cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Comparison of light- and temperature-based index models for potato ( Solanum tuberosum L.) growth and development

Robust and simple methods of normalizing for the weather of particular growing seasons enable improved in-season decisions, such as supplemental fertilizer timing. Common methods involve expressing the progress of the season in terms of degree-days or cumulative incident solar radiation, in contrast to days after planting or emergence. This study compared a newly introduced temperature-derived variable, “relative thermal index” (RTI) based on a modified beta distribution model, with growing degree day (GDD), physiological day (Pday), and cumulative photosynthetically active radiation (PAR), for their ability in normalizing for seasonal differences in growth and development of well-managed commercial potato fields of cvs Russet Burbank and Russet Norkotah in humid, temperate central Wisconsin. The proposed RTI was superior to all other investigated variables in reducing the standard deviation of crop mass among field-years through full canopy development, after which PAR became the more powerful normalization. Values of 15, 27, and 30 RTI corresponded to tuber initiation onset, canopy full interception of light, and tuber-bulking onset, respectively, for both varieties; RTI values were more consistent across the two varieties for these stages than were other variables. Presumably RTI was superior to other thermal time indices because it more appropriately reflected the dependence of potato growth rate on relatively cool temperatures.
Relativistic stellar systems with spindle singularities

We develop a method for constructing axisymmetric star clusters in general relativity. The method yields a self-consistent numerical solution of the relativistic Vlasov equation coupled to Einstein's equations for the gravitational field. We apply the method to construct equilibrium sequences of prolate relativistic clusters. The limiting members of these sequences contain spindle singularities. Because the clusters are equilibria, we can be certain that no black holes are present. The limiting behavior of these sequences resembles the singular endpoint found in recent dynamical simulations of prolate cluster collapse
Investigation of membrane fouling and cleaning using ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry

Abstract Progress in developing a means for control and prevention of fouling has been impeded by the lack of a suitable noninvasive fouling-measurement technique. In addition, fouling remediation strategies have traditionally relied upon the end-of-the-cycle recovery of productivity for estimating the degree of fouling removal. This paper describes the application of ultrasonic time-domain reflectometry (TDR) for real-time measurement of membrane fouling layer growth and its removal. The experimental results obtained using an automated reverse osmosis system under controlled pressure, temperature and CaSO 4 feed-concentration conditions show that ultrasonic signal amplitude measurements provide a sensitivity to the dynamics of fouling-layer growth that is comparable to that obtained from the flux-decline behavior. For experiments conducted at axial velocities of 4.6 and 9.8 cm/s ( Re = 178 and 379, respectively), a sequential two-mode CaSO 4 fouling layer growth was observed; the layer growth occurred as randomly-oriented rosettes initially, followed by the growth of laterally-oriented flat crystals during the later stages. Ultrasonic TDR measurements were capable of distinguishing these two modes of growth. Overall, the implications of the ultrasonic TDR behavior with respect to fouling were confirmed by independent measurement techniques. The ultrasonic technique was also successfully employed for monitoring membrane cleaning at ambient conditions. The end-of-the-cleaning-cycle membrane characterization showed that the ultrasonic measurements correspond well with the permeability recovery and surface analysis.
Calculation of Pressure‐Broadened Linewidths of SO2 and NO2

Self‐broadened and foreign‐gas (N2 and O2) broadened linewidths of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide have been calculated using the Anderson‐Tsao‐Curnutte theory of line broadening. Computed values of linewidths are in good agreement with all the available experimental results and reported theoretical calculations by Murphy and Boggs on four self‐broadened and one nitrogen‐broadened line based upon the theory developed by them. Air‐broadened linewidths have been calculated for SO2 at 200, 250, and 300°K. These results should be useful in predicting theoretical spectra of SO2 under atmospheric conditions. Such spectra are important in spectroscopic techniques for monitoring SO2.
A COUNTY-LEVEL ASSESSMENT OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN APPALACHIA USING SIMULTANEOUS EQUATIONS

Entrepreneurship is now recognized as a strategy to achieve economic growth in many regions. The goal of this paper is to increase the understanding of entrepreneurship's contributions to economic growth and its potential as a development strategy for a region, such as Appalachia, characterized by poverty and underdevelopment. Using data on Appalachian counties, a system of simultaneous equations is empirically estimated to measure the effects of entrepreneurship on economic growth and development. An expanded Carlino-Mills growth model is used where changes in population, employment and per capita income represent measures of growth. Proprietorship and firm formation rate data are used to measure entrepreneurial activity. The results show start-up businesses contribute significantly to determining population growth. Employment growth is positively affected by self-employment rates as well as by firm formation rates. In terms of policy implications, the paper recommends the creation of an environment to encourage entrepreneurial activity as a strategy to battle unemployment. It concludes that regional policy makers need to renew their efforts to support the growth of self-employment and sustain the existing firms.
Differentiation of schizophrenics and normal controls is enhanced by the Goodin subtraction procedure.

