cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
The veterans administration cooperative urological research group's studies of cancer of the prostate

The results of these clinical trials over the past 12 years have revealed an unsuspected toxicity of DES used in treating patients with cancer of the prostate when given in a dose of 5.0 mg daily. The first VA study did not show that orchiectomy was superior to estrogen in treating cancer of the prostate or that the combination orchiectomy plus estrogen had much to offer beyond the benefits of estrogen alone when indicated. The preponderance of evidence from the second study shows that 1.0 mg of DES appears to be about as effective as the 5.0 mg dose in treating cancer of the prostate but does not carry the excess hazard of cardiovascular deaths. Our overall recommendation at present is that patients with prostatic cancer should not be treated until their symptoms require relief, and at that time we recommend starting treatment with 1.0 mg DES daily. These recommendations may change as we continue to analyze our data.
Revision of Palaearctic mountain midges (Diptera: Deuterophlebiidae), with phylogenetic and biogeographic analyses of world species

. The mountain midges (Diptera: Deuterophlebiidae) of the Palaearctic Region are revised to include eight species. Four new species are described: D. brachyrhina sp. nov., D.oporina sp. nov. and D. blepharis sp.nov. from the Himalayas (Assam and Sikkim), and D.bicarinata sp. nov. from southern Korea. A lectotype is designated for D.mirabilis Edwards, and a key to adult males of all Palaearctic species is provided. Larval, pupal and adult characters were used to reconstruct the phylogenetic and biogeographic relationships of world species of Deuterophlebiidae. Based on features of the adult male, the Himalayan species D. brachyrhina and D. oporina are considered the most primitive deuterophlebiids. The Nearctic species D. inyoensis is proposed as the sister group of the remaining species. Relationships among the latter are based primarily on larval and pupal characters; however, lack of information about the immature stages of several Palaearctic species contributes to a poorly resolved phylogeny. Several alternative hypotheses are presented and discussed. All phylogenetic alternatives suggest that the Nearctic fauna originated from at least two invasions of North America.
Expansion-Contraction Cycles for Cement Optimized as a Function of Additives

An experimental study was carried out to investigate the addition of specific additives to cement in order to eliminate the micro-fractures and micro-annuli that cause gas migration. The experiments performed monitored the change in the cement slurry pressure during the setting of the cement. During the setting period of the cement, two time cycles of cement expansion and contraction were observed. This is due to the individual contributions of each part of the cement mixture. To obtain the optimum tightness of the cement, final optimum concentrations of the additives were obtained experimentally, where the cyclic pressure behavior of the cement was optimized for the best final cement results. By utilizing the correct amount of Anchorage Clay, XC-Polymer, Ironite Scavenger, Ultrafine cement and Synthetic Rubber powder in a class G mixture at a given temperature and confining pressure, an impermeable cement mixture can be obtained. The correct amount of Synthetic Rubber used for cyclic pressure reduction is a function of cement setting temperature and pressure as well as the elastic properties of the rubber. By using laboratory testing at different pressure and temperature with different rubber concentrations and elastic properties, it is estimated that the entire annulus can have an impermeable cement from surface to total depth. The difference in temperature and pressure with depth dictates the concentration and elastic properties of the rubber as the required expansion and contraction changes with depth.
Spectrophotometric Method for Determination of Lipoxidase Activity.

Lipoxidase specifically catalyzes the oxidation of methylene-interrupted unsaturated fatty acids such as linoleic, linolenic, and arachidonic acids and their esters, to their res(pective peroxides (3). Various techniques have been devised for the determination of lipoxidase activity, including a colorimetric method based upon coupled oxidation, a manometric method, and spectrophotometric methods (6). The spectro,photometric method was developed after Holman and Burr (4) and Bergstr6m (1) independently observed an increase in ultraviolet light absorption, at 234 m>, when lipoxidase acted upon essential fatty acids. The increase in UV-peak absorption was then related to the amount of peroxide formation which was found to be proportional to time and to enzyme concentration (7, 8). According to Holman and Bergstrom (3), both the manometric and the coupled oxidation methods give aberrant indices of lipoxidase activity because of variations in the degree of dispersion of fatty substrates. The spectrophotometric method, on the other hand, does not have these disadvantages because it employs more homogeneous substrates. Although satisfactory results are obtained when the method is operated at pH 9.0 or above, where the unsaturated fatty acids are present in a solu;ble form, nevertheless, this nonphysiological pH presents a major disadvantage of the spectrophotometric method. It was therefore concluded by Holman and Bergstr6m (3) that the question of the effect of pH on the inherent activity of the enzyme could not be solved until a water-soluble substrate could be found. The method described here is essentially a modification of the methods of Theorell et al. (8) and Tappel (7). The polyunsaturated fatty acid is solubilized by the addition of a detergent, and with this soluble substrate the activities of purified and crude lipoxidase are demionstrated over a wide range of pH. Also, lipoxidase activities in germinating mung beans, over a period of 80 hours, are presented.
Defeasibility and the normative grasp of context

In this article, we present an analysis of defeasible generalizations — generalizations which are essentially exception-laden, yet genuinely explanatory — in terms of various notions of privileged conditions. We argue that any plausible epistemology must make essential use of defeasible generalizations so understood. We also consider the epistemic significance of the sort of understanding of context that is required for understanding of explanatory defeasible generalizations on any topic.
Prediction methods for nicotine clearance using cotinine and 3-hydroxy-cotinine spot saliva samples II. Model application.

