cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy: We Must Defend the Defenders

On October 12, Indigenous Peoples' Day, the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University conferred the joint Elisabeth Haub Awards for Environmental Law and Diplomacy, in memoriam, upon all environmental defenders who have lost their lives defending their land and the environment from destructive industries. According to Global Witness, the highest number of killings of environmental defenders on record occurred in 2019.1 The award ceremony was preceded by a panel discussion featuring environmental advocates from Colombia and the Philippines (two countries which together account for half of such deaths that were recorded in that year) and from the US, where environmental activism is increasingly being criminalised. The next presentation was by Krystal Two Bulls, an Oglala Lakota and Northern Cheyenne organiser from Lame Deer, Montana, who led the global solidarity movement calling for banks and financial institutions to divest from the Dakota Access Pipeline at Standing Rock in 2016.
Simulations of Wear-Induced Microstructural Evolution in Nanocrystalline Aluminum

Friction, wear resistance, and microstructural evolution of nanocrystalline (NC) aluminum during sliding were investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The effect of Zr dopants and twinning has also been explored and it was found that doped NC Al sample and twinned NC Al sample exhibited better wear resistance and smaller friction force than pure NC Al sample. This trend was found to be correlated with higher hardness and higher strength of the doped NC Al sample and twinned NC Al sample. More grain growth in pure samples was found after wear, as compared with doped samples and twinned samples. We have determined the mechanisms of grain growth in NC Al and the main mechanism is grain boundary (GB) migration induced by emission of dislocations. Additional grain growth mechanisms found in the pure NC Al samples are disconnection-mediated GB migration and a so-called dissociation of low-angle GBs. Dislocation emission and GB migration were suppressed in both doped and twinned samples.
The Biology of Chernobyl

Environmental disasters offer the unique opportunity for landscape-scale ecological and evolutionary studies that are not possible in the laboratory or small experimental plots. The nuclear acciden...
The Killing of Cecil the Lion as an Impetus for Policy Change

The killing of Cecil the Lion in July 2015 generated considerable worldwide media attention. In this study, we measure public interest in Cecil’s death to examine the degree to which this high-profile incident represented the type of focusing event that public policy scholars often emphasize as being important for triggering policy change. Finding that public interest in lion conservation spiked in the weeks immediately following the incident, we then analyse whether this focusing event led to policy changes to restrict trophy hunting in eight countries – the United States, Spain, France, Russia, Canada, South Africa, Germany, and Mexico – that most frequently import lion trophies. Our analysis finds that the surge in public attention seems to have had only a limited impact on the adoption of significant new policy, although it may have hastened changes in some countries.
Ideology shapes how workers perceive and react to workplace discrimination: An experimental study on parenthood discrimination

Abstract Employers use ideologically-tinged rhetoric to justify workplace discrimination. We argue that workers will be less likely to label biased treatment against them as discriminatory when they subscribe to those ideologies as well. We tested this prediction and the consequences of labeling for work attitudes and performance using an experiment that assigned parents to a low-status position in a work group, varying whether the decision invoked biased, ideological assumptions about parenthood. As expected, ideology drove mothers' (but not fathers’) labeling. Mothers were less likely to label biased treatment against them as discriminatory when they were conservative and when they subscribed to separate spheres and ideal worker ideologies. Mothers who labeled their treatment as discriminatory had more negative work attitudes than those who did not, but also tended to appeal the decision. Ideology thus shapes whether people label discrimination when it occurs as well as their subsequent work attitudes and justice-seeking behaviors.
Are all pain tolerance tasks the same? Convergent validity of four behavioral pain tolerance tasks, self-reported capability for suicide, and lifetime self-injurious behaviors.

OBJECTIVES Discrepancies persist regarding the extent to which different pain measures provide similar information and relate to capability for suicide and self-injurious behaviors. This study examined pain threshold, tolerance, and persistence across four modalities (cold, heat, pressure, shock) and assessed associations with self-reported capability for suicide, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), and suicide attempts. METHODS A sample of 211 students who reported lifetime suicidal ideation completed four behavioral pain tasks and self-reported on capability for suicide, NSSI, and self-injurious behaviors. RESULTS All pain thresholds, tolerances, and persistences were positively correlated across the four tasks. Pain facets were related to self-reported capability for suicide with small effect sizes but generally did not differ across suicide attempt or NSSI histories. CONCLUSIONS Pain thresholds, tolerances, and persistences demonstrated convergent validity across the four modalities, suggesting that these tasks provide similar information. Although the relation between pain and self-injurious behaviors remains unclear, these tasks can generally be used interchangeably.
Successful Return to WorkAre Ergonomic Modifications Worth the Cost

Most of us hold opinions on contemporary issues in work practice, in all its broad dimensions. "Sounding Board" is a regular feature of this publication, designed to provide a forum for expressing such views, whether mainstream or controversial.The opinions expressed in this section may not necessarily represent the views of the editor, the publisher, or the editorial board but are intended to stimulate discussion or to provoke a response. Readers who wish to comment on the ideas put forth in "Sounding Board" should address their comments to the editor.
FAILURES OF STRUCTURES DUE TO EXTREME WINDS.

