cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Vehicle-mounted mine detection: test methodology, application, and analysis

The Mine/Minefield detection community's maturing technology base has become a developmental resource for world wide military and humanitarian applications. During the last decade, this community has developed a variety of single and multi-sensor applications incorporating a diversity of sensor and processor technologies. These diverse developments from the Mine/Minefield detection community require appropriate metrics to objectively bound technology and to define applicability to expected military and humanitarian applications. This paper presents a survey of the test methodology, application and analysis activities conducted by the U.S. Army Communications and Electronics Command's, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) on behalf of the Mine/Minefield detection community. As needs of world wide military and humanitarian mine detection activities are being responded to by notable technology base advances, a diverse pool of knowledge has been developed. The maturity of these technology base advances must be evaluated in a more systematic method. As these technologies mature, metrics have been developed to support the development process and to define the applicability of these technology base advances. The author will review the diversity of the mine detection technology and their related testing strategies. Consideration is given to the impact of history and global realism on the U.S. Army's present mine detection testing program. Further, definitions of testing metrics and analysis will be reviewed. Finally the paper will outline future U.S. Army testing plans with a special consideration given to the Vehicular Mounted Mine Detection/Ground Standoff Mine Detection System (VMMD/GSTAMIDS) Advanced Technology Demonstration and related issues.
Time domain reflectometry measurement principles and applications

Time domain reflectometry (TDR) is a highly accurate and automatable method for determination of porous media water content and electrical conductivity. Water content is inferred from the dielectric permittivity of the medium, whereas electrical conductivity is inferred from TDR signal attenuation. Empirical and dielectric mixing models are used to relate water content to measured dielectric permittivity. Clay and organic matter bind substantial amounts of water, such that measured bulk dielectric constant is reduced and the relationship with total water content requires individual calibration. A variety of TDR probe configurations provide users with site- and media-specific options. Advances in TDR technology and in other dielectric methods offer the promise not only for less expensive and more accurate tools for electrical determination of water and solute contents, but also a host of other properties such as specific surface area, and retention properties of porous media. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Fermi-surface nesting and the origin of the charge-density wave in Nb Se 2

We use highly accurate density functional calculations to study the band structure and Fermi surfaces of . We calculate the real part of the noninteracting susceptibility, , which is the relevant quantity for a charge density wave (CDW) instability and the imaginary part, , which directly shows Fermi surface (FS) nesting. We show that there are very weak peaks in near the CDW wave vector, but that no such peaks are visible in , definitively eliminating FS nesting as a factor in CDW formation. Because the peak in is broad and shallow, it is unlikely to be the direct cause of the CDW instability. We briefly address the possibility that electron-electron interactions (local field effects) produce additional structure in the total (renormalized) susceptibility, and we discuss the role of electron-ion matrix elements.
A selected annotated bibliography of social science research on planning for and responding to hazardous material disasters

Abstract An annotated list of 75 references in the social science research on planning for and responding to hazardous material disasters is presented. The list is a selection representing as wide as possible coverage of mainly North American literature on the social aspects of hazardous material disasters in the chemical and nuclear industries. All phases of disaster planning are covered, i.e. mitigation and prevention, emergency preparedness, emergency response, and recovery, for both fixed site and transportation accidents involving hazardous substances.
Use of 100 kV versus 120 kV in cardiac dual source computed tomography: effect on radiation dose and image quality

To evaluate the effective radiation dose and image quality resulting from use of 100 vs. 120 kV among patients referred for cardiac dual source CT exam (DSCT). Prospective data was collected on 294 consecutive patients referred for DSCT. For each scan, a physician specializing in cardiac CT chose all parameters including tube current and voltage, axial versus helical acquisition, and use of tube current modulation. Lower tube voltage was selected for thinner patients or when lower radiation was desired for younger patients, particularly females. For each study, image quality (IQ) was rated on a subjective IQ score and contrast (CNR) and signal-to-noise (SNR) ratios were calculated. Tube voltage of 100 kV was used for 77 (26%) exams while 120 kV was used for 217 (74%) exams. Use of 100 kV was more common in thinner patients (weight 166lbs vs. 199lbs, P < .001). The effective radiation dose for the 100 and 120 kV scans was 8.5 and 15.4 mSv respectively. Among scans utilizing 100 and 120 kV, there was no difference in exam indication, use of beta blockers, heart rate, scan length and use of radiation saving techniques such as prospective ECG triggering and tube current modulation. The IQ score was significantly higher for 100 kV scans. While 100 kV scans were found to have higher image noise then those utilizing 120 kV, the contrast-to-noise and signal-to-noise were significantly higher (SNR: 9.4 vs. 8.3, P = .02; CNR: 6.9 vs. 6.0, P = .02). In selected non-obese patients, use of low kV results in a substantial reduction of radiation dose and may result in improved image quality. These results suggest that low kV should be used more frequently in non-obese patients.
Gender identity and hate crimes: Violence against transgender people in Los Angeles County

