cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The English Reformation and the Laity: Gloucestershire in the 1530s

Prior to the founding of the new diocese in 1541, Gloucestershire was marked by the same religious ambivalence that characterised much of the rest of England. On the one hand, there is considerable evidence of the vigour of traditional lay piety among both the elite and the ordinary people. Support for the re-building and re-decoration of local parish churches was continuing and even increasing, and acts of lay piety such as pilgrimages to the Blood of Hailes continued to be popular. On the other hand, there were also signs of the promotion and acceptance of the new religion in public pulpits and private households, as the theological issues which distinguished Protestantism from traditional religion were presented and discussed by all types and conditions of men and women. There were isolated instances of anticlericalism, but for the most part the presentation of the new religion was more positive than that, focusing on issues of faith and doctrine. In Devon and Cornwall, Protestant support may have been motivated primarily by secular concerns, but such was not the case in Gloucestershire. Furthermore, traditional lay piety in that county, as in other areas of England, was thriving. Support for the new religion, while based on theological concerns, was still extremely fragmented and represented a very small proportion of the county's inhabitants. In addition, that percentage would decrease over the next few decades. The rebuilding of Cotswold churches in the perpendicular style offers convincing evidence of the continued vitality of the pre-Reformation church in England. The assertion that the Protestant Reformation was both welcomed and needed because the late-medieval church had fallen into decay and disrepute among ordinary lay people has been thoroughly laid to rest by a number of historians, and Gloucestershire provides further evidence of this.
Conflict-of-Interests Statutes and the Need for a Demand on Directors in Derivative Actions

Where there is no complainant there is no judge.' Nowhere is the substantive law so dependent upon the availability of a person entitled to complain of its breach as in the case of litigation on behalf of a corporation. It is a statutory truism that the affairs of a corporation are managed by its board of directors,2 and this includes litigation.3 If, however, the directors will not initiate corporate litigation, and if this refusal is dispositive, then whatever harm allegedly was done to the corporation goes unredressed. To remedy this situation a procedure known as the derivative suit is utilized. Its role in triggering corporate litigation against third parties is important, but even more important is its role in triggering suits against those corporate insiders, particularly directors, who by their imprudent or disloyal behavior may have damaged the corporation.4 Current developments concerning the prerequisites to allowing a volunteer shareholder to sue on behalf of the corporation are the focus of this Article; in particular, I will examine the so-called demand on directors' as a condition precedent to such derivative actions.6 It is the thesis of this Article that many recent cases holding that a prior demand on directors was required, or, if made and rejected, dis-
The composition and transport of organic carbon in rainfall: Insights from the natural (13C and 14C) isotopes of carbon

[1] The dilute nature and compositional complexity of rainwater organic carbon (OC) has made it difficult to determine the role of rainwater OC in regional and global carbon budgets. Here I present the δ13C and Δ14C signatures of OC in rainfall, including two hurricanes, which indicate that OC in rain originates from multiple sources including a significant fraction from fossil fuels and marine OC. These samples demonstrate that atmospheric wet deposition of OC from fossil fuels can supply significant quantities of relic carbon to ecosystems. In addition, rainfall events that originate over the ocean can be dominated by marine OC, arguing for a significant transfer of marine OC to the continents and a large recycled marine OC component to marine rain. A conceptual model of the direct transfers of OC in rainfall concludes that the net transfer of continental OC to the ocean could be close to zero due to a significant marine to continental flux.
Do&Merge: Integrating Parallel Loops and Reductions

Many computations perform operations that match this pattern: first, a loop iterates over an input array, producing an array of (partial) results. The loop iterations are independent of each other and can be done in parallel. Second, a reduction operation combines the elements of the partial result array to produce the single final result. We call these two steps a Do&Merge computation. The most common way to effectively parallelize such a computation is for the programmer to apply a DOALL operation across the input array, and then to apply a reduction operator to the partial results. We show that combining the Do phase and the Merge phase into a single Do&Merge computation can lead to improved execution time and memory usage. In this paper we describe a simple and efficient construct (called the Pdo loop) that is included in an experimental HPF-like compiler for private-memory parallel systems.
Diagnosis of post-operative compressive neuropathy aided by continuous adductor canal block.

