cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Maximum likelihood Bayesian model averaging and its predictive analysis for groundwater reactive transport models

Summary While Bayesian model averaging (BMA) has been widely used in groundwater modeling, it is infrequently applied to groundwater reactive transport modeling because of multiple sources of uncertainty in the coupled hydrogeochemical processes and because of the long execution time of each model run. To resolve these problems, this study analyzed different levels of uncertainty in a hierarchical way, and used the maximum likelihood version of BMA, i.e., MLBMA, to improve the computational efficiency. This study demonstrates the applicability of MLBMA to groundwater reactive transport modeling in a synthetic case in which twenty-seven reactive transport models were designed to predict the reactive transport of hexavalent uranium (U(VI)) based on observations at a former uranium mill site near Naturita, CO. These reactive transport models contain three uncertain model components, i.e., parameterization of hydraulic conductivity, configuration of model boundary, and surface complexation reactions that simulate U(VI) adsorption. These uncertain model components were aggregated into the alternative models by integrating a hierarchical structure into MLBMA. The modeling results of the individual models and MLBMA were analyzed to investigate their predictive performance. The predictive logscore results show that MLBMA generally outperforms the best model, suggesting that using MLBMA is a sound strategy to achieve more robust model predictions relative to a single model. MLBMA works best when the alternative models are structurally distinct and have diverse model predictions. When correlation in model structure exists, two strategies were used to improve predictive performance by retaining structurally distinct models or assigning smaller prior model probabilities to correlated models. Since the synthetic models were designed using data from the Naturita site, the results of this study are expected to provide guidance for real-world modeling. Limitations of applying MLBMA to the synthetic study and future real-world modeling are discussed.
[Keynotes - 2 presentations]

The paper presents a collection of slides covering the following topics: THz field; ultrafast photoconductive sources; coherent photomixing spectrometry; and impulse-radar biomedical imaging.
Methotrexate Suppresses NF-κB Activation Through Inhibition of IκBα Phosphorylation and Degradation

Methotrexate (MTX), a folate antagonist, is a commonly used anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, and immunosuppressive drug whose mode of action is not fully established. Due to the central role of NF-kappaB in these responses, we postulated that MTX must mediate its effects through suppression of NF-kappaB activation. We investigated the effects of MTX on NF-kappaB activation induced by TNF in Jurkat cells. The treatment of these cells with MTX suppressed TNF-induced NF-kappaB activation with optimum effects occurring at 10 microM MTX for 60 min. These effects were not restricted to Jurkat cells because other cell types were also inhibited. Besides TNF, MTX also suppressed the NF-kappaB activation induced by various other inflammatory stimuli. The suppression of TNF-induced NF-kappaB activation by MTX correlated with inhibition of IkappaBalpha degradation, suppression of IkappaBalpha phosphorylation, abrogation of IkappaBalpha kinase activation, and inhibition of NF-kappaB-dependent reporter gene expression. Because ecto 5' nucleotidase inhibitor (alpha,beta-methylene adenosine-5'-diphosphate) blocked the effect of MTX, adenosine mimicked the effect of MTX, and adenosine A2b receptor antagonist (3,7-dimethyl-1-propargylxanthine) reversed the inhibitory effect of MTX, we suggest that MTX suppresses NF-kappaB activation by releasing adenosine. A partial reversal of MTX-induced NF-kappaB suppression by thymidine and folinic acid indicates the role of the thymidylate synthase pathway also. Overall, our results clearly demonstrate that MTX suppresses NF-kappaB activation through the release of adenosine, which may contribute to the role of MTX in anti-inflammatory, immunomodulatory, and antiproliferative effects.
Transformational Leadership Behavior: Theory and Reflections

Leadership is a major way in which people change the minds of others and move organizations forward to accomplish identified goals. Some of the most important attitudes for organization’s success are those of the leaders, because leader attitudes and behavior play a critical role in shaping employee attitudes and performance. The concept of Leadership evolves as the needs of organizations change. That is, the environmental context in which leadership is practiced influence which approach might be most effective, as well as what kind of leaders are most admired by society. The executives of an organization reflect and define strategy through their statements, interactions, and activities. The ability of executives to fulfill the leadership requirements of a particular strategy depends on their training, experience and personality. Because of characteristics are not easily changed, a changed in strategy is often accompanied by a change in leadership. Transformational Leadership is the most recent conceptualizations of leadership concept which has created considerable knowledge about the transformational leadership phenomenon. However, it has generated several conceptual issues which need to be addressed and this paper draw attention to the importance of transformational leadership and when it should be used utilizing research investigations made by various intellectuals. The purpose of this paper is to present the theory of transformational leadership as found in the social sciences and to offer reflections on the practice, and personal implications of the theory.
Psychosocial Correlates of Wildfire Disaster: Post Disaster Adult Reactions

