cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Working Both (Positivist) Ends Toward a New (Pragmatist) Middle in Environmental Law (Review of Daniel A. Farber, ECO-PRAGMATISM, 1999)

This review of Daniel Farber's recent book Eco-pragmatism, in which he argues on behalf of taking more pragmatic approaches to the development of environmental policy, provides both the background necessary for appreciating Farber's union of ecosystem dynamics science and environmental pragmatism philosophy, and the basis for extending the new "eco-pragmatism" approach into natural resources conservation settings. Eco-pragmatism implies the intersection of two components-the eco, being the rich and developing field of ecosystem science and management, and the pragmatism, being the classical American pragmatist philosophy represented today in environmental settings through the emergence of environmental pragmatism philosophy. Unfortunately, Eco-pragmatism provides little background on either of these sources of eco-pragmatist approaches to environmental law. The review demonstrates that the science of ecology and the philosophy of environmental pragmatism do indeed make a fitting pair, and that Farber has provided the service of combining them in an approach that is adapted to modern environmental law and policy. The eco-pragmatist approach is different from either of the existing models for environmental decision making in they each relies on positivist foundations that portray environmental decisions as matters purely of economic efficiency (one extreme) or environmental preservation (the opposite extreme), whereas pragmatism looks to experience rather than dogma as its source of theoretical foundation. As Farber describes it, eco-pragmatism uses dynamical regulatory frameworks to blend economic efficiency and environmental protection in an approach that uses environmental goals to maintain a baseline of protection and economic analysis to place a check on overprotection. Unfortunately, Farber demonstrates the force of the eco-pragmatist approach only in the narrow setting of pollution and its public health consequences. The review demonstrates that eco-pragmatism also has value in the natural resource conservation setting, where emerging themes of biodiversity, ecosystem services, and adaptive management correspond to Farber's framework for environmental baseline, economic backstop, and dynamical regulation. Eco-pragmatism thus offers some deliverance from the seemingly endless warfare between the positivist ends that has burdened environmental policy in all its applications.
Organization and management of distributed execution event histories for real-time debugging

The author discusses development of a real-time monitoring environment to provide distributed programmers with valuable information about an executing program as events occur. Of particular importance is design and implementation of analysis software which accepts user requests, queries and receives event histories from the instrumentation system, and provides sufficient program abstractions to support graphical displays and metric evaluations of execution progress. The analysis software has been named DECIPHER. The DECIPHER distributed debugging system is described. The primary obstacle involves organizing and managing voluminous event histories in real-time. Both efficient organization and data management are crucial to effectiveness and accuracy. >
Orthopedic Surgery in Rural American Hospitals: A Survey of Rural Hospital Administrators.

Rural American residents prefer to receive their medical care locally. Lack of specific medical services in the local community necessitates travel to a larger center which is less favorable. This study was done to identify how rural hospitals choose to provide orthopedic surgical services to their communities. Methods: All hospitals in 5 states located in communities that met the criteria for a rural town according to the Rural Urban Commuting Area codes were included. A survey with topics including community and hospital demographics, orthopedic surgical workforce and demand, surgical services, and the perceived benefit of orthopedic services was sent to the hospital administrators. Results: Of the 223 rural hospitals surveyed, 145 completed the survey. Of those completing the survey, 30% had at least one full-time orthopedic surgeon, 25% did not provide any orthopedic surgical services, 65% never had an orthopedic surgeon on ER call, 33% were recruiting an orthopedic surgeon, 52% stated that it is more difficult to recruit an orthopedic surgeon vs a general surgeon, and 71% of the administrators acknowledged a need for additional orthopedic surgical services in their community. For those hospitals that did not have a full-time orthopedic surgeon, members of those communities traveled a mean distance of 55 miles for emergency orthopedic surgical care as reported by the hospital administrators. Conclusions: There are many rural communities that have limited access to orthopedic surgical services. While many of the rural hospital administrators feel that there is a need for additional orthopedic surgical services in their communities, it is difficult to recruit orthopedic surgeons to these areas.
Exchange Rate Volatility and Reserves Transparency

The effects of the adoption of the IMF's International Reserves and Foreign Currency Liquidity Data Template on exchange rate volatility are investigated for 48 countries using panel data models and quarterly data from 1991 to 2005. In a model featuring significant relationships between nominal exchange rate volatility and fundamental macroeconomic variables, we find that the adoption of the reserves data dissemination standard is associated with a 20 percent decrease in volatility. Furthermore, adoption of the standard is also associated with changes in the relationships between exchange rate volatility and both indebtedness and reserve adequacy indicators.
Surface vibrational spectroscopy by infrared-visible sum frequency generation

We report the first observation of a vibrational spectrum of a monolayer of molecular adsorbates by infrared-visible sum frequency generation. The results pave the way for future dynamic studies of surface phonons and molecular vibrations.
Do Bird Perching Structures Elevate Seed Rain and Seedling Establishment in Abandoned Tropical Pasture

