cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Features of the Formation and Structure of Barium Titanate Langmuir Films

Ferroelectric films of stabilized barium titanate nanoparticles have been obtained from the colloidal system of a sodium oleate aqueous solution by the Langmuir–Blodgett method at the KSV NIMA 2002 facility, coagulants with the most characteristic hydrodynamic diameter of ∼200 nm have been found, and a physical model of their formation from barium titanate nanoparticles in this colloid system has been proposed. Homogeneous ferroelectric films with barium titanate particles ∼20 nm in size and a band gap of 3.6 eV have been deposited. The topological and structural features and distribution of chemical elements in the obtained films on different substrates have been studied by the methods of scanning probe and electron microscopy, vibrational and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, as well as X-ray diffractometry.
Clonality and genetic diversity in the eastern North American spring ephemeral Erythronium americanum Ker-Gawl. (American Trout Lily)1,2

As an adaptation to unpredictable light and pollination levels in the deciduous forest, clonality in early spring flowering plants enables continued population persistence but can have profound impacts on the population genetic structure. To gain a better understanding of clonal diversity in the common spring ephemeral herb Erythronium americanum (American Trout Lily) and its relationship to population size, five populations were examined using microsatellite markers. In general, levels of genetic diversity were low, with larger and more dense populations of E. americanum exhibiting less allelic diversity than smaller and less dense populations. Over half (68.56%) of sampled individuals overall were clones, with populations containing 2–21 clones and larger populations possessing the fewest number of clones. Several factors may contribute to these patterns, including geitonogamy, genetic drift, and intraspecific competition. The patterns of allelic diversity across the range indicate two distinct genetic clusters of E. americanum with northern and southern groups separated at the Ohio River valley.
Poly-Exposure and Poly-Genomic Scores Implicate Prominent Roles of Non-Genetic and Demographic Factors in Four Common Diseases in the UK

While polygenic risk scores (PRSs) have been shown to identify a small number of individuals with increased clinical risk for several common diseases, non-genetic factors that change during a lifetime, such as lifestyle, employment, diet, and pollution, have a larger role in clinical prediction. We analyzed data from 459,613 participants of the UK Biobank to investigate the independent and combined roles of demographics (e.g., sex and age), 96 environmental exposures, and common genetic variants in atrial fibrillation, coronary artery disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and type 2 diabetes. We develop an additive modelling approach to estimate and validate a poly-exposure score (PXS) that goes beyond consideration of a handful of factors such as smoking and pollution. PXS is able to identify groups with high prevalence of the four common disease comparable to, if not better, than the PRS. Type 2 diabetes has the largest discrepancy in PXS and PRS performance, defined as the maximum area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) (PXS AUC of 0.828 [0.821-0.836], PRS AUC of 0.711 [0.702-0.720]). Most importantly, we show that PXS identifies individuals that have low genetic risk but high overall risk for disease. While PRS is useful for screening genetically exceptional individuals in a time-invariant way, broader consideration of multiple non-genetic and modifiable factors is required to fully translate risk scores to the bedside for precision medicine. All results and the PXS calculator can be found in our web application http://apps.chiragjpgroup.org/pxs.
The active-learning transformation: a case study in software development and systems software courses

We present our experience in transforming a software development course and a systems software course from a traditional, lecture-based style to an active-learning format. We outline the common changes that were made in both courses, and provide a summary of the active-learning techniques that were successfully employed. We provide quantitative and qualitative evidence that this transformation was a success. In both courses, student grades and overall satisfaction with the course were increased with the transformation to active learning, despite teaching essentially the same curriculum.
Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Examination of Insulin Sensitivity and Secretion across Puberty among Non-Hispanic Black and White Children

BACKGROUND Few studies using criterion measures of insulin sensitivity (SI) and insulin secretory capacity (ISC) have been conducted across puberty to adulthood. We examined how SI and ISC change from pre-puberty through adulthood. METHODS Hyperglycemic clamp studies were performed in a convenience sample of non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and White children evaluated at age 6 to 12 years and at approximately 5-year intervals into adulthood (maximum age 27 years). SI and ISC (first-phase and steady-state insulin secretion) were determined cross-sectionally in 133 unique participants across puberty and in adulthood. Additionally, longitudinal changes in SI and ISC were compared at two timepoints among three groups defined by changes in pubertal development: pre-pubertal at baseline and late-pubertal at follow-up (n=27), early-pubertal at baseline and late-pubertal at follow-up (n=27), and late-pubertal at baseline and adult at follow-up (n=24). RESULTS Cross-sectionally, SI was highest in pre-puberty and early puberty and lowest in mid-puberty (analysis of covariance [ANCOVA] P=0.001). Longitudinally, SI decreased from pre-puberty to late puberty (P<0.001), then increased somewhat from late puberty to adulthood. Cross-sectionally, first-phase and steady-state ISC increased during puberty and decreased in adulthood (ANCOVA P<0.02). Longitudinally, steady-state and first-phase ISC increased from pre-puberty to late puberty (P<0.007), and steady-state ISC decreased from late puberty to adulthood. The NHB group had lower SI (P=0.003) and greater first-phase and steady-state ISC (P≤0.001), independent of pubertal development. CONCLUSION This study confirms that SI decreases and ISC increases transiently during puberty and shows that these changes largely resolve in adulthood.
Available but Not Approachable: Black Business Students’ Interactions with Faculty at a Historically White Institution

