cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Heavy-tailed distributions, correlations, kurtosis and Taylor's Law of fluctuation scaling.

Pillai & Meng (Pillai & Meng 2016 Ann. Stat. 44, 20892097; p. 2091) speculated that the dependence among [random variables, rvs] can be overwhelmed by the heaviness of their marginal tails . We giv...
Outflow graft obstruction after left ventricular assist device implantation: a retrospective, single-centre case series

AIMS Outflow graft obstruction is a poorly described complication following left ventricular assist device (LVAD) surgery. We sought to define the incidence of LVAD outflow graft obstruction and assess clinical outcomes with a percutaneous treatment strategy. METHODS AND RESULTS From January 2012 to October 2020, 322 patients with LVAD were managed at our institution. Patients with LVAD outflow graft obstruction were identified by cardiac computed tomography with angiography and invasive haemodynamic assessment and were subsequently treated with percutaneous intervention. Poisson regression was used to analyse time-dependent differences in the incidence of LVAD outflow graft obstruction. Kaplan-Meier analysis was used to estimate survival. Twenty patients (6.2%) developed haemodynamically significant LVAD outflow graft obstruction at a rate of 0.03 events per patient-year. Outflow graft obstruction presented a median of 33 (26-49) months after surgery. Patients presented with low estimated LVAD pump flow (95%), heart failure (90%), or both (85%), and 59% developed cardiogenic shock prior to intervention. The most common aetiology identified by cardiac computed tomography with angiography was external compression of the outflow graft (78%). On presentation, the median peak gradient in the outflow graft was 78 (64-100) mmHg. Outflow graft stenting was 100% successful with no in-hospital mortality, and it reduced the peak outflow graft gradient to 10 (2-17) mmHg (P < 0.001). Outflow graft stenting was durable with two patients (10%) requiring a repeat procedure over a median follow-up of 13 (7-20) months and did not impact survival. CONCLUSIONS Left ventricular assist device outflow graft obstruction is a relatively common and underappreciated cause of recurrent heart failure and LVAD dysfunction. Outflow graft stenting can be achieved with low morbidity and provides a long-term solution to this complication.
How to Evaluate Woodcock Habitat Management: are Landowners the Answer?

Loss of young forest, also termed early successional forest, in North America is negatively impacting wildlife populations that rely on this regenerating forest type, especially birds. The Wisconsin Young Forest Partnership (WYFP) targets young forest management efforts to benefit American woodcock (Scolopax minor; hereafter, woodcock) on private lands in Wisconsin. The WYFP uses an adaptive strategy to iteratively evaluate and adjust their habitat management activities. Citizen science can be a valuable evaluation tool in this process. The WYFP aims to develop a citizen science program whereby landowners monitor woodcock in management areas on their properties. We explored the woodcock monitoring preferences and abilities of landowners through questionnaires, interviews, and pilot woodcock surveying to inform the development of a citizen science woodcock monitoring program. Landowners were enthusiastic about participating in woodcock monitoring. When creating a citizen science program for monitoring woodcock it is important to use English units for estimating distance, evaluate landowners’ physical ability to hear peenting woodcock, provide in-person monitoring training, and have flexible data submittal options. Development of a successful citizen science program for monitoring woodcock requires balancing researcher goals with participant preferences and abilities.
"She Even Walked the Dog": The Roles of Relational Context and Goal-Setting in a Welfare to Work Program

This report summarizes an evaluation of the effectiveness of a welfare-to-work program that is operated by the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) in Central Massachusetts. The study looks at how effective the program was in helping clients achieve goals towards self-sufficiency and tries to understand the particulars of the trusting relationships between staff and clients that provided the base from which they worked to address multiple concerns impeding family financial self-sufficiency. Acknowledgements This project is a product of the Community Partnership Outreach Center at Fitchburg State College, which was funded through a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This article is available in The Qualitative Report: http://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqr/vol6/iss3/4 "She Even Walked the Dog": The Roles of Relational Context and Goal-Setting in a Welfare to Work Program by Lynne A. Kellner and David Haddad with Ann G. Forcier The Qualitative Report, Volume 6, Number 3 September, 2001 Abstract This report summarizes an evaluation of the effectiveness of a welfare-to-work program that is operated by the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) in Central Massachusetts. The study looks at how effective the program was in helping clients achieve goals towards self-sufficiency and tries to understand the particulars of the trusting relationships between staff and clients that provided the base from which they worked to address multiple concerns impeding family financial self-sufficiency.This report summarizes an evaluation of the effectiveness of a welfare-to-work program that is operated by the Montachusett Opportunity Council (MOC) in Central Massachusetts. The study looks at how effective the program was in helping clients achieve goals towards self-sufficiency and tries to understand the particulars of the trusting relationships between staff and clients that provided the base from which they worked to address multiple concerns impeding family financial self-sufficiency.
Mechanical Consequences of Calcium Channel Modulation during Volatile Anesthetic-Induced Left Ventricular Systolic and Diastolic Dysfunction

