cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The Peril and Potential of XR-based Interactions with Wildlife

In “Being a Beast”, Charles Foster recounts living with, and as, wildlife (e.g., otters, foxes). These encounters, he contends, forge human-nature connections which have waned, negatively impacting biodiversity conservation. Yet, we need not live amidst beasts to bridge the human-nature gap. Cross-reality (XR) platforms (i.e., virtual and augmented reality) have the unique capacity to facilitate pseudo interactions with, and as, wildlife, connecting audiences to the plight of endangered species. However, XR-based wildlife interaction, I argue, is a double-edged sword whose implementation warrants as much attention in HCI as in environmental science. In this paper I highlight the promise of XR-based wildlife encounters, and discuss dilemmas facing developers tasked with fabricating mediated interactions with wildlife. I critique this approach by outlining how such experiences may negatively affect humans and the survivability of the very species seeking to benefit from them.
The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: A Century of Discovering the Nature of Nature

Review of: "The Iowa Lakeside Laboratory: A Century of Discovering the Nature of Nature," by Michael J. Lannoo.
Differentiable Manifolds and Matrix Lie Groups

If X is a topological manifold and (U 1, φ 1) and (U 2, φ 2) are two charts on X with \({U}_{1} \cap{U}_{2}\neq \emptyset \), then the overlap functions \({\varphi }_{1} \circ{\varphi }_{2}^{-1} : {\varphi }_{2}({U}_{1} \cap{U}_{2}) \rightarrow{\varphi }_{1}({U}_{1} \cap{U}_{2})\) and \({\varphi }_{2} \circ{\varphi }_{1}^{-1} : {\varphi }_{1}({U}_{1} \cap{U}_{2}) \rightarrow{\varphi }_{2}({U}_{1} \cap{U}_{2})\) are necessarily homeomorphisms between open sets in some Euclidean space. In the examples that we have encountered thus far (most notably, spheres and projective spaces) these maps actually satisfy the much stronger condition of being C ∞ , that is, their coordinate functions have continuous partial derivatives of all orders and types (see Exercise 1.1.8 and (1.2.4)).
Challenges for Management Research

As the requirements for networks and services keep changing at a rapid pace, so does the demand for management solutions and for the technologies to provide them. As a result, we are witnessing a continuous shift of focus for management research. Over the last several years, topics of primary interest have shifted from element management to end-to-end service management, from management of single services to integrated management of multi-service environments, from managing relatively static systems to the management of highly adaptable and dynamic platforms, etc.
ALLOCATING PUBLIC-TRANSIT COSTS AMONG PARTICIPANTS

A methodology was developed to aid in the selection of procedures to allocate regional transit costs among participants. The methodology provides a means for comparing a variety of allocation procedures, based on the equity of the cost allocation and the cost to use the procedure. Measures of equity were developed to allow comparison of each procedure with a prespecified "ideal" allocation. Data from a 100% sample of a regional transit service in Barnstable County, Mass. , were used to illustrate the use of the procedure. Ten procedures were analyzed, each having different variables, data sampling frequencies, and weighting coefficients. The 10 procedures were compared to an allocation based on each participant's individual cost. Results showed that use of the methodology allowed elimination of several allocation procedures from further consideration.
Social Capital: Cybernetworks and the Global Village

One recent controversy in the study of social capital has been an issue raised by Putnam (1993, 1995a, 1995b): whether social capital has been on the decline in the United States for the past three or four decades. Putnam argues that there should be a positive association between social capital and political participation, and he measures social capital in terms of participation rates in social associations or secondary/tertiary associations such as PTAs, Red Cross associations, unions, church-affiliated groups, sports groups, and bowling leagues. Political participation is indicated by voting, writing to Congress, participating in rallies and political meetings, and so on. Putnam has observed that both participation rates have declined in the United States over the past thirty years or so. This has led him to conclude that social capital or civic engagement has been on the decline, and this decline might be responsible for a decline in democratic and political participation. Further, he suggests that the culprit may be the rise of television viewing. As television has gained popularity, the younger generations of Americans are no longer interested in participating in civil associations. Indeed, he suggests, even when they go bowling, they may bowl as individuals rather than as groups or leagues. Putnam's thesis and research have been challenged from a variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives. These challenges fault Putnam's work primarily on two grounds. First, he committed errors in measuring social capital.
Human-Animal Medicine: Clinical Approaches to Zoonoses, Toxicants and Other Shared Health Risks, by Peter M. Rabinowitz and Lisa A. Conti

One Medicine/One Health is a concept that is emerging from the medical community as the landscape of health care evolves and changes. The most recent and widely supported recognition of this fundam...
Learning by analyzing fortuitous occurrences

In complex, real-world domains, complete modelling of the world is a computationally intractable task. One difficulty with planning in such situations is that inefficient, suboptimal plans are generated. This is because determining the best way to achieve a goal may depend on many factors. This paper presents methods for detecting and improving plans which achieve the goal but in a suboptimal manner. By noticing and analyzing fortuitous occurrences, the system can improve its plans and hence its performance. These methods cover both learning from observation and from the system's own problem-solving and represent one portion of a general framework of refinement for inference-limited systems.
Broadcasting in Faulty Cube-Connected-Cycles with Minimum Recovery Time

We propose a broadcasting algorithm for a faulty Cube-Connected-Cycles multiprocessor. The broadcasting algorithm delivers a message to all the nodes non-redundantly using a binomial tree. The traffic generated because of the recovery is guaranteed to be minimum.
Therapeutic hypothermia-induced electrocardiographic changes and relations to in-hospital mortality.

