cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Principal-Agent Relationship in Real Estate Brokerage Services

This article investigates the principal-agent relationship between the owner of a house and her real estate broker. The principal's (owner's) problem is to design a contract that induces the agent (broker) to adopt a selling strategy that maximizes the owner's expected return. A sequential search model is utilized to analyze this principal-agent relationship. Three different systems for paying the broker are considered: fixed-percentage commission, flat-fee, and consignment. Both the discount factors of the owner and the broker and the net costs of ownership incurred while attempting to sell the house play a central role in determining the nature of the optimal contract. The analysis demonstrates that the fixed-percentage commission system is the only one of the three systems considered that can induce a first-best, incentive-compatible contract. A numerical analysis provides insights regarding the effect of the fixed-percentage commission system on competition in the real estate brokerage industry.
Molecular cloning, characterization, and expression of the chicken heme oxygenase-1 gene in transfected primary cultures of chick embryo liver cells.

Abstract Using chick heme oxygenase-1 (cHO-1) cDNA as a probe, three independent clones were identified from screening a lambda FixII chick genomic library. Genomic Southern blots using this cDNA probe or a cHO-1 5′ specific probe showed that cHO-1 is a single-copy gene. Based on restriction enzyme analysis, Southern blots, polymerase chain reaction analysis and DNA sequencing, it was confirmed that the three overlapping clones isolated cover the entire cHO-1 gene, as well as approximately 10 kb of the flanking regions on both ends. As with mammalian HO-1s, cHO-1 has five exons and four introns. Computer analysis of the DNA sequence obtained identified consensus sequences corresponding to numerous transcription factor recognition elements. These include AP-1, AP-2, NF-kB, C/EBP, c-Myc and a metal-responding element identified in the promoter region, and two Sp-1 elements in intron 1. Transient expression studies in transfected primary cultures of chick embryo liver cells showed that a CAT reporter gene construct containing 2.8 kb of the cHO-1 promoter region responded to sodium arsenite, H 2 O 2 , transition metals and 12- O -tetradecanoylphorbol 13-acetate, but not to heme. Studies with deletion mutants, consisting of various lengths of the cHO-1 promoter region, indicated that there are two regions important for sodium arsenite induction, one located between residues −1642 and −1293, and the second located in the first 263 base pairs of the cHO-1 promoter. DNA binding studies by electrophoretic mobility shift assay showed that nuclear protein isolated from primary cultures of chick embryo liver cells bound to the oligonucleotide probe containing an AP-1 element identified at −1573 to −1580. In addition, such binding was increased by cobalt or sodium arsenite treatment.
Specific and Diversive Curiosity and Depression in Junior High School Students of Divorced and Nondivorced Parents

124 junior high school students (Grades 5 to 8) from a small school district in north central Kansas completed the Beck Depression Scale, the Maze test, and the Which-to-Discuss test. Background information, such as age, sex, grade, and marital status of parents, were also collected. There were no significant differences between boys and girls of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades for scores on the Which-to-Discuss (specific curiosity) and depression, but boys scored significantly higher on the Maze test (diversive curiosity). No differences were noted between the students of divorced and nondivorced parents or across grades. Scores on Which-to-Discuss test and Maze test were not significantly correlated, but scores on one Maze test and depression correlated positively and significantly. When these students scored as more depressed, although in the normal range, they tended to score higher on diversive curiosity.
Chemical Characterization and Physical Properties of Solvents Derived from Epoxidized Methyl Soyate

Reactions of epoxidized methyl soyate (EMS) with alcohols, carbon dioxide, and acetone yielded liquids with solvent properties that make them more suitable than methyl soyate for dissolving polar substances. The reactions of EMS in the presence of Amberlyst-15 with alcohols, including methanol, ethanol, n-butanol, and 2-methoxyethanol, produced a series of solvents containing ether (–OR) and alcohol (–OH) groups. Reactions of EMS with carbon dioxide and acetone gave products with carbonate and ketonide functional groups, respectively. The complex mixture of compounds present in the product, EMS(MeOH), resulting from the reaction of EMS with MeOH, was characterized by MS and NMR investigations. In addition to products resulting from MeOH addition across the epoxide ring, were major amounts of cyclic tetrahydrofuran derivatives that were derived from reactions of methyl linoleate (18:2) with MeOH. All of the solvents were characterized by high boiling points and low vapor pressures. Their viscosities were higher than that of methyl soyate. Especially notable were their very high Kauri-butanol values, which ranged from 280 to 852, all of which are much higher than that (57) of methyl soyate. Such high KB values indicate that these solvents have very favorable solubilizing properties, which is illustrated by the ability of EMS(MeOH) to readily dissolve both polar (e.g., MeOH) and non-polar (e.g., hexane) compounds.
Instantaneous Bethe-Salpeter equation.

