cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Reconstruction of fire regimes through integrated paleoecological proxy data and ecological modeling

Fire is a key ecological process affecting vegetation dynamics and land cover. The characteristic frequency, size, and intensity of fire are driven by interactions between top-down climate-driven and bottom-up fuel-related processes. Disentangling climatic from non-climatic drivers of past fire regimes is a grand challenge in Earth systems science, and a topic where both paleoecology and ecological modeling have made substantial contributions. In this manuscript, we (1) review the use of sedimentary charcoal as a fire proxy and the methods used in charcoal-based fire history reconstructions; (2) identify existing techniques for paleoecological modeling; and (3) evaluate opportunities for coupling of paleoecological and ecological modeling approaches to better understand the causes and consequences of past, present and future fire activity.
An improved model for the erase operation of a FLOTOX EEPROM cell

Abstract An improved surface potential model describing the erase operation of a FLOTOX EEPROM cell is presented. This model includes the dynamics of hole buildup at the Si surface after an erase pulse is applied at the drain terminal to discharge the stored electrons from the floating gate. We experimentally demonstrate that the Si surface potential within the tunnel region reaches, and is then pinned at, a saturation surface potential which is the surface potential under the adjacent thick oxide of the floating gate transistor. We also demonstrate that the saturation surface potential can be reached within 10 μs when the cell written state threshold voltage is high. Since the saturation surface potential at any given time determines the electric field across the tunnel oxide, it controls the rate of discharge of the floating gate, and thereby, the cell erase characteristics. This model has been qualitatively verified by the cell erase characteristics, and quantitatively verified by the floating gate tunneling current measurements. The surface potential model not only provides physical insights in the erase operation of the device, but also provides guidelines for the optimization of important FLOTOX cell parameters, such as the doping density of the tunnel region, the thickness of the floating gate oxide and the spacing between the tunnel window and the p -substrate.
HOW WAS RACE CONSTRUCTED IN THE NEW SOUTH

This article focuses on the construction and reconfiguration of race in the U.S. South during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Much literature on race is designed to show that race is socially constructed, with the inference that race is merely a social construction. Thus, talk about race, which is not demonstrably grounded in human biology, must be akin to talk about unicorns. But so what? Does race being a social construction make any difference to the historical accounts we give of how racial practices work? This article suggests that it can if we focus on the process of construction itself, in a particular time and place, and ask how race was socially constructed. I trace how race was made, unmade, and remade in the years between 1865 and 1920. During the postemancipation era, Southern White elites constructed race as and through naturalized relations of dependence and independence. This construction was held in place and then undermined by the prevailing social order. I offer an account of the sharp increase in racist practices at the turn of the century, focused on the notion of mobility. I show how, in the decades since the war, mobility undermined race as it had been socially constructed.
EXTRA-ATOMIC RELAXATION AND CORE-LEVEL BINDING ENERGY SHIFTS AT SILICON/SILICON OXIDE INTERFACES : EFFECTS OF CLUSTER SIZE ON PHYSICAL MODELS

The Si 2p and O 1s core-level photoemission peaks and the valence band peaks for silicon oxide films grown on crystalline silicon have been observed to shift to higher binding energy as a function of increasing film thickness. The physical basis for this shift has been ascribed to a variety of mechanisms including initial state effects, final state effects, and extrinsic effects. By constructing a structurally homogeneous silicon oxide film consisting of H10Si10O15 on silicon, initial state effects have been minimized and the magnitude of final state effects directly measured. Unlike previous studies utilizing the H8Si8O12 cluster, the cluster precursor utilized in these studies is large enough to allow direct observation of the theoretically predicted asymptotic behavior in the core-level shift as a function of cluster layer thickness prior to the onset of film charging.
Model structures on the category of ex-spaces

Abstract This paper describes several model structures on the categories of ex-spaces and ex- G -spaces when G is a compact Lie group. Two of these are of particular interest in that they have expected applications to the study of transfer maps and to parametrized spectra. These two structures are shown to coincide on the collection of Hurewicz fibrations, and an indication is also given, mainly via examples, of how they differ. The last two sections of this paper are mostly expository; they set forth the model category techniques needed to prove the main theorems.
EFFECTS OF 2,3,5-TRIIODOBENZOIC ACID ON THE STRUCTURE OF SOYBEAN LEAVES

The effects of 2,3,5-triiodobenzoic acid (TIBA) on soybean leaves (Glycine max. [L.] Merrill 'Harosoy') include thickening with intensification of color and some raised intercostal regions, giving a wrinkled appearance. These effects are not restricted to early stages of leaf development but are pronounced during and after unfolding of the leaf. Proliferation of tracheary elements, increased procambial activity, and hypertrophy of bundle sheath extension cells occurred in the leaflet midvein of the youngest expanded leaf treated with 50 ppm or 100 ppm of TIBA. The youngest treated leaves exhibited differential growth rates and expansioni within the palisade and spongy layers. Hypertrophy of spongy cells in these leaves occurred independently or simultaneously with elongation of the upper and lower palisade layers. The palisade and spongy tissues had undergone cell division and expansion at a greater pace than the epiderinal layers. This, along with hypertrophy in the bundle sheath extension cells, would explain the wrinkled appearance of the lamina. The treated leaf became thicker than the control as a result of the increased number of cells in the spongy layer and elongation in the palisade layer. The observed aberrations in leaf structure suggest that TIBA interferes with some auxin-translocating system
The action of tetranitromethane on acid-soluble tropocollagen☆

