cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Atherosclerosis: Current concepts on pathogenesis and interventional therapies

Atherosclerosis, the primary pathological condition accounting for most stroke syndromes, has been the intense focus of epidemiological, basic, and clinical investigations. Since these studies have direct bearing on the prevention of atherothrombotic brain infarction, this review emphasizes those advances in treatment resulting from their findings. The two most prominent theories on the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis relate to aberrations in lipoprotein metabolism and to enhanced proliferation of smooth muscle cells; likely, the theories are complementary. As a practical guideline for preventive therapy, the importance of using the total cholesterol level is stressed, although finer distinctions must rely on the low-density and high-density lipoprotein concentrations and their normalization. Since prevention of stroke may ultimately be its most effective therapy, consideration of cholesterol level, akin to strategies for preventing coronary heart disease, and efforts to avert platelet adhesion or aggregation and coagulation are warranted.
Evidence against involvement of calcium in carbon tetrachloride-dependent inhibition of lipid secretion by isolated hepatocytes

Abstract Carbon tetrachloride (CCl 4 )-induced inhibition of very low density lipoprotein (VLDL) secretion was studied in isolated hepatocytes. The hypothesis that inhibition of secretion is due to altered calcium homeostasis following CCl 4 -dependent inhibition of endoplasmic reticulum calcium sequestration was investigated. Inhibition of VLDL secretion by CCl 4 was not dependent on extracellular calcium, since inhibition occurred when extracellular calcium was reduced to 0.1 μM. CCl 4 inhibited hepatocyte VLDL secretion more rapidly than it inhibited microsomal calcium sequestration. Further, the concentration of CCl 4 that produced half-maximal inhibition of VLDL secretion was about one-half the concentration required to produce half-maximal inhibition of microsomal calcium sequestration. The calcium ionophore A23187 did not mimic the action of CCl 4 in inhibiting VLDL secretion under conditions in which A23187 altered cellular calcium homeostasis. The results suggest that an alteration of calcium homeostasis is not involved in inhibition of VLDL secretion by carbon tetrachloride.
Comparison of Monte Carlo and Statistical Treatments of Heat-Transfer Data Uncertainties

Statistical error analysis (root-sum-square) is compared to the Monte Carlo method for the treatment of data uncertainties in heat transfer through an aerospace structure. Comparison is made on the basis of numerical results/Numerical results for the two methods are nearly identical. The root-sum-square method also yields useful intermediate results. The intermediate results are useful for determining which variables are critical.
Educational vouchers: Effectiveness, choice, and costs

Most of the policy discussion on the effects of educational vouchers has been premised on theoretical or ideological positions rather than evidence. This article analyzes a substantial body of recent empirical evidence on achievement differences between public and private schools; on who chooses and its probable impact on educational equity; and on the comparative costs of public and private schools and an overall voucher system. The findings indicate that: (1) results among numerous studies suggest no difference or only a slight advantage for private schools over public schools in student achievement for a given student, but evidence of substantially higher rates of graduation, college attendance, and college graduation for Catholic high school students; (2) evidence is consistent that educational choice leads to greater socioeconomic (SES) and racial segregation of students; and (3) evidence does not support the contention that costs of private schools are considerably lower than those of public schools, but the costs of an overall voucher infrastructure appear to exceed those of the present system.
A Degree-Day Model to Predict Nantucket Pine Tip Moth, Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), Flights in Southern California

A degree-day model was developed to predict flights of Rhyacionia frustrana (Comstock) in southern California using daily temperatures and number of male moths captured in traps baited with R. frustrana pheromone lures. The model utilized upper and lower thresholds of 37.25°C and 5.50°C, respectively, and was based on a total of 575.15 degree days accumulated from first moth captured to peak flight. The model's predictive capability proved exceptional, predicting all flight peaks within 1 Julian d. This model was used in conjunction with pheromone trap data to accurately schedule insecticide applications for early-instar tip moth larvae with excellent results.
The Mutual‐Participation Relationship: Key to Facilitating Self‐Care Practices in Clients and Families

The relationship among formal providers, clients, and families in home care is critical. If clients and family care givers are to develop adequate and safe self-care practices, they must be involved in mutual decision making concerning issues related to the illness and the care to be given. A relationship of mutual participation involves facilitating and negotiating goals with clients and their family members.
Fitness consequences of outcrossing in Impatiens capensis: tests of the frequency-dependent and sib-competition models