We present a systematic algebraic and numerical investigation of the instantaneous Beth-Salpeter equation. Emphasis is placed on confining interaction kernels of the Lorentz scalar, time component vector, and full vector-types. We explore the stability of the solutions and Regge behavior for each of these interactions, and conclude that only time component vector confinement leads to normal Regge structure and stable solutions for all quark masses.
Rise of the grassland biome, central North America

Fossil floras and mammalian faunas from the Great Plains indicate that as aridity increased during the Miocene and Pliocene, forests and woodlands were confined gradually to moister valleys as grassland spread on the interfluves which were covered earlier with park-like openings. The initial rise of extensive grasslands probably commenced in the Miocene-Pliocene transition (7-5 m.y. ago), the driest part of the Tertiary, which restricted forests and woodlands and encouraged the explosive evolution of grasses and forbs. Following the fluctuation of Pleistocene climatevegetation zones, warm, dry Altithermal climate restricted wooded tracts at the expense of spreading grasslands. The rise of the grassland biome was thus due to occasional periods of increased aridity that restricted forests and woodlands and favored grasses and forbs; to increasing drought west of the 100th meridian which created a flammable source (dry grass); to natural and man-made fires on the relatively flat plains over which fire could spread uninterruptedly; to fire that destroyed relict trees and groves on the flat grasslands, restricting them to rocky ridges removed from fire; and probably also to large browsing mammals (many now extinct) that may have destroyed scattered trees and shrubs on the interfluves during the Altithermal. Youthfulness of the grassland biome agrees with a) the occurrence of most of its species in the bordering forests and woodlands, b) the presence of few endemic plants in it, a relation shown also by insects and birds, c) the relict occurrence of diverse trees over the region, and d) the invasion of grassland by woody vegetation.
Nicki-aesthetics: the camp performance of Nicki Minaj

In this essay, the author contends that Nicki Minaj practices what he terms nicki-aesthetics, a form of black performance art that employs an extravagant theatricality and a vivid, intensely hued style. Nicki-aesthetics shares qualities with the sensibility of camp, as outlined in Susan Sontag's 1964 article “Notes on ‘Camp,’” yet challenges camp's assumed association with white gay men as well as its reduction of women to objects (rather than subjects) within the camp universe. Nicki-aesthetics realigns blackness and camp as mutually constitutive (rather than oppositional) forms, while reconfiguring camp as a black female-centered practice. In addition, Nicki Minaj demonstrates her dexterity at performing nicki-aesthetics in an offbeat interview on Elle magazine's website while deploying avatars to play multiple roles. In doing so, nicki-aesthetics' quirky blend of artifice and alterity ultimately rebukes hip-hop's obsession with authenticity.
Semipacked columns with atomic layer-deposited alumina as a stationary phase

Abstract A new approach is described for utilizing atomic layer-deposited alumina as a gas–solid stationary phase medium for microfabricated gas chromatography columns. After atomic layer deposition (ALD) of aluminum oxide, a chloroalkylsilane is utilized to functionalize the oxide surface to improve peak symmetry and retention times. Semipacked columns (1 m-long, 190 μm-wide, 180 μm-deep with 20 μm-embedded circular micropillars) were utilized for validation of this newly developed approach. ALD-treated/silane-functionalized columns efficiently separated a multicomponent sample mixture and yielded 4200 plates per meter. The ALD-based stationary phase is found to be stable after multiple injections and at high operating temperatures. The proposed method facilitates a simple and wafer-level coating scheme that provides a highly controllable film thickness. The inherent properties of atomic layer deposition provide an easy route to coat very challenging microfabricated column designs.
Promoting Stringent Glycemic Control Before and During Pregnancy

Stringent preconception glycemic control for women with type 1 and type 2 diabetes is essential for preventing early pregnancy loss and congenital malformations in infants.
Exacerbation of Experimental Autoimmune Encephalomyelitis in P2X7R−/− Mice: Evidence for Loss of Apoptotic Activity in Lymphocytes

The purinergic receptor P2X 7 R is a nucleotide-gated ion channel that has been proposed to function as a major regulator of inflammation. In this study we examined the role of this receptor in regulating inflammation in the CNS by determining the effects of the loss of this receptor (P2X 7 R −/− ) on experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis. We show here that P2X 7 R −/− mice developed more severe clinical and pathological expression of EAE than wild type (WT) controls and that spleen and lymph node cells from P2X 7 R −/− mice proliferated more vigorously to Ag in vitro. Bone marrow (BM) radiation chimeras revealed that enhanced susceptibility to EAE was detected in chimeric mice of WT host engrafted with P2X 7 R −/− BM cells, indicating that the genotype of the BM cells regulated disease susceptibility. Coculture of P2X 7 R −/− macrophages with WT lymphocytes and vice versa showed that enhanced proliferative activity resided within the P2X 7 R −/− lymphocyte population and correlated with reduced levels of IFN-γ and NO and apoptosis of lymphocytes. mRNA and protein for IFN-γ were also significantly reduced in the CNS of P2X 7 R −/− mice with EAE. FACS analysis of cells isolated from the CNS showed significantly fewer annexin V/propidium iodide-positive lymphocytes in the CNS of P2X 7 R −/− mice early in the disease, and TUNEL staining of inflamed CNS tissues supported this result. From these data we conclude that enhanced susceptibility of P2X 7 R −/− mice to EAE reflects a loss of apoptotic activity in lymphocytes, supporting an important role for this receptor in lymphocyte homeostasis.
High resolution protein localization using soft x-ray microscopy