Lack of seed dispersal has been shown to be a major factor limiting tropical forest recovery in abandoned pasture land. The goal of this work was to determine whether bird perching structures serve to enhance seed dispersal and seedling establishment in an abandoned pasture in Costa Rica. Two types of perching structures (crossbar and branch) were tested. Bird visitation rates were significantly higher on branch than on crossbar perches. The number of animal-dispersed seeds was significantly higher below branch perches than below crossbar perches or in open pasture. Despite differences in seed rain, percent cover of animal-dispersed plants and the number of seedlings of animal-dispersed plant species were similar below both perch types and in open pasture. Baiting perches with bananas did not increase either bird visitation rates or seed rain. These results suggest that, although bird perching structures increase seed dispersal, they do not overcome other barriers to tropical forest recovery such as seed predation and low seed germination.
DETECTING LOW DIMENSIONAL DYNAMICS IN BIOLOGICAL EXPERIMENTS

We discuss the well-known problems associated with efforts to detect and characterize chaos and other low dimensional dynamics in biological settings. We propose a new method which shows promise for addressing these problems, and we demonstrate its effectiveness in an experiment with the crayfish sensory system. Recordings of action potentials in this system are the data. We begin with a pair of assumptions; that the times of firings of neural action potentials are largely determined by high dimensional random processes or "noise"; and that most biological files are non stationary, so that only relatively short files can be obtained under approximately constant conditions. The method is thus statistical in nature. It is designed to recognize individual "events" in the form of particular sequences of time intervals between action potentials which are the signatures of certain well defined dynamical behaviors. We show that chaos can be distinguished from limit cycles, even when the dynamics is heavily contaminated with noise. Extracellular recordings from the crayfish caudal photoreceptor, obtained while hydrodynamically stimulating the array of hair receptors on the tailfan, are used to illustrate the method.
The ethic of care versus the ethic of justice: an economic analysis

Abstract This paper offers the first economic analysis of the debate in moral and political philosophy over the relative virtues of the ethic of care and the ethic of justice. Specifically, the paper presents a formal model of the care-giving process whose parameters include many items of direct relevance to the care/justice debate, such as the average wage rates of men and women, the size of the population to be cared for, and the benefit attached to discovering and caring for the needy. The model developed herein provides useful insights regarding both perceived gender differences in commitment to care and the relevance of care to large-scale institutions.
Degrading network capacity may improve performance: private versus public monitoring in the Braess Paradox

The Braess Paradox (BP) is a counterintuitive finding that degrading a network that is susceptible to congestion may decrease the equilibrium travel cost for each of its users. We illustrate this paradox with two networks: a basic network with four alternative routes from a single origin to a single destination, and an augmented network with six alternative routes. We construct the equilibrium solutions to these two networks, which jointly give rise to the paradox, and subject them to experimental testing. Our purpose is to test the generality of the BP when the network is enriched as well as the effects of the information provided to the network users when they conclude their travel. To this end, we compare experimentally two information conditions when each of the two networks is iterated in time. Under public monitoring each user is accurately informed of the route choices and payoffs of all the users, whereas under private monitoring she is only informed of her own payoff. Under both information conditions, over iterations of the basic and augmented games, aggregate route choices converge to equilibrium.
Multi-Model Methods for Optimal Control of Aeroacoustics

A new multidomain/multiphysics computational framework for optimal control of aeroacoustic noise has been developed based on a near-field compressible Navier-Stokes solver coupled with a far-field linearized Euler solver both based on a discontinuous Galerkin formulation. In this approach, the coupling of near- and far-field domains is achieved by weakly enforcing continuity of normal fluxes across a coupling surface that encloses all nonlinearities and noise sources. For optimal control, gradient information is obtained by the solution of an appropriate adjoint problem that involves the propagation of adjoint information from the far-field to the near-field. This computational framework has been successfully applied to study optimal boundary-control of blade-vortex interaction, which is a significant noise source for helicopters on approach to landing. In the model-problem presented here, the noise propagated toward the ground is reduced by 12dB.
Locke on the Propria of Body

Seth Pringle-Pattison (233 n1) observed that Locke teaches a twofold mystery – in the first place, of the essence (‘for the powers or qualities that are observable by us are not the real essence of...
On the rheology of cold drawing. II: Viscoelastic materials

In this second paper in a series on cold drawing of polymeric fibers and films, asymptotic formulae are derived for the tension in thin bodies of nonlinearly viscoelastic materials subject to inhomogeneous stretching. The formulae, which are valid to within an error of fourth order in sample thickness, give the tension in fibers and films as functionals of the histories of the local stretch and its first two spatial gradients. It is shown that the theory obtained by taking the formulae to be exact is consistent with thermodynamical principles. Material response for various types of histories is discussed, and the theory is employed to calculate the creep response of fibers under static loads. Numerical solutions of the evolution equation for the stretch field in creep show that for an appropriate class of materials with slowly fading memory there is a range of applied loads for which an initially homogeneous deformation evolves into a well defined neck whose edges advance at high speed along the fiber and in so doing transform moderately stretched material into highly stretched (i.e., drawn) material. The calculated fiber profiles and the predicted dynamics of neck formation and growth are in good accord with familiar observations. A description is given of the circumstances under which one can use instantaneous (i.e., high speed) response functions to calculate fiber profiles in rapidly growing necks.
Difference points in reactive and extractive cascades, V: Determining reaction distribution from separatrix manifolds