Although efforts to improve the documentation of violence based on perceived gender identity have been steadily increasing over the last 10 years, the actual analysis of the reports of such violence has been limited. This article reports on a study that examined 49 cases of violence based on gender identity in Los Angeles County from 2002 through 2006. Although underreporting of such crimes certainly remains an issue, the findings suggested 3 main conclusions: Hate crimes based on a victim’s gender identity are often violent, perpetrators often manifest and verbalize high levels of a variety of prejudices, and transgender persons may be targets of violence for reasons far more complex than simply their violation of gender norms. This article discusses findings about the intersections of race, sexuality, socioeconomic status, and gender identity in the context of hate-motivated violence.
Image processing and image reconstruction with the use of a-priori information

Bayesian methods that utilize Gibbs priors to incorporate a priori information in the statistical models used for deriving algorithms for image processing and image reconstruction have been developed. The Gibbs prior describes the local continuity of neighboring pixels and takes into account the effect of limited spatial resolution. These new approaches are capable of providing improved image quality. 1.© (1990) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Survival of myogenic cells in freely grafted rat rectus femoris and extensor digitorum longus muscles

The objective of this study was to de- termine how long myogenic cells can survive in the central ischemic zone of early free muscle grafts in the rat. The study was conducted on free grafts of a large (rectus femoris) and a small (extensor digitorum lon- gus) muscle. At times ranging from zero hr to five days post-grafting, the central zones were isolated, minced, and implanted under the back skin of mice. After five days the minces were removed and examined histologi- cally for the presence of rat myotubes, which should form only in minces that contain viable myogenic cells. The results show that myogenic cells survive two to four hr in the ischemic centers of the large rectus fe- moris grafts; after longer post-grafting intervals, rat myotubes did not arise in central zone minces. In grafts of small muscles, myotubes consistently appeared in central zone minces. Since the formerly ischemic cen- tral areas of rectus muscle grafts are ultimately re- placed by regenerating muscle fibers, we conclude that these regenerating muscle fibers are derived from pre- cursor cells located outside of the ischemic zone.
Gene discovery for crop improvement

Abstract Future improvements of crop plants will benefit from the isolation and characterization of genes that underlie both simply-inherited and polygenically-controlled traits. The molecular isolation of economically important plant genes has been facilitated by the construction and application of genetic maps, transposon-based gene tagging, protein—protein interaction cloning, and the development and analysis of large collections of cDNA sequences.
Effects of state coalitions to reduce underage drinking: a national evaluation.

INTRODUCTION: Drinking by youth remains prevalent. The Reducing Underage Drinking through coalitions (RUD) project funded ten states for 8 years to form coalitions designed to change the policy and normative environment regarding youth access to alcohol. An independent national outcome evaluation of this $21-million effort was conducted. METHODS: Using a longitudinal quasi-experimental design, the ten intervention states were compared with the other 40 states, with repeated annual measures of outcomes from 1995 to 2004. Measures included print news media coverage, legislative bills enacted, youth drinking behavior, and youth alcohol-related driving behaviors and traffic crash mortality. Analyses using latent growth curve modeling methods were conducted in 2005. RESULTS: Significant differences in slopes between treatment and comparison states were found for several outcome measures, particularly in the more-proximal outcome domains. Across all outcome domains, the pattern of effects was in the direction of positive effects of the RUD coalitions, although for most individual measures the differences were not statistically significant. The magnitude of observed differences associated with the RUD coalitions were sizable, with an estimated effect size of 1.10 on media coverage, 0.46 on state policies enacted, -0.44 on youth drinking behaviors, and -0.16 on alcohol-related driving and fatal car-crash mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern of results and the magnitude of estimated effects provides evidence of effect of the RUD coalitions. The lack of statistically significant differences for most individual outcome measures indicates the difficulty of unambiguously demonstrating the full effects of an effort designed to change behaviors and health outcomes of the entire youth population of multiple states. Language: en
Upstream waves at mercury, Venus and earth: Comparison of the properties of one Hertz waves

Previous studies have shown that the Venus foreshock region contains low-frequency upstream waves similar to those in the terrestrial foreshock, but perhaps with different amplitudes than at earth. This paper compares the properties of a second class of upstream waves, analogous to the so-called 1 Hz waves at earth. The waves observed at Mercury, Venus, and earth have very similar properties, i.e., propagation angles less than 55 degrees to the magnetic field and less than 35 degrees to the solar wind flow direction. The waves occur exclusively on the field lines connected to the bow shock. They are most commonly left-hand elliptically polarized with similar fractional amplitudes, approximately 0.1 of the background field strength. Their amplitudes decrease with increasing distance from the shock. The observed frequencies are similar for Mercury, Venus, and earth when scaled by the interplanetary magnetic field. If, as generally assumed at earth, these waves arise in regions of backstreaming electrons, these results imply that similar electron foreshocks occur at earth, Venus and Mercury despite differences in bow shock size and the nature of the obstacle to the solar wind.
Surface Exposures of Late Cretaceous Strata at Rayburns Salt Dome, Bienville Parish, Louisiana: ABSTRACT

