cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Causes and feedbacks to widespread grass invasion into chaparral shrub dominated landscapes

This study provides a unified, holistic framework for predicting the dynamics of shrub-grass conversion throughout Mediterranean-climate shrublands. This work focuses specifically on the California chaparral, which until recently has been considered resistant to invasion by exotic grasses, but in recent years appears to have undergone substantial type conversion. To synthesize current understanding of the feedbacks and anthropogenic impacts that both enhance and reduce the susceptibility of southern California chaparral to invasion and its corresponding ability to recolonize invaded areas. We review the existing literature pertaining to the factors that enhance or reduce the susceptibility of chaparral to invasion, and organize these factors and their interactions into a single unified framework of environmental drivers, ecological interactions, and historical legacies associated with the distribution and rate of such invasion. A myriad of processes interact to mediate the invasion of exotic grasses into intact chaparral. In addition, we demonstrate that feedbacks exist within both chaparral shrublands and exotic grasslands that modify the landscape in ways that can enhance their own survival, act as barriers to conversion into alternate cover types, and in some cases weaken the resistance of adjacent vegetation to invasion. We posit a methodological framework from which the many climatic, anthropogenic, edaphic, and biotic feedbacks that determine the mosaic of invasion can be modeled. This study demonstrates that substantial conversion of chaparral into deciduous grasslands has recently occurred in southern California and presents a unified framework for forecasting the dynamics of shrub-grass conversion throughout Mediterranean-climate shrublands.
Micro- and nano-scale intermetallic phases in AA2070-T8 and their corrosion behavior

Abstract Intermetallic phases on the as-polished surface of the Al-Cu-Li alloy AA2070-T8 were identified and characterized extensively with respect to microstructure and chemical composition using spectroscopic and microscopic techniques and atom probe tomography. This is the first comprehensive report of the intermetallic compounds in the 3rd generation of Al-Cu-Li alloys. A total of eleven compositional classifications and/or crystallographic phases and one GP zone were revealed, with Al7Cu2Fe(Mn) being the most abundant, comprising around 44% of all intermetallic particles. Seven types of large intermetallic compounds were found to be cathodic to the matrix and their nobility generally increases with their noble element content, e.g. Cu and Fe, and decreases with their Al content, which can be further correlated to the cathodic current densities supported by these particles. The intermetallic compound nobility is closely related to the Volta potential difference, which correlates with the extent of trenching around the particles during electrolyte exposure. Corrosion of this alloy in 0.1 M NaCl involves a series of chemical and electrochemical phenomena at the intermetallic compound/matrix/electrolyte interfacial region, including preferential dealloying of the intermetallic compound, galvanic dissolution of the peripheral matrix, trench development, hydrogen evolution at the bottom of trench, and pitting in the bulk alloy. However, after exposure, no clear corrosion attack on or around nm-scale precipitates was observed after exposure times comparable to that for large particles. These findings are essential to understand the material degradation mechanism of this alloy family and provide input into new alloy design.
Come from away: Best practices in mini-sabbaticals for the development of young investigators: a White Paper by the SEQUIN (mini-Sabbatical Evaluation and QUality ImprovemeNt) Group.

Mini-sabbaticals are formal short-term training and educational experiences away from an investigator’s home research unit. These may include rotations with other research units and externships at government research or regulatory agencies, industry and non-profit programs, and training and/or intensive educational programs. The National Institutes of Health have been encouraging training institutions to consider offering mini-sabbaticals, but given the newness of the concept, limited data are available to guide the implementation of mini-sabbatical programs. In this paper, we review the history of sabbaticals and mini-sabbaticals, report the results of surveys we performed to ascertain the use of mini-sabbaticals at Clinical and Translational Science Award hubs, and consider best practice recommendations for institutions seeking to establish formal mini-sabbatical programs.
Right atrial versus right ventricular HeartWare HVAD position in patients on biventricular HeartWare HVAD support: A systematic review.

In patients with biventricular heart failure or refractory right heart failure following HeartWare HVAD placement, off-label placement of a right-sided HeartWare HVAD has been described both in the right ventricular (RV) and right atrial (RA) positions. We sought to evaluate and compare the outcomes of right-sided HeartWare HVAD using the RA versus RV approach. An electronic search was performed in the English literature to identify all reports of left- and right-heart support with HeartWare HVAD. Of the 1,288 articles identified, 13 articles with 56 cases met inclusion criteria. Patient-level data were extracted and analyzed. The median patient age was 52 years (IQR 33.0-59.0) and 40/50 (80.0%) were male. Overall, 21/56 patients (37.5%) had RA HVAD, while 35/56 (62.5%) had RV HVAD. Most underwent concomitant HVAD placement [RA: 17/21 (81.0%) vs. RV: 31/35 (88.6%), P = .69]. In those who did not, the median time between left and right HVAD was 10 days (IQR 7-14) for RA HVAD and 12 days (IQR 8-30) for RV HVAD (P = .77). The median time of support was 351 days (IQR 136-626) for RA HVAD compared to 135 days (IQR 61-244) for RV HVAD (P = .02). Pump thrombosis occurred at a similar rate [RA: 3/10 (30.0%) vs. RV: 6/20 (30.0%), P = 1], as did GI bleeding [RA: 10/35 (28.6%) vs. RV: 5/21 (23.8%), P = .94] during the follow-up time period. Kaplan-Meier analysis when censored for transplant showed higher survival with RA HVAD compared to RV HVAD (P = .036), with an estimated survival at 1 year of 91.7% (95% CI 77.3-100.0) in RA HVAD versus 66.2% (95% CI 48.9-89.6) for RV HVAD. RA HVAD appears to be a viable option for durable right-sided support with outcomes at least comparable to RV HVAD.
Race and Retribution: An Empirical Study of Implicit Bias and Punishment in America

