cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Mitochondrial haplogroup L1c2 is associated with increased disease severity in African American patients with primary open-angle glaucoma.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the role mitochondrial inheritance plays in primary open-angle glaucoma (POAG) characteristics in African Americans. Methods: POAG cases from the L1c2 and L1b mitochondrial haplogroups were compared in a retrospective case-case study. Twenty-six pairs of self-identified African American POAG cases from L1c2 and L1b mitochondrial haplogroups matched on age (mean [SD]=71.2 [9.6] and 71.3 [9.6] years, respectively; p=0.97), sex (21 female and 5 male pairs), and family history of glaucoma (positive in 15/26 [58%] pairs) were included. Results and Discussion: L1c2 subjects displayed higher vertical cup-to-disc ratio (0.75 [0.12] and 0.67 [0.16], respectively; p=0.01, Bonferroni-corrected p=0.08), worse pattern standard deviation on visual field (VF) testing (5.5 [3.5] and 3.5 [2.7]; p=0.005, Bonferroni-corrected p=0.02), and more severe glaucoma based on American Glaucoma Society staging criteria (p=0.04, Bonferroni-corrected p=0.32) compared to L1b subjects. L1c2 also trended towards worse mean deviation on VF compared to L1b (-8.2 [7.6] and -5.8 [6.8], respectively, p=0.17). Best corrected visual acuity, central corneal thickness, maximum intraocular pressure (IOP), and cataract severity were comparable between L1c2 and L1b haplogroups (p ≥ 0.49), as was retinal nerve fiber layer thickness on optical coherence tomography (75.1 [14.1] and 75.1 [13.0]; p=0.99). Conclusion: Results demonstrated worse glaucomatous cupping and more severe VF loss in the L1c2 compared to the L1b haplogroup despite comparable IOP. Findings implicate mitochondrial inheritance as a factor affecting POAG severity and may ultimately contribute to stratifying POAG patients into phenotypically and genotypically distinct subgroups.
When All You Have Is Quality of Life - Making Medical Decisions in the Face of Uncertainty.

When All You Have Is Quality of Life The uncertainty underlying medical decisions and their effects on quality of life loom large in the context of undiagnosed disease. Indeed, in making decisions ...
Creating Investment-Grade Corporate Sustainability Metrics

Rising interest in sustainable investing has led to intensified scrutiny of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) reporting. But this heightened interest has convinced many investors and market analysts that the existing ESG metrics lack clear definitional foundations, methodological consistency, analytic rigor, and reliable verification, thus creating doubts about their true validity, comparability, and capacity to distinguish corporate sustainability leaders from laggards. This chapter surveys the gaps and shortcomings in today’s ESG data and calls for a mandatory corporate sustainability reporting structure backed by government standards, review, and enforcement. Such a framework ensure that sustainability-minded investors have access to investment-grade ESG metrics that inspire trust and confidence.
Climate and weather have differential effects in a high latitude passerine community

Climatic factors act on populations at multiple timescales leading to the separation of long-term climate and shorter-term weather effects. We used passerine counts from 1995 to 2019 in subarctic Alaska (Denali National Park, USA) to assess the impacts of the prior breeding season’s weather on breeding season abundance and the impacts of climate measured through shifts in elevational distribution. Weather and climate appear to have had opposing effects on the abundance of some shrub-associated species as evidenced by a positive response to nesting phase temperature over a 1-year lag and a negative response to warming-induced shifts in shrub-dominated habitats over the long term. The latter response was indicated by declines in abundance which occurred in some part through portions of these populations shifting upslope of our fixed sampling frame. Overall, the abundance of species was related to one or more of the lagged effects of weather and the effects of weather alone drove nearly twofold variation in annual abundance in most species. The effect of nesting phase temperature was a strong positive predictor at both community and individual species levels, whereas arrival phase temperature had weak support at both levels. The effects of total precipitation during the nesting phase and snowmelt timing shared mixed support at community and species levels, but generally indicated higher abundance following seasons that were drier and had earlier snowmelt. Together, our findings of opposing effects of climatic variables at different timescales have implications for understanding the mechanisms of population and distributional change in passerines in the subarctic.
Curve and Surface Fitting Techniques in Computer Vision

Curve and surface-fitting are classic problems of approximation that find use in many fields, including computer vision. There are two broad approaches to the problem — interpolation, which seeks t...
Dietary Fat and Fatty Acid Intake in Nulliparous Women: Associations with Preterm Birth and Distinctions by Maternal BMI.

