cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Behavior Matters: The Relevance, Impact, and Reach of Behavioral Medicine

Growing evidence suggests behavioral interventions that target a few key behaviors may be effective at improving population-level health outcomes; health status indicators; social, economic, and physical environments; personal capacity; and biological outcomes. A theoretical framework that targets both social and cognitive mechanisms of behavioral interventions is outlined as critical for understanding “ripple effects” of behavioral interventions on influencing a broad range of outcomes associated with improved health and well-being. Evidence from randomized controlled trials is reviewed and demonstrates support for ripple effects—the effects that behavioral interventions have on multiple outcomes beyond the intended primary target of the interventions. These outcomes include physical, psychological, and social health domains across the lifespan. Cascading effects of behavioral interventions have important implications for policy that argue for a broader conceptualization of health that integrates physical, mental, and social well-being outcomes into future research to show the greater return on investment.
Equivalent models for finite-fuel stochastic control

A stochastic control problem with finite-fuel constraint, of the type studied by Benes, Shepp and Witsenhausen (1980), is solved explicitly. It is shown to be reducible to “simpler” stochastic optimization problems, such as optimal stopping and singular control for Brownian motion with unlimited fuel.
No regrets: Custodial mothers' accounts of the difficulties and benefits of divorce

This study examines the accounts of 80 divorced single mothers in order to consider various emotional processes involved in the mothers' postdivorce family reorganization. A qualitative analysis was conducted on written responses to an open-ended question. Concerns tended to center around how the divorce had affected the children as well as various difficulties associated with single parenting. Loss and guilt on the part of many mothers was tempered by positive attributions about how divorce actually gave way to greater personal happiness, better parent-child relationships, and more rewarding lives. Focusing on the benefits of divorce appeared to be an important means of coping with many of the problems inherent in single parenting. Implications for treatment are discussed from an ecological perspective which emphasizes the therapist's role in helping mothers to create contexts of support.
A comparative study of slave societies

Abstract This essay focuses both on theoretical issues and empirical evidence concerning the inevitability of slavery as an economic stage over the course of development. Different types of slavery are described and a number of common hypotheses about the determinants of slave societies and/or slavery are discussed. Several new hypotheses are also proposed which focus upon family and social-structural variables and also upon political factors. The major hypotheses are tested, using a worldwide sample of 60 primitive and peasant societies arranged according to level of economic development. The various older theories are found to explain poorly the presence of slavery while the data give some support to the newly proposed causal relationships.
Oedipus Wrecked? The Moral Boundaries of Incest

This article describes the meaning of incest in contemporary popular culture. The author explores how feminism and changes in systems of kinship and sexuality have affected present-day discourse on incest, comparing the significance of blood relations and notions of abuse in constructing incest. The author analyzes media commentaries on two contemporary incestuous events that generated publicity: Kathryn Harrison’s memoir of a sexual affair with her biological father and Woody Allen’s relationship with Soon-Yi Previn. The author explores how commentators framed incest as morally objectionable in reaction to these two cases. She argues that blood ties are prevalent, but are becoming less relevant to discussions of incest in popular culture, and that feminist constructions of incest as an exploitation of power relations have been powerful enough for individuals to apply this framework even when adults (rather than children) are involved.
Employee Focus of Attention and Reactions to Organizational Change

This article examines the role of employee focus of attention- and the target of this focus-on employee reactions to organizational change efforts. The authors conducted an empirical study of 476 clerical workers in three regional offices of a large insurance company. Subjects were assigned either to an experimental group-which underwent job changes-or a control group, and completed a survey before and after the change effort The authors had hypothesized that employees focusing highly on their jobs would react relatively favorably to the job changes, that those focusing highly on their work units would react relatively little; and that those focusing little on off-the-job factors would reactstrongly. The results provided only mixed support for the first two hypotheses and did not support the third, but indicated that focus of attention indeed moderates the effectiveness of job change interventions for both "soft" dependent variables (e g., satisfaction) and "hard" ones (eg., performance). The authors conc...
Photoallergic contact dermatitis from diallyl disulfide.

