cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Survey of f-Rings and Some of their Generalizations

What follows is an incomplete survey of the topic of the title that reflects the biases of the author. It focuses mainly on structure theory and neglects questions of mathematical logic, as well as generalizations to non associative rings, near rings, or more general algebraic systems. Neglected also are papers written in Chinese or Russian that do not include proofs and appear in journals difficult or impossible to obtain locally. While totally ordered rings and the ring C(X) of continuous real-valued functions on a topological space X are important examples of f-rings, these areas will be mentioned only in passing. For a recent survey of the former, see [He1]. Homological and categorical considerations will be taken up only briefly because of the ignorance of the author, and I am unaware of significant activity about sheaves and f-rings other than what is listed in [BKW]. Readers who have access to Mathematical Reviews on disc or on the Internet should be able to locate summaries of missing papers by searching under “f-rings”, “lattice ordered rings”, or variations on these themes.
Complement system and host defense against staphylococcal endophthalmitis.

PURPOSE: The authors studied the role of the complement system in host defense against Staphylococcus epidermidis and S. aureus endophthalmitis. METHODS: Guinea pigs in the S. epidermidis model received an intravitreal injection of 7000 viable organisms, and guinea pigs in the S. aureus model received 50 viable organisms. The experimental animals in each model were decomplemented with intraperitoneal (IP) injections of cobra venom factor, whereas the control animals received IP injections of normal saline. Mean log bacterial counts in the vitreous and mean serum complement titers were compared in the experimental and control animals in each model on days 1, 2, 3, and 7. RESULTS: In the S. epidermidis model, mean log bacterial counts in the vitreous were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group on days 1 and 2 (P < 0.01) and on day 3 (P < 0.05). Mean serum complement titers were significantly lower in the experimental group at all days (P < 0.01). In the S. aureus model, mean log bacterial counts in the vitreous were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group on day 2 (P < 0.05) and day 3 (P < 0.01). Mean serum complement titers were significantly lower in the experimental group on days 1, 2, and 3 (P < 0.01), but not on day 7. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that decomplemented guinea pigs show impaired host defense to S. epidermidis and S. aureus endophthalmitis and that this defense is restored as complement levels approach normal.
Exercise Guidelines for Gait Function in Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

This systematic review and meta-analysis is to provide comprehensive evidence-based exercise recommendations targeting walking function for adults with Parkinson’s disease. Methods. Fixed- or rando...
Investigation of pernicious oscillation inside a LD-pumped cesium vapor cell

After finding some unbelievable laser radiation emitted from a cesium cell end-pumped by a narrow-linewidth laser diode (LD) without any additional oscillator mirrors, we established a kinetic model to theoretically investigate the lasing oscillation inside an alkali vapor cell. Then, we demonstrated that some pernicious oscillation could be generated by three possible oscillators formed by our alkali vapor cell. Afterward, we built the system mentioned above to experimentally evaluate this undesired lasing oscillation. We also compared the theoretical results with experimental ones of output laser power from both sides of the Cs cell changing with cell temperature. It has been found that the experimental output power from the pump side of the Cs cell was basically greater than the theoretical result. The conclusions could be helpful for the structural design in a high-powered alkali vapor laser system in the near future.
Does Channel Island Acmispon (Fabaceae) form cohesive evolutionary groups

The California Channel Islands are unique relative to other island chains due to their close proximity to the California mainland and the fact that individual islands, or groups of islands, vary in their distance to the mainland and other islands. This orientation raises questions about whether island taxa with widespread distributions form cohesive evolutionary units, or if they are actually composed of several distinct evolutionary entities, either derived from independent mainland-to-island colonization events or divergence due to prolonged allopatric isolation. The 4 northern islands are clustered in a line (6–8 km separation among islands), while the 4 southern islands are widely spaced (34–45 km separation among islands), which should impact the amount of gene flow and genetic connectivity among islands. We used nuclear microsatellite markers to examine the genetic structure and cohesion of 2 island shrubs, Acmispon dendroideus and A. argophyllus, which are widely distributed across the California Channel Islands. Both focal species contain varieties with multi-island distributions, with A. dendroideus exhibiting a greater distribution on the northern islands and A. argophyllus exhibiting a greater distribution on the southern islands. Substantial genetic divergence was observed for 2 single-island endemic varieties, A. dendroideus var. traskiae and A. agrophyllus var. niveus, confirming that allopatric isolation can lead to genetic divergence. The widespread Acmispon dendroideus var. dendroideus and single-island endemic A. dendroideus var. veatchii formed a cohesive evolutionary group that spans all 4 northern islands and 1 southern island, Santa Catalina, indicating that the northern and southern islands have been genetically linked in the past but do not display evidence of contemporary gene flow. In contrast, widespread A. argophyllus var. argenteus was composed of moderately distinct genetic groups on each of the 4 southern islands, with no evidence of recent gene flow among islands. These results demonstrate that isolation among islands has led to significant divergence among the southern islands, but that the commonly recognized split between northern and southern islands does not impact all taxa equally.
LONG-TERM EVOLOCUMAB USE IN SUBJECTS WITH HOMOZYGOUS AND SEVERE HETEROZYGOUS FAMILIAL HYPERCHOLESTEROLEMIA: PRIMARY RESULTS OF THE TAUSSIG TRIAL

The TAUSSIG study evaluated the safety and lipid-lowering efficacy of long-term open-label evolocumab in subjects with homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) and severe heterozygous FH (HeFH). Interim results have been published for the HoFH cohort. Subjects with FH, aged ≥12 years and
A Small-Group Stratified-Learner Modification of Team-Based Learning (SGSL-TBL) for Resident Education.