Persistent racial inequities in educational attainment and employment negatively affect the economic mobility of the Black population in the United States. Among college graduates, Black people are underrepresented in most high-paying college majors, except for business. In this phenomenological study framed by Critical Race Theory, Black business students (n=10) at a Historically White Institution shared their perceptions of the climate and experiences of interactions with faculty. Students reported they often felt unwelcome and othered in the White-dominated space and received limited support from White faculty that were frequently “available but not approachable”. Future research and practice should focus on institutional strategies to address racism by developing an equitable and welcoming business school culture and fostering cultural competence of faculty.
Best Execution: An Impossible Dream?

“Best execution” is among the more quixotic duties brokers owe retail investors in the canon of investor protection. The SEC and self-regulatory organizations such as FINRA have tools at their disposal to audit retail order handling, though proving breach is often a contrafactual exercise and any injury is often imperceptible to the retail investor. The SEC has also sought to impose order on competition among automated exchanges, alternative trading systems, and market makers to discover “best prices;” efforts to coordinate trading by rule may nevertheless warp routing or execution practices in a manner that erodes the efficiency of markets. This chapter proceeds in five sections. The first section generally considers how the duty of best execution is defined and measured. The second section discusses the tools regulators traditionally use to promote “best execution” compliance as well as the limitations of those tools. The third section explores efforts to improve execution opportunities through reforms to market structure. The fourth section briefly visits the desirability of new Congressional mandates for organizing markets around better execution, while the fifth section asks whether it may be possible to reframe “best execution” as an aspirational goal that, perhaps paradoxically, reminds investors how rarely “best execution” is attainable in practice.
Relative effects of sexual assault and other traumatic life events on self-harm

Abstract Introduction Sexual assault is a common traumatic stressor that is associated with a number of mental health difficulties among men and women who experience it. Perhaps the most severe of these difficulties are self-harm, a term which encompasses suicidal impulses and behaviors and non-suicidal self-injury. Self-harm is common among those with a history of traumatic experiences, perhaps because it represents a way to escape memories of and emotions related to these experiences. This may particularly be the case for the trauma of sexual assault, on which there is a growing body of research. Although this research suggests a strong association between sexual assault and self-harm, it is less clear whether sexual assault is more strongly associated with self-harm than are other traumatic experiences. Objective/Method In this study, we examined the relative effects of sexual assault since the age of fourteen and other traumatic experiences on self-harm in a sample of men and women recruited on Amazon's Mechanical Turk (N = 390) using a Bayesian approach to multiple regression. Results Results suggest that sexual assault has a large positive effect on self-harm over and above other traumatic experiences. Conclusion These results highlight the especially pernicious influence of sexual assault and suggest the need to assess self-harm among those with a sexual assault history.
Tear Lipocalin and Lipocalin-Interacting Membrane Receptor

Tear lipocalin is a primate protein that was recognized as a lipocalin from the homology of the primary sequence. The protein is most concentrated in tears and produced by lacrimal glands. Tear lipocalin is also produced in the tongue, pituitary, prostate, and the tracheobronchial tree. Tear lipocalin has been assigned a multitude of functions. The functions of tear lipocalin are inexorably linked to structural characteristics that are often shared by the lipocalin family. These characteristics result in the binding and or transport of a wide range of small hydrophobic molecules. The cavity of tear lipocalin is formed by eight strands (A-H) that are arranged in a β-barrel and are joined by loops between the β-strands. Recently, studies of the solution structure of tear lipocalin have unveiled new structural features such as cation-π interactions, which are extant throughout the lipocalin family. Lipocalin has many unique features that affect ligand specificity. These include a capacious and a flexible cavity with mobile and short overhanging loops. Specific features that confer promiscuity for ligand binding in tear lipocalin will be analyzed. The functions of tear lipocalin include the following: antimicrobial activities, scavenger of toxic and tear disruptive compounds, endonuclease activity, and inhibition of cysteine proteases. In addition, tear lipocalin binds and may modulate lipids in the tears. Such actions support roles as an acceptor for phospholipid transfer protein, heteropolymer formation to alter viscosity, and tear surface interactions. The promiscuous lipid-binding properties of tear lipocalin have created opportunities for its use as a drug carrier. Mutant analogs have been created to bind other molecules such as vascular endothelial growth factor for medicinal use. Tear lipocalin has been touted as a useful biomarker for several diseases including breast cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetic retinopathy, and keratoconus. The functional possibilities of tear lipocalin dramatically expanded when a putative receptor, lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor was identified. However, opposing studies claim that lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor is not specific for lipocalin. A recent study even suggests a different function for the membrane protein. This controversy will be reviewed in light of gene expression data, which suggest that tear lipocalin has a different tissue distribution than the putative receptor. But the data show lipocalin-interacting membrane receptor is expressed on ocular surface epithelium and that a receptor function here would be rational.
Physician Practice Interruptions in the Treatment of Medicare Patients During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This study uses Medicare data to assess physician practice interruptions during the 2019-2020 period of the COVID-19 pandemic and provides preliminary evidence on whether those interruptions suggest early retirements or exit from medical practice.
Spillovers to Low-Income Countries: Importance of Systemic Emerging Markets