Surface exposures of Cretaceous strata in Louisiana are restricted to isolated occurrences associated with salt domes in the northwestern part of the state. The best known Cretaceous exposures are associated with the Rayburns salt dome in Bienville Parish. Strata exposed at this structure previously have been correlated with formations exposed in southwestern Arkansas, in particular, the Marlbrook Formation and the Saratoga Chalk. Several distinct Upper Cretaceous lithologic units can be identified at the Rayburns locality. Detailed stratigraphic relationships of these units are obscured by the incomplete nature of the exposures and by dense vegetation. Strata on the west side of the outcrop area include a basal olive-gray marl that is locally glauconitic. This unit is thought to correlate with the Brownstown Marl in Arkansas. The basal marl is overlain in part by a massive glauconitic sandstone at the western end of the outcrop area and by a gray chalky marl at the eastern end. These lithologies are thought to correlate with the Buckrange Sand Lentil or basal Ozan Formation exposed in Arkansas. The sandstone and gray chalky marl units are directly overlain by a hard white chalk. This chalk lithology correlates faunally and lithologically with the upper Ozan and the Annona Chalk in Arkansas. Exposures along the east side of the outcrop area, adjacent to an abandoned quarry, are blue-gray marl and chalk whose fauna and lithology correlate with the Saratoga Chalk in southwest Arkansas. The concretionary clays of the Midway Group, of Paleocene age, lie unconformably on the truncated surface of this Saratoga equivalent. The unconformity is marked by a thin layer of bored, calcareous nodules. The uppermost portions of the Navarro Group, which occur elsewhere between Cretaceous and Paleocene strata, have apparently been eroded at this locality. End_of_Article - Last_Page 1212------------
Human liver S-9 metabolic activation: proficiency in cytogenetic assays and comparison with phenobarbital/β-naphthoflavone or Aroclor 1254 induced ratS-9

Induced rat liver S-9 is routinely used for metabolic activation in cytogenetic assays. When a compound gives a positive test result only with rat S-9, the significance for humans should be assessed. To evaluate the use of human S-9, we used sister-chromatid exchanges (SCEs) and chromosome aberrations (Abs) in Chinese hamster ovary cells to test five pro-mutagens, each preferentially activated by a different family of P-450: benzo(a)pyrene (BP), dimethylnitrosamine (DMN), diethylnitrosamine (DEN), aflatoxin B1 (AFB), and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). We tested two human S-9 preparations, one from a single liver and a second pooled from two livers known to have good activity for several P-450s. Concentrations and ratios of NADP and isocitrate were adjusted to optimize NADPH generation by the S-9. Abs were scored 20 hr, and SCEs 29-45 hr, after the beginning of a 3 hr treatment. P-450 enzyme activities were generally higher in rat than human S-9. With the single-liver human S-9, increase in SCEs were seen with all chemicals; with both human S-9s, increases in Abs were seen with all chemicals except BP. (The level of P-450 1A1, required for BP activation, is very low in human liver.) Compared with rat S-9, generally higher concentrations of human S-9 and of promutagens were required to see positive results. However, human S-9 effectively activated 2-AAF, whereas neither of the two types of rat S-9 produced Abs with 2-AAF. We also compared rat S-9s induced with Aroclor 1254 or phenobarbital/ beta-naphthoflavone (PB/beta NF). Although there were some differences in P-450 enzyme activities, these did not translate into differences in Abs induction. At low doses of AFB and of BP, PB/beta NF induced S-9 appeared more effective than Aroclor 1254 induced S-9.
238 RESPONSES TO MORPHINE IN THE PREGNANT EWE

It is not known whether the fetus can develop opiate dependence (OD) as a primary, drug-related effect of maternal to fetal transfer of morphine sulfate (MS) or whether fetal responses are related to altered maternal physiology. Four non-pregnant and 4 pregnant ewes were studied. A continuous intravenous(IV)infusion of MS was given to the ewes(10mg/kg/24 hours). The response was measured to IV administration of naloxone(N), 0.04mg/kg to the ewes and 0.02 mg/kg-estimated weight to the fetuses. As early as 24 hours after beginning the MS infusion,Nincreased arterial blood pressure(ABP) in the non-pregnant ewes (mean ± SE):systolic 120.2±2.2 torr to 137.6±2.4 (p<.001);diastolic 82.3± 1.2 to 95.9 ± 2.7 (p<.001); and in pregnant ewes: systolic 114.2± 2.6 to 140.7±3.0 (p<.001). All animals demonstrated “withdrawal” responses. There was no significant change in heart rate. Maternal N increased fetal ABP: systolic 63.9± 2.1 to 75.0±4.2 (p <.001); diastolic 36.8± 2.0 to 41.8±2.7 (p<.001). In contrast to the mothers,there was a fall in fetal heart rate: 174± 6 to 150±5 (p<.001) and pO2 24.4± 0.81 to 22.2± 1.04 (p<.05) and meconium appeared in the amniotic fluid. N administered to the fetus produced similar significant changes plus arterial pH fell from 7.39±0.01 to 7.35±0.02 (p< .05).In a lamb born after 14 days of MS infusion to the ewe N produced cardiovascular responses similar to those before birth,and the “withdrawal” responses seen in the ewes. MS, therefore, crosses the placenta and has a primary drug effect in the fetus. In addition,the fetus has a unique pharmacologic response to N after exposure to MS. This suggests the potential for development of OD in the fetus as a primary, drug-related effect of maternal to fetal transfer of MS.
On the feasibility of impulse reflection response data from one-dimensional multilayered lossy media

