cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Short versus standard peroral endoscopic myotomy for esophageal achalasia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background Peroral endoscopic myotomy (POEM) is increasingly used to treat esophageal achalasia, but is associated with a high rate of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of our meta-analysis was to compare short and standard POEM in terms of clinical success and postoperative GERD. Methods We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies that compared POEM using short myotomy with standard myotomy. The primary outcome was clinical success. Secondary outcomes were postoperative GERD, perioperative complications, operation time, and length of hospital stay. A random-effects model was used to calculate the risk ratios (RR), mean differences (MD), and confidence intervals (CI). A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results We included 5 studies involving 474 esophageal achalasia patients. Short and standard myotomies were similar in terms of clinical success (RR 1.02, 95%CI 0.97-1.09), perioperative complications (RR 0.68, 95%CI 0.26-1.75), and length of hospital stay (MD 0.25 days, 95%CI -0.14-0.63). Operation time was shorter for short myotomy (MD -15.01 mins, 95%CI -20.34 - -9.67). Although reflux symptoms were similar (RR 0.94, 95%CI 0.51-1.74), short myotomy had a lower risk of reflux esophagitis on endoscopy (RR 0.61, 95%CI 0.39-0.98), and pathologic acid exposure on pH monitoring (RR 0.58, 95%CI 0.36-0.94). Conclusions POEM using a shorter myotomy is comparable with standard myotomy in terms of efficacy and safety in the short-term setting. A short myotomy requires a shorter operation time and might reduce the occurrence of postoperative GERD.
The association between ambient air pollutants and pancreatic cancer in the Multiethnic Cohort Study.

Abstract Background Prior studies examining the association between ambient air pollutants and pancreatic cancer have been conducted in racially/ethnically homogeneous samples and have produced mixed results, with some studies supporting evidence of an association with fine particulate matter. Methods To further investigate these findings, we estimated exposure levels of particulate matter (PM2.5, PM10) and oxides of nitrogen (NOX, and NO2) using kriging interpolation for 100,527 men and women from the Multiethnic Cohort Study, residing largely in Los Angeles County from 1993 through 2013. We measured the association between these air pollutants and incident pancreatic cancer using Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying pollutant measures, with adjustment for confounding factors. Results A total of 821 incident pancreatic cancer and 1,660,488 person-years accumulated over the study period, with an average follow-up time of over 16 years. PM2.5 (per 10 μg/m3) was associated with incident pancreatic cancer (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.61; 95% CI, 1.09, 2.37). This PM2.5 -association was strongest among Latinos (HR = 3.59; 95% CI, 1.60, 8.06) and ever smokers (HR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.05, 2.94). There was no association for PM10 (HR = 1.12; 95% CI, 0.94, 1.32, per 10 μg/m3), NOx (HR = 1.14; 95% CI, 0.88, 1.48, per 50 ppb), or NO2 (HR = 1.14; 95% CI, 0.85, 1.54, per 20 ppb). Conclusions Our findings support prior research identifying an association between fine particulate matter, PM2.5, and pancreatic cancer. Although not statistically heterogeneous, this association was most notable among Latinos and smokers. Future studies are needed to replicate these results in an urban setting and in a racially/ethnically diverse population.
A Review of Distributed VR Co-design Systems.

This paper presents a systematic literature review to identify the challenges and best practices of distributed VR co-design systems, in order to guide the design of such systems. It was found that VR, due to its intuitive format is useful at co-design review meetings since it allows everyone, not just experts, to provide their inputs, thus resulting in additional practical insights from project stakeholders. It also allows the identification of design deficiencies that were not observable using traditional methods and that were overlooked by the traditional panel of expert reviewers. Our review also indicates that VR should complement, not replace, traditional 2D CAD drawings. Our review, however, shows there is little conclusive evidence about the features and functions that should be included in the design of such systems and that more quantitative studies are needed to support the findings from qualitative studies.
Design of Controller and Router for Orderly Charging System of Electric Vehicle

With the world's attention to energy and environmental issues, the number of electric vehicle users is increasing year by year. However, the disorderly charging of electric vehicles will aggravate the uncertainty of the power grid, leading to "peak-on-peak" of residential load, forcing the capacity of power supply equipment needs to be increased and expanded, and resulting in a decline in the utilization rate of power supply equipment, which is adverse to the stable and economic operation of the power grid. Therefore, it is essential to develop a new generation of orderly charging system, which involves users, electric vehicles, AC charging piles, energy controllers, energy routers, service platforms and others. This article mainly develops energy routers and energy controllers that meet the demand for orderly charging. The energy controller is responsible for generating the local control strategy for orderly charging of electric vehicles, realizing the orderly operation of energy routers, and uploading and synchronizing the grid information and charging information of electric vehicles to the service platform in real time, to support the real-time monitoring and strategy adjustment of orderly charging of electric vehicles. The energy router (a new generation of smart meters) is responsible for the data collection of electric vehicles, energy storage, distributed power sources, microgrids, thermal storage electric heating and other new energy-consuming equipment. It has the ability of local networking and regional autonomy, and supports two ways of interacting with customers including master station and Bluetooth. The energy router and energy controller designed by the system have the advantages of small size, low power consumption, high accuracy, and strong anti-interference ability, which can meet the application of orderly charging of electric vehicles in different occasions.
EV Lacertae: Is Flare Activity Related to an Unseen Planet-Like Companion?

