cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Equity in Distance Education During COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic forced districts, schools, and teachers to mobilize in order to deal with the digital inequities that have existed for decades. At the beginning stages of technological advances in education, the so-called digital divide related more to access to technology and equipment. Utilizing the phenomenological approach to qualitative research, this study examines the experiences of educators who served students with differing experiences and needs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Total of 14 (N) educators (including adminstrators, teachers, and counselors) participated likert style questionaires. 11 of 14 participated in focus group interviews. Findings are shared and conclusions are drawn.
Can a President Pardon Himself? Law School Faculty Consensus

President Donald Trump sparked a debate after tweeting, “As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself . . . .” The self-pardon has inspired passionate and discordant views within the legal community. Despite competing claims in the media, there is no clear consensus among legal professionals concerning the constitutionality of the presidential self-pardon, which has never been attempted by any U.S. President. The presidential self-pardon is an amorphous concept that finds no clear authority either in the text of the Constitution, which provides only one sentence describing the President’s pardon power, or in Supreme Court precedent, which has only minimally discussed the pardon power’s scope. There has been no objective attempt to measure a consensus in legal academe, and no media outlet has comprehensively surveyed legal experts to determine whether a consensus actually exists. This article discusses the results of a survey conducted across ninety-five faculty members representing twenty-nine U.S. law schools to illustrate whether an actual consensus exists. Furthermore, it examines potential correlations between political affiliation, age, and law school tier with faculty members’ opinions on the issue. Finally, it serves as a tool to inform the public by clarifying conflicting media accounts.
Substance Use Relapse Among Veterans at Termination of Treatment for Substance Use Disorders.

Introduction Military veterans continue to struggle with addiction even after receiving treatment for substance use disorders (SUDs). Identifying factors that may influence SUD relapse upon receiving treatment in veteran populations is crucial for intervention and prevention efforts. The purpose of this study was to examine risk factors that contribute to SUD relapse upon treatment completion in a sample of U.S. veterans using logistic regression and classification tree analysis. Materials and methods Data from the 2017 Treatment Episode Data Set-Discharge (TEDS-D) included 40,909 veteran episode observations. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression analysis were conducted to determine factors associated with SUD relapse after treatment discharge. Classification trees were constructed to identify high-risk subgroups for substance use after discharge from treatment for SUDs. Results Approximately 94% of the veterans relapsed upon discharge from outpatient or residential SUD treatment. Veterans aged 18-34 years old were significantly less likely to relapse than the 35-64 age group (odds ratio [OR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.66, 0.82), while males were more likely than females to relapse (OR 1.55, 95% CI: 1.34, 1.79). Unemployed veterans (OR 1.92, 95% CI: 1.67, 2.22) or veterans not in the labor force (OR 1.29, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.47) were more likely to relapse than employed veterans. Homeless vs. independently housed veterans had 3.26 (95% CI: 2.55, 4.17) higher odds of relapse after treatment. Veterans with one arrest vs. none were more likely to relapse (OR 1.52, 95% CI: 1.19, 1.95). Treatment completion was critical to maintain sobriety, as every other type of discharge led to more than double the odds of relapse. Veterans who received care at 24-hour detox facilities were 1.49 (95% CI: 1.23, 1.80) times more likely to relapse than those at rehabilitative/residential treatment facilities. Classification tree analysis indicated that homelessness upon discharge was the most important predictor in SUD relapse among veterans. Conclusion Aside from numerous challenges that veterans face after leaving military service, SUD relapse is intensified by risk factors such as homelessness, unemployment, and insufficient SUD treatment. As treatment and preventive care for SUD relapse is an active field of study, further research on SUD relapse among homeless veterans is necessary to better understand the epidemiology of substance addiction among this vulnerable population. The findings of this study can inform healthcare policy and practices targeting veteran-tailored treatment programs to improve SUD treatment completion and lower substance use after treatment.
F-molding: A New Production Method for Largely Aspherical Mirrors of Cordierite.

Cordierite is a production efficient low thermal expansion ceramic with high stiffness, and long-term dimensional stability. We further develop its production efficiency through the near net shape forming method of F-molding.
Monitoring quality indicators for screening colonoscopies

The detection rate of adenomas in screening colonoscopies is an important quality indicator for endoscopists. Successful detection of adenomas is linked to reduced cancer incidence and mortality. This study focuses on evaluating the performance of endoscopists on adenoma detection rate (ADR), polyp detection rate (PDR), and scope withdrawal time. The substitution of PDR for ADR has been suggested due the reliance of ADR calculation on pathology reports. We compare these metrics to established clinical guidelines and to the performance of other individual endoscopists. Our analysis (n = 2730 screening colonoscopies) found variation in ADR for 14 endoscopists, ranging from 0.20 to 0.41. PDR ranged from 0.38 to 0.62. Controlling for age, sex, race, withdrawal time, and the presence of a trainee endoscopist accounted for 34% of variation in PDR but failed to account for any variation in ADR. The Pearson correlation between PDR and ADR is 0.82. These results suggest that PDR has significant value as a quality indicator. The reported variation in detection rates after controlling for case mix signals the need for greater scrutiny of individual endoscopist skill. Understanding the root cause of this variation could potentially lead to better patient outcomes.
The spirit of the soil : agriculture and environmental ethics

