cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Footshock/ECS induced state dependent learning in rats parametric evaluation of ECS intensity and time of testing

Abstract Rats were given a footshock followed by ECS of either low or high intensity. Controls received neither footshock nor ECS. Twenty-four hours later all subjects acquired a simple position habit in a water maze. Then, independent subgroups were reversal trained at 24-hr intervals up to 144 hr post-treatment. Compared to controls, rats given footshock, and ECS showed memory for training at the initial test followed by amnesia, memory recovery, and finally amnesia at subsequent tests. The alternating pattern of retention appeared to be a function of ECS intensity. In a second experiment, rats were first maze trained then given footshock and ECS 24 hr later. Like the results of the first experiment, ensuing tests indicated an alternating retention function in experimental animals again influenced by ECS intensity. Several possible explanations of these results were discussed, and it was suggested that the altering retention function observed in the experimental animals resulted from a footshock and ECS induced state dependency effect that subsided and recurred spontaneously up to 144 hr post-treatment.
Prediction of biodegradability for selected organic chemicals

The 5-day BODs of 45 organic chemicals were determined using acclimated mixed microbial cultures. These chemicals included alcohols, acids, esters, ketones, aromatics and miscellaneous compounds. The BOD data were correlated with (1) water solubilities, (2) log of 1-octanol/water partition coefficients, (3) molar refractivities and volumes, (4) melting (m.p.) and boiling points, (5) number of carbon (C No.), hydrogen and oxygen atoms, (6) molecular weights, and (7) theoretical (Th) BODs of chemicals. Linear and secondorder polynomial regression analyses were used; the latter was also attempted with two or more independent variables. All prediction equations were compared for statistical merits. The equations, one from each regression type, with the highest prediction power were: log 5-day mmol BOD/mmol chemical=(1)−0.183+0.813 (log ThBOD), (2)−0.391+1.560 (log ThBOD) −0.532 (log ThBOD)2, and (3) −0.4060+0.2470 (C No.) −0.0133 (C No.)2−0.0005 (m.p.). The measured BOD data for 43 additional chemicals were compared with the predicted values calculated through the above equations. The three equations predicted the BODs for 84–88% of the test chemicals within 80% of the experimental values. The mean percent relative standard deviations between predicted and experimental BOD values were statistically compared for these equations, and no significant difference (P≤0.01) in their predictive utility was found. The acclimation potential of an autochthonous microbial community cannot yet be predicted, but this study demonstrates that the process of active biodegradation for structurally dissimilar chemicals appears to correlate quantitatively with certain physicochemical parameters.
Modern software development methodologies and their environments

Abstract Progress in software engineering has come in a sequence of overlapping stages. The first stage, circa 1965–1970, was “recognition of the problem”. This stage was followed by “ structured programming solutions”, from 1971 to about 1974. A third phase was “life cycle models”, from 1974 until 1976. The next step was “analysis, specification and design methods”, from about 1976 to 1980. The fifth stage was “software development methodology”, beginning in about 1980 and extending to the present. A sixth stage, “software engineering environments’, has recently begun and addresses automated tools and programming environments to aid the software development process. This paper gives an overview of key issues and developments in software development, emphasizing the latter two stages and their role in scientific programming.
Low Earth Simulation and Materials Characterization

Oxygen plasma ashers and an electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) sources are currently being used for low Earth orbit (LEO) simulation. The suitability of each of these simulation techniques is considered. Thin film coatings are characterized by optical techniques, including variable-angle spectroscopic ellipsometry, optical spectrophotometry, and laser light scatterometry. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to characterize the surface morphology of thin aluminum films as a function of substrate temperature during deposition. Results on diamondlike carbon (DLC) films show that DLC degrades with simulated atomic oxygen (AO) exposure at a rate comparable to Kapton polyimide. Since DLC is not as susceptible as Kapton to environmental factors such as moisture absorption, it could potentially provide more accurate measurements of AO fluence on short space flights.
The power of parallel thinking

A small computer model demonstrates that an appropriate organization of boundedly rational individuals can find optimal policies in an environment that is overwhelmingly complex for unorganized decision makers. The model is also used to identify conditions under which optimal — or even good — policies are not found. The demonstrated adaptive power of the model is interpreted in light of recent developments in the theory of computational complexity that place new stress on powerful methods of search, and of new models from computer science which markedly advance search effectiveness by harnessing parallel structures of information processing.
The cat flea, Ctenocephalides felis felis (Bouché, 1835) as an intermediate host for cestodes

