cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Enhancing Parent Talk, Reading, and Play in Primary Care: Sustained Impacts of the Video Interaction Project

Objective To determine the early impacts of pediatric primary care parenting interventions on parent cognitive stimulation in low socioeconomic status families and whether these impacts are sustained up to 1.5 years after program completion. Study design This randomized controlled trial included assignment to 1 of 2 interventions (Video Interaction Project [VIP] or Building Blocks) or to a control group. Mother–newborn dyads were enrolled postpartum in an urban public hospital. In VIP, dyads met with an interventionist on days of well-child visits; the interventionist facilitated interactions in play and shared reading through provision of learning materials and review of videotaped parent–child interactions. In Building Blocks, parents were mailed parenting pamphlets and learning materials. We compare the trajectories of cognitive stimulation for parents in VIP and control from 6 to 54 months. Results There were 546 families that contributed data. VIP was associated with enhanced reading, parent verbal responsivity, and overall stimulation at all assessment points, with analyses demonstrating a 0.38 standard deviation increase in cognitive stimulation overall. Trajectory models indicated long-term persistence of VIP impacts on reading, teaching, and verbal responsivity. Conclusions VIP is associated with sustained enhancements in cognitive stimulation in the home 1.5 years after completion of the program and support expansion of pediatric interventions to enhance developmental trajectories of children of low socioeconomic status. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov : NCT00212576.
Muslim Family Laws in Israel and Greece: Can Non-Muslim Courts Bring about Legal Change in Shari‘a?

Should a democratic regime formally incorporate religious laws and courts into its otherwise secular legal system? This is not a hypothetical question. Some democratic nations already formally integrate religion-based laws in the field of family law (especially Muslim Family Law – MFL). Although state-enforced MFLs often affect human rights negatively, many governments, especially non-Muslim majority ones, have refrained from direct legislative interventions into substantive MFLs. Instead they have empowered civil courts to play the role of “reformer.” But how successful have civil judiciaries in non-Muslim regimes been in “reforming” Muslim laws? On the basis of an analysis of the MFL jurisprudence of Israeli and Greek civil courts over the last three decades, I argue that civil courts could not have brought about any direct changes in Muslim law, however, they have had an indirect effect by pressuring religious courts/authorities to undertake self-reform.
An Immunohistochemical Method for Large Scale Specificity Screening of Monoclonal Antibodies

A study using mouse monoclonal antibodies was undertaken to correlate immunohistochemical tissue staining with serum antigen levels in patients with various pathologic conditions. This necessitated the development of a method permitting simultaneous immunostaining of large numbers of tissue sections.
Review of the Various Models of Linear Chromatography, and of their Solutions

The various models of linear chromatograpliy are compared. Those include the discrete and continuous plate models, the stocchastic model, the equilibrium-dispersive model of chromatography, the lumped kinetic models, and the general rate model. We show that all these models are equivalent and can be correctly approximated by a Gaussian profile, even when the column efficiency is as low as 100 theoretical plates. The sources of band asymmetry and tailing in linear chromatography are also discussed. We show that the existence of active sites on the adsorbent surface is probably the main reason of band asymmetry, in most cases.
Excited States of Transition Metal Oxides

A discussion of the electronic structure of the non-metallic transition metal oxides is presented. To be successful any model must quantitatively, at least, describe the following phenomena: insulating behavior of open shell systems; magnetic properties and low lying magnetic excitations; cohesion and phonon spectroscopy; “localized” excitations or excitons and; Bloch like excitations. We argue that the least sophisticated model which can attempt such a description is the Unrestricted Hartree-Fock model (UHF), and even in this limit Koopman’s theorem may not be assumed but rather total energy differences of several self-consistent solutions are needed. We further show that if quantitative accuracy is needed correlation corrections beyond the UHF limit are necessary. We discuss several simple models for inclusion of correlation corrections using techniques of classical electrodynamics on one hand and of Configuration Interaction on the other hand. Detailed calculations are presented using these models and comparisons with optical spectroscopy are made. There is a reasonable comparison of theory and experiment produced by these methods, and the ground state of FeO, CoO and NiO is seen to be insulating whereas that of TiO and VO is seen to be metallic.
Systems Analysis of Benign Hydrogen Peroxide Synthesis in Supercritical CO2

Abstract In this paper, experimental information on the in-situ generation of hydrogen peroxide (H 2 O 2 ) for the production of pyridine oxide is integrated with process systems engineering analysis to enable systematic comparison between the different processing options. Process simulation models representing the traditional anthraquinone process have been developed from literature, while experimental studies provided the necessary data for the supercritical carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) process option. Analysis of the optimized models shows that in-situ generation of H 2 O 2 results in a more energy efficient and less environmentally harmful alternative to the conventional approach.
Queer and Feminist Approaches to Transgender Media Studies