Dear Editor, When combined with a sciatic nerve block or local infiltration anesthesia, continuous adductor canal block can provide quite satisfactory analgesia after knee arthroplasty, with less motor blockade [1–3]. As use of this technique has gained recent popularity, we report a case where the lack of proximal anterolateral thigh motor blockade may have allowed early diagnosis of a postoperative compressive neuropathy. The patient has provided written permission for the authors to publish the report. A 57-year-old man presented for left total knee arthroplasty, with a medical history significant only for hypertension and hyperlipidemia. Prior to the surgical procedure, a sciatic nerve catheter was placed using the classic posterior approach of Labat. Postoperatively the sciatic nerve catheter was used on an as-needed basis, with a 4 mL bolus of 0.2% ropivacaine available to the patient every 4 hours as needed. Intraoperatively, the patient received a spinal anesthetic; …
Population Health and Tax-Exempt Hospitals: Putting the Community Back into the 'Community Benefit' Standard

Disputes about tax-exemption are occurring all over the country. The IRS and CBO are engaged in national studies of non-profit hospitals and community benefits. State governments are considering whether to legislate minimum amounts of charity care in exchange for tax-exemption. Congress is debating whether hospitals should remain a part of the non-profit sector at all. At the same time, uninsured individuals are suing hospitals for unfair billing and collection practices. Creative accounting and expansive definitions of "free" care have led to a variety of non-ideal practices by hospitals in order to balance their bottom line, while at the same time maintain tax-exempt status. This article argues that the longstanding focus on providing individual charity care to meet the community benefit standard for tax-exemption is misguided. Instead, I determine that there are conceptual and practical arguments for requiring hospitals to provide population or public health benefits. I offer a detailed analysis for implementing a new standard, and a framework for quantifying community benefit under that standard. The suggestions set forth should result in better, more expansive benefits for communities; clearer guidance for health care institutions and tax authorities; and fewer problematic incentives for tax-exempt hospitals attempting to meet their community benefit obligations.
Gambling Policy in the European Union: Monopolies, Market Access, Economic Rents, and Competitive Pressures among Gaming Sectors in the Member States

This chapter provides a perspective on legal and economic dimensions of commercial gaming industries in the European Union-with specific emphasis on the casino industries in Europe-in comparison to similar industries in other parts of the world. It examines observations that were put forward by the author and others in the report, "Study of Gambling Services in the Internal Market of the European Union." That study addressed the legal and economic challenges confronting the commercial gaming industries within the European Union in the early 21st century. The chapter addresses the casino sector in the European Union and discusses the implications of greater competition for this particular sector as part of the broader question: "What would happen in the European Union if the legal rules that govern competitive conditions change?" Various Member States declare as a matter of policy that private profit is not a justifiable outcome of casinos. Keywords: casino industries; competitive pressures; economic rents; European Union; gambling policy; gaming sectors; member states
Recognition of handwritten connected numerals based on dual cooperative neural network

Recognition of unconstrained, handwritten connected numerals based on a dual cooperative neural network (DCN) is presented. First, a sequence of connected numerals is segmented into regions of interest by a group of windows moving along the horizontal axis of numeral sequence. The windows of the group are distributed in position in such a way as to achieve transition invariance. Since DCN combines both Cartesian and log-polar representation of numerals, robustness to transition as well as to rotational and scaling variations can be achieved. Introduced also are the multiple matching schemes from different types of correlation between the input and templates, to handle multiple numerals overlapped or captured by a window. A two-stage supervised self-organization process is implemented for the automatic generation of templates of each numeral. A set of templates thus generated provides robustness to pattern variations due to distortions. A multilayer backpropagation network generates outputs with its trained weights based on a sequence of multiple matching scores from individual numerals. An experimental result is shown.
The use of resorcinol for identification and determination of monosaccharide groups; a report on a Gaucher spleen cerebroside.

Abstract The unsulfonated and the presulfonated resorcinol reactions can be used for the identification and quantitative determination of unknown sugar groups. The identification is thought to be possible because of the formation of aldehydes other than the furan type when the sugars are dehydrated with sulfuric acid; the yield of the aldehydes is dependent upon the monosaccharide present. The distinction between galactose and mannose is decisive, and prehydrolysis is unnecessary. A third Gaucher spleen was found to contain a glucoside type of cerebroside, and no galactoside could be detected.
Management of Fusarium crown and root rot of asparagus

Abstract Fusarium crown and root rot of asparagus occurs wherever asparagus is grown. The pathogens Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. asparagi, Fusarium proliferatum, F. redolens, and Fusarium solani are ubitquitous in soil and on seeds. The review is structured to focus on management strategies that affect the three components of the disease triangle: pathogen, host, and environment. An analysis of each strategy is discussed in regard to knowledge gaps and future direction.
Pre-exposure of cells to cationic lipids enhances transgene delivery and expression in a tissue culture cell line.