Background Evidence documenting whether diet quality, particularly dietary fatty acids, is associated with preterm birth (PTB) is limited. Objective The aim was to measure associations between dietary fatty acid intake prior to pregnancy, specifically n-3 (ɷ-3) PUFAs and odds of PTB in US women and determine if associations differed by prepregnancy BMI. Methods We designed a secondary analysis of dietary intake in nulliparous women enrolled in a longitudinal cohort (NCT01322529). Participants completed an FFQ, modified to assess detailed PUFA intake, during the 3 mo preceding pregnancy. Inclusion in this analytic cohort required total energy intake within 2 SDs of the group mean. Prepregnancy BMI was categorized as underweight, normal, overweight, or obese. The primary exposure was estimated intake of EPA and DHA (combined EPA+DHA), in the context of a recommended intake of 250 mg. The primary outcome was PTB (<37 wk). Adjusted regression models controlled for maternal factors relevant to PTB and evaluated associations with PUFAs. Interaction terms estimated effect modification of BMI. A false discovery rate (FDR) correction accounted for multiple comparisons. Results Median daily intake of combined EPA+DHA in 7365 women was 70 mg (IQR: 32, 145 mg). A significant interaction term indicated the effects of EPA+DHA on odds of PTB were different for different BMI categories (P < 0.01). Specifically, higher intake of combined EPA+DHA was nominally associated with reduced odds of PTB in women with underweight (OR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.46-0.98) and normal BMI (OR: 0.87; 95% CI: 0.78-0.96), yet was associated with increased odds of overweight BMI (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.02-1.44). Associations remained significant after FDR correction. Conclusions Based on a cohort of US women designed to identify predictors of adverse pregnancy outcomes, dietary intake of combined EPA+DHA was considerably lower than recommended. Associations between intake of these recommended n-3 fatty acids and risk of PTB differ by maternal BMI.
Predictors and consequences of pediatric pain symptom trajectories: A 14-Year longitudinal study

OBJECTIVE The present study had three primary objectives. First, pain trajectory from early childhood to early adolescence were modeled. Second, we examined how early childhood individual-, parental-, and family-level factors predict pain trajectories. Third, we evaluated consequences of pain trajectories in terms of anxiety and depressive symptoms, and substance use at age 16 years. DESIGN The current paper is a secondary data analysis of a multisite longitudinal study. A total of 731 children and their families were followed from ages 2 to 16 years. METHODS A growth mixture model (GMM) was used to identify pain trajectories from ages 2 to 14 years. RESULTS The GMM revealed three distinct pain trajectories: (1) Low Pain Symptom (n = 572); (2) Increasing Pain Symptom (n = 106); and (3) U-shaped Pain Symptom (n = 53). Children who experienced greater harsh parenting and sleep disturbances in early childhood were more likely to belong to the Increasing Pain Symptom group, and those with greater anxious-depressed symptoms at age 2 years were more likely to belong to the U-shaped Pain Symptom group than the Low Pain Symptom group. Additionally, those youth in the Increasing Pain Symptom group, compared to the Low and U-shaped Pain Symptom groups, showed elevated anxiety symptoms at age 16 years. CONCLUSIONS Reducing harsh parenting and children's sleep disturbances could be important targets for preventing pediatric pain problems. Children with increasing pain symptoms may also benefit from learning adaptive pain management skills to lower the risk of developing anxiety problems in late adolescence.
Cross Section Correlation Functions and Deviations from the Porter-Thomas Distribution

The long-held belief that, in a compound nucleus (CN), fluctuations in transition strengths are drawn from a Porter-Thomas distribution (PTD), i.e., a χ2 distribution of one degree of freedom has been challenged by work done post-1990 at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and Oak Ridge Electron Linear Accelerator facilities. To date, the focus has been on data taken in the resolved resonance regime. I put forward arguments in support of the analysis of measurements of the total cross section in the unresolved but not strongly overlapping resonance regime.
Influence of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on the fracture response and phase distribution of metakaolin-based potassium geopolymers

This research investigated the effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) on the chemistry, microstructure, phase distribution, and fracture response of potassium-based metakaolin geopolymers at the microscopic scale. We formulated novel protocols to cast geopolymers reinforced with 0.3, 0.6, and 1.5 wt% MWCNTs. We studied the chemistry using XRD, FTIR, and solid state $$^{29}$$ Si NMR. We characterized the microstructure and dispersion state of MWCNTs geopolymers using microscopic imaging and high-resolution scanning electron microscopy. We assessed the fracture behavior and mechanical properties using scratch tests and indentation tests. We used cluster analysis of indentation results to study the phase distribution. MWCNTs were well dispersed with an average accumulated area less than 8.9 $$\mu \hbox {m}^{2}$$ . XRD showed that MWCNTs preserved the amorphous phase. NMR showed that the addition of MWCNTs decreased $$\hbox {Q}^{4}$$ (Al2) fraction, but increased $$\hbox {Q}^{4}$$ (Al3) fraction. We observed a densification of the microstructure and a reduction in porosity. The microstructure showed that MWCNTs acted as bridges for fracture surfaces and connections for pores. The addition of 0.6 wt% MWCNTs increased the strength by 3.2%, and stiffness by 11.1%. Meanwhile, the addition of 1.5 wt% MWCNTs addition increased the fracture toughness by 10.5%. An inner strengthening effect was observed as MWCNTs reduced the microporosity, resulting in an increase in the indentation modulus and hardness for the dominant microphase. Therefore, MWCNTs promote the geopolymerization reaction, strengthen the geopolymer skeleton, affect the pore structure, and improve mechanical characteristics.
Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibodies in a patient with glioblastoma: Red flags for false positivity.