The effect of reaction distribution policy on a reactive column profiles is analyzed. We find that the extent reaction on a single reactive stage can greatly influence the feasibility and termination of subsequent non-reactive stages. We develop a method to quantitatively predict when perturbing the amount of reaction on a single stage will subsequently force the column profile to become infeasible or otherwise fail to meet global design targets. To predict such behavior we rely on the map of stable invariant manifolds over the saddle branch of an isoreflux pinch point curve. We show how this method can be used to select reactive stages and distribute reaction over a column section profile to meet certain design criteria. We also show how this method can be used to find limits on overall extent reaction within a column or extent reaction on a single stage.
Relativity and electricity

Several facets of the special theory of relativity are reviewed, commencing with the Lorentz equations and culminating in the force transformation law. The basic equations of electrostatic theory are then formulated, after which a relativistic transformation of Coulomb's law is undertaken, the result being the Lorentz force law. Time-varying electric and magnetic fields are defined as constituent terms of the Lorentz force expression and are then shown to satisfy Maxwell's equations. The development includes derivations of the relativistic transformation laws for sources and fields.
Postsilicon Adaptation for Low-Power SRAM under Process Variation

Due to the high density requirement for embedded memories, such memories are highly vulnerable to process variation-induced failures. A conservative design approach can largely affect memory density and access performance. This article analyzes variation effects in SRAM and presents low-cost, adaptive postsilicon repair mechanisms.
Design, fabrication, and evaluation of on-chip micro-supercapacitors

Development of miniaturized electronic systems has stimulated the demand for miniaturized power sources that can be integrated into such systems. Among the different micro power sources micro electrochemical energy storage and conversion devices are particularly attractive because of their high efficiency and relatively high energy density. Electrochemical micro-capacitors or micro-supercapacitors offer higher power density compared to micro-batteries and micro-fuel cells. In this paper, development of on-chip micro-supercapacitors based on interdigitated C-MEMS electrode microarrays is introduced. C-MEMS electrodes are employed both as electrode material for electric double layer capacitor (EDLC) or as three dimensional (3D) current collectors of EDLC or pseudo-capacitive materials. Recent advancements in fabrication methods of C-MEMS based micro-supercapacitors are discussed and electrochemical properties of C-MEMS electrodes and it composites are reviewed.
NMR studies of glucose and alanine utilization and maternal-embryonic nutrient transfer in the smooth dogfish, Mustelus canis

Abstract Captive dogfish, Mustelus canis , were injected with saline containing 13 C-enriched alanine or glucose and permitted to metabolize labeled substrates. Blood plasma and other body fluids were analyzed using high field 13 C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Both injected glucose and alanine are converted to lactate with alanine conversion more rapid than that of glucose. 13 C-enriched alanine and lactate appear in intracapsular fluids after injection of 13 C-enriched alanine into the maternal blood vascular system. Studies involving the injection of 13 C-enriched nutrients into the maternal circulation can yield information on metabolite utilization and embryonic nutrition in viviparous matrotrophs.
The dielectric-filled tubular monopole

The integral equation for the current in a dielectric-filled tubular monopole when driven by a coaxial line with an assumed pure TEM mode is formulated and solved by a numerical method. It is found that when the dielectric-filled tube can support a TM 01 circular waveguide mode, the characteristics of the antenna are drastically different. In this case a very sharp resonance behavior is observed. The resonant length depends primarily on the properties of the internal waveguide mode rather than on the free-space behavior of the antenna.
The benchmark of Gutzwiller density functional theory in hydrogen systems

We propose an approximate form of the exchange-correlation energy functional for the Gutzwiller density functional theory. It satisfies certain physical constraints in both weak and strong electron correlation limits. We benchmark the Gutzwiller density functional approximation in the hydrogen systems, where the static correlation error is shown to be negligible. The good transferability is demonstrated by applications to the hydrogen molecule and some crystal structures. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2012
Design of density functionals that are broadly accurate for thermochemistry, thermochemical kinetics, and nonbonded interactions.

