cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Design and Performance of a 1200°F Magnetic Flowmeter for In-Core Application in Sodium-Cooled Reactors

A magnetic flowmeter that may be used in the core of a 1200°F sodium-cooled reactor has been designed and partially tested, The flowmeter is constructed in the shape of a hexagon so that it can be completely self-contained as a part of a reactor fuel element. An integral stainless steel sheath, alumina insulated, stainless steel lead wire is provided for signal transmission. Complete construction and design details are presented. The effects of temperature and nuclear radiation on the magnet stability are considered and discussed. The preliminary test results are given and compared to the calculated performance.
Consequences of autonomous and team-oriented forms of dispositional proactivity for demonstrating advancement potential

Abstract Under the paradigm of individualism, proactive personality has garnered much attention in connection with indicators of career success. We regard this construct as an autonomous form of dispositional proactivity and explored it along with team-oriented proactivity as a predictor of self-perceived influence and observed advancement potential in a team-based setting. We proposed that insofar as advancement potential entails demonstrating adeptness at furthering collective performance, autonomous proactivity would be detrimental whereas team-oriented proactivity would be beneficial. This proposition was the basis for a structural model with self-perceived influence as a mediator. Results from data on 672 personnel in 70 teams supported the model and the hypothesized consequences of autonomous (negative) and team-oriented (positive) forms of dispositional proactivity for observed advancement potential.
Cryogenics: its influence on the selection of the ASTROMAG superconducting magnet coils

ASTROMAG, a particle astrophysics experimental facility proposed for running alongside a Space Station, has a large superconducting magnet to analyze particles coming from deep space. Several types of magnets were investigated for use in the ASTROMAG central facility. The factors which influence the selection of the magnet coil design include: (1) the upper limit of particle momentum resolved (proportional to the integrated field) as a function of solid angle; (2)cryogenic design and its effect on cryogen lifetime for a given central facility mass; and (3) the overall cost of the magnet coils and cryostat. Four magnet types are analyzed in this paper. These include a simple two-coil solenoid (the baseline design),two disk coils at the ends of the helium tank, a two-coil toroid and a thin solenoid plus bucking coil. A balance must be struck between cryostat lifetime, total mass and the integrated field through the detectors. This balance tends to favor coils which are in the same vacuum vessel as the cryogen.
Valuation effects of patent quality: A comparison for Japanese and U.S. firms

Abstract For both Japanese and U.S. firms, measures of patent quality based upon the number of scientific citations have robust market-value influences. These results suggest that investors regard scientific measures of the quality of inventive output as useful indicators of the economic value tied to patenting activity. The possibility of country-specific influences on the effectiveness of patenting activity is also suggested. These findings are of practical relevance because they suggest that scientific measures of patent quality have the potential to offer managers useful guidance concerning the quantity and quality of inventive output and the effectiveness of patent investments.
Improvements in Host Immunity by Partially Purified Interleukin 1 in Rats with Portacaval Anastomosis and Splenectomy

Despite the high incidence and severity of bacterial infections in individuals with chronic liver disease, the relative role of host immunity and the effects of immune stimulants have not been fully investigated. To study the role of the liver and spleen in reticuloendothelial system (RES) function and the host response to infection following portacaval anastomosis, 107 Sprague Dawley CD rats received a portacaval anastomosis either with or without an additional splenectomy, or a sham procedure. Animals that had undergone portacaval anastomosis and splenectomy were also administered a nonspecific host immune stimulant, interleukin 1, or saline and the effect on blood bacterial clearance and organ uptake examined. Three to four weeks following surgery, animals that received a portacaval anastomosis had a decreased ability to clear 59Felabeled Pseudomonas aeruginosa from the blood and an increased uptake of bacteria in the spleen (p < 0.01) when compared to sham-treated animals. Rats that received a portaca...
Strategic Decision-Making Processes: Beyond the Efficiency-Consensus Trade-Off

This study examines how managers make strategic decisions efficiently and simultaneously build the consensus often required to implement decisions successfully. The findings suggest that groups employed two critical processes—one substantive/cognitive and the other symbolic/ political—to achieve high levels of efficiency and consensus. On the substantive dimension, they gradually structured complex problems by making a series of intermediate choices about particular elements of the decision. On the symbolic dimension, they took steps to preserve the legitimacy of the decision-making process.
Unsteady vortical disturbances around a thin airfoil in the presenceof a wall

This note investigates incompressible flows with unsteady upstream vorticity disturbances around a thin-plate airfoil in the presence of a wall. One objective is to determine the effect of the solid wall on the unsteady lift acting on the airfoil, another to determine the unsteady velocity field downstream of the airfoil. The note can be considered as an extension of Sear's work to include the effect of a wall located beneath the airfoil.
Thermal Environment of Teeth During Open-Mouth Respiration

