cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Subcutaneous Penile Insertion of Domino Fragments by Incarcerated Males in Southwest United States Prisons: A Report of Three Cases

Introduction. Self-insertion of penile foreign bodies is performed worldwide, largely due to a perception that it will enhance sexual performance and virility. There are relatively few cases reported in the United States. Aim. We report three cases of Hispanic men incarcerated in separate southwest United States prisons who utilized a similar technique to insert foreign bodies fabricated out of dominos into the subcutaneous tissues of the penis. Methods. Details of the three cases were retrospectively reviewed. Main Outcome Measure. Resolution of the case. Results. In each case, an incarcerated Hispanic male or fellow inmate filed a domino into a unique shape for placement under the penile skin. Utilizing the tip of a ballpoint pen or a sharpened shard of plastic to create a puncture wound, each man inserted the domino fragment into the subcutaneous tissue of the penis. All three men presented with infection requiring operative removal. Conclusions. Incarcerated males put themselves at risk for injury and infection when attempting penile enhancement with improvised equipment. Language: en
Model analysis of breakdown in high-voltage, water-based switches

A time-dependent model containing several new features has been developed for treating the breakdown of water under nanosecond pulsed conditions. It is argued that the traditional mechanisms such as bubble formation and thermal heating no longer apply. Instead, the mechanism of breakdown will be dictated by the surface electric field behavior and subsequent injection of electrons at the interface. Thus, the interface layer and electrode conditions will begin to be far more important than the bulk liquid properties in determining breakdown and hold-off voltage levels. It is shown that very strong electric field enhancements can occur due to the collective orientation of dipoles near the interface. Under high voltage conditions, the injected electrons are assumed to have relatively long lifetimes due to a continuous replenishment of energy from the external field. The simulations show a breakdown within about 200 ns for an applied pulse of 20 kV for a 200 /spl mu/m water-filled switch. The predictions are in keeping with recent experimental observations by our group.
Insulin-like effect of clostridial phospholipase C, neuraminidase, and other bacterial factors on brown fat cells.

Abstract Incubation of brown fat cells with a preparation of neuraminidase from Clostridium perfringens at a concentration of 50 µg per ml stimulated basal glucose oxidation and abolished any further response of the cells to insulin and cysteine. High concentrations (125 or 250 µg per ml) of this neuraminidase preparation were toxic to both white and brown fat cells. Preparations of neuraminidase from Vibrio cholerae or Lee stain influenza virus did not affect glucose metabolism in either the absence or presence of insulin or cysteine. The effect of the C. perfringens neuraminidase appears to be due to contamination with a potent insulin-like agent. Crude preparations of the enzyme produced an insulin-like effect at a concentration of 0.1 µg per ml. Chemical analysis of the sialic acid content of both brown and white fat cells indicated that most of the sialic acid present in adipose tissue is removed during preparation of the cells by digestion with crude collagenase. A partially purified preparation of C. perfringens phospholipase C stimulated basal glucose metabolism at a concentration of 1 µg per ml in brown fat cells and inhibited the response to insulin and cysteine at a concentration of 5 µg per ml. Insulin-like activity was similarly observed with 10 µg per ml of a purified preparation of clostridial phospholipase C. The ability to stimulate glucose conversion to carbon dioxide by the purified phospholipase C was blocked by 1 mm EDTA or Mg-EDTA while that of the partially purified preparation was enhanced. The addition of egg lipoprotein (10 µl per ml) to the medium, enhanced the insulin-like activity of high concentrations of crude preparations of clostridial phospholipase C and neuraminidase. Treatment of brown fat cells with concentrations of trypsin comparable to those of C. perfringens neuraminidase completely inhibited the stimulation of glucose metabolism by insulin but had little effect on that due to cysteine. Basal glucose oxidation was unaffected by trypsin treatment. White and brown fat cells treated with trypsin did not recover their responsiveness to insulin after four hours of incubation. Our findings indicate that neuraminidase treatment of fat cells does not mimic the action of trypsin and that some commercially available preparations of neuraminidase and phospholipase C from C. perfringens contain insulin-like impurities.
Due Process Limitations on the Application of Collateral Estoppel against Nonparties to Prior Litigation

This article explores the nature of due process limitations on the application of collateral estoppel to nonparty litigants. Part II discusses the conventional parameters of collateral estoppel and notes the arguments favoring expansion of the preclusion rules. Part III focuses on traditional exceptions to the rule against preclusion of nonparties, and argues that most such exceptions can be explained on the ground that the nonparties in those contexts either have no interests requiring due process protection or have foregone their due process rights under historically accepted principles. The article then discusses the nature of the process required to be given to one who may assert due process rights, and the effect of these requirements on the arguments for expansion of the preclusion rules. This discussion suggests that due process requires that persons be given an opportunity, based on principles of individual adversarial justice, to participate meaningfully in the litigation of claims affecting their interests. It also suggests that exceptions to this meaningful participation requirement should not be based on concerns with efficiency and expense reduction – two interests at the foundation of many expansion proposals. Rather, it suggests that the only interests justifying exceptions are necessity and the provision of added protection to nonparties. The article concludes that recent proposals for expansion through extending the definition of “privity” are of doubtful constitutional validity. In addition, it suggests that other proposals for expansion, such as compulsory intervention and mandatory joinder, also raise substantial due process concerns.
Swelling and Tensile Property Changes in Neutron-Irradiated Type 316 Stainless Steel

