cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Application of radio transmission phenomena to the problems of atmospheric electricity

While there is no novelty in the idea of inter-relation between the problems of radio transmission and of atmospheric electricity, nevertheless recent radio developments indicate definite hope that radio phenomena will shed considerable light on the things with which the student of atmospheric electricity concerns himself. The application of the radio phenomena to these problems is application to the underlying rather than to the immediate problems of atmospheric electricity and terrestial magnetism. Radio gives direct means of conducting controlled experiments on phenomena affected by the electrical conditions of the atmosphere, a means which is wholly impossible in the field of direct atmospheric-electric measurements. These means are being abundantly used. We are learning to select radio wave transmissions in particular directions, at particular times, and on particular frequencies, such as to produce an effect conditioned in a definite way upon electrical conditions in the atmosphere. Organization of such work is proceeding from the sporadic work of the individual to organized effort on a large scale.
A Modular, Digital Interface System Utilizing a Bus Structure

A modular bus oriented digital interface system has been designed and is being implemented for on-line data acquisition in low energy nuclear physics and related experiments. The structure of the system is similar in many ways to that of CAMAC, but differs specifically in that modular construction is simplified for rapid single unit fabrication and debug. The system will be used in conjunction with an EMR 6130 and an SDS 9300 digital computer.
Molecular cloning of the porcine inhibin-βB gene and reassignment to chromosome 15

Inhibins are gonadal glycoproteins belonging to the transforming growth factor-beta superfamily that act to suppress pituitary follicle stimulating hormone and are composed of a common alpha-subunit linked by disulphide bonds to either a betaA- or betaB-subunit. The porcine inhibin-alpha, -betaA (INHBA) and -betaB (INHBB) subunit genes have previously been mapped to chromosomes 15, 18 and 12, respectively. Over 6.7 kb of the INHBB gene was sequenced from a porcine genomic cosmid clone and found to contain two microsatellites, one in intron 1 and the other in the 3'-untranslated region. Both microsatellites mapped to pig chromosome 15 at relative position 48 cm. This sequence was greater than 99% identical to two previously reported partial non-contiguous cDNAs for porcine INHBB. Non-coding regions also had a high degree (79-88%) of identity with the corresponding regions of the human gene. Based on sequence information and mapping of two novel microsatellite markers, we reassigned porcine INHBB to chromosome 15, which is consistent with comparative physical and linkage maps of this chromosome and human chromosome 2.
Geochemistry of Apollo 15 Basalt 15555 and Soil 15531

Major and trace element concentrations have been determined by atomic absorption spectrophotometry, colorimetry, and isotope dilution in Apollo 15 mare basalt 15555 from the Hadley Rille area; trace element concentrations have also been determined in plagioclase and pyroxene separates from basalt 15555 and in soil 15531 from the same area. Basalt 15555 most closely resembles in composition the Apollo 12 olivine-rich basalts. The concentrations of lithium, potassium, rubidium, barium, rare-earth elements, and zirconium in basalt 15555 are the lowest, and the negative europium anomaly is the smallest, reported for lunar basalts; this basalt might be the least differentiated material yet returned from the moon. Crystallization and removal of about 6 percent of plagioclase similar to that contained in the basalt would account for the observed europium anomaly; if plagioclase is not on the liquidus of this basalt, a multistage origin is indicated. Mineral data indicate that plagioclase and pyroxene approached quasi-equilibrium. Most of the chemical differences between basalt 15555 and soil 15531 would be accounted for if the soil were a mixture of 88 percent basalt, 6 percent KREEP (a component, identified in other Apollo soils, rich in potassium, rare-earth elements, and phosphorus) and 6 percent plagioclase (anorthosite?).
Searching for Life Beyond Our Planet: Are We There Yet?

It has been 35 years since NASA undertook a bold journey, to search for life on another planet, by sending the Viking landers (Figure 1) to the surface of Mars. The general consensus was that both landers failed to find conclusive evidence of extant Martian organisms. NASA started the journey with the best car on the market, with the transmission in high gear, but after hitting a big bump in the road, it decided to downshift and take a closer look at the map. Subsequent studies focused on characterizing the physical, chemical, and geological environment on Mars today and in the past, before any more bold attempts were made to directly search for life. This led to an unanticipated but necessary detour that has provided us with some of the best highlights of the journey so far. Examples are the discovery of widespread secondary minerals that formed in the presence of liquid water, the detection of ground ice in the high latitudes of both hemispheres, including the polar caps, and the direct analysis of ground ice by the Phoenix mission in 2008. These research efforts have also allowed us to vastly improve the tools we now have at our disposal. But let there be no mistake: This detour was a necessary course of action, because it was futile to search for life on Mars without understanding the Martian environment.
Three-dimensional fluid microdrop interaction in the nucleation of raindrops☆

