cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The participial construction of Dolakhā Newar: Syntactic implications of an Asian converb

The terms “(clause) chaining” and “converbal constructions” are used for the classification of similar types of clause linkage. Chaining is generally used for constructions which do not entail subordination, while converbs are defined as subordinate. In Dolakhā Newar adverbial and “participial” clauses are not syntactically distinct, but neither are they subordinate. I propose that the term “converb” be redefined as a clause-linkage strategy that subsumes adverbial clauses and clauses akin to the Dolakhāe “participial”, and that there be no requirement that converbs be either subordinate or adverbial. I provide an analysis of “case prolepsis”, the casemarking of an argument by a verb in a non-adjacent clause, and argue that this results from the participial construction applying at a distinct level of clause structure.
The graft copolymerization of styrene and lignin. II. Kraft softwood lignin

The radiation-induced graft copolymerization of styrene and various kraft softwood lignins was studied. Expression of the results as the usual “per cent graft” was impossible, because grafting caused the lignin to become extractable in solvents for the styrene homopolymer. However, evaluation of the effects of various solvents on the degree of reaction was made through an indirect, and possibly more characteristic, measure. Grafting was least pronounced under conditions of low lignin accessibility (e.g., when less than 10% methanol was present), but increased with the addition of better lignin solvents or with higher methanol concentrations. The precipitating nature of the latter conditions was also found to contribute to an accelerated rate of grafting. Surprisingly, the graft copolymer was found to degrade at higher doses. Proof of grafting is offered in a fractionation scheme. Measurement of the molecular weight of the polystyrene separated from the lignin backbone allows the estimation of approximately one polystyrene graft per lignin molecule in benzene-extractable copolymers. Two glass transition temperatures could be detected in several fractionated copolymers.
Two-dimensional quasi-stationary temperature distribution in a moving infinite slab with orthotropic properties

Abstract An analytical solution is developed for the above problem with surface boundary conditions of distributed heat flux and convective loss. The case of a square-pulse heat-source on one surface with convective losses on both surfaces is considered in detail; temperature distributions are presented for a limited number of examples and an approximate solution is derived. The conduction/convection parameter, χ = α (Vl) is shown to provide criteria for neglecting energy transport due to conduction or convection in the direction of motion. For χ ⪕ 0·01 only convection is important. For 0·01 ⪕ χ⪕ 10 both conduction and convection are important. For 10 ⪕ χ only conduction is important.
Somatosensory System Deficits in Schizophrenia Revealed by MEG during a Median-Nerve Oddball Task

Although impairments related to somatosensory perception are common in schizophrenia, they have rarely been examined in functional imaging studies. In the present study, magnetoencephalography (MEG) was used to identify neural networks that support attention to somatosensory stimuli in healthy adults and abnormalities in these networks in patient with schizophrenia. A median-nerve oddball task was used to probe attention to somatosensory stimuli, and an advanced, high-resolution MEG source-imaging method was applied to assess activity throughout the brain. In nineteen healthy subjects, attention-related activation was seen in a sensorimotor network involving primary somatosensory (S1), secondary somatosensory (S2), primary motor (M1), pre-motor (PMA), and paracentral lobule (PCL) areas. A frontal–parietal–temporal “attention network”, containing dorsal- and ventral–lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC and VLPFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), superior parietal lobule (SPL), inferior parietal lobule (IPL)/supramarginal gyrus (SMG), and temporal lobe areas, was also activated. Seventeen individuals with schizophrenia showed early attention-related hyperactivations in S1 and M1 but hypo-activation in S1, S2, M1, and PMA at later latency in the sensorimotor network. Within this attention network, hypoactivation was found in SPL, DLPFC, orbitofrontal cortex, and the dorsal aspect of ACC. Hyperactivation was seen in SMG/IPL, frontal pole, and the ventral aspect of ACC in patients. These findings link attention-related somatosensory deficits to dysfunction in both sensorimotor and frontal–parietal–temporal networks in schizophrenia.
Immunomodulation by intravenous immune globulin in Kawasaki disease

Abstract Kawasaki disease is an acute febrile illness of infancy and early childhood. Fifteen percent to 25% of children afflicted with Kawasaki disease develop coronary artery aneurysms. The acute phase of Kawasaki disease is characterized by a deficiency of suppressor T cells and the marked activation of T cells, B cells, and monocytes associated with increased secretion of cytokines by these immune effector cells. Evidence that this immune activation contributes to vascular endothelial cell damage in Kawasaki disease is supported by the observation that patients in the acute phase of Kawasaki disease have circulating antibodies lytic for vascular endothelial cells activated with γ-interferon, IL-1, or tumor necrosis factor. In contrast, sera from these patients do not lyse unstimulated endothelial cells. High-dose intravenous immune globulin treatment is effective in preventing the occurrence of coronary artery abnormalities in Kawasaki disease. Patients treated with intravenous immune globulin have a significant increase in T suppressor cells, a decrease in circulating T helper cells, and a decrease in spontaneous IgG and IgM synthesis. These observations suggest that intravenous immune globulin reduces the vasculitis in Kawasaki disease by suppressing the marked immune activation associated with this disease.
Island Barrier Effects on Sea State as Revealed by a Numerical Wave Model and DMSP Satellite Data