To develop and compare methods that predict individual nicotine (NIC) clearance, which reflects CYP2A6 activity, using random saliva cotinine (COT) and trans 3′-hydroxycotinine (3HC) measurements. COT and 3HC saliva concentrations in smokers were simulated utilizing a mechanistic population pharmacokinetic model of NIC metabolism that was adapted from the one described in a companion paper. Four methods to predict NIC clearance using the metabolites concentrations were compared. The precision bias, and the fraction of predictions that are made with an absolute error below 25% were the performance measures evaluated. Four prediction methods were compared: (M1) reference method, an intercept slope model of the metabolite concentration ratios ([3HC]/[COT]) (M2) an intercept slope model of the natural logarithm of the metabolite ratios (M3) a spline of the logarithm of the metabolite ratios (M4) Maximal Posteriori Bayesian estimate of NIC clearance conditioned on the model, COT and 3HC concentrations. In addition, the effect of smoking patterns on the concentrations of COT and 3HC was evaluated. The precision, accuracy, and the fraction of predictions with an absolute error below 25%, were higher for methods M2–M4 compared to method M1. However, the differences between M2 and M4 were small. Additionally, smoking pattern did not affect the metabolite concentration profiles. Predicting NIC clearance using an intercept slope model of the natural logarithm of the ratio of 3HC to COT appears to be a relatively simple method that is better than using the metabolite ratio directly. This method has a bias of approximately −10%, precision of approximately 60%. The fraction of estimates below an absolute error of 25% is 43%. These results support use of M2 to estimate CYP2A6 activity in smokers in the clinical setting.
Double loop guiding catheter: a primary catheter for angioplasty of the right coronary artery.

Double loop guiding catheters have been used for percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty (PTCA) of the right coronary artery (RCA) in 42 consecutive cases. A catheter with a 90-degree primary curve was used when the proximal RCA had horizontal or inferior orientation. When the proximal segment of the RCA was oriented superiorly (shepherd's crook), the catheter with a 75-degree primary curve was used. Catheters were fabricated with short (1.5 cm) or long (2.3 cm) (USCI, C.R. Bard, Inc., Billerica, MA) distal tips. Short-tip catheters were satisfactory in the majority of cases. When the RCA had a complex course and more backup was necessary or when the ascending aorta was wide, long-tip catheters were found to be the best choice. Angioplasty of 49 lesions was attempted in 42 consecutive patients. In 39 patients successful dilatation was achieved (93%). In three patients the procedure was unsuccessful. In one patient, the lesion could not be crossed with the guidewire despite an excellent backup. In another patient, two of three stenoses were dilated successfully; the distal lesion was crossed with a guidewire but could not be crossed with the balloon catheter in spite of a good backup. The lack of a satisfactory engagement and inadequate backup were responsible for the failure in only one patient. There were no complications related to these guiding catheters. We conclude that double loop guiding catheters are safe and can be the primary choice in all right coronary angioplasties. These catheters provide an excellent backup with consequent high success rate.
Fibrinolytic bacterial metabolite.

IN the course of work on auto-antibodies in patients suffering from multiple myeloma marked fibrinolytic activity was discovered in one of the sera. Further investigation revealed that it was contaminated with two kinds of bacteria, one a member of the genus Pseudomonas, the other a strain of Streptococcus faecalis. The role of Pseudomonas was shown to be the conversion of glucose to gluconic acid. In the presence of the latter compound S. faecalis would produce the fibrinolytic agent.
Design sensitivity metric for structural dynamic response

An approach to study the sensitivity of dynamic responses for structural systems with respect to a set of design parameters is presented. The sensitivity is evaluated by considering the behavior of the system response when the design parameters vary within a given region of the design space. The sensitivity is computed by means of approximate responses, which are evaluated using approximation concepts. The approximation is based on modal analysis, and it is valid for general underdamped linear systems. Intermediate design variable and intermediate response quantity concepts are used to enhance the accuracy of the approximation. In this approach, modal energies and mode shapes are chosen as intermediate response quantities, and they are approximated in terms of selected intermediate system parameters. The approximation of these quantities requires a standard eigenvalue and eigenvector sensitivity analysis. Numerical results that illustrate the usefulness and effectiveness of the method are presented. Great insight into the behavior of the system can be gained using this methodology.
DCPIP (2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol) as a genotype-directed redox chemotherapeutic targeting NQO1*2 breast carcinoma.

