cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Study of Ardmore, Oklahoma storm clouds. I - Convective storm cloud initiation and development based on the remote sensing gravity-wave-induced convection. II - Satellite infrared remote sensing and numerical simulation

The role of gravity waves is discussed with respect to the vertical velocity of convection. Specific attention is given to wave-induced convection which contributes to the fractions of formation and the development of severe convective storms. Large-amplitude gravity waves and convective instability were investigated in storm clouds above Ardmore, Oklahoma. Rapid-scan satellite imagery and radar summaries provide evidence of water-vapor condensation related to convection which is introduced by gravity waves. Gravity wave periods of 35 minutes are found to initiate weak convection, which can be intensified by gravity waves with periods of 20 minutes. The convective motion reaches a maximum about one hour before funnel clouds develop. Other mechanisms which contribute to convective motion are considered, but gravity waves are the major contributor to the initiation, formation, and development of mesoscale storm clouds. Cloud modeling based on satellite imagery and sounding data showed that by overshooting cloud tops that penetrated the tropopause, storm clouds mature; that these clouds collapse about 9 minutes before the touchdown of tornadoes; and that cloud tops collapse at a high rate about 6 minutes before tornadoes lift off.
Dysphagia in infants.

This article describes the normal anatomy and physiology of the infant suck-swallow and discusses some dis-orders of swallowing that occur in infancy.
Terror in the Balkans: German Armies and Partisan Warfare

Germany's 1941 seizure of Yugoslavia led to an insurgency as bloody as any in World War II. The Wehrmacht waged a brutal counter-insurgency campaign in response, and by 1943 German troops in Yugoslavia were engaged in operations that ranked among the largest of the entire European war. Their actions encompassed massive reprisal shootings, the destruction of entire villages, and huge mobile operations unleashed not just against insurgents but also against the civilian population believed to be aiding them. "Terror in the Balkans" explores the reasons behind the Wehrmacht's extreme security measures in southern and eastern Europe. Ben Shepherd focuses his study not on the high-ranking generals who oversaw the campaign but on lower-level units and their officers, a disproportionate number of whom were of Austrian origin. He uses Austro-Hungarian army records to consider how the personal experiences of many Austrian officers during the Great War played a role in brutalizing their behavior in Yugoslavia. A comparison of Wehrmacht counter-insurgency divisions allows Shepherd to analyze how a range of midlevel commanders and their units conducted themselves in different parts of Yugoslavia, and why. Shepherd concludes that the Wehrmacht campaign's violence was driven not just by National Socialist ideology but also by experience of the fratricidal infighting of Yugoslavia's ethnic groups, by conditions on the ground, and by doctrines that had shaped the military mindsets of both Germany and Austria since the late nineteenth century. He also considers why different Wehrmacht units exhibited different degrees of ruthlessness and restraint during the campaign.
Comparison of Cleaning Methods for Analysis of Underground Beryllium Corrosion

The subsurface radioactive disposal site located at the Idaho National Laboratory contains neutronactivated beryllium metals from non-fuel nuclear-reactor-core components. A long-term underground corrosion test is being conducted to obtain site-specific corrosion rates of the disposed beryllium to support efforts to more accurately estimate the transfer of activated elements in the surrounding arid vadose zone environment. During the corrosion analysis, two cleaning methods were used. This paper describes the cleaning methods and presents a comparison of the results.
Proctitis and colitis following diversion of the fecal stream

Inflammation limited to excluded segments of the colon was observed in 10 patients without prior inflammatory bowel disease who had undergone colostomy or ileostomy for various indications. With the exception of 1 patient who complained of mucoid rectal discharge, the patients were asymptomatic when the lesion was discovered; 2 others subsequently developed mild symptoms. The proctoscopic findings were similar in appearance to those of mild ulcerative colitis. In 8 of 10 patients the inflammatory changes were confined to the distal few centimeters of the rectum, while in the remaining 2 patients the entire excluded segment was affected. Microscopic alterations were focal and included crypt abscesses, epithelial cell degeneration, acute and chronic inflammation in the lamina propria, and regenerative changes in the crypts. The inflammation persisted for as long as 8 yr in the 5 patients who did not have restoration of intestinal continuity, but subsided in the 5 patients whose colostomies were closed. The prior as subsequent clinical courses of these patients, together with the focal, nonspecific microscopic features, strongly suggest that the inflammation in these patients resulted from diversion of the fecal stream and was not a recognized form of specific or idiopathic colitis. Diversion-related colitis must not be confused with other forms of inflammation since this may result in improper therapy and/or delay in treatment of the condition for which the fecal diversion was performed.
Feasibility of an obesity intervention for paediatric primary care targeting parenting and children: Helping HAND.

