cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Weighting pain avoidance and reward seeking: a neuroeconomical approach to pain.

The most important choices that we have to make in life often entail both positive and negative consequences. As common wisdom suggests and as formalized in many economic theories, the best choice of action is the one that maximizes rewards and pleasure and minimizes losses and pain. However, the
Studies of Costa Rican Gelidiales (Rhodophyta): four Caribbean taxa including Pterocladiella beachii sp. nov.

Eight species within the red algal order Gelidiales have previously been recorded from the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. In this study morphological observations and analyses of rbcL and LSU gene ...
A combinatorial/geometric analysis of convex cyclofusene

Previously, we presented an algorithm for counting Kekule structures for parallelogram-like benzenoids with holes by counting descending paths using rectangular meshes with holes. In this article, we describe an algorithm to count Kekule structures for convex cyclofusenes using a combinatorial/geometric approach.
Compact Models and Model Standard for 2.5D and 3D Integration

3D integration is an emerging interconnect technology that can enable the continuation of performance scaling and the reduction of form factors. There are various approaches for 3D integration, including system-in-package (SiP), TSV-based 3D ICs, monolithic 3D ICs, and inductance/capacitance coupling 3D ICs, among which TSV-based 3D IC is the most promising one. This paper provides a summary of previous work on electrical modelings for 3D IC, with an emphasis on two key interconnect approaches: TSVs and RDLs. Based on prior work, we describe a compact model standard to facilitate a generic modeling approach for future 3D ICs.
Computer-assisted logical database design

Abstract Database design can be a long and tedious process. Designing large databases, say of 500 elements or more, usually takes months, even years. Until now, database design has been more an art than a science, with no standardly recognized set of rules or algorithms. Experience and intuitive feel have been the designer's criteria. In addition to the time and tedium involved, the quality of the resulting design is frequently a problem. In many cases fo poorly performing systems, the database design is found to be the culprit. Once the meanings of the data elements are understood, database design is relatively straightforward but tedious. But good designs are not always easy to obtain. The major problems fall into the following categories: • • insufficient analysis of functional data requirements • • lengthy tedium beyond human capacity • • difficulty of predicting performance implications • • management impose time constraints Automated logical database design offers the potential of quality design accomplished in significantly shorter periods of time. Besides assisting in the structuring process, the procedures offer a wealth of editing and diagnostic information. While automated techniques can derive a logical datastructure, the designer should always consider these techniques as a tool that produces a suggested (cannonical) design requiring human review and probably human refinement. These techniques, then, should be applied to an interative design process to assist the designer in converging on a final logical design to be implemented. The available diagnostics can greatly assist in this review and refinement. The emphasis of this paper is on the design of DL/I hierachical structures, but the design of relational structures is also treated. Following some introductory concepts, the automated logical design procedures for DL/I structures are presented. The procedures are described, some of their more subtle features are explored, and the types of reports obtainable are suggested. The extension of these concepts to relational structures is then presented. Finally, desirable interfaces between the automated design procedures and a dictionary system are suggested.
Menopause Health Decision Support for Women With Physical Disabilities

Menopausal women with disabilities present health care providers with unique and challenging health issues. Many women with disabilities already face an ongoing struggle to promote their health and prevent secondary disabling conditions, which may be exacerbated by menopause. This article highlights some of the special health concerns of this population and to suggest ways in which a health care professional might tailor general clinical guidance to meet these women's needs.
Synthesis, isolation and immunochemical characterization of N-(carboxymethyl-3H)-D-lysergamide

Covalent amide linkage of glycine-2-3H to the non-hallucinogenic derivative, d-lysergic acid (LSA), by carbodiimide activation results in a lysergic acid analogue which has potential use in biochemical studies of the mode of action, metabolism and immunology of d-lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Optimal conditions for the reaction and isolation of the product, N-(carboxymethyl-3H)-d-lysergamide, were determined. The product was analyzed by radioimmune assay and by equilibrium dialysis with highly specific antibody to the lysergyl moiety.
Effects of salinity and particle concentration on sediment hydrodynamics and critical bed-shear-stress for erosion of fine grained sediments used in wetland restoration projects

Sea-level rise, the increasing number and intensity of storms, oil and groundwater extraction, and coastal land subsidence are putting people and property at risk along Louisiana’s coast, with major implications for human safety and economic health of coastal areas. A major goal towards re-establishing a healthy and sustainable coastal ecosystem has been to rebuild Louisiana’s disappearing wetlands with fine grained sediments that are dredged or diverted from nearby rivers, channels and lakes to build land in open water areas. A thorough geo-hydrodynamic characterization of the deposited sediments is important in the correct design and a more realistic outcome assessment of the long-term performance measures for ongoing coastal restoration projects. This paper evaluates the effects of salinity and solid particle concentration on the re-suspension characteristics of fine-grained dredged sediments obtained from multiple geographic locations along the Gulf coast. The critical bed-shear-stress for erosion has been evaluated as a function of sedimentation time. The sediment hydrodynamic properties obtained from the laboratory testing were used in a numerical coastal sediment distribution model to aid in evaluating sediment diversions from the Mississippi River into Breton Sound and Barataria Bay.
One size does not fit all: legal protection for non-copyrightable data

