cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Evaluation of histopathologic changes in an animal model of mechanical corpus callosum impingement as seen in hydrocephalus

Rationale and Objectives. We evaluated histologic changes associated with chronic impingement of the corpus callosum. Similar callosal impingement has been postulated to be responsible for some of the symptoms in people who have hydrocephalus. Methods. Eight rats with callosal impingement produced by surgical implantation of a blunt blade in the interhemispheric fissure and four control animals with no callosal impingement were evaluated by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging and by direct histologic evaluation after autopsy. The histologic evaluations occurred 1 month after surgery in half the animals and 6 months after surgery in the other half. Results. MR imaging results showed that the implanted blade was in a good position in all animals. Histologically, the corpus callosum appeared normal 1 month after implantation of the impingement blade. Six months after surgery, the experimental group demonstrated decreased callosal thickness and a loss of axonal fibers in the corpus callosum both near and remote to the blade. Conclusion. Chronic impingement of the corpus callosum was associated with callosal thinning and by loss of callosal axons. Further research will be required to investigate the possible relation of these histologic findings to the clinical findings in normal-pressure hydrocephalus.
A new species of Quexua from southeastern Peru (Hymenoptera, Crabronidae)

A distinctive new species of the crabronine wasp genus Quexua Pate is described and figured from a single male collected from lowland Amazonian rain forest in southeastern Peru. Quexua cicra sp. n. is the only species in the genus known with a sessile metasoma.
An Initial and Progressive Failure Analysis for Cryogenic Composite Fuel Tank Design

Thermal residual stresses, internal pressure stresses, and acceleration stresses during launch were evaluated and quantified for cryogenic composite fuel tank design. Both failure initiation and progression of graphite/epoxy laminate system (IM7/977-2) [0/90/90/0/0/90]s and graphite/BMI laminate system (IM7/5250-4) [0/90/90/0/0/90]s were investigated using the non-isothermal classical laminate and plate theory (CLPT) and the maximum stress failure criterion. The thermal residual stresses in the transverse direction are the dominant stresses on each ply in the launch stage. After initial ply cracking, through-the-thickness temperature change of a laminate related to fuel leakage as well as a laminate stiffness matrix change was applied to the progressive failure analysis. The fuel leakage-based progressive analysis shows a higher number of initial ply cracking does not necessarily mean a higher chance of matrix cracking in all plies. The graphite/BMI laminate has such an advantage as transverse thermo-mech...
Effects of Smallmouth Buffalo and Potassium Permanganate Treatment on Plankton and Pond Water Quality

Abstract There is recent interest in using smallmouth buffalo Ictiobus bubalus and treatment with potassium permanganate (KMnO4) to control Dero digitata, the aquatic oligochaete host involved in the life cycle of proliferative gill disease. To complement those investigations, we determined the changes in water quality, phytoplankton, and zooplankton resulting from KMnO4 treatment and stocking of smallmouth buffalo into nursery ponds for channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus; we did not evaluate the attendant control effectiveness on Dero spp. Stocking buffalo at a rate of 75/ha in nursery ponds did not cause changes in water quality, nutrients, or zooplankton concentrations. Ponds treated with KMnO4 (applied at 57 g/ha when partially filled to about 30 cm deep) contained higher total dissolved solids (230 mg/L) than untreated ponds (204 mg/L). Phytoplankton and zooplankton concentrations in the KMnO4 ponds increased 2−5 weeks after application compared with the control ponds. The observed changes in KMnO4 ...
Hypertext Computer Study Guides and the Social Studies Achievement of Students with Learning Disabilities, Remedial Students, and Regular Education Students

Hypertext is a relatively new term for today's teachers, who work hard to stay abreast of the quickly changing field of computer technology in education. Hypertext as an educational tool is very different from traditional computer-assisted instructional software, offering the reader immediate access through its computer format to supplemental information. Two related studies were conducted to design and field-test hypertext computer study guides. In Study 1, 40 students (10 with learning disabilities, 15 remedial, and 15 regular education) worked in three different treatment groups (lecture, lecture/computer study guide, and computer study guide). Study 2 involved the five lowest achieving students (two with learning disabilities and three remedial) from Study 1 in an A-B-A design. Results indicated that (a) the computer study guide treatment was as effective as lecture, (b) the lecture/computer study guide treatment was as effective as lecture, (c) posttest scores were higher for the computer study guide group, and (d) retention test scores were higher for the computer study guide group.
3-D Deterministic Burnup With High Performance Computing