Urban sprawl has increased the frequency with which windstorms interact with structures. The Lubbock Storm (May 11, 1970) and Hurricane Celia (August 3, 1970) provide the most recent examples of storm incidence on populated areas. The responses of engineered structures to extreme winds are characterized by window glass breakage and failures of nonstructural components, each of which can lead to progressive failures of the structure. Pre-engineered buildings experience wind induced progressive failures because of overhead doors which are not designed as integral parts of the structure. Failures in pre-engineered buildings include buckling of purlins and girts throughout the structure due to wind induced outward pressures, and buckling of purlins spanning between end frames and first interior frames due to wind induced axial load. Marginally engineered structures (including residences and some light commercial buildings) experience wind induced failures which are the result of inadequate connections between roofs and walls, and between walls and foundations, i.e., the result of the buildings not being designed as integral structures.
Undergraduate Borrowing at the Federal Limit before and after the 1992 Reauthorization of the Higher Education Act.

Using data from the 1992-93 and 1995-96 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study, this article explores changes in the characteristics of undergraduates who borrowed at the federal limit before and after the 1992 reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Descriptive and logistic regression analyses are used to address the research questions. The analyses suggest that the 1992 amendments to the Higher Education Act were associated with an increased tendency to borrow at the federal limit, particularly among dependent undergraduates from middle-income families. Disciplines Accessibility | Education | Education Economics | Higher Education This journal article is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/gse_pubs/286
Community Benefit Agreements: New Vehicle for Investment in America's Neighborhoods

Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) are a relatively new feature of the land use planning process for major public-private developments. The CBA is a legally enforceable contract negotiated directly between the developer and a broad-based community coalition. Developers agree to provide valuable benefits to the community (e.g., park space or recreational facilities, a living wage for workers), and they receive in turn valuable support from the community for the proposed development. Both signatories to a CBA want to see the project built (otherwise, the community gets no benefits), so CBAs are not a vehicle for NIMBY-style ("not in my back yard") opponents. CBAs put developers into a direct dialogue with representatives of the community most immediately impacted by their proposed project, thereby enhancing the "democratic legitimacy" of public-private partnership agreements that are usually negotiated between governmental officials and private developers with little or no participation by nongovernmental stakeholders. Public officials, private developers, and community organizations share a common interest in negotiating and executing CBAs. Consequently, land use lawyers need to understand how they can assist their public, private, and nonprofit clients in conducting CBA negotiations.
Subband coding of color images with multiplierless encoders and decoders

A new approach to coding color images is presented in this paper, that provides high quality low bit rate performance with very modest computational complexity. The method is based on subband coding with residual multistage scalar quantizers. The high quality of the system is due mainly to the introduction of multidimensional prediction, which allows high order statistical dependencies to be exploited simultaneously among subbands, color planes, and quantization stages. This enables the system to perform at a level comparable to the best reported subband coders in the literature. However, unique to this coder is a very simple implementation that avoids multiplications in both the quantization and entropy coding stages. The paper provides a description of the new coder, a discussion of the design methodology, and some performance comparisons in terms of quality and complexity.
Aldehydes from Acid Chlorides by Reduction of Ester‐Mesylates with Sodium Borohydride: Cyclobutanecarboxaldehyde

Aldehydes from acid chlorides by reduction of ester-mesylates with sodium borohydride: cyclobutanecarboxaldehyde reactant: 37 g. (0.52 mole) of trans-2-butene oxide intermediate: erythro-2,3-butanediol monomesylate intermediate: erythro-3-methanesulfonyloxy-2-butyl cyclobutanecarboxylate intermediate: 2-cyclobutyl-cis-4-trans-5-dimethyl-1,3-dioxolane product: cyclobutanecarboxaldehyde Keywords: annulation, heterocyclic-[5]; esterification, of substituted monobasic acids; hydrolysis, miscellaneous; reduction, miscellaneous; replacement reactions, halogen by oxygen; sulfonation, O-sulfonation; trans-2-butene oxide, preparation of
reply: Sexual conflict and speciation

Gavrilets replies — Tregenza et al. maintain that my model's predictions1 run counter to the model of Parker and Partridge2, but it is not straightforward to compare these two classes of model because of their inherent differences.
Promoting school to work transition for students with emotional/behavioral disorders.

