cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
DL-p-chlorophenylalanine effects in thirteen-lined ground squirrels and golden hamsters: Evidence for serotonergic regulation of hibernation

Abstract 1. 1. PCPA ( dl -p- chlorophenylalanine ) inhibition of serotonin synthesis resulted in a marked reduction in occurrence of hypothermia in thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Citellus tridecemlineatus). 2. 2. The ground squirrels also showed a significant loss in body weight. 3. 3. Golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) injected with PCPA had significant losses in body weight and fat pad weight, but increases in weights of paired ovaries and paired oviducts. 4. 4. The changes induced by inhibition of serotonin synthesis are generally incompatible with entrance into hibernation. 5. 5. The literature on serotonergic processes provides evidence for endocrine mediation of these seasonal adaptations.
Introduction to Supersymmetry

One theme which underlies the development of particle physics is the application of ever broader symmetries to particle interactions. A new symmetry always relates and unifies previously distinct phenomena. The initial appeal of a symmetry may be based only on reasons of mathematical elegance. It may take some years to find applications in nature.
UN CADRE MÉTHODOLOGIQUE POUR LA DÉMARCHE D’INVESTIGATION : L’EXEMPLE DU CHANGEMENT D’ÉTAT DE L’EAU À L’ÂGE DE 8 ANS / A METHODOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE INQUIRY BASED METHOD: THE EXAMPLE OF CHANGING THE STATE OF WATER AT AGE OF EIGHT

Dans cet article on presente une procedure methodologique pour le deploiement des activites scientifiques dans le cadre de la demarche d’investigation. Apres une petite introduction a la demarche d’investigation en sciences et a sa relation avec les representations mentales des eleves, on tente d'appliquer la methode a une activite experimentale visant au changement d’etat de l'eau chez des enfants de 8 ans. Ensuite, une analyse systematique de toutes les etapes du developpement de l’activite est realisee afin de presenter les phases et leur contenu. In this article we present a methodological procedure for the deployment of scientific inquiry activities. After a short introduction to inquiry based method in science and its relationship with mental representations of students, we try to apply the method to an experimental activity to the state change of water with 8 years old children. Then, a systematic analysis of all stages of the development of the activity is carried out in order to present the phases and their content. Article visualizations:
Disruption of the ascending arousal network in acute traumatic disorders of consciousness

Objective To determine whether ascending arousal network (AAn) connectivity is reduced in patients presenting with traumatic coma. Methods We performed high-angular-resolution diffusion imaging in 16 patients with acute severe traumatic brain injury who were comatose on admission and in 16 matched controls. We used probabilistic tractography to measure the connectivity probability (CP) of AAn axonal pathways linking the brainstem tegmentum to the hypothalamus, thalamus, and basal forebrain. To assess the spatial specificity of CP differences between patients and controls, we also measured CP within 4 subcortical pathways outside the AAn. Results Compared to controls, patients showed a reduction in AAn pathways connecting the brainstem tegmentum to a region of interest encompassing the hypothalamus, thalamus, and basal forebrain. When each pathway was examined individually, brainstem-hypothalamus and brainstem-thalamus CPs, but not brainstem-forebrain CP, were significantly reduced in patients. Only 1 subcortical pathway outside the AAn showed reduced CP in patients. Conclusions We provide initial evidence for the reduced integrity of axonal pathways linking the brainstem tegmentum to the hypothalamus and thalamus in patients presenting with traumatic coma. Our findings support current conceptual models of coma as being caused by subcortical AAn injury. AAn connectivity mapping provides an opportunity to advance the study of human coma and consciousness.
Peaceable Assembly and Association: Donald F. Kettl

I like to think that, if Benjamin Franklin was alive today, no one would be a bigger fan of the internet. In fact, given his incredible collection of brainchildren, he might well have been one of t...
Command & Control Environment Timeliness Characterization

Abstract : The objective of this work is to characterize a method for providing timeliness quality to the distributed collaboration environment. Timeliness is an important principle in the coherence of data within a given flow. This flow in turn has a direct bearing on the consistency of a given situation perception. Resource management within a given system, residing on a distributed command and control environment, is a critical element of maintaining a timely flow of cognitive data. Yet this critical element has been given minimal attention at best, during the development of command and control systems. This paper will present a current approach for the management of resources within this environment.
Depression and alcohol use disorders as precursors to death by suicide

The combined presence of depression with alcohol abuse can increase suicide risk. We used psychological autopsy to evaluate 101 individuals who died by suicide, to understand relationships between stressful life events, alcohol abuse, and depression. As compared to suicidal adults with depression only, individuals meeting criteria for both a depressive disorder and alcohol use disorder tended to be younger and experienced higher rates of stressful life events during the six months prior to death. Alcohol abuse likely influences interpersonal conflict, financial distress, and legal problems. Interventions focusing on managing life problems may help to reduce suicide risk.
The Impact of Syndromic Genetic Disorders on Medical Management and Mortality in Pediatric Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Patients