In this second edition of The Spirit of the Soil: Agriculture and Environmental Ethics, Paul B. Thompson reviews four worldviews that shape competing visions for agriculture. Productionists have sought increasing yields—to make two seeds grow where only one grew before—while traditional visions of good farming have stressed stewardship. These traditional visions have been challenged by two more worldviews: a call for a total cost accounting for farming and an advocacy for a holistic perspective. Thompson argues that an environmentally defensible systems approach must draw upon all four worldviews, recognizing their flaws and synthesizing their strengths in a new vision of sustainable agriculture. This classic 1995 study has been thoroughly revised and significantly expanded in its second edition with up-to-date examples of agriculture’s impact on the environment. These include extensive discussions of new pesticides and the effects of animal agriculture on climate and other areas of the environment. In addition, a new final chapter discusses sustainability, which has become a dominant idea within environmental studies and agrarian political philosophy.
Active Storage for Large-Scale Data Mining and Multimedia

The increasing performance and decreasing cost of processors and memory are causing system intelligence to move into peripherals from the CPU. Storage system designers are using this trend toward “excess” compute power to perform more complex processing and optimizations inside storage devices. To date, such optimizations have been at relatively low levels of the storage protocol. At the same time, trends in storage density, mechanics, and electronics are eliminating the bottleneck in moving data off the media and putting pressure on interconnects and host processors to move data more efficiently. We propose a system called Active Disks that takes advantage of processing power on individual disk drives to run application-level code. Moving portions of an application’s processing to execute directly at disk drives can dramatically reduce data traffic and take advantage of the storage parallelism already present in large systems today. We discuss several types of applications that would benefit from this capability with a focus on the areas of database, data mining, and multimedia. We develop an analytical model of the speedups possible for scan-intensive applications in an Active Disk system. We also experiment with a prototype Active Disk system using relatively low-powered processors in comparison to a database server system with a single, fast processor. Our experiments validate the intuition in our model and demonstrate speedups of 2x on 10 disks across four scan-based applications. The model promises linear speedups in disk arrays of hundreds of disks, provided the application data is large enough.
Problem of super-high-Tc superconductivity

Abstract A possibility of a general path for the search of “super-high- T c ” (SHT) materials is discussed. The approach is based on the idea of enhancement of the basic parameters, entering the BCS formula for T c : the electron–phonon interaction constant, the density of states and the energy of mediating quasiparticles. The known examples of materials with a relatively high- T c are examined. The author’s idea of finding a substance forming a “crystalline excitonium” phase (1978) is presented. Since the BCS formula represents only an isotropic model, the role of anisotropy is analyzed within the author’s model for high- T c layered cuprates. The main conclusion is, that anisotropy of the spectrum and a long-ranged interaction widens the options for obtaining SHT.
The Beneficial Effect of Topical Glycopyrrolate in a Patient with Neuropathic Lower Extremity Pain

Dear Editor, The postoperative course of lower extremity (LE) soft tissue orthopedic procedures to treat congenital spasticity disorders may be complicated by nerve injury and development of a chronic neuropathic pain syndrome [1]. In some patients, pain resolution may be unachievable despite multimodal treatment. Here, we report a patient who developed disabling LE neuropathic pain after bilateral hamstring lengthening. The clinical presentation over a 10-year period after the procedure was remarkable for varying degrees of pain and pain-related disability that persisted despite a multifaceted pain management program until a remarkable clinical response to topical application 2% glycopyrrolate, a quaternary ammonium that blocks cholinergic muscarinic receptors, was observed. Briefly, a 19-year-old female presented to the pain clinic with a history of spastic diplegic cerebral palsy with an overlying right spastic hemiplegia, and recurrent, intense, burning foot pain of 3-year duration following bilateral hamstring lengthening. The pain was localized to the dorsum of both feet, with “sparking” and pain migration to the medial and lateral borders, consistent with the sensory distribution of the peroneal and tibial nerves. The soles were hypoalgesic. Pain intensity varied from 3–8 on a numeric rating scale (10 = worst imaginable). Social stresses and dampness were …
Confinement of ignition and yield on the National Ignition Facility

The National Ignition Facility Target Areas and Experimental Systems has reached mid-Title I design. Performance requirements for the Target Area are reviewed and design changes since the Conceptual Design Report are discussed. Development activities confirm a 5-m radius chamber and the viability of a boron carbide first wall. A scheme for cryogenic target integration with the NIF Target Area is presented.
Atherogenesis Insights from the study of transgenic and gene-targeted mice.

