cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maturing of contacts and ageing of silica sand

A typical surface texture of silica sand grains is rich in asperities and mineral debris. Consequently, a nominal inter-granular contact is composed of many ‘contact points’. Associated with the contact loading process is micro-fracturing of the textural features, causing the contact to evolve. Even under a constant load, the process of micro-fracturing continues, although with a decreasing frequency. This static fatigue at contacts (or contact maturing) under a constant load is considered to be a major contributor to ageing of silica sand. The rich surface micro-morphology of silica sand grains is demonstrated using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. Grain-scale tests indicate time-dependent deflection under constant load, attributed to delayed fracturing of textural features at grain contacts. The process is greatly dependent on the initial roughness of the surfaces. The rate of the deflection for a grain with large initial roughness (root mean square of grain surface elevation (R...
Automatic auditory disambiguation of visual awareness

Multisensory integration can play a critical role in producing unified and reliable perceptual experience. When sensory information in one modality is degraded or ambiguous, information from other senses can crossmodally resolve perceptual ambiguities. Prior research suggests that auditory information can disambiguate the contents of visual awareness by facilitating perception of intermodally consistent stimuli. However, it is unclear whether these effects are truly due to crossmodal facilitation or are mediated by voluntary selective attention to audiovisually congruent stimuli. Here, we demonstrate that sounds can bias competition in binocular rivalry toward audiovisually congruent percepts, even when participants have no recognition of the congruency. When speech sounds were presented in synchrony with speech-like deformations of rivalling ellipses, ellipses with crossmodally congruent deformations were perceptually dominant over those with incongruent deformations. This effect was observed in participants who could not identify the crossmodal congruency in an open-ended interview (Experiment 1) or detect it in a simple 2AFC task (Experiment 2), suggesting that the effect was not due to voluntary selective attention or response bias. These results suggest that sound can automatically disambiguate the contents of visual awareness by facilitating perception of audiovisually congruent stimuli.
Trichothiodystrophy: Current Concepts:

Background:Trichothiodystrophy (TTD) is a rare, autosomal recessive disorder in which the hair identifies a group of genetic disorders with deficient high-sulfur matrix proteins, and a defect in ex...
Trends in Treatment Patterns and Clinical Outcomes in Young Women Diagnosed With Ductal Carcinoma In Situ.

Abstract Background Although it is known that the risk of a second breast cancer event among young women diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) is higher than in older women, the effect of current treatment options on long-term outcomes in this subgroup of women remains poorly defined. We aimed to evaluate national treatment trends and determine their effect on second breast cancer risk and overall survival among young women diagnosed with DCIS. Materials and Methods Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data from 1998 to 2011 were used to analyze 3648 DCIS patients younger than age 40 years. Results Among all treatment options, breast-conserving surgery (BCS) with radiation therapy (BCS + RT) was the most prevalent (36.1%) followed by mastectomy (MTX) without contralateral prophylactic MTX (CPM; 25.8%), BCS alone (22.2%), and MTX with CPM (15.8%). Risk of a second ipsilateral event was > 5-fold and > 2-fold lower within 2 years and 5 years of initial DCIS diagnosis, respectively, in women who received BCS + RT compared with BCS alone; and overall survival was 3-fold higher in women who received BCS + RT. However, MTX with or without CPM did not show an increase in overall survival compared with BCS + RT. In addition, although the percentage of young women who receive MTX with CPM has increased in recent years, MTX with CPM did not show an increased benefit in survival compared with MTX without CPM. Conclusion The results of our study suggest that more aggressive treatments do not offer survival benefits over BCS + RT; thus, clinical treatment options in young women with DCIS should be carefully considered.
Considering a Twitter-Based Professional Learning Network in Literacy Education

ABSTRACTThis study explored how 26 preservice secondary content teachers perceived their experiences participating in and developing a Twitter-based professional learning network focused on disciplinary literacy. Participants completed blog reflections and anonymous online surveys to reflect on their experiences, which served as data for this study. A phenomenological approach was used to analyze data, and three themes emerged from analysis related to preservice teachers’ perceptions: (a) the complexity of posting professional resources and ideas to Twitter, (b) skepticism concerning participation in an online professional learning network, and (c) value in access to multiple educators, disciplinary experts, and classroom resources. Implications for these results are discussed in regard to developing professional learning networks in preservice teacher education to support disciplinary literacy.
Urinary tract infections (UTIs) in rural Kenya: Screening challenges, treatment pathways, and technological solutions

