cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Gas exchange measurements in the unsteady state.

Leaf level gas exchange is a widely used technique that provides real-time measurement of leaf physiological properties, including CO2 assimilation (A), stomatal conductance to water vapour (gsw ) and intercellular CO2 (Ci ). Modern open-path gas exchange systems offer greater portability than the laboratory-built systems of the past and take advantage of high-precision infrared gas analyzers and optimized system design. However, the basic measurement paradigm has long required steady-state conditions for accurate measurement. For CO2 response curves, this requirement has meant that each point on the curve needs 1-3 min and a full response curve generally requires 20-35 min to obtain a sufficient number of points to estimate parameters such as the maximum velocity of carboxylation (Vc,max ) and the maximum rate of electron transport (Jmax ). For survey measurements, the steady-state requirement has meant that accurate measurement of assimilation has required about 1-2 min. However, steady-state conditions are not a strict prerequisite for accurate gas exchange measurements. Here, we present a new method, termed dynamic assimilation, that is based on first principles and allows for more rapid gas exchange measurements, helping to make the technique more useful for high throughput applications.
C60Cl6, C60Br8 and C60(NO2)6 as Selective Tools in Organic Synthesis

Reactions of C60Cl6, C60Br8 and C60(NO2)6 with arene substrates under mild conditions afford primarily monochlorinated, monobrominated or mononitrated organic products in high yield, often with gre...
Decision Problems and Applications of Operations Research at Marine Container Terminals

This article provides an overview of the applications of operations research (OR) techniques to marine container terminals. The article begins by providing a summary of marine container terminal operations. Following this, a series of decision problems are identified, to which OR techniques have been applied. These include quayside, yard, and landside decision problems. In each section, the problems, technical approaches, and outcomes are described. With respect to quayside decision problems, the specific problems addressed include determination of quayside equipment types, berth allocation, quay crane allocation and scheduling, and operational planning and real-time decisions related to transportation equipment. Yard decision problems include yard design, storage space allocation, and task assignment for yard handling equipment. Landside decision problems include design of the terminal's landside connection, transport planning, and real-time control of landside operations. The article provides an overview of the state of the practice. The reader will gain an understanding of the nature of decision problems in marine container terminals, how OR techniques have been used to address these, and the operational improvements made possible through the application of OR techniques to this problem area. Keywords: quay crane; yard crane; berth allocation problem; quay crane allocation; yard dispatching and routing; container terminal; marine terminal operations; operations research
lolliCop - A Linear Logic Implementation of a Lean Connection-Method Theorem Prover for First-Order Classical Logic

When Prolog programs that manipulate lists to manage a collection of resources are rewritten to take advantage of the linear logic resource management provided by the logic programming language Lolli, they can obtain dramatic speedup. Thus far this has been demonstrated only for "toy" applications, such as n-queens. In this paper we present such a reimplementation of the lean connection-calculus prover leanCoP and obtain a theorem prover for first-order classical logic which rivals or outperforms state-of-the-art provers on a significant body of problems.
What are we missing? The costs versus benefits of skip rule designs

Many research diagnostic interviews employ skip rules, such that some questions are only asked based on answers to prior questions. In the context of large-scale epidemiological studies, skip rules are important to study feasibility by reducing the time, money, and participant burden required for assessment. However, less is understood about information lost when questions are skipped. This study examines the relative prevalence, clinical significance, and additional time required to assess eating disorder symptom patterns skipped in the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I) to understand the costs and benefits of following skip rules. Data come from the second stage of a two-stage cohort sample (N = 400) in which the SCID-I eating disorders module was administered without following skip rules. Results were weighted to correct for the sampling framework. Over a third of subjects endorsed symptoms that would have been missed had skip rules been followed. Uncaptured symptom patterns were associated with increased psychosocial impairment, and the additional time required to assess all symptoms averaged 1.8 minutes per participant. Clinically significant symptom patterns are missed by the SCID-I and similar diagnostic tools, suggesting that epidemiologic studies using such instruments under-estimate the prevalence and public health impact of mental disorders.
Visual and visuoperceptual function in children with Panayiotopoulos syndrome

Summary Purpose: The aim of this study was to assess behavioral aspects of visual function and visuoperceptual abilities in patients with Panayiotopoulos syndrome (PS), and their possible associations with clinical and electroencephalography (EEG) findings in order to establish the possible effect of interictal paroxysmal activity on visual performance. Methods: The cohort included 28 patients (14 male and 14 female) of ages ranging between 4 and 15 years. All patients underwent serial videopolygraphic studies and a detailed battery of tests assessing visual abilities, including assessment of acuity, stereopsis, visual fields, and visuoperceptual abilities; tests included the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, the Visuo Motor Integration tests, and evaluation of motion and form coherence threshold. Results: On the assessment of visual function, only 4 of the 28 (15%) had abnormal crowding acuity and one had abnormal stereopsis. On the visuoperceptual assessment, one patient had abnormal results on the Visuo Motor Integration tests, and one on the Movement Assessment Battery for Children, whereas 4 (15%) had abnormal results for form coherence threshold and one for motion threshold. Discussion: Our results suggest that, although most of our patients had focal or diffuse EEG abnormalities involving the occipital regions, abnormalities of visual and visuoperceptual function were relatively uncommon. Age at onset of seizure <5 years and EEG activation to eye closure and during sleep can be considered as factors that slightly increased the risk for developing visual abnormalities. Their presence, however, was not always associated with abnormal visual findings.
Embedded assessment: overcoming barriers to early detection with pervasive computing