Thirty adults' psychosocial maladjustment associated with a wildfire were systematically examined,one and a half months after a major wildfire destroyed 420 homes. The level of psychopathology was determined through the use of standardized assessment instruments, including the Diagnostic Interview Schedule and the Impact of Events Scale. Victims' individual responses were evaluated,relative to a comparison group from the same community matched for age, gender socioeconomic status, and fire insurance. Increased levels of posttraumatic stress,depression,and anxiety symptoms were reported significantly more often among victims versus non-victims. Also, females more often reported greater levels of psychological symptoms than males.Parent status and previous disaster experience had no differential impact on victims' reactions. Implications are discussed in light of existing findings in this area of research.
Exercising Agency in an International Socioscientific Controversy: The Use of Human and Material Agents to Assert Canada’s Sovereignty in the Arctic

Abstract: What determines a nation's sovereignty over a particular territory? This question is now the subject of a heated debate on the international political scene, with global warming having rendered previously unreachable Arctic resources accessible to the five countries that have territorial claims in the far North: Canada, the United States, Russia, Denmark, and Norway. By building on the concepts of human and material agency, I demonstrate how both human and material agents represent the collective of Canada and thus give the Canadian government a material presence in the Arctic. This presence is key to actors such as the Canadian prime minister who are making the case for Canadian sovereignty in the Arctic region. This article therefore shows that the agency of participants in deliberation over socioscientific issues is largely influenced by the action of both other humans and material entities. Resume : Qu'est-ce qui determine la souverainete d'une nation sur un territoire particulier? Cette question fait presentement l'objet d'un debat sur la scene politique internationale, alors que le rechauffement de la planete rend accessibles des ressources arctiques jadis inatteignables pour les cinq pays qui ont des revendications territoriales dans le Grand Nord : le Canada, les Etats-Unis, la Russie, le Danemark et la Norvege. En m'inspirant des concepts de l'agence humaine et materielle, je demontre que des agents humains et materiels representent le collectif du Canada et donnent ainsi au gouvernement canadien une presence materielle dans l'Arctique. Cette presence est essentielle pour des acteurs, comme le premier ministre canadien, qui revendiquent la souverainete du Canada dans l'Arctique. Ainsi, cet article vise a montrer que la capacite d'agir des participants dans la deliberation sur des questions sociotechniques est grandement influencee par l'action d'autres humains et entites materielles.
Challenges of Policing Democracies: A World Perspective

The Second International Police Executive Symposium (Onati, May, 1995) was organized on the theme of “Challenges of policing democracies: a world perspective.” It was attended by police leaders, academics and justice professionals from 13 countries. Among them there were six emerging democracies, four established democracies, and three mixed democracies. The objectives of the symposium were established as follows: (1) to appreciate at first hand what the police in emerging democracies regarded as challenges in operating in the newly democratic political environment (the established democracies and the mixed democracies were invited to present their contemporary experiences of the “Challenges of policing democracies”); (2) to explore the similarities and the differences of the challenges, if any, from one category of democratic societies to another; and (3) to discuss the responses and the remedies adopted by various countries at different levels of democratic achievement.
Spin fluctuations and $$d_{x^2 - y^2 }$$ pairing in the cuprate superconductors: A progress report

I present an overview of recent progress using a nearly antiferromagnetic Fermi liquid description of normal state behavior on three key issues for high temperature supercondujctivity in the cuprate superconductors: the physical characteristics and physical origin of the anomalous spin and charge behavior in the normal state; the mechanism for high temperature superconductivity, and the superconducting pairing state. I select four topics for detailed discussion: characterizating pseudogap and pseudoscaling behavior in the normal state; calculating magnetotransport in YBa2Cu3O7, demonstrating the relationship between the effective pairing potential for superconductivity and \(d_{x^2 - y^2 }\) pairing; and recent evidence for \(d_{x^2 - y^2 }\) pairing from NMR experiments on the Knight shift and the spin-echo decay time in YBa2Cu4O8.
Characterization of degradable polyelectrolyte multilayers fabricated using DNA and a fluorescently-labeled poly(β-amino ester): shedding light on the role of the cationic polymer in promoting surface-mediated gene delivery.

Polyelectrolyte multilayers (PEMs) fabricated from cationic polymers and DNA have been investigated broadly as materials for surface-mediated DNA delivery. One attractive aspect of this “multilayered” approach is the potential to exploit the presence of cationic polymer “layers” in these films to deliver DNA to cells more effectively. Past studies demonstrate that these films can promote transgene expression in vitro and in vivo, but significant questions remain regarding roles that the cationic polymers could play in promoting the internalization and processing of DNA. Here, we report physicochemical and in vitro cell-based characterization of DNA-containing PEMs fabricated using fluorescently end-labeled derivatives of a degradable polycation (polymer 1) used in past studies of surface-mediated transfection. This approach permitted simultaneous characterization of polymer and DNA in solution and in cells using fluorescence-based techniques, and provided information about the locations and behaviors of p...
An automated system for document recognition