Abstract Owing to the investigative power of classical mouse genetics and the development of transgenic and gene-targeting technologies, the mouse has increasingly been used to study atherogenesis. Investigators have manipulated the plasma levels of several proteins involved in lipid metabolism through the engineering of mice and assessed the impact of these changes on the progression of murine atherogenesis. These studies have established causal relationships between the expression of defined genetic elements and atherosclerosis in a manner not feasible in humans. Studies of transgenic mice with genetically altered levels of apolipoproteins A–I, (a), and E have provided important insights into the in vivo role of these proteins in atherogenesis. These studies illustrate the potential to dissect the complex genetics of atherosclerosis susceptibility with the use of transgenic and gene-targeted mice.
Correction to “1997 list of reviewers”

The following is a correction to the “List of Reviewers” printed on p. 204 of the May 1998 issue of IEEE's TRANSACTIONS ON COMPONENTS, PACKAGING, AND MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY-PART B: ADVANCED PACKAGING.
Networks and Institutions in Europe's Emerging Markets

Do ties between political parties and businesses harm or benefit the development of market institutions? The post-communist transition offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore when and how networks linking the polity and the economy support the development of functional institutions. A quantitative and qualitative analysis covering eleven post-socialist countries combined with detailed case studies of Bulgaria, Poland and Romania documents how the most successful post-communist countries are those in which dense networks link politicians and businesspeople, as long as politicians are constrained by intense political competition. This combination allowed Poland to emerge with stable institutions while Bulgaria demonstrates that in developing economies intense political competition alone is harmful in the absence of dense personal and ownership networks. Indeed, as Romania illustrates, networks are so critical that their weakness is not mitigated even by low political competition. This title is available as Open Access on Cambridge Books Online and via Knowledge Unlatched.
Effects of Vagus Nerve Stimulation on Sleep‐related Breathing in Epilepsy Patients

Summary: Purpose: To describe the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on sleep-related breathing in a sample of 16 epilepsy patients. Methods: Sixteen adults with medically refractory epilepsy (nine men, seven women, ages 21‐58 years) underwent baseline polysomnograms (PSGs). Three months after VNS therapy was initiated, PSGs were repeated. In addition, patient 7 had a study with esophageal pressure monitoring, and patient 1 had a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) trial. Results: Baseline PSGs: One of 16 patients had an apnea‐ hypopnea index (AHI) >5 (6.8). Treatment PSGs: Five of 16 patients had treatment AHIs >5. Respiratory events were more frequent during periods with VNS activation (on-time) than without VNS activation (off-time; p = 0.016). Follow-up studies: Esophageal pressure monitoring in patient 7 showed crescendos in esophageal pressure during VNS activation, supporting an obstructive pattern. The CPAP trial of patient 1 showed that all respiratory events were associated with VNS stimulation at low CPAP levels. They were resolved at higher CPAP levels. Conclusions: Treatment with VNS affects respiration during sleep and should be used with care, particularly in patients with preexisting obstructive sleep apnea. The AHI after VNS treatment remained <5 in the majority of patients and was only mildly elevated (<12) in five patients. In one patient, CPAP resolved VNS-related respiratory events. Key Words: Epilepsy—Vagus nerve stimulator—Obstructive sleep apnea.
Inhibition of vesicular stomatitis virus replication by frog virus 3. Selective action on secondary transcription.

Abstract We have investigated the mechanism by which heat-inactivated frog virus 3 (ΔFV 3) inhibits the replication of vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV). When added to cultures of baby hamster kidney cells, either before or within 1 hr of infection with VSV, ΔFV 3 inhibited the production of infectious VSV by 80–95%. If added after 1 hr, there was a precipitous drop in the inhibitory effect of the inactivated virus, suggesting that an early step in VSV replication was blocked. Analysis of [ 3 H]uridine-labeled VSV RNA from cells exposed to ΔFV 3 at 1 hr before or 3 hr after VSV inoculation disclosed inhibition of both messenger and genome RNA synthesis. This reduction of total VSV RNA synthesis was found to result from an inhibition of secondary transcription and genome production by ΔFV 3: primary transcription was not affected. Inasmuch as ΔFV 3 also inhibited secondary transcription even when genome synthesis was blocked by cycloheximide, its effect on secondary transcription was not a consequence of decreased genome production. The sensitivity of the secondary transcribing complex of VSV to ΔFV 3 contrasts with the resistance of the complex involved in primary transcription. The ability of the inactivated frog virus to distinguish between these processes might be exploited as a probe of intracellular RNA synthesis by VSV.
How Do Young Adults View 12-Step Programs? A Qualitative Study

Given the limited research on young adults' reactions to 12-step programs, the purpose of this study was to explore young adults' views of Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous. Qualitative interviews with 26 young adults who had attended Alcoholics Anonymous or Narcotics Anonymous were conducted. Most participants viewed 12-step programs favorably, reporting that the programs provided hope and emotional support. Participants who rejected the programs often refused to accept the concepts of powerlessness and a higher power. Many participants who rejected Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous were unaware of some of the key tenets of the programs, suggesting that 12-step facilitation would benefit this population.
Turbulent Liquid Sheets for Protecting IFE Reactor Chamber First Walls