Embedded assessment leverages the capabilities of pervasive computing to advance early detection of health conditions. In this approach, technologies embedded in the home setting are used to establish personalized baselines against which later indices of health status can be compared. Our ethnographic and concept feedback studies suggest that adoption of such health technologies among end users will be increased if monitoring is woven into preventive and compensatory health applications, such that the integrated system provides value beyond assessment. We review health technology advances in the three areas of monitoring, compensation, and prevention. We then define embedded assessment in terms of these three components. The validation of pervasive computing systems for early detection involves unique challenges due to conflicts between the exploratory nature of these systems and the validation criteria of medical research audiences. We discuss an approach for demonstrating value that incorporates ethnographic observation and new ubiquitous computing tools for behavioral observation in naturalistic settings such as the home.
Interactive Tone Mapping

Tone mapping and visual adaptation are crucial for the generation of static, photorealistic images. A largely unexplored problem is the simulation of adaptation and its changes over time on the visual appearance of a scene. These changes are important in interactive applications, including walkthroughs or games, where effects such as dazzling, slow dark-adaptation, or more subtle effects of visual adaptation can greatly enhance the immersive impression. In applications such as driving simulators, these changes must be modeled in order to reproduce the visibility conditions of real-world situations. In this paper, we address the practical issues of interactive tone mapping and propose a simple model of visual adaptation. We describe a multi-pass interactive rendering method that computes the average luminance in a first pass and renders the scene with a tone mapping operator in the second pass. We also propose several extensions to the tone mapping operator of Ferwerda et al. [FPSG96]. We demonstrate our model for the display of global illumination solutions and for interactive walkthroughs.
Adoptive Parents’ Suspicion and Coping With the Possibility of Child Abduction for International Adoption in China

In this study, we investigated (1) whether adoptive parents suspected their children might have been victims of abduction for adoption in China and (2) for parents who were uncertain if their own children might be victims of child abduction for adoption, how they coped with the possibility. A total of 342 adoptive parents (representing 529 adopted Chinese children) completed an anonymous online survey on their experiences. Of the 342 parents, 154 (45%) described how they coped with the possibility that their children might be the victims of child abduction for adoption. In terms of suspicion, we found that for about 70% of the children, the parents responded Never; for 18.5% of the children, the parents responded Rarely; for 11.7% of the children, the parents responded Sometimes; and for about 1% of the children, the parents responded that they Always suspected that their children might be victims of abduction for adoption. In terms of coping with the possibility that their children might have been victim...
Cancer Incidence by Marital Status: U.S. Third National Cancer Survey

Site-specific cancer incidence rates were computed by sex, age, and marital status for whites and blacks separately for ages 35-64 years with the use of population-based incidence data from the Third National Cancer Survey (1969-71) and with demographic data from the 1970 U.S. Census. Although rates were presented for all cancer sites combined and for 44 specific sites or rubrics, discussion focused on the 17 most common cancers. Within age, race, and sex groups, patterns of cancer incidence by marital status were compared by means of standardized incidence ratios, and the consistency of marital status patterns across age groups was assessed statistically. Among the most notable findings were: excess cancer rates across most sites and age groups in single black males, consistently high rates for cancer of the lung and bronchus in divorced white males and in single black females, low rates for the hormone-dependent reproductive tumors (prostate gland, breast, uterine corpus, and ovary) in separated white males and females, and high rates for cervical cancer among separated white women. Marital status patterns, where found, frequently differed between whites and blacks and between males and females.
Finite word effects in 2-D block implemented fixed point digital filters

The paper considers error analysis of block implemented 2-D digital filters. An expression for bound on the roundoff error accumulation is derived using fixed-point arithmetic, and compared with the results obtained using ordinary 2-D difference equations.
Experimental investigation of steel plate shear walls with in-span plastification along horizontal boundary elements

Abstract A cyclic pushover test of a three-story steel plate shear wall (SPSW) specimen was conducted to investigate the seismic behavior of this system when plastic hinge was predicted to develop along the span of horizontal boundary elements (HBEs). The experiment demonstrated that the in-span plastification caused a significant accumulation of plastic incremental deformations of HBEs. It also allowed to experimentally verify that moment–rotation hysteresis curves of HBE connections in SPSWs are not symmetric, but rather lopsided toward one direction, unlike that of special moment-resisting frames. Several of special moment connections experienced fractures, which is attributed to a higher rotation range prior to fracture of those connections. A finite element investigation of the tested specimen showed similar overall behavior to that observed during the experiment.
Failure analysis for improved electromigration performance