AbstractSeveral factors influence non-viral transfection in tissue culture models including nature of the cationic lipid, plasmid construction, and DNA-lipid complex, amongothers. Thecell line itself is another confounding variable. Each subcellular population may respond independently to the transgene or specific delivery vector with regards to toxicity or trans-gene expression. In this study, the SKnSH (human neuroblastoma) and COS-1 (African green kidney) cells were exposed to three different treatments A, B, and C. Treatment A refers to cells obtained from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) and cultivated as recommended, treatment B to cells that were grown in presence of cationic lipids for two weeks, and treatment C to cells that were grown in presence of cationic lipids for two weeks followed by normal media for two weeks to determine if lipid mediated effects were reversible. Treatment B resulted in a three-fold increase in transgene expression of a reporter gene as compared to the other trea...
Human papilloma virus DNA exposure and embryo survival is stage-specific

Purpose: Human papillomavirus (HPV) has been shown to disrupt late-stage implanting embryos. The objectives were (a) to assess the development of early embryos exposed to HPV DNA and (b) to analyze the blastocyst hatching process after HPV exposure. Methods: The study involved exposing two-cell and 4–8-cell mouse embryos to DNA fragments from either HPV type 16, type 18 or DQA1 (control). The embryos were incubated for 120 h and assessed. Results: HPV 16 and 18 inhibited two-cell embryo development. In contrast, delaying the exposure of HPV DNA until the 4–8-cell stage resulted in further embryonic development. There was 25.9% less blastocyst formed with HPV 16 exposure. Additionally, there were 25.9–31.8% more degenerated embryos with HPV 16 exposure. Conclusions: The study demonstrated embryo stage-specific effects of HPV on early development. The results suggested HPV exposure was linked to two-cell embryo demise and delaying the exposure of HPV until later embryo stages permitted embryo development. HPV 16 was shown to decrease blastocyst formation while HPV 18 inhibited the blastocyst hatching process.
Adsorption of organic matter at mineral/water interfaces: I. ATR-FTIR spectroscopic and quantum chemical study of oxalate adsorbed at boehmite/water and corundum/water interfaces

Abstract The types and structures of adsorption complexes formed by oxalate at boehmite (γ-AlOOH)/water and corundum (α-Al2O3)/water interfaces were determined using in situ attenuated total reflectance fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy and quantum chemical simulation methods. At pH 5.1, at least four different oxalate species were found at or near the boehmite/water interface for oxalate surface coverages (Γox) ranging from 0.25 to 16.44 μmol/m2. At relatively low coverages (Γox 2.47 μmol/m2), the boehmite surface binding sites for inner-sphere adsorbed oxalate become saturated, and excess oxalate ions are present dominantly as aqueous species (IR peaks at 1309 and 1571 cm−1). In addition to these adsorption processes, oxalate-promoted dissolution of boehmite following inner-sphere oxalate adsorption becomes increasingly pronounced with increasing Γox and results in an aqueous Al(III)-oxalate species, as indicated by shifted IR peaks (1286 → 1297 cm−1 and 1418 → 1408 cm−1). At pH 2.5, no outer-sphere adsorbed oxalate or aqueous oxalate species were observed. The similarity of adsorbed oxalate spectral features at pH 2.5 and 5.1 implies that the adsorption mechanism of aqueous HOx− species involves loss of protons from this species during the ligand-exchange reaction. As a consequence, adsorbed inner-sphere oxalate and aqueous Al(III)-oxalate complexes formed at pH 2.5 have coordination geometries very similar to those formed at pH 5.1. The coordination geometry of inner-sphere adsorbed oxalate species was also predicted using quantum chemical geometry optimization and IR vibrational frequency calculations. Geometry-optimized Al8O12 and Al14O22 clusters with the reactive surface Al site coordinated by three oxygens were used as model substrates for corundum and boehmite surfaces. Among the models considered, calculated IR frequencies based on a bidentate side-on structure with a 5-membered ring agree best with the observed frequencies for boehmite/oxalate/water samples at Γox = 0.25 to 16.44 μmol/m2 and pH 2.5 and 5.1, and for a corundum/oxalate/water sample at Γox = 1.4 μmol/m2 and pH 5.1. Based on these results, we suggest that oxalate bonding on boehmite and corundum surfaces results in 5-coordinated rather than 4- or 6-coordinated Al surface sites.
Interpersonal Information Acquisition and Confidence in First Encounters

This experiment tested the hypothesis that people's social difficulties in an initial interaction are lowered by instructions to `find out as much as you can about the other person. " Sixty-four pairs of strangers interacted after one of them had been told to learn as much as possible about the other person or had not received information-seeking instructions. As predicted, directing subjects to seek inter-personal information reduced apprehension, insecurity, and awkwardness, not only for the subjects who received the instructions but also for their partners. The instructions also affected subjects' perceptions of their conversation partners. However, few obvious behavioral effects of the manipulation were obtained. The data suggest that the provision of an information-seeking script is sufficient to reduce social concerns, independent of its effects on social behavior or information exchange.
Using and building theory in clinical action.

