cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
High-power narrow-beam single-mode ARROW-type semiconductor diode lasers

Antiresonant reflecting optical waveguide (ARROW) lasers are novel index-antiguided structures that can achieve reliable high (approximately equal to 1 W) single-spatial-mode output power. Result from 0.98 micrometer-wavelength three-core ARROW-type InGaAs/InGaAsP/InGaP diode lasers, including near-diffraction-limited beam operation to 0.7 W peak-pulsed, and 0.4 W cw are discussed.
Pup's broadband vocalizations and maternal behavior in the rat

Rat pups emit broadband vocalizations with components extending from the audible to the ultrasonic range. Three experiments were undertaken to determine the circumstances under which the calls are emitted, and the effects that they might have on the maternal female's behavior. In the first study, pups were manipulated by the experimenter in several different ways. Broadband calling occurred when the pup was picked up and moved off the horizontal plane. In a second study, the mother was observed interacting with her litter. Vocalizations occurred most often when the mother engaged in behaviors that brought her into contact with the pups, such as nest entry, moving while in the nest, and pup licking. In another experiment, females were temporarily deafened. Relative to controls, deafened females engaged in more incidental contact with the pups, although only if the female was deafened during the first of two tests, when the pups were two days old. Broadband calling may function to reduce rough handling or inadvertent contact by the mother.
A scanning electron microscopic and quantitative histologic description of lens regeneration in the newt, Notophthalmus viridescens.

Adult newts (Notophthalmus viridescens) were lentectomized and at intervals from 4 to 21 days after lentectomy iridocorneal complexes from these animals were examined by scanning electron microscopy to allow a full appreciation for the shape of the regenerating lens. Until around day 12 after lentectomy the posterior surface of the iris is covered by a dense mat of fibrous material which cannot be removed without damage to the iris and which obscures the events of cytoplasmic shedding. The regenerate becomes visible first around stage IV (day 12). A small but clear groove demarcates the regenerate from the rest of the iris. As regeneration progresses there is a marked reduction in debris on the iris surface and the regenerate appears as a U-shaped thickening occupying about one-third of the dorsal half of the iris. During later stages (VI–X) the regenerate protrudes into the pupil inferiorly and posteriorly towards the retina, but does not encroach laterally on the remaining pigmented iris tissue. Prior to secretion of the lens capsule the outline of individual cells is visible on the surface of the regenerate and some regenerates exhibit a prominent dimple on their posterior aspects. Following secretion of the capsule the surface of the regenerate becomes smooth. Quantitative studies show that volume and maximum section area of the regenerate are both more strongly correlated with developmental stage of regeneration than with time after lentectomy.
A study of some "acute phase reactants" in rheumatic diseases.

Representative “acute phase reactants” and a “clinical index” of synovial in flammation were determined in patients with various rheumatic diseases. The serum hexose-protein (PR) ratio, serum protein-bound hexose and seromucoid determinations were consistently found a more reliable indication of the extent of systemic inflammation than the other tests studied. Systemic inflammation, measured by “acute phase reactants,” paralleled the clinically determined synovial reaction only in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Representative “reactantes de phase acute” e un “indice clinic” de inflammation synovial esseva determinate in patientes con vane morbos rheumatic. Le proportion de hexosa a proteina in le sero, le hexosa ligate a proteina seral, e le seromucoides se provava uniformemente plus fidel como indices del extension de inflammation systemic que le altere parametros studiate. Le inflammation systemic, mesurate per „reactantes de phase acute,” esseva parallel a1 clinicamente determinate reaction synovial solmente in patientes con arthritis rheumatoide.
1831 VASCULAR-PULMONARY DYSPLASIA (VPD) ASSOCIATED WITH NEONATAL RAT HYPEROXIA

The chronic sequelae of neonatal hyperoxia was studied in male rats exposed to 100% O2 for the first 8 days of life. Dams were rotated between 41 oxygen treated (O2) rats and 29 room air controls. Following O2, rats had standard care until 60 days of age. Survival rate was 97%. Body weights at 60 days were similar. In vivo right ventricular pressure was measured percutaneously under anesthesia and was increased in the O2 group (30.5 ± 4.3 vs 22.7 ± 3.3 mm Hg p <.0005). Hearts and lungs were excised at 63 days. Organ weights were similar between groups, however, right to left ventricular weight ratios were increased in the O2 group (.316 ± .028 vs .259 ± .022 p <.0005). Air pressure-volume curves were similar but in the O2 rats fluid deflation curves were shifted left and maximum fluid lung volumes were greater (14.05 ± 1.25 vs 12.03 ± .71 ml p <.0006). Pulmonary arteries were perfused at 100 cm H2O with a barium-gel mixture and lungs fixed at 25 cm H2O with formalin. Morphometric studies showed that the O2 rats had an increased volume proportion of parenchyma (.865 ± .014 vs .820 ± 2.8 p <.05), increased mean linear intercept (111.5 μ ± + 17.6 vs 75.3 μ ± 4.7 p <.005), decreased alveoli and ducts per mm2 (78.4 ± 5.2 vs 127.9 ± 8.4 p <.0005) and fewer small arteries (20-200 μ) per mm2 (2.9 ± .41 vs. 4.3 ± .57 p <.0005). The number of small arteries/100 alveoli were similar. We conclude that neonatal hyperoxia is associated with VPD as indicated by a decrease in the number of arteries, cor pulmonale and emphysematous changes in the air spaces.
Design properties for molded, corn-based DDGS-filled phenolic resin

