a new fleet of aerial refueling tankers. The article discusses the importance of imports and national defense spending in the U.S. economy, explores the dependence (or lack thereof) of the United States on foreign imports in the defense sector, explores strategies that have previously been deployed to reduce the role of foreign manufacturers in the U.S. defense industrial base, and examines in detail the recent tanker competition. The article argues that this competition required the deployment of innovative strategies on the part of the incumbent in the industry (Boeing) and the potential entrant (Northrop/EADS) in order to balance conflicting economic, political, and military procurement objectives.
Success at Catching and Keeping Toddler's Attention: An Examination of Joint Attention among Low-Income Mothers and Their 2-Year-Olds

Recent research suggests that competent caregiving by low-income parents may serve to buffer young children from some of the deleterious consequences of economic hardship. As one means of exploring competent caregiving in the context of poverty, this study examined the structuring of joint attention among 47 low-income mothers and their 24-month-old toddlers. Findings revealed that, on the whole, dyads spent approximately half of a 10-minute play period in bouts of collaborative joint attention. While mothers made social overtures, or bids, more frequently than children, children played a significant role in initiating bouts of joint attention. Highly engaged dyads generated significantly higher numbers of reciprocal maternal bids and fewer reciprocal child bids overall than did disengaged dyads. Sequential analyses suggested that reciprocal bids initiated by children were likely to lead to periods of collaborative joint attention among engaged dyads, but not among disengaged dyads. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Mean-matching halftoning on a rotated quad-tree structure

We describe a new halftoning algorithm that uses a multiscale dot distribution procedure over a rotated quad-tree structure. The algorithm ensures that the average graylevel of the grayscale image over any node of the rotated quad-tree is equal to that of the halftone at the same node. This is achieved by first deciding the total number of black and white dots to be placed over the entire halftone, and then distributing the dots recursively to the subregions represented by the nodes of the rotated quad-tree.
Elitism in the Stories of US Art Museums The Power of a Master Narrative

Institutions familiar to the public are defined by master narratives that describe their activities and imply who is invited to take part. For art museums in this country, a master narrative of eli...
Circadian rhythm of blood ethanol clearance rates in rats: response to reversal of the L/D regimen and to continuous darkness and continuous illumination.

Phase relationships of the circadian rhythms of blood ethanol clearance (metabolic) rates and body temperature were studied in rats successively exposed to 4 illumination regimens: LD (light from 0800-2000 hr), DL (light from 2000-0800 hr), constant darkness (DD) and, lastly, constant light (LL). After a 4-wk standardization to each regimen, body temperatures were taken at 9 X 4-hr intervals to establish baseline circadian profiles. One week later, groups (N = 8) received 1.5 g/kg ethanol (i.p.) at 6 equally spaced timepoints during a 24-hr span, when temperatures were again measured. Ethanol clearance rates were estimated from decreasing blood ethanol levels sampled every 20 min from 60-200 min after dosing, and the resultant elimination curves were subjected to cosinor analysis. These studies show for the first time that the high amplitude circadian rhythm in ethanol metabolism persists under constant conditions of illumination (DD and LL), demonstrating that it may well be a truly internal circadian rhythm and not a response to exogenous cues of the light/dark cycle. During both LD and DL, maximal and minimal ethanol clearance rates fell near the end of the dark and light phases, respectively, and followed circadian peak and trough control temperatures by approximately 6 hr. A fixed internal phase relationship between the core body temperature and the circadian rhythm in ethanol metabolism is demonstrated, thus establishing the rhythm in body temperature as a suitable and convenient internal marker rhythm for studies of the metabolism of low-to-moderate ethanol doses. These studies demonstrate that the phase relationships of blood ethanol clearance rate and body temperature can be manipulated by the illumination regimen selected, an observation of both basic and practical importance.
A high-spin isomer in 211At☆

A 4 νs isomer has been observed in 211At at an excitation energy 4.816 MeV. The multi-polarities of the de-excitation γ-rays suggest a very high spin. The excitation energy, g-factor and the strongly enhanced E3 decay may be described by a 4p-1h configuration with Jπ = 392−.
Activity-dependent homeostatic specification of transmitter expression in embryonic neurons