Background The primary care setting offers the opportunity to reach children and parents to encourage healthy lifestyle behaviours, and improve weight status among children. Objective Test the feasibility of Helping HAND (Healthy Activity and Nutrition Directions), an obesity intervention for 5- to 8-year-old children in primary care clinics. Methods A randomized controlled pilot study of Helping HAND, a 6-month intervention, targeted children with body mass index 85–99%tile and their parents. Intervention group attended monthly sessions and self-selected child behaviours and parenting practices to change. Control group received regular paediatric care and was wait-listed for Helping HAND. Session completion, participant satisfaction, child anthropometrics, dietary intake, physical activity, TV viewing and behaviour-specific parenting practices were measured pre and post intervention. Results Forty parent–child dyads enrolled: 82.5% were Hispanic, 80% had a girl and 65% reported income ≤$30 000/year. There was 20% attrition from Helping HAND (attended <4/6 sessions). Families self-selected 4.35 (SD 1.75) behaviours to target during the 6-month programme and each of the seven behaviours was selected by 45–80% of the families. There were no between group differences in the child's body mass index z-score, dietary intake or physical activity post intervention. Intervention group viewed 14.9 (SE 2.3) h/week of TV post intervention versus control group 23.3 (SE 2.4) h/week (P < 0.05). Conclusion Helping HAND is feasible, due to low attrition, good programme attendance, and clinically relevant improvements in some child and parenting behaviours.
Linear multiuser precoding with transmit antenna diversity for DS/CDMA systems

For the downlink of direct-sequence (DS) code-division multiple access (CDMA) systems, the demand for high data rate transmission and the constraint of low-complexity mobile stations have led to the investigation of transmitter (Tx)-based multiple access interference (MAI) cancellation techniques. In this paper, we propose two linear MAI cancellation techniques, preRAKE linear decorrelating preceding (preRAKELDP) and multipath decorrelating preceding (MDP). The multipath diversity and antenna diversity are utilized in these transmitter designs. In the PreRAKELDP method, the PreRAKE combiner is preceded by a linear precoding filter. We illustrate two different transmit power control strategies for preRAKELDP, the zero-forcing (ZF)-based with individual user power scaling and the minimum-mean-square-error (MMSE)-based under total power constraint. The MMSE solution achieves lower error probability while the ZF solution has lower computational complexity. Compared to the preRAKELDP, the MDP method employs a simpler precoding filter but has modestly higher error rate. By theoretical analysis and numerical experiments, it is shown that the preRAKELDP and MDP outperform the existing linear transmitter precoding methods with similar complexity. In addition, the two proposed schemes result in very simple channel-independent receiver structure. Thus, they are suitable for the downlink of CDMA systems.
State estimation for the detection of market parameters

Deregulation of electric utilities has led to a new competitive regime for utilities. In traditional systems, the main objective is to estimate voltages and flows. Estimators that include the ability to determine system parameters along with system conditions have been developed. In the evolving deregulated environment there are a host of new estimation needs. The various costs of the participants, estimation of the degree of market power, estimation of the price elasticities of the participants, and estimation of the volatilities of prices. This paper addresses two estimation needs. It defines the problem of estimation system status based on the knowledge of published PTDFs (power transfer distribution factors) by describing a new procedure for estimating parameters. It also reformulates a previously presented but not much publicized method for estimating the cost elasticities of generators.
Fast intercept of a passing stream for high performance filter appliances

Stream interception is becoming an important task in Internet appliances. We discuss a scheme that can facilitate random access into streams and provide a serious performance boost to intercepting-filter like appliances under various application scenarios. The scheme is based on dynamic stream indexing and can be potentially implemented using IPv6 extension header. We introduce an embedded data indexing protocol (EDIP) to produce the headers.
On the Rydberg-Ritz Formula in Quantum Mechanics

A derivation is given of the Rydberg-Ritz formula for series spectra. Simple expressions are obtained for the Rydberg and Ritz coefficients. It is shown that the Ritz coefficient is proportional to the difference between the radial period of the electron and the period of the hypothetical orbit, with the same energy which would exist if the atomic core were to contract to zero radius.The derivation necessitates a study of the confluent hypergeometric function. An expansion in powers of the energy is obtained for this function. The coefficients in the expansion are found to be simple combinations of Bessel functions.Calculations of the Rydberg and Ritz coefficients are carried out for the $S$ series of Na, K, and Cs and show satisfactory agreement with observation. The comparison with experiment yields information concerning the relative accuracy of different types of central fields employed to approximate the effect of the atomic core upon the valence electron. It is concluded that the Hartree-Fock field is not a convenient starting point for this purpose.
Effects of pain and fatigue on physical functioning and depression in persons with muscular dystrophy.