Abstract With the rapid growth in the ethanol fuel industry in recent years, considerable research is being devoted to maximizing the use of processing coproducts, such as distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS), typically for livestock diets. Because these residues contain high fiber levels, they may be amendable to incorporation into polymers as well, which is an option that could garner greater economic returns. Thus, the goal of this study was to demonstrate the viability of using corn-based DDGS as a biofiller with phenolic resin, in order to produce a novel biomaterial. DDGS was blended with phenolic resin at four levels (0%, 25%, 50%, and 75%, by weight), and then compression molded at 13.8, 34.5, or 48.3 MPa (1.0, 2.5, or 3.5 tons/in. 2 ) and 157, 174, or 191 °C (315, 345, or 375 F). Molded specimens were then tested for a variety of mechanical and physical properties. Pressure and temperature each had little effect on the resulting properties. DDGS, on the other hand, greatly influenced all of the properties. Tensile yield strengths ranged from 14.5 MPa (2102 psi) to 4.3 MPa (621 psi), while the Young's modulus ranged from 2296 MPa (333,000 psi) to 841 MPa (122,000 psi) as the DDGS content increased. For all time periods studied, water absorption increased as DDGS level increased. Moreover, as DDGS content increased to a maximum of 75%, biodegradability increased from 0% to 38% while the surface hardness decreased 25%. These results were similar to those from other studies that have investigated biofillers. Follow-up studies should aim to optimize the strength of the DDGS-blended resins through the use of coupling agents or other additives.
Cell Density Regulates Differential Production of bFGF Transcripts

AbstractIn vitro cultures of human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were used to study the regulation of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) gene expression. Four transcripts of 7.0, 3.7, 2.2, and 1.2kB are produced from the bFGF gene. Increasing cell density has a profound effect on the expression of the 7.0 kB transcript relative to the 3.7 kB transcript. Here, evidence is presented suggesting that posttranscriptional processing events are responsible for differential expression of the 7.0 and 3.7kB bFGF transcripts as a function of cell density. Primer extension analysis demonstrates that these two transcripts originate from a single transcription initiation site. Determination of the half-lives of the 7.0 and 3.7kB transcripts at confluent cell density did not explain the relative expression of these mRNAs. These differences may arise from the use of alternative polyadenylation sites in the 3' untranslated region (UTR) as a function of cell density. Polysomal analysis indicates no selective tr...
Expression of neuron-specific enolase in cultured neurons from the fetal rat

Abstract A specific antiserum to neuron-specific enolase (NSE), an isoenzyme of the glycolytic enzyme enolase, has been used to immunocytochemically study the differentiation of dissociated embryonic brain cells grown in serum-supplemented or serum-free (defined) medium for 4–28 days. The number of positively stained neurons increased with time up to 21 days in culture, irrespective of the medium composition. By day 14, the majority of neurons contained immunoreactive NSE in their cell bodies and fiber profiles. These data indicate that cultured embryonic neurons undergo differentiation in either serum-supplemented or serum-free medium, and that dissociated brain cell cultures may provide a model system for investigating cellular and molecular aspects of neuronal differentiation.
Stoichiometry of dissolved organic matter dynamics on the continental shelf of the northeastern U.S.A.

Abstract Dissolved organic carbon (DOC), nitrogen (DON), phosphorus (DOP), inorganic nitrogen and inorganic phosphorus were measured from the Georges Bank region during spring 1993 and summer 1994. Concentrations of DOC in surface waters ranged from 65–92 μM C and decreased with depth to about 50 μM in shelf slope water at a depth of 1500 m. DON and DOP concentrations showed a similar pattern with depth, being higher in surface water and lower in deep water (∼5 to 3 μM N and 0.17 to 0.02 μM P). There was an inverse relation between inorganic nutrient concentrations and DON and DOP. While DOC concentrations were elevated in regions of highest primary production, there was little evidence of corresponding elevations for DON and DOP. Slopes of regression lines relating total dissolved N and P to inorganic N and P indicated that 19 and 15% of remineralized N and P that accumulates in deeper water is derived from the export and decomposition of dissolved organic material (DOM). While overall inorganic N and P dynamics followed Redfield, A. C. (1958) (American Scientist, 46, 205–221) stoichiometry (C:N:P, 106:16:1), the C:N:P stoichiometry of dissolved organic matter deviated substantially. Near-surface stoichiometry of DOM was 400–800:1 for DOC:DOP, 11–15:1 for DOC:DON and 24–55:1 for DON:DOP. Relationships between DOC, DON and DOP indicated that N and P were preferentially remineralized relative to carbon resulting in C:N: P ratios for deeper water DOM that deviated even further from Redfield. Decomposition studies revealed that DOC decomposition rate was related to initial DOC concentration. The higher the DOC concentration the more quickly it was mineralized. DOC first order decay coefficients ranged from undetectable for deep slope water with an initial DOC concentration of 50 μM to 0.0024 day−1 for water collected from the Georges Bank shoals with an initial DOC concentration of 92 μM. DON and DOP decomposition occurred concomitantly with DOC remineralization. Loss rates ranged from undetectable to 0.00064 day−1 for DON and from undetectable to 0.0023 day−1 for DOP. During DOM decomposition we noted increases in the C:N, C:P and N:P ratios, which indicated preferential remineralization of N and P relative to C. Vertical concentration gradients and slow DOM turnover times relative to water residence times in the Georges Bank continental shelf region indicate the potential for export of DOM to deeper water. DOM export to depth and preferential remineralization of N and P relative to C may be important mechanisms for pumping C to depth in the ocean.
The National Board for Certified Counselors: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

