cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Understanding the world as a heterogeneous whole: Insights into systems from work on irrigation

Both social systems and physical systems are complex enough that they are usually considered separately. This article deals with their connectedness in both operational and analytical terms. It starts with the transformation of an irrigation system in Sri Lanka, where the social system and the physical system obviously and necessarily interacted. This particular system was much deteriorated in both social and physical terms over the past 30 years. Even so, production and cooperation were increased there much more rapidly than anyone anticipated. The author found the prevailing concepts and explanations offered by contemporary social science inadequate to account for this change. This was due in large part to their being influenced by images of reality from classical 18th century (Newtonian) physics. The social dynamics and outcomes observed can be better understood by drawing, mutatis mutandis, on ideas put forward in emergent theories of physical science in this century-relativity, quantum and chaos theories, and now also complexity theory. There is enough similarity between physical and social phenomena and relationships that social systems can be illuminated by considering how ‘post-Newtonian’ physical sciences conceive and understand their subject matter. This means taking less mechanistic and deterministic views of social realities, focusing more on their contingence than on their essences.
Framingham risk equation underestimates subclinical atherosclerosis risk in asymptomatic women.

Background: Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death among American women. Currently, global risk assessment derived by Framingham risk equation (FRE) is used to identify women at increased risk for CHD. Electron-beam computed tomography (EBCT) derived coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores are validated markers for future CHD events among asymptomatic individuals. However, the adequacy of FRE for identifying asymptomatic women with CAC is unknown. Methods and results: We studied 2447 consecutive non-diabetic asymptomatic females (55 ± 10 years). Based upon FRE, 90% were classified as low-risk (FRE ≤9% 10-year risk of hard CHD events), 10% intermediate-risk (10–20%), and none were considered as high-risk (>20%). Coronary artery calcium was present in 33%, whereas CAC ≥100 and CAC ≥400 were seen in 10 and 3% of women, respectively. Overall, 20% of women had age-gender derived ≥75th percentile CAC. According to FRE, the majority (84%) of women with significant CAC ≥75th percentile were classified as low-risk. Approximately half (45%) of low-risk women with ≥2 CHD risk factors and a family history of premature CHD had significant CAC. Conclusion: Framingham risk equation frequently classifies women as being low-risk, even in the presence of significant CAC. Determination of CAC may provide incremental value to FRE in identifying asymptomatic women who will benefit from targeted preventative measures.
193 nm Laser dissociation of CS2: prompt emission from CS and internal energy distribution of CS(X1Σ+)

Abstract Single and multiple photon processes are identified in the 193 nm excimer laser photolysis of CS2. CS(X1Σ+, υ = 1 to 5, J = 5 to 45) is observed by dye laser induced fluorescence of the A1Π ↔ ; X1Σ+ transition, following the single photon 193 nm photolysis of CS2. Multiple photon 193 nm generation of CS fragment emission from 620 to 170 nm is also reported. A partial assignment of the emission spectrum identifies fluorescence from the CS A′1Σ+ and A1Π states.
Hydrolysis of synthetic cholesterol esters containing trans fatty acids.

Abstract The aim of this work was to test the specificity of rat liver cholesterol esterase (sterol-ester hydrolase, EC 3.1.1.13) with regard to the hydrolysis of cis and trans unsaturated cholesterol esters. Several synthetic cholesterol esters were employed as model substrates for the soluble fraction and microsomes from rat liver homogenates. In all cases, trans fatty acid cholesterol esters were hydrolyzed to a lesser degree than cis unsaturated esters. Furthermore, a preference for the 9-cis-unsaturated octadecanoates was indicated. The ability of cholesterol esterase to recognize the shape of the acyl moiety of cholesterol esters is discussed.
From Enterprise Zones to Empowerment Zones: The Community Context of Urban Economic Development

Economic development policy continues to dominate city agendas as local officials vie for investment and population in the effort to generate a robust local economy. Many times, however, such policies have succeeded in building capital-intensive projects while failing to enhance the community's quality of life. Building on the enterprise zone concept, the Clinton administration's Empowerment Zone Act of 1993 attempts to avoid this pitfall by blending economic incentives and social services, as it establishes a mechanism to incorporate broader local participation in program design, implementation, and evaluation. By examining the context, origins, and dimensions of empowerment zone policy, this article clarifies policy elements, including similarities to and differences from enterprise zones, and prospects of empowerment zones to creat the community context necessary for greater local participation in economic development.
Coming at Things Differently Future Directions of Possible Engagement With Mixed Methods Research

The field of mixed methods (MM) research facilitates ‘‘coming at things differently.’’ Traditional forms of data gathering using one method for data collection may not be adequate for answering complex questions that sometimes require a variety of qualitative and quantitative methods in one study. Although the number of MM studies continues to grow, it is clear from the literature that newcomers and seasoned MM researchers encounter praxis/practice barriers that concern the ‘‘how-tos’’ of integrating MM findings. More philosophical concerns center on issues regarding whether or not paradigmatic stances can be mixed or can coexist. Still other concerns center on research conundrums that reside within and between our disciplinary contexts, such as the impact of and interfacing with newly emergent technologies for data analysis and collection with MM research. Some of these barriers are conscious whereas others are unconscious.
Radium content in plankton and sea water in the Bahamas