The presence of an unseen companion to EV Lac with 2 to 4 Jupiter masses is likely. A period of ~45 years indicates the separation at the time of periastron is ~2 a.u.
Information needs of people with spinal cord injuries.

Background/Objective: To determine the information needs, level of Internet access, and current and preferred formats and sources of information of adults with spinal cord injuries (SCIs). Individu...
Seasonal Biotransformation of Naphthalene, Phenanthrene, and Benzo[a]pyrene in Surficial Estuarine Sediments

Abstract Transformation rates of naphthalene, phenanthrene, and benzo[a]pyrene in oxidized surficial sediments of a polluted urban estuary, Boston Harbor, Mass., were determined over a period of 15 months. Three sites characterized by muddy sediments were selected to represent a >300-fold range of ambient polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentration. Transformation rates were determined by a trace-level radiolabel PAH assay which accounted for PAH mineralization, the formation of polar metabolites, residue, and recovered parental PAHs in sediment slurries. Transformation rates of the model PAHs increased with increasing ambient PAH concentrations. However, turnover times for a given PAH were similar at all sites. The turnover times were as follows: naphthalene, 13.2 to 20.1 days; phenanthrene, 7.9 to 19.8 days, and benzo[a]pyrene, 53.7 to 82.3 days. At specific sites, rates were significantly affected by salinity, occasionally affected by temperature, but not affected by pH over the course of the study. Seasonal patterns of mineralization were observed for each of the PAHs at all sites. The timing of seasonal maxima of PAH mineralization varied from site to site. Seasonal potential heterotrophic activities as measured by acetate and glutamate mineralization rates did not always coincide with PAH mineralization maxima and minima, suggesting that the two processes are uncoupled in estuarine sediments.
Near Middle East/North African Studies: Society and History

This article is reproduced from the previous edition, volume 15, pp. 10451–10458, © 2001, Elsevier Ltd., with revisions made by the Editor.
CEO Turnover and Debt Policy Change

We empirically examine the influence of CEOs on corporate financial policy. We focus our analysis on significant changes in financial policy by focusing on firms that change their debt policy from zero leverage to positive leverage or from positive leverage to zero leverage at least once during their Compustat history. We find that CEO turnover, and in particular external CEO turnover (i.e., replacement of the CEO with someone from outside the firm) is a significant determinant of debt policy changes. Our results are robust after controlling for known determinants of capital structure, corporate governance, and potential endogeneity of CEO turnover. We find that the leverage of the replacement CEO’s former company tends to be consistent with the direction of the debt policy change. We also find that the frequency of CEO turnover is much less when the firm never changes its debt policy (i.e., is always levered or unlevered). Our evidence establishes that CEOs have a first-order influence on corporate financial policy.
EQUATIONS FOR $\overline M_{0,n}$

We show that the log canonical bundle, κ, of is very ample, show the homogeneous coordinate ring is Koszul, and give a nice set of rank 4 quadratic generators for the homogeneous ideal: The embedding is equivariant for the symmetric group, and the image lies on many Segre embedded copies of ℙ1 × ⋯ × ℙn-3, permuted by the symmetric group. The homogeneous ideal of is the sum of the homogeneous ideals of these Segre embeddings.
PFHS synthesis of zinc and lead salts for electronic ceramics

Precipitation from homogeneous solution (PFHS) techniques provide a number of methods to prepare precursor salts for the oxides of zinc and lead. Proton consumption (PC), anion release (AR) and combined PC/AR/PFHS methods have been used successfully to prepare zinc and lead oxalate and hydroxycarbonate salts that display various morphologies and sizes depending on the synthesis conditions. Research activity in the area of PFHS synthesis of zinc and lead salts for electronic ceramic components is described. >
Reconstitution of the adult B cell repertoire after treatment with rituximab

B cells play diverse and fundamental roles in the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases. Consequently, therapeutic targeting of B cells is gaining prominence in our clinical armamentarium for an ever expanding array of autoimmune and neoplastic disorders. Therefore, it is of great importance to understand the mechanism of action of B cell depletion. Given that the ideal consequence of B cell depletion would be the subsequent re-establishment of immunologic tolerance, a detailed analysis of the properties of the emerging repertoire will be required. The results presented by Rouziere and coworkers in their study of rheumatoid arthritis patients shed some light on this question and are discussed in this commentary.
PROPOFOL: A REVIEW OF ITS ROLE IN PEDIATRIC ANESTHESIA AND SEDATION