Abstract In this paper, an automated document recognition system is presented. The distinctive feature of this system is that it recognizes a document based on the invariant horizontal line segments instead of extracting the key words in the document. In other words, it avoids the more complicated character-recognition or text-understanding techniques. The system consists of four major components: digitizer, preprocessor, feature-extractor, and line-pattern classifier. The digitizer converts input documents to digital bit-map images. The preprocessor scales the digitized image to a suitable level of resolution and eliminates artifacts produced by the digitizer. The feature-extractor locates line segments in the scaled image and adjusts them to minimize skew and shift effects. The line-pattern classifier takes the adjusted line segments as input and checks the model database to decide whether the unknown document can be classified as one of the prestored model classes. Experimental results are given to demonstrate the performance of the system.
The Green Church

If “green” is an environmental concept applicable to the design and construction of buildings and landscapes, then we should not limit the scope of the concept solely to the natural environment. Rather, we should include key “environments” in which designers operate, including the socio-cultural, political, and natural environments. In this paper, I present a case study in“green” design that expands the scope of the concept and recognizes the interrelationship between these multiple environments. Using recent construction and renovation on the campus of the FirstPresbyterian Church of Berkeley as the case, I show how these environments are mutuallysupportive. Moreover, I argue that if designers simply consider the natural environment, theirlaudable goals may never be realized. In the first part of the paper, I provide a background on the project and its physical and socio-cultural setting. Second, I discuss how the different “environments” were addressed in the planning and design of the project. I then introduce specific“green” strategies that were employed in the design of the new and renovated buildings. These include considering renovation as the first imperative, thinking holistically about the entire campus,and applying a simplified approach to “greening” the buildings. I conclude by offering suggestionsfor future designers interested in reducing the environmental impact of their buildings. Keywords: Sustainability, Adaptive Reuse, Human Context
Computer-Aided Performance Training for Diagnostic and Procedural Tasks.

Abstract : Two computer programs for computer-aided performance training were developed. These programs were designed to give students the opportunity for concentrated practice of troubleshooting and of procedural tasks. In contrast to the usual approach taken in CAI, these programs simulate essential aspects of devices and tasks and continuously update their states during a practice session; they generate responses to a student's inputs from that student's history and simple list-structures; they are made specific to particular devices and tasks by data modules, therefore no 'CAI language' is used; and they offer the student several options for drills and for receiving advice during practice. These programs are being converted to run in a new type of programmable graphics terminal with two integral minicomputers. (Author)
Short-term progressive resistance training increases strength and lean body mass in adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus.

The purpose was to assess the efficacy of progressive resistance training (PRT) in increasing strength and lean body mass (LBM) in HIV-infected adults. Twenty-five adults with HIV infection were trained using a highly intensive PRT regimen for 8 weeks followed by an additional 8 weeks of observation under ad libitum physical activity conditions. Twenty-four of the 25 patients completed the first phase of the study. They had significant increases in strength on all four exercises tested (P < 0.0001) and an increase in LBM of 1.75 ± 1.94 kg (mean ± SD P < 0.0002) with a concomitant decline in fat of 0.92 ± 2.22 kg (P < 0.05) and no significant change in weight or bone mineral content. Twenty-one of the patients returned for follow-up 8 weeks after completing the PRT. Compared with their baseline values their mean lean mass remained 1.40 ± 1.8 kg higher (P < 0.003). Among those who continued to train to some extent lean mass increased by a mean of 1.1 ± 1.6 kg (n = 9 P < 0.05 versus end of PRT) whereas those who did no further training showed an increase in lean mass of 0.28 ± 1.4 kg (n = 12 P = NS versus end of PRT). The difference between the two groups was not however significant (P = 0.25). Among six patients with AIDS wasting the increase in LBM was larger than among nonwasted patients (2.8 versus 1.4 kg P < 0.06) and there was an increase in both weight (+3.9 versus --0.2 kg P < 0.002) and fat mass (+ 0.95 versus --1.5 kg P < 0.002) at 8 weeks which persisted at 16 weeks (weight: +4.0 versus --1.6 kg P < 0.0002; fat: +1.6 versus --1.9 kg P < 0.01). This preliminary study suggests that short-term high intensity PRT can significantly increase LBM and strength in HIV infection and may be used as an alternative or adjunct to pharmacological anabolic treatments in this disease. (authors)
Transcutaneous Pacemaker Use in a Large Hospital

For an eight-month period temporary transcutaneous and transvenous pacemaker use was analyzed in a 602-bed hospital which had readily available fluoroscopy. Twenty-four patients were treated with transcutaneous pacemaker; 23 of these were treated for asystole during cardiac arrest. The only patient not suffering cardiac arrest could not tolerate the transcutaneous pacemaker because of pain. Two of these 23 patients were treated early in the arrest with successful resuscitation. They became conscious and were able to tolerate the pacemaker well. Most of the other patients were treated late in the arrest with little chance of any therapy being successful. Only four of these 21 patients were treated within 15 minutes of the onset of cardiac arrest. During the same time span, 23 patients received transvenous temporary pacemakers. Only four of this group had suffered cardiac arrest before pacing. We conclude that: transcutaneous pacing can be successful but we did not find it useful when used late in a cardiac arrest; transvenous pacing seemed the approach most often chosen for the non-arrest situation.
Thermal conductivity in magnetic insulators

