cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Genetic Diversity and Core Collection of Alien Pisum sativum L. Germplasm

China is the second producer of pea in the world with a collection of 5 000 accessions,around 20% of which were introduced from 70 foreign countries. It is essential to assess the genetic diversity among alien pea(Pisum sativum L.) germplasm accessions,to analyze their genetic relationships among various groups of gene pool from different geographical/ecological areas,and to constitute core collection of alien genetic resources of pea. The information generated from the study will be very helpful for the exploration and utilization of overseas pea genetic resources. For the purpose above,21 SSR primer pairs with unambiguous unique polymorphic bands and their optimum annealing temperatures were successfully screened out from the 111 candidates. Pea's SSR marker experimental system was optimized thereafter,and adopted for genetic diversity analysis and for constitution of a core collection among the 731 pea accessions from 67 countries of various continents. Using 21 SSR primer pairs,109 polymorphic bands were amplified,and 5.19 alleles were detected by each SSR primer pairs on an average. SSR alleles were not uniformly distributed among continents,and the number of effective alleles and Shannon's information index(I) were much variedamong continental based groups of genetic resources. Significant difference appeared in the pairwise comparisons for genetic diversity between continental based groups of genetic resources. Asia group had the highest level of genetic diversity(I = 1.1753) ,followed by Europe(I = 1.1387) ,USSR(I = 1.0285) ,America(I = 1.0196) ,Africa(I = 0.9254) ,and Oceania(I = 0.8608) groups. Two large cluster groups and four cluster sub-groups were identified based on the dendrogram of pairwise Nei78 genetic distance. The clustering results of alien genetic resources revealed geographically broad correlation to their genetic diversity. Three types of population structure within 731 alien pea accessions were inferred by Structure analysis,which also broadly correlated to their geographic origins. A scientific and logical standard methodology for construction of core collection based on Structure analysis was designed and applied in this study,a subset(6.57% of the whole collection) of 48 accessions representing 84.4% of the whole allelic variability was proposed to be a core collection.
From Longing to Belonging: A Practical Guide to Including People with Disabilities and Mental Health Conditions in Your Faith Community: Shelly Christensen, ed. (Inclusion Innovations, 2018). xix + 312 pp. Paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-946195-27-2-52995

What does inclusion look like in religious spaces? How can we view belonging in faith-based spaces from an inclusive lens? Shelly Christensen answers these questions and more in her new book, From ...
Elliptic Curves and Their Isomorphisms

Using the results of the previous chapter, we complete the unfinished business concerning elliptic curves as cubic curves, namely the associative law, the transformation into normal form, and the discriminant criterion for non-singularity or smoothness. At the same time admissible changes of variables are introduced; these are equivalent to isomorphisms from an elliptic curve defined by one cubic onto another given by a change of variable in the first equation.
Crime, Delinquency, and Social Status: A Reconsideration

Abstract This article summarizes the findings from 273 studies of the relationship between social status and criminal/delinquent behavior. The present review differs from others published on the same topic in recent decades partly in terms of comprehensiveness, both in terms of the total number of studies reviewed and in terms of our efforts to include research from all countries, not just the United States and other English-speaking industrialized nations. This review also explicitly separated studies according to the types of the operational measures used in defining offending and social status. The review suggests that individual social status is much more closely associated with criminal/delinquent behavior than is parental social status, particularly when offending behavior is persistent. Parental social status was found to be especially unlikely to be significantly correlated with offending probabilities in the case of self-reported offenses. Most surprising of all was that not a single study of sel...
Visualizing singular value decomposition

Singular value decomposition/principal component analysis method is a central tool in multivariate analysis and functional data analysis. In this article, a list of visualization tools that are useful in revealing structure within sample datasets is investigated. An Internet traffic dataset is used to illustrate the usefulness of these methods. For further resources related to this article, please visit the WIREs website. Conflict of interest: The authors have declared no conflicts of interest for this article.
The Sensory Channels

As discussed in Chapter 1, the mechanism for transmission of information concerning a specific form of sensation can be referred to as a sensory channel. The sensory channel includes the receptors, any spinal cord processing circuits, and the sensory pathways transmitting the information to the thalamus and cerebral cortex, as well as the parts of the brain that then process the data to produce perception. This chapter will consider what is known or can be deduced about the initial parts of the sensory channels for several of the kinds of somatic sensation. Emphasis will be placed on information derived from human subjects and from primates.
Identification of Drug Metabolites

The elucidation of chemical structures of drug metabolites is a key endeavor in the research on new drugs. The data can be useful both in the early drug design processes and later in the drug development process. In this chapter, the methods used to elucidate metabolite structures are described, including sample generation, sample processing procedures, mass spectrometry, and NMR spectroscopy. Keywords: drug metabolism; HPLC; mass spectrometry; nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy; metabolite; structure
Graduate School Programs as Reinforcers of Professional Norms