Keywords: photoallergic contact dermatitis; diallyl disulfide; garlic; photosensitivity; cheilitis; foods; plants
Association of Plasma Homovanillic Acid with Behavioral Symptoms in Patients Diagnosed with Dementia: A Preliminary Report

Neuroleptic treatment of psychotic symptoms or agitated behavior in elderly patients diagnosed with dementia is associated with reduced efficacy and increased rates of neuroleptic-induced parkinsonism in comparison to younger patients with schizophrenia. We report the first study to examine the relationship between an in vivo measure of dopaminergic function, plasma homovanillic acid (pHVA), and ratings of psychosis, agitation, and parkinsonism before and after neuroleptic treatment in dementia patients. Pretreatment pHVA was significantly correlated with parkinsonian rigidity, with a trend observed with agitation and hostility. Though mean pHVA did not change during perphenazine treatment, intraindividual change in pHVA at day 15 was correlated with improvement in hostility, with a similar trend for improvement in agitation. These preliminary findings are consistent with reports associating dopaminergic function with agitated, but not psychotic, symptoms in patients diagnosed with dementia, and with a reduced responsivity of dopaminergic systems to neuroleptic treatment in these patients.
Facing SiCp/Mg metal matrix composites with carbide tools

Abstract TiCN/TiN coated carbide cutting tools were used to study the finish machining characteristics of a silicon carbide particle reinforced magnesium metal matrix composite (SiCp/Mg MMC). A fully replicated two-level 2 4 full factorial with centerpoints was conducted while facing the MMC with process variables including feed, cutting speed, depth of cut and side cutting edge angle; and response variables of cutting forces, chip formation, surface roughness and tool wear. Results showed both continuous and semi-continuous chips were formed with the machining conditions used in this study. Abrasive wear of the flank face was observed to be the dominant tool-wear mechanism for all conditions within this study. It was observed that a greater depth of cut reduced the amount of tool wear for a given volume of material removed. Surface roughness values were within the range of 0.2–3.0 μm.
Direct absorption spectroscopy of the first excited electronic band of jet-cooled H2S

Abstract The absorption spectrum of jet-cooled H 2 S was measured in the energy region fo 1700–2300 A. The anomalous intensity in the tail is shown not to be due to excitation from excited rotational levels of the ground state. The spectral information indicates two electronic states contribute to the first absorption band of H 2 S. Clustering within the jet is shown to be an effective tool for identifying Rydberg states versus valence states.
Cholinergic sensitivity of irides from donors with various pathological conditions and lens implants

In vitro, iris contractions after muscarinic agonists were measured in mg of tension change and the concentration producing 50% of the response was expressed as EC50 μmol/1. Although the average EC50 value of carbachol in the iris sphincter of the donors with diabetes or Parkinson's disease did not change significantly when compared with the control, the maximum contraction of the tissue from the diseased state was increased significantly. Thus, in addition to the well known denervation supersensitivity of the iris-dilator, the iris-sphincter also develops adaptive sensitivity changes. Antimuscarinic drug treatment in some Parkinson's patients interfered with the estimation of supersensitivity in vitro studies. The enhanced response of carbachol at the low temperatures or the relative potency of carbachol and pilocarpine in the tissue obtained from the diseased donors was not significantly different from that of controls. Based on EC50 values, the potency of arecoline on the iris was 1/3 that of carbachol. Significantly lower EC50 values of carbachol were found in irides which were in contact with open loop type anterior chamber lens implants compared with those in contact with the closed loop anterior chamber lens implants. Maximum responses of irides to carbachol were less when the tissue was in contact with open loop lens compared with those in contact with closed loop anterior chamber implants. Irides from many donors having unilateral or bilateral replacement of the artificial lenses responded with EC50 of carbachol which was approximately equal to that of the contralateral eye. The maximum difference between EC50 values of the left and right iris was less than 5 fold. Paired irides with asymmetric surgical procedures responded unequally to carbachol. The dissociation constant KB of atropine (1 nmol/1) at 17°C was equal to that observed at 37.5°C. The KB values of himbacine, methoctramine and pirenzepine were 120, 1500, 120 nmol/1, respectively. From one tissue to another, there was a spread in the dissociation constant value of pirenzepine indicating that human iris sphincter may contain heterogenous population of muscarinic receptors.
Channeling the worm: microfluidic devices for nematode neurobiology.

Precisely scaled microfluidics channels for optical recordings of neuronal activity in live and behaving organisms.
Inversion in mathematical thinking and learning

Inversion is a fundamental relational building block both within mathematics as the study of structures and within people’s physical and social experience, linked to many other key elements such as equilibrium, invariance, reversal, compensation, symmetry, and balance. Within purely formal arithmetic, the inverse relationships between addition and subtraction, and multiplication and division, have important implications in relation to flexible and efficient computation, and for the assessment of students’ conceptual understanding. It is suggested that the extensive research on arithmetic should be extended to take account of numerical domains beyond the natural numbers and of the difficulties students have in extending the meanings of operations to those of more general domains. When the range of situations modelled by the arithmetical operations is considered, the complexity of inverse relationships between operations, and the variability in the forms that these relationships take, become much greater. Finally, some comments are offered on the divergent goals and preoccupations of cognitive psychologists and mathematics educators as illuminated by research in this area.
Maintaining IS quality