AbstractAccumulative experimental evidence suggests feasibility of chemotherapeutic intervention targeting human cancer cells by pharmacological modulation of cellular oxidative stress. Current efforts aim at personalization of redox chemotherapy through identification of predictive tumour genotypes and redox biomarkers. Based on earlier research demonstrating that anti-melanoma activity of the pro-oxidant 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol (DCPIP) is antagonized by cellular NAD(P)H:quinone oxidoreductase (NQO1) expression, this study tested DCPIP as a genotype-directed redox chemotherapeutic targeting homozygous NQO1*2 breast carcinoma, a common missense genotype [rs1800566 polymorphism; NP_000894.1:p.Pro187Ser] encoding a functionally impaired NQO1 protein. In a panel of cultured breast carcinoma cell lines and NQO1-transfectants with differential NQO1 expression levels, homozygous NQO1*2 MDA-MB231 cells were hypersensitive to DCPIP-induced caspase-independent cell death that occurred after early onset of oxi...
The Safety of Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Severe Aortic Stenosis

Little is known about the safety of electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with severe aortic stenosis and depression and other psychiatric syndromes. We conducted a retrospective review of the medical records of 10 patients with severe aortic stenosis who underwent ECT at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, between January 1, 1995, and June 30, 2006. Of the 10 patients, 6 (60%) were women. The median age was 79.5 years (range, 65-93 years). All patients had an aortic valve area of 1.0 cm2 or less (median, 0.9 cm2). The median aortic transvalvular pressure gradient was 43.5 mm Hg (range, 32-58 mm Hg). The 10 patients underwent a total of 144 ECT sessions (range, 1-37 sessions per patient). Despite this large number of sessions, only 2 patients experienced single episodes of blood pressure perceived to be low 1 minute after an electroshock; these episodes were successfully treated. Hypertensive systolic blood pressure (>180 mm Hg) and tachycardia (>100 beats/min) in response to ECT prompted treatment in 7 patients during 70 ECT sessions (49%). None of the patients died within 24 hours after dismissal from the postanesthesia care unit (95% confidence interval for death rate per person, 0%-26%). Hence, ECT was safe in 10 patients with severe aortic stenosis treated at our institution. Our findings may be informative to clinicians who manage the care of patients with severe aortic stenosis who are undergoing ECT.
Oxidative stress and inflammatory response in dermal toxicity of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) represent a novel material with unique electronic and mechanical properties. The extremely small size ( approximately 1 nm diameter) renders their chemical and physical properties unique. A variety of different techniques are available for the production of SWCNT; however, the most common is via the disproportionation of gaseous carbon molecules supported on catalytic iron particles (high-pressure CO conversion, HiPCO). The physical nature of SWCNT may lead to dermal penetration following deposition on exposed skin. This dermal deposition provides a route of exposure which is important to consider when evaluating SWCNT toxicity. The dermal effects of SWCNT are largely unknown. We hypothesize that SWCNT may be toxic to the skin. We further hypothesize that SWCNT toxicity may be dependent upon the metal (particularly iron) content of SWCNT via the metal's ability to interact with the skin, initiate oxidative stress, and induce redox-sensitive transcription factors thereby affecting/leading to inflammation. To test this hypothesis, the effects of SWCNT were assessed both in vitro and in vivo using EpiDerm FT engineered skin, murine epidermal cells (JB6 P+), and immune-competent hairless SKH-1 mice. Engineered skin exposed to SWCNT showed increased epidermal thickness and accumulation and activation of dermal fibroblasts which resulted in increased collagen as well as release of pro-inflammatory cytokines. Exposure of JB6 P+ cells to unpurified SWCNT (30% iron) resulted in the production of ESR detectable hydroxyl radicals and caused a significant dose-dependent activation of AP-1. No significant changes in AP-1 activation were detected when partially purified SWCNT (0.23% iron) were introduced to the cells. However, NFkappaB was activated in a dose-dependent fashion by exposure to both unpurified and partially purified SWCNT. Topical exposure of SKH-1 mice (5 days, with daily doses of 40 microg/mouse, 80 microg/mouse, or 160 microug/mouse) to unpurified SWCNT caused oxidative stress, depletion of glutathione, oxidation of protein thiols and carbonyls, elevated myeloperoxidase activity, an increase of dermal cell numbers, and skin thickening resulting from the accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) and mast cells. Altogether, these data indicated that topical exposure to unpurified SWCNT, induced free radical generation, oxidative stress, and inflammation, thus causing dermal toxicity.
Competitive learning algorithms for vector quantization

Abstract We compare a number of training algorithms for competitive learning networks applied to the problem of vector quantization for data compression. A new competitive-learning algorithm based on the “conscience” learning method is introduced. The performance of competitive learning neural networks and traditional non-neural algorithms for vector quantization is compared. The basic properties of the algorithms are discussed and we present a number of examples that illustrate their use. The new algorithm is shown to be efficient and yields near-optimal results. This algorithm is used to design a vector quantizer for a speech database. We conclude with a discussion of continuing work.
Toward a Risk-Based Framework for Land Use Reconstruction Planning

