cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Ligand effects on electronic structure and bonding in U( iii ) coordination complexes: a combined MCD, EPR and computational study

The trivalent oxidation state of uranium has been shown to undergo unique reactivity, from its ability to activate a variety of small molecules to its role in the catalytic reduction of ethene to ethane amongst others. Central to this unique reactivity and ability to rationally design ligands for isotope separation is the underlying uranium electronic structure. While electronic structure studies of U(IV), U(V), and U(VI) have been extensive, by comparison, analogous studies of more reduced oxidation states such as U(III) remains underdeveloped. Herein we report a combined MCD and EPR spectroscopic approach along with density functional theory and multireference wavefunction calculations to elucidate the effects of ligand perturbation in three uranium(III) Tp* complexes. Overall, the experimental and computational insight suggests that the change in ligand environment across this series of U(III) complexes resulted in only minor perturbations in the uranium electronic structure. This combined approach was also used to redefine the electronic ground state of a U(III) complex with a redox non-innocent Bipy− ligand. Overall, these studies demonstrate the efficacy of the combined experimental and theoretical approach towards evaluating electronic structure and bonding in U(III) complexes and provide important insight into the challenges in altering ligand environments to modify bonding and reactivity in uranium coordination chemistry.
Benchtop Assessment of a New Single-Use Flexible Ureteroscope.

Introduction: Single-use flexible ureteroscopes are an increasingly popular alternative to reusable ureteroscopes. In this study, we performed a benchtop examination of the physical and optical pro...
Examining the effects of mood on quality and feasibility of design outcomes

This study examines the correlation between quality and feasibility of generated design solutions with mood and rational vs. intuitive thinking. It was hypothesized that positive moods lead to bett...
Relevant, relatable and reliable: rural adolescents’ sex education preferences

Increases in STD cases in Indiana communities have led to questions about the sexual health of adolescents. School-based sex education can help teenagers adopt healthy attitudes and behaviours. Eff...
Amputation Risk in Patients with Diabetes Mellitus and Peripheral Artery Disease Using Statewide Data.

Background Conflicting data exist regarding changes in amputation rates in patients with ulcers because of diabetes mellitus (DM) and peripheral artery disease (PAD). This study focuses on how population-based amputation rates are changing in the current treatment era. Methods Using the California Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development Patient Discharge database, all patients who underwent major nontraumatic lower extremity (LE) amputation in 2005 through 2011 were identified. Age-adjusted population-based amputation risk was determined by year. Gender and age trends in amputation risk were estimated separately for diabetes-related amputations and PAD-related amputations, treating all California residents as the population at risk. Results From 2005 to 2011, 32,025 qualifying amputations were performed in California. Of these, 11,896 were DM-associated ( n = 1,095), PAD-associated ( n = 4,335), or associated with both conditions ( n = 6,466). PAD-associated amputation rates and combined PAD/DM-associated amputation rates have changed little since 2009 after decreasing substantially over the prior 5 years, but DM-associated amputation rates have continuously increased since 2005. California residents older than the age of 80 years had the most dramatic decrease in PAD-associated amputation rates from 2005 to 2011 (i.e., from 317 to 175 per million Californians). Men with PAD/DM had amputation rate 1.5 times higher than those of patients with PAD alone and 5 times higher than rates of DM patients. In women the difference between patient with PAD and PAD/DM was not seen; however, these rates were 2.5 times higher than patients with DM alone. Conclusions Preventable amputations associated with high-risk diseases are no longer decreasing despite continuing advances in care and education. Octogenarians with PAD represent the highest risk group for amputation, but DM-associated amputations have increased since 2005. Further research to understand treatment pathways for patient with LE wounds may shed light on pathways for amputation prevention in the future.
Weapon Control and Stabilization Using Modern Control Techniques

Modern and future battle field scenario requires future fighting vehicles to have very high pointing and stabilization accuracy while the vehicles are running at their maximum speed on the rough terrain. Even though the conventional control design combined with the strong stabilization(or rate disturbance feed forward) provides some degree of pointing and stabilization accuaracy, it fails to meet the accuracy requirements for the future fighting vehicles. In this paper, weapon control design using recently developed LQG/LTR design methodology will be discussed. Through computer simulation, it will be shown that very demanding position accuracy and stabilization against the wide band stocahstic disturbance induced by vehicle running on the rough terrain are achieved. Digital implementation of this controller and the performance comparison against the conventional controller will also be discussed.
Electrical Engineering in an Age of Science

This chapter contains sections titled: An Age of Science Measuring and Imaging Instruments Calculating Machines The Profession of Electrical Engineering ]]>
How to Nurture Scientific Discoveries Despite Their Unpredictable Nature

The history of science reveals that major discoveries are not predictable. Naively, one might conclude therefore that it is not possible to artificially cultivate an environment that promotes discoveries. I suggest instead that open research without a programmatic agenda establishes a fertile ground for unexpected breakthroughs. Contrary to current practice, funding agencies should allocate a small fraction of their funds to support research in centers of excellence without programmatic reins tied to specific goals.
CRIMES AND OFFENSES State-Wide Probation Act: Revise Certain Provisions

The Act revises the State-Wide Probation Act by creating a maximum period for probation and suspended sentences, setting standards for the revocation of such sentences, and limiting the amount of time that can be revoked, depending on the offense that constitutes the violation.
Glutamine synthetase and the regulation of histidase formation in Klebsiella aerogenes.

