cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Assembling Video Game Worlds

Orbited by two moons, ‘White Lady’ and ‘Blue Child,’ Azeroth is a world inhabited by elves, humans, dwarves, goblins, trolls, gnomes, and dragons. It is a world comprised of three main continents, with islands spattered across its dangerous seas. Azeroth’s geography ranges from lush forests with wild fauna, to lonely snow-capped mountains and enchanted cities. This strange universe is the setting for the award-winning online video game, World of Warcraft – home to 11 million subscribers. Beneath this quite extraordinary virtual community lies a complex assemblage of software code and hardware technologies that enable a seamless virtual experience. Defying traditional megaengineering materialities and geographies, such online communities blur the distinction between ‘reality’ and ‘virtuality.’ Taking its cue from this unclear interface, this chapter elaborates on video games as complex assemblages that constantly slide between concrete and imagined geographies. Deploying the conceptual blueprint of ‘assemblage theory’ from Manuel DeLanda, I argue that games such as World of Warcraft are spaces produced by a hybrid assemblage of material and representational components, and that, far from ever being ‘closed,’ are worlds engineered to be in a deliberate and constant state of transformation. The chapter is composed of the following sections. First, it explores the economics of the video game industry, noting the transfer between real and virtual currency. Second, it explores the multiplayer aspect of games through Xbox Live. Third, the chapter takes hold of some of the controversy in the literature surrounding racist, gendered, and violent on-screen representations. Fourth, the ‘military entertainment complex’ is explored through America’s Army. Finally, the main theoretical contribution of the chapter is made, with assemblage theory used to construct an analysis of video games based on the interaction of material, representational, territorializing, deterritorializing, and coding components.
Shifting Perceptions – Shifting Realities

A confrontation with augmented reality (AR) fuses a virtual entity in a geographical location and promotes psychological immersion and perceptual shifts. As the body’s physical relationship repositions itself to a restructured world, AR influences emotional thinking. This chapter is an artistic journey to define perceptual shifts, explore the multiplicity of realities and reveal the many layers of a sense of presence through Immersion. AR art incorporated in small southern Indiana town makes the locals wary of strangers waving computer devices to capture photographs of their sanctuary. The musings and conversations that transpire offer a window into a world beyond AR which opens up an awareness to the historicity of the moment. The AR appears as a balloon shaped heart blazing with a picture of Lenin raising his arm to the sky. The AR is motivated by Skwarek’s participation in the Occupy movement and the celebration of May Day and the motivations of these movements are also discussed. AR facilitates an investigation of space and an earnestness of place in the community.
Attacking Christianity: By Way of Islam

Gibbon contemplated the anti-Catholic Gordon Riots of 1780 with considerable disdain and some personal uneasiness. To his stepmother he wrote: “[a]s the old story of Religion has [caused] most formidable tumults in this town, and as they will of course seem much more formidable at the distance of an hundred [miles], you may not be sorry to hear that I am perfectly safe and well: my known attachment to the Protestant Religion has most probably saved me.” (Letters-G,II, 242, original italics) The rioters, perhaps along with Hume’s literary assistance, had conjured up in Gibbon’s imagination the ghost of Oliver Cromwell. “[F]orty thousand Puritans such as they might be in the time of Cromwell have started out of their graves.” (Letters-G, II, 243) Gibbon had a new, very practical reason to celebrate his recantation of Catholicism of many years past.
The Age of Keynes in the Great Society

This chapter will review Johnson’s economic policies by focusing on his Economic Reports of the President. The programs of the Great Society were featured in Johnson’s Economic Reports in the same way the Second Bill of Rights was displayed in Truman’s early Economic Reports. The aid to education and the training programs Johnson initiated were justified as a large investment in the human capital of low-wage workers and as enhancing the productive capacity of the USA. Johnson believed such an investment was essential to making sure that prosperity continued and was shared among all members of society, much as Roosevelt wanted in his Second Bill of Rights. Johnson’s programs, however, revealed the flaw in the hybrid system of redistributive economics when they resulted in the increased inflation that marked the last two years of his administration.
Bariatric Surgery in the Elderly Patient: Safety and Short-time Outcome. A Case Match Analysis

Indications and outcomes of bariatric surgery in the elderly remain controversial. We aimed to evaluate and compare safety and early outcomes of bariatric procedures in this age group. We performed a retrospective case-control study of Mayo Clinic bariatric surgery patients from January 1, 2016, to January 31, 2018. Data collection included surgery type, sex, age, body mass index (BMI), and comorbidities (hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidemia, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)). Patients aged 65 years old or older were matched with controls younger than 65 years by body mass index (BMI). We assessed length of stay (LOS), perioperative and early postoperative outcomes, short-term weight loss, and complications. We included 150 bariatric patients, with a case-to-control ratio of 1:2. After laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, no significant difference was found in LOS between groups (2.4 vs 2.6 days; P = 0.52), 1-month BMI difference (3.35 vs 3.88; P = 0.17), mean nadir excess BMI loss (%EBL) (22.14 vs 23.2; P = 0.75), or complication rate (0% vs 3.3%; P > 0.99). Similarly, the laparoscopic or robotic-assisted Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) cohort showed no difference in LOS (2.65 vs 2.54 days; P = 0.68), 1-month BMI difference (4.72 vs 4.53; P = 0.68), %EBL (31.7 vs 26.6; P = 0.13), or complication rate (11.7% vs 5.71%; P = 0.43). Although the sample size is small to draw definitive conclusions, bariatric surgery in patients 65 years or older seems to be safe, with similar outcomes and complication rates as in younger patients, regardless of procedure performed.
The Altars of Republican Rome and Latium: Sacrifice and the Materiality of Roman Religion