Disaster relief should be quick, but reconstruction should be slow. —Qiu Baoxing, noted Chinese recovery professional Response is a sprint, recovery is a marathon. —D. L. Miller, noted U.S. recover...
A model of the peripheral auditory system

Peripheral auditory system model relating all-or- none activity of nerve fibers to acoustic stimulation
Hepcidin Expression by Human Monocytes in Response to Adhesion and Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines

Background A previous urine proteomic analysis from our laboratory suggested that hepcidin may be a biomarker for lupus nephritis flare. Immunohistochemical staining of kidney biopsies from lupus patients showed that hepcidin was expressed by infiltrating renal leukocytes. Here we investigated whether inflammatory cytokines relevant to the pathogenesis of lupus nephritis and other glomerular diseases regulate hepcidin expression by human monocytes.
Reductions of Antarctic ozone due to synergistic interactions of chlorine and bromine

The vertical column density of ozone observed in October over Antarctica has fallen precipitously over the past 10 yr. The concentration at Halley Bay (76 deg S, 27 deg W), expressed conventionally in Dobson units (DU), has dropped from about 300 DU in 1975 to less than 200 DU in 1984. Values in 1985 were even lower, comparable with the lowest values recorded anywhere on earth. It is suggested here that the loss of O3 in Antarctica may be attributed to catalysis of O3 recombination by a scheme in which the rate-limiting step is defined by the reaction of ClO + BrO - Cl + Br + O2. Concentrations of NO2 must be low and heterogeneous reactions involving particles in the polar stratospheric clouds must be an important element of the relevant chemistry. Industrial sources make important contributions to the contemporary budgets of both BrO and ClO and are likely to grow significantly in the future.
Structural studies of migration inhibitory activity induced during murine tumor allograft rejection

Abstract Lymphocytes from mice rejecting a tumor allograft produce a soluble activity that inhibits the migration of murine macrophages. The present studies show that this activity is stable with 56 °C heating for 30 min, is inactivated by trypsin, has a molecular size of about 45,000, and has an isoelectric point of 5.0–5.5. In addition, it does not inhibit the migration of guinea pig macrophages. These results indicate that this lymphokine is similar in its physicochemical properties to murine, guinea pig and human migration inhibitory factors (MIF) studied previously, but they also suggest that there may be structural differences in the functionally active portions of MIF from different species.
Limited fluid-rock interaction at marble-gneiss contacts during Cretaceous granulite-facies metamorphism, Seward Peninsula, Alaska

Stable-isotope profiles show that flat-lying marble units acted as impermeable barriers to upward fluid flow in transitional amphibolite-granulite grade rocks of the Kigluaik Mountains, Seward Peninsula, Alaska. The degree of permeability is related to the composition of the marble. The margin of a thick pure dolomite marble chemically reacted with underlying metasyenite (aH2O=0.2) to form a 2 cm boundary layer of calcite + forsterite by introduction of SiO2. No fluid penetrated past this reaction front, although the high temperature of metamorphism (∼800°C) allowed transport of carbon and oxygen isotopes for an additional 2 cm by diffusion through the solid dolomite. A second marble with a higher silica content underwent more decarbonation, which enhanced porosity and lead to a greater extent of isotope transport (2–3 m) in contact with quartzo-feld-spathic gneiss below. An estimate of total fluid flux across the bottom of this marble layer based on the shape of the isotope profile is 1 cm3/cm2 directed down, out of the marble. At two other marble-gneiss contacts steep isotopic gradients coincide with lithologic contacts, indicating very little cross-lithology fluid flow. The extent of diffusional transport of isotopes in the marbles is limited and interpreted as indicating the transient presence of a pore fluid, generated by thermally driven devolatilization reactions. No wholesale pervasive advection of C-O-H fluid occurred across the thick, continuous, marble units near the exposed base of the Kigluaik Group section during the entire regional metamorphic cycle. Activities of pore-fluid species were controlled by internal processes. Movement of volatiles and stable-isotopes between contrasting rock-types was dominantly diffusive. Channelized fluid pathways through the marble units developed during uplift and cooling but were not present during peak metamorphism. Heating of the section occurred by conduction, probably from an underlying magma source, and not by advection of a C-O-H fluid.
In vivo imaging reveals estrogen receptor's hidden personality.