Abstract Background Pain and fatigue are common symptoms experienced by persons with muscular dystrophy (MD). However, it is unclear from previous studies whether pain and fatigue have independent effects on physical functioning and depression, and whether age moderates the relationship of pain and fatigue with physical functioning and depression. Objective This cross-sectional study aimed to describe the relationship of pain and fatigue to physical functioning and depression in persons 20–89 years old with MD. Method A convenience sample of 332 individuals with MD completed a questionnaire that included measures of physical functioning (PROMIS item bank items), depression (PHQ-9), pain intensity (0–10 NRS), and fatigue (0–10 NRS). Results Pain and fatigue were each independently associated with physical functioning and depression. Depressive symptoms were most severe among middle-aged participants (45–64 years old) relative to older and younger participants. Physical functioning had a negative relationship with chronological age. Conclusions Symptoms of pain and fatigue are significantly and independently related to physical functioning and depression in persons with MD. Research is needed to determine if treatments that target both pain and fatigue in patients with MD have more beneficial effects than treatments that target only one of these symptoms.
Enlarging perineal endometrioma developing after colpoperineorrhaphy

Although endometriosis is not infrequent, the occurrence of perineal endometriomata is relatively rare and is generally attributed to seeding of endometrial cells to the perineal body during obstetrical trauma. A 45-year-old female with a history of a colpoperineorrhaphy during menses and a remote history of obstetric perineal trauma presented with an enlarging perineal mass. Excision of the mass led to a clinical and histopathologic diagnosis of perineal endometriosis. Elective surgery disrupting the vaginoperineal epithelium performed during menses may facilitate the seeding of endometrial cells to the perineal body and formation of perineal endometriomata.
Work, struggle, death, and geographies of justice: The transformation of landscape in and beyond California's imperial valley

Abstract This paper examines the relation between labor, social struggle, and circulation (of capital and bodies) in the production of landscapes. Focusing on California's Imperial Valley and the stark relation there between living labor and dead laborers, and thus between the transformation of nature (the subject of labor) and systems of social reproduction, the paper examines the ways in which the real material conditions for justice—and injustice—are actively built into the ground.
Light scattering measurements in nonionic microemulsions

Abstract Light scattering measurements have been performed on two nonionic microemulsion systems of the type hexadecane/water/alcohol/surfactant. The alcohol/surfactant combinations employed were butanol/Brij 96 and pentanol/Tween 60. By suitable treatment of the light scattering data, droplet diameters were obtained as a function of composition. These diameters are observed to increase exponentially with increasing oil content. In the Tween 60 microemulsion, a correlation of the droplet diameters with conductivity data indicates that the number concentration of droplets varies in a continuous fashion with oil content, as opposed to a previously postulated abrupt change. Coupled with model calculations, the results suggest that the fraction of alcohol cosurfactant in the interphase region of these nonionic systems decreases with increasing oil content.
Accurate Finite Element Analysis of Polarization-Maintaining Optical Fibers,

Single-mode polarization-maintaining optical fibers that can maintain a state of polarization over a long length play an important role in coherent optical communications [1] and optical fiber sensing systems [2]. These fibers are realized by using axially nonsymmetrical refractive-index distribution [3] or by a nonsymmetrical stress distribution [4] to reduce mode coupling between two orthogonally polarized modes. Eigenmodes of these special fibers cannot be found analytically, they must be determined by approximate methods. So far some numerical techniques have been tried to analyze such fibers among them point-matching method [5], mode-matching method [6] and finite element method [7] can be mentioned. In this paper some polarization-preserving optical fibers are investigated rigorously using an accurate vector H-field finite element method. The finite element method is particularly suitable for the analysis of arbitrarily shaped waveguides hence it is a very flexible analysis tool for fibers with axially nonsymmetrical cross-section or refractive-index distribution. The present finite element formulation is made via a full H-vector field [8], which is particularly suitable for optical waveguides as field continuity is automatically satisfied at dielectric interfaces. By contrast, in the previous Ez/Hz formulation [7] continuity conditions needed to be specifically imposed. The present H formulation is also valid for general anisotropic refractive indices (lossless) without destroying the canonical form of the eigenvalue matrix and this formulation is accurate for the analysis of high-birefringence fibers. A divergence free constraint is imposed by using a penalty technique to eliminate spurious modes. A highly efficient sparse matrix solver has been developed using subspace iteration along with adaptive remeshing techniques to optimize the computer resources. An user-friendly pre- and post-processing package is also used to define a specific waveguide cross-section, and to interpret the results [9].
Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy of alkali metals in high-temperature gas

Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy (LIBS) measurements of alkali in the high-temperature exhaust of a glass furnace show an attenuation of the Na and K LIBS signals that correlates with the stoichiometry of the bath gas surrounding the spark. The results are explained as being due to (1) a strong increase in the concentration of atomic Na and K, resulting in neutral line signal absorption by these atoms, and to (2) a change of phase of the major Na- and K-containing species from an aerosol to a gaseous phase when the gas mixture becomes fuel rich, resulting in a reduced LIBS emission intensity. LIBS sampling at lower temperatures, or in a consistently oxidizing environment, or both are suggested strategies for circumventing these difficulties.
Subjective Invulnerability and Perceptions of Tobacco-Related Benefits Predict Adolescent Smoking Behavior.