The National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC) was a good idea whose time has come and gone. It no longer makes sense to promote the National Certified Counselor (NCC) credential when most states now have counselor licensure. It has yet to be established that the National Counselor Examination (NCE) differentiates between good and bad counselors, nor are there any data that suggest that NCCs are any better counselors than are non NCCs. For probably most of the current 16,020 NCCs, NCC status is redundant and useless: for everyone, it is costly. If NBCC is as great as its proponents would like us to believe, how come only 8% of American Counseling Association (ACA) members are also NCCs? Included are suggestions as to how counselors could better spend the money they would save by not becoming or renewing their certification.
New Views on the Relationship of Plasma Lipids to Cardiovascular Disease

In this issue, Nofer et al1 report on a possible new mechanism that may help explain the relationship between plasma lipids and cardiovascular disease (CVD). New views on “established” relationships are always welcome and frequently important. Data supporting the general relationship of plasma lipids and CVD are extensive. The important contributions of Keys and colleagues in the Seven Countries Study2 3 as well as other multipopulation studies4 5 6 clearly established that higher saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet were associated with a greater incidence of CVD. Major epidemiological studies such as the Framingham Study7 established the risk relationship that exists between plasma lipid levels and CVD. A large body of evidence, including work in animal models and human clinical trials, has established that plasma lipids play a causal role in atherosclerotic CVD. Our belief in causality has resulted in a national effort to document the plasma cholesterol concentrations in healthy individuals and modify them when appropriate under the guidelines prepared by the National Cholesterol Education Panel.8 These guidelines take into account the probable harmful effects of LDL particles and beneficial effects of HDL particles but do not address any possible effects of fasting or postprandial VLDL particles, because data on this topic have been difficult to obtain. The …
Lidocaine jelly push-back of ureteral stones

Abstract Pushing ureteral stones into the renal pelvis significantly facilitates extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy or percutaneous nephrolithotripsy. The technique is simple and less hazardous than mechanically relocating the stone with a wire or a catheter. It requires retrograde injection of 2 % lidocaine jelly into the ureter via an 8–10F catheter placed just distal to the stone. Of fortyseven ureteral stones (24 upper, 19 mid, and 4 lower ureter), 44 were relocated successfully.
High Tensile Strained In-Situ Phosphorus Doped Silicon Epitaxial Film for nMOS Applications

In-situ phosphorus doped silicon epitaxial film with 2.8 X 1021cm-3 doping level is found to show high tensile stress comparable to carbon doped silicon with 1.8% substitutional carbon. As-grown samples show electrically activated dopant concentration of less than 2 X 1020 cm-3. The high tensile and low activation could be well explained by formation of a pseudocubic Si3P4 structure in silicon lattice. Film resistivity of 0.29 mOhm-cm could be obtained with 0.25 ms annealing at 1200 {degree sign}C, with slight reduction in tensile strain. Also, 0.23 mOhm-cm could be obtained by millisecond anneal at 1300 {degree sign}C, but with 30% reduction in tensile strain.
Evaluation of medium treatments for management of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thripidae: Thysanoptera) and Bradysia coprophila (Diptera: Sciaridae)

Two greenhouse experiments, each comprising two trials, were conducted to evaluate medium drenches of insect growth regulators and conventional insecticides to reduce emergence of adult western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and fungus gnats, Bradysia coprophila (Lintner) from the medium. In the insect growth regulator trials, diflubenzuron and pyriproxyfen provided the greatest reduction in thrips emergence, and fenoxycarb, pyriproxyfen and azadirachtin resulted in the most significant reduction of fungus gnat emergence. Treatments with the contact insecticides, methiocarb and chlorpyrifos, resulted in the greatest reduction of thrips and fungus gnat populations. These data suggest that fungus gnats are susceptible to many compounds used in commercial greenhouse production. Even though medium drenches are not currently used for thrips management, drenches with diflubenzuron, pyriproxyfen, methiocarb and chlorpyrifos could aid in reducing thrips populations in greenhouse management programs.
What determines whether observers recognize targeted behaviors in modeling displays

