cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of luteinizing hormone secretion by testosterone in men requires aromatization for its pituitary but not its hypothalamic effects: evidence from the tandem study of normal and gonadotropin-releasing hormone-deficient men.

Context: Studies on the regulation of LH secretion by sex steroids in men are conflicting. Objective: Our aims were to determine the relative contributions of testosterone (T) and estradiol (E2) to LH regulation and localize their sites of negative feedback. Design: This was a prospective study with three arms. Setting: The study was conducted at a General Clinical Research Center. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-two normal (NL) men and 11 men with GnRH deficiency due to idiopathic hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (IHH) participated. Intervention: Medical castration and inhibition of aromatase were achieved using high-dose ketoconazole (KC) for 7 d with 1) no sex steroid add-back; 2) T enanthate 125 mg im starting on d 4; or 3) E2 patch 37.5 μg/d starting on d 4. Blood sampling was performed every 10 min for 12 h at baseline, overnight on d 3–4 and d 6–7. Main Outcome Measures: Mean LH levels, LH pulse amplitude, and GnRH pulse frequency were assessed at baseline, d 3–4, and d 6–7. Results: In NL men, KC caused a 3-fold increase in mean LH on d 3–4, which was stable on d 6–7 with no add-back. Addition of T reduced LH levels (34.6 ± 3.9 to 17.4 ± 3.6 IU/liter, P < 0.05) by slowing GnRH pulse frequency (13.3 ± 0.4 to 6.7 ± 1.0 pulses/12 h, P < 0.005). LH amplitude increased (6.9 ± 1.0 to 12.1 ± 1.4 IU/liter, P < 0.005). E2 add-back suppressed LH levels (36.4 ± 5.6 to 19.0 ± 2.4 IU/liter, P < 0.005), by slowing GnRH pulse frequency (11.4 ± 0.2 to 8.6 ± 0.4 pulses/12 h, P < 0.05) and had no impact on LH pulse amplitude. In IHH men, restoring normal T levels caused no suppression of mean LH levels or LH amplitude. E2 add-back normalized mean LH levels and decreased LH amplitude from 14.7 ± 1.7 to 12 ± 1.5 IU/liter (P < 0.05). Conclusions: 1) T and E2 have independent effects on LH. 2) Inhibition of LH by T requires aromatization for its pituitary, but not hypothalamic effects. 3) E2 negative feedback on LH occurs at the hypothalamus.
Signaling crosstalk: integrating nutrient availability and sex.

In yeast, the mating response pathway is activated when a peptide pheromone binds to a heterotrimeric guanine nucleotide–binding protein (G protein)–coupled receptor, which leads to the activation of a mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling cascade and the stimulation of mating behavior. However, when nutrients in the environment are limiting, stimulation of the mating response would be maladaptive. A study indicates that the signaling pathways that respond to nutrient availability dampen the mating response by directly phosphorylating Gpa1, the G protein α subunit that initiates the mating response pathway. Snf1, the yeast homolog of adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase, is a highly conserved kinase that maintains energy homeostasis in response to nutrient limitation. The study found that the upstream kinases and phosphatase that control the activity of Snf1 also act on Gpa1 and provide a direct means to coordinate cell behavior and integrate the mating response with nutrient sensing.
Magnetomechanical properties of amorphous metals

Amorphous metals have magnetomechanical properties superior to those of crystalline magnetostrictive materials, and are therefore being considered for a variety of transducer and sensor applications. A simplified model is presented of magnetomechanical coupling in amorphous metal ribbons, showing the relation between magnetomechanical behavior and fundamental material parameters. Although high values of magnetization and magnetostriction are important, it is primarily the low values of magnetic anisotropy achievable that give amorphous metals their outstanding magnetomechanical coupling. The magnitude and homogeneity of this anisotropy is controllable through choice of alloy composition and annealing conditions. Amorphe Metalle haben bessere magnetomechanische Eigenschaften als kristalline Werkstoffe, und werden deshalb fur Anwendungen als Energieumwandler und Kraftubertrager betrachtet. Ein vereinfachtes Modell der magnetomechanischen Kopplung in amorphen metallischen Bandern wird gegeben, das die Beziehung zwischen magnetomechanischem Verhalten und grundlegenden Parametern des Werkstoffes erkart. Obwohl hohe Werte der Magnetisierung und Magnetostriktion wichtig sind, stammen die hervorragenden magnetomechanischen Kopplungseigenschaften in amorphen Metallen hauptsachlich von den niedrigen Werten der magnetischen Anisotropie. Die Werte und die Homogenitat der Anisotropie werden durch die Legierungszusammensetzung und die Anlasbedingungen kontrolliert.
Cross-cultural research and the role of anthropology in criminal justice

This study involves the application of traditional perspectives from anthropology to an examination of criminal justice research. The survey of several samples of published research confirms the paucity of criminal justice research in non-Western settings. Moreover, most of the reported research is not broadly representative, having been concentrated in a few non-Western countries. The implications of these findings for criminal justice education, research and theory are discussed, as are means for promoting cross-cultural research. The concepts of holistic and traditional comparative criminal justice are contrasted.
Resolution of an iatrogenic coronary artery thromboembolus.