Background Therapeutic hypothermia improves survival for selected patients who remain comatose after cardiac arrest. Hypothermia triggers changes in electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters; however, the association of these changes to in-hospital mortality remains unclear. Hypothesis QT interval changes induced by therapeutic hypothermia are not associated with in-hospital mortality. Methods We retrospectively compared precooling ECG parameters to ECG parameters during hypothermia on all consecutive patients with available information who received hypothermia at our academic medical center between December 2006 and July 2012 (N = 101; 24% women). Paired 2-sample t test was used to compare precooling vs cooling ECG parameters. In-hospital mortality related to ECG parameter changes was compared using the Pearson χ2 test. Results Therapeutic hypothermia resulted in increases in PR and QTc intervals and decreases in heart rate and QRS intervals (P for all <0.02). During hospitalization, 45 of the 101 patients died. Survivors vs nonsurvivors did not differ in heart rate change (P = 0.74), PR change (P = 0.57), QRS change (P = 0.09), or QTc change (P = 0.67). Comparing patients who had reduced QTc intervals with hypothermia to those who had prolonged QTc with hypothermia, 14 out of 30 died in the former group, whereas 31 out of 71 died in the latter group (46.7% vs 43.7%, odds ratio [OR]: 1.13, 95% CI: 0.48-2.66). Patients presenting with right bundle branch block (RBBB) had a higher risk of in-hospital death compared to those without RBBB (72.2% vs 38.6%, OR: 4.14, 95% CI: 1.35-12.73). Conclusions Therapeutic hypothermia prolonged QTc interval with no association to in-hospital mortality. Presence of RBBB on initial presentation was related to increased mortality.
Randomized post-optimization for t-restrictions

Search, test, and measurement problems in sparse domains often require the construction of arrays in which every t or fewer columns satisfy a simply stated combinatorial condition. Such t-restriction problems often ask for the construction of an array satisfying the t-restriction while having as few rows as possible. Combinatorial, algebraic, and probabilistic methods have been brought to bear for specific t-restriction problems; yet in most cases they do not succeed in constructing arrays with a number of rows near the minimum, at least when the number of columns is small. To address this, an algorithmic method is proposed that, given an array satisfying a t-restriction, attempts to improve the array by removing rows. The key idea is to determine the necessity of the entry in each cell of the array in meeting the t-restriction, and repeatedly replacing unnecessary entries, with the goal of producing an entire row of unnecessary entries. Such a row can then be deleted, improving the array, and the process can be iterated. For certain t-restrictions, it is shown that by determining conflict graphs, entries that are necessary can nonetheless be changed without violating the t-restriction. This permits a richer set of ways to improve the arrays. The efficacy of these methods is demonstrated via computational results.
Rat soleus muscle fiber responses to 14 days of spaceflight and hindlimb suspension

Morphological and enzymatic responses in fibers expressing fast, slow, or both types of myosin heavy chain (MHC) were studied in rats after 14 days of spaceflight (COSMOS 2044) or hindlimb suspensi...
Evaluation of Physical and Ballistic Properties of Polymerized-Dicyclopentadiene-Based Composite Solid Propellants

Polymerized-dicyclopentadiene is a hydrocarbon currently being evaluated as a potential binder matrix for use in solid rocket motors. Various formulations of polymerized-dicyclopentadiene-based composite solid propellant, featuring a solids loading of 85 mass%, were evaluated to observe the effect of varying CF AP ratio and Fe2O3 concentration on physical and ballistic properties. Mechanical properties (maximum stress, strain at maximum stress, tangent modulus, and modulus of toughness) were calculated from uniaxial tensile tests of propellant samples. The effect of aging and temperature on mechanical properties were also assessed. End-of-mix viscosities were measured (pre- and postvacuum) to aid improvement of the polymerized-dicyclopentadiene-based propellant manufacturing process. Impact sensitivity of all formulations used in this work was investigated for safety purposes and to validate claims that polymerized-dicyclopentadiene-based composite solid propellants offer a lower hazards classification th...
When is screening effective in reducing the death rate

Abstract Periodic screening programs for the early detection of chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease may not always lead to a reduction in the number of deaths from the disease. Some improvement is usually possible with the use of a more sensitive detection test, or by lowering the age for the first screening examination, or by decreasing the period between examinations. However, the extent of the reduction in deaths that is attainable with these changes is limited by the underlying biological behavior of the disease as well as by the rate at which the disease is detected without the screening examination, i.e., by the “natural history” of the disease. The effectiveness of a periodic screening program is derived as a function of this natural history, the period between examinations, the sensitivity of the detection test, the age at the first examination, and the age distribution of the rate of the disease initiation in the screened population. A detailed discussion is given of how these results might be used to estimate the effectiveness of any planned periodic screening program. The analysis of a simple example suggests that for some diseases decreasing the interval between screening examinations may not lead to a significant lowering of the death rate, i.e., there may be a natural lower bound on the screening period.
Identification of Mycobacterium marinum virulence genes using signature-tagged mutagenesis and the goldfish model of mycobacterial pathogenesis