In this book, Claudia Moser offers a new understanding of Roman religion in the Republican era through an exploration of sacrifice, its principal ritual. Examining the long-term imprint of sacrificial practices on the material world, she focuses on monumental altars as the site for the act of sacrifice. Piecing together the fragments of the complex kaleidoscope of Roman religious practices, she shows how they fit together in ways that shed new light on the characteristic diversity of Roman religion. This study reorients the study of sacrificial practice in three principal ways: first, by establishing the primacy of sacred architecture, rather than individual action, in determining religious authority; second, by viewing religious activities as haptic, structured experiences in the material world rather than as expressions of doctrinal, belief-based mentalities; and third, by considering Roman sacrifice as a local, site-specific ritual rather than as a single, monolithic practice.
Meniscus fabrication of halide perovskite thin films at high throughput for large area and low-cost solar panels

Perovskite solar cells have shown remarkable progress in recent years as power conversion efficiencies have already eclipsed 24%—highest of all thin film photovoltaic technologies. In addition to unprecedented optoelectronic properties unseen in traditional semiconductors, low formation energy and solution processability open the door to low-cost and high throughput solution coating strategies for commercialization. This review presents recent work on the fabrication of perovskite films by meniscus coating—a simple and readily scalable manufacturing technique—which includes blade coating and slot die coating. The article outlines the fundamental fluid mechanisms of meniscus coating, discusses drying and crystallization of the perovskite during the coating process, and provides an overview of progress in meniscus-coated perovskite solar cells and modules.
Design and implementation of an optimal switching controller for uninterruptible power supply inverters using adaptive dynamic programming

In this study, a new approach based on adaptive dynamic programming (ADP) is proposed to control single-phase uninterruptible power supply inverters. The control scheme uses a single function approximator, called critic, to evaluate the optimal cost and determine the optimal switching. After offline training of the critic, which is a function of system states and elapsed time, the resulting optimal weights are used in online control, to get a smooth output AC voltage in a feedback form. Simulations show the desirable performance of this controller with linear and non-linear loads and its relative robustness to parameter uncertainty and disturbances. Furthermore, the proposed controller is upgraded so that the inverter is suitable for single-phase variable frequency drives. Finally, as one of the few studies in the field of ADP, the proposed controllers are implemented on a physical prototype to show the performance in practise.
Older Patients with AML Undergoing Matched Related Allogeneic Transplantation Have Significantly Older Donors but Equivalent Survival as Patients Receiving Unrelated Donor Transplants

Abstract Abstract 2356 Introduction: Allogeneic stem cell transplantation (SCT) is commonly offered to patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) over the age of 55 with good performance status. For this patient population, potential sibling donors are necessarily older and have more comorbidities than siblings of younger patients. It is not known whether the advanced donor age of older patients outweighs the beneficial effect of having a sibling donor. To address this question, we retrospectively analyzed data from 62 consecutive patients who received allogeneic SCT at the Cleveland Clinic from 1990–2009. Methods: Inclusion criteria were: age ≥ 55 years, diagnosis of AML, and history of myeloablative or nonmyeloablative allogeneic SCT from related or unrelated adult donors. 31 patients underwent transplantation from matched related donors (30 siblings, 1 cousin). 31 patients received unrelated donor transplants. The median age was 59 for patients with related and unrelated donors (P=0.89). There was an equal percentage of males (64.5%) in both groups (P=1.0). There was an equivalent distribution hematopoietic cell transplant comorbidity index scores of low, intermediate and high for patients with related and unrelated donors (38.7%, 37.1% and 24.2% vs. 38.7%, 32.3%, and 29.0% P = 0.65). 45.2% of patients with related donors underwent myeloablative conditioning vs. 54.8% for patients with unrelated donors (P =0.61). Results: Sibling donors were significantly older than unrelated donors [median 59 years (range 41–75) vs. 36 (range 24–58), P Download : Download high-res image (136KB) Download : Download full-size image Conclusion: Patients with AML 55 years or older who underwent related donor transplantation had significantly older donors but equivalent survival when compared to patient who underwent unrelated donor transplantation. Advanced donor age should not be a contraindication to allogeneic SCT for older patients with AML. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.
Attitudes toward disabilities among students in college settings: A multidimensional scaling analysis with biplot

We investigated attitudes toward 10 specific groups of individuals with disabilities among students in college settings. These groups comprised major depression, substance use disorder (SUD), anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, learning disability, visual impairment, spinal cord injury, and cancer survivor. The multidimensional scaling (MDS) analysis revealed a two-dimension space representing participants’ attitudes toward those disabilities. The MDS biplot further indicated higher levels of perceived dangerousness from the groups with SUD, major depression, anxiety disorder, and ASD. The hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that cluster A (SUD and major depression) was rated as having the highest level of social distance (i.e., negative attitudes). The implications for research and practice in rehabilitation counseling were discussed.
Sarcoma of the uterus.