Since 2014 there has been a significant increase in the visibility of transgender people in national discourse. This chapter first maps the intersections of queer, feminist, and transgender studies in order to contextualize this current moment of transgender visibility before reviewing the attendant surge in media and communication studies scholarship conducted in this area. The chapter makes two recommendations for future research: The first concerns the application of an intersectional theoretical framework to understand the multiple oppressions transgender people are subject to; the second advocates for a queer methodology in order to scrutinize how transgender people themselves engage with media and how these representations impact their everyday lives. The chapter concludes by interrogating the ethics of academic knowledge production and questions of community accountability.
The Effect of Short Experiences on Macromolecules in the Brain

There is much research that suggests that the storage of memory involves successive stages. Initially, memory is presumed to be retrievable from a short-lived form, short term memory, but as this declines, memory is then retrievable from a more permanent form, long term memory (see John, 1967, and others for a discussion of the evidence for this). These steps in the learning process and memory storage are shown in Fig. 1.
Solving Poisson-type equations with Robin boundary conditions on piecewise smooth interfaces

Abstract We present two finite volume schemes to solve a class of Poisson-type equations subject to Robin boundary conditions in irregular domains with piecewise smooth boundaries. The first scheme results in a symmetric linear system and produces second-order accurate numerical solutions with first-order accurate gradients in the L ∞ -norm (for solutions with two bounded derivatives). The second scheme is nonsymmetric but produces second-order accurate numerical solutions as well as second-order accurate gradients in the L ∞ -norm (for solutions with three bounded derivatives). Numerical examples are given in two and three spatial dimensions.
The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae persists in the highly oxidative environment of its soft-bodied tick vector.

The relapsing fever spirochete Borrelia turicatae possesses a complex life cycle in its soft-bodied tick vector, Ornithodoros turicata. Spirochetes enter the tick midgut during a blood meal, and, during the following weeks, spirochetes disseminate throughout O. turicata. A population persists in the salivary glands allowing for rapid transmission to the mammalian hosts during tick feeding. Little is known about the physiological environment within the salivary glands acini in which B. turicatae persists. In this study, we examined the salivary gland transcriptome of O. turicata ticks and detected the expression of 57 genes involved in oxidant metabolism or antioxidant defences. We confirmed the expression of five of the most highly expressed genes, including glutathione peroxidase (gpx), thioredoxin peroxidase (tpx), manganese superoxide dismutase (sod-1), copper-zinc superoxide dismutase (sod-2), and catalase (cat) by reverse-transcriptase droplet digital polymerase chain reaction (RT-ddPCR). We also found distinct differences in the expression of these genes when comparing the salivary glands and midguts of unfed O. turicata ticks. Our results indicate that the salivary glands of unfed O. turicata nymphs are highly oxidative environments where reactive oxygen species (ROS) predominate, whereas midgut tissues comprise a primarily nitrosative environment where nitric oxide synthase is highly expressed. Additionally, B. turicatae was found to be hyperresistant to ROS compared with the Lyme disease spirochete Borrelia burgdorferi, suggesting it is uniquely adapted to the highly oxidative environment of O. turicata salivary gland acini.
Quench Measurements in a YBCO Pancake Coil at 77 K and 4.2 K in Magnetic Fields up to 10 Tesla

We measured stability and quench in a YBCO pancake coil in liquid nitrogen bath (77.3 K) and in liquid helium bath (4.2 K) with externally applied magnetic fields up to 10 T. The pancake coil was instrumented with voltage taps and thermocouples in the winding for measurements of radial and azimuthal quench propagations. A heater was placed on the inner-most part of the winding. Heat pulses of various powers and durations were generated at different coil currents to measure quench and normal zone propagation. A protection circuit with a possibility of setting different quench voltage limits was used to turn off the coil current after the voltage limit was exceeded.
Molecular testing in metastatic colorectal adenocarcinoma cytology cell pellets.

Background Mutational status for KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF genes should be performed on all colorectal carcinoma (CRC) specimens in order to guide targeted therapy selection for metastatic disease. Mutations are typically assessed via polymerase chain reaction and/or next generation sequencing (NGS) on formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissues. With minimally invasive diagnostic methodologies, the cytology cell pellet obtained by fine-needle aspiration (FNA) can serve as an alternative source of tumor deoxyribonucleic acid. Methods An electronic record review of the cytopathology files (CoPathPlus, Cerner Corp., North Kansas City, Missouri) from September 1, 2015 through December 31, 2018 was conducted. All cytology specimens obtained via FNA and diagnosed as metastatic CRC on which NGS was performed were included. NGS for KRAS, NRAS, and BRAF mutations using the AmpliSeq Cancer Hotspot Panel v2.0 kit (Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, Massachusetts) was performed on cytology cell pellets. Results Forty-eight cases were identified. Forty-six of 48 specimens (96%) were adequate for molecular testing. Of those adequate specimens, proportion of malignant cells in the sample ranged from 5% to 95% (mean 46%). Twenty-seven of 48 cases (56%) were positive for clinically relevant mutations. Twenty-four of 27 cases (89%) were positive for KRAS mutations, with exon 2 most frequently involved (22/24 cases, 92%). Two of 27 cases (7%) were positive for NRAS mutations and one case (1/27, 4%) was positive for a BRAF mutation involving codon 594. Conclusion Mutational analysis performed on cytology cell pellets serves as a useful means of gathering clinically actionable information on tumor mutation status in metastatic CRC.
Incentivizing OER adoption with course development mini-grants

