cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Measuring resource use in Medicare Advantage using Encounter data.

OBJECTIVE To check the completeness of Medicare Advantage (MA) Encounter data and to illustrate a process to measure resource use among MA enrollees using Encounter data. DATA SOURCES 2015 Preliminary MA Encounter, Medicare Provider Analysis and Review (MedPAR), Healthcare Effectiveness Data and Information System (HEDIS), and 2013 Traditional Medicare (TM) claims data. STUDY DESIGN Secondary data analysis. DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS We calculated the percentage of each contract's total hospitalizations in Encounter data after identifying total inpatient stays from Encounter and MedPAR data. We constructed each contract's ambulatory visits and emergency department (ED) visits per 1000 enrollees using Encounter data and compared those visit counts with the counts from HEDIS. We defined high data completeness as having less than 10% missing hospital stays and less than ±10% difference in ambulatory and ED visits between Encounter and HEDIS data. We used TM payments as standardized prices of services to examine resource use among MA enrollees with cancer in the contracts with high data completeness. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We identified 83 of 380 MA contracts with high data completeness. Total resource use per enrollee with cancer in the 83 contracts was $14,715 in 2015. Service-specific resource use was $5342 for inpatient care, $5932 for professional services and $3441 for outpatient facility services. These represent what an MA enrollee with cancer would have cost on average if MA plans paid providers at TM payment rates, holding the observed utilization constant. CONCLUSIONS Checking the completeness of Encounter data is an important step to ensure the validity of research on MA resource use. Using Encounter data to measure MA resource use is feasible. It can compensate for the lack of payment information in Encounter data. It will be important to identify and refine ways to best use Encounter data to learn about care provision to MA enrollees.
Case 7: Severe Dehydration and No IV Solution

A 2-year-old child is admitted to a small emergency hospital in rural Mozambique with severe dehydration from vomiting. His mother thinks that her child has eaten poisonous mushrooms. They have travelled by bus for over 7 h. The child is listless, dehydrated with cold extremities. You ask for an IV solution but are told that the hospital has none at the moment. The child refuses both oral fluid and a nasogastric tube. Both these treatment options are not considered to be safe, as the child, being so listless, may most likely not be able to protect his airway.
Sensitization of the reinforcing value of high energy density foods is associated with increased zBMI gain in adolescents.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Characterizing behavioral phenotypes that predict increased zBMI gain during adolescence could identify novel intervention targets and prevent the development of obesity. The purpose of this study was to determine if sensitization of the relative reinforcing value (RRV) of high (HED) or low energy density (LED) foods predicts adolescent weight gain trajectories. A secondary aim was to test the hypothesis that relationships between sensitization of the RRV of food and weight change are moderated by delay discounting (DD). SUBJECTS/METHODS We conducted a prospective, longitudinal cohort study in 201 boys and girls with an average zBMI of 0.4, who began the study between the ages of 12 and 14 years and completed the study 2 years later. Participants completed five laboratory visits where the RRV of HED and LED, and DD were assessed at a baseline (visits 1, 2, and 4) and then RRV was measured again after participants consumed a portion of the same HED and LED food for 2 weeks (visits 3 and 5; order counterbalanced). Increases (>1) in the RRV from baseline to post-daily intake were categorized as "sensitization" and decreases (≤1) were categorized as "satiation." Participants returned to the laboratory for follow-up visits at 6, 15, and 24 months to have height and weight taken and to complete additional assessments. RESULTS Sensitization to HED food was associated with a greater zBMI change over time (β = 0.0070; p = 0.035). There was no impact of sensitization to LED food or interaction between sensitization to HED and LED food on zBMI change and no moderation of DD on the relationship between HED sensitization and zBMI change (all p > 0.05). CONCLUSION Our prior work showed that sensitization to HED food is cross-sectionally associated with greater zBMI. This study extends this work by demonstrating that sensitization to HED food prospectively predicts increased zBMI gain over time in adolescents without obesity. Future studies should determine if sensitization can be modified or reduced through behavioral intervention. TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT04027608.
An adaptive-transmission protocol for direct-sequence spread-spectrum packet radio networks

Wireless communication channels may change greatly from one transmission to the next due to variations in propagation loss and interference. The use of fixed transmission parameters for such channels results in wasted energy when channel conditions are good. Adaptation of the power, code rate, and symbol rate reduces energy consumption and interference caused to other systems. Such adaptation requires information about the characteristics of the channel, which is more difficult to obtain in a packet radio network or other mobile ad hoc network than in a typical cellular communication system. We present techniques to provide partial information about the channel state, and we describe and evaluate a protocol that uses this information to adapt the transmission parameters in a direct-sequence spread-spectrum packet radio network. The channel-state information consists of three statistics that are derived in different subsystems of the receiver. From these statistics, the receiver extracts information about the channel conditions which is provided to the transmitter in an acknowledgment packet or control packet. The performance of the adaptive-transmission protocol is compared to a system with fixed transmission parameters and to an adaptive protocol that is furnished with perfect knowledge of the channel state at the completion of each transmission.
Rethinking the Classification of Credit Acquisitions Under Louisiana's Community Property Law

