cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The effects of news on initial corporate lawsuits

Abstract This study examines the impact of news of initial lawsuits on the value of both the defendant and plaintiff firms. It extends Bhagat et al. [J. Financ. Econ. 35 (1994) 221.] by distinguishing between interfirm and noninterfirm lawsuits. We found that the financial markets react differently to news on interfirm and noninterfirm lawsuits. While the financial markets react significantly to news on interfirm lawsuits, their reaction to news on noninterfirm lawsuits is insignificant. This finding provides further insight into the effects of lawsuits on value of the firm and could shape practitioners' efforts in designing strategies to combat the onslaught of lawsuits. Our results on interfirm lawsuits are consistent with Bhagat et al., and show that wealth leakage occurs in which corporate defendants lose more than the wealth gains experienced by the corporate plaintiffs. We also found evidence suggesting that firms do become somewhat “judgment proof” as a result of being a subject of numerous lawsuits.
Transrectal drainage of deep pelvic abscesses in children using a combined transrectal sonographic and fluoroscopic guidance.

The authors review their experience with transrectal drainage of pelvic abscesses in seven children and adolescents (6–16 years old). Initial access was guided by transrectal ultrasound with an endovaginal transducer followed by fluoroscopy for placement of self-retaining catheters (8.5–10 F) using the Seldinger technique. All abscesses were successfully drained without complications. A transrectal catheter was well tolerated by most patients without spontaneous dislodgment. Catheters were removed after an average of 4 days (range 3–7 days). Transrectal drainage of pelvic abscess with transrectal sonographic and fluoroscopic guidance seems to be a safe and effective procedure in children.
Astrometry with the Space Telescope

The Space Telescope offers astronomers for the first time an opportunity to do precision astrometry from space. In this paper, the Space Telescope is described, along with its initial complement of instruments. Particular attention is paid to the Fine Guidance Sensors, which will be the principal astrometric instrument. The responsibilities of the Space Telescope Astrometry Team towards the Space Telescope Astrometry project are described. A description of the scientific results to be expected from Space Telescope astrometry is given. The impact of other proposed Space Astrometry projects, such as the European Astrometry Satellite, on Space Telescope Astrometry is also discussed.
Jenny’s Story: Reinventing Oneself Through Occupation and Narrative Configuration

Two life history interviews were conducted to discover how one women, Jenny, experienced a traumatic head injury, rehabilitation, and recovery. Narrative analysis of the transcribed interviews revealed a rich story of how Jenny had fashioned her identity and character through childhood occupations, including studying classical literature and music, and of how she drew upon resources developed in childhood to engineer her recovery. It also illustrated how Jenny used a recursive process of narrative construction and engagement in self-devised graduated occupations, including studying, playing music, writing, computer graphics, and theater production, to create a new identity and develop capacities to process complex information and exercise creativity. Jenny's story illustrates the usefulness of gaining a perspective on patients as occupational beings through the gathering of life histories focused on occupation, the importance of collaborative patient-therapist goal setting, and the necessity for considering both the doing (practic) and the meaning (narrative) aspects of occupation. Her story supports many scholars' arguments that the therapeutic relationship, and thus occupational therapy practice, may be enhanced through the use of life history interviewing in occupational therapy evaluation and treatment.
Sources of variance in the objective documentation of human cataractous change with Topcon SL-45 and Neitz-CTR retroillumination photography and computerized image analysis.

In the application of Topcon SL-45 Scheimpflug slit and Neitz CTR retroillumination photography to in vivo documentation of cataractous change, several sources of variance affect the results of each technique. We have measured the between-person, between-photographer, between-focal plane (Neitz), between-photo session, replicate photograph (Topcon), between-image analyst and replicate image analysis variances encountered in in vivo documentation of human cataracts with the Topcon SL–45 and Neitz-CTR cameras and our system of computerized image analysis.
Organosilicon compounds VI. The preparation of silylaziridines and silyldiaziridines by silicon-carbon cleavage

The preparation of several 2-furyl-, 2-thienyl-, benzyl-, and allylsubstituted silanes is reported. Such derivatives, when treated with aziridine in the presence of a metal catalyst, afford good yields of silylaziridines and silyldiaziridines. A qualitative study of electronic and steric requirements of the displacement reaction is reported.
Floodplain evolution in a small, tectonically active basin of northern California