Current 3-D reactor burnup simulation codes typically utilize either transport-corrected diffusion theory or Monte Carlo methods to perform flux calculations necessary for fuel depletion. Monte Carlo codes, particularly the Monte Carlo N-particle Transport Code (MCNP) from Los Alamos, have become increasingly popular with the growth of parallel computing. While achieving a criticality eigenvalue is relatively straight forward, run times for large models requiring converged fission sources from proper burnup computation quickly becomes very time consuming. Additionally, past analyses have shown difficulties in source convergence for lattice problems using Monte Carlo [1]. To invoke an alternative means of computing core burnup and decreasing computation time for large models, a deterministic tool such as the PENTRAN/PENBURN suite is necessary. PENTRAN is a multi-group, anisotropic Sn code for 3-D Cartesian geometries; it has been specifically designed for distributed memory, scalable parallel computer architectures using the MPI (Message Passing Interface) library. Automatic domain decomposition among the angular, energy, and spatial variables with an adaptive differencing algorithm and other numerical enhancements make PENTRAN an extremely robust solver with a 0.975 parallel code fraction (based on Amdahl’s law). PENBURN (P arallel E nvironment BURN up), a recently developed fuel depletion solver, works in conjunction with PENTRAN and performs 3-D zone based fuel burnup using the direct Bateman chain solution method. The aim of this paper is to demonstrate the capabilities and unique features of the PENTRAN/PENBURN suite through a fuel burnup study on a 3 wt% enriched UO2 fuel pin and 17×17 Westinghouse OFA assembly.© 2008 ASME
Genome-Scale Analyses of Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica AraC Reveal Noncanonical Targets and an Expanded Core Regulon

Escherichia coli AraC is a well-described transcription activator of genes involved in arabinose metabolism. Using complementary genomic approaches, chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-chip, and transcription profiling, we identify direct regulatory targets of AraC, including five novel target genes: ytfQ, ydeN, ydeM, ygeA, and polB. Strikingly, only ytfQ has an established connection to arabinose metabolism, suggesting that AraC has a broader function than previously described. We demonstrate arabinose-dependent repression of ydeNM by AraC, in contrast to the well-described arabinose-dependent activation of other target genes. We also demonstrate unexpected read-through of transcription at the Rho-independent terminators downstream of araD and araE, leading to significant increases in the expression of polB and ygeA, respectively. AraC is highly conserved in the related species Salmonella enterica. We use ChIP sequencing (ChIP-seq) and RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) to map the AraC regulon in S. enterica. A comparison of the E. coli and S. enterica AraC regulons, coupled with a bioinformatic analysis of other related species, reveals a conserved regulatory network across the family Enterobacteriaceae comprised of 10 genes associated with arabinose transport and metabolism.
Occipital cervical stabilization using occipital condyles for cranial fixation: technical case report.

OBJECTIVE: Presentation of a successful case of craniocervical stabilization involving a novel surgical technique using the occipital condyles as the sole cranial fixation points. CLINICAL PRESENTATION: A 22-year-old man presented in a delayed fashion with neck pain after a motor vehicle accident. Evaluation revealed a type 2 odontoid fracture with pseudarthrosis and displacement of the dens superiorly and cranial settling of the dens. INTERVENTION: The patient underwent posterior occipitocervical fixation with a polyaxial screw rod construct using the occipital condyle, C1 lateral mass, and C2 pars articularis for fixation. The patient had no immediate postoperative deficits. At the time of the 12-month follow-up examination, the patient was neurologically intact with a solid occipitocervical fusion. CONCLUSION: Craniocervical stabilization using occipital condyle screws as the sole cephalad fixation points is a feasible option and can be used safely without neurovascular complication in the treatment of craniocervical instability.
Transactive memory system development in virtual teams: the potential role of shared identity and shared context

Transactive Memory Systems (TMS) is a concept describing team members' awareness of knowledge possessed by their coworkers, which has been shown to be valuable for team effectiveness in learning, viability, and overall performance [15, 17, 22, 28]. Previous research on TMS has focused primarily on traditional face-to-face teams with only a few studies proposing that TMS development is more difficult in virtual teams. The goal of this research is to study TMS development in virtual teams through an empirical investigation. The first purpose of this research is to examine the impact of two factors -- shared identity and shared context -- on TMS development in virtual teams. Another purpose of this research is to investigate whether computer-mediated communication (CMC) used for group interaction will change the impact of shared identity and shared context. General methodology considerations are stated for future research that will subsequently be conducted.
Probing the Cytoplasmic Substrate Permeation Pathway of the Serotonin Transporter with Steered Molecular Dynamics Simulation