Abstract Treatment of dilute solutions of acid-soluble calfskin collagen with tetranitromethane at pH 8.0 resulted in the nitration of all the tyrosine residues in tropocollagen without precipitation of the modified protein. Amino acid analysis of the product showed (a) that no other amino acids were affected and (b) that the 3-nitrotyrosine formed accounted for only 30% of the tyrosine originally present in the molecule. This indicated that some of the tyrosine residues were involved in a reaction which did not produce 3-nitrotyrosine. Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, viscometry, and sedimentation analysis of the product showed the formation of predominantly intra-molecular cross-links. However, intermolecular cross-links were also formed but to a limited extent.
FoxL2 Is Required for Activin Induction of the Mouse and Human Follicle-Stimulating Hormone β-Subunit Genes

Activin is a major physiological regulator of FSH. We identify FoxL2 as a critical component in activin induction of FSHbeta, both for the mouse gene, induction of which is Sma- and Mad-related protein (Smad) dependent, and for the human gene that is Smad independent. FoxL2 has been shown to regulate gonadotrope gene expression (GnRH receptor, alpha-glycoprotein subunit, porcine FSHbeta, and follistatin), but the mechanisms of action are not well understood. We identify novel sites required for activin action in both the mouse and human FSHbeta promoters, some of which bind FoxL2, and show that the FoxL2-binding element encompasses a larger region (12 bp) than the previously identified forkhead-binding consensus (7 bp). Remarkably, although required for activin induction, FoxL2 sites neither contribute to basal FSHbeta promoter activity nor confer activin response to a heterologous promoter; thus, they are neither classical activin-response elements nor is their role solely to recruit Smads to the promoter. FoxL2 overexpression can potentiate activin induction in gonadotropes and can confer activin responsiveness to FSHbeta in heterologous cells where this promoter is normally refractory to activin induction. Although Smad3 requires the presence of FoxL2 sites to induce mouse FSHbeta, even through its consensus Smad-binding element; the human promoter, which is induced by activin independently of Smad3, also requires FoxL2 sites for its induction by activin; thus the actions of FoxL2 are not exclusively through interactions with the Smad pathway. Thus, FoxL2 plays a key role in activin induction of the FSHbeta gene, by binding to sites conserved across multiple species.
Diagnosis of amyloidosis by abdominal fat aspiration. Analysis of four years' experience☆

Abdominal fat aspiration samples from 443 consecutive patients were examined for amyloid after Congo red and hematoxylin staining. Of the aspirates from 83 patients known to have systemic amyloid disease prior to the biopsy, 70 (84 percent) were found to yield positive results. The results for four aspirates from patients with localized amyloid disease were negative. Of the aspirates from 356 patients of unknown clinical status referred for analysis by outside physicians, 26 (7 percent) yielded positive results for amyloid. On review of the clinical records of these 26 patients, 11 had proved systemic amyloidosis demonstrated on biopsy of another site; all had a clinical course consistent with amyloid disease. In no case was amyloid found in a fat aspiration sample from a patient without clinical evidence suggestive of systemic amyloid disease. This study supports the proposal that abdominal fat aspiration is the diagnostic procedure of choice in the evaluation of amyloidosis since it requires no specialty consultation or technical expertise, causes minimal patient discomfort, and is accompanied by virtually no risk of morbid complication. A positive result has a high predictive value of amyloid disease in patients of unknown clinical status.
Serial Reciprocity: A Preliminary Statement*

Serial reciprocity exists when people reciprocate for what they have received—for example, from a parent, a friend, a mentor, a stranger, a previous generation—by providing something to a third party, regardless of whether a return is also given to, or makes its way back to, the original giver. To understand serial reciprocity as reciprocity, this article delineates the general features of the serial type of reciprocity and outlines two general situations in which serial reciprocity provides a viable option—the only or the most appropriate option—for reciprocal return. It also argues for a more fundamental rethinking of reciprocity in general. A more cognitive and cultural perspective on reciprocity is proposed that focuses on the meaning of exchanges and treats reciprocity as a socially constructed element of a culturally available repertoire. This can better account for the existing serial type of reciprocity. The article concludes with suggestions for empirical research.
Recruitment of DNA polymerase eta by FANCD2 in the early response to DNA damage