Sediment cores were collected along ﬂoodplains in the Navarro River basin of coastal northern California to examine the controls on ﬂoodplain evolution in a tectonically active setting. Sedimentary strata were subsampled for organic content, bulk density, and grain size measurements. Organic samples were analysed for 14C age, which yielded net-averaged sedimentation rates for all cores. Overbank deposition rates decreased at all study sites through time and declined in the downstream direction. The ability of intermediary-order streams to store sediment in ﬂoodplains decreased the ability of highest-order streams to record sediment-pulse events. The effects of anthropogenic disturbance, primarily logging, on long-term overbank deposition rates were minimal. Climatic variability, by affecting sediment loading in the channel network, is the principal control on ﬂoodplain evolution through the Holocene. A hypothetical model is proposed to explain overbank deposition rates in the Navarro basin, which may be extrapolated to the northern-coastal California region during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. The complexities observed in sediment storage and routing in this study imply that caution should be made when extrapolating sediment-yield measurements obtained at river mouths or coastal shelves to geomorphic events within small, tectonically active basins.
CT and MRI of Acute Thoracic Cardiovascular Emergencies

A wide spectrum of acute cardiovascular disorders is seen in patients who are hospitalized in a critical care setting. Imaging plays a central role in the diagnosis and management of these conditions. The most frequently used imaging remains chest radiography; however, more advanced modalities, including coronary angiography, echocardiography, and radioisotope scintigraphy, have well established roles in the assessment of patients in the critical care setting. More recently, multidetector row CT (MDCT) and MRI are being used increasingly for evaluation of coronary artery disease, cardiac structure and function, coronary artery anomalies, cardiac masses, pericardial disease, valvular disease, postoperative cardiovascular abnormalities, venous thromboembolism and acute aortic syndromes, often with other ancillary findings that can provide important clinical information. The three most common life-threatening cardiovascular processes in which advanced imaging plays a role, particularly CT, are discussed, including pulmonary embolism, aortic dissection, and coronary artery disease.
Biospleen for Removing Bad “Humors” in Sepsis

Ancient Greek medicine relied on bloodletting to remove bad “humor” to maintain health. In sepsis, circulating pathogens can lead to systemic inflammation and multiple organ failure despite the best antibiotics and intensive care management. This problem is compounded by the delay in pathogen identification, emergence of multidrug antibiotic resistant organisms, and the high mortality in immunocompromised patients. In searching for a modern way to neutralize the pathogen in the blood, Kang et al. tackled the problem head on. They were inspired by the role the spleen plays as a filtering organ that removes microbes and toxins. Using technologies that combine micromagnetics and microfluidics, the authors developed a “biospleen”—an extracorporeal fluid circuit whereby blood from septic patients is “filtered” to remove circulating pathogens and their inflammatory by-products. To capture the greatest numbers of microbes, they used magnetic nanobeads coated with human mannose-binding lectin (MBL), a collectin whose function is to recognize and opsonize surface patterns on a large number of pathogenic microorganisms. To remove any potential complications of this approach, the human MBL was genetically engineered so that it lacked the capacity to activate the complement, coagulation, and immune systems. In addition, the engineered protein was fused to a human immunoglobulin Fc fragment with site-specific biotinylation (FcMBL) to create a multimeric magnetic opsonin. In vitro, the engineered magnetic FcMBL opsonin was effective at binding to endotoxins as well as a wide array of pathogens, including multidrug resistant types. The “biospleen” device works by cycling septic blood outside the body, where magnetic opsonins latch on to bacteria, fungi, viruses, and toxins. A stationary magnet pulls all magnetic opsonin, along with the pathogens and toxin, before the cleansed blood returns to the animal. This approach was effective at clearing the pathogen load in the circulation and resulted in lower inflammatory cytokines and better survival. The advantage of this technology is the ability to rapidly treat blood infection without having to first identify pathogens, allowing treatment before harmful systemic responses take place. This “biospleen” device could one day be scaled up for human sepsis use in the intensive care units, as additional modules to existing extracorporeal circuits already being used for other organ failures. J. H. Kang et al ., An extracorporeal blood-cleansing device for sepsis therapy. Nat Med . 20 1211–1216 (2014). [[Full Text]][1] [1]: http://www.nature.com/nm/journal/vaop/ncurrent/full/nm.3640.html
Toward a Social and Environmental History of the Building of Cahora Bassa Dam

This paper examines the intertwined social and environmental histories of the Cahora Bassa dam constructed on the Lower Zambesi River in Mozambique. A basic premise of this historical analysis is that social and ecological sustainability are necessarily linked. We trace the transformations wrought by Cahora Bassa and the devastating effects on peasant communities inundated by the dam's reservoir, on down-river communities and on the ecosystems of the Lower Zambesi. The grandiose aims of the Portuguese colonial state to 'develop' the Lower Zambesi by regulating the river contrast sharply with the exploitation of African workers recruited to build the dam. The project was also steeped in the discourse of national security, which provided a convenient rationale for burying information regarding the dam's likely consequences. Oral testimonies from the labourers who constructed the dam and peasants whose livelihoods were disrupted reveal the harsh costs of Cahora Bassa. Similarly, the regulation of the Lower Z...
Training Forward Surgical Teams for Deployment: The US Army Trauma Training Center

