cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ultraviolet optical isolators utilizing KDP-isomorphs

Abstract The KDP isomorphs have both large Verdet constants and excellent optical properties in the ultraviolet. With these combined features it is possible to construct a compact optical isolator using these materials with rare earth permanent magnets. This paper describes the construction of an optical isolator using the KDP-isomorph ADA, and its operation at 351 and 308 nm. The potential use of the other isomorphs in the ultraviolet will also be discussed.
Determinants of group size in the red colobus monkey (Procolobus badius): an evaluation of the generality of the ecological-constraints model

The ecological-constraints model proposes that increased group size increases within-group feeding competition, necessitating increased travel and, consequently, constraining group size. Previous studies have supported the model for frugivores, but its applicability to folivores remains untested. This study evaluated the generality of the model by re-examining the relationship between day range and group size for a folivorous species for which published accounts have not found a relationship between these factors. This study differs from earlier studies by accounting for variation in food availability, which may drive changes in day range. We quantified the relationships among food availability, day range, and group size for two red colobus groups at Kibale National Park, Uganda. Mean day range and home range were significantly greater for the group of 48 individuals compared to the group of 24 individuals. The large group traveled more and rested less than the small group. The large group also traveled more rapidly than the small group. Food availability significantly predicted mean day range for the large group, but not for the small group. Analyses of covariance demonstrated that the large and small group responded differently to changes in food availability. These observations suggest that the large red colobus group experiences greater levels of within-group feeding competition than the small group. This study provides added support for the generality of the ecological-constraints model and contributes toward an understanding of the mechanisms controlling feeding competition and social organization in primates.
Flanking nucleotide specificity for DNA mismatch repair-deficient frameshifts within activin receptor 2 (ACVR2).

Abstract We previously demonstrated that exonic selectivity for frameshift mutation (exon 10 over exon 3) of ACVR2 in mismatch repair (MMR)-deficient cells is partially determined by 6 nucleotides flanking 5′ and 3′ of each microsatellite. Substitution of flanking nucleotides surrounding the exon 10 microsatellite with those surrounding the exon 3 microsatellite greatly diminished heteroduplex (A7/T8) and full (A7/T7) mutation, while substitution of flanking nucleotides from exon 3 with those from exon 10 enhanced frameshift mutation. We hypothesized that specific individual nucleotide(s) within these flanking sequences control ACVR2 frameshift mutation rates. Only the 3rd nucleotide 5′ of the microsatellite, and 3rd, 4th, and 5th nucleotides 3′ of the microsatellite were altered from the native flanking sequences and these locations were individually altered (sites A, B, C, and D, respectively). Constructs were cloned +1 bp out-of-frame of EGFP, allowing a −1 bp frameshift to express EGFP. Plasmids were stably transfected into MMR-deficient cells. Non-fluorescent cells were sorted, cultured for 35 days, and harvested for flow cytometry and DNA-sequencing. Site A (C to T) and B (G to C) in ACVR2 exon 10 decreased both heteroduplex and full mutant as much as the construct containing all 4 alterations. For ACVR2 exon 3, site A (T to C), C (A to G), and D (G to C) are responsible for increased heteroduplex formation, whereas site D is responsible for full mutant formation by ACVR2 exon 10 flanking sequences. Exonic selectivity for frameshift mutation within ACVR2's sequence context is specifically controlled by individual nucleotides flanking each microsatellite.
Design strategies for optimal multiplier circuits

We present new design and analysis techniques for the synthesis of fast parallel multiplier circuits. V.G. Oklobdzija, D. Villeger, and S.S. Lui (1995) suggested a new approach, the three dimensional method (TDM), for partial product reduction tree (PPRT) design that produces multipliers which outperform the current best designs. The goal of TDM is to produce a minimum delay PPRT using full adders. This is done by carefully modelling the relationship of the output delays to the input delays an an adder, and then interconnecting the adders in a globally optimal way. Oklobdzija, et. al. suggested a good heuristic for finding the optimal PPRT, but no proofs about the performance of this heuristic were given. We provide a formal characterization of optimal PPRT circuits and prove a number of properties about them. For the problem of summing a set of input bits within the minimum delay, we present an algorithm that produces a minimum delay circuit in time linear in the size of the inputs. Our techniques allow us to prove tight lower bounds on multiplier circuit delays. These results are combined to create a program which finds optimal TDM multiplier designs. >
Compound Formation in Ti-Doped Sodium Aluminum Hydrides