Using field and greenhouse experiments, we tested two hypotheses that could account for the maintenance of outcrossing in Impatiens capensis. Seedlings derived from cleistogamous (CL) and chasmogamous (CH) flowers were grown under competitive conditions while flanked by neighbors that were either related or unrelated. In both experiments, CH progeny sometimes expressed more phenotypic variability than CL progeny. In the greenhouse experiment, CH progeny attained the same weight as CL progeny, and the relatedness of neighboring plants did not affect the growth of either type. In the field experiment, CL and CH progeny performed similarly when grown with related competitors. However, CH progeny were somewhat larger when planted with nonsibs, while CL progeny were somewhat smaller under those conditions. Thus, there is no evidence that either frequency-dependent selection or the avoidance of competition among siblings favors the maintenance of outcrossing in this species. We also modeled the relative variability of selfed and outcrossed progeny under several reproductive systems. When females mate with one male (progeny are full sibs), selfed progeny are often more variable than outcrossed progeny. When females engage in both selfing and outcrossing, variation among progeny is frequently maximized at an intermediate selfing rate. The sib-competition mechanism, under a range of genetic models, is not apt to promote outcrossing, since selfed progeny are commonly more variable than outcrossed progeny.
Information security investment decisions: evaluating the Balanced Scorecard method

Justifying security investments has been challenging for managers and executives alike for several well-published reasons. With the growing importance of security measures, companies are increasing the share of security investments in their overall Information Technology (IT) budgets. This paper presents a practical application of the Balanced Scorecard method in evaluating the investment decisions made on the acquisition of security technologies by an organisation. The research shows that this methodology can be used effectively in comparative analysis situations where two or more investments are being considered using a set of best choices per organisational goal. The proposed methodology incorporates the percentages of financial, customer, business and growth goals defined in a set of metrics and places a weighted value on those percentages to achieve an overall percentage of met goals. The research is carried out in a US-based large public university's IT division.
COHERENT AMPLIFICATION AND PULSAR PHENOMENA

A modification of the rotating-star model has been developed to interpret the periodic energy bursts from pulsars. This new configuration involves θ-directed oscilltion modes in the stellar atmosphere or magnetosphere, and most aspects of the typical pulse characteristics are well accounted for. Gain is provided by resonant interactions with particles trapped in the stellar magnetic field. The most significant feature is the fact that highly directional beaming of the output energy results as a natural consequence of coherence between the radiation fields emerging from various locations about the pulsar; and a localized radiation origin is not required.
Transitioning to a narrow path: The impact of fear of falling in older adults

Background Everyday ambulation requires navigation of variable terrain, transitions from wide to narrow pathways, and avoiding obstacles. While the effect of age on the transition to a narrow path has been examined briefly, little is known about the impact of fear of falling on gait during the transition to a narrow path. The purpose was to examine the effect of age and fear of falling on gait during transition to a narrow path.
Heart rate variability is augmented in patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea, but only supine LF/HF index correlates with its severity

Data on cardiac autonomic functioning, as expressed by heart rate variability (HRV), in patients with positional obstructive sleep apnea (p-OSA) disorder are lacking. The purpose of the study was to compare HRV indices between sleep segments derived from supine body position and another body position with and without apneic events, respectively. Our intention was to find some correlation between HRV indices and the pathophysiological characteristics of the corresponding temporal period. Nocturnal polysomnograms derived from twenty-seven patients (22 men) with documented positional apnea were retrospectively reviewed. Patients never treated for OSA and free from diseases/drugs altering HRV were examined. Data from total sleep studies were collected. Two N2 sleep segments, from supine body position with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and another body position without SDB were analyzed. Apneic events (namely, apneas, hypopneas, and respiratory effort-related arousals (RERAs)), arousals, number of desaturations, minimum pulse oximetry (SaO2min), time domain variables (average RR, SDNN, SDSD, RMSSD, pNN50, and HRV triangular index) and frequency domain variables (VLF, LF, HF, TP, LF/HF) were recorded for both temporal periods. With the exception of average RR and HF, all other variables were significantly higher in segments with SDB. Only LF/HF_supine ratio was positively correlated with the apneic_supine_index (t = 3.13, p < 0.01) and negatively correlated with SaO2min (t = −2.9, p < 0.01) and the desaturation_supine_index (t = −2.5, p = 0.02). Arousals were negatively correlated with SaO2min (t = −2.8, p < 0.01). SDB augments autonomic tone in patients with p-OSA, but only LF/HF correlates with its severity and might be used as a screening tool in the future. On the contrary, parasympathetic tone, as reflected by HF, remains constant in both periods.
Error resilient video transmission with multi-hypothesis motion compensated prediction

Multi-hypothesis motion compensated prediction (MHMCP) predicts a block from a weighted sum of multiple reference blocks in the frame buffer. By efficiently combining these reference blocks, MHMCP can provide less prediction errors so as to reduce the coding bit rates. Although MHMCP was originally proposed to achieve high coding efficiency, it has been observed recently that MHMCP can also enhance the error resilient property of compressed video. In this work, we investigate the error propagation effect in the MHMCP coder. More specifically, we study how the multi-hypothesis number as well as hypothesis coefficients influence the strength of propagating errors. Simulation results are given to confirm our analysis. Finally, several design principles for the MHMCP coder are derived based on our analysis and simulation results.
Osteoporotic fracture and parathyroid hormone