The web has become the largest data repository on the planet. An important factor contributing to its success is its openness and ease of use: anyone can contribute data to, and consume data from, the Web. As Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the Web, said, "the exciting thing is serendipitous reuse of data: one person puts data up there for one thing, and another person uses it another way." Such serendipitous data reuse is extremely valuable. Through reuse, new knowledge can be created, innovation and value-added services become possible.However, there have been efforts to regulate and legally challenge data reuse activities. The European Union (EU) has adopted the Database Directive to restrict unauthorized data extraction and reuse. In the U.S., Congress has considered six bills, all of which failed to pass into law. These legislative activities are summarized in Figure 1; more details are furnished later. The significant uncertainty and the international differences in database legislation have created serious challenges to the "serendipitous reuse of data." The dual purposes of this article, both related to the theme "one size does not fit all," are to: summarize the range of legislation in current use and proposed; and present an economic model for interpreting or recommending policy choices that depend on factors such as cost of database creation and level of database differentiation.As computing professionals continue to develop technologies (such as data extraction, Web mashups, Web services, and various Semantic Web technologies) to make data reuse much easier, it is important for us to understand the legal implications when applying these technologies for data reuse purposes.
Radiations from 83 min 139Ba

Abstract The decay scheme 83 min 139 Ba has been examined by detailed γ-scintillation spectroscopy. The energies of the γ-rays in MeV and their relative intensities are 0·165 (100), 1·092 ± 0·015 (0·12), 1·272 ± 0·012 (0·30), and 1·433 ± 0·008 (1·8). The second and third are new, and have been corroborated in an independent study of Bunker and Starner . No evidence was found for the γ-ray of 0·78 MeV reported by Jastrzebski . Fig. 2 incorporates the results in a decay scheme, in which the absolute yield of the 0·165 MeV level of Macklin , et al. has been used to calculate the β-group intensities.
Sol-Generating Chemical Vapor into Liquid (SG-CViL) deposition – a facile method for encapsulation of diverse cell types in silica matrices

In nature, cells perform a variety of complex functions such as sensing, catalysis, and energy conversion which hold great potential for biotechnological device construction. However, cellular sensitivity to ex vivo environments necessitates development of bio–nano interfaces which allow integration of cells into devices and maintain their desired functionality. In order to develop such an interface, the use of a novel Sol-Generating Chemical Vapor into Liquid (SG-CViL) deposition process for whole cell encapsulation in silica was explored. In SG-CViL, the high vapor pressure of tetramethyl orthosilicate (TMOS) is utilized to deliver silica into an aqueous medium, creating a silica sol. Cells are then mixed with the resulting silica sol, facilitating encapsulation of cells in silica while minimizing cell contact with the cytotoxic products of silica generating reactions (i.e. methanol), and reduce exposure of cells to compressive stresses induced from silica condensation reactions. Using SG-CVIL, Saccharomyces cerevisiae (S. cerevisiae) engineered with an inducible beta galactosidase system were encapsulated in silica solids and remained both viable and responsive 29 days post encapsulation. By tuning SG-CViL parameters, thin layer silica deposition on mammalian HeLa and U87 human cancer cells was also achieved. The ability to encapsulate various cell types in either a multi cell (S. cerevisiae) or a thin layer (HeLa and U87 cells) fashion shows the promise of SG-CViL as an encapsulation strategy for generating cell–silica constructs with diverse functions for incorporation into devices for sensing, bioelectronics, biocatalysis, and biofuel applications.
Phagocytosis of modified erythrocytes by macrophages and L2 cells

Abstract Glutaraldehyde-treated horse red cells (GRC) are taken up by mouse peritoneal macrophages and by L2 mouse “fibroblasts” in the absence of added antibody or complement. The surface of GRC was modified in order to examine their interaction with the two cell types. Coating of the erythrocytes with ovalbumin, bovine albumin, lysozyme or cytochrome c , inhibited both attachment to and ingestion by, macrophages; and ingestion by L2 cells. Digestion of GRC with chymotrypsin, pronase, subtilisin or papain, stimulated their uptake by macrophages and L2 cells. Chymotrypsinogen was ineffective. The stimulation by chymotrypsin was dependent on enzyme concentration, temperature, and was inhibited by the addition of phenylmethyl sulfonyl fluoride (PSF). Chymotrypsin was stimulatory when GRC were treated with PSF either before or after digestion by the enzyme. Treatment of the GRC with 80 % methanol prior to or following exposure to chymotrypsin, reduced the stimulation of phagocytosis. The parallel behavior of macrophages and L2 cells supports a common mechanism of non-immunological “recognition” by the two cell types.
Melanosis vesica urinaria: is it a premalignant lesion?