Propofol is an intravenous agent used commonly for the induction and maintenance of anesthesia, procedural, and critical care sedation in children. The mechanisms of action on the central nervous system involve interactions at various neurotransmitter receptors, especially the gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor. Approved for use in the USA by the Food and Drug Administration in 1989, its use for induction of anesthesia in children less than 3 years of age still remains off-label. Despite its wide use in pediatric anesthesia, there is conflicting literature about its safety and serious adverse effects in particular subsets of children. Particularly as children are not “little adults”, in this review, we emphasize the maturational aspects of propofol pharmacokinetics. Despite the myriad of propofol pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic studies and the ability to use allometrical scaling to smooth out differences due to size and age, there is no optimal model that can be used in target controlled infusion pumps for providing closed loop total intravenous anesthesia in children. As the commercial formulation of propofol is a nutrient-rich emulsion, the risk for bacterial contamination exists despite the Food and Drug Administration mandating addition of antimicrobial preservative, calling for manufacturers’ directions to discard open vials after 6 h. While propofol has advantages over inhalation anesthesia such as less postoperative nausea and emergence delirium in children, pain on injection remains a problem even with newer formulations. Propofol is known to depress mitochondrial function by its action as an uncoupling agent in oxidative phosphorylation. This has implications for children with mitochondrial diseases and the occurrence of propofol-related infusion syndrome, a rare but seriously life-threatening complication of propofol. At the time of this review, there is no direct evidence in humans for propofol-induced neurotoxicity to the infant brain; however, current concerns of neuroapoptosis in developing brains induced by propofol persist and continue to be a focus of research.
β‐ADRENORECEPTOR ANTAGONISTS WITH MULTIPLE PHARMACOPHORES: PERSISTENT INHIBITION OF RAT HEART ADENYLATE CYCLASE

1 β-Adrenoreceptor antagonists containing several pharmacophores, so called alprenolol-Jeffamines, were studied. These compounds are derived from JeffamineR NH2-CH-(CH3)-CH2-[-O-CH2-CH(CH3)-]n- NH29n = 2.6 ave. by substitution of nitrogen with 3-(2-allylphenoxy)-2-hydroxypropyl groups, which are part of the AlprenololR pharmacophore. 2 Alprenolol-Jeffamines inhibited (-)isoprenaline stimulated adenylate cyclase activity; the derivative with one pharmacophore was about 4-fold and the derivative with two pharmacophores was about 17-fold less potent than (+)alprenolol; the trisubstituted derivative which has one complete and two partial pharmacophores was ineffective. 3 The ratio of Ki's for inhibition of (-)3H-DHA binding and for inhibition of adenylate cyclase were approximately one for each derivative. 4 When (+)alprenolol-Jeffamine derivatives were injected intraperitoneally into rats and heart membranes or homogenates were prepared 18–20 h afterwards, the mono, di, and trisubstituted derivatives, but not (+)alprenolol, inhibited bindng of (-)3H-DHA. This persistency pattern is different from that observed in vitro, where only di and trisubstituted derivatives are persistent. Slow metabolism/slow excretion of the monosubstituted derivative may be a source of the increased persistency in vivo. 5 In similarly prepared animals, the dose-response curve for (-)isoprenaiine stimulated adenylate cyclase was shifted to the right 3-to-4 fold for mono and disubstituted derivatives but was unaffected by (+) alprenolol and the trisubstituted derivative. 6 The results suggest that these derivatives interact with physiologically important β-adrenoreceptors in vitro, and that, in vivo, they persistently block β-adrenoreceptors and inhibit isoprenaline stimulated adenylate cyclase.
Identification of a new monoclonal B-cell subset in unaffected first-degree relatives in familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Identification of a new monoclonal B-cell subset in unaffected first-degree relatives in familial chronic lymphocytic leukemia
Ethylene: Role in Fruit Abscission and Dehiscence Processes

Two peaks of ethylene production occur during the development of cotton fruitz (Gossypium hirsutum L.). These periods precede the occurrence of young fruit shedding and mature fruit dehiscence, both of which are abscission phenomena and the latter is generally assumed to be part of the total ripening process. Detailed study of the dehiscence process revealed that ethylene production of individual, attached cotton fruits goes through a rising, cyclic pattern which reaches a maximum prior to dehiscence. With detached pecan fruits (Carya illinoensis [Wang.] K. Koch), ethylene production measured on alternate days rose above 1 microliter per kilogram fresh weight per hour before dehiscence began and reached a peak several days prior to complete dehiscence. Ethylene production by cotton and pecan fruits was measured just prior to dehiscence and then the internal concentration of the gas near the center of the fruit was determined. From these data a ratio of production rate to internal concentration was determined which allowed calculation of the approximate ethylene concentration in the intact fruit prior to dehiscence and selection of appropriate levels to apply to fruits. Ethylene at 10 microliters per liter of air appears to saturate dehiscence of cotton, pecan, and okra (Hibiscus esculentus L.) fruits and the process is completed in 3 to 4 days. In all cases some hastening of dehiscence was observed with as little as 0.1 microliter of exogenous ethylene per liter of air. The time required for response to different levels of ethylene was determined and compared to the time course of ethylene production and dehiscence. We concluded that internal levels of ethylene rose to dehiscence-stimulating levels a sufficience time before dehiscence for the gas to have initiated the process. Since our data and calculations indicate that enough ethylene is made a sufficient time before dehiscence, to account for the process, we propose that ethylene is one of the regulators of natural fruit dehiscence, an important component of ripening in some fruits. Our data also suggest a possible involvement of ethylene in young fruit abscission.
A fatigue-to-creep correlation in air for application to environmental stress cracking of polyethylene

