cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Influence of Triiodothyronine Withdrawal Time on 131I Uptake Postthyroidectomy for Thyroid Cancer

Radioiodine uptake by thyroid remnants and metastases postthyroidectomy for thyroid cancer is increased by withdrawing thyroid hormone, which raises TSH levels. The minimal withdrawal time for maximal uptake is unknown. Therefore, we performed 33 studies in 27 patients after 2 weeks and again after 4 weeks of T3 withdrawal. We examined cervical (or pulmonary) uptake and whole body scanning at 48 h and whole body retention at 48, 72, and 96 h after radioiodine. In 4 studies, only physiological nonthyroidal activity was seen on both scans. Cervical uptake was low in these 4 studies. Of the remaining 29 studies with thyroid activity on both scans, 4 had high cervical uptakes after 2 weeks, which decreased by 4 weeks to less than 50% of the 2 week value. The same trend was seen in whole body retentions. In 2 studies, the uptake increased at 4 weeks compared to that at 2 weeks, but the change was small and was reflected in whole body retention of only 1 of these subjects. In 23 studies, including 6 with metastatic disease, the individual uptakes and whole body retentions were similar after 2 and 4 weeks. The mean uptakes and retentions also did not differ despite significantly higher (P less than 0.001) TSH values at 4 weeks. All definite areas of localization of radioactivity seen on the scans after 4 weeks were seen after 2 weeks. Therefore, radioiodine uptake, scanning, and therapy should be performed after 2 weeks of T3 withdrawal when patients are minimally hypothyroid. Serum TSH should also be measured to identify the rare individual not responding to brief T3 withdrawal.
Looking to lead: a case in designing executive education from the inside

The need to give force to change efforts is a problem of importance to all organizations. This paper addresses change efforts that are reinforced by in‐house executive education programs, in particular those that occur in educational institutions. Tracing the development of an in‐house executive education effort in a state university, this case study begins with the President’s cabinet meeting that endorsed the training that was to take place. It takes us through the process of how that training was designed, implemented, evaluated, and subsequently modified and then compares the results of the program to findings in the executive education literature. The study concludes that the program as conducted reinforces three critical aspects of effective executive education: that it be intimately tied to anticipating and causing industry change, that it focus on the centrality of active distributive leadership, and that it engage participants in activities that translate into action plans linked to actual organizational outcomes desired by the institution.
Proteasomal degradation of human peptidyl prolyl isomerase pin1-pointing phospho Bcl2 toward dephosphorylation.

Abstract Microtubule inhibitor-induced Bcl2 phosphorylation is detrimental to its antiapoptotic function. Phosphorylation of Bcl2 predominantly occurs on two serine residues (70 and 87) in cells arrested at G2-M phase by microtubule disarraying agents. Phospho Bcl2 can associate with a cis-trans peptidyl prolyl isomerase, Pini. Pini and its homologues are known to target the proline residue carboxyl terminal to the phosphorylated threonine or serine residue of mitotic phosphoproteins, such as Bcl2. However, it was not clear how an extranuclear protein could associate with nuclear Pini. The confocal images of the immunofluorescence studies employing phospho Bcl2-specific antibody developed in the laboratory demonstrated the translocation of phospho Bcl2 inside the nucleus. Interestingly, proteasomal degradation of Pini facilitates dephosphorylation of phospho Bcl2 due to longer exposure of Taxol. Here we show for the first time that proteasomal degradation of Pini is the key factor to determine the fate of phosphoforms of Bcl2. When Pini is degraded by proteasomes, phospho Bcl2 is converted to its native form. Thus, transient conformational change of Bcl2 due to association with peptidyl prolyl isomerase can contribute to irreversible apoptotic signaling.
Influence of dipolar defects on switching behavior in ferroelectrics

By including the contributions of dipolar defects in the time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau theory, we have simulated the domain switching process in ferroelectrics. The model incorporates elastic effects in the form of an anisotropic long-range interaction that is obtained by integrating out the strain fields, subject to the elastic compatibility constraint. The defects are simulated by considering an inhomogeneous electric field due to randomly placed coarse-grained dipoles. It is shown that these defects act as nuclei for the formation of $90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ twinned structures, resulting in a lower coercive field compared to the defect-free case. Due to these defects, the simulated polarization switching occurs by two successive $90\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ rotations, rather than a single $180\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}$ flipping as in the defect-free case.
Frequency domain chemical Langevin analysis of stochasticity in gene transcriptional regulation.

