cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Development of engine activity cycles for the prime movers of unconventional natural gas well development

ABSTRACTWith the advent of unconventional natural gas resources, new research focuses on the efficiency and emissions of the prime movers powering these fleets. These prime movers also play important roles in emissions inventories for this sector. Industry seeks to reduce operating costs by decreasing the required fuel demands of these high horsepower engines but conducting in-field or full-scale research on new technologies is cost prohibitive. As such, this research completed extensive in-use data collection efforts for the engines powering over-the-road trucks, drilling engines, and hydraulic stimulation pump engines. These engine activity data were processed in order to make representative test cycles using a Markov Chain, Monte Carlo (MCMC) simulation method. Such cycles can be applied under controlled environments on scaled engines for future research. In addition to MCMC, genetic algorithms were used to improve the overall performance values for the test cycles and smoothing was applied to ensure r...
The effect of telehealth insurance mandates on health-care utilization and outcomes

This paper uses panel data techniques to investigate the impact of state mandates to cover telehealth services on private insurance premiums and enrollment, health-care utilization, and health outc...
Taking officer time seriously: A study of the daily activities of probation officers

We use a time and motion study to understand how probation officers spend their time. What officers spend their time doing and whom they spend their time with demonstrates a deeper symbolic meaning of how the convicted should be treated, what is believed effective to change behavior, and informs the community about definitions of public safety. Explicitly studying officer time is a neglected area of research. We model a count variable of minutes per task as a function of offender, offense, and task characteristics using zero-truncated negative binomial regressions. Results show that officers spend significantly more time with higher-risk offenders, mixed results regarding domestic violence and sex offenders, and significantly less time with older and black probationers. Our intentions are to delve deeper into how officers spend their time to contribute to the development of an evidence-based model of corrections.
Testing the Causal Direction of Mediation Effects in Randomized Intervention Studies

In a recent update of the standards for evidence in research on prevention interventions, the Society of Prevention Research emphasizes the importance of evaluating and testing the causal mechanism through which an intervention is expected to have an effect on an outcome. Mediation analysis is commonly applied to study such causal processes. However, these analytic tools are limited in their potential to fully understand the role of theorized mediators. For example, in a design where the treatment x is randomized and the mediator (m) and the outcome (y) are measured cross-sectionally, the causal direction of the hypothesized mediator-outcome relation is not uniquely identified. That is, both mediation models, x → m → y or x → y → m, may be plausible candidates to describe the underlying intervention theory. As a third explanation, unobserved confounders can still be responsible for the mediator-outcome association. The present study introduces principles of direction dependence which can be used to empirically evaluate these competing explanatory theories. We show that, under certain conditions, third higher moments of variables (i.e., skewness and co-skewness) can be used to uniquely identify the direction of a mediator-outcome relation. Significance procedures compatible with direction dependence are introduced and results of a simulation study are reported that demonstrate the performance of the tests. An empirical example is given for illustrative purposes and a software implementation of the proposed method is provided in SPSS.
Distinguishing between excessive daytime sleepiness and fatigue: Toward improved detection and treatment

Introduction: Excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS) and fatigue occur in high percentages in the general population. They are common complaints in primary care and in specialty medicine. Although they may represent distinct or overlapping phenomena, the general medical literature does not normally distinguish between EDS and fatigue. Despite their prevalence, both EDS and fatigue are identified and treated in a relatively small proportion of those affected. The similarity of EDS and fatigue may create diagnostic ambiguity and thereby contribute to under-identification and under-treatment. Fatigue, in particular, is thought to be difficult to manage when it is identified. Methods: The literature was searched for reviews, meta-analysis and similar levels of papers focused on EDS or fatigue. Results: EDS and fatigue are operationalized in ways that contribute to blurring rather than to distinguishing between them. Existing measures of both EDS and fatigue may also contribute to their misidentification. Effective treatments for both symptoms have been established. Behavioral interventions are effective and underutilized. Discussion: We suggest more precise operationalization of EDS and fatigue, leading to a refinement of existing measures or development of new tools, a structured interview with fatigue and EDS sections in the clinical setting, and more consideration for behavioral interventions.
[Insulin resistance: why is it important to treat?]