Specimens of Type 316 stainless steel, given different thermomechanical treatments resulting in either a cold-worked or solution-annealed and aged structure, were irradiated in the Experimental Breeder Reactor-II (EBR-II)at 500 to 600 °C (932 to 1112 °F) to a fluence of 7.4 x 10 2 6 neutrons (n)/m 2 (E > 0.1 MeV). Three specimen configurations were used: small sheet tension specimens, small right-circular cylinders for immersion density, and thin foils for transmission electron microscopy (TEM). TEM revealed voids in all specimens. Immersion density indicated swelling in cold-rolled specimens only after irradiation at temperatures near 600°C (1112°F). Considerable recovery and precipitation were observed in the cold-rolled specimens. Results of tension tests revealed an increase in strength and decrease in ductility for specimens originally in a solution-annealed and aged condition. Cold-rolled specimens exhibited a decrease in strength and a slight increase in total elongation. True stress-true plastic strain was best described by the Ludwigson equation, o = K 3 e n 3 ′ exp (K 4 + n 4 e), in all cases. Irradiation causes a decrease in the work-hardening exponent, n 3 , and strength factor, K 3 . After irradiation, the values of n 3 and K 3 tended toward common values for both preirradiation treatments.
Initial Sintering of α‐Cr2O3

Since the difference between oxygen-ion and cation diffusion coefficients is greater for α-Cr2O3 than for α-Fe2O3 or α-Al2O3, a study of initial-sintering kinetics was undertaken to show unequivocally which species is rate controlling. Fine powders of α-Cr2O3, obtained by thermal decomposition of reagent-grade (NH4)2Cr2O7, were lightly compacted and their isothermal rates of shrinkage were determined between 1050° and 1300°C. Resultant data follow volume-diffusion sintering models, and calculated diffusion coefficients agree with, those measured for oxygen ions in α-Cr2O3. There is little evidence that oxygen diffusion along grain boundaries becomes so enhanced that chromium ions are left in control of the process.
Diagnosis and outcome in schizo-affective depression: a replication.

Abstract Forty-three inpatients with RDC schizo-affective depression were given structured interviews and then followed to 1 year using a design closely resembling that of another recent follow-up of schizo-affective patients. In replication of the earlier study, patients with either ‘chronic’ or ‘mainly schizophrenic’ schizo-affective disorder had significantly worse outcomes than did patients with nonchronic or ‘mainly affective’ schizo-affective depression and bipolar patients were significantly more likely to develop manic syndromes. The preceding duration of schizophrenia-like symptoms and a history of schizophrenia-like prodomes appeared to be the most important components of these two distinctions. In both studies, diagnostic subtype was the most robust of various potential outcome predictors. Also in both studies, ‘mainly affective’ and ‘nonchronic’ schizo-affective patients had outcomes no different from patients with psychotic depression.
Testing the Mean of Skewed Distributions

Abstract Johnson proposed some modified t tests to assess the mean of asymmetrical distributions. The tests were suggested for any parent distribution ranging from the normal to a distribution as asymmetric as an exponential distribution for sample sizes as small as 13. In many practical situations the skewness of the parent distribution can be greater than those studied by Johnson and the sample sizes can be quite small, possibly as small as 10, due to the cost of the sampling procedures. In these cases Johnson's test can be quite inaccurate. Sutton suggested a composite test to improve Johnson's upper-tailed t test. In this article a new test procedure is proposed for the upper-tailed test for the mean of positively skewed distributions, which requires only a little more effort than Johnson's test. A Monte Carlo study investigates the new procedure's properties for a variety of positively skewed distributions with small sample sizes. It is shown that the new test procedure is more accurate and more powe...
Earnings of Asian immigrant computer scientists: The effect of degree origin

In the U.S., science and engineering (S&E) attracts a large proportion of Asian workers, and a majority of them are foreign-born [1]. Among the foreign-born, a small proportion but a considerable number of them are foreign-degreed [2]. However, not much attention in sociology has been paid to the foreign-degreed yet. This study examines the effect of degree origin on the salaries of full-time, college-educated Asian immigrant computer scientists in the U.S. This study employs a sample of 2,522 observations derived from the 1993 and 2003 National Survey of College Graduates (NSCG) conducted by the National Science Foundation. Results from multivariate regressions show that degree origin had a statistically significant effect in 1993 but not in 2003. The negative effect of the highest degree from an Asian institution in 1993 can be attributed to the perceived lower quality of education in Asia and the choice that Asian-degreed computer scientists made. The disappearance of this effect in 2003 may be explained by the improvement in the quality of education in Asia and an increase in the demand for computer scientists in the U.S. between 1993 and 2003.
Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) gene and protein expression in diabetic patients without nephropathy.