Abstract Arguments are presented to demonstrate that the observation of a initial decrease in the thermal conductivity of a magnetic insulator with increasing magnetic field is not sufficient evidence that a sizeable magnon contribution to the conductivity exists in zero field.
Factors influencing business intelligence (BI) data collection strategies: An empirical investigation

This paper examines external pressures that influence the relationship between an organization's business intelligence (BI) data collection strategy and the purpose for which BI is implemented. A model is proposed and tested that is grounded in institutional theory, research about competitive pressure, and research about the purpose of BI. Two data collection strategies (comprehensive and problem driven) and three BI purposes (insight, consistency, and transformation) are examined. Findings provide a theoretical lens to better understand the motivators and the success factors related to collecting the huge amounts of data required for BI. This study also provides managers with a mental model on which to base decisions about the data required to accomplish their goals for BI.
Exact bootstrap k-nearest neighbor learners

Bootstrap aggregation, or bagging, is a method of reducing the prediction error of a statistical learner. The goal of bagging is to construct a new learner which is the expectation of the original learner with respect to the empirical distribution function. In nearly all cases, the expectation cannot be computed analytically, and bootstrap sampling is used to produce an approximation. The k-nearest neighbor learners are exceptions to this generalization, and exact bagging of many k-nearest neighbor learners is straightforward. This article presents computationally simple and fast formulae for exact bagging of k-nearest neighbor learners and extends exact bagging methods from the conventional bootstrap sampling (sampling n observations with replacement from a set of n observations) to bootstrap sub-sampling schemes (with and without replacement). In addition, a partially exact k-nearest neighbor regression learner is developed. The article also compares the prediction error associated with elementary and exact bagging k-nearest neighbor learners, and several other ensemble methods using a suite of publicly available data sets.
A NEUROLINGUISTIC THEORY OF BILINGUALISM

A Neurolinguistic Theory of Bilingualism. Michel Paradis. Amsterdam: Benjamins, 2004. Pp. vi + 299. $39.95 paper.It is hard to think of anyone who is in a better position to talk about bilingualism and aphasia (differential patterns of recovery and so forth) than Paradis. Since the 1970s, he has been a central figure in this area of research, and it is widely recognized that his contribution has been major. It is impossible to imagine any discussion of the topic that does not rely heavily on his work. Given this author's prominence in the field, second language (L2) researchers will find much to admire in this volume.
In Citation: “A Violation of the Law of Boundaries” in Schiller and Kleist

This essay presents a rereading of two of the most famous novellas of historically documented criminal cases. Through close examination of Friedrich Schiller's Der Verbrecher aus verlorener Ehre and Heinrich von Kleist's Michael Kohlhaas, this essay unfolds a configuration of literature and epistemological perspectives by giving special attention to literature's own position as a form of knowledge. Following the discursive practices of citation in the two novellas, this essay shows how, around 1800, distinctions developed between literary, historical, and casuistic forms of writing, and thus contributes to a broader investigation into the emergence of the case study as a genre and its literary and historical figurations.
The collision integral in nuclear matter at zero temperature

The collision rate in an infinite Fermi system having a deformed Fermi surface is computed in the limit of small deformation. For a given amount of internal energy, the damping rate is nearly independent of temperature. The calculation is applied to thermalization in heavy ion collisions. We find that the collisional damping time is comparable to the duration of the collision for medium-weight nuclei. Thus the predictions of mean field theory, such as the presence of a fusion window at small impact parameters, will only have validity for lighter ions.
Evidence for central adrenergic neural inhibition of ACTH secretion in the rat.

The methyl ester of α-methyl-ptyrosine (α-MT), 250 mg/kg ip, increased plasma corticosterone 9 hr later in most rats studied. The increase in plasma corticosterone was correlated with the depletion of hypothalamic contents of norepinephrine and dopamine. L-dihydroxyphenylalanine (L-dopa), 100 mg/kg ip, but not L-norepinephrine, 0.5 mg/kg ip, administered simultaneously with α-MT decreased the effect of α-MT on plasma corticosterone. A significant negative correlation was found between plasma corticosterone and hypothalamic contents of norepinephrine and dopamine after administration of α-MT and L-dopa. The administration into the third ventricle of the brain of a systemically ineffective dose of α-MT increased plasma corticosterone nine hr later. These data support our hypothesis of central adrenergic neural inhibition of ACTH secretion in rats. (Endocrinology 89: 1464, 1971)
Post-thaw plasma membrane integrity of bull spermatozoa separated with a sephadex ion-exchange column