BACKGROUND: The successful transition of students from high school to adult occupations, including work and independent living, has been a major focus of the educational reform movement in the United States. However, despite good intentions, students with disabilities have less favorable transition outcomes than do students in the general population and employment opportunities are even less promising for students with emotional/behavioral disorders (EBD). Objective: The purpose of this model demonstration project, funded by the US Department of Education, was to develop a program based on identified best practices to facilitate successful school to work transition for students with EBD. PARTICIPANTS: 47 students with EBD between the ages of 14 and 19 were participants in this project. The majority of participants in the project were white males with a generic diagnosis of a disruptive personality disorder. METHODS: Five cohort groups of students participated in a four phase program; Phase 1 – School-based Learning, Phase 2 – Community Involvement, Phase 3 – Paid, Supported Work Experience, and Phase 4 – Competitive Employment and Follow-Up. RESULTS: At the conclusion of the project, 30% of the project participants were competitively employed. Students had the most difficulty in Phase 3, but 81% of those who successfully completed Phase 3 obtained and retained competitive employment for a least one year. Four case studies are presented to illustrate findings. CONCLUSIONS: The School to Work Transition Program model shows promise for providing interventions to promote successful transition for students withEBD. Further research on theeffectiveness of the overall model, as well as specific components of the model, is needed.
Radiofrequency-assisted transseptal perforation for electrophysiology procedures in children and adults with repaired congenital heart disease.

Background Patients with congenital heart disease carry a high burden of arrhythmias and may pose special challenges when these arrhythmias are addressed invasively. We sought to describe our early experience with radiofrequency (RF) needle transseptal perforation to facilitate ablation procedures in this population. Methods Retrospective chart review to identify all cases of attempted transseptal access with a commercial RF needle at Children's Hospital Boston between February 2007 and January 2010. Results A total of 10 patients had attempted RF transseptal perforation. Median age was 27 years. Five patients had undergone atrial switch procedures (Mustard/Senning), four had undergone Fontan operations, and one had atrial septal defect repair. The indication for left atrial access was mapping/ablation of atrial flutter in nine cases, and left-sided accessory pathway in one case. The RF needle was chosen primarily in eight of 10 cases, whereas in the remaining two cases RF was used only after failed attempts with a conventional Brockenbrough needle. Septal material was atrial muscle in five cases, pericardium in three, and synthetic fabric in two. In nine of 10 patients, RF transseptal perforation was successful, including both patients in whom a conventional needle had failed. There were no clinically significant complications. Conclusions RF transseptal perforation can be an effective method of obtaining left atrial access for electrophysiologic procedures in patients with complex congenital heart disease, including cases where a conventional Brockenbrough needle has failed.
Country Characteristics in Foreign Bank Investments and Risk Taking: The Role of Shared Culture, Common Institutions and Geographic Proximity

We examine country characteristics in foreign bilateral banking relationships and explore how shared cultural heritage, common institutions and geographic proximity are related to banks’ foreign investment choices. Using a newly compiled data set on BIS-reporting banks’ activities, we find that proximity and common institutional arrangements are the primary correlates of bilateral bank portfolio allocations. Information flow as measured by cross-country phone calls is also strongly correlated with foreign bank investment, though the direction of causation is unclear. Trust between individuals in the two countries matters only as a proxy for other cultural similarities that are embedded in historical colonial relationships. We also find that the relationship between cross-country bank regulatory differences and bank investments has changed in the aftermath of the financial crisis.
Ecosystem effects of environmental flows: Modelling and experimental floods in a dryland river

SUMMARY 1. Successful environmental flow prescriptions require an accurate understanding of the linkages among flow events, geomorphic processes and biotic responses. We describe models and results from experimental flow releases associated with an environmental flow program on the Bill Williams River (BWR), Arizona, in arid to semiarid western U.S.A. 2. Two general approaches for improving knowledge and predictions of ecological responses to environmental flows are: (1) coupling physical system models to ecological responses and (2) clarifying empirical relationships between flow and ecological responses through implementation and monitoring of experimental flow releases. 3. We modelled the BWR physical system using: (1) a reservoir operations model to simulate reservoir releases and reservoir water levels and estimate flow through the river system under a range of scenarios, (2) one- and two-dimensional river hydraulics models to estimate stage–discharge relationships at the whole-river and local scales, respectively, and (3) a groundwater model to estimate surface- and groundwater interactions in a large, alluvial valley on the BWR where surface flow is frequently absent. 4. An example of a coupled, hydrology-ecology model is the Ecosystems Function Model, which we used to link a one-dimensional hydraulic model with riparian tree seedling establishment requirements to produce spatially explicit predictions of seedling recruitment locations in a Geographic Information System. We also quantified the effects of small experimental floods on the differential mortality of native and exotic riparian trees, on beaver dam integrity and distribution, and on the dynamics of differentially flow-adapted benthic macroinvertebrate groups. 5. Results of model applications and experimental flow releases are contributing to adaptive flow management on the BWR and to the development of regional environmental flow standards. General themes that emerged from our work include the importance of response thresholds, which are commonly driven by geomorphic thresholds or mediated by geomorphic processes, and the importance of spatial and temporal variation in the
Selection for low erucic acid and genetic mapping of loci affecting the accumulation of very long-chain fatty acids in meadowfoam seed storage lipids.

