cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Flora and ecology of a neotropical savanna, Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras

Neotropical savannas exhibit unique patterns of diversity of plant and animal life that are poorly understood. Effective conservation of these often imperiled ecosystems requires a basic understanding of species occurrence as well as the site-specific factors that influence plant community composition. This study focuses on the savanna flora of the island of Utila, Bay Islands, Honduras. Compositional trends were assessed across multiple environmental gradients including surface hydrology, microtopography, nutrient levels and pH using Braun-Blanquet cover abundance in a stratified systematic sampling design. Non-metric multidimensional scaling and non-parametric multiplicative regression were applied to identify community types and to model species’ responses to environmental gradients. We separated habitats into three basic types: sedge meadow, Blechnum-Cladium parkland and woody hammock. Compositional gradients along ordination axes were highly correlated with depth of the water table, pH and conductivity. Disturbance history, especially time since fire, was also linked to an indirect gradient. Some species – notably Acoelorrhaphe wrightii and Chrysobalanus icaco – are generalists, and their distributions may reflect past disturbance. Microtopography was critical in determining distribution for a suite of species that occurred only on mound formations in areas subject to prolonged inundation during the rainy season. Disturbance, particularly by hurricanes and fire, may promote within-habitat diversity; for example, the exposed lignotubers and rhizomes of trees killed by saline inundation provide habitat for less flood-tolerant species in wet areas, while burned clones of A. wrightii and surrounding peat areas permit colonization by many herbaceous species. Pair-wise floristic comparisons between Utila and eight other neotropical savannas revealed fewer than half of the 40 savanna species found on Utila were present in any other site. Two species of Cyperaceae, Fuirena scirpoidea and Rhynchospora tracyi, are new records for Honduras.
Moral reasoning and moral behavior among selected groups of practicing nurses

This study examined the relationship between moral reasoning and moral behavior in 79 practicing nurses. Moral reasoning was measured by Rest's Defining Issues Test. Judgments about Nursing Decisions (JAND), developed by the investigator, was used to measure moral behavior. JAND is compromised of seven stories, each depicting a nurse in an ethical dilemma, with a total of 48 items. It measures two components of moral behavior: knowledge and valuation of ideal moral behavior and perception of realistic moral behavior. The hypothesis that moral reasoning would be positively related to knowledge and valuation of ideal moral behavior was tested by Pearson product moment correlation; the obtained coefficient of .28 was significant at the .01 level. The hypothesis that moral reasoning would be positively related to nurses' perception of realistic moral behavior was also tested by Pearson product moment correlation; the obtained coefficient of .19 was significant at the .05 level. Additional analyses showed significant differences in the knowledge and valuation component of JAND between educational groups, ethnic groups, age groups, and years of practice in nursing; but, there were no differences between these groups with respect to the perception of realist moral behavior component of JAND. Implications of the findings for nursing practice, education, and research are discussed.
Effect of meal schedules and fasting on selected plasma free amino acids in horses.

The effects of meal frequency and fasting on selected plasma free amino acids (PFAA) was studied in horses. Six 22-mo-old Quarter Horses were used in a replicated 3 X 3 Latin-square design in which each horse received one meal per day (1M), two meals per day (2M) or six meals per day (6M) for 2 wk. A complete pelleted ration was fed at a rate of 1.75% of body weight daily. The consumption of a meal by the horses fed 1M and 2M daily was followed by an increase (P less than .05) in plasma methionine. The highest levels were observed at 5 h and 3 h in the 1M and 2M treatments, respectively. The horses receiving the larger meal (1M) also had higher methionine levels. There were no significant changes in plasma methionine levels in the 6M group. Feed was withheld from the 1M group for 48 h and blood samples were obtained for alanine, glutamine, glutamate, lysine and leucine levels. These amino acids also peaked at 5 h, then declined through 19 to 25 h. During the last 24 h PFAA levels increased (P less than .05). Although glutamine and lysine appeared to level off at 49 h after the meal, alanine, glutamate and leucine were still increasing.
Absence of complement factor H alters bone architecture and dynamics.

Abstract Complement system is an important arm of the immune system that promotes inflammation. Complement Factor H (FH) is a critical regulator of the alternative complement pathway. Its absence causes pathology in different organs resulting in diseases such as age related macular degeneration and dense deposit disease. Recent studies suggest that the complement system plays a role in bone development and homeostasis. To determine the role of FH in bone architecture, we studied the FH knockout (fh-/-) mice. 3D reconstructions of femur from 16 week old fh-/- mice reveal significant changes, such as decreased BV/TV (4.5%, p
Volunteer Psychological Climate and Its Effect on Volunteer Satisfaction

Psychological climate – employee’s perceptions and interpretations of organizational environments – has been shown to significantly impact the workplace attitudes and behaviors of employees. Yet it...
Material-Psychosocial-Behavioral Aspects of Financial Hardship: A Conceptual Model for Cancer Prevention