Abstract Whilo sarcoma of the uterus is not a common tumor it is found with sufficient frequency that the possibility of encountering it should always be borne in mind. In the larger myomas, especially those with a history of rapid growth, it should be looked for. It may vary from a slowly growing tumor to extreme malignancy. Curettage, except in endometrial sarcoma, may not disclose its presence. Discriminating microscopic examination is needed to differentiate the less malignant sarcomas from cellular myomas. Treatment is primarily surgical and should include complete hysterectomy with excision of the adnexa. Postoperative irradiation should be used. As metastasis is more likely to occur by the blood stream than is the case in carcinoma, search should be made for secondary growths in distant areas, as the lungs. A case was recently reported by Kardash 21 in which metastases were found in the lungs and liver, and another by Gordon and Bohn 9 in which metastases were found in the lungs and brain.
Correction to: The Role of Social Isolation in the Relationships Between Psychosis and Suicidal Ideation

The original version of the article unfortunately contained an error in corresponding author name. Author name was incorrectly published as ‘Lindsay A. Borhneimer’ and the corrected name is ‘Lindsay A. Bornheimer’.
Introduction to Kinases, Cellular Signaling, and Kinase Inhibitors

Protein kinases are essential regulators of cellular functions and responses to extracellular signals. Through phosphorylation of substrates, protein kinases control cell proliferation and survival. Proliferative disorders, such as cancer, are often observed to have excess protein kinase activity due to genetic mutations. Thus, the development of specific drugs to inhibit protein kinases in cancer cells has been a major goal of academic and pharmaceutical industry research during the last three decades. This chapter will provide a brief historical overview of groundbreaking discoveries describing the importance of protein kinases and the identification of clinically relevant kinase inhibitors. An outline of protein kinase classes, signaling pathways, and structural features will introduce current kinase inhibitor approaches and provide the rationale for identifying alternative approaches to block excess protein kinase activities that promote disease.
Assessing the influence of topsoil and technosol characteristics on plant growth for the green regeneration of urban built sites.

Abstract Achieving urban regeneration through the creation of new green areas is a widely promoted strategy to improve the quality of life in densely built neighborhoods. "De-sealing" actions can compensate for the creation of new built-up areas, as demonstrated by the EU-funded Life + project ‘Save our Soils for LIFE’ (SOS4LIFE, LIFE15ENV/IT/000225), in which guidelines for de-sealing have been published. For the generation of new urban greening, it is important to know the characteristics of the soils used in order to better define the most appropriate landscaping decisions and management practices. In this study the physical and chemical characteristics of topsoils and technosols (soils enclosed under sealed surfaces) were assessed in relation to growth and leaf gas exchanges in two ornamental species (V. tinus and E. x ebbingei), in two partner municipalities of the project, Carpi and San Lazzaro di Savena (north-east Italy), during a three-year trial. Results of the study confirmed the dependence of plant growth on the chemical evolution of the soils, and identified the optimal soil moisture range based on soil texture and soil-plant water relationships. In addition, the technosols were found to actually be beneficial for plant growth, due to their high drainage capacity and nutrient content.
Exception From Informed Consent: How IRB Reviewers Assess Community Consultation and Public Disclosure.

Exception from Informed Consent (EFIC) regulations detail specific circumstances in which Institutional Review Boards (IRB) can approve studies where obtaining informed consent is not possible prio...
Liminal States: Personal Dreams and Performance in Kyrgyzstan During and After the Soviet Era

This chapter explores the endeavors of Kyrgyz citizens to create a space for their indigenous culture within the official Soviet framework. The article is concerned about the liminal space that incorporated pre-Islamic, nomadic aesthetics such as reverence for the environment and indigenous spirituality, and the promotion of tolerance. It relies on oral interviews, biographies and other archival sources, and artistic expression and performances to traces and analyze the endeavors of Kyrgyz citizens to create a space for their indigenous culture within the official Soviet framework. During and after the 1950s, there emerged a liminal space that incorporated pre-Islamic, nomadic aesthetics such as reverence for the environment and indigenous spirituality. Kyrgyz writers, actors, directors and other artists of the Soviet Union worked hard at devising strategies to maintain their traditional ways without challenging the gradually transpiring Soviet norms. Ultimately, they contributed to constructing what artistic forms became ‘Soviet’ in their republic. My goal is to demonstrate how biographers, other ‘official’ purveyors of information, and several relatives of some of these intellectuals and “‘people’s heroes’ construct, or imagine spaces today—both actual and liminal.
The fundamental mechanism of laser-induced damage in optical components for ultrashort-pulse laser systems

