cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
EXPRESS: Effects of a Neutral Warning Signal on Spatial Two-Choice Reactions

Posner et al. reported that, at short fixed foreperiods, a neutral warning tone reduced reaction times (RTs) in a visual two-choice task while increasing error rates for both spatially compatible and incompatible stimulus-response mappings. Consequently, they concluded that alertness induced by the warning does not affect the efficiency of information processing but the setting of a response criterion. We conducted two experiments to determine the conditions under which the trade-off occurs. In Experiment 1, participants performed the same two-choice task as in Posner et al.'s study without RT feedback. Results showed that the warning tone speeded responses with no evidence of speed/accuracy trade-off. In Experiment 2, RT feedback was provided after each response, and a speed/accuracy trade-off was found for the 50-ms foreperiod. However, better information-processing efficiency was evident for the 200-ms foreperiod. We conclude that the foreperiod effect of a 50-ms foreperiod is a result of response criterion adjustment and that providing trial-level RT feedback is critical for replicating this pattern. However, fixed foreperiods of 200 ms or longer benefit both speed and accuracy, implying a more controlled preparation component that improves response efficiency.
U.S. Dairy Replacement Strategy

Replacement issues have become a major topic of discussion over the last several years. Much of this has been driven by questions about optimal removal rates and the volatile cost of replacement animals. As veterinarians and dairy professionals have searched to answer these questions and lead these discussions, they have typically turned to their historical strengths in the realms of biology for answers. While questions of cow longevity and reproductive performance have led to great learning, one void in these discussions has been a firm understanding of how economic forces impact replacement.
Stopping a Continuous Movement: A Novel Approach to Investigating Motor Control

ABSTRACT Flexible, adaptive behavior is critically dependent on inhibitory control. For example, if you suddenly notice you are about to step on a tack and would prefer not to, the ability to halt your ongoing movement is critical. To address limitations in existing approaches for studying your ability to rapidly terminate your movement (“stopping”), we developed a novel stop task. This task requires termination of ongoing motor programs, provides a direct measure of SSRT, and allows for comparison of the same behavior (stopping) in conditions that elicit either prepared or reactive inhibitory control. Here, we present and evaluate our novel Continuous Movement Stop Task (CMST). We examined several versions of the task in a total of 49 participants. Our data reveal that the CMST is effectively able to dissociate stopping behavior between the planned and unplanned conditions. Additionally, within the subset of participants for which we measured speed, we found that participants initiated stopping (with respect to the stop signal) significantly earlier on planned stop compared to unplanned stop trials. Finally, participants took longer to arrive at full motor arrest (i.e. SSRT) following stop initiation on planned than on unplanned stop trials. This novel task design will enable a more precise quantification of stopping behavior and, in conjunction with neuroscientific methods, could provide more rigorous characterization of brain networks underlying stopping.
Associations Between Emotion Dysregulation Dimensions and Parenting Behaviors in Trauma-Exposed African American Mothers.

Parenting behavior is key to understanding transmission of intergenerational trauma-related risk. Emotion dysregulation (ED) and psychological symptoms are associated with negative parenting behavi...
Mineral identification using X-ray diffraction

X-ray diffraction is a valuable tool in determining the mineralogy of sedimentary rocks. Not only can the mineral species be identified, but in some cases a semi-quantitative determination of mineral substance can also be made. This is especially important for mudrock where petrographic methods are of limited utility. Indeed it is the most important technique in evaluating the chemical composition in some solid-solution series, such as mole-percent MgO in dolomite and magnesian calcite.
Herd Behavior in Assessments of Web Interface Design: Some Preliminary Evidence

This paper reports on the preliminary findings of a large study aimed at investigating the role of herding in assessments of web interface design. In the context of human behavior, herding occurs when a human being unconsciously bases his or her decisions on the actions or opinions of others. Using a controlled, randomized experiment involving 678 subjects, three different web interfaces, and five different interface design characteristics, the preliminary findings indicate that herd behavior exerts a strong and highly significant influence on web interface design assessments. The effect is particularly pronounced when subjects are provided with experimentally manipulated interface design ratings from people whom the subjects believe to be very similar to themselves. Since websites commonly serve as the public face of modern organizations, these findings have obvious and important implications insofar as web design influences how an organization is perceived and its subsequent prospects for success.
EFFECTS OF PHOTORESPONSE PROLONGATION ON RETINAL RODS OF TRANSGENIC MICE