Abstract We present a patient with positive medium titer MOG-IgG and progressive neurological decline whose clinical and radiological phenotype were not consistent with a MOG-IgG associated disorder and ultimately received a diagnosis of glioblastoma after brain biopsy and died 4 weeks later. This represents an important topic with a high frequency of MOG-IgG testing in clinical practice. Due to this there are increasing reports of MOG-IgG positivity in atypical clinical phenotypes, raising the possibility of false positives, which can have important implications. It is important to highlight that judicious clinical evaluation is needed when interpreting MOG-IgG results in atypical settings.
Assessing and developing multiple intelligences purposefully

The prevailing belief today is that if young people can accumulate enough “points” in the “game of school”—test scores, grade point averages, number of Advanced Placement or honors classes, number of extracurricular activities—then they “win.” Many people emphasize numbers without interpretation. But what do the numbers mean? What are they for? With all this emphasis on academic achievement for its own sake, have we lost sight of why children should develop these intellectual capacities? What’s the use of these scores in the broader picture of a person’s life or a culture’s well-being?
Autoantibodies and cognitive impairment in systemic lupus erythematosus

Many patients with systemic lupus erythematosus experience cognitive decline as their disease progresses. The pathogenic mechanisms include thrombosis, vasculitis, and drug toxicity. We have demonstrated that a subset of anti-DNA antibodies cross-reacts with N-methyl-D-aspartate NMDA receptors and can cause excitotoxic cell death. In mice with high serum titers of these antibodies, there is no evidence of brain damage until there is a breach in the blood–brain barrier. With a break in the blood–brain barrier induced by administration of lipopolysaccharide, the antibodies bind preferentially to hippocampal neurons that express N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors at high density. The antibodies mediate a noninflammatory apoptotic cell death. By 1 week following lipopolysaccharide administration, there is a 30% loss of hippocampal neurons. At 1 month there is no further loss of neurons, suggesting that the blood–brain barrier closes and the antibodies have no further access to brain tissue. Mice experiencing hippocampal damage from antibody show decreased N-acetyaspartate in the hippocampus by magnetic resonance spectroscopy. An abnormal metabolism is detectable only in the hippocampus, confirming the selectivity of the damage. These mice also display impaired performance on tasks of memory function that are dependent on the integrity of the hippocampus. Thus, these studies provide a new model for cognitive impairment in systemic lupus and suggest that antibodies may mediate, through noninflammatory mechanisms, changes in cognitive function.
Free Speech to have Sweatshops? How Kasky v. Nike Might Provide a Useful Tool to Improve Sweatshop Conditions

In 1998, consumer activist Marc Kasky sued Nike, claiming that Nike’s statements in the media denying sweatshop conditions in its factories were false advertising. This case, culminating in a controversial California Supreme Court decision, has attracted much criticism on its implications of free speech. Little attention has been paid to how Nike v. Kasky might be a useful tool for anti-sweatshop advocates, who have up until now had great difaculty holding companies accountable for their sweatshop labor conditions. This Note examines the anti-sweatshop movement and its lack of effective private enforcement techniques. It then explores how the California Supreme Court in Kasky expanded the commercial speech doctrine. Lastly, it analyzes how Kasky might be used by antisweatshop advocates against corporations with sweatshop conditions. This Note concludes that Kasky is an imperfect tool but one that, when used in moderation, would not have a strong chilling effect on corporate speech.
A collaborative distributed multi-agent reinforcement learning technique for dynamic agent shortest path planning via selected sub-goals in complex cluttered environments

Collaborative monitoring of large infrastructures, such as military, transportation and maritime systems are decisive issues in many surveillance, protection, and security applications. In many of these applications, dynamic multi-agent systems using reinforcement learning for agents’ autonomous path planning, where agents could be moving randomly to reach their respective goals and avoiding topographical obstacles intelligently, becomes a challenging problem. This is specially so in a dynamic agent environment. In our prior work we presented an intelligent multi-agent hybrid reactive and reinforcement learning technique for collaborative autonomous agent path planning for monitoring Critical Key Infrastructures and Resources (CKIR) in a geographically and a computationally distributed systems. Here agent monitoring of large environments is reduced to monitoring of relatively smaller track-able geographically distributed agent environment regions. In this paper we tackle this problem in the challenging case of complex and cluttered environments, where agents’ initial random-walk paths become challenging and relatively nonconverging. Here we propose a multi-agent distributed hybrid reactive re-enforcement learning technique based on selected agent intermediary sub-goals using a learning reward scheme in a distributed-computing memory setting. Various case study scenarios are presented for convergence study to the shortest minimum-amount-of-time exploratory steps for faster and efficient agent learning. In this work the distributed dynamic agent communication is done via a Message Passing Interface (MPI).
Chapter 1 Morphology and physiology of the retina