Laser-induced damage remains a key limiting factor for laser system performance. This presentation will review three main issues associated with laser-induced damage: (1) The processes involved leading to material modification, (2) the damage-initiation mechanisms, and (3) the management of laser damage.
JA:2021-34. Chronic Farm Stress and Its Connection to Health and Safety

Purpose: Impacts of long term, chronic stress cause concern among farm operators, workers, and their family members. The team involved with this work has built partnerships and program collaboratio...
Diffraction Imaging using Pseudo Dip-Angle Gather

Systems, methods, and apparatuses for generating a subsurface image using diffraction energy information are disclosed. The systems, methods, and apparatuses may include converting a shot gather into one or more plane-wave gather using a Radon transform. The plane-wave gathers may be extrapolated into source-side wavefields and receiver-side wavefields and further generate a pseudo dip-angle gather. The diffraction energy information may be extracted from the pseudo dip-angle gather, and an image containing subsurface features may be generated from the extracted diffraction energy information. The receiver-side wavefields may be decomposed using a recursive Radon transform.
Impact of gestational exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals on pregnancy and birth outcomes.

Abstract With the advent of industrialization, humans are exposed to a wide range of environmental chemicals, many with endocrine disrupting potential. As successful maintenance of pregnancy and fetal development are under tight hormonal control, the gestational exposure to environmental endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDC) have the potential to adversely affect the maternal milieu and support to the fetus, fetal developmental trajectory and birth outcomes. This chapter summarizes the impact of exposure to EDCs both individually and as mixtures during pregnancy, the immediate and long-term consequences of such exposures on the mother and fetus, the direct and indirect mechanisms through which they elicit their effects, factors that modify their action, and the research directions to focus future investigations.
Securing SoCs with FPGAs Against Rowhammer Attacks

Heterogeneous SoCs integrate FPGAs and microprocessor cores on the same fabric to accelerate applications such as cryptography and deep learning. Since FPGAs share resources with the microprocessor cores, they can launch non-cacheable SDRAM transactions through direct FPGA-to-microprocessor SDRAM interface. Therefore, if the FPGA 3rd party IPs (3PIPs) are malicious, they can launch rowhammer attacks on the SDRAM. Today’s countermeasures based on performance counters cannot detect these attacks because memory transactions from FPGAs do not pass through the cache. In addition, today’s countermeasures that count the frequency of activation of memory rows cannot identify the IP that launches the attack from the FPGA. We present a security solution that monitors the SDRAM transactions from IPs on the FPGA to each bank of the microprocessor SDRAM through the FPGA-to-microprocessor SDRAM interface. The proposed monitor is implemented on the FPGA fabric. It can detect attempts to launch a rowhammer attack before it causes bit flips in the SDRAM. It utilizes 6.3% of the adaptive logic modules (ALMs) available in an Intel Cyclone V FPGA, when multiple IPs are monitored.
To be, or not to be…Black: The effects of racial codeswitching on perceived professionalism in the workplace

Abstract Black people engage in a variety of behaviors to avoid stereotyping and promote a professional image in the workplace. Racial codeswitching is one impression management strategy where Black people adjust their self-presentation to receive desirable outcomes (e.g., perceived professionalism) through mirroring the norms, behaviors, and attributes of the dominant group (i.e., White people) in specific contexts. In this study, we examine whether racial codeswitching enhances perceived professionalism for Black employees. We investigate Black and White participants' perceptions of racial codeswitching and subsequent evaluations of professionalism through manipulating three behaviors (e.g., adjusting style of speech, name selection, hairstyle) of a fictitious Black coworker in two, between-subjects experimental studies using audio and written stimuli. Results indicate that employees who engage in racial codeswitching are consistently perceived as more professional by both Black and White participants compared to employees who do not codeswitch (Studies 1 & 2). We also found that Black participants perceive the non-codeswitching employee as more professional than White participants (Studies 2a & 2b). Black and White participants' evaluation of specific codeswitching behaviors varied with both groups supporting adjustment of speech, opposing adjusting one's name, and diverging on wearing natural hairstyles (Studies 1 & 2). Although racial codeswitching is presented as an impression management strategy, it may reinforce White professional standards and generate social and psychological costs for Black employees. Implications of our work for impression management and impression formation are further discussed.
Voltage-current characteristic of transformer oil under high electrical stress