Retribution stands at the forefront of America’s criminal justice system. Yet, as Justice Anthony Kennedy cautioned, retribution is also the motive for punishment that “most often can contradict the law’s own ends.” This Article proposes, and then tests empirically, the existence of a novel contradiction of retribution — the idea that race and retribution have become automatically and inextricably intertwined in the minds of Americans. The study we present in this Article demonstrates that the core support for retribution’s use has been shaken by implicit racial bias. Our national empirical study, conducted with over 500 jury-eligible citizens, shows that race cannot be separated from the concept of retribution itself. The study finds, for example, that Americans automatically associate the concepts of payback and retribution with Black and the concepts of mercy and leniency with White. Furthermore, the study showed that the level of a person’s retribution-race implicit bias predicted how much they supported retribution as a desirable punishment rationale — the stronger the anti-Black implicit racial bias they held, the more likely they were to harbor retributivist views of criminal punishment. Contextualized within the racial history of America’s criminal justice system, as well as the continued racial disparities in the criminal justice system, the results of our empirical study have wide-ranging implications for legislative enactments, constitutional challenges to harsh punishment practices, and even for the reduction of excessive force against civilians in the context of policing.
A phase Ib/II trial of perioperative intratumoral MVA-BN-brachyury (MVA) plus systemic PROSTVAC and atezolizumab (Atezo) for intermediate-risk and high-risk localized prostate cancer (AtezoVax).

TPS382Background: Many patients with intermediate or high-risk localized prostate cancer relapse after prostatectomy, identifying an unmet need. Cancer vaccines increase the infiltrating lymphocyte...
Princess of Mathematics

The leading number theorists at the turn of the nineteenth century were Legendre and Gauss, and right between these two great men we always find Sophie Germain.
Amblyomma americanum and Ixodes scapularis (Acari: Ixodidae) within the Capital Beltway and Associated Human Pathogens in Greenbelt National Park, Maryland (USA)

Abstract Populations of host-seeking blacklegged tick, Ixodes scapularis (Say) and lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum (L.), nymphs were monitored at selected sites for 4 yr and at additional rand...
Performance metrics for online seizure prediction

Abstract Many recent studies on online seizure prediction from iEEG signal describe various prediction algorithms and their prediction performance. In contrast, this paper focuses on proper specification of system parameters, such as prediction period, prediction horizon and data-driven characterization of lead seizures. Whereas prediction performance clearly depends on these system parameters many researchers simply set the values of these parameters in an ad hoc manner. Our paper investigates the effect of these system parameters on online prediction performance, using both synthetic and real-life data sets. Therefore, meaningful comparison of methods/algorithms (for online seizure prediction) should consider proper specification of system parameters.
Double-slot antennas on extended hemispherical and elliptical quartz dielectric lenses

In this paper, the theoretical far-field patterns and Gaussianbeam coupling efficiencies are investigated for a double-slot antenna placed on quartz hemispherical lenses with varying extension lengths. The radiation patterns of the double-slot antenna are computed using ray-tracing inside the lens and electric and magnetic field integration on the spherical dielectric surface. The theoretical results are equally valid for double-dipole, log-periodic, and spiral antennas, and are presented in extension length/radius and radius/λ. Therefore, the results yield universal design curves for quartz lenses of different diameters and at different frequencies and using different antennas. The results indicate that forsingle units, there exists a wide range of extension lengths (ext. length/radius=0.61 to 0.76) which result in high Gaussian-coupling efficiencies to moderately highf/# systems. Forimaging array applications with high packing densities, an extension length/radius=0.82 to 0.93 (depending on frequency) will result in peak directivity and highest packing density but lower Gaussian-coupling efficiencies.
Comparison of Terahertz, Microwave, and Laser Power Beaming Under Clear and Adverse Weather Conditions

Wireless transmission of power from point to point has been developed in two predominate electromagnetic frequency ranges: near-infrared and microwave. In this paper, the prospect of wireless power beaming in the terahertz frequency range is explored with emphasis on the role of adverse weather. Link distance, power transmission, and safety performance of near-infrared, microwave, and terahertz power beaming are compared under clear and adverse weather conditions. While infrared power beaming provides the longest link distances of the three under clear weather conditions, terahertz power beaming can provide better performance under adverse weather conditions.
Perceived burdensomeness is a curvilinear, short-term predictor of suicide ideation in a community sample of adults