An experimental study was made in an attempt to define the thermal environment of human teeth during open-mouth respiration. Results show that the environment can be affected considerably by ambient temperatures, ambient humidity, and dryness of the oral cavity.
A Wavelet Approach to Wideband Spectrum Sensing for Cognitive Radios

In cognitive radio networks, the first cognitive task preceding any form of dynamic spectrum management is the sensing and identification of spectrum holes in wireless environments. This paper develops a wavelet approach to efficient spectrum sensing of wideband channels. The signal spectrum over a wide frequency band is decomposed into elementary building blocks of subbands that are well characterized by local irregularities in frequency. As a powerful mathematical tool for analyzing singularities and edges, the wavelet transform is employed to detect and estimate the local spectral irregular structure, which carries important information on the frequency locations and power spectral densities of the subbands. Along this line, a couple of wideband spectrum sensing techniques are developed based on the local maxima of the wavelet transform modulus and the multi-scale wavelet products. The proposed sensing techniques provide an effective radio sensing architecture to identify and locate spectrum holes in the signal spectrum.
Effect of Hexaflumuron on Feeding Response and Reproduction of Bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) 1

Abstract. Hexaflumuron (Consult® 100 EC, Dow AgroSciences) is an insect growth regulator that inhibits chitin synthesis. The efficacy of hexaflumuron mixed with 2.5-M sucrose (mg-1) was evaluated for toxicity, proboscis extension, gestation, and reproduction of bollworm, Helicoverpa zea (Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), in a laboratory. The intention was to determine whether or not hexaflumuron could be used as a toxicant in a feeding-stimulant mixture for suppression of bollworm. Newly emerged bollworm adults actively seek carbohydrates. For feral male bollworm captured in pheromone-baited traps, the lethal concentration (LC50) values 24 and 48 hours after exposure were 295.6 and 96.03 mg-1, respectively. These values were significantly different. Hexaflumuron at 100 mg-1 or more significantly depressed gustatory response of feral male and laboratory-reared male and female bollworms. There was no significant difference in proboscis-extension response between bollworms fed 1.0 and 2.5 M sucrose solutions...
STBase: one million species trees for comparative biology.

Comprehensively sampled phylogenetic trees provide the most compelling foundations for strong inferences in comparative evolutionary biology. Mismatches are common, however, between the taxa for which comparative data are available and the taxa sampled by published phylogenetic analyses. Moreover, many published phylogenies are gene trees, which cannot always be adapted immediately for species level comparisons because of discordance, gene duplication, and other confounding biological processes. A new database, STBase, lets comparative biologists quickly retrieve species level phylogenetic hypotheses in response to a query list of species names. The database consists of 1 million single- and multi-locus data sets, each with a confidence set of 1000 putative species trees, computed from GenBank sequence data for 413,000 eukaryotic taxa. Two bodies of theoretical work are leveraged to aid in the assembly of multi-locus concatenated data sets for species tree construction. First, multiply labeled gene trees are pruned to conflict-free singly-labeled species-level trees that can be combined between loci. Second, impacts of missing data in multi-locus data sets are ameliorated by assembling only decisive data sets. Data sets overlapping with the user’s query are ranked using a scheme that depends on user-provided weights for tree quality and for taxonomic overlap of the tree with the query. Retrieval times are independent of the size of the database, typically a few seconds. Tree quality is assessed by a real-time evaluation of bootstrap support on just the overlapping subtree. Associated sequence alignments, tree files and metadata can be downloaded for subsequent analysis. STBase provides a tool for comparative biologists interested in exploiting the most relevant sequence data available for the taxa of interest. It may also serve as a prototype for future species tree oriented databases and as a resource for assembly of larger species phylogenies from precomputed trees.
Chronic toxicity and retention of dietary selenium fed to rats as D- or L-selenomethionine, selenite, or selenate

Abstract Groups of 8 male weanling Sprague-Dawley rats were fed for 6 weeks Torula yeast-based purified diets containing 2.5, 5.0, or 10.0 μg Se/g added as D-selenomethionine (D-SeMet), L-selenomethionine (L-SeMet), sodium selenite, or sodium selenate. All rats consuming diets containing 10.0 μg Se/g experienced severe growth depression and diet within 29 days, regardless of the form of Se fed, whereas rats fed 2.5 μg Se/g diet gave no evidence of depressed growth and survived the entire experimental period. Selenium fed as D-SeMet was retained in the tissues as strongly as L-SeMet. Skeletal muscle and heart Se concentrations were markedly greater when D- or L-SeMet were consumed than when selenite or selenate were consumed. Lesser differences due to the form of dietary Se fed were seen in the retention of Se in red blood cells, plasma, or liver. The increased deposition of Se in muscle tissues was not reflected by proportionate increases in either plasma or RBC Se, so monitoring plasma or whole blood Se may not indicate the degree of increased total Se body burden.
Comparison of intermediate-term status in Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease patients treated with Varus Derotational Osteotomy with or without subsequent epiphysiodesis of the greater trochanter