The present study was undertaken to determine whether the correlation between fatigue and creep established for polyethylene in air could be extended to environmental liquids. Fatigue and creep tests under various conditions of stress, R-ratio (defined as the ratio of minimum to maximum load in the fatigue loading cycle), and frequency were performed in air and in Igepal solutions. The load–displacement curves indicated that stepwise fatigue crack growth in air was preserved in Igepal solutions at 50 °C, the temperature specified for the ASTM standard. In air, systematically decreasing the dynamic component of fatigue loading by increasing the R-ratio to R = 1 (creep) steadily increased the lifetime. In contrast, the lifetime in Igepal was affected to a much smaller extent. The fatigue to creep correlation in air was previously established primarily for tests at 21 °C. Before testing the correlation in Igepal, it was necessary to establish the correlation in air at 50 °C. Microscopic methods were used to verify stepwise crack growth by the sequential formation and breakdown of a craze zone, and to confirm the fatigue to creep correlation. The crack growth rate under various loading conditions was related to the maximum stress and R-ratio by a power law relationship. Alternatively, a strain rate approach, which considered a creep contribution and a fatigue acceleration factor that depended only on strain rate, reliably correlated fatigue and creep in air at 50 °C under most loading conditions of stress, R-ratio and frequency. The exceptions were fatigue loading under conditions of R = 0.1 and frequency less than 1 Hz. It was speculated that compression and bending of highly extended craze fibrils were responsible for unexpectedly high crack speeds.
Entomology in the Pacific Branch—Plus and Minus Fifty Years: History of the Pacific Branch

Prior to 1915, an organization known as the Pacific Slope Association of Economic Entomologists had existed for some years on the west coast. Desiring to expand their activities, they consulted with the American Association of Economic Entomologists about consolidation. As a result, a special meeting of the A.A.E.E. and the Pacific Slope Association was held in Berkeley in August 1915. After some discussion a resolution was drawn up recommending that the P.S.A. be accepted as a branch of the A.A.E.E., to be known as the Pacific Slope Branch. This recommendation was accepted by the A.A.E.E. at its regular meeting in Columbus, Ohio, in December 1915; thus the first branch of our society was formed.
On Augmenting Community Economic Performance by New or Continuing Irrigation Developments: Discussion

Stoevener and Kraynick have offered a review of some of the considerations in identifying and estimating secondary benefits of irrigation and related developments and the proper role of those benefits in feasibility analysis. The issue is particularly timely for at least three reasons: (a) the much closer scrutiny being given to water resource investments by the federal government; (b) the importance of secondary impact estimation in impact statements concerning a range of federal government actions, especially in the West; and (c) the continuing use (and misuse) of the secondary benefit argument by local development officials to generate local support for water projects. With regard to the latter, such arguments often include exaggerated claims about the magnitude of the secondary impacts and, furthermore, usually offer no rationale for their role in logically supporting property tax financing. As I see it, three questions are raised: (a) Do irrigation and related projects generate significant secondary benefits? (b) If so, how should these benefits be estimated or measured? (c) Once measured, should those benefits be included in benefit-cost analysis; and, if so, how? As a corollary, if they are not to be included in the benefit-cost ratio, as I and many others would argue, should they be reported separately so that the decisions regarding interregional wealth transfers might be made on a slightly more rational basis? The paper focuses on the second question. It raises a variety of issues on the question of secondary benefits and reviews a number of relevant studies. The authors review three methods of secondary benefit estimation: (a) the econometric or statistical approach, (b)
Spherical Space Forms, CR Mappings, and Proper Maps Between Balls

We determine precisely for which spherical space forms there are nontrivial smooth CR mappings to spheres. Equivalently we determine for which fixed point free finite unitary groups ⌈ there exists a ⌈-invariant proper holomorphic rational map between balls. The answer is that the group must be cyclic and essentially only two classes of representations can occur. For these there are invariant polynomial examples.
From planning to searching for the shortest plan: An optimal transition

If we want to find the shortest plan, then usually, we try plans of length 1, 2, …, until we find the first length for which such a plan exists. When the planning problem is difficult and the shortest plan is of a reasonable length, this linear search can take a long time; to speed up the process, it has been proposed to use binary search instead. Binary search for the value of a certain parameter x is optimal when for each tested value x, we need the same amount of computation time; in planning, the computation time increases with the size of the plan and, as a result, binary search is no longer optimal. We describe an optimal way of combining planning algorithms into a search for the shortest plan – optimal in the sense of worst-case complexity. We also describe an algorithm which is asymptotically optimal in the sense of average complexity.
Inhibition of C5a-induced basophil degranulation by disodium cromoglycate.