Abstract Previous experiments have established that filtration of bovine semen through a Sephadex ion-exchange column improves its quality before and after freezing. The present study was conducted to determin the post-thaw membrane integrity of bull spermatozoa separated with a Sephadex ion-exchange column and to determine the kind of protection to spermatozoa is provided by glycerol during freezing and thawing. Semen from Holstein bulls diluted in TEST-yolk extender (with and without glycerol) was filtered through a Sephadex ion-exchange column and frozen in liquid nitrogen (−196 °C). After thawing, there were more normal acrosomes in filtered spermatozoa than nonfiltered (P
Colorado beetle: pest on the move

Don Weber from USDA-ARS describes this infamous pest of potato and continuing efforts to outsmart it.
Russian Sex Studies in the West: What They Talk about When They Talk about Love

The approach to Russian sexuality exemplified by Eliot Borenstein’s recent keynote conference address, ‘Perverting Slavic Studies: A Love Story’ is examined and placed into the overall context of some common myths and cliches that seem to circulate in Russian sex studies outside Russia Each of the three parts of the study addresses a familiar set piece about sexuality in Russian culture and literature: Rozanov as an anti-Semitic sadist, as discussed by Laura Engelstein; Viktor Erofeev as an arch-enemy of academic feminists, as framed in the collection Eros and Pornography in Russian Culture; and finally Borenstein’s broad approach and his ‘Russian pornography as an idea’. In a brief summary, some of the most conspicuous problems of the burgeoning Russian sex studies ‘industry’ in the USA are formulated as it struggles to come to grips with its topic.
Supplemental growth hormone increases the tumor cytotoxic activity of natural killer cells in healthy adults with normal growth hormone secretion.

Abstract Using double-blind, placebo-controlled procedures, the effects of methionyl-human growth hormone (met-hGH) on the tumor cytotoxic activity of natural killer (NK) cells were studied in seven healthy adults using a repeated measures experiment. Subjects were assigned at random to either a placebo (bacteriostatic water) treatment condition or a met-hGH (16.0 mg/wk of Protropin) treatment condition, then crossed-over to the alternative treatment. Treatments were delivered on alternate days (3 d/wk) for 6 weeks. Without bias from the met-hGH treatment, there was no evidence for GH hyposecretion as measured by the peak circulating GH response to exercise stimulation (14.1 ± 3.1 ng/mL) or insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I) levels (0.82 ± 0.09 U/mL). When compared with placebo, met-hGH induced a significant overall increase in the percent specific lysis (%SL) of K562 tumor target cells (placebo 22.2 ± 1.7 v met-hGH 28.5 ± 2.1 %SL; P = .008). NK activity was increased within the first week of treatment and this level was maintained throughout the remaining period of supplementation. There was a trend (P = .057) for the met-hGH-induced percent change in NK activity (NK%) to be inversely related to placebo IGF-I levels (r = −.761), while there were significant positive correlations between NK% and the met-hGH-induced percent changes in IGF-I (r = .727; P = .035), the fat-free mass (FFM)/fat mass (FM) ratio derived by hydrodensitometry (r = .792; P = .012), and the endogenous GH response to exercise (r = .469; P = .034). We conclude that supplemental GH increases NK activity in healthy adults with normal GH secretion and that this effect is interrelated to the body composition and IGF-I responses to the hormone. Since these findings were observed in the absence of GH hyposecretion, exogenous GH might be of benefit in states in which the normal anabolic processes in vivo are insufficient to overcome the taxing influence of disease and/or disuse.
A high‐performance liquid chromatographic analysis and preliminary pharmacokinetic characterization of 3′‐hydroxypterostilbene in rats

A high-performance liquid chromatographic method was developed for the analysis of 3'-hydroxypterostilbene. This method involves the use of a Luna® C18 column with ultraviolet detection at 325 nm. The mobile phase consisted of acetonitrile, water and formic acid (50:50:0.01, v/v/v) with a flow rate of 0.8 mL/min. The calibration curves were linear over the range 0.5–100.0 µg/mL. The mean extraction efficiency was between 97.40 and 111.16%. The precision of the assay was 0.196–14.39% (RSD%), and within 15% at the limit of quantitation (0.5 µg/mL). The bias of the assay was <16% and within 15% at the limit of quantitation. This assay was successfully applied to pre-clinical pharmacokinetic samples from rat urine and serum. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
High dietary and plasma levels of the omega-3 fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid are associated with decreased dementia risk: The Rancho Bernardo study

Objective This study examined the association of plasma DHA, dietary DHA, and fish intake with dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) in older adults.
The organization of thinking: what functional brain imaging reveals about the neuroarchitecture of complex cognition

Recent findings in brain imaging, particularly in fMRI, are beginning to reveal some of the fundamental properties of the organization of the cortical systems that underpin complex cognition. We propose an emerging set of operating principles that govern this organization, characterizing the system as a set of collaborating cortical centers that operate as a large-scale cortical network. Two of the network's critical features are that it is resource constrained and dynamically configured, with resource constraints and demands dynamically shaping the network topology. The operating principles are embodied in a cognitive neuroarchitecture, 4CAPS, consisting of a number of interacting computational centers that correspond to activating cortical areas. Each 4CAPS center is a hybrid production system, possessing both symbolic and connectionist attributes. We describe 4CAPS models of sentence comprehension, spatial problem solving, and complex multitasking and compare the accounts of these models with brain activation and behavioral results. Finally, we compare 4CAPS with other proposed neuroarchitectures.
Predicting maternal parenting stress in middle childhood: the roles of child intellectual status, behaviour problems and social skills.