Observational learning is based on a critical assumption that trainees can and do recognize critical modeled behaviors. This assumption has been virtually untested in applied settings. We studied the effects of work experience and instructions on the ability of 59 observers to recognize target behaviors in an observational learning paradigm similar to existing ones. Additionally, we investigated the effects of two key factors that were hypothesized to affect the recognition process in observational learning. The results indicated that only observers who had a minimum of work experience (i.e., intermediate and experienced observers in the study) were able to consistently recognize targeted behaviors. Additionally, recognition was influenced by the level of detail of instructions given to the participants. Finally, characteristics of the modeled behaviors greatly affected recognition: Overall, examples of negative behaviors were better recognized than were positive examples. Behaviors whose consequence was shown were also better recognized than those that were neither reinforced nor punished in the video. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the design of observational learning as a training strategy in complex and applied social learning situations. The applications of this work include the design of training, and the training of evaluators and observers.
A Physical Map of Chromosome 7 of Candida albicans

As part of the ongoing Candida albicans Genome Project, we have constructed a complete sequence-tagged site contig map of chromosome 7, using a library of 3840 clones made in fosmids to promote the stability of repeated DNA. The map was constructed by hybridizing markers to the library, to a blot of the electrophoretic karyotype, and to a blot of the pulsed-field separation of the SfiI restriction fragments of the genome. The map includes 149 fosmids and was constructed using 79 markers, of which 34 were shown to be genes via determination of function or comparison of the DNA sequence to the public databases. Twenty-five of these genes were identified for the first time. The absolute position of several markers was determined using random breakage mapping. Each of the homologues of chromosome 7 is approximately 1 Mb long; the two differ by about 20 kb. Each contains two major repeat sequences, oriented so that they form an inverted repeat separated by 370 kb of unique DNA. The repeated sequence CARE2/Rel2 is a subtelomeric repeat on chromosome 7 and possibly on the other chromosomes as well. Genes located on chromosome 7 in Candida are found on 12 different chromosomes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Vision processing and control of robotic Arc welding system

A microprocessor-based control system is presented for a Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) process to join thin sheet metal parts. The system uses a welding robot, a vision sensor, and an image processor to control the welding torch in real-time. A vision-processing algorithm is developed to compute weld puddle geometry parameters from the noisy image of the molten pool. The weld quality is controlled by regulation of puddle area, puddle width, arc length, and puddle center over the joint. Experimental results indicate successful operation of the control system with heat sink disturbances in the weld fixture.
Reciprocal Selection Causes a Coevolutionary Arms Race between Crossbills and Lodgepole Pine

Few studies have shown both reciprocal selection and reciprocal adaptations for a coevolving system in the wild. The goal of our study was to determine whether the patterns of selection on Rocky Mountain lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta spp. latifolia) and red crossbills (Loxia curvirostra complex) were concordant with earlier published evidence of reciprocal adaptations in lodgepole pine and crossbills on isolated mountain ranges in the absence of red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). We found that selection (directional) by crossbills on lodgepole pine where Tamiasciurus are absent was divergent from the selection (directional) exerted by Tamiasciurus on lodgepole pine. This resulted in divergent selection between areas with and without Tamiasciurus that was congruent with the geographic patterns of cone variation. In the South Hills, Idaho, where Tamiasciurus are absent and red crossbills are thought to be coevolving with lodgepole pine, crossbills experienced stabilizing selection on bill size, with cone structure as the agent of selection. These results show that crossbills and lodgepole pine exhibit reciprocal adaptations in response to reciprocal selection, and they provide insight into the traits mediating and responding to selection in a coevolutionary arms race.
Pathological correlates of dementia in a longitudinal, population-based sample of aging

Objective: Previously published community- or population-based studies of brain aging and dementia with autopsy were restricted to a single sex, a single ethnic group, Roman Catholic clergy, or focused pathological assessments. Our goal was to determine the independent pathological correlates associated with dementia in a typical US population. Methods: We evaluated autopsy data from the Adult Changes in Thought study, an ongoing longitudinal, population-based study of brain aging and dementia. Analyses were based on data collected from about 3,400 people 65 years or older who were cognitively intact at the time of enrollment in the Group Health Cooperative in King County, Washington. All consecutive autopsies (n 221; 20% of deaths) from this cohort were evaluated and analyzed by weighted multivariate analysis to account for potential participation bias. Results: After adjusting for age, sex, education, and APOE, independent correlates of dementia (relative risk, 95% confidence interval; overall p value) included Braak stage (V/VI vs 0/I/II: 5.89, 1.62–17.60; p 0.05), number of cerebral microinfarcts in standardized sections (2 vs none: 4.80, 1.91–10.26; p 0.001), and neocortical Lewy bodies (any vs none: 5.08, 1.37–18.96; p 0.05). Estimates of adjusted population attributable risk for these three processes were 45% for Braak stage, 33% for microinfarcts, and 10% for neocortical Lewy bodies. Interpretation: Our results underscore the therapeutic imperative for Alzheimer’s and Lewy body diseases, and provide evidence to support the immediate use of strategies that target cerebral microinfarcts as a means to partially prevent or delay the onset of dementia.
Unsteady Motion, Finite Reynolds Numbers, and Wall Effect on Vorticella convallaria Contribute Contraction Force Greater than the Stokes Drag