Melanosis vesica urinaria is a proposed term for melanosis of the bladder. Melanosis is a common lesion in the colon but rare in other organs, particularly the bladder. The term melanosis of the bladder is hardly listed in common medical textbooks and is not listed in the index ofHill’s Uropathology, Urological Pathology or Campbell’s Urology. Melanosis appears to be an important lesion to recognize as the presence of benign pigmented bladder mucosa close to the malignant melanoma is used as 1 of 5 diagnostic criteria of primary malignant melanoma of the bladder.’ We believe that recognition of melanosis of the bladder is important. CASE REPORT
Religiosity and life satisfaction across nations

This paper investigates the relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction in 79 nations using World Values Survey data. Extant literature analyzes religiosity and life satisfaction at person level. But religiosity is an attribute of both, persons and societies. To solve methodological problems evident in previous work a random coefficient multilevel model is employed to account for the fact that individuals are nested within countries. This study shows that the relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction is bimodal. Religious people tend to be either very satisfied or dissatisfied with life. The relationship between religiosity and life satisfaction is also two-dimensional. Forms of religiosity that promote social capital predict high life satisfaction. People have so called “need to belong” and religion helps to satisfy it. On the other hand, forms of religiosity that do not promote social capital do not predict high life satisfaction. Religiosity is also context-dependent. Religious ...
Pancreatic complications after distal splenorenal shunt

Pancreatic complications after the distal splenorenal shunt have not been commonly recognized. Between January 1978 and June 1993, 154 patients underwent a distal splenorenal shunt, and 11 patients (7%) developed pancreatic complications, of which 4 had pancreatitis alone, and 7 developed pancreatitis-related complications. Etiology of cirrhosis, Child's classification and timing of surgery were not predictive of pancreatic complications. Eight patients (5%) were found to have chronic pancreatitis at the time of surgery, and four of these patients (50%) developed pancreatic complications following distal splenorenal shunt. Eleven early postoperative deaths in our series resulted in an overall operative mortality rate of 7%. Of these eleven patients, 6 (55%) had postoperative pancreatic complications. The operative mortality rate of patients who developed pancreatic complications (55%) after distal splenorenal shunt was significantly greater than that of patients who did not develop pancreatic complications (3%), P < .001. When compared with patients without pancreatitis, those with pancreatitis had significantly greater incidences of complete or partial portal vein thrombosis (55% v 20%, P < .02), severe ascites (64% v 13%, P < .001), and encephalopathy (45% v 3%, P < .001). We reach the following conclusions: (1) although not a frequent complication after distal splenorenal shunt in general, pancreatitis was commonly present in early postoperative deaths and was most likely a major contributor to the demise of those patients; (2) survivors with postdistal splenorenal shunt pancreatitis had a markedly increased morbidity rate; and (3) pancreatic complications after distal splenorenal shunt are more likely to occur in patients with pre-existing chronic pancreatitis. Copyright © 1995 by the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases.
A regional gradient in the composition of metamorphic fluids in pelitic schist, Pecos Baldy, New Mexico

Two metamorphic isograds cut across graphitic schist near Pecos Baldy, New Mexico. The southern isograd marks the first coexistence of staurolite with biotite, whereas the northern isograd marks the first coexistence of andalusite with biotite. The isograds do not record changes in temperature or pressure. Instead, they record a regional gradient in the composition of the metamorphic fluid phase. Ortega Quartzite, which contains primary hematite, lies immediately north of the graphitic schist. Mineral compositions within the schist change gradually toward the quartzite, reflecting gradients in $$\mu _{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ and $$\mu _{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}}$$ . The chemical potential gradients, locally as high as 72 cal/m in $$\mu _{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ and 9 cal/m in $$\mu _{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}}$$ , controlled the positions of the two mapped isograds. The staurolite-biotite isograd records where $$X_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}}$$ fell below 0.80, at $$f_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ near 10−23 bars; the andalusite-biotite isograd records where $$X_{{\text{H}}_{\text{2}} {\text{O}}}$$ fell below 0.25, at $$f_{{\text{O}}_{\text{2}} }$$ near 10−22 bars. Dehydration and oxidation were coupled by graphite-fluid equilibrium. The chemical potential gradients apparently formed during metamorphism, as graphite in schist reacted with hematite in quartzite. Local oxidation of graphite formed CO2 which triggered dehydration reactions along the schistquartzite contact. This process created a C-O-H fluid which infiltrated into overlying rocks. Upward infiltration, local fluid-rock equilibration and additional infiltration proceeded until the composition of the infiltrating fluid evolved to that in equilibrium with the infiltrated rock. This point occurs very close to the staurolite-biotite isograd. Pelitic rocks structurally above this isograd show no petrographic evidence of infiltration, even though calculations indicate that volumetric fluid/rock ratios may have exceeded 15 and thin, rare calc-silicate beds show extensive K-metasomatism and quartz veining.
The restraint scale: A psychometric investigation