Abstract Introduction: The intermediate-term follow-up results of 15 unilateral Legg-Calve-Perthes Disease patients who received Varus Derotational Osteotomy procedures followed by epiphysiodesis of the affected hip were compared with 23 patients who received Varus Derotational Osteotomy without a subsequent epiphysiodesis. Methods: In this case-control study, parameters that were examined clinically were the presence of pain, presence of limp, leg-length discrepancy, and range of motion. Radiographic studies measured Greater Trochanteric height ratio and Mose Index. Seven patients with bilateral L-C-P disease were not included in statistical analysis, but were placed in a subgroup for comparison of clinical outcomes. Patients were classified into three groups: Good/Excellent, Fair, and Poor based on the parameters recorded. Results: Based on clinical data, 35.7% of patients who received an epiphysiodesis were found to have a good/excellent intermediate-term outcome compared to 61.9% of patients who did not receive the same procedure. Radiographic analysis showed 46.7% of patients with an epiphysiodesis to have good/excellent radiographic results compared to 43.8% of those who did not receive the procedure. Conclusions: It was concluded from this study that an epiphysiodesis may be beneficial in decreasing the height of the greater trochanter subsequent to Varus Derotational Osteotomy. Functional benefit for patients, however, was negligible and warrants further investigation.
A model of Internet standards adoption: the case of IPv6

. The Internet presents a unique environment in which to study adoption. This is because of its composition of autonomous entities that are otherwise strongly interrelated. Our model of Internet standards adoption (ISA) combines diffusion of innovation and economics of adoption literature to present an integrative model. This model proposes that the adoption of Internet-based standards is dependent upon two dimensions: the usefulness of the features to the potential adopter, and the conduciveness of the environment to adoption of the standard. This model accounts for not only the traditional dichotomous view of adoption, but also includes the notion of ‘partial adoption’, where both old and new standards can coexist for extended periods of time. As a demonstration, we apply the ISA model to the next generation Internet protocol Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6). Despite its ostensible superiority, IPv6 has not been widely adopted. In this paper we discuss the reasons why this might be the case. Our analysis also draws wider conclusions about the adoption of Internet standards: in particular, the importance of transitional technologies between the old and new standards and the need for co-ordinated government polices which encourage adoption. Our analysis also indicates that geopolitical boundaries may have a considerable impact on the adoption of Internet standards.
Division of labor and the distribution of income

Abstract Earlier work dealing with the effects on intersectoral migration of increased productivity is extended in the light of Vislie's paper. Specifically included is the possibility of different wages in different sectors. Such differences, and changes in such wage differences, may lead to redistributions of income, which in turn open up possibilities of demand changes. Disequilibrium analysis is the principal analytical tool used, and it is suggested that not only the earlier work of Simon and Baumol but also the more recent studies by Harris-Todaro, Houthakker and Vislie can be integrated into the conceptual framework here developed.
Characterizing Wetland Landscapes: A Spatiotemporal Analysis of Remotely Sensed Data at Cheyenne Bottoms, Kansas

Generalized wetland landscape characterization efforts using remotely sensed satellite data have typically employed land-use and cover-classification routines with mixed results. This study argues that such classification routines are, at times, limited in their ability to capture the fluctuating spatial configuration of water and terrestrial features unique to wetland environments. Rather, we recommend the use of a multitemporal imaging approach, which records land-cover variability based directly on land-surface feature reflectivity signals. Using Landsat Thematic Mapper data and small-format aerial photography, this study monitors wetland change over a period of 15 yrs. at the internationally recognized Cheyenne Bottoms wetland site in central Kansas. Noticeable fluctuations in wetland cover resulting from both variable precipitation patterns and changing stewardship activities are observed. In addition to documenting generalized spatial trends, the multitemporal method effectively monitors plant vigor...
Rural supply cooperative: Capital budgeting decision case: feasibility study of auxiliary enterprises for a rural supply cooperative

Abstract This capital budgeting case evaluates the feasibility of adding an auxiliary enterprise to a feed milling operation that an agricultural supply cooperative is considering purchasing. Both quantitative and qualitative objectives are taken into consideration regarding the cooperative’s financial position, community employment, and farm level feasibility.
Building a Mexican startup culture over the weekends

In Mexico, a grass-roots community of entrepreneurs is working to transform the Internet industry from one that merely provides low value-added services to one that is innovation-based. To do so, it must create a culture that promotes innovation and startup companies. In countries such as China, Taiwan, and Israel a multitude of skilled returnees from Silicon Valley have established a community of startups. But in Mexico, entrepreneurs leverage their few relationships with Silicon Valley, and are learning from social media and foreign travels to recreate innovation practices at home. In this paper, we examine how this community of entrepreneurs used the Startup Weekend events to introduce new innovation practices in Mexico. At these events, participants shared their Internet product ideas and formed multidisciplinary teams that raced to create functional prototypes within the weekend. Startup Weekend worked as a catalyst for building a culture of innovation, the strengthening of the startup community, and in some cases the formation of startup companies. Participants primed themselves with business and technical knowledge. Entrepreneur communities formed in previous face-to-face events and through social media, served to create an environment of trust and sharing during and after each Startup Weekend event.
External store carriage loads prediction at transonic speeds