Osteoporosis and age-related bone loss is associated with changes in bone remodeling characterized by decreased bone formation relative to bone resorption, resulting in bone fragility and increased risk of fractures. Stimulating the function of bone-forming osteoblasts, is the preferred pharmacological intervention for osteoporosis. Recombinant parathyroid hormone (PTH), PTH(1-34), is an anabolic agent with proven benefits to bone strength and has been characterized as a potential therapy for skeletal repair. In spite of PTH’s clinical use, safety is a major consideration for long-term treatment. Studies have demonstrated that intermittent PTH treatment enhances and accelerates the skeletal repair process via a number of mechanisms. Recent research into the molecular mechanism of PTH action on bone tissue has led to the development of PTH analogs to control osteoporotic fractures. This review summarizes a number of advances made in the field of PTH and bone fracture to combat these injuries in humans and in animal models. The ultimate goal of providing an alternative to PTH, currently the sole anabolic therapy in clinical use, to promote bone formation and improve bone strength in the aging population is yet to be achieved.
A bound for a class of non-nested LOG team problems

Abstract A new method is presented to find a lower bound for a class of non-nested LQG team problems. This is achieved by: firstly, transforming the cost function into three decoupled components; secondly, decoupling the three subproblems via a power constraint; and thirdly, obtaining the lower bound of the original problem from an associated parameter optimization problem, which glues the subproblems together.
Hopf bifurcation with fluctuating control parameter

Systems are considered that undergo a continuous forward Hopf bifurcation into an oscillatory steady state, breaking a continuous $U(1)$ symmetry. The control parameter is assumed to consist of a systematic constant part and a superimposed Gaussian white-noise part. The Fokker-Planck equation describing the dynamics of fluctuations near instability is solved exactly, generalizing earlier results for nonoscillatory bifurcation. A check of the completeness of the eigenfunctions by a sum rule is presented. Correlation functions and transient moments are evaluated from the Fokker-Planck solution on both sides of the bifurcation point and their asymptotic long-time behavior is discussed. Below the bifurcation point transient moments are found to exist whose decay constants are smaller than the smallest eigenvalue in the Fokker-Planck spectrum. Two methods for calculating such moments from the Fokker-Planck spectrum are presented and exemplified.
Job burnout and job leaving in public school teachers: Implications for stress management

This study addressed the questions of whether selected teacher and organizational variables contributed to (a) significant amounts of variance in teachers' scores on three components of burnout, and (b) teachers' intentions to leave special education teaching. Study participants (N =490) included a sample of respondents to a survey of all of the 1096 special education teachers in Hawaii. Instruments used in this study included the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Porter Need Satisfaction Questionnaire, and the Special Education Teacher Survey. Results of multiple regression analyses indicated that for the burnout components, Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization, relatively large and significant amounts of variance could be accounted for by a set of predictor variables. For the third burnout component, Personal Accomplishment, the variance accounted for by a set of predictor variables was significant but small. Stepwise discriminant function analysis was used to distinguish between teachers who stated they did or did not intend to leave special education teaching. Eight variables were identified as predictors of “Intention to leave special education teaching, ” correctly classifying 73% of teachers into the appropriate “Yes-Leaving” and “No-Leaving” groups.
High Power Lasers For Isotope Separation

Interest in laser isotope separation and laser induced chemistry is now creating a large demand for tunable lasers throughout the frequency spectrum. In the visible and near uv these demands have generally been met with tunable dye lasers and frequency doubled dye lasers. However, development of tunable lasers operative throughout the ir has proven to be much more difficult. The difficulty is greatly enhanced by the strict wave-length requirements dictated by isotope separation. In this presentation the status of various experimental approaches being pursued for solution of this problem will be reviewed. These approaches may be grouped under the general headings of: optical pumping, non linear optics in gases and solids, electrical discharges in gases, and excitation transfer. In addition, because of the large number of known ir laser transitions, there may be near coincidences between a particular line of an existing laser and the desired absorption feature. In this case one would like to have a fine tuning capability that is continuous over a range of ~ ± .5 cm-1 comparable to spacings between rotational lines. Several possible solutions to this problem will also be discussed.© (1976) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Role of phosphorus in the pathogenesis of secondary hyperparathyroidism

Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SH) and hyperplasia of the parathyroid glands (PTG) are universal complications in patients with CRF. In early renal failure, reduction in serum calcitriol and moderate decreases in ionized calcium contribute to greater synthesis and secretion of PTH. As renal disease progresses, a reduction in parathyroid expression of vitamin D receptor and calcium receptor renders the PTG more resistant to both calcitriol and calcium. High dietary phosphorus (P), independent of calcium and calcitriol, further enhances uremia-induced PTG hyperplasia and PTH synthesis and secretion, the latter by posttranscriptional mechanisms. Once SH develops, dietary P restriction can return the high serum PTH levels toward normal, however, parathyroid hyperplasia persists. Studies in our laboratory identified 2 of the mechanisms involved in the opposing effects of high and low dietary P content on PTG growth. Whereas high dietary P increases parathyroid expression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha), a growth promoter, P restriction induces the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21, an inducer of growth arrest. Both effects of P are specific for the PTG. No increase in either protein was observed in liver or intestine. TGFalpha induction of hyperplasia involves binding to the epidermal growth factor receptor and activation of mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinases cascades. p21 blocks progression through the cycle and cell division by inactivating cyclin/cyclin-dependent kinase complexes. Preventing hyperphosphatemia and elevated Ca x P product in renal failure not only ameliorates the progression of SH and bone disease but also the morbidity and mortality resulting from vascular calcification.
The Vibrio cholerae Mannitol Transporter Is Regulated Posttranscriptionally by the MtlS Small Regulatory RNA