Turbulent liquid sheets have been proposed to protect solid structures in fusion power plants by absorbing damaging radiation. Establishing an experimental design database for this flow would therefore be valuable in various thick liquid protection schemes. The effect of initial conditions on the flow free-surface fluctuation was studied experimentally for vertical turbulent sheets of water issuing downwards from nozzles of thickness (small dimension) {delta} = 1 - 1.5 cm into ambient air. Sheets issuing from nozzles with both two- and three-dimensional fifth-order polynomial contractions with exit aspect ratios of 6.7 and 10 were investigated at Reynolds numbers ranging from 2 x 10{sup 4} to 1 x 10{sup 5}. Mean velocity and turbulence intensity profiles were measured just upstream of the nozzle exit using laser-Doppler velocimetry to quantify initial conditions. Planar laser-induced fluorescence was used to visualize the free surface geometry of the liquid sheet in the near-field region up to 25 {delta} downstream of the nozzle exit. Fluctuations of the free surface, or surface ripple, are characterized by the standard deviation in the position of the gas/liquid interface.
Ambivalent inclusion: anti-racism and racist gatekeeping in Andalusia's immigrant NGOs

This article explores encounters between Andalusian NGO workers and immigrant clients in southern Spain. It traces how local ambivalence about pluralism, rooted in long-standing debates about the legacy of Andalusia's medieval Muslim past, produces both inclusion and exclusion of migrants. On the one hand, Andalusian NGO staff have developed a discourse of anti-racism in which care for immigrants is a means of constructing a modern, progressive identity for a historically marginalized European region. On the other hand, widely circulating racialized and gendered discourses about immigrants also result in the exclusion of those deemed undeserving, particularly Muslim, Moroccan men. The Andalusian case thus highlights the vagaries of social life that complicate implementation of policies and programmes for migrant incorporation. In the process, it demonstrates that modes of immigrant inclusion and exclusion in Europe are deeply intertwined with regionally particular anxieties about social difference. Resume L'auteure examine ici les rencontres entre les employes d'ONG en Andalousie et les beneficiaires de leur action, immigres dans le sud de l'Espagne. Elle montre comment l'ambivalence locale sur le pluralisme, ancree dans de vieux debats sur l'heritage de l'Andalousie musulmane du Moyen Âge, entraine a la fois l'inclusion et l'exclusion des migrants. D'un cote, le personnel des ONG andalouses a elabore un discours d'antiracisme presentant l'accueil des immigres comme un moyen de construire une identite moderne et progressiste pour une region de l'Europe qui a ete de tout temps marginalisee. De l'autre, les discours racialises et genres tres repandus a propos des immigres entrainent l'exclusion de ceux qui ne sont pas juges meritants, en particulier des hommes musulmans marocains. Le cas de l'Andalousie met ainsi en lumiere les aleas de la vie sociale qui compliquent l'application des politiques et programmes d'integration des immigres. Il montre dans le meme temps que les modes d'inclusion et d'exclusion des migrants en Europe sont intimement entremeles avec des inquietudes sur la difference sociale qui varient d'une region a l'autre.
Effect of functional food ingredients: vitamin E modulation of cardiovascular diseases and immune status in the elderly

Increased accumulation of free radicals over time reduces the effectiveness of antioxidant defense mechanisms and heightens the vulnerability of older individuals to a variety of oxidative insults and associated pathologic conditions. Both nutritive and nonnutritive components of foods may slow declines in certain body functions. Ingestion of vitamin E, an antioxidant nutrient, in amounts above current recommendations may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, enhance immune status, and otherwise modulate important degenerative conditions associated with aging. Early adoption of proper dietary habits helps adults to maintain quality of life as they age. Increased intake of vitamin E through selection of foods with large amounts of that vitamin and daily consumption of 5-8 servings of fruit and vegetables may reduce risk for cardiovascular disease and improve immune function in later life.
Applications of the class II lanthipeptide protease LicP for sequence-specific, traceless peptide bond cleavage

The final step of lanthipeptide biosynthesis involves the removal of leader peptides by dedicated proteases. In vitro characterization of LicP, a class II LanP protease involved in the biosynthesis of the lantibiotic lichenicidin, revealed a self-cleavage step that removes 100 amino acids from the N-terminus. The 2.35 A resolution crystal structure provides insights into the active site geometry and substrate specificity, and unveiled an unusual calcium-independent maturation mechanism of a subtilisin family member. LicP processes LicA2 peptides with or without post-translational modifications, but dehydrated and cyclized LicA2 is favored. Investigation of its substrate specificity demonstrated that LicP can serve as an efficient sequence-specific traceless protease and may have great utility in basic research and biotechnology. Encouraged by these findings for LicP, we identified 13 other class II LanPs, ten of which were previously unknown, and suggest that these proteins may serve as a pool of proteases with diverse recognition sequences for general traceless tag removal applications, expanding the current toolbox of proteases.
THE FATE OF FOREIGN RED CELLS IN MICE WITH ALTERED RETICULOENDOTHELIAL FUNCTION.