Soft X-ray microscopes can be used to examine whole, hydrated cells up to 10 microm thick and produce images approaching 30 nm resolution. Since cells are imaged in the X-ray transmissive "water window", where organic material absorbs approximately an order of magnitude more strongly than water, chemical contrast enhancement agents are not required to view the distribution of cellular structures. Although living specimens cannot be examined, cells can be rapidly frozen at a precise moment in time and examined in a cryostage, revealing information that most closely approximates that in live cells. In this study, we used a transmission X-ray microscope at photon energies just below the oxygen edge (lambda = 2.4 nm) to examine rapidly frozen mouse 3T3 cells and obtained excellent cellular morphology at better than 50 nm lateral resolution. These specimens are extremely stable, enabling multiple exposures with virtually no detectable damage to cell structures. We also show that silver-enhanced, immunogold labelling can be used to localize both cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins in whole, hydrated mammary epithelial cells at better than 50 nm resolution. The future use of X-ray tomography, along with improved zone plate lenses, will enable collection of better resolution (approaching 30 nm), three-dimensional information on the distribution of proteins in cells.
A Multimedia Panopticon: Media, Translation, and History in OMA's S,M,L,XL and the Arnhem Prison

This essay argues that S,M,L,XL is a digital multimedia architectural project that sought to redefine the relationship between architecture and various other media on the cusp of architectural culture's widespread digitization. It uses one design included within the text, OMA's proposed renovations for the Panoptic Prison in Arnhem, the Netherlands, to analyze how Rem Koolhaas and his firm synthesize a wide range of media to create and theorize their own conception of modern architectural history as a fantastical state of imprisonment.
Influence of the location of substituents in substituted celluloses on solution hydrolysis of the d-glucosidic linkages

Abstract Sensitivity of the d -glucosidic linkages in cellulose to hydrolysis in homogeneous acidic media was found to be directly related to the location of a substituent in the d -glucoyranosyl unit. The 2-diethylaminoethyl (DEAE) substituent caused sensitivity toward hydrolysis to decrease in the order d -glucose > 3-O >6-O- 2-O-DEAE- d -glucopyranosyl-unit in hydrolyses beginning in 72% sulfuric acid and in 100% trifluoroacetic acid (TFA). Differences in the substituent effects were larger in TFA than in sulfuric acid. The effects reported for acid-catalyzed hydrolyses in homogeneous media are discussed relative to enzymic hydrolysis of a water-soluble, O-substituted cellulose.
Estimating Natural Attenuation Rate Constants Using a Fuzzy Framework

Fuzzy set theoretic approaches provide convenient tools to quantify subjective information and characterize the decision-maker's preferences with minimal data. The estimation of natural attenuation and degradation rates, using the method of Buschek and Alcantar (1995), while pragmatic, is subject to significant imprecision due to mathematical simplifications and site complexities. In this paper, two fuzzy approaches, namely fuzzy arithmetic and fuzzy regression, are used to characterize the variability in the estimated degradation and attenuation rates. The variability in the input parameters can be characterized using membership functions that characterize the decision-maker's perception of likely values. The choice of the membership function for critical inputs is seen to affect the variability in the estimated outputs. Similarly, the decision-maker's belief related to the compatibility of the steady-state model to represent the observed plume behavior at the site can also be quantified using a compatibility criterion. Sensitivity studies carried out using the fuzzy-based estimation methodology are extremely useful to assess how differences in the decision-makers’preferences will affect the estimated rate constants and associated variability. As such, the proposed methodology is of high value during negotiations related to monitored natural attenuation.
Explaining Causal Selection with Explanatory Causal Economy: Biology and Beyond

Among the factors necessary for the occurrence of some event, which of these are selectively highlighted in its explanation and labeled as causes—and which are explanatorily omitted, or relegated to the status of background conditions? Following J. S. Mill, most have thought that only a pragmatic answer to this question was possible. In this paper I suggest we understand this ‘causal selection problem’ in causal-explanatory terms, and propose that explanatory trade-offs between abstraction and stability can provide a principled solution to it. After sketching that solution, it is applied to a few biological examples.
Turbo coded software radio performance over a UHF satellite channel

The end-to-end performance of a turbo-coded waveform is measured on a MIL-STD-188-181 UHF satellite communications channel. The waveform implements a coherent BPSK modulation with a rate 1/2 turbo code on a software radio test-bed. All baseband transmitter and receiver functions are performed by software modules hosted on commercial hardware, specifically programmable digital signal processors and a general-purpose microprocessor. The software radio interfaces with standard UHF satellite communications transceivers at their 70 MHz intermediate frequency. Bit error rate performance is measured and compared with laboratory hardware loop-back tests and Monte Carlo simulations.
Accounting for individual differences when comparing the effectiveness of remedial language teaching methods