Identifying factors that influence adolescents’ decisions to start smoking is necessary to improve interventions for reducing tobacco use. The current longitudinal study was designed to determine the direction of influence between feelings of invulnerability to harm and cigarette smoking, and to test whether the perceived risks and benefits of smoking mediate the relationship between invulnerability and smoking. Participants were 228 adolescents (57% female; X¯ = 14 years) recruited from 9th grade classrooms, who completed questionnaires during class every 6 months through the end of 10th grade. Invulnerability predicted smoking behavior, but not vice versa. These effects became non-significant after controlling for friends’ smoking behavior. Perceived benefits of smoking, but not perceived risks, mediated the relationship between invulnerability and smoking behavior (ab = .03, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [.004, .078]). Adolescents who feel invulnerable to physical danger may be more likely to smoke in...
The distribution of subsurface damage in fused silica

Managing subsurface damage during the shaping process and removing subsurface damage during the polishing process is essential in the production of low damage density optical components, such as those required for use on high peak power lasers. Removal of subsurface damage, during the polishing process, requires polishing to a depth which is greater than the depth of the residual cracks present following the shaping process. To successfully manage, and ultimately remove subsurface damage, understanding the distribution and character of fractures in the subsurface region introduced during fabrication process is important. We have characterized the depth and morphology of subsurface fractures present following fixed abrasive and loose abrasive grinding processes. At shallow depths lateral cracks and an overlapping series of trailing indentation fractures were found to be present. At greater depths, subsurface damage consists of a series of trailing indentation fractures. The area density of trailing fractures changes as a function of depth, however the length and shape of individual cracks remain nearly constant for a given grinding process. We have developed and applied a model to interpret the depth and crack length distributions of subsurface surface damage in terms of key variables including abrasive size and load.
Detection of cellular proteins and viral core protein interacting with the 5′ untranslated region of hepatitis C virus RNA

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a pesti- and flavi-like virus, which contains a highly conserved 5′-untranslated region (UTR). This region is implicated in the regulation of both translation and RNA replication. To examine the possible cellular factors involved in HCV replication, we performed UV cross-linking experiments to detect cellular proteins binding to 5′-UTR of HCV RNA. No cytoplasmic proteins were found to cross-link to 5′-UTR. Surprisingly, when nuclear extracts were used for UV cross-linking, a major protein of 110 kD and several other minor proteins were detected. Competition assays confirmed that the binding of the 110-kD protein was specific to the 5′-UTR. The protein-binding site was mapped within the 78-nt region between nucleotides 199 and 277 from the 5′ end of the viral RNA. This protein was present in several different cell lines tested. No cellular proteins specifically bound to the complementary strands of the 5′-UTR. We have also shown by an RNA-protein blotting assay that 5′-UTR bound to the HCV core protein, which can be translocated to the nuclei. These findings suggest that HCV RNA may enter nuclei by complexing with the viral core protein and interact with nuclear proteins that are involved in the regulation of RNA replication or translation. It is thus possible that HCV employs a replication strategy distinct from its related pestiviruses or flaviviruses.
Microcomputer-Controlled Resistance Welder

A large spot and projection welder has been modified to permit microprocessor control of the welding cycle. The original control relays and timers have been replaced by a keyboard-controlled M6800 microprocessor system driving small relays which control the power relays of the welder. A CRT monitor is used to display all settings of the welder timing parameters. Changes in timing are easily entered from the keyboard.
Antioxidant Defense Mechanisms in Murine Epidermis and Dermis and Their Responses to Ultraviolet Light

Abstract A comprehensive comparison of antioxidant defenses in the dermis and epidermis and their response to exposure to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation has not previously been attempted. In this study, enzymic and non-enzymic antioxidants in epidermis and dermis of hairless mice were compared. Enzyme activities are presented both as units/gram of skin and units/milligram of protein; arguments are presented for the superiority of skin wet weight as a reference base. Catalase, glutathione peroxidase, and glutathione reductase (units/gram of skin) were higher in epidermis than dermis by 49%, 86%, and 74%, respectively. Superoxide dismutase did not follow this pattern. Lipophilic antioxidants (α-tocopherol, ubiquinol 9), and ubiquinone 9 and hydrophilic antioxidants (ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, and glutathione) were 24–95% higher in epidermis than in dermis. In contrast, oxidized glutathione was 60% lower in epidermis than in dermis. Mice were irradiated with solar light to examine the response of these cutaneous layers to UV irradiation. After irradiation with 25 J/cm 2 (UVA + UVB, from a solar simulator), 10 times the minimum erythemal dose, epidermal and dermal catalase and superoxide dismutase activities were greatly decreased. α-Tocopherol, ubiquinol 9, ubiquinone 9, ascorbic acid, dehydroascorbic acid, and reduced glutathione decreased in both epidermis and dermis by 26–93%. Oxidized glutathione showed a slight, non-significant increase. Because the reduction in total ascorbate and catalase was much more severe in epidermis than dermis, it can be concluded that UV light is more damaging to the antioxidant defenses in the epidermis than in the dermis.
Improving change management in software development: Integrating traceability and software configuration management

