cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Developing a Building Environmental Assessment Tool for Iraq

There are numerous environmental assessment tools of buildings currently in use around the world to protect. But, these tools and the context in which they work are quickly changing. However, as yet, there is no practical environmental assessment tool of building for the Iraq context and there is a necessity to create a suitable one. Thus, this research aims to build a new building environmental assessment tool (BEAT) taking into consideration the local context. To achieve this aim, an analysis of the most extensively used environmental assessment tools for buildings such as CASBEE, BREEAM, LEED, and SBTool, was accomplished with a gathering of expert opinions through organized interviews. The panel of experts identified eight key categories for the assessment tool and every assessment category is recognized by some indicators, a total of 52 indicators were addressed. The suggested tool believed a beginning point for the method of agreement built progression and will provide a basic model and enable assessment of environmental attributes of the building and the level to which they can provide to establishing sustainable forms of living in Iraq.
Impact of insurance payer and socioeconomic status on type of autologous breast reconstruction

Abstract Introduction Autologous breast reconstruction has evolved from more morbid procedures that sacrificed the abdominal muscle (the TRAM or transverse rectus abdominus muscle flap) to “perforator” flaps. Commercial insurers recognized the higher technical demand of perforator flaps by creating procedural codes with higher professional fees. This study examined whether procedure code discrepancies between insurance payers disproportionally incentivize perforator flaps among the commercially insured. Methods Autologous breast reconstructions identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) were subdivided into microvascular perforator (85.74, 85.75, 85.76), microvascular TRAM (85.73), and pedicled TRAM flaps (85.72). Demographics, comorbidities and access to care were compared. A logistic regression comparing microvascular reconstructions only was used to identify predictors for perforator flap reconstruction. Results A total of 66,968 cases of autologous breast reconstruction were identified. Perforator flaps were more likely among the commercially insured (p Conclusion The presence of a separate perforator flap billing code among the commercially insured may be exacerbating existing socioeconomic disparities in breast cancer reconstruction.
A Psychometric Investigation of the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale Using Bifactor Modeling: Evidence for the Unidimensional Structure of the Measure

Perfectionistic self-presentation (PSP) is a transdiagnostic risk factor typically assessed using the Perfectionistic Self-Presentation Scale (PSPS). The PSPS consists of three subscales, Self-Promotion, Nondisplay of Imperfection, and Nondisclosure of Imperfection. Overlap among these factors and inconsistent evidence for discriminant validity suggests a need to psychometrically evaluate the PSPS to determine the dimensionality of this measure. The current study used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a sample of community adults (N = 419; M age = 39.9 years; 67.1% female) to examine the factor structure of the PSPS. Model fit was compared for one-factor, three-factor, and bifactor models. The bifactor model, comprising a general PSP factor and orthogonal Self-Promotion, Nondisplay, and Nondisclosure factors had the best overall model fit. The general PSP factor was reliable and well-represented by its indicators. Additionally, the general PSP factor was related to several forms of psychopathology and related constructs (i.e., social anxiety, depression, negative affect, body dissatisfaction), whereas specific PSP factors were not related to outcome variables. Finally, the general PSP factor explained a large amount of the variance in PSPS scores, suggesting the measure is unidimensional. Findings support treating the PSPS total score as a unidimensional measure of PSP in research and intervention efforts.
INTERNATIONAL FAMILY CHANGE AND CONTINUITY: THE PAST AND FUTURE FROM THE DEVELOPMENTAL IDEALISM PERSPECTIVE

I examine the international influence of developmental idealism in changing people’s beliefs and values, in producing family and demographic change, and in bringing cultural clashes within and between societies. Developmental idealism is a belief and value system stating that societal and familial attributes defined as modern are better than attributes defined as traditional, that modern societies produce modern families, that modern families facilitate the achievement of modern societies, and that freedom and equality are human rights. I discuss the international dissemination of developmental idealism and how it has clashed with local cultures, been resisted, and changed lives and social systems. I discuss the influence of developmental idealism in international human rights treaties, including those focused on children and women, in the modernization programs of such countries as China and Turkey, in campaigns to eliminate polygamy and female veiling, and in efforts to spread gender equality, family planning, low fertility, freedom of spouse choice, older ages at marriage, and the recognition of same-sex relationships. It has also been an influence bringing more personal freedom, with implications for divorce and sexual relations and childbearing outside marriage. I also discuss how developmental idealism produces resistance against it, national and international clashes of culture, and tensions within and between generations. Likely effects of developmental idealism in the future are also considered.
Discovering History at the Community College.