Publisher Summary This chapter discusses the morphology and physiology of the retina. The retina is the first stage of visual processing that must successfully interpret a complex and dynamic visual world. Therefore, it must encode spatial and temporal variations in luminance and chromaticity of the physical world. Since the first comprehensive study of the vertebrate retina by Santiago Ramon y Cajal, retinal neurobiologists have identified and physiologically characterized most of the major cell types and subtypes of neurons found in the vertebrate retina. Although there are volumes of information pertaining to the morphology, physiology, and neuropharmacology of retinal neurons, much remains to be learned about the circuits that these cells form to process information. This chapter is concerned with the functional organization of the human retina. Because of the limited number of studies involving the human retina, it has adopted the attitude that the retina of the primate, particularly the macaque, and that of the human are anatomically and physiologically equivalent. This is justified because of the structural similarity of the primate retina to the human one, and the fact that psychophysical studies using the primate retina indicate its functional identity with human retina.
Automatic abstraction without counterexamples

A method of automatic abstraction is presented that uses proofs of unsatisfiability derived from SAT-based bounded model checking as a guide to choosing an abstraction for unbounded model checking. Unlike earlier methods, this approach is not based on analysis of abstract counterexamples. The performance of this approach on benchmarks derived from microprocessor verification indicates that SAT solvers are quite effective in eliminating logic that is not relevant to a given property. Moreover, benchmark results suggest that when bounded model checking successfully terminates, and the problem is unsatisfiable, the number of state variables in the proof of unsatisfiability tends to be small. In almost all cases tested, when bounded model checking succeeded, unbounded model checking of the resulting abstraction also succeeded.
Between Judgment and Law: Full Faith and Credit, Public Policy, and State Records

Although the Full Faith and Credit Clause was intended to solidify the Union by requiring states to give appropriate respect to the official acts of other states, the application of the Clause has been controversial and analytically challenging. Full faith and credit caselaw has developed along diverging paths: one path requiring “exacting” faith and credit for final judgments and the other path severely limiting the faith and credit given to legislative acts through the creation of a public policy exception.State records that are not a close fit within the two paradigms of “judgment” and “law” have been largely neglected in the Supreme Court’s treatment of full faith and credit. In 2011, however, the Fifth Circuit’s en banc decision in Adar v. Smith revealed a resurgent, if not novel, debate over whether the public policy exception should apply to just such a hybrid circumstance: non-adversarial judicial records.This Comment argues that because the Full Faith and Credit Clause is a rule of evidence designed to facilitate interstate comity without infringing on the sovereignty of the states, states are obliged, by virtue of res judicata, to “recognize” most out-of-state records. However, states can refuse, by virtue of the public policy exception, to “enforce” those same records. The public policy exception, traditionally limited to public acts, therefore applies to the full spectrum of state records covered by the Clause.
Backscattering by very small particles in coastal waters

The volume scattering and backscattering by very small particles (VSPs) of sizes 0.2 µm), accounting for 40–80% of total backscattering at 532 nm, while only account for <5% of total scattering.
Current navy applications of satellite remotely sensed data

The satellite programs office of the commander, naval meteorology and oceanography command provides guidance for acquisition, assimilation, and application of satellite remotely sensed data for navy meteorology and oceanography (METOC). Access to required satellite data through direct receipt or shared acquisitions is a primary mission. If data are not available from other military, civilian, or foreign sources, the satellite programs office supports future satellite programs such as Coriolus/WindSat. Algorithm development, data assimilation and fusion techniques, and display tools are also supported. Recent efforts include modification of navy training to provide up-to-date remote sensing techniques to enlisted sailors and officers in school and in the field. The naval meteorology and oceanography command provides METOC support to the navy in the form of global and regional analyses and forecasts of atmospheric and oceanic conditions and their impact on platforms, weapons, and sensors. Navy METOC also supports the analysis of hyperspectral data to determine the utility fir coastal applications such as bathymetry, submerged hazards, and visibility. Altimetry is used daily to provide an all weather look "into" the water column that is essential to determine the distribution of water masses and currents in the ocean. Visible imagery for R&D sensors is being used to determine the presence of dust, fire and volcanic ash in various regions of the world. Real-time organic acquisition of the data allows rapid processing of the data in tactical situations.
PERSUASIBILITY AS RELATED TO NEED AUTONOMY