Providing learner-specific didactic instruction to a small group of residents can be a challenge in postdoctoral education programs. To date, no data has been published reporting Team-Based Learning (TBL) outcomes when modified for a small group of resident learners, nor on stratifying information presented to learners based on postgraduate year (PGY). Stratification of the advance assignment appears effective as each individual resident outperformed their peers on information assigned to their training level. The group performed significantly better on questions pertaining to their assigned reading than on questions from reading assigned to other residents (p = 0.02), due to the significant difference in PGY1 performance (p = 0.01). Overall performance is similar to traditional TBL, shown by a significantly better group Team Readiness Assurance Test (TRAT) score over Individual Readiness Assurance Test (IRAT) scores (p = 0.01). The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) require evaluation of residents relative to their training level and to their peers. This Small-Group Stratified-Learner TBL (SGSL-TBL) may offer useful resident evaluation tools, providing quantitative data not previously available to small-group resident-training programs through application of TBL.
Triple Valve Replacement in a Patient with Severe Combined Aortic and Mitral Stenosis.

With recent advancements and evidence in favor of transcatheter approach for valve replacements including valve-in-valve procedures, it has become a favorable choice particularly in critically ill patients. Additionally, transcatheter mitral valve-in-valve replacement (TMViVR) is emerging as a less invasive substitute for patients with early dysfunctional bioprosthetic valve. We describe the clinical course of a 52-year-old male whose initial presentation to the hospital for dyspnea on exertion secondary to combined severe aortic and mitral stenosis got complicated requiring three valvular replacement procedures with favorable outcomes.
Agential Epistemic Injustice and Collective Epistemic Resistance in the Criminal Justice System

This paper offers an analysis of how the American criminal justice system sets unfair constraints on the epistemic agency of detained subjects and promotes unfair negative consequences on the exerc...
Descent from the peak: mystical navigations of paradox and trauma on the down-climb

The literature on ‘mountain mysticism’ includes a wide array of interpretations: Reductively, mystical states experienced on mountains may be viewed as neurological or psychological epiphenomena. A...
Security Frameworks for Intra and Inter-Chip Wireless Interconnection Networks

Millimeter-wave (mm-wave)-based on-chip wireless communication fabric known as Wireless Networks-on-Chips (WiNoCs) and in-package multichip wireless interconnect known as Wireless Network-in-Package (WiNiP), have emerged as a possible solution to the non-scalable, multi-hop data transmission paths in traditional intra and inter-chip wired interconnect architectures. Using low-power transceivers in NoC switches, such mm-wave wireless interconnect architectures have been shown to achieve higher energy efficiency with improved peak bandwidth and reduced intra and inter-chip data transfer latency. However, using wireless interconnects for both intra and inter-chip data transfer over an unguided medium introduces additional security vulnerabilities arising from either external attackers or internal Hardware Trojans (HTs). In this chapter, we discuss mechanisms to make on and off-chip mm-wave wireless communication secure against persistent jamming-based Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks and eavesdropping (ED) from both external and internal attackers. To address these challenges, an on-chip and off-chip interconnection architecture that reuses the in-built Design for Testability (DFT) hardware for securing against external and HT induced internal attacks has been proposed. A machine learning (ML) classifier has been deployed to detect the threats. In addition, for a robust threat detection, we introduce an Adversarial ML (AML)-based approach. Moreover, as in a multichip system implementing WiNiP, the inter-chip communication happens only through wireless medium, a persistent jamming attack can breakdown the entire communication backbone of such systems. Therefore, to enable sustainable multichip wireless communication even under persistent jamming attack, we design a reconfigurable Medium Access Control (MAC) and a suitable communication protocol. We discuss and evaluate the proposed techniques both on a single chip system implementing WiNoC and multichip system realizing WiNiP as its communication fabric, in the presence of DoS and ED attacks from both internal and external attackers. The simulation results show that, the ML and AML classifiers can achieve an accuracy of 99.87% and 95.95%, respectively, for attack detection. As performance penalty, the proposed WiNoC suffers a bandwidth degradation of < 3% and the proposed WiNiP can sustain chip-to-chip communication even under persistent jamming attack with an average 1.44× and 1.56× degradation in latency for internal and external attacks, respectively, for application-specific traffic patterns.
A Comparative Analysis of Reynaldo Hahn’s and Gabriel Fauré’s Settings of Paul Verlaine’s “La Lune Blanche Luit Dans Les Bois”