The development of a metallization process with optical resistance to electromigration is, by nature, an iterative process. Accelerated stressing of metal test patterns allow quantitative comparison of the electromigration performance of metal fabricated with experimental processes. Understanding of structural differences between process alternatives can be enhanced by physical characterization of unstressed samples. Failure analysis of stressed structures provides insight into the relationship of these differences to the physical failure mechanisms. The analyses which identified process modifications to achieve improved electromigration performance are discussed.© (1993) COPYRIGHT SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering. Downloading of the abstract is permitted for personal use only.
Opaque financial reports, R2, and crash risk

Abstract We investigate the relation between the transparency of financial statements and the distribution of stock returns. Using earnings management as a measure of opacity, we find that opacity is associated with higher R2s, indicating less revelation of firm-specific information. Moreover, opaque firms are more prone to stock price crashes, consistent with the prediction of the Jin and Myers [2006. R2 around the world: new theory and new tests. Journal of Financial Economics 79, 257–292] model. However, these relations seem to have dissipated since the passage of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, suggesting that earnings management has decreased or that firms can hide less information in the new regulatory environment.
The Role of Affective Valence and Task Uncertainty in Human-Automation Interaction

Mood can greatly influence how humans experience and react to the world around them. Therefore, it seems likely that mood can also influence interaction with automated decision systems and that thi...
The physician assistant profession and military veterans.

ABSTRACTThe physician assistant (PA) profession originated to train former medics and corpsmen for a new civilian health care career. However, baccalaureate degree prerequisites to training present barriers to discharged personnel seeking to enter this profession. A survey was administered (2006–2007) to all MEDEX Northwest PA program graduates who had entered with military experience. The survey addressed attitudes toward the profession, PA education, and practice and how military experience influenced their education and careers. The response rate was 46.4=, spanning all branches of the military. Respondents reported military experience positively impacting ability to handle stress and work in health care teams and that patients and colleagues viewed their military background positively. Most (75.5=) respondents did not hold a bachelor's degree at matriculation. Veterans bring substantial health care training to the PA profession. However, program prerequisites increasingly present barriers to entry. Ve...
PESTDEC: a simulation approach to insecticide application decision-making for soybeans.

Abstract A method for using crop growth and pest population dynamics simulation models for real-time insecticide application decision-making is presented. The example discussed makes use of a soybean growth model and a velvetbean caterpillar model. The simulation models are used in conjunction with field scouting data to determine the status of the field on the date when an insecticide decision is to be made. Multiple simulations are made of possible future conditions to obtain an expected value for profit for the treat/do not treat decision. A technique for comparing different decision algorithms is also presented. In simulations of numerous hypothetical situations, PESTDEC recommendations resulted in higher average profit than three other decision-making methods. PESTDEC erred more toward recommending an insecticide application when one was not needed than vice versa.
Influences of the Gulf of Maine intrusion on the Massachusetts Bay spring bloom: A comparison between 1998 and 2000

The Boston Harbor, Massachusetts Bay and Cape Cod Bay system (MBS) is a semi-enclosed coastal embayment located in the western Gulf of Maine (GOM). The strength of the spring bloom in the MBS varies dramatically and the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. It has been hypothesized that the weak (or missing) 1998 spring bloom was due to increased zooplankton grazing pressure after a relatively warmer winter that led to earlier development of zooplankton populations. However, chlorophyll concentrations were low in the entire GOM region during the spring bloom period of 1998. These low chlorophyll waters would enter the MBS by persistent intrusion from the GOM and affect the MBS spring bloom by reducing the accumulation of phytoplankton biomass, suggesting an alternative explanation for the missing bloom. In this study, the influences of the intruding GOM waters on the MBS spring bloom are examined using numerical simulations and observations to compare two contrasting spring blooms (a weak bloom in 1998 versus a strong bloom in 2000). The results indicate that intruding waters from the GOM significantly reduced the strength of spring bloom in 1998, but enhanced the spring bloom in 2000. A theoretical analysis suggests that the influence of the intrusion on the MBS spring bloom is mostly limited to the northern portion of the MBS, and the impact area is determined by local net growth, velocity of intruding flow and horizontal mixing. The intrusion of GOM waters carries the signal of long-term variability in the GOM region and thus may be an important oceanic pathway for climate changes to impact the MBS ecosystem.
Validation of the depression item bank from the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) in a three-month observational study.