OBJECTIVE Our primary aim was to test the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide's synergy hypothesis (i.e., the interaction between perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness) in the proximal prediction of suicide ideation, while accounting for quadratic effects. METHOD We used MTurk to recruit participants (N = 478) with a lifetime history of suicidal thoughts and behaviors; they completed two batteries of self-report questionnaires three days apart. RESULTS Contrary to the synergy hypothesis, only suicide ideation and the quadratic effect of perceived burdensomeness at Time 1 were significant predictors of suicide ideation at Time 2. The quadratic effect of perceived burdensomeness indicated a u-shaped function, whereby scores at or above the 80th percentile on perceived burdensomeness at Time 1 had increasingly strong, positive associations with suicide ideation at Time 2, while scores under the 80th percentile were not predictive of suicide ideation at Time 2. Also, thwarted belongingness and suicide ideation at Time 1 were significant predictors of perceived burdensomeness at Time 2. CONCLUSIONS These findings add to a growing literature that does not support the synergy hypothesis and suggests the importance of including nonlinear terms when examining the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide's constructs.
Habitat use of breeding birds in Central European reed beds

To date, there have been few comprehensive studies on habitat preferences of wetland bird communities focusing on European reed bed avifauna. During the years 2016–2017, we collected data on bird communities from 79 observational points distributed within 34 wetlands in the northeast of the Czech Republic ranging in size from 0.76 to 70.42 ha, and relevant environmental factors. We compared habitat use among wetland bird species in relation to these factors and tested their effect on species diversity and the proportion of specially protected species. We found that (1) the number of bird species as well as the number of wetland species were positively correlated with the area of the whole wetland. We also uncovered (2) a significant effect of wetland vegetation cover, percentage of open water surface, vegetation wetness index and distance to road to species abundances. There was a clear gradient along distance from water body/open water surface/vegetation wetness index between the species of water surface and species inhabiting wetland vegetation. The second independent gradient was found along distance of observational point to road. (3) Bush cover and Common Reed cover were positively correlated with diversity index and distance to water body was negatively correlated with diversity index. (4) Percentage of specially protected species increased with distance to road and vegetation wetness index, but decreased with tree cover. (5) We recommend this multi-comparison approach for other wetland areas and propose management practices that may increase attractiveness of wetlands for birds.
Electronically Controlled Unit Cell for Single Layer Reconfigurable Reflect-array Antenna

Ahstract-A novel varactor loaded unit cell for reconfigurable single-layer reflectarray antenna is proposed in this work. The unit cell consists of a varactor loaded conducting pattern printed on the substrate over a ground plane. The phase of the reflected wave is varied by changing voltage across the varactor diode. By tuning varactor diode between 0.02 pF to 0.25 pF we can achieve the phase agility of $360^{\circ}$ at the design frequency of 11 GHz. Despite single layer, the unit cell shows excellent characteristics in terms of phase range, figure of merit, reflection loss, and bandwidth. The proposed unit cell has a unique and novel geometry which attributes to its excellent radiation characteristics. The designed unit-cell structure is a good candidate for low cost and low profile reconfigurable reflectarray antenna designs.
Trends in Hospitalizations and Racial Disparities in Rates of Procedures in Adults Hospitalized with Congenital Heart Disease

Purpose Advancements in care of children with congenital heart disease (CHD) has led to an increasing adult population living with CHD that frequently requires hospitalizations and procedural interventions. We aim to describe temporal trends in hospitalizations and heart failure (HF)-related procedural volume in adults with CHD stratified by race. Methods Hospitalizations for adults ≥18 years with a diagnosis of CHD from January 1, 2000 to December 31, 2017 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were identified. Hospitalizations were trended over years using Poisson regression and expressed as average annual percent change (AAPC), stratified by race. A yearly aggregate sum of HF-related procedures (valvular interventions, heart transplants, and left ventricular assist device implants) similarly trended by race. Results Overall, 1,472,565 hospitalizations were identified. Total as well as primary cardiovascular hospitalizations significantly increased across all races (AAPC: White 8% and 7%, respectively; Black 9% and 9%, Hispanic 8% and 8%, other 7% and 8%). Rates of HF-related procedures were 145 per 1000 hospitalizations in White patients, 57 per 1000 in Black patients, 103 per 1000 in Hispanic patients, and 138 per 1000 in patients of other races. From 2000 to 2017, procedural rates increased in patients of all races: White (130 per 1000 to 163, p Conclusion Rate of hospitalizations and HF-related procedures increased in patients with CHD from 2000 to 2017. Black and Hispanic patients had significantly fewer procedures compared to White patients regardless of insurance type. Further studies are needed to better ascertain the causes behind demographic disparities in procedural volumes in patients with CHD and to raise awareness among patients and providers.
'Enhancing' red cell fate through epigenetic mechanisms.