Publisher Summary This chapter represents preliminary data from an ongoing series of experiments aimed at further understanding of the functional interactions between dihydropyridine Ca 2+ channel modulators and volatile anesthetic agents in the chronically instrumented dog. Preliminary results of these experiments indicate that modulators of the cardiac slow Ca 2+ channel have important functional consequences on left ventricular mechanical performance during systole and diastole in vivo . The dihydropyridine Ca 2+ channel agonist Bay k 8644 and antagonist nifedipine produce dose-related positive and negative inotropic effects, respectively, as evaluated using M w in conscious and anesthetized, chronically instrumented dogs with autonomic nervous system blockade. Nifedipine also prolonged isovolumic relaxation, decreased early ventricular filling, and increased regional chamber stiffness in both the conscious and anesthetized states. Thus, nifedipine-induced depression of left ventricular performance may be related not only to negative inotropic actions but also to negative lusitropic effects as well. Bay k caused enhancement of several indices of diastolic function in conscious dogs. In contrast, the drug caused minimal changes in indices of diastolic performance and did not change these parameters during isoflurane and halothane anesthesia. Bay k induced decreases in diastolic Ca 2+ clearance resulting from persistent Ca 2+ channel activation and enhanced Ca 2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Bay k may produce diastolic dysfunction while increasing myocardial contractility during halothane and isoflurane anesthesia.
Multistate Security Interests in Automobiles Under UCC Section 9-103

The choice-of-law provisions of the UCC’s Article 9 have not been among its resounding successes. The success of the UCC has had little positive effect on the complicated conflicts problems which arise in the area of secured transactions. Subsection 9-103(4), drafted in 1957 to cover interstate movement of automobiles, may be the most complex, and has suffered academic criticism and judicial inconsistent application. This article evaluates the history behind this article and examines its future. It concludes that things might have been much simpler had different steps been taken in its drafting. Because old section 9-103 was so badly drafted in 1957, the projected effect of new section 9-103 looms positive and salutary. Where the letter of the law was badly blurred and its spirit faint and ambiguous, the new provision should provide both a clearer letter of the law and a more definite policy spirit with which to approach problems of multistate security interests in motor vehicles.
Towards Personalities for Animated Agents with Reactive and Planning Behaviors

We describe a framework for creating animated simulations of virtual human agents. The framework allows us to capture flexible patterns of activity, reactivity to a changing environment, and certain aspects of an agent personality model. Each leads to variation in how an animated simulation will be realized. As different parts of an activity make different demands on an agent's resources and decision-making, our framework allows special-purpose reasoners and planners to be associated with only those phases of an activity where they are needed. Personality is reflected in locomotion choices which are guided by an agent model that interacts with the other components of the framework.
The Extender Technology: An Example of Human-Machine Interation via the Transfer of Power and Information Signals

A human's ability to perform physical tasks is limited by physical strength, not by intelligence. We define "extenders" as a class of robot manipulators worn by humans to augment human mechanical strength, while the wearer's intellect remains the central control system for manipulating the extender. Our research objective is to determine the ground rules for the design and control of robotic systems worn by humans through the design, construction, and control of several prototype experimental direct-drive/non-direct-drive multi-degree-of-freedom hydraulic/electric extenders. The design of extenders is different from the design of conventional robots because the extender interfaces with the human on a physical level. Two sets of force sensors measure the forces imposed on the extender by the human and by the environment (i.e., the load). The extender's compliances in response to such contact forces were designed by selecting appropriate force compensators. This paper gives a summary of some of the selected research efforts related to Extender Technology, carried out during 80's. The references, at the end of this article, give detailed description of the research efforts.
Transmyocardial Laser Revascularization

Ischemic heart disease remains the leading cause of death in the Western Hemisphere. Despite recent advances in medical therapy and surgical and percutaneous revascularization, the number of so-called no option patients is increasing. These patients are no longer candidates for percutaneous or surgical revascularization but are symptomatic despite maximal medical therapy. A number of investigational therapeutic strategies have been developed to improve the quality of life of “no-option” patients. These, in addition to laser myocardial revascularization discussed here, include angiogenesis and myogenesis approaches, external counterpulsation, as well as spinal cord stimulation.
Carbon Fiber—Vinyl Ester Interfacial Adhesion Improvement by the Use of an Epoxy Coating

With the use of composites expanding into larger structural applications, vinyl ester matrices which are not dependent on an autoclave cure and are more environmentally resistant to water absorption are being investigated. The degree of adhesion between the fiber and matrix has been recognized to be a critical factor in determining the performance of fiber-reinforced composites. The mechanical properties of carbon fiber–vinyl ester composites are low compared to carbon fiber–epoxy composites, partly because of lower interfacial adhesion. The origins of this limitation were investigated. The influence of preferential adsorption of the matrix constituents on the interfacial adhesion was not significant. However, the high cure volume shrinkage was found to be an important factor. An engineered interphase consisting of a partially cross-linked epoxy sizing that could chemically bond to the carbon fiber and form an interpenetrating network with the vinyl ester matrix was found to sharply improve the interfacial adhesion. The mechanisms involved in that improvement were investigated. The diffusion of styrene in the epoxy coating decreased the residual stress induced by the volume shrinkage of the vinyl ester matrix. The optimal value of the thickness was found to be a dominant factor in increasing the value of the interfacial shear strength according to a 2D non-linear finite element model.
Perceiving Racism in Ambiguous Situations: Who Relies on Easy-to-Use Information?

