cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assessment of green roof performance for sustainable buildings under winter weather conditions

A green roof is a specialized roof system that supports vegetation growth on rooftops. This technology is rapidly gaining popularity as a sustainable design option for buildings. In order to contribute to an understanding of green roof in regions with cold winters and snow, an on-site experimental investigation was present with a focus on the assessment of green roof performance during the winter. This field experiment took place on a six small buildings during the winter of 2010–2011. The work monitored three buildings with green roofs, two buildings with reference roofs and one building with a bare soil coverage for the roof. These six buildings were identically constructed and instrumented with sensor networks to provide heat flux data through the roofs. The 15 min averaged data were statistically analyzed for a week under the two separate periods, first without a snow cover and second with a snow cover. The results show that the roof type is a significant factor in affecting the thermal performance of these buildings. Most importantly, green roofs reduce heat flow through the roof and thus reduce the heating energy demand during the winter. However, the energy savings for buildings with the green roofs are reduced under snow conditions because the snow diminishes thermal resistance of the roof and increases the heat transfer process through the roofs.
Three dimensional fatigue crack initiation and propagation analysis of a gear tooth under various load conditions and fatigue life extension with boron/epoxy patches

Abstract Three-dimensional finite element analyses were conducted to study both crack initiation and propagation in a gear tooth. A damage mechanics approach was used to model crack initiated on the surface of a gear tooth due to rolling contact fatigue (RCF). A finite element model was developed to study the effects of friction on the fatigue crack initiation life. After the location of crack initiation was identified, a fracture mechanics approach was employed to simulate mixed-mode fatigue crack propagation. Partial contact loading conditions were also considered based on the width of the contact load acting along the thickness.
bHealthy: a physiological feedback-based mobile wellness application suite

We demonstrate bHealthy, a physiological feedback-based mobile wellness application suite. bHealthy, monitors physiological signals using electrocardiogram, electroencephalogram, and accelerometer sensors; uses a suite of assessment applications to detect mental state of the user; suggests apps to enhance wellbeing; and tracks the performance of the user in the suggested apps. bHealthy also provides wellness reports based on the user's activity in apps over a period of time.
Environmental/economic power dispatch using a fuzzified multi-objective particle swarm optimization algorithm

The environmental issues that arise from the pollutant emissions produced by fossil-fueled electric power plants have become a matter of concern more recently. The conventional economic power dispatch cannot meet the environmental protection requirements, since it only considers minimizing the total fuel cost. The multi-objective generation dispatch in electric power systems treats economic and emission impact as competing objectives, which requires some reasonable tradeoff among objectives to reach an optimal solution. In this paper, a fuzzified multi-objective particle swarm optimization (FMOPSO) algorithm is proposed and implemented to dispatch the electric power considering both economic and environmental issues. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is demonstrated by comparing its performance with other approaches including weighted aggregation (WA) and evolutionary multi-objective optimization algorithms. All the simulations are conducted based on a typical test power system.
Developing Issues in the Classification of Mental and Physical Disabilities

In this analysis, the authors explore the implications of changing classifications and definitional criteria for mental disability and physical disability. Much of this discussion is set against th...
The emphysemas: radiologic-pathologic correlations.

There are several forms of emphysema that should be considered as distinct disease entities. No university accepted classification system of these forms exists, but correlations of autopsy findings in 1,823 cases over a 12-year period confirm that the radiographic and pathologic features of the emphysemas are readily understood when centrilobular, panlobular, paracicatricial, and localized types of the disease are recognized. Centrilobular emphysema associated with cigarette smoking is the most common form. Panlobular emphysema is associated with alpha 1-protease inhibitor deficiency and pathologically produces uniform enlargement of all air spaces, with a mild basilar predominance. Paracicatricial emphysema is seen adjacent to areas of parenchymal scarring. Localized emphysema represents focal enlargement or destruction of air spaces with otherwise normal lung. A clear understanding of the computed tomographic appearance of all forms of emphysema is essential for the correct diagnosis of parenchymal lung...
Purification and Properties of Chlorophyllase from Ailanthus altissima (Tree-of-Heaven)

Chlorophyllase from Ailanthus altissima leaves has been purified 63-fold by a combination of heat treatment, ultracentrifugation, gel filtration, and chromatography on diethylaminoethyl cellulose. While the enzyme is inhibited to some degree by Triton X-100, a modification of the assay procedure of Klein and Vishniac has been shown to be far superior to the use of aqueous acetone systems. The enzyme was found to have a pH optimum on pheophytin a of 4.5. Chlorophylls a and b, pheophytins a and b, and pyropheophytin a were hydrolyzed by the enzyme while protochlorophyll a and 4-vinyl protochlorophyll a were not hydrolyzed but were competitive inhibitors. p-Nitrophenyl acetate was not hydrolyzed. The enzyme does not appear to contain an essential sulfhydryl group since sodium tetrathionate and p-chloromercuribenzoate did not affect its activity.
Development of polymorphic microsatellite loci for the rattlesnake species Crotalus atrox, C. cerastes, and C. scutulatus (Viperidae: Crotalinae) and cross-species amplification of microsatellite markers in Crotalus and Sistrurus species