Background Parents of children with intellectual disabilities (ID) typically report elevated levels of parenting stress, and child behaviour problems are a strong predictor of heightened parenting stress. Interestingly, few studies have examined child characteristics beyond behaviour problems that may also contribute to parenting stress. The present longitudinal study examined the contribution of child social skills to maternal parenting stress across middle childhood, as well as the direction of the relationship between child social skills and parenting stress. Method Families of children with ID (n = 74) or typical development (TD) (n = 115) participated over a 2-year period. Maternal parenting stress, child behaviour problems and child social skills were assessed at child ages six and eight. Results Child social skills accounted for unique variance in maternal parenting stress above and beyond child intellectual status and child behaviour problems. As the children matured, there was a significant interaction between child social skills and behaviour problems in predicting parenting stress. With respect to the direction of these effects, a cross-lagged panel analysis indicated that early parenting stress contributed to later social skills difficulties for children, but the path from children's early social skills to later parenting stress was not supported, once child behaviour problems and intellectual status were accounted for. Conclusion When examining parenting stress, child social skills are an important variable to consider, especially in the context of child behaviour problems. Early parenting stress predicted child social skills difficulties over time, highlighting parenting stress as a key target for intervention.
Pawns Take Queen: The Destabilizing Effects of Regional Parties in Europe

Regional parties encourage government instability in Europe because they make extreme demands on governments for regional autonomy. These demands are different from the demands other parties make and are also more difficult to accommodate, because they require national governments to relinquish decision-making authority over certain issues, whereas the demands of other parties only require government to adjust their policies in some direction. Regional parties are also unlikely to compromise their demands because they do not have the tools available to them that other types of parties have. I support this argument through a statistical analysis of twenty-four democracies in Europe, showing that the presence of regional parties in government increases government instability and that the saliency of autonomy issues affects stability only if it is mediated through regional parties.
Structural Identification of a Deteriorated Reinforced Concrete Bridge

AbstractDisplacement coefficients and profiles have been proposed as objective indexes for bridge structural condition evaluation by many researchers. In this paper, experimental data of the following type were collected for structural identification (St-Id) of a deteriorated bridge: (1) static displacement and strain measurements taken under proof-load level and (2) multireference impact testing (MRIT) data from one of the spans of a three-span, cast-in-place reinforced concrete T-beam bridge (Smithers Bridge). The MRIT was used to generate the modal data for computation of the modal flexibility and displacement profiles. Several significant obstacles were encountered during the St-Id of the Smithers Bridge including high damping level (which led to difficulties in identifying and selecting the poles), finite-element (FE) model updating challenges, and correlation of the MRIT results with truck load test measurements. The first challenge was addressed through the use of the complex mode indicator functio...
Impact of die-to-die and within-die parameter fluctuations on the maximum clock frequency distribution for gigascale integration

A model describing the maximum clock frequency (FMAX) distribution of a microprocessor is derived and compared with wafer sort data for a recent 0.25-/spl mu/m microprocessor. The model agrees closely with measured data in mean, variance, and shape. Results demonstrate that within-die fluctuations primarily impact the FMAX mean and die-to-die fluctuations determine the majority of the FMAX variance. Employing rigorously derived device and circuit models, the impact of die-to-die and within-die parameter fluctuations on future FMAX distributions is forecast for the 180, 130, 100, 70, and 50-nm technology generations. Model predictions reveal that systematic within-die fluctuations impose the largest performance degradation resulting from parameter fluctuations. Assuming a 3/spl sigma/ channel length deviation of 20%, projections for the 50-nm technology generation indicate that essentially a generation of performance gain can be lost due to systematic within-die fluctuations. Key insights from this work elucidate the recommendations that manufacturing process controls be targeted specifically toward sources of systematic within-die fluctuations, and the development of new circuit design methodologies be aimed at suppressing the effect of within-die parameter fluctuations.
Transient immunosuppression with FK506 permits long-term expression of therapeutic genes introduced into the liver using recombinant adenoviruses in the rat

