cssi/SciSciGPT-SciSciNet huggingface dataset:
Whether, How, and Why Networks Influence Men’s and Women’s Career Success: Review and Research Agenda:

Substantial research has documented challenges women experience building and benefiting from networks to achieve career success. Yet fundamental questions remain regarding which aspects of men’s an...
Principles in treating pediatric patients with pilonidal disease - An expert perspective

Pilonidal disease is common amongst adolescent males and females and often leads to recurrent symptoms and life-altering morbidity. Traditionally, surgery included wide excision of the involved area with primary closure. Post-operative complication rates were high and recurrence of disease common, leading to a search for alternative approaches for treating pilonidal disease. A minimally invasive (trephination) approach was described by Gips in 2008 and has since been adopted by many surgeons. Although the trephination procedure is less morbid than total excision, the risk of wound complications is not insignificant and post-operative recurrence has been reported in more than 10% of patients. The lack of a clear advantage for any single treatment strategy has led a wide variation in provider approach. To standardize the care for pediatric patients with pilonidal disease, a dedicated clinic was created at our institution in 2018. The aim of this paper is to describe an approach to treating pediatric patients with pilonidal disease that has been established through the experience of treating hundreds of adolescent males and females per year. Given the impact on quality of life for those that are affected by pilonidal disease, it is important that future research be directed toward discovery of the best practices for treating this challenging disease.
Statelets: A Novel Multi-Dimensional State-Shape Representation Of Brain Functional Connectivity Dynamics

Time series motifs discovery and summarization is an established powerful tool for modeling and analyzing dynamical systems. In a similar spirit, we propose a state-space data mining approach called “statelets.” It is a probabilistic pattern-summarization framework operating on time series correlations and capturing their dynamics. Statelets rely on earth mover distance (EMD): a simple yet effective similarity metric that provides a scale-independent, variable-length comparison between substructures and accounts for partial matching. The efficiency of computing EMD supports its application in a kernel density estimator to approximate local motifs’ probability density across the dataset. We validate statelets’ utility on the dynamic functional network connectivity (dFNC) of patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. The typical approach to the dFNC analysis, sliding window plus clustering (SWC), models the system continuously through a fixed set of connectivity states. Here, rather than using all the time points and searching for the patterns that span throughout the brain, we adopt time series motifs to capture the most recurring and transient patterns of the signals. Statelets produce the synopsis of dynamic connectivity shapes from both dynamics that provide valuable insights into the human brain’s dynamic features. We observe these state-shapes are highly informative about the disorder. Also, they reveal significant group differences in connectivity strength across various regions of the brain.
Understanding the Black-White Wealth Gap in the United States

This paper examines the relationship between wealth holdings and patterns of various household characteristics, including education, occupation, wealth portfolio structures and inheritance. The focus is on comparing the wealth levels of Black and White Americans, and relating differences in these levels to socio-economic characteristics. We find that a combination of inheritance, education and occupation is significantly related to differences in wealth levels. However, household characteristics such as education, homeownership or business ownership are not by themselves pathways to reducing wealth gaps, let alone eliminating them. Financial literacy also does not appear to play a role in explaining the wealth gap.
Non-equilibrium model of liquid column chromatography : II. Explicit solutions and non-ideal conditions

Abstract the analysis begun in the previous paper of a general model for liquid chromatography in a column is continued here. Explicit solutions are obtained for small-zone and large-zone non-equilibrium chromatography models both without and with diffusion. The effects on the moments of the elution profile of a distribution function which characterizes molecular heterogeneity (such as molecular size) or bead non-uniformities are analyzed. A first-order correction to the mean value of the elution profile when sorption—desorption kinetics are concentration dependent is derived. Numerical simulations of the elution profile indicate the following. (1) The peak and mean may differ by as much as a factor of two for slow mass transfer ( k 1 ≲ 0.01). Since the mean is uniquely detemined by the equilibrium constant but the peak is not, the use of the peak to characterize the equilibrium constant for broad asymmetric profiles may lead to serious errors. (2) When the rate of mass transfer from the void to penetrable volumes becomes comparable to u / h , a second peak will develop in the elution profile. This happens even for a completely homogeneous population under conditions, and is caused by molecules that traverse the column without penetrating beads. The dispersion of this peak is therefore determined entirely by effects other than mass transfer. (3) In the non-linear regime ( i . e ., when mass transfer rates are concentration dependent), the equilibrium constant is, in general, no longer uniquely determined by the mean. Uniqueness is, however, obtained in the limit as both mass transfer coefficients become very small, with their ratio remaining moderate.
An upper bound on blocking probability of vertical stacked optical benes networks