Software configuration management (SCM) and traceability are two prominent practices that support change management in software development. While SCM helps manage the evolution of software artifacts and their documentation, traceability helps manage knowledge about the process of the development of software artifacts. In this paper, we present the integration of traceability and SCM to help change management during the development and evolution of software artifacts. We developed a traceability model using a case study conducted in a software development organization. This model represents knowledge elements that are essential to comprehensively manage changes tracked within the change management function of SCM tools. A tool that supports the integrated practice of SCM and traceability is also presented. We illustrate the usefulness of our model and tool using a change management scenario that was drawn from our case study. We also present a qualitative study towards empirically evaluating the usefulness of our approach.
Factors influencing denture function

Abstract A large number of masticatory function tests have been carried out on twenty selected denture wearers for the purpose of obtaining clues concerning the factors affecting masticatory function. The function tests include effective occlusal area, maximum force, and sixteen performance tests with two test foods. It was found that the extent of lateral movement was capable of affecting the masticatory performance of denture wearers. The actual lateral motion used by different patients was nearly always the same; hence, it is unlikely that this factor will account for the wide functional difference among different denture wearers. Denture stability was shown to be a factor capable of increasing masticatory function of denture wearers, when tests with and without denture adhesive powder were used as the method of comparison. Increasing the stability with denture powder was reflected in the fewer strokes required for reaching the swallowing stage and in similar or better pulverization of the food. Poor masticatory performance among denture wearers was found to cause the individual to swallow coarser food particles; there was no evidence of a general tendency to compensate for the inadequate dentition by chewing the food for a longer period of time. The clinical findings did not prove to be useful as guides for predicting the masticatory performance of a particular denture wearer. Lateral movement, condylar movement, tissue compressibility, and saliva flow did not seem to be related to performance and mastication. There was some indication that the type of tooth, degree of ridge development and muscular development, chewing facility, and tough food tolerance were related, but it is probable that the last three factors are effects and not causes of differences in masticatory function.
A method for calculating 16O/18O peptide ion ratios for the relative quantification of proteomes.

A method is described for the identification and relative quantification of proteomes using accurate mass tags (AMT) generated by nLC-dual ESI-FT-ICR-MS on a 7T instrument in conjunction with stable isotope labeling using 16O/18O ratios. AMTs were used for putative peptide identification, followed by confirmation of peptide identity by tandem mass spectrometry. For a combined set of 58 tryptic peptides from bovine serum albumin (BSA) and human transferrin, a mean mass measurement accuracy of 1.9 ppm ±0.94 ppm (CIM99%) was obtained. This subset of tryptic peptides was used to measure 16O/18O ratios of 0.36±0.09 (CIM99%) for BSA (μ=0.33) and 1.48±0.47 (CIM99%) for transferrin (μ=1.0) using a method for calculating 16O/18O ratios from overlapping isotopic multiplets arising from mixtures of 16O, 18O1, and 18O2 labeled C-termini. The model amino acid averagine was used to calculate a representative molecular formula for estimating and subtracting the contributions of naturally occurring isotopes solely as a function of peptide molecular weight. The method was tested against simulated composite 16O/18O spectra where peptide molecular weight, 16O/18O ratio, 18O1/18O2 ratios, and number of sulfur atoms were varied. Relative errors of 20% or less were incurred when the 16O/18O ratios were less than three, even for peptides where the number of sulfur atoms was over- or under-estimated. These data demonstrate that for biomarker discovery, it is advantageous to label the proteome representing the disease state with 18O; and the method is not sensitive to variations in 18O1/18O2 ratio. This approach allows a comprehensive differentiation of expression levels and tentative identification via AMTs, followed by targeted analysis of over- and under-expressed peptides using tandem mass spectrometry, for applications such as the discovery of disease biomarkers.
Contrast Ultrasound Imaging for Identification of Early Responder Tumor Models to Anti-Angiogenic Therapy

