cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
A low-dimensional model of bedrock weathering and lateral flow coevolution in hillslopes: 1. Hydraulic theory of reactive transport

This is the first of a two‐part paper exploring the coevolution of bedrock weathering and lateral flow in hillslopes using a simple low‐dimensional model based on hydraulic groundwater theory (also known as Dupuit or Boussinesq theory). Here, we examine the effect of lateral flow on the downward fluxes of water and solutes through perched groundwater at steady state. We derive analytical expressions describing the decline in the downward flux rate with depth. Using these, we obtain analytical expressions for water age in a number of cases. The results show that when the permeability field is homogeneous, the spatial structure of water age depends qualitatively on a single dimensionless number, Hi. This number captures the relative contributions to the lateral hydraulic potential gradient of the relief of the lower‐most impermeable boundary (which may be below the weathering front within permeable or incipiently weathered bedrock) and the water table. A “scaled lateral symmetry” exists when Hi is low: age varies primarily in the vertical dimension, and variations in the horizontal dimension x almost disappear when the vertical dimension z is expressed as a fraction z/H(x) of the laterally flowing system thickness H(x). Taking advantage of this symmetry, we show how the lateral dimension of the advection–diffusion‐reaction equation can be collapsed, yielding a 1‐D vertical equation in which the advective flux downward declines with depth. The equation holds even when the permeability field is not homogeneous, as long as the variations in permeability have the same scaled lateral symmetry structure. This new 1‐D approximation is used in the accompanying paper to extend chemical weathering models derived for 1‐D columns to hillslope domains.
Huainanzi: The Pinnacle of Classical Daoist Syncretism

This Chapter is a comprehensive study of the Huainanzi, which contends that “Careful analysis of its philosophical positions demonstrates the priority it gives to a cosmology and method of self-cultivation found in the Laozi and Zhuangzi, and argues for its not merely being part of a classical Daoist tradition, but the most complex and sophisticated philosophical expression of that tradition.” It also argues that the Huainanzi is primarily Syncretic with a Daoist cosmology and inner cultivation theory as the context for using ideas from the other main intellectual traditions of the Late Warring States and Early Han. The text shares the cosmology of Dao and its de or potency as well as common practices of self-cultivation, but they diverge in applying these ideas to government. However, the Daoist ideals promoted in this text ultimately failed because of the vagaries and political struggles of its time.
Resyllabification and phonological change

Abstract: West Germanic languages have lost labial and velar voiced stops in final position after nasals. One explanation for this is that the perception of post-nasal voiced stops is dependent upon stop release. Historically, loss of a following /ə/ caused loss of release, which in turn deprived the stop of its acoustic cue (Parker,1977). This analysis, however, will not account for the loss of a post-nasal voiced stop in, for example, German Dinge / dɪɳə/, where /g/ was lost, but the following /ə/ was not. Still, this phenomenon may be accounted for by considering a change in syllable structure, whereby the /g/, originally the onset of the following syllable, was reanalyzed as the coda of the preceding syllable, because of a shift in stress. Once in syllable-final position, the /g/ could not be released. With no release there was no cue, and with no cue, the segment was not perceptible and was eventually lost. This Acoustic/Auditory theory of sound change is applied to a variety of data to account for the loss of post-nasal voiced stops before unstressed vowels and for the retention of such stops before stressed vowels. Moreover, this theory accounts for the fact that the process of acquiring post-nasal voiced stops among children is the mirror image of the loss of these stops historically.
Arational belief convergence

This model explores consensus among agents in a population in terms of two properties. The first is a probability of belief change (PBC). This value indicates how likely agents are to change their mind in interactions. The other is the size of the agents audience: the proportion of the population the agent has access to at any given time. In all instances, the agents converge on a single belief, although the agents are arational. I argue that this generates a skeptical hypothesis: any instance of purportedly rational consensus might just as well be a case of arational belief convergence. I also consider what the model tells us about increasing the likelihood that one agent’s belief is adopted by the rest. Agents are most likely to have their beliefs adopted by the entire population when their value for PBC is low relative to the rest of the population and their audience sizes are roughly three-quarters of the largest possible audience. I further explore the consequences of dogmatists to the population; individuals who refuse to change their mind end up polarizing the population. I conclude with reflections on the supposedly special character of rationality in belief-spread.
A study of wall shear stress in turbulent channel flow with hemispherical roughness

Direct numerical simulations (DNS) of turbulent channel flow over hexagonally packed hemispheres were performed for friction Reynolds number ), whereas the spectra at larger scales appeared similar for both types of roughness. A scaling relation between the variance of universal wall shear stress and averaging cell dimensions was found for both ‘k-type’ and ‘d-type’ roughness, which can be useful in designing candidate wall models used in large-eddy simulation.
An Animal Model of Inhaled Vitamin E Acetate and EVALI-like Lung Injury.