(1979). Graduate School Programs as Reinforcers of Professional Norms. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas: Vol. 52, No. 9, pp. 436-438.
The Characteristics of a Persistent Auroral Arc at High Latitude in the 1400 MLT Sector

An analysis of precipitating particle energy flux observations show a local intensity maximum at ∼ 77 invariant latitude and 14 MLT, a location where a number of other geophysical processes show intensity maximum. Detailed examination show these energy fluxes to be composed entirely of 0.3 - 3 keV electrons precipitating in latitudinally thin structures. The source populations from whence these electrons originated had densities of order 2 cm-3 and temperatures of order 150 eV. Parallel electric field acceleration of ∼ 1000 V (but no more than 3000 V) was responsible for the electron rich energy flux enhancements. The source of EMF for this process probably originates in a fairly direct solar-wind magnetosphere interaction.
Myocardial perfusion imaging

Non-invasive images of the myocardium that reflect myocardial perfusion can be obtained either by using conventional nuclear medicine radiopharmaceuticals and cameras or by positron emission tomography (PET). This review will focus on myocardial perfusion imaging using conventional approaches; a subsequent article in this series will focus on PET. Comprehensive reviews of imaging fundamentals and procedures are available.1 2 The two most commonly used isotopes for myocardial perfusion imaging are thallium-201 and technetium-99m. Thallium-201 is generated by a cyclotron. It is then transported as a finished product to the location where it is used, which is feasible because it has a half life of 73 hours. The isotope decays by a reasonably complex scheme, but most of the photons have an energy of about 80 keV, which is a low energy. Technetium-99m is bound to other compounds for the purposes of myocardial perfusion imaging. It is formed on site by elution from a molybdenum-99 generator. Technetium-99m is a meta-stable compound which is constantly formed from molybdenum-99 within the generator. Technetium-99m has a half life of about six hours, and emits photons with a 140 keV energy. This energy is much higher than the emissions of thallium, but much lower than the 511 keV emissions of PET radiopharmaceuticals. The differences in physical properties between thallium-201 and technetium-99m are relevant to the choice of radiopharmaceutical, which will be discussed later. Both thallium-201 and technetium-99m radiopharmaceuticals are most commonly imaged using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). This technique employs many of the same back projection techniques that have been applied to conventional radiographs for CT scanning. Although multiple view planar images were first employed for myocardial perfusion imaging, they have been largely replaced by SPECT, which is superior from the standpoint of localisation, quantification, and image quality. Regardless of the radiopharmaceutical used, …
Assessing Isotropy for Spatial Point Processes

Summary A common assumption while analyzing spatial point processes is direction invariance, i.e., isotropy. In this article, we propose a formal nonparametric approach to test for isotropy based on the asymptotic joint normality of the sample second-order intensity function. We derive an L2 consistent subsampling estimator for the asymptotic covariance matrix of the sample second-order intensity function and use this to construct a test statistic with a χ2 limiting distribution. We demonstrate the efficacy of the approach through simulation studies and an application to a desert plant data set, where our approach confirms suspected directional effects in the spatial distribution of the desert plant species.
Variables associated with a poor prognosis in patients with an ischemic thallium-201 exercise test.

Abstract To determine the exercise workload, ECG, and thallium-201 image parameters that are most closely associated with a poor prognosis from ischemic heart disease, the test results of 268 patients were reviewed. Only patients with unequivocal thallium-201 redistribution were selected. A multivariate analysis was performed to find the variables that were most strongly associated with the outcomes of coronary revascularization, myocardial infarction, and cardiac death during a follow-up period of 25 ± 19 months. Patients who underwent early elective revascularization had poorer exercise tolerance and more thallium image abnormalities than those with no events. In the remaining patients myocardial infarction was most closely related to the extent and severity of thallium ischemia ( p = 0.0086), whereas cardiac death was associated with abnormal thallium lung uptake ( p = 0.0082) and an inability to exercise to 9.6 MET ( p = 0.0144). Thus unlike myocardial infarction, cardiac death is best predicted by variables that reflect poor left ventricular function rather than those that indicate ischemia.
Simulation of insect disease dynamics: an application of SERB to a rangeland ecosystem

An object-oriented simulation program, SERB (Simulation En vironment for Research Biologists), has been used to simulate insect disease dynamics in a rangeland ecosystem. SERB was used to construct a mechanistic simulation model of a fungal pathogen of grasshoppers by synthesizing experimentally derived compo nents. Emphasis is placed on how SERB was used to construct and evaluate the model both in a piece-wise and combined manner to aid in understanding population interactions and dynamics. The interactive nature of SERB in the ZetaLisp environ ment was found to be highly conducive to model construction, manipulation and evaluation. Detailed examples from several phases of this process are presented from the perspective of a population bioligist. The orientation of SERB allows the research er to focus on a problem in an intuitive and systematic manner, in biological terms, unconstrained by details of an unfamiliar programming environment.
A Practical, Theory-Based Approach to Establishing School Nutrition Advisory Councils

