cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A new Vietnamese species of Euconnus (Napochus) with modified antennal club (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae: Scydmaeninae).

Napochus Thomson, 1859 is the largest subgenus of Euconnus Thomson, 1859, currently comprising over 300 nominal species (Newton & Franz 1998; Jaloszynski 2015, 2016, 2017a, b). The subgenus was recently redefined and its adult morphological structures were illustrated and described in detail (Jaloszynski 2015). Moreover, the subgenera Neonapochus Machulka, 1929, Paranapochus Franz, 1986, Smicrophus Casey, 1897, Cephaloconnus Franz, 1998 and Cerviconnus Franz, 1962, and a genus Protoscydmus Franz, 1992 were placed as junior synonyms of Napochus (Jaloszynski 2015, 2016, 2017a, b). Currently Napochus is defined mainly by the subtrapezoidal pronotum, which is always broadest behind middle (typically at base or shortly in front of base) and strongly narrowed anterad, so that its anterior margin is much shorter than the posterior margin; and by the tetramerous antennal club. The latter, however, may be indistinctly tetramerous in some species, with the antennomere VIII only slightly larger than VII; antennae in such beetles may appear gradually broadened or even trimerous. The problem of antennal variability within Napochus requires further studies, and it is possible that the number of antennomeres forming the club should be excluded from the diagnosis, as too variable. Until recently, species of Euconnus similar to the type species of Napochus and with unmodified antennomeres were placed in Napochus , and one species, in which males have the antennal club modified, in a subgenus Neonapochus . Also beetles resembling Napochus but showing a sexual dimorphism in the head capsule (with cavities, impressions or unusual concavities in males) were placed not in Napochus , but in Cephaloconnus . Jaloszynski (2016, 2017b) demonstrated that beetles showing such modifications do not differ from Napochus in any important characters, and synonymized Neonapochus and Cephaloconnus with Napochus .
Sex Differences in Outcomes and Responses to Spironolactone in Heart Failure With Preserved Ejection Fraction: A Secondary Analysis of TOPCAT Trial

Abstract Objectives This study sought to investigate sex differences in outcomes and responses to spironolactone in patients with heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF). Background HFpEF affects women more frequently than men. Sex differences in responses to effects of mineralocorticoid antagonists have not been reported. Methods This was an exploratory, post hoc, non-pre-specified analysis of the TOPCAT (Aldosterone Antagonist Therapy for Adults With Heart Failure and Preserved Systolic Function) trial. Subjects with symptomatic HF and a left ventricular ejection fraction ≥45% were randomized to spironolactone or placebo therapy. Subjects enrolled from the Americas were analyzed. The primary outcome was a composite of cardiovascular (CV) death, cardiac arrest, or HF hospitalization. Secondary outcomes included all-cause mortality, CV, and non-CV mortality and CV, HF, and non-CV hospitalization. Sex differences in outcomes and treatment effects were determined using time-to-event analysis. Results In total, 882 of 1,767 subjects (49.9%) were women. Women were older with fewer comorbidities but worse patient-reported outcomes. There were no sex differences in outcomes in the placebo arm or in response to spironolactone for the primary outcome or its components. Spironolactone therapy was associated with reduced all-cause mortality in women (hazard ratio: 0.66; p = 0.01) but not in men (pinteraction = 0.02). Conclusions In TOPCAT, women and men presented with different clinical profiles and similar clinical outcomes. The interaction between spironolactone and sex in TOPCAT overall and in the present analysis was nonsignificant for the primary outcome, but there was a reduction in all-cause mortality associated with spironolactone therapy in women, with a significant interaction between sex and treatment arm. Prospective evaluation is needed to determine whether spironolactone therapy may be effective for treatment of HFpEF in women. (Aldosterone Antagonist Therapy for Adults With Heart Failure and Preserved Systolic Function [TOPCAT]; NCT00094302)
Hardware Implementation of Hirschman Optimal Transform Based on Distributed Arithmetic

The Hirschman Optimal Transform (HOT) has been shown to be superior to Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) in computational complexity and resolution. The HOT can be implemented by periodic shifts of the DFT. The DFT calculation is comprised of a sum of products which is well-suited to Distributed Arithmetic (DA). To evaluate the performance of the HOT implementation based on the DA structure, we designed two FPGA-implementations for a 256-point HOT. Simulations indicate that the proposed HOT implementation based on the DA requires 84.4% fewer multiplications and 7.3% fewer additions, with about 26.8% less processing latency than the HOT implementation based on the traditional structure. The performance of the proposed implementation is slightly reduced compared to the traditional structure. Tradeoffs between performance and space exist as in most implementation decisions.
Natural History of Alcoholic Hepatitis: III. Histological Changes