This paper documents the expanding economic linkages between low-income countries (LICs) and a narrow group of "Emerging Market leaders" that have become major players in regional and global trade and financial flows. VAR models show that these linkages have increased the share of growth volatility that can be attributed to foreign shocks in LICs. Dynamic panel models further analyze the impact of LIC trade orientation and production structure on the sensitivity to foreign shocks. The empirical results demonstrate that the elasticity of growth to trading partners' growth is high for LICs in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Europe and Central Asia. However, for commodity-exporting LICs in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East, terms of trade shocks and demand from the emerging market leaders are the main channels of transmission of foreign shocks.
Topological evolution for embodied cellular automata

Behavioral variation in CA are traditionally created through various update rules.Instead, we change behavior through topological variation of the substrate.The automata of actuated cells are taken to define the morphology of a soft robot.This morphology is optimized with an evolutionary algorithm to maximize locomotion.A diversity of effective behaviors and morphologies are demonstrated. In this work we introduce a novel method for creating behaviors in cellular automata: optimizing the topology of the cellular substrate while maintaining a single simple update rule. We study the effect of altering the shape of a 3D cellular automaton and local signaling ability of each of its cells on the ability of that automaton as a whole to give rise to emergent locomotion behavior. This system optimizes for the physically embodied interactions between a cellular automaton with an external physically simulated world, rather than optimizing directly for a computational ability internal to the automaton itself. We give each cell in the automaton the ability to have an internal "excited" state, and also the ability to perform a physical action (volumetric contraction and expansion) as a result of that state. We then employ an evolutionary algorithm to optimize for the locomotion ability of the "robot" resulting from the behavior of this embodied automaton. We demonstrate a number of diverse topologies which lead to effective locomotion behaviors in this paradigm. We believe that creating complex behavior from simple rules in a complex substrate not only opens up questions about cellular automata, but also provides insights towards the study of morphological computation and embodied cognition.
Implicit Theories and Issue Characteristics as Determinants of Moral Awareness and Intentions

Individuals’ implicit theories that people’s character is fixed (entity theorist) versus malleable (incremental theorist) are associated with their holding beliefs that morality is primarily determined by fulfilling prescribed duties (duty-based morality) versus upholding basic rights of others (rights-based morality), respectively. Three studies provide evidence that the ability to recognize that a situation can legitimately be considered from a moral point of view (moral awareness) is interactively dependent upon the nature of perceivers’ implicit theories (and their associated schemas in the moral domain) and the extent to which the issue involves a violation that emphasizes a failure to fulfill a prescribed duty (duty-based violation) versus a failure to uphold a fundamental right of others (rights-based violation). The studies experimentally manipulated the characteristics of a hypothetical business situation to involve either a duty-based violation or a rights-based violation or no behavioral violation. In addition, Study 1 experimentally manipulated subjects’ implicit theories, while Studies 2 and 3 measured subjects’ chronically held implicit theories. Collectively, the studies provide consistent evidence that entity theorists have greater moral awareness than incremental theorists when considering situations involving duty-based violations, while incremental theorists have greater moral awareness than entity theorists when considering situations involving rights-based violations, and moral awareness is not significantly different for perceivers who are neither strongly entity nor incremental theorists, when considering situations involving duty- versus rights-based violations. Study 3 also found evidence of a moderated-mediated association between violation type and moral intentions, through moral awareness as a mediator, moderated by perceivers’ implicit theories.
Characterizing Online Narratives About Colonoscopy Experiences: Comparing Colon Cancer “Screeners” Versus “Survivors”