How Fanconi anemia (FA) protein D2 (FANCD2) performs DNA damage repair remains largely elusive. We report here that translesion synthesis DNA polymerase (pol) eta is a novel mediator of FANCD2 function. We found that wild type (wt) FANCD2, not K561R (mt) FANCD2, can interact with pol eta. Upon DNA damage, the interaction of pol eta with FANCD2 occurs earlier than that with PCNA, which is in concert with our finding that FANCD2 monoubiquitination peaks at an earlier time point than that of PCNA monoubiquitination. FANCD2-null FA patient cells (PD20) carrying histone H2B-fused pol eta and wtFANCD2, respectively, show a similar tendency of low Mitomycin C (MMC) sensitivity, while cells transfected with empty vector control or pol eta alone demonstrate a similar high level of MMC sensitivity. It therefore appears that FANCD2 monoubiquitination plays a similar anchor role as histone to bind DNA in regulating pol eta. Collectively, our study indicates that, in the early phase of DNA damage response, FANCD2 plays crucial roles in recruiting pol eta to the sites of DNA damage for repair.
Enlightenment ideals and recombinant ideas : Making capitalism work

This article—the text of a talk given to faculty and students at the University of California, San Diego—summarizes the reflections of a veteran editor on the present challenge of publishing in the social sciences. This challenge is framed in terms of the cross-disciplinary opportunities in the areas of sociology, economics, and public policy analysis and stresses the importance of new, synthetic social scientific work in the solution to the conundrums of capitalism.
The Alamo Execution Monitor Architecture

Abstract Future programming environments will incorporate a tighter coupling between language runtime systems and the monitoring tools that are used to debug, tune, visualize, and understand them. Many innovations that are developed first in higher level programming language environments will migrate into mainstream languages once their properties are understood and generalized. The Alamo execution monitor architecture was developed to facilitate rapid development of execution monitors, especially visualization tools that are instrumental in understanding complex runtime system interactions in higher level languages. Alamo simplifies the development of such tools by solving the low-level access, control, and intrusion problems inherent in monitoring. Alamo was implemented first for the very high-level imperative goal-directed language Icon. The architecture was then implemented for ANSI C in order to broaden the impact of the work. This paper describes the ANSI C implementation of Alamo and the monitoring services it provides.
Actual-Ideal Self Discrepancy and Sexual Esteem and Depression

Abstract A study was conducted to explore the relationship between the way individuals feel about their sexuality (e.g., sexual esteem and sexual depression) and the way they think about their sexual self-more specifically, the difference between the way they perceive their actual and their ideal selves. It was predicted that discrepancies between individuals' actual and ideal selves would be negatively correlated with sexual esteem and positively correlated with sexual depression. Furthermore, it was predicted that there would be a significant difference between the participants' ratings of their actual and their ideal selves. There was unequivocal support for the first hypothesis and general support for the second hypothesis. The results were discussed in terms of the development of the ideal self, gender roles, and the role that social comparison processes may play in this process. Also, limitations to this study were noted and suggestions for further research were discussed.
Fluency of visual processing explains prejudiced evaluations following categorization of concealable identities

Abstract Prejudice arises from the categorizations people make upon perceiving others. To date, however, there has been little progress toward understanding how metacognitive processes underlying categorization contribute to prejudice. In two studies, we tested whether processing fluency – the speed with which targets are categorized – explains prejudiced evaluations related to concealable (sexual orientation) and overt (race) social identities. In Study 1, targets categorized as lesbian/gay were evaluated more negatively than targets categorized as straight, and evaluative differences were explained by the fluency with which targets were processed. In Study 2, we replicated our initial findings about the mediating role of processing fluency in evaluations related to sexual orientation categorizations, but found no evidence that fluency explains evaluations related to race categorizations. These findings provide a framework for understanding the perceptual underpinnings of interpersonal prejudice.
Interactions among situations, neuroticism, and appraisals in coping strategy choice

The present study investigated the interactive effects of situation types, neuroticism, and appraisals on coping with anxiety. Participants completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory to assess levels of neuroticism. They then recalled the most anxious event they had experienced and imagined they were in very similar situations. They described the situations along with their body reactions and emotions. Additionally, participants completed a questionnaire about cognitive appraisals and coping. Results showed significant interaction effects for situation types, neuroticism, and appraisals on coping activities.
The use of intravenous phenylalanine mustard followed by supervoltage irradiation in the treatment of carcinoma of the ovary

Between 1970 and 1980, 50 patients with carcinoma of the ovary were treated sequentially with six courses of IV phenylalanine mustard (L-PAM), second look surgery, and radiotherapy using the strip technique. Seven patients had advanced Stage I disease and six patients had Stage II disease; all of these patients are alive and well with no evidence of disease (NED) with a mean survival of five years. Thirty-seven patients had Stage III disease: ten of these patients did not respond to L-PAM (26%); 17 patients had a partial response (48%), and four of these (22%) are alive with NED and a mean survival of five years; ten patients (26%) had a complete response to L-PAM and all are alive and well with a mean survival of five years. The presence of a minimal tumor burden after the initial surgery, a mixed histology, a low-grade differentiation, suppression of leukocyte count to below 2000/mm3 after the first course of chemotherapy, and a complete response to L-PAM, were all factors that contributed to the probability of a long-term survival. Tumors responding to L-PAM and then recurring also responded to a combination of cisplatin and adriamycin, and hexamethylmelamine.
Extraction of ionization energies from the ground-state two-particle reduced density matrix