Renewed interest in hydrogen storage materials has resulted in the development of Ti-doped NaAlH4. Different doping methods such as mechanical milling with powdered TiCl3, or wet doping in solvents such as tetrahydrofuran (THF), yield enhanced kinetics. Still, the location and action of the Ti dopant is an open question. In order to address titanium substitution in the bulk, we present lattice parameter measurements of crushed single crystals which were exposed to Ti during growth. Rietveld refinements suggest that the titanium does not appear to enter the bulk by this method of exposure. Therefore, reaction products are investigated by x-ray diffraction of completely reacted samples of solvent-mixed versus mechanically milled 3 NaAlH4+TiCl3. Formation of TiAl3 is observed in mechanically milled materials, but not solution mixed samples, where bonding to THF likely stabilizes Ti-based nano-clusters. The Ti in these clusters is activated by mechanical milling.
MECHANISTICAL STUDIES ON THE PRODUCTION OF FORMAMIDE (H2NCHO) WITHIN INTERSTELLAR ICE ANALOGS

Formamide, H2NCHO, represents the simplest molecule containing the peptide bond. Consequently, the formamide molecule is of high interest as it is considered an important precursor in the abiotic synthesis of amino acids, and thus significant to further prebiotic chemistry, in more suitable environments. Previous experiments have demonstrated that formamide is formed under extreme conditions similar throughout the interstellar medium via photolysis and the energetic processing of ultracold interstellar and solar system ices with high-energy protons; however, no clear reaction mechanism has been identified. Utilizing a laboratory apparatus capable of simulating the effects of galactic cosmic radiation on ultralow temperature ice mixtures, we have examined the formation of formamide starting from a variety of carbon monoxide (CO) to ammonia (NH3) ices of varying composition. Our results suggest that the primary reaction step leading to the production of formamide in low-temperature ices involves the cleavage of the nitrogen-hydrogen bond of ammonia forming the amino radical (NH2) and atomic hydrogen (H), the latter of which containing excess kinetic energy. These suprathermal hydrogen atoms can then add to the carbon-oxygen triple bond of the carbon monoxide (CO) molecule, overcoming the entrance barrier, and ultimately producing the formyl radical (HCO). From here, the formyl radical may combine without an entrance barrier with the neighboring amino radical if the proper geometry for these two species exists within the matrix cage.
Adaptive optics developments at Keck Observatory

The purpose of this paper is to report on new adaptive optics (AO) developments at the W. M. Keck Observatory since the 2002 SPIE meeting. 1 These developments include continued improvements to the natural guide star (NGS) facilities, first light for our laser guide star (LGS) system and the commencement of several new Keck AO initiatives.
A Ca2+- and PKC-driven regulatory network in airway smooth muscle

In the lungs, contraction of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) lining the walls of the airways decreases the luminal diameter of these hollow structures, increasing resistance to airflow. Chronic pathological increases in airway smooth muscle contraction have been implicated in the chain of events
Minireview: Epigenetic Alterations in Human Prostate Cancers

Human prostate cancer cells carry a myriad of genome defects, including both genetic and epigenetic alterations. These changes, which can be maintained through mitosis, generate malignant phenotypes capable of selective growth, survival, invasion, and metastasis. During prostatic carcinogenesis, epigenetic changes arise earlier than genetic defects, linking the appearance of epigenetic alterations in some way to disease etiology. The most common genetic defect thus far described, leading to fusion transcripts between the androgen-regulated gene TMPRSS2 and genes from the ETS family of transcription factors, likely endows prostate cancer cells with the ability to co-opt androgen signaling, the major prostate differentiation pathway, to support the malignant phenotype. Whether epigenetic changes promote the appearance of TMPRSS2-ETS family fusion transcripts or collaborate with fusion transcript expression in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer has not been established. However, a growing list of epigenetic alterations has provided new opportunities for clinical tests that might aid in prostate cancer screening, detection, diagnosis, staging, and risk stratification. The epigenetic changes appear to be more attractive than genetic changes as prostate cancer biomarkers because epigenetic alterations are present in a greater fraction of prostate cancer cases than any of the known genetic defects. In addition, an emerging generation of assay strategies for detection of specific DNA sequences carrying 5-me C, the major epigenetic genome mark, has pushed somatic epigenetic alterations to the forefront of molecular biomarker assay development for cancer. Finally, a growing portfolio of epigenetic drugs, capable of reversing the phenotypic consequences of somatic epigenetic defects, has entered clinical trials for prostate cancer in the search for a new rational therapy for the disease.
Localized Null Space representation for dynamic updating and downdating in image and video databases

Event/object classification and recognition is an extremely challenging problem, particularly when the query or stored data undergo an affine transformation due to camera motion. The complexity of the problem is further compounded when the input or stored data contain only partial information (e.g. due to object occlusion). Most of the existing representation do not allow view invariant representation and dynamic updating and downdating with in a single framework. In this paper, we present a novel robust multi-dimensional Localized Null Space and associated dynamic updating and downdating techniques, thus allowing classification and retrieval in the presence of affine transformations and partial information. We investigate the robustness of Localized Null Space using perturbation analysis. We further determine the optimal segmentation of the data by minimizing a distortion criterion. We demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed techniques for motion event classification and retrieval applications by posing different affine transformations of partial queries.
Constant Amplitude Fatigue of Short Glass and Carbon Fiber Reinforced Thermoplastics

The fatigue lives (i.e., the number of cycles to failure) of short fiber reinforced thermoplastic matrix composites were investigated. First, S-N curves were generated at stress ratios of R = 0 and...
Can life‐history traits predict the response of forb populations to changes in climate variability?