Abstract The distribution of radium-226 in the ocean and in marine organisms is surveyed. Data on the distribution of radium in the Bahamas region are presented; average radium content in surface water is found to be 4·5 × 10−14g/l. Six mixed plankton samples are analyzed for the alkaline earth elements. The average radium content in plankton is determined to be 2·2 × 10−13 g/gash. Discrimination factors, normalized to calcium (DFCaCa = 1), arc calculated. Both radium and barium are found to be preferred by the plankton (DFCaRa = 19 and DFCaBa = 18, respectively), there is little preference for strontium (DFCaSr = 1·2), and magnesium is not taken up preferentially (DFCaMg = 0·10). The extent of radium removal by the plankton populations is calculated to be in the same order of magnitude as the natural radioactive decay of radium.
Paradoxical tolerance to cocaine after initial supersensitivity in drug‐use‐prone animals

There is great interest in outlining biological factors and behavioral characteristics that either predispose or predict vulnerability to substance use disorders. Response to an inescapable novel environment has been shown to predict a “drug-use prone” phenotype that is defined by rapid acquisition of cocaine self-administration. Here, we show that response to novelty can also predict neurochemical and behavioral effects of acute and repeated cocaine. We used cocaine self-administration under a fixed-ratio one schedule followed by fast scan cyclic voltammetry in brain slices to measure sub-second dopamine release and uptake parameters in drug-use prone and resistant phenotypes. Despite no significant differences in stimulated release and uptake, animals with high responses to a novel environment had dopamine transporters that were more sensitive to cocaine-induced uptake inhibition, which corresponded to greater locomotor activating effects of cocaine. These animals also acquired cocaine self-administration more rapidly, and after five days of extended access cocaine self-administration, high responding animals showed robust tolerance to DA uptake inhibition by cocaine. The effects of cocaine remained unchanged in animals with low novelty responses. Similarly, the rate of acquisition was negatively correlated with DA uptake inhibition by cocaine after self-administration. Thus, we show that tolerance to cocaine-induced inhibition of DA uptake coexists with a behavioral phenotype that is defined by increased preoccupation with cocaine as measured by rapid acquisition and early high intake.
Electrical and Optical Properties of Defects in N-Type 4h-Sic

Several n-type 4H-SiC samples grown by the physical vapor transport technique were studied using both thermal and optical admittance spectroscopy. The ionization energy ED for nitrogen donors in 4H-SiC was determined to be 0.053 eV and 0.10 eV below the conduction band. This agrees reasonably well with the values of 0.052 eV and 0.092 eV determined by IR absorption measurements. It is believed that EC-0.053 eV is the ionization energy of the nitrogen atom occupying the hexagonal site (h). The 0.10 eV activation energy has been attributed to the nitrogen atoms occupying the cubic sites(k). The optical admittance studies reveal five conductance peaks. One of these corresponds to the band-to-band transitions from which the bandgap of 3.41 eV was determined at 40K. The other four conductance peaks correspond to transitions from defect levels to the conduction band. These defects are located at EC-1.73 eV, EC-1.18 eV, EC-0.87 eV, and EC-0.72 eV.
Biodosimetry of Escherichia coli UV Inactivation in Model Juices with Regard to Dose Distribution in Annular UV Reactors

: An annular ultraviolet (UV) reactor as a single vertical segment and 4 segments of variable length connected in series were used to study inactivation kinetics of Escherichia coli and UV-dose distribution. Both configurations produced linear inactivation curves in model juices. The rate of inactivation decreased as the solution absorption coefficient increased. UV doses for 90% reduction were determined and varied from 4.5 to 6.5 mJ/cm2 in a vertical setup. To study the UV-dose distribution within a reactor, E. coli was injected and yielded the range from 5.6 to 11.1 mJ/cm2. A modified biodosimetry method using the injection of bacteria as a tracer can be used to evaluate dose delivery in UV reactors.
A self-starting control chart for multivariate individual observations

Multivariate versions of cumulative sum, exponentially weighted moving average (EWMA), and Hotelling's T2 charts typically assume knowledge of the in-control process parameters or, with a new or changed process, use parameter estimates from an in-control reference sample of preliminary observations. In contrast, the self-starting chart begins controlling the process without the need for preliminary observations, an advantage when production is slow or when the cost of early out-of-control production is high. Furthermore, the use of estimated parameters substantially degrades the expected performance of conventional charts, a problem avoided by the proposed chart. The self-starting chart uses the deviation of each observation vector from the average of all previous observations. These deviations, or innovations, can be plotted on a T2 control chart or accumulated in a multivariate EWMA (MEWMA) chart. The run-length performance is evaluated for step shifts occurring at various points, and the MEWMA charts a...
Membrane type I matrix metalloproteinase usurps tumor growth control imposed by the three-dimensional extracellular matrix