This paper develops two new hybrid meta exchange-correlation functionals for thermochemistry, thermochemical kinetics, and nonbonded interactions. The new functionals are called PW6B95 (6-parameter...
Interactions of weakly coordinating anions with tripalladium sandwich complexes

Abstract An understanding of the interaction of weakly coordinating ligands with zero-valent palladium complexes is of importance to understanding the potential catalytic mechanisms and properties of these complexes. We have used a combination of multi-nuclei NMR, microanalysis and single crystal X-ray diffraction to characterize a series of tripalladium ditropylium sandwich complexes that possess one or more triflate [CF3SO3]− ligands. The influence of the strong electronic effects on the triflate ligand cause a significant change in the internal bond lengths and angles of the complexes which are coupled to systematic shifts of the tropylium 1H and 13C resonances in the NMR spectra. The use of the Advanced Light Source (ALS) permitted crystallographic characterization of only the third example of a complex containing a Pd–FBF3 bond.
SU-E-I-24: Pediatric CT Effective Dose - A Comparison Between the MOSFET Method and the DLP Method

Purpose: The effective doses (ED) were compared between the MOSFET method and the DLP method for a variety of clinical CT scans. Methods: Two CTscanners (Manufacturer A and B) were used in this study. Organ doses were measured with MOSFET detectors. Twenty MOSFET detectors were inserted in the 5‐year‐old anthropomorphic phantom (CIRS, Norfork, VA). The calibration factor for each MOSFET was determined using equivalent CT beam quality of respective manufacturer separately. The phantom was scanned using head, chest, abdomen‐pelvis and chest‐abdomen‐pelvis protocols at our institution. CTDIvol and DLP were recorded from the scanner console display. The MOSFET method employed the ICRP 103 weighting factors to calculate ED; the DLP method used the AAPM 96 (2008) anatomy‐age specific k‐factors. Pediatric protocols except head used CTDIvol data from 32 cm CTDI phantom. For this reason a factor of approximately 2 was applied to the CTDIvol and DLP in body protocols. In addition, CTDIvol measurements were performed with a Piranha CT Dose Profiler (RTI, Fairfield, NJ). Results: The calculated ED from manufacturer A scans underestimated the ED for the head, chest, chest‐abdomen‐pelvis and abdomen‐pelvis scans by 133.27%, 55.84%, 30.24% and 19.13%, respectively. The calculated ED from manufacturer B scans underestimated the ED for the head by 85.66% and overestimated the ED for the chest, chest‐abdomen‐pelvis and the abdomen‐pelvis scans by 102.81%, 114.52% and 96.19%, respectively. The percent difference between console and measured CTDIvol ranged from 11.04% to 24.88% Conclusions: ED calculations from the DLP method differed grossly from the MOSFET method. Console displayed CTDIvol showed good agreement with measured values. One possible explanation for ED disagreement between the two methods may lie in inaccuracies of k‐factors. These k‐factors were computed from old Monte Carlo codes based on mathematical phantoms. Additionally, manufacturer specific conversion factors may need to be proposed. Funding for this research was provided by GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthcare.
Qualitative computing: Approaches and issues

This paper reviews three approaches to using computers to perform qualitative analysis. These approaches are distinguished by the way they represent knowledge in the computer—as text, things, or concepts—and the operations they permit on that knowledge. These approaches are compared and the advantages and disadvantages of each are identified based on the way they perform basic tasks of qualitative research. Finally, fundamental issues and problems likely to influence qualitative computing for years to come are discussed.
Kinetics of Endotoxin Release During Antibiotic Therapy For Experimental Gram-Negative Bacterial Sepsis

For study of the kinetics of endotoxin release from bacterial cells during therapy for gram-negative bacterial sepsis, serial blood samples were obtained from rabbits with Escherichia coli sepsis that were treated with either antibiotic or placebo. The concentrations of viable bacteria, free endotoxin, and total endotoxin in each blood sample were quantitated. In animals treated with placebo the concentration of free endotoxin was proportional to the level of bacteremia. In contrast, in animals treated with antibiotic the plasma levels of free endotoxin increased 10- to 2,000-fold, in spite of decreasing levels of bacteremia. Free endotoxin that was present in the plasma following antibiotic treatment appeared to be derived in part from the breakdown of circulating bacteria and in part from the disintegration of bacteria in tissues other than the blood. The results of this study demonstrate that significant amounts of endotoxin are released from bacterial cells following administration of antibiotics in vivo.
Ethnic Adaptations to Occupational Strain Work-Related Stress, Drinking, and Wife Assault Among Anglo and Hispanic Husbands

Previous research has established that both work stress and drinking are associated with increased risks for wife assaults. However, prior studies have not considered whether these relationships vary by ethnicity. This study used data from the 1992 National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey (NAFVS), a national household survey of 1,970 families including an oversample of Hispanic families, to examine relationships among several types of stressors associated with the workplace, heavy drinking, and wife assaults. The results show that Anglo and Hispanic husbands each experienced different types of work stress. In addition, Anglo and Hispanic husbands coped with those stressors differently. Among Hispanic husbands, all work stressors examined were associated with increased levels of both drinking and violence. In contrast, those same work stressors were associated with elevated levels of drinking, but not violence, among Anglos.
Financial Literacy 501