Abstract We present a frequency domain Langevin approach for stochastic analysis that remains valid for many important gene circuit elements even as molecular populations approach zero. We begin by considering the case of low-rate transcription and show that the previously reported shot noise representation is exact at all mRNA population levels for a constant transcription rate. Next, we consider transcriptional control through protein–DNA interactions at an operator site within the gene promoter region. This analysis results in expressions for the dynamics and noise behavior of this important gene sub-circuit, including the spectral density of the intrinsic operator noise and the processing of extrinsic noise by this transcriptional regulation system. This analysis shows that mRNA synthesis noise is composed of wideband shot noise and band-limited operator binding generated noise components. We find that the bandwidth of operator noise and its ultimate effect on total mRNA and protein noise is controlled by operator binding and unbinding dynamics. The most substantial impact of the operator noise is seen at transcription rates just above basal expression. This analysis captures the full behavior of this transcriptional regulation system, and points to potentially serious flaws in simplified mathematical relationships often used to model transcriptional regulation.
Biolinguistic Explorations: Design, Development, Evolution

Abstract Biolinguistic inquiry investigates the human language faculty as an internal biological property. This article traces the development of biolinguistics from its early philosophical origins through its reformulation during the cognitive revolution of the 1950s and outlines my views on where the biolinguistic enterprise stands today. The growth of language in the individual, it is suggested, depends on (i) genetic factors, (ii) experience, and (iii) principles that are not specific to the faculty of language. The best current explanation of how language is recursively generated is through Merge, an operation that takes objects already constructed, and reconstructs a new object from them, generating a ‘language of thought’, perhaps in a manner close to optimal (relying on principles of category (iii)), with externalization (hence communication) a secondary process. The concluding section of the article offers several objectives for future research in the field.
The Power Elite and Elite-Driven Countermovements: The Associated Farmers of California During the 1930s

The involvement of the power elite in social movements has been a neglected area of research. The investigation of elites has generally been limited to that of local elites, political parties, and philanthropic foundations, and their involvement in social movements is believed limited to resource support (either to further or deter the progress of an insurgent social movement) or the institutional obstruction or facilitation of the movement. I contend that under specific conditions, the power elite may become active mobilizers, leaders, and supporters of countermovements (movements to deter insurgent movements). These conditions arise during periods of heightened insurgent movement activity and when the efficacy of institutional channels to safeguard or advance the interests of the power elite is reduced. This is illustrated in the case of the Associated Farmers of California, Inc., a countermovement aimed at interfering with and obstructing the attempts of farmworkers to strike and unionize during the 1930s by enlisting citizens and citizen groups as anti-unionization shock troops. It also opposed New Deal policies and legislation. The mobilization of nonelites into the Associated Farmers originated in and was carried out by agricultural and industrial elite of California to advance their own interests. Citizens allied with the Associated Farmers either because of ideological alignment with their goals or dependence on their economic activities. The theoretical ramifications of this example will be explored.
Critical evaluation of the use of cyclohexanol as a solvent in the cryoscopic microdetermination of molecular weights

Abstract The use of cyclohexanol in the cryoscopic microdetermination of molecular weights was critically investigated. It was found that the purity of the solvent is of primary importance, and a simple method of purification was developed. The molal depression constant for cyclohexanol melting at 24.2–24.4 °C. determined with Bureau of Standards benzoic acid is 42.9, confirming a previous published value in this range (42.5), though values as low as 37 have been reported. The method has application both for research problems and for teaching. The high hygroscopicity of cyclohexanol is of primary importance; unless care is used in the method to avoid exposure to moist atmospheres, appreciable errors result.
Turbulent deposition and gravitational sedimentation of an aerosol in a vessel of arbitrary shape

Abstract A general formula for the rate of aerosol deposition due to turbulent diffusion, Brownian diffusion, and gravitational sedimentation in a turbulently mixed, enclosed vessel of arbitrary shape is derived. It is shown to reduce to the formula of Corner and Pendlebury Proc. Phys. Soc. B64, 645 (1951) for a cubical vessel. The result is essentially independent of the form of the eddy diffusivity near the wall and demonstrates that for vessels with non-vertical walls, sedimentation and diffusion are intimately coupled in determining the total deposition rate. The effect of inertia is estimated and used to assess the range of particle sizes for which the analysis is applicable.
Modeling Impacts of Management on Carbon Sequestration and Trace Gas Emissions in Forested Wetland Ecosystems