Injection of purified porcine C5a into 24-hr basophil-rich cutaneous basophil hypersensitivity sites in the dose range 10−12–10−10 moles/site produced cutaneous basophil anaphylaxis (CBA). The H1 anti-histamine antagonist mepyramine, given orally (3.0–30 mg/kg), inhibited the vasopermeability, but not the basophil degranulation, characteristic of CBA. The antiallergy agent disodium cromoglycate (DSCG), administered intravenously (3.0–30 mg/kg), inhibited vasopermeability and basophil degranulation. DSCG inhibition of mast cell degranulation was not important in the inhibition of CBA, since intact mast cells were found to be depleted at basophil-rich sites and absent at C5a-induced CBA sites from animals treated with DSCG.
Observation of forward Raman scattering in laser-produced plasmas.

We report the first observation of up-shifted scattered light from Raman forward scattering. Computer simulations show this scattering to be a characteristic signature of that instability. The up- and down-shifted spectra are in good agreement with the interpretation of anti-Stokes and Stokes waves, respectively. We have correlated the observations of both the up-shifted and down-shifted forward spectra with the theoretically expected superhot electrons. The experiments used the Nova laser facility to irradiate thin CH targets with 1-nsec pulses of 0.53-\ensuremath{\mu}m light.
Crack propagation analysis of mode-I fracture in pultruded composites using micromechanical constitutive models

Abstract An experimental and analytical study is carried out to characterize the fracture behavior of fiber reinforced plastic pultruded composites. The composite material system used in this study consists of roving and continuous filament mat (CFM) layers with E-glass fiber and polyester matrix. Eccentrically loaded single-edge-notch-tension ESE(T) fracture toughness specimen were cut from a thick pultruded plate, with the roving orientation transverse to the loading direction. Three-dimensional micromechanical constitutive models for the CFM and roving layers are developed. The micromodels can generate the effective nonlinear behavior while recognizing the in situ response at the fiber and matrix levels. The ability of the proposed micromodels to predict the effective elastic properties as well as the nonlinear response under multi-axial stress states is verified and compared to the stress–strain response from a series of off-axis tests. The micromodels are implemented in a finite element code with a cohesive layer to model the nonlinear fracture behavior of a pultruded composite material with different crack configurations. The properties for the cohesive layer were calibrated from one ESE(T) specimen with a crack to width ratio, a / W of 0.5. Good prediction is demonstrated for a range of notch sizes and geometries. The use of cohesive elements with nonlinear micromodels is effective in modeling the transverse mode-I crack growth behavior in pultruded composites.
Noise in germanium double-injection space-charge-limited diodes

Experimental evidence is presented to support van der Ziel's theory of noise in double-injection s.c.l. diodes. Good agreement is found with the theoretical predictions for a germanium double-injection s.c.l. diode.
Evaluating the Joint Theater Trauma Registry as a Data Source to Benchmark Casualty Care

Just as data from civilian trauma registries have been used to benchmark and evaluate civilian trauma care, data contained within the Joint Theater Trauma Registry (JTTR) present a unique opportunity to benchmark combat care. Using the iterative steps of the benchmarking process, we evaluated data in the JTTR for suitability and established benchmarks for 24-hour mortality in casualties with polytrauma and a moderate or severe blunt traumatic brain injury (TBI). Mortality at 24 hours was greatest in those with polytrauma and a severe blunt TBI. No mortality was seen in casualties with polytrauma and a moderate blunt TBI. Secondary insults after TBI, especially hypother- mia and hypoxemia, increased the odds of 24-hour mortality. Data contained in the JTTR were found to be suitable for establishing benchmarks. JTTR data may be useful in establishing benchmarks for other outcomes and types of combat injuries.
Jumping In, Joining Up and Getting On

It is one of the rituals of responses like this, I suppose, to get all gladiatorial to seek to defend earlier arguments by going out on the attack against critical commentaries. I'll try to avoid doing this here, because I find myself in the (fortunate, perhaps) position of being content to stand by the main issues, concerns and arguments in my editorial of last year (Peck 1999), while also agreeing with much that Pollard et al (2000) and Banks and MacKian (2000) have to say in their responses. Of course, it was my aim in the editorial to be provocative and polemical, and I am glad that it yielded two such thoughtful responses. I want to use the space here to respond to some of the issues that the two commentaries raise, but to do so in a way that leaves the discussion open. The underlying purpose of my editorial, which I think was fairly straightforwardly stated, was not to issue a finger-wagging sermon about the need for 'more policy research', but to make the rather different point that squaring the circle between engaged policy/political work on the one hand and more conventional 'academic' and 'professional' pursuits on the other seems to be becoming increasingly difficult. Although this tension has always existed in some form or another, it has apparently become particularly fraught in recent years, due largely to changes in the environment in which we as geographers work. This is clearly not the same as saying that some unitary reading of 'policy relevance' should be imposed as an external 'legitimacy test' of what geographers ought to be doing, nor was I advocating an unseemly scramble for the 'minister's ear'. Rather, my argument was around the pressing need for, yet inherent difficulty in, forms of 'deep' policy analysis which gets behind the backs and, if necessary, under the feet or up the noses of policy makers and elite actors. It is here, it seems to me, that geographers have unique contributions to make, given their distinctive take on the interplay between policy formation and (uneven) outcomes, the context-structured and path-dependent nature of decision-making and policy development, the (scalar and spatial) embeddedness of political institutions, the dynamics of policy transfer/inertia, and so forth. Yet as Martin (1999) and others have recently observed, as a discipline we do not seem to be making this distinctive approach count as much as we might, for all the individual exceptions. Clearly, challenge of policy work is partly a theoretical task and the recent outpouring of innovative work on issues like social embedded-
Immediate maternal reactions to the disclosure or discovery of incest