Risk of cancer increases with age; and socioeconomic factors have been shown to be relevant for (predictive of) cancer risk-related behaviors and cancer early detection and screening. Yet, much of this research has relied on traditional measures of socioeconomic status (SES) to assess socioeconomic circumstances, which limits our understanding of the various pathways through which the socioeconomic environment affects cancer risk. Research on hardship and health suggests that concepts of financial hardship can uncover socioeconomic factors influencing health behaviors over and above traditional SES measures. Thus, consistently including measures of financial hardship in cancer prevention research and practice may help us further explicate the pathway between socioeconomic circumstances and cancer risk-related behaviors and cancer screening among older adults and help us identify intervention and policy targets. We present a conceptual model of financial hardship that can be applied to cancer prevention research among older adults to provide guidance on the conceptualization, measurement, and intervention on financial hardship in this population. The conceptual model advances a research agenda that calls for greater conceptual and measurement clarity of the material, psychosocial, and behavioral aspects of the socioeconomic environment to inform the identification of potentially modifiable socioeconomic factors associated with cancer risk-related behaviors among older adults.
Overutilization of Test for Hemoglobinopathy Evaluation: Experience from a Tertiary Care Academic Medical Center

BACKGROUND Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a common clinical laboratory test for the identification of hemoglobinopathies in clinical practice. We investigated the utilization of this test in our academic teaching hospital and hypothesized that hemoglobin electrophoresis evaluation is overutilized at this institution. METHODS 128 consecutive cases were analyzed and their medical records were studied to determine the clinical indication for the hemoglobin electrophoresis. RESULTS Of the 128 cases studied, only 44% of cases had a justifiable reason for obtaining the hemoglobin electrophoresis, whereas the remaining 56% of cases did not have an acceptable indication for obtaining the test. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that hemoglobin electrophoresis is overutilized in our academic medical center and we recommend consultation with clinical pathologists prior to ordering such tests.
Using faster region-based convolutional neural network for automatic detection of baleen whale social calls

Using blue and fin whale calls for estimating population density of the two species from passive acoustic data is an active research topic. However, manually analyzing long-term data is extremely time consuming yet a necessary first step for such work. Blue and fin whale social calls are highly variable and quite similarity, which has resulted in challenges in developing automatic detectors for these calls. The applicability of faster region-based convolutional neural network (Faster R-CNN) method for speeding up this detection and classification task was explored. A large dataset of blue whale D calls and fin whale 40 Hz calls from southern California was used for training the network: 1378 spectrograms were created from 10-s sound clips each containing a call. The resulting images were contrast-enhanced and manually labeled with region of interest (ROI) before being applied as training images. The probability score for each ROI was modified to favor detections within previously measured frequency range of the calls. Testing shows this Faster R-CNN to have a very low miss- and false positive rate for both call types and is thus a highly promising tool for detecting and classifying these baleen whale social calls.
The Puzzling Relationship Between Trade and Environment: NAFTA, Competitiveness, and the Pursuit of Environmental Welfare Objectives

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is often claimed to be a "promising beginning" for the reconciliation of trade and environment. Professor Porras, however, suggests that the form that "reconciliation" takes in NAFTA is extremely problematic. Harmonization of standards to facilitate the free flow of trade is a familiar trade goal NAFTA 's provisions regarding environmental standards, however, are not a straightforward requirement to harmonize standards. Rather, NAFTA recognizes state autonomy in standard setting, on the one hand, while requiring a form of upward harmonization, on the other. According to Professor Porras, the result of such an arrangement is the perpetuation of economic and political inequality among states. States with low environmental standards are not given the opportunity to set their environmental standards in accordance with their own values, capacities, and priorities, but must instead divert resources to achieve the standards that are deemed appropriate by states with higher environmental standards. Professor Porras argues that the dual choice of "autonomy" and "upward harmonization" in NAFTA reflects the desire of environmentalists in high-standard states to safeguard both their environmental standards and their standards of living. States with lower standards are made to raise their standards so that their comparatively lower standards do not enable them to gain a competitive advantage to the detriment of the high standard states' economies. Professor Porras suggests that in choosing "upward harmonization," environmentalists in high-standard states are responding to the perceived link between environmental protection and the nation's economic health. In selecting a mechanism which tends to perpetuate existing economic inequalities between states, however, NAFTA fails to give equal attention to the demands of "sustainable development" in poorer countries.
The Impact of Domestic Energy Efficiency: Retrofit Study of Lights & Fans Using Deemed Saving Method

This paper deals with the energy saving potential possible with the replacement of existing lights and fans with energy efficient LEDs and Pakistan Energy Labelled (PEL) fans in Punjab. As Punjab is considered as, the highest energy-consuming province of Pakistan, a case study is presented in which the retrofitting of current conventional lighting systems and fans with LEDs and Pakistan Energy Labelled (PEL) fans in the province is proposed. LEDs and Pakistan Energy Labelled (PEL) fans use less power comparatively and it has been assured that the output of light as well as of fans should be maintained same or better than the existing systems i.e. lumens/watt and air delivery respectively. LED lighting systems and (PEL) fans have huge energy saving potential, LEDs with payback period 9 months and (PEL) fans with payback period of 20 months.
Mind the gap: A novel endovascular technique to repair a transected vessel.