A process-based model, Wetland-DNDC, was modified to enhance its capacity to predict the impacts of management practices on carbon sequestration in and trace gas emissions from forested wetland ecosystems. The modifications included parameterization of management practices (e.g., forest harvest, chopping, burning, water management, fertilization, and tree planting), inclusion of detailed anaerobic biogeochemical processes for wetland soils, and utilization of hydrological models for quantifying water table variations. A 150-year management scenario consisting of three stages of wetland forest, deforestation/drainage, and wetland restoration was simulated with the Wetland-DNDC for two wetlands in Minnesota and Florida, USA. The impacts of the management scenario on carbon ecosystem exchange, methane emission, and nitrous oxide emission were quantified and assessed. The results suggested that: (1) the same management scenario produced very different consequences on global warming due to the contrast climate conditions; and (2) methane and nitrous oxide fluxes played nonnegligible roles in mitigation in comparison with carbon sequestration.
Bedtime story for our Daughters

once upon a time there was a girl and her story met mine. listening, the nurses enfold this girl into their care: to watch her sats her thick mucus which clings to the mask and the loose blond curls that look my daughter’s. the resident and intern already know: we’ll bronch her again after morning rounds – before, if she worsens. walking away our talk turns to Daughters at home in bed various bears attending their slumber. our Daughters reciting their names repeating names as prayers grateful for unbroken lungs hair free of salty secretions. our Daughters tomorrow, postcall we’ll put them down hands free from gloves, drugs, blood. skin on skin – soft, sweet sacred we pray they won’t ask for a story about work.
Glucocorticoids are necessary for enhancing the acquisition of associative memories after acute stressful experience

Exposure to acute stressful experience can enhance the later ability to acquire new memories about associations between stimuli. This enhanced learning is observed during classical eyeblink conditioning of both hippocampal-dependent and -independent learning. It can be induced within minutes of the stressful event and persists for days. Here we examined the role of the major stress hormones glucocorticoids in the enhancement of learning after stress. In the first two experiments, it was determined that adrenalectomy (ADX), with and without replacement of basal levels of corticosterone, prevented the stress-induced enhancement of trace conditioning, a task that is dependent on the hippocampus for acquisition. In a third experiment, demedullation, which removes the adrenal medulla but leaves the adrenal cortex and corticosterone levels intact, did not affect the enhancement of learning after stress. In a fourth experiment, ADX prevented the stress-induced enhancement of delay conditioning, a hippocampal-independent task. In a final experiment, it was determined that one injection of stress levels of corticosterone enhanced new learning within minutes but not new learning 24 h later. Together these results suggest that endogenous glucocorticoids are necessary and sufficient for transiently enhancing acquisition of new associative memories and necessary but insufficient for persistently enhancing their acquisition after exposure to an acute stressful experience.
Detecting the wheel pattern of a vehicle using stereo images

Abstract This paper presents a method for detecting the wheels of a vehicle in stereo image pairs. The method consists of two steps: (i) geometrical transformation; and (ii) circle extraction. The geometrical transformation uses the disparity values obtained from a stereo image pair to calculate the parameters of the plane containing wheels of the vehicle. By using these parameters, we transform any elliptical wheels contained in the plane to circular ones which can be extracted by the circle extraction algorithm. The circle extraction algorithm consists of (1) template matching and (2) Hough transform. In order to save computation and improve the results in the Hough transform, we employ two constraints (a) the neighbor-region edge connectivity and (b) the gradient direction of each edge point, to eliminate non-circular edge points. Experimental results show that these two constraints do eliminate non-circular edge points and preserve any circle embedded in edges. From the final results, we can observe that our method can detect and locate the wheels of a vehicle successfully.
Smooth muscle pattern is more reliable than the presence or absence of an internal elastic lamina in distinguishing an artery from a vein

Background: Major pathology textbooks suggest that the shape of the vessel and the presence or absence of an internal elastic lamina are the best means to distinguish an artery from a vein. Because the shape of the vessel is highly dependent upon the plane of section, the internal elastic lamina is often cited as a more reliable criterion. After evaluating a patient with superficial thrombophlebitis, in whom these conventional criteria had led to a misdiagnosis of polyarteritis nodosa, we sought to determine whether the pattern of smooth muscle in the media is a more sensitive discriminator between an artery and a vein. Methods: Anatomically identified arteries and veins were harvested from extremity amputation specimens and stored autopsy organ specimens and reviewed by two dermatopathologists who were blinded to the gross pathologist's impression. The biopsies were assessed for the smooth muscle pattern and the presence or absence of an internal elastic lamina. Results: Forty-seven of the 50 cases (94%) were concordant with the pathologist's gross impression using only the smooth muscle pattern to differentiate an artery from a vein. On the basis of the presence or absence of an internal elastic lamina, 41 of 50 cases (82%) were concordant with the prosector's designation of the vessel. Limitations: Vessels were harvested from a variety of sites, with lower extremity vessels predominating. There may be some regional variability not addressed in this study. Conclusion: In this study, the pattern of muscle fibers within the vascular media discriminated between arteries and veins better than assessment of the presence or absence of an internal elastic lamina. Although no single criterion is 100% reliable, assessment of both these criteria may minimize the risk of misinterpreting vessels in the deep dermis and subcutis.
Experimental models for IgA-associated nephritis.