Abstract Information systems quality is most commonly thought of as achieved primarily from a system's original design and development. In fact, it is achieved substantially from the system's subsequent maintenance after being entered into production. IS maintenance is, in other words, fundamentally an activity of quality achievement and maintenance. The term ‘quality’ may be associated with four definitions: quality is excellence, quality is value, quality is conformance to specifications and quality is meeting and/or exceeding customer's expectations. IS maintenance is basic to achieving quality in each definitional case. We explain why, drawing from our own empirical research as well as that of others.
Groundwater Contamination and Protection Problems in a Small Rural Community

Abstract This article addresses the problem of declining water quality in small communities through an examination of the views of a panel of water resource experts. It is based on the premise that sound decision-making may be facilitated when such problems are confronted by experts, rather than individuals or particular interest groups. A detailed report on ground-water contamination by toxic synthetic organic chemicals in Mount Vernon, Iowa was presented to 120 water professionals from the American Mid-West. In spite of incomplete information, the experts strongly supported positive action to limit further pollution of the aquifer. However, the problem was defined as strictly a community issue that warranted minimal financial support from the state or other agencies. There were some differences of opinion between the experts based, in part, on length of ground-water experience, but a general consensus prevailed that policy-making must take local factors into consideration.
A three-dimensional approach to graphic design

Abstract In our recent work we have used the two-dimensional product-delay algorithm for creating artistic graphic designs on a computer. In this paper, we present a three-dimensional approach to graphic design. This approach extends the product-delay algorithm to three dimensions and is referred to as the “product-delay-spacecurve” algorithm or simply the PDS algorithm. It is shown that the PDS algorithm can generate a rich variety of interesting geometric patterns. The methodology is illustrated with a combination of simple sine waves.
The Galactose Binding Protein and its Relationship to the β‐Methylgalactoside Permease from Escherichia coli

Cold osmotic shock following treatment with Tris-EDTA liberates two galactose binding components from the cell envelope of E. coli. One of them, most probably identical with the so-called galactose binding protein, is shown to be related to the function of the β-methylgalactoside permease in E. coli. Galactose and β-glycerolgalactoside, the most efficiently transported substrates of the permease, show apparent Km values of uptake which are of the same order of magnitude as the dissociation constants of these sugars to the galactose binding protein. Glucose, β-glycerolgalactoseide, β-methylgalactoside and d-fucose inhibit the galactose uptake by the β-methylgalactoside permease in the same decreasing order as they inhibit the galactose binding activity of the galactose binding protein. Two out of three permease-less mutants contain the binding protein. The binding protein isolated from these mutants appears to be identical to the corresponding binding protein from the permease positive strain by their immunochemical behavior as well as by their galactose binding activity. The second galactose binding component also binds β-glycerolgalactoside. Its dissociation constant to galactose is higher than that of the galactose binding protein; its 280/260 mμ absorption ratio is 0.85.
Dual standards of school performance and funding? Empirical searches of school funding adequacy in Kentucky and Maine

This study examines potential consequences of the discrepancies between national and state performance standards for school funding in Kentucky and Maine. Applying the successful schools observation method and cost function analysis method to integrated data‐sets that match schools’ eight‐grade mathematics test performance measures to district funding, this study conducts empirical searches for adequate instructional expenditures per pupil to meet desired proficiency targets on national versus state assessments. While Kentucky (high‐stakes testing state) had a lower performance standard than Maine (low‐stakes testing state), this study reveals a relatively lower level of school funding adequacy and a weaker relationship between school expenditures and performance for Kentucky than for Maine. The study suggests that state educational accountability systems and policies may influence the level of state performance standards and the proficiency gaps between national and state assessments, which in turn lead ...
Investigation of the reported mass distribution curves in the fission of 233U with 14·8 MeV neutrons

Abstract The mass yield distribution of fission products produced in the fission of 233U with 14·8 MeV neutrons has been measured for eight mass chains in the symmetric region. This investigation was initiated to resolve existing discrepancies in published data with respect to the fission yields in the valley region and the peak-to-valley ratio. The absolute activities of the nuclides measured were determined from gross beta counting and total yields were measured relative to 132Te or 99Mo. The standard yields were chosen due to the close agreement of previous data for those mass chains. The peak-to-valley ratio calculated was about 3·5. The fission yields measured in this work have been compared to known existing values for 14·8 MeV neutron-induced fission of 233U.
Integrated a-Si:H Source Drivers For Electrophoretic Displays on Flexible Plastic Substrates

Active matrix displays have been demonstrated on flexible stainless and plastic substrates and typically use external complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) drivers. We have previously demonstrated integrated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) source drivers on an electrophoretic display on flexible stainless steel substrate. In this paper, we present an improved version of our a-Si:H source driver design on a flexible plastic substrate (polyethylene naphthalate or PEN). The new design uses fewer TFTs, provides an extended dynamic range, is faster and uses lower power. A single column of the source driver is fabricated on PEN and successfully tested at 10, 20 and 30 Hz frame rates. By using this architecture, the number of source interconnects for a 320times240 display can be reduced by 3x. These integrated a-Si:H column drivers are demonstrated driving an 16times8 pixel electrophoretic display.
Paul Kammerer's midwife toads: about the reliability of experiments and our ability to make sense of them.