Many of the history courses community college students take are fairly broad and ostensibly generic surveys of world, Western European, or American history. This chapter discusses an array of innovative practices that enable students to better appreciate how studying history can help them master the challenges—and reap the benefits—of a liberal arts education.
Computer-mediated reduction of spectral properties to molecular structures

Abstract A basic design is outlined for the conversion of the aggregate spectral properties of an organic compound of unknown structure to a set of compatible alternative molecular structures which is small in number anal exhaustive in scope. The process is built around a precisely defined unit of substructure. A procedure is described for the exhaustive generation of the set of these fragments from any specified group of elements and allowed valences. A versatile, user-friendly data-management system (FOCISS) provides a convenient means of manipulating these fragments and correlating their structure and properties. Extensive carbon-13 n.m.r. data are in place and applications of FOCISS to fragment-oriented searches are illustrated. The creation of a subset of chemically-stable fragments is also described.
Lexical Selection and Quantificational Variability in Embedded Interrogatives

In this paper, I have provided an analysis of Quantificational Variability in embedded interrogatives, and extended the account to focus-affected readings one finds with interrogative complements of some predicates like tell. I assumed that although embedded interrogatives are uniformly of the type of questions Q, a predicate like wonder is of type (Q, (e,t)) and a predicate like know is of type ((s,t), (e,t)). The difference in the interpretation comes about because of the way sentences containing these predicates are interpreted. In other words, the relevant difference between the two classes of predicates resides in the predicates themselves rather that the interrogative complements they take. In the last part of my paper, I compared my approach with that of the alternative of Berman (1991) where the phenomenon was first observed
High aspect ratio etch yield improvement by a novel polymer dump thickness metrology

Unexpected yield loss in high-volume DRAM manufacturing occurs very often as an excursion in critical levels such as high aspect ratio container (HARC) etch in capacitor formation in the device. The main failure mode is polymer formation and plasma density change during the chamber preventive maintenance. In this paper we study the effect of polymer formation on HARC profile at various electrostatic chuck (ESC) temperatures and demonstrate a novel and advanced inline metrology - polymer dump thickness measurement - to automatically detect chamber deviation and significantly improve the yield.
Steroid hydroxylations: II. Intracellular location of 17α-hydroxylase and its substrate specificity in sow ovary

Abstract Steroid 17α-hydroxylation appears to fall into the general category of biological oxidation reactions which require reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) and molecular oxygen. The enzyme activity appears to be located in the microsomal fraction of sow ovary. The NADPH necessary for this reaction can be supplied exogenously or by the soluble cell fraction. A discussion of the environment on the substrate molecule necessary for 17α-hydroxylation is presented which concludes that the C-20 ketone is an essential requirement for hydroxylation.
Neuronal Activity in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex during Pavlovian Eyeblink and Nictitating Membrane Conditioning

The present study assessed Pavlovian eyeblink (EB) conditioning, using tones and periorbital shock as the conditioned and unconditioned stimuli (CS and US), and nictitating membrane (NM) conditioning, using tones and airpuffs as the CS and US. During each experiment, CS-evoked changes in multiple-unit activity (MUA) in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) were recorded. Concomitant heart rate (HR) conditioned responses (CRs) were also recorded. A nonassociative control group received explicitly unpaired presentations of the CS and US in each experiment. Increases in both NM and EB CRs occurred over sessions in the paired, but not the unpaired, groups. Decelerative HR CRs also occurred in the eyeshock, but not the airpuff, group. Although tone-evoked increases in neuronal activity were obtained during 10 initial tone-alone presentations in all groups, this activity habituated over trials. CS-evoked increases in neuronal activity also occurred, but this activity was considerably greater in the group that received periorbital shock as the US. During subsequent extinction trials, decreases in tone-evoked neuronal activity occurred in this group, compared with the previous CS/US paired trials. CS-evoked MUA increases were minimal during all except the pretraining phase of the study in the CS/US unpaired control groups and in the paired airpuff group. These findings show that neuronal activity during associative learning occurs in the mPFC during Pavlovian EB, as well as HR conditioning, but this activity apparently reflects an affective component to learning that is only indirectly related to skeletal conditioning.
Vibrational spectra of dimethyl sulfoxide complexes of antimony (III) and bismuth (III) halides

Abstract Complexes of the types MX 3 (DMSO) 2 and BiX 3 (DMSO) 3 (DMSO = dimethyl sulfoxide; M = Sb, Bi; X = Cl, Br) have been prepared and investigated spectroscopically. Infrared and Raman assignments for the solids are discussed, with special emphasis on metal-ligand vibrations. All DMSO molecules are shown to be coordinated through oxygen. Structural considerations are presented for the solid-state species.
Delinquency as a Risk Factor in Teenage Pregnancy

