cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A Mind Is a Terrible Thing to Erase: Black Students' Underrepresentation in Gifted Education.

In virtually every school district nationally, Black students are underrepresented in gifted education programs, including advanced placement (AP) classes. This underrepresentation exists regardless of grade level and school type. Building on a previous publication, this article addresses a central question in gifted education: Why does underrepresentation among Black students persist in gifted education despite efforts to rectify the problem? The authors review factors affecting this stubborn and pervasive educational, social, and moral issue and outline recommendations for both the recruitment and retention of African American students in gifted education. The authors' major premise is that educators' deficit orientation about African American students has a direct and profound impact on these students' being able to gain admission to gifted programs. The authors contend that educators must move beyond a deficit orientation to that of dynamic thinking if underrepresentation is to be reduced; dynamic thi...
Anthropometry and high-speed elbow flexor performance

To examine the anthropometry-performance relationship from high-speed elbow flexor resistive exercise, subjects (n = 73) made three laboratory visits spaced approximately one week apart. Per subject six anthropometric variables were collected: height, mass, body mass index, as well as total, upper and lower arm lengths. Workouts entailed two 60-second sets of elbow flexor (curling) repetitions; mean acceleration and mean torque were measures and averaged from each set. With each of those measurements as criterion variables, multivariate regression utilized the six anthropometric indices to act as predictors of the performance-related variance. Per multivariate analysis, current results failed to demonstrate a significant (P > 0.05) anthropometric-performance relationship. While prior work noted strong relationships, the lack of current study statistical significance may be a function of multiple factors that could include heterogeneity of our sample and the inherent variability seen with high-speed resistive exercise.
Lumbar disc excision and cesarean delivery during the same anesthesia. A case report.

Low-back pain is common during pregnancy, particularly in the third trimester1. While the prevalence of symptomatic lumbar disc herniation is rare (approximately one in 10,000 pregnancies), cauda equina syndrome due to lumbar disc herniation during pregnancy is even rarer2-6. We are aware of only two case reports of this diagnostic combination in the medical literature. In one of these reports, a twenty-nine-year-old woman underwent an L5-S1 discectomy in her twenty-fourth week of pregnancy6. At the six-week postoperative follow-up examination, she had mildly decreased sensation in the sacral area but no pain or urinary retention. In their case series of three patients, Brown and Levi4 described one patient with cauda equina syndrome and two patients with a severe neurologic deficit due to lumbar disc herniation during pregnancy. All three patients demonstrated a substantial decrease in symptoms following disc surgery during pregnancy, and all delivered full-term healthy babies. Cauda equina syndrome due to lumbar disc herniation presents a medical emergency that requires immediate surgery to avoid possible permanent sequelae7,8. Emergency surgery in the pregnant patient may be performed safely during any stage of gestation9. This case report describes a thirty-five-year-old woman with cauda equina syndrome who underwent a cesarean delivery under general anesthesia, followed immediately by disc excision. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of same-anesthesia cesarean delivery and disc excision to be reported in the medical literature. …
The hydrodynamics of inelastic granular systems

The hydrodynamic equations for a system of inelastic granular particles are derived from first principles of statistical mechanical theory by applying projection operator techniques. An effective Liouvillian operator for the granular distribution function is derived by exploiting the fact that each granular particle has many interacting internal degrees of freedom which remain at equilibrium at a temperature T and provide a sink for the translational relative momenta of the inelastic granular system. The nonlinear hydrodynamic equations for the granular system are obtained following projection operator techniques developed by Levine and Oppenheim. The resulting equations are similar to the ordinary hydrodynamic equations but contain additional terms due to the fact that translational energy is not conserved in collisions between the granular particles. The solutions to the linearized equations are also analyzed in different regimes comparing the additional terms due to the inelasticity of collisions with the magnitude of the gradients of the system.
Online Professional Development for K-12 Educators: Benefits for School Districts with Applications for Community College Faculty Professional Development

Hillsborough Community College's IT3-Professional Development Services makes available to educators in the school district of Hillsborough County a series of online courses focused on professional development. The program boasts a retention rate exceeding 78%, with over 500 educators served. The program is self funded and pays for itself and an instructor.
Antigen catabolism by lysosomal enzymes.

Abstract The antigenicity of eight proteins (gelatin, insulin, hemoglobin, egg albumin, human γ-globulin, bovine serum albumin, keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH), and tetanus toxin) was compared by quantitative precipitin tests. Degradation of these proteins by lysosomal cathepsins in vitro was measured by estimation of the total amino acids released and by disc-gel electrophoresis. With the exception of gelatin the more antigenic proteins were degraded less by the lysosomal cathepsins. KLH and tetanus toxoid produced the greatest antibody response, and neither was degraded in vitro by the mouse liver cathepsins.
PROJECTING AWAY THE CLASS IMBALANCE PROBLEM IN AUTHOR ATTRIBUTION

Author identification algorithms attempt to ascribe document to author, with an eye towards diverse application areas including: forensic evidence, authenticating communications, and intelligence gathering. We view author identification as a single label classification problem, where 2000 authors would imply 2000 possible categories to assign to a post. Experiments with a naive Bayes classifier on a blog author identification task demonstrate a remarkable tendency to over-predict the most prolific authors. Literature search confirms that the class imbalance phenomenon is a challenge for author identification as well as other machine learning tasks. We develop a vector projection method to remove this hazard, and achieve a 63% improvement in accuracy over the baseline on the same task. Our method adds no additional asymptotic computational complexity to naive Bayes, and has no free parameters to set. The projection technique will likely prove useful for other natural language tasks exhibiting class imbalance.
On identification of hypothalamo-hypophysial control and feedback relationships with the thyroid gland.