The growth and development of Dipylidium caninum, Hymenolepis citelli, H. diminuta, H. microstoma , and H. nana were examined in Ctenocephalides felis , and the Hymenolepis species further examined in the reference host Tribolium confusum. This is the first recorded infection of C. felis with these four species of Hymenolepis and also of a flea with H. citelli. Growth and development of the four species of Hymenolepis were comparable in C. felis and T. confusum. Observations relative to scolex formation indicated that perhaps only one basic sequence occurs in the genus Hymenolepis. Growth and metamorphosis of the flea host had no important effects upon Hymenolepis development. However, presumably owing to greater crowding in C. felis than in T. confusum , an increased amount of retarded development was noted in cestodes from fleas. In contrast, the growth and metamorphosis of the flea host did affect the development of D. caninum. Little growth occurred in larval fleas but with the onset of pupation an increased growth rate was initiated, the cestode reaching almost its maximum size prior to the emergence of the adult flea. Cysticercoid differentiation and maturation mostly occurred within the adult.
Determinants at the N- and C-termini of Gα 12 required for activation of Rho-mediated signaling

Background: Heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide binding proteins of the G12/13 subfamily, which includes the α-subunits Gα 12 and Gα 13 , stimulate the monomeric G protein RhoA through interaction with a distinct subset of Rho-specific guanine nucleotide exchange factors (RhoGEFs). The structural features that mediate interaction between Gα 13 and RhoGEFs have been examined in crystallographic studies of the purified complex, whereas a Gα 12 :RhoGEF complex has not been reported. Several signaling responses and effector interactions appear unique to Gα 12 or Gα 13 , despite their similarity in amino acid sequence. Methods: To comprehensively examine Gα 12 for regions involved in RhoGEF interaction, we screened a panel of Gα 12 cassette substitution mutants for binding to leukemia-associated RhoGEF (LARG) and for activation of serum response element mediated transcription. Results: We identified several cassette substitutions that disrupt Gα 12 binding to LARG and the related p115RhoGEF. These Gα 12 mutants also were impaired in activating serum response element mediated signaling, a Rho-dependent response. Most of these mutants matched corresponding regions of Gα13 reported to contact p115RhoGEF, but unexpectedly, several RhoGEF-uncoupling mutations were found within the N- and C-terminal regions of Gα 12 . Trypsin protection assays revealed several mutants in these regions as retaining conformational activation. In addition, charge substitutions near the Gα 12 N-terminus selectively disrupted binding to LARG but not p115RhoGEF. Conclusions: Several structural aspects of the Gα 12 :RhoGEF interface differ from the reported Gα 13 :RhoGEF complex, particularly determinants within the C-terminal α5 helix and structurally uncharacterized N-terminus of Gα 12 . Furthermore, key residues at the Gα 12 N-terminus may confer selectivity for LARG as a downstream effector.
Tips for patient discharge counseling from the hospital setting: Improving adherence

Psychiatric pharmacists make a constant effort to improve patient’s psychiatric outcomes while minimizing the untoward side effects that can occur as a result of taking psychiatric medications. Once patients show an adequate response, and ultimately remission, of psychiatric symptoms, many may conclude that patients will continue improvement for the foreseeable future. Those who have experience with psychiatric
Globally stabilizing adaptive control design for nonlinearly-parameterized systems

In this note, a new adaptive control design is proposed for nonlinear systems that are possibly nonaffine and contain nonlinearly parameterized unknowns. The proposed control is not based on certainty equivalence principle which forms the foundation of existing and standard adaptive control designs. Instead, a biasing vector function is introduced into parameter estimate; it links the system dynamics to estimation error dynamics, and its choice leads to a new Lyapunov-based design so that affine or nonaffine systems with nonlinearly parameterized unknowns can be controlled by adaptive estimation. Explicit conditions are found for achieving global asymptotic stability of the state, and the convergence condition for parameter estimation is also found. The conditions are illustrated by several examples and classes of systems. Besides global stability and estimation convergence, the proposed adaptive control has the unique feature that it does not contains any robust control part which typically overpowers unknown dynamics, may be conservative, and also interferes with parameter estimation.
Conventional Counterforce Strike: An Option for Damage Limitation in Conflicts with Nuclear-Armed Adversaries?

China and some other nuclear-armed countries have become concerned about the development and deployment of U.S. conventional global strike systems that may permit damage limitation operations against the nuclear forces of adversaries. This article argues that a counterforce strike is more likely to target tactical nuclear forces than intercontinental ballistic missiles and provides an analysis of the probability that U.S. conventional strikes might destroy China's theater nuclear forces which include DF-3A, DF-4, DF-21, DF-31 missiles, Type 094 nuclear submarines, and nuclear-capable H-6 bombers. The results indicate that China's strategy of building robust underground facilities may effectively protect its nuclear forces from preemptive strikes making it unlikely that a U.S. conventional strike could destroy a meaningful part of China's theater nuclear forces. This study also assesses the potential capabilities of future conventional prompt global strike systems, points out problems with the strategy of ...
Modeling the object-oriented space through validated measures