Abstract Drawing upon longitudinal data collected from the same boys and girls in their early (13–14) and later (18–19) years of adolescence, this research models age at sexual debut, contraceptive risk-taking, and teenage pregnancy on the basis of family background and delinquency involvement during the early years of adolescence. The data also allow for control over the influence of social class while studying the effects of race, and vice-versa. Regression analyses showed that both race and delinquency independently predict age at sexual debut, but that SES, with race controlled, does not. Further analysis showed that contraceptive risk-taking was predicted by both age at sexual debut and early delinquency. With these variables controlled, however, neither SES nor race was predictive of contraceptive risk-taking. Finally, contraceptive risk-taking emerged as a substantial predictor of pregnancy.
Strategies in the chemotherapy of schistosomiasis

Abstract In contrast to previous generations, when essentially the only antischistosome compounds were the antimonials, a series of effective drugs is now available. Thus, theoretically, the millions of people in the world who suffer from schistosomiasis could be cured. The obstacles to treatment are the cost of the medicines, the absence of medical personnel who could diagnose and treat each case, and the pernicious likelihood of eventual reinfection.
Solubilization and characterization of muscarinic receptors from bovine brain

This study compared the capacity of different detergents to solubilize the muscarinic cholinergic receptor (mAChR) from bovine brain, evaluated various procedures for the measurement of [3H]-L-quinuclidinyl benzilate ([3H]-L-QNB) binding to solubilized receptors, and examined some physical and chemical characteristics of the soluble material. An active form of the mAChR was solubilized using digitonin (1%), Triton X-100 (0.5%), and a digitonin-cholate mixture (1%,0.1%). Values of maximal binding (Bmax) were 2.01, 0.47, and 0.68 pmoles/mg protein, respectively. Comparison of equilibrium dialysis, charcoal adsorption, and polyethylene glycol precipitation indicated that these methods differ in their estimation of Bmax. A decrease in [3H]-L-QNB binding to digitonin solunilized receptors occured upon dilution or incubation at 37°. The half-life at 37°C was 25 min., but was increased by glycerol. Antagonist binding to digitonin solubilized receptors was saturable and of high affinity. Agonist binding had Hill coefficients < 1 and was increased by micromolar concentrations of cupric ions.
Extended canine laryngeal preservation for transplantation.

The goal of successfully transplanting the larynx has motivated researchers since the 1960s. Early laryngeal transplant techniques limited the donor larynx to 45 minutes of ischemia. In this study, a method of prolonged laryngeal preservation is employed in three canines. In vivo cold laryngeal perfusion with University of Wisconsin Solution (UWS) was performed. The larynx was removed and placed into cold storage in 4°C UWS. After 24 hours of storage, the same canines underwent laryngeal reimplantation. The animals were sacrificed 7 days after reimplantation. No evidence of necrosis or vascular insufficiency was identified histologically. The results indicate that canine larynges can be successfully reimplanted after 24 hours of preservation. Future studies will assess the application of this technique to laryngeal transplantation.
The Impact of 3D Modeling Function Usage on the Design Content of Urban Design Plans in US Cities

Some experts suggest that urban design plans in US cities may lack adequate coverage of the essential design aspects of the built environment. Digital models and information technology tools may help designers to visualize and interact with design alternatives and large urban datasets more effectively, thus correcting this problem. Case studies of recent urban design plans that have used digital models may indicate whether these technologies can increase the quality of the plan. This research discusses the role that digital models can play in supporting designers in addressing the essential design aspects. A literature review focused on reviewing secondary sources is used to construct theoretical propositions against which the empirical data can be compared and contrasted. A case study investigates the extents and methods with which modeling functions have been used in developing a selected urban design plan. The findings refute the premise that the plan would inadequately address essential design aspects...
Heating and weakening of faults during earthquake slip

[1] Field observations of mature crustal faults suggest that slip in individual events occurs primarily within a thin shear zone, <1–5 mm, within a finely granulated, ultracataclastic fault core. Relevant weakening processes in large crustal events are therefore suggested to be thermal, and to involve the following: (1) thermal pressurization of pore fluid within and adjacent to the deforming fault core, which reduces the effective normal stress and hence also the shear strength for a given friction coefficient and (2) flash heating at highly stressed frictional microcontacts during rapid slip, which reduces the friction coefficient. (Macroscopic melting, or possibly gel formation in silica-rich lithologies, may become important too at large enough slip.) Theoretical modeling of mechanisms 1 and 2 is constrained with lab-determined hydrologic and poroelastic properties of fault core materials and lab friction studies at high slip rates. Predictions are that strength drop should often be nearly complete at large slip and that the onset of melting should be precluded over much (and, for small enough slip, all) of the seismogenic zone. A testable prediction is of the shear fracture energies that would be implied if actual earthquake ruptures were controlled by those thermal mechanisms. Seismic data have been compiled on the fracture energy of crustal events, including its variation with slip in an event. It is plausibly described by theoretical predictions based on the above mechanisms, within a considerable range of uncertainty of parameter choices, thus allowing the possibility that such thermal weakening prevails in the Earth.
Quantification of Real-Time Salmonella Effector Type III Secretion Kinetics Reveals Differential Secretion Rates for SopE2 and SptP