Abstract It has been shown previously that histidase and proline oxidase of Klebsiella typhimurium escape from the catabolite repression exerted by glucose when the source of nitrogen is growth rate-limiting. We have now found that this escape is related to the cellular level of glutamine synthetase. In cells growing with an excess of ammonia, the level of glutamine synthetase is low, whereas in cells growing on a growth rate-limiting nitrogen source the level of glutamine synthetase is high. Mutations at two chromosomal sites, glnA and glnB result in the loss of glutamine synthetase. In these glutamine-requiring mutants histidase does not escape from catabolite repression, even when the nitrogen source is growth rate-limiting. Most revertants of the glnB mutant regain the ability to produce glutamine synthetase by a mutation in the glnC site, which is closely linked to the glnA site. In the glnC mutants, glutamine synthetase is produced at a high level, even in media containing an excess of ammonia. In glnC mutants histidase and proline oxidase are not subject to catabolite repression, even in media containing glucose and an excess of ammonia.
What Can Hume Teach Us about Film Evaluation

This article identifies three distinct temporal notions in Hume’s aesthetics: passing the test of time, repeated viewing of a work, and the personal aging of the critic. It applies these ideas to the evaluation and enjoyment of films. It characterizes positive, negative, and ambivalent film aging, which are associated with nostalgia, boredom, and comic amusement, respectively, and which bear on our enjoyment, not evaluation, of film. The paper discusses Allen’s Zelig , Antonioni’s La Notte , Cameron’s The Terminator, Lucas’s Star Wars , Scorsese’s Taxi Driver , Spielberg’s E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial , and Renoir’s La Regle du Jeu .
Surface-expressed lamellar body membrane is recycled to lamellar bodies

Monoclonal antibody (MAb) 3C9, an antibody generated to the lamellar body of rat lung type II pneumocytes, specifically labels the luminal face of the lamellar body membrane. To follow the retrieval of lamellar body membrane from the cell surface in these cells, MAb 3C9 was instilled into rat lungs. In vivo, it was endocytosed by type II cells but not by other lung cells. In type II cells that were isolated from rat lungs by elastase digestion and cultured on plastic for 24 h, MAb 3C9 first bound to the cell surface, then was found in endosomes, vesicular structures, and multivesicular bodies and, finally, clustered on the luminal face of lamellar body membranes. The amount internalized reached a plateau after 1.5 h of incubation and was stimulated with the secretagogue ATP. In double-labeling experiments, internalized MAb 3C9 did not completely colocalize with NBD-PC liposomes or the nonspecific endocytic marker TMA-DPH, suggesting that lamellar body membrane is retrieved back to existing lamellar bodies by a pathway different from that of bulk membrane and may be one pathway for surfactant endocytosis. The lamellar body membrane components are retrieved as subunits that are redistributed among the preexisting lamellar bodies in the cell.
Dating Episodes of Faulting from Tree Rings: Effects of the 1958 Rupture of the Fairweather Fault on Tree Growth

Surface faulting associated with major earthquakes commonly kills, damages, or otherwise disturbs the growth of trees along the fault trace. Because severe disturbances are reflected in the annual growth, tree-ring sequences provide a basis for dating recent episodes of faulting. The validity of this method is confirmed by data collected from the Fairweather fault zone in southeastern Alaska. Marked changes in growth that correlate with large-scale faulting in 1958 resulted from tilting, felling, and topping of trees and changes in ground water level and exposure to sunlight.
Effects of increasing temperature on social behaviour in groups of yellow bullheads (Ictalurus natalis)

Abstract Groups of two yellow bullheads (Ictalurus natalis), a socially complex fish, were kept in 50-gallon aquaria and subjected to 1°C temperature increments every other day, over the range 24–33°C. Total activity, and with it the incidence of aggressive behaviour, increased with temperature over the entire range, with one notable exception. At about 30°C activity decreased to a level below that observed at the lowest temperature studied. The mode, as well as the frequency, of aggressive behaviour changed with temperature. Aggressive behaviour units were divided into two categories—display or warning units, which do not result in injury to either fish, and damaging units, which frequently do cause injury. Starting at 30°C, the relative frequency of damaging units became much greater. It is suggested that this change in behaviour is due to the loss of ability by yellow bullheads at high temperatures to distinguish individuals of their own species. A possible implication of this sort of phenomenon in natural ecosystems is discussed.
Biological and chemical degradation of ionic ethyllead compounds in soil