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is a prevalent cardiomyopathy in children, with variable etiologies, phenotypes, and associated syndromic genetic disorders (GD). The spectrum of evaluation in this heterogeneous population has not been well described. We aimed to describe mortality and medical management in the pediatric HCM population, and compare HCM pediatric patients with GD to those without GD. Children (< 18 years) with HCM from the claims-based Truven Health Analytics MarketScan Research Database for years 2013–2016 were identified. Outcomes, including patient visits, diagnostic tests, procedures, medications, and mortality, were reported across demographic and clinical characteristics. Multivariable negative binomial, logistic, and survival models were utilized to test the association between those with and without GD by outcomes. 4460 patients were included, with a median age of 11 years (IQR 3–16), 61.7% male, 17.7% with GD, and 2.1% who died during the study period. There were 0.36 inpatient admissions per patient-year. Patients with GD were younger [8 years (IQR 1–14) vs 12 years (IQR 3–16) (p < 0.0001)], had more echocardiograms (1.77 vs 0.93) p < 0.0001; and ambulatory cardiac monitoring per year (0.32 vs 0.24); p = 0.0002. Adjusting for potential confounders including age, other chronic medical conditions, procedures, and heart failure, GD had increased risk of mortality [HR 2.46 (95% CI 1.62, 3.74)], myectomy [HR 1.59 (95% CI 1.08, 2.35)], and more annual admissions [OR 1.36 (CI 1.27, 1.45]. Patients with HCM show higher rates of death, admission, testing, and myectomy when concomitant syndromic genetic disorders are present, suggesting that the disease profile and resource utilization are different from HCM patients without GD.
Development of an indirect Enzyme Linked Immunoassay (iELISA) using monoclonal antibodies against Photorhabdus insect related toxins, PirAVp and PirBVp released from Vibrio spp.

Abstract An acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) causes serious losses to the global shrimp industry. The etiologic agent of AHPND is Vibrio spp. carrying a large plasmid which encodes a binary toxin, PirAB. Currently, AHPND is diagnosed by PCR based methods that detect the presences of both pirA and pirB genes. However, the bacterial strains containing the pirA and pirB genes do not always express the binary toxin, resulting in mis-estimation of the virulence of bacterial strains containing pirA and pirB genes. Thus, the immuno based assay (i.e. ELISA) is a promising approach to detect PirAVp and PirBVp. In the present study, a total of forty monoclonal antibodies clones (mAb) against PirAVp (20 mAbs) and PirBVp (20 mAbs) were screened by western blot analysis to select four mAb clones that show the strongest immunoreactivity in indirect ELISA (iELISA). The four selected mAbs (i.e. 1B9 and 5E9 against PirAVp; 7B7 and 7B9 against PirBVp) detected specifically Vibrio spp. causing AHPND. In addition, four selected mAbs were able to detect either PirAVp or PirBVp down to 0.008 ng/μl. A double blind assay using thirty AHPND-infected and six SPF shrimp Penaeus vannamei were analyzed by iELISA to determine the detection sensitivity of the assay. The results showed that iELISA was able to accurately detect 29 out of 30 AHPND infected shrimp. These finding indicated that iELISA is a reliable method to detect PirAVp and PirBVp toxins in infected shrimp and will be a useful tool in AHPND diagnosis and in studying the role of binary toxins in AHPND pathogenesis.
Financial incentives to improve glycemic control in African American adults with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized controlled trial

Financial incentives is emerging as a viable strategy for improving clinical outcomes for adults with type 2 diabetes. However, there is limited data on optimal structure for financial incentives and whether financial incentives are effective in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. This pilot study evaluated impact of three financial incentive structures on glycemic control in this population. Sixty adults with type 2 diabetes were randomized to one of three financial incentive structures: 1) single incentive (Group 1) at 3 months for Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reduction, 2) two-part equal incentive (Group 2) for home testing of glucose and HbA1c reduction at 3 months, and 3) three-part equal incentive (Group 3) for home testing, attendance of weekly telephone education classes and HbA1c reduction at 3 months. The primary outcome was HbA1c reduction within each group at 3 months post-randomization. Paired t-tests were used to test differences between baseline and 3-month HbA1c within each group. The mean age for the sample was 57.9 years and 71.9% were women. Each incentive structure led to significant reductions in HbA1c at 3 months with the greatest reduction from baseline in the group with incentives for multiple components: Group 1 mean reduction = 1.25, Group 2 mean reduction = 1.73, Group 3 mean reduction = 1.74. Financial incentives led to significant reductions in HbA1c from baseline within each group. Incentives for multiple components led to the greatest reductions from baseline. Structured financial incentives that reward home monitoring, attendance of telephone education sessions, and lifestyle modification to lower HbA1c are viable options for glycemic control in African Americans with type 2 diabetes. Trial registration: NCT02722499 . Registered 23 March 2016, url.
Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons in the Atmosphere near the Great Lakes: Why Do Their Concentrations Vary?