Vibrio cholerae continues to pose a health threat in many developing nations and regions of the world struck by natural disasters. It is a pathogen that rapidly adapts to aquatic environments and the human small intestine. Small regulatory RNAs (sRNAs) may contribute to this adaptability. Specifically, the mannitol operon sRNA (MtlS sRNA; previously designated the IGR7 sRNA) is transcribed antisense to the 5' untranslated region of the mtl operon, encoding the mannitol-specific phosphotransferase system. Mannitol is a six-carbon sugar alcohol that accumulates in the human small intestine, the primary site of V. cholerae colonization. To better understand the V. cholerae mtl operon at a molecular level, we investigated mtlA expression in the presence of various carbon sources and the role of the MtlS sRNA. We observed that MtlA protein is present only in cells grown on mannitol sugar, whereas MtlS sRNA is expressed during growth on all sugars other than mannitol. In contrast, mtlA mRNA is expressed in similar amounts regardless of the carbon source used for bacterial growth. These observations suggest that the regulation of MtlA protein expression is a posttranscriptional event. We further demonstrate that MtlS sRNA overexpression repressed MtlA synthesis without affecting the stability of the messenger and that this process is largely independent of Hfq. We propose a model in which, when carbon sources other than mannitol are present, MtlS sRNA is transcribed, base pairs with the 5' untranslated region of the mtlA mRNA, occluding the ribosome binding site, and inhibits the synthesis of the mannitol-specific phosphotransferase system.
Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Foreign Language Acquisition by TAKAČ, VIŠNJA PAVIČIĆ

The article reviews the book "Vocabulary Learning Strategies and Foreign Language Acquisition," by Visnja Pavicic Takac.
Analysis of flexural creep for an SiC fibre-reinforced Si3N4 composite

A numerical analysis for extracting the tensile and compressive creep power-law parameters from flexural test data is applied to an SiC fibre-reinforced hot-pressed Si3N4 composite. The evolution and steady-state conditions of the stress distribution during creep and the effect of neutral-plane migration on the creep behaviour are also analysed. Finally, the kinetics and mechanisms of high-temperature creep in the composite are discussed with respect to the results of the numerical analysis.
Computing tensor product decompositions

An algorithm is presented for computing the decomposition of a tensor product of two irreducible representations of a semisimple complex Lie group into its irreducible components. The algorithm uses a known formula which expresses the multiplicities of the highest weight vectors in the decomposition as an alternating sum indexed by the Weyl group. This sum is accomplished with minimal memory requirements using techniques developed previously by the author for efficiently computing Weyl group orbits. Examples are given for each of the exceptional Lie groups.
Transcriptional regulatory programs underlying barley germination and regulatory functions of Gibberellin and abscisic acid

Seed germination is a complex multi-stage developmental process, and mainly accomplished through concerted activities of many gene products and biological pathways that are often subjected to strict developmental regulation. Gibberellins (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) are two key phytohormones regulating seed germination and seedling growth. However, transcriptional regulatory networks underlying seed germination and its associated biological pathways are largely unknown. The studies examined transcriptomes of barley representing six distinct and well characterized germination stages and revealed that the transcriptional regulatory program underlying barley germination was composed of early, late, and post-germination phases. Each phase was accompanied with transcriptional up-regulation of distinct biological pathways. Cell wall synthesis and regulatory components including transcription factors, signaling and post-translational modification components were specifically and transiently up-regulated in early germination phase while histone families and many metabolic pathways were up-regulated in late germination phase. Photosynthesis and seed reserve mobilization pathways were up-regulated in post-germination phase. However, stress related pathways and seed storage proteins were suppressed through the entire course of germination. A set of genes were transiently up-regulated within three hours of imbibition, and might play roles in initiating biological pathways involved in seed germination. However, highly abundant transcripts in dry barley and Arabidopsis seeds were significantly conserved. Comparison with transcriptomes of barley aleurone in response to GA and ABA identified three sets of germination responsive genes that were regulated coordinately by GA, antagonistically by ABA, and coordinately by GA but antagonistically by ABA. Major CHO metabolism, cell wall degradation and protein degradation pathways were up-regulated by both GA and seed germination. Those genes and metabolic pathways are likely to be important parts of transcriptional regulatory networks underlying GA and ABA regulation of seed germination and seedling growth. The studies developed a model depicting transcriptional regulatory programs underlying barley germination and GA and ABA regulation of germination at gene, pathway and systems levels, and established a standard transcriptome reference for further integration with various -omics and biological data to illustrate biological networks underlying seed germination. The studies also generated a great amount of systems biological evidence for previously proposed hypotheses, and developed a number of new hypotheses on transcriptional regulation of seed germination for further experimental validation.
Business cycle co-movement: Evidence from the Great Depression