Abstract Two methods for extracting ionization energies from the two-particle reduced density matrix (2-RDM) are explored: (i) diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in the basis of a single annihilation operator applied to the ground-state wave function | Ψ g 〉 and (ii) diagonalization of the Hamiltonian in the basis of two annihilation and one creation operators applied to the ground-state | Ψ g 〉. While the second basis set is more accurate, its Hamiltonian matrix elements depend upon the 3- and 4-RDMs. Using cumulant theory, however, we can approximate the 3- and 4-RDMs as functionals of the 2-RDM. Both methods are illustrated with calculations on a series of atoms and molecules.
The Role of the Software Engineer in the System Design Process

There presently exists a large and growing body of embedded computer systems, computers that perform some controlling function in a larger system such as a communications system. These embedded systems are often developed by project teams that do not contain the expertise of the software engineer in the beginning phases. This approach was appropriate when the technical nature of the embedded system development had a relatively small software component. Now, however, the availability of cheap, powerful, general-purpose microprocessors has moved software into a more critical role in the system design process. As a result, the engineering that used to be conducted in a hardware design atmosphere is now being conducted in a software design and programming environment and the skills and experience of the software engineer are needed in the beginning phases of the design process. This paper discusses some of the differences between software engineering and other branches of engineering, presents an approach for integrating software and firmware into the overall system design process and suggests possible risk reduction measures to use during the development process.
Performance-oriented mobility assessment (POMA) balance score indicates need for assistive device.

Purpose. To determine (1) if older adults using an assistive device (AD) score lower on the Performance-Oriented Mobility Assessment (POMA) balance subscale (B-subscale) than individuals not using ...
Acute renal failure in children: prognostic features after treatment with acute dialysis

A 12-year review (1972–1983) is presented of 76 children who were dialysed because of acute renal failure. The causes of acute renal failure were mainly the haemolyticuraemic syndrome (53%), trauma (16%) and operation (13%). Fifty-eight children (76%) survived, 18 children (24%) died. Fifty-two children, the majority suffering from haemolytic-uraemic syndrome, regained complete or partial renal function after a period of dialysis lasting between 1 and 57 days. One to 7.7 years after dialysis, clearance studies with inulin (CIn), p-aminohippuric acid (CPAH) and phosphate (Tp/CIn) for staging renal function were carried out. The results of this investigation show a significant inverse correlation between the glomerular function regained and the duration of intermittent dialysis.
Angular Momentum Transfer to BEC by a Two-Photon Stimulated Raman Technique

We have used two near-resonant Raman detuned beams of differing optical angular momentum (OAM) to couple two different internal atomic spin states and coherently transfer OAM to the center-of-mass motion of a BEC.
A V-band wideband printed quasi-parabolic sector-reflector antenna with endfire radiation

A printed quasi-parabolic sector-reflector antenna with endfire radiation, designed for V-band wireless systems, is proposed. The antenna is made of a low-loss dielectric slab covered by top/bottom metallic covers with interconnecting vias forming the back-reflector for the feeding-probe inside the antenna. The antenna is fed using an integrated feeding line, a coplanar-waveguide-fed probe, on top metallic layer of the antenna without requiring any additional structural layer. The antenna has a maximum radiation gain of 12 dBi and shows the gain of more than 10 dBi in 12 GHz frequency-range within the V-band. The antenna has a very wide gain and impedance bandwidth covering almost the entire FCC-60 GHz wireless band (i.e. from 57 to 64 GHz).
Real, complex and quaternionic equivariant vector fields on spheres

Abstract The equivariant real, complex and quaternionic vector fields on spheres problem is reduced to a question about the equivariant J -groups of the projective spaces. As an application of this reduction, we give a generalization of the results of Namboodiri [U. Namboodiri, Equivariant vector fields on spheres, Trans. Amer. Math. Soc. 278 (2) (1983) 431–460], on equivariant real vector fields, and Onder [T. Onder, Equivariant cross sections of complex Stiefel manifolds, Topology Appl. 109 (2001) 107–125], on equivariant complex vector fields, which avoids the restriction that the representation containing the sphere has enough orbit types.
QSAR of conformationally flexible molecules: comparative molecular field analysis of protein-tyrosine kinase inhibitors.

Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA) has been applied to a study of quantitative structureactivity relationships (QSAR) of conformationally flexible molecules. The relationship between three-dimensional structure and activity of 20 styrene derivatives which inhibit protein-tyrosine kinase was determined. A technique was developed that allows accurate prediction of the inhibitory activity of these molecules and identification in each case of the active conformation. The problem of multiple energetically acceptable conformations was approached in an iterative procedure. Use was made of the varying degrees of symmetry among the molecules. First, CoMFA QSAR models were developed using only those compounds that possess a symmetrical substituent pattern on the phenyl ring. These CoMFA models were then used to select the active conformers of the less symmetrical compounds in the set. Allowing multiple conformers for each compound in the dataset yielded higher crossvalidated r2 values and better predictivity of the QSAR models. Different probe atoms (C+, O−, neutral C) were explored, the O− probe atom exhibiting the highest selectivity in the conformer selection process.
Evaluation of liming and magnesium materials for increasing soil pH and available magnesium

Abstract Four liming and Mg materials were compared in a greenhouse experiment with soybeans for their ability to raise soil pH, supply Mg, and their effect on the availability of Mn, Cu, Fe, and Zn. Three materials were added at rates of 0, 1, and 2 times the lime requirement, calcitic lime, dolomitic lime, and Hydra‐Mag (an industrial by‐product containing 20% Mg). Sul‐Po‐Mag was the fourth material added as a plus Mg check at a rate based on an equivalent amount of Mg to that supplied by Hydra‐Mag. Plant growth, plant tissue element content and extractable soil elements were determined after growing the soybeans for 5 weeks. Plants in treatments where no lime/Mg materials were added were very small due possibly to Mg deficiency and Al toxicity. The 1 and 2 times rates of the materials gave about equal growth except that the high Sul‐Po‐Mag rate caused salt injury. Hydra‐Mag increased soil pH more than calcitic lime which increased soil pH more than dolomitic lime. Soil and plant Mg levels were increase...
CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF THERAPY IN CONGENITAL HYPOTHYROIDISM.

Cardiovascular changes have long been known to occur during the early treatment of hypothyroidism. The responsible factors have not been clearly elucidated. In this study heart rate changes in three cretins were studied in a constant-environment laboratory. Within ten days after the initiation of therapy, cardiac rate increased in the three subjects as did cardiac responsivity to exteroceptive stimuli in two of the infants. Transient, potentially serious arrhythmias were also noted during therapy.
Reduction of Uranium(VI) by Mixed Iron(II)/Iron(III) Hydroxide (Green Rust): Formation of UO2 Nanoparticles

Green rusts, which are mixed ferrous/ferric hydroxides, are found in many suboxic environments and are believed to play a central role in the biogeochemistry of Fe. Analysis by U LIII-edge X-ray absorption near edge spectroscopy of aqueous green rust suspensions spiked with uranyl (UVI) showed that UVI was readily reduced to UIV by green rust. The extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) data for uranium reduced by green rust indicate the formation of a UO2 phase. A theoretical model based on the crystal structure of UO2 was generated by using FEFF7 and fitted to the data for the UO2 standard and the uranium in the green rust samples. The model fits indicate that the number of nearest-neighbor uranium atoms decreases from 12 for the UO2 structure to 5.4 for the uranium-green rust sample. With an assumed four near-neighbor uranium atoms per uranium atom on the surface of UO2, the best-fit value for the average number of uranium atoms indicates UO2 particles with an average diameter of 1.7 ± 0.6 nm....
Systems thinking applied to slavery

This study utilizes soft system dynamics methodology to analyze modern-day slavery in order to increase understanding and communicate the complexities of slavery. The authors collaborated with Free The Slaves (FTS), a Washington D.C.-based nongovernmental organization, in order to gain feedback throughout the modeling process. FTS activists conduct frontline work and have an expertise in understanding how people become susceptible to slavery, victims of slavery, how they are freed, and how they can become slave-proof or highly unlikely to be susceptible to slavery. The authors are currently creating a base macro model of the variables that affect how a community first becomes susceptible to slavery, which will theoretically represent any community in the world. This model will then be tested using assessment data collected by FTS on the North and South Kivu Regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). This analysis of the DRC may include slavery's roots, geography, growth, magnitude, supply chain of the mining and movement of conflict minerals, the role of law and local organizations, and an overlay of how FTS affects the system. While the ultimate goal for this research is to create proposals for desirable and culturally feasible changes that can reduce the extent of slavery in the North and South Kivu Regions of the DRC, this paper focuses on the first stages of analysis and the base model of the factors that make a community vulnerable to slavery. This paper recommends areas for future research and discussion on how to build further upon the base model.
Searching workflows with hierarchical views

Workflows are prevalent in diverse applications, which can be scientific experiments, business processes, web services, or recipes. With the dramatically growing number of workflows, there is an increasing need for people to search a workflow repository using keywords and to retrieve the relevant ones. A workflow hierarchy is a three dimensional object containing multiple abstraction views of different granularity on the same workflow. This unique structure poses a new set of challenges compared to keyword search on tree or graph structures typically found in relational or XML data.In this paper, we define an informative, self-contained and concise search result on workflows to be a projection of a workflow hierarchy on a two dimensional viewing plane inferred from user queries. We then design and develop an efficient keyword search engine for workflows. Experimental evaluation demonstrates the effectiveness of our approach.
Relation between group combustion and drop array studies