In order to truly understand software and the software development process, software measurement must be better understood. A beginning step toward a better understanding of software measurement is the categorization of the measurements by some meaningful taxonomy. The most meaningful taxonomy would capture the basic nature of the object-oriented (O-O) space. The interesting characteristics of object-oriented software offer a starting point for such a categorization of measures. A taxonomy has been developed based upon fourteen characteristics of object-oriented software gathered from the literature. This taxonomy allows us to easily see gaps and redundancies in the O-O measures. The taxonomy also clearly differentiates among taxa so that there is no ambiguity as to the taxon to which a measure belongs. The taxonomy has been populated with thirty-two measures that have been validated in the narrow sense of Fenton (1991) using measurement theory with Zuse's (1996) augmentation.
Reproducibility and differential item functioning of the alcohol dependence syndrome construct across four alcohol treatment studies: An integrative data analysis.

Abstract Background The validity of the alcohol dependence syndrome has been supported. The question of whether different measures of the construct are comparable across studies and patient subgroups has not been examined. This study examined the alcohol dependence construct across four diverse large-scale treatment samples using integrative data analysis (IDA). Method We utilized existing data ( n = 4393) from the COMBINE Study, Project MATCH, the Relapse Replication and Extension Project (RREP), and the United Kingdom Alcohol Treatment Trial (UKATT). We focused on four measures of alcohol dependence: the Alcohol Dependence Scale (COMBINE and RREP), Alcohol Use Inventory (MATCH), the Leeds Dependence Questionnaire (UKATT), and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (COMBINE and MATCH). Moderated nonlinear factor analysis was used to create a measure of alcohol dependence severity that was moderated by study membership, gender, age, and marital status. Results A commensurate measure of alcohol dependence severity was successfully created using 20 items available in four studies. We identified differential item functioning by study membership, age, gender, and/or marital status for 12 of the 20 items, indicating specific patient subgroups who responded differently to items based on their underlying dependence severity. Conclusions Alcohol dependence severity is a single unidimensional construct that is comparable across studies. The use of IDA provided a strong test of the validity of the alcohol dependence syndrome and clues as to how some items used to measure dependence severity may be more or less central to the construct for some patients.
Über Einige Urankomplexe der Formazyl‐ und der Azomethin‐Reihe

Es wird die Darstellung dreier Urankomplexe der Formazyl- und der Azomethin-Reihe beschrieben. Die Konstitution der beiden Urankomplexe der Formazyl-Reihe wird ermittelt.
Stomatal development: a plant's perspective on cell polarity, cell fate transitions and intercellular communication

The plant stomatal lineage manifests features common to many developmental contexts: precursor cells are chosen from an initially equivalent field of cells, undergo asymmetric and self-renewing divisions, communicate among themselves and respond to information from a distance. As we review here, the experimental accessibility of these epidermal lineages, particularly in Arabidopsis, has made stomata a conceptual and technical framework for the study of cell fate, stem cells, and cell polarity in plants.
A Longitudinal Investigation of Drug Use and Work Patterns among Middle-Class, White Adults*

This article explores the relationship between drug use and patterns of living and working for a sample of middle-class, white “baby boomers” who have lived in communal households. A longitudinal investigation was initiated in the mid-1970s with 806 persons and followed up in 1986–1987 with 79% of these subjects. During interviews, the subjects supplied data related to their work and financial status, work-related attitudes and behavior, life status, and histories of drug use (i.e., types of drugs used, and quantity, frequency, and duration of use). The results indicate that neither chronic nor current use of marijuana or alcohol had adversely affected the subjects' occupational status and achievement in middle adulthood, although a relationship was found between daily alcohol consumption and delaying marriage and childbearing. The authors warn against extrapolating the results for this unique sample to the larger population, but note the implications they have for future research.
Capital Budgeting, the Hold-up Problem, and Information System Design

In this article, we explore the connection between information system design and incentives for project search. The choice of an information system affects the level of managerial slack that is generated during project implementation. Whether slack is beneficial or costly to an organization has been the subject of debate. In our model of the hold-up problem in capital budgeting, there are both costs and benefits to having managerial slack. The cost of slack is the consumption of perquisites by the manager. The benefit of slack is that it can serve as a motivational tool. The possibility of increasing his slack may encourage a self-interested manager to conduct a more diligent search for a profitable project. To trade off the costs and benefits of slack in our model, an optimal information system sometimes incorporates coarse information, late information, and a mix of monitored and self-reported information. These features are familiar to accountants. Accounting incorporates both verified (monitored) and unverified (self-reported) information and provides information that is aggregated (coarse) and historical (late).
SURFACE TENSION OF SERUM : VI. THE STUDY OF IMMUNE SERUM. TIME-DROP AND INITIAL VALUE OF SURFACE TENSION.