Alcoholic hepatitis was diagnosed by liver biopsy in 76 patients. The morphological changes were observed in 193 biopsies and in 25 necropsies 0.5 to 9 years after the diagnostic biopsy. Fifteen of 76 chronic alcoholics had cirrhosis on their first biopsy. Twenty-three of 61 developed cirrhosis in 2.8 ± 1.5 years, 32 still had alcoholic hepatitis, but not cirrhosis after 3.6 ± 2.3 years, and 6 recovered normal liver. The persistence of alcoholic hepatitis in the 32 patients was associated with continued drinking. Cirrhosis developed in 2 of the 23 during abstinence and very close clinical observation. On 16 patients, 59 serial biopsies and two autopsies were performed within 18 months (45 biopsies and two autopsies within 8 months). In this group, the severity of parenchymal necrosis and inflammation did not improve during 4 to 5 weeks of intensive therapy, although steatosis diminished or disappeared. Even during abstinence in 11 of these 16 patients, the recovery rate of alcoholic hepatitis was slow; the lesion improved but persisted for 6 to 12 months in 6 patients who did not develop cirrhosis; only 3 of the 11 recovered normal liver.
Enhanced Segmental Dynamics of Poly(lactic acid) Glasses during Constant Strain Rate Deformation

The combined effects of temperature and deformation on the segmental dynamics of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) glasses were investigated by using probe reorientation measurements. Constant strain rate deformations, with strain rates between 6 × 10–6 and 3 × 10–5 s–1, were performed on PLA glasses at temperatures between Tg – 15 K and Tg – 25 K. Deformation decreases the segmental relaxation time by up to a factor of 30 relative to the undeformed state. The segmental relaxation time in the postyield regime is related to the local strain rate via a power law, with exponents similar to those reported for lightly cross-linked PMMA. The Kohlrausch–Williams–Watts exponent, βKWW, commonly interpreted in terms of the width of the distribution of segmental relaxation times, changes from the undeformed state to the postyield regime, indicating a significant narrowing of the relaxation spectrum. We observe that βKWW is correlated to the deformation-induced increase of segmental mobility for PLA, as was reported for PMMA. ...
Chapter 10 – Tic Disorders

Publisher Summary A tic is a sudden, rapid, recurrent, non-rhythmic, stereotyped motor movement or vocalization. These occur spontaneously, although certain triggers (like stress) may be associated with increases in tic behaviors. The amount of control over these behaviors is very limited, and they are performed subconsciously, although awareness sometimes accompanies the tics. In some cases these may come and go, while others exhibit tics regularly and consistently. These differences must be examined when considering diagnostic and treatment options. Tics are relatively common in children, less common in adolescents, and rare in adults. One review of research revealed that between 4 and 18 percent of children exhibit some form of tics during their development, and in the vast majority these disappear by adolescence.
Towards Civility: Understanding and Confronting Harassing Behaviors through Mixed Research Approaches in Engineering Learning Settings

This Research Work-in-Progress Paper presents a platform to understand and confront the problem of harassing behaviors that impedes the success of women and underrepresented minorities in engineering. Building on the findings from the 2018 NASEM report, this mixed methods study is rooted in the theories of tokenism, gender stereotyping, and intersectionality. This paper presents the conceptual framework for this study including a three-stage mixed method design and presents initial results from phase 1 regarding prevalence estimates of harassing behaviors using the UC Civility Audit 2020. An understanding of the problem of harassing behaviors and of prevalence estimates is critical to selecting, designing, implementing, and studying interventions to tackle this threat for achieving a diverse workforce.
Empowering Dyads of Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment And Their Care Partners Using Conversational Agents

Conversational agents (CAs) such as Google Home or Alexa offer empowering opportunities for dyads composed of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their care partners. CAs support coordination and planning between the two, and can amplify the support that the care partner needs to provide. In this study, we observed how ten such dyads interacted with a Google Home over 10 weeks. We logged and analyzed 3,878 total interactions, interviewed the dyads to better understand their experiences, and also surveyed their individual preferences and priorities for automated assistance in the home. We found that CAs empowered both the people who had MCI, and their care partners. We observed that the utility of the CA in the day-to-day lives of users largely depended on how much the care partner scaffolded promising functionality, setting it up and contextualizing it for specific needs and desires.
The epigenome and beyond: How does non-genetic inheritance change our view of evolution?