Mycobacterium marinum, a causative agent of fish tuberculosis, is one of the most closely related Mycobacterium species (outside the M. tuberculosis complex) to M. tuberculosis, the etiologic agent of human tuberculosis. Signature-tagged mutagenesis was used to identify genes of M. marinum required for in vivo survival in a goldfish model of mycobacterial pathogenesis. Screening the first 1008 M. marinum mutants led to the identification of 40 putative virulence mutants. DNA sequence analysis of these 40 mutants identified transposon insertions in 35 unique loci. Twenty-eight out of 33 (85%) loci encoding putative virulence genes have homologous genes in M. tuberculosis.
Shuttle glow emissions due to radiative relaxation of highly vibrationally excited NO molecules produced by surface reflection

A new mechanism is proposed for the Space Shuttle glow, which is due to the radiative relaxation of ambient nitric-oxide molecules that are excited to very high vibrational levels by collisions with the Shuttle surface. Many of the particles colliding with the Shuttle surface at a very high speed (about 8 km/sec) would bounce off, exciting vibrational and rotational motions of molecules up to the level of vibrational quantum number v not greater than 35. Radiative transfer from these high levels should cause emissions in the spectrum range from infrared (IR) to visible red depending upon the transition paths. A perturbation method is used to calculate the transition probability and the emission intensity for the transitions of Delta-v not greater than 4. The result indicates that the Delta-v not greater than 4 transitions from high vibrational levels dominates the other transitions; the Delta-v = 4 transitions generally occur at the IR range.
The Effect of Eugenol on Oral Mucous Membranes

Eugenol, in the 100 percent concentration in commercial use, was applied to a circumscribed area, 3 mm in diameter, of rat labial mucosa for 1 minute. Reaction periods of 15 minutes, 1, 2, 4 and 6 hours were then permitted. Using routine histological procedures for processing the experimental tissues, it was observed that eugenol caused denaturation of cytoplasmic proteins and loss of staining capacity of epithelium, loss of cell boundaries, swelling and cell necrosis. In addition, vesicle formation, edema in the corium, and striated muscle dissolution were observed.
Probing the limits of human deep diving

Divers breathing compressed air are restricted to 45 m depth because of the narcotic effects of nitrogen and toxic action of oxygen at increased pressures. Substitution of oxygen-helium for compressed air has permitted divers to reach 600 m. However, at depths greater than 160 m, signs and symptoms of the high pressure nervous syndrome (h.p.n.s.) occur, with tremors, myoclonic jerking, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, somnolence, e.e.g. changes, dyspnoea, and poor sleep with nightmares. It has been the objective of this Laboratory to ameliorate the symptoms of pressure-induced h.p.n.s. by the addition of small amounts of 'narcotic' nitrogen to the oxygen-helium mixture to form the Trimix breathing gas. In 1973, comparative experiments with oxygen-helium and the same divers, during compressions in only 33 min to 219.5 m and 305 m, showed such Trimix to be effective with 10% (by volume) nitrogen. Simulated dives, termed ATLANTIS, have been made with Trimix over the last 4 years to depths in excess of 610 m for 11 days, 650 m for 4 days and 686 m for 1 day. The objectives were to determine the effects of either slow or rapid rates of compression, and either 5% or 10% (by volume) nitrogen in Heliox, on the presence of h.p.n.s. or nitrogen narcosis. Measurements were made of intellectual and psychomotor performance, electrophysiological function of the brain and reflexes, lung and cardiovascular function, including arterial gas analysis at rest and work, blood chemistry and psychiatric and psychological status. The results permit the conclusion that divers may be compressed safely to depths as great as 686 m. The technique requires a slow exponential compression over days, with frequent stages lasting 14 h or more, the use of 5-8% (by volume) nitrogen in Heliox and careful selection of the divers.
The Boyle-Van't Hoff relation.

Abstract The Boyle-Van't Hoff relation is here derived via classical thermodynamics, assuming that the chemical potential of water is equal across a membrane permeable to water only. Since real membranes are not usually semipermeable, an irreversible thermodynamic approach is adopted to generalize the Boyle-Van't Hoff relation. Finally, the terms usually measured are briefly considered together with new quantities such as reflection coefficients.
Bridging the Gap: Discourse in Text‐Based Foreign Language Classrooms

: This study investigated text-centered talk in an “Introduction to Hispanic Literature” university-level classroom. The study was framed within sociocultural theory (Vygotsky, 1978; Wertsch, 1986, 1991) and attempted to establish the nature of classroom talk in the college-level foreign language “bridge course.” The study also aimed to clarify the relationship between cognitive processes and language acquisition in a foreign language course. Student-initiated talk or opportunities for discourse were observed in relation to those opportunities recognized or provided by the instructor. The data was analyzed according to the level of talk (utterance, dialogue, discourse) and the level of cognition of the students' responses. This analysis characterized text-centered talk in the university-level foreign language classroom as mainly teacher-centered, student-supported dialogue that did not take advantage of the majority of opportunities for extending classroom talk into the discourse level. Representative samples of the collected data are provided to support the findings of the study.
Atypical β-adrenoceptor in bovine adrenal medulla