Summary form only given. The scattering cross-sections, transport coefficients, and details of the breakdown mechanism needed for describing current conduction in transformer oil at high applied voltages are virtually unknown. This makes it extremely difficult, if not impossible, to properly model electrical breakdown in oil. To address this issue, we have measured the V-I characteristic of transformer oil in the point-plane geometry for /spl sim/3 mm gap widths. Three regimes can be distinguished. (1) For low voltages, V <3 kV, the relationship between voltage and current is linear, exhibiting just resistive behavior within the measurement accuracy. (2) At intermediate voltages, the dependence is linear on a Fowler-Nordheim plot. (3) Between the breakdown voltage V/sub B/ /spl sim/ 30 kV and 10 kV, the current is proportional to V/sup 2/, indicating space charge limited current. Assuming a Schottky-type emission mechanism for electrons injected into the liquid, we derive an electron mobility of /spl sim/6.0/spl times/10/sup -6/ m/sup 2//Vs, which is close to values reported in the literature before. Assuming Fowler-Nordheim emission leads to 3.8/spl times/10/sup -6/ m/sup 2//Vs. The ion mobility is believed to be more than one order of magnitude lower. At this point, it is difficult to gain any more detailed information on charge transport and possible multiplication based on simple analytical methods. Hence, we applied our numerical modeling techniques already proven in analyzing high-field phenomena in polar liquids (e.g., water), to evaluate current conduction and the breakdown process in non-polar oil. By comparing our calculations with the experimental data, we hope to characterize important transport parameters, such as the electron ionization coefficient as a function of the electric field. We also present our attempts to extract details of the field-dependent non-linear processes and electrode effects close to the breakdown regime.
Guanidination of ovine luteinizing hormone and effects on activity.

Data on the guanidination of ovine luteinizing hormone (oLH) and its subunits and the effect of guanidination on subunit-subunit interaction receptor site binding and biological activity are presented. Free amino groups oLH oLH alpha and oLH beta were guanidinated by 0-methylisourea. The epsilon amino groups of lysine residues reacted to substitute these positions in the sequence with the more basic homoarginine residue. The alpha amino groups did not react. In 2 of the bioassay systems guanidinated oLH or the products of guanidinated oLH alpha plus native oLH beta or guanidinated oLH alpha plus guanidinated oLH beta were inactive. However native oLH alpha plus guanidinated oLH beta showed potencies of 39-55% of that observed with the native subunit recombinant or native oLH. Possible structural implications for hormone-receptor site interactions are considered.
A larval dispenser-capper machine for mass rearing the southwestern corn borer.

A food-packaging machine was modified for mass rearing Diatraea grandiosella (Dyar). It semi-automatically infests diet-filled cups with a predetermined number of larvae mixed in corn cob grits, caps the cups, and moves them onto a loading tray in a continuous process. The modification of the commercial machine is simple and inexpensive. Preparation of the larvae-grit mixture and operation of the machine are discussed.
BlurSense: Dynamic fine-grained access control for smartphone privacy

For many people, smartphones serve as a technical interface to the modern world. These smart devices have embedded on-board sensors, such as accelerometers, gyroscopes, GPS sensors, and cameras, which can be used to develop new mobile applications. However, the sensors also pose privacy risks to users. This work describes BlurSense, a tool that provides secure and customizable access to all of the sensors on smartphones, tablets, and similar end user devices. The current access control to the smartphone resources, such as sensor data, is static and coarse-grained. BlurSense is a dynamic, fine-grained, flexible access control mechanism, acting as a line of defense that allows users to define and add privacy filters. As a result, the user can expose filtered sensor data to untrusted apps, and researchers can collect data in a way that safeguards users' privacy.
Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress: a contributing link to acquired epilepsy?

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress contribute to several neurologic disorders and have recently been implicated in acquired epilepsies such as temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Acquired epilepsy is typically initiated by a brain injury followed by a “latent period” whereby molecular, biochemical and other cellular alterations occur in the brain leading to chronic epilepsy. Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are emerging as factors that not only occur acutely as a result of precipitating injuries such as status epilepticus (SE), but may also contribute to epileptogenesis and chronic epilepsy. Mitochondria are the primary site of reactive oxygen species (ROS) making them uniquely vulnerable to oxidative damage that may affect neuronal excitability and seizure susceptibility. This mini-review provides an overview of evidence suggesting the role of mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress as acute consequences of injuries that are known to incite chronic epilepsy and their involvement in the chronic stages of acquired epilepsy.
“Just as the Structural Formula Does”: Names, Diagrams, and the Structure of Organic Chemistry at the 1892 Geneva Nomenclature Congress*

AbstractAt the Geneva Nomenclature Congress of 1892, some of the foremost organic chemists of the late nineteenth century crafted a novel relationship between chemical substances, chemical diagrams, and chemical names that has shaped practices of chemical representation ever since. During the 1880s, the French chemist Charles Friedel organised the nomenclature reform effort that culminated in the Geneva Congress; in the disorderly nomenclature of German synthetic chemistry, Friedel saw an opportunity to advance French national interests and his own pedagogical goals. Friedel and a group of close colleagues reconceived nomenclature as a unified field, in which all chemical names ought to relate clearly to one another and to the structure of the compounds they represented. The German chemist Adolf von Baeyer went a step farther, arguing for names that precisely and uniquely corresponded to the structural formula of each compound, tailored for use in chemical dictionaries and handbooks. Baeyer's vision preva...
When Power Functions Fail: A Theoretical Explanation