Abstract Computer modelling using classical molecular mechanics is used to simulate the nucleation of two microdrops of water. The process is a function of the relative velocities and separation distances of the drops. For relatively close drops, oscillating oblateness, elliptical and dumbbell modes are exhibited. For more widely separated drops, nucleation can proceed in stages which consist of relatively slow motion towards each other while maintaining sphericity, transition to oblateness, the development of arms, and a final cohesion with a loss of mass. Three-dimensional supercomputer simulations are described and discussed.
Biosynthesis of poly(γ-glutamylcysteinyl)glycines in cadmium-tolerant Datura innoxia (Mill.) cells

The presence of γ-carboxamide linkages in poly(γ-glutamylcysteinyl)glycines ((γEC)nG) suggests that these polypeptides are likely to be the products of a biosynthetic pathway. However, the in vivo deamidation of proteins can result in the introduction of γ-carboxamide linkages. Synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide sequences were therefore used as probes to hydridize to any mRNA sequences which could encode such proteins. These probes did not hybridize to any mRNA sequences from cells grown either in the presence or absence of Cd, confirming that these metal-binding polypeptides are not directly encoded by structural genes. The kinetics of induction of synthesis of (γEC)n G following exposure to Cd, was studied using reverse phase HPLC of extracts from cells grown in the presence of [35S]cysteine. These data indicate that the shorter polypeptides are substrates for the synthesis of longer forms. Induced synthesis of (γEC)2G and (γEC)3G was detected 5 min after exposure of cells to Cd. This rapid response implies that the pathway is regulated, at least initially, at a post-translational level. Observed insensitivity of this response to cycloheximide further supports this conclusion.
Automated optimized overlay sampling for high-order processing in double patterning lithography

A primary concern when selecting an overlay sampling plan is the balance between accuracy and throughput. Two significant inflections in the semiconductor industry require even more careful sampling consideration: the transition from linear to high order overlay control, and the transition to dual patterning lithography (DPL) processes. To address the sampling challenges, an analysis tool in KT-Analyzer has been developed to enable quantitative evaluation of sampling schemes for both stage-grid and within-field analysis. Our previous studies indicated (1) the need for fully automated solutions that takes individual interpretation from the optimization process, and (2) the need for improved algorithms for this automation; both of which are described here.
Comparison of 24-hour blood pressure profiles in patients with hypertension who were switched from amlodipine to nisoldipine

Study Objective. To compare 24-hour blood pressure control and adverse effects in patients with essential hypertension who were switched from amlodipine to nisoldipine. Design. Open-label, one-way crossover study. Setting. Cardiac clinic and patients' homes. Patients. Twenty-five patients with stage I or II essential hypertension stabilized with amlodipine for at least 3 months, of whom 21 patients completed the study. Intervention. All patients underwent 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring while receiving amlodipine 5 or 10 mg/day. Patients then were switched to nisoldipine 10 mg/day (≥ 65 yrs old) or 20 mg/day ( 0.05) in the 21 patients who completed the study, except for 24-hour diastolic pressure (p<0.05); however, this latter difference was only 2 mm Hg (nisoldipine 77 mm Hg, amlodipine 75 mm Hg). Conclusion. Both amlodipine and nisoldipine have similar 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure profiles. The frequency of lower extremity edema was no different after the switch to nisoldipine than when the patients were taking amlodipine.
Aerodynamics of horizontally-opposed aircraft engine installations

The goal of cooling installation design is to provide adequate cooling air flow to the engine with a minimum drag penalty. To achieve this goal, attention must be given to certain aerodynamic factors involved in the design problem. In the present paper, the factors which influence the aerodynamic design of horizontally-opposed engine cooling installations are discussed with particular reference to the performance of the aircraft in terms of the dynamic pressure generated for the power output of the engine, the gains or losses through the propeller, proper inlet design, altitude effects on the orifice characteristics of the engine, and exit area sizing. Results of a flight research program showed that the inlet design has a significant influence on cooling effectiveness and drag; the inlet should be designed for low velocity ratios and should avoid small radii of curvature in its geometry. The influence of the propeller on the inlet appears to cause the stagnation point on the lip to move toward the inside.
Dose-volume considerations with linear programming optimization.