A patient with an iatrogenic coronary thromboembolus, sustained during selective left coronary catheterization is presented. The embolus was identified by angiography and its complete resolution was documented in the same manner three months later. Despite chest pain and elevation of the cardiac enzymes, the electrocardiogram showed only nonspecific changes and the absence of macroscopically identifiable infarction was demonstrated at thoracotomy. Thromboembolization may be a more common cause of complication with the Judkins technique than generally realized but may be compatible with complete recovery and be avoided by special catheterization practices.
Layer-2 multi-hop IEEE 802.11 architecture: design and performance analysis

The problem of extending the network coverage in wireless local area networks has recently received significant research and industrial attention. IEEE 802.11 specifications allow only one hop communication between nodes. The authors propose and develop a layer-2 bridging architecture and solution to increase the range of an 802.11 access point using ad hoc networking. In the proposed framework, nodes are logically divided into levels based on their distance (hops) from the access point, and a layer-2 bridging tree is built based on the level concept. The specific mechanisms for the forwarding tree establishment as well as for the data propagation are introduced and discussed. An analytical model is also presented in order to analyse the saturation throughput of the proposed mechanism, while its applicability and effectiveness are evaluated via modelling and simulation. The corresponding numerical results demonstrate and confirm the significant area coverage extension that can be achieved by the authors' solution, when compared with the conventional 802.11b scheme.
Function-related changes in energy metabolism in the nervous system: localization and mechanisms.

Previous neuroanatomical and electrophysiological methods to localize functional activity in the nervous system focus on perikarya as the sites of the activity. Metabolic mapping of local functional activity in the nervous system provides a new dimension, the activity in the neuropil. Studies of local glucose utilization have shown that energy metabolism is increased by functional activation, but the effects are mainly in the terminal projection zones of the activated pathway. Electrical stimulation of a pathway raises glucose utilization in the projection zones of the pathway in almost direct proportion to the spike frequency. For example, electrical stimulation of the sciatic nerve produces frequency-dependent metabolic activation in the dorsal horn of the lumbar cord, where the axonal terminals of the afferent pathway reside, but no apparent metabolic effects in the cell bodies of the pathway in the dorsal root ganglia. Functional activation of the hypothalamo-hypophysial pathway by salt-loading increases glucose utilization in the pituitary neural lobe, where the terminal axons of the pathway reside, but not in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei, the sites of the cell bodies of origin of the pathway. Reflex activation by hypotension of pathways to these nuclei from brain stem structures involved in baroreceptor reflexes, however, increases glucose utilization in these nuclei. Depolarization induced by electrical stimulation, extracellular K+, or opening of Na+ channels with veratridine, stimulates glucose utilization in neural tissues, and this increase is blocked by ouabain, a specific inhibitor of Na+, K+-ATPase. Activation of this enzyme to restore ionic gradients across cellular membranes appears to trigger the functional activation of energy metabolism. The metabolic activation appears, therefore, to be associated not directly with the functional activity but rather with the recovery from the consequences of that activity.
Edge stability of stationary ELM-suppressed regimes on DIII-D

We discuss the MHD stability of the H-mode pedestal region in two edge localized mode (ELM)-suppressed H-mode regimes on DIII-D, the quiescent (Q)H-mode and resonant magnetic perturbation (RMP) H-mode. The QH-mode is obtained at low density with most of the neutral beam power injected counter to the plasma current, and is characterized by a continuous, low toroidal mode number (n), edge harmonic oscillation (EHO). QH-mode is observed to transition back to ELMing H-mode as the rotational shear is decreased by increasing the co-current neutral beam power fraction or by increasing the plasma to conducting wall distance, consistent with a model for the EHO as a peeling instability with added drive from rotational shear, which saturates through self transport of momentum or damping of rotation through drag of the mode on the conducting wall. In RMP H-mode, an n = 3 coil provides the non-axisymmetric perturbation. Two regimes of RMP ELM suppression are observed. At low collisionality with large resonant field perturbation, the pedestal pressure gradient and current density are reduced below the peeling-ballooning mode stability limit; while at higher collisionality with large non-resonant perturbation there is little change in the pedestal parameters and type II ELMs are enhanced.
Molecular cloning and nucleotide sequence of cDNAs encoding human long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase and assignment of the location of its gene (ACADL) to chromosome 2