Post-menopausal women are treated with estrogen-receptor binding compounds during hormone replacement therapy. But new imaging studies in mice hint that the estrogen receptor may be responding primarily to estrogen-independent stimuli in some tissues ( pages 82–86 ).
Tricuspid Valve Endocarditis due to Staphylococcus aureus : Correlation of Two-Dimensional Echocardiography with Clinical Outcome

We studied 53 episodes (51 patients) of tricuspid valvular endocarditis caused by Staphylococcus aureus in a predominantly addicted population and correlated two-dimensional echocardiographic findings with clinical outcome. Thirty-eight episodes with (vs 15 episodes without) tricuspid vegetations on the two-dimensional echocardiogram were significantly associated with (1) longer duration of fever on therapy (mean of 12.3 days vs 6.8 days, respectively; p
Antireflection coatings: key optical components

The topic of antireflection coatings is vast, and it is impossible to review it comprehensively in an article of this size. Here an attempt is made to show how antireflection coatings evolved from inhomogeneous layers, through homogeneous layers with optical thicknesses that were multiples of a quarter wave of some central wavelength, to the modern non-quarter wave designs that, at times, may consist of many tens of layers. Antireflection coatings for the solution of a number of special problems are presented.
Effects of essential fatty acid deficiency on gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity of rat pancreas

Abstract The effect of feeding rats with an essential fatty acid-deficient or -sufficient diet for a total of 29 1 2 weeks ( 1 1 2 weeks of pregnancy, 4 weeks of lactation and 24 weeks postweaning) on gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity and fatty acid composition of pancreas were determined. Enzyme activity of essential fatty acid-deficient rats was significantly higher than in controls. Ina group of 24-week-old, essential fatty acid-deficient rats, the sufficient diet was fed for 8 weeks. Pancreatic gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity and fatty acid composition were restored to normal, suggesting a modulating effect of the diet. The results indicated that elevated gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase activity of essential fatty acid-deficient rat pancreas was reverted to normal by feeding an essential fatty acid-sufficient diet.
The use of paper electrophoresis in studying the metabolism of pseudomonas species. I. Apparatus

The sandwich paper electrophoresis technique, such as that of Foster (1952b), was modified to permit routine examination of as many as 15 samples of materials such as bacterial cultures, simultaneously, and with greater rapidity than with paper chromatography techniques. By the use of borate buffer at pH 9.6 with aniline hydrogen oxalate for development, materials such as glucose, fructose, 2-ketogluconic acid, and 5-ketogluconic acid could be separated in three hours.
Production of Lyman Alpha Radiation in Ion-Atom Collisions

The absolute cross section as a function of incident ion energy has been measured for the production of Lyman alpha radiation (using an ${\mathrm{O}}_{2}$-filtered, iodine-filled Geiger counter as a detector) when ions impact on gases. The principal reactant pairs studied were: (${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$), (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$, He), (${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, He), (${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$), and (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$) in the energy range from about 100 to 6500 eV. Reaction mechanisms are discussed for each case. The data are found in most cases to agree qualitatively with the adiabatic hypothesis of Massey. Cross sections also were measured for the production of countable ultraviolet radiation with the following reactant pairs: (${\mathrm{H}}_{3}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}$), (${\mathrm{H}}_{3}^{+}$, He), (${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$), (${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$), (${\mathrm{H}}_{3}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$), and (${\mathrm{He}}^{+}$, ${\mathrm{N}}_{2}$). No mechanisms are proposed for these cases. In an auxiliary experiment, the probability for producing ultraviolet radiation when ${\mathrm{H}}^{+}$ and ${\mathrm{H}}_{2}^{+}$ impinge on a metal surface was measured to be about 0.005 photon/ion.
Optical and Acoustic Studies of pH-Dependent Swelling in Microgel Thin Films

We report investigations on the swelling behavior of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide-co-acrylic acid) (pNIPAm-co-AAc) microgel thin films as a function of pH using quartz crystal impedance (QCI) analysis and surface plasmon resonance (SPR) spectroscopy. In this work, pNIPAm-co-AAc microgels are assembled into thin films using a spin-coating layer-by-layer (scLbL) assembly approach by alternatively exposing 2-mercaptoethylamine-functionalized Au QCI and SPR substrates to polyanionic pNIPAm-co-AAc microgels and polycationic poly(allylamine hydrochloride). The scLbL process is followed by QCI analysis, which displays a linear decrease in resonant frequency, i.e., increase in mass, as a function of the microgel layer number. The swelling behavior of an assembled film in response to acidic (pH ≈ 3.0) and neutral (pH ≈ 6.5) solution conditions is monitored using QCI. Exposure of a microgel thin film to acidic solution results in a dramatic decrease in resonant frequency and an increase in motional resistance. When t...
The Sensitivity of Convective Initiation to the Lapse Rate of the Active Cloud-Bearing Layer