Neurotransmitters are essential for interneuronal signalling, and the specification of appropriate transmitters in differentiating neurons has been related to intrinsic neuronal identity and to extrinsic signalling proteins. Here we show that altering the distinct patterns of Ca2+ spike activity spontaneously generated by different classes of embryonic spinal neurons in vivo changes the transmitter that neurons express without affecting the expression of markers of cell identity. Regulation seems to be homeostatic: suppression of activity leads to an increased number of neurons expressing excitatory transmitters and a decreased number of neurons expressing inhibitory transmitters; the reverse occurs when activity is enhanced. The imposition of specific spike frequencies in vitro does not affect labels of cell identity but again specifies the expression of transmitters that are inappropriate for the markers they express, during an early critical period. The results identify a new role of patterned activity in development of the central nervous system.
Fabrication and characterization of novel photodefined polymer-enhanced through-silicon vias for silicon interposers

To attain high bandwidth communication between chips at lower power consumption, silicon interposers with dense metallization and through-silicon vias (TSVs) have been widely explored. However, TSV electrical losses increase as TSV height increases and are generally high in low-resistivity silicon. To alleviate this issue, we demonstrate a silicon interposer technology featuring photodefined polymer embedded vias. High-frequency measurements are performed for the fabricated polymer-embedded vias, yielding approximately 1 dB insertion loss at 50 GHz.
occupational physical activity and the development of impaired mobility: the 12-year follow-up of the Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area sample

Objective: To examine the association between occupational physical activity and self-reported disability. Design: Population-based case control analysis of a longitudinal population-based study in east Baltimore. Eligible participants were aged 18 to 29 yr in 1981, had complete information on occupation in 1981, no disability with tasks related to the domain of mobility in 1981, and complete information on mobility function in 1993 (n = 174). Occupations were divided into low, moderate, and high metabolic equivalents based on job category in 1981. The main outcome measure was disability defined by self-report of difficulty in one or more of five exercise mobility tasks in 1993. Results: Of 174 eligible participants, 45 (26%) reported the onset of disability at follow-up in 1993. A crude odds ratio of 0.25 (95% confidence interval, 0.06, 0.82) was found for the association of moderate compared with low occupational physical activity and the risk of incident disability in mobility tasks. After adjustments to control for possible confounders, moderate job metabolic activity (1.8-2.9 Mets) was independently protective against disability in this cohort (odds ratio = 0.25; 95% confidence interval = 0.083, 0.783). Conclusion: In this cohort of people aged 18 to 29 yr, a moderate amount of occupational physical activity was protective against disability in mobility tasks.
AIDS in correctional facilities: current status of legal issues critical to policy development.

Abstract Administrators of correctional facilities have created specific policies directed toward detecting and controlling health risks created by inmates who are infected with the HIV virus or who have AIDS. This article examines the legal issues that influence the development and implementation of those policies. It discusses the constitutionality of testing and segregation and the reasons currently advanced for each of these measures. The article explores whether prisoners infected with HIV or who have developed AIDS are handicapped for purposes of federal law that will hold the correctional facility liable for discrimination if these prisoners are housed separately or excluded from programs.
Effect of acute intravenous alcohol on plasma lipoprotein in man

The effect of acute administration of ethanol was determined on plasma lipoproteins and post-heparin lipolytic activities in six normal subjects. Ethanol was administered intravenously (IV) in a dose of 0.6 g/kg body weight over 1 hour and blood samples were obtained for 4 hours thereafter. In four subjects, the determinations were repeated after the infusion of an isovolumetric amount of saline. Ethanol resulted in a rapid increase in plasma triglycerides, which persisted throughout the study. Ethanol did not result in changes in high-density lipoprotein (HDL)-cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, or apolipoprotein administration of heparin. The increase in triglycerides without changes in HDL-cholesterol after acute ethanol administration may contribute to an increased severity of cardiovascular disease in binge drinkers.
The diffraction of linear waves by a uniform vertical cylinder with cosine-type radial perturbations