Erucic acid (22:113) has been identified as an anti-nutritional compound in meadowfoam (Limnanthes alba) and other oilseeds in the Brassicales, a classification which has necessitated the development of low erucic acid cultivars for human consumption. The erucic acid concentrations of meadowfoam wild types (8%–24%) surpass industry standards for human consumption (≤3%). The goals of the present study were to develop low erucic acid lines and identify loci affecting the accumulation of 22:113 and other very long-chain fatty acids (VLCFAs) in meadowfoam seed storage lipids. LE76, a low erucic acid line, was developed by 3 cycles of selection in an ethyl methanesulfonate–treated wildtype population. LE76 produced 3% 22:113, threefold less than the M0 population. Wildtype × LE76 F2 populations produced continuous, approximately normal erucic and dienoic acid distributions. Loss-of-function mutations apparently did not segregate and individuals with low 22:113 concentrations (≤3%) were observed only in F2 popu...
A few examples of how to use a symmetrical multi-micro-processor

This paper presents an overview of an architecture of a multi-micro-processor architecture in which all processors are equivalent. The structure is characterized by a central memory and several caches, and is designed to avoid incoherent data. A fast mechanism of “subcontracting” between one processor and another is described.The execution of two simple programs under this architecture is studied. The parallel algorithms are described and compared with the original (sequential) algorithms; it is shown that the overhead remains small, few extra memories are necessary and synchronization do not slow down the execution unduly. Furthermore, the locality of the parallel algorithm is compared to that of the sequential algorithm and is found to be less good, but in a reasonable way. As well, an estimation of the cost of the coherence keeping mechanism is given using the difference between the miss ratio of the classical cache and the “coherence keeping cache”, respectively.
Mutation at I-A beta chain prevents experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis.

Immune response (Ir) gene(s) at the I-A subregion of the mouse H-2 complex influence susceptibility to experimental autoimmune myasthenia gravis (EAMG). To determine the importance of the Ir gene product, the Ia antigens, in EAMG pathogenesis, we studied the degree of EAMG susceptibility of an I-A mutant strain, the B6.C-H-2 bm12 (bm12), and its parent B6/Kh. According to the cellular, humoral, biochemical, and clinical manifestations of EAMG, the I-A mutation converted an EAMG susceptible strain (B6/Kh) into a relatively resistant strain (bm12). The relative resistance to EAMG induction in bm12 may be due to the lack of Ia.8 and/or la.39 determinants and/or quantitative expression of la antigens.
''It's not like I can change my mind later'': Reversibility and decision timing in prostate cancer treatment decision-making

Abstract Objective To explore whether reversibility, decision timing, and uncertainty are relevant to men deciding on treatment for localized prostate cancer (LPC). Design Secondary qualitative data analysis of unstructured interviews. Methods Content analysis of previously collected qualitative data (31 individual interviews, 5 focus groups). We identified the frequency of references to reversibility, decision timing, and uncertainty and related sub-themes. Results We identified eight themes: reversibility, timing of decision, number of options, “getting it over with,” “the way I make decisions,” uncertainty among experts, desire for certainty, and probability. Fifteen men mentioned reversibility in individual interviews; 13 mentioned the importance of the timing of their decision. Eleven mentioned the importance of the number of options; twelve “the way I make decisions.” Eleven men mentioned the uncertainty of experts, fourteen the desire to “get it over with,” and six a desire for certainty. Conclusion This study provides compelling preliminary data suggesting that men consider the reversibility, decision timing, and uncertainty in the prostate cancer treatment decision. Practice implication These findings may be helpful in enhancing support for men facing the treatment decision.
Stress analysis of composite cylindrical shells with an elliptical cutout

A special-purpose, semi-analytical solution method for determining the stress and deformation fields in a thin laminated-composite cylindrical shell with an elliptical cutout is presented. The analysis includes the effects of cutout size, shape, and orientation; non-uniform wall thickness; oval-cross-section eccentricity; and loading conditions. The loading conditions include uniform tension, uniform torsion, and pure bending. The analysis approach is based on the principle of stationary potential energy and uses Lagrange multipliers to relax the kinematic admissibility requirements on the displacement representations through the use of idealized elastic edge restraints. Specifying appropriate stiffness values for the elastic extensional and rotational edge restraints (springs) allows the imposition of the kinematic boundary conditions in an indirect manner, which enables the use of a broader set of functions for representing the displacement fields. Selected results of parametric studies are presented for several geometric parameters that demonstrate that analysis approach is a powerful means for developing design criteria for laminated-composite shells.
Effect of degree and location of intra-pair similarity upon paired-associate acquisition

A systematic increase in rate of acquisition of a paired-associate list was demonstrated as the degree to which formal similarity between stimulus and response items was located within, rather than between, pairs was increased. In addition, the results showed that identity of the first letters of the stimulus and response produced more rapid acquisition than identity of the last letters of the stimulus and response.
INFLATION-ADJUSTED DISCLOSURES AND THE DETERMINATION OF ABILITY TO PAY IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING.