Agents targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) have been validated as cancer therapeutics, yet efficacy can differ widely between tumor types and individual patients. In addition, such agents are costly and can have significant toxicities. Rapid noninvasive determination of response could provide significant benefits. We tested if response to the anti-VEGF antibody bevacizumab (BV) could be detected using contrast-enhanced ultrasound imaging (CEUS). We used two xenograft model systems with previously well-characterized responses to VEGF inhibition, a responder (SK-NEP-1) and a non-responder (NGP), and examined perfusion-related parameters. CEUS demonstrated that BV treatment arrested the increase in blood volume in the SK-NEP-1 tumor group only. Molecular imaging of α(V)β(3) with targeted microbubbles was a more sensitive prognostic indicator of BV efficacy. CEUS using RGD-labeled microbubbles showed a robust decrease in α(V)β(3) vasculature following BV treatment in SK-NEP-1 tumors. Paralleling these findings, lectin perfusion assays detected a disproportionate pruning of smaller, branch vessels. Therefore, we conclude that the response to BV can be identified soon after initiation of treatment, often within 3 days, by use of CEUS molecular imaging techniques. The use of a noninvasive ultrasound approach may allow for earlier and more effective determination of efficacy of antiangiogenic therapy.
Regional Realignment from an Officeholding Perspective

Most of the scholarship on realignment has relied on information about party identification and much of it has concentrated on national patterns. An analysis of partisan victories in five types of offices for each of six regions reveals variation in the fortunes of the parties over the last thirty years. For all offices, Republican strength has grown appreciably in the Mountain West and the South. Generally, GOP gains came first in statewide contests and then spread to lower offices. In most of the rest of the country, Democrats have become more successful at winning legislative offices despite a notable lack of success in winning the presidency. The shifts have been of such magnitude that the identity of the party holding a majority of the offices has changed in most of the regions outside the South. In the South, impressive gains have been registered by the GOP, but its strength was so minimal thirty years ago that it remains the minority party at the legislative level.
Putting the comparison of 2008 and 2011 appropriate use criteria for stress echocardiography in perspective: can screening in solid organ transplant be appropriate?

344 The study by Bhatia et al., ‘‘Comparison of the 2008 and 2011 Appropriate Use Criteria for Stress Echocardiography’’ in the current issue of JASE has identified a gap in the literature that at first seems insignificant but upon further examination has very important clinical and cost implications, particularly for academic centers with solidorgan transplantation programs. Patients being considered for solidorgan transplantation may seem a small niche population until one realizes that kidney transplantation alone in the United States has more than quadrupled since 1991. The most recent data from the US Department of Health and Human Services Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network report 23,360 kidney transplantations from January to October 2012 and 117,053 patients on the waiting list. All of these patients (plus those who are evaluated but not listed) will undergo some type of preoperative evaluation, and many will undergo cardiac testing for ‘‘screening’’ purposes. However, survey and registry data have demonstrated that significant variation exists from institution to institution with regard to the ‘‘standard’’ workup of asymptomatic transplantation candidates, ranging from routine coronary angiography to imaging stress testing to no testing at all. Because waiting times before eventual transplantation can be years, repeat cardiac testing compounds the problem, as some professional societies have suggested routine surveillance of waitlisted patients. Suddenly, the numbers start to add up. The observations made in the study by Bhatia et al. at the Massachusetts General Hospital are probably not that far off from the situation at other large hospitals with dedicated solid-organ transplantation programs. The question is, who needs to change? Are clinical practice patterns out of step with appropriateness criteria? Or are appropriateness criteria a step behind with regard to good clinical practice? In the retrospective chart review by Bhatia et al., the 2008 and 2011 appropriate use criteria were applied to a consecutive series of 252 clinically requested stress echocardiograms at a single large academic hospital (Massachusetts General Hospital; requesting providers consisted of 83 different health care providers, of whom 50% were cardiologists), and the appropriateness classifications were examined. An initial review of the results suggests that the 2008 guideline left too many studies unclassified, and the newer
Lymphocytotoxicity for Gingival Epithelial Cells in Periodontal Disease

An immune pathogenesis has been implicated in periodontal disease. Lymphocytotoxicity assays utilizing a suspension of peripheral blood lymphocytes incubated with allogeneic trypsinized gingival epithelium were performed. The results demonstrate a significant in vitro lymphocytotoxicity for gingival epithelial target cells when the aggressor lymphocytes are from patients with destructive periodontal disease (high PDI). No significant lymphocytotoxicity was demonstrated with lymphocytes for periodontal disease-free (low PDI) patients. We conclude that there is a significant reduction in gingival epithelial cell survival after an 18-hour incubation with aggressor lymphocytes obtained frompatients who have destructive periodontal disease, and suggest there is a pathologic relationship between the patient's lymphocytes and the disease process.
Perception of Japanese temporally-cued contrasts by American English listeners.