Two language intervention methods were compared on their effectiveness at improving syntactic structures as measured by gain scores on the Developmental Sentence Scoring (DSS) procedure. Forty-one expressive language delayed children were assigned to either an Interactive approach (n = 25) or a Programmed approach (n = 16), following a series of 13 pre-training diagnostic tests. An analysis of group mean DSS gain scores did not indicate a significant difference between the two teaching methods. However, when individual differences on the pre-training tests were incorporated into further group comparisons, disordinal Aptitude × Treatment interactions occurred for measures of intelligence, initial syntax level, and visual-motor integration. The Interactive approach optimized syntax improvement for children with relatively high pre-training scores on each of the three measures, whereas the Programmed approach resulted in superior syntax performance for low-scoring children.
Expression of a murine leukemia virus Gag-Escherichia coli RNase HI fusion polyprotein significantly inhibits virus spread.

The antiviral strategy of capsid-targeted viral inactivation (CTVI) was designed to disable newly produced virions by fusing a Gag or Gag-Pol polyprotein to a degradative enzyme (e.g., a nuclease or protease) that would cause the degradative enzyme to be inserted into virions during assembly. Several new experimental approaches have been developed that increase the antiviral effect of the CTVI strategy on retroviral replication in vitro. A Moloney murine leukemia virus (Mo-MLV) Gag-Escherichia coli RNase HI fusion has a strong antiviral effect when used prophylactically, inhibiting the spread of Mo-MLV and reducing virus titers 1,500- to 2,500-fold. A significant (approximately 100-fold) overall improvement of the CTVI prophylactic antiviral effect was produced by a modification in the culture conditions which presumably increases the efficiency of delivery and expression of the Mo-MLV Gag fusion polyproteins. The therapeutic effect of Mo-MLV Gag-RNase HI polyproteins is to reduce the production of infectious Mo-MLV up to 18-fold. An Mo-MLV Gag-degradative enzyme fusion junction was designed that can be cleaved by the Mo-MLV protease to release the degradative enzyme.
Impulse Model Design of Acoustic Surface-Wave Filters

The design of surface acoustic wave bandpass filters which utilize interdigital electrode transducers is reviewed. The impulse-response description of interdigital transducers is extended to allow calculation of transducer input admittance and filter frequency response with much less effort than required by earlier equivalent-circuit model approaches. The application of the impulse model to the straightforward design of VHF and higher frequency bandpass filters is discussed and several examples of high-performance surface-wave bandpass filters are given.
International Financial Crises: Scourge or Blessings in Disguise?

In this article, the authors study the consequences of financial crises in Argentina, Brazil, South Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, and Turkey and present an attempt to identify winners and losers during and after the crises. Through empirical analysis, the authors find that financial crises seem to benefit certain segments of international finance capital, and domestic capital, and structural changes imposed on the economy to remedy the situation further the interests and power of capital in general.
Experience with extensible, portable Fortran extensions

We assess the impact over a three-year period, of the macro-pre-processor MORTRAN, and one of the languages it processes. We confine our assessment to SLAC and Stanford since, although MORTRAN has been widely distributed in the United States and to a lesser extent in Europe, we have no personal knowledge of its impact elsewhere. The impact is attributed to three factors: (1) portability, (2) compatibility (with existing FORTRAN libraries), and (3) extensibility, which is sub-divided into (a) extension of control structures, and (6) extension of data structures. We divide the impact into an "initial" impact which we relate to control structure extensions, and a "secondary" impact which we relate to data structure extensions. MORTRAN is currently being used at SLAC to process large production programs, some of which exceed ten thousand lines of MORTRAN source code.
Estimation of images and nonrigid deformations in gated emission CT

In this paper, we propose and test a new iterative algorithm to simultaneously estimate the nonrigid motion vector fields and the emission images for a complete cardiac cycle in gated cardiac emission tomography. We model the myocardium as an elastic material whose motion does not generate large amounts of strain. As a result, our method is based on minimizing an objective function consisting of the negative logarithm of a maximum likelihood image reconstruction term, the standard biomechanical model of strain energy, and an image matching term that ensures a measure of agreement of intensities between frames. Simulations are obtained using data for the four-dimensional (4-D) NCAT phantom. The data models realistic noise levels in a typical gated myocardial perfusion SPECT study. We show that our simultaneous algorithm produces images with improved spatial resolution characteristics and noise properties compared with those obtained from postsmoothed 4-D maximum likelihood methods. The simulations also demonstrate improved motion estimates over motion estimation using independently reconstructed images
Adaptive Influence Distance Algorithm for Contouring Bus-Based Power System Data