Gram-negative pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella utilize the type III secretion system to inject bacterial effector proteins into a host cell. Upon entry, these effectors bind mammalian cell proteins, hijack cellular signaling pathways, and redirect cellular function, thus enabling bacterial infection. In this study we use the FlAsH/tetracysteine labeling system to fluorescently tag specific effectors in Salmonella to observe real-time secretion of these proteins into a mammalian host cell. The tetracysteine tag is genomically incorporated, thus preserving endogenous control of bacterial effectors. We demonstrate that two effectors, SopE2 and SptP, exhibit different secretion kinetics, as well as different rates of degradation within the host cell. These proteins respectively activate and suppress GTPase Cdc42, suggesting that there is a temporal hierarchy for effector delivery and persistence within the cell that is directly related to effector function.
Shear strength of GFRP reinforced precast lightweight concrete panels

Abstract The capacity of lightweight concrete panels reinforced with Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) bars is investigated in terms of shear strength. An extended database of test results including normal weight and lightweight concrete restricted to members reinforced with GFRP bars for flexure without shear reinforcement was compiled. The one-way shear strength of lightweight concrete panels was compared to that of normal weight concrete panels tested in this research and from the extended database. Analysis of the data shows that the ratio of experimental to ACI 440.1R-06 predicted shear capacity of lightweight concrete panels is lower compared to normal weight concrete members. A reduction factor for one-way shear strength of lightweight concrete panels reinforced with GFRP bars is proposed for the ACI 440 design guidelines. The shear predictions using Canadian (CAN/CSA-S806-02) and Japanese (JSCE) recommendations are also compared to the extended database; these provisions predict the shear strength of lightweight and normal weight concrete panels reinforced with GFRP bars with a similar degree of conservatism and hence a reduction factor is not required.
Factors affecting the calcium and phosphorus content of rat lens

In the course of a study of calcium and phosphorus metabolism in the rat lens, we noticed that the control levels varied within wide limits. In an investigation of possible environmental factors that might influence these control levels, we were unable to implicate changes in either diet or room temperature. Treatment with a long-acting penicillin preparation restored the calcium and phosphorus contents of the lenses to levels of around 2·5 and 80 mg/100 g wet weight, respectively. On the basis of these data, we tentatively conclude that a chronic infection can lead to marked changes in the calcium and phosphorus content of the rat lens.
More than just a communication system: diversity in the use of electronic mail

This paper describes a series of interviews that focus on the ways that professional office workers use electronic mail to manage their daily work. A number of implications for the design of flexible mail systems are discussed.Two principal claims are made. First, electronic mail is more than just a communication system. In addition to supporting information management, it provides a mechanism for supporting a variety of time management and task management activities. Some people are prioritizers, concentrating on the problem of managing incoming messages. Others are archivers, concentrating on how to archive information for subsequent use. Similarly, some people use mail to delegate tasks, while others perform tasks delegated to them by others electronically.The second claim is that use of electronic mail is strikingly diverse, although not infinitely so. Individuals vary in their preferences, both in their general willingness to manage their work electronically and in their specific preferences along the dimensions described above. This diversity implies that one's own experiences with electronic mail are unlikely to provide sufficient understanding of other's uses of mail. Mail designers should thus seek flexible primitives that capture the important dimensions and provide flexibility for a wide range of users.
A public culture for guinea pigs: US human research subjects after the Tuskegee study.

This article explores an emerging culture and politics of ‘voluntary’ human research subjects in the United States. In the cultural studies and anthropology of science and medicine, we have become used to the voice of patients challenging and contradicting the voices of medical and scientific authority. Generally, however, our research has been the media which brings these discourses into juxtaposition. Rarely have patients organized themselves as a political mass to contest medical discourse directly. Some exceptions are the cases of activist patient cultures, which have tended to form around particular diseases, e.g. cancer, AIDS, Gulf War Syndrome, and environmental illness. These remain ambiguous in their etiology and thus provide a space for interpretation (cf. Dumit, 1998; Epstein, 1996; Fortun, 1996; Stacey, 1997).
Weakly Nonlinear Oscillatory Convection in a Rotating Fluid

The problem of weakly nonlinear two- and three-dimensional oscillatory convection in the form of standing waves is studied for a horizontal layer of fluid heated from below and rotating about a vertical axis. The solutions to the nonlinear problem are determined by a perturbation technique and the stability of all the base flow solutions is investigated with respect to both standing wave and travelling wave disturbances. The results of the stability and the nonlinear analyses for various values of the rotation parameter τ and the Prandtl number P (0 ≼ P P or for intermediate values of P with τ below some critical value τ *. Travelling wave disturbances inclined at an angle of about 45° to the wave vector of two-dimensional base flow are the most unstable disturbances either for P sufficiently close to its upper limit or for intermediate values of P with τ ≽ τ *. The dependence on P and τ of the nonlinear effect on the frequency and of the heat flux are also discussed.
Managing Exxon’s Technical Reports