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS®) is an NIH Roadmap initiative devoted to developing better measurement tools for assessing constructs relevant to the clinical investigation and treatment of all diseases—constructs such as pain, fatigue, emotional distress, sleep, physical functioning, and social participation. Following creation of item banks for these constructs, our priority has been to validate them, most often in short-term observational studies. We report here on a three-month prospective observational study with depressed outpatients in the early stages of a new treatment episode (with assessments at intake, one-month follow-up, and three-month follow-up). The protocol was designed to compare the psychometric properties of the PROMIS depression item bank (administered as a computerized adaptive test, CAT) with two legacy self-report instruments: the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale (CESD; Radloff, 1977) and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9; Spitzer et al., 1999). PROMIS depression demonstrated strong convergent validity with the CESD and the PHQ-9 (with correlations in a range from .72 to .84 across all time points), as well as responsiveness to change when characterizing symptom severity in a clinical outpatient sample. Identification of patients as “recovered” varied across the measures, with the PHQ-9 being the most conservative. The use of calibrations based on models from item response theory (IRT) provides advantages for PROMIS depression both psychometrically (creating the possibility of adaptive testing, providing a broader effective range of measurement, and generating greater precision) and practically (these psychometric advantages can be achieved with fewer items—a median of 4 items administered by CAT—resulting in less patient burden).
Use of sialylated or sulfated derivatives and acrylamide copolymers of Galβ1,3GalNAcα- and GalNAcα- to determine the specificities of blood group T- and Tn-specific lectins and the copolymers to measure anti-T and anti-Tn antibody levels in cancer patients

Sialylated or sulfated derivatives and acrylamide copolymers of blood group T-(Galβ1,3GalNAcα-) and Tn-(GalNAcα) haptens were studied for their interaction with the lectins of peanut (PNA),Agaricus bisporus-(ABA),Helix pomatia-(HPA) andVicia villosa B4-(VVA), using asialo Cowper's gland mucin (ACGM), which contains both T and Tn epitopes, as the coating substrate in enzyme linked lectin assay. Both T and Tn copolymers (∼40 haptens) showed high affinity and strict specificity; although the T-copolymer at 0.05–0.07 µm concentration caused 50% inhibition of interaction of either PNA or ABA with ACGM, there was little inhibition of the HPA and VVA interactions at over 100 times that concentration. The Tn-copolymer at 0.02–0.05 µm inhibited HPA or VVA interaction with ACGM by 50% but gave virtually no inhibition of PNA and ABA binding. Sialyl, sulfate or methyl group substitution on C-6 of GalNAc of the T-haptene did not prevent interaction with PNA but almost abolished interaction with ABA. In contrast, sialyl or sulfate group on C-6 and sulfate on C-3 of Gal in Galβ1,3GalNAcα- inhibited almost completely the interaction of PNA with ACGM but had only a slight effect on the interaction of ABA; C-6 substitution with either sialic acid or sulfate on GalNAcα- almost abolished the interaction of both HPA and VVA with ACGM. Preliminary studies revealed a significant depression in the serum level of anti-T (two to three-fold decrease) and anti-Tn (∼ two-fold decrease) antibodies in breast cancer compared with normal control subjects when the acrylamide T- and Tn-copolymers were used as coating substrates in enzyme linked immunoassays.
Orexin-saporin lesions of the medial septum impair spatial memory.

The medial septum and diagonal band of Broca (MSDB) provide a major input to the hippocampus and are important for spatial learning and memory. Although electrolytic MSDB lesions have prominent memory impairing effects, selective lesions of either cholinergic or GABAergic MSDB neurons do not or only mildly impair spatial memory. MSDB neurons are targets of orexin-containing neurons from the hypothalamus. At present, the functional significance of orexin afferents to MSDB is unclear, and the present study investigated a possible involvement of orexin innervation of the MSDB in spatial memory. Orexin-saporin, a toxin that damages neurons containing the hypocretin-2 receptor, was administered into the MSDB of rats. Rats were subsequently tested on a water maze to assess spatial reference memory and a plus maze to assess spatial working memory. At 100 ng/μl, orexin-saporin destroyed primarily GABAergic septohippocampal neurons, sparing the majority of cholinergic neurons. At 200 ng/μl, orexin-saporin almost totally eliminated GABAergic septohippocampal neurons and destroyed many cholinergic neurons. Spatial reference memory was impaired at both concentrations of orexin-saporin with a dramatic impairment observed for 24-h retention. Short-term reference memory was also impaired at both concentrations. Rats treated with 200 ng/μl, but not 100 ng/μl, of orexin-saporin were also impaired on a spontaneous alternation task, showing a deficit in spatial working memory. Our results, together with previous studies, suggest that orexin innervation of the MSDB may modulate spatial memory by acting on both GABAergic and cholinergic septohippocampal neurons.
Evaluation of Soybean Varieties for Certified Organic Production--Allee Trial, 2000