SummaryThe vascular removal and organ uptake of incompatible sheep red cells labeled with Cr51 was studied in mice with either normal, hyper functional or hypofunctional phagocytic states in an effort to ascertain the mechanism of their altered immune responses. RE hyperfunction, induced by glucan, was associated with an enhanced vascular removal of the foreign red cells due exclusively to an increased liver uptake. Conversely, RE depression, induced by methyl palmitate administration, was associated with decreased vascular clearance due to a failure in phagocytosis by both liver and spleen. The present studies not only indicate that the previously observed alterations in hemolysin formation in mice with altered RE activity is associated with both a change in vascular clearance and organ distribution of the foreign red cell, but also demonstrate the ability to control the fate of colloids and particulate antigens by purified chemicals which influence the behavior of macrophages.
Thermal Chemistry of C3 Allyl Groups on Pt(111)

The thermal chemistry of allyl iodide and of allyl bromide adsorbed on Pt(111) was investigated by temperature-programmed desorption (TPD) and reflection−absorption infrared (RAIRS) spectroscopies. On the clean Pt(111) surface, both allyls were found to bond to the surface via the halogen atom in a gauche conformation and with the C−C−C plane close to parallel to the surface. In the presence of surface hydrogen, allyl iodide was found to tilt backward such that the C−C−C plane adopts a more vertical orientation on the surface; in this more upright geometry, both cis and gauche isomers were identified. With both molecules the facile thermally activated cleavage of the carbon−halogen bond results in the formation of C3 allylic species on the surface. A η1 allylic moiety was identified by RAIRS in the high-exposure regime of allyl iodide after annealing to 200 K, and the formation of a second η3 allylic intermediate was inferred from TPD experiments with coadsorbed hydrogen and deuterium. At low surface conc...
Clinical Outcomes in Bilateral Sturge-Weber Syndrome

Approximately 15% of patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome demonstrate bilateral intracranial involvement, and the prognosis of these patients is considered particularly unfavorable. We reviewed the clinical and neuroimaging features of patients with Sturge-Weber syndrome and bilateral intracranial involvement. Seizure variables, the presence of hemiparesis, and the degree of developmental impairment at most recent follow-up were compared with imaging abnormalities. Of 110 Sturge-Weber syndrome patients, 14 demonstrated bilateral brain involvement, with an asymmetric pattern on glucose metabolism positron emission tomography. Although most patients manifested frequent seizures initially, associated with frontal hypometabolism on positron emission tomography, six (43%) had achieved good seizure control during follow-up. Bilateral frontal hypometabolism was associated with severe developmental impairment. Two children with bitemporal hypometabolism exhibited autistic features. Hemiparesis was associated with superior frontal (motor cortex) hypometabolism. Three patients underwent resective surgery, resulting in improved seizure control and developmental outcomes. The severity of neurologic complications and clinical course depend on the extent of cortical dysfunction in bilateral Sturge-Weber syndrome. Bilateral frontal and temporal hypometabolism is associated with poor developmental outcomes. Good seizure control and only mild/moderate developmental impairment can be achieved in about 50% of patients with bilateral Sturge-Weber syndrome, with or without resective surgery.
Measurement of leaf hydraulic conductance and stomatal conductance and their responses to irradiance and dehydration using the Evaporative Flux Method (EFM).

Water is a key resource, and the plant water transport system sets limits on maximum growth and drought tolerance. When plants open their stomata to achieve a high stomatal conductance (gs) to capture CO2 for photosynthesis, water is lost by transpiration 1,2 . Water evaporating from the airspaces is replaced from cell walls, in turn drawing water from the xylem of leaf veins, in turn drawing from xylem in the stems and roots. As water is pulled through the system, it experiences hydraulic resistance, creating tension throughout the system and a low leaf water potential (Ψleaf). The leaf itself is a critical bottleneck in the whole plant system, accounting for on average 30% of the plant hydraulic resistance 3 . Leaf hydraulic conductance (Kleaf = 1/ leaf hydraulic resistance) is the ratio of the water flow rate to the water potential gradient across the leaf, and summarizes the behavior of a complex system: water moves through the petiole and through several orders of veins, exits into the bundle sheath and passes through or around mesophyll cells before evaporating into the airspace and being transpired from the stomata. Kleaf is of strong interest as an important physiological trait to compare species, quantifying the effectiveness of the leaf structure and physiology for water transport, and a key variable to investigate for its relationship to variation in structure (e.g., in leaf venation architecture) and its impacts on photosynthetic gas exchange. Further, Kleaf responds strongly to the internal and external leaf environment 3 . Kleaf can increase dramatically with irradiance apparently due to changes in the expression and activation of aquaporins, the proteins involved in water transport through membranes 4 , and Kleaf declines strongly during drought, due to cavitation and/or collapse of xylem conduits, and/or loss of permeability in the extra-xylem tissues due to mesophyll and bundle sheath cell shrinkage or aquaporin deactivation 5-10 . Because Kleaf can constrain gs and photosynthetic rate across species in well watered conditions and during drought, and thus limit whole-plant performance they may possibly determine species distributions especially as droughts increase in frequency and severity 11-14 .
Why alternative medicine cannot be evidence-based.

