cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Institutional influence on power sector investments: A case study of on- and off-grid energy in Kenya and Tanzania

Abstract With the recent decline of renewable energy technology costs—most notably solar photovoltaics —off-grid energy systems are becoming increasingly attractive alternatives to grid extension for advancing rural electrification in Africa. However, there are institutional challenges to wider adoption of off-grid solutions. Combining a multi-level perspective with project funding data from the Kenyan and Tanzanian energy sectors, we assess the extent to which these new off-grid technologies have been incorporated into the existing energy regimes in both countries. Using a qualitative assessment of academic literature and official documents, and a quantitative assessment of energy investments, we find that although international development agencies have provided financial support for niche, off-grid companies, both global donors and the regime electricity sector operators in Kenya and Tanzania continue to favor on-grid and grid extension activities. While landscape influences on both countries are similar, we find that differences within the institutional regimes result in different development pathways for off-grid niches. In Kenya, unbundling and privatization efforts have attracted private investment in both on- and off-grid projects. Tanzania has more relaxed regulations for off-grid power producers, and a clearer regulatory framework for allowing off-grid operators to impose cost-reflective tariffs, which creates a supportive environment for niche innovation.
Automorphisms and Encoding of AG and Order Domain Codes

We survey some encoding methods for AG codes, focusing primarily on one approach utilizing code automorphisms. If a linear code C over\(\mathbb{F}_{q}\)has a finite Abelian group H as a group of automorphisms, then C has the structure of a module over a polynomial ring ℘. This structure can be used to develop systematic encoding algorithms using Grobner bases for modules. We illustrate these observations with several examples including geometric Goppa codes and codes from order domains.
Scales and Setae

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the role of setae and scales in insects. In all groups of arthropods and especially insects, the role of the setae has evolved from simple mechanoreception to various other functions, including defense, locomotion, prey capture, pheromone dispersal, sexual display, preening, and camouflage. Setae are often highly modified, with one common modification being that they may be flattened into a broad, plate-like scale. This article specifically examines the tremendous diversity in shape, structure, and function of setae and scales used by different insect groups and at different life stages. This diversity in setae type is then characterized according to their four major functions in the biology of the insect: mechanoreception, camouflage, defense, and pheromone dispersal. Setae are commonly used by insects as a substrate of high surface area from which a pheromone is dispersed by evaporation. Adult males of some nemopterid (Neuroptera) genera use distinctive tufts of fine setae (bulla) on the hind margins of the fore- or hind wings to disperse pheromone. Males of the antlion tribe Acanthoclisinae (Myrmeleontidae) have eversible sacs (hair pencils) covered with fine setae for a similar purpose, and many male butterfl ies use specialized setae (androconia) located in basal depressions along the forewing veins called androconial organs.
THE INFLUENCE OF THE SHAPE AND DIMENSION OF THE THREAD FORM OF THE BALL SCREW AND ITS BREAK-AWAY TORQUE

SUMMARY The influence of the friction characteristics of a ball screw is an important parameter in the design of a precision machine tool. However, there is little data available on these characteristics. This paper stresses the importance of such factors as the load, the shapes and backlash of the race ways and the lubrication, and clarifies some important characteristics of ball screws.
Investigation of high ozone events due to wildfire smoke in an urban area

Abstract Using data from the St. Luke's site in Meridian, ID (near Boise) during 2006–2017 and a 2017 summer intensive campaign, we investigate enhancements in ozone (O3) during wildfire events in an urban area. We calculate a wildfire criterion based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke product and historically averaged PM2.5 data to determine when wildfire emissions are influencing the area (smoke vs. non-smoke events). We also use a Generalized Additive Model (GAM) to investigate anomalous sources of O3, such as wildfires, in this urban area. During the summer 2017 intensive campaign, we find that peroxyacetyl nitrate (PAN), reactive nitrogen (NOy), and maximum daily 8 h average (MDA8) O3 show significant enhancements during smoke events compared with non-smoke periods (65%, 42%, and 32%, respectively). We calculate the 95% confidence interval of ΔPM2.5/ΔCO, ΔNOy/ΔCO, ΔPAN/ΔNOy, and ΔPAN/ΔCO enhancement ratios (ERs) to be 0.129–0.144 μg/m3/ppbv, 0.018–0.022 ppbv/ppbv, 0.152–0.192 ppbv/ppbv, and 3.04–3.76 ppbv/ppmv, respectively, for wildfire smoke influenced events. We also observe an enhancement in O3 production up to PM2.5 concentrations of 60–70 μg/m3 in smoke, after which we see a reduction in average MDA8 O3 mixing ratios. We use the four highest O3 events during summer 2017 as case studies to examine the highly variable conditions due to the influence of wildfire smoke in an urban area. In two cases, we investigate smoke days that show significant O3 enhancement and moderate PM2.5 concentrations. These cases suggest that ERs, such as ΔPM2.5/ΔCO and ΔNOy/ΔCO, are less useful in determining the influence of wildfire smoke in an urban area on moderate smoke days. Another case shows reduced O3 production during a very high, 3-day smoke event (PM2.5 > 70 μg/m3). After this high smoke period, a 20 ppbv enhancement in MDA8 O3 is observed in moderate smoke. These results indicate that wildfire-influenced O3 enhancements are highly variable in urban areas but generally increase up to around 60 μg/m3 of PM2.5, after which they decrease at very high smoke concentrations. This study also suggests that multiple tracer measurements are needed to fully characterize wildfire plumes in urban areas.
Adapting Irony: Claude Chabrol’s The Cry of the Owl