Level one trauma centers experience horrific injuries on a regular basis. Blunt or penetrating trauma causing vascular injuries are treated by surgeons and interventional radiologists. When a blood...
3D Cramér-Rao Lower Bound Evaluation for ATSC Signal Based Passive Radar Systems

The measurements accuracy of passive radar systems plays an important role in their detection and tracking performance. Since passive radar systems do not transmit their own waveforms, the passive radar designer can improve the system performance by selecting the emitter that provides the best estimation accuracy for radar parameters. In this paper, the modified Cramer-Rao lower bound (MCRLB) of the advanced television system committee (ATSC) signal, which is the pervasive digital television (DTV) signal of North America, is calculated taking into account the heights of the transmitter, receiver and target. The 3D range MCRLB is analyzed in this paper for different bistatic geometries. Finally, an example of the Columbus, Ohio area with a single receiver located at The Ohio State University and multiple DTV illuminators is provided to select the optimal illuminator that exhibits the lowest range MCRLB, taking into account target altitudes.
The case for integrating household social needs and social policy into the international family farm research agenda

Abstract Some farm scholars have contended that agricultural policies are seldom designed with the well-being and social needs of farm households in mind, even though the challenges experienced in the farm sector directly impact the farm household. Surprisingly little is known about how farm households meet their social needs and the role of social policy in the agricultural sector. As a first step towards a holistic understanding of the interactions between social policy, farm viability, and farm persistence, we conducted a cross-national comparative document review of government-sponsored social safety net programs available to farm households in two countries on opposite sides of the social policy continuum: France and the United States. In particular, we developed a foundational framework of social safety net programs to be used in future empirical work, identified four factors that may shape farm households’ use of social safety net programs and potential consequences on family farms, and propose a research agenda to move the literature forward. By grounding our article in the farm persistence theoretical tradition, our article offers an opportunity to reframe and broaden approaches to study family farms by highlighting the critical need for understanding the ways in which institutional social supports may play a role in supporting them.
In vitro fretting crevice corrosion damage of CoCrMo alloys in phosphate buffered saline: Debris generation, chemistry and distribution.

Abstract Fretting crevice corrosion in modular tapers of total hip replacements has become a major concern in orthopedic medical devices. Solid and ionic debris arising from fretting crevice corrosion have been implicated in device failure and revision surgery. This study aims to use a 2D pin-on-disk fretting corrosion test system to visualize damage progression and debris generation during fretting corrosion of CoCrMo alloys in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The results provide direct evidence of rapid debris generation during fretting corrosion (after only 12 min of testing). Debris was generated and either extruded from the contact region or impacted into adjacent crevice sites as long as fretting continued. After testing, the fretting region consisted of a damaged and plastically deformed contact region surrounded by a halo of fretting debris consisting entirely of oxides and phosphates within the crevice region. Evidence of pitting corrosion and grain boundary corrosion was observed. Solid debris consisted of chromium (Cr), phosphate (P) and oxygen (O). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis of the near-fretted metal surface area showed a thicker oxygen (O1s) containing film with the depth profile of O1s above 10% penetrating up to 5.75 nm while the O1s concentration on the unfretted area fell to below 10% after 1 nm depth. Ion concentration in the PBS, measured using inductively coupled mass spectrometry, showed cobalt (Co) ions were most prevalent (1.46 ppm) compared to chromium (Cr) (0.07 ppm) and molybdenum (Mo) (0.05 ppm) (p Statement of Significance CoCrMo alloys has been widely used as a metallic biomaterial for implant devices and can lose their durability and reliability due to wear, corrosion and tribocorrosion. Debris, as one of the major products of these reactions, is associated with implant device failure. In the first time, we developed a fretting corrosion testing system to visualize the debris generation process in real-time between CoCrMo alloy pin and disk samples. Debris was generated rapidly during fretting corrosion and some of the debris egressed from the crevice site while also accumulating within the crevice area as fretting continued. Our study opens a new method for future studies to advance understanding of debris generation processes during wear and tribocorrosion phenomenon.
The Endless Looping of Public Health and Scientific Racism

