cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Tenure security, private time preference, and use of natural resources among lowland Bolivian Amerindians

Abstract To estimate the effect of tenure security and private time preference on the use of different types of natural resources, such as old-growth and fallow forests, fish, and game, we did a survey and a psychological experiment with 443 households in 42 villages of Yuracare, Mojeno, Tsimane’, and Chiquitano Indians in the Bolivian lowlands. Results of multivariate tobit regressions suggest that: (1) among the Yuracare, Tsimane’, and Mojeno rates of private time preference had a small economic and statistical effect on the use of natural resources and (2) tenure security, proxied by residence duration in the village and by conflict with abutters, only affected the consumption of wildlife (principally of game). Results suggest that public policies to improve property rights over natural resources among indigenous people might have greater immediate impact on the conservation of wildlife than on the conservation of forest cover.
Deuterium and tritium experiments on TFTR

Three campaigns, prior to July 1994, attempted to increase the fusion power in DT plasmas on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). The first campaign was dedicated to obtaining >5 MW of fusion power while avoiding MHD events similar to the JET X-event. The second was aimed at producing maximum fusion power irrespective of proximity to MHD limits, and achieved 9 MW limited by a disruption. The third campaign increased the energy confinement time using lithium pellet conditioning while raising the ratio of alpha heating to beam heating.
Design and test of a simplified and reliable cryogenic system for high speed superconducting generator applications

Abstract Under the contract with Air Force Research Lab (AFRL), General Electric has successfully tested a high speed, superconducting generator for a Multimegawatt Electric Power System (MEPS). As the first successful full-power test of a superconducting generator for the Air Force, the demonstration tested the generator’s load up to 1.3 MW and over 10,000 rpm. A key component of the generator system is a closed loop cryo-refrigeration system to cool the field excitation coil at liquid neon temperature. This paper reports the design and tests of the cryogenic system, including the liquid neon dewar, cryogenic cooling loop for the high temperature superconducting (HTS) field coil and the cryostat. Performance data during both short-term load run and long-term non-load run were presented. Also, some key issues to design a reliable cryogenic system for a superconducting generator were discussed.
Free-to-Pivot Flat Plates in Hover for Reynolds Numbers 14 to 21,200

A = motion translation amplitude b = plate span; 275 mm CN = motion-parallel force coefficient (N∕0.5ρbcUref) CP = motion-parallel power coefficient (∫ 10CN t∕T U t∕T ∕Uref) CT = motion-normal force (thrust) coefficient CZ = plate-normal force coefficient c = plate chord; 50 mm f = translation frequency h0 = nondimensional translation amplitude; A∕c Re = Reynolds number based on maximum velocity (A2πfc∕ν) St = Strouhal number (fc∕A2πf) t∕T = phase of plate leading edge imposed motion; 0 ≤ t∕T ≤ 1 Uref = maximum translation velocity
Decomposing stumps influence carbon and nitrogen pools and fine-root distribution in soils

Decomposing stumps could significantly increase soil resource heterogeneity in forest ecosystems. However, the impact of these microsites on nutrient retention and cycling is relatively unknown. Stump soil was defined as the soil fraction directly altered by the decomposition of the primary rooting system (e.g. taproots) and aboveground stumps. Study sites were located in mature hardwood stands within the Jefferson National Forest in the Ridge and Valley Physiographic region of southwest Virginia. The objectives of this study were to: (i) determine the total soil volume altered by the decomposition of stumps and underlying root system, (ii) compare and contrast total C and N, extractable ammonium (NH 4 + ) and nitrate (NO 3 - ). potentially mineralizable N, microbial biomass C (MBC), root length and root surface area between the bulk soil (i.e. O, A, B and C horizons) and stump soil and (iii) evaluate how nutrient concentrations and fine-root dynamics change as stumps decompose over time using a categorical decay class system for stumps. Potentially mineralizable N was 2.5 times greater in stump soil than the A horizon (103 mg kg -1 vs. 39 mg kg -1 ), 2.7 times greater for extractable NH 4 + (16 mg kg -1 vs. 6 mg kg -1 ) and almost 4 times greater for MBC (1528 mg kg -1 vs. 397 mg kg -1 ). Approximately 19% of the total fine-root length and 14% of fine-root surface area occurred in the stump soil. Significant differences occurred in C and N concentrations between all four decay classes and the mineral soil. This validated the use of this system and the need to calculate weighted averages based on the frequency and soil volume influenced by each decay class. In this forest ecosystem, approximately 1.2% of the total soil volume was classified as stump soil and contained 10% and 4% of soil C and N. This study illustrates that including stump soil in soil nutrient budgets by decay class will increase the accuracy of ecosystem nutrient budgets.
SU-FF-J-160: Spatially Fractionated Radiation Therapy (GRID) On Implanted Tumors Using a Small Animal Conformal Radiation Therapy System