Directional coupler (DC)-based optical switching networks can switch signals at the rate of several terabits per second. Benes networks are widely employed for their small depth and self-routing capability. Crosstalk between two optical signals passing through the same DC is an intrinsic drawback in DC-based optical networks. Vertical stacking of multiple copies of an optical Benes network has been intensively studied by researchers to build non-blocking optical networks. The resulting network is called vertically stacked optical Benes network (VSOBN). However, no rigorous analysis has been done to predict the behavior of VSOBN. In this paper, we study the deterministic conditions for strictly non-blocking VSOBN with and without worst case scenarios. We further analyze the blocking probabilities of VSOBN networks under a fixed load and develop their upper bound with respect to the number of planes in the networks. These performance measures can be used to predict the performance of VSOBN.
Assessing the potential impacts of alternative landscape designs on amphibian population dynamics

An individual-based, spatially explicit population model was used to predict the consequences of future land-use alternatives for populations of four amphibian species in two central Iowa (midwest USA) agricultural watersheds. The model included both breeding and upland habitat and incorporated effects of climatic variation and demographic stochasticity. Data requirements of the model include life history characteristics, dispersal behavior, habitat affinities, as well as land use and landcover in geographic information systems databases. Future scenarios were ranked according to change in breeder abundance, saturation, and distribution, compared to baseline conditions. Sensitivity of simulation results to changes in model parameters was also examined. Simulated results suggest that while all four species modeled are likely to persist under present and future scenario conditions, two may be more at risk from future landscape change. Although the study species are all widespread generalists regarded as having a low conservation priority, they depend on wetlands and ponds, increasingly endangered habitats in agricultural landscapes. Broader conservation strategies in the region would ensure that these currently common organisms do not become the endangered species of the future.
The radiolysis of tryptophan and leucine with P-32 beta-radiation

The paper extends earlier experiments on the radiolysis of DL-tryptophan using P-32 beta-radiation to longer reaction times, observing complete destruction of tryptophan by secondary, nonradiolytic processes. In addition DL-leucine is irradiated with P-32 beta-irradiation at -196 C, leading to radiolyses to the extents of about 20-30%, but observing no concomitant asymmetric bias. The complete absence of asymmetric bias in the present and earlier (Bonner et al., 1979) radiolyses of aqueous tryptophan at -25 C and the present radiolyses of water-free leucine at -196 C using P-32 beta-radiation and its accompanying bremsstrahlung leave it an open question whether or not the Vester-Ulbricht beta-decay/bremsstrahlung mechanism for the origin of optical activity is a viable one.
Chronic binge‐like moderate ethanol drinking in rats results in widespread decreases in brain serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine turnover rates reversed by ethanol intake

This research was initiated to assess the turnover rates (TORs) of dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NA), serotonin (5-HT), aspartate, glutamate, and GABA in brain regions during rodent ethanol/sucrose (EtOH) and sucrose (SUC) drinking and in animals with a history of EtOH or SUC drinking to further characterize the neuronal systems that underlie compulsive consumption. Groups of five male rats were used, with two trained to drink EtOH solutions, two to drink SUC and one to serve as a non-drinking control. When stable drinking patterns were obtained, rats were pulse labeled intravenously and killed 60 or 90 min later and the TORs of DA, norepinephrine, 5-HT, aspartate, glutamate, and GABA determined in brain regions. Changes in the TOR of 5-HT, DA, and NA were detected specific to EtOH drinking, SUC drinking or a history of EtOH or SUC drinking. An acute EtOH deprivation effect was detected that was mostly reversed with EtOH drinking. These results suggest that binge-like drinking of moderate amounts of EtOH produces a deficit in neuronal function that could set the stage for the alleviation of anhedonic stimuli with further EtOH intake that strengthen EtOH seeking behaviors which may contribute to increased EtOH use in at risk individuals.
Atmospheric circulation of Venus

Publisher Summary This chapter describes the developments in the understanding of atmospheric circulation of Venus. Early ground-based observations of Venus suggested that the amount of sunlight absorbed by the completely cloud-covered planet was probably less than that of the Earth, even though it is closer to the sun. The entry probe wind measurements also show that the lower atmospheric zonal flow resembles rigid shell rotation whereas differential rotation occurs at higher altitudes. The inferences about the zonal flow derived from the radio occultation measurements of temperature suggest increasing differential rotation above the clouds producing a strong jet associated with a steeper horizontal temperature gradient in the polar region. It is suggested that if the Venus atmospheric angular momentum is in equilibrium with the surface, then the sum of the surface torques on the atmosphere must be zero, requiring zonal winds in both eastward and westward directions. It is suggested that proper modeling of propagating wave modes, including thermal tides, gravity waves, and other planetary-scale wave modes, is crucial to understanding both of the upper atmospheric dynamic regimes.
Corporate Transparency, Sustainable Tax Strategies, and Uncertain Tax Activities