Summary 1. Climate change will cause changes in average temperature and precipitation as well as increased fluctuations around the mean, yet few studies have considered the impacts of altered climate variability on plant populations. We tested whether life-history traits (expected life span, generation time and seed size) can predict plant responses to increased environmental variability across similar plant species sharing the same habitat. 2. We combined long-term demographic data on 10 prairie forb species with stochastic demography techniques to estimate the effects of potential changes in matrix element means and variances on the long-term stochastic population growth rate. 3. For all 10 species, recruitment had higher contribution and elasticity values than survival, meaning that climate change is more likely to influence population growth through effects on recruitment than on survival for these relatively short-lived forbs. Species with longer generation times had lower elasticities to increases in matrix element variability. 4. Synthesis. Our analysis of a unique, long-term data set suggests that longer-lived plant species will be less vulnerable to the effects of future increases in climate variability. While this relationship was previously reported for diverse taxa from many locations, our results show that it also applies within a guild of short-lived species from a single community. The generality of the pattern demonstrates the potential for using life-history traits to make predictions about which species may be the most vulnerable to climate change.
Determinants of Frail Elders' Lengths of Stay in Meals on Wheels

and with the satisfaction levels of participants and the dietary effects of the meals on the participants. Specifically, only a couple of studies have been done on factors associated with elders' utilization of and continued use of home-delivered meal programs. In this study, I analyze reasons for elders' termination from a Meals on Wheels program and determinants of their length of stay in the program. Although much of the focus of previous research has been on current participants, little is known about why certain elders discontinue their participation in Meals on Wheels. By identifying reasons for their termination and factors associated with their length of stay, I intend to discover non-health-related barriers to continued utilization of the services. Implications of the findings for program improvement are discussed.
Toward a better understanding of the interplay of personal values and the internet

Although personal values have been widely used to examine consumer behavior in many product and service categories, little research has been devoted to the relationship between values and usage of the Internet. This article examines the association between consumers' personal values and their attitudes, preferences, and activities associated with using the Internet. With the use of survey data gathered from 506 Internet users, the relationship between selected Internet activities and specific personal values, and the association between two technological paradoxes (with relevance to the Internet) and specific personal values (as measured by the Kahle, 1983, LOV inventory) are explored. The Internet activities include (a) business-related uses of the Internet, (b) information and research-related uses of the Internet, (c) e-commerce and related uses of the Internet, and (d) fun and entertainment-related uses of the Internet. The results highlight the differences in behavior and feelings about the Internet based on personal values. Advertising and other forms of marketing communication can incorporate those personal values that appear to be linked to specific Internet usage or activities. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Inequalities and the Schooling of Minority Students in Texas: Historical and Contemporary Conditions

In the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills case, the State argued that the differences in current schooling conditions and outcomes experienced by Whites and African American/Mexican American stude...
Nutrient stress predisposes and contributes to sugar maple dieback across its northern range: a review

Over thelast60 years,multiple studies haveattributed sugarmaple (Acer saccharumMarsh.) diebackand decline tonutrientstatus,interactionandtreestress.Sitedifferencesindeficient,toxicorantagonisticlevelsofsoilcalcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, manganese and aluminium are correlated with mortality and dieback in many studies. In general, a single nutrient is rarely determined to be responsible for poor sugar maple health. Other factors such as defoliation, management, climate fluctuations and soil biota can play key roles in dieback. Nutrient stresses can greatly increase the riskof injuryand mortality from other biotic orabiotic stresses. Anthropogenic inputs and climate change may also cause perturbation of nutrient or pH thresholds for sugar maple. Therefore, historical sugar maple sites may no longer be suitable to support a healthy sugar maple forest under current management regimes. The following is a review of locations, symptoms and studies of the relationshipofmineralstresstosugarmaplehealth,whichwillbeusefulinformationforforestresourcemanagers to consider when faced with maple health issues. Conclusions developed from this review are as follows: (1) land managersshouldconsidersoilnutritionindecision-making concerningsugarmaple,(2)standardizationofevaluation methods for tree nutrition is somewhat lacking and (3) additional multidisciplinary research is needed to clarify the interacting factors affecting sugar maple health and nutrition.
The stock-exchange industry: Network effects, implicit mergers, and corporate governance