Numerical experiments are conducted using an idealized cloud-resolving model to explore the sensitivity of deep convective initiation (DCI) to the lapse rate of the active cloud-bearing layer [ACBL; the atmospheric layer above the level of free convection (LFC)]. Clouds are initiated using a new technique that involves a preexisting airmass boundary initialized such that the (unrealistic) adjustment of the model state variables to the imposed boundary is disassociated from the simulation of convection. Reference state environments used in the experiment suite have identical mixed layer values of convective inhibition, CAPE, and LFC as well as identical profiles of relative humidity and wind. Of the six simulations conducted for the experiment set, only the three environments with the largest ACBL lapse rates support DCI. The simulated deep convection is initiated from elevated sources (parcels in the convective clouds originate near 1300 m) despite the presence of a surface-based boundary. Thermal instability release is found to be more likely in the experiments with larger ACBL lapse rates because the forced ascent at the preexisting boundary is stronger (despite nearly identical boundary depths) and because the parcels’ LFCs are lower, irrespective of parcel dilution. In one experiment without deep convection, DCI failure occurs even though thermal instability is released. Results from this experiment along with the results from a heuristic Lagrangian model reveal the existence of two convective regimes dependent on the environmental lapse rate: a supercritical state capable of supporting DCI and a subcritical state that is unlikely to support DCI. Under supercritical conditions the rate of increase in buoyancy due to parcel ascent exceeds the reduction in buoyancy due to dilution. Under subcritical conditions, the rate of increase in buoyancy due to parcel ascent is outpaced by the rate of reduction in buoyancy from dilution. Overall, results demonstrate that the lapse rate of the ACBL is useful in diagnosing and/or predicting DCI.
Effects of Negative Political Advertising and Message Repetition on Candidate Evaluation

A great deal of televised political advertising is seen every electoral year. Expenditures on this type of political communication have reached the all-time high in the past elections. Clearly, political candidates believe that televised political advertising is an effective way to communicate with voters. This study investigates the effects of repetition of negative political ads on candidate evaluations. A pilot study shows situations in which repetition can both benefit and harm the evaluation of the sponsor of a negative political ad. The main study explores a factor that makes a negative political ad more effective, increasing positive reactions toward the sponsor and negative reactions toward the target of the ad. Implications of these results for society, attitudes, and learning are discussed.
Understanding impediments and enablers to physical activity among African American adults: a systematic review of qualitative studies

Physical inactivity is a leading cause of premature death, disability and numerous chronic diseases. Minority and underserved populations in the United States and worldwide have a higher prevalence of physical inactivity affecting their morbidity and mortality rates. In the United States, African Americans are less physically active and have a higher proportion of many chronic diseases in comparison to Caucasians. This disparity needs to be well understood in order to design and implement effective interventions aimed at increasing physical activity levels among African Americans. In the present study, we conduct a systematic review (through 2010) of the qualitative literature pertaining to impediments and enablers to physical activity participation among African Americans. This review focuses on qualitative research due to its advantages in understanding attitudes and perceptions related to health behavior within the context of participants’ natural environment. Findings are stratified by gender and age, to explore unique impediments and enablers based on age and sex and results are discussed within the socio-ecological model to account for the multi-level nature of factors affecting physical activity. Findings should be taken into account by researchers, program planners and policymakers when tailoring physical activity interventions to African American communities in the United States.
Children with communication impairments: Caregivers’ and teachers’ shared book-reading quality and children’s level of engagement

This study addressed two aims: First, to examine the quality of adult shared book-reading behaviors for teachers and caregivers of children with communication impairments (CI) and, second, to compa...
Body Weight and Survival of Calosoma sayi (Coleoptera: Carabidae) During Laboratory Feeding Regimes

Laboratory feeding trials were conducted with 40 adult Calosoma sayi DeJean (Coleoptera: Carabidae) over a 19-wk period, by using as food either the larval, prepupal, pupal, or adult stages of the fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae). The mean survival period of the beetles maintained on the separate fall armyworm stages was 122 d (larvae), 75 d (prepupae), 57 d (adults), 34 d (pupae), and 31 d (no food). All beetles offered food weighed less at death than at the beginning of the experiment, even though the percentage of gain in body weight during the experiment ranged from 25% (pupae) to 40% (prepupae). Those denied food gained no weight and lost >19% body weight before death. The only significant difference between the sexes was in the percentage of body weight gained (female, 39%; male 26%). These results are compared with other studies and their significance is discussed.
Risk and Return to Housing, Tenure Choice and the Value of Housing in an Asset Pricing Context

Homeowners do not diversify their risky home equity because of fixed costs of issuing securities and information costs. An asset pricing model is developed for homeowners with the undiversifiable home equity asset. Homeowner value and house value to diversified landlords are compared, and a tenure choice equation is developed. We demonstrate the existence of a rational expectations equilibrium under appropriate conditions.
Typical School Personnel Developing and Implementing Basic Behavior Support Plans.