A method of incorporating dose‐volume considerations within the framework of conventional linear programming is presented. This method is suitable for the optimization of beam weights and angles using a conformal treatment philosophy (i.e., tailoring the high‐dose region to the target volume only). Dose‐volume constraints are introduced using the concept that volumes of normal tissue nearer the target volume will be allowed higher dose constraints than volumes of normal tissue distal to the target volume. Each involved normal structure is divided into high‐dose and low‐dose volumes. These two volume partitions are represented by constraint points with either high‐dose or low‐dose constraints, respectively. Optimized treatment plans for three clinical sites demonstrate that this technique meets or surpasses the original dose‐volume constraints for a conformal‐type treatment plan using straightforward linear programming in a time frame that is comparable to other linear programming problems.
Effect of pressure on the rate of butyronitrile hydrolysis in high-temperature water

Abstract The reactions of butyronitrile were investigated in high-temperature water at 330 °C and various pressures ranging from 128 to 2600 bar. Residence times ranged from 5 to 180 min. The product spectrum included butanamide, butyric acid and ammonia; gas formation was negligible. A four-step autocatalytic rate model incorporating the product acid as the catalytic species fitted the data well. This allowed the estimation of apparent activation volumes for each of the reaction steps. These were in turn decomposed into electrostatic and non-electrostatic contributions. At the lowest pressure studied (128 bar), the electrostatic activation volume ΔV es ≠ was twice as large as the hydrostatic activation volume ΔV hs ≠ . These activation volumes were comparable in value at all other pressures studied.
Multiple Equilibrium Analysis Description of Adsorption on Na−Mordenite and H−Mordenite

Adsorption isotherms are reported for Na−mordenite and H−mordenite at several temperatures with a series of gas adsorptives above their critical temperature. The data sets are analyzed with the multiple equilibrium analysis (MEA) method [Drago, R. S.; et al. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 1998, 120, 538−547. Drago, R. S.; et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 7548−7555], which produces equilibrium constants (Ki), capacities (ni), and thermodynamic parameters (enthalpies, ΔHi, and entropies, ΔSi) of adsorption for each process. The limited pore size distribution present in the zeolite mordenite presents an interesting comparison to the amorphous carbons studied previously by MEA [Drago, R. S.; et al. J. Phys. Chem. B 1997, 101, 7548−7555]. The results of the MEA description of the adsorption data gathered for the interaction of an adsorbate (particularly, N2, CO, and Xe) with Na−mordenite and H−mordenite are compared to other literature reports (including infrared spectroscopic studies and Monte Carlo simulations), and go...
Toxicity of a sevoflurane degradation product incubated with rat liver and renal cortical slices.

Compound A (2-fluoromethoxy-1,1,3,3,3-pentafluoro-1-propene) is a degradation product of the anesthetic sevoflurane which is created in closed-circuit anesthetic machines. Past in vivo and in vitro...
Is routine infectious and toxicologic screening in preterm labor effective in predicting preterm birth

Objective Our objective was to evaluate whether a significant association exists between cocaine use, cervical, urine, and/or Group B streptococcus (GBS) infections and preterm birth (PTB) in patients admitted with active preterm labor (PTL). Study Design A retrospective cohort study of PTL patients Results The percentage of patients that delivered at Conclusion This laboratory test panel is not an effective adjunctive means to predict PTB in PTL patients.
Island perturbation to the sky radiance over the ocean: simulations.

Sky-radiance measurements at the sea surface can be used to estimate radiative properties of aerosols over water. We demonstrate, through Monte Carlo simulations, that significant perturbations to sky radiance over the ocean can occur when measurements are carried out with radiometers located on islands. In particular, we present examples of the influence of the physical and optical thicknesses of an aerosol layer, the azimuth of observation relative to the Sun, the size of the island, the location of the radiometer on the island, and the albedo of the island on the magnitude of the perturbation for a circular island of uniform albedo. Relative errors in sky radiance of as high as 39% were found in the blue. Simulated (perturbed) sky radiances were combined with an algorithm for retrieving the aerosol phase function P(Θ), where Θ is the scattering angle, and with the single-scattering albedo ω0, to demonstrate how the perturbation can influence the retrieved values. It was found that the fractional error in the retrieved values of the product ω0P(Θ) can be significantly greater than the fractional error in the sky radiance, because of the effects of multiple scattering. This underscores the importance of removing the island perturbation before an inversion algorithm is used. A first-order procedure for removing the island perturbation based on the values of ω0P(Θ) retrieved from the perturbed sky radiance is proposed and is found to be effective if the island perturbation is not too large. A simplified Monte Carlo procedure that is applicable to an island of arbitrary shape and albedo distribution is presented. The procedure could be used to assess the suitability of a given island as a measurement site, and to provide a first-order correction to actual experimental measurements.
Sticks and Stones may Break Your Bones, but Words can Break Your Spirit: Bullying in the Workplace