We provide details on 46 microsatellite loci for Crotalus and Sistrurus rattlesnake species. We isolated 14, five, and four novel polymorphic species-specific microsatellite markers for Crotalus atrox, C. scutulatus, and C. cerastes, respectively. We observed seven to 36 alleles per locus. Additionally, we provide data on the cross-species amplification of previously published microsatellite markers for Crotalus and Sisturus species. Subsets of novel and cross-species amplified microsatellite markers were used to genotype populations of C. atrox, C. cerastes, and C. scutulatus in Southern Arizona. The numbers of alleles per locus in the combined marker sets range from three to 38 (C. atrox: 8–37, C. scutulatus: 3–35, C. cerastes: 4–38). Many novel and existing microsatellite markers cross-species amplified successfully. Marker sets of 20 or more polymorphic microsatellites provide high resolution for population genetics studies. Markers used in this study will likely be informative in additional Crotalus species.
ON RHODOPSIN IN SOLUTION.

1. The properties of rhodopsin in solution have been examined in preparations from marine fishes, frogs, and mammals. 2. The bleaching of neutral rhodopsin in solution includes a photic and at least three thermal ("dark") processes. Thermal reactions account for approximately half the total fall in extinction at 500 mµ. 3. Bleaching has been investigated at various pH's from 3.9 to about 11. With increase in pH the velocity of the thermal components increases rapidly. Though the spectrum of rhodopsin itself is scarcely affected by change in pH, the spectra of all product-mixtures following irradiation are highly pH-labile. 4. The spectrum of pure rhodopsin—or of the rhodopsin chromophore—is fixed within narrow limits. The extinction at 400 mµ lies between 0.20 to 0.32 of that at the maximum. 5. Within the limitations of available data, the spectrum of pure rhodopsin corresponds in form and position with the spectral sensitivity of human rod vision, computed at the retinal surface. 6. The nature of bleaching of rhodopsin in solution, its kinetics, and its significance in the retinal cycle are discussed.
Serum activity of alanine aminotransferase (ALT) as an indicator of health and disease.

This document presents the official position of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) on the application of serum alanine aminotransferase (AL T) activity, based upon an analysis of the currently available scientific data. Its authorship was selected by the Public Policy Committee. The document is fully endorsed by the AASLD Governing Board.
Practicability, Paradigms, and Problems in Stakeholder Theorizing

The author focuses on different perspectives concerning a proposed convergent stakeholder theory. He states that the theory should be practical both theoretically and have an applied difference. He suggests that relying on management to rely on moral grounds alone in doing the right thing is unrealistic. He mentions that the premise that the assumption that there are no sets of interests assumed to dominate others is not entirely valid as stakeholder groups can be varied. He comments that he doesn't see the new theory as being transformative but rather attempts to find common ground between differing ideas. He suggests that the theory deals more with an normative approach attempting to achieve legitimacy within the domain of organizational theory.
The genomic landscape of Waldenström macroglobulinemia is characterized by highly recurring MYD88 and WHIM-like CXCR4 mutations, and small somatic deletions associated with B-cell lymphomagenesis

The genetic basis for Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM) remains to be clarified. Although 6q losses are commonly present, recurring gene losses in this region remain to be defined. We therefore performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) in 30 WM patients, which included germline/tumor sequencing for 10 patients. Validated somatic mutations occurring in >10% of patients included MYD88, CXCR4, and ARID1A that were present in 90%, 27%, and 17% of patients, respectively, and included the activating mutation L265P in MYD88 and warts, hypogammaglobulinemia, infection, and myelokathexis-syndrome-like mutations in CXCR4 that previously have only been described in the germline. WGS also delineated copy number alterations (CNAs) and structural variants in the 10 paired patients. The CXCR4 and CNA findings were validated in independent expansion cohorts of 147 and 30 WM patients, respectively. Validated gene losses due to CNAs involved PRDM2 (93%), BTG1 (87%), HIVEP2 (77%), MKLN1 (77%), PLEKHG1 (70%), LYN (60%), ARID1B (50%), and FOXP1 (37%). Losses in PLEKHG1, HIVEP2, ARID1B, and BCLAF1 constituted the most common deletions within chromosome 6. Although no recurrent translocations were observed, in 2 patients deletions in 6q corresponded with translocation events. These studies evidence highly recurring somatic events, and provide a genomic basis for understanding the pathogenesis of WM.
On Some Properties of Digital Roots

Digital roots of numbers have several interesting properties, most of which are well-known. In this paper, our goal is to prove some lesser known results concerning the digital roots of powers of numbers in an arithmetic progression. We will also state some theorems concerning the digital roots of Fermat numbers and star numbers. We will conclude our paper by an interesting application.
The Mass Distribution of the Lens Galaxy in MG1131+0456