To the Editor: Reich et al.1 investigated the angiotensin- converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) gene and protein expression in patients with diabetic nephropathy. The authors seem to interchangeably use kidneys in patients with diabetes and diabetic patients with kidney disease (i.e., diabetic nephropathy), which are two different diagnoses. For example, 'The strengths of the current study are that we compared ACE2 and ACE expression in the kidney of subjects with type 2 DM with the kidneys of healthy control subjects...'1 seems to conflict with the study by Tikellis et al.,2 which reported ACE2 expression in rats with streptozocin-induced diabetes after 24 weeks. The different glomerular expression of ACE2 in these two studies may not be a conflicting report but a report of ACE2 expression in two separate cohorts. This raises two questions: (1) Is there a difference in ACE2 gene and protein expression between patients with diabetes without nephropathy and diabetic patients with nephropathy? and (2) is there a specific pattern of expression that may predict future development of nephropathy in diabetic patients without nephropathy?
GRE: hybrid recommendations for NSDL collections

Recommendation systems have been proven to reduce the time and effort required by users to find relevant items, but there are only sporadic reports on their application in digital libraries. The General Recommendation Engine (GRE) is composed of the text search system Lucene augmented by the well-understood content based and collaborative filtering techniques and the first application of knowledge based recommendation in digital libraries to recommend items from 22 National Science Digital Library collections. In this study comprised of 60 subjects, the GRE outperformed the baseline system Lucene in all areas of evaluation.
Regulation of Endothelial Constitutive Nitric Oxide Synthase by Protein Kinase C

Abstract Protein kinase C (PKC) plays a key role in a variety of signal transduction processes. The promoter region of the endothelial constitutive nitric oxide synthase (ecNOS) gene contains a transcriptional factor AP-1 binding element. In the present study, we sought to determine the effect of PKC inhibition on the expression of ecNOS in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAEC). The PKC inhibitor staurosporine (10 to 100 nmol/L) increased the expression of ecNOS mRNA, assessed by Northern analysis, in a dose-dependent manner. A newly developed, more specific PKC inhibitor, chelerythrine (1 to 3 μmol/L), also increased the level of ecNOS mRNA. Incubation of BAEC with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (100 nmol/L) for 24 hours, which downregulates PKC, increased ecNOS mRNA expression. The protein content of ecNOS, assessed by Western analysis, was also increased in staurosporine-treated or chelerythrine-treated BAEC. The release of nitrogen oxides from staurosporine-treated or chelerythrine-treated cells both under basal conditions and in response to calcium ionophore A23187 was significantly increased ( P
Opsonic involvement in phagocytosis by mollusk hemocytes

Abstract Macrophages from the gastrophod mollusk Otala lactea are capable of in vitro recognition and phagocytosis of foreign particles such as yeast, mammalian erythrocytes, and bacteria. The degree of intensity of the phagocytic response, in certain instances, is governed by the surface characteristics of the particle in question as well as by the presence of opsonic factors. Hemagglutinins have been implicated as opsonins in certain invertebrates, including mollusks. Otala lacks serum lectins; however, its hemolymph stimulates phagocytosis of formalized yeast but not erythrocytes and bacteria. Hemagglutinin-containing extracts of Otala albumin gland were shown to opsonize formalized red cells. The rate of ingestion of the bacteria used in this study by Otala hemocytes was variable and was not influenced by the presence of hemolymph in the medium.
An algorithm for piecewise linear approximations

An algorithm is described for approximating a function F(x) on a finite interval [a,b] whose second derivative is of constant sign on (a,b) by a continuous piecewise linear function, with any desired accuracy. Given a positive number e, the algorithm finds a continuous piecewise linear functionL(x) = mi x + bi, xi-l ≤ × ≤ xi,i = 1,2 ...,nwhere a = xo
Solar-electric missions to specific targets in the asteroid belt

Optimized trajectories and spacecraft for solar- electric missions to asteroids, using chemical booster for injection
Alternative electron density models for structural biochemistry

Abstract Computer graphics can depict intrinsically three-dimensional structures. Restriction to plane sections of an electron density, or even to the widely used cagecontouring technique is not necessary. By detecting two-dimensional and three-dimensional density maxima, the algorithm discussed here offers new possibilities for describing the trace of linked density maxima. The core-tracing technique is described and illustrated by means of stereo views.
Real-Time Occlusion Handling for Dynamic Augmented Reality Using Geometric Sensing and Graphical Shading