Evidence from across the tree of life suggests that epigenetic inheritance is more common than previously thought. If epigenetic inheritance is indeed as common as the data suggest, this finding has potentially important implications for evolutionary theory and our understanding of how evolution and adaptation progress. However, we currently lack an understanding of how common various epigenetic inheritance types are, and how they impact phenotypes. In this perspective, we review the open questions that need to be addressed to fully integrate epigenetic inheritance into evolutionary theory and to develop reliable predictive models for phenotypic evolution. We posit that addressing these challenges will require the collaboration of biologists from different disciplines and a focus on the exploration of data and phenomena without preconceived limits on potential mechanisms or outcomes.
Prediction of Behaviour and Failure of Steel Columns Subjected to Blast Followed by Fire Induced by Explosion

When a structure is subjected to an explosion, high blast pressure is initially released during a very short period of time and is followed by fire. The combined effects of blast and fire may cause damage and failure of one or more key elements of the structure leading to progressive collapse and failure of the entire structure. However, design procedures suggested by current standards and codes do not consider the combined effects of blast and fire because of the complexity of the problem, which involves inertia and heat effects with high geometrical and material nonlinearities. The ultimate aim of the present study is the numerical and analytical prediction of the behaviour and failure of steel columns subjected to blast pressure followed by fire. A new numerical model was developed and validated to perform both dynamic and transient thermal analyses simultaneously using the dynamic fully coupled thermal-displacement analysis procedure within ABAQUS/explicit. The proposed numerical model was validated against published experimental test results. The study also proposes a new simplified approach for analysing the combined effects of blast and fire on the response and critical temperature of steel columns. The suggested approach implements the single degree of freedom analysis method (SDOF) in conjunction with the resistance function of steel columns at elevated temperature. The proposed analytical method has been validated against published experimental results in addition to numerical simulation results conducted in this study, and the validation has shown very good correlation between the results. The validated analytical approach can be used in the preliminary analysis and design of steel columns under blast and fire.
Measuring the Impulse Buying Tendency: A Construct Validity Assessment

This paper presents a construct validity assessment of the impulse buying tendency. The Rook and Fisher (1995) and Beatty and Ferrell (1996) scales are evaluated for convergent, discriminant, and nomological validity.
NASA SensorWeb and OGC Standards for Disaster Management

I. Goal: Enable user to cost-effectively find and create customized data products to help manage disasters; a) On-demand; b) Low cost and non-specialized tools such as Google Earth and browsers; c) Access via open network but with sufficient security. II. Use standards to interface various sensors and resultant data: a) Wrap sensors in Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) standards; b) Wrap data processing algorithms and servers with OGC standards c) Use standardized workflows to orchestrate and script the creation of these data; products. III. Target Web 2.0 mass market: a) Make it simple and easy to use; b) Leverage new capabilities and tools that are emerging; c) Improve speed and responsiveness.
Some Contemporary Approaches

Publisher Summary This chapter describes various approaches to the problem of inducing resistance to persuasion, and presents a number of variations on each approach. Persuasive messages are known to be more effective if they are presented with their conclusions explicitly drawn, rather than left to be drawn by the recipient. Several ways of inducing resistance to persuasion, and some possibly pretreatments—like enhancing the person's tendency to use perceptual distortion in the defense of his preconceptions—are included in the chapter. Some contemporary approaches to inducing resistance to persuasion include the behavioral commitment approach, anchoring the belief to other cognitions, inducing resistance cognitive states, and prior training in resting persuasive attempts. It is believed that with better education the individual becomes more resistant to persuasion. However, empirical research does not consistently support such a proposition. It is by no means clear that any general-education manipulation would have the effect of increasing resistance to persuasion. Training more specifically tailored to reduce susceptibility to persuasion might be more successful. There is some evidence that the more intelligent are more resistant to conformity pressures from peers, but they also seem to be more susceptible to the mass-media kind of persuasion attempts. Further experiments will have to determine, if inoculation theory will predict the immunizing efficacy of various types of defenses in the case of controversial beliefs as successfully as it has for truisms.
Why the 30-Year Fixed-Rate Mortgage is an Essential Part of Our Housing Finance System

As major reforms of the U.S. housing finance system are contemplated, many have begun to question whether public policy should continue to emphasize the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage, the pillar of modern U.S. housing finance.As this paper argues, there are three major arguments in favor of continuing to emphasize the 30-year fixed-rate loan in the United States.• First, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage provides cost certainty to borrowers, which means they default far less on these loans than for other products, particularly during periods of high interest rate volatility.• Second, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage leads to greater stability in the financial markets because it places the interest rate risk with more sophisticated financial institutions and investors who can plan for and hedge against interest rate fluctuations, rather than with unsophisticated households who have no such capacity to deal with this risk and who are already saddled with an enormous amount of financial burden and economic uncertainty.• Third, the 30-year fixed-rate mortgage leads to greater stability in the economy because short-term mortgages are much more sensitive to interest rate fluctuations and thus much more likely to trigger a bubble-bust cycle in the housing markets. Indeed, there may be reason to believe that a primary cause of the recent housing bubble-and-bust cycle was the rapid growth of short-duration mortgages during the 2000s, which caused U.S. home prices to become more sensitive to the low interest rate environment created by Alan Greenspan’s Federal Reserve.
New Venture Growth : Industry Constraints and Transaction Costs