Abstract This article describes a process for establishing school nutrition advisory councils (SNACs) as an integral part of a school environment approach to promoting the nutritional health of students. The application of social cognitive theory as the conceptual framework for SNACs is discussed and the steps for establishing councils, including describing the school food environment, recruiting council members and convening the council, are reviewed. Actions taken by SNACs to positively affect the school nutrition environment are also described. SNACs are 1 component of the Teens Eating for Energy and Nutrition at School (TEENS) study, a group randomized, school-based intervention trial conducted in 16 middle schools in the Minneapolis-St Paul, Minn, metropolitan area. TEENS seeks to promote healthful dietary behaviors among young adolescents to reduce future cancer risk. Primary outcome measures include increasing fruit and vegetable intake and decreasing fat consumption. SNACs were established in the intervention schools to assess the overall school food environment and to advance school-level policy that promotes a healthful food environment. J Am Diet Assoc. 2001;101:223-228.
Phosphorylase kinase from rabbit skeletal muscle: Phosphorylation of κ-casein

Abstract Phosphorylase kinase (EC 2.7.1.38) from rabbit skeletal muscle catalyzed the phosphorylation of κ-casein (Mr = 19,000) to a stoichiometry of approximately one mole of phosphate per mole of κ-casein. The reaction rate was modified by several factors known to influence phosphorylase kinase activity: (1) stimulation by Ca2+, (2) further stimulation by added calmodulin in the presence of Ca2+, (3) higher activity at pH 8.2 than at pH 6.8, and (4) activation, measured at pH 6.8, following partial proteolysis of the kinase by trypsin. The maximal rate of phosphorylation of κ-casein by nonactivated phosphorylase kinase in the presence of Ca2+ at pH 8.2 was 16 nmol/min/mg, and the κ-casein concentration for half-maximal activity was 80 μ m . The phosphorylation of other components of whole casein, αs1-casein and β-casein, by phosphorylase kinase was detectable but much slower than the reaction with κ-casein. When whole casein was used as a substrate, κ-casein was identified by electrophoresis as a major phosphorylated species. The amino acid residues in κ-casein modified by phosphorylase kinase were shown to be serines. The present work extends the known substrates of phosphorylase kinase to include a well-characterized protein that may prove an interesting model substrate. Furthermore, this report emphasizes that whole casein, because of its heterogeneity, is a poor substrate to use in characterizing the substrate specificities of protein kinases, since different “casein kinases” may be specific for different components of whole casein.
Genetics of childhood disorders: XL. Stem cell research, part 4: neural horticulture.

A fundamental scientific principle held for the past 100 years is that children are born with all the neurons they will ever have. New discoveries in stem cell biology and developmental neuroscience are challenging this idea. Because stem cells are selfrenewing and unspecialized, they can generate many different cell types. Neuronal stem cells are found within germinal centers in the adult brain such as the subventricular zone and the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. Scientists have discovered how to harvest these cells from early embryos or the adult CNS for further cultivation in vitro. A variety of genetic, environmental, and molecular factors can then be studied to determine whether they influence the types of cells produced and whether they grow into neurons, heart, muscle, or other cell types. At present, many of the critical factors that regulate their eventual fates are poorly understood. However, new evidence suggests that genomic repair is one of the critical determinants for maintaining stem cells and mature neurons throughout life. This column reviews studies of the role of genomic repair in embryonic and stem cell neurogenesis and differentiation. Although the interplay between genes and the environment is well established, recent research has found that physical activity can have a striking effect on neurogenesis, neuronal survival, and differentiation in the mature brain. In several studies, voluntary exercise on a running wheel was found to stimulate proliferation of neuronal stem cells in adult rodent dentate gyrus. Physical activity may increase the production of growth factors and other molecules important for neural development. Combinations of several different growth factors have been used successfully to generate dopamineor serotonin-producing neurons from embryonic stem cells in tissue culture. Once these cells have been propagated and partially differentiated, they may be transplanted into the brain for further study. This type of experiment has been successfully used to treat mice with neurodegenerative disorders of the spinal cord and other brain regions. Scientists have also made the startling discovery that stem cells are present in the adult body that have the capacity to differentiate into a range of cell types, including blood cells or neurons. Stem cells are not committed to a specific function, Genetics of Childhood Disorders: XL. Stem Cell Research, Part 4: Neural Horticulture
HOST PLANT PHENOLOGY AND BUTTERFLY DISPERSAL: CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF UPHILL MOVEMENT