The technical information contained in Exxon reports is managed by use of an in-house, computerized system that builds a database and produces current-awareness "Report Alerts," various indexes including a subject KWIC, an online database, and reports-distribution control. Key elements in the system are: (1) a structural report number that incorporates codes for the issuing unit, major subject, and date; (2) natural-language indexing sentences that make up pseudo abstract; and (3) controlled subject categories that are a base for the "Reports Alerts" system.
Hydrography of the Arabian Sea Shelf of India and Pakistan and effects on demersal fishes

Abstract Time-series observations of temperature, salinity, and oxygen off Cochin between August 1958 and January 1960 are presented. Upwelling, which begins with the southwest monsoon, causes an uplift of the 20°C isotherm by 90–100 m. The Kerala Coastal Deep Water of earlier authors, a subsurface water peculiar to the upwelling season, is redefined by the shape of the T-S relation. A comprehensive treatment is attempted of the hydrography in the area between Bombay and Karachi where time-series are not available from the open shelf. Mean sea level data suggest that during the southwest monsoon season cool subsurface water is always present on the entire shelf between Cochin and Karachi. Regular upwelling to the surface, however, is unknown north of 15°N. Probably June is the month this water usually appears on the middle of the shelf. All subsurface observations indicate that cool water is present from July onward below 50 m, sometimes even at shallower depths. Off Karachi, this situation may persist through November; off Bombay, through mid-December. Regional differences are pronounced, as are differences among years, in the period following the southwest monsoon. The cool water has a low oxygen content. During December 1963, sinking in a very limited area near Karachi was observed. There is no upwelling from December through March between Bombay and Karachi. Atmospheric cooling seems to cause the seasonally low surface temperatures near land. Away from the beaches the seasonal cycle of primary production is apt to be quite similar all along the west coasts of India and Pakistan. High photosynthetic rates can be expected during the southwest monsoon and later until the cool, deoxygenated subsurface water withdraws from the shelf. During the remainder of the year the density stratification in the surface layer will keep the photosynthetic rates low, near oceanic levels. Catch per unit effort of commercially exploited fishes between Bombay and Karachi in November 1963 appeared to be related to the oxygen content of near-bottom water. During the southwest monsoon and postmonsoon seasons, the entire shelf off the west coasts of India and Pakistan, below about 50 m, may possibly be devoid of exploitable concentrations of the demersal fish species utilized so far. The distribution of prawns may also be affected. The catch of demersal fishes below the principal discontinuity layer cannot be predicted from temperature of the near-bottom water during this period.
Approximation algorithms for bipartite and non-bipartite matching in the plane

In the approximate Euclidean min-cost perfect matching problem, we are a given a set V of 2n points in the plane, and a real number E > 0, and we want to pair up the points (into n pairs) so that the sum of the distances between the paired points is within a multiplicative factor of (1 + E) of the optimal. We present a Monte-Carlo algorithm that returns, with probability at least l/2, a solution within (1 + E) of the optimal; the running time of our algorithm is O((n/s3) log6 n). In the bipartite version of this problem, we are given a set R of n red points, a set B of n blue points in the plane, and a real number E > 0. We want to match each red point with a blue point so that the sum of the distances between paired points is within (1 + E) times that of an optimal matching. We present au algorithm for this problem that runs in O((~/E)~/* log5 n) time.
Community screening leading to the diagnosis of androgen insensitivity syndrome at the age of 65

Androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) is a disease that can be X-linked recessive or sporadic in nature. Patients with complete AIS are phenotypically female individuals with an XY genotype. During embryonic development, the testicular tissue present in patients with AIS produces Mullerian Inhibiting Substance, which blocks the development of the upper one third of the vagina, uterus and ovaries, while a lack of androgen receptors results in female-appearing external genitalia. Complete AIS patients tend to present as amenorrheic females during adolescence. This case report presents a unique situation in which a public health screening campaign, for abdominal aortic aneurysms, led to an incidental finding and work-up resulting in two separate, yet related diagnoses: androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and sertoli cell adenoma. This case also highlights the importance of a comprehensive physical examination with emphasis on wide differential diagnosis. It underscores the importance of considering the complicated ethics surrounding patient disclosure when dealing with a sensitive diagnosis.
Free-solution electrophoresis of proteins in an improved density gradient column and by capillary electrophoresis

The electrophoretic mobilities of bovine serum albumin, β-lactoglobulin A and B, α-lactalbumin and myoglobin were measured in free solution using an improved version of the Boltz-Todd vertical density-gradient electrophoresis column. Dialysis membranes were used for the isolation of the side-arm electrodes from the column and large-volume electrode containers were connected to each other by a circulating buffer loop. The improvements increased reliability, facilitated removal of electrode gas, prevented proteins from contacting electrodes and allowed the use of low conductivity buffers without ion depletion. A low conductivity buffer (Tris-glycine) allows the use of high fields for rapid separations. The apparatus is modular and allows easy modification of column dimensions. We have also measured the electrophoretic mobility of these proteins in a coated capillary in the absence of significant electroosmotic flow.
Considerations in the choice and administration of agents for empiric antimicrobial therapy.