The articles in this special issue of The Journal of Consumer Affairs focus on financial literacy. The scope of the content spans conceptualization and measurement as well as factors influencing financial literacy and its impact. This editorial prelude suggests one way that educators might use this issue as well as a previous (Summer 2008) special issue of the journal that also focused on financial literacy.
Paleomagnetic stratigraphy and micropaleontology of three deep sea cores from the Central North Atlantic Ocean

Abstract The paleomagnetic stratigraphy of 3 deep sea cores from the central North Atlantic ocean indicates that sediments as old as 2 m.y. were recovered. In one of the cores, CHAIN 61 (171), the phylogenetic transition between Globorotalia tosaensis and Globorotalia truncatulinoides was observed within the Olduvai Normal Event. This evolutionary transition also occurs at the base of the Pleistocene in the holostratotype Calabrian of Italy. Assuming a constant sedimentation rate within the Olduvai polarity section of the core, an age of 1.85 m.y. for Plio/Pleistocene boundary is estimated. The major disappearance of discoasters occurs just above the base of the Pleistocene about 1.6 m.y. ago; discoasters were also found in a single sample within the Jaramillo Normal Event about 0.9 m.y. ago and are interpreted to result from sediment reworking. In all three cores a marked increase in abundance of Globorotalia inflata and Globorotalia hirsuta (cool water species) and a corresponding decrease of Globigerinoides ruber and Globigerinoides sacculifer (warm water species) is noted within the Jaramillo Normal Event at about 0.9 m.y. ago. This faunal change probably corresponds to a major cooling trend and may mark the initiation of Pleistocene glaciation in Europe and North America. These ‘absolute’ dates fit well in the recently estimated chronometric time scale of the Pleistocene in the type area.
Risk assessment for acid aerosols.

The author provides some insights from carcinogen risk assessment that apply to acid aerosols. The greatest need is to understand mechanisms of action as the basis for characterizing dose response relationships at low levels of exposure. Risk assessment is an orderly assembly of the evidence with some agreed upon guidelines as to how to make judgments about the nature (qualitative assessment) and magnitude (quantitative assessment) of health hazards. Risk assessment provides guidance for regulation, but the impetus for regulation comes from public pressure to remedy perceived health problems. There are some sharp contrasts between carcinogens and acid aerosols in terms of risk assessment and management. The regulatory objective for carcinogens is to diminish the tremendous load of cancer mortality as the second leading cause of death. In the case of acid aerosols, the regulatory objective is less pressing: to eliminate mortality among the moribund from heart and pulmonary disease and the prevention of acute impairments of pulmonary function and acute respiratory infections.
Formation of amorphous ice by careful annealing of ice XII

Thermally induced transformations of ice XII were characterized using the Raman spectra of the isolated O-D vibration of 5% HDO molecules in ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}\mathrm{O}$ ice XII. Spectra were collected continuously as samples were annealed between 77--160 K. Raman spectra first show a sharp peak centered on $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}=2424{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ from ice XII at 120 K. As the sample is further annealed isothermally at 120 K this peak broadens and shifts to higher frequency $\ensuremath{\Delta}\ensuremath{\nu}=2439{\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$ and full width at half maximum 65 ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}1}$, indicating the production of low-density amorphous ice by decompression amorphization. Ice $\mathrm{I}c$ is formed upon further annealing at 130--140 K. The local hydrogen bond strength of the resulting amorphous phase was found to be close to that of glassy water.
Perceived self-regulation of exercise goals and interfering goals among regular and irregular exercisers: A life space analysis

Abstract Objectives To investigate whether adults self-classified as regular and irregular exercisers tend to differentially perceive the self-regulation of their exercise goals (a between groups comparison) and whether the groups’ differ in their self-regulatory perceptions of an exercise goal versus a goal that strongly interferes with exercise (a within groups comparison). Designs Cross-Sectional Survey. Methods College students (N=399, 66% female), who were either regular or irregular exercisers, completed the Goal Systems Assessment Battery [GSAB; Karoly, P., & Ruehlman, L. S. (1995). Goal cognition and its clinical implications: Development and preliminary validation of four motivational assessment instruments. Assessment, 2, 113–129] for the goal of exercise and for a self-selected interfering goal. The GSAB gauges how individuals evaluate multiple functional components of self-regulation. Results A doubly multivariate MANOVA revealed a significant interaction between exercise regularity and goal type. Irregular exercisers manifested a pattern of goal regulatory thinking favoring their interfering goal relative to their exercise goal with respect to its value and the extent of their monitoring, planning, social comparison, and self-rewarding their progress toward that goal. Regular exercisers tended not to make such regulatory distinctions. Conclusions Although life pursuits identified as interfering with exercise (e.g. academic goals) generally require more of a psychological investment than engaging in exercise, regular exercisers tend to construe their physical activity goals in a manner that closely matches their ratings of competing life aspirations. A dual focus on exercise goals and their aspirational rivals may inform motivational theory and intervention.
Adhocracy in policy development