We present the results of modeling 5, 8 and 15 GHz maps of the gravitational lens MG1131+0456 using the LensClean algorithm. Two models for the mass distribution in the lens were fit: a de Vaucouleurs model and a model with the two-dimensional potential phi = b^{2-alpha}(r^2+s^2)^{alpha/2}/2alpha, both in an external shear field. The best fit de Vaucouleurs model has an effective radius of R_e = 0.83+-0.13 arcseconds, larger than that measured at optical wavelengths. The best fit ``alpha model'' has alpha=0.6+-0.2 and a core radius of s = 0.19 +- 0.07 arcseconds. An isothermal model (alpha=1) is inconsistent with the data. The best alpha model fits the 8 GHz map significantly better than the best de Vaucouleurs model. Although it is difficult to distinguish visually the original image and the reconstructions, none of the models is statistically consistent with the data. We believe the primary problem is that an external shear is an inadequate model for the angular structure of the lens galaxy. The finite core radius in the models is required by the structure of the extended ring, so we confirm that the central component in the 8 GHz map is a central, lensed image of the source rather than the lens galaxy. The model lens positions, the position angle of the shear, and the mass interior to the ring are determined very precisely by the lens models. The time delay between the compact components is predicted with an uncertainty we estimate to be at most +- 9%; the formal uncertainty is +- 4%.
Origin of trace element distribution patterns in sulfides of the central and bingham districts, western U.S.A.

Trace element abundances in sulfides of these two large hydrothermal ore districts allow distinction of several groups of ore bodies with differing trace element levels. Within groups, certain elements show lateral or vertical zoning. The groups were deposited from different batches of ore fluid. The differences in trace element content between groups reflect differences in stage of differentiation or abundance of complexing species when the ore fluid separated from the magma. The zoning may result from “hydrothermal differentiation” of a single batch of ore fluid as it travels away from the magma. The zoning pattern correlates in part with expected strength of metal complexes, but also depends on temperature and solid-liquid partition coefficients.
Decreased plasma membrane fluidity in the development of atherosclerosis in cholesterol-fed rabbits

Rabbits were fed a diet supplemented with 3% peanut oil or 3% peanut oil plus 0.5% cholesterol. Aortas from rabbits fed the cholesterol supplemented diet for 2 weeks were free of grossly visible lesions; however, aortas from rabbits fed this diet for 10 weeks exhibited extensive lesion development. Lesions were not observed in aortas of rabbits fed the high-fat supplemented diet. The fluorescence anisotropy of DPH was significantly (P = 0.0001) increased in plasma membranes isolated from aortas of rabbits fed the high-fat plus cholesterol vs. high-fat supplemented diet; the increase in fluorescence anisotropy observed after only 2 weeks on diet (0.201 +/- 0.002 vs. 0.144 +/- 0.002) was similar to that observed after 10 weeks on diet (0.244 +/- 0.002 vs. 0.193 +/- 0.001). The data support the hypothesis that plasma membrane fluidity [is decreased in atherosclerosis and indicate the decrease in membrane fluidity] occurs early in the development of the disease.
A Theoretic Model of the T Wave

A theoretical model of the T wave based on the sequence of depolarization and multiple action potentials in appropriate time phase has been presented. The methods used to derive T waves and loops from the QRS complex of experimental animals have been described, and derived T waves were closely similar to the T waves recorded from these animals. The findings indicate utility of the model in understanding normal T waves and suggest it may be useful in accounting for abnormal T waves.
Direct Measurements of Transcription under Torsion

During transcription, both RNA polymerase (RNAP) and the nascent RNA chain need to rotate relative to DNA at a speed of approximately a few hundred rounds per minute. The resulting accumulation of torsional stress cannot be dissipated immediately, and is therefore able to impact the motion of the RNAP. Despite the fact that torque is an essential aspect of transcription, the extent of its impact remains unknown. By performing single molecule measurements using an angular optical trap, we directly measure the torque that RNAP can generate as well as the transcription rate under torque. This approach provides a framework for investigating the influence of torque on various DNA-based translocases.
Hematologic Response to Experimental Infections of Frog Virus 3-Like Virus in Red-Eared Sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans)

Abstract Clinical pathology is routinely used to diagnose and monitor response to disease. In this study the hematologic response of red-eared slider turtles (Trachemys scripta elegans) to experimental ranavirus infection was measured during two separate environmental temperature trials. Blood samples were collected from six red-eared sliders experimentally infected with a ranavirus, frog virus 3-like virus (FV3-like), and from 10 uninfected turtles twice weekly for 30 days postinfection to evaluate several hematologic variables. There were no significant changes in packed cell volume, white blood cell (WBC) count, or WBC differential counts over time in either the infected or uninfected groups. There were significant increases in WBC in infected turtles on days 18 and 22 postinoculation (22°C; 71.6°F) and on days 8 and 11 (28°C; 82.4°F) compared to uninfected turtles. Total solids were significantly decreased (P = 0.034) over time in the red-eared sliders infected with FV3-like virus regardless of temper...
Development of Neurologic Symptoms in a Patient With Asymptomatic Wilson's Disease Treated With Penicillamine