At the edge of darkness, retinal rod photoreceptors report the presence of single photons. Within seconds after a stepped increase in the level of illumination, however, rods lose their exquisite sensitivity. By adapting in this way, rods preserve their ability to signal changes in lighting over a range of background intensities that spans several log units. On a slower time scale, rods undergo other remarkable adaptations to the level of illumination. These have been studied extensively in albino rats (e. g. by Williams and Baker, 1980; Penn and Anderson, 1991), which are particularly sensitive to changes in environmental lighting because their irises lack pigmentation (reviewed by Lanum, 1978). In response to an increase in lighting, rods of albino rats altered the length and structure of their outer segments, changed their rates of rhodopsin regeneration and opsin synthesis, and even reduced their numbers through cell death when the light was made bright enough or when the exposure was prolonged. Because the incident light normally passes through the long axis of the outer segment, shorter outer segments catch fewer photons. Similarly, the fewer the rhodopsins per unit length of outer segment, the lower the photon catching ability of the rod. Thus albino rats proved capable of “photostasis,” keeping their quantal catch constant at approximately 1016 photons per eye per day when the lighting varied by three log units of intensity. Furthermore, rats initially reared under bright lighting but then transferred into dimmer lighting compensated appropriately to maintain the same daily quantum catch (Penn and Williams, 1986; Penn et al., 1989; Penn and Anderson, 1991; Schremser and Williams, 1995a, b). The signal for photostasis is likely to be carried in part by the retina’s neural response to light, because severing one optic nerve of a rat afforded some protection to that eye against light-dependent retinal damage but had no effect on the intact eye (Bush and Williams, 1991). This result further suggests that brain centers external to the eye are involved. It should therefore be possible to evoke photostasis by delivery of the appropriate neural signal to these centers, in the absence of a change in the illumination, for example by tampering with the phototransduction machinery such that the rods falsely signal a higher (or lower) lighting exposure.
The Writing on the Void: The Poetry of W. S. Merwin

The "three qualities which are seldom found together except in the greatest poets," Eliot notes, are "abundance, variety, and complete competence." Still in his early forties, Merwin has published an even dozen volumes: six of original verse and six of translations. Here we certainly find abundance. Merwin's talent is steady and opulent; he does not, like some of his contemporaries, squeeze out an undernourished volume every decade. He is not always equally good and there are only a few poems from his earlier books that I would care to antholo gize. But when he is good, there is no one writing poetry today who approaches him. He possesses a narrow range of subjects and possibly an even narrower range of tone. Yet within his limitations?which are also strengths?we find a full representation of forms and feelings: all the lyrical genres and excursions, like "East of the Sun and West of the Moon," into the lush country of Keatsian nar rative.
Interactivity and multimedia interfaces

Multimedia technology offers instructional designers an unprecedented opportunity to create richly interactive learning environments. With greater design freedom comes complexity. The standard answer to the problems of too much choice, disorientation, and complex navigation is thought to lie in the way we design the interactivity in a system. Unfortunately, the theory of interactivity is at an early stage of development. After critiquing the decision cycle model of interaction – the received theory in human computer interaction – I present arguments and observational data to show that humans have several ways of interacting with their environments which resist accommodation in the decision cycle model. These additional ways of interacting include: preparing the environment, maintaining the environment, and reshaping the cognitive congeniality of the environment. Understanding how these actions simplify the computational complexity of our mental processes is the first step in designing the right sort of resources and scaffolding necessary for tractable learner controlled learning environments.
The Reflective Practitioner: A Contemporary Paradigm’s Relevance for Social Work Education

Skill development is essential curricular content for social work education. The necessity for teaching this content has had an impact on the profession’s struggle to find a place in the modern university. This paper examines whether current education for skilled action is sufficiently scientific, learned, and scholarly to belong in the academic world. The authors offer the concept of the reflective practitioner, and place it in relation to social work education, its literature, and some of the epistemological considerations of recent years.
Characterization of Protein Kinases from Rabbit Reticulocytes

Abstract Four fractions of protein kinase activity were resolved and partially purified from the ribosome-free supernatant fraction of rabbit reticulocytes and erythrocytes by DEAE-cellulose and phosphocellulose chromatography. The protein kinase activities from reticulocytes were studied under a variety of assay conditions, and the enzymes were characterized with respect to the capacity to interact with cyclic adenosine 3' : 5'-monophosphate (cAMP), stimulation by cAMP, the effects of isolated regulatory subunit and heatstable inhibitor protein on activity, substrate specificity, and the effects of monovalent and divalent cations. The enzymes were classified into three types according to previously established criteria (Traugh, J. A., Ashby, C. D., and Walsh, D. A. (1974) Methods Enzymol., in press). Three of the resolved enzyme fractions were found to be cAMP-regulated: two of the enzyme activities were identified as cAMP-dependent holoenzyme consisting of regulatory and catalytic subunits (type I); one activity was the free catalytic subunit of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase (type II). The fourth enzyme fraction was a cAMP-independent protein kinase (type III), with properties similar to phosvitin and casein kinases.
Just‐in‐time Functional Model