In the Wenatchee Mountains of central Washington State, populations of the lycaenid butterfly Euphilotes enoptes occur patchily with their sole host plant, Eriogonum compositum (Polygonaceae). Nearly all courtship and adult feeding occur on the inflores- cences of this long-lived perennial. Furthermore, because females oviposit on inflorescences and larvae feed only on flowers and developing seeds, the window of opportunity for exploiting this resource is narrow. I demonstrated that inflorescence phenology varied according to the aspect and elevation of plant patches, and butterflies were most likely to occur in patches nearing full bloom. A mark-release-recapture study revealed that indi- vidual butterflies can disperse far enough to sample from a wide range of patch phenologies, and the movements of females are apparently influenced by those phenologies. In particular, an uphill bias in female movement appeared to be the result of greater emigration from senescing low-elevation patches than from phenologically delayed, high-elevation patches. Males showed no such uphill movement. The apparent result of the uphill movement by females was that larval densities increased fourfold over a 300-m elevational gradient in each of two years. Differential mortality is an unlikely explanation for this variation in larval density, as both parasitism rates and frequency of visitation by ants, which tend larvae, did not vary with elevation. To demonstrate the influence of host plant phenology on adult behavior, I manipulated flowering phenology in an artificially established grid of small host plant patches and observed the encounters of adult butterflies with those patches. Inflorescences in patches that were nearing full bloom received disproportionately many visits by females, indicating that patches in this phenological state were more attractive to females. Small sample sizes prevented me from determining if this result was due to increased entry into those patches by females, an increased number of inflorescence visitations per female, or both. The frequency with which inflorescences in the different patches were visited by males did not vary with patch phenology. These results suggest that the uphill bias in dispersal by females is indeed a response to host plant phenology. Thus, in this system, among-patch variation in host plant phenology apparently influences the relative densities of larvae in different host plant patches by altering patterns of dispersal among those patches.
Second thoughts on Gedachtes Wohnen

(2004). Second thoughts on Gedachtes Wohnen. Philosophy & Geography: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 253-256.
Patient selection factors in angiographic studies: a conceptual formulation and empirical test.

Studies using coronary angiography patients as the study population to assess etiologic relationships are vulnerable to bias produced by patient selection factors, but the direction and magnitude of the bias in any particular study are uncertain. Partly for this reason, some authors have questioned the use of angiography data for studies of etiology. Nevertheless, this type of data continues to be used in etiologic studies. Therefore, in this paper a conceptual framework is described to quantify the degree of bias under different assumptions about the process whereby patients are selected for angiography. The direction and degree of bias depend on the pattern of patient selection, as well as the measure of association used (e.g., the risk ratio or odds ratio). One method is then described, based on assessing how physicians refer patients to angiography, which estimates the degree of bias produced by selection factors. This study is limited to the situation of a two-level risk factor (e.g., type A/B behavior) in relation to a two-level outcome measure (e.g., significant coronary artery occlusion versus no significant coronary artery occlusion). While type A/B behavior is used as an example in this paper, the concepts apply to any behavioral or nonbehavioral predictor variable.
Global and Regional Scale Precipitation Patterns Associated with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation

Abstract We investigate the “typical” global and large-scale regional precipitation patterns that are associated with the El Nino/Southern Oscillation (ENSO). Monthly precipitation time series from over 1700 stations are analyzed using an empirical method designed to identify regions of the globe that have precipitation variations associated with ENSO. Monthly mean ranked precipitation composites are computed over idealized 2-year ENSO episodes for all stations that include data for at least five ENSOs. The amplitude and phase of the Arm harmonic fitted to the 24-month composite values are plotted in the form of a vector for each station. When plotted on a global map, these vectors reveal both the regions of spatially coherent ENSO-related precipitation and the phase of this signal in relation to the evolution of the composite episode. Time cries of precipitation for the coherent regions identified in the harmonic vector map are examined to determine the magnitudes of the ENSO-related precipitation and th...
Biliary Atresia: Recent Progress

Extrahepatic biliary atresia (EHBA), an inflammatory sclerosing cholangiopathy, is the leading indication for liver transplantation in children. The cause is still unknown, although possible infectious, genetic, and immunologic etiologies have received much recent focus. These theories are often dependent on each other for secondary or coexisting mechanisms. Concern for EHBA is raised by a cholestatic infant, but the differential diagnosis is large and the path to diagnosis remains varied. Current treatment is surgical with an overall survival rate of approximately 90%. The goals of this article are to review the important clinical aspects of EHBA and to highlight some of the more recent scientific and clinical developments contributing to our understanding of this condition.
Assessment and Rehabilitation of Embankment Dams

A series of observations, studies, and analyses to be made in the field and in the office are presented to gain a proper understanding of how an embankment dam fits into its geologic setting and how it interacts with the presence of the reservoir it impounds. It is intended to provide an introduction to the engineering challenges of assessment and rehabilitation of embankments, with particular reference to a Croton Dam embankment.
Rootstock effects on responses of potted ‘Smoothee Golden Delicious’ apple to soil-applied triazole growth inhibitors. I: Shoot and root growth