Purpose of review Transcription of erythroid-specific genes is regulated by the three-dimensional structure and composition of chromatin, which dynamically changes during erythroid differentiation. Chromatin organization and dynamics are regulated by several epigenetic mechanisms involving DNA (de-)methylation, posttranslational modifications (PTMs) of histones, chromatin-associated structural proteins, and higher-order structural changes and interactions. This review addresses examples of recent developments in several areas delineating the interface of chromatin regulation and erythroid-specific lineage transcription. Recent findings We survey and discuss recent studies that focus on the erythroid chromatin landscape, erythroid enhancer-promotor interactions, super-enhancer functionality, the role of chromatin modifiers and epigenetic crosstalk, as well as the progress in mapping red blood cell (RBC) trait-associated genetic variants within cis-regulatory elements (CREs) identified in genome-wide association study (GWAS) efforts as a step toward determining their impact on erythroid-specific gene expression. Summary As one of the best characterized and accessible cell differentiation systems, erythropoiesis has been at the forefront of studies aiming to conceptualize how chromatin dynamics regulate transcription. New emerging technologies that bring a significantly enhanced spatial and temporal resolution of chromatin structure, and allow investigation of small cell numbers, have advanced our understanding of chromatin dynamics during erythroid differentiation in vivo.
Renal Denervation for Patients With Atrial Fibrillation.

During the last decade, several case series and small reports have indicated that pulmonary vein isolation (PVI) in combination with renal denervation (RDN) may increase the rate of atrial fibrillation (AF) freedom in patients with hypertension. We aimed to provide a contemporary systematic overview on the techniques, and the efficacy/safety of RDN on AF recurrence, and the current landscape of ongoing investigation. The recent Evaluate Renal Denervation in Addition to Catheter Ablation to Eliminate Atrial Fibrillation (ERADICATE-AF) trial has demonstrated convincingly that among patients with paroxysmal AF and poorly controlled (but not “resistant”) hypertension, RDN added to catheter ablation, compared with catheter ablation alone, significantly increased the likelihood of freedom from AF at 12 months. RDN has proven to be a unique, effective and safe interventional therapy for the management of AF. Future investigation will likely focus on confirming current findings; expanding the population of eligible patients (eg., non-hypertensives, well controlled hypertensives); determining long-term maintenance of effect and therapeutics.
Self-Cultivation as Moral Education in Chinese Philosophy

Any purported totalizing account of moral education and self-cultivation in Chinese philosophy would be as massive and labyrinthine as the same project if attempted in Western philosophy. Moreover, if such an effort were accomplished, what one would produce is a history of Chinese thinking, not a constructive theory. Even the much narrower project of trying to establish “a Confucian theory of moral education,” or “a Daoist theory,” or “a Buddhist theory,” inevitably finds it quite difficult to harmonize all the voices within a single tradition into a unified narrative: for example, to make all Confucians speak with one voice. In a rather obvious way, the Chinese tendency to insist that their philosophical identity lies in “the three teachings” (sanjiao 三教), rather than in any single stream of thought, is a very direct admission of comfort with a recurring constructivism negotiated by drawing from each new generation, rather than a mono-vocal account once for all. Accordingly, what we offer in this essay is not a comprehensive account of all the permutations of Chinese thought on moral education and self-cultivation, but what could be called “A Statement of Moral Education and Self-Cultivation Built with Chinese Philosophies.” We offer a constructivist project. We set this project out in four sections: Moral Education as Esthetic Development; Self-cultivation as Exhibiting Virtuous Excellence (de 德); The Way to Moral Excellence; and The Self-Cultivated Life as Happiness.
A new approach to study adsorption on shales and other microporous solids via the thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) technique

Abstract Measuring the adsorption of gases in microporous solids like the shales requires accurate knowledge of the solid’s skeletal volume. Helium (He) is commonly used to determine the sample’s skeletal volume based on the assumption that it does not adsorb in these porous media. The validity of such an assumption for microporous solids has been questioned in recent years, and in this study, we show that it is not applicable for the shale we study. We present a new method to measure the adsorption of shale-gas components in shales, which does not require the use of He to measure the solid’s skeletal volume. Since the proposed analysis method relies on the use of dynamic adsorption data, we also propose here a new zero-point correction method for the magnetic suspension balance, which is better suited for the analysis of such data. We employ the new technique to the study of Argon adsorption in Marcellus shales.
Using Small Scale Techniques to Assess Laboratory Learning

The laboratory part of a chemistry courses is considered essential by most chemistry instructors, yet few instructors attempt to assess the laboratory learning with anything other than written lab reports. At best lab reports may only provide feedback on students observational skills, communication skills, and their ability to follow directions, skills that students should have, but are hardly the essence of laboratory training. Those instructors that do attempt to assess students laboratory skills often do so with paper and pencil exams.
A phylogenetic analysis of Diplodocoidea (Saurischia: Sauropoda)