Abstract Bovine adrenal medullary membranes were incubated with [125I]cyanopindolol to assess β-adrenoceptor binding. Binding was saturable and specific; a single low affinity site (Kd = 750 pM) was identified. [125I]Cyanopindolol binding was displaced by micromolar concentrations of classic β-adrenoceptor antagonists and by sodium-4-[-2-[2-hydroxy-2-(-3-chloro-phenyl) ethylaminol] propyl] phenoxyacetate. These data are similar to reported binding of β3-adrenoceptors and may explain β-adrenoceptor agonist modulation of chromaffin cell degranulation in this catecholamine rich environment.
The influence of solution pH on rates of an electrocatalytic reaction: Formic acid electrooxidation on platinum and palladium

Abstract We found for the first time that solution pH makes a significant difference in the rate of a prototypical electrocatalytic reaction, formic acid electrooxidation, under conditions where H + and OH − do not adsorb strongly on the surface, and we demonstrate that the results can be explained using the Marcus model. We changed the pH of formic acid solutions and found enhanced oxidation on Pd and Pt black catalysts with increased pH. The interpolated current density for the oxidation of 1 M HCOOH in 0.1 M perchlorate electrolyte after 2 min at 0.22 V vs. SHE on Pt increased 30-fold from 0.005 to 0.17 mA cm −2 as the pH was increased from 1 to 5, while for Pd there was a 4-fold increase from 0.12 to 0.53 mA cm −2 . The data was also interpolated at a current density of 0.1 mA cm −2 , and the potential required to reach this current shifted negative 62 mV per pH on palladium and 56 mV per pH on platinum. A 24 h experiment compared two solution pH, in which the higher pH demonstrated remarkably stronger performance. In addition, the potential for oxidation of surface CO shifts negative on both catalysts, as much as ∼57 mV per pH on Pd.
Subsurface damage and microstructure development in precision microground hard ceramics using magnetorheological finishing spots.

We demonstrate the use of spots taken with magnetorheological finishing (MRF) for estimating subsurface damage (SSD) depth from deterministic microgrinding for three hard ceramics: aluminum oxynitride (Al23O27N5/ALON), polycrystalline alumina (Al2O3/PCA), and chemical vapor deposited (CVD) silicon carbide (Si4C/SiC). Using various microscopy techniques to characterize the surfaces, we find that the evolution of surface microroughness with the amount of material removed shows two stages. In the first, the damaged layer and SSD induced by microgrinding are removed, and the surface microroughness reaches a low value. Peak-to-valley (p-v) surface microroughness induced from grinding gives a measure of the SSD depth in the first stage. With the removal of additional material, a second stage develops, wherein the interaction of MRF and the material's microstructure is revealed. We study the development of this texture for these hard ceramics with the use of power spectral density to characterize surface features.
A Reexamination of the Distribution of Galactic Free Electrons

We present a list of 109 pulsars with independent distance information compiled from the literature. Since the compilation of Frail & Weisberg, there are 35 pulsars with new distance estimates and 25 pulsars for which the distance or distance uncertainty have been revised. We used this data to fit a smooth, axisymmetric, two-disk model of the distribution of Galactic electrons. The two exponential model components have mean local midplane densities at the solar circle of 2.03 × 10-2 and 0.71 × 10-2 cm-3, and scale heights of 1.07 and 0.053 kpc. The thick component shows very little radial variation, while the second has a radial scale length of only a few kiloparsecs. We also examined a model that varies as sech2 x, rather than exp (-x), in both the radial and vertical directions. We prefer this model with no midplane cusp but find that the fit parameters essentially describe the same electron distribution. The distances predicted by this distribution have a similar scatter to that produced by the more complex model of Taylor & Cordes. We examine the pulsars that deviate strongly from this model. There are two regions of enhanced dispersion measure, one of which correlates well with the Sagittarius-Carina spiral arm. We find that the scatter of the observed dispersion measure from the model is not fitted well by either a normal or a lognormal distribution of lump sizes but may be caused instead by the uncertainties in the distances.
"Heavy" and "light" drinking-drivers as separate target groups for treatment.

Because of the widely held hypothesis that the “Light” drinker and the “Heavy” drinker may respond differentially to various treatment programs, it appears of value to explore some of the basic differences between these two groups. Several hundred male drivers were studied prior to entering any one of several court-referred drinking-driver treatment programs in Orange County, California. One hundred sixty-nine “Light” drinkers and 112 “Heavy” drinkers were administered a biographical questionnaire, the Michigan Alcohol Screening Test, the Cornell Medical Index, and the Guilford-Zimmerman Temperament Survey. When compared with the “Light” drinker, the “Heavy” drinker tends to have stronger tendencies toward sociopathy, a lower educational level, and a greater tendency to not complete assigned treatment programs. Furthermore, they admit to a greater number of emotional and physical problems. These findings have implications for structuring the type of treatment program to which they may or may not respond. ...
Optimal photomask printability using interactive OPC with a new calibration methodology