The evolution and integration of financial markets in recent decades have created increasing competition among stock exchanges, which are behaving more and more like 'standard' firms. Stock exchanges are peculiar firms that produce listing, trading, and clearing services and 'sell' price information. They have different types of customers: firms that want to be listed, financial intermediaries who want to trade securities, and institutional and private investors. Some of them, in particular financial intermediaries, are often the 'owners' of the stock exchanges, which traditionally have been organized as cooperatives or public entities. This paper focuses on the stock-exchange industry, analyzing the competition among exchanges and, more theoretically, the corporate-governance problem of customer-controlled firms, of which stock exchanges are a clear example. Policy implications are provided in both cases. After the introductory chapter, the second chapter, 'Competition and Integration among Stock Exchanges in Europe: Network Effects, Implicit Mergers, and Remote Access', analyzes the role of network externalities in the stock-exchange industry through a model in which two exchanges compete. It is shown, using the European regulatory background, that competition may end up in inefficient equilibria while an 'implicit merger' may be Pareto optimal and give greater profits to both exchanges. In the end, exchanges may specialize in listing and trading services, or unilaterally start to trade stocks listed on other markets (as did Seaq-International some years ago or many automated trading systems in recent years).
Asymptotic conditions of motion for radiating charged particles

Approximate asymptotic conditions on the motion of compact, electrically charged particles are derived within the framework of general relativity using the Einstein-Infeld-Hoffmann (EIH) surface integral method. While superficially similar to the Abraham-Lorentz and Lorentz-Dirac equations, these conditions differ from them in several fundamental ways. They are not equations of motion in the usual sense but rather a set of conditions which these motions must obey asymptotically in the future of an initial starting time. And furthermore, they do not admit the runaway solutions of these other equations. As in the original EIH work, they are integrability conditions gotten from integrating the empty-space (i.e., sourceless) Einstein-Maxwell equations of general relativity over closed two-surfaces surrounding the sources of the fields appearing in these equations. No additional ad hoc assumptions, such as the form of a force law or the introduction of inertial reaction terms, are required for this purpose, nor is there a need for any infinite mass renormalizations such as are required in other derivations since all integrals are over surfaces and thus finite. In addition to being asymptotic, the conditions of motion derived here are also approximate and apply, as do the original EIH equations, only to slowly moving systems. A ``slowness'' parameter $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ is identified as the ratio of the light travel time across the system divided by a characteristic time, e.g., a period. Use is made of both the method of matched asymptotic expansions and the method of multiple time scales to obtain an asymptotic expansion in $\ensuremath{\epsilon}$ and the expansion is carried to sufficiently high order ${\ensuremath{\epsilon}}^{7}$ to obtain the lowest-order radiation reaction terms. The resulting conditions of motion are shown to not allow runaway motions.
Printed english compression by dictionary encoding

The ability of a dictionary encoder to reduce the redundancy of printed English text is evaluated by simulation on a general-purpose digital computer. The dictionary encoder matches segments of the input text to entries of a stored dictionary which contains frequently occurring sequences of letters. The text is thus defined as the succession of code designations corresponding to the selected dictionary entries. Since, for a normal piece of text, fewer binary digits are needed to specify the code designations than the text itself, the encoding produces a compressed equivalent of the original input. In addition to evaluating encoder performance the simulator also collects language statistics which are used for optimization of the encoder logic and the dictionary entries. For a broad type of English language text (news dispatches prepared for newspaper publication) the number of binary digits required to represent a piece of text can be reduced by 50 percent when using a 1000-entry dictionary. While a better compression than 50 percent is theoretically possible it may be difficult to realize, but a compression of the input text to 60 to 70 percent of its original size appears to be easily realizable with a small dictionary.
Randomized controlled trials and meta-analysis in medical education: What role do they play?

Education researchers seek to understand what works, for whom, in what circumstances. Unfortunately, educational environments are complex and research itself is highly context dependent. Faced with these challenges, some have argued that qualitative methods should supplant quantitative methods such as randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and meta-analysis. I disagree. Good qualitative and mixed-methods research are complementary to, rather than exclusive of, quantitative methods. The complexity and challenges we face should not beguile us into ignoring methods that provide strong evidence. What, then, is the proper role for RCTs and meta-analysis in medical education? First, the choice of study design depends on the research question. RCTs and meta-analysis are appropriate for many, but not all, study goals. They have compelling strengths but also numerous limitations. Second, strong methods will not compensate for a pointless question. RCTs do not advance the science when they make confounded comparisons, or make comparison with no intervention. Third, clinical medicine now faces many of the same challenges we encounter in education. We can learn much from other fields about how to handle complexity in RCTs. Finally, no single study will definitively answer any research question. We need carefully planned, theory-building, programmatic research, reflecting a variety of paradigms and approaches, as we accumulate evidence to change the art and science of education.
PRIMACY AND RECENCY IN RECALL OF PRACTICED MATERIAL