When the simple power function fails to describe psychophysical results, it is necessary to add or subtract a constant from either the stimuli or responses in order to reinstitute a power function. It is suggested here that this failure results from the nonlinearity of the function between the Weber fraction and stimulus intensity. Computer simulation experiments were conducted which supported this contention.
Thyroid Function and Oxidative Phosphorylation in Cold-exposed Rats

THE presence of the thyroid gland appears to be necessary for prolonged survival of the cold-acclimatized rat1,2. Rats in the cold also appear to turn over iodine-131 more rapidly than normal3–6, indicating a more rapid than normal accumulation of iodide and release of thyroid hormone. Since oxidative phosphorylation, a process thought by some7–10 to be regulated by the thyroid, has been noted to be partially uncoupled11–13, as well as physically and biochemically more labile in the cold-acclimatized rat12,14, we have investigated the alteration of mitochondrial function following thyroidectomy of cold-exposed and normal rats.
Thrombophlebitis: Diagnostic Techniques:

A review of the extensive literature on the diagnosis of deep vein throm bophlebitis (DVT) is presented. DVT affects approximately 10% of all patients with superficial thrombophlebitis. Many authors have shown that the clinical findings of DVT are unreliable. Although pulmonary emboli are relatively fre quent in all patients with calf DVT, these emboli are generally not associated with clinical events. Venography is the "gold standard" of diagnostic tests, but it is too cumbersone to be practical as a screening procedure. Radioisotope-la beled fibrinogen is reasonably accurate in diagnosing calf DVT, but much less so in proximal lesions. The results of Doppler ultrasound and impedance pleth ysmography (IPG) agree with those of venography in 90% of the cases of proxi mal DVT.
Dependence of the guinea pig kidney 17β-hydroxy-C19-steroid dehydrogenase isoenzyme profile on androgen

Abstract The decrease in the 17β-hydroxy-C19-steroid dehydrogenase activity in the guinea pig kidney cytosol after castration and the restoration after testosterone treatment was due to the disappearance and reappearance of the intermediate band of the isoenzymes obtained on acrylamide gel electrophoresis.
Purification and properties of cytochrome b5 from the larval midgut of the southern armyworm (Spodoptera eridania)

Abstract The cytochrome b 5 -like protein in the microsomal fraction of southern armyworm ( Spodoptera eridania ) larval midguts was solubilized with bromelain and purified about 130-fold to a specific content of 55.4 nmoles per mg protein. The protein had protoheme as its prosthetic group, a molecular weight of 11,400 ± 600 and its amino acid content and spectral properties were similar to those of cytochrome b 5 purified from rat liver microsomes by a similar procedure. The midpoint oxidation-reduction potential (E 0 ′ ) was −57 mV. The results strongly suggest that the armyworm midgut cytochrome is a structurally similar protein to mammalian cytochrome b 5 .
The Bidirectional Relationship Between Exercise and Sleep Implications for Exercise Adherence and Sleep Improvement

Exercise has long been associated with better sleep, and evidence is accumulating on the efficacy of exercise as a nonpharmacologic treatment option for disturbed sleep. Recent research, however, h...
A simple machine for smoke analytical studies and total particulate matter collection for biological studies

Abstract The needed for modest quantities of smoke for use in biological studies resulted in the development of a simple machine for smoke analytical studies and total particulate matter (TPM) collection. The machine can be used for the study of mainstream and sidestream smoke and the gas phase of both, with the accuracy and precision of more complex smoking machines. The machine is described and machine performance is evaluated by TPM data obtained under typical operating conditions. One gram of TPM can be collected from a high TMP delivery cigarette by one technician in 2 h. When sidestream smoke is collected, the machine can be operated without the escape of smoke components to the laboratory atmosphere.
Ion-exchange column chromatographic method for assaying purine metabolic pathway enzymes

Abstract High energy phosphate levels fall rapidly during cardiac ischemia and recover slowly (more than one week) during reperfusion. The slow recovery of ATP may reflect a lack of purine metabolic precursors and/or increased activity of purine catabolic enzymes such as 5′-nucleotidase (5′-NT, EC 3.1.3.5) and adenosine deaminase (ADA, EC 3.5.4.4). The activity of enzymes involved in both the catabolism of ATP precursors (5-NT and ADA) and the restoration of ATP from slow synthetic pathways [adenosine kinase (AK, EC 2.7.1.20), adenine phosphoribosyl transferase (APRT, EC 2.4.2.7) and hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT, EC 2.4.2.8)] may directly affect the rate of ATP recovery. Strategies to enhance recovery will depend on the relative activity of these enzymes following ischemia. Their activity in different species and their response to ischemia are not well characterized. Hence, rapid assay methods for these enzymes would facilitate detailed time course studies of their activities in postischemic myocardium. We modified a single ion-exchange column chromatographic method using DEAE-Sephadex to determine the products of incubation of 5′-NT, AK, APRT and HPRT with their respective substrates. The uniformity of the final product measurement procedure for all assays permits the activities of the four enzymes to be rapidly determined in a single tissue sample and facilitates the study of a large number of samples. This technique should also be useful for enzymes of the pyrimidine metabolic pathway.
On the Iwasawa invariants of the Γ-transform of a rational function