The achievement of current critical feature sizes of 65nm and near future sizes of 45nm and 32nm using 193nm wavelength requires many innovations. A "correction" of a mask design is only as good as its ability to be printed. A new method to account for the various aspects of the lithographic systems has been developed and implemented. It includes a very fast computation of the latent image in the resist including immersion (of water or any other fluid), BARC, a variety of illuminators, acid production and diffusion as well as reaction that delivers soluble resist concentration after PEB (Post Exposure Bake). This goal is achieved by solving the Maxwell equations followed by the reaction-diffusion system typical of currently used chemically amplified resists. Then the printable contour on the printed micrographs (SEM) is extracted and placed on each plane in the resist in order to select the best representative of the process. A sophisticated optimization methodology has been developed and implemented so all parameters are calibrated to yield optimal imaging. The imaging and the corresponding processing are obtained at machine accuracy. Once the simulation system is properly calibrated, becoming a true representative of the imaging in the specific manufacturing environment, the design's hierarchy is modified according to the proximity of each polygon on the wafer. This process enables defect detection and OPC to be done on the modified hierarchy and avoids the need to flatten the design resulting in much faster processing, indeed one that can now be performed on a laptop. OPC using the combination of the "proximity analysis" and the printability simulation is carried out in a few simple steps. Imaged is accomplished in the resist and the printable contour is extracted. The contour is compared to the design and the "CDLOSS" is obtained. The design is segmented according to the proximity details and a movement assignment is determined. This algorithm completes the first iteration. The process is repeated until it achieves the required tolerance or exits with "unable to correct" if OPC fails. The final result is returned to the design-stream in its place in the hierarchy. This OPC system is very fast, stable, and accurate. Explicit examples are given in the figures presented below.
A preliminary study of the carbon-isotopic content of ambient formic acid and two selected sources: automobile exhaust and formicine ants

Relatively large quantities (≈1 mg) of formic acid have been collected from the atmosphere and subjected to carbon-isotopic analysis, as a means of source discrimination. Ambient formic acid was captured on Ca(OH)2-treated filters using a high-volume sampler. The collection method was not only efficient (>96%), but also appears to have low artifact production.
A Mössbauer spectroscopy study of cellular acquisition of iron from pyoverdine by Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Mossbauer spectroscopy was used to investigate the cellular acquisition of iron byPseudomonas aeruginosa which had been incubated with ferripyoverdine for 20, 40, 60, 120 or 360 min. Studies revealed that no ferripyoverdine accumulated in the cells at any of these times and that the amounts and kinds of iron complexes produced by cellular metabolism vary with time. At 20 and 40 min a ferric species, with isomer shift δ=0.38–0.42 mm/s and quadrupole splitting ΔEQ=0.94–0.92 mm/s, was the major iron metabolite comprising approximately 80% of the iron. At later times at least three other ferric species appeared with δ=0.54 → 0.72, ΔEQ = 0.84 → 1.07 mm/s. Ferrous species, δ=1.43 → 1.77 mm/s and ΔEQ = 2.69 → 1.82 mm/s, were also seen at times as early as 20 min and comprised as much as 17% of the total iron at 20 and 40 min. The parameters of all these species identify them as being six-coordinated high-spin complexes. In addition a low-spin species, δ=0.19 mm/s ΔEQ=0.67 → 0.91 mm/s, never before reported in cells, appeared at 60, 120, and 360 min as one of the major iron metabolites (50% or more). All isomer shifts are measured with respect to natural iron.
Air pollution and life expectancy in China and beyond.

In PNAS, Chen et al. (1) present findings that implicate long-term exposure to air pollution as contributing to enormous loss of life expectancy (LE) in China. These results are based on a clever quasiexperimental, regression discontinuity design exploiting a Chinese policy that provided free coal for heating in cities north of the Huai River, but not in the south. A spatial discontinuity for particulate matter air pollution (PM), presumably from coal combustion, was observed. A spatial discontinuity of reduced LE of 5+ y was also observed. If true, these results suggest enormous health costs associated with air pollution in China and have important environmental, economic, and public health policy implications. However, are the results plausible? Are they coherent with other epidemiological studies?
Numerical study of plasma-assisted aerodynamic control for hypersonic vehicles

different volumetric energy deposition patterns are considered: a spherical pattern, a “pancake” pattern (oblate spheroid), and a “bean” pattern (prolate spheroid). The effectiveness of volumetric energy deposition for flight control appears to scale strongly with a nondimensional parameter based on the freestream flow kinetic energy flux.
Studies on the follicle stimulating hormone releasing hormone by radioimmunoassays and by bioassays.

An entity (in fractions), separated from the luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LHRH), <Glu-OH, and N-Ac-Asp-OH, which released both FSH and LH appeared to show immunoreactivity in the RIA for LHRH. This entity was destroyed by trypsin, but did not yield LHRH, under conditions which (1) converted a synthetic model, [Arg-Lys-Gln1]-LHRH, of a pro-LHRH to LHRH; (2) did not destroy LHRH. This entity may not be a pro-LHRH, but may be the follicle stimulating hormone-releasing hormone (FSHRH) on the basis of all these data. A second immunoreactive entity had negligible, if any, releasing activity for FSH and LH, and did not yield LHRH on trypsin digestion.
Parity progression in the presence of fetal death: transforming central rates into probabilities.