A computational method for prediction of external store carriage loads at transonic speeds is described. The geometric flexibility required for treatment of isolated and underwing, pylon-mounted stores is achieved by computing solutions on a five-level embedded grid arrangement. A completely automated grid generation procedure facilitates applications. Store modeling capability consists of bodies of revolution with multiple fore and aft fins. A body-conforming grid improves the accuracy of the computed store body flow field. A nonlinear finite difference relaxation scheme, developed specifically for modified transonic small disturbance flow equations, enhances numerical stability and accuracy. As a result, more accurate treatment of low aspect ratio, highly swept and tapered wing planforms is possible. A limited supersonic freestream capability is also provided. Pressure, load distribution, force and moment correlations show good agreement for several test cases.
The use of on-line image verification to estimate the variation in radiation therapy dose delivery

Abstract Purpose: On-line radiotherapy imaging systems provide data that allow us to study the geometric nature of treatment variation. It is more clinically relevant to examine the resultant dosimetric variation. In this work, daily beam position as recorded by the on-line images is used to recalculate the treatment plan to show the effect geometric variation has on dose. Methods and Materials: Daily 6 MV or 18 MV x-ray portal images were acquired using a fiberoptic on-line imaging system for 12 patients with cancers in the head and neck, thoracic, and pelvic regions. Each daily on-line portal image was aligned with the prescription simulation image using a template of anatomical structures defined on the latter. The outline of the actual block position was then superimposed on the prescription image. Daily block positions were cumulated to give a summary image represented by the block overlap isofrequency distribution. The summary data were used to analyze the amount of geometric variation relative to the prescription boundary on a histogram distribution plot. Treatment plans were recalculated by considering each aligned portal image as an individual beam. Results: On-Line Image Verification (OLIV) data can differentiate between systematic and random errors in a course of daily radiation therapy. The data emphasize that the type and magnitude of patient set-up errors are unique for individual patients and different clinical situations. Head and neck sites had the least random variation (average 0–100% block overlap isofrequency distribution width = 7 mm) compared to thoracic (average 0–100% block overlap isofrequency distribution width = 12 mm) or pelvic sites (average 0–100% block overlap isofrequency distribution width = 14 mm). When treatment delivery is analyzed case by case, systematic as well as random errors are represented. When the data are pooled by anatomical site, individuality of variations is lost and variation appears random. Recalculated plans demonstrated dosimetric deviations from the original plans. The differences between the two dosimetric distributions were emphasized using a technique of plan subtraction. This allowed quick identification of relative “hot and cold spots” in the recalculated plans. The magnitude and clinical significance of dosimetric variation was unique for each patient. Conclusions: OLIN data are useful to study geometric uncertainties because of the unique nature for individual patients. Dose recalculation is helpful to illustrate the dosimetric consequences of set-up errors.
On the validity of the pseudo-spin concept for triaxially deformed nuclei

Abstract The validity of the pseudo-spin concept for heavy triaxially deformed nuclei is explored using the correlation coefficient measure between a generalized Nilsson Model Hamiltonian and the pseudo spin-orbit interaction. This correlation coefficient, which can be interpreted as a normalized measure for the probable goodness of pseudo-spin symmetry, indicates that although the near level degeneracy of pseudo spin-orbit partners in axial systems (prolate and oblate) is lost for triaxial geometries, the pseudo-spin symmetry breaking induced by the triaxiality is small and comparable to that found in the axial cases, and therefore pseudo-spin symmetry remains an important physical concept.
An integrated computational model of multiparty electoral competition

Most theoretic models of multiparty electoral competition make the assumption that party leaders are motivated to maximize their vote share or seat share. In plurality-rule systems this is a sensible assumption. However, in proportional representation systems, this assumption is questionable since the ability to make public policy is not strictly increasing in vote shares or seat shares. We present a theoretic model in which party leaders choose electoral declarations with an eye toward the expected policy outcome of the coalition bargaining game induced by the party declarations and the parties' beliefs about citizens' voting behavior. To test this model, we turn to data from the 1989 Dutch parliamentary election. We use Markov chain Monte Carlo methods to estimate the parties' beliefs about mass voting behavior and to average over measurement uncertainty and missing data. Due to the complexity of the parties' objective functions and the uncertainty in objective function estimates, equilibria are found numerically. Unlike previous models of multiparty electoral competition, the equilibrium results are consistent with the empirical declarations of the four major Dutch parties.
LUCRETIUS' SELF-POSITIONING IN THE HISTORY OF ROMAN EPICUREANISM