ABSTRACT Background: Infections remain a common problem for critically ill patients and often are responsible for early mortality, especially following inadequate antibiotic therapy. The choice of empiric therapy has become increasingly difficult because of the increasing incidence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Methods: A retrospective review of the literature over the last two decades was conducted to assess the importance of adequate empiric antibiotic therapy and which factors should be considered in choosing the “best” empiric therapy. Results: Current diagnostic and treatment guidelines suggest that all seriously ill patients in whom infection is suspected undergo a comprehensive work-up (e.g., blood, urine, sputum cultures) to confirm the etiology prior to initiation of antibiotic therapy. Whereas the selection of the most appropriate antimicrobial agent(s) must consider the likely etiologies and anticipated resistance patterns, the lack of rapid and sensitive culture techniques has made this pr...
Hierarchical Organization, Revisited

Concepts in DAWKINS' (1976) paper on hierarchical organization are reviewed and areas of confusion discussed. The complex singing organization in the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) is analyzed in terms of hierarchical organization and Markov process which are shown at each level to be perfectly compatible. However, remote contingence is shown to be pervasive, and thus song thrush singing organization is ultimately non-Markovian. "Relative hierarchies" or "heterarchy" are contrasted with distributed patterns of activity as models of control.
Late Paleozoic ice age: Oceanic gateway or pCO2?

The cause of the late Paleozoic (ca. 355-255 Ma) ice age remains uncertain. A lowering of atmospheric carbon dioxide levels near the beginning of this time period occurred in response to the rise of land plants and likely cooled Earth, but the rapid growth of extensive Gondwanan ice sheets was delayed for tens of millions of years, until the Late Mississippian. The δ 1 3 C values from a thick succession at Arrow Canyon, Nevada, indicate a divergence between North America and Europe (∼2‰) across the Mississippian-Pennsylvanian transition, and support a scenario in which the closure of a subequatorial oceanic gateway during the assembly of Pangea altered the oceanic distribution of nutrients ( 1 2 C) and led to enhanced poleward transport of heat and moisture. This change marks the transition from a cool, moisture-starved Gondwana to the icehouse world of the Pennsylvanian and Early Permian.
Generalized Barker sequences

A generalized Barker sequence is a finite sequence \{a_{r}\} of complex numbers having absolute value 1 , and possessing a correlation function C(\tau) satisfying the constraint |C(\tau)| \leq 1, \tau \neq 0 . Classes of transformations leaving |C(\tau)| invariant are exhibited. Constructions for generalized Barker sequences of various lengths and alphabet sizes are given. Sextic Barker sequences are investigated and examples are given for all lengths through thirteen. No theoretical limit to the length of sextic sequences has been found.
Imaging and quantification of anomaly volume using an eight-electrode ‘hemiarray’ EIT reconstruction method

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is particularly well-suited to applications where its portability, rapid acquisition speed and sensitivity give it a practical advantage over other monitoring or imaging systems. An EIT system's patient interface can potentially be adapted to match the target environment, and thereby increase its utility. It may thus be appropriate to use different electrode positions from those conventionally used in EIT in these cases. One application that may require this is the use of EIT on emergency medicine patients; in particular those who have suffered blunt abdominal trauma. In patients who have suffered major trauma, it is desirable to minimize the risk of spinal cord injury by avoiding lifting them. To adapt EIT to this requirement, we devised and evaluated a new electrode topology (the 'hemiarray') which comprises a set of eight electrodes placed only on the subject's anterior surface. Images were obtained using a two-dimensional sensitivity matrix and weighted singular value decomposition reconstruction. The hemiarray method's ability to quantify bleeding was evaluated by comparing its performance with conventional 2D reconstruction methods using data gathered from a saline phantom. We found that without applying corrections to reconstructed images it was possible to estimate blood volume in a two-dimensional hemiarray case with an uncertainty of around 27 ml. In an approximately 3D hemiarray case, volume prediction was possible with a maximum uncertainty of around 38 ml in the centre of the electrode plane. After application of a QI normalizing filter, average uncertainties in a two-dimensional hemiarray case were reduced to about 15 ml. Uncertainties in the approximate 3D case were reduced to about 30 ml.
Aeroelastic Analysis of Rotor Blades Using Three Dimensional Flexible Multibody Dynamic Analysis