Abstract A demographic stochastic fertility model is presented that considers as events two types of outcomes of twenty weeks or more of pregnancy: fetal death and live birth. Intensity functions for these events are a function of the woman's age, her parity, and whether or not she has had any fetal deaths within the parity. Formulas are written for the following focal probabilities under the assumption of independence of waiting times between successive events: that a woman of age xi,0 and parity i will have a next event that is a live birth; that she will have a next event that is a fetal death and will ultimately progress to the next parity; that she will have a next event that is a fetal death and will fail to ultimately progress to the next parity; and that she will have no next event. Formulas are derived to connect various central fertility and fetal death rates with the focal probabilities. Current population estimates of the focal probabilities are obtained when quantities in these formulas are replaced by appropriate estimates. Methods are illustrated with the 1980 Minnesota white female population.
Effect of hypoxia on calcium influx and calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase activity in cortical neuronal nuclei of the guinea pig fetus during development.

Abstract Objective: Our purpose was to investigate the effect of hypoxia on calcium (Ca ++ ) influx and Ca ++ -calmodulin (CaM)-dependent protein kinase IV (CaM kinase IV) activity in the neuronal nuclei of the guinea pig fetal cerebral cortex during development. Study design: Preterm and term pregnant guinea pigs (n = 61) were exposed to either 21% or 7% oxygen for 60 minutes. Hypoxia in the fetal cerebral cortical tissue was documented by determining the tissue concentrations of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and phosphocreatine. Fetal cerebral cortical neuronal nuclei were isolated and purified, and ATP-dependent Ca ++ influx and CaM kinase activity were determined. Results: Hypoxia resulted in increased neuronal intranuclear 45 Ca ++ influx for 2 minutes from 6.65 ± 1.29 pmol/mg protein to 9.07 ± 1.98 pmol/mg protein ( P P 45 Ca ++ influx was significantly higher ( P P P Conclusion: Cerebral hypoxia increases calcium influx and CaM kinase IV activity in the cortical neuronal nuclei of the guinea pig fetal brain during development. (Am J Obstet Gynecol 2002;186:658-62.)
The preparation and crystal structures of americium dichloride and dibromide

Abstract The preparation and identification of two divalent americium compounds, AmCl2 and AmBr2, are reported. Lattice constants for the orthorhombic AmCl2 are a0 = 8·963±0·008, b = 7·573± 0·008 and c = 4·532±0·006 A . The lattice constants for the tetragonal AmBr2 are a0 = 11·592±0·004 and c = 7·121±0·003 A .
High-pressure liquid-liquid phase change in carbon

The likelihood of a first-order liquid-liquid phase change in carbon from a mostly graphitic configuration to one that is more tetrahedral in character is explored. Liquid-phase changes in other materials are noted. Pertinent data on liquid carbon are reviewed and the model is briefly described. The model is consistent with a positive diamond-melting-line slope. Constraints on the strain energy between graphitic and diamondlike liquid clusters allow a phase diagram with a liquid-liquid transition and a graphite-liquid-liquid triple point. An upper limit on the strain energy is the constraint that the graphite melting line should have a reasonable curvature that agrees with melting-line data. The transformation of liquid structure from graphitic to diamondlike under compression significantly increases the compressibility.
Divorce as a risky prospect

In 1910, the divorce rate per 1000 members of the US population stood at 0.9. 1 . This rate showed a slow upward trend for the next 50 years, and by 1960 had more than doubled to 2.2. It took only 20 years for the rate to more than double again so that by 1980, the rate was 5.3. For the last 20 years, the marriage rate, by contrast, has experienced mild fluctuations between 10.0 and 11.0 per 1000 in the population with no discernible trend. If the same pattern for both rates holds until the year 2000, the annual number of divorces will exceed the annual number of marriages. Although sociologists have researched divorce extensively, only a few economic studies exist. This is unfortunate since divorce is likely to have considerable impact on economic vaiables such as hours of work, labour force participation, human capital accumulation, work performance and earnings. 2 Without denying the influences of peer groups, social norms and role models, it seems reasonable to suggest that pecuniary considerations ma...
Probable interaction between warfarin and bee pollen.

Purpose A probable interaction between warfarin and honeybee-collected pollen is reported. Summary A 71-year-old Caucasian man arrived at an anticoagulation clinic for routine warfarin monitoring with an International Normalized Ratio (INR) value of 7.1 (therapeutic range, 2.0–3.0). His medical history included atrial flutter, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, erectile dysfunction, obesity, and hypothyroidism. His medication regimen included warfarin, hydrochlorothiazide, lisinopril, levothyroxine, simvastatin, glyburide, metformin, vardenafil, aspirin, a multivitamin, and the herbal products Cataplex E2, Cataplex B, and Cyruta. The dosages of all medications and herbal products had been stable for the previous nine months, including warfarin (INR, 1.9–3.3). The patient began taking bee pollen granules (one teaspoon orally twice daily) for a perceived general health benefit one month before this clinic visit. He denied use of alcohol and tobacco, changes in dietary phytonadione intake, missed or extra doses of warfarin, any other medication changes, and acute illness and diarrhea. Warfarin was withheld, and the patient was seen at the anticoagulation clinic three days later with an INR of 3.7. Warfarin was held for a fourth day and then restarted with the weekly dose decreased by 11%. The patient continued to take bee pollen, and all INR values during the next seven months were within or near the therapeutic range. Use of the Drug Interaction Probability Scale indicated that there was a probable interaction between bee pollen and warfarin. Conclusion Consumption of bee pollen led to increased INR values in a patient taking warfarin.
Apparent molar volumes and heat capacities of aqueous magnesium chloride and cadmium chloride at temperatures from 278.15 K to 393.15 K at the pressure 0.35 MPa: a comparison of ion–ion interactions