Since the late 1980s, the US Army has been deploying forward surgical teams to the most intense areas of conflict to care for personnel injured in combat. The forward surgical team is a 20-person medical team that is highly mobile, extremely agile, and has relatively little need of outside support to perform its surgical mission. In order to perform this mission, however, team training and trauma training are required. The large majority of these teams do not routinely train together to provide patient care, and that training currently takes place at the US Army Trauma Training Center (ATTC). The training staff of the ATTC is a specially selected 10-person team made up of active duty personnel from the Army Medical Department assigned to the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital Ryder Trauma Center in Miami, Florida. The ATTC team of instructors trains as many as 11 forward surgical teams in 2-week rotations per year so that the teams are ready to perform their mission in a deployed setting. Since the first forward surgical team was trained at the ATTC in January 2002, more than 112 forward surgical teams and other similar-sized Department of Defense forward resuscitative and surgical units have rotated through trauma training at the Ryder Trauma Center in preparation for deployment overseas.
Analysis of Fracture in High-Temperature Vacuum Tube Furnace

High-temperature vacuum tube furnace (HTVTF) is widely used for processing materials, developing new materials, and sintering various types of material under vacuum or gaseous conditions. A growing concern in engineering research communities and industries is that fracture occurs in the alumina tube after the furnace has run for few hours and this lead to a drainage of huge amount of money when the buyers replace the tube every time. To improve furnace tube longevity and performance in extreme temperature conditions, it is critical to determine the phenomena that take place inside the furnace and cylindrical alumina tube wall. In the present work, mathematical models are developed to understand the effect of stress concentration arising from thermal stresses in tube wall and heat-affected-zones (HAZ) of a HTVTF using multiphysics finite element software Comsol (Stockholm, Sweden). The combination of thermal stress with temperature difference determines the fracture region. Different air flow rates have been considered to find the critical thermal stress region inside the vacuum tube. Analysis suggests that lowering air flow rate and inserting a small copper pipe inside the first block to blow hot air on the second heat-affected zone (HAZ-2) will reduce thermal stress generation inside the tube and prevent the eventual fracture of the vacuum tube. It is expected that this study can lead to a better understanding of the complex phenomena of fracture alumina tube during operation of HTVTF.
Metal pollution in sediments of Jamaica Bay, New York, USA―an urban estuary

Calculations of the annual input of heavy metals to Jamaica Bay, New York, USA, reveal that sewage effluent carries the largest quantities of Ni, Zn, Cu, and Cd to the bay. Storm sewers and atmospheric fallout are the main sources of Pb. Atmospheric fallout of Zn, Cu, and Cd, although smaller than the combined input from sewers, contributes a significant fraction of these metals. The metal input from landfill leachate is far smaller than that from other sources. Analysis of available data shows that metal concentrations in the sediment of the bay correlate with each other and with percent total organic carbon (%TOC). This is consistent with the observation that the input of metals is predominantly associated with sewage. It is demonstrated that metal-TOC ratios, rather than metal concentrations, must be used in efforts to detect local intensive sources of metals in solution; metal-TOC ratios in intertidal sediment adjacent to these landfills are elevated by the adsorption of leachate metals, while metal concentrations are not. Subtidal sediment within a few hundred meters from two landfills shows no evidence of the addition of metals from that source, which is consistent with the small input of metals estimated for these landfills. The evidence cited in this study sharply contradicts the implication made in a widely publicized report issued by an environmental advocacy group that a significant link exists between metals found in subtidal sediment of Jamaica Bay and landfill leachate.
Cooperative Effects in the Annelation of Benzene by Multiple Etheno Groups

The results of B3LYP/6-31G(d) calculations show that there is a strong cooperative effect on the energies that result from annelating benzene with 1, 2, and 3 etheno groups, to form 3 , 4 , and 5 respectively. The etheno annelation energies have been decomposed into two major contributors – etheno annelation, with all the bonds in the six-membered ring constrained to have the same C–C bond length as in D 6h benzene, and optimization of the C–C bond lengths in the annelated benzene ring. The energies computed for each of these two steps show that the etheno groups behave cooperatively in both of them. The origin of the cooperativity, calculated for each step, is described and discussed.
Predicting retention data using the slope of the log adjusted retention time vs. carbon number plot for n-alkanes

The slope of the n-alkane log plot dt′R/dnc (t′R=adjusted retention time; nc=carbon number) for a stationary phase can be used to obtain the retention index of an unidentified substance in a chromatogram containing only one peak with a known retention index, or to predict the retention time of a substance from that of a different homolog in the same series. It can also be used to translate retention indices into relative retention time, partition coefficient or specific retention volume. Published values of the slope are collected and critically evaluated. Equations are deduced that predict its approximate value at a specified temperature given the value at only one other temperature.
A Comparison of simultaneous-equations, weighted regression, and noise-in-variables models