Abstract Spray combustion modeling requires a knowledge of the strength of the mass and heat sources for each drop in the spray. Since sprays involve a large number of drops, interactive transport processes must be accounted for in estimating the source strengths of the drops. Earlier approaches (called array studies) considered a finite number of drops (2 to 9), and accounted for the three dimensional variation of temperature and species mass fraction profiles in order to determine an evaporation/combustion correction factor. This correction factor is defined as the ratio of the average strength of each drop in the array to the strength of the drop if it is kept in an isolated environment. The current approach utilizes group combustion theory which involves a large number of drops, assumes top hat profiles in the interstitial space between the drops, and accounts for their variation in the radial direction. The correction factor is again determined. This paper reports the results of the current group combustion approach and compares these results with those from array studies when the group combustion approach is extended to an array consisting of as few as 2 to 9 drops. The change in transport rate due to proximity of other drops is accounted for in the present group combustion approach. An unexpected result is the close agreement of the results obtained from group combustion approach with those results from array studies. A simple algebraic expression is given for the correction factor in terms of l a ratio and total number of drops for a 2 to 9 drop array.
Efficient protocol for ring opening of spiroketals using trifluoroacetyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TFAT).

Ring opening of steroidal spiroketals under exceptionally mild conditions is smoothly achieved via reaction with trifluoroacetyl trifluoromethanesulfonate (TFAT). The new spiroketal ring-opening protocol provides ω-trifluoroacetyl vinyl ethers in good yield and avoids difficulties that attended previously employed vigorous reaction conditions.
Direct radiation damage to crystalline DNA : what is the source of unaltered base release?

Abstract Razskazovskiy, Y., Debije, M. G. and Bernhard, W. A. Direct Radiation Damage to Crystalline DNA: What is the Source of Unaltered Base Release? The radiation chemical yields of unaltered base release have been measured in three crystalline double-stranded DNA oligomers after X irradiation at 4 K. The yields of released bases are between 10 and 20% of the total free radical yields measured at 4 K. Using these numbers, we estimate that the yield of DNA strand breaks due to the direct effect is about 0.1 μmol J–1. The damage responsible for base release is independent of the base type (C, G, A or T) and is not scavenged by anthracycline drugs intercalated in the DNA. For these reasons, reactions initiated by the hydroxyl radical have been ruled out as the source of base release. Since the intercalated anthracycline scavenges electrons and holes completely but does not inhibit base release, the possibility for damage transfer from the bases to the sugars can also be ruled out. The results are consiste...
Assay of β-glucuronidase in bile following ion-pair extraction of pigments and bile acids

Abstract A method for improving the assay of β-glucuronidase in hepatic and gallbladder bile is described. The method uses ion-pair extraction with N,N,N-triheptyl-l-heptanaminium bromide to remove pigments and bile acids. Conjugated bilirubin, unconjugated bilirubin, and taurine and glycine conjugates of deoxycholic and chenodeoxycholic acids are extracted efficiently from bile by the procedure. The sensitivity of the spectrophotometric assay of β-glucuronidase in bile using phenolphthalein glucuronide is increased significantly.
N.m.r. of solid biopolymers

Abstract The dynamical behaviour of four solid polypeptides (α-chymotrypsin, insulin, lysozyme, ribonuclease A) has been investigated by proton magnetic relaxation. The interpretation was supplemented by measurements on the constituent amino acids, and on dipeptides, tripeptides and homopolypeptides. The following motions were identified and characterized: methyl group reorientation, segmental motion, sidechain motion, proline ring puckering, reorientation of water molecules in the structure. Slow motions were investigated through measurements of the dipolar relaxation time T ID .
Shot noise in solid state diodes

Abstract It is shown that the noise in Schottky barrier diodes on n-type material, and in long and short n+-p junction diodes can always be written in the shot noise from S =2eI + 4eI 0 where I is the current and I0 the saturation current. The various diffusion and recombination noise contributions to the terms 2eI and 4eI0 can be complex and are not easily interpreted, but the final result always seems to lead to the shot noise formula. The physical basis of the above equation and of the corpuscular approach to shot noise is discussed.
Using the Instructional Level as a Criterion to Target Reading Interventions

The instructional hierarchy offers a useful framework for targeting academic interventions. Within this framework, the accuracy with which a student reads might function as an indicator that the student should receive an intervention that focuses either on accuracy or on fluency. The current study examined whether the instructional level for reading (93%–97% of words read correctly) could be used to target interventions that first facilitated accurate responding and subsequently facilitated faster rates of fluency growth. Each of 3 third-grade students had faster growth rates in the second phase of a fluency-focused reading intervention following an intervention that resulted in the students reading at least 93% of the words correctly. We discuss implications and limitations of the current study for applying the instructional hierarchy and the instructional level to target reading interventions.
Gas flow in micro-channels

An experimental and theoretical investigation of low Reynolds number, high subsonic Mach number, compressible gas flow in channels is presented. Nitrogen, helium, and argon gases were used. The channels were microfabricated on silicon wafers and were typically 100 μm wide, 104 μm long, and ranged in depth from 0.5 to 20 μm. The Knudsen number ranged from 10-3 to 0.4. The measured friction factor was in good agreement with theoretical predictions assuming isothermal, locally fully developed, first-order, slip flow.
Three Faces of Advocacy: The Cove, Mine, and Food, INC.