The interaction of linear waves with a uniform, bottom-mounted, surface-piercing cylinder whose diameter exhibits a cosine-type variation is investigated. Two solution methods are presented. One method is based on a perturbation theory, using a perturbation parameter defined in terms of the surface geometry of the cylinder. The analysis includes terms up to the first-order in this parameter, where the zeroth-order solution corresponds to a circular cylinder. The velocity potentials at the zeroth and first orders are expressed as eigenfunction expansions involving unknown coefficients that are subsequently determined through the cylinder boundary conditions. The second method is based on Green's theorem and gives rise to an integral equation for the fluid velocity potential on the cylinder surface. A comparison between the results of these two methods has proved that they are in good agreement for small values of the perturbation parameter. Numerical results are presented that illustrate the influence of the magnitude and frequency of these perturbations on the resulting hydrodynamic force and the wave runup on the cylinder.
Distribution and frequency of plasmodesmata in relation to photoassimilate pathways and phloem loading in the barley leaf

Large, intermediate, and small bundles and contiguous tissues of the leaf blade of Hordeum tvulgare L. ‘Morex’ were examined with the transmission electron microscope to determine their cellular composition and the distribution and frequency of the plasmodesmata between the various cell combinations. Plasmodesmata are abundant at the mesophyll/parenchymatous bundle sheath, parenchymatous bundle sheath/mestome sheath, and mestome sheath/vascular parenchyma cell interfaces. Within the bundles, plasmodesmata are also abundant between vascular parenchyma cells, which occupy most of the interface between the sieve tube-companion cell complexes and the mestome sheath. Other vascular parenchyma cells commonly separate the thick-walled sieve tubes from the sieve tube-companion cell complexes. Plasmodesmatal frequencies between all remaining cell combinations of the vascular tissues are very low, even between the thin-walled sieve tubes and their associated companion cells. Both the sieve tube-companion cell complexes and the thick-walled sieve tubes, which lack companion cells, are virtually isolated symplastically from the rest of the leaf. Data on plamodesmatal frequency between protophloem sieve tubes and other cell types in intermediate and large bundles indicate that they (and their associated companion cells, when present) are also isolated symplastically from the rest of the leaf. Collectively, these data indicate that both phloem loading and unloading in the barley leaf involve apoplastic mechanisms.
The effects of tracheal coiling on the vocalizations of cranes (Aves; Gruidae)

It is generally supposed that the elongated, often coiled tracheae of many species of birds are adaptations for the production of loud, penetrating calls. A corollary supposition is that the acoustic effects are produced by the resonant properties of the elongated tube, with the birds being analogized to a wind instrument. We have experimented with several species of cranes possessing different degrees of tracheal coiling. Regardless of the degree of coiling, all cranes can utter extremely loud calls using remarkably low driving pressures. Neither surgical modifications of the trachea nor changing the respiratory gases to helium-oxygen produced consistent changes of voice that could be unambiguously attributed to changes of tubal resonances. However, shortening the trachea markedly reduced vocal intensity, the degree of reduction being roughly proportional to the degree of shortening. Although some of that reduction may derive from an increased impedance mismatch at the external aperture of the tube, and some from a decreased radiation directly from the hard walls of the trachea, these explanations scarcely account for the dramatic effects we observed. We, therefore, hypothesize a more unusual mechanism: The tracheal coils that are embedded in the sternum serve a function analogous to the bridge of a stringed instrument, transmitting the vibrations of a tiny sound source to a large radiating surface, the sternum. The sternum then vibrates against the large internal air reservoir of the avian airsac system. As it has a complex shape, the sternum will have many resonances and will respond to many frequencies; as a solid oscillator, its resonances will not be greatly affected by low density gases. Hence, we suggest that cranes and other birds with enlarged windpipes are more properly analogized with a violin than a trombone.
Cluster of Urrets-Zavalia syndrome: a sequel of toxic anterior segment syndrome