Model identification and parameter estimation in linear static systems, when more than one variable is subject to noise contamination, is the focus of this paper. When more than one variable is noisy, the appropriateness of a single-equation model versus a multi-equation model must be scrutinized. Linear regression models are the most common single-equation models; simultaneous-equations models typify the multiequation ones. When data covariance matrix @? is inverse positive, only a single linear relationship can be identified, and hence a single-equation model should be selected. Otherwise, a multi-equation model is most appropriate. In this paper, some new sufficient conditions for @? to be inverse positive are presented. Furthermore, for cases when @? is not inverse positive, techniques for identifying the subsets of variables within which linear relations can exist are presented. Finally, when some or all variables of a linear system are noisy, unique estimation of model parameters is difficult unless sufficient prior information about the noise variances is available. Here, a new weighted regression procedure enables the modeler to compute unique parameter estimates based only on computed upper bounds on the noise variances.
Ability of Subjects With Aphasia to Visually Analyze Written Language, Pantomime, and Iconographic Symbols

Considerable debate exists regarding aphasia and its relationship to deficits observed in the ability to analyze visual stimuli. In this investigation, the ability of patients with aphasia to compr...
An example of hierarchical design and proof

Hierarchical programming is being increasingly recognized as helpful in the construction of large programs. Users of hierarchical techniques claim or predict substantial increases in productivity and in the reliability of the programs produced. In this paper we describe a formal method for hierarchical program specification, implementation, and proof. We apply this method to a significant list processing problem and also discuss a number of extensions to current programming languages that ease hierarchical program design and proof.
Breaking the resource curse: Transparency in the natural resource sector and the extractive industries transparency initiative

This article critically examines the impact, up until 2009, of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI). The EITI is an international policy intervention that aims to mitigate the negative effects of resource abundance by promoting the transparency of resource revenues and accountability of the governments of resource rich states. Its effectiveness can be assessed by examining two outcomes that are suggested to be negatively affected by resource abundance: economic development and quality of governance. Through a panel study, including approximately 200 countries, the influence of the EITI in these two areas is examined. Results suggest that the negative effect of resource abundance on GDP per capita, the capacity of the government to formulate and implement sound policies and the level of rule of law is mitigated in EITI countries. However, the EITI has little effect on level of democracy, political stability and corruption. The study concludes that there are some early indications that the EITI has been successful in protecting some nations from selected elements of the resource curse. This is encouraging given the relatively short time period since the founding of the EITI, however the mixed results suggest that a similar study should be repeated in 5 to 10 years when EITI policies have had enough time to fully take effect.
CO2 Capture by a Task-Specific Ionic Liquid

Reaction of 1-butyl imidazole with 3-bromopropylamine hydrobromide, followed by workup and anion exchange, yields a new room temperature ionic liquid incorporating a cation with an appended amine group. The new ionic liquid reacts reversibly with CO2, reversibly sequestering the gas as a carbamate salt. The new ionic liquid, which can be repeatedly recycled in this role, is comparable in efficiency for CO2 capture to commercial amine sequestering reagents, and yet is nonvolatile and does not require water to function.
Incidence and determinants of left atrial scar in patients with paroxysmal and persistent atrial fibrillation undergoing catheter ablation

SESSION 7: BASIC/TRANSLATIONAL SCIENCE II: Mechanisms of Atrial Fibrillation Thursday, May 5, 2005 11:15 a.m.–12:45 p.m.
Mental Disorders Among Gifted and Nongifted Youth: A Selected Review of the Epidemiologic Literature

Given the ongoing debate over whether giftedness is associated with mental health disorders, there is a great need to highlight and compare results from the most methodologically rigorous studies. Surprisingly, the vast majority of literature reviews and background sections of research articles include studies that do not directly compare gifted and nongifted youth. Furthermore, almost no attention has been paid to how differences in the definitions of giftedness or mental health outcomes of interest affect the interpretation and comparison of studies. The authors apply an epidemiologic perspective for thinking about these issues, highlight many of the challenges of studying this population, and present results from meta-analyses that include the most methodologically rigorous studies comparing rates of depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, suicide ideation, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) between gifted and nongifted youth. They conclude with recommendations to strengthen research in this area.
Regulation of Vacuolar Proton-translocating ATPase Activity and Assembly by Extracellular pH