The Cove, Mine, and Food, INC. each use the documentary genre to advocate for change, whether in regards to mass wild animal kills, companion animals in natural disasters, or the modern food industry. The films, however, present views of human-nonhuman animal relations that vary greatly. Where The Cove regards dolphins as beings who deserve freedom, Mine explores the view of companion animals as property. Food, INC. , finally, treats farm animals solely as a food source.
Toward a coastal ground-water typology

Although submarine ground-water discharge is recognised as being of physical and ecological significance, direct measurements are rare, and calculations are hampered by a lack of offshore data. Classification of the world's coast with respect to its potential, submarine ground-water contribution would help to focus attention on the most important areas and to extrapolate existing data. A classification may be based on relevant physical/climatological parameters (e.g. precipitation, soil type etc.), or geologic/geomorphic classes (e.g. karst, coastal plain, etc.), or on a collection of state parameters. State parameters for a coastal ground-water typology may include aquifer thickness, onshore hydraulic gradient, anisotropy and fractal dimension of the shoreline. Topographic gradient can serve as a surrogate for the hydraulic gradient. A fourth type of classification may be based on the distribution of salinity in the subterranean estuary but adequate subsurface data are not yet available.
A Developmental Investigation of Verbalization in Observational Learning.

Summary This study was a developmental investigation of verbalization on the reproduction of televised modeled responses. Boys and girls of three age levels (4–5, 6–7, 8–9) were exposed to a televised model under one of the three conditions: S verbalization, E verbalization/S verbalization, and passive observation control. Older children reproduced more responses than did younger children. Contrary to prediction, the verbalization conditions were not found to promote observational learning relative to the control condition for the younger children. The results were discussed in terms of the rehearsal strategies employed by children of different ages.
Evolution of growth but not structural or chemical defense in Verbascum thapsus (common mullein) following introduction to North America.

Post-introduction evolution of increased growth or reproduction has been observed in many species of invasive plants; however, it is not consistently associated with a loss of defense, as predicted by the influential evolution of increased competitive ability (EICA) hypothesis. Inconsistent support for the EICA hypothesis likely reflects the fact that, although invasive plants are released from attack by some enemies, typically specialists, they often do not escape attack from generalists. Thus, different types of defense (e.g., structural versus chemical) may evolve in different directions following introduction. We used a common garden experiment to test whether a shift in allocation among defenses (as opposed to a simple increase or decrease in a single defense) is associated with increased growth in introduced Verbascum thapsus populations. Introduced populations had significantly greater shoot biomass than natives. However, root biomass was similar between ranges, and highly variable, resulting in only marginal differences in total biomass. Mean investment in all three defenses was remarkably similar between the native and introduced populations, providing no evidence for range-level, post-introduction evolution of defense. This finding was consistent with the fact that, despite significant population-level variability for all defenses, there was little evidence of trade-offs between growth and defense or among different types of defense. These results suggest that evolution of increased growth in V. thapsus is not fueled by decreased allocation to defense, and that selection on defense may vary more at the population scale than the continental scale.
Shadow walking: An unencumbered locomotion technique for systems with under-floor projection

When viewed from below, a user's feet cast shadows onto the floor screen of an under-floor projection system, such as a six-sided CAVE. Tracking those shadows with a camera provides enough information for calculating a user's ground-plane location, foot orientation, and footstep events. We present Shadow Walking, an unencumbered locomotion technique that uses shadow tracking to sense a user's walking direction and step speed. Shadow Walking affords virtual locomotion by detecting if a user is walking in place. In addition, Shadow Walking supports a sidestep gesture, similar to the iPhone's pinch gesture. In this paper, we describe how we implemented Shadow Walking and present a preliminary assessment of our new locomotion technique. We have found Shadow Walking provides advantages of being unencumbered, inexpensive, and easy to implement compared to other walking-in-place approaches. It also has potential for extended gestures and multi-user locomotion.
Do infants possess innate knowledge structures? The con side