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are one of the most common infections in developing countries such as Kenya. Despite this, their prevalence is virtually unknown from a patient's perspective, especially in rural communities. Worldwide, it is estimated that one in two women will contract a UTI during their lifetimes. More specifically, UTI incidence rates are nearly 20 percent higher in the developing world. A UTI is contracted when bacteria enters and settles in the urinary tract. Untreated UTIs can spread to the kidneys and cause birth complications in pregnant women. Since UTIs are prevalent, yet mostly unknown to rural Kenyans, many are at risk for developing high-risk complications. The social stigma surrounding UTIs labels them as sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and contributes to challenges regarding addressing and treating the infection. This article provides a review of the existence and prevalence of UTIs in rural Kenya. It focuses on data gathered from local doctors, nurses, community health workers (CHWs), health care facilities, and community members from Nyeri county. The current pathway system that a patient may follow when exhibiting symptoms of a UTI is identified. Technology based opportunities that stem from this pathway system are also proposed, including improved UTI screening test strips manufactured on an inkjet printer. By replacing traditional ink with chemical solutions to react with indicated parameters found in infected urine, inkjet printers exhibit promise in becoming simple manufacturing machines for low cost test strips specific to UTIs. Simple technology in PowerPoint and Kindles has proven to be an effective educational tool In the developing world and should be leveraged to bring increased awareness to UTIs in these communities.
Increasing interposer utilization: A scalable, energy efficient and high bandwidth multicore-multichip integration solution

With the increase in number of processing chips in platform based computation intensive systems such as servers, a seamless, scalable, energy efficient and high bandwidth interconnection network is required. Newly envisioned silicon interposers with Network-on-Chip (NoC) interconnection framework have emerged as an energy efficient technology for 2.5D integration of multiple processor and memory chips, where multiple chips are mounted on another die called the interposer and are interconnected using the metal layers of the interposer die. However, conventional interposer based multichip integration is limited to edge-to-edge connections between the adjacent dies leaving the interposer's routing resources underutilized. In this paper, we propose large scale utilization of the available abundant interposer resources for multichip integration by implementing a hypercube interconnection architecture in an interposer for chip-to-chip communication. Through system level simulations, we demonstrate that such multichip system integrated with interposer can provide high bandwidth and energy-efficient communication under various traffic patterns.
Designing financial information systems for auditability

Abstract:The auditing of results produced by computer-based Financial Information Systems requires that auditors be able to evaluate the internal controls of such systems. Because of the integrated nature of the components in current large systems, this has proven to be a quite formidable task. We propose the simplification of such evaluations through the incorporation, during the initial design of the system, of the sorts of basic control disciplines which are used in manual systems. Our approach involves the use of a powerful Authorization Mechanism control environment (based on computer science techniques for authorization and protection) to specify and enforce such control disciplines in a manner which is easily verifiable during the audit process.
The Art of Singing

Nearly all of mankind, regardless of the degree of civilization, indulges in and derives pleasure from song. Whereas some seem to have little capacity for singing in a manner pleasant to the listener and others exhibit remarkable talent in this direction, there are many capable of producing merely an acceptable singing voice whose performance can be appreciably improved by training. It is my purpose here to discuss some of the factors involved in converting the singer to the artist. In this chapter I shall present to you findings from research done at the Harvard School of Public Health in collaboration with Drs. Arend Bouhuys and Jere Mead, discuss my own personal experiences as a voice student and a singer, and try to provide some definition of those factors which are involved in artistic performance (10, 11, 16, 21, 22, 30, 31, 32).
Quantifying the Life-Cycle Benefits of an Influential Early-Childhood Program

This paper quantifies and aggregates the multiple lifetime benefits of an influential high-quality early childhood program with outcomes measured through midlife. Guided by economic theory, we supplement experimental data with non-experimental data to forecast the life-cycle benefits and costs of the program. Our point estimate of the internal rate of return is 13.7% with an associated benefit/cost ratio of 7.3. We account for model estimation and forecasting error and present estimates from extensive sensitivity analyses. This paper is a template for synthesizing experimental and non-experimental data using economic theory to estimate the long-run life-cycle benefits of social programs.
A circulating tumor cell RNA assay for dynamic assessment of androgen receptor signaling inhibitors sensitivity in metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer.

157Background: Tissue-based gene signatures can predict clinical behavior in prostate cancer (PC). Our objective was to extend their application to circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and to show that c...
The Clarion of Syria: A Patriot's Call against the Civil War of 1860