Contraction of Vorticella convallaria, a sessile ciliated protozoan, is completed within a few milliseconds and results in a retraction of its cell body toward the substratum by coiling its stalk. Previous studies have modeled the cell body as a sphere and assumed a drag force that satisfies Stokes' law. However, the contraction-induced flow of the medium is transient and bounded by the substrate, and the maximum Reynolds number is larger than unity. Thus, calculations of contractile force from the drag force are incomplete. In this study, we analyzed fluid flow during contraction by the particle tracking velocimetry and computational fluid dynamics simulations to estimate the contractile force. Particle paths show that the induced flow is limited by the substrate. Simulation-based force estimates suggest that the combined effect of the flow unsteadiness, the finite Reynolds number, and the substrate comprises 35% of the total force. The work done in the early stage of contraction and the maximum power output are similar regardless of the medium viscosity. These results suggest that, during the initial development of force, V. convallaria uses a common mechanism for performing mechanical work irrespective of viscous loading conditions.
AMP Kinase Activation Increases Glucose Uptake, Decreases Apoptosis, and Improves Pregnancy Outcome in Embryos Exposed to High IGF-I Concentrations

Women with polycystic ovarian syndrome are at increased risk of miscarriage. Although evidence exists that metformin reduces this risk, the mechanism is unknown. This study tests the hypothesis that AMP kinase (AMPK) activation with metformin directly improves insulin signaling within the blastocyst, leading to improved pregnancy outcomes. Murine embryos were exposed to 200 nmol/l IGF-I, similar to the concentrations that can occur during polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Resulting blastocysts were compared with embryos cocultured with excess IGF-I plus metformin and embryos cultured in control medium for the following: AMPK phosphorylation, insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and apoptosis. Study and control blastocysts were also transferred into control animals. On embryonic day (E) 14.5, resulting fetuses were examined for size and rates of fetal implantation and resorption. Compared with control blastocysts, blastocysts exposed to high concentrations of IGF-I showed a decrease in AMPK activation and insulin-stimulated glucose uptake and an increase in the number of apoptotic nuclei. Blastocysts cocultured in metformin and excess IGF-I performed as well as controls in all studies. 5-Aminoimidazole-4-carboxamide 1-beta-d-ribofuranoside, another AMPK activator, also prevented the effects of excess IGF-I on blastocysts. Implantation rates and fetal size at day 14.5 were significantly lower among IGF-I-exposed embryos transferred into control mothers compared with control embryos transferred into control mothers. Both of these parameters were reversed by co-incubation with metformin and IGF-I before transfer. Activation of embryonic AMPK may be the mechanism responsible for the improved pregnancy outcomes seen in PCOS patients taking metformin.
Age and Comorbidity As Independent Prognostic Factors in the Treatment of Non–Small-Cell Lung Cancer: A Review of National Cancer Institute of Canada Clinical Trials Group Trials

Purpose This study analyzed patients enrolled in two large, prospectively randomized trials of systemic chemotherapy (adjuvant/palliative setting) for non–small-cell lung Cancer (NSCLC). The main objective was to determine if age and/or the burden of chronic medical conditions (comorbidity) are independent predictors of survival, treatment delivery, and toxicity. Patients and Methods Baseline comorbid conditions were scored using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI), a validated measure of patient comorbidity that is weighted according to the influence of comorbidity on overall mortality. The CCI score (CCIS) was correlated with demographic data,(ie, age, sex, race), performance status (PS), histology, cancer stage, patient weight, hemoglobin, alkaline phosphatase, lactate dehydrogenase, outcomes of chemotherapy delivery (ie, type, total dose, and dose intensity), survival, and response. Results A total of 1,255 patients were included in this analysis. The median age was 61 years (range, 34 to 89 years); ...
Correlating the Temporal Luminosity Parameters to Pulse Shape Discrimination

Monte Carlo simulations were used to investigate the correlation between temporal luminosity parameters and pulse shape discrimination (PSD). Temporal luminosity parameters Af, As, (fast and slow initial luminosities) and tauf, taus, (fast and slow decay time constants) of a dual decay mode scintillator were applied to create a dynamic model with Crystal Balltrade simulation system. The simulated pulses were analyzed with charge comparison (CC) and constant time discrimination (CTD) PSD techniques followed by quantification of the histogrammed pulse data with Figure of Merit (FoM) and spillover. For the CC method, independent of the reference pulse characteristics [(Aftauf/Astaus)gamma = 1 or = 0.1], the changes to Af, As, and tauf have nearly equal influence on the PSD quality, while changes to taus reduce the region of poor discrimination. For the CTD method, Af and As are seen to have less influence over the PSD in comparison with tauf and taus when (Aftauf/Astaus)gamma = 1. For either references, the scintillator having temporal parameters such that, 0.1 < (Aftauf/Astaus)alpha/gamma < 2, is classified as a poor pulse shape discriminator. Thus, knowledge of temporal parameters can predict the PSD capability. Comparison of the simulation system with CsI:Tl, a very good pulse shape discriminating inorganic scintillator, is also presented.
The combined effects of thinning and prescribed fire on carbon and nutrient budgets in a Jeffrey pine forest