Abstract The unique contribution of speech–language pathologists to human welfare is shaped by clinical decisions. These decisions are, consciously or unconsciously, guided by theory, yet, clinicians are not routinely given the tools to construct and communicate theoretical practices in their work. This paper provides clinicians with two ways of thinking about theory so it can be used in clinical action. The first is a discussion of the relationship between specific and general theory so each can be recognized in clinical practices. The second is presentation of Bamberg's hexad as a tool for analyzing theory within clinical situations. A Venn model, used to conceptualize the links between general theory, specific theory, and clinical action, is discussed as a conceptual organizer for theory building in communicative sciences and disorders. Learning outcomes: As a result of this activity, participants will (1) understand how theory can be used as a tool during clinical action, (2) understand the relationship between general and specific theory, and (3) understand how Bamberg's hexad can be used to analyze clinical action and build theory.
The Treasure in Technical Information: A Research Project for All Disciplines

Engineering practitioners often find themselves required to locate technical and non-technical information from a variety of sources. They may generate quotes, research equipment specifications, determine market shares, delineate a proposed manufacturing process, find company profiles, retrieve demographics data, certify compliance with international or national standards, or research any one of countless other pieces of information. This may involve books, CDs, periodicals, newspapers, corresponding via email, fax, letters or the worldwide web, across several languages. Few classroom projects address practitioner’s needs for broad information research skills. This paper details strategies for a unique student research project leading to useful experience applicable to engineering and engineering technology practitioners in any discipline, in any locality. The project could be instituted in virtually any class at any level and run in any language. It is readily adaptable to changing technology, any textbook, and has now been in use since 1982. As implemented at Purdue University, it has been cited by multiple ABET re-accreditation teams for innovation and as an excellent example of continuously improved instruction. Over the years it has grown to become one of the more noteworthy experiences cited in both student exit surveys and in graduate surveys.Copyright © 2003 by ASME
Ray transposition for central digital loss

In fourteen cases transposition of either the second or fifth ray was used following traumatic amputation of one or both central digits, or in conjunction with surgical removal of either the middle or ring finger when it was rendered useless by trauma, involved with a malignancy, or congenitally hypoplastic. The operative technique consisted of osteotomies at the base of the metacarpals with internal fixation of the transposed ray. When the fifth ray was transposed, the level of division of the bone was such as to provide the appearance of a more normal length of the digit.
Clonal unresponsiveness results from an interaction between staphylococcal enterotoxin B and T cells expressing unexpected Vβ elements

The ability of staphylococcal toxins to stimulate large numbers of T cells has led to their designation as a superantigen. Previous studies have indicated that activation of T cells bearing particular V beta elements may be responsible for the toxic effects of these bacterial products. However, the widespread expression of functionally similar proteins by unrelated bacterial species suggests the possibility that these products may represent a successful microbial strategy for subversion of the host antibacterial response. We have examined the effects of the staphylococcal enterotoxin B (SEB) on T cell clones that express different V beta elements. We note that SEB stimulates clones bearing previously defined V beta elements to proliferate and to produce cytokines. In addition, we demonstrate that an interaction between SEB and the TCR of clones that express additional V beta elements, including V beta 2 and V beta 6, results in a sterile form of immunological activation. This activation phenotype is characterized by proliferation without detectable cytokine production and is followed by profound immunological unresponsiveness in vitro and in vivo. We propose that reduced levels of antibacterial responses resulting from this form of T cell unresponsiveness may account for the highly conserved expression of superantigens by diverse bacterial species.
Examination for Bias in Principal Ratings of Teachers' Preparation

The Department of Education is moving to change accountability for teacher preparation institutions to include surveys of the graduates and their supervising principal following paid employment. This study describes one of a number of quantitative studies that examine the validity and usefulness of such follow-up surveys. Using multiple years of data, the authors examined the effect of teacher socioeconomic status and ethnicity on principals' evaluation of the teachers' preparation. The results indicated that there was no difference in ratings based on graduates' parent education, family income, or ethnicity. Post hoc evaluation showed that Latino teachers were rated better prepared to work with diversity in the classroom and to teach English learners. Bias does not appear to be part of principal evaluation. However, because principals are prone to rating teachers on a binary, satisfactory/unsatisfactory basis, follow-up surveys may not be the most useful tool for assessing some nuances of teacher prepara...
Hydrogen Permeability of Polymer Matrix Composites at Cryogenic Temperatures

This paper presents experimental methods and results of an ongoing study of the correlation between damage state and hydrogen gas permeability of laminated composite materials under mechanical strains and thermal loads. A specimen made from IM-7/977-2 composite material has been mechanically cycled at room temperature to induce microcrack damage. Crack density and tensile modulus were observed as functions of number of cycles. Damage development was found to occur most quickly in the off-axis plies near the outside of the laminate. Permeability measurements were made after 170,000 cycles and 430,000 cycles. Leak rate was found to depend on applied mechanical strain, crack density, and test temperature.
Formation of prominences by condensation modes in magnetized cylindrical plasmas

Condensation modes in a magnetized cylindrical plasma are studied to shed light on the formation and stability of solar prominences. A rigorous mathematical derivation of the perturbation equation is developed, and the effect of field twist on the stability is studied for an equilibrium with uniform field twist, in which temperature increases, but density does not, as pressure increases. The results imply that prominences may form in globally magnetohydrodynamic-stable magnetic loops with very low field twist. Also, prominences are more likely to form in a region of weaker area-averaged magnetic field.
The Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Baseline Sports-Related Concussion Testing

Objective:This study examined the effect of psychological distress on neurocognitive performance measured during baseline concussion testing.Design:Archival data were utilized to examine correlations between personality testing and computerized baseline concussion testing. Significantly correlated p
Injuries due to falls from hunters' tree stands in Pennsylvania.