The P300 event-related potential as calculated by the Goodin subtraction procedure (P300g) combines attentive and inattentive condition waveforms in order to isolate components specifically related to target stimulus processing. The waveform was compared with the more commonly employed unsubtracted P300 waveform associated with attended infrequent stimuli (P300ia). The P300g produced the largest overall schizophrenic and control group differences in mean integrated amplitude compared with the P300ia. A group by scalp region interaction in the P300g. indicative of group topographic alterations, was also noted which was not present in the unsubtracted P300ia. Furthermore, the P300g pinpointed the single best scalp region (left temporal) for maximal group separation. This temporal asymmetry was found to originate in the inattentive condition waveforms, indicating a possible abnormality in “nonvoluntary” processing. We conclude that combining attentive and inattentive condition waveforms to form the P300g enh...
Pulsed silicon double-drift IMPATTs for microwave and millimetre-wave applications

The letter describes silicon double-drift IMPATT diodes designed for operation at microwave and millimetre-wave frequencies. These devices have delivered pulsed-power outputs of 16 W with 12.3% efficiency in the X band, 11 W with 14% efficiency in the KU band, and 6.4 W with 5.3% efficiency in the Ka band. These results, when combined with the demonstrated high reliability of silicon IMPATTS, should lead to the wide application of double-drift devices in pulsed-radar systems.
Defoliation Effects on Production and Nutritive Value of Four Irrigated Cool-Season Perennial Grasses

Irrigated cool-season perennial grasses are becoming an important complementary forage source in the Central Plains. A study was conducted to evaluate effects of clipping stubble height on dry matter (DM) production, growth rate, tiller density, and nutrient content of smooth bromegrass (Bromus inermis Leyss.) orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.), creeping foxtail (Alopecurus arundinaceus Poir.), and meadow bromegrass (Bromus riparius Rhem.) under irrigated conditions on a Cozad silt loam soil (fine-silty, mixed, mesic Typic Haplustoll). Clipping treatments (35-cm canopy height cut to 7-, 14-, and 21-cm stubble heights) were applied to monoculture plots of these species for two growing seasons in a randomized complete block design. Stubble height effects on total DM production varied by species (P< 0.05). For orchardgrass and meadow bromegrass, DM production was similar at the 14- and 21-cm stubble heights (22.22 Mg ha -1 ), but significantly greater than production at the 7-cm stubble height (14.03 Mg ha -1 ).In contrast, DM production of smooth bromegrass and creeping foxtail was significantly greater at each successively higher stubble height. End-of-season tiller density of the 7-cm stubble height treatment was about 50% of the tiller density of the 14-cm and 21-cm stubble height treatments. Stubble height effects on nutritive value varied by species and clipping period. Stubble height did not affect crude protein (CP) content of creeping foxtail, but CP was lower at the 7-cm height for the other species. Defoliation strategies that maintain adequate residual herbage will optimize production of nutrient dense forage and maintain tiller density.
Pollen and spores of Chile : modern types of the Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, and Angiospermae

(1973). Pollen and spores of Chile: Modern types of the Pteridophyta, Gymnospermae, and Angiospermae. New Zealand Journal of Botany: Vol. 11, No. 2, pp. 389-391.
The Promise of Mindfulness for Clinical Practice Education

This article reviews the recent trend in mindfulness-based psychotherapies and explores the utility of mindfulness training for clinical practice education. It presents the current literature and evidence suggesting that mindfulness training may provide a vehicle to foster essential clinical skills and attitudes, increase self-care and reduce the impact of occupational stress, and prepare students to understand and use mindfulness-based interventions in practice.
Predictors of hyperactive-impulsive-inattention and conduct problems: A comparative follow-back investigation

Disruptive behavior patterns are particularly challenging for parents, teachers, and peers as these behaviors often interfere with classroom instruction, frequently lead to academic underachievement, and are associated with social skills acquisition and performance deficits. Children who exhibit a combination of hyperactivity–impulsivity–inattention and conduct problems (HIA + CP) have been shown to be at greater risk for negative social, behavioral, and legal outcomes than children with HIA-only or CP-only behavior patterns. This investigation explored the degree to which academic, social, and behavioral characteristics in Grade 4 could differentiate sixth-grade students with HIA + CP (n = 61), HIA-only (n = 29), and CP-only (n = 14). Results showed that the HIA-only group had higher academic achievement in Grade 4 as measured by teacher judgments and standardized tests than the HIA + CP and CP-only groups. By Grade 6, the HIA-only and HIA + CP groups showed lower academic competence than the CP-only group suggesting that by sixth grade, children having HIA alone or in combination with conduct problems are at greater risk for academic failure. Additionally, HIA + CP and CP-only groups had poorer social skills than the HIA-only group. Consistent with past research, students in the three risk groups showed no difficulties in either academic or social self-concept. Early screening and identification methods using a multiple-gating model were recommended as a means of proactive approaches to intervention design and prevention. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Psychol Schs 42: 721–736, 2005.
VLSI Materials: A Comparison between Buried Oxide SOI and SOS