The host immune response limits the duration of expression of adenovirally transduced genes and precludes long-term gene expression upon re-administration of the virus. In this study we wished to evaluate whether short-term immunosuppression of the host, at the time of recombinant virus administration, would allow expression of the therapeutic gene product upon virus reinjection. Gunn rats were used as recipients of recombinant adenoviruses expressing human BUGT (Ad-hBUGT) or E. coli β-galactosidase (Ad-LacZ). Rats were treated with FK506 (1-1.5 mg/kg, per OS daily) for three days beginning 24 hours before each virus injection. Control groups did not receive any immunosuppressant. The serum bilirubin level was reduced from 7.1 ± 0.75 mg/dL to 2.0 ± 0.7 mg/dL within two days of viral injection in both FK506 treated and control groups, and then gradually increased in 6 weeks. FK506-treated rats had low or undetectable antibody titers against the recombinant adenovirus and minimal or no cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) response against adenovirus-infected cells. The tolerized rats received two subsequent injections 42 and 98 days after the first injection, which reduced the bilirubin levels again to 2.0 ± 0.56 and 2.2 ± 0.61 mg/dL, respectively. In contrast, control rats developed high titer neutralizing antibodies and a CTL response, and their serum bilirubin levels were not reduced following subsequent injections. We conclude that short-term FK506 treatment around the time of virus administration prevents the host immune response, permitting long-term gene therapy by repeated administration of the recombinant virus.
Imposters have goals too: The imposter phenomenon and its relationship to achievement goal theory

Abstract Both imposter fears and ability-avoid achievement goals are assumed to be grounded in fear of failure and a general lack of confidence in one’s abilities. This study investigated the relationship between imposter fears and achievement goals. College students (N = 135) completed the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale ( Clance, 1985 ) and several measures relevant to achievement goal theory. Both imposter fears and ability-avoid achievement goals were positively related to test anxiety and negatively related to confidence in one’s intelligence. Women expressed greater imposter fears than men and were also higher on ability-avoid goals. Using hierarchical regression, we examined the pattern of achievement goals that related to imposter fears for men and women. Among men, imposter fears were primarily associated with ability-avoid goals. In contrast, among women, imposter fears were positively related to ability-approach goals and negatively related to task goals. Further, among women, but not men, endorsement of an entity theory of intelligence was associated with imposter fears. Implications for well-being are discussed.
Spatial filtering of a diode laser beam for confocal Raman microscopy.

With the development of single-longitudinal mode diode lasers, there has been an increase in using these sources for Raman spectroscopy. This is largely due to the cost-effectiveness of diode lasers, which offer savings not only in initial capital cost, but also electrical, cooling, and replacement costs over time, when compared with ion lasers. The use of diode-lasers in confocal Raman microscopy has remained a challenge, however, due to poor transverse beam quality. In this work, we present the design and implementation of a simple spatial filter capable of adapting a single-mode diode laser source to confocal Raman microscopy, yielding comparable spatial resolution as a gas-ion laser beam for profiling and optical-trapping applications. For profiling applications, spatial filtering improved x,y resolution of the beam by a factor 10, which in turn increased optical-trapping forces by ∼90 times and yielded sevenfold greater Raman scattering signal intensity from an optically trapped phospholipid vesicle.
Research in diagnostic radiology: A holistic perspective*

It is a privilege, an honOur, and a special pleasure to present the 24th Annual Crookshank Lecture. In reviewing the career of Viscount Crookshank, I was struck by the historic period in which he lived and served from the turn of the century past its midpoint, bridging the great world wars, and experiencing the explosion of modern medicine that characterised the era. His public and professional life was identified with and organised for government service, which was, of course, service to all of us. Small wonder, then, that he should establish a lecture in his mother's memory in the field of diagnostic medicine, the very core of the service professions dedicated to diagnosing, treating, and preventing illness in man. Those of us so privileged to work in medicine can fully understand the absorption of a life which focused on service, on man in the aggregate as a community, a group, a family. In such a construction, our interdependence can best be expressed by the compassionate drive to help the sick, the feeble, the old, the wards of the whole society. In this role, the service profession of medicine has been ever more closely associated with the servants of the whole society in government, and Lord Crookshank bridged these two parallel professions when he served as Minister of Health back in the early 1950s. Those of us in the field of diagnostic imaging are fortunate to be living at a time of extraordinary excitement and growth. It is the age of technology, and ours is a technology-oriented discipline of ever increasing complexity and sophistication. Because it seems method-oriented, the full span of our field is not always well understood by those in other branches of medicine. Thus, the question has been raised repeatedly in the last decade as to the nature of diagnostic radiological research. Just a few years ago, when a combined committee of the Association of University Radiologists (AUR) and the Society of Chairmen of Academic Radiology Departments (SCARD) analysed the position of radiological research within the National Institutes of Health (Margulis et aI., 1974), the question arose once more. Because radiology is a discipline based on the
Catheter ablation of tachycardia arising from the pulmonary venous atrium after surgical repair of congenital heart disease.