The ability of insulin to stimulate muscle glucose disposal and inhibit adipose tissue lipolysis is impaired in patients with type 2 diabetes. The progression from normal glucose tolerance and/or impaired glucose tolerance to type 2 diabetes only occurs when insulin secretory function declines to a degree that circulating insulin concentrations are no longer able to overcome muscle and adipose tissue insulin resistance. Although, ambient plasma insulin concentrations are not sufficiently high to maintain euglycaemia in patients with type 2 diabetes, absolute plasma insulin concentrations in these individuals are as high, if not higher, than in nondiabetic subjects. Since the plasma concentrations of insulin, or free fatty acids (FFAs), or both, are elevated in patients with type 2 diabetes secondary to muscle and adipose tissue insulin resistance, hypertriglyceridaemia is common in these individuals. Improvement in glycaemic control with insulin or insulin secretagogues is achieved by raising plasma insulin concentrations to a level high enough to overcome the insulin resistance. This is not the case with thiazolidinediones (TZDs): glycaemic control is associated with lower plasma insulin concentration. Compounds that improve insulin sensitivity and lead to lower glucose and insulin concentrations may have unique clinical benefit in the treatment of patients with type 2 diabetes.
Biobutanol Blending Limits in the U.S.: An Explanation and Application of the 'Substantially Similar' Regulatory Framework

This paper explains the U.S. Clean Air Act's Substantially Similar Rule and analyzes its impact on the commercialization of biobutanol as a transportation fuel in the U.S.
The Role of Blood-Brain Barrier Transport of Tryptophan and Other Neutral Amino Acids in the Regulation of Substrate-Limited Pathways of Brain Amino Acid Metabolism

Many pathways of essential neutral amino acid metabolism in the CNS are influenced by precursor availability. Since the delivery of circulating amino acids to brain cells is primarily controlled by the rate of amino acid transport through the blood-brain barrier (BBB), pathways of brain amino acid metabolism are ultimately influenced by the activity (Km, Vmax) of the BBB neutral amino acid transport system. The Km of BBB transport is in the 0.1–0.6 mM range, which approximates the physiologic plasma levels and forms the basis of the unusual sensitivity of the brain to competition effects on neutral amino acid transport. Unlike the brain, the Km of amino acid transport into other organs is in the 1–10 mM range or greater, which frees these tissues from competition effects in the physiologic range of plasma amino acids. Tryptophan circulates 80–90% bound to albumin; however, the capacity/affinity ratio of the BBB neutral amino acid transport system exceeds the capacity/affinity ratio of albumin binding of tryptophan, which enables the carrier to strip tryptophan off albumin as it traverses the brain capillary. The activity of the BBB neutral amino acid transport system is probably not modulated by insulin, but is influenced by changes in thyroid hormone status; the transport system is also induced in states of hepatic encephalopathy and this induction process is the primary cause of the increased brain tryptophan and serotonin levels in cirrhosis.
Studies on homologous bone marrow transplantation in irradiated rabbits.

White New Zealand rabbits were exposed to 1100 r as a split dose of 600 r followed 24 hours later by 500 r and transplanted with fresh or frozen, lyophilized, sonicated homologous bone marrow. Fresh marrow was infused 24 hours or 72 hours after x-irradiation. All these animals received antibiotics and, in addition, another group received antibiotics only. Donors were females differing, on the basis of Cohen’s HgADF allelomorphic system for erythrocytes, from the recipient males. It was therefore possible to follow the success of the graft qualitatively by the occurrence of female heterophil leukocytes, and semiquantitatively by the presence of donor erythrocytes in the circulation of the recipient. Complete correlation between these two parameters did not occur: sometimes leukocytes, sometimes erythrocytes, and sometimes both elements of the donor were found in the circulation of the recipient. If animals retained their graft, complete repopulation with donor erythrocytes occurred at about the tenth week postirradiation and transplantation. The number of donor leukocytes present in the blood of the chimeras suggested a mixed population. Not only were the grafts often incomplete but in many instances they were not permanent. Initially, all but one animal had a successful graft, but of the 18 animals which had received fresh marrow and survived at least 12 weeks 12 retained their graft. Much better results in terms of permanent takes were obtained when the marrow was infused 24 hours, rather than 72 hours, after x-irradiation. Nonviable marrow had no protective effect, whereas antibotics did decrease the mortality. An immune hemolytic anemia was shown to be part of the secondary disease syndrome. Antibodies specific to stored recipient erythrocytes were found in the sera of all chimeras between the third and seven weeks after transplantation. When donor erythrocytes were used, the test was positive on only 3 animals. These 3 animals died between the third and eighth weeks postirradiation with secondary disease. When stored recipient erythrocytes were thawed, labeled with Cr51, and infused into chimeras three or four weeks after irradiation and transplantation, they had in every case a greatly shortened half-life commensurate with a hemolytic anemia. Donor erythrocytes were infused into other chimeras and in all but one instance had a normal half-life. It is suggested that all rabbit chimeras develop secondary disease to some extent, as indicated by a weight loss and fall in hematocrit, but that the situation is not necessarily fatal, except when recovery of the host’s immune mechanism occurs in the presence of a graft which is actively producing antibodies against the host.
Prevalence of age-related maculopathy. The Beaver Dam Eye Study.