Abstract Long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCAD) catalyzes the first reaction of the mitochondrial β-oxidation of fatty acids. We isolated and sequenced three cDNA clones encoding human LCAD precursor (p). The cDNAs encompass a 2217-base region including 5, 1290, and 922 bases in the 5′-noncoding, coding, and 3′-noncoding regions, respectively, and encodes the entire pLCAD of 430 amino acids (Mr: 47,656). The N-terminus of the mature human LCAD is currently unknown, but 30 (Mr 3221) and 400 amino acids (Mr: 44,435) of the sequence are considered to constitute the leader peptide and mature protein, respectively, in analogy to its rat counterpart. Human pLCAD cDNA shares 85.3 and 83.7% identical residues with rat pLCAD cDNA at the amino acid and nucleotide levels, respectively. At the amino acid level, human pLCAD shares 30.4 to 32.7% identical residues with three other human enzymes in the acyl-CoA dehydrogenase family, sharing 57 perfectly conserved residues among them. The human pLCAD gene is assigned to chromosome 2, bands q34–q35.
Pyro‐optic studies for infrared imaging

The temperature dependence of the complex refractive indices of SbSI, MoS2, and BiVO4 have been investigated using spectroscopic ellipsometry. The wavelength of maximum temperature dependence was identified for an in depth study of the sensitivity of the reflectance coefficient to a small ac temperature modulation. It was found feasible to detect temperature changes of 10−3, 10−2, and 10−2 °C by monitoring the reflectance coefficient of SbSI, MoS2, and BiVO4, respectively, using null ellipsometry. It is thus possible to use the pyro‐optic phenomena for long wavelength infrared imaging, analogous to pyroelectrics.
Selective inhibition of photosystem II in spinach by tobacco mosaic virus: an effect of the viral coat protein.

Leaves of Spinacia oleracea inoculated with tobacco mosaic virus (TMV) strain PV230 develop mild chlorotic and mosaic symptoms of infection. Thylakoid membranes isolated from these infected leaves showed a reduced Fv/Fm ratio for chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics, at 25°C. The photosystem II (PS Il)-mediated electron-transport rate was inhibited 50%, whereas PS I activity was unaffected by virus infection. Protein analysis indicated that TMV coat protein was associated with thylakoids, in particular with the PS II fraction. The results demonstrate that TMV-infected S. oleracea shows inhibition of photosynthetic electron transport through PS II. We propose that the inhibition of photosynthetic activity results from the association of viral coat protein with the PS II complex.
Proton magnetic resonance of some methyl-substituted pyridines and pyridinium ions in aqueous solutions

Abstract The proton magnetic resonance spectra of several methyl-substituted pyridines in dilute aqueous solutions were studied as functions of pH. The chemical shifts of protonated and unprotonated pyridines were discussed and the values of p K a , ΔS , and ΔH , were calculated from the data obtained at three different temperatures.
New perspectives in the functional role of GABA(A) channel heterogeneity.

γ-Aminobutyric acid A (GABAA) channels responsible for inhibitory synaptic transmission possess a consistent heterogeneity of structure in terms of distinct constitutive subunits. During the past 10 years, considerable progress has been made in understanding the magnitude of this large diversity. Structural requirements for clinically important drugs such as benzodiazepines and barbiturates have been elucidated, and the anatomical distribution in distinct neuronal populations and the developmental profiles of individual subunits have been elucidated with various techniques. However, the relevance of subunit heterogeneity to synaptic transmission is still largely lacking. Recently, substantial progress has been achieved in understanding the crucial role of desensitization as a molecular determinant in defining the duration and frequency responses of inhibitory synaptic transmission. This development, together with a combination of different experimental approaches, including patch-clamp recordings and ultrafast agonist applications in brain slices and mammalian cells expressing recombinant GABAA receptor, has begun to shed light on a possible role for subunit composition of synaptic receptors in shaping the physiological characteristics of synaptic transmission. Nowhere else in the central nervous system is the anatomical and developmental profile of GABA receptor heterogeneity as well understood as it is in the cerebellum. This review summarizes advances in the understanding of functional correlates to subunit heterogeneity in the cerebellum relevant for inhibitory synaptic function.
Capturing Implicit Structures in Unstructured Content of Construction Documents

In a paper-based paradigm, whether construction information is presented in structured or unstructured format is not a critical issue because human beings are good at processing both types of information. However, the paradigm shift from using paper-based media to electronic media requires better handling of unstructured information, as a computer is more adept at processing structured information. It is observed by the writers that many existing information systems in the construction industry simply mimic paper-based construction documents, not just in presentations but also in data structures, such as request for information (RFI) forms developed by many existing software vendors. The writers thus question whether enough attention has been put into understanding the impact of the paradigm shift on data management for construction documents. This paper argues that a construction document such as a RFI is usually used by construction professionals to serve particular business purposes, which restricts the content of such a document. Consequently, some types of unstructured information make references implicitly or explicitly to certain types of information that are often well structured such as building or project management information. Further, the occurrence of such cross references is constant and stable among different instances of the same type of documents. A major challenge is to properly capture, represent, and utilize such knowledge in order to improve information processing for construction professionals. Text analysis and statistical analysis are applied by this study to determine the patterns of the occurrences for certain types of concepts that are related to building components, contract documents, or project management in unstructured content. With the identified patterns, this paper further discusses the potential use of metadata models as a method to support processing unstructured content in those documents.
Synthesis of a complementary DNA to rat liver albumin mRNA