High dose oxygen ion implantation in Si has been used to form a 0.48 ?m thick buried oxide layer. The total dose was 2.1 × 1018 0+/cm2 implanted at 150 keV/atom. Epitaxial growth was employed to deposit a 0.38 ?m thick layer on top of the implanted wafers. High quality single crystal Si on the entire 76 mm diameter wafer was acheived. The microstructure of the buried oxide SOI is compared to SOS material.
An Approach to the Synthesis of Polycyclic Peptides

ACCORDING to the cyclol hypothesis of peptide structure1,2, intact peptides may have poly cyclic structures which can be visualized, in part at least, as polycyclizations of peptide chains by means of [CO,HN to C(OH)—N] proton transfers. Here the H of the NH group of one residue is transferred to the CO-group of another : a N—C bond forms and the CO-group is replaced by a tertiary carbinol3. There result multiple as well as the CO–NH single peptide groupings. Fig. 1 shows some structures which emerge when consideration is confined to (1,6) and (3,7) transfers and piperazine and hydantoin rings are formed.
Radiation performance of a monolithic synchronous DC-DC point of load regulator for harsh environments

This work reviews the design and performance of a fully monolithic 6A synchronous buck converter for harsh environments. Radiation test results of total ionizing dose and single event effects are reported for the TPS50601-SP. Extended temperature performance is also discussed. The TPS50601-SP is fabricated in Texas Instruments 7th generation BiCMOS process technology developed for power system products.
A physics-based semiconductor noise model suitable for efficient numerical implementation

A semiconductor device noise model in the framework of semiclassical transport and Pauli's exclusion principle is presented. Terminal current noise is modeled as a direct consequence of electron scattering taking place inside the device at the microscopic level. The approach directly connects electron scattering rates of semiclassical transport theory with the current spectral density at the device terminals. It is shown that the spectral density of steady-state current fluctuations can be obtained from the transient solution of the Boltzmann transport equation with special initial conditions. This formulation is inherently suitable for deterministic solution techniques, for instance, the computationally efficient spherical harmonics method. Approximating the instantaneous value of the occupation number by the occupation probability, this model is able to account for Pauli's principle and at the same time describe the behavior of the electron ensemble in terms of independent entities. As a practical demonstration, the model is employed to compute the current noise spectral density due to generation recombination and acoustic and optical phonon scattering for bulk n-type silicon material. Additionally, in order to add more physical insight and to verify results, the model is also employed to compute the low-frequency current spectral density as a function of the electric field and temperature, respectively. The results show good agreement with low-frequency noise measurements reported in literature.
Is Fruit Juice a “No-no” in Children's Diets?

In addition to milk and other beverages, juices in reasonable quantities (12 fl oz/day or less) provide nutrients infants need while keeping sugar and food energy intakes adequate.
Psychosocial characteristics of adolescents with a past history of dysthymic disorder: comparison with adolescents with past histories of major depressive and non-affective disorders, and never mentally ill controls

Little is known about the psychosocial functioning of persons who have recovered from dysthymic disorder. Such information might be useful in identifying trait markers for dysthymia, and for guiding continuation and maintenance treatment. We explored this issue using data from the Oregon Adolescent Depression Project, a large community-based study of the epidemiology of psychiatric disorders in a high school population. Four groups of adolescents were identified: 38 with a past history of dysthymic disorder; 217 with a past history of major depressive disorder; 142 with a past history of non-affective disorders; and 1079 with no lifetime history of psychopathology. The groups were compared on an extensive battery of psychosocial variables. The most consistent and diagnostically specific finding was that adolescents with a past history of dysthymic disorder reported having a significantly lower level of social support from friends than each of the other three groups of adolescents. Adolescents with a past history of dysthymic disorder also reported significantly higher levels of depressive, internalizing and externalizing symptoms and daily hassles than adolescents with no lifetime history of psychopathology. In addition, they reported higher levels of depressive symptoms and self-consciousness, but fewer externalizing symptoms than adolescents with a past history of non-affective disorders. These data suggest that adolescents with dysthymic disorder continue to experience significant difficulties in psychosocial functioning even after recovery.
Small Schools and the Pressure to Consolidate