Abstract This paper reports the results of an experiment designed to assess the impact of supplementary, inflation-adjusted disclosures on labor unions' assessments of ability to pay. Subjects included research directors and other officials of United States and Canadian labor unions. The findings suggest that such disclosures are not useful to labor in its attempts to estimate ability to pay. On the contrary, the presentation of inflation-adjusted data appears to lower labor's confidence in its assessments. Whether this results from a lack of familiarity with the disclosures or from the nature of the information conveyed is a question to be addressed by future research.
Spontaneous midbrain hemorrhage: Report of seven new cases

Spontaneous midbrain hemorrhage is a unique brain-stem vascular lesion. Sixty-six cases have been reported in the literature, to which we add seven. Of the total of 73 patients reviewed, most presented acutely (66%), but subacute (22%) and chronic onsets (12%) also occurred. Neuro-ophthalmologic abnormalities were found in 88% of patients. Some alteration of consciousness and headache occurred in most patients. Hemiparesis, hemisensory loss, and ataxia were less frequent manifestations. Vascular malformations were suspected or proved in 37% of patients, hypertension was present in 21%, and a bleeding diathesis was noted in 5%. No underlying cause was apparent in 37%. Most patients improved with supportive care only. At follow-up, 23% of patients had no neurologic deficits. In 51% of patients, minor neurologic deficits persisted, related chiefly to cranial nerves III and IV. Moderate deficits persisted in 16% of patients, and 5% of patients died.
Financial variables contributing to savings and loan failures from 1980–1989

Abstract This study investigates performance in the savings and loan (S&L) industry during the 1980s. Logistic regression is used to replicate the Benston (1985) study for the decade of the eighties. This study expands upon Benston's work by identifying the effects of new charters (1980 or later), and differing capital definitions (GAAP) versus RAP). The stability of the variables contributing to success or failure is also reviewed for the periods 1982–1985 and 1986–1989. The results of this study confirm the earlier findings of Benston. Net worth to total assets and return on total assets were negatively related to failure and were the only variables found to be significant in all analyses. Direct investments to total assets was not found to be significant. Further, newly chartered firms were found to be no more likely to fail than the other existing firms. There were no major differences in the statistical results when testing using the GAAP and RAP definitions of capital which suggests that regulatory changes in accounting rules did not have a major effect on firm survival.
Regional subacute cranial neuropathies following internal carotid cisplatin infusion

The inferolateral trunk arises from the internal carotid artery at C-4 and provides vascular supply to cranial nerves III to VI. We report a patient who developed neuropathies of cranial nerves III, V 1 -3, and VI, 48 hours after infusion of cisplatin into the right internal carotid artery for an anaplastic oligoastrocytoma. The clinical and radiographic findings implicated direct toxicity to nerves in the distribution of the inferolateral trunk. We found additional cases by review of published brain tumor chemotherapy trials, thus identifying a novel, toxic neurovascular mechanism for injury to cranial nerves III to VI. NEUROLOGY 1996;47: 1088-1090
Electro-optic modulator on silicon-on-insulator substrates using ring resonators

We study a compact electro-optic modulator using high-index contrast silicon ring resonators on silicon-on-insulator substrate. Optical modulation is achieved using the plasma dispersion effect due to current injection under forward bias of a p-i-n junction.
Practice Planners: The Co-Occurring Disorders Treatment Planner

For the second time, Jack Klott and Arthur E. Jongsma have collaborately authored a book in the Practice Planner series to aid counselors and psychotherapy clinicians. Focusing on adults and adoles...
THE PROXIMITY OF THE PAST: EUGENICS IN AMERICAN CULTURE

In 1935, as the Nazis’ state-of-the art eugenics exhibition from the Deutsches Hygiene Museum was concluding its American tour, a decision had to be made about whether to return the displays to Germany or to house them in an American museum. After the American Academy of Medicine decided against the display because of its political implications, the director of the Buffalo Museum of Science, Carlos Cummings, himself a physician, offered his institution as the exhibition's permanent home. “What is the astounding eugenics program upon which Chancellor Hitler has launched the German people?” Cummings wondered aloud. “As a matter of public interest, without endorsement,” he added, “the Museum will display in the Central Hall throughout this final quarter of 1935, a set of fifty-one posters and charts . . . which gives Americans a graphic explanation of Germany's campaign to rear in posterity ‘a new race nobility.’” Seven years later, with war raging, the museum received permission from the company that had insured the exhibition, to dismantle it from its permanent home in the museum's Hall of Heredity. An exhibition about eugenics, Nazi eugenics no less, that had been enthusiastically received as it had traveled the United States in the mid-1930s, had seemingly fallen victim to the war against eugenics launched by cultural anthropologists and geneticists. In light of the broad scholarship on eugenics, this certainly would be a plausible reading of the deinstallation of the Nazi eugenics exhibition. But the three books under review here suggest a more complex reading, one that suggests that eugenics and racism, considered as ideological systems, were less easily dislodged from American culture than from Buffalo's Museum of Science.
Influence of exogenous ions on the events of maturation in Rana pipiens oocytes