We evaluated the ability of typical school personnel with basic behavioral training to develop and implement function-based supports for students with mild to moderate problem behaviors. Descriptive results indicated that following four 1-hr training sessions, 13 participants were able to (a) identify interventions that were and were not functionally related to problem behavior and (b) lead school-based teams in developing function-based supports that were rated as technically sound by external behavior analysts. Data resulting from a non-concurrent multiple baseline analysis across five of the trained professionals, each working with a team to address the problem behavior of one elementary school student, indicated that plan implementation occurred with high fidelity and was functionally related to decreases in problem behavior and increases in academic engagement. In addition, school personnel rated the training, tools, and implementation process as effective and efficient. Limitations and implications ...
Extending the Relational Database Data Model for Design Applications

In recent years many researchers have tried to apply the traditional database systems to design applications. To date, most of these experiments have been largely unsuccessful. Insufficient computing power may be one reason for this failure. However, the problem may be more fundamental. We believe the data models of the traditional database systems are intrinsically unsuited for design applications. In this paper we give reasons for this opinion and describe an enhanced relational model which removes some of the weaknesses we have identified.
ESD: design for IC chip quality and reliability

ESD is a major concern for IC chip quality both from building-in-reliability requirement and from long-term field operation requirement. The damage phenomena, either from human handling or machine contact, could appear as thermal damage and oxide rupture. In this paper, the IC damage phenomena due to ESD, the effects on the IC functionality, the proper methods to overcome these with on-chip protection designs, and the challenges facing these protection methods with the advanced process and package technologies are presented. Simulation and modeling methods that are currently used to improve the protection designs are also reviewed.
Discovery of an extended, halo-like stellar population around the Large Magellanic Cloud

We describe an ongoing, large-scale, photometric and spectroscopic survey of the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) periphery. This survey uses Washington M,T2 + DDO51 photometry to identify distant LMC red giant branch (RGB) star candidates; multi-object spectroscopy is used to confirm the stellar surface gravities of these RGB stars and their association with the LMC (e.g., through radial velocities). The survey now encompasses hundreds of fields ranging from the LMC center with full azimuthal coverage around the LMC and out to 23◦ from the LMC center. We have confirmed the existence of RGB stars with (the unusual) Magellanic velocities out to the radial limit of this survey coverage. From data in a subsample of these fields, we show that this extended population of stars makes up a diffuse structure enveloping the LMC with a two-dimensional distribution resembling a classical halo with a shallow de Vaucouleurs profile and a broad metallicity spread around a typical mean value of [Fe/H] ∼ −1.0.
Electron‐impact fragmentation of the bicyclo[4.1.0]heptane‐2‐one system: Correlations with photochemistry

The low resolution and complete high resolution mass spectra of a series of methyl and deuterium substituted bicyclo[4.1.0]heptane-2-one derivatives have been measured. An attempt has been made to test the operation of a fragmentation process analogous to the known photochemical rearrangement, and to determine if the substitution effects critical to the photorearrangement also influence the electron-impact process. The fragmentation pattern of these conjugated cyclopropyl ketones is detailed and the influence of the cyclopropyl ring is discussed. It is suggested that electron-impact-induced rearrangements which are analogous to photochemical transformations will be relatively low energy processes and will remain prominent at low ionizing voltages.
Secure cloud maintenance: protecting workloads against insider attacks

In recent years, Cloud Computing has gained remarkable popularity due to the economic and technical benefits provided by this new way of delivering computing resources. Businesses can offload their IT infrastructure into the cloud and benefit from rapid provisioning, scalability, and cost advantages. While cloud computing can be implemented on different abstraction levels, we focus on Infrastructure Clouds such as Amazon EC2 [1] that provide virtual machines, storage, and networks.
The opinions and attitudes of Louisiana's coastal zone residents toward outdoor recreational development: a perspective for planning and management.

(1979). The opinions and attitudes of Louisiana's Coastal Zone residents toward outdoor recreational development: A perspective for planning and management. Coastal Zone Management Journal: Vol. 5, No. 1-2, pp. 131-143.
Speaking through Silence: Narratives, Social Conventions, and Power in Java: Shifting Languages: Interaction and Identity in Javanese Indonesia

Speaking through Silence: Narratives, Social Conventions, and Power in Java. Laine Berman. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998. 256 pp. Shifting Languages: Interaction and Identity in Javanese Indonesia. J. Joseph Errington. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1998.216 pp.
IMAGINATION IN STORY READING: THE ROLE OF IMAGERY, VERBAL RECALL, STORY ANALYSIS, AND PROCESSING LEVELS

The spontaneous use of imagery and its relationship to free verbal recall were investigated. Community college students read a 2,100-word story under one of three sets of instructions and then recalled the story and reported their images immediately and 48 hours later. A new methodology for classifying imagery reports was developed. Results indicated that separate categories of imagery reports and verbal recalls were not highly correlated. Principal components analysis yielded factors predominated by imagery variables. Further, whereas total verbal recall declined over the retention interval (i.e., forgetting), imagery did not. Experimental instructions to readers designed to manipulate processing depth in an externally valid fashion did not result in significant differences in imagery reporting and recall, suggesting that a strict levels of processing view may be untenable for ecologically valid reading situations. Other results indicated that a significant relationship existed between imaging a story segment and the story grammar macrostructure of that segment, and that imagery of the climactic event was the most common. This study contributes to a series of studies using various texts and methodologies that suggest that imagery is a distinctive aspect of reading, viable for study in its own right.
Directional random access scheme for mobile ad hoc networking using beamforming antennas