Abstract Warren Sinnott gave a proof that Iwasawa's μ -invariant vanishes for the basic Z p -extension of any abelian number field by computing Γ -transforms of rational functions. We present a new proof of this fact, and also give an upper bound on the corresponding λ -invariant.
Computational methods for constructing protein structure models from 3D electron microscopy maps.

Protein structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy (EM) has made significant progress in the past decades. Resolutions of EM maps have been improving as evidenced by recently reported structures that are solved at high resolutions close to 3 A. Computational methods play a key role in interpreting EM data. Among many computational procedures applied to an EM map to obtain protein structure information, in this article we focus on reviewing computational methods that model protein three-dimensional (3D) structures from a 3D EM density map that is constructed from two-dimensional (2D) maps. The computational methods we discuss range from de novo methods, which identify structural elements in an EM map, to structure fitting methods, where known high resolution structures are fit into a low-resolution EM map. A list of available computational tools is also provided.
Model identification for infinite variance autoregressive processes

Abstract We consider model identification for infinite variance autoregressive time series processes. It is shown that a consistent estimate of autoregressive model order can be obtained by minimizing Akaike’s information criterion, and we use all-pass models to identify noncausal autoregressive processes and estimate the order of noncausality (the number of roots of the autoregressive polynomial inside the unit circle in the complex plane). We examine the performance of the order selection procedures for finite samples via simulation, and use the techniques to fit a noncausal autoregressive model to stock market trading volume data.
Safety and cost effectiveness of pediatric percutaneous renal biopsy

Because of the rising cost of health care, more patients are undergoing procedures as outpatients rather than inpatients. The purpose of this study was to compare safety and cost of outpatient versus inpatient, overnight stay, for children undergoing percutaneous renal biopsy. Charts of all such patients between January 1989 through January 1995 were reviewed for the following: age of patient, native versus allograft biopsy and preparation costs (in 1995 U.S. dollars), and complications. Of the 75 biopsies reviewed, 58 were native and 17 allograft with 35 (47%) of the biopsies being outpatient and 40 (53%) inpatient. There were four complications (11.4%) in 2 patients for the outpatient group and seven complications (17.5%) in 6 patients in the inpatient group (X2 = 0.1003, P = 0.75). The median cost for an outpatient biopsy was U.S. $ 1,968 while an inpatient biopsy was U.S. $ 3,178. We conclude that outpatient percutaneous renal biopsy in children is as safe as inpatient and more economic, with a saving of greater than U.S. $ 1,000 per biopsy.
Zona incerta: A link between the visual cortical sensory system and the brainstem motor system

The zona incerta is known to receive a contingent of fibers from the occipital cortex. To test whether this subthalamic region plays a differential role in visually guided behavior, adult albino rats, trained on both a visual pattern discrimination problem and an equally difficult nonvisual (incline plane) discrimination problem, sustained lesions to the zona incerta and were subsequently tested for retention. Significant retention deficits were observed only on the visual problem. These results suggest that the occipitoincertal pathway is selectively involved in visually guided behavior.
Seminumerical SCF calculations on small diatomic molecules

Abstract A method for solving the Hartree-Fock equations for a diatomic molecule using partial numerical integration is outlined. Results are presented for He, He2, and LiH, and comparisons are made with results obtained via the conventional matrix SCF method.
The paradoxes of Paul Robert Magocsi: the case for Rusyns and the logical necessity of Ukrainians

How is it possible for a Rusyn nation-builder to have contributed to the historiography of Ukraine to such a significant degree that one might suspect that Paul Robert Magocsi is really a Ukrainian nation-builder? Like all social-science puzzles, this one dissolves upon closer inspection. Magocsi resembles a Ukrainian nation-builder – or perhaps even is a Ukrainian nation-builder malgre soi – precisely because he is a Rusyn nation-builder. That is so because all nation-builders are always builders of at least two nations, their own and the others.
Calculating the Second Eigenpair in Criticality Calculations Using the Monte Carlo Method with Source Points Pairing as an Efficient Net-Weight (Cancellation) Algorithm

The Monte Carlo method is widely used to compute the fundamental eigenfunction and eigenvalue for nuclear systems. However, the standard power iteration method computes only the fundamental eigenmo...
An acid-treatment method for the enhanced detection of GDNF in biological samples

Glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), a distant member of the transforming growth factor-beta (TGFbeta) family, is a protein that is essential for the survival of dopaminergic, motor, and peripheral neurons. To facilitate its study, we and others have developed sensitive (low pg/ml) enzyme-linked immunosorbant assays (ELISA) to quantitate endogenous concentrations of GDNF, along with neurotrophin-3 (NT-3) and nerve growth factor (NGF). However, endogenous tissue levels of GDNF in adult animals are not readily detected by ELISA and do not correlate well with message RNA. Based upon previously described methods for the extraction of TGFbeta from tissue samples, we have developed an acid-treatment procedure to allow the quantification of total endogenous GDNF. This procedure also was evaluated for use when measuring total endogenous levels of NT-3 and NGF from biological samples. The acid-treatment procedure increases the detectable amounts of GDNF, NT-3, and NGF in all tissue samples and most of the serum samples tested. Moreover, these values were as much as 35 times greater than those detected using traditional extraction buffers. Such elevated concentrations likely resulted from the acid treatment promoting the dissociation of ligands from receptors or binding proteins, thereby making more of the analyte available to be measured in the ELISA. These findings indicate that appropriate sample treatment is essential for the measurement of total endogenous neurotrophic factors.
Battery energy-storage systems — an emerging market for lead/acid batteries

Abstract Although the concept of using batteries for lead levelling and peak shaving has been known for decades, only recently have these systems become commercially viable. Changes in the structure of the electric power supply industry have required these companies to seek more cost-effective ways of meeting the needs of their customers. Through experience gained, primarily in the USA, batteries have been shown to provide multiple benefits to electric utilities. Also, lower maintenance batteries, more reliable electrical systems, and the availability of methods to predict costs and benefits have made battery energy-storage systems more attractive. Technology-transfer efforts in the USA have resulted in a willingness of electric utilities to install a number of these systems for a variety of tasks, including load levelling, peak shaving, frequency regulation and spinning reserve. Additional systems are being planned for several additional locations for similar applications, plus transmission and distribution deferral and enhanced power quality. In the absence of US champions such as the US Department of Energy and the Electric Power Research Institute, ILZRO is attempting to mount a technology-transfer programme to bring the benefits of battery energy-storage to European power suppliers. As a result of these efforts, a study group on battery energy-storage systems has been established with membership primarily in Germany and Austria. Also, a two-day workshop, prepared by the Electric Power Research Institute was held in Dublin. Participants included representatives of several European power suppliers. As a result, ESB National Grid of Ireland has embarked upon a detailed analysis of the costs and benefits of a battery energy-storage system in their network. Plans for the future include continuation of this technology-transfer effort, assistance in the Irish effort, and a possible approach to the European Commission for funding.
Body mass index and physical activity as risk factors for pancreatic cancer: the Multiethnic Cohort Study

Objective To examine body mass index (BMI) and physical activity as risk factors for pancreatic cancer.
Physicians' attitudes and use of e-cigarettes as cessation devices, North Carolina, 2013.

Introduction Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) are not currently approved or recommended by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or various medical organizations; yet, they appear to play a substantial role in tobacco users’ cessation attempts. This study reports on a physician survey that measured beliefs, attitudes, and behavior related to e-cigarettes and smoking cessation. To our knowledge this is the first study to measure attitudes toward e-cigarettes among physicians treating adult smokers. Methods Using a direct marketing company, a random sample of 787 North Carolina physicians were contacted in 2013 through email, with 413 opening the email and 128 responding (response rate = 31%). Physicians’ attitudes towards e-cigarettes were measured through a series of close-ended questions. Recommending e-cigarettes to patients served as the outcome variable for a logistic regression analysis. Results Two thirds (67%) of the surveyed physicians indicated e-cigarettes are a helpful aid for smoking cessation, and 35% recommended them to their patients. Physicians were more likely to recommend e-cigarettes when their patients asked about them or when the physician believed e-cigarettes were safer than smoking standard cigarettes. Conclusions Many North Carolina physicians are having conversations about e-cigarettes with their patients, and some are recommending them. Future FDA regulation of e-cigarettes may help provide evidence-based guidance to physicians about e-cigarettes and will help ensure that patients receive evidence-based recommendations about the safety and efficacy of e-cigarettes in tobacco cessation.
Anisotropic solvent model of the lipid bilayer. 2. Energetics of insertion of small molecules, peptides, and proteins in membranes.

A new computational approach to calculating binding energies and spatial positions of small molecules, peptides, and proteins in the lipid bilayer has been developed. The method combines an anisotropic solvent representation of the lipid bilayer and universal solvation model, which predicts transfer energies of molecules from water to an arbitrary medium with defined polarity properties. The universal solvation model accounts for hydrophobic, van der Waals, hydrogen-bonding, and electrostatic solute−solvent interactions. The lipid bilayer is represented as a fluid anisotropic environment described by profiles of dielectric constant (e), solvatochromic dipolarity parameter (π*), and hydrogen bonding acidity and basicity parameters (α and β). The polarity profiles were calculated using published distributions of quasi-molecular segments of lipids determined by neutron and X-ray scattering for DOPC bilayer and spin-labeling data that define concentration of water in the lipid acyl chain region. The model als...