Abstract Island barrier effects on the state of the sea in the lee of islands have been studied by means of a numerical wave prediction model and by examination of data from sensors of the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), the Synchronous Meteorological Satellite (SMS), and the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS). Visual indications of calm areas in the lee of the Lesser Antilles, evidenced by a marked reduction in the satellite-observed sunglint at selected sun angles, are verified by the results from the numerical wave model; other lee reflective patterns correspond to areas of changed sea state. These results indicate that a reduction in the swell height, alteration of the period, and reorientation of the swell direction, in many instances long distances to the island's lee, are responsible for the satellite-observed reflective patterns noted. The additional phenomena of bow waves and wind-induced oceanographic eddies are also examined, and some evidence of their occurrence and d...
Optical reorientation of Vk centers in KCl as a function of temperature

Abstract We have measured the induced optical anisotropy as a function of bleaching time using linearly polarized light absorbed in the 3.4 eV band, from 7° to 120° K. Results indicate that the 3.4 eV state has essentially zero binding energy.
Routing past unions of disjoint linear barriers

Given a disjoint planar set, {Li, = PiQi, i = 1,…, n}, of line segments called barriers, we consider the question of finding a path Γ of minimal length which connects two given points A and B and which does not “cut” any of the barriers. In Section III we show that such a minimal path exists and that it is polygonal with its bend points lying in W = {Pi, Qi: i = 1,…, n}. The problem is thus reduced to finding the shortest path between two points A and B in an approximate network with vertex set V = W ∪ {A, B}. The latter can be solved by a network routing algorithm such as Dantzig's. Section IV presents Algorithms for reducing the size of the network.
Comparison of 10 nm filaments from three bovine tissues.

Abstract Enriched fractions of 10 nm filaments were isolated from three bovine tissues and were compared using morphological biochemical, and immunological techniques. We studied keratin filaments from hoof epidermis, 10 nm filaments from corneal epithelium, and 10 nm filaments from brain white matter. The parameters of comparison and results were as follows. 1. 1. Corneal epithelial filaments and keratin filaments repolymerized after a buffered 8 M urea extract of the tissue was dialyzed against a low ionic strength (0.005 M) buffer. However, a greater yield of repolymerized corneal epithelial filaments was obtained if the urea-soluble fraction was dialyzed against the same buffer containing 0.17 M NaCl. Brain filaments harvested by cell fractionation did not repolymerize when similarly treated. 2. 2. Electrophoretic patterns of proteins of filament-enriched fractions from the three sources were different in sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) polyacrylamide gels, except for one co-migrating band. 3. 3. Peptide mapping by limited proteolysis of the eluted co-migrating proteins showed few similarities. 4. 4. Amino acid analysis of the co-migrating proteins revealed numerous differences. 5. 5. Antibodies to the co-migrating corneal epithelial filament and brain filament proteins reacted only with their own antigen and whole filament type, and antibody to total keratin filament protein cross-reacted only with keratin filaments.
Microfluidic Chips Controlled with Elastomeric Microvalve Arrays

Miniaturized microfluidic systems provide simple and effective solutions for low-cost point-of-care diagnostics and high-throughput biomedical assays. Robust flow control and precise fluidic volumes are two critical requirements for these applications. We have developed microfluidic chips featuring elastomeric polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) microvalve arrays that: 1) need no extra energy source to close the fluidic path, hence the loaded device is highly portable; and 2) allow for microfabricating deep (up to 1 mm) channels with vertical sidewalls and resulting in very precise features. The PDMS microvalves-based devices consist of three layers: a fluidic layer containing fluidic paths and microchambers of various sizes, a control layer containing the microchannels necessary to actuate the fluidic path with microvalves, and a middle thin PDMS membrane that is bound to the control layer. Fluidic layer and control layers are made by replica molding of PDMS from SU-8 photoresist masters, and the thin PDMS membrane is made by spinning PDMS at specified heights. The control layer is bonded to the thin PDMS membrane after oxygen activation of both, and then assembled with the fluidic layer. The microvalves are closed at rest and can be opened by applying negative pressure (e.g., house vacuum). Microvalve closure and opening are automated via solenoid valves controlled by computer software. Here, we demonstrate two microvalve-based microfluidic chips for two different applications. The first chip allows for storing and mixing precise sub-nanoliter volumes of aqueous solutions at various mixing ratios. The second chip allows for computer-controlled perfusion of microfluidic cell cultures. The devices are easy to fabricate and simple to control. Due to the biocompatibility of PDMS, these microchips could have broad applications in miniaturized diagnostic assays as well as basic cell biology studies.
Determination of Non-metals by High Performance Liquid Chromatography with Inductively Coupled Plasma Detection