An Animal Model of EVALI In this study, investigators developed a mouse model of e-cigarette, or vaping, product use–associated lung injury. They showed that in these mice, vitamin E acetate induce...
Reversing the rise in midlife mortality

Life expectancy in the United States declined for 3 years in a row between 2014 and 2017. This is surprising in a world where we have grown accustomed to rising life expectancy. Anne Case and Angus Deaton9s new book, Deaths of Despair, deals with three questions: Who is dying, why are they dying, and what can we do about it?
Correction to: Technology for Intraoperative Margin Assessment in Breast Cancer.

In the original version of the article, some of the entries in Table 1 shifted during typesetting. The publisher regrets the error. The original article has been corrected. Following is the corrected table.
Surface detonation in type Ia supernova explosions

We explore the evolution of thermonuclear supernova explosions when the progenitor white dwarf star ignites asymmetrically off-center. Several numerical simulations are carried out in two and three dimensions to test the consequences of different initial flame configurations such as spherical bubbles displaced from the center, more complex deformed configurations, and teardrop-shaped ignitions. The burning bubbles float towards the surface while releasing energy due to the nuclear reactions. If the energy release is too small to gravitationally unbind the star, the ash sweeps around it, once the burning bubble approaches the surface. Collisions in the fuel on the opposite side increase its temperature and density and may -- in some cases -- initiate a detonation wave which will then propagate inward burning the core of the star and leading to a strong explosion. However, for initial setups in two dimensions that seem realistic from pre-ignition evolution, as well as for all three-dimensional simulations the collimation of the surface material is found to be too weak to trigger a detonation.
Imaging evaluation for the diagnosis and management of complications of gender-affirming surgeries

Gender-affirming surgeries (GS) allow transgender individuals to align their physical sexual characteristics with their gender identity, which can result in profound changes to native anatomy. Medical imaging is a useful tool for evaluation of patients who have undergone or plan to pursue GS. Given the complex nature of some GS, complications may arise. The choice of imaging modality can be guided by the clinically suspected complications. For example, urethral complications of phalloplasty are best evaluated with fluoroscopic urethrography. Pelvic magnetic resonance imaging provides detailed depiction of pelvic neo-anatomy after vaginoplasty. Many GS involve the creation of vascular pedicles for tissue grafts, which are at risk of thrombosis and graft ischemia. Doppler ultrasound and computed tomography (CT) angiography are important for diagnosis of these dreaded complications. Moreover, interventional radiologists may participate in endovascular treatments for such complications. Various imaging modalities may assist the surgeon in the postoperative evaluation of patients with suspected complications after GS, and imaging protocol modifications may be required to improve diagnostic accuracy. For example, rectal or neovaginal contrast material may be necessary to ensure accurate imaging evaluation, such as delineation of fistulas. Working together, surgeons and radiologists can ensure accurate imaging assessment while accommodating for patient comfort.
Adolescent and parent sleep quality mediates the impact of family processes on family members’ psychological distress

Abstract Objective To examine the role of adolescents’ and their parents’ sleep quality as mediators of family-level processes and family members’ psychological distress (ie, anxiety/depressive symptoms). Design Short-term prospective design with an initial survey followed by a 7-day twice-daily (morning and evening) diary. Setting Online survey for high school students and their parents across the United States. Participants A total of 193 adolescent (Mage = 15.7 years old, standard deviation = 0.94; 54.4% female) and parent (Mage = 47.6 years old, standard deviation = 5.4; 80% female) dyads. Measurement In the initial survey, adolescents reported on family dysfunction, parent-child relationship quality, and parents reported on their own romantic relationship satisfaction. Both adolescents and parents reported their daily levels of sleep quality (morning diaries) and their psychological distress (evening diaries) for 7 days. Results At the level of between-family differences, parents’ sleep quality mediated the association between their baseline reports of romantic relationship satisfaction and daily levels of psychological distress. In addition, adolescents’ sleep quality mediated the association between family-level dysfunction and their own psychological distress. After controlling for between-family associations, spikes in parents’ and/or adolescents’ sleep quality on specific mornings predicted corresponding drops in parents’ evening reports of psychological distress on those same days. Finally, parents’ and adolescents’ sleep quality demonstrated significant levels of concordance across the 7 days of the daily diary. Conclusions Findings underscore the dynamic and tightly related processes within the family system and the important role that sleep plays in linking them with family members’ psychological distress.
A Comparison of Bayesian and Traditional Indices for Measuring Information Gain Sensitivity in a Cloze Test