We investigate whether the sustainability of firms’ tax strategies is associated with corporate transparency. We expect and find that firms with sustainable tax strategies are associated with more transparent information environments. Prior research shows that transparency is associated with better governance; we expect better governed firms to engage in more sustainable tax strategies and we find that firms with more sustainable tax strategies exhibit significantly higher return on assets, free cash flows and cash flows from operations, and higher Altman’s Z-Scores. We also find that the likelihood of engaging in uncertain tax activities is negatively related to both transparency and tax strategy sustainability. Finally, we find that firms with lower transparency record higher unrecognized tax benefits. These relationships are important because a firm’s degree of transparency significantly affects capital costs and value, and relying on the assumption that tax planning investments lead to more obscure information environments can be costly.
Electrodisintegration of Few Body Systems at Slac and the Y Scaling Approach

It is proposed that extraction of the scaling function F(y) from the transverse and longitudinal response functions in inclusive quasielastic electron scattering from 3 He and 4 He is a powerful method to either study the validity regime of the impulse approximation by allowing the access to the high nucleon momentum components in these nuclei, or the electromagnetic properties of bound nucleons.
Aspects of Charmonium

Here we discuss three separate topics in charmonium physics. (1) The Omicron \OMC as $1^{--}$ trigluonia, and the charmonium puzzle; the $\eta_c' (3600)$ search. (2) The decay $\psi(^1P_1) \to \pi^o + J/\psi$ and isospin violating charmonium decays. (3) How to search for $\chi_c' = \chi_c(2P)$ charmonium states.
Quantitative liquid chromatographic-tandem mass spectrometric determination of orlistat in plasma with a quadrupole ion trap.

Abstract This report evaluates the use of a quadrupolar ion trap for quantitation in a bioanalytical laboratory. The evaluation was accomplished with the cross-validation of an LC–MS–MS quantitative method previously validated on a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer. The method was a multi-level determination of the anti-obesity drug, orlistat, in human plasma. The method has been refined previously on a triple quadrupole instrument to provide rapid sample throughput with robust reproducibility at sub-nanogram detection limits. Optimization of the method on the ion trap required improved chromatographic separation of orlistat from interfering plasma matrix components coextracted during the initial liquid–liquid extraction of plasma samples. The ion trap produces full-scan collision-induced dissociation mass spectra containing characteristic orlistat fragment ions that are useful for quantitation. Data collection on the ion trap required a precursor ion isolation width of 3.0 Da and optimal quantitative results were obtained when three fragment ions were monitored with a 1.8 Da window for each ion. Although a direct cross-validation between the ion trap and the tandem triple quadrupole mass spectrometer was not possible, quantitative results for orlistat comparable to those obtained from the triple quadrupole instrument were achieved by the ion trap with the modified method. The limit of quantitation for orlistat in plasma on the ion trap was 0.3 ng ml −1 with a linear dynamic range of 0.3 to 10 ng ml −1 . Precision and accuracy varied from 4 to 15% over the quantitation range. The overall results provide an example of the utility of an ion trap in bioanalytical work.
Testing semiparametric conditional moment restrictions using conditional martingale transforms

This paper studies conditional moment restrictions that contain unknown nonparametric functions, and proposes a general method of obtaining asymptotically distribution-free tests via martingale transforms. Examples of such conditional moment restrictions are single index restrictions, partially parametric regressions, and partially parametric quantile regressions. This paper introduces a conditional martingale transform that is conditioned on the variable in the nonparametric function, and shows that we can generate distribution-free tests of various semiparametric conditional moment restrictions using this martingale transform. The paper proposes feasible martingale transforms using series estimation and establishes their asymptotic validity. Some results from a Monte Carlo simulation study are presented and discussed.
Glacier fluctuations in the southern Peruvian Andes during the late‐glacial period, constrained with cosmogenic 3He

The occurrence of pronounced climate reversals during the last glacial termination has long been recognised in palaeoclimate records from both hemispheres and from high to low latitudes. Accurate constraint of both the timing and magnitude of events, such as the Younger Dryas and Antarctic Cold Reversal, is vital in order to test different hypotheses for the causes and propagation of abrupt climate change. However, in contrast to higher-latitude regions, well-dated records from the Tropics are rare and the structure of late-glacial tropical climate remains uncertain. As a step toward addressing this problem, we present an in situ cosmogenic 3 He surface exposure chronology from Nevado Coropuna, southern Peru, documenting a significant fluctuation of the ice margin during the late-glacial period. Ten tightly clustered ages from a pair of moraines located halfway between the modern glacier and the Last Glacial Maximum terminus range from 11.9 to 13.9ka and give an arithmetic mean age of 12.8! 0.7ka (1s). These data constitute direct evidence for a readvance, or prolonged stillstand, of glaciers in the arid Andes of southwestern Peru. Copyright # 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Effects of sampling on the phase transfer function of incoherent imaging systems

With the advent of modern-day computational imagers, the phase of the optical transfer function may no longer be summarily ignored. This study discusses some important properties of the phase transfer function (PTF) of digital incoherent imaging systems and their implications on the performance and characterization of these systems. The effects of aliasing and sub-pixel image shifts on the phase of the complex frequency response of these sampled systems are described, including an examination of the specific case of moderate aliasing. Key properties of this function in aliased imaging systems are derived and their potential treatment to a range of diverse applications encompassing traditional and computational imaging systems is discussed.
A mathematical model of bone remodeling dynamics for normal bone cell populations and myeloma bone disease

Background Multiple myeloma is a hematologic malignancy associated with the development of a destructive osteolytic bone disease.
Contact stimulation, androgenized females and accelerated sexual maturation in female mice.