Positioned in relationship to reform literature calling for small schools “by design” and interpreting data from a case study of a high performing but low-SES district in a Midwestern state, this paper provides a basis for making sense of the apparent divergence in policies governing schooling structures in rural and urban places. Its interpretation examines the way educational reformers work to valorize a multidimensional set of practices constituting “small school reform.” This reform package is, ironically, to some extent unrelated to what is actually taking place naturally in small schools and districts, where more “traditional” practices are said to be more common. Reformers often regard such practices as deficient, but that judgment seems to disregard empirical findings about school and district size, which typically show that smaller scale itself confers advantages across locales. Moreover, they overlook dynamics such as those revealed in this case study, which demonstrate how smaller scale promotes a close-knit family atmosphere as well as shared commitment to a set of core values. In addition, with smaller scale come structural arrangements that support an ethos of self-sufficiency and openness to
Motion control of impedance-type haptic devices

Impedance type devices are frequently used in haptics due to their excellent rendition of free-space, low cost, and convenience. The spring drive, a recently proposed alternative to the traditional current motor driver for such devices, has been shown to improve their stiffness in rigid contact by moving the haptic coupling from the digital domain to analog circuitry. Unlike the current drive, which operates the motor as a force source, the spring drive converts the motor to a motion source. In this paper we construct a motion-based virtual environment to fully leverage the benefits of operating an impedance device with motion control. This quasi-static environment is connected to a mid-level controller which interfaces with the analog motor drive. A full system analysis and experimental demonstration verify the anticipated performance.
Reduced selection leads to accelerated gene loss in Shigella

The rate of gene loss was studied in the facultative pathogens, E. coli and Shigella , and was found to be greater in the more niche-limited Shigella. This is demonstrated to be due to a genome-wide reduction in the effectiveness of selection. Abstract Background: Obligate pathogenic bacteria lose more genes relative to facultative pathogens, which, in turn, lose more genes than free-living bacteria. It was suggested that the increased gene loss in obligate pathogens may be due to a reduction in the effectiveness of purifying selection. Less attention has been given to the causes of increased gene loss in facultative pathogens. Results: We examined in detail the rate of gene loss in two groups of facultative pathogenic bacteria: pathogenic Escherichia coli, and Shigella. We show that Shigella strains are losing genes at an accelerated rate relative to pathogenic E. coli. We demonstrate that a genome-wide reduction in the effectiveness of selection contributes to the observed increase in the rate of gene loss in Shigella. Conclusion: When compared with their closely related pathogenic E. coli relatives, the more niche-limited Shigella strains appear to be losing genes at a significantly accelerated rate. A genome- wide reduction in the effectiveness of purifying selection plays a role in creating this observed difference. Our results demonstrate that differences in the effectiveness of selection contribute to differences in rate of gene loss in facultative pathogenic bacteria. We discuss how the lifestyle and pathogenicity of Shigella may alter the effectiveness of selection, thus influencing the rate of gene loss.
Design of a Broadcasting Modem for a DC PLC Scheme

A new type of power line carrier communication (PLC) technique is developed to reduce cable requirements for robotic and vehicular systems. An electrical line connecting a dc power supply to motor drives and sensor units is used for transmitting data as well as for delivering the dc power. Unlike conventional ac power line communication, the dc power bus has predictable noise and impedance characteristics that allow for large fanout and high bandwidth. First, the basic architecture of the dc power line communication is presented. Then, a design of a high-fanout modem that uses a Guanella-type transmission line transformer (TLT) is presented. The serial windings and special resonance characteristics of the TLT coupled with a capacitor are exploited to minimize attenuation in high-fanout systems. The modem characteristics including high-frequency parasitic dynamics are analyzed, and the end-to-end line impedance and signal gain are evaluated as the number of nodes goes to infinity. A prototype dc power line communication system is then built, tested, and applied to a design for modular reconfigurable robots
Chirping unit cell length to increase frozen-mode bandwidth in nonreciprocal MPCs

A scheme for increasing the frozen-mode bandwidth of a nonreciprocal magnetic photonic crystal (MPC) has been introduced. Finite-element methods in both the frequency and time domains are used to numerically investigate the dispersion characteristics of both chirped and nonchirped MPC structures. Chirping was observed to increase the bandwidth of the MPC at the expense of lower frozen-mode amplitude. Two applications of chirped MPCs have been suggested: an isolator and delay line
A Sulfur Amino Acid–Free Meal Increases Plasma Lipids in Humans