Standardized reading comprehension tests have been criticized for their inability to assess what a reader has gleaned from the passage during the reading process (Tuinman, 1973). Tuinman reported scores as high as 65 percent correct on multiple-choice comprehension tests which subjects answered without having had access to the passages on which the questions were based. Tuinman’s paper, among others, has caused reading researchers to focus on the distinction between comprehension and information gain (IG). In general, the concept of IG involves comparing the reader’s state of knowledge before and after reading the test passage. One method of assessing IG, suggested by Coleman and Miller (1967), is to obtain percent correct cloze scores before and after the subjects have had an opportunity to read the test passage in its original, unmutilated form; the difference between the posttest scores and the pretest scores is considered to be the IG score.
On the control of an array of Chua's systems

The control of an array of Chua systems is discussed. For the particular array coupling chosen, it is shown that the control becomes more difficult as the number of Chua lumps increases when controlling from the boundary of the array.
Workload Characterization of Input/Output Intensive Parallel Applications

The broadening disparity in the performance of input/output (I/O) devices and the performance of processors and communication links on parallel systems is a major obstacle to achieving high performance for a wide range of parallel applications. I/O hardware and file system parallelism are the keys to bridging this performance gap. A prerequisite to the development of efficient parallel file systems is detailed characterization of the I/O demands of parallel applications. In this paper, we present a comparative study of the I/O access patterns commonly found in I/O intensive parallel applications. Using the Pablo performance analysis environment and its I/O extensions we captured application I/O access patterns and analyzed their interactions with current parallel I/O systems. This analysis has proven instrumental in guiding the development of new application programming interfaces (APIs) for parallel file systems and in developing effective file system policies that can adaptively respond to complex application I/O requirements.
Dollarization Rest in Peace

What is America's interest in dollarization? Formal adoption of the dollar by other governments creates both opportunities and risks for the United States, political as well as economic. But few benefits or costs can be estimated in advance, leaving much room for debate and disagreement. The argument of this paper is that no presumption can be established either way, whether for or against dollarization, from a strictly U.S. point of view. Unless directly challenged by efforts elsewhere to establish formal currency blocs, the United States has no interest in promoting a wider role for the greenback.
Revisiting the relationship between common weather variables and loblolly-shortleaf pine seed crops in natural stands

Seed production was monitored during24 years using seed-collection traps inloblolly–shortleaf pine (Pinus taeda L.–P.echinata Mill.) stands located in southeast Arkansas,north-central Louisiana, and southwest Mississippi onthe southeastern Coastal Plain, USA. Sound seedproduction was correlated with mean monthlyprecipitation and temperature from National Oceanicand Atmospheric Administration weather stationslocated near the seed-collection areas to determinethe potential of weather factors in forecasting pineseed crops. Correlations were restricted to threecritical periods in the pine reproductive cycle –strobili primordia differentiation, pollination, andfertilization. The most important (P ≤ 0.05)variables correlated with pine seed production for combined locations were cumulative precipitation (r = +0.60) during July, August, and September at 27 to 25 months before seed dispersal and mean temperature (r = −0.45) in August at 26 months before seed dispersal. Because multiple environmental factors can negatively impact pine seed development during the two yearsfollowing strobili primordia differentiation,seed-production forecasts based on weather variablesshould be verified by on-site cone counts during thesummer preceding autumn seed dispersal.
Macrosegregation during Direct Chill Casting of Aluminum Alloy 7050

A fully transient numerical model of the direct chill casting process is used to examine the influence of casting parameters on the macrosegregation of alloy 7050. The casting speed and secondary cooling boundary condition were varied. The secondary cooling was altered by placing a wiper to divert the free-falling water away from the solidified metal surface. Both the casting rate and wiper placement affect the sump depth and shape, and therefore influence the level of macrosegregation, especially at the centerline. The sump depth and level of macrosegregation increased with the casting rate, while placing the wiper nearer the mold could decrease negative centerline segregation.
Economic Analysis, Moral Philosophy, and Public Policy: Ethics in Positive Economics: Two Examples

Although some economists have envisioned the possibility of a value-neutral normative economics that merely investigates the consequences of policies for the satisfaction of preferences, most would be willing to concede that moral judgments do play a role in normative economics. For that reason, they might also concede that when evaluating policies economists should pay attention to matters of ethics. But when it comes to positive economics – the attempt to predict and explain economic outcomes and processes – few economists see any role for ethics. Although it is possible (even in economics) to investigate features of the world without evaluating them, it is often hard to do so. When matters of economics bear strongly and immediately on people's interests, those interests and the moral considerations that are relevant to them are likely to influence the questions economists ask and the answers they defend. Because of this, it is important to understand the values that are at stake. Familiarity with moral philosophy can help here. Although values will be most obvious in debates over practical policy questions – consider debates over energy policy, prescription drug benefits, agricultural policy, or tax policy – moral considerations can have a much broader influence. We shall show this influence in two examples. Both concern matters of fact about economies that bear on policy questions. The first example, which concerns whether there is any involuntary unemployment, is likely to seem odd to readers who are not familiar with economics. How, one might ask, could anybody doubt that some people are unable to get a job? We shall shortly see. Whether workers are unemployed voluntarily or involuntarily seems to bear on the question of what sort of unemployment compensation they should be paid, but its normative implications and presuppositions go deeper. The second example, which involves Paul Samuelson's overlapping generations model, might appear to have no bearing on policy; but as we shall argue, its normative implications have in fact driven what is purported to be a purely theoretical debate in positive economics. Is Unemployment Involuntary? “Macroeconomics” – which treats the institutions and processes governing the economy as a whole – was born during the worldwide economic depression of the 1930s with the publication of John Maynard Keynes's General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money .
Patients of parish nurses experience renewed spiritual identity: a grounded theory study