This paper compares Reynaldo Hahn’s and Gabriel Faure’s musical settings of Paul Verlaine’s poem, “La lune blanche luit dans les bois.” Composing at the end of the 19th century, Hahn and Faure were prominent figures in French musical culture—performing in the salons of the Parisian intelligentsia—and made significant contributions to the development of French art song. Despite having shared influences, their respective approaches to Verlaine’s poem are highly individual. I begin by introducing Verlaine and the poem through the broader lens of the symbolist movement, followed by an original interpretation of the poem. Through my analysis, I provide insight into Faure’s and Hahn’s harmonic languages, with an emphasis on their use of chromatic harmony, while highlighting unique characteristics of each setting and how they convey an individualized interpretation of the poem. I conclude by inviting additional exploration of Hahn’s and Faure’s output to gain a further understanding of their musical languages, and by framing their works within the broader context of 19th century France.
Polymer microparticles prolong delivery of the 15-PGDH inhibitor SW033291

As the prevalence of age-related fibrotic diseases continues to increase, novel antifibrotic therapies are emerging to address clinical needs. However, many novel therapeutics for managing chronic fibrosis are small-molecule drugs that require frequent dosing to attain effective concentrations. While bolus parenteral administrations have become standard clinical practice, an extended delivery platform would achieve steady state concentrations over a longer time period with fewer administrations. This study lays the foundation for the development of a sustained release platform for the delivery of (+)SW033291, a potent, small-molecule inhibitor of the 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase (15-PGDH) enzyme, which has previously demonstrated efficacy in a murine model of pulmonary fibrosis. Herein, we leverage fine-tuned cyclodextrin microparticles - specifically {beta}-CD microparticles ({beta}-CD MPs) - to extend the delivery of 15-PGDH inhibitor, (+)SW033291, to over one week. Graphical Abstract O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=122 SRC="FIGDIR/small/456403v1_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (14K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@13aed1dorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1a541eaorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@8a9fd5org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1038a77_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG
The Perils of Authoritarian Presidentialism: Stumbling Towards Authoritarian Constitutionalism in Eurasia

Hegemonic electoral authoritarian regimes in post-Soviet Eurasia have been increasingly experimenting at the margins with alternative institutional forms beyond inherited democratic structures, yet so far with only minor success. Tinkering with different constitutional formats is likely to continue in the coming decades, especially as the constitutional position of representative legislatures ensures that such electorally-connected remain uncomfortable, latent threats to long-term authoritarian stability. Efforts to structurally deviate from the ‘standard model’ of liberal democratic constitutional schemas derived from the 1990s-era democratization pressures has already been observed in several states, including Russia, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. More ambitious structural format changes are likely, especially in the form of newly constitutionalized conciliar and advisory bodies, which are also increasingly associated with the institutionalization of stable leader succession rules. Combined with formally disempowering elected legislatures vis-a-vis the executive, these new developments may prove to be more congruent with long-standing electoral authoritarian regimes’ preferences regarding the formalization of authoritarian political orders over the medium- and long-term.
Multisystem IgG4-related disease involving the abdomen and coronary arteries and causing chronic abdominal pain.

IgG4-related disease was originally discovered in patients with autoimmune pancreatitis accompanied by elevated serum IgG4 levels and has subsequently been described in almost every organ system. I...
Complexity in the Law of War

In this chapter, following a brief overview of the development of the law of armed conflict, author explores the complexity problem of humanitarian law. The law of armed conflict contains two sets of norms, the first pertaining to the limits on the military's use of force (so-called means and methods) and the second to the treatment of individuals in a warring power's custody. Complexity may be a necessary feature of the law of armed conflict, as the conduct of war, like other fields subject to international law, has itself become increasingly complex. The definition's complexity rests on its technical, dense qualities rather than a sense of indeterminacy. Modern militaries deal with the complexity in a variety of ways. Soldiers - in the American military and others - receive distillations of the rules governing their conduct in battle and over those they detain. Keywords: armed conflict; humanitarian law; law's complexity; modern militaries
Food quality as determined by metabolic by-products of microorganisms.

Publisher Summary Food quality is largely the sum of the characteristics, which register favorably or adversely on an individual's senses. These characteristics include freshness, flavor, odor, texture, tenderness, consistency, color, size and shape, degree of ripeness, and presence or absence of defects. Nutritive value, chemical residues, and disease-producing organisms are also a part of food quality, although these are not measured by the senses of smell, taste, sight, or touch. When one visualizes a spectrum ranging from good to poor quality, the extremes are easily differentiated. This is not true for the central part of the spectrum, however, especially for products in which the manufacturing process tends to mask differences, as with comminuted foods. When foods become more abundant, standards of quality are likely to be higher and more clearly defined. Quality, which is acceptable in one society may not be in another. Chemical indicators may be the only means of evaluating quality in some foods, as processing methods, such as filtration, preclude the use of conventional methods, such as plate counts. In some foods, indicator compounds may supplement microbiological methods of analyzing food quality, including plate counts, mold counts, rot fragment counts, and direct microscopic counts. The use of chemical indicators assists the manufacturer in producing and maintaining high-quality foods. This chapter discusses the background dominant spoilage flora, and chemical indicators of microbial spoilage of: chemical indicators of quality for foods with high protein content, chemical indicators of quality for foods with high fat content, and chemical indicators of quality for foods with high carbohydrate content.
Evaluation of five monoclonal antibody-based kits or reagents for the identification and culture confirmation of herpes simplex virus.