Materials and Methods The 2000 Allee Farm Organic Soybean Variety Trial was laid out in a completely randomized block design with four varieties of soybean and four replications. Sixteen plots, measuring 30 x 200 ft. each were established. The treatments consisted of four varieties of soybeans: IA 2034, IA 2041, IA 2042, and NC+2FG62. Plots were prepared by plowing, disking, harrowing and field cultivating on May 1 and 2, 2000. The area was again cultivated and harrowed on May 15, 2000. Soybean varieties were planted on May 16, 2000, at a rate of 175,950 plants/acre. Plots were rotary hoed three times on May 16, 2000, and cultivated on June 21, 2000, and June 27, 2000. Plots were walked on July 7 and 19, 2000, to remove large weeds per routine practice in organic operations. Weeds are removed to prevent any staining, which would down-grade the quality of the clearhilum tofu soybean crop. Crop stand counts and weed population sampling (three square meter quadrants per plot) took place on June 13, 2000 (28 days after planting). Plots were swept with a 15 in. diameter sweep net for bean leaf beetles (BLB) on July 10, 2000 (15 sweeps per plot). Leaves were collected (three per plot) on July 19, 2000, for analysis of bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) via ELIZA testing. Because of limitations with weigh wagons, plots of the same variety were harvested and weighed together on October 7, 2000. Grain quality analysis was completed by Dr. Charles Hurburg, from the Center for Crop Utilization at ISU.
The influence of exposure history on arsenic accumulation and toxicity in the killifish, Fundulus heteroclitus

Exposure to arsenic is known to cause adverse effects in aquatic biota and wildlife and is of major concern to human health. Although numerous studies have investigated the toxicity of arsenic, little is known about the effects of acquired tolerance on arsenic accumulation and toxicity outside of cell culture models. Accordingly, studies were conducted on the estuarine fish, Fundulus heteroclitus, that were preexposed to nontoxic concentrations of arsenic (as sodium arsenite; 0.7 and 106 micromol As/L) for 96 h or naive to elevated arsenic to determine the effects of acclimation on arsenic toxicity and accumulation. Tolerance to arsenic was rapidly (96 h) acquired in killifish that were preexposed. In toxicity tests with arsenic-acclimated killifish, preexposure to 106 micromol As/L resulted in a reduction in toxicity when compared to naive animals. Toxicity in arsenic-acclimated fish also was distinguished by a delayed onset of mortality that manifested in dose-dependent fashion and was significant even for the lower acclimation concentration (0.7 micromol As/L). The increase tolerance acquired following preexposure to 106 micromol As/L for 96 h was associated with lower concentrations of arsenic in all monitored tissues (e.g., gill, liver, kidney) and the whole body when fish were exposed to 240 micromol As/L for an additional 96 h. In accordance with these observations, expression of the multidrug resistance- associated protein (MRP)-2 gene, which is responsible for transporting arsenic conjugated to glutathione out of cells, was increased in the liver of arsenic-acclimated fish.
Differential effects of self-administered cocaine in adolescent and adult rats on stimulus-reward learning.

Adult cocaine addicts, abstinent at the time of testing, show a variety of neurocognitive impairments. Less clear is whether there are differences in the degree of impairment if cocaine use is initiated during adolescence rather than adulthood. Using a preclinical model, we evaluated if stimulus–reward learning was impacted differently in rats exposed to cocaine during adolescence (beginning on postnatal day 37) vs adulthood (beginning on postnatal days 74–79) and then tested after a drug-free period. A yoked-triad design of intravenous cocaine self-administration in adult (n = 8 triads) and adolescent (n = 8 triads) rats was used. Sets of three animals either contingently self-administered cocaine or received cocaine or saline in a noncontingent manner. Rats self-administering 1-mg/kg doses of cocaine responded under a fixed-ratio 5, timeout 20-s schedule of reinforcement. After 18 2-h drug or saline sessions, all rats (now adults) began the drug-free period in their home environments. Testing in a stimulus–reward learning task (conditioned cue preference) began 19 days later. Self-administration behavior was similar in adolescent and adult rats. Lever responses were not significantly different, and both age groups averaged approximately 20 infusions per session. Rats contingently self-administering cocaine or passively exposed to cocaine during adulthood showed stimulus–reward learning deficits in the conditioned cue preference task. Rats exposed to contingent or noncontingent cocaine during adolescence had normal learning, showing strong preferences for a Froot Loops-paired cue. These findings suggest that adolescents are insensitive to cocaine-induced impairment of learning related to amygdala memory system functioning.
StrategicVoting in Presidential Primaries: Problems of Explanation and Interpretation

This note uncovers a serious flaw in Abramson et al.’s (1992) influential application of expected utility theory to the study of strategic voting in U.S. presidential primaries. Due to this flaw, i...
Cultured fish cells for the ecotoxicity testing of aquatic pollutants