One viable option for the visualization of bus-based power system data is contouring. As contouring research progresses, more computationally efficient methods must be developed. A new algorithm presented here uses the concept of creating a unique influence distance for each bus. The distance is based on the closest g number of buses, instead of previous methods that use the same influence distance for each bus. The improvement in speed, along with the overall accuracy and pictorial quality of the images produced by this algorithm are examined in this paper
Adaptor Function of PapF Depends on Donor Strand Exchange in P-Pilus Biogenesis of Escherichia coli

P-pilus biogenesis occurs via the highly conserved chaperone-usher pathway and involves the strict coordination of multiple subunit proteins. All nonadhesin structural P-pilus subunits possess the same topology, consisting of two domains: an incomplete immunoglobulin-like fold (pilin body) and an N-terminal extension. Pilus subunits form interactions with one another through donor strand exchange, occurring at the usher, in which the N-terminal extension of an incoming subunit completes the pilin body of the preceding subunit, allowing the incorporation of the subunit into the pilus fiber. In this study, pilus subunits in which the N-terminal extension was either deleted or swapped with that of another subunit were used to examine the role of each domain of PapF in functions involving donor strand exchange and hierarchical assembly. We found that the N-terminal extension of PapF is required to adapt the PapG adhesin to the tip of the fiber. The pilin body of PapF is required to efficiently initiate assembly of the remainder of the pilus, with the assistance of the N-terminal extension. Thus, distinct functions were assigned to each region of the PapF subunit. In conclusion, all pilin subunits possess the same overall architectural topology; however, each N-terminal extension and pilin body has specific functions in pilus biogenesis.
Flow separation in a diverging conical duct: Effect of Reynolds number and divergence angle

Fluid flows in passages whose cross-sectional area increases in the streamwise direction are prone to separation. Here, the flow in a conical diffuser fed by a fully developed velocity at its inlet and mated at its downstream end to a long circular pipe is investigated by means of numerical simulation. A universal flow-regime model was used to accommodate possible laminarization of flows having moderate-turbulent and transitional Reynolds numbers at the diffuser inlet. It was found that flow separation occurred for a diffuser expansion angle of 5° for inlet Reynolds numbers less than about 2000. This finding invalidates a prior rule-of-thumb that flow separation first occurs at a divergence angle of seven degrees. Results from the 10 and 30° simulations showed separation at all investigated Reynolds numbers. The largest streamwise length of the separation zones occurred at the lower Reynolds numbers.
Suspending and Resuming Computations in Engines for SLG Evaluation

SLD resolution, the evaluation mechanism for Prolog programs, is modeled as a sequence of SLD trees. Since only one branch of an SLD tree needs to be active at any time, SLD can be implemented via engines whose memory management is stack-based, as the WAM. Tabling, and more specifically SLG resolution, is modeled as a sequence of forests of trees in which several computation paths may need to be active at any time. This reflects the fact that a computation path that consumes answers may need to be suspended and resumed multiple times as answers are derived.The SLGWAM architecture defines instructions to implement SLG resolution. Implementations of the SLGWAM architecture have so far shown a great deal of similarity in table access methods, high-level scheduling strategies, and support for incremental completion. However they have made different choices in what may be termed environment management: how to store suspended environments and how to check whether these environments need to be resumed. This paper describes the environment management techniques of different implementations of the SLGWAM architecture and analyzes their performance.
A new taxonomy of mammalian MHC class I molecules

Abstract With the continuing identification of new and divergent major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class I proteins, some with potentially novel functions, the ‘class Ib' category is now outdated. Here, Austin Hughes and colleagues propose a change in the way we classify class I genes and their products.
A phase-reduced neuro-mechanical model for insect locomotion: feed-forward stability and proprioceptive feedback

In earlier work, we have developed an integrated model for insect locomotion that includes a central pattern generator (CPG), nonlinear muscles, hexapedal geometry and a representative proprioceptive sensory pathway. Here, we employ phase reduction and averaging theory to replace 264 ordinary differential equations (ODEs), describing bursting neurons in the CPG, their synaptic connections to motoneurons, muscle activation dynamics and sensory neurons, with 24 one-dimensional phase oscillators that describe motoneuronal activation of agonist-antagonist muscle pairs driving the jointed legs. Reflexive feedback is represented by stereotypical spike trains with rates proportional to joint torques, which change phase relationships among the motoneuronal oscillators. Restriction to the horizontal plane, neglect of leg mass and use of Hill-type muscle models yield a biomechanical body-limb system with only three degrees of freedom, and the resulting hybrid dynamical system involves 30 ODEs: reduction by an order of magnitude. We show that this reduced model captures the dynamics of unperturbed gaits and the effects of an impulsive perturbation as accurately as the original one. Moreover, the phase response and coupling functions provide an improved understanding of reflexive feedback mechanisms.
A spatial regression procedure for evaluating the relationship between AVHRR-NDVI and climate in the northern Great Plains