van dover l. & pfeiffer j. (2011) Patients of parish nurses experience renewed spiritual identity: a grounded theory study. Journal of Advanced Nursing68(6), 1824–1833. Abstract Aim. This article is a report of a study of the process that patients of parish nurses experience when they are provided spiritual care in Christian churches, a context where patients and nurses share a common set of values. Background. Many studies have explored hospitalized patients’ views and experiences of spiritual care. However, little is known about the spiritual changes that patients experience as they receive care from parish nurses. Methods. The grounded theory method was used to explore what patients of the parish nurses experienced in spiritual care. Half of the participants were interviewed in 1999–2001 at the time of the parish nurse interviews, and half in 2005. Audiotapes were transcribed verbatim. Constant comparative methods were used to analyse the incidents of receiving spiritual care. Findings. Theoretical memos described how the ‘main concern’ of the patients to resolve their health challenge resulted in changes to their spiritual identity. Phases in the change process included: facing a health challenge, finding a safe place, releasing burdens, changing perspectives and joining or rejoining the family of faith. The essence the patients experienced was an enhanced understanding of who they were in God/Christ. Conclusion. The patient’s spiritual challenge is to re-conceptualize the self (as one who is known and loved by God) in the context of a particular health challenge. Spiritual care helps them find a new equilibrium in faith.
Type I Interferon in the Pathogenesis of Lupus

Investigations of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus have applied insights from studies of the innate immune response to define IFN-I, with IFN-α as the dominant mediator, as central to the pathogenesis of this prototype systemic autoimmune disease. Genetic association data identify regulators of nucleic acid degradation and components of TLR-independent, endosomal TLR-dependent, and IFN-I-signaling pathways as contributors to lupus disease susceptibility. Together with a gene expression signature characterized by IFN-I-induced gene transcripts in lupus blood and tissue, those data support the conclusion that many of the immunologic and pathologic features of this disease are a consequence of a persistent self-directed immune reaction driven by IFN-I and mimicking a sustained antivirus response. This expanding knowledge of the role of IFN-I and the innate immune response suggests candidate therapeutic targets that are being tested in lupus patients.
Modulation of T Lymphocyte Proliferation in Mice Infected with Schistosoma mansoni: VIP Suppresses Mitogen- and Antigen-Induced T Cell Proliferation Possibly by Inhibiting IL-2 Production

Mice infected with Schistosoma mansoni mount focal granulomatous responses around each ovum that deposits in the liver and intestinal wall. The granulomas ultimately destroy the ova while absorbing the released toxic, injurious agents. The granulomas contain T cells and other cell types, all of which are under control. For example, T lymphocyte proliferation in situ within the granulomas is probably restrained by various regulatory mechanisms. Granuloma eosinophils make VIP, and granuloma T cells have VIP receptors. Yet, the function of VIP within the granulomatous response is unknown. We studied the effect of VIP on granuloma and splenic T cell proliferation in response to Con A or soluble egg antigens (SEA). [3H]Thymidine incorporation was used to assess the rate of proliferation. VIP decreased Con A- or SEA-induced, T lymphocyte proliferation. Suppression of proliferation was most evident for T cells stimulated submaximally with mitogen or antigen. Since T lymphocyte proliferation in response to antigen or mitogen requires soluble lymphokines, we investigated the capacity of VIP to alter the expression of several lymphokines as a possible mechanism for mediating suppression of T cell proliferation. VIP decreased IL-2 production, but did not effect IL-5 or IFN-gamma release. The effect of VIP on IL-2 production was dependent on the presence of a CD4+ T lymphocyte subset. VIP could no longer modulate lymphocyte proliferation if exogenous rIL-2 was added to the cultures. The addition of neutralizing anti-IL-2 mAb, but not anti-IL-4 mAb, substantially decreased granuloma lymphocyte proliferation in response to antigen or mitogen. This suggested that granuloma T cell proliferation required endogenously produced IL-2. These findings suggest that VIP may help modulate granuloma T cell proliferation through regulation of IL-2 production.
Separation of metal cations in acidic solution by capillary electrophoresis with direct and indirect UV detection