SERT a 12-helix presynaptic plasma membrane protein terminates synaptic transmission by Na+ symport of the neurotransmitter serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) from the extracellular mileu of synapse into the cell.Crystal structures of Leucine transporter (LeuT), the bacterial homologue of SERT, represent a substrate-bound occluded conformation in which the the intracellular part of the transporter is closed and packed.We have constructed an experimentally-validated homology model of SERT based on the LeuT structure and cognate information about other transporters in this family and performed SMD simulations by pulling serotonin from the primary binding site towards the cytoplasm, to explore the alternative inward-facing conformation and reveal the cytoplasmic permeation pathway. The initial state of the SERT model has 5-HT both in the primary binding site and the newly discovered secondary site (L. Shi et al, Mol Cell, 2008). Local structural rearrangements associated with substrate movement reveal changes in water solvent accessibility that explain the energetic drive of the transport mechanism and provide data for validation against experimentally determined accessibilities measured with the substituted cysteine mutagenesis accessibility method (SCAM). Interactions of the moving substrate in SMD identify the residues of SERT which line the transport pathway and their role in stabilizing the inward-open or inward-closed state of SERT. These states involve large-scale helix movements triggered by changes in the binding sites of the substrate and Na ions, and enabled by solvent stabilized changes in the states of an ionic interaction network at the cytoplasmic end of SERT. While the detailed representation of the process provided by SMD simulations at atomic resolution offers specific new hypotheses for experimental probing of the proposed mechanism, it also reveals new insights and mechanistic aspects that are not achievable in other ways.
Differential Responses of Children with Varying Degrees of Reactive and Proactive Aggression to Two Forms of Psychosocial Treatment

This study examined differential treatment effects for children with varying degrees of reactive and proactive aggression who received one of two types of psychosocial treatments that were specifically designed to address the unique characteristics associated with these two subtypes of aggression. Forty-seven affectively dysregulated children with oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) participated in the study and were randomly but proportionately assigned to Collaborative Problem Solving (n = 28) or Parent Training (n = 19) treatment conditions. Results indicate a main effect for type of treatment, modest support for the moderating role of proactive aggression, and no support for reactive aggression as a moderator of treatment outcome. Implications for assessment and treatment of aggression are discussed.
Determination of malondialdehyde-DNA crosslinks by fluorescence and incorporation of tritium.

Abstract Malondialdehyde (MDA), which arises during lipid peroxidation, reacts with many aminophoric compounds, including DNA, to produce fluorescent crosslinks. The crosslinking of DNA can interfere with mRNA and protein synthesis and cellular function. DNA was reacted with [ 14 C]MDA to correlate fluorescence with bound [ 14 C]MDA. The molar fluorescence intensity was 1.3 × 10 5 , and the quantum yield was 0.0085. The π-stacking within the double helix caused considerable quenching, since the quantum yield of free MDA-crosslinked adenine dimer was about 0.07. The crosslinks were stabilized against acid hydrolysis by borohydride reduction. The reduction of crosslinks by borohydride was rapid and specific when done in the dark at pH 9 and at high ionic strength. By fluorescence, as little as one crosslink in 25,000 base pairs can be detected. Detection of the crosslinks by borotritiide reduction is an even more sensitive assay than fluorescence.
A hadron blind detector for the PHENIX experiment at RHIC

A hadron blind detector (HBD) is to be installed in the PHENIX experiment for Run7, starting in fall 2006. The HBD is a threshold Cerenkov detector designed to measure electrons in a field free region surrounding the collision vertex. The HBD’s primary purpose is to tag background electrons originating from photon conversion and Dalitz decays. These background electrons can subsequently be excluded from a dilepton analysis, thereby reducing the combinatorial background by up to a factor of 100. The detector is realized by a proximity-focus windowless Cerenkov detector operating with pure CF4 and read out by a reflective photocathode consisting of a stack of gas electron multipliers (GEM), the first of which is coated with 300 nm of CsI. The avalanche charge from the GEM stack is collected on a PCB with pads having similar size to the Cerenkov blob. Dalitz and photon conversions are tagged by having twice the amplitude of a single blob. An excellent Quantum Efficiency of the photocathode is thus crucial to the success of the device. Outstanding results have been accomplished using a vacuum evaporation facility on loan from INFN Rome. We will give an overview of the experimental methods to identify blobs and techniques developed for photocathode production.
Penile fracture: Operative management and cavernosography

Three cases of acute penile injury are presented. Corpus cavernosography at the time of presentation was obtained, confirming the diagnosis. Radiologic evaluations including cavernosography and when indicated urethrography are discussed. Management modalities are reviewed including our preference for surgical exploration when a cavernosal tear has been documented.
Convergence of cerebral inputs onto dentate neurons in monkey.

The patterns of convergence of inputs from different areas of the cerebral cortex and the peripheral nerves onto single dentate neurons was studied in cebus monkeys. Dentate neurons receive their strongest and most numerous inputs from the premotor and supplementary motor regions of area 6. The sensorimotor and frontal cortices have weaker projections to the dentate nucleus, while peripheral nerves and many other association cortical areas were found to be ineffective in influencing cells of the lateral cerebellum. Dentate cells that respond to stimulation of hindlimb regions of the sensorimotor cortex tend to receive their principal input from the supplementary motor area and medial premotor regions, while neurons responding to forelimb sensorimotor cortex tend to receive lateral premotor inputs. In addition there is a topographical organization within the ventral pole of dentate with the hindlimb represented in the anterior regions and the forelimb in the posterior regions. These results are compared with those of similar studies of interpositus and dentate neurons in cat and monkey. The differences between the afferent inputs to dentate and interpositus are consistent with the suggestion that the lateral cerebellum is involved in programming movement parameters before movement initiation while the intermediate zone is involved in up-dating the evolving movement.
A comparison of pump sampling systems for live zooplankton collection