It has been proposed that the just‐in‐time (JIT) philosophy can be effectively integrated systemwide to yield increased efficiencies and excellence throughout an organization. Greater understanding is needed as to what this entails. The researchers empirically test and attempt to validate a previously developed basic functional model of JIT comprising three components – respect for people in the system, the execution system and planning process prerequisites – needed to support JIT′s goal of elimination of waste through a process of continual improvement. Regression model results support the hypothesized relationships between the model components and the JIT waste‐elimination goal.
Epistemology and Modelling — Overview

This section introduces the issues of epistemology, including how to relate modeling and mathematical growth, the implications of complexity, and the limitations of the approach.
Church and State in America: The Confederation Period

T he first continental congress, which put the American colonies on the path to independence from Great Britain, convened in Philadelphia on September 5, 1774. Fifty-five delegates, representing twelve colonies, attended. On the morning of September 6, Thomas Cushing of Massachusetts moved that proceedings begin with a prayer. Objections were immediately raised that “We were so divided in religious Sentiments, some Episcopalians, some Quakers, some Anabaptists, some Presbyterians and some Congregationalists … that we could not join in the same Act of Worship.” Declaring that he was “no Bigot,” Samuel Adams, an old-fashioned Puritan, made an ecumenical recommendation that a local Anglican priest, Jacob Duche, be asked to officiate in Congress the next morning. Duche, who defected to the British in 1777, led Congress in a moving prayer service on September 7. This episode reveals that by 1774 pluralism had become a distinguishing feature of American religion and that Congress would embrace religion at its earliest opportunity. The Continental and Confederation Congresses (1774–89) were full of deeply religious men in positions of leadership. Charles Thomson, the soul of Congress and the source of its institutional continuity as its permanent secretary from 1774 to 1789, retired from public life to translate the Scriptures from Greek into English; the four-volume Bible that Thomson published in 1808 is admired by modern scholars for its accuracy and learning.
Social justice and Internet technology

This essay is the honorary “Steve Jones Internet Research Lecture” for 2015, presented at the International Communication Association meetings in San Juan, Puerto Rico on 23 May 2015. Internet technology is understood in social terms not just as tools. As a social/cultural phenomenon, the new media’s core ethical norm arguably becomes social justice. The global dynamics of the Internet system requires an international definition of justice as intrinsic worthiness, rather than the standard idea of justice as right-order legality determined by nation-state conventions. This understanding of justice is defended against relativism which claims that values are culture specific.
Multidimensional Ostrowski inequalities, revisited

New very general multidimensional Ostrowski type inequalities are established, some of them prove to be sharp. They involve the ∥·∥∞ and ∥·∥p norms of the engaged mixed partial of nth order n≧1. In establishing them, other important multivariate results of Montgomery type identity are developed and presented for the first time.
Diabetes, Obesity, and the Brain

Recent evidence suggests a key role for the brain in the control of both body fat content and glucose metabolism. Neuronal systems that regulate energy intake, energy expenditure, and endogenous glucose production sense and respond to input from hormonal and nutrient-related signals that convey information regarding both body energy stores and current energy availability. In response to this input, adaptive changes occur that promote energy homeostasis and the maintenance of blood glucose levels in the normal range. Defects in this control system are implicated in the link between obesity and type 2 diabetes.
Chd7 plays a critical role in controlling left-right symmetry during zebrafish somitogenesis.

Somitogenesis is a complex process during early vertebrate development involving interactions between many factors to form a bilateral somite series. A role for chromatin remodelers in somitogenesis has not yet been demonstrated. Here, we investigate the function of chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 7 (chd7) during zebrafish somitogenesis. We show that Chd7 deficiency leads to asymmetric segmentation of the presomitic mesoderm (PSM), as revealed by expression of the somitogenesis genes, cdx1a, dlc, her7, mespa, and ripply1. Moreover, we show that abrogation of Chd7 results in the loss of asymmetric expression of spaw in the lateral plate mesoderm, which is consistent with more general laterality defects. Based on the observation that insufficient Chd7 leads to left–right asymmetry defects during PSM segmentation, and because CHD7 has been linked to human spinal deformities, we suggest that zebrafish chd7 morphants may be a good in vivo model to examine the pathophysiology of these diseases. Developmental Dynamics 240:2272–2280, 2011. © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Insight Into Evaluation Practice: A Content Analysis of Designs and Methods Used in Evaluation Studies Published in North American Evaluation-Focused Journals

To describe the recent practice of evaluation, specifically method and design choices, the authors performed a content analysis on 117 evaluation studies published in eight North American evaluation-focused journals for a 3-year period (2004—2006). The authors chose this time span because it follows the scientifically based research (SBR) movement, which prioritizes the use of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to study programs and policies. The purpose of this study was to determine the designs and data collection methods reportedly used in evaluation practice in light of federal guidelines enacted prior to 2004. Results show that, in contrast to the movement, nonexperimental designs dominate the field, that mixed-methods approaches just barely nudged out qualitative methods for most commonly used and that the majority of studies where statistical significance was reported indicated mixed significance.
Differential effects of a molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone, on the neuromuscular junctions of the claw opener and abdominal flexor muscles of the American lobster