1. The initial surface tension of serum or serum solutions is not affected systematically by the presence of antibodies in the serum. On the contrary, the time-drop in 2 hours is always increased, from 25 to 100 per cent. 2. It is extremely important, in order to demonstrate these phenomena, that the greatest care be taken regarding the cleanness of the vessels and the purity of water and NaCl. 3. It is equally important to use a device, for example such as is pictured in this paper, capable of preventing the jarring and shaking of the liquid. 4. The value of the time-drop of a normal, healthy serum is never higher than 10 dynes. Should it be higher, the serum must not be used for immunity experiments.
What is Natural Law Like

“The State of Nature,” said John Locke, “has a Law of Nature to govern it, which obliges every one.” But what is “a law of nature”? How would we tell, in a state of nature, that there was a natural law as opposed to something else — like positive law, a set of customs, natural morality, natural ethics, a set of natural inclinations, the truth of certain prudential calculations, a widespread but perhaps false belief in some transcendent law, the voice of God, or just a natural disposition on the part of some pompous people to make sonorous objective-sounding pronouncements? What form should we expect natural law to take in our apprehension of it? This paper argues three things. (a) John Finnis’s work on natural law provides no answer to these questions; his “theory of natural law” is really just a theory of the necessary basis in ethics for evaluating positive law. (b) We need an answer to the question “What is natural law like” not just to evaluate the work of state-of-nature theorists like Locke, but also to explore the possibility that natural law might once have played the role now played by positive international law in regulating relations between sovereigns. And (c), an affirmative account of what natural law is like must pay attention to (1) its deontic character; (2) its enforceability; (3) the ancillary principles that have to be associated with its main normative requirements if it is to be operate as a system of law; (4) its separability form objective from ethics and morality, even from objective ethics and morality; and (5) the shared recognition on earth of its presence in the world. Some of these points — especially 3, 4, and 5 — sound like characteristics of positive law. But the paper argues that they are necessary nevertheless if it is going to be plausible to say that natural law has ever operated (or does still operate) as law in the world.
Multi-layered control of a four-degree-of-freedom mobile robot with compliant linkage

An approach to the design and control of a four-degree-of-freedom (4DOF) vehicle is presented. Existing 4DOF vehicles are difficult to control because of their overconstrained nature. These difficulties translate into severe wheel slippage or jerky motion under certain driving conditions. The author's approach overcomes these difficulties by introducing compliant linkage in the control and kinematic design of 4DOF mobile robots. Compliant linkage provides compliance between the drive wheels or drive axles of a vehicle in order to accommodate control errors which would otherwise cause wheel slippage. A three-level control system comprising of a wheel-level, a vehicle-level, and a trajectory-level controller is described. Experimental results are presented and show that control errors are effectively absorbed by the compliant linkage, resulting in smooth and precise motion. >
New Views on Citizenship and National Identity in Early Modern France

This article explores new ideas about the development of standards of citizenship and national identity in early modern France. Rather than appearing full-blown at the time of the French Revolution, French citizenship has a prehistory going back at least as far as the fifteenth century.
Verifying resilient software

We explore the tension between adding functionality to create resilient software and minimizing functionality to make it more feasible to formally verify software. To illustrate the effects of this trade-off, we examine a tiny example in detail. We show how code written with a good style may be hard to verify, specifically that the test condition is troublesome. We also show that a test condition "improved" in an attempt to make the verification more straight-forward worsens the failure characteristics. To demonstrate the effect in an actual situation, we examine a secure web server, thttpd, its design principles and security features. We discuss how the security features introduce redundancies making verification harder, but also present some of its formal verification to show that verification is feasible. We conclude that software should be designed with necessary redundancies and that the temptation to oversimplify the design in order to formally verify it should be resisted.
THE EFFECT OF COOLING RATE AND AUSTENITE GRAIN SIZE ON THE AUSTENITE TO FERRITE TRANSFORMATION TEMPERATURE AND DIFFERENT FERRITE MORPHOLOGIES IN MICROALLOYED STEELS