• Both burning and harvesting cause carbon and nutrient removals from forest ecosystems, but few studies have addressed the combination of these effects. For a Pinus jeffreyii forest in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California, we posed the question: what are the relative impacts of thinning and subsequent burning on carbon and nutrient removals? • The thinning methods included whole-tree thinning (WT, where all aboveground biomass was removed) cut to length (CTL, where branches and foliage were left on site in a slash mat on top of skid trails) and no harvest (CONT). Total C and nutrient exports with thinning and burning were greater in the WT and CTL than in the CONT treatments. Total C and N removals were approximately equal for the WT and CTL treatments, although harvesting dominated exports in the WT treatment and burning dominated exports in the CTL treatment. Total removals of P, K, Ca, Mg and S were greatest in the WT treatments, where harvesting dominated removals. • Comparisons of nutrient removals with ecosystem capital and calculations of potential replenishment by atmospheric deposition suggested that N is the nutrient likely to be most depleted by harvesting and burning treatments.
Cocaine and Other Indirect-Acting Monoamine Agonists Differentially Attenuate a Naltrexone Discriminative Stimulus in Morphine-Treated Rhesus Monkeys

Monoaminergic drugs can modify opioid withdrawal in nonhumans, and cocaine is reported to attenuate opioid withdrawal in humans. Drug discrimination was used to examine whether s.c. cocaine or other indirect-acting monoamine agonists attenuate morphine (3.2 mg/kg/day) withdrawal induced by naltrexone and by 27 h of morphine deprivation. Naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal was attenuated not only by morphine but also by cocaine, amphetamine, and imipramine. However, reversal of naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal was greater for morphine than for any of the indirect-acting monoamine agonists. Attenuation of the naltrexone discriminative stimulus by indirect-acting monoamine agonists was pharmacologically selective insofar as drugs lacking affinity for monoamine transporters (ketamine and triazolam) were without effect. Twenty-seven hours of morphine deprivation occasioned naltrexone-lever responding and decreased response rate, and both effects were reversed by morphine, cocaine, and amphetamine and not by imipramine, desipramine, ketamine, and triazolam. Thus, indirect-acting monoamine agonists attenuate some (e.g., discriminative) aspects of naltrexone-precipitated withdrawal, whereas only indirect-acting agonists with high affinity for dopamine transporters attenuate deprivation-induced withdrawal. These results suggest that dopamine is differentially involved in naltrexone- and deprivation-induced withdrawal and support the notion that opioid-dependent individuals use stimulants, in part, to attenuate withdrawal.
Chemoembolization and Bland Embolization: A Critical Appraisal

Hepatocellular carcinoma is a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, and most patients are not candidates for potentially curative treatment. Bland and chemoembolization are palliative options for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) that have been evaluated in controlled trials. Chemoembolization and perhaps bland embolization used as primary treatment for HCC in selected patients are effective at prolonging survival. The role of these therapies before surgical resection, liver transplantation, or in combination with local ablative therapy is controversial and yet unproven.
Augmenting abstract syntax trees for program understanding

Program understanding efforts by individual maintainers are dominated by a process known as discovery, which is characterized by low-level searches through the source code and documentation to obtain information that is important to the maintenance task. Discovery is complicated by the delocalization of information in the source code, and can consume from 40-60% of a maintainer's time. This paper presents an ontology for representing code-level knowledge based on abstract syntax trees, that was developed in the context of studying maintenance problems in a small software company. The ontology enables the utilization of automated reasoning to counter delocalization, and thus to speed up discovery.
Gender Politics and Global Householding in International Student/Scholar Families

Global householding encompasses a variety of (re)configurations of family and household arrangements due to people on the move across national boundaries (Douglass 2006). My essay focuses on global householding associated with educational migration, and in particular, the flow of students and scholars from Asia to the United States.
Identifying multi-layer gene regulatory modules from multi-dimensional genomic data

Motivation: Eukaryotic gene expression (GE) is subjected to precisely coordinated multi-layer controls, across the levels of epigenetic, transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulations. Recently, the emerging multi-dimensional genomic dataset has provided unprecedented opportunities to study the cross-layer regulatory interplay. In these datasets, the same set of samples is profiled on several layers of genomic activities, e.g. copy number variation (CNV), DNA methylation (DM), GE and microRNA expression (ME). However, suitable analysis methods for such data are currently sparse. Results: In this article, we introduced a sparse Multi-Block Partial Least Squares (sMBPLS) regression method to identify multi-dimensional regulatory modules from this new type of data. A multi-dimensional regulatory module contains sets of regulatory factors from different layers that are likely to jointly contribute to a local ‘gene expression factory’. We demonstrated the performance of our method on the simulated data as well as on The Cancer Genomic Atlas Ovarian Cancer datasets including the CNV, DM, ME and GE data measured on 230 samples. We showed that majority of identified modules have significant functional and transcriptional enrichment, higher than that observed in modules identified using only a single type of genomic data. Our network analysis of the modules revealed that the CNV, DM and microRNA can have coupled impact on expression of important oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes. Availability and implementation: The source code implemented by MATLAB is freely available at: http://zhoulab.usc.edu/sMBPLS/. Contact: [email protected] Supplementary information:Supplementary material are available at Bioinformatics online.
Shimada Seamount: An example of recent mid-plate volcanism