Methods for the detectionn of metal cations under acidic conditions, near PH 2, in capillary electrophoresis (CE) were investigatged. Conditions for direct UV detection of UV absorbing metal cations such as Cr3+, Cu2+, Fe3+, UO22+, VO2+, and VO2+ were established With aqueous HCl or HClO4 as the electroyte carrier. The speciation of vanadium(IV) and vanadium(V) at PH 2.3 by CE was achieved with direct detection at 185 nm. With the strong absorbance at 185 nm, no complexation was needed to detect the metal cations. An indirect UV detrection scheme for acidic conditions was also investigated. Several background carrier electolytes (BCES) were studied including 4-methylbenzylamince, nicontinamide, pyridazine, guanidine, 3-picoline, and chromium (III) to determine their effectivencess under very acidic conditions. The efect of ioni c surfactants and the nonionic surfactant, Trition X-100, on the peak heights and N Values was also studied.
Understanding “Understanding”: An Important Step Toward Improving Informed Consent to Research

What is known about how well research subjects understand the information communicated to them during the informed consent process is not encouraging. Although there is some diversity in the litera...
A polyclonal antiserum against the rabbit progesterone receptor recognizes the human receptor: immunohistochemical localization in rabbit and human uterus.

A polyclonal antiserum, raised in guinea pigs immunized with the 116 000 Mr rabbit uterine progesterone receptor (PR), was used to demonstrate immunoreactive PR in frozen fixed sections of rabbit and human uterus. In both species, PR localization was exclusively nuclear. For the rabbit uterus, staining intensity was greatest in the myometrium, followed by endometrial stroma, glands, and luminal epithelium. In premenopausal human endometrium and myometrium there was intense staining of nuclei from proliferative phase glands and myometrium. In the secretory phase the glands failed to stain, yet immunostaining persisted in the myometrium.
Unionization in the United States and India: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract Union voting intentions of 622 employees in the United States and 120 employees in India were investigated. Union beliefs and job satisfaction influenced voting intentions in both countries. Employer's willingness to correct workplace problems, presence of union members in the family, employment in the public sector, gender, and level of education influenced union voting intentions only in the U.S. sample.
Beneficial effects of the combination of nifedipine and losartan in hypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

Background The antihypertensive and organ-protective effects of the combination of the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker losartan and the calcium channel blocker nifedipine were examined in Dahl salt-sensitive rats. Methods The rats fed with a high-salt diet developed hypertension accompanied by aorta and heart hypertrophy, and impaired renal function. The animals were treated with losartan (30 mg/kg/day), nifedipine (7.8 mg/kg/day) or with a combination of both drugs for 8 weeks. At the end of the study systolic blood pressure, kidney function, organ weight, and mRNA expression were investigated. Results Losartan reduced significantly the systolic blood pressure as well as the aorta and left ventricular hypertrophy. Nifedipine and its combination with losartan had similar effects on the systolic blood pressure, aorta and left ventricular hypertrophy but only the combination treatment reduced the expression of transforming growth factor-beta1 in aorta and brain natriuretic peptide in left ventricle significantly. Nifedipine and the combination therapy reduced proteinuria and improved urine creatinine excretion. The expression of collagen III and IV in the kidney was significantly reduced by the combination therapy. Conclusion These results indicate that although losartan and nifedipine were effective in lowering blood pressure and showed moderate organ protection, additional benefits can be expected by combination therapy with both compounds.
DOF of indoor MIMO systems

The degrees-of-freedom (DOF) of the multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) channels in indoor environments is studied by considering the electromagnetic (EM) propagations in rectangular cavities. The cavity walls are made either lossy or losses, and hence the effects of losses are examined by comparing the two cases. It is found when the system is lossless, it is possible to continuously raise its effective DOF number by packing more and more antennas in fixed communication volumes, and this can be done to an extent that is far greater than allowed in the lossy system case. Additionally, the performance improvement of multi-polarized MIMO systems over similar uni-polarized ones are also investigated. Unlike the polarization gain suggested by an existing research, the results from this work show that the practically obtainable benefits from the EM polarizations are actually higher, and also vary with the system operation conditions.
Using a feature-based model for automatic determination of assembly handling codes