This study describes the development of a new research instrument to measure human asset specificity and industry capacity constraints. The survey measures show high reliability and represent the theoretical reasoning laid out in the transaction cost economics literature. This instrument is used to sample approximately 1500 Swedish firms that have been surveyed several times since their inception in 1994. These firms represent the entire spectrum of new firms started in Sweden that year. After applying hierarchical regression analysis, the results show that firm specific knowledge and difficulty in measuring employee performance were positively related to employment growth. Natural capacity constraints result in initial growth that plateaus as those constraints are reached. The results are also discussed.
The Complement System

Complement is the primary humoral component of innate immunity. It is an intricate and highly regulated system of more than 30 soluble plasma proteins and at least 12 cell membrane proteins. Complement components circulate in all fluid compartments (blood and extracellular fluid) in an inactive form under the tight control of regulatory proteins. This system is activated very rapidly (within minutes), primarily by microbial pathogen-associated molecular patterns and altered self-components, such as apoptotic and necrotic cells. Complement activation products have potent proinflammatory functions that are primarily mediated through the recruitment and activation of innate immune effector cells (neutrophils and macrophages). These phagocytic cells efficiently eliminate invading pathogens and/or clear tissue debris. This large and complex network of complement proteins is normally a finely balanced system and is thoroughly integrated with other parts of the immune system and the tissue repair/wound healing responses. However, excessive complement activation may induce significant tissue injury and cause disease. Accordingly, dysregulated complement activation has been strongly linked with the pathogenesis of numerous diseases. In contrast to excessive activation, deficiencies of complement are generally associated with an increased incidence of bacterial infections and autoimmune diseases. Currently, there are multiple therapeutic approaches in clinical trials to target complement in several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Congenital malformation of the heart associated with congenital anomalies of the urinary tract

Review of 26,000 autopsy reports revealed 279 cases in which there were major anomalies of the urinary tract. In 65 of these associated cardiac malformations were found. In 28 there was an isolated ventricular septal defect. Twenty-three of these patients died within the first year, and the remaining 5 reached childhood or adolescence. Two died of congestive heart failure and 3 at operation. All 5 developed skeletal deformity, mental retardation, and showed microscopic evidence of severe pulmonary vascular lesions. The review discloses a relatively high incidence of the association of the ventricular septal defect and major urinary tract abnormality; the relation of such abnormalities to pulmonary lesions remains obscure.
Do Currency Crises Cause Capital Account Liberalization

Pepinsky, Thomas B. (2012) Do Currency Crises Cause Capital Account Liberalization? International Studies Quarterly, doi: 10.1111/j.1468-2478.2012.00729.x © 2012 International Studies Association A central argument in the literature on economic crises and policy reform is that currency crises lead governments to liberalize their capital accounts in order to establish their credibility to international markets. I argue that the reverse is true: currency crises lead governments to restrict capital flows as a form of self-help. Using instrumental variables to account for the possibility that capital account liberalization causes currency crises, I show that currency crises are robustly associated with capital account closure across developing countries. The findings refocus the debate on currency crises and capital account liberalization and contribute to larger debates about the role of critical junctures in prompting neoliberal policy reform.
High-Risk Participant Studies

In order to improve the efficiency of psychological research concerning etiology, studies may oversample participants who are identified as having high risk for the development of disorders or for the occurrence of adverse outcomes. High-risk participant studies have evolved in the context of “diathesis-stress” developmental models of psychopathology that emphasize the impact of exogenous factors on the vulnerable individual. Such studies are extremely helpful in instances where there is a low population base rate for the presence of a disorder or negative outcome, since few studies conducted by other methods will be able to recruit the number of participants needed to ensure sufficient statistical power. Information obtained from high-risk participant studies may be used to identify vulnerability processes central to the etiology of disorders and to develop preventive intervention programs. Keywords: experimental-manipulative high risk studies; diathesis-stress; vulnerability
Self-Gravity, Self-Consistency, and Self-Organization in Geodynamics and Geochemistry