Adult female mice previously given 100 μg of testosterone propionate on day 1 of age were placed with 21-day-old female mice producing an acceleration of vaginal introitus and first vaginal estrus in the young females. Young test females placed with intact adult males attained first estrus at 27.9 days of age while test females placed with neonatally androgenized females matured at 30.5 days of age and single control females matured at 34.0 days of age. Androgenized females caused an acceleration of maturation in young females, but not by the production of an acceleratory pheromone as in adult intact males. A second experiment demonstrated that contact stimulation with the young females by neonatally androgenized adult females was equal in quantity and similar in quality to the contact by normal adult males. In a final experiment young females were exposed to the continued presence of a neonatally androgenized adult female and a daily sample of male-soiled bedding containing the maturation-accelerating pheromone; these females matured at 28.1 days of age, the same age as young females placed with intact adult males. Contact stimulation may explain the acceleration of sexual development produced by placing young female mice with neonatally androgenized adult females. Such contact could explain a portion of the male-acceleration effect; that portion not accounted for by pheromonal factors.
Tracer diffusion of aromatic hydrocarbons in n-hexane up to the supercritical region

Tracer diffusion coefficients are determined with the Taylor-Aris dispersion method for benzene, toluene, p-xylene, mesitylene, naphthalene and phenanthrene in liquid n-hexane along the vapour-liquid coexistence curve from 333.2 to 485.4 K and in supercritical n-hexane at 507.4, 522.0, 533.3, 543.2K and several pressures. A rough-hard-sphere model is found to represent quite well (to within ± 6%) the observed tracer diffusivities in the density region where computer simulation results for D12SHS/D12E are available, i.e. 1.5 ⩽ V/V0 ⩽ 3. Furthermore, Hildebrand's free volume model together with the excluded-volume effect provides the basis for a general linear relationship between D12VC12 and V for tracer diffusion in liquid n-hexane up to its critical temperature. For diffusion in the supercritical region two definitions of reduced tracer diffusivity, one based on the rough-hard-sphere theory of tracer diffusion and the other on the extension of Helfand-Rice corresponding state principle for self-diffusion, permit generalized correlations that are capable of representing the experimental results in both supercritical n-hexane and carbon dioxide to within ±4% on average.
A direct-elution technique for the recovery of thin-layer samples

Abstract An elution technique is described which permits the recovery of samples from flexible thin-layer chromatograms without removal of the layer from the plate. This simple method avoids many of the problems associated with component removal and achieves high recovery with extremely small solvent volumes.
Site-specific incorporation of diamondoids on DNA using click chemistry

A simple and robust solid phase synthetic method for the ligation of diamondoids on the phosphate backbone of DNA with “click” chemistry using [Cu(CH3CN)4]PF6 without a stabilizing ligand is reported. It was found that as the size of dimondoid increased, a corresponding increase in melting temperature was observed.
Momentum dependence of nuclear spectral functions as observed in (p, 2p) quasielastic scattering at large q2

Abstract We report the observation of the momentum dependence of the spectral function for Li, C, Al, Cu and Pb as measured in quasielastic (p, 2p) scattering. Quasielastic data are presented at − q 2 of 4.8 GeV 2 for these nuclei and at 8.5 GeV 2 for Al.
Bihemispheric anodal corticomotor stimulation using transcranial direct current stimulation improves bimanual typing task performance.

ABSTRACT Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is associated with improved unimanual skilled hand use. The authors assessed effects of bihemispheric anodal corticomotor tDCS (BAC-tDCS) on bimanual skilled hand use. Twenty-eight nondisabled subjects were randomized to either BAC-tDCS or sham-tDCS, 20 min daily for 5 consecutive days. Performance on a bimanual typing (BT) task and a short-term memory (STM) task was assessed daily and at 1-week follow-up. Mean change between Day 1 and Day 5 in BT score with BAC-tDCS (19.4 points; 95% CI [12.82, 25.99]) was significantly greater (p =.04) than change with sham-tDCS (12.5 points; 95% CI [7.6, 17.3]). Neither group retained improvements in BT score at follow-up. BAC-tDCS had no effect on STM. These results may have implications for interventions to improve hand function in persons with bilateral hand dysfunction.
ACTIVE FRACTIONS OF ORGANIC MATTER IN SOILS WITH DIFFERENT TEXTURE