Degradation rates and formation of organolead metabolites of ionic triethyllead (TREL) and diethyllead (DEL) in nonsterile and autoclaved surface and subsurface soil samples of Arredondo fine sand were determined using {sup 14}C-labeled chemicals. Both [{sup 14}C]TREL and [{sup 14}C]DEL in nonsterile and autoclaved soils initially declined rapidly, and both chemicals initially disappeared more rapidly from the surface sample treated with [{sup 14}C]DEL. In this soil, [{sup 14}C]DEL in the autoclaved sample disappeared more rapidly than that in the nonsterile sample. The [{sup 14}C]DEL was briefly detected in [{sup 14}C]TREL-treated soil samples, and [{sup 14}C]DEL remained in the autoclaved samples longer than in the nonsterile samples. Both [{sup 14}C]TREL and [{sup 14}C]DEL in non-sterile surface and subsurface samples were initially mineralized rapidly, and at the end of 31 and 28 d of incubation, 15 to 16% and 18 to 19% of the applied {sup 14}C was mineralized, respectively. Mineralization was not observed in autoclaved soil samples. It was concluded that both biological and chemical degradation of TREL and DEL in soil occurred, and chemical degradation was probably the major factor contributing to the disappearance of TREL and DEL in soil. The exact extent of chemical degradation is not known. Chemical andmore » physical properties of soil could be altered significantly by autoclaving, and may account for the increase in chemical degradation rates.« less
The effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on older veterans and its relationship to health.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of vitamin B12 deficiency on older veterans and its relationship to general health and cognitive impairment. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Oklahoma City Veterans Affairs Medical Center. PARTICIPANTS: Data for this research were obtained from 303 ambulatory, older veterans who used the outpatient laboratories of the Oklahoma City Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. Subjects were included in the study if they were 65 years of age and older and if they had no known diagnosis associated with B12 deficiency. The sample in this study consisted of 301 men and 2 women aged 65 to 89 years. MEASUREMENTS: This study used two separate measurements of vitamin B12 deficiency: (1) a strict definition of B12 deficiency (serum B12 level < laboratory norm) and (2) a broader definition of B12 deficiency (serum B12 level < laboratory norm or laboratory norm < B12 < 300 pg/mL and methyl malonic acid (MMA) or homocysteine (HC) elevated by more than two standard deviations). The laboratory norm is 200 pg/mL. The dependent variables were measures of cognitive impairment and general health. Cognitive impairment was measured using the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and general health was measured using the RAND 36–Item Health Survey Version 1.0. The control variables for this study were the subjects' daily alcohol intake, daily intake of a vitamin/mineral supplement, annual income, and level of education. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Nineteen subjects (6%) were vitamin B12-deficient as measured by the strict definition of B12 deficiency (serum B12 level < laboratory norm), and 49 subjects (16%) were vitamin B12-deficient as measured by the broader definition of B12 deficiency (serum B12 level < laboratory norm or laboratory norm < B12 < 300 pg/mL and MMA or HC elevated by more than two standard deviations). Vitamin B12 level decreases as age increases. Of the nine general health outcomes measured by using the RAND 36-Item Health Survey, only bodily pain is associated with vitamin B12 deficiency, and only then when B12 deficiency is measured as serum B12 level < laboratory norm, the strict definition of B12 deficiency. Vitamin B12-deficient subjects experience more bodily pain than those with normal vitamin B12 levels. There is a significant difference between B12-deficient subjects and B12 normal subjects on cognitive impairment, with B12 normal subjects indicating less cognitive impairment, only when B12 deficiency is measured as B12 level < laboratory norm, the strict definition of B12 deficiency. The broader measurement of vitamin B12 deficiency (i.e., serum B12 level < laboratory norm or laboratory norm < B12 < 300 pg/mL and MMA or HC elevated by more than two standard deviations) is not a significant correlate of cognitive impairment and general health.
Small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus: treatment by chemotherapy alone.

Small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus is a rare tumor. In most reported cases, surgery has been the major mode of therapy. Most patients have relapsed rapidly with disseminated disease. We treated a patient with small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus with a multi-drug regimen being used in small cell-carcinoma of the lung. Within two months of beginning therapy, the primary lesion, as evaluated by barium esophogram, had completely resolved. Residual disease was seen on panendoscopy. The patient was considered to be in partial remission. She relapsed nine months after starting therapy and died with widespread metastases. Small-cell carcinoma of the esophagus should not be treated surgically but rather in the same fashion as is small-cell carcinoma of the lung, i.e., with multi-drug chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Are striations on Phobos evidence for tidal stress

A series of striations or grooves over a great part of the surface of Phobos, the inner satellite of Mars, can be observed on Viking orbiter photographs. It is suggested that some of these features are related to a readjustment of the satellite's figure with increasing tidal stress as the orbit evolves inwards under the action of tidal friction. If the width of the grooves is in fact due to tidal readjustments of the figure of Phobos, then the older craters should be systematically deformed from their initial nearly circular shapes.
Effect of nicotine patch on energy intake and weight gain in postmenopausal women during smoking cessation.