Effective screening can reduce colorectal cancer mortality; however, screening uptake is suboptimal. Patients’ stories about various health topics are widely available online and in behavioral interventions and are valued by patients. Although these narratives may be promising strategies for promoting cancer screening behavior, scant research has compared the influence of different role models. This study involving content analysis of online stories aimed to (a) describe the content of online experiential narratives about colonoscopy; (b) compare narratives from individuals who had a colonoscopy and either had colon cancer (survivors) or did not have colon cancer (screeners); and (c) generate hypotheses for future studies. The authors identified 90 narratives eligible for analysis from 15 websites. More stories were about White patients, men, and routine (vs. diagnostic) colonoscopy. A higher-than-expected number of narratives reported a family history of colorectal cancer or polyps (20%) and a colorectal...
Phosphorylation of native 97-kDa 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase from rat liver. Impact on activity and degradation of the enzyme.

Abstract Immunoprecipitation of native rat liver microsomal 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase, phosphorylated by [gamma-32P]ATP in the presence of reductase kinase, revealed a major 97-kDa 32P band which disappeared upon competition with pure unlabeled 53-kDa HMG-CoA reductase. A linear correlation between the expressed/total HMG-CoA reductase activity ratio (E/T) and the fraction of 32P released from the 97-kDa enzyme established the validity of the E/T ratio as an index of HMG-CoA reductase phosphorylation state in isolated microsomes. Incubation of rat hepatocytes with mevalonolactone resulted in a rapid increase in phosphorylation of microsomal reductase (decrease in E/T) followed by an enhanced rate of decay of total reductase activity which was proportional to the loss of 97-kDa enzyme mass determined by immunoblots. Inhibitors of lysosome function dampened both basal and mevalonate-induced reductase degradation in hepatocytes. In an in vitro system using the calcium-dependent protease calpain-2, up to 5-fold greater yields of soluble 52-56-kDa fragments of reductase (immunoblot and total activity) were obtained when the substrate 97-kDa reductase was phosphorylated before proteolysis. Immunoblots of unlabeled phosphorylated reductase compared with gels of immunoprecipitated 32P-labeled reductase resolved a 52-56-kDa doublet which contained 32P solely in the upper band. These data suggest that a major phosphorylation site of HMG-CoA reductase lies within the "linker" segment joining the membrane spanning and cytoplasmic domains of the native 97-kDa protein.
The market for residential and day schools for children with severe emotional disturbance

This article describes the market for residential and day programs that provide education and treatment services on site for children with severe emotional disturbance (SED) in terms of the market’s size, cost, and ownership mix. As policymakers encourage integration of services across sectors, this research fills a gap in the mental health services literature by providing a baseline of information on facilities from the education sector. Data are used from a national, stratified sample survey of separate day and residential schools for children with handicaps conducted by the Department of Education. There are 1,523 facilities providing educational and treatment services to 117,720 children with SED. Over half of the facilities are nonprofit, one-third are public, and less than one-tenth are for-profit. These programs represent a significant market of services for children with SED. Substantial differences in cost exist across ownership form that cannot be attributed to differences in size of facility or case mix of children enrolled.
The molecular mechanisms of heparin action: III. The anticoagulant properties of polyanetholesulfonate

Abstract Polyanetholesulfonate (PAS) inhibited Factor Xa initiated clotting of bovine plasma. PAS also accelerated thrombin inhibition by antithrombin III. When lysine residues on antithrombin III were modified with 0-methyl isourea, 50% of the heparin co-factor activity was lost. The PAS effect on thrombin inhibition by the modified antithrombin was reduced by the same amount. PAS did not stimulate antithrombin III inhibition of Factor Xa. When PAS was added to a Factor Xa-antithrombin III reaction mixture, the rate of Factor Xa inhibition was reduced. These results indicate that polyanetholsulfonate anticoagulates plasma by stimulating the inhibition of thrombin by antithrombin III while having no effect of the inhibition of Factor Xa by antithrombin III.
The regulation of skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase by Ca2

Abstract The interaction between highly purified rabbit muscle phosphorylase kinase and Ca2+ has been investigated and this metal has been shown to be necessary for enzyme activity. Utilizing calcium-free reagents, apparent Km values for Ca2+ were determined for the activated kinase (2 x 10-7 m at pH 8.2, 5 x 10-7 m at pH 6.8) and for the nonactivated kinase (3 x 10-6 m at pH 8.2, indeterminate at pH 6.8). Direct binding of Ca2+ to phosphorylase kinase was studied by the method of gel filtration equilibrium using 45Ca and an approximate minimal molar binding weight of 55,000 g was assigned. The dissociation constants of the various Ca2+-kinase complexes were in the same range as the above listed Km values. Sr2+ and Ba2+ were found to substitute for Ca2+ in the phosphorylase kinase reaction; the enzyme-bound Ca2+ was totally exchangeable with Sr2+. A freshly isolated fraction of sarcoplasmic reticulum from rabbit skeletal muscle completely inhibited nonactivated phosphorylase kinase at pH 7.6; this inhibition was reversed by Ca2+. The activated kinase was inhibited 80% under the same conditions. A model system is proposed for the regulation of skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase by Ca2+ in vivo, and the consequent linking of the process of glycogenolysis to that of muscle contraction.
Staphylococcus aureus binding to human nasal mucin