Abstract Since the 1930s, the president and other high officials frequently have used ad hoc organizations. The Hoover Commission, the Committee on Civil Rights, the Gaither Committee, the Scrowcroft Commission, and the Tower Commission are afew examples. The form may be called adhocracy. These temporary bodies build agendas, evaluate major blunders, resolve deadlocks, and even operate like regular agencies. The growth of adhocracy is a symptom of failure of the regular government and presents dangers of inadequacy, lack of accountability, and threats to democracy.
Distress, anxiety, depression, and emotional well-being in African-American men with prostate cancer

Objective: African-American men have an incidence rate of prostate cancer 60% higher than Caucasian men. Over one-quarter of men with prostate cancer experience significant distress, yet psychosocial research has rarely focused on African-American men. This study presents novel data on emotional well-being, distress, anxiety, and depression in African-American men with prostate cancer. Methods: This archival research combined two databases (N=385 and N=367) comprised of 55 African-American men with prostate cancer. Quality of life was assessed with the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy, distress was measured with the Distress Thermometer, and anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. African-American and Caucasian men were matched on age, education, and stage of disease, and compared on emotional well-being, distress, anxiety, and depression. Results: The mean age of the 55 African-American was 63 years old. In non-matched comparison, African-American men had elevated levels of distress, anxiety, and depression similar to Caucasian men. African-American men reported high levels of clinically significant distress (>31%) and anxiety (>23%). However, after matching the African-American and Caucasian men, African-American men reported higher mean scores on emotional well-being (p<0.05) and a lower percentage of African-American men displayed clinically significant depressive symptoms (p<0.05) compared with Caucasian men. Conclusions: After matching the sample, African-American men seem to display a sense of resilience, demonstrating greater emotional well-being and a lower incidence of clinically significant depressive symptoms, compared with Caucasian men. This is consistent with cross-cultural research outside of prostate cancer. Continued research is needed to further elucidate the concept of resiliency in African-American men with prostate cancer. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The Nehari problem in systems with distributed input delays is inherently finite dimensional

The Nehari problem is considered in the context of linear systems with distributed input (or, equivalently, output) lags. It is shown that both the computation of the optimal value and the parametrization of suboptimal solutions reduce to matrix computations in an associated undelayed Nehari problem. The solution is then given in terms of a system of Neutral type.
Sums of Gauss sums and weights of irreducible codes

We develop a matrix approach to compute a certain sum of Gauss sums which arises in the study of weights of irreducible codes. A lower bound on the minimum weight of certain irreducible codes is given.
Genetic analysis of the defectiveness in strain MC29 avian leukosis virus.

Abstract Avian myelocytomatosis virus MC29 is defective in replication. The extent of this defectiveness was analyzed in complementation experiments. Continuous nonproducer quail cell lines transformed by MC29 were superinfected with different helper viruses. Infectious MC29 pseudotypes were formed only with helper viruses which belonged to the avian leukosis-sarcoma virus complex, e.g., Rous-associated virus type 1 (RAV-1) or ring-necked pheasant virus (RPV). Helper viruses of other retroviral species, such as reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV), golden pheasant virus (GPV), or an amphotrophic murine leukemia virus (MuLV-1313), could not rescue MC29 from these nonproducer cells but complemented the envelope-defective Bryan high titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus. Host range and interference patterns of MC29 rescued from nonproducer cells indicated that the envelope specificity of the pseudotypes was determined exclusively by the activating helper virus. Cocultivation or Sendai virus-induced fusion of MC29 nonproducer cells with quail or chicken cells transformed by the defective Bryan high titer strain of Rous sarcoma virus did not result in complementation of the defects in either of the two viruses. Fluorescent antibody staining failed to detect virus-specific antigens at the surface of MC29 nonproducer cells. Temperature-sensitive mutants of Rous sarcoma virus with lesions in the genes coding for the RNA-directed DNA polymerase ( pol gene) or the nonglycosylated structural proteins ( gag gene) did not acquire wild-type characteristics when grown in MC29 nonproducer cells. It is concluded that MC29 is defective in all three genes essential for the replication of retroviruses, namely, env, pol , and gag .
The Formation of Reactive Oxygen Species Catalyzed by Neutral, Aqueous Extracts of NIST Ambient Particulate Matter and Diesel Engine Particles