Claude Chabrol’s Le cri du hibou, his 1987 adaptation of Patricia Highsmith’s The Cry of the Owl (1962), reveals an affinity between novelist and filmmaker that relies less on an atmosphere of menace and an array of aberrant psychologies than on an understanding that irony informs the human condition. But while Highsmith exercises a modernist, existential mode of irony, and an attendant authorial detachment, Chabrol deploys a style of playful wit that inverts thematic motifs and undermines generic roles and yet concurrently expresses an acceptance of the human foibles and ironic entanglements that characterize his cinematic realm.
Testing the Moderating Effects of Demographic Traits on Support for Police Militarization in a Sample of Police Officers, Police Executives, and Members of the U. S. Congress

Some research and popular belief suggests that certain demographic traits moderate an individuals’ support for policing practices, to include PM. Therefore, this chapter addresses the third research question and includes examination of the effect of demographic features on support for each aspect of PM using a variety of regression and PSM analyses. Results of logistic regression models showed that professional position had a moderating effect on the support for PM with law enforcement generally indicating more support than members of Congress, even after controlling for all demographic measures. Only one other covariate, veteran status, was found to be a significant predictor of PM in the model. When the PSM was employed, race/ethnicity showed limited moderating effects on support for PM, in which White participants were more likely to support PM as compared to the Non-White participants. Finally, veteran status was also not shown to have significant moderating effects on most aspects of PM, although veterans were more likely to support PM when compared to non-veterans.
The Effect of the Say-on-Pay Vote in the United States

The Dodd–Frank Act mandated advisory shareholder votes on executive compensation. To isolate the effect of holding a Say-on-Pay vote we use an exemption provided to a group of firms based on their ...
On top of biosynthetic gene clusters: How epigenetic machinery influences secondary metabolism in fungi.

Fungi produce an abundance of bioactive secondary metabolites which can be utilized as antibiotics and pharmaceutical drugs. The genes encoding secondary metabolites are contiguously arranged in biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs), which supports co-regulation of all genes required for any one metabolite. However, an ongoing challenge to harvest this fungal wealth is the finding that many of the BGCs are ‘silent’ in laboratory settings and lie in heterochromatic regions of the genome. Successful approaches allowing access to these regions - in essence converting the heterochromatin covering BGCs to euchromatin - include use of epigenetic stimulants and genetic manipulation of histone modifying proteins. This review provides a comprehensive look at the chromatin remodeling proteins which have been shown to regulate secondary metabolism, the use of chemical inhibitors used to induce BGCs, and provides future perspectives on expansion of epigenetic tools and concepts to mine the fungal metabolome.
Product Placement in TV Shows: The Effect of Consumer Socialization Agents on Product Placement Attitude and Purchase Intention

In recent years, many studies have investigated consumers‟ attitudes toward product placement in media content, such as movies and TV shows. However, few studies have explored the influence of peer communication and media consumption on product placement attitudes and purchase intention of products that displayed in TV shows. Drawing on the consumer socialization framework, the current study investigates product placement attitudes and behavioral intentions via online survey. Moreover, this research examined the impact of reading online consumer review of placed products as an extended socialization variable. Results show that peer communication, a socialization agent, is strongly related to both product placement-related attitudes and purchase intentions. Findings also indicate that reading online consumer reviews of placed products is a good predictor of consumers‟ purchase intentions.
Cyanobacteria as a biofuel source: advances and applications

Abstract Interest in biofuels is largely driven by the desire to reduce carbon emissions, achieve energy security, and spur economic development in response to the hazardous effects of fossil fuels. As third-generation biofuel feedstocks, cyanobacteria are highly advantageous since several biochemical processes can be applied to these organisms, enabling the production of a variety of fuels, including biogas, cellulosic ethanol, and biodiesel. High net energy converting biomass into fuel, growth on nonagricultural and marginal lands, ability to thrive in brackish and marine waters, and production of high-value by-products, such as proteins, pigments, and other extracts, offer endless possibilities for researchers and entrepreneurs. With simpler metabolic processes relative to eukaryotic organisms that have been well-established, cyanobacteria are a highly tractable platform for building efficient pathways for biofuel production. This chapter focuses on the major steps of the cyanobacteria-to-fuel process, types of fuel produced, genetic engineering, and advances aimed toward improving the commercial viability of these products, and challenges in scale-up production.
HEART FAILURE SELF-MANAGEMENT USING A MOBILE WEB-BASED TELEMONITORING SYSTEM: IMPACT ON HOSPITAL READMISSION AND QUALITY OF LIFE