Colonization of human nasal mucosa with Staphylococcus aureus sets the stage for subsequent systemic infection. This study characterizes S. aureus adhesion to nasal mucosa in vitro and investigates the interaction of S. aureus with human nasal mucin. S. aureus binding to cell-associated and cell-free mucus was greater than to nonmucin-coated epithelial cells. Scanning electron microscopy of S. aureus incubated with human nasal mucosal tissue showed minimal binding to ciliated respiratory epithelium. In a solid-phase assay, S. aureus bound to purified human nasal mucin-coated wells significantly more than to bovine serum albumin-coated microtiter wells. Binding to mucin was saturable in a dose- and time-dependent fashion. Staphylococcal adherence to human nasal mucin was inhibited by bovine submaxillary mucin but not by fibrinogen. Pretreatment of mucin with periodate but not with pronase reduced adherence. Trypsin treatment of the bacteria significantly reduced adherence to mucin. 125I-labelled nasal mucin bound to two surface proteins (138 and 127 kDa) of lysostaphin-solubilized S. aureus. Binding to human nasal mucin occurs in part via specific adhesin-receptor interactions involving bacterial proteins and the carbohydrate moiety in mucin. These experiments suggest that S. aureus binding to mucin may be critical for colonization of the nasopharyngeal mucosa.
8. The Thermal Desorption of Adsorbed Species

Publisher Summary This chapter describes that the use of thermal desorption methods for the study of species adsorbed on surfaces is widespread. The study of thermal desorption supplies useful information to basic science as well as information of importance to technology. The study of thermally activated desorption phenomena represents a natural combination of chemical kinetics, statistical thermodynamics, and molecular dynamics. Knowledge of the nature of the desorption process has fundamental implications to understanding the nature of elementary chemical processes in the layer, to the energetics of bonding and the specification of the chemical nature of the bound species, and to the nature and magnitude of interactional effects between adsorbate species. The chapter discusses that the extension of thermal desorption methods to the study of the interaction of more complex molecules, with surfaces, has now occurred. Studies of desorption kinetics from these systems can suggest the nature of surface-stabilized molecular fragments of importance to a fundamental understanding of catalytic chemistry at surfaces. It concludes that in the future, further refinement in experimental methods for studying desorption processes will be devised, so that thermal desorption may be understood on a more fundamental molecular basis. In addition, continued widespread application to the technological problems is anticipated, particularly to high-area powdered substrates.
Temporal Contrast Enhancement via GABAC Feedback at Bipolar Terminals in the Tiger Salamander Retina

Dong, Cun-Jian and Frank S. Werblin. Temporal contrast enhancement via GABAC feedback at bipolar terminals in the tiger salamander retina. J. Neurophysiol. 79: 2171–2180, 1998. Most retinal amacrin...
Person environment interactions are alive and well in health psychology

Abstract Ogden (this issue) argues that over the course of the twentieth century health psychology theories have progressively changed from an environmental focus, then to a focus on person-environment interactions, and finally, away from interaction toward intra-action (i.e., the self dealing with and controlling the self). We assert that, contrary to Ogden's analysis, person-environment interaction models are still the basis for current theoretical approaches in health psychology and that many “intra-active” variables can be viewed as moderators of the individual's interaction with the environment. In addition, interventions that rely on environmental or interactional models continue to prove effective in health promotion and health education activities.
A Digital Diffusion Porometer Circuit

An automatic digital diffusion porometer circuit is described. The circuit is highly stable with respect to temperature and supply voltage. The device is capable of high timing accuracy over very short measurement intervals, so that measurements may be made rapidly without the danger of stomatal changes occurring during the measurement period.
Infrared Evanescent Absorption Spectroscopy of Toxic Chemicals Using Chalcogenide Glass Fibers

We have detected hazardous and toxic chemicals such as chlorinated hydrocarbons and benzene and its derivatives using evanescent wave spectroscopy with in-house drawn chalcogenide glass fibers. Although, these chemicals have been readily detected down to the volume percent level, we make appropriate recommendations to lower the detection limits to the part per million level. While the current fibers can be used in lengths of up to 30 m for detection and identification of these chemicals, our results indicate that the remote capabilities of these fibers can be significantly improved into the several hundreds of meters range with lower loss fibers, as they become available with improved processing.
The Effect of Parental Remarriage following Parental Divorce on Offspring Suicide Attempt