IgA-associated nephritis is characterized by the presence of exclusively or predominantly glomerular IgA deposits, and includes: primary IgA nephropathy [1–4], Schohlein–Henoch purpura [5,6], and hepatic glomerulonephritis [7]. It is not clear how the IgA mesangial deposits evolve and initiate immunopathogenetic events that lead to morphological and functional renal injury. Animal models provide investigative analogues to these disorders. The following report summarizes studies on the evolution and effect of IgA mesangial deposits in different experimental models. The experimental pathophysiology of IgA immune reactants are correlated to clinical findings of IgA-associated nephritis in humans.
A Titanium Dioxide Hydrogen Detector

Sputtered films of titanium dioxide several thousand angstroms thick and sandwiched between a layer of titanium and a layer of platinum are highly selective detectors of hydrogen. The resistance of the device decreases on exposure to hydrogen. At concentrations above 0.5% in air, the response is rapid and limited by lead resistance. At lower concentrations the response is proportional to concentration but relatively slow at room temperature. Moderate increases in temperature quicken the response. The detectors may be used as effective alarm devices at room temperature, with a‐c or d‐c circuitry that requires negligible power in the absence of hydrogen.
The Partisan Considerations of the President's Agenda

Few studies examine the impact of partisan factors on the president's agenda despite their prominent role in the literature on the president's legislative success. This article examines whether presidents consider divided government and party polarization when they select issues for their agenda. I argue that presidents are more likely to promote “party-owned” issues when conditions in Congress are less favorable to their agenda and they are likely to trespass on the opposing party's issues when conditions are more favorable. Empirical analysis of presidents’ attention to issues in State of the Union addresses from 1953 to 2005 provides evidence for these propositions. Although presidents consider conditions in each chamber when selecting issues, the results further show that they pay more attention to the partisan composition of the Senate than the House. The conclusion discusses the implications of these findings for research on presidential-congressional relations.
The design of laboratory experiments and projects for mechatronics courses

Abstract The widening recognition of the need to educate mechanical and other non-electrical engineers in the application of electronics, microprocessors and software to the design of products has led to the creation of Mechatronics courses at many universities. These courses aim to produce engineers capable of successfully employing all of these technologies in the design of electromechanical, or Mechatronic systems. This paper describes a set of heuristic guidelines that have been developed and employed to aid in the design and review of laboratory experiments and open-ended design projects for use in Mechatronics courses at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The context of the courses in which these guidelines were developed is described and some examples of the experiments and projects that have resulted are presented.
Pilot Study of Targeted Skeletal Radiation Therapy for Bone-Only Metastatic Breast Cancer

Abstract Purpose Bone-targeted radiation therapy is an attractive strategy for addressing bone disease with minimal systemic toxicity. This pilot study was designed to determine the safety and efficacy of 166Holmium (Ho)-DOTMP for irradiating malignant cells and adjacent marrow in women with bone-only metastatic breast cancer. Patients and Methods Subjects included 6 women aged ≤ 65 years with breast cancer and bone-only metastases at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center. The activity of 166Ho-DOTMP was calculated to deliver a therapeutic absorbed dose of 22 Gy (n = 3) or 28 Gy (n = 3) to the marrow. Treatment was followed by autologous stem cell transplantation to circumvent the anticipated myelosuppresion. Median follow-up time was 40 months. Results All subjects showed prompt hematologic recovery. No patient experienced grade 3/4 acute toxicity aside from myelosuppression. Two patients developed hemorrhagic cystitis 2 years after therapy. One patient developed myelodysplastic syndrome but was found to have had pre-existing trisomy 8. Two patients remained progression free without evidence of disease for more than 6 years. Five women experienced disease relapse (4 at extraosseous sites) and died of progressive disease. Median time to progression was 10.4 months. Conclusion The approach of bone-targeted radiation therapy with 166Ho-DOTMP had an acceptable toxicity profile, and sustained complete response was obtained in 2 of 6 patients. We are conducting a phase II study to evaluate the efficacy of targeted skeletal radiation therapy for treating bone-only metastases.
Reciprocal inhibition of a laboratory conditioned fear.

Abstract Electric shock was used to establish a conditioned fear in 48 college Ss, who then received either deep muscle relaxation training, cognitive relaxation training or anxiety relief conditioning. Relaxation was conditioned to a slide of the word NOW and the aversive stimulus was a pure red slide. The compound stimulus NOW on a red background was presented to generate counterconditioning, followed by a re-presentation of pure red as a measure of transfer. GSR and Blood Volume Pulse were recorded for evaluation of the fear reduction generated by each training procedure. All group differences were non-significant. The two relaxation procedures were equally effective, while the Anxiety Relief group manifested consistently smaller response-reduction. Implications and the usefulness of the paradigm were discussed.
Current Controversies in Endocrinology: Screening of Asymptomatic Elderly for Subclinical Hypothyroidism