The content of sulfur amino acid (SAA) in a meal affects postprandial plasma cysteine concentrations and the redox potential of cysteine/cystine. Because such changes can affect enzyme, transporter, and receptor activities, meal content of SAA could have unrecognized effects on metabolism during the postprandial period. This pilot study used proton NMR (1H-NMR) spectroscopy of human plasma to test the hypothesis that dietary SAA content changes macronutrient metabolism. Healthy participants (18–36 y, 5 males and 3 females) were equilibrated for 3 d to adequate SAA, fed chemically defined meals without SAA for 5 d (depletion), and then fed isoenergetic, isonitrogenous meals containing 56 mg·kg−1·d−1 SAA for 4.5 d (repletion). On the first and last day of consuming the chemically defined meals, a morning meal containing 60% of the daily food intake was given and plasma samples were collected over an 8-h postprandial time course for characterization of metabolic changes by 1H-NMR spectroscopy. SAA-free food increased peak intensity in the plasma 1H-NMR spectra in the postprandial period. Orthogonal signal correction/partial least squares-discriminant analysis showed changes in signals associated with lipids, some amino acids, and lactate, with notable increases in plasma lipid signals (TG, unsaturated lipid, cholesterol). Conventional lipid analyses confirmed higher plasma TG and showed an increase in plasma concentration of the lipoprotein lipase inhibitor, apoC-III. The results show that plasma 1H-NMR spectra can provide useful macronutrient profiling following a meal challenge protocol and that a single meal with imbalanced SAA content alters postprandial lipid metabolism.
The Aesthetics of Forestry: What Has Empirical Preference Research Taught Us?

Multiple-use forest management has come to include an attention to scenic values, and methods are being developed to incorporate aesthetic considerations into decision making. A considerable body of scientific research has been conducted exploring public preferences for forest landscapes and intersubjective and contextual influences upon their perception. This research is surveyed. Findings regarding the perception of forest conditions, such as tree density and size, ground cover, species makeup and nonmanagement are considered. The scenic effects of forest treatments such as thinning, burning, and chemical application are outlined. Findings for harvest and regeneration practices such as clear-cutting, shelterwoods, selection cuts, and slash treatments are reported. Advances that consider the effects of time upon forest beauty and experiences are explored, along with a problem in multiple-use evaluation of scenic changes. Research on these topics and on observer intersubjective problems and general theory development is supported as a course of advancement in the field.
Rod outer segment structure influences the apparent kinetic parameters of cyclic GMP phosphodiesterase

Cyclic GMP hydrolysis by the phosphodiesterase (PDE) of retinal rod outer segments (ROS) is a key amplification step in phototransduction. Definitive estimates of the turnover number, kcat, and of the Km are crucial to quantifying the amplification contributed by the PDE. Published estimates for these kinetic parameters vary widely; moreover, light-dependent changes in the Km of PDE have been reported. The experiments and analyses reported here account for most observed variations in apparent Km, and they lead to definitive estimates of the intrinsic kinetic parameters in amphibian rods. We first obtained a new and highly accurate estimate of the ratio of holo-PDE to rhodopsin in the amphibian ROS, 1:270. We then estimated the apparent kinetic parameters of light-activated PDE of suspensions of disrupted frog ROS whose structural integrity was systematically varied. In the most severely disrupted ROS preparation, we found Km = 95 microM and kcat = 4,400 cGMP.s-1. In suspensions of disc-stack fragments of greater integrity, the apparent Km increased to approximately 600 microM, though kcat remained unchanged. In contrast, the Km for cAMP was not shifted in the disc stack preparations. A theoretical analysis shows that the elevated apparent Km of suspensions of disc stacks can be explained as a consequence of diffusion with hydrolysis in the disc stack, which causes active PDEs nearer the center of the stack to be exposed to a lower concentration of cyclic GMP than PDEs at the disc stack rim. The analysis predicts our observation that the apparent Km for cGMP is elevated with no accompanying decrease in kcat. The analysis also predicts the lack of a Km shift for cAMP and the previously reported light dependence of the apparent Km for cGMP. We conclude that the intrinsic kinetic parameters of the PDE do not vary with light or structural integrity, and are those of the most severely disrupted disc stacks.
Sequential testing for Down syndrome: the impact on estimated risk.

Objective Our objective was to describe the utilization of sequential screening and evaluate the impact on estimated Down syndrome risk. Methods We reviewed records of all those undergoing first-trimester screening over a 3-year period. All patients received first-trimester Down syndrome risk, and had options of invasive testing and sequential testing. We compared adjusted first-trimester Down syndrome risk with adjusted risk following sequential testing. Fisher's exact test and chi-square for trend were used for statistical comparison. Results First-trimester screening was performed on 12 557 patients. The rate of sequential testing was 34.0%. In 13.1% of patients, sequential testing resulted in a higher risk compared with first-trimester risk, with a risk at least twice as high in 5.2%. The likelihood that sequential testing would increase risk progressively decreased as first-trimester risk declined, from 17.8% for those with first-trimester risk of >1 in 270 to 8.7% in those with first-trimester risk of 1 in 270 was <1%. Conclusions Sequential testing lowers the Down syndrome risk in most cases and is more likely to do so with decreasing first-trimester risk. © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Acute toxicity of cesium and rubidium compounds.