At Book 5.324–37, the DRN ’s narrator says that the world is young, claims that the nature of the world has been understood only recently (with the advent of Epicureanism), and asserts that he is either the ‘very first’/‘most pre-eminent’ or, as I suggest here, ‘among the first’/‘among the most pre-eminent’ to turn ( vertere ) Greek Epicureanism into Latin. It is the last of these three claims that concerns us: denique natura haec rerum ratioque repertast 335 nuper, et hanc primus cum primis ipse repertus nunc ego sum in patrias qui possim vertere voces. Commentators and translators persistently interpret the phrase primus cum primis at line 336 to mean ‘the very first’, taking cum primis as an intensifier of primus and providing primus with a temporal denotation. A comment by Reid is typical: ‘The phrase cum primis , as used by [Lucretius], has lost its literal sense, and means “particularly”, “especially”’. It is not immediately clear, however, whether one should choose the temporal (‘first’) or qualitative (‘pre-eminent’) denotation for primus or whether one should allow ambiguity and grant that some readers may interpret the adjective temporally while others may interpret it qualitatively. I suggest that the passage primus cum primis ipse repertus | nunc ego sum in patrias qui possim vertere voces means ‘I myself have now been discovered to be a pre-eminent person, among pre-eminent people, of the type who is able to turn this (i.e. the ratio mentioned in the previous line) into our native tongue’. Cum primis should be understood literally, following standard Latin grammar, as an ablative construed with cum denoting accompaniment rather than as an intensifier. While Leonard and Smith suggest that ‘the phrase cum primis … seems to have originated in the idea of accompaniment and implicit comparison’, here I show that the prepositional phrase cum primis retains its original meaning of accompaniment in Lucretius. As I shall argue, we should be sceptical of commentators who exhort us to interpret cum primis at 5.336 as an intensifier, since the phrase makes good sense, following standard Latin grammar, as an ablative of accompaniment, and Lucretius’ use of the phrase cum primis elsewhere is always qualitative, never temporal. Moreover, several scholars have used 5.336 to date early Italian Epicureans, including C. Amafinius, and the interpretation of 5.336, accordingly, affects Lucretius’ temporal position, as well as, perhaps, his intellectual engagement in relation to Italian Epicureans. There is, then, much at stake in the interpretation of 5.336, since the narrator may be found to be either honest or not (depending on how one interprets 5.336), when he positions Lucretius in relation to the translation of Epicureanism into Latin.
Compensation in Social Work: Critical for Satisfaction and a Sustainable Profession

Challenges with social worker satisfaction and subsequent high staff turnover rates are not new to the profession. For decades researchers have studied social worker satisfaction from several perspectives, though generally with child welfare staff. This exploratory study examined responses from a statewide survey of 838 social workers across a broad spectrum of employment settings to determine which variables had the greatest impact on satisfaction. Standard multiple regression results indicate that social workers' level of satisfaction with their jobs and employment benefits were best predicted by variables that translate into improved compensation. These findings suggest that efforts to improve social work satisfaction, and subsequently lower turnover rates, should focus on improving factors that directly or indirectly influence compensation to preserve this vital workforce. Limitations and next steps for future research are discussed.
The nuclear envelope of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The nuclear envelope of bakers' yeast cells was studied after permanganate fixation. Particular emphasis was placed on elucidating changes in this structure with variations in cell nutrition. The most noticeable difference was between cells in logarithmic growth, displaying an envelope composed of two double membranes, and cells undergoing nitrogen starvation, possessing a single double membrane. It is suggested that a process similar to dublication and splitting may account for this dramatic physiological change.
The biology of Balanus balanoides. III. The soft parts

1. The relation between the dry weight of the decalcified barnacle and its shell volume has been determined in its relation to age, season and tidal level, at Port Erin, with the following results: (a) In immature barnacles, tissue growth continues throughout the year, but is most rapid in the spring and autumn, (b) In mature barnacles which produce a considerable amount of larvae there is a heavy drop in tissue weight during the summer period of high temperature, and another slighter drop during the winter, the latter being apparently associated with the presence of developing larvae in the mantle cavity.2. Gonad samples were examined seasonally. At low levels on the shore the barnacles mature in their first year. Above this level they do not commence to mature until over a year old. The sequence of changes in the gonads is described. A condition of senility is found in many of the largest high-water barnacles.3. The naupliar content was estimated in relation to size and tidal level, counts of up to 13,000 larvae per individual being obtained. The dry weight of a fully developed nauplius was determined to be 7·5×10-4 mgm.
ELECTROKINETIC DEMIXING OF TWO-PHASE AQUEOUS POLYMER SYSTEMS. II, SEPARATION RATES OF POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL-MALTODEXTRIN MIXTURES