Abstract Introduction Post-cessation weight gain is a commonly cited barrier to smoking cessation. Some evidence suggests that nicotine replacement therapy may limit post-cessation weight gain by reducing energy intake. This project aims to assess differential changes in energy intake and body weight during smoking cessation in a sample of postmenopausal women randomized to receive 21 mg nicotine or placebo patch for 12 weeks. Methods Postmenopausal women who smoked ≥ 10 cigarettes/day were enrolled in this double-blind randomized placebo-controlled study. Total energy intake (via four-day food diaries), body mass index (BMI; kg/m2), cigarettes/day and smoking status (self-report verified by exhaled carbon monoxide) were assessed at three time points: 2 weeks prior to quit date,12 weeks after quit date, and 12 months after smoking cessation treatment. Results Participants (n = 119) were, on average, 55.8 ± 6.7 years old with a baseline BMI of 27.0 ± 5.2 and average cigarette/day was 21.1 ± 8.6. At Week 12, participants randomized to nicotine patch increased their mean caloric intake by 146.4 ± 547.7 kcal/day whereas those on placebo patch decreased their caloric intake by 175.3 ± 463.2 (f-value = 10.1, p-value = 0.002). Despite the differences in caloric intake, body weight remained similar between groups. Conclusions The results of this study indicate that nicotine patch may increase energy intake during treatment, and does not prevent post-cessation weight gain in postmenopausal smokers. Additional research is needed to replicate these findings and assess whether different forms of nicotine replacement therapy influence caloric intake and post-cessation weight gain in postmenopausal smokers.
The computerized severity index: a new tool for case-mix management

We describe the new Computerized Severity Index (CSI) that is obtained from an expanded discharge abstract data set, based on a 6th-digit severity addition to the ICD-9-CM coding system. The new 6-digit code book (called ICD-9-CMSA) is used to label existence and severity of each principal and secondary diagnosis. It can be used to produce an overall severity of illness level for each hospital inpatient. The impact of severity-adjusted DRGs on prospective payment and uses of the CSI for assessing quality of care, efficiency, physician practice profiles, and prediction of posthospital resource needs are discussed.
The effects of the religious commitment of twelfth graders living in non-intact families on their academic achievement

Using the NELS data set from the 1988-1992 period, this study assessed the effects of student religious commitment among twelfth graders who lived in a non-intact family on their academic achievement. This study first focused upon the effects of religiosity on all the students living in non-intact families in the sample and then specifically addressed the effects of religiosity on Black and Hispanic children living in non-intact families. The results indicate that students with a high level of religiosity did better than less religious students on most measures of academic achievement, even when controlling for SES and gender. These results held for all students living in non-intact families, as well as for Black and Hispanic children living in non-intact families. These results suggest that religiosity may help many children from single-parent families to do well in school
Toward a Perceptual Model of Smoking Policy Satisfaction

Abstract Influences on employee satisfaction with company smoking policies were examined with a perceptual model involving smoking policy restrictiveness, smoking status, smoking attitudes, and perceptions of policies (pro- versus antismoking). Although the responses of American students to systematically varied written scenarios supported most predictions based on the model, significant nonlinear relationships between policy perceptions and policy satisfaction suggested the need for a more elaborate theory than originally proposed.
Venture Capital Valuation, Partial Adjustment, and Underpricing: Behavioral Bias or Information Production?

Using a sample of venture capital (VC)-backed initial public offerings (IPOs), we analyze the role played by perceived valuation changes on IPO underpricing. We find that perceived valuation change from the last pre-IPO VC round to the IPO affects IPO underpricing in a nonlinear way. Further analysis indicates that information-based theories, not behavioral biases, explain this nonlinearity. We also find that the previously documented partial adjustment effect and its nonlinear impact on IPO underpricing are related to the trajectory of the perceived valuation changes, which stands in stark contrast to prior evidence of the importance of behavioral biases.
Multiple attention systems in perceptual categorization