Abstract Intracellular recordings at the neuromuscular junction of the dactyl opener muscle and the abdominal phasic flexor muscle of intermolt lobsters were made in the presence and absence of the steroid hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone (20-HE). Evoked excitatory junctional potentials (EJPs) were recorded from both muscles; spontaneous miniature excitatory junctional potentials (MEJPs) were recorded from the claw. In the opener muscle, 20-HE caused an increase in EJP amplitudes and MEJP frequency. In the abdomen 20-HE caused EJP amplitudes to become significantly smaller than controls. These results are consistent with changes in the relative activity of the two muscles over the molt cycle. In premolt lobsters where the titers of 20-HE are highest, there is an increased tendency towards aggressive behaviors (which include the meral spread) and a corresponding reduction of escape swimming. The results also support our earlier findings that one or more molt-related blood-borne factors can modulate peripheral synaptic transmission.
Butyrate-induced differentiation of Caco-2 cells is associated with apoptosis and early induction of p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1

Abstract Background: Intestinal mucosal turnover is a process of proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis; the mechanisms remain largely undefined. The purpose of our study was to (1) assess the relationship between apoptosis and enterocyte differentiation and (2) determine whether the cell-cycle inhibitors, p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1, or the apoptosis inhibitors, Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL, may be involved. Methods: Gut-derived Caco-2 cells were treated with sodium butyrate. Apoptosis was assessed by Hoechst stain, DNA laddering, and annexin V assay; differentiation was determined by alkaline phosphatase and sucrase activity. RNA and protein were analyzed for expression of p21Waf1/Cip1, p27Kip1, and members of the Bcl-2 family. Results: Treatment of Caco-2 cells with sodium butyrate resulted in the concomitant induction of both differentiation (increased alkaline phosphatase and sucrase activity) and apoptosis. Increased levels of p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1 mRNA and protein were detected at 24 hours, occurring before apoptosis or differentiation; decreased mRNA levels of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL were noted at 24 hours. Conclusions: Differentiation and apoptosis occurred simultaneously in Caco-2 cells, suggesting that apoptosis may be linked to enterocyte differentiation. The induction of p21Waf1/Cip1 and p27Kip1 and the down-regulation of Bcl-2 and Bcl-XL further suggest a link between the cell-cycle mechanisms regulating enterocyte differentiation and apoptosis. (Surgery 1998;124:161-70.)
Omega-3 Fatty Acids Reduce Intestinal Tumors In Mice With a Defect in the APC Gene

Abstract Research in humans and animal models largely indicates a protective effect of fatty acids present in fish oil against colorectal cancer. Despite recent contradictory evidence, the mechanism is largely thought to be related to inhibition of the inflammatory mediators known as eicosanoids. Fish oil is rich in the omega-3 fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5 n-3) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA, 22:6 n-3). We investigated the effects of purified dietary omega-3 fatty acids on intestinal tumor load, intestinal fatty acid composition, and eicosanoid formation in Apc Min/+ mice. These mice carry a mutation in the adenomatous polyposis coli (Ape) gene, which causes them to develop tumors throughout the intestinal tract. This is particularly relevant because many human colorectal cancers also contain a mutation in the analogous human APC gene. We hypothesized that feeding omega-3 fatty acids would reduce tumor load in this mouse model with concomitant decreases in eicosanoid formation. Animals (n=10/group) were randomized into the control group or an experimental group and provided with diets differing only in supplementation with select fatty acid ethyl esters (1.5% w/w). Dietary EPA significantly reduced tumor number and size relative to controls with a concurrent increase in tissue EPA content and suppression of the eicosanoids PGE 2 and 6-keto-PGF 1α . Despite an apparent link to eicosanoid inhibition in this study, we cannot discount potential involvement of eicosanoid-independent pathways in the observed anti-tumorigenic effects of EPA and other omega-3 fatty acids.
Interfering with Apoptosis: Ca2+-Binding Protein ALG-2 and Alzheimer's Disease Gene ALG-3

Two apoptosis-linked genes, named ALG-2 and ALG-3, were identified by means of a functional selection strategy. ALG-2 codes for a Ca2+-binding protein required for T cell receptor-, Fas-, and glucocorticoid-induced cell death. ALG-3, a partial complementary DNA that is homologous to the familial Alzheimer9s disease gene STM2, rescues a T cell hybridoma from T cell receptor- and Fas-induced apoptosis. These findings suggest that ALG-2 may mediate Ca2+-regulated signals along the death pathway and that cell death may play a role in Alzheimer9s disease.
Alternative processing of sequences during macronuclear development in Tetrahymena thermophila.