Abstract Emulsions containing 0, 1, 10 or 100 mg paclobutrazol, uniconazole or triapenthenol in 100 ml water were applied to the soil of potted cultivar ‘Smoothee Golden Delicious’ apple ( Malus domestica , Borkh.) on M 9, M 7a or MM 111 rootstocks (M = Malling, MM = Malling-Merton). Percentage reductions in shoot length were greatest for trees on MM 111 and M 7a, and least for M 9. Mean shoot lengths of treated trees compared to controls were 64% for MM 111, 69% for M 7a and 75% for M 9. Within rootstocks, triapenthenol caused the greatest and uniconazole the least reduction in shoot growth and stem cross-sectional area per unit increase in dosage. The marginal effectiveness for reduction in shoot length and cross-sectional area was greatest for triapenthenol and least for uniconazole, but the reverse was true for a reduction in shoot dry weight. Rootstock effect on root dry weight at the end of the experiment depended on the chemical used and the dosage applied. Total root growth was small in all treatments.
The role of groupwork in social action projects with youth

This article presents a case study, and puts forth an approach to social justice work with young people, that impacts youth development, empathy, and social change by applying two social work models, Self-directed groupwork, and its model for stages of group development, along with concepts of expressive and instrumental social roles in groups. The personal growth for the youth was demonstrated by their increased confidence, greater academic interest, and more positive perceptions by teachers. Socially they exhibited heightened understanding of others, communication skills, and teamwork. The result for the community was seen in the social change skills they acquired and the project they implemented.
Alfentanil slightly increases the sweating threshold and markedly reduces the vasoconstriction and shivering thresholds.

BackgroundHypothermia is common in surgical patients and victims of major trauma; it also results from environmental exposure and drug abuse. In most cases, hypothermia results largely from drug-induced inhibition of normal thermoregulatory control. Although opioids are given to a variety of patient
Surface mucus production in gastropods is dependent on environmental salinity and humidity

Abstract 1. 1. Skin surface barrier mucus might play an important role in the transport of water and salt by mollusean skin. It is currently believed that surface mucus exerts its control by means of altering the ion gradients at the skin surface. 2. 2. The purpose of this study was to quantitate changes in mucus metabolism that might occur when gastropods are forced to alter salt and water transport in response to transfer to an osmotically stressful environment. 3. 3. We found that the amount of barrier mucus can be quantitated using the alcian blue method and that the amount of secreted soluble mucus is proportional to the amount of surface-associated barrier mucus, suggesting that quantitation of soluble mucus can be used as a tool to study changes in barrier mucus metabolism. 4. 4. The amount of barrier mucus increased as the environmental salinity was augmented and did so before an increase in hemolymph osmolality occurred. 5. 5. Transfer of gastropods from water to water-saturated air resulted in an increase in the quantitity of barrier mucus. 6. 6. Mild dehydration resulted in a significant decrease in the amount of surface-associated barrier mucus. 7. 7. These results support the hypothesis that skin surface mucus plays an important osmoregulatory role in molluscs.
Light variability in the modern neonatal nursery: chronobiologic issues.

Abstract The role that nursery light variability may play in modulating infant biological rhythms is being studied in Stanford Medical Center's Neonatal Intensive Care (NICU) and Intermediate Care (IN) Nurseries. In this investigation, spatial and temporal variability in illuminance was determined at 20 sites within each nursery over a 5-day period. The analysis of 240 measurements at 30 min intervals from each site revealed marked variability in illumination with respect to both time and position in the nursery. These aperiodic lighting patterns differed greatly from the published characterization of NICUs as having ‘constant’ illumination. Light pulses of variable frequency, intensity, and duration were common at each of the 40 bedsites studied. Given the powerful impact of light on circadian rhythmicity and sleep in adults, the results from this study suggest that modern NICU lighting, while implemented to facilitate intensive care, may have adverse effects on infant development. Future studies on the influence of light on biological rhythmicity and sleep are essential to provide a framework for clinical and environmental interventions, which may play a signficant role in improving developmental outcome in hospitalized preterm or term infants.
Pneumatic applanation tonometer studies. IV. Analysis of pulsatile response

Abstract A dynamic analysis of the pneumatic applanation tonometer has been made with especial interest in evaluating its capability to measure intraocular pulse. The results have been verified in a series of experiments in which the tonometer sensor is used to measure sinusoidal pressure variations behind a rubber diaphragm. The analysis and experiment show that the critical factors determining frequency response are gas flow and probe volume. These factors have been varied to yeld frequency response capabilities up to 100 Hz, although a 10 Hz limit is more likely to prevail in practical gas tonometer sensors. Because of the nonlinear response properties of gas tonometers and the effect of ocular rigidity, it is found that the pressure oscillations recorded by the tonometer are less than would be predicted on the basis of a static calibration; however, this attenuation is expected to be only 10–15% in ocular pulse measurements. The results of this study show that pneumatic tonometry is capable of recording intraocular pulse with high fidelity.
Mixed mode crack propagation and fracture in concrete