Shimada Seamount is an isolated volcanic feature located between the Clipperton and Clarion Fracture Zones ∼1,150 km west of the East Pacific Rise and ∼600 km west of the inactive spreading center represented by the Mathematician Seamounts. It rises ∼3,900 m above the surrounding sea floor to within 50 m of present-day sea level. The area of Shimada Seamount should be volcanically dormant, because it is far from an active spreading center and is located on oceanic crust of early Miocene age. Nevertheless, evidence was found that Shimada Seamount has formed geologically recently. For example, seismic-reflection profiles-indicate that virtually no sediment has accumulated on the summit or flanks of the seamount; television, still-camera, and dredge-haul data indicate that a platform near the summit at a water depth of ∼180 m is a carbonate build-up formed by coralline red algae attached to fresh pillow basalt. Glassy pillow basalt too young to date by the K/Ar method and showing little or no devitrification and lacking manganese encrustations was dredged from the seamount below the algal reefs (500–750 m). Several cores taken from the adjacent basin (∼3,900 m deep) contain fresh glassy basalt detritus, and one core sampled a thin flow of unaltered basaltic glass at the sediment surface. The origin and history of Shimada Seamount differ importantly from volcanoes generally thought to form at spreading centers, along transform faults, or at hot spots. The existence of Shimada Seamount, therefore, has implications about tectonic processes that occur in interplate regions.
Robust Object Tracking Via Online Dynamic Spatial Bias Appearance Models

This paper presents a robust object tracking method via a spatial bias appearance model learned dynamically in video. Motivated by the attention shifting among local regions of a human vision system during object tracking, we propose to partition an object into regions with different confidences and track the object using a dynamic spatial bias appearance model (DSBAM) estimated from region confidences. The confidence of a region is estimated to reflect the discriminative power of the region in a feature space and the probability of occlusion. We propose a novel hierarchical Monte Carlo (HAMC) algorithm to learn region confidences dynamically in every frame. The algorithm consists of two levels of Monte Carlo processes implemented using two particle filtering procedures at each level and can efficiently extract high-confidence regions through video frames by exploiting the temporal consistency of region confidences. A dynamic spatial bias map is then generated from the high-confidence regions and is employed to adapt the appearance model of the object and to guide a tracking algorithm in searching for correspondences in adjacent frames of video images. We demonstrate feasibility of the proposed method in video surveillance applications. The proposed method can be combined with many other existing tracking systems to enhance the robustness of these systems.
General Counsel Prominence and Corporate Tax Policy

ABSTRACT: Prior research provides evidence that individual executives have a significant effect on firm-level tax policy. Further research has shown that having a corporate general counsel (GC) in a firm's top management team (top five highest-paid executives) significantly affects a firm's accounting and disclosure practices. In this paper, we examine the role of the GC in corporate tax policy. Specifically, we use the ascension of the corporate GC to top management as the identifying event in which the role and influence of the corporate GC becomes more salient. We find strong evidence that GC ascension to top management is associated with an increase in tax aggressiveness, as evidenced by greater book-tax differences and a higher likelihood of engaging in tax shelter activities. Data Availability: Data are obtained from public sources identified in the paper.
The Impact in the United States of Global Adoption of IFRS

This paper presents the pros and cons of the use of IFRS by US companies. The quest for one set of high-quality accounting standards recognised globally is clearly the ideal goal. However, before making a decision on the use of IFRS in the United States (US), the Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) should develop a blueprint to ensure that prerequisites for achieving a true global standard are satisfied and that convergence will continue. An ‘improve and then adopt’ approach appears to represent the best way forward for the US.
Interferon-Free Hepatitis C Therapy

Two oral direct-acting antivirals (DAA) are now available for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C infection and several generations of DAA are in development. Expectations are that, at some time in the near future, hepatitis C will be ‘curable’ with an all-oral DAA regimen. This article reviews the current problems associated with interferon-based hepatitis C treatments that are combined with DAAs, including adverse events and complications of therapy, contraindications, drug-drug interactions and cost. The article further discusses difficulties with new drug development and provides an opinion on the research issues still to be dealt with and the requirements for the successful implementation of such a strategy. These include lack of efficacy in certain populations, unexpected side effects, antiviral resistance, late relapse, lack of cooperation between drug developers and cost.
Differential Equations with Bistable Nonlinearity