The results of seismology and geochemistry for mantle structure are widely believed to be discordant, the former favoring whole-mantle convection and the latter favoring layered convection with a boundary near 650 km. However, a different view arises from recognizing effects usually ignored in the construction of these models, including physical plausibility and dimensionality. Self-compression and expansion affect material properties that are important in all aspects of mantle geochemistry and dynamics, including the interpretation of tomographic images. Pressure compresses a solid and changes physical properties that depend on volume and does so in a highly nonlinear way. Intrinsic, anelastic, compositional, and crystal structure effects control seismic velocities; temperature is not the only parameter, even though tomographic images are often treated as temperature maps. Shear velocity is not a good proxy for density, temperature, and composition or for other elastic constants. Scaling concepts are important in mantle dynamics, equations of state, and wherever it is necessary to extend laboratory experiments to the parameter range of the Earth's mantle. Simple volume-scaling relations that permit extrapolation of laboratory experiments, in a thermodynamically self-consistent way, to deep mantle conditions include the quasiharmonic approximation but not the Boussinesq formalisms. Whereas slabs, plates, and the upper thermal boundary layer of the mantle have characteristic thicknesses of hundreds of kilometers and lifetimes on the order of 100 million years, volume-scaling predicts values an order of magnitude higher for deep-mantle thermal boundary layers. This implies that deep-mantle features are sluggish and ancient. Irreversible chemical stratification is consistent with these results; plausible temperature variations in the deep mantle cause density variations that are smaller than the probable density contrasts across chemical interfaces created by accretional differentiation and magmatic processes. Deep-mantle features may be convectively isolated from upper-mantle processes. Plate tectonics and surface geochemical cycles appear to be entirely restricted to the upper ~1,000 km. The 650-km discontinuity is mainly an isochemical phase change but major-element chemical boundaries may occur at other depths. Recycling laminates the upper mantle and also makes it statistically heterogeneous, in agreement with high-frequency scattering studies. In contrast to standard geochemical models and recent modifications, the deeper layers need not be accessible to surface volcanoes. There is no conflict between geophysical and geochemical data, but a physical basis for standard geochemical and geodynamic mantle models, including the two-layer and whole-mantle versions, and qualitative tomographic interpretations has been lacking.
Effects of School Absences on GPAs for Disabled Students.

Chronic absences, suspensions, and expulsions can all be detrimental to students’ GPAs. Students with disabilities have a disadvantage with learning and require additional services making it crucial that they are present in school. There are various reasons why students miss school and the study examined a few specific research questions. The current investigation examined students’ current GPA scores in the core content areas compared to the number of days absent from school, the frequency of health related school absences, and the number of days spent out of school due to suspensions and expulsions, using data from a national data set. This investigation examines whether or not attendance is related to students’ academic success, when specifically considering students with identified disabilities.
On the link between bulk and surface properties of mixed ion electron conducting materials Ln0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (Ln = La, Pr, Nd)

This work tests the hypothesis that the surface oxygen exchange rate and bulk oxygen anion diffusivity are intrinsically linked in mixed ion-electron conducting oxides. In contrast to other studies that measure these parameters in a linked experiment, this study combines data from in situ neutron powder diffraction (NPD), synchrotron X-ray diffraction (XRD), pulse isotopic oxygen exchange, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) studies of Ln0.5Sr0.5Co0.8Fe0.2O3−δ (Ln = La, Pr, Nd) solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) cathode materials. The Pr and Nd containing materials were found to exhibit higher oxygen exchange rates and decreased electrode impedance when compared to the La-based material. It is proposed that the observed increase in performance is directly linked to high oxygen mobility in the Pr and Nd containing materials. The oxygen mobility is characterized in terms of the oxygen vacancy concentration and oxygen atomic displacement derived from the NPD data.
A very narrow spectral band

The power spectrum of the variablez in the Lorenz equations with σ=10,b=8/3, andr=200 appeared in previous work to contain a line superposed on a continuum. Analysis of an extended solution into consecutive segments with rather similar initial states, each segment spanning at least seven maxima ofz, shows that the apparent line is actually a narrow band. Solutions spanning at least 14000 maxima ofz would be needed to resolve the band by standard computation procedures. Multiplication of the right side of each equation by the same function can convert the band to a line, while leaving the points of the attractor unchanged. It is proposed that the spectrum of a completely coupled autonomous flow is, in a certain sense, unlikely to contain a superposition of lines and a continuum.
Association of genes encoding beta2 toxin and a collagen binding protein in Clostridium perfringens isolates of porcine origin.

Clostridium perfringens is a cause of economically significant enteritis in livestock. Beta2 toxin, encoded by one of two cpb2 alleles, is implicated as a virulence factor in this disease. Previous studies determined that the consensus cpb2 allele is preferentially associated with C. perfringens isolated from pigs. In C. perfringens strain 13, the consensus cpb2 allele is found on the plasmid pCP13, which also carries cna, encoding a putative collagen binding protein, CpCna. This protein was shown to be a bona fide collagen adhesin, as recombinant, HIS-tagged CpCna bound collagen type I as determined by Far Western blotting. Genomic DNA from C. perfringens isolated from a variety of host species were subjected to PCR to determine the prevalence of cna in these strains and correlate its carriage with the presence and type of cpb2 allele. The cna gene was found in 55.8% of isolates from all host species (n = 208) and 68.1% of porcine isolates (n = 119). In cpb2+ isolates, cna was present in 69.9% of isolates from all hosts (n = 153), but was found in 98.7% of porcine isolates (n = 75). Furthermore in porcine isolates, the consensus cpb2 allele and cna were absolutely correlated with the presence of pcp12, a pCP13-encoded gene, and pcp12 was never found in any isolate that lacks either cpb2 allele. The finding that CpCna binds collagen and that the cna gene is associated with the consensus cpb2 allele implicates CpCna as a potential virulence factor in porcine enteritis caused by C. perfringens.
A model for gas phase chemistry in interstellar clouds. I - The basic model, library of chemical reactions, and chemistry among C, N, and O compounds