Five immunofluorescence (IF) kits or reagents (Bartels [Bartels Immunodiagnostic Supplies, Inc., Bellevue, Wash.], Imagen [CellTech Diagnostics, Ltd., distributed by Analytab Products, Plainview, N.Y.], Ortho [Ortho Diagnostics Systems, Inc., Raritan, N.J.], Syva [Syva Co., Palo Alto, Calif.], Whittaker [Whittaker Bioproducts, Walkersville, Md.]) were evaluated for typing and laboratory confirmation of herpes simplex virus (HSV). Of 101 clinical isolates tested by each kit or reagent, results for 97 of them were in agreement. Identification of the four isolates with discordant results was performed by restriction endonuclease analysis of the viral DNA. The sensitivity and specificity of the Imagen and Bartels kits were 100%. For the Ortho, Syva, and Whittaker kits or reagents, the HSV type 1 (HSV-1) and HSV type 2 (HSV-2) sensitivities were 97.4 and 100%, 100 and 100%, and 97.4 and 100%, respectively, and the specificities were 100 and 97.4%, 100 and 92.4%, and 100 and 97.4%, respectively. There was one false-positive HSV-2 isolate identified by each of the Ortho and Whittaker kits or reagents. Three false-positive HSV-2 isolates occurred by staining with Syva, giving the erroneous indication of dual isolates. Several isolates stained with Imagen and Whittaker reagents displayed dull IF patterns. A dull green background occurred in ca. one-third of the HSV-2 isolates tested with the Ortho kit. The intensities of IF staining by the Bartels and Syva kits were satisfactory; however, the latter displayed a specificity of 92.7%. A total of 38 and 63 specimens were finally designated as HSV-1 and HSV-2, respectively. Identification of each isolate with the Bartels kit was consistently interpretable and is recommended as the typing and confirmatory assay of choice.
Determination of antioxidant activities in fruit juices based on rapid colorimetric measurement and characterisation of gold nanoparticles

A simple and green synthesis of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) was achieved in tea solution and fruit juices with auric tetrachloride (HAuCl4) without the addition of any other chemicals. Natural antioxidants present in tea leaves and fruit juices were able to reduce Au3+ ions to form AuNPs spheres with an average diameter of 22.9 ± 2.7 nm in the tea solution and 12.8 ± 2.4 nm in the orange juice. A colorimetric determination of antioxidant activities based on the formation of citrate-capped AuNPs has been developed. It was found that the colorimetric response of AuNPs was dependent on the concentration of antioxidants tested. As compared with the standard reference assay, i.e., the Folin–Ciocalteu method, the colorimetric method reported in this study showed a very good correlation (R2 = 0.9996). The results indicate that the AuNPs-based colorimetric method provides a simple, effective and reliable measurement of the antioxidant capacity in the tested fruit juices.
The use of anthropogenic tritium and helium-3 to study subtropical gyre ventilation and circulation

With tritium and helium-3 ( 3 He) data from the Transient Tracers in the Ocean (tto) expedition and from two other contemporaneous cruises, a synoptic picture of the ventilation and circulation of the subtropical North Atlantic is built. We will see clear evidence of gyre circulation in the tritium- 3 He age distributions on the shallower isopycnals, permitting estimates of the rates of circulation averaged over timescales from months to decades. The entry points of fluid into the main thermocline and the pathways of exchange with the upper ocean on seasonal to decade timescales appear clearly. It is the time-averaged transport processes on those timescales that are important to the uptake of carbon dioxide by the ocean. The overall relation between tritium and 3He within the subtropics exhibits a systematic hook-like pattern that is consistent with ‘strong’ ventilation of the gyre thermocline; a fluid parcel entering the gyre thermocline making only about one circuit around the gyre before being ventilated. Finally, we present a time-series of 3 He measurements made over a period of two years near Bermuda. The mixed layer is demonstrably supersaturated in this isotope throughout a large part of the year, requiring a gas-exchange flux of this isotope to the atmosphere. Model results are presented that permit the calculation of the in situ solubility isotope ratio anomaly for helium (as affected by bubble injection and gas exchange), and that can be used to estimate the upward flux of this isotope. Because only a small fraction of this flux can be produced in the mixed layer, this helium must be ‘mined’ from the main thermocline. The computed flux is consistent with the long-term evolution of the inventories of tritium and 3 He within the main thermocline. This flux has implications regarding the vertical transport of material within and from the permanent thermocline. A single observation of what may be one of the processes responsible for this upward flux is discussed.
Therapy-related acute myelogenous leukemia and myelodysplastic syndrome in patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia treated with the hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone regimens.