Abstract Results of experiments using the Iosipescu test specimen in which axial compression has been introduced in addition to the shearing loads are reported here. Different crack paths and fracture modes were obtained depending on the presence or absence of axial compression. Computer models (CRACKER) show agreement with the experimental results in predicting the crack initiation angle and path of propagation. The CRACKER program was run using LEFM, the fictitious crack model and this model augmented with shearing stress. All these indicated continued crack propagation in mode I.
Thermodynamics of the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol and n-octanoic acid in organic solvents and in the neat reaction mixture

Abstract The thermodynamics of the lipase-catalyzed esterification of glycerol with n-octanoic acid have been investigated with acetonitrile, benzene, and toluene as solvents and in the neat reaction mixture (no organic solvent added). This esterification reaction leads to five products: 1-monooctanoyl glycerol, 2-monooctanoyl glycerol, 1,2-dioctanoyl glycerol, 1,3-dioctanoyl glycerol and 1,2,3-trioctanoyl glycerol. This, in turn leads to a total of 12 reactions. Values of the equilibrium constants for these reactions have been measured (HPLC, GC, and LC/MS) at 37°C in the above mentioned media. The equilibrium constants range from 0.9 to 20.7, 0.20 to 8.0, 0.23 to 10.0, and 0.57 to 2.2 in acetonitrile, benzene, toluene, and neat media, respectively. Relative standard molar Gibbs free energies of formation ΔfGm0 of 1-monooctanoyl glycerol, 2-monooctanoyl glycerol, 1,2-dioctanoyl glycerol, 1,3-dioctanoyl glycerol and 1,2,3-trioctanoyl glycerol in the organic solvents and in the neat reaction mixture have been calculated and used to compactly summarize the thermodynamics of these reactions. The results show an approximate correlation with the permittivities of the solvents.
On the determination of the inter-element effect in the X-ray fluorescence analysis of steels

Abstract The values of the influence factors for the calculation of the inter-element effects for the analysis of Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu and Mo in steels are given and the possibility of using an analog computer is discussed. The author believes that these coefficients are related to each other as the mass absorption coefficients are, with the exception of some elements whose atomic numbers are just above the absorption edge.
After year 15: Challenges to the preservation of housing financed with low‐income housing tax credits

Abstract The Low‐Income Housing Tax Credit, the nation's largest subsidy program for low‐income rental housing, has financed more than 1.4 million housing units since 1987. Like earlier federal programs that subsidized housing built by private owners, this program does not guarantee indefinite occupancy by low‐income households. This article examines the likelihood that tax credit housing will convert to market‐rate occupancy and the challenges confronting the long‐term physical viability of the housing if it is to remain affordable. The biggest threat to the long‐term viability of tax credit housing as a resource for low‐income households stems less from the expiration of income and/or rent restrictions and more from the need for major capital improvements. A relatively small segment of the inventory is likely to convert to market‐rate occupancy. Far more of this housing will continue to serve low‐income households but will need assistance to pay for essential renovations.
Metabolic surgery for type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract Background: Metabolic surgery for morbid obesity induces significant weight loss and resolution of many obesity-related comorbidities, the most notable of which is remission of type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Such changes seem to precede significant weight loss in this population shortly after undergoing diversionary procedures. Objective: This article explores the evidence for salutary metabolic benefits of bariatric surgery, with special emphasis on glycemic control and remission of type 2 DM. Methods: We conducted a query of the PubMed database for articles published in English within the past 15 years using the search terms bariatric surgery, obesity, type 2 diabetes, gastric bypass, gastric banding, incretins, enteroinsular axis, GLP-1 (glucagon-like peptide-1), and GIP (glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide). We targeted review articles as well as those discussing the effects of bariatric surgery on the enteroinsular axis and the respective effects on glyce-mic control. Results: Most of the clinical reports indicated a high remission rate (≥85%) for type 2 DM, and relatively higher rates in patients who underwent diversionary procedures. Studies with small cohorts and laboratory data suggested a role for gastrointestinal hormones in the regulation of glucose homeostasis after bariatric surgery. Conclusions: Gastrointestinal surgery for severe obesity, through restrictive and/or neurohormonal effects, is an effective treatment for type 2 DM. Surgically induced weight loss was found to be sustainable, durable, and associated with remission of type 2 DM, a reduction in mortality, and improvement in quality of life.
Sickle Hemoglobin (Hb S) Allele and Sickle Cell Disease: A HuGE Review

Sickle cell disease is caused by a variant of the beta-globin gene called sickle hemoglobin (Hb S). Inherited autosomal recessively, either two copies of Hb S or one copy of Hb S plus another beta-globin variant (such as Hb C) are required for disease expression. Hb S carriers are protected from malaria infection, and this protection probably led to the high frequency of Hb S in individuals of African and Mediterranean ancestry. Despite this advantage, individuals with sickle cell disease exhibit significant morbidity and mortality. Symptoms include chronic anemia, acute chest syndrome, stroke, splenic and renal dysfunction, pain crises, and susceptibility to bacterial infections. Pediatric mortality is primarily due to bacterial infection and stroke. In adults, specific causes of mortality are more varied, but individuals with more symptomatic disease may exhibit early mortality. Disease expression is variable and is modified by several factors, the most influential being genotype. Other factors include beta-globin cluster haplotypes, alpha-globin gene number, and fetal hemoglobin expression. In recent years, newborn screening, better medical care, parent education, and penicillin prophylaxis have successfully reduced morbidity and mortality due to Hb S.
Blacks, Whites, and Attitudes Toward Abortion