The volume of chemicals in everyday use that require ecotoxicity testing, the high-costs of using whole animals for initial screenings of chemicals for their cyto- and genotoxicities, and the need for a ‚biological early warning signal” to detect toxicants in aquatic environments have prompted the development of many microbial-based in vitro short-term bioassays. An area that has received relatively little study is the application of vertebrate cells, especially fish cells, for ecotoxicity testing of chemicals. From the few studies that are available it has been demonstrated that cultured, established fish cell lines can be used for (1) the in vitro cyto- and genotoxicity screening of known aquatic pollutants, (2) the in situ monitoring of natural waters and sediments for chemical cyto- and genotoxicants, and (c) elucidating structure-activity relationships among chemicals, which can thereby serve as a biological adjunct to computer-based mathematical predictions (QSARs) of chemical cyto- and genotoxicity.
Phase Transformations and Metallization of Magnesium Oxide at High Pressure and Temperature

Magnesium oxide (MgO) is representative of the rocky materials comprising the mantles of terrestrial planets, such that its properties at high temperatures and pressures reflect the nature of planetary interiors. Shock-compression experiments on MgO to pressures of 1.4 terapascals (TPa) reveal a sequence of two phase transformations: from B1 (sodium chloride) to B2 (cesium chloride) crystal structures above 0.36 TPa, and from electrically insulating solid to metallic liquid above 0.60 TPa. The transitions exhibit large latent heats that are likely to affect the structure and evolution of super-Earths. Together with data on other oxide liquids, we conclude that magmas deep inside terrestrial planets can be electrically conductive, enabling magnetic field–producing dynamo action within oxide-rich regions and blurring the distinction between planetary mantles and cores.
Endocannabinoid modulation of amphetamine sensitization is disrupted in a rodent model of lesion-induced dopamine dysregulation.

We tested the hypothesis that increased dopaminergic sensitivity induced by olfactory bulbectomy is mediated by dysregulation of endocannabinoid signaling. Bilateral olfactory bulbectomy induces behavioral and neurobiological symptomatology related to increased dopaminergic sensitivity. Rats underwent olfactory bulbectomy or sham operations and were assessed 2 weeks later in two tests of hyperdopaminergic responsivity: locomotor response to novelty and locomotor sensitization to amphetamine. Amphetamine (1 mg/kg i.p.) was administered to rats once daily for 8 consecutive days to induce locomotor sensitization. URB597, an inhibitor of the anandamide hydrolyzing enzyme fatty-acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), was administered daily (0.3 mg/kg i.p.) to sham and olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rats to investigate the impact of FAAH inhibition on locomotor sensitization to amphetamine. Pharmacological specificity was evaluated with the CB1 antagonist/inverse agonist rimonabant (1 mg/kg i.p). OBX rats exhibited heightened locomotor activity in response to exposure either to a novel open field or to amphetamine administration relative to sham-operated rats. URB597 produced a CB1-mediated attenuation of amphetamine-induced locomotor sensitization in sham-operated rats. By contrast, URB597 failed to inhibit amphetamine sensitization in OBX rats. The present results demonstrate that enhanced endocannabinoid transmission attenuates development of amphetamine sensitization in intact animals but not in animals with OBX-induced dopaminergic dysfunction. Our data collectively suggest that the endocannabinoid system is compromised in olfactory bulbectomized rats. Synapse 63:941–950, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The Pension Mix For Women in Middle and Late Life: The Changing Employment Relationship

The effects of life-course; employment and labor market characteristics on the probability ofpension participation and on type ofpension coverage are estimatedfor two cohorts of working women in middle and late life, respectively. The National Longitudinal Surveys of Mature and Young Women are used to differentiate the relative importance of life course and diverse structuralfactors on worker pension participation and employer coverage patterns. The defined contribution plan is argued to be an indicator of the changing employment relationship which is relieving employers ofpension liability and increasing workers' responsibilities for retirement saving. Probit regressions are used to estimate the relative risks for nonparticipation in any pension among these working women. Multinominal logistic models, controllingfor selectivity, estimate cohortprocesses in workers' access to employer-provided pension types. The results reveal the relative importance for middle-aged and older women of life course and structural variables that reflect life stage and changing employment relationships. Younger cohorts appear to be relatively more vulnerable to the changing employment contract given their greater dependence on defined contribution plans and the conflict between family and market contingencies.
A Refuge in Thunder: Candomble and Alternative Spaces of Blackness

Refuge in Thunder: Candomble and Alternative Spaces of Blackness. Rachel E. Harding. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 2000. ix. 251 pp., appendix, notes, bibliography.
Analysis and suppression of Q-switching instabilities in mode-locked lasers-a control systems approach