This article examines Louisiana’s law of credit acquisitions in light of the revision of the state’s matrimonial regimes law.
Long-Term Preservation of Anaplasma marginale in a Liquid Nitrogen Repository

The infectivity of Anaplasma marginale was maintained in liquid nitrogen storage throughout a 4-yr test period.
Massed and Distributed Practice Effects on the Acquisition and Retention of a Novel Basketball Skill

Abstract Three groups of 40 subjects practiced the novel skill of bouncing a basketball off the floor and into the basket under massed and distributed practice conditions. One group continuously attempted 80 shots at the basket while a second group paused 5 min. and a third group rested 24 hr. between each of four 20-attempt trials. Subjects were tested immediately at the conclusion of practice, one day after, the following week, and one month later. Immediate acquisition of the skill was statistically (.01 level) favored under distributed practice (the 24-hr. rest group); no significant differences between groups were found the next day and following week; but ultimate retention of the skill, as measured by a test one month later, demonstrated the massed and relatively massed practice groups to be statistically more effective (.05 level) than the distributed practice group.
What can be learnt from models of incidence rates

Models of breast cancer incidence have evolved from the observation by Armitage and Doll in the 1950s that the pattern of incidence by age differs for reproductive cancers from those of other major malignancies. Both two-stage and multistage models have been applied to breast cancer incidence. Consistent across modeling approaches, risk accumulation or the rate of increase in breast cancer incidence is most rapid from menarche to first birth. Models that account for the change in risk after menopause and the temporal sequence of reproductive events summarize risk efficiently and give added insights to potentially important mechanistic features. First pregnancy has an adverse impact on progesterone receptor negative tumors, while increasing parity reduces the risk of estrogen/progesterone receptor positive tumors but not estrogen/progesterone receptor negative tumors. Integrated prediction models that incorporate prediction of carrier status for highly penetrant genes and also account for lifestyle factors, mammographic density, and endogenous hormone levels remain to be efficiently implemented. Models that both inform and reflect the emerging understanding of the molecular and cell biology of carcinogenesis are still a long way off.
Process redesign for liquidity planning in practice: an empirical assessment

The financial crisis has kept the world busy since 2007. The resulting difficulties in accessing liquidity and low interest rates on deposits strengthened the importance of proper liquidity planning. These challenges are even greater for globally spread enterprises in which currency-specific liquidity planning implies decentralized processes. These have to be coordinated within the local partitions such that proper and consistent overall financial planning is eventually ensured. Although extensive research has been conducted in the field of process redesign, most models lack applicability, either because of strict process restrictions or because they are too complex and, hence, hard to realize and communicate. To close this gap and to demonstrate the potential of business process redesign in practice, we (i) analyze the requirements of the financial planning domain to identify an appropriate redesign framework, and (ii) evaluate the impact of an industrially implemented process redesign with respect to process runtime and quality.
Analytical techniques in scattering

Summary form only given. There are very few geometries for which exact analytical solutions of a scattering problem are available, and these are almost all limited to bodies whose surface is a complete coordinate surface in one of the six coordinate systems for which the vector wave equation is separable. At the dawn of the last century, the Mie series solution for a homogeneous sphere and the Sommerfeld-Carslaw multiform solution for a perfectly conducting wedge were available, but the ability to extract meaningful information from these was limited, and in England at least, data computed from the Mie series was classified in World War II. With the advent of radar, it became necessary to estimate, and later reduce, the scattering from realistic targets, and this led to significant advances in our analytical capability. This paper presents a personal view of some of the themes that have underlaid scattering work over the past fifty years. Among these are the early computations of the exact eigenfunction expressions for the cone and prolate spheroid; integral equation and transform techniques; the Luneburg-Kline expansion establishing the rigorous connection between geometrical optics and electromagnetic theory, and the introduction by Keller in 1953 of the concept of diffracted rays, leading to the geometrical theory of diffraction; the analogous physical theory of diffraction conceived by Ufuntsev that had physical optics as its base and that, in the hands of Mitzner and others, played a role in stealth technology; and low frequency techniques.
Neonatal perception of spatial relationships

Alert healthy neonates (average age, 61 h) were able to discriminate a difference in spatial relationships between two simple geometric forms as evidenced by habituation of visual fixation to a constant positional arrangement across varying absolute location, and recovery of fixation to a novel arrangement in a previously habituated absolute location. Such recovery suggests that newborns, like older infants, are able to extract invariant relational information against a backdrop of change.
Effects of processing milk on concentrations of glucocorticoids in milk.