Abstract Primary skin and eye irritation (rabbit), cutaneous sensitization (guinea pig), and po LD50 (rat) studies were conducted on the hydroxides of cesium, rubidium, and potassium and the iodides of cesium and rubidium. The hydroxides of cesium and rubidium were markedly more toxic than the iodides. The order of po toxicity of the hydroxides was potassium > rubidium > cesium; cesium iodide was more toxic than rubidium iodide. Potassium hydroxide was irritating to both intact and abraded skin, whereas cesium and rubidium hydroxide were irritating only to abraded skin. The iodides of cesium and rubidium did not affect the eye or skin. It was concluded that personal protective equipment and clothing should be worn when working with cesium, rubidium, or potassium hydroxides. These studies indicate that cesium and rubidium are only slightly toxic on an acute toxicologic basis and would pose an acute health hazard only when ingested in large quantities.
Factors associated with screening for sexually transmitted infections.

Objective The purpose of this study was to determine predictors of the completion of free annual sexually transmitted infection screening among sexually active young women of ≤25 years old. Study Design We analyzed survey data from 2607 sexually active women who were enrolled in the Contraceptive CHOICE Project, a prospective cohort study. We evaluated demographic characteristics, sexual risk behaviors, relationship characteristics, and contraceptive methods. Receipt of a home- or clinic-based test kit within 56 days of the 12-month survey constituted a completed screen. A multivariable model to predict screening completion was created with the use of Poisson regression with robust error variance. Results Fifty-seven percent of the women completed the screening. Screening completion was associated most strongly with a college education or higher (adjusted relative risk, 1.2; 95% confidence interval, 1.1–1.3) and home-based testing (adjusted relative risk, 1.3; 95% confidence interval, 1.2–1.5). Conclusion Free and home-based testing increased screening rates among young women. To meet annual testing guidelines, the availability and use of home-based testing kits should increase.
The p90 Ribosomal S6 Kinase (RSK) Is a Mediator of Smooth Muscle Contractility

In the canonical model of smooth muscle (SM) contraction, the contractile force is generated by phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (RLC20) by the myosin light chain kinase (MLCK). Moreover, phosphorylation of the myosin targeting subunit (MYPT1) of the RLC20 phosphatase (MLCP) by the RhoA-dependent ROCK kinase, inhibits the phosphatase activity and consequently inhibits dephosphorylation of RLC20 with concomitant increase in contractile force, at constant intracellular [Ca2+]. This pathway is referred to as Ca2+-sensitization. There is, however, emerging evidence suggesting that additional Ser/Thr kinases may contribute to the regulatory pathways in SM. Here, we report data implicating the p90 ribosomal S6 kinase (RSK) in SM contractility. During both Ca2+- and agonist (U46619) induced SM contraction, RSK inhibition by the highly selective compound BI-D1870 (which has no effect on MLCK or ROCK) resulted in significant suppression of contractile force. Furthermore, phosphorylation levels of RLC20 and MYPT1 were both significantly decreased. Experiments involving the irreversible MLCP inhibitor microcystin-LR, in the absence of Ca2+, revealed that the decrease in phosphorylation levels of RLC20 upon RSK inhibition are not due solely to the increase in the phosphatase activity, but reflect direct or indirect phosphorylation of RLC20 by RSK. Finally, we show that agonist (U46619) stimulation of SM leads to activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinases ERK1/2 and PDK1, consistent with a canonical activation cascade for RSK. Thus, we demonstrate a novel and important physiological function of the p90 ribosomal S6 kinase, which to date has been typically associated with the regulation of gene expression.
Unapparent information revelation: a concept chain graph approach

Information generated by multiple authors working independently at different times when analyzed synergistically reveals more information than apparent. For example, a traditional search for connections between the trucking industry and Iraqi banks may not produce any documents mentioning both. However, a search that follows trails of associations across documents may suggest a connection between an auto parts manufacturer who exports to Iraq, and an Iraqi bank providing loans to buy cars. The work described here extends link analysis based on named entities and labeled relationships to general concepts and unnamed associations. Unapparent Information Revelation involves finding chains connecting concepts across documents: it uses a new representation formalism called Concept Chain Graphs.
DeNovoND: efficient hardware support for disciplined non-determinism