Heart failure (HF) is a major public health problem, with an increased readmission rate particularly in the first 30 days after HF admission. Reducing HF readmissions requires a multidisciplinary team, and home telemonitoring jointly with home nurse visits was shown to be beneficial. We performed a
Mental Models of AI Agents in a Cooperative Game Setting

As more and more forms of AI become prevalent, it becomes increasingly important to understand how people develop mental models of these systems. In this work we study people's mental models of AI in a cooperative word guessing game. We run think-aloud studies in which people play the game with an AI agent; through thematic analysis we identify features of the mental models developed by participants. In a large-scale study we have participants play the game with the AI agent online and use a post-game survey to probe their mental model. We find that those who win more often have better estimates of the AI agent's abilities. We present three components for modeling AI systems, propose that understanding the underlying technology is insufficient for developing appropriate conceptual models (analysis of behavior is also necessary), and suggest future work for studying the revision of mental models over time.
Clinical stage provides useful prognostic information even after pathological stage is known for prostate cancer in the PSA era.

Background Pathological and clinical stage are associated with prostate cancer-specific survival after prostatectomy. With PSA screening, the post-surgery prognostic utility of clinical stage is debatable in studies seeking to identify new biomarkers. Few studies have investigated clinical stage and lethal prostate cancer association after accounting for pathological stage. We hypothesize that clinical stage provides prognostic information beyond pathological stage in the PSA era. Methods Cox regression models tested associations between clinical and pathological stage and lethal prostate cancer among 3,064 participants from the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study and Physicians’ Health Study (HPFS/PHS) who underwent prostatectomy. Likelihood ratio tests and c-statistics were used to assess the models’ prognostic utility. Equivalent analyses were performed in 16,134 men who underwent prostatectomy at Johns Hopkins. Results Independently, clinical and pathological stage were associated (p<0.0001 for both) with rate of lethal prostate cancer in HPFS/PHS. The model with clinical and pathological stage fit significantly better than the model with only pathological stage in all men (p = 0.01) and in men diagnosed during the PSA era (p = 0.04). The mutually adjusted model also improved discriminatory ability. In the Johns Hopkins cohort, the model with clinical and pathological stage improved discriminatory ability and fit significantly better overall (p<0.0001) and in the PSA era (p<0.0001). Conclusions Despite stage migration resulting from widespread PSA screening, clinical stage remains associated with progression to lethal prostate cancer independent of pathological stage. Future studies evaluating associations between new factors and poor outcome following prostatectomy should consider including both clinical and pathological stages since the data is already available.
What is the message of the robot medium? Considering media ecology and mobilities in critical robotics research.

This article makes the case for including frameworks of media ecology and mobilities research in the shaping of critical robotics research for a human-centered and holistic lens onto robot technologies. The two meta-disciplines, which align in their attention to relational processes of communication and movement, provide useful tools for critically exploring emerging human–robot dimensions and dynamics. Media ecology approaches human-made technologies as media that can shape the way we think, feel, and act. Relatedly, mobilities research highlights various kinds of influential movement and stillness of people, things, and ideas. The emerging field of critical robotics research can benefit from such attention to the ways of thinking, feeling, and moving robotic forms and environments encourage and discourage. Drawing on various studies into robotics, I illustrate those conceptual alignments of media ecology, mobilities, and critical robotics research and point to the value of this interdisciplinary approach to robots as media and robotics as socio-cultural environments.
Effect of Genicular Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Retrospective Chart Review.

BACKGROUND Genicular nerve block and radiofrequency ablation improve pain and function in patients with knee osteoarthritis. We aimed to evaluated the efficacy of these procedures and to identify factors predicting outcomes. METHODS We conducted a chart review of 18 patients referred for these procedures from our clinic. Pain scores were collected before and after the procedure and at a follow-up visit. Functional measures were recorded before the procedure. RESULTS Both procedures reduced pain in the post-procedure and follow-up settings, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index correlated with the paired differences of pre- and follow-up pain scores. DISCUSSION These procedures provided significant pain relief, and the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index may help identify appropriate candidates for these procedures.
Making a New-Fashioned Resource Sharing Pie under Emergency Conditions: A Georgia Recipe