Abstract Concentrations of glucocorticoids were measured by protein binding in milk subjected to various processing methods. Raw whole milk was collected once per week for 3 wk from bulk milk tanks of each of 10 farms. Nine combinations of processing were tested: 1) none, 2) high-temperature short-time pasteurization of whole milk, 3) high-temperature short-time pasteurization and homogen-ization of whole milk, 4) bulk pasteurization of whole milk, 5) bulk pasteurization and homogenization of whole milk, 6) high-temperature short-time pasteurization of skim milk, 7) high-temperature short-time pasteurization and homogenization of skim milk, 8) bulk pasteurization of skim milk, and 9) bulk pasteurization and homogenization of skim milk. Mean concentrations of total glucocorticoids ranged from .46 to .65ng/ml and were not different among either processing methods or whole versus skim milk classifications. No correlations were positive between percentage of fat and concentration of glucocorticoids in whole milk (−.22) or skim milk (−.09).
The CAZyome of Phytophthora spp.: A comprehensive analysis of the gene complement coding for carbohydrate-active enzymes in species of the genus Phytophthora

Enzymes involved in carbohydrate metabolism include Carbohydrate esterases (CE), Glycoside hydrolases (GH), Glycosyl transferases (GT), and Polysaccharide lyases (PL), commonly referred to as carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes). The CE, GH, and PL superfamilies are also known as cell wall degrading enzymes (CWDE) due to their role in the disintegration of the plant cell wall by bacterial and fungal pathogens. In Phytophthora infestans, penetration of the plant cells occurs through a specialized hyphal structure called appressorium; however, it is likely that members of the genus Phytophthora also use CWDE for invasive growth because hyphal forces are below the level of tensile strength exhibited by the plant cell wall. Because information regarding the frequency and distribution of CAZyme coding genes in Phytophthora is currently unknown, we have scanned the genomes of P. infestans, P. sojae, and P. ramorum for the presence of CAZyme-coding genes using a homology-based approach and compared the gene collinearity in the three genomes. In addition, we have tested the expression of several genes coding for CE in cultures grown in vitro. We have found that P. infestans, P. sojae and P. ramorum contain a total of 435, 379, and 310 CAZy homologs; in each genome, most homologs belong to the GH superfamily. Most GH and PL homologs code for enzymes that hydrolyze substances present in the pectin layer forming the middle lamella of the plant cells. In addition, a significant number of CE homologs catalyzing the deacetylation of compounds characteristic of the plant cell cuticle were found. In general, a high degree of gene location conservation was observed, as indicated by the presence of sequential orthologous pairs in the three genomes. Such collinearity was frequently observed among members of the GH superfamily. On the other hand, the CE and PL superfamilies showed less collinearity for some of their putative members. Quantitative PCR experiments revealed that all genes are expressed in P. infestans when this pathogen grown in vitro. However, the levels of expression vary considerably and are lower than the expression levels observed for the constitutive control. In conclusion, we have identified a highly complex set of CAZy homologs in the genomes of P. infestans, P. sojae, and P. ramorum, a significant number of which could play roles critical for pathogenicity, by participating in the degradation of the plant cell wall.
Monitoring of radiation and radioactivity in the environment

Abstract This report lists the programs for monitoring radiation and radioactivity in the environment that are known to be in operation or to have been in operation recently. It is intended as a guide to be used when seeking information on the programs of other institutions. Sources of the data have been the literature and personal correspondence and discussions. The programs are divided into the categories of weapons test fallout, natural activity and environmental monitoring of releases from specific facilities. Where possible, the types of measurements being made are also listed. While the data are as up to date as possible the field is changing rapidly and there may be ommissions.
Comparing Social Groups: Wald Statistics for Testing Equality among Multiple Logit Models

Social scientists often study the differential effects of explanatory variables among multiple social groups such as race, ethnic group, and nation.This paper examines the Wald test for testing equality of logit coefficients from models of multiple social groups. I propose a Wald statistic that can perform some joint tests of group comparisons that the usual likelihood ratio test cannot. Two examples apply the Wald statistic for testing various hypotheses, and show that the Wald test is flexible and straightforward for making comparisons across social groups, and that the proposed Wald test may find wide applications in the social sciences.
The inhibitors of histone deacetylase suberoylanilide hydroxamate and trichostatin A release nitric oxide upon oxidation

Suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA, vorinostat, Zolinza) is the lead compound of a new class of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors used as anticancer drugs that have been shown to affect multiple proteins associated with gene expression, cell proliferation, and migration. Studies have also demonstrated the essential role of the hydroxamate moiety of SAHA in HDAC inhibition. The ability of SAHA and its structural analog trichostatin A (TSA) to generate NO upon oxidation was tested directly, by spin trapping of NO using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, and also indirectly, via the determination of nitrite using the Griess assay. H2O2/metmyoglobin was used to oxidize SAHA and TSA. These studies demonstrate, for the first time, the release of NO from SAHA and its structural analog TSA. We tested the protective effects of SAHA, TSA, and valproic acid (VPA) in mammalian Chinese hamster V79 cells exposed to a bolus of H2O2 for 1 h and monitored the clonogenic cell survival. Both SAHA and TSA afforded significant cytoprotection when co-incubated with H2O2, whereas VPA was ineffective. These studies provide evidence for the release of NO by hydroxamate-containing HDAC inhibitors and their antioxidant effects. Such roles may be an added advantage of this class of HDAC agents used for epigenetic therapies in cancer.
Ratio Variables in Aggregate Data Analysis: Their Uses, Problems, and Alternatives