Abstract Aqueous two-phase extraction techniques have been successfully applied to the purification of enzymes and cells. However, due to their similar physical properties, immiscible aqueous phases do not separate rapidly. A method for enhanced demixing of aqueous two-phase systems in a thermostated vertical electrophoresis column was therefore studied. The effects of the electric field strength, field polarity, temperature, phase composition, and buffer concentration on demixing rates of a polyethylene glycol-maltodextrin (PEG-MDX) system were quantitatively measured. At normal electrical polarity (anode at the top of the column), using a maximum practicable field strength of 26.4 V/cm, the demixing rate was twice that in zero electric field at 25 ± 2°C. With poiarity reversed (anode at the bottom, electric field opposing gravitational settling) at a field of 26.4 V/cm, demixing was 5.5 times as fast as in zero field. Reduction of the temperature from 25 to 14°C caused an increase in demixing rate in th...
A method to estimate treatment efficacy among latent subgroups of a randomized clinical trial

Subgroup analysis arises in clinical trials research when we wish to estimate a treatment effect on a specific subgroup of the population distinguished by baseline characteristics. Many trial designs induce latent subgroups such that subgroup membership is observable in one arm of the trial and unidentified in the other. This occurs, for example, in oncology trials when a biopsy or dissection is performed only on subjects randomized to active treatment. We discuss a general framework to estimate a biological treatment effect on the latent subgroup of interest when the survival outcome is right-censored and can be appropriately modelled as a parametric function of covariate effects. Our framework builds on the application of instrumental variables methods to all-or-none treatment noncompliance. We derive a computational method to estimate model parameters via the EM algorithm and provide guidance on its implementation in standard software packages. The research is illustrated through an analysis of a seminal melanoma trial that proposed a new standard of care for the disease and involved a biopsy that is available only on patients in the treatment arm.
Pediatric lumbar puncture and cerebrospinal fluid analysis.

Background Lumbar puncture (LP) is a commonly performed procedure in pediatrics. Accurate analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) profile is essential in diagnosing and managing a variety of infectious and inflammatory conditions involving the brain, meninges, and spinal cord. It can also provide useful diagnostic information in the evaluation of possible subarachnoid hemorrhage and demyelinating syndromes, and aid in the diagnosis and management of pseudotumor cerebri. Objectives To review anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic aspects of performing pediatric lumbar puncture and CSF analysis. Discussion Although still a commonly performed procedure in the outpatient setting, effective vaccines to prevent invasive infection due to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae type b have greatly reduced pediatric bacterial meningitis rates due to these pathogens, resulting in decreased opportunity for physician-trainees to perfect this important skill (among nonneonates) during the 3 years of supervised residency training. Success in performing pediatric LP is augmented by a thorough understanding of medical aspects related to this procedure. This article discusses technical aspects involved in successfully performing a lumbar puncture to obtain CSF, and interpreting a CSF profile in children. Conclusion A thorough understanding of anatomic, physiologic, and pathologic considerations regarding performing lumbar puncture and CSF analysis can augment success in diagnosing a variety of potentially serious pediatric conditions.
Re-ranking search results using query logs

This work addresses two common problems in search, frequently occurring with underspecified user queries: the top-ranked results for such queries may not contain documents relevant to the user's search intent, and fresh and relevant pages may not get high ranks for an underspecified query due to their freshness and to the large number of pages that match the query, despite the fact that a large number of users have searched for parts of their content recently. We propose a novel method, Q-Rank, to effectively refine the ranking of search results for any given query by constructing the query context from search query logs. Evaluation results show that Q-Rank gains a considerable advantage over the current ranking system of a large-scale commercial Web search engine, being able to improve the relevance of search results for 82% of the queries.
Global versus Local Aromaticity in Porphyrinoid Macrocycles: Experimental and Theoretical Study of “Imidacene”, an Imidazole‐Containing Analogue of Porphycene

The synthesis, spectroscopic properties, and computational analysis of an imidazole-based analogue of porphycene are described. The macrocycle, given the trivial name "imidacene", was prepared by reductive coupling of a diformyl-substituted 2,2'-biimidazole using low-valent titanium, followed by treatment with 2,3-dichloro-5,6-dicyano-1,4-benzoquinone. Imidacene displays a porphyrin-like electronic structure, as judged by its 1 H NMR, 1 3 C NMR, and UV/Vis spectral characteristics. Despite a cyclic 18 π-electron pathway, dichloromethane or ethyl acetate solutions of imidacene were found to undergo rapid decomposition, even in the absence of light and air. A series of high-level theoretical calculations, performed to probe the origin of this instability, revealed that the presence of a delocalized 18 n-electron pathway in both imidacene and porphycene provides less aromatic stabilization energy than locally aromatic 6 n-electron heterocycles in their reduced counterparts. That reduction of imidacene occurs on perimeter nitrogen atoms allows it to maintain its planarity and two stabilizing intramolecular hydrogen bonds, thereby distinguishing it from porphycene and, more generally, from porphyrin. Despite the presence of both 18 π- and 22 n-electron pathways in the planar, reduced form of imidacene, aromaticity is evident only in the 6 π-electron five-membered rings. Our computational analysis predicts that routine 1 H NMR spectroscopy can be used to distinguish between local and global aromaticity in planar porphyrinoid macrocycles; the difference in the chemical shift for the internal NH protons is expected to be on the order of 19 ppm for these two electronically disparate sets of ostensibly similar compounds.
Defoliation alters water uptake by deep and shallow roots of Prosopis velutina (Velvet Mesquite)