There is a new intensity to the way that race, racism, and health risk have been jockeying for headlines. Given a global pandemic and a federal administration desperate to salvage its reelection prospects, questions of distributive justice—from vaccines to ventilators to triage—have become vexed by some truly terrible ideas. This essay is a call to avoid injecting terrible old ideas back into public policy practice in ways that threaten to instantiate whole new regimes of discrimination, segregation and “race science.” This paper was prepared as part of Assessing Legal Responses to COVID-19, a comprehensive report published by Public Health Law Watch in partnership with the de Beaumont Foundation and the American Public Health Association.
CMOS Compatible Thermopile Infrared Sensor with 64X64 Array

A CMOS compatible thermopile infrared sensor is fabricated with large sensing array (64X64) and small pixel size (70μm pitch). The design and simulation of the sensor confirms a wide temperature sensing range (up to 1200°C), which is appropriate for temperature detection in industrial manufacturing and human body. To improve the sensing performance, an innovative pixel structure is developed for increasing the infrared absorption, decreasing the thermal time constant, and improving the thermal isolation. The sensor is fixed for dead pixels and corrected by the NUC (non-uniformity correction) process to improve the thermal image quality. The procedure for temperature calibration between blackbody target and sensor output voltage is also described. The test results show that this newly developed thermopile infrared sensor has temperature measuring error smaller than 3%.
Design and development of high-power piezoelectric ceramics through integration of crystallographic texturing and acceptor-doping

Abstract This study demonstrates the integrated approach based upon texturing and acceptor doping for realizing a high-power piezoelectric ceramic with combined soft and hard properties. The textured Mn-doped 0.24 Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-0.42 Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.34 PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) ceramic exhibits enhanced piezoelectric coefficient d33 and electromechanical coupling factor k31 in comparison with random counterpart. This enhanced piezoelectric response originates from the combined intrinsic high piezoelectric properties of -oriented grains, and reduced energy barrier for polarization rotation in textured ceramics. The BaTiO3 (BT) template in textured ceramics increases the tetragonality degree which results in improved coercive field Ec but decreased mechanical quality factor Qm in comparison with random counterpart. The decreased Qm values of textured ceramics are related to the crystallographic dependence of Qm and the enhanced domain mobility due to the existence of small size domains. The textured ceramic with 2 vol.% BT content exhibited an excellent combination of soft and hard piezoelectric properties, measured to be: d33 = 517 pC/N, Qm = 1147, Ec = 10.0 kV/cm, and tan δ = 0.49%, which is highly promising for high power piezoelectric applications.
Rapid response team integration at a quaternary care academic centre: new paradigm for critical care organistions

Background Decompensating patients require expeditious and focused care at the bedside. This can be particularly challenging when there are multiple layers of providers, each with differing specialisation, experience and autonomy. We examined the impact of our intensivist-driven hospital-wide rapid response team (RRT) at our 1171-bed quaternary care centre. Design Single-centre retrospective cohort study. Methods RRT service was implemented to assess, manage and triage acutely ill patients outside the intensive care unit (ICU). Criteria for consultation and workflow were established. The 24/7 team was led by an intensivist and included nurse practitioners and respiratory therapists. Over 3 years, we reviewed the impact of the RRT on patient outcomes and critical care support beyond the ICU. Results Over 3 years, the RRT received 31 392 consults for 12 122 individual patients averaging 30 consults over 24 hours. 58.9% of the calls received were for sepsis alerts/risk of decompensation and 41.1% of the consults were for reasons of acute decompensation. Among patients that were seen by the RRT, over the course of their hospital stay, 14% were upgraded to a step-down unit, 18% were upgraded to the ICU and 68% completed care without requiring any escalation. The average mortality rate for patients seen by the RRT service during their hospital stay was 11.3% with an average 30-day readmission rate of 16.5% and average hospital length of stay 16 days without significant variation between the 3 years. Conclusions Intensivist-led RRT ensured consistent high value care. Early intervention and consistent supervision enabled timely and efficient delivery of critical care services.
The Variability of Board Size Determinants: An Empirical Analysis

[enter Abstract Body]We use a sample of randomly selected CRSP-listed firms to explore the cross-sectional determinants of corporate board size. We find that the average number of directors on boards differs significantly across industries. Further evidence indicates that these differences are jointly and significantly determined by a variety of director, CEO, ownership, and firm-specific variables across industries. The determinants of board size also vary substantially across surviving and delisting firms, regulated and unregulated companies, firms in financial distress, and bankrupt firms. Our models explain as much as 52% of the observed variation in board size. The cross-sectional variation in board size is driven by various economic forces. Therefore, understanding the choice of board structure requires a thorough examination of the associated costs and benefits for individual firms.
An educational video's impact on the induction of labor experience: a randomized controlled trial.