Les auteurs expliquent les effets d'interaction de la pratique et de la memorisation avec la section serielle, ceci en relation avec l'information differentielle sur l'ordre
New results from stable isotope studies show that folic acid should not be used as a reference folate for estimating relative absorptions of natural food folates

Summary An adequate supply of folate minimises the risk of neural tube defects, vascular disease (CHD, stroke) and possible cancers. Whilst the USA, Canada and Chile have a policy of mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid, most countries of the EU do not permit the fortification of foodstuffs with folic acid. The UK allows folic acid fortification and in practice this has been mainly limited to some breakfast cereals and breads. Governments can only assess whether an optimal folate intake can be achieved through food sources alone if the proportion of food folate actually absorbed can be accurately established. Our recent use of stable-isotope-labelled folates has now questioned the reliability of experimental methods used for the past four decades to estimate the ‘relative absorption’ of food folates. Historically, the plasma 5-methyltetrahydrofolic acid response to oral test doses of food folates are compared to the plasma response induced by a similar sized ‘reference’ dose of folic acid. We have found that a significant part of the plasma response does not actually originate from the test dose, and the accepted understanding of the initial site of biotransformation of folic acid upon which the experimental approach depends may be incorrect.
Long-term reward prediction in TD models of the dopamine system

This article addresses the relationship between long-term reward predictions and slow-timescale neural activity in temporal difference (TD) models of the dopamine system. Such models attempt to explain how the activity of dopamine (DA) neurons relates to errors in the prediction of future rewards. Previous models have been mostly restricted to short-term predictions of rewards expected during a single, somewhat artificially defined trial. Also, the models focused exclusively on the phasic pause-and-burst activity of primate DA neurons; the neurons' slower, tonic background activity was assumed to be constant. This has led to difficulty in explaining the results of neurochemical experiments that measure indications of DA release on a slow timescale, results that seem at first glance inconsistent with a reward prediction model. In this article, we investigate a TD model of DA activity modified so as to enable it to make longer-term predictions about rewards expected far in the future. We show that these predictions manifest themselves as slow changes in the baseline error signal, which we associate with tonic DA activity. Using this model, we make new predictions about the behavior of the DA system in a number of experimental situations. Some of these predictions suggest new computational explanations for previously puzzling data, such as indications from microdialysis studies of elevated DA activity triggered by aversive events.
CD36 Is a Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Substrate That Stimulates Neutrophil Apoptosis and Removal during Cardiac Remodeling

Background —After myocardial infarction (MI), the left ventricle (LV) undergoes a wound healing response that includes the robust infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages to facilitate removal of dead myocytes as well as turnover of the extracellular matrix (ECM). Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 is a key enzyme that regulates post-MI LV remodeling. Methods and Results —Infarct regions from wild type and MMP-9 null mice (n=8/group) analyzed by glycoproteomics showed that of 541 N -glycosylated proteins quantified, 45 proteins were at least two-fold up- or down-regulated with MMP-9 deletion (all p<0.05). Cartilage intermediate layer protein (CILP) and platelet glycoprotein 4 (CD36) were identified as having the highest fold increase in MMP-9 null mice. By immunoblotting, CD36 but not CILP decreased steadily over the time course post-MI, which identified CD36 as a candidate MMP-9 substrate. MMP-9 was confirmed in vitro and in vivo to proteolytically degrade CD36. In vitro stimulation of day 7 post-MI macrophages with MMP-9 or a CD36 blocking peptide reduced phagocytic capacity. Dual immunofluorescence revealed concomitant accumulation of apoptotic neutrophils in the MMP-9 null group compared to WT. In vitro stimulation of isolated neutrophils with MMP-9 decreased neutrophil apoptosis, indicated by reduced caspase-9 expression. Conclusions —Our data reveals a new cell signaling role for MMP-9 through CD36 degradation to regulate macrophage phagocytosis and neutrophil apoptosis.
Energy and angular distributions for the Al27(n, α)Na24 reaction with 14 MeV neutrons

Abstract The Al 27 (n, α)Na 24 reaction at a neutron energy of 14.1 MeV has been studied by the nuclear emulsion technique. As a result of careful shielding of the emulsion, a thin aluminium target could be used and it was possible to achieve an energy resolution of 4% at 9 MeV. The energy distribution of the alpha particles shows peaks corresponding to the first few energy levels in the residual Na 24 nucleus. The emission of the low energy alpha particles is nearly isotropic, while in the higher emnergy region there is some preferential emission in the forward direction. Analysis of the energy and angular distributions indicates that the statistical theory is adequate to account for most of the alpha particles. The value of the spin cut-off parameter for the energy interval 4–7 MeV is found to be 2 σ 2 = 16± −5 +∞ . The effect of Ericson fluctuations in the statistical analysis is discussed briefly. The background tracks have also been examined: high-energy alpha particles from heavy constituents of the emulsion are peaked strongly forward; low-energy alpha particles from light constituents are peaked in both the forward and backward directions.
Magnetoacoustic tomography with magnetic induction for imaging electrical impedance of biological tissue