Abstract Two independent experiments based on a model of the system regulating thyroid hormone in the bloodstream of living systems are proposed for determining humoral feedforward and feedback control relationships among the thyroid and anterior pituitary glands and the hypothalamus. The first experiment is designed to validate the steady-state form of a differential equation representing the presumed structure and dynamics of pituitary-thyroid interaction. The second experiment is designed to determine the existence of possible humoral feedback paths from the thyroid gland to the hypothalamus and/or from the anterior pituitary to the hypothalamus; i.e. to show whether or not the mechanism responsible for thyrotropin releasing factor secretion from the hypothalamus is selectively sensitive to thyrotropin and/or thyroid hormone concentrations in the plasma. If such chemoreceptor sites exist, the second experiment also determines whether the effect of thyrotropin and/or thyroid hormone on the hypothalamus causes stimulation or inhibition of the secretion of thyrotropin releasing factor from the hypothalamus. Together, these experiments require the measurement of 22 observable quantities in the living system which result from seven or more experimental conditions defined in this work.
Short-term laser beam spread in turbulent atmosphere

A short-term beam spread theory developed starting from the path integral representation of the field in random media. The new approximate formula is obtained for average short term intensity distribution. This formula takes into account all geometrical and diffraction beam parameters. Results of average short-term on-axis intensity and beam size calculations are presented. The beam parameters optimization is performed for horizontal and slant paths. The difference between short-exposure and tilt-corrected beam spread and applications of developed theory to adaptive optics problems are discussed.
Reflections on VDAC as a voltage-gated channel and a mitochondrial regulator.

There is excellent agreement between the electrophysiological properties and the structure of the mitochondrial outer membrane protein, VDAC, ex vivo. However, the inference that the well-defined canonical “open” state of the VDAC pore is the normal physiological state of the channel in vivo is being challenged by several lines of evidence. Knowing the atomic structure of the detergent solubilized protein, a long sought after goal, will not be sufficient to understand the functioning of this channel protein. In addition, detailed information about VDAC’s topology in the outer membrane of intact mitochondria, and the structural changes that it undergoes in response to different stimuli in the cell will be needed to define its physiological functions and regulation.
Candidate ability and platform choice

Abstract Contrary to the median voter theorem, candidates in real-world elections do not always adopt moderate platforms. Using a modified Hotelling model, we show that low-ability candidates may attempt to differentiate themselves from higher-ability competitors by choosing less moderate platforms.
A new iterative firm-thresholding algorithm for inverse problems with sparsity constraints

Abstract In this paper we propose a variation of the soft-thresholding algorithm for finding sparse approximate solutions of the equation A x = b , where as the sparsity of the iterate increases the penalty function changes. In this approach, sufficiently large entries in a sparse iterate are left untouched. The advantage of this approach is that a higher regularization constant can be used, leading to a significant reduction of the total number of iterations. Numerical experiments for sparse recovery problems, also with noisy data, are included.
Atomic Hyperfine Structure. I. Polarization Wave Functions for the Ground States of B, C, N, O, and F

In order to discuss atomic hyperfine-structure effects not exhibited by restricted Hartree-Fock wave functions, a "polarization wave function" is introduced. This wave function, designed to include core polarization, is defined to be that configuration-interaction function which includes the restricted Hartree-Fock function plus all symmetry-allowed configurations differing therefrom by one spatial orbital. Good approximations to polarization wave functions are reported here for the ground states of B, C, N, O, and F. The resulting magnetic hyperfine-structure parameters are in better agreement with experiment than in previous ab initio calculations, being subject to between 25 and 45% error in the spin-density contributions and to less than 2% error in the other terms. The value of $〈{r}^{\ensuremath{-}3}〉$ is found to depend significantly upon the operator in which it appears, and this dependence causes us to conclude that spin densities for B and C cannot be deduced from available experimental data. Our calculations are also used to provide improved values for the nuclear magnetic-dipole moment of ${\mathrm{C}}^{11}$ ($\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.997 {\ensuremath{\mu}}_{N}$) and for the nuclear electric-quadrupole moments of ${\mathrm{B}}^{10}$ (0.0804 b), ${\mathrm{B}}^{11}$ (0.0386 b), ${\mathrm{C}}^{11}$ (\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}0.0322 b), and ${\mathrm{O}}^{17}$ (-0.0256 b).
Hydrogen bonding or deprotonation: on fluoride ion fluorescence sensing with 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol derivatives