This issue of the Journal of Experimental Zoology: Molecular and Developmental Evolution contains an unusual article that deviates from the usual fare of data reports and scholarly reviews of issues regarding molecular evolution and the evolution of development (Vargas, 2009). The article by Alexander Vargas reanalyzes and recontextualizes Paul Kammerer’s controversial experiments with the midwife toad, which he believed to demonstrate the inheritance of an acquired character. Paul Kammerer’s life story and scientific work from the early 20th century is one of the most dramatic, controversial and ultimately confusing chapters in the history of biology. It is often said that history is written by the winners. Kammerer was certainly not a member of the winning party in the intellectual battles of the beginning 20th century, and the historical accounts thus tend not to be in his favor. He clearly was a Lamarckist, studying how the environment is modifying organisms and testing whether these modifications can be inherited, which was a quite active research program at the time, and thus not unusual. Kammerer also was a socialist and a multitalented intellectual, who wrote symphonies in his spare time. But the fact that he was on the losing side in the scientific and cultural struggles of the last century does not automatically mean that his experimental work was fundamentally flawed or fraudulent. Clearly we will never know for sure, depending on standards of evidence, but the observations reported in the paper by Vargas makes it much less likely that Kammerer has fabricated his data. The most important observation that Vargas is pointing out is that Kammerer reports what nowadays is called a parent of origin effect. This is a phenomenon that was not known at the time but is now understood as a consequence of sexdependent epigenetic modification of genes. It is hard to imagine that someone who is fabricating his data would invent a detail that did not make sense at the time, and which was not predicted by his frame of reference. Kammerer’s goal was to demonstrate unadulterated Mendelian inheritance, and nothing less. What Vargas is showing is an example of how the scientific knowledge of a later era can lead to a radical re-evaluation of the meaning of certain experimental results. It turns out that, perhaps far from fraudulent, the experimental program of Kammerer and his colleagues at the Institute for Experimental Biology in Vienna, led to results that simply were beyond the conceptual grasp of the biology of the time. I want to emphasize that this means that neither the Neo-Darwinists and the followers of Weismann and Bateson nor the ‘‘Neo-Lamarckists’’ of the time had the conceptual tools to adequately interpret the results of these experiments. Only with the additional information we have now about epigenetic inheritance can we make sense of what Kammerer reported. Of course the fact that these experiments are hard to repeat
Plant level performance measurement: an exploratory case study of a pharmaceutical encapsulation company

Over the last few decades, hundreds of books and articles have been written on performance measures in manufacturing companies. A good number of those works has focused on overall organizational performance at the corporate level, business unit performance, and individual performance. Barring a few studies, there has been very little work reported on what specific performance measures are used at the plant and department level at a manufacturing facility. This exploratory research, through a case study of a pharmaceutical encapsulation company addresses those issues. Results show that the managers use a wide variety of measures primarily for meeting corporate targets and implementing a gain-sharing plan. There are not many common measures of performance used by managers for decision-making. None of the managers specifically linked the performance measures to the competitive priorities of the products made at the plant. A few propositions and suggestions for future research are made in the paper.
A note on elliptical plate vibration modes as a bifurcation from circular plate modes

Abstract The exact modes of vibration of a circular plate satisfy the geometrical boundary conditions of uniform elliptical plates in modified polar coordinates. In a previous investigation the exact modes of a clamped circular plate were used as shape functions in the Rayleigh-Ritz method to characterize the vibration of clamped elliptical plates. The mass and stiffness matrices were expressed in closed form and the resulting eigen value problems for the four mode categories of the elliptical plates were solved numerically. In the present investigation the computed variations of the plate frequencies with aspect ratio are used to study the similarities between the elliptical and circular plate modes. It is concluded that as the aspect ratio increases from unity, the axisymmetrical circular plate mode varies as a single elliptical plate mode, whereas the non-axisymmetrical circular plate mode splits up into two distinct elliptical plate modes.
RELATIONSHIPS OF CERTAIN MUSCLE, CARTILAGE AND BONE TRAITS TO TENDERNESS OF THE BEEF LONGISSIMUS