An experimental feasibility study was conducted on Magnetoacoustic-Tomography with Magnetic Induction (MAT-MI). It is demonstrated that the 2-dimensional (2D) MAT-MI system can detect and image the boundaries between regions of different electrical conductivity with high spatial resolution. Utilizing a magnetic stimulation coil, MAT-MI evokes magnetically induced eddy current in an object which is placed in a static magnetic field. Because of the existence of Lorenz forces, the eddy current in turn causes acoustic vibrations, which are measured around the object in order to reconstruct the electrical impedance distribution of the object. The present experimental results from the saline and gel phantoms are promising and suggest the merits of MAT-MI in imaging electrical impedance of biological tissue with high spatial resolution.
Technical Note: Calculation of stoichiometry from EMP data for apatite and other phases with mixing on monovalent anion sites

A new method is presented for calculating the chemical formula for apatite, and any other mineral that features mixing between halogens and hydroxyl ions on monovalent anion sites, from electron microprobe data that omit H2O determination. It removes errors of up to 4% in stoichiometric calculations that occur for apatite when an incorrect normalization is used. The method also provides an estimate of OH content and uncertainty that can be included in chemical analysis totals.
ED-13POSTTRAUMATIC GLIOMA: LITERATURE REVIEW

BACKGROUND: Head injury's potential role as a factor in the development of brain tumors has often been a controversial subject. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a systematic literature search in the PubMed database. Eight full-text articles including eleven case reports were selected for critical reading. RESULTS: Of the 11 case reports studied, 4 (36%) patients were female with a mean age of 51 and 7 (64%) patients were male with a mean age of 49. All patients previously experienced a motor-vehicle accident that resulted in severe brain trauma. Men usually reported their symptoms (an average of 13 years after the accident) later that women (an average of 7 years after the accident). The most commonly presented symptoms were headache in 5 (45%) cases, seizures in 4 (36%)cases, and speech disturbance in 3 (37%) cases. CONCLUSION: Evidently, a connection between head trauma and the formation of glioma may exist, but further evaluation and study is required for a more definitive
Note-Taking Instruction for College Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ABSTRACTUsing a multiple baseline across participants design, this study examines the functional relationship between instruction in note-taking skills and the ability of young adults with autism spectrum disorder to take notes on college lectures. The three participants were enrolled in a program aligned with the Higher Education Opportunity Act (Public Law 110-315) to support students with significant cognitive disabilities in attending community college classes. All had graduated high school on a special diploma status and had mild cognitive disabilities. Despite some variability in performance during baseline (when only the note-taking template was introduced), all three students demonstrated increased performance during intervention when they were taught skills such as distinguishing between subtopics and details, paraphrasing, and using abbreviations and symbols. Participants’ improvements were maintained after the intervention instruction stopped. Participant Tau-U effect sizes ranged from 0.67 to ...
IDENTITY OF PROLACTIN INHIBITING FACTOR (PIF) AND LUTEINIZING HORMONE-RELEASING FACTOR (LRF).

SummaryPreparations of hypothalamic luteinizing hormone releasing factor (LRF) of bovine and ovine origin, found active on the basis of in vivo as well as in vitro tests, did not have an inhibitory effect on pituitary prolactin release in vitro. The results indicate that LRF and prolactin inhibiting factor (PIF) are not the same.
Mission Land Tenure on the Southeastern Bolivian Frontier, 1845-1949

The land tenure arrangements of missions in Latin America have received insufficient attention. Given the vast extent of land the missions controlled on the Latin American frontier and the effect that land tenure arrangements had on the functioning of the missions, this is a serious oversight. Rather than focus on land tenure, most studies of the missions have examined primarily issues such as evangelization, the labor regime, and demographic patterns. While these topics are also important, indeed vital, to an understanding of missions, an analysis of land tenure arrangements is a useful way for understanding the economic and even the political dimensions of mission systems. For example, the control that the missionaries imposed on their charges should have been reflected in a majority of the land controlled directly by the missionaries rather than holdings controlled by individual Indian families. In this sense, the land tenure system reflected the missionary regime in important ways and helps test hypotheses about economic resources as well as power within this controversial institution. In addition, the changes in ownership and use of land became a key ingredient in determining the survival of indigenous groups once the government secularized the missions.
Cognitive Barriers to Effective Negotiation and How to Overcome Them