The isolation and structural characterisation of two ionic complexes (S)-3 and(S)-4 based on fluoride ion-mediated deprotonation of 1,1′-bi-2-naphthol (BINOL) derivatives (S)-1 and (S)-2 have been carried out for the first time. X-ray crystallographic study showed that the deprotonated forms (S)-3 and (S)-4 adopt remarkably different molecular geometries, bond parameters as well as molecular packing modes from their neutral analogs, in agreement with their significant fluorescence changes upon the addition of fluoride ion, giving insights into the actual mechanism of fluoride ion fluorescence sensing. The deprotonation–protonation processes in two BINOL derivatives were also investigated by both fluorescence measurements and X-ray structural analyses. Such chiral basic compounds can be promising organocatalysts for asymmetric reactions.
Protecting rare, little known, old-growth forest-associated fungi in the Pacific Northwest USA: A case study in fungal conservation

Abstract In 1994, 234 fungal species were listed for protection under the Survey and Manage Programme (SMP) guidelines of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP), an area encompassing 9.7 M ha of federal land in the states of Washington, Oregon, and northern California. The fungal species were presumed rare, associated with late-successional old-growth forests, and in need of protection not afforded by the major elements of the NWFP, including a vast system of forest reserves. The SMP guidelines thus called for protecting known sites while gathering information through surveys to learn more about species rarity, distribution, habitat requirements, and persistence concerns. If new information revealed that a species was not rare, not associated with late-successional old-growth forests, or that other aspects of the NWFP guidelines provided for their persistence (e.g. adequate protection provided by forest reserves), the species could be removed from the programme. The first assemblage of known site records from fungal herbaria yielded approximately 3500 records for all listed species. After 12 y of survey the total number of records increased four-fold to approximately 14400 records. Fifty-five percent of species were found at 20 or fewer sites and considered rare; 42 % were found at ten or fewer sites. Over the life of the programme, 39 species were removed from the programme primarily because they were no longer considered rare; many were found at several hundred sites throughout the NWFP area. Mapped distributions of known sites varied among species. When viewed across species, however, known sites were well distributed throughout the NWFP area, thus indicating the importance of the entire NWFP area in maintaining this diverse array of fungi. The NWFP relies on a system of late-successional forest reserves to act as a coarse-filter conservation approach to provide protection for late-successional species. Ninety percent of fungal species had some portion of their known sites within reserves, but only 34 % of total sites occurred within reserves. Thus, for the rarest species, applying a fine-filter conservation approach that protects known sites outside of reserves becomes an important aspect of species protection. The SMP became a costly and controversial aspect of the NWFP and underwent several administrative revisions including attempts to end the programme in 2004 and 2007. Regardless of costs and controversy, this conservation programme represents an unprecedented attempt to conserve rare fungal species at a regional scale. One of the more important lessons learned is the absolute need for professional mycologists to develop long-term partnerships with resource managers and other scientists, and apply mycological expertise to complex species and habitat conservation issues in an interdisciplinary setting.
Axiomatic characterization of the AGM theory of belief revision in a temporal logic

Since belief revision deals with the interaction of belief and information over time, branching-time temporal logic seems a natural setting for a theory of belief change. We propose two extensions of a modal logic that, besides the next-time temporal operator, contains a belief operator and an information operator. The first logic is shown to provide an axiomatic characterization of the first six postulates of the AGM theory of belief revision, while the second, stronger, logic provides an axiomatic characterization of the full set of AGM postulates.
CO2 Laser resurfacing of psoriatic plaques : A pilot study

Background and Objective: Laser resurfacing can precisely remove epidermis and papillary dermis, sites pivotal to the pathogenesis of psoriasis. Our objective was to determine the efficacy and safety of superficially ablating carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) lasers for treating isolated, recalcitrant psoriatic plaques. Materials and Methods: Twelve adult subjects with stable, plaque-type psoriasis were recruited. In six volunteers, the quadrants received different numbers of passes with a 60 μsec pulsed CO 2 (Tru-Pulse) laser. In the remaining patients, one quadrant underwent curettage prior to resurfacing, the second resurfacing with a scanned continuous wave (Sharplan Silk-touch) CO 2 laser and the last curettage alone. Results: Despite clinical and histological evidence of complete ablation of the epidermis and papillary dermis, most quadrants recurred within 8 weeks. Surprisingly, two patients showed no recurrence after 4 months. Conclusion: Ablation of the entire epidermis and papillary dermis with either pulsed or scanned CO 2 lasers appears generally ineffective in treating recalcitrant psoriatic plaques, although the clearing seen in two patients suggests potentially successful future research directions.
Confidence Intervals for ATR Performance Metrics