PIP: Patterns of black and white support for abortion from 1972-80 in the US were examined in order to investigate the significance of race in attitudes toward abortion, analyze the extent to which other factors such as religious practice (religiosity) and demographic characteristics affect these racial differences; and determine what changes, if any, occurred in the salience of race on abortion attitudes during this 9-year period. The General Social Survey (GSS) conducted from 1972-80 were used. These surveys, done annually with the exception of 1979, use national samples of approximately 1500 respondents each year. A modified probability sampling design was used in 1972 through 1974, full probability sampling in 1977-80, and a combination of the 2 in 1975 and 1976. 6 standard questions tapping abortion attitudes were asked in each of these surveys. From these 6 items an additive scale was created, with values ranging from 0, when abortion was opposed in every case, to 6, where approval was given for abortion in each case. This scale was used as a dependent variable in the analyses. There was a great deal of public stability in public attitudes toward abortion. This was particularly the case for the health, rape, and birth defect items, where little change was evident in either race, except for increased black support for abortion when the mother's health is threatened. For the other items, support by blacks appears to have increased during this time, while support by whites dropped slightly. The amount of convergence was not statistically significant. Blacks remained significantly less likely to favor abortion in all 6 instances, they were, by 1978-80, almost equally unlikely to oppose abortion in all cases (9% for whites, 12% for blacks). The mean number of abortion items supported by blacks increased from 3.1 in 1972-74 to 3.3 in 1978-80; white support dropped from 4.0 to 3.9 in 1978-80 (though returning to 4.0 in 1980). Much of the difference in support of abortion, though not all, was due to the different demographic characteristics of blacks and whites, and the greater degree of religiosity of blacks. Most of the factors hypothesized to affect black attitudes appeared to do so: education; income; urban and northern residence; and lesser religiosity where each related to greater support for abortion. There was no direct evidence to support or refute the legitimacy of the "abortion as black genocide" argument, but the fact that opposition to abortion comes from the seemingly more traditional segment of the black community seems to provide some indirect evidence that the argument does not account for the greater black opposition to abortion.
Short-latency electrodermal reaction and traffic accidents.

-For 7 of 24 Ss, a single light flash evoked an unanticipated short-latency (100-200 msec.) increase in voltage berween 2 fingertip electrodes passing a 2 pa. of direct current. The occurrence of this electrodermal phenomenon and the occurrence of a traffic accident over a 3-yr. period were related at the .059 level. This finding is discussed in relation to simple reaction time and driving GSR. In addition, consideration is given to possible reasons why this short-latency phenomenon has not been rcported in some 1000 electrodermal studies covering a century.
Ion-Implantation Technology and Device Applications

The introduction of impurity atoms into a surface by means of ion implantation is a well established technique in the semiconductor field. The main advantages of ion-implantation doping are its high controllability, uniformity, and reproducibility. Increasing applications, coupled with the development and availability of commercial equipment, has resulted in the use of the implantation technology in most major semiconductor processing facilities. Discussed in this review paper are: the ion-implantation process; standard ionimplantation equipment and operating parameters; and applications in device structures.
Viable malignant germ cell tumor in the postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection specimen: can it be predicted using clinical parameters?

BACKGROUND The presence of viable tumor in the surgical specimen after postchemotherapy retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (PC-RPLND) is associated with an increased risk of disease progression. The objective of this study was to determine whether the presence of viable tumor in the surgical specimen could be predicted. METHODS Between 1980 and 2003, 236 patients underwent PC-RPLND for clinical Stage IIA or III nonseminomatous germ cell tumors (NSGCT). The authors retrospectively reviewed the medical records of those patients for pertinent clinical and treatment-related outcomes. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate whether clinical parameters were capable of predicting the presence of viable tumor in the surgical specimen. RESULTS International Germ Cell Consensus Classification (IGCCC) risk categories could be assigned to 218 patients, with 101 patients in the good-risk category, 32 patients in the intermediate-risk category, and 85 patients in the poor-risk category. The incidence of viable tumor in the good-risk, intermediate-risk, and poor-risk categories was similar (17.8%, 15.6%, and 15.3%, respectively); however, the risk categories predicted disease-specific and recurrence-free survival (P = .022 and P < .0001, respectively). On multivariate analysis, an elevated serum α-fetoprotein (AFP) level prior to PC-RPLND (P = .05) and the size of the retroperitoneal mass on pathology review (P = .02) were predictive of viable tumor in the surgical specimen. CONCLUSIONS Although IGCCC risk categories were correlated with disease-related outcomes, the risk groups had similar incidences of viable tumor. Elevated serum AFP levels prior to surgery and the size of the retroperitoneal mass in the resected specimen may help to predict viable tumor in the PC-RPLND specimen. Cancer 2006. © 2006 American Cancer Society.
What a Rational Parser Would Do