Workplace bullying has a well-established body of research internationally, but the United States has lagged behind the rest of the world in the identification and investigation of this phenomenon. This paper presents a managerial perspective on bullying in organizations. The lack of attention to the concept of workplace dignity in American organizational structures has supported and even encouraged both casual and more severe forms of harassment that our workplace laws do not currently cover. The demoralization victims suffer can create toxic working environments and impair organizational productivity. Some methods of protecting your organization from this blight of bullying are proposed. Bullying has always been part of the human condition; history is rife with references to abuse of power and unnecessary or excessive force. The classic bully story is of Joseph and his brothers, a tale of envy and hostility. The refinement of bullying to include various forms of legally defined social harassment is a relatively late phenomenon, however, dating to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. In the United States, bullying is not illegal, whereas it is illegal in many other countries. Bullying is not about benign teasing, nor does it include the off-color jokes, racial slurs, or unwelcome advances that are the hallmarks of legally defined harassment. Workplace bullying is the pattern of destructive and generally deliberate demeaning of co-workers or subordinates that reminds us of the activities of the schoolyard bully. Unlike the schoolyard bully, however, the workplace bully is an adult, usually (but not always) aware of the impact of his or her behavior on others. Bullying in the workplace, often tacitly accepted by the organizational leadership, can create an environment of psychological threat that diminishes corporate productivity and inhibits individual and group commitment. The two examples that follow will help to clarify the difference between harassment and bullying.
Finite-temperature properties of the planar ferromagnetic xxz chain

We present analytic weak-coupling and numerical finite-chain results for the specific heat, the longitudinal zero-field susceptibility, and the longitudinal dynamic form factor of the planar ferromagnetic $\mathrm{xxz}$ chain at finite temperatures. It is shown that the "bound state" probed by the dynamic form factor ${S}_{\mathrm{zz}}(q,\ensuremath{\omega})$ within the Hartree-Fock approximation has to be interpreted as the first moment of ${S}_{\mathrm{zz}}$ of the states lying above the continuum appearing in the isotropic $\mathrm{xy}$ model.
Comment on Kirk McClure's “Are low-income housing tax credit developments locating where there is a shortage of affordable units?”

McClure does a good job of describing the history, scope, magnitude, and significance of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program. McClure's investigation is based on identifying the location of LIHTC units placed in service from 2000 through 2004 by census tract. From these data McClure concludes that the state Housing Finance Agencies are not directing LIHTC allocations to areas where either a shortage or small number of affordable units exists. This comment will focus on the three aspects of the affordability criteria and tract-level census data that raise some questions about whether such strong conclusions are justified: (1) Units classified as affordable that may not actually be available to low-income renters, (2) Units classified as affordable that may be physically inadequate, and (3) The limitations of census tracts as units of analysis.
Class prediction and discovery using gene microarray and proteomics mass spectroscopy data: curses, caveats, cautions.

Motivation: Tw op ractical realities constrain the analysis of microarray data, mass spectra from proteomics, and biomedical infrared or magnetic resonance spectra. One is the ‘curse of dimensionality’: the number of features characterizing these data is in the thousands or tens of thousands. The other is the ‘curse of dataset sparsity’: the number of samples is limited. The consequences of these two curses are far-reaching when such data are used to classify the presence or absence of disease. Results: Using very simple classifiers, we show for several publicly available microarray and proteomics datasets how these curses influence classification outcomes. In particular, even if the sample per feature ratio is increased to the recommended 5–10 by feature extraction/reduction methods, dataset sparsity can render any classification result statistically suspect. In addition, several ‘optimal’ feature sets are typically identifiable for sparse datasets, all producing perfect classification results, both for the training and independent validation sets. This non-uniqueness leads to interpretational difficulties and casts doubt on the biological relevance of any of these ‘optimal’ feature sets. We suggest an approach to assess the relative quality of apparently equally good classifiers.
Revision and validation of Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale)

AbstractBackground:Medication non-adherence is a complex phenomenon that requires tailored interventions to improve it. A new self-reported measure of medication non-adherence was previously reported based on the commonly reported reasons underlying non-adherence with the intention to match the items in the scale with tailored interventions.Objective:The objectives were to revise the original Medication Adherence Reasons Scale (MAR-Scale) based on expert opinion and cognitive interviewing, and establish the psychometric properties of the revised scale.Methods:A cross-sectional design was used in cholesterol lowering and asthma maintenance medications in collaboration with an integrated medical center in the Mountain West. In the first phase, the original MAR-Scale was revised based on expert opinion and cognitive interviewing. In the second phase, the revised MAR-Scale was tested for psychometric properties in a random sample of 350 subjects on each medication.Results:Revisions based on expert opinion inc...
Observations on the practice of clinical nutrition in hospitals in China.

Observations and interaction with physicians and surgeons in four Chinese medical institutions visited during 1983 are discussed in three broad areas: (1) teaching activities and discussions comparing modern Western theory and practice in clinical nutrition with that in China; (2) clinical rounds involving discussion of the nutritional problems of patients with a variety of diseases; (3) a survey of hospital nutrition support practices in China. Difficulties in auditing the prevalence of hospital-associated malnutrition in these hospitals are discussed. Controlled, independent observations are required to estimate the incidence of hospital-associated malnutrition in China. While clinical nutrition has received little attention in medical training in China, the Chinese are eager for more educational input. (Journal of Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 8:628-631, 1984)
Shea Butter Republic: State Power, Global Markets, and the Making of an Indigenous Commodity (review)