The effect of different austenite grain size and different cooling rates on the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature and different ferrite morphologies in one Nb-microalloyed (HSLA) steel has been investigated. Three different austenite grain sizes were selected and cooled at two different cooling rates for obtaining austenite to ferrite transformation temperature. Moreover, samples with specific austenite grain size have been quenched, partially, for investigation on the microstructural evolution. In order to assess the influence of austenite grain size on the ferrite transformation temperature, a temperature differences method (TDM) is established and found to be a good way for detection of austenite to ferrite, pearlite and sometimes other ferrite morphologies transformation temperatures. The results obtained in this way show that increasing of austenite grain size and cooling rate has a significant influence on decreasing of the ferrite transformation temperature. Micrographs of different ferrite morphologies show that at high temperatures, where diffusion rates are higher, grain boundary ferrite nucleates. As the temperature is lowered and the driving force for ferrite formation increases, intragranular sites inside the austenite grains become operative as nucleation sites and suppress the grain boundary ferrite growth. The results indicate that increasing the austenite grain size increases the rate and volume fraction of intragranular ferrite in two different cooling rates. Moreover, by increasing of cooling rate, the austenite to ferrite transformation temperature decreases and volume fraction of intragranular ferrite increases.
Effect of molecular weight and temperature on physical aging of thin glassy poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) films

The effects of polymer molecular weight and temperature on the physical aging of poly(2,6-dimethyl-1,4-phenylene oxide) (PPO) is examined. Gas permeability and refractive index were monitored during the aging process for PPO film samples at three aging temperatures below the glass transition temperature. Comparisons between the two samples of PPO that differ widely in molecular weight reveal an insignificant difference, which support the notion that above a critical molecular weight range there is little influence on aging rate. Increased temperature, over the limited range of 35–55 °C, results in higher aging rates for films made from both PPO materials. The rate of aging decreases strongly with increasing film thickness over the range examined, ∼0.4–25 μm. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 45: 1390–1398, 2007
Chemical matrixectomy for ingrown toenails: Is there an evidence basis to guide therapy?

Chemical matrixectomy for ingrown toenails is one of the most common surgical procedures performed on the foot. The procedure was first described in 1945 by Otto Boll, who discussed the use of phenol to correct ingrown toenails. In the years that followed, many variations of technique and method have been described. This article reviews the pertinent literature detailing chemical matrixectomies and advocates the use of an evidence basis for care. (J Am Podiatr Med Assoc 92(5): 287-295, 2002)
THE ECOLOGICAL EFFECTS OF NANOMATERIALS: A FOCUS ON AQUATIC LIFE

This paper provides an overview of current knowledge regarding the aquatic effects of nanomaterials. Aquatic receptors can potentially be exposed to nanoparticles through ingestion, movement across gills, passive transport, and cellular absorption. Our review indicates that the toxicological research on nanomaterials is still relatively narrow. The present research has been targeted primarily at understanding potential effects to humans, and relatively few ecotoxicity studies have been conducted; however, new research is evolving rapidly. The studies that are currently available focus on metal oxide particles, carbon nanotubes, and fullerenes. Aquatic tests have examined the uptake of these nanoparticles by fish and filter feeders, and have provided evidence of toxicity or behavioral changes. Some of these studies conclude that nanoparticles can be taken up by or produce effects in biota, and that dose-response relationships and patterns of relative toxicity among types of particles are emerging. Caution should be used in designing and interpreting studies on nanoparticles, because factors such as the particle medium preparation method, the presence of other chemicals, and particle behavior such as agglomeration can influence exposure and aquatic toxicity. Ultimately, the objectives of this review are to expand our knowledge of the effects of nanomaterials on ecological processes and aquatic receptor populations, as well as help guide future research.
Source apportionment of groundwater pollutants in Apulian agricultural sites using multivariate statistical analyses: case study of Foggia province

Ground waters are an important resource of water supply for human health and activities. Groundwater uses and applications are often related to its composition, which is increasingly influenced by human activities. In fact the water quality of groundwater is affected by many factors including precipitation, surface runoff, groundwater flow, and the characteristics of the catchment area. During the years 2004-2007 the Agricultural and Food Authority of Apulia Region has implemented the project “Expansion of regional agro-meteorological network” in order to assess, monitor and manage of regional groundwater quality. The total wells monitored during this activity amounted to 473, and the water samples analyzed were 1021. This resulted in a huge and complex data matrix comprised of a large number of physical-chemical parameters, which are often difficult to interpret and draw meaningful conclusions. The application of different multivariate statistical techniques such as Cluster Analysis (CA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Absolute Principal Component Scores (APCS) for interpretation of the complex databases offers a better understanding of water quality in the study region. Form results obtained by Principal Component and Cluster Analysis applied to data set of Foggia province it’s evident that some sampling sites investigated show dissimilarities, mostly due to the location of the site, the land use and management techniques and groundwater overuse. By APCS method it’s been possible to identify three pollutant sources: Agricultural pollution 1 due to fertilizer applications, Agricultural pollution 2 due to microelements for agriculture and groundwater overuse and a third source that can be identified as soil run off and rock tracer mining. Multivariate statistical methods represent a valid tool to understand complex nature of groundwater quality issues, determine priorities in the use of ground waters as irrigation water and suggest interactions between land use and irrigation water quality.
Osteoporosis: diagnosis with lateral and posteroanterior dual x-ray absorptiometry compared with quantitative CT.