Like many libraries worldwide, the interlibrary loan departments at three institutions in the state of Georgia (Georgia Southern University, Kennesaw State University, and Valdosta State University) experienced an upheaval of traditional workflows and expectations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Unlike many libraries, though, these three libraries were instructed by their administrations to remain open to patrons throughout the pandemic. In order to continue to meet the needs of their patrons and ILL partners worldwide, these departments leaned on the support of their colleagues and the larger resource sharing community. Staff health and safety risks caused by COVID-19 required new considerations for staff scheduling, building access, service levels, and copyright. © 2021 The Author(s). Published with license by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
Competency as Outcome and Process through Transformative Learning Experiences

Competency-based education has become a defining characteristic of higher social work education. This movement provides ample opportunity for students to have transformative learning experiences th...
SquiggleFilter: An Accelerator for Portable Virus Detection

The MinION is a recent-to-market handheld nanopore sequencer. It can be used to determine the whole genome of a target virus in a biological sample. Its Read Until feature allows us to skip sequencing a majority of non-target reads (DNA/RNA fragments), which constitutes more than 99% of all reads in a typical sample. However, it does not have any on-board computing, which significantly limits its portability. We analyze the performance of a Read Until metagenomic pipeline for detecting target viruses and identifying strain-specific mutations. We find new sources of performance bottlenecks (basecaller in classification of a read) that are not addressed by past genomics accelerators. We present SquiggleFilter, a novel hardware accelerated dynamic time warping (DTW) based filter that directly analyzes MinION’s raw squiggles and filters everything except target viral reads, thereby avoiding the expensive basecalling step. We show that our 14.3W 13.25mm2 accelerator has 274 × greater throughput and 3481 × lower latency than existing GPU-based solutions while consuming half the power, enabling Read Until for the next generation of nanopore sequencers.
Divergent Strategies: Edison Gardens and Tacolcy Economic Development Corporation, Miami, Florida

Editors Note: Urban redevelopment has seen a dramatic revitalization in the last two decades, especially with the creation of Community Development Corporations (CDCs) and HOPE IV. Unfortunately, successful development in Urban environments are still more the exception then the rule. While many major cities have seen a dramatic revitalization of their urban cores, the creation of low and moderate income housing solutions have dramatically lagged the overall booming housing market Many of the failures of CDCs to successfully develop can be traced directly to the long standing complaint that the funding process is too lengthy and too complicated. In addition the entire process is often bogged down in the capricious administration of government funding programs. In the following case study Alexander von Hoffman discuses many of the issues that confronted a CDC operating in Miami.
CHAPTER 48 – Stress and the Reproductive System

This chapter discusses the effects of stress on the reproductive system. There are numerous physiological alterations, which occur in response to stressors and which are essential in modifying the internal milieu to allow for the body response to the stress challenge. Most stressors inhibit tonic pulsatile luteinizing hormone (LH) secretion. This effect could be speculated to be the result of a direct inhibition of the gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) pulse generator or of a change in the sensitivity of the gonadotrope to GnRH stimulation. The most acute stressors exert an inhibitory action on the hypothalamic–pituitary–gonadal (HPG) axis. However, LH and testosterone secretion during the very early stage of the acute stress response is less coherent. Besides acting to inhibit tonic pulsatile LH secretion in its negative feedback loop mode, estradiol can also activate a positive (stimulatory) feedback loop, whereby high concentrations of estradiol stimulate LH release. This phenomenon occurs specifically during the reproductive cycle and is important in that it synchronizes the maturation of the graafian follicles, responsible for the estradiol signal and containing the soon-to-be ovulated oocytes, with the stimulus to ovulation, the preovulatory GnRH/LH surge.
What, Where and Who? Telling the Story of an Image by Activity Classification, Scene Recognition and Object Categorization

We live in a richly visual world. More than one third of the entire human brain is involved in visual processing and understanding. Psychologists have shown that the human visual system is particularly efficient and effective in perceiving high-level meanings in cluttered real-world scenes, such as objects, scene classes, activities and the stories in the images. In this chapter, we discuss a generativemodel approach for classifying complex human activities (such as croquet game, snowboarding, etc.) given a single static image.We observe that object recognition in the scene as well as scene environment classification of the image facilitate each other in the overall activity recognition task. We formulate this observation in a graphical model representation where activity classification is achieved by combining information from both the object recognition and the scene classification pathways. For evaluating the robustness of our algorithm, we have assembled a challenging dataset consisting real-world images of eight different sport events, most of them collected from the Internet. Experimental results show that our hierarchical model performs better than existing methods.
The Relationship between Interval, Fuzzy and Possibilistic Optimization

The relationship between fuzzy set theory (in particular fuzzy arithmetic) and interval analysis is well-know. This study explores the interconnections between interval analysis, fuzzy interval analysis, and interval and fuzzy/possibilistic optimization. Two key ideas are considered herein: (1) constraint set computation and (2) the clear distinctions and relationships between interval, fuzzy, and possibilistic entities as they are used in optimization within an historical and taxonomic context. Constraint fuzzy interval arithmetic is used to compute constraint sets.
When a Rose Isn't 'Arose' Isn't Arroz: A Student Guide to Footnoting for Informational Clarity and Scholarly Discourse