We study bounded solutions of differential equations with bistable nonlinearity by numerical and analytic methods. A simple mechanical model of circular pendulum with magnetic suspension in the upper equilibrium position is regarded as a bistable dynamical system simulating a supersensitive seismograph. We consider autonomous differential equations of the second and fourth orders with discontinuous piecewise linear and cubic nonlinearities. Bounded solutions with finitely many zeros, including solitonlike solutions with two zeros and kinklike solutions with several zeros are studied in detail. It is shown that, to within the sign and translation, the bounded solutions of the analyzed equations are uniquely determined by the integer numbers $$ n=\left[\frac{d}{l}\right] $$ where d is the distance between the roots of these solutions and l is a constant characterizing the intensity of nonlinearity. The existence of bounded chaotic solutions is established and the exact value of space entropy is found for periodic solutions.
Planning and pragmatism: an introductory outline particularly involving the elimination of goal-achievement in the planning process

Pragmatism is argued as a viable approach to planning in the New Zealand context. The article overviews the conceptual basis of pragmatic planning as an alternative to goal-achievement focussed planning.
The proper connection between shelterin components is required for telomeric heterochromatin assembly

Telomeric regions contain prominent sites of heterochromatin, which is associated with unique histone modification profiles such as the methylation of histone H3 at Lys9 (H3K9me). In fission yeast, the conserved telomeric shelterin complex recruits the histone H3K9 methyltransferase complex CLRC to establish subtelomeric heterochromatin. Although many shelterin mutations affect subtelomeric heterochromatin assembly, the mechanism remains elusive due to the diverse functions of shelterin. Through affinity purification, we found that shelterin directly associates with CLRC through the Ccq1 subunit. Surprisingly, mutations that disrupt interactions between shelterin subunits compromise subtelomeric heterochromatin without affecting CLRC interaction with shelterin component Pot1, located at chromosome ends. We further discovered that telomeric repeats are refractory to heterochromatin spreading and that artificial restoration of shelterin connections or increased heterochromatin spreading rescued heterochromatin defects in these shelterin mutants. Thus, subtelomeric heterochromatin assembly requires both the recruitment of CLRC by shelterin to chromosome ends and the proper connection of shelterin components, which allows CLRC to skip telomeric repeats to internal regions.
Fluoroaliphatic sulfones: a new class of delayed-action insecticides for control of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae).

Extensive laboratory testing of fluoroaliphatic sulfones (RfSO2R) showed that, in particular, sulfonamide (RfSO2NR1R2) analogs have potential as delayed-action toxicants for control of the red imported fire ant, Solenopsis invicta Buren. Delayed activity was observed when R1 and R2 = H or alkyl with one exception (R1 = H, R2 = t-butyl). Dependent on the double-bond position, unsaturated hydrocarbon substituents gave either fast kill or delayed activity. Monoalcohol substituents showed delayed activity, but diols were inactive. Polyether substituents, either hydrogen or methyl end-capped, showed similar delayed activity. The C8F17 fluorocarbon radical yielded the best activity. Both the fluorocarbon and sulfone groups were essential to the activity of this class of compounds.
Iodine Bonding Stabilizes Iodomethane in MIDAS Pesticide. Theoretical Study of Intermolecular Interactions between Iodomethane and Chloropicrin

The results are reported of a theoretical study of iodomethane (H3C–I, 1) and chloropicrin (Cl3C–NO2, 2), of the heterodimers 3–6 formed by aggregation of 1 and 2, and of their addition products 7 and 8 and their possible fragmentation reactions to 9–18. Mixtures of iodomethane and chloropicrin are not expected to show chemistry resulting from their reactions with each other. The structures and stabilities are discussed of the iodine-bonded molecular aggregates (IBMA) 3 and 4 and of the hydrogen- and iodine-bonded molecular aggregates (IHBMA) 5 and 6. The mixed aggregates 3–5 are bound on the free enthalpy surface relative to the homodimers of 1 and 2, and the IBMA structures 3 and 4 are most stable. This result suggests that the mixture of chloropicrin and iodomethane in the pesticide Midas is a good choice to reduce the volatility of iodomethane because of thermodynamically stabilizing iodine bonding.
A preliminary assessment of methods for determining turbine efficiency

The efficiency of a turbine may be calculated from measured test variables by several different methods. Two common methods used for cold air flow testing of turbines have been evaluated from an uncertainty analysis viewpoint. General uncertainty analysis results are presented showing a comparison between the two methods and the relative importance of the uncertainty of each of the measured variables on the uncertainty of the efficiency. Plans for future work extending this analysis to a detailed uncertainty analysis are also briefly presented. (Author)
Small-angle neutron scattering in a high-temperature furnace

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) is increasingly used to obtain statistically-representative data on particle or pore sizes, number and volume fractions, morphology and total surface areas in technological materials. Until recently, however, it had not been possible to perform in-situ microstructural investigations during thermal treatment. This paper reports on a new high-temperature (up to 1700°C) SANS furnace for materials research. Two interchangeable inner furnaces were built for a single outer atmosphere chamber so that either an oxidizing, a reducing, or a neutral environment can be used. Results derived during sintering of a controlled-porosity silica gel will be presented. The new furnace has made it possible for the first time to measure total porous surface areas and the evolution of pore sizes in situ during densification without interruption. Such measurements are expected to lead to improved process models offering quantitative predictability of product microstructures from the processing history of real materials.