Introduced and Translated by Jens Hanssen and Hicham Safieddine Foreword by Ussama Makdisi When Nafir Suriyya—“The Clarion of Syria”—was penned between September 1860 and April 1861, its author Butrus al-Bustani, a major figure in the modern Arabic Renaissance, had witnessed his homeland undergo unprecedented violence in what many today consider Lebanon’s first civil war. Written during Ottoman and European investigations into the causes and culprits of the atrocities, The Clarion of Syria is both a commentary on the politics of state intervention and social upheaval and a set of visions for the future of Syrian society in the wake of conflict. This translation makes a key historical document accessible for the first time to an English audience. Rereading this work in the context of today’s political violence in war-torn Syria and elsewhere in the Arab world helps us gain a critical and historical perspective on sectarianism, class rebellion, foreign invasions, conflict resolution, Western interventionism, and nationalist tropes of reconciliation. “The first English translation of this foundational text offered alongside a fantastic historical introduction, this is an excellent and much-needed contribution from uniquely qualified scholars.” STEPHEN SHEEHI, author of The Arab Imago BUTRUS AL-BUSTANI was a nineteenth century Ottoman Arab educator and public intellectual regarded by many as the first Syrian nationalist owing to the publication of his Nafir Suriyya following the 1860 communal disturbances in Mt. Lebanon and Damascus. JENS HANSSEN is Associate Professor of Arab Civilization, Middle Eastern, and Mediterranean History at the University of Toronto. He is author of Fin de Siecle Beirut and coeditor of Arabic Thought beyond the Liberal Age and Arabic Thought against the Authoritarian Age. HICHAM SAFIEDDINE is Assistant Professor of History of the Modern Middle East at King’s College, London. He is author of Banking on the State: The Financial Foundations of Lebanon, cofounder of Al-Akhbar English, and editor of The Legal Agenda English Edition.
Ground reaction forces don’t indicate tibial forces: implications for injury prevention, shoe design & wearable tech

Tibial stress fractures are a common overuse injury due to repeated bone loading. More than 50 scientific publications per year interpret increase in ground reaction force (GRF) metrics (e.g. impac...
Interplay of Adsorption, Supersaturation and the Presence of an Absorptive Sink on Drug Release from Mesoporous Silica-Based Formulations.

Mesoporous silica-based formulations of poorly soluble drugs may exhibit incomplete drug release due to drug remaining adsorbed on the silica surface. The goal of this study was (1) to evaluate the adsorption tendency of atazanavir from aqueous solution onto mesoporous silica (SBA-15) and (2) to determine if the drug release from mesoporous silica formulations was promoted by the presence of an absorptive compartment during dissolution testing. Atazanavir (ATZ) formulations with different drug loadings were prepared by incipient impregnation. The solid-state properties of the formulations were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), infrared spectroscopy and thermogravimetric analysis. Drug release was compared for closed compartment versus absorptive dissolution testing at gastric and intestinal pH. XRD and DSC showed that all formulations were amorphous. Infrared spectra indicated intermolecular interactions between silanol groups in SBA-15 and carbonyl groups in atazanavir. Nanoconfinement of drug in silica mesopores was suggested by thermal analysis. Closed compartment dissolution testing showed incomplete drug release, largely due to the adsorption tendency of ATZ. However, coupled dissolution-absorption studies showed complete release over a 240 min time period. This suggested that the depletion of drug in the dissolution medium due to drug diffusion across the membrane promotes drug release. Drug release was further improved when the formulation was first added to fasted state gastric pH conditions followed by pH-shift to intestinal conditions, which was attributed to the higher solubility of atazanavir at low pH. However, ATZ mesoporous silica formulations showed a poorer overall absorption behavior relative to a polymer-based amorphous solid dispersion formulation. This study highlights that absorptive dissolution conditions promote drug desorption from the silica surface and hence, enhance drug release. Further, the influence of solution pH on drug release underscores the need to consider how variations in physiological conditions may impact the performance of mesoporous silica-based formulations.
Sinister! The high pre-op left shoulder is less likely to be radiographically balanced at 2 years post-op.

AIS patients consider shoulder balance an important cosmetic outcome after surgery. We examined the impact of preoperative left shoulder elevation (LSE) and choice of upper instrumented vertebra (UIV) on postoperative shoulder imbalance (PostSI). This was a retrospective cohort study utilizing a prospective AIS database. Patients had Lenke type 1–4 curves and preoperative shoulder height ≥ 1.0 cm. Patients with preoperative LSE and right shoulder elevation (RSE) were compared. Shoulder height difference 34.5° was predictive of PostSI ≥ 2.0 cm for patients with preoperative LSE. AIS patients with preoperative LSE are less likely to achieve level shoulders postoperatively. Choice of higher UIV did not affect postoperative shoulder imbalance in this cohort. A PTC > 34.5° was predictive of severe PostSI in patients with preoperative LSE. II.
Cytochemical Studies of Glycogen Content of Lymphocytes in Lymphocytic Proliferations

The glycogen content of the lymphocytes of 44 cases of various lymphocytic proliferations was studied using a semiquantitative cytochemical technic. The lymphocytes of chronic lymphocytic leukemia and of lymphosarcoma (with one exception) showed greatly increased glycogen content. In acute lymphocytic leukemia and in one case of lymphosarcoma the glycogen content was low. The presence or absence of lymphosarcoma cells in the peripheral blood in cases of lymphosarcoma made no difference in the total score. The difference between the glycogen-positive "lymphosarcoma cell" and the glycogen-negative lymphoblast is apparently due to the greater maturity of the cytoplasm of the lymphosarcoma cell (which results from an asynchronism of nucleocytoplasmic maturation) and immaturity of the cytoplasm of the lymphoblast. Three cases of benign lymphocytosis with atypical lymphocytes in the peripheral blood gave increased values. One case with atypical lymphocytes had normal values and two cases of lymphocytosis with morphologically normal lymphocytes also had normal values. It is concluded that the increase of glycogen in lymphocytic cells is due to an over-all proliferation of the lymphocytes and is not necessarily related to malignancy per se.
Heatwaves, medications, and heat-related hospitalization in older Medicare beneficiaries with chronic conditions.