Purpose: The relationships of retinal drusen, retinal pigmentary abnormalities, and macular degeneration to age and sex were studied in 4926 people between the ages of 43 and 86 years who participated in the Beaver Dam Eye Study. Methods: The presence and severity of various characteristics of drusen and other lesions typical of age-related maculopathy were determined by grading stereoscopic color fundus photographs using the Wisconsin Age-Related Maculopathy Grading System. Results: One or more drusen were present in the macular area of at least 1 eye in 95.5% of the population. People 75 years of age or older had significantly higher frequencies ( P Conclusion: These data indicate signs of age-related maculopathy are common in people 75 years of age or older and may pose a substantial public health problem.
Prognostic Implication of the United States Food and Drug Administration-defined BCG-unresponsive Disease.

Abstract The category "BCG-unresponsive disease", formulated by experts at the request of the United States Food and Drug Administration, denotes a group of patients with recurrent non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer for whom continued BCG treatment is unlikely to provide benefit. Although quickly adopted for trial design, many of the nuances within the definition lack validation. In this study, we evaluated the prognostic value of BCG unresponsive designation (i.e. recurrence after induction plus at least 1 maintenance course of BCG) by comparing the oncologic outcomes of these patients with those recurring after induction BCG alone. We confirm that appropriately defined, BCG-unresponsive patients are more likely to require salvage radical cystectomy (54.5% vs 17.9%, p=0.002). Moreover, those opting for second-line bladder-sparing therapies are less likely to remain free of tumor recurrence (23% vs 69.2%, p=0.003). On multivariate analysis, BCG-unresponsive disease independently predicts inferior high-grade recurrence-free survival (hazard ratio [HR]: 6.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.27–16.67; p Patient summary: Patients who have BCG-unresponsive disease, that is, high-grade non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer recurring after BCG induction and maintenance, have a low likelihood to respond to further BCG treatment and should consider radical cystectomy or clinical trial enrollment.
Emotional Energy, Relational Energy, and Organizational Energy: Toward a Multilevel Model

The concept of emotional energy generates increasing scholarly and popular interest. Research spans multiple disciplines (psychology, sociology, organization behavior, network science) and levels o...
Biophysical Characterization of Cationic Antibacterial Oligothioetheramides.

Biophysical analysis into the mechanism of action of membrane-disrupting antibiotics such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) and AMP mimetics is necessary to improve our understanding of this promising but relatively untapped class of antibiotics. We evaluate the impact of cationic nature, specifically the presence of guanidine versus amine functional groups using sequence-defined oligothioetheramides (oligoTEAs). Relative to amines, guanidine groups demonstrated improved antibacterial activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). To understand the mechanism of action, we evaluated membrane interactions by performing a propidium iodide assay and fluorescence microscopy of supported MRSA mimetic bilayers treated with oligoTEAs. Both studies demonstrated membrane disruption, while fluorescence microscopy showed the formation of lipid aggregates. We further analyzed the mechanism using surface plasmon resonance with a recently developed two-state binding model with loss. Our biophysical ...
Transcriptomics of monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) reveals strong differential gene expression in response to host plant toxicity, but weak response to parasite infection

ABSTRACT Herbivorous insects have evolved many mechanisms to overcome plant chemical defenses, including detoxification and sequestration. Herbivores may also use toxic plants to reduce parasite infection. Plant toxins could directly interfere with parasites or could enhance endogenous immunity. Alternatively, plant toxins could favor down-regulation of endogenous immunity by providing an alternative (exogenous) defense against parasitism. However, studies on genome-wide transcriptomic responses to plant defenses and the interplay between host plant toxicity and parasite infection remain rare. Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) are specialist herbivores that feed on milkweeds (Asclepias spp.), which contain toxic cardenolides. Monarchs have adapted to cardenolides through multiple resistance mechanisms and can sequester cardenolides to defend against bird predators. In addition, high-cardenolide milkweeds confer medicinal effects to monarchs against a specialist protozoan parasite (Ophryocystis elektroscirrha). We used this system to study the interplay between the effects of plant toxicity and parasite infection on global gene expression. Our results demonstrate that monarch larvae differentially express several hundred genes when feeding on A. curassavica and A. incarnata, two species that are similar in nutritional content but differ substantially in cardenolide concentrations. These differentially expressed genes include genes within multiple families of canonical insect detoxification genes, suggesting that they play a role in monarch toxin resistance and sequestration. Interestingly, we found little transcriptional response to infection. However, parasite growth was reduced in monarchs reared on A. curassavica, and in these monarchs, a small number of immune genes were down-regulated, consistent with the hypothesis that medicinal plants can reduce reliance on endogenous immunity.
Building Blood Vessels-One Rho GTPase at a Time.