It has been proposed to upgrade the performance of medium access control (MAC) schemes through the use of beamforming directional antennas, to achieve better power and bandwidth utilization. In this paper, we consider a shared wireless medium as employed in a mobile ad hoc wireless network. We present and analyze a random access MAC algorithm that is combined with the use of directional beamforming formed by each transmitting mobile entity. Mathematical equations are derived to characterize the throughput performance of such a directional-ALOHA (D-ALOHA) algorithm. We describe the interferences occurring at each receiving node by considering both distance based and SINR based interference models. The D-ALOHA protocol includes the establishment of a (in-band or out-of-band) control sub-channel that is used for the transmission of location update messages. The latter is used for allowing mobile nodes to track the location of their intended destination mobiles. We present a separation property result that allows us to express the network throughput performance as a product of two factors: (1) a stationary factor that represents the system throughput performance under a perfect receiver location update process, and (2) a mobility factor that embeds the user mobility and location update processes in expressing the level of throughput degradation caused due to location update errors. We employ our derived mathematical equations, as well as carry out simulation evaluations, to present an extensive set of performance results. The throughput performance of such a beamforming based MAC protocol is characterized in terms of the system's traffic loading conditions, the selected beamwidths of the antennas at the transmitting mobiles, the mobility levels of the nodal entities and the bandwidth capacity allocated to the control channel used for location update purposes. We show that the D-ALOHA protocol can provide a significant upgrade of network performance when the transmitting nodes adapt their beamwidth levels in accordance with our presented control scheme. The latter incorporates the involved tradeoff between the attained higher potential spatial reuse factors and the realized higher destination pointing process errors, and consequently uses nodal mobility levels and channel loading conditions as key parameters.
Time domain design of recursive digital filters

The problem of synthesis of recursive digital filters to give a desired pulse response over a specified interval is studied. Realizability conditions are stated and a linear design method is developed. Several design procedures that require only linear calculations are given for approximate realization of recursive filters. Finally, an error analysis of the techniques is made.
Comment on “A Call for Closer Professor–Student Relationships”

Peggy Wilson's essay made us feel good. At last someone is giving voice to what we have lived and felt for the past 51 years of living in academia! There is no doubt that undergraduate students-in fact, all students unless they are advanced and their interests are compatible and, indeed, enhance the work their professors are doing-are on the short end of the academic stick. Wilson emphasizes indigenous minority students, particularly Alaskan natives, as especially needy, as needing personal relationships with faculty in order to learn. We enlarge the scope of need. All students need personal relationships with faculty from whom they are to learn. A community of learning and teaching requires as a condition of its existence communitas, a heightened sense of communication among its members and identification among them with each other. Ever since 1953, when we began teaching Anthropology 001 at Stanford, we have administered a 24-item values projective technique (Spindler and Spindler 1990) consisting of open-ended sentences such as "I wish my parents had ," "All men are born "Intellectuals should ," and "College professors should ." The responses to the last unfinished sentence are revealing. Since we first administered the technique, they have been consistent. Student respondents write "be more available," "teach more," "show more interest in students," "be compassionate with students," "be more aware of their interests," "listen to students," "be more human," "get to know students," and so on. Both graduate students and undergraduates voice these sentiments. The responses to this particular open-ended sentence are among the most consistent through the years and across gender, age, and ethnic identity. What Peggy Wilson has noted, and what we have quite independently noted, seems to indicate that students need more humanity, more intimacy, and more friendship from professors in order to enable their learning and personal development. That this need varies somewhat from institution to institution is certainly true, but it is just as certainly true that the need exists in every institution of higher learning that we have taught in over the past half century. There must be an underlying condition that results in this need and the lack of its satisfaction. We
Visualizing second-order tensor fields with hyperstreamlines

A method developed to help scientists visualize 3D tensor data is presented. The method is based on the concept of a hyperstreamline, the simplest continuous tensor structure that can be extracted from a tensor field. Hyperstreamlines for a particular case of symmetric tensor fields are introduced, and a structural depiction of symmetric tensor fields is derived from the representation of many hyperstreamlines. A method for visualizing unsymmetric tensor data by encoding an additional vector field along the trajectory of the hyperstreamlines is discussed. >
MICRO-ENDODONTIC NONSURGICAL RETREATMENT

Clinicians frequently encounter endodontically treated teeth that are failing. The vast majority of these cases can be predictably retreated nonsurgically. Integration of specific technology, coupled with breakthrough techniques, are described and powerfully demonstrated. This article is designed for the dental team whose vision is to preserve strategic teeth and create endodontic excellence for its patients.