AbstractThe primary challenge in generating convincing augmented reality (AR) graphics is to project three-dimensional (3D) models onto a user’s view of the real world and create a temporal and spatial sustained illusion that the virtual and real objects coexist. Regardless of the spatial relationship between the real and virtual objects, traditional AR graphical engines break the illusion of coexistence by displaying the real world merely as a background and superimposing virtual objects on the foreground. This research proposes a robust depth-sensing and frame buffer algorithm for handling occlusion problems in ubiquitous AR applications. A high-accuracy time-of-flight (TOF) camera is used to capture the depth map of the real world in real time. The distance information is processed in parallel using the OpenGL shading language (GLSL) and render to texture (RTT) techniques. The final processing results are written to the graphics frame buffers, allowing accurate depth resolution and hidden surface remov...
Miscegenations of modernity: constructing european respectability and race in the Indian railway colony, 1857-1931

Abstract From 1857 Indian railways built railway colonies to inculcate a practical mastery of middle-class domesticity solely in their European employees. These were key sites for the construction and contestation of European identity. They marked Europe and India as separate locales bounded by distinct racial typologies and gender identities. The central distinction reinforced was that between European modernity and Indian tradition. This project was complicated by the hybrid identities of Domiciled European and Eurasian railway employees, nationalist protests, and contradictions in the colonial discourse of modernity. By 1931 the racial logic of the railway colony was under threat, but its rhetorics of respectability, modernity, gender, and race intensified in new forms. By tracing the historical construction of boundaries between Europe and India and the history of interstitial groups that destabilize these, we can question the transition narratives of nationalism and capitalism that usually structure ...
Collaborative enforcement of firewall policies in virtual private networks

The widely deployed Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology allows roaming users to build an encrypted tunnel to a VPN server, which henceforth allows roaming users to access some resources as if that computer is residing on their home organization's network. Although the VPN technology is very useful, it imposes security threats to the remote network because their firewall does not know what traffic is flowing inside the VPN tunnel. To address this issue, we propose VGuard, a framework that allows a policy owner and a request owner to collaboratively determine whether the request satisfies the policy without the policy owner knowing the request and the request owner knowing the policy. We first present an efficient protocol, called Xhash, for oblivious comparison, which allows two parties, where each party has a number, to compare whether they have the same number, without disclosing their numbers to each other. Then, we present the VGuard framework that uses Xhash as the basic building block. The basic idea of VGuard is to first convert a firewall policy to non-overlapping numerical rules and then use Xhash to check whether a request matches a rule. Comparing with the Cross-Domain Cooperative Firewall (CDCF) framework, which represents the state-of-the-art, VGuard is not only more secure but also orders of magnitude more efficient. On real-life firewall policies, for processing packets, our experimental results show that VGuard is 552 times faster than CDCF on one party and 5035 times faster than CDCF on the other party.
SPINAL CORD INJURY IN CHILDREN: LONG-TERM URODYNAMIC AND UROLOGICAL OUTCOMES

ABSTRACT Purpose: Urological complications in adults with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) are well documented. We sought to determine the effect of SCI on the developing bladder and kidneys in the child. Materials and Methods: We retrospectively reviewed cases of SCI with 1-year minimum followup. We identified 42 children with an average age at injury of 5.3 years (range 1 day to 14 years). Mean followup was 5.5 years (range 1 to 15.5). Videourodynamics, sonograms, infection, medications and continence were reviewed. Safe bladder capacity was defined as the pressure specific volume at 40 cm water or less. Patients were divided into 3 groups based on level of injury—cervical (10), thoracic (26) and lumbar (6). Results: Bladder management included clean intermittent catheterization in 40 of 42 patients and antispasmodics in 37. No patient had reflux, hydronephrosis or renal scarring. In the cervical group safe bladder capacity was less than the expected capacity in 80% of patients but all patients undergoing multiple urodynamics had increasing capacity with time. In the thoracic group 58% of patients had a safe bladder capacity less than expected and 76% of those undergoing multiple urodynamics had increasing capacity. In the lumbar group 50% of patients had a safe bladder capacity less than expected and 67% of those undergoing multiple urodynamics had increasing capacity. Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the largest and longest urological study of young children with SCI. Early clean intermittent catheterization and use of anticholinergics appear to prevent upper tract deterioration, improve continence and decrease infections. Serial urodynamics confirm increasing safe capacity with growth in most children. Close followup is necessary as bladder characteristics may change with time.
Examination of Multiple Roots and Root Clusters of a Polynomial Using the Bernoulli Procedure

The sequence of numbers used in the Bernoulli procedure for finding the dominant root of a polynomial equation is examined. It is shown how to construct from this sequence a new sequence which converges to the order of the dominant root. Certain results on the rate of convergence are obtained. The problem of a cluster of several, nearly equal, dominant roots is discussed. It is shown how the number of roots in the cluster and their approxiraate center of gravity may be determined. A numerical example using a seventh degree polynomial with four nearly equal dominant roots is given.
The placental site nodule: An immunohistochemical study