Open Educational Resources (OER) are one form of digital scholarship used across the country to make education more accessible to students by removing barriers to essential course materials (such as textbooks and supplementary readings). This case shows how one university has taken steps to increase the prominence of OER in classrooms on campus while engaging in a state-wide pilot project.
Insular dwarfism in female Eastern Hog-nosed Snakes (Heterodon platirhinos; Dipsadidae) on a barrier island

The island rule postulates that the special ecological conditions on islands, such as limited resource availability, can cause populations of large-bodied animals to evolve smaller sizes and small-...
Formation and prevention of pipe scale from acid mine drainage at iron Mountain and Leviathan Mines, California, USA

Abstract Pipelines carrying acid mine drainage (AMD) to treatment plants commonly form pipe scale, an Fe(III)-rich precipitate that forms inside the pipelines and requires periodic and costly cleanout and maintenance. Pipelines at Iron Mountain Mine (IMM) and Leviathan Mine (LM) in California carry acidic water from mine sources to a treatment plant and have developed pipe scale. Samples of scale and AMD were collected from both mine sites for mineralogical, microbiological, and chemical analysis. The scale mineralogy was primarily schwertmannite with minor amounts of poorly crystalline goethite. Although the bulk composition of the scale was similar along the length of the pipeline at IMM, the number of iron-oxidizing bacteria and concentrations of associated trace elements decreased along the flow path inside the pipeline. Laboratory batch experiments with unfiltered AMD from IMM and LM showed that Fe(II) oxidation was driven by microbial activity when the pH was
Chapter 10 – Survival Analysis

In this chapter, various techniques of assessing an individual's survival are presented, suitable for presentation in a forensic setting. The three techniques that are compared are the life table, Kaplan–Meier, and Weibull methods. Methods for assessing the uncertainty of a survival projection, as well as the bounds of what is “more probable than not” for an individual, suitable for presentation in a forensic setting, are discussed and presented as well.
Simulating Exotic Phases of Matter with Bond-Directed Interactions with Arrays of Majorana-Cooper Pair Boxes

It is suggested that networks of Majorana-Cooper pair boxes connected by metallic nanowires can simulate various exotic states of matter. In this simulation Majorana-Cooper boxes play the role of effective spins S=1/2 and the metallic connections generate the Kondo screening and the Ruderman-Kittel-Kasuya-Yosida (RKKY) interaction. Depending on what prevails-whether it is the Kondo effect or the RKKY exchange, one will have either a Kondo lattice or an effective spin model. The list of exotic states includes the famous hexagonal Kitaev model, a generalization of this model for a Kondo lattice, and various spin models with three-spin interactions. Special emphasis is made on the discussion of the Kondo lattice scenario.
Size Effects in Random Fiber Networks Controlled by the Use of Generalized Boundary Conditions

Materials with a stochastic fiber network as the main structural constituent are broadly encountered in engineering and in biology. These materials are characterized by multiscale heterogeneity and hence their properties evaluated numerically or experimentally are generally dependent on the size of the sample considered. In this work we evaluate the size effect on the linear and non-linear mechanical response of three-dimensional stochastic fiber networks and determine its dependence on material parameters and on the degree of affinity of network deformation. The size effect is more pronounced in non-affine than in affine networks and decreases slowly when the model size increases. In order to eliminate this effect, models lager than can be effectively solved with current computers have to be considered. To address this issue, we propose a method that allows using relatively small models, while accurately predicting the small and large strain behaviors of the network. The method is based on the generalized boundary conditions introduced in (Gluge 2013, Computational Materials Science 79, 408-416), which are being adapted here to the requirements imposed by fibrous materials.
Abstract 15104: Malignant Neoplasms of the Heart in the United States

Introduction: Malignant cardiac neoplasms (MCN) are rare and deadly. Metastatic cardiac tumors are known to be more frequent than primary neoplasms of the heart. Due to the uncommon nature of this ...
Do local liposomal bupivacaine and interscalene nerve block provide similar pain control after shoulder arthroplasty? A dual-center randomized controlled trial