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) concentrations were measured in atmospheric samples collected at five sites near the shores of the North American Great Lakes once every 12 days from 1997 to 2...
Managing Liquidity in Production Networks: The Role of Central Firms

Firms in the US economy are closely interconnected in a production network and are subject to shocks that propagate within the network. This study examines the liquidity management of firms centrally connected in the network. I show that, while central firms are more exposed to aggregate swings, they maintain higher cash holdings to protect themselves and connected firms against such exposure. Central firms’ cash holding motives are alleviated by firm diversification but are aggravated by industry competition. Such motives are not explained by alternative determinants of cash policies. My findings suggest that systematically important firms proactively dampen the propagation of shocks in the production network.
Evolutionary Protection of Kruppel-Like Factors 2 and 4 in the Development of the Mature Hemovascular System

A properly functioning hemovascular system, consisting of circulating innate immune cells and endothelial cells (ECs), is essential in the distribution of nutrients to distant tissues while ensuring protection from invading pathogens. Professional phagocytes (e.g., macrophages) and ECs have co-evolved in vertebrates to adapt to increased physiological demands. Intercellular interactions between components of the hemovascular system facilitate numerous functions in physiology and disease in part through the utilization of shared signaling pathways and factors. Kruppel-like factors (KLFs) 2 and 4 are two such transcription factors with critical roles in both cellular compartments. Decreased expression of either factor in myeloid or endothelial cells increases susceptibility to a multitude of inflammatory diseases, underscoring the essential role for their expression in maintaining cellular quiescence. Given the close evolutionary relationship between macrophages and ECs, along with their shared utilization of KLF2 and 4, we hypothesize that KLF genes evolved in such a way that protected their expression in myeloid and endothelial cells. Within this Perspective, we review the roles of KLF2 and 4 in the hemovascular system and explore evolutionary trends in their nucleotide composition that suggest a coordinated protection that corresponds with the development of mature myeloid and endothelial systems.
Energy consumption and emissions dynamics of US domestic intercity air travel

Abstract Domestic intercity air travel accounts for nearly 80% of all air travel in the U.S. As low-cost airlines and economic growth have increased the affordability of intercity air travel, the benefits to travelers and cities are touted by most. Yet, an accounting of the energy consumption and emissions from domestic intercity air travel is rarely discussed. This paper fills that gap and provides an analysis of the trends in fuel consumption and emissions by intercity air travel as well as an analysis of the contributing factors to these emissions. Using flight tracking and carrier data, emissions per passenger are found to have declined by 40% over the past two decades while total emissions have increased by 10% over the past 8 years. A decomposition analysis of the market factors highlights changes in route frequency, fleet deployment, and fleet efficiency as the leading factors contributing to the decline of intercity emissions.
Estimating the cost-effectiveness of the Sodium Reduction in Communities Program.

OBJECTIVE This study assessed the cost-effectiveness of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC's) Sodium Reduction in Communities Program (SRCP). DESIGN We collected implementation costs and performance measure indicators from SRCP recipients and their partner food service organisations. We estimated the cost per person and per food service organisation reached and the cost per menu item impacted. We estimated the short-term effectiveness of SRCP in reducing sodium consumption and used it as an input in the Prevention Impact Simulation Model to project the long-term impact on medical cost savings and quality-adjusted life-years gained due to a reduction in CVD and estimate the cost-effectiveness of SRCP if sustained through 2025 and 2040. SETTING CDC funded eight recipients as part of the 2016-2021 round of the SRCP to work with food service organisations in eight settings to increase the availability and purchase of lower-sodium food options. PARTICIPANTS Eight SRCP recipients and twenty of their partners. RESULTS At the recipient level, average cost per person reached was $10, and average cost per food service organisation reached was $42 917. At the food service organisation level, median monthly cost per food item impacted by recipe modification or product substitution was $684. Cost-effectiveness analyses showed that, if sustained, the programme is cost saving (i.e. the reduction in medical costs is greater than the implementation costs) in the target population by $1·82 through 2025 and $2·09 through 2040. CONCLUSIONS By providing evidence of the cost-effectiveness of a real-world sodium reduction initiative, this study can help inform decisions by public health organisations about related CVD prevention interventions.
Evaluation of Integrals

Certain types of integrals can be evaluated using Cauchy’s residue theorem. The integrands of these integrals can have poles in the complex plane, which we assume for now lie either inside or outside a chosen contour, but not on the contour. The evaluation of an integral when the integrand has poles on the contour is discussed in section 5.3.
Cafe Indiana Cookbook

Reviewed Medium: book Authors: Joanne Raetz Stuttgen and Jolene Ketzenberger Year: 2010 Pages: 224 Publisher: University of Wisconsin Press ISBN: 978-0-299-24994-6 (soft cover).
Entrevista con Ryszard Kapuncinski: “Los periodistas se han vuelto hombres que no piensan”