Histological and chemical characteristics of longissimus muscle and physical measurements of scapular and vertebral cartilage and bone were related to the tenderness of the beef longissimus. The 195 wholesale ribs were selected from carcasses differing widely in physiological maturity. Smaller diameter muscle fibers, longer sarcomeres, shorter muscle fiber fragments following homogenization, lower percentages of wavy fibers, decreased collagen content, increased percentages of soluble collagen, lower myofibril fragmentation scores, increased percentages of fat, decreased percentages of moisture and smaller areas of expressible juice were associated (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01) with increases in tenderness of the beef longissimus. Among physiological maturity indicators, muscle fiber diameter, total pigment concentration and hardness of scapular cartilage and vertebral bone were most closely related to the variability in tenderness of the beef longissimus and were associated with advancements in physiological maturity. Although most of the relationships in this study were of small magnitude, these data generally support the utilization of fatness-maturity interactions across very wide ranges in physiological maturity for the stratification of beef carcasses according to tenderness.
First bone formation and the dissection of an osteogenic lineage in the embryonic chick tibia is revealed by monoclonal antibodies against osteoblasts

Detailed studies of the origin and differentiation of osteogenic cells can be facilitated by cell-specific markers. To this end, we immunized mice with a heterogeneous population of chick embryonic bone cells and subsequently generated and selected for monoclonal antibodies against cell surface determinants. Supernatants from growing hybridoma colonies were screened immunohistochemically against frozen sections of embryonic stage 35 (day 9.5) chick tibiae. Three cell lines, SB-1, SB-2, and SB-3, which each secrete a different antibody against osteogenic cells, have been successfully cloned, stabilized, and immortalized. Antibody SB-1 reacts with a family of cells in embryonic bone, liver, kidney, and intestine, which are identically stained by the histochemical stain for alkaline phosphatase. The SB-2 antigen is present only on osteoblasts, while the SB-3 antigen is expressed on the surface of osteoblasts, ependymal cells and ventricular myoblasts. Studies on the developmental progression of osteoblasts in the embryonic tibia indicate that the determinants recognized by SB-1, SB-2, and SB-3 are temporally coupled to the appearance of the pre-osteoblast marker alkaline phosphatase. Detailed morphologic analyses reveal that SB-1 reacts with a large family of osteogenic cells residing between the surface of newly formed bone and the overlying periosteal osteoprogenitor cells. By contrast, SB-2 and SB-3 appear to react with those mature osteoblasts involved in the secretion and mineralization of osteoid. Cells which are imprisoned within bone matrix (osteocytes) of the developing tibia are not recognized by these antibodies, but are immunostained by an osteocyte-specific monoclonal antibody which does not react with SB-1, SB-2 or SB-3 positive cells. The results reported here suggest the existence of an osteogenic cell lineage which is characterized by a series of discrete cell states prior to the overt expression of the Secretory Osteoblastic phenotype. We propose that the emergence and abatement of phenotypically distinct osteogenic cell surface antigens follows a precise spatial and temporal sequence which reflects the position of cells within the osteogenic lineage.
ORIGIN FROM MITOCHONDRIA OF THE DOUBLE-WALLED VIRAL MEMBRANE IN SACCHAROMYCES.

INVESTIGATION of the viral infections of Saccharomyces1,2 has shown that this organism is parasitized by both a rod-shaped virus (like tobacco mosaic virus) and a double-walled, spherical, nucleoid virus. Electron microscopy, in this laboratory, on the aetiology of yeast infection has been carried out on strains affected by the spherical, double-walled, nucleoid virus3. Electron micrographs show that the site of propagation of the virus is the mitochondrion and that the outer double wall of the virus is derived from the double-walled cristae of the mitochondrion. Fig. 1 shows the mitochondria of a normal yeast cell. Fig. 2 shows a focus of viral infection multiplying at a centre from which three double-walled cristae of a disrupted mitochondrion radiate into the cytoplasm. In this cell (and in Fig. 3) there are three mitochondrial foci in which the walls of the mitochondria have become sinuous and are enveloping the viral particles. In Fig. 4 viral particles are found within disintegrated mitochondria. Fig. 5 shows a cell in which the protoplast has been transformed into virus particles and membranes.
Permeability of the n-alkyl p-aminobenzoate esters across the isolated corneal membrane of the rabbit

Abstract The permeabilities of the rabbit corneal membrane to an homologous series of compounds (the n-alkyl p-aminobenzoate esters) have been determined by an in vitro technique, and a parabolic relationship between corneal membrane permeability and structure (n-alkyl chain length) is reported. This observation is interpreted as resulting from a change-over in the rate-limiting mass transfer step in the transport process, and it is described that the corneal membrane must be treated as a complex membrane, rather than a homogeneous membrane, to resolve the observed permeability behavior.
Transcervical Extended Mediastinal Lymphadenectomy – Indications and Technique

Accurate mediastinal staging is the hallmark of a good thoracic oncology program. Despite advancements in imaging, surgical staging remains the gold standard of mediastinal staging for lung cancer. This review article summarizes the technique of transcervical mediastinal lymph node dissection and its role in the staging of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
Studies of a patient with recurring thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura

A young woman with recurring bouts of thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura presented an opportunity to study a single patient serially and in depth. This patient underwent 12 remissions in response to fresh frozen plasma, and as little as 250 ml of plasma or plasma from which cryoprecipitate had been extracted with efficacious. Neither the Lian factor nor alterations in either cold-insoluble globulin or protein C could be demonstrated. Evidence in support of the concept of "exhausted" platelets was generated, in that immediately before a thrombocytopenic relapse, platelet function was altered as manifested by bruising, prolongation of the bleeding time, and decreased platelet aggregation. The in vitro addition of normal plasma to such platelets did not improve aggregation. The antiplatelet agent sulfinpyrazone did not seem to add efficacy. Serial observations support the hypothesis that the progression of pathophysiologic events in this patient is: exhausted platelets, thrombocytopenia, hemolysis, renal perturbations, and central nervous system dysfunction.
A Spatial-Allocation Model for Regional Health-Services Planning

In planning for health services, the need arises to determine the location, capacity, and number of health centers for a geographically defined region. The present paper formulates this problem in a form convenient for solution and presents results from the model to clarify some important aspects of this allocation decision. The planning region is assumed to consist of geographically defined subareas or census blocks, of known location. The population is stratified in such a way that each stratum exhibits relatively homogeneous patterns of health-care utilization. The model characterizes the effects of center locations upon aggregate utilization and utilization of individual centers, and gives optimal locations of centers with respect to several alternative criteria. An example illustrating computational feasibility and the implications of various criteria for the location decision is presented.
Accumulation of Nucleopolyhedrosis Virus of the European Pine Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Diprionidae) as a Function of Larval Weight

Disease-free larvae of Neodiprion sertifer (Geoffroy) treated with its nucleopolyhedrosis virus in the field and under laboratory conditions showed a high correlation between virus accumulation and body weight. Simple linear regression models were found to fit viral accumulation versus body weight under either circumstance.
Active-Control Comparative Equivalency Monotherapy Trials in Epilepsy: Are They Scientifically Valid?

The premise of active-control comparative equivalency trials for evaluating a new therapeutic agent for the treatment of patients with epilepsy is attractive. This trial design includes one group of patients randomized to the study drug and the other to an established antiepileptic drug (AED) believed to have efficacy against the particular seizure type or epilepsy syndrome under evaluation. This design minimizes ethical concerns, as there is genuine uncertainty concerning which treatment regimen will be more efficacious. In addition, these trials compare the relative efficacy and tolerability of the new agent with a standard therapy rather than with a placebo or a pseudoplacebo. Because of these perceived advantages, active-control equivalency trials are attractive when viewed superficially. In addition, proponents of these trials have confused physicians by counteracting arguments of scientific validity with those of ethical principles and clinical relevance. Because active-control trials are being performed with increasing regularity, it is important for the epilepsy community to be fully informed of the advantages and drawbacks of such trials and to be engaged in the scientific debate regarding their validity when assessing the therapeutic efficacy of a novel AED. The objectives of this article are to provide information about the design and conduct of active-control monotherapy trials and to express serious doubts about the scientific validity of equivalence trials when evaluating therapeutic
Distance Education and Foreign Language Education: Towards a Coherent Approach

The distance education movement in North America is growing in size and prestige. The lack of immediate two-way interaction, which characterizes many distance-education programs, appears inimical to the aims of foreign-language teaching. In this article, it is argued that distance technologies, viewed from the perspective ofKrashen's Input Hypothesis, are capable of providing student-friendly foreign-language teaching. An overview of the present state of distance education is presented, along with suggestions for profession-wide dialogue on this powerful channel for instruction.
A five-terminal, complementary tracking &#177;15V &#177;200 mA monolithic voltage regulator

This paper will discuss a dual function, single-chip, IC regulator with preadjusted output voltages to within ±1%, internal frequency compensation, current limiting, maximum junction temperature shutdown, and excellent temperature stability due to a thermally symmetric die layout.
Tunneling in a periodically driven bistable system

The influence of periodic driving on coherent tunneling is investigated, using a quartic double-well potential in a monochromatic external filed as a working example. Extensive numerical studies of the long-time behaviour of this system are combined with an analytical description on basis of the quasienergy formalism. Approximate solutions of the dynamics are possible in the two opposite limits of adiabatic and fast driving, respectively. In both cases, the tunneling rate is enhanced, compared with the unperturbed value. This is confirmed by our numerical results. For driving frequencies in the range of the bare tunnel splitting novel types of tunneling behaviour occur, includinglocalization of the wave packet in one of the wells (coherent destruction of tunneling). They can be explained in terms of the local Floquet spectrum and are verified by the time evolution of quantum probabilities.
Microwave-assisted synthesis of benazoxoazol derivatives and their applications for phosphors of white light-emitting diodes