Thyroid disorders are common in elderly patients. In fact, the most common form of thyroid dysfunction in the elderly is subclinical hypothyroidism. Subclinical hypothyroidism is a biochemical state characterized by an increased serum thyroid-stimulating hormone and normal levels of serum-free T4 and free T3. Much attention has been focused on this clinical entity recently, but it remains controversial whether early thyroid replacement therapy improves outcomes in elderly patients with asymptomatic subclinical hypothyroidism. There is a dearth of critical evidence on the effects of subclinical hypothyroidism on target tissues, the natural history of early thyroid dysfunction, and the net benefits and harms of long-term treatment with thyroid hormones. This article reviews the available information on the aging thyroid gland, subclinical hypothyroidism, and issues concerning treatment in asymptomatic elderly patients.
NATIONAL RESEARCH AND EDUCATION NETWORK

Senator Albert Gore, Jr., has introduced a bipartisan bill, S 1067 (in the House, HR 3131) to create, among other computing initiatives, a National Research and Education Network. In September, 1989, the Bush Administration, led by Science Adviser Allen Bromley, announced broad support for computer initiatives including a National Research and Education Network. The program envisions federal leadership in the development of high‐speed data services in the 1990s comparable to the federal role in the growth of the Interstate Highway System in the 1950s.
Toward a Meaningful Spirituality for People of Color: Lessons for the Counseling Practitioner.

This article attempts to capture a significant aspect of the counseling process for people of color: the spiritual dimension. It is argued that spirit and spirituality are relevant dimensions that should be integrated in counseling because spirituality is a key ingredient in the cultural upbringing and socialization of many people of color. Further, religious and spiritual beliefs are affected by experiences of racism and oppression, which then affects psychological coping. Reflective guidelines are offered to understand the essence of spirituality and cultural diversity, and lessons for the practitioner are recommended.
Low power laser irradiation alters the rate of regeneration of the rat facial nerve

Low power laser irradiation has been reported to cause biological effects due to the photochemical and/or photophysical action of the radiation. This study determined quantitatively if transcu-taneous low power laser irradiation can affect the regeneration of the rat facial nerve. The facial nerve was crushed unilaterally in anesthetized rats and transcutaneously irradiated daily with a laser beam directed at the area of the crush injury. Laser treatment began on the day of the crush injury and was continued daily for 7, 8, or 9 days. Preliminary experiments determined the most effective wavelength, laser power, length of irradiation, and treatment schedule. The wavelengths examined were 361, 457, 514, 633, 720, and 1064. The laser powers and lengths of irradiation examined ranged from 8.5 to 40 mW and 13 to 120 min. Irradiation treatment was done daily, on alternating days and on the first 4 days postcrush. The most effective laser parameters for the low power treatment included daily irradiation with a helium-neon (HeNe) or argon pumped tunable dye laser a wavelength of 633 nm, with a power of 8.5 mW for 90 minutes (45.9 J, 162.4 J/cm2). The number of horseradish peroxidase (HRP) labeled neurons in the facial motor nucleus was used as an assay of the degree of regeneration. In rats in which the facial nerve was crushed but not irradiated, the average number of HRP labeled neurons in the facial nucleus was 22 on day 7 postcrush, 54 on day 8, 116 on day 9, and 1,149 on day 10. After HeNe or argon pumped tunable dye laser irradiation, the average number of HRP-labeled neurons increased to 34 on day 7 postcrush, 148 on day 8, and 1,725 on day 9. There was a statistically significant difference between the control and irradiated rats on day 9 post-crush (P < 0.01). These data indicate that transcutaneous low power irradiation with the lasers and parameters involved in this study increased the rate of regeneration of rat facial nerve following crush injury. © 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Massively parallel solution of quadratic programs via successive overrelaxation

Serial and parallel successive overrelaxation (SOR) solutions of specially structured large-scale quadratic programs with simple bounds are discussed. By taking advantage of the sparsity structure of the problem, the SOR algorithm was successfully implemented on two massively parallel Single-Instruction-Multiple-Data machines: a Connection Machine CM-2 and a MasPar MP-1. Computational results for the well known obstacle problems show the effectiveness of the algorithm. Problems with millions of variables have been solved in a few minutes on these massively parallel machines, and speed-ups of 90% or more were achieved.
On the Impossibility of Weak-Form Efficient Markets

Recent theoretical models show that irrational expectations can generate return predictability consistent with apparent violations of weak-form market efficiency documented in the empirical literature. These behavioral models constrain rational investors' ability toexploit inter-temporal predictability by assuming that rational agents face high transactions costs, are myopic, or are non-existent. This paper presents a model in which there are two types of irrational expectations, one that causes momentum and another that creates reversals. I investigate whether these types of predictability will persist in the presence of fully rational agents who face no transactions costs, are long lived, and trade dynamically to optimally exploit any predictability due to irrational mispricings. I show that weak-form market efficiency will be violated under two very weak conditions: rational investors are risk averse and the fundamental value of the asset is risky. The paper also investigates the accumulation of wealth by trader type and shows that irrational agents will survive under a large set of parameters.
The role of diffusion in broadband infrared absorption in chalcogen-doped silicon