Simultaneous and sequential tests of pump sampling equipment showed that sampling mortality of Lake Michigan zooplankton collected from the cooling water intake of a nuclear power plant was dependent on the sampling method used. Two sampling devices and two pump types were tested to determine which combination resulted in the lowest sampling mortality. An in-line filter trap located on the suction side of the pump provided the lowest sampling mortality. Higher sampling rates were achieved with a centrifugal pump without increasing sampling mortality.
Dynamic reliability via computational solution of generalized state-transition equations for entry-time processes

Abstract Entry-time processes are finite-state continuous-time jump processes with transition rates depending only on the two states involved, the calendar time, and the most recent arrival time ( entry time ). Entry-time processes are transformed into Markov processes via the standard technique of incorporating entry time into the state variables. It is shown that the associated state-transition (Chapman–Kolmogorov) equations can be written as a coupled pair of integrodifferential equations. A finite-difference approximation to these equations is developed. This computational approach is verified, and some of its properties delineated, via two hypothetical examples. One of these examples admits a semi-analytic solution, while simulations provide the base of comparison for the other.
Computed tomographic demonstration of aortic transection at the diaphragmatic hiatus

A rare case of dissection of the descending aorta at the level of the diaphragmatic hiatus is presented.
Low- and high-TiO2 flood basalts of southern Brazil: origin from picritic parentage and a common mantle source

The Serra Geral (Parana) continental flood-basalt province of southern Brazil has two main basalt types: low-TiO2 (∼ 1 wt.%) basalts occupy the southern portion, and high-TiO2 (> 3 wt.%) basalts are largely in the northern part. Low-Ti basalts are less evolved (Mg# 60) and more radiogenic (e.g., 87Sr/86Sr∼ 0.708) than high-Ti basalts (Mg# 35; 87Sr/86Sr∼ 0.705). This is consistent with a model that invokes variable melting of a single mantle source to produce picritic magmas that have relatively lower and higher incompatible element contents. Varying percentages of melting can be related to varying proximity to the early Tristan da Cunha hotspot. The Mg-rich magmas fractionated 60–75% olivine, clinopyroxene, and plagioclase to yield low- or high-Ti flood basalts, assimilating more or less crust in the process. The extent of fractionation and assimilation depended on crustal “warmth” (also tied to location relative to hotspot): (1) above zones of ∼ 25% melting, warm crust relatively easily contaminated crystallizing picritic magma that originated by a high degree of melting (i.e., magma with lower incompatible element contents); additionally, high degrees of melting sustained replenishment of magma with low-Ti magma characteristics; (2) above ∼ 10% melting zones, cooler crust comparatively restricted assimilation during crystallization (of magma with higher incompatible element contents) and permitted magma evolution to high-Ti derivatives; lesser degrees of melting also limited replenishment magma and thereby allowed greater evolution of existing magma. This model refers all diagnostic geochemical and isotopic features of Serra Geral basalts to percentages of partial melting of an essentially homogeneous mantle material.
An evaluation of how small user interface changes can improve scientists' analytic strategies

Subtle changes in analysis system interfaces can be used purposely to alter users' analytic behaviors. In a controlled study subjects completed three analyses at one-week intervals using an analysis support system. Control subjects used one interface in all sessions. Test subjects used modified versions in the last two sessions: a first set of changes aimed at increasing subjects' use of the system and their consideration of alternative hypotheses; a second set of changes aimed at increasing the amount of evidence collected. Results show that in the second session test subjects used the interface 39% more and switched between hypotheses 19% more than in the first session. They then collected 26% more evidence in the third than in the second session. These increases differ significantly (p
Evaluation of Minimum‐Size Limits and Reduced Daily Limits on the Crappie Populations and Fisheries in Five Large Missouri Reservoirs

Abstract Populations of white crappies Pomoxis annularis were studied at five Missouri reservoirs to evaluate the effects of minimum-size regulations and reduced daily limits. Models of equilibrium yield per recruit indicated that regulations that reduced or eliminated the harvest of age-1 and age-2 fish resulted in harvest of fewer fish but increased yield to the fishery. Peak yield occurred when white crappies were first harvested at age 3. After restrictive regulations were imposed, a significantly greater proportion of the harvest shifted to age-3 and older fish at Pomme de Terre (15-daily limit), Wappapello (10-daily limit), Stockton (10-in size limit), and the James River Arm of Table Rock (10-in size limit), but not at Lake of the Ozarks (15-daily limit). Although mean lengths of harvested white crappies were highly variable, they increased more in reservoirs with minimum-size limits. The greatest increase was in the James River Arm, where the mean length increased from about 7 to 11 in after impos...
Octave-wide characterization of highly nonlinear fiber dispersion