In the recently published study by Nizamani et al ,1 the authors collected data on a best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) following cataract surgery among a group of patients with Urrets-Zavalia syndrome. Using a repeated-measures design, data were collected from subjects preoperatively and at first day, first week and first month postoperatively. We would like to comment on the author's methodology as well as the statistical analysis used. To assess improvement in vision, the authors compared preoperative vision and 1 month postoperative vision (see table 3 in original …
A Fledgling-Mass Threshold Greatly Affects Juvenile Survival in the Hawaii Akepa (Loxops Coccineus Coccineus)

ABSTRACT. Offspring quality is an important issue in avian life-history theory, particularly with regard to birds that have low reproductive rates and extended parental care. Offspring mass has been identified as an indicator of quality in several bird species. These studies have shown that nestling mass is predictive of offspring survival outside the nest, but few studies have considered the role of fledgling mass. Mass during the fledgling period may change and influence juvenile survival. Fledgling mass may be especially relevant for tropical birds that have very long fledgling periods during which food conditions randomly or seasonally change. Here, we show that fledgling mass predicts juvenile survival in the Hawaii Akepa (Loxops coccineus coccineus), an endangered Hawaiian Honeycreeper with high annual adult survival and a two-egg clutch. Juvenile survival of Hawaii Akepa approximated a trimodal pattern of no survival, low survival, and high survival that corresponded to ascending mass classes. Fled...
Antepartum Pituitary Necrosis Occurring In Pregnancy with Uncontrolled Gestational Diabetes Mellitus: A Case Report

Antepartum pituitary necrosis is a rare medical condition that has only been reported in pregnant women with type I diabetes attributable to diabetes-related vasculopathy and hypercoagulability. We present for the first time a case of antepartum pituitary necrosis occurring in an uncontrolled gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) patient. The patient was a 32-yr-old woman at 33 weeks and 2 days of gestation. She suffered from severe headache, blurred vision, dizziness, and vomiting. Her baby was delivered by Cesarean section. The brain magnetic resonance images revealed pituitary necrosis. This suggests that pituitary gland necrosis may also complicate GDM pregnancy when glucose levels are uncontrolled.
Diagnostic sensitivity of hepatocellular carcinoma imaging and its application to non‐cirrhotic patients

Background and Aims: The American Association for the Study of Liver Disease issued guidelines that proposed that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) can be diagnosed if a mass is larger than 2 cm in a cirrhotic liver and shows typical features of HCC at triphasic liver computed tomography (CT) or dynamic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In non-cirrhotic livers, the criteria were not applicable. The aim of the present study was to retrospectively analyze the sensitivity of imaging by samples of definite HCC postoperatively and test their application to diagnose HCC in non-cirrhotic livers. Methods: From January 2006 to November 2008, a total of 343 pathologically-diagnosed HCC patients via surgical resection were reviewed. Among the 343 patients, 204 patients had undergone liver CT examination, and 80 patients underwent MRI examination; serum α-fetoprotein had been checked for all 343 patients prior to operation. The diagnostic sensitivity of HCC by imaging was evaluated and compared in patients with/without cirrhosis by ultrasound and histology. Results: The diagnostic sensitivity of HCC by single imaging was approximately 65–80% (liver CT or MRI). A higher sensitivity of HCC diagnosis was found in patients with ultrasound-diagnosed cirrhosis than non-cirrhosis, but the difference in sensitivity disappeared after histologically-cirrhotic validation. The results indicated that regardless of the presence or absence of cirrhosis (histology), a typical vascular pattern could diagnose HCC with equally high sensitivity. Conclusions: We provide evidence that the sensitivity of HCC diagnosis by imaging is not influenced by the cirrhotic background. Further study is needed to validate the specificity and accuracy.
Self‐Consistent‐Field potential‐energy surfaces for hydrogen atom pairs within small palladium clusters