Background Interscalene nerve block (INB) has become a popular technique for shoulder anesthesia. However, INB is associated with complication rates as high as 20%. Local liposomal bupivacaine (LLB) is an alternative to INB that potentially offers extended pain control with fewer adverse effects. Methods We conducted a dual-center randomized controlled trial of 108 participants who were treated with LLB (n = 54) or INB (n = 54) to control pain after shoulder arthroplasty. We assessed visual analog scale pain scores at 6-hour intervals from 6 to 96 hours postoperatively and at the first postoperative visit. We assessed opioid medication consumption intraoperatively and on days 1, 2, 3, and 4 postoperatively, as well as the duration of hospital and postanesthesia care unit (PACU) stays. Results At 6 hours postoperatively, the mean visual analog scale pain score was lower in the INB group (2.9 ± 3.1) than in the LLB group (5.1 ± 2.9, P Conclusions Compared with LLB, INB provides better pain control immediately after shoulder arthroplasty as evidenced by shorter PACU stays, lower pain scores at 6 hours postoperatively, and less opioid medication consumption during the first 24 hours postoperatively. However, no differences in outcomes were observed between groups beyond 24 hours.
Supporting Wildfire Response During a Pandemic in the United States: the COVID-19 Incident Risk Assessment Tool

The onset of the global pandemic in 2020 significantly increased the complexity and uncertainty of wildfire incident response in the United States, and there was a clear role for decision support to inform and enhance coordination and communication efforts. Epidemiological modeling suggested the risk of COVID-19 outbreak at a traditional large fire camp could be substantial and supported the broadscale implementation of mitigations, and management of COVID-19 required expanding the response network to interface with entities such as local public health agencies, hospitals, and emergency operations centers. Despite the early issuance of medical and public health guidance to support wildfire management functions under a COVID-19 modified operating posture, an identified gap was a scale- and scope-appropriate tool to support incident-level assessment of COVID-19 risk. Here we review the development and application of a COVID-19 Incident Risk Assessment Tool intended to fill that gap. After prototyping with fire managers and risk practitioners, including early-season use on several incidents, we built an online dashboard that was used operationally throughout the 2020 fire season. We summarize usage statistics, provide some examples of real use on wildfire incidents, and report feedback from users. The tool helped to fill a critical information gap and was intended to support risk-informed decision-making regarding incident logistics, operations, and COVID-19 mitigations.
Just Deserts: Debating Free Will (Polity Press 2021): by Daniel C. Dennett and Gregg D. Caruso, Cambridge, Polity, 2021, 200 pp., $16.95 (pbk), ISBN: 978-1-509-54575-9

Plug ‘free will’ into YouTube’s search function and you will find a shocking range of people confidently sharing their untutored opinions on the topic – from recognizable physicists (Neil de Grasse...
Standardized Performance Analysis Update

The Standardized Performance Analysis (SPA) methodology, guidelines, software, and education materials for beef cattle was developed out of an initiative of the National Cattlemen's Association (NCA) producers as part of the Integrated Resource Management (IRM) effort. The SPA committees involve producers and Extension specialists, primarily animal scientists, veterinarians, and agricultural economist.
Learning from the whirlpools of existence: Crises and transformative processes as complex and rhythmic phenomena

The aim of this paper is to problematize and enrich the use of the concept of crisis in adult education to theorize further its contribution to the study of transformative processes. This paper discusses first the implications inherent in the adoption of event-based and processual approaches to crises. It seeks then to nuance and problematize the ways in which the relationships between crisis, learning and (trans)formative processes are conceived in adult education, especially through transformative learning theory and biographical approaches. The reflection highlights the difficulty of capturing the fluidity of learning and (trans)formative dynamics. Inspired by Edgar Morin’s paradigm of complexity and illustrated by examples taken from the COVID-19 pandemic, three principles are defined to help conceiving what structures, regulates and reorganizes such dynamics. The contribution concludes by emphasizing the importance of developing a critical awareness of the rhythms that shape educational processes.
Multifunctional Nanoparticles for Personalized Medicine

Breakthroughs in genetic sequencing, biomarker discovery, clinical diagnostics, and drug development have led to the ability to diagnose and treat disease in a more individualized manner. Personalized medicine treats each patient as a unique individual and customizes therapy based on the unique disease characteristics of that individual. Personalizing medicine presents a particular challenge and promise in a disease like cancer which is diverse, dynamic, and where treatment is sensitive to disease stage. Multifunctional nanoparticles could play a critical role in the future of personalized medicine, having the versatility to package large quantities of chemotherapeutics and contrast agents, enhance pharmacokinetics of traditional treatments and imaging strategies, and allow specific targeting of diseased tissues both passively and actively. This chapter will focus on the use of multifunctional nanoparticles in the diagnosis, monitoring, and treatment of cancer with specific focus on applications in personalized medicine.
Solute Movement and Soil Salinity

Publisher Summary During water's residence in the soil, the infiltrated water tends to dissolve additional solutes including the soluble products of mineral and organic matter decomposition as well as fertilizers and pesticides. Solutes move not only with soil water, but also within it in response to concentration gradients. At the same time, solutes react among themselves and interact with the solid matrix of the soil in a continuous cyclic succession of interrelated physical and chemical processes. These interactions involve and are strongly influenced by variable factors such as acidity, temperature, oxidation–reduction potential, composition, and concentration of the soil solution. To estimate the distance of travel of a solute per unit time, the average apparent velocity of the flowing solution is considered. A better understanding of the simultaneous movement and interactions of water and solutes in the soil is essential to the improvement of soil fertility through the control of nutrients in the root zone as well as to the prevention of soil salinity, alkalinity, and other occurrences of toxicity. Such an understanding is crucial in the area of environmental management whenever soil-borne solutes migrate to, and affect the quality of, groundwater or surface-water resources.
Long memory and structural changes in the forward discount: An empirical investigation