PURPOSE: To compare the diagnostic sensitivity of posteroanterior and lateral dual x-ray absorptiometry (PA-DXA, L-DXA, respectively) and quantitative computed tomography (CT). MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 108 women undergoing lumbar spine bone mineral density assessment, 66 were healthy (mean age, 52.9 years +/- 1.2 [standard error of mean]) and 42 had osteoporosis (mean age, 66.9 years +/- 1.2). RESULTS: Although both L-DXA and PA-DXA correlated well with quantitative CT (r = .73 and .72, respectively; P < .0001), L-DXA correlated better than PA-DXA with age (r = -.69 and -.50, respectively; P < .0001). Women with osteoporosis showed higher bone loss with quantitative CT (1.33% per year) and L-DXA (0.3% per year) than with PA-DXA (0.07% per year). Logistic regression analysis indicated that quantitative CT and L-DXA but not PA-DXA are significant predictors of osteoporotic fractures. Receiver-operating-characteristic curve analyses showed L-DXA to have a sensitivity and specificity closer to those of qu...
Mating of captive thirteen-lined ground squirrels and the annual timing of estrus

Thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Spermophilus tridecemlineatus) have a single annual mating season in Michigan, beginning shortly after their spring emergence from hibernation. Captive females were studied during a 3-year period to determine relations among time of removal from the coldroom, vaginal estrus, and mating behavior. Following a 7-month period females spent in a coldroom, vaginal lavages were taken daily to monitor changes in estrous condition. Females removed from the coldroom about when free-living animals emerge from hibernation were in vaginal estrus within 24-48 hr and had an initial period of persistent estrus (ca. 3 weeks), followed by briefer (< 1 week) and more sporadic estrous periods. Females left in the coldroom 3 weeks longer than normal had significantly briefer initial periods of vaginal estrus after being removed from the coldroom. Similarly, virgin Yearlings and virgin 2-Year-Olds had significantly briefer initial periods of estrus than nonvirgin Adults (2 2 years old). In 1985, eight of eight females paired with males mated within the first week after removal from the coldroom and subsequently produced litters. Mated females remained in vaginal diestrus from within a few days of mating until after parturition. In contrast, unmated females remained in prolonged vaginal estrus during this period. Females first paired with males 3 weeks after being taken from the coldroom failed to mate. In 1986, five of six females first paired with males 2 weeks after being removed from the coldroom similarly failed to mate. However, five of six females did mate that were removed from the coldroom IO days after those in the previously described group and paired with a male 4 days after removal. This first report of reliable mating behavior in captive thirteen-lined ground squirrels should facilitate subsequent analysis of reproductive patterns in this species.
γ-Aminobutyric acid-induced potentiation of cortical hemiplegia

A novel model of hemlplegm m young and aged rats is described Osmotic mmlpumps were used to dehver a chromc (7 days), locallzed apphcanon of ~'-ammobutyrlc acid (GABA) (100/~g//~l/h), to the somatomotor cortex of unrestrained rats This resulted in an easily quantifiable, contratateral and reversible motor syndrome m both young and aged ammals In the young group, the motor deficit cleared over a 5-day period, whde m the aged animals it persisted for at least a 2-week period Control animals treated with sahnefdled mlmpumps &d not develop a long-lasting motor deficit The GABA-mduced facdltanon of hemlplegm due to small motor cortex les~ons and the age effects on behaworal recovery of function are &scussed Cortical mh~bltory mechamsms may play a role m debdltatmg syndromes such as stroke or post-epileptic paralys~s
“Do Financial Markets Reward Buying or Selling Insurance and Lottery Tickets?”: A Comment

This material comments on “‘Do Financial Markets Reward Buying or Selling Insurance and Lottery Tickets?’: A Comment” (March/April 2013).
Cosmology of generalized modified gravity models

We consider general curvature-invariant modifications of the Einstein-Hilbert action that become important only in regions of extremely low space-time curvature. We investigate the far future evolution of the Universe in such models, examining the possibilities for cosmic acceleration and other ultimate destinies. The models generically possess de Sitter space as an unstable solution and exhibit an interesting set of attractor solutions which, in some cases, provide alternatives to dark energy models.
Terrestrial and Solar Limits on Long-Lived Particles in a Dark Sector