Objective: To report a case of presymptomatic Wilson's disease in a patient who became severely neurologically disabled after treatment with penicillamine and to discuss alternative initial therapy for such patients. Design: Case report. The patient described is briefly compared with a previously studied group of 13 similar presymptomatic patients who received zinc therapy without any clinical worsening and who have had 3 to 9 years of follow-up. Setting: Referral hospital. Patients: The patient was referred to us. Intervention: The patient had initially been treated with penicillamine. Main Outcome Measure: The main outcome of interest is permanent neurologic disability, depending on type of initial treatment. Results: The result of initial penicillamine therapy in the patient described is permanent neurologic disability. This is believed to be due to mobilization and redistribution of hepatic copper causing higher levels of copper in key areas of the brain. Conclusion: We conclude that penicillamine used as initial therapy, even in patients with neurologically asymptomatic Wilson's disease, increases the risk of inducing permanent neurologic damage.
Cutaneous melanoma: Patient surveillance and tumor progression

Abstract Background: The goal of surveillance examinations (SVE) in patients at high risk for cutaneous melanoma (CM) is to diagnose premetastatic tumors. Objective: We attempted to determine whether SVE before CM diagnosis influences the histopathologic features of tumor progression. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of consecutive patients who presented with an intact primary CM during a 36 month period (1991 to 1994) in a university dermatology ambulatory setting. Results: Thirty-nine intact CMs were diagnosed in 34 patients. Compared with 23 CMs in as many patients presenting at the first encounter, 16 CMs diagnosed in 11 patients during SVE had a smaller mean tumor diameter ( P = .007) and tumor thickness ( P = .002) and were more likely anatomic level I or II ( P = .003) with microscopic thickness less than 0.76 mm ( P = .01) and less than 0.50 mm ( P = .002). Conclusion: Primary CMs are more likely to be smaller and thinner when diagnosed during SVE than at first encounter, features that are likely to have a positive impact on CM mortality. (J Am Acad Dermatol 1998;39:571-7.)
Comfort and Empathy of Experienced Counselors in Client Situations Involving Death and Loss

Previous research has demonstrated that client issues related to death and dying are more problematic than other serious client issues for beginning counselors. The present study attempts to ascertain whether this holds true for counselors who have considerable experience counseling on issues of death or loss, and whether counselor comfort with and empathy toward death-related situations is related to demographic, professional, or personal variables such as death anxiety. Seventy-one experienced death counselors were asked to rate their degree of comfort with a variety of presenting client scenarios. Counselors were also asked to respond to four case vignettes, two of which were death related and two of which were serious, but non-death related. Results indicated that the experienced death counselors in our study were actually more comfortable and empathic with counseling vignettes that involved death and dying issues and that their level of empathy with such clients was positively correlated with their y...
Abstract 3707: Sulindac sulfide inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of human colon tumor cells by a cGMP-dependent pathway leading to suppression of β-catenin transcription activity

Proceedings: AACR 102nd Annual Meeting 2011‐‐ Apr 2‐6, 2011; Orlando, FL Sulindac and other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs have shown promise for chemoprevention of colorectal cancer, but toxicities arising from cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition limit their clinical use. Previous reports suggest that sulindac may exert its antitumor effects by a COX-independent target involving cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibition, although the specific isozymes involved and mechanism have not been well defined. In this study, we show that sulindac sulfide (SS) inhibits the growth of human colon tumor cells, HCT116, HT29 and SW480 with IC50 values of 60-80μmol/L. Within this concentration range, SS did not affect the growth of human-derived normal colonic epithelial cells, NCM460. Furthermore, SS induced apoptosis of colon tumor cells but not NCM460 cells. SS inhibited cGMP PDE activity in colon tumor cell lysates with minimal effect on cGMP PDE activity in NCM460 cell lysates. By determining the sensitivity of all eleven PDE isozymes to SS, the cGMP-specific PDE5 was found to be the most sensitive with an IC50 value for enzyme inhibition of 38µmol/L. In addition, PDE5 was found to be overexpressed in colon tumor cell lines compared with NCM460 cells. Knockdown of PDE5 expression in colon tumor cells with siRNA resulted in a significant reduction of tumor cell growth and increased apoptosis. Moreover, SS increased intracellular cGMP levels, activated protein kinase G (PKG) and suppressed the expression of β-catenin in colon tumor cells. SS also inhibited the transcriptional activity of β-catenin and reduced the expression of the β-catenin regulated proteins cyclin D1 and survivin, which are important mediators of tumor cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. Our results suggest that the chemopreventive properties of sulindac are closely associated with PDE5 inhibition and involve the activation of cGMP signaling to suppress β-catenin mediated transcriptional activity. Funding provided by NIH/NCI grants CA131378 and CA148817. Citation Format: {Authors}. {Abstract title} [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 102nd Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research; 2011 Apr 2-6; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2011;71(8 Suppl):Abstract nr 3707. doi:10.1158/1538-7445.AM2011-3707
Fast buffer insertion considering process variations