Brenda Chalfin. Shea Butter Republic: State Power, Global Markets, and the Making of an Indigenous Commodity. New York: Routledge, 2004. xx + 295 pp. Photographs. Tables. Maps. Bibliography. Index. $ 33.95. Paper. This book is the study of an encounter between the global market and a highly robust regional commodity, one that may be something of a mystery to the general reader but well-known to the people of the West African savanna or to expatriates who have conducted research there. "Shea butter" (known in Francophone countries as karite) is the tropical oil that local women produce every year in tens of thousands of tons, following more or less traditional techniques, from the fruit of the ecological wonder, the spontaneously growing shea tree (Butyrospermum parkii, alternatively paradoxum). In what Chalfin calls a "forceful intersection of distinct economic formations" (6), women play a preponderant role, certainly on the African side, but increasingly also on the "global" side, as international demand for shea shifts to beauty products with exotic ingredients, in addition to moderately priced chocolate. In the first chapter Chalfin describes the production and sale of shea oil in northern Ghana, its fit with the farming economy, and the older patterns of commoditization. The role of women comes out clearly in this discussion-as gatherers of the fruit, processors of the nut, extractors of the oil, and finally sellers of the product and also intermediate merchants bulking it, distributing it regionally, and supplying the cities. The second chapter focuses on the impact of colonial policies after 1901, which aimed to foster exports and produced mountains of technical research but ultimately foundered on the economic crises of the 1930s. Part of the problem was that shea is a high-value product; it cannot be supplied cheaply because of a resilient regional demand with which the export market has to contend. Chalfin demonstrates that unsteady state intervention reflected shifting agendas and an uneasy relationship between colonial government and private capital. Fast forward to the 1980s reform period in chapter 3. J. J. Rawlings's government was torn between its populist promises to expand the shea trade and pressures of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank to withdraw from the economy in order to qualify for vitally needed loans. The shea industry became the sacrificial victim the Ghanaian state led to the altar of structural adjustment in order to save some control over the much more important cocoa marketing. Chapter 4 situates shea oil in international trade and includes a discussion of the European Union "chocolate wars." African cocoa-producing countries united to influence these European debates and prevent the relaxation of chocolate purity standards, which would have resulted in greater use of additions such as shea oil. …
Stereoelectronic effects on product formation from the E- And Z-isomers of η1,η3-vinyl carbene complexed intermediates in the reactions of Fischer Carbene complexes with alkynes

The reactions of 2-dihydropyranyl(methoxy)methylene pentacarbonyl chromium 19 with the series of five acetylenic ketones CH3(CH2)2C⋮C(O)(p-X−C6H4) 26 (X = CF3, Cl, H, OCH3, NMe2) gave a mixture of phenol and lactone products. The most electron-rich alkyne (X = NMe2) gave a greater proportion of the phenol product 27 (81:19), and the most electron-poor alkyne (R = CF3) gave the lactone 28 as the major product (64:36). Since the lactone product must come from a Z-isomer of a vinyl carbene complexed intermediate and the phenol product must come an E-isomer, this reveals that the stereochemistry of the reactive intermediates involved can be influenced by electronic effects of the substituents on the alkyne. A similar set of experiments with 3-hexyn-2-one 20 and the series of five phenoxy carbene complexes (CO)5CrC(C5H6O)O(p-X−C6H4) 29 (X = CF3, Cl, H, OCH3, NMe2) produced the opposite result, where predominantly the phenol product was produced from the most electron-poor carbene complex (X = CF3) and for the ...
Assessment of torsion after superior rectus transposition with or without medial rectus recession for Duane syndrome and abducens nerve palsy.

Background Superior rectus transposition with or without medial rectus recession has been advocated for the treatment of abducens nerve palsy and esotropic Duane syndrome. Early reports have focused mainly on postoperative ocular alignment, but there is concern that superior rectus transposition may induce torsional misalignment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate torsional outcomes after superior rectus transposition surgery using prospective preoperative and postoperative torsional assessments. Methods Prospective measurements were performed on all patients undergoing superior rectus transposition. Preverbal infants were assessed using fundus torsion evaluating the position of the fovea relative to the optic nerve; older children/adults underwent double Maddox rod (DMR) assessment of torsion. Results A total of 11 subjects met the study inclusion criteria. The etiology of strabismus was an abducens nerve palsy (n = 7) or Duane syndrome (n = 4). For the subjects evaluated by fundus torsion (n = 4), there was no significant change in torsion for 3 (75%). For those subjects undergoing DMR (n = 7), there was a significant change in subjective torsion (4.7 ± 3.8°excyclotorsion vs 0.0° ± 5.0° excyclotorsion; P = 0.004). Esotropic deviation improved significantly for all subjects (39 Δ ± 23 Δ vs 6.5 Δ ± 13 Δ ; P = 0.001) and no significant mean vertical deviation postoperatively, although 1 patient had a clinically significant postoperative hypertropia measuring 14 Δ . Abduction also improved significantly (−4.2 ± 0.9 vs −2.8 ± 1, P = 0.0001). Conclusions In this patient series, superior rectus transposition with medial rectus recession did not have clinically significant induction of torsional diplopia as a result of the procedure.
The transmethylation hypotheses of schizophrenia re-evaluated