Full-grown ovarian oocytes removed from non-hormone-treated Rana pipiens females exhibit a low level of protein synthesis, the rate of which is dependent upon the ionic environment. The highest rates of protein synthesis in these oocytes are obtained in media containing either a divalent cation (Ca++ or Mg++) or high levels of K+. The dependence of protein synthesis on ionic environment persists through about the first 18-24 hours of maturation (at 18°C). Normal maturation of oocytes in vitro also has specific ionic requirements for the first 24 hours. In this case, the process requires high ionic strength (T/2 = 1.0-1.2) and divalent cations. The kinetics of K+ exchange suggest that K+ exists in the ovarian oocyte in two compartments; one in equilibrium with the exogenous medium and freely exchangeable; the other in equilibrium with the exogenous medium and freely exchangeable; the other in equilibrium with the first internal compartment and only very slowly exchangeable. The slowly exchangeable (bound) compartment contains about 95% of all endogenous K+. In hormone stimulated oocytes, the kinetics of K+ exchange are essentially the same. Oocyte adaptation to ionic environment is discussed as a possible regulatory mechanism during maturation.
Dissipationless collapse and the formation of elliptical galaxies

A brief review of previous work and the present situation in the problem of formation of elliptical galaxies via dissipationless collapse are presented, as well as the results of a new set of numerical experiments. It is shown that collapses started from cold initial conditions are different from warmer collapses, due to the presence of a dynamical instability associated with radial orbits. This instability leads to triaxial final configurations, regardless of the initial amount of random kinetic energy, rotational kinetic energy, or shape of the initial conditions, as long as2T/W≲0.1, whereT is the total (rotational plus thermal) kinetic energy andW is the potential energy of the initial conditions. Warmer initial conditions preserve their initial shape, or become oblate if initially rotating. Cold initial conditions produce equilibrium systems with realistic density profiles, as opposed to collapses from warmer conditions that result in core-halo profiles, unlike the observed surface brightness profiles of elliptical galaxies. Although the same cold collapses that result in triaxial shapes produce realistic density profiles, it is shown that these two effects are not directly connected: cold collapses simulated with anN-body code that enforces spherical symmetry result in realistic density profiles too.
Is it turquoise + fuchsia = purple or is it turquoise + fuchsia = blue?

The first step in communicating color is to name it. The second step is color semiotics. The third step is introducing structure in the set of colors. In color education at all levels, this structure often takes the form of formulae, like red + green = yellow, or turquoise + red = black. In recent times, Johannes Itten's color theory and its associated color wheel have been very influential, mostly through its impact on Bauhaus, although a number of color order systems and circles have been introduced over the centuries. Students get confused when they are trying to formulate the color name arithmetic using the structure of color order systems and concepts like complementary colors and opponent colors. Suddenly turquoise + fuchsia = purple instead of blue; purple and violet become blurred, and finally the student's head explodes under the epistemological pressures of Itten, Albers, Goethe, Runge, Newton, da Vinci, and all the other monsters of color structure. In this contribution we propose a systematic presentation of structure in color, from color theories to color naming. We start from the concept of color perception introduced by da Vinci and work ourselves through color measurement, color formation, and color naming, to develop the basis for a robust system based on table lookup and interpolation. One source of confusion is that color naming has been quite loose in color theory, where for example red can be used interchangeably with fuchsia, and blue with turquoise. Furthermore, common color terms are intermingled with technical colorant terms, for example cyan and aqua or fuchsia and magenta. We present the evolution of a few color terms, some of which have experienced a radical transition over the centuries, and describe an experiment showing the robustness of crowd-sourcing for color naming.
The Junior High “Good Teacher” Challenge

Abstract Do junior high school students agree on the characteristics of competent teachers? This broad question was divided into three areas–academic characteristics, personality, and physical characteristics–and asked of junior high school students. Each area consisted of nine to ten statements about teacher characteristics with each statement accompanied by a scale ranging from 1 (great importance) to 9 (no importance). After assigning each statement a number on the scale, students were asked to rank order all responses that were scaled with a 1,2,3, or 4. The three areas were combined into a testing instrument which included an informational page regarding age, sex, grades earned, and racial extraction. The instrument was administered to approximately 1200 junior high school students. Data from the “academic” category revealed that most of the items were assigned considerable importance by the students. “Speak Spanish” was an obvious exception. Ranked at the top of the list in this category was “Fair i...
Initial clinical experience with a novel low‐profile integrated ultrasound‐angioplasty cathether