El periodista polaco tenia una profunda preocupacion sobre el estado actual de la prensa, en particular por el hecho de que hoy se buscan noticias que sean rapidamente vendibles y de facil transmision en vez de privilegiar su contenido de verdad. Y aunque el desaparecido autor de libros como El Sha, El Imperio y La guerra del futbol reconocia que las soluciones a este problema no eran faciles, no dudaba en senalar un camino claro: volver a las raices, volver hacer del periodismo una mision de vida. Palabras clave: Noticias vendibles; estado de la prensa; mision del periodista.
Engineered Cooling Process for High Strength Ductile Iron Castings

Professor Stefanescu contributed fundamentally to the science of solidification and microstructural evolutions in ductile irons. In this article, the possibility of development of high strength ductile iron by applying an engineered cooling process after casting early shake out from the sand mold was explored. The structures in industrial ductile iron were experimentally simulated using a computer controlled heating/cooling device. CFD modeling was used for process simulation and an experimental bench scale system was developed. The process concept was experimentally verified by producing cast plates with 25 mm wall thickness. The tensile strength was increased from 550 MPa to 1000 MPa in as-cast condition without the need for alloying and heat treatment. The possible practical applications were discussed.
Adhesion and Fracture of Polymer-Metal Interfaces

In this paper, we provide a summary of our recent work on the interfacial adhesion and interfacial fracture of polymer-metal interfaces. A general framework outline first. Results are then presented in several areas including measurement of thermodynamics work of adhesion, chemical bonding, adhesion enhancement due to surface roughness, and effect of moisture
143 SYSTEMIC VASCULAR HISTAMINE RECEPTORS

Histamine H1 - and H2- receptor mediated changes in systemic vascular resistance were evaluated in 10 newborn lambs (0-3 days of age). Lambs were anesthetized with chloralose and instrumented to allow for continuous measurement of systemic vascular resistance (SVR), cardiac output (CO) and heart rate (HR). Histamine was injected into the main pulmonary artery in doses ranging from 0.01 to 1.0 μg/kg of histamine base. In each lamb, histamine dose response curves were generated for SVR, HR and stroke volume (SV) and repeated in 6 lambs after the administration of the H1-receptor antagonist, diphenhydramine, and/or the H2-receptor antagonist, cimetidine. The major effect of histamine on SVR, a decrease of 20-22%, occurred at a dosage of 0.6 μg/kg. No effect was noted on SVR below a dose of 0.05 μg/kg. HR increased by 10-15% at these same dosages. No effect on SV was observed. The H1-receptor antagonist decreased the SVR response significantly and had a small effect on the HR response. The H2-receptor antagonist had no effect on the SVR response and a major effect on the HR response. Thus, H1-receptors appear to mediate systemic vascular relaxation in the newborn lamb and H2-receptors mediate cardiotonic changes. The dosage range required to produce these effects was an order of magnitude larger than those we previously reported as having significant effects on pulmonary vascular resistance. In addition H2-receptors appear to be less important in the SVR response of newborns as compared to adults.
Field Emission Properties of BN/C and BN@C Hybrid Nanotubes

Our simulations predict that boron-nitride (BN) doping in carbon nanotubes can greatly improve the field emission properties of these systems. The intrinsic electric field associated with the polarity of the B-N bond enhances the emitted current density through a reduction of the work function at the tip. Using a combination of real-space and plane-wave ab initio methods, we show that this effect is present in both coaxial (BN@C) and linear (BN/C) nanotubular assemblies. While in the coaxial geometry the improvement amounts to a factor of five, the current density is predicted to increase by up to two orders of magnitude in BN/C superlattices.
Re-inventing electromagnetics: supercomputing solution of Maxwell's equations via direct time integration on space grids

Abstract This paper summarizes the present state and future directions of applying finite-difference and finite-volume time-domain techniques for Maxwell's equations on supercomputers to model complex electromagnetic wave interactions with structures. Applications so far have been dominated by radar cross-section technology, but by no means are limited to this area. In fact, the gains we have made place us on the threshold of being able to make tremendous contributions to non-defense electronics and optical technology. Some of the most interesting research in these commercial areas is summarized.
Content-Based Multimedia Retrieval Using Feature Correlation Clustering and Fusion