Background People who hunt deer from elevated tree stands may improve the chances of a successful hunt but also risk serious injury from a fall to the ground. Purpose The objective of the current investigation is to estimate the rates of injuries from falls from tree stands using a population-based study design. Methods Annual and age-specific rates were calculated using injury data collected from 1987 to 2006 from all accredited Pennsylvania trauma centers and hunting license sales and game-take mail surveys from the Pennsylvania Game Commission. Results From 1987 through 2006, 2.73 people ( n =499) per 100,000 licensed deer hunters were injured from falls from tree stands; seven people died. Rates increased from 0.59 in 1987 to 7.08 in 2006 ( p p Conclusions Falls from tree stands associated with deer hunting are an increasing and important cause of injuries, especially for older hunters. Surveillance for tree stand–related injuries should be enhanced and preventive initiatives developed and tested.
Male and Female Style Preference and Perceived Fashion Risk

This research compared fashion preferences of males and females and the types of risk that they perceived in both men's and women's clothing styles. Thirty married couples responded to drawings of six men's suits and six dresses using a semantic differential and full forced-choice paired comparison. Polar adjectives were selected to describe temporal quality of styles and specific types of per ceived risk. Males and females ranked clothing for themselves and for the other sex in the same order of preference and classified styles into the same temporal categories. Most-preferred and least-preferred garments were described using the same words; preferences for suits and dresses were associated with aesthetic appeal and performance risk. Males and females differed in their descriptions of the aesthetic appeal and economic risk of the garments. Both sexes judged the aesthetic appeal of styles for the other sex more favorably than that of styles for themselves. Males and females differed in their perceptions of money risk but not in their perceptions of performance risk. These differences could contribute to conflict between husbands and wives about clothing choices for each other and the cost of garments.
Numerical prediction of drilling rates for ultra-high intensity laser pulses

The results of numerical simulation of laser drilling of aluminum, copper and steel samples using femtosecond and nanosecond pulses are presented. The drilling rates were predicted for a wide range of laser beam irradiance. The theoretical model utilized for the simulation was upgraded to include phase transition at the critical temperature. In the new theoretical approach the latent heat of evaporation was assumed to be temperature dependent, such that in the range below the critical temperature its value is practically constant, decreases rapidly as the temperature approaches the critical temperature and is zero at the temperatures exceeding the critical temperature. The computed drilling rates for 4 ns and 200 fs laser pulses are in agreement with the experimental data. The upgraded model provides explanation to the observed saturation of drilling rate dependence on laser pulse energy. A new method of determining critical temperatures of metals and metallic alloys is proposed.
Gigabit Wi-Fi [AP-S Turnstile]

The year 2012 marks the hundredth volume for the Proceedings of the IEEE, testifying to the relentless march of electrical and electronic technologies through the twentieth century. It also marks the second year for a new kid on the block: the IEEE Transactions on Terahertz Science and Technology. The terahertz (THz) band, spanning the electromagnetic spectrum from 300 GHz to 30 THz and mostly unregulated [2] around the world, used to represent a vast wilderness in the field of communications. There were good reasons for that: THz signals required cumbersome, expensive, and power-hungry devices for generation and detection [3]; they suffered significant attenuation as they traveled through air; and there was no compelling need for the huge bandwidth offered by the band. While the physics underlying the absorption of THz waves by air molecules remains just as recalcitrant as ever, making long-distance (several-kilometer) wire less THz transmission impractical even with very high-gain antennas [1], the overall landscape has changed recently in favor of an expanding interest in the THz band for communication. (It may be noted in passing that the THz band is also being exploited for imaging in research, security, and biomedical applications.)
Clinical experience with dexmedetomidine for implantation of deep brain stimulators in Parkinson's disease.