BACKGROUND: Secondary malignancies including myeloid neoplasms occur infrequently in acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) and to the authors' knowledge have not been as well documented in adults as in children. METHODS: A total of 641 patients with de novo ALL who were treated with the hyper-CVAD (hyperfractionated cyclophosphamide, vincristine, doxorubicin, and dexamethasone) regimen or its variants were analyzed. RESULTS: Sixteen patients (2.49%) developed secondary acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) (6 patients) or myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) (10 patients). At the time of ALL diagnosis, the median age was 53 years; cytogenetics were normal in 11 patients, pseudo-diploidy with del(2) in 1 patient, t(9;22) in 1 patient, and unavailable in 3 patients. Frontline therapy included hyper-CVAD in 7 patients, hyper-CVAD with rituximab in 8 patients, and hyper-CVAD with imatinib in 1 patient. Karyotype at time of AML/MDS diagnosis was −5, −7 in 9 patients, normal in 1 patient, complex in 1 patient, inv(11) in 1 patient, t(4;11) in 1 patient, del(20) in 1 patient, and unavailable in 2 patients. Secondary AML/MDS developed at a median of 32 months after ALL diagnosis. Cytarabine plus anthracycline–based treatment was given to 12 patients with AML and high-risk MDS. One patient with MDS received arsenic trioxide, 1 received clofarabine, and 2 received decitabine. Response to treatment was complete remission in 3 patients, partial remission in 6 patients, and no response in 6 patients; 1 patient was untreated. Eight patients (1 with AML and 7 with MDS) underwent allogeneic stem cell transplantation, and all but 2 died at a median of 3 months (range, 0.5–11 months) after transplantation. The median overall survival after a diagnosis of secondary AML and MDS was 9.25 months (range, 1+ to 26+ months). CONCLUSIONS: Secondary AML and MDS occur infrequently in adult patients with de novo ALL treated with the hyper-CVAD regimens, and response to therapy is poor. Cancer 2009. © 2008 American Cancer Society.
Why Possibly Language Evolved

Human language has no close parallels in other systems of animal communication. Yet it is an important part of the cultural adaptation that serves to make humans an exceedingly successful species. In the past 20 years, a diverse set of evolutionary scholars have tried to answer the question of how language evolved in our species and why it is unique to us. They have converged on the idea that the cultural and innate aspects of language were tightly linked in a process of gene-culture coevolution. They differ widely about the details of the process, particularly over the division of labor between genes and culture in the coevolutionary process. Why is language restricted to humans given that communication seems to be so useful? A plausible answer is that language is part of human cooperation. Why did the coevolutionary process come to rest leaving impressive cultural diversity in human languages? A plausible answer is that language diversity functions to limit communication between people who cannot freely trust one another or where even truthful communications from others would result in maladaptive behavior on the part of listeners.
Ethics and Health Informatics: Users, Standards, and Outcomes

After reading this chapter, you should know the answers to these questions: Why is ethics important to informatics? What are the leading ethical issues that arise in health care informatics? What are examples of appropriate and inappropriate uses and users for health-related software? Why does the establishment of standards touch on ethical issues? Why does system evaluation involve ethical issues? What challenges does informatics pose for patient and provider confidentiality? How can the tension between the obligation to protect confidentiality and that to share data be minimized? How might computational health care alter the traditional provider–patient relationship? What ethical issues arise at the intersection of informatics and managed care? What are the leading issues in the debate over governmental regulation of health care computing tools?
Trade Competition and American Decolonization

This article proposes a political economy approach to decolonization. Focusing on the industrial organization of agriculture, it argues that competition between colonial and metropolitan producers creates demands for decolonization from within the metropole when colonies have broad export profiles and when export industries are controlled by colonial, as opposed to metropolitan, interests. The author applies this framework to the United States in the early 1900s, showing that different structures of the colonial sugar industries in the Philippines, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico—diverse exports with dispersed local ownership versus monocrop economies dominated by large US firms—explain why protectionist continental-agriculture interests agitated so effectively for independence for the Philippines, but not for Hawaii or Puerto Rico. A comparative historical analysis of the three colonial economies and the Philippine independence debates complemented by a statistical analysis of roll call votes in the Hare-Hawes-Cutting Act supports the argument. In providing a new perspective on economic relations in the late-colonial era, the argument highlights issues of trade and empire in US history that span the subfields of American political development, comparative politics, and international political economy.
Using in situ vertical displacements to characterize changes in moisture load