We demonstrate wide-band technique to characterize the dispersion properties of highly nonlinear fiber with record accuracy. The new method is based on processing of spectral fringes generated by the balanced interferometer transfer function when excited by parametric super-continuum source.
Visual‐Spatial Representation, Mathematical Problem Solving, and Students of Varying Abilities

The purpose of this study was to investigate students' use of visual imagery while solving mathematical problems. Students with learning disabilities (LD), average achievers, and gifted students in sixth grade (N= 66) participated in this study. Students were assessed on measures of mathematical problem solving and visual-spatial representation. Visual-spatial representations were coded as either primarily schematic representations that encode the spatial relations described in the problem or primarily pictorial representations that encode persons, places, or things described in the problem. Results indicated that gifted students used significantly more visual-spatial representations than the other two groups. Students with LD used significantly more pictorial representations than their peers. Successful mathematical problem solving was positively correlated with use of schematic representations; conversely, it was negatively correlated with use of pictorial representations.
Ethanol vapor detection in aqueous environments using micro-capacitors and dielectric polymers

A technique for the measurement of ethanol concentrations in aqueous mixtures is reported, in which a permeable membrane is used to transport ethanol vapors to a microelectromechanical (MEMS) chemi-capacitor array. The fixed plate micro-capacitors were filled with a polymeric dielectric material, siloxanefluoro alcohol (SXFA), whose dielectric constant increased upon absorption of ethanol vapor. Measurements of the mixture’s liquid-phase concentration were made in the vapor-phase by sampling the saturated vapors through a hydrophobic, vapor permeable nanopore filter. The performance of these sensors was characterized over a range of ethanol/water mixture concentrations and flow cell temperatures. The limit of detection (LOD) for ethanol in water using the capacitive micro-sensors in the present arrangement was found to be 40 ppm. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Radical reactivity of α‐trifluoromethylstyrene

α-Trifluoromethylstyrene (TFMST) does not undergo radical homopolymerization with azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) in bulk at 60°C. Low-temperature initiation was not effective either. Radical copolymerization of TFMST (M2) with styrene (ST, M1) has yielded monomer reactivity ratios as follows: r1 = 0.60 and r2 = 0.00. It has been found that the cyclohexyl radical generated by reaction of cyclohexylmercuric chloride with sodium borohydride adds to the β-carbon of TFMST 7.5 times faster than that of ST. Combination of the copolymerization analysis and the “mercury method” has allowed us to estimate Alfrey–Price Q and e parameters for TFMST to be 0.43 and 0.90, respectively. Thus, due to the strongly electron-withdrawing effect of the trifluoromethyl group, this styrene is highly electron deficient. In spite of the favorable electronic effect, however, the ceiling temperature appears very low, presumably due to the steric hindrance.
Pichia spartinae sp. n. from Louisiana marshland habitats

A new species ofPichia has been described.Pichia spartinae was one of the predominant yeasts isolated from the rhizosphere and tissue of oyster grass,Spartina alterniflora, in the Louisiana marshland. The species occurs in the environment in both the homo- and heterothallic state. This is the first species ofPichia in high densities in an estuarine locality.
On the volatility of bond prices

The historical variability nf asset prices continues to ~ttract the attention of academic research. One of the earliest papers in this area is by Shiller {1979), who reports that the volatility of bond prices is excessive relative to the implications of traditional models of the term structure. Singleton (1980) extends Shiller's research but reaches a similar conclusion. A series of papers followed this initial work--most focusing on the variability of stock prices, not bond prices. The first papers to address the excess volatility of stock prices were those of LeRoy and Porter (1981) and Shiller {1981). Perhaps there is less study of the volatility of bond prices due to the poor small sample propert ies of these tests as reported by Flavin (1983). While Kleidon (1986a, 1986b) discusses s imi lar problems with tests on stock prices, the specification of the more recent tests has circumvented some of Kleidon's original concerns. At any rate it is unlikely that tests of excess volatility of stock prices will disappear after the sensational drop in stock prices in October, 1987. The volatility of bond prices deserves further examination for several reasons. First, as Shiller {!979, page 1193) suggests, the variance of bond prices is more fundamental in the sense that bond prices should respond only to changes in the discount rate or in expected inflation. In contrast, nominal stock prices react also to expectations about future earnings. Second, bond prices are finite-lived assets. To the extent that excess volatility in stock prices is attributed to the presence of rational
Surrogate decision makers’ attitudes towards tube feeding in the nursing home

In the nursing home, a widely accepted medical practice is to recommend the initiation of long term tube feeding in residents with eating difficulties. However, frequently the nursing home resident has dementia, lacks decision-making capacity, and has no advance directives to guide the physician and the family member(s). Therefore, the family member or another surrogate decision maker has to make the difficult decision of whether or not to consent to the placement of a feeding tube. We surveyed 50 English speaking surrogates of nursing home residents who were on a feeding tube for at least 6 months. Each surrogate was contacted by telephone and was administered a 16-item structured questionnaire. Statistical analyses included frequency distributions, and the Wilcoxon signed rank test for two related samples. Most surrogates rated the residents' quality of life as poor or extremely poor. Yet, 78% of the surrogates perceived tube feeding to be beneficial, 62% would repeat their initial decision to initiate tube feeding, and 68% would not consider removal of the feeding tube. Their leading concerns were medical complications, tube feeding's impact on each resident's quality of life, and adequacy of nursing care. The surrogates were satisfied with their initial decision for the placement of a feeding tube despite their perception that there was no improvement in the quality of life of the residents. The surrogates may have viewed tube feeding as a life prolonging measure.
A Note on Specifying the Guessing Parameter in ATFIND and DIMTEST.