Five observers categorized inverted L-shaped stimuli according to the length of the horizontal line segment. A centrally located spatial cue preceded the stimulus on each trial. On 80% of the trials, the (relevant) horizontal line segment fell within the cued location, and on 20% of the trials the (irrelevant) vertical line segment fell within the cued location. The empirical results provide support for the hypothesis that perceptual attention can focus on the stimulus attribute inside the spatially cued location at the same time that decisional attention is focused on the (relevant) horizontal attribute—that is, the results suggest that perceptual and decisional attention can function independently during categorization. Decision bound models and extended generalized context models that assume separate perceptual and decisional attention systems were fitted to the data. Versions of the models that assume that the spatial cue affected perceptual attention were superior to versions that assume no effect on perceptual attention. These theoretical analyses support the functional independence hypothesis and suggest that formal theories of categorization should model the effects of perceptual and decisional attention separately.
Eternal observers and bubble abundances in the landscape

We study a class of 'landscape' models in which all vacua have positive energy density, so that inflation never ends and bubbles of different vacua are endlessly 'recycled'. In such models, each geodesic observer passes through an infinite sequence of bubbles, visiting all possible kinds of vacua. The bubble abundance p{sub j} can then be defined as the frequency at which bubbles of type j are visited along the worldline of an observer. We compare this definition with the recently proposed general prescription for p{sub j} and show that they give identical results.
Option pricing with Mellin transnforms

Integral equation representations for the price of European and American basket put options have been derived using Mellin transform techniques.
Halogenated hydrocarbon environmental pollution: the special case of halogenated anesthetics.

For several years, there has been concern about the adverse environmental consequences accruing from the use of chlorinated hydrocarbon compounds, although information regarding effects on humans has been relatively sparse (see reference to NRC-Canada). However, there are several similarities between chlorinated hydrocarbon pollutants (e.g., DDT or PCBs, etc.) and modern-day halogenated hydrocarbon anesthetics; the similarities include their respective chemical structure, their bioaccumulation in adipose tissue, and their dependence on the liver for metabolic transformation and partial excretion. Moreover, several halogenated hydrocarbon anesthetics have been in widespread clinical use during the past three-or-so decades, and this has led to a substantial accumulation of knowledge bearing on the toxicological cause/effect aspects in humans. Aside from the likelihood that the various halogenated hydrocarbon compounds in the human environment may have similar metabolic effects, there is also the very real possibility that diverse exposures to a variety of these compounds might lead to “cross-sensitization” phenomena among susceptible humans.
Should asymptomatic enlarged thymus glands be resected

Objective Patients frequently have an “enlarged thymus” incidentally identified on imaging. We sought to determine whether thymectomy is appropriate in patients with diffusely enlarged thymus glands. Methods A retrospective review was conducted of patients undergoing thymectomy without myasthenia gravis at 1 institution over 15 years. Results Of 117 patients undergoing thymectomy, 109 patients had complete data. Thirty-six had a gland judged by the surgeon to be diffusely enlarged, and 73 had a discrete mass. Of the 36 diffusely enlarged thymus glands, 18 (50%) occurred in patients with no symptoms referable to the thymus. No patient (0/18; 0%) with an asymptomatic diffusely enlarged thymus gland had a pathologic diagnosis that would have required resection (8 normal; 10 “hyperplasia”). Of the 18 symptomatic patients with diffusely enlarged glands, 4 (22.2%) harbored lymphoma, but none harbored thymoma or other tumor ( P Conclusions Asymptomatic patients with diffusely enlarged thymus glands can be followed up expectantly because they have a negligible incidence of significant thymic disease; symptomatic patients with diffusely enlarged thymus glands may have lymphoma, so biopsy is appropriate. Half of patients with a discrete mass have tumors requiring resection; imaging advances would be useful to better differentiate among patients within this group.
Energetics of Grain‐Boundary Triple Junctions and Corner‐Twinned Junctions: Transmission Electron Microscope Studies

Direct observations of grain‐boundary triple junctions and triple junctions containing a grain‐corner twin have been made in 304 stainless steel foils by transmission and diffraction electron microscopy. The distributions of true dihedral angles at pure triple junctions and the true dihedral angles in twinned grain corners have been computed by creating crystallographically identifiable slip or stacking‐fault traces in grains composing the junction through high‐intensity electron‐beam bombardment of the junction or areas in the immediate vicinity, or through the measurement of the image projection of coherent twin boundaries with the subsequent determination of the foil thickness. The mean dihedral angle for pure triple junctions was observed to be 120°, while that for the corner‐twinned grains was observed to be 105°. The characterization of pure triple junctions and corner‐twinned junctions on the basis of a cyclic crystallographic convention (hkl) for grain‐surface orientations yielded a mean dihedral ...
Chromatographic fractionation of nucleic acids using microcapsules made from plant cells