This article discusses three different uses of ratio variables in aggregate data analysis: (1) as measures of theoretical concepts, (2) as a means to control an extraneous factor, and (3) as a correction for heteroscedasticity. In the use of ratios as indices of concepts, a problem can arise if it is regressed on other indices or variables that contain a common component. For example, the relationship between two per capita measures may be confounded with the common population component in each variable. Regarding the second use of ratios, only under exceptional conditions will ratio variables be a suitable means of controlling an extraneous factor. Finally, the use of ratios to correct for heteroscedasticity is also often misused. Only under special conditions will the common form ofregres sion with ratio variables correct for heteroscedasticity. Alternatives to ratios for each of these cases are discussed and evaluated.
Woody biomass: Niche position as a source of sustainable renewable chemicals and energy and kinetics of hot-water extraction/hydrolysis

The conversion of biomass to chemicals and energy is imperative to sustaining our way of life as known to us today. Fossil chemical and energy sources are traditionally regarded as wastes from a distant past. Petroleum, natural gas, and coal are not being regenerated in a sustainable manner. However, biomass sources such as algae, grasses, bushes and forests are continuously being replenished. Woody biomass represents the most abundant and available biomass source. Woody biomass is a reliably sustainable source of chemicals and energy that could be replenished at a rate consistent with our needs. The biorefinery is a concept describing the collection of processes used to convert biomass to chemicals and energy. Woody biomass presents more challenges than cereal grains for conversion to platform chemicals due to its stereochemical structures. Woody biomass can be thought of as comprised of at least four components: extractives, hemicellulose, lignin and cellulose. Each of these four components has a different degree of resistance to chemical, thermal and biological degradation. The biorefinery concept proposed at ESF (State University of New York - College of Environmental Science and Forestry) aims at incremental sequential deconstruction, fractionation/conversion of woody biomass to achieve efficient separation of major components. The emphasis of this work is on the kinetics of hot-water extraction, filling the gap in the fundamental understanding, linking engineering developments, and completing the first step in the biorefinery processes. This first step removes extractives and hemicellulose fractions from woody biomass. While extractives and hemicellulose are largely removed in the extraction liquor, cellulose and lignin largely remain in the residual woody structure. Xylo-oligomers and acetic acid in the extract are the major components having the greatest potential value for development. Extraction/hydrolysis involves at least 16 general reactions that could be divided into four categories: adsorption of proton onto woody biomass, hydrolysis reactions on the woody biomass surface, dissolution of soluble substances into the extraction liquor, and hydrolysis and dehydration decomposition in the extraction liquor. The extraction/hydrolysis rates are significantly simplified when the reactivity of all the intermonomer bonds are regarded as identical within each macromolecule, and the overall reactivity are identical for all the extractable macromolecules on the surface. A pseudo-first order extraction rate expression has been derived based on concentrations in monomer units. The reaction rate constant is however lower at the beginning of the extraction than that towards the end of the extraction. Furthermore, the H-factor and/or severity factor can be applied to lump the effects of temperature and residence time on the extraction process, at least for short times. This provides a means to control and optimize the performance of the extraction process effectively.
π − Capture in Hydrogen-Deuterium and Hydrogen-Helium Mixtures

An experimental study was made of the effects upon the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ moderation process of deuterium and helium admixtures to liquid hydrogen. The effect of deuterium was studied by a counter measurement of the relative ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ yield per stopping ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$, as a function of the deuterium concentration. It was found that the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{0}$ yield per stopping ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ per unit hydrogen concentration remained equal to unity for atomic concentrations of deuterium less than \ensuremath{\sim}10%, while at 50% concentration this yield was down by about 25%. If we take the atomic cascade time for ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ in liquid hydrogen to be 2.3\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{\ensuremath{-}21}$ sec, the net transfer rate for the reaction ${({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}p)}^{*}+d\ensuremath{\rightarrow}{({\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}d)}^{*}+p$ must be about 6\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}${10}^{11}$ ${\mathrm{sec}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. This rate is for excited states of the $\ensuremath{\pi}p$ and $\ensuremath{\pi}d$ atoms, as the ${\ensuremath{\pi}}^{\ensuremath{-}}$ is believed to undergo nuclear capture upon reaching $n\ensuremath{\approx}4$. To study the effect of helium, a negative pion beam was stopped in a bubble chamber which contained about 1 at.% of helium dissolved in liquid hydrogen. The fraction of pions captured by helium was measured to be about 1%, indicating that the net transfer to helium was small at these concentrations.
Congenital hyperinsulinism in an infant caused by a macroscopic insulin-producing lesion.