The current study is an extension of an earlier work on nonlinear flexible multibody dynamic formulation for rotorcraft analysis that was limited to the development of a robust flexible multibody dynamic tool without taking into account the effect of the aerodynamic loading. As a preliminary attempt to develop a coupled three-dimensional CSD/CFD analysis tool for rotorcraft analysis, the current study deals with the coupling of the existing structural analysis with a quasi-steady aerodynamic analysis based on lifting line theory. As opposed to the conventional approach of using beam elements to represent the rotor blade, the current analysis utilizes a shell element, which assumes non-linear strain measure and rotation, as well as transverse shear deformation. The ease of modeling various types of rotor configuration while relaxing some of the restrictions has been discussed.
Model laws as aid to progress

It would be dificult to measure the full extent of the influence of the model lows on governmental efficiency, economy and integrity. Their impact has been great.
LEISURE AND THE RETIRED PROFESSOR: OCCUPATION MATTERS

ABSTRACT Little attention has been given to the leisure activities of retired professors, whose activity patterns in retirement may be different from those of other occupational groups because of their lifetime commitment to work. This interview study uses both quantitative and qualitative data to investigate: (a) the leisure and professional activities of retired professors; (b) the anticipated leisure activities of older employed professors; and (c) the relationship between sociodemographic factors and leisure activities of professors in retirement. Respondents were 54 retired (response rate 83%) and 17 employed (response rate 94%) professors aged 70–74 from a major research university. Content analysis of the tape-recorded open-ended questions indicated that volunteer activity, travel, exercise or sports, and work around the house or garden were the most commonly described leisure activities of retirees. A large majority of retirees (70%) also continued professional activities. Travel and exercise or s...
The influence of estrogen on growth

The greatest advances in our understanding of the role of estrogens in growth and skeletal maturity have come from male and female patients who are devoid of estrogen or have estrogen insensitivity. Among males, the absence of an estrogen effect results in lack of completion of skeletal maturity and continued growth into adult life, resulting in very tall stature. This has been exemplified in one male with an estrogen-receptor defect and one male with aromatase deficiency. In females with aromatase deficiency, androgen levels are excessive, causing inappropriate virilization but failing to induce skeletal maturity. Thus, estrogen is the hormone necessary for normal skeletal growth and maturity. Estradiol concentrations measured using an ultrasensitive assay are similar in males and females at the time of the pubertal growth spurt; these data are consistent with the premise that estrogen has a role in growth.
A condensation aerosol generator system for monodisperse aerosols of different physicochemical properties

Abstract A simple, convenient and compact monodisperse condensation aerosol generator system was designed, constructed and tested. This system consists of a Pyrex heating tube set inside a tube furnace. The heating tube contains a Pyrex sample boat attached to a supporting glass tube in which a sample is vaporized. The boat is suspended at the center of the heating tube where the temperature is relatively uniform. The system is capable of producing useful monodisperse test aerosols of carnauba wax and stearic acid and environmentally significant compounds, such as ammonium sulfate and bisulfate. These aerosols can be produced in the size range of 0.1–2 μm and number concentration of 10 4 -10 6 cm −3 . The particle size and concentration can be maintained relatively constant and stable for several hours. This portable monodisperse aerosol generator reaches optimum operation condition rapidly and requires relatively small samples.
Compact Subnanosecond Pulse Generator Using Avalanche Transistors for Cell Electroperturbation Studies

Research on the electroperturbation effects of ultrashort high field pulses in cancer cells requires subnanosecond rise time, high voltage pulses delivered to low impedance biological loads. Here we present a compact solid-state pulse generator developed for this application. The pulse is generated by switching a chain of avalanche transistors configured as a tapered transmission line from high voltage to ground. The system features a built in 1400:1 capacitively compensated resistive voltage divider. The divider, with a 3 dB point at 910 MHz, overcomes challenges in the direct measurement of the high frequency components of the output pulse. The generator is capable of producing a 0.8 ns rise time, 1.3 ns wide, 1.1 kV pulse into a 50 Omega load at a maximum repetition rate of 200 kHz. Techniques to implement physical layouting strategies to achieve subnanosecond rise times are outlined. Problems faced in integrating the subnanosecond pulse generator with a biological load are discussed. This pulse generator will be used in experiments aimed at electromanipulation of intracellular biomolecular structures.
Decomposition of dithiobis(thioformates) with p-chlorobenzenethiol

Abstract A simple and fast procedure is described for the decomposition of dithiobis-(thioformates) by reaction with two equivalents of p -chlorobenzenethiol in pyridine for 10 min at 25°. The procedure is effective even with derivatized starch, which is insoluble under the reaction conditions. Use of less than two equivalents of p -chlorobenzenethiol gives the intermediate, mixed disulfide. Other functional groups that react with this reagent are , , , and . However, the functional groups , , , , , , and ROSO 2 C 6 -H 4 Me do not react (R  carbohydrate moiety).
Developments in Four Corners-Intermountain Area in 1979