Dark matter charged under a new gauge sector, as motivated by recent data, suggests a rich GeV-scale ``dark sector'' weakly coupled to the standard model by gauge kinetic mixing. The new gauge bosons can decay to standard model leptons, but this mode is suppressed if decays into lighter ``dark sector'' particles are kinematically allowed. These particles in turn typically have macroscopic decay lifetimes that are constrained by two classes of experiments, which we discuss. Lifetimes of $10\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{cm}\ensuremath{\lesssim}c\ensuremath{\tau}\ensuremath{\lesssim}{10}^{8}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{cm}$ are constrained by existing terrestrial beam-dump experiments. If, in addition, dark matter captured in the Sun (or Earth) annihilates into these particles, lifetimes up to $\ensuremath{\sim}{10}^{15}\text{ }\text{ }\mathrm{cm}$ are constrained by solar observations. These bounds span 14 orders of magnitude in lifetime, but they are not exhaustive. Accordingly, we identify promising new directions for experiments including searches for displaced di-muons in $B$ factories, studies at high-energy and -intensity proton beam dumps, precision gamma-ray and electronic measurements of the Sun, and milli-charge searches reanalyzed in this new context.
Small-Bias Spaces for Group Products

Small-bias, or *** -biased, spaces have found many applications in complexity theory, coding theory, and derandomization. We generalize the notion of small-bias spaces to the setting of group products. Besides being natural, our extension captures some of the difficulties in constructing pseudorandom generators for constant-width branching programs - a longstanding open problem. We provide an efficient deterministic construction of small-bias spaces for solvable groups. Our construction exploits the fact that solvable groups have nontrivial normal subgroups that are abelian and builds on the construction of Azar et al. [AMN98] for abelian groups. For arbitrary finite groups, we give an efficient deterministic construction achieving constant bias. We also construct pseudorandom generators fooling linear functions mod p for primes p .
A novel statistical and circuit-based technique for counterfeit detection in existing ICs

Previously used ICs, which are resold as new, result in undue lost revenue, cause lower performance, reduced life span, and even catastrophic failure of platforms and systems. Non-invasive and inexpensive techniques are needed to establish the authenticity of such ICs that do not have special in-built structures for counterfeit detection. Although delay of circuit increases with its age, it cannot directly reveal the age of the chip, as it is also greatly influenced by process variation. In this work, we show that the relationship between two or more paths within the chip is a great indicator of its age. Using the proposed statistical and circuit-level technique, we observe over 97% correct detection of an aged IC from a new IC.
Use of geochemical and geophysical techniques to characterize and prospect for geothermal resources and hydrothermal ore deposits

Fluid-rock interactions alter the geochemical, isotopic, petrographic and physical character of host rocks, producing a permanent record of hydrothermal activity. Maps of altered rock properties show regular variations that disclose master geologic controls and delineate likely sites for geothermal and mineral resources. In many cases, geochemical and stable isotope data reveal the origins of thermal fluids, and they can also provide estimates of reservoir temperatures and identify zones of fluid recharge.
Association or Causation of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Coronary Heart Disease Recalling Sir Austin Bradford Hill

In this issue of Circulation , de Koning and colleagues1 evaluate the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, incident coronary heart disease (CHD), and biomarkers associated with cardiovascular risk using data from the Health Professionals' Follow-up Study. This analysis is similar to this research group's previous evaluation using data from the Nurses' Health Study, with similar longitudinal follow-up of >20 years.2 The results mirror those reported previously (relative risk, 1.19; 95% confidence interval, 1.11–1.28) for incident CHD associated with 1 serving per day higher SSB consumption in the Health Professionals' Study and add to the growing body of information that suggests an independent association between SSBs and worse cardiovascular health. Article see p 1735 Data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey suggest that ≈2 of every 3 Americans drink SSBs daily, with rates reaching as high as 4 in 5 among young (20–44 years) black men.3 Calorie intake from SSBs among individuals who drink SSBs has also risen from 239 kcal/d in 1988–1994 to 294 kcal/d in 1999–2004, which highlights the relevance of the authors' research question. The analyses appear internally valid, but the question remains as to whether these associations are causal or not, which may be particularly difficult to discern given the risk of residual confounding present in many dietary studies, especially those that rely on self-reported data, as was done in both the Health Professionals' Follow-Up Study and the Nurses' Health Study. A review that uses criteria to assess causation, as outlined by the famed British epidemiologist and biostatistician Sir Austin Bradford Hill (1897–1991) in his 1965 presidential address to the United Kingdom's Royal Society of Medicine, may help place this research into perspective.4 ### Strength of Association Bradford Hill's research legacy lay in the association between tobacco and lung cancer, which had a relative …
Comment of the Global Antitrust Institute, George Mason University School of Law, on the European Commission’s Public Consultation on the Regulatory Environment for Platforms

This comment is submitted in response to the European Commission’s (EC’s) public consultation on the Regulatory Environment for Platforms, Online Intermediaries, Data, Cloud Computing, and the Collaborative Economy.The comment addresses: (1) concerns that the EC’s survey methodology and design is not conducive to generating reliable and policy-relevant data; (2) the economic analysis of platforms and multi-sided markets; (3) the dangers to competition and consumers of new ex ante regulation designed to regulate platforms, as opposed to relying upon existing European competition and consumer protection laws to address any potential anticompetitive effects or consumer harm arising from conduct by platform owners; and (4) the economic analysis of privacy and data security and its implications for new regulation.
Cardiopulmonary bypass and the endothelial glycocalyx: Shedding new light

Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) remains a necessary component for the surgical repair of many congenital heart defects. As such, there is an ever-present risk of known complications associated with CPB, including a systemic inflammatory response, capillary leak syndrome, and endorgan dysfunction. 1 The deleterious effects of CPB on the microvasculature have been demonstrated in animal models and implicated in clinical reports linking CPB duration to postoperative outcomes in pediatric patients undergoing cardiac surgical procedures. 2,3 In this month’s issue of the Journal, Nussbaum and colleagues 4 demonstrate for the first time that exposure to CPB in infant patients significantly reduces the endothelial glycocalyx (EG) and microvascular perfusion in infant patients in the early postoperative period. Nussbaum and colleagues 4 show that, on average, reductions in the dimension of the EG and circulation through the microvasculature occurred within 1 hour of the patient’s return to the intensive care unit before normalizing to baseline levels at postoperative 24 hours. By comparison, there was no such change in the hour after intervention in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization, surgery for cleft palate, or even cardiac surgery without CPB. The inclusion of these other groups was a strength of the study and supports its central message that the use of CPB in infants alters the EG and microcirculation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the pathologic changes induced on the microcirculation by CPB. What remains unclear, however, is the clinical relevance of the transient changes observed in the EG and microvasculature after CPB. In this study, there was no correlation between any of the measured parameters and clinically significant end points, including need for mechanical ventilation, inotropic use, and capillary leak syndrome. Meanwhile, Nussbaum and colleagues 4
Metallic Island Coalescence: Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Boundary Formation and Tensile Strain in Polycrystalline Thin Films

Island coalescence during the early stages of polycrystalline film formation is thought to lead to the large values of tensile stress observed in experiments. Continuum models have been developed which are in semi-quantitative agreement with in-situ experimental observations of stress evolution during coalescence. However, the size of coalescing particles is in the nanometer range, so that atomistic treatments might be expected to more accurately reveal the mechanisms leading to coalescence stresses. We have performed molecular dynamics (MD) computational experiments in which small metallic clusters both in free space and on weakly bound substrates are allowed to coalesce. These atomistic simulations complement the finite element modeling (FEM) and analytical work on the tensile strains developed during grain boundary formation by coalescence. Additionally, the atomistic simulations implicitly capture the effects of anisotropy and special orientations. The MD simulations also provide atomic-level detail of the boundary structure that is absent in continuum models. We have focused on simulations of Ag as a high mobility material at and above room temperature and have begun studying Ni as a material that can behave either as a high or low mobility material depending on the deposition temperature(i.e. Ni has a higher activation energy for adatom motion than Ag.). We find that for small islands, the initial boundary formation occurs in times on the order of nanoseconds. For nanometer-sized clusters in free space and on traction-free substrates, the cluster can undergo large rotations prior to boundary formation. The simulated boundary heights fit well with both a FEM model and an analytical model. Work is ongoing to further quantify the results of the simulations and relate the atomistic forces and positions to the stress state. We are pursuing methods for including the effects of traction at the interface, both through continuum and discrete methods.
Slavery, Secession, and Southern Protestant Shifts on the Authority of the State

ous effects of political agitation and conflict upon their churches and believed that preserving the religious "peace" was necessary for pre serving their religious institutions. In this instance, the religious peace was being disturbed by political agitations over slavery and, in the eyes of many church leaders, the church's religious peace could only be in sured by their political silence. As one Virginia minister put it, "the well being of the Church requires the destruction of party strife."1 On another level southern churches belonged to a region whose political and material interests were being jeopardized by escalating challenges to the principal feature around which those interests co hered—the institution of slavery. Within the Old South—which Sa muel Hill calls the "virtual paradigm of 'sacred' societies in the modern western world"2—southern churches were an integral part of the soci ety and their active support of regional causes was crucial. Conse quently, southern churches were increasingly called upon by pro slavery forces in and outside the church to stand up in support of southern interests.3
Nonlinear Time Series Prediction Modeling Based on Kernel Method

The paper presents a kernel based prediction modeling method for nonlinear time series.Phase space of time series is reconstructed to get its embedding dimension,and a method of phase space reconstruction based on kernel principal component analysis(KPCA)is proposed.A weighted support vector regression(SVR)is adopted to set up prediction model according to the characteristics of time series.The experimental results on different benchmark data show that the model based on the proposed method has higher accuracy compared with normal SVR model, proving the efficiency of the method for nonlinear time series prediction modeling.