Abstract The chromatographic fractionation of nucleic acids and oligodeoxyribonucleotides on a vesicular packing (VP) material has been investigated. As the VP material consists of microcapsules with a negatively charged ultrafiltration membrane, the experiments were focused on permeation chromatography in aqueous buffers of different ionic compositions. The adsorption of oligonucleotides and nucleic acids by the VP material occurring at pH values below 7 and especially in the presence of divalent cations, was negligible in neutral or weakly alkaline buffers. In such buffers the separation principle is based only on the permeation of polyanions into the stationary liquid within the vesicles. Polydisperse samples may be separated into an excluded peak fraction (at 40% of bed volume), fractions with intermediate elution volumes and a permeating peak fraction (at 95% of bed volume). The ratio between these fractions can be varied gradually by changing the salt concentration. Using defined oligonucleotides the maximum chain length for permeation into the whole stationary phase was smaller than the minimum chain length for complete exclusion. Both values were dependent on the salt concentration and pH. They could be varied gradually and reversibly over a wide range by altering the magnesium chloride concentration from 0 to 10 m M . In contrast to ion-exclusion effects known from gel permeation chromatography, in vesicle permeation chromatography there is no salt effect on the elution volume of the permeable fraction. Preparative applications for the fractionation of oligodeoxyribonucleotides and nucleic acids are presented.
Convergence of a neural network for sparse approximation using the nonsmooth Łojasiewicz inequality

Sparse approximation is an optimization program that produces state-of-the-art results in many applications in signal processing and engineering. To deploy this approach in real-time, it is necessary to develop faster solvers than are currently available in digital. The Locally Competitive Algorithm (LCA) is a dynamical system designed to solve the class of sparse approximation problems in continuous time. But before implementing this network in analog VLSI, it is essential to provide performance guarantees. This paper presents new results on the convergence of the LCA neural network. Using recently-developed methods that make use of the Łojasiewicz inequality for nonsmooth functions, we prove that the output and state trajectories converge to a single fixed point. This improves on previous results by guaranteeing convergence to a singleton even when the optimization program has infinitely many and non-isolated solution points.
Yes/no recognition, forced-choice recognition, and the human hippocampus

Two recent studies reported that yes/no recognition can be more impaired by hippocampal lesions than forced-choice recognition when the targets and foils are highly similar. This finding has been taken in support of two fundamental proposals: (1) yes/no recognition tests depend more on recollection than do forced-choice tests; and (2) the hippocampus selectively supports the recollection process. Using the same stimulus materials as in the earlier studies, we tested five memory-impaired patients with circumscribed hippocampal lesions and 15 controls. As in the earlier studies, participants studied 12 pictures of objects and then took either a 12-item forced-choice test with four alternatives or a 60-item yes/no test. Patients were impaired on both tests but did more poorly on the yes/no test. However, a yes/no test based on 12 study items would conventionally involve only 24 test items (i.e., 12 study items and 12 foil items). When we scored only the first 24 test items, the patients performed identically on the yes/no and forced-choice tests. Examination of the data in blocks of 12 trials indicated that the scores of the patients declined as testing continued. We suggest that a yes/no test of 60 items is difficult relative to a 12-item forced-choice test due to the increased study-test delay and due to increased interference, not because of any fundamental difference between the yes/no and forced-choice formats. We conclude that hippocampal lesions impair yes/no and forced-choice recognition to the same extent.
Analysis of dosage forms containing ephedrine and barbiturate combinations

Procedures are presented for the determination of ephedrine salts in combination with barbiturates in tablets and capsules. An aliquot prepared from the dosage form is passed through a strong anion exchange resin. The ephedrine, contained in the eluate, is determined by titration with standard hydrochloric acid. The barbiturate is eluted from the column with acetic acid in ethanol and determined by nonaqueous titration. A modification of this procedure is proposed for formulations containing the sodium salt of the barbiturate. The methods are simple, accurate, and less time consuming than the official assay.
Addressing climate change in the forest vegetation simulator to assess impacts on landscape forest dynamics.

To simulate stand-level impacts of climate change, predictors in the widely used Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) were adjusted to account for expected climate effects. This was accomplished by: (1) adding functions that link mortality and regeneration of species to climate variables expressing climatic suitability, (2) constructing a function linking site index to climate and using it to modify growth rates, and (3) adding functions accounting for changing growth rates due to climate-induced genetic responses. For three climatically diverse landscapes, simulations were used to explore the change in species composition and tree growth that should accompany climate change during the 21st century. The simulations illustrated the changes in forest composition that could accompany climate change. Projections were the most sensitive to mortality, as the loss of trees of a dominant species heavily influenced stand dynamics. While additional work is needed on fundamental plant-climate relationships, this work incorporates climatic effects into FVS to produce a new model called Climate-FVS. This model provides for managers a tool that allows climate change impacts to be incorporated in forest plans.
A two-dimensional direct boundary integral method for elastodynamics