The pharmacologic profile of the -2 agonist dexmedetomidine (Dex) suggests that it may be an ideal sedative drug for deep brain stimulator (DBS) implantation. We performed a retrospective chart review of anesthesia records of patients who underwent DBS implantation from 2001 to 2004. In 2003, a clinical protocol with Dex sedation for DBS implantation was initiated. Demographic data, use of antihypertensive medication, and duration of mapping were compared between patients who received Dex (11 patients/13 procedures) and patients who did not receive any sedation (controls: 8 patients/9 procedures). There were no differences in severity of illness between the two groups. Dex provided patient comfort and surgical satisfaction with mapping in all cases, and significantly reduced the use of antihypertensive medication (54% in the Dex group, versus 100% in controls, P 0.048). In DBS implantation, sedation with Dex did not interfere with electrophysiologic mapping, and provided hemodynamic stability and patient comfort. Routine use of Dex in these procedures may be indicated.
Right ventricular long axis function in adults and children with Ebstein’s malformation

Abstract Objectives: To assess right ventricular function in adults and children with Ebstein's anomaly. Design: Prospective study. Setting: Tertiary referral centre. Subjects: Fifteen patients (8 adults and 7 children) with Ebstein's anomaly and 14 healthy controls. Interventions : Transthoracic echocardiography was performed in all. Right ventricular function was assessed from long axis M-mode recordings of the right atrio-ventricular free wall. Total systolic excursion as well as peak shortening and lenghtening rates of the right ventricle were measured. Results: Children and adult patients with Ebstein's anomaly differed in terms of age at diagnosis, the adult group having been diagnosed later 19.8±15.8 vs. 5.9±6.2 years, P P P =0.05 compared to controls. In contrast, measurements of right ventricular long axis function in adults with Ebstein's anomaly showed no significant difference when compared to the control group. Transtricuspid Doppler flow velocities were not different between patient's groups and corresponding controls. Conclusion: The right ventricle assessed by this simple, non-invasive technique reveals a significantly reduced systolic and diastolic function in children with Ebstein's malformation compared to controls but a ‘normal' right ventricular function comparable to controls in adult patients. Significant right ventricular dysfunction in children with Ebstein's anomaly could account for their earlier presentation. Long term follow up of the right ventricular abnormalities is needed in such children to discover more about the natural history of the disease.
New Immigrants’ Location Choices: Magnets without Welfare

The Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act denied legal noncitizens who arrived in the United States after August 1996 access to means‐tested federal benefits for the first 5 years. However, using state funds, a number of states restored some of the benefits. I use this state‐level policy variation to study whether newly arrived immigrants make location decisions on the basis of benefit eligibility and generosity. I find that safety‐net programs have little effect on the location choices of newly arrived low‐skilled unmarried immigrant women.
Assessment of Litigation Context, Suggestion, and Malingering Measures among Simulated Personal Injury Litigants

The present simulation study examined the extent to which participation in litigation and the suggestion to malinger leads individuals to exaggerate the nature and severity of reported symptoms. The degree to which two commonly used forensic assessment instruments, the M-FAST and the Atypical Responding (ATR) validity scale from the TSI, were able to differentiate fake or exaggerated symptoms from genuine symptoms was also examined. Results indicated that individuals in an active litigation context exhibited more extreme patterns of responding than individuals who were not in litigation. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses supported that both the M-FAST and the TSI-ATR may be useful in discriminating between malingering and honest responders.
Release of prostaglandin I2-like activity from the rat aorta: effect of captopril, furosemide, and sodium.

The effect of captopril, furosemide, indomethacine and intake of sodium on the production of PGI2-like material was studied in the rat aorta. Release of PGI2-like material from these vessels was estimated by its ability to inhibit ADP-induced vessels was estimated by its ability to inhibit ADP-induced platelet aggregation. Pretreatment with indomethacin (15 mg/kg/day) reduced the capacity of the aorta to release PGI2-like material. Pretreatment with captopril (10 mg/kg/day) had no effect. Intravenous furosemide (60 μg/ml plasma volume) increased the capacity of the aorta to inhibit by 28% (p<.025). The inhibitory capacity of aorta removed from rats on a low sodium diet did not differ from those on a high sodium diet. We conclude that the action of furosemide in reducing vascular tone may be related to stimulation of PGI2 synthesis in blood vessels whereas the effect of captopril and sodiumin in reducing vascular tone may involve a mechanism unrelated to PGI2 synthesis or may involve the synthesis of a prostaglandin other than PGI2.
Heterogeneity in the clinical presentation of Eagle's syndrome.

OBJECTIVE: Eagle's syndrome (ES) or symptomatic elongated styloid process is an uncommon but important cause of chronic head and neck pain. This study reports our experience in the diagnosis and treatment of a series of patients with ES.STUDY DESIGN: Patient histories, radiographic tests, and operative reports of 3 patients over a 3-month period were prospectively collected.SETTING: Tertiary referral otolaryngology service.RESULTS: All patients had resolution of symptoms relating to their elongated styloid processes after surgical resection.CONCLUSION: Although sometimes clouded by coexisting symptoms, ES can be easily diagnosed based on good history taking and physical examination. If diagnosed appropriately, surgical treatment can be administered promptly.SIGNIFICANCE: Patients with ES commonly have a long history of chronic pain treated by multiple physicians. Appropriate diagnosis can lead to prompt treatment of this condition.EBM rating: C-4© 2006 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surg...
Stereo/multiview picture quality: Overview and recent advances