We investigate the origin of Q-switching instabilities in a mode-locked laser from a control systems viewpoint. The laser is represented as a linear control system, and we consider active laser stabilization either by gain or by loss control as well as passive stabilization via inverse saturable absorption. Gain control stabilization compensates for low-pass filtering in the gain relaxation branch of the system, while control of intracavity losses directly counteracts the destabilizing effect of the saturable absorber. For both stabilization approaches, design rules are derived for controller gain and bandwidth, and their applicability to different laser systems is investigated. Our discussion is concluded with a control systems analysis of passive laser stabilization via inverse saturable absorption. The control systems representation makes the established methods of control theory available to active and passive laser stabilization.
Keynote Address to the Third International Global Ethics Association, 30 June 2010, Bristol Human dignity, respect, and global inequality

In this paper I argue that respect for human dignity establishes a justificatory presumption in favor of egalitarian rules, which presumption is applicable to the global economic association. This is the basis for condemning several feature of current global inequality as unjust.
Oceanic whitecaps: Sea surface features detectable via satellite that are indicators of the magnitude of the air-sea gas transfer coefficient

Stage A whitecaps (spilling wave crests) have a microwave emissivity of close to 1. Thus if even a small fraction of the sea surface is covered by these features there will be a detectable enhancement in the apparent microwave brightness temperature of that surface as determined by satellite-borne microwave radiometers. This increase in the apparent microwave brightness temperature can as a consequence be routinely used to estimate the fraction of the sea surface covered by stage A whitecaps. For all but the very lowest wind speeds it has been shown in a series of controlled experiments that the air-sea gas transfer coefficient for each of a wide range of gases, including carbon dioxide and oxygen, is directly proportional to the fraction of the sea surface covered by these stage A whitecaps.
Colors in Imagery and Memory Performance

The present research investigated the effects of imaging in different colors on memory performance. Four groups of subjects were told to form an interactive image in a specific color for each of 30 word pairs. A fifth group was instructed to form an interactive image but received no color instruction, and a sixth group was told to form a non-interactive image and received no color instruction. Analysis showed the five interactive groups differed significantly from the non-interactive group but there were no reliable differences among the different color conditions. These results contradict a prediction derived from Switras' 1977 study of color in imagery.
Morphometric grading of squamous cell carcinoma

Histological grading of squamous cell carcinoma is subjective and suffers from poor observer reproducibility. We investigated the feasibility of quantifying histological differentiation via point counting, using both the degree of keratinization and a novel definition of differentiation that was based on architectural features of the tumour. Multiple recounts of 20 cases of human oral squamous cell carcinoma were performed at several magnifications (x100, x160 and x250). Six lines of human squamous cell carcinoma tumour lines were examined for changes in differentiation following transplantation to athymic nude mice. Observer reproducibility was extremely high for all recounts except at the highest magnification, where the tumour architecture may have been obscured. Of the human squamous cell carcinomas transplanted to nude mice, five of six tumour lines showed significant histological changes, most commonly toward decreased differentiation. The changes were usually present in the initial transplant and were similar to those we have reported for transplants of adenocarcinomas. We conclude that histological differentiation can be quantified in squamous cell carcinomas with a high degree of observer reproducibility, even in the absence of keratinization; the method employed is sufficiently sensitive to be applied to practical problems of biological significance.
The invariance of certain personality factors over four decades

The Michill Adjective Rating Scale (MARS) measures four factors: Unhappiness (similar to Emotional Stability versus Neuroticism of the Big-Five), Extraversion (similar to Extraversion versus Introversion of the Big-Five), Selfassertiveness (similar to Agreeableness versus Disagreeableness of the Big-Five), and Productive Persistence (similar to Dependability versus Undependability of the Big-Five). To investigate the invariance of the factor structure represented by these four factors, selfrating data collected with MARS, over a period of four decades, were divided into three samples of 204 (tested between 1954 and 1956), 441 (tested between 1966 and 1968), and 289 (tested between 1996 and 1998) undergraduates. Comparison of the loadings of the 48 MARS items on the foregoing four factors, across the three samples drawn from three separate populations, yielded median stability coefficients (Pearson rs) ranging between .85 and .96.
Plasma Lipid Profile and Incident Ischemic Stroke The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study

Background and Purpose— The role of circulating lipids and lipoproteins in the pathogenesis of ischemic stroke remains uncertain despite 3 decades of research. We examined this issue in a large population-based cohort. Methods— Between 1987 and 1989, 14 175 middle-aged men and women, free of clinical cardiovascular disease, took part in the first examination of the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study cohort. Baseline measurements included plasma levels of LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, apolipoprotein A-1, and triglycerides and myriad risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The cohort was followed for cardiovascular disease end points. Results— Over an average follow-up of 10 years (142 704 person-years at risk), we documented clinical ischemic stroke in 305 participants (161 men and 144 women). After multivariable adjustment for stroke risk factors, categorical and spline regression analyses of the entire sample, as well as the sample of men alone, revealed weak and inco...
The impact of knowledge resources on new venture performance.