Blood vessels are required for the survival of any organism larger than the oxygen diffusion limit. Blood vessel formation is a tightly regulated event and vessel growth or changes in permeability are linked to a number of diseases. Elucidating the cell biology of endothelial cells (ECs), which are the building blocks of blood vessels, is thus critical to our understanding of vascular biology and to the development of vascular-targeted disease treatments. Small GTPases of the Rho GTPase family are known to regulate several processes critical for EC growth and maintenance. In fact, many of the 21 Rho GTPases in mammals are known to regulate EC junctional remodeling, cell shape changes, and other processes. Rho GTPases are thus an attractive target for disease treatments, as they often have unique functions in specific vascular cell types. In fact, some Rho GTPases are even expressed with relative specificity in diseased vessels. Interestingly, many Rho GTPases are understudied in ECs, despite their known expression in either developing or mature vessels, suggesting an even greater wealth of knowledge yet to be gleaned from these complex signaling pathways. This review aims to provide an overview of Rho GTPase signaling contributions to EC vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and mature vessel barrier function. A particular emphasis is placed on so-called “alternative” Rho GTPases, as they are largely understudied despite their likely important contributions to EC biology.
Polymer Translocation through a “Complicated” Pore

Motivated by experiments in which a polynucleotide is driven through a pro-teinaceous pore by an electric field, we study the diffusive motion of a polymer threaded through a narrow channel with which it may have strong interactions. We show that there is a range of polymer lengths in which the system is approximately translationally invariant, and we develop a coarse-grained description of this regime. In contrast to previous models, this description holds even when some pore degrees of freedom do not remain equilibrated. General features of the distribution of times for the polymer to pass through the pore are then deduced. Finally, we consider more microscopic models and argue that the available data suggests a translocation mechanism involving coupling between the polymer backbone and other slow degrees of freedom.
Distributional Impacts of State and Local Tax Policy in a Heterogeneous-agent Model:

This article presents a dynamic heterogeneous-agent life-cycle model with housing demand to evaluate the economic implications of reforming US state and local personal tax structures. Because of th...
Osmotic Pressure of Degenerate He 3 -He 4 Mixtures

The osmotic pressure of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ mixtures has been measured down to 0.027\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K. The results are used (a) to check the validity of the ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$-${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ effective interaction deduced from transport data using recent exact solutions of the Boltzmann transport equation, (b) to obtain the limiting solubility of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ in ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ as a function of pressure, and (c) to demonstrate the metastability of supersaturated mixtures of ${\mathrm{He}}^{3}$ in ${\mathrm{He}}^{4}$ in the absence of a free surface.
Experimentally-driven protein structure modeling

Revolutions in natural and exact sciences started at the dawn of last century have led to the explosion of theoretical, experimental, and computational approaches to determine structures of molecules, complexes, as well as their rich conformational dynamics. Since different experimental methods produce information that is attributed to specific time and length scales, corresponding computational methods have to be tailored to these scales and experiments. These methods can be then combined and integrated in scales, hence producing a fuller picture of molecular structure and motion from the "puzzle pieces" offered by various experiments. Here, we describe a number of computational approaches to utilize experimental data to glance into structure of proteins and understand their dynamics. We will also discuss the limitations and the resolution of the constraints-based modeling approaches. SIGNIFICANCE: Experimentally-driven computational structure modeling and determination is a rapidly evolving alternative to traditional approaches for molecular structure determination. These new hybrid experimental-computational approaches are proving to be a powerful microscope to glance into the structural features of intrinsically or partially disordered proteins, dynamics of molecules and complexes. In this review, we describe various approaches in the field of experimentally-driven computational structure modeling.
L2 Spanish clitic pronouns: A dynamic system

Abstract Spanish clitic pronouns present multiple morphosyntactic and semantic challenges to second language learners. One particular issue is that of case marking, which can be further complicated by variable native input. As a result, a number of factors have been proposed to explain L2 clitics, such as acquisition sequences, classroom input, dialect-specific input, and animacy cues (e.g. Andersen, 1984; Geeslin, Garcia-Amaya, Hasler-Barker, Henriksen, & Killam, 2010; Malovrh, 2008; Malovrh & Lee, 2013; VanPatten, 1990; Zyzik, 2004). This paper uses the Dynamic Systems Theory to describe and explain L2 Spanish clitic development. The multiple social and linguistic variables that interact in clitic production suggest that clitics constitute a dynamic system. The data presented here come from a cross-sectional analysis of four groups of university-level L1 English learners of L2 Spanish, as well as a group of native Spanish speakers, who produced semi-spontaneous narration as well as post-production stimulated recall and interview. The results show a progression that is not always linear in terms of certain levels, learners, and measures. The quantitative and qualitative results reveal various interrelated social, linguistic, and cognitive factors which all play a role in the dynamic system of clitic case development.
Fibronectin extra domain A (FN-EDA) elevates intraocular pressure through Toll-like receptor 4 signaling