The concept of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has been widely adopted by orthodox Western medicine. Proponents of EBM have argued that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) modalities ought to be subjected to rigorous, controlled clinical trials in order to assess their efficacy. However, this does not represent a scientific necessity, but rather is a philosophical demand: promoters of EBM seek to establish their particular epistemology as the primary arbiter of all medical knowledge. This claim is problematic. The methods for obtaining knowledge in a healing art must be coherent with that art's underlying understanding and theory of illness. Thus, the method of EBM and the knowledge gained from population-based studies may not be the best way to assess certain CAM practices, which view illness and healing within the context of a particular individual only. In addition, many alternative approaches center on the notion of non-measurable but perceptible aspects of illness and health (e.g., Qi) that preclude study within the current framework of controlled clinical trials. Still, the methods of developing knowledge within CAM currently have limitations and are subject to bias and varied interpretation. CAM must develop and defend a rational and coherent method for assessing causality and efficacy, though not necessarily one based on the results of controlled clinical trials. Orthodox medicine should consider abandoning demands that CAM become evidence-based, at least as "evidence" is currently narrowly defined, but insist instead upon a more complete and coherent description and defense of the alternative epistemic methods and tools of these disciplines.
Some properties of fuzzy logic

In this paper, the fuzzy set ZZadeh (1965)] is viewed as a multivalued logic with a continuum of truth values in the interval Z0, 1]. The concepts of inconsistency, validity, prime implicant and prime implicate are extended to fuzzy logic and various properties of these notions in the context of fuzzy logic are established. It is proved that a formula is valid (inconsistent) in fuzzy logic iff it is valid (inconsistent) in two-valued logic. An algorithm that generates fuzzy prime implicants (implicates) is introduced. A proof of the completeness of this algorithm is also given.
Synthesis of stereospecific hinged ladder polyimides by Diels-Alder reaction

A one-stage synthesis of hinge-ladder polyimides by Diels-Alder poly-condensation of polychlorinated cyclic bisimidodienes with bismaleimides containing aromatic and aliphatic groups was studied.
On the accelerated SSOR method for solving large linear systems

Abstract : The symmetric SOR method (SSOR-method) for solving the linear system Au = b is considered. The basic properties of the SSOR method are summarized, and a procedure is given for estimating the optimum relaxation factor omega and the corresponding spectral radius of the SSOR matrix S sub omega. Two procedures for accelerating the convergence of the SSOR method are considered, one based on conjugate gradient acceleration and the second based on the use of Chebyshev acceleration. Two versions of conjugate gradient acceleration are considered--the nonadaptive and the adaptive. (Author)
Treatment of localized periodontal disease in pregnancy does not reduce the occurrence of preterm birth: results from the Periodontal Infections and Prematurity Study (PIPS)

Objective The purpose of this study was to test whether treating periodontal disease (PD) in pregnancy will reduce the incidence of spontaneous preterm delivery (SPTD) at ≤35 weeks of gestation. Study Design A multicenter, randomized clinical trial was performed. Subjects with PD were randomized to scaling and root planing (active) or tooth polishing (control). The primary outcome was the occurrence of SPTD at Results We screened 3563 subjects for PD; the prevalence of PD was 50%. Seven hundred fifty-seven subjects were assigned randomly; 378 subjects were assigned to the active group, and 379 subjects were assigned to the placebo group. Active treatment did not reduce the risk of SPTD at Conclusion Treating periodontal disease does not reduce the incidence of SPTD.
Skyrmion models for three-dimensional aromaticity in deltahedral boranes

Abstract The duals of the polyhedra for the deltahedral boranes B n H n 2− ( n =6, 8, 10, 12) have the same geometries as those of symmetric skyrmions arising from the non-linear field theory of a system of interacting mesons and B= 1 2 (n+2) baryon (proton and/or neutron) sources within a nucleus. In the application of such a skyrmion model to the skeletal chemical bonding in deltahedral boranes, acetylenic HBBH units are considered to be the analogues of the mesons and the chemical interactions between the HBBH units necessary to construct deltahedra with even numbers of boron atoms are considered to be analogues of baryons.
Energetics of ligand-induced conformational flexibility in the lactose permease of Escherichia coli

Isothermal titration calorimetry has been applied to characterize the thermodynamics of ligand binding to wild-type lactose permease (LacY) and a mutant (C154G) that strongly favors an inward facing conformation. The affinity of wild-type or mutant LacY for ligand and the change in free energy (ΔG) upon binding are similar. However, with the wild type, the change in free energy upon binding is due primarily to an increase in the entropic free energy component (TΔS), whereas in marked contrast, an increase in enthalpy (ΔH) is responsible for ΔG in the mutant. Thus, wild-type LacY behaves as if there are multiple ligand-bound conformational states, whereas the mutant is severely restricted. The findings also indicate that the structure of the mutant represents a conformational intermediate in the overall transport cycle.
Trends in school psychology for the 21st century : Influences of school violence on professional change