Abstract Apparent molar volumes V φ and apparent molar heat capacities C p , φ were determined for aqueous solutions of magnesium chloride (MgCl 2 ) and cadmium chloride (CdCl 2 ) at molalities m = (0.01 to 1.0) mol · kg − 1 , at T = 278.15 K to T = 393.15 K, and at the pressure 0.35 MPa. Apparent molar volumes were calculated from densities obtained using a vibrating-tube densimeter. Apparent molar heat capacities were obtained using a twin fixed-cell, power-compensation, differential-output, temperature-scanning calorimeter. These results were used to create the surfaces ( V φ , m , T ) and ( C p , φ , m , T ) which were fitted by regression. Differences in ion–ion interactions for MgCl 2 (aq) and CdCl 2 (aq) are observed by comparison of the regression surfaces.
Navigation for low-cost missions to small solar-system bodies

A variety of low-cost space missions planned by NASA for flight in the late 1990's and early 2000's will involve rendevous with, and orbits about, small solar-system bodies such as asteroids and comets.
Radiative configuration factors from cylinders to coaxial axisymmetric bodies

Exact solutions are obtained for the radiative configuration factor between differential elements of arbitrary orientation and cylinders. A general method is then proposed for calculating the view factor from a cylinder to a coaxial axisymmetric body using only a single numerical integration. The method is illustrated for axisymmetric bodies with function generators described by a power law equation. The method may be useful in calculating radiative heat transfer between cylindrical bodies and high-density exhaust gases and between annular radiative fins and their bases.
The role of nerves in the regeneration of minced skeletal muscle in adult anurans.

The course of reinnervation and the effects of denervation and immobilization on muscle development were examined during the regeneration of minced muscle in anurans. Reinnervation occurs in the second week, at the time of myotube formation and differentiation. At the end of thirty days, nerves are plentiful and extensively distributed within the regenerating muscle. Cholinesterase activity within the regenerated muscle cannot be demonstrated at this time. Denervated regenerates develop normally during the first two weeks, but, thereafter, the young muscle fibers exhibit signs of degeneration and retarded growth. Denervated regenerates become fibrotic and contain few muscle fibers at the end of four weeks. Regenerates from muscles denervated prior to mincing show an accelerated appearance of presumptive myoblasts in the first week, but despite this precocious development, these denervated regenerates become regressive. On the other hand, the effect of disuse on muscle regeneration is not detrimental; the fibers of reinnervated but immobilized regenerates develop normally and do not become degenerative. These results suggest that nerves are unnecessary for the early myogenic processes of proliferation and fusion, but are essential to later stages of growth, maturation and maintenance of the regenerated muscle fibers.
Who's On the Line? Indian Call Center Agents Pose as Americans for U.S.-Outsourced Firms

This paper explores the globalization of service work through an analysis of customer service call centers in India for U.S. firms. It reveals a new kind of managerial strategy, “national identity management,” in which employees are asked to subsume different national identities as part of the job. Through interviews with over eighty Indian call center personnel and case studies of three call centers, this paper analyzes how and why ethnicity and citizenship have become crucial elements of the labor process. It builds upon and elaborates seminal theories of managerial control in interactive service work, including Hochschild's theory of emotion management and Leidner's theory of scripting. It argues that globalization fundamentally alters the relationship of the actors, the purpose and practice of managerial control, and the outcomes for those involved. In addition, it reflects on theories of advancing information and communication technology (ICT), and global identity. Some scholars argue that the development of ICTs will lead to a homogenization (especially an “Americanization”) of identities, while others see increasing global disjuncture and renegotiation of identities. Instead, this analysis reveals a continuum of responses by workers to the process of national identity management, and the forging of multiple, internally differentiated ethnic identities. It concludes by arguing that customer service work will continue to be globalized, and as a result, issues of “nation” will increasingly surface within interactive service work.
Understanding the role of gravity in the crystallization suppression of ZBLAN glass