This paper describes confidence interval (CI) estimators (CIEs) for the metrics used to assess sensor exploitation algorithm (or ATR) performance. For the discrete distributions, small sample sizes and extreme outcomes encountered within ATR testing, the commonly used CIEs have limited accuracy. This paper makes available CIEs that are accurate over all conditions of interest to the ATR community. The approach is to search for CIs using an integration of the Bayesian posterior (IBP) to measure alpha (chance of the CI not containing the true value). The CIEs provided include proportion estimates based on Binomial distributions and rate estimates based on Poisson distributions. One or two-sided CIs may be selected. For two-sided CIEs, either minimal length, balanced tail probabilities, or balanced width may be selected. The CIEs' accuracies are reported based on a Monte Carlo validated integration of the posterior probability distribution and compared to the Normal approximation and `exact' (Clopper- Pearson) methods. While the IBP methods are accurate throughout, the conventional methods may realize alphas with substantial error (up to 50%). This translates to 10 to 15% error in the CI widths or to requiring 10 to 15% more samples for a given confidence level.© (2001) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Pay equity: The role and limitations of statistical analysis

Regression is the method of choice for analyzing complex salary structures, such as those of university faculty. Unfortunately, not only are there limitations on the data available and shortcomings in the method, but courts do not always understand the evidence presented to them. Statistical analysis can play an important role in uncovering discrimination, but caution is necessary in analysis and presentation. La regression est la methode de choix pour analyser des structures salariales complexes, telles que celles du corps enseignant d'une universite. Malheureusement, non seulement existe-t-il des limitations quant a la disponibilite des donnees et des defauts dans la methode, mais les tribunaux ne comprennent pas toujours l'evidence qui leur est presentee. L'analyse statistique peut jouer un role important dans la mise en evidence de la discrimination, mais il faut proceder avec prudence lors de l'analyse et de la presentation.
Quantifying functional diversity in pre- and post-extinction paleocommunities: A test of ecological restructuring after the end-Permian mass extinction

Abstract A review of the literature shows that understanding of biotic restructuring following the Permo-Triassic mass extinction (PTME) is typically based on only a few components of the ecosystem, such as taxonomic diversity, and that Early Triassic paleocommunities previously have been considered fully recovered when previous dominance and diversity were regained. To more fully characterize Triassic ecologic restructuring, we propose herein that paleoecologists take into account functional diversity (i.e. abundance distribution of genera in functional space). To test the viability of this metric, we quantified here for the first time functional richness (number of functional groups) and functional evenness (distribution of abundance across functional groups) in five different local paleocommunities from classic Permian and Triassic sections using a quantitative ten-trait ecospace model. Functional richness was low in local paleocommunities immediately after the PTME, but increased to high levels by the Middle Triassic. In contrast, functional evenness was low in the Middle Permian, but high in all of the Triassic paleocommunities. Overall, the results of this analysis indicate that taxonomic and ecological diversity was decoupled after the PTME, in that local taxonomic diversity increased quickly in several Early Triassic paleocommunities, but local functional diversity did not return to high levels until the Middle Triassic (Anisian).
Compact Subnanosecond Pulse Generator using Avalanche Transistors

Summary form only given. A solid-state subnanosecond risetime kilovolt pulsed power generator built for biological applications is presented. The pulse generating switch is a chain of avalanche transistors in tapered transmission line configuration. The generator produces a 0.8 ns rise time, 1.3 ns wide, 1.1 kV pulse into a 50 Omega load. Output pulse parameters are measured with a custom-designed capacitively compensated resistive voltage divider. The divider has a 1400:1 division ratio and a 3 dB point at 910 MHz. We discuss the possibility of sharpening this pulse further by using a pulsed high voltage source instead of a standard DC high voltage unit. Further, we explore the design of the electrode interface to integrate the pulse generator with a biological cell culture load, and conduct preliminary electromanipulation experiments on malignant cell lines.
Pulmonary alveolar macrophage lysosomal enzyme activity after sublethal rotational trauma.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to determine changes in pulmonary alveolar macrophage (PAM) lysosomal enzyme activity after sublethal trauma. PAMs from rats were isolated, and the activity of PAM lysosomal enzymes measured in control rats and rats subjected to Noble-Collip drum (NCD) sublethal trauma. Rats subjected to NCD trauma had a decrease in PAMs recovered; as well as total lysosomal enzyme activity compared to control PAMs analyzed immediately after isolated or after incubation in vitro . This decrease in lysosomal activity was seen in the 1600 g and lysosome-rich 10,000 g subcellular fractions. No immediate increase in lysosomal activity in the bronchopulmonary lavage was found. After the PAMs were incubated in vitro for 120 min, there was a significant release of enzyme activity into the incubation medium. Electron microscopic study of PAMs from the rats supported the biochemical observations. We feel that the reduction in PAM lysosomal enzyme activity after sublethal trauma may be an important mechanism which predisposes the animal to pulmonary infection.
Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) Recognize Individual Identity of Conspecifics Using Sonar Calls