Abstract This paper presents the mathematical and numerical development of a two-dimensional boundary element model for elastodynamics problems in rock mechanics. The model is based on a time-domain formulation of the direct boundary integral method, and is capable of computing the transient response of an underground excavation to dynamic loading conditions. All boundary contours are approximated by straight line segments, joined end to end, and the displacements and tractions within a time step are assumed to vary quadratically over each segment. This type of discretization facilitates analytical evaluation of the integrals involved in the numerical model and allows one to deal directly with the important case of discontinuous loading caused by the passage of elastic waves across an element. Two example problems for a suddenly pressurized circular hole in an infinite plate are used to illustrate the numerical procedures described in the paper. In one case the hole is isolated, while in the other it is close to another circular hole with a traction-free boundary. When the pressurized hole is isolated, the elastic waves radiate outward and never return; when it is near another hole, wave reflections at both boundaries produce a much more complicated time-dependent response. The boundary element model appears to handle the wave reflections properly, provided a sufficiently small time step is chosen.
An acute graft-versus-host disease activity index to predict survival after hematopoietic cell transplantation with myeloablative conditioning regimens

Algorithms for grading acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are inaccurate in assessing mortality risk. We developed a method to predict mortality by using data from 386 patients with acute GVHD. From the onset of GVHD to day 100, GVHD manifestations were scored for the skin, liver, and upper and lower gastrointestinal tract, and data were recorded for immunosuppressive treatment, performance, and fever. Logistic regression models predicting nonrelapse mortality (NRM) at day 200 were developed with data from 193 randomly selected patients and then validated in the remaining 193 patients. Clinical parameters were grouped to optimize predictive accuracy measured as the area under a receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve. The optimal model included the total serum bilirubin concentration, oral intake, need for treatment with prednisone, and performance score. When the overall burden of GVHD was measured by using average Acute GVHD Activity Index (aGVHDAI) scores for each patient in training and validation data sets, areas under ROC curves were 0.87 and 0.85, respectively. Contour lines were generated to reflect the predicted NRM at day 200 as a function of current aGVHDAI scores. These results demonstrate that clinical manifestations of GVHD severity can be used to accurately predict the risk of NRM in real time.
ARTK-M2: a kernel for Ada tasking requirements: an implementation and an automatic generator

A run-time kernel, ARTK-M2, supporting Ada tasking semantics is discussed; full support for task creation, synchronization, communication, scheduling, and termination is provided, together with all options of the Ada rendezvous. An implementation in Modula-2 is presented and a method for automatically translating Ada programs into semantically equivalent Modula-2 programs with corresponding kernel calls is introduced. A parser generator and an attribute grammar were used for the automatic translation. A subset of the Ada Compiler Validation Capability was processed to test the implementation and to illustrate the translation mechanism. The kernel is applicable to the study of real-time control systems; it can also serve as a baseline for studying implementation alternatives of Ada concepts, such as new scheduling algorithms, and for analysing new language constructs. Work is under way to implement some of the changes to the Ada tasking model being proposed as a result of the language revision (Ada9X). Finally, through proper extensions, ARTK-M2 can form an integral part of programming tools such as an Ada compilation system and a distributed kernel for multi-processing environments.
Getting to the Ncor of HSC emergence

In this issue of Blood, Wei et al describe how the nuclear corepressor ncor2 helps keep hemogenic gene expression at just the right level necessary for hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) emergence.[1][1] Forming an HSPC requires a Goldilocks touch in that too much or too little signal can
Estimating Diversity in Unsampled Habitats of a Biogeographical Province

Estimating the number of species in a biogeographical province can be problematic. A number of methods have been developed to overcome sample-size limits within a single habitat. We evaluated six of these methods to see whether they could also compensate for incomplete habitat samples. We applied them to the butterfly species of the 110 ecoregions of Canada and the United States. Two of the methods use thefrequency of species that occur in afew of the sampled ecoregions. These two methods did not work. The otherfour meth- ods estimate the asymptote of the species-accumulation curve (the graph of "number of species in a set of sam- ples" versus "number of species occurrences in those samples"). The asymptote of this curve is the actual num- ber of species in the system. Three of these extrapolation estimators produced good estimates of total diversity even when limited to 10% of the ecoregions. Good estimates depend on sampling ecoregions that are hyperdis- persed in space. Clustered sampling designs ruin the usefulness of the three successful methods. To ascertain their generality, our results must be duplicated at other scales and for other taxa and in other provinces.
Magnitude of G1 reward and the frustration effect in a between subjects design

An investigation failed to indicate that differential second task reward magnitude was a salient determinant of the frustration effect (FE). However, the influence of variations of second task reward magnitudes on second task speed measures was observed.
Dimension of non-conformal repellers: a survey

This paper is a survey of recent results on the dimension of repellers for expanding maps and limit sets for iterated function systems. While the case of conformal repellers is well understood, the study of non-conformal repellers is in its early stages though a number of interesting phenomena have been discovered, some remarkable results obtained and several interesting examples constructed. We will describe contemporary state of the art in the area with emphasis on some new emerging ideas and open problems.
Control of luteal relaxin release by prostaglandin F2α: differences in the sow cycle and pregnancy.