This article examines cognitive process models of human sentence comprehension based on the idea of informed search. These models are rational in the sense that they strive to find a good syntactic analysis quickly. Informed search derives a new account of garden pathing that handles traditional counterexamples. It supports a symbolic explanation for local coherence as well as an algorithmic account of entropy reduction. The models are expressed in a broad framework for theories of human sentence comprehension.
Convolution relation within the three-dimensional diffraction image.

The amplitude in the image of a point source is (a constant times) the three-dimensional Fourier transform of the lens pupil, i.e., of the amplitude distribution of the converging waves in angle space. If the three-dimensional pupil has axial symmetry, it can be factored into a spherical shell and a one-dimensional function of distance along the axis. The amplitude in the image is given by the convolution of the Fourier transforms of the factors. On the axis, the amplitude is the Fourier transform of the one-dimensional function. Therefore the amplitude anywhere in the image is the convolution of the amplitude on the axis and the Fourier transform of the spherical shell.
Lunar Electrical Conductivity

It is pointed out that the lunar magnetometer experiment has made important contributions to studies of the lunar interior. Numerical inversions of the lunar electromagnetic response have been carried out, taking into account a void region behind the moon. The amplitude of the transfer function of an eight-layer model is considered along with a model of the temperature distribution inside the moon and the amplitude of the transfer function of a semiconductor lunar model.
Robotic Sample Preparation and HPLC Determination of the Major Component of Ivermectin in Human Plasma

Abstract A robotic sample preparation method combined with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC)‐fluorescence detection for the determination of the major component of ivermectin in human plasma is presented. A Cyberlab C‐300 workstation equipped with customized software and hardware was utilized to perform all the semi‐automated liquid–solid phase extraction (LSPE) steps including acetonitrile (ACN) and water addition, sample loading, and hexane elution on Chem ElutTM cartridges. Under the automated pre‐column derivatization conditions, both ivermectin and internal standard of the extracted samples were chemically converted to highly fluorescent derivatives and then monitored by a fluorescence detector. The assay was validated in the concentration range of 0.5–40 ng/mL, using 1 mL of human plasma. The application of this assay was demonstrated by analysis of plasma samples from human subjects receiving oral doses of ivermectin.
Single doses of intravenous protamine result in the formation of protamine-specific IgE and IgG antibodies

Background: Protamine reactions are a well-recognized and serious complication of intravenous protamine administration. IgE-mediated anaphylaxis occurs after initial sensitization and subsequent re-exposure to antigens. Subcutaneous protamine in insulin preparations is associated with protamine-specific IgE and IgG antibody production. In contrast, the influence of intravenous protamine administration on protamine-specific IgE and IgG antibody formation has never been investigated. Methods: Sera from 93 patients were analyzed for protamine-specific IgE and IgG antibodies both before and 4 to 6 weeks after exposure to single doses of intravenous protamine. Specific clinical variables were assessed by univariate and multivariate analyses to determine independent predictors of protamine-specific antibody production. Results: In patients who were previously seronegative, intravenous protamine administration resulted in protamine-specific IgE and IgG antibody production in 17 of 93 (18%) and 15 of 93 (16%) patients, respectively. As determined by multivariate analysis, male gender ( p =0.06) and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus ( p =0.002) were associated with protamine-specific IgG but not IgE antibody production. Conclusion: Single-dose intravenous protamine resulted in protamine-specific IgE and/or IgG antibody production in 26 of 93 (28%) of patients. Seroconversion was associated with male gender and insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Patients responding immunologically to protamine may be at increased risk for experiencing reactions on subsequent exposure.
Workshops about the physical structure of the classroom: An interesting way to work with teachers

Abstract This paper presents a method for school psychologists to work with teachers in an interesting and uncommon way. From a review of the literature it appears that the physical structure of the classroom affects the learning process. Educators generally seem unaware of the impact of these factors upon the learning process. A workshop approach, which encompasses a theoretical frame of reference, experience with a classroom model, and concrete suggestions about classroom changes, is utilized.
Foreign-gas pressure broadening parameters of propane near 748 cm-1

The pressure-broadening coefficients of the nu sub 19 band of propane near 748/cm due to H2, N2, and He are determined using a tunable diode laser spectrometer at room temperature. The coefficients obtained were 0.183(5)/cm/atm for C3H8-H2, 0.119(2) for C3H8-N2, and 0.105(2) for C3H8-He. The possible implications of the results for propane on Titan, the earth, and Saturn are noted.