This short article explains common cognitive barriers that impede settlements by distorting disputants’ analysis of their legal case or their bargaining decisions. The discussion covers selective perception, optimistic overconfidence, loss aversion and reactive devaluation. The article also gives prescriptive advice about how mediators can overcome these obstacles.
Concept of Cultural Education in Confucian Theory of Study

Confucius was a famous ancient Chinese educator whose cultural education philosophy was thought-provoking.Among Confucius' philosophical theories were his theory of study which emphasized self-nuturing and self-promotion through culture.Confucian concept of cultural education has referential significance for educating Chinese descendants and building specific Chinese cultural system.
Telephone Investigation of Influenza-Like Illness in Baoan District of Shenzhen

Objective To rapidly assess of influenza-like illness morbidity and vaccination from 17 Doc.2006 to 13 Jan.2007 in Baoan District of Shenzhen.Method Random telephone interview was performed by Mitofsky-Waksber two stage sampling method.Result Total 300 household and 863 residents were investigated.The attack rate of influenza-like illness is 8.7%.The overall attack rate of male and female have no significant difference.But the attack rate of female in the age of 0～9 is significantly higher than that of male.The influenza vaccine coverage rate was 15.2%.The attack rates of coverage group and not coverage group have significant difference.The course of the disease is from 1 to 30 days,with a median of four days.48 persons did not go to hospital.The medical expense per person of 53 patients is less than 100 RMB.There is no significant difference of the attack rate between individuals having and not having chronic disease.27 admitted to hospital.71 persons did not put on mask in public areas.Conclusion The results showed that influenza-like illness might have spread in Baoan District of Shenzhen from 17 Doc.2006 to 13 Jan.2007.Telephone investigation study could be a rapid,simple and cheap method.Children especially girls should take preventive measures against influenza-like illness.Influenza vaccine have certain effect on prevent the spread of influenza-like illness.The health department should strengthen the control of infection in hospital and provide health education for the general public.
Family Studies of Lactase Deficiency in the American Indian

To determine the pattern of inheritance of lactase deficiency, we studied 104 American Indian and 2 white subjects in 19 families. Subjects were considered deficient in lactase if breath-hydrogen excretion exceeded 0.20 ml per min above fasting at 2 hr after a lactose load of 2 g per kg of body weight (maximum 50 g). Seventy-one per cent of the males and 75% of the females were lactase deficient. In three families in which both parents were lactase normal, 40% of the children were lactase deficient; and in the three families with one parent lactase normal and the other lactase deficient, 65% of the children were deficient in lactase; and finally, in the seven families with both parents lactase deficient, 93% of the children were lactase deficient. This distribution of lactase deficiency in the families suggests that this trait shows an autosomal-recessive pattern of inheritance.
Surgical outcomes of cervical spondylotic myelopathy: an analysis of a national, administrative, longitudinal database

OBJECTIVE The authors performed a population-based analysis of national trends, costs, and outcomes associated with cervical spondylotic myelopathy (CSM) in the United States. They assessed postoperative complications, resource utilization, and predictors of costs, in this surgically treated CSM population. METHODS MarketScan data (2006–2010) were used to retrospectively analyze the complications and costs of different spine surgeries for CSM. The authors determined outcomes following anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF), posterior fusion, combined anterior/posterior fusion, and laminoplasty procedures. RESULTS The authors identified 35,962 CSM patients, comprising 5154 elderly (age ≥ 65 years) patients (mean 72.2 years, 54.9% male) and 30,808 nonelderly patients (mean 51.1 years, 49.3% male). They found an overall complication rate of 15.6% after ACDF, 29.2% after posterior fusion, 41.1% after combined anterior and posterior fusion, and 22.4% after laminoplasty. Following ACDF and posterior fus...
Burning Plasma Physics Issues Illustrated by Simulations of FIRE

Plasma startup and operating issues are examined for a burning plasma using WHIST [1] simulations of the Fusion Ignition Research Experiment (FIRE) design [2]. Fueling and density profile control issues are illustrated through pellet launch from the inboard side of the plasma. Auxiliary fast wave ion cyclotron heating and current drive are used to identify plasma startup and burn control issues. It is shown that the current rampup and bootstrap current strongly influence the evolution of the safety factor, and can be tailored to produce sawtooth-free operation for about 20 seconds of burn in well-confined high confinement mode (H-mode) plasmas. Furthermore, it is also possible to maintain a reversed magnetic configuration that could allow access to the improved core confinement seen in present experiments. Access to H-mode operation is influenced by the fueling, heating and current startup waveforms. Maintenance of H-mode conditions may require either hysterisis in the high to low confinement (H-L) back-transition or continued auxiliary heating if the fusion power is insufficient.
Responding to student writing online: Tracking student interactions with instructor feedback in a Learning Management System