Summary A complementary DNA (cDNA) to purified rat liver albumin mRNA has been synthesized by means of a viral reverse transcriptase. The most important synthetic reaction parameters affecting cDNA product size were a nucleotide substrate concentration of at least 50 μM and a mRNA template concentration of about 25 μg per ml. At least 50 μg per ml of actinomycin D was required to prevent significant double-stranded cDNA synthesis. The final albumin cDNA produced was estimated to be essentially a full-length copy of its template by sedimentation in alkaline sucrose gradients.
On sublimation : The significance of psychoanalysis for the study of religion

L'A. propose de rehabiliter le discours religieux de la psychanalyse pour l'etude des religions, en etudiant la sublimation chez Freud et ses reinterpretations chez DiCenzo, Ricoeur et Deleuze.
Aryl Epoxides as Accelerators for the Photopolymerization of Oxetane Monomers

Epoxides bearing aryl groups function as “kick-starters” to markedly accelerate the photoinitiated cationic ring-opening polymerization of oxetane monomers. Thus, it has been observed that the inclusion of a small amount of styrene oxide transforms a sluggishly polymerizing 3-mono- or 3,3-disubstituted oxetane monomer into one that undergoes rapid, exothermic polymerization. Mechanistic studies suggest that the activity of aryl epoxides as “kick-starters” is related to their ability to intercept photogenerated acids to form benzylic cations that rapidly initiate oxetane monomer polymerization by alkylation of the monomer.
A Range-Difference Based Self-Positioning Scheme for Underwater Acoustic Sensor Networks

In this paper, we present a silent positioning scheme termed as UPS for underwater acoustic sensor networks. UPS relies on the time-difference of arrivals measured locally at a sensor to detect range differences from the sensor to four anchor nodes. These range differences are averaged over multiple beacon intervals before they are combined to estimate the 3D sensor location through trilateration. UPS requires no time-synchronization and provides location privacy at underwater vehicles/sensors whose locations need to be determined. Simulation study on the position error of UPS under acoustic fading channels indicates that UPS is an effective scheme for underwater vehicle/sensor self- positioning.
Human current sensitivities and resistance values in the presence of electrically energized objects

Modeling the response of the human body to electrical stimuli is a complex task. In the simplest model, two types of impedances are used: (1) skin and (2) internal. The skin is a layered structure, with both resistance and capacitance. The resistance is nonlinear in voltage and time. The impedance of the interior may be considered as resistive, comparable to a similar volume of saline at human body concentration. The skin capacitance causes impedance to decrease with frequency, as AC current shunts the high skin resistance. Data on human and animal body electrical resistance under various conditions is widely available in the literature, and consists of both original research and numerous compilations of data for various applications. Curve fitting was used to obtain expressions for human body impedance and shock sensitivity from published data. The IEC479 standards are compared with the "electrocution equation". Electrical safety is important in industrial work. Here, an electrician may come into contact with energized equipment, particularly at low voltages. Electrical shock in the home is normally from 120 Volt systems, particularly appliances and swimming pools. Calculations of shocking current in cases of inadvertent contact with a 120 Volt source are used to estimate the hazards
Cost per day of patency: understanding the impact of patency and reintervention in a sustainable model of healthcare.

Background Healthcare resource utilization is an understudied aspect of vascular surgery. Initial cost of a given procedure is not an accurate reflection of resource utilization because it does not account for procedural durability and efficacy. Herein we describe an amortized cost model that accounts for procedural costs, durability, and re-intervention costs. Methods A cost model was developed using patency data endpoints and total hospital costs (direct and indirect) associated with an inital revascularization and subsequent re-interventions. This model was applied to a retrospective database of femoropopliteal reconstructions. One hundred and eighty-three open cases were compared with 198 endovascular cases; and the endpoints of initial cost, amortized cost at 12 months, and assisted patency were examined. Results The open and endovascular cases were not statistically different with respect to indication, patient co-morbid profiles, or post-procedural pharmacotherapy. Primary assisted patency was better in the open revascularization group at 12 months (78% versus 66%, P P P = .71). There was, however, a trend for endovascular cost savings in claudicants, though this did not reach significance ($259 ± $189 versus $86 ± $52, P = .31). For patients with critical limb ischemia, renal dysfunction, and end stage renal disease, the trend favored open surgery. Conclusions An amortized cost model provides insight into the healthcare resource utilization associated with a particular revascularization and assistive procedures. The initial cost savings of endovascular therapies are not sustained over time. Cost-savings trends were noted, however, longer follow-up is required to see if these will reach statistical significance.
Severe Hemolytic Disease of the Newborn due to Anti‐Vw and Detection of Glycophorin A Antigens on the Miltenberger I Sialoglycoprotein by Western Blotting