Changes in soil moisture content alter the load on underlying material, and we have developed a technique for characterizing this effect by using an extensometer to measure the displacement caused by the load change. The extensometer is pushed into soil at depths of 5 m or more, and displacement between two anchors separated by ∼1.5 m is measured with a resolution of better than 0.01 μm (10−8 m). The instrument is sensitive to load changes at the ground surface within a radial distance that is roughly twice its depth, potentially providing a method for averaging changes in water content over hundreds of m2 or more. During a field trial at a site in South Carolina, compressive displacements in unsaturated saprolite were strongly correlated to rainfall with a calibration factor of 0.16 μm displacement per mm of rainfall ±0.002 μm/mm (R2 = 0.95). Estimates of the net change in water volume per unit area made using the calibration factor from rainfall were similar to independent estimates of evapotranspiration. The technique was affected by barometric pressure variations, but the sensitivity was less than expected and does not hinder meaningful application. A companion instrument demonstrated the displacement signal was repeatable.
Executive functioning of combat mild traumatic brain injury

This study investigates neuropsychological deficits in recently deployed veterans with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Veterans discharged from 2007 to 2012 were recruited from Veterans Affairs clinics. Independent groups of participants with mTBI (n = 57) and those without TBI (n = 57) were administered the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Combat Exposure Scale, Word Memory Test, and the Self-Awareness of Deficits Interview. Neuropsychological instruments included the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, Letter and Category Fluency, Trail-Making Test-Parts A and B, Christiansen H-abbreviated, Soper Neuropsychology Screen, Wechsler Memory Scale subtests Logical Memory I and II, and the Street Completion Test. The mTBI group performed significantly worse on all of the executive and nonexecutive measurements with the exception of Category Fluency, after controlling for age, depression effort, and combat exposure. Depression and combat exposure were greater for the mTBI group. The mTBI group scored poorer on effort, but only the Multiple Choice subtest was significant. The mTBI group had good awareness of their deficits.
Extension services, product quality and yields: the case of grapes in Argentina

This article studies the impact of publicly subsidized agricultural extension services on yields and product quality. We use panel data from grape producers in Mendoza, Argentina to estimate the impacts of farmer trainings. We find a negative overall impact on yields and evidence of a positive average impact on the adoption of higher-quality grape varieties. By analyzing the dynamic pattern of the estimated effects, we find evidence of a temporary decrease in yields suggesting the existence of an adjustment process following the introduction of higher-quality grapes. The overall negative effect on yield is driven by a sharp drop in the year of participation. This fades after year one, and two to three years after treatment we observe increases in higher-quality grape production. Findings reinforce the importance of temporal dimension of extension services.
Homosexual rape and sexual selection in acanthocephalan worms

Acanthocephalan males have cement glands associated with the vas deferens, secretions from which seal the female vagina with a cap after copulation and so prevent subsequent insemination. Homosexual rape results in the male victim having the genital region sealed off with cement and effectively removed from the reproductive population. Sperm and cement are transferred to females during copulation, but apparently only cement is transferred to males during homosexual rape. Acanthocephalans conform to a parental investment model, and we interpret the evolution of the cement gland and sexual behavior as the result of sexual selection.
Water relations of Julolaelaps sp. (Mesostigmata: Iphiopsididae), with inferences on its biology

Abstract Water balance characteristics were determined for an African millipede mite, Julolaelaps sp. (Mesostigmata: Iphiopsididae), to discover its primary source of water. Features of this mite are a fast net water loss rate, consistent with its tropical origin, and the ability to absorb water vapor from the air. The gnathosoma, probably the mouth, is the site of uptake based on wax blocking. No “group effect” with regard to water loss was evident. Insight into the biology and ecology of this poorly-studied mite are derived from its water balance profile.
The effects of creativity and intelligence on teacher ratings.

Summary. The present study is concerned with the relationships between creativity and intellectual ability of student teachers and ratings of their effectiveness by pupils who differ in social class and creativity. The results indicate that teachers who score high on indices of intellectual ability and creativity or low on both of these indices are rated more favourably by their pupils than teachers who score high on only one of these indices. Further, teachers who score high or low on both indices are rated more favourably by pupils high in creativity and high in social class.
A technique for constructing non‐embeddable quasi‐residual designs

We propose a technique for constructing two infinite families of non-embeddable quasi-residual designs as soon as one such design satisfying certain conditions exists. The main tools are generalized Hadamard matrices and balanced generalized weighing matrices. Starting with a specific non-embeddable quasi-residual 2-(27,9,4) design, we construct for every positive integer m a non-embeddable 2-(3m,3m−1,(3m−1−1)/2)-design, and, if rm=(3m−1)/2 is a prime power, we construct for every positive integer n a non-embeddable design. For each design in these families, a symmetric design with the corresponding parameters is known to exist. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Combin Designs 10: 160–172, 2002; Published online in Wiley InterScience (www.interscience.wiley.com). DOI 10.1002/jcd.900
Cytogenetics of chronic myelogenous leukaemia.