The software program DIMTEST can be used to assess the unidimensionality of item scores. The software allows the user to specify a guessing parameter. Using simulated data, the effects of guessing parameter specification for use with the ATFIND procedure for empirically deriving the Assessment Subtest (AT; that is, a subtest composed of items that potentially measure a second dimension) and DIMTEST for assessing whether that AT represents a second dimension were investigated. Results suggest that specifying higher guessing parameters in ATFIND and DIMTEST result in higher Type I error rates.
The Men with the Movie Camera: The Poetics of Visual Style in Soviet Avant-Garde Cinema of the 1920s

We scholars of Soviet cinema have long approached our subject through the methodology of authorship criticism, particularly when discussing matters of style. Indeed, for those periods of seemingly ...
Protein trafficking in cardiovascular disease: How the science has evolved and where it must go

The current issue of TCM features a review by Xiao and Shaw [1] on protein trafficking in cardiac myocytes. The fact that the subject of protein trafficking has found its way into a journal devoted to reviews of advances in cardiovascular medicine is a clear indication of how far our scientific understanding of heart disease has come. It also portends where it must go in the future and exemplifies why a complete understanding of human disease is crucial to the development of truly effective (both in terms of cost and absence of unwanted side effects), truly mechanism-based therapies to prevent disease. Xiao and Shaw focus attention on forward trafficking of two key proteins in cardiac myocytes: Cx43, the predominant ventricular gap junction channel protein that has to be transported to the intercalated disk to do its job in cell–cell electrical coupling, and Cav1.2, the alpha protein subunit of the L-type Ca2þ channel that must reside in T-tubules to fulfill its fundamental role in excitation–contraction coupling. How these two proteins get to their proper locations is enormously complicated. Xiao and Shaw use them as examples to highlight the broad biological processes responsible for protein trafficking. Such processes depend on interactions of the protein in question with specific components of the cytoskeleton, small GTPases that function as transport motors, and an increasingly complex array of accessory proteins as well as scaffolding, anchoring, and signaling molecules. In some cases, the protein in question can regulate its own forward trafficking. For example, Shaw and colleagues showed in a seminal study that Cx43 is subjected to alternative translation, giving rise to six different isoforms (in addition to the 43 kDa transcript) ranging in size from 7 to 32 kDa [2]. The 20-kDa isoform serves as a “beta subunit” that is required for normal trafficking of the full length Cx43 protein to the
The Effects of an Intermediary Placement on Learning Disabled and Low-Achieving Adolescents

Staffed by a team of regular and special educators and funded by a combination of regular and special education monies, an intermediary setting, the “Learning Laboratory,” was established for learning disabled and low-achieving adolescents. Students' academic abilities were not strong enough for regular class placement, but not so weak as to require a special education resource setting. After a year of participation, analyses of pre- and post-academic measures indicated that sixth to eighth grade learning disabled students demonstrated significant reading gains when compared with control students; ninth to twelfth grade learning disabled students did not demonstrate academic gains. However, subsequent analyses of school attendance data showed a significantly higher absenteeism rate for low-achieving students across sixth to eighth and ninth to twelfth grades. Results indicate that while some learning disabled students may benefit from such a setting, non-special education students may respond negatively t...
Warder Allee's escape from obscurity

Most exciting concepts in ecology are often those that are long neglected but upon rediscovery have profound implications for a variety of problems. Such is the case with the Allee effect, which refers to decreasing per capita growth with decreasing density. The phenomenon was named after Warder Allee, who was fascinated by cooperative behavior in animals, and his work, dating back to the 1930s, is credited as the first examination of the population-level consequences of cooperation. In particular, Allee noticed that at low densities, survival and reproduction was often limited by the lack of conspecifics and this could lead to population decline.
New tools for the dynamical description of laser arrays and other complex systems

We propose a systematic approach that may apply to many complex interactive networks, such as biological or electronic neural assemblies, which was partly inspired by mathematical features of phased laser arrays. Using an appropriate quasi-logarithmic transformation, a Fox-Li integral equation of linearly coupled phased laser arrays is mapped to a semi-equivalent coupled oscillator description, of which the interaction term is decomposed into orthogonal projections. Based on traditional ideas of symmetry, orthogonality, completeness, and the physical concept of criticality, techniques are proposed for the description of the dynamics and organization of massively nonlinearly interconnected networks, which may serve as memories, or perform computational operations in biological neuron assemblies, or models of evolution, pathology, ecological and social networks, individual and collective behavior, etc.
Letting God Govern": Supernatural Agency in the Venezuelan Pentecostal Approach to Social Change