Solving inverse scattering problems using layer stripping algorithms is known to be fast and effective when the data are noise-free. However, layer stripping algorithms have a reputation of being unstable when applied to noisy time-domain reflection response data. The reason is that the noisy data may be infeasible; i.e., could not have been produced by an actual media. In this paper, three feasibility conditions are introduced for data from absorbing (lossy) one-dimensional (1-D) media. Satisfying these conditions is both necessary and sufficient for the data to have been produced by an actual lossy media. That is, layer stripping algorithms applied such noisy but feasible data are stable. A methodology for correcting infeasible data is also proposed. Numerical examples illustrate key points and the correction method.
Power scaling of divertor plasma conditions during H-mode in DIII-D

An array of fixed Langmuir probes spanning the inner and outer divertor strike points has been used to measure the electron temperature, plasma density, and particle/heat flux profiles of the divertor plasma in DIII-D. We report here on observations made during the steady state phase of high-power neutral-beam heated H-mode plasmas. These data are important for predicting the expected impurity sources and target plate material lifetimes in future high power tokamaks such as ITER. H-mode plasmas formed with a high divertor neutral pressure in the absence of external gas feed in DIII-D were found to have beneficial consequences in reducing the peak values of divertor electron temperature without loss of core energy confinement. We have observed a steady state, high density ( n pl,d ≈10 14 cm −3 ), moderate temperature ( 2 . A better understanding of the importance of collisional effects may be needed to interpret these results.
Consistent Improvement of Cross-Docking Results Using Binding Site Ensembles Generated with Elastic Network Normal Modes

The representation of protein flexibility is still a challenge for the state-of-the-art flexible ligand docking protocols. In this article, we use a large and diverse benchmark to prove that is possible to improve consistently the cross-docking performance against a single receptor conformation, using an equilibrium ensemble of binding site conformers. The benchmark contained 28 proteins, and our method predicted the top-ranked near native ligand poses 20% more efficiently than using a single receptor. The multiple conformations were derived from the collective variable space defined by all heavy-atom elastic network normal modes, including backbone and side chains. We have found that the binding site displacements for best positioning of the ligand seem rather independent from the global collective motions of the protein. We also found that the number of binding site conformations needed to represent nonredundant flexibility was <100. The ensemble of receptor conformations can be generated at our Web sit...
Self-harm behavior among individuals with intermittent explosive disorder and personality disorders

Self-harm behaviors are a major public health concern across the lifespan, particularly among individuals with psychiatric disorders. Little research, however, has examined these behaviors among individuals with a diagnosis characterized by recurrent acts of impulsive aggression, Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED). Furthermore, extant research has not examined variables that might mediate the relationship between IED and self-harm. The current study examined the rates of non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) and suicide attempts among individuals with IED as compared to healthy controls, individuals with personality disorders (PDs; which are highly comorbid with IED), and individuals with comorbid IED and PD. The study also examined the indirect effects of aggression, impulsivity, and affective lability in the relationship between diagnosis and self-harm. Participants were 1079 community individuals and prevalence rates among the total sample were 18% for NSSI and 13.2% for suicide attempts. Scores on measures aggression, impulsivity, and affect lability showed significant indirect effects on the relationships between IED + PD and NSSI; scores on aggression showed a significant indirect effect on the relationship between PD and NSSI; scores on impulsivity showed a significant indirect effect on the relationship between IED + PD and suicide attempt. These results suggest that individuals with PDs, and particularly those with comorbid IED and PD, are at increased risk for engagement in self-harm behaviors. Furthermore, traits of aggression, impulsivity, and affect lability significantly accounted for the relationship between diagnostic status and self-harm, particularly in regards to NSSI.
Properties of the escape system of cockroaches during walking