Congenital hyperinsulinism is the most common cause of persistent neonatal hypoglycemia. Severe congenital hyperinsulinism is most often due to inactivating mutations in either the ABCC8 or KCNJ11 genes, which encode the SUR1 and Kir6.2 proteins, respectively - the two components of the ATP-sensitive K + (K ATP ) channel; neonatal hypoglycemia due to macroscopic insulin-producing pancreatic lesions or adenomas are extremely rare. K ATP channel hyperinsulinism is classified as diffuse or focal, the latter being associated with paternally-derived mutations of ABCC8 or KCNJ11 and somatic loss of heterozygosity of the maternal alleles. K ATP channelopathies usually produce microscopic intra-pancreatic lesions and are typically unresponsive to drug therapy, requiring >95% pancreatectomy for diffuse disease and occasionally more limited pancreatic resection for focal disease; macroscopic pancreatic lesions and adenomas are focally excised. We describe a 1 month-old infant with severe congenital hyperinsulinism who had a macroscopic insulin-producing pancreatic lesion successfully treated with focal lesion enucleation.
Age and growth of bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, in two heated Texas reservoirs

Abstract The method of ageing bluegills by their scales was validated for two Texas reservoirs. Annulus formation occurred from January through July (peak February-April) in Lake Bastrop and from January to June (peak in March and April) in Lake Nasworthy. Female bluegills grew faster than males in both lakes. Little or no growth occurred from October-November through February. Growth of bluegills in Lakes Bastrop and Nasworthy was above average for the first two years when compared to the growth of bluegills in other lakes reported in the literature. The length-weight regression equations for bluegills from Lake Bastrop and Lake Nasworthy were: log W = −4.46319 + 3.01844 log L and log W = −4.64744 + 3.13263 log L, respectively.
Stress relaxation of the equine forelimb in vitro

Summary Studies with in vitro preparations of the foreleg of the horse have shown that stress relaxation, loss of tensile force generating capacity of the tendinous structures, routinely occurs and must be considered in the interpretation of experiments with such preparations.
Efficient Scheduling for Delay Constrained CDMA Wireless Sensor Networks

We consider efficient scheduling for a delay constrained CDMA Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). Given a two- tiered WSN model, we first find the optimum schedule for the intra-cluster communications, that minimizes the total transmit power of the sensor nodes, while maintaining the short term average throughput at each sensor. We show that the specifics of the scheduling problem enables it polynomially solvable. Next, We consider the inter-cluster communications where cluster heads are capable of employing two antennas and use Alamouti scheme to achieve the transmit diversity (TD). We observe that our proposed scheduling protocol applied to the inter- cluster communications provides a near-optimum solution, with a modest sacrifice in performance and significant savings in computational complexity as compared to the optimum scheduler. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the performance of the proposed scheduling protocols, and the considerable power savings they provide with respect to the TDMA-type scheduling.
Lognormality of trace contaminant concentrations in sewage effluents

It is important to understand the statistical distribution of monitoring data for them to be of value in determining the parameters of environmental models. No such distributional information has been available for many trace contaminants in sewage effluents. This paper applies the data of a major UK sewage works’ effluent monitoring programme to determine the validity of the common assumption that data are lognormally distributed. Effluent quality was monitored at 162 wastewater treatment works over 1 year, generating over 3,000 results for each of over 40 substances, including metals, trace organic substances and pharmaceuticals. It is demonstrated that the lognormal assumption is clearly justified for the great majority of substances in the spatial case—for annual average effluent concentrations across different treatment works. In the site-specific, temporal case—for individual determinations of concentration at a single site over an annual period—lognormality is generally supported but not demonstrated so unequivocally for all site/substance combinations. The principal source of uncertainty was lack of sufficient numbers of observations reported to adequately low reporting limits.
Evaluating the biomass production of coppiced willow and poplar clones in Michigan, USA, over multiple rotations and different growing conditions

Abstract Willow and poplar are both important crops for Short Rotation Intensive Culture (SRIC). Here, we report the results of biomass yield trials at three locations in Michigan, where the average annual yield of twelve willow and two poplar clones where compared over three- or four-year growth periods after coppicing. On average, fast-growing hybrid poplars (NM5 and NM6) were more productive than any of the willow clones tested by about 30%. Poplar and willow revealed different growth patterns after successive harvests; poplars grew quickly and consistently while willow growth was initially slower but increased over time. Willows at the intensively managed site in southern Michigan were usually 2–5 times more productive than at the two less intensively managed sites in southern Michigan and northern Michigan, but poplars at both southern sites were similarly more productive than at the northern site. The annual yield of clones was further standardized to account for differences in growing degree days (GDD) between sites in southern and lower Michigan, which caused differences in the relative ranking of some willow clones to change. The results suggest that GDD-standardized yield rates may be useful for comparisons of clonal performance over larger regions. Decomposition of clonal yield rates into individual stool yield and survival rates revealed a strong positive correlation ( r 2 = 0.94) between them, indicating that faster-growing clones also had higher survival rates. The best performing clones for biomass production were also identified.
A Review and Critical Analysis of the Scientific Literature Related to 100% Fruit Juice and Human Health