Advanced process technologies call for a proactive consideration of process variations in design to ensure high parametric timing yield. Despite of its popular use in almost any high performance IC designs nowadays, however, buffer insertion has not gained enough attention in addressing this issue. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm for buffer insertion to consider process variations. The major contribution of this work is two-fold: (1) an efficient technique to handle correlated process variations under nonlinear operations; (2) a provable transitive closure pruning rule that makes linear complexity variation-aware pruning possible. The proposed techniques enable an efficient implementation of variation-aware buffer insertion. Compared to an existing algorithm considering process variations, our algorithm achieves more than 25x speed-up. We also show that compared to the conventional deterministic approach, the proposed buffer insertion algorithm considering correlated process variations improves the parametric timing yield by more than 15%.
TWO NEW SPECIES OF LEGUMINOSAE FROM SERPENTINE OF HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA

Lupinus constancei andLathyrus biflorus from southeastern Humboldt County serpentine are described, illustrated and compared to allied taxa.
Characterization of single electron effects in nanoscale MOSFETs

The future of mixed-signal, memory, and microprocessor technologies are dependent on ever increasing analog and digital integration and higher cell densities. However, device variability creates challenges at each new technology node which decreases yield, performance, and noise margins. At these device dimensions the low-frequency noise is dominated by the influence of one or more traps capturing and emitting charge in the oxide creating wide variations in noise from otherwise identical devices. Existing processes of record have been extended well beyond the ranges previously deemed feasible or reliable and single electron events and random telegraph noise signals become important.
Leaking left ventricular pseudoaneurysm.

A56-year-old obese woman with severe steroid- and oxygen-dependent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease was thought to have experienced an apical myocardial infarction at home on the basis of review of history. When she was evaluated 3 months later at an outside hospital for recurrent chest pain, a cardiac catheterization revealed a total distal occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery, borderline occlusive disease in other coronary arteries, and an …
Preparation and culture of rat lens epithelial explants for studying terminal differentiation.

The anterior surface of the ocular lens is covered by a monolayer of epithelial cells, which proliferate in an annular zone underlying the ciliary body. Following division, these cells migrate posteriorly, where FGF diffusing from the retina induces them to differentiate into a posterior array of elongated lens fiber cells, which compose the bulk of the lens. Differentiation of lens epithelial cells into lens fibers can be induced in vitro by culturing explants of the central region of the anterior epithelium in the presence of FGF-2. Explants are prepared from lenses of neonatal rats by removing the lens from the eye and grasping the lens capsule on the posterior side with dissecting tweezers. The posterior capsule is then gently torn open and pressed down into the plastic bottom of a tissue culture dish. The peripheral regions of the explant are removed with a scalpel and the central area is then cultured in the presence of 100ng/ml FGF-2 for as long as 2-3 weeks, depending on the parameters to be studied. Since epithelial cells in cultured explants differentiate in approximate synchrony over a period of days to weeks, the time course of signaling and gene expression can be determined using molecular, biochemical, and pharmacological techniques. Immunofluorescence microscopy is a powerful adjunct to these methods as it demonstrates the subcellular localization of proteins of interest and can reveal the physiological consequences of experimental manipulations of signaling pathways.
Exogenous nitric oxide inhibits sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in human skin.

Two experiments were performed to identify whether nitric oxide (NO) inhibits sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in human skin. In eight subjects increasing doses of sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 8.4 × 10−6–8.4 × 10−3m) were administered via intradermal microdialysis. At each dose of SNP, cutaneous vasoconstrictor responsiveness was assessed during a 3 min whole-body cold stress. The relative reduction in forearm cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) during the cold stress was significantly attenuated for SNP doses greater than 8.4 × 10−4m (control: 63.0 ± 4.1%, SNP 8.4 × 10−6m: 57.1 ± 4.7%, SNP 8.4 × 10−5m: 57.0 ± 3.6%, SNP 8.4 × 10−4m: 44.5 ± 5.4% and SNP 8.4 × 10−3m: 28.8 ± 7.9%). The second experiment was performed to identify whether this response was due to NO attenuating sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction or due to a non-specific effect of an elevated CVC secondary to SNP administration. In seven subjects forearm CVC during a whole-body cold stress was assessed at two sites: at a site dilated via microdialysis administration of SNP and at a site dilated with isoproterenol (ISO). CVC was not different between sites prior to (SNP: 0.42 ± 0.11; ISO: 0.46 ± 0.11 AU mmHg−1 (AU, arbitrary units), P > 0.05) or following drug infusion (SNP: 1.36 ± 0.21; ISO: 1.27 ± 0.23 AU mmHg−1, P > 0.05). The reduction in CVC during the subsequent cold stress was significantly less at the SNP site (38.1 ± 6.2%) relative to the ISO site (65.0 ± 5.5%; P= 0.007). These data suggest NO is capable of inhibiting sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in the cutaneous vasculature.
Systems of First-Order Linear Constant-Coefficient Ordinary Differential Equations