Vacuolar proton-translocating ATPases (V-ATPases) are responsible for organelle acidification in all eukaryotic cells. The yeast V-ATPase, known to be regulated by reversible disassembly in response to glucose deprivation, was recently reported to be regulated by extracellular pH as well (Padilla-Lopez, S., and Pearce, D. A. (2006) J. Biol. Chem. 281, 10273–10280). Consistent with those results, we find 57% higher V-ATPase activity in vacuoles isolated after cell growth at extracellular pH of 7 than after growth at pH 5 in minimal medium. Remarkably, under these conditions, the V-ATPase also becomes largely insensitive to reversible disassembly, maintaining a low vacuolar pH and high levels of V1 subunit assembly, ATPase activity, and proton pumping during glucose deprivation. Cytosolic pH is constant under these conditions, indicating that the lack of reversible disassembly is not a response to altered cytosolic pH. We propose that when alternative mechanisms of vacuolar acidification are not available, maintaining V-ATPase activity becomes a priority, and the pump is not down-regulated in response to energy limitation. These results also suggest that integrated pH and metabolic inputs determine the final assembly state and activity of the V-ATPase.
Concentration dependence of methyl palmitate isotope ratios by electron impact ionization gas chromatography/mass spectrometry

Isotope ratios must be measured precisely when stable isotopic tracers are used for in vivo metabolic kinetic studies since low enrichments are generally achieved above relatively high natural abundance backgrounds. We have observed that the (m + 1)/(m + 0) isotope ratio for the molecular ion of methyl palmitate (measured by electron impact ionization selected ion monitoring gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) is limited by a dependence of the isotope ratio on the quantity of sample analyzed. Since it is not practical to analyze exactly the same quantity of sample in a series of samples, this concentration dependence decreases the apparent precision of the isotope ratio measurement. The apparent natural abundance (m + 1)/(m + 0) isotope ratio increased from approximately 0.185 (0.2 nmol analyzed) to 0.20 (2.0 nmol). The concentration dependence was not altered as the quadrupole tuning resolution was varied and did not appear to arise from system non-linearity. The major source of concentration dependence derived from hydrogen abstraction during ion–molecule collisions within the ionization chamber. The concentration dependence was decreased as the repeller voltage increased and ion residence times in the source were reduced. Furthermore, the integrated (m + 1) peak area increased with the square of the (m + 0) peak area, consistent with a bimolecular ion–molecule collision process. A simple mathematical correction for the concentration dependence afforded a ten-fold improvement in the coefficient of variation of the isotope ratio measurement. Although hydrogen abstraction has been a well-recognized phenomenon in electron impact ionization sources for many decades, the effects of this process on the apparent precision of isotope ratio measurements has not been generally acknowledged in applications involving in vivo metabolic tracers.
Vaginal cycles in the rat after x-ray or other damage to one or both ovaries.

A comparison was made of the effects of various doses of x ray, or other damaging agents, administered to one or both ovaries of the rat at 60 days of age. Irradiations with or ovaries. Damage to the rat ovary at 60 days of age caused irregularities in the estrous cycle and continuous cornification of the vagina. The vaginal changes occurred within 2 to 3 months after bilateral irradiation or after bilateral castration and autotransplantation of a portion of one ovary. Unilateral irradiation or ligation of the ovarian arteries at their junction with the uterine artery produced similar changes within 5 to 7 months. Comparable vaginal changes did not occur in control animals until they reached the age of 10 months. Thus the changes in the vaginal cycle produced by damage to the ovary appeared at an earlier age than comparable changes that occur in the aging female rat. It could not be explained why irradiation of one ovary, followed by its removal a short time later, resulted in a higher percentage of cornification than was seen in the untreated or unilaterally ovariectomized female. It may have been an aging process. (TCO)
Proton-transfer kinetics of photoexcited 7-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulphonic acid in aqueous DMSO solutions.

The monoanion of 7-hydroxy-1-naphthalenesulphonic acid (HNS) undergoes pseudo-first-order dissociation and its conjugate base undergoes second-order protonation in the lowest excited singlet state. The proton transfer kinetics in water containing dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO), up to a mole fraction of about 0.4, have been evaluated as a function of DMSO concentration. At mole fractions above 0.5 of DMSO, proton-transfer does not measurably occur. At mole fractions below 0.5, steady-state and pulsed-source fluorimetries show the rate constant for dissociation to decrease exponentially with increasing mole fraction of DMSO. This is believed to be due to penetration and disruption of the aqueous solvent cage of HNS by DMSO, resulting in impairment of the Grotthus proton-transfer mechanism. The rate of neutralization of the conjugate base by hydrogen ion is found to vary only slightly with solvent composition and depends on the bulk dielectric properties of the solvent. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design considerations for Picture Production in a Natural Language graphics system

This ongoing research is concerned with the construction of a Picture Production system which has embedded knowledge. The paper discusses the motivation for such a system and gives reasons why knowledge should be included about the objects to be displayed. Some questions and commands in Natural Language are shown to give clues as to the natural structure of such a system. An outline of a design for a Picture Production system is presented via the use of a simple example.
Neutral cloud theory of the Jovian nebula: Anomalous ionization effect of superthermal electrons