Bats use sonar calls to locate prey and orient in their environment but they may also be used by conspecifics to obtain information about a caller. Statistical analysis of sonar calls provides evidence that variation carries social information about a caller, including individual identity. We hypothesized that little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) would be able to recognize individuals given the potential fitness benefits of doing so. We performed playback trials using a habituation-discrimination design to determine whether little brown bats are able to recognize the individual identity of a caller based on variation in their sonar calls. Each subject bat was played the calls of bat A until they habituated (defined as a 50% decrease from the beginning call rate), then the calls of bat B or a new call sequence of bat A (a control, referred to as bat A’) were played. Each subject received a unique pair of playback recordings (bat A and B) from adult female bats from the same colony (but a different colony from the subject) and the order of trials was randomized. The response measures were habituation time (s) and call rate (calls/s). Within a trial, subjects habituated to calls of bat A and transferred this habituation to the bat A’ sequence. In addition, they increased their call rates when played calls of bat B. Comparing between trials, subjects increased their call rate to the calls of bat B to a greater relative extent than to the calls of bat A’. These results provide the first evidence that bats recognize individual identity of conspecifics (as opposed to discrimination of groups), which has implications for the social interactions of bats.
Arteriovenous fistula for long-term venous access for boys with hemophilia

Objectives Hemophilia is a sex-linked condition affecting about 1 of every 5000 males in the United States. The management of children with hemophilia can be improved with regular intravenous infusion of factor VIII or IX, thus preventing crippling and sometimes fatal hemorrhage. Maintaining this vital intravenous access is often hampered by gradual loss of superficial veins or repeated central catheter sepsis and thrombosis. This study reviewed an experience with arteriovenous fistula in selected hemophilia patients with limited venous access. Methods Consecutive patients operated on between October 2000 and July 2006 for venous access with the creation of an arteriovenous fistula were reviewed. They were selected because of repeated problems with other venous access. Patency, ease of use, duplex scan derived brachial artery diameter, and arm length were assessed. Results During a 69-month period, 10 arteriovenous fistulas (five brachial artery-basilic vein fistulas, 5 brachial artery-cephalic vein fistulas) were created for nine patients. The patients were a median age of 5.5 years (range, 1 to 27 years), and all were Conclusions For hemophilia patients with compromised venous access, arteriovenous fistulas provide good early patency. Brachial artery diameter and arm length require continued follow-up.
Certain bZIP peptides bind DMA sequentially as monomers and dimerize on the DMA

Kinetic and spectroscopic evidence show that certain bZIP peptides favour a DMA binding mechanism in which monomers sequentially assemble into a dimer at their DMA target site.
Stretching of viscoelastic liquids

Analyses of stretching of a viscoelastic liquid have been interpreted as showing that there is a maximum stretch rate to which the material can be subjected, and several physical phenomena have been explained on this basis. It is shown here theoretically and experimentally that the concept of a limiting stretch rate does not have general validity.
Cocaine-induced hepatotoxicity: lipid peroxidation as a possible mechanism.

ABSTRACTIn vitro experiments with hepatic washed microsomal preparations showed that malondialdehyde (MDA) formation was increased in a time- and concentration-dependent manner using COC or NC as the substrate. Though 1 μM COC or NC inhibited MDA formation, significant elevations were observed for 100, 10 or 1 μM concentrations. NC at 10 μM after a 30 minute incubation produced a 34% decrease in hepatic microsomal cytochrome P450 whereas 1 μM NC had no such effect. MDA formation in vivo, measured as total absorbance at 535 nm per gram liver, was found to be maximal 4 hours after 40 mg/kg NC ip. Elevations of serum transaminase (SGPT) however were not found until 6 hours after NC. We conclude from these studies that COC and NC induce lipid peroxidation in the liver of PB-pretreated Swiss-origin mice and that peroxidative attack may be a mechanism for hepatotoxicity of these compounds.
A hydrogel scaffold that maintains viability and supports differentiation of dental pulp stem cells

Abstract Objectives The clinical translation of stem cell-based Regenerative Endodontics demands further development of suitable injectable scaffolds. Puramatrix™ is a defined, self-assembling peptide hydrogel which instantaneously polymerizes under normal physiological conditions. Here, we assessed the compatibility of Puramatrix™ with dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) growth and differentiation. Methods DPSC cells were grown in 0.05–0.25% Puramatrix™. Cell viability was measured colorimetrically using the WST-1 assay. Cell morphology was observed in 3D modeling using confocal microscopy. In addition, we used the human tooth slice model with Puramatrix™ to verify DPSC differentiation into odontoblast-like cells, as measured by expression of DSPP and DMP-1. Results DPSC survived and proliferated in Puramatrix™ for at least three weeks in culture. Confocal microscopy revealed that cells seeded in Puramatrix™ presented morphological features of healthy cells, and some cells exhibited cytoplasmic elongations. Notably, after 21 days in tooth slices containing Puramatrix™, DPSC cells expressed DMP-1 and DSPP, putative markers of odontoblastic differentiation. Significance Collectively, these data suggest that self-assembling peptide hydrogels might be useful injectable scaffolds for stem cell-based Regenerative Endodontics.
Transfer of Property by Inheritance and Bequest in Biblical Law and Tradition