As school psychology enters the new millennium, policy makers are demanding that steps be taken to ensure the safety of schools. This article argues that school psychology should provide a primary leadership role in this initiative based on their professional training and expertise. Furthermore, the tensions created by social expectation to implement violence-prevention and intervention programs will provide the incentive and momentum for school psychology to redefine itself in the 21st century. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Resummation of large endpoint corrections to color-octet J / ψ photoproduction

An unresolved problem in $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ phenomenology is a systematic understanding of the differential photoproduction cross section, $d\ensuremath{\sigma}/dz[\ensuremath{\gamma}+p\ensuremath{\rightarrow}J/\ensuremath{\psi}+X$], where $z={E}_{\ensuremath{\psi}}/{E}_{\ensuremath{\gamma}}$ in the proton rest frame. In the nonrelativistic QCD (NRQCD) factorization formalism, fixed-order perturbative calculations of color-octet mechanisms suffer from large perturbative and nonperturbative corrections that grow rapidly in the endpoint region, $z\ensuremath{\rightarrow}1$. In this paper, NRQCD and soft collinear effective theory are combined to resum these large corrections to the color-octet photoproduction cross section. We derive a factorization theorem for the endpoint differential cross section involving the parton distribution function and the color-octet $J/\ensuremath{\psi}$ shape functions. A one-loop matching calculation explicitly confirms our factorization theorem at next-to-leading order. Large perturbative corrections are resummed using the renormalization group. The calculation of the color-octet contribution to $d\ensuremath{\sigma}/dz$ is in qualitative agreement with data. Quantitative tests of the universality of color-octet matrix elements require improved knowledge of shape functions entering these calculations as well as resummation of the color-singlet contribution which accounts for much of the total cross section and also peaks near the endpoint.
Earthquake rupturing as a mineralizing agent in hydrothermal systems

Much fault-hosted epithermal mineralization is localized in dilational jogs between en echelon fault segments, as fissure veins or as hydrothermally cemented, high-dilation wall-rock breccias. Jog widths may range from millimetres to kilometres; vein textures record histories of incremental development. Perturbation or arrest of earthquake ruptures at dilational jogs has been observed and is believed to involve extensional fracturing at the rupture tip, locally reducing fluid pressure and inducing suctions opposing rapid slip transfer across the jog. This forced fissuring leads to brecciation by hydraulic implosion and to a concentrated fluid influx, allowing delayed slip transfer accompanied by aftershock activity. Within the southern San Andreas fault system, major dilational jogs extend throughout the seismogenic regime and form loci for magmatic-hydrothermal systems; they act as vertical pipelike conduits for enhanced fluid flow. Rupture termination at these structures has sometimes been followed by hydrothermal eruptions, suggesting that high-level boiling events are triggered by the arrest mechanism. It thus seems probable that episodic mineral deposition in the top 1–2 km of such jogs is induced by the dynamic effects of rupturing on the flanking strike-slip faults.
Clinical determinants of hemodynamic and symptomatic responses in 2,000 patients during adenosine scintigraphy.

•Objective To determine whether subsets of patients referred for a clinically indicated radionuclide adenosine stress study respond differently to a standard infusion of adenosine. •Material and Methods We assessed multiple clinical and hemodynamic variables in the first 2,000 patients who underwent adenosine perfusion studies in our laboratory. A relevant clinical variable was defined as one that was significantly associated with changes in heart rate and blood pressure during adenosine infusion. Relevant clinical variables that were most significantly related to hemodynamic variables included age, gender, rhythm (atrial fibrillation), diabetes, and left ventricular function. These variables were then related to symptomatic responses (adverse effects) to adenosine infusion. To determine whether the different peripheral responses to adenosine reflected clinically important differences in coronary vasodilatation, we compared perfusion imaging with coronary angiographic findings in the 408 patients who underwent both studies within 6 months of each other. •Results The decrease in systolic blood pressure was greater and the reflex tachycardia was less in patients 70 years of age or older and in those with insulin-dependent diabetes in comparison with younger patients and those without type 1 diabetes. Men had smaller decreases in blood pressure and smaller increases in heart rate than did women. Patients with atrial fibrillation and those with left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40% had smaller decreases in blood pressure and smaller increases in heart rate than did those in sinus rhythm or those with an ejection fraction of 40% or more. Age 70 years or older, male gender, atrial fibrillation, and left ventricular ejection fraction less than 40% were associated with fewer symptoms and less severe chest pain in comparison with patients without these variables. For patients with coronary angiograms, the relationship between coronary artery disease evident on angiography and perfusion abnormalities noted on scintigraphy was not different for any of the relevant clinical variables. •Conclusion Common clinical patient subsets are associated with different peripheral hemodynamic and symptomatic responses to infusion of adenosine. Despite these observations, however, the ability to detect coronary artery disease with perfusion imaging is not obviously altered
Coagulation tests during cardiopulmonary bypass correlate with blood loss in children undergoing cardiac surgery.