Purpose: To deliver spatially fractionated (GRID) radiation fields to murine tumors using a high precision small animal conformal radiation therapy device (SACRTD). Method and Materials: The SACRTD is a “gantry” based image‐guide system with a special collimating assembly that allows field sizes down to 0.5 mm in diameter at isocenter. The precise positioning of the target/beam is achieved by a six‐degree of freedom robotic system (Adept Technology, Pleasanton, CA) which has positional repeatability of ±0.020mm in XYZ directions. The system can be used to deliver small GRID fields with varying open‐to‐close area ratios. Immunohistochemistry for DNA damage after 10 Gy to a 1cm depth GRID therapy was performed in B16 murine melanoma tumors. The GRID pattern consisted of an array of 7 beams of 1 mm in diameter at isocenter with center‐to‐center separation of 2 mm. Tumorgrowth rates and cell survival were assessed. Results : The exit dose recorded by Gafchromic film confirmed that the GRID radiation pattern was delivered with high precision. Histology showed the radiation induced DNA strand breaks in the open regions of the GRID field. Approximately 55% of clonogenic cells in the B16 tumors were killed by the single GRID dose. Interestingly, mice receiving GRID alone did not have significant tumorgrowth delay compared to untreated tumors. However, in the group that received GRID therapy followed by Anginex anti‐angiogenic peptide for 5 days there was a noticeable delay in tumorgrowth compared to tumors receiving 10 Gy GRID alone. Conclusion: This preliminary biological study shows the usefulness and flexibility of the SACRTD to deliver precise radiation patterns to implanted tumors in small animals. The system facilitates in vivo radiobiological studies and promotes translational research in radiationoncology.
Hydromagnetic flows and effects on Czochralski silicon crystals

Abstract The most important method of producing single crystals in large quantities is Czochralski growth. Fluid motion within the melt affects the transport of heat and solutes to the growth interface, and has therefore been the subject of much study. Some Czochralski melts, such as silicon, are excellent conductors of electricity, so that the flow can be modified hydromagnetically. Flow under the influence of an axial magnetic field has received the most attention because the configuration remains rotationally symmetric. In the case of a uniform field, the theory has been extensively developed, using both asymptotic and numerical methods. The advantage of quiescent flow is offset by an unfavorable radial distribution of solutes in the finished crystal. Consequently, alternate configurations are being explored. A transverse field destroys the axial symmetry, but can sometimes be investigated by a combination of asymptotic and numerical methods. A non-uniform axial field is another possibility that may offer advantages. This can be investigated with minor modifications of the theory for uniform fields.
Viscosity and Voluminosity of Bovine Milk Casein Micelles

Abstract We have surveyed methods for determining the voluminosity and hydration of casein micelles from viscosity measurements. Results by previous workers who applied the Einstein viscosity equation to concentrated casein solutions or used the empirical Eilers equation for concentrated solutions are reviewed. A more rigorous and reliable procedure is to determine intrinsic viscosities by extrapolating relative viscosities to infinite dilution. Several experimental procedures for performing such dilutions, so as to make the intrinsic viscosity reflect the properties only of the casein micelles and not of soluble proteins, are discussed and applied to several pooled milk samples. The voluminosity of casein micelles determined by intrinsic viscosity is about 4.4±.3 ml/g at 25C; the Einstein and Eilers equations overestimate and underestimate this, respectively. The hydration determined from voluminosity measurements is 3.7g water per gram protein. This is about twice the hydration measured from the water content of casein micelles pellets. The discrepancy may arise from squeezing out of the water from the pellets by the high hydrostatic pressures in the ultracentrifuge. Addition of 10% sucrose to skimmilk reduces the voluminosity by about 20% while further sucrose addition has little effect.
Parallel characterization of bovine von Willebrand protein (factor VIII-associated protein) by light scattering and SDS gel electrophoresis

Highly purified bovine von Willebrand protein (vWP) has been studied with two complementary techniques. Light scattering measurements on different samples give weight average molecular weights in the range from 7 to 13 million, radius of gyration between 75 and 140 nm and diffusion coefficient near 4.15–10-8 cm2/sec. Scans after electrophoresis in sodium dodecyl sulfate on 2% agarose gels, stained with Coomassie blue, allow calculation of a mass distribution over a series of oligomers with relative size in a range from 1 to 20. The ratio of the average mol. wt. from light scattering and the average size for the observed distribution, which is the mol. wt. increment for successive vWP oligomers, has been determined and found to be 1.0 million. This implies that the molecules of vWP are oligomers of subunits themselves consisting of 4 polypeptide chains each of mol. wt. circa 250, 000.
Protein synthesis by Escherichia coli infected with bacteriophage T4D.