Abstract Recent analysis focuses on the gold standard as a channel for the transmission of the Great Depression. Trade linkages, which loom large in the recent literature, play a smaller role. Both the gold standard and trade were associated with higher co-movement at the bilateral level during the entire interwar period. We document that fixed exchange rates and trade made a comeback after 1932, but co-movement declined. The fall after 1932 appears to be driven by the rise of smaller blocs based on monetary and trade cooperation and an accompanying fall in co-movement between blocs.
A Comprehensive Incentives Analysis of the Potential Performance of Market Socialism

Abstract This article evaluates the performance of contemporary capitalism relative to that of a hypothetical alternative designated ‘profit-oriented market socialism.’ In most respects, profit-oriented market socialism would closely mimic contemporary market capitalism. The major difference would be that most profits and interest generated by the operations of publicly-owned business enterprises would be distributed to the general public as a social dividend proportional to household wage and salary income rather than in proportion to household financial assets. The basis of the comparison is a small-scale but comprehensive computable general equilibrium model, termed the ‘els model’ because it encompasses three primary factors of production: capital management effort e, labor l and saving s. Numerical solutions of the model suggest that the critical issue is the numerical value of a parameter (ν) representing the output elasticity of total capital management effort in the aggregate production function. ...
Optical Phonons of ZnS 1− x Se x and CdS 1− x Se x Mixed Crystals: Pressure Effects

The ir transmission of the optical phonons for the mixed crystals ZnS1−xSex, and CdS1−xSex, at various concentrations of x, was studied as a function of pressure up to about 43 kbar. At all concentrations a two-mode behavior was observed. For both systems the high frequency mode exhibits a greater pressure dependence than the low frequency mode. The gap mode observed for the ZnS1−xSex mixed crystals at low concentrations of Se is found to be pressure insensitive as contrasted to the Cd1−xSex mixed crystals.
Modeling of cost effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccination strategies in U.S. older adults.

Background The 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for adults, but its role in older adults is unclear. Purpose To compare PCV13 strategies to currently recommended vaccination strategies in adults aged ≥65 years. Methods Using a Markov model, the cost effectiveness of PCV13 and the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), alone or in combination, was estimated, in adults aged either 65 years or 75 years. No prior vaccination, prior vaccination, and vaccine hyporesponsiveness scenarios were examined. Pneumococcal disease rates, indirect childhood PCV13 effects, and costs were estimated using CDC Active Bacterial Core surveillance data and U.S. national databases. An expert panel estimated vaccine-related protection. A societal perspective was taken and outcomes were discounted 3% per year. Results In those aged 65 years, single-dose PCV13 cost $11,300 per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) gained compared to no vaccination; at ages 65 and 80 years, PCV13 cost $83,000/QALY. In those aged 75 years, single-dose PCV13 cost $62,800/QALY gained. PPSV23 cost more and was less effective than PCV13. Results were sensitive to varying vaccine effectiveness and indirect effect estimates. In hyporesponsiveness scenarios, cost-effectiveness ratios increased by 37%–78% for single-dose strategies and 29%–35% for multiple-dose strategies. Conclusions Single-dose PCV13 strategies are likely to be economically reasonable in older adults.
Discrimination of the rate of filtered impulses.

When subjects detect changes in interaural differences of time or level in the envelope of a complex waveform, the accuracy of the detection depends on the stimulus’s duration. The change in threshold with duration, in turn, depends on the rate of modulation of the waveform’s envelope. As the envelope rate increases beyond about 85 Hz, detectability relies increasingly on information derived from the early portion of the signal. The purpose of the present experiment was to determine whether a similar reliance on onset information might affect the detection of changes in envelope rate per se. The stimuli were trains of high-frequency, filtered clicks that differed only in their click rates. Control conditions included low-frequency noise intended to interfere with nonlinear distortion and a roving carrier technique designed to discourage comparisons between individual harmonic components. Unlike the case for lateralization, rate-discrimination thresholds for click rates as high as 400 Hz declined with the square root of duration, indicating that listeners derived information from throughout the stimulus. From these data it is suggested that separate channels may be used to convey envelope information for spatial hearing and for the discrimination of pitch.
Crustal structure beneath the High Lava Plains of eastern Oregon and surrounding regions from receiver function analysis