Abstract Objectives: To examine whether coagulation tests, sampled before and during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), are related to blood loss and blood product transfusion requirements, and to determine what test value(s) provide the best sensitivity and specificity for prediction of excessive hemorrhage. Design: Prospective. Setting: University-affiliated, pediatric medical center. Participants: Four hundred ninety-four children. Interventions: Coagulation tests. Measurements and Main Results: Demographic, coagulation test, blood loss, and transfusion data were noted in consecutive children undergoing cardiac surgery. Laboratory tests included hematocrit (Hct), prothrombin time, partial thromboplastin time (PTT), platelet count, fibrinogen concentration, and thromboelastography. Stepwise linear regression analysis indicated that platelet count during CPB was the variable most significantly associated with intraoperative blood loss (in milliliters per kilogram) and 12-hour chest tube output (in milliliters per kilogram). Other independent variables associated with blood loss were thromboelastography maximum amplitude (MA) during CPB, preoperative PTT, preoperative Hct, and preoperative thromboelastography angle and shear modulus values. Thromboelastography MA during CPB was the only variable associated with total products transfused (in milliliters per kilogram). Of all tests studied, platelet count during CPB (≤108,000/μL) provided the maximum sensitivity (83%) and specificity (58%) for prediction of excessive blood loss (receiver operating characteristic analysis). Blood loss was inversely related to patient age; neonates received the most donor units (median, 8 units; range, 6 to 10 units). Conclusions: During cardiac surgery, coagulation tests (including thromboelastography) drawn pre-CPB and during CPB are useful to identify children at risk for excessive bleeding. Platelet count during CPB was the variable most significantly associated with blood loss.
Hybridoma growth, metabolism, and product formation in HEPES-buffered medium: II. Effect of pH

The effects of pH on cell metabolism during the batch growth of hybridomas in flasks were evaluated. Maintaining the pH at 7.2 resulted in a reduction of the maximum antibody and viable cell concentrations by ca. 40% and increased glucose and amino acid metabolic quotients. When the pH was allowed to fall to 6.7 there was further growth and antibody production after glutamine was exhausted using branched-chain amino acids as substrates. Y'[lac/gluc] increased from 1.32 at pH 6.7 to 1.50 at pH 7.2.
Synthesis of methacrylic acid by aldol condensation of propionic acid with formaldehyde over acid–base bifunctional catalysts

Abstract A variety of catalysts consisting of MgO, SiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 and ZrO 2 , with and without added cesium, were evaluated in the aldol condensation of propionic acid with formaldehyde to produce methacrylic acid. Reactions were performed in a fixed-bed reactor operating at atmospheric pressure and 598 K. Stepwise TPD of pre-adsorbed NH 3 and CO 2 was used to estimate the number and strength of surface acid and base sites, respectively. Both a strong solid base such as MgO and a non-basic solid such as SiO 2 were ineffective at catalyzing the aldol condensation reaction. However, Cs-loaded silica and alumina exhibited moderate activity and high selectivity for the reaction. Results from reactivity measurements and surface characterization suggest that both acid and base sites are needed to catalyze the reaction, and the observed rates over the bifunctional ZrO 2 catalyst support this hypothesis. A reversible inhibition of the rate by added water was observed over Cs–SiO 2 and is attributed to migration and agglomeration of the cesium on the support in the presence of water.
The braided single-stage protocol for quantum secure communication

This paper presents the concept and implementation of a Braided Single-stage Protocol for quantum secure communication. The braided single-stage protocol is a multi-photon tolerant secure protocol. This multi-photon tolerant protocol has been implemented in the laboratory using free-space optics technology. The proposed protocol capitalizes on strengths of the three-stage protocol and extends it with a new concept of braiding. This protocol overcomes the limitations associated with the three-stage protocol in the following ways: It uses the transmission channel only once as opposed to three times in the three-stage protocol, and it is invulnerable to man-in-the-middle attack. This paper also presents the error analysis resulting from the misalignment of the devices in the implementation. The experimental results validate the efficient use of transmission resources and improvement in the data transfer rate.
Accessibility as input: The use of construct accessibility as information to guide behavior

Abstract Priming typically increases behavioral enactments of primed constructs. The current work explored a novel mechanism for the behavioral effects of priming, termed the “accessibility as input” account. In two experiments, participants were nonconsciously primed and then completed anagrams until they judged themselves to have reached a particular state. Two different states, or stop rules, were specified, and were matched to the primed constructs such that the combination either implied that the state had been met (e.g., “slow” prime and “tired” stop rule) or had not been met (e.g., “fast” prime and “tired” stop rule). The priming and stop rule manipulations interacted to determine persistence on the anagram task. The results demonstrate that the heightened accessibility resulting from priming can be used as information about one’s current state in relation to situational requirements and, hence, can produce varying, contextually-dependent behavior.