Abstract Proteins made by E. coli cells infected with bacteriophage T4 were analyzed by a method which combined disc electrophoresis and autoradiography. The precursorproduct relationship between subunits and larger components (head, tail) was studied by taking advantage of the fact that the larger components cannot penetrate into the gel used in disc electrophoresis. These studies have shown that the early proteins are not controlled as a single homogeneous class all members of which are synthesized during the same time periods; instead, they start being formed and are shut off at various times during the early part of the infection process. Amber mutants in gene 30 (polynucleotide ligase-defective) synthesized a small amount of DNA, which was later degraded to a fraction soluble in trichloroacetic acid. The ligase-defective mutants were capable of synthesizing an almost normal amount of late proteins, whereas all other DNA-negative mutants, including a deoxycytidine triphosphatase(dCTPase)-defective mutant and maturation-defective mutants could not induce late protein synthesis. The dCTPase-defective mutant, which also synthesizes a small amount of unstable DNA, did not induce late protein synthesis even when the degradation of DNA was prevented.
Voltage‐clamp study of the activation currents and fast block to polyspermy in the egg of Xenopus laevis

Voltage-clamped mature, jelly-intact Xenopus eggs were used to carefully examine the ionic currents crossing the plasma membrane before, during, and after fertilization. The bulk of the fertilization current was transient, of large amplitude, and reversed at the predicted Cl– reversal potential. However, the large amplitude fertilization current was preceded by a small, step-like increase in holding current. This small increase in holding current is referred to in this paper as Ion to acknowledge its qualitative similarity to the Ion current previously described in the sea urchin. It was observed in both fertilized and artificially activated eggs, and was found to be unaffected by 10 mm tetra-ethyl ammonium (TEA), a concentration found to block K+ currents in Rana pipiens. Current–voltage relationships are presented for the large fertilization potential, and show that the fertilization currents have a marked outward rectification and are voltage sensitive. These properties are in contrast to the total lack of rectification and slight voltage sensitivity seen before or after the fertilization currents. The time required for sperm to fertilize the egg was found to be voltage dependent with a relatively more depolarized voltage requiring a longer time for fertilization to occur. The percentage of eggs blocked with varying potential levels was determined and this information was fitted to a modified Boltzmann equation having a midpoint of −9 mV.
IMPROVEMENT OF THE O2 A BAND SPECTROSCOPIC DATABASE FOR SATELLITE-BASED CLOUD DETECTION

Abstract Detection of cloud parameters from space-based spectrometers can employ the vibrational bands of O 2 in the b 1 ∑ g + ← X 3 ∑ g − spin-forbidden electronic transition manifold, particularly the Δ v = 0 A band. The European Space Agency's Global Ozone Monitoring Experiment (GOME), on board the European Remote Sensing 2 satellite, uses the A band in the Initial Cloud Fitting Algorithm (ICFA). The work reported here consists of making substantial improvements in the line-by-line spectral database for the A band, testing whether an additional correction to the line shape function is necessary in order to model correctly the atmospheric transmission in this band, and calculating prototype cloud and ground template spectra for comparison with satellite measurements.
Pediatric hearing assessment by auditory brainstem response in the operating room.

Abstract Objectives To investigate the factors contributing to the discrepancies between auditory brainstem response (ABR) thresholds obtained in the operating room (OR) and hearing outcomes obtained in the follow-up period and to explore the benefits and limitations of performing ABR in the OR. Methods A retrospective review study was conducted in a pediatric tertiary care facility. A total of 116 patients were identified with complete records, including OR-ABR results, medical examination and surgical procedure notes, and follow-up medical/audiological evaluation. Patients were divided into three groups: (1) 58 patients with middle ear effusion underwent myringotomy and tube placement, (2) 12 patients underwent myringotomy without tube placement, (3) 46 patients underwent ear examination only without effusion found. OR-ABR results were compared to audiological follow-up evaluations and analyzed for each group. Results In patients with middle ear effusion and tube placement, the average threshold difference between OR-ABR and follow-up audiological evaluation was 9.7 dB (±12.7), with highest discrepancy of 45 dB. On the other hand, in patients with dry ears and/or no tube placement, the average threshold difference was only 3.8 dB (±8.6). Moreover, the discrepancy was more prominent in patients with mucoid effusion and larger at lower frequency, i.e., 1000 Hz. Conclusions The hearing thresholds estimated by ABR testing in the OR can be elevated and follow-up hearing evaluation after tube placement is needed. While ABR testing is valuable in the assessment of pediatric patients, especially for children who are difficult-to-test or have complicated medical conditions, caution should be taken when interpreting OR-ABR results.
Lateral Eye Movement as a Measure of Cognitive Ability and Style.

Research on lateral eye movements has examined personality and cognitive correlates with the hope of establishing such eye movements as a measure of preference for the different modes of informatio...
Comments on spatial models of traffic

Abstract The following is a commentary on some of the terminology and definitions used in the description of spatial traffic patterns.
On the global convergence of MCSCF wave function optimization : the method of trigonometric interpolation