The relationship between vegetation and climate in the grassland and cropland of the northern US Great Plains was investigated with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) (1989–1993) images derived from the Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and climate data from automated weather stations. The relationship was quantified using a spatial regression technique that adjusts for spatial autocorrelation inherent in these data. Conventional regression techniques used frequently in previous studies are not adequate, because they are based on the assumption of independent observations. Six climate variables during the growing season; precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, daily maximum and minimum air temperature, soil temperature, solar irradiation were regressed on NDVI derived from a 10-km weather station buffer. The regression model identified precipitation and potential evapotranspiration as the most significant climatic variables, indicating that the water balance is the most imp...
Frailty, Inflammation, and Mortality Among Persons Aging With HIV Infection and Injection Drug Use

Background Serum markers of inflammation increase with age and have been strongly associated with adverse clinical outcomes among both HIV-infected and uninfected adults. Yet, limited data exist on the predictive and clinical utility of aggregate measures of inflammation. This study sought to evaluate the relationship of a recently validated aggregate inflammatory index with frailty and mortality among aging HIV-infected and uninfected injection drug users. Methods Frailty was assessed among HIV-infected and uninfected participants in the AIDS Linked to the IntraVenous Experience (ALIVE) cohort study using the five Fried phenotypic criteria: weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, decreased grip strength, and slow gait. The aggregate inflammatory index was constructed from serum measures of interleukin-6 and soluble tumor necrosis factor-α receptor-1. Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess the relationship of frailty with inflammation. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate risk for all-cause mortality. Results Among 1,326 subjects, the median age was 48 years and 29% were HIV-infected. Adjusting for sociodemographics, comorbidity, and HIV status, frailty was significantly associated with each standard deviation increase in log interleukin-6 (odds ratio 1.33; 95% CI, 1.09-1.61), log tumor necrosis factor-α receptor-1 (odds ratio 1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.51) and inflammatory index score (odds ratio 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14-1.68). Adjusting for sociodemographics, comorbidity, HIV status, and frailty, the inflammatory index score was independently associated with increased mortality (HR 1.65; 95% CI, 1.44-1.89). Conclusion A recently validated, simple, biologically informed inflammatory index is independently associated with frailty and mortality risk among aging HIV-infected and uninfected injection drug users.
HYBRIDIZATION AND ITS TAXONOMIC IMPLICATIONS IN THE SCAEVOLA GAUDICHAUDIANA COMPLEX OF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS.

The family Goodeniaceae embraces a total of about 14 genera and 320 herbaceous and shrubby species, of which nine genera and about 250 species are restricted to Australia (Krause, 1912; Engler and Melchior, 1964). The genus Scaevola includes perhaps 90 species of which about 65, nearly all herbaceous, are confined to Australia. Of the approximately 25 scaevolas that occur outside of Australia, about 20 comprise the exclusively woody section Sarcocarpaea. This section portrays an evolutionary line that has been highly successful in crossing ocean barriers, for it extends from Australia to the Marquesas, Hawaii, Formosa, Java, and to the shores of the Indian Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean, and the Caribbean Sea. Dispersal has been accomplished through the evolution either of buoyant fruits conveyed by ocean currents, or of edible, fleshy drupaceous fruits carried by birds (Guppy, 1906; Carlquist, 1965). It is likely that the ingress of representatives of the genus Scaevola, section Sarcocarpea, to the Hawaiian Islands involved at least three dispersal events. Of the seven indigenous Hawaiian species, only the beach species, Scaevola sericea, is ocean dispersed and it very probably arrived through a separate introduction. The six upland species all have conspicuous, nonfloating drupaceous fruits associated with bird dispersal. Of the latter it would seem less speculative to credit the highly distinctive montane S. glabra (Camphusia glabra) to a separate introduction. The remaining five indigenous, bird-dispersed upland species may have evolved from a single introduction. Two of the latter species, S. gaudichaudiana Chamisso and S. mollis Hook. & Arn., along with numerous related populations, constitute the S. gaudichaudiana complex. This complex occurs on the older, western group of the Hawaiian Islands including Molokai, Lanai, Oahu, and Kauai. The two species are distinguished by five character differences that are presented below:
Using Virtual Environments to Investigate Natural Visually Guided Behavior

Investigation of visual performance in natural tasks is now much more feasible, given developments in monitoring eye, and body movements in unconstrained observers, together with the ability to render complex virtual environments in real time.
Comparison of Chain and Independent Grocery Stores in the San Francisco Area

MUCH factual information has been gathered on the economic position of chain and independent stores. On the social side of the problem, in the matter of relative support of the community by the chain and independent stores, little data is available. Paul H. Nystrom in his appraisal of the attack on chain stores under title of "Mars Over the Channels of Trade" in the American Marketing Journal, October 1935, says: "There is probably considerable fact basis for the criticism that chains do not support local community movements as much as they should. This problem deserves the study of both independent retailers and chain store executives. Some progress has already been made upon this point. More can no doubt be done. However, this criticism certainly does not constitute a sufficient basis for attempting to restrict or drive chains out of existence." To obtain some measure of the relative contributions to their communities by both chain and independent grocery stores, a survey was conducted during the past year in the San Francisco Peninsula area. Grocery stores were studied because it is in this field that the chains have had their most rapid growth and because the hot-bed of the struggle between chain and independent retailers centers in the food-retailing business. The study was made by a research agent working as an unbiased observer under direction of a member of the staff of the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. The area covered included the cities of San Bruno, Millbrae, Burlingame, San Mateo, San Carlos, Redwood City, Menlo Park, Palo Alto, Mountain View and Sunnyvale. Employees of the grocery stores in these cities were interviewed and reports obtained from a representative group of 226 persons-102 chain stores employees and 124 independent store employees. No attempt was made to collect material from employees of roadside and neighborhood types of stores.
Methods and experience of position competition for the primary nurses