Summary.-This study provides suggestive support for the notion that HA Ss score high on this variable because of a need to defend against underlying attitudes which predispose them to persuasibility. It must be emphasized that the results of this study are not clear-cut and require replication. Generalizations in the literature suggest that persons identified. on the basis of self-report personality inventories, as having high autonomy needs might demonstrate higher persuasibility than persons with low auconomy needs. The possession of well established attitudes is usually one of the criteria by which high auconomy persons are identified. Hovland and Rosenberg (1960), in generalizing on the Yale Studies in Attitude and Communication, have suggested that well established attitudes may be a facade defending against low self-esteem and that self-esteem is negatively related to persuasibility. Adorno, FrenkelBrunswick, Levinson, and Sanford (1950) have generalized that the authoritarian personality uses a reaction formation against wishes to be obedient and subordinate by overtly displaying decisiveness, high autonomy, and strong convictions. Perhaps high autonomy responses to questionnaires reflect a superficial attempt to defend against the unwanted, underlying need to acquiesce, and rhe unwanted tendencies appear when the individual is confronted with a realistic interpersonal influence. The main hypothesis of the present study predicted a positive relationship between need autonomy and opinion change. In order to assess possible interaction effects, sex and varying degrees of discrepancy between pre-experimental opinions and the opinions of fabricated "experts" were included as independent variables. Since there were no sex or interaction effects, and since the significant effect between degrees of discrepancy (p < .02) has been adequately demonstrated elsewhere, these two variables will not be treated here. Forry-eight first- and second-year junior college students were ranked by sex on the basis of raw scores on the need autonomy scale of the Edwards Personal Preference Schedule. Twenty-four students were identified as high autonomy (HA) Ss and 24 were considered to be low autonomy (LA) Ss. The 'A detailed report, including tabled data, has been filed with the American Documentation Institute, Auxiliary Publications Project, Photoduplication Service, Library of Congress, Washington 25, D. C. Order Document No. 7654, remitting $1.75 for 35-mm. microfilm or $2.50 for photocopies. Mimeographed copies may be obtained from the author. 'Ss used in this study were selected from the Danville Junior College population. Appreciation is expressed to the adminisrrarion and faculty of the Junior College for their cooperation.
In-situ elevated-temperature TEM study of (AgSbTe2)15(GeTe)85

(AgSbTe2)15(GeTe)85 (TAGS-85) is a p-type semiconductor characterized by a maximum dimensionless thermoelectric figure of merit of 1.4–1.7 at elevated temperature. In this study, the microstructure of as-solidified TAGS-85 at room temperature and elevated temperature (160 °C) was investigated using TEM. At room temperature, pervasive twinning was observed throughout the specimen. Upon heating to above 120 °C, some of the twins dissolved and new point defects began to nucleate. The mechanisms responsible for formation of high temperature defects are discussed.
Applying Theory and Science to the Treatment of Suicide Risk

The commentaries by Kalafat (2007) and Henriques (2007) propose new perspectives through which to view the treatment of A¢Â€ÂœJohn,A¢Â€Â? and highlight several issues related to the application of theory and science to the outpatient treatment of suicidal behaviors. In this response, I briefly address issues of clinical technique and theory, the therapeutic relationship, and misconceptions about transporting efficacious treatments into routine clinical practice. I argue that optimal clinical care uses a scientifically-informed, yet flexible, treatment approach tailored to the needs of the individual patient.
ORTHODOXY IN MARXIST EDUCATIONAL THEORY

(1981). ORTHODOXY IN MARXIST EDUCATIONAL THEORY. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education: Vol. 1, No. 2, pp. 54-64.
Searching for leukemia stem cells—Not yet the end of the road?

Defining the characteristics of leukemia stem cells is critical in order to better understand both the genesis of leukemic disease and strategies by which such cells may be eradicated. In this issue of Cancer Cell, Somervaille and Cleary describe studies in which the properties of malignant stem cells are elucidated in a mouse model of leukemia induced by expression of the MLL-AF9 translocation. Biological features of leukemia stem cells in this system challenge previous thinking in several ways and suggest an unexpected degree of heterogeneity among stem cells in various forms of leukemia.
Methoxatin (Pqq), Coenzyme for Copper-Dependent Amine and Mixed-Function Oxidation in Mammalian Tissues

The newly discovered coenzyme PQQ can now be measured at picomole levels with redox cycling methods developed in our laboratory. PQQ-peptides have been obtained from digests of the copper quinoenzymes, diamine oxidase, lysyl oxidase and dopamine-β-hydroxylase. PQQ is present in egg yolk and milk, suggesting its immediate availability for developing embryos and newborn animals. We suggest that PQQ, when exposed in traumatized, ischemic, inflammed or pathological tissues, may catalyze the formation of large amounts of superoxide and should be considered as a source of oxidative stress when planning pharmacotherapeutic intervention. PQQ and quinoproteins play a role in the redox metabolism and structural integrity of cells and tissues.
POLYCULTURE OF CHANNEL CATFISH, Ictalurus punctatus, WITH POST-LARVAL AND JUVENILE PRAWNS, Macrobrachium rosenbergii

Post-larval (0.01 g) and juvenile (0.2 g) Malaysian prawns (Macrobrachium rosenbergii) were stocked with channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) fingerlings (66 9) in earthen ponds. Prawns and catfish were stocked at densities of 4,940 per ha and 7,410 per ha respectively. There were five treatments: replicated ponds stocked with post-larval prawns and channel catfish; post-larval prawns only, juvenile prawns and channel catfish, juvenile prawns only, and catfish only. Prawns and catfish were stocked on 26 June and harvested 107 days later on 10 October. Prawn survival in ponds without catfish averaged 90%. This was significantly higher (p 0.05) in prawn survival, average size of prawns at harvest, and prawn yields between prawns stocked as postlarvae and prawns stocked as juveniles. There were no significant differences (p> 0.05) in catfish survival, average weight of catfish at harvest, and catfish yields among all treatments. Catfish survival averaged 83%; the average weight of catfish at harvest was 315 g, and the average catfish yield was 1,968 kg per ha. The good prawn survival, and the fact that prawns reached large sizes (30 g+) in a growing season that could have been extended by 40 days, indicates that there may be a potential for the integration of prawns into catfish farming.
The Manure Model: manure, minerals (N, P and K), ammonia emission, heavy metals and the use of fertiliser in Dutch agriculture