ABSTRACT Background: Induction of labor is a common obstetrical intervention; much research focuses on medical indications, clinical outcomes, and induction agents. Little research has been conducted evaluating patients’ understanding of and satisfaction with induction of labor. Video-based educational tools have been validated as both a practical and efficient counseling method by previous studies. Objective : Evaluate if an educational video enhances patients’ knowledge about labor induction and improves satisfaction with the induction process. Study Design : A single center study in which women undergoing a scheduled induction of labor were randomized to either the control or intervention group. The control group was given a knowledge questionnaire about labor induction prior to meeting their provider (midwife or obstetrician) on the day of scheduled induction. The intervention group was shown a 3-minute educational video about labor induction before administration of the knowledge questionnaire. Both groups, 24-48 hours after delivery, were asked to fill out a second questionnaire about satisfaction with the induction process. The video-intervention group was also asked to evaluate the video in this second questionnaire. Both knowledge and satisfaction questionnaires were compared between the control and intervention groups. Results : From October 2019 to February 2020, 145 scheduled inductions were eligible and approached for the study. 129 participants consented, and 119 completed the entire study. 64 were randomized into the control group and 55 into the intervention group. The educational video significantly improved patients’ baseline knowledge about induction of labor when compared to the control group (p Conclusion : A brief educational video about induction of labor improved both patients’ knowledge about the induction process and their overall satisfaction with their delivery experience. Video-based education can play an innovative and important role in patient knowledge and satisfaction with the labor induction process.
Regulation of Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts--An American Perspective

In the typical merchant-consumer transaction, standard terms are of course the norm. Consumer transactions are documented by contracts of adhesion where most, if not all, of the terms are drafted by the merchant and are not negotiable. Even if they were negotiable, the vast majority of consumers will either not be aware of this possibility or, quite reasonably, will conclude that they cannot bargain effectively over terms either because they do not understand their legal import or they cannot envision alternatives that would better serve their interests. Sometimes those standard terms are so one-sided in favor of the merchant that they inflict unfair hardship on the unknowing consumer. In the United States, there is no omnibus law on unfair contract terms that applies uniformly throughout the country. Regulation of unfair terms is addressed piecemeal, with limited protection in certain sectors at the federal level and most of the regulatory norms imposed by the individual states. Those norms can take statutory or common law form, and while they can vary widely from state to state, there are some parallel themes.
Serotonin as a Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Mitogen

Serotonin (5-HT) stimulated the uptake of 3H-thymidine into cultured vascular smooth cells from the rat aorta. Thrombin also stimulated mitogenesis, and potentiated the effect of 5-HT. However, the percent increase in 5-HT-induced mitogenesis was unchanged after the addition of thrombin. The mitogenic effect of 5-HT was not inhibited by the dihydropyridine calcium channel blocker, nifedipine (1 μM), but the action of thrombin was. These results suggest that 5-HT and thrombin act through different, but interacting, signal transduction mechanisms to produce mitogenesis.
Teaching Culture in Textbooks for Spanish for Business Published in Spain

During the last two decades, studies of how the teaching of culture is related to second language learning have grown enormously. At the same time an interest in Languages for Specific Purposes in both Europe and the USA has resulted in a study of how business languages are taught. But few people have examined how texts published in different countries to teach business languages present different facets of the target culture. The purpose of this article is to study how texts for Spanish for Business published in Spain during the last three decades have taught culture. These texts reflect a growing interest in intercultural awareness and changed from being purely centered on Spain to comparing Hispanic business culture with that of other parts of the world. Despite this growing interest in presenting cultural themes, many times these texts reflected an interest in superficial cultural patterns of behavior and did not examine underlying causes.
A green's function approach for surface state photoelectrons in topological insulators

The topology of the surface electronic states is detected with photoemission. We explain the photoemission from the topological surface state . This is done by identifying the effective coupling between surface electrons-photons and vacuum electrons. The effective electron photon coupling is given by $e\tau^2$ where $\tau$ is the dimensionless tunneling amplitude of the zero mode surface states to tunnel into the vacuum. We compute the polarization and intensity of the emitted photoelectrons. We introduce a model which takes in account the Dirac Hamiltonian for the surface electron to photons coupling and the tunneling of the zero mode into the vacuum. Within the Green's function formalism we obtain exact results for the emitted Photoelectrons to second order in the laser field. The number of the emitted photoelectrons is sensitive to the laser coherent state intensity, the polarization is sensitive to the surface topology of the electronic states and the incoming photon polarization. The calculation is performed for the helical, Zeeman and warping case allowing to study spin textures.
MEASURING FIBER ORIENTATION IN NONWOVENS. PART III : FOURIER TRANSFORM

This paper addresses the development of an image analysis technique using the Fourier transform of the image to evaluate orientation in a fibrous assembly. The algorithms are evaluated using simulated images presented in Part I of the series. The results are compared with those for the tracking method presented in Part II.
The nonkeratinocyte intraepithelial cell population in lichen planus: An ultrastructural characterization of cells in gingival lesions