Summary 1 Prosopis velutina Woot. (Velvet Mesquite) at a site with limited groundwater availability derived a greater percentage of water from shallow soil at the onset of the summer rainy season than did trees at a site with greater availability of groundwater. Predawn leaf water potentials (Ψpd) were not a strong indicator of shallow water use for this species with roots in multiple soil layers. 2 We experimentally defoliated P. velutina plants to determine if reduced-canopy photosynthesis would alter vertical patterns of root activity. After natural rain events, hydrogen isotope ratios of xylem sap indicated that defoliated P. velutina took up a greater percentage of its water from shallow soils than did undefoliated plants. 3 Irrigation with deuterium-labelled water further demonstrated that undefoliated plants were able to use shallow soil water. Defoliation appeared to affect the ability of trees to use deep-water sources. 4 Reduced carbon assimilation limited water uptake from deep soil layers. These data highlight that there are internal physiological controls on carbon allocation that may limit water uptake from different soil layers. During periods of high vapour pressure deficit or soil drought, when leaf gas exchange and carbon assimilation decline, this may create positive feedbacks where plants are unable to forage for deep water due to carbon limitations.
Using the Law for Competitive Advantage

The article presents a review of the book “Using the Law for Competitive Advantage,” by George J. Siedel.
Elevated ethnocentrism in the first trimester of pregnancy

Recent research employing a disease-threat model of the psychology of intergroup attitudes has provided preliminary support for a link between subjectively disease-salient emotional states and ethnocentric attitudes. Because the first trimester of pregnancy is a period of particular vulnerability to infection, pregnant women offer an opportunity to further test this association. We explored the expression of intergroup attitudes in a sample of pregnant women from the United States. Consistent with the predictions of the disease-threat model, results from our cross-sectional study indicate that favoritism toward the ingroup peaks during the first trimester of pregnancy and decreases during the second and third trimesters. We discuss this finding in light of the possible contributions of cultural and biological factors affecting ethnocentrism.
Inadequate treatment with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors by health care providers

Purpose To determine if patients treated with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors have their LDL cholesterol levels at or below the levels recommended by the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) and if patients on these medications are monitored for potential toxicity. Patients and methods Ninety patients from the VA Medical Center in San Francisco were randomly selected in this retrospective analysis. All patients were taking a HMG-CoA reductase inhibitor as monotherapy for treatment of high blood cholesterol for a minimum of 1 year. Medical charts and laboratory and pharmacy computer databases were utilized to gather information regarding the patients' medical history, treatment history, relevant laboratory tests, and medication refill profile. Results The majority of patients, 73%, were secondary prevention patients. Only 33% of the 90 subjects met the LDL cholesterol goal recommended by the NCEP. For the secondary prevention patients, only 24% met goal LDL. Even when the stringency of the NCEP guidelines was reduced by 20% (goal LDL Conclusions Based on the current NCEP recommendations, patients on monotherapy with HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors are often inadequately treated. Only 33% of the patients evaluated at our institution were at or below the NCEP recommended LDL cholesterol levels and less than half of the patients were adequately monitored for hepatotoxicity.
Selection of large quantities of embryogenic calli from indica rice seeds for production of fertile transgenic plants using the biolistic method

The microprojectile bombardment of immature embryos has proven to be effective in transforming many indica rice varieties. One of the drawbacks of using immature embryos is the requirement of a large number of high quality immature embryos, which itself is a tedious and laborious process. To circumvent these problems, we have developed a procedure, using indica variety TN1 as a model that generates highly homogenous populations of embryogenic subcultured calli by selectively propagating a small number of regeneration-proficient calli derived from seeds. Thousands of embryogenic calli were produced from 50 seeds within 10 weeks. Ten to 20 independent R0 transgenic lines were regenerated per 500 embryogenic calli bombarded. The convenience and reliability offered by this transformation system has made transformation of indica rice a routine procedure.
Biodegradation of the Hexahydro-1,3,5-Trinitro-1,3,5-Triazine Ring Cleavage Product 4-Nitro-2,4-Diazabutanal by Phanerochaete chrysosporium