Stereoscopic 3D content brings with it a variety of complex technological and perceptual issues. For the percept of depth to be convincing, consistent, and comfortable, a large number of parameters throughout the imaging and processing pipeline need to be matched correctly. In practice, tradeoffs are inevitable, which may then affect the quality or comfort of the 3D viewing experience. This paper reviews stereo/multiview picture quality from an engineering perspective. With a focus on recent or emerging approaches and technologies used in 3D systems, it addresses in particular depth issues, multiview issues, display issues, viewer issues, as well as possible measurements and standards for 3D quality.
Maximizing Reliability in Multiple Choice Questions

Multiple choice test reliability can be improved by allowing several or all options of a given item to be correct. A procedure due to Serlin and Kaiser (1978) is used to compute a principal components solution for scoring weights for all options. With this procedure coefficient alpha is maximized for a given multiple choice test.
A novel approach using an attenuated recombinant vaccinia virus to test the antipoxviral effects of handsoaps.

Abstract Evidence indicates an increase in nosocomial and household infections due to viruses (Jeffries, D.J., 1995. Viral hazards to and from health care workers. J. Hosp. Infect. 30, 140–155). An antiviral assay was developed for evaluating efficiency of handsoaps at inactivating cell-free and cell-associated virus. A recombinant vaccinia virus, lacking a virulence factor (Isaacs, S.N., Kotwal, G.J., Moss, B., 1992. Vaccinia virus complement-control protein prevents antibody-dependent complement-enhanced neutralization of infectivity and contributes to virulence. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89, 628–632), whose construction was described earlier (Kotwal, G.J., Isaacs, S.N., McKenzie, R., Frank, M.M., Moss, B., 1990. Inhibition of the complement cascade by the major secretory protein of vaccinia virus. Science 250, 827–830), was used as the representative poxvirus. Two antibacterial handsoaps, one surgical handsoap, one moisturizing handsoap, and a sanitizing agent were tested. An aliquot of the virus was mixed and incubated with soap, then titrated onto BSC-1 cells for incubation at 37°C for 48 h. The soaps’ effect on cell-associated virus was tested similarly. The antibacterial soaps inactivated all cell-free virus in 1 min. The surgical soap was effective with a 5-min incubation. None of the soaps eliminated all of the cell-associated virus in 1 min. This safe and reproducible assay seems efficient to establish the comparative efficacy of household and surgical soaps.
Modeling workpiece vibrations with neural networks

The entire workpiece on a lathe vibrates when it is excited at a single point. Frequency and time-domain/time-series techniques can estimate the force-displacement relationships between excitation and the individual points on the workpiece. In this paper, the use of single neural network is proposed to represent the force-displacement relationship between the applied excitation force and the vibration of the whole workpiece. The accuracy of the proposed approach is evaluated on the experimental data. Also, another neural network is used to store the frequency response characteristics of the workpiece.
The chemical vapor deposition of TiB2 on graphite

Abstract In this paper we describe an experimental investigation of the coating of graphite with TiB 2 by chemical vapor deposition using the H 2 reduction of BCl 3 and TiCl 4 at 925 °C and 1 atm. Reasonable matching of the thermal expansion of TiB 2 and graphite was necessary to eliminate cracking. A suitable graphite was POCO DFP-1. Adhesion was improved by using a slightly rough graphite surface. Heat treatment at 2000 °C and above resulted in a certain degree of diffusion. No melting or solid phases other than TiB 2 and graphite were detected up to 2400 °C. The coatings showed no failure when repeatedly submitted to an electron beam pulse of 2 kW cm −2 for 0.8 s.
Thaksin Shinawatra and the reshaping of Thai politics

Twice elected prime minister of Thailand at the head of his Thai Rak Thai Party, telecommunications magnate Thaksin Shinwatra was controversial in office. Since his government was overthrown by a September 2006 military coup backed by the palace, conservatives, and a broad coalition of opponents, Thaksin has remained at the centre of Thailand's continuing political turmoil. This paper examines his political legacy, both in its positive and negative forms, through a focus on the nature of political parties and electoral policies in Thailand; the role of business interests in politics; the impact of Thaksin's politics on political activism and mobilisation; populism, social welfare, and the reaction of the middle class to welfare politics; Thaksin's confrontation with the elite and the monarchy; and the developing judicialisation of politics.
Not May Not be Too Difficult: The Effects of Negation on Older Adults' Sentence Comprehension

The present research investigated the effects of negation on young and older adults' comprehension of sentences. Participants read sentences, named probe words, answered comprehension questions, and completed the operation-span test. Negation adversely affected comprehension in both age groups such that probe word naming times were marginally slower and comprehension accuracy was reduced for negative sentences. Although older adults' comprehension overall was poorer than young adults, the negation effects were similar for both age groups. Furthermore, age was less predictive of negation comprehension than working memory. Unlike other variables that demonstrate age-related declines in reading comprehension, difficulties in processing negation may not increase with age.
Radiocarbon-Based Assessment of Fossil Fuel-Derived Contaminant Associations in Sediments