Cancer cells are able to proliferate at accelerated rates within the confines of a three-dimensional (3D) extracellular matrix (ECM) that is rich in type I collagen. The mechanisms used by tumor cells to circumvent endogenous antigrowth signals have yet to be clearly defined. We find that the matrix metalloproteinase, MT1-MMP, confers tumor cells with a distinct 3D growth advantage in vitro and in vivo. The replicative advantage conferred by MT1-MMP requires pericellular proteolysis of the ECM, as proliferation is fully suppressed when tumor cells are suspended in 3D gels of protease-resistant collagen. In the absence of proteolysis, tumor cells embedded in physiologically relevant ECM matrices are trapped in a compact, spherical configuration and unable to undergo changes in cell shape or cytoskeletal reorganization required for 3D growth. These observations identify MT1-MMP as a tumor-derived growth factor that regulates proliferation by controlling cell geometry within the confines of the 3D ECM.
Associated deficits in mismatch negativity generation and tone matching in schizophrenia.

Abstract Objective : Schizophrenia is associated with deficits in mismatch negativity (MMN) generation and in the ability to match two tones following brief delay. Both deficits reflect impaired early cortical processing of auditory information. However, the relationship between deficits in MMN generation and tone matching performance in schizophrenia has not been established. Methods : MMN and tone matching performance was evaluated in 12 schizophrenic subjects and 12 similar aged controls. A pitch separation known to produce non-ceiling performance in patients (5% Δf) was used. Narrow band filtering of MMN data was used to enhance signal-to-noise ratio. Results : Schizophrenic subjects showed impairments in both MMN generation and tone matching performance. The two deficits were significantly correlated across subjects. In addition, decreased MMN amplitude and poorer tone matching performance correlated with increased severity of negative symptoms. Conclusions : These findings support the concept that similar neurophysiological mechanisms underlie MMN and tone matching deficits in schizophrenia. Further, they indicate that increased sensitivity to environmental change may be related to social withdrawal and other negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Troglitazone treatment of aging Brown Norway rats improves food intake and weight gain after fasting without increasing hypothalamic NPY gene expression.

Abstract Compared to younger animals, aged male Brown Norway (BN) rats demonstrate increased body fat and serum insulin, and lower prepro-neuropeptide Y (ppNPY) mRNA content in the arcuate nucleus (ARC), and blunted food intake (FI) and body weight (BW) gain in response to a 72 h fast. Since centrally administered insulin decreases FI and weight of young rats and inhibits fasting-induced increases of NPY gene expression, we hypothesized that hyperinsulinemia in old rats contributes to an age-related central dysregulation of energy balance. Young, middle-aged and old BN rats were fed chow with troglitazone (Trog; 200 mg/kg BW/d) or without drug for 75 d (Experiment 1) or 66 d (Experiment 2). Rats were then fasted for 72 h, refed for 2 weeks and sacrificed after an overnight fast (Experiment 1) or fasted for 72 h and sacrificed (Experiment 2). Serum insulin and leptin were measured from trunk blood and brains were analyzed for ppNPY mRNA by in situ hybridization. In Experiment 1, troglitazone treatment resulted in increased post-fast weight gain, rate of gain and FI in old rats. Troglitazone decreased serum insulin by 50% in old rats, while leptin levels decreased 20–30% in all age groups in Experiment 1. No differences in serum insulin or leptin were detectable with troglitazone treatment in Experiment 2, due to the extreme suppression caused by the 72 h fast. Troglitazone treatment did not increase ARC NPY gene expression either after a 72 h fast and re-feeding for 2 weeks (Experiment 1) or immediately after a 72 h fast (Experiment 2). These findings suggest that increased insulin levels may contribute to age-related impairments of FI and BW regulation. However, improvements in these defects in energy regulation induced by troglitazone do not appear to result from changes in NPY gene expression, and may be due to alterations in other hypothalamic neuropeptides that regulate energy balance.
Kinetochore or Centromere

IN his recent communication1, Dr. Mather seems to have no argument against the applicability of ‘kinetochore’. He sponsors “centromere” largely because it is used by a number of investigators. But I, for one, am not convinced that it is the “best term in use to-day”. To Dr. Mather ‘centromere’ may imply a visible particle, but to many it will connote a part that is centrally placed in a topographical sense. No such meaning is of course intended. My advice concerning the confusion that may arise from the addition of still another to the series of words involving ‘centre’ rests on my experience as a teacher. Perhaps the validity of such advice will be more apparent if I point out that in 1936 Darlington2 himself used ‘centrosome’ when he evidently meant ‘centriole’. The argument that no such confusion has attended the use of a series of terms involving ‘chroma’ is not well chosen, for in one place in the same paper (p. 266) Darlington writes ‘chromosome’ when he means ‘chromomere’.
An algorithm for programming function generators

Abstract The present paper deals with a mathematical problem, encountered when “driving” a fully programmable μ-processor controlled function generator. An algorithm is presented to approximate a desired function by a set of straight segments in such a way that additional restrictions (hardware imposed) are also satisfied. A computer program which incorporates this algorithm and automatically generates the necessary input for the function generator for a broad class of desired functions is also described.
Acquiring word class distinctions in American Sign Language: Evidence from handshape.