Abstract Instructor response to student writing increasingly takes place within Learning Management Systems (LMSs), which often make grades visible apart from instructor feedback by default. Previous studies indicate that students generally ascribe more value to grades than to instructor feedback, while instructors believe that feedback is most important. This study investigated how students interact with an LMS interface—an instance of Sakai—to access instructor feedback on their writing. Our blind study analyzed data from 334 students in 16 courses at a medium, comprehensive private college to investigate the question: Does the rate at which students open attachments with instructor feedback differ if students can see their grades without opening the attachment? We compared two response methodologies: mode 1 made grades visible apart from feedback, and mode 2 required students to open attached feedback files to find their grades. The data for each mode was collected automatically by the LMS, retrieved, and retrospectively analyzed. The results show that making grades visible separate from feedback significantly reduced the rate at which students opened instructor feedback files and that timing also impacted students’ rate of access. These findings provide the basis for empirically informed best practices for grading and returning papers online.
Investigating the Reliability and Validity of the Leadership Practices Inventory

This review explains the origins of the Leadership Practices Inventory (LPI) as an empirical instrument to measure The Five Practices of Exemplary Leadership framework, a major transformational leadership model. The essential psychometric properties of the LPI are investigated using both the LPI normative database, with nearly 2.8 million respondents, as well as reviewing pertinent findings of several hundred studies conducted worldwide by scholars utilizing the LPI in their research. Issues of both reliability and validity are considered, with the conclusion that the LPI is quite robust and applicable across a variety of settings and populations.
The Keynotes of the 2016 Political Conventions: The Death of a Genre?:

The concept of genre is an important one in rhetorical criticism. Important work has been done on presidential genres as well as more general ones such as the jeremiad and the apologia. In this vei...
Pathways linking obesity to health-related quality of life

Obesity is a well-recognized risk factor for impaired health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Nevertheless, few studies have investigated the mechanisms underlying the obesity-HRQOL associations. In this study, we explored potential mediators of the associations between obesity and HRQOL. Body mass index (BMI), an indicator of obesity, and HRQOL data were available for the 34,565 individuals 20 years of age and older participating in the cross-sectional Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007–2012. HRQOL was measured by the EuroQol five-dimension descriptive system. Path analysis was performed to assess the contributions of obesity-related diseases and self-rated health (SRH) on the relationships between obesity and HRQOL. In men, obesity was negatively associated with HRQOL through diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia and positively associated with HRQOL through SRH. These opposite indirect effects offset one another and produced a non-significant association between obesity and HRQOL in men. However, in women, obesity was directly associated with HRQOL and indirectly associated with HRQOL through diabetes mellitus and SRH. Since these associations were in the same negative direction, the negative obesity-HRQOL association was clearly observed in women. Obesity was negatively associated with HRQOL through obesity-related diseases in both genders. However, in men, the positive association between obesity and SRH resulted in a non-significant association of obesity with HRQOL.
Rewriting U.S. Telecommunications Law with an Eye on Europe

The United States needs a new communications law, one that replaces obsolete service-specific regulatory categories with a law that recognises converging technologies and increasing competition. The European Union’s 2002 New Regulatory Framework provides an important example of such a law. This paper discusses a new U.S. law with an eye on the Framework, arguing that the U.S. should generally follow the Framework’s use of competition law reasoning as the trigger for regulation and its emphasis on maintaining interconnection. The paper notes that E.U. competition law, as embodied in the Framework, adopts theories of joint market dominance and monopoly leveraging that do not fit well with U.S. models. And the paper argues that a new U.S. statute must reform spectrum law to eliminate government allocation and uses, as the Framework does not, and take a more limited approach to universal service than does the Framework.
Advancing Human Assessment: A Synthesis Over Seven Decades

This chapter synthesizes ETS contributions to educational research and policy analysis, psychology, and psychometrics covering seven decades. The synthesis is organized by decade, providing a picture of the persistent, as well as the changing, emphases that characterized ETS research over time.
Signaling Firm Value through Board Structure: An Investigation of Initial Public Offerings:

The relationship between boards of directors and firm performance, whether in the entrepreneurial context or otherwise, has long intrigued scholars. To date, no systematic relationship has been est...
Anti-reflux procedures: complications, radiologic findings, and surgical and gastroenterologic perspectives

This article provides an overview of the current surgical anti-reflux procedures and their imaging findings, as well as the surgical complications. Accurate and timely clinical assessment requires an engaged radiologist fluoroscopist who understands the perspectives of their interdisciplinary colleagues, including the surgeon and gastroenterologist. The complex pathophysiology calls for an interdisciplinary approach, and the radiologist needs to tailor their evaluation to answer the specific questions posed by their clinical colleagues and by the presenting symptomatology.