Abstract High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) has often been employed in the separation and speciation of metal containing compounds. One of the most sensitive devices used for detecting those compounds after the separation is the inductively coupled plasma (ICP). The similar flow rates for these two techniques render the coupling of the devices trivial, usually involving only a short length of capillary tubing. Upon entering the plasma, species are typically determined either via atomic emission spectrometry or mass spectrometry. HPLC-ICP devices have been employed less frequently for the determination of non-metals. This review will describe the applications of HPLC-ICP techniques to the determination of compounds containing carbon, sulfur, phosphorus, and the halogens. The instrumentation used for each application will be described, and the performance of the systems will be summarized.
Comparing two discussion designs in terms of student online interactions

This study used social network analysis (SNA) to examine the way students interacted with one another in two online classes that had different designs for discussions. The results suggested that the degree of interactivity among individual students did not improve when the instructor withdrew from the discussions and required students to respond to their classmates' postings. Implications of the study were also discussed.
Preschoolers' social competence: Relations to family characteristics, teacher behaviors and classroom climate

This study investigated family and classroom characteristics associated with parents' and teachers' ratings of 183 preschool children's social competence. Results of multilevel modeling indicated that teachers' negative ratings of the children were predicted by negative teacher behaviors and less optimal classroom climate. Children with higher stress were more likely to demonstrate low social competence when in class with other children with less optimal social competencies. Teachers' positive ratings of the preschooler's social competence were predicted by positive assessments of classroom climate and teacher behaviors. Positive classroom climate appeared to mediate the relationship between teacher behaviors and preschoolers' social competence. Path analyses indicated that higher socioeconomic status directly predicted parent ratings of social competence. Paths between child stress and parent ratings of social competence were significant as were paths between teachers' ratings of preschoolers' competence at school and parent ratings of social competence. These findings have implications for teacher training and parent education programs.
Mutation within the hinge region of the transcription factor Nr2f2 attenuates salt-sensitive hypertension

Transcription factor Nr2f2 is linked to high blood pressure in humans and animals. Using hypertensive rats that have been genetically modified to express a mutant Nr2f2 that binds stronger to transcription factor Fog2, the authors show that the interaction between these two proteins is critical for blood pressure regulation.
A kinetic isotope dilution assay for glycerol.

Using glycerol kinase and [3H]glycerol, a kinetic isotope dilution assay for glycerol has been developed. Reactant and product are separated by stepwise elution from QAE-Sephadex. This assay is sensitive to as little as 100 pmol of glycerol, avoids numerous drawbacks of the traditional fluorescent assay, and readily detects glycerol production by fewer than 105 cardiomyocytes.
Seasonality and the scheduling of life history at different latitudes

For many ectotherms, the annual cycle is partitioned into ‘growing’ (summer) and ‘non-growing’ (winter) seasons, and the lengths of these seasons are inversely related across a latitudinal gradient. This pattern of variation has the potential to affect diverse life-history traits profoundly. A key selective agent is size-dependent winter mortality which, with increasing latitude, places an increasing premium on attainment of large body size before the first winter of life. Winter body size is determined primarily by two factors: (1) birth date, which defines the beginning of the first growing season and (2) somatic growth rate within the first season. Using examples drawn from the Atlantic silverside, Menidia menidia (L.), and other fishes, I show how latitudinal variation in the scheduling of the spawning season, countergradient variation in the capacity for growth and reproduction, and mode of sex determination (environmental v. genetic) represent adaptations to seasonality.
Ultrasonic borehole televiewer investigation of oceanic crustal layer 2A, Costa Rica Rift

In situ lithostratigraphy and the distribution of fracture and void zones in oceanic layer 2A were examined with an ultrasonic borehole televiewer at IPOD sites 501 and 504B on the south flank of the Costa Rica Rift. These records indicate a decrease in the size of basalt pillows with depth and a corresponding increase in fracture and void density. The observed increase in P-wave velocity with depth in this hole, as layer 2A merges into 2B, is best explained by an increase in the degree to which clays and zeolites fill fractures and voids. This also explains the order-of-magnitude drop in permeability observed in hole 504B. An increase in alteration-filling with age could explain the transition from convective to conductive heat flow and the correlative disappearance of layer 2A on the flanks of oceanic spreading centres.
Infrared video imaging of subsurface vessels: A feasibility study for the endoscopic management of gastrointestinal bleeding