In situations that are ambiguous with regard to the presence of discrimination, how do people arrive at their conclusions that discrimination has (or has not) taken place? This question was examined from a motivated social cognition perspective via the interaction of two factors: the prototype effect--the notion that ambiguously discriminatory behavior is more likely to be perceived as discriminatory when the executor is prototypical and the need for cognitive closure--the tendency to jump hastily to and seize on an answer. Results provided replicating evidence of the prototype effect among European American participants but not among African American participants. Specifically, European Americans were likely to perceive ambiguously racist behavior enacted by a prototypical executor (i.e., a White person) as more discriminatory than the same behavior exhibited by a non-prototypical executor (i.e., a Black person). African American participants, on the other hand, showed no reliance on this simple cognitive heuristic. Furthermore, results showed that European Americans with a higher need for cognitive closure were more likely to rely on the easy-to-use information offered by prototypes. These findings are discussed from a motivated social cognition perspective.
Use of tannic acid to study cytoplasmic vesicles and membrane invaginations in epididymal fat pads of ageing mice.

A staining technique based upon the known ability of tannic acid to selectively stain the outer layer of the triple-layered plasma membrane was used, along with electron microscopic examination of stained, serial sections, to differentiate between surface invaginations, clusters of invaginations, free vesicles and tubular channels in epididymal fat pads from young, fed and fasted mice and from old, fed mice. A preliminary semi-quantitative evaluation of the average number of each type of structure per cell was attempted. There were no significant number of free cytoplasmic vesicles of approximately 50 nm diameter (the dimension of most surface invaginations) under any conditions studied. Most apparent vesicles were stained by tannic acid and were, therefore, actually invaginations of the plasma membrane. There were no tubular channels of this size seen in any of the electron micrographs examined in serial sections. We estimated that there are about 50 single invaginations per μm2 of plasma membrane surface in both young and old fed mice. In addition there were about 20 invaginations/μm2 grouped as clusters of 2–15 per group (mean, 4 per group) in the fed mice. There was a tendency for the number of invaginations in clusters to increase during fasting; about 40% of the surface invaginations were grouped in clusters in adipocytes of fasted mice. Although there was no effect of ageing on the concentrations of surface invaginations or in their groupings as clusters, the total number of invaginations per cell must have increased almost 3-fold as the cells enlarged. The function of these surface invaginations and deeply penetrating groups of invaginations remains to be elucidated.
Overview of Penicillin Allergy

Allergy to penicillin is the most commonly reported antibiotic allergy. However, most patients who report a positive history of a prior reaction to penicillin are not found to be allergic to penicillin upon skin testing. Often, this history is vague or based on a parent’s recollection of an event that occurred in the distant past. Avoidance of penicillin based on self-reported allergic history alone often leads to the use of an alternate antibiotic with greater cost or side effect profile. Patients with a negative skin test to both major and minor determinants may generally be given penicillin, with a statistical risk of developing an allergic reaction similar to that observed in the general population. A more cautious approach in these cases where the degree of suspicion is low, an allergic etiology is unproven, or there is a negative skin test, is to do a graded challenge. If the skin test is positive, an alternate antibiotic should be used. If, however, an alternate antibiotic is not available, then desensitization may be performed, but there are limitations to desensitization as well, and tolerance is not permanent. Avoidance of cephalosporins may be recommended in cases of penicillin allergy, but newer generation cephalosporins have demonstrate less cross-reactivity to penicillin than earlier generation ones. Desensitization protocols for cephalosporins are available but not standardized. The mechanisms of antibiotic sensitization are not clearly understood.
Consumer directed healthcare: except for the healthy and wealthy it's unwise.