Elevated intraocular pressure (IOP) is a major risk factor for the development and progression of primary open angle glaucoma and is due to trabecular meshwork (TM) damage, which leads to impaired aqueous humor outflow. Here, we explore a novel molecular mechanism involved in glaucomatous TM damage. We investigated the role of an endogenous Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) ligand, fibronectin-EDA (FN-EDA), in TGFβ2-induced ocular hypertension in mice. We utilized transgenic mouse strains that either constitutively express only FN containing the EDA isoform or contain an EDA-null allele and express only FN lacking EDA, with or without a mutation in Tlr4, in our inducible mouse model of ocular hypertension by injection of Ad5.TGFβ2. IOP was measured over time and eyes accessed by immunohistochemistry for total FN and FN-EDA expression. Constitutively active EDA caused elevated IOP starting at 14 weeks of age. Ad5.TGFβ2 induced ocular hypertension in wildtype C57BL/6J mice and further amplified the IOP in constitutively active EDA mice. TLR4 null and EDA null mice blocked Ad5.TGFβ-induced ocular hypertension. Total FN and FN-EDA isoform expression increased in response to Ad5.TGFβ2. These data suggest that both TLR4 and FN-EDA contribute to TGFβ2 induced ocular hypertension.
Talking without words: shared communication between students with severe disabilities and their peers in Physical Education

This case study explored the inclusion of students with severe disabilities in a general elementary physical education program. Qualitative methods were used to capture the communication protocols and instructional practices used by the physical education (PE) teacher and Individual Education Plan (IEP) team members in one fourth grade and second grade physical education classroom. Data from three primary sources including field notes, interviews and a journal were analyzed to address questions of interest. Findings revealed four primary themes. The first “Collaboration-Needing to Know What I Don’t Know” described the process the PE teacher used in gaining information on her students with disabilities. The second, “Community in the Classroom,” revealed the value system shared by the IEP team members. The third theme, “The Role of Modeling” articulated the value of appropriated practices between teachers and students. The final theme, “Talking Without Words” highlighted the communicative processes and shared language between the students with and without disabilities.
Adaptive Procedural Task Generation for Hard-Exploration Problems

We introduce Adaptive Procedural Task Generation (APT-Gen), an approach to progressively generate a sequence of tasks as curricula to facilitate reinforcement learning in hard-exploration problems. At the heart of our approach, a task generator learns to create tasks from a parameterized task space via a black-box procedural generation module. To enable curriculum learning in the absence of a direct indicator of learning progress, we propose to train the task generator by balancing the agent's performance in the generated tasks and the similarity to the target tasks. Through adversarial training, the task similarity is adaptively estimated by a task discriminator defined on the agent's experiences, allowing the generated tasks to approximate target tasks of unknown parameterization or outside of the predefined task space. Our experiments on grid world and robotic manipulation task domains show that APT-Gen achieves substantially better performance than various existing baselines by generating suitable tasks of rich variations.
Case 46. Bruise-like nodules of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm on the background of diffuse petechiae

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm (BPDCN) is a rare, aggressive hematologic malignancy primarily in elderly males. Almost all patients present with cutaneous tumors characterized by purpuric hue secondary to thrombocytopenia. Lymphadenopathy and pancytopenia are noted to have varying degrees, and CNS involvement is seen in up to 30% of cases. BPDCN arises from plasmacytoid dendritic cells. Those are large cells typically positive for CD4, CD56, BDCA-2, CD123, and TCL1 and negative for markers of myeloid, T-lymphoid, B-lymphoid, or monocyte lineage. Up to 10–20% of patients with BPDCN have a concurrent history of hematologic malignancy, including myelodysplastic syndrome, chronic myelomonocytic leukemia, and acute myeloid leukemia. BPDCN often undergoes a leukemic transformation with a median survival of less than 1 year. A new subset of skin-limited BPDCN with an excellent prognosis was recently defined; however, it is not clear which patient will remain to have a skin-limited disease since cases of metastatic spread after a presentation with an isolated cutaneous nodule were also described.
Slow-Burn Ammonium Perchlorate Propellants with Oxamide: Burn Rate Model, Testing, and Applications

Low-thrust long-burn-time solid rocket motors may be useful as propulsion for small, fast, uncrewed aerial vehicles. These motors require a slow-burning propellant that can operate at unusually low...
Effects of within- and between-person assessments of alcohol expectancies and valuations on use and consequences moderated by sex