American listeners’ perception of Japanese contrasts of vowel length (e.g., kiro vs. kiiro), consonant length (e.g., kite vs. kitte) and syllable number/length (e.g., kjoo vs. kijoo) was examined. ...
Kinetics of movement of normal and mutant nematodes

The nematode,Caenorhabditis elegans, is strongly attracted towards secretions ofEscherichia coli. The movement of a population of nematodes from the center of an agar plate through a gradient of these secretions towards bacteria at the circumference can be represented by a series of first-order rate processes. Normal and mutant strains of various kinds demonstrate marked differences in their rates of movement. This method of kinetic analysis appears to have a useful potential in the characterization of mutants in nerve and muscle as to whether sensory or locomotive machinery is affected and in the isolation of new mutants of these types.
Hyperfine spectra of KBr and KI

Abstract The molecular beam electric resonance technique has been used to conduct a high precision examination of the hyperfine spectra of 39K79Br, 39K81Br and 39K127I. Coupling constants for the nuclear electric quadrupole interactions, the spin–rotation interactions, the tensor and scalar spin–spin interactions, as well as the electric dipole moment of KI, and their dependence on vibrational and rotational state have been determined. A few transitions observed for 41K127I show a small shift in the iodine nuclear electric quadrupole interaction, and the fit improves somewhat with the inclusion of an iodine nuclear electric hexadecapole interaction term.
Properties of secure transaction protocols

Abstract Communication protocols are the computational basis for distributed electronic commerce systems, and thus the properties of these protocols define the forms of commerce possible in electronic systems. Existing protocols used for electronic commerce focus primarily on security properties, including message integrity, privacy and non-repudiation, and on basic transaction properties, usually just atomicity; their structural properties are limited to supporting two-party transactions with fixed semantics. We believe that the properties provided by these protocols limit their use to simple forms of commerce. In this paper we define the properties we believe are necessary for electronic commerce protocols. These include the security properties of existing protocols, and extend the transactional properties to include isolation and causality. Causality is a new property for transactions. It allows the order of the messages in a completed transaction to be independently verified, and thus inferences can be made about causal relationship between messages. We also extend the structural properties to support scalability, layering and separation of roles. Scalable protocols allow several parties to join each transaction. Protocol layering enables arbitrary transaction semantics and greater system modularity. Separation of roles provides independent adjudication of disputes between transaction participants and allows the use of varied exchange media. We term a protocol with the above properties a secure transaction protocol. Lastly, we present a protocol that provides these properties. We believe that this protocol can be used to support more complex and extended forms of electronic commerce than existing protocols.
The Chromomeres of Lilium

IN specially well-fixed preparations of the pachyphase (pachytene stage) of Lilium, stained with ironbrazilin, the following phenomena were observed:
RhoA and Rac1 contribute to type III group B streptococcal invasion of human brain microvascular endothelial cells.

Abstract Type III group B streptococcus (GBS) has been shown to invade human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMEC), which constitute the blood–brain barrier, but the underlying mechanisms remain incompletely understood. In the present study, we showed that the geranylgeranyl transferase I inhibitor, GGTI-298, not the farnesyltransferase inhibitor, FTI-277 inhibited type III GBS invasion of HBMEC. The substrates for GGTI-298 include Rho family GTPases, and we showed that RhoA and Rac1 are involved in type III GBS invasion of HBMEC. This was shown by the demonstration that infection with type III GBS strain K79 increased the levels of activated RhoA and Rac1 and GBS invasion was inhibited in HBMEC expressing dominant-negative RhoA and Rac1. Of interest, the level of activated Rac1 in response to type III GBS was decreased in HBMEC expressing dominant-negative RhoA, while the level of activated RhoA was not affected by dominant-negative Rac1. These findings indicate for the first time that activation of geranylgeranylated proteins including RhoA and Rac1 is involved in type III GBS invasion of HBMEC and RhoA is upstream of Rac1 in GBS invasion of HBMEC.
Towards intelligent authoring tools for machinima creation

As user-created content increasingly becomes an ever more prominent element of modern game design, tools have been developed to aide in the creative process for several forms of digital media, including machinima. Because creating content that will be valued by the community is a challenging process, tools are needed that will assist novices in both technical realization and optimization of content. We are exploring tools for machinima authoring that use a 3-pronged approach: authoring via metaphor, performance, and automation. Future work involves using AI to provide feedback to machinima authors, suggesting sensible attributes for scenes based on prior input by acting as a surrogate audience.
Examining Protein Surface Structure in Highly Conserved Sequence Variants with Mass Spectrometry