Many politicians and business leaders are advocating high deductible health insurance plans linked with health savings accounts—so-called consumer-directed healthcare. These policies penalize the sick, discourage needed care (especially primary and preventive care), and direct tax subsidies towards the wealthiest Americans. They offer little hope of slowing the growth of health care costs and add further bureaucratic costs and complexity to our health care financing system.
Performance Evaluation in the Field

Because the ocean can provide the full spectrum of motions past a flow sensor, testing in the field environment is a useful and necessary, though never sufficient, method for evaluating the performance of current measuring devices. A properly designed field experiment can provide information about the response characteristics of the instrument under a particular set of environmental conditions. The experiment, however, should necessarily be linked to a complementary set of laboratory tests. For meaningful results, the test site must be judiciously chosen to have environmental conditions that can be measured and understood, yet representative, of the environment in which the instrument will be used and for which it was designed. The lack of perfect sensors to measure the environment complicates the effort and additional techniques such as in-situ diver observation and lagrangian measurements using biological and dye tracers are useful. A rigid frame sensor platform has been successfully employed for field evaluations, particularly in regions having large vertical shears.
Advances In The Computation Of The Optical Transfer Function

AbstractA recent advance makes feasible the evaluation of the physical optical trans-fer function at points which cover theentire frequency plane, or a selectedportion of it, at any desired density.The vector frequencies at which the trans-fer function is evaluated are independentof the wavelength, the numerical apertureof the imagery, and the element size ofthe grid used to determine the locationsof the points at which the pupil functionis evaluated. Accurate results are achieved by interpolating in the piece wise nearlylinear phase of the pupil function. Atable of maximum, minimum, and averageresponse at each of a set of frequenciesas a function of azimuth serves as a sum-mary of the more detailed results. virtu-ally, any optical system of interest re-gardless of its numerical aperture and /orthe size of its aberrations can be evalu-ated by using this method with a 20 x 20grid.IntroductionIn the computation of the incoherentphysical optical transfer function (OTF),the pupil function of the system is usuallyspecified by an array of sampled values inelements of a grid which is set up in thepupil of the system. Values of the OTFare then computed at frequency intervals
Partnering: A Team Building Approach to Quality Construction Management

The main objective during a construction project is to deliver a quality product in a timely, cost‐effective, and safe manner. However, due to the risky and competitive nature of construction contracting, conflicting objectives among the different parties involved in a contract are bound to occur. In many instances this leads to expensive claims and litigation. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has adopted an approach called “partnering” to define its relationship with its contractors in an attempt to reduce or eliminate claims and litigation. The partnering approach relies on the fact that the best conflict‐resolution strategy is one that prevents conflicts from occurring. Therefore, the main objective of partnering is to encourage all parties of a contract to change their relationships from adversarial to cooperative, by building a friendly environment with all parties acting as members of one team. This change in relationships requires changes in attitudes to achieve mutual trust, ...
[Name withheld]: Anonymity and its implications

Anonymity allows the individual to have a voice without having a name. Since the word “anonymous” entered the English language with the advent of the printing press, the implications of being anonymous - and its lexical offspring “anonymity” - have shifted with time, place, and circumstance. What are the perceived effects of being anonymous/anonymity on the individual and on society? In this paper, I will explore some of the shifting meanings and implications of this concept, first as it relates to authorship, then (as it came to be viewed) as a signature condition of modern life. The perceived effect of anonymity on the social good includes promoting freedom of expression, enabling the free flow of information, enhancing therapeutic disinhibition, and fostering an atmosphere where ideas are judged on merit. Negative consequences include lack of accountability and credibility, nondisclosure, and deindividuation. The requirements for maintaining anonymity and pseudonymity are discussed and anonymity on the Internet. Finally, I will explore how anonymity/pseudonymity has come to be seen as a key way to protect privacy in an era of ubiquitous surveillance technologies and to promote free expression in cyberspace.
L-histidine sensing by calcium sensing receptor inhibits voltage-dependent calcium channel activity and insulin secretion in β-cells

Aims Our goal was to test the hypothesis that the histidine-induced activation of calcium sensing receptor (CaR) can regulate calcium channel activity of L-type voltage dependent calcium channel (VDCC) due to increased spatial interaction between CaR and VDCC in β-cells and thus modulate glucose-induced insulin secretion.
Determination of acrylamide in rat serum and sciatic nerve by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection

Abstract A modified method for the derivatization and determination of acrylamide as 2-bromopropenamide by gas chromatography-electron-capture detection was developed and applied to serum and sciatic nerve from rats. The method was accurate and precise over the calibration range 2.24-7.47 μg/ml in serum diluted 1:125 and 4-122 μg/g in sciatic nerve homogenate (5 mg/ml). Limits of detection were estimated to be 1200 ng/ml in undiluted serum and 3 μg/g in intact sciatic nerve. The use of less dilute samples to allow for lower limits of detection appears feasible. The time-course of acrylamide in serum and sciatic nerve was studied after acute dosing and indicated elimination half-lives of 1.8 and 2.0 h for serum and sciatic nerve, respectively. A dose-effect relationship was established for each matrix after acute dosing and the measured acrylamide concentrations in serum μ/ml) were approximately the same as in sciatic nerve μ/g).
A Dynamic Economic Model of Pasture and Range Investments

The traditional economic replacement problem is extended to accommodate a situation where quasi-rents of future replacements are influenced by replacement age of the currently held asset. This generalized replacement model is applied to optimal timing of the clearing of brush and scrub timber from pasture and range. Dynamic programming is applied to the problem and the structure of the decision role analyzed. An approximately optimal decision rule is deduced by an analysis of the limiting behavior of the optimal policy. An illustrative example is given for pinyon-juniper control in southwestern United States.
Interstitial lung disease in scleroderma