Exploratory drilling in the Four Corners-Intermountain area increased slightly in 1979 with 170 wells drilled. Forty-four of the wells were successfully completed for a success rate of 26%, up from 17.1% successes in 1978. Although drilling activity was down in Arizona, Nevada, and southwest Colorado, there were sharp increases in western New Mexico and Utah. Total exploratory footage drilled was down 11% in 1979, with 840,260 ft drilled in all exploratory categories. Development drilling decreased 5% from 1978, with 955 holes drilled, most of which were in the San Juan basin. The region's most significant discovery was again in the Overthrust belt of northern Utah, where Amoco's 1 Bountiful Livestock produced oil and gas from the Jurassic Nugget Sandstone. Two other wild at tests in the area reported significant shows. The large Pineview field in the Overthrust belt produced 3.9 MMBO and 4.4 BCFG in 1979. Seven oil and gas discoveries were made in the Uinta basin, and 2 significant oil discoveries were reported from the southern Paradox basin. Nevada's third oil field went on production in 1979 from Tertiary volcanic rocks. Six "offshore" wildcat wells drilled in Utah's Great Salt Lake by Amoco in 1979 have been temporarily abandoned. At least 2 of the wells had significant oil shows in Tertiary basalt. Exploratory and development drilling trends indicate that activity will remain high in the area for 1980.
Bayesian Quantitative Disease–Drug–Trial Models for Parkinson’s Disease to Guide Early Drug Development

The problem we have faced in drug development is in its efficiency. Almost a half of registration trials are reported to fail mainly because pharmaceutical companies employ one-size-fits-all development strategies. Our own experience at the regulatory agency suggests that failure to utilize prior experience or knowledge from previous trials also accounts for trial failure. Prior knowledge refers to both drug-specific and nonspecific information such as placebo effect and the disease course. The information generated across drug development can be systematically compiled to guide future drug development. Quantitative disease–drug–trial models are mathematical representations of the time course of biomarker and clinical outcomes, placebo effects, a drug’s pharmacologic effects, and trial execution characteristics for both the desired and undesired responses. Applying disease–drug–trial model paradigms to design a future trial has been proposed to overcome current problems in drug development. Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by bradykinesia, rigidity, tremor, and postural instability. A symptomatic effect of drug treatments as well as natural rate of disease progression determines the rate of disease deterioration. Currently, there is no approved drug which claims disease modification. Regulatory agency has been asked to comment on the trial design and statistical analysis methodology. In this work, we aim to show how disease–drug–trial model paradigm can help in drug development and how prior knowledge from previous studies can be incorporated into a current trial using Parkinson’s disease model as an example. We took full Bayesian methodology which can allow one to translate prior information into probability distribution.
Magnetic properties of anisotropic extreme type-II superconductors

In order to properly interpret magnetization and muon-spin rotation experiments on layered superconductors, we have derived and computed equilibrium properties of quantized vortices in a homogeneous single-crystal domain described by an anisotropic London tensor. Results are presented for the field distribution, the lower critical field and the vortex lattice in the uniaxial case.
Recent progress in the development and understanding of SUPG methods with special reference to the compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations†‡

The current status of streamline-upwind/Petrov-Galerkin (SUPG) methods for the analysis of flow problems is surveyed in an analytical review. Problem areas addressed include classical Galerkin, upwind, artificial-diffusion, SUPG, discontinuous Galerkin, space-time FEM, and discontinuity-capturing approaches to the scalar advection-diffusion equation; incompressible flows; advective-diffusive systems; and the compressible Euler and Navier-Stokes equations. Graphs and diagrams are provided, and the good stability properties of state-of-the-art SUPG methods are pointed out.
Pathways and regulation of homocysteine metabolism in mammals.

Abstract Two intersecting pathways, the methionine cycle and the transsulfuration sequence, compose the mechanisms for homocysteine metabolism in mammals. The methionine cycle occurs in all tissues and provides for the remethylation of homocysteine, which conserves methionine. In addition, the cycle is essential for the recycling of methyltetrahydrofolate. The synthesis of cystathionine is the first reaction in the irreversible pathway for the catabolism of homocysteine by means of the sequential conversion to cysteine and sulfate. This pathway has a limited distribution and is found primarily in the liver, kidney, small intestine and pancreas. Regulation of homocysteine metabolism is achieved by changes in the quantity of homocysteine distributed between the two competing pathways. Two mechanisms are basic to the regulatory process. Changes in tissue content of the relevant enzymes are the response to sustained perturbations. The inherent kinetic properties of the enzymes provide an immediate response to alterations in the tissue concentrations of substrates and other metabolic effectors. S-adenosylmethionine, S-adenosylhomocysteine, and methyltetrahydrofolate are of particular importance in that context.