The association between the consumption of pure (100%) fruit juice (PFJ) and human health is uncertain. The current review summarizes data published between 1995 and 2012 related to PFJ with a focus on juices that are widely available and studied in forms representing native juice without supplemental nutrients or enhanced phytochemical content. The effects of apple, cranberry, grape, grapefruit, orange, and pomegranate PFJ intake on outcomes linked to cancer, cardiovascular disease, cognition, hypertension, inflammation, oxidation, platelet function, urinary tract infection, and vascular reactivity are reviewed. Implications for bodyweight regulation are also addressed. The collective data are provocative although challenges and unanswered questions remain. There are many plausible mechanisms by which PFJ might be protective, and investigation of its effects on human health and disease prevention must remain an active area of research.
Performance analysis of five interprocess communication mechanisms across UNIX operating systems

The availability of a variety of UNIX implementations necessitates the evaluation of their performance with respect to specific application characteristics. This paper concentrates on the performance evaluation of five different Interprocess Communication (IPC) mechanisms--pipes, FIFOs, messages, shared memory (with semaphores), and UNIX domain sockets. Benchmark programs were created for each mechanism, simulating a simple Producer/Consumer message transfer problem. Results were obtained for six UNIX releases--Linux 2.2.5-15, Linux 2.2.17, Linux 2.4.0-test9, RTLinux v2.3, FreeBSD 4.1, and FreeBSD 4.2. The UNIX source code was rigorously examined, and additional tests were created to determine implementation differences that would explain performance variations. Identified causes for performance differences include memory allocation schemes, transfer buffer sizes, data transfer mechanisms, locking mechanism implementations, and underlying code complexity. For all IPC mechanisms with the exception of shared memory, Linux 2.2.5-15 exhibited the best performance, followed by the remaining Linux kernels, with the FreeBSD releases finishing last. When compared against each other, pipes outperformed the other mechanisms. The developed benchmarks and ancillary tests attempt to isolate each aspect of the tested IPC mechanisms to facilitate a full understanding of IPC at the source code level.
Clinical and Experimental Results with a 9 Element High Purity Germanium Array

A nine element array of high purity germanium has been constructed and is under evaluation as a radioisotope imaging device for diagnostic nuclear medicine studies. The system is suspended over a computer-driven scanning bed and remains stationary while the patient is moved in an x-y raster beneath the collimated detectors. The system is interfaced to a PDP-ll computer via CAMAC and is capable of collecting data from two SCA windows per detector. The capability of longitudinal section tomography has been developed and studies are now underway in animals and patients to evaluate the clinical applications of this system.
The Interaction of Coherent Vortices With Short Flat Plates (Data Bank Contribution)

The interaction between a vortex and a small plate, are studied experimentally in a water tunnel using a computer-controlled laser-Doppler velocimeter. The interaction is proved to be a strong source of secondary and tertiary vorticity, the formation of which can be controlled by a selection of the plate dimensions, and cross-sectional shape. It is demonstrated that shorter plates with sharp edges are more efficient in breaking up oncoming vortical structures, while they create lower levels of secondary and tertiary vorticity. Such devices could be employed to control the amplitude of pressure fluctuations and the generation of noise in many practical applications.
Transverse vibration of annular sandwich plates with linear thickness variation

Abstract Free transverse vibration of axisymmetric annular sandwich plates of linearly varying thickness is considered in this paper. The face sheets are treated as membranes; the core is assumed to be inextensible in the thickness direction, and to carry only transverse shear. The contribution of the face sheet membrane forces (by virtue of their slopes) to the transverse shear is accounted for in this analysis. Numerical results are presented for the first three normal modes of vibration.
Review Essay : Social Psychological Factors in Military Technology and Strategy

An understanding of the compulsive armaments momentum is crucial to the survival of our species. Is weapon development a monster which acts independently of political decision making? Marek Thee in his new book makes a strong case for the armaments race being a function of dynamics internal to tech nology. An alternative explanation is offered which emphasizes social psychological factors (perceived threat, special profit interests, and career objectives), and perception determinants (need to impress ad versary and ally). The primary rationale for the armaments momentum is ritualized ideology, which moves rational discussion into the realm of moral absolutism. An open dialogue between systems would reveal complementary human values as well as unique cultural realities.
Using Student Reasoning to Inform the Development of Conceptual Learning Goals: The Case of Quadratic Functions