It is important to characterize the chemical properties of particulate matter in order to understand how low doses, inhaled by a susceptible population, might cause human health effects. The formation of reactive oxygen species catalyzed by neutral, aqueous extracts of two ambient particulate samples, National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Standard Reference Materials (SRM) 1648 and 1649, and two diesel particulate samples, NIST SRM 1650 and SRM 2975, were measured. The formation of reactive oxygen species was estimated by measuring the formation of malondialdehyde from 2-deoxyribose in the presence of ascorbic acid; H2O2 was not added to this assay. SRM 1649, ambient particulate matter collected from Washington, DC, generated the most malondialdehyde, while SRM 2975, diesel particulate matter collected from a forklift, yielded the least amount. Desferrioxamine inhibited the formation of malondialdehyde from the particulate samples providing additional data to support the observation that transition metals were involved in the generation of reactive oxygen species. Six transition metal sulfates (iron sulfate, copper sulfate, vanadyl sulfate, cobalt sulfate, nickel sulfate, and zinc sulfate) were assayed for their ability to generate reactive oxygen species under the same conditions used for the particulate samples in order to facilitate comparisons between particles and these transition metals. The concentration of transition metals was measured in aqueous extracts of these particulate samples using ion-coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis. There was qualitative agreement between the concentrations of Fe, Cu, and V and the amount of malondialdehyde produced from extracts of these particulate samples. These data suggest that transition metals can be dissolved from particles in neutral, aqueous solutions and that these metals are capable of catalyzing the formation of reactive oxygen species.
Methods of deconditioning persisting avoidance: Response prevention and counterconditioning after extensive training

Rats were fixed with a chronically indwelling electrode for intracranial stimulation (ICS) of a site of stimulation that elicited positive affect. After recovery from surgery, each rat was forced to avoid or escape footshock for 100 trials/day for 10 days in an automated one-way avoidance chamber. After 1,000 trials, footshock was discontinued and trials measured to extinction. Between shock discontinuance and extinction trials, one group received time on the grid with the ledge removed, a response prevention treatment. Another group spent the same time in response prevention and also received periodic ICS, a counterconditioning treatment. A third group spent time outside the chamber, a no-treatment control. The group of counterconditioning responded reliably less during extinction. These data confirm the conclusion drawn from similar studies using only limited avoidance training that counterconditioning is a superior treatment for reducing persisting avoidance.
Red Aurora Seen at Ottawa

A DARK plum-red aurora was seen at Ottawa on March 23. Auroral displays occurred on March 23, 24 and 25, but were brightest and most active on March 23. On March 23 an aurora was first observed at 1915 hr. on 75th West Meridian Standard Time (that is, 5 hr. G.M.T.) and an active display continued for several hours. Between 1930 and 2030 a corona pattern persisted. The radiation point was near 5° south of zenith at the beginning and appeared to be displaced slightly eastward during the hour.
A Systems Approach to Resolving OR Conflict

Effective communication and courteous interaction with other hospital departments are essential for a smooth-running OR. To function effectively in a perioperative setting, OR personnel need patience, knowledge, and skill in problem-solving techniques. When health care employees are not taught these techniques and protocols are not in place to manage conflict, friction develops and productivity suffers. In this article, conflict situations between two hospital departments and on OR are presented to characterize successful conflict resolution methods using a systems approach. The results include reduction of surgical procedure delays, efficient ordering of supplies, and improved interpersonal relations.
Content aware video encoding for adaptive HTTP streaming

We evaluate the impact of content encoding and present an improved encoding scheme for preparation of video content for adaptive streaming over HTTP. Current solutions are content agnostic and do not take advantage of frame level information such as scene changes. Experiments show that by using our model we can achieve savings in bitrate of up to 15 percent for the same quality level. This reduction in bandwidth is significant for services such as such as Internet streaming which takes up most of the bandwidth in peak hours.
Race, Practice Behaviors and the NASW Code of Ethics

The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. While the code is relatively comprehensive, it is viewed as a set of guidelines, and social workers are not necessarily obligated to abide by the code. This study examines the perceptions of African American (n = 219), Asian American (n = 185), Hispanic (n = 185), and White (n = 502) social workers on the appropriateness of a variety of professional behaviors utilizing random samples from the NASW membership directory.
Nudity in the Art Training Process: An Essay with Reference to a Pilot Study

THIS PAPER reports some observations and findings resulting from a pilot study of the use of nude models posing for art classes. What happens, simply, is that for certain art classes it is thought desirable to employ persons who will model in the nude for the students in the course. When instruction of this type is offered, the college or university must employ such a model. In this paper we will discuss some of the problems of finding and maintaining him or her, and the conduct of the students and model toward one another. Statement of the Problem Sociologically, this study deals with an important aspect of all enduring social systems, viz., that of creating and maintaining appropriate motives of actors. This involves the attempt to make reasonably certain that the meanings of certain cues are appropriately interpreted and that actions based on them will result in the achievement of certain ends. Since many actions and action systems are based on long range goals, it is often not enough to ask, "What are the actors doing?" but, rather, "What do they intend to do by these actions?" There is a larger class of action patterns of which those under study here may be considered a part. They include all those cases in which an attempt is made to gain legitimacy for an action which is considered devalued, degraded, or immoral by designing it for the attainment for a higher end which is considered valued, elevated, or moral. This would
Interrelationship Between Plant Developmental Stage, Plant Growth Rate, Nitrate Utilization and Nitrogen Fixation in Hydroponically Grown Soybean