. DNA is eliminated during development of the somatic MACronucleus from the germinal MICronucleus in the ciliated protozoan, Tetrahymena thermophila. Facultatively persistent sequences are a class of sequences that persist in the MAC DNA of some cell lines but are eliminated from the MAC DNA of other cell lines. One cloned MAC fragment contains a persistent sequence as well as sequences normally retained in the MAC. When this cloned fragment was used to construct MAC restriction maps of this region in cell lines whose MAC DNAs do, or do not, contain the persistent sequence, extensive variation in the map flanking this region was observed. The different DNA rearrangements of this MIC segment are epigenetically determined during or soon after MAC development. Moreover, different rearrangements may occur among the 45 copies of this MIC segment as a MAC is formed, resulting in polymorphisms that are later resolved by phenotypic assortment.
Bayesian estimation of free-knot splines using reversible jumps

A fully Bayesian approach to estimating cubic free-knot splines is described. A new transition kernel for a reversible jump Markov chain Monte Carlo sampler is developed including a general method for constructing proposals for conditionally linear parameters. A general prior for the knots is proposed which allows a varying amount of prior probability on knot vectors with nearly identical knots. A data-based prior is used for the conditionally linear coefficients which avoids the tendency to assign all posterior probability on the smallest model when the range of the coefficients is large compared to the variability in the data. Dimension changing moves include moves to increase/decrease the knot vector by an arbitrary number of knots which improves mixing; particularly, when the posterior for the number of knots is multi-modal. We apply the method to two data sets.
Maintaining Mappings between Conceptual Models and Relational Schemas

This paper describes a round-trip engineering approach for incrementally maintaining mappings between conceptual models and relational schemas. When either schema or conceptual model evolves to accommodate new information needs, the existing mapping must be maintained accordingly to continuously provide valid services. In this paper, the authors examine the mappings specifying "consistent" relationships between models. First, they define the consistency of a conceptual-relational mapping through "semantically compatible" instances. Next, the authors analyze the knowledge encoded in the standard database design process and develop round-trip algorithms for incrementally maintaining the consistency of conceptual-relational mappings under evolution. Finally, they conduct a set of comprehensive experiments. The results show that the proposed solution is efficient and provides significant benefits in comparison to the mapping reconstructing approach.
Observation of spectral hole sidebands in the gain region of an inverted semiconductor

We have performed ultrafast three-pulse experiments in order to investigate the relaxation of charge carriers from a non-equilibrium distribution in inverted GaAs multiple quantum wells. The first pulse, used to create optical gain, was followed by a conventional pump-probe study. The pump-induced spectral hole inside the optical gain was accompanied by sidebands which occurred about 39 meV above the original spectral hole. These sidebands can be explained in terms of LO-phonon scattering of the charge carriers into the vacancies of the spectral hole.
Cyclic plain-weaving on polygonal mesh surfaces with graph rotation systems

In this paper, we show how to create plain-weaving over an arbitrary surface. To create a plain-weaving on a surface, we need to create cycles that cross other cycles (or themselves) by alternatingly going over and under. We use the fact that it is possible to create such cycles, starting from any given manifold-mesh surface by simply twisting every edge of the manifold mesh. We have developed a new method that converts plain-weaving cycles to 3D thread structures. Using this method, it is possible to cover a surface without large gaps between threads by controlling the sizes of the gaps. We have developed a system that converts any manifold mesh to a plain-woven object, by interactively controlling the shapes of the threads with a set of parameters. We have demonstrated that by using this system, we can create a wide variety of plain-weaving patterns, some of which may not have been seen before.
Neurotensin-induced proinflammatory signaling in human colonocytes is regulated by β-arrestins and endothelin-converting enzyme-1-dependent endocytosis and resensitization of neurotensin receptor 1

The neuropeptide/hormone neurotensin (NT) mediates intestinal inflammation and cell proliferation by binding of its high affinity receptor, neurotensin receptor-1 (NTR1). NT stimulates IL-8 expression in NCM460 human colonic epithelial cells by both MAP kinase- and NF-κB-dependent pathways. Although the mechanism of NTR1 endocytosis has been studied, the relationship between NTR1 intracellular trafficking and inflammatory signaling remains to be elucidated. In the present study, we show that in NCM460 cells exposed to NT, β-arrestin-1 (βARR1), and β-arrestin-2 (βARR2) translocate to early endosomes together with NTR1. Endothelin-converting enzyme-1 (ECE-1) degrades NT in acidic conditions, and its activity is crucial for NTR1 recycling. Pretreatment of NCM460 cells with the ECE-1 inhibitor SM19712 or gene silencing of βARR1 or βARR2 inhibits NT-stimulated ERK1/2 and JNK phosphorylation, NF-κB p65 nuclear translocation and phosphorylation, and IL-8 secretion. Furthermore, NT-induced cell proliferation, but not IL-8 transcription, is attenuated by the JNK inhibitor, JNK(AII). Thus, NTR1 internalization and recycling in human colonic epithelial cells involves βARRs and ECE-1, respectively. Our results also indicate that βARRs and ECE-1-dependent recycling regulate MAP kinase and NF-κB signaling as well as cell proliferation in human colonocytes in response to NT.
Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Gentle Ventilation in the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn — a Single-Center, 5-Year Experience