This short article is a guide for authors, student editors, and research assistants to the major types of footnotes and how to prepare them. First, I introduce the three basic types of text requiring footnote citations - those containing (a) references, (b) facts, and (c) ideas. Footnotes for references are designed to allow your readers to retrace your research and to decide for themselves whether your line of analysis is correct. Footnotes for facts are designed to provide your reader with additional background information about anything you have mentioned that may not be familiar to your readers, including potentially obscure people, places, objects, events. Footnotes for ideas are designed to place your arguments, ideas, and analyses in the broader intellectual context of those scholars who have already considered your subject, and often offers glimpses down the side avenues of discourse that cannot be pursued in the article itself. The article concludes with some guidelines for undertaking research in ways that make it easier to prepare scholarly footnotes efficiently and correctly.
Potential applications of map-based cloning to plant pathology.

Abstract A new method for cloning genes that are known only by their phenotype, not their biochemical effect, has recently been developed. This strategy, which is known as map-based cloning, relies on knowledge of genetic map position as the basis for cloning genes of interest. In plant pathology, this includes many disease resistance genes in plants, as well as genes controlling race-specific avirulence in fungal plant pathogens. In this review, the major steps in map-based cloning are examined, namely, tagging genes of interest with tightly linked restriction fragment length polymorphic (RFLP) markers, physical mapping with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and chromosome walking with yeast artificial chromosomes. Criteria for deciding whether to adopt a map-based cloning strategy are also discussed.
Global Stabilization with Almost Disturbance Decoupling of a Class of Uncertain Nonlinear Systems

In this paper we study global stabilization of a class of nonlinear uncertain systems while decoupling the output from external disturbances to any specified degree of accuracy. The class of nonlinear systems considered could be viewed as a generalization of uniform rank multivariable linear systems which have the property that all their infinite zeros are of the same order. Although the plants considered are nonlinear, the compensator developed here is linear. Our compensator which achieves global exponential stability and almost disturbance decoupling of the output requires only output feedback rather than full state feedback. Model uncertainty is dealt with either by restricting the uncertain elements to particular subspaces satisfying the so called "matching conditions" or/and by treating a family of plants P for which a single controller simultaneously globally exponentially stabilizes all the plants in P while achieving almost disturbance decoupling of the output.
Vulvar dermatoses: a histopathologic review and classification of 183 cases.

Background Vulvar dermatoses are often difficult to classify due to histopathologic overlap. We aimed to report our experience at a single institution. Methods A total of 183 non-neoplastic, non-infectious vulvar biopsies were reviewed. Associations between histopathologic features and specific diagnoses were analyzed by Chi-squared tests. Results Twenty-two biopsies (12.0%) showed two concurrent processes. A limited differential rather than a definitive diagnosis was rendered in 15 cases (8.2%). The final diagnoses included lichen sclerosus (LS) (38.8%), lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) (29.0%), eczematous dermatitis (23.0%), Zoon vulvitis (8.2%), non-specific/resolved dermatitis (5.5%), hidradenitis suppurativa (2.7%), Behcet disease (2.2%), lichen planus (1.6%), ruptured cyst (1.6%), ulcer not-otherwise-specified (1.6%), psoriasis (1.1%), radiation dermatitis (1.1%), sebopsoriasis (1.1%), seborrheic dermatitis (1.1%), epidermolytic hyperkeratosis (0.5%) and granular parakeratosis (0.5%). Early LS and Zoon vulvitis were commonly included as part of a differential diagnosis. LS was associated with wiry collagen with lymphocyte entrapment (p = 0.0188). LSC was associated with zones of pale epithelium (p = 0.0084), and often displayed prominent fibroblasts (p = 0.0555). Zoon vulvitis was frequently misdiagnosed, and was associated with basal keratinocytic crowding (p < 0.0001). Conclusions Our study has determined the relative frequencies of a wide variety of vulvar dermatoses, and identified new diagnostic clues for early LS, LSC and Zoon vulvitis.
Procedural sedation combined with locoregional anesthesia for orthopedic surgery of the pelvic limb in 10 dogs: case series