Imsande, J. 1988. Interrelationship between plant developmental stage, plant growth rate, nitrate utilization and nitrogen fixation in soybean.—J. exp. Bot. 39: 775-785. The growth rate of the indeterminate soybean plant [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] slows as it proceeds from vegetative phase into reproductive growth. Yet, the well-nodulated plant acquires most of its nitrogen during reproductive growth. Thus, the interrelationship between plant developmental stage and nitrogen fixation was examined. It is shown that, regardless of the age of the hydroponically grown soybean plant at the time of its inoculation with Bradyrhizobium japonicum, the highest rate of nitrogen fixation occurs during the pod-filling stage (R5). Nevertheless, maximum total nitrogen fixation is generally achieved when inoculation occurs at the full-bloom stage (R2). It is shown, however, that flower buds and flowering are not responsible for the enhanced nodulation and nitrogen fixation. Rather, the data suggest that the onset of rapid nodulation occurs soon after the initiation of the developmentally programmed drop in foliar nitrate reductase activity. The ensuing increase in nitrogen fixation provides the plant with much of its needed nitrogen and hence stimulates plant mass accumulation during pod-fill. It is suggested that nitrogen fixation enhances growth of the soybean plant by increasing its net photosynthetic efficiency during reproductive growth and by
Evaluation of advanced lubricants for aircraft applications using gear surface fatigue tests

Surface pitting fatigue life tests were conducted with five lubricants, using spur gears made from a single lot of consumable-electrode vacuum melted (CVM) AISI 9310 steel. The gears were case carbonized and hardened to a Rockwell c-60 and finish ground. The gear pitch diameter was 8.89 cm. The lot of gears was divided into five groups, each of which was tested with a different lubricant. The test lubricants can be classified as synthetic polyol-esters with various viscosities and additive packages. Test conditions included bulk gear temperature of 350 K, a maximum Hertz stress of 1.71 GPa (248 ksi) at the pitch line, and a speed of 10,000 RPM. The lubricant with a viscosity that provided a specific film thickness greater than one and with an additive package produced far greater gear surface fatigue lives than lubricants with a viscosity that provided specific film thickness less than one. A low viscosity lubricant with an additive package produced gear surface fatigue lives equivalent to a similar base stock lubricant with 30 percent higher viscosity, but without an additive package. Lubricants with the same viscosity and similar additive packages gave equivalent gear surface fatigue lives.
Seasonal and spatial variation in the stable isotopic composition (δ18O and δD) of precipitation in south Florida

Precipitation data collected from five sites in south Florida indicate a strong seasonal and spatial variation in δ18O and δD, despite the relatively limited geographic coverage and low-lying elevation of each of the collection sites. Based upon the weighted-mean stable isotope values, the sites were classified as coastal Atlantic, inland, and lower Florida Keys. The coastal Atlantic sites had weighted-mean values of δ18O and δD of −2.86‰ and −12.8‰, respectively, and exhibited a seasonal variation with lower δ18O and δD values in the summer wet-season precipitation (δ18O = −3.38‰, δD = −16.5‰) as compared to the winter-time precipitation (δ18O = −1.66‰, δD = −3.2‰). The inland site was characterized as having the highest d-excess value (+13.3‰), signifying a contribution of evaporated Everglades surface water to the local atmospheric moisture. In spite of its lower latitude, the lower Keys site located at Long Key had the lowest weighted-mean stable isotope values (δ18O = −3.64‰, δD = −20.2‰) as well as the lowest d-excess value of (+8.8‰). The lower δD and δ18O values observed at the Long Key site reflect the combined effects of oceanic vapor source, fractionation due to local precipitation, and slower equilibration of the larger raindrops nucleated by a maritime aerosol. Very low δ18O and δD values (δ18O < −6‰, δD < −40‰) were observed just prior to the passage of hurricanes from the Gulf of Mexico as well as during cold fronts from the north-west. These results suggest that an oceanic vapor source region to the west, may be responsible for the extremely low δD and δ18O values observed during some tropical storms and cold fronts.
Determination of Oxygen in Germanium by 3He Activation

The reactions 16O(3He, p) 18F and 12C(3He, 4He) 11C enable measurements of very small amounts of oxygen and carbon in a matrix of high atomic number. The products are positron emitters with convenient half lives of 110 minutes and 20.4 minutes, respectively. Germanium samples of various qualities were analyzed for oxygen and carbon using this technique in an attempt to establish a correlation between the level of these contaminants and the performance of the material in detector applications. The contaminant levels observed were surprisingly high (about 10 ppm) and little or no correlation was observed. The authors feel that the matrix of most germanium acts as a reservoir of oxygen of which only a small portion exists in states that are intimately coupled with the germanium so as to affect driftability or infrared absorption. * Work done under the auspices of the Atmonic Energy Commission, Contract W-7405-ENG-36.