The placental site nodule and plaque (PSN-P) is a recently described, benign proliferation of intermediate trophoblast cells (ITs) in the endometrium or endocervix occurring after an intrauterine gestation. We performed an extensive immunohistochemical study of 11 cases of PSN-P. Cytokeratins (AE1/AE3 and MAK 6) were strongly positive in all cases stained. Epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) was positive in all cases, in 5% to 75% of lesional cells. Expression of human placental lactogen (hPL) was weak and focal, and a minority of cases were positive for human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). More helpful in identifying the trophoblastic nature of the lesion was pregnancy-specific beta-1 glycoprotein (SP1), which was present in 100% of cases, and placental alkaline phosphatase (PLAP), present at least focally in 90% of cases stained. Vimentin was strongly positive in all cases stained. The presence of vimentin, SP1 and PLAP in PSN-P has not been documented previously. In our opinion cytokeratin, vimentin, and SP-1 are the most important monoclonal antibodies to aid in the differential diagnosis of PSN-P.
Color doppler applications in hepatic imaging

Color Doppler sonography is an important modality in the non-invasive evaluation of the liver. It is commonly used to evaluate vascular changes which accompany cirrhosis. Doppler techniques are also used to evaluate patients who have undergone liver transplantation or transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) placement. This review describes the various applications of color Doppler in hepatic imaging.
Methanol adsorption and decomposition on clean and oxygen precovered palladium (111)

Abstract The interaction of methanol with Pd(111) has been studied using high-resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy (HREELS). We find both a chemisorbed and a physisorbed phase on the surface at 140 K. Desorption of the physisorbed phase occurs by 160 K and approximately 90% of the chemisorbed layer desorbs by 300 K. Exposure to methanol at 300 K causes dissociation to chemisorbed CO. Decomposition of chemisorbed methanol to a methoxy species occurs near 200 K in the presence of a preadsorbed p(2 × 2) oxygen layer whereas no methoxy is detected on the clean surface. Further dehydrogenation to CO is observed by 300 K on the oxygen precovered surface.
ALL-OR-NONE TRAITS AND THE SENSITIVITY OF EXPERIMENTS.

THE choice of the strain of laboratory animal has been examined by Chai1, by Biggers, McLaren and Michie2, and by Becker3. Much of the discussion in these papers involved the choice of mice of inbred strains or those of the F1 generation for bioassay. In addition, Becker and Berg4–6 have reported tests which were designed to determine which sex and strain of chickens produced the most sensitive nutritional experiments.
Precision Infrared Zeeman Spectra of C H 4 Studied by Laser-Saturated Absorption

Zeeman splitting of the methane 2947.912-${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ $F_{1}^{}{}_{}{}^{(2)}$ line was studied. The $g$ factor of the rotational magnetic moment of methane was measured to be ${g}_{J}=+0.311\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.006$ and it was found that ${g}_{J}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{3}=1)$ is equal to ${g}_{J}({\ensuremath{\nu}}_{3}=0)$. A Doppler-generated "level-crossing" saturated absorption signal was observed and is described.
The roles of phoneme frequency, similarity, and availability in the experimental elicitation of speech errors

Abstract In two experiments subjects read aloud pairs of nonsense syllables rapidly presented on a display screen or repeated the same syllables presented auditorily. The error patterns in both experiments showed significant asymmetry, thus lending support to explanations of the error generation process that consider certain phonemes to be “stronger” than others. Further error analyses revealed substantial effects of phoneme frequency in the language and effects of phoneme similarity, which depended on the feature system used to index similarity. Phoneme availability (the requirement that an intruding phoneme be part of the currently presented stimulus) was also important but not essential. We argue that the experimental elicitation of errors provides critical tests of hypotheses generated by the analysis of naturally occurring speech errors.
Prenatal ethanol alters gait in rats

Abstract Rats exposed to ethanol in utero were assessed for changes in gait at 55 days of age. Ethanol-exposed animals had significantly shorter stride lengths, more open step angles, and less gait symmetry than control rats. There were no differences in stance width or apparent speed. This pattern of changes in motor function indicates that prenatal exposure to ethanol produces long-lasting “ataxia” in rats. These results closely resemble previous findings of altered gait following neonatal ethanol exposure in rats, as well as clinical findings in some FAS children. The results are consistent with an hypothesis of prenatal ethanol-induced disruption of functional hippocampal and/or cerebellar development. Ataxia and gait dysfunction may be sensitive indicators of ethanol teratogenesis.
The Challenges of Institutional Research in Building a Culture of Evidence: A Case Study

The process of building a culture of evidence involves using data to understand where students are experiencing problems, designing strategies for remedying those problems, implementing them, and then evaluating the effectiveness of those implemented strategies. This case study is about two programs that were implemented within the last two years at El Centro College of the Dallas County Community College District—in-class instructor-guided service learning and supplemental instruction—and the challenges in institutional research in building a culture of evidence. Both programs showed significant improvement in their respective measurements for general and developmental psychology classes. However, without an easy-to-use data collection, central repository, and analysis system, conducting the kind of institutional research that could inform improvements to program and institutional performance can be quite difficult. Across the institution, data entered at different times by multiple departments and the d...
Crash Experience on Tined and Continuously Ground Portland Cement Concrete Pavements