A new method of MCSCF wave function optimization is presented. This method is based on a nonlinear transformation of the wave function variation coordinates along with the construction of a global interpolating function. This interpolating function is constructed for each MCSCF iteration in such a way that it reproduces certain known behavior of the exact energy function. It reproduces exactly the energy, gradient, and hessian at the expansion point, at an infinite number of isolated points, and at points on the surfaces of an infinite number of nested multidimensional balls within the wave function variational space. The optimization of the wave function correction parameters on this interpolating function does not require integral transformations or density matrix constructions, although one-index transformation and transition density matrix techniques may be used if desired. The nonlinear coordinate transformations, along with the necessary derivatives, are computed with simple matrix operations, and require onlyO(Norb3) effort. The new method differs from previous optimization methods in several respects. (1) It reproduces certain behavior of the exact energy function that is not displayed by previous approaches. (2) The orbital-state coupling is included explicitly via the partitioned orbital hessian matrix. (3) The minimization of the approximate energy function is simpler than with previous similar approaches. (4) The treatment of redundant orbital rotations is straightforward, since the exact and approximate energy functions display the same qualitative behavior with respect to these wave function variations. (5) Finally, the present method may be implemented as a simple extension to essentially any existing second-order MCSCF code, the required changes being localized within a rather small part of the overall iterative procedure. Examples of the convergence of the new method are presented, along with numerical demonstrations of some of the relevant features of the exact and interpolated energy functions.
Studies on iron-manganese oxide carbon monoxide catalysts: II. Carburization and catalytic activity

Abstract Carburization studies of a series of reduced iron-manganese catalysts were done under synthesis gas ( H 2 CO ) conditions. Evidence was obtained for three types of carbon—carbidic, partially hydrogenated, and graphitic (coke-like carbon). These carbon types could be removed slowly with hydrogen; however, a relatively high temperature (500 °C) was needed to remove all carbon. The low manganese oxide-containing catalysts showed greater specific activity for carbon monoxide and hexene hydrogenation than iron. The high manganese catalysts exhibited significantly increased hexene hydrogenation activity, possibly due to the presence of very small iron crystallites. Incorporation of manganese appears to chemically or electronically promote the active iron surface. In particular, it appears to alter the CO hydrogen reaction path by suppressing the direct formation of paraffins from the reactive intermediate, leading to higher olefins.
Phase II Trial of Neoadjuvant Nab-Paclitaxel in High Risk Patients With Prostate Cancer Undergoing Radical Prostatectomy

Purpose: Taxane based chemotherapy has activity in advanced prostate cancer but previous studies of neoadjuvant docetaxel demonstrated a prostate specific antigen response with no obvious antitumor activity. The efficacy and safety of neoadjuvant albumin-bound paclitaxel (nab-paclitaxel, Abraxane®), a novel nanoparticle based formulation, were assessed in patients with high risk, locally advanced prostate cancer.Materials and Methods: Eligible patients had locally advanced prostatic adenocarcinoma, clinical stage cT2b or greater, Gleason score 8 or greater, or serum prostate specific antigen 15 ng/ml or greater without metastatic disease. Patients received 2 cycles of 150 mg/m2 nab-paclitaxel weekly for 3 weeks during each 4-week cycle, followed by radical prostatectomy with bilateral lymphadenectomy. Efficacy assessments included pathological and prostate specific antigen response.Results: A total of 19 patients completed neoadjuvant therapy and 18 underwent radical prostatectomy. Median pretreatment pro...
The Anisotropic Electrical Conductivity of M.B.B.A. Containing Tetrabutyl-Ammonium Tetraphenyl-Boride

Abstract An investigation was made of the anisotropic electrical conductivity (σ‖ and σ⊥) of MBBA (p-methoxybenzylidene-p-n-butylaniline) containing tetrabutylammonium tetraphenyl-boride (henceforth denoted as AB where A+ is the tetrabutylammonium cation and B− is the tetraphenylboride anion). Alignment parallel and perpendicular to the applied electric field was accomplished by means of a 6000 Gauss magnetic field. The measurements were made at 22°C in a frequency range of 5,000 to 20,000 Hertz and at a sequence of nominal concentrations of AB up to about 10−4 moles/liter. The DC angularaverage conductivity σ(= 1/3 σ‖ + 2/3 σ1) was obtained by extrapolating plots of σ versus the square of the frequency to zero frequency. The experimental measurements fit apparently quite well by a simple dissociation model, AB ≠ A+ + B− with the results From these results we obtain for the mobility sums
Tensile properties of V-15Cr-5Ti following neutron irradiation and helium implantation

L'injection d'helium a 80 ppm a peu d'effet sur es caracteristiques mecaniques de l'alliage a 700 et 635 C, et provoque une reduction de l'allongement a 400 C. L'irradiation par neutron entre 24 et 32 dpa augmente la resistance du materiau recuit et decroit la ductilite. Apres irradiation par neutron, on observe une rupture par clivage meme a 625 C. L'irradiation n'a pas d'effet de fragilisation. L'ecrouissage semble reduire la tendance de la rupture par clivage dans l'alliage irradie
Synergistic activation and repression of transcription by Drosophila homeobox proteins.