Pulmonary fibrosis occurs most patients who have scleroderma. It progresses to severe restrictive lung disease in about 15% of patients and remains a major cause of death in this disease. Risks for developing pulmonary fibrosis include diffuse cutaneous scleroderma and anti-Scl-70 antibodies, and risks for developing progressive pulmonary fibrosis and death include low pulmonary function test results at presentation and lung inflammation. Early evaluation of the extent and severity of pulmonary fibrosis and the presence of lung inflammation is key, so that therapy can be given to patients who are at higher risk of progressive pulmonary fibrosis before they develop severe functional impairment occurs. Evaluation often includes pulmonary function tests, HRCT of the lungs, Doppler echocardiogram, and bronchoalveolar lavage. For patients who are unwilling or unable to participate in therapeutic trials that target pulmonary fibrosis in scleroderma, therapy with oral or intravenous cyclophosphamide is often given.
Effects of sodium chloride and carbon dioxide on oxygen binding byArtemia hemoglobin

The effects of both sodium chloride and CO2 on oxygen binding by component II of the hemoglobin fromArtemia franciscana have been determined. Sodium chloride decreases both the oxygen affinity and cooperativity: the Hill coefficient decreases from 2.4 to 1.7 in the presence of 0.5 M NaCl at pH 7.5, 20°C. In contrast, CO2 increases both the oxygen affinity and cooperativity. The effects of both agents are small and increase with the degree of oxygenation.
Experimental Measurements of an Air Conditioner Performance

The performance of the air conditioner was tested in an extensive experimental program using the environmentally controlled chambers in a test facility. Two psychometric rooms provided constant ambient temperature and humidity conditions for a test unit using ASHRAE standard procedures [1]. The indoor and outdoor units were placed into separate environmental chambers, which provided precise temperature, humidity, and airflow conditions for simulation of various operating conditions. The first goal of the experimental program was to define the range of conditions over which the test unit should be tested. The second goal of the experimental studies was to determine the performance of the test unit under the defined conditions. All air conditioner performance data has been collected with air side instrumentation only. Experimental tests were performed using the test unit over a range of outdoor temperatures between 22.4°C (80°F) and 40.6°C (105°F) and indoor temperatures between 18.3°C (65°F) and 35°C (95°F). Analysis of the experimental data was performed by studying air conditioning parameters such as heat rejection rate qc , compressor power W, system capacity qe , and coefficient of performance COP. The analysis was accomplished with the variation of a boundary condition. The sensitivity analysis of experimental data gave expected results when compared to those shown by air conditioning units similar to our test unit.Copyright © 2002 by ASME
Characteristics of anger: Notes for a systems theory of emotion

Although emotion may subserve social function, as with anger-maintaining dominance, emotions are more than variant cognitions. Anger promotes risk-taking, attention-narrowing, and cognitive impairment. The proposition that appraised “blameworthiness” is necessary for anger excludes young children's anger as well as adults' pain-induced anger. To be complete, any systems model of anger must account for its temporal characteristics, including escalation and persistence.
Enhancement of calcium current during digitalis inotrophy in mammalian heart: positive feed‐back regulation by intracellular calcium?

1. Effects of digitalis compounds on slow inward Ca current Isi) and contractile force were examined in ferret ventricular muscle (single sucrose-gap voltage clamp) and calf Purkinje fibres (two micro-electrode voltage clamp). 2. In ventricular muscle, ouabain increased Isi and inward current tails associated with Isi conductance. The enhancement of Isi followed a time course similar to the development of the positive inotropic effect, and it could be observed in the absence of aftercontractions or other signs of toxicit. 3. The response of myocardial Isi and twitch force to ouabain depended strongly on a previous history of driven action potentials. 4. Veratridine, a toxin that promotes Na entry through tetrodotoxin-sensitive channels, also increased Isi and twitch force in driven ventricular muscle preparations. 5. The effects of ouabain, action potential stimulation and veratridine are consistent with reported effects of K-poor solutions in indicating that elevation of intracellular Na can lead to enhancement of Isi. Additional experiments suggest that the link between Nai and Isi involves intracellular Ca. 6. When Cs-loaded Purkinje fibres were bathed in solutions containing Sr instead of Ca, enhancement of Isi by strophanthidin was abolished even though a positive inotropic response persisted. 7. After intracellular injection of Purkinje fibres with EGTA, Isi no longer increased with strophanthidin, although it remained responsive to adrenaline. 8. Clear-cut increases in Isi were seen in Cs-loaded Purkinje fibres even at very low concentrations of strophanthidin (20-50 nM), where the occurence of Na pump inhibition has been questioned. 9. Positive regulation of Ca entry by intracellular Ca may act as a facilitory mechanism that amplifies myocardial responsiveness to digitalis and other inotropic interventions. Through changes in Isi, small rises in diastolic free Ca might lead to large increases in the activator Ca transient during contraction.
Evaluation of the Gen-Probe Aptima HIV-1 RNA Qualitative Assay as an Alternative to Western Blot Analysis for Confirmation of HIV Infection