Abstract In this paper, several benazoxoazol derivatives have been rapidly and effectively synthesized by microwave irradiation and their physical properties (i.e. specific gravities, thermal resistance, and florescent performances) have also been investigated. Since lab-made organic phosphors (OP-1 and OP-2) exhibit high fluorescent efficiencies, low specific gravities, and excellent thermal resistance, we have applied them for the encapsulation of white light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as phosphors. Experimental results reveal that OP-1 and OP-2 possess appropriate emitting wavelengths and their electroluminescent properties highly depend upon their chemical structures, thus causing the diverse hues of white LEDs with them. The hues of white LEDs with OP-1 and OP-2 are CIEx,y=(0.35, 0.34) and CIEx,y=(0.25, 0.24), respectively.
Removing Cs from nuclear waste liquid by crown ether and heteropoly acid: Simulated tests

The extraction behavior of DB21C7-HPW synergistic system for Cs has been investigated and compared with that of DB21C7. Two simulated radioactive waste have been examined. It shows that this synergistic system is not only effective for ordinary waste SAW1, but also for the waste of high concentration of nitrates (SAW3). An extraction percentage 99.1% of Cs of SAW3 was obtained by an extracting stage of 5 and scrubbing stage of 3. The stability of synergistic agents towards radiolysis is satisfied and the selectivity for Cs is quite good. Both the additive compound and the extracted Cs complex of DB21C7 and HPW have been separated and identified.
Preference Mapping of Commercial Chocolate Milks

ABSTRACT: The dairy beverage market is a competitive and growing category in the food industry. Within this arena, chocolate milks vary widely in flavor, color, and viscosity. Understanding what sensory properties drive consumer liking is critical for maximum market share. This study was conducted to identify and define sensory characteristics of commercial chocolate milks and to link these differences to consumer preferences through the application of internal and external preference mapping. A sensory language was identified to document the sensory properties (visual, flavor, mouthfeel) of chocolate milks. Twenty-eight commercial chocolate milks were subsequently evaluated by descriptive sensory analysis using the identified sensory language. Thirteen representative milks were chosen for consumer acceptance testing followed by internal and external preference mapping to identify key drivers. Instrumental color and viscosity measurements were also taken. Two different techniques were used for external preference mapping: cluster analysis with generalized procrustes analysis and landscape segmentation analysis. Chocolate milks were differentiated by descriptive sensory analysis (P < 0.001). Wide variability was also observed in consumer acceptability of chocolate milks (P < 0.001). Correlations were observed among descriptive and consumer, descriptive and instrumental, and instrumental and consumer results (P < 0.001). Generalized procrustes analysis revealed 2 groups of consumers with 1 nondistinguishing driver of liking: cocoa aroma. Landscape segmentation analysis confirmed and clarified generalized procrustes analysis results by identifying 3 consumer segments with 3 drivers: cocoa aroma, malty, and cooked/eggy flavors.
The consistency of estimates obtained through central-location sampling: analysis of the Partnership for a Drug-Free America Attitude Tracking Study.

To evaluate the reliability and validity of estimates of drug use obtained through multiple-site central-location sampling, data from the Partnership Attitude Tracking Study (PATS), collected annually beginning in 1987, are tracked longitudinally and compared with data collected through traditional household interviews. Comparisons with demographic estimates from Current Population Surveys indicate that central-location sampling can provide a broadly representative sample of the adult population. However, there is some coverage bias in central-location sampling, most notably in the underrepresentation of adults who do not have high school diplomas. Sample estimates obtained from central-location sampling are consistent over time. Basic demographic characteristics of the samples-education, income, marital status, and area of residence-vary by less than 5% across the four waves of the tracking study. Prevalence estimates of self-reported drug use demonstrate an even higher degree of consistency over time. C...
Register allocation for data flow graphs with conditional branches and loops

A new approach to the problem of register allocation in the presence of both conditional branches and loops in a data flow graph is presented. The authors algorithm exploits the possibility of register sharing among mutually exclusive variables using a transformational approach - sets of mutually exclusive variables are transformed into an equivalent set of non-mutually exclusive variables. The transformational approach is extended to the case of data flow graphs with loops. A new register allocation algorithm is then used to produce an allocation for the non-mutually exclusive variables. From such an allocation, a corresponding allocation for the original sets of mutually exclusive variables is derived. Experimental results show that the approach is quite effective. >
Performance modeling of reconfigurable SoC architectures and energy-efficient mapping of a class of application