Abstract The Manure Model for Dutch Agriculture (MESTAMM) has been developed by the Agricultural Economics Research Institute to provide insight into present and future levels of manure and mineral surpluses, and ammonia emissions, in the Netherlands. The Manure Model combines data from the Agricultural Census with data from agricultural and environmental research. Included are manure and mineral excretion per animal, emission coefficients, and costs of — and legislation for — the application of manure. Results of model calculations made at the individual farm level are aggregated to local and national scales. Results include: manure and mineral production; manure and mineral surpluses; ammonia emission from stables, manure storage, grazing cattle and the application of manure and fertilisers; application rates of soil with minerals from manure and fertilisers, and costs of legislative measures. Various Dutch institutions like the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature Management and Fisheries, the Ministry of Housing, Spatial Planning and the Environment, and the Institute of Public Health and the Environment, as well as agricultural organisations and provinces, have made use of the Manure Model in their approach to several research issues.
Optical Absorption and Computational Studies of [Ni]-Bacteriochlorophyll-a. New Insight into Charge Distribution between Metal and Ligands

The relation between electronegativity and the electronic chemical potential provides new avenues for investigating chemical entities and their dynamics. One particular application concerns the tuning of biological redox centers consisting of metals and different ligands, where the effective charge at the metal center and the association and dissociation of the ligands play a key role. To quantify these factors we have recently synthesized a set of metal-substituted bacteriochlorophylls ([M]-BChls), whereby the caged metal can bind various axial ligands of biological significance and the BChl π-system is used as a “molecular potentiometer” to estimate the metal's effective charge. Here, we have concentrated on modifying this charge by axial ligation. We specifically selected [Ni]-BChl because (1) it forms three states of coordination with nitrogenous ligands, (2) Ni(II) has biological significance, and (3) [Ni]-porphyrins are extensively used for modeling [Fe]-porphyrins. The pure spectrum of each state o...
Powering the planet: Chemical challenges in solar energy utilization

Global energy consumption is projected to increase, even in the face of substantial declines in energy intensity, at least 2-fold by midcentury relative to the present because of population and economic growth. This demand could be met, in principle, from fossil energy resources, particularly coal. However, the cumulative nature of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere demands that holding atmospheric CO2 levels to even twice their preanthropogenic values by midcentury will require invention, development, and deployment of schemes for carbon-neutral energy production on a scale commensurate with, or larger than, the entire present-day energy supply from all sources combined. Among renewable energy resources, solar energy is by far the largest exploitable resource, providing more energy in 1 hour to the earth than all of the energy consumed by humans in an entire year. In view of the intermittency of insolation, if solar energy is to be a major primary energy source, it must be stored and dispatched on demand to the end user. An especially attractive approach is to store solar-converted energy in the form of chemical bonds, i.e., in a photosynthetic process at a year-round average efficiency significantly higher than current plants or algae, to reduce land-area requirements. Scientific challenges involved with this process include schemes to capture and convert solar energy and then store the energy in the form of chemical bonds, producing oxygen from water and a reduced fuel such as hydrogen, methane, methanol, or other hydrocarbon species.
Aligning corporate real estate with evolving corporate missions: Process‐based management models

In their recent client engagement experience and benchmarking research, the authors have found that successful management models for corporate real estate (CRE) organisations begin with integrated, robust processes, and not well designed organisational charts. As corporate missions can quickly change focus from high growth to cost reduction, the key to successful integration of all CRE elements is engaging in a strategic planning process that not only aligns the facilities infrastructure with the core business, but also drives CRE organisational initiatives relative to processes, people and enabling systems. This paper attempts to capture a practical framework for CRE managers to evaluate changes to the core business and determine what implications these changes will have on both the CRE portfolio and organisation.
An inactivated temperature-sensitive mycoplasma gallisepticum mutant for protection against airsacculitis.