Diplodocoidea includes some of the first well-known sauropod dinosaurs, including such late 19th century and early 20th century discoveries as Apatosaurus, Diplodocus, and Dicraeosaurus. As a consequence of their long history of study, the basic set of suprageneric diplodocoid interrelationships is well resolved, and the diagnostic features of each genus are well established. However, intergeneric relationships are less resolved, including the relationships of putatively basal taxa like Amphicoelias and Haplocanthosaurus, the flagellicaudatan Suuwassea, and the highly specialized rebbachisaurids. For the rebbachisaurids, this uncertainty is coupled with a recent surge in the discovery of new taxa. Comparative cladistic methods demonstrate that character and taxon sampling need to be improved before greater phylogenetic resolution can be expected. Here, I present a new phylogenetic analysis that resolves many of the outstanding questions regarding the relationships within Diplodocoidea and examines palaeobiogeographical trends within the group. Suuwassea is recovered as a basal dicraeosaurid (the only Laurasian member of the group), and two distinct clades of rebbachisaurids are identified: a group closely allied with Nigersaurus and a clade associated with Limaysaurus. Amphicoelias, Amazonsaurus, and Haplocanthosaurus are provisionally placed as successively less-derived taxa at the base of Diplodocoidea. A North American origin for Diplodocoidea and Flagellicaudata is hypothesized based on the geographical and temporal distribution of those taxa. Rebbachisaurid taxa demonstrate a South American/African vicariance pattern, but the timing of the event pre-dates the proposed final rifting of those continents by c. 40 million years; the meaning of this discrepancy is uncertain. © 2011 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2011, 161, 872–915.
Symbolic Dynamics and Convolutional Codes

Convolutional codes and their encoders are examined in a symbolic dynamics setting. Two previously unrelated areas of dynamics are used. The first is the Adler-Coppersmith-Hassner formulation of the finite memory channel coding problem. The second is the Kitchens-Schmidt use of algebraic duality to define and examine algebraic dynamical systems. Convolutional codes and their encoders are seen as lying in the intersection of these two areas. Codes, encoders, memory, distances and other invariants are examined in this framework.
Role of Regulation in Minimizing Terrorist Threats Against the Food Supply: Information, Incentives, and Penalties

Ringing alarm bells as he announced his resignation as Secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, Tommy Thompson posited: “I, for the life of me, cannot understand why the terrorists have not . . . attacked our food supply because it is so easy to do.”1 The seeming ease of a terrorist attack on the United States food supply evokes the obvious question of what steps should be taken to minimize the threat. Determining what steps should be taken and implementing those steps naturally turns our attention to the government’s important role in protecting the safety of the nation’s food supply from terrorist attacks. The government’s role in protecting the safety of the nation’s food supply has historically depended on two factors: first, incremental legislation and regulation in response to specific problems, and second, effective coordination and cooperation among regulatory authorities and other public and private stakeholders. These factors remain the same even when the government is responding to terrorist threats against
Studies of Nondefective Adenovirus 2-Simian Virus 40 Hybrid Viruses. VI. Characterization of the DNA from Five Nondefective Hybrid Viruses

Abstract Certain biophysical characteristics of the DNA from each of the five nondefective adenovirus 2 (Ad2)-simian virus 40 (SV40) hybrid viruses (Ad2+ND1, Ad2+ND2, Ad2+ND3, Ad2+ND4, Ad2+ND5) have been determined. The guanine plus cytosine content varied from 55 to 57% and was not significantly different from that of nonhybrid Ad2 (56%), and the hybrid DNA molecules had mean molecular lengths which were similar to that of the standard, Ad2. The Ad2 and SV40 components of each hybrid were linked by alkali-resistant, presumably covalent bonds. The percentage of SV40 DNA in each hybrid virus was determined by hybridization with SV40 complementary RNA in a calibrated system. The results indicate that each hybrid virus DNA contains a different percentage of SV40 nucleotide sequences. The estimated size of the SV40 DNA component varies from 48,000 daltons for Ad2+ND3 to 840,000 daltons for Ad2+ND4, the latter being equivalent to between one-fourth and one-third of the SV40 genome.
Improving Offset Assignment on Embedded Processors Using Transformations

Embedded systems consisting of the application program ROM, RAM, the embedded processor core and any custom hardware on a single wafer are becoming increasingly common in areas such as signal processing. In this paper, we address new code optimization techniques for embedded fixed point DSP processors which have limited on-chip program ROM and include indirect addressing modes usingpost increment and decrement operations. These addressing modes allow for efficient sequential access but the addressing instructions increase code size. Most of the previous approaches to the problem aim to find a placement or layout of variables in the memory so that it is possible to subsume explicit address pointer manipulation instructions into other instructions as a post-increment or post-decrement operation. Our solution is aimed at transforming the access pattern by using properties of operators such as commutativity so that current algorithms for variable placement are more effective.
A fast natural Newton method

Nowadays, for many tasks such as object recognition or language modeling, data is plentiful. As such, an important challenge has become to find learning algorithms which can make use of all the available data. In this setting, called "large-scale learning" by Bottou & Bousquet (2008), learning and optimization become different and powerful optimization algorithms are suboptimal learning algorithms. While most efforts are focused on adapting optimization algorithms for learning by efficiently using the information contained in the Hessian, Le Roux et al. (2008) exploited the special structure of the learning problem to achieve faster convergence. In this paper, we investigate a natural way of combining these two directions to yield fast and robust learning algorithms.
Half-orthogonal sets of idempotents