. Anti-Vw detecting an antigen on Miltenberger I (Mi I) variant glycophorin A (GPA) has rarely been reported as a cause of hemolytic disease of the newborn (HDN). We report an infant with severe HDN due to anti-Vw. Examination of the Vw+ erythrocytes of the father and paternal grandmother by sodium dodecylsulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed an extra trypsin-sensitive, periodic-acid-Schiff staining band, consistent with Mi I variant GPA. Staining of Western blots by monoclonal antibodies showed that normal paternal GPA expressed blood group M, while Mi I variant GPA expressed blood group N. Mi I variant GPA expressed the trypsin-sensitive antigenic determinant detected by MoAb 10F7, indicating that the alterations known to occur in the trypsin-sensitive fragment of Mi I variant GPA do not affect expression of the antigen detected by 10F7.
Propagation characteristics and power transmission in shielded microstrip lines with double negative medium

In this paper, the shielded microstrip lines with double negative medium are investigated using the rigorous spectrum domain approach. The Chebyshev polynomials with edge singularity are used as current basis and the results agree with the reference in which trigonometric functions with edge singularity are used. The dispersion properties are studied with different case sizes. Field distributions imply significant difference from that of the double positive materials. Power transmission provides physical meaning for the different modes as frequency changing. The complex mode does not carry any net power and there are two types of propagating modes: forward and backward. Finally, the impact of the number of terms of the current basis on result accuracy is investigated. It shows that relatively small number of terms gives satisfactory accuracy.
Endocrine, Renal, and Hemodynamic Responses to Graded Dopamine Infusions in Normal Men

The present study was performed to determine the hemodynamic, hormonal, and natriuretic responses to infusions of dopamine (DA) that reflect physiological as well as pharmacological levels in blood or tissue. In six normal men, DA was infused for 2 h at three fixed dosages (0.03 or 0.1, 0.3, and 3.0 micrograms/kg X min) on three separate occasions, which resulted in increases in mean plasma DA concentrations from basal levels of less than 0.03 ng/ml to 0.69 +/- 0.12, 3.73 +/- 0.40, and 38.4 +/- 3.80 (+/- SE) ng/ml. Mean plasma PRL decreased and DA excretion increased significantly from basal levels during all three DA infusions. Plasma LH decreased and norepinephrine (NE) excretion increased during both the middle and high dose infusions, while sodium excretion, plasma NE, and heart rate increased only during the high dose DA infusion. Basal plasma aldosterone values were low and did not change with DA treatment. PRA, TSH, and FSH also did not change. GH responses were difficult to assess because of the frequency of episodic secretions. Since DA concentrations in hypophysial-portal blood may equal or exceed 1 ng/ml, these results support a role for DA in the acute regulation of PRL, and possibly LH, in normal men. As a natriuretic response occurred only at supraphysiological concentrations of circulating DA, if DA has a physiological role in modulating sodium excretion during normal sodium intake, it must be released from dopaminergic neurons or otherwise locally produced in very high concentrations in the kidney.
Effect of treatment with bupropion on EEG sleep: relationship to antidepressant response

The objective of this study was to assess whether treatment with sustained-release bupropion (Wellbutrin-SR®) produces alterations in electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep that are associated with clinical response to the drug. EEG sleep was measured in 20 patients with unipolar major depressive disorder before and after treatment with sustained-release bupropion. Each EEG sleep session consisted of two consecutive nights. Treatment with bupropion lasted for 8 wk. Compared to EEG sleep measures at baseline, treatment with bupropion significantly lengthened REM latency, increased REM activity and density during the first REM period, and increased total REM density. Differential response to treatment was associated with changes in REM activity and density, but not with REM latency. However, in contrast to many other antidepressants, REM sleep was not suppressed.
Isochoric measurement of the equation of state of solid argon at high pressure

Abstract Isochoric P-T traces have been measured for solid argon at eight different molar volumes by using a capacitance technique which records the radial expansion of the vessel due to pressure. These measurements extend from melting curve temperatures down to 4 °K at pressures ranging up to 7 kbar. Analysis of the data indicates that, for the high temperature region (above 80 °K) the thermodynamic derivative ∂P/∂T r is independent of both temperature and density to within experimental errors. Using the fact that ∂P/∂T r is constant, it is possible to generate PVT and isothermal bulk modulus data at high temperatures. These data are compared with X-ray diffraction measurements and piston displacement data and are found to be in good agreement with both. The data also agree quite well with current theoretical predictions. The high-temperature bulk modulus data were found to have a simple exponential dependence on the molar volume, prividing another convenient representation of the high-temperature equation-of-state data.
Looking ahead of real time in Hybrid component networks