Background Tachycardia arising from the pulmonary venous atrium (PVA) has not been adequately characterized in the setting of surgically repaired congenital heart disease (CHD). Objective The purpose of this study was to determine the mechanisms, approach, and outcomes of catheter ablation of PVA tachycardia after CHD repair. Methods The adult CHD procedural database was searched for consecutive ablation procedures over a 4-year period. Procedural characteristics of the population with tachycardia arising from the PVA were compared to those without PVA tachycardia. Groups were classified as (1) biventricular CHD, (2) single ventricle, or (3) d-transposition of the great arteries (DTGA)-baffle. Results Complete 3-dimensional mapping was possible for 113 of 124 sustained tachycardias during 81 procedures. Of these, 31 (19%) arose from the PVA, including 11 (15%) tachycardias in biventricular CHD, 8 (31%) in single ventricle, and 12 (80%) in DTGA-baffle procedures. Intra-atrial reentrant tachycardia was less frequently observed in the PVA vs the systemic venous atrium (SVA) ( P = .012). Independent predictors of PVA tachycardia were absence of biventricular CHD (odds ratio 0.19, confidence interval 0.05–0.64, P = .010) and ipsilateral atrial surgery (odds ratio 15.7, confidence interval 4.8–59.9, P P = .012), but acute success was similar (87% vs 82%, respectively, P = NS). Conclusion PVA tachycardia is not unusual after surgical repair of CHD. Predictors include ipsilateral atrial surgery and absence of biventricular CHD. Such procedures involve increased complexity and unique tachycardia substrates but appear equally amenable to catheter ablation.
About half of children under age 3 whose parents suspected acute otitis media have the diagnosis; restless sleep, ear rubbing and fever are not predictive.

Commentary on: MK Laine, PA Tahtinen, O Ruuskanen, et al.. Symptoms or symptom-based scores cannot predict acute otitis media at otitis-prone age. Pediatrics2010;125:e1154–61.
Effects of gap junction uncoupling in the gerbil cochlea.

Objective To gain insight into molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating cochlear potassium (K+) recycling, including the possible effects of mutations in the GJB2 gene, which encodes the gap junction protein connexin 26. Intercellular K+ flux was manipulated in vivo by infusion of the gap junction uncoupler proadifen (SKF-525A) into perilymph. Functional and structural alterations induced by gap junction blockade were assessed by electrophysiological and morphologic analysis. Study Design Laboratory study using an animal model. Methods Physiological effects of acute and chronic uncoupling of gap junctions in the Mongolian gerbil inner ear were evaluated by measurement of compound action potential (CAP) thresholds and input-output (I/O) functions, distortion product otoacoustic emissions (DPOAE), and the endocochlear potential (EP). Morphologic changes were assessed by electron microscopy. Results Acute exposures to proadifen resulted in large decreases in EP values, DPOAE magnitudes, and CAP I/O maximum amplitudes and an increase in high-frequency CAP thresholds. These physiological changes were accompanied by vacuolization of type II and type V fibrocytes in the lateral wall of the cochlea. Chronic treatments revealed some recovery in EP values and CAP thresholds, which showed a relatively flat 15- to 20-dB elevation across frequencies. Conclusions Gap junctions play a significant role in normal cochlear function. In particular they appear to be essential for maintaining the EP, an activity that could be related to their participation in K+ recycling. Thus, hearing losses associated with mutations in the GJB2 gene that alter the expression or function of connexin 26 may result from a diminished capacity to recycle K+ from perilymph back to the stria vascularis and a consequent decline in the EP.
Boehmite Dissolution Model Based on Simulant Data

Several of the Hanford waste tanks contain significant quantities of boehmite. This boehmite will be dissolved through caustic leaching as part of the Hanford Tank Waste Treatment and Immobilization Plant (WTP) currently under construction. Therefore, it is important to fully understand the nature of this dissolution process so that caustic leaching can be effectively deployed on the Hanford tank wastes. This research determined the impact of aluminate ion on the dissolution kinetics of boehmite. In addition, other parameters that impact boehmite dissolution, such reaction temperature, were also assessed and used to develop a semiempirical model of the boehmite dissolution process. A shrinking core model was used to fit data from a series of boehmite dissolution tests with an additional term added to account for the approach to saturation. This revised model provided an adequate fit to the experimental data; however, a superior fit to the experimental data was obtained when a term was added to represent t...
Absorption of glucose and galactose from the small intestine of hypophysectomized rats.

The effect of hypophysectomy on glucose and galactose absorption from the small bowel was studied in young rats. In vitro studies were performed on intestinal rings, and in vivo studies were done on jejunal loops. Glucose and galactose absorption was found to be increased in hypophysectomized rats, both in vitro and in vivo, 5 days after hypophysectomy, but these levels returned to the control range 11 days after surgery. Conversion of glucose-1-14C to14CO2, by small bowel rings obtained from hypophysectomized rats 5 days after surgery, was found to be enhanced. These observations suggest that, soon after hypophysectomy, glucose is metabolized at a higher rate by the intestine.
Continuing motivation beyond the high school classroom.

This chapter examines the relationship between engagement in high school math and science classes, later academic performance, and choice of college major. Quantitative analyses are complemented by case studies of college students who exhibited high or low engagement in high school.