The feasibility of infrared video imaging of subsurface vessels in the stomach was investigated both experimentally and in more detail using computer simulations of light propagation. Infrared video imaging was first attempted in several experimental situations. Images of a human arm illuminated with infrared light (wavelength > 700 nm) revealed subcutaneous venous structures not revealed by visible light (wavelength of 500 to 600 nm). An infrared-sensitive video endoscope was used to view both a human arm and normal stomach wall. Infrared illumination within the stomach enhanced only the larger subsurface vessels. Infrared transillumination of a rat skin flap window chamber allowed video recording of images during injection of an absorbing dye, indocyanine green, into the blood volume and showed that indocyanine green can enhance the contrast in infrared images of small vessels. Computer simulations of vessels of varying depths and sizes indicated successful detection was possible by infrared imaging. Computer simulations demonstrated that the shadow caused by an imaged subsurface vessel has two characteristics: (1) the central loss of reflectance, which indicates the size of the vessel, and (2) the full-width half-maximum of the reflectance loss, which indicates the depth of the vessel. The simulations further suggested that images of small vessels can be dramatically enhanced (68-fold) by indocyanine green, which attenuates the transmittance of scattered light from behind the vessels to the surface for observation. On the other hand, indocyanine green enhances the contrast of large vessels to a lesser degree (2.6-fold). The ultimate goal is to develop an endoscopic video imaging system capable of capturing reflected light from the stomach wall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Influence of visual guidance on braille recognition: low lighting also helps touch.

This study was an attempt to clarify the mechanisms responsible for the benefits of visual guidance in tactual braille recognition. Subjects touched +90° tilted braille under normal room lighting, or with low lighting, with or without visual guidance. Both visual information about finger angle and spatial reference information were manipulated with stained glass and light-emitting diodes. The provision of visual information about finger angle alone was no help to braille recognition, and performance was low. Adding visual spatial reference information to vision of finger angle raised performance. However, recognition accuracy was also substantially improved by low lighting. The benefits of darkness for haptics did not generalize to the reading of upright, two-letter braille words. It was proposed that extraneous visual information may distract sighted subjects in haptic tasks that require mental rotation of visual images.
(Trimethylsilyl)trifluoroethene, a Floppy Molecule.

In the gas phase structure of Me3SiCFCF2 the Me3Si group is staggered with respect to the CC bond. Nearly free rotation occurs around the C(sp2)Si bond.
GPU-enabled projectile guidance for impact area constraints

Guided projectile engagement scenarios often involve impact area constraints, in which it may be less desirable to incur miss distance on one side of a target or within a specified boundary near the target area. Current projectile guidance schemes such as impact point predictors cannot handle these constraints within the guidance loop, and may produce dispersion patterns that are insensitive to these constraints. In this paper, a new projectile guidance law is proposed that leverages real-time Monte Carlo impact point prediction to continually evaluate the probability of violating impact area constraints. The desired aim point is then adjusted accordingly. Real-time Monte Carlo simulation is enabled within the feedback loop through use of graphics processing units (GPU’s), which provide parallel pipelines through which a dispersion pattern can routinely be predicted. The result is a guidance law that can achieve minimum miss distance while avoiding impact area constraints. The new guidance law is described and formulated as a nonlinear optimization problem which is solved in real-time through massively-parallel Monte Carlo simulation. An example simulation is shown in which impact area constraints are enforced and the methodology of stochastic guidance is demonstrated. Finally, Monte Carlo simulations are shown which demonstrate the ability of the stochastic guidance scheme to avoid an arbitrary set of impact area constraints, generating an impact probability density function that optimally trades miss distance within the restricted impact area. The proposed guidance scheme has applications beyond smart weapons to include missiles, UAV’s, and other autonomous systems.
Renal responses to actinomycin D and aldosterone in the hypophysectomized rat.

SummaryRenal excretory patterns of sodium, potassium and water were studied in unoperated and hypophysectomized rats as functions of pretreatment with d-aldosterone and actinomycin D. Observations included:1. A GFR-depressing function of aldosterone in the sodium-depleted hypophysectomized rat.2. A glucocorticoid-like response to aldosterone in the sodium-depleted hypophysectomized rat.3. A GFR-stimulating function of actinomycin D, which was reversible by a priori but not by a posteriori administration of aldosterone.
Azacrown Ethers as Amphiphile Headgroups: Formation of Stable Aggregates from Two- and Three-Armed Lariat Ethers

Ten 18-membered ring lariat ether compounds have been prepared as one-, two-, and three-armed derivatives of aza-, diaza-, and triaza-18-crown-6. They include N-[[(3-cholestanyloxy)carbonyl]methyl]aza-18-crown-6, 1, N-tetradecylaza-18-crown-6, 2, N,N‘-dibutyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 3, N,N‘-dinonyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 4, N,N‘-didodecyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 5, N,N‘-ditetradecyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 6, N,N‘-dioctadecyl-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 7, N,N‘-bis[[(3-cholestanyloxy)carbonyl]methyl]-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 8, N,N‘-bis[[(3-cholestanyloxy)carbonyl]decyl]-4,13-diaza-18-crown-6, 9, and N,N‘,N‘‘-tri-n-hexyl-4,10,16-triaza-18-crown-6, 10. Compounds 2, 8, and 9 are previously unreported. Aqueous suspensions of these monomers were sonicated, and the first evidence for stable aggregates formed from diaza and triaza lariat ethers (3−10) was obtained. The formation of aggregates from 3 or 10 is especially notable since the side chains are butyl or hexyl, respectively. The aggregates were studied by a combin...
Optimizing hypoxia detection and treatment strategies.