Abstract History Ten dogs weighing 36 (21.4–75) kg [median (min–max)] and aged 3 (1–9) years scheduled for orthopedic surgery involving the stifle and structures distal to it. Physical Examination Patients were classified as ASA I or II based on physical examination and basic hematology and biochemistry. Management Each dog was managed using combined femoral and sciatic nerve blocks and procedural sedation with an intravenous infusion of propofol (0.07–0.15 mg kg −1 minute −1 ) and dexmedetomidine (1 μg kg −1 hour −1 ). None of the patients required conversion to general anesthesia as a result of response to surgical stimulation. The level of sedation was considered adequate in all patients and was characterized by occasional head lifting, thoracic limb stretching, yawning, lingual movements and swallowing. The eye position ranged from central to partial ventromedial rotation and was accompanied by spontaneous blinking. Intra-operative cardiovascular and ventilatory variables were considered within acceptable limits. Muscle relaxation at the surgical field was adequate and surgical conditions were indistinguishable from those produced by general anesthesia. Intraoperatively, no additional analgesics were considered necessary. The quality of the recoveries was considered excellent in all cases. Follow up No additional pain relief was required in any of the dogs within the 10 hours following blockade. All dogs ate 5.5 (3.5–12) hours after recovery. Ambulation occurred at 4 (2–6) hours. No evidence of esophagitis or aspiration pneumonitis has been reported during a period of 1 year after the procedures in any of the dogs. Conclusion When combined with femoral and sciatic nerve blocks, procedural sedation has the potential of being an alternative to general anesthesia for orthopedic surgery involving the stifle and structures distal to it in the dog.
One way hash functions and DES

One way hash functions are a major tool in cryptography. DES is the best known and most widely used encryption function in the commercial world today. Generating a one-way hash function which is secure if DES is a "good" block cipher would therefore be useful. We show three such functions which are secure if DES is a good random block cipher.
On the Complexity of Delaying an Adversary’s Project

A “project manager” wishes to complete a project (e.g., a weapons-development program) as quickly as possible. Using a limited interdiction budget, an “interdictor” wishes to delay the project’s overall completion time by interdicting and thereby delaying some of the project’s component tasks. We explore a variety of PERT-based interdiction models for such problems and show that the resulting problem complexities run the gamut: polynomially solvable, weakly NP-complete, strongly NP-complete or NP-hard. We suggest methods for solving the problems that are easier than worst-case complexity implies.
Nonlinear photorefractive effects in liquid crystals

In this paper, we present the first observation, to our knowledge, of orientational photorefractive [OPR] effects in nematic liquid crystal film. The effect is attributed to molecular axis reorientation caused by the combination of an applied dc field and the dc space charge field induced by the impinging optical field. The refractive index change is a Kerr-like phenomena, and is quadratically defendant on the electric field strength present, unlike the usual [linear] photorefractive effect. To generate such orientational photorefractive effect in aligned nematic liquid crystal films, the applied dc field strengths are on the order of 100 V/cm.
Interrelationship of bile salts, phospholipids, and cholesterol in bile during manipulation of the enterohepatic circulation in the conscious dog.

Abstract The interrelationships of the biliary concentrations of bile salts, phospholipids, and cholesterol in the conscious dog were evaluated during complete interruption of the enterohepatic circulation (EHC), partial replacement of the EHC with intravenous taurocholate, or infusions of secretin. EHC interruption in the dog caused a fall in the concentrations and outputs of all three components; cholesterol concentration decreased relatively less than that of bile salts and phospholipids, but in contrast to man, enough of the latter components remained to keep cholesterol solubilized in micelles. Intravenous infusion of taurocholate increased bile salt, cholesterol, and phospholipid outputs. After cessation of the secretin infusion during EHC interruption, bile salt concentration was decreased while phospholipid and cholesterol concentrations were unchanged; outputs of all three components were lower than controls. However, no change in the outputs of these components occurred when secretin was infused together with taurocholate. Regression equations, relating bile salt output to cholesterol and phospholipid output, indicated that during EHC interruption a portion of biliary cholesterol, but not phospholipids, is secreted independently of bile salts. The lack of formation of lithogenic bile with EHC interruption, together with the normally low biliary concentration of cholesterol, may account for the rarity of gallstone formation in the dog.
The bovine QTL viewer: a web accessible database of bovine Quantitative Trait Loci

Many important agricultural traits such as weight gain, milk fat content and intramuscular fat (marbling) in cattle are quantitative traits. Most of the information on these traits has not previously been integrated into a genomic context. Without such integration application of these data to agricultural enterprises will remain slow and inefficient. Our goal was to populate a genomic database with data mined from the bovine quantitative trait literature and to make these data available in a genomic context to researchers via a user friendly query interface. The QTL (Quantitative Trait Locus) data and related information for bovine QTL are gathered from published work and from existing databases. An integrated database schema was designed and the database (MySQL) populated with the gathered data. The bovine QTL Viewer was developed for the integration of QTL data available for cattle. The tool consists of an integrated database of bovine QTL and the QTL viewer to display QTL and their chromosomal position. We present a web accessible, integrated database of bovine (dairy and beef cattle) QTL for use by animal geneticists. The viewer and database are of general applicability to any livestock species for which there are public QTL data. The viewer can be accessed at http://bovineqtl.tamu.edu .
Continuous radon concentration monitoring

The use of ionization chambers to continuously monitor the concentration of radon dissolved in ground water is described. In one case, air is bubbled through the water sample to strip the radon into the chamber. In a second operating mode, the sample water itself is flowed through the chamber. Support electronics systems are described for remote and urban applications.
Prevention of gestational diabetes by metformin plus diet in patients with polycystic ovary syndrome