Summary A formalinised temperature‐sensitive (TS) mutant of Mycoplasma gallisepticum (MG) emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant was capable of protecting chickens against airsacculitis after intra‐air sac challenge with the virulent S6 strain at a statistically significant level. Formalinised TS MG vaccine without the addition of adjuvant yielded inconsistent results, and the outcome may have been dependent upon the dosage used.
Aortic origin of innocent murmurs

Intraarterial sound was measured just distal to the aortic and pulmonary valves of 10 subjects with no apparent valve disease. Six patients had no audible murmur; four had grade 1 to 2 innocent murmurs. At rest, during normal sinus rhythm, the intensity of intraarterial sound was greater above the aortic than above the pulmonary valve (0.41+/-0.14 versus 0.02+/-0.01 ergs/sec per cm2 [mean+/-standard error of the mean]) (P less than 0.02). In all patients with an audible murmur, the murmur was of greater amplitude within the aorta than within the pulmonary artery. The two patients with a grade 1 murmur had a murmur near the aortic valve and no murmur near the pulmonary valve. To examine the effects of increased flow, the six patients with inaudible murmurs were studied during the first beat immediately after a premature ventricular contraction. The intensity of intraarterial sound after premature contractions in these six patients was 1.41+/-0.38 ergs/sec per cm2 above the aortic valve and 0.10+/-0.04 above the pulmonary valve (P less than 0.01). The intensity of murmurs in the aorta during postextrasystolic beats was in the range that occurs with grade 1 to 2 murmurs, whereas murmurs within the pulmonary artery were in the range of inaudible murmurs. Comparable observations were made in dogs in which instantaneous flow was also measured. These observations suggest that innocent murmurs are produced at the aortic rather than the pulmonary valve, possibly because of the greater compliance of the pulmonary artery, which may have a damping effect upon turbulence.
Traversées de la parole dans Panneaux-Réclame de Michèle Lalonde

AbstractPoetry, more than any other literary genre, has been both celebrated as the purest expression of human feeling and thought, and at the same time banished from the social and political realms. This article argues that works written from a minoritarian perspective intensely manifest the ways in which poetry and politics can mutually traverse each other. The heritage of domination and diglossia confronting many Francophone authors has resulted in countless works that are insistently preoccupied with the status of language and literature's sociopolitical powers. Here, I examine Panneaux-reclame, the powerful forgotten work of quebecoise poet Michele Lalonde. Written for the 1970 Nuit de la poesie, a live anthology of poetry of the Quiet Revolution, Lalonde's poem represents less a commitment to a party line, or the positive expression of a political message or ideological conviction, but rather an engagement with and within language, a critical dialogue with politics exposing the ways in which languag...
Scattered Light and Visual Function in a Randomized Trial of Deep Lamellar Endothelial Keratoplasty and Penetrating Keratoplasty

Purpose To compare vision, intraocular forward light scatter and corneal backscatter between deep lamellar endothelial keratoplasty (DLEK) and penetrating keratoplasty (PK) for endothelial dysfunction. Design A randomized clinical trial. Methods Thirteen eyes (12 patients) were randomized to DLEK with a 9 mm scleral incision, and 15 eyes (14 patients) were randomized to PK. The primary outcome was high-contrast best spectacle-corrected visual acuity (BSCVA) at 12 months after surgery; intraocular forward light scatter and corneal backscatter were measured at one, three, six, and 12 months after surgery. Results BSCVA at 12 months was 0.34 ± 0.16 logMAR (logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution) for DLEK and 0.25 ± 0.21 logMAR for PK (P = .23; minimum detectable difference at 12 months was 0.23 logMAR). The change in postoperative forward light scatter after DLEK correlated with the change in BSCVA (r = −0.66; P Conclusions BSCVA was similar at one year after DLEK and PK. Improvement in BSCVA after DLEK correlated with decreasing forward light scatter. Increased backscatter after DLEK originated not only from the posterior cornea (interface) but also from the host cornea, which might limit visual outcomes after posterior lamellar keratoplasty.
Real-space observation of π -bonded chains and surface disorder on Si(111)2×1

Scanning tunneling microscopy is used to confirm the \ensuremath{\pi}-bonded chain structure of the Si(111)2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 surface. Both the amplitude and voltage dependence of the vertical corrugation exclude the buckling model for the structure of this surface. Spectroscopic measurements of the tunneling current versus voltage identify a band gap for the 2\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}1 surface states. Spatial images of disorder-related states are obtained by tunneling at energies inside of this band gap.
Population structure of Leptothorax ambiguus, a facultatively polygynous and polydomous ant species

We examined the genetic and spatial structure of Leptothorax ambiguus in a Vermont site. Nests of this tiny ant species have variable queen number and comprise larger polydomous colonies, as do their closest relatives in North America. Nests are patchily distributed in the forest, and sometimes occur in local abundance. We collected 121 nests in four years from plots in which all nests were mapped; furthermore, we subjected nests collected in two separate years to starch gel electrophoresis and estimated relatedness according to the Queller—Goodnight (1989) algorithm. Queens that share a nest site also share 33% of their alleles on average, and relatedness among worker nestmates is about 0.5. The existence of diploid males and nonzero F-values demonstrate inbreeding in this species, an unusual phenomenon for social insects in general. Mapping data showed that nests with like genotypes tended to cluster in space, forming polydomous colonies. Colonies consisted of 1–6 nest subunits, and about half of all colonies were polygynous. We compare these features of L. ambiguus to its close relative L. longispinosus and a European congener L. acervorum. These comparisons allow us to conclude that an interplay between ecological and genetic factors produces the observed pattern of multiple queening and nest spatial distribution in this species.
Stimulus Integrality in Displays of System Input-Output Relationships: A Failure Detection Study:

The performance effect of within-format display proximity, defined by degree of dimensional integrality, was studied in a task requiring the continuous integration of information from several sources. Twenty-four subjects each monitored two dynamic systems over the course of three 2-hour sessions. Each system consisted of a single output, the value of which was determined jointly by two inputs. Two analog-visual displays—a bar graph and a triangular “object display”—were used to present the system I/O information to subjects. Use of the triangular display, that considered the more integral of the two, resulted in more rapid detection of system failures. This performance benefit was obtained over three levels of task difficulty.
Comparative performance in discrimination learning tasks in two New World primates (Saimiri sciureus andCallicebus moloch)

Squirrel monkeys (Saimiri sciureus) and titi monkeys (Callicebus moloch) were tested in three two-choice visual discrimination experiments. Although, on average, squirrel monkeys performed more accurately than titis, the range of response accuracies in the two species overlapped considerably in all three experiments and changes in response accuracy over test sessions and across experiments were similar in the two species. Thus, the species shared several behavioral characteristics expected of New World primates in this setting. Squirrel monkeys’ performance appeared to be more affected than titis’ by task difficulty, and squirrel monkeys were individually less consistent than titis. These differences were associated with higher activity levels and briefer overt attentiveness to the repetitive task in squirrel monkeys and, conversely, with lower activity levels, slower working speeds, and sustained interest in the task in titis. The associated differences are discussed in relation to each species performance in other laboratory settings and the characteristic patterns of foraging and use of space in nature.
Lattice Scattering of Exciton in Molecular Crystals

The general formulas of scattering probabilities by acoustic‐ and optical‐mode vibrations are computed for the Frenkel exciton in molecular crystals. Two cases, fast and slow excitons, are distinguished in the formulation, and the different dependencies on temperature and wave vector are shown. At low temperature both acoustic and optical modes have about the same effect on the fast exciton, while the acoustic mode has a predominant effect on the slow exciton. The dependence of scattering probability on the direction of exciton wave vector relative to the crystal axis is also shown. The mean free path and the diffusion coefficient are calculated for the thermal equilibrium state attained after a multiple scattering. Comparison with theoretical and experimental results of other authors is discussed.
Rearrangement of a neopentylamine oxide

Abstract Dimethylneopentylamine oxide when pyrolyzed produces neopentane and dimethylneopentoxyamine. The product ratios and amounts provide evidence regarding the nature of the reaction; the rates of decomposition allow an estimate of ca. 32 kcal/mole for the energy of the primary carbon-nitrogen bond in aliphatic amine oxide.
Experimental evidence of charge-exchange recombination of highly ionized iron and titanium in Princeton large torus

The observed behavior of the emissivitives of boronlike Fe xxii, lithiumlike Fe xxiv and Ti xx, and the heliumlike Fe xxv ions in the Princeton large torus tokamak during high-power neutral (${\mathrm{H}}^{0}$ or ${\mathrm{D}}^{0}$) beam heating is described. A substantial lowering of the dominant ionization state in the center of the discharge, while the electron temperature is rising, is attributed primarily to increased recombination rate of the ions through charge exchange with neutral hydrogen. This interpretation is supported by the different space and time behavior or the lithiumlike and boronlike ions of comparable ionization potentials, and by comparisons of neutral beam heating of the plasma with ion cyclotron resonance heating, which does not appreciably change the neutral hydrogen concentration. The observations are compared with approximate zero-dimensional model calculations, using experimental plasma conditions and estimated charge-exchange rates.
Characterization of Drosophila larval crawling at the level of organism, segment, and somatic body wall musculature.

Understanding rhythmic behavior at the developmental and genetic levels has important implications for neurobiology, medicine, evolution, and robotics. We studied rhythmic behavior—larval crawling—in the genetically and developmentally tractable organism, Drosophila melanogaster. We used narrow-diameter channels to constrain behavior to simple, rhythmic crawling. We quantified crawling at the organism, segment, and muscle levels. We showed that Drosophila larval crawling is made up of a series of periodic strides. Each stride consists of two phases. First, while most abdominal segments remain planted on the substrate, the head, tail, and gut translocate; this “visceral pistoning” moves the center of mass. The movement of the center of mass is likely powered by muscle contractions in the head and tail. Second, the head and tail anchor while a body wall wave moves each abdominal segment in the direction of the crawl. These two phases can be observed occurring independently in embryonic stages before becoming coordinated at hatching. During forward crawls, abdominal body wall movements are powered by simultaneous contraction of dorsal and ventral muscle groups, which occur concurrently with contraction of lateral muscles of the adjacent posterior segment. During reverse crawls, abdominal body wall movements are powered by phase-shifted contractions of dorsal and ventral muscles; and ventral muscle contractions occur concurrently with contraction of lateral muscles in the adjacent anterior segment. This work lays a foundation for use of Drosophila larva as a model system for studying the genetics and development of rhythmic behavior.