Initial denitration of hexahydro-1,3,5-trinitro-1,3,5-triazine (RDX) by Rhodococcus sp. strain DN22 produces CO2 and the dead-end product 4-nitro-2,4-diazabutanal (NDAB), OHCNHCH2NHNO2, in high yield. Here we describe experiments to determine the biodegradability of NDAB in liquid culture and soils containing Phanerochaete chrysosporium. A soil sample taken from an ammunition plant contained RDX (342 micromol kg(-1)), HMX (octahydro-1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazocine; 3,057 micromol kg(-1)), MNX (hexahydro-1-nitroso-3,5-dinitro-1,3,5-triazine; 155 micromol kg(-1)), and traces of NDAB (3.8 micromol kg(-1)). The detection of the last in real soil provided the first experimental evidence for the occurrence of natural attenuation that involved ring cleavage of RDX. When we incubated the soil with strain DN22, both RDX and MNX (but not HMX) degraded and produced NDAB (388 +/- 22 micromol kg(-1)) in 5 days. Subsequent incubation of the soil with the fungus led to the removal of NDAB, with the liberation of nitrous oxide (N2O). In cultures with the fungus alone NDAB degraded to give a stoichiometric amount of N2O. To determine C stoichiometry, we first generated [14C]NDAB in situ by incubating [14C]RDX with strain DN22, followed by incubation with the fungus. The production of 14CO2 increased from 30 (DN22 only) to 76% (fungus). Experiments with pure enzymes revealed that manganese-dependent peroxidase rather than lignin peroxidase was responsible for NDAB degradation. The detection of NDAB in contaminated soil and its effective mineralization by the fungus P. chrysosporium may constitute the basis for the development of bioremediation technologies.
Non-lethal effects of ocean acidification on two symbiont-bearing benthic foraminiferal species

Abstract. We conducted experiments to assess the effect of elevated atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations on survival, fitness, shell microfabric and growth of two species of symbiont-bearing coral-reef benthic foraminifera, using p CO 2 Ievels similar to those likely to occur in shallow marine pore waters in the decades ahead. Foraminifera were cultured at constant temperature and controlled p CO 2 (385 ppmv, 1000 ppmv, and 2000 ppmv) for six weeks, and total alkalinity and dissolved inorganic carbon were measured to characterize the carbonate chemistry of the incubations. Foraminiferal survival and cellular energy levels were assessed using Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) analyses, and test microstructure and growth were evaluated using high resolution SEM and image analysis. Fitness and survival of Amphistegina (A.) gibbosa and Archaias (A.) angulatus were not directly affected by elevated p CO 2 and the concomitant decrease in pH and calcite saturation states (Ω c values) of the seawater (pH and Ω c values of 8.12, 7.86, and 7.50, and 5.4, 3.4, and 1.5, for control, 1000 ppmv, and 2000 ppmv, respectively). In A. gibbosa , a species precipitating low-Mg calcite, test growth was not affected by elevated p CO 2 , but areas of dissolved calcium carbonate were observed even though Ω c was >1 in all treatments; the fraction of test area dissolved increased with decreasing Ω c . Similar dissolution was observed in offspring produced in the 2000 ppmv p CO 2 treatments. In A. angulatus , whose tests are more-solubile high-Mg calcite, growth was greatly diminished in the 2000 ppmv p CO 2 treatment compared to the control. These non-lethal effects of ocean acidification – reduced growth in A. angulatus , and enhanced dissolution in A. gibbosa – may reflect differences in test mineralogy for the two species; the long-term ecological consequences of these effects are not yet known.
Risk of Late-Life Depression Across 10 European Union Countries: Deconstructing the Education Effect

Objective: Assess influence of education and noneducation-based measures of socioeconomic status on depression, illuminating the cumulative and income-adjusted effects cross-nationally. Method: Cross-sectional study of 22,777 men and women (50 to 104 years) from 10 European countries. Individual-level data were collected from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). Results: Educational attainment was a strong predictor of late-life depression across all countries. Depression rates ranged from 18.10% in Denmark to 36.84% in Spain, reflecting a North— South gradient. Odds of depression were approximately twice as high among adults with less than a high school education compared with those of greater educational background (p < .001). Inverse association between educational attainment and depression remained significant independent of all other sociodemographic variables. Discussion : Socioeconomic disparities in depression persist throughout later life. Variation in impact of educatio...
Risk factors associated with completed suicide in Latino adolescents.

This is the first study to explore potential psychosocial risk factors associated with completed suicide among Latino adolescents in the U.S. The sample (N = 14) included all the Latino adolescents aged 13 to 19 who committed suicide in Miami, Florida between January, 1988 and June, 1989. Data were derived from the medical examiner's records, family interviews, and a questionnaire completed by the school counselors of the victims and of an equal number of randomly selected Latino nonsuicidal matched-pair controls; t-tests were used to determine the significance of differences between victims and controls on the psychosocial risk variables explored. The victims had experienced significantly more school, personality, behavioral, and family stressors than had the controls. Implications for research and for suicide prevention are discussed. Language: en