The Philadelphia (Ph) chromosome is present in the leukaemic cells of most patients with chronic myelogenous leukaemia. Variant translocations occur in 10% of patients but breakpoints on chromosomes 9 and 22 remain the same, so prognosis of these patients is unchanged. Clonal evolution is infrequent in chronic phase and its significance depends on the specific chromosome involved, the number of metaphases affected and the timing in the chronic phase. The majority of patients in blastic phase demonstrate clonal evolution; three specific abnormalities (+Ph, +8 and isochromosome 17q) are present in 70% of patients. Loss of the Ph chromosome on therapy is associated with prolonged survival. For monitoring these events conventional G-band cytogenetics (CG) is essential at presentation to characterize the disease cytogenetically, while fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) on hypermetaphase preparations (hypermetaphase FISH (HMF)) is important for establishing the specific frequency of Ph+ cells. During treatment FISH on interphase cells (I-FISH) can monitor the level of Ph+ cells in circulation, while CG may be used to identify any suspected clonal evolution. Where I-FISH is negative, HMF is essential to evaluate minimal residual disease.
A study on an axial crush configuration response of thin-wall, steel box components: The quasi-static experiments

An experimental investigation was performed to study a specific axial crush configuration response of steel, square box components under quasi-static testing conditions. For a specific cross-sectional geometry/fabrication process, test specimens were obtained from commercially produced, welded tube lengths of ASTM A36 and ASTM A513 Type 1 plain low-carbon steels and AISI 316 and AISI 304 austenitic stainless steels. Removable grooved caps were used to constrain tube test specimen ends, and collapse initiators in the form of shallow machined grooves were used to control the initial transverse deformations of the test specimen sidewalls. The progressive plastic deformation for all of the test specimens was restricted to the prototype configuration response (fold formation process and the corresponding axial load-axial displacement curve shape) of the symmetric axial crush mode. Crush characteristics were evaluated and, for each material type, observed differences were less than 7% for maximum and minimum load magnitudes and less than 2% for energy absorption, displacement, and mean load quantities in both the initial phase and the secondary folding phase cycles. Overall, results of the study indicate that for a significant range of material strengths, a controlled and repeatable energy absorption process can be obtained for commercially produced steel box components undergoing symmetric axial crush response.
Spectral resolution and solution of field problems in an anisotropic and compressible medium

It is shown that when source currents are present in a compressible and anisotropic plasma, the longitudinal components of the electric and magnetic fields and the pressure variation satisfy a coupled inhomogeneous equation. Based on the spectral resolution of a square matrix, a general method for the solution of such an equation is presented. The solution of the coupled-wave equation is thus reduced to the evaluation of some simple integrals. Formulas for the determination of the transverse components are given. To demonstrate the simplicity of the method, fields due to a magnetic line source are worked out in detail. Some numerical results are also included.
Role of intraventricular conduction disturbances in ventricular premature systoles.

Ten thousand electrocardiograms were reviewed with reference to intraventricular conduction and ventricular premature systoles. Ventricular premature systoles were found in 444 electrocardiograms, an overall incidence of 4.44 percent. The incidence was small in the presence of normal intraventricular conduction (3.73 percent) and greater in the groups with abnormal intraventricular conduction (9.80 percent), increasing in parallel with the degree of conduction delay. The coupling interval was significantly longer in tracings revealing intraventricular conduction disturbances than in normal tracings. Studies of QRS configuration and mean frontal QRS axis of the dominant and ectopic beats disclosed: (1) a positive correlation between the QRS duration of sinus and premature beats; (2) a significantly greater angle between the QRS axes of sinus and ectopic beats in the presence of abnormal intraventricular conduction; and (3) in groups with intraventricular conduction delay, a QRS axis of premature systoles commonly either directed away from the region of the blocked bundle or suggesting an additional delay in the remaining nonblocked fascicles. From these data we conclude that (1) ventricular premature systoles are more likely to originate from the area of intraventricular conduction delay, and (2) the ectopic impulse seems to invade and at least partially utilize the other fascicles of the Purkinje system for ventricular excitation. The clinical significance of more frequent ventricular premature systoles in patients with cardiac disorders than in normal subjects should be reemphasized.
ANESTHESIA AND BLOOD SAMPLING OF WILD BIG BROWN BATS (EPTESICUS FUSCUS) WITH AN ASSESSMENT OF IMPACTS ON SURVIVAL

We anesthetized and blood sampled wild big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus) in Fort Collins, Colorado (USA) in 2001 and 2002 and assessed effects on survival. Inhalant anesthesia was delivered into a specially designed restraint and inhalation capsule that minimized handling and bite exposures. Bats were immobilized an average of 9.1±5.1 (SD) min (range 1–71, n=876); blood sample volumes averaged 58±12 μl (range 13–126, n=718). We randomly selected control (subject to multiple procedures before release) and treatment (control procedures plus inhalant anesthesia and 1% of body weight blood sampling) groups in 2002 to assess treatment effects on daily survival over a 14-day period for adult female and volant juvenile bats captured at maternity roosts in buildings. We monitored survival after release using passive integrated transponder tag detection hoops placed at openings to selected roosts. Annual return rates of bats sampled in 2001 were used to assess long-term outcomes. Comparison of 14-day maximum-likel...
Polynomial-time approximation of largest simplices in V -polytopes