Handshape works differently in nouns versus a class of verbs in American Sign Language (ASL) and thus can serve as a cue to distinguish between these two word classes. Handshapes representing characteristics of the object itself (object handshapes) and handshapes representing how the object is handled (handling handshapes) appear in both nouns and a particular type of verb, classifier predicates, in ASL. When used as nouns, object and handling handshapes are phonemic––that is, they are specified in dictionary entries and do not vary with grammatical context. In contrast, when used as classifier predicates, object and handling handshapes do vary with grammatical context for both morphological and syntactic reasons. We ask here when young deaf children learning ASL acquire the word class distinction signaled by handshape. Specifically, we determined the age at which children systematically vary object versus handling handshapes as a function of grammatical context in classifier predicates but not in the nou...
An additive Schwarz preconditioner for the FETI method

A new additive Schwarz preconditioner for the Finite Element Tearing and Interconnecting (FETI) method is analyzed in this paper. This preconditioner has the unique feature that the coefficient matrix of its ``coarse grid'' problem is mesh independent. For a model second order heterogeneous elliptic boundary value problem in two dimensions, the condition number of the preconditioned system is shown to be bounded by C[1+ln(H/h)]2, where h is the mesh size, H is the typical diameter of the subdomains, and the constant C is independent of h, H, the number of subdomains and the coefficients of the boundary value problem.
Anatomical evidence for cross regeneration of motor axons in a cockroach.

The technique of electrophoretic application of intracellular markers is used to demonstrate that motor axons can regenerate into the contralateral limb of a cockroach after the nerve has been crossed to the contralateral side.
Highly Enantioselective Hydrolysis of (R,S)-Phenylalanine Isopropyl Ester by Subtilisin Carlsberg. Continuous Synthesis of (S) -Phenylalanine in a Hollow Fiber/Liquid Membrane Reactor

The resolution of racemic phenylalanine esters with esterases has been reexamined in relation to the development of a continuous process based on the use of hollow fiber/liquid membrane (SLM) reactors. The requirement for high enantioselectivity was met by phenylalanine isopropyl ester, whose (R)-enantiomer was found refractory to the action of subtilisin Carlsberg, in water, pH 7.5, at 25 °C. The continuous feeding of (R, S)-Phe-O-iPr-HCl at 2 mm/h to 0.7 g/L subtilisin resulted in steady-state reaction conditions that gave (S)-Phe-OH of 95% enantiomeric excess (ee) at the theoretical rate. The unreacted (R)-Phe-O-iPr, which permeated out continuously, had 80% ee and was racemized quantitatively by heating with a salicylaldehyde catalyst in refluxing toluene. Doubling the feeding rate (4 mm/h) created excessive accumulation of (R)-Phe-O-iPr in the reactor, which inhibited the enzyme through nonproductive binding, lowering the (S)-Phe-OH resolution rate to 68% of the theoretical rate. Similar experiments with (R, S)-Phe-OMe-HCl gave (S)-Phe-OH of 9–48% ee, due to the enzymatic hydrolysis of (R)-Phe-OMe experienced during the runs. When α-chymotrypsin was used for the continuous hydrolysis of (R, S)-Phe-O-iPr, the isolated (S)-Phe-OH showed 67% ee, indicating that substantial hydrolysis of the (-R)-ester had occurred.
Activation of the coagulation pathway during ongoing allergic cutaneous reactions in humans

The levels of histamine, fibrinopeptide A (FPA), and IgG were determined in chamber fluids overlying sites of antigen versus buffer incubation for up to 7 hours in seven atopic and four antigen-nonreactive subjects. Significant increases in histamine were observed at antigen versus buffer sites in the atopic subjects throughout the 7-hour period. FPA and IgG levels were higher in antigen than in buffer sites from 0 to 5 hours in the atopic subjects. Furthermore, FPA levels correlated with the magnitude of induration at 6 hours after antigen injection in atopic subjects. There were no differences in the levels of histamine, FPA, or IgG at antigen versus buffer sites in the skin test-negative subjects. We suggest that the combination of vascular leakage of proteins, induced by vasoactive mediator release, and activation of these proteins during ongoing cutaneous reactions is responsible for fibrin formation that contributes to the pathophysiology of late-phase allergic responses in the skin.
Pressure enhanced superconductive and magnetic interactions in the system (Er1−xHox)Rh4B4

Abstract The effects of hydrostatic pressure to 21 kbar on a series of thirteen ternary compounds in the system (Er 1−x Ho x )Rh 4 B 4 are presented. For all compositions, both the superconducting and magnetic interactions are strengthened by the application of external pressure. Maximum sensitivity to pressure of both critical temperature is attained at the critical concentration (x cr ≈ 0.89) for the disappearance of superconductivity.
Cold compaction molding and sintering of polystyrene