Objective To prospectively assess whether metformin diet safely provides primary and secondary prevention of gestational diabetes (GD). Design Assess development of GD on metformin diet. Setting Outpatient clinical research center. Patient(s) One hundred forty-two nondiabetic women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who had at least one live-birth (LB) pregnancy on metformin diet (172 pregnancies, 180 LBs). Intervention(s) Women were given 26% protein, 44% carbohydrate diets, without calorie restriction during pregnancy. Metformin (2–2.55 g/d) was given preconception, through pregnancy. Main Outcome Measure(s) Development of GD. Result(s) On metformin, GD developed in 12 (7%) of 172 LB pregnancies. Forty-seven women had at least one previous LB pregnancy (n = 64) without metformin, with GD developing in 19 (30%). Subsequently, on metformin, these 47 women had 50 LB pregnancies, developing GD in 6 (12%), which was a statistically significant difference. Of 15 women who had previous GD without metformin, GD developed in 5 (31%) of 16 subsequent pregnancies on metformin. Of 32 women who were previously free of GD without metformin, GD developed in 1 (3%) of 34 subsequent pregnancies on metformin. Previous GD without metformin was the only statistically significant explanatory variable for current GD on metformin. Conclusion(s) Metformin diet during pregnancy in women with PCOS facilitates primary and secondary prevention of GD.
Bonding and Debonding From Metal to Ceramic: Research and its Clinical Application

Over the last 50 years, the bonding of various resins to enamel has also developed a niche in orthodontics. The direct bonding technique revolves around the concept of attaching orthodontic appliances to tooth structure using adhesives, and this technique has become a foundation of contemporary orthodontics. Although the specific techniques and materials used in bracket bonding have changed, the basic procedure has remained relatively constant. In general, the technique for orthodontic bonding includes 3 steps using an etchant, a primer, and an adhesive. More recently, these 3 steps have been combined into 2 or even 1 step. At the present time, numerous bonding materials, techniques, and protocols have been established that have the ability to provide the clinician with adequate bracket/adhesive/enamel (shear bond strength [SBS]), over the course of treatment. However, bracket SBS is influenced by many variables which may or may not be under the control of the clinician. It is important for the clinician to be aware of how these variables affect SBS and apply this knowledge in their selection of the optimal bonding adhesive/technique. In addition, because of the lack of standardization of bond strength testing, the clinician should be cognizant that accurately comparing bond strengths between different studies may be difficult.
Conductometric Detection of Coil-to-Helix Transition of Anionic Polysaccharides. κ-Carrageenan

The conformational coil-to-helix transition of an ionic polysaccharide, κ-carrageenan, as effected by temperature and concentration of the polyion, was studied using conductance measurements in solutions of low ionic strength. Interactions between counterions, Na+, and polyions during such a transition were quantified by the ratio of the diffusion coefficient of Na+ counterions in the polyelectrolyte solution (κ-carrageenan sodium salt) to that in the solution without polyelectrolyte (NaCl). Structural characterization of κ-carrageenan conformers, expressed by the charge separation distance, was performed based on Manning's theory for polyelectrolytes. The conformational transition was a reversible coil-to-double helix process resulting from temperature decrease. This process did not depend on the concentration of κ-carrageenan for the concentration range from 10 to 40 mM. The determined charge separation distance for κ-carrageenan in solution was 0.89 and 0.40 nm for a coil and a double-helix form, respe...
Familial syndrome of right-sided aortic arch, mental deficiency, and facial dysmorphism

A syndrome consisting of right-sided aorta, facial dysmorphism, and mental retardation is described in 4 members of a family. The affected individuals were in 2 generations, suggesting autosomal-dominant transmission. Two of the patients had microcephaly, a stillborn sibling was anencephalic, and another sibling who died at 10 months of age had intracardiac defects and microcephaly.
Multiple families of peptide synthetase genes from ergopeptine-producing fungi

Several eukaryotic and prokaryotic micro-organisms produce small, biologically active peptides on multifunctional nonribosomal peptide synthetases. These peptide synthetases consist of series of similar peptide synthetase domains; each domain is hypothesized to perform reactions required for the incorporation of one of the constituent amino acids into the peptide. I investigated the peptide synthetase gene families of two plant-associated fungi, Acremonium coenophialum and Claviceps purpurea, that produce ergopeptine alkaloids. Ergopeptines are the products of a peptide synthetase, one of several peptide synthetases likely to be produced by these fungi. Degenerate oligonucleotides based on conserved amino acid residues in previously analysed peptide synthetases were used to prime the amplification of DNA from A. coenophialum and C. purpurea. Analyses of the deduced products of various clones showed that four different fragments of A. coenophialum DNA and three different fragments of C. purpurea DNA encoded peptide synthetase domains similar to those from other micro-organisms. Hybridization analyses indicated that the four fragments cloned from A. coenophialum represented three different peptide synthetase genes, most of which were present in multiple copies in the genome of this fungus. Each of the three clones from C. purpurea appears to be from a different peptide synthetase gene, only one of which is duplicated. One clone from A. coenophialum hybridizes with DNA from C. purpurea, making it a good candidate for involvement in ergopeptine production. The results of this study indicate that ergopeptine-producing fungi have multiple families of peptide synthetase genes. The data also demonstrate the feasibility of isolating fragments of peptide synthetase genes with a PCR-based approach.
DWBA analyses of resonance structure in the 16O(16O,12C)20Ne reaction