Abstract We analyze the evidence for long memory and structural changes in the five G7 countries' forward discount. We establish evidence for long memory by estimating the long memory parameter without allowing for structural breaks. We also document evidence for multiple structural breaks in the mean of the forward discount. We then adjust for structural changes in the forward discount rate and re-estimate the long memory parameter. After removing the breaks, we still find evidence of stationary long memory in each country's forward discount.
Learning Collaborative Tasks on Textual User Interfaces

A novel 'play-by-play' based procedure learning system has been successfully applied to automate Web tasks. In the transition to a non-Web domain, for a system widely used at US military hospitals, we addressed new challenges by enabling the system to learn collaborative tasks and understand unstructured application environment. This paper presents our approach and its promising evaluation results.
Smurf2 regulates hematopoietic stem cell self-renewal and aging (HEM2P.256)

The age-dependent decline in the self-renewal capacity of stem cells plays a critical role in aging, but the precise mechanisms underlying this decline are not well understood. By limiting proliferative capacity, senescence is thought to play an important role in age-dependent decline of stem cell self-renewal, although direct evidence supporting this hypothesis is largely lacking. We have previously identified the E3 ubiquitin ligase Smurf2 as a critical regulator of senescence. In this study, we found that mice deficient in Smurf2 had an expanded hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) compartment in bone marrow under normal homeostatic conditions, and this expansion was associated with enhanced proliferation and reduced quiescence of HSCs. Surprisingly, increased cycling and reduced quiescence of HSCs in Smurf2-deficient mice did not lead to premature exhaustion of stem cells. Instead, HSCs in aged Smurf2-deficient mice had a significantly better repopulating capacity than aged wild-type HSCs, suggesting that decline in HSC function with age is Smurf2-dependent. Furthermore, Smurf2-deficient HSCs exhibited elevated long-term self-renewal capacity and diminished exhaustion in serial transplantation. As we found that the expression of Smurf2 was increased with age and in response to regenerative stress during serial transplantation, our findings suggest that Smurf2 plays an important role in regulating HSC self-renewal and aging.
Shell-Model Calculations for Exotic Nuclei

Recent theoretical calculations for the properties (mass, lifetime, size, and decay modes) of light nuclei (A < 50) far from stability will be discussed. The calculations are based on the mixing of many shell-model configurations (up to about 7000) where the hamiltonian has been determined from the binding energies and excitation energies of nuclei near the valley of stability. For the nuclear sizes these wave functions are combined with Hartree-Fock mean-field calculations. The comparison to experiment tests the model assumptions. On the proton-rich side, some of the interesting aspects concern the understanding of the Gamow-Teller strength functions and the isospin forbidden decay modes observed. On the neutron-rich side, we will discuss the large rms radii for the neutron rich Li and Be isotopes, the intruder states seen around A, Z= 32, 12, and the relation of the lifetime and decay modes to the Gamow-Teller strength function in the final nucleus.
Structure of option repricings : determinants and consequences

I present a novel dataset of over 4,000 firm-level repricings of executives and employees' stock options over the period 1987-2002. For a sub-sample of 587 repricings characterized by a homogeneous institutional environment, I investigate determinants and consequences of the structure of the repricing offer, defined in terms of: i) eligibility criteria (i.e. who is eligible to participate?), ii) economic terms (e.g. new exercise price, number of new options granted in replacement of each underwater option), and iii) exerciseability conditions (e.g. restarted vesting schedule, other retention-enhancing features). Overall, I find significant evidence of managerial self-serving behavior in certain aspects of the design of the repricing offer. In particular: i) more visible firms, with stronger corporate governance, are more likely to exclude executives from the repricing offer; ii) retention-enhancing features (which reduce the value of the options) are significantly less likely when executives' options are repriced than in employee-only repricings; iii) repricings are timed just before significant price run-ups when the CEO participates in the repricing, but not in employee-only repricings; iv) higher institutional ownership is associated with economic terms less favorable to executives and stricter exerciseability conditions. The choice of economic terms and exerciseability conditions seems to mostly depend on economic determinants. In particular, firms are more likely to offer a partial repricing when there is a deeper underwater problem, while retention-enhancing features are more frequent when there is a higher perceived retention risk and better outside employment opportunities. Finally, I find weak evidence of a decrease in employee turnover after the repricing, but the extent of such decrease does not seem to depend on the structure of the repricing offer. Beside contributing to the literature on option repricings, these results may be of interest to investors called to vote upon repricing proposals by recent NYSE and NASDAQ rules requiring mandatory shareholder approval for all repricings - unless explicitly authorized by the stock option plan.
An analytical expression for power spectra of M-ary LREC continuous phase modulation signals