Social scientists studying Pentecostalism in Latin America have argued that it is political in the identities, expectations, and social formations it creates; and that it could have important political consequences in the future. But do Pentecostals themselves think about their role in changing society? In this article I conceptualize the "religious frame" of Venezuelan Pentecostals and explore it using data from qualitative interviews. The results show that these Pentecostals see social problems as the result of wrong relations between humans and the supernatural realm. The solution therefore arises from religious action that seeks to order the relations between humans and the supernatural. This vision represents the common thread that runs through the type of involvement Pentecostals themselves propose, and the particular opportunities and dangers they see in common forms of secular social action. In the conclusion, I use this conceptualization to assess their future political impact.
Disease Incidence and Ascospore Dispersal from Cut Hazelnut Branches Colonized by Anisogramma anomala.

Abstract Hazelnut branches bearing stromata of Anisogramma anomala cut in December (2009 and 2010) were compared with branches cut prior to bud break in March to investigate these sources of inoculum. Branches were placed into brush piles (sources). Spore traps and potted hazelnut trees were placed adjacent to each source, 6.4 m upwind and downwind, and 20 m downwind from each source. Significantly more ascospores were detected near sources of branches cut in March compared with December in 2010 however, no differences were detected between pruning treatments in 2011. Ascospore viability, as assessed by trypan blue stain, averaged 50% for both pruning times each season. Significantly more ascospores were detected 6.4 m downwind compared with 6.4 m upwind or 20 m downwind of a source both years. All potted trees exposed to branches from both pruning treatments within sources became diseased both years. The proportion of potted trees that became infected was greater for the downwind group than the upwind fo...
Performance analysis of diversity combining method for OFDM blind carrier synchronization

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communications transform frequency selective channels into multiple low rate subchannels robust against frequency selective fading. Carrier frequency offset (CFO) between transmitter and receiver local oscillators must be estimated and compensated at the receiver to maintain orthogonality of these subchannels. It's necessary to reduce the frequency offset to a small fraction of the sub-channel signaling rate for reliable communications. A diversity branch weighted nonlinear least squares (NLS) estimator was proposed by the authors for carrier offset estimation. Here, various diversity combining methods are studied; e.g. we prove estimator facilitates maximal ratio combining (MRC) by simply weighting each receive branch proportional to it's respective signal to noise ratio (SNR). Numerical and experimental results against Cramer-Rao bound (CRB) verifying these results are presented.
The origin of the Landsort Trench in the Baltic

Abstract The Landsort Trench (max. depth 459 m), the deepest known part of the Baltic, is usually interpreted as having been formed by a tectonic event triggered by the Scandinavian Tertiary uplift. This hypothesis does not explain its location, its small size and the lack of similar structures elsewhere. As an alternative hypothesis, it is suggested that the hook-shaped trench is a part of a crypto-explosion structure; specifically, the north-western portion of the annular valley around a central uplift with a diameter of about 30–50 km. The age of the structure will then be pre-uplift but otherwise undetermined. The merits and problems of the hypothesis are discussed. It is pointed out that the hypothesis can be tested in several ways.
Cholinergic and Behavioral Neurotoxicity of Carbaryl and Cadmium to Larval Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Pesticides and heavy metals are common environmental contaminants that can cause neurotoxicity to aquatic organisms, impairing reproduction and survival. Neurotoxic effects of cadmium and carbaryl exposures were estimated in larval rainbow trout (RBT; Oncorhynchus mykiss) using changes in physiological endpoints and correlations with behavioral responses. Following exposures, RBT were videotaped to assess swimming speed. Brain tissue was used to measure cholinesterase (ChE) activity, muscarinic cholinergic receptor (MChR) number, and MChR affinity. ChE activity decreased with increasing concentrations of carbaryl but not of cadmium. MChR were not affected by exposure to either carbaryl or cadmium. Swimming speed correlated with ChE activity in carbaryl-exposed RBT, but no correlation occurred in cadmium-exposed fish. Thus, carbaryl exposure resulted in neurotoxicity reflected by changes in physiological and behavioral parameters measured, while cadmium exposure did not. Correlations between behavior and physiology provide a useful assessment of neurotoxicity.
Immersion of charged nanoparticles in a salt solution/air interface.