[1] We analyze teleseismic P-to-S receiver functions to image crustal structure beneath the High Lava Plains (HLP) of eastern Oregon and surrounding regions. Coverage from 206 broadband seismic stations provides the first opportunity to resolve variations in crustal composition, thickness, and heterogeneity on scales of a few km in depth and tens of km laterally across the HLP region. We utilize both H − κ stacking and a new Gaussian-weighted common conversion point stacking technique. We find crust that is ≥40 km thick beneath the Cascades, Idaho Batholith, and Owyhee Plateau and thinner (∼31 km) crust beneath the HLP and northern Great Basin. Low Poisson's ratios of ∼0.240 characterize the granitic crust beneath the Idaho Batholith, while the Owyhee Plateau exhibits values of ∼0.270, typical of average continental crust. The Owyhee Plateau is a thick simple crustal block with distinct edges at depth. The western HLP exhibits high average values of 0.304, typical for regions of widespread basaltic volcanism. Combined with other geological and geophysical observations, the areas of abnormally high Poisson's ratios (∼0.320) and low-velocity zones in the crust beneath north-central and southern Oregon are consistent with the presence of partial melt on either side of the HLP trend, suggesting a central zone where crustal melts have drained to the surface, perhaps enabled by the Brothers Fault Zone. Thicker crust and an anomalous N-S band of low Poisson's ratios (∼0.252) skirting the Steens Mountain escarpment is consistent with residuum from a midcrustal magma source of the massive flood basalts, supporting the view of extensive mafic underplating and intraplating of the crust from Cenozoic volcanism.
The 5D Fully-Covariant Theory of Gravitation and Its Astrophysical Applications

In this paper, we comprehensively review the five-dimensional (5D) fully-covariant theory of gravitation developed by Zhang two decades ago and its recent applications in astrophysics and cosmology. This 5D gravity describes not only the fields, but also the matter and its motion in a 5D spacetime. The greatest advantage of this theory is that there does not exist any unknown parameter, so that we can apply it to explain astrophysical and cosmological issues by quantitatively comparing the results obtained from it with observations and to predict new effects that could not be derived from any other gravitational theories. First, the 5D covariant description of matter and its motion enabled Zhang to analytically derive the fifteenth component of the 5D energy-momentum tensor of matter ( T - 44 ), which significantly distinguishes this 5D gravity from other 5D gravitational theories that usually assumed a T - 44 with an unknown parameter, called the scalar charge s, and, thus, to split the 5D covariant field equation into (4 + 1) splitting form as the gravitational, electromagnetic, and scalar field equations. The gravitational field equation turns into the 4D Einstein’s field equation of general relativity if the scalar field is equal to unity. Then, Zhang solved the field equations and obtained an exact static spherically-symmetric external solution of the gravitational, electromagnetic and scalar fields, in which all integral constants were completely determined with a perfect set of simple numbers and parameters that only depend on the mass and electric charge of the matter, by comparing with the obtained weak internal solution of the fields at a large radial distance. In the Einstein frame, the exact field solution obtained from the 5D fully-covariant theory of gravitation reduces to the Schwarzschild solution when the matter is electrically neutral and the fields are weak in strength. This guarantees that the four fundamental tests (light deflection, gravitational redshift, perihelion advance and radar echo delay) of the 4D Einstein’s general relativity in the case of weak fields are also the tests of the 5D fully-covariant theory of gravitation. In the case of strong fields, especially when the matter is highly charged, however, the results from the 5D fully-covariant theory of gravitation are significantly different from the 4D Einstein’s general relativity. Applying this 5D gravity and its exact field solution, Zhang has recently developed a new redshift mechanism, called electric redshift, a new supernova explosion mechanism with gravitational field shielding, a new gravitationless black hole model, a modified neutron star mass-radius relation, a modified Friedmann equation for the accelerating universe, and so on. This paper provides an overview of this 5D fully-covariant theory of gravitation, including also its solution properties and astrophysical applications.
Scanning electron microscopy of scales from different body regions of three lizard species

The Oberhautchen of scales from the dorsal, parietal, and ventral regions of Sceloporus occidentalis (Iguanidae), Gerrhonotus multicarinatus (Anguinidae), and Anniella pulchra (Anniellidae) were examined with a scanning electron microscope. At low magnification, all scales of S. occidentalis exhibit well-defined outlines of cells belonging to the Oberhautchen layer and the previously overlying clear layer. The dorsal and parietal cells of this species exhibit a minutely dentate Oberhautchen that forms tooth-like spinules 0.2 to 0.5 μ long and arranged in irregular rows. Minute pits 0.1 to 0.3 μ in diameter characterize the Oberhautchen of a ventral scale. Cell outlines are not evident on the scales of G. multicarinatus. The Oberhautchen of dorsal and parietal scales of this species is prominently laminated. Laminae are less prominent on scales of the lateral fold, and no intrinsic surface structure is evident on a ventral scale. In contrast, the fossorial anguinomorph Anniella pulchra exhibits Oberhautchen surfaces with practically no intrinsic microornamentation. However, what appear to be outlines of Oberhautchen cells are visible on the dorsal and ventral scales. These observations suggest that modifications of Oberhautchen microornamentation may have evolved to reduce friction with the substrate or other scales. The lack of pronounced microornamentation of the Oberhautchen on some body scales may indicate that a complex interdigitation between clear layer and Oberhautchen cells is not essential to the sloughing process.
Permutations and words counted by consecutive patterns