Abstract The psychometric characteristics of the Restraint Scale in obese and normal-weight subjects were compared. Scores were significantly higher and more homogeneous in the obese than in the normal-weight group. In light of previous studies indicating that obese subjects behave like normal-weight subjects whose Restraint scores are several points (approx. 3–6) lower, the present result was interpreted as suggesting that numerically-equivalent scores may represent less restraint in obese individuals than in normal-weight people. The psychometric evaluation of the Restraint Scale also revealed that the scale was less reliable in the obese than in the normal-weight population and seemed to tap somewhat different constructs in the two subpopulations. Factor analyses yielded a two-dimensional solution in the normal-weight group and a four-dimensional solution in the obese group. Correlations of the scale with a measure of Defensiveness also differed in the two samples. These results indicate that the norms, reliability and construct validity of the scale differ for obese and normal-weight populations. If restraint theory's predictions concerning the relations between restraint and obesity are to be adequately tested these differences must be taken into account.
Phospholine Iodide Toxicity and Jones' Tubes

Abstract A 72-year-old man with epiphora secondary to bilateral canalicular stenosis resulting from long-term treatment with 0.125% to 0.25% echothiophate iodide (phospholine iodide) drops for glaucoma underwent bilateral conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomies with Jones' tubes. Within days after undergoing this surgery, he experienced severe unexplained diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, and prostration. He cancelled his postoperative ophthalmic appointment because of “medical illness.” He required admission to his local hospital where extensive studies were done in an attempt to establish the cause of this life-threatening condition. After stopping the echothiophate iodide drops, all symptoms disappeared within two days. Drug toxicity is a previously unreported complication of conjunctivodacryocystorhinostomy, and this case demonstrates that topical medications have enhanced systemic absorption after lacrimal surgery with placement of fistulizing prosthetic devices. One must be aware of this possible complication, not only with long-acting anticholinesterases, but with topical sympathomimetic drugs (especially in cardiac patients) as well as cycloplegic agents in children.
Evaluation of pulmonary function and exercise performance by cardiopulmonary exercise testing before and after lung transplantation.

Background Detailed description of functional exercise outcomes before and after lung transplantation is lacking. The objective of this study was to describe and compare posttransplant improvement in lung function and peak exercise parameters in patients with advanced lung disease. Methods The study included 153 patients who underwent lung transplantation over 7 years who had complete cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) and pulmonary function tests (PFTs) before and after lung transplantation. CPET and PFT within 30 months pretransplant and posttransplant were compared. Results Pulmonary function markedly improved posttransplant as FVC increased 67%, maximum voluntary ventilation increased 91%, and FEV 1 increased 136%. However, peak oxygen consumption increased only 19%, peak CO 2 production increased 50%, and peak work increased 78%. Although transplant recipients had a 1.5- to 2.0-fold increase in exercise capacity posttransplant, peak exercise capacity remained at 50% of the predicted normal, suggesting a maximal limitation. Subgroup stratification into quartiles based on pretransplant exercise capacity revealed the greatest exercise benefit to be in the lowest functional pretransplant groups. Conclusions Lung transplant recipients have an increase in exercise capacity that does not match the improvement in lung function, indicating that poor strength, deconditioning, or other peripheral factors play a significant role in the limitation of exercise benefit posttransplantation. Further elucidation of the mechanisms of exercise limitation may allow for improved exercise outcomes posttransplant.
A study of oligoprenyl coupling reactions with allylic stannanes.

All-E or E,Z,E-oligoprenols may be synthesized from allylic stannanes by reaction with prenyl aldehydes.
Effect of azotemia on serum N-terminal proBNP concentration in dogs with normal cardiac function: a pilot study.

Abstract Objectives To evaluate amino-terminal pro-B type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) concentration in dogs with renal dysfunction and normal cardiac structure and function. Animals Eight dogs with renal disease, 23 healthy control dogs. Methods Serum NT-proBNP concentration was measured in healthy dogs and dogs with renal disease using an ELISA validated for use in dogs. Affected dogs were eligible for inclusion if renal dysfunction was diagnosed based on urinalysis and serum chemistry, and if they were free of cardiovascular disease based on physical exam, systolic blood pressure, and echocardiography. Results The geometric mean serum NT-proBNP concentration was significantly higher in dogs with renal disease (617 pmol/L; 95% CI, 260–1467 pmol/L) than in healthy control dogs (261 pmol/L; 95% CI, 225–303 pmol/L; P = 0.0014). There was a modest positive correlation between NT-proBNP and BUN and creatinine. Median NT-proBNP concentration was not significantly different between groups when indexed to BUN (median NT-proBNP:BUN ratio; renal, 14.2, IQR, 3.93–17.7 vs. control, 16.3, IQR, 9.94–21.2; P = 0.29) or creatinine (median NT-proBNP:creatinine ratio; renal, 204, IQR, 72.6–448 vs. control, 227, IQR, 179–308; P = 0.67). Conclusion Dogs with renal disease had significantly higher mean serum concentration of NT-proBNP than control dogs. Renal function should be considered when interpreting NT-proBNP results as concentrations may be falsely elevated in dogs with renal dysfunction and normal cardiac function. The effect of renal disease was lessened by indexing NT-proBNP to BUN or creatinine. Future studies in dogs with both renal and heart disease are warranted.
Strengthening Innovation Through Closer Bilateral Integration