It is the objective of this paper to demonstrate the applicability of cold compaction molding followed by a sintering treatment to the processing of polystyrene powders. The influence of pressure, compaction speed, and peak pressure dwell time on the green (as compacted) density and the green tensile strength, as well as the effect of sintering on the tensile strength and dimensional change, were evaluated. The resulting data indicate that room temperature compaction alone is insufficient to provide adequate tensile strength for the compacts. Sintering the green compacts at temperatures of 150 to 173°C markedly improves the tensile strength while simultaneously causing a thickness change in the compacts. This thickness change results from gas evolution, pore shrinkage, and viscoelastic recovery of the residual stresses induced by pressure. For compacts of 0.225 in. thickness, an optimum sintering treatment of 173°C for 30 mins is recommended to provide a tensile strength of 4,000 psi and a thickness change of less than + 7 percent. Coining (repressing) the green compacts does not appreciably affect the sintered strength. However, a finer particle size improves the sintered properties. A review of the literature on the flow behavior of polystyrene suggests that a non-Newtonian viscous flow mechanism is followed by a Newtonian one as sintering progresses.
Species-Specific Tropism Determinants in the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Capsid

Retroviral tropism is determined in part by cellular restriction factors that block infection by targeting the incoming viral capsid. Indeed, human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection of many nonhuman primate cells is inhibited by one such factor, termed Lv1. In contrast, a restriction factor in humans, termed Ref1, does not inhibit HIV-1 infection unless nonnatural mutations are introduced into the HIV-1 capsid protein (CA). Here, we examined the infectivity of a panel of mutant HIV-1 strains carrying substitutions in the N-terminal CA domain in cells that exhibit restriction attributable to Lv1 or Ref1. Manipulation of HIV-1 CA could alter HIV-1 tropism, and several mutations were identified that increased or decreased HIV-1 infectivity in a target-cell-specific manner. Many residues that affected HIV-1 tropism were located in the three variable loops that lie on the outer surface of the modeled HIV-1 conical capsid. Some tropism determinants, including the CypA binding site, coincided with residues whose mutation conferred on HIV-1 CA the ability to saturate Ref1 in human cells. Notably, a mutation that reverses the infectivity defect in human cells induced by CypA binding site mutation inhibits recognition by Ref1. Overall, these findings demonstrate that exposed variable loops in CA and a partial CypA “coat” can modulate restriction and HIV-1 tropism and suggest a model in which the exposed surface of the incoming retroviral capsid is the target for inhibition by host cell-specific restriction factors.
Impact of Sample Size on the Performance of Multiple-Model Pharmacokinetic Simulations

Monte Carlo simulations are increasingly used to predict pharmacokinetic variability of antimicrobials in a population. We investigated the sample size necessary to provide robust pharmacokinetic predictions. To obtain reasonably robust predictions, a nonparametric model derived from a sample population size of ≥50 appears to be necessary as the input information.
Clinical Development of VEGF Signaling Pathway Inhibitors in Childhood Solid Tumors

Angiogenesis is a target shared by both adult epithelial cancers and the mesenchymal or embryonal tumors of childhood. Development of antiangiogenic agents for the pediatric population has been complicated by largely theoretical concern for toxicities specific to the growing child and prioritization among the many antiangiogenic agents being developed for adults. This review summarizes the mechanism of action and preclinical data relevant to childhood cancers and early-phase clinical trials in childhood solid tumors. Single-agent adverse event profiles in adults and children are reviewed with emphasis on cardiovascular, bone health, and endocrine side effects. In addition, pharmacological factors that may be relevant for prioritizing clinical trials of these agents in children are reviewed. Considerations for further clinical evaluation should include preclinical data, relative potency, efficacy in adults, and the current U.S. Food and Drug Administration approval status. Toxicity profiles of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) signaling pathway inhibitors may be age dependent and ultimately, their utility in the treatment of childhood cancer will require combination with standard cytotoxic drugs or other molecularly targeted agents. In combination studies, toxicity profiles, potential drug interactions, and late effects must be considered. Studies to assess the long-term impact of VEGF signaling pathway inhibitors on cardiovascular, endocrine, and bone health in children with cancer are imperative if these agents are to be administered to growing children and adolescents with newly diagnosed cancers.
Binary decision feedback with envelope detection

The performance of discarding and of cumulative decision-feedback systems employing null-zone reception is evaluated for two common types of envelope detection. Compared with a synchronous phase-detection system, of course, the envelope-detection systems necessarily suffer somewhat, both because of the loss of phase information and because of the threshold effect which occurs below roughly 0 db. Nevertheless, feedback is again shown to permit an unlimited trade-off between error probability and transmission time.
Diabetes Self-Management Education Research