Objective To create a competitive atmosphere and improve the quality of nursing through the position competition among primay nurses.Method The primary nurses were selected and appointed through competition by the means of theory and skills examination.Results This practice motivated nurses' working enthusiasm and improved their general quality.As a result,the patients' satisfaction increased from 90.00% to 97.60%.The doctors' satisfaction increased from 93.62% to 98.36%.Conclusion The position competition for the primary nurses can resolve the problem of doing well or doing awfully is same and create favorable competitive atmosphere.
Sensitivity, Detection Limit, Precision and Accuracy in Flame Emission and Atomic Absorption Spectrometry

This chapter deals primarily with the practical aspects of achieving low detection limits, high sensitivity, precision and accuracy in the fields of flame emission and atomic absorption. Emphasis is placed on the role of the various components of the instrument and on the control of experimental variables that govern the selection of optimum conditions for attaining these goals. It includes for guidance tables of some of the current results which other workers have achieved in this field. It also discusses the definitions of these terms, but it focuses mainly on the description of techniques and on the instruments which an analyst requires to use these techniques more effectively.
Linguistic Resources for Effective, Affordable, Reusable Speech-to-Text.

This paper describes ongoing efforts at Linguistic Data Consortium to create shared evaluation resources for improved speech-to-text technology. The DARPA EARS Program (Effective, Affordable, Reusable Speech-to-Text) is focused on enabling core STT technology to produce rich, highly accurate output in a range of languages and speaking styles. The aggressive EARS program goals motivate new approaches to corpus creation and distribution. EARS research sites require multilingual broadcast news and telephone speech, transcripts and annotations at a much higher volume than for any previous technology program. In response to these demands, LDC has developed new corpora for training and evaluating speech-to-text systems in English, Arabic and Chinese and to support systems that distinguish speakers, identify and repair disfluencies and punctuate a text to improve readability.
Urea kinetic modeling at high urea clearances: implications for clinical practice.

The original description of urea kinetic modeling in hemodialysis was based on a single pool of fluid equal to total body water. This assumption is valid only if the rate of transport between compartments is sufficiently rapid compared with the rate of urea removed by hemodialysis. We have reexamined the issue of urea compartmentation using 10 patients with initial BUN values ranging from 28 to 101 mg/dL who were studied while on high flux hemodiafiltration. Sampling was carried out at times as short as 1 minute after the beginning of the treatment. In 4 patients, samples were also drawn after the dialysis ended. The measured BUN values were used to fit a two-compartment, variable-volume kinetic model. The mean urea diffusive clearance of the dialyzer during the treatment was 503 mL/minute, and the bidirectional urea clearance between compartments was 1,282 mL/minute. The percentage of total body water in the rapidly exchangeable compartment was 35.4%. Comparison with a onecompartment, variable-volume model showed a statistically better fit for all patients with the more complex model. In the 4 patients studied in the postdialysis period, the rebound in BUN ranged from 22% to 24%. These studies show that, at high urea clearances, the urea distribution space and, therefore, dialysis modeling requires two compartments. These results explain the majority of the rebound in urea concentration observed 30 to 60 minutes following the discontinuation of the dialysis treatment and point out an improved strategy for monitoring the efficiency of the treatment delivered to the patient.
Factors that influence fertility after vasovasostomy in rats

Objective To determine if fertility after vasovasostomy of immunologically responsive Lewis rats differs from that of the less responsive Sprague-Dawley strain and to relate fertility to antisperm antibodies, fluid flow in the vas deferens, and testicular structure. Design Male rats received: (1) bilateral vasectomies; (2) vasectomies followed 3months later by vasovasostomy; or (3) sham operations. Setting Research laboratory. Main Outcome Measures Fertility was assessed by caging males with three females for 2weeks and subsequently counting implantation sites. Antisperm antibodies were measured with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, fluid flow through vas deferens segments was tested in vitro, and testicular structure was studied microscopically. Results Nearly all vasovasostomized Lewis rats were infertile (33 of 34), whereas 62% (18 of 29) Sprague-Dawley rats were fertile after vasovasostomy ( P Conclusions Genetic differences affect fertility after vasovasostomy. Fertility after vasovasostomy is also influenced in a multifactorial manner by the immune response, mechanical elements, and structural changes in the reproductive tract.
Systematic dosage reduction in treatment-resistant schizophrenic patients.