Despite the proliferation of mathematics standards internationally and despite general agreement on the importance of teaching for conceptual understanding, conceptual learning goals for many K-12 mathematics topics have not been well-articulated. This article presents a coherent set of five conceptual learning goals for a complex mathematical domain, generated via a method of systematic empirical analysis of students' reasoning. Specifically, we compared the reasoning of pairs of students who performed differentially on the same task and inferred the pivotal intermediate conceptions that afforded one student deeper engagement with the task than another student. In turn, each pivotal intermediate conception framed an associated conceptual learning goal. While the empirical analysis of student reasoning is typically used to understand how students learn, we argue that such analysis should also play an important role in determining what concepts students should learn.
Role of Agonist-Independent Conformational Transition (AICT) in I P3 R Cluster Behavior

Local intracellular calcium (C a2+) signals arise due to the release of C a2+ ions from internal stores into the cytosol through small clusters of inositol-1,4,5-triphosphate (I P3 ) receptors. To explain single I P3 receptor open probability data from nuclear patch clamp experiments, theoretical simulations have favored the existence of an agonist-independent conformational transition(AICT) from closed to an open state. We present results from a computational study wherein we explore the impact of the proposed agonist independent conformational transition on the collective release of calcium from I P3 R clusters. A wealth of experimental data profiles collective cluster release. Our results show that consistency of cluster release between theory and experiments in fact constrains the kinetics of the agonist-independent conformational transition (AITC) to values which lead to small open probabilities for a single I P3 receptor, inconsistent with nuclear patch clamp experimental data.
Second‐law efficiency analysis of a coal gasification process

The present paper summarizes a comprehensive Second-Law analysis of the SYNTHANE process of coal gasification(1), based on the available-energy concept as applied to design conditions and data. The analysis yields an overall process efficiency of 46%. For every 100 MJ of useful energy supplied with coal, 51 MJ are consumed during the various unit operations while effluents carry 3 MJ. Unit 30, Steam and Power Production, consumes nearly 20 MJ; Unit 15, Gasification, used up nearly 16 MJ; Units 12 and 14, Coal Preparation and Feeding, about 5 MJ; Units 16 and 17, Raw Gas Quenching and Shift Conversion, 4 MJ; Unit 32, Oxygen Plant, approximately 2 MJ; other miscellaneous units contribute a combined available-energy destruction of 4 MJ. The Second-Law analysis unveils the inefficiencies present in the process and their sources, thus pinpointing the opportunities for improvement in the SYNTHANE process. Le present article resume une analyse entropique poussee du procede SYNTHANE de gazeification du charbon (1), basee sur le concept de l'energie disponible applique aux conditions et aux donnees du calcul. L'analyse permet d'estimer un rendement global de 46% pour le procede. Pour 100 MJ d'energie utile fournie en charbon, 51 MJ sont consommes durant les diverses operations unitaires, tandis que les effluents en transported 3 MJ. La consommation se fait comme suit dans les diverses unites: a) Unite 30 (Production de vapeur d'eau et d'energie) pres de 20 MJ. b) Unite 15 (Gazeification), pres de 16 MJ. c) Unites 12 et 14 (Preparation du charbon et Alimentation en charbon), environ 5 MJ. d) Unites 16 et 17 (Trempe du gaz brut et Conversion), 4 MJ. e) Unite 32 (Usine d'oxygene), environ 2 MJ. Diverses autres unites contribuent ensemble a une diminution 4 MJ de l'energie disponible. L'analyse entropique met en lumiere les diverses deficiences du precede et leurs sources, ce qui permet de reveler les differentes possibilites d'amelioration du procede SYNTHANE.
ECS-induced amnesia and recovery of memory for classically conditioned fear in the rat

Using escape from conditioned aversive stimuli as an indirect index of strength of classical conditioning, one-trial conditioning was demonstrated. Electroconvulsive shock immediately following the unconditioned stimulus (footshock) yielded amnesia for the conditioned associations, and a single “reminder” footshock given in an environment dissimilar to the training apparatus restored memory in both between- and within-subjects designs. These results are inconsistent with the view that recovery induced by a noncontingent reminder shock from experimental amnesia depends upon classically conditioned associations that survive treatment by amnestic agents.
The Revival of Classical Political Philosophy: A Critique.