This report is the first clinical description of the use of a new low-profile integrated ultrasound-angioplasty catheter (the Oracle Micro, Endosonics Corp.), which has recently been approved by the FDA for routine use during percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA). PTCA was performed in 44 patients at two clinical sites. With this device, PTCA was accomplished in 47 of 55 (85%) lesions ultimately successfully dilated with balloon angioplasty. No major procedural complications occurred. Adequate ultrasound images were obtained in 51 of 57 lesions (89%). Ultrasound imaging revealed significant morphologic information not apparent by angiography in 51% of imaged lesions and altered the dilatation strategy in 33% of cases. In 10 lesions in which greater inflation pressure or balloon upsizing was performed based solely on an inadequate post-PTCA ultrasound appearance, the minimal lumen diameter further increased from 2.3 +/- 0.3 mm to 2.7 +/- 0.5 mm (P < .001), with no dissections or complications. PTCA may be performed safely in the majority of patients currently undergoing balloon angioplasty with a new low-profile integrated ultrasound-angioplasty catheter. Ultrasound imaging during PTCA provides significant information complementary to angiography and may favorably affect the dilatation strategy of experienced operators.
Acute and chronic cocaine administration differentially alters striatal opioid and nuclear transcription factor mRNAs.

The effects of short- and long-term cocaine exposure on the expression of the nuclear transcription factor genes, c-fos and zif/268, as well as the opioid peptides, preprodynorphin (PPD) and preproenkephalin (PPE), in various regions of rat brain were evaluated by injecting i.p. saline or 10, 20, or 30 mg/kg cocaine HCl once daily for 1 or 10 days. In situ hybridization histochemistry was performed using 40mer oligonucleotides coding for c-fos and zif/268, or 48mers coding for PPD and PPE, followed by quantitative image analysis. Behavioral ratings demonstrated that on day 1 cocaine-induced activity increased in a dose-dependent manner. Statistical analysis revealed that repeated administration of cocaine for 10 days resulted in an augmentation of the behavioral response elicited by acute exposure to cocaine. Image analysis of film autoradiograms demonstrated that 1 h after a single injection of cocaine, the expression of c-fos and zif/268, but not PPD or PPE in the dorsal striatum and cortex, was enhanced in a dose-dependent manner as compared to that in saline controls. In contrast, administration of 30, but not 10 or 20, mg/kg cocaine for 10 days increased the expression of PPD but not PPE, mRNA and downregulated that of c-fos and zif/268 as compared to acute cocaine. These data indicate that repeated, high dose cocaine administration induces an increased PPD but not PPE genomic response and that the expression of c-fos and zif/268 is dissociable from that of PPD.
New ether-functionalized ionic liquids for lipase-catalyzed synthesis of biodiesel.

Ionic liquids (ILs) are being explored as solvents for the enzymatic methanolysis of triglycerides. However, most available ILs (especially hydrophobic ones) have poor capability in dissolving lipids, while hydrophilic ILs tend to cause enzyme inactivation. Recently, we synthesized a new type of ether-functionalized ionic liquids (ILs) carrying anions of acetate or formate; they are capable of dissolving a variety of substrates and are also lipase-compatible (Green Chem., 2008, 10, 696–705). In the present study, we carried out the lipase-catalyzed transesterifications of Miglyol® oil 812 and soybean oil in these novel ILs. These ILs are capable of dissolving oils at the reaction temperature (50 °C); meanwhile, lipases maintained high catalytic activities in these media even in high concentrations of methanol (up to 50% v/v). High conversions of Miglyol oil were observed in mixtures of IL and methanol (70/30, v/v) when the reaction was catalyzed by a variety of lipases and different enzyme preparations (free and immobilized), especially with the use of two alkylammonium ILs 2 and 3. The preliminary study on the transesterification of soybean oil in IL/methanol mixtures further confirms the potential of using oil-dissolving and lipase-stabilizing ILs in the efficient production of biodiesels.
Electron stimulated desorption and conversion of N2 adsorbed on a tungsten (110) plane

Abstract The response of γ-N 2 on W(110) to electron impact has been investigated. The desorption products are principally neutral N 2 and small amounts of neutral N, which may come from decomposition of N 2 in the mass analyzer. N + 2 was not detected. N + is seen for electron energies above 60 eV. Approximately 32% of the initial saturated γ-N 2 layer (in terms of N atoms) is converted by electron impact to chemisorbed atomic N at E _ = 150 eV , corresponding to N / W ≈ 0.50. It was possible, by thermal desorption after electron impact for different times to follow both the appearance of N and the desorption of N 2 . It turns out that the cross section for conversion to adsorbed atomic N is 2.5 × 10 −18 cm 2 , virtually independent of N 2 coverage remaining. The ESD signal for N 2 is not proportional to the amount of N 2 remaining on the surface. The data indicate that along with desorption there is conversion to a electron impact desorption inactive state (not atomic N) which however is either N 2 or desorbs thermally like N 2 . UPS measurements show that such a new molecular state, with 5σ1π shifted to higher binding energy by ∼ 1 eV is formed by electron impact. The desorption cross section is 1 × 10 −17 cm 2 , the conversion to inactive N 2 , 8.5 × 10 −18 cm 2 . The threshold for N 2 desorpt E - = 7–8 eV , suggesting creation of a 5σ −1 state as the desorption mechanism near threshold. Conversion to adsorbed N occurred at E - ⩾ 12.5 eV within our detection limit (XPS of the N 1s level of atomic N) suggesting a low energy intramolecular N 2 excitation. N + is not formed from chemisorbed N but by Coulomb explosion of N 2 , probably after creation of a 3σ −2 hole state. The weak binding of N 2 and the resultant large N 2 -W separation are postulated to account for the absence of N + 2 : at the large N 2 -W distance in the ground state vertical transitions lead to the attractive part of any ionic curves reached, so that N + 2 is propelled toward the surface and neutralized before it can desorb as an ion. Similarities and differences with the ESD behavior of CO are rationalized in terms of the differences in 5σ and 2π orbital distributions in the two cases.
“Light” Higgs particles and strongly interacting W's and Z's