Abstract Automated concurrent engineering requires, among other things, that the assemblability of parts be evaluated during the design process. This evaluation can be made by determining an assembly part code from a solid model of the components. This research attempts to automatically derive an assembly handling part code from a solid model boundary representation. A rule based recognition system called AHPC (Automatic Handling Part Coder) was developed to extract the pertinent assembly features and then to convert these feature attributes to code digits. The UMass coding scheme is used in which the digits represent the overall shape, symmetry, and other assembly characteristics. Several previously uninvestigated features such as axial and transverse symmetries and other patterns of high-level features have been investigated and recognized, in addition to features such as holes, protrusions, slots, and steps. A technique called Feature Point Attribute Symmetry (FPAS) has been developed which converts a part to a feature-point model. Symmetry evaluation can be performed then by using this concise model and merely testing the symmetry of the feature points and the overall body shape. The system is implemented in Prolog on the Vax/Unix operating system. The test parts were created using the Romulus solid modeler. This system has been successfully implemented to generate assembly handling part code digits for a limited domain of parts.
Off-axis volcanism at the East Pacific Rise detected by uranium-series dating of basalts

RECENT detailed surveys of the East Pacific Rise have revealed the complexity of the volcanic and magmatic processes occurring along and across fast-spreading ocean ridge crests1–7. In parallel with geological and geochemical investigations, it is now possible to investigate the temporal and spatial pattern of volcanism at ocean ridges by dating young basalts using mass spectrometric uranium-series disequilibria methods8–11. Here we use 238U-230Th and235U-231Pa ages for basalts to quantify the spatial extent of young volcanism and crustal accretion at 9°31′ N on the East Pacific Rise. Most of the ages are younger than would be expected based on off-axis distance and spreading rate. We infer from these anomalously young ages that most of the dated basalts on the crestal plateau were erupted 0.5–2 km outside the axial summit caldera, with some volcanism occurring as far as 4 km off-axis. Melts erupted outside the axial summit caldera can have crustal residence times and magmatic supply systems that differ from those of axial lavas.
A Novel Boundary Element Method for Linear Elasticity With No Numerical Integration for Two-Dimensional and Line Integrals for Three-Dimensional Problems

This new method is called the boundary contour method. This approach requires no numerical integration at all for two dimensiional problem and numerical evaluation of line integrals only for three dimensional problems
Enchytraeus fragmentosus, a New Species of Naturally Fragmenting Oligochaete Worm.

A new species of enchytraeid (Oligochaeta) worm has no sex organs, but reproduces solely by fragmentation.
Social identities of minority others in Japan: listening to the narratives of Ainu, Buraku and Zainichi Koreans

Abstract Although the existing literature on minorities in Japan offers different explanations as to why ethnic minority groups are invisible in Japan at the structural level, a framework for analyzing and interpreting the position of minorities at the intergroup and individual levels has been lacking until now. In this article, I examine the narratives of Ainu, Buraku and Zainichi Koreans in Japan to understand what it may mean to be a minority in a so-called mono-ethnic society. I explore how individuals from different minority groups position themselves within a particular historical and socio-political context in Japan, how they voice their own minority identity and their capacity to act in their social world. I then analyze the narratives of the fourteen participants in the research from a social identity theory perspective to interpret how individual members of minorities from socially disadvantaged groups in Japan deal with their minority social identity and lead their lives as minority others.
Rapid and efficient site-directed mutagenesis by single-tube ‘megaprimer’ PCR method

We describe a rapid and efficient megaprimer PCR procedure for site-directed mutagenesis that does not require any intermediate purification of DNA between the two rounds of PCR. This protocol is based on the design of forward and reverse flanking primers with significantly different melting temperatures ( T m). A megaprimer is synthesized in the first PCR reaction using a mutagenic primer, the low T m flanking primer and a low annealing temperature. The second PCR reaction is performed in the same tube as the first PCR and utilizes the high T m flanking primer, the megaprimer product of the first PCR and a high annealing temperature, which prevents priming by the low T m primer from the first PCR reaction. We have used this protocol with two different plasmids to produce cDNAs encoding seven distinct mutated proteins. We have observed an average mutagenesis efficiency of 82% in these experiments.
Flexible-boundary QM/MM calculations: II. Partial charge transfer across the QM/MM boundary that passes through a covalent bond

Recently, based on the principle of electronic chemical potential equalization and the principle of charge conservation, we proposed a flexible-boundary scheme that allows both partial charge transfer and self-consistent polarization between the quantum mechanical (QM) and molecular mechanical (MM) subsystems in QM/MM calculations; the scheme was applied to study the atomic charges in selected ion–solvent complexes. In the present contribution, we further extend the flexible-boundary treatment to handle the QM/MM boundary passing through covalent bonds. We find that the flexible-boundary redistributed charge and dipole schemes yield reasonable agreement with full-QM calculations for a number of molecular ions and amino acids with charged side chains. Using the full-QM results as reference, the mean unsigned deviations are computed to be 0.06 e for atomic partial charges of the QM atoms, 0.11 e for the amounts of charge transfer between the QM and MM subsystems, and 0.016 A for the lengths of the covalent bonds that directly connect the QM and MM subsystems. The results indicate the importance of accounting for partial charge transfer across the QM/MM boundary when the QM subsystems are charged.
Psychosocial and family functioning in children with sickle cell syndrome and their mothers.