Background Heatwaves kill more people than floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes combined and disproportionally affect older persons and those with chronic conditions. Commonly used medications for chronic conditions, e.g., diuretics, antipsychotics disrupt thermoregulation or fluid/electrolyte balance and may sensitive patients to heat. However, the effect of heat-sensitizing medications and their interactions with heatwaves are not well-quantified. We evaluated effects of potentially heat-sensitizing medications in vulnerable older patients. Methods US Medicare data were linked at the zip code level to climate data with surface air temperatures for June-August of 2007–2012. Patients were Medicare beneficiaries aged ≥65 years with chronic conditions including diabetes, dementia, and cardiovascular, lung, or kidney disease. Exposures were potentially heat-sensitizing medications including diuretics, anticholinergics, antipsychotics, beta blockers, stimulants, and anti-hypertensives. A heatwave was defined as ≥2 days above the 95th percentile of historical zip code-specific surface air temperatures. We estimated associations of heat-sensitizing medications and heatwaves with heat-related hospitalization using self-controlled case series analysis. Results We identified 9,721 patients with at least one chronic condition and heat-related hospitalization; 42.1% of these patients experienced a heatwave. Heatwaves were associated with an increase in heat-related hospitalizations ranging from 21% (95% CI: 7% to 38%) to 33% (95% CI: 14% to 55%) across medication classes. Several drug classes were associated with moderately elevated risk of heat-related hospitalization in the absence of heatwaves, with rate ratios ranging from 1.16 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.35) to 1.37 (95% CI: 1.14 to 1.66). We did not observe meaningful synergistic interactions between heatwaves and medications. Conclusions Older patients with chronic conditions may be at heightened risk for heat-related hospitalization due to the use of heat-sensitizing medications throughout the summer months, even in the absence of heatwaves. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings and also to understand the effect of milder and shorter heat exposure.
Dermatologic Adverse Effects of Anticancer Therapy IV: Endocrine, Biologic, Radiation and Other Therapies

Complementing cytotoxic, targeted, and immunotherapeutic agents available for treating cancer, endocrine, biologic, and radiation therapies comprise critical components in oncologic management. Dermatologic reactions occur frequently with many of these therapies, however, potentially limiting their successful utilization.
Chikungunya, Dengue, Zika, and Other Emerging Mosquito-Borne Viruses

The past two decades have seen an explosive increase in emerging and reemerging infections, ranging from SARS and Ebola viruses, to epidemics of arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), including chikungunya and Zika viruses. Dengue and St. Louis encephalitis viruses have emerged from areas of the United States where they had been absent for over a decade. This alarming increase in number and frequency of outbreaks of vector-borne diseases, in particular, stems from the convergence of several factors. Abrupt changes in land use have brought humans closer to transmission cycles between vectors and non-human vertebrate hosts that previously had been strictly sylvatic. Rapid and unplanned urbanization due to spread of poverty has created opportunities for insect vectors, like Aedes albopictus, to establish urban endemicity by adapting breeding habits to thrive in man-made containers. Global warming has expanded the habitable range of vectors like Aedes aegypti. This chapter focuses on viruses transmitted by mosquitoes to highlight the importance of these emerging diseases. Only by learning from the past can we anticipate and prepare for the future.
Expertise and exclusivity in adaptation decision-making

Climate change adaptation decision-making has been dominated by professional experts while vulnerable communities have limited input. In order to understand the unequal distribution of power among adaptation actors, I propose the ‘adaptation field’ as an advantageous theoretical tool. In the adaptation field, professional experts are constructed as the ultimate authority on how adaptation should take place. This standard persists despite its demonstrated shortcomings in adaptation interventions in the Global South, and even when local community members are deliberately engaged in an attempt to correct for these shortcomings. Ultimately, power in the adaptation field must be redistributed such that those with the most at stake have significant influence over how adaptation will take place.
Strategies for Stage-Specific Extension of Longevity