Abstract We have used a transient expression assay employing Drosophila tissue culture cells to study the potential of several Drosophila homeobox proteins to function as transcriptional regulators. A 96 bp fragment from the promoter region of the segment polarity gene engrailed , previously shown to contain five copies of a 10 bp consensus binding site for these proteins, enhanced transcription in the presence, but not the absence, of several different homeobox protein expression vectors. It is interesting that cotransfection with combinations of expression vectors encoding the homeobox proteins fushi tarazu, paired , and/or zen resulted in substantial synergistic increases in expression. In contrast, the products of the even-skipped and engrailed genes were found to repress, or quench, the activation induced by the other proteins. We discuss the implications of these results with respect to the role of homeobox genes in the control of embryonic development, and propose a "multi-switch" model whereby the activity of a target gene depends on the interactions of different homeobox proteins with multiple copies of a common binding site.
Lightweight superconducting generators for mobile military platforms

Mobile military platforms impose severe restrictions on size, weight and efficiency of megawatt class power components. Severe shock, vibration and tilt requirements are additional limitations not required by commercial utility power systems. Many military power system restrictions and requirements can be met by application of superconductor technology only if the cryogenic containment and cooling are relatively transparent to the system. Advantages and limitations for military systems of various superconducting generator architectures are discussed. Current and future technology directions for high temperature superconducting generators are assessed.
Can clinical and endoscopic findings accurately predict early-stage adenocarcinoma?

The presentation and management of esophageal cancer are changing, as more patients are diagnosed at an earlier stage of the disease in which endoscopic treatment methods may be contemplated. Therefore, we conducted a study to determine whether symptomatic and endoscopic findings can accurately identify node-negative early-stage adenocarcinoma. A total of 213 consecutive patients (171 men and 42 women) with resectable esophageal adenocarcinoma seen from 1992 to 2002 were evaluated. None of these patients received neoadjuvant chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Using a multivariable model, model-based probabilities of early-stage disease (T1 im/sm N0) were calculated for each combination of the following three features: no dysphagia as main symptom at presentation, tumor length ≤2 cm, and noncircumferential lesion. Eighty-two percent of the patients with all three characteristics presented with early-stage disease. Even in the setting of small, visible, noncircumferential tumors/nodules in patients without dysphagia, 14% of the patients harbored node metastasis. Simple clinical and endoscopic findings predicted early-stage disease in 82% of cases, whereas a small but significant percentage had node metastasis. Because node metastasis predisposes to local failure in nonresectional treatment options such as endoscopic mucosal resection and photodynamic therapy, such findings should have a significant bearing on treatment decisions.
Surgical management of complications after hearing aid fitting.

Objectives: Standard procedures for hearing aid fitting performed in accordance with established guidelines are well tolerated, safe, and effective. In this article, we present unusual complications after hearing aid fitting that required surgical management. Methods: Four otologists at a major university center with a combined 65 years of experience performed a retrospective analysis of their surgical practice. Six patients were identified that had encountered severe complications from improper earmold fitting that required surgical intervention. Results: One patient had a perforation of the tympanic membrane with earmold material found to have migrated into the middle ear cleft. The tympanic membrane healed spontaneously, resulting in persistent otalgia and a maximum air-bone gap. The earmold cast was successfully removed by means of a tympanomastoidectomy. Two patients with presbycusis and normal ear canals developed eardrum perforations and conductive hearing deficits. In both patients, earmold material was found partially occupying the middle ear cleft and removed by way of a transcanal approach. Three patients with prior canal wall down mastoidectomy defects and narrow external ear canals required microtoscopy under general anesthesia or canaloplasty for removal of impacted material. Conclusion: Proper fitting of hearing aids performed by well-trained medical professionals results in a very low incidence of significant complications. Perforation of the tympanic membrane with impaction of earmold material in the middle ear or mastoid bowl may occur and can be successfully managed by standard otologic surgical techniques.
Weighted Boundary Points for Shape Analysis

Shape analysis is an active and important branch in computer vision research field. In recent years, many geometrical, topological, and statistical features have been proposed and widely used for shape-related applications. In this paper, based on the properties of Distance Transform, we present a new shape feature, weight of boundary point. By computing the shortest distances between boundary points and distance contours of a transformed shape, every boundary point is assigned a weight, which contains the interior structure information of the shape. To evaluate the proposed new shape feature, we tested the weighted boundary points on shape matching and shape decomposition. The experimental results demonstrated the validity.
The Course of Individual Adaptation to Life Changes

The study of internal processes of adaptation to external life changes is presented as a concrete approach to studying one kind of person--situation interaction. Theoretical and empirical descriptions of the course of emotional adaptation to changes and reviewed. The empirical derivation and cross-validation of a measure of four stances in a sequence of emotional adaptation to the external environment are described. Then, the validity of the notion that life changes stimulate emotional adaptation is tested in a separate study comparing college freshmen and seniors. Results indicate that freshman are concerned with issues characteristic of earlier developmental stances and seniors with later ones. The relevance and benefits of this general approach and specific methodology for the study of personality and adult development are discussed.
Effects of chronic consumption of ethanol and low-thiamin, low-protein diets on the lipid composition of rat whole brain and brain membranes

Abstract Four groups of rats were used in a nutritionally-controlled study of effects of chronic ethanol consumption on brain membrane lipid composition. Rats chronically consuming ethanol were fed high-nutrient or low-thiamin, low-protein diets. After 4 months, lipid analyses were performed on brains, brain microsomes and myelin from each group and from pair-fed, non-ethanol controls. Among the effects of ethanol was an increase of the relative proportion of cholesterol in microsomal lipids while there was decrease of it in myelin. Ethanol also increased plasmenylethanolamine while decreasing phosphatidylethanolamine proportions in myelin and in whole brain lipids, decreased the total lipid phosphorus of whole brain, and elevated the proportion of phosphatidylserine in microsomal and whole brain lipids. Effects of poor diet generally did not interfere with ethanol effects except in the case of microsomal lipids, where it apparently prevented an ethanol-induced increase in proportion of cholesterol. These changes may be adaptive responses to the fluidizing effect of ethanol on membranes.
Foreign language standards and the contexts of communication