The standard model of the Jovian nebula postulates that its particle source is the extended cloud of neutral sulfur and oxygen atoms that escape from the satellite Io and become ionized through electron impact from the corotating plasma. Its energy source is the gyroenergy acquired by newly formed pickup ions as they are swept up to corotation velocity by the planetary magnetic field. Elastic collisions between plasma ions and electrons cool the ions and heat the electrons, while inelastic collisions cool the electrons and excite the ions to radiate intense line emission, which is the primary energy-loss mechanism for the plasma. This neutral cloud theory of the Io plasma torus, as it has come to be known, has been the subject of recent critcism which asserts that the theory cannot account for the observed charge state of the plasma which features O(+) and S(2+) as the dominant ions. It is shown in this work that the inclusion of a small population of super-thermal electrons is required to achieve the correct ion partitioning among various charge states. It is also argued that the anomalous ionization effect of the superthermal electrons is responsible for the overall spatial bifurcation of the nebula into a hot multiply charged plasma region outside of 5.7 Jovian radii and a cool singly ionized plasma inside this distance.
Long-range Substituent Effects in Morphine-type Agonists and Antagonists: A Possible Explanation for some Opiate Anomalies

Anomalous variations in the pKa values of variously substituted morphine-type agonists and antagonists are interpreted as a reflection of long-range substituent effects operating in these molecules. Based on the operation of long-range effects, a mechanism is proposed by which substitution into the N-normorphine portion of morphine-type agonists and antagonists changes the activity of the parent molecule. Thus, a remote substituent would distort the whole molecule via a conformational transmission effect and thereby (a) change the fit between the opiate and its receptor; (b) change the electron density distribution throughout the molecule and, therefore, at the nitrogen; (c) modify the directionality of the lone-electron pair on the nitrogen; and (d) affect the pKa of the drug. The operation of long-range effects as proposed here could account for some of the anomalous changes in opiate activity effected by substitution into the parent molecule.
A simplified method for isolation of the S-carboxymethyl derivative chains of normal fibrinogen and fibrinogen cleveland I

Abstract Highly purified individual chains of normal fibrinogen and fibrinogen Cleveland I were prepared by chromatographing the reduced, carboxymethylated whole protein upon columns of S-P Sephadex C-50. This method is suitable, as a preliminary step, in the further study of either normal or abnormal fibrinogen.
Vapor-phase growth forms and purification of 1,4-benzenedicar☐ylic acid

Abstract Telephthalic acid crystals grown by vapor deposition at 160–190 °C and atmospheric pressure assume respectively polygonal, branched and unbranched-dendritic and columnar habits depending on the conditions of the experiments. Preliminary experiments. Preliminary experiments on terephthalic acid purification by vapor-phase recrystallization indicate that the volatile impurities, initially in the terephthalic acid crystal lattice, are preferentially entrained and their concentration (mass fraction) in the deposits is up to 80 times higher than in the source material. About 60% (mass) of the volatile impurity is removed from the crude acid after a 70 min treatment and the purification effects seem independent of the initial impurity loading.
Cooperative Regulation of Hormone Binding Affinity for Cell Surface Receptors

Many enzymes in key metabolic pathways are subject to “regulation,” i.e. their level of activity (Km and/or Vmax) is modulated by the substrate itself, by end-products of the chain of biochemical reactions or by substrate-unrelated effectors (42, 59). In the majority of cases, this regulation is effected through cooperative conformational transitions in a polymeric enzyme molecule, which are either induced (33) or stabilized (41) by the substrate or effector. Cooperative or “allosteric” properties are not an exclusivity of enzymes. Hemoglobin also exhibits strong cooperative interactions upon binding of oxygen (1, 5, 27, 44, 50, 60), and it is quite possible that some antibodies are endowed with similar properties when they bind antigens (40, 58) or complement (56).
Sensitivity limit of a coupled-resonator optical waveguide gyroscope with separate input/output coupling

This paper studies a coupled-resonator optical waveguide (CROW) gyroscope consisting of identical coupled rings and coupling ratios except the input and output couplers have a different coupling ratio. Under certain circumstances this gyroscope is found to be more sensitive than the same gyroscope with all equal coupling ratios. However, its maximum achievable sensitivity does not exceed that of an optimized single-ring resonator gyroscope with the same ring radius and loss. This conclusion applies whether the CROW gyroscope is folded or unfolded, whether it utilizes one or two input/output waveguides, and regardless of the number of rings and waveguide loss.
Development, Reliability, and Validity of the Children's Questions about Death Scale