It is generally recognized that the adult life span of Drosophila is not a continuous process from fertilization to death, but rather consists of four demographically defined phases: the developmental, health, transition, and senescent spans. These are marked by differences in gene expression patterns, physiology, homeostasis, and mortality rates. I review our empirical data showing that drugs known to significantly extend longevity in either early or late life do so via stage-specific effects such that beneficial effects are observed at one stage but neutral or detrimental effects at another stage. Whole-life feeding of these drugs leads to failure to detect their pro-longevity effect, suggesting that the gene-based drug targets are not necessarily present in all four stages.
TAK1 mediates BMP signaling in cartilage

Although many signals are capable of activating MAPK signaling cascades in chondrocytes in vitro, the function of these pathways remains unclear in vivo. Here we report the phenotype of mice with a conditional deletion of TGF-β-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), a MAP3K family member, in cartilage using the collagen 2α promoter. These mice display chondrodysplasia characterized by neonatal-onset runting, delayed formation of secondary ossification centers, and defects in formation of the elbow and tarsal joints. This constellation of defects resembles the phenotype of mice deficient for receptors or ligands involved in signaling by BMP family members. Chondrocytes from these mice show evidence of defective BMP signaling in vivo and in vitro. Surprisingly, deletion of TAK1 seems to affect not only activation of the p38 MAPK signaling cascade, but also activation of the BMP-responsive Smad1/5/8. Biochemical analysis suggests that TAK1 can interact with Smad proteins and promote their activation through phosphorylation, revealing a previously unrecognized crosstalk between the MAPK and Smad arms of BMP signaling.
Normalizing tumor vasculature with anti-angiogenic therapy: a new paradigm for combination therapy.

Anti-angiogenic therapy was proposed in 1971 as a means to treat solid tumors and in 1976 as a method of cancer prevention. Here we propose that this form of therapy, judiciously applied, can normalize the tumor vasculature and improve the delivery of therapeutics.
Multiple simultaneous intervillous space pressures recorded in several regions of the hemochorial placenta in relation to functional anatomy of the fetal cotyledon

Abstract Three to four probes were inserted under cinefluoroscopy into areas of the IVS of the rhesus monkey placenta. They were seen to lie in or near the central cavities of fetal cotyledons, which are the sites of entry of maternal blood into IVS, or in more peripheral parts of the fetal cotyledon. When possible, samples of blood were withdrawn for oxygen content determinations. Pressures were found to be highest in or near the central cavity of a cotyledon, so that the gradient diminished radially from, and above, the cavity toward the subchorial lake. When the uterus contracted, the IVS pressure rose equally near the center and the periphery of the cotyledon. In intermediate positions, pressures rose relatively more and approached the highest central pressure in the cotyledon, and the gradient of pressure toward the periphery increased. In short, uterine contractions force blood from the center of the fetal cotyledon in the manner that fluid is moved in pistonless pumps. Insofar as limitations of blood sampling techniques permitted, resulting largely from the physiologic factors involved, suggestion of a similar gradient in oxygen content of intervillous space blood was found, decreasing from the center of cotyledons toward their peripheries. These results support the hypothesis of a central entry of maternal arterial blood into the IVS of a cotyledon, fetal villous structures seem to determine a pressure gradient toward the periphery in the intracotyledonary space, and Braxton Hicks contractions increase the movement of blood from cotyledon centers throughout the IVS.
A Mini Review on Controlling the Size of Ag Nanoclusters by Changing the Stabilizer to Ag Ratio and by Changing DNA Sequence

Ag nanoclusters have received considerable attention in the past decade due to their distinguished photo-physical properties, which lead to very wide potential applications for biosensing and imaging. To this point, synthesis of well-defined Ag nanoclusters for practical applications is a key issue, in particular, controlling the size (or specific number of silver atoms) of Ag nanoclusters. Herein, we briefly discuss the effect of ratio of reactants, in terms of specific functional groups, on the size of Ag nanoclusters. Also, taking DNA as an example of biopolymer, we review how the DNA sequence can affect the specific number of Ag atoms in Ag nanoclusters. These conducted principles should provide significant guidance for preparation of Ag nanoclusters of precise size.
Hormonal factors in human ovulation.

Abstract Eight women with amenorrhea and anovulation were treated with successive cycles of human pituitary FSH virtually devoid of luteinizing hormone (LH) and with human menopausal gonadotropin containing both follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) and LH. Patients with low endogenous total gonadotropins required the LH-containing preparation to achieve satisfactory ovarian stimulation. Patients with polycystic ovarian disease, known to have normal or even intermittently high levels of endogenous LH, responded to the “pure” FSH preparation, as well as to the LH-containing gonadotropin therapy. Estradiol benzoate, with and without priming with clomiphene citrate, was administered on 8 occasions to 7 patients with anovulatory defects, who had not previously responded to clomiphene alone. Serum levels of FSH and LH were followed. A surge of LH followed estradiol in most cases, although it was not consistent and ovulation did not invariably follow. As estradiol levels fell, LH rose, reaching a peak 52 hours after estradiol administration.
Nutritional deprivation reduces the transcripts for transcription factors and adipocyte-characteristic proteins in porcine adipocytes