Crash rates were compared between 290 km of continuously ground and 115 km of transversely lined portland cement concrete pavements in Wisconsin. All 11,219 reported crashes at the study sites during the 6-year period 1988 through 1993 were analyzed. Continuously ground surfaces were found to have lower crash rates than tined surfaces under dry and wet conditions during daytime and nighttime as well as under all four combinations of pavemenl and light conditions. Ground pavements had 58 percent the crash rates of tined pavements under dry and wet conditions; the ratio was 84 percent when snow or ice was present on the pavement; however, relatively limited vehicular travel occurred under such conditions and these results are viewed as preliminary. Ground pavements had 57 percent the crash rates of tined pavements during daytime; the ratio was 73 percent at night. On the basis of the available data, a hypothesis of increasing crash rates with time (based on frictional property deterioration with pavement ag...
THE ROLES OF NEIGHBORHOOD ORGANIZATIONS IN URBAN SERVICE DELIVERY

It is important that students of urban life develop an understanding of the dynamics by which community associations influence the quality and quantity of public services available in their neighborhoods. Employing collective goods theory to analyze the activities of neighborhood organizations suggests that their efforts to influence public services may usefully be conceptualized in terms of three primary roles. Community associations act as consumers' cooperatives seeking to secure public services from other organizations, as alternative producers of desired services, and as organizers of citizens' coproductive efforts whereby service levels are determined through the joint efforts of neighborhood residents and public service personnel. The three roles differ significantly in the effectiveness and efficiency with which citizens can employ them to secure services, and require different resources from the community associations. The design of governmental arrangements for service delivery are closely related to the availability and effectiveness of the three strategies and must be considered as part of any effort to enhance citizens', role in public service delivery.
Multidimensional Bargains and the Desirability of Ex Post Inefficiency

In multidimensional bargaining situations where individuals possess relevant private information, say about preferences, allocational efficiency is a central concern. Even if there is no squabbling over distribution—for example, if contingent commitments on allocations can be made before private information is secured—honest revelation comes only by sacrificing efficiency. Indeed, the incentive-compatible, second-best outcomes generally require that some allocations be off the contract curve (ex post inefficient). The potential for recontracting, by ruling out such inefficient allocations and the second-best equilibria they support, would hurt matters further.
Photoinduced activation of CO2 on TiO2 surfaces: Quantum chemical modeling of CO2 adsorption on oxygen vacancies

Abstract Chemical processes that utilize CO 2 emissions from coal-fired power plants will be required as the world progresses towards reducing CO 2 emissions. The conversion of CO 2 using light energy (CO 2 photoreduction) has the potential to produce useful fuels or valuable chemicals while decreasing CO 2 emissions from the use of fossil fuels such as coal. Computational studies on the initial steps of photoinduced CO 2 activation on TiO 2 surfaces, necessary to develop a mechanistic understanding of CO 2 photoreduction are a focus of this article. The results from previous quantum mechanical modeling studies conducted by the authors indicated that stoichiometric TiO 2 surfaces likely do not promote electron transfer to CO 2 . Therefore, the role of oxygen vacancies in promoting the light-induced conversion of CO 2 (CO 2 photoreduction) on TiO 2 surfaces was examined in this study. Two different side-on bonded bent-CO 2 (bridging Ti–CO 2 δ•− –Ti species) were formed on the reduced rutile (110) and anatase (010), (001) surfaces, indicating charge transfer from the reduced surface to CO 2 . Further steps in the photoexcitation of these bent-CO 2 species were investigated with density functional theory calculations. Consistent with CO 2 adsorption and photodesorption on other n-type metal oxides such as ZrO 2 , the results suggest that the bent-CO 2 species do not gain further charge from the TiO 2 surface under illumination and are likely photodesorbed as neutral species. Additionally, although the formation of species such as CO and HCHO is thermodynamically possible, the energy needed to regenerate the oxygen vacancy on TiO 2 surfaces (~ 7 eV) is greater than that available through band-gap illumination (3.2 eV). Therefore, CO 2 reactions with water on irradiated anatase TiO 2 surfaces are likely to be stoichiometric.
Burkina Faso Herdsmen and Optimal Foraging Theory: A Reconsideration

The article "Decisions of Cattle Herdsmen in Burkina Faso and Optimal Foraging Models" by De Boer and Prins (1989) reported mixed results from applying models from Optimal Foraging Theory (OFT) to decisions made by pastoralists. Their results merit reconsideration. The authors offered four hypotheses, only one of which was supported by statistical tests. We believe that the hypotheses which were presented were misapplications of OFT that would benefit from clarification. The overall hypothesis De Boer and Prins test is that pastoralists are maximizing their cattle's intake by strategically moving herds from field to field. Two decisions are identified. The first entails which fields to visit and in what order-the route for the day. The second is how long to keep the herd in a field (or patch), given travel time between fields. These decisions are closely related, but the authors conflate them and this proves problem
Kinetic Behavior of Ti-Doped NaAlH4 When Cocatalyzed with Carbon Nanostructures