A time-dependent gas phase chemical model of the chemistry in interstellar clouds is presented which uses a comprehensive library consisting of over 1400 reactions for 137 species. Specified constant density, temperature, and radiation field intensity are used to generate the evolution with time of these species for 10/sup 7/ years in four model clouds to simulate the outer and inner components of zeta Oph and of Orion. No a priori assumptions are made concerning production and loss mechanisms, and the algorithm decides which are the major processes from an extensive list of potential production and loss mechanisms for each species. The C, N, and O families of chemical species are discussed in detail with particular emphasis on production and loss processes, and on the interrelationships among the chemistries of these families. A number of diagrams are used to illustrate the chemistry in interstellar clouds resulting from the models. The utility of the model is that it allows for easy testing of schemes for the chemistry and chemical evolution in interstellar clouds.
Ventilating Warm Rings: Structure and Model Evaluation

Abstract The theory of the evolution of rings under a Cooling atmosphere is extended in two ways. First effects of stratification are studied analytically through the use of a “two and one-half” layer model. Second, model predictions are compared with observations. Qualitative support of the analytical model is also provided by a brief comparison of the analytical predictions with a numerical model. Ring evolution is computed using the conservation of angular momentum. Idealizations in the analytical model include zero potential vorticity in the upper layer and an infinitely deep and resting third layer. The results from the analytical model witch is based on a crude representation of fluid thermodynamics and a continuously stratified numerical model with an active mixed layer agree qualitatively. Further, both models yield predictions of main thermocline deepening under warm rings which are consistent with field observations. This agreement supports the idea that the response of warm rings to cooling is ...
Counseling the patient with localized prostate cancer

Abstract Objective. To provide a perspective on issues in counseling the patient therapy for an individual with localized prostate cancer. Methods. Review factors contributing to the uncertainty in the decision for optimal Results. There remains considerable debate relative to the need for aggressive therapy in many patients with prostate cancer, and no single therapy is universally viewed as effective. Multiple treatment options are available, including established ones, such as radical prostatectomy or external radiation therapy, and investigational ones, such as cryosurgery, implant radiation therapy, or adjuvant hormonal treatment. Multiple opinions are readily provided by physicians, friends, relatives, and others. It is valuable to strive to find the “best” treatment in an individual patient based on age, medical realities, and a patient's personal preferences. Throughout the entire process, it is important to maintain a positive, hopeful attitude to support the patient, irrespective of his choice for therapy. Conclusions. Considerable uncertainty exists relative to the ideal therapy for a patient with prostate cancer. Counseling the patient requires providing balanced information to allow a patient to participate in this often difficult decision.
Duty Cycle Effects On Intensity And Wavelength Fluctuations In A Pulsed Variable Spacing Phase-Locked Laser Diode Array

Wavelength and intensity fluctuations in the output of a variable spacing phase-locked laser diode array were investigated. The diode was pulsed at duty cycles appropriate for low order optical pulse position modulation signaling. Both the spectral width and intensity fluctuation levels were observed to increase as the duty cycle was increased.
100th issue anniversary editorial.

You could say that Dolly the sheep gave birth to AJOB, that the journal issued from developing embryonic stem cells. In the late 1990s bioethics changed. While Art Caplan and some other bioethicist...
Lysosomal hemochromes and digestion of cytochrome c by the lysosomal protease system.

Abstract 1. Difference spectra of Triton WR 1339-filled lysosomes show the presence of unusual hemochromes. 2. Incubation of Triton WR 1339-filled lysosomes with mitochrondria alters the spectral characteristics of mitochondrial cytochromes c , c 1 and a + a 3 to correspond with the spectral characteristics of the lysosomal hemochrome. 3. Digestion of cytochrome c by lysosomes alters the spectral characteristics of the cytochrome. This reaction provides a model that shows how the lysosomal hemochrome could be formed. 4. The pH optimum for reduction of the cytochrome c Soret peak by lysosomes is pH 3.6–3.8. 5. No spectral changes were caused by the detergents Triton X-100 or by Triton WR 1339 nor by mitochrondrial and microsomal preparations. 6. Pronase and pepsin digestion of cytochrome c produced similar hemochromes. A plot of pH dependence of pronase activity corresponded with a plot of maximum reduction of the cytochrome c Soret peak. 7. Digestion of cytochrome c and the resulting spectral changes corresponded with the content of cathepsin D in the Triton WR 1339-filled lysosomes and the hydroxylapatite column fractions used as enzyme source. 8. The greater reduction of the Soret peak of cytochrome c by lysosomes in the presence of cysteine implicates the participation of the sulfhydryl cathepsins B and C in the digestion process. 9. The absolute spectra of a modified high molecular weight heme compound separated by chromatography from the products of lysosomal digestion of cytochrome c were similar to the spectra produced by action of lysosomes and hydroxylapatite fractionated cathepsins on cytochrome c .
Guest editor's introduction: 1997 IEEE real-time technologies and applications symposium