For an organism to survive during nutritional deprivation, it must be able to regulate the genes involved in energy metabolism. White adipose tissue is an energy source during fasting conditions. In adipose tissue, transcription factors regulate several adipocyte-characteristic proteins involved in differentiation and energy metabolism. We investigated the transcript concentrations of two key transcription factors, as well as the transcript concentrations of several adipocyte-characteristic proteins, and genes involved in adipocyte energy metabolism in the adipose tissue of pigs fasted for 72 hours. Nutritional deprivation resulted in decreased transcript concentrations of the transcription factors, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma, and CCAAT-enhancer-binding protein alpha. The transcript concentrations of several adipocyte-characteristic proteins, fatty acid synthase, glucose transporter 4, lipoprotein lipase, leptin, and adipocyte fatty acid binding protein were also significantly reduced. The insulin receptor transcript concentration did not change. We conclude that these transcript concentration changes are aimed collectively at adjusting energy partitioning to conserve energy during nutritional deprivation, thereby enabling survival.
Performance of ‘Grasslands Puna’ Chicory at Different Management Levels

'Grasslands Puna' chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) is a perennial taprooted herb that shows potential to produce high yields of palatable forage for ruminants. Our objective was to determine management effects on herbage production and quality, and stand persistence. Chicory and 'Pennlate' orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) were established on Hagerstown silt loam (fine, mixed, mesic Typic Hapludalf) soil at Rock Springs, PA. Treatments were intensive, moderate, and lenient management, corresponding to 25-, 37-, and 50-cm chicory canopy height at harvest, with N fertilizer applied after each harvest except the last. The experimental design was a 2 x 3 (species X managements) factorial with five replications. Total yields of forage averaged 9A Mg ha -1 for chicory and 7.9 Mg ha -1 for orchardgrass in 1992 and 1993. Management did not affect total yield of chicory the first harvest year, nor that of orchardgrass in either year. Chicory yield was greatest from plants under lenient management the second year. Mean crude protein concentration in chicory and orchardgrass was 200 g kg -1 and 185 g kg -1 respectively, but both species showed a potential to accumulate concentrations greater than 250 g kg -1 . Low concentrations (110 g kg -1 ) were associated with floral stem production. Chicory herbage had higher concentrations of Ca, Mg, Na, Fe, Cu, and Zn, than did orchardgrass. Our results show that Grasslands Puna can withstand a range of defoliation intensities while maintaining excellent productivity.
Modelling Clients Using Environments

(1974). Modelling Clients Using Environments. Journal of Architectural Education: Vol. 28, Pedagogical Catalog 2, pp. 45-47.
Overview of Neural Mechanisms in Asthma

There is much evidence that neural mechanisms are involved in the mechanisms and symptoms of asthma. Afferent nerves may be activated and sensitized by inflammatory mechanisms, resulting in symptoms such as cough and chest tightness, in activation of cholinergic reflexes and in the release of inflammatory neuropeptides. Cholinergic mechanisms are the predominant bronchoconstrictor neural pathway and may be enhanced in asthma, particularly during exacerbations, through several mechanisms, including impaired function of muscarinic autoreceptors on cholinergic nerve terminals. There may also be abnormalities in adrenergic control and in the function of beta-adrenoceptors, particularly in severe asthma. The neurotransmitter of bronchodilator nerves is now identified as nitric oxide and this mechanism may be impaired during asthma exacerbations. Finally, neurogenic inflammation, due to release of neuropeptides from sensory nerves, may contribute and amplify the inflammation in asthmatic airways.
Discretionary channel routing

In the paper, the channel routing model is generalised to incorporate some design flexibilities into the channel routing process. The channel router then makes use of the additional flexibilities to obtain better overall routing solution (and hence more compact layouts). Specifically, the channel routing problem is generalised so that a given net is only required to connect some (not necessarily all) of the pins in that net. The generalised problem is called the discretionary channel routing problem (DCRP). Various applications of the DCRP are presented. Solution of the DCRP involves two phases: the selection phase in which the pins are selected, and the connection phase in which the selected pins are routed. Two classes of algorithms for solving the DCRP are studied. In the first class, a target router is selected and the pins are selected to enhance the performance of that router. In the second class, pins are selected according to some absolute criterion that is independent of the target router. The algorithms have been implemented and tested on various (benchmarks and randomly-generated) problems. For all the test problems, the algorithms produce results that are either nearoptimal or optimal. In particular, excellent results were obtained for all the benchmark problems. Comparisons of these methods are also given, together with recommendations for choice of method for a given situation. Finally, the results show that the additional flexibility in the DCRP model leads to substantial savings in the wiring area, thus leading to more compact layout.
Making negatives and plates for printing by electroerosion: III. use of the direct negative and direct plate