A simple mass spectrometry-based method capable of examining protein structure called SNAPP (selective noncovalent adduct protein probing) is used to evaluate the structural consequences of point mutations in naturally occurring sequence variants from different species. SNAPP monitors changes in the attachment of noncovalent adducts to proteins as a function of structural state. Mutations that lead to perturbations to the electrostatic surface structure of a protein affect noncovalent attachment and are easily observed with SNAPP. Mutations that do not alter the tertiary structure or electrostatic surface structure yield similar results by SNAPP. For example, bovine, porcine, and human insulin all have very similar backbone structures and no basic or acidic residue mutations, and the SNAPP distributions for all three proteins are very similar. In contrast, four variants of cytochrome c (cytc) have varying degrees of sequence homology, which are reflected in the observed SNAPP distributions. Bovine and pigeon cytc have several basic or acidic residue substitutions relative to horse cytc, but the SNAPP distributions for all three proteins are similar. This suggests that these mutations do not significantly influence the protein surface structure. On the other hand, yeast cytc has the least sequence homology and exhibits a unique, though related, SNAPP distribution. Even greater differences are observed for lysozyme. Hen and human lysozyme have identical tertiary structures but significant variations in the locations of numerous basic and acidic residues. The SNAPP distributions are quite distinct for the two forms of lysozyme, suggesting significant differences in the surface structures. In summary, SNAPP experiments are relatively easy to perform, require minimal sample consumption, and provide a facile route for comparison of protein surface structure between highly homologous proteins.
Profile Of Helen Constantinides

A short professional biography of Helen Constantinides is presented followed by an interview.
AMPH-CLASS: An Excel spreadsheet for the classification and nomenclature of amphiboles based on the 1997 recommendations of the International Mineralogical Association

Abstract AMPH-CLASS is an MS Excel spreadsheet designed to carry out the classification of amphiboles based on the 1997 recommendations of the International Mineralogical Association. AMPH-CLASS can be used for either microprobe or wet chemical analysis. Given a chemical analysis of amphibole and the number of oxygen atoms (23, 24, etc) per analysis, AMPH-CLASS can be used to obtain amphibole's cation names, cation values, structural formula names, structural formula values, group, name, prefixes, and modifiers. The ferric–ferrous calculation method is chosen to be the one that produces the best estimates of measured ferric–ferrous values of an amphibole data set (∼600 analyses). Detailed structural formula and other amphibole parameters calculated by the AMPH-CLASS can be used for pressure–temperature and other petrogenetic determinations.
Effects of composition and processing on the superconductivity of La1+zBa2-zCu3Oy☆

Abstract The effects of composition, processing time ( t ), temperature ( T ) and O 2 partial pressure ( p O 2 ) on the superconducting transition temperature, T c , were investigated for La 1+ z Ba 2- z Cu 3 O y . Tallon and Flower's prediction of T c ≈ 100 K [Physica C 204 (1993) 237] at z = 0 could not be attained. Instead, the T c maximum of 93–94K is similar to that of the yttria analog. As z was increased, the T c values increased gradually by a few kelvin until z = 0.2, which is at the orthorhombic to tetragonal transition, and then decreased more abruptly, with no superconductivity for z ≥0.5. Crucial steps in the process at all z values include the highest temperature anneal (1065°C) in 0.1 MPa O 2 , reduction of the oxygen content at 950°C and cooling to 300–400°C, both at 100–1000 Pa O 2 , and reoxygenation at 0.1 MPa O 2 during slow cooling (5–20°C/min) to T c decreased fairly monotonically with decreasing y at z = 0.08, and a La excess of 0.2 and Cu nonstoichiometry on both sides of Cu/(La+Ba) = 1 generally depressed T c .
The clam-heart bioassay for acetylcholine

Abstract 1. 1. The clam-heart bioassay, originally introduced by J. H. Welsh in 1943, is sensitive, specific and convenient. An accuracy of better than ± 10 per cent can be readily accomplished by matching the reduction in amplitude of the ventricular beat produced by known concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh) and by tissue extracts. 2. 2. The isolated ventricle is mounted in a bath of known volume and the contractions are recorded on a kymograph or by means of a mechanoelectric transducer on a chart recorder. 3. 3. Ach standards are made up in buffered saline of pH 6·5. The procedure consists of the following steps: (1) establishment of the range of sensitivity of the test ventricle; (2) establishment of the range of effects of applying ACh concentrations in ten steps of 20 per cent difference, covering a tenfold increase in concentration; (3) the bioassay proper in which known and unknown ACh concentrations are matched. 4. 4. Methods are described for detecting interfering substances in tissue extracts and for establishing that the detected activity is indeed due to ACh. These involve use of pharmacological (blocking agents), enzymatic (cholinesterase) and chromatographic procedures. 5. 5. Examples are given of the method of calculating the data and determining the degree of accuracy of individual determinations. 6. 6. A table summarizes the relative sensitivity of clam ventricles to a variety of cholinesters. Acetylcholine is by far the most active of sixteen related compounds.
Early childhood education and care: an overview of developments in the OECD countries

Abstract This chapter explores early childhood education and care developments in OECD countries. It describes the historical contexts in which policies and programs have evolved, discusses the different policy and program choices that countries have made, and documents the quantity and quality of provison. A proposed typology classifies countries according to several emerging models for delivering early childhood education and care. The chapter concludes with a brief discussion of trends and emerging issues.