Clinical studies using Eppendorf needle sensors have invariably documented the resistance of hypoxic human tumors to therapy. These studies first documented the need for individual patient measurement of hypoxia, as hypoxia varied from tumor to tumor. Furthermore, hypoxia in sarcomas and cervical cancer leads to distant metastasis or local or regional spread, respectively. For various reasons, the field has moved away from direct needle sensor oxygen measurements to indirect assays (hypoxia-inducible factor–related changes and bioreductive metabolism) and the latter can be imaged noninvasively. Many of hypoxia׳s detrimental therapeutic effects are reversible in mice but little treatment improvement in hypoxic human tumors has been seen. The question is why? What factors cause human tumors to be refractory to antihypoxia strategies? We suggest the primary cause to be the complexity of hypoxia formation and its characteristics. Three basic types of hypoxia exist, encompassing various diffusional (distance from perfused vessel), temporal (on or off cycling), and perfusional (blood flow efficiency) limitations. Surprisingly, there is no current information on their relative prevalence in human tumors and even animal models. This is important because different hypoxia subtypes are predicted to require different diagnostic and therapeutic approaches, but the implications of this remain unknown. Even more challenging, no agreement exists for the best way to measure hypoxia. Some results even suggest that hypoxia is unlikely to be targetable therapeutically. In this review, the authors revisit various critical aspects of this field that are sometimes forgotten or misrepresented in the recent literature. As most current noninvasive imaging studies involve PET-isotope–labeled 2-nitroimidazoles, we emphasize key findings made in our studies using 2-(2-nitro-1H-imidazol-1-yl)-N-(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl)acetamide (EF5) and F-18–labeled EF5. These show the importance of differentiating hypoxia subtypes, optimizing drug pharmacology, ensuring drug and isotope stability, identifying key biochemical and physiological variables in tumors, and suggesting therapeutic strategies that are most likely to succeed.
Urinary Continence Following Repair of Intermediate and High Urogenital Sinus (UGS) in CAH. Experience with 55 Cases.

Aim :Evaluate postoperative urinary continence in patients withcongenital adrenal hyperplasia(CAH)with intermediate (IT)and high urogenital sinus (UGS) who underwent a UGS mobilization maneuver . Methods: We called IT to those that although needing an aggressive dissection to get to the vagina, still have enough urethra proximal to the vaginal confluence. Very low variants are excluded from this analysis. Dissection always started in the posterior wall of the UGS with an aggressive separation from the anterior rectal wall. If the wide portion of the vagina was reached dissection stopped and the UGS opened ventrally widening to the introitus. Nineteen patients were treated using this maneuver (Group1). When more dissection was required the anterior wall of the UGS was dissected and carefully freed from the low retropubic space. Then the UGS was opened either ventrally or dorsally. Thirty three patients required this approach (Group 2) .Combined procedures were used in 3 patients with high UGS (Group 3). Results : Mean age at the time of the repair and length of the UGS were 12.2 years (4 months to 18 years) and 3.75 cm (3 -8 cm)for G 1; 8 years (5 months to 17 years) and 6.34 cm ( 4-12 cm) in G2 and 8,3 years (2 -14 y) and 11.5cm (11-12cm) in G3. All patients had been regularly followed. Mean age at last follow up of 14.3y, 17y and 9.9y for groups 1, 2 and 3 respectively. All patients continue to void normally and are continent. All patients have 2 separate visible orifices in the vulva. Only 3 are sexually active. Conclusion: UGS mobilization for vaginoplasty in girls with CAH does not compromise voiding function or urinary continence,
Performance metrics for evaluating system suitability in liquid chromatography—Mass spectrometry peptide mass mapping of protein therapeutics and monoclonal antibodies

The use of liquid chromatography – mass spectrometry (LC-MS) for the characterization of proteins can provide a plethora of information related to their structure, including amino acid sequence determination and analysis of posttranslational modifications. The variety of LC-MS based applications has led to the use of LC-MS characterization of therapeutic proteins and monoclonal antibodies as an integral part of the regulatory approval process. However, the improper use of an LC-MS system, related to intrinsic instrument limitations, improper tuning parameters, or poorly optimized methods may result in the production of low quality data. Improper system performance may arise from subtle changes in operating conditions that limit the ability to detect low abundance species. To address this issue, we systematically evaluated LC-MS/MS operating parameters to identify a set of metrics that can be used in a workflow to determine if a system is suitable for its intended purpose. Development of this workflow util...
Unified design of iterative receivers using factor graphs

Iterative algorithms are an attractive approach to approximating optimal, but high-complexity, joint channel estimation and decoding receivers for communication systems. We present a unified approach based on factor graphs for deriving iterative message-passing receiver algorithms for channel estimation and decoding. For many common channels, it is easy to find simple graphical models that lead directly to implementable algorithms. Canonical distributions provide a new, general framework for handling continuous variables. Example receiver designs for Rayleigh fading channels with block or Markov memory, and multipath fading channels with fixed unknown coefficients illustrate the effectiveness of our approach.
Stratigraphic tests of cladistic hypotheses