Issues related to the practical usage in the pressroom of both the direct negative and direct plate are discussed. Two concerns associated with the usage of the direct negative during platemaking are treated: 1) the effect of light transmission through defects (voids) in the aluminum film, and 2) the effect of light transmission directly through the aluminum. These concerns may be addressed respectively by careful fabrication of the material and careful control of the exposure conditions during platemaking. Two aspects of the usage of the direct plate are considered: 1) the need for a simple prepress “activation” treatment, and 2) press-life limitations caused by wear of the direct plate on the press. Passing a direct plate through an activator solution immediately prior to mounting it on the press prevented scumming in the image area and blinding in the background (nonimage) area. The life on the press of the direct plate is limited by the wearing away of the aluminum from the background areas, thereby causing scumming. Changes in the structure of the direct plate which could prolong press life were investigated.
Temporal Limits on the Legislative Mandate: Entrenchment and Retroactivity

According to the general wisdom, legislatures lack both the power to “entrench” their enactments against alteration by their successors and the power to “retroactively” undo the efforts of their predecessors. The author argues that, rather than being in conflict, these principles share a common theme. Legislatures operate as agents of the people under constitutionally defined mandates that are limited in time as well as scope. Actions that transcend—either forward or backward in time—the temporal delegation of authority conferred by periodic elections do not bind the electorate. In the first half of the article the author suggests that an understanding of the rationale behind the entrenchment prohibition can help shed light on a diverse group of issues including congressional power to prescribe internal rules of operation, constitutional amendment procedures, and legislative impairment of contracts. In the second half of the article the author takes issue with the traditional objection to retroactivity grounded on vested rights and unfulfilled expectations. In its place he proposes a theory of retroactivity embodied in republican principles concerning the temporal relationship between the people and their legislative agents.
Introduction to the forensic pathology of cocaine.

During the last several years, a clearer understanding of cocaine's effects on the body has emerged. Metabolism and tissue distribution are better understood. A diverse group of cocaine-related illnesses have been reported, but many appear to share the underlying mechanism of catecholamine toxicity. Knowledge of cocaine's metabolism makes possible certain conclusions about route of ingestion, time of use, and patterns of abuse in general. Knowledge of the histologic alterations known to be associated with cocaine use can pinpoint cocaine as the cause of death, even in cases where there are negligible blood levels. What follows is a brief review of recent observations that bear on the forensic aspects of cocaine abuse.
Lateral pterygoid myotomy with reattachment to the condylar neck: an adjunct to restore function after total joint reconstruction

Objective. The purpose of this study was to investigate the results of performing a lateral pterygoid myotomy with reattachment to the condylar stump to restore more normal function after total joint reconstructive surgery. Study Design. Twenty-four joints were reconstructed in 14 patients with stock Christensen chrome-cobalt prostheses. Patients were separated into 2 groups. Group I consisted of 4 joints without reattached lateral pterygoid muscle (−LPM), and group II consisted of 20 joints with reattachment of the lateral pterygoid muscle to the condylar stump (+LPM). Patients were evaluated at an average of 15 months postoperatively to assess mandibular movement. Group I was compared with group II, and statistical analysis was performed through the use of the Mann-Whitney test. Patient satisfaction was evaluated by using postoperative questionnaires. Results. Group II had an average interincisal opening 7.3 mm greater than Group I (P <.001). Lateral movements averaged 3.86 mm in Group II versus 0.5 mm in Group I (P <.05). Protrusion was 2.83 mm greater in Group II than in Group I (P = 0.53). Conclusion. The reattachment of the lateral pterygoid muscle to the condylar stump during total joint reconstructive surgery may provide the patient with greater interincisal opening, lateral excursions, and protrusive movement. The preliminary data from these small, nonrandomized groups are promising for improved function following total joint reconstruction. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2003;95:672-3)
Methicillin in the control of staphylococcal infections in a nursery and its influence on the staphylococcal colonization of the newborn.

Methicillin, administered parenterally and by spray, was employed for a limited period in a nursery epidemic of staphylococcus. Immediate cessation of infections was achieved. The use of methicillin resulted in the disappearance of the offending phage Group III staphylococci, and a very considerable, reduction in the incidence of antibiotic-resistant staphylococci persisted after cessation of the drug regimen. Nasal colonization of infants with coagulase-positive staphylococci was effectively prevented during the period of methicillin administration. Umbilical colonization was prevented by a combination of parenteral and spray administration of methicillin, but not by the spray alone. The distribution and types of staphylococci in the personnel and environment were profoundly affected by methicillin.
Large-scale comparison of science teaching methods sends clear message