We demonstrate that the EFR-DWBA is a practical tool to use in analyzing certain resonance phenomena, observed in transfer reactions induced by heavy ions. We show this by taking the 16O(16O,12C) 20Ne reaction as an example.It is seen that the available experimental angular distributions, excitation functions and the nuclear alignment are reproduced rather well this way. In the course of the discussion, it is also shown that the enhancement mechanism embodied in the band crossing model plays a key role in good fit achieved. To our knowledge, this is the first successful analysis of resonance phenomena in heavy-ion reactions, going beyond the elastic and inelastic processes.
Natural Resources, Development Strategies, and Lower Caste Empowerment in India’s Mineral Belt: Bihar and Odisha During the 1990s

Despite having equally vast endowments of natural resources and similar socioeconomic profiles, the Indian states of Bihar and Odisha pursued markedly different development strategies during India’s first decade of economic liberalization. Whereas Bihar turned away from its natural resource sector and adopted policies of social empowerment, Odisha courted private investment in extractive industries and aggressively pursued market reforms. To account for this divergence, we argue that the social composition of political power in each state directly shaped the strategies that leaders embraced towards the natural resource sector and overall development. This paper makes contributions to the writings on natural resources and the political economy of India. We show that the presence of abundant natural resources does not necessarily result in a predictable pathway of sectoral and economic policy outcomes. Instead, social factors can be a powerful determinant of how resource-rich states approach their economies.
Twenty-four hour continuous ghrelin infusion augments physiologically pulsatile, nycthemeral, and entropic (feedback-regulated) modes of growth hormone secretion.

Background: Ghrelin is a 28-amino acid acylated peptide that potentiates GHRH stimulation and opposes somatostatin inhibition acutely. Whether prolonged ghrelin administration can sustain physiological patterns of GH secretion remains unknown. Hypothesis: Continuous delivery of ghrelin will amplify physiological patterns of GH secretion over 24 h. Subjects: Men and women ages 29–69 yr, body mass indices 23–52 kg/m2, were included in the study. Location: The study was performed at an academic medical center. Methods: Twenty-four hour continuous sc infusion of saline vs. ghrelin (1 μg/kg·h) with frequent sampling was examined. Deconvolution and entropy analyses were performed. Outcomes: IGF-I concentrations were determined. Basal, pulsatile, nycthemeral, and entropic measures of GH secretion were calculated. Results: Ghrelin infusion compared with saline infusion for 24 h elevated (median) acylated ghrelin, GH, and IGF-I concentrations by 8.1-fold (P < 0.001),11-fold (P < 0.001), and 1.4-fold (P = 0.002). GH secretory-burst mass and frequency increased by 6.6-fold (P = 0.004) and 1.7-fold (P < 0.001), respectively, resulting in a 12-fold increase in pulsatile GH secretion (P < 0.001). Interpulse variability decreased significantly (P = 0.046), whereas GH secretory-burst shape and half-life did not change. The amplitude of the nycthemeral GH rhythm increased by 3.4-fold (P < 0.001), and GH patterns became more irregular (higher approximate entropy P < 0.001). Combining GHRH with ghrelin was not an additive in driving GH secretion. Conclusions: Continuous ghrelin infusion for 24 h elevates acylated ghrelin, GH and IGF-I concentrations, and stimulates pulsatile, nycthemeral, and entropic modes of GH secretion. The consistency of outcomes in a heterogeneous cohort of adults suggests potentially broad utility of this physiological secretagogue in hyposomatotropic states.
Some Recent Secondary Production Measurements for Neutrino Flux Determination

Recent measurements of meson production in proton-nucleus interactions have made possible reliable neutrino flux determinations at modern neutrino experiments. This article discusses preliminary results from the HARP, MIP, and E910 are discussed along with some of their implications for the MINOS, K2K, and MiniBooNE neutrino experiments.
SECONDARY REINFORCEMENT AND THE DISCRIMINATION HYPOTHESIS: THE ROLE OF DISCRIMINATION TRAINING'

The purposes of this experiment are further investigation of: the discrimination hypothesis vs secondary reinforcement positions with respect to resistance to extinction; the role of explicit vs no...