The central question of development is how new forms are made, how some structure, or behavior, or competence that was not there before, arises. This essay argues for a mechanistic answer to the question of the origins of new forms. And, in so doing, the essay argues that the so-called ‘innate versus learned’ dichotomy is logically flawed since ‘innate’ has no specifiable and mechanistic meaning. The essay considers first, a clear case of ‘innate’ structure: the origins of fingers and toes in embryology. The real-time mechanisms which create fingers and toes, however, are general, probabilistic, emergent and distributed across several levels of analyses. The idea of ‘innate’– even though certainly applicable – has no substantive content and yields no predictions about the nature of these mechanisms. The essay considers second, a clear case of a ‘learned’ structure: the origins of the shape bias in children’s early noun learning. Again, the developmental mechanisms are general, probabilistic, emergent and distributed across several levels of analyses. Several criticisms of the argument against ‘innate ideas’ are considered and rebutted.
Scheduling periodic jobs that allow imprecise results

The problem of scheduling periodic jobs in hard real-time systems that support imprecise computations is discussed. Timing faults are avoided in such systems by making available intermediate, imprecise results of acceptable quality when results of the desired quality cannot be produced on time. Two workload models of imprecise computations are presented. These models differ from traditional models in that a task may be terminated any time after it has produced an acceptable result. Each task is logically decomposed into a mandatory part followed by an optional part. In a feasible schedule, the mandatory part of every task is completed before the deadline of the task. The optional part refines the result produced by the mandatory part to reduce the error in the result. >
Correspondence: Power and Resolve in U.S. China Policy

In "Posing Problems without Catching Up," Thomas Christensen criticizes balance-ofpower arguments that highlight the United States' relative military superiority and proclaim that China is not a military threat. Instead, he argues that asymmetric strategies (waiting until the U.S. military is bogged down elsewhere, undermining the United States' Asian alliances, emphasizing information and electronic warfare, etc.) allow China to pose major problems for U.S. security interests without the need to catch up militarily. He also suggests that Chinese policymakers view the United States as weakwilled (the Somalia analogy), thus increasing the likelihood of misperception and conflict in the Taiwan Strait. Christensen therefore recommends that the United States
Merging Veterans Affairs rheumatoid arthritis registry and pharmacy data to assess methotrexate adherence and disease activity in clinical practice

Objective The Veterans Affairs (VA) Rheumatoid Arthritis (VARA) registry and the VA Pharmacy Benefits Management database were linked to determine the association of methotrexate (MTX) adherence with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity. Methods For each patient, the medication possession ratio (MPR) was calculated for the first episode of MTX exposure of a duration of ≥12 weeks for both new and established MTX users. High MTX adherence was defined as an MPR ≥0.80 and low MTX adherence was defined as an MPR <0.80. For each patient, the mean Disease Activity Score with 28 joints (DAS28) score, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), and C-reaction protein (CRP) level observed during registry followup were compared in high- versus low-adherence groups. Results In 455 RA patients, the prescribed doses of MTX (mean ± SD 16 ± 4 mg versus 16 ± 4 mg; P = 0.6) were similar in high-adherence patients (n = 370) in comparison to low-adherence patients (n = 85). However, the actual observed MTX doses taken by patients were significantly higher in the high-adherence group (mean ± SD 16 ± 5 mg versus 11 ± 3 mg; P < 0.001). DAS28 (mean ± SD 3.6 ± 1.2 versus 3.9 ± 1.5; P < 0.02), ESR (mean ± SD 24 ± 18 versus 29 ± 24 mm/hour; P = 0.05), and CRP level (mean ± SD 1.2 ± 1.3 versus 1.6 ± 1.5 mg/dl; P < 0.03) were lower in the high-adherence group compared to those with low MTX adherence. These variances were not explained by differences in baseline demographic features, concurrent treatments, or whether MTX was initiated before or after VARA enrollment. Conclusion High MTX adherence was associated with improved clinical outcomes in RA patients treated with MTX. Adjustment for potential confounders did not alter the estimated effect of adherence. These results demonstrate the advantages of being able to merge clinical observations with pharmacy databases to evaluate antirheumatic drugs in clinical practice.
Novel deep centers for high-performance optical materials

Materials exhibiting strong optical emission also exhibit strong absorption at the same wavelengths because both emission and absorption are governed by the same optical dipole and density-of-states. Laser action requires a carrier injection large enough for emission to exceed absorption at laser wavelengths. Thus, strong self-absorption at luminescent wavelengths raises the operating current of LEDs, lasers, and optical amplifiers. Here we demonstrate that, contrary to conventional expectations, materials designed with novel deep centers achieve surprisingly large optical emission while, simultaneously, the inverse process of optical absorption remains very small. A striking consequence is that materials designed with our novel deep centers achieve transparency at a carrier injection which is four-orders-of-magnitude lower than in all technologically important semiconductors. Simultaneously, and surprisingly, our novel deep centers in GaAs achieve an optical gain, Einstein B coefficient, and radiative efficiency significantly larger than in direct-band-gap materials at 1.3–1.5 μm. We engineered this dramatic reduction of the injection to achieve transparency while retaining strong optical emission in our novel material by making use of a Franck–Condon shift of absorption away from luminescent wavelengths.