This chapter considers systems of n first-order linear constant-coefficient ordinary differential equations, which arise from nth-order differential equations or from systems of coupled differential equations. As becomes readily apparent, the theoretical basis for solving such systems relies heavily upon matrix algebra theory. Appendix B contains a review of some of the more important concepts from linear algebra.
Cuban brown snail, Zachrysia provisoria (Gastropoda): Damage potential and control

The snail Zachrysia provisoria (Pfeiffer) is poorly known in Florida, USA, where it predominately is viewed as a pest of ornamental plants. I evaluated its host plant relationships, foliage consumption potential, and susceptibility to several molluscicides. Many of the potential hosts, especially common ornamental plants that are planted densely as ground cover and might be expected to provide a favorable environment for snails, are not suitable for growth of young snails. Older snails, though displaying some ability to feed and damage hosts unsuitable for growth of young snails, displayed similar patterns of acceptance and growth. Several weeds were favorable for growth, suggesting that untended environments could lead to snail problems in adjacent ornamental plantings. The effect of plant condition (age) on snail feeding preference was assessed by measuring leaf consumption by snails presented simultaneously with young (green, located apically) and senescent (yellowing or yellow, located basally) leaves of a single plant species. From preferred host plants, snails chose young leaf tissue, but from less preferred plants they consumed senescent tissue. Foliage consumption potential was assessed using romaine lettuce at two constant temperatures, 24 and 32 °C. Foliage consumption increased with age (wet weight) at both 24 and 32 °C; however, the rate of consumption was higher at the lower temperature. At 24 °C, mean peak consumption was about 40 cm2 of leaf area or 12 g wet weight/day. At the less favorable high temperature of 32 °C, mean peak consumption was reduced by about 50%, to a mean of only 20 cm2 or 6 g wet weight/day. Relative consumption rate (cm2 or g foliage/g snail) diminished with age (wet weight) of the snails. Several molluscicide-containing baits were assessed. Metaldehyde-based baits induced mortality most quickly, followed by iron-based baits. A boric acid-based bait was slowest, requiring 12 days for the induction of significant levels of mortality. All baits significantly suppressed feeding, however, sometimes even in the absence of mortality.
Equality Challenged: Equal Rights and Sexual Difference

“ERA Won't Go Away!” The words were chanted at rallies and unfurled on banners at countless marches as the deadline—June 30, 1982—approached for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment. To include in the Constitution the principle of equality of rights for women, supporters insisted, was an essential of republican government in a democratic society. Congress had shared that perception in 1972, passing a series of measures aimed at strengthening and expanding federal legislation banning discrimination on the basis of sex. Included was a constitutional amendment simply stating that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” Thirty-five of the thirty-eight states necessary for a three-fourths majority needed to amend the Constitution had given their approval.
A note on the value of information given asymmetric information and self-reporting*

. This note demonstrates purely statistical conditions under which a monitor will be valuable in the presence of predecision asymmetric information and self-reporting. This result is an extension of the information value results found for principal-agent problems with symmetric information. Resume. Cette note demontre les conditions statistiques pures sous lesquelles un moniteur sera valable en presence d'une information asymetrique prealable. Ce resultat est un prolongement des resultats de la valeur de l'information obtenus pour des problemes de mandant-mandataire avec une information symetrique.
Invited Commentary---Technology Innovation and Implications for Customer Relationship Management

Existing research on services and relationship treats customer service as a major operating variable, and focuses on measuring the resulting customer satisfaction, retention, duration, repeat purchases, word-ofmouth (e.g., Boulding et al. 1993). The recent article by Rust and Chung (2006) gives an excellent review of existing marketing models of service and customer relationship management (CRM). The rapid advances in information and communication technology provide greater opportunities for today's firms to establish, nurture, and sustain longterm relationships with their customers than ever before. The ultimate goal is to transform these relationships into greater profitability by reducing customer acquisition costs, increasing repeat purchases, and charging higher prices (Winer 2001). First, CRM is no longer the privilege of the service sector. Realizing the increasing importance of customer orientation, firms of all kinds of industries, ranging from manufacturing to information, are exploring serviceled growth as a promising means of differentiation (Sawhney et al. 2004). Second, service is no longer defined as a stand-alone marketing decision aimed at increasing customer satisfaction. Contemporary practice of CRM has been integrated into every step of the marketing process handling product inquiry, telemarketing, advertising, sales, transaction, service, and survey. Third, current CRM has shifted from static relationship to dynamic "learning relationship," from mass-marketing to customer-centric marketing, and from reactive service to proactive relationship building. The challenge faced by today's CRM practice is: How to learn about individual customers and act on
A multi-stage intelligent system for unit commitment