Thirteen treatment-resistant, chronically institutionalized schizophrenic patients on high-dose neuroleptic (the equivalent of at least 50 mg of haloperidol (HPL) daily) were transferred to a special research ward for a trial of systematic dosage reduction. In these 13 patients, it was possible to reduce the dose of HPL from 63.1 mg/day (SD +/- 12.5, range = 50-80 mg/day) to 23.1 mg/day (SD +/- 16.3, range = 0-65 mg/day) over a mean period of 32 weeks (SD +/- 9.6, range = 15-46 weeks). Their total Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) scores were improved (p = .04), they definitely experienced fewer extrapyramidal side effects (p = .01), and 6 of the patients showed global improvement. On several behavioral rating scales there was, if anything, an improvement in negativistic behavior. The substantial dosage reduction was paralleled by a comparable drop in plasma levels. HPL plasma levels at baseline were 38.8 ng/mL (SD +/- 17.8, range = 21.5-69.5 ng/mL) and at the lowest effective dose were 12.4 ng/mL (SD +/- 10.3, range = 0-43.4 ng/mL).
Aspirin and nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug use in elderly women: effects on a marker of bone resorption. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group

Objective. Epidemiological studies suggest nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drug (NSAID) and aspirin use is associated with a modest increase in bone mineral density of the hip and lumbar spine. The ability of NSAID to block prostaglandin E 2 production has been shown to impair osteoclast activity in animal models. To determine if regular use of these compounds inhibits bone resorption, we assessed NSAID or aspirin use and N-telopeptide crosslink excretion in elderly postmenopausal women. Methods. N-telopeptide crosslink excretion was assessed from a consecutive sample of 499 women from the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures, age > 65 years, who provided a morning urine sample. Questionnaire, examination, and bone mineral density data were obtained at the same visit. Results. In unadjusted models, daily use of NSAID or aspirin was associated with a reduction of 12.5% (95% CI 0.5. 24.5) in N-telopeptide crosslink excretion (p < 0.05). After adjustment for potential confounders, N-telopeptide crosslink excretion was -4.8% (95% CI -24.4, 14.8) in NSAID users and +7.6% (-9.3, 24.5) in aspirin users compared to nonusers. Conclusion. Regular use of either NSAID or aspirin by elderly women was not associated with reduction in N-telopeptide crosslink excretion compared to nonusers.
Abdominal Fat and African-Americans: Incidence and Relationship to Disease

This chapter reviews the incidence of abdominal fat and visceral adipose tissue (VAT) in African-American (AA) adults and children, and examines their relationship to cardiometabolic disease. Racial differences in the amount of abdominal fat and VAT stores have been reported in multiple investigations. Despite a greater prevalence of obesity in AAs, studies have consistently shown lower amounts of metabolically harmful VAT in AAs compared to other races or ethnicities. Since AAs have been shown to have less VAT compared to other races/ethnicities, even when matched for body mass index, it may be expected that cardiovascular and metabolic disease risk would also be lower in AAs. However, there is evidence that this speculation does not hold true. This chapter also provides evidence that AAs have lower VAT thresholds at which cardiometabolic disease risk increases compared to other races, as well as data showing racial differences in hormonal variations related to VAT.
Comorbid ADHD and Tic Disorder

Motor system excitability was measured in 16 children with ADHD, 16 with chronic tic disorder or Tourette’s disorder (TD), 16 with comorbid ADHD and TD, and 16 healthy control children, in a study at the University of Gottingen, Germany.
Trade-offs and efficiencies in optimal budget-constrained multispecies corridor networks

Conservation biologists recognize that a system of isolated protected areas will be necessary but insufficient to meet biodiversity objectives. Current approaches to connecting core conservation areas through corridors consider optimal corridor placement based on a single optimization goal: commonly, maximizing the movement for a target species across a network of protected areas. We show that designing corridors for single species based on purely ecological criteria leads to extremely expensive linkages that are suboptimal for multispecies connectivity objectives. Similarly, acquiring the least-expensive linkages leads to ecologically poor solutions. We developed algorithms for optimizing corridors for multispecies use given a specific budget. We applied our approach in western Montana to demonstrate how the solutions may be used to evaluate trade-offs in connectivity for 2 species with different habitat requirements, different core areas, and different conservation values under different budgets. We evaluated corridors that were optimal for each species individually and for both species jointly. Incorporating a budget constraint and jointly optimizing for both species resulted in corridors that were close to the individual species movement-potential optima but with substantial cost savings. Our approach produced corridors that were within 14% and 11% of the best possible corridor connectivity for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and wolverines (Gulo gulo), respectively, and saved 75% of the cost. Similarly, joint optimization under a combined budget resulted in improved connectivity for both species relative to splitting the budget in 2 to optimize for each species individually. Our results demonstrate economies of scale and complementarities conservation planners can achieve by optimizing corridor designs for financial costs and for multiple species connectivity jointly. We believe that our approach will facilitate corridor conservation by reducing acquisition costs and by allowing derived corridors to more closely reflect conservation priorities.