Parental divorce during childhood is associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts for male but not female offspring. This study examines whether parental remarriage has a differential effect on suicide risk for male and female adult offspring. Using the 2001-2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), the sample consists of respondents who experienced parental divorce (N = 6,436). Multivariable regressions were estimated. Females who lived with a stepparent were significantly more likely to report a lifetime suicide attempt compared with females who had not. Clinicians should note that female depressed patients who have a history of childhood parental divorce and remarriage may be at more risk for suicide attempt than previously recognized.
Feasibility of detection and quantification of gas-phase carbonyls in indoor environments using PFBHA derivatization and solid-phase microextraction (SPME)

Solid-phase microextraction (SPME) was evaluated for the detection and quantification of the gas-phase carbonyls: citronellal, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and β-ionone. Prepared air samples containing the carbonyl compounds were collected at a flow rate of 2.8 L min−1 in an impinger containing a 25% reagent water/75% methanol collection liquid. The aqueous samples were then derivatized with O-(2,3,4,5,6-pentafluorobenzyl)hydroxylamine hydrochloride (PFBHA), extracted with a PDMS/DVB coated SPME fiber, and analyzed by GC-MS. Detection limits with a sample air volume of 76 L were calculated to be 0.03 ppbv, 0.34 ppbv, 0.12 ppbv, and 0.28 ppbv for citronellal, glyoxal, methylglyoxal, and β-ionone, respectively.
Marine birds and harmful algal blooms: sporadic victims or under-reported events?

Abstract From the late Pliocene to now, blooms of toxic algae are associated with mortalities of marine birds. Given the long historical presence of harmful algal blooms (HABs) worldwide and the numbers of seabirds that feed on filter-feeding fish and shellfish, it is surprising that relatively few incidents of seabird deaths as a result of toxic algae have been reported. The limited information available tends to come from major events, whereas the rare events are missed and hence not reported. Much is anecdotal and still more probably is not published. We suspect that factors working in concert may lead to deaths and wrecks that might not occur as a result of anyone factor working independently, e.g. starvation tends to render birds more vulnerable to stress. “Seabird wrecks”, very much larger than usual concentration of seabird corpses washed ashore over a short period of time, often provide evidence of deleterious conditions in offshore populations, e.g. weather, food, pollution, fishing activities, and parasites. It is noted in the literature that wrecks caused by natural toxins such as botulism and algal toxins are apparently less common; however, this perception may be due to a combination of factors including the bird species involved, size of populations, location, and chance of discovery. Wrecks involving near-shore species probably provide a more accurate estimate of total mortality for any given event than offshore species. A survey of available data on the impacts of toxic algae on seabirds revealed an array of responses ranging from reduced feeding activity, inability to lay eggs, and loss of motor coordination to death. Severe impacts on recruitment have been noted in some populations. There are few experimental studies; however, evidence has been provided for the ability of some species to ‘learn’ to avoid toxic food sources. We present a summary of available data on seabird/toxic algal interactions and suggestions of how impacts on seabirds during future blooms of harmful algae be recorded.
Anatomy of a system accident: the crash of Avianca Flight 052.

On January 25, 1990, Avianca Flight 052 crashed after running out of fuel following a missed approach to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport. Weather was poor on the East Coast of the United States that day, and the flight had experienced several holding patterns enroute from Medellin, Colombia, to New York. The accident is analyzed in terms of Helmreich and Foushee's (1993) model of crew performance and Reason's (1990) model of latent pathogens in system operations.
Characteristics of the elite population selected on ratio criterion: II. Traits with unequal genetic variances

In breeding, multiple trait selection is often a complex problem. One straightforward possibility when selecting for two traits is to base selection on the ratio of two trait values, particularly if the ratio has a biological or economic interpretation. In this study, selection was simulated on the ratio of two polygenically inherited Traits X and Y which were normally distributed and bad genetic variances of one. The criterion for selection was the ratio (X/Y). The research objectives were to determine in the selected elite population (i) the responses of the numerator and denominator traits and the ratio, per se, to increasing selection pressure, (ii) the effect of genetic correlation between two traits on ratio selection, and (iii) the selection differentials of ratio trait for estimation of realized heritability. When the two traits had equal variances and means, selection to increase the ratio caused a greater decrease in the mean value of the denominator trait than an increase in the numerator trait. Conversely, selection to decrease the ratio always decreased the mean of the numerator trait more than it increased the denominator trait. For a highly negative genetic correlation (−0.75) between traits, the selection response of the ratio was maximized. When genetic correlation was 0.50 or 0.75, the response of one component trait was near zero. The standardized selection differential for the ratio trait, in comparison with the normally distributed trait, was biased upwards with selection for increased ratio and biased downwards with selection for decreased ratio
Opportunities and risks in Philadelphia's capitation financing of public psychiatric services