Most measures of parent-child communication about death are specific only to families of chronically ill children. In contrast, The Children's Questions About Death Scale (CQADS) was constructed to assess how effectively mothers respond to questions about death that their healthy children are likely to ask them. The CQADS originated from a pool of 237 questions that mothers (N = 116) reported they had been asked by their children regarding death. Final item selection was determined by categorizing the questions using four categories (essence, intentionality, loss of relationship, and self-oriented) and selecting a representative set of four items in each category that demonstrated adequate response variability and inter-rater agreement. The scoring criteria for the CQADS were established on the basis of expert opinion in the literature. Operationally defined scoring criteria were developed so that mothers' written responses to each of the questions on the CQADS could be rated for effectiveness on a scale ...
Fast search algorithms for reconfiguration problems

A number of reconfiguration strategies have been proposed for increasing the yield of VLSI chips. In most cases the associated reconfiguration problems are NP-complete. Therefore, exhaustive search algorithms are generally used in order to find a solution when one exists. In this paper we present the notion of admissible sets and show how such sets can be used to significantly reduce the running time of many exhaustive search algorithms for reconfiguration problems. As an example, the authors find a class of admissible sets called excess-k critical sets that can be used in the design of fast search algorithms for the problem of reconfiguring redundant random access memories (RRAMs). They also consider applications to the problems of reconfiguring RRAMs with shared spares and reconfiguring redundant programmable logic arrays (RPLAs). Experimental results indicate that this approach is very powerful. >
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease.

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) encompasses a spectrum of disorders in which gastric reflux leads to symptoms and/or damage to the esophageal mucosa. For the most part, it is a clinical diagnosis that may be objectively confirmed by a number of diagnostic tests. Presentations of GERD may vary widely, but can be divided into three categories: typical symptoms (heartburn and regurgitation), atypical symptoms (angina-like chest pain, asthma, cough, and laryngitis) and complications (ulcerations, strictures, and metaplastic changes or Barrett’s esophagus).
Should dermatology residents accept educational support sponsored or funded by pharmaceutical companies

As a first-year dermatology resident, Dr Jones is both impressed and intimidated by the fund of knowledge of his senior residents. They tell him that the best studying resource is a free review guide with an accompanying Web site and board and in-training examination practice questions, and they offer him a copy. The residents refer to this review book by the name of the pharmaceutical company that has sponsored its production and distribution. Although the company was not directly involved in writing the review, the review can only be obtained with the company’s sponsorship because it is not commercially available for sale. Even though the residency program’s hospital has set strict rules about physician-industry relationships and explicitly bans any gifts (including educational guides or textbooks) from industry, the residents have no trouble obtaining free copies. The company is happy to provide these copies, and the residency program director makes no effort to object.
Influence of Timing and Prey Availability on Fruit Damage to Apple by Campylomma verbasci (Hemiptera: Miridae)

Abstract Campylomma verbasci Meyer is a zoophytophagous mirid that feeds on small arthropods as well as apple (Malus domestica Borkhausen) fruits, causing economic damage to some cultivars. The influence of timing and prey availability on the amount of fruit damage was studied to determine whether either factor could be used to refine a management program. C. verbasci nymphs were caged on branches of fruiting ‘Golden Delicious’ apple trees during the period from bloom through early fruit set. The greatest amount of fruit damage occurred during the bloom period; little or no damage occurred after fruit reached ≈13 mm in diameter. The availability of prey did not reduce the incidence of fruit damage by C. verbasci, nor did it influence the survival of nymphs. Nymphal survival was higher, however, in cages where a blossom or fruitlet was present versus a vegetative spur. These data support the hypothesis that post petal fall insecticide applications (those made after the fruit is greater than ≈10–13 mm in di...
Evaluating the benefits of 3d stereo in modern video games

We present a study that investigates user performance benefits of 3D stereo in modern video games. Based on an analysis of several video games that are best suited for use with commercial 3D stereo drivers and vision systems, we chose five modern titles focusing on racing, first and third person shooter, and sports game genres. For each game, quantitative and qualitative measures were taken to determine if users performed better and learned faster in the experimental group (3D stereo display) than in the control group (2D display). A game experience pre-questionnaire was used to classify participants into beginner, intermediate, and advanced gameplay categories to ensure prior game experience did not bias the experiment. Our results indicate that although participants preferred playing in 3D stereo for the games we tested, it does not provide any significant advantage in overall user performance. In addition, users' learning rates were comparable in the 3D stereo display and 2D display cases.
Applying Psychological Theories to Educational Practice

Two approaches to the application of psychological theories to education might be referred to as domain-general and domain-specific. The domain-general approach seeks a general theory of cognitive and other skills that apply across subject-matter areas. The domain-specific approach seeks to apply specific theories within given domains, such as reading or mathematics. The latter approach is more widely used. But it fails to provide a unified model of learning and instruction. One of the greatest challenges facing modern research in learning and instruction is devising and then empirically testing domain-general theories. This article describes efforts to devise and test one such model, the theory of successful intelligence.
A FACTOR ANALYTIC STUDY OF EDWARDS' PERSONAL PREFERENCE SCHEDULE