We improve several results in the literature focused on lifting idempotents, by either removing the lifting hypothesis or weakening other assumptions. We prove that countable sets of idempotents, which are orthogonal modulo an enabling ideal, lift to orthogonal idempotents. Left associates of liftable idempotents also lift modulo the Jacobson radical. Additionally, we exhibit situations when half-orthogonal sets of idempotents can be orthogonalized by multiplying by a unit. We finish by proving a number of results on directs sums of modules with the exchange property.
Control of Coccidiosis in Turkeys with Diclazuril and Monensin: Effects upon Performance and Development of Immunity to Eimeria Species

The effects of diclazuril and monensin, when included in the feed of turkeys from 0 to 10 wk, upon performance and development of immunity to Eimeria species was investigated. Birds were initially inoculated with a low dose of oocysts of three species of Eimeria at 3, 5, 7, and 9 days of age in order to simulate a natural infection. Weight gain and feed intake from 0 to 6 wk of age was significantly greater in medicated birds compared with those that received no anticoccidial medication. Weight gain and feed intake from 6 to 10 wk was greater in birds that received diclazuril than in unmedicated birds. No differences in performance were evident after drug withdrawal from 10 to 16 wk. Immunity to Eimeria species developed by 10 wk in birds that received no anticoccidial medication but did not develop in those given diclazuril or monensin.
A hypothesis concerning patterns of deoxynucleotide metabolism in tumors in relation to rate of cell proliferation.

Abstract It is suggested that the greatly varying proliferative rates of different tumors are directly related to the ability of the tumors to furnish the precursors for DNA; namely, the four principal deoxynucleotide triphosphates. This ability, in turn, is dependent on the balance between synthesis and degradation of these precursors. Since the proliferative rates differ greatly, this intimates that the patterns of deoxynucleotide metabolism vary considerably in tumors. Supporting data for this concept is given from a study of deoxynucleotide deamination in several transplantable rat hepatomas which show large variations, in different directions, from normal liver. Some of the factors that might be operating, at the genetic and enzyme level, to bring about unique patterns in deoxynucleotide metabolism in tumors, are considered.
Torsional energy levels and wave functions

A numerical method for solving the approximate Schrodinger equation (SE) for a single internal motion is presented. In the SE the reduced moment of inertia I(Φ) and potential energy V(Φ) are expressed as functions of the torsional angle Φ. Molecular examples include ethane, chloroethane, and 1,2-dichloroethane for which I(Φ) and V(Φ) have been derived from the HF/6-31G . optimized geometries and energies at Φ increments of 30°. The resulting potential energy curves, energy levels, and wave functions are shown graphically
Simultaneous Determination of Ionization Constants and Isoelectric Points of 12 Hydroxy-s-Triazines by Capillary Zone Electrophoresis and Capillary Isoelectric Focusing

Capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) was used to separate and determine simultaneously the pK1, pK2, and pI values of 12 environmentally relevant hydroxytriazines (hydroxymetabolites of atrazine, terbuthylazine, simazine, and propazine and four (arylamino)-s-triazines) and observe the effects of the alkylamino and arylamino substituents on the measured values. Capillary isoelectric focusing (CIEF) methods were developed to measure the pI of these compounds and compare those values with the CZE-measured pI's. CZE and CIEF can provide accurate pK and pI values reasonably fast, and pI values measured by the two techniques agree. Knowledge of the pK and pI values of hydroxytriazines is important for an understanding of the binding mechanisms of these molecules in environmental matrices. Because the hydroxytriazines may exist as a myriad of speciesneutral, charged, zwitterionic, and keto−enol tautomeric depending on structure and pH, we briefly addressed the existence of these species relative to their electro...
Performance measurement of commercial electronic still picture cameras

Commercial electronic still picture cameras need a low-cost, systematic method for evaluating the performance. In thispaper, we present a measurement method to evaluating the dynamic range and sensitivity by constructing the opto-electromcconversion function (OECF), the fixed pattern noise by the peak SIN ratio (PSNR) and the image shading function (1SF), andthe spatial resolution by the modulation transfer function (MTF). The evaluation results ofindividual color components andthe luniinance signal from a PC camera using SONY interlaced CCD array as the image sensor are then presented.Keywords: electronic still picture camera, digital still camera, opto-electromc conversion function, dynamic range, fixedpattern noise, image shading function, spatial resolution, modulation transfer function.
Uterine sarcomas. Natural history, treatment and prognosis

Seventy-three documented cases of uterine sarcoma were treated at the University of Rochester Strong Memorial Hospital from 1955 to 1975. Thirty-three patients (45%) were treated with surgery only [S], 31 (43%) with surgery and radiation [S + R], and 9 (12%) with radiation alone [R]. A review of the literature with over 900 cases was also performed. Several important issues regarding these rare tumors are addressed, such as the prognosis of the several histologic variants, the role of radiation therapy in their management and what perhaps may constitute a comprehensive therapeutic approach. These tumors are characterized by local aggressiveness and early widespread dissemination. There are three main histologic varieties: mixed mesodermal sarcoma (MMS), leiomyosarcoma (LMS) and endometrial stromal sarcoma (ESS). Of the three, MMS was the most common, seen in 60% of the cases; LMS occurred in younger patients and tended to be localized to the uterine corpus (Stage I) in 80% of the instances. Tumor extent at diagnosis was the main prognosticator for survival in uterine sarcomas; patients with Stage I tumors had a significantly lower incidence of recurrences, as well as a better survival than patients with more advanced tumors. Stage-by-stage, there were no significant differences in survival among the pathologic variants. To ensure adequate staging, a surgical procedure is recommended first whenever possible. Adjuvant radiation therapy significantly improved disease controlability in the pelvis, although it may not have dramatically affected the final outcome. In addition to pelvic irradiation, some form of systemic therapy should be administered to decrease distant metastases.
Duplicity in a Committee report on diet and coronary heart disease.