Nowadays, only processing visual features is not enough for multimedia semantic retrieval due to the complexity of multimedia data, which usually involve a variety of modalities, e.g. graphics, text, speech, video, etc. It becomes crucial to fully utilize the correlation between each feature and the target concept, the feature correlation within modalities, and the feature correlation across modalities. In this paper, the authors propose a Feature Correlation Clustering-based Multi-Modality Fusion Framework FCC-MMF for multimedia semantic retrieval. Features from different modalities are combined into one feature set with the same representation via a normalization and discretization process. Within and across modalities, multiple correspondence analysis is utilized to obtain the correlation between feature-value pairs, which are then projected onto the two principal components. K-medoids algorithm, which is a widely used partitioned clustering algorithm, is selected to minimize the Euclidean distance within the resulted clusters and produce high intra-correlated feature-value pair clusters. Majority vote is applied to subsequently decide which cluster each feature belongs to. Once the feature clusters are formed, one classifier is built and trained for each cluster. The correlation and confidence of each classifier are considered while fusing the classification scores, and mean average precision is used to evaluate the final ranked classification scores. Finally, the proposed framework is applied on NUS-wide Lite data set to demonstrate the effectiveness in multimedia semantic retrieval.
Pre-eruptive water content of rhyolitic magmas as determined by ion microprobe analyses of melt inclusions in phenocrysts

Abstract The ion microprobe was used to analyze trapped melt inclusions in phenocrysts from two rhyolitic eruptions for H2O, F and incompatible trace elements. Eleven melt inclusions from phenocrysts in air-fall tephra from Obsidian Dome near Long Valley, USA gave an average of 4.1±1.2 wt .% H2O and showed large variations in F and incompatible trace elements reflecting a complex history reported to involve mixing of at least two magma types. Eight inclusions in phenocrysts from the Taupo “ultraplinian” event, New Zealand gave 4.5 ± 0.8 wt .% H2O with small variations in the other elements analyzed. Measured water contents are similar to earlier estimates of the pre-eruptive water contents of these and similar rhyolites and major- and trace-element analyses of inclusions compare closely with bulk analyses suggesting that the analyses of inclusions represent the chemistry of the magma at the time of entrapment.
The correction for atomic excitation energy in measurements of energies of e− capture decay

Abstract The theoretical basis for the measurement of the energy of an e − capture decay by way of the bremsstrahlung endpoint is outlined. It is pointed out that an experimental bremsstrahlung spectrum is a superposition of many spectra, one for each of the possible states of atomic excitation in which the daughter atom can be produced. Consequently it appears that the proper correction from the measured endpoint to the total decay energy should be the mean excitation energy of the daughter atom, rather than simply the binding energy corresponding to the hole left in the daughter by the capture act. The mean excitation energy of the daughter is worked out in detail and compared with the binding energy. The results show that the two are equally adequate as corrections from the endpoint to the total decay energy, even if measurements of the bremsstrahlung spectrum could be made with ideal accuracy. As a by-product of this work various experimental and theoretical values of atomic total binding energies are fitted by non-linear least squares to the form c Z k suggested by the Thomas- Fermi model.
Current Trends in Rehabilitation Engineering in Japan

In 2005, the elderly generation comprised 20% of the Japanese population. This percentage will grow to approximately 30% in 2030, meaning that nearly one in three people in Japan will be 65 years of age or older. Japan is the first nation in the world to face this situation. This article uses the context of Japanese society to give an overview of the elderly and people with disabilities; the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health model; rehabilitation engineering-related policy; and education. In addition, we examine how governmental programs and Japanese law regarding technical aids may evolve by 2030. Partner robots, intelligent powered wheelchairs, nursing robots, and other technologies are introduced as examples of rehabilitation engineering and assistive technology. We also discuss the volunteer activities of the Rehabilitation Engineering Society of Japan (RESJA) in response to the Asian tsunami disaster and the achievements of a group of students from a Japanese senior high school of industry.
A Note on Mean-Field Behavior for Self-Avoiding Walk on Branching Planes

We consider the critical behavior of the susceptibility of the self-avoiding walk on the graphT×Z, whereT is a Bethe lattice with degreek andZ is the one dimensional lattice. By directly estimating the two-point function using a method of Grimmett and Newman, we show that the bubble condition is satisfied whenk>2, and therefore the critical exponent associated with the susceptibility equals 1.
Concentration of 16α-hydroxyestrone in human plasma as measured by a specific ria

Abstract Rabbits were immunized with 3,6α,16α-trihydroxyestra-1,3,5(trien)-17-one 6-hemisuccinate-BSA adduct. The antisera obtained were characterized by high specificity and affinity for 16α-hydroxyestrone, an estradiol metabolite with distinct biological properties. Radioimmunoassay of this substance in human plasma revealed that it was present in low but potentially biologically significant concentrations in normal men and women, averaging 10 pg/ml in the former and 6–15 pg/ml in the latter.
Accelerated Mound Decay at Adjacent Kinks on Cu(111)

Abstract Ab initio barriers to concerted downward transport of Cu atoms range from 0.66 to 0.85 eV, when kinks on adjacent Cu(1 1 1) terraces are close. The lowest of these permits mound decay to proceed much faster, at 300–340 K, than when terraces are farther apart, and decay is limited by formation of Cu adatoms and their passage over an island-edge “Schwoebel barrier.”
Rapid micro procedure for scanning distribution of subcellular components in density gradient fractions of a tissue homogenate

Abstract A system has been presented which provides a rapid and relatively economical method for the autoanalysis of protein and the semiautomated analysis of various enzymic markers in density gradient fractions of tissue homogenates. The amount of sample required for the enzyme determinations has been reduced from that required in previously used manual methods. The flexibility of manual analysis has not been sacrificed in the process of automation.
Simulations and Student Learning

ABSTRACT While many political scientists advocate simulations as an effective teaching tool to facilitate student learning, we have very little systematic evidence that this is true. In this research note I provide experimental evidence showing that six of eight measures of student learning were significantly higher in introductory American Government courses that included a simulation of the United States Senate. These results provide quantitative support for the widespread anecdotal evidence about the teaching effectiveness of simulations.
Evaluation of the immunotoxic potential of chlordecone with comparison to cyclophosphamide.