Lesions of gingival lichen planus were studied ultrastructurally to determine the types of cells, other than keratinocytes, present within the epithelial layer and the relationship of these cells to each other and to the keratinocytes. Cell types identified included small and medium-sized lymphocytes, macrophages, mast cells, and Langerhans cells. Some cells lacked sufficient specific features to permit definitive identification. The cells were found either singly or in groups. Generally, some alteration in the intercellular spaces between keratinocytes was apparent, even in regions where the mononuclear cells were absent or in the process of crossing the basal lamina. Most of the mononuclear cells had cytologic features which indicated that they were active cells. Occasionally lymphocytes appeared, on a morphologic basis, to be interacting with adjacent keratinocytes.
The Brown Dwarf — Exoplanet Connection

Brown dwarfs form like stars but, with masses below 0.075 solar masses, or 1.5 × 1029 kg, they fail to ignite core hydrogen fusion. Lacking a central energy source, they cool and fade on timescales that are rapid by astronomical standards. Consequently, the observed characteristics of old, cold brown dwarfs provide insight into the expected properties of gas-giant exoplanets. This review focuses on brown dwarfs as companions to main-sequence and evolved stars. Following a brief historical introduction, we consider the different techniques used to identify very low mass companions of stars and discuss the advantages and challenges associated with each method. We summarise results from observational programs, particularly those regarding companion frequency as a function of mass and separation, including discussion of the so-called ‘brown dwarf desert’. We consider the implications of those results for brown dwarf and planetary formation mechanisms. Finally, we outline future surveys for low mass companions, particularly direct imaging programs that will have sufficient sensitivity to detect objects of planetary mass.
Psychosocial aspects of childhood obesity

The obesity epidemic is increasing in youths at a startling rate. By 2010, it is projected that approximately 50% of North American children and 30% of children from the European Union will be overweight (Wang and Lobstein 2006). In the United States, obesity in children and adolescents is defined as a body mass index (BMI; weight in kilograms divided by the height squared in meters) at or above the 95th percentile for individuals of the same age and sex as established by the Centers for Disease Control (Dietz 2004). In European countries, cut-offs created by the International Obesity Task Force are used typically to establish overweight and obesity (Cole et al. 2000). There are many medical disorders associated with childhood obesity, including Type 2 diabetes and hypertension (Stunkard and Wadden 1993), however the psychological consequences can be equally devastating (Puhl and Latner 2007). This is especially concerning when severe pediatric obesity continues into adulthood (Dietz 2004). Thus, it is important to become aware of the psychosocial risk factors for excess weight gain in childhood, as well as the psychological consequences of pediatric obesity.
Animating Athletic Motion Planning By Example

Character animation is usually reserved for highly skilled animators and computer programmers because few of the available tools allow the novice or casual user to create compelling animated content. In this paper, we explore a partial solution to this problem which lets the user coach animated characters by sketching their trajectories on the ground plane. The details of the motion are then computed with simulation. We create memorybased control functions for the high-level behaviors from examples supplied by the user and from real-world data of the behavior. The control function for the desired behavior is implemented through a lookup table using a Knearest neighbor approximation algorithm. To demonstrate this approach, we present a system for defining the behaviors of defensive characters playing American football. The characters are implemented using either pointmasses or dynamically simulated biped robots. We evaluate the quality of the coached behaviors by comparing the resulting trajectories to data from human players. We also assess the influence of the user’s coaching examples by demonstrating that a user can construct a particular style of play.
The use of Sternberg's memory-scanning paradigm in assessing effects of chemical exposure.

This study evaluated the utility of a binary classification task in assessing the neurotoxic effects of elemental mercury. Twenty-six mercury cell chlor-alkali workers were tested on two occasions. This reaction-time paradigm provided reliable, stage-specific measures of cognitive functioning. In the two stages studied, processing times were found to increase significantly with increasing levels of exposure to mercury. The stage-specific nature of the measures used permits the inference that mercury has a locus of effect in the central nervous system.
An electron microscopic study of endogenous very low density lipoprotein production in the intestine of rat and man

Previous studies have shown that in the absence of dietary lipid, intestinal lymph contains endogenous very low density lipoproteins (VLDL) which are identical to those in plasma in size, flotation rate, composition, and electrophoretic mobility. In order to document that these particles are produced in the mucosa of the small intestine itself, electron microscopic studies of rat and human intestinal mucosa were carried out. Small intestinal absorptive cells from rats fasted and restrained for 48 hr were rich in osmiophilic particles of the size of VLDL (300-1000 A). These particles were present in the endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus, and in intercellular spaces and lacteals; they were most abundant in mucosa from mid-jejunum. Similar particles were seen in jejunal mucosal biopsy specimens obtained from normal human volunteers after a 40-hr fast. After 6 hr of bile diversion or cholestyramine administration to fasted rats, the VLDL-sized particles virtually disappeared from the mucosa, suggesting that they were produced in the mucosa itself and depended upon the absorption of endogenous intralumenal lipid. These studies provide further evidence for the production of VLDL in absorptive cells of fasting rat and human intestine, and support the concept that the small intestine is a source of endogenous plasma VLDL.
New measurement of the fine structure in the 3 /sup 3/P state of /sup 4/He