An ab initio electronic structure study is presented of hydrogen–hydrogen interactions in an electronic environment perturbed by the presence of palladium atom clusters. In particular, we investigated changes in the interatomic potential when the atomic centers are trapped inside an fcc palladium octahedral hole and when they are separated from each other by a (111) plane of palladium atoms. The (111) plane was modeled with a cluster of three palladium atoms. Self-consistent field (SCF) level calculations were performed, and palladium atom pseudopotentials were employed to make the systems studied computationally tractable. For pairs of atoms placed within the octahedral hole, various lines of approach were considered [along the (100), (110), and (111) directions]. Lattice deformations and electronic excitations were examined for their effect on the interatomic potential.
Community Midwifery Education Program in Afghanistan

Afghanistan's health services in the immediate post conflict period were in a deplorable and chaotic state. In 2002, its maternal mortality ratio was the second highest in the world, reflecting a lack of access and utilization of reproductive health services and skilled care during pregnancy, childbirth, and the first month after delivery. These services are key to saving women at risk of dying due to pregnancy and childbirth complications. In a society where women seek care only from female providers, one barrier to expansion of services was the lack of qualified female health workers to deploy to remote health facilities to make up for the shortfall of female staff. Some 77 percent of the population was living in rural areas, where women are usually excluded from access to skilled and emergency health care. In 2003 for example, most Afghan women delivered at home, and fewer than 10 percent of births were attended by a skilled provider. Very few midwives trained in Kabul or other big cities were willing to work in rural areas where the needs were much higher. Moreover, there were no education facilities and too few female school graduates who could be trained in the provinces. Given the dire situation, the shortage of midwives had to be remedied urgently. The community Midwifery Education (CME) Program was created.
Two practical issues in Canny's edge detector implementation

We address two practical issues, namely smoothing factor selection and efficient implementation of thresholding with hysteresis, in implementing Canny's edge detector. The smoothing factor of the Gaussian kernel should be chosen to maximize the discrete version of Canny's original criteria. Thresholding with hysteresis should be implemented using an efficient connected component analysis algorithm. Following these suggestions in implementing Canny's edge detector will in general result in optimal edge detection quality and very significant reduction in running time for large images.
BASIC COMPUTER LITERACY TRAINING TO INCREASE COMFORT LEVELS WITH COMPUTERS AND IMPROVE BEHAVIORS OF TECHNOLOGICAL INTEGRATION

Thesis (M.Ed.)--Wichita State University, College of Education, Dept. of Curriculum and Instruction.
B-1 B lymphocytes require Blimp-1 for immunoglobulin secretion

B-1 B cells produce circulating natural antibodies that provide “innate-like” protection against bacterial and viral pathogens. They also provide adaptive responses to blood and air-borne pathogens. B lymphocyte–induced maturation protein 1 (Blimp-1) is a transcriptional repressor that is required for the formation of B-2–derived antibody-secreting plasma cells. In this study, we used mice lacking Blimp-1 in the B cell lineage to show that Blimp-1 is not necessary for the formation or self-renewal of B-1 B cells but that Blimp-1 is required for normal immunoglobulin (Ig) secretion by B-1 cells. B-1 cells lacking Blimp-1 do not repress Pax5 mRNA and do not induce X-box binding protein 1, and μ secreted mRNA normally, showing that B-1 and B-2 cells both use a common pathway for Ig secretion. Blimp-1–deficient B-1 B cells are also defective in providing early protection against influenza infection.
A eukaryotic transcriptional activator bearing the DNA specificity of a prokaryotic repressor

We describe a new protein that binds to DNA and activates gene transcription in yeast. This protein, LexA-GAL4, is a hybrid of LexA, an Escherichia coli repressor protein, and GAL4, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae transcriptional activator. The hybrid protein, synthesized in yeast, activates transcription of a gene if and only if a lexA operator is present near the transcription start site. Thus, the DNA binding function of GAL4 can be replaced with that of a prokaryotic repressor without loss of the transcriptional activation function. These results suggest that DNA-bound LexA-GAL4 and DNA-bound GAL4 activate transcription by contacting other proteins.
Two-dimensional transmission line matrix (TLM) simulation of the electromagnetic fields in a rectangular section of a discretized GaAs MESFET channel with arbitrary doping profile