Cladograms predict the order in which fossil taxa appeared and, thus, make predictions about general patterns in the stratigraphic record. Inconsistencies between cladistic predictions and the observed stratigraphic record reflect either inadequate sampling of a clade's species, incomplete estimates of stratigraphic ranges, or homoplasy producing an incorrect phylogenetic hypothesis. A method presented in this paper attempts to separate the effects of homoplasy from the effects of inadequate sampling. Sampling densities of individual species are used to calculate confidence intervals on their stratigraphic ranges. The method uses these confidence intervals to test the order of branching predicted by a cladogram. The Lophospiridae (“Archaeogastropoda”) of the Ordovician provide a useful test group because the clade has a good fossil record and it produced species over a long time. Confidence intervals reject several cladistic hypotheses that postulate improbable “ghost lineages.” Other hypotheses are acceptable only with explicit ancestor-descendant relationships. The accepted cladogram is the shortest one that stratigraphic data cannot reject. The results caution against evaluating phylogenetic hypotheses of fossil taxa without considering both stratigraphic data and the possible presence of ancestral species, as both factors can affect interpretations of a clade's evolutionary dynamics and its patterns of morphologic evolution.
Fighting Hand To Hand Over Physician Workforce Policy

A vexing problem in health policy is getting the right number of physicians in the right specialties in the right locations at the right time. I examine market and public planning approaches to getting the number “right.” After discussing the basic premises of the invisible hand of the market and the heavy hand of government regulation, I apply these concepts to a review of the past century of U.S. physician supply and workforce policy. I conclude by examining recent health system trends that make clear the need for a firm regulatory grasp on physician workforce policy.
Micronutrient Supplementation and Immune Function in the Elderly

Immunologic function, particularly cell-mediated immunity, declines with age, contributing to the increased incidence of infectious diseases in the elderly. Nutrition may play a pivotal role in maintaining immune competence in older adults. Most studies to date have focused on micronutrient deficiencies and supplementation, sometimes using "mega-dose" formulations. Multivitamin/mineral supplements or specific micronutrients such as zinc and vitamin E may be of value; however, data suggest there is likely a therapeutic range for many micronutrients, and oversupplementation may be harmful. Specific alterations of dietary lipids may also be useful for modulating immune responses in the elderly. This review summarizes the prevalence of vitamin and mineral deficiencies in older adults and highlights the outcomes of trials of micronutrient supplementation to augment immune function in the elderly.
Clusters of Charged Residues at the C Terminus of MotA and N Terminus of MotB Are Important for Function of the Escherichia coli Flagellar Motor

MotA contains a conserved C-terminal cluster of negatively charged residues, and MotB contains a conserved N-terminal cluster of positively charged residues. Charge-altering mutations affecting these residues impair motility but do not diminish Mot protein levels. The motility defects are reversed by second-site mutations targeting the same or partner protein.
An Organic Colorant used in Painted Ancient Maya Architectural Sculpture at Nakbe, Peten, Guatemala

The ancient Lowland Maya are generally considered to have used a limited number of inorganic colorants in their polychrome reliefs due to the lack or inaccessibility of mineral resources, especially during the Late Preclassic period (300 B.C. - 300 A.D.). A notable exception is the manufacture of a blue pigment from indigo and specific types of clay, known as Maya blue, from the Classic Period (300 - 900 A.D.) through Colonial times. Another exception is a recently analyzed cream (or reddish-yellow) colored paint found on exceptionally large architectural polychrome stuccoed sculpture dating to the early Late Preclassic at the site of Nakbe, Peten, Guatemala. The cream paint layer exhibits a dramatic peach-colored fluorescence upon exposure to ultraviolet light. An organic material, extracted with organic solvents from the acid hydrolyzed lime-based plaster surface, was characterized by means of visible light microspectroscopy, FT-IR microspectroscopy and three-dimensional fluorescence spectroscopy. Analysis of the spectra obtained from the cream colorant and comparison with spectra of reference organic materials suggests that anthraquinone derivatives may be responsible for the color, and that these compounds are similar to some of those present in organic red dyes. The cream paint was applied as a single layer with good hiding power overlying the stucco ground. The cream paint is of the same thickness (averaging 15 microns) as the only other paint present on the sculpture, a red paint pigmented with red iron oxide. The presence of organic colorants on exposed architectural features raises particular preservation problems in relation to the increased possibility and rate of deterioration due to environmental exposure of this type of organic colorant in comparison with most inorganic colorants.
Fighting and Voting: Violent Conflict and Electoral Politics