Edwards (1959) has presented a table of intercorrelations to substantiate his claim that the variables measured by his Personal Preference Schedule (EPPS) are relatively independent. I t then seems appropriate to factor analyze this matrix of correlations in order to determine the extent of independence. However, as Stoltz (1958) has pointed out, such an analysis is presumably not appropriate because the measures involved are more ipsative than normative in character. There appear to be occasions when violations of the rules may provide useful information, especially if an additional empirical check may be applied to the data. The present study is an example of one such violation. In the course of factor analyzing the intercorrelations of the Edwards variables as an exercise, a major factor emerged which appeared to be one of social desirability (SD). An empirical check was then applied to test this hypothesis.
The NS5A protein of bovine viral diarrhoea virus interacts with the α subunit of translation elongation factor-1

A cellular protein that interacts with the NS5A polypeptide of bovine viral diarrhoea virus (BVDV) was identified in a yeast two-hybrid screen. The NS5A interactor was identified as the α subunit of bovine translation elongation factor 1A (eEF1A). Cell-free binding studies were performed with chimeric NS5A fused to glutathione S-transferase (GST–NS5A) expressed in bacteria. GST–NS5A bound specifically to both in vitro-translated and mammalian cell-expressed eEF1A. Moreover, purified eEF1A bound specifically to GST–NS5A attached to a solid phase. Conservation of this interaction was then analysed using a set of NS5A proteins derived from divergent BVDV strains encompassing known biotypes and genotypes. NS5A from all BVDV strains tested so far interacted with eEF1A. The conserved association of eEF1A with virus molecules involved in genome replication and the postulated role of pestivirus and hepacivirus NS5A in replication indicate that this interaction may play a role in the replication of BVDV.
Law-governed systems

This paper describes a software development environment based on a new approach for managing large-scale evolving systems. Under this approach, the conventional notion of a system is augmented with a new component called the law of the system, which is an explicit and strictly enforced set of rules about the operation of the system, about its evolution and about the evolution of the law itself. The resulting combination is called a law-governed system (LGS). The law of a system is not meant to provide its functional specification but to establish the ground rules under which the system is to operate and evolve. We believe that the very existence of such a law, together with assurances that it cannot be violated, can make the system more understandable and, in effect, simpler; in a similar way to how the physical world is effectively simplified by the laws of nature. The feasibility of the proposed architecture has been demonstrated by the construction of a prototype environment (Darwin/1) that supports law-governed systems. The efficacy of this approach has been tested by establishing a wide range of regimes over both the operation of a system and its evolution. These include encapsulation, class-inheritance, evolving layered architecture, various module-interconnection schemes, strategies for exception handling etc.
Motivation for Variable Length Intervals and Hierarchical Phase Behavior

Most programs are repetitive, where similar behavior can be seen at different execution times. Proposed algorithms automatically group similar portions of a program's execution into phases, where the intervals in each phase have homogeneous behavior and similar resource requirements. These prior techniques focus on fixed length intervals (such as a hundred million instructions) to find phase behavior. Fixed length intervals can make a program's periodic phase behavior difficult to find, because the fixed interval length can be out of sync with the period of the program's actual phase behavior. In addition, a fixed interval length can only express one level of phase behavior. In this paper, we graphically show that there exists a hierarchy of phase behavior in programs and motivate the need for variable length intervals. We describe the changes applied to SimPoint to support variable length intervals. We finally conclude by providing an initial study into using variable length intervals to guide SimPoint
Physiology and firmness determination of ripening tomato fruit

Tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) genotypes varying in intrinsic firmness were examined to determine the quantitative relationships between polygalacturonase (EC 3.2.1.15) activity, firmness and other ripening parameters including rate (days from mature-green to full red) and intensity (rate of ethylene production at climacteric peak) of ripening. Texture, respiration and ethylene production were monitored in the immature-green through the red (ripe) stages of development. Polygalacturonase activity was measured by direct assay of salt-extractable wall protein or by monitoring the release of pectins from isolated, enzymically active wall. In all fruit, polygalacturonase activity was highly correlated with pericarp softening, but only moderately correlated with softening of whole fruit (r = 0.920 and 0.757, respectively). Polygalacturonase activity was positively correlated with cell-wall autolytic activity in pink (r = 0.969) and red (r = 0.900) fruit. Firmer genotypes exhibited lower rates of respiration and ethylene production during ripening. Polygalacturonase activity in isolates prepared from fruit at the climacteric peak was positively correlated with ethylene production and respiration, and negatively correlated with days to ripening (r = 0.929, 0.805, and -0.791, respectively). The data demonstrate the importance of selecting the appropriate method of firmness determination and are consistent with the hypothesis that pectin fragments released by polygalacturonase contribute to the production of autocatalytic (system II) ethylene.