Recent work has shown that disciplined shared-memory programming models that provide deterministic-by-default semantics can simplify both parallel software and hardware. Specifically, the DeNovo hardware system has shown that the software guarantees of such models (e.g., data-race-freedom and explicit side-effects) can enable simpler, higher performance, and more energy-efficient hardware than the current state-of-the-art for deterministic programs. Many applications, however, contain non-deterministic parts; e.g., using lock synchronization. For commercial hardware to exploit the benefits of DeNovo, it is therefore necessary to extend DeNovo to support non-deterministic applications.This paper proposes DeNovoND, a system that supports lock-based, disciplined non-determinism, with the simplicity, performance, and energy benefits of DeNovo. We use a combination of distributed queue-based locks and access signatures to implement simple memory consistency semantics for safe non-determinism, with a coherence protocol that does not require transient states, invalidation traffic, or directories, and does not incur false sharing. The resulting system is simpler, shows comparable or better execution time, and has 33% less network traffic on average (translating directly into energy savings) relative to a state-of-the-art invalidation-based protocol for 8 applications designed for lock synchronization.
THE EFFECTS OF FEEDBACK ACCOUNTABILITY ON UPWARD APPRAISAL RATINGS

Do subordinates feel and respond differently to upward appraisal procedures depending on whether they are accountable or anonymous? Accountability requires subordinates to identify themselves on the upward appraisal questionnaires they complete. In an experimental field study, 38 managers and their subordinates from an insurance company were randomly assigned to use one of the appraisal procedures. As hypothesized, managers who received feedback from specific individuals in the accountability procedure viewed the upward appraisal process more positively than did managers in the anonymity procedure. However, subordinates felt more comfortable giving anonymous responses. As a result, subordinates who used the accountability procedure rated their managers significantly higher than the subordinates who responded anonymously. Therefore, the results of this study suggest that an upward appraisal procedure in which individuals are accountable for their responses may produce inflated ratings of managers' performance. Further research should compare the accountability and anonymous upward appraisal procedures to determine which procedure produces more accurate ratings.
How creative is your writing? A linguistic creativity measure from computer science and cognitive psychology perspectives

We demonstrate that subjective creativity in sentence-writing can in part be predicted using computable quantities studied in Computer Science and Cognitive Psychology. We introduce a task in which a writer is asked to compose a sentence given a keyword. The sentence is then assigned a subjective creativity score by human judges. We build a linear regression model which, given the keyword and the sentence, predicts the creativity score. The model employs features on statistical language models from a large corpus, psychological word norms, and WordNet.
Volitional Change in Children With Autism: A Single-Case Design Study of the Impact of Hippotherapy on Motivation

Autism is a prevalent developmental disorder that affects numerous aspects of a child's daily functioning, including but not limited to communication, social interaction, cognitive functioning, motor functioning, and sensation. The many impairments that characterize autism also have the potential to affect a child's volition, defined by the Model of Human Occupation as a child's interests, self-efficacy, and motivation to engage in new activities. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of a 16-week hippotherapy program on the volition of three children with autism. Using the Pediatric Volitional Questionnaire, two occupational therapists rated the three participants’ volition at three timepoints—before, during, and after the hippotherapy program. Visual analysis of the data using methods derived from single-subject design research revealed an increase in participants' volition over time. The study provides preliminary evidence that improved volition may be an important and under-recogniz...
Reasons to Arbitrate Disputes Between Multinational Companies and Third-Country National Employees

Because globalization is as much about capital as it is about labor, multinational companies hire third-country nationals out of competitive necessity. This article discusses why litigating claims for breach of the covenant-not-to-compete (and other restrictions in post-employment agreements with TCN employees) is a poor mechanism for protecting the employer’s interest and why arbitration is a better alternative.
Progress in the Development Of Natural Products for Human Immunodeficiency Viruses Infections

Diverse antiviral compounds are needed to meet the challenge of infections caused by viruses responsible for high morbidity and/or mortality. These viruses include human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV-1; HIV), herpesviruses, hepatitis B virus, influenza viruses, and exotic viruses. Certain antiviral compounds have been successfully derived from a variety of natural products whose structure and composition could not have been predicted by even the most imaginative of chemists. The selectivity of these antiviral agents hinges upon unique biochemical events specific for viral replication but not cellular growth. Inhibition of viral specific receptors on cells also represents an attractive target. This review addresses some of these approaches with emphasis on the potential role of natural products in treating HIV infections.
Differences in Out-of-Pocket Health Care Expenses of Older Single and Couple Households