Two recent research programs--one on the sources of democratic consolidation and another on the causes and consequences of violent conflict--have tended to evolve in relative isolation. The contributions to this special issue of Journal of Conflict Resolution help to bridge this gap, through explicit theoretical and empirical analysis of the relationship between fighting and voting. Armed conflict and electoral politics may be strategic substitutes, in that political actors may optimally choose to submit to the ballot box or instead attempt to impose their will by force; or they may be strategic complements, in that actors use violence to bolster their electoral aims, or use electoral returns as sources of information on underlying preferences that they exploit in armed campaigns. In either case, the distribution of popular support for contending parties can shape not only the incidence but also the type of armed conflict, and it can also influence the incentives of parties to invest in institutional mechanisms that mitigate commitment problems and help to bring violent conflicts to an end. The contributions to this issue illuminate these themes and demonstrate the value of bringing these separate research programs into closer dialogue.
Development of a Single-Code/Default Coding Strategy in Pigeons

We tested the hypothesis that pigeons could use a cognitively efficient coding strategy by training them on a conditional discrimination (delayed symbolic matching) in which one alternative was correct following the presentation of one sample (one-to-one), whereas the other alternative was correct following the presentation of any one of four other samples (many-to-one). When retention intervals of different durations were inserted between the offset of the sample and the onset of the choice stimuli, divergent retention functions were found. With increasing retention interval, matching accuracy on trials involving any of the many-to-one samples was increasingly better than matching accuracy on trials involving the one-to-one sample. Furthermore, following this test, pigeons treated a novel sample as if it had been one of the many-to-one samples. The data suggest that rather than learning each of the five sample-comparison associations independently, the pigeons developed a cognitively efficient single-cod...
A new role for cardioplegic buffering: should acidosis or calcium accumulation be counteracted to salvage jeopardized hearts?

Abstract Objectives: Thirty minutes of unprotected ischemia produced a jeopardized heart that was treated with a blood cardioplegic solution containing the natural erythrocyte and protein buffers. Cardioplegic pH was changed to 7.7 (buffered) or 7.2 (nonbuffered), and this was tested alone and after pretreatment with Na + -H + exchange blockade (cariporide) to define their protective effects. Methods Twenty-four Yorkshire-Duroc pigs (27-34.5 kg) underwent 30 minutes of normothermic global ischemia, followed by 30 minutes of aortic clamping during protection with buffered (n = 12) or nonbuffered (n = 12) glutamate-aspartate–enriched blood cardioplegic solution. Twelve hearts (6 buffered and 6 nonbuffered) were pretreated with intravenous cariporide (5 mg/kg) 15 minutes before ischemia. Results Severe and comparable left ventricle dysfunction followed buffered or nonbuffered cardioplegia: Preload recruitable stroke work recovered to 56% ± 21% and 45% ± 20% of baseline levels; creatine kinase MB, conjugated dienes, and myeloperoxidase activity markedly increased; moderate myocardial edema occurred; and endothelin-1 increased 2-fold more than baseline values. Cariporide pretreatment caused a similar return of preload recruitable stroke work to 86% ± 9% and 90% ± 6% after buffered or nonbuffered cardioplegia ( P Conclusions The severe ischemia-reperfusion injury of 30 minutes of normothermic ischemia is not altered by an acidic or alkalotic pH cardioplegic solution. Correction of damage is achieved by adding Na + -H + exchange blocker therapy before treatment with buffered and nonbuffered solutions; thus, sodium-hydrogen exchange inhibition plays a more vital role in recovery than pH management.
Attentional object spotting by integrating multimodal input

An intelligent human-computer interface is expected to allow computers to work with users in a cooperative manner. To achieve this goal, computers need to be aware of user attention and provide assistances without explicit user request. Cognitive studies of eye movements suggest that in accomplishing well-learned tasks, the performer's focus of attention is locked with the ongoing work and more than 90% of eye movements are closely related to the objects beingmanipulated in the tasks. In light of this, we have developed an attentional object spotting system that integrates multimodal data consisting of eye positions, head positions and video from the "first-person" perspective. To detect the user's focus of attention, we modeled eye gaze and head movements using a hidden Markov model (HMM) representation. For each attentional point in time, the object of user interest is automatically extracted and recognized. We report the results of experiments on finding attentional objects in the natural task of "making a peanut-butter sandwich".
DEGENERATIONS OF COMPLEX DYNAMICAL SYSTEMS

We show that the weak limit of the maximal measures for any degenerating sequence of rational maps on the Riemann sphere must be a countable sum of atoms. For a one-parameter family of rational maps, we refine this result by showing that the measures of maximal entropy have a unique limit on as the family degenerates. The family may be viewed as a single rational function on the Berkovich projective line over the completion of the field of formal Puiseux series in , and the limiting measure on is the ‘residual measure’ associated with the equilibrium measure on . For the proof, we introduce a new technique for quantizing measures on the Berkovich projective line and demonstrate the uniqueness of solutions to a quantized version of the pullback formula for the equilibrium measure on .
Efficiency in Public Education - The role of socio-economic variables