Perhaps no single individual has had as much impact on the discipline of political science during the past several years as has Leo Strauss of the University of Chicago. Both he and his disciples (and they are disciples in the “classical” sense) have engaged in a full scale attack upon the premises underlying the contemporary study of politics.Strauss argues that these premises are illfounded and self-contradictory, and, if taken seriously, lead to moral nihilism. He contends, further, that another set of premises, those of “classical natural right,” which treat man in terms of his natural end and his relation to the “mysterious whole,” are capable of providing a more adequate foundation for the study of politics.
AN EXPLORATORY STUDY OF COMMITTEE COMPOSITION AS AN ADMINISTRATIVE PROBLEM‐SOLVING TOOL

This paper describes the development of a classification of committees frequently seen in response to authority-task problems in universities. It then reports data that describe how twenty high-level, experienced administrators, when presented with a series of seven hypothetical cases representing each type of committee, chose to compose each committee. Implications of this work for understanding the use of committees as strategic problem-solving tools are explored.
Solubilities of naturally occurring mixtures of human hemoglobin

Abstract The phase-rule behavior of amorphous human ferrohemoglobin has been studied. The salting-out of hemoglobin in this form apparently resulted in the rapid attainment of a true, metastable solubility equilibrium. The solubility behavior of normal adult ferrohemoglobin in the amorphous state was that of homogeneous protein in a single solid phase. The solubility behavior of the amorphous solid formed by the salting-out of mixtures of ferrohemoglobins was that of a solid solution. A standard solubility test for examining naturally occurring mixtures of human hemoglobin has been described. Under the conditions of this test, specimens that contained sickle-cell hemoglobin formed amorphous precipitates at a phosphate concentration of 2.24 M, while all other specimens dissolved completely. Within the former group, sickle-cell trait specimens had the highest solubilities and sickle-cell anemia specimens the lowest. The less common modifications of sickle-cell disease were associated with intermediate solubilities. Specimens that failed to precipitate in 2.24 M phosphate were compared in 2.58 M phosphate. The solubility of one specimen of hemoglobin C was more than twice that of normal adult hemoglobin. The hemoglobin mixture in hemoglobin C trait was found to have a significantly higher total solubility than normal adult hemoglobin. Mixtures of normal adult and fetal hemoglobin also had higher solubilities than normal adult hemoglobin. The solubility method is suitable for the determination of the approximate hemoglobin S content of a mixture.
Iodine fluorosulfate reactions with fluorocarbons

Abstract Iodine monofluorosulfate has been found to react with fluoroolefins in the absence of a solvent to give the corresponding iodo alkyl fluorosulfates by addition of −l and −OSO2F across the double bond. The observed products were ICF2CF2SO3F, CF3CFlCF2SO3F, and the isomer mixture ICF2CFClSO3F and ICFClCF2SO3F. Perfluorocyclobutene was unreactive. The iodine fluorosulfate used for this study was synthesized from the reactions of either I2 or RfI with ClSO3F, with both reactions being new routes to this compound. These iodo fluorocarbon fluorosulfates are novel compounds and were characterized by spectroscopy and by formation of the derivatives CF3CFICFO and ICF2CFO.
Role of Low-level Mechanisms in Brightness Perception

ABSTRACT Brightness judgments are a key part of the primate brain’s visual analysis of the environment. There is general consensus that the perceived brightness of an image region is based not only on its actual luminance, but also on the photometric structure of its neighborhood. However, it is unclear precisely how a region’s context influences its perceived brightness. Recent research has suggested that brightness estimation may be based on a sophisticated analysis of scene layout in terms of transparency, illumination and shadows. This work has called into question the role of low-level mechanisms, such as lateral inhibition, as explanations for brightness phenomena. Here we describe experiments with displays for which low-level and high-level analyses make qualitatively different predictions, and with which we can quantitatively assess the trade-offs between low-level and high-level factors. We find that brightness percepts in these displays are governed by low-level stimulus properties, even when these percepts are inconsistent with higher-level interpretations of scene layout. These results point to the important role of low-level mechanisms in determining brightness percepts. INTRODUCTION
Salesforce entertainment activities

Abstract Sales managers need guidelines for controlling the entertainment costs incurred by their sales personnel. Because of the difficulty in measuring the payoff associated with particular entertainment costs, the decision of whether to spend or not to spend is, of necessity, somewhat subjective. One guide is to compare entertainment activities among different salesforces. A survey of over 1300 salespeople employed in a wide variety of jobs in a large number of industries revealed the extent of entertainment efforts in five areas: taking clients out for lunch, for an evening meal, for a drink, for leisure activities, and parties for clients.
Control of temper embrittlement in Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel by combining intercritical and low temperature austenitizing heat treatments

It is demonstrated in three heats of a Ni-Cr-Mo-V steel that dramatic reductions in both initial transition temperatures and susceptibility to temper embrittlement may be achieved by intercritical heat treatments. However, it appears that the temperature control necessary to ensure sufficient strength in large forgings of this class of steel will preclude the use of the treatment as a substitute for a complete austenitize. An approach to exploit the intercritical treatment as a conditioning procedure is described following the discovery that much of the reduced embrittlement susceptibility is remembered after a low temperature austenitize. Thus, by combining an intercritical and low temperature austenitize, the available temperature range for the intercritical treatment is widened because the minimum strength requirement is eliminated. Also, the full austenitize allows conventional tempering treatments to be used. The results are supported by fractography, metallography and Auger analysis.