BACKGROUND Alcohol expectancies (AE; beliefs about the likelihood of outcomes) and valuations (beliefs about the desirability of outcomes) may help explain alcohol use by young adults. However, it remains unclear how variability in AE and valuations over time are related to alcohol-related outcomes, and whether these associations are moderated by sex. The current study addressed these gaps in knowledge by examining within-person variability among positive and negative AEs, valuations, and alcohol-related outcomes over a 12-month period. METHODS Data were collected from 433 college students (Mage = 20.06; 59.81% women) who completed surveys at 4 timepoints: at baseline and 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-up. RESULTS We found substantial within-person variability in both AE and valuations (intraclass correlation coefficients ranged from 50% to 66%), and differences in variability by sex, with women showing more variability than men. Multilevel models revealed that weekly drinking was significantly higher at timepoints in which participants held relatively greater AE for sociability, sexuality, and risk/aggression, but lower when participants expected greater effects on self-perception. Weekly drinking was also higher when participants reported more favorable valuation of risk/aggression. Participants experienced significantly more negative consequences at timepoints in which they held relatively greater AE for sexuality and self-perception. No AEs were associated with a reduced likelihood of negative consequences. Participants experienced more negative consequences at timepoints in which they reported more favorable valuation of self-perception No valuations were associated with fewer consequences. Several between- and within-person associations were moderated by sex. CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that AE and valuations are dynamic, that young adults' beliefs about the effects of alcohol varied over time, and that both negative and positive AE and valuations may be important correlates of alcohol use and consequences. These findings have implications for interventions designed to challenge expectancies and valuations with the goal of reducing alcohol use and associated consequences.
Comparison of Two Commercial Formulations of the MacConkey Agar Test for Mycobacteria

Recent evaluations of the MacConkey agar test for differentiation of rapidly growing mycobacteria have revealed that certain strains of Mycobacterium fortuitum and M. chelonei that were expected to grow on MacConkey agar failed to do so. Investigation of two formulations of MacConkey agar showed that these two species grew better on the medium when the crystal violet dye was omitted. Several possible reasons for this difficulty are discussed. It is recommended that clinical laboratories engaged in differential identification of mycobacteria utilize commercial MacConkey agar without crystal violet when testing rapidly growing species of this genus.
BLOOD SUGAR DETERMINATION AND SEPARATION OF SUGARS WITH LIVE YEAST

It is of the greatest importance for both clinical and experimental purposes, to be able to analyze mixtures of different sugars, and in particular to determine glucose in the presence of other sugars. So many procedures have been proposed for this purpose that it is impossible to discuss them, but it may be said that in general they fall into two classes: chemical methods depending upon different rates of reaction of the various sugars under particular empirical conditions, and fermentation methods depending upon selective action of living organisms. The first group suffers from the fact that such chemical differentiation is in general not delicate enough to distinguish between closely related substances, while the second type is usually much too slow or too tedious to be of general utility. Somogyi 112 recently observed that bakers’ yeast removes glucose quantitatively from dilute solution in a very short time and that this action is limited to the fermentable sugars. As we had need of a method of rapid differential analysis of sugars in mixtures, and as Somogyi gave no data except on glucose, we decided to study the possibilities of the method. Our results confirm Somogyi’s observations and help to indicate that this method of analysis should prove very valuable. A technique was developed which permitted the use of as little as 0.3 cc. of blood or solution-O.1 cc. for the determination of total reducing substances and 0.2 cc. for the determination of the non? adsorbed fraction. The Hagedorn-Jensen method was employed throughout for the reduction determinations.
Testosterone effects on cognition in health and disease.

Low testosterone is associated with many physical complaints as well as cognitive complaints. This article reviews the neurobiologic connection between gonadal steroids and cognitive functions, and mechanisms by which T may be considered neuroprotective. Studies of hormone replacement therapy in hypogonadal men as well as older men with late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) are reviewed as well as epidemiological studies of endogenous hormones and cognition. Studies examining T treatment in men with memory disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (AD) will also be reviewed. Some but not all studies of androgen replacement therapy in hypogonadal younger men, older men with LOH and AD patients suggest a potential beneficial effect on cognition, however a recent study indicated a negative effect. Most studies to date have been small and need further replication with randomized controlled studies using larger sample sizes with specific consideration of treatment risk factors.
Forecasting Demand for Commercial Real Estate Based on the Economic Fundamentals of U.S. Metro Markets

The long-term demand for commercial real estate depends on the relative attractiveness of each metro market compared to all other metro areas. Economic growth models can generate reliable forecasts...
A GUI simulation system for integrating photovoltaic and wind units into power grids

This paper presents a design of simulation software developed in MATLAB environment and within a Graphical User Interface (GUI) framework for performance and economical assessment of Distributed Renewable Energy Systems as they get integrated in the utility power grid system. The simulation system design presented in this paper aims at providing technical support to the evolving systems of integrating the renewable energy resources of PV and WT at the Residential, Commercial and Industrial electric load levels. The system considered is based on a typical integrated configuration. Such a system combines a grid-connected, battery-based PV and/or WT integrated system, and operates on a concept of storing energy in the batteries when the utility rate is low and using this power locally when the rate is high. The model used in the simulation system includes the techniques developed to optimize the photovoltaic (PV) power and wind energy generation as well as to maintain proper operation with grid system. It also provides an economical feasibility assessment of the renewable resources to be used. The simulation software development uses MATLAB environment, which provides a graphics tool called as Graphical User Interface Design Environment (GUIDE). Using the GUIDE, a GUI panel has been designed and incorporated in an executable program that provides effective and easy graphical interactions to users to access the powerful mathematical simulation models used for different system components.
Algorithms and design: the CRAY APP shared-memory system