1. Adult male cockroaches (Periplaneta americana) which were fixed in place but could move their legs normally were presented with wind puffs of different amplitudes. The puffs were given while the cockroaches were walking at different speeds, standing or grooming their antennae. In different experiments we recorded either the movement responses of one metathoracic leg or the action potentials from impaled, individually identified giant interneurons. 2. Cockroaches were most responsive behaviorally to wind puffs presented during slow walking (1–4 steps/s). At such times the latency was shortest (11–18 ms for large puffs) and the threshold lowest (Fig. 2). The threshold wind puff, having a peak velocity of 3 mm/s, evoked a pause in walking. Puffs of 12 mm/s or larger evoked running. 3. The ventral giant interneurons (GI's) though known to be inhibited slightly during slow walking (Daley and Delcomyn 1980 a) are still activated by wind puffs of 3 or 12 mm/s (Fig. 3) and thus can contribute to the behaviors that these small wind stimuli evoke. Pronounced inhibition of the ventral GI's occurred only during fast walking (Fig. 4). The dorsal GI's appear to be insufficiently activated by these small winds to contribute to the havior. 4. In response to large wind puffs presented during slow walking, the behavioral latency is so short that only a few action potentials of the largest ventral GI's appear to be capable of mediating the onset of the behavior. The dorsal GI's appear to be activated too late to contribute to initiating the behavior. 5. The information suggesting that the ventral, and not the dorsal GI's initiate the escape behavior has permitted us to develop a coherent model of the escape system in which all the known synaptic interactions involving both the ventral and the dorsal GI's have a meaningful role (Fig. 5). The model includes negative feedback onto the ventral GI's and positive feedback onto the dorsal GI's from the motor system. According to this model, the ventral GI's initiate and steer the early part of the escape behavior, and the dorsal GI's maintain and steer the subsequent phases of the behavior.
The Ethiopian Jewish Experience as Blacks in Israel

Over a 15-year period beginning in the mid-1970s, over 40,000 Ethiopian Jews emigrated from Africa and resettled in Israel. The ingathering of Black Jews to Israel is one of the most unique phenomena of modem day Black history for two reasons; first, the Jews of Ethiopia are the only group of Africans practicing Judaism and second, they are the only group of Africans who have migrated to a predominately White society for religious reasons. The religious history of Ethiopian Jews traces its beginning back over 2,000 years to the migration of Jews from Egypt during biblical times. Ethiopian Jews believe themselves to be the remnant of the lost tribe of Dan, one of the 10 tribes of Israel captured by the Assyrians in 722 B.C., which later vanished into history (Safran, 1987). Some believe themselves to be the descendants of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Kessler, 1985). No one is really sure of their origin; however, they lived in the mountains of Ethiopia, isolated from the Jewish community at large, for over 2,000 years, practicing a traditional form of Judaism (Safran, 1987). When Ethiopian Jews had their first encounter with Europeans, they were surprised to find that there were White Jews, as they believed themselves to be the only Jewish people in the world (Waldman, 1985). Unlike other Jewish groups, Ethiopians found it difficult to gain recognition for the purpose of returning to Israel until 1973, when Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel Ovadia Yosef officially declared them bona fide members of the Jewish community and thus eligible to return to Israel as citizens under the Law of Return (Goldberg & Kirschenbaum, 1989). Having suffered anti-
Strong converse for Gel'fand-Pinsker channel

A strong converse for the Gel'fand-Pinsker channel is established in this paper. The method is then extended to a multiuser scenario. A strong converse is established for the multiple-access Gel'fand-Pinsker channel under the maximum error criterion, and the capacity region is determined.
Unaccounted mortality in salmon fisheries: non-retention in gillnets and effects on estimates of spawners

Summary 1. Effective and sustainable natural resource management is enhanced when the consequences of exploitative practices are fully understood and acknowledged. Commercial fisheries devote considerable resources to maximize the harvest of target species and minimize interference with non-target stocks. Appropriately, bycatch and discard of non-target stocks are recognized as critical economic and conservation concerns. Few studies, however, have examined non-retention mortality in target stocks. Non-retention, where fish are engaged by fishing gear but not landed, is rarely quantified and the effects on stocks are unknown. Mortality due to non-retention may have important effects on the dynamics of exploited populations. 2. We surveyed spawning populations of sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka that had traversed commercial fisheries in Bristol Bay, Alaska, to estimate the incidence of non-retention in gillnets and the severity of injuries associated with entanglement. To better understand how gillnet injury affects spawning success, we tagged and monitored stream-spawning fish and applied a maximum likelihood model to mark–recapture data. 3. A substantial portion (11–29%) of spawning sockeye salmon exhibited clear signs of past entanglement with commercial gillnets. Survival among such fish was significantly reduced. More than half of the fish that reach natal spawning grounds with fishery-related injuries fail to reproduce. This suggests that estimates of spawning stocks are inflated by 5–15% at minimum. 4. Synthesis and applications. Our analyses indicate that non-retention in gillnet fisheries is an important and under-appreciated consequence of the exploitation of salmon. Stock estimates for exploited populations that do not account for non-retention mortality overestimate the number of reproductively viable fish. Unaccounted mortality and interannual variation in the magnitude of this mortality may prevent accurate estimates of viable spawners, confound our understanding of the relationship between stock size and recruitment, impede optimal management and obscure the ecosystem impacts of migratory stocks in coastal watersheds. Given the magnitude of nonretention in this fishery, explicit consideration of non-retention mortality may be warranted across a wide range of exploited populations.
The effects of ractopamine hydrochloride feeding programs on growth and carcasses of finishing pigs marketed in 2 different groups