Inhaled Nitric Oxide and Gentle Ventilation in the Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension of the Newborn — a Single-Center, 5-Year Experience
Why Mercury Prefers Soft Ligands

Mercury (Hg) is a major global pollutant arising from both natural and anthropogenic sources. Defining the factors that determine the relative affinities of different ligands for the mercuric ion, Hg2+, is critical to understanding its speciation, transformation, and bioaccumulation in the environment. Here, we use quantum chemistry to dissect the relative binding free energies for a series of inorganic anion complexes of Hg2+. Comparison of Hg2+–ligand interactions in the gaseous and aqueous phases shows that differences in interactions with a few, local water molecules led to a clear periodic trend within the chalcogenide and halide groups and resulted in the well-known experimentally observed preference of Hg2+ for soft ligands such as thiols. Our approach establishes a basis for understanding Hg speciation in the biosphere.
Evaluating the parameter identifiability and structural validity of a probability-distributed model for soil moisture

Summary The objective of this study is to evaluate the performance of a model that simulates local and spatial average soil moisture in a watershed. The model uses well-known expressions for infiltration, evapotranspiration, and groundwater recharge to describe soil moisture dynamics at the local scale. Then, the spatial mean soil moisture is simulated by integrating the local behavior over a probability density function that characterizes the spatial variability of soil saturation. Ultimately, the model requires input of precipitation and potential evapotranspiration (PET) time series and six parameters to simulate the dynamics of the spatial average soil moisture. The model is applied to the Fort Cobb watershed in Oklahoma using one year of data from September 2005 through August 2006. Model performance is evaluated in three main ways. First, the model’s ability to reproduce observed local and spatial average soil moisture through calibration is examined. Second, the identifiability and stability of the parameter values are considered to assess uncertainty in the parameter values and errors in the model’s mathematical structure. Third, a new method is developed that uses the sensitivities of soil moisture to precipitation and PET to assess the impacts of parameter uncertainty and structural errors on forecasts for unobserved conditions. At the local scale, the model reproduces the soil moisture with a similar degree of accuracy as a more physically-based model (HYDRUS 1D), and both models exhibit some structural errors. The model can also be calibrated to approximately reproduce the spatial average soil moisture observations. However, the model produces a relatively wide range of plausible sensitivities and this range varies depending on the window of time from which the parameters are calibrated. This result implies that parameter uncertainty and model structural errors contribute substantially to model uncertainty for unobserved conditions.
Origin and sedimentary fate of plant-derived terpenoids in a small river catchment and implications for terpenoids as quantitative paleovegetation proxies

Abstract Tricyclic diterpenoids and non-steroid or non-hopanoid pentacyclic triterpenoids are almost exclusively taxon-specific terrestrial plant biomarkers produced by conifers and angiosperms, respectively. Due to this source specificity and their prevalence in the geologic record, these compounds are often used to reconstruct paleovegetation. However, the physical and chemical processes that influence the dispersal and fate of terpenoids in sedimentary archives are poorly constrained. Modern fluvial systems can be used as ancient river analogs to provide information on the utility of terrestrial plant terpenoids as paleovegetation proxies by defining their potential flux and identifying the processes that control their transport to, and deposition and degradation in, sediments. To determine if the contribution of terpenoids from vegetation is reflected in forested soil and river sediments and to constrain the dispersal of these compounds in fluvial systems, di- and triterpenoid concentrations in Miners River drainage basin (Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA) were quantified. In the basin, evergreen conifers are less abundant than deciduous angiosperms, but yet contribute substantially more terpenoids to soils and river sediments when scaled for leaf litter production and present vegetation cover. The composition and relative concentration of di- and triterpenoids in source vegetation do not match those in soils and river sediments, suggesting that some process or processes result in the preferential removal of diterpenoids. While the soil and river sediment terpenoid concentration, corrected for differential terpenoid inputs, can closely predict the basin wide vegetation cover in Miners River drainage basin, the extent to which terpenoids can be used a paleovegetation proxy in other modern or geologic sediments remains unclear.
The provision of patient and family education

Health-care professionals no longer have the option on whether or not to include patient health education into patient care. The U.S. Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations (JCAHO) requires that patient and family education is provided in specifically identified areas. In order for health providing institutions to be approved, these standards must be met. Health-care providers, however, should realize that patient health education (PHE) can be delivered in a variety of ways and JCAHO does not set conditions as to which methods of delivery are applied. Several modes of PHE approaches are cited in this article, along with an example as to how to put them into practice.
A Blissful Education