An international literature search was conducted to identify studies published since 1995 examining the effects of diabetes self-management education (DSME) in community settings. Of the 24 publications identified, eight were examined to provide a discussion of intervention methods, the use by study authors of behavioral theories and models to explain cognitive and psychosocial processes, the employment of community partnerships and collaborations to enhance patient and community ownership of DSME, and the effects of DSME on intermediate- and short-term outcomes. Reported intermediate outcomes established that researchers are now beginning to recognize the complexity of diabetes. Interventions across publications included the use of lay health educators, family members in learning sessions, exercise classes in the community, support groups, and cooking demonstrations. Only two of eight studies identified a behavioral theory to explain cognitive and psychosocial processes. The lead agencies in all eight studies were medical universities or diabetes clinics that worked closely with community partners to deliver DSME in community settings. Community partners included diabetes centers, local churches, residential centers, and work sites. Studies in this review examined the effect of DSME on intermediate outcomes that included exercise, self-care behaviors, dietary habits, clinical service usage, self-esteem, social support, diabetes knowledge, and health beliefs, with one or more studies finding improvements in dietary habits, exercise, and diabetes knowledge. Short-term outcomes such as fasting glucose, glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index, weight, blood pressure, total cholesterol, triglycerides, and impaired glucose tolerance were also examined. In at least one study, DSME favorably affected HbA1c, cholesterol, body mass index, blood pressure, and fasting glucose. Studies discussed in this review demonstrated the effectiveness of a single DMSE intervention delivered in community settings. DSME has proven effective in improving both intermediate- and short-term outcomes. This review also revealed opportunities to improve the effectiveness of DSME studies in community settings. Future DSME studies should give more attention to identifying appropriate behavioral theories or models that help explain the mediating effects of cognitive and psychological processes on diabetes self-management. DSME studies in the future should continue to improve study designs to strengthen the credibility of research findings, use both qualitative and quantitative methods to capture intervention effects; and engage community members and partners in developing, implementing, and evaluating DSME interventions.
Does intolerance of uncertainty predict anticipatory startle responses to uncertain threat

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) has been proposed to be an important maintaining factor in several anxiety disorders, including generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social phobia. While IU has been shown to predict subjective ratings and decision-making during uncertain/ambiguous situations, few studies have examined whether IU also predicts emotional responding to uncertain threat. The present study examined whether IU predicted aversive responding (startle and subjective ratings) during the anticipation of temporally uncertain shocks. Sixty-nine participants completed three experimental conditions during which they received: no shocks, temporally certain/predictable shocks, and temporally uncertain shocks. Results indicated that IU was negatively associated with startle during the uncertain threat condition in that those with higher IU had a smaller startle response. IU was also only related to startle during the uncertain (and not the certain/predictable) threat condition, suggesting that it was not predictive of general aversive responding, but specific to responses to uncertain aversiveness. Perceived control over anxiety-related events mediated the relation between IU and startle to uncertain threat, such that high IU led to lowered perceived control, which in turn led to a smaller startle response. We discuss several potential explanations for these findings, including the inhibitory qualities of IU. Overall, our results suggest that IU is associated with attenuated aversive responding to uncertain threat.
Nanostructured virus crystals for X-ray optics

Certain virus structures can be assembled in the form of a periodic lattice with nanometer-range ordering. Cowpea mosaic virus is crystallized in body-centered-cubic geometry and used as a template for fabrication of metallized thin films with three-dimensional morphology. Calculations predict that these crystals exhibit a normal-incidence reflectivity of 7% for wavelengths around 35 nm, which can be utilized for soft X-ray optical systems
Differential TAM receptor–ligand–phospholipid interactions delimit differential TAM bioactivities

The TAM receptor tyrosine kinases Tyro3, Axl, and Mer regulate key features of cellular physiology, yet the differential activities of the TAM ligands Gas6 and Protein S are poorly understood. We have used biochemical and genetic analyses to delineate the rules for TAM receptor-ligand engagement and find that the TAMs segregate into two groups based on ligand specificity, regulation by phosphatidylserine, and function. Tyro3 and Mer are activated by both ligands but only Gas6 activates Axl. Optimal TAM signaling requires coincident TAM ligand engagement of both its receptor and the phospholipid phosphatidylserine (PtdSer): Gas6 lacking its PtdSer-binding 'Gla domain' is significantly weakened as a Tyro3/Mer agonist and is inert as an Axl agonist, even though it binds to Axl with wild-type affinity. In two settings of TAM-dependent homeostatic phagocytosis, Mer plays a predominant role while Axl is dispensable, and activation of Mer by Protein S is sufficient to drive phagocytosis.
New evidence for magmatic intrusion beneath the Rio Grande rift, New Mexico

An analysis of the geomagnetic variation field across the Rio Grande rift has identified two concentrations of telluric current flow beneath the rift caused by channeling of telluric currents in electrically conductive structures in the crust and upper mantle. A shallow conductor nearly coincides with a very strong reflection in a high-resolution seismic-reflection profile across the central Rio Grande graben which has been attributed to a lens at mid-crustal depth. The deep (>30 km) conductor is 200 km wide and may indicate anomalously high temperatures and, by inference, a thinning of the lithosphere beneath the rift.
Ndumba Folk Biology and General Principles of Ethnobotanical Classification and Nomenclature

Brent Berlin's proposed “general principles of classification and nomenclature” are examined as they apply to folk biology in Ndumba, a Papua New Guinea highlands society. Focusing on Ndumba folk zoology, supplemented with a previous analysis of their folk botany, Berlin's analytical schema for ethnobiological classification is supported, but principles of nomenclature in ethnobiology appear to be in need of reconsideration. [ethnosemantics, folk biology, language universals, Papua New Guinea]
Chemosensitivity testing of small biopsy specimens