The objective was to evaluate pig performance, feed efficiency, and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs fed ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) in a single-phase (7.4 mg/kg for 31 d) or step-up (5.0/10 mg/kg) feeding program when compared with a NRC control diet. Barrows and gilts were divided into pens of approximately 22 pigs per pen and fed one of 3 dietary programs when pigs reached approximately 103.5 kg of BW. The 5 heaviest pigs per pen were marketed on d 17 of the trial (before the step-up initiation), and on d 31 the remaining 17 pigs per pen were marketed. Pigs fed RAC and marketed after 17 d (1.195 kg/d) of feeding had a 14.5% improvement (P < 0.0001) in ADG and a 13.2% improvement (P < 0.0001) in efficiency (0.385) compared with controls (1.04 kg/d; 0.34). On average, RAC-fed pigs had 0.43 percentage units greater (P = 0.02) carcass yield. During the entire 31-d feeding trial, RAC-fed pigs (1.20 kg/d) gained 12% more (P < 0.0001) weight per day and were 14% more (P < 0.0001) efficient (0.365) at feed conversion than were controls (1.07 kg/d; 0.32). Ractopamine-fed pigs also had greater (P < 0.0001) carcass yields, larger (P < 0.0001) loin depths, and greater (P < 0.0001) estimated carcass lean values than did pigs not fed RAC. Ractopamine can be fed in a step-up feeding program even in marketing strategies when pigs are marketed relatively soon after the RAC initiation with the same performance and carcass results normally observed in continuous-dose feeding programs.
Including Mechanisms in Our Models of Ascriptive Inequality

Sociologists’ principal contribution to our understanding of ascriptive inequality has been to document race and sex disparities. We have made little headway, however, in explaining these disparities because most research has sought to explain variation across ascriptive groups in more or less desirable outcomes in terms of allocators’ motives. This approach has been inconclusive because motive-based theories cannot be empirically tested. Our reliance on individual-level data and the balkanization of research on ascriptive inequality into separate specialties for groups defined by different ascriptive characteristics have contributed to our explanatory stalemate. Explanation requires including mechanisms in our models–the specific processes that link groups’ ascribed characteristics to variable outcomes such as earnings. I discuss mechanisms that contribute to variation in ascriptive inequality at four levels of analysis—intrapsychic, interpersonal, societal, and organizational. Redirecting our attention from motives to mechanisms is essential for understanding inequality and—equally important—for contributing meaningfully to social policies that will promote social equality.
Microwave Dissipation Spectra in Arrays of Silicon Nanowires

The transmission and reflection scattering parameters of arrays of silicon nanowires (SiNWs) directly assembled onto co-planar waveguides (CPWs) have been measured from 0.1 to 50 GHz at room temperature. Typical arrays consisted of between 103 to 104 SiNWs aligned parallel to the electric field polarization of the propagating microwave field. Scattering parameters were measured on CPWs both before and after nanomaterial assembly. Highly reproducible CPW characteristics and careful use of control samples to quantify systematic reproducibility allowed clear separation of nanomaterial effects from the characteristics of the bare CPWs. Arrays of n doped SiNWs consistently showed frequency-dependent power dissipation. Nominally undoped SiNW arrays, however, showed no measurable microwave power dissipation up to 50 GHz.
Trace Evidence of trans-Phenylpropene as a Marker of Smoked Methamphetamine

This case study investigates trans-phenylpropene as a potential marker for smoked methamphetamine. The decedent, a 31-year-old male, was found with paraphernalia that indicated that he may have been smoking abused drugs prior to death. Methamphetamine and cocaine were detected in the residue remaining in the paraphernalia. Markers of thermal degradation of methamphetamine and cocaine were also detected in the paraphernalia. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis detected trans-phenylpropene as a marker of smoked methamphetamine and anhydroecgonine methyl ester as a marker of smoked cocaine. Both trans-phenylpropene and anydroecgonine methyl ester were detected in the urine of the decedent, connecting the link between the paraphernalia for smoking and the ingestion of the pyrolysis products of methamphetamine and cocaine. Several other drugs of abuse were identified either in blood and urine or in hexane extracts of the paraphernalia, including phenylacetone, fentanyl, norfentanyl, amphetamine, ecgonine methyl ester, oxycodone, acetaminophen, chlorpheniramine, and caffeine. Using a pyrolysis GC-MS, the characteristic pyrolytic products of cocaine HCl, methamphetamine HCl, and combinations of the two were evaluated and the results showed that combining the drugs in a single run did not alter the pyrolysis pattern. The detection of trans-phenylpropene in both biological specimens and in paraphernalia is the first example of this analyte being applied as evidence of smoked methamphetamine.
Elementary Teachers’ Knowledge and Use of Interventions and Barriers to Promoting Student Self-Determination:

The No Child Left Behind Act (2001) and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2004) emphasize accountability to improve student academic achievement. Promoting self-determination has been proposed as a means to achieving this outcome. Elementary teachers in 30 states were surveyed to measure (a) their perceived importance of self-determination, (b) to what extent they teach it, and (c) the barriers that inhibit them from teaching it. Both general and special educators assigned considerable importance to self-determination instruction and reported at least occasionally providing such instruction. The authors found a lack of congruence between the value teachers place on promoting self-determination and the time they devote to teaching it. Limitations and implications are discussed, and suggestions for future research are offered.
Practical approaches to compliance for entrepreneurial uses of licensed databases in libraries

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to provide practical guidance to business librarians in academic and public libraries for applying essential concepts of licensing electronic resources in entrepreneurial contexts. Design/methodology/approach – The paper is an outcome of a preconference presentation on licensing business resources, based on the practical experience of the authors in licensing and vendor negotiations. It also presents results of the preconference presurvey, gauging awareness among business librarians about licensing concepts and concerns about the usage of licensed databases by entrepreneurs. Findings – For-profit goals of entrepreneurs using library e-resources lead to concerns among business librarians about compliance with non-commercial clauses of library license agreements and potentially to unnecessary restrictions on patrons’ database use. License agreements of business e-resources are likely to have more restrictive terms of use because of perceived value of their intellectual...
Altruism and Helping: The Evolution of a Field--The 2008 Cooley-Mead Presentation.

I present a selective history of the evolution of the study of altruism and helping behavior, using a series of questions and answers. Some of the topics covered include the motives for helping, the origins of helping and altruism in evolution and child development, the relationship of organizations to helping, and the psychological and health consequences for the helper. A framework within which to view the current structure of the field is presented, and a challenge is issued for scholars in the areas of social movements and helping behavior to come together to synthesize the two fields.
A Quick Guide for Developing Effective Bioinformatics Programming Skills

Bioinformatics programming skills are becoming a necessity across many facets of biology and medicine, owed in part to the continuing explosion of biological data aggregation and the complexity and scale of questions now being addressed through modern bioinformatics. Although many are now receiving formal training in bioinformatics through various university degree and certificate programs, this training is often focused strongly on bioinformatics methodology, leaving many important and practical aspects of bioinformatics to self-education and experience. The following set of guidelines distill several key principals of effective bioinformatics programming, which the authors learned through insights gained across many years of combined experience developing popular bioinformatics software applications and database systems in both academic and commercial settings [1]–[6]. Successful adoption of these principals will serve both beginner and experienced bioinformaticians alike in career development and pursuit of professional and scientific goals.
Practicality of a plasma mass filter for nuclear fuel reprocessing: Separating lanthanides from actinides

There is a growing recognition [1,2] of the need for used nuclear fuel recycling technologies that are more proliferation-resistant alternatives to the Plutonium/Uranium refining by extraction (PUREX). However, the implementation of a closed fuel cycle, and more precisely of the minor actinides transmutation step, requires removing a priori the lanthanides. The chemical separation options remain limited because of the chemical similarity of americium with the lanthanides fission products. Separating lanthanides from actinides has therefore been labeled as one of the most difficult challenge in separation science [3]. Plasma filters offer an advantage over chemical solutions in that elements are dissociated. Each element can consequently be filtered without regard to chemical form. Thus, plasma mass filters have been recently proposed with the objective of nuclear waste remediation [4,5]. In particular, the capability of a new mass called the magnetic centrifugal mass filter has been studied in this context [6], highlighting the potential of plasma mass filters for nuclear waste remediation. Here we analyze how such plasma filters could be helpful in separating lanthanides from actinides. More specifically, the influence of the elements mass shift as compared to the ones considered for nuclear waste remediation is investigated, with special care given to the modifications induced on the achievable plasma parameters. Estimations of achievable separation factor are obtained by means of numerical modeling.
The Effects of Exercise on the Elderly and Implication for Therapy

Physical and occupational therapy activity and exercise programs have historically been directed toward the restoration of function in the disabled elderly. These professions have not focused their attention on the well or mildly impaired elderly. The current research on exercise and the elderly described here documents the positive benefits of physical activity and exercise programs for the well or mildly impaired elderly. The potential for physical and occupational therapists to provide services to the non-disabled elderly population is explored and a model program is offered as an example of this expanded role for therapists.
Radioimmunoassay of Plasma Pregnenolone, 17-Hydroxypregnenolone and Dehydroepiandrosterone Under Various Physiological Conditions

Abstract Combining a simple chromatographic system on celite microcolumns with specific antisera as binding reagents, simultaneous radioimmunoassay of pregnenolone (5Δ-P), 17-hydroxypregnenolone (17-5Δ-P), and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) could be performed on the same aliquot of plasma. These steroids have been measured in plasma samples obtained from subjects of both sexes under various conditions. The plasma levels of 5Δ-P, 17-5Δ-P, and DHEA were found to be within the same range when 12 prepubertal boys and 15 men were studied. The mean levels of these steroids were respectively: 1.57, 0.95, and 1.2 ng/ml in prepubertal boys and 0.88, 0.73, and 1.82 in adult men. Six premenopausal women were studied during a complete menstrual cycle. Comparing the levels of 5Δ-P, 17-5Δ-P, and DHEA during the follicular and luteal phases showed no significant difference between these two phases of the cycle. However, plasma 5Δ-P was found to be significantly elevated in the luteal phase when the mean follicular and lu...
Modular composition predicts kinase/substrate interactions