Once upon a time, there were four skills. But what did it mean to be a listener? A speaker? A reader? A writer? Skills in a vacuum are useful neither for describing how well one uses language nor for how to teach it effectively. As the Standards were developed, the task force made an effort to look at related disciplines and to investigate how their methods might inform the teaching of second languages. As the discipline of communication was studied, the role of context became evident. For example, the speaker as rhetorician was quite distinct from the speaker in interpersonal or small group communication. The rules that governed those behaviors and the way students were taught to speak in these two situations differed considerably. What are the ramifications for how we look at communication in foreign languages? The answer is ‘The Framework of Communicative Modes’.
Suprasubduction-zone peridotite in the northern USA Appalachians: evidence from mineral composition

Mineral compositions of small peridotite bodies in an Ordovician collision zone of the Vermont Appalachians provide important clues to their tectonic environment of origin. The bodies have been deformed and partially serpentinized under greenschist- to lower amphibolite-facies conditions during the Ordovician and Devonian. Before serpentinization, the peridotite bodies were dunite as shown by their mineral assemblage and by their high MgO, and low Ti and Al whole-rock contents. Despite deformation and metamorphism, remnant olivine and spinel grains occur; their compositions are taken to represent conditions prior to regional metamorphic events. High Mg/(Mg+Fe) in olivine and very high Cr/(Cr+Al) in spinel indicate that the peridotites formed as highly-depleted mantle residues. The compositions are similar to those in harzburgite and dunite from some ophiolites and from fore-arc regions of subduction zones. Accordingly, the southern Vermont peridotites probably formed in a fore-arc, supra-subduction zone during the Early Palaeozoic. They were subsequently emplaced by obduction of the upper plate of an east-facing subduction complex.
Meeting the environmental and operational challenges of the O&G industry with TETRA - Today and future

The uptake of TETRA within the oil & gas industry is increasing rapidly, driven by the availability of tailored radios designed for this market. In addition to the regulatory issues of working in potentially explosive environments, operators generally find themselves in challenging environments - from arctic ice fields to hot deserts, from large metal machinery to expansive geographies.
Mode-finding for mixtures of Gaussian distributions

Gradient-quadratic and fixed-point iteration algorithms and appropriate values for their control parameters are derived for finding all modes of a Gaussian mixture, a problem with applications in clustering and regression. The significance of the modes found is quantified locally by Hessian-based error bars and globally by the entropy as sparseness measure.
Acid precipitation: Its role in the alkalization of a lake in Michigan

The watershed of Weber Lake in northern lower Michigan has experienced a nearly 20fold increase in proton loading from acid precipitation in the past 25 years. But, owing to alkalinity production by biologically mediated processes (nitrate uptake by plants and sulfate reduction by bacteria) and increased rates of carbonate weathering, acid precipitation has doubled the- alkalinity, raised the equilibrium pH, and made this soft-water seepage lake
Activation of sarX by Rbf is required for biofilm formation and icaADBC expression in Staphylococcus aureus

A major constituent of many Staphylococcus aureus biofilms is a polysaccharide known as the polysaccharide intercellular adhesin, or poly N-acetylglucosamine (PIA/PNAG). PIA/PNAG is synthesized by the 4 gene products of the icaADBC operon, which is negatively regulated by the divergently transcribed icaR gene. We previously reported the identification of a gene, rbf, involved in the positive transcriptional regulation of icaADBC transcription by repressing icaR in S. aureus strain 8325-4. However, we were unable to show binding of Rbf to DNA upstream of icaR or icaA, suggesting that Rbf may control expression of an unknown factor(s) that, in turn, regulates ica expression. Here we report that the unknown factor is SarX protein. Results from epistasis assays and genetic complementation analyses suggest that Rbf upregulates SarX, which then downregulates IcaR, thereby activating icaADBC. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays revealed that SarX protein bound to a sequence upstream of icaR within the icaA coding region. Cross-linking and immunoprecipitation experiments further suggested that Rbf binds to the sarX promoter in S. aureus. These results demonstrate that Rbf and SarX represent a regulatory cascade that promotes PIA-dependent biofilm formation in S. aureus.
Restricted and Elaborated Modes in the Cultural Analysis of Politics1

The "cultural turn" that swept across the social sciences a generation ago ushered in renewed attention to the cultural analysis of politics. Yet despite this growing area of research, there remains a lack of integration between cultural and noncultural studies of political phenomena. Should this state of affairs be a source of concern for cultural sociologists? I believe it should be. In this essay, I outline reasons why this is the case and what might be done to address this issue. Drawing loosely on Basil Bernstein's distinction between "restricted" and "elaborated" codes, I suggest that cultural analyses of politics need to be more "elaborated" in nature and I offer three guidelines that can orient this type of research program.
An investigation of the integrity of semantic boundaries in schizophrenia.