Reconfigurable system-on-chip (RSoC) devices are being used to implement many battery-operated systems, where energy efficiency is a major concern. RSoCs incorporate may different components, such as processor core, reconfigurable logic, memory, etc. various power management techniques can be applied to these components. Tasks within an application can be mapped onto different components for execution. The communication and reconfiguration costs incurred under different mappings significantly impact the overall system energy dissipation. In order to achieve energy-efficient designs on RSoCs, we develop (a) a performance model to abstract a general class of RSoC architectures for application development, (b) a mathematical formulation of the energy-efficient mapping problem for a class of applications, and (c) a dynamic programming algorithm that minimizes the system energy dissipation. We illustrate our approach by mapping two beamforming applications onto Xilinx Virtex-II Pro. For these two applications, our approach leads to an average 52% energy reduction over a greedy algorithm.
Magnetic resonance imaging characteristics of renal tumors after radiofrequency ablation

Abstract Objectives The interpretation of radiographic findings in renal tumors treated with minimally invasive modalities, such as radiofrequency ablation (RFA), is critical for assessing treatment adequacy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is commonly used for patients with renal insufficiency or contrast allergy. Because the MRI experience with renal RFA is limited, we reviewed our experience and report the unique MRI characteristics of RFA-treated renal tumors. Methods A single-institution database of renal RFA was reviewed to identify patients followed up with MRI. A radiologist and urologist retrospectively reviewed all MRI scans to identify the characteristic lesion findings after RFA. Results Eleven patients (12 tumors) treated by RFA were followed up with MRI examinations. The mean follow-up was 10 months. The mean tumor size at ablation was 2.4 cm, with minimal reduction over time. Ablated lesions were characterized by high signal intensity on T 1 -weighted images, low signal intensity on T 2 -weighted images, and an absence of contrast enhancement. Of the patients treated by percutaneous RFA, 71% developed a characteristic peritumor halo, seen as a rim of low signal intensity on T 1 -weighted and T 2 -weighted images, surrounding a zone of perinephric fat just external to the ablated area. Two lesions demonstrated enhancement on the initial postablation MRI scan, indicating incomplete ablation. Conclusions The MRI characteristics of successfully ablated renal tumors include the absence of enhancement, minimal size reduction over time, and high and low signal intensity on T 1 -weighted and T 2 -weighted imaging, respectively. Knowledge of these findings can aid radiologists and urologists in correctly assessing the success of RFA for kidney lesions.
Obesity in Children and Adolescents

Context: Although the prevalence rates of childhood obesity have seemingly been stable over the past few years, far too many children and adolescents are still obese. Childhood obesity, and its associated metabolic complications, is rapidly emerging as one of the greatest global challenges of the 21st century. About 110 million children are now classified as overweight or obese. Evidence Acquisition: In this review we first describe the most recent data on the prevalence, severity, and racial/ethnic differences in childhood obesity. Obesity is associated with significant health problems in the pediatric age group and is an important early risk factor for much of adult morbidity and mortality. Evidence Synthesis: We review the metabolic complications associated with childhood obesity. Particular emphasis is given to the description of studies regarding the impact of varying degrees of obesity on the cardiometabolic risk factors in youth. We further describe studies in obese adolescents that have examined the importance of ectopic lipid deposition in the visceral abdominal depot and in insulin sensitive tissues in relation to the presence of insulin resistance. We end by describing studies that have examined β-cell function in obese adolescents with normal glucose tolerance. Conclusions: The growing number of obese children and adolescents worldwide is of great concern. Many obese children and adolescents already manifest some metabolic complications, and these children are at high risk for the development of early morbidity. Understanding the underlying pathogenesis of this peculiar phenotype is of critical importance.
Pigeonholing pyroclasts: Insights from the 19 March 2008 explosive eruption of Kīlauea volcano

We think, conventionally, of volcanic explosive eruptions as being triggered in one of two ways: by release and expansion of volatiles dissolved in the ejected magma (magmatic explosions) or by transfer of heat from magma into an external source of water (phreatic or phreatomagmatic explosions). We document here an event where neither magma nor an external water source was involved in explosive activity at Kīlauea. Instead, the eruption was powered by the expansion of decoupled magmatic volatiles released from deeper magma, which was not ejected by the eruption, and the trigger was a collapse of near-surface wall rocks that then momentarily blocked that volatile flux. Mapping of the advected fall deposit a day after this eruption has highlighted the difficulty of constraining deposit edges from unobserved or prehistoric eruptions of all magnitudes. Our results suggest that the dispersal area of advected fall deposits could be miscalculated by up to 30% of the total, raising issues for accurate hazard zoning and assessment. Eruptions of this type challenge existing classification schemes for pyroclastic deposits and explosive eruptions and, in the past, have probably been interpreted as phreatic explosions, where the eruptive mechanism has been assumed to involve flashing of groundwater to steam.