Summary-Relationships between soil organic C (SOC), soil microbial biomass C (SMBC), mineralizable C and N during a 21 d incubation, and basal soil respiration (BSR) were evaluated on eight soil types from Texas that varied in soil texture (745% clay) and organic matter. The portion of SOC as SMBC increased with increasing clay content, whereas the relationships of mineralizable C and N and BSR to SGC were not affected by soil texture. The ratio of BSR-to-SOC averaged 1.4 + 0.4 mg mineralizable C g-r SOC d-r. The amount of mineralizable C and N and BSR per unit of SMBC, however, decreased with increasing clay content, indicating that the soil microbial biomass (SMB) was more active in coarse-textured soils than in fine-textured soils. The average specific respiratory activit was 29 mg mineralizable C g-’ SMBC d-’ with 10% clay and 11 mg mineralizable C g-’ SMBC d- Y wrth 40% clay. The C-to-N ratio of the mineralizable fraction was 10 f 3 and not affected by soil texture. The established relationships between active soil organic matter (SOM) fractions and soil texture could be used in models predicting SOM turnover. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd
Settlement Patterns and Intrasite Variability in the Central Negev, Israel1

Settlement pattern studies in two areas within the Central Negev reveal variations seemingly related to local resources. Near Avdat, the availability of flint may have attracted Middle Paleolithic peoples while Upper Paleolithic occupations are densest and largest near perennial springs. In the Har Harif, no Middle Paleolithic occupations are documented, and the paucity of springs in the survey area is paralleled by the sparse Upper Paleolithic occupation. Large Epipaleolithic sites are abundant in the region, indicating somewhat wetter conditions. Considerable intrasite patterning in artifact distribution is noted at three sites which have been examined in preliminary fashion.
Themed issue on inner-city empowerment and revitalization

Historically, the community development field has focused on addressing the needs of inner-city neighborhoods. Although other areas of inquiry examined by community development researchers and prof...
Glucocorticoids Inhibit Corticotropin-Releasing Factor-Induced Production of Adenosine 3′,5′-Monophosphate in Cultured Anterior Pituitary Cells*

The effect of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) on ACTH secretion and cAMP production by cultured anterior pituitary cells was investigated. Intracellular cAMP production was stimulated over 13-fold within 10 min in response to 10 nM CRF, reaching a plateau between 20 and 30 min. This was followed by a gradual decline in cellular cAMP, which was associated with its release into the medium. The release of both cAMP and ACTH followed similar time courses and remained linear over a 4-h incubation. CRF caused a dose-dependent increase in both cAMP production and ACTH release over a similar concentration range during short (30-min) incubations when cellular cAMP was maximal. During longer (4-h) incubations, however, significantly higher concentrations of CRF were required to stimulate cAMP production than those needed to stimulate ACTH release. Pretreatment of these cells with 20 nM dexamethasone for 18 h prevented CRF-stimulated ACTH secretion and significantly attenuated cAMP production at all time points during the 4 h. Concentrations of dexamethasone required to prevent CRF-stimulated ACTH release and cAMP production as well as 8-bromo-cAMP-stimulated ACTH release were similar. Equivalent results were obtained with corticosterone. These results suggest that changes in intracellular cAMP levels may, at least in part, mediate the action of CRF on ACTH secretion in the anterior pituitary gland and that one mechanism by which glucocorticoids exert their inhibitory action on corticotrophs may involve an effect on cAMP production.
Tragedy Averted: The Promise of Collaboration

Environmentalists, for the most part, continue their skepticism of collaborative approaches to environmental and natural resource decision making, particularly on public lands. Such approaches, many have argued, are an abdication of government authority, circumvent environmental laws, lead to lowest common denominator solutions, are not accountable to public and scientific review processes, and are undemocratic. Environmentalists can point to flawed decision-making processes that contain these elements. Such processes, however, are generally not publicly and statutorily accountable collaborative processes. Moreover, thoughtful and accountable collaborative approaches, more than other kinds of decision-making processes, hold promise that other decision-making approaches lack—that of creating a sense of shared ownership of our larger and more complex problems. Achieving shared ownership, and ultimately averting the inevitable tragedies of the commons facing society today, requires a shift in how decision-ma...
Mobilization and activation of nonspecific cytotoxic cells (NCC) in the channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) infected with Ichthyophthirius multifiliis.

Abstract Channel catfish demonstrate a shift in the tissue distribution of nonspecific cytotoxic cells (NCC) when infected with the protozoan parasite, Ichthyophthirius multifiliis. NCC, isolated from head kidney (HK) tissues (hemopoietic organ) or peripheral blood leukocytes, were assessed for cytotoxic activity against NC-37 (a transformed mammalian cell line). NCC activity from HK tissue of moribund I. multifillis-infected fish was depressed compared to HK-NCC activity in uninfected or I. multifiliis-immune fish. The activity of NCC, isolated from the peripheral blood of moribund I. multifiliis-infected fish was significantly greater than the NCC activity in peripheral blood from either immune or uninfected fish. Chromium-51 release assays were combined with effector and target conjugate assays to determine killing capacity (Vmax) and affinity (Km) for target cells of peripheral blood NCC from moribund I. multifiliis-infected and uninfected fish. These experiments indicated that the peripheral blood from the moribund infected fish contained an increased percentage of active NCC with increased killing capacity and target cell affinity compared to peripheral blood NCC activity of uninfected fish.
Ability of exercise testing to predict cardiovascular and all-cause death in asymptomatic women: a 20-year follow-up of the lipid research clinics prevalence study.