Generating functions which count occurrences of consecutive sequences in a permutation or a word which matches a given pattern are studied by exploiting the combinatorics associated with symmetric functions. Our theorems take the generating function for the number of permutations which do not contain a certain pattern and give generating functions refining permutations by the both the total number of pattern matches and the number of non-overlapping pattern matches. Our methods allow us to give new proofs of several previously recorded results on this topic as well as to prove new extensions and new q-analogues of such results.
Analyzing spoken language into words, syllables, and phonomes: A developmental study

Fifty children aged 3–7 years were asked to repeat spoken sentences and then to divide up these sentences into words, the words into syllables, and the syllables into speech sounds. There was a clear developmental progression in the ability to analyze spoken language in this way. The skills of analyzing sentences into words and words into syllables were highly related. Items requiring analysis of syllables into phonemes were highly correlated with each other and somewhat independent of sentence and word analysis items. The results are related to Gibson's model of reading, in which the acquisition of grapheme-phoneme correspondences is a crucial process.
Effects of ultraviolet light on transducing phage P22

Abstract The effects of ultraviolet irradiation on suspensions of P22 particles are examined. Evidence is presented which indicates that a single ultraviolet hit on an abortively transducing element enables it to form a complete transduction, i.e., to undergo recombination with the chromosome of recipient bacteria. Thus, abortive transductions are rapidly inactivated while the number of complete transductions increases. During the conversion of abortive transductions to complete transductions, jointly transduced markers become less tightly linked. The rate of linkage disruption is proportional to the genetic map distance between linked markers and allows an estimate to be made for the physical size of the histidine ( his ) region of the Salmonella chromosome. The rates of inactivation of complete transductions are proportional to the sizes of the genetic defects in the recipients, allowing a second estimate of the size of the his region to be made. The eight-gene his region comprises an amount of DNA equivalent to approximately 8 × 10 6 molecular weight, i.e., one-fifth that contained in a normal P22 phage particle. The coding ratio for the his region is about three nucleotide pairs per amino acid in the eight proteins whose structure it controls.
Efficacy of a Camp-Based Intervention for Childhood Traumatic Grief

Objective: This study examined the efficacy of a short-term, camp-based, trauma-focused grief intervention in reducing traumatic grief and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms in parentally bereaved children. Method: For this nonequivalent comparison group study, 100 children were split into two groups, with one group serving as the immediate treatment group and the second group serving as the delayed treatment group. Results: The results were analyzed using chi-square, independent samples t tests, multiple and logistic regression and showed this short-term intervention to be followed by reduced traumatic grief and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Conclusions: The results are discussed in relation to current research on and practice with bereaved children as well as implications for future research.
Rock creep degree assessment

Based on the analysis of experimental data, rocks have been ranged into creep classes on the basis of the rock rheology classification.
Auxin activity of substituted benzoic acids and their effect on polar auxin transport.

Six dichloro-, 3 trichloro-, 2 triiodo-, and 3 heterosubstituted benzoic acids (amiben, dinoben, dicamba), and N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid have been tested for effects on growth and on polar auxin transport. Growth activity with and without kinetin was measured by effects on fresh and dry weights of 30-day cultures of fresh tobacco pith. Transport inhibition was measured by following uptake and output of IAA-2-14C through 10 mm bean epicotyl sections. The distribution of callus growth on vascularized tobacco stem segments was also observed. Avena first internode extension assays established the relative activities: dicamba > amiben > dinoben suggested by pith growth results. Growth effects of active compounds were similar with and without kinetin, except that amiben was less active with kinetin, while 2,3,6-trichlorobenzoic acid was more active with kinetin than alone. The weak auxin activity of NPA was confirmed. Transport experiments showed that NPA was the most inhibitory compound tested, followed by TIBA. Other compounds tested were at least 300 times less inhibitory to IAA transport. The best growth promoters were the least inhibitory to transport, and the most effective transport inhibitors were at best poor auxins. It is suggested that the weak auxin and auxin synergistic activity of TIBA (and perhaps 2,3-dichlorobenzoic acid) in extension growth tests arises from its inhibition of transport of endogenous or added auxin out of the sections, rather than from its intrinsic auxin activity. Chemically induced apolar callus growth on vascularized tobacco stem explants can arise from inhibition of native auxin transport, apolar growth stimulation by auxinic action of the test compound, or both.
Effects of aromatase inhibition in hypogonadal older men: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Summary Objective To assess the effects of sustained aromatase inhibition in older hypogonadal men. Design and patients In a 1-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial, 88 men, aged 60 years and older with testosterone levels between 5·2 and 10·4 nmol/l on a single measure or between 10·4 and 12·1 nmol/l on two consecutive measures, and with symptoms of hypogonadism were recruited. Subjects received either anastrozole 1 mg daily or placebo. Measurements Changes in gonadal steroid hormone levels, body composition [by computerized tomography (CT) and dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA)], strength, prostate specific antigen (PSA), symptoms of benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH), haematocrit and lipid levels were assessed. Results Testosterone levels increased from 11·2 ± 3·3 nmol/l at baseline to 18·2 ± 4·8 nmol/l at month 3 (P < 0·0001 vs. placebo) while bioavailable testosterone levels increased from 2·7 ± 0·8 nmol/l at baseline to 5·4 ± 1·7 nmol/l at month 3 (P < 0·0001 vs. placebo). Testosterone and biotestosterone levels peaked at month 3 and then declined by month 12 (though they remained significantly higher than baseline and greater than placebo). E2 levels decreased from 55·8 ± 15·4 pmol/l at baseline to 42·2 ± 13·6 pmol/l at month 3 and then remained stable (P < 0·0001). Body composition and strength did not change, nor did PSA, BPH symptoms, haematocrit or lipid levels. Conclusions Anastrozole administration normalized androgen production in older hypogonadal men and decreased E2 production modestly. These alterations did not improve body composition or strength.
Clustering in supercritical fluid mixtures