The immunotoxic potential of chlordecone was evaluated in male Fischer-344 rats following 10 d of acute dosing by oral gavage. These results were compared with those obtained following a comparable dosing regimen with the known immunosuppressive drug cyclophosphamide. Significant changes in ratios of spleen and thymus to body weight, blastogenic responsiveness of lymphocytes to concanavalin A, and natural killer (NK) cell activity against allogeneic W/Fu-G1 rat lymphoma target cells and xenogeneic YAC-1 mouse lymphoma target cells were observed only at the highest chlordecone dosage (10 mg/kg . d). A significant decrement in body weight also occurred at this dosage which suggests that the observed changes in the immune parameters measured were most likely due to the overt toxicity of chlordecone. In contrast, rats dosed over 10 d by oral gavage with cyclophosphamide showed significant decreases in spleen and thymus to body weight ratios at a dosage as low as 1.5 mg/kg . d. Body weight decrements were observed only at dosages of 12 mg/kg . d or greater. At dosages of 1.5 mg/kg . d or greater, cyclophosphamide caused a significant decrease in the total leukocyte and absolute lymphocyte counts in peripheral blood, and a decrease in the lymphoproliferative responses to both T- and B-lymphocyte mitogens. Significant suppression of NK cell activity was observed at dosages of 6 mg/kg . d or greater. These results suggest that T and B lymphocytes are more sensitive than are NK lymphocytes to the immunosuppressive effects of cyclophosphamide. The results of these two studies indicate that the failure to detect chlordecone-induced immunotoxic effects in the absence of overt toxicity is not due to the possible insensitivity of the parameters examined. Instead, since cyclophosphamide affected all of the parameters tested, these results indicate that the endpoints examined here are capable of detecting immunotoxicity with sufficient sensitivity to permit distinction between probable indirect immunosuppression due to overt toxicity and subtle, direct impairment of the immune system.
Thrombus Initiation With Subsequent Growth Measured for Physiological Shear and High Pathological Shear

Arterial thrombosis is often found near an atheroma in atherosclerotic disease, which can lead to acute myocardial infarction, i.e. a heart attack. Thrombus typically grows in regions of exposed subendothelium, which can exist when the plaque cap of the atheroma ruptures or erodes. The subendothelium creates an adherent surface to platelets and other thrombus constituents. Furthermore, an atheroma alters the normal physiological hemodynamics, which has been reported to correspond to local thrombus growth, despite equally adherent surfaces in undisturbed flow regions [1,2]. However, there has been some disagreement about which hemodynamics, specifically shear, may play the most influential role of localizing thrombus. Low shear and high shear have both resulted in thrombus growth [1,2]. Shear in the region of an atheroma can get over 100,000 s−1 [3].Copyright © 2011 by ASME
The effect of cooperative and competitive set on the learning of imitation and nonimitation

Abstract The effect upon imitative behavior in a restricted social situation of instruction-induced cooperative or competitive set was studied. A total of 80 dyads including 40 male-female, 20 male-male, and 20 female-female pairings were run for 120 trials in a light-guessing task. The correct response on each trial for each model (M) imitator (I) pair was determined by random reinforcement schedules which reinforced M either 80 or 20% of the trials. The effects of instruction-induced cooperative or competitive set, level of reinforcement, sex of M, and sex of I were analyzed in a 24 factorial design. As predicted, frequency of imitation was significantly greater in the cooperative groups. Level of reinforcement and insight also significantly affected imitative behavior.
Phase error in Fourier transform spectrometers employing polarization interferometers

Phase error is common in reflective interferometers, such as the Michelson. This yields highly asymmetric interferograms that complicate the post-processing of single-sided interference data. Common methods of compensating for phase errors include the Mertz, Forman, and Cannes phase correction techniques. However, birefringent interferometers often have highly symmetric interferograms; thus, compensating for phase errors may represent an unnecessary and/or detrimental step in post processing. In this paper, an analysis of the phase error generated by the Infrared Hyperspectral Imaging Polarimeter (IHIP) is conducted. First, a model of the IHIP is presented that quantifies the phase error in the system. The error associated with calculating spectra from single-sided interferograms, using Mertz phase correction and simple single­sided to double-sided mirroring, is then investigated and compared to "true" double-sided Cannes phase corrected spectra. These error calculations are set within the context of measurements taken from a Michelson interferometer-based Fourier transform spectrometer. Results demonstrate that the phase error of the IHIP is comparatively small and that Mertz phase correction may not be necessary to minimize error in the spectral calculation.
Rotational correlation time of spin-labeled α-chymotrypsin