ContextThe value of exercise testing in women has been questioned.ObjectiveTo determine the prognostic value of exercise testing in a population-based cohort of asymptomatic women followed up for 20 years.Design and SettingNear-maximal Bruce-protocol treadmill test data from the Lipid Research Clinics Prevalence Study (1972-1976) with follow-up through 1995.ParticipantsA total of 2994 asymptomatic North American women, aged 30 to 80 years, without known cardiovascular disease.Main Outcome MeasuresCardiovascular and all-cause mortality.ResultsThere were 427 (14%) deaths during 20 years of follow-up, of which 147 were due to cardiovascular causes. Low exercise capacity, low heart rate recovery (HRR), and not achieving target heart rate were independently associated with increased all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. There was no increased cardiovascular death risk for exercise-induced ST-segment depression (age-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.57-1.80; P = .96). The age-adjusted hazard ratio for cardiovascular death for every metabolic equivalent (MET) decrement in exercise capacity was 1.20 (95% CI, 1.18-1.30; P<.001); for every 10 beats per minute decrement in HRR, the hazard ratio was 1.36 (95% CI, 1.19-1.55; P<.001). After adjusting for multiple other risk factors, women who were below the median for both exercise capacity and HRR had a 3.5-fold increased risk of cardiovascular death (95% CI, 1.57-7.86; P = .002) compared with those above the median for both variables. Among women with low risk Framingham scores, those with below median levels of both exercise capacity and HRR had significantly increased risk compared with women who had above median levels of these 2 exercise variables, 44.5 and 3.5 cardiovascular deaths per 10 000 person-years, respectively (hazard ratio for cardiovascular death, 12.93; 95% CI, 5.62-29.73; P<.001).ConclusionThe prognostic value of exercise testing in asymptomatic women derives not from electrocardiographic ischemia but from fitness-related variables.
Multi-Locus Phylogeographic and Population Genetic Analysis of Anolis carolinensis: Historical Demography of a Genomic Model Species

The green anole (Anolis carolinensis) has been widely used as an animal model in physiology and neurobiology but has recently emerged as an important genomic model. The recent sequencing of its genome has shed new light on the evolution of vertebrate genomes and on the process that govern species diversification. Surprisingly, the patterns of genetic diversity within natural populations of this widespread and abundant North American lizard remain relatively unknown. In the present study, we use 10 novel nuclear DNA sequence loci (N = 62 to 152) and one mitochondrial locus (N = 226) to delimit green anole populations and infer their historical demography. We uncovered four evolutionarily distinct and geographically restricted lineages of green anoles using phylogenetics, Bayesian clustering, and genetic distance methods. Molecular dating indicates that these lineages last shared a common ancestor ∼2 million years ago. Summary statistics and analysis of the frequency distributions of DNA polymorphisms strongly suggest range-wide expansions in population size. Using Bayesian Skyline Plots, we inferred the timing of population size expansions, which differ across lineages, and found evidence for a relatively recent and rapid westward expansion of green anoles across the Gulf Coastal Plain during the mid-Pleistocene. One surprising result is that the distribution of genetic diversity is not consistent with a latitudinal shift caused by climatic oscillations as is observed for many co-distributed taxa. This suggests that the most recent Pleistocene glacial cycles had a limited impact on the geographic distribution of the green anole at the northern limits of its range.
CRH inhibits NF-κB signaling in human melanocytes

Corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), a messenger of stress at the central level, is expressed in the epidermis where it operates within local equivalent of hypothalamo-pituitary axis. CRH inhibits NF-κB activity in human immortalized epidermal (PIG1) melanocytes. In melanocytes CRH stimulates pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC) mRNA and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) peptide production. Knockdown of POMC levels by transfecting cells with antisense oligonucleotides blocks the effect of CRH on NF-κB signaling indicating that the above inhibition is indirect, e.g. through activation of POMC. We suggest that induction of POMC by CRH serves as a feedback mechanism to self-restrict inflammatory response in the skin.
A trait‐based ecology of the Los Angeles urban forest