Abstract Organizing information and knowledge, and hence categorization, requires specifying boundaries between items, concepts and words. Over-inclusiveness in categorization may be seen as looseness of association; over-inclusive thinking was an early description of schizophrenic thinking. Recent studies suggest semantic memory problems in schizophrenia, and that thought disorder is associated with a disorganized semantic network. One such study [Psychol. Med. 24 (1994) 193], using a word categorization task, found patients slowest to respond to items semantically related to, but outside the category, whereas controls were slower responding to items sharing less features of the category (i.e. borderline). The authors suggested that there is an outward shift of semantic category boundaries in schizophrenia. In Experiment 1, we replicated Chen et al.'s (1994) methods, but did not find this qualitative difference in patients (28 patients, 26 controls). We extended this question in Experiment 2 to a more visual domain using pictures that ‘morphed’ from one entity into another and asked participants to decide when they no longer considered an item to be that item (20 patients, 25 controls). We did not find a difference between patients and controls in their sensitivity to detect boundaries of representations. These two experiments do not support the notion that thought disorder with postulated looseness of association or over-inclusive thinking is related to reduced awareness of boundaries of semantic category membership or entities, and inferentially their featural network. Despite anomalies in the semantic system in schizophrenia, we found aspects to be intact. This specificity of semantic processing is promising, suggesting that research will be informative as to how semantic memory is constructed, and thus how it can selectively break down. Moreover, this study indicates that patients do not ‘fail’ semantic tasks (e.g. priming) because of globally disorganized decision-making: here their capability to make precise distinctions between representations was intact.
Individuals With Chronic Traumatic Brain Injury Improve Walking Speed and Mobility With Intensive Mobility Training

Abstract Objective To determine the feasibility and impact of different dosages of Intensive Mobility Training (IMT) on mobility, balance, and gait speed in individuals with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design Prospective, single group design with 3-month follow-up. Setting University research laboratory. Participants Volunteer sample of participants with chronic TBI (N=10; ≥3mo post-TBI; able to ambulate 3.05m with or without assistance; median age, 35.4y; interquartile range, 23.5–46y; median time post-TBI, 9.91y; interquartile range, 6.3–14.2y). Follow-up data were collected for all participants. Interventions Twenty days (5d/wk for 4wk), with 150min/d of repetitive, task-specific training equally divided among balance; gait training; and strength, coordination, and range. Main Outcome Measures Pain and fatigue were recorded before and after each session to assess feasibility. Treatment outcomes were assessed before training (pre), after 10 sessions (interim), after 20 sessions (post), and at 3-months follow-up and included the Berg Balance Scale and gait speed. Results Participants averaged 150.1±2.7 minutes per session. Median presession and postsession pain scores were 0 (out of 10) for 20 sessions; median presession fatigue scores ranged from 0 to 2.5 (out of 10); and postsession scores ranged from 3 to 5.5 (out of 10). Four outcome measures demonstrated significant improvement from the pretest to interim, with 7 out of 10 participants exceeding the minimal detectable change (MDC) for fast walking speed. At the posttest, 2 additional measures were significant, with more participants exceeding the MDCs. Changes in fast walking speed and Timed Up and Go test were significant at follow-up. Conclusions Limited fluctuations in pain and fatigue scores indicate feasibility of IMT in this population. Participants demonstrated improvements in walking speed, mobility, and balance postintervention and maintained gains in fast walking speed and mobility at 3 months.
Proteinase activity in normal human tears: Male-female dimorphism

Recent studies using radial caseinolysis suggested that preoperative plasmin and plasminogen-activators were predictive indicators of surgical outcomes. In this study, zymography was used to determine if other caseinolytic proteases were present in normal human tears. Tear samples were collected and proteins extracted with a buffer of 2% sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), 100 mM Tris/HCl, pH 6.8. Tears were run on casein zymograms (4 mg/ml) which were incubated in 50 mM Tris/HCl, 5 mM CaCl2, 0.15 M NaCl and NaN3, (pH 7.5) at 37°C for 48 h. After staining and destaining, the caseinolytic activity was seen as cleared areas. Plasminogen activator activity was analyzed with zymograms of copolymerized casein and plasminogen incubated in phosphate buffer saline (pH 8.0) overnight at room temperature. Results showed that besides a 50 kDa plasminogen activator, human tears contained 3 other caseinolytic activities of molecular weights 90 kDa, 70 kDa and 30 kDa. These were serine proteases with optimal activities at pH...
Face-to-face interaction between infants with orofacial clefts and their mothers.