There are currently two separate ‘transmethylation' hypotheses of schizophrenia. The original hypothesis, dating from 1952, suggested that the disease might be due to the production in the brain of psychotomimetic methylated derivates of catecholamines or indolealkylamines. However, years of intensive search have failed to provide evidence to support this theory. The second hypothesis, more appropriately known as the ‘one-carbon cycle hypothesis', dating from 1963, suggests some basic fault in the transmethylation mechanism, i.e. the one-carbon cycle itself. Recent research has produced evidence to support an under-activity of this system in schizophrenia and depression, and a possible over-activity in mania. Transmethylation mechanisms are now becoming important as control systems for the brain: in particular, in coupling receptors to adenylate cyclase (lipid methylation); neurotransmitter release, aspects of chemotactic behavior and dopamine receptors (carboxymethylation); and gene expression (nucleic acid methylation). A basic fault or faults in this system might be expected to have widespread results.
Cystoscopic light test to aid in the differentiation of high-grade pelvic organ prolapse

It remains quite difficult to distinguish a high-grade cystocele from an enterocele or high rectocele on the basis of physical examination findings alone. We have employed the use of a cystoscopic light test during preoperative or intraoperative endoscopy to assist in differentiating these entities.
A comparison of a centralized versus de-centralized recruitment schema in two community-based participatory research studies for cancer prevention

Use of community-based participatory research (CBPR) approaches is increasing with the goal of making more meaningful and impactful advances in eliminating cancer-related health disparities. While many reports have espoused its advantages, few investigations have focused on comparing CBPR-oriented recruitment and retention. Consequently, the purpose of this analysis was to report and compare two different CBPR approaches in two cancer prevention studies. We utilized frequencies and Chi-squared tests to compare and contrast subject recruitment and retention for two studies that incorporated a randomized, controlled intervention design of a dietary and physical activity intervention among African Americans (AA). One study utilized a de-centralized approach to recruitment in which primary responsibility for recruitment was assigned to the general AA community of various church partners whereas the other incorporated a centralized approach to recruitment in which a single lay community individual was hired as research personnel to lead recruitment and intervention delivery. Both studies performed equally well for both recruitment and retention (75 and 88 % recruitment rates and 71 and 66 % retention rates) far exceeding those rates traditionally cited for cancer clinical trials (~5 %). The de-centralized approach to retention appeared to result in statistically greater retention for the control participants compared to the centralized approach (77 vs. 51 %, p < 0.01). Consequently, both CBPR approaches appeared to greatly enhance recruitment and retention rates of AA populations. We further note lessons learned and challenges to consider for future research opportunities.
Thermoluminescent response and the effect of exposure order from mixed photon and proton irradiations

Abstract Two types of thermoluminescent dosimeters (TLDs): Harshaw LiF:Mg,Ti (TLD-100) and CaF 2 :Tm (TLD-300) were investigated for their glow curve responses to separate, mixed field, and simultaneous X-ray and proton irradiations. All TLDs were exposed to X-rays produced by a 30 keV, 0.2 mA electron beam, X-ray tube source. TLD-100 detectors were exposed to 2.5 MeV protons and the TLD-300 detectors were exposed to 4 MeV protons. The following five separate irradiation schemes were used: only X-ray, only proton, first X-ray then proton, first proton then X-ray, and simultaneous X-ray and proton beam exposures. Computerized glow curve deconvolution based on first order TL kinetics was used to analyze the resulting glow curves for any differences in shape and TL efficiency due to order of exposure. We found no significant differences in glow curve shape or magnitude attributable to radiation exposure order.
A Dramatic Method to Demonstrate Concurrent Engineering in the Classroom

Conceptualizing concurrent engineering is an easy task for students, usually. However, they find it difficult to understand the forces preventing concurrent engineering from being supported. In fact, concurrent engineering can seem like common sense, until students experience this exercise. After the exercise, students often have a much greater appreciation for the difficulties and the degree of advantage posed by the use of concurrent engineering.
Nonlinear system identification

This paper provides an overview of nonlinear system identification methodologies. The theory and application of nonlinear system identification is vast, and this overview is not intended to be comprehensive. Rather, the attempt here is to illustrate some of the salient features and key aspects of nonlinear system identification, especially those most relevant to the practitioner. In particular, this overview focuses on important issues in nonlinear system idenfication that differ from those encountered in linear system identification, including tests for nonlinearity, model selection, and input signal considerations.
Influence of low temperature preincubation on somatic embryogenesis and ethylene emanation from orchardgrass leaves