While the Canadian economy has outperformed the US economy over the past decade by several macroeconomic indicators, both economies have been characterized by relatively slow real economic growth and relatively high unemployment rates. One focus of bilateral cooperation that could promote improved economic, social, and environmental conditions in both countries over time is scientific and technological (S&T) innovation. It is widely acknowledged that technological change associated with innovation has been the single most important contributor to productivity growth, and it is also the likely source of success in meeting major public policy challenges facing both countries in areas such as renewable energy and health care.
Functional expression of cloned yeast DNA in Escherichia coli: Specific complementation of argininosuccinate lyase (argH) mutations

Abstract Segments of yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) DNA cloned on various plasmid vectors in Escherichia coli can be functionally expressed to produce active enzymes. We have identified several ColE1-DNA(yeast) plasmids capable of complementing arg H mutations, including deletions, in E. coli . Variants of the original transformants that grow faster on selective media and contain higher levels of the complementing enzyme activity (argininosuccinate lyase) can be readily isolated. The genetic alterations leading to increased expression of the yeast gene are associated with the cloned yeast DNA segment, rather than the host genome. The yeast DNA segment cloned in these plasmids also specifies a suppressor of the leu B6 mutation in E. coli . The arg H and leu B6 complementing activities are expressed from discrete regions of the cloned yeast DNA segment, since the two genetic functions can be separated on individual recloned restriction fragments. The ease with which the bacterial cell can achieve functional high-level gene expression from cloned yeast DNA indicates that there are no significant barriers preventing expression of many yeast genes in E. coli .
Oncostatin M enhances the expression of prostaglandin E2 and cyclooxygenase‐2 in astrocytes: Synergy with interleukin‐1β, tumor necrosis factor‐α, and bacterial lipopolysaccharide

Oncostatin M (OSM), a cytokine of the interleukin-6 family, is expressed in rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, multiple myeloma, and other inflammatory and neoplastic conditions. Prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), an eicosanoid also associated with inflammation and cancer, has recently been shown to induce OSM expression. We report here that OSM in turn induces PGE(2) production by astrocytes and astroglioma cells. More importantly, in combination with the inflammatory mediators IL-1beta, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and lipopolysaccharide, OSM exhibits a striking synergy, resulting in up to 50-fold higher PGE(2) production by astrocytes, astroglioma, and neuroblastoma cell lines. Enhanced PGE(2) production by OSM and IL-1beta treatment is explained by their effect on cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an enzyme that catalyzes the committed step in PGE(2) synthesis. Of the enzymes involved in PGE(2) biosynthesis, only COX-2 mRNA and protein levels are synergistically amplified by OSM and IL-1beta. Nuclear run-on assays demonstrate that OSM and IL-1beta synergistically upregulate transcription of the COX-2 gene, and the mRNA stability assay indicates that COX-2 mRNA is posttranscriptionally stabilized by OSM and IL-1beta. To effect synergy on the PGE(2) level, OSM signals in part through its gp130/OSMRbeta receptor, since neutralizing antibodies against gp130 and OSMRbeta, but not LIFRbeta, decrease PGE(2) production in response to OSM plus IL-1beta. SB202190 and U0126, inhibitors of p38 MAPK and ERK1/2 activation, respectively, inhibit IL-1beta and OSM upregulation of COX-2 and PGE(2), indicating that these MAPK cascades are utilized by both stimuli. This mechanism of PGE(2) amplification may be active in brain pathologies where both OSM and IL-1beta are present, such as glioblastomas and multiple sclerosis.
Systematic relationships in the white-rayed species of Melampodium (Compositae)

The white-rayed species complex ofMelampodium has been treated by various authors as containing one, two, or three species. A re-evaluation of the taxa in this complex by use of Chromatographic profiles of methanolic leaf extracts from numerous populations over the range of the group has revealed three distinct patterns which, along with morphological and ecological data, provide support for the recognition of three species within the group. Distributional analysis of previously and newly reported chromosome counts of 157 plants in 99 populations shows tetraploid races ofn = 20 in bothM. leucanthum var.leucanthum andM. cinereum var.cinereum to be located primarily in central and south central Texas but locally intermixed with diploid races. Interpretation of morphology, meiotic configurations, and chemical profiles confirms that these cytotypes are autopolyploid in origin and should not be given formal recognition. All data are used to interpret evolutionary relationships, and it is believed thatM. leucanthum var.argopkyllum may closely resemble the progenitor of the entire complex.
A nonparametric approach to 3D shape analysis from digital camera images - I