The prevailing conception in the literature on women's reactions to paternal incest in their families is consistently negative. Few of these studies, however, even use women as subjects; and fewer still are sensitive to the influence of gender ideology on the interpretation of findings. This study sought to remedy that oversight by analyzing the data gleaned from in-depth life history interviews with 20 women from paternally incestuous families who were just entering treatment. The women's immediate reactions to the paternal incest in their families were analyzed. Less collusion, less disbelief of the incest allegation, more shock and outrage upon its disclosure or discovery, and more protective actions post-incest are found with this sample than are described in most previous studies.
Simulation of Nonlinear Circuits in the Frequency Domain

Simulation in the frequency domain avoids many of the severe problems experienced when trying to use traditional time-domain simulators such as SPICE to find the steady-state behavior of analog and microwave circuits. In particular, frequency-domain simulation eliminates problems from distributed components and high-Q circuits by foregoing a nonlinear differential equation representation of the circuit in favor of a complex algebraic representation. This paper reviews the method of harmonic balance as a general approach to converting a set of differential equations into a nonlinear algebraic system of equations that can be solved for the periodic steady-state solution of the original differential equations. Three different techniques are applied to solve the algebraic system of equations: optimization, relaxation, and Newton's method. The implementation of the algorithm resulting from the combination of Newton's method with harmonic balance is described. Several new ways of exploiting both the structure of the formulation and the characteristics of the circuits that would typically be seen by this type of simulator are presented. These techniques dramatically reduce the time required for a simulation, and allow harmonic balance to be applied to much larger circuits than were previously attempted, making it suitable for use on monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC's).
Conditioned reinforcement in the crayfish Orconectes rusticus

The crayfish Orconectes rusticus can form a learned association between alarm odour (an unlearned signal of elevated predation risk) and a formerly neutral odour. In this study the odours of gyrinid beetles and of the snail Campeloma decisum were each paired with alarm odour and subsequently those odours significantly reduced feeding behaviours in the presence of food odour. To test for second-order (=conditioned) reinforcement, crayfish were first exposed simultaneously to one of the neutral odours and alarm odour and later exposed simultaneously to the two formerly neutral odours. When tested with the second neutral odour (which was not paired with alarm odour) the crayfish showed significant reductions in food-related behaviours, thus demonstrating second-order conditioning.
Resisting the State: Reform and Retrenchment in Post-Soviet Russia

Why do new, democratizing states often find it so difficult to actually govern? Why do they so often fail to provide their beleaguered populations with better access to public goods and services? Using original and unusual data, this book uses post-communist Russia as a case in examining what the author calls this broader 'weak state syndrome' in many developing countries. Through interviews with over 800 Russian bureaucrats in 72 of Russia's 89 provinces, and a highly original database on patterns of regional government non-compliance to federal law and policy, the book demonstrates that resistance to Russian central authority not so much ethnically based (as others have argued) as much as generated by the will of powerful and wealthy regional political and economic actors seeking to protect assets they had acquired through Russia's troubled transition out of communism.
A total and stochastic test of the transitivity postulate underlying expectancy theory

Abstract This study tests whether subjects can preference order job outcomes ( V k 's) in a transitive manner, a premise which must be supported if expectancy theory is to remain valid. Thirty-one subjects pair compared and rated 14 job outcomes. The paired comparisons were tested for total and stochastic transitivity. Of 3472 potentially intransitive triads, only 94 were observed. Stochastic transitivity accounted for 81 intransitivities, leaving only 13 intransitive triads unexplained. The data suggest that total or stochastic intransitivity may be due to indifference between outcomes. It was concluded that the results provide strong support for the transitivity postulate and, therefore, expectancy theory, and that the model used in this paper might usefully be applied to other components of expectancy theory.
Response to Ermisch, Martin, and Wu