The objectives of this study were to determine the effects of low temperature (4 degrees C) preincubation on somatic embryogenesis from orchardgrass (Dactylis glomerata L.) leaf cultures and to relate these effects to ethylene emanation during the preincubation and incubation periods. Experiments were also conducted with an ethylene biosynthesis inhibitor aminooxyacetic acid (AOA). Segments from the innermost two leaves were cultured on SH medium with 30 micromoles dicamba at 4 degrees C for 1 to 7 d before transfer to 21 degrees C. Results from a paired design showed that the embryogenic response of leaf segments preincubated at 4 degrees C was equal or superior to nonpreincubated leaves at all time periods. Ethylene emanation was decreased during the low temperature incubation. Transfer of leaf segments from 4 degrees C to 21 degrees C was accompanied by a burst of ethylene which rose to control levels within 30 min. AOA at 20 and 40 micromoles decreased ethylene emanation but did not stimulate the embryogenic response. We conclude that the stimulation of somatic embryogenesis by low temperature is probably due to factors other than suppression of ethylene biosynthesis.
Gene transcription during exposure to, and recovery from, cold and desiccation stress in Drosophila melanogaster

We exposed adult male Drosophila melanogaster to cold, desiccation or starvation, and examined expression of several genes during exposure and recovery. Frost was expressed during recovery from cold, and was up-regulated during desiccation. Desiccation and starvation (but not cold) elicited increased expression of the senescence-related gene smp-30. Desat2 decreased during recovery from desiccation, but not in response to starvation or cold. Hsp70 expression increased after 1 h of recovery from cold exposure, but was unchanged in response to desiccation or starvation stress, and Hsp23 levels did not respond to any of the stressors. We conclude that D. melanogaster's responses to cold and desiccation are quite different and that care must be taken to separate exposure and recovery when studying responses to environmental stress.
A Phase Response Curve to Single Bright Light Pulses in Human Subjects

The circadian pacemaker is differentially sensitive to the resetting effects of retinal light exposure, depending upon the circadian phase at which the light exposure occurs. Previously reported human phase response curves (PRCs) to single bright light exposures have employed small sample sizes, and were often based on relatively imprecise estimates of circadian phase and phase resetting. In the present study, 21 healthy, entrained subjects underwent pre- and post-stimulus constant routines (CRs) in dim light (approximately 2-7 lx) with maintained wakefulness in a semi-recumbent posture. The 6.7 h bright light exposure stimulus consisted of alternating 6 min fixed gaze (approximately 10 000 lx) and free gaze (approximately 5000-9000 lx) exposures. Light exposures were scheduled across the circadian cycle in different subjects so as to derive a PRC. Plasma melatonin was used to determine the phase of the onset, offset, and midpoint of the melatonin profiles during the CRs. Phase shifts were calculated as the difference in phase between the pre- and post-stimulus CRs. The resultant PRC of the midpoint of the melatonin rhythm revealed a characteristic type 1 PRC with a significant peak-to-trough amplitude of 5.02 h. Phase delays occurred when the light stimulus was centred prior to the critical phase at the core body temperature minimum, phase advances occurred when the light stimulus was centred after the critical phase, and no phase shift occurred at the critical phase. During the subjective day, no prolonged 'dead zone' of photic insensitivity was apparent. Phase shifts derived using the melatonin onsets showed larger magnitudes than those derived from the melatonin offsets. These data provide a comprehensive characterization of the human PRC under highly controlled laboratory conditions.
Prevention of Adolescent Drug Abuse

The prevention of drug abuse has been of public concern since the mid-1960s. Research efforts to document program effectiveness have met with relatively little success. Past research efforts are reviewed. Research on social pressures and social skills training approaches to smoking prevention is reviewed in detail because of the promise these approaches hold for the prevention of drug abuse. Future research needs are identified.
But I Could Be Wrong

My aim in this essay is to explore the implications of the fact that even our most deeply held moral beliefs have been profoundly affected by our upbringing and experience—that if any of us had had a sufficiently different upbringing and set of experiences, he almost certainly would now have a very different set of moral beliefs and very different habits of moral judgment. This fact, together with the associated proliferation of incompatible moral doctrines, is sometimes invoked in support of liberal policies of toleration and restraint, but the relevance of these considerations to individual moral deliberation has received less attention. In Sections II through V, I shall argue that this combination of contingency and controversy poses a serious challenge to the authority of our moral judgments. In Section VI, I shall explore a promising way of responding to this challenge.
A controlled trial of photochemotherapy for persistent palmoplantar pustulosis

Twenty-two patients with bilaterally symmetrical persistent palmoplantar pustulosis were treated on one randomly selected side with oral psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet light. The treated side cleared completely in twelve patients, almost cleared in five patients and improved in four. One patient improved on both sides. Fifteen of the twenty-two patients were then treated with topical psoralen and long-wave ultraviolet light on the side that had previously been used as a control. Similar results were obtained. Seven patients cleared completely, six patients were much improved and two were improved. These results are significantly different from those liable to occur by chance (P < 0.001).
The long-term effectiveness of a radiology memorandum