Analysis of fundamental algorithms of computational science drove the design of the CRAY APP system. The important characteristics central to many applications are exploited through the use of shared-memory programming techniques using existing compiler technology. A cluster-capable 84-processor system, the CRAY APP, provides a flat shared memory, low memory latency, fast barrier synchronization, and hardware-assisted parallel support. A patented crossbar/bus architecture provides system economy. Deterministic system behavior allows the compilers to view the system as a single virtual processor. For even higher performance, multiple CRAY APPs can be clustered. Cluster configurations may also contain a globally accessible memory. High-bandwidth low-latency connections allow this configuration to be effective for applications that require more performance than one CRAY APP. >
Quantum vacuum pressure on a conducting slab

The casimir pressure on a non ideal conducting slab is calculated. Using a simple model for the conductivity according to which the slab is perfectly conducting at frequencies below plasma frequency omega_p and perfectly transparent above such frequency, it is found that the vacuum pressure on each surface of the slab is (h omega_p^4)/(24 pi^2 c^3) which is finite without removal of any divergence
Contexts, Canons and Coreferent Types

A major area of development in the field of knowledge representation is the idea of contexts. In a large system a reasoner can't re-examine everything known all the time. To deal with the shear size and complexity of large knowledge bases like CYC, a reasoner must be able to limit its search to some context relevant to the immediate problem at hand.
Answer to January 2014 Photo Quiz

Answer: Disseminated cytomegalovirus. The skin biopsy demonstrated an amphophilic inclusion with chromatin condensed at the nucleus perimeter, i.e., the classic cytomegalovirus (CMV) “inclusion body,” with the use of a CMV-specific immunohistochemistry stain (CCH2/AD169; see Fig. 1D in the photo
Bilateral trade impacts of temporary foreign visitor policy

Using country-level panel data from 1950 to 2003, this paper critically examines the impact of the US Visa Waiver Program (VWP) on bilateral trade levels. Our empirical analysis uses a variety of specifications, estimators, and robustness checks, including a “random growth” specification that controls for selection bias from both time-varying and time-invariant unobserved country-specific characteristics. The results indicate that a temporary foreign visitor policy with less requirements, such as the US VWP, tends to increase the bilateral trade levels between the US and the selected VWP countries, especially for US exports. This suggests that VWP may have encouraged business travel and commerce enough such that there are export benefits from this less restrictive temporary foreign visitor policy of about 10–20% (~2–4% in tariff equivalent terms).
Evaluation of resistance skills training using multitrait-multimethod role play skill assessments

Introduction Even though resistance skills training is a fundamental component of many social influence prevention programs, few researchers have adequately evaluated whether such training results in unproved resistance skills. This study evaluated the immediate effects of resistance skills training in Project AAPT, a school-based alcohol use prevention program. A multitrait-mul timethod assessment procedure was used to differentiate alcohol refusal skills and refusal self efficacy of subjects who received skills training from those who received another type of prevention curriculum. The procedure utilized three raters (an adult data collector, a student observer and the subject him/herself) to assess responses to a role played beer offer. Results indicated that students who received the resistance training curriculum performed better on the skill measure, and showed greater refusal self efficacy than did students who received the other prevention curricula. Students who received the training were also more likely to use two of the four refusal techniques emphasized in the curriculum, giving a reason or excuse, and applying counterpressure than were untrained students. These results strengthen the argument that improved resistance skills are a significant mediator of prevention program outcomes.
Characterization of electrochemical properties of a micro-nanochannel integrated system using computational impedance spectroscopy (CIS)

Abstract The integration of a microchannel with an ion-selective nanochannel exhibits nonlinear current–voltage characteristics owing to the concentration polarization effects. In this paper, an efficient computational impedance spectroscopic technique (CIS) is developed using an area averaged multi-ion transport model (AAM). Using this technique, we investigate the ion transport dynamics in the Ohmic and non-Ohmic regions. Under no external DC bias and in the Ohmic regime, we observe two distinct arcs. The low frequency diffusional arc characterizes the diffusion-transport and the electrical double layer (EDL) charging effects at the interface of the micro–nanochannel, while the high frequency geometric arc characterizes the electric migration and displacement current effects inside the nanochannel and in the microchannel. Further, we observe an anomalous inductive arc at low frequencies ( fL m 2 / D ≤ 1 ) , in the overlimiting regime. This arc is primarily attributed to the phase effects between the first harmonic contribution of the total ionic concentration and the electric field in the induced space charge region. The microscopic diffusion boundary layer (DBL) lengths observed in the microchannel are also efficiently characterized from the impedance spectrum. Equivalent circuit models are designed to interpret the impedance response.
The impact of preemption of the Georgia Fair Lending Act by the OCC on national and state banks and the dual banking system