Several different methods are available for computing the power spectral density (PSD) of a general continuous phase modulated (CPM) signal. For the case of rectangular frequency pulses with L=1 (that is, M-ary continuous phase frequency shift keying (CPFSK) or M-ary 1REC CPM), an analytical expression is known for the PSD when the data symbols are equally likely. An analytic expression is obtained for the PSD of an M-ary LREC CPM signal where L is an arbitrary positive integer and the data symbols are not necessarily equally likely. The technique employed does not require the tedious evaluation of integrals. Rather, the integrals are recognized as convolutions and the PSD is obtained using simple Fourier transform properties. Some numerical results and computational aspects of the method are discussed. >
Performance Metrics for Information Security Risk Management

Qualitative methods are available for risk management, but better practice would use quantitative risk management based on expected losses and related metrics. Measuring the success of information security investments is best accomplished by measuring reductions in expected loss.
MFT Doctoral Dissertations: A Brief Report.

This brief report responds to the relative dearth of information available about MFT doctoral dissertations. A preliminary analysis of one COAMFTE program is detailed. Suggestions for future action are offered.
Role of dialysable solutes in the mediation of uremic encephalopathy in the rat

Role of dialysable solutes in the mediation of uremic encephalopathy in the rat.This study addresses mechanisms of the clinical, encephalopathic uremic illness and its suppression by dialysis. Renoprival rats were treated with peritoneal dialysis (8 exchanges per day, 30min dwell), or untreated (attrition group), and their EEG's were automatically sampled overnight and subjected to power spectrum analysis as an index of encephalopathy. As in man the background rhythm of the quantified EEG (Q.EEG) in the attrition group slowed with time as extracellular fluid composition became increasingly abnormal; these changes were normalized by therapeutic dialysis (TD) using standard, commercial dialysate. However, Q.EEG slowing was only partially normalized by solute-specific dialysis using "mock uremic dialysate" (M-UD), prepared from laboratory chemicals to equal plasma concentrations in preterminal uremic rats of urea, creatinine, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, bicarbonate, sodium, and chloride. When only phosphate was added to TD, the Q.EEG slowed to the same level achieved after M-UD. We conclude that uremic encephalopathy in this model is produced by an unknown neurotoxin and augmented by one or more of the M-UD solutes, phosphate being a likely candidate. To localize the encephalopathic effect, regional brain glucose uptake was estimated in 20 discrete brain areas. Significance of reduced uptake in three areas is discussed.
Effectiveness of a structured curriculum focused on recognition and response to acute patient deterioration in an undergraduate BSN program

The study purpose was to evaluate the effectiveness of a structured education curriculum with simulation training in educating undergraduate Baccalaureate of Science in Nursing (BSN) students to recognize and respond to patients experiencing acute deterioration as first responders. Researchers have demonstrated a lack of adequate clinical reasoning skills in new graduate nurses is a factor in critical patient incidents. A mixed methods design using a quasi-experimental, repeated measures and a descriptive, qualitative approach was used. A convenience sample of 48 BSN students was recruited. Statistically significant increases were shown in knowledge, self-confidence, and perceptions of teamwork. Six categories emerged from the qualitative data analysis: sources of knowledge, knowledge as a person, knowledge as a group, reasoning under pressure, feelings, real person versus simulation, and values. Nursing educators need to use innovative teaching strategies to ameliorate or even eliminate the theory-practice gap in nursing.
Modulatory effects of D-serine and sarcosine on NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission are apparent after stress in the genetically inbred BALB/c mouse strain

Abnormalities of NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission are involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease, substance abuse and seizure disorders. The NMDA receptor is implicated in schizophrenia because phencyclidine (PCP), a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist, binds to a hydrophobic domain within the channel, precipitating a schizophreniform psychosis in susceptible persons. Pharmacological, environmental, and genetic variables alter NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission. Inbred mouse strains differ in their sensitivity to some of the behavioral effects of MK-801 (dizocilpine), a PCP analogue. The NMDA receptor complex in the BALB/c strain could reflect a unique stoichiometric combination of receptor subunits resulting in a higher proportion of the channels in the open configuration, a higher affinity of MK-801 for its hydrophobic channel domain, and/or a combination of the above. The BALB/c mouse strain, "stressed" mice, and behavioral consequences of MK-801 administration represent models of altered glutamatergic neural transmission. We were interested in examining the effect of stress on the modulatory properties of d-serine and sarcosine. d-Serine is a naturally occurring glycine agonist that modulates the ability of l-glutamate to influence the opening of the NMDA receptor-associated ionophore, and sarcosine is a naturally occurring glycine reuptake inhibitor. The data suggest that 24h after stress, d-serine and sarcosine interact synergistically to reduce MK-801's ability to antagonize electrically precipitated tonic hindlimb extension. Under conditions of stress, modulatory effects of d-serine and sarcosine on the antiseizure effect of MK-801 are observed that are not apparent in the nonstress condition. The results could be relevant to the development of glycinergic interventions for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Dual mode polyspermine with tunable degradability for plasmid DNA and siRNA delivery