Abstract The most recent American Heart Association Committee on Nutrition Report, “Diet and Coronary Heart Disease,” is examined for the applicability of its quoted references. It is concluded that the A.H.A.-advised diet, which includes 10 per cent saturated fats, 10 per cent monounsaturated fats, and up to 10 per cent polyunsaturated fats, should not be recommended for use by all Americans. There are serious unresolved questions concerning the expected benefits and the potential risks of such a glut of polyunsaturated oils for life-long use. There is no known large population group that consumes a diet up to 10 per cent of which is polyunsaturated oils.
Inventing Local Democracy: Grassroots Politics in Brazil. By Rebecca Neaera Abers. Boulder, CO, and London: Lynne Rienner, 2000. 269p. $59.95.

In this case study of participatory democracy in Porto Alegre, Brazil, Rebecca Neaera Abers examines one aspect of the participatory democracy program implemented by the Par- tido dos Trabalhadores (PT), the Workers' Party, in Porto Alegre: the participatory budget process. In that process, people at the grassroots make policy decisions that the government is committed to implement. The PT took office in 1989, and Abers follows its participatory budget process from 1989 to 1997.
Harm reduction in U.S. tobacco control: Constructions in textual news media.

Abstract Background U.S. tobacco control has long emphasized abstinence, yet quitting smoking is hard and cessation rates low. Tobacco harm reduction alternatives espouse substituting cigarettes with safer nicotine and tobacco products. Policy shifts embracing tobacco harm reduction have increased media attention, yet it remains controversial. Discourse theory posits language as fluid, and socially constructed meaning as neither absolute nor neutral, elevating certain views over others while depicting "discursive struggle" between them. While an abstinence-based framework dominates tobacco policy, discourse theory suggests constructions of nicotine and tobacco use can change, for example by positioning tobacco harm reduction more favorably. Methods Textual discourse analysis was used to explore constructions of tobacco harm reduction in 478 (308 original) U.S. textual news media articles spanning 1996–2014. Using keyword database sampling, retrieved articles were analyzed first as discrete recording units and then to identify emergent thematic content. Results Constructions of tobacco harm reduction shifted over this time, revealing tension among industry and policy interests through competing definitions of tobacco harm reduction, depictions of its underlying science, and accounts of regulatory matters including tobacco industry support for harm reduction and desired marketing and taxation legislation. Conclusions Heightened salience surrounding tobacco harm reduction and electronic cigarettes suggests their greater acceptance in U.S. tobacco control. Various media depictions construct harm reduction as a temporary means to cessation, and conflict with other constructions of it that place no subjective value on continued "safer" tobacco/nicotine use. Constructions of science largely obscure claims of the veracity of tobacco harm reduction, with conflict surrounding appropriate public health benchmarks for tobacco policy and health risks of nicotine use. Taxation policies and e-cigarette pricing relative to cigarettes are key for wider adoption, while concerns are raised for whether their availability will increase initiation.
Smartphone Apps for Orthopaedic Surgeons

Background The use of smartphones and their associated applications (apps) provides new opportunities for physicians, and specifically orthopaedic surgeons, to integrate technology into clinical practice.
A FREQUENCY-BASED EQUATION OF STATE FOR METALS

An analytical equation of state is offered for metals. The form, which arises when the complementary solution to the Gruneisen cold curve is mapped on to a term in the universal lattice potential, is expressible completely in terms of the characteristic temperature, Θ, and its derivatives. For one particularly useful special case, the results have been found to match both cold-curve and shock-Hugoniot data for a variety of metals. The equation is of the Gruneisen variety, in that the Gruneisen parameter is specified as a function of volume only. The equation is able to accurately model the behavior of many materials into the megabar range of pressures.
Serum ionized calcium, as well as phosphorus and parathyroid hormone, is associated with the plasma 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 concentration in normal postmenopausal women

Serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and low-normal serum phosphorus (P) concentrations have well-known trophic effects on renal 1-hydroxylase. A role for serum ionized calcium (Ca2+) in the day-to-day regulation of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 [1,25-(OH)2D3] has not been identified in normal humans. The associations between serum Ca2+, PTH, P, and plasma 1,25-(OH)2D3 were evaluated in a cross-sectional study of 275 healthy postmenopausal women. Partial correlations of Ca2+, PTH, and P (each controlled for the other two) with 1,25-(OH)2D3 were sought within quintiles of Ca2+. At low-normal concentrations (less than 1.26 mmol/liter, quintile 1) Ca2+ was inversely correlated with 1,25-(OH)2D3 (rp = -0.30, p = 0.028). At mid-normal concentrations Ca2+ was not significantly correlated with 1,25-(OH)2D3. At high-normal concentrations (greater than 1.32 mmol/liter, quintile 5) Ca2+ attenuated the positive associations of both PTH and low-normal P with 1,25-(OH)2D3. In quintile 5 Ca2+, PTH, and P together accounted for none of the variability in 1,25-(OH)2D3 (R2 = 0.03, p = 0.671). Women with Ca2+ below 1.32 mmol/liter were next examined by quintile of P. As expected, at low-normal concentrations (less than 1.03 mmol/liter, quintile 1) P was significantly correlated with 1,25-(OH)2D3 (rp = -0.32, p = 0.047). The association between PTH and 1,25-(OH)2D3 was statistically significant only at mid-normal concentrations of P (rp = 0.52, p = 0.001, quintile 3). We conclude that Ca2+, along with PTH and P, is associated with the plasma concentration of 1,25-(OH)2D3 in normal postmenopausal women.
The growth of Au films on graphite in ultra-high vacuum

The nucleation and growth of Au films evaporated onto thin single crystal graphite substrates was studied by examining the film intact with the substrate using transmission electron microscopy and diffraction. Films were prepared by evaporation at 1 to 2 A/s at a pressure of ≈ 10−9 Torr. Both baked and unbaked graphite crystals were employed using substrate temperatures between room temperature and 350 °C. Films condensed on substrates at 300 to 350 °C which had been baked at 1250 °C just prior to evaporation exhibited classical growth behavior like that of Au on MoS2. At the other extreme, films condensed on unbaked substrates at room temperature exhibited more extensive substrate coverage, a smaller grain size, non-geometrically-shaped nuclei, and more of an epitaxial orientation than in the former case. A (111) texture was observed in all cases. The different growth modes may be explained by the effect of the baking procedure on gaseous surface contaminants. Die Keimbildung und das Wachstum von auf dunnen einkristallinen Graphitsubstraten aufgedampften Au-Schichten wurden durch Transmissionselektronenmikroskopie und Beugungsmessungen der unverletzten Schicht zusammen mit dem Substrat untersucht. Die Schichten wurden durch Aufdampfen von 1 bis 2 A/s bei einem Druck von 10−9 Torr hergestellt. Sowohl ausgeheizte wie auch nicht ausgeheizte Graphitkristalle wurden bei Substrattemperaturen zwischen Zimmertemperatur und 350 °C verwendet. Die Schichten, die bei 300 bis 350 °C auf unmittelbar vor dem Aufdampfen bei 1250 °C ausgeheizten Substraten kondensierten, zeigten klassisches Wachstumsverhalten wie das von Au auf MoS2. Als entgegengesetztes Extrem zeigten Schichten, die auf nichtausgeheizten Substraten bei Zimmertemperatur aufgedampft wurden, eine ausgedehntere Substratbedeckung, eine geringere Korngrose, nicht geometrisch geformte Keime und eine starkere epitaxiale Orientierung als im vorigen Fall. Eine (111)-Textur wurde in allen Fallen beobachtet. Die verschiedenen Wachstumsmoden konnen durch den Einflus des Ausheizens von gasformigen Oberflachenverunreinigungen erklart werden.
Taro response to different iron levels in hydroponic solution

Abstract Iron (Fe) deficiency is a nutritional problem limiting crop production worldwide. To determine the response of taro [Colocasia esculenta (L.) Schott cv. Bun Long] to Fe deficiency, taro propagules were grown for 35 days in hydroponic solutions with six initial levels of Fe (0, 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, and 20 μM). Taro plants grown in the 0 μM Fe level solution exhibited severe chlorosis of the leaf blades and abnormal root morphology characterized by reduced lateral root formation. Dry weights of leaf blades, roots, and petioles, total biomass, and leaf area were significantly lower in the 0 μM Fe treatment than in the other treatments. However, there were no significant differences in these parameters among treatments in the range of 1.25 to 20 μM Fe. Segmented regression models best described both the effect of initial Fe levels on leaf blade Fe content (R2=0.98), and the relationship between leaf blade dry weight and leaf blade Fe content (R2=0.92). The critical Fe level in leaf blades is probably no...
On the origin of the solar system, I

The principal dynamical properties of the planetary and satellite systems listed in Section 2 require these bodies to have condensed in highly-flattened nebulae which provided the dissipation forces that produced the common directions of orbital motion, and the lowe andi values. Minimum masses of these nebulae can be estimated on the assumption that the initial solar abundances apply, starting from the empirical data on present planetary and satellite compositions and masses.
Substrate-induced growth of nanostructured zinc oxide films at room temperature using concepts of biomimetic catalysis.

By kinetically controlled vapor-diffusion catalysis, nanostructured ZnO and Zn5(OH)8(NO3)3·2H2O thin films have been grown on substrates with different chemical compositions and varying degrees of crystallinity. The materials resulting from heterogeneous nucleation under mild conditions (starting from aqueous metal salt precursor solutions at room temperature) were characterized by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy to determine the influence of the substrates on the overall chemical composition, crystallinity, and morphology of the films.