A heuristic approach to power system generation scheduling is discussed. The proposed short-term unit commitment employs a multistage neural network expert system approach to achieve real-time processing results. The operating constraints are presented as, heuristic rules in the system where a feasible solution is obtained through inference. The neural networks are used at the preprocessor and postprocessor stages. At the preprocessor stage, a load pattern matching scheme is used to retrieve an optimal schedule that represents the closest solution to the given load profile from the database. At the postprocessor stage, a trained neural network performs considerable adjustments to achieve the optimal solution. >
Leveraging RSSI for Robotic Repair of Disconnected Wireless Sensor Networks

Many recent deployments of environmental sensor networks have focused on obtaining measurements across large and inhospitable areas. With increasing scale it becomes impractical to deploy or maintain such systems by hand. This paper evaluates large scale network disconnectivity and highlights the underlying issues related to the environment and node characteristics. Furthermore, it examines how a low cost and adaptive method of robotic repair can be applied to large area networks using received signal strength measurements for simple navigation and placement.
Canine Genetic Linkage Study Using Heterologous DNA Probes

We have used clones of 17 single-copy human DNA sequences to analyze their counterparts in the genome of the domestic dog by heterologous hybridization. Ten of the 17 sequences represented anchor loci proposed for comparative mammalian mapping. Eight of 17 human clones (including three of the anchor loci) gave clear hybridization signals when used with Southern blots of canine DNA. Five of these eight (including two anchor loci) showed diallelic restriction fragment length polymorphisms in a large kindred of Brittany spaniels and could be used for segregation studies. Several probes chosen from different human chromosomes also were unlinked in the dog. By contrast, linkage was found between the canine counterparts of the closely linked human serum amyloid A gene family. Three markers linked on human chromosome II appeared not to be syntenic in the dog. DNA markers linked to various human genetic neuromuscular diseases were not linked to hereditary canine spinal muscular atrophy which segregates in this kindred. However, there was evidence of possible linkage of this disorder with a canine counterpart of the tyrosinase gene. Segregation studies using heterologous single-copy DNA probes can be performed in dogs, but the level of inbreeding may reduce heterogeneity and limit the power of the analysis.
Mechanistic Aspects of the Scaling of Fires and Explosions

Mechanistic aspects of scalings are addressed that include burning rates, flame spread, room fires, explosions, turbulent combustion and chemistry (fire suppression and the production of soot and toxic materials), with attention focused on dimensions sufficiently large for turbulence to be fully developed. For burning pools and cribs, scalings of burning rates, flame heights and radiant emissions are suggested, and for room fires, modifications associated with the onset of ventilation control are considered. Both confined and unconfined explosions are addressed, including overpressure scaling and, for the latter, size and radiation scaling for the limit of instantaneous release with momentum and buoyancy control. Relationships to scalings of turbulent combustion of gases and roles of chemical kinetics are mentioned.
The Case for Domestic Box Office Receipt Derivatives

INTRODUCTION Derivatives have been given a bad rap over the last two years. Following the sub-prime mortgage crisis and the ensuing economic collapse of 2008, many commentators and political figures targeted derivatives as one of the main causes of the financial crisis.1 Derivatives were immediately branded as “risky,” “complex,” and “impossible to understand,” and were even analogized to gambling.2 Indeed, derivatives are risky instruments if used carelessly, but if used properly, they provide a useful hedging device. These instruments have been traded onexchange and over-the-counter in the United States for nearly as long as the country has existed, and have traded in other countries for millennia.3 While the basic principles of these contracts have largely remained the same over time, the types of underlying assets, indices, or rates from which derivatives derive their value have expanded. Derivatives were originally used by farmers, processors, and end users of agricultural products to hedge against the risk of abrupt swings in the price of crops, but eventually began to be used to hedge against interest rate swings, credit risk, currency prices, weather changes, and even
Carbon exchange between Polysiphonia lanosa (Rhodophyceae) and its brown algal host.

Polysiphonia lanosa and its preferred Ascophyllum nodosum host exchange '4C-labeled photoassimilates. Exchange was demonstrated by injecting '4C-bicarbonate into air bladders on 15-30 cm cultured sections of field-collected host blades. Each section bore rhizoidally attached Polysiphonia. In a separate set of experiments, Polysiphonia on similar host material was surface treated with '4C-bicarbonate in sealed vessels. Movement of radioactive label was detected by autoradiographic and liquid scintillation techniques. On average, 10.5% of total label moved from host to hemiparasite following the first treatment, and 9.7% moved from hemiparasite to host following the second. Reciprocal exchange of tagged photoassimilates may play an important role in the specificity of the relationship between these two algal species.
Reexamining the Pooled Sampling Approach for Estimating Prevalence of Infected Insect Vectors