Stimuli-responsive degradability is an indispensable design component for polymeric gene carriers. In order to obtain enhanced, non-cytotoxic, and molecularly tunable nonviral gene delivery, spermine, a bioavailable small cationic molecule, was polymerized with diacrylate cross-linkers with or without acid-degradable ketal linkages for controlled dual mode-degradability (i.e., differential degradations in the endosome and the cytosol). The effects of ketal to ester ratios in the polymeric backbone on degradation rate, condensation of both plasmid DNA and siRNA, cellular uptake, intracellular disassembly, and consequent DNA transfection and RNA interference efficiency in vitro and in vivo were investigated. Limited nucleic acid complexation and cellular uptake but efficient intracellular release of nucleic acids were obtained with poly(spermine ketal ester) (PSKE), the most acid-degradable polyspermine. In contrast, poly(spermine ester) (PSE), which is not acid-degradable, demonstrated efficient nucleic acid complexation and cellular uptake but inefficient intracellular release of nucleic acids. The highest in vitro DNA transfection was obtained by the random co-polymer of PSKE and PSE at an equal ratio (PSKE-PSE), attributed to its balanced DNA complexation and acid-responsive release efficiency, while efficient siRNA unpackaging by PSKE resulted in the highest gene silencing efficiency. Preliminary in vivo studies demonstrated that the highest DNA transfection was obtained by using PSE, while both PSKE and PSE silenced GFP expression at the similar level. In conclusion, dual mode-degradable polyspermine is a non-cytotoxic nonviral gene carrier, and its acid-degradability can be molecularly tuned for differentially controlled transfection and gene silencing in vitro and in vivo.
Intra- and lnterspecific aggression in two species of field crickets,Gryllus integer andG. alogus

Adult, laboratory-reared, and singly caged field crickets, Gryllus integer, of known ages and representing F1 to F4 generations, were exposed to 15–20-minute bouts of social interaction with introduced adult intruder males on alternate days from approximately 1 week after adult molt to time of death. A total of 3,523 paired-male bouts for 116 male G. integer were recorded over a 2.5-year study period. Adult males used as intruders were wild-caught or laboratory reared G. integer, but for nine of the 116 experimental males, wild-caught intruders of a closely related sympathetic species, G. alogus, were used for all or many of the bouts. Bouts between male G. integer and conspecific intruders were characterized by significantly elevated levels of aggression (t=6.04, P<0.001) compared with males exposed to heterospecific G. alogus intruders in interspecific interactions. Significant differences (p<0.005, chi-squared test of independence) existed at four out of five levels in a hierarchy of agonistic behaviors. Most G. integer males exposed to both G. integer and G. alogus intruders showed significantly reduced aggression levels during the interspecific interactions (p<0.001, Mann-Whitney U test). Conspecific G. integer dyads in the intraspecific interactions showed significantly stable dominant-subordinate relationships over time. Confusion surrounding the use of the term aggression is described with reference to Arthropods in general and Orthopteran insects in particular, and some likely proximate and ultimate bases for reduced interspecific aggression in field crickets are discussed.
Marine biology: The coral disease triangle

The underlying causes of biodiversity loss can be numerous and difficult to identify. Now evidence suggests that disease outbreaks triggered by warming oceans are a primary cause of the disappearance of Caribbean coral reefs.
An approximate nonlinear design procedure for partially prestressed concrete beams

Abstract The theoretical basis and the main results of an approximate nonlinear design procedure which attempts to predict the behavior at ultimate of prestressed and partially prestressed concrete members is presented. Difficulties encountered in simulating the actual behavior of concrete and steel are discussed; particular emphasis is put on comparing the various available stress-strain relationships for prestressing steels, and observed variability in their actual properties. Recommended equations and corresponding coefficients are given. Typical results showing the influence on ultimate behavior of major variables such as the type and amount of prestressing steel, the amount of nonprestressed tensile and compressive reinforcement, and the ultimate concrete compressive strain are presented and compared with code derived results. They help point out where the code recommendations, if used, may lead to an unsafe design and what modifications may be needed to make them more representative of observed trends.
Maternity and Black Women's Citizenship in Frances Watkins Harper's Early Poetry and Late Prose

Since Ann Douglas famously opined in The Feminization of American Culture (1988) that “the nineteenth-century seemed bent on establishing a permanent ‘Mother’s Day’” (1), scholars have investigated a wide range of political, social, and aesthetic implications of maternal representations in the period. In Women of the Republic: Intellect and Ideology in Revolutionary America (1980), Linda Kerber coined the now familiar term Republican Motherhood to describe the role of women in national life, suggesting that “a consensus developed around the idea that a mother committed to the service of her family and state might serve a political purpose” (5). According to Stephanie Smith, “It would be hard indeed for any sustained consideration of nineteenth-century cultural practices in the US not to comment on the degree to which maternal iconography signaled utopian perfection, making ‘mother’ a sacred, natural symbol of perfect, reciprocal relations” (3). Lauren Berlant sutures motherhood to the political imaginary, observing how maternal figures were “employed symbolically to regulate or represent the field of national fantasy” (26). The ability for maternal representations
Uses of hyperbaric oxygen therapy in the 1990s