Compared mother-infant face-to-face (en face) interaction among 3-month-old infants with cleft lip and palate (CLP), infants with isolated cleft palate (CP), or nonimpaired infants (Nl). The Monadic Phase system (Tronick, Als, & Brazelton, 1980) was used to describe patterns of laboratory en face interaction in 116 mother-infant dyads. Diagnostic group comparisons of percentages of monadic phases and infant—mother monadic phase sequences revealed more similarities than differences. However, CP group mothers appeared less involved in en face interaction than mothers in the CLP group. Low maternal involvement in the combined cleft groups was predicted by concurrent measures of infant characteristics including infant negative reactivity, whereas low maternal involvement in the comparison group was predicted by maternal characteristics including low psychological distress. There was little evidence to suggest that anomalous facial appearance is a significant factor influencing the quality of early mother-infant interaction. Assessing other characteristics of the infant and the broader social context is also important.
Mortality in 7B2 null mice can be rescued by adrenalectomy: Involvement of dopamine in ACTH hypersecretion

The serine protease prohormone convertase 2 (PC2), principally involved in the processing of polypeptide hormone precursors in neuroendocrine tissues, requires interaction with the neuroendocrine protein 7B2 to generate an enzymatically active form. 7B2 null mice express no PC2 activity and release large quantities of uncleaved ACTH, resulting in a lethal endocrine condition that resembles pituitary Cushing's (Westphal, C. H., Muller, L., Zhou, A., Bonner-Weir, S., Schambelan, M., Steiner, D. F., Lindberg, I. & Leder, P. (1999) Cell 96, 689). Here, we have compared the 7B2 and PC2 null mouse models to determine why the 7B2 null, but not the PC2 null, exhibits a lethal disease state. Both 7B2 and PC2 nulls contained highly elevated pituitary adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); the neurointermediate lobe content of ACTH in 7B2 nulls was 13-fold higher than in WT mice; that of the PC2 null was 65-fold higher. However, circulating ACTH levels were much higher in the 7B2 null than in the PC2 null. Because hypothalamic inhibitory dopaminergic control represents the major influence on intermediate lobe proopiomelanocortin-derived peptide secretion, dopamine levels were measured, and they revealed that 7B2 null pituitaries contained only one-fourth of WT pituitary dopamine. Adrenalectomized 7B2 null animals survived past the usual time of death at 5 weeks; a month after adrenalectomy, they exhibited normal levels of pituitary dopamine, circulating ACTH, and corticosterone. Elevated corticosterone, therefore, seems to play a central role in the lethal phenotype of the 7B2 null, whereas a 7B2-mediated dopaminergic deficiency state may be involved in the actual ACTH hypersecretion phenomenon. Interestingly, adrenalectomized 7B2 nulls also developed unexpectedly severe obesity.
Reproduction, Juvenile Growth and Recapture Rates of Allegheny Woodrats (Neotoma magister) in Virginia

Abstract I studied the natural history of the Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister) in Virginia. The species is considered endangered, threatened or of special concern by Natural Heritage Programs in every state in its range. Important details of the woodrat's life history, specifically reproduction, growth rate and juvenile survival, are unclear. I trapped 163 juveniles and subadults 416 times over 10,107 trap nights (TN) during an 11-y study. Forty seven percent of juveniles were caught in May and June, whereas 48% of subadults were caught in September or October. Neither juveniles (P < 0.01) nor subadults (P < 0.01) were caught in proportion to trap effort in each month. Based on six litters of 14 juveniles, the average litter size was 2.3 pups. Based on captures and observations, I concluded that woodrat reproduction occurs throughout the year. The average daily weight gain (±se) for a woodrat first caught as a juvenile was 1.26 g/d (±0.23g/d). The average daily weight gain (±se) for a woodrat first ca...
Financing Long-Term Services And Supports: Options Reflect Trade-Offs For Older Americans And Federal Spending

About half of older Americans will need a high level of assistance with routine activities for a prolonged period of time. This help is commonly referred to as long-term services and supports (LTSS). Under current policies, these individuals will fund roughly half of their paid care out of pocket. Partly as a result of high costs and uncertainty, relatively few people purchase private long-term care insurance or save sufficiently to fully finance LTSS; many will eventually turn to Medicaid for help. To show how policy changes could expand insurance's role in financing these needs, we modeled several new insurance options. Specifically, we looked at a front-end-only benefit that provides coverage relatively early in the period of disability but caps benefits, a back-end benefit with no lifetime limit, and a combined comprehensive benefit. We modeled mandatory and voluntary versions of each option, and subsidized and unsubsidized versions of each voluntary option. We identified important differences among the alternatives, highlighting relevant trade-offs that policy makers can consider in evaluating proposals. If the primary goal is to significantly increase insurance coverage, the mandatory options would be more successful than the voluntary versions. If the major aim is to reduce Medicaid costs, the comprehensive and back-end mandatory options would be most beneficial.
Health Insurance Coverage and the Near Elderly, 2000

As the baby boom generation ages, the issue of health insurance coverage for near elderly individuals will become increasingly important. This paper shows that among individuals ages 55-64, 86.3 percent reported having some form of health care coverage and 13.7 percent were uninsured in 2000. Among those with health insurance, 66.8 percent had employment-based health coverage, while 9 percent were covered by an individually purchased plan, and 16.6 percent were covered by some type of public health insurance. The PDF for the above title, published in the August 2002 issue of EBRI Notes, also contains the fulltext of another August 2002 EBRI Notes article abstracted on SSRN: "Disease Management Programs."