This topic is more complicated than one might suspect from reading typical annotations and bible dictionary articles. There are some hundred or so relevant biblical texts, but they do not present an entirely coherent picture. To take these texts seriously requires leaving open a number of questions. Too often commentators and annotators have attempted to resolve such questions by making assertions grounded upon highly problematic evidence. This article does not consider texts pertaining exclusively to the “inheritance” of the land of promise by the various tribes of Israel such as Joshua 11:23; 13:1—19:51; and Ezekiel 47:13—48:29. Concern with preserving tribal inheritances is in the background of some texts that are considered; but here attention is limited to laws and traditions concerning transfer of property from persons in one generation to those of another, or, in a few instances, to other persons within the same generation in accordance with what, in modern legal terms, would be called the laws of intestate succession and bequest.
Hemodynamic effects of ketamine, hypoxia and hyperoxia in children with surgically treated congenital heart disease residing ≥ 1,200 meters above sea level

Little data are available on the hemodynamic effects of premedications and anesthetic agents on infants and children. Ketamine is the most frequently used anesthetic agent for cardiac catheterization procedures in pediatric patients with congenital heart disease. Previous reports both suggest and deny ketamine's pulmonary vasoreactive effects. Since the advent of sophisticated noninvasive equipment, one of the few indications for cardiac catheterization is to obtain accurate pressure data. If ketamine alters pulmonary vascular resistance, it would negate the primary reason for the procedure. Because the patient population studied herein resides greater than or equal to 1,200 meters above sea level, concerns about pharmacologic effects on pulmonary vascular resistance are enhanced. Simultaneous pulmonary artery and aortic pressures, thermodilution cardiac outputs, and blood gases were measured in room air (16% oxygen) and with ketamine infusion in 14 patients at cardiac catheterization. Reaction to hypoxia identified 3 groups: normal, intermediate and hyperresponders. The normal responders had normal resistance ratios (0.11) in room air and had little resistance ratio response to hypoxia (+0.02), hyperoxia (-0.03) or ketamine (+0.01). The intermediate responders had a slightly higher but normal resistance ratio (0.20) in room air, and a moderate reaction to hypoxia (+0.13), hyperoxia (-0.08) and ketamine (+0.11). The hyperresponders had an elevated resistance ratio (0.42) in room air and a striking reaction to hypoxia (+0.65), hyperoxia (-0.17) and ketamine (+0.49). Hypoxia and ketamine have a greater effect on resistance ratio than hypoxia alone in patients with reactive pulmonary vascular beds. Ketamine should not be used in children undergoing procedures to establish operability based on pulmonary vascular resistance or pulmonary vascular reactivity.
Weather Deviation Decisions by Air Transport Crews during Simulated Flight

As the variety and capabilities of cockpit weather displays have increased, weather deviation decisions have become more complex. Important issues include conflicting or outdated weather information, and teamed reactivity of crews to weather displays. We investigated the influence of onboard and NEXRAD agreement, range to the simulated potential weather event, and the pilot flying on collective weather deviation decisions. Twelve pilot-copilot teams flew a simulated route while reacting to weather events presented in two graphical formats on a separate visual display. Results showed that pilots often chose to deviate from weather rather than confront it. When onboard and NEXRAD displays did not agree, flight crews reacted by trusting the onboard system more but using the NEXRAD system as a backup. These results suggest that future weather displays should exploit existing benefits of NEXRAD presentation for situation awareness while retaining the display structure and logic inherent in the onboard system. Language: en
Epidemiology of eye disease in the elderly

Most of the estimated 40 million blind individuals in the world are in the older age groups. Data on blindness and visual impairment are primarily from blindness registries and prevalence surveys in different countries throughout the world. The quality of these data vary tremendously from one country to another, and comparability of the results from different studies is difficult. However, all studies indicate an increase in the prevalence of visual loss and blindness with increasing age. Cataract is the most prevalent eye disease in the world and is a major cause of visual loss in developing as well as in developed countries. Other major eye diseases in the elderly include age related macular degeneration, glaucoma, and diabetic retinopathy. A number of risk factors have been suggested for cataract, age related macular degeneration, and glaucoma, yet few have been well established. Certain factors for these conditions are similar, including age, hypertension, prolonged exposure to sunlight, and nutritional factors such as Vitamin E. Epidemiologic studies are needed to define the risk factors for these different eye diseases with the goal of decreasing risk of disease and possible disease prevention, as well as developing better estimates of the magnitude of the problems of visual loss and eye diseases in the elderly.
A general matrix operator for linear boundary value problems in slip‐line field theory

A general matrix operator is established for solving linear boundary value problems in slip-line field theory. The operator will enable a wider class of problems to be solved than were previously possible with the matrix slip-line field technique. As an illustration, a range of solutions are generated involving the previously intractable Coulomb friction boundary condition.
The intellectual and psychosocial nature of extreme giftedness

The highly gifted create structure, generate ideas, and efficiently process information in ways that are qualitatively superior to moderately gifted and average ability individuals. Typically, adult academic and occupational achievements are also superior. Their advanced need to know tends to narrow their self‐concept such that consistent, accurate, and valid feedback is more difficult to obtain. The net effect of this is a tendency toward low self‐esteem.
Diclofenac analgesia following cleft palate surgery.