A personal reflection from a student of Dr. Sipe showcases the power and humanity of his conversational prowess. In this reflection, a developing discussion with Dr. Sipe around Cynthia Rylant’s Missing May (1992) is connected to Roland Barthes’s concept of jouissance.
Raising Future Scientists Identifying and Developing a Child’s Science Talent, A Guide for Parents and Teachers

Parents and teachers may suspect early science talent in children, which frequently manifests itself through insatiable curiosity and an intense interest in one or more areas of science. However, sometimes they struggle with identification and then knowing what to do to nurture these talents. The author of this practical article provides a rationale for why early identification is important and then discusses ways to spot and develop children’s talents in the sciences. Strategies and lists of resources that parents and teacher may use to nurture talent are provided.
PERCEIVED EFFECT OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT PARTICIPATION BY EMPLOYEES

Summary.--Employees' perceptions of participation in decision-making showed for 270 employees direct participation day to day is positively associated with stronger perceived participation whereas indirect participation is associated with different perceptions. Distinguishing between direct and indirect participation is useful. Increasingly employees' participation in decision-making has come under examination as an appropriate managerial tool for responding to the negative performance and attitudinal impact of such commonly observed phenomena as increased personal and social alienation at all organizational levels (5), high levels of suess (2), and cultural changes involving increasing demands for self-actualization (10). Despite such popularity there remains a need to evaluate the different types of participation and to develop an understanding of the conditions made. The proposed type of participation might be most effective. This paper reports such a comparative evaluation of perceived effects of direct and indirect participation. Definitions Employees' participation involves increased choice and influence in making decisions related to their work and their firm. Employees' participation can be indicect or direct. Indirect participation involves the use of representatiues of various levels within an organization who meet and discuss company mat- ters. Usually, these are shopfloor workers and union representatives from one side and management or board representatives from the other. Indirect participation has been particularly popular in Western Europe where it has generally been a key component of the "Industrial Democracy" movement. Direct participation applies to the direct involvement of individual employees in the decision-making process. The actual decisions with which the employees may be concerned vary from company to company. In some firms the concept of participation is utilized in work autonomy, etc. In some cases, discussions mainly concern company policy and in others administrative matters meaningful to employees in daily work The need for distinction between the two types is made even more desirable by the fact that the term "participation" has also become clouded by ideological and academic differences. Indirect participation was, and still is, a popular subject with union officials, politicians, and among sociologists and
Does antibiotic prophylaxis prevent renal scarring in children with vesicoureteral reflux

Antibiotic prophylaxis has been the recommended management for most children with vesicoureteral reflux and urinary tract infection (UTI). This Practice Point commentary discusses the study of Pennesi and colleagues, one of three recent randomized controlled clinical trials of children with reflux, which suggested that antibiotic prophylaxis might be unnecessary in this setting, as similar rates of febrile UTI and renal scarring were seen in individuals who received prophylaxis and those who did not. However, because follow-up was short in one study, UTI was diagnosed by bag samples in infants and toddlers in another, and, overall, an insufficient number of children at high risk for UTI were included in the analyses, the results should be treated with caution. Further evidence from large, double-blind trials will help to better define the role of prophylaxis in children with vesicoureteral reflux.
Types of budgeting and budgeting problems in aclerican cities

This research investigates the types of budgeting formats used in over 200 United States cities and provides information about the budgetary problems facing American cities. The perception of budgeting problems differs significantly among cities with different types of budgeting. Cities using line-item budgeting are more likely to view the problems as more severe than do the cities using reform budgeting. The problems are the least severe in cities using planning, programming budgeting.
Electrogeneration of Oxidized Corrole Dimers. Electrochemistry of (OEC)M Where M = Mn, Co, Ni, or Cu and OEC Is the Trianion of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-Octaethylcorrole

The electrochemistry of (OEC)M where M = Mn, Co, Ni, or Cu and OEC is the trianion of 2,3,7,8,12,13,17,18-octaethylcorrole was investigated in dichloromethane, benzonitrile, or pyridine, and the oxidized compounds were characterized by UV−visible and/or ESR spectroscopy. The first two oxidations of the Co, Ni, and Cu corroles involve the reversible stepwise abstraction of 1.0 electron per two (OEC)M units and lead to [(OEC)M]2+ and [(OEC)M]22+, which are assigned as π−π dimers containing oxidized corrole macrocycles and divalent central-metal ions on the basis of the electrochemical and spectroscopic data. The ESR spectrum of [(OEC)Cu]2+ suggests the presence of one ESR-active Cu(II) center in the singly oxidized dimer. Further bulk electrooxidation of [(OEC)Cu]2+ at potentials positive of the second oxidation results in the abstraction of a second electron from the dimeric unit and leads to a triplet ESR spectrum typical of a copper(II) dimer, from which a Cu−Cu distance of 3.88 A is calculated. The ESR ...
Depositional Environment of Lower Permian Stone Corral Formation: ABSTRACT