The Gen-Probe Aptima HIV-1 RNA qualitative assay was evaluated as an alternative to Western blot analysis for the confirmation of HIV infection using serum samples that were repeatedly reactive for HIV antibodies. The Aptima HIV assay readily discriminated between HIV-1-infected and -uninfected individuals and effectively reduced the number of indeterminate results relative to Western blot analysis.
Upper Paleozoic section in eastern Plumas and Sierra Counties, northern Sierra Nevada, California

The weakly metamorphosed volcaniclastic rocks of eastern Plumas and Sierra Counties, California, considered to be Jura-Trias by H. W. Turner, are almost entirely Paleozoic, ranging in age from Silurian-Devonian to middle Permian; they are correlative with the Paleozoic rocks of the Taylorsville area, as revised by McMath. The succession of formations from the base upward consists of the Shoo Fly Formation, not described in detail; the Sierra Buttes Formation, mostly quartz keratophyre; the Elwell Formation, characterized by radiolarian chert; the Taylor Formation, composed of andesite; the Peale Formation, a heterogeneous mixture of keratophyre, limestone, chert, and other rocks; the Goodhue Formation, composed of andesite, basalt, and olivine basalt; the Reeve Formation, predominantly of keratophyre; and a residue of contact-metamorphosed calcareous rocks that may be the Mesozoic Milton Formation of Turner. Exceptions to the dominant volcaniclastic nature of this 10,900-m- (29,000-ft) thick section are a lava flow in the Elwell Formation, a thin section of massive lavas in the Taylor Formation, and minor amounts of pillow lava in the Taylor, Peale, and Goodhue Formations. No major discontinuity has been recognized other than that between the Shoo Fly and Sierra Buttes Formations, but possible depositional gaps may occur at the base and top of the Peale Formation. These units appear to be a partial section across an upper Paleozoic island arc that consisted of overlapping volcanoes or sheets of volcaniclastic rock, all deposited in a deep marine environment.
Synge-rigid systems in the theory of relativity

We investigate the properties of a reference system having a basis of particles with velocities that are constant along the isotropic cones whose vertices lie on the world line of one of the particles. Such systems are called Synge-rigid. The criteria for finding such systems in the general theory of relativity are formulated.
Psychologic distress of chronic pain sufferers and their spouses.

Abstract Recent research has begun to document the relationship between chronic pain and psychologic distress among pain patients, yet little attention has been given to the spouses' reaction to the chronic pain condition. The results of this research using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) to assess the psychologic distress among both chronic pain sufferers and spouses (61 couples) reveal elevated distress scores among both groups when compared with the norms from a nonpatient sample. Patients and spouses present similar profiles according to the SCL-90 subicales, with patients' scores significantly higher on the somatization, hostility, and psychoticism subscales. No differences by sex were found.
THE COSTATE VARIABLE IN NATURAL RESOURCE OPTIMAL CONTROL PROBLEMS

. In this paper we discuss the role of the costate variable (shadow value) for the resource stock in both nonrenewable and renewable resource problems. We separate the information in this variable into a scarcity and a cost effect. The scarcity effect is the portion of the shadow value that is due just to the scarcity of the resource relative to its demand, while the cost effect is a measure of the impact of the marginal unit upon future extraction costs. It is shown that in the nonrenewable resource, mining, problem both can exist simultaneously, but in the renewable resource, fisheries, model the two effects are mutually exclusive. In our analysis of the fisheries model we develop an expression for the time path of the marginal unit of fish stock. We do this using the theorem of Continuous Dependence on Initial Conditions. This result is then used to generate the conclusion that g(x) is the biological own rate of interest, where g(x) is the growth function for the resource stock, x.
A contextual analysis of Pascal programs

More than 120,000 lines of Pascal programs, written by graduate students and faculty members, have been statically analysed to provide a better understanding of how the language is ‘really’ used. The analysis was done within twelve distinct contexts to discover differences in usage patterns among the various contexts. For example, it was found that 47 per cent of the operands in arguments lists were constants. The results are displayed as tables of frequency counts which show how often each construct is used within a context. Also, we have compared our findings to the results from studies of other languages, such as FORTRAN, SAL and XPL.
Pursuing Purpose on the Christian Liberal Arts Campus: Dialogic Education and Vocational Conversations