The effects of SWNTs, MWNTs, AC, C(60), and G when used as a cocatalyst with Ti on the dehydrogenation and hydrogenation kinetics of NaAlH(4) were investigated for the first time in the important temperature range of 90 to 250 degrees C. All five carbons exhibited significant, sustaining, and synergistic cocatalytic effects on the dehydrogenation and hydrogenation kinetics of Ti-doped NaAlH(4) that persisted through charge and discharge cycling. SWNTs were the best cocatalyst, G was the worst cocatalyst, and all five carbons were inactive as a catalyst unless Ti was present. The carbon most likely was imparting an electronic contribution through the interaction of its facile pi-electrons with Ti through a hydrogen spillover mechanism, which explained why one carbon was better than another one in terms of optimal aromatic character, out-of-plane exposure of pi-electrons, and interaction of pi-bonds with neighboring sheets.
Meiotic spindle checkpoints for assessment of aneuploid oocytes

The spindle assembly checkpoint suspends cell cycle progression if improperly aligned chromosomes are detected at metaphase. Evolutionarily conserved kinetochore-associated proteins are believed to be
Cardiovascular autonomic nervous system evaluation in Parkinson disease and multiple system atrophy.

Background Autonomic nervous system dysfunction (ANSd) heralds or follows motor symptoms (MS) in Parkinson disease (PD), but may precede years and progress more rapidly in multiple system atrophy (MSA). Cardiac dysautonomia severity correlates with disabling symptoms thus a Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System Evaluation protocol (CANSEp) is useful to assess ANSd in PD and MSA patients. Methods and results Consecutive patients with PD or MSA were studied. The severity of MS was quantified with UPDR III and Hoehn/Yahr scales. CANSEp consisted of the 5-test Ewing protocol (EP) and Heart Rate Variability analysis (HRVa), in time-domain (TD) and frequency-domain (FD). 36 patients with parkinsonian symptoms (23 PD, 13 MSA) and 40 healthy controls were studied. Parkinsonism was more severe in MSA, comparing UPDR III and Hoehn/Yahr scales (p Conclusions Whereas its specificity is very high, the sensitivity of the EP was only 43.5% in PD and 76.9% in MSA. HRVa improved diagnosis accuracy in 10 patients, unidentified by the EP alone, with overall sensitivity of 65.2% in PD and 92.3% in MSA. Thus CANSEp provides a better assessment of cardiovascular dysautonomia in parkinsonian syndromes, useful to differentiate PD from MSA and to address clinical and pharmacological management.
Direct Current (DC) Shifts and High Frequency Oscillations in Mesial Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients (P04.013)

Objective: The ictal DC shifts are expression of fast neuronal firing (HFO) in the epileptogenic zone. Background It has been reported that evaluation of ictal DC shifts could help in localizing the epileptogenic area and HFO, especially fast ripples, occur almost exclusively in the epileptogenic zone. In this study we evaluated the hypothesis that ictal DC potentials are an expression of fast neuronal firing (HFO). Design/Methods: 15 patients with medically refractory mesial temporal lobe epilepsy underwent depth intracranial monitoring. 69 ictal EEGs recorded at 1000 Hz sampling rate were studied. For each recorded seizure the EEG onset was studied with the following 3 recording settings: 1.Traditional EEG: Time constant = 0.03 seconds; Display: 15 seconds per page; High Frequency Filters: 120 Hz; Sensitivity: 100 uV. 2. HFOs: TC = 0.001 seconds; Display: 5 seconds per page; HFF: 300 Hz; Sensitivity: 15 uV. 3. Ictal DC shifts: TC = 10 seconds; Display: 300 seconds per page; HFF: 30 Hz; Sensitivity: 100 uV. Results: DC shifts occurred in 96% of the clinical seizures. DC shifts occurred before, after or at the time of traditional EEG seizure onset. Negative and positive DC shifts can be seen. HFOs occurred in 84% of the clinical seizures and mainly after traditional EEG seizure onset. The frequency of the HFOs increased in 65% of the seizures as seizure progressed. In all cases the maximum amplitude of the DC shifts and also of the HFOs occurred at the electrodes of traditionalEEG seizure onset. Conclusions: The information from both DC shifts and HFOs complements and strengthens the traditional EEG findings in confirming the location of the epileptogenic area. Traditional EEG seizure onsets, DC shifts, and HFOs do not occur simultaneously indicating that they are an expression of different neurophysiological phenomena occurring during an epileptic seizure onset. Supported by: Dr. Shasha Wu received financial support for research activities from Pfizer Medical and Academic Partnerships (MAP) Program, the former The National EpiFellows Foundation (NEF) Research Grants Program. Disclosure: Dr. Wu has received research support from Pfizer Inc, The Academic Partnerships (MAP) Program and The National EpiFellows Foundation (NEF) Research Grants Program. Dr. Luders has nothing to disclose.
Pathogen Phytosensing: Plants to Report Plant Pathogens.