Our goal was to estimate seasonal changes in the proportion of Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), carrying Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Our approach was to test Asian citrus psyllid by using pooled samples. The initial question was about pool size and the consequences of choosing poorly. Assuming no loss in sensitivity when diluting one infected individual with many healthy individuals, then it is recommend that a combination of all the published limits be used: keep the number of pools (n) above 20, the pool size (k) below 100, and the number of infected pools less than half the total number of pools. The most conservative approach to achieving the latter is to optimize pool size given an infection rate (p) such that k = ln(0.5)/ln(1 p). Exceeding these limits increases the probability that all the pools will be infected. If this occurs, then that particular sample will be discarded. Use of multiple pool sizes can be used to manage this risk, but this approach may not always be practical. PooledInfRate is a good program for estimating prevalence, and it is available for free from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The program provides corrected confidence intervals for prevalence estimates using one or multiple pool sizes. We used a randomization test approach as a contrasting methodology. The bias corrected CDC 95% confidence interval is an upper bound to the “true” 95% confidence interval, and we provide an estimate of the magnitude of the remaining bias in the estimate.
Significant FDA approvals in 2001.

In 2001, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) launched numerous initiatives to assure the availability of medical products for the treatment of injuries that could be caused by terrorists using biologic, chemical, or nuclear agents.
Multimodality Imaging of Left Ventricular Apical Pouch With Midventricular Cavity Obliteration: Rare Variant of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

![Figure][1] ![Figure][1] [Video 1][2] Parasternal long-axis view depicting severe hypertrophy of the midventricle with little or no hypertrophy of the basal septum. Note that considerably less or no hypertrophy is evident in the distal and proximal portions of the left ventricular
Vapor Pressure and Predicted Stability of American Contact Dermatitis Society Core Allergens.

BACKGROUND Accurate patch testing is reliant on proper preparation of patch test allergens. The stability of patch test allergens is dependent on several factors including vapor pressure (VP). OBJECTIVE This investigation reviews the VP of American Contact Dermatitis Society Core Allergens and compares stability predictions based on VP with those established through clinical testing. METHODS Standard references were accessed for determining VP in millimeters of mercury and associated temperature in degrees celsius. If multiple values were listed, VP at temperatures that most approximate indoor storage conditions (20°C and 25°C) were chosen. For mixes, the individual component with the highest VP was chosen as the overall VP, assuming that the most volatile substance would evaporate first. Antigens were grouped into low (≤0.001 mm Hg), moderate ( 0.001 mm Hg), and high (≥1 mm Hg) volatility using arbitrary cutoff values. CONCLUSIONS This review is consistent with previously reported data on formaldehyde, acrylates, and fragrance material instability. Given lack of testing data, VP can be useful in predicting patch test compound stability. Measures such as air-tight multidose reagent containers, sealed single-application dispensers, preparation of patches immediately before application, and storage at lower temperatures may remedy some of these issues.
Can Video Engender Empathic Concern for Others? Testing a Positive Affect Arousing Intervention

1. Aaron Castelan Cargile[1][1][⇑][2] 1. 1California State University, Long Beach, USA 1. Aaron Castelan Cargile, Department of Communication Studies, California State University, Long Beach, 1250 Bellflower Blvd. Long Beach, CA 90840-2407, USA. Email: aaron.cargile{at}csulb.edu Empathy is widely recognized as the psychological foundation for prosocial behavior, yet very little is known about methods to increase affective empathy in students and trainees. The present research sought to assess the reliability and potential boundary conditions of one such intervention—a brief emotional video featuring a boy diagnosed with cancer. Study 1 found that the video succeeded in indirectly increasing empathic concern for an African American victim of police abuse among an ethnically diverse student sample in a classroom setting. Study 2 replicated the effect in an online environment among a population of near-racially homogeneous adults. The effect of this brief, convenient, positive-affect intervention is in line with other practice-based and negative-affect interventions. [1]: #aff-1 [2]: #corresp-1
The effects of damage on sign visibility: An assist in traffic sign replacement

Abstract Traffic signs often convey critical information to drivers. To ensure visibility in nighttime or low light conditions, traffic signs must be in compliance with the minimum retroreflectivity standards outlined by the manual on uniform traffic control devices (MUTCD). Among all of the assessment methods (visual nighttime inspection, retroreflectivity measurement) and management methods (expected life, blanket replacement, and control signs) outlined in the MUTCD, expected sign life has been the most selected by agencies for maintaining compliance. In current literature, little research exists with regard to schedule sign replacement, focusing rather on the current favorite predictor, sign age. However, after collecting data on 1683 in-service traffic signs across the state of Utah, this study primarily concluded that not only sign age, but other contributing factors affect sign retroreflective performance. Aiming to determine the effects of various damage forms on sign retroreflectivity, statistical methods, including regression models, chi-square test, t -test, and odds ratio were employed to analyze traffic sign data. At the conclusion, the strong association between damage and retroreflectivity compliance of traffic signs was evident. In addition, to identify more critical damage forms, the effects of various forms on traffic sign retroreflectivity were compared. These conclusions provide insight to inform transportation agencies in the development of sign management plans and schedule sign replacement.