What role can liberal arts faculty at Christian colleges and universities play in helping their students discern and pursue a sense of purpose in a complex and changing marketplace? In an uncertain and challenging economy, students in the humanities and social sciences often struggle to find a sense of vocational purpose. Using Arnett's (1992) understanding of dialogic education as a theoretical framework, the purpose of this article is to complement and extend research on students’ vocational discernment by reflecting on how liberal arts professors at Christian colleges can contribute to their students’ discernment through vocational conversations. In a manner that resonates strongly with the concerns of a Christian campus, Arnett's vision of dialogic education frames higher education as a conversation centered on content and being constantly attuned to the development of character. After defining the nature and scope of vocational conversations in relation to Arnett's understanding of dialogic education...
Drying Characteristics and Milling Quality of Rough Rice Dried in a Single Pass Incorporating Glass Transition Principles

The objective was to study the drying characteristics and milling quality of rough rice subjected to single-pass drying while controlling kernel material states. Drying experiments were conducted at 60, 70, and 80°C and relative humidities ranging from 13 to 83%. For all drying air temperatures and tempering conditions, milling quality was not significantly different from the controls when the relative humidity of the drying air was maintained above 63% (kernel core and surface maintained in a rubbery state) and rice was tempered immediately after drying, in sealed plastic bags and at the drying air temperature, for at least 60 min.
Small-Group Interaction among Professional Librarians

Libraries are using small groups to make decisions, and it is important that the decisions these groups make are effective. Small-group scholars argue that group processes and interactions play an important role and influence effective decision-making. Randy Y. Hirokawa developed a theory called Vigilant Interaction Theory which maintains that group interaction affects decision-making performance by directly shaping the quality of vigilance that leads to a final choice. Small groups consisting of professional librarians were used to test Hirokawa’s theory, and the results showed that group decision performance is directly related to the group’s efforts to perform critical vigilant decision-making functions. Specifically, groups that show a pattern generating more alternative solutions are more likely to develop effective decisions.
Pharmer: efficient and exact pharmacophore search

Pharmacophore search is a key component of many drug discovery efforts. Pharmer is a new computational approach to pharmacophore search that scales with the breadth and complexity of the query, not the size of the compound library being screened. Two novel methods for organizing pharmacophore data, the Pharmer KDB-tree and Bloom fingerprints, enable Pharmer to perform an exact pharmacophore search of almost two million structures in less than a minute. In general, Pharmer is more than an order of magnitude faster than existing technologies. The complete source code is available under an open-source license at http://pharmer.sourceforge.net.
Clinoptilolite removal of ammonia from simulated and natural catfish pond waters

Abstract The catfish-rearing industry has been a major contributor to a critical water table drawdown in the Mississippi Delta region, which is due to the ambitious pumping necessary to provide approximately 1.5 × 10 8 liters (40 × 10 6 gallons) of water per year per 0.08 km 2 (20-acre) catfish pond. Furthermore, the market demand for catfish continues to grow rapidly. At present, the only way to meet this demand is to build more ponds and pump more water. Fish production might be increased by increasing fish density in existing ponds. Unfortunately, increasing fish density would aggravate problems of oxygen deficiency and toxic ammonia buildup. This study analyzed the use of a natural zeolite mineral to remove ammonia in a circulating system. After comparing a variety of zeolite, clinoptilolite from Death Valley Junction, California was selected for the model study because of having an ideal combination of NH 4 + exchange capacity (218 meq/100 g) and wet mechanical strength (slake-durability index of 98%). Packed column studies using the Death Valley Junction clinoptilolite produced flow rates from 50 to 300 bed volumes per hour using 1 mg/l ammonia per liter influent. Average effluent concentrations, using 1 mg/l ammonia influent, were achieved at less than 0.03 mg/l ammonia. When testing this system in simulated natural waters competing cations, particularly calcium and magnesium, reduced the zeolite's capacity for ammonia exchange. Capacity for ammonia exchange was further reduced when the system was operated in natural pond waters. Consequently, more frequent regeneration was required. This reduction in exchange capacity can probably be attributed to the organic, especially algal content of the natural pond water. Furthermore, frequent backflushing was required due to the constant fouling of the system by algae and other organics.
Functional expression of TRESK-2, a new member of the tandem-pore K+ channel family.

Abstract A new member of the tandem-pore K+ (K2P) channel family has been isolated from mouse testis complementary DNA. The new K2P channel was named TRESK-2, as its amino acid sequence shares 65% identity with that of TRESK-1. Mouse TRESK-2 is a 394-amino acid protein and possesses four putative transmembrane segments and two pore-forming domains. TRESK-2 has a long cytoplasmic domain joining the second and third transmembrane segments and a short carboxyl terminus. In the rat, TRESK-2 mRNA transcripts were expressed abundantly in the thymus and spleen and at low levels in many other tissues, including heart, small intestine, skeletal muscle, uterus, testis, and placenta, as judged by Northern blot analysis. TRESK-2 mRNA was also expressed in mouse and human tissues. In COS-7 cells transfected with TRESK-2 DNA, a time-independent and noninactivating K+-selective current was recorded. TRESK-2 was insensitive to 1 mm tetraethylammonium, 100 nm apamin, 1 mm 4-aminopyridine, and 10 μm glybenclamide. TRESK-2 was inhibited by 10 μm quinidine, 20 μm arachidonate and acid (pH 6.3) at 49, 43, and 23%, respectively. Single channel openings of TRESK-2 showed marked open channel noise. In symmetrical 150 mm KCl, the current-voltage relationship of TRESK-2 was slightly inwardly rectifying, with the single channel conductance 13 picosiemens (pS) at +60 mV and 16 pS at –60 mV. In inside-out patches, TRESK-2 was unaffected by the intracellular application of 10 μm guanosine 5′-O-(thiotriphosphate). These results show that TRESK-2 is a functional member of the K2P channel family and contributes to the background K+ conductance in many types of cells.
Seismic stratigraphy and tectonic development of Virgin River depression and associated basins, southeastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona

Virgin River depression is a Neogene basin, with a surface area that exceeds 1,500 km 2 in the Basin and Range structural province of south-eastern Nevada and northwestern Arizona. The depression formed within the foreland of the Sevier orogenic zone, a region that was characterized in Paleogene time by a flat-lying section of Cambrian to Cretaceous platform strata about 5 km thick. Well data from Mobil Virgin 1A on Mormon Mesa reveal 2,000+ m of Neogene basin fill that consists mostly of the Muddy Creek Formation (4-10 Ma), the red sandstone unit (10-12 Ma) of Bohannon (1984), and the Lovell Wash Member of the Horse Spring Formation (12-13 Ma). Seismic reflection data from six primacord and two vibroseis lines show that the Muddy Creek Formation uniformly fills Virgin River depression to a depth of 1-2 km. Two older and less-extensive basins, the Mormon and Mesquite, lie beneath the Muddy Creek and are separated from one another by a complex buried ridge. The basins are mostly filled with rocks of the red sandstone unit and Lovell Wash Member to depths locally exceeding 6 km. Two older members of the Horse Spring Formation, the Rainbow Gardens and Thumb, also occur in Mormon basin (the western one), where they rest disconformably on the pre-Tertiary strata. The basins are east-tilted half grabens that are bounded on the east and southeast by large listric normal fault systems. The faults that bound Mormon basin are buried by the Muddy Creek Formation, but the Piedmont fault, on the east side of Mesquite basin, cuts Quaternary alluvium. The Virgin River depression formed in three stages. The period from 24-13 Ma is characterized by slow subsidence in Mormon basin and little noticeable deformation of the basin substrate. The Mormon and Mesquite basins became fully differentiated during the period from 13-10 Ma. This stage is associated with large displacements on the normal faults bounding both basins and the buried ridge. Proterozoic crystalline rocks were exposed locally, providing a source for part of the red sandstone unit deposited in the basins. Tectonic denudation during the 13-10 Ma stage locally removed large amounts of the pre-basin section. By 10 Ma, most of the fault activity had ceased, the ridge between the basins was overlapped, and Virgin River depression began to subside uniformly over a wide area. This stage lasted until the commencement of the modern period of dissection associated with the Colorado River. Our structural analysis suggests that upper crustal extension within the basin, mostly during the 13-10 Ma stage, might have exceeded 60%. The basin subsidence was partly due to extension in the upper crust and partly due to viscous flow in the deeper crust beneath the basin. It is not clear to us what caused the uplifts that flank the depression, but isostatic rebound due to tectonic denudation remains aviable possibility.
Persistent changes in the fir spectrum of KI: NO2− produced by IR vibrational hole burning

Abstract A new combination of spectroscopic techniques is used to characterize the NO 2 − -defect-induced gap modes in KI at 1.5 K. Tunable infrared (IR) diode lasers are used to burn persistent spectral holes in the IR vibrational spectrum and simultaneously high-resolution far-infrared (FIR) interferometry is used to probe the resulting FIR spectral changes. The results show that persistent changes are induced in three polarized FIR absorption lines, the number of IR-active local modes expected for a C 2v molecule in a cubic site.
Discovery of Vitamin D Hormone as a Negative Regulator of the Renin–Angiotensin System

Featured Article : Li YC, Kong J, Wei M, Chen Z-F, Liu SQ, Cao L-P. 1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 is a negative endocrine regulator of the renin-angiotensin system. J Clin Invest 2002;110:229–38.2 It is now well accepted that the vitamin D hormone is a pleotropic hormone that regulates a wide spectrum of biological processes beyond calcium and skeletal homeostasis. The establishment of this concept is in large part attributed to studies of genetic animal models with gene inactivation in the vitamin D endocrine system (1). As one of the scientists who first created the vitamin D receptor (VDR) knockout model, I have witnessed the rapid advance of this research field in the last 2 decades. One of my major contributions to this field was the discovery of the vitamin D hormone as a negative regulator of the renin–angiotensin system. This discovery has broad implications in the relationship between vitamin D and the renal and cardiovascular systems. In 1998 I was recruited to the University of Chicago as an assistant …