The technique of level-crossing spectroscopy has been used to measure the fine-structure intervals in the $3^{3}P$ state of $^{4}\mathrm{He}$ through the observation of the level crossings at 2277 and 3700 G. The magnetic fields at the crossing points were used in conjunction with calculated $g$ values to obtain for the $3^{3}P_{0}\ensuremath{-}3^{3}P_{2}$ fine-structure interval the value 8772.552 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 0.040 MHz (4.5 ppm). These same data yielded for the lifetime of the $3^{3}P$ state the value 97.6 \ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{} 4.5 nsec and for the cross section for coherence-destroying collisions the value $(718\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}78)\ensuremath{\pi}{a}_{0}^{2}$.
Modeling mark edge jitter in phase-change recording

In this paper, we develop a model for the statistical nature of nucleation in phase change recording media and use it to estimate the mark edge jitter arising from the nucleation process. We then investigate the dependence of mark edge jitter on the erase power and reflection layer thickness.
CHEMILUMINESCENCE IN LIQUID SOLUTIONS: THE CHEMILUMINESCENCE OF LOPHINE AND ITS DERIVATIVES*

Abstract— A number of derivatives and analogs of lophine (Ia) have been prepared in an effort to elucidate the chemiluminescence of this class of compounds. A hydroperoxide has been implicated as a reaction intermediate; intramolecular decomposition of this compound yields an excited singlet state of a diaroylarylamidine salt (IX). the light emitter in the reaction. Consistent with this view is the fact that in two cases the chemiluminescence emission matches the wavelength distribution in the fluorescence of the amidine salts. A brief discussion is given of the nature of chemiluminescence of reactions in solution.
Regularity in Semantic Change

List of figures Preface and acknowledgements Conventions List of abbreviations 1. The framework 2. Prior and current work on semantic change 3. The development of modal verbs 4. The development of adverbials with discourse marker function 5. The development of performative verbs and constructions 6. The development of social deictics 7. Conclusion Primary references Secondary references Index of languages Index of names Index of subjects.
Rolling horizon planning in supply chains: review, implications and directions for future research

Due to their complexity and extensive application in industry, rolling horizon planning systems have received considerable attention in the literature. Of particular interest is the impact of different lot-sizing rules and policy variables on replenishment schedule cost and stability. Past research indicates that exact lot-sizing approaches may not perform the best in rolling horizon environments and that a single algorithm seldom performs well on both schedule cost and stability. In addition, a rolling horizon policy that performs well in one operating environment may perform poorly under different conditions. While rolling horizon research typically assumes a single planner, or planning layer, recent trends in outsourcing and global operations call for the study of supply chains that are characterised by multiple planning layers with information sharing and coordination among them. This article reviews the rolling horizon planning literature and synthesises the findings, extends the research taxonomy to...
Functional group effects in laser-excited multi-photon photoionization of organics in liquid solutions.

Of the organic compounds examined for possible two-photon photoionization behavior, 43% were found to yield analytically useful photoionization with excitation at 308 nm. Fifty-five per cent produced greater photoionization responses than aniline, the de facto photoionization standard. Additionally, 16 of the surveyed compounds were more photoionization efficient (i.e., exhibit higher photoionization per unit absorption cross-section) than aniline. It was found that photoionization is relatively easily achieved with primary amines, anilines and diamines. Less readily photoionized were primary and tertiary amides, esters, alkyl ethers, and most halogenated compounds, the main exceptions being the halogenated anilines. Tertiary amines and fluorinated compounds gave poor photoionization results.
Finite‐difference time‐domain simulation of acoustic propagation in heterogeneous dispersive medium

Accurate modeling of pulse propagation and scattering is a problem in many disciplines (i.e., electromagnetics and acoustics). It is even more tenuous when the medium is dispersive. Blackstock [D. T. Blackstock, J Acoust Soc Am 77 (1985) 2050] first proposed a theory that resulted in adding an additional term (the derivative of the convolution between the causal time-domain propagation factor and the acoustic pressure) that takes into account the dispersive nature of the medium. Thus deriving a modified wave equation applicable to either linear or nonlinear propagation. For the case of an acoustic wave propagating in a two-dimensional heterogeneous dispersive medium, a finite-difference time-domain representation of the modified linear wave equation can been used to solve for the acoustic pressure. The method is applied to the case of scattering from and propagating through a 2-D infinitely long cylinder with the properties of fat tissue encapsulating a cyst. It is found that ignoring the heterogeneity in the medium can lead to significant error in the propagated/scattered field. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq, 2007
The Seasonal Atmospheric Response to Projected Arctic Sea Ice Loss in the Late Twenty-First Century