Plant functional trait classifications have provided a useful framework for understanding the biodiversity of natural ecosystems. Here we propose that trait-based ecology may be expanded for understanding urban biodiversity in human planted and human dominated land cover by including plant attributes that influence human choices about cultivated species in novel ecosystems. We measured leaf functional traits in 24 tree species grown in the Los Angeles region of southern California in order to assess whether leaf functional traits were (1) predictable based on biogeographic region of origin, and (2) related to urban plant performance and ecosystem-services based traits. This entailed the development of a proposed new, ecosystem services-based classification of tree species traits is based on ∼1000 household surveys of the preferences of urban residents for specific tree attributes in southern California. We evaluated the relationship between leaf functional traits, ecosystem services-based traits, and urban tree performance as measured by stem growth and predawn leaf water potential (as a metric of rooting distributions). Leaf functional traits were strongly predictable based on species' biogeographic region of origin including native habitat type and continent of origin, and hence appeared to be conserved in the urban environment. Ecosystem services-based traits such as tree water use, provision of showy flowers, size at maturity, and growth rates were also predictable based on geographic region of origin, and several ecosystem services-based traits were related to leaf functional traits. We suggest that ecosystem services-based traits may be useful variables to quantify in studies of urban forest community assembly, where species composition is strongly influenced by decision-making based on the preferences of urban residents and stakeholders. Our initial ecosystem services-based trait classification is defined from the results of household surveys and measurements in the Los Angeles area; these results are likely to vary by location, and can be improved with additional data on the performance, physiology, and morphology of urban trees as well as a better understanding of human preferences by region.
Interactive sketching for the early stages of user interface design

Current interactive user interface construction tools are often more of a hindrance than a benefit during the early stages of user interface design. These tools take too much time to use and force designers to specify more of the design details than they wish to at this early stage. Most interface designers, especially those who have a background in graphic design, prefer to sketch early interface ideas on paper or on a white-board. We are developing an interactive tool that allows designers to quickly sketch an interface using an electronic pad and stylus. Our tool preserves the important properties of paper: A rough drawing can be produced very quickly and the medium is very flexible. However, unlike a paper sketch this electronic sketch can easily be exercised and modified. In addition, our system allows designers to examine, annotate, and edit a complete history of the design. When the designer is satisfied with this early prototype, the system can transform the sketch into a complete, finished interface in a specified look-and-feel. This transformation takes place with the guidance of the designer. By supporting the early design phases of the software life-cycle, our tool should both ease the prototyping of user interfaces and improve the speed with which a final interface can be created.
Dostoevsky's Arguments for Immortality

Between 1864 and 1880, in fiction and nonfiction alike, Fedor Dostoevsky referred repeatedly to the immortality of the soul, and on several occasions he wrote of its great importance for spiritual and even material life. The idea of immortality, he proclaimed in 1876, is "the fundamental and highest" idea of human existence. It is "humanity's chief source of truth and correct understanding"; all other lofty ideas for which a person might live "simnplyflowfrom it alone."' On the strength of such assertions, Nicolas Berdyaev concluded that belief in immortality was the cornerstone of Dostoevsky's world view.2 Dostoevsky appears to have believed in immortality in some form throughout his life. His Christian upbringing, guided by a devout and demanding father, imbued him with faith in the traditional dogmas of Russian Orthodoxy. His reading of "liberal" Western literature in the 1830s and 1840s shook some but not all of the religious convictions of his youth; the George Sand he knew, as he indicated later, was a true Christian who believed "unconditionally" in the immortality of the human person (23:37). In a letter to a skeptic in 1877, Dostoevsky wrote that he was familiar with all the arguments against the existence of God and immortality by the time he was twenty (that is, by 1841); but there is no evidence that he ever succumbed to them, even in the socialist-radical phase leading up to his arrest and mock execution in 1849 (29/11:141). Facing what he and the other "condemned" men believed to be imminent death, Dostoevsky reportedly cried out, "We shall be with Christ!"3 Still, however central and persistent was Dostoevsky's belief in the continued existence of the soul after physical death, it was not always a confident belief. In his mature years he longed for his Christian faith to be immediate, certain, and unquestionable, as it was in his childhood, but he found that after exposure to critical secular thought he could
Surface roughening during elevated temperature implantation of nickel

Abstract Ion implantation at fluences near 10 17 ions cm −2 causes roughening and loss of reflectivity on electropolished nickel surfaces. The roughening is strongly temperature sensitive, not occurring at fluences well above 10 17 ions cm −2 at T or T ⪆ 700°C , and reaching a maximum near 600°C. The roughening is caused by pits that form at fluences near 3 × 10 17 ions cm −2 , with pit overlap taking place by two to three times this fluence. Internal voids are observed in the same temperature interval as the pits but at lower fluences, and the voids act as nuclei for the pits.
5-Thio-D-glucose selectively potentiates hyperthermic killing of hypoxic tumor cells