—————————— ✦ —————————— 1I NTRODUCTION EAL-TIME systems are computing and communication systems that must deliver their services in timely fashion. Typically, these systems monitor, control, and interact with their physical environment. Classical real-time systems include feedback control systems, radar signal processing systems, avionics and space-based systems. The advent of human-friendly data types in digital computing and communications in the form of voice, audio, and video traffic introduced real-time computing to the mainstream. Two recent trends have accelerated this trend in recent years. First, the ongoing convergence of data communications, telephony, and entertainment demands that the tight timing constraints required by telephony systems be married with the flexibility and heterogeneous traffic of data communications. Second, pervasive (or ubiquitous) computing with sensors and actuators embedded everywhere in the physical environment we live in must also operate on a timely basis. The wide spectrum of timing constraints that real-time systems need to satisfy often requires that resources must be explicitly managed and allocated. Those who are still skeptical of the need to do explicit resource management in a “plentiful resource environment” should run one or more of the following practical tests:
S/sup 2/YSCODE: stochastic systems control and decision algorithms software laboratory, FORTRAN and MATLAB versions

We present the first report on a software laboratory for stochastic systems control and decision problems: S/sup 2/YSCODE. Two versions have been developed so far, one in FORTRAN 77, and the other in MATLAB. Our principal aims in developing S/sup 2/YSCODE have been to develop a user friendly, interactive and transportable software laboratory for computer-aided control system design and experimentation in stochastic control and decision systems. >
Epoxide metabolism in the liver of mice treated with clofibrate (ethyl-α-(p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate)), a peroxisome proliferator☆

An increase in cytosolic epoxide hydrolase (cEH) activity occurs in the livers of mice treated with peroxisome proliferating-hypolipidemic-nongenotoxic carcinogens. As increases in activity of epoxide metabolizing enzymes may reflect the carcinogenic mechanism, a detailed comparison of the response of cEH, microsomal epoxide hydrolase (mEH), and cytosolic glutathione S-transferase (cGST) activities using the geometrical isomers trans- and cis-stilbene oxide as substrates has been performed in livers from mice treated with clofibrate (ethyl-alpha-(p-chlorophenoxyisobutyrate]. The maximal increase of cEH activity occurred at lower dietary doses of clofibrate (0.5%) and within a shorter time (5 days) than mEH and cGST (2%, 14 days) activity. After 14 days at 0.5% clofibrate, cEH, mEH, and cGST activities were 250, 175, and 165% and 290, 220, and 75% of control values in male and female mice, respectively. Withdrawal of clofibrate from the diet resulted in a reversion of activities to control values within 7 days. Clofibrate treatment shifted the apparent subcellular compartmentation of all three enzymatic activities with an increase in the ratio of soluble to particulate activity. In particular, the relative specific activity of all three enzymes decreased in the light mitochondrial (peroxisomal) cell fraction, and an increase of a mEH-like activity (benzo[a]pyrene-4,5-oxide and cis-stilbene oxide hydrolysis) in the cytosol occurred. Both the increase of cEH activity and the appearance of mEH-like activity in the cytosol are novel responses of epoxide metabolizing enzymes, which may be related to the novel cellular responses that follow clofibrate treatment, peroxisome proliferation, hypolipidemia, and nongenotoxic carcinogenesis.
Two state model for sub-exponential fluorescence revisited

A two-state model for the stretched exponential law found in the asymptotic decay of the fluorescence is generalized. By assuming a modification of the Arrhenius law for the detrapping process we find that the exponent characterizing the stretched exponential decay, β, exhibits a number of different behaviors, in qualitative agreement with some recent experimental results. The microscopic origin of these modified Arrhenius-type laws is considered. It is shown that multiphonon absorption can lead to a β which is a decreasing function of temperature, as found experimentally.
Genetic analysis of tolerance to low-phosphorus stress in maize using restriction fragment length polymorphisms

An understanding of the genetic nature underlying tolerance to low-phosphorus (low-P) stress could aid in the efficient development of tolerant plant strains. The objective of this study was to identify the number of loci in a maize (Zea mays L.) population segregating for tolerance to low-P stress, their approximate location, and the magnitude of their effect.
Efficient methods of estimating switchgrass biomass supplies