Abstract An SU (2)× U (1) U (1) effective lagrangian of light spin-zero particles and the Goldstone bosons is constructed. Using this effective lagrangian, we show that a light scalar particle reduces the scattering amplitudes predicted by the low-energy theorems for the longitudinally polarized electroweak gauge bosons. One-loop scattering amplitudes are also calculated.
Continuous versus Cyclic Progesterone Exposure Differentially Regulates Hippocampal Gene Expression and Functional Profiles

This study investigated the impact of chronic exposure to continuous (CoP4) versus cyclic progesterone (CyP4) alone or in combination with 17β-estradiol (E2) on gene expression profiles targeting bioenergetics, metabolism and inflammation in the adult female rat hippocampus. High-throughput qRT-PCR analyses revealed that ovarian hormonal depletion induced by ovariectomy (OVX) led to multiple significant gene expression alterations, which were to a great extent reversed by co-administration of E2 and CyP4. In contrast, co-administration of E2 and CoP4 induced a pattern highly resembling OVX. Bioinformatics analyses further revealed clear disparities in functional profiles associated with E2+CoP4 and E2+CyP4. Genes involved in mitochondrial energy (ATP synthase α subunit; Atp5a1), redox homeostasis (peroxiredoxin 5; Prdx5), insulin signaling (insulin-like growth factor I; Igf1), and cholesterol trafficking (liver X receptor α subtype; Nr1h3), differed in direction of regulation by E2+CoP4 (down-regulation relative to OVX) and E2+CyP4 (up-regulation relative to OVX). In contrast, genes involved in amyloid metabolism (β-secretase; Bace1) differed only in degree of regulation, as both E2+CoP4 and E2+CyP4 induced down-regulation at different efficacy. E2+CyP4-induced changes could be associated with regulation of progesterone receptor membrane component 1(Pgrmc1). In summary, results from this study provide evidence at the molecular level that differing regimens of hormone therapy (HT) can induce disparate gene expression profiles in brain. From a translational perspective, confirmation of these results in a model of natural menopause, would imply that the common regimen of continuous combined HT may have adverse consequences whereas a cyclic combined regimen, which is more physiological, could be an effective strategy to maintain neurological health and function throughout menopausal aging.
LIF Measurements of Fuel Vapor in an Acetone Droplet Stream

The acetone vapor concentration between two neighboring droplets in a droplet stream is measured using laser induced fluorescence. It was found that a cylindrical region of high vapor concentration surrounds the droplet stream. As the droplet spacing decreases the minimum concentration between droplets increases because of limited entrainment towards the stream axis from lower concentration regions.
Shaking the Dust off the Markan Mission Discourse

The mission discourse in Mark has produced no exegetical consensus among scholars, particularly with regard to the list of items in vv. 8-9 and the dust-shaking gesture in v. 11. The author critiques the most commonly offered interpretations and argues that the pericope is best understood when read in the context of ancient hospitality norms, implied in v. 10. The list of items restricts the self-sufficiency of missionaries to the point of requiring them to receive the hospitality commanded in the following verse. Likewise, the dust-shaking is best understood as a testimony that their feet were not washed according to the customs of hospitality. The plausibility of this interpretation is then tested against the social-historical context of Christianity in the first century.
Anion Photoelectron Spectroscopy of Aluminum Phosphide Clusters

Anion photoelectron spectra of size selected AlxPy- (x, y ≤ 4) clusters have been taken at photodetachment wavelengths of 266 nm (4.661 eV), 355 nm (3.493), and 416 nm (2.980 eV). The spectra show transitions to multiple neutral electronic states, and several of these bands are vibrationally resolved. We report electron affinities, term values, and vibrational frequencies of the corresponding neutral and anion states, where possible. Detailed assignments are proposed for the AlP2-, Al2P-, and Al2P2- spectra with the aid of electronic structure calculations. Results are compared with comparably sized GaxPy- and InxPy- clusters.