Rationale and Objectives. This informal prospective study was designed to document the long-term effectiveness of a radiology departmental policy memorandum as a communication tool. A memorandum outlining the departmental policy regarding radiographic imaging of pregnant or possibly pregnant patients served as the study model. Methods. A departmental obstetric policy memorandum was distributed to all radiology personnel, including faculty and residents. The effectiveness of the memorandum was measured by the ability of all department personnel to answer specific test questions about the policy 1 year after its distribution. Results. Nine (41%) in the faculty/fellow group and seven (41%) residents gave partially correct answers about policy content. There were no totally correct policy content answers in either group. Thirty-eight (64%) of the technology staff knew the entire policy content. Conclusion. Staff radiologists, fellows, and residents demonstrated an unacceptable level of knowledge concerning the policy content and location. Technologists, technology students, and clerks demonstrated a more acceptable level of knowledge of the policy than did radiologists. A single memorandum without repetition or constant surveillance is not an effective communication tool to alert radiologists to the importance of understanding and implementing policy directives.
Wildlife and greenspace planning in medium-scale residential developments

Abstract The spatial arrangement of woody vegetation in residential developments from 40 to 1000 ha is analyzed in terms of the “species-area curve” and other principles of island biogeography. These principles, which predict the number of wildlife species which will occur in an area as a function of the size, shape and distribution of vegetation patches in the area, promise to be a powerful tool in greenspace planning. Using birds as an example, we examine some of the trade-offs among wildlife, visual and recreational amenities which are associated with three different approaches to the arrangement of a given amount of greenspace. These three approaches are examined both at the scale of small and large subdivisions and at a micro-regional scale of 10 km2.
Usefulness of Catheter Angiography in the Evaluation of Common Carotid Artery Origin Occlusion

Currently, catheter angiography is seldom used to evaluate occlusive cervical carotid disease after stroke. Despite the use of a variety of noninvasive tests, only cerebral angiography could document both carotid bifurcation patency and anterograde flow of the internal carotid artery intracranially in two patients with common carotid artery origin occlusion. These findings significantly influenced each patient's treatment. Common carotid artery origin occlusion represents one potential indication for catheter angiography.
A plant malonyl-CoA synthetase enhances lipid content and polyketide yield in yeast cells

Malonyl-CoA is the essential building block of natural products such as fatty acids, polyketides, and flavonoids. Engineering the biosynthesis of fatty acids is important for biofuel production while that of polyketides provides precursors of medicines and nutritional supplements. However, microorganisms maintain a small amount of cellular malonyl-CoA, which could limit production of lipid and polyketides under certain conditions. Malonyl-CoA concentration is regulated by multiple pathways and signals, and changes in intracellular malonyl-CoA often lead to complex alterations in metabolism. In the present work, overexpression of a plant malonyl-CoA synthetase gene (AAE13) in Saccharomyces cerevisiae resulted in 1.6- and 2.4-fold increases in lipid and resveratrol accumulation simultaneously. We also demonstrated that AAE13 partially complemented the temperature-sensitive acc1 mutant, replacing this key enzyme in central metabolism. Mechanistic analysis by CoA quantification and transcriptomic measurement suggested that increases in malonyl-CoA concentration were coupled with drastic reductions in other major CoA compounds and clear suppression of tricarboxylic acid cycle-related genes. These results suggest that malonyl-CoA is a critical target for fatty acid and polyketide engineering and that overexpression of malonyl-CoA synthetic enzymes needs to be combined with upregulation of CoA synthesis to maintain metastasis of central metabolism.
An investigation of a surface drift current return pipe system for application on salt gradient solar ponds

Abstract Based on the premise that wind-induced mixing could be the factor that limits the size of salt gradient solar ponds, this paper explores the notion of returning surface drift currents in pipes from the downwind end to the upwind end of the pond. An unstratified constant density pond subjected to a steady wind is assumed. A mathematical model is developed to predict the effect of such a pipe return system on drift and circulation currents. In an experimental study conducted in Utah State University's wind tunnel, set-up was measured on a shallow unstratified body of water to exposed wind at various speeds. The tests confirm that set-up may persist even when waves are suppressed. Circulation currents could be virtually eliminated with the return pipe system, but surface drift currents are increased. Larger scale tests on stratified ponds are needed.
Size of rings in two dimensions

The authors report enumeration results for the radius of gyration and caliper size distribution of self-avoiding unrooted polygons of up to 28 steps, on the square lattice. The (second moment) radius of gyration series is sufficiently smooth to allow verification of the theoretical prediction v(rings)=v(walks) to 0.2% accuracy.