Abstract The authors investigate the atmospheric response to projected Arctic sea ice loss at the end of the twenty-first century using an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) coupled to a land surface model. The response was obtained from two 60-yr integrations: one with a repeating seasonal cycle of specified sea ice conditions for the late twentieth century (1980–99) and one with that of sea ice conditions for the late twenty-first century (2080–99). In both integrations, a repeating seasonal cycle of SSTs for 1980–99 was prescribed to isolate the impact of projected future sea ice loss. Note that greenhouse gas concentrations remained fixed at 1980–99 levels in both sets of experiments. The twentieth- and twenty-first-century sea ice (and SST) conditions were obtained from ensemble mean integrations of a coupled GCM under historical forcing and Special Report on Emissions Scenarios (SRES) A1B scenario forcing, respectively. The loss of Arctic sea ice is greatest in summer and fall, yet the resp...
Effect of triacetin and polyethylene glycol 400 on some physical properties of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose free films

Abstract Free film techniques were used to study the effect of two plasticizers with different aqueous solubilities, triacetin and polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400), on the properties of hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) free films cast from aqueous solutions. Thermomechanical and mechanical analysis of the films demonstrated that both additives were effective plasticizers for HPMC. PEG 400 was found to enhance water vapor permeability of the free films while triacetin slightly decreased water vapor permeability. Furthermore, triacetin significantly reduced the amount of water absorbed by HPMC films while PEG 400 had no significant effect. The results of these studies can be useful for designing soluble aqueous film coating systems when one or more of the tablet components is sensitive to water.
Anal sphincter repair for fecal incontinence: effect on symptom severity, quality of life, and anal sphincter squeeze pressures

Introduction and hypothesis The objective of this study was to determine the effect of external anal sphincter repair on fecal incontinence symptoms, quality of life, and anal sphincter squeeze pressures.
Screening effects in blends of a hyperbranched, dendrimer-like polyester with poly(4-vinyl phenol)

We previously reported self-association and interassociation equilibrium constant values describing hydrogen bonding in solutions of a hyperbranched polyester. These allow us to estimate the extent of intramolecular screening and the fraction of same-chain contacts in this system as a function of generation number. In this article, we use a similar method to evaluate the degree of intramolecular screening in polymer blends. The calculated values reported here are consistent with those previously reported in our solution study, confirming the validity of the calculation procedures we used to evaluate the accessibility of functional groups in these highly branched systems. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 39: 1651–1658, 2001
Chiral separation of Frovatriptan isomers by HPLC using amylose based chiral stationary phase

A stereospecific HPLC method for separation of Frovatriptan enantiomers in bulk drug and pharmaceutical formulations was developed and validated on a normal-phase amylose derivertized chiral column. The effects of the organic modifiers namely 2-propanol, ethanol and diethyl amine (DEA) in the mobile phase were optimized to obtain the best enantiomeric separation. Calibration curves were linear over the range of 200-6150 ng/mL, with a regression coefficient (R(2)) of 0.9998. The limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) were 65 ng/mL and 200 ng/mL, respectively. The method was accurate and precise and suitable for the intended purpose. Analysis results were compared with the results obtained by using a validated chiral CE method and found to be in very good agreement. This method can be successfully applied to the enantiomeric purity analysis of Frovatriptan in pharmaceutical bulk drug samples and formulations.
Modulation of Apolipoprotein A-IV Lipid Binding by an Interaction between the N and C Termini

Apolipoprotein A-IV (apoA-IV) is a 376-amino acid exchangeable apolipoprotein made in the small intestine of humans. Although it has many proposed roles in vascular disease, satiety, and chylomicron metabolism, there is no known structural basis for these functions. The ability to associate with lipids may be a key step in apoA-IV functionality. We recently identified a single amino acid, Phe(334), which seems to inhibit the lipid binding capability of apoA-IV. We also found that an intact N terminus was necessary for increased lipid binding of Phe(334) mutants. Here, we identify Trp(12) and Phe(15) as the N-terminal amino acids required for the fast lipid binding seen with the F334A mutant. Furthermore, we found that individual disruption of putative amphipathic alpha-helices 3-11 had little effect on lipid binding, suggesting that the N terminus of apoA-IV may be the operational site for initial lipid binding. We also provide three independent pieces of experimental evidence supporting a direct intramolecular interaction between sequences near amino acids 12/15 and 334. This interaction could represent a unique "switch" mechanism by which apoA-IV changes lipid avidity in vivo.