Chemosensitivity testing has usually been limited to tumor specimens of 2–3 g or more. We evaluated the miniaturized, improved nucleic acid precursor incorporation assay (MINI-assay) in 100 small biopsy specimens of 1 g or less. Tumor types included malignant melanomas; sarcomas; and breast, colon, lung, and ovarian carcinomas. Overall, 74/100 were evaluable. The evaluability rate was related to size: 41/48 (85%) 0.7–1.0-g specimens were evaluable, as opposed to 22/35 (64%) 0.4–0.6-g and 11/17 (64%) 0.1–0.3-g specimens. Evaluability was not correlated with tumor types or whether the tumor was from a primary or metastatic site, but was related to yield of viable tumor cells. No viable tumor cells were obtained in 17 specimens, and thus no assay was performed. When 105 cells per well were plated, 49/54 (91%) assays were evaluable, but only 25/29 (86%) were successful when fewer cells were used. Four or more anticancer drugs could be tested in 69/74 (95%) of the evaluable assays. Yielding high evaluability rates and requiring fewer viable cells, the MINI-assay has allowed us to perform chemosensitivity tests on previously unusable biopsy specimens.
Role of tree improvement in intensive forest management

Abstract The historical beginnings of forest genetics and the rapid rise of tree improvement as a world-wide movement are briefly sketched. The technological nature, scientific bases and technical methods of tree improvement are broadly reviewed, with major emphasis on boreal and temperate conifers which, historically, have been the main focus of research and practice. Tree improvement is rationalized within the broader forestry milieu, including: supply and demand for forest resources; goals and policies of forest management; concepts and systems of forest production; and potentials and constraints of intensive management. The need to increase forest productivity to meet rising world-wide demands for forest products is driving forestry toward major technological change. Foresters and land managers are embracing concepts of intensive management and applied genetics that profoundly challenge traditional forestry principles and conventional practices. Tree improvement technology is a versatile tool that can be used in various management settings, but it is particularly appropriate and potent when applied within the context of intensive forestry. Impressive results can be expected from the integration of advanced breeding and intensive silvicultural technologies. Modern agricultural crop production exemplifies gains that can accrue from such management intensification. But the agricultural yield strategy — based on cultural enhancement of growing sites and genetic tailoring of crops to improved cultural conditions — poses real and imagined problems for forestry. Aggressive breeding for responsiveness to enhanced cultural conditions will eventually lead to development of trees that are essentially domesticated. The forest manager and tree breeder must carefully consider the possibility of domestication, as a planned or unplanned result of current breeding strategies. The strategy of replacing natural forests on a vast scale with plantations of improved trees — basically a matter of economics — has far-ranging forest policy implications that cannot be ignored in the quest for greater forest productivity. We must strive to increase wood production without jeopardizing the long-term future of the basic forest resource or impairing its ability to supply the other needs of society. By intensifying management on the most productive forest lands, wood production might be concentrated on a smaller land base, thus permitting the much larger remaining areas to be managed more flexibly toward other objectives. Tree improvement provides the means for greatly increasing the benefits flowing from intensive management programs. The tree breeder can mold the genetic potential of production populations to nake the most of silvicultural investments by increasing the quantity and quality of wood produced.
CITRUS LEAFMINER, PHYLLOCNISTIS CITRELLA (LEPIDOPTERA: GRACILLARIIDAE), AND NATURAL ENEMY DYNAMICS IN CENTRAL FLORIDA DURING 2005

Abstract After the citrus leafminer (CLM), Phyllocnistis citrella Stainton (Lepidoptera: Gracillariidae), invaded Florida in 1993, the endoparasitoid Ageniaspis citricola Logvinovskaya (Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae) was introduced in 1994 in a classical biological control program. Subsequent to its establishment, only limited information has been obtained regarding the seasonal abundance of A. citricola and its host in central Florida citrus groves. During 2005, we monitored replicated plots treated with oil or imidacloprid once on 23 Jun 2005, along with untreated control trees, in a Polk County commercial Valencia orange grove on a weekly basis when tender new growth (= flush) was available. As expected, CLM abundance in the early spring flush was nearly undetectable due to the lack of suitable flush during winter when CLM populations decline nearly to zero. Also as expected, A. citricola was not found during this time. During the second flush (Jun through Jul) CLM populations increased and A. citricola appe...
Heparin/heparan sulfate chelation inhibits control of vascular repair by tissue-engineered endothelial cells.

The relative importance of heparin-like compounds in mediating vascular repair is unclear. We investigated how protamine, a chelator of heparin, affected endothelial cell inhibition of vascular smo...
Physical-contact conditions between multi-core fiber and fiber bundle fan-out connectors

We have investigated the physical-contact conditions between seven-core multi-core fiber and fiber bundle fan-out connectors by both experimental and simulation approach. The results show good agreements and indicate the validity of the physical-contact simulation model.
Large Persistent Photoconductivity in Strontium Titanate at Room Temperature