Background Phosphorylation events direct the flow of signals and metabolites along cellular protein networks. Current annotations of kinase-substrate binding events are far from complete. In this study, we scanned the entire human protein sequences using the PROSITE domain annotation tool to identify patterns of domain composition in kinases and their substrates. We identified statistically enriched pairs of strings of domains (signature pairs) in kinase-substrate couples presented in the 2006 version of the PTM database.
Enabling Information Confidentiality in Publish/Subscribe Overlay Services

"Alice has a piece of valuable information which she is willing to sell to anyone who is interested in; she is too busy and wants to ask Bob, a professional broker, to sell that information for her; but Alice is in a dilemma where she cannot trust Bob with that information but Bob cannot help her find her customers without knowing that information." In this paper, we propose a security mechanism called information foiling to address new confidentiality problems arising in pub/sub overlay services [1]. Information foiling extends Rivest's "Chaffing and Winnowing" [2], and its basic idea is to carefully generate a set of fake messages to hide an authentic message. Information foiling requires no modification inside the broker network so that the routing/filtering capabilities of broker nodes remains intact. We formally present the information foiling mechanism in the context of publish/subscribe overlay services, and discuss its applicability in other Internet applications. For publish/subscribe applications, we propose a suite of optimal schemes for fake message generation in different scenarios. Real-world data are used in our evaluation to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed schemes.
The Institutional Framework of Russian Serfdom: Land and property markets

If one had to choose a single characteristic that is most widely believed to have distinguished the Russian peasantry from others, it would be communal land tenure. Land in rural Russia is thought to have been held mainly by village communes, rather than by individuals through leases and private purchases, and allocated among member households according to their labour capabilities and consumption needs, with periodic adjustments made in response to demographic change. The private ownership of land by peasants, where it has been observed, is often assumed to have been a largely peripheral phenomenon, relevant only to the wealthiest peasant farmers. The widespread practice of communal land tenure is supposed to have resulted in an ‘underdeveloped sense of private property’ among Russian peasants. The Russian peasantry, it has been argued, ‘was oblivious to the Western (ultimately Roman) concept of property in land’. Herzen himself wrote of ‘[t]he Russian peasant who has … a strong aversion to every form of landed property’. More recent expression is given to this view by Richard Pipes who argues, in his book Property and freedom , that many of Russia's current economic problems can be attributed to the weak development of property institutions in the pre-Soviet period. Pipes refers to imperial Russia's ‘antiproprietary culture’, a culture he sees very much rooted in the peasant mentality, since ‘to the peasant land was not a commodity but rather the material basis of life’.
Monitoring plasma voriconazole levels may prevent subtheraputic dosing in pediatric stem cell transplant (SCT) patients

7105 Background: Voriconazole is frequently used for prophylaxis and treatment of fungal infections during hematopoeitic stem cell transplant (SCT). Clinical studies demonstrate a poorer outcome when voriconazole concentrations are ≤0.5mcg/ml. Pediatric dosing schedules to achieve trough concentrations >0.5mcg/ml are not established. Methods: Retrospective analysis of voriconazole levels in 16 pediatric allogeneic SCT patients recieving fungal prophylaxis with oral or iv voriconazole. Ages ranged from 0.5 to 16 years, median 8 years. Serum levels were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Samples were obtained 5 to 7 days after start or change of voriconazole therapy. Ninety-eight total levels were evaluated. Results: Eight patients (50%) achieved a trough level > 0.5mcg/ml on the majority of samples tested at doses ranging from 3.5 to 10 mg/kg po q 12 hours. At constant dose there was a significant intra-patient variability in trough levels over time. Most patients failing to achieve adequa...
Updating Velocity Using Hyperbolic Gamma, Tomography and FWI – A Comprehensive in-House Model Building Workflow

Summary We propose a comprehensive workflow for velocity model building. Our strategy avoids a relatively lengthy process of stacking velocity analysis and can proceed all the way to producing a high-resolution interpretable velocity model. The workflow includes three major parts: 1) computing hyperbolic gamma from depth-migrated common image gathers and adjusting the velocity model accordingly, an efficient step that can significantly reduce the nonlinearity in the inversion problem, 2) employing ray-based tomography, an industry-workhorse which is routinely used to construct a low-frequency velocity field for depth imaging, and 3) using FWI, the state-of-the-art technology for building a high-resolution velocity model for both imaging and interpretation. The workflow has been applied to both synthetic and field data examples and the results demonstrate the successes of applying our comprehensive in-house model-building capability.