Real-time systems that provide evidence of pathogen contamination in crops can be an important new line of early defense in agricultural centers. Plants possess defense mechanisms to protect against pathogen attack. Inducible plant defense is controlled by signal transduction pathways, inducible promoters and cis-regulatory elements corresponding to key genes involved in defense, and pathogen-specific responses. Identified inducible promoters and cis-acting elements could be utilized in plant sentinels, or ‘phytosensors’, by fusing these to reporter genes to produce plants with altered phenotypes in response to the presence of pathogens. Here, we have employed cis-acting elements from promoter regions of pathogen inducible genes as well as those responsive to the plant defense signal molecules salicylic acid, jasmonic acid, and ethylene. Synthetic promoters were constructed by combining various regulatory elements supplemented with the enhancer elements from the Cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) 35S promoter to increase basal level of the GUS expression. The inducibility of each synthetic promoter was first assessed in transient expression assays using Arabidopsis thaliana protoplasts and then examined for efficacy in stably transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants. Histochemical and fluorometric GUS expression analyses showed that both transgenic Arabidopsis and tobacco plants responded to elicitor and phytohormone treatments with increased GUS expression when compared to untreated plants. Pathogen-inducible phytosensor studies were initiated by analyzing the sensitivity of the synthetic promoters against virus infection. Transgenic tobacco plants infected with Alfalfa mosaic virus showed an increase in GUS expression when compared to mock-inoculated control plants, whereas Tobacco mosaic virus infection caused no changes in GUS expression. Further research, using these transgenic plants against a range of different pathogens with the regulation of detectable reporter gene could provide biological evidence to define the functional differences between pathogens, and provide new technology and applications for transgenic plants as phytosensors.
Potential Opportunities and Perils of Imperfect Dengue Vaccines

Dengue vaccine development efforts have focused on the development of tetravalent vaccines. However, a recent Phase IIb trial of a tetravalent vaccine indicates a protective effect against only 3 of the 4 serotypes. While vaccines effective against a subset of serotypes may reduce morbidity and mortality, particular profiles could result in an increased number of cases due to immune enhancement and other peculiarities of dengue epidemiology. Here, we use a compartmental transmission model to assess the impact of partially effective vaccines in a hyperendemic Thai population. Crucially, we evaluate the effects that certain serotype heterogeneities may have in the presence of mass-vaccination campaigns. In the majority of scenarios explored, partially effective vaccines lead to 50% or greater reductions in the number of cases. This is true even of vaccines that we would not expect to proceed to licensure due to poor or incomplete immune responses. Our results show that a partially effective vaccine can have significant impacts on serotype distribution and mean age of cases.
Design, construction, and initial operation of the Los Alamos National Laboratory salt-gradient solar pond

A 232 m/sup 2/ solar pond was constructed at Los Alamos National Laboratory for the purpose of studying pond hydrodynamics on a large scale and to complement the flow visualization and one-dimensional pond simulator experiments that are ongoing at the Laboratory. Design methods and construction techniques, some of which are unique to this pond, are described in detail. The pond was excavated from a soft volcanic rock known as tuff; such rock forms a large fraction of the Los Alamos area surface geology. Because tuff has a small thermal conductivity, little insulation was required to reduce perimeter energy losses. In addition, the strength of tuff permitted the pond to be built with vertical side walls; this design eliminated local side wall convection in the gradient zone that is possible with sloping side walls. Instrumentation in the pond consists of traversing and fixed rakes of thermometers and salinity probes, an underwater pyranometer, and a weather station. The traversing rake is a wheeled trolley driven vertically on a rectangular rail. Installed on the trolley are coplanar platinum RTDs, a point conductivity probe, and an induction salinometer. The stationary rake supports 28 thermocouples and 28 sample-fluid withdrawal taps located every 10 cm. About more » 127 T of sodium chloride has been introduced and is nearly dissolved. A 120-cm-thick salinity gradient was established and the pond is heating. Preliminary results indicate a lower-convective-zone heating rate of 1.2/sup 0/C/day during the pond's first month of operation. Recommendations on pond design, construction, and instrumentation are presented. « less
Electric-field-enhanced persistent photoconductivity in a Zn0.02Cd0.98Te semiconductor alloy.

Persisent photoconductivity (PPC) has been investigated in a ${\mathrm{Zn}}_{0.02}$${\mathrm{Cd}}_{0.98}$Te semiconductor alloy. A transition from a photoconductivity phase to a PPC phase has been observed and a coexistence curve that separates these two phases has been obtained. We find that such a transition can be controlled by the bias voltage and excitation photon dose. The relaxation of PPC is found to follow a power law, ${\mathit{I}}_{\mathrm{PPC}}$(t)\ensuremath{\propto}${\mathit{t}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathrm{\ensuremath{\alpha}}}$. The decay parameter \ensuremath{\alpha} is obtained as a function of the bias voltage, which shows that the carrier decay rate decreases almost linearly with increasing bias voltage in the PPC phase. A possible mechanism is the presence of random local-potential fluctuations in the sample, which strongly influence the carrier transport properties. The fluctuations could be induced either by alloy disorder or impurity compensation.