Sulfur doping of silicon beyond the solubility limit by femtosecond laser irradiation leads to near-unity broadband absorption of visible and infrared light and the realization of silicon-based infrared photodetectors. The nature of the infrared absorption is not yet well understood. Here we present a study on the reduction of infrared absorptance after various anneals of different temperatures and durations for three chalcogens (sulfur, selenium, and tellurium) dissolved into silicon by femtosecond laser irradiation. For sulfur doping, we irradiate silicon in SF6 gas; for selenium and tellurium, we evaporate a film onto the silicon and irradiate in N2 gas; lastly, as a control, we irradiated untreated silicon in N2 gas. Our analysis shows that the deactivation of infrared absorption after thermal annealing is likely caused by dopant diffusion. We observe that a characteristic diffusion length—common to all three dopants—leads to the reduction of infrared absorption. Using diffusion theory, we suggest a model in which grain size of the resolidified surface layer can account for this characteristic diffusion length, indicating that deactivation of infrared absorptance may be caused by precipitation of the dopant at the grain boundaries.
A blind spot in climate change vulnerability assessments

Climate change vulnerability assessments are becoming mainstream decision support tools for conservation in the US, but they may be doing migratory species a disservice.
An intuitive explanation of third-order surface behavior

We present a novel parameterization-independent exposition of the third-order geometric behavior of a surface point. Unlike existing algebraic expositions, our work produces an intuitive explanation of third-order shape, analogous to the principal curvatures and directions that describe second-order shape. We extract four parameters that provide a quick and concise understanding of the third-order surface behavior at any given point. Our shape parameters are useful for easily characterizing different third-order surface shapes without having to use tensor algebra. Our approach generalizes to higher orders, allowing us to extract similarly intuitive parameters that fully describe fourth- and higher-order surface behavior.
Safety as an Emergent Property: Investigation into the Work Practices of High-Reliability Framing Crews

With regards to safety, the challenge for researchers and practitioners is to develop work systems that can achieve at the same time high levels of productivity and safety. Towards this objective, this research investigates the work practices of high-reliability crews—that is, crews who perform high-risk work with exceptionally high productivity and safety. The objective of the research is to increase understanding of the work practices that reduce the likelihood of accidents while at the same time increase productivity. This paper presents the findings of an initial exploratory study that compares the work practices of two residential framing crews: one crew with consistently exceptional levels of safety and productivity, and one average-performing crew from the same company. The two crews did not show any difference in safety practices—both crews had high compliance with the company’s safety requirements. However, the production practices of the high-reliability crew were shaped by a clear “guiding prin...
Hierarchical situation modeling and reasoning for pervasive computing

Situation awareness is one of the most fundamental features of entities in pervasive computing environments to dynamically adapt their behavior to situation changes to satisfy user requirements, including security and privacy. In order to support situation-aware adaptation, it is necessary to model and specify context and situation in a way such that multiple entities can easily exchange, share and reuse their knowledge on context and situation. In this paper, an OWL-based situation ontology to model situation hierarchically to facilitate sharing and reusing of situation knowledge and logic inferences is presented. The conversion of OWL situation ontology specifications to the first-order logic (FOL) representations, and the performance of FOL rule-based reasoning in terms of problem size and time are discussed.
NOMINALIZATIONS IN PUNDIT

This paper describes the treatment of nominalizations in the PUNDIT text processing system. A single semantic definition is used for both nominalizations and the verbs to which they are related, with the same semantic roles, decompositions, and selectional restrictions on the semantic roles. However, because syntactically nominalizations are noun phrases, the processing which produces the semantic representation is different in several respects from that used for clauses. (1) The rules relating the syntactic positions of the constituents to the roles that they can fill are different. (2) The fact that nominalizations are untensed while clauses normally are tensed means that an alternative treatment of time is required for nominalizations. (3) Because none of the arguments of a nominalization is syntactically obligatory, some differences in the control of the filling of roles are required, in particular, roles can be filled as part of reference resolution for the nominalization. The differences in processing are captured by allowing the semantic interpreter to operate in two different modes, one for clauses, and one for nominalizations. Because many nominalizations are noun-noun compounds, this approach also addresses this problem, by suggesting a way of dealing with one relatively tractable subset of noun-noun compounds.
Psychophysics of Numerical Representation A Unified Approach to Single- and Multi-Digit Magnitude Estimation