The city of Philadelphia was one of nine sites selected by the Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Foundation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to receive five-year funding to improve the delivery, quality and cost efficiency of public mental health services to its chronically mentally ill population. As part of the RWJ project, the city plans to restructure its delivery and reimbursement system, creating a not-for-profit central authority which will function as a health insurance organization (HIO) responsible for coordinating and managing psychiatric care to Medicaid clients. Operating under a model of capitation, the central authority will employ diverse funding mechanisms to finance and manage service delivery. This paper examines the benefits and risks inherent in the reorganization of Philadelphia's mental health service system under a capitation financing model. Issues considered include cost and utilization patterns, treatment outcomes, providers and their staffing patterns, service mix and the overall impact of capitation on clients.
A new precoder design for precoding-based Blind channel estimation for MIMO-OFDM systems

Semi-Blind/Blind channel estimation for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) systems has received a lot of attention in recent years. A new linear precoder for blind channel estimation is proposed in which only a small number of subcarriers carry symbols that are linearly precoded to effect the inter-symbol correlation needed for the blind channel estimation scheme to function properly. The proposed precoding scheme leaves most of the subcarriers intact, thereby minimizing the number of symbols that have to be jointly estimated via either Maximum Likelihood (ML) or MMSE. An optimal precoder under the sparse structure is developed, which insures that the precoder matrix is well-conditioned to minimize any noise enhancement that may occur in the process of MMSE based joint symbol estimation.
Nitric oxide synthase inhibitors produce phencyclidine-like behavioral effects in pigeons.

Abstract The present study assessed the ability of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors to produce PCP-like behavioral effects in pigeons. Food-restricted pigeons were trained to discriminate between PCP (1.0 mg/kg i.m.) from saline in a two-key operant procedure. NOS inhibitors 7-nitroindazole (7-NI) and Nω-nitro- l -arginine methyl ester ( l -NAME) produced PCP-like discriminative stimulus effects. 7-NI (17.8 mg/kg, i.m.) completely generalized to PCP. l -NAME (320-1000 mg/kg) produced partial generalization to PCP. d -NAME, the enantiomer of l -NAME, did not produce PCP-appropriate behavior. l -NAME was approximately 200-times more potent i.c.v., but did not fully generalize to PCP. Both NOS inhibitors were effective in producing catalepsy, which is an effect commonly produced by competitive and uncompetitive NMDA antagonists. 7-NI (32 mg/kg) produced catalepsy in all subjects, whereas l -NAME (3200 mg/kg) produced catalepsy in 50% of the subjects. d -NAME did not produce catalepsy. Pretreatment with l -arginine (32–3200 mg/kg) prevented the PCP-like discriminative stimulus and cataleptic effects of 7-NI (17.8-32 mg/kg), demonstrating that 7-NI produced PCP-like effects through blockade of NO synthesis. The current studies reveal that NOS inhibitors induced two behavioral actions, discriminative stimulus effects and catalepsy, that are very selective for NMDA antagonists in pigeons.
Functional Analysis of Kv1.2 and Paddle Chimera Kv Channels in Planar Lipid Bilayers

Voltage-dependent K(+) (Kv) channels play key roles in shaping electrical signaling in both excitable and nonexcitable cells. These channels open and close in response to the voltage changes across the cell membrane. Many studies have been carried out in order to understand the voltage-sensing mechanism. Our laboratory recently determined the atomic structures of a mammalian Kv channel Kv1.2 and a mutant of Kv1.2 named the 'paddle chimera' channel, in which the voltage sensor paddle was transferred from Kv2.1 to Kv1.2. These two structures provide atomic descriptions of voltage-dependent channels with unprecedented clarity. Until now, the functional integrity of these two channels biosynthesized in yeast cells has not been assessed. Here, we report the electrophysiological and pharmacological properties of Kv1.2 and the paddle chimera channels in planar lipid bilayers. We demonstrate that Pichia yeast produce 'normally functioning' mammalian Kv channels with qualitatively similar features to the Shaker K(+) channel in the absence of the N-terminal inactivation gate and that the paddle chimera mutant channel functions as well as Kv1.2. We find, however, that in several respects, the Kv1.2 channel exhibits functional properties that are distinct from Kv1.2 channels reported in the literature.
There is No Paradox of Logical Validity