While network simulation is a widely used technique for developing, testing and evaluating network protocols and applications, it is difficult and time-consuming to develop detailed models of the entire protocol stack and the application that is being evaluated. Hybrid component networks combine simulation models of protocols and applications with physical implementations of other protocols and/or applications, which can alleviate modeling complexity and build accurate models. However, hybrid component networks require that the simulated components execute faster than real time. Parallel simulation techniques can greatly improve the performance of hybrid component networks and facilitate evaluation of larger networks than would feasible only with sequential execution. In parallel simulation, one of the most important properties to be exploited from the simulation is “lookahead,” but none of the previous studies has exploited the lookahead from the physical implementation of protocols or applications. We have developed Virtual Socket Interface (VSI), which exploits real time lookahead from the interactions between operational applications and simulated networks in GloMoSim [1], a parallel discrete event network simulator. This paper presents the implementation of VSI with the notion of real time lookahead and evaluates VSI for typical wireless ad hoc network scenarios. The results of the study demonstrate that the parallel simulation with the real time lookahead greatly enhances the capability of hybrid component networks.
What Young Adolescents Think about Engineering: Immediate and Longer Lasting Impressions of a Video Intervention.

To explore young adolescents’ interest in engineering as a future career, we examined the influence of gender and grade level on participants’ (N = 197, aged 10–13) views of engineering. One group (107 students) viewed a brief engineering video and wrote why they felt the same or different about engineering following the video. Qualitative analyses revealed that some reported viewing engineering differently and more positively, although most did not want to be an engineer. Girls, more than boys, noted that engineers helped people. Six months after the video intervention, participants completed quantitative measures about engineering. Quantitative analyses comparing responses of participants who had seen the video, with those who had not, revealed that the video dispelled some stereotyped beliefs, but not others, with grade-level and gender effects. The findings highlight the importance of listening to adolescents’ views about engineering as a field and as a future career.
New Shoes and Mutton Pies: Investigative Responses to Theft in Seventeenth-Century East Sussex

On May Day 1639, Christopher Deering discovered that a lamb was missing from his property in Heathfield, East Sussex. The most accessible criminal court to try such a theft was the quarter sessions, which met approximately two months later. By the court date, Robert Walcott, a local labourer, had confessed to the felony. In court, Walcott again acknowledged his complicity. Pleading benefit of clergy, he asked the justices to spare his life. Walcott read a biblical text well enough to pass the traditional – although long outdated – literacy test of clerical status. He was branded in the thumb to mark him as an excused felon, and dismissed from public custody.
A synchronous beam sweeper for heavy ions

The Argonne Tandem Linac Accelerator System (ATLAS) facility provides a wide range of accelerated heavy ions from the periodic table. Frequently, the beam delivery rate of 12 MHz is too fast for the type of experiment on line. Reaction by-products from a target bombardment may have a decay interval much longer than the dead time between beam bunches. To prevent data from being corrupted by incoming ions a beam sweeper was developed which synchronously eliminates selected beam bunches to suit experimental needs. As the sweeper is broadband (DC to 4 MHz), beam delivery rate can be instantaneously changed. Ion beam bunches are selectively kicked out by an electrostatic dipole electrode pulsed to 2 kVDC. The system has been used for almost three years with several hundred hours of operating time logged to date. Beam bunch delivery rates of 6 MHz down to 25 kHz have been provided. Since this is a nonresonant system, any beam delivery rate from 6 MHz down to zero can be set. In addition, burst modes have been used where beam is supplied in 12-MHz bursts and then shut down for a period of time set by the user. >
Ethics corner: cases from the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged--problematic proxies.

This article is the second of a six-part series in the Journal of the American Medical Directors Association devoted to medical ethics in the nursing home. In each issue, a case is presented from the Ethics Committee at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged (HRCA) in Boston, Massachusetts. After a description of the case and a discussion of the ethical issues that the case raises, Dr. Steven Levenson will discuss the implications for medical directors.
Changes in Volunteer Knowledge and Attitudes as a Result of Texas Master Naturalist Training

Since 1998, the Texas Master Naturalist (TMN) program has trained more than 4,500 volunteers in natural resource ecology, management, and interpretation. In this study, we evaluated changes in knowledge and attitudes about ecology, management, and consumptive uses of wildlife as a result of TMN training; motivation for involvement; and post-training volunteer activities of 227 TMN. Participants received a pre-test prior to training, a post-test following training, and a second post-test eight months after completion of training. Knowledge scores increased from 57% correct on the pre-test to 72% correct on the first post-test (p < .001) and 74% on the second post-test. Attitudes changed on 14 out of 26 attitude statements from pre-test to first post-test, with participants becoming more supportive of management of wildlife habitat and populations (p < .05). Eighty-two percent of second post-test respondents (n = 125) reported participation in nature-based volunteer activities following training.
Management implications of conservation tillage and poultry litter use for Southern Piedmont USA cropping systems