Our recent paper in Demography (Gray, Stockard, and Stone 2006) has attracted the close scrutiny of several prominent academics. Three sets of formal comments, authored independently by Ermisch, Martin, and Wu (EMW), appear in this issue of Demography. In this response we argue that the analysis and evidence of our 2006 paper have withstood the scrutiny of EMW. In particular, we find that a substantial part of the rising share of nonmarital births since 1970 is due to a selection effect associated with marriage. This same selection effect also explains how birth rates could rise in both groups, even though their combined birth rate did not. In sum, though we appreciate the opportunity to expand on several key aspects of our 2006 article, we see no reason to substantially revise any of our major conclusions based on the EMW comments.
Use of Carbon Dioxide in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Large volumes of oil will remain in U.S. oil reservoirs when standard recovery methods have been completed. Supercritical carbon dioxide can be used to recover part of that remaining oil. If carbon dioxide is dense enough, it extracts hydrocarbons from the oil to make a mixture miscible with crude oil. Such a mixture can recover 95 percent of the oil in controlled laboratory flow settings. Heterogeneity of reservoir rocks and the low viscosity of carbon dioxide reduce the fraction of oil recovered in projects to lower but still significant levels. With the construction of three pipelines to carry naturally occurring carbon dioxide from Colorado and New Mexico to Permian basin oil fields, large-scale implementation of enhanced oil recovery by carbon dioxide flooding is now beginning.
Field Studies on Flight Patterns and Olfactory Responses of Ambrosia Beetles in Douglas-fir Forests of Western Oregon

The flight of the ambrosia beetles, Trypodendron lineatum (Oliv.), Gnathotrichus sulcatus Lec. and G. retusus Lec., revealed distinct diurnal and seasonal patterns that were influenced by environmental factors, particularly temperature, wind, and daylight. While Trypodendron flies during the entire day when the temperature is favorable, the Gnathotrichus species exhibit a peak of flight at dusk. The temperature thresholds of emergence and initiation of flight for Trypodendron and the threshold for flight of Gnathotrichus were established.The substance responsible for mass attraction of Trypodendron, after the initial invasion of a few pioneer beetles, was found to be a species-specific sex pheromone produced by sexually mature females after entering the host. The pheromone has been concentrated from the female borings in the laboratory, and when released in the field it caused the beetles to respond. Both species of Gnathotrichus, on the other hand, responded to the borings produced by female beetles of Dendroctonus pseudotsugae Hopkins and to the extract prepared in alcohol. This fact suggests possible use of these substances in control of these ambrosia beetles.
Visible Region Magnetic Linear Dichroism Spectra of Ferrocytochrome c and Deoxymyoglobin: Demonstration of a New Tool for the Study of Metalloproteins

Using a newly reconfigured magnetooptical instrument, originally constructed for magnetic circular dichroism experiments, it has been shown that the ferrous hemoprotein derivatives ferrocytochrome c (S = 0) and deoxymyoglobin (S = 2) exhibit readily detectable magnetic-field-induced linear dichroism (MLD) signals in the near-ultraviolet-to-visible region. To our knowledge, this is the first time MLD spectra have been reported for metalloprotein samples. The results suggest that MLD exhibits selectivity toward the transition type and chromophore spin which is complementary to that of the corresponding magnetic circular dichroism. Not surprisingly, the band patterns detected in the two magnetooptical spectroscopies are qualitatively different. The second-derivative dispersion associated with the ferrocytochrome c Q-band MLD and the linear variation in signal intensity with the square of the field observed for both non-Kramers hemoprotein derivatives studied under nonsaturating conditions are fully in accord...
Asymptotic properties of minimax trees and game-searching procedures

Abstract The model most frequently used for evaluating the behavior of game-searching methods consists of a uniform tree of height h and a branching degree d, where the terminal positions are assigned random, independent and identically distributed values. This paper highlights some curious properties of such trees when h is very large and examines their implications on the complexity of various game-searching methods. If the terminal positions are assigned a WIN-LOSS status with the probabilities P0 and 1 − P0, respectively, then the root node is almost a sure MIN or a sure LOSS, depending on whether P0 is higher or lower than some fixed-point probability P∗(d) . When the terminal positions are assigned continuous real values, the minimax value of the root node converges rapidly to a unique predetermined value v∗ , which is the (1 − P∗)- fractile of the terminal distribution. Exploiting these properties we show that a game with WIN-LOSS terminals can be solved by examining, on the average, O [(d) h 2 ] terminal positions if positions if P 0 ≠ P∗ and O [( P∗ (1 − P∗) ) h ] positions if P 0 = P∗ , the former performance being optimal for all search algorithms. We further show that a game with continuous terminal values can be evaluated by examining an average of O [( P∗ (1 − P∗) ) h ] positions, and that this is a lower bound for all directional algorithms. Games with discrete terminal values can, in almost all cases, be evaluated by examining an average of O [(d) h 2 ] terminal positions. This performance is optimal and is also achieved by the ALPHA-BETA procedure.
Pilot Plant Preparation of an αvβ3 Integrin Antagonist. Part 1. Process Research and Development of a (S)-β-Amino Acid Ester Intermediate: Synthesis via a Scalable, Diastereoselective Imino-Reformatsky Reaction