This article for the first time develops a nonparametric methodology for the analysis of projective shapes of configurations of landmarks on real 3D objects from their regular camera pictures. A fundamental result in computer vision, emulating the principle of human vision in space, claims that, generically, a finite 3D configuration of points can be retrieved from corresponding configurations in a pair of camera images, up to a projective transformation. Consequently, the projective shape of a 3D configuration can be retrieved from two of its planar views, and a projective shape analysis can be pursued from a sample of images. Projective shapes are here regarded as points on projective shape manifolds. Using large sample and nonparametric bootstrap methodology for extrinsic means on manifolds, one gives confidence regions and tests for the mean projective shape of a 3D configuration from its 2D camera images. Two examples are given: an example of testing for accuracy of a simple manufactured object using mean projective shape analysis, and a face identification example. Both examples are data driven based on landmark registration in digital images.
Ethics Standards Impacting Test Development and Use: A Review of 31 Ethics Codes Impacting Practices in 35 Countries.

Abstract Ethics codes are designed to protect the public by prescribing behaviors professionals are expected to exhibit. Although test use is universal, albeit reflecting strong Western influences, previous studies that examine the degree issues pertaining to test development and use and that are addressed in ethics codes of national psychological associations could not be located. Testing standards in 31 ethics codes representing 35 countries were compared with those in the American Psychological Association's (APA) 2002 Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Codes from approximately one third of the countries surveyed do not address test use. Among countries with ethics codes, one or more test standards are often consistent with those in the 2002 APA Code. Standards that require psychologists to explain results, use tests properly, and limit their use by unqualified persons are most frequently found. In contrast, standards that discuss test construction and restrict the use of obsolete...
Function and Inhibition Sensitivity of a Synthetic SP-B Mutant (R236C) in Preterm Rabbits † 1658

Presented in: Poster Session Monday, May 4, 1998, Poster number 195 † 1658 A point mutation in exon 7 of the human surfactant protein B (SP-B) gene, resulting in a cysteine for agrinine substitution (R236C), is associated with partial SP-B deficiency (Ballard et al., Pediatrics 1995). We synthesized, purified, and characterized this mutant SP-B (BR2326C), full length oxidized SP-B1-78(B), and palmitoylated SP-C1-35(C).
Growth Rates of Tobacco Genotypes in Tissue Cultures and Their Relationship to Leaf Yields

Summary Three experiments were conducted to determine the influence of tobacco, Nicotiana tabacum L., genotypes on in vitro relative growth rates of callus (RGR) and the relationship of this parameter to mature plant characters, cured leaf yields, days from transplanting to flowering, and number of leaves per plant. Ten anther-derived dihaploid lines from the Coker 139 cultivar and three anther-derived dihaploid lines from NC 95 differed greatly in their in vitro growth rates in the first experiment. The correlation of in vitro RGR with mature plants characteristics was negative for all three parameters, but significantly different from zero only for leaf yields. Significant genotypic effects on RGR were detected among nine dihaploids of NC 95 and conventional cultivars NC 95 and C 139 in a second study, but correlations with mature plant characters were not significant. Dihaploid line NC 95 DH4 was common to both experiments and exhibited the highest RGR in both sutdies. In a third experiment 15 F 8 breeding lines, previously classified as producing high, moderate, or low cured leaf yields, exhibited significant variability for in vitro RGR. Genotypic variability for RGR was primarily a function of differences among lines within groups, as group means did not differ. All mature plant parameters were negatively correlated with RGR but nonsignificantly. The studies demonstrate that plant genotype has a pronounced effect on callus growth rate and that this characteristic is probably negatively related to mature plant leaf yields for fluecured tobacco. This relationship, as measured in these studies, is not sufficiently high to be of value in predicting leaf yields of varying genotypes.
R.U. Ready?: Peer Education & Bystander Intervention Sexual Assault Programming

R.U. Ready? at Georgetown University is an annual sexual assault awareness event that incorporates peer education and resources with opportunities for students, staff, and faculty to dialogue about providing bystander intervention throughout the campus community. Beyond dialogue, participants learn about student activism and the resources and skills to help a friend who has been assaulted. This initiative is a collaborative, effective, and sustainable program.
Teachers’ Victimization-Related Beliefs and Strategies: Associations with Students’ Aggressive Behavior and Peer Victimization