When estimating the value of Arabic numerals like ‘‘3,’’ ‘‘33,’’ and ‘‘333,’’ is each symbol treated holistically and associated with a different mental magnitude along a common scale (Dehaene, 1989), or is there unique scaling for units, decades, hundreds, and so on (McCloskey, 1992)? In this opinion piece, we argue that the evidence is more consistent with the holistic, single-scaling account than a decomposed, multiple-scaling account.
Polygon-circle paradox in the finite element analysis of bending of a simply supported plate

Abstract In this paper, it is shown that the so-called polygon-circle paradox in the analysis of simply supported plates is not a paradox but a consequence of the alteration of boundary conditions due to a polygonal domain-approximation. Simple ways of avoiding potential problems in the analysis of bending of simply supported curved plates, using a polygonal domain approximation, in the context of the finite element method, are presented and demonstrated to be valid.
Did the Pleistocene glaciations promote divergence? Tests of explicit refugial models in montane grasshopprers

There is a long-standing debate over whether or not the Pleistocene glaciations promoted speciation. While some models predict that extensive mixing of populations during interglacial expansion would have inhibited divergence, others postulate that divergence among allopatric glacial refuges or founder events during recolonization of previously glaciated areas would have promoted differentiation. Using a combination of traditional and coalescent based population genetic approaches, this study finds that the glaciations did not inhibit divergence among populations of the grasshopper Melanoplus oregonensis. Instead, drift associated with recolonization of previously glaciated areas, as well as divergence among multiple allopatric glacial refugia, have both contributed to differentiation in this montane grasshopper from the 'sky islands' of the northern Rocky Mountains. Significant population structure was detected by phylogenetic and FST analyses, including significant FST values among individual pairs of sky-island populations. In addition to clustering of haplotypes within populations, there is some evidence of regional phylogeographic structure, although none of the 'regional groups' form a monophyletic clade and there is a lack of concordance between the genealogical and geographical positions of some haplotypes. However, coalescent simulations confirm there is significant regional phylogeographic structure that most likely reflects divergence among multiple ancestral refugial populations, and indicate that it is very unlikely that the observed gene tree could have been produced by the fragmentation of a single widespread ancestral population. Thus, rather than inhibiting differentiation, the glaciations appear to have promoted population divergence in M. oregonensis, suggesting that they may have contributed to the radiation of Melanoplus species during the Pleistocene.
Phospholipidation of HDL—How Much Is Too Much?

Phospholipid transfer protein (PLTP)2 is a secreted lipid transfer protein that mediates the exchange of phospholipids between lipoproteins in the circulation. By shuttling phospholipid surface remnants generated during triglyceride-rich lipoprotein lipolysis to HDL, PLTP plays an important role in HDL maturation. In addition to forming the phospholipid shell of the particle, PLTP-derived phospholipids serve as a substrate for lecithin-cholesteryl acyltransferase, which generates cholesteryl esters to form the neutral lipid core. PLTP also promotes remodeling and rearrangement of HDL in a process known as “HDL conversion.” In the presence of human apolipoprotein AI (apo AI), PLTP promotes the fusion of smaller HDL3 particles to generate larger HDL2 particles, along with the simultaneous shedding of lipid-poor apo AI. In doing so, PLTP-mediated HDL conversion promotes the regeneration of pre-β HDL. Our references are limited because of space limitations; for a more detailed review of the PLTP literature, please consult one of the excellent review articles on this topic (1, 2). PLTP-deficient mice have major reductions in HDL cholesterol (HDL-C) concentrations and a shift toward smaller HDL particle size that are reflective of the critical role for this protein in HDL metabolism. Paradoxically, substantial overproduction of PLTP in mice also reduces HDL-C concentrations by destabilizing the particles and promoting their catabolism. In the presence of human apo AI, however, modest overproduction of human PLTP has been shown to increase HDL-C and pre-β HDL values, possibly by providing phospholipid as a lecithin-cholesteryl acyltransferase substrate and promoting HDL maturation. In addition to its effects on HDL metabolism, PLTP production has profound effects on the concentrations of apo B lipoproteins. PLTP-deficient mice have lower concentrations of apo B lipoproteins, and small-molecule inhibition of PLTP decreases apo B secretion from hepatocytes. It appears that hepatic PLTP plays an important role in phospholipidation …
Water Level Observations in Mangrove Swamps During Two Hurricanes in Florida

Little is known about the effectiveness of mangroves in suppressing water level heights during landfall of tropical storms and hurricanes. Recent hurricane strikes along the Gulf Coast of the United States have impacted wetland integrity in some areas and hastened the need to understand how and to what degree coastal forested wetlands confer protection by reducing the height of peak water level. In recent years, U.S. Geological Survey Gulf Coast research projects in Florida have instrumented mangrove sites with continuous water level recorders. Our ad hoc network of water level recorders documented the rise, peak, and fall of water levels (± 0.5 hr) from two hurricane events in 2004 and 2005. Reduction of peak water level heights from relatively in-line gages associated with one storm surge event indicated that mangrove wetlands can reduce water level height by as much as 9.4 cm/km inland over intact, relatively unchannelized expanses. During the other event, reductions were slightly less for mangroves along a river corridor. Estimates of water level attenuation were within the range reported in the literature but erred on the conservative side. These synoptic data from single storm events indicate that intact mangroves may support a protective role in reducing maximum water level height associated with surge.
Equipment Options for Cough Augmentation, Ventilation, and Noninvasive Interfaces in Neuromuscular Respiratory Management