Hydrophobic organic contaminants (HOCs) are associated with natural organic matter (OM) in the environment via mechanisms such as sorption or chemical binding. The latter interactions are difficult to quantitatively constrain, as HOCs can reside in different OM pools outside of conventional analytical windows. Here, we exploited natural abundance variations in radiocarbon (14C) to trace various fossil fuel-derived HOCs (14C-free) within chemically defined fractions of contemporary OM (modern 14C content) in 13 samples including marine and freshwater sediments and one dust and one soil sample. Samples were sequentially treated by solvent extraction followed by saponification. Radiocarbon analysis of the bulk sample and resulting residues was then performed. Fossil fuel-derived HOCs released by these treatments were quantified from an isotope mass balance approach as well as by gas chromatography−mass spectrometry. For the majority of samples (n = 13), 98−100% of the total HOC pool was solvent extractable. ...
Diastereomeric episulfides from epi-progoitrin upon autolysis of crambe seed meal☆

Abstract When defatted seed meal from Crambe abyssinica Hochst ex R. E. Fries is autolyzed, its major thioglucoside, epi -progoitrin, undergoes a reaction sequence different from that which occurs upon enzymic hydrolysis of the thioglucoside in an isolated system. The major products are two diastereomeric (2 S )-1- cyno -2- hydroxy -3,4- epithiobutanes , plus the previously characterized ( S )-1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3-butene. The isomeric episulfides were structurally characterized primarily through their more stable monoacetyl derivatives. Relationship of the episulfides to ( S )-1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3-butene, including configuration at the chiral center at carbon 2, was established by desulfurization of the acetate of each isomer with triphenylphosphine to give from both the acetate of ( S -1-cyano-2-hydroxy-3-butene. Configurations at the chiral center at carbon 3 have not been established. Formation of these episulfldes is most likely due to a nonenzymic reaction that follows initial enzymic formation of a suitable intermediate from epi -progoitrin. The diastereomeric episulfides were separated from each other on a column of modified dextran designed for use as a molecular sieve.
The effect of dietary vitamin D3 on the intracellular calcium gradient in mammalian colonic crypts

A physiological gradient in intracellular calcium ([Ca2+]i) has been hypothesized to exist along the colonic crypt base-mouth axis, which may be involved in the regulation of colonocyte proliferation, differentiation and apoptosis. In addition [Ca2+]i may be modulated by dietary vitamin D3 which is thought to be protective against colorectal cancer. CF1 mice were maintained for 6 weeks on a defined diet containing either high or low vitamin D3. A colonic crypt base-mouth [Ca2+]i gradient of 201±79 nM (mean±SEM, P<0.05) was observed in animals maintained on a high vitamin D3 diet and was abolished in mice maintained on a low vitamin D3 diet. The [Ca2+]i gradient was independent of extracellular calcium and elevated levels of [Ca2+]i observed in the basal regions of the crypt in animals maintained on low levels of vitamin D3 were also associated with an increase in intracellular calcium stores. Therefore, a [Ca2+]i gradient exists in colonic crypts and is dependent on dietary vitamin D3.
Entropy rates and finite-state dimension

The effective fractal dimensions at the polynomial-space level and above can all be equivalently defined as the C-entropy rate where C is the class of languages corresponding to the level of effectivization. For example, pspace-dimension is equivalent to the PSPACE-entropy rate.At lower levels of complexity the equivalence proofs break down. In the polynomial-time case, the P-entropy rate is a lower bound on the p-dimension. Equality seems unlikely, but separating the P-entropy rate from p-dimension would require proving P ≠ NP.We show that at the finite-state level, the opposite of the polynomial-time case happens: the REG-entropy rate is an upper bound on the finite-state dimension. We also use the finite-state genericity of Ambos-Spies and Busse [Automatic forcing and genericity: On the diagonalization strength of finit automata, in: Proc. fourth Int. Conf. on Discrete Mathematics and Theoretical Computer Science, 2003, Springer, Berlin, pp. 97-108] to separate finite-state dimension from the REG-entropy rate.However, we point out that a block-entropy rate characterization of finite-state dimension follows from the work of Ziv and Lempel [Compression of individual sequences via variable rate coding, IEEE Trans. Inform. Theory 24 (1978) 530-536] on finite-state compressibility and the compressibility characterization of finite-state dimension by Dai et al. [Finite-state dimension, Theoret. Comput. Sci. 310(1-3) (2004) 1-33].As applications of the REG-entropy rate upper bound and the block-entropy rate characterization, we prove that every regular language has finite-state dimension 0 and that normality is equivalent to finite-state dimension 1.