A new venture's strategy—and thus its performance—is based upon the knowledge the firm has about its market, its opportunity in that market, and its appropriate conduct to take advantage of that op...
Nonsurgical embryo transfer in the scimitar‐horned oryx (Oryx dammah): Birth of a live offspring

The objective of this project was to determine if modifications of methods of estrous synchronization, superovulation, embryo recovery, and transfer used successfully in other ungulates, both domestic and nondomestic, could be applied to scimitar-horned oryx (Oryx dammah). Donors were two parous females and recipients were one parous and two nulliparous females that were given a total of two cloprostenol injections at an interval of 0 and 13 or 12 days, respectively. Donors were treated with follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH-P, Schering, Kenilworth, NJ) b.i.d. for 4 days and placed with a fertile male. Seven days after the last FSH-P injection, nonsurgical uterine lavages were performed on both donors. One good-quality embryo at the morula stage was recovered and nonsurgically transferred into the right uterine horn of the parous recipient. A healthy female calf born at 247 days post-transfer represents the first known live birth of scimitarhorned oryx following embryo transfer. These results provide additional evidence that estrous synchronization and embryo transfer techniques used in other ungulates can be applied to endangered antelopes such as the scimitar-horned oryx.
Existence of optimal stationary policies in deterministic optimal control

Abstract This paper considers deterministic discrete-time optimal control problems over an infinite horizon involving a stationary system and a nonpositive cost per stage. Various results are provided relating to existence of an ϵ-optimal stationary policy, and existence of an optimal stationary policy assuming an optimal policy exists.
Synthesis of the (3R,6S)-3-Amino-6-(2,3-difluorophenyl)azepan-2-one of Telcagepant (MK-0974), a Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide Receptor Antagonist for the Treatment of Migraine Headache

Two novel routes have been developed to the (3R,6S)-3-amino-6-(2,3-difluorophenyl)-1-(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)azepan-2-one 2 of the CGRP receptor antagonist clinical candidate telcagepant (MK-0974, 1). The first employs a ring-closing metathesis of the styrene 7 as the key reaction, while the second makes use of a highly diastereoselective Hayashi−Miyaura Rh-catalyzed arylboronic acid addition to nitroalkene 16. The latter route has been implemented to produce multigram quantities of telcagepant for extensive preclinical evaluation.
Digital protection of transmission lines using block pulse functions

Abstract An application of block pulse functions for digital protection of transmission lines is presented. A digital relay algorithm is developed to extract fundamental frequency components. These components are then used to calculate the impedance as seen from the relay location of a transmission line. The method is offline tested using realistic relaying signals of a 230 kV three-phase transmission line, and the results are compared with those of an algorithm based on Haar functions. The proposed algorithm is computationally simple and flexible to use with any sampling frequency.
Harsh discipline and behavior problems: the moderating effects of cortisol and alpha-amylase.

Abstract Numerous studies link harsh discipline to adjustment problems in youth, yet not all individuals exposed to harsh discipline develop behavior problems. Contemporary theory suggests that this relationship could be moderated by individual differences in environmentally sensitive biological systems. This study investigated whether the interaction between hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity and autonomic nervous system (ANS) arousal moderated the link between harsh discipline and behavior problems. Three saliva samples were collected on a single day from 425 inner city youth (50% male, age 11–12 years, 80% African American) and were later assayed for cortisol (HPA) and alpha-amylase (ANS). Problem behavior was assessed by self- and parent-report using the Child Behavior Checklist. Youth also reported the level of harsh discipline that they experienced. Harsh discipline was positively associated with externalizing and internalizing problems only when there were asymmetrical profiles of HPA activity and ANS arousal. This pattern was evident for boys but not girls. Findings are discussed in relation to prevailing theories suggesting that biological susceptibility translates adversity into risk for behavior problems.
Characteristic numbers of U1-valued lattice gauge fields

Abstract If a U1-valued latice gauge field u defined on a periodic, 2-dimensional lattice satisfies the generic continuity condition uuuu ≠ − 1, it can be used to construct a principal U1-bundle over the torus and in that bundle a connection such that parallel transport along bonds is given by u. In higher dimensions this construction can only be carried out if u is monopole-free (otherwise no such bundle can exist). The characteristic classes and numbers of this bundle can then be calculated from u in a straightforward way. Examples are given of u's with maximum possible characteristic numbers, along with a discussion of the behavior of u and of its topology under an action-decreasing deformation.
Effect of Fluid Flow Rate on the Intergranular Stress Corrosion Cracking of AISI 304 Stainless Steel

Abstract The effect of fluid flow on stress corrosion cracking of sensitized AISI 304 stainless steel has been studied in air-saturated and deaerated 0.01 M Na4SO4 solution under open circuit conditions and at an applied potential of −10 mVSHE, respectively, at 250 C, using slow strain rate tensile tests. This work has demonstrated that in both conditions the time to failure increases with increasing fluid flow velocity. Repassivation, AC impedance and anodic polarization curve measurements have shown that the increased time to failure results from an increased repassivation rate of the alloy and from improved protective properties of the oxide film in the flowing solution.