This is a summary of the presentation on equipment options for cough augmentation, ventilation, and noninvasive interfaces in neuromuscular respiratory management presented as part of the program on pulmonary management of pediatric patients with neuromuscular disorders at the 30th annual Carrell-Krusen Neuromuscular Symposium on February 20, 2008.
Single burst study of rec- and red-mediated recombination in bacteriophage lambda

Abstract Single bursts from three-point crosses of bacteriophage lambda were analyzed for recombination of markers several thousand nucleotide pairs apart. Single recombination, mediated by the rec system of Escherichia coli, is usually reciprocal. Double recombinants are also significantly correlated in single bursts, although the correlation is weaker than for reciprocal singles. Reciprocity is not found in crosses mediated by the lambda red system. With respect to certain other paraments of recombination, the two systems appear to be alike. Double recombinants usually result from one event, not from two independent single recombinations, and their average clone size is about half that of single recombinants. The results are discussed in terms of current molecular models of recombination.
O'Reilly v. Morse

O’Reilly v. Morse (1854) is a famous patent case. It is relied on by Justices and judges, discussed by scholars, and taught to students. Everyone agrees it was correctly decided: Chief Justice Roger Taney’s majority opinion stopped Samuel Morse’s attempt to control all telecommunication technologies with a patent that went far beyond his invented telegraph and encompassed modern email, fax machines and text messages. This conventional wisdom, however, is profoundly mistaken. It fails to account for the historical context in which Morse invented, patented, commercialized and ultimately was swept up in massive litigation over his innovative telegraph. This paper corrects this anachronism by reinserting this full historical context back into our understanding of Morse. It details the invention and innovative commercial development of the telegraph, and it reveals that Chief Justice Taney’s opinion was not a sterling exemplar of patent law. Similar to his decisions in constitutional law and in other patent cases, Chief Justice Taney ignored established patent doctrines and instead decided the case on the basis of his own political biases. As a fervent Jacksonian Democrat, Chief Justice Taney viewed patents as state-granted monopolies, and not as property rights in technological innovation. It is only a happy accident for him that his judicial activism in O'Reilly v. Morse comported with much-later changes in patent law that made his opinion appear correct to our modern eyes — unlike Chief Justice Taney’s similar twisting of established law in Dred Scott to reach a result similarly dictated by his personal political preferences.
An empirical study of the correlation between code coverage and reliability estimation

Existing time-domain models for software reliability often result in an overestimation, of such reliability because they do not take the nature of testing techniques into account. Since every testing technique has a limit to its ability to reveal faults in a given system, as a technique approaches its saturation region fewer faults are discovered and reliability growth phenomena are predicted from the models. When the software is turned over to field operation, significant overestimates of reliability are observed. We present a technique to solve this problem by addressing both time and coverage measures for the prediction of software failures. Our technique uses coverage information collected during testing to extract only effective data from a given operational profile. Execution time between test cases which neither increase coverage nor cause a failure as reduced by a parameterized factor. Experiments using this technique were conducted on a program created in a simulation environment with simulated faults and on an industrial automatic flight control project which contained several natural faults. Results from both experiments indicate that overestimation of reliability is reduced significantly using our technique. This new approach not only helps reliability growth models make more accurate predictions, but also reveals the efficiency of a testing profile so that more effective testing techniques can be conducted.
Effect of high dietary concentrations of brewer's dried yeast on growth performance and liver uricase in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

The potential of using yeast nitrogen in fish feeds to replace proteins from conventional sources is an attractive option to nutritionists, feed manufacturers and fish farmers. Experiments were conducted to determine the effects of high dietary levels of brewer's dried yeast, with 20% of its protein represented by nucleic acid nitrogen, on the growth, feed conversion efficiency and uric acid metabolism of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Growth and liver uricase activities were monitored in trout fed diets containing 0, 25, 50 or 75% yeast. Growth was faster and feed conversion more efficient in fish fed diets consisting of 25% yeast; the diets containing 50 and 75% yeast were seemingly unpalatable to trout. Liver uricase activity, present in all fish, was directly correlated with the dietary level of nucleic acids. It was concluded that although feed intake was depressed at yeast levels greater than 25%, the fish did not appear to be adversely affected physiologically by high dietary levels of nucleic acid nitrogen.