The effect of an in vivo prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha) challenge in pregnant and cyclic sows was compared to determine whether PGF2 alpha-induced release of relaxin (RLX) from the corpus luteum (CL) in late pregnancy is also effective during the cycle. Ovarian venous RLX and progesterone were monitored by radioimmunoassay and RLX localized in the CL by immunohistochemistry. In Day 108 pregnant sows, infusion of PGF2 alpha (100 micrograms) into the ovarian artery resulted in an immediate and sustained rise in ovarian venous RLX with an initial decline in progesterone levels by 30 min which then returned to pretreatment levels. In Day 13 or 15 cyclic sows with functional corpora lutea (i.e., elevated progesterone), RLX was undetectable in ovarian venous blood after 100 micrograms of PGF2 alpha. Administration of PGF2 alpha via either the jugular vein or intramuscular route was also ineffective in releasing RLX from the CL of the cycle. The intensity of RLX immunostaining of the CL was similar in saline and PGF2 alpha-treated sows. These studies indicate that the control of RLX release from the sow CL differs in the estrous cycle and pregnancy.
More origami solids

There are a bunch of interesting programming projects hiding within the subject of origami, and unit origami in particular. Certainly one of the most straightforward is to write a program that will read some form of origami notation and create a 3D geometry file of the result, which you can then render. Or you can use the same information to create folding diagrams. These are both very hard problems if you go into them deeply. The folding problem requires keeping track of the thickness of the paper at each fold and how bit slides around (for example, if you have two layers of paper involved in a fold, the outermost layer requires more paper than the inner layer). The diagramming problem is pretty tricky, because getting the right point of view and picking the right steps to illustrate it are very personal choices. I made the diagrams in these two columns by hand with a computer-aided drafting program. With my trusty calculator, I computed all the angles and lengths to make sure that everything lined up just where it ought to.
Multiple melting endotherms in isothermally melt‐crystallized poly(butylene terephthalate)

The melting behavior of poly(butylene terephthalate) crystallized isothermally for various times was examined using differential scanning calorimetry. After short crystallization times, the DSC analysis gave two melting peaks, but after longer times, the analysis gave three peaks. The latter triplet of DSC peaks can be denoted as low, middle, and high, starting with the lowest temperature endotherm. The DSC peaks were simulated using a measured recrystallization rate and behavior for PBT and an assumed initial melting point distribution. The low and middle peaks represent the original melting peaks arising from isothermal crystallization. The high melting peak arises from recrystallization during the DSC heating scan.
Designing from minimum to optimum functionality

This paper discusses a multifaceted strategy to link NASA Minimal Functionality Habitable Element (MFHE) requirements to a compatible growth plan; leading forward to evolutionary, deployable habitats including outpost development stages. The discussion begins by reviewing fundamental geometric features inherent in small scale, vertical and horizontal, pressurized module configuration options to characterize applicability to meet stringent MFHE constraints. A proposed scenario to incorporate a vertical core MFHE concept into an expanded architecture to provide continuity of structural form and geometric logic bridging between “minimum” and “optimum”. The paper describes how habitation and logistics accommodations could be pre-integrated into a common Hab/Log Module that serves both habitation and logistics functions. This is offered as a means to reduce unnecessary redundant development costs and to avoid EVA-intensive on-site adaptation and retrofitting requirements for augmented crew capacity. An evolutionary version of the hard shell Hab/Log design would have an expandable middle section to afford larger living and working accommodations. In conclusion, the paper illustrates that a number of cargo missions referenced for NASA’s 4.0.0 Lunar Campaign Scenario could be eliminated altogether to expedite progress and reduce budgets. The plan concludes with a vertical growth geometry that provides versatile and efficient site development opportunities using a combination of hard Hab/Log modules and a hybrid expandable “CLAM” element.
R curve effects in solid particle erosion of ceramics

Abstract Erosion by solid particle impact is studied for a set of commercial alumina and zirconia ceramics. The results are correlated with existing models for erosion. Conclusions are drawn regarding the effect of impact velocity and erodent particle size. The effect of impact angle is also analyzed to demonstrate the importance of the tangential component of velocity. The most important conclusion concerns the need for using pertinent toughness values that correspond to the erosion crack size scales in correlating erosion results. This is in lieu of the recent realization regarding the crack size dependence of toughness (R curve effect) of ceramics.
Total Joint Replacement in the Dog

Total joint replacement has evolved over the past 50 years from a concept that was first attempted in people suffering from osteoarthritis to a commonly applied practice in veterinary medicine. Although many questions have been answered, several controversies still exist, with many implant and technical options being explored. Currently, total hip and elbow replacement are commercially available options viable for use in dogs. These options are detailed in this article. Joint replacement for other canine joints (ie, knee, hock, shoulder) that develop osteoarthritis likely will be developed in the near future.