Abstract Objective The purpose of this study was to compare the psychiatric functioning of 61 sickle cell youth and their families with nondiseased sibling controls. Method Functioning assessed by multiple informants included indices of behavioral, cognitive, and family/interpersonal functioning, self-esteem, life events, coping strategies, temperament, adaptive behavior, and parental psychopathology. Results Key findings were that sickle cell patients evidenced more depressive symptoms and associated attributional style, and externalizing behavioral difficulties than did nondiseased siblings. With age, sickle cell youth evidence increasing adaptive behavior deficits and internalizing symptoms. Illness severity was related to symptoms of internalizing behavior and fewer daily living skills. Associations were found between maternal and child coping. Conclusions It is recommended that psychiatric consultations rountinely be conducted with these children, particularly at times of family stress and developmental transitions. Psychiatric interventions should focus on ameliorating emotional difficulties via enhancing adaptive coping strategies. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1993, 32, 3:545–553.
"Back to the Future" Therapy: Its Present Relevance, Promise, and Implications

Palgi and Ben-Ezra (2010) describe an intriguing approach to the treatment of acute stress responses in persons whose memory for a recent traumatic event has not yet consolidated -- an approach they call "Back to the Future" therapy (BFT). The present article examines BFT on several dimensions: theoretical fidelity, applicability, and potential for empirical investigation. BFT shows considerable promise as a treatment for a subset of persons who experience a traumatic stressor. The greatest challenges now for users of BFT include both identifying persons most likely to benefit from BFT, and systematically evaluating the effectiveness of the approach.
Mean-Curvature Flow of Voronoi Diagrams

We study the evolution of grain boundary networks by the mean-curvature flow under the restriction that the networks are Voronoi diagrams for a set of points. For such evolution we prove a rigorous universal upper bound on the coarsening rate. The rate agrees with the rate predicted for the evolution by mean-curvature flow of the general grain boundary networks, namely that the typical grain area grows linearly in time. We perform a numerical simulation which provides evidence that the dynamics achieves the rate of coarsening that agrees with the upper bound in terms of scaling.
Presence of immunoreactive α-bag cell peptide[1–8] in bag cell neurons of Aplysia suggests novel carboxypeptidase processing of neuropeptides

alpha-bag cell peptide (alpha BCP) is a putative neurotransmitter released from bag cell neurons of the marine mollusc Aplysia. alpha BCP is present in bag cell extracts and releasate from bag cells in two neuroactive forms: alpha BCP[1-9] and alpha BCP[1-8]. alpha BCP[1-8] is 30 times as potent as [1-9] in inhibiting target neurons, suggesting that both forms of the peptide serve as neurotransmitters. However, biochemical and molecular genetic data suggest that only alpha BCP[1-9] is originally cleaved directly from a larger precursor protein and that generation of alpha BCP[1-8] would require an unusual C-terminal leucine cleavage of alpha BCP[1-9]. To further ascertain which forms of alpha BCP are normally present in bag cells, we generated highly specific antisera to each peptide. We found intense immunostaining for both peptides in bag cell somata and nerve terminals. Moreover, both forms were stable in bag cell extract for at least 1 hr, which suggests that proteolysis in the extracts had been effectively inhibited. These results suggest that both alpha BCP[1-8] and [1-9] are normally present in bag cell somata and terminals and that a small amount of alpha BCP[1-9] is processed to alpha BCP[1-8] in vesicles before release. The results support the interpretation that the activity of an intravesicular carboxypeptidase generates alpha BCP[1-8] and thereby regulates the amount of inhibitory activity released during a bag cell discharge.
Comparison of Methods for Varying Item Presentation during Noncontingent Reinforcement.

Abstract The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the relative effectiveness of three item presentation methods during noncontingent reinforcement (NCR). Four individuals with developmental disabilities and problem behavior maintained by automatic reinforcement were recruited for the study. Single-item stimulus preference assessments were conducted to identify a variety of preferred items associated with low levels of problem behavior. During the treatment analysis, a multielement design embedded within a reversal design was utilized, and the following NCR conditions were compared: (a) presenting preferred items one at a time, (b) presenting multiple items simultaneously, and (c) rotating single items after a predetermined time period. Results indicate that all three NCR presentations methods were effective in decreasing problem behavior, but the single-item condition resulted in the lowest levels of problem behavior for three of the four participants.
A simplified method for the amplification of iodine