Abstract Objective: This prospective study looked at the postoperative hemorrhage risk associated with the use of diclofenac following cleft palate repair. Patients: Twenty consecutive children (6 months to 9 years of age) requiring repair of the hard or soft palate were included. Design and Methods: Single per rectum doses of diclofenac were given at 1 mg/kg following cleft palate repair, with additional doses every 12 hours. Results and Conclusions: The use of the nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, diclofenac, for postoperative analgesia is well established for many types of surgery. The authors find that twice daily diclofenac rectal suppositories provide very good analgesia postcleft palate repair. This, combined with supplemental oral paracetamol, obviates the need for opiates, resulting in alert infants who feed well and are suitable for early discharge.
The effect of maturity on the texture of the testa and cotyledon of peas (Pisum sativum)

Summary The textures of the separated testa and cotyledon of peas both when raw and cooked were measured with a small penetrometer over a wide range of maturity. The values for the raw testa rose little with increase in age but the cooked testa and the raw and cooked cotyledon all rose markedly. There were no significant differences in six varieties tested. It is argued that instruments predicting the texture of the cooked pea from the raw must measure the hardness of the cotyledon.
Modeling Failure of Wastewater Collection Lines Using Various Section-Level Regression Models

AbstractWastewater utilities are aiming to implement asset management strategies to minimize costly emergency repairs, to justify expenditures, and to optimize future renewal actions. Consequently, development of deterioration models that explain the behavior of wastewater lines and provide predictions regarding potential future condition levels is gaining importance. In this paper, deterioration models are generated to estimate the probability of failure values for sewer sections. A set of variables was obtained by examining the inventory and inspection databases of a sewer network. Three statistical methods (ordinal regression, multinomial logistic regression, and binary logistic regression) were employed in successive steps. Proportionality of odds assumption was tested for ordinal regression models, and suitability of this particular method was discussed. Estimated condition ratings were compared with observed data, and the binary logistic regression model was found to be more suitable for predicting ...
Fracture of the femoral head after ceramic-on-polyethylene total hip arthroplasty

Abstract Four of 184 ceramic femoral heads that the authors used in total hip arthroplasty fractured from 5 to 9 months after surgery. A polyethylene-lined acetabular component was used in all cases. The fracture rate, 2.2%, was much higher than previously reported for ceramic head fractures when used with a polyethylene cup. The fractures occurred during normal daily activities. Possible causes included manufacturing defects, neck length (short in all cases), bearing diameter (28 mm in all cases), cone-trunnion mismatch, excess hoop stresses from impaction, or material deterioration. All patients were treated by removal of debris, wide excision of capsular tissue containing tiny abrasive fragments, exchange of the modular polyethylene liner, and implantation of a cobalt—chrome femoral head. The trunnion had been somewhat damaged by relatively brief exposure to the ceramic particles in every case. The authors' experience suggests that ceramic femoral heads be used with caution.
Ecological Implications of Clonal Diversity in Parthenogenetic Morphospecies

Most parthenogenetic animal taxa which have been investigated electrophoretically, cytologically, or with tissue grafting techniques are clonally diverse. I have examined data on multiclonal parthenogenetic populations using ecological diversity measures to elucidate patterns of clonal coexistence. Analysis of a discrete population cage experiment on clones of Drosophila mercatorum revealed monotonic decay of clonal diversity and evenness; however, in a continuous generation cage, clonal diversity appeared to stabilize. Clonal diversity and evenness fluctuated widely over time in several multiclonal populations of Daphnia magna although no clonal extinction was observed. There were few spatial trends in clonal diversity and evenness within parthenogenetic taxa. It is suggested that the degree of clonal differentiation, determined by the mode of clonal origin, is important in determining whether or not selection occurs among sympatric clones
THE VITAMIN B1 AND B2 G CONTENT OF LIVER EXTRACT AND BREWERS' YEAST CONCENTRATE

1. Liver extract powder, No. 343 Lilly, and the same material prepared for parenteral use, when administered daily by mouth in amounts derived from 2.5 gm. of fresh whole liver, to rats weighing from 40 to 50 gm., contain sufficient vitamin B1 to support normal growth, provided the animals receive in addition an adequate amount of vitamin B2 G. Moreover, liver extract in the forms mentioned, administered in the same amounts, does not contain sufficient vitamin B2 G to maintain normal growth of similar rate when all other necessary constituents of the diet are provided. 2. Liver extract (Lilly) in the form prepared for parenteral use, when administered daily by intraperitoneal injections, in amounts derived from 2.5 gm. of fresh whole liver, to rats under standard experimental conditions, does not contain sufficient vitamin B2 G to maintain normal growth. Furthermore, the amount of vitamin B1 present in liver extract in this form is not as effective in supporting normal growth when given by intraperitoneal injection as it is when given by mouth. 3. Vegex, when administered daily in amounts of 50, 150, and 250 mg. to rats of 40 to 50 gm. in weight contains sufficient vitamin B1 to maintain normal growth of the rats, provided the animals receive in addition an adequate amount of vitamin B2 G. However, vegex in the same amounts does not contain sufficient vitamin B2 G to support normal growth of similar rats when all other necessary constituents of the diet are provided. 4. These experiments indicate that the extrinsic, anti-anemic factor of Castle and the thermostable growth-promoting food constituent, commonly known as vitamin B2 G, are not identical.
Acute and chronic effects of tributyltin on a chesapeake bay copepod