Conservation tillage and judicious use of animal manures as fertilizers can make significant contributions for sustainable food production in the twenty-first century. Identifying and understanding the many interactions occurring within agricultural systems is fundamental for accomplishing this feat. This paper synthesizes 14 years of research results from a study that began in the early 1990s in which researchers from USDA-ARS and the University of Georgia investigated cropping system influences on nutrient management under natural rainfall. Increases in C and N with no-till resulted in improved soil structure that increased infiltration rate and soil water availability. Biological activity as indicated by earthworms was greater with no-till and poultry litter (PL). In all but the very driest year, yields of cotton and corn increased on average 10–27% with no-till and 32–42% with combination of no-till and PL. On the other hand soil nutrient accumulation, particularly P and Zn from long-term use of poultry litter in corn production, reached excessive levels and could present environmental risks. Drainage increased in no-till raising the risk of leaching of nutrients into the soil profile. However, runoff decreased in no-till and the presence of a rye cover crop during the winter reduced the leaching losses of N compared to no cover crop. During cotton production under relative drought, no-till and poultry litter led to somewhat elevated dissolved phosphorus concentration in runoff, and fluometuron was detected in runoff and drainage while pendimethalin was not. Fecal indicator bacteria (Escherichia coli and fecal enterococci), and the hormones estradiol and testosterone were observed in drainage and runoff but concentrations were similar across all treatments. By conducting the study for an extended period under natural environmental conditions, we were able to highlight real risks and potentials of the contrasting cropping systems. While 6 out of 14 years of relative drought might have limited the water quality response of treatments, such droughts are common features of the weather pattern in the region. Even then, use of no-till as the predominant tillage system was supported by improved yields. Fertilizer management, especially crop N need-based use of PL, requires closer monitoring to insure that production advantages of no-till and poultry litter are not offset by concerns with environmental risks. Long-term research requires sustained resource inputs to answer critical questions of environmental risk and emerging unknown issues.
Multi-target tracking based on data fusion and distributed detection in sensor networks

We consider a multi-target tracking problem that aims to simultaneously determine the number and state of mobile targets in the field. Conventional paradigms tend to report only the existence and state of targets according to centralized detection and data fusion. On the contrary, we investigate a multi-target, multi-sensor scenario in which (a) both the number and the state of the targets are unknown a priori; and (b) the detection with respect to targets is employed in a distributed manner. Toward this end, we exploit random set theory, a statistical tool based on Bayesian framework, for establishing generalized likelihood and Markov density functions to yield an iterative filtering procedure. We conduct a study regarding how the design of distributed detection has impact on the result of system level information fusion. The formulation of Bayesian filtering suggests that a design of a tracking system be adaptive to change of detection performance.
A Computational Theory of Visual Surface Interpolation

Computational theories of structure-from-motion and stereo vision only specify the computation of three-dimensional surface information at special points in the image. Yet the visual perception is clearly of complete surfaces. To account for this a computational theory of the interpolation of surfaces from visual information is presented. The problem is constrained by the fact that the surface must agree with the information from stereo or motion correspondence, and not vary radically between these points. Using the image irradiance equation, an explicit form of this surface consistency constraint can be derived. To determine which of two possible surfaces is more consistent with the surface consistency constraint, one must be able to compare the two surfaces. To do this, a functional from the space of possible functions to the real numbers is required. In this way, the surface most consistent with the visual information will be that which minimizes the functional. To ensure that the functional has a unique minimal surface, conditions on the form of the functional are derived. In particular, if the functional is a complete semi-norm that satisfies the parallelogram law, or the space of functions is a semi-Hilbert space and the functional is a semi-inner product, then there is a unique (to within possibly an element of the null space of the functional) surface that is most consistent with the visual information. It can be shown, based on the above conditions plus a condition of rotational symmetry, that there is a vector space of possible functionals that measure surface consistency, this vector space being spanned by the functional of quadratic variation and the functional of square Laplacian. Arguments based on the null spaces of the respective functionals are used to justify the choice of the quadratic variation as the optimal functional. Possible refinements to the theory, concerning the role of discontinuities in depth and the effects of applying the interpolation process to scenes containing more than one object, are discussed.
Application of elastic impedance: A case study from Mahanadi Basin, India

Abstract Over the last decade, seismic inversion has acquired the status of being a routine interpretation step during exploration as well as development of fields. For detailed reservoir characterization, prestack inversion is desirable; however, poststack inversion is a reasonably effective tool. The inversion starts with calibration of the well with seismic data. The synthetic seismogram is tied with stacked seismic data on the basic premise that the seismic data (full stack) mimics the zero-offset data and therefore should match with the zero-offset synthetic seismogram. Generally, a good match is obtained. However, during the course of many inversion exercises, it is observed that the synthetic-to-seismic match is not good in parts of the drilled interval. There could be many reasons for this partial mismatch. One of the important reasons is that the well data represent one-dimensional data, whereas the seismic data are stacked over an angle range. In other words, the well data are equivalent to zero...
Response spectrum of fluoranthene and pentachlorobenzene for the fathead minnow (Pimephales promelas).