This paper considers the problem of computing the squared volume of a largest j-dimensional simplex in an arbitrary d-dimensional polytope P given by its vertices (a "V-polytope"), for arbitrary integers j and d with 1 ≤ j ≤ d. The problem was shown by Gritzmann, Klee and Larman to be NP-hard. This paper examines the possible accuracy of deterministic polynomial-time approximation algorithms for the problem. On the negative side, it is shown that unless P = NP, no such algorithm can approximately solve the problem within a factor of less than 1.09. It is also shown that the NP-hardness and inapproximability continue to hold when the polytope P is restricted to be an affine crosspolytope.On the positive side, a simple deterministic polynomial-time approximation algorithm for the problem is described. The algorithm takes as input integers j and d with 1 ≤ j ≤ d and a V-polytope P of dimension d. It returns a j-simplex S ⊂ P such that vol2(T)/vol2(S) ≤ A(Bj)j, where T is any largest j-simplex in P, and A and B are positive constants independent of j, d, P.
Effects of Perturbations on the Performance of Optimum/Adaptive Arrays

An investigation of the effects of system and medium perturbations, and the deviations of signal field statistics from usual assumptions, on the performance of adaptive arrays is presented. The emphasis is placed on the determination of the sensitivity of the adaptive processors to perturbations, rather than its overall performance in a representative background. The numerical results are limited to CW signals, and a frequency domain element space adaptive beam-former is modeled for the majority of the results. Representative comparative results including frequency domain beam space, time domain element space, and matched array processors are also given.
Can financial incentives reduce juvenile confinement levels? An evaluation of the Redeploy Illinois program

Abstract Purpose Assessments of ongoing fiscal restructuring of juvenile justice system processes and the impact such restructuring has on juvenile incarceration rates are limited. When impacts of fiscal restructuring efforts have been assessed, researchers have focused on systemic, macro level changes in incarceration rates but avoided more focused, micro level impacts. This study fills this knowledge gap by examining the recent implementation of the Redeploy Illinois program in two pilot sites. In the Redeploy Illinois program, financial incentives were provided to select counties to develop community based alternatives to incarceration. The goal was to alleviate over reliance on state funded residential facilities for evaluation and confinement purposes. Methods Agency data were analyzed using qualitative methods to examine the effects of this change. Results Results of this study demonstrated that counties participating in the pilot test of the Redeploy Illinois program were able to reduce their levels of juvenile commitment to the state. Peoria County exceeded their reduction benchmark for all but two years, and St. Clair County well exceed their reduction benchmark for all full calendar years subsequent to implementation. Conclusions Findings are consistent with the limited literature exploring fiscal restructuring efforts designed to reduce county levels juvenile commitments.
Lesbian family life, like the fingers of a hand: under-discussed and controversial topics.

Foreword 1. Lesbian Family Life, Like the Fingers of a Hand: Under-Discussed and Controversial Topics Valory Mitchell 2. More than Surface Tension: Femmes in Families Arlene Istar Lev 3. Infidelity: Outlaws and In-Laws and Lesbian Relationships Beverly Burch 4. Just Molly and Me, and Donor Makes Three: Lesbian Motherhood in the Age of Assisted Reproductive Technology Diane Ehrensaft 5. The Masculine Principle in Lesbian Families: A Jungian Understanding Amy Weston 6. Lesbian Mothering in the Context of Intimate Partner Violence Jennifer L. Hardesty, Ramona Faith Oswald, Lyndal Khaw, Carol Fonseca, and Grace H. Chung 7. "Family" Support for Family Violence: Exploring Community Support Systems for Lesbian and Bisexual Women Who Have Experienced Abuse Susan C. Turell and Molly M. Herrmann 8. Lesbians Grieving the Death of a Partner: Recommendations for Practice Debra J. Broderick, Jean M. Birbilis, and Michael F. Steger 9. Feeding the Hand that Bit You: Lesbian Daughters at Mid-Life Negotiating Parental Caretaking Susan Cayleff 10. Adult Daughters whose Mothers Come Out Later in Life: What is the Psychosocial Impact? Kristen Davies 11. May-December Lesbian Relationships: Power Storms or Blue Skies? Cindy M. Bruns 12. Women Aging Together in Community Jane Ariel 13. We Are Family: I Got All My Sisters with Me! Mary Kay Hunyady 14. Choosing Family: Meaning and Membership in the Lesbian Family of Choice Valory Mitchell
Charge carrier dynamics in metalated polymers investigated by optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy.

We report charge carrier dynamics in solid films of a series of metalated polymers based on Pt- and 4,7-di-2′-thienyl-2,1,3,-benzothiadiazole or 4,7-di-2′-thienothienyl-2,1,3,-benzothiadiazole upon photoexcitation of the π−π* transition using optical-pump terahertz-probe spectroscopy. Subpicosecond generated charge carriers recombine within 100 ps, but bound excitons persist. Application of the Drude−Smith model allows for estimation of the intrinsic mobility and internal quantum yield of charge carrier generation in these films. Thermal annealing is found to have no effect on nanometer scale charge transport.