The local compositions of supercritical fluid carbon dioxide and a cosolvent about a solute at infinite dilution have been estimated for the first time using spectroscopic measurements. The solute was phenol blue, the bulk concentrations of the cosolvents n-octane, acetone, ethanol, and methanol ranged from 0 to 100 mol%, and the pressure ranged from 80 to 300 bar. In each case, the clusters of solvent about the solute are enriched in cosolvent. Solubility data have been measured for phenol blue in CO2 with and without the cosolvent acetone, and regressed using an augmented van der Waals-density-dependent local composition model to determine the relevant binary interaction energies. The local compositions calculated from the model agree with those that were esimated spectroscopically. The model was used to predict solubilities of solids in supercritical fluid CO2 with various cosolvents.
mTORC1 Signaling Aids in CADalyzing Pyrimidine Biosynthesis

Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 (mTORC1) regulates growth and metabolism by integrating signals from the cellular environment. Ben-Sahra et al. (2013) and Robitaille et al. (2013) demonstrate a role for mTORC1 in nucleotide production via S6K1 phosphorylation of CAD, which catalyzes the initial steps of de novo pyrimidine biosynthesis.
Comparison between anterior cervical discectomy fusion and cervical corpectomy fusion using titanium cages for reconstruction: analysis of outcome and long-term follow-up.

Retrospective comparative study of 80 consecutive patients treated with either anterior cervical discectomy fusion (ACDF) or anterior cervical corpectomy fusion (ACCF) for multi-level cervical spondylosis. To compare clinical outcome, fusion rates, and complications of anterior cervical reconstruction of multi-level ACDF and single-/multi-level ACCF performed using titanium mesh cages (TMCs) filled with autograft and anterior cervical plates (ACPs). Reconstruction of the cervical spine after discectomy or corpectomy with titanium cages filled with autograft has become an acceptable alternative to both allograft and autograft; however, there is no data comparing the outcome of multi-level ACDF and single-/multi-level ACCF using this reconstruction. We evaluated 80 consecutive patients who underwent surgery for the treatment of multi-level cervical spondylosis at our institution from 1998 to 2001. In this series, 42 patients underwent multi-level ACDF (Group 1) and 38 patients underwent ACCF (Group 2). Interbody TMCs and local autograft bone with ACPs were used in both procedures. Medical records were reviewed to assess outcome. Clinical outcome was measured by Odom’s criteria. Operative time and blood loss were noted. Radiographs were obtained at 6 and 12 weeks, 6 months, 1 year, and 2 years (if necessary). Early hardware failures and pseudarthroses were noted. Cervical sagittal curvature was measured by Ishihara’s index at 1 year. Group 1 had a mean age 46.2 years (range 35–60 years). Group 2 had a mean age 50.1 years (range 35–70 years).The operative time was significantly lower (P 0.28). There was one patient in Group 1 and 2 patients in Group 2 with pseudarthroses. Complication rates in Group 2 were not significantly higher (P > 0.341). Cervical lordosis was well-maintained (80%) in both groups. Both multi-level ACDF and ACCF with anterior cervical reconstruction using TMC filled with autograft and ACP for treatment of multi-level cervical spondylosis have high fusion rates and good clinical outcome. However, there is a higher rate of early hardware failure and pseudarthroses after ACCF than ACDF. Hence, in the absence of specific pathology requiring removal of vertebral body, multi-level ACDF using interbody cages and autologous bone graft could result in lower morbidity.