Although teachers are often called upon to reduce children’s bullying and aggression, little is known regarding teachers’ responses to students’ harassment of peers or the beliefs which may inform their response strategies. To address this limitation, data were collected from 170 6th- and 7th-grade teachers (33 men; 137 women) and 2,938 (1,413 girls; 1,525 boys) of their students. Teachers beliefs regarding peer victimization were predictive of their efforts to advice victims how to cope with peer harassment. In particular, teachers who held more normative views of peer victimization were less likely to report reprimanding aggressive students and were more likely to utilize passive response strategies. Specific links emerged between teachers’ beliefs and strategies and classroom-levels of aggression and peer victimization in the fall and in the spring, as well as changes in students’ aggressive behavior and victimization over the course of the school year. Implications for intervention are discussed.
Arthroscopically assisted reconstruction of the anterior cruciate ligament : Initial clinical experience and minimal 2-year follow-up comparing endoscopic transtibial and two-incision techniques

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine the outcome of endoscopic Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstruction and assess whether this technique modification offers any significant advantages over arthroscopically assisted reconstruction. A consecutive series of 90 athletically-active patients (67 males, 23 females) who underwent reconstruction for ACL deficiency using a patellar tendon autograft was retrospectively reviewed. The study group consisted of two treatment subgroups: Group 1-EA (Endoscopic-Assisted technique using no lateral femoral condylar incision) consisted of 45 patients with a mean age of 25 years (range 15 to 43) and Group 2-AA (Arthroscopic-Assisted technique using both anterior and lateral femoral condylar incisions) consisted of 45 patients with a mean age of 25 years (range 16 to 37). The study groups were evaluated at specific postoperative intervals with a mean follow-up in Group 1-EA of 30 months (range 24–37) and in Group 2-AA, 41 months (range 24 to 77). Serial KT-1000 results averaged 2 mm in both groups with 75% of Group 1-EA and 78% in Group 2-AA patients noted to have ≤ 3 mm side-to-side differences. No statistically significant differences were noted for complications including patellofemoral pain, arthrofibrosis, harvest site pathology, or painful hardware. At ultimate follow-up however, this study suggests that both methods may result in similar and reproducible satisfactory outcome.
Toward a more holistic ecology, and science: the contribution of H.T. Odum

For the abovementioned reasons, and with all due respect to the scholarship of Mansson and McGlade, who display a deep knowledge of thermodynamics and ecology, I cannot agree that Odum's use of energy concepts is “wholly discredited”. Refinements from microscopic thermodynamics may not have been faithfully carried along in his work, but does ecology really need these? Remember — the “meal test”. Having tussled with ecological complexity myself, I stand in awe of this man who has faced up to what most ecologists today are trying to deny — intractable, crushing, defeating complexity. If Odum has provided some of the first shaky stepping stones across this gulf, that's enough. I can finish by quoting from ny Festschrift paper again: It is often said of scientists who make unusual contributions against the grain of their disciplines that they are ahead of their time. In H.T. Odum's case, with maximum power, energy-circuit diagrams, emergy, transformity, and energy value the linchpins of a whole new theory of ecology, and paradigm within systems ecology, this can certainly be stated without hesitation. But in this instance, it is also possible to turn the observation around and suggest that ecology-as-science is behind its time, lagging the curve of need foreseen decades ago by a more pragmatic ecology-as-ethic and-concern. The growing man-and-environment tension, fostered by so-far unabatable growth of populations, technologies and economies, demands a science that incises complexity, finds the essence of systemness, and produces quantitative methods capable of moulding this essence to meet the imperatives of the new environmentalism. H.T. Odum has not, perhaps, provided a definitive theory to do this; no one could right now. But, he has given us an intriguing mix of “science”, “art” and “religion” that stands as one of the singular legacies of 20th-century ecology, pointing the way toward a new ecology of complexity that must, I think from need, fully arise in the 21st century. His time has been behind him.
Factors Associated with Perceived Parenting Competence among Special Needs Adoptive Mothers

The study reported here considered the nature of associations among children's behavior problems, parenting stress, and mothers' feelings of competence. Seventy-two adoptive mothers reported on their adopted children's behavior problems, their own parenting stress, and feelings of competence. Parenting stress was found to mediate the association between children's attention problems and mothers' feelings of competence. When children exhibited higher levels of attention problems, their mothers felt more stress. In turn, when mothers experienced more parenting stress, they felt less competent as parents. Parenting stress moderated the association between children's internalizing behavior and mothers' feelings of competence. A negative relationship between children's internalizing behavior and mothers' feelings of competence was stronger when mothers reported more parenting stress than when they reported less parenting stress.
Advanced composites and other advanced materials for electronic packaging thermal management