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is being developed as a biofuel feedstock for the United States. Efficient and accurate methods to estimate switchgrass biomass feedstock supply within a production area will be required by biorefineries. Our main objective was to determine the effectiveness of indirect methods for estimating biomass yields and composition of switchgrass fields. Indirect measurements were conducted in eastern Nebraska from 2003 to 2007 in which switchgrass biomass yields were manipulated using three nitrogen rates (0 kg N ha-1, 60 kg N ha-1, and 120 kg N ha-1) and two harvest periods (August and post-killing frost). A modified Robel pole was used to determine visual obstruction, elongated leaf height, and canopy height measurements. Prediction models from the study showed that elongated leaf height, visual obstruction, and canopy height measurements accounted for > 91%, > 90%, and > 82% of the variation in switchgrass biomass, respectively. Regression slopes were similar by cultivar (“Cave-in-Rock” and “Trailblazer”), harvest period, and across years indicating that a single model is applicable for determining biomass feedstock supply within a region, assuming similar harvesting methods. Sample numbers required to receive the same level of precision were as follows: elongated leaf height<canopy height<visual obstruction. Twenty to 30 elongated leaf height measurements in a field could predict switchgrass biomass yield within 10% of the mean with 95% confidence. Visual obstruction is recommended on switchgrass fields with low to variable stand densities while elongated leaf height measurements would be recommended on switchgrass fields with high, uniform stand densities. Incorporating an ocular device with a Robel pole provided reasonable frequency estimates of switchgrass, broadleaf weeds, and grassy weeds at the field scale.
Maize in ancient Ecuador: results of residue analysis of stone tools from the Real Alto site

Abstract The antiquity of maize ( Zea mays , Poaceae) in Ecuador, and its role in Formative Period subsistence, are topics of current debate. Real Alto, a large Early Formative village at which maize was first identified by phytolith analysis, remains at the center of this debate. We present new microfossil data, maize cob phytoliths and starch granules recovered from 17 stone tools from a Valdivia 3 phase (2800–2400 BC, calibrated) domestic structure, which confirm that maize was present at Real Alto. Further, the common occurrence of maize on tools from this household corroborates the domestic context of maize use at the site. Residue assemblages suggest that maize with hard (flint) and soft (flour) endosperm characteristics existed at the site.
Metabolic studies in vitro of the CNS cytoskeletal proteins: synthesis and degradation.

General aspects of metabolic features of the most prominent CNS intermediate filament proteins, the 200,000 (200K), 150,000 (150K), and 70,000 (70K) dalton proteins of the neuron, and the glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) have been explored using the incubated spinal cord slice from the rat. Measurement of shortterm uptake of3H-labeled amino acids into the individual proteins separated on polyacrylamide gels revealed that of the three neurofilament proteins, 200K was most metabolically active, 150K was less active, and 70K contained very little incorporated radioactivity. Glial fibrillary acidic protein based on Coomassie blue stain affinity showed less metabolic activity than any of the neurofilament proteins. Those relationships were constant at all ages, but the metabolic activity of all CNS intermediate filaments decreased with age. When Ca2+ was present in the medium of the incubated slices, the intermediate filaments were rapidly destroyed, but GFAP was more resistant to degradation than the neurofilament proteins. GFAP and probably the neurofilament proteins also were relatively resistant to Ca2+-activated degradative mechanisms in spinal cords of rats at younger ages (15 day) than in those of older animals (10–18 months). It is likely that the Ca2+ activated protease is less active in developing animals in which the nerve tracts are still elongating, than in adults. These results suggest that GFAP is less active metabolically and more resistant to degradation than the neurofilament proteins at all stages of maturation, but that metabolic activity of all CNS intermediate filaments decreases with age while the susceptibility to degradation increases.
Estimating effect size: Bias resulting from the significance criterion in editorial decisions

Experiments that find larger differences between groups than actually exist in the population are more likely to pass stringent tests of significance and be published than experiments that find smaller differences. Published measures of the magnitude of experimental effects will therefore tend to overestimate these effects. This bias was investigated as a function of sample size, actual population difference, and alpha level. The overestimation of experimental effects was found to be quite large with the commonly employed significance levels of 5 per cent and 1 per cent. Further, the recently recommended measure, ω2, was found to depend much more heavily on the alpha level employed than the true population ω2 value. Hence, it was concluded that effect size estimation is impractical unless scientific journals drop the consideration of statistical significance as one of the criteria of publication.
Isolated rupture and repair of the popliteus tendon

The authors report the case of a 21-year-old woman who sustained a femoral avulsion of the popliteus tendon in a motor vehicle accident. The posterolateral injury was suspected on physical examination and confirmed by magnetic resonance imaging and arthroscopic examination. The popliteus tendon was repaired using two suture anchors. Mild clinical instability was present initially and resolved postoperatively. No residual pain, weakness, or posterolateral instability was noted.