Strontium titanate (SrTiO3) is a wide-band-gap semiconductor with a variety of novel properties. In this work, bulk single crystal SrTiO3 samples were heated to 1200°C, resulting in the creation of point defects. These thermally treated samples showed large persistent photoconductivity (PPC) at room temperature. Illumination with sub-gap light (>2.9 eV) caused an increase in free-electron concentration by over two orders of magnitude. After the light is turned off, the conductivity persists at room temperature, with essentially zero decay over several days. The results of electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) measurements suggest that a point defect is responsible for PPC because the photo-induced response of one of the EPR signals is similar to that seen for the PPC. Due to a large barrier for recapture, the photo-excited electron remains in the conduction band, where it contributes to the conductivity.
Equivalent circuit for VO2 phase change material film in reconfigurable frequency selective surfaces

We developed equivalent circuits of phase change materials based on vanadium dioxide (VO2) thin films. These circuits are used to model VO2 thin films for reconfigurable frequency selective surfaces (FSSs). This is important as it provides a way for designing complex structures. A reconfigurable FSS filter using VO2 ON/OFF switches is designed demonstrating −60 dB isolation between the states. This filter is used to provide the transmission and reflection responses of the FSS in the frequency range of 0.1–0.6 THz. The comparison between equivalent circuit and full-wave simulation shows excellent agreement.
Oxidative coupling of methane over mixed oxide catalysts designed for solid oxide membrane reactors

Oxidative coupling of methane is a process that converts methane directly to C2 products (ethane and ethylene). One of the problems with the technology is that the selectivity and yield to the desired C2 products is prohibitively low when conventional plug flow reactors are employed. The main reasons for the low C2 selectivity are the thermodynamic and kinetic preference for undesired products (CO and CO2), which are formed through direct methane combustion and sequential ethane and ethylene oxidation. These unselective processes are particularly problematic at high O2 partial pressures (low CH4/O2 ratios). In order to achieve higher C2 selectivity, plug flow membrane reactors, utilizing O2− conducting oxide membranes, can be utilized. The optimal design of a membrane reactor for OCM would, in addition to the membrane, include a catalyst that is active and selective under the relevant operating conditions, and that can be seamlessly integrated with the membrane. In this contribution we have identified and tested several mixed oxide catalysts which could be integrated into a solid oxide membrane reactor. The tested catalysts included lanthanum gallate doped with strontium and magnesium (La0.8Sr0.2Ga0.8Mg0.2O3−δ, LSGM), lanthanum manganite doped with strontium (La0.8Sr0.2MnO3−δ, LSM) and lanthanum strontium cobalt ferrite (La0.8Sr0.2Fe0.8Co0.2O3−δ, LSCF). We show that LSGM and LSGM doped with lithium reached over 90% selectivity to the C2+ products at high CH4/O2 operating ratios which are applicable to membrane reactor designs. We have characterized these materials and discussed the strategies for their integration into a membrane reactor system.
MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION OF STOCHASTIC MODEL PARAMETERS FOR INERTIAL SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS

MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION OF STOCHASTIC MODEL PARAMETERS FOR INERTIAL SYSTEMS AND COMPONENTS
A Comparison, with the Standard Plate Method, of Some Rapid Methods for Bacteriologic Analysis of Milk

The bacterial content of a sample of milk is one of the most important of the many factors that determine the past history of the milk and gives some idea as to its future with reference to keeping quality. To control the quality of the milk supply which the city milk dealer receives, it is very desirable that he should know the bacterial content of the milk from each patron. He should also know the bacterial content of the milk as it leaves each piece of machinery in the milk plant. If this information is obtained, the dealer will know the kind of product which he is placing on the market for consumption. Since milk dealers handle large quantities of milk, the determination of the bacterial content is an enormous task. It would be desirable to use some method of analysis which is more rapid, less expensive of time and equipment than the "standard plate method.,, It was the purpose of tliis investigation to compare some of the simpler and quicker methods with the standard plate method in order to determine their practical value.
Preliminary observations on effects of using different stocking rates of meat goats to control understory vegetation in longleaf pine stands

The use of goats for clearing longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stand undergrowths has potential as an alternative tool to prescribed burning. Objectives of the experiment were to determine the effects of using different stocking rates of meat goats on understory plant biomass height and quantity, understory crown cover density, animal productivity, soil characteristics and damage to pine trees. A 4.86 ha of 8–9 years old longleaf pine stands with 1112 trees/ha was divided into twelve 0.40 ha at Tuskegee, AL. The understudy vegetation contained many volunteer tree species with Broomsedge (Andropogon virginicus L.) being the predominant grass cover. Fifty-four mature Kiko wether goats (initial BW = 48.5 ± 2.5 kg) were allocated randomly to four treatments (0, 3, 6, 9 goats/0.4 ha) with three replications per treatment for 83 days in 2013 according to a completely randomized block design. The data was analyzed using the GLM procedure of SAS. The tree damage was monitored. Results showed that both initial and the final soil bulk density and soil compaction, plant biomass heights and quantity were not significantly different (P > 0.05) among treatments. Average daily BW gains were not significantly different (P = 0.76) but daily gains were close to zero. The combined final crown cover density percent at 2.0 m decreased linearly (P < 0.05) with increasing stocking rates. The tree damage was minimal even at the highest stocking rates. The results suggest that goats have potential to manage understory vegetation under longleaf pines.