The quality of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in the United States has long been an area of national concern, but that concern has not resulted in improvement. Recently, there has been a growing sense that an opportunity for progress at the higher education level lies in the extensive research on different teaching methods that have been carried out during the last few decades. Most of this research has been on “active learning methods” and the comparison with the standard lecture method in which students are primarily listening and taking notes. As the number of research studies has grown, it has become increasingly clear to researchers that active learning methods achieve better educational outcomes. The possibilities for improving postsecondary STEM education through more extensive use of these research-based teaching methods were reflected in two important recent reports (1, 2). However, the size and consistency of the benefits of active learning remained unclear. In PNAS, Freeman et al. (3) provide a much more extensive quantitative analysis of the research on active learning in college and university STEM courses than previously existed. It was a massive effort involving the tracking and analyzing of 642 papers spanning many fields and publication venues and a very careful analysis of 225 papers that met their standards for the meta-analysis. The results that emerge from this meta-analysis have important implications for the future of STEM teaching and STEM education research.
Letter Writing In Relational Therapies

Starting with Sigmund Freud, a literature Nobel Prize winner, therapists have had a long-standing relationship with the written word as a tool to document the client’s account and the therapeutic process. In the last two decades, though, therapists have been found collaborating with clients in the sharing of their intimate wonderings as well as the nuances of the therapeutic process. While narrative therapy (White & Epston, 1990) highlighted or brought to the forefront the possibilities of employing writing as a transformative device, many others in the larger world of psychotherapy as well as the systemic therapy world have explored its uses (Bacigalupe, 1996). The authors in this special section extend this tradition with the use of letters written to clients: one article employs brief therapy tenets, a second paper is informed by a narrative focus, and a finally a paper based on interpretive research about the tone of the therapeutic relationship. Brief therapy demands that therapists focus on creating a context for change in every interaction with their clients; George Graham writes letters to clients as a first step to orient them to a therapeutic context that gives a central role to talk of change. His letters are sent to clients before they attend their first session, providing clear instructions that orient clients toward change. Continuing the purposefulness of interactional therapies, Graham uses the letters to aid clients in defining the problem, clarifying expectations, developing a consensual understanding of the therapeutic goals, and normalizing the difficulties of finding solutions. Mary Ann Majchrzak Rombach contributes a template for letter writing that uses narrative and solution-oriented ideas in detailing clients’ strengths in the formulation of letters to clients. Besides narrative tenets that counteract the psychiatric assessment through problem externalization, Rombach celebrates cli-
Minimax controller design

Given a system with uncertain parameters, a performance index, and a controller structure, it is sometimes appropriate to determine the controller parameters by minimaximizing the performance index. In many of the cases where such a controller is too pessimistic it is appropriate to minimaximize a performance sensitivity. Some properties of these two types of controllers are presented. Since the minimax problems that arise do not in general have a saddle point, they must be solved by an iterative or search procedure. A new algorithm for solving algebraic minimax problems with or without a saddle point is presented and proved to converge. The rate of convergence is discussed. The algorithm is applied to the design of a controller for a string of three vehicles.
Change Detection in Constellations of Buried Objects Extracted From Ground-Penetrating Radar Data

Detection of deliberately buried objects in ground-penetrating radar (GPR) data acquired along a path is a clutter-limited problem. Detection-false alarm rate performance can be improved by replacing the detection statistic with a change statistic that incorporates information from previous path traversals. A constellation matching approach is developed for buried-object change detection in GPR data. Network topologies of buried objects detected in GPR data from previous path traversals are maintained in a constellation database. Localized groups of buried objects newly detected on the latest path traversal are matched to the constellation. Buried objects from the latest path traversal whose locations or strengths cannot be reconciled with the constellation are identified as changes. The system has one component that generates constellation databases offline and another component suitable for change detection in real time. It can tolerate paths with significant translational misalignments. The system uses the following: 1) a customized translational relaxation algorithm for point pattern matching that incorporates detection strength and a probabilistic uncertainty model for buried-object location into the objective function and 2) a change statistic that accounts for the magnitude of change relative to predicted detection strength. A constellation database can typically be generated offline from a single path traversal roughly two orders of magnitude faster than the time typically required for a vehicle to travel the extent of the path. Database sizes are typically four to five orders of magnitude smaller than the data sets of GPR signal scans or focused 3-D GPR images that they were generated from. On bumpy dirt roads buried exclusively with nonmetallic objects at various depths, detection-false alarm rate performance is shown to be significantly better for our change statistics than for our detection statistics.
Self-trapping on a dimer: Time-dependent solutions of a discrete nonlinear Schrödinger equation

From the discrete nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation describing transport on a dimer we derive and solve a closed nonlinear equation for the site-occupation probability difference. Our results, which are directly relevant to specific experiments such as neutron scattering in physically realizable dimers, exhibit a transition from "free" to "self-trapped" behavior and illustrate features expected in extended systems, including soliton/polaron bandwidth reduction and the dependence of energy-transfer efficiency on initial conditions.