This paper examines in detail the differences in out-of-pocket health care spending between couple and single older households. The data for this paper come from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a study of a nationally representative sample of U.S. households with individuals over age 50. Throughout the paper participants are classified into three different age groups: ages 65-74 (Age Group I), ages 75-84 (Age Group II), and ages 85 and above (Age Group III). All the numbers reported are for a two-year period between 2010 and 2012. This paper also includes total recurring and total non-recurring expenses for the households studied. It should be noted that health insurance premiums and spending on over-the-counter drugs are not included in this study. The average per-person out-of-pocket spending for households ages 65 and above during a two-year period on doctor visits, dentist visits, and prescription drugs (referred to collectively as recurring health care services) is roughly $2,500 for both single and couple households. This amount does not change with age. There are large differences in non-recurring health care spending (which includes overnight hospital stays, outpatient surgery, home health care, nursing home stays, and other services) between older singles and older couples, and these differences increase with age. For Age Group I, the average total non-recurring expenses were $2,790 for singles and $2,024 for couples, a difference of $766. For Age Group II, the average total non-recurring expenses went up to $5,502 and $3,930 for singles and couples, respectively, a difference of $1,572. For the oldest age group (those 85 and above), the difference went up to $4,825 ($13,355 for singles and $8,530 for couples). Some of the largest differences in non-recurring health care spending between older singles and older couples are in home health care and nursing home expenses. This suggests that couples benefit from their spouses or partners acting as their caregivers.
Operative Treatment of Fifth Metatarsal Jones Fractures (Zones II and III) in the NBA

Background:Proximal fractures of the fifth metatarsal (zone II and III) are common in the elite athlete and can be difficult to treat because of a tendency toward delayed union, nonunion, or refracture. The purpose of this case series was to report our experience in treating 10 NBA players, determine the healing rate, return to play, refracture rate, and role of foot type in these athletes.Methods:The records of 10 professional basketball players were retrospectively reviewed. Seven athletes underwent standard percutaneous internal fixation with bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) whereas the other 3 had open bone grafting primarily in addition to fixation and BMAC. Radiographic features evaluated included fourth-fifth intermetatarsal, fifth metatarsal lateral deviation, calcaneal pitch, and metatarsus adductus angles.Results:Radiographic healing was observed at an overall average of 7.5 weeks and return to play was 9.8 weeks. Three athletes experienced refractures. There were no significant differenc...
Towards Longer Long-Range Motion Trajectories

Although dense, long-rage, motion trajectories are a prominent representation of motion in videos, there is still no good solution for constructing dense motion tracks in a truly long-rage fashion. Ideally, we would want every scene feature that appears in multiple, not necessarily contiguous, parts of the sequence to be associated with the same motion track. Despite this reasonable and clearly stated objective, there has been surprisingly little work on general-purpose algorithms that can accomplish that task. State-of-the-art dense motion trackers process the sequence incrementally in a frame-by-frame manner, and associate, by design, features that disappear and reappear in the video, with different tracks, thereby losing important information of the long-term motion signal. In this paper, we propose a novel divide and conquer approach to long-range motion estimation. Given a long video or image sequence, we first produce high-accuracy local track estimates, or tracklets, and later propagate them into a global solution, while incorporating information from throughout the video. Tracklets are computed using state-of-the-art motion trackers [2, 3] that have become quite accurate for short sequences as demonstrated by standard evaluations. Our algorithm then constructs the long-range tracks by linking the short tracks in an optimal manner. This induces a combinatorial matching problem that we solve simultaneously for all tracklets in the sequence. The main contributions of this paper are: (a) a novel divide-andconquer style algorithm for constructing dense, long-rage motion tracks from a single monocular video, and (b) Novel criteria for evaluating longrange tracking results with and without ground-truth motion trajectory data. We evaluate our approach on a set of synthetic and natural videos, and explore the utilization of long-range tracks for action recognition.
Mobile Phone Practices and Policies in Family and Consumer Sciences Programs in Texas

The purpose of the current study was to learn about Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) teachers’ mobile phone practices, the mobile phone policy of their school districts, and to understand the readiness of teachers and school districts for integrating mobile phones. The FRAME model provided a theoretical framework for the study. FCS teachers in Texas who belonged to a FCS professional organization were contacted by email and asked to participate in an online survey. The results indicate that FCS teachers are receptive to the use of mobile phones as an educational tool in the classroom. Based on the results, the author believes that mobile phones can be used to create technology-enhanced, learner-centered, and personalized learning for FCS students.
Alan Gribben. Harry Huntt Ransom: Intellect in Motion. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2008. 356p. ISBN 978-0-292-71704-6. $60

Alan Gribben’s Harry Huntt Ransom: Intellect in Motion was a labor that involved eighteen years of research. This full-length biography (356 pages with notes and index) serves as a comprehensive guide to Harry Huntt Ransom’s life, with a focus toward Ransom’s activities at the University of Texas at Austin (UT). The book begins with a sketch of Ransom’s childhood and young adulthood and then transitions to detailing primarily Ransom’s professional life. During his time at UT (1935–1971), Ransom served in several capacities: moving through the ranks as professor, assistant dean, dean, vice president, provost, president, and, finally, chancellor. Most . . .