To investigate the mechanisms by which heat affects cancer cells, we used 5-thio-D-glucose, an inhibitor of glycolysis in HeLa S-3 cells, under aerobic and hypoxic conditions at temperatures ranging from 37 degrees to 43 degrees C. Drug alone or heat alone killed a minimum number of cells under aerobic or hypoxic conditions. Exposure to drug and hyperthermia selectively increased the number of cells killed under hypoxic conditions at temperatures as low as 40.5 degrees C but had little effect on cells incubated under aerobic conditions. These results suggest that the glycolytic pathways is a primary site of hyperthermic damage leading to cell death.
Dynamic value pricing as instrument for better utilization of high-occupancy toll lanes: San Diego I-15 case

Selected results are presented of the Traffic Study, one of 12 studies conducted by San Diego State University for the I-15 Congestion (Value) Pricing Project in San Diego, California, a 3-year federal demonstration that converted underutilized high-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes into a high-occupancy toll (HOT) facility. The studies addressed traffic and traveler-related aspects, as well as economic, equity, and public relations issues. The Traffic Study constituted the core of the evaluation effort. One of the project's main objectives was better utilization of the express lanes to carry more traffic during peak commuting periods. This study examines the possibility that dynamic, traffic-sensitive value pricing, represented by the FasTrak phase of the project, is uniquely suited to improve both utilization and volume distribution during peak periods while effectively controlling level of service on the facility. Measures of utilization and volume distribution were defined and studied in spring and fall waves of the study. The study confirms statistically significant improvements in both peak-period utilization and volume distribution across the study waves. The results strongly suggest that the FasTrak program's dynamic fee structure was able to create desirable redistribution of a portion of express lane traffic from the middle of the peak to the shoulders. The fixed-fee structure of ExpressPass, the preceding program, was not able to create such redistribution. Despite the steady increase of express lane volume during the entire 3-year demonstration, the comfortable level of service C required by law was maintained at virtually all times.
Evaluation of Polysulfated Glycosaminoglycan for the Treatment of Hip Dysplasia in Dogs

A double-blinded, controlled clinical study was performed to compare the response of adult dogs affected with hip dysplasia to a placebo and three different dosages of polysulfated glycosaminoglycan (PSGAG): 2.2 mg/kg, 4.4 mg/kg, and 8.8 mg/kg. Dogs were randomly assigned to treatment groups. The drug was administered intramuscularly every 3 to 5 days for a total of eight injections. Response to treatment was analyzed based on changes in lameness, range of motion (ROM), and pain on manipulation of the hip joints. Evaluation for adverse reactions included complete blood cell (CBC) count, blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatinine, and physical examination. Data were collected on a total of 111 dogs. Eighty-four met all criteria for inclusion in the study. Dogs that were given 4.4 mg/kg of PSGAG showed the greatest improvement in orthopedic scores, whereas dogs in the placebo group showed the smallest improvement; however, the differences in clinical improvement between the four treatment groups were not statistically significant. No local or systemic adverse reactions related to the drug were observed.
Labor Unions and Mass Distribution in the Milk Industry

Abstract All progress is accompanied by change, and frequently change is accompanied by hardships. As the milk industry progresses toward the more efficient distribution methods that are indeed in the public interest, it would be well for us to remember the words of Dr. Paul W. McCracken, Professor of Finance at the University of Michigan, and member of the Council of Economic Advisors for both Presidents Eisenhower and Kennedy: 9 “… Economic growth is wonderful, but it has its harsh side. It is a dangerous process. Its path will certainly be strewn with the skeletons of industries and skills and jobs and professions whose replacement with something better is the essence of progress. On the other hand, our free enterprise system has also been peculiarly well designed to encourage assaults on established markets, by holding out the lure of substantial reward for success. And competitive pressures have assured a prompt and wide diffusion of the results of progress. This process must continue to work vigorously if the decade ahead is to be one of satisfactory growth…”
Seamounts as recorders of hot-spot epeirogeny

Observations in the central Pacific suggest that older seamounts are uplifted if plate motion carries them over mantle hot spots. A depth-anomaly map of the area reveals several volcanic chains now located on younger hot-spot swells. Uplift is estimated by comparing the observed depth of a seamount summit or the observed stratigraphic section in an atoll with that predicted assuming standard subsidence of the sea floor after the seamount formed. Cretaceous seamounts on the margin of the Hawaiian Swell have standard summit depths, whereas those on the crest of the swell are at least 1,100 m shallower. Summit depth correlates with sea-floor depth anomaly, implying that the Hawaiian Swell has caused the uplift. Eocene fossils are exposed at the surface in the Tuamotu Atolls, whereas, according to the standard subsidence relation, Eocene deposits should be covered by 1,000 to 2,000 m of more recent material. The inferred uplift is consistent with the atoll9s present position atop the Society Swell. Possible evidence for 600 m of uplift in the Southern Cook Islands, however, is unexplained by swell height. The observed uplifts of the Cretaceous seamounts near Hawaii and of the Tuamotu Atolls put a limit on when the Hawaiian and Society Swells formed at their present locations of maximum elevation. The swells must have developed within the past several million years and probably formed at the same time as did the younger volcanic edifices on their summits.