A variety of new advanced composites and other advanced materials are now available which provide great advantages over conventional materials for thermal management and microelectronic packaging, including: extremely high thermal conductivities (over three times that of copper); low, tailorable coefficients of thermal expansion; weight savings of up to 80%; size reductions of up to 65%; extremely high strength and stiffness; reduced thermal stresses; increased reliability; simplified thermal design; possible elimination of heat pipes; low cost, net shape fabrication processes; potential cost reductions. Composites and other advanced materials are in a state of continual development that undoubtedly will result in improved and new materials providing even greater benefits. The number of production applications is increasing rapidly, and these new materials are well on their way to becoming the 21st century materials of choice for thermal management and electronic packaging. This paper provides an overview of advanced composites and other materials used in thermal management and electronic packaging, including properties, applications and future trends. The focus is on materials having thermal conductivities at least as high as those of aluminum alloys. We also examine future trends.
Modeling support of functional relationships between capillary pressure, saturation, interfacial area and common lines

Computational pore-scale network models describe two-phase porous media flow systems by resolving individual interfaces at the pore scale, and tracking these interfaces through the pore network. Coupled with volume averaging techniques, these models can reproduce relationships between measured variables like capillary pressure, saturation, and relative permeability. In addition, these models allow nontraditional porous media variables to be quantified, such as interfacial areas and common line lengths. They also allow explorations of possible relationships between these variables, as well as testing of new theoretical conjectures. Herein we compute relationships between capillary pressure, saturation, interfacial areas, and common line lengths using a pore-scale network model. We then consider a conjecture that definition of an extended constitutive relationship between capillary pressure, saturation, and interfacial area eliminates hysteresis between drainage and imbibition; such hysteresis is commonly seen in the traditional relationship between capillary pressure and saturation. For the sample pore network under consideration, we find that hysteresis can essentially be eliminated using a specific choice of displacement rules; these rules are within the range of experimental observations for interface displacements and therefore are considered to be physically plausible. We find that macroscopic measures of common line lengths behave similarly to fluid‐fluid interfacial areas, although the functional dependencies on capillary pressure and saturation diAer to some extent. ” 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
Cooperative and Non-Cooperative Resource Sharing in Networks: A Delay Perspective

From multi-description/multi-path routing for multi-media applications to content distribution in P2P networks, to community networking, many forms of resource sharing have been proposed to improve network performance. From the perspective of any single user, when ignoring the interaction among users, all such schemes reduce to various forms of providing parallelism and, hence, increased throughput. Focusing on parallelism is by no means sufficient as it ignores the existence of many users with potentially similar strategies. In this paper, we focus instead on the delay performance of a multi-user system where resources are shared.
ALTRUISM IN NATURE AS MANIFESTATION OF DIVINE ENERGEIA

Abstract. Christian theological attempts to integrate scientific claims about altruism in nature have not been completely successful largely because Western theologies—particularly some Protestant versions—lack a theologically grounded ontological basis for speech about altruism, agape, and other forms of love. Patristic theologies of divine essence, energeia and logoi, most fully developed in Eastern Orthodox thought, provide just such an ontological basis upon which Christian thought can stand in order to demonstrate that altruism in nature does not challenge religious claims that moral behavior has transcendent meaning but rather suggests that it is itself a manifestation of the divine will.
Carotenoid supplementation enhances reproductive success in captive strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio).

Amphibians are currently experiencing the most severe declines in biodiversity of any vertebrate, and their requirements for successful reproduction are poorly understood. Here, we show that supplementing the diet of prey items (fruit flies) with carotenoids has strong positive effects on the reproduction of captive strawberry poison frogs (Oophaga pumilio), substantially increasing the number of metamorphs produced by pairs. This improved reproduction most likely arose via increases in the quality of both the fertilized eggs from which tadpoles develop and trophic eggs that are fed to tadpoles by mothers. Frogs in this colony had previously been diagnosed with a Vitamin A deficiency, and this supplementation may have resolved this issue. These results support growing evidence of the importance of carotenoids in vertebrate reproduction and highlight the nuanced ways in which nutrition constrains captive populations. Zoo Biol. 32:655–658, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Efeitos da descentralização nas relações intergovernamentais: o Brasil em perspectiva comparada

This article analyzes the effects of decentralization policies on the evolution of the balance of power among presidents, governors, and mayors in Brazil after the demise of the developmental state. It compares the consequences of post-developmentalist decentralization in Brazil to those that the similar processes had in Argentina, Colombia, and Mexico. To explain the differences observed among countries, the article advances a sequential theory of decentralization, which is then applied to the Brazilian case.
Factors Affecting Return on Assets in the Korean Lodging Industry: A Preliminary Empirical Investigation

ABSTRACT This study investigates the factors that affect Korean lodging firms' performance measured in terms of return on assets (ROA). Using the 2005 financial data of a sample of 112 publicly traded Korean lodging firms and a stepwise regression procedure, the study identified the ratio of earnings before interests, taxes, depreciation, and amortization to total liabilities and debt ratio as significant determinants of ROA. The estimated regression model was able to explain 56 percent of variation in ROA across the sample lodging firms. The two variables retained by the model suggest that to improve ROA, the Korean hotel industry must exert tight control over operating costs to raise the operating profit margin. In the meantime, Korean lodging firms should adopt a more conservative debt-financing policy.