The Lower Permian Stone Corral Formation is a 5-8 ft thick unit of dolomitic limestone and shale in a sequence of red beds that crops out in south-central Kansas. It forms a good stratigraphic marker bed in the subsurface, where it consists mainly of anhydrite (the Cimmaron anhydrite) up to 100 ft thick. At outcrop, the formation is weathered and consists of 2 interfingering facies--a crinoidal-echinoidal grainstone (in the north) and a laminated mudstone (in the south). Both the grainstone and mudstone exhibit diagenetic alteration. The grainstone is composed of well-rounded allochems of crinoid and echinoid fragments with scattered ooids, sponge spicules, peloids, and possible foraminifers and ostracods. Layers of sponge spicules alternate with peloid or ooid layers. The mudstone facies has a clotted texture and has laminations defined by the occurrence of fenestral fabric and peloids. Dolomite occurring in the Stone Corral Formation is of secondary origin. The grainstone is interpreted as being lagoonal in origin, whereas the mudstone facies is interpreted as supratidal. The grumous (clotted) texture may indicate phreatic diagenesis. The absence of anhydrite on outcrop, where it was presumably leached by surface waters leaving the less soluble dolomite, is additional evidence for a regional disconformity above the unit on the eastern side of a large, shallow, evaporitic basin. End_of_Article - Last_Page 269------------
Resistance to infection as affected by variations in the proportions of protein, fat, and carbohydrate in the diet

Summary The effects of extreme variations in the proportions of protein, fat,and carbohydrate in the diet on resistance to infection were investigated. The experimental procedure employed was to feed groups of young mice for six weeks on special diets and then to inoculate them with a standard, multiple-lethal dose of virulent pneumococci. The postinoculation survival time was regarded as a measure of resistance to infection. The test diets were constructed so as to represent all combinations of protein, fat, and carbohydrate at high, medium, and low levels. In all, thirteen experiments were carried out, involving a total of 100 animals on each of the eight diets tested. Statistically significant differences in the postinoculation survivaltime of animals maintained on diets, varying widely in their protein, fat, and carbohydrate content, indicate that resistance to infection is affected by these primary food substances. The most significant result was that pertaining to the effect of protein. Animals which had been maintained on a very low protein intake showed a greatly decreased post-inoculation survival time, as compared with control animals. On the other hand, those which had been subjected to an excessively high protein intake showed a distinct lengthening of the survival time after inoculation. Contrary to what had been expected, high carbohydrate feeding per se failed to reduce resistance if the protein content of the diet was 10 per cent or above.
Paroxysmal familial ventricular fibrillation

Several syndromes have been described which include paroxysmal ventricular fibrillation during the early years of life. In the family presented here, three siblings had syncopal episodes and sudden death; a fourth had syncopal episodes and proved paroxysmal ventricular fibrillation. Important characteristics of the ECG were short P-R interval and prominent U wave. The episodes of fibrillation were induced by stressful emotional stimuli and could not be produced by exercise. Possible electrophysiologic mechanisms and an outline for approach to patients with this problem are presented. The patient has been successfully maintained without recurrent symptoms for years with propanolol therapy.
Allah: a Christian response

Allah: a Christian response, by Miroslav Volf, New York, HarperCollins, 2011, 326 pp., $25.99 (hardback), ISBN 978-0-06-192707-2 This book is a substantiation of the ‘Yale Response’ to the ‘Common ...
Auditory processing following consecutive right temporal lobe resections: a prospective case study.

BACKGROUND The role of the right temporal lobe in processing speech is not well understood. Although the left temporal lobe has long been recognized as critical for speech perception, there is growing evidence for right hemisphere involvement. To investigate whether the right temporal lobe is critical for auditory speech processing, we studied prospectively a normal-hearing patient who underwent consecutive right temporal lobe resections for treatment of medically intractable seizures. PURPOSE To test the hypothesis that the right temporal lobe is critical for auditory speech processing. RESEARCH DESIGN We used a prospective, repeated-measure, single-case design. Auditory processing was evaluated using behavioral tests of speech recognition (words, sentences) under multiple listening conditions (e.g., quiet, background noise, etc.). Auditory processing of nonspeech sounds was measured by pitch pattern sequencing and environmental sound recognition tasks. DATA COLLECTION Repeat behavioral testing was performed at four time points over a 2 yr period: before and after consecutive right temporal lobe resection surgeries. RESULTS Before surgery, the patient demonstrated normal speech recognition in quiet and under real-world listening conditions (background noise, filtered speech). After the initial right anterior temporal resection, speech recognition scores declined under adverse listening conditions, especially for the left ear, but remained largely within normal limits. Following resection of the right superior temporal gyrus 1 yr later, speech recognition in quiet and nonspeech sound processing (pitch patterns, environmental sounds) remained intact. However, speech recognition under adverse listening conditions was severely impaired. CONCLUSIONS The right superior temporal gyrus appears to be critical for auditory processing of speech under real-world listening conditions.