Described are four process research investigations directed toward discerning a scalable, enantioselective method for preparing (S)-β-amino acid ester 3, a key intermediate to the αvβ3 integrin antagonist 1. Reported are an asymmetric Michael reaction approach, attempts to enantioselectively hydrogenate an enamine, resolution of (±)-3 via diastereomeric salt formation, and a synthetic route employing a novel, diastereoselective imino-Reformatsky reaction. This last research initiative proved successful and was employed as the enabling route to initial API supply. Process development of this enabling chemistry is reported. The technical issues researched and optimized were (1) the necessity of employing MEM-protection for high yield and diastereoselectivity in the imino-Reformatsky reaction, (2) the reaction kinetics of MEM chloride hydrolysis and the application of these data to an on-scale quench procedure, (3) the efficient formation of the (S)-phenylglycinol imine 15 in NMP and a dehydration of this pr...
The world at your fingertips

The rise of the Internet search engine Google as guardian, gate-keeper and guide to a wealth of information. Whatever the long-term effects of Google and its like on the traditional publishing industry, in the short term it means more books. Like the pair reviewed this week, covering the maths, business models and cultural impact of the search giants.
Green chemical functionalization of single-walled carbon nanotubes in ionic liquids.

Single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are exfoliated and functionalized predominantly as individuals by grinding them for minutes at room temperature with aryldiazonium salts in the presence of ionic liquids (ILs) and K2CO3. This constitutes an extremely rapid and mild green chemical functionalization process for obtaining the individualized nanotube structures. A number of ILs and various reaction conditions were surveyed. Raman, XPS, UV/vis/NIR spectroscopies, thermogravimetric analysis, and atomic force and transmission electron microscopies were used to characterize the products.
Two-way coupled turbulence simulations of gas-particle flows using point-particle tracking

This paper addresses computational models for dilute gas-particle multiphase flow in which the three dimensional, time-dependent fluid motion is calculated in an Eulerian frame, and a large number of particles are tracked in a Lagrangian frame. Point forces are used to represent the back effect of the particles on the turbulence. The paper describes the early development of the technique, summarizes several experiments which show how dilute particle loadings can significantly alter the turbulence, and demonstrates how the point-particle method fails when the particles are comparable in scale to the small scale turbulence. High-resolution simulations and experiments which demonstrate the importance of the flow details around individual particles are described. Finally, opinions are stated on how future model development should proceed.
Nuclear magnetic resonance study of the structure and interactions of actinomycin D: temperature and solvent effects on the N--H and NH2 groups.

THE structure and interactions of actinomycin D (ACD) have recently been much studied (refs. 1, 2 and Fig. 1). We have made an extensive nuclear magnetic resonance study of ACD and in this communication we report the assignment and the effects of solvent and temperature on the N—H, NH2 and actinocin ring proton signals.
Saudi Arabia and the Arab–Israeli Conflict in the Last Years of the Bush Presidency

In an unprecedented event of November 2008, Israeli leaders, and heads of states from several Arab, Muslim and other countries attended a United Nations conference in New York City on promoting a g...
Substratum acidification and proteinase activation by murine B16F10 melanoma cultures.

Abstract Murine B16F10 melanoma cells, cultured within 0.7% agarose gels containing the fluorescent proteinase substrate acetamidofluorescein-BSA, catalyze the hydrolysis of the substrate in the region immediately surrounding the cell. Fluorescence ratio measurements on hydrolyzed substrate correlate with an average pH of 5.5 ± 0.2 in the adjacent substratum region. Enzymatic activity within the gel is partially inhibited by leupeptin, pepstatin, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, EDTA and by anti-human cathepsin B, suggesting potential roles for thiol-, aspartic- and metalloproteinases. The time-course of fluorescence intensity, correlated with substratum pH measurements, suggest that substrate hydrolysis is catalyzed by enzymes with pH optima of
Family Systems in Louise Erdrich's The Beet Queen

Abstract In Louise Erdrich's The Beet Queen, Mary Adare, having taken over Celestine James's household, develops a new hobby: palmistry. Understandably skeptical, her friend Celestine dismisses palm-reading as meaningless, but Mary, ever concerned that people agree with her, argues forcefully: “Well then answer me this … a child is born with certain lines in its hand. Those lines and no others. How do you explain it?”
Changes in methylation pattern of NMDA receptor NR2B gene in cortical neurons after chronic ethanol treatment in mice

Chronic ethanol treatment produced an increase in the rate of NR2B gene expression in adult cortex and cultured fetal cortical neurons. To determine the possible molecular mechanism involved in the upregulation of NR2B gene expression, we studied methylation in CpG island in mouse fetal cortical neurons. Our results demonstrate that chronic ethanol administration causes demethylation of cytosine residues in CpG island in cortical neurons which may be responsible for the changes in the expression of NR2B gene.
Aeroderivative gas turbine lean blowout (LBO) detection and isolation using acoustic precursors

This paper studies an online algorithm that can effectively detect a complete blowout (LBO) and a partial or incipient blowout (IBO) as well as isolate them in one specific ring by using only one acoustic sensor. The outputs can guide the successive blowout avoidance control logic by taking appropriate corrective action on the ring causing blowout or being blowout. The proposed algorithm is based on the RMS value of a tone around 15 Hz to 30 Hz that was identified as a precursor to blowout. Spectral signatures in other dominant tones were also identified as indications to assist ring IBO isolation. Its performance was successfully demonstrated with field data of GE LM2500 and LM6000PD machine.