Abstract The Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) recently preempted anti-predatory lending statutes in Georgia and other states. This study investigates preemption's impact on the wealth and risk of national and state banks. Wealth increased significantly only for small, geographically diversified national banks. Preemption did not significantly reduce state bank wealth and insignificant differences in excess returns are found when similar national and state banks are compared. Small bank systematic risk rose in the post-event period but the cause is unclear. The evidence suggests that preemption did not create a significant competitive advantage for national banks endangering the dual banking system.
2011 Cultural heritage legal summary

This article summarizes the legal developments during 2011 that affect archaeological heritage. Among the more significant developments were advances in and challenges to the use of international law in deterring the trade in undocumented antiquities and questions of whether artifacts on loan to U.S. institutions from Iran could be used to satisfy judgments against Iran awarded to victims of terrorist bombings. Finally, the article presents a preliminary assessment of the impact of the "Arab Spring" conflicts on cultural heritage preservation.
So You Want to be a Soldier? The U.S. Army, The Soviet Threat, and The Transition to the All-volunteer Force, 1970–1975

With the process of “Vietnamization” beginning in 1969, the U.S. Army began its long, painful disengagement from the war in Vietnam. Though total withdrawal from America's “longest war” did not occ...
Seasonal patterns in eating disorder subgroups

Abstract Patients with bulimia nervosa (BN) often have seasonal patterns of mood and appetite that compare with patterns seen in seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Seasonal patterns in other eating disorder (ED) subgroups have not been adequately described. We report on seasonal patterns in mood, weight, appetite, sleep, social activity, and energy in 154 consecutive admissions to an outpatient ED program: 60 patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), 31 with BN, 34 with a history of both AN and BN ( AN BN ), and 29 with an ED not otherwise specified (ED-NOS). AN patients had significantly less seasonal variation overall than either bulimic subgroup, as measured by the global seasonality score (GSS) on the Seasonal Patterns Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ). AN patients also showed less seasonal change in mood, weight, and energy than BN patients, and less variation in mood and appetite than AN BN patients.
Outsourcing and Insourcing Organizational Services: Operational Capabilities & Strategy Recurrence

Research on outsourcing organizational functions and services has primarily viewed outsourcing as a dichotomous decision and has explained it as a ‘make-or-buy’ decision from the perspective of tra...
A new mixed mode test for carbon/epoxy composite systems

Abstract The present research examines analytically and experimentally the mixed mode interlaminar fracture toughness of a resin film infused (RFI) carbon fiber/epoxy laminate, namely a IM7-AS4/3501-6 hybrid composite system. The inability to develop representative interlaminar failure in composites with current mixed mode test configurations motivated this particular investigation. The paper is part of a more extensive research effort concerned with the effects of stitching upon the mixed mode fracture toughness of a RFI composite. A new mixed mode test configuration is suggested, the Single Leg Four Point Bend (SLFPB), which provides a robust method with small specimens and a simple apparatus. Closed form fracture mechanics-based strain energy release (SERR) calculations have been established for this configuration. Finite element analysis was conducted to validate the closed form solution. Results show a very good agreement between analytical solutions, numerical simulation and the newly designed SLFPB experimental test.
MAGNETIC MOMENTS OF NEUTRON AND PROTON

After a discussion of the importance of results recently found by Sachs, some weaknesses of his theory are pointed out, and a contribution to the nucleon magnetic moment from the state with two-pion cloud in an $S$-state is calculated. A proposal of Sugawara to include admixtures of states with a one-pion cloud around a spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ ("baryon") core is criticized, and the contribution of such states to the nucleon magnetic moments is calculated. It is discussed what value might be taken for the magnetic moment of such "baryon" core.
Many Windows: Reflections on Robert Ulanowicz's Search for Meaning in Science

This paper is an extended discussion of Robert Ulanowicz’s critique of mechanistic and reductionistic metaphysics of science. He proposes “process ecology” as an alternative. In this paper I discuss four sets of question coming out of Ulanowicz’s proposal. First, I argue that universality remains one of the hallmarks of the scientific enterprise even with his new process metaphysics. I then discuss the Second Law of Thermodynamics in the interpretation of the history of the universe. I question Ulanowicz’s use of the terms “random” and “chance” in his definition of process. Finally, I discuss what difference a relational and process metaphysics might make in addressing the political and practical problems in the twenty-first century.