A number of authors (including Field in Saving Truth From Paradox. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2008; Shapiro in Philos Q 61:320–342, 2010; Whittle in Analysis 64:318–326, 2004; Beall and Murzi in J Philos 110:143–165, 2013) have argued that Peano Arithmetic (PA) supplemented with a logical validity predicate is inconsistent in much the same manner as is PA supplemented with an unrestricted truth predicate. In this paper I show that, on the contrary, there is no genuine paradox of logical validity—a completely general logical validity predicate can be coherently added to PA, and the resulting (classical) system is consistent. In addition, this observation (and the constructions required to make it) lead to a number of novel, and important, insights into the nature of logical validity itself.
Superdeformation in the odd-odd nucleus /sup 150/Tb: Experimental search for superdeformed configurations

A superdeformed band was found in the nucleus $^{150}\mathrm{Tb}$ following the reaction $^{31}\mathrm{Sn}$ at 160 MeV. This is the first odd-odd nucleus in the mass 150 region where such a band has been found. Its observed properties do not differ significantly from those of other cases in this mass region. From a systematic study of this region, we have determined experimentally the contribution to the moment of inertia ${\mathrm{scrI}}^{(2)}$ in each of the last particles ion these nuclei. At present, this seems to us the best way to identify the orbitals occupied by these particles.
PAC Contributions, Lobbying, and Representation

It is often believed that organized interests purchase access--and, consequently, representation--to members of Congress through PAC contributions. By contributing to representatives from districts where they have little or no organizational strength, groups may shift the representational focus of elected officials away from geographic constituencies to broader, functional constituencies based on occupational, industrial, and professional groupings. This paper examines this possibility by assessing the extent to which groups' campaign contributions and lobbying efforts are directed to representatives from districts where groups have little or no organizational presence. The empirical analysis is based on data from a survey of professional lobbyists with organizations that sponsored political action committees during the 1983-1984 election cycle. Results of the analysis indicate that organized interests seldom contribute to and lobby members of the U.S. House of Representatives in the absence of geographic...
Polarization of 16-mc-s radiation from jupiter

IT has recently been reported by Dowden1 that, for 10.1-Mc/s radiation from Jupiter, the relative proportion of bursts of opposite sense of polarization appears to vary with the Jovian System III central meridian longitude (λIII). Bursts recorded when λIII was close to 240° (International Astronomical Union revised System III) were found to be almost exclusively elliptical)y polarized in the right-handed sense whereas bursts recorded when λIII was close to 55° were as much as 83 per cent left-handed. The purpose of this communication is to report that a similar tendency was noted at 16 Mc/s for a few events recorded at the Florida State University Radio Observatory in 1962.
Microsatellite Variation Among Red Snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) from the Gulf of Mexico

Allelic variation at a total of 20 nuclear-encoded microsatellites was examined among adult red snapper (Lutjanus campechanus) sampled from 4 offshore localities in the Gulf of Mexico. The number of alleles at the 20 microsatellites ranged from 5 to 20; average (± SE) direct count heterozygosity values ranged from 0.148 ± 0.025 to 0.902 ± 0.008. No significant departures from expectations of Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found for any locus within samples, and genotypes at pairs of microsatellites appeared to be randomly associated, i.e., in genotypic equilibrium. Tests of homogeneity in allele distributions among the 4 localities were nonsignificant for 19 of the microsatellites. Allele distribution at microsatellite Lca 43 was heterogeneous among localities before (but not after) Bonferroni corrections for multiple tests executed simultaneously. Tests of homogeneity in the distribution of individual alleles at Lca 43 gave similar results: one low frequency allele was distributed heterogeneously among samples before, but not after, Bonferroni correction. Molecular analysis of variance indicated that more than 99% of variation at each microsatellite was distributed within sample localities. These results generally are consistent with the hypothesis of a single population (stock) of red snapper in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
Young infants' sensitivity to movement information specifying social causality

Abstract Adults and 3- to 6-month-old infants were tested for their visual preference for two different dynamic displays presented simultaneously on two side-by-side computer monitors. Each display consisted of a pair of colored discs moving either independently (the independent display) or in systematic interaction (the “chase” display), never actually contacting one another. Except for the relative spatio-temporal dependence of the discs' movements, all dynamic parameters on the two displays were controlled and maintained equal. Analysis of looking behavior showed that adults as well as infants looked differentially at the displays. Patterns of preference depended on age. For the infants who completed the experiment, there was a significant transition from more looking at the chase to more looking at the independent display as a function of age. Adults as well as the older, attentive infants, showed enhanced visual attention to the independent display. These results provide first evidence of young infants' sensitivity to movement information specifying social causality for adult observers.
Fuzzy ordered sets

Abstract Though several authors have defined and studied fuzzy ordering, there does not exist a reasonable theory of fuzzy ordered sets. Our goal in this paper is to commence a systematic study of fuzzy ordered sets and begin the development of a theory paralleling that of classical partially ordered sets. We also study an intrinsic fuzzy topology on a fuzzy ordered set.