One 72-h acute and two 13-d chronic flow-through tributyltin (TBT) toxicity experiments were conducted with the estuarine zooplankter Eurytemora affinis. The 48-h and 72-h LC50s were 2.2 and 0.6 μg/L TBT, respectively, based on measured concentrations. TBT concentrations of 100 ng/L significantly reduced the survival of neonates (young) after 6 d of exposure in the first chronic experiment. Significant adverse effects were not reported at TBT concentrations ranging from 12.5 to 100 ng/L in the second chronic test. However, a significant adverse effect was noted at 200 ng/L in that test. TBT concentrations reported in various marina areas of the northern Chesapeake Bay exceed toxic concentrations found for E. affinis in these laboratory studies.
Reaction route of the triple CuO layered (Tl, Pb/Bi)SrCaCuO superconducting compound

Abstract For the sample with the starting composition of (Tl 0.6 Pb 0.2 Bi 0.2 )Sr 1.6 Ca 2.4 Cu 3 O y , the formation of the triple CuO layered superconducting compound was monitored by powder x-ray diffraction analysis. It was found that the final obtained triple CuO layered phase was resulted from the reaction of both double CuO layered compound and (Ca,Sr) 2 CuO 3 . SEM/EDS was corroborated to illustrate the mechanism of the conversion.
d-band transitions in solids

Abstract The significance of measurements of d -band transitions in solids is discussed and qualitative criteria necessary for direct observation of d -band transitions are established. Data on the positions of far ultraviolet absorption edges in In, Sn, Pb, and Bi are presented and the evidence for their assignment to d -band transitions is discussed.
Measurement of resistivity of silicon epitaxial layers by the three-point probe technique

Abstract A detailed analysis of the three-point probe technique for the measurement of silicon epitaxial layer resistivity is presented. It is shown that the three-point probe technique accurately determines the resistivity except in cases where the breakdown voltage is depletion width limited. Several circuits and probes are discussed. Properties of the probe affecting the breakdown voltage are described. The reproducibility of the technique is shown to be ± 5 per cent on a long term basis. A technique for obtaining resistivity profiles of epitaxial layers is presented.
Effects of carbachol and nicotine injected into the cerebral ventricles on electromyogram of conscious cats

Abstract Carbachol and nicotine injected into the cerebral ventricles produced high amplitude and fast frequency activity in the electromyogram of conscious cats. Carbachol, much more than nicotine, caused bursts of such activity spaced at irregular time intervals accompanied by marked activity in the electrooculogram. In addition carbachol, but not nicotine, caused adynamia. The effect of nicotine lasted 3–5 hr, while the effect of carbachol lasted up to 6 hr. The obtained results suggest that central muscarinic and nicotinic mediations are involved in the activation of the motor efferent system.
Drowning Mortality in the United States, 1999–2006

Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional fatalities in the US. Our study described demographics and trend analysis of unintentional drowning mortality in the US from 1999 to 2006, and identifies the changes in deaths for specific population subgroups. Mortality data came from the CDC’s Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System. Trends during 1999–2006 were analyzed by gender, age group and race. Annual percentage change in deaths/rates and simple linear regression was used for time-trend analysis from 1999 to 2006, and examines its significance. During 1999–2006, there were 27,514 deaths; 21,668 (78.8%) males, 21,380 (77.7%) whites, and 4,241 (15.4%) aged 00–04 years. The annual number of drowning mortality varied from a high of 3,529 in 1999 to a low of 3,281 in 2001. Overall, deaths were increased 1.4% from 3,529 during 1999 to 3,579 deaths during 2006 however, the overall mortality rate decreased by 5%. The proportion of deaths was significantly greater among males than females (27.4 vs. 13.7%: p < 0.001) and blacks than among all other races combined (32.5 vs. 21.3%: p < 0.001). Fatalities reported from California (n = 3,234; 11.75%), Florida (n = 2,852; 10.37%) and Texas (n = 2,395; 8.70%) accounted for 30.82% of all such deaths in the US. Sub-group analyses showed that drowning mortality decreased 0.72% for males but increased 9.52% for females, the trend differ significantly among males and females (p < 0.001). Males, American Indians, and blacks appear to have higher risk of drowning mortality. The trend varied among sexes, age and racial groups from 1999 to 2006. Preventive measures and continuous surveillance is warranted to further decrease these drowning mortalities.