A two-dimensional lossy shunt TLM network is adapted to simulate the Maxwell field equations of a GaAs MESFET. By discretizing the channel into rectangular sections of single thickness, the proposed TLM technique is shown to be able to simulate the calculated electromagnetic fields of an arbitrarily doped channel section. Theoretical and experimental results are compared for uniform and nonuniform channel conductivity. >
The Prevalence of STIV c92-Like Proteins in Acidic Thermal Environments

A new type of viral-induced lysis system has recently been discovered for two unrelated archaeal viruses, STIV and SIRV2. Prior to the lysis of the infected host cell, unique pyramid-like lysis structures are formed on the cell surface by the protrusion of the underlying cell membrane through the overlying external S-layer. It is through these pyramid structures that assembled virions are released during lysis. The STIV viral protein c92 is responsible for the formation of these lysis structures. We searched for c92-like proteins in viral sequences present in multiple viral and cellular metagenomic libraries from Yellowstone National Park acidic hot spring environments. Phylogenetic analysis of these proteins demonstrates that, although c92-like proteins are detected in these environments, some are quite divergent and may represent new viral families. We hypothesize that this new viral lysis system is common within diverse archaeal viral populations found within acidic hot springs.
Attachment and depressive symptoms during adolescence: A developmental pathways analysis

This article uses a developmental pathway model to consider the role of attachment processes in adolescents' reports of depressive symptoms. Teen attachments were assessed with both interview and observational methods. Assessments of teens' strategies in the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) indicated that insecure and preoccupied strategies were associated with increased reports of depressive symptoms. Observations of mother-teen problem-solving revealed that depressed teens engaged in interactions characterized by high levels of maternal dominance and dysfunctional anger. Maternal reports of teens' negative life events contributed additional variance to a regression model for depressive symptoms. Gender differences further specified pathways to depressive symptoms. Females reported more depressive symptoms, while depressed males engaged in problem-solving interactions characterized by high levels of dysfunctional anger. Competency-based treatments of depressive symptoms designed to improve parent-teen communication and meta-monitoring skills are discussed.
A Soil Bioassay for Predicting the Risk of Spinach Fusarium wilt.

The maritime Pacific Northwest is the only region of the United States suitable for production of spinach seed, a cool-season, daylength-sensitive crop. However, the acidic soils of this region are highly conducive to spinach Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. spinaciae. Rotations of at least 10 to 15 years between spinach seed crops are necessary to reduce the high risk of losses to this disease. The objectives of this study were to develop a greenhouse soil bioassay to assess the relative risk of Fusarium wilt in fields intended for spinach seed production, and to identify soil chemical and physical properties associated with conduciveness to this disease. Preliminary bioassays established a protocol for growing spinach plants in a greenhouse environment and inducing Fusarium wilt symptoms so that the bioassay can be completed in <2 months. Test soils with a range of Fusarium wilt inoculum potentials, and three spinach inbred parent lines (highly susceptible, moderately susceptible, and ...
Differential effect of atropine on rightward and leftward lower esophageal sphincter pressure

Abstract To establish whether radially determined lower esophageal sphincter pressure responds symmetrically or asymmetrically to anticholinergic medication, we compared the rightward and leftward pressure responses to intravenous atropine injection. In 12 normal adult volunteers, the decrease in highest leftward lower esophageal sphincter pressure with atropine was more marked (40% decrease) than rightward (20% decrease). The result of this differential response to atropine was to reduce right-left pressure asymmetry. Mean highest leftward pressure fell 15–30 min postinjection from 35 to 21 mmHg and mean highest rightward presure fell from 22 to 18 mmHg. Studies of the pharmacologic effect of drugs on the human lower esophageal sphincter may give variable results depending on sampling orientation within the sphincter. These radial differences should be considered in interpreting the effect of drugs on the human lower esophageal sphincter.