Internal body residue has been recognized as a potential dose metric for toxicological assessments. This relationship between body residue and biological effects, including both lethal and sublethal effects, is critically important for determining environmental quality in risk assessments. The present study identified the toxic equivalent body residues for fluoranthene (FLU) and pentachlorobenzene (PCBz) associated with mortality, reduced growth, and decreased hatchability in the fathead minnow. The toxic equivalent body residue was defined as the total of the parent compound and the organically extractable metabolites for FLU and of the parent compound only for PCBz, because no biotransformation was measurable. The lethal body residues corresponding to 50% mortality were 0.80 and 1.26 mol/g wet weight for FLU and PCBz, respectively. As expected, residues associated with sublethal effects generally are 2- to 40-fold lower than the lethal residues for FLU and PCBz. Juvenile fish growth was the most sensitive endpoint examined for both compounds. The maximum allowable toxicant residues were 0.02 and 0.43 mol/g wet weight for FLU and PCBz, respectively. The information collected from the present study will permit a greater understanding of residue- response relationships, which will be useful in risk assessments. Keywords—Fathead minnow Fluoranthene Pentachlorobenzene Whole-body residue Sublethal effects
Cost containment in climate policy and incentives for technology development.

Safety valves, discretionary advisory boards, and other cost containment mechanisms enhance the political feasibility of stringent climate policy by limiting firms' and households' exposures to higher than anticipated costs associated with reducing greenhouse-gas emissions. However, cost containment comes at a price; it increases the risk of climate-related damages and simultaneously discourages invest- ments to develop low-carbon technologies. A stylized model of the cost of climate policy is used to estimate that proposed cost containment mechanisms will increase emissions by 11-70% by 2030. Because these clauses limit the payoffs to innovation, they reduce our societal capacity to affordably mitigate climate change through technology improvement. If cost containment measures are to be employed at levels discussed in recent policy debates, then complementary policies to fund technology development will be needed; crucially, the two also need to be linked. One way to resolve the impasse between increased climatic damages and reduced incentives for innovation is to create a technology development fund with contributions indexed to the amount by which the market price for carbon exceeds the price cap.
Global Justice and Natural Resources: Three Potential Appeals

International cooperation to reduce the causes of climate change or control its effects is urgently needed but has thus far remained elusive. The case for taking action has in both the popular and scholarly discourse of climate justice been framed in terms of human rights protection, justice within and between nations and/or persons, and the responsibility of complicit parties in causing climate change. While all three appeals may yield similar directives for initiating action where none is being taken now, each draws upon a unique normative framework, invokes distinct evaluative criteria, and endorses different objectives. Some scholars and activists suggest that these distinctions make no difference - as any cooperative action is better than none, and that details are unimportant in the face of such an urgent threat - sometimes pragmatically urging that multiple appeals be made at once in order to maximize their combined effect. Apart from issues concerning the fit between climate change and each of these three and empirical facts surrounding the respective persuasive power of each frame, several theoretical and practical considerations suggest the need to consider the merits and potential drawbacks of conceiving of (and arguing for) climate justice in terms of one of these three appeals. In this paper, I shall examine all three, comparing them in terms of both their theoretical cogency and practical purchase, and discuss how best to conceive of and articulate climate justice imperatives.
In college and in recovery: Reasons for joining a Collegiate Recovery Program

ABSTRACTObjective: Collegiate Recovery Programs (CRPs), a campus-based peer support model for students recovering from substance abuse problems, grew exponentially in the past decade, yet remain unexplored. Methods: This mixed-methods study examines students' reasons for CRP enrollment to guide academic institutions and referral sources. Students (N = 486) from the 29 CRPs nationwide operating in 2012 completed an online survey in 2013. Results: Students were somewhat older than traditional age (mean age = 26). Now sober for 3 years (mean), they had experienced severe dependence on multiple substances. One third reported they would not be in college were it not for a CRP, and 20% would not be at their current institution. Top reasons for joining a CRP were the need for same-age peer recovery support and wanting to “do college sober,” recognizing that college life challenges sobriety. Conclusions: CRPs appear to meet their mission of allowing recovering students to pursue educational goals in “an abstinenc...