Abstract The sample solution is treated so that all iodine is present in the elemental state. This iodine is extracted into chloroform and thereby separated with very high selectivity from almost any matrix. Until now, in order to apply amplification via oxidation to iodate and reaction with iodide, a reextraction into a sodium hydroxide solution was necessary. In the new procedure the organic phase is shaken with bromine water. Thereby, the iodate formed moves completely into the water phase while the bromine accumulates in the chloroform. Remaining bromine in the water is destroyed with some formic acid. No buffer is needed, because the acid establishes the correct conditions for this reaction and also that between iodate and iodide. The iodine formed in sixfold amount can now be titrated visually or photometrically with thiosulfate or subjected to a second amplification cycle. The new procedure eliminates the reextraction, and the addition of some reagents especially sodium hydroxide which is the main contributor of extraneous iodine. Thus, the blank is reduced by a factor of 10 or more and is also more constant. Iodine at lower levels (
The electronic structure of some copper and silver alloys with heterovalent solutes

Abstract It is shown for the α-phases of the Cu(Zn → As), Ag(Zn → As), Cu(Cd → Sb) and Ag(Cd → Sb) systems that a simple square well solute potential can be obtained semi-empirically which leads to quantitative agreement in terms of the existing free electron expressions of the partialwave analysis with the available experimental values of the residual resistivity (by definition), the solvent Knight shift and the solute characteristic thermopower. The electronic structure of the excess localized charge obtained from these potentials also leads directly to Linde's rule and to a qualitative interpretation of the room-temperature Hall coefficient in these systems. The solute potentials are applied to the model of Kohn and Luming in the calculation of the change in the total magnetic susceptibility of the solvent due to alloying, but the results show no improvement over those derived from a Thomas-Fermi potential. The susceptibility calculations involve the establishment of an expression for the radial charge density of excess charge localized around a square well potential.
Hepatitis B immune globulin for accidental exposures among medical personnel: final report of a multicenter controlled trial.

Medical personnel accidentally exposed to blood from patients who had acute hepa- titis or carried hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) were assigned randomly to re- ceive two injections one month apart of immune serum globulin containing a high titer of antibody to HBsAg (anti-HBs) (269 subjects), an intermediate titer (223 subjects), or a normal titer (265 subjects). Four months after exposure nearly 7% of recipients of normal-titer globulin or intermediate-titer globulin had developed hep- atitis B, whereas no cases had appeared among recipients of high-titer globulin (P 0.30). Intercurrent infection was estimated to have accounted for only 20% of late-onset cases; 80% were thought to reflect an effect of high-titer globulin which was sufficient to delay onset but insufficient to reduce clinical severity. Many of these cases emerged in the presence of anti-HBs residual from administration of high- titer globulin, whereas no cases occurred in individuals who already possessed minimal amounts of anti-HBs at the time of exposure. The high-titer globulin was found to contain fragmented anti-HBs which may have interfered with the neutralizing activi- ty of the large amount of unfragmented anti-HBs also present in the high-titer globu- lin. In any event, the lack of significant protection in the current trial means that a decision to use high-titer globulin as postexposure prophylaxis will have to rest upon the evidence of protection that has been obtained by others.
Photoelectric Emission from Single-Crystal KI

Photoelectric emission measurements were made on single crystals of KI. Yield curves, obtained after irradiation in the first fundamental absorption band, are similar to those observed on evaporated films and the features are attributed to direct ionization and exciton-induced emission from $F$ centers of density \ensuremath{\sim}${10}^{18}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$, only 10 times lower than for films. At 80\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}K additional structure appears. A small yield for quantum energy below 2.5 ev is attributed to the presence of ${F}^{\ensuremath{'}}$ centers. At 5.5 ev, the position of $\ensuremath{\beta}$-band absorption, a small peak is observed. An inversion in the exciton-induced emission yield at 5.8 ev is associated with the sharply peaked surface reflectivity. While the ratio of exciton-induced to direct ionization is slightly higher in crystals than in films, the effective cross section for exciton-induced ionization is still ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}14}$ ${\mathrm{cm}}^{2}$; thus, the photoemission provides direct evidence for energy transfer from excitons but not necessarily for migration.
Static Replication Strategies for Content Availability in Vehicular Ad-hoc Networks

This study investigates replication strategies for reducing latency to desired content in a vehicular peer-to-peer network. We provide a general constrained optimization formulation for efficient replication and study it via analysis and simulations employing a discrete random walk mobility model for the vehicles. Our solution space comprises of a family of popularity based replication schemes each characterized by an exponent n. We find that the optimal replication exponent depends significantly on factors such as the total system storage, data item size, and vehicle trip duration. With small data items and long client trip durations, n ~?0.5 i.e., a square-root replication scheme provides the lowest aggregate latency across all data item requests. However, for short trip durations, n moves toward 1, making a linear replication scheme more favorable. For larger data items and long client trip durations, we find that the optimal replication exponent is below 0.5. Finally, for these larger data items, if the client trip duration is short, the optimal replication exponent is found to be a function of the total storage in the system. Subsequently, the above observations are validated with two real data sets: one based on a city map with freeway traffic information and the other employing encounter traces from a bus network.