ZBLAN (ZrF4–BaF2–LaF3–AlF3–NaF) glass fibers are excellent materials for the use in many applications, such as fiber optics, fiber amplifiers, and lasers for cutting, drilling, and surgery. The main advantage of ZBLAN glasses over other glasses, such as silica, is its superior infrared transmissibility. The theoretical optical transmission spectrum for a ZBLAN fiber is from 0.3 μm in the UV to 7 μm in the IR region. The main obstacle with ZBLAN glass is the extrinsic losses from impurities, which includes crystallites formed during the manufacturing process. Due to ZBLAN’s narrow working range, crystallites easily form during the drawing process, which inhibits the materials transmissibility. Microgravity (μ-g) processing has been proven to suppress crystallization in ZBLAN glass, thus allowing the material to reach its theoretical loss coefficient. Past researchers have shown that this phenomenon exists, but the mechanism of crystallization suppression in a microgravity environment is not well understood. This research endeavors to understand the role that gravity plays on the crystallization suppression of ZBLAN glass. The outcome of this study will impact the production of superior mid-IR fiber optics and could lead to a more feasible manufacturing technique. The main conclusion developed from this study is that the process is heavily dependent upon mass transfer kinetics such as diffusion and buoyancy-driven convection. Thus, suppressing buoyancy-driven convection, at relevant drawing temperatures, suppresses crystallization growth in ZBLAN glass. This theory was proven through microgravity experimentation, analytical, and computational modeling.
Schottky barriers on atomically clean cleaved GaAs

Abstract We report here the first systematic study of the electronic properties of Al, Au, Ag and Cu Schottky barrier diodes on n -type GaAs. These diodes were formed on cleaved (110) surfaces in ultra-high vacuum (UHV) using similar conditions and evaporation rates during the initial stages of Schottky barrier formation as in the photoemission spectroscopy (PES) studies. Barrier height determinations using device measuring techniques (current-voltage ( I – V ), capacitive-voltage ( C –- V ) and internal photoemission) are compared with the results from the PES studies. Essentially identical barrier heights are found from PES and the electrical measurements for the noble metals. The barrier height of the noble metal: n -GaAs system (0.9 eV) is larger than any simple metal on n -type GaAs previously reported. This is examined in light of recent work by Zur, McGill and Smith [22] and a model is suggested to explain it. Results of this study are found to be consistent with the unified defect model which has hypothesized that the barrier height is established by the energy levels of structural defects formed at the surface during the metal deposition.
Hepatocyte growth factor disrupts cell contact and stimulates an increase in type 3 inositol triphosphate receptor expression, intracellular calcium levels, and apoptosis of rat ovarian surface epithelial cells

The present studies revealed that hepatocyte growth factor (HGF) disrupts cell contact, increases both type 3 IP3 receptor and intracellular calcium ([Ca2+) levels and induces apoptosis of rat ovarian surface epithelial cells (ROSE-179 cells). Type 3 IP3 receptor was only increased in cells that lost cell contact. Disrupting cell contact by depleting extracellular calcium (Ca2+) also resulted in an increase in [Ca2+]i levels and an increase in apoptosis. These responses were prevented by the addition of 0.7 mM Ca2+. Actinomycin D and cyclo-heximide prevented apoptosis that resulted from Ca2+ removal. In situ hybridization studies revealed that type 3 IP3 receptor was expressed at relatively low levels by ROSE-179 cells cultured with Ca2+ but at high levels in the absence of Ca2+. ROSE-179 cells cultured in Ca2+-free medium with type 3 IP3 receptor antisense oligonucleotide lost cell contact but did not show an increase in either type 3 IP3 receptor protein, [Ca2+]i, or apoptosis. The nonsense oligonucleotide did not alter these responses to Ca2+ removal. Thus, the disruption of cell contact by either HGF or Ca2+ depletion increases the expression of type 3 IP3 receptor, which causes an increase in [Ca2+]i and the apoptotic death of ROSE-179 cells.
Theoretical development and analytical solutions for transport of volatile organic compounds in dual-porosity soils

Abstract Predicting the behavior of volatile organic compounds in soils or sediments is necessary for managing their use and designing appropriate remedial systems to eliminate potential threats to the environment, particularly the air and groundwater resources. In this effort, based on continuity of mass flux, we derive a mass flux boundary condition of the third type in terms of physically based mass transfer rate coefficients, describing the resistance to mass inflow of the soil–air interface, and obtain one-dimensional analytical solutions for transport and degradation of volatile organic compounds in semi-infinite structured soils under steady, unsaturated flow conditions. The advective–dispersive mass balance formulation allows for mobile–immobile liquid phase and vapor diffusive mass transfer, with linear equilibrium adsorption and liquid–vapor phase partitioning in the dynamic and stagnant soil regions. The mass transfer rate coefficients of volatile organic chemicals across the soil–air interface are expressed in terms of solute properties and hydrodynamic characteristics of resistive soil and air-boundary layers. The solutions estimate solute vapor flux from soil surface and describe mobile-phase solute concentration as a function of depth in the soil and time. In particular, solutions were derived for: (1) zero-initial concentration in the soil profile subject to a continuous and pulsed source at the soil surface; and (2) depletion from the soil following an initially contaminated soil profile. Sensitivity analysis with respect to different dimensionless parameters is conducted and the effect on solute concentration and vapor flux of such parameters as volatilization mass transfer velocity relative to infiltration, soil Peclet number, biochemical decay, and diffusive mass transfer into the immobile phase, is plotted and the results are discussed. The mass transfer rate coefficients and the analytical solutions are applied to simulate transport of an example volatile organic compound in an aggregated soil. The simulated results indicate that macropore-aggregate vapor phase diffusion may profoundly impact transport of volatile compounds in aggregated soils.