This study measures the efficiency of public education using an inefficiency effects function that controls the socio-economic and environmental factors simultaneously. The model developed by Battese and Coelli (1995) is applied to a panel dataset. The study found that although the mean efficiency scores obtained from the model are lower than the efficiency scores from a conventional stochastic frontier model, the estimates are robust and consistent. The empirical application used three-year panel data from Kansas school districts and found Kansas schools are generally efficient and the most of the educational inputs under the control of the school administration were either had a low or no influence on students’ achievement scores. However, students’ socioeconomic factors were found to have a significant influence on their achievement scores.
Comparative experimental study of exchange biased symmetric and antisymmetric dual magnetoresistive read elements

In this work, the advantage of the antisymmetric dual magnetoresistive head (A-DMR) in comparison to the symmetric design (S-DMR), in terms of common mode longitudinal field rejection is demonstrated experimentally. The experiments were conducted at the wafer level. Magnetoresistive hysteresis loops of heads with the top permalloy longitudinally biased by TbCo exchange tabs, defined either by an ion-milling process or by lift-off, are presented. Initialization methods to have the symmetric or the antisymmetric state at low longitudinal applied magnetic fields are described. >
Short communication: relationship of call rate and accuracy of single nucleotide polymorphism genotypes in dairy cattle.

Call rates on both a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) basis and an animal basis are used as measures of data quality and as screening tools for genomic studies and evaluations of dairy cattle. To investigate the relationship of SNP call rate and genotype accuracy for individual SNP, the correlation between percentages of missing genotypes and parent-progeny conflicts for each SNP was calculated for 103,313 Holsteins. Correlations ranged from 0.14 to 0.38 for the BovineSNP50 and BovineLD (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA) and GeneSeek Genomic Profiler (Neogen Corp., Lincoln, NE) chips, with lower correlations for newer chips. For US genomic evaluations, genotypes are excluded for animals with a call rate of 99% (high call rate) were calculated by dividing the number of identical SNP genotype calls by the number of SNP that were called for both genotypes. Mean concordance between low- and high-call genotypes was >99% for a low call rate of >90% but decreased to 97% for a call rate of 86 to 90% and to 58% for a call rate of <60%. Edits on call rate reduce the use of incorrect SNP genotypes to calculate genomic evaluations.
The strategic management process: a survey of consulting engineers

The author examines the strategic management planning tools and techniques employed by engineering managers in establishing the future course of their organizations. The process of developing long-run strategic plans is described, and the on-going methods for monitoring and assessing environmental change are reported. While consulting engineering firms frequently report formalized vision and mission statements, survey results demonstrate the relative importance of strategic planning in establishing human resource development and technology management objectives. Key issues and the conceptual levels of analysis employed in performing environmental, market, and competitor analysis are examined and reviewed. The strategic management problems for the next decade are discussed along with the expected challenge for the management of engineering and technology. >
SUBSTANCE ABUSE WITH PSYCHIATRIC ILLNESS IN CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS: Definitions and Terminology

Substance abuse with psychiatric illness is commonly referred to as comorbidity, a term that lacks the specificity needed to further precision in research and clinical treatment, both of which are particularly important when dealing with children and adolescents. A review of the literature on this dual disorder in young people is followed by a discussion of diagnostic and treatment considerations and their implications for researchers and clinical practitioners.
Apex-Map: A Global Data Access Benchmark to Analyze HPC Systems and Parallel Programming Paradigms

The memory wall and global data movement have become the dominant performance bottleneck for many scientific applications. New characterizations of data access streams and related benchmarks to measure their performances are therefore needed to compare HPC systems, software, and programming paradigms effectively. In this paper, we introduce a novel global data access benchmark, Apex-Map. It is a parameterized synthetic performance probe and integrates concepts for temporal and spatial locality into its design. We measured Apex-Map performance for a whole range of temporal and spatial localities on several advanced processors and parallel computing platforms and use the generated performance surfaces forperformance comparisons and to study the characteristics of these different architectures. We demonstrate that the results of Apex-Map clearly reflect many specific characteristics of the used systems. We also show the utility of Apex-Map for analyzing the performance effects of three leading parallel programming models and demonstrate their relative merits.
Biological lignocellulose solubilization: comparative evaluation of biocatalysts and enhancement via cotreatment.

Background Feedstock recalcitrance is the most important barrier impeding cost-effective production of cellulosic biofuels. Pioneer commercial cellulosic ethanol facilities employ thermochemical pretreatment and addition of fungal cellulase, reflecting the main research emphasis in the field. However, it has been suggested that it may be possible to process cellulosic biomass without thermochemical pretreatment using thermophilic, cellulolytic bacteria. To further explore this idea, we examine the ability of various biocatalysts to solubilize autoclaved but otherwise unpretreated cellulosic biomass under controlled but not industrial conditions.
Square D Company

This case explores sales force management issues including organization, training, compensation, monitoring, and evaluation by discussing proposed changes in the Square D Company sales force.