Abstract α-Chymotrypsin has been spin labeled with (I), 3-carboxy 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl pyrrolidine-N-oxyl-p-nitrophenyl ester, and (II), the N-oxyl-4′,4′-dimethyl oxazolidine of 5-α-androstan-3-one-17-β-methyl phosphono-fluoridate. The positions of the high field hyperfine components in the paramagnetic resonance spectra of the spin-labeled enzymes have been measured as a function of solvent viscosity and have been used to determine a rotational correlation time of 12 nanoseconds for α-chymotrypsin in water at 20° C.
Barriers to collaborative forest management and implications for building the resilience of forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana

Community resilience, the capacity of a community to adapt to change in ways that result in positive impacts on its well-being, is increasingly used as a framework for understanding and enhancing the sustainability of forest-dependent communities as social–ecological systems. However, studies linking community resilience to the implementation of forest management programs are limited. This study uses community resilience literature and analyzes data collected from interviews to study barriers of forest-dependent communities of collaborative forest management (CFM) in two forest-dependent communities in the Ashanti region of Ghana. Analysis revealed the barriers in community response to CFM programs in these two communities comprise institutional shortfalls in the design and implementation of the CFM program that have constrained the incentives, capacity and opportunities for communities to successfully adapt to the program. The paper offers recommendations on how the CFM program can contribute to building the resilience of communities in managing their forests. The first is to build institutional capacity of communities to play an active role in forest governance, and the second is the prioritization of well-being and livelihood enhancement as forest management goals.
Water balance in Pinottii malaria of pigeons.

SYNOPSIS. Pinottii malaria of the pigeon is a fulminating and usually fatal infection lasting only a few days and characterized by greatly increased water consumption in most, tho not all cases. Injection of hemoglobin solutions derived from laked pigeon erythrocytes causes a similar hemoglobinuria, and is accompanied by marked diuresis and a corresponding rise in water consumption. However, it appears likely that there are other causal factors as well as this one for the rise seen in malaria. A sharp increase in blood uric acid may be one. Urea and blood sugar levels do not change significantly, except that the latter often falls sharply a few hours before death. Tissue sections reveal kidney injury, but not of a sort to account for polyuria.
Resection of a symptomatic pericardial cyst using the computer-enhanced Da Vinci™ surgical system

Traditionally, symptomatic pericardial cysts have been treated with thoracotomy and resection. More recently, video-assisted thoracoscopic procedures for pericardial cysts have been reported. We present the case of a 43-year-old man who was suffering from a symptomatic pericardial cyst. He underwent successful resection using a computer-enhanced robotic surgical system. This case is an example of the continued extension of robotic-assisted thoracic surgery.
Hydrocephalus in posterior fossa lesions: ventriculostomy and permanent shunt rates by diagnosis.

Abstract Objectives: The rate of ventriculostomy for acute hydrocephalus and progression to shunt-dependent chronic hydrocephalus in patients with posterior fossa lesions are not well known. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 104 consecutive cases with posterior fossa lesions on admission to the University of Illinois Hospital from June 2002 to December 2005. We recorded the rate of ventriculostomy and permanent ventricular shunting, which were compared among etiologic groups, using chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests. Results: Overall, 35 patients had ventriculostomy for acute hydrocephalus and 16 had permanent shunting for shunt-dependent chronic hydrocephalus. Of those with primary posterior fossa intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) (42 cases), 19 (45%) required ventriculostomy, with five (26%) requiring subsequent permanent shunting; 13 patients had hematoma evacuation, with two having permanent shunting. Of those with cerebellar infarction (14 cases), four (29%) required ventriculostomy and one (25%) ha...
Backup coverage in groundwater monitoring networks

Computer simulations were used to test the contaminant-detection capability of alternative groundwater monitoring networks near a landfill. Double-locus networks, with backup coverage afforded by the downgradient locus, were constructed by shifting wells hydraulically upgradient or downgradient in a single-locus network. Single-and double-locus networks had the same average distance, measured parallel to groundwater flow, between wells and the landfill. On average, single-locus networks outperformed their double-locus counterparts. Some double-locus networks outperformed their single-locus counterpart, but by less than 1%. The most effective networks employed two loci, with the backup locus containing interior wells, including one well hydraulically downgradient of the landfill's corner. The least effective networks also employed two loci, but with the backup locus containing exterior wells.
The Jordan canonical form: an old proof