Hyperbaric oxygen can produce a variety of effects in addition to reducing air and gas embolism. It increases the killing ability of leukocytes and is lethal to certain anaerobic bacteria. It inhibits toxin formation by certain anaerobes, increases the flexibility of red cells, reduces tissue edema, preserves intracellular adenosine triphosphate, maintains tissue oxygenation in the absence of hemoglobin. In addition, it stimulates fibroblast growth, increases collagen formation, promotes more rapid growth of capillaries, and terminates lipid peroxidation. These actions of hyperbaric oxygen are useful in treating anaerobic infections that result in gas gangrene, as well as severe aerobic infections such as necrotizing fasciitis, malignant external otitis, and chronic refractory osteomyelitis. Hyperbaric oxygen can help preserve ischemic tissues and facilitates the rapid spread and arborization of new capillaries. It promotes healing in certain problem wounds. Adjunctive hyperbaric oxygen treatment is a new approach to the management of radionecrosis. Hyperbaric oxygen treatment reduces morbidity and mortality resulting from carbon monoxide poisoning. Protocols for hyperbaric oxygen therapy are at present mostly empirical; much additional research is needed to better define therapeutic indications.
Development in Illinois in 1957

In Illinois 2,585 wells were drilled for oil and gas in 1957, as compared with 3,640 in 1956, a decrease of 29%. These figures are exclusive of water- or gas-input wells, salt-water disposal wells, and old wells worked over. Exploratory drilling decreased 23% from 1,028 completions in 1956 to 788 in 1957. Sixteen new pools, 51 extensions, and 16 new pays in producing areas were discovered in 1957. Total oil production decreased from 82,314,000 bbls. in 1956 to 76,649,000 in 1957. As in previous years, most of the 1957 discoveries were in Mississippian formations. One new pool produced from a Pennsylvanian sandstone, 11 from Mississippian sandstone and limestone, 3 from Devonian or Silurian limestone, and 1 from the Trenton limestone.
Streptomycin Resistance in a Streptomycin-Producing Microorganism

Cell-free extracts of Streptomyces bikiniensis contain an adenosine 5'-triphosphate-dependent kinase which inactivates streptomycin (Sm) and dihydrostreptomycin by phosphorylation. The products have been identified as streptomycin 6-phosphate and dihydrostreptomycin 6-phosphate. Activity was not present in logarithmic-phase cells, which were susceptible to 25 mug of Sm per ml. In stationary-phase cells, activity appeared 12 h before detectable Sm in the medium. These cells were resistant to more than 200 mug of Sm per ml. Certain S. bikiniensis isolates selected from cultures treated with acriflavine or ethidium bromide lost the ability to produce Sm and became susceptible to 10 mug of Sm per ml throughout their growth. Cell-free extracts of the dye-treated isolates did not inactivate Sm and lacked streptomycin kinase activity at all stages in development. Ribosomes from resistant cells bound the same amount of [(3)H]dihydrostreptomycin as ribosomes from susceptible cells, and there was no correlation between the uptake of [(3)H]dihydrostreptomycin and resistance. The Sm-inactivating enzyme was identified as streptomycin-6-kinase. These results suggest that phosphorylation by streptomycin-6-kinase is a major factor in resistance in S. bikiniensis.
A family of variable-precision interval arithmetic processors

Traditional computer systems often suffer from roundoff error and catastrophic cancellation in floating point computations. These systems produce apparently high precision results with little or no indication of the accuracy. This paper presents hardware designs, arithmetic algorithms, and software support for a family of variable-precision, interval arithmetic processors. These processors give the programmer the ability to detect and, if desired, to correct implicit errors in finite precision numerical computations. They also provide the ability to solve problems that cannot be solved efficiently using traditional floating point computations. Execution time estimates indicate that these processors are two to three orders of magnitude faster than software packages that provide similar functionality.
Non-uniform information dissemination for dynamic grid resource discovery

Effective use of computational grids requires up-to-date information about widely-distributed resources within it - a challenging problem given the scale of the grid, and the continuously changing state of the resources. We propose nonuniform information dissemination protocols to efficiently propagate information to distributed repositories, without requiring flooding or centralized approaches. Capitalizing on the observation that grid resources are of more interest to nearby users, we disseminate resource information with a frequency and resolution inversely proportional to the distance from the resource. Results indicate a significant reduction in the overhead compared to uniform dissemination to all repositories.
The static approximation, staggered fermions and fB

Abstract Matrix elements of heavy-light bilinears measured on the lattice are compared to their continuum counterparts. The heavy quark is treated using the static effective field theory, and the light quark is treated as a staggered fermion. The time component of the axial current is the bilinear used to determine f B . We derive identities which simplify the calculations involving staggered fermions by reducing them to calculations involving naive fermions.