Electrostatic interactions strongly affect the immersion depth of nanoparticles into an interface. We prove this statement by measuring the diffusion constant of charged nanoparticles at a sodium chloride solution/air interface. Interfacial diffusion of nanoparticles slows down with increasing ionic strength of the sodium chloride solution. Hydrodynamic calculations are used to estimate the immersion depth from the diffusion constant, suggesting that nanoparticles with a carboxylate surface are only slightly immersed into a bare air/water interface. With increasing molarities of sodium chloride, the immersion depth increases to complete immersion for a 10−2 molar solution. Our experiments show that the location of nanoparticles at interfaces is determined by an intricate interplay between the electrostatic properties of the solution/air interface, the solution/solid interface, and the classical contact angle.
Social‐Psychological Dimensions of Ojibwa Acculturation1

THE interpretation of Ojibwa acculturation presented here is an attempt to relate culture to personality through four conceptual levels: institutional patterns that characterize the reservation as a subculture within American culture, role patterns that permit us to identify sp$cific points of conflict between the subculture and its environment, the Indian self-image, and individual response to the contemporary situation in psychological terms. I have attempted to relate factors hitherto more or less ignored in culture-personality studies of the Ojibwa-such as income, public assistance dependency, drinking, and racial prejudice-to the present social-psychological adjustment of the Indian. The analysis I have undertaken is an attempt to obviate many of the questions concerning the apparent enigmatic survival of aboriginal personality traits in the face of the extinction of the cultural conditions believed to have produced and sustained them (see Hallowell 1955:Ch.19; Caudill 1949:425; Barnouw 1950:12; Friedl 1956:815) by treating present observable events as a point of departure. I do not believe that it is necessary to propose the dissociation of Ojibwa culture and modern personality. Not only is such an hypothesis logically untenable insofar as it precludes use of behavior as the common denominator in the definition of both culture and personality, but also it does not bear up under empirical investigation. I believe that where aboriginal personality traits survive, observable persistent aboriginal cultural factors sustain them. Where such personality traits apparently survive without corresponding cultural causation they will be found to be functions of new cultural conditions and, as such, are not the same thing as their primitive antecedents. Such a situational emphasis does not constitute a rejection of the ethnohistorical point of view. It means simply that many aboriginal culture traits are extinct and cannot cause anything in the present situation, that new traits have emerged, and that we must reckon with the fact of such discontinuity. It means that where extensive cultural change has taken place, where cultural disorganization is prevalent, as is profoundly true on the American Ojibwa reservations, the researcher is obliged to select conceptual tools with this in mind. He must tighten the focus of his investigation from integrated macrocultural forms that persist over long periods of time to micro-cultural phenomena, often disintegrated, that change rapidly, shortening, as it were, the strings of causal connection. The bulk of the data presented in this paper are drawn from information collected on Lac Court Oreilles during a year's residence in 1951-52, and pe-
Energy budgets of latitudinally separated Scottolana canadensis (Copepoda: Harpacticoida)

We tested the hypothesis that evolution in a local population shifts individual metabolic properties to maximize energy budgets under the prevailing temperature regime. We measured scope for growth [ng C (pg dry mass)-’ h - ‘1 in latitudinally separated adult females of Scottolana canadensis (Willey) and used common-rearing techniques to assess the degree of genetic differentiation. Florida (low latitude) females were at an energetic disadvantage at 15”C, but Maine (high latitude) females were not always disadvantaged at 25” or 28°C. At high test temperatures, Maine females had higher oxygen consumption rates [nl 0, (pg dry mass)- * h-l] than those from Maryland (middle latitude) or Florida. The higher cost of respiration of the Maine individuals was offset by grazing rates [cells ~o~~amass)-’ h -*I on the algae Zsochrysis galbana (ISO) comparable or higher than Maryland or
Diabetes and Hypertension: Epidemiology of the Relationship and Pathophysiology of Factors Associated With These Comorbid Conditions

Diabetes and hypertension frequently coexist, leading to additive increases in the risk of life-threatening cardiovascular events. Hypertension is a common comorbid condition in patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes when compared with the general population and occurs in 75% of patients with the more prevalent form of diabetes, type 2. Arterial blood pressure plays an important role in the development of renal damage and presents a complex relationship. It is well-known that hypertension accelerates the course of microvascular and macrovascular complications of diabetes and that hypertension often precedes type 2 diabetes and vice versa. Patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes and nephropathy frequently have circadian changes in blood pressure that correlate to nephropathy risk. Early detection of nocturnal hypertension and early intervention with angiotensin blockade may delay progression of diabetic nephropathy.
A compiler-directed cache coherence scheme with improved intertask locality

We introduce a compiler directed coherence scheme which can exploit most of the temporal and spatial locality across task boundaries. It requires only an extended tag field per cache word, one modified memory access instruction, and a counter called the epoch counter in each processor. By using the epoch counter as a system wide version number, the scheme simplifies the cache hardware of previous version control (Hoichi Cheong and A.V. Veidenbaum, 1989) or timestamp based schemes (S.L. Min and J.-L. Baer, 1989), but still exploits most of the temporal and spatial locality across task boundaries. We present a compiler algorithm to generate the appropriate memory access instructions for the proposed scheme. The algorithm is based on a data flow analysis technique. It identifies potential stale references by examining memory reference patterns in a source program. >