To my way of thinking, it's a marvelously simple proof. It's over 50 years old, and when one uses the modem language of graph theory, it can be made very visual. The most difficult part of the proof is in achieving triangular form. After that the details are extremely easy to follow: elementary row operations followed by the corresponding elementary column operations. Thus for students who are more familiar with Gaussian elimination than with other aspects of linear algebra, it is a good way to introduce the Jordan canonical form. So where is this proof and why isn't it a standard proof? (I think it should be and I hope to convince you.) It's in a classical book [8] by H. W. Turnbull and A. C. Aitken entitled An Introduction to the Theory of Canonical Matrices. This book is well known to matrix theorists, so that one cannot claim that it's in an obscure book that has long been forgotten. The reason that it has been ignored may be due to the changes in mathematical rigor that have occurred since 1932 and the lack of the formalism provided by graph theory at that time. (Konig's classical book entitled Theorie der Endlichen und Unendlichen Graphen was published in 1936, although his classical paper [6] "Graphen und Matrizen" was published in 1931.) At first reading, Turnbull and Aitken's proof is somewhat obscure, and it is not clear that their proof is general. They refer to chains of nonzero elements in a matrix which now we would call paths in the digraph associated with the matrix. Whatever the reason, I hope-to revive their proof by publication of this article. In a recent article [2] in this journal, Fletcher and Sorensen describe a proof for the existence of the Jordan canonical form which is algorithmic in nature. This proof was adopted in [5]. The proof, like the one to be given here, proceeds in three steps: (I) reduce to upper triangular form; (II) further reduce to the case in which all eigenvalues are equal; (III) use induction to reduce an upper triangular matrix with equal eigenvalues to Jordan canonical form. As pointed out in [2], the only nonconstructive step is I. In [2] step II is accomplished by solving, using induction, a linear matrix equation of the form AX - XA = S, while step III is accomplished by induction and matrix factorizations. The Turnbull-Aitken approach accomplishes
Economic potential of inertial fusion

Beyond the achievement of scientific feasibility, the key question for fusion energy is: does it have the economic potential to be significantly cheaper than fission and coal energy. If fusion has this high economic potential then there are compelling commercial and geopolitical incentives to accelerate the pace of the fusion program in the near term, and to install a global fusion energy system in the long term. Without this high economic potential, fusion's success depends on the failure of all alternatives, and there is no real incentive to accelerate the program. If my conjectures on the economic potential of inertial fusion are approximately correct, then inertial fusion energy's ultimate costs may be only half to two-thirds those of advanced fission and coal energy systems. Relative cost escalation is not assumed and could increase this advantage. Both magnetic and inertial approaches to fusion potentially have a two-fold economic advantage which derives from two fundamental properties: negligible fuel costs and high quality energy which makes possible more efficient generation of electricity. The wining approach to fusion may excel in three areas: electrical generating efficiency, minimum material costs, and adaptability to manufacture in automated factories. The winning approach must also rate highly inmore » environmental potential, safety, availability factor, lifetime, small 0 and M costs, and no possibility of utility-disabling accidents.« less
The New Ecological Paradigm in Social-Psychological Context

The New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) scale is the most frequently used measure of environmental concern, but it has not been placed in the context of a social-psychological theory of attitude formation or attitude-behavior relationships. Using data from a northern Virginia sample, this study examines NEP in relation to the variables in a theoretical model of environmental concern. We found that the NEP is indistinguishable from a scale of awareness of consequences (AC) of general environmental conditions, both psychometrically and in terms of its relations to behavioral intentions, but somewhat different in its relations to basic value orientations and sociodemographic variables. We conclude that both NEP and AC measure generalized beliefs about the nature of human-environment interactions-or "folk ecology"—a set of beliefs that may be influenced by social structure and values and that influence attitudes, beliefs, and behavioral intentions regarding specific environmental conditions.
Radiation absorption by the C2 band systems for Jupiter entry conditions

Revised values of the absorption cross sections for seven electronic band systems of C2 have been calculated using recently published experimental data for the electronic transition moments. Using these revised C2 cross section values, computations were made for the radiating flow field over a Jupiter entry probe with coupled ablation injection from a carbon-phenolic heat shield. Results are presented which show that radiation absorption within the ablation layer for the spectral range of 4 to 6 eV is less than that predicted using previous C2 absorption cross section values. The effect of the reduced radiation absorption by the C2 molecule is an increase in the radiative heating rates and ablation mass loss rates for the Jupiter entry conditions considered in the study.
Transverse spin dynamics in spin-polarized Fermi liquids

A microscopic framework for a generalized Landau theory is established in the form of two coupled equations in '~artial transverse densities". The 4-component effective interaction is related to the irreducible vertex, and not to the full vertex. The results explain the zero-temperature transverse relaxation and attenuation of spin waves. The spectrum of spin waves is expressed via harmonics of the interaction operator and its derivatives at arbitrary polarization. Our exact equations differ from previous semi-phenomenological ones, and reproduce all proper limiting cases like spin-polarized quantum gases or the Silin-Leggett low field equations.